2nd Feb

CR IP TI ON BS SU

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2014

Iraqi Airways launches direct flights to Kuwait

Interest in yoga rising in Kuwait

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www.kuwaittimes.net

RABI ALAWWAL 29, 1435 AH

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Valencia stun Barcelona in five-goal thriller

KGOC to execute largest seismological surveillance

20 21 Truffles, wildflowers bring whiff of Spring Kuwait desert blooms after heavy rains KUWAIT: The truffle season has begun with the onset of Spring, and the potatolike fungus is already on the stands of makeshift local markets. However due to short supplies now, its price is as high as

KUWAIT: A man holds truffles being sold at an outdoor market. (Inset) Nuer flowers are in bloom across the country. — KUNA (More pics on Pages 2 & 5)

Syria magnet for Muslim French youth PARIS: Two high school classmates, both French Muslims, headed off to Syria this month instead of going to school. They were located, brought home - one fetched by his father - and are now being investigated on terrorism-linked charges. The unfolding drama of the teenagers, aged 15 and 16, highlights how Syria has become a magnet for a vulnerable fringe of young Muslims in the West. It is among a small wave of cases that are putting French authorities, and some families, on edge.

The bloody three-year-old conflict in Syria has drawn thousands of Muslims to join the ranks of battalions trying to topple the regime or other fighting groups looking to conquer the region in the name of Islam. French authorities say that more than 600 French have gone to Syria, are plotting to go or have returned, and more than 20 French have been killed in fighting. As of mid-January, a dozen French adolescents were in Syria or in transit, according to authorities.

Many of the alleged would-be jihadis are clearly amateurs. “He’s a victim. He’s not a terrorist,” said the father of the 15-year-old before his son was handed a preliminary charge linked to terrorism on Friday - a rare event for a minor. “He never touched a weapon,” said the father, calling his son’s trip “an error of youth”. As the boys from France’s southern Toulouse region were questioned Friday by a judge Friday, the trial of three French Muslims caught heading to Syria was concluding in another wing of the Palace of Justice in Paris. The three, ages 21 to 26, had made a long list of purchases, from camouflage hoods and vests to gun holsters and night vision goggles. But their trip in 2012 ended before they boarded the plane, aborted by their arrest at a French airport.

French intelligence is in close contact with western nations, from European neighbors to the US and Australia, to try to spot would-be jihadis and track those who return and present a potential danger. French Interior Minister Manuel Valls plans to present a series of measures to President Francois Hollande in coming weeks aimed at stemming the tide of French Muslims to Syria. France feels especially vulnerable. It has the largest Muslim population in western Europe, estimated at 5 million, and Syria, once under French rule, is familiar to some citizens.

For Alain Chouet, a former intelligence director at France’s DGSE spy agency, youth looking for a cause are attracted by Internet battle videos or recruitment forums, media attention and easy access from Turkey, a vacation destination for many French people. The western support for the Syrian National Coalition fighting Assad may have further legitimized Syria as a destination. “It is considered a Continued on Page 13

KD 15 per kilogram. At the start of spring, truffle prices are generally very high, but they drop once imported supplies reach the local market from the Levant, Egypt, Iran and north Africa. However, favored species of the tuber are those from the deserts of neighboring countries, namely Saudi Arabia and Iraq, because they reach the local market within a short period of time after being unearthed and remain relatively fresh.

The price of truffles is forecast to drop this season after a bumper local crop,

Max 17º Min 8º High Tide 04:48 & 14:07 Low Tide 07:55 & 19:59

resulting from abundant rain that watered the Kuwaiti desert. Truffles grow across Kuwait’s arid land after the winter season, and it is commonly understood that strong sunlight after heavy rain is ideal for their healthy growth, provided the land is undisturbed. The Kuwait Municipality holds a temporary bazaar annually for trading in truffles and other seasonal plants, traditional food and products.

Meanwhile, wild plants, especially nuer flowers, are blooming heavily on the roadsides, sandlots and the desert in the various areas of Kuwait. Astronomer Adel Al-Saadoun said that the spread of these plans since October is due to the heavy rain, which prepared the ground for the emergence of annual spring plants and perennial shrubs. The fruits of the rain has begun to show these days, Saadoun told KUNA, noting that open tracts of land, which saw an ample amount of rain, are now full of shrubs, nuer (local yellow flowers) and other colorful flowers.

Crowfoot, another name for the nuer flowers, appears in the month of January until the beginning of May, and has a strong aromatic lavender-like smell as it is a medicinal plant used in anti-stress, emetic and diuretic medicine, he said. Its leaves and petals are also used to treat wounds, inflammations and intestinal bloating, as well as in foods as a substitute for saffron, Saadoun added. — KUNA

Indonesia volcano eruption kills 14

KARO, Indonesia: A resident runs away to escape from hot volcanic ash clouds engulfing villages in this district during the eruption of Mount Sinabung volcano on Sumatra island yesterday. — AFP

Morsi back in court CAIRO: A lawyer for Egypt’s ousted president yesterday told a Cairo court that it lacked jurisdiction to tr y Mohamed Morsi, saying the Islamist leader remained Egypt’s legitimate president because there has been no official decree removing him from office. The

claims by Mohammed Salim El-Awah came as the trial of Morsi and 14 others on charges of inciting the killing of protesters in 2012 resumed amid tight security in a makeshift courtroom in the national police academy in an eastern Continued on Page13

CAIRO: A supporter of the head of Egypt’s military Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi (left), wearing a t-shirt with his image, scuffles with Muslim Brotherhood lawyer Ahmed Kamel after she struck him outside a makeshift courtroom at the national police academy yesterday. — AP

KARO, Indonesia: Fourteen people, including four schoolchildren, were killed Saturday after they were engulfed in scorching ash clouds spat out by Indonesia’s Mount Sinabung in its biggest eruption in recent days, officials said. Dark, searing clouds rolling down the mountain left apocalyptic scenes of ash-covered bodies scattered by a roadside in Sukameriah village, just 2.7 km from the volcano’s crater, an AFP witness who helped with the evacuation said.

Officials fear there could be more fatalities from yesterday’s eruptions, but due to the high potential of lethal heat clouds spewing from the mountain, a search and rescue mission has been grounded, officials said. “We suspect there are more victims but we cannot recover them because the victims are in the path of the hot (ash) clouds,” said Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, the spokesman for the National Disaster Management Agency. All 14 bodies have been identified. Four of them were high school students on a sightseeing trip to the volcano on the western island of Sumatra, he added. “The bodies were in a state where, even though their skin did not peel, their faces were swollen and the tongues were sticking out,” an AFP reporter on the ground said.

Three other people - a father and his son who wanted to pay respects at the graves of their relatives, and a man who came to the village to check his long-abandoned house - were also trapped and injured by the deadly Continued on Page 13

Officers, not gentlemen: Pentagon’s naughty list Bad apples at Arifjan too WASHINGTON: The Pentagon has tallied reports of a shameful litany of bad behavior among its officers and employees in a voluminous tome entitled “ The Encyclopedia of Ethical Failures”. From bribery to kickbacks to falsifying travel expenses, the document is designed as a guide - and a warning - to teach troops and civil servants about ethics laws. Written in a breezy style free of bureaucratic jargon, the annual catalogue is updated every year with fresh examples of poor judgement and scams gone wrong.

Published by the General Counsel’s Standards of Conduct Office, this year’s edition includes the story of three generals and an admiral who extended an official trip to Tokyo by a day so they could enjoy a round of golf - at a cost to taxpayers of about $3,000. That case was listed under the heading: “A Swing and a Miss for Senior Officers Using Government

Funds on Golf Outing.” In another entry dubbed “The Ultimate Deceit”, one submarine officer tried to end an extramarital affair by staging his own death, arranging for his mistress to receive a false notice that he had died while on duty. “Upon receipt of the letter, his mistress showed up at the Commander ’s house to pay her respects, only to be informed, by the new owners, of the Commander ’s reassignment and new location,” it said. The officer lost his command.

Much of the 163-page encyclopedia is devoted to bribery, usually involving a civilian or officer with authority over lucrative government contracts. In a case at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait, a US Army Major James Momon took $5.8 million in bribes from five firms in return for awarding them major contracts for supplying bottled water and other items to various bases.

Continued on Page 13

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2014

LOCAL

Iraqi Airways starts Baghdad-Kuwait flight Special promotions on tickets

By Nawara Fattahova KUWAIT: The first Iraqi Airways flight between Kuwait and Iraq since 1990 arrived yesterday to Kuwait International Airport from Baghdad and Najaf. Visitors of Iraq can now avail of direct flights instead of the long periods in transit that they used to spend during the past 24 years. Two flights a week will operate between the two countries.”Iraqi Airways has scheduled two flight on Saturday and Wednesday to Baghdad and Najaf.

Due to the high demand, the airline will increase its flights in the future.

We also plan to include more destinations,” said Hanaa Elsamad, Regional Manager, Iraqi Airways during a press conference at the Holiday Inn Salmiya yesterday.

Iraqi Airways celebrated its 68th anniversary recently. “We are a pioneering and well-known carrier, and our fleet is new, including most aircraft manufactured in 2013. The relations between Kuwait and Iraq are very old and strong and we hope it will always remain very good, so we believe there is high demand for our flights,” stressed Captain Majeed Al-Ameri, Deputy Chairman, Iraqi Air ways. “ We

passed a hard and problematic period during the old political regime, but we are developing and expanding now. We recently launched new destinations such as Germany, Denmark, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Within two weeks, we will launch three stations in China and one in Azerbaijan,” he added.

Captain Badri Lateef, Commercial Manager of the Iraqi Airways, noted that very soon, new destinations from Kuwait to Iraq will be launched. “ These will include Irbil, Basra, Suleimaniya and Mosul. The northern cities, especial-

KUWAIT: The speakers during the press conference, which was held yesterday at the Holiday Inn hotel.

—Photo by Joseph Shagra

ly Irbil, are ver y beautiful and touristic cities, and we will promote them soon. We first launched Najaf and Baghdad as most Kuwaitis visit Iraq for religious purposes and business in these two cities,” he pointed out.

According to Dr Shafik Altimimi, Commercial Group Advisor of Bu Khamseen Holding Group Co in Iraq, yesterday’s flight was fully booked. “ This proves the high demand for visiting Iraq. We expect the flights will be at least 60 percent occupied. Besides saving time with our direct flights, as the passenger will fly less than two hours instead of the spending 7 or 8 hours to reach Baghdad in the past with transit flights, we also provide the best services to our passengers.

Furthermore, we offer competitive prices and suitable luggage allowances,” he explained.

Iraqi Airways is also offering special promotions on tickets. “The group is providing all the necessary services for our passengers. For two months from now, we will offer a special discount of 50 percent on the second ticket of every two passengers travelling together. Maybe soon with the increased demand, we may separate the two routes of Iraqi Airways and have separate Najaf and Baghdad flights,” noted Elhousieny Abdulhamid, Deputy General Manager, Bu Khamseen Holding Group Co.

Amir sponsors Indian doctors festival

KUWAIT: Kuwait-based Indian Doctors Forum holding “Docfest 2014” at the Regency Hotel over the weekend.

KUWAIT: Under the patronage of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber AlSabah, the Kuwait-based Indian Doctors Forum held “Docfest 2014” Friday evening at the Regency Hotel.

His Highness the Amir assigned Deputy Minister of Amiri Diwan Sheikh Ali Al-Jarrah AlSabah to represent him at the event.

In his speech during the event, Sheikh Ali AlJarrah conveyed His Highness the Amir’s greetings and appreciation to the Indian doctors and to the Indian community at large.

“The historical ties between Kuwait and India have been based on strong friendship. Indian forum has further strengthened the bond,” he added.

Sheikh Ali Al-Jarrah congratulated the members of Kuwait-based Indian Doctors Forum on their 10th year celebration and the role in offering high-quality medical care services as well as help upgrade the health care system in Kuwait.

He also commended the former Indian ambassador to Kuwait Satish C. Mehta for all his work and effort during his tenure in Kuwait and welcomed the new Indian ambassador to Kuwait Sunil Jain.

“On this occasion, I would like to congratulate the members of the forum for being bestowed with the prestigious “Bharatiya Pravasi Award” last year by the honorable President of India, It gives me great pleasure to inaugurate “Docfest 2014” and declare it open,” Sheikh Ali Al-Jarrah noted.

For his part, Dr. Amir Ahmed, President of Indian Doctors Forum expressed gratitude for His Highness the Amir’s sponsorship of the forum and support to Indian doctors in Kuwait.

Dr. Ahmed presented a memorial gift on this occasion to His Highness the Amir’s representative Sheikh Ali Al-Jarrah. —KUNA

‘Kuwait never hesitated to support Egypt’ CAIRO: Kuwait never hesitated to provide all means of support for Egypt and its people throughout history, especially during wars and crises it experienced as the Kuwaiti-Egyptian ties are “deep-rooted and historic,” stressed the former chief of Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) Bader Al-Humaidhi.

This statement of Al-Humaidhi, also former finance minister and ex-oil minister, came during a symposium entitled “ The KuwaitiEgyptian economic ties and the role of the State of Kuwait in the Arab economic development,” held Friday evening within the activities of the 45th Cairo International Book Fair, which was moderated by journalist Mohammad Sherdi.

He added that Kuwait had supported Egypt during the wars of 1967 and 1973 and provided

it with financial aid of USD four billion after the revolution of June 30.

He also stressed Egypt’s role in supporting Kuwait by its condemnation and rejection of the Iraqi invasion in 1990, in addition to the Egyptian Army’s participation in the liberation war of Kuwait, stating that “such major stances are never to be forgotten.”

The Egyptian economy has shrunk in the wake of the Jan 25 revolution due to the lack of security and political stability, said AlHumaidhi.

Investors are always keen on launching their investments in countries with stability, he added, noting that the public sector is not the only motivation for development as the private sector is more powerful.

He expressed optimism about the Egyptian

economy’s recovery, especially with the significant future investments it will deal with during the foreseeable future, pointing out the Kuwaiti investments, both governmental and private, are considered of the largest Arab businesses in Egypt. He also referred to the role played by KFAED in financing several vital development projects in Egypt in various sectors, especially in transport and electricity.

He called on the Egyptian government to dedicate its effort and time in to rebuild its infrastructure, as well as to help Arab and foreign investors to overcome the obstacles they may face. Al-Humaidhi expressed his happiness about his participation at this fair where Kuwait is a guest of honor, noting this cultural event forms a significant cultural and intellectual meeting. —KUNA

KUWAIT: The Commercial Bank of Kuwait offered financial support to a project carried out by Public Authority for Applied Education and Training students to build a hybrid automobile. The car is set to take part in the first hybrid car race organized by the Petroleum Institute in Abu Dhabi. The PAAET represents Kuwait in the event. The sponsorship comes as part of the CBK’s efforts to play an active role in the social, economic and other fields.

Jleeb tenants agree to pay higher rent

By Sajeev K Peter KUWAIT: The tenants of a Jleeb AlShuyoukh building has signed a new rental contract with a rent increase after facing weeks of no water supply and a non working elevator. The tenants allege these were pressure tactics employed by the building haris at the direction of the owner to force them to agree to the rent increase.

In an ‘out of court settlement’, the tenants will pay an increased rent of KD 250 per month and in return see the resumption of services including water and elevators. The tenants who spoke with this reporter also said the owner agreed not to raise rent again for the next five years.

In January, the building’s tenants engaged a lawyer to file a case after the apartment owner who allegedly cut off water supply to the apartment and put the elevator of the nine-storey building out of order. The tenants had approached the

local police station in Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh and the Indian Embassy to seek help with the dispute. Even though, several social organizations stepped in and pledged solidarity with the ‘fighting tenants,’ nothing emerged in their favor.

“We haven’t received any help from any quarters though there were many promises made. Finally, we realized that we could not go on like this anymore because the situation became worse. So, we decided to sign a new agreement with the owner acceding to his demand,” said a tenant on condition of anonymity.

Even the lawyer could not help them, said another tenant. As the suffering continued with no solution in sight, the unity among the tenants also began to break up.

“We had no other choice. How long could we endure this fight and the suffering?” asked another tenant, summing up the rationale behind their surrender to the building owner’s decision.

No plans to revert bonus decision: KPC KUWAIT: Kuwait paid around KD95 million as extra benefits to oil sector employees, and the figure was expected to reach KD100,000 this year if the bonus was not canceled before the beginning of 2014.

This was reported by Al-Jarida yesterday quoting ‘oil sector sources’ familiar with the news. They said that there are employees whose bonuses reach KD50,000 each “as they receive 4 times as much as their total salary”. Around 19,000 Kuwaiti employees in the oil sector are threatening to go on within two weeks in protest after the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation took a decision earlier this year to cut the bonuses that were given as rewards for annual profits recorded by the state-run corporation and its affiliated companies. A meeting with Oil Minister Dr. Ali AlOmair last Tuesday ended without solv-

ing the problem according to the head of the oil sector’s labor union Abdulaziz Al-Sharthan.

The sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity insist at the same time that the KPC has no plans to revert the decision or fall under pressure from labor unions who call for putting it on hold pending fur ther studying. Oil sector employees are entitled to three bonuses: annual, instant and ‘participation in profits’.

“The latter is the only one that covers all employees and can reach double the basic salary”, the sources said. AlJarida had quoted a State Audit Bureau report Friday which indicated that the bonuses were illegal because the KPC board never received approval from the Supreme Petroleum Council and Civil Service Council before it started paying the bonuses on January 2011.

GCC meeting on meteorology KUWAIT: Directorate General of Civil Aviation here is due to host today the fifth meeting of the GCC Standing Committee on Meteorology and Climate Change, an official said yesterday.

Over a period of two days, the meeting of GCC climate and aviation experts, will discuss, among other things, effects of dust storms on the climate in GCC states, implementing a memorandum of understanding on climate-related issues between GCC states and China, and the possibility of adopting a Kuwaiti proposal for the establishment of a unified GCC center for tracking weather changes in the region, said Muhammad Karam, director of meteorology at the

Directorate General of Civil Aviation in Kuwait, in a statement to the press.

Furthermore, the meeting will also consider the establishment of a marine weather forecasting center in Qatar and a weather early warning center in Oman, said Karam, noting that the meeting will discuss the feasibility of linking weather radars in GCC states together with access to the committeeís Web Site on the Internet. The meeting will moreover discuss a Kuwaiti proposal on streamlining services offered by civil aviation’s weather forecasting capabilities, and boosting cooperation between GCC states and the World Meteorological Organization, he said. — KUNA

KUWAIT: Truffles for sale in Kuwait this week.Truffles grow across the Kuwaiti arid land after winter season, and it is commonly understood that strong sunlight after heavy rain is ideal for their healthy growth, provided their land of growth is left intact.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2014

LOCAL

Expanding yoga practice in Kuwait Yoga for balance and serenity

KUWAIT: Saba Al-Naqeeb, cofounder of the Yoga Center explaining some of the center’s services to one of the visitors.

Al-Naqeeb posing at the Yoga Center booth.

— Photo By Joseph Shagra

By Nawara Fattahova KUWAIT: Kuwait’s hottest new outdoor shopping extravaganza, Qout Market attracts a wide diversity of vendors. Among the street food, homemade baskets and jewelry, the ladies of Yoga Center stand out for their passion and dedication to the practice.

“The Yoga Center is the first center for women in Kuwait to provide yoga,” explains Saba Al-Naqeeb, who along with her sisters co-founded the center which is located in the basement of Burj Jassim in Kuwait City.

“The Yoga Center Kuwait was created on the idea of bringing awareness to the Kuwaiti community by integrating the yoga lifestyle into everyday life,” Al-Naqeeb said. “Yoga is a powerful tool to create balance physically, mentally and spiritually. Building this awareness through its varying components; breathing, posture, control of surroundings and a continuing education is making better choices in our many dimensions of wellbeing,” she added. What makes The Yoga Center special is that it provides the perfect environment to achieve this awareness and the serenity for you to be true to yourself.

Different benefits “We are part of the community and we realize the issues and problems that affect the current lifestyle options in Kuwait, and The Yoga Center seeks to improve and develop a

KUWAIT: Children watching some animals at the Qout market. better way for dealing with these issues,” noted Al-Naqeeb. The Yoga Center offers hatha, vinyasa, hot or warm yoga, pranayama and yoga nidra, prenatal, yin yoga and power or ashtanga yoga.

Yoga has different benefits according to AlNaqeeb. “Yoga can teach us to accept each other’s differences, spread love, deal with our concerns peacefully, understand our body and listen to it to avoid injuries and stress.

Furthermore, it allows ourselves the opportunity to adapt to change. Our vision is to make The Yoga Center a place for woman to express themselves, to be free, relax, and take time out of their busy life through strengthening their mind, body and soul,” she pointed out.

You can visit The Yoga Center’s booth at Qout Market on the first Saturday of every month. The outdoor market is located on the rooftop of the Arraya Center in Sharq.

Al-Rashed’s bloc to support PM grilling

By A Saleh KUWAIT: MP Safa Al-Hashem was never coy about her plans to file a grilling motion against the prime minister, and it now seems that she will receive support from the newest bloc in the parliament. “The Masar movement led by MP Ali Al-Rashed supports AlHashem’s plan to grill Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah,” said parliamentary sources. They added that the independent bloc urged Hashem to make sure that she picks ‘the right time’ to file the interpellation “in order to attract as much support in the parliament as possible”. While the timing of the grilling remains unknown, the sources said that it is likely to be presented during the current term which ends on June. “If this happens, Masar will announce support of the grilling motion,” said the sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Speaking of grilling motions, MP Adel AlKhorafi has still not decided on whether to file a no-confidence vote request following the debate of his grilling against Minister of Electricity and Water and Minister of Public Works Abdulaziz Al-Ibrahim. “While he is likely to wait until hearing the minister’s argument, Khorafi believes that there is a good chance that the minimum number of 10 MPs required to sign a no-confidence vote request will be available,” said sources. “He is convicted that the minister’s performance is subpar, and believes that he has enough documents and evidence to prove his shortcomings”. On the other hand, the sources, who also spoke anonymously, revealed that Ibrahim is also confident about his chances to survive the debate “given the documents and evidence he plans to provide during the session”. Meanwhile, the sources said that the minister is expected to request a two-week delay for his grilling’s debate in order to prepare his response, “especially that he returned only a few days ago from Cairo where he took part in the meeting of the executive bureau of the Arab Ministerial Water Council”.

Committee meetings Separately, the parliament’s financial committee votes today on amendments to the build-operate-transfer law which are highly expected to be approved after an agreement was reached with government representatives last week. The parliament is expected to vote on the amendments this month or early March “as the government wants to finish the issue as soon as possible considering that it is classified as a priority both in the executive and legislative authorities,” according to sources close to the panel.

Meanwhile, the interior and defense committee meets today to vote on a draft law which requires the government to naturalize

4,000 bedoons this year, amid concern about the lack of assurances to ensure that the government will enforce the law if it approves it.

And on Thursday, the foreign affairs committee resumes discussing the Gulf Cooperation Council’s security agreement which remains pending MPs’ approval.

Committee members are not expected to vote on the agreement this week as they still are scheduled to meet with the foreign, interior and justice ministers over the issue. The panel is divided over the agreement, as MPs Saleh Ashour and Hamdan Al-Azmi reject it while MPs Kamel Al-Awadhi and Hamad AlHarshani endorse it, whereas the committee’s president MP Ali Al-Rashed remains undecided. Yesterday, local dailies reported that the parliament and government could reach an agreement to put on hold voting on draft laws that stipulate an increase in the rent and children allowances, until the parliament passes the consumer protection law. “The main idea behind this step is to avoid rapid increase in prices and rents if the allowances are raised”, Al-Rai daily reported quoting parliamentary sources.

Co-education The Kuwait University is likely going to bring up the disadvantages of a ban on coeducation during a recent meeting with Minister of Education Ahmad Al-Mulaifi, according to sources. Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the sources revealed that the issue was raised while preparing next year’s plan to enroll new students. “While discussing students’ complaints over closing classes and how it hurts graduation plans, the KU Council found that a ban on coeducation was the key factor that caused this problem,” said the sources. They added that a recommendation to end the ban is expected to be made during the next KU Council meeting chaired by Mulaifi. KU is required to provide separate classes for male and female students as per the coeducation ban, while shortages in teaching staff often leads to decisions to scrap classes that have the lowest number of students registered.

Iraq-Kuwait meeting A ministerial meeting between Kuwait and Iraq in order to discuss joint oil projects was postponed due to recent unrest in Iraqi, according to sources. “The meeting is likely to be pushed to next March as events in Fallujah and Anbar are hogging the Iraqi government’s attentionm” said the sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity. They added than an Iraqi delegation is expected visit Kuwait next month “in order to view ideas for joint investment projects in Iraqi oilfields as well as renovation projects in joint fields”.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2014

LOCAL

Local Spotlight

In my view

Find root causes of the problems

and blood ls u o s r u o h it W treets we paved the s

Arab street

Doubts over mixed marriages

By Labeed Abdal

By Muna Al-Fuzai

local@kuwaittimes.net muna@kuwaittimes.net

K

uwait is officially a member of countries that signed the international agreement against terrorism funding, which further highlights Kuwait’s efforts to join other nations in their fight against the problem that threatens stability and security of countries around the world. The fast-paced developments in the region call for the need to address the situation with a great deal of attention, while at the same time looking for proper diagnoses for the problems. The events in Syria and Egypt for example were affected by foreign interventions, whether from Arab states nearby or foreign countries located thousands of miles away.

Mercenaries who arrive from other countries and receive their payments in foreign currencies, as well as cars prepared to blow up in public while having no registrations or records that show their owners, are two examples of foreign intervention in countries affected by revolutions or the so-called Arab Spring wave.

The anti-terrorism funding agreement identifies the source of those problems. Car bombs which are continuously used in Iraq, as well as infightings and use of deadly weapons are enough reasons to warrant the need to come up with an international agreement to fight financing tragic events.

International cooperation and coordination became necessary to maintain the world’s safety and security. Attacks that affected the United States, United Kingdom, India, the Arab Spring countries and other nations around the world raise the need for joint and serious work in accordance with the counter-terrorism funding agreement to find a scientific and practical solution.

In order to find the best solution, nations must dig deep to find the root causes of the problems. This is an international duty in order to protect innocent people around the world who are usually the major victims of terrorist attacks.

kuwait digest

Popular Cabinet is inevitable

By Abdullatif Al-Duaij

I

t is very important that the government enjoys public support for its programs to handle the political situation. Meaning that the government is required to have political extension within the public as being an institution that reflects people’s visions and ambitions. The government needs this kind of support, especially when it adopts unpopular proposals or policies that lead people to experience political or economic restrictions.

The government never needed public support in the past, when pockets were full and the rentier spending policy ‘bought’ people’s contentment and loyalty. The same policy has now become unsustainable, and the government or state has become in need for financial support in the near future in order to meet the public’s increasing demands.

The state’s leadership needs a ‘popular’ Cabinet to make unpopular decisions. People don’t need to be convinced to receive money or enjoy - whether rightfully or not - the delusional welfare policy that the government has adopted since the beginning of the oil boom.

To put it shortly and clearly, the state’s leadership needs a ‘popular’ Cabinet to make unpopular decisions. People don’t need to be convinced to receive money or enjoy - whether rightfully or not - the delusional welfare policy that the government has adopted since the beginning of the oil boom. On the other hand, effort is needed to convince people to accept the discounts that the government is looking for, and contribute in the general budget’s costs.

Here lies an inevitability that we cannot escape from - people’s participation in economy requires involvement in power. The more people contribute economically, the more they will become ambitious or owed the right to make decisions or directly supervise the wealth distribution process. Currently, there is no public concern over public funds, because it remains as its name implies - public.

But when people have to pay or see their access to public funds reduced, the funds will then become private property that everyone will become keen to follow and demand to know where and how it is spent. In other words, the ‘popular’ Cabinet will become a necessity sooner rather than later.

Decision makers can do nothing but prepare to accept this. —Al-Qabas

T Al-Anbaa

in my view

Tempest in a teapot

By Aylin Kocamar

T

he international community and the world media are apparently up in arms against the current Turkish government. They tend to blow out of proportion even the pettiest of Turkey’s domestic issues.

As an analyst, this writer believes that they don’t have a proper understanding of the Turkish society and its sociopolitical dynamics. Well, they cannot be blamed, as it is hard to fathom - for the West in particular - a center-right party in a multi-party democratic country coming to power for three consecutive terms.

Interestingly, many western observers believe (they really do!) that the Turkish people “mistakenly” voted the AKP to power without properly taking into consideration the sociopolitical implications of their decision.

To those respected political pundits, this writer wants to say that people commit a mistake once not thrice.

This shows a lack of proper knowledge about Turkey and its vibrant society.

When it comes to democracy, Turkish democracy is older than that of many European countries.

Throughout the history of modern Turkey, coalition governments have been formed and those alliances included political parties of all hues. It is a country rocked many a time by coups. It remained exposed to attacks by the Communist PKK for many years. A careful and objective study of Turkey’s politics will make it clear that the Turkish “masses” have never favored leftwing politics.

Observers may recall that the AKP emerged on the political scene with a vision, at a time when Turkey needed it the most. The Justice and Development Party (AKP) entered the arena as a party with moderate views led by devout Muslims. This was a rare combination and took the country by storm. Turkish people don’t like comprising on their basic rights and freedoms and naturally inclined toward devout people. In addition to that Recep Teyyip Erdogan’s performance as the mayor of Istanbul helped shape public opinion in the favor of the AKP. Fortunately, the Turkish people did not regret their decision. That is why; they continued electing the same people in three consecutive elections. While some voices from the outside sought to impugn the Turkish government using concepts such as “Islamist,” it nonetheless increased its share of the vote because Turkey was changing. How? Let us start with the economy: Before 2002, Turkey had been begging the IMF for loans, but now it has repaid them. In addition, it is going to open a $5 billion credit line for the IMF: It is now Turkey doing the lending. The GDP has increased by 350 percent in the last 11 years, per capita income has raised threefold, the minimum wage fourfold, the total holdings of public banks almost sevenfold, exports fourfold and the Central Bank’s foreign exchange reserves fourfold.

Over the last 11 years, social assistance has increased by a whopping 1,200 percent, from $1.5 to $18 billion.

Tourism has increased by 22 percent.

The number of universities in Turkey has jumped from 76 to 200 in the last 10 years; 232 dams, 17,000

km of roads and 26 new airports have been built. The Marmaray subway under the Bosphorus, to be supported by a roadway in 2015, was a historic step.

While more than $2 billion has been given to the needy, the industrial sector has grown by 31.4 percent, and Turkey has become the world’s fifteenth largest economy and the second fastest growing.

Only over a decade ago, Turkey had sizeable segment of the middleclass living below the poverty line.

Serpentine queues of people to get oil and cheese were a common sight. In short, Turkey was in a complete mess. Successive governments came to power with promises of “two keys” (house and car), yet the people grew even poorer. After the AKP government, however, even the memory of those difficulties faded. The promise of two keys has, to a large extent, become reality. World-class healthcare services are now available to the masses.

This government is the only one that has admitted a million refugees from Syria without waiting for UN aid. It is mainly due to the current government that the Turkish people can travel to two-thirds of the world without visas. Turkey is part of almost every known international organization. If some people wish some other party to take the reins of the country, they must come up with a better alternative. That alternative force must not reverse the gains made over these years. It must maintain Turkey’s position as an attractive investment hub for foreigners and try to protect rights of Muslims all across the world.

It must have the capability to cope with issues of internal terror. It has to ensure rights of minorities, combat secret organizations within the state, and stand firm in the face of rumors of coups. Like the current government, it should not discriminate between those who cover their heads and those who do not.

Frankly, this writer sees no such alternative. Only thing that is apparent is some forces are hell-bent on destabilizing Turkey. Here a question arises: Why and who would want that to happen? The answer to that: Communists, Islamophobes and those who want a major war in the Middle East. Those who talk of corruption operations in order to create turmoil are either using them as a pretext or else are being used as tools. The manner in which the corruption case has been used to malign the government is beyond comprehension. Where in the world a government is replaced on these grounds?

Since the Gezi protests, the government is faced with one issue or the other. Patriotic people smell a rat. Something is cooking against Turkey.

The only way out of the current political mess is to think in the larger interest of the country. The Turkish people have to say no to those who are trying to foment unrest. They can fight these elements if they close ranks. In a bid to tackle such elements, the masses must not resort to violence, as this will only aggravate the situation. Let us not forget that a weakened Turkey can only fan the flames already engulfing the Middle East.

his is the latest trend in marriages in Kuwait among expatriate women and Arab Muslim men!

I’m not against mixed marriage, but I have my doubts over the success of these kinds of marriages, especially if each party has his or her own agenda to hook themselves to a stranger into a serious bond like marriage.

The Islamic marriage goes this way - the female is a Christian woman in her late forties, fifties or above, with no family back home or a spouse waiting. The male is a Kuwaiti or Arab man. The man, of course, has been married once if not several times. For them, it is an easygoing marriage in which they don’t have to spend much money and fulfils their fantasies of getting married to a Western woman with blue eyes and blonde hair.

In fact, the men feel that they are undertaking a noble mission because these women convert to Islam in order to marry these Muslims men. Men feel proud, and the women could not find a better source to cover their expenses, needs and a secure shelter in case she is lucky to get pregnant and have a baby. According to some of the sources, these woman are most likely homeless back home and broke. So they use Islam to solve their personal troubles. And this is why I reject and deny these kinds of marriages. In fact, most of the men, especially the Kuwaitis, don’t reveal their marriages with these women to their families and first, second and possibly third wives.

The fact that these women accept to stand in line with other women shows how desperate they are and I can’t blame the man because legally he is permitted to have four wives, but ethically I have never witnessed any successful marriage of this kind, Arabs or otherwise.

The fact that these women accept to stand in line with other women shows how desperate they are and I can’t blame the man because legally he is permitted to have four wives, but ethically I have never witnessed any successful marriage of this kind, Arabs or otherwise. I can find an excuse for a Muslim woman to be in such a marriage due to the conservative nature of society, customs and tradition, but I fail to understand why any Western woman would come all the way to Kuwait just to be in such a marriage. Islam is present all over the world, and she can find any Muslim man back home. It is a kind of unethical manipulation under the name of Islam.

In our life today, we are witnessing some who use Islam to achieve their personal goals. Terrorists kill innocents under the name of Islam - they think they are serving their religion and some use their bodies to fulfil the needs of a man whom she would not even consider if she was in her twenties and had money. These women accept these arranged marriages and live under stress just because of their needs. This kind of stress leads to many mental illnesses and more stress on the man who may put then put pressure on his kids or his other wives.

I think there is a regulation about Kuwaiti men who marry non- Kuwaitis. I wonder if it is ever implemented.

The increase of such marriages has more negative outputs than good, and yet we are still watching these cases with no one trying to seek the root of the problem the men for accepting such marriages or the women for making themselves goods for sale?

I can never be against any kind of mixed marriage if it was for love and mutual understanding between a young couple who want to start a life together. But, when it is otherwise, I surely have my speculations over why it is happening.

in my view

Egyptian media: Who’s lying?

By Mohammed Fahd Al-Harthi

T

he remarkable transformation of the media in Egypt over the past three years provides scholars an ideal opportunity to study issues of press freedom and political activism, and how this all fits into a constitutional state. The polarization in the country - stemming from the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak’s regime, the rise and fall of the Muslim Brotherhood and the current control of the country by a military council - is currently reflected in the country’s media.

Many Egyptian citizens felt betrayed when several journalists, who had defended Mubarak while he was in power, suddenly denounced him, and even declared themselves part of the revolution. Many on the streets labeled these journalists hypocrites. There was heavy criticism of the Egyptian media, particularly governmentowned newspapers and broadcasters. Some journalists were slammed for promoting the counterrevolution, and others were called “feloul,” a term used to describe supporters of the Mubarak regime.

Safwat Al-Alem, a professor in the media department at Cairo University, argues that journalists have created chaos in the press by swaying with public opinion. It is completely normal for journalists to modify their perspectives from time to time. However, the sudden and extreme jump from one opinion to another over a short period is hard to accept and understand, and is quite dangerous.

This shows that Egyptians need an open and free media, with properly qualified professionals, to create a modicum of objectivity, fairness and balance. There is a need to make a clear distinction between journalism and political activism. There is currently a blurring of the lines between these two activities. It is very difficult to have a real democracy without a free and fair press, independent from government.

In the relative openness that followed Mubarak’s ouster, businesspeople launched television channels to push their own agendas. The television industry is not an outstanding money making sector, but this drawback is offset by other financial and political benefits. Journalist Tareq Nour says these privately owned channels are highly sensationalist and simply aimed at defending and promoting certain businessmen, politicians and interest groups.

There was also a great deal of confusion in the print media, including previously influential national newspapers. These papers soon came to the defense of the military council after Mubarak. The Muslim Brotherhood had replaced key figures at these papers transforming them into pro-Brotherhood outlets. The organization deprived these papers of their independence by hiring editors in chief.

The Muslim Brotherhood-backed 2012 constitution, also gave the Shoura Council sweeping hiring and firing

powers at media houses. The new constitution, however, raises hope of a robust and independent Egyptian media industry. It recommends establishing two independent bodies, a High Council for Media, responsible for maintaining media ethics and setting standards, and a National Press Commission, responsible for managing and developing press institutions.

Egypt has some of the Arab world’s oldest media institutions, which have inspired many journalism schools in the region. Many influential Arabic journalists were trained in Egypt. The country’s media still has the responsibility of playing a leading role in the Arab world.

Egyptians have inspired the world with two successive revolutions and are not only developing their country but also the Arab region as a whole. This responsibility requires journalists to rise up and meet the aspirations of the people.

The increasingly media savvy Egyptian populace will eventually expose those who have set agendas or use the media for personal gain. Journalists should not forget that the revolution continues. The mushrooming of social networks, including YouTube, Google and others, will serve as a collective memory for those who are forgetful and want to compare past and present views. Journalists will ultimately be held accountable for their actions, in immediate trials conducted by individuals connected to the Internet.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2014

LOCAL

US praises Kuwaiti efforts Donor conferences on Syria WASHINGTON: A US top official shed light on the importance of the two consecutive international donors’ conference for Syrian relief efforts which were held in Kuwait in January of 2014 and 2013, citing Kuwait as an example of how a government should respond to a crisis. US Assistant Undersecretary of State for Population, Refugees and Migration Anne Richard said on the sidelines of a conference on the humanitarian crisis in Syria, late on Friday, “there are many ways in which the two Kuwait (hosted) conferences are important.”

She said that a year ago, the conference “showed the world that others cared about what was happening in Syria and to the Syrian people and raised a significant amount of money at a time that was still early on in the crisis.”

She indicated that she attended the first Syria donors conference held in Kuwait in 2013 on behalf of the US government and felt it was “such a constructive step and useful move on the part of the Kuwaiti government,” that she had asked US Secretary of State John Kerry to lead the delegation this year and she was “thrilled” that he accepted.

She affirmed that his remarks at the conference

KUWAIT: Wild plants are seen giving a green and yellow cover to the roadsides, sand squares and desert in the various regions of Kuwait.

Kuwait Dive Team hoists flag on artificial island KUWAIT: The Kuwait Dive Team announced raising the Kuwaiti flag on the Um Gaz island; the first artificial island in Kuwait located 700 meters northwest of the Kuwait Towers’ shore. The step, which coincides with Kuwait’s national celebrations, was carried out in cooperation with the Kuwait sea boy scouts.

In addition to celebrating Kuwait’s National Day and Liberation Day anniversaries, the operation was carried out to shed light on a historical site that became victim of negligence in recent years according to Kuwait Dive Team leader.

“Eight boy scouts and their supervisors took a boat to the island where they worked with our

divers to raise the Kuwaiti flag and highlight the island’s historic significance”, Waleed Al-Shatti said in a statement yesterday.

Little is known about the origins of the Um Gaz island, but Al-Shatti said that there are historical accounts which indicate that it was built during the 1930’s as an oil field but was later closed. The island is 70 meters tall, 30 meters wide and raises 2 meters above sea level. “It’s position at Kuwait Bay’s entrance makes people on board of every passing ship able to see it,” said Al-Shatti who announced plans to host a media activity on the island on the National Day.

“really did help bring attention to the Syrian crisis and build support from other countries but none of that would have happened if the Kuwaiti government had not first stepped forward to host not one but two conferences.”

“The thing I like about the Kuwaiti approach is that last year after making the announcement the Kuwaiti government went and gave checks directly to the UN agencies most involved in the humanitarian response and this is exactly the kind of good humanitarian donorship we are looking for from other countries,” Richard remarked.

A role model She stressed that for the last year she has been pointing to Kuwait “as an example of how a government should respond to the crisis, which is working through the operational agencies that know what they are doing, that have the professionals and years of experience,” saying “that is what the US government does, what the Kuwaiti government does and we are looking for more governments now to follow us.”

She reiterated her gratitude to Kuwait, His Highness

the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber AlSabah, the government of Kuwait for being such leaders in responding,” affirming that that when she meets with UN agency heads, they too express gratitude.

During the conference entitled “Saving Syria’s Civilians: Urgent Priorities and Policies,” Richard said in a panel discussion that looking at how to get aid into Syria is a “major challenge because it is a very dangerous environment and there has not been enough cooperation from the Syrian government to get aid to innocent civilians throughout the country and that has been a major frustration.”

She stressed that the crisis deserves attention and solutions. She indicated that “part of what we’re trying to do through a conference like the Kuwait conference is bring new donors to the table.”

“So I’m very appreciative for the role played by Kuwait for hosting two conferences and they were the largest donor each time at the conference,” she remarked. She also voiced appreciation to Kuwait for doing so much to be out and front in supporting these multilateral efforts “that we contribute to and believe in.” —KUNA

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2014

LOCAL

‘Big Boss’ arrested with fake passport Royal arrested in hospital brawl KUWAIT: An illegal resident is held pending deportation while investigations are ongoing to reveal details regarding his involvement in allowing deportees to return back to Kuwait through forgery. The Asian national was reportedly detained during a crackdown in Salmiya on Thursday after a fingerprint-scanner identity check revealed that he was deported and blacklisted in 2008. An investigation was opened after police received several mediation attempts for his release. It revealed that the man forged his identity and used a fake passport to reenter Kuwait, where he operated as a middleman between deported workers and people who supply them with forged passports to help them reenter Kuwait with a clean record. It was also revealed that the man’s operations earned him the moniker ‘Big Boss’ among Asian labor forces in Kuwait.

Hospital brawl A man identified as a ruling family member was arrested after he started a fight inside Adan Hospital Thursday night that left one person injured. According to the police report, the suspect was escorting a friend to the operations room when he engaged in an altercation with a man who was waiting ahead in line. Preliminary investigations indicate that the royal tried to move his friend to be the first in line to enter the OR, but a Kuwaiti man waiting ahead of them voiced his objection. An altercation between the two escalated into a fistfight in which the royal beat his opponent and left him with a serious injury. The police report also indicates that the

man assaulted a senior staff member in the hospital during the melee. Police escorted to royal to the Riqqa police station where he was charged with battery and assault and public disturbance. He remains in police custody pending further investigations.

Flight attendant held A flight attendant was arrested with drugs shortly after arriving on a flight from London Thursday night. The arrest happened after customs officials at the Kuwait International Airport decided to search the man when they grew suspicious of him. Plastic bags containing 5 gm of cocaine and 8 gm of marijuana were found in the man’s luggage before he was taken under arrest and held pending transfer to the public prosecution.

Fatal accident A pedestrian died after she was run over at a Jabriya street, while police apprehended the driver who was taken for questioning.

Paramedics and police arrived to the scene in response to an emergency call, but discovered that the Ethiopian woman had already succumbed to her injuries. Criminal investigators transferred the body to the forensic department after they were summoned to examine the scene. A Kuwaiti woman who was driving the SUV that hit the victim was taken to the area’s police station for further action.

Bullets found Police headed to a location near Amghara

scrap yard where a Kuwaiti man reported finding a large amount of bullets. A total of 80 rounds were recovered from the scene, and police found rust on the metal links connecting the bullets in the ammunition belt which suggest that they were left there a long time ago.

Preliminary investigations indicate that the bullets are likely remnants from the 1990/91 Iraqi invasion, and had been buried until they were exposed by the recent rains.

KUWAIT: A horrific car accident near Bnaider chalets yesterday.

Restaurant worker injured

By Hanan Al-Saadoun

Maid abuse A man is being summoned for questioning over his domestic helper’s allegations of physical assault and attempted rape. In her statements to Rumaithiya police station, the housemaid said that her employer harassed her and beat her up when she refused to submit to his sexual demands. The Filipina national added that she managed to escape from the house and headed to the nearest medical facility where she obtained a diagnosis report that showed facial bruises she sustained during the attack.

Investigations are ongoing.

KUWAIT: A worker at a Mubarakiya restaurant was injured as a result of an explosion following a gas leak from a cylinder.

Firemen rushed to the scene and dealt with the incident, as the victim was taken by his colleagues for treatment to the burns he sustained.

Car accidents A Bangladeshi and a Filipina were

injured during a car accident on King Fahd Road. Nuwaiseeb fire men were called to free the two trapped persons, who were taken to hospital by paramedics.

An unknown person was burned to death following a horrific car accident near Bnaider chalets. Nuwaiseeb fire center rushed to the scene and dealt with the fire after the car was hit by a truck, leaving the car driver burned beyond recognition. His body was recovered by the coroner.

Mahboula fight A man was hospitalized in a critical condition following a fight in Mahboula late Thursday night. The 21-year-old Saudi was taken in an ambulance to Adan Hospital where doctors rushed to close a deep gash on his right shoulder that he was heavily bleeding from. Meanwhile, police arrested a man who slashed the victim during the fight that was reported between the two. A case was filed for investigations.

KUWAIT: Zain participating in the opening ceremony of ‘Hala February’; the biggest national festival in Kuwait.

Zain shares the country’s joy during ‘Hala February’ Festival KUWAIT: Zain, the leading telecommunications company in Kuwait, participated in the opening ceremony of ‘Hala February’; the biggest national festival in Kuwait. This participation came in line with the company’smain sponsorship of the carnival that drives the spirit of happiness and togetherness within the hearts of both Kuwait’s people and the expatriate community.Several cultural, social, religious and entertainment activities will be conducted throughout the month of February to affirm and celebrate thecountdown to the country’s historic National and Liberation days on February 25 and 26 respectively.

During the opening ceremony at Salem Al

Mubarak Street, Zain participatedin several activities and folkloric entertainment programs, in addition to providing numerous competitions and prizes that will continue throughout the festival. The large public turnout sawcountless families and children participate in the national festival.

Commenting on this occasion, Waleed Al Khashti, Zain’s Corporate Communications and Relations Manager, said: “Zain enthusiastically participates and sponsor such patriotic and national events. This event is the prime festival held in the country, of which we have been a committed partner ever since its establishment and we will continue to do.”

Zain has long considered itself as a key partner of the Kuwaiti society, especially in such national carnivals. The company has engraved national celebrations as part of its firm corporate social responsibility strategy, continuing to draw smiles on people’s faces during important occasions. Zain’s presence at the wonderful event as the main sponsor has started on 31 January 2014 at Salem Al Mubarak Street and will continue until the end of February, involving a variety of segments like competitions, religious, cultural and entrainment activities, as well as Zain’s World of Children tent; an annual initiative that the company maintains to entertain children.

KUWAIT: Social Care Department at Kuwait University’s Students Affairs Deanship honored outstanding employees under the patronage of students affairs dean Dr Abdelraheem Thiab.

NBK staff enjoys fun-filled weekend at Ferrari world KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) organized a fun-filled weekend for its staff members and families from various departments at Abu Dhabi’s Ferrari World. NBK staff with their family members spent two days of fun and excitement enjoying their time with their children and colleagues. Other than Ferrari World, staff

members and their families took a trip to Sheikh Zayed Mosque and Saddiyyat AlManarah. NBK is keen on organizing special events for its employees to help strengthen the NBK family and serve as a token of appreciation for the staff’s professionalism, dedication and hard work.

Italian region keen on close ties with Kuwait TRIESTE, Italy: President of the Italian region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, Debora Serracchiani, emphasized her region’s keenness to develop multi-faceted relations with Kuwait, said a Kuwaiti official visiting here on Saturday.

Friuli-Venezia Giulia is located in the northeast corner of Italy. The regional capital is Trieste. The Friuli-Venezia Giulia region is bounded on the north by Austria and the east

by Slovenia, the west by the Veneto and the south by the Adriatic Sea. Debora Serracchiani is a member of the Democratic Party. She has served as the President of the Italian region of Friuli-Venezia

Giulia since April 22, 2013. She met here today with Kuwaiti consul general Abdul-Nasser Bukhadhour who is visiting various regions of Italy to cement their commercial and economic ties with Kuwait. Serracchiani suggested to the consul the formation of a panel of experts from both Italian and Kuwaiti sides to study the possibility of joint cooperation on projects of bilateral benefits.

