28 Jan

CR IP TI ON BS SU

TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2014

Landlords use dirty tricks to evict tenants for more rent

Syria talks deadlocked over power transfer

40 PAGES

NO: 16060

150 FILS

2

www.kuwaittimes.net

RABI ALAWWAL 27, 1435 AH

8

French duo Daft Punk get lucky at Grammys

Heat dominate Spurs in finals rematch

38

20

MP calls to cut expats in public sector to 20% Govt, assembly agree on naturalizing 4,000 bedoons

By B Izzak conspiracy theories

Build a new Kuwait

By Badrya Darwish

badrya_d@kuwaittimes.net

I

read two editorials by Sheikh Salem, the former governor of Kuwait’s Central Bank. Sheikh Salem was known for his frugal policies on spending. He did an excellent job to regulate the lending system in Kuwait which had previously left many young Kuwaitis in debt. Till now many people are suffering from the debts and interests that they have been paying. He regulated all this.

I was impressed with his two columns published in local dailies. He was advising Kuwait on what to do in order to cut down on expenditure. He was mainly interested in subsidies and overspending, which are considered squandering of public funds. Subsidies are a burden on the government. I agreed with all his points.

Sheikh Salem is sophisticated enough to know that these are not the only issues that are affecting public funds. Kuwait did not do much to diversify income.

There was no long-term plan. Kuwait did not do anything to benefit from the petrochemical products industry. There are no big and serious projects in this field. There are no production lines in this field. Kuwait is a consuming nation. We import everything from A to Z or from the needle to the truck.

Widespread corruption exacerbates things. No manufacturing, lack of production and a lot of corruption. Nobody can deny this. There is no need to point all this out. Look at our electricity grids. Look at our infrastructure. Look at the streets which fell apart after a brief rainfall. The sewage system is not according to proper international standards. How about the hospitals and their quality and standards. Add to this the education system and schools. The education system is totally ignored. It is supposed to be one of the leading one since it is in charge of the future leaders of the country.

Overall, Kuwait does not have good infrastructure, which should be a given considering our national income. Do not forget Kuwait Airways. Where is our national airline today? After 25 years, now they decided to privatize it and nothing is coming to the surface.

Yet, millions are secretly spent on projects with no transparency or proper audit. What we have are numerous committees that supervise each other.

However, we never hear what the final committee has ruled. The list goes on and on and on.

We need solutions - serious solutions and discipline. Forget the parliament. I do not pin too much hopes on parliament, honestly speaking. The way I see it is that they are defending their interests. If the government means business to a Kuwait, they should roll up their sleeves and get serious. It can be done. It is not too late.

But no wasta, favouritism, nepotism or corruption!

We need sincere goodwill to build a new Kuwait!

191 Nepalis died in Qatar in 2013 KATHMANDU: Nearly 200 Nepali migrant workers died in Qatar last year, many of them from heart failure, officials said yesterday, figures that highlight the grim plight of labourers in the Gulf nation. Tens of thousands of impoverished Nepalis head every year to Qatar, where a construction boom is gathering pace as it prepares to host the 2022 football World Cup. The Nepal embassy in Doha said it registered 191 deaths last year compared with 169 the year before, with a foreign ministry official describing many of the deaths as “unnatural”.

“In the year 2013, a total of 191 Nepali migrant workers died in Qatar,” Harikanta Paudel, a senior embassy official, told AFP by telephone. “The highest number of deaths occurred in July when 32 workers died,” Paudel said. Qatar is under mounting pressure over poor conditions for migrant labourers, particularly during the blisteringly hot summer, in the gas-rich nation’s booming construction industry.

A Kathmandu-based foreign ministry official told AFP that a third of the deaths recorded were due to “unnatural” heart failure. “Young and healthy men in their twenties and thirties have died... it is unnatural,” said official Subhanga Parajuli. “Cardiac arrest is followed by traffic accidents as another main cause of death. The third cause of death is injuries during work,” Parajuli said. —AFP

KUWAIT: MP Yacoub Al-Sane yesterday proposed an amendment to the civil service law to cut the percentage of expatriates in government jobs to 20 percent, down from the existing 30 percent, in a move that could lay off at least 40,000 expatriates. Sane proposed that no expatriate should be appointed in government jobs if there is a Kuwaiti who can fill the vacancy and that expatriates’ contracts in government jobs should remain “temporary” and not “permanent”. The lawmaker also proposed that the percentage of expatriates in government jobs should not exceed 20 percent of the total workforce, to create

enough vacancies to appoint nationals.

The amendment requires the Civil Service Commission to report to the National Assembly every six months about new appointments in government jobs and that if it fails to find jobs for Kuwaitis within six months, it must pay them suitable monthly salaries. Sane said the aim of the amendment is to solve the problem of unemployment among Kuwaitis, which he described as the most serious problem facing Kuwaiti society.

According to official figures from the Public Authority for Civil Information, the number of expatriates working in government jobs is 127,600 employees out of a total of 435,600 employees, or just 29.3

percent of the total. Kuwaitis on the other hand account for 70.7 percent of public sector jobs or 308,000, compared to just 86,400 Kuwaitis working in the private sector. More than 1.76 million expatriates are employed in the private sector.

If the Assembly passes the amendments and the government accepts it, the government will need to sack at least 40,000 expatriates to bring their percentage to 20 percent. In some services ministries like education, health, electricity and water and others, the percentage of expatriates is more than 30 percent and to stick to 20 percent, it may require dismissing even more expatriates.

Continued on Page 13

Max 23º Min 13º High Tide 11:33 & 21:59 Low Tide 04:55 & 16:23

Yacoub Al-Sane

Military backs Sisi for president Strongman promoted to field marshal • Deputy PM resigns

CAIRO: A man sits under a banner with the photo of Defense Minister Field Marshal Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi as he drinks tea at the “Al Mosheer Cafe” or “Marshal Cafe” yesterday. — AP

CAIRO: Army chief Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi, who led the coup ousting Egypt’s Islamist president, moved closer to declaring his candidacy to replace him, securing the military’s backing yesterday for a presidential run, due by the end of April. Though he’s riding on a wave of nationalist fervor touting him as the nation’s savior to bring stability, his candidacy is certain to enflame a violent backlash from Islamists. A run by the 59-year-old Sisi, a US-trained infantry officer, would be a new twist in Egypt’s tumultuous transition, which began with 2011 revolt against autocratic President Hosni Mubarak - a veteran of the military who ruled for nearly 30 years - in the name of bringing civilian rule, reform and greater democracy.

The elections that followed were the country’s first democratic vote and brought the Islamists to power, installing Muslim Brotherhood figure Mohammed Morsi as president, only for a large portion of the population to turn against them, accusing the Brotherhood of trying to monopolize power. Massive protests prompted Sisi to depose Morsi on July 3.

Since Morsi’s ouster, Egypt has seen a wave of promilitary nationalist fervor and a return to prominence of security agencies that under Mubarak - and even after were widely hated for abuses of power. Soon after the coup, millions of Egyptians answered Sisi’s call to take to the street in rallies to “delegate” him to fight terrorism.

Police have since waged a fierce crackdown on the Brotherhood, killing hundreds of supporters and arresting thousands more. The government branded the Brotherhood a terrorist organization, accusing it of orchestrating the violence. The group denies the charge, saying it is aimed at justifying the crackdown.

The heavy-handed security crackdown also swept away secular-leaning activists and youth leaders as part of a wave of intimidation of critics, sparking fears among some of a return to a Mubarak-style police state. “It will more or less be a one man show,” said Ahmed Fawzi, the secretary general of the Social Democratic party, part of the liberal alliance that supported Morsi’s ouster. The fragile security situation only feeds into many Egyptians’ need for a strong man who can restore stability.

Continued on Page 13

Tunisia leaders sign new constitution TUNIS: Tunisia’s leaders yesterday signed the new constitution adopted by lawmakers during the night, a key goal of the revolution three years ago that touched off the Arab Spring. The historic document, seen as one of the most modern in the Arab world, was signed by outgoing Islamist premier Ali Larayedh, Speaker Mustapha

Ben Jaafar, and President Moncef Marzouki during a ceremony at the National Constituent Assembly. “With the birth of this text, we confirm our victory over dictatorship,” Marzouki said in a speech to the assembly, before signing the document which he then embraced, waving the Continued on Page 13

KUWAIT: The 14 Iranian and Afghan boatpeople are seen after their arrest yesterday.

Coastguards arrest 14 on Iranian boat

By Hanan Al-Saadoun

TUNIS: Assembly speaker Mustapha Ben Jaafar (left) Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki, (center) and outgoing prime minister Ali Larayedh gesture after signing the new constitution into law yesterday. — AP

KUWAIT: The Kuwaiti coastguard seized yesterday an Iranian boat carrying 12 Iranians and two Afghans that had entered the state’s territorial waters, the interior ministry and a security source said. Patrols spotted the boat after it entered Kuwaiti waters early in the morning, seized the vessel and detained

all 14 on board, the ministry said in a statement. It said the 14 individuals would be held pending an investigation.

The ministry did not reveal the identity of those arrested but a security source said they were 12 Iranians and two Afghans. Kuwait regularly intercepts boats from Iraq and Iran that stray into its waters with suspected smugglers or fishermen on board.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2014

LOCAL

Landlords use dirty tricks to evict tenants for more rent Difficult to get decent accommodation

By Nawara Fattahova KUWAIT: Many tenants suffer from various problems in their buildings. Rents are also very high, and it’s hard to find a good flat at an affordable price. Many greedy landlords always look for greater profit and to get as much money as possible out of the tenants, as they are bound by law that bans any rent hike before the passage of five years since the last increase.

Raed, an Arab national living in a two-room apartment in Salmiya, is facing problems from a new, greedy landlord. “The building was sold, and the new landlord wants to kick us out. I pay a rent of KD 130 and have lived in this flat for over 13 years. The new owner bought the building to sell it again and not keep it, so it has to be empty for new contracts with higher rents to be signed, I guess,” he told Kuwait Times.

The landlord used different tricks to force the tenants to leave. “First he cut the electricity in the entrance and the yard of the building.

Then he took us to the police station saying that we hadn’t paid electricity bills. Later, he threatened us with damaging the sewage system. Then he cut the water supply, claiming there was a debt that he will not pay, so we now get water from water tankers, which has

forced us to avoid taking showers every day. He also locked the rooftop access so we can’t reach our satellite dishes. In addition, he fired the haris so the building is without a person to take care of services,” Raed added.

“As this situation is annoying and hard to bear, we were forced to take KD 1,500 in compensation from the landlord and leave by the end of February. We got paid KD 1,300, and he promised to pay the remaining KD 200 after we clear the electricity and telephone bills. We previously filed a case against him for cutting the services, but he put three lawyers to defend him, while we don’t have enough finances to appoint an attorney,” concluded Raed.

John lives in a building in Farwaniya, which the owner has just sold. “The new landlord decided to increase the rent although five years hadn’t passed since the last increase. We rejected this increase and went to pay at the court. In revenge, the landlord excluded maintenance from our contract. So now when we face any problem in the building, the landlord does not pay for any services, and we have to fix everything from our pocket,” said John.

Sometimes fate plays its part. “The landlord of a building in Farwaniya decided to increase the rent of all tenants before five years had elapsed. When we refused and threatened the

haris that we will go to court, the landlord cut the electricity and water, and it was summertime. We prayed to God to help us in this nightmare. After just two days, the landlord died. His son came to us and told us to forgive his father as he passed away and that he doesn’t want any increase,” said Hosam.

Some landlords use dirty tricks that are considered crimes. Ibtisam tells the story of her friend who was living in an old building in Salmiya, which the landlord aimed to empty of tenants. “He informed the tenants to search for a new place as the building will be demolished.

Apart from two tenants, all others left the building. To force these two to leave, the landlord accused one of them of robbing one of the vacated flats. He was arrested and in exchange of dropping the case, he left the flat, as he realized that his life could be ruined,” she noted.

In a relatively new building in Hawally, the haris demanded increased rent from Jessica after just 5 months of moving in. “As I’m European, he thought he can fool me and brought me a contract written in Arabic to sign with a rent increase. Of course I refused as this is ridiculous, so he sometimes cuts the electricity. After I complained, he most likely put cockroaches in my flat to force me to leave,” she charged.

Indian ambassador hosts Republic Day reception KUWAIT: Indian Ambassador Sunil Jain and his wife Gargu Jain hosted a reception at the Crowne Plaza Hotel on Sunday evening on the occasion of India’s 65th Republic Day. Acting Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Ali Al-Abdulla Al-Jaber Al-Sabah was the chief guest of the occasion who inaugurated the

celebration by lighting the traditional lamp.

Soon after the lighting of the lamp, the students of Salmiya Indian Model School (SIMS) rendered the Indian patriotic song ‘Vande mataram’. A host of ambassadors and diplomats from various foreign missions in Kuwait and many prominent Kuwaiti dignitaries attended

the reception. A large number of Indian community representatives comprising businessmen, academicians, medical professionals and media persons were also present during the function.

The ambassador and his wife greeted the dignitaries on the occasion and exchanged pleasantries with them.—Photos by Joseph Shagra

KUWAIT: Some of the social activities carried out by the Commercial Bank of Kuwait last year.

CBK ... long history of communal activity KUWAIT: For decades since its establishment, the Commercial Bank of Kuwait (CBK) has been fully aware of the significance and spearheaded commitment to communal service activities —be them social, sports, educational, cultural or others.

“The year 2013 has been full of

such activities organized or sponsored by CBK”, stressed CBK’s assistant PR and media manager, Amani Al-Wer noting that the bank had taken part in keeping with its ongoing efforts during the Holy Month of Ramadan. The bank, represented by its Advertising and Public Relations

Department, celebrated “Girgian” with children hospitalized in Ibn Sina Hospital and Kuwait Cancer Control Center for children. Further, the bank offered support for holding “Girgian” party for the female prisoners which was organized by Social Work Society of Kuwait with a view to bring happiness to their hearts on this occasion which is regarded as one of the traditions of old Kuwaiti heritage. Furthermore, and within its social and humanitarian contributions during the Holy Month of Ramadan, the bank distributed “Eid New Clothes” to road cleaners and construction workers in their work locations.

This initiative comes within “Hawwen Alaihom” campaign designated for this category to help and support road cleaners and workers at all times and occasions, where the bank seek through this initiative to draw smile on their faces and share them the joy of Eid Al-Fitr”.

Further, Al-Wer said that CBK had sponsored the world disabled annual ceremony held at Al-Jaza’er Secondary School for girls under the title of ‘Know me better, Respect me more!’. The bank also sponsored a painting competition at Radisson Blu. She also noted that within a social program full of humanitarian and charitable activities specially tailored to suit the Holy Month of Ramadan and the good deeds that prevail in this month, Commercial Bank of Kuwait launched, during the month, TV commercial under the title “We Continue Our Social Responsibility Efforts”. The idea of the new commercial was initiated to emphasize interaction between the bank and all society segments and its participation and sponsorship of various social activities and events that come out of its steadfast social responsibility for long decades and which will continue in the future.

KUWAIT: Palestinian ambassador to Kuwait Rami Tahboub visited Kuwait Times yesterday and discussed matters of mutual interest with Editor-in-Chief Abd Al-Rahman Al-Alyan.

KD 250m to set up custom warehousing companies KUWAIT: The government is currently racing against the clock to pass laws that had already been approved and put them into practice in order to accelerate the economic development process in view of a framework of integrity and transparency that would also create more job opportunities and, accordingly, reduce unemployment rates, said informed ministerial sources.

Further, the sources stressed that Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah had given clear instructions redouble efforts towards implementing legislations that had already been approved and

referred to the government. They added that the Cabinet would prioritize law number 5/2008 pertaining the establishment of two companies to build and develop customs warehouses at Abdaly and Salmi, which would eventually help turn Kuwait into a regional commercial hub.

The sources explained that 50 percent of the two companies’ shares would be offered to citizens, 26 percent to listed companies and 24 percent to be owned by the government. They added that both companies’ capitals would be KD 200-250 million.

‘British Telecom’ seeks entry to e-government projects KUWAIT: Khalifa Al-Marzouq, member of the board of directors and executive manager at British Telecom, said that the company seeks entry to the e-government projects, as purchase, supply and installation of wireless communication devices and machines is among its major objectives, along with mobile communication services, and marketing of electronic communication devices and internal communication networks. On the occasion of the participation of British Telecom with a special pavilion at the InfoConnect Exhibition, launched yesterday and continuing till Feb 1, Al Marzouq mentioned that British Telecom succeeded in holding a strategic partnership with 4 other global IT solutions companies specialized in integrated software programming for enterprises. The 4 companies are: SAP, Cisco systems, Sentel and FIBERON. Al Marzouq mentioned that British Telecom, through its cooperation with other global companies, aims at supplying egovernments with latest technological systems through the worldwide network of the internet to enable the networking of different governmental authorities, linking their services to private institutions and to the public in general, and also providing access to information to create a transparent relationship distinguished by its speed and accuracy, aiming at raising performance quality.

Al Marzouq also stated that British Telecom aims at expansion and at raising

the standard of services that it presents to local markets, through supplying e-government projects and institutions with cutting-edge software programs and electronic devices that help developing and updating work methods in the governmental sector, to support efforts exerted in building an IT society in Kuwait.

Al Marzouq also said that among the objectives that British Telecom is founded to undertake is the purchase, the supply and the maintenance of wireless communication devices upon the approval of the Ministry of Communication and the Public Authority of Industry. And that British Telecom focuses on purchasing and leasing communication line and the facilities required to provide their services in coordination and with no conflict with services provided by the State, that are to be provided only after the approval of the Ministry of Communication.

At the same time, Tom Derin, the vicepresident of Middle East Operations at British Telecom, stated that the company provides a whole set of IT solutions, software solutions and safety technologies. He also pointed out that British Telecom seeks to provide innovative solutions to clients, fit for a dynamic work environment that maintains the best level of support ever.

He also stressed that British Telecom enjoys a right of access to latest developments in technology through its partnership with other world-renowned companies like CISCO, SAP, SENTEL, FIBERON.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2014

LOCAL

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah accepted the credentials of newly appointed ambassadors in Kuwait yesterday. The diplomats were: the Ambassador of Oman Hamid bin Said bin Salim Al-Ibrahim, the Ambassador of the Czech Republic Martin Vitek, the Ambassador of Malta Patrick Cole, the Ambassador of India Sunil Jain, the Ambassador of Honduras Nelson Rafael Valencia and the Ambassador of Myanmar to Kuwait.

Aviation safety forum focuses on industry Gulf’s congested skies - pressing issue

By Velina Nacheva

ABK presents its services at PAHW KUWAIT: Al-Ahli Bank of Kuwait offers a multitude of banking services with exclusive privileges for its customers. The Bank will be present at the Public Authority for Housing Welfare (PAHW) until Jan 30 to introduce its products and services to employees, and to showcase essential benefits that can be availed upon salary transfer or when using an ABK Emirates credit card. The Bank also offers an attractive package of gifts and services upon salary transfer. To begin with, a cash prize of KD

100, the ABK Emirates Visa Gold credit card free of charge for the first year, free travel insurance, free checkbook for the first time, and amazing discounts through the ABK Advantage program at various retail outlets.

For more information about ABK’s products and services, please visit any ABK branch, or call the customer service centre Ahlan Ahli 1899899 or visit www.eahli.com and chat directly with a customer service representative via Ahli Chat.

Hundreds deported in illegal visas probe KUWAIT: The Egyptian embassy is working with local authorities to finalise travel procedures for 400 nationals who entered Kuwait illegally after similar steps were taken for nearly 600 others, ambassador Abdulkareem Sulaiman said in a statement. “Conversations are ongoing with the Kuwaiti interior and foreign ministers who promised to provide all facilitations for the Egyptian nationals,” Suleiman told Al-Watan daily on Sunday. He added that

the Egyptian embassy plays a mediator’s role between the men and the Immigration General Department in order to finalize the necessary paperwork and secure tickets while avoiding imprisonment.

The Interior Ministry is deporting an average of 150 Egyptian nationals a day after discovering that at least 5,000 tourist visas were issued illegally, according to AlWatan.

KUWAIT: The upward trajectory of the Gulf aviation industry triggered by robust passenger and airline growth has prompted a new challenge - congested skies.

Congested skies in the Gulf region is a top priority for all stakeholders, said aviation safety chief at the Kuwait Directorate General of Civil Aviation Faleh Al-Enezi. Due to the importance of air traffic in the region as well as traffic growth, the issue of congested skies needs to be addressed, he added.

Al-Enezi spoke to Kuwait Times on the sidelines of an aviation safety forum yesterday. Organized by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the three-day forum is hosted by Kuwait under the title Third Meeting of the Middle East Regional Aviation Safety Group. The event kicked off yesterday at the Radisson Blu hotel.

According to Al-Enezi, the forum aims to tackle two major queries: How can we maintain a high level of safety and how can we urge all states to adhere to safety? For Kuwait’s aviation sector, the event has a two-prong approach - parallel intra-Gulf meetings as well as general forum meetings. He explained that ICAO is always invited for the intra-regional meetings - making it beneficial for all sides. Al-Enezi asserted that Iraq and Yemen should also be called on to participate in these forums. “We need to help them to be on the same level. We (need to) urge all states to participate,” he said.

Civil aviation officials from 15 countries across the Middle East, international aviation safety body and ICAO representatives and experts in the aviation field as well as a number of international organizations such

KUWAIT: Representatives of ICAO and regional aviation safety experts are seen at the opening of the Third Meeting of the Middle East Regional Aviation Safety Group at the Radisson Blu hotel yesterday.—Photos by Joseph Shagra as the International Air Transpor t Association (IATA) and the Civil Air Navigation Ser vices Organization are attending the forum.

In his opening remarks at the conference, Al-Enezi explained that the three-day event will focus on global developments related to aviation safety, including the new edition of the Global Aviation Safety Plan. The attendees will also review the outcome of subsidiary body meetings, including the Steering Committee, the Annual Safety Report Team, the Regional Aviation Safety Team and the Safety Support Team. Future workshops and training cooperation will also be organized within the framework of the event.

Al-Enezi explained that the organization’s second meeting was hosted by

38 held in security campaign

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: The Hawally security directorate launched a security campaign that resulted in the arrest of 38 people of various nationalities including eight wanted for felonies, 15 iqama violators and 15 ‘free’ laborers. They were sent to concerned authorities.

• Ahmadi police arrested a Kuwaiti youth who fired 10 rounds during the wedding of a relative in Riqqa. The weapon was found in his car, and claimed it was his brother’s who died in a car accident few months ago. He was referred to criminal detectives charged with firing a weapon in a residential area and possessing an unlicensed weapon.

• A Lebanese expat said an unknown person entered his house and stole jewellery and cash valued at KD 10,000, while in AlNaseem a citizen said KD 600

was stolen from his car.

• In Nuwaiseeb, a citizen accused a colonel from the traffic department of beating him up.

• A Moroccan woman accused a Kuwaiti woman of beating her inside a Zoor area camp. She did not explain why she was at the camp, with whom, and what is her relationship with the accused.

• A high-ranking official at a cooperative in Jahra governorate accused his deputy of stealing a plasma TV that was supposed to be a prize for shoppers. A security source said the deputy asked a worker to put the TV in his car and left.

• A mor tar round was found in Qashaniya area, a leftover from the Iraqi invasion. Army engineers dealt with it.

• An Egyptian was arrested in Hawally with shabu and hashish. He is wanted on drugs charges and banned from traveling.

KUWAIT: Security officials checking the driving licenes of people in Hawally yesterday.

United Arab Emirates and the first one was held in Egypt at the headquarters of the organization. According to him, the Regional Aviation Safety Group includes 15 countries. The event is focusing on global developments related to aviation safety, including the new edition of the Global Aviation Safety Plan. In particular, the meeting aims to review and endorse the Second MID Annual Safety Report and the Safety Enhancement Initiatives and Detailed Implementation Plans for the MID Region.

Located in Cairo, ICAO MID Regional Office is one of seven regional offices of ICAO. It is accredited to 15 MID ICAO member states and provides them all possible guidance and assistance in order to meet the needs of the region for safe, regular, efficient and economical air transport.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2014

LOCAL kuwait digest

in my view

Kuwait still runs around in circles!

Yet another dead end

By Hassan Barari

By Arwa Al-Waqian

I

was driving along my daily route to work. The funny thing is that I used to complain about the maintenance constructions on my way, but it has been a year now and I got used to driving through this unfinished road while my vehicle and others’ are being stoned by small grits. I thought a truck loaded with gravel was driving in front of me but I soon realized that the problem was in the condition of Kuwait’s streets.

At work, there are no parking lots for regular employees like me and my colleagues while managers have their own parking spaces. I don’t find a parking spot whenever I go to finish a transaction at any ministry. What am I supposed to do, then? Shall I use a kite to go to a government or private facility?!

I got used to all Kuwait’s shortcomings. On my occasional visits to polyclinics, I got used to seeing employees

The idea of getting used to something wrong, which makes me admire the order in any country and return home to be shocked by facts in Kuwait, is completely unsound. having desserts and sandwiches in front of patients as if I was visiting my grandmother’s house. The clerk even simply talks to me while chewing a mouthful of food. Well, bon appetit, lady! I am getting used to the idea that bureaucracy was becoming an integral part of our daily life. I also learned that no government facility will receive me after midday. I got sure that chaos rules everything in a wonderful country like Kuwait!

What scares me is that I am getting accustomed to this chaos. The idea of getting used to something wrong, which makes me admire the order in any country and return home to be shocked by facts in Kuwait, is completely unsound. The idea that everybody around us is developing except for us is tragic. Oh, how I feel sorry for us Kuwaitis; a people who got used to bureaucracy and still seek improvement despite the lack of cooperation between various ministries and government establishments.

Getting a commercial license in Kuwait is another worthy story in which I can describe the humiliation citizens go through to have them issued such as having to put up with the moodiness of a lazy clerk, the idea of hiding your application file or simply asking for impossible things with lots of stalling. The whole world is heading towards development while we are still running around in circles! —Al-Jarida

T

n e z Al-Watan

ti i C n

io pt

ru

r Co

kuwaut digest

Improve citizens’ productivity

By Abdullatif Al-Duaij

T

he government reiterated concern about the country’s financial situation in light of the rapid growth of current spending and stability of income sources. The warning messages came at a critical time, and in response to an objective necessity that cannot be ignored if we want to be fair to the current and future generations. However, alarming people through statements and warning messages is not enough, and does not provide an active way to change the ‘acquisitionist’ traditions that were planted into people as a result of oil discovery and the rentier state culture.

The government, which took it upon itself to improve and rationalize national resources, is obligated to put active and positive efforts in order to spread the culture of rationalization, while also plant the spirit of productivity within the Kuwaiti citizen who became fully dependent on oil production.

In short, we need reconfiguration of the Kuwaiti citizen’s awareness after he almost lost his mind, or perhaps has already did, as a result of the rentier policy that followed the discovery of oil. Therefore, the government is required to utilize all institutions and media outlets to explain and spread awareness about

the risks of the continuation of the rentier policy.

Maybe it is time now to use the ‘Citizenship Education’ curriculum to serve its true purpose. It can be utilized to prepare current and future generations to address our crucial issues by introducing them to the best methods to solve them. The current curriculum for citizenship education, like all other subjects, is unfortunately focused on repeating the cultures of the old ages, and forcing students to memorize Arab and religious traditions that are either no longer suitable with our current situation, or have nothing to do with the modern challenges we face.

Schools in democratic societies are not required to spoon-feed knowledge to students, nor should it force them to follow a single culture and be subjected to traditions of the old ages. Efforts are required to improve young people’s ideologies, and make them able to utilize their intellect and capabilities to have a better understanding of our reality and be able to face the challenges. This should be the method of the future, replacing the idea of forcing youngsters to follow elders’ instructions that fall short of dealing with challenges of the modern era. —Al-Qabas

kuwait digest

A little bit of courage

hat the Geneva 2 conference will not lead to a peaceful transitional government is a foregone conclusion. It seems that the conflicting parties are not yet ready for a compromise. Explicit in the opening speech of the Syrian delegation at Montreux in Switzerland is that Assad is still defiant. It does not seem that Assad will settle for an agreement that will pave the way for his ouster.

Let me say upfront that the Syrian delegation is not empowered to negotiate the removal of Assad. For this reason, Syria’s Foreign Minister Walid Muallem is most likely to negotiate in bad faith. He threatened to quit the talks unless serious talks begin. It is interesting to delve into his definition of serious talks. Muallem made it perfectly clear that the conference is about forming a common front against terrorism rather than setting up a transitional government with full executive powers.

Not surprisingly, Muallem seeks to redefine the crisis in Syria. To him, it was never a Syrian revolution as much as a bunch of terrorists supported by some foreign powers. He even flirted with the Americans reminding them of 9/11 and suggested to join forces to work with the Syrian regime. Undoubtedly, Assad regime is ready to offer the Americans more concessions - as the case with the chemical weapon saga - to get off the hook.

Fully backed by Tehran, Assad regime will hardly budge unless it feels that the developments on the ground change. Until then, Assad does not feel that there is a huge price tag of his defiance particularly when Russia is still pinning hope on him to win the conflict militarily.

Assad works in tandem with Iran. Just a few days ago, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said at Davos Forum that there was no military solution to the conflict. But this is a dishonest statement as Iran and Assad strongly feel that the conflict could be won on the ground.

The reason for this statement is to mislead the world and buy time while acting relentlessly to finish off the Syrian revolution.

While the Syrian delegation views the conference as a zero-sum struggle, the Syrian opposition views it differently. Indeed, the western-backed Syrian Opposition Coalition insisted that they participated in the conference to implement the 2012 Geneva I agreement.

Ahmed Al-Jarba, the SOC president, challenged if there was a Syrian delegation rather than Assad’s delegation that is ready to save Syria.

Contrary to Muallem, who accused almost everyone in the conference of “plotting” against Syria thus isolating himself, Jarba felt he won the first round. In his words, “The Syrian revolution has achieved recognition internationally. The world has seen a people who were refused their rights for 40 years by a criminal and his family. When the people opposed him, chemical weapons were used against them.

Bullets are their only answer to the voice of freedom. This regime is dead.”

Barring any surprise or last-minute behind-the-scene- agreement between Russia and the United States, the conference is doomed. Put differently, it may never convene again! The regional implication of the failure of the conference could not be more obvious. Assad will go to the end to win. It should surprise no one if he opens channels with Israel to help him win over Washington.

There is a need for a media campaign in the West to highlight the atrocities committed by the Iranian troops. Key regional players like Saudi Arabia insist that it is the Syrian regime’s atrocities and the practical and military intervention of Hezbollah and Iran that led to the radicalization of a segment of the rebels. The truth is that Iran and the Syrian regime are complicit with the radicals in order to paint the revolution with negative pictures.

They believe this would change the perception of the West and therefore Assad would become a partner in fighting terrorists. Put differently, Assad and Iran will work hard to have Washington subcontract Assad to fight terrorists. I believe as of this moment the battle will be over narrative as well.

By Dr Ibtihal Al-Khateeb

“I

t appears that you take from religion only what matches with your ideology, which is a huge mistake”. This was a response I received on Twitter during a debate with a user who tried to convince me that the concept of a religious state was the right choice.

He further explained that this state should follow Sunni teachings after telling me that he knows what my religious background is and urged me to “search into the grave mistakes in this sect”.

The problem is not in the sectarian character of the dialogue, something that has become too common to make me feel deep regret anymore. In fact, if we look deeply into the principle of freedom of expression, we might argue that the dialogue is not sectarian at all since the Twitter user has the right to express his opinion regarding religious beliefs. Even if that opinion eliminates an entire religious sect, it is still his right to express it, regardless of how extreme his ideology is. The problem is also not in the user’s claim that he knows my religious background, as religion is considered here to be something that you inherit, and which people deal with as being an extension rather than being an intellectual choice.

The real problem lies in the fact that a large number of people believe that reason is not the main judge in ideological choices. The belief that if your logic and reason contradict with your religious or sectarian beliefs, you have to silence your mind in favor of your beliefs.

This principle implies a serious accusation of religion as being in contradiction with reason. If there was contradiction, isn’t it actually a result of human interpretations of holy texts? Is it possible to ask a human being who is born with intelligence that enables him to think, question, evaluate and rationalize, to ignore this miraculous part of the body and follow illogical interpretations? And if he does, would that be good for mental and psychological health?

Maybe this struggle with the mind explains the inner conflict that a large portion of our societies live through. The anger that many people express when a religious topic is brought for debate reflects doubts they kept hidden within themselves. How can a person who forces himself on something without consulting reason find inner peace as long as he lives in a daily conflict between a mind that rejects and emotions that submit out of fear?

Should I force my mind to accept child brides, slavery and things that defy logic and instinct only because they are an inherited tradition approved by religious men? Shouldn’t we instead use religion’s capability of adapting to change in order to improve outdated ideologies, make them more acceptable and in line with modern human rights? Aren’t some of the religious interpretations a result of certain historical circumstances, and therefore need to be changed now when the circumstances have become completely different? Those questions need immediate answers as we have wasted so much time debating with fear of using our minds, logic and even instinct, to the point in which our life became controlled by a group of contradictory ideologies that made a mockery out of us in front of the world.

We live under the pressure of giving holy status to everyone who takes religion as a profession. We no longer know what’s right from wrong. Meanwhile, arguments are raised about how muftis are human, and humans make mistakes, whereas extremists use those mistakes to justify their radical actions, thus damaging the name of religion itself. But how can we separate between what’s right or wrong, or between who is honest and who is a liar, if the main principles adopted by religious people in our countries is to isolate the mind and limit logic? How can people differentiate between true religion, and religion that is tarnished by those who deny thinking?

Adopting a principle in which religious people are followed in everything they say threatens our existence and dignity, while at the same time threatens religion itself as a system of life that will eventually be isolated by those with an inflexible frame of mind. Rationalizing religious concepts is not only a right, but also a duty for the entire society, especially when the society depends heavily on these religious concepts. A little courage and reason can save us, improve our lives significantly, and earn us the world’s respect. —Al-Jarida

kuwait digest

Cutting down expenses

By Dr Bader Al-Daihani

T

he government’s talk about cutting down expenses mainly refers to necessary social expenditure that will only harm those with medium and low income levels. As I wrote in a previous article, the Cabinet’s decision made on Oct 21 to review and reconsider subsidies includes all activities, services and goods the government provides for citizens and that includes tuition fees, scholarships, support to the disabled, sports clubs, petrol, gas, power, water and supplies subsidies, marriage grants, farming and fishing subsidies, rent allowances and housing loans.

It is therefore obvious who will be overburdened with the potential deficit, which contradicts the statements made by the finance minster at the World Economic Forum in Davos where he said that the government has no intention whatsoever to undermine the current subsidies citizens with medium and limited incomes already receive!

It is also obvious that while calling for cutting down on social spending, the government ignores the real causes behind the flaws in the state’s economy as well as its unsuccessful policies that will eventually lead to a financial deficit. Instead of handling imbalances, changing policies and reforming general management, the government overburdens those with medium and limited income by imposing additional fees, increasing existing ones, cancelling subsidies on basic services and goods and imposing indirect taxes.

Although the current expenditure that mainly includes payrolls, bonuses, allowances and various forms of subsidies needs restructuring according to sound and fair basis, that will be impossible to achieve without fighting political corruption, restructuring the state’s budget and changing its current biased orientations in a way that achieves fair distribution of wealth.

Otherwise, the currently suggested rationalization policy will lead to more interclass differences because the sums to be deducted from the income of those with medium and limited incomes, which will eventually increase their sufferings, will directly go to the more better off ones making them grow richer!

So, supporting the state’s budget and increasing non-oil revenues are very important and require the following: 1. Imposing gradually increasing taxes on those with huge incomes, major companies, banks and state-subsidized private establishments that do not actually provide ample job opportunities nor pay taxes on their profits and incomes.

2. Re-pricing state-owned property and lands, namely those at the seafront, along the coast, in Shuwaikh industrial area, AlRai and other industrial areas.

3. Re-pricing power, water and other administrative services provided to industrial areas and private companies and establishments who currently pay one fils per kilowatt while people in residential areas pay two fils.

4. Collecting government’s overdue MEW bills.

5. Scrapping unnecessary government bodies and the positions given in them to people who practically do nothing.

Will the government ever make such moves?! —Al-Jarida

TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2014

LOCAL

No plans to increase power, water tariff ‘Subsidies will continue’ KUWAIT: Kuwait’s electricity and water minister has denied reports that the government was looking into increasing tariffs. The media reported that a recommendation to make consumers pay more for water and electricity was being studied by the cabinet ahead of making a final decision. However, Abdul Aziz Al-Ibrahim dismissed the reports as untrue and lacking credibility. “There is nothing true about the allegations about increasing the fees that consumers pay for their electricity and water,” he said in a statement carried by the local media yesterday.

“The ministry is keen on serving all people and on providing adequate services to all.” The ministry’s undersecretary Ahmad Al-Jassar also denied the allegations. “The reports claiming the hike in the fees are groundless and the ministry has no intention to increase them,” he said.

“Even though the ministry is spending huge amounts of money to support and subsidise electricity and water, the idea of increasing fees has not been discussed or considered, especially during these times,” he said.

All consumers must nevertheless be careful and

avoid abusing services for which the ministry is spending huge amounts of money, he said.

Kuwait, one of the world’s richest countries, provides a host of public services free of charge for its citizens and residents. Kuwaitis represent 31.3 per cent of the total population of 3.9 million people, according to official figures released this month.

They are outnumbered by the Asian community that makes up 37.8 per cent of the total population.

By December 31, Arab communities made up 27.9 per cent of the foreign population with 1.1 million Arabs living in the northern Arabian Gulf state, made up of 391,578 women and 715,027 men.

Economists have in the past demanded an increase in public services’ fees in order to improve nonoil revenues. Oil income is estimated at 94 percent of total revenues in the proposed state budget for the fiscal year 2014/2015, or KD18.8 billion.

Nonoil income is projected in the same budget at only KD1.26 billion. The budget, approved during an extraordinary cabinet last Thursday, came with projected deficit of KD1.62 billion based on an oil price rate of $75 per barrel.

Advocates of rationalizing public services consumption also support increasing energy fees with hope that it cuts down the overload that presents a challenge for the MEW every summer. There are seven fossil-fuel power plants in Kuwait that produce electricity and desalinated water for a total population of 3.9 million on a daily basis, with plans to fully operate a new power plant in North Zoor by 2015.

While annual reinforcement and maintenance operations at power plants, transformers and distribution networks helped the MEW cope with the yearly increase in demand, senior ministry officials have repeatedly indicated that the new power plant is necessary to avoid shortage crises in the future.

Kuwait has improved the total daily production of electricity before summer in the past few years, but the challenge remains as electricity used to power air conditioning results in consumption overload in parallel with high temperatures that usually break the 50 C degrees point multiple times during the middle of summer. The capacity was improved to 14,000 megawatts per day before last year’s summer.

Anti-doping law needed KUWAIT: Kuwait should issue a law preventing the use of prohibited performance enhancing drugs and stimulants that are unsuitable for human consumption as this could harm athletes, said a sports official.

The government and the National Assembly must cooperate to prevent the sale of such drugs to people without considering the pysical and mental hazards they could cause consumers, said Secretary of Kuwait Swimming Association Hussein Al-Musallam yesterday.

Hussein Al-Musallam People tend to use these prohibited drugs to gain a higher level of fitness and muscle mass in a short period of time, he said. This law will protect people against the dangers caused by these drugs including heart, liver, and brain related problems, kidney failure, and even death, he noted.

The law must also include sports officials and gym instructors who encourage others to take stimulants, added Al-Musallam.

The statistics presented by the Kuwaiti Anti-Doping Committee show that large numbers of athletes in the country are using performance enhancing drugs, while some have gone further to use illegal drugs which are categorized as hallucinogens, said the official. Moreover, Al-Musallam called on local organizations and the media to launch an awareness campaign targetting the dangers of these drugs. —KUNA

KUWAIT: The second Gulf Building Codes seminar started here yesterday.

Kuwait Municipality organized the seminar under the title ‘Building Codes between Theory and Implementation’. —Photos by Hanan Al-Saadoun

Kuwait keen on boosting trade, economic ties with France KUWAIT: Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) is ready to offer all sorts of services for French companies in order to further develop economic relations and increase trade exchange, KCCI Board Chairman said yesterday.

Ali Al-Ghanim, in a statment after receiving Franceís Ambassador to Kuwait Christian Nakhle, said they have discussed means of activating economic relations, increasing trade exchange and establishing joint investment projects.

Al-Ghanim said he and Nakhle also discussed the holding of exhibitions of French products in Kuwait. Nakhle said the French embassy was always keen on increasing trade exchange and to explore best methods to strengthen trade relations between France and Kuwait. He looked forward that the Kuwait-French Economic and Trade Cooperation Committeeís meeting, due on February 17-18, would contribute to concrete results. —KUNA

TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2014

LOCAL

Three-member home robbery gang busted Employee disappears KUWAIT: A number of police detectives were injured during a successful operation which ended in the arrest of a threemember gang responsible for a home robbery reported in Surra recently. The three Kuwaiti men had broken into a citizen’s house in the area and stole a safe that contained KD 22,000 in cash, in addition to KD 70,000 worth of jewelry.

Detectives first identified one suspect and arrested him inside his apartment in Mahboulah. Three police officers sustained bruises after the suspect showed strong resistance to his arrest. The second suspect was soon nabbed after being located while driving at a street in the area and arrested at a roadblock. The third suspect reportedly turned himself in, and was taken with his accomplices to the proper authorities to face charges.

Meanwhile, police found the stolen safe at a location where the suspects said they had left it after cutting it open using a welding machine and extracting the cash and jewelry from inside. The suspects also confessed of spending all the money on things that were not disclosed in the news report.

Employee disappears Search is on for a man whose employer accused him of stealing thousands of dinars in a case filed at the Fahaheel police station. The case was filed by a man who works as a manager for an apartment hotel in the area. The Egyptian national explained that the employee in charge for the hotel’s revenues disappeared with KD10,000 in profits. Police obtained information of the Yemeni national to be used during investigations.

Fugitive busted A fugitive was arrested after his suspicious behavior caught the attention of police who also found drugs in his possession. The incident took place in Hadiyya where patrol officers pulled over a driver who became nervous when they approached his Japanese-made vehicle.

The Kuwaiti man was placed under arrest after an identity check revealed that he is wanted to serve a four-year jail sentence, while search revealed 7 hashish rolls, 6 packs containing an unidentified drug and an amount of drug pills in his possession. He was taken to the proper authorities for further action.

Suicide attempt A domestic worker was hospitalized in time to save her life after she attempted suicide inside her employer’s house in Jabriya. Paramedics and police arrived to the scene on Saturday night after a family reported finding their housemaid unconscious inside her room. The 26-year-old Asian woman was taken to the Mubarak Hospital where she was diagnosed with blood poisoning as a result of consuming a large amount of medication tablets. Her condition was later described as stable.

Police are waiting for the woman to be discharged from the hospital in order to be questioned on her motives.

Swindler held Rawda detectives arrested a man wanted for several scam charges. According to investigations, the man used to call families of deceased persons and claim that he owed money that the person did not pay before his death. The arrest happened on Saturday night in Rawda following investigations in cases filed by Kuwaiti nationals in the Capital Governorate. The Jordanian national explained during questioning that he used to search newspapers condolences advertisements, then call the numbers mentioned. He then would tell a relative of the deceased person that he was a good friend of the dead man, and eventually ask for money he claimed he owed.

The man reportedly managed to convince several people who opted to pay him out of good intentions. On the other hand, the cases against him were filed by people who told police that they suspect intentions and suggested that he was a swindler.

Hit-and-run A child was critically wounded in a hitand-run accident reported recently in Abdulah Al-Mubarak area. The six-yearold was taken in an ambulance to the Farwaniya Hospital where he was diagnosed with a broken spine and a broken left foot. Paramedics and police headed to the scene in response to an emergency call, but the driver had already escaped by the time they arrived. Investigations are ongoing to identify and arrest the suspect.

HORECA Kuwait boosts private sector KUWAIT: Kuwaitis spend over KD700 million annually in restaurants, which receive 15 percent of Kuwait’s residents on a daily basis, an expert on tourism and hospitality said in a statement yesterday.

Nabila Al-Anjari, General Manager of the Leaders Group for Consultations, underlined the importance of the hospitality sector’s contribution to the state’s tourism development plans. “The hospitality sector is growing steadily in Kuwait as an average of nearly 100 new restaurants open locally every year”, she said, while also predicting further growth “in light of the state’s expansion plans to address the housing shortage crisis”.

With an annual growth rate of 10 percent, the number of restaurants in Kuwait reaches over 5,000 with more than 25,000 branches, or an average of 136 restaurant for every resident in the country, AlAnjari said. Al-Anjari’s statement came yesterday during the inauguration of the 2014 HORECA Kuwait , in an event attended by Undersecretary of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry Abdulaziz Al-Khaldi. Meanwhile, Al-Khaldi said the ministry is keen on bolstering all activities that could reinforce the State’s strategies and plans for transforming Kuwait into a financial and trade hub.

“The 2014 HORECA Kuwait would promote and beef up the role of the private sector as a key partner in the development process, and encourage youth involvement in business,” the senior official told reporters on the sidelines of the exhibition.

“The three-day exhibition would surely consolidate such a national vision and serve the State’s tourist development drive as well as boost the private sector’s role in the national development process,” he said.

“The ministry attaches much attention to the sector of catering, travel and foodstuff due to its influence on the trade and economic movement in the country,” he added.

The ministry is also participating in foreign exhibitions in Spain and Turkey and is to partake in an exhibition in Berlin with the aim of promoting and consolidating the tourist sector in Kuwait, the official pointed out.

Local and foreign companies are taking part in the 2014 HORECA Kuwait; an exhibition for hospitality and catering organized by the Leaders Group

KUWAIT: Some participants of the 2014 HORECA Kuwait, an event attended by Undersecretary of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry Abdulaziz Al-Khaldi. —Photos by Joseph Shagra in cooperation with Hospitality Services Company. world was assembled especially for the competiAlso, more than 170 chefs take part in an tion. The event takes place at the Badriya Ballroom ‘International Cooking Contest’ hosted as part of in the Jumeirah Hotel during the period between the exhibition, as a judging panel consisting of 9 the Jan 27 and 29. Visitors are welcomed from 10 experts on different cuisines from around the am to 1 pm, and from 4:30 pm to 8:30 pm.

KNPC refineries to restore full capacity in two days KUWAIT: The production of refineries of Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC) will be at full swing within the coming two days after they were affected by a power outage a few days ago, a senior official said yesterday. “ The total produc tion capacit y of M ina Abdullah and Shuaiba refineries has reached 160,000 barrels per day, out of maximum capacities of 200,000 bpd and 270,000 bpd respectively,” said Khaled Saleh Al-Asousi, KNPC Deputy CEO for Support Services.

“Mina Al-Ahmadi Refinery restored its full

capacity estimated at 466,000 bpd,” Al-Asousi said. He attributed the late recovery of Mina Abdullah and Shuaiba refineries to what he called “dated infrastructure and the need to overhaul for the produc tion units and the pipelines.”

Al-Asousi added that the KNPC is trying to avert recurrence of such problems in the future though reinforcement of power system that used to supply each refinery with electricity independently from the other ones, noting that system was installed 25 years ago. — KUNA

KUWAIT: A group photo of the graduates with Mazin Al-Nahedh, General Manager, Consumer Banking Group, Emad Al-Ablani NBK Deputy General Manager Human Resources Group and NBK officials.

NBK celebrates graduation of eighth batch KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) celebrated the graduation of the eighth batch of newly hired young Kuwaitis from NBK Academy. NBK Academy aims to train and develop the professional skills of young Kuwaitis as part of NBK’s strategy to attract and develop national human resources.

NBK organized a special ceremony for the graduation of the newly hired young Kuwaitis. The ceremony was attended by Mazin Al-Nahedh,

General Manager, Consumer Banking Group, Adel Hechme, General Manager, Human Resources Group, and Emad Al-Ablani NBK Deputy General Manager Human Resources Group, along with a group of senior leaders from the bank.

Al-Ablani said: “NBK Academy is the first initiative of its kind in the private sector in Kuwait, and is part of NBK’s strategy to attract young Kuwaitis by offering them a range of career and professional development opportuni-

ties.” “I congratulate the graduates of NBK Academy and call on them to exert every effort in order to continue their path of professional excellence,” he added. “This program marks the start of what will be a continuing process to nurture and grow our young talent.”

NBK Academy programs run for five months and are specially tailored to provide trainees with theoretical and practical skills covering the different aspects of the banking industry.

KUWAIT: Sea Fire Department carried out an exercise off Wannana area and called it “Al-Marbaaniya”. The exercise was to develop the skills of sea centers officers and firemen. — By Hanan Al-Saadoun

TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2014

No life jackets on India tragedy boat: Minister

Tense session breaks up over Syria transition

Page 11

Page 8

Hollande in Turkey amid political crisis Turkey’s EU bid will be put to referendum: Hollande ANKARA: French President Francois Hollande arrived in Turkey yesterday for a state visit amid a political crisis plaguing the Turkish government and turmoil roiling his private life.

Hollande’s two-day visit is the first by a French head of state in 22 years and reflects a thaw in ties that were frosty over France’s stance on Turkish accession to the EU and the genocide of Armenians. It is also his first trip abroad since his dramatic announcement that he had split from his longstanding partner Valerie Trierweiler. Upon arrival in the capital Ankara, Hollande attended a wreath laying ceremony at the mausoleum of modern Turkey’s founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk before meeting his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul. Hollande’s goal will be to try to fix damaged political and economic ties with France’s NATO ally, bringing with him seven ministers and a 40-strong delegation of business leaders.

“We expect this visit to give a new impetus to FrenchTurkish relations with the European Union,” foreign ministry spokesman Levent G¸mr¸kÁ¸ told AFP. Relations took an icy turn under Hollande’s rightwing predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy, who was vehemently opposed to Muslim-majority Turkey joining the European club.

And they hit an all-time low after French lawmakers passed a bill in 2011 making it a crime to deny that the mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks during World War I constituted genocide.

Although the legislation was later declared invalid by France’s constitutional court, it severely damaged business ties. Hollande, the first president to visit Turkey since Francois Mitterrand in 1992, is on a mission “to put things right”, according to his entourage. The trip comes at a particularly difficult time for Turkey however, with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan embroiled in a widening corruption scandal that has implicated members of his inner circle, including ministers and reportedly his own son.