Bukhadhour expressed delight at his meeting with the officials of the region and promised to relay their interests in developing close economic and trade ties with Kuwait to officials in his country. — KUNA

Banking on traditional money motors in Gulf DUBAI: Even in normal times, it is because banks have a special place in any economy that their business is discussed not so much in terms of how they may perform as entities and a sector to invest in, but more as to whether and how they help deliver economic growth.

After all, they perform the role of intermediaries for the rest of the economy, all the non-financial sectors, particularly

between households and corporates, between savings and investment, and between short-term deposits and longerterm employment of that funding.

Of course, this key function of matching lending and borrowing has been muddied to the point of grotesque distortion in some parts of the industry around the world, with the breaching of the division between traditional interpretations of banking on the one hand and, to some extent, speculative trading on the other. That blurring has only been mutated further by the unwelcome ability of banks of a certain size to ‘privatise profits, socialise losses’ because they are too systemically important to allow to fail. It is an issue that has dominated perceptions of the sector since the global financial crisis, and regulators and governments have respectively sought to apply stringencies on risky banking exposures, and yet to urge the banks to provide credit across the economy to keep it from stalling. Much debate has arisen over these conflicting concerns, and over the nature of such overarching interventions as the Basle III reforms.

Behind all the confabulation, however, rests the central fact that the banks generate themselves and steer the nominal demand that sustains real economic activity, insofar as, subject to prudential and supervisory issues, they literally create the money that enables and put a price to it.

So-called fractional banking means that these institutions maintain only a modest proportion of funds in liquid form, while pumping substantially unbacked credit to consumers and businesses alike, besides their investment portfolios and other exposures. And the money supply, by its various measures, is a critical factor for economic growth, pretty much wherever you belong on the spectrum of economic argument.

Recovery process Thus, it never does any harm to keep an eye on both the intrinsic health of the banks, and what degree of assistance they are giving to the recovery process. That, naturally, is

somewhat a circular matter, since faster economic growth itself is liable to lead to improved earnings, which provide the basis for further expansion. Equally, as everyone knows by now, that process can get seriously out of hand if not tempered by the authorities, which inevitably are thoroughly implicated in determining the parameters of credit creation, whether by the application of interest rates (via central banks) or administrative measures (that is, controls).

Indeed, when money and credit are nationalised (as they implicitly, systemically are), then ultimately responsibility must rest with governments, before and after their own finances become vulnerable to bailing out any overextended system. The complaints often heard among politicians that bankers are to blame for exaggerated state deficits, their derivative sovereign debt burdens and indeed most of the world’s economic ills are rather fatuous in that sense.

Strangely enough, while preoccupied with the state of their respective banking sectors, and their ability not only to avoid catastrophic systemic rupture but also fuel economic revival, much of the world is relying on suppression of interest rates, along the whole length of the yield curve, to try to maintain the demand for borrowing, and therefore level of spending. (The frightening scale of the dependence on cheap money has been shown by many disturbed emerging markets in the past couple of weeks.)

Yet that very intrusion has limited the willingness of banks to extend the supply of finance, given that their returns are essentially based on the differential between short and longer maturities! Moreover, compressed margins surely mean a need for both higher volumes and lower quality to achieve the same rates of return, that is, engaging with greater risk. It really is a funny old world.

Comfortable liquidity As to the Gulf region, fortunately there appears very little basis for concern about the creditworthiness of the banks

themselves, which - though having been through the mill of discomfort - are routinely described as well-capitalised, with comfortable liquidity and rising profitability. As the region’s economies have picked up pace - seemingly isolated to some extent from the rest of the globe’s difficulties - so have earnings performance responded and non-performing loans receded as an issue.

Last week rating agency Standard & Poor’s confirmed the benefits of the uptrending economic cycle, with “healthy” economic prospects this year keeping demand for bank credit high and promoting earnings, although, inevitably, “dependence on the hydrocarbons sector remains a structural risk factor”.

With the global situation pivoting on the US Federal Reserve’s shifting policy stance - though merely to restrict easing rather than tighten per se - the GCC’s banks are “well-positioned”, S&P assesses.

On the UAE’s banking system, recent research by Bank Audi noted that bank lending had accelerated by two and a half times in the nine-month period January-September 2013, year on year, while the central bank has taken a number of initiatives to protect asset quality and balance sheet strength. It reckoned that any risk of duration mismatch represented by a shift towards private sector shorter-term retail funding would be offset by the cash-rich public sector’s wholesale contributions.

That being said, the usual caveat springs to mind. As Moody’s reminded in a release in November, “oil contributes 62 per cent of GDP, and hence we consider the oil price as a barometer for overall economic performance and confidence within the country”.

Besides a very accommodative monetary policy, it’s difficult to get away from that criterion as the mainstay of the systemic banking and economic condition in the GCC, especially if the potentially still volatile real estate sector is to be regarded as an element of non-oil diversification. — Gulf News

SUNDAY, FEBUARY 2, 2014

Yemen clashes kill 60, oil pipeline bombed

New jihadi group emerges in Egypt Page 8

Page 11

BANGKOK: A Thai anti-government protester takes cover and aims his gun before shooting towards Thai pro-election protesters (not seen) in Bangkok yesterday. — AFP

Gunshots, explosions rock Thai protests Standoff between pro-, anti-govt groups turns violent BANGKOK: Dozens of gunshots and at least two explosions raised tension amid anti-government protests in Thailand’s capital yesterday, a day ahead of a general election seen as incapable of restoring stability in the deeply polarized country. Six people were wounded in front of a suburban shopping mall in the north of Bangkok. Gunmen among the crowds were seen hiding their weapons before backing away from the shooting.

Sporadic gunfire continued as the sun began to set, with masked men openly firing handguns. Security forces fired warning shots in the air with M-16s to allow at least a dozen protesters taking cover under an elevated highway to escape. “Authorities were able to control today’s clashes quickly and the situation has improved now,” National Security Council chief Paradorn Pattantabutr said.

It was not immediately clear whether those wounded were the government’s supporters or its opponents, some of whom want to block balloting in an election almost certain to return Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to power. The violence came amid generally peaceful protests around Bangkok and revived chilling memories of political unrest in 2010, when supporters of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, Yingluck’s brother, paralyzed Bangkok to remove a government led by the Democrat Party.

More than 90 people were killed and more than 2,000 wounded when current protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban, at the time a deputy prime minister, sent in troops.

Yesterday’s attack took place in Bangkok’s Laksi district, close to the Don Muang airport, a stronghold of Yingluck’s Puea Thai Party. Her supporters had gathered to demand today’s ballot not be obstructed. Ten people have died and at least 577 have been wounded in politically related violence since late November.

The protesters took to the streets in November for the latest round of an eightyear conflict broadly between Bangkok’s middle class, southern Thais and the royalist establishment against the mostly rural supporters of Yingluck and Thaksin, who was ousted in a 2006 coup. Suthep has called for a peaceful blockade of roads, but at the same time has vowed not to stop people voting.

“The people will not close the polling booths, but will demonstrate on the roads. They will demonstrate calmly, peacefully, without violence ... We won’t do anything that will hinder people from going to vote,” Suthep said on Friday night.

Bloody ballot?

Election Commission Secretary-general Puchong Nutrawong said the commission has

instructed staff to halt voting if there is rioting or other violence. “We don’t want this election to be bloody. We can get every single agency involved to make this election happen, but if there’s blood, what’s the point?” Puchong said. “ ... If there is continued obstruction, I pray only that there is no fighting and no coup.”

The military has stayed firmly on the sidelines so far, in contrast to the past. It has a history of having staged or attempted 18 coups in 81 years of on-off democracy. Yingluck’s party is bound to win the election, though without enough members to achieve a quorum in parliament, guaranteeing further stalemate, at best, even if the election passes off peacefully.

The Democrat Party is boycotting today’s poll and backs the protests. Election commissioner Somchai Srisutthiyakorn wrote on his Facebook page about the possibility of the poll being voided altogether. “After the Feb 2 vote, there will be people filing lawsuits for the election to be voided immediately, citing various reasons that they will put forward, such as the general election must be held on one day or violate the constitution, which would make it likely that 3.8 billion baht ($115 million) will have been spent for nothing,” Somchai wrote.

Puchong said the commission was doing its best to adhere to the law and any speculation about the vote being annulled was for

Explosion kills four in Hezbollah stronghold BEIRUT: A suicide car bomber killed four people yesterday in a Hezbollah stronghold on Lebanon’s northern border in the latest sign that Syria’s civil war was spilling over into its small Mediterranean neighbour.

Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reported the blast occurred beside a petrol station in the town of Hermel at the northern end of the Bekaa Valley, an area populated mainly by Shiite Muslims among whom Hezbollah draws its support. A photograph posted on the NNA’s website showed a fire raging beside a severely damaged petrol station.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility but yesterday’s blast fit a pattern of attacks by rival sectarian groups on each other’s strongholds that has been amplified by Syria’s civil war. A security source told Reuters that 14 other people were wounded in yesterday’s blast, which was located near a build-

ing housing a charity connected to the late Shiite Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah. Fadlallah was not a member of Hezbollah, which has been the target of increasingly frequent bomb attacks in recent months. The military and political movement has sent fighters and advisers to aid President Bashar Al-Assad, a member of Syria’s Alawite minority, in his battle with mainly Sunni rebels.

The explosion, which took place around 6:00 pm after night had fallen, sparked a huge blaze that hindered the arrival of emergency services. Hezbollah’s Al-Manar television station broadcast images of huge flames at the site of the attack. It was the second blast in less than a month to hit the town, which is close to the border with war-ravaged Syria. On Jan 16, a car bombing outside the main government administration building in Hermel killed three people. — Agencies

the courts to decide. The protesters, camped out at major intersections in the city and blocking key arteries, forced polling stations in 49 of Bangkok’s 50 districts to shut last weekend and voting could only go ahead in three of 15 southern provinces. Some voters were physically pulled away from the polling booths. Suthep wants to rid the country of the Shinawatra family’s political influence and accuses Yingluck, who swept to power in the last election in 2011, of being Thaksin’s puppet.

The protesters say Thaksin is a corrupt crony capitalist who commandeered

Thailand’s fragile democracy, using taxpayers’ money to buy votes with populist giveaways. Thaksin has chosen to live abroad since 2008 to avoid a jail term for graft. He or his allies have won every election since 2001. His supporters say he was the first Thai political leader to keep campaign promises to help the poor. Suthep wants to set up a “people’s council” of notable individuals before another election is held. The prolonged unrest has hurt tourism and the central bank says the economy may grow only 3 percent this year, rather than the 4 percent it had forecast. — Reuters

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Indonesian militants fighting in Syria

ALEPPO: Medical personnel look for survivors following a reported airstrike on the Tariq Al-Bab district of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo yesterday. —AFP

JAKARTA: Indonesians who have joined fellow extremists fighting in Syria could help reinvigorate a once-powerful militant group responsible for major bombings in the world’s most populous Muslim country, a report said. “The conflict in Syria has captured the imagination of Indonesian extremists in a way no foreign war has before,” said a report by Jakarta-based Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict published last week. It is a change of pattern for Indonesian militants who previously have gone to Afghanistan in the late 1980s and 1990s mainly for training, or to the Palestinian territories to give moral and financial support to fellow Muslims, the report said.

“The enthusiasm for Syria is directly linked to predictions in Islamic eschatology that the final battle at the end of time will take place in Sham, the region sometimes called Greater Syria, or the Levant, encompassing Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Israel,” the report added. This notion has attracted Indonesians from different radical streams to go or try to go to

Syria, including the Jemaah Islamiyah, or JI, a group responsible for the 2002 bombings on the resort island of Bali which killed 202 people, mostly foreigners.

After the 2002 attack, a government crackdown that either killed or jailed JI’s leaders has crippled the group and attacks carried by it or its splinter groups have been smaller. Some of the JI leaders have now taken to non-violent activities such as preaching, inviting criticism from other militant groups. However, the report warned that the Syrian conflict had convinced many extremists that their local jihad should be set aside for now to devote energy to the more important one abroad, like many JI leaders have argued.

Despite JI’s decline “if the Syrian conflict helps both JI’s fund-raising ability as well as its own recruitment, and if domestic political situation should take a turn for the worse, that calculus could change. No one should rule JI out of future actions,” the report said. The report quoted the Indonesian foreign ministry as estimating there were 50 Indonesians among the

8,000 foreign fighters from 74 countries involved in the Syrian conflict.

JI’s humanitarian wing, Hilal Ahmar Society Indonesia, sent 10 delegations to Syria carrying cash and medical assistance to the Islamist resistance in an effort to open channels for more direct participation in the fighting, the report said. Five of seven men identified as having gone to fight are graduates of Al-Mukmin Islamic boarding school on Java, a school notorious for spawning Indonesian militants and whose founder, cleric Abu Bakar Bashir, is in prison after being convicted of terrorism.

In January, after counter-terrorism police killed six members of Islamic militant group Western Indonesia Mujahideen, authorities announced that one of those killed had planned to go to Syria. Testimony from a surviving member of the group said all six had planned to go to Syria and had robbed a bank to finance the trip and that a member of the group was already in Syria to assist upon their arrival, the report said. —AFP

New jihadi group emerges in Egypt Egypt air strike kills 7 Sinai militants CAIRO: A new Egyptian militant jihadi group has issued its first statement, claiming responsibility for planting explosives and attacking security men and police stations. In a statement posted on a militant website late Friday, Ajnad Misr, or Egypt’s Soldiers, said it will fight the “regime’s criminal organs,” which it said were being used to humiliate the people and prevent them from per forming religious duties.

It said it planted and detonated two explosive devices on a main highway on Cairo’s outskirts Friday. Interior Ministry spokesman Hani Abdel-Latif said it hit a vehicle carrying riot police and wounding an officer. Earlier this week, militant group Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis confirmed that Ajnad Misr was responsible for the Jan 24 bomb attack that targeted Cairo’s Talbiya police station, which police said caused no casualties.

CAIRO: Egyptian security forces try to disperse supporters of Egypt’s ousted President Mohammed Morsi protesting against the government in Cairo. —AP

In another development, the Egyptian army said it killed seven militants in an air strike in the Sinai Peninsula less than a week after jihadists downed a military helicopter in the restive region. The army said the Thursday night air raid hit militants linked to the Muslim Brotherhood of ousted president Mohamed Morsi, which the military-installed authorities have designated a terrorist organization despite its repeated condemnation of jihadist attacks against the security forces. The air strike targeted four houses of “dangerous ex tremists linked to the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood group” south of the North Sinai town of Sheikh Zwayed, the army said, adding that seven militants were k illed and five wounded.

On January 25, militants shot down a military helicopter in the Sinai, killing five soldiers as Egyptians marked the third anniversary of the Arab Spring uprising that toppled veteran strongman Hosni Mubarak. Al-Qaeda inspired group Ansar Bait Al-Maqdis (Par tisans of Jerusalem) claimed responsibility for the downing, which was only belatedly acknowledged by the military after several days of insisting that it had been an accident.

The Sinai-based group has claimed a spate of attacks against the security forces in recent months, not only in the desert peninsula but also in the heart of the capital. The day before the helicopter downing, it claimed four bomb attacks against police targets in Cairo which killed six people, including a car bombing just outside the perimeter fence of police headquarters. The army has poured troops into the Sinai in a bid to crush the militants but despite the loss of scores of police and troops since its July overthrow of Morsi, there has been no letup in attacks.—Agencies

Northern Nigeria hit by religious violence KANO: Eight people were killed in religious violence in Nigeria on Friday, including a Christian family of seven, while a roadside bomb killed seven others in an area known for Boko Haram activity. The two incidents follow deadly violence last weekend, which raised fresh questions about the government’s strategy to end the bloodshed and a change at the top of the military.

In the first attack, unknown gunmen in cars and on motorbikes burst into the family’s house in Unguwar Kajit, a village in the mainly Christian part of Kaduna state, and opened fire, locals said.

“Christian youth provoked by the attack, which they blamed on Fulani Muslims, mobilized and launched reprisal attacks, burning mosques and houses,” youth leader Emmanuel Zadiok said.

One person in a mosque died as it went up in flames, said Muslim resident Mohammed Yakub, confirming Zadiok’s account.

Kaduna state governor Mukhtar Ramalan Yero has ordered an investigation. He condemned the attack and “prayed that God should expose the perpetrators”, said his spokesman, Ahmed Maiyaki. In the second incident, seven people were killed and three others seriously injured when their bus ran over a home-made bomb near Kuthra village in the Gwoza area of Borno state, police said. The Islamist militant group Boko Haram has scaled up deadly attacks in the border area with Cameroon in recent months and Borno state police commissioner Lawan Tanko blamed the group for planting the device. “The incident happened around 7:00 am,” said Tanko. “The bus was about to pull over to pick some passengers when it rolled over the IED (improvised explosive device) planted by the roadside, causing an explosion.” A police bomb disposal unit has been combing the area for further explosives, he added.

Religious, ethnic divisions Gwoza is some 150 kilometers from the Borno state capital Maiduguri, Boko Haram’s spiritual home, where earlier this month a car bomb ripped through a busy market, killing 19. Boko Haram also attacked military installations in December last year, forcing a city-wide shut-down and raising questions about Nigeria’s counterinsurgency strategy. A state of emergency imposed on Borno and two neighboring northeast states in May last year has pushed Boko Haram fighters into more remote, rural areas but attacks have continued. Last Sunday, at least 52 people were killed in Kawuri, some 90 km by road from Gwoza, and 26 died when gunmen stormed a church in Waga Chakawa, in neighboring Adawama state.

Adamawa is home to Nigeria’s new chief of defense staff, Air Marshall Alex Badeh, who has vowed to defeat Boko Haram by the end of April. Some analysts believe the Islamists may have interpreted that statement as a challenge. Friday’s attack in Kaduna also recalls the violence following the last presidential elections in 2011, which saw southern Christian Goodluck Jonathan defeat northern Muslim candidate Muhammadu Buhari. Buhari’s supporters took to the streets in the wake of Jonathan’s win, claiming the vote was rigged. Their protest became violent and more than 800 people were killed in three days of rioting. —AFP

BANGUI: Central African Republic transitional President Catherine SambaPanza (center) kisses a young child during a visit to a camp for displaced civilians in Bangui yesterday. —AFP

African countries pledge cash for violence-hit CAR ADDIS ABABA: Violence in Central African Republic (CAR) could tear the country apart and destabilize the region, officials warned yesterday as African countries raised cash for a peacekeeping force in the strife-torn country. The pledging conference comes after African leaders called for urgent solutions to the crisis in Central Africa, a landlocked, resource-rich but impoverished nation where weeks of sectarian violence have killed thousands.

“Clearly the collapse of law and order is a threat to the very existence of the Central African state, it has the potential to seriously impact on regional security and stability,” said Smail Chergui, the top African Union (AU) peace and the security official, told the conference. “The security situation is of utmost concern, with continued attacks against civilians that in turn heighten religious and inter-communal tensions,” he said. The deployment of the AU peacekeeping mission MISCA is crucial to prevent CAR from “sliding into total collapse,” Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn said as he pledges $500,000 for the troops.

The peacekeeping force must have “the full capacity to successfully conduct its operations and mandate, especially in light of the current escalation of violence,” said South African President Jacob Zuma, who pledged $1 million. The Central African Republic descended into chaos 10 months ago after rebels overthrew the government, sparking violence between the Christian majority and the Muslim minority that has uprooted a million people out of a

population of 4.6 million. Violence has escalated in recent days, with 30 dead in the capital amid reports that violence is spreading beyond the capital Bangui.

“We urgently appeal to all of you to provide MISCA with the support required,” UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson, said. “We have a collective responsibility towards the people of the Central African Republic to respond rapidly and robustly and now to prevent further atrocities,” he went on. “We will be judged and measured by our efforts to protect the people of the Central African Republic. We must not let them down ... we must not fail to prevent another huge tragedy in Africa. And we must ensure that MISCA does not fail because we did not give it the support it needs at this critical time,” Eliasson told donors.

There are currently 5,500 troops in MISCA, supporting a 1,600-strong French force battling to restore peace in the conflictwracked country. The European Union has committed 500 troops, in addition to 200 million euro ($150 million) in support for security and elections which are set to take in the next year. Part of this EU cash pledge will go towards funding the MISCA force.

The newly-elected president of CAR, Catherine Samba-Panza, has called for additional troops to be deployed in the country. The violence has created a massive humanitarian crisis, and the UN World Food Program said in Geneva it urgently needed $95 million to provide food assistance to the population. —AFP

Israel demolishes 36 Jordan Valley homes UN condemns Israel JERUSALEM: The UN humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories yesterday criticized Israel’s demolition of 36 homes in the Jordan Valley and urged a halt to such actions in the West Bank. Hundreds of activists, meanwhile, staged an overnight demonstration in the Jordan Valley region. The moves came as fresh opinion poll evidence showed that faith in the Middle East peace process has largely evaporated among both Israelis and Palestinians.

The demolitions in the Jordan Valley community of Ain El-Helwe displaced 66 people, including 36 children, James Rawley said in a statement. “I am deeply concerned about the ongoing displacement and dispossession of Palestinians... along the Jordan Valley where the number of structures demolished more than doubled in the last year,” he said. “This activity not only deprives Palestinians of access to shelter and basic services, it also runs counter to international law.”

His office said more than 1,000 people had been displaced last year in the West Bank and annexed east Jerusalem by demolitions on the grounds that homes had been built without Israeli permits, “which are virtually impossible to obtain”. On Friday, around 300 Palestinians together with Israeli and foreign activists set up camp in abandoned houses near Jericho in the West Bank to protest against Israel’s refusal to pull out of the Jordan Valley in case of a peace deal, an AFP photographer said.

The demonstrators in Ain Hijleh village were equipped with generators and said they

planned to spend the night in around a dozen of the houses, as Israeli troops and police kept watch from a distance. They held a banner reading: “No peace with settlements.” Their actiondubbed “Melh Al-Ard” (salt of the earth) - aimed “to revive an old Palestinian Canaanite village in the Jordan Valley”, to counter any Israeli annexation plans, the activists said in a statement.

They condemned Jewish settlement construction in the West Bank and the IsraeliPalestinian peace process brokered by US Secretary of State John Kerry. His efforts would “establish a disfigured Palestinian state and recognizes the Israeli entity as a Jewish state”, they said. Such a state would put Arab Israelis at risk of deportation at any time, the activists said.

Faith in the Middle East peace process has largely evaporated among Israelis and Palestinians in the two decades since the Oslo accords and a famous White House lawn handshake, a new poll found Friday.

According to the Zogby Research Services poll, neither side has much confidence in the new push for peace being led by Kerry, which the pollsters believe is proving a hard sell.

Although two decades have elapsed since then Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin shook hands watched by then US leader Bill Clinton, “it is clear several deep differences exist” plaguing the atmosphere between the two sides. “Twenty years later only 18 percent of Palestinians and 19 percent of Israelis view Oslo as a positive development in the history of their relationship,” the poll said. —AFP

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Catholic diocese seeks bankruptcy protection HELENA: The Roman Catholic Diocese of Helena, Montana, filed for bankruptcy protection Friday as part of a proposed $15 million settlement for hundreds of victims who say clergy members sexually abused them over decades while the church covered it up. The bankruptcy reorganization plan comes after confidential mediation sessions with the plaintiffs’ attorneys and insurers, resulting in a proposed deal to resolve the abuse claims, diocese officials said. Bishop George Leo Thomas expressed “his profound sorrow” and apologized to the victims in a news conference. “I know the pain is real, the pain is in the present tense, and in the name of the church, I want to say I’m sorry and we’re sorry as a church,” Thomas said.

In addition to the money, the diocese must publicly apologize, publish the names of clergy members who have been credibly accused of abuse, offer to meet with abuse survivors, provide victim counseling and reinforce its policies and procedures to prevent abuse, plaintiffs’ KIEV: An anti-government protester stands in front of tents and Ukrainian national flags near the Kiev’s Independent square yesterday. — AFP

West, Moscow accuse each other of ‘coercing’ Ukraine Western diplomats meet opposition in Munich MUNICH: The United States and Europe exchanged angry words with Russia yesterday in a tug-of-war over Ukraine, with US, EU and NATO leaders saying Moscow must not strong-arm Kiev into an unpopular alliance. At conference in Munich where Western diplomats met leaders of the Ukrainian opposition, United States Secretary of State John Kerry said the protesters believe “their futures do not have to lie with one country alone, and certainly not coerced”.

“Nowhere is the fight for a democratic, European future more important today than in Ukraine,” he said. “The United States and EU stand with the people of Ukraine in that fight.” But Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, outnumbered in Munich by supporters of Ukraine’s overtures to the European Union that were suddenly ditched by President Viktor Yanukovich last November, hit back with the same charge.

Lavrov said “political choice was preordained for Ukraine” when NATO offered Kiev potential membership of the western military alliance in 2008. Ukraine demurred but does cooperate with NATO on international peace missions such as Afghanistan. “Here a choice is being imposed,”

said Lavrov, accusing some EU politicians of fomenting anti-Yanukovich protests by people who “seize and hold government buildings, attack the police and use racist and anti-Semitic and Nazi slogans”.

They were trading barbs at the annual Munich Security Conference. Differences between Russia and the western allies on Ukraine and Syria, where Moscow backs President Bashar Al-Assad, made for a chilly atmosphere on the podium there. On the sidelines, boxer-turned-politician Vitaly Klitschko and Arseniy Yatsenyuk, an ally of jailed former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko, as well as lawmaker Petro Poroshenko and pop star Ruslana Lyzhychko lobbied for support for the opposition.

They led a small protest in the streets of the Bavarian capital amid meetings with Kerry, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton. “We expect support for Ukraine, support for a democratically peaceful movement because everyone wants to see Ukraine as a modern European country, which is our main goal,” Klitschko told reporters. Demonstrators were saying “enough,

enough waiting, enough corruption, enough of living without rules”, he said. Yanukovich has signed into law an amnesty for protesters detained in the unrest and repealed anti-protest legislation.

But this looked unlikely to end the sometimes violent protests that began when he accepted a $15 billion Russian loan package late last year instead of a trade deal with Europe. Kerry and other western diplomats put the burden of responsibility for the violence on the Ukrainian government. “We strongly condemn the violence we have seen, not least the excessive use of force by the security forces in Ukraine,” said NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen, speaking of Yanukovich’s “special responsibility”.

“We insist on full respect for the fundamental principle that each and every country has an inherent right to freely choose its alliances,” added Rasmussen as Lavrov sat nearby. European Council President Herman Van Rompuy spoke of former Soviet republics like Ukraine, Georgia and Moldavia being attracted to the European way of life. “The future of Ukraine belongs with the European Union,” he said. — Reuters

attorneys said. The diocese already has set up abuse -prevention programs, including worker screenings, a claimsreview board and a hotline to report abuse. The settlement details are being worked out, but the US Bankruptcy Court in Montana would be responsible for approving and supervising the disbursement of $15 million to compensate the 362 victims identified in the two lawsuits.

In addition, at least $2.5 million will be set aside for victims who come forward later, according to the diocese. The church anticipates paying that $2.5 million, with the rest paid by insurers. The victims and creditors will have the chance to vote on the proposed settlement, diocese officials said. Church officials are planning to pay the diocese’s share of the settlement with cash, though they may have to sell some property in the future, Thomas said.

The diocese was in a precarious financial position before the lawsuits were filed, and a reorganization was already likely, he said. — AP

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Citizenship for immigrants? Obama eases insistence WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama’s new declaration that he’s open to legalizing many immigrants short of citizenship sounds a lot like House Speaker John Boehner and other GOP leaders, an election-year compromise that numerous Republicans as well as Democrats crave. But the drive for the first overhaul in three decades still faces major resistance from many Republicans who are wary that the divisive issue could derail what they see as a smooth glide path to winning November’s congressional elections. And they deeply distrust the Democratic president to enforce the law.

Just hours after Boehner pitched immigration to the GOP at a Maryland retreat, Obama suddenly indicated he would be open to legal status for many of the 11 million living here illegally, dropping his once-ironclad insistence on a special path to citizenship. Democrats, including Obama, and other immigration proponents have warned repeatedly about the creation of a two-tier class system.

“If the speaker proposes something that says right away, folks aren’t being deported, families aren’t being separated, we’re able to attract top young students to provide the skills or start businesses here, and then there’s a regular process of citizenship, I’m not sure how wide the divide ends up being,” Obama said in a CNN interview that was recorded Thursday and aired Friday.

Obama’s flexibility is a clear indication of the president’s desire to secure an elusive legislative achievement before voters decide whether to hand him even more opposition in Congress. Republicans are expected to maintain their grip on the House and have a reasonable shot at grabbing the majority in the Senate.

“I’m going to do everything I can in the coming months to see if we can get this over the finish line,” Obama said Friday of an immigration overhaul in a Google Plus Hangout talk. In an earlier compromise, Obama signaled late last year that he could accept the House’s piecemeal, bill-by-bill approach to immigration changes after months of backing a comprehensive, bipartisan Senate bill. Notably, he calibrated his comments on immigration in his State of the Union address this week.

“I think he realizes that this is a very delicate issue, it’s very controversial and I think his recent statements have been very, very positive in allowing us to move forward,” Rep Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla, a proponent of immigration overhaul, told reporters Friday. Boehner, for his part, tried to sell his reluctant broader caucus on tackling immigration this year by casting it as critical to job creation, economic growth and national security. The speaker, along

WASHINGTON: Washington State Senate Majority Leader Rodney Tom speaks about a measure to expand state financial aid for college students in the country without legal status. The measure passed the Senate on a 35-10 vote and heads to the House for consideration. — AP with Reps. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and Jeff Denham, R-Calif., ty has been capitalizing on Obama’s abysmal approval argued for action in a closed-door session with other ratings and on Democrats’ troubles in defending the House Republicans Thursday at their annual retreat in national health care overhaul. Any doubts about the Republicans’ election-year prospects were erased with Cambridge, Md. Boehner rejected the idea of a special path to citizen- news this week of the planned retirement of Rep Henry ship. “If Democrats insist on that, then we are not going to Waxman, a 20-term lawmaker who would have become get anywhere this year,” he said. The House leaders’ “stan- chairman of a House committee if Democrats could win dards for immigration reform” call for increased border back the chamber. “Why in the world would we want to security, better law enforcement within the US, a pathway change the subject to comprehensive immigration to legal status but not citizenship for millions of adults reform,” said Rep John Fleming, R-La, who called it a “suiwho live in America unlawfully - after they pay back taxes cide mission” for the GOP. Aside from election hopes and concerns, some of the and fines - and a chance for legal residence and citizendeep-seated opposition on immigration stems from ship for children brought to the country illegally.

But several Republicans questioned the strategy of Obama’s willingness in the past year to waive or suspend pushing a contentious issue that divides the caucus and parts of his health care law and his pronouncement in his angers conservative GOP voters - especially since the par- State of the Union speech that he would bypass Congress

on some issues. “There is a trust gap that is a major obstacle,” Diaz-Balart said. Sen Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican and a tea party favorite, said narrowly focused changes in immigration policy could come this year because Republicans and Democrats agree on some issues. While attending a fundraiser Friday in Hot Springs, Ark, he said he continues to support giving visas to those already in the US if lawmakers determine annually that the border had become more secure than it had been the previous year. Asked by The Associated Press if Obama’s comments show any kind of hope for immigration reform, Paul said: “I think it’s a good sign that he’s saying that. It’s a good sign that we’re still talking. And I personally have told him, yeah, I think we could come to a deal that could move several things forward. Even some tax changes could move forward, but they need to be narrowly focused.”

The business community, advocacy groups and other proponents are optimistic about House action this year, with many in the GOP arguing that it was imperative to eliminate a major political drag on the party ahead of the next presidential election. A White House official said the details of a legalization plan would be crucial and administration support could hinge on whether those given legal status would have the option to eventually become citizens. Still, the official said the White House was buoyed by Republican progress on the issue and will be watching to see if the GOP might be willing to move closer to the president on citizenship and other aspects of the legislation. Administration and congressional officials have suggested that Republicans could put legislation on the House floor in late March or early April. The House principles set out by Boehner say “there will be no special path to citizenship for individuals who broke our nation’s immigration laws - that would be unfair to those immigrants who have played by the rules and harmful to promoting the rule of law.”

Still that wouldn’t preclude millions from trying to obtain permanent legal residence, often known as a green card, through sponsorship by an employer or adult child. Those individuals they could later seek citizenship.

The House principles “say no special pathway. It doesn’t say no pathway,” Rep Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill, told reporters.

While strong majorities of Hispanics continue to back a pathway to citizenship, a Pew Research Center poll in December found that being able to live and work in the US legally without the threat of deportation was more important to Latinos, by 55 percent to 35 percent. — AP

Bridgegate scandal back to haunt White House hopeful Christie ‘knew more than he has admitted’

US President Barack Obama

Obama’s executive actions: Power of taking small steps WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama’s sixth year in office is starting out as a testament to the power of taking small steps.

Frustrated by congressional gridlock, he has turned to the “pen and the phone” to provoke a “year of action” with a flurry of executive orders, directives, meetings and reviews to get his presidency back on track after the difficulties he encountered last year.

None of the steps he is taking are going to change the world and indeed, they may be best-remembered collectively as a declaration of Obama’s own relevance, an attempt to go over the heads of his Republican opponents in Congress and grab the attention of the people. It is a strategy that Democratic President Bill Clinton used in his 1996 re-election campaign.

Humbled by Republicans in 1994 congressional elections, Clinton helped resurrect his presidency with similarly small steps like ordering the Education Department to issue school uniform guidelines to school districts.

In Obama’s case, he announced in his State of the Union address last Tuesday that he would sign an executive order raising the minimum wage for federal contract workers.

But White House officials acknowledged it would apply only to a couple hundred thousand workers, a tiny fraction of the country’s workforce. There was an order for the Treasury Department to create a retirement savings program for the middle class, and he told Vice President Joe Biden to review federal job training programs. And using the bully pulpit, Obama met with prominent corporate CEOs to persuade them to take steps to hire the long-term unemployed, whose jobless benefits have expired.

‘Sense of stagnation’ William Galston, a domestic policy adviser for President Clinton and now a Brookings Institution scholar, said none of Obama’s steps have the impact of, for example, Harry Truman’s dramatic use of an executive order to ban segregation in the US armed forces in 1948. What Obama’s actions are intended to do, he said, is to “dispel the bad memory of the failed first year of his second term when he seemed to be stalled and stalemated at every turn and replace that sense of stagnation with a sense of forward movement.”

“Clinton’s orders were more of a political strategy than a substitute for government strategy. I think at the end of the day the same can be said of what Obama’s doing,” said Galston. I t is no coincidence that Obama has embarked on this strategy with

the aid of special adviser John Podesta, who was a champion of executive orders when he worked in the Clinton White House. “I think he’s warmed up to it,” Podesta said of Obama in an inter view with NPR on Tuesday. “And I think you’ll see that across a wide range of topics, including retirement security, moving forward on his climate change and energy transformation agenda.”

White House officials say Obama is not giving up on pushing broad legislation through Congress and in fact they see signs of movement on a long-stalled immigration reform law, which would be a legacy-building achievement of his second term. By ordering the minimum wage raised to $10.10 an hour for federal contract workers, Obama hopes to trigger a broader debate about the need to raise the minimum wage for millions of working Americans, a proposal that Republicans oppose for fear of damaging small-business hiring.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Obama’s meeting with chief executive officers on Friday on hiring the long-term unemployed is not an attempt to circumvent Congress, but rather is the use of a power that lawmakers simply do not have.

“There exist executive actions that actually serve to complement legislative action. You can’t force, through legislation, business leaders to make a commitment to re-evaluate their hiring practices,” he said. Obama, a former senator, has for the most par t deferred to Congress and sought legislative approval of his priorities.

Last November at an event in San Francisco, he rejected hecklers who urged him to use the power of executive orders to end the deportation of illegal immigrants.

“If, in fact, I could solve all these problems without passing them through Congress, then I would do so, but we’re also a nation of laws, that’s part of our tradition,” he said.

This year, with control of Congress at stake in November elections, he is adjusting his strategy.

Chris Lehane, who was a senior aide to Vice President Al Gore, said the steps Obama is taking are important to satisfying voters who gave the president a second term in 2012. “It gives you a capacity to impose your will, both from a policy perspective on the direction of the country but also from a political perspective, by putting the opposition squarely on the defensive,” he said. The orders Obama announced in his big speech did not appear to be of the type that could face legal challenges, despite complaints from some conservatives suggesting he is breaking the law.—Reuters

NEW YORK: New Jersey Governor Chris Christie knew more than he has admitted about a plot to close bridge lanes to spite a rival, US media reported Friday, in a new threat to his White House hopes. Christie, whose office denied the latest claims, is a Republican Party frontrunner for the 2016 White House race, but his image as a blunt-spoken man of the people has been threatened by the widening Bridgegate political dirty tricks scandal.

In the latest twist, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal reported that a former local official claimed that the order to close access lanes to the bridge came from the Christie administration. David Wildstein, a former senior Port Authority official who knew Christie in high school, also said that the governor was aware of the lane closures as they took place and caused traffic chaos.

“Evidence exists... tying Mr Christie to having knowledge of the lane closures, during the period when the lanes were closed, contrary to what the governor stated publicly in a two-hour press conference,” Wildstein lawyer Alan Zegas said in the letter to the Port Authority. Wildstein personally oversaw the bottleneck, which was allegedly triggered deliberately in order to punish a local mayor who had failed to endorse Christie’s reelection campaign. “Mr Wildstein contests the accuracy of various statements that the governor made about him and he can prove the inaccuracy of some,” Zegas added in the letter.

Christie’s office promptly denied the claim. It has previously denied knowing of the closures, but admitted that aides may have ordered them for political reasons. “He had absolutely no prior knowledge of the lane closures before they happened and whatever Mr Wildstein’s motivations were for closing them to begin with,” Christie’s office said in a statement. The governor “had no indication that this was anything other than a traffic study until he read otherwise the morning of January 8. The governor denies Mr Wildstein’s lawyer’s other assertions.”

On January 9, Christie said he had been “embarrassed and humiliated” by the alleged dirty tricks and announced that he had sacked his deputy chief of staff “because she lied to me.”

Zegas’s letter also challenged the Port Authority’s decision to not pay Wildstein’s legal fees in connection with probes into the George Washington Bridge access lane closures. As a result of the closures, local commuters faced massive traffic jams in Fort Lee, New Jersey for four days in September.

Christie insisted he had been unaware of any political motive behind the action until the release of emails from his aides. He went to Fort Lee to apologize “face to face” to its Democratic Mayor Mark Sokolich, who apparently drew the wrath of Christie aides over his refusal to back the governor during his re-election run last year. The mayor says he was not advised the lanes would be closed for what was said to be a traffic study.

The resulting chaos ensnared millions of commuters as well as some emergency responders.

On September 10, Wildstein texted Christie’s since sacked deputy chief of staff that he was “smiling” about the incident but “I feel badly about the kids,” referring to students stuck for hours on buses. “They are the children of Buono voters,” she texted back, referring to Christie’s Democratic rival in the governor’s race, Barbara Buono. Wildstein resigned from the Port Authority in December. Under subpoena, he appeared at a New Jersey inquiry but refused to answer questions on the grounds that he might incriminate himself, leading lawmakers to hold him in contempt.— AFP

NEW JERSEY: New Jersey Gov Chris Christie speaks at a press conference announcing new objectives to crack down on human and sex trafficking throughout the state of New Jersey. — AFP

Ahead of US elections, GOP wary of immigration issue WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama’s new declaration that he’s open to legal status for many immigrants short of citizenship sounds a lot like House Speaker John Boehner and other GOP leaders, an election-year compromise that numerous Republicans as well as Democrats crave. But the drive for the first overhaul in three decades still faces major resistance from many Republicans who are wary that the divisive issue could derail what they see as a smooth glide path to winning November’s congressional elections. And they deeply distrust the Democratic president to enforce the law. Just hours after Boehner pitched immigration to the GOP at a Maryland retreat, Obama suddenly indicated he would be open to legal status for many of the 11 million living here illegally, dropping his once-ironclad insistence on a special path to citizenship. Democrats, including Obama, and other immigration proponents have warned repeatedly about the creation of a twotier class system.

“If the speaker proposes something that says right away, folks aren’t being deported, families aren’t being separated, we’re able to attract top young students to provide the skills or start businesses here, and then there’s a regular process of citizenship, I’m not sure how wide the divide ends up being,” Obama said in a CNN interview that was recorded Thursday and aired Friday. Obama’s flexibility is a clear indication of the president’s desire to secure an elusive legislative achievement before voters decide whether to hand him even more opposition in Congress. Republicans are expected to maintain their grip on the House and have a legitimate shot at grabbing the majority in the Senate.

“I’m going to do everything I can in the coming months to see if we can get this over the finish line,” Obama said Friday of an immigration overhaul in a Google Plus Hangout talk. In an earlier compromise, Obama signaled late last year that he could accept the House’s piecemeal, bill-by-bill approach to immigration changes after months of backing a comprehensive, bipartisan Senate bill.

Notably, he calibrated his comments on immigration in his State of the Union address this week.

“I think he realizes that this is a very delicate issue, it’s very controversial and I think his recent statements have been very, very positive in allow-

ing us to move forward,” Rep Mario Diaz-Balart, RFla., a proponent of immigration overhaul said.

Boehner, for his part, tried to sell his reluctant broader caucus on tackling immigration this year by casting it as critical to job creation, economic growth and national security. The speaker, along with Reps Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and Jeff Denham, RCalif, argued for action in a closed-door session with other House Republicans Thursday at their annual retreat in Cambridge, Md. Boehner rejected the idea of a special path to citizenship. “If Democrats insist on that, then we are not going to get anywhere this year,” he said.

The House leaders’ “standards for immigration reform” call for increased border security, better law enforcement within the US, a pathway to legal status but not citizenship for millions of adults who live in America unlawfully - after they pay back taxes and fines - and a chance for legal residence and citizenship for children brought to the country illegally. But several Republicans questioned the strategy of pushing a contentious issue that divides the caucus and angers conservative GOP voters - especially since the party has been capitalizing on Obama’s abysmal approval ratings and on Democrats’ troubles in defending the national health care overhaul. Any doubts about the Republicans’ election-year prospects were erased with news this week of the planned retirement of Rep Henry Waxman, a 20-term lawmaker who would have become chairman of a House committee if Democrats could win back the chamber. “Why in the world would we want to change the subject to comprehensive immigration reform,” said Rep John Fleming, R-La, who called it a “suicide mission” for the GOP. Aside from election hopes and concerns, some of the deep-seated opposition on immigration stems from Obama’s willingness in the past year to waive or suspend parts of his health care law and his pronouncement in his State of the Union speech that he would bypass Congress on some issues. “There is a trust gap that is a major obstacle,” Diaz-Balart said. Still, the business community, advocacy groups and other proponents are optimistic about House action this year, with many in the GOP arguing that it was imperative to eliminate a major political drag on the party ahead of the next presidential election.—AP

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Manslaughter verdict in buttocks-injection trial JACKSON: A woman was found guilty of culpable negligence manslaughter Friday in connection with the illicit silicone buttocks injections that prosecutors say killed a Georgia woman in 2012.

Natasha Stewar t, 40, of suburban Memphis, Tenn, was found guilty Friday in Jackson, Miss, in the death of 37-yearold Karima Gordon of Atlanta. Stewart had been charged with “depravedheart” murder, defined as a “callous disregard for human life” resulting in death, which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison. She also had been charged with conspiracy to commit depraved-heart murder.

Jurors decided to go with the option they had been given to convict Stewart of the lesser charge. They also found her guilty of conspiracy to commit culpable negligence manslaughter. She faces up

News

in brief

Obama to visit Saudi amid tensions over Iran, Syria WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama plans to travel to Saudi Arabia in March on a mission to smooth tensions with Washington’s main Arab ally over US policy on Iran’s nuclear program and the civil war in Syria, a newspaper reported. Obama is preparing to meet with King Abdullah for a summit, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing unnamed Arab officials briefed on the meetings. “This is about a deteriorating relationship” and declining trust, said a senior Arab official in discussing the need for the summit, which was pulled together in recent days, the newspaper repor ted. A White House spokeswoman declined to comment. The United States and Saudi Arabia have been allies since the kingdom was formed in 1932, giving Riyadh a powerful military protector and Washington secure oil supplies. Washington’s relationship with the Saudis was crucial as the region faced changes and challenges from the transition in Egypt to civil war in Syria. But relations have been tested on a number of fronts. Members of Saudi Arabia’s ruling family threatened a rift with the United States to protest perceived American inaction over Syria’s civil war, which has killed more than 100,000 people, as well as the recent US outreach with Iran. The Sunni Muslim kingdom’s regional rivalry with Shiite Iran, an ally of Syria, has amplified sectarian tensions across the Middle East.

4 die, 5 hurt in crash in western Michigan MICHIGAN: A sport utility vehicle carrying six women lost control on an ic y western Michigan roadway and spun into the path of a pickup truck early Friday, causing a crash that killed four and injured five, authorities said.

The four who died in the crash shortly after 6 am in Casnovia Township were in the SUV, the Muskegon County Sheriff ’s Office said in a release. Two others in the vehicle were hurt, as were three men in the pickup. The dead women were identified as Erika Ceja, 35; Angelica Magana-Ceja, 45; Teresa Alvarez, 35; and Jessica Magana, 23, according to MLive.com. SUV driver Perla Magana, 26, and passenger Leticia Ceja, 39, were listed in stable condition. The three injured men from the pickup - Eric Werkema, 31; Jose Hernandez, 28; and Ross Sterk, 35 - were treated for minor injuries. Sheriff Dean Roesler told reporters that the women in the SUV were traveling to work in Kent County, and the men in the pickup truck were paint contractors on their way to a job. The crash happened about 20 miles northwest of Grand Rapids. “There are some slippery spots,” Roesler said Friday. “The scene of the crash is icy but there’s also been a lot of traffic that’s been through that as well that may have created some of it.”

Iraq criticizes Kurds over oil ‘grey area’ BAGHDAD: Iraq’s top minister responsible for energy affairs yesterday criticized the autonomous Kurdish region’s push towards exporting oil independently of Baghdad, calling it a grey area lacking in transparency.

Deputy Prime M inister Hussein AlShahristani’s remarks are the latest salvo in a long-running row between the central government and the northern Kurdish region over energy sales and, by extension, the extent of federalism in Iraq. “The most prominent challenge is that we have not reached a national agreement to extract and market oil from all of Iraq’s territory,” Shahristani said in a speech in Baghdad at an event looking at the past decade for Iraq’s energy industry. “The situation with the Kurdistan region is still stuck.

This file is not resolved, in spite of some progress having been made. We hope it will end soon.” Shahristani continued: “We have a grey area-we do not know how much oil the region is extracting, what price they are selling at, and where the revenue goes.” Baghdad argues that all oil sales must be overseen by the central government, and regards any independent exports as tantamount to smuggling.

US Vice President Joe Biden spoke with Kurdish President Massud Barzani by telephone Friday to discuss reaching an agreement with the central government on oil sales. “ The vice president and President Barzani both confirmed the need for close cooperation between the Kurdistan regional government and the Iraqi government to reach agreement on a way forward on the matter of energy exports and revenue sharing,” the White House said.

to 20 years in prison for each charge. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

Stewart, wearing what appeared to be an orange wig, showed little emotion immediately after the verdict was read.

She was found not guilty on the charges of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Authorities say Stewart, an adult entertainer also known as Pebbelz Da Model, took $200 for a referral to the alleged injector and falsely represented that the injector was a nurse.

Stewart testified Friday that Gordon was insecure about her body and wanted help fixing previously botched buttocks enhancements. Stewart said she connected Gordon with the woman performing the injections to help her out, not for money, but she said Gordon insisted on paying her. Stewart also testified that she thought the woman per-

forming the injections at a Jackson house was indeed a registered nurse and had gotten the injections herself more than 20 times over seven years.

“She told me that she was an RN,” Stewart testified.

But Patrick Beasley, a prosecutor with the Mississippi attorney general’s office, said someone would have to be “dumb” not to k now Garner wasn’t a nurse when she used veterinary syringes and sealed the injection sites with cotton balls and glue. Prosecutors say Gordon died from silicone embolism in her lungs about a week after getting the shots in March 2012. Tracey Lynn Garner, the one suspected of administering the injections, is charged with depraved-heart murder in the deaths of Gordon and another woman, Marilyn Hale of Selma, Ala. She has pleaded not

guilty. Her trial is scheduled for March.

Emails introduced Friday in Stewart’s case showed that Gordon was a fan of Stewart and was persistent in asking for help to get buttocks injections beginning in 2010. “I won’t give up my mission to ultimately achieve a tastefully great butt enhancement,” Gordon wrote in one of the messages. Gordon’s friend, Anglean (AN-juh-lene) Barber, testified Thursday that she and Gordon flew to New York to meet Stewart at a club where Stewart was hosting a party in February 2012 and that Stewart later referred them to Garner.

Barber said she and Gordon wanted the same kind of buttocks enhancement that Stewart had gotten with hopes of becoming models in the hiphop industr y. Barber said she and Gordon drove to Garner ’s house in

Jackson on March 16, 2012, and both planned to get the injections. Barber said she was unsettled by the appearance of Garner, who was a man before having gender reassignment surgery, and decided not to get the injections.

Barber said Gordon got sick immediately after getting the shots.

A doctor testified Thursday that Gordon died in a Georgia hospital on March 24, 2012, of silicone embolism in her lungs. During closing arguments, Stewart’s attorney, Kevin Camp, said that the jury should find his client not guilty because “nobody knew that this situation was going to cause any imminent death.” Prosecutors, however, argued that Stewart charged money and lied when she told Gordon that the woman performing the injections was a registered nurse.— AP

Yemen clashes kill 60 Main oil pipeline bombed SANAA: Fierce clashes between Huthi Shiite rebels and gunmen from the powerful Hashid tribe killed at least 60 people in northern Yemen, tribal sources said yesterday. The clashes in Omran province killed 40 Huthi rebels and their allies and left 20 dead in the ranks of the Hashid tribe, the sources said.

The violence in Omran dates back to January 5 when Huthis tried to seize Hashid strongholds. “The fighting, the heaviest since the clashes broke out in Omran, erupted at dawn on Friday in Wadi Khiwan and Wadi Danan and in other areas of the Huth and Isha districts,” a tribal elder said. Gunmen on both sides fired machine-guns and mortar rounds, he added.

Another source close to the powerful AlAhmar tribal grouping to which the Hashid belong said the tribes had “mobilized thousands of gunmen over the past few days” to confront the Huthis. The source blamed the Huthis for launching an offensive on Tuesday, pounding the region with rockets and mortar rounds “in a bid to advance on the Huth district and Al-Khomri,” Al-Ahmar bastions.

“Tribesmen launched a counter-offensive and were able to push back the Huthis and today’s fighting was the fiercest,” the source said. Hashid tribesmen recaptured ground lost to the Huthis earlier in the week, he said, adding however that the fighting was still underway late Friday. The rebels have been pushing out from their stronghold in the mountains of the far north to other areas nearer the capital to lay a stake to their own

autonomous unit in a promised federal Yemen, political sources say. But their fighters, know as Huthis from the name of the rebels’ leading family, have faced stiff resistance from pro-government Zaidi tribes, as well as from Sunni hardliners who have established religious schools in parts of the north.

President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi has pledged that Yemen will adopt a federal constitution to tackle the grievances of its disparate regions. But at a ceremony last Saturday to mark the conclusion of a troubled 10-month national dialogue, he put off any decision on the thorny issue of how many component units it will have, promising that a special commission will decide. The prospects of a federal Yemen, originally mooted as a solution to the grievances of the formerly independent south where secessionist violence has been on the rise, has spawned demands for autonomy from other discontented regions, including the rebel-held far north.

Pipeline bombed Meanwhile, armed tribesmen bombed Yemen’s main oil pipeline yesterday, halting crude flow to the country’s main export terminal less than a month after it was repaired, oil and local officials said. The attack occurred in the Serwah district in the central oil-producing province of Maarib, they said, and caused a huge fire that prompted the closure of the pipeline and stopped oil flow from the Maarib fields to the Ras Isa oil terminal on the

The village at the centre of South Africa election NKANDLA: South Africa’s cities will be the chief battlegrounds in the upcoming presidential election, but a remote village will cast a long shadow thanks to one notable resident and his very expensive building project. South Africa’s fifth national elections since the end of apartheid-due before July-are likely to be its most competitive yet.

Twenty rocky years after the end of white-minority rule, the party that has held power ever since, the African National Congress (ANC), faces fierce competition from across the political spectrum. Pervasive inequality, joblessness, corruption and government incompetence have all sullied the party’s image, leading some to predict its electoral support will fall below 60 percent. But the ANC’s real Achilles’ heel on election day will be its leader, President Jacob Zuma, and his $20-million taxpayerrefurbished compound in the village of Nkandla in the rural south of the country.

Nestled among Nkandla’s verdant rolling hills and simple round huts, a cluster of more than a dozen much grander buildings stands out. This is no luxury bush lodge, this is “Zumaville”, the president’s private residence. Behind a military-grade security fence are bulletproof windows, a bunker, a swimming pool, a helipad and a private clinic. The home-which Zuma rarely visits, as he has official residences in Pretoria, Cape Town and Durban-also boasts a visitors’ centre and an adjacent compound for security staff that is normally deserted.

Nkandla “symbolizes everything that people have a discomfort with the current administration”, said political analyst Justice Malala. Like South Africans across the country, Zuma’s neighbors are appalled. “It’s disappointing,” said pensioner Bhekekile Ndlovu, who lives opposite “the big Zuma home”.

The contrast between Zuma’s luxury lifestyle and that of his neighbors who live without running water and electricity echoes the disparities that make South Africa one of the most unequal countries on earth.

‘Our homes are collapsing on us’ The winding road leading to Nkandla is riddled with potholes, save for the last stretch near the village. Residents collect drinking water from communal taps and streams which often run dry. The government has admitted some families who lived near Zuma’s home were removed, as they posed a security risk.

“He can see that we are suffering... our homes are collapsing on us. Government did not spare a thought for us,” said Ndlovu, who supports her large family with her monthly old-age grant of 1,200 rand ($100).

Some villagers said they voted for the ANC in the 2009 election in support of Zuma, hoping the folksy former cattle herder would have a better understanding of their plight than former president Thabo Mbeki, an intellectual often perceived as aloof.”I would have liked to see the money used to build the president’s home used to benefit the community,” said unemployed resident Bonginkosi Khuzwayo. “We always hear that government has no money, then this happens,” he said. “I’m not sure if he still deserves my vote.” In all probability Zuma will not need it. Having been instrumental in ending apartheid, the ANC can still count on broad support in the black community.

“Nkandla alone is not enough to drastically sway the views of ANC supporters at grassroots level,” said analyst Ralph Mathekga, “even though the party could be better off without it.” But support for the ANC is not endless, and anything short of another electoral landslide will mean the knives are out for Zuma. In 2009, the ANC under Zuma swept to victory with 65.9 percent of the vote, but polls today put support for the party at closer to 50 percent. “The ANC right now is sitting there with its heart beating very, very fast because it’s a big issue in this election, this house,” said Malala.— AFP

SANAA: Yemeni riot police patrol in a street of the capital Sanaa yesterday during a demonstration by anti-government protesters demanding the government resign. —AFP Red Sea. Yemen, which relies on crude exports to finance up to 70 percent of its budget, has suffered frequent bombings of its main pipeline in recent years. The last one took place on Dec 26 and the pipeline was repaired on Jan 5. Disgruntled tribesmen stage these attacks to pressure the government to provide jobs, settle land disputes or free relatives from prison. Such lawlessness is

a global concern, particularly for the United States and its Gulf Arab allies, because of Yemen’s strategic position next to oil exporter Saudi Arabia and to main shipping lanes.

Yemen is also home to one of Al-Qaeda’s most active wings. Before a spate of attacks that began in 2011, the 270-mile Maarib pipeline carried around 110,000 barrels per day to Ras Isa.—Agencies

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Photos of child soldiers found at Philippine rebel camp

MAGUINDANAO: Philippine military 1st Mechanized Brigade commander Colonel Edgar F Gonzales (front left) visits an overran Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) camp on the southern island of Mindanao yesterday, after the military launched an offensive against the BIFF. —AFP

SHARIFF SAYDONA MUSTAPHA: Photographs of child soldiers were among the items left behind as the military overran a camp of hardline Muslim rebels in the southern Philippines, a military commander said yesterday. Colonel Edgardo Gonzales said that he found the photos when he inspected the 7.5hectare camp of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) rebel group in the remote town of Shariff Saydona Mustapha yesterday.

“There were pictures of children carrying rifles. Some looked like they were 12 years old,” Gonzales said as he searched through the abandoned camp about 800 kilometers south of Manila.

“They were showing off their capability. There were four kids posing with guns. I believe it was not just for show. I believe those rifles were issued to them,” he said. The military launched an offensive against the BIFF on Monday, just two days after the government successfully concluded peace talks with the main Muslim rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

The week’s fighting left one soldier and at least 53 BIFF members dead, including three child soldiers recruited by the rebels, the military said.

Gonzales said the military would eventually release the pictures, which have not been seen by AFP. The colonel said he had not personally seen child soldiers but his men had reported encountering them in battles with the BIFF. “My men have said they have seen kids.

Some of them have no guns. They just follow a comrade from the BIFF and when the comrade is shot, they pick up his gun and start fighting,” he said. The BIFF is a small group of militants opposed to the peace effort with the MILF, which has carried out many deadly attacks in recent years in a bid to derail the peace process.

Yesterday, the rebels set off two improvised explosive devices near the camp that wounded six soldiers and six civilians, including two crewmen of a major TV broadcaster.

President Benigno Aquino’s spokeswoman Abigail Valte said “the news that they used three child soldiers is shocking, beyond the fact that it violates so many laws, not just ours but international laws.” She condemned the use of minors in combat and said government child support services would address the problem.

She also called on parents not to

allow their children to be recruited.

A spokesman for the BIFF, Abu Misry said his group did not use child soldiers, however, and charged that the military was planting or staging the evidence against them. “Those kids who died were not used as soldiers.

They were civilians, killed by (military) airstrikes or by their 105 mm howitzers,” he said angrily. National military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Ramon Zagala denied the claim, saying the three slain youths, aged 15-17, were uniformed BIFF fighters. He also said there were previous videos and photographs of the BIFF conducting military-style training of children.

Zagala stressed that it was difficult to recognize child soldiers during combat. “It is very hard to distinguish especially in the heat of battle when they are carrying firearms and shooting at you,” he said. The military has already reported the incident to the government’s Commission on Human Rights and is awaiting further action, he added. The website of the UN special representative on children and armed conflict said that it “continued to receive credible reports that the (BIFF) armed group was actively training and providing weapons to children”. —AFP

Malaysians angry as Sweden holds parents for hitting child French woman, 4 others held on drugs charges KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s prime minister yesterday offered help to a Muslim couple detained in Sweden for hitting their son, in a case that has provoked an outcry in the Southeast Asian country. Many in Muslimmajority Malaysia-where corporal punishment in schools is allowed-have questioned the parents’ sixweek detention and their children reportedly being placed with a non-Muslim foster family. Azizul Raheem Awaluddin, a Malaysian tourism board director, and his wife Shalwati Nurshal, a teacher, were held on December 18 after they allegedly scolded and hit their youngest son on the arm for not performing his prayers, Malaysian media reported.

The seven-year-old and his three older siblings arrived in Malaysia yesterday after the country’s authorities lobbied for their return. The parents remain in custody in Sweden. Prime Minister Najib Razak, flanked by the four yawning kids, said in a live televised press conference shortly after their arrival that the government would try its best to help the parents defend their case. He said the government had appealed for the children to be allowed to return to

Malaysia to stay with a relative “because we are concerned about their welfare”. The eldest daughter, Aishah, 14, said she was “really really happy” to be back.

Swedish authorities were reportedly alerted about the alleged abuse by the boy’s school. The case has generated much interest in Malaysia. A Facebook page, titled “Bring Shal and Family Home” and lobbying for the parents’ release, has received more than 17,000 “likes”, or clicks of approval. Columnist M Veera Pandiyan wrote in The Star daily on Wednesday that the couple’s prolonged detention was “a travesty of universal justice”. “If it was the case of Malaysian authorities holding a European couple without trial for a month, there would no doubt be a huge outcry,” he said.

French woman, 4 others held In another development, French woman and four others detained in Malaysia on suspicion of growing cannabis could face the death penalty after police said yesterday they were “very likely” to be charged with drug trafficking. The French woman, an Indonesian maid and three Malaysian men were arrested on

Wednesday in a raid on two luxury apartment units in the capital of eastern Sabah state on Borneo island, state police chief Hamza Taib said.

Police seized 36 cannabis plants and half a kilogram of processed cannabis from the units, Hamza said.

Malaysia is known for its strict anti-drug trafficking laws, and the offence carries a mandatory sentence of death by hanging upon conviction. Hamza said police were investigating those detained for illegally growing the plants and drug trafficking. “We will finish our investigations and submit the papers to the attorney general’s office. It’s very likely that they will be charged,” Hamza said.

He added the French woman, in her 30s, had been in Malaysia for a year but declined to name her or give further details. Hundreds of people are currently on death row in Malaysia, mainly for drug-related offences. Since 1960 nearly 450 people have been executed, although the Southeast Asian country has carried out few hangings in recent years. Two Australians were put to death in 1986 for heroin trafficking-the first Westerners to be hanged. —Agencies

In US, Korean battle with Japan goes local WASHINGTON: Of all the issues that a new governor of a US state has to confront, one line in school textbooks would hardly appear to be the stuff of international showdowns. But Virginia’s capital Richmond has turned into an unusual hotbed of diplomacy, with the ambassadors of Japan and South Korea both visiting in recent days to press in opposite directions on a proposed change in how textbooks describe the sea between the two US allies.

The move is the latest bid by Korean American activists to address historical grievances with Japan-that rouse deep passions in South Korea-at the local level in the United States. Since 2010, cities in the New York and Los Angeles areas have set up statues in honor of so-called “comfort women” forced into sex by imperial Japan’s soldiers. While the statues also drew protests, Japan has devoted growing attention to Virginia, including hiring lobbyists to defeat the proposal, which would require textbooks to say “East Sea”-the preferred term in Korea-in addition to “Sea of Japan.”

Peter Kim, a Korean-born businessman in Washington’s Virginia suburbs who has championed the law, said he was horrified when he learned that his son was learning

“Sea of Japan,” a name that Koreans call a legacy of Japanese colonialism. Kim launched a petition on the White House website but was told that state authorities determined textbooks.

“The Korean people have used the name for more than 2,000 years and even the Korean national anthem starts off with the East Sea,” Kim said. “We are not politicians; we are citizens, we are moms and dads,” Kim said. “When I hear about the Japanese government trying to keep the name ‘Sea of Japan’ only, it brings old memories back and we say: ‘hey, maybe they are trying to extend their history of military expansionism.’”

Masato Otaka, minister for public affairs at the Japanese Embassy, said it was important to teach accuracy and that “Sea of Japan” was the only name recognized by the United Nations and the International Hydrographic Organization.”Sea of Japan” was already in common usage in the world in the early 19th century, when the country had an isolationist policy, Otaka said. At the time, “there was no Japanese colonial rule, and Japan could not have influenced other countries to use this name,” he said.

David Marsden, a state senator who took up the issue in response to his constituent Kim, said he was not trying to

India PM candidate Modi’s wife accepts being ignored NEW DELHI: The woman who calls herself the wife of fiery hardline Indian prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi said in a rare interview yesterday that she doesn’t “feel bad” he has cut her out of his life. Modi, a 63-year-old opposition Hindu nationalist politician, has never commented on numerous reports that he wed Jashodaben, 62, in a traditional arranged marriage when she was 17.

The retired school teacher spoke to an Indian newspaper amid intense speculation about Modi’s personal life as he leads the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) into general elections due by May. Jashodaben, who goes by one name, told The Indian Express daily that she remains a big fan of Modi, even though she says they split three years into their marriage and since he left “we have never been in touch”.

“I know he will become PM (prime minister) one day,” she said.

Jashodaben said she didn’t “feel bad” Modi has never acknowledged her as

his wife, adding: “I know he is doing so due to destiny and bad times.” “In such situations, he has to say such things and also has to lie,” she said.

Modi kept the wedding secret because it meant he would not be able to climb the ladder of the puritan Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), a hardline Hindu group that frowns on key workers marrying, according to a recent Modi biography by Indian author Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay.

The author also claimed the couple’s marriage was unconsummated. In 2009, a magazine tracked Jashodaben to the school where she taught but she refused to give an interview, saying she was afraid of her “powerful” husband.

Modi, chief minister of Gujarat state, is favored by corporate leaders for his business-friendly politics. But he remains a polarizing figure, accused by critics of turning a blind eye to antiMuslim riots in Gujarat in 2002 in which as many as 2,000 died. He has denied any wrongdoing. —AFP

change US government usage of “Sea of Japan” but wanted to recognize the views of Virginia’s growing Korean American community. “I think the Japanese government has kind of overreacted to this. This is not that big of a deal,” the Democratic lawmaker said.

Battlegrounds The Virginia battle presents an unenviable choice for the state, where Asian Americans are increasingly seen as a critical voting bloc for President Barack Obama’s Democratic Party but where Japan is by far a larger trading partner, investing nearly $1 billion in the past five years-second only to Germany. Governor Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat, and his rival in last year’s election both supported the textbook change as candidates.

But McAuliffe is by all accounts uneager to be sent the legislation, which has passed the Senate and awaits House action.

Elsewhere, Georgia’s state Senate recently passed a resolution that, amid anodyne language praising US relations with Seoul, describes the Korean Peninsula as “bound by its East and West Seas.” The controversies have risen at a time of high tensions between South Korea and Japan over historical disputes.

But Korean American activists say impassioned individuals have led movements and that there is no overarching national strategy. Local political decisions with foreign policy ramifications are not unprecedented in the United States. Fortytwo of the 50 US states have described the mass killings in 1915 of Armenians as “genocide” after campaigning by Armenian Americans, whose efforts at the federal level have been thwarted by fierce opposition

by Turkey. Japanese Americans are nearly as numerous as Korean Americans but mostly immigrated before World War II, when the US government interned them en masse.

A number of Japanese Americans, most notably US Representative Mike Honda, have supported criticism of Japan on historical issues. Michael Green, who served as former president George W Bush’s top adviser on Asia, told a conference of South Korean and Japanese students that he had mixed feelings on Tokyo’s attempts to block local initiatives but increasingly believed that the efforts served a purpose.

“Whatever you think of the merits of the case, it’s important for state legislators and others to understand these are not costfree things you can do for a local constituency. They have some foreign policy implications,” he said. —AFP

SEPANG: Children of Malaysian Muslim couple Azizul Raheem Awalludin and his wife Shalwati Nurshal (both not pictured), who were detained by Swedish authorities over allegations of child abuse pose for pictures with Malaysian Deputy Foreign Minister, Hamzah Zainuddin (center) after they arrived in Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) yesterday. —AFP

NEWS

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2014

Syria magnet for Muslim French youth Continued from Page 1 just cause (because of ) the position of the French, Europeans and Americans,” Chouet said. Not all wouldbe jihadis follow the ins and outs of the war, but “what people understand is that this revolution is just”. “There is a certain romanticism linked to armed warfare,” Chouet said. Combine conviction and romanticism and “you give yourself an image boost.”

Two of the three young men on trial last week denied their goal was jihad, and all three said their intention was to film war widows and massacres of children. They bought much of their gear on sites for hiking and fishing. Court testimony showed the three - two of whom live with their parents - were squabbling before their departure and their planning was erratic. One of the defendants, Fares Farsi, 21 but 19 at the time, refused to go by land because of possible car sickness. “I don’t see how I’ve been radicalized ...,” as the charges claim, said another, Salah Eddine Gourmat, 24, in a final statement to the court. “It’s like you’re talking to someone from al-Qaida.”

The third defendant, Youssef Ettaoujar, 26, the only one held in prison, worked to convince the court that his numerous vacations in places like Mali and Syria were not aimed at making contacts with jihadis, and that the name of his 2 1/2-year-old daughter, “Jihad,” did

not reflect his intentions. The prosecution is seeking three-to-six-year sentences for the defendants. The verdict was set for March 7.

The cases - including the death last month in Syria of a 30-year-old man from Toulouse - has raised alarm bells in French households. Two mothers, in Nice and Avignon in southern France, whose children went missing have voiced fears they have taken off for Syria. The father of the 15-year-old charged on Friday told a Toulouse newspaper last month that his son left the house the morning of Jan. 6 presumably to catch his bus for school, then called home late that evening to say “don’t worry.” He had used his father’s bank card to buy two tickets to Turkey, for himself and his friend. The father made two trips to the border area, and brought him home last Monday, a day after his friend returned.

Christian Etelin, one of the lawyers for the 15-yearold, said the boy had crossed from Turkey to Syria on what was supposed to be a humanitarian mission, but “was placed in a camp of terrorists”. He then left, the lawyer said. The two teenagers were charged with criminal association in connection with a terrorist organization. If the charge is finalized after a full investigation, they would face up to 10 years in prison. The risk of a conviction, said Chouet, the former intelligence chief, “is to turn them into martyrs”. “I would not be very comfortable in the judge’s seat,” he said. — AP

Morsi back in court Continued from Page1 Cairo suburb. Some of the co-defendants turned their backs on the proceedings and gave a four-fingered “Rabaa” salute, after welcoming Morsi when he entered his cage.

Morsi has consistently insisted that he remains president, part of his Muslim Brotherhood’s broader strategy of defying the authority of Egypt’s new military-backed government at every turn. He was held in a soundproof glass cage in yesterday’s hearing and could only address the court directly if the judge allowed it. The trial is one of four that Morsi and top leaders of his Muslim Brotherhood face. The charges levelled against them mostly carry the death penalty. Yesterday’s hearing was adjourned until Tuesday to allow time for the creation of a panel of experts to examine video footage presented by the prosecution as evidence.

Morsi was ousted by a military coup on July 3 that followed millions-strong demonstrations calling on him to leave office. He is now held at a high security prison near the Mediterranean city of Alexandria. The case stems from violence outside the presidential palace in Dec 2012. Morsi’s supporters attacked opposition protesters, sparking clashes that killed at least 10 people.

The defendants are charged with inciting the killing of three of those protesters. Morsi’s three other trials are on charges of escaping from prison during the 2011 uprising against Hosni Mubarak’s rule; conspiracy with foreign militant groups to harm Egypt’s national security; and insulting the judiciary.

Awah contended that if Morsi was not formally dismissed, then he remains the legitimate president to this day and thus the law governing the trial of serving presidents must be observed, according to an account of the proceedings issued by the Egyptian Middle East News Agency. Morsi and most of the defendants turned their backs to the court when Judge Ahmed Sabry Youssef played several video recordings of the clashes outside the palace in 2012. Morsi, however, remained mostly calm as he stood in his glass cage in contrast to

his outbursts during two previous court appearances In November and last week.

Anti-Morsi protesters outside the police academy briefly surrounded Awah’s car as it approached the police academy’s gate. Some pounded on the car while others yelled insults. Awah, a former presidential candidate, was unhurt and later stepped out of the car to complain to a senior police officer. Egypt has been rocked by a wave of deadly violence since Morsi’s ouster, with the army and security forces facing a fullblown insurgency in the Sinai peninsula. The violence has spread to mainland Egypt, with attacks on high profile targets in Cairo growing more frequent.

There also have been near-daily protests by Morsi’s supporters. Marchers sometimes carry firearms and use them against security forces, with witness reports suggesting that this is becoming more frequent. The military-backed government has meanwhile been cracking down on the Brotherhood and its allies, killing hundreds and jailing thousands since July. In the latest violence, the Health Ministry yesterday said one person was killed in Cairo and 35 were wounded in clashes on the previous day between police and Morsi’s supporters in Cairo and several other cities.

Also yesterday, a new Egyptian militant jihadi group issued its first statement, claiming responsibility for planting explosives and attacking security men and police stations. In a statement posted on a militant website late Friday, Ajnad Misr, or Egypt’s Soldiers, said it will fight the “regime’s criminal organs,” which it said were being used to humiliate the people and prevent them from performing religious duties. It said it planted and detonated two explosive devices on a main highway on Cairo’s outskirts Friday. Interior Ministry spokesman Hani Abdel-Latif said the explosion hit a vehicle carrying riot police and wounded an officer. Earlier last week, the major Sinai-based militant group, Ansar Beit AlMaqdis or Champions of Jerusalem, said that that Ajnad Misr was responsible for one of four bomb attacks targeting police in Cairo on Jan. 24. Police said the blast at Talbiya police station caused no casualties. — AP

Lightning streaks across the sky of Montevideo, near the restored historic hotel and casino Hotel Carrasco, currently operated by French chain Sofitel, in the Carrasco neighbourhood during a thunderstorm late on Friday. — AFP

Indonesia volcano eruption kills 14 Continued from Page 1 clouds, Karo district official Johnson Tarigan told AFP. He said the three were in the intensive care unit of a local hospital. Thirty thousand people have been evacuated from the area since the volcano started erupting in September.

But some residents had returned home on Friday following advice from the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation that houses outside the five-kilometre radius from the mountain were safe.

The volcano erupted again yesterday morning, sending hot rocks and ash up 2,000 m into the air, blanketing the surrounding countryside with grey dust, said volcanologist Kristianto, who like many Indonesians goes by one name.

Sukameriah village is located in the red zone, where human activities are strictly banned, but locals often trespassed the restricted area to check on their houses and belongings as well as their crops, officials said. Nugroho said the evacuation will resume today.

Mount Sinabung is one of 129 active volcanoes in Indonesia that straddle major tectonic fault lines, known as the Pacific Ring of Fire. It had been quiet for around 400 years until it rumbled back to life in 2010, and again in September last year. In Aug 2013, five people were killed and hundreds evacuated when a volcano on a small island in East Nusa Tenggara province erupted. The country’s most active volcano, Mount Merapi in central Java, killed more than 350 people in a series of eruptions in 2010. — AFP

Officers, not gentlemen: Pentagon’s...

Continued from Page 1 For the military, ethics has come in for a renewed focus after a spate of embarrassing incidents linking top officers to illegal gambling, heavy drinking and adulterous affairs. The encyclopedia has numerous examples of civil servants across the federal government trying to steal or cheat their way to extra cash, including immigration agents, lawmakers’ aides and Internal Revenue Service tax collectors offering special favors in return for bribes. A case featuring two workers at the Veterans Affairs administration offered a new take on “government red tape” - the two were accused of taking kickbacks from a company supplying red tape to their office.

The authors say they came up with the encyclopedia as a way to educate senior officials about ethics rules without a boring summary of regulations. “Our goal is to provide DoD (Department of Defense) personnel with real examples of Federal employees who have intentionally or unwittingly violated the standards of conduct,” says the introduction. “Some cases are humorous, some sad, and all are real.” The latest edition, which was issued in July, was first spotted by the Foreign Policy website. The Pentagon tends not draw attention to the encyclopedia, but a spokesman said: “The document is pretty specific and speaks for itself.” Lieutenant Colonel Todd Breasseale said the book is “a good tool for anyone charged with teaching - and enforcing - the high ethical standards rightly demanded of those in public service.” — AFP

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2014

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Washington Watch

This time must be different

By Dr James J Zogby

T

wo decades after Israeli and Palestinian leaders signed an interim peace agreement in Washington, DC, the task of achieving a final resolution to the conflict has become significantly more difficult. Not only have the physical impediments to peace grown - for example, the number of Israeli settlers living on occupied Palestinian lands has increased three-fold to more than a half-million - but the political ground today is less fertile than it was back then. In 1993, surprised by their leaders’ bold initiative, Israelis and Palestinians were quite hopeful. Twenty years later, the environment has become toxic, polluted by the ill-will generated by the negative behaviors of both parties.

This reality must be factored into the calculus of peace-making. What will be important to consider is not just the terms of the “deal” reached by the Israeli and Palestinian negotiators, but their ability to “sell it” to their wary publics - many of whom are distrustful of the “other side,” no longer believing that peace is even possible. In my recently published book, 20 Years After Oslo, I review Israeli and Palestinian attitudes in the two decades that have elapsed since their leaders signed the Oslo Accords. The book lays out a twentyyear timeline and then traces how events that occurred during this period and the actions of both sides contributed to the erosion of both publics’ support for peace.

Following up on that study, this week, I released the results of the latest Zogby Research Services (ZRS) polling of Israeli and Palestinian attitudes. What this newest poll demonstrates is the degree to which negative attitudes now prevail in both communities - establishing how significant the loss of hope and trust has become. Commissioned by the Sir Bani Yas Forum in the UAE, ZRS polled 1,000 Israelis and 1,000 Palestinians in late 2013. While we found areas where the sides disagreed, we also observed substantial areas of agreement - almost always in their shared negative assessment of the prospects for peace.

For example, while majorities on both sides say they had been hopeful when the Accords were signed, today less than one in five Israelis and Palestinians say they view Oslo as a “positive development”. Similarly, while a majority of Israelis and a plurality of Palestinians agree that a two-state solution is a desirable outcome, only one-third on each side believes that such an outcome is still feasible.

Loss of hope When asked what has accounted for this loss of hope, both Israelis and Palestinians demonstrated a remarkable shared understanding of the negative role played by their own and the “other side’s” violence and the use of force in poisoning the environment. This may be one of the most positive signs emerging from the results of this poll. Both parties, for example, agreed that the following events or behaviors contributed to eroding their confidence in the prospects for peace: suicide bombings, rocket fire from Gaza, the second Intifada, the election of Hamas, continued settlement construction, Israel’s re-occupation of the West Bank, the assassination of Prime Minister Rabin, and Baruch Goldstein’s massacre of Palestinians in Hebron. Israelis and Palestinians also agreed that Israel and the United States did not do enough and should have done more to make the Oslo process work.

From the results of this poll, it is clear that the past 20 years have taken a toll on both Palestinians and Israelis. The leaders engaged in the current round of peace talks, therefore, must not only wrestle with the issues of maps, rights, and each other’s security concerns, they also face an additional challenge. They must produce an agreement that will be accepted by their publics, and they must be able to convince their constituents that this effort will be different than what both sides now view as the failed Oslo process.

What is clear from both this ZRS poll and the review of the last 20 years of Israeli and Palestinian opinion is that neither side can do this alone. If peace is to have a chance, external players (involving more than the United States) have a critical role to play - as guarantors, as “incentivisors”, and as arbiters. The time to begin that intervention is now - to help prepare the ground.

Waiting until the negotiations run their course or a US framework agreement is announced will be too late.

NOTE: Dr James J Zogby is the president of the Arab American Institute.

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.

Some Dems flee Obama in election year

By John Whitesides

S

pooked by US President Barack Obama’s low approval ratings, some of his fellow Democrats in tough November election races have begun their campaigns by distancing themselves from the White House and asserting their independence from Obama’s policies. In what amounts to a survival-first strategy among embattled Democrats crucial to the party’s effort to keep control of the Senate, some candidates in conservative states Obama lost in 2012 are aggressively criticizing his healthcare, energy and regulatory policies.

The group includes three incumbent senators, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, Mark Pryor of Arkansas and Mark Begich of Alaska, as well as Natalie Tennant, who is seeking to replace retiring Democratic Senator Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia. Other Democratic senators facing tough battles for re-election have not been as critical of Obama, but have signaled they might not do much campaigning with him.

Democratic Senator Kay Hagan of North Carolina recently passed on a chance to appear publicly with Obama, saying she had another commitment. Begich and another Democrat up for re-election, Mark Udall of Colorado, have expressed skepticism about the idea of campaigning with the president.

Each of the Democratic senators is facing persistent criticism from Republicans who cast them as rubber stamps for parts of Obama’s agenda that are particularly unpopular in their states. The growing distance between these Democrats and Obama’s White House was evident this week in Washington, where their responses to the president’s State of the Union address ranged from muted to chilly. Begich said after the speech that, if Obama came to Alaska, he would be “not really interested in campaigning” with him, but would “drag

him around” to show him how the administration’s policies have hurt the state by limiting oil and gas development and the issuance of logging permits. “I don’t need him campaigning for me. I need him to change some of his policies,” Begich told CNN. Democratic senators are not the only candidates in their party keeping some distance from Obama. In Wisconsin, a state the president won in the 2012 election, Democratic candidate for governor Mary Burke skipped an appearance by Obama in Waukesha on Thursday. She said she had a previously scheduled commitment.

Deciding how to handle a president in their party whose approval ratings are down is a common quandary for candidates in midterm elections. Many Republicans stayed away from then-President George W Bush in 2006, when his slumping approval ratings and the unpopularity of the Iraq war helped fuel a Democratic blitz that gave the party control of both houses of Congress and most state governorships.

This year, the problem for Democrats is reflected in Obama’s sagging approval ratings after a year in which his healthcare overhaul got off to a rocky start, and critics have cast his policies as causing a decline in American influence around the world.

Reuters/Ipsos tracking polls on Thursday indicated that 38 percent of Americans nationwide had a favorable view of the job Obama is doing, while nearly 53 percent disapproved. A year ago, 52 percent viewed Obama favorably and 43 percent did not.

Democrats Worried Obama’s low ratings have contributed to Democrats’ worries that regaining a majority in the Republican-led US House of Representatives could be out of reach, and losing control of the Senate is a possibility.

In the 100-seat Senate, where Republicans

need to win a net six seats in the Nov. 4 elections to reclaim a majority, Democrats must defend seats in seven states where Republican Mitt Romney beat Obama in 2012. Obama’s ratings are particularly low in those states: Alaska, Arkansas, Louisiana, Montana, North Carolina, South Dakota and West Virginia.

Republicans have launched ads in several states reminding voters of the ties between Obama and local Democrats, especially Senate Democrats who supported the Affordable Care Act, the 2010 healthcare law also known as Obamacare. The law aims to help millions of uninsured Americans get health coverage and provides a range of consumer protections. Republicans say it will raise costs and limit healthcare choices.

“It’s going to be very difficult for a lot of these Democrats because they will own Obama’s agenda, no matter how hard they try not to,” said Brad Dayspring, a spokesman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee. “Obama will be a drag on them because he reminds voters of how far the party has shifted to the left.”

Have to be on the Offensive Obama and his aides have largely sidestepped questions about the efforts of fellow Democrats to distance themselves from the president, who will talk with senators at a Democratic retreat next week. Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid said this week he expected the party’s Senate candidates to welcome Obama into their states to campaign. Democratic strategists, meanwhile, are casting the November elections as contests between candidates, not a referendum on the president. “What those candidates have to decide, especially in those tough states, is how they are going to talk about these big issues like Obamacare,” said Democratic strategist Chris Kofinis. “They have to be on the offensive.”

Senator Landrieu, who is likely to face a difficult re -election battle against Republican Rep. Bill Cassidy, recently introduced legislation to allow people to keep their health insurance policies even if those policies did not meet Obamacare’s new requirements for coverage. In her first campaign ad, she criticized Obama for breaking his promise that all Americans who liked their health plan could keep it. “This is a promise that you made. This is a promise that you should keep,” Landrieu, who voted for Obamacare, says in the ad.

Pr yor, who faces a challenge from Republican Rep Tom Cotton in Arkansas and is perhaps the most vulnerable Senate Democrat up for re-election, seemed to echo Republicans’ criticism of Obama after the president’s speech before Congress on Tuesday. Pryor highlighted his opposition to Obama’s push for gun control and additional farm regulations. Pryor also was critical of delays by Obama’s administration in deciding the fate of the Keystone XL pipeline, which would help bring oil from Alberta, Canada, to refineries on the US Gulf Coast. Pryor supports the pipeline. “I’ve always said that I’ll work with the president when I think he’s right, but oppose him when I think he’s wrong,” Pryor said in a statement. “I’ll continue to oppose his agenda when it’s bad for Arkansas and our country.”

West Virginia Democrat Tennant, who has an uphill battle against Republican Shelly Moore Capito to keep a Democrat in Rockefeller’s seat, has been criticizing the administration’s regulation of the coal industry, saying it was eliminating jobs in her state. “If the president wants to promote opportunity, he needs to rethink his energy policies. The president is wrong on coal and I will fight him or anyone else who wants to take our coal jobs,” Tennant added. —Reuters

Obama Asia policy set back by Reid

By Matthew Pennington

U

S President Barack Obama’s Asia policy took a hit this week, and it came from a member of his own party. The top Democratic senator, Harry Reid, announced that he opposes legislation that’s key for a transPacific trade pact that is arguably the most important part of Obama’s effort to strengthen American engagement in Asia. Since Obama rolled out the policy, most attention has been on the military aspect, largely because it was described as a rebalance in US priorities after a decade of costly war in Afghanistan and Iraq.

But officials have increasingly stressed that Obama’s foreign policy “pivot” to Asia is about more than cementing America’s stature as the pre-eminent power in the Asia-Pacific as China grows in strength. It’s about capitalizing on the region’s rapid economic growth. That’s the importance of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP, an ambitious free trade agreement being negotiated by 12 nations, including Japan, that account for some 40 percent of global gross domestic product. “The pivot is the TPP right now,” Victor Cha, director of Asian studies at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, told a conference at a Washington think tank this week on U.S. policy and the outlook for Asia in 2014.

The Obama administration’s Asia policy has been welcomed by countries wary of China’s rise and expansive territorial claims. During the president’s first term, the U.S. made progress in strengthening old alliances with nations like the Philippines, forging deeper ties with Indonesia and Vietnam and befriending former pariah state Myanmar. There were missteps. Angry politics at home forced Obama to withdraw from the East Asia Summit last fall, raising some questions about his commitment to the region. New

military deployments in the Asia-Pacific - a few hundred Marines in Australia, new warships rotated through Singapore - have fueled Chinese accusations of a U.S. policy of containment while making little impact on regional security.

Asia got little mention in Obama’s State of the Union address Tuesday, adding to perceptions in some quarters that the pivot has dropped in the administration’s policy agenda in the president’s second term. But he did urge both parties in Congress to approve so-called fast-track legislation needed to make the TPP and a trade deal under negotiation with Europe a reality, saying it would open new markets and

create American jobs. The problem for Obama is that many of his fellow Democrats are against fast-track authority, which would require Congress to act on the trade deals negotiated by the administration by a yes-or-no vote, without the ability to make any changes.

Reid, the Senate majority leader, said Wednesday that he opposed fast-track authority and that lawmakers should not push for it now a comment suggesting that legislation introduced three weeks ago will go nowhere soon.

While that legislation is co-sponsored by a senior Democrat - Obama’s nominee to become the next ambassador to China, Sen. Max Baucus many in the party join with labor unions in

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nev. speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. President Barack Obama’s Asia policy took a hit last week, and it came from a stalwart of his own party. —AP

opposing lowered trade barriers, which they worry will cost jobs due to increased competition.

So in a bitterly divided Washington, Obama’s in the rare position of having more support for a key policy among his political rivals, the Republicans, than from his own party. But top Republicans who want fast-track authority accuse the administration of failing to do its part to mobilize support for it among Democrats in Congress - a task that will be complicated by the midterm elections in November. Lawmakers will be careful to avoid measures that could hurt their prospects of re-election.

In an emailed comment Friday, US Trade Representative Michael Froman remained upbeat about the TPP, saying that momentum developed to advance the TPP talks in 2013 is carrying over to 2014. He said the administration is working closely with Congress and is committed to bringing home a deal “worthy of broad support from the American people and their representatives in Congress”. Ambassadors of Japan and Vietnam both say they want TPP negotiations to be completed before Obama visits Asia in April.

Japan’s Kenichiro Sasae told the Center for Strategic and International Studies this week that fast-track authority is needed because there are worries the US would seek changes to the agreement. He also acknowledged challenges remain on auto and agricultural products between the biggest players in the TPP, the Japan and the US. The good news for Washington was that the Japanese and Vietnamese envoys remained strongly supportive of the US role in Asia, viewing it as a stabilizing influence in region beset by territorial disputes. Those tensions have heightened fears of a conflict, as China stakes its claims to contested islands in the East and South China Seas. —AP

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2014

S P ORTS Bale to miss visit to Bilbao MADRID: Injury-plagued Gareth Bale will miss Real Madrid’s trip to Athletic Bilbao today because of a slight calf strain. The Wales winger has been in and out of the treatment room since joining the club from Tottenham Hotspur for a world record fee in September.

Last weekend he was struggling in the first half against Granada following a kick in the groin and he then went off at the interval with a calf injury.

“He isn’t available because he hasn’t been able to train this week,” coach Carlo Ancelotti told a news conference yesterday. “He’ll return to training today and will be ready for the game on Wednesday,” added the Italian referring to the King’s Cup tie with Atletico Madrid.

“He doesn’t need to do a lot of preparation as it is only a small problem. He needs to train and build up confidence.” The injuries to Bale have opened the door to youth product Jese who impressed again in the second half against Granada.

“I can play Jese or Angel Di Maria in his place, we will see. Jese’s position in the squad is clear and he doesn’t need to win anybody over - we are all happy with what he is doing,” said Ancelotti. —Reuters

Giles favorite to replace Flower LONDON: Limited-overs supremo Ashley Giles is a strong candidate to succeed Andy Flower as England’s coach in all formats, cricket board chief Giles Clarke said yesterday.

Zimbabwean Flower, who had been in charge since 2009, stepped down on Friday following England’s 5-0 Ashes surrender in Australia and will take up a new role with the national academy.

With no test scheduled until the home series against Sri Lanka in June, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is in no hurry to announce a coach for all formats but former left-arm spinner Giles appears to be one of the favorites for the job.

“We would agree he is a strong candidate,” Clarke told reporters.

“He’s a valued employee of the ECB, a man of great integrity and ability.” Former captain Michael Vaughan believes South African Gary Kirsten could be the right man to succeed Flower while Nottinghamshire director of cricket Mick Newell has thrown his hat in the ring.

ECB managing director Paul Downton will oversee the recruitment process, Clarke said. “We don’t play any Test cricket until June so we have quite a break during which time we are focusing on the World Twenty20 in Bangladesh (next month),” he added. —Reuters

Umar held over alleged assault KARACHI: Pakistan Test batsman Umar Akmal has been detained by police for questioning after being accused of assaulting a police warden in his hometown of Lahore.

The case has been registered at the Gulberg police station in whose jurisdiction the alleged incident happened yesterday. “He violated a traffic signal and when he was stopped by the traffic warden he misbehaved with him, got abusive and also tore his shirt,” senior police official Tariq Aziz told reporters on Saturday.

Aziz said physically assaulting and tearing the shirt of a police officer was a serious violation. “He is presently detained at the police station for questioning,” he added. However, Umar, 23, denied the charges and told reporters that the traffic warden had slapped him and abused him over a minor issue.

“His behavior was inappropriate to say the least. I came to the police station to register a complaint and instead they have detained me,” he added. Umar, who has appeared in 16 tests, 89 one day internationals and 52 Twenty 20 matches, is regarded as one of the most exciting young talents in Pakistan cricket. The younger brother of test players Kamran and Adnan Akmal, Umar claimed the incident was captured on CCTV cameras at the traffic signal and the footage will make it clear who was the aggrieved and guilty parties. —Reuters

Rangers defeat Islanders NEW YORK: Derick Brassard scored the go-ahead goal with 7:46 left in the third period and the New York Rangers beat the New York Islanders for the second straight game, 4-1 on Friday night.

Brad Richards provided insurance with 5:01 remaining and Ryan McDonagh added an empty-net goal with 1 second left. Marc Staal had two assists and Henrik Lundqvist made 38 saves for the Rangers, who have won three straight and six of eight.

Brian Boyle gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead in the first period before Kyle Okposo tied it in the second.

The Rangers topped the Islanders 2-1 outdoors at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday night and won the season series 3-2. The teams met for the third time in 11 days. Evgeni Nabokov made 33 saves for the Islanders, who dropped their fifth straight (0-4-1) after winning seven of nine.

NEW YORK: Islanders right wing Kyle Okposo (21) checks New York Rangers left wing Rick Nash (61) during the second period of an outdoor NHL hockey game at Yankee Stadium. —AP

NHL results/standings NY Rangers 4, NY Islanders 1; Carolina 3, St. Louis 1; Detroit 4, Washington 3 (So); Nashville 3, New Jersey 2 (OT); Winnipeg 4, Vancouver 3.

Western Conference Eastern Conference Atlantic Division Pacific Division Boston 34 16 3 160 119 71 W L OTL GF GA PTS Tampa Bay 31 18 5 160 136 67 Anaheim 40 11 5 189 137 85 Toronto 29 21 6 164 173 64 San Jose 34 15 6 166 133 74 Montreal 29 20 5 135 135 63 Los Angeles 30 20 6 134 120 66 Detroit 24 19 11 139 152 59 Vancouver 27 20 9 142 147 63 Ottawa 24 20 10 155 170 58 Florida 21 26 7 132 170 49 Phoenix 25 19 10 156 163 60 Buffalo 15 30 8 104 154 38 Calgary 20 27 7 128 170 47 Edmonton 18 32 6 147 190 42 Metropolitan Division Pittsburgh 38 14 2 175 129 78 Central Division NY Rangers 30 23 3 145 140 63 Chicago 33 10 13 199 156 79 Carolina 25 20 9 137 151 59 Columbus 27 23 4 159 153 58 St. Louis 36 12 5 181 122 77 Philadelphia 26 23 6 150 163 58 Colorado 34 14 5 158 141 73 New Jersey 23 21 12 132 140 58 Minnesota 29 21 6 137 140 64 Washington 24 22 9 158 167 57 Nashville 25 23 8 139 168 58 NY Islanders 21 28 8 159 191 50 Dallas 24 21 9 156 160 57 Note: Overtime losses (OTL) are worth one point in the Winnipeg 26 25 5 159 165 57 standings and are not included in the loss column (L).

Radcliffe rules out an immediate comeback ITEN: World marathon record holder Paula Radcliffe has ruled out an immediate return to competitive racing after a spate of injuries and surgery all helped to scuttle her latest ambition to race in this year’s London Marathon.

“At this point I don’t know when I will make a comeback because I had major surgery when I was unable to take part in the London Olympics in 2012, “ Radcliffe said.

Radcliffe is in Kenya for training and to also mentor the young British runners preparing here for the London Marathon and the Glasgow Commonwealth Games. Her last competitive outing was in early 2012.

“End of August 2012 I had the big surgery and I wasn’t able to run at all until April of 2013, and then it was very sore and pretty painful. I took a slow build-up so I am now able to run once a day an hour or two hours and it seems to be coming back,” she said.

“But I don’t want to push it either. I want to have the gift of being able to go out for a run everyday when I want to run. So I don’t want to jeopardise that but if I can come back and run one more marathon or even a half marathon I will be very happy because I can finish on my terms,” added the two-time London Marathon champion.

Radcliffe said she was disappointed not to come back and lower her record of 2:15.25 she set in London in 2003, which has been a subject of discussion by her Kenyan opponents, who have aspired to join forces to break the mark.

“I thought at the time that I could come back and run quicker but then injuries came and illness meant I couldn’t have been in good enough shape at the time of the race and now it is a little bit too late in my career to be able to run in 2-sub 15 again,” said the 37-year-old mother of two.

“Realistically the sport is evolving very fast and obviously records are there to be aimed at and to be beaten. I am philosophical about that but at the same time I would like the world record to stand a little bit longer.”

Elite field Meanwhile, the elite field for this year’s London marathon was unveiled yesterday in the Kenyan Rift Valley town of Iten where most of the top contenders have converged to take advantage of the high altitude ahead of the big race in April.

The athletes, including Britain’s double world and Olympic champion Mo Farah and two-time New York marathon winner, Geoffrey Mutai warmed up on the new tartan track funded by the London marathon organisers which was opened by Kenyan-born Dutch athlete, Lornah Kiplagat.

Farah, who is set to making his first serious marathon debut in London having run in last year’s edition but admitted beforehand he would not be running the full distance, arrived in Kenya in January to join a part of the British endurance team already in Kenya and preparing for the upcoming

Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

However fellow British distance star, Paula Radcliffe, who is also in Kenya, predicted it will not be easy for Farah to make the jump from the track to the roads of the British capital and keep up with the Kenyan stars.

“It is going to be very emotional for Mo to go and do it, especially because he will going into his own debut. He’s very much going into unknown terrority but at the same time with a lot of expectations on him because of his amazing results on the track,” Radcliffe, who holds the women’s marathon world record, told AFP. “It is a big step and I think he’s well equipped to handle it well and he’s excited and looking forward to it,” said Radcliffe, whose own career seems to be at a crossroads after a long injury lay-off.

“But people need also to remember that it is his debut and it may take him a little time to learn the distance.” Kenya’s Geoffrey Mutai, who is making his second appearence in London after dropping out at the half way stage last year with an injury, concurred with Radcliffe.

“This will be a very competitive race. The marathon is a different ball game from the track-it’s a long way. You can prepare yourself very well, but if you don’t have the patience it can be extremely hard to make the breakthough,” said Mutai, who set the quickest marathon time of 2:03.02 in Boston in 2011, not recognised as an official world record because of the nature of the course.—AFP

RED WINGS 4, CAPITALS 3 Alex Ovechkin tied the game with 7 seconds left in the third period, but Patrick Eaves scored in the seventh round of a shootout to lift Detroit over Washington.

Gustav Nyquist put the Red Wings ahead midway through the third period, but they couldn’t prevent the NHL’s goal-scoring leader from sending the game to overtime. Ovechkin has 39 goals this season, his highest

total since scoring 50 times during the 2009-10 season.