‘Democratic commitments’ Erdogan blames his woes on what he says is a coup plot by supporters of an erstwhile ally, US-exiled Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, who hold positions of influence in many parts of the state apparatus including the police and courts. But his response to the graft probe, a wholesale purge of police and prosecutors and moves to tighten gov-

Captain ‘refused chance’ to return to sinking Concordia ROME: An official coordinating the rescue from Italy’s stricken cruise ship told a court yesterday that the captain, accused of abandoning ship, refused twice to be taken back on board after making it safely to dry land.

Captain Francesco Schettino, who is on trial for multiple manslaughter, insists that he slipped off the Costa Concordia as it rolled over after hitting rocks off the island of Giglio, and fell onto a lifeboat which carried him ashore.

In a widely-quoted phone call a coast guard official is heard upbraiding Schettino and ordering him to “get back on board, for fuck’s sake”-an order the former captain refused point blank to follow.

“When I got to the rock where Schettino was, I told him I would take him back to Giglio port so he could get on a dinghy and be taken back to the Concordia, and get back on board if need be,” Carlo Galli, the head of the traffic police coordinating the rescue, told the court.

Thirty-two people were killed in the nighttime disaster, which happened when passengers were sitting down to dinner. Some drowned after throwing themselves into the icy sea, others were trapped in the lifts as the huge liner sank.

Helicopters desperately ferrying survivors to safety flew over Schettino as he sat huddled on an outcrop near the shore, Galli said.

“He told me he had to stay, to supervise his ship.

When I repeated the invitation to take him back, another officer from the ship said it was a good idea to try and get back on board. Schettino said no again,” he said.

Captain ‘was dry’ Schettino has claimed he begged the lifeboat he found himself on to turn around and take him back to the ship, but his request was refused.

He has also said the ship’s owner Costa Crociere, Europe’s biggest cruise operator, told him by telephone not to return to the stricken liner.

“Schettino was dry, unlike the rest of the passengers with him. He asked to use my mobile phone, but I needed it to coordinate the rescue. We took the passengers to shore, he remained behind with one or two other officials,” Galli said.

The Concordia hit rocks off the island of Giglio on the night of January 14, 2012, with 4,229 people from 70 countries on board. Schettino has admitted to performing a risky “salute” manoeuvre near Giglio island and is accused of delaying the evacuation process after the impact.

The court heard from Andrea Bongiovanni, an official who says he tried to persuade Schettino to sound the alarm long before he eventually gave the order to do so.

“The ship’s safety manager and I loudly insisted, along with the second in command Roberto Blosio, that the general alarm should be sounded. But captain Schettino gestured that we should wait, he didn’t give the order,” he said.

“We only managed to later,” and once the extent of the damage to the ship became clear, “the captain looked me in the eyes and said: ‘My career is over’,” he added. The trial, which began in July last year, is expected to last for months as hundreds of witnesses testify. — AFP

ernment controls on the judiciary, has provoked deep concerns about the state of democracy in Turkey. Hollande is expected to follow the line of European leaders who met Erdogan on his visit to Brussels last week aimed at advancing Turkey’s EU membership bid.

Paris wants to press home the point that accession talks will not go anywhere unless Ankara upholds its commitments “to the rule of law, separation of powers, independence of the judiciary and the respect for basic freedoms,” a presidential source said.

Negotiations between Brussels and the country of 76 million people only resumed in November after a threeyear freeze. Hollande has so far deflected questions on his own view towards Turkey, saying the EU has ruled out membership before 2020 — after his first term in office ends.

On the business front, deals are expected to be signed in various fields including nuclear energy and infrastructure projects. France’s share of the Turkish market halved to three percent between 2009 and 2012 just as Turkey was growing as an emerging economic power, tripling the size of its economy over the 10 years to 2012.

But French companies enjoyed a more successful 2013, sealing deals in Turkey worth 15 billion euros ($20 billion).

Following his talks in Ankara, Hollande will head to Istanbul to attend an economic forum bringing together Turkish and French business leaders. — AFP

ANKARA: French president Francois Hollande (L) meets Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, yesterday, in Ankara, as part of a two-day state visit in Turkey. — AFP

TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2014

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

Netanyahu settlement stand draws fire from all sides JERUSALEM: Comments by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the World Economic Forum make it clear he is against the establishment of a Palestinian state, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat has said.

“Anyone who says they want the settlers to remain is actually saying they don’t want the establishment of a Palestinian state,” Erakat said in remarks published Monday in Palestinian daily Al-Ayyam.

Erakat was reacting to comments by Netanyahu at last week’s WEF gathering in Davos, where the premier insisted

Israel would not evacuate Jewish settlements built on occupied land the Palestinians want for their future state.

Netanyahu has publicly supported the two-state solution during US-sponsored talks which envisage the creation of a Palestinian state as part of a final peace agreement. But at Davos, the premier told Israeli journalists at a briefing, “I have said before and I say again; I do not intend to dismantle any settlement, I don’t intend to uproot any Israeli.”

His comments were broadcast on public radio. Israel’s settlements, which are illegal under international law, are a

key sticking point that is preventing peace talks from making any visible progress.

Some Israeli media said that Netanyahu was speaking in response to a question specifically about the Jordan Valley, the part of the occupied West Bank bordering Jordan. Israel insists on maintaining a long-term military presence in the Jordan Valley as a buffer against attacks on the Jewish state, while the Palestinians want an international security force deployed there for their own security.

Angry Israeli hardliners on Monday

linked Netanyahu’s Davos comments to a repor t by an international news agency that the premier is floating the idea of existing settlements being leased from the Palestinians in a future Palestinian state.

“We do not leave settlers behind enemy lines,” deputy defence minister Danny Danon, a hawkish member of Netanyahu’s own Likud party, told army radio. “It’s an idea of leaving Jews, abandoning Jews to the control of the Palestinians,” deputy foreign minister Zeev Elkin, also of Likud, told the station.

“It’s a red line, contrary to the beliefs of the national camp, the beliefs of the Likud,” he said. Veteran political analyst Shimon Shiffer said that the news agency report, which Netanyahu’s office neither confirms nor denies, was a deliberate attempt to draw a hostile response from the Palestinians, painting them as rejecting peace.

“Netanyahu... is trying to push the settlers into a corner and challenge the Palestinian side, knowing that the latter will reply with a resounding negative,” he wrote in the top-selling Yediot Aharonot newspaper. —AFP

Tense session breaks up over Syria transition Brahimi says no breakthrough in talks

LVIV: Anti-government protesters man a blockade in Lviv yesterday. Ukrainian police have arrested dozens of protesters who were trying to seize regional government headquarters in President Viktor Yanukovych’s eastern heartland, local media reported yesterday. The reports said 37 protesters were arrested in Dnipropetrovsk, 30 in Zaporizhya, 12 in Cherkasy and 11 in Sumy following clashes with security forces that mirrored developments in the protest epicentre in Kiev. — AFP

Senior EU official returns to Ukraine in bid to defuse crisis BRUSSELS: A senior EU official was returning to Ukraine yesterday in a fresh bid by Brussels to help defuse the worsening crisis there. “ To underline our continuing engagement with Ukraine, Commissioner (Stefan) Fuele travels to Kiev today again to continue the efforts to help to find a way out of the crisis,” said a European Commission spokesman.

Fuele is the European Union’s enlargement commissioner and was in Ukraine on Friday and Saturday for

talks with President Viktor Yanukovych and members of the opposition.

After meeting the embattled Ukrainian leader, Fuele had urged the government to take concrete steps to halt “a spiral of violence and intimidation” and restore peace in the country.

Fuele had said he had “conveyed deep concerns of the EU about the latest developments and underlined the need to end the cycle of violence”.

He also stressed the need “to fight against impunity of perpetrators of human rights violations and to contin-

ue an inclusive national dialogue to find a way out of the crisis that threatens to further destabilise the countr y ”. EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton is also scheduled to visit Uk raine this week. Uk raine plunged into its two-month political crisis after Yanukovych refused suddenly refused in November to sign a landmark political and trade deal with the EU that was years in the making. He turned instead to the country’s former master Russia, infuriating pro-EU Ukrainians. —AFP

GENEVA: The first meeting meant to discuss the contentious issue of a Syrian transitional government broke up less than an hour after it began yesterday following a tense session that one delegate described as “a dialogue of the deaf.”

The Syrian government has said it will not discuss replacing President Bashar Assad as the leader of a country his family has ruled since 1970. The opposition insists he must step down in favor of a transitional governing body with full executive powers that would lead the country until elections are held.

The UN envoy, Lakhdar Brahimi, managed to get both sides to sit in the same room over the weekend to discuss humanitarian aid to besieged areas of the besieged central city of Homs and a possible prisoner exchange. But the opposition said little progress has been achieved.

Yesterday, after three days of talks, a tentative agreement was reached about the evacuation of women and children trapped in Homs before aid convoys go in, although as of last night there had been no progress on the ground.

Brahimi cited security problems for part of the delay. The opposition delegation does not control armed groups inside Syria, including al-Qaedabacked militants, who do not feel bound by agreements reached in Geneva.

Yesterday, the two delegations were supposed to begin discussing thorny political issues such as Assad’s future. As the meeting got under way, the government delegation put forward a paper focusing on the need to combat terrorism and halt funding and shipments of weapons to rebels fighting to topple Assad, delegates said.

Bouthaina Shaaban, an Assad adviser, called the paper an “expression of good will” in search of common ground and said she was surprised the opposition rejected it.

“Either these people have no capacity to express their love and care for Syria, or they are ordered by foreign powers to ignore what is most important and most urgent for their country,” she said. The opposition called the paper a deviation from the main goal of the talks: a transitional government.

Dialogue of the deaf Murhaf Joueijati, a member of the National Syrian Coalition opposition group’s negotiating team, criticized the government negotiators. “They began to get even more confronta-

GENEVA: UN-Arab League envoy for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi gestures during a press briefing on the third day of face-to-face peace talks sat the United Nations Offices in Geneva yesterday. Syrian peace talks in Geneva were deadlocked after a session yesterday aimed at tackling the explosive issue of a transfer of power, delegation sources from the warring sides said. —AFP tional and began to lecture in a very dictatorial manner,” he said.

“We thought there was no point in continuing this since it was going to be a dialogue of the deaf,” he said.

Brahimi broke up the meeting and was scheduled to meet with both sides separately later yesterday.

The inability of the two sides to discuss Assad’s future was expected.

One of the key guiding principles for the talks in Geneva -which are aimed at stopping three years of bloodshed in Syria that has claimed over 130,000 lives, and forced millions from their homes - calls for the creation of a transitional government that both sides accept.

“Today we will start talking about a new Syria, about transition from starvation to freedom, from torture to human rights and rule of law,” an opposition spokesman, Monzer Akbik, said yesterday.

But Syria has said any discussion of a transitional government excluding Assad would cross “a red line,” insisting the talks should focus instead on combatting terrorism. Militants, including foreign fighters, have flocked to Syria to join the fight to topple Assad. The most powerful rebel groups include two the US has formally designated as foreign terrorist organizations: the Iraqi State of Iraq and the Levant and Jabhat al-Nusra.

In setback to the rebels last year, the US suspended deliveries of nonlethal aid to the Syrian opposition after al-Qaeda-linked militants seized warehouses that had been under the authority of a key US-backed leader.

Evacuate But yesterday American officials said those deliveries, including communications equipment, are being resumed, for now only to non-armed opposition groups. Regarding Homs, Akbik said the women and children there should decide whether they want to leave or stay after they have received aid.

He accused authorities of blocking a convoy of 12 trucks trying to get into the embattled city and said, “We will judge the regime by what it does, not by what it says.” Shaaban dismissed the aid effort for Homs as a distraction aimed at bolstering the opposition’s credentials.

“This is to make a big fuss about taking two trollies to Homs,” she said.

“Is this why we came to Geneva? Or we came here to solve the problem in Syria?” she said. Syrian state TV said a Syrian official and a UN representative were meeting in Homs to discuss how to evacuate women and children from rebel-held areas there. It was unclear when the evacuation would start.

Homs Governor Talal Barrazi said the only obstacle facing the flow of food into rebel held areas are “some cases of snipers fire by terrorist groups.” In a statement released by his office, Barrazi said it is willing to evacuate civilians who want to leave the old quarter of Homs to “any place they want to go to” and they will get food and medical supplies.

“We are waiting for an answer from international organization representatives to specify the number of those who want to leave,” Barrazi said. —AP

UN aid chief in S Sudan amid fighting despite ceasefire JUBA: UN aid chief Valerie Amos arrived in war-torn South Sudan yesterday amid a growing humanitarian crisis, with rebels and government accusing each other of breaking a ceasefire aimed at ending the conflict.

Amos, who arrived in Juba at the start of a three-day visit, is due to meet with government officials and aid workers in a bid to boost relief to the troubled young nation, where thousands have been killed and over 700,000 people have fled their homes in over six weeks of bloodshed.

The fighting has seen waves of brutal revenge attacks, as fighters and ethnic militia use the violence to loot and settle old scores, with the United Nations and rights workers reporting that horrific atrocities have been committed by both sides.

Amos, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, will also stress the “importance of ensuring the protection of civilians, and of aid workers”, a statement added. Both sides say the other is breaking a ceasefire which began Friday evening, but insisting they are committed and that they have opened fire only in self-defence.

Army spokesman Philip Aguer accused the rebels yesterday of “multiple violations” of the ceasefire. “There were large scale attacks on our positions on Sunday,” Aguer told AFP, reporting fighting in the northern oilproducing state of Upper Nile, as well as in the troubled eastern state of

Jonglei. “They killed four soldiers in Mathiang in Jonglei, but because they were attacking our defensive positions, we repulsed them and killed around 120 of their forces,” Aguer added. It was not possible to verify the claim independently. Rebel military spokesman Lul Ruai Koang also reported Sunday “clear violations” of the ceasefire.

Ceasefire ‘very shaky’ Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende, speaking Sunday in Sudan, said the ceasefire was “very shaky”.

Norway forms the “troika” of nations

along with Britain and the United States, who have played a key role supporting the young nation.

Eighteen unarmed monitors from the seven-member East African regional bloc IGAD-which brokered the ceasefire in Ethiopia-are to oversee implementation of the ceasefire agreement. Up to 10,000 people are believed to have been killed in the fighting pitting forces loyal to President Salva Kiir against a loose coalition of army defectors and ethnic militia nominally headed by sacked vice president Riek Machar, a seasoned guerrilla fighter.—AFP

BOR: An SPLA soldier stands in the ruins of a burnt out warehouse in Bor yesterday. UN aid chief Valerie Amos toured war-torn South Sudan amid a growing humanitarian crisis, with rebels and government accusing each other of breaking a ceasefire aimed at ending the conflict.— AFP

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

Havana waits for heads of states and govt of Celac

By Ileana Ferrer Fonte HAVANA: The Cuban capital is preparing to receive the heads of State and Government of the 33 nations of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), which will hold its second summit on Jan 28-29.

Pabexpo fairgrounds, venue of the event, are practically ready to welcome the meetings of experts, foreign ministers, and later of statesmen, who should approve important resolutions and the CELAC’s Action Plan for this year.

The struggle against poverty, hunger, inequalities in Latin America and the Caribbean, slogan of the summit, will be on the table of this event.

The opening of the press center of the summit, which received hundreds of journalists of the continent on Friday, Jan 24.

The presidents of all countries of the hemisphere, except the United States and Canada, were expected yesterday (Jan 27). Some of them will carry out State visits to the island.

According to the program, the statesmen will open the 2nd Summit on Jan. 28 in the morning, and later they will have a closed meeting, prior to the first plenary session of the event.

Participants in the summit will be received that day by President Raul Castro at the Presidential Palace, in the Revolution Square.

There, an artistic performance will honor the distinguished visitors, to whom Raul Castro will offer a welcoming dinner.

The Cubana de Aviacion Corporation announced that all measures to receive the foreign delegations are taken, and the services provided by the Jose Marti International Airport will continue.

Below-zero temps hit Midwest again CHICAGO: Another winter day, another below-zero high temperature for many parts of the Midwest - at least, it seems that way. The deep chill has returned, bringing with it wind chills ranging from the negative teens to 40s, school cancellations and sighs of resignation from residents who are weary of bundling up.

A persistent weather pattern that’s driving Arctic air south was forecast to force temperatures to plummet for about 21/2 days, starting overnight Sunday. Actual temperatures will range from the teens in northern Kentucky to double-digits below zero in Minnesota, but even colder wind chills were expected - minus 43 in Minneapolis, minus 23 in Chicago, minus 18 in Dayton, Ohio, minus 14 in Kansas City, Mo., and minus 3 in Louisville, Ky. “I’m sick of it,” Chicago resident Matt Ryan, 19, said Sunday on his way to his family’s home in the suburb of Oak Park. “I came home to steal a scarf from my parents,” he said. Ryan’s plan for Monday, when the high is forecast to be a mere minus 4 degrees and the wind chills could dip to 40 below: Dress in layers, carry hand warmers and wear long underwear. National Weather Service Meteorologist Scott Blair stopped short of calling the latest round of cold part of the polar vortex, a system of winds that circulate around the North Pole.

“There’s really nothing abnormal about the air that’s coming into the area,” he said. “It’s just been a very persistent pattern” of cold air. Blair said it’s an amplified pattern of the jet stream, with cold air filtering in behind a large trough of low pressure.

Simplifying, he explained: “Troughs are typically associated with unstable or unsettled weather, and, at this time of the year, much colder air.”

Frigid temperatures are expected to hold into Tuesday. If Chicago makes it to 60 hours below zero, it will be the longest stretch since 1983 - when it was below zero for 98 hours and the third longest in 80 years.

Chicago Public Schools called off Monday’s classes for its nearly 400,000 students, as did suburban districts. Earlier this month, when it was below zero for 36 straight hours, CPS closed for two days.

About 90 miles north of Chicago, Ray Fournelle lamented the weather ’s ability to keep him from his normal routine of jogging 4 miles a couple of times a week. During bad weather in the past, the 72-year-old engineering professor at Marquette University in Milwaukee has walked instead. But he hasn’t tried to exercise outside since last weekend. Monday’s forecast predicted a high of 5 below.

“With all the snow and ice on the sidewalks, you just slide around out there.

It’s just rotten,” he said Sunday. In the northern US, North Dakota and South Dakota residents dealt with dangerous cold and wind gusts Sunday that reached up to 60 mph - blowing snow to the point where it was nearly impossible to travel in some spots. In Indiana, where 50 mph gusts were recorded early yesterday, officials recommended only essential travel in more than half of its counties. — AP

TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2014

US hospital takes brain-dead pregnant woman off life support WASHINGTON: A brain-dead, pregnant woman was disconnected from life support on Sunday at a hospital in Texas, ending a legal battle that had kept her on a ventilator against her family’s wishes. After a drawn-out court feud, a US judge on Friday ordered the hospital to comply with the family’s request to pull the plug on Marlise Munoz, 33.

“Today, at approximately 11:30 am (1730 GMT)... Marlise Munoz’s body was disconnected from ‘life support’ and released to Mr (Erick) Munoz,” her husband, lawyers representing the family said Sunday in a statement. The family “will now proceed with the somber task of laying Marlise Munoz’s body to rest, and grieving over the great loss that has been suffered,” attorneys Heather King and Jessica Janicek added.

Munoz was declared brain dead on November 28 when she was just 14 weeks pregnant. Her case sparked a debate over medical rights and the consequences of legislative efforts to curtail abortion and grant rights to fetuses.

Munoz ’s husband and parents had fought to abide by what they said were her stated wishes and have her taken off

machines that kept her body breathing. But until Friday’s decision, John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth refused to remove the life support, arguing that while Munoz’s brain could no longer keep her body alive and functioning, she was not actually dead.

The hospital then filed a court brief in which it finally agreed that the now 22week-old fetus was “not viable.” Munoz’s family had stated that medical records showed the fetus was “distinctly abnormal.”

The hospital acknowledged that the past eight weeks have been “difficult” for the family, the caregivers and the local community as it dealt with the “sad situation.” “JPS Health Network has followed what we believed were the demands of a state statute,” the hospital’s parent group said in defending its position as it agreed to follow the court order on Sunday.

“JPS has said its role was not to make nor contest law but to follow it.” Munoz, a paramedic, collapsed at her Texas home in late November due to a possible pulmonary embolism as she got up to care for her first-born son, who is now 15 months old. Her husband Erick, also a paramedic, was able to resuscitate her. But she was suffering

TEXAS: Erick Munoz follows his lawyers as he leaves a Fort Worth, Texas courtroom after a judge ruled that his wife and unborn child could be removed from life support on Friday. On the left is the mother of Marlise Munoz. Judge R. H. Wallace Jr. issued the ruling Friday in the case of Marlise Munoz. — AP from cardiac arrest and respiratory failure have adopted strict laws requiring that a when she arrived at hospital and could not woman be kept alive if pregnant, regardless be saved. Texas is among 12 US states that of the stage of her pregnancy. —AP

TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2014

TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2014

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

Hunt on for boy snatched by crocodile SYDNEY: Police and rangers were yesterday hunting a crocodile that snatched a 12-year-old boy from a northern Australian waterhole, with shoot-to-kill orders for any creature longer than two metres and fresh calls for a cull.

The boy was swimming with friends in the Mudginberri Billabong in the Northern Territory’s Kakadu National Park on Sunday afternoon when the group was attacked. One other boy suffered bite wounds as he tried to fight the creature off.

Aerial, land and boat searches in and around Magela Creek, which feeds the billabong or waterhole, continued throughout the night but there was no sign of the boy. The NT Parks and Wildlife Commission gave rangers the order to

shoot dead any crocodile longer than two metres (6.5 feet) sighted in the area of Mudginberri Outstation, which is about 200 kilometres (124 miles) east of Darwin.

The order had originally been for animals bigger than three metres but was expanded after examination of the bite marks on the boy who escaped revealed that the croc responsible was between 23 metres.

Two crocodiles were shot and cut open overnight, but they had not ingested any human remains. “One 4.3 metres; one 4.7 metres,” Sergeant Stephen Constable said of the creatures. “We’ve since had a look at both crocodiles and neither of them had anything in their stomachs.”

The local Aboriginal people, the Mirarr, called for a cull of the predatory reptiles around Jabiru following the incident. “Mirarr traditional owners are saying (it’s) high time to cull crocodiles,” said Justin O’Brien, chief of the Gundjeihmi Aboriginal Corporation.

There are periodic calls for crocodile culls after fatalities in the Northern Territory but their numbers are such that it’s historically been considered impractical. Rangers set a trap in Magela Creek late Monday and prepared to continue searching the waterways by boat through the night, though Constable said efforts would be scaled back.

“We’ve done the sprint, now we’ve got to pace ourselves,” he said. Parks officer and crocodile specialist Garry Lindner

said a 2-3 metre crocodile was sizeable, particularly up against a child.

Lindner said flooding due to the local monsoon season was complicating the search, leaving the 200-metre waterway more than a kilometre wide.

Saltwater crocodiles can grow up to seven metres long, weigh more than a tonne, and are a common feature of Australia’s tropical north. Their numbers have increased steadily since the introduction of protection laws in 1971, with government estimates putting the population at 75,000-100,000.

The most recent fatality was in August last year, when a man was taken by a 4.7metre croc as he swam across the Mary River. Parks officials said the Magela Creek area was well signposted as a croc-

odile danger zone. “We have big croc warning signs with croc jaws and a big thing saying ‘croc risk; do not swim here, do not enter’,” a spokeswoman said.

Australian researchers launched the world’s first crocodile attack database, CrocBITE, last month, hoping to firm up anecdotal reports that harmful or fatal incidents are increasing.

Sunday’s attack in Kakadu is the 11th fatality recorded so far this year by the CrocBITE team, which is based at Australia’s Charles Darwin University.

The other crocodile-related deaths in 2014 have been in Angola, East Timor, India, Indonesia, Namibia, Papua New Guinea, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Five have involved saltwater crocs. — AFP

No life jackets on India tragedy boat: Minister Boat owner, crew detained for questioning

MUMBAI: Former partner of French President Francois Hollande, Valerie Trierweiler (C) is surrounded by members of the media as she leaves a hospital in Mumbai yesterday. France’s former first lady Valerie Trierweiler tried to shrug off the furore over her split from President Francois Hollande on a trip to India, telling a media scrum she was feeling “very good”. — AFP

France’s former first lady focuses on hunger in India MUMBAI: In her first public appearance since the French president broke up with her, Valerie Trierweiler turned her attention to the less fortunate yesterday, cuddling and kissing children in a pediatric ward in India.

Trierweiler did not address the scandal at a news conference to help launch the new Fight Hunger Foundation in India, and got visibly annoyed at personal questions from reporters. She acknowledged, however, that her days as first lady were over.

“I don’t know if it’s for me to judge, or for you. I was there for 19 months,” she said in some of the first public comments she has made since the scandal erupted earlier this month. “I was able to discover people who I hadn’t known,” she said, speaking in French. “I understood that you can be useful, and in being useful to others you can be useful to yourself.”

Trierweiler, a 48-year-old career journalist who has three children from a previous marriage, arrived in Mumbai overnight on a longplanned trip. It provided her with an escape from intense media interest after she was hospitalized earlier this month with what aides described as shock and the blues following a tabloid’s publication of photos it said proved President Francois Hollande was having an affair with an actress.

On Saturday, Hollande announced their seven-year relationship was over. They were not married. At the news conference, Trierweiler said the trip to India was going well. “I have the impression to be useful at something, and that’s what makes you feel the best,” she said.

Earlier yesterday, she visited children in the pediatric ward of a public hospital in

Mumbai and spoke with mothers about nutrition. She canceled a planned visit to a Mumbai slum, though she retained plans for a gala dinner last night in conjunction with the charity group Action Against Hunger.

After the hospital visit, Trierweiler posted a photograph of a mother and child in a message on her Twitter account that read: “Alongside ACF (Action Against Hunger) in India to fight malnutrition. A child dies of hunger every 30 seconds.”

She also posted a message thanking the staff of the French presidential palace for their “devotion.” Trierweiler’s chief of staff, Patrice Biancone, told The Associated Press that her office as first lady would be formally eliminated tomorrow. “These last few days have been difficult. But today, she is serene,” he said. Meanwhile in France, Hollande is facing a wave of discontent over his economic policies. On Sunday, some 17,000 people marched through central Paris to denounce the country’s high taxes, high unemployment and economic stagnation. His public approval rating stands at about 30 percent.

Some 250 people were arrested and 19 police officers injured after the protest degenerated into violence.

In an interview published Sunday and conducted before he split with Trierweiler, Hollande renewed his plea for privacy. He told Time magazine that “private life is always, at certain times, a challenge. And it has to be respected.”

Hollande has never married. He and Trierweiler became a couple in 2007, after he ended a more than a two-decade relationship with the mother of his four children, former presidential candidate Segolene Royal. — AP

Pakistan warn of Taleban attacks ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani Taleban may be planning attacks on tourists in the country’s mountainous north, where 10 foreign climbers were massacred last year, officials warned yesterday.

Thousands of tourists visit Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral each year, many drawn by the area’s impressive mountains and glaciers, including the world’s second highest peak K2.

Pakistan has seen a surge in militant attacks in recent weeks and officials are warning these may spread to the north as the spring tourist season gets under way. “ The interior ministry has officially informed Gilgit-Baltistan that the Pakistani Taliban can strike the region,” a senior official of the GilgitBaltistan administration told AFP on condition of anonymity.

“The interior ministry has warned of suicide bombings and attacks on tourists in the region.”

Another official, also speaking anonymously, confirmed the warning. The climbing industry in northern Pakistan was badly hit by the attack on foreign mountaineers at the foot of Pakistan’s second highest mountain Nanga Parbat in June last year. It was the deadliest assault on foreigners in the nucleararmed country for a decade. Those killed were an American with dual Chinese citizenship, three Ukrainians, two Chinese, two Slovakians, one Lithuanian and a Nepalese. A Pakistani guide was also killed.

Police in Gilgit-Baltistan said they were not aware of any specific threat by the Pakistani Taliban but were remaining vigilant. “We have enhanced security as part of a routine exercise, keeping in mind the latest bout of violence throughout the country,” the deputy chief of Gilgit-Baltistan police, Sher Ali, told AFP. Police have arrested 18 people over the Nanga Parbat killings but sources in the investigation team formed to probe the matter say they have detained only three actual perpetrators. — AFP

NEW DELHI: An overcrowded boat which capsized off India’s Andaman Islands with the death of 21 people was not carrying life jackets and rescuers did not arrive for two hours, officials and survivors said yesterday.

A total of 29 people were plucked from the waters off the coast of the remote archipelago on Sunday afternoon and nine of them are now in hospital, according to the islands’ information secretary Rakesh Bali.

The boat capsized less than a kilometre from shore, witnesses told AFP. “Initial reports suggest that overcrowding caused the incident,” Bali told AFP by phone from the Andamans, saying a more detailed investigation was under way.

Bali said all the victims were Indian tourists, most of them from the Kanchipuram district of Tamil Nadu on the mainland. V. Narayanasamy, a minister in Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s office, told AFP that an investigation had been ordered by local authorities but the main causes of the disaster had already been established.

“I can confirm there were no life jackets on the boat and the amount of passengers that it was carrying was well beyond its capacity,” Narayanasamy said. “The inquiry will establish who was at fault and those responsible will

receive the maximum punishment.”

Compensation Families of the victims will receive some 200,000 rupees (around $3,200) in compensation, said the minister. The boat’s owner and crew were being held for police questioning and were likely to face charges over the tragedy, according to the island’s top administrator, Lieutenant Governor Ajay Kumar Singh.

“The private boat owner and the crew have been held for questioning and in all probability they will be booked under section 304 of the Indian penal code (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) by evening,” Singh told NDT V. Denis Giles, editor of the Andaman Chronicle newspaper, said most of the survivors were picked up by fishermen who had seen the boat going down as the official rescue services took so long to reach the scene.

“It went down very fast,” Giles said. “These fishermen immediately took out their small boats and reached the spot where they tried to save as many people as they could.

“The local marine rescue and coordination centre was informed but it reached the spot almost two hours late, around 4.50 pm.” Singh

rejected the charges, saying “there were no delays in rescue efforts, they began immediately.”

Exhaustion A safety audit and review of standard operating procedures of all boats plying the islands have also been ordered, he said.

While the waters were not especially rough, survivors said some passengers fell victim to exhaustion as they waited to be rescued. “The boat was obviously overloaded. As the water seeped in, the boat started sinking from the back. In less than ten minutes, the boat had sunk,” G. Preethy, a survivor of the tragedy, told the Times of India.

“Some 12 of us held on to a raft for help to arrive. As time went by, many tired of holding the rope and let go. At the end ... only five of us were still holding on to the rope,” she added.

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which comprise some 572 mainly uninhabited islands, are located between the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal. Though they are Indian territory, they are at least 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) from the mainland and are closer to the coast of Myanmar. — AFP

Afghanistan instability weighing on Pakistan WASHINGTON: Pakistan’s national security adviser warned US officials yesterday that his country “will have to face the brunt of any instability that may engulf Afghanistan” as the 12-year war there winds down at the end of the year.

At the start of top-level meetings at the State Department, Pakistani foreign affairs adviser Sartaj Aziz did not specifically mention US efforts to potentially keep as many as 10,000 troops in Afghanistan after the combat mission ends in December.

The Obama administration hasn’t decided how large a military force - if any at all - it might want to remain but US officials have been frustrated by Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s refusal to sign a security agreement permitting it.

Across the border, Pakistan fears that an abrupt US troop departure from Afghanistan will bolster militant traffic and instability between the two nations. “In pursuing this goal of the responsible end to the long war in Afghanistan, we have to ensure that Afghanistan successfully transitions into a period of stability, and that past mistakes are not repeated,” Aziz told a crowd of diplomats, including US Secretary of State John Kerry.

He added: “Although the war in Afghanistan may be winding down, just as in the past, Pakistan will have to face the brunt of any instability that may engulf Afghanistan after 2014.

The people of Pakistan have continued to sacrifice in this war against extremist elements, and despite this heavy toll on our people, Pakistan has supported the international community because a stable and peaceful Afghanistan is in the interest of the region and Pakistan.” — AP

NEW DELHI: Indian folk dancers from Jammu & Kashmir state wait to perform at the Presidential Palace in New Delhi yesterday. Folk dancers and artists from all over India, who participated in the Republic Day Parade on 26 January, performed and met with the Indian president during a reception. — AFP

TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2014

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

Philippines to file US suit to retrieve Marcos’ Monet MANILA: The Philippines will file a civil suit in the United States to recover a Monet painting that vanished after the 1986 revolution which forced former first lady Imelda Marcos into exile, an official said yesterday.

The painting, one of more than 150 missing masterpieces the Philippines authorities are trying to recover, was sold by a one-time secretary of Marcos, said Andres Bautista, head of the watchdog body tasked with recovering the Marcos wealth.

“We are initiating a civil lawsuit in order to recover the painting, (and) also to recover the proceeds of the (sale of the) painting including bank accounts of more than $50 million,” he told foreign correspondents. Marcos’ former secretary Vilma Bautista,

75, was convicted by a US court in November of trying to sell part of the Marcos family’s hoard of artworks and other luxuries accumulated during the corrupt rule of strongman President Ferdinand Marcos. Andres Bautista, the government official, said the former secretary “said she was just holding monies for Mrs Marcos,” who is now a congresswoman in the Philippines.

He also said the government wanted to recover five million dollars paid to two of the secretary’s nephews in Hong Kong for facilitating the sale of the Monet.

The painting, one of the famous impressionist’s water lily series, had been taken along with three other works in late 1995 from the walls of a New

York townhouse owned by the Philippine government.

Manila had created an entire government department to track down any ill-gotten wealth from the Marcos regime, much of which disappeared in the aftermath of the 1986 revolution.

Andres Bautista said his agency, the Presidential Commission on Good Government, had recovered about four billion dollars in assets from the Marcos family and their allies but that large amounts were still missing or being contested in court.

“There are over 150 missing paintings. We don’t know where they are located, paintings of all the masters: Rembrandts, Van Goghs, Picassos. We have a list... (but) we think there are paintings that are

not on list,” he said.

He also said a huge collection of jewelry, seized from the Marcos family after their downfall, would be put on display although the items might eventually be auctioned off.

“It (the display) will teach people that crime does not pay. It will be a statement against excesses committed in the past. There is also the potential tourist draw,” he said. Although the Marcos family fled into exile after Ferdinand Marcos was toppled, they have since returned to the Philippines and made a political comeback with Imelda being elected to congress, her son, Ferdinand Junior to the Senate and a daughter as governor of the Marcos’ home province in the north. — AFP

Thai ruling party opposes delay to troubled election Anti-government leader shot dead

BEIJING: A Chinese policeman check on visitors to Tiananmen Square in Beijing yesterday. Four members of a high-profile Chinese rights movement went on trial, in an escalating crackdown a day after its founder was sentenced to prison and a prominent dissident taken away by police. — AFP

Four more China activists on trial in dissent crackdown BEIJING: Four members of a Chinese rights movement went on trial yesterday, a day after its founder was jailed in what has been seen as an escalating government crackdown on anti-corruption activists.

The proceedings bring the total number of New Citizens Movement members tried on charges of disrupting public order to 10, seven of them since last Wednesday in Beijing. The criminal charges are based on small-scale street protests where the activists held banners calling for officials to disclose their assets as a check against corruption.

China’s new leadership under President Xi Jinping says it is tackling graft, but fears any organised movement might undermine the control of the ruling Communist Party. At least 20 members of the group, which is estimated to involve a few hundred people, have been detained over the past year.

At yesterday’s trials three of the activists, Ding Jiaxi, Li Wei, and Zhang Baocheng dismissed their lawyers, the attorneys told AFP, in a move previous activists have used to delay proceedings for 15 days.

One of Zhang’s lawyers, Chen Jiangang, said that the case of a fourth defendant, Yuan Dong, was still being heard late Monday. Yuan’s lawyer could not be reached. Echoing the advocates for other activists, Chen expressed little hope of a fair trial in China’s politically controlled courts. “As lawyers we feel very constrained, there’s nothing we can do,” he said. “Our defence won’t have any use.” On Sunday Xu Zhiyong, a central New Citizens figure and longtime rights lawyer, became the first member of the group to be jailed when he was sentenced to four years in prison. The maximum for the offence is five.

Lawyers for the other activists said that the

verdict against Xu ensured that the other activists would also be punished.

Xu’s wife Cui Zheng, who gave birth to their daughter this month, described her reaction to the verdict in a letter released by his lawyer yesterday.

“The trial and the verdict came very fast, it was somewhat overwhelming,” she wrote. “We were calm when we heard the result, but all our hopes and illusions have been extinguished.”

Xu’s jailing prompted immediate criticism overseas, with the United States saying it was “deeply disappointed” and the human rights group Amnesty International calling the decision “shameful”.

Also Sunday, well-known dissident Hu Jia, who said he had taken part in several New Citizens Movement events, was taken away from his home in Beijing by security officers, he wrote on Twitter.

Hu’s family were notified late Monday that he had been released from police custody, according to his lawyer Shang Baojun.

Outside the hearings yesterday, dozens of police in uniforms and plain clothes surrounded the courthouse, and one pushed an AFP reporter for several hundred metres before forcing him into a taxi.

“You cannot stand here,” he said, accompanied by a colleague. “There is no ‘why’.”

Other foreign journalists reported similar rough treatment outside hearings over the past week, with officers tightly closing off courthouses and forcing bystanders to leave.

Diplomats from several countries attempting to attend the trials were told they were not permitted to do so, a European representative told AFP. The causes embraced by the New Citizens Movement range from official graft to equal access to education. — AFP

Malaysian church attacked amid Allah dispute: Police KUALA LUMPUR: A Malaysian church was attacked with firebombs early yesterday, police said, escalating tensions in a long-running dispute over the use of the word “Allah” by non-Muslims.

Penang state police chief Abdul Rahim Hanafi said two men on a motorcycle threw Molotov cocktails into the compound of The Assumption Church.

No one was injured.

The attack came after unknown people hung a provocative banner outside five Penang churches, including The Assumption, on Sunday. The banner read in English: “Allah is great, Jesus is the son of Allah.” The churches said they had nothing to do with the banner and that it was put up to create animosity between Muslims and Christians in the majority-Muslim Southeast Asian nation. They complained to police.

The wording of the banner was likely to be highly provocative to Muslims.

Hardliners and the government object to the use of “Allah” by Christians, saying that it could confuse Muslims and lead them to convert. Muslims don’t believe Allah had a son.

Allah is the Arabic word for God and commonly used in the Malay language to refer to God. The government says Allah should be exclusively reserved for Muslims. Critics say it is pandering to Muslim, Malay supporters by raising the issue, which has rumbled on for several years but flared anew recently.

Religious violence Christians in Malaysia said the

restriction violates their religious rights. The incident in Penang has sparked worries of more widespread religious violence such as in 2010, when more than a dozen churches and other places of worship came under arson attacks and vandalism because of the tussle over the use of Allah. John David, a supervisor with the Penang Catholic Church city parish, said the banner mysteriously appeared outside four Catholic and one Lutheran church on Sunday morning. He said he believed it was the work of individuals out to create religious animosity.

“We are worried. We have been living in harmony all this while,” he said.

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng condemned the act, saying it was the work of “religious extremists and racial bigots” who want to sow discord in the opposition-ruled state. Police said they will increase patrols at churches.

The row deepened after a court last October ruled in favor of the government. Earlier this month, Islamic authorities seized more than 300 Malay-language Bibles from the office of a Christian group because they used the word Allah. Bibles in the Iban language, which is used by an indigenous group on Borneo island, were also seized for using the word Allah.

About 60 percent of Malaysia’s 29 million people are Malay Muslims, while Christians make up about 9 percent of the population. —AP

BANGKOK: Thailand’s ruling party called yesterday for controversial elections to go ahead, despite widespread disruption to advance voting by opposition protesters who besieged polling stations Sunday and stopped hundreds of thousands from casting ballots.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has faced nearly three months of mass street demonstrations demanding her elected government step down to make way for an unelected “people’s council” that would oversee reforms aimed at curbing the dominance of her billionaire family.

Ten people have been killed and hundreds injured in grenade attacks, drive-by shootings and street clashes since the protests began at the end of October.

An anti-government rally leader was shot dead in broad daylight Sunday while giving a speech from the back of a pickup truck in a Bangkok suburb. Yingluck is due to meet election authorities Tuesday to discuss a possible delay to the February 2 general election, after the Constitutional Court ruled that the polls could legally be pushed back because of the civil strife. But the head of her Puea Thai Party said Monday he opposed a postponement and accused the Election Commission (EC) of not doing enough to ensure an orderly vote.

“The EC is authorised to hold the election and Puea Thai as a political party fielding candidates does not agree with a postponement or delay to the election,” Jarupong Ruangsuwan told AFP. “The EC is stubborn and wants the election to be postponed,” he said. “I think the Constitutional Court and the EC are coordinating with the protesters.” It was unclear whether his view reflected that of the government, which said it was ready to listen to the poll body ’s comments at Tuesday’s meeting.

About 440,000 people out of two million registered for advance voting were prevented Sunday from casting their ballots, the election commission said.

Protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban has threatened to “close every route” to polling stations again this coming Sunday, saying the election would not be allowed to take place.

Calls for a reform roadmap The opposition Democrats are boycotting the February polls, saying reforms are needed to ensure the election is truly democratic and to prevent abuse of power by the next govern-

BANGKOK: Thai anti-government protesters shout slogans during a rally in Bangkok yesterday. A Thai protest leader was shot dead on January 26 as fellow demonstrators besieged polling stations in Bangkok, disrupting advance voting for hundreds of thousands of people before next weekend’s general election. — AFP ment. In an interview with AFP, Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva said Monday that the opposition would consider taking part in a delayed vote. He called for talks to draw up a “roadmap where reforms can be initiated and we can set a reasonable timeframe for elections that would be accepted by all sides”.

Abhisit distanced himself from the protesters’ proposal for an unelected “people’s council” to run the country, saying that was not the demand of his party. But he added that Yingluck “does not have the credibility” herself to oversee the reform process.

The kingdom has been bitterly divided since Yingluck’s older brother, the then-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, was overthrown by royalist generals in a coup more than seven years ago.

Critics accuse the billionaire tycoon-turnedpolitician of controlling his sister’s government from Dubai, where he lives to avoid prison for a corruption conviction.

His opponents have staged a self-styled “shutdown” of Bangkok since January 13, erect-

ing roadblocks and rally stages at several main intersections, although attendance has gradually fallen and disruption has been limited.

The government has declared a 60-day state of emergency in Bangkok and surrounding areas, giving the authorities the power to ban public gatherings of more than five people, although they have not yet done so.

Labour Minister Chalerm Yubamrung, who is overseeing the government’s security response, warned protesters yesterday to vacate besieged state offices in the capital, but reiterated a pledge not to use force.

“I’m giving them 72 hours to end their occupation of government offices,” he said, adding that the authorities would set up “rapid movement teams to arrest them all”.

When a state of emergency was last imposed in 2010 during pro-Thaksin protests, the government then led by Abhisit cracked down with armoured vehicles and soldiers firing live rounds. More than 90 people were killed and nearly 1,900 injured. — AFP

Philippine military attacks hardline Muslim renegades MANILA: The Philippine military attacked a Muslim renegade faction yesterday, two days after the country’s main Muslim rebel group successfully ended negotiations to end a decades-long insurgency that has killed tens of thousands.

Soldiers, backed by artillery, attacked guerrillas of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) in a remote village on the southern island of Mindanao, triggering fighting that sent hundreds of civilians fleeing, the military said. Regional military spokesman Dickson Hermoso told AFP the attacks were launched in a bid to arrest about 25 leaders of the BIFF, a small group of between 250 and 400 militants that is opposed to the peace process.

The attacks began on Monday morning and were continuing throughout the day, according to Colonel Hermoso, who said there were no immediate casualties.

Hermoso said the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the 12,000-strong rebel organisation that wrapped up peace talks with the government on the weekend, was helping the military. “The MILF are part of the law enforcement operations. They are just securing their communities so those (BIFF fighters) cannot enter. They are also angry at the BIFF,” he told AFP. MILF military spokesman Von al-Haq confirmed that the military had coordinated with the MILF before the attack.

“The BIFF cannot enter (our territories.) We have a line where we have re-positioned (personnel). If they run there, they cannot enter there unless they are surrendering,” he told AFP. Brigadier General Edmundo Pangilinan, one of the commanders of the operation, said it was a coincidence the attack came just after the conclusion of the peace talks with the MILF. But he also said the army wanted “to totally neutralise the BIFF to prevent the rise of another group that may want to destroy peace”. “We want to have this group neutralised so they won’t cause trouble... especially now that we have this positive development in our peace negotiations,” he added. The MILF has been leading a rebellion in the southern Philippines since the 1970s aimed at winning

independence or autonomy for the country’s Muslim minority in Mindanao, which they regard as their ancestral homeland. About 150,000 people are estimated to have been killed in the conflict. After 18 years of negotiations, the MILF agreed Saturday on the final parts of a peace accord that would give Muslims a large degree of autonomy in the south, including control of much of the region’s natural resources.

The peace accord is expected to be signed within weeks and President Benigno Aquino is aiming for it to be fully implemented before

he steps down in mid-2016.

However it must still clear other hurdles, including congressional approval and a regional plebiscite, as well as the opposition of smaller rebel groups such as the BIFF. The BIFF broke away from the MILF gradually after its leader, Saudi-trained cleric Ameril Umbrakato, accused the main Muslim group of betraying the region’s quest for independence. Umbrakato led attacks against mostly Christian towns in the south in 2008, leading to the deaths of more than 400 people and displacing 750,000 others. — AFP

MANILA: A resident cries as a SWAT member of the Philippine National Police searches for residents who allegedly threw rocks at them as they enforce the demolition of their shanties at the sprawling community of informal settlers yesterday at suburban Quezon city, northeast of Manila, Philippines. The demolition was carried out by the city government to pave the way for the commercial development of the area. —AP

NEWS

MONDAY, JANUARY 27, 2014

Military backs Sisi for president Continued from Page1 If Sisi runs in the elections due by the end of April, he would likely sweep the vote, given his popularity among a significant sector of the public, the lack of alternatives, the almost universal support in Egypt’s media and the powerful atmosphere of intimidation against critics pervading the country. But Fawzy predicted it also would likely provoke a backlash by Islamists. “There is a personal vendetta between Sisi and Islamists. No doubt violence will only increase under Sisi,” Fawzy said.

While Sisi is yet to make a final announcement, the military’s top body of generals, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, endorsed the idea after an hours-long meeting yesterday to discuss Sisi candidacy, according to military spokesman Col Ahmed Mohammed Ali. In an audio statement, the council said it was the majority’s will. “The council cannot but look with respect and homage to the desire of the wide masses of the great Egyptian people to nominate Gen. Sisi for the presidency, and considers it an assignment and commitment.”

While the generals were holding their meeting, interim President Adly Mansour announced Sisi’s promotion from general to field marshal - the military’s top rank - apparently as a final honor before he leaves the military. The promotion gives Sisi the same rank held by his predecessor, Mohammed Hussein Tantawi, who was army chief and defense minister for years under Mubarak and who then stepped in as military ruler for nearly 17 months after Mubarak’s ouster. After Morsi, Egypt’s first freely elected president, was inaugurated in 2012, he removed Tantawi and installed Sisi.

The state-run Al-Ahram newspaper said the council also named Chief of Staff Sedki Sobhi to replace Sisi as army chief and defense minister when he steps down. Under the new constitution, the president must have SCAF’s endorsement to fill the defense minister-army chief post, meaning the military effectively names its own chief. With the exception of Morsi, who held office for a year, Egypt has been ruled by men of military background since the overthrow of the monarchy in a coup some 60 years ago. A Sisi presidency would continue that trend.

The new title came one day after President Mansour announced that presidential elections would be held first, followed by parliamentary elections, switching the order first laid out in a transition plan put forward by the military after Morsi’s ouster. The presidential election is now expected before the end of April, while a parliamentary vote should come before the end of July. It followed a day of striking contrast on Jan. 25 when Egyptians marked the spark of the 2011 revolution.

Large crowds turned out in rallies calling for Sisi to run, in a show heavily orchestrated by military supporters, particularly a new political grouping called “Masr Balady” or “Egypt is My Country”, which brings together prominent security figures, including a former interior minister and senior Muslim cleric Ali Gomaa. At the same time, security forces cracked down on Islamist protesters demanding Morsi’s reinstatement in fighting that killed nearly 50 protesters while battled and arrested secular-leaning activists who tried to stage a demonstration voicing opposition to both the military and the Islamists.

Islamist opponents describe the coup as treason and brand Sisi a murderer. They tried to cast Sisi as a ruthless dictator, an enemy of Islam or an agent of America and Israel. In a statement Sunday, a Brotherhood-led Islamist alliance said the chants from its protests showed “the people want the execution of the murderer, not (that) the people want to appoint the murderer as president.”

It called for more protests today, which is the anniversary of the Jan 28, 2011 “Day of Rage”, one of the most violent days of anti-Mubarak uprising in which police forces virtually collapsed in fighting with protesters. Tuesday also brings the opening session of a new trial of Morsi and 130 others in connection to a 2011 jailbreak.

Yesterday, a figure seen as one in the few in the Cabinet who have tried to limit the crackdown and promote reconciliation with Islamists, Deputy Prime Minister Ziad Bahaa-Eldin , submitted his resignation. On his Facebook page, BahaaEldin said he wanted to focus on work with his political party, the Social Democratic Party, and that he had not done so sooner because he wanted to “avoid divisions” before the approval of a new constitution in a referendum earlier this month. — AP

Tunisia signs new constitution Continued from Page1 victory sign. “Much work remains to make the values of our constitution a part of our culture,” he said.

The charter, which took more than two years to draft, will enter into force in stages after its publication in the official journal, and in the run-up to fresh parliamentary and presidential elections later this year. Tunisia’s dominant Islamist party Ennahda said it expected elections to take place in October. Lawmakers approved the new charter in a late night session, with an overwhelming majority of 200 votes in favour, 12 against and four abstentions. After months of political crisis and sporadic violence, Sunday’s vote set Tunisia on course to achieve at least some of the goals of the uprising that toppled longtime dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in January 2011.