The banged-up Red Wings welcomed back two key players: goalie Jimmy Howard and Henrik Zetterberg. Howard made 26 saves after missing four games with an injured left knee. Zetterberg had missed two games with a back injury.

Drew Miller and Danny DeKeyser also scored for Detroit. Jason Chimera and Casey Wellman had goals for the Capitals. Michal Neuvirth stopped 42 shots to match a career high.

HURRICANES 3, BLUES 1 Jeff Skinner scored the go-ahead goal in the second period of Carolina’s victor y over St. Louis.

Alexander Semin added an emptynetter with 1:04 left and Nathan Gerbe scored on an early power play.

They helped the Hurricanes win their fifth in six games to remain in the mix in the crowded Metropolitan Division.

David Backes scored on the power play for St. Louis. The Blues missed a chance to pull even with Chicago atop the Central Division by losing just their fourth game against an Eastern Conference team. Anton Khudobin stopped 26 shots for the Hurricanes. Jaroslav Halak made 28 saves in his fourth straight start, but had his four-game winning streak snapped.

PREDATORS 3, DEVILS 2 Shea Weber scored his second goal of the game at 1:29 of overtime and Nashville rallied late in beating New Jersey. David Legwand scored with 10.8 seconds remaining in regulation with goalie Carter Hutton on the bench to force the extra period.

Hutton stopped Michael Ryder on a breakaway 80 seconds into overtime to keep the game tied.

Colin Wilson then took off the other way and drove toward the net before dropping the puck off to Weber, who beat Cor y Schneider with a wrister from the left circle.

Patrik Elias had a goal and an assist, and Jaromir Jagr also scored for the Devils. Travis Zajac had two assists.

JETS 4, CANUCKS 3 Devin Setoguchi scored two goals, including the tiebreaker with 2:56 remaining, and Winnipeg edged slumping Vancouver.

Zach Bogosian and Michael Frolik also scored for the Jets. Andrew Ladd had two assists. Alexander Edler, R yan Kesler and Jason Garrison scored for the Canucks. Daniel Sedin picked up an assist, but his goalscoring drought stretched to 15 games.

I t was the last of six games Vancouver had to play without coach John Tortorella, who has been serving a 15-day suspension. —AP

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2014

S P ORTS

New IOC president faces challenging 1st games SOCHI: Vladimir Putin isn’t the only president with a lot riding on the Sochi Olympics. Thomas Bach will be presiding over his first games as head of the International Olympic Committee: For the first time in 12 years, someone other than Jacques Rogge will be in charge.

It’s a daunting debut for Bach, a 60year-old German and former Olympic fencing gold medalist who was elected the IOC’s ninth president in September in Buenos Aires.

Rather than easing into the top job, Bach is being thrown straight into the fire, starting his term with one of the most contentious Olympics in years. If that wasn’t enough, he’ll then face another major challenge: the delayplagued 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

With Sochi, Bach has to tread a fine line of supporting the host country and being attuned to the uproar over the law against gay “propaganda” and allegations of corruption in the $51 billion Olympic project.

TERROR ATTACKS The threat of terror attacks by Islamic insurgents from the North Caucasus has added to the volatile mix. Bach knew what he was getting into when he sought the top job. And, despite all the

concerns swirling around Sochi, he says there are no worries keeping him awake at night.

“I’m sorry to tell you I’m sleeping very well,” Bach said. “Fear is a very bad adviser. It is not a category in which I think. I knew about the challenges of this office before I decided to run. I’m really looking forward to this first Winter Games under my presidency and I’m very confident they will be successful.” Bach checked into his room in the athletes’ village on Sunday, continuing a tradition started by Rogge. The presidents sleep in the village as often as possible, though they also stay in a nearby luxury hotel where the IOC holds meetings.

Bach chairs a one-day IOC executive board meeting in Sochi on Sunday and then convenes a 21/2-day session of the full IOC general assembly beginning Wednesday. A global television audience will get a close look at the diminutive, bespectacled president when he speaks at Friday’s opening ceremony.

While the buildup to the Olympics has been dominated by negative headlines, Bach believes the tone will change once the competitions begin.

ATMOSPHERE “We always have before the games political discussions - we have con-

cerns,” he said. “But the people around the world know that this is, first of all, about sports. I’m really confident that we will have a very good Olympic atmosphere.”

Rogge, an orthopedic surgeon and former Olympic sailor from Belgium, was credited with keeping a steady hand and bringing stability to the IOC after the turmoil of the Salt Lake City bidding scandal. But, in the final stages of his presidency, Rogge looked weary, slow and out of steam.

The contrast has been dramatic with Bach’s arrival. He’s had a whirlwind first few months in office, traveling around the globe to meet world leaders and Olympic officials.

Having served at the top levels of the IOC for many years and holding several high-profile positions, Bach winner of team foil gold at the 1976 Montreal Games - didn’t require much of a transition period or learning curve.

He has quickly taken charge and moved to chart his own course.

Bach has gone to the United Nations to speak to the General Assembly and has met with Pope Francis at the Vatican. He was in Brazil last week, urging the government and Olympic organizers to speed up the troubled 2016 preparations.

‘BRAIN-STORMING’ One of Bach’s first trips was in October to Sochi, where he met with Putin and checked out the Olympic venues first hand.

Behind the scenes, Bach has been just as busy. He convened a four-day “brain-storming” retreat of the executive board in December.

In Sochi, Bach will make a big push for “Olympic Agenda 2000,” his blueprint for the rest of the decade. The program includes possible changes to the bidding process, sports program and 70-year age limit for IOC members.

The issues will be put up for debate among the 100-plus IOC members at the general assembly this week. Afterward, proposals and recommendations will be drawn up and submitted for approval at a special IOC session in December in Monaco.

Bach has espoused a more flexible system for deciding which sports are in the Summer Olympics. Rogge imposed a cap of 28 spor ts and 10,500 athletes for the games. IOC leaders are now considering whether the 28-spor t limit should be scrapped, reducing disciplines and events within existing sports to allow for new sports to come in.

The move is driven by the fallout from last year’s surprising decision to drop wrestling, then reinstate it several months later, defeating the original plan of adding a new sport for 2020. Baseball-softball and squash were left out in the cold.

HOT TOPIC Bach has said that baseball-softball could still be included in the 2020 Tokyo Games because of the popularity of those sports in Japan.

That will require changes in the Olympic rules.

A hot topic promises to be whether to reinstate member visits to bid cities. Those were banned in the wake of the Salt Lake City scandal, in which 10 members resigned or were expelled for accepting inducements.

Many members feel it’s time to bring back visits in organized groups and paid for by the IOC. For now, though, Bach’s focus is on making Sochi a success.

“So far he has dealt with all the pressures in an exemplary fashion,” IOC vice president Craig Reedie of Britain said.

“While there inevitably will be more pressures on him the nex t 16-17 days, I’m sure he will come through it with flying colors.” —AP

Fernandez chases blades of glory at Winters Olympics SPAIN: Should Javier Fernandez discover that his cherished skating boots have gone AWOL when he arrives in Sochi for the Winter Olympics, don’t expect him to lose his temper.

In fact, if anything, he will be thanking his lucky stars. Days before the 22-year-old became the first Spaniard to win a major figure skating title by striking gold at the 2013 European championships, his skates got lost in transit.

Turning up in Zagreb without the blades could have proved to be a major catastrophe for Fernandez as it takes days, if not weeks, for skaters to break into new boots.

Rather than panicking or suffering a meltdown, Fernandez relied on the ice running through his veins to triumph. “I have to make sure I lose my skates again! I should tell the (person) at the check-out counter to make sure the skates are not put on the same flight,” a jovial Fernandez told Reuters in a telephone interview just days before he headed for the Black Sea resort as a double European champion. “ When bad things happen and when everything goes wrong, I get stronger and am more determined to do my best.”

HOPES OF MILLIONS Hence it is little surprise the Toronto-based skater is not stashing a back-up pair in a second suitcase as he heads to Sochi shouldering the hopes of almost 50 million Spaniards.

Rather than worr ying about things that are beyond his control “since I am not allowed to carry the skates as hand luggage”, Fernandez was more concerned about ending Spain’s 22-year medal drought at the Winter Games.

“My medals last year showed everybody that a Spanish skater can be out there fighting for the

top prize at the Olympics,” said Fernandez, who also scooped a bronze at the 2013 world championships.

“It’s surprising for the Spanish people that a good skater has actually come out from the country.

That’s something we never had before. So Spanish people are really getting into the sport and they are

and a bronze for his sister and fellow Alpine skier Blanca Fernandez Ochoa in 1992, is the sum total of their success from 18 Games dating back to 1936. To make matters worse, the country also suffered their own Ben Johnson moment when German-born cross-country skier Johann Muehlegg won three gold medals in the 2002 Salt Lake

Javier Fernandez starting to care about what I do.”

For a sporting superpower like Spain who boast world champions from soccer to Formula One and cycling to tennis, their record at the Winter Olympics makes dire reading.

Two medals, one gold for Francisco Fernandez Ochoa in 1972

City Games only to be disqualified for doping.

SPOTLIGHT Against such a backdrop and with the country blessed with glorious Mediterranean sunshine all year long, it is little wonder that

there are few takers for winter sports in Spain.

However, a young Fernandez was not put off by the idea of spending hours and hours training in an ice cold rink and on Friday he will get his moment in the global spotlight when he leads out the Spanish team in the opening ceremony.

“It’s a big honor to be at the Olympics and carry your country’s flag at the Olympics and it’s a good thing for me to do that,” Fernandez said before reminiscing about the years when he was mercilessly teased by schoolboy bullies for pursuing a ‘girl’s sport’.

“In a soccer-mad country like Spain, many people still think that figure skating is for girls and that will continue until the sport doesn’t get bigger.

“But now a lot of guys who usually follow soccer are commentating on the Internet that they think it’s amazing that we have Spanish figure skater competing well and getting medals. So that’s a good step. “If my success helps to get other people into the sport and they become successful, it could become very successful in Spain.”

Fernandez has no idea where his tormentors have disappeared to but chances are that over the next few weeks they will note how successful their fellow pupil has become as he bids to become the first Spaniard to win an Olympic medal on blades.

To do that, he plans to perform three soaring quadruple jumps in his free programme as “it’s worth a lot of points” and once that is out of the way on Feb. 14, there will be only one thing he will be looking forward to.

“When season is done then I’ll find a warm place and go to the beach and relax and just get out of the cold,” he laughed. —Reuters

Gallacher takes two-shot lead over McIlroy in Desert Classic DUBAI: Defending champion Stephen Gallacher had seven birdies and an eagle on the back nine yesterday to surge past Rory McIlroy and take a two-shot lead into the final round of the Dubai Desert Classic. Gallacher equaled the European Tour record for the lowest nine-hole score with an inward 28 for a 9under 63. That gave him a 16-under total of 200, with McIlroy in second after 69. Tiger Woods was 11 shots back after a 70.

“This is the best back nine I’ve had in my career by far,” said Gallacher, who started the day four shots behind McIlroy. “So to get myself back into contention when I needed to, and given the stature of this tournament, it feels good.”

Gallacher started with seven straight pars before a bogey on the eighth. But he birdied the next four holes before an eagle on the par5 13th, where he hit a 7-iron to within three inches with his second shot. After another par on the next hole, he finished with four straight birdies.

“I struggled at the start and played the first four holes a bit ropey,” the Scot said. “But I then hit a beautiful drive and 7-iron (at the ninth) to about 3 foot, and from then on I never missed a shot.”

IN THE HUNT The Desert Classic is celebrating its 25th anniversary, and Gallacher now has a chance to become the first person to win back-to-back titles at the event. McIlroy earned his first European Tour victory here in 2009 and is still very much in the hunt despite battling food

poisoning during the second round on Friday.

McIlroy, who had his lowest score in three years with a 63 in the opening round, mixed three birdies and an eagle with two bogeys yesterday.

“My stomach is better today, still not 100 percent but it’s better than it was yesterday,” McIlroy said. “I feel like I can catch him (Gallacher) up tomorrow. I don’t really want to focus on what he’s doing ‚Ä” try to focus on my own thing.”

Woods, who won here in 2006 and 2008, failed to get back in contention after a disappointing day on the greens. The top-ranked

American had two bogeys and four birdies but missed a number of opportunities to pull closer.

“I only hit a couple of bad shots, (but) missed a ton of putts,” said Woods, who was in a tie for 37th. “Really hit it good but just threw away a lot of shots.”

Thorbjoern Olesen of Denmark shot a 65 to sit tied for third with Brooks Koepka of the United States, another two shots behind Gallacher. R ace to Dubai winner Henrik Stenson fell out of contention with a 75 that included two double bogeys and left him 12 shots back. —AP

DUBAI: Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand tees off on the 8th hole during the third round of the Dubai Desert Classic golf tournament. —AP

CARDIFF: Wales’s Alex Cuthbert (center) is tackled by Italy’s Alberto Sgarbi (left) and Michele Campagnaro during their Six Nations international rugby union match. —AP

Wales edge past brave Italy CARDIFF: Wales began their quest for an unprecedented third successive Six Nations title with a shaky 23-15 victory over a gutsy Italy at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium yesterday.

The build-up to this fixture had been overshadowed by the bitter row within Welsh rugby over a ‘player exodus’ to foreign clubs and the future of the country’s four regional teams.

But politics were put to one side as Wales saw off a determined Azzurri side, whose performance belied a poor record that now stands at 16 matches without an away win in the Six Nations. Wales led 17-3 at half-time after converted tries from wing Alex Cuthbert and centre Scott Williams were separated by a Leigh Halfpenny penalty.

But they were caught cold soon after the break by the first of Italy centre Michele Campagnaro’s two tries and didn’t manage another point until Halfpenny’s 66th minute penalty.

But just when it seemed they’d put the match beyond Italy’s reach, man-of-the-match Campagnaro intercepted Halfpenny’s pass and ran in for a try under the posts which fly-half Tommaso Allan converted.

Now, with 11 minutes left, Wales led by just five points before another Halfpenny penalty put them two scores in front at 23-15.

POINT ECHOED “We have to tighten up those mistakes in our game. If we don’t then we’ll lose against Ireland next week,” Wales centre Jamie Roberts told the BBC. It was a point echoed by Wales coach Warren Gatland, who admitted: “We made it tough for ourselves. Italy were dogged and competed all day.

“We need to tidy up some things ahead of the Ireland game and be a bit more accurate,” added the New Zealander, himself a former Ireland

coach. Wales, whose poor first half display in last season’s opening defeat by Ireland ultimately cost them a Grand Slam, took just three minutes to score the game’s first try.

Debutant Italy wing Angelo Esposito made a mess of trying to gather Wales fly-half Rhys Priestland’s grubber-kick, allowing Cuthbert to touch down in the right corner.

British and Irish Lions full-back Halfpenny made a difficult touchline conversion look easy and Wales were 7-0 in front as the cheers echoed off the closed Millennium Stadium roof.

However, Italy were on the board when Allan kicked a simple penalty in front of the posts. It wasn’t until the 28th minute that Wales, tested up front by an Italy side boasting the most experienced pack in Test history with nearly 600 caps between them, scored again when Halfpenny landed a penalty following a line-out infringement by Mauro Bergamasco. Italy came close to a try when captain Sergio Parisse crossed after winning an aerial challenge with Wales wing George North. However, the star No 8 had knocked on and his ‘try’ was disallowed. Parisse’s error was compounded when Wales scored their second try three minutes before half-time.

COUNTER-ATTACK Fit again British and Irish Lions star JRoberts counter-attacked in typically blistering fashion and found midfield partner Williams for a converted try that gave Wales a 14-point interval advantage. match. Leonardo Sarto kicked ahead before Campagnaro fly-hacked on and outpaced the Welsh cover in the race for the touch-down.

Replays were called for to determine whether Campagnaro had given a forward pass when finding Sarto before the wing’s initial kick ahead. —AFP

Kuwait Yacht Show 2014 opens KUWAIT: Today, Kuwait witnesses the opening of the second edition of the Kuwait Yacht Show (KYS) at the Marina Crescent under the patronage of HH Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak AlHamad Al-Sabah, the Prime Minister of the State of Kuwait.

Over 6 days, until Feb 7, KYS will offer a large variety of maritime products and equipments, boats and luxury yachts, catering to every budget and need. Organized by PH7 Group, KYS this year is three times bigger than its first edition in 2013 in terms of the allocated space, the number of participants and exhibits. It will host a large number of local, regional and international exhibitors.

Nouf Al Hajiri, KYS Project Manager stressed: “This year, the Kuwait Yacht Show is being backed by a great governmental support, without which it would have been impossible to invite regional and international exhibitors. With that support, we felt it was our duty to work ever harder to give Kuwait a much larger and more encompassing show than the first edition.” She continued “We have toured different Yacht shows around the globe where we’ve promoted KYS and introduced it to the international industry players” Al Hajiri confirmed that KYS this year is marked with luxury and sophistication of products which makes it the perfect event to feed all needs.

From her end Zeina Mokaddam (General Manager of PH7 Group) stressed the key role of support received from the different private entities, sponsors and media. “Each yacht owner who has agreed to free his space for

KYS, every sponsor who has contributed in building KYS and every media who has helped in propagating the event locally, regionally or internationally has truly become a great ally and a key contributor in our quest to position the Kuwait Yacht Show on the International Boat Show Calendar” Over six days of exhibition, KYS promises its visitors an unforgettable experience with daily in-water activities at 16:30 with the participation of Red Bull Wakeboarding athlete and world renowned Kuwaiti water sports teams.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2014

S P ORTS

Thunder win, Jazz silenced SERBIA: Switzerland’s Stanislas Wawrinka returns the ball against Dusan Lajovic of Serbia during their Davis Cup World Group play-off first round tennis match. —AP

France, Swiss, Germany into Davis Cup q-finals PARIS: France, Switzerland and Germany all advanced to the Davis Cup World Group quarter-finals yesterday as Spain and Serbia crashed out of the 114-year-old competition.

France took an unassailable 3-0 lead over Australia, with Germany seeing off Spain, minus world number one Rafael Nadal, and Switzerland beat 2010 winners and last year’s finalists Serbia by the same scoreline. But the Czech Republic will have to wait until Sunday to keep their quest for a third consecutive title on track as they lead the Netherlands 2-1 at Ostrava.

On the clay in Mouilleron-le-Captif, Richard Gasquet and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga clinched the vital rubber for France with a 5-7, 7-6 (7/4), 6-2, 7-5 success over Chris Guccione and Lleyton Hewitt.

France were sitting pretty overnight after Gasquet beat Aussie teenager Nick Kyrgios 7-6 (7/3), 6-2, 6-2, before Tsonga ousted Hewitt 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (7/2).

France’s reward was a last eight clash with Germany, who took an unbeatable 3-0 lead over five-time former champions Spain in Frankfurt earlier Saturday.

That quarter-final is scheduled for April 4-6.

Tommy Haas and Philipp Kohlschreiber needed nearly three and a half hours to seal a 7-6(7/5), 6-7(9/11), 7-6(9/7), 6-3 over Spain’s Fernando Verdasco and David Marrero.

Kohlschreiber and Florian Mayer had given the hosts a 2-0 overnight lead. Switzerland’s all important point was delivered by the pairing of Marco Chiudinelli and Michael Lanmer, who saw off Nenad Zimonjic and Filip Krajinovic 6-6 (7/3), 3-6, 6-6 (7/2), 6-2.

The Swiss took control of the tie in Novi Sad on Friday when Roger Federer, yet to add the

Davis Cup trophy to his array of silverware, and freshly crowned Australian champion Stanislas Wawrinka, won both of their singles.

Federer, a last-minute addition to the Swiss team, won through 6-4, 7-5, 6-2 against 268thranked Ilija Bozoljac on the hard court surface in Novi Sad. Serbia were weakened by the absence of star turns Novak Djokovic and Janko Tipsarevic.

Tired from his exploits in the heat of Melbourne Wawrinka then stepped up to battle past 102nd ranked Dusan Lajovic 6-4, 4-6, 61, 7-6 (9/7).

The Swiss will meet either Kazakhstan or Belgium who are playing in Astana with the hosts leading 2-1. On the hardcourt of the CEZ Arena in the eastern city of Ostrava, Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek handed the defending champions the Czech Republic a 2-1 lead after winning the doubles rubber.

The Czechs however needed three hours and 57 minutes to beat Robin Haase and JeanJulien Rojer 7-5, 1-6, 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (7/4). Berdych and Stepanek, who led the Czech Republic to Davis Cup titles in 2012 and 2013, have won the 15th of their 16 Davis Cup doubles rubbers together since teaming up in 2007.

Argentina were level 1-1 with Italy in Mar del Plata, Astana, and Japan lead last year’s semi-finalists Canada 2-1 in Tokyo.

A fired-up Kei Nishikori propelled Japan to a doubles win as Japan are bidding for a quarterfinal place for the first time since the 16-nation elite group format was introduced in 1981.

In San Diego, Great Britain are 2-0 up over the USA after world number four Andy Murray beat Donald Young 6-1, 6-2, 6-3 and James Ward upset Sam Querrey 1-6, 7-6 (7/3), 3-6, 6-4, 6-1. —AFP

Pavlyuchenoka ousts Sharapova PARIS: Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova made it through to the Paris WTA Open final at the expense of her Russian compatriot and top seed Maria Sharapova yesterday.

Pavlyuchenoka, ranked 26th in the world, ended the 2012 French Open champion’s run at the Stade Coubertin 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. The former junior champion will meet the winner of Saturday’s other semi-final between Italian Sara Errani and French home hope Alize Cornet.

On the back foot early in the match Pavlyuchenkova was trailing 3-0 then 4-1 before the 22-year-old saved two break points, going on to level after breaking wolrd number five Sharapova’s serve for 4-4. But the opening set evaded her when she produced two unforced errors. She regrouped and broke Sharapova in the first game of the second set, following up with a second break to level the semi-final.

The pair traded breaks in the deciding set, with Sharapova going on to serve to try and level it at 5-5, but that proved beyond her as she double faulted to hand victory to her fellow Russian. “I let her regain her confidence,” Sharapova remarked. The winner, coached by her father after a spell with Martina Hingis, reflected: “The key to the game was the serve.” —AFP

WARRIORS 95, JAZZ 90 Stephen Curry made eight 3-pointers in scoring a season-high 44 points, leading Golden State past Utah on a night the Jazz honored former coach Jerry Sloan.

Curry had 13 points in the fourth quarter and the Warriors came from nine points behind to win on back-to-back nights.

Andrew Bogut had 16 points, 17 rebounds and five assists to help overcome the loss of David Lee (shoulder, hip) and a horrendous shooting night from backcourt mate Klay Thompson, who was 3 of 20 for 11 points.

Reserve guard Alec Burks had with 26 points on a variety of jumpers and acrobatic drives, but it wasn’t enough for Utah, which dealt with injuries to three frontcourt players.

MAGIC 113, BUCKS 102 Arron Afflalo scored 21 points, Tobias Harris added 18 and the Magic ran past the Bucks. The Magic snapped a three-game losing streak and extended their home winning streak over Milwaukee to 16 games. Nik Vucevic had 12 points and six rebounds in his second game back from a concussion.

Caron Butler scored 20 points for Milwaukee, which lost its fifth straight game. The Bucks have lost 14 of their last 15 and eight straight on the road.

GRIZZLIES 94, TIMBERWOLVES 90 Zach Randolph had 26 points and 12 rebounds and the Grizzlies overcame another strong effort by Kevin Love to beat the Timberwolves.

Courtney Lee added 16 points for the Grizzlies, who have won five straight games and 10 of their last 11. The Grizzlies have won six straight on the road. Playing on a sore left ankle throughout the second half, Love led Minnesota with 28 points and 16 rebounds. Kevin Martin had 14 points for the Timberwolves, who lost for just the second time in seven games.

BOBCATS 110, LAKERS 100 Al Jefferson tied a career high with 40 points, 16 of them in the fourth quarter, and grabbed 18 rebounds to help Charlotte send floundering Los Angeles to its sixth straight defeat.

Jefferson set a franchise record with his 11th straight game of 20 or more points, eclipsing the mark set by Jason Richardson in 2007-08.

Gerald Henderson added 20 points for the Bobcats. Starting point guard Kemba Walker missed his sixth straight game since a sprained left ankle ended his career-opening consecutive game streak of 190. Pau Gasol had 24 points and Nick Young 21 off the bench for Los Angeles, which lost for the 18th time in 21 games.

PARIS: Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia returns the ball to Maria Sharapova of Russia during the semi final match of the 22nd Gaz de France WTA Open 2014 tennis tournament. —AP

Makarova faces Pliskova at Pattaya Open final PATTAYA: Russian fourth seed Ekaterina Makarova will face unseeded Czech Karolina Pliskova in the final of the Pattaya Open after both claimed three-set victories yesterday.

Makarova, whose only previous title came when she won Eastbourne in 2010, edged past Czech Andrea Hlavackova 6-3, 0-6, 6-4.

While Pliskova, who will also be chasing her second career title after winning in Kuala Lumpur in February 2013, beat Germany’s Julia Goerges 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.

Makarova struggled to gain the upper hand, despite breaking to lead 2-0. She had to fight off a break point before securing the first set, and then failed to win a game in the second as her more aggressive opponent put her on the defensive.

But the final set mirrored the first, with Makarova taking an early break to lead 2-1 when her return forced an error, and with her again having to save a break point before closing out the match.

After failing to win any of three match points on her opponent’s serve at 5-3, Makarova finally claimed victory with her fourth.

“The best part of my game is that I was fighting,” said Makarova. “She’s playing so aggressive, so flat. It was difficult to return because she was serving so good today.

“At the end of the second set I was so angry because here I’d already played two matches in three sets and I really wanted to finish it in two sets. But she played amazing all that set and it was difficult to do anything.”

NEW YORK: Kevin Durant’s 30-point streak ended at 12 games when he scored 26 in just 30 minutes, and the Oklahoma City Thunder won their 10th in a row with a 120-95 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night.

Serge Ibaka made all 12 shots and added 25 points and nine rebounds for the Thunder, who were so good that Durant sat the entire fourth quarter, the only way to slow him down right now.

The NBA’s leading scorer finished 10 of 12 from the field, though his scoring average during his sensational January dropped from 36.6 to 35.9.

Oklahoma City shot 63.6 percent, highest in the NBA this season, and outrebounded Brooklyn 41-17. Shaun Livingston scored 16 points while drawing the impossible assignment of defending Durant.

Pliskova played a solid match and was the steadier player throughout. Although Goerges served the first two of her 16 aces of the match in the opening game, she dropped her serve with a forehand error. The Czech broke serve again to lead 5-2 but double-faulted on set point and then was broken when Goerges struck a stinging forehand winner. But Goerges then surrendered her serve and the set with two consecutive double-faults.

In a contest that consisted almost entirely of very short points, neither player earned a break point in the second set until Goerges took advantage of a weak game by her opponent to break for 5-4, then serving out at love.

In the final set it was Pliskova’s steadier game that gave her the edge. She broke serve to lead 2-0 and, although Goerges recovered the break with a spectacular forehand winner down the line in the fifth game, Pliskova immediately responded with a further break to lead 4-2.

Goerges then faced two match points at 52, and although she survived that threat Pliskova was able to serve out the match to love.

“There weren’t any rallies because we were both serving well and we have similar games, so it was tough,” said Pliskova, who fired 13 aces of her own.

“In the second set she was serving really well. I almost couldn’t do anything. I tried to stay calm and play my game and wait for my chance.” —AFP

HAWKS 125, 76ERS 99 Mike Scott and Elton Brand scored 18 points apiece to lead seven Hawks in double figures and Atlanta routed the 76ers.

DeMarre Carroll contributed 13 points, Paul Millsap, Jeff Teague and Lou Williams had 12 apiece, and Kyle Korver added 11 points for the Hawks.

Thaddeus Young scored 29 points, Michael Carter-Williams added 17 and Elliot Williams had

NEW YORK: Oklahoma City Thunder’s Kevin Durant keeps the ball away from Brooklyn Nets’ Joe Johnson during the second half of an NBA basketball game. —AP 15 for the Sixers, who have dropped 11 of their last 13 home games, including five straight. The Sixers, now 8-16 at home, haven’t lost five in a row at home since the 2009-10 season.

MAVERICKS 107, KINGS 103 Dirk Nowitzki scored 34 points and the Mavericks held off Sacramento, handing the Kings their sixth straight loss in another game without leading scorer DeMarcus Cousins.

A night after being named an All-Star for the 12th time, Nowitzki helped the Mavericks rally in the fourth quarter after they squandered a double-digit lead in the first half and fell behind by 14 in the third. Brandan Wright had his first doubledouble of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Rudy Gay scored 35 to lead the Kings, who have the worst record in the Western Conference (15-31) and were without Cousins for the fifth

straight game because of a sprained left ankle.

RAPTORS 100, NUGGETS 90 DeMar DeRozan scored 19 points, Terrence Ross had 18 and the Raptors ended a decadelong drought in Denver by beating the shorthanded Nuggets.

Jonas Valanciunas and Kyle Lowry added 13 points apiece for the Raptors, who snapped a nine-game losing streak in the Mile High City dating to 2003.

The Nuggets announced during the game that guard Nate Robinson had season-ending surgery earlier Friday to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.

JJ Hickson and Evan Fournier led the Nuggets with 18 points apiece. Hickson also had 13 rebounds. Randy Foye, playing point guard, had 10 points and 16 assists. But he also committed eight of the Nuggets’ 26 turnovers. —AP

NBA results/standings Orlando 113, Milwaukee 102; Atlanta 125, Philadelphia 99; Memphis 94, Minnesota 90; Oklahoma City 120, Brooklyn 95; Dallas 107, Sacramento 103; Toronto 100, Denver 90; Charlotte 110, LA Lakers 100; Golden State 95, Utah 90.

Eastern Conference Atlantic Division W L PCT Toronto 25 21 .543 Brooklyn 20 24 .455 NY Knicks 19 27 .413 Philadelphia 15 32 .319 Boston 15 33 .313

Indiana Chicago Detroit Cleveland Milwaukee

Central Division 35 10 .778 23 22 .511 18 27 .400 16 30 .348 8 38 .174

Southeast Division Miami 32 13 .711 Atlanta 24 21 .533 Washington 22 23 .489 Charlotte 21 27 .438 Orlando 13 35 .271

Western Conference Northwest Division Oklahoma City 38 10 .792 Portland 33 13 .717 Minnesota 23 23 .500 Denver 22 23 .489 Utah 16 30 .348

4 14 14.5 21

12 17 19.5 27.5

LA Clippers Phoenix Golden State LA Lakers Sacramento

Pacific Division 33 16 .673 28 18 .609 29 19 .604 16 31 .340 15 31 .326

3.5 3.5 16 16.5

8 10 12.5 20.5

San Antonio Houston Dallas Memphis New Orleans

Southwest Division 33 13 .717 31 17 .646 27 21 .563 25 20 .556 19 26 .422

3 7 7.5 13.5

GB 4 6 10.5 11

High energy Carroll builds Seahawks team in his image NEW YORK: With his unbridled enthusiasm, high octane energy and unusual motivational techniques, Pete Carroll was something of a new-age coach ahead of his time when he started out as an NFL head man nearly 20 years ago.

Now that approach is praised up and down the Seattle Seahawks organization as Carroll has the club within one win of their first Super Bowl crown.

Carroll, at 62 the league’s second oldest head coach, still blares music during practice, encourages competitive basketball and bowling between the players, and exuberantly runs down sidelines during games to follow the gridiron action.

In his fourth year steering the Seahawks, he stresses intense competition as a basis for rewards and devotes himself and his assistant coaches to figuring out the best way to utilize the specific skills of each of his players.

Team owner Paul Allen, the billionaire co-founder of Microsoft and Seattle native, is a big fan of the coach, a former defensive coordinator whose team was dominant defensively this season in posting a 13-3 record.

“I have never been around such a positive, engaging coach that connects with each player at that level of intensity,” Allen told the Seattle Times. “It’s really amazing. Pete really stands out because of his positivity and his ability to connect.”

POUNDING MUSIC The still youthful Carroll has assembled the second-youngest team to play in a Super Bowl and

groomed numerous Pro Bowl players from lower-round draft picks including cornerback Richard Sherman (fifth round), safety Kam Chancellor (fifth round) and quarterback Russell Wilson, a thirdround pick. The youngsters feel no generation gap with Carroll, who fuels their high-speed practices with pounding music ranging from rap to soul, from hard rock to country and western, to be as inclusive

EAST RUTHERFORD: Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll walks to a tunnel leading off the field at the end of a brief visit to MetLife Stadium by the team. The Seahawks and the Denver Broncos are scheduled to play in the Super Bowl XLVIII football game today. —AP

as his football family.

Linebacker Heath Farwell, a nine-year veteran who previously played for Minnesota, said Carroll’s passion and energy set him apart.

“Everything he does is just so positive,” Farwell told Reuters. “His energy in practice, his energy on game day. He’s always up, always positive. He always gets the most out of the guys. We love playing for him.”

The modestly sized Carroll played some college football, but his future was in coaching and the Californian worked his way up the college ranks to a job coaching defensive backs with the Minnesota Vikings. There he learned from head coach Bud Grant, who had taken the Vikings to four Super Bowls.

“The confidence that he exudes going with what he believes in his gut was extraordinar y to me,” Carroll said. “He didn’t care what anybody else thought and he was really clear about how he expressed that.” After five Minnesota seasons he became defensive coordinator for the Jets and graduated to head coach there in 1994. —Reuters

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2014

S P ORTS

Preview

Leverkusen end losing streak BERLIN: Second-placed Bayer Leverkusen broke their three-match losing streak with a 2-1 win at home to VfB Stuttgart in the Bundesliga yesterday.

Swiss striker Eren Derdiyok headed home Leverkusen’s winner six minutes from time.

Stuttgart’s Moritz Leitner had given the visitors an early lead before Bayer striker Stefan Kiessling equalised in the first half. The result sees Leverkusen close the gap behind league leaders

Hanover 96’s revival under new coach Tayfun Korkut continued as they earned a 3-1 win over Borussia Moenchengladbach. Korkut’s team had picked up only their first away win of the season last weekend by the same margin at Wolfsburg.

Striker Artjoms Rudnevs headed home his second goal in as many games for Hanover after the break, then Senegal striker Mame Diouf then rose highest at the backpost to head home the first of his two goals on 81 minutes.

GERMANY: Leverkusen’s Roberto Hilbert (top) challenges for the ball with Stuttgart’s Moritz Leitner during the German Bundesliga soccer match. —AP Bayern Munich to ten points with the European champions hosting Eintracht Frankfurt today.

“We didn’t start very well by conceding an early goal,” said Bayer coach Sami Hyypia, whose side had lost successively to strugglers Frankfurt, Bremen and Freiburg.

“The difference compared to the matches against Freiburg and Bremen, which the team had really wanted to win, was that we had more structure in our game.”

There were three goals in the last 10 minutes as Borussia striker Peniel Mlapa grabbed a consolation goal on 84 minutes, while Diouf could have finished with a hat-trick.

He had a great chance saved late on, then slammed home his second and Hanover’s third on 90 minutes to the delight of the home crowd.

Schalke 04 moved up to fourth with a 2-1 victory at home to ten-man VfL Wolfsburg with

Ghana midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng firing home the winner nine minutes from time.

The Royal Blues, who have lost just once in nine games, had taken an early lead after a scrappy goal was credited to Brazilian centreback Felipe Santana as both he and Boateng lunged for the ball.

Wolfsburg drew level despite being down to 10 men, after Daniel Caligiuri was sent off for insulting the referee five minutes into the second-half, when teenager Maximilian Arnold fired home on 65 minutes.

But Boateng then fired home the winner for his sixth goal of the season to give Schalke their second straight win. Schalke face a tough run of matches with Hanover, Leverkusen and Mainz coming up before they host Real Madrid in the last 16 of the Champions League.

There was a strong South Korean influence in Mainz’s 2-0 win at home to Freiburg as Park JooHo gave them a first-half lead. Compatriot Koo JaCheol added the second as the three points lifted Mainz to seventh. Werder Bremen’s poor form continues as they suffered a 3-1 defeat at Augsburg with the visitors finishing up with ten men.

An own goal gifted Bremen an early lead they could not maintain. Midfielder Tobias Werner equalised for Augsburg, then Bremen had defender Santiago Garcia sent off for a second yellow card just before the break.

Goals by Augsburg’s Turkey striker Halil Altintop and midfielder Andre Hahn in the first ten minutes after the break sealed their win.

The result left Bremen 12th in the league while Augsburg stay ninth. Hamburg’s slump continues as they were drubbed 3-0 at Hoffenheim, leaving Bert van Marwijk’s side third from bottom as they suffered their fifth straight defeat.

“Our biggest problem is that we concede goals too easily,” mused Hamburg coach Bert van Marwijk. “The 2-0 was the turning point, we behaved like amateurs.

“We have to be able to get through a game without conceding a goal and shooting ourselves in the foot.” On Friday, Borussia Dortmund picked up their first win in five league games with a 2-1 victory at bottom side Eintracht Braunschweig with Gabon winger Pierre -Emerick Aubameyang scoring both goals. —AFP

Aberdeen thrash St Johnstone GLASGOW: Aberdeen took a step closer to claiming their first trophy in 19 years following an emphatic 4-0 win over St Johnstone in their League Cup semi-final clash at Tynecastle.

Jonny Hayes grabbed the first and final goals with Peter Pawlett and Adam Rooney adding the others in between as Aberdeen reached their first major final since 2000.

It was sixth time lucky for the Dons, who had failed at the semi-final stage in their five previous attempts, who will now meet the winners of today’s match between Hearts and Inverness Caledonian Thistle. Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes said his side deserved the win.

“We got off to a great start but I thought we were poor for a spell after that and we allowed them too many opportunities to get the ball into our box,” McInnes said. “But all-in-all it was great and we were clinical today. The players were terrific and they have a great work ethic and togetherness about them. I can’t complain as it is 4-0 against a good St Johntsone team.”

St Johnstone manager Tommy Wright said his side weren’t clinical enough. “We know we’ve contributed to three of the goals and that’s the disappointing thing but we will take a lot of positives from it as I thought we played extremely well and controlled large parts of the game,” the St Johnstone manager said. “I think in the end they deserved it because they were more clinical than us but I think we put a lot into the game.”

Aberdeen had handed on-loan Shaleum Logan his debut while Saints had stand-in keeper Steve Banks in goal for the suspended Alan Mannus.

Banks was called into action straight away as Aberdeen raced out of the blocks and the ‘keeper did well to turn away Rooney’s shot on the turn in

the second minute.

However, the Dons and Rooney weren’t to be denied a minute later when the January signing from Oldham rolled the ball across goal for Jonny Hayes to turn home the opener.

Saints responded well and Lee Croft looked set to level matters when he got in behind the Aberdeen defence but he was foiled by a tremendous save from Jamie Langfield.

Aberdeen doubled their advantage - against the run of play - in the 32nd minute when Pawlett picked up a loose clearance and drove into the

box before slipping the ball under the keeper for a cool finish.

In the second half Gary McDonald saw his header come back off the post for St Johnstone before the Dons added their third. Pawlett sent Rooney clear and the striker held his nerve to curl the ball beyond the advancing Banks.

Andrew Considine sent his header off the cross bar for the Dons before Hayes grabbed his second of the match in the 79th minute. The forward jinxed in from the left before sending an angled shot beyond Banks to seal the win. —AFP

Cagliari halt Fiorentina’s march MILAN: Fiorentina’s promising run towards Serie A’s coveted Champions League places was temporarily halted by a first defeat of the year in a 1-0 reverse away to Cagliari yesterday.

Vincenzo Montella’s side had taken 14 points from a possible 18 in their last six games following a 2-1 reverse to Roma at the Olympic Stadium in early December.

But La Viola’s run, which had put them within three points of third-placed Napoli in the first Champions League spot, was ended when Mauricio Pinilla slotted home from the penalty spot for the Sardinians just before half-time.

In yesterday’s other early game struggling Udinese ended a run of four straight defeats with a 2-0 away win at relegation-threatened Bologna to claim their first league win of the year.

Udinese, who had finished an impressive fifth place last season, belied their poor league form in this campaign to oust AC Milan from the last 16 of the Italian Cup last week and set up a two-leg

semi-final clash with Fiorentina.

Veteran striker Antonio Di Natale’s penalty put the northerners within sight of their first victory since a 2-1 away win at Livorno prior to Christmas.

Nico Lopez then settled last-minute nerves with an injury-time strike. Fiorentina remain in fourth although Napoli could extend their lead over the Florence side to six points with victory away to Atalanta today.

Cagliari and Udinese moved up one place to 13th and 14th respectively ahead of the remainder of the weekend fixtures while Bologna could drop into the relegation zone depending on Sassuolo and Livorno’s respective results.

Milan will be looking for their third consecutive league win under coach Clarence Seedorf at home to Torino in late yesterday’s late game.

Juventus, who sit top with a six-point lead on Roma, host Inter Milan in today’s eagerly-awaited late game with Roma hosting Parma at the Olympic Stadium earlier in the day. —AFP

Nolan double lifts Hammers West Ham 2

Swansea 0

LONDON: Kevin Nolan lifted West Ham United out of the Premier League relegation zone as the midfielder’s double strike clinched a 2-0 win over Swansea City yesterday.

Sam Allardyce’s team secured only their fifth league victory this season thanks to two first-half goals from Nolan at Upton Park.

The Hammers couldn’t relax until the final whistle however as they had to survive the final 30 minutes without England striker Andy Carroll, who was sent off for violent conduct following a clash with Swansea’s Chico Flores.

The east London club climb one place to 17th in the table after their first home win since November and they are now just two points behind 11th-placed Swansea.

West Ham made two enforced changes as defender George McCartney and Matt Jarvis came in for injured duo Joey O’Brien and

Mohamed Diame.

They created the first chance when Jarvis curled a cross towards Carroll, who directed his header over the crossbar. Allardyce’s defensive tactics in West Ham’s midweek goalless draw at Chelsea had infuriated Blues boss Jose Mourinho, who accused the Hammers of playing “football from the 19th century”.

That battling point against one of the league’s top sides had clearly done wonders for West Ham’s selfesteem after a difficult period and they kept Swansea on the back foot before taking the lead in the 26th minute.

It was a simple but effective move that bore all the hallmarks of Allardyce’s preferred approach. A well-directed cross found Carroll and the former Liverpool striker rose highest to cushion a header into the path of Nolan, who had timed his run perfectly to drive a low shot past Swansea goalkeeper Gerhard Tremmel. Allardyce’s team survived a scare when referee Howard Webb waved away Swansea’s penalty appeals after Wilfried Bony broke through on goal and tumbled under a challenge from James Tomkins that made just the slightest contact with the ball.

That proved a crucial moment as

LONDON: West Ham United’s Antonio Nocerino (center) competes with Swansea City’s Dwight Tiendalli during their English Premier League soccer match at Upton Park. —AP the hosts doubled their lead in firsthalf stoppage time. Once again Swansea were undone by a textbook example of Allardyce’s direct philosophy.

A Stewart Downing corner to the far post picked out Carroll, who peeled away from his marker and headed back across goal to Nolan, who glanced his header past Tremmel from close range.

Carroll got his marching orders

in the 59th minute after jumping with Flores in an aerial challenge.

As the pair untangled following their collision, Carroll caught Flores with a flailing arm and, with the Swansea defender falling theatrically to the tur f, referee Webb showed him the red card.

That gave lack lustre Swansea hope of a late fightback, but they rarely tested Hammers goalkeeper Adrian. —AFP

LONDON: Arsenal’s Spanish defender Nacho Monreal. —AFP

Wenger eyes Arsenal’s return to EPL summit LONDON: Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger wants his side to apply pressure on their Premier League title rivals by reclaiming top spot with victory over Crystal Palace today.

The Gunners lost their place at the summit of the table to Manchester City following their mid-week 2-2 draw at Southampton.

While Arsenal dropped points at St Mary’s last Tuesday, City were rampant in a 5-1 mauling of Tottenham Hotspur 24 hours later.

But Wenger hopes his men can get back to winning ways immediately at the Emirates Stadium against Tony Pulis’s resurgent outfit. That will restore a twopoint advantage for the Gunners over nearest rivals City, who host third-place Chelsea tomorrow.

“That’s our target,” Wenger said. “Can you win the next game if you give absolutely everything? Yes, so let’s do it.

“It is a great opportunity for us to win our game and respond to our draw at Southampton.

“At the moment they (City) are on fire.

But I believe we have just to focus on our own run because if you look at the schedule, if we are consistent we have a good chance to do it.

“You cannot speculate on any weakness in Man City in the coming months.

So let’s focus on us, and our strengths, in the coming months.

“It is the way we can do, if we keep the consistency and manage to win the big games-one of them will be Man City at home (on March 29).

“Of course that will be very important. Of course they had an impressive win, and a great quality game as well at Tottenham.

“But if you analyse it well, this game could have turned as well. All the turning points went in their favour. If they had not gone ahead, you are not sure they would have won the game.”

Arsenal have suffered a major injury blow, with Aaron Ramsey ruled out for

up to six weeks with a recurrence of a thigh problem.

The Wales midfielder has been one of the stand-out per formers for the Gunners this season, scoring 13 goals for the north Londoners in all competitions.

He will miss crunch league fixtures in Februar y against Liverpool and Manchester United, the FA Cup fifthround clash with Brendan Rodgers’s men, and the mouth-watering Champions League last 16 first-leg tie against Bayern Munich.

“He finished training normally, came in and had pain. We checked in on the scan and is was a recurrence of his muscle problem,” Wenger said.

“Why did it happen? Have we not been cautious enough? We have respected the procedures. Maybe we should have been a bit more cautious, but it was not obvious.”

Wenger reacted to Ramsey’s injury by bringing in Sweden international midfielder Kim Kallstrom from Spar tak Moscow on a short-term loan deal.

Improving Palace have lost only twice in their last six matches under new manager Pulis, who has seen his side climb to 14th place in the table. The south London club brought a raft of new players to the club before the January transfer window closed on Friday.

Goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey, centre-back Scott Dann and midfielders Joe Ledley and Tom Ince all arrived at Selhurst Park, while Jason Puncheon’s loan move from Southampton was turned into a permanent transfer.

“Obviously it was good business done by the football club and we just hope it gels as quick as necessary to get us the points to keep us in the Premiership (Premier League),” Pulis told Sky Sports.

“The important thing was getting competition, and also getting cover.

There’s almost a third of the season to go, and we needed that.” What we’ve got to do now is get them into the groove as quickly as we can.” —AFP

Preview

Rodgers takes stock of Liverpool’s progress BIRMINGHAM: Brendan Rodgers believes Liverpool’s trip to West Bromwich Albion today is a significant landmark in the club’s development since he took over at Anfield.

Rodgers’ side were beaten 3-0 at the Hawthorns on the opening day of last season in the Liverpool manager’s first league match in charge.

Seven of the 18-man squad that day are no longer at the club. While Liverpool took until September 29 to register their first league win last season, they are much improved now and sit firmly in the thick of the race for a Champions League place.

Rodgers accepts that there is still plenty more progress to make but has been pleased with the changes he has implemented since August 2012.

“We’ve grown. If I look back at my time here over the last 18 months, I look back at the first game we played against West Brom,” Rodgers said.

“It’s ironic that we play them this weekend. Where we were at then, we had some talented players but we were very much an individual group.

“Over the course of 18 months, we’ve implemented a method to our play. We have become a team. “We’re understanding the game much better in terms of how we want to work and how we want to play. “The important trait in any successful team is character, and we have got that in bucketloads. It’s something that makes me very happy, but we’ve still got a way to go.”

Liverpool are firm favourites to take the three points at the Hawthorns following their 4-0 Merseyside derby win over Everton in midweek.

But Rodgers maintains there is no prospect of taking Pepe Mel’s side lightly.

“People probably expected Chelsea to win at home against West Ham, but they went there and put on a great defensive

performance and got a draw,” he said. “I think it will be like that throughout the remaining games.

“My focus is only on us and respecting every opponent that we play. “West Brom, with a new manager, will be very keen to get a win, so we know it will be a very difficult match for us.

“We’ll be ready and prepared. We’re coming off the back of an outstanding performance and we’ll look to carry that on into the weekend.”

Mel has held a summit with his side to resolve their defensive woes as they prepare to face a Liverpool attack whose return of 57 top-flight goals has only been bettered by leaders Manchester City.

The Baggies blew a two-goal lead to lose 4-3 at Aston Villa in Mel’s second game in charge - leaving them with one win from their last 13 Premier League matches.

“I had a very good meeting with all of the players and they were able to speak their opinion,” he said. “In my opinion, West Bromwich Albion have to play together, in attack and defence.

“My players will work hard to win the next game. It’s impossible to score three goals away and not win. It was down to mistakes.

“In the first 20-25 minutes we played well and looked on our way to winning the match. “Villa’s first goal was an individual mistake, which is normal in football, so there are no problems.