Foreign leaders welcomed the vote in Tunisia, which, despite its own problems, is a beacon of hope compared with other Arab Spring nations like Libya and Egypt, both mired in instability and political turmoil. UN SecretaryGeneral Ban Ki-moon called it a “historic milestone” and said Tunisia was a model for other countries seeking reform, while EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton hailed “important progress” in the North African country’s democratic transition.

The vote was made possible by Ennahda’s agreement to relinquish power in a bid to end months of political deadlock, allowing technocrat prime minister-designate Mehdi Jomaa to form a government of independents to lead the country to fresh elections. Jomaa presented his line-up to the presi-

dent on Sunday evening, before lawmakers voted on the constitution, and now must win a vote of confidence in parliament. Jomaa said his top priority will be to create the right conditions for legislative and presidential polls later this year.

The polls will mark the final step towards resolving Tunisia’s political crisis, triggered by the assassination of two prominent secular politicians last year by suspected jihadists.

“Within six weeks there will be an electoral law. There is a clear path to the next elections, which will probably take place in October 2014,” senior Ennahda official Ameur Larayedh told AFP. The official dates of the parliamentary and presidential elections must be decided by the electoral body (ISIE) that was set up in January. ISIE president Chafik Sarsar said “the elections would take place before 2015,” in line with the provisions of the new constitution. The EU’s Ashton urged the new government to deploy “all the means of the state” to organise transparent and credible elections as swiftly as possible.

The national assembly was elected in Oct 2011, nine months after the revolution, with Ennahda - a once-banned Islamist movement - winning the largest share of the vote.

But its mission to adopt a new constitution within one year was disrupted by bitter divisions between Ennahda and the secular opposition, coupled with jihadist violence and persistent social unrest. The constitution that was finally agreed on last week, after weeks of heated debate on issues such as women’s rights and the role of Islam, is a compromise which some observers have warned is at times incoherent or vague.

But it is widely regarded as the most progressive constitution in the region. — Agencies

A residents throws a stone and at policemen during a demolition operation in a squatters area in Manila yesterday. The government wants to redevelop the area into a business district in a joint venture with a private firm. — AFP

MP calls to cut expats in public sector...

Continued from Page1 Over the past three decades, the government has been reducing dependence on foreign manpower in government jobs and has succeeded in reducing their numbers to pave the way for the appointment of Kuwaitis.

Following Kuwait’s liberation from Iraqi occupation in 1991, Kuwait made all employment contracts of expatriates in the government “temporary”, scrapping most of the benefits associated with

government jobs including annual promotions.

In another development, Interior Minister Sheikh Mohammad Al-Khaled Al-Sabah yesterday discussed with the Assembly’s interior and defense committee the problem of bedoons, or stateless people. Head of the committee MP Askar Al-Enezi said after the meeting that the government and the Assembly are in agreement about the need to naturalize 4,000 bedoons this year. He said that the minister explained

to the committee the government’s vision about resolving the problem of more than 106,000 bedoons who have been demanding Kuwaiti citizenship.

Another meeting will be held between the minister and the committee next week to complete the discussions, he said. The interior minister announced last week that there will be good news about the bedoon problem shortly and announced meetings with Assembly committees regarding the issue.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2014

ANALYSIS

THE LEADING INDEPENDENT DAILY IN THE ARABIAN GULF ESTABLISHED 1961

Founder and Publisher

YOUSUF S. AL-ALYAN Editor-in-Chief

ABD AL-RAHMAN AL-ALYAN EDITORIAL : 24833199-24833358-24833432 ADVERTISING : 24835616/7 FAX : 24835620/1 CIRCULATION : 24833199 Extn. 163 ACCOUNTS : 24835619 COMMERCIAL : 24835618 P.O.Box 1301 Safat,13014 Kuwait.

E MAIL :info@kuwaittimes.net Website: www.kuwaittimes.net

Issues

Oppn, prez in ‘tactical game’ to resolve crisis

By Oleksandr Savochenko

T

he Ukrainian opposition and President Viktor Yanukovych are now locked in a high-stakes tactical game to resolve Ukraine’s crisis after the president made his first offer of concessions, analysts said.

Yanukovych appeared to give some way over the weekend by offering top government posts to opposition leaders but protesters have said they will keep applying pressure until all of their demands are met. Analysts said the proposals, which the opposition has neither explicitly accepted nor rejected, seemed in fact aimed at driving a wedge between his challengers. “It was simply a manoeuvre to divide the opposition and somehow hold on to power,” Andreas Umland, a German political analyst at the Kiev Mohyla Academy, told AFP. Ties between Arseniy Yatsenyuk, a former foreign minister who was offered the post of prime minister, and Vitali Klitschko, a former boxing champion asked to be his deputy, are rumoured to be testy at best. Klitschko pointed to what he saw as a ruse, referring to Yanukovych’s comments as “a poisonous offer”. Vadym Karasev, head of the Institute for Global Strategies in Kiev, said both sides now feel stronger. “Yanukovych in the eyes of the West has shown his willingness to compromise and his commitment to peaceful political methods to end the crisis,” he said.

“The opposition has seen that Yanukovych is willing to share power so it can build on this success. “This is more like a tactical game,” he added.

The protests started out as a campaign for greater European integration but have now grown to reflect wider disillusionment with Yanukovych and have spread far beyond Kiev, even into his eastern heartland. The key day will be today when opposition demands for an abolition of draconian anti-protest laws and for constitutional reforms to take away presidential powers will be on the table at a special session of parliament. Yanukovych has held out both prospects although his critics remain wary and say they are still waiting to see concrete action rather than vague promises. They and international human rights groups have also said they want to see the release of all the dozens of detainees held since the start of the protests.

The big question, however, is Yanukovych’s own future.

Opposition leaders have called for the pro-Russian leader to quit before a presidential election in 2015 and the more militant protesters in the streets of Kiev are bent on ousting him as soon as possible. Yanukovych was ultimately defeated in Ukraine’s 2004 “Orange Revolution” after fraudulently claiming an election victory but he rallied back after rivalry between his opponents descended into poisonous feuds. The opposition itself also faces a difficult balancing act between balancing the more moderate aims of leaders like former foreign minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk and more militant protesters fighting for more radical change.

‘Options for his departure’ Olexiy Haran, a political science professor at Kyiv Mohyla Academy, said Yanukovych sees the protests as “a real threat” and has shown he is prepared to negotiate “only when he is up against a strong adversary”.

Yanukovych’s resignation “would be the best solution for the country”, Haran told pro-opposition Gromadske Radio.

“I think there is a chance of this happening,” he said. Haran suggested Yanukovych could be persuaded to leave if he is offered some kind of amnesty to him and his son, a leading businessman accused by the opposition of having profited from his father’s time in power.

Experts agreed one possible, though difficult, compromise would be for Yanukovych to stay as president but for the constitution to be changed so more powers go to a government that would be led by the opposition. “This may be possible although he would have very little power under this variant,” Umland said. “But this step is already not enough. Yanukovych just needs to discuss the options for his departure.” Umland said he was confident that in the end the opposition would achieved its aims of early parliamentary and presidential elections.

But Karasev said the situation could develop both ways - either towards a resolution or further tensions. Today’s parliament session could agree to prepare for a coalition government to include the opposition. “Or, under the influence of the hardliners in power, it could try to introduce emergency rule,” he said. —AFP

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.

Turkey’s AKP down but far from out

By Tanya Willmer

T

urkish student Elif has just turned 19 and will be voting for the first time as the country holds a pivotal series of upcoming elections in the face of deep political strife. But she says she won’t be casting any ballots for the Justice and Development Party (AKP), the Islamicrooted movement that has enjoyed almost absolute power since it swept to a landslide victory in 2002, barely a year after its creation. “The country is a mess now, who can you trust? It won’t be AKP but I don’t know who else,” the Englishlanguage student told AFP at a cafe near Istanbul’s Taksim Square, not wanting to give her full name.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his AKP are now embroiled in their most damaging crisis, struggling to contain the political and economic fallout from a corruption scandal that erupted six weeks ago. The probe has implicated several government allies accused of money laundering, bribery and gold smuggling, casting a shadow over Erdogan’s pledge to make Turkey a corruption-free economic power. Critics say the AKP response - mass purges of the police and judiciary - has exposed Erdogan’s authoritarian streak and threatened democracy in Turkey as it

seeks to win EU membership. The tensions have sent the lira diving to record lows and jeopardised government economic targets. But analysts say the party, whose initials AK mean “clean” or “pure” in Turkish, is far from finished and remains the only dominant force in Turkish politics. Its future hinges not only on how it fares in local elections in March, but also the ambitions of its charismatic but pugnacious 59-year-old leader. The turmoil has exposed rifts in the AKP power base - notably Erdogan’s feud with exiled Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen, a longtime ally whose supporters the premier now accuses of treachery and waging a “dirty” conspiracy to overthrow him.

‘Without Erdogan AKP could implode’ The party itself, a broad coalition of the centre-right, Islamists and business interests, has faced a wave of defections since the scandal broke. At least six lawmakers and hundreds of local members have jumped ship over the party’s refusal to brook any dissent, some complaining about what they see as Erdogan’s “imperious” and “arrogant” style. “The prime minister sees the party as his own farm,” charged former AKP lawmaker Erdal Kalkan, who resigned last month.

But Soner Cagaptay of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy warned that without

a strong leader, the AKP would simply “implode”.

“An Erdogan-led AKP stays together to win elections, and everyone is rewarded. Conversely, challenges to Erdogan would cascade into multiple fractures, resulting in a scrabble of weak parties and guaranteed disaster for the entire coalition,” he said in a report. The first test is the March 30 local elections, followed by an August presidential ballot and legislative polls in 2015.

A January survey found AKP support had dipped two percentage points in a month, and media reports suggested party insiders were becoming worried about its performance in March. But it still enjoys a formidable lead of 42 percent against 29 percent for the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), with support particularly among religious conservatives and in rural areas. “We think Erdogan has not lost any ground because he has quite successfully established the perception that this is a ‘smear operation’ against his rule and emerged the victim,” sociologist Ali Kose, founder of YESO-DER (New Sociology Association), said of the corruption probe.

The fact that the feud between Erdogan and the unelected US-based Gulen is the key powerplay in such a highly charged election year also underscores the absence of a real opposition.

“This is an asymmetric war: Erdogan is the leader of a political party,” said Nihat Ali Ozcan of the private TOBB university. “But the Gulen movement is not transparent and the boundaries of this structure are not very clear.”

The AKP was founded in 2001 from a banned Islamic party and went on to win three elections, each time with a greater share of the vote. It rejects claims of an Islamist agenda, describing its ideology as one of “conservative democracy” that has brought stability after years of rocky coalitions and coups, and strong economic growth built in part on ambitious construction and transport projects. But rights groups and opponents say the true face of Erdogan and the party surfaced in June, with a heavy-handed response to a wave of mass anti-government protests. Human Rights Watch said in its annual report that the AKP has demonstrated “a growing intolerance of political opposition, public protest, and critical media”.

Critics says it is threatening democratic gains by trying to impose its own Islamic-leaning social policies and greater government controls on the media, the Internet and even medics.

“Erdogan is speaking like an apostle of democracy in Brussels, but acting like a wouldbe dictator in Ankara,” said CHP deputy leader Umut Oran. —AFP

Israel, Palestinians assess price of failure

By Crispian Balmer

E

ven as Palestinians and Israelis strive for an elusive peace deal to end their generations-old conflict, the two sides are preparing for failure. While contours of an accord have been debated for years, the consequence of collapse could take many forms. US Secretary of State John Kerry has cautioned that a breakdown in the talks he has tirelessly promoted for the past six months might lead to a third Palestinian uprising. The Palestinians say they are ready to shift their battle for an independent state on land Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war to the International Criminal Court if the negotiations prove fruitless.

Israel, by contrast, is pinning its hopes on maintaining the status quo - using exhaustive security measures to manage what has become a low-grade, occasional conflict while continuing to expand settlements in the West Bank - but might activate unilateral moves of its own if dialogue peters out. Whatever happens, both sides will suffer a financial fallout if they cannot find a way to divide the land they both claim, with the long-established model of a US-driven peace process also likely to take a significant hit. “If this attempt fails, do not expect the Americans to come back for more pain ... Not for a very long time,” said a senior Western diplomat based in Tel Aviv who was not authorised to talk to the media and could not be named.

A handful of diplomats remain hopeful Kerry will defy the pessimists and secure at least a framework deal in the coming weeks to allow detailed talks to continue beyond the original nine-month deadline, which expires on April 29.

But, still far apart on so many core issues including borders, security, the right of return for Palestinian refugees and the future status of Jerusalem, many Palestinians and Israelis share the view that the talks are not going anywhere.

“The ongoing negotiations ... are headed for failure, and will not be extended one day after their expiration on April 29,” said Mohammed Shtayyeh, who quit the Palestinian negotiating team last year in protest at a wave of Israeli announcements of new settlement-building in occupied territory.

Blame Game Started Since talks started last July, Israel has unveiled plans to build some 5,349 new homes in the West Bank and East Jerusalem - land the Palestinians want for their future state. The European Union’s ambassador to Israel, Lars Faaborg-Andersen, has warned that this rapid expansion means Israel is likely to be blamed

should the negotiations implode. “I’m afraid that what will transpire is a situation in which Israel will find itself increasingly isolated,” he said last week, adding that the settlements did not play “in a good way with the public and also the political class in Europe”.

A Dutch pension fund said this month it was divesting from five Israeli banks because of their work in the settlements, while a large Dutch utility severed ties with Israel’s national water company because of its West Bank activities. Israelis fear EU displeasure could cost them dear, with their joint trade ties put at Ä30 billion ($41 billion). “It could become unpleasant for us because the Europeans seem to be determined to blame

blame game - but any move to single out Israel would stoke anger in the staunchly pro-Israel US Congress. This risk would mean the $3 billion a year in US aid to the Jewish state is likely to be protected.

Plan B Israeli opposition leader Isaac Herzog, who heads the dovish Labour party, says the threat of EU economic curbs should persuade Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of the need to make the hard concessions that peace would entail. However, speaking to foreign reporters last week, Herzog said Israel should prepare a “plan B” in case of failure. “In paintbrush mode,

Palestinian children walk through the rubble of a house demolished by the Israeli authorities for being built without municipal permission in the Arab east Jerusalem neighborhood of Beit Hanina yesterday, with the Jewish settlement of Ramat Shlomo in the background. Israeli authorities ordered the demolition of four Palestinian houses built without permits in the Arab quarters of Issawiya and Beit Hanina housing a total of 20 people, according to residents and police sources. —AFP Israel come-what-may,” said Alan Baker, a former legal adviser to the Israeli Foreign Ministry and ex-ambassador to Canada. “It won’t be crippling, but from a publicity point of view it will have its own dynamic, which will be negative.”

By the same token, the EU has warned the aid-dependent Palestinians it might reduce the one billion euros it hands them each year - crucial budget support for the Palestinian Authority in self-rule areas, if they snub Kerry’s initiative.

The stakes would also be high if President Barack Obama’s administration gets into the

plan B can include certain steps that will encourage settlers to go back home, via legislation and other encouragement, (and) drafting a new map for further redeployments,” he said, hinting at the possibility that Israel may one day unilaterally define its own borders.

This would be highly controversial and very unlikely in the short term. However, peace advocates say Israel must roll back its occupation of the West Bank, home to some 2.5 million Palestinians, if it wants to maintain its Zionist ideals. “If talks fail, for Israel, the demographic

dynamic will make it impossible to preserve its future as a democratic Jewish state,” Kerry said in Davos last week, alluding in part to the strong Palestinian birthrate.

Pro-settlement groups claim historical and biblical links to the occupied land. They reject any peace accord that would oust any of the more than 500,000 settlers from their homes.

Faced by the growing influence of the settlers, some Palestinian officials in the West Bank talk of the need for a return to “resistance” after years of cooperation with Israel. Tawfiq Tirawi, a senior member of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah movement, told Lebanon’s Mayadeen channel last week that Palestinians would not win independence even in 20 years and called for “resistance in all of its forms”.

Asked to explain, he said: “Steadfastness is also resistance, negotiations are also a form of resistance, but there must be something on the ground as well ... weapons, popular resistance, there are hundreds of ways to resist.”

Court Campaign Once unleashed, violence is hard to contain.

The breakdown of previous, US-brokered peace talks in July 2000 is seen as a major factor behind the outbreak of the second Palestinian Intifada (uprising) just two months later. The revolt lasted more than four years, killing more than 4,000 Palestinians and 1,000 Israelis and wrecking the economy and infrastructure in Palestinian self-ruled cities and towns. That conflict was widely perceived to have proven a disaster for the Palestinians, and Tirawi’s call to arms does not resonate widely in Abbas’s inner circle.

Instead, officials say they would look to fill the void left by a failed peace process with a concerted effort to join a plethora of international bodies from which they could harass Israel - including the International Criminal Court. Palestinians have long threatened to go to the ICC and file charges saying that Israeli settlements constitute a war crime under the Fourth Geneva Convention. It is far from clear whether the Hague-based court would accept such a suit, given that Palestine is not a full member of the United Nations. But Palestinians say it is vital to maintain some form of pressure on Israel, a militarily far superior adversary, if Kerry’s mission disintegrates. “The Palestinian leadership will go to the United Nations to prosecute Israel for its crimes in the event of the failure of the negotiations,” said former negotiator Shtayyeh, adding that Abbas had made a mistake by not doing this much earlier. “We have to correct this error,” he said. —Reuters

TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2014

S P ORTS

Bouchard eyes new goals

Coach: Nadal in fitness race

Everton get Baines boost

SINGAPORE: The first month of the year is not yet over but Canadian teenager Eugenie Bouchard is already looking for new goals for 2014 after breaking a ranking milestone yesterday.

The 19-year-old rose from 31st to a career-high 19th thanks to her surprise run to the semi-finals of the Australian Open last week. “Early at the beginning of the year I said as a ranking goal I wanted to be in the top 20 so I have accomplished that,” Bouchard told reporters in Singapore. “So now I need to change my goals, of course its all about consistency as well and staying in the top 20 and getting to a certain level and staying there.”

Having dispatched former world number one Ana Ivanovic with some powerful hitting in the quarter-finals, the former junior Wimbledon champion struggled to a straight sets defeat to eventual champion Li Na in the last four. Undeterred, the tall blonde haired right hander said the experience of reaching a first grand slam semi had been invaluable. “ Yeah I had a good experience at the Australian Open this year, I played really well and am happy with how it went but of course I’m never happy when I lose a match so disappointed with that but really happy to get the experience,” she said.—Reuters

MADRID: Rafa Nadal should recover from the back problem that wrecked his Australian Open final after a few days rest, his uncle and coach Toni told Spanish radio yesterday.

The ailing world number one lost to Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka in yesterday’s final, preventing the Spaniard drawing level on 14 grand slam singles titles with American Pete Sampras.

Nadal needed lengthy treatment at the start of the second set, hit back to win the third but Wawrinka eventually captured his debut slam with a 6-3 6-2 3-6 6-3 success.

His uncle told Cadena Ser’s El Larguero show his nephew planned to return to his native Mallorca from Melbourne before heading to Argentina where he is due to take part in a clay event in Buenos Aires starting on Feb. 10. “The doctor said it’s a tightening of the muscles and a few days rest should be enough,” said Toni.

“He went into the match after feeling twinges during the week but very minor ones that normally do not affect you at all.

“In the second game of the second set he felt a pinch.

When I asked him after treatment what was happening he said ‘it’s over’.” —Reuters

LONDON: Leighton Baines handed Everton a major boost ahead of today’s grudge match with local rivals Liverpool when he committed his future to the club by signing a new four-year deal. The England international had 17 months left on his contract and despite media reports that he was wanted by former manager David Moyes at Manchester United, the left back has chosen to remain at Goodison Park. “It would be an understatement to say we are delighted to secure the best footballing years of Leighton Baines at our club,” manager Roberto Martinez told the club website (www.evertonfc.com) yesterday.

“It’s a massive boost and exciting for the future. Leighton has just turned 29 and brings the right measure of maturity and football knowledge in a very specialised position on the pitch, bringing an infectious and positive influence.” The news comes at the perfect time for the blue side of Merseyside as sixth-placed Everton look to claim their first win at the Anfield home of their great rivals since 1999. Everton are flourishing under Spaniard Martinez and only one point separates them from Liverpool in fourth as both push for a lucrative spot in next season’s Champions League.

The form of Baines, who joined Everton from Wigan Athletic in 2007 and has made more than 260 appearances for the club, has been important and the club were desperate not to lose another key player following Marouane Fellaini’s departure to United last year.—Reuters

Rangers thrash Devils

WASHINGTON: Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman gives a thumbs-up as he leaves teamís headquarters to board a bus for his flight to play the Denver Broncos in the NFL Super Bowl XLVIII football game. —AP

Seahawks make Super Bowl landing after rousing sendoff NEW YORK: The Seattle Seahawks landed at Newark Airport on Sunday with a blue “12th Man” banner stuck out the cockpit window after the NFC champions were given a rousing sendoff by thousands of fans backing their bid for a first Super Bowl crown. Thousands of raucous green and blue clad fans lined the streets back home as buses headed to the airport carrying the team that will face Denver and quarterback Peyton Manning next Sunday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. “ We had an extraordinary sendoff,” Seattle coach Pete Carroll said at the team’s opening news conference after a ride from the airport to their Jersey City hotel.

“The 12s were out there in full force. The bus could only go about two miles an hour because they had swarmed into the streets.

They were pounding on the bus and everything. It was extraordinarily fun for everybody to see. Very cool.”

First off the plane that rolled into a private hanger was Seattle’s bruising running back Marshawn Lynch, wearing sparkling gold head phones and a “Beast Mode” sweatshirt proclaiming his well-earned nickname. Seattle brings the National Football League’s top-ranked defense into the title tilt, spearheaded by a suffocating secondary that will go against Denver’s league-leading offense.

The Seahawks are the second-youngest team to play in the Super Bowl in terms of average age, but they do not lack confidence.

“They have a little more experience in it than we do,” said cornerback Richard Sherman, surrounded by reporters and cameramen hanging on his every word following his post-game rant after Seattle’s NFC title win over the San Francisco 49ers.

“I’ve never seen experience play in the game.” Carroll believed his exuberant club were ready for the biggest stage. “Even though we’re young I think they have a

really mature perspective. That’s what we’re relying on,” he added.

Sherman, whose world-class trash talking belies his academic record as a Stanford University graduate, was on his best behavior and summed up the team’s approach.

“We’ll continue to work, continue to prepare and not be distracted by the stage, by the media,” said the NFL’s interception leader. Carroll, appearing in his first Super Bowl after head coaching stints with the New England Patriots and New York Jets, who played on the same Meadowlands site as the new MetLife Stadium, was aware of the challenge posed by the Broncos.

“It’s historically as hard as it gets,” the coach said. “They’ve broken every major record in the throwing game. Peyton (Manning) has been extraordinary in having a year anybody would dream to have.

They don’t just throw the football, they also run the ball. It’s an extraordinary challenge.”

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, who has registered the most wins of any signal caller in his first two NFL seasons, wasted no time on the cross-continental flight from Seattle. “I was breaking down tape,” he told reporters. “It was probably a four and a half hour flight, and for a solid three hours, three and a half hours, I was studying.

“I was watching all the clips, all the third downs in the red zone, just preparing my mind for getting back into it, to get ready for this week.”

Wilson, like the others, stressed the importance of sticking to routine. “I think the biggest thing in terms of keeping this game normal is just staying focused on your preparation,” he said.

“Making sure you’re getting tons of sleep. Making sure that you’re eating well, making sure you’re watching all the same things and going through your check list. “We’re not going to shy away from it. I’ve always been told don’t be afraid to excel.” —Reuters

India confident of squaring NZ series WELLINGTON: India are confident they can win their two remaining one -day internationals in New Zealand to salvage a draw from a series they were expected to dominate.

Although a series win is out of reach for India, who trail 2-0, spinner Ravi Ashwin said the dramatic tie in the third match in Auckland showed the tide is turning for the tourists, who have slipped to number two in the rankings.

New Zealand were denied a seriesclinching victory on Saturday when a late flourish by Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja produced a cliffhanger finish, with India scoring 17 off the last over.

“We were quite disappointed that we didn’t shut the game down. We would have loved to win the series, but we kept it open and we can tie it down now,” Ashwin said yesterday on the eve of the fourth game in Hamilton.

Coming into the series, India held the number one rank ing and they were strongly favoured to beat the home side.

Instead, they extended a losing streak that began with back-to-back defeats in South Africa, losing their first game in New Zealand by 24 runs and the second by 15.

In Auckland, India again looked down and out when they were 184-6 chasing New Zealand’s 314. But Ashwin (65 off 46

balls) and Jadeja (66 not out off 45) put on 85 for the seventh wicket in a partnership that revived India’s hopes.

“We’ve just not been at the best of our game. That’s the best point we can take forward, in terms of saying, we’ve not really played our best game yet,” Ashwin said.

“We’ve been fighting hard to the end and while things haven’t gone our way we just hope for the turnaround.” New Zealand have been plagued in recent years by an inability to close out series when they have had the upper hand early on, but felt the tide had turned when they beat the West Indies in two Twenty20 matches before India’s arrival.

However, the nagging doubts returned in Auck land when captain Brendon McCullum admitted it was “potentially” one that got away.

“When they looked as if they were out of the game they flexed their muscle a little bit and got themselves back into it.

And just when we thought we had it again, obviously they came back,” McCullum said. “ We had our chances, there is no doubting that. Definitely had our chances.

A few catches and a few run-out opportunities and a few things.” The final match in the series is in Wellington on Friday, to be followed by two Tests. —AFP

NEW YORK: After sun reflecting off the ice delayed the first hockey game at Yankee Stadium, the New York Rangers and pinstriped goalie Henrik Lundqvist beat the New Jersey Devils 7-3 in snow and cold Sunday. Rick Nash scored for the fifth straight game, and the Rangers used a four-goal second period against Martin Brodeur to take the lead for good.

After Dominic Moore and Marc Staal had goals in the first for the Rangers, Mats Zuccarello scored two straight to put New York ahead for the first time. Carl Hagelin and Nash found the net, too. Lundqvist, who sported stylish pinstriped pads for the occasion, stumbled through a difficult first but settled down and made 19 saves. Jaromir Jagr had two assists to excite the large number of New Jersey fans who made the trek to the Bronx for what was nominally a Devils home game.

PANTHERS 5, RED WINGS 4 Nick Bjugstad scored in a shootout and Tim Thomas denied Detroit three times, lifting the Panthers to a win over the Red Wings after trailing by two goals twice in regulation.

Brad Boyes scored a game-tying, short-handed goal with 3:46 left in the third period a couple minutes after teammate Drew Shore scored.

Detroit’s Gustav Nyquist and Daniel Alfredsson scored 1:19 apart midway through the second and Riley Sheahan had a goal late in the second period.

Jonas Gustavsson, filling in for the injured Jimmy Howard, had 33 saves in his third straight start for the Red Wings. Thomas stopped 26 shots.

JETS 3, BLACKHAWKS 1 Al Montoya made 34 saves, Andrew Ladd scored his 150th goal and the Jets rallied to beat the slumping Blackhawks. Blake Wheeler had two third-period goals as Winnipeg won for the second straight day and improved to 6-1 under new coach Paul Maurice.

Brandon Bollig scored in the first for the Blackhawks, and Corey Crawford had 18 saves.

Montoya was terrific while subbing for Ondrej Pavelec, who had started the last eight games for Winnipeg. The Chicago native shut down the Blackhawks after an early gaffe put the Jets into a 1-0 hole.

CANUCKS 5, COYOTES 4 Kevin Bieksa scored his second goal of the game at 2:15 of overtime, lifting the Canucks to a victory over the Coyotes. Zac Dalpe and Chris Higgins each had goal and an assist for Vancouver, and Jannik Hansen also scored.

Bieksa also had an assist and Roberto Luongo, shaky at times, made 29 saves for the Canucks.

On the winner, Bieksa chipped his fourth goal of the season over Phoenix goalie Mike Smith just as a Coyotes power play expired.

Antoine Vermette had a hat trick for Phoenix, and Shane Doan added a goal and an assist.

Smith finished with 20 saves.

NEW YORK: Rangers left wing Carl Hagelin (62) celebrates with Rangers defenseman Marc Staal (18) after scoring a goal in the second period of an NHL outdoor hockey game in the snow with New Jersey Devils. —AP OILERS 5, PREDATORS 1 Ryan Smyth had a goal and an assist, and the Oilers snapped a season-high six-game losing streak with a victory over the Predators.

Justin Schultz, Jordan Eberle and Ryan Nugent Hopkins each had a goal and an assist and Nail Yakupov also scored for the Oilers (1632-7), who won for the fifth time in 22 games.

Edmonton has had five losing streaks of at least five games this season.

David Legwand scored for the Predators (2323-8), who have lost two in a row. Smyth scored his 125th power-play goal as an Oiler, tying him for second on the team’s all-time list with Wayne Gretzky and putting him one back of leader Glenn Anderson. —AP

NHL results/standings NY Rangers 7, New Jersey 3; Florida 5, Detroit 4 (SO); Winnipeg 3, Chicago 1; Edmonton 5, Nashville 1; Vancouver 5, Phoenix 4 (OT).

Western Conference Tampa Bay 31 16 5 155 128 67 Pacific Division Toronto 27 21 6 155 168 60 W L OTL GF GA PTS Montreal 27 20 5 128 134 59 Anaheim 39 10 5 182 130 83 Detroit 23 18 11 135 144 57 San Jose 34 12 6 165 125 74 Ottawa 22 20 10 147 165 54 Los Angeles 29 18 6 132 113 64 Florida 21 24 7 127 158 49 Vancouver 27 17 9 135 134 63 Buffalo 14 29 7 97 144 35 Phoenix 24 18 10 151 160 58 Metropolitan Division Calgary 18 27 7 119 165 43 Pittsburgh 36 14 2 168 128 74 Edmonton 16 32 6 140 188 38 NY Rangers 28 23 3 139 138 59 Central Division Chicago 32 10 12 190 149 76 Columbus 26 21 4 150 145 56 St. Louis 35 11 5 177 119 75 Philadelphia 25 22 6 142 158 56 Colorado 32 14 5 149 134 69 Carolina 23 19 9 131 145 55 Minnesota 28 20 6 129 133 62 New Jersey 22 20 11 127 132 55 Dallas 24 20 8 151 153 56 Washington 23 21 8 148 154 54 Winnipeg 25 24 5 152 158 55 NY Islanders 21 25 8 154 179 50 Nashville 23 23 8 132 163 54 Note: Overtime losses (OTL) are worth one point in the Eastern Conference standings and are not Atlantic Division included in the loss column (L).

Boston 32 15 3 147 110 67

Confident Broncos touch down ahead of Super Bowl NEW YORK: The Denver Broncos touched down in New Jersey on Sunday, brimming with confidence ahead of next weekend’s Super Bowl against the Seattle Seahawks.

The Broncos arrived at Newark Airport to the sort of reception normally reserved for heads of state.

Their chartered jet was towed away from the main terminal gates to a secluded hanger so the players could

disembark onto a red carpet away from public eyes.

Their arrival was broadcast live on the NFL Network and dozens of photographers snapped away as the players left the plane and boarded a bus for their New Jersey hotel and the first of a week of news conferences. “Our team’s excited,” said Denver quarterback Peyton Manning. “ The Super Bowl is a big deal.”

ENGLEWOOD: Denver Broncos head coach talks with free safety Mike Adams (20) during NFL football practice at the team’s training facility. —AP

Manning discussed a wide variety of topics, including his thoughts about the threat of snow on game day, the advice he had received from his brother Eli, who plays for the New York Giants, and the mood within the Broncos camp.

“We were excited getting on the plane,” he said. “And we were excited getting off the plane.” Asked whether he was tempted to retire if the Broncos won the Super Bowl, Manning stuck to the sportman’s mantra that he was taking it one game at a time. “I really have no plans beyond this game,” he said. “I had no plans coming into this season, beyond this year, and I think that’s the healthy way to approach your career at this stage.” However, Manning, who made a comeback to the National Football League last season after missing a year because of a serious neck injury, did say that his current mindset was to keep playing.

“As soon as I stop enjoying it, if I can’t keep producing, If I can’t help a team, that’s when I’ll stop playing,” he said. “If that’s next year, maybe it is, but I certainly want to continue to keep playing.”

Denver cornerback Champ Bailey also sidestepped questions about his immediate future after finally making his first Super Bowl after 15 years in the NFL. “I’m not really thinking about retiring if I win. All I’m thinking about is winning and doing what I’ve

got to do to win the game,” he said.

“That’s my preparation this week.

After the game, we’ll talk about that.”

Wide receiver Wes Welker, who played for the New England Patriots in two Super Bowls but is yet to win a championship, said he was thrilled to get another chance.

“I definitely feel very blessed to have this opportunity and to be in this situation is very rare,” he said.

“You really can’t take it for granted.

You really just want to make the most of it, but have fun with it and at the same time understand we’re here on a business trip and ready to play this game.”

Denver’s head coach John Fox said all the players were healthy and ready for the game. There had been some concerns about the kicker Matt Prater after he skipped practice with illness but he travelled with the team.

“He feels much better. Our docs took good care of him,” Fox said. “He’ll be fine come next Sunday.” With the Super Bowl being played for the first time in an outdoor stadium in a cold environment, the weather has been one of the dominant talking points in the build up to the game but all the Broncos said they were unfazed. “To be a championship football team, you have to be weatherproof,” Fox said. “Our football team played in all different elements this year. I feel comfortable where we’re at as far as it goes with the elements.” —Reuters

TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2014

S P ORTS

Sri Lanka seamers bundle Bangladesh out for 232 DHAKA: The Sri Lankan seamers shared eight wickets to vindicate captain Angelo Mathews’s decision to bowl after winning the toss as Bangladesh were shot out for 232 on the opening day of the first test in Dhaka yesterday.

Sri Lanka, in reply, reached 60 for no loss when stumps were drawn with Dimuth Karunaratne 28 not out and Kaushal Silva unbeaten on 30.

Earlier, Shaminda Eranga picked up four wickets and new-ball partner Suranga Lakmal claimed three. Mathews took the other wicket to fall to the pacemen.

Bangladesh lost four wickets in the morning before captain Mushfiqur Rahim (61) and all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan (55) stitched together an 86-run stand for the

fifth wicket.

Left-hander Shakib’s attacking innings came to an end when he was trapped leg before by left-arm spinner Rangana Herath who took two wickets. Bangladesh also lost Nasir Hossain (four) in the next over as they were reduced to 150 for six.

Mushfiqur then combined with Sohag Gazi (42) in a 53-run partnership for the seventh wicket before the former was trapped leg before by Lakmal.

Bangladesh handed a test debut to 25year-old opening batsman Shamsur Rahman who made 33. Sri Lanka wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene was a lastminute withdrawal due to the death of his father, Dinesh Chandimal taking the gloves for the visitors. —Reuters

SCOREBOARD Scoreboard at the close of play on the first day of the opening test between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in Dhaka yesterday.

Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to field Bangladesh first innings Tamim Iqbal c Lakmal b Eranga 6 Shamsur Rahman c Vithanage b Eranga33 Marshall Ayub lbw b Mathews 1 Mominul Haque c Vithanage b Lakmal 8 Shakib Al Hasan lbw b Herath 55 Mushfiqur Rahim lbw b Lakmal 61 Nasir Hossain c Chandimal b Eranga 4 Sohag Gazi c Eranga b Lakmal 42 Robiul Islam c Perera b Eranga 5 Rubel Hossain b Herath 2 Al-Amin Hossain not out 6 Extras (lb-4, nb-5) 9 Total (all out - 63.5 overs) 232 Fall of wickets: 1-35 2-40 3-40 4-59 5-145 6-150

7-203 8-219 9-222 Bowling: Lakmal 18.1-3-66-3 (4nb), Eranga 17.4-2-49-4 (1nb), Mathews 6-3-18-1, Perera 11-2-45-0, Herath 11-1-50-2.

Sri Lanka first innings D. Karunaratne not out 28 K. Silva not out 30 Extras (w-1, nb-1) 2 Total (for no wicket - 19 overs) 60 Still to bat: K. Sangakkara, M. Jayawardene, D. Chandimal, A. Mathews, K. Vithanage, D. Perera, S. Eranga, R. Herath, S. Lakmal.

Bowling: Robiul 4-1-12-0 (1w), Al-Amin 5-1-180, Rubel 4-0-20-0 (1nb), Gazi 5-2-8-0, Shakib 10-2-0.

DHAKA: Sri Lanka’s Dimuth Karunaratne (left) plays a shot on the first day of the first Test cricket match against Bangladesh. —AP

Stallings clinches his third PGA Tour title TORREY PINES: American Scott Stallings birdied six of the last 11 holes to break clear of a tightly bunched leaderboard and clinch his third PGA Tour title by one shot at the Farmers Insurance Open outside San Diego on Sunday.

Stallings also held his nerve with clutch putts for par at the 15th and 17th on the challenging South Course at Torrey Pines before two-putting for birdie at the par-five last for a four-under-par 68 and a nineunder total of 279.

“It’s pretty cool,” Stallings, 28, told CBS Sports after mixing seven birdies with three bogeys to earn the winner’s cheque for $1.098 million. “It hasn’t quite set in yet but it’s nice to kind of hold up coming down the stretch.

“I drove it very poorly today. I hit some good ones coming down the stretch but hit a really bad drive at 17 and managed to make a really good par.”

Stallings, who won his maiden PGA Tour title in a playoff for the 2011 Greenbrier Classic before adding a second at the 2012 True South Classic, sank par putts from 14 feet at the 15th and six feet at the 17th to remain on course for victory.

He set up his birdie at the 18th with a four-iron from 225 yards but watched as his ball landed on the front portion of the green before rolling back to the fringe, with a pond lurking below.

“I hit that four-iron as hard as I possibly could, and just tried to get it over the front (of the green). It barely stayed,” Stallings said. American Gary Woodland and Australian Marc Leishman, playing in the final group, had the chance to force a playoff over the last two holes but Woodland’s title bid ended with a double-bogey on 17 and Leishman’s when he failed to eagle 18.

Leishman’s wedge from 100 yards ended up four feet from the cup and he settled for a birdie and a 71 to tie for second with compatriot Jason Day (68), South Korean K.J. Choi (66), Canada’s Graham DeLaet (68) and American Pat Perez (70).

The long-hitting Woodland, who like Stallings had been seeking a third victory on the PGA Tour, covered his back nine in two-over to close with a 74 and finish joint 10th at six under.

Damp overnight and early morning conditions made the tough South Course a little more receptive to low scoring and Sunday’s final round ended up as a birdie slugfest with 10 players holding at least a share of the lead.

By the time overnight pacesetter Woodland had reached the turn in the final group, 17 players were bunched within two shots at the top of a wildly fluctuating leaderboard.

A stroke in front after the third round, Woodland offset bogeys at the first and seventh with birdies at the second and ninth for an outward nine of even par to remain at eight under overall.

That left him in a four-way tie for the lead with Perez, Leishman and early starter Choi, who moments earlier had birdied the final hole for a 66.

Woodland did well to save par at the 10th and 11th, sinking tricky putts from 12 and nine feet, and also at the 12th, where he got up and down from a poor lie under overhanging branches beneath the right side of the green, to remain at eight under.

Stallings seized the outright lead at nine under by sinking a 10-foot birdie putt at the 14th before being joined by Woodland, who knocked in a six-footer for birdie at the par-five 13th.—Reuters

SAN DIEGO: Scott Stallings holds the trophy as he poses for photographers after winning the Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament. —AP

SOCHI: Russian police officers search a vehicle at an entrance to the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games park . The Olympics begin on Feb. 7. —AP

Sochi set to welcome the world amid storm clouds SOCHI: Seven years ago, Vladimir Putin traveled all the way to Guatemala to woo Olympic leaders with his grandiose vision: hosting the Winter Games in Russia’s littleknown Black Sea summer resort of Sochi. Putin’s personal pitch - delivered partly in English and French did the trick as Sochi beat out bids from South Korea and Austria for the right to stage the 2014 Games on the so-called “Russian Riviera.”

Putin’s political influence and Russia’s might bowled over the International Olympic Committee on that day.

It was a risky choice then and it shapes up as even riskier now. With the opening ceremony less than two weeks away, Putin’s prestige and his country’s reputation are at stake - riding on a $51 billion megaproject meant to showcase a modern Russia but overshadowed by a barrage of concerns over terrorism, gay rights, human rights, corruption, waste and overspending.

No other Winter Games has faced such an acute terror threat.

No other Winter Olympics has been so engulfed in politics. No other recent Olympics has been so closely associated with one man - Putin, the “captain” of the Sochi team.

Amid a politically charged atmosphere and ominous security climate, can Putin and Russia deliver a safe and successful Olympics?

Can Sochi defy the grim predictions and dazzle the world with wellorganized games featuring shiny new venues, picturesque mountains and the world’s best winter sports athletes?

Lest we forget, the Olympics are also supposed to be about sports and athletes: Alex Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby and other NHL stars competing for their home countries on the hockey rink; snowboard great Shaun White doing new gravitydefying flips and twists; South Korean figure skating queen Yuna Kim performing graceful magic on the ice; American teen sensation Mikaela Shiffrin zipping through the slalom gates. About 3,000 athletes from more than 80 countries will be competing in 98 medal events. Twelve new events are on the program, with women’s ski jumping making its debut after being rejected for inclusion at the 2010 Vancouver Games.

The medals race is likely to be between Norway, the United States, Canada and Germany. The Russians, coming off their worst ever Winter Games in Vancouver, are determined to bounce back on home territory. A gold medal from the Ovechkin-led hockey team would be the ultimate prize for a

country that hasn’t won the Olympic title since a “Unified Team” of former Soviet republics triumphed in 1992. “Olympics are probably the most important thing for Russians,” Ovechkin said.

For now, the world’s focus remains squarely on the terror danger in the Northern Caucasus. An Islamic militant group in Dagestan claimed responsibility for two sui-

Committee. “What we don’t know is how many more black widows are out there. ... How many potential cells could be in Sochi and the Olympic Village?”

Russia is mounting what is believed to be the biggest security operation ever for an Olympics, deploying more than 50,000 police and soldiers to protect the games.

The cordon includes naval war-

ASTRAKHAN: In this photo taken on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2014 and provided by Olympictorch2014.com, an Olympic torch bearer Dmitry Slaschev (top) rides a camel holding an Olympic torch during the torch relay. —AP cide bombings that killed 34 people in late December in Volgograd and threatened to attack the games in Sochi. Russian security officials have been hunting for three potential female suicide bombers, one of whom is believed to be in Sochi itself. The suspects are known as “black widows,” women seeking to avenge husbands or male relatives killed in Russia’s fight against insurgents in the region.

“We know some of them got through the perimeter,” said Rep. Michael McCaul, chairman of the US House Homeland Security

ships, anti-aircraft batteries and drone aircraft. Two U.S. warships will be in the Black Sea to help if needed. “We will try to make sure that the security measures taken aren’t too intrusive or visible and that they won’t put pressure on the athletes, guests and journalists,” Putin said.

Sochi’s preparations have also been clouded by the Western uproar against a Russian law enacted last year that prohibits gay “propaganda” among minors. Critics and gay activists say the law discriminates against homosexuals

and could be used against anyone openly supporting gay rights at the games.

Putin has insisted there will be no discrimination of any kind against any athletes or spectators in Sochi, yet his recent comments linking homosexuality and pedophilia have only inflamed the issue.

The IOC, meanwhile, has reminded athletes to comply with “Rule 50” of the Olympic Charter, which forbids protests or political gestures at Olympic venues.

President Barack Obama has seized on the issue by sending a US delegation to Sochi that includes three openly gay members - tennis great Billie Jean King, figure skater Brian Boitano and ice hockey player Caitlin Cahow.

Hoping to show off a resurgent Russia that emerged from the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, organizers have built virtually all Olympic facilities from scratch to turn a decaying, Stalinist-era resort into what they hope will be a yearround tourist destination and winter sports mecca for the region.

Sochi features one of the most compact layouts in Olympic history, with all indoor arenas located close to each other in an Olympic Park along the coast. The cluster of snow venues are about 45 minutes away in the Krasnaya Polyana mountains.

“The venues will be perhaps the most spectacular, the best ever,” said senior Norwegian IOC member Gerhard Heiberg, who organized the 1994 Winter Games in Lillehammer.

The project has come at a monumental cost: the $51 billion price tag, which includes construction of news road, tunnels, rail lines and other long-term infrastructure investments, is a record for any Winter or Summer Games. Billions of dollars have disappeared in kickbacks, embezzlement or mismanagement, critics claim.

“What’s not good is all the money that’s been spent,” said Heiberg, head of the IOC marketing commission. “ This could influence very badly cities thinking about bidding for the games.”

In spite of all the criticism, IOC members believe the Russians deserve the chance to prove the choice of Sochi was the right one.

“Russia today is not the Soviet Union of 1980,” Canadian member Dick Pound said. “They are certainly capable of organizing a Winter Olympics. They have created a winter sports complex out of virtually nothing and they did it in 5-6 years.

My guess is they will deliver good games.” —AP

Jessica wins Bahamas LPGA Classic PARADISE ISLAND: Jessica Korda laughed about her winning up-anddown and being sprayed with shaving cream. She choked up, too, thinking about her cancer-stricken coach.

The 20-year-old Korda won the season-opening Bahamas LPGA Classic on Sunday for her second tour title, holing a 6-foot birdie putt on the final hole to beat Stacy Lewis by a stroke.

Korda recently started working again with Grant Price after struggling with a swing she felt led to left shoulder and wrist injuries.

“Grant means so much to me,” Korda said. “He’s so positive, and that’s really kind of shown. It’s given me a lot of confidence this week. His positivity, and he’s like, ‘You’re going to be ready for this week. You’re going to be ready for this week.’ ...

Him being on the range and constantly kind of encouraging the positive in me, into my mind, it helped me so much.” Price, Hall of Famer Nick Price’s nephew, is fighting testicular cancer.

“I’ve known Grant since I was 15 years old, so I know how it is and what’s going on,” Korda said. “But first thing I did, and I asked him, I was like, ‘Can you help me? And if you can’t,

it’s completely OK. Like, ‘If you don’t feel up to it, then it’s fine.’ Like, ‘I don’t mind, but I need to know if you’re going to be OK first.’ And that’s how every practice started.”

Korda closed with a 7-under 66 for a 19-under 273 total at Atlantis Resort’s Ocean Club. The third-ranked Lewis parred the final four holes - two of them par 5s - for a 66.

“I only birdied the 18th hole once this week and that made the difference,” Lewis said. “Three of the four days I went over the green to the same place, so obviously that wasn’t the place to be. But you are not doing a lot wrong if you a finish second.

And that’s what I’ll take away from this week.”

Korda tied Lewis for the lead with a 12-foot birdie putt on the par-3 17th, then got up-and-down for birdie on the par-5 18th. Korda’s 4iron approach on 18 scampered through the green and up against the grandstand. She took relief from the grandstand and, with an official and a TV announcer holding up cords that would have interfered with her stroke, putted under the wires to set up the winning birdie. “That was different,” Korda said. “It was like jump rope. ... It was like Double Dutch. I

was jumping over wires with people holding onto them. It was really funny.” She passed on a drop that would have moved her away from the cables. “It wasn’t a hard decision at all,” Korda said. “I felt I had a good lie

there. It looked too difficult on either side, so I just stayed right where I was. I remember when I had the pleasure of playing with Jack Nicklaus, he told me a bad putt is always better than a bad chip.”—AP

BAHAMAS: Jessica Korda of the US kisses her trophy as she poses for photographers following her victory at the LPGA Pure Silk Bahamas Classic.—AP

TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2014

S P ORTS

ITALY: In this photo made available by Ferrari Media Saturday, Jan. 25, 2014, Ferrari drivers Fernando Alonso (left) and Kimi Raikkonen pose near the new Ferrari F14 T Formula One car during the official presentation. —AP

New-look F1 teams seek early edge in Jerez test MADRID: Formula One fans will get their first look at how a series of rule changes could affect the upcoming season when the opening four-day test gets under way in Jerez, southern Spain today.

In all 10 teams will take part with only Lotus missing out. Turbocharged engines will return to the sport for the first time since 1988 in a raft of technical changes.

Meanwhile, in a controversial move, double points will be awarded for the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi. It is hoped that both the technical and sporting changes will lead to a more competitive fight for the drivers and constructors world championships after a

four-year reign of dominance from Sebastian Vettel and his Red Bull team.

The Austrian outfit will be one of six teams to launch their new car today as they roll out the RB10 for the first time. It will also be a first taste of life in the Red Bull for Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo. The 24-year-old has joined after two seasons with sister team Toro Rosso to replace compatriot Mark Webber as Vettelís teammate after his retirement at the end of last season. Red Bullís stiffest competition is expected to come from a rejuvenated Ferrari, who have been boosted by the return of 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen.

The pairing of the Finn with two-time

champion Fernando Alonso would certainly appear to give the Italian team the strongest driver combination on the grid. However, doubts remain over their ability to dovetail as a partnership without a nominated number one driver. At the launch of their F14-T on Saturday, both men voiced their desire to fight for Ferrariís first drivers title since Raikkonenís success seven years ago. ‘We will follow wherever the team priorities lie and try to do our best to win both championships,’ Alonso insisted at the launch.

Yet, having finished second to Vettel in three of his four seasons since joining Ferrari, the Spaniard will want to be in position to take

advantage should the German fail to hit the heights of recent years.

McLaren have also already launched their MP4-29 car as they attempt to bounce back from their worst season in over 30 years as they failed to make it onto the podium even once in 2013.

As a result Ron Dennis has returned as chief executive officer. Further changes are expected with former Lotus team principal Eric Boullier tipped to replace Martin Whitmarsh.

And 2009 champion Jenson Button believes Dennisí return could be the lift they need.

‘It’s good for the team, good for Ron, that he has the chance to drive this team on again.

Everyone here is excited about the challenge of 2014 with Ron in charge,’ said the British driver. Danish rookie Kevin Magnussen will be keen to impress on his first outing since stepping up from the teamís young driver programme to replace Mexican Sergio Perez as Button’s teammate.