“But the team was nervous and I don’t know why.” Former Liverpool striker Nicolas Anelka will be unavailable after he had seven stitches in his knee.

The Frenchman, who is fighting an Football Association disciplinary charge for his controversial ‘quenelle’ goal celebration against West Ham in December, is likely to be back for the crunch clash with Crystal Palace next weekend. —AFP

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2014

S P ORTS

Soccer results/standings

Fulham 0

English Premier League results Cardiff 2 (Bellamy 49, Jones 51) Norwich 1 (Snodgrass 5); Everton 2 (Naismith 74, Mirallas 85) Aston Villa 1 (Bacuna 34); Fulham 0 Southampton 3 (Lallana 64, Lambert 70, Rodriguez 75); Hull 1 (Long 12) Tottenham 1 (Paulinho 61); Newcastle 0 Sunderland 3 (Borini 19-pen, Johnson 23, Colback 80); Stoke 2 (Adam 38, 52) Manchester United 1 ( Van Persie 47); West Ham 2 (Nolan 26, 45) Swansea 0.

Scottish Football League results Championship Cowdenbeath 1 Raith 0; Dundee 1 Alloa 1; Falkirk 1 Morton 1; Hamilton 3 Dumbarton 3; Livingston 1 Queen Of The South 2.

Playing today Arsenal v Crystal Palace, West Brom v Liverpool.

Division Two Clyde 3 Berwick 3; Elgin 1 Albion 1; Montrose 0 Stirling 0; Peterhead 0 Annan Athletic 0 — match abandoned due to waterlogged pitch; Queen’s Park 0 East Stirling 0.

Playing tomorrow Manchester City v Chelsea English Football League results Championship Birmingham 3 Derby 3; Blackburn 2 Blackpool 0; Bournemouth 0 Leicester 1; Doncaster 0 Middlesbrough 0; Ipswich 1 Bolton 0; Leeds 5 Huddersfield 1; Millwall 0 Reading 3; QPR 3 Burnley 3; Sheffield Wednesday 1 Barnsley 0; Wigan 2 Charlton 1.

Playing today Nottingham Forest v Yeovil, Watford v Brighton Division One Bristol City 2 Carlisle 1; Crewe 3 Sheffield Utd 0; Gillingham 3 Port Vale 2; Milton Keynes Dons 0 Tranmere 1; Preston 2 Notts County 0; Rotherham 2 Leyton Orient 1; Shrewsbury 1 Brentford 1; Swindon 0 Oldham 1; Wolves 2 Bradford 0.

Division Two Accrington 0 Morecambe 0 — match abandoned due to waterlogged pitch; Burton 1 Exeter 1; Bury 1 Wycombe 0; Cheltenham 1 Northampton 1; Chesterfield 3 Bristol Rovers 1; Fleetwood 1 York 2; Hartlepool 0 Scunthorpe 0; Oxford 2 AFC Wimbledon 1; Plymouth 1 Mansfield 1; Portsmouth 0 Torquay 1; Rochdale 0 Dagenham and Redbridge 1.

Scottish League Cup result Semi-finals Aberdeen 4 (Hayes 3, 79, Pawlett 32, Rooney 63) St Johnstone 0.

Playing today Hearts v Inverness CT.

Division One Arbroath 2 Ayr 3; East Fife 1 Dunfermline 3; Forfar 1 Airdrie 1; Rangers 2 Brechin 1; Stenhousemuir 1 Stranraer 1.

Spanish league results Barcelona 2 (Sanchez 7, Messi 54-pen) Valencia 3 (Parejo 44, Piatti 48, Alcacer 59).

Playing later Levante v Rayo Vallecano, Getafe v Valladolid, Malaga v Sevilla.

Playing today Elche v Almeria, Real Betis v Espanyol, Atletico Madrid v Real Sociedad, Athletic Bilbao v Real Madrid.

Playing tomorrow Villarreal v Osasuna German League results Schalke 04 2 (Santana 9, Boateng 81) VfL Wolfsburg 1 (Arnold 65); Bayer Leverkusen 2 (Kiessling 26, Derdiyok 84) VfB Stuttgart 1 (Leitner 12); Hoffenheim 3 (Roberto Firmino 4, Suele 44, Beck 60) Hamburg 0; Mainz 2 (Park 24, Koo 86) Freiburg 0; Augsburg 3 (Werner 11, Halil Altintop 49, Hahn 55) Werder Bremen 1 (Callsen-Bracker 3-og).

Playing later Hanover 96 v Borussia Moenchengladbach.

Playing today Hertha Berlin v Nuremberg, Bayern Munich v Eintracht Frankfurt.

English Premier League table after yesterday’s matches (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points): English Premier League table Man City 23 17 2 4 68 Arsenal 23 16 4 3 45 Chelsea 23 15 5 3 43 Liverpool 23 14 4 5 57 Everton 24 12 9 3 37 Tottenham 24 13 5 6 31 Man Utd 24 12 4 8 39 Newcastle 24 11 4 9 32 Southampton 24 9 8 7 34 Aston Villa 24 7 6 11 27 Stoke 24 6 7 11 24 Swansea 24 6 6 12 29 Hull 24 6 6 12 23 Sunderland 24 6 6 12 25 Norwich 24 6 6 12 19 Crystal Palace 23 7 2 14 15 West Brom 23 4 10 9 27 West Ham 24 5 7 12 24 Cardiff 24 5 6 13 19 Fulham 24 6 1 17 22 English Football League tables Championship Leicester 29 21 3 5 52 QPR 28 16 8 4 36 Burnley 28 14 11 3 42 Derby 29 15 7 7 57 Nottingham 27 12 11 4 43 Reading 29 13 8 8 47 Ipswich 29 11 10 8 41 Blackburn 29 11 9 9 37 Brighton 27 10 10 7 30 Wigan 27 11 7 9 30 Leeds 28 11 6 11 41 Middlesbrough 29 9 11 9 41 Huddersfield 28 9 7 12 37 Bournemouth 28 9 7 12 34 Blackpool 29 8 9 12 27 Watford 26 7 10 9 38 Sheffield 27 6 12 9 34 Birmingham 28 7 9 12 34 Doncaster 29 7 8 14 26 Bolton 28 6 10 12 32 Millwall 28 6 8 14 28 Charlton 27 5 9 13 23 Barnsley 27 4 9 14 25 Yeovil 26 5 5 16 23

26 21 20 28 25 32 29 31 27 34 38 35 30 36 37 31 33 33 41 53

28 20 23 40 28 33 32 35 23 27 37 35 38 47 41 35 34 37 44 45 54 36 45 41

53 52 50 46 45 44 40 37 35 27 25 24 24 24 24 23 22 22 21 19

66 56 53 52 47 47 43 42 40 40 39 38 34 34 33 31 30 30 29 28 26 24 21 20

Division One Brentford 29 19 6 4 51 27 63 Wolves 29 18 7 4 49 20 61 Leyton Orient 28 18 6 4 59 26 60 Preston 28 14 10 4 38 27 52 Rotherham 29 14 9 6 51 38 51 Walsall 29 12 10 7 36 26 46 Peterborough 28 14 3 11 48 40 45 Swindon 29 12 5 12 46 39 41 Port Vale 27 12 3 12 39 42 39 Milton Keynes 28 10 6 12 41 42 36 Gillingham 29 10 5 14 39 49 35 Coventry 27 12 8 7 55 47 34 Bradford 28 7 13 8 38 34 34 Colchester 26 8 10 8 35 34 34 Oldham 29 9 6 14 33 41 33 Crawley Town 25 7 10 8 29 34 31 Tranmere 29 8 7 14 32 50 31 Carlisle 28 8 6 14 32 49 30 Crewe 29 8 6 15 30 54 30 Bristol City 28 5 12 11 40 46 27 Shrewsbury 29 6 9 14 28 39 27 Notts County 30 8 3 19 37 50 27 Sheffield Utd 27 6 8 13 26 38 26 Stevenage 26 6 4 16 24 44 22 Note: Coventry deducted 10 points for entering administration Chesterfield Scunthorpe Oxford Utd Fleetwood Town Southend Rochdale Burton Newport Dagenham AFC Wimbledon Morecambe Plymouth York Cheltenham Hartlepool Exeter Accrington Portsmouth Mansfield Bury Bristol Rovers Wycombe Torquay Northampton

Division Two 29 15 9 29 13 12 28 13 10 28 15 3 28 13 8 28 14 5 28 13 8 26 10 9 29 10 9 29 10 8 28 10 8 28 9 9 30 8 11 28 8 11 29 9 8 28 9 7 27 8 8 29 7 11 29 7 11 27 7 10 28 7 9 28 7 8 28 7 8 27 5 8

5 4 5 10 7 9 7 7 10 11 10 10 11 9 12 12 11 11 11 10 12 13 13 14

47 41 38 45 35 43 32 35 37 32 33 25 34 35 30 33 32 33 30 31 26 32 28 21

26 27 22 33 23 34 28 30 36 33 37 31 37 39 35 37 38 42 39 34 31 38 41 37

54 51 49 48 47 47 47 39 39 38 38 36 35 35 35 34 32 32 32 31 30 29 29 23

Scottish Premiership table Celtic 23 20 3 0 56 12 63 Aberdeen 24 14 3 7 35 22 45 Motherwell 23 14 2 7 34 30 44 Inverness CT 22 11 4 7 29 21 37 Dundee Utd 24 9 8 7 40 28 35 St Johnstone 23 9 5 9 31 26 32 Hibernian 24 7 7 10 21 27 28 Kilmarnock 25 7 5 13 30 41 26 St Mirren 24 6 6 12 24 40 24 Ross County 24 6 4 14 29 43 22 Partick 25 4 10 11 22 39 22 Hearts 25 5 5 15 22 44 5 Note: Hearts deducted 15 points for entering administration

Scottish Football League tables Championship Falkirk 22 11 7 4 35 16 Dundee 22 12 4 6 36 20 Hamilton 22 11 6 5 32 21 Queen of South 22 9 5 8 32 27 Dumbarton 22 9 4 9 38 39 Raith 22 8 6 8 27 30 Alloa 22 8 5 9 22 26 Livingston 22 8 4 10 34 36 Cowdenbeath 23 7 3 13 32 49 Morton 23 3 6 14 18 42

40 40 39 32 31 30 29 28 24 15

Rangers Dunfermline Ayr Stranraer Brechin Stenhousemuir Forfar East Fife Arbroath Airdrie

Division One 23 22 1 23 14 2 23 10 6 21 10 5 23 8 4 23 7 6 22 7 5 22 7 2 23 5 2 23 4 5

0 7 7 6 11 10 10 13 16 14

76 50 40 39 37 32 33 20 32 25

11 39 41 29 46 45 32 42 52 47

67 44 36 35 28 27 26 23 17 17

Peterhead Clyde Annan Athletic Stirling Albion East Stirling Berwick Montrose Elgin Queen’s Park

Division Two 22 12 6 4 23 11 5 7 21 10 5 6 22 9 6 7 23 8 7 8 23 8 7 8 23 8 6 9 23 7 7 9 22 6 6 10 22 3 5 14

44 30 41 33 30 30 39 31 38 19

27 29 31 34 30 31 31 34 41 47

42 38 35 33 31 31 30 28 24 14

Barcelona Atletico Madrid Real Madrid Athletic Bilbao Villarreal Real Sociedad Sevilla Valencia Levante Espanyol Celta Vigo Granada Getafe Osasuna Almeria Malaga Elche Valladolid Rayo Vallecano Real Betis

Spanish La Liga table 22 17 3 2 21 17 3 1 21 17 2 2 21 12 3 5 21 11 4 6 21 10 6 5 21 8 7 6 22 8 4 10 21 7 6 8 21 7 5 9 22 7 4 11 21 7 3 11 22 7 3 12 21 6 4 11 21 6 4 11 21 5 6 10 21 5 6 10 21 4 7 10 21 5 1 15 21 2 5 14

59 52 60 41 39 42 39 31 22 25 29 19 23 18 22 19 19 24 21 18

16 14 21 27 22 30 34 35 30 27 35 27 36 34 40 27 32 37 51 47

54 54 53 42 37 36 31 28 27 26 25 24 24 22 22 21 21 19 16 11

Matches on TV (Local Timings) English Premier League West Bromwich v Liverpool 16:30 beIN SPORTS 1 beIN SPORTS 1 HD Arsenal v Crystal Palace 19:00 beIN SPORTS 1 beIN SPORTS 1 HD Italian Calcio League Chievo Verona v Lazio 17:00 beIN SPORTS 4 beIN SPORTS 4 HD Atalanta BC v SSC Napoli 17:00 beIN SPORTS 6 beIN SPORTS 6 HD AS Roma v Parma FC 17:00 beIN SPORTS 3 beIN SPORTS 3 HD Juventus v Internazionale 22:45 beIN SPORTS 3 beIN SPORTS 3 HD Spanish League Malaga v Sevilla beIN SPORTS 2 beIN SPORTS 2 HD Elche CF v Almeria beIN SPORTS 2 beIN SPORTS 2 HD Real Betis v Espanyol beIN SPORTS 4 beIN SPORTS 4 HD Atletico v Sociedad beIN SPORTS 2 beIN SPORTS 2 HD Bilbao v Real Madrid beIN SPORTS 2 beIN SPORTS 2 HD

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Southampton 3

Fulham settle to the bottom LONDON: Fulham’s new striker, Greek international Konstantinos Mitroglou, may have wished he hadn’t signed after his side went bottom of the Premier League yesterday after a 3-0 defeat to Southampton. Mitroglou, signed for £12.5million ($20.5million) on Friday, didn’t play but he will have not been encouraged by what he saw as Southampton weathered a first-half storm to run out easy winners and record only their third ever win at Craven Cottage and first since October 1947.

Southampton consolidated their ninth spot and moved to within two points of Newcastle, who lost 3-0 at home to Sunderland earlier on Saturday, while Fulham’s fifth defeat in their last six league matches sees them trail second from bottom Cardiff by two points.

Fulham were the sharpest side at the outset with Scott Parker, Darren Bent and Dan Burn all going close without really testing Artur Boruc.

Fulham didn’t let up in the opening 25 minutes as they piled the pressure on Saints, although their shooting accuracy let them down with Steve Sidwell and German Lewis Holtby, signed on loan from Spurs this week, ruining their good work by firing wide.

However, Boruc had to be at his best to deny Brede Hangeland, whose powerful header was going into the top corner before the former Celtic stopper somehow got a hand to it to turn over for a corner. Boruc kept the visitors in the game by producing two more superb saves, both from Bent while Southampton’s only effort of note was Jay Rodriguez’s flashing header that went wide.

Pocchettino made a change at the break taking off Kenyan international Victor Wanyama, who had looked rusty after having a long spell on the sidelines with an injury.

However, there was nothing rusty about his team-mates in the second-half as having been let off the hook somewhat by Fulham they took full advantage.

First Adam Lallana fired home his eighth goal of the season, set up by fellow England international Rickie Lambert, in the 64th minute on what was his 250th appearance for the club.

Lambert too got on the scoresheet six minutes later finishing off a simply tremendous move, started by Nathan Clyne, who did a 1-2 with Steve Davis, before he sent the ball into the area where Lambert was on hand to hammer it home after Rodriguez had generously left it for him.

It was the third successive Premier League match between the two sides that Lambert had scored in.

Extraordinarily it was 3-0 five minutes later as Rodriguez deservedly got one of his own, found by Lambert wide out on the touchline he looked unlikely to make much out of it but having cut inside he looked up and beat Dutch ‘keeper Maarten Stekelenburg. —AFP

Newcastle 0

Sunderland 3

Derby stroll maintains Sunderland rich form NEWCASTLE: Adam Johnson continued his rich run of form as Sunderland claimed a second successive 3-0 away win over Tyne-Wear derby foes Newcastle United in the Premier League yesterday.

Gus Poyet’s side won for the sixth time in their last eight games to climb further clear of danger as they made it three consecutive league victories in this fixture for the first time since 1923.

It is a different story for Alan Pardew, as the Newcastle manager suffered a third straight loss in the battle for northeast bragging rights.

League Cup finalists Sunderland took control with two goals in the space of four minutes mid-way through the first half as Liam Bridcutt, signed just 24 hours earlier from Brighton and Hove Albion, enjoyed a fine debut in midfield.

The opening goal came from the penalty spot in controversial circumstances, after Vurnon Anita was harshly adjudged to have brought down Phil Bardsley in the area as the defender chased a pass from Johnson. Fabio Borini quickly grabbed the ball, leading to not entirely harmonious discussions with Ki Sung-yeung and Jozy Altidore, who clearly both felt that they had stronger claims to take the kick.

Their arguments failed to sway the Italian, whose confidence was not misplaced as he found the top-left corner to score for the second time against Newcastle this season, following his winner at the Stadium of Light in October.

Borini’s fifth goal of the season was the first in Sunderland’s last eight in the Premier League that Johnson had not either scored or set up, but the winger set the record straight in the 23rd minute.

Jack Colback was sent sprinting into the Newcastle area by a deft flick from Altidore and when the midfielder’s deflected shot was well saved by Tim Krul, Johnson poked home to score his sixth goal in his last four league games.

It might have been different for Newcastle had Mathieu Debuchy been more accurate with an early close-range shot on the turn that flashed across the face of goal.

That turned out to be Newcastle’s only chance of note in the first hour, as Pardew’s side clearly felt the absence of the departed Yohan Cabaye following the French midfielder’s move to Paris Saint-Germain.

Home supporters broke into a chorus of ‘Where are the signings, Joe Kinnear?’ as Newcastle’s director of football came under scrutiny for his lack of activity during the January transfer window.

By the end of the contest, there had been three separate incidents of a home supporter going onto the pitch to register a protest.

The Tyneside club’s only arrival last month, Luuk de Jong, unsurprisingly came off the bench at the outset of the second half for his debut following a loan move from the German side Borussia Moenchengladbach.

The Dutch international forward failed to rise much above the abject level seen from his team-mates, however, and Newcastle-born Colback came close to making it 3-0 on the hour when his low shot from the edge of the area sped inches wide.

With 25 minutes left, Cheick Tiote called Sunderland goalkeeper Vito Mannone into action for the first time, with Shola Ameobi heading over from the resulting corner. However, Sunderland were by no means under the cosh, and after Johnson struck the foot of the post with a curling effort, Colback scored with a rising drive in the 80th minute to complete victory. —AFP

LONDON: Hull City’s Curtis Davies (right) and Tottenham Hotspur’s Aaron Lennon battle for the ball during the English Premier League soccer match at the KC Stadium. —AP

Paulinho bags draw for Spurs Hull 1

Tottenham 1

LONDON: Tottenham salvaged a 1-1 draw against Hull as Brazilian midfielder Paulinho bagged a second half equaliser at the KC Stadium.

Tim Sherwood’s side trailed to an early goal from Shane Long but they avoided an embarrassing defeat when Paulinho netted his fifth goal of the season.

While Sherwood will be relieved to have avoided defeat, this was a missed opportunity for Spurs in the race to qualify for the Champions League via a top four finish in the Premier League.

Tottenham, in sixth place, are two points behind fourth placed Liverpool, who have a game in hand against struggling West Bromwich Albion today.

Sherwood made two changes after Wednesday’s 5-1 thrashing by Manchester City as Jan Vertonghen and Paulinho came into the starting line-up. Hull, without a point or a goal in their last four games, gave home debuts to £14 million strike duo Long and Nikica Jelavic.

And the hosts, who had struggled badly in attack for much of the season, made a bright start as Tom Huddlestone whipped in a dangerous free -kick that Jelavic volleyed over the crossbar.

Tottenham immediately countered and Togo striker Emmanuel Adebayor hit a firm drive which Steve Harper turned over the bar before Paulinho tried his luck with a

long-range shot which sailed over.

Bruce’s investment in his forward-line began to pay dividends in the 12th minute as his two new signings combined to give Hull the lead.

Harper booted a long clearance downfield and Jelavic helped the ball on for former West Brom striker Long, who showed pace and determination to escape the Spurs defence and fire past Hugo Lloris with his left foot. Tottenham were struggling to find any rhythm and Spanish striker Roberto Soldado appealed in vain for a penalty after he was challenged by Maynor Figueroa.

Soldado wore a frustrated look again when he couldn’t keep his long-range shot on target moments later. Jelavic came close to his first goal for Hull just before half-time when he curled a fine free-kick narrowly wide.

Soldado wasted another chance to equalise when he scuffed wide from 10 yards early in the second half. But Sherwood’s side drew level in the 61st minute when Danny Rose’s strike fell at Paulinho’s feet and the Brazilian showed great composure to take a touch before firing into the roof of the net from just inside the area.

Hull nearly regained the lead immediately when Long picked out Jelavic at the back post with a clever turn and pass, but the Croatian could only direct his effort against the woodwork from a tight angle.

Bruce’s team kept pressing for a winner and were only just denied when Robert Koren released Jelavic, prompting Lloris to race off his line to try and reach the ball first. He didn’t manage to make the block and Jelavic poked it past him towards goal, but Michael Dawson retreated quickly enough to clear. —AFP

CARDIFF: Norwich City’s Jonas Gutierrez (left) in action with Cardiff City’s Fabio, during their English Premier League soccer match. —AP

New boys lift Cardiff Cardiff 2

Norwich 1

CARDIFF: New boys Kenwyne Jones and Wilfried Zaha both impressed on their debuts to lift Cardiff to a 2-1 win at home against relegation rivals Norwich yesterday.

Substitute Zaha set up Craig Bellamy for the equaliser after the break with Jones firing home the winner just two minutes later. Robert Snodgrass had put Norwich ahead after five minutes.

It gave Ole Gunnar Solskjaer a first Premier League win since taking charge of the Welsh club and got them off the bottom of the table at Fulham’s expense. Zaha had started on the bench on his debut following his loan move from Manchester United, but came on minutes before the break to replace Peter Whittingham.

Brazilian full-back Fabio and Trinidadian striker Jones were also handed their Cardiff debuts, with captain Mark Hudson ruled out with a hamstring problem.

Norwich boss Chris Hughton brought in

Alexander Tettey, Jonas Gutierrez and Johan Elmander.

And it was Norwich who got off the mark fastest in a tie between two of the lowest scoring teams in the Premier League. Jonas Gutierrez picked up a Russell Martin cross after three minutes but his header from the centre of the box was high and wide.

But two minutes later Snodgrass made no mistake. The tables were turned after the break as the game came to life. Zaha set up Bellamy and the Welsh striker became the first player to score for seven Premier League clubs.

Jones’ presence was also felt in the second half and he fired home at the second attempt after his initial header was blocked.

Johnson almost equaliseed for Norwich but David Marshall tipped his strike over the bar, and Cardiff needed some heroics from Marshall to keep them in front in the final quarter.

The Scotland international saved from Nathan Redmond, who also had an effort ruled out for offside, before Bellamy headed Hooper’s effort off the line.

Nor wich’s final chance came when Snodgrass headed against the post from a Redmond corner, as they remain two points above the drop zone. —AFP

France, Swiss, Germany into Davis Cup q-finals

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2014

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Paulinho bags draw for Spurs

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New IOC president faces challenging 1st games

Page 16

BARCELONA: Barcelona's Argentinian forward Lionel Messi (center) vies with Valencia's French defender Jeremy Mathieu (right) and Valencia's Portuguese defender and captain Ricardo Costa (left) during the Spanish League football match at the Camp Nou stadium.— AFP

Valencia stun Barca in thriller MADRID: Valencia inflicted Barcelona’s first league defeat at the Camp Nou since April 2012 as they came from behind to win 3-2 yesterday.

Alexis Sanchez had given the hosts a deserved early lead, but goals just before and after half-time from Dani Parejo and Pablo Piatti turned the game on its head.

Lionel Messi quickly levelled from the penalty spot, only for Paco Alcacer to strike the winner low past Victor Valdes five minutes later.

And Barca’s day was summed up 13 minutes from time when Jordi Alba was sent-off for a second bookable offence. Both Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid now have the chance to end Barca’s record run of 59 league games at the top of the table when they face Real Sociedad and Athletic Bilbao respectively today. It was a stunning turnaround from Valencia after a dominant display from Barca in the opening half hour and Juan Antonio Pizzi hailed his side’s reaction after the break.

“We noticed at half-time that we needed to compete more and we corrected that in the second-half,” he said. “In the second-half we were very good and dominated the game. We didn’t suffer that much at the back and every counter-attack we had looked dangerous.”

Barca boss Gerardo Martino, meanwhile, admitted his side had paid for not killing off their opponents in that opening spell.“I was anxious to consolidate our early advantage because the game is not over until the referee blows the final whistle and it felt like we stopped after half an hour,” he said. “This week I said that at this stage of the season you pay a heavy price for any errors and today we committed a lot of errors.”

The Argentine believed Valencia’s equaliser just before half-time was the turning point in the match. “Probably Valencia’s first goal caused us to lose a bit of confidence. In the second-half that made us a bit more desperate, which in turn made us commit more errors. We seemed like one

team in the first-half and another in the second.”

Barca had gotten off to the best possible start as Sanchez’s shot looped up over the stranded Alves after just seven minutes. The hosts should have then built on their lead as Diego Alves made a brilliant save to prevent Sanchez doubling his tally with a header from point-blank range, whilst Sergio Busquets, Messi and Dani Alves all came close.

However, Barca’s intensity dipped after the opening half hour and Valencia missed a great chance to equalise when Ricardo Costa headed wide when presented with an open goal after Victor Valdes completely misjudged a corner from the right.

Valencia did level just before the break as Parejo swept home Sofiane Feghouli’s low cross. And the visitors went in front just three minutes after the restart as Piatti took advantage of more hesitation by Valdes to loop a header into the net. Barcelona were handed a reprieve six minutes

Naismith, Mirallas get Everton back on track

Stoke punish United Stoke 2

Man United 1

LONDON: Charlie Adam scored twice to secure a 2-1 win for Stoke City and further hinder Manchester United’s hopes of qualifying for next season’s Champions League yesterday.

Despite United manager David Moyes starting with Robin van Persie, Wayne Rooney and record signing Juan Mata together for the first time, the champions suffered their eighth Premier League defeat of the season at a windswept Britannia Stadium.

Moyes could curse his luck after injuries to Jonny Evans and Phil Jones and a fortunate opener for Stoke, but another belowpar display saw his side lose further ground on their top-four rivals.

Van Persie led the line with Rooney behind him, flanked either side by Mata and Ashley Young, but they saw little of the ball in the opening exchanges.

Stoke started promisingly, but Peter Crouch’s attempted bicycle kick failed to come off after a good cross from Jonathan Walters.

Moyes opted for Chris Smalling at rightback instead of Brazilian Rafael da Silva in a move designed to help United’s defence deal with Stoke’s aerial threat, but that plan was scuppered 11 minutes into the game.

Evans picked up an injury and Smalling was forced into the centre, with Rafael called on from the bench. United finally settled as

Mata got his first touches and Rooney had the first real chance for the visitors when he lashed a half-volley into the ground and just wide of the post from Young’s cross.

The champions started to put some pressure on the Stoke defence, but clear-cut chances were at a premium. Stoke had opportunities to create openings, but they were wasteful in the final third until they got a massive stroke of luck in the 38th minute.

Adam struck a speculative free-kick from 35 yards that looked set to fly wide, only for it to hit the knee of Michael Carrick and ricochet in the opposite direction, leaving United goalkeeper David De Gea rooted to the spot.

United went on the attack straight from the kick-off, but goalkeeper Asmir Begovic got down well to repel Tom Cleverley’s longrange effort.

It got worse for Moyes and United before the break when Jones was carried off on a stretcher after a nasty clash of heads with Walters.

United’s luck appeared to be changing shortly after the restart. Marc Wilson made a mess of a routine clearance and it fell to Mata, who coolly picked out Van Persie for the Dutchman to curl in an equaliser. But Stoke responded, and if Adam’s first goal had been fortunate. Walters’s knock-down was missed by Marko Arnautovic, but Adam ran onto it to launch a powerful effort from outside the box that flew into the top-right corner.

United pushed for another equaliser, but Mata hesitated in the area when presented with a chance before Arnautovic curled wide at the other end as Stoke counterattacked.

After a period of United pressure, substitute Oussama Assaidi came close to putting the game beyond doubt, but De Gea tipped his strike over.

later when referee Pedro Perez Montero wrongly awarded a penalty for handball against Costa when the ball appeared to have struck the Valencia captain’s shoulder.

Messi showed no mercy form the spot as he rifled high into the roof of the net to register his first league goal in nine games stretching back to September.

However, it took Valencia just five minutes to retake the lead as Alcacer slotted home another intelligent cut-back from Feghouli.

Barca boss Martino then introduced Andres Iniesta in a bid to turn the game around, but it made little difference as his flustered side failed to find any sort of rhythm.

Their chances to taking anything from the game appeared to disappear with Alba as he was sent-off against his former club for a bodycheck on Feghouli.

But Messi had one final chance to rescue a point as he danced past a posse of Valencia defenders before slotting just past the far post in stoppage time. —AFP

LONDON: Stoke’s Peter Crouch (right) jumps for the ball as Manchester United’s Chris Smalling looks on during their English Premier League soccer match. — AP Patrice Evra headed wide late on, while first victory over the men from Old Trafford Tom Cleverley lashed a rebound over the since 1984. With fourth-place Liverpool visbar in stoppage time after Begovic bril- iting West Bromwich Albion today, United liantly pushed a free-kick from Rooney could now find themselves nine points outside the Champions League places with onto the post.

However, former United striker Mark just 14 games to go before the weekend is Hughes saw his Stoke side hold on for a out. — AFP

LIVERPOOL: Everton responded to their Merseyside derby drubEverton 2 bing at Liverpool’s hands by coming from behind to beat Aston Villa 2-1 in the Premier League yesterday.

Aston Villa 1 Everton were thrashed 4-0 by Liverpool on Tuesday, but a 74thminute goal from substitute Steven Naismith and a fine Kevin Mirallas free-kick five minutes from time got them back to winning ways at Goodison Park. Victory took Roberto Martinez’s side up to fifth place in the table, a point behind Liverpool, who visit West Bromwich Albion on Sunday, while Villa, who opened the scoring through Leandro Bacuna, remain 10th.

Everton handed Aiden McGeady a first league start following his January move from Spartak Moscow and he almost opened his account for the club in the third minute with a rising 20-yard shot that hit the post. However, despite enjoying the majority of possession, Everton were unable to make inroads in the Villa defence and in the 34th minute the visitors hit them with a sucker-punch.

After Fabian Delph had won the ball from Ross Barkley, Christian Benteke played in the overlapping Bacuna to slide a low shot between the legs of Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard from a narrow angle.

Everton felt that Delph should have been penalised for his challenge on Barkley and the home side almost fell further behind when Sylvain Distin’s back-pass obliged Howard to make a hurried clearance as Benteke closed in.

Martinez introduced Steven Pienaar in place of Barkley at the interval and the home side began to threaten, with Leon Osman dragging a shot across goal and seeing another attempted deflected wide.

Villa goalkeeper Brad Guzan had to save from Pienaar, while Benteke came within inches of putting through his own goal when a cross from Leighton Baines struck him in the face and bounced narrowly wide. Martinez made another change with 20 minutes remaining and it quickly paid dividends, with Naismith running through to finish from Pienaar’s flick just four minutes after coming on.

Mirallas completed the comeback with five minutes remaining, whipping a superb 30-yard free-kick into the top-left corner to resurrect Everton’s top-four challenge. — AFP

Business

Iraq crude exports decline to 2.228m bpd in January Page 22

Oil revenues for 10 months to reach KD24.4bn

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2014

Page 25

KIPCO successfully prices $500 million bond issue

Page 26

NBK highlights global markets outlook 2014 Page 23

MADRID: A protester throws a flowerpot in the direction of the police during clashes following an eviction of a chronically ill 54-year old neighbor from his home in Madrid. Harsh repossession laws have led to hundreds of thousands of evictions during the country’s deep recession as more than 350,000 people in Spain have received eviction orders since 2008 because they were unable to make mortgage payments. — AP

KGOC to hold largest seismological surveillance $225m project to cover Wafra joint operations area KUWAIT: Kuwait Gulf Oil Company (KGOC) Spokesman Sheikh Ali Humoud Al-Sabah said the company had signed a contract to execute the largest three dimensional seismological surveillance in the country.

Sheikh Ali told KUNA yesterday the surveillance will be executed in the divided zone of Al-Wafra Joint Operations, adding that it will cover about 4,612 square km with a cost of $225 million.

The contract was signed with WesternGeco company, which is a business segment of Schlumberger, a leading geophysical services company, said the

Sheikh Ali Humoud Al-Sabah

Spokesman. The preparation phase for the project will start early March, including logistic operations, surveillance, and mine detecting, he noted.

The actual surveillance operation is expected to take place by Q3 2014 to be completed in no more than 24 months, said Sheikh Ali, adding that the (KGOC) had fully prepared the documents needed for the project in cooperation with Saudi Arabian Chevron.

The geological nature of Al-Wafra fields differs from any other area in Kuwait, therefore the Joint Operations administrations will use modern high quality technologies to drill oil wells, he stated. Moreover, Sheikh Ali said that officials aim to preserve hydrocarbonic elements in Al-Wafra reservoirs and support new discoveries in the area. The surveillance which will be the fifth largest of its kind in the world will use modern sensing devices in the process, said the Spokesman, also noting that the operation will cover Al-Khafji, AlWafra Farms, Al-Khiran area, and muddy locations. The Join Operations had been facing some challenges in the last few years due to production’s drop and reservoirs’ depletion, leading companies to search for developed technologies to reveal the actual extension of current reservoirs, while also discovering new reservoirs and oil fields, he explained. — KUNA

KUWAIT: The Kuwait Gulf Oil Company (KGOC) signs a contract with WesternGeco company. — KUNA

Basel III standards apply to Kuwait banks: CB KUWAIT: Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK) Governor Dr Mohammad Al-Hashel said here yesterday the CBK board of directors has approved the application of the Basel III capital adequacy standards to Kuwaiti banks.

The Basel III capital adequacy standards include key amendments to the Basel II standards, primarily an increase in the total ratio of the regulatory capital and a redefinition of the regulatory capital as part of a package of criteria targeting quality improvement, he said in an exclusive interview yesterday.

They also involve minimum common equity, conservation capital buffer and countercyclical capital buffer, set out stricter conditions and terms for the second capital slash, and scrap the third capital batch of the Basel II, together with additional ratios for domestically systematic important banks (DSIBs), he added.

The Basel III reform package further provides for applying other standards such as average ratio, liquidity coverage ratio and net stable founding ratio, AlHashel said.

The changes introduced by the Basel Committee on Basel Supervision (BCBS) to the Basel II capital adequa-

cy standard are mainly intended to improve capital quality and boost regulatory capital in order to make up for losses, as well as build conservation capital buffer, he said. The CBK has taken necessary measures to put Basel III standards in place out of its interest in the significance of international reform packages, the governor of the CBK pointed out.

Kuwait was in the forefront of those countries which applied the Basel II standard, having received welcome and appreciation from international financial and banking institutions, he boasted.

The CBK board of directors has approved a minimum capital adequacy ratio of 13 percent with phasedout application; 12 percent in 2014, 12.5 percent in 2015 and 13 percent in 2016, he added. Kuwaiti banks are scheduled to provide the CBK with capital adequacy data as of December 2013, Al-Hashel said. The CBK is continuously seeking to revamp its regulatory tools in line with standards issued in order to ensure better practices and bank resilience in face of jolts in line with a balanced and phased-out approach based on regulatory policies, the CBK governor concluded. — KUNA

Wal-Mart, Amazon show changing shopping habits NEW YORK: The financial strains and shifting shopping habits of Americans have led to uneven fortunes for retailers. Traditional consumer companies like Wal-Mart and Mattel have continued to struggle as Americans spend more cautiously in the uncertain economy. Meanwhile, Amazon.com has flourished as shoppers increasingly buy online rather than head to stores.

The trend was evident during the pivotal holiday shopping season, a time roughly from November through December when many retailers can make up to 40 percent of their annual revenue. Overall, government figures show that spending during October through December rose at the fastest clip in three years. But exactly where - and how Americans spent their money during the final months of the year shifted. Fewer people were in and out of stores during the holiday season, but more were shopping online.

Online shopping rose 10 percent to $46.5 billion in November and December, according to research firm Comscore. Meanwhile, sales at stores rose just 2.7 percent to $265.9 billion, according to ShopperTrak, which tracks data at 40,000 stores in the US and the number of customers in stores dropped 14.6 percent. “Consumer behavior evolved quickly, as retail foot traffic fell, while online purchases grew,” said Mattel’s CEO, Bryan Stockton, in a call with investors on

Friday.

Mattel on Friday reported results for the fourth quarter which included the holiday shopping season - that missed both analysts’ estimates and the company’s own expectations. The world’s largest toy maker said the disappointing results were due to weak sales of Barbie and other toys.

“From my perspective, the 2013 holiday period has to be one of the most transformative I have seen,” Stockton said.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. also expects disappointing results during the period that includes the holiday shopping season.

On Friday, the world’s largest retailer said its fiscal fourthquarter and full-year adjusted earnings from continuing operations may come in at or slightly below the low end of its prior forecasts.

Chief Financial Officer Charles Holley in part blamed a bigger-than-expected impact from the federal government’s reduction in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits - or food stamps - that went into effect on Nov 1.

That pressured its primarily low-income consumers.

Wal-Mart is among 33 major retailers that have lowered their outlooks for the fourth quarter and beyond, mostly because of the disappointing holiday shopping season, according to Ken Perkins, president of RetailMetrics LLC, a research firm. — AP

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2014

BUSINESS Bayt.com weekly report

10 ways to better your productivity at work

By Lama Ataya KUWAIT: Between constant meetings, phone calls and emails, staying productive at work can be a challenge. However, the odds of staying productive can be greatly improved by taking some simple steps in order to stay efficient.

Here are 10 tips from the career experts at Bayt.com, the Middle East’s #1 job site, to help you to make the most of your time at work: 1.Don’t let emails take over your day These seemingly tiny activities during the day can quickly add up to large amounts of time that not only cause your day to slip away, but also distract you from completing your current task.

If replying to or disposing of an email takes less than two minutes, do it right away. Send less to receive less: Keep your e-mails short, and write fewer of them.

2. Eliminate unnecessary meetings Face-to-face communication is essential (email is fraught with misinterpretation), but be ruthless about protecting your time. Avoid every meeting that isn’t truly necessary.

3. Learn how to say ‘no’ While ever yone wants to be a good team player at work, saying ‘no’ is sometimes the right thing to do. If you are not the best person for a task, or if you have other pending deadlines, it is OK to turn down a work request.

4. Make lists Creating to-do lists is perhaps the single most important productivity booster. Keep multiple lists: the short-term must-dos and the longerterm items. Also clearly define the tasks that can be delegated, and then actually delegate them. Divide your to-do list into different sections: (1) What you have to do now, (2) What you have to do in the next few days, and (3) What can wait until later. That way, you always know what’s coming next, and you don’t have to worry about forgetting something.

By starting your day with the most important task, you will increase your productivity and get your day off to a good start.

5. Finish the tasks you dread most first Procrastination settles in during a regular day at work for several reasons. One common problem is the requirement to complete leastfavorite tasks. The best way to put an end to procrastination before it even comes into the picture is to complete the tasks that we dislike. As soon as those are done, the remaining day becomes less challenging or more exciting, with greater productivity!

6. Swear off social media If you don’t need it for work, save Facebook for home and turn off

Twitter during the work day.

Distraction from social media was mentioned as the top source of distraction at work by 25 percent of MENA professionals in the Bayt.com ‘Distractions at Work in the MENA’ poll, December 2013.

7. Clear off your desk Spend the last 15 minutes of each work day cleaning off your desk.

Trash what you don’t need and file things once a day. If your desk is messy, you’ll almost certainly struggle to stay productive. Get magazine files, drawers and helpful storage solutions to keep your desk in order.

De-clutter and get organized and you’ll start each day with a clean slate! 30 percent professional feel that a more professional work environment would help reduce distraction at work, according to the Bayt.com ‘Distractions at Work in the MENA’ poll.

8. Make use of technology There are amazing tools that you can use in the office to make you more productive and ultimately save time during the work day. Use GoogleDocs to collaborate with colleagues on documents. Use calendar planning tools to sync up your schedules with colleagues. Using Skype for video conferencing is a much more efficient way to do your meetings and potentially reduces the need to travel for meetings. Also, work with your IT team to see if they have suggestions on which new technologies can be used to save time.

9. Take frequent breaks People underestimate the importance of taking a break during the work day. While it’s important to be dedicated to your job, sitting and staring at a computer screen for hours at a time can actually be counterproductive. It can make you tired, groggy and less productive. So get up, walk around the office and take a few minutes for a ‘mental break’. A short, five-minute walk will not only clear your head, but will also help get the blood flowing. According to the Bayt.com ‘Distractions at Work in the MENA’ poll, only 19 percent of professionals in the MENA take the recommended break-time every 2-3 hours.

10. Limit multitasking Sounds unreasonable for today’s professional, right? Truth is, we’d all be much more productive if we stopped multitasking. In fact, career experts agree that the brain serves you better if you only focus on one thing at a time. So block out time to do specific tasks, and don’t switch from one activity to another at any given time.

Being productive at work requires focus and energy. And if you think you could be more productive at the office on any given work day, you probably could. Try implementing these tips into your work routine and you will not only drive greater productivity, but also increase efficiency, and see better performance results.

Iraq crude exports decline to 2.228m bpd in January Iraq blames Kurds over oil ‘grey area’ BAGHDAD: Crude exports from Iraq declined in January to an average of 2.228 million barrels per day (bpd) but should rise next month, Oil Minister Abdul Kareem Luaibi said yesterday.

Luaibi attributed the drop from 2.341 million bpd in December to attacks on the pipeline carrying oil from the northern Kirkuk oilfields to Turkey, as well as disruption to shipping from Iraq’s southern ports due to bad weather. But the completion of work on a new platform at Basra ports in February will increase export capacity to more than 5 million bpd, he forecast.

Of the 2.228 million bpd exported in January, 2.036 came from Basra and 192,000 from Kirkuk, Luaibi said, adding that Iraq is aiming to ship more oil to Africa in addition to Asian and European markets. “We have demand from Sudan, Eritrea, Egypt and some other countries this market is promising,” Luaibi said at a seminar attended by senior officials including Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Hussein Al-Shahristani.

Outlining challenges faced by the Iraqi oil industry, Shahristani cited a lack of consensus over how to exploit the country’s hydrocarbon reserves and reiterated his position that the federal government has exclusive rights to do so.

The federal government in Baghdad is at loggerheads with the autonomous Kurdistan region in the north, which has built its own export pipeline to Turkey and says it is entitled to market crude on its own terms. Negotiations between the two sides have so far borne little fruit, but the flow of oil through the new pipeline has accelerated efforts to find a compromise.

“Although we had some progress, it hasn’t been settled yet,” Shahristani said. “We hope this will be finished within the next short period.”

The minister also criticized the autonomous Kurdish region’s push towards exporting oil independently of Baghdad, calling it a grey area lacking in transparency. Deputy Prime Minister Hussein Al-Shahristani’s remarks are the latest salvo in a long-running row between the central government and the northern Kurdish region over energy sales and, by extension, the extent of federalism in Iraq.

“The most prominent challenge is that we have not reached a national agreement to extract and market oil from all of Iraq’s territory,”

INDIANAPOLIS: The corporate headquarters of WellPoint in Indianapolis. WellPoint Inc reported quarterly financial results yesterday. — AP Shahristani said in a speech in Baghdad at an event looking at the past decade for Iraq’s energy industry.

“The situation with the Kurdistan region is still stuck. This file is not resolved, in spite of some progress having been made. We hope it will end soon.” Shahristani continued: “We have a grey area-we do not know how much oil the region is extracting, what price they are selling at, and where the revenue goes.”

Baghdad argues that all oil sales must be overseen by the central government, and regards any independent exports as tantamount to smuggling.

US Vice President Joe Biden spoke with Kurdish President Massud Barzani by telephone Friday to discuss reaching an agreement with the central government on oil sales. “The vice president and President Barzani both confirmed the need for close cooperation between the Kurdistan regional government and the Iraqi government to reach agreement on a way for-

Most Japanese firms set for sales, profit growth

ward on the matter of energy exports and revenue sharing,” the White House said.

Iraq has threatened to boycott Turkish companies and cancel contracts after the Kurdish region last month announced its first shipment of crude sent directly to Turkey, without passing through pipelines controlled by Baghdad, had gone on sale, with more expected to follow.

Kurdistan, which enjoys a high level of autonomy from Baghdad and has its own security forces, government and flag, has also drawn Baghdad’s ire for signing contracts with foreign energy firms without its approval. In addition to disputes over natural resources, the long-standing ambition of Kurdish leaders to incorporate other historically Kurdish-majority areas into their autonomous region, against Baghdad’s strong opposition, is another major point of contention.

Diplomats and officials say the disputes are one of the biggest long-term threats to Iraq’s stability. - Agencies

Oil falls on Fed, emerging market concerns

TOKYO: Nearly 70 percent of listed Japanese companies are likely to post sales and profit growth this business year, a sign they are gaining traction after years of deflation, a report said yesterday. More than 1,000 companies out of about 1,500 firms listed on stock markets are on track to log annual rises in both sales and recurring profits for the business year ending in March, the Nikkei business daily said. The 1,500 companies are expected to post a combined 10 percent rise in sales and a 28 percent increase in recurring profit, the daily said, citing its tally of the companies’ forecasts.

The robust earnings are thanks to stronger exports business benefiting from a weaker yen, while domestic consumer spending is also picking up, it said. Companies are making a steady shift to making profits out of higher sales from the past practice of eking out gains by restructuring businesses, it said.

The tally excluded firms in the financial sector and the report did not mention net profit. The Nikkei said manufacturers were driving the overall improvement in corporate earnings, with sales expected to jump 16 percent for steelmakers, 14 percent for automakers, and 13 percent for machinery makers. Companies driven by domestic demand are benefiting from a resurgence in consumer spending, it said, pointing to soaring higher sales of jewellery and expensive watches. Japanese stock prices have jumped and the yen plunged since late 2012 owing to a policy blitz dubbed Abenomics, which meshes government spending with massive central bank monetary easing aimed at stemming 15 years of deflation.—AFP

NEW YORK: Oil prices fell on Friday, with Brent posting its biggest monthly loss in four months, on worries over the outlook for emerging economies and fallout over the US Federal Reserve’s decision to continue tapering its stimulus program. Traders sold futures and took profits ahead of the weekend in continued concerns over emerging markets that weighed on world stock markets.

European stocks posted their first monthly loss since August on Friday with the S&P 500 on course for the same.

Brent suffered steeper losses than US oil, narrowing the spread between the two benchmarks to its smallest in 3-1/2 months.

“There are worries about the emerging markets and the Fed decision,” said Gene McGillian, analyst at Tradition Energy in Stamford, Connecticut. “Even though the market didn’t respond to the Fed decision immediately, now (traders) are stepping back and seeing the rally was extended and they want to take their money in case something happens over the weekend.”

Oil prices were whipsawed late in the session by price swings in US February gasoline and heating oil futures contracts, which expired at the end of the trading session. US oil rose in late session trade following a 5 percent gain in heating oil futures to their highest price in more than 5 years, then eased once the rally calmed. Brent oil traded lower

for most of the session but extended losses following a drop in US gasoline futures prices.

Brent crude settled $1.55 lower at $106.40.

For the month of January, it ended 4 percent lower, the biggest monthly percentage decline since September. Trade was thin with some Asian markets closed for the Lunar New Year holiday. US oil shed 74 cents to settle at $97.49 per barrel, ending January about 1 percent lower. US crude’s discount to Brent settled at $8.91 after narrowing to $8.50, its lowest mark since Oct. 18. US February heating oil futures traded as high as $3.37 per gallon, the highest price since August 2008, prompted by a short-squeeze.

Temperatures are expected to warm after the arctic chill that settled through most of the nation during January drove demand for heating fuels. Buyers squeezed those who needed to sell contracts and unwind positions worth less by next month as weather is expected to turn milder. February heating oil prices eased to settle 1.9 percent lower at $3.2794. March heating oil futures ended 3.04 cents lower at $2.9971. US February RBOB futures settled 1.33 percent lower at $2.6272 per gallon. Increases in supply also pressured Brent. OPEC’s oil output rose in January from December’s 2-1/2-year low, due to a partial recovery in Libyan supply and higher shipments from Iraq and Iran, according to a Reuters survey. —Reuters

EXCHANGE RATES Al-Muzaini Exchange Co. ASIAN COUNTRIES 2.743 4.555 2.686 2.162 2.853 222.950 36.474 3.636 6.270 8.626 0.271 0.273

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 Saudi Riyal Qatari Riyal Omani Riyal Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham

GCC COUNTRIES 75.537 77.931 735.840 752.360 77.142

Egyptian Pound - Cash Egyptian Pound - Transfer Yemen Riyal/for 1000 Tunisian Dinar Jordanian Dinar Lebanese Lira/for 1000 Syrian Lira Morocco Dirham

ARAB COUNTRIES 39.600 40.250 1.321 176.200 400.010 1.900 2.018 35.394

US Dollar Transfer Euro Sterling Pound Canadian dollar Turkish lira Swiss Franc Australian Dollar US Dollar Buying 20 Gram 10 Gram 5 Gram

EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES 283.150 387.920 470.600 254.750 130.960 315.660 250.160 281.950 GOLD 240.000 121.000 62.500

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

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

Selling Rate 283.600 261.685 466.275 386.095 311.250 748.845 77.190 78.745 76.495 399.680 40.678 2.168 4.607 2.687 3.643 6.276 696.580 3.715

Syrian Pound Nepalese Rupees Malaysian Ringgit Chinese Yuan Renminbi Thai Bhat Turkish Lira

Philippine Peso Sierra Leone Singapore Dollar South African Rand Sri Lankan Rupee Taiwan Thai Baht

2.985 3.880 86.870 47.290 9.625 127.300

0.006522 0.000069 0.218808 0.019872 0.001894 0.009223 0.008314

Bahrain Exchange Company CURRENCY 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

BUY Europe 0.007360 0.462133 0.006027 0.047689 0.380685 0.042077 0.085006 0.008113 0.039947 0.307729 0.124159

SELL 0.008360 0.471133 0.018027 0.052689 0.388185 0.047277 0.85006 0.018113 0.044947 0.317929 0.131159

Australasia 0.240697 0.227727

0.252197 0.237227

America 0.248318 0.279050 0.279550

0.256818 0.283400 0.283400

Asia 0.003511 0.045458 0.034383 0.004163 0.000018 0.002655 0.003282 0.000254 0.082376 0.003075 0.002425

0.004111 0.048958 0.037133 0.004564 0.000024 0.002835 0.003282 0.000269 0.088376 0.003245 0.002705

Arab 0.744605 0.037193 0.000078 0.000184 0.395147 1.0000000 0.000138 0.024445 0.001198 0.729422 0.077064 0.074870 0.002170 0.171256 0.124159 0.076109 0.001286

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

0.006802 0.000075 0.224808 0.028372 0.002474 0.009403 0.008864

0.752605 0.040293 0.000080 0.000244 0.402647 1.0000000 0.000238 0.048445 0.001833 0.735102 0.078277 0.075570 0.002390 0.179256 0.131159 0.077258 0.001366

Al Mulla Exchange Currency US Dollar Euro Pound Sterling Canadian Dollar Indian Rupee Egyptian Pound Sri Lankan Rupee Bangladesh Taka Philippines Peso Pakistan Rupee Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham Saudi Riyal *Rates are subject to change

Transfer Rate (Per 1000) 282.600 388.650 470.250 255.000 4.528 40.246 2.159 3.635 6.260 2.685 752.450 77.000 75.500

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2014

BUSINESS

Glencore Xstrata ‘to pull out’ of Philippine mining project MANILA: Swiss mining giant Glencore Xstrata is expected to pull out of a $5.9 billion gold-copper mining project in the Philippines, its Australian partner Indophil said. Melbourne-based Indophil Resources NL said in a quarterly report released this week that “Glencore Xstrata has advised Indophil of its preference to pursue divestment of its interest in Tampakan.”

“All indications point to Glencore Xstrata seeking to divest its majority interest in the Tampakan Copper-Gold Project,” the report added. It said that a possible divestment of the Tampakan project had been under consideration since April 2013, seen as necessary in order to fulfil conditions set by the Chinese government to approve the merger of commodities giant Glencore and the mining company Xstrata.

Glencore Xstrata also announced in September that it was no longer focusing on “greenfield” mines started from scratch - such as the Tampakan site - preferring to work on existing mines instead.

The Indophil report conceded that the Tampakan project, located in the troubled southern island of Mindanao, had run into problems, chiefly the provincial government’s ban on open-pit mining which delayed the start of development.

The mine would be the Philippines’

largest ever foreign investment but it has faced opposition from church, community and environmental groups and would require numerous other government and community permits to be obtained.

In August, 2013, Glencore Xstrata said it was laying off nearly all workers at the Tampakan project amid continued delays. Indophil said in its quarterly report that the company and its local partners “remain optimistic that the pathways for the development of Tampakan will be cleared.”

Glencore Xstrata owns 62.5 percent and Indophil owns 37.5 percent of a joint venture that holds a 40-percent controlling stake in Sagittarius Mines, Inc., which operates the Tampakan project. Glencore Xstrata was also providing the “technical, financial and managerial resources for the development of the Tampakan Project,” the Sagittarius Mines website said.

The Indophil statement did not say how the divestment would be carried out. But it stressed that “with Indophil holding a strategic pre-emptive right over Glencore Xstrata’s interest, Indophil has a considerable ‘say’ in any Tampakan divestment process.” “We will work with Glencore Xstrata to assist in meeting objectives for the project,” the report added. — AFP

Keystone report raises pressure on Obama to approve pipeline WASHINGTON: Pressure for President Barack Obama to approve the Keystone XL pipeline increased after a State Department report played down the impact it would have on climate change, irking environmentalists and delighting the project’s proponents. But the White House signaled late on Friday that a decision on an application by TransCanada Corp to build the $5.4 billion project would be made “only after careful consideration” of the report, along with comments from the public and other government agencies.

“The Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement includes a range of estimates of the project’s climate impacts, and that information will now need to be closely evaluated by Secretary (of State John) Kerry and other relevant agency heads in the weeks ahead,” White House spokesman Matt Lehrich said. The White House comment came after proponents of the pipeline, which would transport crude from Alberta’s oil sands to refineries on the US Gulf Coast, crowed about how the State Department report cleared the way for Obama to greenlight the project.

The agency made no explicit recommendation. But the State Department said blocking Keystone XL - or any pipeline would do little to slow the expansion of Canada’s vast oil sands, maintaining the central finding of a preliminary study issued last year.

The 11-volume report’s publication opened a new and potentially final stage of an approval process that has dragged for more than five years, taking on enormous political significance. With another threemonth review process ahead and no firm deadline for a decision on the 1,179-mile (1,898-km) line, the issue threatens to drag into the 2014 congressional elections in November.

Obama is under pressure from several vulnerable Democratic senators who favor the pipeline and face re-election at a time when Democrats are scrambling to hang on to control of the US senate. The project looms over the president’s economic and environmental legacy. Canada’s oil sands are the world’s third-largest crude oil reser ve, behind Venezuela and Saudi Arabia, and the largest open to private investment. The oil sands contain more than 170 billion barrels of bitumen, a tarlike form of crude that requires more energy to extract than conventional oil.

Obama said in June that he was closely watching the review and said he believed the pipeline should go ahead “only if this project does not significantly exacerbate the problem of carbon pollution.”

Not over yet The report offered some solace to climate activists who want to stem the rise of oil sands output. It reaffirmed that Canada’s heavy crude reserves require more energy to produce and process - and therefore result in higher greenhouse gas emissions -

than conventional oil fields. But after extensive economic modeling, it found that the line itself would not slow or accelerate the development of the oil sands. That finding is largely in line with what oil industry executives have long argued. “This final review puts to rest any credible concerns about the pipeline’s potential negative impact on the environment,” said Jack Gerard, head of the oil industry’s top lobby group, the American Petroleum Institute.

The optimism was echoed by the chief executive of TransCanada, and Canada’s Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver, who said he hoped Obama would approve the project in the first half of 2014.

US Secretary of State John Kerry will consult with eight government agencies over the next three months about the broader national security, economic and environmental impacts of the project before deciding whether he thinks it should go ahead.

The public will have 30 days to comment, beginning next week. A previous comment period in March yielded more than 1.5 million comments. Kerry has no set deadline. The open-ended review made some pipeline supporters nervous. “The administration’s strategy is to defeat the project with continuing delays,” said Republican Senator John Hoeven of North Dakota, where the oil boom has boosted truck and rail traffic. Some North Dakota oil would move on the pipeline, designed to take as much as 830,000 barrels of crude per day from Hardisty, Alberta, to Steele City, Nebraska, where it would meet the project’s already complete southern leg to take the crude to the refining hub on the Texas Gulf coast.

More review ahead The State Department’s study found that oil from the Canadian oil sands is about 17 percent more “greenhouse gas intensive” than average oil used in the United States because of the energy required to extract and process it. It is 2 percent to 10 percent more greenhouse gas intensive than the heavy grades of oil it replaces. The Sierra Club, an environmental advocacy group, said the report shows the pipeline would create as much pollution each year as the exhaust from almost 6 million cars - evidence that it said will be hard for Obama to ignore.

“Reports of an industry victory on the Keystone XL pipeline are vastly over-stated,” said Michael Brune, the group’s executive director. The study found oil sands development could be curbed if pipelines were not expanded, oil prices were low, and rail shipping costs soared.

The study examines data from a 2010 pipeline spill in Michigan, where more than 20,000 barrels gushed into the Kalamazoo River system. Pipeline operator Enbridge Energy Partners was ordered last summer to do more to dredge up oil from the bottom of the river. — Reuters

Native Americans match with other protestors from the National Mall to the White House in Washington during a rally calling on President Barack Obama to reject the Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada. Obama is running out of reasons to say no to Keystone XL, the proposed oil pipeline that’s long been looming over his environmental legacy. —AP

NBK highlights global markets outlook 2014 Annual seminar for corporate customers KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) held its annual seminar entitled “Global Markets Outlook for 2014” for its corporate banking customers at Sheraton Hotel last Thursday (30 January, 2014). The seminar was presented by George Richani, Head of International Banking Group at NBK. Richani elaborated on the main issues that governed the world economies and markets in 2013 and provided NBK Corporate Banking customers an insight into the global markets outlook for 2014 as well as the available investment opportunities.

Richani explained the challenges of forecasting under those very unchartered and complex times. He clarified that the world is encountering so complex, so unorthodox and so inter-related issues and described how we are living in an intriguing time of historical proportions. Richani stressed that politics are now playing a major role in today’s world and that politics and economics have become truly two sides of the same coin, impacting more than ever each other.

“The critical situation also involves nowadays monetary and fiscal policies of grandiose and un-tried magnitude and impact that could lead to ramifications and repercussions that could not only affect the advanced world but could spread all over the universe,” said Richani.

Global outlooks He explained that Markets are inter-linked and policy errors in the US, China or Japan could lead not only to self-induced stagnation in those countries alone but could involve Europe and the Emerging markets as globalization takes hold.

“Desperate times during the crisis required desperate measures by policy makers. Those desperate measures have helped the world and saved the banking system and avoided depression and resulted in some growth and optimism in the US for example. That said the Quantitative Easing in the US has punished savers and rewarded borrowers. Risky assets were helped and stock market investors benefited as their paper wealth increased” he said.

“Now the danger lies in the addiction of policy makers and markets alike by the amounts of steroids that have been injected into the system.

Withdrawal effects could be painful as the level of assistance by monetary policy makers in the west is reduced and the dose of medicine is lowered,” he added.

Richani noted that the policy makers cannot be envied at this juncture.

The Fed for example has used unorthodox ultra-accommodative policies that were never used before and there is no previous historical experience or playbook in the monetary policy world that could be relied on.

In his forecasts, he saw that challenges facing the Fed are how to walk a fine line and have a balancing act in its exit strategy without choking off the nascent growth seen in the US lately.

Richani also saw that there are constraints to exit smoothly and some of them are practical in nature and others are political. There is the

KUWAIT: George Richani, Head of International Banking Group at NBK, speaks on “Global Markets Outlook for 2014” for its corporate banking customers at Sheraton Hotel on 30 January. danger of losing the independence of the Fed as and when market interest rates rise. Timing of the exit is critical and navigation is not easy as the Fed should have the capability to balance the risks of deflation and inflation going forward simply because the amounts involved in the Quantitative easing are too large.

“If the Fed reacts too quickly and exits the Quantitative easing too fast its haste could result in a deflationary bust and if it reacts too late and exits slowly, its slow response could result in high inflation,” he explained.

Richani clarified that the political issues and uncertainties in many countries this year could make the environment drag on for some time.

The political space is filled with many challenging and changing issues in Europe and many emerging markets.

The challenges facing the world need courageous decisions by policy makers and resilient markets to absorb their effects.

He stressed that there is no escape from structural long-term reforms with whatever they carry in short-term pain. “This needs political will and stamina as well as far-sightedness and lack of political selfishness,” he added.

Important lessons Richani also went through the important lessons that the markets should have learned well from the crisis relating to risk taking, redefining risk free assets, leverage, black swans, correlations, diversification, contagion risk, herd mentality and the new normal but it seems that humans and investors forget as always and they revert all the time to believing that this time is different.

Richani explained that old habits die hard and that US consumers have in fact replaced their borrowing against their housing equities before the crisis with borrowings against their recent rising wealth in the stock market.

Euro-zone crisis Although big steps have been taken in Europe in 2013 and a euro-zone crisis was averted, Richani forewarned that Europe is not out of the woods yet. He went on to explain that unless the root causes of the problems in Europe such as lack of fiscal integration and banking union is handled well there will be no longterm solution to the problems facing Europe. Austerity measures alone have their own limitations and overly tightening the belt could be counterproductive to growth.

“Europe badly needs a banking union. The European parliamentary election and the German elections this year are key milestones to the success of avoiding more downturn in Europe. Fear of deflation in Europe is mounting especially in the weaker countries of Europe such as France and peripheral countries,” Richani did not rule out a possible muddlethrough situation in all of Europe this year too.

Inflation On global inflation, Richani explained that despite the deleveraging that happened in the aftermath of the crisis, the global economy continues to incur more debt and that the levels of debt in many countries run above the levels considered reasonable for sustained economic activity. For example, the US public and private debt amounted to $58.2 trillion, representing a massive 344 percent of GDP or 3.44 times the size of GDP, with government debt alone being above 100 percent. In Japan, the story is even worse, with the government debt well above 200 percent.

He also explained that forced spending cuts and tax hikes kept inflation levels well contained in the US last year.

US Growth As for the United States growth, he saw that growth figures have

improved in the last few quarters and the stock markets have really done well. Richani saw better growth prospects in the US in 2014 as the impact of the sequester in the US will be felt less in 2014 than last year, and that the 2013 tax hike will be felt less in 2014 as more than half of its effect has already been registered last year.

That said, he warned that we should move with caution as policy risks are high.

Richani stressed that the US and the Western world should save more and the emerging markets should start to spend more. “The Chinese are taking measures to change their growth model from foreign investments and export-led growth to domestic consumption, but that is rife with risks. Growth in China going forward is now accepted as being lower than the previous years,” he explained.

Monetary policy As far as monetary policy is concerned, Richani believes that interest rates in the advanced economies will remain low for a long time to come because inflation is not a concern now. US long-term rate could rise from here as tapering increases but official Fed Fund rate will remain unchanged for quite a long time.

Richani also dwelled on the efficacy of quantitative easing and he believes that its impact is diminishing with time.

He saw that western banks have been faced with lots of penalties and provisions for loan losses have increased which somehow is impacting their ability to lend. Banks are also faced with new regulations regarding Basel III and this is forcing them to deleverage and seek capital.

With respect to the FX markets, Richani expects that the US dollar will benefit against other currencies especially against emerging market currencies that suffer from current account deficits, against the Euro and against the Yen in particular.

Small investors on edge as stocks drop worldwide NEW YORK: January’s global sell-off in stocks has left many small investors more puzzled than panicked - and unsure how to act. They’re holding on for now as prices continue to tumble, but their anxiety is mounting. The number of small investors who say they feel “bearish” soared this past week, according to a U.S. survey. Some stock funds have been hit with their biggest withdrawals since 2012.

If more people start selling, it would reverse a new and surprising trend in some of the world’s biggest economies: individuals moving back into stocks after years of shunning them. “I don’t know what to do,” says Ken Duska, a retiree in Mingo Junction, Ohio, who is sticking with his investment plan for the moment, though he’s not sure that’s wise. “After (the) upswing last year, it probably isn’t going to continue.” Small investors around the world were on edge even before growing signs of a slowdown in China and plunging emerging-market currencies dragged many stock indexes down to their worst start of a new year since 2010. They worried stocks were overdue for a drop, after soaring by double-digit percentages in countries like the United States, Japan and France in 2013. In the US, many noted, the market had not fallen by 10 percent or more, known on Wall Street as a correction, for more than two years.

Now, with the Dow Jones industrial average down 5 percent from a recent peak, one is closer at hand. “The question is, ‘Is this all of it, or is there significantly more to come?’” says Greg Sarian, a managing director at the Sarian Group at HighTower, a wealth advisory firm in Pennsylvania.

Anxiety has ramped up in Asia, too. “Clients were very worried as they haven’t seen such market jitters in a while,” says Lee Young-hwan, a private banking consultant at Daishin Securities Co in Seoul, South Korea. Still, he says that many are more inclined to snap up stocks now at lower prices, than to bail out.

That country’s main index, the Kospi, is down

3.5 percent since the start of the year. In Japan, the Nikkei is off 8.5 percent, after soaring 58 percent last year. The Hang Seng in Hong Kong has fallen nearly 5.5 percent, after a 3 percent gain. In Moscow, where the main stock index has been dropping for a year, Marina Pliskina, an English teacher, decided she’d finally had enough. She recently sold all of her stocks. “You want your money to last, but then it goes down and down,” she says.

tion in Argentina, for instance, and a corruption probe in Turkey that threatens to destabilize the government. Then, on Wednesday, the US Federal Reserve announced it would be pulling back even more from its bond-buying program. That buying has helped pushed US interest rates to record lows, and sent investors to emerging markets in search of higher yields. Now the tide of cash is reversing, hammering those economies as investors pull money out.

Selloff Since the 2008-2009 global financial crisis, small investors have mostly dumped stocks. But recently, buoyed by strengthening economies in the developed world, they have crept back into the market in some countries. In the final four months of last year, nearly $100 billion flowed into stock mutual funds in seven big economies tracked by Lipper Inc., a fund data provider. The countries are the US, which accounted for much of the buying, as well as Japan, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Canada and South Korea.

Now, that flow of money might reverse as investors grow worried. At the start of the year, more than twice as many US investors said they were bullish on stocks than said they were bearish, according to a survey by the American Association of Individual Investors. Now, the bulls and bears are neck and neck, with sentiments yoyoing along with the indexes.

“I’ve lost ... maybe $50,000 in the past week, and I’m not happy about it,” says Scott Woodall, 44, of Acworth, Georgia. “I hate the stock market.”

The global tumble started more than a week ago after China reported economic growth had slowed and a key manufacturing measure suggested that sector was contracting. Stocks dropped in developing countries, along with their currencies, on fears that exports of iron ore, soybeans, electronic components and other goods to China would slow.

Adding to the emerging-world woes were some homegrown problems - double-digit infla-

Safe haven A sign of the times: The price of gold, considered the ultimate “safe” asset by spooked investors, is up 3.5 percent this year after plunging 28 percent in 2013. Investors are also buying U.S Treasury bonds, another refuge in fearful times, despite the Fed decision to scale back its purchases. The yield on the benchmark 10-year note, which falls when prices rise, has dropped from 3 percent at the start of the year to 2.65 percent, a big move. There were other signs Friday that fear might be spreading. In the US, the Standard and Poor’s 500 index, a broader measure than the Dow, was down 0.7 percent, a fifth loss in seven trading sessions. That said, the index is well shy of a correction. It is down 3.6 percent from its record close on Jan 15. Stocks in Germany also fell Friday, helping to push the country’s DAX index down nearly 3 percent in January, despite a strong economy and a low unemployment rate.

So far, some small investors seem willing to ride out the storm, though they don’t sound too happy. Leighanne Franklin, a mental health therapist in Greenwood, NY, wonders whether US stocks are “just another bubble.” But she is adding to her retirement account anyway, partly because she doesn’t want to miss out on matching funds from her employer. “It’s better than putting it in a savings account,” she says. Eric Rogers, a home builder in Independence, Oregaon, says stocks are “inflated,” and that he isn’t surprised that trouble in emerging countries has pushed the market down.— AP

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2014

BUSINESS

KSE bearish amid negative sentiment BAYAN WEEKLY MARKET REPORT KUWAIT: Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) ended last week in the red zone. The price Index closed at 7,755.80 points, down by 0.29 percent from the week before closing, the weighted Index increased by 0.92 percent after closing at 460.07 points, whereas the KSX-15 Index closed at 1,077.51 points up by 0.75 percent.

Furthermore, last week’s average daily turnover decreased by 15.56 percent, compared to the preceding week, reaching KD 39.48 million, whereas trading volume average was 410.29 million shares, recording decrease of 19.95 percent.

Despite the mixed performance of KSE indices during last week, the market was declining in general, as profit collection operations controlled the trading activity during most of the times, whereas such operations considered logical, in light of the good gains the market realized since the beginning of the year. In addition, it was noticed during last week’s trading that the large-cap and blue-chip stocks activity continued and for the second consecutive week, which was reflected on the performance of the Weighted Index and KSX-15 Index, as both were able to enrich its gains on the weekly level. On the contrary, the Price Index witnessed a fluctuated performance during most of the daily sessions, due to the quick speculations on the small-cap stocks, however was not able to realize weekly gains as a result to the selling operations performed on such stocks, especially in the Insurance and Real Estate and Financial Services sectors. On the other hand, the stock market is witnessing a general state of watch and cautious, as the traders are waiting for the listed companies’ 2013 financial results, which started to be announced gradually during the past few days, where few banks and listed companies announced its results, which considered positive, in light of the weak operational environment that such companies are operating within.

Sectors’ indices Six of KSE’s sectors ended last week in the green zone, while the others recorded declines. Last week’s highest gainer was the Health Care sector, achieving 1.07 percent growth rate as its index closed at 1,128.08 points. Whereas, in the second place, the Basic Materials sector’s index closed at 1,182.97 points recording 0.87 percent increase. The Telecommunication sector came in third as its index achieved 0.79 percent growth, ending the week at 866.87 points. The banks sector was the least growing as its index closed at 1,081.73 points with a 0.42 percent increase.

On the other hand, the Insurance sector headed the losers list as its index declined by 0.60 percent to end the week’s activity at 1,153.66 points. The Financial Services sector was second on the losers’ list, which index declined by 0.58 percent, closing at 1,136.15 points, and the Consumer goods sector was the least on the losers list, which index declined by 0.08 percent, closing at 1,262.34 points.

Sectors’ activity The Real Estate sector dominated total trade volume during last week with 804.14 million shares changing hands, representing 39.20 percent of the total market trading volume. The Financial Services sector was second in terms of trading volume as the sector’s traded shares were 36.19 percent of last week’s total trading volume, with a total of 742.33 million shares.

On the other hand, the financial Services sector’s stocks were the highest traded in terms of value; with a turnover of KD 59.26 million or 30.02 percent of last week’s total market trading value.

The Real Estate sector took the second place as the sector’s last week turnover was KD 45.05 million represented 22.82 percent of the total market trading value. — Prepared by the Studies & Research Department, Bayan Investment Co.

Stocks may face pain, though buyers remain WALL STREET WEEKLY OUTLOOK

NEW YORK: Trader Robert Hannan works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on Friday. Stocks fell sharply in early trading on Friday as investors fretted over disappointing earnings from companies like Amazon.com and more trouble in overseas markets. —AP

US stocks end tough Jan with another decline NEW YORK: Stock investors were hit from all sides in January.

Concerns about the global economy and US company earnings, as well as turmoil in emerging markets, led the Dow Jones industrial average to its worst start since 2009. However, many investors remain hopeful that the problems will not spill over into the rest of 2014.

They even see the downturn as healthy, given the US market’s rapid rise last year. The Dow slid 5.3 percent in January while the Standard & Poor’s 500 index fell 3.6 percent and the Nasdaq composite declined 1.7 percent. Investors entered the year with some degree of skepticism and nervousness. The stock market went basically straight up in 2013. The S&P 500 index ended 2013 with a gain of nearly 30 percent, its best year since 1997. “No amount of negative news could derail the market last year,” said Jonathan Corpina, a floor trader at the New York Stock Exchange with Meridian Equity Partners.

But no stock market can go straight up forever. Many investors expected 2014 to be a more muddled and volatile year for the market. Market strategists late last year were looking for the S&P 500 index to notch a modest gain of 4 percent to 6 percent, ending in the range of 1,850 to 1,900. Investors were also looking for more pullbacks this year and possibly a correction, the technical term for when a stock market index like the S&P 500 falls 10 percent or more. Three months ago, analysts at Goldman Sachs said there was roughly a 60 percent chance that a correction would happen this year.

“People did look at these stock market valuations at the beginning of the year with a degree of nervousness,” said David Kelly, chief market strategist with J.P. Morgan Funds. “A correction would probably be healthy for the market.” But many investors were surprised by January’s turbulence. With one

exception, the Dow had triple-digit moves every trading day in January.

Still, with the broader S&P 500 index down just 3.6 percent from its January 15 peak, the downturn is hardly severe. “There’s been some negative news out there - the economic data, corporate earnings and what’s now going on in emerging markets but I’m not convinced the headlines are bad enough to be a catalyst to push us into a correction,” Corpina said.

Investors point to the December jobs report, released on Jan. 10, as the event that started the troubles. The US government said employers created only 74,000 jobs in December, the worst month for job creation in since 2011 and far below expectations.

Up until then, weeks of data showed the US economic recovery was accelerating. US companies were selling record levels of goods overseas; layoffs had dwindled; and the Federal Reserve was pulling back on its economic stimulus program, citing an improving economy.

Many investors called the December jobs report as a statistical fluke. But the report has weighed on stocks all month, investors say. “It set a negative tone for the market,” Kelly said.

Other economic reports also painted a picture of US economic growth possibly flattening out instead of accelerating.

Investors combined these economic worries with mixed signals from US companies. Wall Street is in the middle of earnings season, when the country’s major corporations report results for the final three months of the year. Half of the members of the S&P 500 have reported, and the results have been mixed. While fourth-quarter corporate earnings are up a respectable 7.9 percent from a year earlier, companies have been cutting their fullyear outlooks and reporting weaker sales, according to data provider FactSet. — AP

NEW YORK: Investors may crave a quiet market this coming week to digest the recent volatility in stocks and rehash Sunday’s Super Bowl, but the prospect doesn’t look likely.

The catalysts that drove the Dow and the S&P 500 to their worst monthly performances since May 2012 have not gone away. The retreat from emerging markets and stocks in general - appears to have more room to run as the factors that helped propel the market to record highs in mid-January aren’t providing enough support. Calls for a market correction have become louder, with the S&P 500 down 3.6 percent from its alltime closing high and the Federal Reserve’s announcement on Wednesday that it will keep trimming its monthly bond buying.

More than 80 S&P 500 components are set to report earnings next week, but the myriad issues surrounding emerging markets remain at the forefront for investors.

“Bad news in any area of the globe is bound to make sentiment less positive in others. This isn’t an issue of contagion, but there will be influence,” said John Chisholm, chief investment officer of the Boston-based Acadian Asset Management, which has an emerging market equity fund with $1.2 billion in assets. “There’s plenty more instability ahead.” While countries such as Turkey and South Africa have taken steps to stabilize their currencies, the trend has remained negative for those assets.

The CBOE Volatility Index, a measure of investor anxiety, rose 34.2 percent during January to end the month at 18.41, after wrapping up 2013 at 13.72. The VIX remains below the long-term average of of 20, however, and has not traded above 19 since October.

For the month of January, the Dow fell 5.3 percent and the S&P 500 lost 3.6 percent - marking their worst monthly percentage declines since May 2012. The Nasdaq fell 1.7 percent in January, its worst month since October 2012.

It’s tempting to believe that US stocks are a salve for this pain. But the reality is that when emerging markets swoon, US stocks decline as well, just not as much.

Goldman Sachs analysts wrote last week that when MSCI’s emerging markets index falls at least 5 percent, the S&P 500 tends to fall by half of that. The MSCI index has dropped 11 percent since an October peak of 1,047.73.

“Our EM strategists believe some EM equity markets have further to fall, and that they require significant current account rebalancing before bottoming,” Goldman Sachs analysts said in a note about their outlook on emerging markets. The effect on US companies is harder to discern. Goldman estimated that S&P 500 companies derive 5 percent of their profits from emerging markets, with some sectors more affected than others.

Among the companies with large emerging markets

exposure set to report earnings next week are General Motors and Yum Brands Inc. Yum, in fact, gets more than half of its sales from the “BRIC” nations - Brazil, Russia, India and China. Yum’s stock lost 11.2 percent in January, while GM shares dropped 11.7 percent. Both stocks, along with the shares of other internationally exposed companies, have underperformed the S&P 500 since the Fed first said it would cut back on its stimulus on Dec. 18.

Demand in China has been particularly sluggish, which affected Apple Inc’s results, as the company’s iPhone sales were worse than expected, and Wal-Mart Stores, which closed some locations in that country, as well as in Brazil. Some are still looking to buy, though.

“We’d need to see more significant hits from overseas exposure before we start paring away our allocation to those names ... GM is doing well because of its EM exposure,” Acadian’s Chisholm said.

‘Best house’ With half of the S&P 500 companies having reported earnings so far, almost 70 percent have topped earnings expectations, above the long-term average of 63 percent, according to Thomson Reuters data. Two-thirds have exceeded estimates on revenue, above the historical average of 61 percent, though companies have generally been meeting or beating lowered expectations.

“While there are equity risks, there’s very little risk from a bear market standpoint,” said Jim Dunigan, chief investment officer of PNC Wealth Management in Philadelphia. “That markets have held on as well as they have shows that equity appetite still exists.”

Whether there is conviction behind the buying is debatable. The three busiest days for the market in terms of the S&P’s E-mini futures contract, the most heavily traded equity futures contract, were Wednesday, Monday, and last Friday, Jan 24 - all of which were selloffs.

Still, investors keep pouring money into stock market funds, with $10.24 billion added in the week ended Jan. 29, according to Thomson Reuters’ Lipper service. This marked the sixth straight week of net new cash. The S&P 500 is about 0.5 percent above its 100-day moving average, a level that could provide support against further losses. According to the most recent Reuters poll of analysts, the benchmark index is expected to end the year at 1,925 - about 8 percent away from current levels.

Dunigan, who helps oversee $127 billion in assets, said that stocks remain “the best house in a bad neighborhood,” especially with US interest rates low.

“When you look at the alternatives, fixed income continues to look risky, and cash doesn’t help you,” he said.

“Unlike other asset classes, equities will still get boosts from contributions like buybacks, merger activity and capital expenditures.” — Reuters

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2014

BUSINESS

Oil revenues for 10 months to reach KD24.4bn AL-SHALL WEEKLY ECONOMIC REPORT KUWAIT: By the end of January 2014, ten months of the current fiscal year 2013/2014 ended and oil prices remain above the $100 per barrel level for the seventh month in a row but with some weakness in indicators.

The average price for the Kuwaiti crude oil for most of January 2014 scored about $103.2 per barrel, down by about $ -3 per barrel below December’s average price at $106.2 a barrel. With this month, the average price of the Kuwaiti barrel of oil in the first ten months of the current fiscal year 2013/2014 (April 2013 to January 2014) scored $103.6 per barrel, an increase by about $33.6 a barrel, or 48 percent above the hypothetical price estimated in the current budget at $70 per barrel. The average of the past part of the current fiscal year is however lower by some $-2.9 a barrel than the past fiscal year average of $106.5 per barrel.

According to figures published in the monthly follow up report of the state’s accounts issued by the Ministry of Finance November 2013- Kuwait achieved actual oil revenues until the end of November 2013 (8 months) in the amount of KD19.679 billion. It is assumed that Kuwait achieved during December 2013 and January 2014 an amount of KD4.9 billion in oil revenues.

Therefore, anticipated oil revenues for ten months would go up to KD24.6 billion and perhaps more if we take into account noncompliance with OPEC’s production quota.

This figure is about 45 percent higher than the value of oil revenues estimated in the budget for the entire current fiscal year at KD 16.8831 billion though the estimate has no real value.

Assuming production and prices would continue at their present levels, value of projected oil revenues for the entire current fiscal year would score about KD 29.5 billion, which is higher by about KD 12.6 billion than the budget estimate. Adding some KD 1.5 billion in non-oil revenues, the total budget revenues for the current fiscal year would score about KD 31 billion vis-a-vis KD 21 billion in expenditures allocations; as such, the result will be a hypothetical budget surplus by about KD 10 billion for the fifteenth year in a row. In fact, it will be higher when we calculate the saving in the budget expenditures for the current fiscal year 2013/2014. The average saving in the last three fiscal years was 9.6 percent. If the same saving average is realized for the current fiscal year, the budget will achieve about KD 12 billion surplus.

2. Monthly report of State, Financial Administration Accounts In its monthly follow-up report for the state’s financial accounts (as published on its website) until November 2013, the ministry of Finance indicates a sustained rise in the revenue side. Until 30/11/2013, eight months of the current fiscal year 2013/2014, total collected revenues amounted to approximately KD 21.012 billion, about 16.1 percent higher than the total estimated revenues for the entire current fiscal year, in the amount of approximately KD18.0959 billion, with a decline by -2.7 percent below the total received revenues during the same period of last fiscal year 2012/2013 in the amount of KD21.606 billion.

In detail, the report estimates actual oil revenues until 30/11/2013, by about KD 19.679 billion, higher by 16.6 percent than oil revenues estimated for the whole current fiscal year by about KD 16.8831 billion, or about 93.7 percent of total received revenues. Oil revenues received during the first 8 months of the current fiscal year are less by KD783.969 million, -3.8 percent, than their counterpart value in the same period in the last fiscal year. An amount of KD1.3333 billion was collected from non-oil revenues during the same period, a monthly average of about KD166.663 million versus KD1.2127 billion estimated for the entire current fiscal year. This means the realized amount will be higher for the entire fiscal year by about KD 790 million over the estimated assuming non-oil revenues would continue at the same monthly average mentioned above.

Expenditures allocations for the current fiscal year were estimated at about KD21.0026 billion, of which an amount of KD7.497 billion was spent until 30/11/2013, a monthly spending average at KD937.143 million. We, however, do not recommend endorsing this figure because there are expenses which have become due but have not been actually spent. In addition, spending in the late months of the fiscal year is usually higher than in the early months.

Although the report concludes that the budget surplus in the first eight months of the current fiscal year scored about KD13.515 billion, we publish it but we do not recommend relying on it as we believe that the actual surplus figure of the budget for the

with them the turnover average of the stocks of the 22 speculation companies scored 29.4 percent (352.8 percent on annual basis). The highest turnover average of one of the companies within them scored 116.5 percent in one month, 84.5 percent for the second

tion and the value of the general index.

AlShall index reading in the closing day, Thursday, January 30, 2014, scored 459.1 points up by 4.3 points, 1 percent (454.7 points in the end of 2013). The highest reading for the index during the month

same period will be less than the published figure. In addition, there are due expenses which have not been spent yet. Furthermore, monthly spending average will be ascending and will reduce the surplus as we move forward in the fiscal year; it may be less with the issuing of the final account unless a substantial saving occurs in the estimated expenses.

highest company and 81.7 percent for the third highest. However, the turnover average assumes that all stocks of a company are available for trading while in reality only part thereof is because of what is withheld due to collateral agreement and strategic ownerships. This means the actual turnaround average, or speculation severity, is probably much higher than our estimates.

scored 459.1 points on 30/01/2014 while its lowest level at 451.3 points was scored on 19/01/2014. AlShall index performance was close to Kuwait 15 Index performance which increased by 0.9 percent vis-a-vis the end of 2013. The price index achieved about 7755.8 points in the end of January 2014 (7549.5 points in the end of 2013), up by 2.7 percent. The weighted index scored about 460.1 points in the end of January 2014 (452.9 points in the end of 2013), up by 1.6 percent.

Value of traded stocks during January 2014 (19 work days due to the new year and prophet’s birthday holiday’s) scored KD

KSE liquidity features Liquidity of Kuwait Stock Exchange during the first month of 2014 achieved a daily trading average value by KD 37.781 million, less by about 16.9 percent compared with the average daily trading value for 2013. It however rose by 68.3 percent compared with the daily trading value of December 2013. The index gained in January about 2.7 percent compared to its level at the end of 2013. The weighted index gained about 1.6 percent in the same period implying the market liquidity is biased towards small companies emphasizing continued market’s liquidity deviation to unhealthy speculation.

As usual, we followed up the share of the highest 30 companies in trading value in the amount of KD 527.601 million of that value, ie 73.5 percent of total market trading value, while the market value of these 30 companies scored about KD15.120 billion representing 48.3 percent of total market value.

Scrutinizing the components of this sample, it transpires that 22 of them captured a high trading value despite their low market value which indicates continued sharp deviation in liquidity orientation and a general indicator on the dominance of speculation activity in the market. About 22 companies captured 48.4 percent of total market trading value in the amount of about KD 347.306 million, while their market value does not exceed 3.8 percent of the total value of market companies.

The per share turnover average index might provide us with a different perspective to view the sharpness of or passion for speculation. The index measures the proportion of the company trading value divided by its market value. The average turnover of the total market stocks was about 2.3 percent (about 27.6 percent calculated on annual basis) while it scored 3.5 percent (42 percent on annual basis) for the 30 company sample;

KSE performance in January KSE performance during January 2014 was more active compared with December 2013. Value and volume of traded stocks increased as well as the number of transac-

717.8 million recording rise by 201.5 million, 39 percent compared with KD 516.3 million in December 2013. The highest trading value in one day during the month scored KD 59.8 million on 22/01/2014 while the lowest value was at KD24.3 million scored on 13/01/2014. The daily average of the traded stocks during the month scored KD37.8 million (KD22.4 million in December 2013) up by 68.3 percent. Total number of traded stocks scored about 8105.6 million stocks, up by 58.1 in comparison with 5128.2 million in the end of December 2013. The daily average approximated 426.6 million share, or by 203.6 million shares, or 91.3 percent, and total number of transaction scored 142.1 thousand deals, a daily average of 7,479 deals, up 19.7 percent vis-a-vis December 2013 level.

Value of all listed companies (194 companies) after delisting of Al Safwa Group Holding Company and the Industrial and Financial Investments Company during January 2014 achieved KD 31324.1 million.

When we compare their value between the end of January 2014 and the end of December 2013 (194 common companies), we note they rose by KD 447.8 million from KD 30876.2 million on 31/12/2013 to KD 31324.1 million in the end of January 2014, a rise by 1.5 percent.

It is worth indicating that the number of gainers, compared with the end of the last trading day of 2013, was 104 companies out of 194 common companies in the market.

The losers, with varying losses, were 68 companies and value of 22 companies did not change. After excluding the companies whose capitals were increased or reduced, Iskan Housing Finance Company scored the highest rise in value, an increase by 64.2 percent and Gulf Investment House came next with a rise by 31.3 percent. On the other hand, KGL Logistics Company sustained the highest loss in its value, -29.8 percent, and Al Salam Group Holding came next by a loss of -18.9 percent. As for sectors, 8 out of 12 achieved gains. The basic materials sector achieved the highest gains by 4.5 percent.

The Financial Services sector scored the second highest gains by 4 percent while the Telecommunications sector achieved the biggest decline by -3.4 percent Weekly Performance of KSE The per formance of Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) for the last week was mixed where all indexes showed a decrease, the traded value index, the traded volume index, the transactions index showed a decrease, while the general index showed an increase. AlShall Index (value index) closed at 459.1 points at the closing of last Thursday, showing an increase of about 5.5 points or about 1.2 percent comparing to last week and an increase of 4.4 points or about 1 percent compared with the end of 2013.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2014

BUSINESS

Ali Alghanim & Sons launches revolutionary service KUWAIT: Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive - the exclusive distributors of Land Rover in Kuwait - has launched a unique and exclusive 24-hour roadside assistance service for Land Rover customers.

As the only car dealer to provide such an after-sales convenience anywhere in Kuwait, it includes the first-ever concept service vehicle specifically built to deliver and provide first-class assistance to Land Rover car owners. More importantly, access to such pioneering service offering is simple. By simply dialing 22246217, any time, any day, valued Land Rover customers will immediately be connected to their customer service center and would be provided with the necessary help and assistance they need.

Among the services that the purpose-built service vehicle and its expert service personnel are capable of providing include onsite battery replacement (free-ofcharge for any vehicles under warranty), bulb replacement, tyre puncture repair, spare tyre fitment, petrol filling, as well as brake pad and brake disc replacement.

“Land Rover is globally

for Land Rover customers

acknowledged for its revolutionary and superior design, concept, luxury, comfort, style and durability,” said Yousef Al-Qatami, General Manager, Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive. “However, recognizing that any short or long distance travel can cause any kind of car trouble, we at Ali Alghanim and Land Rover are prepared, ready and more than capable of providing the much-

needed assistance to any Land Rover owner in distress, 24 hours a day, anywhere in Kuwait.

“We are fully committed at providing market-leading aftersales service to our valued Land Rover customers that only Land Rover and Ali Alghanim together can deliver,” he added. ‘The Land Rover brand is a symbol of luxury and every Land Rover car owner deserves nothing less than a lux-

uriously convenient service and peace of mind while on the road.”

The popularity of the Land Rover brand is reflected by its huge increase in sales in 2013 from the previous year.

Recording an overall growth of 49 percent across the MENA region, such expansion was led by the flagship Range Rover, which is now the best-selling vehicle for the brand. In 2013, the

Range Rover Sport delivered strong performance across the region, with sales up 25 percent over the previous year.

Apart from the Range Rover Sport, sales across the rest of the Land Rover portfolio also recorded tremendous increase in 2013.

Sales of the Range Rover Evoque grew by 32 percent, the Land Rover LR4 by 31 percent and the Land Rover LR2 by 33 percent.

The increase in sales of these models is largely attributed to the successful introduction of the 14MY versions.

Owing to such increases in sales and the apparent popularity of the brand, Ali Alghanim & Sons and Land Rover deemed it important to positively respond to the market and provide valued customers with such a pioneering service.

KIPCO successfully prices $500 million bond issue ‘A testament to our track record of delivering results’

Mercedes-Benz flexes AMG muscle at 2014 GulfRun Carshow KUWAIT: A R Albisher and Z Alkazemi Co, the exclusive distributor for Mercedes-Benz in Kuwait, went in with full force at the GulfRun Carshow 2014 displaying three of its impressive Mercedes-AMG vehicles. The line-up included the daring SLS AMG Black Series, the powerful ML 63 AMG SUV and the latest vehicle to join the AMG team, the compact A 45 AMG. Recognized as the premier car show in Kuwait, the GulfRun Carshow is an annual event held in the capital’s 360 degree Mall that unites automotive enthusiasts with displays of some of the most impressive vehicles on the roads today from the world’s leading automotive brands.

This year, AR Albisher and Z Alkazemi Co

weren’t able to make it here are welcome to visit us in our showrooms any time for a personal consultation.”

SLS AMG Black Series Black Series is a name that resonates with automobile experts and enthusiasts.

Mercedes-AMG has invoked the darkest fury of Affalterbach into its thunderous gullwing to create the SLS AMG CoupE Black Series, which roars off the track by its 631hp 6.3 litre V8 engine and with tarmac shredding 0-100km/h in 3.6 seconds performance.

Making challengers pale in comparison, the fifth Black Series model from MercedesBenz AMG harnesses the victorious motorsport mettle of its SLS AMG GT3 racing version to boast a menacing mix of breath-taking design, outstanding driving dynamics and uncompromising lightweight construction in accordance with the “AMG Lightweight Performance” strategy.

The AMG 6.3-litre V8 engine is a byword for thrilling driving dynamics, making the SLS AMG CoupÈ Black Series the most powerful AMG high-performance automobile with a combustion engine at present.

ML 63 AMG The ML 63 AMG is recognized as the best performing SUV, and it continues to astound with its extraordinary combination of effortlessly superior drive system, distinctive design, unparalleled safety and exceptional comfort. Rocketing from zero to 100 km/h in 4.8 seconds, the high-performance SUV is provided by the AMG 5.5litre V8 biturbo engine with a maximum power output of 525 hp and a peak torque of 700 newton metres. The AMG RIDE CONTROL sports suspension with newly developed ACTIVE CURVE SYSTEM for active roll stabilization, the AMG-specific design and the broad scope of standard equipment and appointments make for a highly attractive overall package.

chose to lead the show with a focus on its performance driven Mercedes-AMG vehicles. Visitors explored the segment leading vehicles first hand with the help of Mercedes-Benz Kuwait representatives. Car enthusiats were also able to book test drives to experience the power, performance capabilities and fascinating technologies first hand.

Speaking at the impressive MercedesBenz GulfRun display stand, Michael Ruehle, CEO, Abdul Rahman Albisher & Zaid Alkazemi Co, said: “Mercedes-AMG vehicles are always a source of fascination for car enthusiast in Kuwait because of the technology and power behind an AMG car.

For this reason we brought out three very different cars under the AMG label to the 2014 carshow. Each car can be appreciated in its own right and appeals to different customers, but all are equally impressive in design, performance and specifications. We also know that Kuwait is a leading market for the latest AMG models, and through the GulfRun Carshow, we can display the latest and most popular launches. Those that

A 45 AMG The A 45 AMG saw Mercedes- AMG embarking on a new era. For the first time in the company’s history extending back over more than 45 years, Mercedes-Benz’s performance brand is offering a fascinating high-performance vehicle in the compact class.

With a maximum output of 360 hp and up to 450 Newton metres of torque, the AMG 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo engine is the most powerful series production fourcylinder engine in the world. The sensational power density of 181 hp outstrips even the most powerful super sports cars.

In designing and developing the A 45 AMG, the experts at AMG have drawn on the company’s decades of experience in motorsport and the production of powerful, high-performance vehicles. As such, the A 45 AMG will inherit the corporate DNA and embody the AMG brand claim “Driving Performance” to perfection: a fascinatingly sporty driving experience combined with impressive craftsmanship and pronounced individuality.

KUWAIT: KIPCO, the Kuwait Projects Company, has announced the successful pricing of a $500 million (KD 141 million) five-year bond issue in the international capital market, the first from the MENA region in 2014.

The deal had substantial demand at launch and was six times oversubscribed, attracting a total of 250 investors from across the Middle East, Europe and Asia. Strong demand allowed the company to price the deal at the tight end of the pricing range with a fixed coupon of 4.80 percent.

In a volatile market backdrop, KIPCO was able to capitalize on the positive investor feedback and an issuance window of opportunity to swiftly execute an intra-day trade and raise $500 million under its existing EMTN program.

The bonds were widely distributed, with European investors allocated 41 percent of the issue

Pinak Maitra

Faisal Al-Ayyar

transaction while Middle East, UK, Asian and US (offshore) investors accounted for 19 percent, 15 percent, 14 percent and 11 percent respectively. In terms of investor profile, 58 percent was allocated to fund managers, 33 percent to banks and 9 percent to others.

Commenting on this transaction, Faisal Al-Ayyar, KIPCO’s Vice Chairman said: “We are delighted that the KIPCO bond was well received by regional and interna-

tional investors. The overwhelming response is a testament to our track record of delivering results and our financial discipline.

Investors were attracted to the quality of KIPCO’s operating businesses, their strong market position and future growth prospects.” Pinak Maitra, KIPCO’s Group Chief Financial Officer added: “Over the years, KIPCO has been a consistent issuer in the international bond market

and this deal reflects the positive experience investors had with its previous issues. KIPCO has a high quality and diversified investor base and the bond was priced through its existing yield curve.

The bond fur ther diversifies KIPCO’s maturity profile and enhances its financial flexibility to execute our strategy.” BNP Paribas, HSBC and J.P. Morgan acted as joint bookrunners on the offering.

The KIPCO Group is one of the biggest holding companies in the Middle East and North Africa, with consolidated assets of $29 billion as at 30 September, 2013.

The Group has significant ownership interests in over 60 companies operating across 24 countries. The group’s main business sectors are financial services, media, real estate and manufacturing. Through its core companies, subsidiaries and affiliates, KIPCO also has interests in the education and medical sectors.

Warba bank to provide 10 ATM terminals to P2BK Forum KUWAIT: Talal Al-Arbeed - Cards Department Manager, indicated that Warba Bank will participate in the seventh annual forum of Proud To Be Kuwaiti”P2BK”; a significant event that puts together talented young people, art activities and renowned sculptors known on the local and regional levels.

10 ATM terminals Al-Arbeed pointed out that Warba’s participation will involve the provision of 10 ATM terminals to P2BK Forum to serve the participants and visitors as well as to support the bank’s customers and give them an easy access to the banks services. This is attributable to the bank ’s keenness to strengthen its strategy aiming at reaching customers anywhere and anytime.

He added that Warba’s presence in such kind of forums enhances its position in the eyes of the par-

ticipating young people as well as the entities interested in supporting small and medium scale enterprises. It also underpins the bank’s keenness to assume its social responsibilities by suppor ting such type of purposeful events and non-profit organizations which serves the community by means of various activities.