Mercedes, one of only two teams not to make a driver change over the winter, launch on Tuesday with Britainís Lewis Hamilton also looking to bounce back from a frustrating campaign in 2013. Two more rounds of testing will take place in Bahrain next month before the season gets underway for real in Australia on March 16. —AFP

Wawrinka still stunned he won Australian Open

MELBOURNE: Li Na of China poses with a Chinese flag at the Australian Open tennis championship. —AP

Evert: More slams await Li SINGAPORE: Li Na is destined for more grand slams and a place in the Hall of Fame after the Australian Open win cemented her position as the most influential female player of the last decade, said former great Chris Evert.

Li’s final victory over Slovak Dominika Cibulkova on Saturday gave her a second major following her 2011 French Open title, a triumph that made her Asia’s first singles grand slam champion.

Evert, the winner of 18 grand slam titles, joined WTA Tour chief Stacey Allaster in hailing the Chinese’s achievements at a timely promotional event on Monday for the end of year championships in Singapore and women’s tennis in Asia.

“Yeah, I’d vote for her,” Evert told reporters when asked if Li was worthy of a place alongside her in the Hall of Fame. “It’s not only about winning grand slams its about the influence that you have in tennis.

“Look at her, as Stacey said she is the most influential women’s tennis player in the last 10 years, with what she has done for global tennis so absolutely 100 percent.

“Something would be wrong if she didn’t get into the tennis hall of fame.” Her impressive play and comical post match interviews have made her a crowd

favourite in Australia and around the world, with Allaster brimming as Asia, and China in particular, embraces the sport.

Singapore and Beijing now house WTA offices while 17 WTA events will be played in Asian Pacific in 2014. Allaster said Li’s latest boost had been timely.

The 31-year-old clubbed her way past first-time finalist Cibulkova in Saturday’s showpiece to help erase the memories of two previous failures in Melbourne Park finals. The Wuhan native, who moved up one place to world number three in the rankings courtesy of her victory, saved match points in her third round victory in Australia over Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic before finding her feet.

Li, the winner of nine WTA titles, then dropped only 18 games in her four subsequent matches to leave Evert predicting the Chinese could add a third or fourth grand slam before the year is out.

“This year she is still up for grand slams, along with Serena ( Williams), Maria (Sharapova), Victoria (Azarenka). “She is right up there with them too. There was always a little gap before you said Li Na’s name but now I think she is right up there with all of them after the type of tennis she played at the Australian Open.” —Reuters

MELBOURNE: After winning the Australian Open, some players have jumped for joy into the Yarra River.

Many pop champagne and indulge in late-night celebrations. Most set new goals and start thinking about the Grand Slams they want to win next.

This was not the case for Stan Wawrinka, who woke up Monday morning groggy but sober and still stunned that he had beaten Rafael Nadal to win his first Grand Slam title.

“I still don’t completely realize what’s happened. It still feels like a dream,” Wawrinka told reporters, squinting in the sunlight for the winner’s traditional day-after photo shoot on the banks of the river beside Melbourne Park. Handed a bottle of champagne and told to spray it in celebration, he politely obliged and then put it down.

Wawrinka was and still is pessimistic about denting the dominance of Roger Federer, Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray - the so-called Big Four who accounted for all but one of the previous 35 major titles. “I really never dreamed about winning a Grand Slam,” he said, clutching his trophy. “I don’t know about doing it again. But I did it, and no one can take it back.”

The morning after the biggest day of his career, Wawrinka was more subdued than overjoyed. His night went late but was tame. There was no big dinner or any food at all, no partying, just spending time with his team and having a Skype session with his wife and 3-year-old daughter in Switzerland. Now, he says he’s looking forward to taking some time after the Davis Cup next weekend to reflect on “what happened” in Melbourne. Here’s what happened.

Wawrinka won his first Grand Slam. On his way to the title, he upset No. 2-ranked Djokovic in the quarterfinals and then beat No. 1-ranked Nadal in the final, despite having never beaten either before. He became the first man in 21 years to beat the top two players before winning a major. As a result, Wawrinka rises to a career-high ranking of No. 3, moving five spots up from No. 8.

The 28-year-old becomes Switzerland’s highestranked player for the first time in his career, overtaking 17-time Grand Slam-winner Federer, his friend and mentor, who started the Australian Open at No. 6 and was expected to drop to No. 8 despite reaching the semifinals.

“Everything that’s happened is quite crazy,” Wawrinka said. “When you’re No. 3 and you win a Grand Slam, journalists expect you to say, ‘Now I want to be No. 1.’ But I feel it’s so far for me, so far from my level. That’s why it’s not my goal.”

Relentlessly aggressive on the court, Wawrinka gives the impression off-court that he doesn’t want to revel in his success for fear of jinxing it. Occasionally, he allows himself to be proud.

“Now I know I can beat everybody. The big stage in a Grand Slam doesn’t matter,” said Wawrinka, but added that he’s in the same position as Juan Martin del Potro, whose title at the 2009 US Open is the only one of the past 35 majors not won by the Big Four.

“Since (del Potro) won the US Open everybody wants him to win another Grand Slam. But it’s not that simple.”

He doesn’t like to think too far ahead, but indulged one question about what it will be like to walk through the halls of Rod Laver Arena next year and see his picture up on the walls with the other champions. “First thing I will do, I’m going to come back and take a picture of myself,” Wawrinka said. “Again it’s a dream. It’s big. When I see all those champions, for me, they’re the real champions. To be there is just something crazy. —AP

MELBOURNE: Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland reacts next to the trophy, during a press conference after defeating Rafael Nadal of Spain in the men’s singles final at the Australian Open. —AP

Sharapova desperate for repeat of Paris glamour PARIS: Maria Sharapova swaps sweltering Melbourne for wet and chilly Paris yesterday hoping her love affair with the French capital will help bury her Australian Open nightmare.

The world number three was a shock fourthround loser at the season-opening Grand Slam, going down to eventual finalist Dominika Cibulkova, her hopes hamstrung by a hip injury.

But Paris only brings back warm recent memories for the Russian star who will start the WTA indoor tournament this week as top seed at the city’s Stade Coubertin, just a short walk from Roland Garros where she clinched the French Open in 2012, completing a career Grand Slam.

Sharapova was also runner-up at Garros last year although her only previous visit to the January indoor hardcourt tournament in Paris’s plush 16th arrondissement ended in a quarterfinal run.

Sharapova’s Melbourne campaign was just her second event since a shoulder injury ended her 2013 season in August, a setback which also ruled her out of the US Open. “I think it’s a success in terms of that I’m back and that I’m healthy,” she said after her Australian Open exit.

“That’s quite important otherwise I wouldn’t give myself a chance to play.”So on that note, I have to look at the positives and see where I have come from in four or five months. I haven’t played a lot of tennis in those six months.”

Sharapova gets a first-round bye in Paris before a match-up with Slovak veteran Daniela Hantuchova or Marina Erakovic of New Zealand.

Yesterday, however, sees the 26-year-old don her businesswoman’s hat when she heads for the Champs-Elysees and the launch of her candy line.

Once she has finished in Paris, the in-demand Sharapova will turn her attentions to TV, working as color commentator for NBC at the Winter Olympics. They are taking place in Sochi, her childhood home until she was six and where she still has a number of friends. “I’m going to be showcasing the city of Sochi to a worldwide audience, and we will be doing a few segments,” said Sharapova, keen to quash any suspicion that she was an expert on bobsleigh or ski jumping.

Elsewhere in Paris, Czech second seed Petra Kvitova looks to bounce back from her Australian Open first-round exit at the hands of unknown Thai, Luksika Kumkhum.

The world number six was the Paris champion in 2011. Kvitova also has a bye in the first round before a second-round match-up with either Alize Cornet of France or Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia. Italy’s Sara Errani, the world number seven, takes the third seeding while Angelique Kerber of Germany, the world number nine, is seeded fourth. —AFP

TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2014

S P ORTS

What happens if Brazil doesn’t win its World Cup? SAO PAULO: Ask a Brazilian how their national team will fare at the World Cup and chances are they will predict a run at least to the July 13 final, if not a win.

Understandable optimism, given that Brazil will be playing at home and has won more World Cups (five) than any other football power.

But what if the host nation is booted out early? Very possible with defending champion Spain or 2010 runner-up the Netherlands looming for Brazil in the first knockout game and a tough path beyond that. Are Brazilians good losers?

Would they sour the tournament mood in defeat? Or swallow their disappointment with a few morale-boosting caipirinha cocktails, crank up the samba and party on?

Like a kid who picks his scabs, Brazil

has never allowed the wound of its last World Cup loss at home to fully heal.

That was way back in 1950, before most Brazilians alive today were born. But the national pain of Brazil 1, Uruguay 2 has been handed down from one generation to the next like an heirloom.

Seemingly everyone knows about the stunned silence of 173,000 people who packed the Maracana Stadium expecting to see Brazil lift the trophy, how fans wept and never forgave goalkeeper Moacir Barbosa for letting Alcides Ghiggia score Uruguay’s winner past his left-hand post.

“We carry this trauma. It’s really a trauma,” Deputy Sports Minister Luis Fernandes said in an interview with a small group of reporters, including The Associated Press. “Probably around 90

percent of the Brazilian population wasn’t born in 1950 and we still carry this trauma. I wasn’t born in 1950 and this trauma, I’ve been socialized, brought up in terms of this trauma.”

A kid of six in 1950, former player Barcimio Sicupira recalled how “my dad punched the radio and broke it in half” after Ghiggia scored in the 79th minute.

Rubens Minelli, who became a national championship-winning coach, was playing an amateur tournament that July 16 afternoon, his attention focused not on his game but on the unfolding drama being broadcast by radio from Rio de Janeiro. “Everybody was sad, they couldn’t believe what happened,” he said in an interview. “It was a national disgrace.” For a sporting mega-event like the World Cup to become truly memorable, host

nation success can be vital. Jessica Ennis, Greg Rutherford and Mo Farah put the wow into the 2012 London Games when they all won gold for Britain on “Super Saturday” at the Olympic Stadium.

Australian Cathy Freeman did the same for the Sydney Olympics in winning the 400 meters. If Brazil triumphs in July, one imagines the nation of carnival will treat the World Cup to street parties even more epic and delirious than when France became the last host to win in 1998. The ghost of 1950 would be exorcised.

And if that doesn’t happen? Ron DelMont, managing director of FIFA’s office in Brazil, believes Brazilians are too enamored with football to turn their backs on the World Cup should their team tumble out early.

“We expect that Brazil will make it to the final. But let’s just say that it doesn’t happen. Every indication that we’ve had so far about the tournament in Brazil is that it will be a celebration of football, irrespective,” he said.

“There will be still a lot of enthusiasm about what happens, whoever the eventual winner will be. Brazil, because of the culture and the love that it has for football, is going to defy all the other previous host cities ... It will still be a celebration all the way to the end.” Fernandes seconded that.

“How will people react if we lose along the way? They won’t react well,” he said. “But they’re also football fans ...

Interest will continue in the World Cup if Brazil is eliminated. But that ghost will continue to haunt us.”—AP

Preview

Preview

Moyes gets ready to launch Mata revolution

LONDON: This is a Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2013 file photo of Chelsea’s Michael Essien (right) as he shields the ball from Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil. Chelsea said yesterday that Michael Essien has left the club to join AC Milan, ending the Ghana midfielder’s 8-year stint at Stamford Bridge. —AP

Southampton return excites Arsenal winger SOUTHAMPTON: Arsenal winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is relishing the prospect of continuing his recovery from injury against the Southampton team with whom he forged his career.

The 20-year-old England international spent 11 years with the English southcoast club before leaving for the Emirates Stadium in 2011 in a £12 million ($19.8 million, 14.5 million euros) move. Oxlade-Chamberlain will return to St Mary’s for the second time today and he is looking forward to facing a familiar foe. “To go back there in any sense is always really nice, especially when we go to play them,” he said.

“Last season I went back there and it was a surreal feeling for me, warming up on the opposite side of the pitch and being in the opposite dressing room.

“It was the first time I went back there to play, so it was a bit weird for me.

I’m looking forward to going back this season. Obviously they’re doing really well, so it’s a tough game for us.”

Oxlade-Chamberlain made his first start since suffering a knee injury in August as Arsenal beat third-tier Coventry City 4-0 in the FA Cup fourth round on Friday.

The winger has returned to a team high on confidence at the top of the Premier League table, having won their last seven matches in all competitions.

Oxlade-Chamberlain says a close bond between the players formed over the past few years is underpinning their success.

“The main group and the spine of the team has been together for two or three years, so it’s starting to form that togetherness,” he said. “Knowing each other better on and off the pitch helps our style of play. We’ve learnt that everyone has been in and around it for a few years now and we know what the boss (Arsene Wenger) expects and how he wants us to go about it.

“We know what to expect with each other and I think you can see that now when we do play. Even when we’re not playing well, we know how to grind out results and that’s a big thing.

“We set each other high standards and if you do something that’s not good enough, you can bet your bottom dollar that one of your team-mates will tell you when he believes you’re better than that.”

Southampton enter the fixture unbeaten in their last four matches despite a fortnight of turbulence off the field. The resignation of influential chief executive Nicola Cortese was followed by the suspension of record-signing Dani Osvaldo following a trainingground altercation with team-mate Jose Fonte.

However, the Saints made light of their troubles to ease past Championship club Yeovil Town in the FA Cup thanks to strikes from Guly Do Prado and 18-year-old forward Sam Gallagher-his first for the club. Brazilian Do Prado’s goal, from the penalty spot, was his first since January 2012.

“I must say thank you to my teammates for supporting me,” he said. “First of all, I asked Jay Rodriguez if I could take the penalty, but he said no.

“After a few minutes he changed his mind and gave the ball to me so I just want to thank him, and also Morgan Schneiderlin for helping me get the ball.

“We are all friends, so we don’t need to fight over a penalty. We help each other.

“We get confidence from these wins. We play for a win in every game, whether it’s in the FA Cup or the Premier League.

“The win will give us confidence for Tuesday night against Arsenal. Now we have to think about that because it’s going to be another big, hard game, but we are going to play to win.”—AFP

Arsenal chief exec backs Wenger to sign new deal LONDON: Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis said yesterday he expected manager Arsene Wenger to sign a new contract when the Frenchman’s current deal expires at the end of this season.

The 64-year-old Wenger is currently the Premier League’s longest-serving manager, having joined north London side Arsenal in September 1996.

The Gunners are currently riding high at the top of the table and Wenger has repeatedly played down concerns over his future when asked about a new contract, although he gave a hint last month he’d made a decision. Gazidis insisted there was no rush as far as the club’s hierarchy were concerned while speaking at the announcement of a new kit deal with Puma worth more than a reported £30 million ($49.5 million), which will commence in July. “ We have always been completely behind him,” said Gazidis. “We are comfortable in the position and relaxed about it.

“Arsene will be extending with us,” Gazidis added. “This football club is the football club of his life.

“We are very convinced, and at the right time we will quietly make an announcement that he is the right person to see us forwards.”

Arsenal’s agreement with Puma, which will see the German sports manufacturer take over from Nike as Arsenal’s, was described in a joint statement as “the biggest deal” for both club and company.

The Gunners are understood to receive around £30 million ($49m, 36m euro) a year from main sponsors Emirates Airlines, and while no financial details were given, reports have indicated the new deal will be for a similar amount when Puma replace US-based rivals Nike, who have been the London club’s kit provider since 1994.

Arsenal smashed their transfer record when they signed Germany playmaker Mesut Ozil for £42m from Real Madrid in the last window.—AFP

MANCHESTER: Manchester United manager David Moyes hopes that his side’s game with Cardiff City today represents the first stage of an “exciting” revolution spearheaded by new signing Juan Mata.

Spanish playmaker Mata is in line to make his United debut against the Welsh club after completing a club-record move from Chelsea worth £37.1 million ($61.2 million, 44.8 million euros) at the weekend.

Mata is Moyes’s second major signing, following the arrival of Marouane Fellaini from Everton for £27.5 million last year, and the United manager believes that the Spaniard’s arrival can set the tone for the months ahead.

“I want to build an exciting team,” said Moyes, whose side are currently 14 points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal in seventh place.

“That’s always the way I’ve wanted my football to be played and I’ve not known it any other way. I want to win and give the supporters something to shout about because I’ve not done that often enough. “This is the first of many more to come in time. I’m looking forward to Juan being the start of it.” Mata, 25, has won 32 caps for his country and spent two and a half years at Chelsea after signing from Valencia for £23.5 million in 2011.

He had fallen out of favour with Blues manager Jose Mourinho and said that he had little hesitation in making the switch to United.

“This is a team that has won a lot of leagues in the history of the Premier League and English league,” Mata said. “It’s amazing knowing that a club like Manchester United is interested in you. It’s a good feeling. “I know it is a big price, but I’m confident that everything is going to be OK. I will try my best, as I always have done.

“The squad and the manager are very good and the fans are unbelievable-we have everything to be successful. “Old Trafford is an unbe-

lievable stadium to play football at. I have been there two or three times, but always with rivals, and now I have the chance to play there as my home.

“It’s going to be different, but it will be great because I know how incredible the fans are there.” Cardiff’s visit to Old Trafford will be a special moment for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the visiting manager.

The Norwegian spent 11 years as a Manchester United player and famously scored the winning goal in the 1999 Champions League final against Bayern Munich.

However, Cardiff’s Icelandic midfielder Aron Gunnarsson says that Solskjaer will only be concerned about picking up points after seeing his slide slip to the foot of the league table.

“I am sure he will be looking forward to it, but his main focus is on getting the three points,” Gunnarsson said. “Manchester United are big in Iceland so I supported them as a kid and look forward to playing them. “They are a great club. I’ve supported them since I was young, so it will be great to go and play there.

“That’s what everybody wants to do. It is going to be a hard game as they are trying to lift themselves up, but we will look forward to it.

“We performed well against Manchester City (in a 4-2 defeat on January 18) and our performances are getting better, but we need a result.”

United could welcome back strikers Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie after injury, but Gunnarsson says the composition of the hosts’ line-up will not affect the way that his side approach the game.

“We are in this position to test ourselves and play against the best players in the league,” he said. “It is going to be a hard game no matter who they play, but we are all looking forward to it.” —AFP

CARRINGTON: Manchester United’s new signing Juan Mata (right) displays his shirt alongside manager David Moyes before a press conference at the team’s Carrington training ground. —AP

Moses braced for high-stakes LIVERPOOL: Liverpool’s on-loan winger Victor Moses believes that the Merseyside derby at home to Everton in the Premier League today could be a crucial moment in his side’s campaign.

Fourth-place Liverpool lead their sixthplace city rivals by a point ahead of the game and while Brendan Rodgers’s side are unbeaten in five games, Roberto Martinez’s Everton have gone six matches without defeat. Both sides came through their FA Cup fourthround ties unscathed at the weekend, Liverpool winning 2-0 at Bournemouth and Everton beating Stevenage 4-0, and Moses believes their encounter at Anfield will be “massive”.

“We’re looking forward to it,” said the onloan Chelsea player. “We know how important the game is for us at the moment. “ We just want to keep working hard together as a team and hopefully, if we can get three points against Everton, it will be key for us.” Moses is hoping to keep his place in Rodgers’s team after starting in the victory over Championship club Bournemouth on Saturday.

It was his first appearance since the previous round of the competition on January 5 and the Nigeria international marked his return with the opening goal.

“It’s up to the manager to pick his own players,” Moses said. “I just want to keep on working hard in training and hopefully play as many games as I can.

“It was really important. I know I haven’t been myself for the past few weeks. But I started and got a goal. “I just want to kick on from here and try to get a few more goals in the second half of the season. It’s crucial for me and the club as well.”

Daniel Sturridge scored Liverpool’s other goal in the triumph at Bournemouth, with top scorer Luis Suarez playing a part in both goals. Moses said that the Uruguay striker was at the top of his game. “We all know how crucial Suarez is for our side-he’s one of the best strikers in the Premier League, scoring goals week in, week out,” Moses said.

“As soon as he saw me on the left side, he switched it over. The first touch was crucial for me, then I cut in and had a strike that went into the back of the net.”

Despite the significance of the match, Martinez expects an open game. “I don’t think it will be cagey,” said the Spaniard. “I don’t think we have two teams who are too

LONDON: Liverpool’s Luis Suarez controls the ball in this file photo. —AP

worried about defending.

“We are going to try and impose ourselves on each other, and try to control the football, and it will make it an open game. “Our confidence is very high. We are excited, but we have to assess the injuries because we are losing too many players at the moment.

Every club is going through the same period.

“If we can get one or two players back from the ones who weren’t involved on Saturday (against Stevenage), we will be in a great position to be as strong as we can on Tuesday.”

Steven Naismith scored twice as Everton beat League One strugglers Stevenage to progress to the fifth round of the FA Cup. They were his first Everton goals since September, but Mar tinez believes the Scotland forward has an important part to play this season.”Naisy has been a ver y important player for us from the start of the season,” Martinez said.

“I was glad he was able to play that number nine role where he has played a lot in his career, especially in Scotland, and I think he’s shown we have a really good option there.”

The victory over Stevenage was, however, partially overshadowed by a serious injury to Costa Rican Bryan Oviedo, who sustained a double broken leg that is likely to rule him out of the World Cup. —AFP

Matches on TV (Local Timings) Kuwaiti Crown Prince Cup Al Qadsia v Alarabi 18:00 beIN SPORTS 2 beIN SPORTS 2 HD English Premier League Swansea City v Fulham 2:45 beIN SPORTS 7 beIN SPORTS 7 HD Norwich City v Newcastle 22:45 beIN SPORTS 5 beIN SPORTS 5 HD Southampton v Arsenal 2:45 beIN SPORTS 4 beIN SPORTS 4 HD Man United v Cardiff City 22:45 beIN SPORTS 3 beIN SPORTS 3 HD Crystal Palace v Hull City 23:00 beIN SPORTS 8 beIN SPORTS 8 HD Liverpool v Everton 23:00 beIN SPORTS 1 beIN SPORTS 1 HD Spain Copa del Rey Real Madrid v Espanyol 23:00 beIN SPORTS 2 beIN SPORTS 2 HD

TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2014

S P ORTS

Barca and Atletico back on top after easy wins

VALENCIA: Valencia’s new Chilean player Eduardo Vargas (center) poses with Valencia’s president Amadeo Salvo (right) and Valenciaís Sporting General Manager Francisco Joaquin Perez ‘Rufete’ during his official presentation. Eduardo Vargas joined Valencia on loan from Napoli until the end of the season. —AFP

‘Boring’, ‘rotten’ — struggling Sunderland come under fire LONDON: Ex-Sunderland manager Paolo Di Canio described two of his former players as ‘rotten’, while current boss Gus Poyet completed a withering weekend assessment after being left ‘bored’ by their laboured FA Cup win over fifth-tier Kidderminster Town.

Italian Di Canio has not been reluctant to share his feelings about certain members of the English Premier League strugglers who were believed to be behind his sacking in September after only 13 league matches in charge.

A player revolt was understood to be his undoing with midfielder Lee Cattermole and fullback Phil Bardsley, both deemed surplus to requirements by Di Canio, thought to be among a group that demanded his sacking by chairman Ellis Short. “ Those two players were rotten,” Di Canio, who helped Sunderland avoid relegation last season, told the Sun on Sunday British newspaper. The most unprofessional players I ever worked with.

“It’s no surprise these players were kicked out of my plans. The reason Sunderland stayed up at the end of last season was because Cattermole was injured and Bardsley played very little.”

The duo were reinstated to the side under Uruguayan Poyet, who took charge in October and has steered the club to the League Cup final and within one point of safety in the league.

Poyet opted to make several changes to his starting lineup for the FA Cup clash, with 10 players rested after Wednesday’s penalty shootout victory over Manchester United in the League Cup semi-final.

Combative midfielder Cattermole did start the 1-0 victory over the lowly opposition at the Stadium of Light on Saturday that sent them through to the fifth round, where they host Premier League rivals Southampton.

The ‘Black Cats’ made hard work of their

task, though, with Poyet happy for the match to be erased from his memory. “I won’t be watching this game again,” he was quoted as saying by British media yesterday. “The game was boring, very boring and it was difficult to watch. I don’t want to analyse it.“We couldn’t cross properly and we couldn’t have a shot on target. That is nothing to do with positions, that is all to do with you, the ball and quality.”

Bardsley did not make the matchday squad, with one eye presumably on on tomorrow’s key league clash with Stoke City, where victory could lift Sunderland out of the relegation zone for the first time since August.

Captain John O’Shea was able to rest as an unused substitute against Kidderminster but the Irishman did not escape Di Canio’s thoughts.

“I don’t like people who, when they speak to you, don’t look into your eyes,” the Italian said. “He should say sorry to some of his team mates for the many times he came into my office to say something unfavorable about them.

“This is the same person that also came to me when I first took over and said things about (previous manager Martin) O’Neill.”

Former Swindon Town manager Di Canio, who was critical of O’Neill’s methods when assuming his first role in charge of a Premier League club, was also critical of striker Steven Fletcher.

The Scotland international has struggled for goals this term, netting just three, with Di Canio arguing the 26-year-ld should be more professional.

“I don’t like people fooling around when we’re having a serious discussion about strategy,” the former Juventus, AC Milan, Lazio, West Ham United and Celtic forward said.

“I don’t like people who laugh when they keep missing the goal in training or miss a tackle that leads to conceding a goal.” —Reuters

Debt-ridden Brazilian clubs facing reality check SAO PAULO: Brazil’s leading clubs are enjoying bumper revenues but are failing to address crippling debts and cannot pay players on time — a paradox that highlights the problems affecting the domestic game of the World Cup hosts.

Corinthians and Atletico Mineiro were the last two winners of the Libertadores Cup, South America’s version of the Champions League, but both have steered into choppy waters.

Earlier this month Atletico president Alexandre Kalil admitted “we are having problems with players’ salaries”.

Corinthians also announced they owe four million reais ($1.67 million) to three players, half of that to Alexandre Pato, the former AC Milan striker who became their biggest ever signing last year.

Even Atletico Paranaense, long recognised as one of Brazil’s best run clubs, are behind on payments “for the first time in their history” according to club president Mario Celso Petraglia.

When Brazilian clubs repatriated players like Pato and Ronaldinho and signed foreigners Clarence Seedorf and Diego Forlan there was a sense of a new beginning in Brazilian football.

However, it looks instead to be a false dawn with clubs spending impetuously and not using increased income to pay off debt.

“You can say to me we need to live within our means but if we don’t spend then we’ll get relegated and the fans will lynch me,” Manuel da Lupa, chairman of Portuguesa for nine years, told Reuters.

“You don’t want to do it but you have to. And that obviously has an impact on the club’s financial health.” Portuguesa, a small club in Sao Paulo, owe money to several players but the clubs making the headlines are more significant.

Corinthians are Brazil’s biggest club in terms of revenue, with income of 359 million reais in 2012. Atletico M ineiro’s income was 163 million reais in 2012 and probably much more last year after their Libertadores triumph.

However, even though the income of Brazil’s top 24 clubs more than doubled between 2009 and 2012, thanks largely to renewed TV deals and more sponsorship, debts went from a collective two billion reais in 2010 to three billion two years later, according to a study by ItauBBA, a leading investment bank.

“Clubs are in debt and they don’t pay salaries and it is going to cost them in the

future because they will be taken to court and when they are ordered to pay they’ll have to pay what they owed plus compensation,” said Amir Somoggi, a finance and marketing consultant who works with some of Brazil’s biggest clubs.

Last season, several first division sides admitted they had not paid staff on time and players at Botafogo, Vasco da Gama, and Portuguesa all refused to attend prematch get togethers in protest.

Players at Nautico also complained the club owed them in back salaries and bonus payments and the situation at the Recife-based club prompted Brazil’s new players union to threaten an immediate strike unless the Nautico players were paid promptly.

Highlighting the disarray inside some clubs, officials at Nautico said they did not know how many players were due money or had sued the club to get their cash.

“We know we owe money and we are negotiating with several players,” said Carlos Lindberg, the executive superintendent at the club. “But we’re still carrying out an audit and we don’t yet have a clear sense of what the club’s financial situation is.”

The players’ union, dubbed Common Sense FC, say the issue is an increasingly serious one and want the Brazilian Football Confederation to punish clubs perhaps by docking points - who do not pay their players on time. “The objective of financial fair play is to guarantee mechanism to ensure salaries are paid on time and encourage clubs to compete using only the revenue they bring in,” the group said in a recent statement.

The root of the problem is overspending caused by pressure from fans, Linberg and da Lupa both said. “The problem is that football is about passion,” said da Lupa, who stood down as chairman of Portuguesa on Jan. 1. “We have a budget and we know we have to cut costs. But Brazilian fans aren’t interested in planning because they just want to win at all costs.”

Da Lupa said when he took over at Portuguesa in 2005, the club’s debt was 300 million reais and of that, 60-70 million was owed to players in back salaries, image rights and compensation payments.

The club struck a deal with the lawyer for 19 players and has paid up its debt with 12 of them. It is still paying out around 267,000 reais a month to settle with the remaining seven, he said. —Reuters

MADRID: Barcelona and Atletico Madrid climbed back to the top of La Liga as Barca coasted to a 3-0 victory at home to Malaga and Atletico won 4-2 at Rayo Vallecano on Sunday.

Real Madrid had claimed the overnight lead thanks to Saturday’s 2-0 home success against Granada before Barca and Atletico restored their one-point advantage with comfortable wins against outclassed opponents.

The joint leaders have 54 points from 21 matches, with Barca ahead on goal difference. Real are lurking ominously on 53 and Athletic Bilbao trail on 42 in fourth after they thrashed Osasuna 5-1 on Sunday. The Barca fans paid tribute to veteran midfielder Xavi before kickoff at the Nou Camp after he reached the milestone of 700 official games for the Spanish champions this month.

The Spain playmaker turned in a typically impeccable performance controlling play in the centre and Malaga were forced to rely on the counter-attack to have any hope of troubling the hosts.

Barca’s Chile forward Alexis Sanchez clipped the post in the fifth minute and Lionel Messi sent a dinked effort narrowly wide in the 22nd before Gerard Pique fired in the opener five minutes before halftime. The Spain centre back, who scored the equaliser in last weekend’s 1-1 draw at Levante, controlled the ball in the area from a Xavi corner and drilled it past Malaga goalkeeper Willy Caballero.

Pique headed against a post from another corner in the 54th minute and moments later Messi freed Pedro on the left of the area and the striker curled a shot into the corner.

Pedro turned provider just after the hour when he picked up another Messi pass and sent a low centre to the far post where Alexis tapped home.

An easy win, their 25th in a row at home in La Liga, was just the tonic Barca needed after a difficult week when president Sandro Rosell

SPAIN: Barcelona’s Gerard Pique (right) duels for the ball with Malaga’s Sergio Sanchez during a Spanish La Liga soccer match at the Camp Nou stadium on Sunday. —AP stepped down amid a probe into alleged irregularities in the signing of Brazil forward Neymar last year.

Rosell’s deputy Josep Bartomeu has taken charge and was watching from the VIP tribune. Pique said the club’s institutional problems were unlikely to have much effect on the players.

“We will carry on competing as we have done these past years,” he told Spanish television broadcaster Canal Plus. “Obviously a change in president is a subject of discussion among the general public but on the pitch we are professionals and we will try to win all the titles we can,” he added.

There was more positive news for Barca as their Netherlands midfielder Ibrahim Afellay came off the bench for the last five minutes of the game.

Afellay was declared fit this week after battling a series of injuries over the past two years and

will give coach Gerardo Martino an extra option as Barca seek to defend their Liga title and chase Champions League and King’s Cup glory.

Spain’s record scorer David Villa, who joined Atletico from Barca in the close season, set his new club on their way in the eighth minute at Rayo’s Vallecas stadium in the Madrid suburbs when he struck a first-time shot high into the net from Diego Costa’s neat layoff.

Atletico goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois saved a 12th-minute Jonathan Viera penalty before Arda Turan, known in Spain as the Turkish magician, made it 2-0 on the half hour after more good work from Costa. The Brazil-born forward fed Jose Sosa and despite having a clear shooting opportunity he unselfishly squared for Arda to finish into an empty net.

Rayo, who play some attractive football but have a leaky defence,

pulled a goal back in the 40th minute when Viera finished off a sweeping move and Arda scored his second moments before the break. The stocky and heavilybearded midfielder nipped in at the back post and volleyed a deflected Gabi free kick in from a tight angle.

Costa, the second-highest scorer in La Liga this season behind Cristiano Ronaldo, appeared to have netted his 20th of the campaign in the 75th minute but it was ruled an own goal and attributed to Rayo midfielder Saul Niguez.

Joaquin Larrivey nodded a second for Rayo a minute later and Atletico had to withstand late pressure but Courtois capped another fine performance with a couple of impressive saves.

Barca, Atletico and Real are all in King’s Cup action this week when they will seek to capitalise on firstleg leads to secure a place in the semi-finals. —Reuters

Messi assists keep Barca on course for trophies MADRID: Lionel Messi has set the bar so high for himself that even a brief dip in scoring form immediately raises eyebrows but it also allows other aspects of his game to be recognised.

The Argentina forward’s incredible goals tally in recent years - he has netted 47, 53, 73 and 60 goals respectively in the past four seasons - has unsurprisingly stolen the limelight from the number of assists he makes for his team mates.

But he is also an important link to his fellow attackers, often dropping deep to collect the ball from a midfielder or defender before passing it on or making a trademark weaving dash towards goal.

Opponents desperately trying to thwart him are dragged out of position and that creates space for Barca’s other forwards like Pedro and Alexis Sanchez or roving playmaker Cesc Fabregas.

Messi, who has not scored in three La Liga appearances this month since returning from injury, set up all three of winger Cristian Tello’s goals in last week’s King’s Cup quarter-final, first leg at Levante.

Barca won the game 4-1 and are overwhelming favorites to advance to the semifinals when the teams meet for the return leg at the Nou Camp tomorrow.

“Messi can do whatever he wants because he is capable of everything,” Barca coach Gerardo Martino told a news conference after Sunday’s 3-0 La Liga win at home to Malaga.

Messi, who has been scoring freely in the Cup and netted four against Getafe in the last 16 in a 6-0 aggregate success, set up Pedro for the second and also had a hand in the third scored by Alexis.

“He is very precise in assisting team mates and he draws the attention of opponents,” added Martino, who like Messi hails from the Argentine city of Rosario.

The four-times World Player of the Year has made 148 goal assists for club and country during his career, 123 for Barcelona and 25 for Argentina, according to unofficial Twitter account @messistats.

“Messi always brings us a great deal,” centre back Gerard Pique, a contemporary of the Argentine at Barca’s academy, told reporters on Sunday.

“When he is not scoring he makes a lot of assists and he gives fluidity to our play,” added the Spain international. If Barca get past Levante as expected, they will play La Liga rivals Real Sociedad or third-tier Racing Santander in next month’s two-legged semifinals.

Santander are the surprise packages of this year’s competition but need to overturn a 3-1 deficit when they host Sociedad on Thursday if they are to advance.

On the other side of the draw, holders Atletico Madrid take a 1-0 lead to Athletic Bilbao tomorrow and Real Madrid, who lost 21 to Atletico in last year’s final, have the same advantage when they host Espanyol today.

Atletico are riding high in La Liga and stayed level with Barca at the top on 54 points thanks to Sunday’s 4-2 win at Rayo Vallecano, a point ahead of third-placed Real Madrid.

“We hope now to put in a good performance in Bilbao and then focus on the following week because each game takes a lot out of us and obviously we notice it,” coach Diego Simeone, another Argentine, told a news conference. —Reuters

Barcelona’s Lionel Messi

Bans weaken Nacional for Libertadores Cup start BOLIVIA: Uruguay’s Nacional, three times South American champions, will be missing five banned players when they meet Oriente Petrolero in the first leg of their Libertadores Cup qualifying tie in Bolivia today.

A two-month ban on the five Nacional players for their part in a brawl during a mid-season friendly against arch-rivals Penarol last week was handed down by a civil court and Nacional had hoped it would be invalid playing outside the country.

But prosecutor Gustavo Zubia, who wanted jail terms for the five Nacional players and four of Penarol, appealed against them being allowed to leave the country while serving the ban and a decision on this will not be made until after Tuesday’s match.

“The five were going to travel to Bolivia and

some were going to be first choice, but the biggest complication will be in the coming months,” coach Gerardo Pelusso reporters before flying with his squad to Santa Cruz de la Sierra on Sunday.

“If we get past the first phase, we’ll have a lot of matches in the local championship and the Libertadores and we need rotation,” Pelusso said as he contemplated being five players short until March 23. Turning his mind to his Bolivian opponents, Pelusso said: “I know all I need to about Oriente, their movements during the transfer window, their preparations... (Their coach Tabare Silva) will put all his meat on the grill and that’s fine because the Cup is very important.”

With four players serving the two-month ban, five times Libertadores Cup winners

Penarol, who qualified directly for the group phase which starts on Feb. 11, face the same problem as Nacional.

Penarol are in Group 8 with Argentina’s Arsenal, holders of the Copa Sudamericana, the region’s second club competition, Deportivo Anzoategui of Venezuela and Mexicans Santos Laguna.

Former champions taking part in the tournament are holders Atletico Mineiro, Flamengo, Gremio and Cruzeiro, all of Brazil, Argentina’s Velez Sarsfield and Colombia’s Atletico Nacional.

The competition will be interrupted after the quarter-finals in mid-May for the World Cup finals in Brazil. It will resume with the semi-finals in the second half of July and final in August. —Reuters

Jessica wins Bahamas LPGA Classic

TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2014

Moyes gets ready to launch Mata revolution

18

16

What happens if Brazil doesn’t win its World Cup?

Page 18

CLEVELAND: Cavaliers’ Kyrie Irving (2) goes up for a shot against Phoenix Suns’ Marcus Morris and Markieff Morris (11) in the fourth quarter of an NBA basketball game. — AP

Heat scorch Spurs, Warriors triumph MIAMI: Chris Bosh scored 24 points on 9-for-10 shooting, LeBron James added 18 points and the Miami Heat rolled past the San Antonio Spurs 113-101 on Sunday in an NBA Finals rematch from last season. Mario Chalmers scored 16 points for Miami, which used Dwyane Wade as a reserve for the first time since Jan. 6, 2008.

Wade - an All-Star starter again this season - had not played in any of two-time defending champion Miami’s most recent four games while dealing with ongoing knee rehabilitation. He had eight points and five assists in 24 minutes. Michael Beasley scored 12 points, Norris Cole had 11 and Ray Allen added 10 for Miami. Bosh has made 17 of his last 18 shots from the floor. Tim Duncan led San Antonio with 23 points. Boris Diaw added 15.

WARRIORS 103, TRAIL BLAZERS 88 Stephen Curry had 38 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, and Golden State used a smothering defense to beat Portland.

The newly elected All-Star starting point guard, wearing shiny gold shoes, shot 13 of 23 from the floor to carry the offensive load. The Warriors did it all on defense, too, building a 22-point lead midway through the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach.

Golden State outshot Portland 41.8 percent to 33.7 percent and forced 15 turnovers while committing nine.

Damian Lillard had 16 points and four assists, and Wesley Matthews scored 21 for the Blazers, who had a quick turnaround after beating Minnesota in Portland on Saturday night. It was a season low in points and shooting percentage and it tied the largest margin of defeat for Portland,

which entered averaging an NBA-best 109.5 points.

NETS 85, CELTICS 79 Andray Blatche scored 17 points to lead Brooklyn to victory in the first visit by Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to Boston since they were traded last July.

The cornerstones of the Celtics’ 2008 championship team received video tributes early in the game with career highlights shown on the scoreboard. They didn’t have any highlights on the court until Garnett stole the ball from Rajon Rondo and dribbled ahead of the field for a layup that ended Boston’s last threat.

That put the Nets ahead 82-77 with 20 seconds left and secured their 10th win in 11 games. The Celtics, losing for the 17th time in 20 games, were led by Brandon Bass with 17 points and Rondo with 13 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Pierce and Garnett scored just six points each.

KNICKS 110, LAKERS 103 Carmelo Anthony followed his 62-point game with 35 more, and New York beat Los Angeles. Anthony finished with two points fewer than he had at halftime of his record-setting night Friday, but he scored six straight New York points down the stretch after the Lakers had cut the Knicks’ lead to two with just over 5 minutes left.

And he had plenty of help as the Knicks won their second straight following a five-game losing streak. Raymond Felton scored 20 points, Tim Hardaway Jr. had 18 and J.R. Smith 16 for the Knicks. Tyson Chandler had 13 points and 14 rebounds.

Jodie Meeks scored 24 points for the Lakers. Pau Gasol

had 20 points and 13 rebounds as the Lakers dropped their fourth straight to finish 2-5 on their Grammy Awards trip.

Orlando, while Tobias Harris added 17 points and nine rebounds.

NUGGETS 125, KINGS 117 Ty Lawson scored 27 points, Wilson Chandler had 20 and Denver defeated short-handed Sacramento for its second straight victory.

The Nuggets went ahead late in the third quarter and never trailed again. Denver was coming off a 109-96 home win Saturday night over Indiana, which has the best record in the NBA. Isaiah Thomas scored 22 points for the Kings, who have dropped three straight and five of six. They played their second straight game without leading scorers DeMarcus Cousins (ankle sprain) and Rudy Gay (Achilles strain). The two combine for nearly 43 points per game.

SUNS 99, CAVALIERS 90 Markieff Morris scored 27 points and Phoenix rallied from an 18-point halftime deficit to defeat Cleveland. The Suns turned in a dominant second half, outscoring the Cavaliers 56-29. Channing Frye finished with 16 points, including four 3-pointers after halftime, and Goran Dragic scored 15 to help Phoenix pull off the comeback on the first stop of a four-game road trip.

The Cavaliers, who led by 20 late in the second quarter, fell to 1-3 on a five-game homestand considered crucial to their chances of staying in the Eastern Conference playoff race. Kyrie Irving scored 24 points and Luol Deng added 18 for Cleveland.

PELICANS 100, MAGIC 92 Anthony Davis had 22 points, a career-high 19 rebounds and seven blocked shots, and New Orleans beat Orlando to win its second straight game.

Davis’ statistical line marked the first time since the franchise was founded as the Hornets in Charlotte in 1988 that a player on the club had that many points, rebounds and blocks in the same game.

Tyreke Evans scored 13 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter to keep struggling Orlando at bay. Led by Arron Afflalo’s 25 points, the Magic twice got as close as three points late in the fourth quarter.

Brian Roberts had 15 points and Eric Gordon 14 for the Pelicans. Victor Oladipo 18 points and five steals for

MAVERICKS 116, PISTONS 106 Dirk Nowitzki scored 28 points and Devin Harris had a season-high 14 for the second straight game to carry Dallas past Detroit.

Nowitzki was 10 of 16 from the field in his second straight game wearing a sleeve on his sore left knee after sitting out a loss in Toronto. It’s not the knee that required surgery and sidelined him the first 27 games last season.

Harris scored five straight points in the final minute of the third quarter to break a 79-all tie. His 3-pointer early in the fourth capped a 15-2 run for a 94-81 Dallas lead.

Brandon Jennings had 26 points and seven assists to lead the Pistons, who lost their fourth straight. Josh Smith had 25 points and eight rebounds. — AP

Barbosa edges Angelelli in Action Express Racing DAYTONA BEACH: After 23-1/2 hours of racing, the Rolex24 at Daytona came down to eight minutes and a five-lap sprint on Sunday, with Joao Barbosa holding off Max Angelelli on a restart to give Action Express Racing its second win at the event in four years.

Barbosa had driven the No. 5 Corvette to a 13.1second lead when a full-course caution put the victory in jeopardy. The field was bunched and allowed Angelelli one final chance on the restart with 8:23 remaining to give Wayne Taylor Racing the win.

But Barbosa easily pulled away to get the win for teammates Christian Fittipaldi and Sebastian Bourdais.

Wayne Taylor Racing finished second for the second consecutive year. Action Express’ second car finished third and Chevrolet swept the podium with three Corvette teams left standing at the end of the twicearound-the-clock endurance race.

It was the first race of the unified United SportsCar Championship; the NASCAR-owned and IMSA-sanctioned series born from the merger between American Le Mans and Grand-AM. The victory was difficult, with Barbosa blackflagged for avoidable contact while running second Sunday morning, a penalty he called “really harsh” at the time. But the team worked its way back into contention. The caution nearly unraveled the comeback.

While Angelelli thought there was enough debris to warrant the caution, Barbosa disagreed.

“Max, he said he saw a lot of debris that I really didn’t see,” Barbosa said. “I was really surprised by that caution, but it’s racing, and we just had to deal with it.

But we’re here, we won the race.”

Co-owner Wayne Taylor was runner-up again, and came out of retirement to drive for the first time since 2010, seeking a chance to share the seat with Angelelli and sons Ricky and Jordan. The 58-year-old Taylor drove one stint Saturday and then retreated to the pit stand to strategize for what he hoped would be a third - and most memorable - victory.

“It was a great result, and to have my family and my kids drive with me and Max, it’s been an emotional roller-coaster,” Wayne Taylor said.

Action Express’ second car, with drivers Brian Frisselle, Burt Frisselle, John Martin and Fabien Giroix, was third. Ford was shut out in its debut of its new EcoBoost engine. The No. 01 car of Chip Ganassi Racing team was not able to defend its race win because of a series of problems that plagued the car starting very early in the race.

Ganassi’s No. 02 entry was taken out of contention when it developed a flat rear tire while Scott Dixon was running second with roughly five hours remaining. The car went to the garage with 48 minutes remaining when the floor of the Ford Riley began to unravel and Dixon could see the pavement under his feet. Michael Shank Racing’s entry, the 2012 race win-

ning team, was halted by a broken gearbox.

CORE autosport finished a lap ahead of 8Star Motorsport to win the Prototype Challenge class.

Porsche North America claimed the GT Le Mans class with its No. 911 RSR entry.

The crowded GT Daytona class had the most thrilling - and controversial - finish of the race. The victory initially went to Flying Lizard Motorsports when IMSA officials penalized Level 5 Motorsports for avoidable contact on the last lap. But hours after the race ended, IMSA reversed its decision and gave the victory to Level 5. Alessandro Pier Guidi in the Level 5 Ferrari traded the lead in the final laps with FLM’s Markus Winkelhock, who was driving an Audi. With the Audi mounting a challenge heading into the kink portion of the course, the two cars battled side-by-side through the tight corner. The Audi ran off course, and although replays showed no contact between the two cars, the Ferrari was penalized.

Level 5’s drivers and team personnel charged toward Victory Lane to argue their case. They eventually got what they wanted, a reversal.

“It’s been such a roller coaster,” co-driver Townsend Bell said. Flying Lizard driver Spencer Pumpelly was adamant teammate Winkelhock was in the right. “We don’t win races by driving people off the road,” Pumpelly said. “They tried to do that and it didn’t work.” —AP

DAYTONA: The Action Express team (from left) Joao Barbosa, of Portugal, Sebastien Bourdais, of France, and Christian Fittipaldi, of Brazil, celebrate with their trophy in Victory Lane after winning the IMSA Series Rolex 24 hour auto race. — AP

Business

Gulf economies to stay robust despite cheap oil Page 22

Japan reports $112bn trade deficit in 2013

TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2014

Page 23 No contagion from emerging markets: Eurogroup chief Page 26 Page 25

FASTtelco participates in InfoConnect Exhibition 2014

Zain Group records $4.4 billion in revenues $764 million net income for full-year 2013 KUWAIT: Zain Group, the pioneer of mobile telecommunications across the Middle East and Africa, announced its consolidated financial results for the full-year and fourth quarter ended 31 December, 2013. Zain added 3.4 million new customers over the last twelve months to serve 46.1 million, reflecting an 8 percent growth rate.

Zain is the market leader by customer base in six of its eight operations.

For the 12 months of 2013, Zain Group generated consolidated revenues of $4.4 billion.

Consolidated EBITDA for the period reached $1.9 billion, reflecting a healthy EBITDA margin of 43.4 percent. Consolidated net income amounted to $764 million, reflecting Earnings Per Share of $0.20.

The Board of Directors of Zain Group recommended a cash dividend of $0.18 (KD0.050) per share subject to the Annual General Assembly and regulatory approvals. Additionally, shareholders’ equity stood at $5.74 billion (KD1.62 billion) as at 31 December, 2013.

For the fourth quarter of 2013, Zain Group recorded consolidated revenues of $1.12 billion up 2 percent when compared to the same period in 2012. EBITDA for the quarter reached $492 million, reflecting a healthy EBITDA margin of 44 percent and an increase of 3 percent to the same period in 2012. Net Income for the quarter reached $180 million, reflecting a stable result compared to the same period of 2012.

Commenting on the results, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Zain Group, Asaad AlBanwan said: “The positive customer and data revenue growth across all our operations over the course of the year bodes well for the future.

Our substantial investments in technology and network upgrades, especially in 4G LTE, are having positive results in attracting new customers and enhancing the mobile voice and broadband experience for our customers. Capital expenditure across the Group increased yearon-year by 15 percent and we will continue investing as we evolve and transform our

mobile operations in order to maintain our market leadership and exceed our customers’ expectations.”

Challenging year The Chairman continued, “2013 has been a challenging year and we continue to perform reasonably well if one considers our financial results in local currency terms. The company’s overall twelve-month financial results were substantially affected by currency translation impact, effectively slashing revenues by $419 million and EBITDA by $181 million. Without the effects of this currency translation impact, the company’s consolidated revenues would have grown 5 percent year-on-year with an EBITDA growth of 2 percent. With regard to net income, if not due to both a foreign currency translation impact of $92 million and an exceptional increase of $57 million loss from ‘foreign currency revaluation’ for the twelve-month period, net income would have grown by 1 percent.”

On a similar note in regard to the 2013 fourth-quarter, the Chairman also noted: “The company’s fourth quarter financial results were also affected by currency translation impact, reducing revenues by $31.5 million and EBITDA by $13.8 million. Without the effects of this currency translation impact, the company’s consolidated revenues would have grown 5 percent quarter over quarter with an EBITDA growth of 6 percent. With regard to net income, if not due to a foreign currency translation impact of $6.3 million for the fourth quarter period, net income would have grown by 4 percent.”

Zain Group CEO, Scott Gegenheimer noted, “We have undertaken many transformational

initiatives to drive operational efficiency and innovation across our operations which continue to perform well in local currency terms.

Although our quarter to quarter results are positive, it is disappointing to report declining financial results for the full year considering the sound operational progress achieved during 2013. Factors outside of Zain’s control such as an exceptional local currency devaluation in one key market, together with social instability in others continue to adversely affect our financial results. However, we are not discouraged by these set of circumstances and firmly believe that we are implementing the correct strategy for the company’s future growth.”

Promising growth Gegenheimer reiterated the promising growth opportunities in the mobile broadband area for all of Zain’s operations, and that the company will continue to foster and develop this area of the business. “Our digital traffic and revenues continue to advance strongly, recording a healthy 25 percent growth rate, with data now reflecting 14 percent of all Zain Group’s service revenues.”

The cornerstone of the company celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2013, continues to perform well with customer growth of 12 percent reaching 2.5 million, reflecting a leading market share of 39 percent. ARPU levels reach $39, with the attraction of its nationwide 4G LTE network resulting in data revenue growing 21 percent, forming 29 percent of total revenues.

The introduction of Mobile Number Portability mid-way through the year had a neutral effect on the operation’s overall performance, quite uncommon for an incumbent operator, reflecting the appeal of the brand and the services provided.

Asaad Al-Banwan

Scott Gegenheimer

Group Key Performance Indicators (USD and KD) for the Full Year 2013 Total Managed Active Customers Consolidated Revenues EBITDA EBITDA Margin Net Income EPS

46.1 million up 8% in 2012 USD 4.4 billion - KD 1.240 billion USD 1.9 billion - KD 538 million 43.4% USD 764 million - KD 216.4 million USD 0.20 -56 fils

Group Key Performance Indicators (USD and KD) for the 4th Quarter 2013 Consolidated Revenues EBITDA EBITDA Margin Net Income EPS

USD 1.12 billion - KD 315 million up 2% USD 492 million - KD 139 million up 3% 44% USD 180 million - KD 51 million (stable) USD 0.05 - 13 fils

TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2014

BUSINESS

Gulf economies to stay robust despite cheap oil

Abu Dhabi residential real estate rebounds In 2012, Abu Dhabi pressed public sector employees who reside outside the emirate to relocate within its borders, which analysts said aimed to address heavy oversupply in its real estate market. Many employees commuted daily from Dubai. Last November, Abu Dhabi scrapped a 5 percent cap on annual rent increases. The cap had been imposed in January 2008 after surging demand drove rents and inflation higher. “A sustainable recovery is dependent on the government continuing to implement further supply controls to ensure a balanced real estate market going forward,” said David Dudley, regional director and head of the Abu Dhabi office of Jones Lang LaSalle.

“The Abu Dhabi market looks positive in the medium term, but there will be selective strong performers specific to sectors, locations, user requirements, property management and overall infrastructure.” — Reuters

ABU DHABI: Abu Dhabi’s residential real estate market rebounded strongly last year from a slump, helped by government intervention, a report by a real estate advisory firm said yesterday. Prime residential sales prices jumped 25 percent in 2013, with an increase of 6 percent in the fourth quarter alone, Jones Lang LaSalle said. Rents in prime residential projects increased 17 percent, with a rise of 8 percent in the fourth quarter, driven partly by the creation of new jobs in Abu Dhabi and the removal of a 5 percent cap on rent rises, it said.

Abu Dhabi’s real estate market slumped about 50 percent from its peak in 2008 after the global financial crisis triggered a crash. The Jones Lang LaSalle reports suggests Abu Dhabi may now be recovering roughly as fast as neighboring Dubai. The capital of the United Arab Emirates has been making attempts to boost its residential market through new rules for the last couple of years.

Iraq delays domestic bond issuance to 2015 culties arranging the issue; he did not elaborate. “The size of it depends, because it is the first time we issue them,” Saeed said, adding that the main reason for issuance would not be to finance the government’s budget deficit but to broaden the financial markets and expand investment choices for banks.

Saeed added that there was no plan for an international bond issue this year; he did not comment on the possibility in later years. Inflation is not a worr y at the moment, hovering just above 2 percent, the governor also said, adding that the economy was expected to grow over 8 percent in 2014. — Reuters

DUBAI: Iraq has delayed to next year a plan to issue its first domestic currency bonds in a decade, while an international debt issue is not on the cards for 2014, central bank governor Abdul-Basit Turki Saeed said yesterday.

The government wants to issue its first domestic currency bonds since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003. The maturity of the bonds would be over five years, officials have said.

“It was supposed to be issued this year but unfortunately it was postponed...to next year,” Saeed said on the sidelines of a financial conference in Dubai, speaking through an interpreter. He cited legal diffi-

Dubai lender Mashreq’s Q4 net profit jumps 48%

DUBAI: Gulf Arab economies are likely to keep growing robustly over the next two years as government spending remains high, even though somewhat softer oil prices may cut into government revenues, a Reuters poll showed yesterday.

Saudi Arabia’s gross domestic product is expected to expand 4.2 percent in 2014 and 4.3 percent in 2015, after slowing to a four-year low of 3.8 percent last year, predicted the poll of 17 analysts, conducted this month.

“GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) growth prospects remain favorable, supported by high oil prices, a steady flow of government spending and in some cases an increasingly buoyant private sector,” said Daniel Kaye, head of macroeconomic research at National Bank of Kuwait.

In the United Arab Emirates, the second largest Arab economy, gross domestic product growth is seen holding steady at 4.3 percent in 2013-2015, a tad below 4.4 percent in 2012.

Analysts raised their 2014 UAE growth forecast markedly from 3.6 percent in the previous Reuters poll, conducted in September, because of a strong revival in Dubai’s property sector and the boost to investor confidence after the emirate in November won the right to host the Expo 2020 world’s fair. “Indeed, the challenge for the UAE now is not how to stimulate growth, but how to manage its pace, and avoid the pitfalls that led to the crisis of 2008,” HSBC’s regional economists Simon Williams and Liz Martins wrote in a note. Fellow OPEC member Qatar is expected to keep outperforming the other five GCC states with 5.5 percent growth in 2014 and 6.0 percent in 2015, as construction linked to the 2022 soccer World Cup tournament picks up after a slow start. However, the increased activity may also propel Qatar to the top of the Gulf inflation rankings, with consumer price growth seen averaging 3.9 percent this year and 4.2 percent in 2015, the highest rates since a record 15 percent in 2008.

Overall, price pressures are seen edging up gradually across the Gulf in the next two years, although forecasts for 2014 were reduced for most countries compared to September’s poll.

Shrinking surpluses With the exception of deficit-ridden Bahrain,

grow 40 percent in 2013 year-on-year thanks to much lower provisioning, revising upwards his February comments that profit growth would be 10-15 percent higher.

In fact, impairments were up 5.7 percent on the previous year at 873.3 million dirhams, albeit 54 percent lower in the fourth quarter, according to Reuters calculations. Annual net profit was boosted by a 23.9 percent jump in net interest income, with a 22 percent increase in loans and advances to 44.3 billion dirhams the primary driver, the bank said.

Much like Emirates NBD, which reported a 27 percent jump in net profit in 2013 yesterday, Mashreq benefited from a resurging Dubai economy, helped by a recovery in the key real estate sector. Deposits over the course of 2013 grew 28 percent to 54.2 billion dirhams. —Reuters

DUBAI: Mashreq, Dubai’s third-biggest lender by assets, yesterday posted a 48 percent rise in fourth-quarter net profit on the back of lower impairment allowances, Reuters calculations showed. The bank earned 504.6 million dirhams ($137.4 million) in the quarter, compared with 342 million dirhams in the year-ago period. Brokerage Arqaam Capital expected it to post a profit of 525 million dirhams for the quarter. The bank said in a bourse statement its net profit for the full year rose to 1.81 billion dirhams from 1.37 billion dirhams in 2012, a 37.6 percent increase. Reuters calculated the quarterly results from the bank’s previous financial statements.

The full-year earnings were in line with the forecast of Mashreq’s chief executive, Abdulaziz Al-Ghurair, who said in September that the bank’s net profit was expected to

Poll says budget surpluses to shrink, inflation to spike

Ukraine borrows $2bn from Moscow KIEV: Ukraine is borrowing another $2 billion from Russia on the same terms as a $3 billion Eurobond sold in December, in a sign that Moscow is pushing on with a $15 billion bailout despite concern about violence at anti-government protests in Kiev.

In a geopolitical battle with the European Union after Ukraine spurned a trade pact with the 28-state bloc, Russia agreed on credits and cheaper gas for Kiev in December to help its fellow former Soviet republic meet huge debt payments. The deal brought a breathing space for the government but the protests have since spiralled into violent unrest in the capital and other cities, forcing President Viktor Yanukovich into talks with opponents who mistrust Moscow.

The Ukrainian government said in a statement yesterday it was issuing $2 billion in Eurobonds to Russia on the same terms as in December, bringing the total amount borrowed over two years at an interest rate of 5 percent - to $5 billion. Financial analysts said the statement sought to signal that all is well with the bailout, intended to help Kiev cover external debt repayments of $8 billion this year and boost depleted central bank reserves.

Kuwait Stock Exchange in downtown Kuwait City. public finances in the Gulf Arab welfare states are expected to remain sound enough for governments to raise spending if needed to support economic growth. But heavy fiscal spending, which has been powering the Gulf’s economic boom over the past two decades, is now likely to grow at a much slower pace than before, as an expected decline in oil receipts prompts more for spending restraint.

Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Oman have since last month released budget plans suggesting much slower growth of expenditure. Riyadh’s 2014 budget plan sees a rise of just 4 percent compared to the original 2013 budget, the slowest rate since 2003.

“With the expansionary spending policies implemented over the last few years ... the oil exporters will start to see surpluses shrink, if not turn to deficit, over the second half of the decade,” the HSBC economists said. “Any drop in

oil prices on the back of, for example, an Iran deal, would accelerate this process,” they said.

Iran aims this year to seal a final deal on its nuclear program with major powers to end sanctions that hurt its economy; a deal could permit it to resume selling oil freely in the global market.

Crude oil prices, now around $108 per barrel, are forecast to ease gradually to $103 in 2014 and $100 in 2015, as a shale boom in the United States and increasing output in Iraq keeps the market well supplied, a separate Reuters survey found last month. As a result, Saudi hydrocarbon export revenues may slip as far as a median $290.4 billion in 2015 from $297.3 billion this year and $317.4 billion in 2013, this month’s poll showed. That would push the desert kingdom’s fiscal surplus as low as 3.5 percent of GDP in 2015, from 5.0 percent in 2014 and an officially reported 7.4 percent last year. — Reuters

Dubai lender ENBD’s Q4 misses forecasts DUBAI: Emirates NBD, Dubai’s largest lender, missed analysts’ forecasts despite an 8 percent rise in fourth-quarter net profit as a surge in the amount set aside by the lender to meet loan losses offset increased net interest income. The lender, 55.6-percent owned by state fund Investment Corp of Dubai, made a net profit of 673 million dirhams ($183.2 million) in the three months to Dec. 31, a statement from the bank said yesterday, compared with 626 million dirhams in the same period last year. An average of five analysts polled by Reuters forecast a net profit of 705.9 million dirhams for the fourth quarter.

Fuelling the profit growth was a 26 percent increase in net interest income versus the corresponding period of 2012 to 2.22 billion dirhams, which the bank attributed to higher lending growth and lower funding costs.

However, this was offset by a 40 percent yearon-year jump in impairment allowances, which rose to 1.31 billion dirhams in the fourth quarter.

Provisioning has been a major drag on the bank’s profitability in recent years and despite signs earlier in 2013 that impairments - while remaining high - were showing signs of receding, the second half of the year saw significant

advances once again as the bank took specific provisions and looked to build up its coverage ratios.

The increase in the final months of the year pushed 2013 impairments to 4.71 billion dirhams, 18 percent higher than the previous year. Despite this, full-year net profit for 2013 was up 27 percent to 3.26 billion dirhams, helped by higher net interest and fee income.

ENBD’s earnings performance in 2013 benefited from renewed confidence in the wider Dubai economy, which has recovered from a deep financial crisis helped by a rebound in

the key real estate sector. Loans and advances stood at 238.3 billion dirhams at the end of December, up 9 percent on the end of 2012.

Meanwhile, deposits increased 12 percent over the same timeframe, standing at 239.6 billion dirhams at the end of 2013. The bank said it would pay a cash dividend of 0.25 dirhams per share for 2013. This is the same as the 2012 dividend. Shayne Nelson, the former head of Standard Chartered’s private bank, took over as chief executive of the Dubai lender from longstanding head Rick Pudner on January 1. — Reuters

Saudi buys 715,000tn of wheat ABU DHABI: Saudi Arabia bought 715,000 tons of wheat in a tender for shipment periods between April and June, the Grain Silos and Flour Mills Organization said yesterday. It bought 595,000 tons of hard wheat with minimum protein of 12.5 percent and 120,000 tons of soft wheat with minimum protein of 11 percent.

The accepted origins are from Europe, North and South America and Australia, at the sellers’ option, the GSFMO said. Of the

total, 365,000 tons are for shipment to the port of Jeddah and 350,000 tons to the port of Dammam, Waleed Elkhereiji, director general of GSFMO said in a statement.

Saudi Arabia has become a major importer of hard and soft wheat since abandoning plans for self-sufficiency in wheat in 2008 as farming in the desert strained water supplies.

The country aims to steadily reduce agriculture and plans to be completely reliant on imports by 2016 to save water. — Reuters

EXCHANGE RATES Al-Muzaini Exchange Co. ASIAN COUNTRIES Japanese Yen Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Srilankan Rupees Nepali Rupees Singapore Dollar Hongkong Dollar Bangladesh Taka Philippine Peso Thai Baht Irani Riyal transfer Irani Riyal cash

2.760 4.505 2.681 2.161 2.822 222.220 36.458 3.634 6.232 86.109 0.271 0.273 GCC COUNTRIES

Saudi Riyal Qatari Riyal Omani Riyal Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham

75.497 77.790 735.450 751.960 77.101

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

SELL DRAFT 250.84 259.80 321.17 391.03 282.40 470.62 2.82 3.629 4.516 2.162 2.840 2.682 76.96 751.63 40.55 401.92 734.42 77.98 75.44

SELL CASH 247.84 260.80 319.17 392.03 285.40 473.62 2.84 3.898 4.816 2.597 3.375 2.790 77.42 753.70 41.15 407.57 741.72 78.53 75.84

ARAB COUNTRIES Egyptian Pound - Cash Egyptian Pound - Transfer Yemen Riyal/for 1000 Tunisian Dinar Jordanian Dinar Lebanese Lira/for 1000 Syrian Lira Morocco Dirham

39.500 40.229 1.321 175.670 399.800 1.899 2.017 35.375

EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES US Dollar Transfer 283.000 Euro 389.270 Sterling Pound 469.070 Canadian dollar 256.570 Turkish lira 121.830 Swiss Franc 317.020 Australian Dollar 247.910 US Dollar Buying 281.800 GOLD 20 Gram 10 Gram 5 Gram

240.000 121.000 62.500

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd 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

Selling Rate 282.700 269.510 461.550 390.375 319.945 746.465 76.945 78.500 76.255 398.510 40.993 2.160 4.567 2.652 3.632 6.379 694.370 3.745 09.800

Syrian Pound Nepalese Rupees Malaysian Ringgit Chinese Yuan Renminbi

3.010 3.855 88.370 46.975

Singapore Dollar South African Rand Sri Lankan Rupee Taiwan Thai Baht

Bahrain Exchange Company COUNTRY SELL CASH Belgian Franc British Pound Czech Korune Danish Krone Euro Norwegian Krone Romanian Leu Slovakia Swedish Krona Swiss Franc Turkish Lira

Australian Dollar New Zealand Dollar

Canadian Dollar US Dollars US Dollars Mint

Bangladesh Taka Chinese Yuan Hong Kong Dollar Indian Rupee Indonesian Rupiah Japanese Yen Kenyan Shilling Korean Won Malaysian Ringgit Nepalese Rupee Pakistan Rupee Philippine Peso Sierra Leone

SELLDRAFT Europe 0.007355 0.460783 0.006099 0.048085 0.381751 0.042412 0.081659 0.008106 0.040092 0.310125 0.125818

0.008355 0.469783 0.018099 0.053085 0.389251 0.047612 0.81659 0.018106 0.045092 0.320325 0.132818

Australasia 0.237742 0.227180

0.249242 0.236680

America 0.250591 0.278900 0.279400

0.259091 0.283250 0.283250

Asia 0.003509 0.045433 0.034388 0.004189 0.000018 0.002688 0.003375 0.000253 0.082330 0.003074 0.002452 0.006547 0.000069

0.004109 0.048933 0.037138 0.004590 0.000024 0.002868 0.003375 0.000268 0.088330 0.003244 0.002732 0.006827 0.000075

Bahraini Dinar Egyptian Pound Iranian Riyal Iraqi Dinar Jordanian Dinar Kuwaiti Dinar Lebanese Pound Moroccan Dirhams Nigerian Naira Omani Riyal Qatar Riyal Saudi Riyal Syrian Pound Tunisian Dinar Turkish Lira UAE Dirhams Yemeni Riyal

0.218048 0.019833 0.001892 0.009263 0.008309 Arab 0.744207 0.037172 0.000078 0.000184 0.395934 1.0000000 0.000138 0.024426 0.001197 0.729033 0.077023 0.074830 0.002168 0.170614 0.125818 0.076069 0.001285

0.224048 0.028333 0.002472 0.009443 0.008859

0.752207 0.040272 0.000080 0.000244 0.403434 1.0000000 0.000238 0.048426 0.001832 0.734713 0.078236 0.075530 0.002388 0.178614 0.132818 0.077208 0.001365

Al Mulla Exchange CurrencyTransfer 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

Rate (Per 1000) 282.400 388.300 468.950 257.050 4.480 40.225 2.161 3.633 6.225 2.680 752.000 76.950 75.450

TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2014

BUSINESS

Kuwait investment sector robust in December NBK ECONOMIC REPORT KUWAIT: Real estate data for December show sales rising by 10 percent y/y to KD 399 million. (Chart 1.) This is the closest sales have gotten to breaking the KD400 million mark since July 2013 where sales totaled KD 426 million. December’s sales numbers were supported by an exceptional performance from the investment sector. Annually, 2013 was a record year with total monthly sales averaging at KD 308 million.

Furthermore total sales grew 18 percent y/y compared with 2012. Sales in the residential sector reached KD156 million in December, a 24 percent y/y drop. This decline came despite a continued surge in average transaction values (+38 percent y/y), which was effectively offset by a sharp decline in the number of transactions (-44 percent y/y). The y/y decline in sales was due to an unfavorable base effect rather than weak sales per se. Large swings are not uncommon in a property market where month-to-month trading volumes are relatively low.

Annually, sales in the residential sector continued to rise, up 6 percent y/y from 2012 to KD 1.8 billion. This is despite the number of transactions dropping 20 percent to 6,325. Indeed, it is likely that limited housing supply is one factor that continues to push prices higher.

In terms of location, half of transactions were in Ahmadi Governorate, mostly in the Sabah Al-Ahmed Sea-City.

Mubarak Al-Kabeer governorate accounted for a further 36 percent. Sales of land plots - as opposed to finished buildings accounted for 57 percent of all residential transactions in December.

Sales in the investment sector increased to a record KD 207 million in December, up 79 percent y/y. The previous sales

record was KD 184 million in April 2007, confirming that sales have returned to pre-financial crisis levels. The number of transactions in the sector reached 198, a 54 percent y/y increase.

Whole buildings made up 42 percent of all transactions followed by individual apartments with 38 percent - mostly in Mahbola. Several large transactions drove sales in the investment sector to record heights, including two KD11 million deals in the Salmiya and Murghab areas.

Annually, sales in the investment sector registered a 24 percent increase from 2012, to KD1.4 billion. Additionally, the number of transactions in the sector increased by 10 percent y/y compared to 2012.

Sales in the commercial sector dropped 18 percent to KD35 million in December, from KD43 million a year earlier.

Sales in this sector are particularly lumpy, and the decline came on the back of 11 transactions, compared to 15 a year earlier. However the average transaction size remained positive at KD3.2 million, up 12 percent y/y.

2013 was an exceptional year for the commercial sector, with y/y sales up in 8 months of the year. Total sales in 2013 reached KD440 million, up 75 percent compared to 2012. The increase was driven by a large number of transactions which, at 178, more than doubled their 2012 levels.

Away from sales, the Savings and Credit Bank (SCB) approved KD 30 million in loans during December, slightly down on the month but still up 35 percent y/y. The value of disbursed loans increased 28 percent y/y to KD16.1 million.

The ‘new construction’ segment received 84 percent of all approved loans and 73 percent of all loans disbursed.

Japan, S Korean refiners to trim Q1 crude runs SINGAPORE: South Korean and Japanese oil refiners that account for about a third of Asian exports of middle distillates are processing less crude than a year ago, cutting runs during what is usually a high-demand quarter due to a regional supply glut. Asia’s surplus of diesel and other middle distillates developed over the last year as China, Saudi Arabia and other key markets for exporters added refineries to cut their reliance on overseas oil products just as regional demand growth slowed.

In top Asian consumer China, refining capacity added in 2013 met oil consumption growth slipping to its lowest in two decades.

As decelerating economic expansion weakened domestic sales of diesel for transport and industry, China’s net exports of middle distillates rose by 7 percent over JulyDecember last year as compared with the previous six months.

Japan, Asia’s No. 3 oil consumer, has also been exporting more products as domestic consumption falls, helping to flood the market. At the same time, demand in Europe, normally an outlet for Asian surpluses, has been tepid due to a mild winter. “Winter demand is no longer there, and we are approaching a weak demand season,” a trader with a North Asian refiner said. “Product stocks are also high at the moment.”

The average operating rate for South Korean refiners is expected at 92.5 percent for January, energy consultancy JBC Asia said. That compares with 94.8 percent a year earlier, according to data from state-run Korea National Oil Corp (KNOC). Operating rates for February and March are estimated at 90.2 percent and 85.5 percent, respectively, JBC Asia said, down from KNOC’s estimates of 94.8 percent and 86.0 percent in 2013.

Japan’s top refiner JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corp has twice announced cuts for January, bringing its run rates to 1.13 million bpd, down 8 percent from January 2013.

Showa Shell Sekiyu KK has said it will refine 1.5 percent less crude on year in the first quarter, while Cosmo Oil Co has trimmed its initial refining plan for January by 9 percent citing sluggish domestic demand.

China, Japan weigh The average profit margin to produce middle distillates from Dubai crude in January is nearly $2 a barrel lower than the same month last year. Middle distillates, which include diesel, kerosene and jet fuel,

make up about 40 percent of Asia’s oil product use and the health of their margins is key to refinery profits.Lacklustre demand for kerosene due to a less biting winter than a year ago has seen JX planning to raise its oil product exports in January to 152,000 barrels per day (bpd) from an initial plan of 132,000 bpd.

The usual winter slowdown in China’s agricultural sector should also keep its gasoil exports steady at 75,000-100,000 bpd.

Exports could even rise with the start-up of two refineries in the first quarter with a combined capacity of 440,000 bpd, traders said.

Those start-ups would follow the addition of 250,000 bpd of new capacity in China in the second half of 2013 that helped build the current supply surplus.

Underlining the worry over Asia’s glut, state refiner PetroChina postponed bringing online two additional refineries until 2016 and 2017.

Refining margins Keeping runs low to balance an oversupplied middle distillates market usually reduces supplies of other products such as naphtha and fuel oil, where strong prices are helping to offset the weak margins from distillates. Overall profits from processing a barrel of crude into fuels in January are up $1.30 a barrel from a month ago, although refiners may be cautious in ramping up runs significantly, as that would weigh on margins again.

“Better margins is a signal to raise runs back up ... which will keep margins flattish,” said Alex Yap, an energy consultant at FGE Singapore.

Cracked marine fuel prices across Japan and South Korea are likely to stay at higher levels than last year due to the lower domestic production, traders said. Premiums of 380-cst bunker fuel in Japan and South Korea to spot cargo quotes in Singapore have shot up by at least 20 percent due to the run cuts, traders said. Profits from refining naphtha to date are about $20 higher in January versus the same month last year.

Continued robust demand for plastics in the first quarter will also push petrochemical units to run at maximum, further supporting the naphtha market and offsetting reduced demand later in the quarter as two crackers in Japan and Thailand undergo maintenance. “The forward curve still indicates a solid first-quarter for naphtha,” said a Singapore-based light distillates trader. — Reuters

BG Group cuts forecasts, hit by turmoil in Egypt LONDON: Oil and gas firm BG Group issued a profit warning and cut its production forecasts for this year and next, blaming turmoil in Egypt and sending its shares down as much as 15 percent.

The British group, which counts on Egypt for about a fifth of its production, said yesterday the government there had not honored agreements covering BG’s share of gas from fields, with high levels of gas being diverted to the domestic market. This had prevented it from meeting its export obligations for an Egyptian liquefied natural gas (LNG) project. As a result, BG said it had served socalled “force majeure” notices to affected buyers and lenders, effectively freeing all sides from contract terms due to circumstances beyond their control.

“It’s a blood bath,” said Santander analyst Jason Kenney. “I think we’re looking at a 15 percent cut in earnings (forecasts) for 2015.” BG said it expected to produce between 590,000 and 630,000 of barrels of oil equivalent per day (boed) this year, as much as 12 percent lower than currently expected by analysts and as much as 7 percent below its 2013 production.

The group also cut its 2015 guidance to between 710,000 and 750,000 boed, from a target of 775,000-825,000 boed given in May. For 2013, BG said earnings

would fall 33 percent to around $2.2 billion due to a $2.4 billion non-cash, posttax impairment charge to reflect the difficult operating environment in Egypt, as well as lower future gas prices in the United States.

“Despite the good progress we have made in 2013 we face short-term issues which are reflected in our revised 2014 guidance. This is very disappointing,” Chief Executive Chris Finlayson said.

The downgrades are the latest in a series of disappointing updates from BG. Over the past 18 months, it has cut its output forecasts three times, including abandoning a goal to produce 1 million boed by 2015. But the group is not the only oil company struggling to grow.

Larger rival Shell earlier this month issued a profit warning.

Egypt has undergone a prolonged period of political and civil unrest since the toppling of long-running president Hosni Mubarak in 2011. BG said negotiations with the Egyptian authorities were ongoing, adding it remained committed to the Egyptian LNG project, although there was uncertainty over the number of LNG cargoes that project would produce in 2014.

BG is due to report its fourth quarter and full-year results on Feb 4. — Reuters

Japan reports $112bn trade deficit in 2013 Energy imports bill shoots up

TOKYO: Sadayuki Sakakibara (left), chairman of Japan’s synthetic fiber manufacturer Toray Industries, shakes hands with Hiromasa Yonekura (right), chairman of the Japan Business Federation during their joint press conference in Tokyo yesterday. (Right)Shipping containers are loaded onto an international freighter at the international cargo terminal in Tokyo yesterday.— AFP TOKYO: Japan’s trade deficit surged to a record 11.47 trillion yen ($112 billion) in 2013 as the shutdown of nuclear power plants swelled the nation’s energy import bill.

Provisional data yesterday showed that exports rose 9.5 percent to 69.8 trillion yen ($680.9 billion), while imports jumped 15 percent to 81.3 trillion yen ($793.2 billion).

Japan’s trade deficit in 2012 was 6.94 trillion yen. The deficit has been rising as costs for imports have surged with the weakening of the Japanese yen and increased purchases of foreign oil and gas. Japan’s nuclear reactors have been offline for safety and regulatory checks after the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami devastated the Fukushima nuclear plant.

The largest shortfall, 13.2 trillion yen ($128.8 billion), was with the Middle East, source of the largest share of resource-scarce Japan’s imports of oil and gas. The weaker yen is a mixed blessing for Japan. It is boosting corporate profits due to higher yen-denominated income for companies that earn a large share of their revenues

overseas.

“Our imports are affected both by the yen’s value and also by oil prices, so we will be watching the situation,” chief government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said yesterday. He reiterated Japan’s eagerness to buy lower-priced shale gas from North America, pending US approval of such exports.

Apart from energy imports, Japanese manufacturers increasingly are relying on overseas sources for components for electronics and other products. The recovery in exports so far has failed to offset those costs and Japanese consumers are paying sharply higher prices for fuel and food.

Japan’s deficit with China, its biggest trading partner, rose more than 43 percent in 2013 to 5.02 trillion yen ($49 billion). With the US, it logged a surplus of 6.1 trillion yen ($59.5 billion), up nearly 20 percent from a year earlier.

December’s deficit was 1.3 trillion yen ($12.7 billion), the fourth straight month of increase.

Japan’s economy emerged from recession a year

ago and has been gaining momentum, spurred by strong government spending and monetary stimulus. That has also pushed demand for imports higher, a trend likely to continue at least until a 3 percentage point increase in consumption tax to 8 percent takes effect in April, said Marcel Thieliant, an economist for Capital Economics in Singapore.

So far, most of the increase in exports has come from the yen’s weakening rather than an increase in export volumes, he said. “On the one hand, we expect the yen to weaken further, which should keep the cost of imports elevated.

On the other hand, export volumes are likely to pick up as global growth is accelerating,” he said in a commentary.

The worse-than-expected trade data coincided with a flurry of selling on Tokyo’s stock exchange, where the benchmark Nikkei 225 fell below 15,000 for the first time in two months following last week’s selloffs in Europe and the US. The index closed down 2.8 percent at 15,005.73. — AP

WB warns Myanmar on corruption as it unveils $2bn in aid

NEW YORK: A pair of specialists work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange yesterday. Stocks were mostly higher on Wall Street as investors shrug off worries about emerging markets that tanked the market last week. —AP

YANGON: The World Bank yesterday warned Myanmar against corruption as it unveiled a $2-billion aid package designed to provide better health care and improve supplies of electricity.

Despite the country’s ongoing reforms, the World Bank has ranked Myanmar 182 out of the 189 countries in its annual Doing Business report. World Bank president Jim Yong Kim told reporters in the Myanmar capital, Naypyitaw, that he recalled shutting down a program in Bangladesh on his first day on the job in 2012, because of corruption concerns.

“I would not hesitate to do that again if we were to find evidence of corruption in any of the projects,” he said, adding that he was confident the Bank would be able to monitor programs in Myanmar to prevent abuse. About 75 percent of Myanmar’s mostly rural population has no access to health care, and more than 70 percent have no electricity, the Bank said.

Part of the aid package will support the government’s aim of providing health care to all citizens by 2030, while half will go to expand electricity generation, transmission and distribution, the Bank said in a statement. The news comes nearly two years after the World Bank announced it would return to Myanmar following an absence of a quarter of a century.

Many donors abandoned the country during its 49 years of military rule, which eviscerated one of Southeast Asia’s most promising economies. In February 2012, the Bank said it would re-engage with Myanmar after a March 2011 transfer of power from the military to a semi-civilian government that kicked off sweeping political and economic reforms. In January 2013, Japan helped Myanmar’s government clear debts left unpaid by the previous ruling junta, allowing the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank to provide financing.

Myanmar’s low score on the Doing Business survey last October was due to corruption, Charles Schneider, a World Bank economist based in Yangon, said at the time, though he added the country was improving transparency. — Reuters

TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2014

BUSINESS

Asia shares plunge as market fears return HONG KONG: Asian markets sank yesterday following the worst losses on Wall Street in seven months, with investors gripped by renewed fears over emerging economies days ahead of a crucial Federal Reserve policy meeting. Japan’s Nikkei, which was the best performer last year, continued its 2014 downtrend as the yen remained elevated against the dollar, while shares in developing countries also suffered selling pressure.

“Capital is fleeing equities generally,” said Hiroichi Nishi, SMBC Nikko Securities general manager of equities. “For Japan, the combination of weaker US stocks, a weaker dollar, and heightened fears over a slowing of global economic growth will be enough to send stocks down,” he said.

Tokyo tumbled 2.51 percent, or 385.83 points, to 15,005.73, Seoul fell 1.56 percent, or 30.22 points, to 1,910.34, Hong Kong dived 2.11 percent, or 473.96 points, to 21,976.10 and Shanghai gave up 1.03 per-

cent, or 21.09 points, to end at 2,033.30.

Taipei dipped 1.58 percent, or 135.74 points, to 8,462.57 and Wellington was down 0.41 percent, or 19.90 points, at 4,853.79. Manila fell 1.78 percent, or 109.89 points, to 6,081.61. Bangkok dropped 1.98 percent, or 26.04 points, to 1,288.59 and Mumbai fell 426.11 points, or 2.02 percent, to close at 20,707.45.

Singapore ended down 1.09 percent, or 33.56 points, at 3,042.43 while Jakarta ended down 2.58 percent, or 114.56 points, at 4,322.78. Kuala Lumpur slid nearly 24 points, or 1.31 percent, to close at 1,778.88.

Sydney was closed for a public holiday. In New York on Friday, the Dow sank 1.96 percent, the biggest percentage point fall since June last year, while the S&P 500 plummeted 2.09 percent and the Nasdaq lost 2.15 percent.

US investors ran for cover on Friday as an 11 percent slump in the Argentinian peso against the dollar refu-

elled concerns about emerging market currencies.

Those fears were exacerbated by data last week indicating manufacturing activity in China-a key driver of global growth-had contracted in January. “There is a fear that there is going to be a contagion in emergingmarket currencies,” Maybank Kim Eng head of sales trading, Kevin Foy, said.

The growing pessimism sent investors to seek out safer, lower-return assets, particularly the Japanese yen, which is considered a safe haven in times of economic uncertainty. In New York the dollar sank to 102.30 yen Friday from 103.24 Thursday, while the euro fell to 139.92 yen from 141.39 yen.

In late afternoon Asian trade yesterday the dollar was at 102.49 yen and the single currency fetched 140.27 yen. The euro bought $1.3685 compared with $1.3678 Friday in New York. Among emerging market currencies the dollar rose to 12,215 Indonesian rupiah

from 12,180 rupiah Friday, while it was also at 62.68 Indian rupees from 62.16 rupees, at 45.41 Philippine pesos from 45.32 pesos, and 32.93 Thai baht from 32.86 baht.

Traders will now be looking to this week’s Fed meeting to see if it announces any further cuts to its stimulus program. The central bank last month said it would reduce its bond-buying by $10 billion a month from January to $75 billion, citing a pick-up in the economy.

However, the move has raised fears of a capital flow from developing countries as investors repatriate their cash to the West.

In oil trade, New York’s main contract, West Texas Intermediate for March delivery, was up 43 cents at $97.07 in afternoon trade while Brent North Sea crude for March eased 15 cents to $107.73.

Gold fetched $1,270.56 at 1045 GMT, compared with $1,259.60 late Friday. —AFP

TOKYO: A man passes before a share prices board in Tokyo yesterday. Japan’s share prices fell 3850.83 points to close at 15,005.73 points at the Tokyo Stock Exchange, following a sell-off on Wall Street and as the dollar sank against the yen on concerns over emerging economies. — AFP

Gold near 10-week high as shares dip SINGAPORE: Gold prices held firm yesterday after hitting ten-week highs overnight on weakness in global stocks, but gains were limited as traders took to the sidelines ahead of a key Federal Reserve meeting this week.

Concerns about China’s economic slowdown and its shadow banking sector, coupled with expectations the Federal Reserve would scale back its bond buying further, are piling pressure on emerging markets dependent on external financing.

Spot gold was at $1,270.50 an ounce by 1020 GMT, up 0.1 percent, having hit its highest since mid-November overnight at $1,278.01 an ounce. US gold futures for February delivery were up $6 an ounce at $1,270.30.

A 2.3 percent drop in world stocks last week helped push gold higher for a fifth straight week-its longest run of weekly gains since mid2012 — but the market struggled to make further gains at the start of the week ahead of a two-day Fed policy meeting beginning today.

“It seems a break-out to the 1300-1330 mark is on hold for now, but it depends on what happens with the Fed this week,” Mitsubishi analyst Jonathan Butler said. “The consensus is that there’ll be a further round of $10 billion a month tapering. If there’s anything less than that, gold could move higher as speculators move in.”

The Fed has already decided to trim its $85 billion a month bond buying program by $10 billion a month. Expectations that the Fed could withdraw monetary stimulus this week lifted the dollar on Monday, while safe-haven currencies like the yen and the Swiss franc were much in demand as an emerging markets selloff continued.

In the longer term, any recovery in equities would be likely to curb gains in the precious metal, Butler said. “This setback in the equities market and this risk-off mentality overall isn’t

going to endure in the medium term,” he said.

“Once we see more positive US data and positive earnings that will weigh on gold once again.”

Chinese demand eases China’s net gold imports from Hong Kong rose 24 percent in December from the previous month, the Hong Kong Census and Statistics Department said yesterday, bringing the total purchases for 2013 to a record 1,158 tons. Net gold flows into China, the world’s biggest gold consumer, climbed to 94.847 tons in December from 76.393 tons in November, it said.

With the recent rally in gold prices, purchases from China - the world’s biggest gold consumer - slowed yesterday with volumes lower than Friday’s. Premiums for 99.99 percent purity gold on the Shanghai Gold Exchange steadied at about $10 to London prices, after falling earlier to $7.

“With the imminent Chinese New Year holiday beginning, demand will likely waver later in the week,” bullion dealer MKS said in a note yesterday. More positively for gold, India’s finance ministry said it will review its tight curbs on gold imports by the end of March.

India used to be the world’s biggest buyer of bullion until last year when a swollen current account deficit prompted the government to slap a record 10 percent duty on imports and the central bank to tie imports to exports. On Friday data from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission showed that speculators boosted their length in gold in the week to Jan. 21, though they slashed their net long positions in silver. Silver was up 0.5 percent at $19.95 an ounce. Among other precious metals, spot platinum was down 0.5 percent at $1,416.25 an ounce, while spot palladium was down 0.6 percent at $727.22 an ounce. — Reuters

Oil falls toward $107 after demand fears LONDON: Brent oil futures fell towards $107 a barrel yesterday as investors dumped risky assets over worries about weaker emerging market economies, but US crude held up due to a spell of cold weather. The US Federal Reserve is widely expected to cut its bondbuying by another $10 billion at its regular two-day policy meeting starting today, with knock-on effects for emerging market liquidity. Tighter credit conditions in China are also raising fears of a slowdown. “There is quite a lot of uncertainty creeping in here,” said Ole Hansen, senior commodity strategist at Saxo Bank.

Brent crude was down 68 cents to $107.20 a barrel by 1235 GMT. But US oil gained 38 cents to $97.02. The weaker Brent price reflected a sell-off in stock markets in Asia and Europe following a hammering for emerging market currencies and bonds last week. Emerging markets benefited from investment flows when interest rates in the United States and other developed markets were low. But now that the Fed is changing tack, investors are getting out of the emerging markets with large current account deficits, raising fears over their future economic health. “Investors are withdrawing from risky assets, and that includes cyclical commodities,” said Carsten Fritsch, an energy analyst at Commerzbank in Frankfurt. He was surprised Brent had not moved lower given the sell-off in emerging markets. “These are the main drivers of commodities demand,” he said. “If this turmoil leads to slower economic growth, then commodities demand would

cool somewhat.” Analysts also pointed to concerns over Chinese growth following weakerthan-expected data last week. A Reuters poll showed economists expected Chinese GDP growth to slow to 7.4 percent in 2014 from 7.7 percent in 2013.

“Emerging markets have had a turbo boost from loose Federal Reserve monetary policy and Chinese growth with its insatiable commodities demand,” said David Hufton, managing director at PVM Oil Associates.

“Remove one prop and it’s a potential problem. Remove both and the potential is realized.”

Cold weather US crude prices remained underpinned by the freezing conditions across Canada and the United States, which have boosted demand for natural gas and heating oil. US natural gas prices are at a four-year high, and Hansen said it looked as if a heating oil shortage was beginning to develop on the US East Coast.

“That has supported the whole energy complex in the United States,” he said. US crude also gained support from the opening last Wednesday of the southern leg of Transcanada’s Keystone pipeline extension.

This will help alleviate the supply bottleneck at Cushing, Oklahoma, a major delivery point for US crude. The opening led to a narrowing of the spread between Brent and US crude, which is now trading at around $10.63 a barrel, in from around $15 a barrel on Jan 9. — Reuters

TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2014

BUSINESS

US new home sales fall, private sector expands WASHINGTON: Sales of new US single-family homes fell more than expected in December, but lean inventories and steady price gains suggested sufficient strength in the housing market to support the economy.

Other data released yesterday showed that the private sector maintained its growth pace in January. The Commerce Department said new home sales fell 7.0 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 414,000 units.

Sales were at a 445,000-unit pace in November.

Economists polled by Reuters had expected sales, which are measured when

contracts are signed, to slow to a 457,000unit pace in December. The second straight month of declines in sales was likely payback after October’s outsized 14.9 percent increase and may have reflected some drag from cold weather that blanketed most parts of the country last month.

Sales in the Northeast, which was hard hit by frigid temperatures, tumbled 36.4 percent to their slowest pace since June 2012. Home sales are traditionally weak during the winter, and last month’s cold snap could have exaggerated the magnitude of the slowdown.

Though new home sales stumbled in the

summer in the aftermath of a spike in mortgage rates, they have largely weathered the higher home loan costs against the backdrop of tight inventories and improving labor market conditions. Housing is expected to have contributed significantly to economic growth last year, through residential investment and rising home prices that have boosted the net worth of households, allowing for greater discretionary spending.

US Treasuries prices pared earlier losses and stocks were trading lower after the data. Separately, financial data firm Markit said its January “flash” or preliminary servic-

es sector PMI rose to 56.6 from 55.7 last month. It was the strongest reading since last September’s 57.7.

A reading above 50 signals expansion in economic activity. “US service providers reported a busy January, providing an important signal that the economy remains in good health at the start of the year,” said Markit chief economist Chris Williamson.

For all of 2013, a total of 428,000 single family homes were sold. That was the most since 2008 and represented a 16.4 percent increase from the 2012. Last month, the supply of houses on the market fell 2.8 per-

cent to 171,000 units. That was the lowest since July.

The median price of a new home last month rose 4.6 percent from December 2012. New home prices rose 8.4 percent in 2013, the largest increase since 2005. For all of 2013, the median new home price was $265,800, the highest on record. At December’s sales pace it would take 5.0 months to clear the supply of houses on the market. That was up from 4.7 months in November. A supply of 6.0 months is normally considered a healthy balance between supply and demand. —Reuters

No contagion from emerging markets, says Eurogroup chief global stocks sink on global economy fears

MOSCOW: A woman standing under a board listing foreign currency rates against the Russian ruble just outside an exchange office, yesterday and a woman counting money near a board listing foreign currency rates against the Russian ruble. —AFP

Russia’s economy chief cheers ruble slide MOSCOW: Russia’s economy minister yesterday welcomed the ruble’s rapid slide to historic lows as a boon for exporters that should help industry and promote stalling growth. The ruble began trending lower in late December and has lost nearly two percent of its value against both the dollar and euro in the last three trading sessions alone. The euro shot up one percent to 47.65 rubles in the opening minutes before pulling back to around 47.30 in evening trading on the Moscow Exchange-still above the 47.25 record it had set in the worst months of Russia’s 2008-2009 financial crisis.

The dollar was trading at 34.60 rubles after reaching a five-year low point of 34.80. “Like in any panic situation, the future is becoming rather hard to predict,” Austria’s Raiffeisen Bank observed.

The latest moves prompted the US investment giant Goldman Sachs to revise its year-end forecast for the dollar to 35.20 from 33.50 rubles. It added that the euro would probably be worth 41.50 rubles by the end of 2014 rather than the 39.50 target it had originally set.

But Economy Minister Alexei Ulyukayev sounded an upbeat note about the decline that is likely only to spur further ruble selling. “I am not a proponent of stimulating the economy through an artificial weakening of the ruble,” Ulyukayev told Moscow’s Prime business news agency. “But since what we have now is not an artificial but a natural weakening ... then why not enjoy its positive effects?” he asked. “This will help improve the competitiveness of a range of industries,” the economy minister stressed. Central bank chief Elvira Nabiullina also told Russian television that the ruble’s rate “was being set by the market” and gave no hint of a plan to rush to the currency’s defense.

Russia’s industrial production was flat last year amid weak investment and reduced demand-both domestic and foreign-for such factory staples as steel. The Rosstat official statistics agency reported

yesterday that capital investment had actually declined last year by 0.3 percent after initial expectations of a 2.5-percent rise. And economic growth of about 1.4 percent delivered a shock to a Russian government that had initially projected 2013 expansion to come in at 5.0 percent and then accelerate in following years.

Traders attributed the ruble’s latest drop to highly negative investor sentiment about emerging markets and diminishing central bank support for Russia’s beleaguered currency. Moscow intends to introduce a fully floating exchange rate starting next year while shifting its focus to the fight against persistently high inflation measures roundly applauded by economists but feared by consumers.

The Russian central bank eliminated some of its support measures for the ruble earlier this month and no longer spends $60 million (44 million euros) a day on “targeted” intervention measures. It still makes between $200 million and $400 million a day in ruble purchases when the Russian currency slips outside the bounds of a predetermined trading band. But the central bank reserves the right to shift that trading corridor to a higher exchange rate as pressure on the ruble mounts-a step it repeated for the third successive business day yesterday.

VTB Capital noted that the ruble had underperformed emerging market currencies-themselves under their strongest pressure for six months-by about 2.5 percent since the start of the year.

Analysts point both to domestic problems such as a short-term annual growth outlook of no more than 2.5 percent and to foreign factors such as the unresolved political crisis in neighboring Ukraine. Analyst Anton Shabanov at Moscow’s BCS Premier bank added that economic data “from leading euro-zone countries has recently been improving and is providing real support for the single European currency.” —AFP

Cuban emigres toy with idea of coming home HAVANA: Elias and Danessa emigrated from Cuba more than a decade ago. Now they are back, sniffing out prospects for starting up businesses-a novelty made possible by a reform introduced a year ago.

“I want to set up a small scuba diving business. I don’t aspire to be rich. I just want enough to live on,” said Elias, 51, who currently lives in Ecuador. Danessa, 30 and a resident of Spain, wants to set up a movie production company. The country already has many that are technically illegal but tolerated. Legislation is in the works to authorize them outright.

“The idea is modest-to bring in some equipment and provide services to Cuban directors and foreigners that come to the island,” she said to AFP. Migration reform implemented by President Raul Castro in January 2013 eliminated costly and hard-to-get visas that were needed to leave Cuba. But it also made it easier for Cuban emigres to visit home and even return for good.

It even allows people to live “on two shores”-in Cuba and then in the United States or another country. The new law lets Cubans live abroad up to two years without losing the right to reside in Cuba. This is a big change from decades ago, when Cubans who emigrated did so for good.

‘Capitalize on migration’ One of the goals of the reform is to “capitalize on migration, depending on the needs of the country,” said Antonio Aja, director of the Center for Demographic Studies at the University of Havana.

That means having emigres spend time in Cuba, work for Cuba and invest in Cuba-basically, making them part of the island nation, said Aja, one of Cuba’s top experts in migration.

“Cuba must take them into consideration,” he said. Without ignoring the fact that the United States is at the same time Cuba’s main political adversary and its main recipient of emigres, Aja said Cuba has to encourage all emigres in a position to do so to “take part” in the project of nation-building. He said the reform has been very positive from a political, legal and demographic point of view. With the reform, Cuba is moving toward a policy that “responds to the needs of human beings, the people of Cuba, and the interests of the country,” Aja said.

‘My culture is here’ Danessa believes she will fulfill her dream of living and working six months a year in Cuba and the rest in Spain. Despite all the time she has spent abroad, her ties to the island are still strong. “My parents, many friends, my Havana, my culture are all here,” she said. In the first 10 months of the reform, 257,518 trips abroad by Cubans were recorded, according to government figures. These were made by 184,787 people, meaning some left more than once.

Of them 66,510 went to the United States, and 40 percent came back. “It is clear that (many Cubans) are assessing the future,” Aja said. “We have to start getting used to the fact that Cuba is a country of migration and that means some people are going to leave and some are going to stay; they are going to take advantage of the reform,” Aja said.

Emigrants will see “how Cuba’s economy progresses, how Cuban society evolves, how those factors that made them leave and settle in another country are mitigated, and also how the world evolves,” he said. —AFP

BRUSSELS: The euro-zone’s recovery will not be affected by contagion from growing fears over emerging economies, Eurogroup chief Jeroen Dijsselbloem said yesterday. The worries over markets such as Argentina and Turkey come as the euro is overcoming the worst of its debt crisis.

“I think they’re quite different, separate issues,” Dijsselbloem told reporters ahead of a meeting in Brussels of finance ministers from the 18 countries that use the euro. “I don’t think that there will be any contagion coming from those kind of risks in emerging economies back to the euro-zone, no,” the Dutch finance minister added. Spanish Economy Minister Luis de Guindos also played down fears of a knock-on effect on the euro-zone, saying Argentina was unique.

“The case of Argentina is singular. The exposure of Spanish companies is much lower, Argentina is a special case,” he told reporters in Brussels. Fears of turmoil in emerging economies were sparked last week after Argentina’s peso slumped by 14 percent in two days. Turkey’s central bank announced it would hold an extraordinary meeting today as the lira slides further against the euro and the dollar. The ruble has also fallen heavily.

Asian stocks sank yesterday following sharp falls in Europe and the worst losses on Wall Street in seven months on Friday. In Paris, French central bank chief Christian Noyer agreed that the eurozone was unlikely to be affected. “There is no reason that Europe should be particularly hit by problems in a small number of emerging countries,” he said. “I think they can fix them fairly quickly.”

The head of Germany ’s central bank or Bundesbank, Jens Weidmann, who was also in Paris, said the troubles in the emerging markets were a “call to carry out reforms.” Asian and European stock markets were pummeled yesterday by the possibility of slowing growth in China and a further reduction in US central bank stimulus. Asian stocks ended sharply lower as investors sought out havens such as the Japanese yen, which strengthened to a seven week high against the dollar, and gold, which was at its highest in more than two months. Japan’s Nikkei briefly dipped below 15,000 for the first time since mid-November.

In early European trading, the FTSE 100 index

BRUSSELS: (From left): Italian minister of Economy and Finance Fabrizio Saccomanni, Luxembourg Finance Minister Pierre Gramegna and Dutch Finance Minister and Euro-zone President Jeroen Dijsselbloem speak before a euro-zone Finance Ministers meeting at the EU Headquarters in Brussels yesterday. —AFP of leading British companies dropped 1 percent to 6,600.26 while Germany’s DAX dropped 0.5 percent to 9,342.80. France’s CAC 40 fell 0.4 percent to 4,142.70. US stocks were poised for a small rebound after tumbling last week. Dow futures edged up 0.1 percent to 15,836.00.