The entrepreneurs will be having a great opportunity during the forum to learn about the products and services offered by the bank for diverse fields of financing as well as other numerous fields.

Drawing a large audience of youth segment and showcasing remark able presentations for many projects on annual basis, P2BK brings together those interested in suppor ting small and medium scale enterprises so that they can interact in one place. One of the prominent participations includes 73 world class renowned

sculptors and artists from 24 countries, working hand-in-hand to build a sand sculpture on an area of 30,000 square meters using 35,000 tons of sand. The sand sculpture is distinguished for its sculptures that mark both the quality and complexity. They have completed 100 sand sculptures depicting various scenes of Arab and human heritage.

Broad growth and social responsibility In conclusion, Al-Arbeed said that Warba’s participation is attributable to the broad growth achieved by P2BK Forum since its inauguration in 2008 as a nonprofit organization that relies on a large group of volunteers who have taken up their enthusiasm for Kuwait in their hearts and revealed through their contributions remarkable organizational and leadership capabilities. Further,

Warba is keen on tak ing such opportunities of participation in order to enhance its social responsibility role that is deemed one of the bank’s main goals whereby Warba can realize the best results and participations in line with its strategy of observing the social responsibility in each and every ac tivity of the bank being a national leading institution.

Michelin (Al-Shaya & Al-Sagar) begins winter promotion KUWAIT: Kuwait Automotive Imports Co WLL (Al-Shaya & AlSagar), exclusive distributor of Michelin tyres in Kuwait since 1977, has launched its Michelin winter promotion under the motto “Drive Safer and Save Money with Michelin and KAICO”.

The Michelin winter promotion will run from 1 February to 17 April 2014 in all KAICO tyre outlets (Shuwaikh Canada Dry Street, Tyre Plus Zeena Street. Shuwaikh Banks Street, KAICO Ahmadi branch, Tyre Plus Jahra) and select Michelin Tyre dealers.

Ashish Tandon, General Manager of Al-Shaya & Al-Sagar, explained that customers buying 4 High Performance Michelin tyres during the promotion period would get a KD 30 Alshaya gift card and those purchasing 2 High Performance Michelin tyres would get a KD 15

Alshaya gift card. Sadiq Ali, Divisional Manager - Tyres & Lubricants, clarified that High performance Michelin tyres are passenger tyre sizes with speed index V, W, Y, Z and SUV tyre sizes with speed index H, V, W, Y, Z. The Alshaya Card is the perfect way to treat people who love shopping, eating out or meeting up with friends. The Card can be used in all Alshaya stores, restaurants and cafes in Kuwait so the cardholder can indulge in store and then relax and treat themselves to a wide variety of food and beverages. The cardholder can spend as little or as much of the value as s/he wishes at any time, and can check the card balance and validity in store or by calling Customer Service hotline.

“Michelin sells total tyre performance, not rubber” Michelin is committed to devel-

oping and manufacturing tyres that deliver all-round performance, and not just in a single area. This is what makes Michelin tyres special. This commitment to total performance is especially meaningful when we consider the critical role tyres play as the only part of a vehicle in contact with the road. A tyre plays three very important roles: carry the vehicle’s weight, transfer braking and driving torque to the road, and guide the vehicle. The tyre also has to perform in ways that may be contradictory - for example, deliver road grip while providing longer tyre life. Michelin’s technology allows the development of tyres with no compromise, especially in the safety aspect as Michelin is deeply committed to ensuring the safety of drivers.

Michelin is continuously improving all of the parameters that deter-

Ashish Tandon, General Manager mine tyre performance. Michelin has long leveraged its advanced technologies to meet the challenge and overcome the difficulties of simultaneously improving all of the parameters that are essential for users.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2014

technology

Web developers gather ‘Hackathon for Cuba’ Island least connected in Western hemisphere

LAS VEGAS: In this Jan 7, 2014, file photo, Yahoo president and CEO Marissa Mayer speaks during a keynote address at the International Consumer Electronics Show. — AP

Yahoo email account passwords stolen NEW YORK: Usernames and passwords of some of Yahoo’s email customers have been stolen and used to gather personal information about people those Yahoo mail users have recently corresponded with, the company said.

Yahoo didn’t say how many accounts have been affected. Yahoo is the second-largest email service worldwide, after Google’s Gmail, according to the research firm comScore.

There are 273 million Yahoo mail accounts worldwide, including 81 million in the US. It’s the latest in a string of security breaches that have allowed hackers to nab personal information using software that analysts say is ever more sophisticated. Up to 70 million customers of Target stores had their personal information and credit and debit card numbers compromised late last year, and Neiman Marcus was the victim of a similar breach in December. “It’s an old trend, but it’s much more exaggerated now because the programs the bad guys use are much more sophisticated now,” says Avivah Litan, a security analyst at the technology research firm Gartner. “We’re clearly under attack.”

Yahoo Inc said in a blog post on its breach that “The information sought in the attack seems to be names and email addresses from the affected accounts’ most recent sent emails.” That could mean hackers were looking for additional email addresses to send spam or scam messages. By grabbing real names from those sent folders, hackers could try to make bogus messages appear more legitimate to recipients. “It’s much more likely that I’d click on something from you if we email all the time,” says Richard Mogull, analyst and CEO of Securois, a security research and advisory firm.

Bigger danger The bigger danger: access to email accounts could lead to more serious breaches involving banking and shopping sites. That’s because many people reuse passwords across many sites, and also because many sites use email to reset passwords. Hackers could try logging in to such a site with the Yahoo email address, for instance, and ask that a password reminder be sent by email. Litan said hackers appear to be “trying to collect as much information as they can on people. Putting all this stuff together makes it easier to steal somebody’s identity.”

Yahoo said the usernames and passwords weren’t collected from its own systems, but from a third-party database. Because so many people use the same passwords across multiple sites, it’s possible hackers broke in to some service that lets people use email addresses as their usernames. The hackers could have grabbed passwords stored at that service, filtered out the accounts with Yahoo addresses and used that information to log in to Yahoo’s mail systems, said Johannes Ullrich, dean of research at the SANS Institute, a group devoted to security research and education.

The breach is the second mishap for Yahoo’s mail service in two months. In December, the service suffered a multi-day outage that prompted Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer to issue an apology. Yahoo said it is resetting passwords on affected accounts and has “implemented additional measures” to block further attacks. The company would not comment beyond the information in its blog post. It said it is working with federal law enforcement. — AFP

Perry sets milestone with 50m Twitter followers WASHINGTON: Pop star Katy Perry made Twitter history Friday, becoming the first person ever with more than 50 million followers on the microblogging website.

Twitter Counter, a service for tracking Twitter usage, said Perry had picked up tens of thousands of followers since Thursday, as she roared her way to 50,025,667. Perry, 29, whose “Dark Horse” tops the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart this week, opted to say nothing Friday about her online achievement. Instead she tweeted thanks to Madonna for having invited her to curate the pop diva’s Art for Freedom human rights project during the month of January.

Teen idol Justin Bieber dethroned Lady Gaga as the most-followed Twitter user in January 2013, but ceded the top spot to Perry in November. On Friday, Bieber - due in court on Valentine’s Day over alleged drunk driving and illegal drag racing in Florida - had 49,230,470 followers, followed by President Barack Obama with 41,219,748. Lady Gaga, in fourth place with 41,025,492 followers, made Twitter history when she became

Katy Perry the first to claim 20 million followers just under two years ago, in March 2012.

Perry’s current album “Prism” entered the Billboard 200 chart at number one upon its release in October. Her goth-themed rendition of “Dark Horse” was a highlight of Sunday’s Grammy awards. —AFP

Bitcoin may need to shed intrigue NEW YORK: Bitcoin enthusiasts were buzzing about the arrest of a high-profile promoter of the digital currency at Monday night’s weekly Bitcoin trading session in Manhattan’s financial district. Charlie Shrem’s detention on money laundering charges the day before shocked New York’s Bitcoin community, which meets in a small conference room to trade the currency. It is contemplating the end of a world of intrigue away from the watchful eyes of police and regulators.

“Charlie’s a good kid, and he serves good drinks,” said Jacob Dienelt, who trades Bitcoins himself. Shrem, 24, partly owns a bar in Manhattan that accepts Bitcoins as payment.

Dienelt was acting as an unofficial spokesman for a community that has come under intense scrutiny as authorities crack down on illegal activity carried out using the currency. Dienelt said he wanted the world to know Shrem, who was charged on Monday with conspiracy to commit money laundering and operating a money changing business without a license, was not a bad person.

Shrem, who resigned as vice chairman of the Bitcoin Foundation after his arrest, is presumed innocent, his lawyer Keith Miller said on Monday.

One thing is clear, though, after a week that included not only Shrem’s arrest but also two days of testimony about Bitcoin regulation to a panel of financial regulators in New

York: Bitcoin users are finding that their freewheeling ways are no longer acceptable.

Tighter controls will undermine the anonymity that had been a major attraction of the digital currency. The pressure is on promoters of Bitcoins, which are not backed by a government or central bank and whose value fluctuates according to demand, to either comply with the demands of the police and regulators or face prosecution.

The authorities are not only swooping down when they suspect criminal activity but regulators also want to set rules for Bitcoin entrepreneurs in the same way they police banks and others in the traditional financial system. In particular, they are demanding reporting of any suspicious transactions. New York’s top financial regulator on Tuesday even raised the idea of creating a “BitLicense” rather like a banking license - for those who provide marketplaces where Bitcoins can be exchanged for dollars and other currencies.

The old Bitcoin world spawned people such as 29-year-old Ross Ulbricht, who was charged in October with counts relating to drug trafficking, money laundering and computer hacking. Prosecutors accused Ulbricht of involvement in the anonymous Internet marketplace Silk Road, which they said sold drugs and criminal services in exchange for Bitcoins. Ulbricht has maintained his innocence through statements by his lawyer. — Reuters

MIAMI: Technology experts are gathering to brainstorm ways to improve access to the Internet and information in Cuba, considered one of the least connected countries in the Western hemisphere. The “Hackathon for Cuba” began Friday in Miami. Cuban dissident and online activist Yoani Sanchez was expected to deliver opening remarks at a reception via Skype. “The primary purpose is to design solutions that help Cubans break down or circumvent barriers they face in communication with each other or with the outside world,” said Natalia Martinez, chief innovation and technology officer at Roots of Hope, the nonprofit organization putting together the event.

“The secondary purpose is to create an inclusive and action-oriented conversation around the impact of technology in Cuba, one that involves Cubans from different waves of immigration, different industries,” she said.

Yesterday, computer programmers and others were to develop ideas for smartphone applications that could be used to address the challenges citizens face on the communist island: censorship, limited access to cellphones and the Internet, and expensive service.

Cuba routinely blocks Internet pages that it finds objectionable, such as the home page of the Ladies in White dissident group and US government-funded news broadcaster Radio and TV Marti. Critics of President Raul Castro accused the government of withholding access to control the people. According to the UN’s International Telecommunications Union, roughly 26 percent of Cubans reported using the Internet in 2012. That was up from just under 4 percent a decade before.

“One main challenge is that the Cuban government seems deeply ambivalent about the Internet,” said Emily Parker, a former State Department policy adviser and author of the upcoming book, “Now I Know Who My Comrades Are,” a portrait of Internet activists in China, Cuba and Russia. “Authorities know Web access is necessary for economic ‘modernization,’ but also recognize that the spread of the Internet would threaten their control over the population,” Parker said.

Digital roadblocks The Cuban government has taken some steps to increase access during the past year.

MIAMI: In this Jan 30, 2014 photo, web developer Jose Pimienta is seen. — AP

In June, authorities opened more than 100 Internet cafes around the island. However, the $4.50 an hour fee made it too expensive for most Cubans who earn an average $20 a month salary. Cuban bloggers like Sanchez have found ways to get across the digital roadblocks, such as saving posts to flash drives and publishing them through an Internet connection at an embassy or hotel. “They don’t have many readers on the island, but they can connect to the rest of the world,” Parker said. “They tell the stories that Cuba’s official media outlets don’t report.”

“Hackathons” have sprung up around America to tackle issues ranging from gun violence to immigration. In November, journalists, activists and tech experts in 20 US and Latin American cities got together in 48-hour meetups to produce apps, websites and programs to help migrants and those who research and assist them. Jose Pimienta, 25, is one of the developers taking part in the event. Pimienta arrived from Cuba five years ago and developed Vinylfy, a social network for record collectors, with a friend. The duo won $22,000 for their creation at SuperConf, a gathering for

web developers and designer in Miami. “We’ll be helping our friends and family in the island to have more access to information,” Pimienta said.

Roots of Hope organized the event in conjunction with the John S and James L Knight Foundation. Roots of Hope is a network of students and young professionals aiming to empower youth on the island. Among their initiatives is a drive to collect and send cellphones to Cuba. More than 500 have been sent so far. Martinez said the purpose of the hackathon is to “build solutions that are specific to the Cuban context and that adhere to the legal framework of both the US and Cuba.” She acknowledged the specific challenges in crafting tech solutions for Cuba. “It will be of the utmost importance to be able to design technological solutions that keep in mind a context that has a set of different obstacles and limitations than the ones we face when thinking about technology and innovation,” she said. “That said, Cubans are increasingly coming into the digital age and programming and design in the island is complex, developed, and growing.” — AP

It’s Mickey Mouse vs Toaster Dog LOS ANGELES: One of the most iconic characters in animation history has the chance to win another Oscar in this year’s Best Animated Feature race, which finds the new Mickey Mouse cartoon “Get a Horse!” squaring off against a quartet of newer characters from around the world. “Get a Horse!,” which looks like a lost black-and-white Mickey cartoon from the 1930s before it bursts into color and 3D, is also by far the most widely-seen of the nominees: It screens before Disney’s blockbuster hit “Frozen” in theaters, which puts it far above all of its competitors except perhaps “Room on the Broom”, which aired on the BBC in the UK. But visibility shouldn’t matter in the Oscar shorts categories, where all 6,000-plus voters will receive screener discs with all five nominees. And given the combined running time of only a little more than an hour, there’s no excuse for voters not to watch everything. Another reason to see them all: This is a very good group of films, with no clear frontrunner but abundant viewing pleasures to be had. Non-voters can get the chance to see them on Friday when Shorts HD and Magnolia will release them in Los Angeles, New York and more than 250 theaters around the country. (Animated and live-action shorts programs will begin on Friday, with documentary shorts opening on Feb 14.)

TheWrap will survey all three shorts categories with an eye to Oscar voting, beginning with the animated shorts.

‘Feral’ (Daniel Sousa and Dan Golden) The most minimalist and arty of the shorts, and in some ways the most evocative, “Feral” tells a weird little story about a wild young boy found in the woods and brought to civilization. Sousa and Golden work with suggestion, not explication. Faces are lost in shadow most of the time, and illustrated with the bare minimum when they’re not. The result is visually striking, enigmatic and unsettling, in a way that stands out in a field of more detailed, less impressionistic work. Typically, Oscar voters in this category have gone for the sparsest entry only when it tells an emotional and personal story; “Feral” has emotion and style, but that may not be enough to make it a favorite.

‘Get a Horse!’ (Lauren MacMullan and Dorothy McKim) With a cast of characters that includes Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and the dastardly Peg Leg Pete, and the old-fashioned circles-and-tubes style of animation, “Get a Horse!” initially looks and feels like a lost Mickey cartoon from the ‘30s, an era when Walt Disney’s signature rodent was more unkempt and playful than than the icon he grew into. The short has fun with that style for a while, with old recordings of Disney himself providing Mickey’s voice - and then it shatters the fourth wall. Or since this is a 2D cartoon, does it shatter the third wall instead?

Whatever the correct terminology is, characters begin leaving the screen and appearing outside the cartoon’s confines in color and in 3D. The effects are a technical tour de force, but the action remains true to the spirit of the old cartoons as the film builds to a wild, slapstick, gag-heavy conclusion. During the recent years when voting in this category was restricted to members who’d seen all five films at special theatrical screenings, big companies like Pixar and Disney were routinely beaten by smaller, indie shorts. It was as if voters thought that the category was for the little guys, not the behemoths. But Disney’s “Paperman” won last year, when the entire Academy received screeners and was eligible to vote.

Complicating matters for “Get a Horse!,” though, is that those screeners are 2D, which means that most voters won’t get to see the short in the format for which it was designed. That could diminish the dazzle factor, although I hear it’s pretty impressive in 2D, too.

‘Mr Hublot’ (Laurent Witz and Alexandre Espigares) My rule of thumb in the animated-short category, as I suggested above, is that voters tend to go for most personal and emotional story. None of this year’s nominees are clearly personal, but “Mr Hublot” - in which a lonely man with OCD adopts a stray dog - may be the most emotional. It also may be the most gorgeously detailed and visually inventive. Witz and Espigares have created a world that seems to be assembled from debris: Mr Hublot himself has a clicking counter in his forehead, while the dog he takes in is a clanking mechanical pooch with a toaster for a body.

This image released by Disney shows a scene from the animated feature film “Frozen”. — AP

This deliciously crackpot environment is enormous fun, and the action gets genuinely heartfelt when the dog begins to outgrow his new home. With echoes of a number of other recent nominees - among them “9,” “The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello” and the 2010 winner “The Lost Thing” - the thoroughly delightful “Mr. Hublot” just might have the ambition, scope, intricacy and above all emotion to win over voters.

‘Possessions’ (Shuhei Morita) Another marvelously inventive film visually, the Japanese-made “Possessions” is the story of a man who, caught in the forest during a storm, takes shelter in what appears to be an abandoned house. After a night there, though, the contents of the house umbrellas, cabinets, even piles of rubbish - come to life and imprison him. Based on a Japanese proverb that says possessions come to life after they’ve been abandoned for 100 years, “Possessions” is dramatically illustrated, arresting in its look and style and, well, really cool to watch. A haunted house story like none you’ve seen before, it also leaves you with questions about what was real and what was imagined.

A win would make the film the first from a Japanese director since 2008’s “La Maison en Petis Cubes” - and more to the point, the most explicitly Asian film ever in a category in which Japanese animation has never gained the kind of foothold enjoyed by American, Canadian, European and even Russian animation.

‘Room on the Broom’ (Max Lang and Jan Lachauer) If you don’t count Walt Disney’s voiceover-fromthe-grave on “Get a Horse!,” “Room on the Broom” has the category’s most high-profile voice talent. The British short has a cast that includes Gillian Anderson as a witch who keeps losing things and gaining passengers on her broomstick, and Simon Pegg as the narrator. Based on the British children’s book by Julia Donaldson, the film is the longest nominee in a category where weight and substance sometimes tip the scales. But it doesn’t feel as weighty as most of its competitors; instead, it feels like a fun, breezy, entertaining romp distinguished by a good sense of humor and wonderful character design. — Reuters

SUNDAY,FEBRUARY 2, 2014

H E A LT H & S C I E N C E

Dolphins in ‘bad shape’ after BP oil spill WASHINGTON: Bottlenose dolphins with missing teeth, lung disease, and abnormal hormone levels were found swimming in the Gulf of Mexico a year after the BP oil spill, US researchers say.

Pneumonia, liver disease and a pregnant female carrying a dead fetus were also reported in the first major study of dolphin health after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion that spilled 4.9 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.

Half of the 32 dolphins studied off the coast of Louisiana in August 2011 a year and four months after the worst oil spill in US history began-were judged to be seriously ill or in danger of dying. “I’ve never seen such a high prevalence of very sick animals,” said lead author Lori Schwacke, a researcher with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The wild dolphins were captured in the central Louisiana waters and held briefly for health checks before being released. “There is disease in any wild

population. We just haven’t seen animals that were in such bad shape as what we saw in Barataria Bay,” she said. Their health was compared to 27 bottlenose dolphins in Sarasota Bay, Florida, an area also in the Gulf that was unaffected by the oil spill. The Barataria Bay dolphins had significantly lower levels of adrenal hormones, which are critical to an animal’s stress response.

Moderate to severe lung disease was five times more common in the Louisiana dolphins than in their Floridian counterparts. Three of the Barataria Bay dolphins had also lost nearly all their teeth, and three others had just half of their normal number of teeth left.

Dolphins typically have between 78 and 106 teeth. “There were several dolphins that were in such bad shape that the veterinarians that examined them did not expect them to live very long,” said Schwacke, an expert on dolphins in the southern United States. Dolphins that were studied also suffered from pneumonia, anemia, low blood sugar, and

elevated liver enzymes.

BP says oil not the cause Oil giant BP said the report, which appeared in December in the journal Environmental Science and Technology, was “inconclusive as to any causation associated with the spill.” Asked for comment, BP spokesman Jason Ryan directed AFP to a company statement that read in part: “Symptoms observed in the study have been seen in other dolphin mortality events that have been related to contaminants and conditions found in the northern Gulf, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), DDT and pesticides.”

BP also called on NOAA to release all of its data on the unusual deaths of more than 1,000 dolphins off the Gulf Coast, dating back to February 2010, three months before the spill. NOAA researchers admitted that their study cannot prove that the dolphin’s health problems were caused by the BP oil spill because there were no studies of dolphin health in that area prior to the spill.

However when comparing blubber, the Louisiana dolphins have lower levels of pesticides and flame retardant chemicals than the Florida group, suggesting that agricultural runoff and common pollution were not the cause of their diseases. “We feel like it is highly unlikely that the toxic effects that we observed in Barataria Bay dolphins were associated with exposure to other environmental contaminants,” said Schwacke. “What we are seeing is consistent with oil exposure,” she said.

Die-off still unexplained NOAA said it is still trying to determine why 1,082 dolphins have been stranded in the northern Gulf of Mexico since February 2010. An unusually high number of dolphins and whales started washing up on shore prior to the April 20 Deepwater Horizon rig explosion that sparked the underwater spill. Between February and the end of April 2010, 114 dolphins and whales were stranded.

Nearly 1,000 more were stranded

between April 30, 2010 and January 26, 2014. Those included 86 baby dolphins that washed ashore dead from Louisiana to western Florida between January and April 2011. NOAA scientist Teri Rowles said that neither the measles-like morbillivirus blamed for killing bottlenose dolphins along the US East Coast-nor the bacterial infection brucellosis appear to be the cause of the Gulf of Mexico deaths.

“At this time we don’t have a factor that we can pinpoint as a causative agent and we certainly at this point cannot rule out the role of the BP oil spill in the mortality event,” said Rowles. Craig Harms, a veterinarian that helped check the dolphin’s health said that their symptoms mirrored those seen in lab animals exposed to oil. “Crude oil exposure is the most reasonable explanation for adrenal insufficiency and lung disease in the Barataria Bay dolphins,” said Harms, an associate professor at the North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine.— AFP

Amid drought, California agency won’t allot water SACRAMENTO: Amid severe drought conditions, California officials announced Friday they won’t send any water from the state’s vast reservoir system to local agencies beginning this spring, an unprecedented move that affects drinking water supplies for 25 million people and irrigation for 1 million acres of farmland. The announcement marks the first time in the 54-year history of the State Water Project that such an action has been taken, but it does not mean that every farm field will turn to dust and every city tap will run dry.

The 29 agencies that draw from the state’s water-delivery system have other sources, although those also have been hard-hit by the drought. Many farmers in California’s Central Valley, one of the most productive agricultural regions in the country, also draw water from a separate system of federally run reservoirs and canals, but that system also will deliver just a fraction of its normal water allotment this year. The announcement affects water deliveries planned to begin this spring, and the allotment could increase if weather patterns change and send more storms into the state.

Nevertheless, Friday’s announcement puts an exclamation point on California’s water shortage, which has been building during three years of below-normal rain and snow. “ This is the most serious drought we’ve faced in modern times,” said Felicia Marcus, chairwoman of the State Water Resources Control Board. “We need to conserve what little we have to use later in the year, or even in future years.” State Depar tment of Water Resources Director Mark Cowin said there simply is not enough water in the system to meet the needs of farmers, cities and the conservation efforts that are intended to save dwindling populations of salmon and other fish throughout Nor thern California.

For perspective, California would have to experience heavy rain and snowfall every other day from now until May to get the state back to its average annual precipitation totals, according to the Department of Water Resources. “These actions will protect us all in the long run,” Cowin said during a news conference that included numerous state and federal officials, including those from wildlife and agricultural agencies.

Friday’s announcement came after Gov. Jerry Brown’s official drought declaration in mid-January, a decision that cleared the way for state and federal agencies to coordinate efforts to preserve water and send it where it is needed most. The governor urged Californians to reduce their water use by 20 percent. It also reflects the severity of the dry conditions in the nation’s most populous state.

Officials say 2013 was the state’s driest calendar year since records started being kept, and this year is heading in the same direction.

A snow sur vey on Thursday in the Sierra Nevada, one of the state’s key water

sources, found the water content in the meager snowpack is just 12 percent of normal. Reservoirs are lower than they were at the same time in 1977, which is one of the two previous driest water years on record. State officials say 17 rural communities are in danger of a severe water shortage within four months. Wells are running dry or reservoirs are nearly empty in some communities. Others have longrunning problems that predate the drought. The timing for of Friday’s historic announcement was important: State water officials typically announce they are raising the water allotment on Feb. 1, but this year’s winter has been so dry they wanted to ensure they could keep the remaining water behind the dams. The announcement also will give farmers more time to determine what crops they will plant this year and in what quantities.

Farmers and ranchers throughout the state already have felt the drought’s impact, tearing out orchards, fallowing fields and trucking in alfalfa to feed cattle on withered range land.

Without deliveries of surface water, farmers and other water users often turn to pumping from underground aquifers.

The state has no role in regulating such pumping. “A zero allocation is catastrophic and woefully inadequate for Kern County residents, farms and businesses,” Ted Page, president the Kern County Water Agency’s board, said in a statement.

“While many areas of the county will continue to rely on ground water to make up at least part of the difference, some areas have exhausted their supply.”

Groundwater levels already have been stressed, after pumping accelerated during the dry winter in 2008 and 2009.

“The challenge is that in last drought we drew down groundwater resources and never allowed them to recover,” said Heather Cooley, water program co-director for the Pacific Institute, a water policy think tank in Oakland. “We’re seeing long term, ongoing declining groundwater levels, and that’s a major problem.” Many towns and cities already have ordered severe cutbacks in water use. With some rivers reduced to a trickle, fish populations also are being affected. Eggs in salmon-spawning beds of the American River near Sacramento were sacrificed after upstream releases from Folsom Dam were severely cut back.

The drought is highlighting the traditional tensions between the groups that claim the state’s limited water for their own priorities - farmers, city residents and conservationists. Chuck Bonham, director of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, urged everyone to come together during the water crisis. “This is not about picking between delta smelt and long-fin smelt and chinook salmon, and it’s not about picking between fish and farms or people and the environment,” he said. “It is about really hard decisions on a real-time basis where we may have to accept some impact now to avoid much greater impact later.”— AP

Mexican technique to treat bone cancer ‘Water Controlled Hyperthermia’ kills cancer cells with heat KUWAIT: The National Rehabilitation Institute in Mexico made public a successful technique to treat bone cancer as well as the development of a treatment called “Water Controlled Hyperthermia” (abbreviated to HHC in Spanish), which kills cancer cells with heat. For the last 20 years, the National Rehabilitation Institute has been developing the “Mexican Line of Prosthesis for Tumor Reconstruction”.

This Line has had positive results in patients that were about to lose a limb and it has also had a low cost. This was claimed by the Head of the Bone Tumor Service of the Institute, Doctor Genaro Rico Martinez. He said that more than 200 people with hip problems, 40 people with humerus problems and several people with knee, elbow and hand problems have received the benefits of the mentioned treatments. This is one of the reasons why the National Rehabilitation Institute is regarded as one of the best institutions in the world specializing in orthopedic oncology.

Doctor Rico Martinez highlighted that people coming from other countries such as Cuba have also been treated at the Institute. Several experiences have been shared with Brazil, Guatemala and Colombia, where research development and technological innovation in the treatment of patients with bone cancer is recognized. In a press conference, Doctor Rico Martinez showed different successful stories in the treatment and rehabilitation of patients coming from different parts of Mexico. He showed an implant of a massive prosthesis of femur, one of shoulder, one of hip and one of knee. These prostheses gave the patients their mobility back to normal levels.

These implants were developed in Mexico and provide the body with stability so that the patient is allowed to preserve the damaged limb, since most of the people affected by bone cancer are very likely to have an amputation, said the Doctor. He emphasized that the relevance of this technique is quite high because it reintegrates

sick teenagers and adults to their normal lives.

These are the population sectors in which most of the cases of bone tumors are presented.

Doctor Miguel Linares, specialist of the National Rehabilitation Institute, talked about the characteristics of the prostheses and mentioned that this Mexican innovation leaves nueva imagen 2012-2018-2-02 surgical steel behind and only uses titanium, which is widely known for its lightness. In this way, the Mexican implants form part of the best implants in the world.

Doctor Linares said that this effort constitutes 23 years of continuous work in the subspecialty of orthopedic oncology. Regarding “Water Controlled Hyperthermia”, Doctor Rico Martinez

said that it is a procedure that consists in exposing the sick bone to heat-based treatments at 42∞C, which kills cancer cells.

We understood that there were patients that needed a more limited and conservative surgical treatment in order to preserve the most of the bone segments. This is how the principle of Water Controlled Hyperthermia was born, said Doctor Rico. He explained that this principle consists in applying heat to the affected zone through water vapor or by sinking the whole affected body in water at 50∞C. “Today, heat constitutes the fourth pillar of cancer treatment together with surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy”, he concluded.

Komodo dragon dies at Indonesia’s ‘death zoo’

CALIFORNIA: Low water levels are visible at the Stevens Creek Reservoir in Cupertino, California. Now in its third straight year of drought conditions, California is experiencing its driest year on record, dating back 119 years, and reservoirs throughout the state have low water levels.— AFP

SURABAYA: A three-year-old komodo dragon has died at an Indonesian zoo infamous for scores of animal deaths, zoo officials said yesterday. A zookeeper found the dragon dead in its cage yesterday morning when he came to feed the giant lizard. “I moved its tail, but it didn’t respond and when I checked, its eyes were already shut,” said zookeeper Suraji, who like many Indonesians goes by one name.

The zoo was conducting an autopsy to find the cause of death, zoo spokesman Agus Supangkat said. The Surabaya zoo, the biggest in Indonesia, has seen 105 animal deaths since July 2013, Supangkat added. The komodo dragon is the fifth fatality at the zoo since the start of the year, following the death of a deer a day earlier, he added. An 18-month-old African lion died earlier in January after getting its head caught in cables in its cage.

The management of the zoo has been taken over by the Surabaya city administration, but the deaths have not stopped and animal welfare groups continue to call for its closure. The komodo dragons are native to several Indonesian islands, where their habitat is protected, and are considered a vulnerable species, with only a few thousand left in the world. The world’s largest monitor SURABAYA: Plain clothes police hold a dead komodo dragon at Surabaya zoo, in East lizards, they can grow up to three meters and weigh up Java yesterday. A three-year-old komodo dragon has died at an Indonesian zoo infato 70 kilograms (154 pounds).— AFP mous for scores of animal deaths, zoo officials said yesterday. —AFP

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2014

H E A LT H & S C I E N C E

FDA reviews safety of testosterone therapy for men Studies suggest they can increase risk of heart attack, stroke WASHINGTON: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said it is reviewing the safety of popular testosterone drugs for men in light of recent studies suggesting they can increase the risk of heart attack, stroke and death. A study published earlier this week suggested testosterone therapy could double the risk of those problems in men older than 65. Another study published in November found that the hormone increased the risk by 30 percent.

The FDA said it is evaluating information from those studies and others but hasn’t yet reached any conclusion.

The investigation comes amid an advertising blitz for testosterone gels, patches and injections marketed for low sex drive, fatigue and other agerelated ailments in men. US prescriptions for testosterone have increased more than five-fold in recent years, with sales over $1.6 billion.

Testosterone injections have long been used for men with hypogonadism, a disorder defined by low testosterone caused by injury or infection to the reproductive organs. But the latest marketing push by drugmakers is for easy-to-use gels and

patches that are aimed at a much broader population of otherwise healthy older men with low levels of testosterone, the male hormone that begins to decline in the body after age 40.

Drugmakers and many doctors claim testosterone therapy can reverse some unpleasant of the signs of aging - ranging from insomnia to erectile dysfunction. Those claims are mostly based on short-term studies. The National Institute on Aging is currently conducting a long-term, 800-man trial to definitively answer whether testosterone therapy improves walking ability, sexual function, energy, memory and blood cell count in men 65 years and older. Meanwhile the market for testosterone replacements has grown increasingly crowded. The top-selling product in the field is Abbvie’s Androgel, which is applied to the shoulders and arms. Watson Pharmaceuticals markets the Androderm patch, which slowly releases testosterone into the bloodstream. Fortesta is another testosterone gel from Endo Pharmaceuticals, and Eli Lilly’s Axiron is an underarm gel that rolls on like deodorant.—AP

Washington heartbroken after bus hits beloved owl WASHINGTON: A majestic snowy owl that has in recent days captured the hearts of Washington, a city obsessed with its zoo’s giant panda cub, was being treated after a bus apparently hit it this week. The large bird that has gained something of a cult following after perching atop landings and monuments near the White House suffered a broken toe and possible internal injuries, the wildlife clinic tending to it said.

The Arctic creature is in stable condition and being “kept quiet, cool, fed and closely monitored,” City Wildlife said on Twitter, noting the bird was being fed and given pain, medication, antibiotics and fluids.

“We have postponed taking radiographs until we receive the results of the blood work in case there is any abnormality that would put the bird at risk during anesthesia.”

The animal shelter noted that it may not receive lab test results before Monday. The snowy owl, with its white plumage and yellow eyes,

had captivated onlookers for more than a week, having seemingly blown in during a burst of Arctic air that saw temperatures plummet across the region. The bird’s appearances, whether on store awnings, park benches or tree branches, were chronicled by large crowds of gawkers on social media and by local news outlets. After being struck by the city bus and picked up by Metropolitan Police, the snowy owl was taken to the National Zoo’s hospital then transferred to City Wildlife, which treats small wild animals found in the capital. Bao Bao, the giant panda cub whose gestation, birth and recent first appearance have captivated local attention and given rise to endless media reports, has not been superseded in Washingtonians’ obsession with the furry and feathered, however. The cub’s National Zoo guardians said that she “continues to grow steadily, and is becoming more active and inquisitive with each passing day.”— AFP

WASHINGTON: Photo shows the snowy owl that has been spotted recently in the downtown area. The bird was reportedly struck by a bus January 30 and taken to the Smithsonian National Zoo for treatment. —AFP

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2014

W H AT ’ S O N Announcements IPC courses

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ake your opportunity to learn and improve your Arabic skills. The Women Section of Islam Presentation Committee will be conducting Arabic language course for non-Arab ladies commencing from March 2, 2014. Offers in basic and advanced level and classes are available on Fridays and Saturdays. Islamic subjects and Quran classes are also presented in different language. Classes are offered only once a week. Register now! For more information: Rawdah-22512257; Salmiya-25733263; Khaitan-24730137; Mangaf-23720931; Jahra24567714.

Art & Feast Festival 2014

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ozhikode District Association Mahilavedi is organizing Art & Feast Festival 2014, a full day program for ladies and children on February 21, 2014 at Indian Community School, Khaitan from 9:30 am onwards. A variety of art and cookery competitions with very attractive prices for women and children of all ages aim to promote their talents.

The festival will be inaugurated by Gargy Jain, wife of Ambassador of India to Kuwait. The presence of eminent personalities who are involved in the social, cultural and educational fields of Kuwait and the presence of Master Chef Jumanah Kadri who is reputed all over GCC as well as India for her unique and mouthwatering traditional and multinational cuisines, as a judge for the cooking competitions adds attraction to the event.

TIES Center - Where cultures meet

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IES Center cordially invites all those interested to the following events: Qur’an Quotes and Tafseer class: tomorrow we we will focus on Surat Al-Qadr (The Night of Honor and Decree) at 7 pm. After listening to the recitation of that Surah, I (Hassan) will explain the various connotations of some words and phrases to show the literary beauty and miracle of the Qur’an. The class will involve an open discussion in a casual setting with the aim of reflecting and pondering over the verses of that Surah. After that, we will focus on the lessons that we learn from that Surah. If you are intereted, TIES Center is the best place to visit Monday February 3, 2014 at 7 pm.

Lecture on stress: Lecture entitled, “Can I Love an Alien?” by Suzanne Rechlin. Learn to get the love and support you want by learning to understand the innate difference between men and women in how we communicate, think, and handle stress. Bridge the gap between you and your significant other and discover a variety of new and practical ways to create a lifetime of love and harmony. If you are interested in the topic, TIES Center is the best place to visit on Tuesday February 4 at 7:00pm. Susanne Rechlin is a preschool principal by profession who likes to see individuals and couples be the happiest and most content they can be through understanding each other’s differences and makes those work for them instead of against them. She believes that many challenges in a relationship may be overcome by not expecting the other person to behave according one’s own pattern.

Albanian Cultural Day: In cooperation with the Albanian embassy, the TIES Center will be hosting an Albanian cultural day. The activities will include a presentation about tourism and life in Albania, recitation of poetry related to the country’s rich traditions, a gallery of photos, and some delicious traditional food. This event promises to be exciting, educational, and entertaining. When? Thursday, February 13 from 6:00pm to 8:30pm

Advisory to Indian nationals in Kuwait

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he Embassy of India has been receiving 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 (Email: 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).

Najla Al-Naqqi (background) with the guests at the beginning of the seminar.

Najla Al-Naqqi Forum hosts political seminar

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he Najla Al-Naqqi Forum hosted a seminar recently which discussed the latest developments in the political scene.

The participants agreed on the importance of finding a solution to pressing issues including education, health, housing and unemployment, as well as the need to enforce the law in order to address the increase in corruption indicators in the country. The list of guests featured economic expert Dr. Hajaj Bukhdour, columnist Dr. Shamlan Al-Essa, lawyer Ahmad Al-Mulaifi, and political activists Saud Al-Asfour and Adnan Al-Madhahkah.

Lawyer Ahmad Al-Mulaifi

Dr. Hajaj Bukhdour speaks during the seminar.

(From left) Saud Al-Asfour speaks as Dr. Shamlan Al-Essa and Ahmad Al-Mulaifi take notes.

Cooking competitions conclude HORECA Kuwait

Nabila Al-Anjari and Mohammad Najiya are seen in a group photo with the judging panel and winners.

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ore than 90 chefs were awarded during a ceremony held at the conclusion of the 2014 HORECA Kuwait to celebrate winners of cooking competitions held as part of the three-day exhibition.

Out of 216 chefs from Kuwait and around the world, 25 participants were awarded with first place awards whereas 65 others won second and third place awards.

The competitions featured tests to prepare items from different international cuisines, in addition to new con-

(From left) Nabila Al-Anjari honors Chef Saman Helal as Mohammad Najiya and Jumana Dammous look on.

tests including an ‘engraving on ice’ challenge.

“HORECA’s competitions have seen great growth from starting with only 12 participants during the first exhibition until it attracted 216 chefs in its third installment”, said Saman Helal, the head of the judging panel in a press statement. Meanwhile, Leader’s Group General Manager Nabila Al-Anjari expressed gratitude for sponsors and the government’s support represented by the Department of Tourism in the Ministry of

Commerce and Industry. HORECA Kuwait is an exhibition for hospitality and catering organized by Kuwait’s Leaders Group for Consulting and Development in cooperation with Lebanon’s Hospitality Services Company. The event took place at the Badriya Ballroom in the Jumeirah Hotel featuring more than 50 participating companies in the hospitality, food industry and catering fields.

SEND US YOUR INSTAGRAM PICS

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hat’s more fun than clicking a beautiful picture? Sharing it with others! Let other people see the way you see Kuwait - through your lens. Friday Times will feature snapshots of Kuwait through Instagram feeds. If you want to share your Instagram photos, email us at instagram@kuwaittimes.net

Write to us Send to What’s On upcoming events, birthdays or celebrations by email: local@kuwaittimes.net Fax: 24835619 / 20

Shalom School of Dance holds ‘Night of Natya’

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halom School of Dance conducted the first dance show, ‘Night of Natya 2014’ including the Bharathanatyam Arangetram of seven students. The chief guest and the guest of honor of the event were Dr. Suzanne Al-Bustan, Associate Professor of Kuwait University and Malayalam cine artist Mahalakshmi S. ‘Night of Natya’ was choreographed by Babitha Annice George and took place at Al-Jowhara Al-Ahlia School, Reggai. The show started with a prayer song and prayer

by Fr. Shyju P Mathai. Welcome speech was delivered by the program convener Laiju P Isaac followed by lighting the lamp by Dr. Suzanne Al-Bustan, Mahalakshmi S, Fr. Shyju P. Mathai, parents committee representative Jacob Koshy and the director

Babitha George along with the program convener Laiju P Isaac. Dr. Suzanne congratulated all the performers and the teacher for conducting the event. A souvenir was released to mark the occasion.

‘Night of Natya’ was blessed by the presence of Kuwaiti nationalities. They enjoyed the show and appreciated all the efforts behind ‘Night of Natya’. The show was well coordinated with an innovative presentation taking the spectators through the past years of the School, introduction of the Arangetram students and performing artist. The dance extravaganza concluded with memento distribution to the seven stars of the evening and medals for those who entertained the audience.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2014

W H AT ’ S O N

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-au-gcc.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.

KNES excels at Innovation Camp

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n Monday, January 27, 2014 students of Kuwait National English School (KNES) were engaged in the Innovation Camp organized by INJAZ Kuwait and hosted by Agility. The students competed to find a solution to a business problem that was presented to them. Teams comprising of KNES students excelled in this event and won top honors, thus proving their ability to be

innovative and come up with novel ideas to solving corporate problems. The students impressed the judges and showed sharp reflexes in their ability to handle difficult questions and provided satisfactory responses. We congratulate our teams that won first and second positions in the Innovation Camp. This reflects KNES’ mission to involve our students in the real business environment and to pre-

pare them for career challenges that are bound to arise as they complete their academic pursuits. We are grateful to INJAZ for once again providing this excellent opportunity to students all over Kuwait and also to Agility for their endeavor to be part of the progress of the youth of Kuwait.

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EMBASSY OF INDIA n accordance with the existing guidelines of the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA), a nominal fee of KD 0.500 would be charged separately w.e.f. 27 January 2014 on each item of Attestation Service (except death registration) towards Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF).

All attestation seekers are also advised to prepare & submit each item separately at the counters alongwith the respective usual documents i.e. copy of passport pages containing particulars and a copy of Civil ID to facilitate timely services.

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------------------------------------------------------Holiday Notice he Embassy of India will remain closed on the following dates during the month of February 2014. National Day Of Kuwait - February 25, 2014 - Tuesday and Liberation Day Of Kuwait - February 26, 2014 Wednesday.

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EMBASSY OF SOUTH AFRICA

NBK staff donate blood

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s part of its social responsibility towards the community, NBK actively organized a Blood Donation Campaign for its staff. NBK staff voluntarily went to the Blood Bank and offered their participation for blood donation. The mobile blood unit of the Blood Bank was available at Arraya building to receive the donations.

NBK goes far beyond banking to serve the community in myriad ways.

The Blood Donation Campaign demonstrates NBK’s lasting commitment to the community. This initiative is a com-

mitment towards all patients who are in dire need of blood and is held to support the mobile blood unit of the Blood Bank.

The Blood Bank team commended NBK’s initiative and its continuous cooperation in serving the community in the philanthropist field. NBK strongly supports health care awareness.

Throughout the years, NBK also organized several annual social awareness programs including dental checkups, blood pressure tests, weight checkups and breast cancer awareness.

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outh 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, and the Embassy will be open on 7 February 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: • Be a SA Citizen and be 16 years of age and older; • Submit a valid green bar-coded Identity Document, a valid Temporary Identity Certificate (valid for 2 months) or a Smart Card; • Submit a valid SA Passport; and • 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, Ms L van der Walt and Third Secretary, MC Kekae. nnnnnnn

FAIPS holds inter-school athletic meet 2013-14

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he first interschool athletic meet for the primary section was organized by FAIPS,DPS on December 15, 2013 at KOC Stadium, Ahmadi. The event was marked by a string of spectacular performances presented by the students, who were brimming with enthusiasm and sportsmanship. The grand opening ceremony was graced by the presence of Rajesh Gairola, General Manager, Al-Mulla Trading Company, Principal, FAIPS, Anju Dheman, Vice Principal, Ravi Ayanoli, Headmistress, Vineeta Munshi, principals of other schools and a galaxy of VIPs. The march past of the Houses showcased discipline and sincere practice by the students. The sports captain administered the solemn Oath to the House Captains

and the participants. The chief guest, Rajesh Gairola declared the sports meet open and released colorful balloons with the banner -”Run For Peace” symbolizing the vibrant hopes calling us to follow its flight higher and higher in chasing our dreams. The sports torch was carried by the school Sports Captains and House Captains.

The welcome song - ‘We are the World’ was sung beautifully by the FAIPS choral group, followed by the drill display of boys forming the emblem of Peace. This great show was followed by another display by the little girls of FAIPS. There was the formation - ‘Run For Peace’ the theme of the day spreading the message of unity of all colors to achieve peace, was a vibrant show indeed.

Students from seven schools (Indian Educational School, Salmiya Indian Model School, Jabriya Indian School, Integrated Indian School, Learner’s Own Academy, Al-Amal Indian School and FAIPS) participated in the various athletic events under different categories. FAIPS,DPS stood first with 105 points, followed

by Indian Educational School with 51 points and Learner’s Own Academy with 37 points.

Ismail Abdulla, Deputy Managing Director of Kuwait Oil Company gave away the prizes for the winners. The event came to an end leaving thrilling memories in the hearts of each and every one present.

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.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2014

TV PROGRAMS

00:30 The Weakest Link 01:15 Live At The Apollo 02:00 Alan Carr: Chatty Man 02:45 Him & Her 03:15 Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle 03:50 Moone Boy 04:15 The Weakest Link 05:00 Me Too! 05:20 Nina And The Neurons: In The Lab 05:35 Bobinogs 05:45 Jackanory Junior 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 Jackanory Junior 07:15 Garth And Bev 07:25 Poetry Pie 07:30 Little Prairie Dogs 07:40 Tough Guy Or Chicken?

08:30 A Farmer’s Life For Me 09:20 The Weakest Link 10:05 My Family 10:35 As Time Goes By 11:05 One Foot In The Grave 11:35 The Weakest Link 12:20 Tough Guy Or Chicken?

13:10 A Farmer’s Life For Me 14:00 Doctors 14:30 Doctors 15:00 Doctors 15:30 Doctors 16:00 Doctors 16:30 The Weakest Link 17:15 Monty Halls’ Island Escapes 18:05 Tess Of The D’urbervilles 19:00 Last Of The Summer Wine 19:30 My Family 20:00 Stella 20:45 New Tricks 21:35 Friday Night Dinner 22:00 Live At The Apollo 22:45 Him & Her 23:15 The Weakest Link

00:10 Cash In The Attic 00:55 Phil Spencer - Secret Agent 01:45 Phil Spencer - Secret Agent 02:35 Fat & Fatter 03:25 Bargain Hunt 04:10 Bargain Hunt 04:55 Fantasy Homes Down Under 05:40 Fantasy Homes Down Under 06:25 Fantasy Homes Down Under 07:10 Fantasy Homes Down Under 08:00 Cash In The Attic 08:45 Fantasy Homes Down Under 09:30 Design Rules 09:55 Design Rules 10:20 Rhodes Across The Caribbean 11:05 Rhodes Across The Caribbean 11:50 The Hairy Bikers Ride Again 12:20 Rachel Khoo’s Kitchen Notebook: London 12:45 MasterChef 13:40 MasterChef 14:35 Fat & Fatter 15:30 Bargain Hunt: Famous Finds 16:15 Bargain Hunt: Famous Finds 17:00 Bargain Hunt: Famous Finds 17:45 Bargain Hunt: Famous Finds 18:30 Bargain Hunt: Famous Finds 19:15 Bargain Hunt: Famous Finds 20:00 The Hairy Bikers: Mums Know Best 20:55 Come Dine With Me: Supersized 22:30 Antiques Roadshow 23:20 Bargain Hunt: Famous Finds

00:30 Gangland 01:30 Psychic Kids 02:30 Psychic Kids

03:30 04:30 05:30 06:30 07:30 08:00 08:30 09:00 09:30 10:00 10:30 11:00 11:30 12:00 12:30 13:00 13:30 14:00 14:30 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 22:30 23:30

09:15 How Tech Works 09:40 The Gadget Show 10:05 The Tech Show 10:30 Scrapheap Challenge 11:25 Scrapheap Challenge 12:20 Scrapheap Challenge 13:10 Scrapheap Challenge 14:00 Scrapheap Challenge 14:50 Bigger, Better, Faster, Stronger 15:20 The Gadget Show 15:45 The Tech Show 16:10 Strangest Weather On Earth 16:35 Strangest Weather On Earth 17:00 Europe’s Secret Earthquakes 17:55 Ways To Save The Planet 18:45 How The Earth Works 19:35 Unchained Reaction 20:30 How Tech Works 20:55 How Tech Works 21:20 How The Earth Works 22:10 The Gadget Show 22:35 The Tech Show 23:00 How Tech Works 23:25 How Tech Works 23:50 How The Earth Works

Psychic Kids My Ghost Story The Haunting Of Psychic Kids Curious & Unusual Deaths Curious & Unusual Deaths Curious & Unusual Deaths Curious & Unusual Deaths Curious & Unusual Deaths Curious & Unusual Deaths Curious & Unusual Deaths Snapped: Women Who Kill Snapped: Women Who Kill Snapped: Women Who Kill Snapped: Women Who Kill Snapped: Women Who Kill Snapped: Women Who Kill Snapped: Women Who Kill Snapped: Women Who Kill Deadly Wives I Killed My BFF I Killed My BFF Martina Cole’s Lady Killers Snapped: Women Who Kill Snapped: Women Who Kill Snapped: Women Who Kill Curious & Unusual Deaths Killers Britain’s Darkest Taboos

00:05 Alien Mysteries 00:55 The Unexplained Files 01:45 Weird Or What?