Broader S&P 500 futures climbed 0.3 percent to 1,788.40 .

Investors were awaiting a two-day meeting of the US Federal Reserve starting today, where officials are expected to reduce the central bank’s monthly bond buying by another $10 billion to $65 billion. Recent signs of a sustained recovery in the world’s biggest economy will play a big role in the decision by Fed officials to scale back stimulus for a second time.

Stock prices in emerging markets have been propped up for years by investors seeking higher returns using a tide of so-called “easy money” from the Fed and other central banks. But now that the end for those policies looks to be near, some investors are fleeing stocks. The capital

flight has slammed some places particularly hard, such as Argentina, where the peso dropped 16 percent against the dollar over two days last week. “The growing turmoil in emerging markets is inflicting damage on risk assets across the board and no letup is expected in the near term,” said Mitul Kotecha, head of global markets research for Asia at Credit Agricole CIB, in a report.

The global sell-off was triggered by the preliminary results Thursday of a survey showing that China’s massive manufacturing industry would contract in January for the first time in six months, the latest sign that a painful slowdown in the world’s No 2 economy is likely to continue. “ We’ve seen brief slowdowns in China before,” said Michael Every, head of financial markets research for Asia-Pacific at Rabobank.

“The difference is we don’t expect to see rapid acceleration again this time, because they’re trying to clamp down on credit growth to prevent nonperforming loans going even higher than they are.” —Agencies

Jordan CB urges govt to stick to IMF reforms AMMAN: Jordan must persist with economic reforms to ensure its economy keeps growing and its budget deficit is under control, the central bank governor said, warning against slackening as financial pressures ease and political pressures mount. Governor Ziyad Fariz said the kingdom needed to move ahead with the main monetary and fiscal targets designed under a three-year standby deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to rejuvenate the aid-dependent economy as it struggles with an influx of Syrian refugees and disruption of energy supplies.

“If we do not take these measures, our ability to continue sustained growth is jeopardized, and we will face a lot of difficulties. Foreign investment will not come and the budget deficit will increase,” Fariz told Reuters on Sunday. In 2011, a sudden jump in Jordan’s energy bill as cheap Egyptian gas supplies dried up, a drop in foreign aid, and soaring payments to accommodate over 600,000 refugees from the civil war in neighboring Syria pushed the kingdom into a financial crisis. Jordan was forced to take a $2 billion IMF loan in 2012.

Under the IMF program, the government eliminated fuel subsidies, sparking widescale civil unrest. It raised electricity prices for industrial consumers last year, and this year began raising power prices for households in a phased program.

It is now moving ahead with an IMF-backed income tax reform law that would increase government revenue by about one percent of gross domestic product.

Other measures include ending heavily subsidized water prices and a controversial plan to streamline bread subsidies through cash transfers.

Signs of progress Fariz cited signs of recovery last year under the program including a 20 percent rise in investment in the first nine months, improved confidence in the currency, more aid from other countries in the Gulf, a revival of exports and a near doubling of reserves to $12 billion in one year alone.

“Jordan has succeeded in containing the negative repercussions of these last two years. But progress needs to be maintained if Jordan is to get back on its feet and get out safely from this crisis,” he said. Fariz said further reforms would help raise the economic growth rate to 5 percent in two years from over 3 percent estimated for 2014. They would slash the budget deficit by nearly half to 4 percent of GDP this year, he said, from around 8 to 9 percent since 2011, excluding foreign aid that covers some of the financing gap. They would reduce public debt to a manageable 60 percent of GDP, about Jordan’s level before heavy borrowing in the 2011 crisis pushed the debt to its current level of around 75 percent, Fariz said. —Reuters

SEOUL: A man gestures as he meditates, in Seoul yesterday. South Korea’s economy grew at a slightly slower 0.9 percent in the fourth quarter of last year, as falling construction investments offset a rise in exports. —AFP

Turkish CB convenes emergency meeting ANKARA: The Turkish central bank announced a crisis policy meeting yesterday, as the lira plunged further against the dollar and euro. The announcement came after the lira hit another record low value against the dollar despite heavy central bank intervention in the foreign exchange market last week.

“The Monetary Policy Committee is to convene on January 28 to evaluate recent developments and take precautions which are necessary for price stability,” the bank said in a statement. After the announcement, the lira recovered to 2.3346 against the dollar, after tumbling to a record low of 2.3616 to the dollar and 3.2345 to the euro in morning trading. The Istanbul stock exchange lost by 1.36 percent to reach 63,555.14 points. Last week, Turkey’s central bank ploughed at least $2 billion (1.5 billion euros) into the foreign exchange market to shore up the currency, which has been hitting record lows almost daily this year.

The bank has statutory independence but has been under strong political pressure not to raise interest rates. The fall of the lira is rooted in an escalating political crisis over the corruption scandal that ensnared key allies of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as well as concerns about the economy.

But government officials have played down the impact of the crisis on the economy as being only “temporary”. The central bank has so far refrained from raising interest rates to defend the lira amid government concerns that any rise in rates could jeopardize the growth target.

The government has forecast that growth will

pick up from an expected rate of 3.6 percent in 2013 to 4.0 percent for this year-down from more than 8.0 percent achieved in 2010 and 2011. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has cut its forecast to 3.3 percent.

Turkey, like other emerging markets, is also vulnerable to US Federal Reserve plans to taper its monetary stimulus as it reduces access to cheaper funds to cover its account deficit, currently at over 7.0 percent of gross domestic product. The London-based Capital Economics said in a statement that market turbulence in emerging markets including Turkey had led to talk of a “new crisis”.

It listed Turkey among those countries which have lived beyond their means and now face a period of weaker growth. In addition to South Africa, parts of South East Asia and some countries in Latin America, Turkey falls into the category of countries that are “most vulnerable to Fed tapering and the shift towards tighter global monetary conditions over the next couple of years”, Capital Economics said. Analysts say that the Turkish government created an “obsession” about interest rates, prompting the central bank to draw on its foreign currency war-chest but they warn that this response is unlikely to be sustainable.

When the governing Justice and Development Party (AKP) was shaken by nationwide unrest in June, Erdogan blamed various groups, including what he called an “interest rate lobby”.

This referred to pressure in some quarters for a rise in interest rates to support the currency and retain foreign capital. —AFP

TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2014

BUSINESS

FASTtelco participates in InfoConnect Exhibition 2014 Al-Babtain: FASTtelco unveils its latest roaming service

Abdul Aziz Yaqoub Al-Babtain, Vice-President of Commercial Sales at FASTtelco

KUWAIT: FASTtelco, the leading Internet Service Provider in Kuwait, is participating in the InfoConnect Exhibition being held at the Kuwait International Fair Grounds in Mishref, from January 26 to February 1, 2014.

Infoconnect is one of the most professionally organized trade shows in Kuwait, dedicated exclusively to the computer applications and information technology sector. Considered as one of most successful consumer technology shows in the region due to its large number of participants and attendees.

Commenting on FASTtelco’s participation, Abdul Aziz Yaqoub Al-Babtain, Vice-President of Commercial Sales at FASTtelco, stated: “The InfoConnect exhibition plays a particular role in strengthening the company’s relation

with its customers. Today, we are here to prove this statement through unveiling our latest Roaming Internet Service, enabling customers the flexibility and ease to stay up-to-date and connected to the internet while traveling abroad.

Al-Babtain further added, “FASTtelco is also set to showcase its latest “Dark Fiber” internet connection package, with connectivity speeds reaching rocket high as 1000 Mbps. The “Dark Fiber” marks FASTtelco’s latest breakthrough in network configuration and utilization, enabling the customers to witness speeds that were never introduced to the public before, which on the other hand, reflect FASTtelco’s efforts in satisfying its loyal and potential customers’ needs and requirements.

FASTtelco invites all its customers

to visit its booth at InfoConnect where many other packages are also unveiled: a daily draw for a lifetime Internet service, in addition to a 30 days price warranty, routers sold for KD25 with a 3 months free Internet service, as well as a large number of instant Scratch and Win prizes such as DVD players, televisions, cameras, and many more. Moreover, new customers will have the opportunity to win a three-month free Internet service with every subscription.

In the end, FASTtelco’s mission is to continue serving its customers and differentiate itself from other ISPs by proposing new strategies for increasing the availability of high-quality, competitively-priced Internet and data communication services.

Warba appoints Shaheen Al-Ghanim as Deputy CEO, Investment & Treasury KUWAIT: Warba Bank announced the appointment of Shaheen Hamad Al-Ghanim as Deputy CEO for Investment & Treasury. Al-Ghanim enjoys an extensive experience of nineteen years in the banking industry, worked through which in various prominent economic entities in Kuwait.

Al-Ghanim is expected to assume office, at the beginning of March 2014,as a Deputy CEO Investment & Treasury. Having held numerous leading and professional posts, he has got a great experience in managing banking businesses and leading work teams, which will enable him to smoothly honor his new duties and responsibilities. Al-Ghanim’s appointment constitutes an added value and a significant human investment for Warba Bank, particularly in the present phase of the bank’s life, which marks fierce competition and fast-moving changes in the local and global banking markets.

In addition, Al-Ghanim is a board member in diverse economic entities on the local, GCC and

Shaheen Hamad Al-Ghanim global levels, which gives special characteristics to his practical experience in the banking area.

His memberships in specialized and effective internal committees add a great value to his experience as well as academic study in the field

of banking services and business industry.

It is noteworthy that Al-Ghanim holds MBA from Maastricht University and Bachelor ’s Degree in Accounting from Kuwait University; has various certificates acquired throughout his long service in the banking sector; and has attended advanced courses locally and globally, namely the General Management Program organized by Harvard University. Throughout his long tenure, Al-Ghanim has acquired the skills of studying, developing and monitoring all types of work strategies, which reflects work culture. He has also been recognized for his expert follow up on the operational plans in line with the bank’s policies, and objectives achievement assurance plans, as well as his great support of the organizational structures in order to provide the professional work environment required to promote staff competencies, nurture the spirit of teamwork, and encourage staff to engage in the work environment with a view to achieve the optimum performance and productivity.

‘Markaz Arabian Fund’ achieves return of 27.9% for 2013 KUWAIT: Kuwait Financial Centre “Markaz” announced that Markaz Arabian Fund “MAF” achieved an annual return of 27.9 percent for the year 2013 beating the S&P Pan Arab Benchmark with an active return of 1.3 percent net of fees. Markaz attributes gains to better stock selection and conservative sector allocation, which kept the volatility and downside risk range bound within each of the countries invested.

In assessing the 2013 performance, Markaz noted that major performance catalysts in Arabian markets included the positive outlook for Saudi Government initiatives, Dubai’s strong rebound of Real Estate sector combined with its healthy corporate earnings, and MSCI decision to include UAE and Qatar in its Emerging markets index.

Moreover, GCC States’ increased investments in non-oil sectors in addition to Qatar and Oman markets moved sentiments on higher dividend yields has played a key role in boosting the GCC markets’ performance. Other international factors included US equities extended global gains which trickled across the GCC. Markaz Arabian Fund “MAF” was overweight in UAE and Qatar while staying on the sidelines in Egypt.

This allocation served a comfortable risk-reward construction to the investors due to the fund’s positioning with nil to least exposure to politically troubled countries. The MAF’s top performers were heavyweights such as EMAR Properties, FGB, SABIC and Al Rajhi Bank, which were in line with the Fund’s strategy to pick stocks with high liquidity and growth potential.

Markaz expects GCC stock markets to start 2014 on a strong note because of positive trends in overseas markets and expectations for solid global economic growth. The drivers that will keep the regional markets buoyant in 2014 include continued spending

by GCC governments, implementation of the MSCI decision to upgrade UAE and Qatar, Dubai World Expo 2020, and the strong fundamentals of GCC economies. The MAF is poised to take advantage of higher sector allocations in Basic Materials, Banks and Consumer retail and the Fund continues to double down on due diligence and fine-tune the bubble avoidance radar, with an optimistic outlook for the Arabian markets.

A parking lot at Caterpillar Belgium, in Gosselies, Belgium. —AP

Caterpillar Q4 results top analysts’ expectations NEW YORK: Caterpillar’s fourth-quarter net income rose compared with results weighed down by a large impairment charge a year ago. Its performance topped Wall Street’s view.

The US-based company ’s board approved a new $10 billion buyback.

Caterpillar also provided a 2014 forecast above analysts’ estimates. Its shares climbed more than 6 percent in premarket trading yesterday. For the period ended Dec 31, Caterpillar Inc - which makes mining gear, construction and forestry equipment and large power generators - earned $1 billion, or $1.54 per share. That compares with $697 million, or $1.04 per share, a year earlier. The prior-year period included an impairment charge of 87 cents per share, partially offset by a tax settlement of 45 cents per share.

Analysts surveyed by FactSet expected earnings of $1.27 per share for the latest quarter. Revenue declined 10 percent to $14.4 billion from $16.08 billion, but still beat Wall Street’s forecast of $13.41 billion.

Full-year net income dropped to $3.79 billion, or $5.75 per share, from $5.68 billion, or $8.48 per share, in the previous year.

Annual revenue fell 16 percent to $55.66 billion from $65.88 billion, hurt mostly by a sharp decline in sales of new machines for mining.

For 2014, the company anticipates adjusted earnings of $5.85 per share on revenue of about $56 billion. Analysts predict earnings of $5.75 per share on revenue of $55.36 billion.

Caterpillar said it plans to repurchase about $1.7 billion shares of its common stock in the first quarter. The company said this move should complete its existing $7.5 billion repurchase program set to expire on Dec. 31, 2015. With the anticipated completion of the program, Caterpillar said its board approved a $10 billion repurchase program that is set to expire on Dec. 31, 2018. The company’s stock gained $5.38, or 6.2 percent, to $91.55 in premarket trading about 75 minutes before the market open. —AP

China details $3tn local public debt risk BEIJING: China’s local governments have published separate audit reports detailing their combined public debt of $3 trillion for the first time ever, to increase transparency and quell investor concerns.

The audits showed China’s wealthiest eastern provinces are the most indebted, though repayment burdens are more onerous in poorer areas such as the southwestern province of Guizhou, where the ratio of debt to GDP is the highest, at 79 percent. Most governments were shown repaying the vast majority of their debt on time, though a handful, such as Inner Mongolia, have fallen behind, with the portion of loans due but unpaid running as high as 28 percent.

The burst of transparency follows criticisms from some experts this month that China was not releasing enough information about its local debt troubles, widely regarded by investors as the biggest threat to its $9.4-trillion economy. “The issues are the most pertinent in the poorer parts of the country,” said Louis Kuijs, an economist at RBS in Hong Kong. “Those parts of the country have difficulty repaying their debt.” Spurred by the need to sustain brisk growth in the world’s second-biggest economy, Chinese local governments have borrowed heavily over the years to

fund non-lucrative public works such as sewage systems and railway lines.

Though some analysts welcome the public works and say China is right to build its infrastructure now before costs escalate as its economy grows, others worry that rapid investment has generated waste and sowed the seeds for bad loans. Audit statements from 30 of China’s 31 local regions, provinces and municipalities showed the governments of Jiangsu, Guangdong and Sichuan are the three most indebted, with Jiangsu borrowing the most, at 1.5 trillion yuan.

Tibet was the only region that did not release an audit report. In terms of total debt as a portion of local gross domestic product, however, Guizhou, Chongqing and Yunnan led the league.

The Beijing local government was at the top of the table in terms of money borrowed as a percentage of annual fiscal income at 100 percent, followed by Chongqing’s 93 percent and Guizhou’s 92 percent.

Worrisome but not a crisis China released its most comprehensive audit of local government finances last month in response to mounting investor skepticism that its local debt problems are worse than official numbers suggest. The report showed debt surging 67

percent in two years, far more than officials had publicly admitted. But analysts said it did not suggest China was on the verge of a crisis as total government debt is worth around 58 percent of the economy, far from the levels of Greece and Japan, where public finances are strained. Fears that China may suffer higher bad debt levels imperilling its financial system were compounded in the past two years by its cooling economy, where growth narrowly missed a 14-year-low forecast in 2013.

The audit reports showed a handful of governments were struggling to repay some loans. Inner Mongolia seemed to be under the most strain, with overdue loans that have not been paid making up 28 percent of total debt.

The governments in Gansu, Shandong, Shanxi and Jiangxi also reported that unpaid loans accounted for between 8 and 10 percent of total debt. Standard & Poor’s expects 30 percent of bank loans to local Chinese governments to sour if borrowers are not aided by other authorities, the rating agency said in a report last week.

“Nonetheless, we don’t see an imminent risk of a systemic crisis from local government debt,” it said, adding that China’s banks are buffered by strong profit growth. —Reuters

BUENOS AIRES: A man points forward as he passes in front of a board displaying going rates of US dollars at a foreign exchange business in Buenos Aires yesterday. The Argentine government announced Friday it was relaxing restrictions on the purchase of US dollars. —AP

Argentina eases public’s access to dollars BUENOS AIRES: Argentina eased unpopular restrictions on dollar purchases for the first time in more than two years yesterday after allowing the peso to plummet in value last week in a bid to stem capital flight. The peso held its value in early trading yesterday at a little over eight to the dollar, the financial website Ambito.com said.

Buenos Aires kept a $2,000 monthly limit on the amount of hard currency its citizens will be allowed to purchase, as the new policy went into effect softening currency restrictions in place since 2011.

Jorge Capitanich, head of President Cristina Kirchner’s cabinet, announced the limits at a news conference. He said large businesses and investors will be barred from the hard currency purchases.

Instead, permission to purchase dollars will be restricted to “salaried workers, professionals, self-employed workers and small business owners,” provided they earn more than $900 (7,200 pesos) a month, Capitanich said. If their request is approved, he said, they will be given access to the dollars after 72 hours. The transactions will have to be approved by AFIP, the national tax agency, he said.

Capitanich said the government has reversed a decision announced last week to lower a surcharge on dollar purchases from 35 percent to 20 percent.

That surcharge now will remain at 35 percent, he said.

Economist Rodrigo Alvarez said it was unlikely that the easier access to hard currency will lead to an end in black market trading. “We will continue to have parallel markets,” he said.

“Everything depends on what happens once the spigot of dollars is opened, and that’s barely begun,” he said. Buenos Aires made the announcement late last week that it was ending unpopular measures put in place in November 2011 that had restricted Argentinians’ access to foreign currency to prevent capital flight.

Last week’s decision to ease access to dollars was made after the Argentine

peso suffered its worst single-day fall in more than a decade. Since the beginning of the year, the peso has lost about a fifth of its value, and the measure was seen as a bid to halt that precipitous slide by boosting confidence in the economy.

The recent economic upheaval comes 12 years after Buenos Aires roiled financial markets by defaulting on nearly $100 billion in bonds, unleashing a tidal wave of capital flight and runaway inflation.

Argentines remain traumatized by the 2001 collapse, which wiped out the savings of millions of people from the middle class and saw the end of the peso’s fixed exchange rate to the dollar.

Officials said this week’s currency market changes, which are a de facto devaluation of the peso, are being put in place to avoid a repeat of that fiasco.

Capitanich told reporters last week that in the opinion of the government, the exchange rate has reached an acceptable level” of about eight pesos to the dollar under a policy of “managed flotation.”

Early trading yesterday showed that the peso was holding steady at that rate, and was trading on the black market at about 11.7 pesos per dollar. Managing the currency has driven down the central bank’s foreign currency reserves to $29.5 billion last week from $52 billion in 2011.

The devaluation will likely exacerbate inflation, which was running at 26 percent last year, according to private sector estimates.

Continued inflations at that rate could lead to more capital flight, as Argentinians seeks a safe harbor for their hard-earned savings, experts said. And that could stall already-slow economic growth and spill over into government finances, because of the state’s costly spending to subsidize imported consumer items like fuel. The looser foreign exchange controls were put in place yesterday in the absence of Kirchner, who is in Cuba for a two day summit of Latin American and Caribbean states that begins today. —AFP

‘Scratch & win’ and factory-price diamonds at Joyalukkas KUWAIT: Joyalukkas has announced 10 days of guaranteed winnings for all customers from 23 January to 01 February, 2014. Customers shopping for gold or precious jewelry worth KD 500, or purchasing diamond, polki and pearl jewelry worth KD 250 and more will get an opportunity to ‘Scratch & Win’ exciting prizes. Every customer shopping for the set purchase value will be a winner during the 10-day promotion period.

“We believe in rewarding our valued shoppers from time to time and this special promotion is in line with our ‘spirit of giving’ initiative. This ‘Scratch & Win’ opportunity we are offering against the purchases is a campaign that has been launched across the GCC and in Singapore. We will make every Joyalukkas shopper a winner

during the 10 day period,” said John Paul Joy Alukkas, Executive Director, Joyalukkas Group.

Joyalukkas has also announced a ‘Factory-price Sale’ during the same period, which is an opportunity for diamond lover to purchase a range of exquisite diamond jewelry designs at rock bottom prices. The ‘Factory-price Sale’ has been arranged at the Joyalukkas Jewellery showroom located in Panasonic Tower, Kuwait City.

Joyalukkas Jewellery is one of the largest jewelry chains in the world and offers a choice of over One Million designs in gold, precious, diamond, polki and pearl Jewelry. The world renowned brand has won Superbrand status four years in a row and has a customer base of over 10 million people around the globe.

Burgan Bank announces winners of Yawmi account draw KUWAIT: Burgan Bank announced yesterday the names of the lucky winners of its Yawmi account draw, each taking home a prize of KD 5,000.

The lucky winners for the daily draws took home a cash-prize of KD 5000 each, and they are: l 1. Abdulaziz Khalil Al Jamous l 2. Falah Ayedh Hamdan Aldaasah l 3. Yousif Abdulwahab Hasan Alqattan With its new and enhanced features, the Yawmi Account has become more convenient, easier, and faster for customers to benefit from. Now, customers will be eligible to enter the draw after 48 hours only from opening the account.

Customers are also required to deposit KD 100 or equivalent only to enter the daily draw, and the coupon value to enter the draw stands at KD 10.

The newly designed Yawmi account has been launched to provide a highly innovative offering along with a higher

frequency and incentive of winning for everyone. Today, the Yawmi account is a well understood product, where its popularity can be seen from the number of increasing account holders.

Burgan Bank encourages everyone to open a Yawmi account and/or increase their deposit to maximize their chances to becoming a daily winner. The more customers deposit, the higher the chances they receive of winning the draw.

Opening a Yawmi account is simple, customers are urged to visit their nearest Burgan Bank branch and receive all the details, or simply call the bank’s Call Center at 1804080 where customer service representatives will be delighted to assist with any questions on the Yawmi account or any of the bank’s products and services. Customers can also log on to Burgan Bank’s www.burgan.com for further information.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2014

technology

Bitstrips amuses, annoys as its comics go viral SAN FRANCISCO: Bitstrips may seem like a sudden sensation now that the app maker’s comic vignettes are all over Facebook and other social networks. But the Toronto startup’s success was a drawn-out process. The concept for a mobile application that lets people turn their lives into comic strips took shape as a high school diversion more than 20 years ago. That’s when Jacob Blackstock drew a profane spoof of Charlie Brown and Lucy Van Pelt from the “Peanuts” comic strip and passed it to Shahan Panth, who sat behind him in 12th-grade English class. Even though a teacher reprimanded them for boorish behavior, a snickering Panth encouraged Blackstock to continue expressing his irreverent take on life through comics.

The two friends remained in touch after high school, often relying on comics as a way to communicate and needle each other. When Panth landed his first job out of college at an insurance company, Blackstock made it a point to fax a crude comic featuring his friend each day. “I can’t even repeat some of the things that he would say in those comics, but it was as about bad as you can possibly imagine,” Panth says.

Goofing off eventually turned into a business. In 2007, Blackstock and Panth decided to start Bitstrips in an attempt to create a comic-strip version of YouTube. Bitstrips remained a novelty service confined to customizing comics within Web browsers until October, when the company released a mobile application for iPhones, iPads and devices running on Android software.

But Blackstock, 38, and Panth, 39, are getting the last laugh as their once-quirky pastime turns into a worldwide phenomenon. More than 30 million people in 90 countries have turned themselves into comic-book characters on Bitstrips’ mobile applications.

Google, which tracks people’s interests through its

widely used search engine, rated Bitstrips as the trendiest app of 2013, eclipsing the likes of Twitter’s Vine video app, Facebook’s Instragram photo app, King.com’s Candy Crush game and SnapChat’s ephemeral messaging app.

“A ridiculous amount of people have been loving Bitstrips so much that many of them are sharing their comics to the point that it can be overwhelming to those that aren’t into it,” said Blackstock, who is Bitstrips’ CEO and creative director. With hopes of preventing a backlash to its application, Bitstrips recently added options that allow users to share their comics with a limited group of people instead of broadcasting through their Facebook networks or other digital hangouts.

Bitstrips’ free mobile apps triggered the craze by making it easy for anyone with a smartphone or tablet computer to quickly create and post comics featuring themselves and a friend depicted in different scenarios. The apps provide thousands of comic scenes to choose from, then allows each user to create their own captions. The overwhelming response surprised Blackstock and Panth, who had to scramble to increase Bitstrips’ computing capacity to keep with the intense demand. They now have a staff of 17 workers and have raised $3 million from Horizons Ventures in Hong Kong.

The seed money will help keep the service running until Blackstock and Panth figure out how to generate revenue from Bitstrips’ rapidly growing audience. One possibility: The company could charge users for extra Bitstrips features that would allow them to do things like insert themselves into comics that also feature characters from their favorite TV show or movie.

Horizon Ventures’ backing of Bitstrips is notable because it is run by Li Ka-shing, whose track record includes early investments in other now-popular digi-

Samsung, Google ink patent-sharing deal SEOUL: Samsung said yesterday it had signed a long-term cross-licence deal with Google in a move to help the South Korean technology firm stave off potential patent disputes in the future. The move comes as the South Korean firm is engaged in a series of long-running copyright infringement rows with Apple over technology and design in the firms’ smartphones and tablets. Samsung said in a statement yesterday that its agreement with US Internet search giant Google will cover the firms’ existing patents as well as those filed over the next 10 years. It said it would cover “a broad range of technologies and business areas”, without elaborating further.

“By working together on agreements like this, companies can reduce the potential for litigation and focus instead on innovation,” Allen Lo, Google’s deputy general counsel for patents, said in the statement. Samsung said the latest deal would pave the way for deeper collaboration on research and development.

“Samsung and Google are showing the rest of the industry that there is more to gain from cooperating than engaging in unnecessary patent disputes,” said Ahn Seung-Ho, the head of Samsung’s intellectual property centre.

Almost all of Samsung’s smartphones and tablet computers are powered by the Android operating system made by Google. But Google’s purchase of Motorola Mobility and the rollout of its own Nexus mobile devices raised questions that the two partners may soon directly compete against each other.

Samsung - the world’s top maker of smartphones and TVs - has repeatedly locked horns with its US rival Apple in global patent battles over technology and design in smartphones and tablet computers. Earlier this month, the companies’ chief executives agreed to attend a mediation session to discuss their legal wrangles, one of which saw a US court order Samsung to pay Apple more than $900 million. — AFP

Apps create playlists to suit mood, personality TORONTO: Looking for some great videos to watch but not sure where to start? New apps aim to make the decision easier by selecting clips to suit a person’s personality and mood. An app called 5by helps users sort through content online by selecting videos from YouTube and the video-sharing website Vimeo to suit what they are doing, and how much time they have. “When you go to YouTube you see a sea of content and recommendations, but sometimes it’s hard to figure out what to watch,” said Greg Isenberg, chief executive officer of 5by, a Canadian company now based in San Francisco after being acquired by the website StumbleUpon in 2013.

“Entertainment needs to be easy. We’re like a video concierge that is continually asking questions to get you to the right playlist,” he added.

The app, for iPads and iPhones in English, asks users questions about topics such as their activities, what their friends are like, and their dream vacation to understand the kind of video they would enjoy. It also recommends video playlists based on the day of the week and time. On a Friday afternoon, it might suggest playlists for

commuting or to show to their friends. The app then asks how much time they have, and cues up videos based on that. An editorial team selects the videos for the app. The company designed the technology to predict what a user is most likely to enjoy based on their personality and the types of videos they watch.

Another app called Rabt, for iPads and iPhones, curates 60 minutes of videos each day based on a user’s personality and preferences.

After downloading the app, users are asked to select photos that most resemble their personality, which the app uses to learn about them. Users can also rate videos with both apps. For music lovers, Songza, a free app for iPhones and iPads, Android, Windows Phone, Blackberry and other devices, curates playlists based on time of day and a user’s activity and mood. Last year, Google revealed that 40 percent of its YouTube traffic was from mobile devices, up 25 percent from the previous year, showing that more consumers want to watch videos while on the go. Isenberg of 5by said the humorous videos are the most popular category in the app. — Reuters

TORONTO: In this Dec 19, 2013 photo, Bitstrips CEO and Creative Director Jacob Blackstock (left) and cofounder Shahan Panth pose for a photo at the company’s offices. — AP tal services such as Facebook, Spotify, Skype and Waze. Facebook now boasts a $144 billion market value while Skype sold to Microsoft for $8.5 billion and Waze sold for nearly $1 billion to Google. Spotify remains a privately held company that doesn’t disclose its finances, but the market value of its music streaming service has been pegged above $4 billion.

Blackstock, who is nicknamed “BA” in reference to a sound he made as a child, thinks Bitstrips will prove his ideas weren’t quite as goofy as they seemed when his high school English teacher caught him drawing cheeky comics a few decades ago. “We don’t see this as a joke engine,” Blackstock says. “We see this as a new medium for self-expression.” — AP

Ageing ISS a space lab of ‘unlimited’ opportunity NASA insists station worth the trouble and expense WASHINGTON: It may be 350 km above Earth and a place that only a privileged few will ever visit, but the International Space Station is crucial to advances in science, health and technology, experts say. Earlier this month, NASA said the life of the $100 billion ISS would be extended by four years, or until at least 2024, allowing for more global research and scientific collaboration. John Holdren, a senior White House adviser on science and technology, hailed the space station - mainly built with US money - as “a unique facility that offers enormous scientific and societal benefits.

“The Obama administration’s decision to extend its life until at least 2024 will allow us to maximize its potential, deliver critical benefits to our nation and the world and maintain American leadership in space,” he said.

The orbiting outpost, which was launched to fanfare in 1998, has more living space than a sixbedroom house and comes complete with Internet access, a gym, two bathrooms and a 360-degree bay window offering spectacular views of Earth. Its entire structure is made up of various working and sleeping modules, and extends the length of a football field (about 100 m), making it four times bigger than the Russian space station Mir and about five times as large as the US Skylab.

The ageing structure requires regular maintenance, which is done by astronauts who don spacesuits and venture outside the lab. One such repair was completed Christmas Eve when two Americans stepped out to replace a failed ammonia pump that served to cool equipment at the ISS. Julie Robinson, an ISS scientist at NASA, insisted that the space station, which has a mass of 420,000 kg but is near-weightless in space, is worth the trouble and expense. The ISS, which is maintained by a rotating crew of six astronauts and cosmonauts who have hailed from 14 countries, allows scientists to study the long-term effects of weightlessness on the human body, she said, while testing new space technologies that will be essential for missions to Mars.

“The goal of using the space station is to make discoveries that cannot be made anywhere else... and do research that is really focused on bringing benefits back to Earth by developing knowledge that can directly help

STAR CITY, Russia: NASA astronaut Timothy Kopra (left), Russian cosmonaut Sergey Zalyotin (right) and ESA astronaut Timothy Peake take part in a survival training exercise outside Moscow on Jan 22, 2014. — AFP bio-medical treatments, make new materials, have better Earth and climate observations,” she told AFP. Robinson added that “many of our early research results are making their way into drug development, medical technologies, pathways.

We also have Earth-remote sensitive instruments that provide unique data about the Earth and its climate and there are a number of new instruments going up in the next two years. “When you put all of that together it’s really an extraordinary set of benefits back here on Earth.”

Robinson noted that a robotic arm used at the space station can save lives during brain surgery. “What was special about this one is the ability of the arm to perform inside an MRI machine so that doctors are able to see the tumor and then use the ability of the robotic arm to be more stable than the human hand,” she said. “ Those two things together have allowed surgery on patients who were considered inoperable before.”

Cheryl Nickerson, a professor of microbiology at Arizona State University, has been involved since 2006 in research that has taken

place as part of the space program, for example homing in on the salmonella bacteria that causes food poisoning. “I believe that the discovery potential at microgravity research is enormous and holds potential to provide ground-breaking discoveries in some of the major causes of human morbidity and mortality on Earth,” she said. “That stems from the fact that there is no way on Earth that we can study our cells and biological systems respond without the force of gravity affecting it.”

Robinson described the possibilities at the ISS as “unlimited”, and noted that a growing amount of private money was supporting research at the space station. “This is an era of space research that is unlike the past and we are looking at the decades ahead as the time when science can finally pursue these boundaries, explore these frontiers and make these unique discoveries,” she said. “I think as we look back, 20 or 30 years from now, we will call this the era of the space station... because of the number of advances and benefits that will come out.” — AFP

Israeli defence computer hit

TEL AVIV: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shows a mobile phone, saying how unprotected electronic devices are, during his opening speech of the ‘CyberTech 2014’ international conference yesterday. — AFP

JERUSALEM: Hackers attacked Israeli computers including one used by the defence ministry department dealing with civilians in the occupied West Bank, an Israeli data protection expert said yesterday. “At the beginning of this month a number of mails were sent to a number of companies in Israel, including security organisations,” Aviv Raff, chief technology officer at Israeli cyber security firm Seculert told army radio. “There was an attachment... and whoever opened it was infected with a virus, a Trojan Horse, which allowed the attackers to control those computers. One of the computers belonged to the Civil Adminstration,” he said in reference to the defence ministry department, which is staffed by the military.

Asked to comment on the report, the military said in a written statement to AFP: “The reports of the incident are currently being looked into.” Raff did not identify the source of the attack but the radio said it was “apparently from Gaza” and added that 15 Israeli computers were targeted. It said that only the Civil Administration’s public network was affected and that no classified communications were compromised. Raff said that the virus allowed the attacker “complete control of the infected computers. The attackers could carry out any operation within that network.” “The moment that we detected it we cancelled the hackers’ control and notified the relevant authorities,” he added.

Israeli politicians and security officials often warn of the dangers of hacking and say they have thwarted numerous attempted attacks. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told cabinet ministers on Sunday that during his visit to the World Economic Forum in Davos he found extensive interest in Israel’s cyber security capabilities. “It is widely understood that in the information age information must be protected, otherwise there will be chaos; the jungle,” he said. “The assessment is that Israel, due to our special circumstances, could offer various solutions in this area. It is clear that there is a great opportunity and challenge for us here.” — AFP

NAIROBI: A team led by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) fit a GPS-tracking collar to a tranquilized male lion in Nairobi National Park on Jan 25, 2014. — AP

Hi-tech help to stop human-lion conflict NAIROBI: Kenyan wildlife authorities are fitting livestock-raiding lions with a collar that alerts rangers when the predators venture out of Nairobi National Park. Livestock farmers, especially Maasai herdsmen, track and kill lions to avenge the loss of animals, threatening the existence of 35 to 40 lions at the park on the outskirts of the Kenyan capital. Spokesman Paul Muya of the Kenya

Wildlife Service, said yesterday rangers will be able to move to areas where the lion have encroached using coordinates sent by the collars and return the animals to the park. The collars send GPS coordinates by text messages to a rangers’ cell phones.

Two lions were fitted with collars Saturday, Muya said. Collars will be fitted to 10 lions from different prides. — AP

H E A LT H & S C I E N C E

TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2014

China ‘downgrades’ bird flu description as ‘infectious’ H7N9 cases spike ahead of Lunar New Year

ZHEJIANG: Chinese workers cleaning the slaughtered sharks at a processing factory located in Pu Qi in China’s Zhejiang province. A factory which processes around 600 whale sharks annually has been found in southern China, a conservation group said yesterday, calling it the world’s biggest slaughterhouse for the endangered species.

The slaughterhouse also handles other species of sharks including blue sharks and basking sharks and produces 200 tons of shark oil annually from the three species, its owner — identified only as Li —said in undercover video footage released by the group. — AFP

1 in 4 Japan tsunami kids needs psychiatric care TOKYO: One in four nursery school children caught up in Japan’s 2011 tsunami disaster has psychiatric problems caused by the horrors of loss and destruction, with experts warning of a dire shortage of psychiatrists.

Researchers say that for some children, the effects may be felt throughout their lifetimes unless they get the help they so urgently need. A study found 25.9 percent of children aged between three and five suffer from symptoms including vertigo, nausea and headaches, with some exhibiting worrying behavior such as violence or withdrawal. Youngsters were scarred by losing friends, seeing their homes destroyed, by separation from parents or by the sight of the huge wall of water that crashed ashore, the study team said.

The group, led by professor Shigeo Kure of Tohoku University School of Medicine, said young children who do not receive the necessary care could develop much worse problems in later life.

These could include developmental disorders and learning disabilities, which would affect academic achievement and employment prospects, “as they may have trouble in communicating with other people due to the influence of experiences related to the disaster”, Kure told AFP. More than 18,000 people died when a 9.0-magnitude undersea earthquake sent a towering tsunami into Japan’s northeast coast in March 2011. The country’s worst post-World War II disaster was compounded by reactor meltdowns at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, which sent tens of thousands of people fleeing from radiation.

Researchers looked at 178 children whose parents or guardians agreed to cooperate in the three areas worst-hit by the catastrophe -Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima. They used an internationally recognized child behavior checklist and met children between September 2012

and June last year.

The level of children who need psychiatric care is up to three times that seen in parts of Japan unaffected by the disaster-for example, 8.5 percent of children in Mie prefecture in central Japan need help.

“I was surprised at the percentage of children who need medical care. I didn’t expect it would be this high,” Kure said.

“These children who were part of our study have received and will keep receiving psychiatric care in the coming years, but another issue is how to make contact with children whose need for psychiatric care has not yet been identified,” he said.

“I imagine there are lots of children, who seemingly are leading normal lives but show behavior that needs a doctor’s attention, for example, waking up suddenly at midnight or biting their nails.”

What makes the situation more difficult is the scarcity of child psychiatrists in rural Japan, he continued.

Even in Sendai, the biggest city in the area with a population of more than a million, “there are only a handful of child psychiatrists as far as I know,” he said.

“What child psychiatrists in our team have been doing is to ask parents and teachers to pay attention to children” due partly to the shortage of psychiatrists, he said.

Makiko Okuyama of the National Center for Child Health and Development, who took part in the study, said the results were worrying. “It is known that children need (psychiatric) care right after an earthquake disaster, but this study was done more than a year and half after the fact, so that concerns me,” she said, according to the Mainichi Shimbun.

An official at the health ministry said officials would closely examine the final report when it is produced in around two months’ time and consider whether current psychiatric healthcare provision is meeting needs. — AFP

Good habits, fiery spirit give Canadian athlete, 94, her edge NEW YORK: For 94-year-old Canadian Olga Kotelko, it’s not the high jump, javelin throw, pole vault or sprint that poses the biggest fitness challenge. It’s finding someone age-appropriate to compete against.

Kotelko, a Vancouver-based retired schoolteacher, took up track and field at age 77.

She has a closet full of medals, but with so few other women athletes in her age bracket, she often finds herself competing against 80-to 85-year-olds, or men.

“I love competing against athletes my own age but if I don’t have any, I’ll compete against myself,” said Kotelko, who sprints, throws and jumps in 11 track and field events. Kotelko defies the standard image of aging and typefies what scientists call compression of morbidity. She has managed to postpone the onset of chronic or debilitating illness and is still going strong.

Born on a farm in Saskatchewan, Kotelko played softball in her youth, but did not take up another sport until after retirement, when she became addicted to track and field. To keep her edge, she works out for at least an hour and a half every day.

She takes a water aerobics class three times a week, and regularly does stretching exercises, deep breathing, and reflexology for her hands and feet.

“I’ll end up with splits,” said Kotelko, who often hits the exercise mat in the middle of a sleepless night. Canadian author Bruce Grierson lives near Kotelko. While bedeviled by his own midlife aches and pains, he was so astonished by her feats that he persuaded her to allow scientists to study her in hopes of uncovering her secret to aging well. His recent book “What Makes Olga Run “ chronicles her story and the test results. “She was curious about her own physiology, so she agreed to be a bit of an open book,” Grierson, 51, said. The results of the scientific studies at The Beckman Institute in Urbana, Illinois, which did a battery of MRIs and memory and cognitive tests on Kotelko, show that her health and prowess are mainly due to a combination of good habits, a positive attitude, and her

naturally driven personality.

“It’s impossible to tease out what’s driving the bus,” he said, “But genes aren’t the half of it with Olga. It’s the way she has lived her life.” Tests showed that, by some measures, Kotelko has the brain of a 50- or 60-year-old, according to Grierson. Often the gap between brain and skull grows with aging but Kotelko’s resembles that of a much younger person.

Her hippocampus, a small region of the brain associated with memory and spatial navigation that is known to respond well to exercise, looks especially good.

But Grierson said she showed signs of aging in other areas, and despite Kotelko’s abilities, she finds it difficult to learn new techniques. McGill University in Montreal conducted physiological tests that are ongoing. Scientists there are preparing to analyze her blood to see if anything about it could explain her vigor.

Kotelko said she avoids injury by keeping her body tuned up, not training when it rains, and eating four or five small meals a day. “She’s very attuned to what her body is telling her. She doesn’t get overstressed,” Grierson said.

“Her high jump may not be super high, but she still springs off the ground with good technique,” he explained. “She’s rare.

It’s called compression of mortality: You go great guns till almost the very end.” Dr Rober t E Sallis, a physician with the American College of Sports Medicine, explained it as squaring off the geriatric curve that plots functional capacity, versus age.

“People who are inactive tend to lose functional capacity much earlier than those who are active,” Sallis said. But those who remain active and fit can maintain a high functional capacity, often almost until they die. “So you see a squaring of their geriatric curve and a high functional capacity right up until the end,” he said.

But for Kotelko it’s all about living a highquality life. “I don’t feel my body’s old,” she said. “I don’t know what old is.” — Reuters

BEIJING: China has reportedly downgraded H7N9 bird flu in humans, dropping its description as “infectious” in new guidelines on how to deal with the disease, even as new cases spike with the onset of winter. The National Health and Family Planning Commission described it as a “communicable acute respiratory disease” in its 2014 diagnosis and treatment protocols.

In the 2013 version it was considered as an “infectious disease”. The Beijing Times yesterday quoted an unnamed Beijing disease control centre official saying that health authorities decided to “make the downgrade” on the basis that nearly a year of analysis had shown H7N9 was “not strongly infectious”. The H7N9 human outbreak began in China in February 2013 and reignited fears that a bird flu virus could mutate to become easily transmissible between people, potentially triggering a pandemic.

The guidelines come as human cases undergo a seasonal spike, with 95 cases confirmed in mainland China so far this month according to an AFP tally of reports by local authorities. More than half have been in the eastern province of Zhejiang, with 24 in Guangdong in the south. So far seven patients have died in mainland China this year. That compares with 144 confirmed cases, including 46 deaths, in the whole of 2013 according to official statistics.

It was not clear whether the rise in cases and decrease in fatality rate so far are due to the virus becoming more widespread and possibly less severe, or detection and treatment improving. Cases and deaths dropped significantly after the end of June, but have begun to pick up with the onset of winter.

“So far, most cases have been sporadic and there were some cluster outbreaks among family members,” the commission said in the guidelines. “But there is no evidence of sustained human-to-human transmission yet,” it said, although it added that “limited” and “unsustained” infections could not be ruled out. In the past China has been accused of trying to cover up disease, particularly Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which killed about 800 people around the world in 2003.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has more recently praised its openness and response to the outbreaks of bird flu. WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl told AFP: “There’s been an increase in the number of cases, not deaths. The deaths haven’t increased that much.

“This is winter, and all influenza viruses disseminate much more easily, much more widely, in winter, so it is not unexpected to see more cases,” he said. The health commission guidelines shortened the disease’s incubation period from seven days to three to four days, and the Beijing Times said hospitals would reduce the quarantine time for suspected exposures accordingly.

The health commission also inserted the phrase “particularly the elderly” in its description of those vulnerable to the virus, who it specifies are those who have had contact with poultry or have been to a live poultry market in the week before showing symptoms.

A spate of bird flu cases since the beginning of the year in China has experts watching closely as millions of people and poultry are on the move ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, the

world’s largest annual human migration.

China has reported more than 50 H7N9 infections in 2014 after the strain jumped from birds to people for the first time last year. The virus remains hard to catch and most cases have been linked to contact with poultry, but scientists worry that could change if it mutates into a form that allows it to spread easily among people. For those who track influenza, the holiday, which begins Jan. 31, is always worrying because it comes during the winter months when flu typically rages. Add that to hundreds of millions of people - and often birds - crammed together on buses and other forms of transportation going home, and it’s always a bit of a gamble. China estimates 3.6 billion trips will be taken over the holiday season.

“This is the first winter we’ve seen H7N9. We are in uncharted territory,” said Gregory Hartl, World Health Organization spokesman in Geneva. “We have seen an upstart in cases, which we are attributing basically to the fact that it’s winter. That combined with a lot of movement of people in crowded trains with chickens could give rise to a lot more infections, but we’ve also seen in past years where it hasn’t.”

The first H7N9 cases were reported in late March near Shanghai, and more than 200 others have since been identified, including some 50 deaths. A 31-year-old doctor became one of the latest fatalities, raising fears he may have been infected at the hospital where he worked, but none of his patients or other close contacts have reported flu symptoms, according to the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Health and Family Planning. — AFP

SEOUL: Health officials remove eggs from a duck farm suspected of carrying avian influenza, in Naju, South Korea’s Jeolla province. South Korea imposed yesterday, a 12-hour lockdown on poultry farms in three provinces to curb a spreading bird flu outbreak, banning the movement of animals, people and vehicles. — AFP

South Korea orders bird flu lockdown SEOUL: South Korea imposed yesterday a 12hour lockdown on poultry farms in three provinces to curb a spreading bird flu outbreak, banning the movement of animals, people and vehicles. More than 640,000 poultry have already been slaughtered since the outbreak was first detected on January 16 at a duck farm in Gochang, 300 kilometers (187 miles) southwest of Seoul.

The H5N8 strain of bird flu has since been identified in 17 other farms, with tests being carried out in 22 others, and a further 810,000 poultry have been identified for slaughter. The 12-

hour travel ban on poultry farmers and other members of the industry, including vets, took effect at 6:00am yesterday (2100 GMT Sunday) in Gyeonggi province-which surrounds Seoul-and the provinces of South and North Chungcheong.

The South Korean capital was not included in the lockdown. During the 12-hour period, local officials will oversee disinfection operations at all farms in the region. It is the first bird flu outbreak in South Korea since 2011, when more than six million poultry were culled at about 280 farms.

The lockdown comes amid fears that the mass movement of people during the coming Lunar

New Year holiday will fan the spread of the disease. Millions of people travel to their hometowns-many in rural areas-to meet relatives and pay respects at ancestors’ graves during the traditional holiday, which this year lasts from January 30 to February 2.

“What holiday? I’m too busy protecting my ducks,” one poultry farmer in Gochang told the local Maeil Business Newspaper. “This catastrophe is overshadowing and unnerving the whole village. I told my children never even dream of coming home this year,” another Gochang resident said. — AFP

China’s ‘King’ eater has more to stomach LIUYANG, China: After swallowing two dozen bowls of noodles, the surprisingly lean man described as China’s “Big Stomach King” had barely broken sweat and announced his hunger for more.

“I can continue,” said Pan Yizhong, fragments of noodle visible at the edge of his mouth, as challengers at an eating competition fell away one by one in the face of his relentless appetite.

“Come on, Big Stomach King!” the audience shouted at the event, held in a kung fu school, while its straggle-bearded headmaster looked on.

Once he passed the 25th bowl, there were no more opponents and the cheers fell away into awed silence. “The Big Stomach King is our hero,” said Lu Nan, one of Pan’s defeated competitors.

“He has magic powers.” Pan, 45, is the most celebrated exponent of the art of competitive eating in China-although he says his gut-busting quest has cost him his marriage. He has previously dispatched 147 dumplings in a single sitting and once polished off 40 bowls of noodles in 15 minutes, but some view him with revulsion in a country just beginning to grapple with widespread obesity.

Just a decade before Pan’s birth, as many as 45 million people died in the famine resulting from Mao Zedong’s disastrous Great Leap Forward, and he recalls eating leftovers discarded by his schoolteachers as a child. “I grew up in the time of the planned economy, when good food and meat was only available on special occasions,” he said. Now he competes in a country where 30 percent of the adult population is overweight and nearly 13 percent considered obese, according to state-run media. “Completely disgusting,” one online commentator wrote under an article about a recent contest. Pan realized that he had an eating talent when he took on a female Japanese eater in 2006.

Even though he lost, he consumed a mountain of noodles, followed by 36 sticky rice cakes. “That was the moment I realized I could eat three kilograms of noodles,” he said matter-of-factly. “Since then my ability has increased significantly, because I purposefully eat at self-service buffets.” A former meat factory worker but now unemployed,

LIUYANG: This picture shows Pan Yizhong reacting as he eats a worm during an eating race in Liuyang in China’s central province of Hunan. — AFP he keeps in shape by swimming in a river near his home. “For us big stomach kings, you have to use up a lot of calories, or you’ll get fat,” he said. Before competitions he does not eat for 24 hours, “so my stomach is empty, and I feel hungry”.

Faintly visible food oil stains China has a long history of big eaters, with accounts of an 18th century minister eating 36

bowls of rice in a contest with an army general, while records say a legal official, Xu Ganxue, ate 50 bread buns and 100 eggs in one sitting a century earlier. But the US and Japan are the reigning centres for the practice, with the former hosting dozens of events every year where competitors known as “gurgitators” gulp down enormous amounts of hot-dogs, burgers, pies and pancakes.

The activity has given rise to its own lexiconstuffing food in one’s mouth ahead of swallowing is known as “chipmunking”, and “reversals” are displays of vomiting, which generally entail disqualification. Doctors warn that it could be dangerous, with a 2007 paper in the American Journal of Roentgenology saying that competitors expand their stomachs over time and run the risk of turning the organ into an “enormous sac incapable of shrinking to its original size”.

Pan believes he is no match for top competitors such as Joey Chestnut-an American who recently ate 69 hot dog buns in 10 minutes-as there are few regular contests in China.

US competitions can feature prize funds worth thousands of dollars, but Pan is paid small amounts by local restaurants hoping to drum up trade. “I don’t make much money,” he laments.

At the kung fu school in Liuyang, in central China’s Hunan province, he ate just under 40 bowls of noodles, short of his record, but topped them off by swallowing a plate of live, squirming, worms. Wearing a bandana reading “Big Stomach King” and a cycling jacket with faintly visible food oil stains, he grimaced as the invertebrates writhed between his teeth. “I have to clean my own clothes, and I’m not good at it,” he said. “I live alone because it’s hard to find a partner when you have this profession.” — AFP

H E A LT H & S C I E N C E

TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2014

Want to get the flu? Volunteers sneeze for science BETHESDA, Maryland: Forget being sneezed on: Government scientists are deliberately giving dozens of volunteers the flu by squirting the live virus straight up their noses. It may sound bizarre, but the rare type of research is a step in the quest for better flu vaccines. It turns out that how the body fends off influenza remains something of a mystery.

“Vaccines are working, but we could do better,” said Dr. Matthew Memoli of the National Institutes of Health, who is leading the study that aims to infect up to 100 adults over the next year.

Wait a minute: Flu is sweeping the country, so why not just study the already sick? That wouldn’t let scientists measure how the immune system reacts through each step of infection, starting with that first exposure to the virus. It’s not an experiment to be taken lightly.

After all, the flu kills thousands of Americans a year. For safety, Memoli chose a dose that produces mild to moderate symptoms - and accepts only volunteers who are healthy and no older than 50.

And to avoid spreading the germs, participants must spend at least nine days quarantined inside a special isolation ward at the NIH hospital, their health closely monitored. They’re not released until nasal tests prove they’re no longer contagious.

The incentive: About $3,000 to compensate for their time. “I received a very scolding email from my mother” about signing up, Daniel Bennett, 26, said with a grin.

“Their standards are so high, I don’t believe I’m in danger,” added Bennett, a restaurant worker from College Park, Md. “I don’t get sick that often.” A masked and gloved Memoli had Bennett lie flat for about a minute.”It will taste salty. Some will drip down the back of your throat,” Memoli said, before squeezing a syringe filled with millions of microscopic virus particles, floating in salt water, into each nostril. Sure enough, a few days later Bennett had the runny nose and achiness of mild flu. The best defense against influenza is a yearly vaccine, but it’s far from perfect. In fact, the vaccine is least effective in people age 65 and older - the group most susceptible to flu - probably because the immune system weakens with age.

Understanding how younger adults’ bodies fight flu may help scientists determine what the more vulnerable elderly are missing, clues to help develop more protective vaccines for everyone, Memoli explained. Here’s the issue: The vaccine is designed to raise people’s levels of a particular flu-fighting antibody. It targets a protein that acts like the virus’ coat, called hemagglutinin - the “H” in H1N1, the

strain that caused the 2009 pandemic and that is causing the most illness so far this winter, too. But it’s not clear what antibody level is best to aim for - or whether a certain amount means you’re protected against getting sick at all, or that you’d get a mild case instead of a severe one.

“As mind-boggling as it is, we don’t

know the answer to that,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief of NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. “We made some assumptions that we knew everything about flu.”

Just targeting hemagglutinin probably isn’t enough, Memoli added. Already, some people in his study didn’t get sick,

BETHESDA, MD: Daniel Bennett, 26, of College Park, Maryland, has live flu virus sprayed into his nose as part of a study at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. Government researchers are deliberately giving dozens of volunteers the flu by squirting the virus straight up their noses. — AP

despite remarkably low antibody levels, meaning something else must be protecting them. Could it be antibodies against the “N” in flu’s name, the neuraminidase protein? Specific T cells that are activated to fight infection? Genes that switch on and off when a virus invades?

To begin finding out, Memoli first developed a laboratory-grown copy of the H1N1 flu strain and sprayed different amounts into volunteers’ noses until he found the right dose to trigger mild flu.

He hopes eventually to test the harsher H3N2 strain, too. Now he’s infecting two groups - people with low antibody levels and those with high levels. Some were recently vaccinated, and some weren’t.

He’ll compare how sick they get, how long they’re contagious and how the immune system jumps into action.

Called a human challenge study, this kind of research hasn’t been performed with flu viruses in the U.S. for more than a decade, before scientists had ways as sophisticated to measure what happens.

“It’s all going to add up to a better understanding of what you need to have to be protected against the flu,” said Dr. John Treanor, a flu specialist at the University of Rochester Medical Center who is closely watching the work. So far, Memoli’s patients are becoming contagious a day or two before they start feeling bad, one reason the flu spreads so easily. —AP

TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2014

W H AT ’ S O N Announcements Maha Quizzer Middle East ITCAA-Kuwait announces the second edition of Maha Quizzer ME - Kuwait, extension of Maha Quizzer, the annual solo quiz conducted by Karnataka Quiz Association (KQA) simultaneously across several Indian cities.

This is a solo open general written quiz contest for participants, irrespective of age, nationality or affiliation.

The quiz is on 31st January 2014, from 2 to 3.30 pm with centers in Salmiya, Ahmadi & J’leeb Shyoukh. Special prizes for ladies and students. For further details & free online registration log on to http://www.nitcaakuwait.org/mahaquizzer Hurry!!!

N

TIES Center - Where cultures meet lecture entitled, “Creative Writing and Storytelling,” By Quade Herman Kilpatrick. Do you dream of being a writer? Do you want to put pen to paper but don’t know how to start? This six-session creative writing workshop will give you an introduction to the basic elements of writing fiction and creative non-fiction. Class discussions and exercises are designed to kickstart your writing, and develop your own writer’s “voice”.

Come prepared to write! A good command of written and spoken English are required to participate in the workshop.

Quade Kilpatrick has a Master’s Degree of Fine Arts in creative writing from the University of British Columbia, Canada.

She was a writer and editor at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation for several years, and has produced radio documentaries and written for over a dozen newspapers and magazines.

Her favorite genre is creative non-fiction. She is at work on her first novel.

For more information, please call 25231015/6 or log onto: www.tiescener.net

A

Advisory to Indian nationals in Kuwait he Embassy of India has been receiving often reports from the members of Indian community residing in Kuwait regarding thefts, robberies assaults and damages to their property etc. All such incidents should be immediately reported to the local police station. In order to extend help the members of our community, please contact us with the following information so that the matter could also be taken up by the Embassy with Kuwaiti authorities:(a) Brief details of the incident; (b) Civil ID of the affected member(s) and their passport details; (c) Contact telephone number and the proof of residence of the person(s) affected; (d) Copy of FIR along with address of the Police station.

2. Please contact either Hend, Ambassador’s office at Telephone No. 22561276, Fax No. 22546958 (E-mail: amb.kuwait@mea.gov.in OR ambss@indembkwt.org) or Balram Kumar Upadhyay, Counsellor (Consular and Chief Welfare Officer) on Telephone No. 22533125, Fax No.22573910 (E-mail: counsellor@indembkwt.org).

T

DMCP organizes last clean-up for 2013-14 ow’s Marine Conservation Program (DMCP) will hold its last clean-up for year 2013-2014 on Friday January 31, 2014 at Sulaibikhat beach, fondly dubbed by volunteers as ‘Mangrove’ beach for its high ecological value as home to mangroves, flamingo, gerboa, several species of lizard and beetle, and many species of migratory bird. This fragile inter-tidal zone running down Sulaibikhat along the bay of Kuwait sees high tidal deposition of terrestrial marine waste, mostly plastic (PET, HDPE and PS/Styrofoam).

Dow’s Marine Conservation Program has worked relentlessly to protect the habitat at Sulaibikhat since April 2011, having conducted a total of 55 clean-ups at this site to date. In 2013-14, DMCP held eight clean-ups at Sulaibikhat, engaging total 325 volunteers from 12 different volunteer groups and educational institutions including American International School (AIS), AlBayan Bilingual School (BBS), Kuwait National English School (KNES), Universal American School (UAS), American University of Kuwait (AUK), Kuwait English School (KES), The I Am Challenge Group, representatives of the US Embassy, Kuwait’s Motorbikers Club, K’S PATH and en.v. One of DMCP’s noteworthy accomplishments is mangrove regrowth along a 20 meters by 5 meters stretch of formerly barren beach which was cleared of close to 2000 kgs topsoil plastic waste by a group of 20 volunteers from American International School and K’S PATH in 2011. By summer 2012, the once-barren stretch had given way to new plant growth which withstood seasons and still flourishes.

To date DMCP has cleared over 14 tons of terrestrial marine waste from Sulaibikhat. In 2013-2014, DMCP cleared 4912 kgs (close to five tons) waste across 518 heavy duty garbage bags from the same stretch as well as Kubbar island across 8 clean-ups conducted over a total of 22 hours. The Friday, January 31 cleanup will be held from 8 am to 10 am and will see the participation of four student volunteer groups from: (1) The American International School, led by their Environmental Club head Prof Elsa Baptista: Total approx 15 students and teachers (2) The Bayan Bilingual School, led by Prof (to be confirmed): Total approx 30 students and teachers (3) The Universal American School, led by their Green Studies/Sustainability/Green Ambassadors head Natalie Moore: Total approx 15 students and teachers (4) The ARTronauts, a group of university students and graduates who create art with a social message, led by their mentor Prof Roma Soni of Box Hill University: Total 15 members, who will create a live art installation using samples of plastic waste found at the beach in Sulaibikhat Other groups lending their support to the clean-up include en.v and K’S PATH. The clean-up operation will be complemented by a photo-exhibit on the beach of before-after progress images from site as well as species of flora and fauna documented at this precious ecosystem over the years.

QS Asia talks to GUST faculty about world university ranking and ratings

P

rofessor Ghassan Aouad, Vice President for Academic Affairs of the Gulf University for Science and Technology (GUST) welcomed Ashwin Fernandes, Head of Client Relations, at Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Asia, to talk to a 120+ audience of its staff and faculty about the mechanics and details of the World University Rankings and Ratings to help GUST in its growth and development towards featuring in international league tables.

Professor Aouad highlighted the importance of international league tables as the University’s ambition is to compete at regional and international stage.

QS is mainly known as the producer of some of the most credible world ratings and rankings on universities internationally. Fernandes discussed their approach with

the GUST audience, which entails looking at a university in terms of: Research, Faculty, Employability of its Students and its Internationalization. The criteria in detail include: Academic reputation (40%), faculty-student ratio (20%), citations per faculty (20%), employer reputation (10%), international students (5%) and international faculty (5%).

He explained that these criteria are set and weighed in a way to give the opportunity for even young universities to make it on the list.

Fernandes went on to explain the application process.

The universities considered are either nominated by peers or actually submit an application. The process includes: application free of charge, university should provide undergraduate and post-graduate degrees, should have at

least 2 subject areas, provide its institutional data and write a justification note.

QS also started a unique system called QS Stars, where they rate universities as a whole, separately, without comparing them to other universities, and give them a score based on data provided by the institution itself. The data includes: teaching, employability, research and internationalization.

GUST staff and faculty were eager to attend the presentation and learned a lot on the rankings to provide the university with the best resources and information for growth.

Following the presentation, a welcome back lunch for staff and faculty was held in order to celebrate the start of the Spring semester.

Costa Coffee opening at new locations

D

SEND US YOUR INSTAGRAM PICS

W

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

Write to us Send to What’s On upcoming events, birthdays or celebrations by email: local@kuwaittimes.net Fax: 24835619 / 20

C

osta Coffee is undergoing a drastic change in 2014, with the opening of new locations and large scale renovations of its current stores.

This week Costa is commemorating the refurbishment of their Marina Crescent

branch and it’s participation in P2BK by bringing world Famous Japanese Latte artist Kohei Matsuno to their stores. Kohei will me making unforgettable latte art for Costa lovers at Costa Coffee Marina crescent Jan 28th and P2BK Village on the 29-30th of Jan.

Fun galore, prizes galore - IES Winter Carnival

F

illed to the brim with merriment, fun, laughter and entertainment, IES Winter Carnival sparked off in the Indian Educational School premises on 24th January 2014. The premises were abuzz and agog with merrymakers who added festivity and splendor

to the enthralling event.

The fantabulous fete was declared open by N. K. Ramachandran Menon, the Director of Bhavans Middle East at 10 am and the magnificent mÈlange of jollity, dance, games and magic began to unfold in many hues and many shades.

Exhilaration ran high as the multitude swarmed to the school premises to experience a day well spent amidst fun, frolic and amity. The student volunteers welcomed the visitors with warmth and affability. Variety of game stalls had been put up with lines on attractive posters.

There were many interesting, fun-packed games for all ages and groups. The visitors thronged the stalls to play a slew of games such as ‘kill the rat’, ‘hat me’,’ coconut shy’, and many more.

Exuberance and excitement were in the air. Blast of joy swayed and swept the children on the swirling, twirling slides and rides as they dipped hurled and bounced on the bouncy rides. A little paint, color and imagination transformed the sweet cute faces of the kids who thronged to the face painting stall and many butterflies, Spider men and flowers walked out of the stall.

Magic Show, White Elephant and Bingo kept the crowd on their toes. Faces of children were lit with delight as they grabbed toys, books, electronic keyboards and even digital cameras for a song from the White Elephant stall. Another attraction of the day, the DJ kiosk near the entrance was swarmed with music maniacs to dedicate their favorite tunes to their beloved ones.

Countless mouth-watering delicacies were displayed at the food court. Piquant savories to sweets from Arab, Chinese and Indian cuisines were indeed a gourmet’s delight. The crowd was delighted to savour the homely, nutritious, healthy and tasty delicacies prepared and served at the food counters.

A grand Cultural Gala was the icing on the cake. Gifted Bhavanites flaunted their flairs in various cultural shows and captivated the packed audience in the auditorium. Sweet babies charmed the mass with their innocence and cuteness at the Baby Show. Instrumental Music was one of the much-admired events at the auditorium. Fashion Show and solo dance performances also entranced and filled the spectators with awe and astonishment.

The electrifying events of the day came to an end when everyone waited with bated breath for the raffle ticket draw. The exciting prizes of the raffle draw ranged from LED televisions, Music Systems, Apple Products and Microwave Ovens. The Chairman of the institution N.K Ramachandran Menon and Principal, T Premkumar announced the names of the numerous lucky ones who walked away with fabulous prizes. The Principal expressed his gratefulness to the backers and sponsors of IES Winter Carnival 2014.

At Bhavans, Carnival is not just a merry-goround of mirth and entertainment. It is an event when teachers, children and parents meet, talk and exchange pleasantries. Carnival is a venue where they celebrate the spirit of oneness that is unique to Bhavan. The merriment began to vanish after the raffle draw as the crowd walked away from the school premises with their hearts full of content and joy yet with a dab of despair that they must wait for another whole year to witness such a splendid carnival with fantabulous prizes and numerous exciting events.

W H AT ’ S O N

TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2014

Embassy Information EMBASSY OF AUSTRALIA The Embassy of Australia has announced that Kuwait citizens can apply for and receive visit visas in 10 working days through www.immi.gov.au. All other processing of visas and Immigration matters are handled by the Australian Visa Application Centre located in Al Banwan Building, 4B, 1st Floor, Al Qibla Area, Ali Al Salem Street, Kuwait City. Visit. www.vfs-augcc.com for more info. The Embassy of Australia does not have a visa or immigration department. All processing of visas and immigration matters is conducted by the Australian Consulate-General in Dubai.

Email: Info.ausdxb@vfshelpline.com (VIS), immigration.dubai@ dfat.gov.au (Visa Office), Tel: +971 4 205 5900 (VFS), Fax: + 971 4 355 0708 (Visa Office).

Notary and passport services are available by appointment. Appointments can be made by calling the Embassy on 22322422. nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF INDIA

Khairan Resort hosts PACI open-day activity

T

he Touristic Enterprises Co. (TEC)’s Khairan resort recently hosted an open day activity for the employees of the Public Authority for Civil Information (PACI) and their families.

Al-Khairan resort had prepared special programs and competitions for the participants which included the best landscape photo and the best dish competitions in which winners were given

very valuable prizes.

Speaking on the occasion, TEC’s CEO, Khaled AlGhanim welcomed PACI employees and thanked them for selecting Al-Khairan resort to spend their day-off.

India and Kuwait have enjoyed historically close, warm and friendly ties. The visit of His Highness Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, Prime Minister of Kuwait to India in November 2013 has imparted a new thrust to the strengthening further of the bilateral ties. To facilitate travel of Kuwaiti nationals to India for business, tourism, medical and study purposes, the Embassy has adopted the following visa structure for Kuwaiti nationals with immediate effect: S.No. Type of visa Duration No. of entries Revised Indian Visa fee in KD(*) w.e.f 01.01.2014 (i) Business 5 Years Multiple 63.500 (ii) Business 1 Year Multiple 38.500 (iii) Tourism 6 months Multiple 13.500 (iv) Medical 1 year Multiple 38.500 (v) Student Period As required 24.500 of study (*) In addition, a service charge of KD 3 will also apply for each visa service provided w.e.f 17.12.2013.

Please apply Indian visa online at www.bls-international.com and deposit visa application, with applicable visa fee and service charge, at either M/s. BLS International Services, Emad Commercial Centre, Basement floor Ahmed Al-Jaber Street, Sharq, Kuwait city (Telephone: 22986607 - Fax: 22470006) or M/s. BLS International Services, Mujamma Unood, 4th floor, Office No. 25-26 Makka Street, Entrance 5, Fahaheel, Kuwait (Telephone: 22986607 - Fax: 22470006)For additional information, please contact Second Secretary (Consular) in the Embassy at sscons@indembkwt.org. nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF SOUTH AFRICA

NAFO Kuwait holds ‘Kudumbasangamam’

N

ational Forum (NAFO) Kuwait conducted ‘Kudumbasangamam’ (family get-together) on January 10, 2014, at Indian Community School auditorium, Amman branch. The event which started at 10.30am and concluded at 3pm was attended by numerous NAFO members and their families. This event was organized in order to further enlighten the members about the need and importance of social togetherness, to promote like-mindedness and to preserve the existing harmonious and cordial family friendships in NAFO. The day started with lighting the ceremonial lamp followed by a beautiful invocation song by a group of NAFO ladies. General Secretary Murali S Nair welcomed the gathering which was followed by Dr Srikumar’s presidential address. NAFO patron Vijay

Karayil and Advisory Board members Dr Prasad Nair and K G Nair delivered thoughtful messages regarding the importance of upholding the values and principles of mutual family bonds and through which attain the ultimate vision and mission of NAFO. Several prominent personalities, namely Dr T A Remesh, Country Head of Gulf Mart, K N S Das, Country Head of Lulu Exchange, both being life members of NAFO, graced the occasion with their presence. The ‘Jyotirgama - 2014’ brochure was officially released by Dr Remesh. Convener of ‘Jyotirgama-2014’, Vijaykrishnan, briefed the audience about the attractions and benefits of this mega career and higher education guidance program which will be conducted on January 31, 2014, at Salmiya Indian Model School (SIMS) auditorium.

The two major wings of NAFO, General Committee and Ladies Wing Co-ordination Committee, were democratically and unanimously re-constituted during the event.

General Committee convener, Vijayan Nair, initiated the reconstitution process of General Committee, meanwhile Ladies Wing reconstitution was guided by members of Advisory Board. More than 40 members volunteered to be new General Committee members, and an overwhelming number of 17 ladies offered to serve as members of the new Ladies Wing Coordination Committee.

Outgoing Ladies Wing and General Committee members were thanked and widely appreciated for their previous commendable contributions and initiatives taken for the smooth re-constitution of both the committees.

Several valuable suggestions and comments were raised through a survey form which were completed by the members present in the meeting. NAFO Welfare Committee convener, Balasundaran Nair, briefed the gathering about the socio-welfare activities and requested generous support from the members. All newly joined family members, including new life members of NAFO, were introduced in the event by Secretary, O N. Sureshkumar (General Affairs), and were warmly greeted by the crowd. General Secretary elaborated the gathering with the upcoming events and activities of NAFO. A fruitful interaction among NAFO families was the highlight of the event for which, Treasurer, Pradeep Kumar, thanked one and all for their inspiring and enthusiastic participation.

Mathangi Sathyamoorthi, haunting at 55 with a baritone voice

L

ast Thursday at Indian Community School, Salmiya. Mathangi’s faithful fans were stunned as usual as she sang in the Kuwait Carnatic Music Forum program. (She does have a fans association in Kerala). The same evening the 55 year old singer of Tamil Nadu origin, the daughter-in-law of Kerala won new fans. One young man came up to her and commented: I had only heard about you. If you were to live in Chennai, you would have been more famous.

Mathangi has an answer as traditional as her music: ever since she married Sathyamoorthi, a music lover based in Kottayam, she believes family is first.

“My music classmates tell me they have completely withdrawn to their family”, Mathangi said. “But I’m lucky. I still practice and perform. My friends who live in apartment buildings cannot sing loud.

But Parippu (her husband’s place) is a perfect countryside for me to wander

Carnatic musician Mathangi and Ghatam artist Unnikrishnan —Photos By Sunil Cherian around and sing with birds.” She has sung over 3,000 stages and is now running Mathangi School of Music at their

countryside house. Mathangi - her name is a synonym for goddess Saraswathi - is still unparalleled in south Indian classi-

cal music, recognizably because of her hoarse and throaty voice. Often compared with late music legends KB Sundarambal and DK Pattammal, Mathangi is the reigning voice of traditional music. Taking Carnatic lessons seriously only when she was a BA English student, she was musically guided by her guru, Trichy K Subramahnyam, a relative of Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar, the majestic master of Carnatic music.

Accompanying Mathangi’s baritone last Thursday on ghatam (mud pot) was the visiting artist Manjoor Unnikrishnan.

Kuwait was his 22nd country to perform in his 25 years of stage shows.

Unnikrishnan, 42, mesmerized the Salmiya audience by his trademark style: using his bare stomach to close and move the mouth of the mud pot to create the base sound while his fingers rained on the pot.

South African citizens, who are out of the country who are not already registered and wish to apply for registration to vote in the upcoming general elections, are hereby invited to apply for registration.

Registration is open daily during working hours from 08h30 to 15h30 at the SA Embassy at Villa No 3, House No 91, Street 1, Block 10, Salwa.

The last day for registration will be 7 February 2014.

In addition, special registration will take place on Friday, 24 January 2014, from 09h00 to 13h00, for those SA citizens who are not yet registered and cannot come to register during normal working hours.

To be eligible to register at the SA Embassy, a person must: l Be a SA citizen and be 16 years of age and older; l Submit a valid green bar-coded Identity Document, a valid Temporary Identity Certificate (valid for 2 months) or a Smart Card; l Submit a valid SA passport; and l Submit in person the application form, (available from the IEC website or at the Embassy), the identity document and a valid passport.

NOTE: If you are already registered to vote in SA but are now living abroad, you are NOT required to re-register - please check your registration status on www.elections.org.za. For any further enquiries, please phone Tel: 25617988 during working hours or visit the IEC Website at www.elections.org.za. Special Registration Officers at the Embassy are: First Secretary, L van der Walt and Third Secretary, MC Kekae. nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF US The US Embassy in Kuwait has new procedures for obtaining appointments and picking up passports after visa issuance. We now provide an online visa appointment system, live call center, and in-person pick-up facilities in Kuwait. Please monitor our website and social media for additional information. This new system offers more flexibility for travelers to the US and to meet the increase in demand for visa appointments.

The general application steps on the new visa appointment system are: 1. Go to www.ustraveldocs.com/kw (if this is the first time on ustraveldocs.com, you will need to create a profile to login).

2. Please complete your DS-160 Online Visa Application which is available at ceac.state.gov/genNIV. 3. Please print and take your deposit slip to any Burgan Bank location to pay your visa application fee.

4. Schedule an appointment for your visa interview online at www.ustraveldocs.com/kw or by phone through the Call Center (at +965-2227-1673).

5. If you need to change or cancel your appointment, please do so 24 hours beforehand, as a courtesy to other applicants. For more information, please visit the US Embassy website - kuwait.usembassy.gov - as it is the best source of information regarding these changes. nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF VATICAN The Apostolic Nunciature Embassy of the Holy See, Vatican in Kuwait has moved to a new location in Kuwait City. Please find below the new address: Yarmouk, Block 1, Street 2, Villa No: 1. P.O.Box 29724, Safat 13158, Kuwait. Tel: 965 25337767, Fax: 965 25342066.

Email: nuntiuskuwait@gmail.com.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2014

TV PROGRAMS

00:50 01:45 02:35 03:25 04:15 04:40 05:05 05:55 06:45 07:10 07:35 08:00 08:25 09:15 10:10 10:35 11:05 12:00 12:55 13:20 13:50 14:45 15:40 16:30 17:30 18:25 19:20 19:50 20:15 20:45 21:10 22:05 23:00 23:55

Animal Cops Houston Man-Eating Super Squid Untamed & Uncut Wildest Africa Nature’s Newborns Nature’s Newborns America’s Cutest Pets Animal Cops Houston Steve Irwin’s Wildlife Warriors Steve Irwin’s Wildlife Warriors Swamp Brothers Monkey Life Journey Of Life Wildest Islands The Really Wild Show The Really Wild Show Wildest Africa Animal Cops Phoenix Monkey Life Swamp Brothers Roaring With Pride Into The Pride Wildest Africa My Cat From Hell Wildest Islands Growing Up...

Natural Born Hunters Natural Born Hunters Nature’s Newborns Nature’s Newborns America’s Cutest Pets Wildest Africa Bondi Vet Steve Irwin’s Wildlife Warriors

00:20 Doctors 00:50 New Tricks 01:40 My Family 02:10 Walk On The Wild Side 02:40 Kidnapped 03:30 Spooks 04:30 My Family 05:00 Me Too! 05:20 Nina And The Neurons: In The Lab 05:35 Bobinogs 05:45 Boogie Beebies 06:00 Garth And Bev 06:10 Poetry Pie 06:15 Me Too! 06:35 Nina And The Neurons: In The Lab 06:50 Bobinogs 07:00 Boogie Beebies 07:15 Garth And Bev 07:25 Poetry Pie 07:30 The Weakest Link 08:15 My Family 08:45 Only Fools And Horses 09:15 Eastenders 09:45 Doctors 10:15 Tess Of The D’urbervilles 11:10 New Tricks 12:00 The Weakest Link 12:45 My Family 13:15 Only Fools And Horses 13:45 Eastenders 14:15 Doctors 14:45 Tess Of The D’urbervilles 15:35 New Tricks 16:30 The Weakest Link 17:15 Eastenders 17:45 Doctors 18:10 The Fat Fighters 19:00 Last Of The Summer Wine 19:30 Moone Boy 20:00 Tess Of The D’urbervilles 20:55 Life On Mars 21:45 Absolutely Fabulous 22:15 Stella 23:00 The Weakest Link 23:45 Eastenders

00:00 00:55 01:40 02:30 03:15 03:40

DIY SOS: The Big Build Cash In The Attic Come Dine With Me MasterChef Australia MasterChef Australia Fantasy Homes By The Sea

04:25 Cash In The Attic 05:10 Rachel Khoo’s Kitchen Notebook: London 05:35 Bargain Hunt: Famous Finds 06:20 DIY SOS: The Big Build 07:15 Fantasy Homes By The Sea 08:00 Bargain Hunt: Famous Finds 08:45 DIY SOS: The Big Build 09:40 Masterchef: The Professionals 10:25 Come Dine With Me 11:15 Rachel Khoo’s Kitchen Notebook: London 11:40 Come Dine With Me 12:30 Gok’s Fashion Fix 13:20 Fantasy Homes By The Sea 14:05 Antiques Roadshow 15:00 Britain’s Dream Homes 15:55 Britain’s Dream Homes 16:45 Bargain Hunt: Famous Finds 17:30 Cash In The Attic 18:20 Antiques Roadshow 19:15 Homes Under The Hammer 20:10 Rachel Khoo’s Kitchen Notebook: London 20:35 Tareq Taylor’s Nordic Cookery 21:30 Come Dine With Me 22:20 Antiques Roadshow 23:15 Bargain Hunt: Famous Finds

00:30 Gold Rush - South America 01:20 Ice Cold Gold 02:10 Gold Fever 03:00 Man, Cheetah, Wild 03:50 Border Security 04:15 Auction Kings 04:40 Baggage Battles 05:05 How Do They Do It? 05:30 How It’s Made 06:00 Sons Of Guns 07:00 Man, Cheetah, Wild 07:50 Flying Wild Alaska 08:40 Fast N’ Loud 09:30 Border Security 09:55 Auction Kings 10:20 Baggage Battles 10:45 How Do They Do It? 11:10 How It’s Made 11:35 Gold Rush - South America 12:25 Gold Fever 13:15 Ice Cold Gold 14:05 Border Security - Series 6 Specials 14:30 Auction Kings 14:55 Baggage Battles 15:20 Alaska: The Last Frontier 16:10 Fast N’ Loud 17:00 Ultimate Survival 17:50 Dirty Jobs 18:40 Man, Cheetah, Wild 19:30 Sons Of Guns 20:20 How Do They Do It? 20:45 How It’s Made 21:10 Auction Kings 21:35 Baggage Battles 22:00 Bear’s Mission Everest 22:50 Driven To Extremes 23:40 River Monsters

00:00 00:20 00:45 01:05 01:30 01:50 02:15 02:35 03:00 03:20 03:45 04:05 04:30 04:50 05:15 05:35 06:00 06:25 06:45 07:10 07:35 07:55 08:20 08:45 09:05

The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody Sonny With A Chance Sonny With A Chance Suite Life On Deck Suite Life On Deck Wizards Of Waverly Place Wizards Of Waverly Place The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody Sonny With A Chance Sonny With A Chance Suite Life On Deck Suite Life On Deck Wizards Of Waverly Place Wizards Of Waverly Place Austin And Ally Austin And Ally A.N.T. Farm A.N.T. Farm Gravity Falls My Babysitter’s A Vampire Jessie Good Luck Charlie Dog With A Blog

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

Shake It Up Austin And Ally A.N.T. Farm Dog With A Blog Jessie Wolfblood Suite Life On Deck A.N.T. Farm Austin And Ally Shake It Up That’s So Raven Jessie Good Luck Charlie Dog With A Blog Wolfblood Gravity Falls Jessie Violetta A.N.T. Farm Austin And Ally Gravity Falls Shake It Up Good Luck Charlie Dog With A Blog Violetta Jessie My Babysitter’s A Vampire Wolfblood Gravity Falls Shake It Up Austin And Ally A.N.T. Farm Good Luck Charlie Wizards Of Waverly Place Wizards Of Waverly Place

00:15 Sandwich King 00:40 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 01:05 Tastiest Places To Chowdown 01:30 Easy Chinese: San Francisco 01:55 Charly’s Cake Angels 02:20 Unwrapped 02:45 Reza, Spice Prince Of India 03:35 Sandwich King 04:25 The Next Iron Chef 05:40 Chopped 06:30 Unwrapped 06:50 Tastiest Places To Chowdown 07:10 Food Network Challenge 08:00 Luke Nguyen’s Vietnam 08:25 Roadtrip With G. Garvin 08:50 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 09:15 The Next Iron Chef 10:05 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 10:30 Amazing Wedding Cakes 11:20 Easy Chinese: San Francisco 11:45 Andy Bates American Street Feasts 12:10 Tastiest Places To Chowdown 12:35 Grill It! With Bobby Flay 13:00 Reza, Spice Prince Of India 13:25 Charly’s Cake Angels 13:50 Siba’s Table 14:15 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 14:40 Healthy Appetite With Ellie Krieger 15:05 Food Network Challenge 15:55 Roadtrip With G. Garvin 16:20 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 16:45 Chopped 17:35 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 18:00 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 18:25 Symon’s Suppers 18:50 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 19:40 Siba’s Table 20:05 Reza’s African Kitchen 20:30 Tastiest Places To Chowdown 20:55 Roadtrip With G. Garvin 21:20 Chopped 22:10 Food Network Challenge 23:00 Unwrapped 23:25 Unwrapped 23:50 Unique Eats

00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00

Big, Bigger, Biggest World’s Worst Venom Brilliant Beasts Inside A Traveler’s Guide To The

03:40 04:10 05:05 06:00 07:50 08:20 09:15 10:15 12:05 13:05 13:35

14:30 Style Star 15:00 Kourtney And Kim Take Miami 16:00 Kourtney And Kim Take Miami 17:00 Live From The Red Carpet 19:00 E!ES 20:30 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 21:30 E! News 22:30 Fashion Police

Vienna’s old cinemas tap retro charm to survive

B

OUR IDIOT BROTHER ON OSN MOVIES HD Planets 05:00 My Dog Ate What?

06:00 Somewhere In China 07:00 World’s Toughest Fixes 08:00 Big, Bigger, Biggest 09:00 World’s Worst Venom 10:00 Brilliant Beasts 11:00 Somewhere In China 12:00 A Traveler’s Guide To The Planets 13:00 My Dog Ate What?

14:00 China Circus 15:00 World’s Toughest Fixes 16:00 Engineering Connections 17:00 World’s Deadliest Animals 18:00 Lion Army 19:00 Untamed Americas 20:00 Aftermath 21:00 Raptor Force 22:00 Untamed Americas 23:00 World’s Toughest Fixes

00:00 Web Therapy 00:30 The Daily Show Global Edition 01:00 The Colbert Report Global Edition 02:00 Eastbound & Down 02:30 Weeds 03:00 Arrested Development 04:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 06:00 Two And A Half Men 06:30 Friends 07:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 09:00 Arrested Development 09:30 2 Broke Girls 10:00 Trophy Wife 10:30 Friends 11:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 12:00 Two And A Half Men 14:30 2 Broke Girls 15:00 Trophy Wife 15:30 The Daily Show Global Edition 16:00 The Colbert Report Global Edition 16:30 Two And A Half Men 17:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 18:30 Melissa & Joey 19:00 The Crazy Ones 19:30 Trophy Wife 20:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 21:00 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

15:00 17:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00

C.S.I. New York The Ellen DeGeneres Show The Fosters Grey’s Anatomy Mistresses The Killing

00:00 Underworld: Awakening-18 02:00 Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark 04:00 Metal Shifters-PG15 06:00 Riddle-PG15 07:45 Snow White And The Huntsman-PG15 10:00 Paycheck-PG15 12:00 Special Ops-PG15 14:00 Snow White And The Huntsman-PG15 16:15 Sins Expiation-PG15 18:00 Special Ops-PG15 20:00 Breaking Point-18 22:00 The Corruptor-18

UNDERWORLD: AWAKENING ON OSN MOVIES ACTION HD

Extreme Close-Up THS E!ES THS Style Star E! News Opening Act Live From The Red Carpet E! News Extreme Close-Up E!ES

00:00 Under New ManagementPG15 02:00 Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo-18 04:00 A Kiss For Jed Wood-PG15 06:00 Ski Patrol-PG15 08:00 A Christmas Story 2-PG 10:00 Another Stakeout-PG15 12:00 A Kiss For Jed Wood-PG15

14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00 PG15

Falling Star-PG15 Another Stakeout-PG15 Hit List-PG15 Superbad-18 Jason Manford Live 2011-

01:15 Shadow Dancer-PG15 03:00 Arbitrage-PG15 05:00 Salmon Fishing In The Yemen-PG15 07:00 Matching Jack-PG15 09:00 Shadow Dancer-PG15 11:00 One Angry Juror-PG15 13:00 Class-PG15 15:00 Love Takes Wing-PG15 17:00 My Own Love Song-PG15 18:45 Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy 21:00 Zero Dark Thirty-18 23:45 Little Birds-18

01:00 True Love-PG15 03:00 Why Did I Get Married Too?PG15 05:00 Darling Companion-PG15 07:00 We Bought A Zoo-PG 09:00 Here-PG15 11:15 Look Again-PG15 13:00 Courage-PG15 15:00 Someday This Pain Will Be Useful To You-PG15 17:00 Look Again-PG15 19:00 Broken-PG15 21:00 Citizen Gangster-PG15 23:00 A Dangerous Method-18

01:00 03:00 05:00 07:00 09:00 11:00 13:00 15:00 17:00 19:00 21:00 23:00

Down The Shore-PG15 Perfect Plan-PG15 Flower Girl-PG15 Dating Coach-PG15 Bernie-PG15 Arthur Christmas-PG Playdate-PG15 Fastest-PG15 Bernie-PG15 Here Comes The Boom-PG15 Our Idiot Brother-18 The Expendables 2-PG15

01:00 02:45 04:30 06:00 08:00 10:00 12:00 13:30 14:45 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00 23:30

Crab Island Marco Antonio Eleanor’s Secret Crab Island Kim The River Of Peace Fly Away Home Gaturro Eleanor’s Secret The Land Before Time Santa’s Magic Crystal Fly Away Home Jelly T The Land Before Time Santa’s Magic Crystal

00:00 Skyline-PG15 02:00 Oz The Great And PowerfulPG 04:15 Chimpanzee-PG 06:00 Mrs. Miracle-PG15 08:00 Paranorman-PG 10:00 Barnyard-PG 11:45 Oz The Great And PowerfulPG 14:00 Crisis Point-PG15 16:00 Paranorman-PG 18:00 Cash-PG15 20:00 Jack Reacher-PG15 22:15 Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter-18

00:00 Cricket ODI Series Highlights 01:00 Futbol Mundial 01:30 PGA Tour Highlights 02:30 PGA European Tour Highlights 03:30 ICC Cricket 360 04:00 Live Cricket One Day International 12:00 ICC Cricket 360 12:30 PGA Tour Highlights 13:30 PGA European Tour Highlights 14:30 PDC World Darts Championship 17:30 Top 14 19:30 ICC Cricket 360 20:00 Cricket ODI Series Highlights 21:00 Futbol Mundial 21:30 LV Cup 23:30 HSBC Sevens World Series

01:30 Trans World Sports 02:30 Futbol Mundial 03:00 This Week In WWE 03:30 Live NHL 06:30 Futbol Mundial 07:00 Trans World Sports 08:00 PGA Tour Highlights 09:00 PGA European Tour Highlights 10:00 NHL 12:00 HSBC Sevens World Series 15:00 Top 14 17:00 Futbol Mundial 17:30 NHL 19:30 PGA Tour Highlights 20:30 PGA European Tour Highlights 21:30 NFL

00:00 LV Cup 02:00 FEI Equestrian World 02:30 FEI Equestrian World 03:00 Dubai World Cup Carnival 07:00 Golfing World 08:00 LV Cup 10:00 Futbol Mundial 10:30 Top 14 Highlights 11:00 Top 14 13:00 Trans World Sport 14:00 FEI Equestrian World 14:30 FEI Equestrian World 15:00 PGA Tour Highlights 16:00 PGA European Tour Highlights 17:00 Golfing World 18:00 HSBC Sevens World Series 21:00 Top 14 Highlights 21:30 PGA Tour Highlights 22:30 Dubai World Cup Carnival

00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 15:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:30 21:30 22:00

Taming The Apex The North Canyon Pro Bull Riders Bellator MMA US Bass Fishing Ping Pong World WWE NXT WWE Bottom Line Hicks On Sticks Storm Show Collection Storm Show Collection Monster Energy Supercross NHL WWE NXT WWE Bottom Line H2indo Storm Show Collection World Snowboarding Tour Bellator MMA

00:30 00:55 01:25 01:50 02:20 03:15

The Spin Crowd The Spin Crowd Style Star Style Star E! Investigates Extreme Close-Up

uy your ticket to an art house movie, order a glass of wine and kick back on century-old seats: Vienna’s half a dozen old picture houses still draw crowds with their retro charm. At the Bellaria, a cinema founded in 1911 in central Vienna, there is only one screen, no bright lights and no posters of the latest Hollywood action blockbusters or Pixar animated capers. Instead there is slightly worn floral wallpaper and black and white photos of the German and Austrian film stars of yesteryear: Paula Wessely, Hans Moser and Magda Schneider and Wolf Albach-Retty, parents of the acclaimed GermanFrench actress Romy Schneider.

Some pictures are even signed, much to the delight of visitor Heidrun Poschinger, 72. “Cinema was like that in the old days.

I used to collect all their autographs back in the day,” she said. Helga Santner, who came to the Bellaria with her two grown-up daughters to see an Austrian family drama on the big screen, is also happy. “It is more relaxed here than in the big cinemas,” she tells AFP. But these are tough times. Faced with stiff competition from modern multiplexes, which account for two-thirds of the Austrian capital’s 150 or so cinemas, the musty, reassuring authenticity is all the small places can tout.

Even if they have a loyal base of regulars-original version afficionados, students, film buffs and retireesthey cannot only rely on showing art house films to attract clients.

“Since in Vienna there are too many cinemas and seats compared to the amount of demand, multiplexes are also showing art house films and are competing with us,” says Michaela Englert, manager of the Admiral Kino, founded 101 years ago. The smaller cinemas charge 7.00-8.50 euros ($9.50-11.50) for a ticket, but this is only a couple of euros cheaper than the big boys and not enough to attract punters in large numbers.

‘Chance to experience the past’ Over at the Breitenseer Lichtspiele (BSL), which first opened in 1905 and claims to be the oldest continuously operating cinema in the world, manager Anna Nitsch-Fitz accepts that she cannot compete.

“There are hardly any films now that come out in 35 mm,” she says. And going digital would be too dear.

As a result Nitsch-Fitz, in charge since 1969, tries to make the BSL-which also suffers from being off the beaten track in Vienna-unusual, a bit like going back in time. On the programme are visits to the projection room, silent films accompanied by a pianist and even knitting evenings-with the lights not too low when the movie is showing, “It’s a chance to experience the past. It’s like a living museum of cinema,” says Sabine RosenkranzFroemmel, a philosophy teacher, sitting in one of the BSL’s 168 wooden seats-cushions are available-for a silent movie.

The Admiral meanwhile, a veritable Viennese institution in the hip seventh district of the Austrian capital and a former hangout of the late writer Arthur Schnitzler, has moved more with the times, going digital a few years ago.

“Just because it’s old doesn’t mean it has to be dilapidated,” says civil servant Elmar, catching the latest Woody Allen film with friends. Seated on one of the century-old refurbished red leather seats, Mia Unterharnscheidt from Bavaria in southern Germany, a glass of red wine in her hand, feels at home-or rather in someone else’s.

“I find the atmosphere really nice, it’s like being in someone’s sitting room. You feel good,” she says, sipping her drink as she waits for the film to begin.

Oswald Bacovsky from the leisure and culture section of the Vienna Chamber of Commerce says that cinemas like the Admiral, the BSL and the Bellaria are doing better than expected. “Ten years ago they were all expected to disappear soon,” Bacovsky says.

“Today nobody talks about the death of cinemas anymore.” — AFP

Ukrainian mezzo-soprano Lena Belkina, Russian mezzo-soprano Ilseyar Khayrullova and Romanian soprano Valentina Nafornita in the role of the Three Elves and Austrian bass Gunther Groissbock (center) in the role of the Water Goblin perform during a dress rehearsal of the opera “Rusalka”. — AFP

Classifieds TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2014

Kuwait

FOR SALE

KNCC PROGRAMME FROM THURSDAY TO WEDNESDAY (23/01/2014 TO 29/01/2014) SHARQIA-1 PHILOMENA (DIG) RAZE (DIG) JAI HO (DIG) (HINDI) PHILOMENA (DIG) PHILOMENA (DIG) RAZE (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

2:00 PM 4:00 PM 6:00 PM 9:00 PM 11:00 PM 1:00 AM

SHARQIA-2 THE NUT JOB (DIG-3D) THE LEGEND OF HERCULES (DIG) FROZEN (DIG-3D) THE NUT JOB (DIG-3D) THE LEGEND OF HERCULES (DIG) THE LEGEND OF HERCULES (DIG) THE LEGEND OF HERCULES (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

12:30 PM 2:15 PM 4:15 PM 6:30 PM 8:30 PM 10:30 PM 12:30 AM

SHARQIA-3 HOMEFRONT (DIG) JACK RYAN: SHADOW RECRUIT (DIG) RIDE ALONG (DIG) JACK RYAN: SHADOW RECRUIT (DIG) RIDE ALONG (DIG) RIDE ALONG (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:45 PM 3:45 PM 6:00 PM 8:00 PM 10:15 PM 12:15 AM

MUHALAB-1 PHILOMENA (DIG) HOMEFRONT (DIG) PHILOMENA (DIG) JAI HO (DIG) (HINDI) PHILOMENA (DIG) MUHALAB-2 JACK RYAN: SHADOW RECRUIT (DIG) RIDE ALONG (DIG) JACK RYAN: SHADOW RECRUIT (DIG) RIDE ALONG (DIG) RIDE ALONG (DIG) MUHALAB-3 THE LEGEND OF HERCULES (DIG) THU+MON THE NUT JOB (DIG-3D) FRI+SAT THE NUT JOB (DIG-3D) RAZE (DIG) THE LEGEND OF HERCULES (DIG) THE LEGEND OF HERCULES (DIG) FANAR-1 THE NUT JOB (DIG) THE LEGEND OF HERCULES (DIG) THE NUT JOB (DIG) THE LEGEND OF HERCULES (DIG) THE LEGEND OF HERCULES (DIG) THE LEGEND OF HERCULES (DIG) THE LEGEND OF HERCULES (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED FANAR-2 HOW I LIVE NOW (DIG) FROZEN (DIG) HOW I LIVE NOW (DIG) HOW I LIVE NOW (DIG) HOW I LIVE NOW (DIG) THE WOLF OF WALL STREET (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED FANAR-3 HOMEFRONT (DIG)

12:45 PM 2:45 PM 4:45 PM 6:45 PM 9:45 PM 1:00 PM 3:30 PM 5:45 PM 8:00 PM 10:00 PM 1:45 PM 1:45 PM 3:45 PM 5:30 PM 7:30 PM 9:30 PM 1:30 PM 3:15 PM 5:15 PM 7:00 PM 9:00 PM 11:00 PM 1:00 AM

1:15 PM 3:45 PM 6:00 PM 8:00 PM 10:00 PM 12:05 AM

2:00 PM

HOMEFRONT (DIG) JAI HO (DIG) (HINDI) JAI HO (DIG) (HINDI) HOMEFRONT (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

4:15 PM 6:15 PM 9:15 PM 12:15 AM

FANAR-4 RIDE ALONG (DIG) RIDE ALONG (DIG) RIDE ALONG (DIG) JACK RYAN: SHADOW RECRUIT (DIG) RIDE ALONG (DIG) RIDE ALONG (DIG) JACK RYAN: SHADOW RECRUIT (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

12:30 PM 2:30 PM 4:30 PM 6:30 PM 8:45 PM 10:45 PM 12:45 AM

FANAR-5 RAZE (DIG) PHILOMENA (DIG) RAZE (DIG) PHILOMENA (DIG) PHILOMENA (DIG) RAZE (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:30 PM 3:45 PM 5:45 PM 7:45 PM 9:45 PM 11:45 PM

MARINA-1 THE WOLF OF WALL STREET (DIG) PHILOMENA (DIG) HOMEFRONT (DIG) PHILOMENA (DIG) PHILOMENA (DIG) THE WOLF OF WALL STREET (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:45 PM 4:15 PM 6:15 PM 8:15 PM 10:15 PM 12:15 AM

MARINA-2 RIDE ALONG (DIG) JACK RYAN: SHADOW RECRUIT (DIG) RIDE ALONG (DIG) JACK RYAN: SHADOW RECRUIT (DIG) RIDE ALONG (DIG) RIDE ALONG (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:30 PM 3:30 PM 5:45 PM 7:45 PM 10:00 PM 12:05 AM

MARINA-3 THE NUT JOB (DIG-3D) THE LEGEND OF HERCULES (DIG) FROZEN (DIG-3D) THE NUT JOB (DIG-3D) THE LEGEND OF HERCULES (DIG) THE LEGEND OF HERCULES (DIG) THE LEGEND OF HERCULES (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:00 PM 2:45 PM 4:45 PM 7:00 PM 8:45 PM 10:45 PM 12:45 AM

AVENUES-1 JAI HO (DIG) (HINDI) JAI HO (DIG) (HINDI) JAI HO (DIG) (HINDI) JAI HO (DIG) (HINDI) JAI HO (DIG) (HINDI) NO SUN+TUE+WED

12:30 PM 3:30 PM 6:30 PM 9:30 PM 12:30 AM

AVENUES-2 HOW I LIVE NOW (DIG) HOW I LIVE NOW (DIG) HOW I LIVE NOW (DIG) HOW I LIVE NOW (DIG) HOW I LIVE NOW (DIG)

2:15 PM 4:30 PM 6:45 PM 9:00 PM 11:15 PM

AVENUES-3 JACK RYAN: SHADOW RECRUIT (DIG) JACK RYAN: SHADOW RECRUIT (DIG) JACK RYAN: SHADOW RECRUIT (DIG) JACK RYAN: SHADOW RECRUIT (DIG)

1:30 PM 3:45 PM 6:00 PM 8:15 PM

Nissan Pathfinder, 2003 model, white, in good condition. Please call 97277135.

Mitsubishi Lancer 2011, GLX, dark grey color, excellent condition, km 53,000.

KD 1,800. Tel: 66729295.

(C 4628) 27-1-2014 2012 Mazda 2, white exterior, beige interior, mileage 52,000, price KD 1,500. Tel: 99748591, 99240654.

(C 4626) 25-1-2014 GMC Acadia, 2012 model, golden color, full options, low mileage 10,000 km.

Phone: 67669382. (C 4623) 22-1-2014

ACCOMMODATION One spacious furnished bedroom neat and clean available with all facilities, phone, coolplex and Internet upon request.

Central AC building, 1 no common toilet looking for couples without kids or decent executive bachelor non-smoking and nondrinking. Preference for south Indians. Contact George 99072651. (C 4627) 27-1-2014 Furnished room with separate bathroom in C-A/C big flat available in Hawally Tunis street near Sadique roundabout behind Commercial Bank, for single executive or couple. Call: 69302121.

(C 4624)

born on 15-07-1997 holder of Indian Passport with number J 4440800 issued at Kuwait on 12-01-2011 hereby change my name to Durfishan Fatima Rushda.

My address in India is Dariapur, P.O. Kood, Dist.

Cuttack, Orissa. (C 4629) 27-1-2014

BABY SITTING CHANGE OF NAME I, Asger Ali Vadliwala, holder of Indian Passport No: J4442606, hereby change my name to Ali Asger Vadliwala. Address: Mohammediya Golony Galiyakot Dist. Dungarpur, Rajasthan. Pin 314026.

(C 4630) 28-1-2014 I, Rushda Durfishan Fatima,

Baby sitting, behind Dar AlQuran, Farwaniya. Contact: 66246403.

27-1-2014

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

TUITION Learn holy Quran in perfect way, private tuition available for elders & children by Hafiz-e-Quran. Contact: 66725950. (C 4625) 23-1-2014

05:18 06:40 12:01 15:02 17:23 18:42

112

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

Airlines BBC JAI SYR JZR JZR KLM THY QTR PIA DLH ETH GFA THY UAE ETD JAI OMA MSR RJA QTR FDB THY DHX JZR FDB BAW KAC KAC KAC KAC QTR FDB KAC KAC KAC SVA UAE ABY ETD FDB QTR IRA GFA JZR FDB MEA TMA UAE JZR MSR KAC FDB

Arrival Flights on Tuesday 28/1/2014 Flt Route 43 DHAKA 574 MUMBAI 1109 DAMASCUS 539 CAIRO 267 BEIRUT 411 AMSTERDAM 772 ISTANBUL 1084 DOHA 239 SIALKOT 637 DAMMAM 620 ADDIS ABABA 211 BAHRAIN 764 SABIHA 853 DUBAI 305 ABU DHABI-INTL 576 COCHIN 643 MUSCAT 612 CAIRO 642 AMMAN-QUEEN ALIA 1076 DOHA 67 DUBAI 770 ISTANBUL 170 BAHRAIN 503 LUXOR 69 DUBAI 157 LONDON 416 JAKARTA 412 MANILA 206 ISLAMABAD 302 MUMBAI 1086 DOHA 53 DUBAI 362 COLOMBO 352 COCHIN 332 TRIVANDRUM 512 RIYADH 855 DUBAI 125 SHARJAH 301 ABU DHABI-INTL 55 DUBAI 1070 DOHA 619 LAR 213 BAHRAIN 165 DUBAI 8053 DUBAI 404 BEIRUT 213 BEIRUT 871 DUBAI 561 SOHAG 610 CAIRO 514 TEHRAN 57 DUBAI

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

QTR KAC KAC SVA KNE GFA FDB SYR QTR UAE JZR ETD KAC RJA SVA ABY GFA JZR UAL KAC KAC KAC ETH JZR QTR FDB KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC GFA KAC KAC OMA FDB MSR JAI AXB ABY IRA DLH ALK MEA ETD UAE GFA QTR FDB KLM JZR JZR AIC UAL JZR

1078 672 546 500 472 221 8055 341 1072 857 325 303 562 640 510 127 215 777 982 542 284 742 3718 177 1080 63 678 786 774 618 674 217 104 166 647 61 618 572 393 129 605 636 229 402 307 859 219 1074 59 415 239 135 981 981 185

DOHA DUBAI ALEXANDRIA JEDDAH JEDDAH BAHRAIN DUBAI LATAKIA DOHA DUBAI NAJAF ABU DHABI-INTL AMMAN-QUEEN ALIA AMMAN-QUEEN ALIA RIYADH SHARJAH BAHRAIN JEDDAH WASHINGTON DC DULLES CAIRO DHAKA DAMMAM LIEGE DUBAI DOHA DUBAI MUSCAT JEDDAH RIYADH DOHA DUBAI BAHRAIN LONDON PARIS MUSCAT DUBAI ALEXANDRIA MUMBAI KOZHIKODE SHARJAH ISFAHAN FRANKFURT COLOMBO BEIRUT ABU DHABI-INTL DUBAI BAHRAIN DOHA DUBAI AMSTERDAM AMMAN-QUEEN ALIA BAHRAIN CHENNAI BAHRAIN DUBAI

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

Airlines AIC PIA TAR AXB JAI SYR KLM BBC DLH PIA ETH THY UAE ETD OMA MSR QTR FDB QTR KAC JZR FDB JAI JZR THY RJA GFA KAC THY FDB BAW QTR SVA KAC KAC ABY KAC UAE ETD FDB QTR IRA GFA KAC KAC KAC FDB KAC JZR JZR MEA KAC JZR

Departure Flights on Tuesday 28/1/2014 Flt Route 976 GOA 206 LAHORE 327 DUBAI 490 MANGALORE 573 MUMBAI 1110 DAMASCUS 411 AMSTERDAM 44 CHITTAGONG 637 FRANKFURT 240 SIALKOT 621 ADDIS ABABA 773 ISTANBUL-ATATURK 854 DUBAI 306 ABU DHABI 644 MUSCAT 613 CAIRO 1085 DOHA 68 DUBAI 1077 DOHA 283 DHAKA 560 SOHAG 70 DUBAI 575 ABU DHABI 164 DUBAI 765 ISTANBUL-SABIHA 643 AMMAN 212 BAHRAIN 545 ALEXANDRIA 771 ISTANBUL-ATATURK 54 DUBAI 156 LONDON 1087 DOHA 513 RIYADH 513 TEHRAN 671 DUBAI 126 SHARJAH 101 LONDON 856 DUBAI 302 ABU DHABI 56 DUBAI 1071 DOHA 618 LAR 214 BAHRAIN 561 AMMAN 541 CAIRO 165 ROME 8054 DUBAI 677 MUSCAT 776 JEDDAH 324 AL NAJAF 405 BEIRUT 785 JEDDAH 176 DUBAI

DIAL161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

Time 0:05 0:10 0:15 0:15 1:10 1:35 1:45 1:45 2:10 2:20 2:45 2:55 3:50 4:00 4:05 4:10 4:15 5:00 5:15 5:30 6:20 6:30 6:35 6:55 7:05 7:05 7:15 7:15 7:30 8:30 8:45 8:50 9:15 9:25 9:30 9:40 9:50 9:55 10:05 10:20 10:55 10:55 11:25 11:25 11:30 11:50 12:20 12:20 12:25 12:40 12:55 13:00 13:45

TMA MSR UAE FDB QTR KAC KAC KAC KNE GFA SVA KAC FDB JZR SYR ETD QTR UAE JZR RJA ABY SVA GFA JZR JZR JZR UAL JZR FDB QTR GFA FDB OMA KAC ABY MSR JAI KAC AXB IRA KAC DLH DHX ETH ALK MEA ETD GFA KAC FDB UAE KAC KLM QTR JZR KAC

223 611 872 58 1079 673 741 617 473 222 501 773 8056 238 342 304 1073 858 538 641 128 511 216 184 266 134 982 554 64 1081 218 62 648 361 120 607 571 351 3942 604 343 636 171 3718 230 403 308 220 301 60 860 205 415 1075 528 411

AL MAKTOUM INTERNATIONAL CAIRO DUBAI DUBAI DOHA DUBAI DAMMAM DOHA JEDDAH BAHRAIN JEDDAH RIYADH DUBAI AMMAN LATAKIA ABU DHABI DOHA DUBAI CAIRO AMMAN SHARJAH RIYADH BAHRAIN DUBAI BEIRUT BAHRAIN BAHRAIN ALEXANDRIA DUBAI DOHA BAHRAIN DUBAI MUSCAT COLOMBO SHARJAH LUXOR MUMBAI KOCHI KOZHIKODE ISFAHAN CHENNAI DAMMAM BAHRAIN HONG KONG COLOMBO BEIRUT ABU DHABI BAHRAIN MUMBAI DUBAI DUBAI ISLAMABAD DAMMAM DOHA ASYUT BANGKOK

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

34

s ta rs CROSSWORD 442

STAR TRACK Aries (March 21-April 19)

ARIES You may be extremely eloquent or forceful in talking or communicating.

People will have no problem in knowing exactly what you mean when you speak. You have a deep appreciation for feelings and movement just now. You may just want to get out and about and walk or exercise. You should be clearing away old debts, resentments and paperwork at this time. Anything that slows you from your goals may need adjusting.

Clear thoughts about the past may take up your time today. This afternoon you will be clear in thought and communication. You will have support from your family or loved one for some project this afternoon. Show others your lighter side. Laugh and make it a point to get others to laugh. Your energies are very good today.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) You have the ability to create a positive from a negative and can have a constructive influence within group meetings or with authority figures. Your emotional strength today may come from your constant positive outlook as well as the positive people you enjoy having around you. Compose your thoughts and then keep moving forward. When loved ones comes to you with a problem later today, ask them first what they consider is the smart thing to do. You will be preventing an emotional overload and they will talk and find their own answer. You may find that your creative side is at a high this evening. This, along with the ability to put your thoughts into words, allows you to bewitch and transport. Good news is nearby.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

ACROSS 1. The seventh and last day of the week.

4. Tropical and subtropical marine and freshwater fishes having an elongated body and long protruding lower jaw.

12. What you can repeat immediately after perceiving it.

15. An actor's line that immediately precedes and serves as a reminder for some action or speech.

16. Small genus of chiefly American herbs.

17. Electronic equipment that provides visual images of varying electrical quantities.

18. A river in central Italy rising in the Apennines and flowing through Florence and Pisa to the Ligurian Sea. 20. A unit of pressure equal to 0.001316 atmosphere.

21. Any of the openings to the nasal cavities that allow air to flow through the cavities to the pharynx.

23. Concerning those not members of the clergy.

24. Opinion or judgment.

25. Provide with a coating, as of chocolates.

26. A sign posted in a public place as an advertisement.

28. Being ten more than one hundred ninety.

30. Yellow-fever mosquitos.

31. A silvery ductile metallic element found primarily in bauxite.

32. A member of a seafaring group of North American Indians who lived on the Pacific coast of British Columbia and southwestern Alaska.

34. Inability to name objects or to recognize written or spoken names of objects.

39. A clear liquid secreted into the mouth by the salivary glands and mucous glands of the mouth.

43. The younger of two major political parties in the United States.

44. A derogatory term used by Jews to refer to non-Jewish women.

47. A primeval personification of air and breath.

49. A pause or interruption (as in a conversation).

52. A percussion instrument consisting of a pair of hollow pieces of wood or bone (usually held between the thumb and fingers) that are made to click together (as by Spanish dancers) in rhythm with the dance.

55. A city in southern Turkey on the Seyhan River.

57. A Russian river.

58. A domain in which something is dominant.

59. Agency of the United States government charged with mediating disputes between management and labor.

61. English theoretical physicist who applied relativity theory to quantum mechanics and predicted the existence of antimatter and the positron (1902-1984).

66. Tropical starchy tuberous root.

70. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in Turkey).

71. City in central Iran.

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

76. A caustic detergent useful for removing grease.

77. A cut of pork ribs with much of the meat trimmed off.

78. An agency of the United Nations affiliated with the World Bank.

79. The quality of a color as determined by its dominant wavelength.

80. A port city in northeastern Greece on an inlet of the Aegean Sea. 81. A workplace for the conduct of scientific research.

DOWN 1. The skin that covers the top of the head.

2. Of or pertaining to hearing or the ear.

3. A narrow headband or strip of ribbon worn as a headband.

4. (astronomy) The angular distance of a celestial point measured westward along the celestial equator from the zenith crossing.

5. Cause to change.

6. United States comic actor in silent films.

7. The event of something burning (often destructive).

8. A Russian soup usually containing beet juice as a foundation.

9. Half the width of an em.

10. The branch of computer science that deal with writing computer programs that can solve problems creatively.

11. A Dravidian language spoken in southern India.

12. Flesh of young Atlantic cod weighing up to 2 pounds.

13. A social division of (usually preliterate) people.

14. (Old Testament) The Hebrew prophet who led the Israelites from Egypt across the Red sea on a journey known as the Exodus.

19. English scholastic philosopher and assumed author of Occam's Razor (1285-1349).

22. Of or relating to or involving an area.

27. American prizefighter who won the world heavyweight championship three times (born in 1942).

29. A white metallic element that burns with a brilliant light.

33. (Old Testament) The second patriarch.

35. A member of a people who have no permanent home but move about according to the seasons.

36. A drama set to music.

37. The largest continent with 60% of the earth's population.

38. A form of entertainment that enacts a story by a sequence of images giving the illusion of continuous movement.

40. Any plant of the genus Inula.

41. Relating to or caused by a virus.

42. Fear resulting from the awareness of danger.

45. Someone who works (or provides workers) during a strike.

48. Wife of Balder.

50. A very light brown.

51. The action of an armed force that surrounds a fortified place and isolates it while continuing to attack.

53. The dead body of an animal especially one slaughtered and dressed for food.

54. Morally obligatory.

56. A small pellet fired from an air rifle or BB gun.

60. Affected with or marked by frenzy or mania uncontrolled by reason.

62. An Eskimo hut.

63. Tear down so as to make flat with the ground.

64. A card game in which players bet against the dealer on the cards he will draw from a dealing box.

65. A member of a rural Finnish people living in eastern Russia.

67. The lower house of the parliament of the Republic of Ireland.

68. An informal term for a father.

69. An Arabic speaking person who lives in Arabia or North Africa.

72. A health resort near a spring or at the seaside.

73. A close friend who accompanies his buddies in their activities.

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

TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2014

Today you keep your positive frame of mind—consistent. You proceed through the workday with great vigor and enthusiasm. You look forward to the upcoming time when you will be able to enjoy a retreat or a weekend fling. This may be a real break away from one type of surrounding to another. You are witty, logical and reasonable and people love to gather around you. Perhaps a camping or a fishing trip can be planned soon. You look forward to listening to the birds, building a campfire and just generally hanging out. If you are married, your mate will enjoy some quiet time as well and may even come with you. Identify some common goals that you and your mate would enjoy this year and start making your plans for future trips.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) You look forward to a lecture today; however, you may not stay too long.

The program teaches how to learn a new organizing system along with some time management discussions. You get some good ideas—later, you are off to meet a friend, perhaps have a late night dinner. New foods, new stores, you never saw the town this way before. All it takes is someone very charming to open those beautiful eyes of yours. There is talk of how one would survive if lost and away from civilization. Each of you has special ideas of how you would manage and much laughter, as well as thought, will go into your conversation. This is kind of like the conversation of what you would like to have with you if you were stranded on an island.

Leo (July 23-August 22) You have a great deal of understanding and sensitivity to the needs of others. Your communication abilities are understood and accurate. You are on the mark when it comes to solving problems. The only negative part about today is that sometime in the afternoon you may feel blocked or frustrated by someone. Give the situation some thought and then let it go. Where you have been and what you have acquired comes into play today as you think about your future and where it may lead. Your thoughts are clear and you may even have some psychic insights for yourself and your loved ones. Stay in the moment and avoid the traps of worry, especially about things you cannot control. Make plans with your sweetheart to spend some fun time together.

Virgo (August 23-September 22) Taking care of business is a major theme where your emotional orientation is concerned this morning. You crave organization and expediency and you want to get things accomplished. There just does not seem to be enough time in the day to do everything you set out to accomplish. You feel a love of order and law and you have an appreciation for responsibilities and duty. When there is an imbalance in the daily work, you tend to become a bit frustrated. Not to worry, the powers that be seem to have created just enough time for you to do your fair share of the work. Any extra work and you will need to put in for overtime. When you are not busy with your nose to the grindstone you are most pleasant, grateful and you love to praise others.

Word Search

Libra (September 23-October 22) If you know that your job will lead to the success you had planned for yourself, you will work long and hard. You are a smart businessperson and others look to you for answers. Today, however, you may find some sort of delay in production. An interruption could be a communication concern. With your help, work will be productive once again. This afternoon you may want to set aside some time to find a weak link so that you can adjust, change or perform whatever duties are needed to eradicate any problems.

Later you will find time to relax a bit. You could be running a newspaper or a paint shop or any other type of business where lots of people depend on your evaluation results.

Energies are building for some positive changes soon.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) Secondary jobs are as much a part of your life as a regular job routine. You will find some extra monetary reward or a loosening of the budget where this second job is concerned. Taking chances with your creativeness can bring big rewards for you now. You could be lecturing or writing today and you will find it easy to be creative with your words. Young people play a big part in today’s agenda. You are appreciated and admired for your thoughtful ways. You will be rewarded for your volunteer work and you may want to volunteer to help run errands or do chores for the handicapped or nursing homes. This work is satisfying and a real boost to the self-esteem. New ways to communicate will bring a lift to your physical energies. Listen to suggestions.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) If you work for a large company, you may want to influence the executives to put in an exercise room for employees. Perhaps the employees could make part of the contribution. You will be thinking along improvements in your health as much as you would be thinking about how exercise can be invigorating and a good stress relief. This is a good workday with lots of problem-solving successes. Insights and ideas come easily but may not find expression just yet. Writing out your ideas is a good way to gain a focus. There is a need to complete a task that has been long overdue for completion. After some research, you will find the answers you need. A science fiction movie could prove enjoyable tonight.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19) A day of feeling blocked may spur an inventive mood—others could learn a great deal from watching your progress. For example, what if you were given a project that was beyond your expertise and you and your co-workers felt lost perhaps you and your co-workers could ask for some time with the appropriate instructor and achieve what is needed. After some research, perhaps in the library or by consulting with a parent company, you will find the needed information to accomplish a project. Authority figures are watching and are sure they gave the project to the right person. Do not forget your sense of humor—you can put a smile on other people’s faces. Avoid a late night party or work; young people may need your presence.

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) Business partnerships need work; conferences, reviews, encouraging news and plans are on the agenda now. You may wonder about the motives of someone today—you, however, could be on the right track with your thinking. Longrange and long-distance matters will be in focus. Any plans can be calibrated now. This afternoon you have time to update some personal business. You may have been thinking about the purchase of a new painting, perhaps for an investment. The cost of an appraisal is a wise choice before making a valuable and important purchase. You will have an occasion to show off your living quarters later this evening and you set aside a little time to straighten up a little and perhaps add a few candles into the mix for good smells.

Pisces (February 19-March 20) Think through decisions today and you will do very well. Work, achievement and ambition mean a lot to you. You know, however, that if you stay serious for too long you could miss the funny side of life. Consider a shopping trip this afternoon. Perhaps a friend would like to accompany you. Compare prices and you will be pleased with the outcome. Progressive people and idealistic groups or concepts play a more important role in your life, as a new phase of your life begins. There is a concern for something bigger than any one person—the good of the many outweighs the needs of the few. You are coming into a time of experimenting with new concepts. Perhaps, in the process of shedding the old we find the original. Consider trying out for a play.

Yesterday’s Solution

Yesterday’s Solution

Daily SuDoku

Yesterday’s Solution

TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2014

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

22639939

Dr. Mousa Khadada

22666300

Dr. Latefa Al-Duweisan

25728004

Dr. Nadem Al-Ghabra

25355515

Dr. Mobarak Aldoub

24726446

Dr Nasser Behbehani

25654300/3

Soor Center Tel: 2290-1677 Fax: 2290 1688

info@soorcenter.com www.soorcenter.com

3729596/3729581

Neurologists 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

36

TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2014

LIFESTYLE G o s s i p

Dame Judi Dench’s sight is deteriorating

Jennifer Lopez

T likes having chaotic relationships

T

he ‘Dance Again’ hitmaker, who recently admitted she doesn’t like being alone, has been dating her backup dancer, Casper Smart, 26, for more than two years but insisted she would have no problem moving on if it no longer felt right. Asked about her love life, the 44-year-old star told the March issue of the UK’s Glamour magazine: “I want a bit of chaos, but I also want safety and order.

It’s taken me a long time, but if something doesn’t feel right, I won’t go along with it anymore.” Jennifer, who has five-year-old twins, Max and Emme, with her third ex-husband, Marc Anthony, also opened up about her trim figure and explained she is very strict with her diet. She said: “I’m not one to overindulge. It doesn’t make me feel good. Some find it comforting to sit down and eat a whole pint of Haagen-Dazs, but that would make me throw up.” The ‘Maid in Manhattan’ actress, who also previously had long-term romances with P. Diddy and Ben Affleck, recently confessed she doesn’t know if she will walk down the aisle for a fourth time.

When asked about marriage, she said: “I don’t know. We’ll see. I don’t know. You know, I’ve always believed in that institution. I believe in it, but it is difficult. I’ve had my challenges, but at the same time I believe in love, and I think that is the main thing.” Rumors recently swirled that the ‘American Idol’ judge and Casper have been drifting after a number of heated arguments.

he 79-year-old actress - who was diagnosed with the condition two years ago - reportedly can’t read her own scripts or recognise faces but is determined to continue to take on film roles. Staff on her latest film ‘Philomena’ in which she plays the protagonist who the film is named after - were inspired by her attitude and praised the “wonderful” actress for her “openness” about her sight problems. A source told The Sun newspaper: “Judi was totally inspirational. She can’t read her own scripts so her friends have to go through them with her or she’ll learn them on a tape recorder. There were many times during filming where her sight was a problem for her with recognizing faces or objects and often someone would just jump in and help her move about so she didn’t lose her footing.

“She was absolutely wonderful because she was totally open about her eye condition and would just ask for help when she needed it or apologize for not recognizing someone. But she was always lineperfect. She is incredible to watch. “She may not be able to see her scripts but she delivers lines like no one else.” Judi suffers from both dry and wet macular degeneration - the former leaves people with blurry vision and while the latter can cause blind spots. The star - who is has been Oscar-nominated for Best Actress and set a new BAFTA record for her 15th nomination for adoption-themed drama

‘Philomena’ - is a “total trooper” and is determined not to let these problems interrupt her life. A friend of Judi’s added: “What infuriates Judi is people saying she is going blind. She is losing her sight but she won’t accept that the end result will be blindness.”She is a total trooper and if she wins a BAFTA and an Oscar this year, she deserves it more than anyone.”

Usher flies to Panama for crisis talks with Justin Bieber

T

he ‘More’ hitmaker, who is the 19-year-old star’s long-time mentor, decided to travel to Punta Chame to reportedly try to talk some sense into the young star, who arrived there on Saturday morning, two days after he was charged with drink driving, resisting arrest and drag racing in Miami, Florida. A source told gossip website TMZ.com that Usher, 35, was joined by Justin’s manager, Scooter Braun, and his best childhood friend, Ryan Butler, for a serious talk with the singer about his downward spiral. Ryan confirmed he would always support Justin on Twitter on Friday, tweeting: “I’ll always be there for the people I love. Always.” A fan posted separate pictures with the R&B star and the Canadian teenager on the beach near their resort online this morning while other fans have claimed Justin’s mother Pattie Mallette and his ‘Never Say Never’ producer, Ryan Good, are also among the group. Usher previously revealed he knew the ‘Baby’ hitmaker was “special” as soon as he met him. He said: “The day I met Justin was special. I saw that he had a raw talent and he was cute, girls would like him. I thought OK, if this is properly nourished it could become huge. But I didn’t know how huge. “At that time, there was a pop phenomenon that was all very Disney and Nickelodeon. But here was a guy who was the antithesis to all that. He had introduced himself to the world online. I knew if we could guide him then we’d have a product that is the Justin you see.” Meanwhile, Justin’s father Jeremy Bieber, who was reportedly with his son when he was arrested, appeared to hit back at his critics by simply tweeting the word “Proud” on Saturday. He later added: “Worry about the log in your eye before judging the spec in mine! I will answer to my maker as will you! Truth always wins! #reallife (sic)”

Kendall Jenner is taking Harry Styles on a holiday

T

he 18-year-old reality TV star wants to treat the One Direction hunk - who turns 20 on Saturday - to a birthday surprise and is planning to whisk him away shortly after he celebrates his special day. A source said: “Kendall’s dad has a beautiful cliff-top holiday home in Big Sur, California, and she has asked if she and Harry can use the mansion for a private break together. “She wants them to have some time alone where they can relax and enjoy each other’s company. Harry already has everything he wants, so she decided to organize something special they can always remember.” As well as treating Harry to a holiday, Kendall - who has been dating the ‘Little Things’ singer for around two months - is also helping his close friend Nick Grimshaw organize a birthday party in London. The source added to the Daily Star newspaper: “Kendall is in charge of organizing the party, alongside Radio 1 DJ Nick Grimshaw. “She wanted the party to be in London so that Harry’s friends and family could all be there. “The rest of One Direction and a whole host of other celebs will be on the guest list. “It won’t be a tame affair, and Kendall will pull out all the stops to make sure it’s a night to remember.”

Danny Jones will have 6 best men at wedding

T

he McFly singer won’t be short of support when he marries Georgia Horsley this summer as he has asked several of his friends - including bandmates Tom Fletcher, Harry Judd and Dougie Poynter - to be by his side when he ties the knot. He said: “I said to Georgia, ‘How many can I have?’ and she said, ‘It’s up to you’ - so I’m having six best men. “We’re like brothers. Our backgrounds are so different but we all got on so amazingly well.” The ‘Shine a Light’ hitmaker proposed to his beauty queen girlfriend in July, but admits he kept finding excuses to delay popping the question. He told the new issue of Britain’s HELLO! magazine: “We want to move house and I had this idea I’d put the engagement ring on the keys to a new house, a double whammy. “Then I thought, ‘Maybe I’ll propose on my birthday.’ “Then I was like, ‘What am I waiting for?’ I knew I wanted to do it.” The 27-year-old star says his relationship with Georgia - who he has been dating for four years - is “effortless” because they get on so well. He said: “She is just the happiest person to be around. It’s so effortless. And she understands my banter.”

Leonardo DiCaprio re-enacts famous scene from Titanic on SNL

‘T

he ‘Wolf of Wall Street’ star delighted fans when he surprised his co-star Jonah Hill by making a special cameo on the comedy sketch series while the ‘Super Bad’ actor was hosting it in New York City on Saturday night. In a bid to help the ‘SNL’ host relax and “feel safe,” Leonardo stood behind Jonah as he threw his arms out, re-enacting the famous scene between Leonardo and Kate Winslet, who played Jack and Rose Dawson in the 1997 movie, and shouted out the actress’ famous line: “I’m flying.” The ‘Inception’ heartthrob replied: “Yes Rose! You’re flying.” Before the hilarious scene took place, Jonah was hounded by questions about Leonardo, 39, from several SNL cast members in his opening monologue and took a few swipes at his co-star in mock frustration. Asked about Leonardo’s hair, the 30-year-old actor said: “It’s decent I guess. Not that memorable. Kind of like mine, maybe worse.” Leonardo then appeared on stage and asked: “I have a question. What the hell are you doing man?” Jonah apologized for trying to act “like a big shot” in public and told Leonardo he would instead “try to be the best version of me.” —Bangshowbiz

37

TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2014

LIFESTYLE F e a t u r e s

A Sufi man carries incense during the festival of Sidi Ali Ben Hamdouch in the Moroccan village of Sidi Ali, near Meknes. —AFP photos

Sorcery, spirits and sacrifice at

S

orcery, plate-smashing and animal sacrifice are not often associated with Sufi festivals, but they all feature at a popular annual pilgrimage to a Moroccan shrine linked to the “queen of the genies”. In the town’s main square, to a chorus of trilling pipes and banging drums, spectators press around a cluster of believers, who sway to the hypnotic rhythms in a trance-like state, sometimes leaping up and down in ecstasy, sometimes cutting themselves on the scalp with sharp tools.

One of the men runs into the middle of the circle, holds up a large terracotta plate and throws it high into the air. It shatters as it lands on his head, prompting a loud cheer from the crowd. The festival of Sidi Ali Ben Hamdouch brings Moroccans from far and wide to venerate a 17th century Muslim saint and his servant Lalla Aicha, a mythical Muslim princess from the desert who dwells in the spirit world and is a powerful unseen force for her followers.

Traditionally, worshippers have come to Mghrassyine for spiritual guidance and divine blessing, sometimes seeking higher states of consciousness through music and dance, as a form of communion with God. But for a growing number of people, the week-long religious festival, or “moussem”, is a journey into the supernatural world of genies, incantations and “shawafa”women who claim to be able, for a fee, to help people find love and feel better, to maybe cast or break a spell.

Land of superstition Madame Khayat, from the city of Fez, says she comes every year, despite the disapproval of many

Moroccans, including her husband, who view the rituals as un-Islamic. “We come here to be purified of the evil spirits, of the ‘jinn,’” she says with a smile.

“It’s a kind of pilgrimage if you like. People come here to be purified of evil spirits.”

“There are many people who think it’s savagery, who don’t believe in this. Even my husband doesn’t like me to come here. So when he wasn’t looking, I just got in the car and came with my two maids,” she adds with a laugh. Good and bad genies (“jnun” in Arabic) are frequently mentioned in the Holy Quran, although orthodox Islamic tradition holds that Muslims should rely on God alone to protect them from malevolent spirits.

But the spirits hold a special place in Moroccan folklore and popular culture, and not just among the poor and uneducated. A study published in 2012 by the Pew Research Centre, a US think tank, showed that an estimated 86 percent of Moroccans believe in these supernatural beings, more than any of the other countries surveyed.

Aziz Hlaoua, a Moroccan sociologist, says that under King Mohamed VI there has been a clear revival of Sufism, the beliefs and practices of mystical Muslim sects, which in Morocco are commonly linked to the world of magic and healing. In 2002, the king appointed Ahmed Toufiq, known for his Sufi sympathies, as minister of religious affairs, to pioneer this revival and reverse the marginalization of Sufi fraternities under his father, the late king Hassan II. “The political role of this new policy of favoring Sufism as a moderate, open, tolerant form of Islam is a means of confronting extremism,” Hlaoua said. “And the moussem have seen a continuous comeback since Ahmed Toufiq’s appointment

Self-help books in US take on a French accent

F

orever thin, effortlessly chic, a culinary goddess with well-behaved children raised on broccoli-a certain image of French women thrives in the United States, or at least in its bookstores. “French Women Don’t Get Facelifts” is the latest addition to an ever-growing list of self-help books that lay bare the secrets of the sophisticated French mademoiselle to her awkward American sister. For American women, “France has always been a country of chic, fashion, seduction, savoir-faire and charm,” said the author, Mireille Guiliano, whose previous book “French Women Don’t Get Fat” was a best-seller in 2004.

“I don’t want to give the impression of saying that we’re better or superior,” added Guiliano, 67, a former chief executive of Veuve Clicquot champagne who is married to an American and lives in New York, Paris and the south of France. “It’s not a matter of who’s right or wrong,” she told

AFP. “I just try to say that there are other options. I make suggestions. The American woman is curious to know how to make something better or different.”

Guiliano is something of a pioneer in the genre of self-help books with a French accent, having built on the success of “French Women Don’t Get Fat” with cookbooks and lifestyle guides for Americans forever wrestling with their work-life balance. From other writers, the past year has seen such titles as “French Twist Cupcakes: 32 Recipes for that Ooh La La Experience” by Lyon-based baker Lucinda Segneri, “How to be Chic and Elegant: Tips from a French Woman” by Marie-Anne Lecoeur, and “Forever Chic: Frenchwomen’s Secrets for Timeless Beauty, Style and Substance” by Tish

Jett. Last year, American author Pamela Druckerman touched off something of a minor national debate when she came out with “Bringing Up BÈbÈ,” which celebrated the upbringing of French children who, she argued, learned how to say hello and eat vegetables.

‘Look for simplicity’ “We aren’t envious, but curious,” said Jennifer Scott, whose 2012 book “Lessons from Madame Chic: 20 Stylish Secrets I Learned While Living in Paris” was inspired by her stint as an exchange student in the French capital. French women, Scott said, “don’t appear to be worried about trends or what other people think of them. In fact, with regard to style, living and aging, they don’t appear to be worried at all. I think that’s something we can all admire.”

Jean Beaman, a sociologist at Duke University, said it’s true that many American women perceive their French counterparts to be “fashionable and stylish (and) beautiful in an sort of effortless way.” By way of example, she cited photographs of former French first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, who was born in Italy but grew up in France from the age of seven.

But Beaman, who studies immigrants who settle in France, added: “As an American, it’s sometimes a little bit frustrating that these books sort of paint a very idealized version of France to Americans, and don’t necessarily reflect the multi-ethnic diversity that exists in France.” Indeed, the kind of French woman who informs these self-help books is typically Parisian and living in the capital’s better neighborhoods. “Of course, there are French women who are fat and who undergo cosmetic surgery,” said Guiliano, “but not to the scale that’s seen among American women far from it.”

Guiliano is known as “the high priestess of French lady wisdom” and her latest book-which comes as American baby boomers settle into middle age-is subtitled “The secret of aging with style and attitude.” She’s horrified by the notion of Botox (“I say ‘non’ to the needle”) and proposes in its place robust skin moisturizing, daily exercise and an “anti-aging food prescription” that includes beet mille-feuille, tartare of cucumber and tomatoes, and chocolate souffles with piment d’Esplette.

Most of all, she tells American women, just shift your attitude, stop living in extremes, and start accepting yourself for who you are. “My advice is first of all to look for simplicity,” she said.

“The older you get, the more you appreciate that less is better.” In the days after its release, “French Women Don’t Get Facelifts” was rather well received. Less impressed was the Allure Beauty Expert blog, which pointed out that “landmark research” underpinning today’s facelifting techniques took place in the 1970s-in France. —AFP

A man smashes a large terracotta plate with his head.

Morocco Sufi festival as minister.”

Music and meditation On the last day of the Sidi Ali festival, thousands gather to accompany a procession of flag bearers and drummers as they lead a sacrificial bull donated by the king down the hill to the shrine of Sidi Ali. Other creatures, notably black chickens and goats, the color supposedly favored by Lalla Aicha, are on sale around the town, to be slaughtered as part of an Islamic tradition that has assumed occult overtones in Mghrassyine.

“When they sacrifice the animal, they believe the genies drink its blood. It’s a way of pacifying the spirits,” Hlaoua explained. An alleyway winding down to the valley below the shrine is lined with evidence of sorcery-”shawafa” salons and stalls selling festival accessories, from goat horns to dried chameleons, which are placed in boiling water to produce healing vapors.

At the bottom of the path, women light prayer candles and burn incense in the cave of Lalla Aicha, calling on the so-called queen of the genies to intercede on their behalf, or they purify themselves with a ritual bath in the adjacent natural spring. Two sheep lie dead on the ground nearby, their throats slit. A more cerebral atmosphere prevails in the room, not far from the shrine, where members of the Sidi Ali fraternity congregate for an evening of spiritual music and meditation, or “lilla.”After hours of chanting and swaying that lasts late into the night, a man in the audience starts throwing his head about violently, apparently entering a state of trance, before collapsing on the ground. —AFP

A man, who collapsed after entering a state of trance, lays on the ground.

Springsteen pays tribute to Mandela

R

ocker Bruce Springsteen and his E Street Band wowed fans on Sunday night opening their first concert in South Africa with a rousing tribute to the late Nelson Mandela. He kicked off the show in Cape Town with “Free Nelson Mandela”, a song written by British musician Jerry Dammers and made famous in the 1980s by The Specials later renamed The Special AKA. The track was released to protest against the imprisonment of Mandela by the apartheid regime.

But it soon became the unofficial anthem for the international anti-apartheid movement that piled pressure on the then white minority regime in South Africa. Mandela died aged 95 on December 5 last year at his Johannesburg home. It was Springsteen and the E Street Band’s first performance in South Africa, nearly three decades after they took part in the famous Artists United Against Apartheid in 1985. The Mandela song was a “nice surprise because it was a personal song for the audience. People were on their feet,” said one fan at the concert, who asked to remain anonymous. Earlier Springsteen told reporters that the country’s transformation to democracy “was a miracle” and that it was “very special to be here”.

He and the E Street Band have three concerts slated for Cape Town and one billed for Johannesburg as they kick off a world tour that will take them to Australia and New Zealand next month. “Bruce Springsteen and the EStreet Band performed to a sold out audience,” in the 10,000-seater Bellville Velodrome, said

Bruce Springsteen (left) and the E Street Band perform to a full house at the Belville Velodrome near Cape Town. —AFP organiser Big Concerts’ spokeswoman Gwen Ironsi.

The performance in Cape Town coincided with the launch of his 18th studio album, “High Hopes” released early this month. Springsteen, who has sold 120 million albums worldwide and won 20 Grammy Awards is known widely

as “The Boss”. During the concert in Cape Town he received rapturous applause as he belted out old favourites that included “Born to Run” and “Hungry Heart” from a career that spans more than 30 years. The show ended with his signature title “Born in the USA”. —AFP

In this photo, Indian tourists enjoy a camel ride on white sand in the Rann of Kutch, a seasonal salt marsh located in the Thar Desert, about 500 kilometers (311 miles) from Ahmadabad, India. A three month long Rann Utsav, showcasing the cultural vibrancy of the Kutch region in the western Indian state of Gujarat and the glittering white sand desert on India’s border with Pakistan, began on Dec 14. —AP

TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2014

lifestyle

Daft Punk gets lucky at

Grammys being overruled.

Queen Latifah, who was certified by the state of California to perform the wedding ceremony, spoke out after the show about rap being more inclusive. “I think this is exactly what hip-hop is capable of,” she said. “When I started rapping it was much more common for rappers to speak about different things going on in the world. We’re part of the reason that apartheid (in South Africa) was changed. ... Or violence in the communities or anything that was some type of social injustice we’ve always been able to talk about through hip-hop.”

Musgraves explored similar themes to take home country album for “Same Trailer Different Park” and country song “Merry Go ‘Round,” categories that Swift seemed destined to win given her history with the Grammys.

Musgraves also performed a neon-inflected version of “Follow Your Arrow,” a song that includes the line “Kiss lots of boys/Or kiss lots of girls/if that’s something you’re into” among other socially conscious messages. And then there’s the curious case of Lorde, the New Zealand teenager whose invitation to ignore all the status symbols and swag signifiers of pop music in her song “Royals” was one of the year’s out-of-nowhere hits. She took major award song of the year and best pop solo performance. The singer shyly Metallica performs onstage.

Singer Katy Perry performs onstage.

Lang Lang performs onstage.

Beyonce Knowles and Jay-Z perform onstage.

T

he Grammy Awards celebrated outcasts and outsiders, lionizing a couple of French robots, white rappers and a country gal espousing gay rights, and a Goth teenager who’s clearly uncomfortable with the current themes in pop music. The Recording Academy’s voters mined some of pop music’s biggest hits to send an open hearted message, awarding French electronic music pioneers Daft Punk for teaming with R&B legends to make a hybrid album that celebrated both genres, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis and Kacey Musgraves for espousing gay rights and Lorde for her anti-swag message to the masses.

Daft Punk and collaborator Pharrell Williams won four awards, including top honors album and record of the year, and best new artists Macklemore and Lewis matched that with four of their own. Lorde won two awards for her inescapable hit “Royals.” Beyond their awards, each offered one of the more powerful moments at the Sunday night ceremony at Staples Center in Los Angeles. Lorde performed “Royals” wearing black lipstick and fingernail polish with little production, standing in opposition to the largescale presentations from some of the night’s other performers. Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel De HomemChristo of Daft Punk continued the celebratory feel of their hit, record of the year “Get Lucky,” by asking Stevie Wonder to join them with Williams and Nile Rodgers in a colorful performance. And Macklemore and Lewis invited 33 couples, including some of the same sex, to get married with Madonna serenading them and Queen Latifah presiding.

The moment brought tears to the eyes of Keith Urban and though the robots don’t reveal themselves or speak in public, they had feelings about it, too, asking producer Paul Williams to relay their thoughts. “It was the height of fairness and love and the power of love for all people at any time in any combination, is what they wanted me to say,” Williams said. The robots, clad in formal white suits and masks, spent much of the night humorously deferring to collaborators as they stood on stage. The job of spokesman often fell to producer of the year Pharrell, who guessed his way through a couple of acceptance speeches.

“I suppose the robots would like to thank ...,” he joked before noting, “Honestly, I bet France is really proud of these guys right now.”

Their “Random Access Memories” was the year’s event album, capitalizing on both the growing popularity of electronic dance music and the presence of popular music figures like Rodgers and Pharrell. They beat out reigning pop queen Taylor Swift, the odds-on favorite to win the award.

The award helps to square The Recording Academy with the burgeoning dance music crowd, who’ve been waiting for a major win since the Bee Gees’ 1977 “Saturday Night Fever” soundtrack, the last dance LP to win album of the year.

“If you go to the headwaters of EDM, electronic dance music, you’ll find them,” Paul Williams said. Rodgers said

Singers Gloria Estefan (left) and Marc Anthony speak onstage.

Musician Ringo Starr performs onstage.

Singer Robin Thicke performs onstage.

Winners of Best Record Of The Year “Get Lucky” Daft Punk celebrate their award onstage at the 56th Grammy Awards at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, January 26, 2014. — AFP/AP photos the duo richly deserved the win after taking years to put the album together as they sought authentic musical moments that can only be recorded live by real musicians.

“The fact that they decided to put this much effort into the music and bring in musicians, it shows that they had an incredible vision and they believed that you actually achieve something greater by doing that,” Rodgers said. “I happen to believe in that philosophy, too, that as a composer I can write a composition but when people interpret that composition it gets better.” Hours earlier, it looked like the day might belong to Macklemore and Lewis, a couple of virtually unknowns from Seattle who dominated the pop world with three huge hits that were wildly different and rivaled “Get Lucky” in popularity - “Thrift Shop,” “Can’t Hold Us” and the gay rights anthem “Same Love.”

They won three awards during the Grammys’ pre-telecast ceremony - rap song and rap performance for the comical “Thrift Shop” and rap album for “The Heist,” beating out Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Jay Z and Kanye West in that category before taking major award best new artist.

They’re just the third rap act to win best new artist, but their wins in the rap categories are sure to chafe average hip hop fans - especially after Kendrick Lamar failed to win an award despite seven nominations. The Recording Academy ’s own rap committee tried to exclude Macklemore and Lewis from the genre’s categories before

summed up the experience in just a few words during her acceptance speech: “Thank you everyone who has let this song explode. Because it’s been mental.” — AP

Musician Taylor Swift performs onstage.

Singers Miguel (left) and Ariana Grande speak onstage.

(From left to right) Rapper Macklemore, singers Mary Lambert and Madonna, musicians Ryan Lewis and Queen Latifah perform onstage.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2014

lifestyle

Snarky Puppy, winners of Best R&B Performance for ‘Something,’ pose.

Winners Album of the year: “Random Access Memories,” Daft Punk Record of the year: “Get Lucky,” Daft Punk with Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers Song of the year: “Royals,” Lorde New artist: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Pop solo performance: “Royals,” Lorde Pop vocal album: “Unorthodox Jukebox,” Bruno Mars Pop/duo group performance: “Get Lucky,” Daft Punk with Pharrell and Nile Rodgers Rap/sung collaboration: “Holy Grail,” Jay Z with Justin Timberlake Rock song: “Cut Me Some Slack,” Paul McCartney, Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear.

Country album: “Same Trailer Different Park,” Kacey Musgraves Traditional pop vocal album: “To Be Loved,” Michael Buble Rap performance: “Thrift Shop,” Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Wanz Rap song: “Thrift Shop,” Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Wanz Rap album: “The Heist,” Macklemore & Ryan Lewis R&B performance: “Something,” Snarky Puppy with Lalah Hathaway Traditional R&B performance: “Please Come Home,” Gary Clark Jr R&B song: “Pusher Love Girl,” James Fauntleroy, Jerome Harmon, Timothy Mosley and Justin Timberlake R&B album: “Girl on Fire,” Alicia Keys Urban contemporary album: “Unapologetic,” Rihanna Rock performance: “Radioactive,” Imagine Dragons Rock album: “Celebration Day,” Led Zeppelin Hard rock/metal performance: “God is Dead,” Black Sabbath Alternative music album: “Modern Vampires of the City,” Vampire Weekend Dance recording: “Clarity,” Zedd featuring Foxes Dance/electronica album: “Random Access Memories,” Daft Punk Producer of the year, non-classical: Pharrell Williams Latin pop album: “Vida,” Draco Rosa Latin rock, urban or alternative album: “Treinta Dias,” La Santa Cecilia Latin jazz album:“Song for Maura,” Paquito D’Rivera and Trio Corrente Tropical Latin album: “Pacific Mambo Orchestra,” Pacific Mambo Orchestra Country solo performance: “Wagon Wheel,” Darius Rucker Country duo/group performance: “From This Valley,” The Civil Wars Country song: “Merry Go ‘Round,” Kacey Musgraves, Shane McAnally and Josh Osbourne Gospel song: “If He Did It Before ... Same God (Live),” Tye Tribbet Gospel album: “Greater Than (Live),” Tye Tribbett Blues album: “Get Up!,” Ben Harper with Charlie Musselwhite Folk album: “My Favorite Picture of You,” Guy Clark Americana album: “Old Yellow Moon,” Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell Bluegrass album: “The Streets of Baltimore,” Del McCoury Band Reggae album: “Ziggy Marley in Concert,” Ziggy Marley World music album: “Live: Singing for Peace Around the World,” Ladysmith Black Mambazo, and “Savor Flamenco,” Gypsy Kings (tie) Children’s album: “Throw a Penny in the Wishing Well,” Jennifer Gasoi.

Spoken word album: “America Again: Re-Becoming the Greatness We Never Weren’t, Stephen Colbert Comedy album: “Calm Down Gurrl,” Kathy Griffin New age album: “Love’s River,” Laura Sullivan Jazz vocal album: “Liquid Spirit,” Gregory Porter Jazz instrumental album: “Money Jungle: Provocative in Blue,” Terri Lyne Carrington Large jazz ensemble album: “Night in Calisia,” Randy Brecker, Wlodek Pawlik Trio and Kalisz Philharmonic Pop instrumental album: “Steppin’ Out,” Herb Alpert Compilation soundtrack album: “Sound City: Real to Reel,” Dave Grohl and various artists, Butch Vig Score soundtrack album: “Skyfall,” Thomas Newman, composer Song written for visual media: “Skyfall,” Adele and Paul Epworth Musical theater album: “Kinky Boots,” Cyndi Lauper, Billy Porter, Stark Sands, Sammy James Jr., Stephen Oremus and William Wittman Producer of the year, classical: David Frost Instrumental composition: “Pensamientos for Solo Alto Saxophone and Chamber Orechestra,” Clare Fischer Orchestral performance: “Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 4,” Osmo Vanska, conductor Opera recording: “Ades: The Tempest,” Thomas Ades, Simon Keenlyside, Isabel Leonard, Audrey Luna, Alan Oke, Jay David Saks.

Choral performance: “Part: Adam’s Lament,” Tonu Kaljuste, conductor Short-form music video: “Suit & Tie,” Justin Timberlake featuring Jay Z, David Fincher, Timory King Long-form music video: “Live Kisses,” Paul McCartney, Jonas Akerlund, Violaine Etienne, Aron Levin and Scott Rodger Historical album: “The Complete Sussex and Columbia Albums” of Bill Withers, Leo Sacks, Joseph M Palmaccio, Tom Ruff and Mark Wilder, and “Charlie is My Darling,” Teri Landi, Andrew Loog Oldham, Steve Rosenthal and Bob Ludwig. —AP

Singer Lorde, winner of the Song of the Year Award for “Royals”, and the Best Pop Solo Performance Award for “Royals”, poses.

Comedian Kathy Griffin, winner of Best Comedy Album for ‘Calm Down Gurrl,’ poses.

Singer/songwriter Kacey Musgraves, winner of the Best Country Song Award for “Merry Go Round”, and the Best Country Album Award for “Same Trailer Different Park”, poses.

Host LL Cool J speaks onstage.

(From left to right) Musicians Ben McKee, Dan Reynolds, Wayne Sermon, and Daniel Platzman of Imagine Dragons, winners of the Best Rock Performance Award for “Radioactive” pose.

Musician Nile Rodgers poses.

Musician Ben Harper, winner of the Best Blues Album award for ‘Get Up!, poses.

Singer Ozzy Osbourne poses.

Musician Jennifer Gasoi, winner of Best Children’s Album poses.

Daft Punk wins big at Grammys

TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2014

M

Singer Taylor Swift . — AFP/AP photos

Actress-singer Anna Kendrick

usic’s brightest stars bared lots of skin at the Grammys in Los Angeles on Sunday, oozing sex appeal and taking fashion risks on the industry’s biggest night. Beyonce, who opened the show with a sultry performance of “Drunk in Love” with her husband Jay-Z, smoldered in a curve-hugging white mesh Michael Costello gown with strategically placed flowers, leaving little to the imagination. Taylor Swift, who was nominated for Album of the Year but lost out to Daft Punk, glittered in a metallic belted short-sleeved golden Gucci gown with a daring slit up the back, and her hair in a simple ponytail.

In the va-va-voom category, Pink, who was nominated for the Song of the Year award for “Just Give Me a Reason,” exuded glamour in a strapless fire-engine red Johanna Johnson gown.

Pop princess Katy Perry, who had two nominations for her girl power anthem “Roar,” floated up the red carpet in a gauzy white Valentino number, with music notes playfully scattered along the skirt. The Grammys have been the scene of some of fashion’s classic red-carpet moments: Jennifer Lopez’s plunging barely-there green Versace gown in 2000 is still a benchmark.

Alicia Keys, a winner for best R&B album for “Girl on Fire,” was a red-carpet triumph in a cobalt blue Armani halter gown with a wide plunging neckline and shiny black detailing at the waist.

Madonna rocked a tailored gender-bending double-breasted Ralph Lauren black suit and tie-and carried a walking stick. Her son David wore a similar look. He had helped her choose the ensemble, she said.

Cyndi Lauper, a Grammy winner for best musical theater album for her Broadway show “Kinky Boots,” sported a black Alexander McQueen cape-style coat and leggings, looking every bit the rock chick. The male stars at Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles did not disappoint. Both hip-hop star Macklemore-a winner for Best New Artist-and “Blurred Lines” crooner Robin Thicke wore velvet tuxedo jackets-the former in turquoise, the latter in navy Armani.

Grammys host rapper-turned-actor LL Cool J also went with a velvet jacket, in deep purple.

Macklemore’s bandmate Ryan Lewis strutted his stuff in a black and gray large houndstooth suit, while rapper Kendrick Lamar opted for a tight-fitting slate blue suit, with a black shirt underneath.

French electro duo Daft Punk-the big winners for album and record of the year-of course wore the ultimate accessory: their trademark shiny black helmets. For their performance of their mega-hit “Get Lucky,” they switched to all-white ensembles and striking white helmets. —AFP

Cyndi Lauper

38

Recording artist Sara Bareilles

Pink

Madonna

Martina McBride

Katy Perry

Miley Cyrus

Rita Ora

Chloe Green