02:35 How It’s Made 03:00 How It’s Made 03:25 How It’s Made 03:50 How It’s Made 04:15 How It’s Made 04:40 How Do They Do It? 05:05 How Do They Do It? 05:30 How Do They Do It? 06:00 How Do They Do It? 06:30 How Do They Do It? 07:00 Fast N’ Loud 07:50 World’s Top 5 08:40 How It‘s Made: Dream Cars 09:05 How It’s Made: Dream Cars 09:30 Gold Rush - South America 10:20 Gold Fever 11:10 Ice Cold Gold 12:00 Destroyed In Seconds 12:25 Destroyed In Seconds 12:50 Destroyed In Seconds 13:15 Destroyed In Seconds 13:40 How It’s Made 14:05 How It’s Made 14:30 How It’s Made 14:55 How It’s Made 15:20 How It’s Made 15:45 Auction Kings 16:10 Auction Kings 16:35 Auction Kings 17:00 Auction Kings 17:25 Auction Kings 17:50 Border Security 18:15 Border Security - Series Specials 18:40 Border Security - Series Specials 19:05 Border Security - Series Specials 19:30 Border Security - Series Specials 19:55 Mythbusters 20:45 What Happened Next?

21:10 What Happened Next?

21:35 Head Games 22:25 Gold Rush - South America 23:15 Gold Fever

00:40 01:30 01:55 02:20 03:10 04:00 04:45 05:30 05:55 06:20 07:10 08:00 08:25 08:50 09:15 09:40 10:30 11:20 12:10 13:00 13:50 14:40 Jones 15:30 Jones 16:20 17:10 18:00 18:50 19:40 20:30 21:20 22:10 23:00 23:50 Jones

Deadly Devotion I Married A Mobster I Married A Mobster Serial Killers Disappeared Killer Kids Deadly Devotion I Married A Mobster I Married A Mobster Serial Killers I Almost Got Away With It Stalked: Someone’s Watching Stalked: Someone’s Watching Stalked: Someone’s Watching Stalked: Someone’s Watching Dr G: Medical Examiner Dr G: Medical Examiner Dr G: Medical Examiner Dr G: Medical Examiner On The Case With Paula Zahn On The Case With Paula Zahn True Crime With Aphrodite

Disappeared Disappeared Disappeared Disappeared On The Case With Paula Zahn On The Case With Paula Zahn On The Case With Paula Zahn On The Case With Paula Zahn Deadly Women True Crime With Aphrodite

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00:40 The Colony 01:30 Bigger, Better, Faster, Stronger 02:00 Mega World 02:50 Futurecar 03:45 Futurecar 04:35 Futurecar 05:25 Futurecar 06:15 The Gadget Show 06:40 The Tech Show 07:05 How Does That Work?

07:35 How Does That Work?

08:00 How The Earth Works 08:50 How Tech Works

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 09:30 09:55 10:15 10:40

The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody Jonas Jonas 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 Jonas Jonas Suite Life On Deck Suite Life On Deck Wizards Of Waverly Place Wizards Of Waverly Place Austin And Ally Dog With A Blog A.N.T. Farm A.N.T. Farm That’s So Raven Shake It Up Good Luck Charlie Dog With A Blog Gravity Falls Wolfblood My Babysitter’s A Vampire A.N.T. Farm Ratatouille

Arena-18 Blown Away-PG15 Brake-PG15 Ice Road Terror-PG15 Arctic Blast-PG15 When A Stranger Calls-PG15 The Man Inside-PG15 Arctic Blast-PG15 Shadow Conspiracy-PG15 The Man Inside-PG15 Sultanes Del Sur-PG15 Beverly Hills Cop-18

00:00 02:00 04:00 PG15 06:00 08:00 10:00 12:00 PG15 14:00 16:00 18:00 PG 20:00 22:00

You, Me And Dupree-18 Dazed And Confused-18 10 Things I Hate About YouCeltic Pride-PG Look Who’s Talking-PG15 Love Birds-PG15 10 Things I Hate About YouToys-PG Love Birds-PG15 Who Framed Roger RabbitCherry-18 You, Me And Dupree-18

LOVE BIRDS ON OSN MOVIES COMEDY HD 12:25 12:35 13:00 Fairies 13:25 Fairies 13:50 Fairies 14:15 Fairies 14:40 Fairies 15:10 Fairies 15:35 Fairies 16:00 Fairies 16:25 Fairies 16:50 17:10 17:20 17:45 18:10 18:30 18:55 19:20 19:40 20:05 20:30 20:50 21:15 21:40 22:00 22:25 22:50 23:10 23:35

Prank Stars Dog With A Blog The Adventures Of Disney The Adventures Of Disney The Adventures Of Disney The Adventures Of Disney The Adventures Of Disney The Adventures Of Disney The Adventures Of Disney The Adventures Of Disney The Adventures Of Disney Pixie Hollow Games Toy Story Toons Jessie Dog With A Blog Gravity Falls Wolfblood My Babysitter’s A Vampire Good Luck Charlie Jessie Austin & Ally Good Luck Charlie Dog With A Blog Gravity Falls Shake It Up Austin & Ally A.N.T. Farm Good Luck Charlie Wizards Of Waverly Place Wizards Of Waverly Place

00:00 Chelsea Lately 00:30 The Dance Scene 00:55 The Dance Scene 01:25 20 Acts Of Love Gone Wrong 03:15 THS 04:10 E! Investigates 05:05 Extreme Close-Up 05:30 Extreme Close-Up 06:00 THS 07:50 Style Star 08:20 E! News 09:15 Scouted 10:15 Eric And Jessie: Game On 10:40 Eric And Jessie: Game On 11:10 Married To Jonas 11:35 Married To Jonas 12:05 E! News 13:05 Giuliana & Bill 14:05 Giuliana & Bill 15:00 Giuliana & Bill 16:00 Giuliana & Bill 17:00 Giuliana & Bill 18:00 E! News 19:00 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 20:00 The Drama Queen 21:00 The Drama Queen 22:00 Eric And Jessie: Game On 22:30 Eric And Jessie: Game On 23:00 Party On 23:30 Chelsea Lately

BLOWN AWAY ON OSN MOVIES HD ACTION

00:15 02:00 04:15 06:00 08:00 10:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00

01:00 StreetDance 2-PG15 03:00 The Good Doctor-PG15 05:00 The First Grader-PG15 07:00 Muhammad Ali’s Greatest Fight-PG15 09:00 StreetDance 2-PG15 11:00 The Good Doctor-PG15 13:00 Love Finds A Home-PG15 15:00 Resistance-PG15 17:00 The Forger-PG15 19:00 Shelter-PG15 21:00 Another Happy Day-18 23:00 Being Flynn-18

True Crime With Aphrodite

6

6

20:00 The Man Inside 22:00 Sultanes Del Sur

00:15 Deadliest Journeys 00:45 The Witch Doctor Will See You Now 01:40 Lonely Planet: Roads Less Travelled 02:35 The Real Man’s Road Trip 03:30 David Rocco‚Äôs Dolce Vita 03:55 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 04:25 Eat Street 04:50 Bondi Rescue 05:20 Lonely Planet: Roads Less Travelled 06:15 Street Food Around The World 06:40 David Rocco’s Amalfi Getaway 07:10 Bondi Rescue 07:35 Bondi Rescue 08:05 When Vacations Attack 09:00 Kimchi Chronicles

09:25 Street Food Around The World 09:55 Street Food Around the World 10:20 Deadliest Journeys 10:50 A World Apart 11:45 Lonely Planet: Roads Less Travelled 12:40 Bondi Rescue 13:05 Bondi Rescue 13:35 Extreme Tourist Afghanistan 14:30 Eat Street 14:55 Bondi Rescue 15:25 Banged Up Abroad 16:20 Don’t Tell My Mother 17:15 Banged Up Abroad 18:10 Street Food Around the World 18:35 Deadliest Journeys 19:05 Lonely Planet: Roads Less Travelled 20:00 Street Food Around The World 20:30 David Rocco’s Amalfi Getaway 21:00 Bondi Rescue 21:30 Bondi Rescue 22:00 Scam City 22:55 Street Food Around the World 23:20 Eat Street

00:30 Brain Games 01:00 Wild Russia 02:00 Untamed Americas 03:00 Big, Bigger, Biggest 04:00 World’s Toughest Fixes 05:00 World’s Toughest Fixes 06:00 Animal Mega Moves 07:00 The Best Job In The World 07:30 Wild Scotland: The Western Isles 08:30 Brain Games 09:00 Wild Russia 10:00 Untamed Americas 11:00 Alaska Wing Men 12:00 The Two Million Year Old Boy 13:00 That Shouldn’t Fly 14:00 Wild Russia 15:00 Lords of War 15:30 Wild Scotland: The Western Isles 16:30 Nat Geo’s Most Amazing Photos 17:00 Adventure Wanted 18:00 Aftermath 19:00 Salvage Code Red 20:00 Aftermath 21:00 Prehistoric Predators 22:00 Salvage Code Red 23:00 Megacities

00:20 World’s Weirdest Brains And Babies 01:10 Outback Wrangler 02:00 Swamp Men 02:50 World’s Weirdest Extreme Body Parts 03:45 How Big Can It Get 04:40 Brilliant Beasts 05:35 Unlikely Animal Friends 06:30 Animal Intervention 07:25 Caught In The Act 08:20 Fish Tank Kings 09:15 Expedition Wild 10:10 Animal Mega Moves 11:05 Animal Mega Moves 12:00 Shark Men 12:55 The Invaders 13:50 World’s Weirdest: Animal Taboo 14:45 Secrets Of The King Cobra 15:40 Wild Scotland: The Western Isles 16:35 Wild Scotland: The Western Isles 17:30 Secret Brazil 18:25 Animal Mega Moves 19:20 Shark Men 20:10 The Invaders 21:00 World’s Weirdest: Animal Taboo 21:50 Secrets Of The King Cobra

22:40 Wild Scotland: The Western Isles 23:30 Wild Scotland: The Western Isles

00:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 01:00 The Colbert Report 01:30 Saturday Night Live 02:30 Louie 03:00 Arrested Development 03:30 Baby Daddy 04:00 Seinfeld 04:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 05:30 Seinfeld 06:00 Raising Hope 06:30 Friends 07:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 08:00 Seinfeld 08:30 Seinfeld 09:00 Arrested Development 09:30 That Mitchell And Webb Look 10:00 Two And A Half Men 10:30 Friends 11:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 12:00 Raising Hope 12:30 Seinfeld 13:00 Seinfeld 13:30 Friends 14:00 Baby Daddy 14:30 That Mitchell And Webb Look 15:00 Two And A Half Men 15:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 16:00 The Colbert Report 16:30 Last Man Standing 17:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 18:00 Arrested Development 18:30 The Simpsons 19:00 2 Broke Girls 19:30 Two And A Half Men 20:00 Whitney 20:30 Web Therapy 21:00 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 21:30 The Colbert Report 22:00 Saturday Night Live 23:00 Don’t Trust The B In Apartment 23 23:30 Whitney

00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 12:30 14:00 15:00 16:00 16:30 18:00 19:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

00:00 02:15 04:00 06:15 08:00 10:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00

C.S.I. New York Helix Banshee House Of Cards The Glades Almost Human C.S.I. New York Burn Notice Made In Jersey Almost Human Helix The Glades Emmerdale Coronation Street Made In Jersey C.S.I. New York Emmerdale Coronation Street Made In Jersey Franklin & Bash Suits Supernatural House Of Cards

Miami Vice Arena Blown Away Brake Ice Road Terror Arctic Blast When A Stranger Calls The Man Inside Arctic Blast Shadow Conspiracy

01:00 03:15 05:00 07:00 09:00 11:15 13:00 PG15 15:00 17:00 19:00 21:00 23:00

7 Days In Havana-18 The Daughter-18 A Kiss Before Dying-PG15 Stealing Bess-PG15 Dreamgirls-PG15 Teenage Paparazzo-PG15 Encounter With DangerThe Perfect Man-PG Teenage Paparazzo-PG15 Nobody Walks-PG15 Being John Malkovich-PG15 Route Irish-PG15

01:00 Drift-PG15 03:00 The Host-PG15 05:15 Tinker Bell And The Secret Of The Wings-FAM 07:00 Bobby Fischer Against The World-PG15 09:00 You Got Served: Beat The World-PG15 11:00 The Wishing Well-PG15 13:00 A Christmas Kiss-PG15 15:00 Wild Card-PG15 17:00 You Got Served: Beat The World-PG15 19:00 The Impossible-PG15 21:00 Pitch Perfect-PG15 23:00 Side Effects-18

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

I Think I Do-PG15 Love’s Kitchen-PG15 A Cat In Paris-PG Surf’s Up-PG Today’s Special-PG15 Nacho Libre-PG Love’s Kitchen-PG15 3 Holiday Tails-PG Today’s Special-PG15 The Expendables 2-PG15 Butter-18 Age Of Heroes-PG15

02:00 03:00 03:30 06:30 07:00 11:30 12:00 16:00 18:00 18:30 19:00 20:00 20:30 21:00 22:30 23:00

Trans World Sport NFL Game Day Snooker Futbol Mundial PGA Tour PGA European Tour Weekly Live PGA European Tour Live LV Cup Futbol Mundial ICC Cricket 360 Trans World Sport Inside The PGA Tour PGA European Tour Weekly Live PGA Tour Inside The PGA Tour Live PGA Tour

00:30 01:00 01:30 02:00 02:30 07:00 08:00 08:30 09:00 11:00 11:30 15:00 15:30 18:30 20:30 21:00

Futbol Mundial NFL Game Day ICC Cricket 360 PGA European Tour Weekly PGA European Tour Trans World Sport Futbol Mundial NFL Game Day NHL ICC Cricket 360 Live Cricket Twenty20 Futbol Mundial HSBC Sevens World Series LV Cup NFL Game Day Live NHL

Costner passionate over ‘Draft Day’ as film classic

O

scar-winning actor Kevin Costner says his new movie “Draft Day”, the story of a National Football League team general manager, has a chance to become a rare sports movie classic. And the 59-year-old American would know, given his roles in a trio of iconic baseball films-”Bull Durham”, “Field of Dreams” and “For Love of the Game”. “I wouldn’t be in it if I didn’t think it had a chance to be great,” Costner said. “‘Draft Day’ has a chance to be classic.”

Two days before Super Bowl 48 sends Seattle against Denver for the NFL title, Costner spoke about the April 11 release directed by Ivan Reitman, a fictional look at the upcoming 2014 NFL Draft with the coarse language he says a sports film needs to ring true. “To get a great movie, there has to be a proper amount of vulgarity in it,” Costner said. “There’s a level of poetry that that has to go with the vulgarity. “Ivan rode the edge of a movie that could become a classic. It has to have that grit and it does in the end.”

Reitman noted that the film, the first made in conjunction with the NFL and partly filmed at last year’s draft, was written to be about the Buffalo Bills. But better state tax rebates saw the project tweaked to feature another long-struggling team with a devoted following, the Cleveland Browns. “It came down to money,” Reitman said. “There was also a lot of fear how well it would do outside North America. Every million back meant a lot to us.”

The movie’s focus is on the NFL Draft, where the worst NFL teams get the first chance to pick from new talent available from the college ranks. “We explain enough of the mechanics of the draft that I think people will understand it,” Reitman said. “What’s amazing is what’s going on in 32 NFL ‘war rooms’ across the country. It’s a behind-the-scenes world we rarely get to see.”

Costner says the tale of tensions and emotions on the job transcends sport, and doesn’t require viewers to know much about American football while staying true to the vision for those who do. “I don’t care if it ever plays in Europe,” Costner said. “If it’s a little vulgar and it doesn’t play on planes, I don’t care. This is our game and we have encapsulated it in this movie.”

Among the points is the pressure an entire city can place upon a sports team general manager to make the correct decisions about talent. “It doesn’t stop for him,” Costner said. “His mother even hates what he’s doing. I didn’t find that unbelievable at all.

It’s something that drew me to it.” In test screenings, Reitman said, “People who knew nothing about football scored the movie the same as people who knew a lot, and it was high.”

Jennifer Garner plays the Browns’ salary cap manager, making certain the moves of Costner’s character, Sonny Weaver, are within NFL budget limits. She smiled as hundreds of camera clicks greeted her arrival to Friday’s promotional event. “You guys have been shooting a lot of boys, haven’t you?” she said.

Garner followed the real-life inspiration for her character so much that she was constantly being reminded that all she saw was confidential. “The thing I love about my character is that she is the smartest woman in the room most of the time,” Garner said. “I’ve got a lot of respect for any woman who goes into the world of little boys.” — AFP

02:30 To Highlight 03:00 IC 360 03:30 Tr Sport 04:30 PG Highlight 05:30 PG Highlight 06:30 To 07:00 Go 08:00 As 09:00 PG 10:00 PG Highlight 11:00 To 13:00 LV 15:00 Go 16:00 As 17:00 PG

Classifieds SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2014

Kuwait SHARQIA-1 JACK RYAN: SHADOW RECRUIT (DIG) LONE SURVIVOR (DIG) JACK RYAN: SHADOW RECRUIT (DIG) LONE SURVIVOR (DIG) LONE SURVIVOR (DIG) LONE SURVIVOR (DIG)

12:30 PM 2:45 PM 5:30 PM 7:45 PM 10:15 PM 12:45 AM

SHARQIA-2 THE NUT JOB (DIG) THE NUT JOB (DIG) FROZEN (DIG-3D) THE NUT JOB (DIG) THE LEGEND OF HERCULES (DIG) THE LEGEND OF HERCULES (DIG) THE LEGEND OF HERCULES (DIG)

12:45 PM 2:30 PM 4:15 PM 6:30 PM 8:30 PM 10:30 PM 12:30 AM

KNCC PROGRAMME FROM THURSDAY TO WEDNESDAY (30/01/2014 TO 05/02/2014) FANAR-5 LONE SURVIVOR (DIG) LONE SURVIVOR (DIG) LONE SURVIVOR (DIG) LONE SURVIVOR (DIG) LONE SURVIVOR (DIG)

2:00 PM 4:30 PM 7:00 PM 9:30 PM 12:05 AM

MARINA-1 LONE SURVIVOR (DIG) LONE SURVIVOR (DIG) JACK RYAN: SHADOW RECRUIT (DIG) LONE SURVIVOR (DIG) LONE SURVIVOR (DIG) LONE SURVIVOR (DIG)

12:30 PM 2:45 PM 5:15 PM 7:45 PM 10:00 PM 12:15 AM

MARINA-2 LABOR DAY (DIG) HOMEFRONT (DIG) RIDE ALONG (DIG) LABOR DAY (DIG) LABOR DAY (DIG) RIDE ALONG (DIG)

1:00 PM 3:30 PM 5:30 PM 7:30 PM 9:45 PM 12:05 AM

MARINA-3 FROZEN (DIG-3D) THE NUT JOB (DIG) FROZEN (DIG-3D) THE NUT JOB (DIG) THE LEGEND OF HERCULES (DIG) THE LEGEND OF HERCULES (DIG) THE LEGEND OF HERCULES (DIG)

12:45 PM 3:00 PM 4:45 PM 7:00 PM 8:45 PM 10:45 PM 12:45 AM

12:45 PM 2:45 PM 5:15 PM 7:15 PM 9:30 PM

AVENUES-1 FROZEN (DIG) FROZEN (DIG) JAI HO (DIG) (HINDI) JAI HO (DIG) (HINDI) LONE SURVIVOR (DIG)

2:00 PM 4:15 PM 6:30 PM 9:30 PM 12:30 AM

MUHALAB-3 THE NUT JOB (DIG) THE NUT JOB (DIG) LABOR DAY (DIG) THE LEGEND OF HERCULES (DIG) THE LEGEND OF HERCULES (DIG)

1:45 PM 3:45 PM 5:30 PM 7:45 PM 9:45 PM

AVENUES-2 SPARKS (DIG) SPARKS (DIG) SPARKS (DIG) SPARKS (DIG) SPARKS (DIG)

2:30 PM 4:45 PM 7:00 PM 9:15 PM 11:30 PM

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)

1:30 PM 3:15 PM 5:15 PM 7:00 PM 9:00 PM 11:00 PM 1:00 AM

AVENUES-3 RIDE ALONG (DIG) RIDE ALONG (DIG) HOMEFRONT (DIG) RIDE ALONG (DIG) RIDE ALONG (DIG) RIDE ALONG (DIG)

2:15 PM 4:30 PM 6:45 PM 9:00 PM 11:15 PM 1:15 AM

SHARQIA-3 RIDE ALONG (DIG) LABOR DAY (DIG) RIDE ALONG (DIG) LABOR DAY (DIG) LABOR DAY (DIG) RIDE ALONG (DIG)

1:00 PM 3:00 PM 5:15 PM 7:15 PM 9:30 PM 11:45 PM

MUHALAB-1 HOMEFRONT (DIG) 2:00 PM LABOR DAY (DIG) 4:30 PM PANDAVULU PANDAVULU THUMMEDA (DIG) (Telugu) PANDAVULU PANDAVULU THUMMEDA (DIG) (Telugu) JAI HO (DIG) (HINDI) 7:00 PM LABOR DAY (DIG) 10:00 PM MUHALAB-2 RIDE ALONG (DIG) LONE SURVIVOR (DIG) RIDE ALONG (DIG) LONE SURVIVOR (DIG) LONE SURVIVOR (DIG)

4:00 PM 7:00 PM

360ยบ 1 THE LEGEND OF HERCULES (DIG) THE LEGEND OF HERCULES (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

1:45 PM 4:00 PM 6:15 PM 8:30 PM 10:45 PM 1:00 AM

12:45 PM 2:45 PM 4:45 PM 6:45 PM 9:45 PM 11:45 PM

360ยบ- 2 THE PACKAGE (DIG) THE PACKAGE (DIG) THE PACKAGE (DIG) THE PACKAGE (DIG) THE PACKAGE (DIG) THE PACKAGE (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

2:00 PM 4:15 PM 6:30 PM 8:45 PM 11:00 PM 1:15 AM

2:15 PM 4:15 PM 6:30 PM 8:30 PM 10:45 PM 12:45 AM

360ยบ- 3 FROZEN (DIG-3D) FROZEN (DIG) FROZEN (DIG-3D) HATOULY RAGEL ?CE??? ?C?? (DIG) THE LEGEND OF HERCULES (DIG)

FANAR-2 LABOR DAY (DIG) FROZEN (DIG) FROZEN (DIG) LABOR DAY (DIG) LABOR DAY (DIG) LABOR DAY (DIG)

1:15 PM 3:30 PM 5:45 PM 8:00 PM 10:15 PM 12:30 AM

FANAR-3 SPARKS (DIG) SPARKS (DIG) SPARKS (DIG) JAI HO (DIG) (HINDI) SPARKS (DIG) SPARKS (DIG) FANAR-4 RIDE ALONG (DIG) JACK RYAN: SHADOW RECRUIT (DIG) RIDE ALONG (DIG) JACK RYAN: SHADOW RECRUIT (DIG) RIDE ALONG (DIG) RIDE ALONG (DIG)

FOR SALE 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

MATRIMONIAL Marriage proposal invited for Kuwait resident, Pakistani Muslim family daughter, age 18 tall smart Hafiza, student BSc. Chemistry, from matching status boy through parents.

Email: contact9132000@gmail.com (C 4631) 29-1-2014 CHANGE OF NAME

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

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, 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)

Prayer timings

Fajr: Shorook Duhr: Asr: Maghrib: Isha:

05:16 06:37 12:02 15:05 17:27 18:46

No: 16065

BABY SITTING

1:00 PM 3:15 PM 5:30 PM 7:45 PM 10:00 PM

Baby sitting, behind Dar AlQuran, Farwaniya. Contact: 66246403.

27-1-2014

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

Airlines JAI KAC JZR JZR THY QTR RJA DLH ETH GFA THY UAE ETD JAI MSR CLX QTR FDB KAC THY DHX QTR FDB JZR BAW KAC ADB FDB KAC KAC QTR SVA KAC UAE KAC KAC ABY ETD FDB QTR FDB IRA GFA JZR MEA IRC SYR UAE JZR MSR KAC KAC IRC KAC

Flt 574 502 267 539 772 1084 642 637 620 211 764 853 305 576 612 792 1076 67 544 770 170 8524 69 529 157 412 1566 53 302 206 1086 512 352 855 362 332 125 301 55 1070 8051 603 213 165 404 6507 341 871 561 610 382 742 6666 774

Arrival Flights on Sunday 2/2/2014 Route MUMBAI BEIRUT BEIRUT CAIRO ISTANBUL DOHA AMMAN-QUEEN ALIA DAMMAM ADDIS ABABA BAHRAIN SABIHA DUBAI ABU DHABI-INTL COCHIN CAIRO LUXEMBOURG DOHA DUBAI CAIRO ISTANBUL BAHRAIN DOHA DUBAI ASYUT LONDON MANILA SINGAPORE DUBAI MUMBAI ISLAMABAD DOHA RIYADH COCHIN DUBAI COLOMBO TRIVANDRUM SHARJAH ABU DHABI-INTL DUBAI DOHA DUBAI SHIRAZ BAHRAIN DUBAI BEIRUT SHIRAZ LATAKIA DUBAI SOHAG CAIRO DELHI DAMMAM AHWAZ RIYADH

Time 00:10 00:15 00:40 00:40 00:45 00:55 01:05 01:10 01:45 02:10 02:15 02:35 02:45 02:50 03:10 03:40 03:45 04:00 04:20 05:35 05:40 05:45 05:50 06:20 06:40 06:45 07:00 07:50 07:55 07:40 07:50 08:15 08:10 08:40 08:45 08:15 09:00 09:20 09:40 09:55 10:35 10:35 10:40 11:30 11:55 12:05 12:10 12:50 12:55 13:00 13:05 13:30 13:45 13:30

FDB QTR SVA KNE KAC KAC FDB UAE FDB QTR ETD RJA SVA ABY GFA AFG JZR KAC UAL RBG QTR FDB KAC JZR KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC GFA OMA FDB JAI AXB ABY MSR KAC DLH KAC ALK FDB MEA ETD UAE GFA QTR FDB KLM JZR JZR AIC FDB UAL JZR PIA

57 1078 500 472 672 788 8053 857 8055 1072 303 640 510 127 215 415 777 284 982 553 1080 63 542 177 786 166 618 102 674 562 217 647 61 572 393 129 606 514 634 172 229 71 402 307 859 219 1074 59 417 135 239 981 61 981 185 205

DUBAI DOHA JEDDAH JEDDAH DUBAI JEDDAH DUBAI DUBAI DUBAI DOHA ABU DHABI-INTL AMMAN-QUEEN ALIA RIYADH SHARJAH BAHRAIN KABUL JEDDAH DHAKA WASHINGTON DC DULLES ALEXANDRIA DOHA DUBAI CAIRO DUBAI JEDDAH PARIS DOHA NEW YORK DUBAI AMMAN-QUEEN ALIA BAHRAIN MUSCAT DUBAI MUMBAI KOZHIKODE SHARJAH LUXOR TEHRAN FRANKFURT FRANKFURT COLOMBO DUBAI BEIRUT ABU DHABI-INTL DUBAI BAHRAIN DOHA DUBAI AMSTERDAM BAHRAIN AMMAN-QUEEN ALIA CHENNAI DUBAI BAHRAIN DUBAI LAHORE

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

Airlines AIC AXB UAL JAI DLH ETH THY UAE KAC ETD MSR QTR FDB QTR KAC CLX JZR FDB JAI JZR RJA THY QTR GFA THY RAB FDB BAW QTR KAC SVA KAC KAC ABY UAE KAC KAC ETD FDB KAC QTR FDB GFA KAC IRA KAC JZR MEA KAC IRC SYR JZR MSR

Departure Flights on Sunday 2/2/2014 Flt Route 976 GOA 490 MANGALORE 981 WASHINGTON 573 MUMBAI 637 FRANKFURT 621 ADDIS ABABA 773 ISTANBUL-ATATURK 854 DUBAI 381 DELHI 306 ABU DHABI 613 CAIRO 1085 DOHA 68 DUBAI 1077 DOHA 283 DHAKA 792 HONG KONG 560 SOHAG 70 DUBAI 575 ABU DHABI 164 DUBAI 643 AMMAN 765 ISTANBUL 8525 DOHA 212 BAHRAIN 771 ISTANBUL 303 BAGRAM 54 DUBAI 156 LONDON 1087 DOHA 171 FRANKFURT 513 RIYADH 787 JEDDAH 671 DUBAI 126 SHARJAH 856 DUBAI 117 NEW YORK 773 RIYADH 302 ABU DHABI 56 DUBAI 741 DAMMAM 1071 DOHA 8052 DUBAI 214 BAHRAIN 541 CAIRO 602 SHIRAZ 103 LONDON 776 JEDDAH 405 BEIRUT 785 JEDDAH 6508 SHIRAZ 342 LATAKIA 176 DUBAI 611 CAIRO

DIAL161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

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

UAE FDB KAC IRC QTR KAC KAC KNE SVA FDB KAC KAC JZR FDB ETD QTR UAE JZR RJA ABY SVA GFA JZR AFG JZR RBG JZR UAL FDB QTR GFA FDB OMA KAC ABY JAI AXB MSR DHX FDB ALK MEA ETD GFA KAC FDB UAE KAC KAC KLM QTR KAC FDB KAC KAC

872 58 561 6667 1079 673 617 473 503 8054 513 501 238 8056 304 1073 858 538 641 128 511 216 184 415 266 553 134 982 64 1081 218 62 648 361 120 571 3944 619 171 72 230 403 308 220 301 60 860 205 351 417 1075 343 62 415 411

DUBAI DUBAI AMMAN AHWAZ DOHA DUBAI DOHA JEDDAH MADINAH DUBAI TEHRAN BEIRUT AMMAN DUBAI ABU DHABI DOHA DUBAI CAIRO AMMAN SHARJAH RIYADH BAHRAIN DUBAI JEDDAH BEIRUT ALEXANDRIA BAHRAIN BAHRAIN DUBAI DOHA BAHRAIN DUBAI MUSCAT COLOMBO SHARJAH MUMBAI KOZHIKODE ALEXANDRIA BAHRAIN DUBAI COLOMBO BEIRUT ABU DHABI BAHRAIN MUMBAI DUBAI DUBAI ISLAMABAD KOCHI DAMMAM DOHA CHENNAI DUBAI KUALA LUMPUR BANGKOK

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

34

stars CROSSWORD 447

STAR TRACK Aries (March 21-April 19) ARIES You have the motivation for improving your surroundings or life situation.

Counseling young people may occupy your day, along with a bit of team sports or some other fun activity. Try to eliminate any aggressiveness or preaching for now--you will avoid hard feelings. You appreciate your ties to others. You seek to observe and promote harmony in the interactions between people. Broadening your intellectual and spiritual horizons takes on a high priority. You are intent on seeing the big picture and getting to the point. You have become more confident in your ability to make decisions.

Being in touch with ideas and people on a grander scale than ever, perhaps through telecommunication or psychology, keeps your enthusiasm high.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) Conversing with others to obtain different opinions, comments and ideas will help you to come up with new solutions or inventions. Mental activity is accented now. Working with--rather than against--the flow should be easy to do. An acquaintance may bring you some news about a job opportunity that is too good to resist. You might want to spend the afternoon updating your resume. Close relationships have a big impact on your life: old ones will be transformed or perhaps even ended--new ones will come on like gangbusters. Everything conspires to reveal you at your most elegant this evening-particularly in social situations. You have a grasp of theoretical and spiritual ideas and conversations are most interesting this evening.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

ACROSS 1. A light touch or stroke.

4. Tall tufted perennial tropical American grass naturalized as pasture and forage grass in southern United States.

12. A small amount (especially of a drink).

15. Any of various primates with short tails or no tail at all.

16. A large group of islands in the south Pacific including Melanesia and Micronesia and Polynesia (and sometimes Australasia and the Malay Archipelago).

17. An accountant certified by the state.

18. Charge falsely or with malicious intent.

20. Of or like a cecum.

21. Goddess of the dead and queen of the underworld.

22. Any property detected by the olfactory system.

24. Having the wind against the forward side of the sails.

26. A member of an agricultural people in southeastern India.

28. A rechargeable battery with a nickel cathode and a cadmium anode.

30. The blood group whose red cells carry both the A and B antigens.

32. Having leadership guidance.

36. (informal) Exceptionally good.

40. Make less active or intense.

42. Of or relating to or characteristic of Japan or its people or their culture or language.

46. Essential oil or perfume obtained from flowers.

47. An amine containing the double bond linkage -C=C-N-.

49. Being one hundred more than two hundred.

52. A statement that deviates from or perverts the truth.

53. (Greek mythology) The Titaness who was mother of Helios and Selene and Eos in ancient mythology.

58. A bureaucrat who levies taxes.

62. Wool of the alpaca.

70. British artist and writer of nonsense verse (1812-1888).

71. West Indian tree having racemes of fragrant white flowers and yielding a durable timber and resinous juice.

74. Full of zest or vigor.

75. God of death.

76. A Russian vehicle (carriage or sled) pulled by three horses abreast.

77. A Loloish language.

78. The second largest city in Tunisia.

79. (of snakes and eels) Naturally footless.

80. United States baseball player (born in 1931).

DOWN 1. An informal term for a father.

2. Someone who copies the words or behavior of another.

3. Make less visible or unclear.

4. Hairdressing consisting of a perfumed oil or ointment.

5. (informal) Of the highest quality.

6. A toxic nonmetallic element related to sulfur and tellurium.

7. A civil or military authority in Turkey or Egypt.

8. Used of a single unit or thing.

9. Freedom to deviate deliberately from normally

applicable rules or practices (especially in behavior or speech).

10. Fiddler crabs.

11. Stem of the rattan palm used for making canes and umbrella handles.

12. A landlocked desert republic in north-central Africa.

13. An organization of countries formed in 1961 to agree on a common policy for the sale of petroleum.

14. An exchange of ideas via conversation.

19. An alloy of mercury with another metal (usually silver) used by dentists to fill cavities in teeth.

23. 16 ounces.

25. African tree having an exceedingly thick trunk and fruit that resembles a gourd and has an edible pulp called monkey bread.

27. A public promotion of some product or service.

29. A state in midwestern United States.

31. An administrative division of some larger or more complex organization.

33. A state in the Rocky Mountains.

34. Type genus of the Otariidae.

35. A sewing machine that overcasts the raw edges of a fabric with a V-shaped stitch.

37. With rapid movements.

38. A fatal disease of cattle that affects the central nervous system.

39. The branch of engineering science that studies the uses of electricity and the equipment for power generation and distribution and the control of machines and communication.

41. An island consisting of a circular coral reef surrounding a lagoon.

43. Game in which matchsticks are arranged in rows and players alternately remove one or more of them.

44. Half the width of an em.

45. A branch of the Tai languages.

48. A colorless and odorless inert gas.

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

51. Before noon.

54. A drug (trade names Atarax and Vistaril) used as a tranquilizer to treat anxiety and motion sickness.

55. A bet that you can pick the first and second finishers in the right order.

56. A Mid-Atlantic state.

57. Evergreen Indian shrub with vivid yellow flowers whose bark is used in tanning.

59. A radioactive element of the actinide series.

60. A coffee cake flavored with orange rind and raisins and almonds.

61. The branch of computer science that deal with writing computer programs that can solve problems creatively.

63. The main organ of photosynthesis and transpiration in higher plants.

64. (obstetrics) The number of live-born children a woman has delivered.

65. Set down according to a plan.

66. Any of numerous local fertility and nature deities worshipped by ancient Semitic peoples.

67. The basic unit of money in Bangladesh.

68. Causing a dull and steady pain.

69. An unfledged or nestling hawk.

72. Alsatian artist and poet who was cofounder of Dadaism in Zurich.

73. A toilet in England.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2014

This morning is a great time to consider and understand your own circumstances, just how you feel about yourself. The emotions and feelings of those around you may be very clear now. Exchanging information takes on more emotional significance for you. Being more involved with neighbors or siblings is fun and somewhere in this day, you will be reacquainted with an old friend and be ready to develop a new friend. You become more active with regard to your special talent and you enjoy the art of expression. This may mean you have a passion to be an advocate for some public issue or it may mean you know just how to entertain others and make them smile. For the next two years you will be learning to see things differently.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) You may have a strong urge for a social life today but chores come first this morning--one thing cannot happen without some other thing being completed. Problems and obstacles, however, are easy to work through once you begin to concentrate on the task at hand. You will tackle maintenance or technical problems around your living quarters today. Others may wish they could handle some of the same maintenance problems--you save money! This is a good day to get things done. You may feel stretching a few muscles later this afternoon and a little resistance exercise would do great things to level out your energy. This evening is for relaxing and you can find just the right people or person to relax away the evening. Harmony is easy to find.

Leo (July 23-August 22) Because you are comfortable with your usual friends, you may send out strange messages as you are being introduced to people you do not know. Just being aware of this fact should help you to create a new approach with others. When you make friends, you tend to keep them a very long time and it is today that you will be coming into contact with some wonderful opportunities to expand your friendships. You can be a fun, upbeat sort of individual and you enjoy the company of all sorts of personalities. This makes you a good host to all sorts of entertainment and if you are ever finding that you need a second income or a new job, some form of the entertainment media is a good choice. Planning events becomes second nature and laughter is contagious.

Virgo (August 23-September 22) You seem open and ready to respond to the day with a great deal of enthusiasm. There are some fun times ahead and you will receive support for whatever you set out to do today. Emotional beginnings, a fresh start and perhaps the establishment of new habit patterns set the tone for you for quite some time to come! This is a good time to stop smoking! You may find a particular project you want to accomplish at this time and your concentration is good. Your passion is strong and you have the energy for following through with whatever is needed. If that means having a talk with the teenager or taking over the chores for a sick friend, you can do it! Self-delusion is strong this evening for everyone, due to the planetary aspects--tread lightly.

Word Search

Libra (September 23-October 22) You are coming into a time of experimenting with new concepts and putting aside a few of the old ideas. Learning and knowing a little about a lot of things, staying in touch and on top of the latest developments satisfy a need for being informed. A busy day keeps your mood elevated. You could be in the stores today, just hunting down the most up-to-date equipment for some project that will make your current work more fun. Take time to relax and enjoy your surroundings. Take a good look at your surroundings and discover the design of the buildings that are around you. Somehow, this will give you some wonderful creative ideas. Leave the work, hobby or home projects behind you this evening and enjoy being with your loved ones.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) Strong and effective methods for obtaining your particular goal this day may take you into some feelings of accomplishment that you may not have previously experienced. Keep those feelings in your mind for future reference when you want to achieve another goal. Remember the focus, the process and the outcome of today in order to encourage and strengthen you in the future. This will set a tone that only achievement can bring--for quite some time to come. This evening you will pay more attention to upkeep in the home. Have you changed the batteries in the fire alarm latelydo you have onebe aware of the frequency of disagreements with your spouse--instead, agree to think things over before making any decisions. The blessings multiply.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) This is a time when your life is full of friends and groups who share some of your ideas with others about how life should be enjoyed. Some of your friends are likely to be way off the beaten path--at the least unusual, and maybe eccentric, and perhaps revolutionary. Your social consciousness is raised. A young person can weave an interesting story today. Do not assume anything; know the facts before you come to any conclusions. Unexpected expenses may have you wondering if you should buy a coat that is on sale this weekend. You will see financial improvements soon--then you can breathe a sigh of relief. One of the greatest indications of growth for you at this time is an open mind--possibilities. Pay attention to the little things.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19) Begin to mentally work on a balance between nutrition, rest and work today.

This is a great time to spend with loved ones--allow some of those responsibilities you add onto yourself to be at rest for today. Meditation brings self-awareness and that can set you free from being a prisoner of your own devices. Dinner out at a not-too-expensive place could bring you and your friends or family together to visit and to enjoy each other's company. Somewhere, out of the blue, you will have some wonderful, insightful, creative ideas. Write them down so as not to lose track of them. Emotional security, a sense of belonging and nurturing are issues felt instinctively now. Expect a sense of support and goodwill from those around you.

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) There are sudden lucky breaks today. This luck may happen as you strive to be noticed or chosen. Now more than ever, you want to be admired and appreciated by others, to do and create things that stir their hearts. This could encompass romance, performing, taking a chance. Investments at this time that seem too good to be true are--so hang onto your checkbook. Be sure to check out any high-tech gambles. Close personal relationships are likely to undergo some testing.

This is a time to cement your ties to others--make sure they are rock-solid. Fairness with and responsibility to the other people in your life are emphasized now. Romance and recreation take on an unusual character, out of step with ordinary expectations.

Pisces (February 19-March 20) You have the energy to deal with your busy day. If the weather is acceptable you will want to complete whatever chores are imperative for outside as well as inside. It may be important to provide fresh water and food outside for the birds. You may become interested in building some sort of bird feeder. There could be a disappointment this afternoon that you might not find the least disappointing--one less chore to do perhaps.

You draw emotional nourishment and a sense of security from ideals, friends and some social involvement later today. Your inner resources and emotions are accented. With your positive attitude and your ability to adjust to changing situations, support and goodwill is yours. A family matter is smoothing over nicely this evening.

Yesterday’s Solution

Yesterday’s Solution

Daily SuDoku

Yesterday’s Solution

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 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 Dr. Latefa Al-Duweisan

22666300 25728004

Dr. Nadem Al-Ghabra

25355515

Dr. Mobarak Aldoub

24726446

Dr Nasser Behbehani

25654300/3

Soor Center Tel: 2290-1677 Fax: 2290 1688

Neurologists

22639939

Dr. Mousa Khadada

info@soorcenter.com www.soorcenter.com

3729596/3729581

Dr. Sohal Najem Al-Shemeri

25633324

Dr. Jasem Mola Hassan

25345875

Gastrologists Dr. Sami Aman

22636464

Dr. Mohammad Al-Shamaly

25322030

Dr. Foad Abidallah Al-Ali

22633135

Kaizen center 25716707

25339330

Dr. Ahmad Al-Ansari 25658888 Dr. Kamal Al-Shomr 25329924 Physiotherapists & VD Dr. Deyaa Shehab

25722291

Dr. Musaed Faraj Khamees

22666288

Rheumatologists: Dr. Adel Al-Awadi

Dr Anil Thomas

Dr. Salem soso

Dr. Abd Al-Naser Al-Othman

25330060

Dr. Khaled Al-Jarallah

25722290

Internist, Chest & Heart DR.Mohammes Akkad

24555050 Ext 210

Dr. Mohammad Zubaid MB, ChB, FRCPC, PACC Assistant Professor Of Medicine Head, Division of Cardiology Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital Consultant Cardiologist Dr. Farida Al-Habib MD, PH.D, FACC Inaya German Medical Center Te: 2575077 Fax: 25723123

2611555-2622555

William Schuilenberg, RPC 2290-1677 Zaina Al Zabin, M.Sc. 2290-1677

Afghanistan 0093 Albania 00355 Algeria 00213 Andorra 00376 Angola 00244 Anguilla 001264 Antiga 001268 Argentina 0054 Armenia 00374 Australia 0061 Austria 0043 Bahamas 001242 Bahrain 00973 Bangladesh 00880 Barbados 001246 Belarus 00375 Belgium 0032 Belize 00501 Benin 00229 Bermuda 001441 Bhutan 00975 Bolivia 00591 Bosnia 00387 Botswana 00267 Brazil 0055 Brunei 00673 Bulgaria 00359 Burkina 00226 Burundi 00257 Cambodia 00855 Cameroon 00237 Canada 001 Cape Verde 00238 Cayman Islands 001345 Central African 00236 Chad 00235 Chile 0056 China 0086 Colombia 0057 Comoros 00269 Congo 00242 Cook Islands 00682 Costa Rica 00506 Croatia 00385 Cuba 0053 Cyprus 00357 Cyprus (Northern) 0090392 Czech Republic 00420 Denmark 0045 Diego Garcia 00246 Djibouti 00253 Dominica 001767 Dominican Republic 001809 Ecuador 00593 Egypt 0020 El Salvador 00503 England (UK) 0044 Equatorial Guinea 00240 Eritrea 00291 Estonia 00372 Ethiopia 00251 Falkland Islands 00500 Faroe Islands 00298 Fiji 00679 Finland 00358 France 0033 French Guiana 00594 French Polynesia 00689 Gabon 00241 Gambia 00220 Georgia 00995 Germany 0049 Ghana 00233 Gibraltar 00350 Greece 0030 Greenland 00299 Grenada 001473 Guadeloupe 00590 Guam 001671 Guatemala 00502 Guinea 00224 Guyana 00592 Haiti 00509 Holland (Netherlands) 0031 Honduras 00504 Hong Kong 00852 Hungary 0036 Ibiza (Spain) 0034 Iceland 00354 India 0091 Indian Ocean 00873 Indonesia 0062

Iran 0098 Iraq 00964 Ireland 00353 Italy 0039 Ivory Coast 00225 Jamaica 001876 Japan 0081 Jordan 00962 Kazakhstan 007 Kenya 00254 Kiribati 00686 Kuwait 00965 Kyrgyzstan 00996 Laos 00856 Latvia 00371 Lebanon 00961 Liberia 00231 Libya 00218 Lithuania 00370 Luxembourg 00352 Macau 00853 Macedonia 00389 Madagascar 00261 Majorca 0034 Malawi 00265 Malaysia 0060 Maldives 00960 Mali 00223 Malta 00356 Marshall Islands 00692 Martinique 00596 Mauritania 00222 Mauritius 00230 Mayotte 00269 Mexico 0052 Micronesia 00691 Moldova 00373 Monaco 00377 Mongolia 00976 Montserrat 001664 Morocco 00212 Mozambique 00258 Myanmar (Burma) 0095 Namibia 00264 Nepal 00977 Netherlands (Holland) 0031 Netherlands Antilles 00599 New Caledonia 00687 New Zealand 0064 Nicaragua 00505 Nigar 00227 Nigeria 00234 Niue 00683 Norfolk Island 00672 Northern Ireland (UK) 0044 North Korea 00850 Norway 0047 Oman 00968 Pakistan 0092 Palau 00680 Panama 00507 Papua New Guinea 00675 Paraguay 00595 Peru 0051 Philippines 0063 Poland 0048 Portugal 00351 Puerto Rico 001787 Qatar 00974 Romania 0040 Russian Federation 007 Rwanda 00250 Saint Helena 00290 Saint Kitts 001869 Saint Lucia 001758 Saint Pierre 00508 Saint Vincent 001784 Samoa US 00684 Samoa West 00685 San Marino 00378 Sao Tone 00239 Saudi Arabia 00966 Scotland (UK) 0044 Senegal 00221 Seychelles 00284 Sierra Leone 00232 Singapore 0065 Slovakia 00421 Slovenia 00386 Solomon Islands 00677

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2014

lifestyle

Johnny Depp, Amber Heard to marry in Bahamas T

he ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ actor owns a private island where he filmed scenes for the swashbuckling blockbuster, and it is said while some of his rock star friends will be in attendance, it won’t be a “big, glitzy” party.

Speaking to the Daily Star newspaper, an insider said: “They’re having a small intimate ceremony barefoot on the beach in Little Hall’s Pond Cay. “Afterwards they’ll have a barbecue where some

of Johnny’s musician pals are going to perform, followed by limbo dancing. “Neither Johnny nor Amber want a big, glitzy Hollywood bash. They are both very private.” Johnny new fiancÈe was recently spotted showing off her large diamond engagement ring for the first time as she saw him perform at a private charity event in Anaheim, California. It seems money is no object for the star, who reportedly spent almost

$100,000 on the accessory. Celebrity jewelry expert Zaven Ghanimian told EOnline.com: “This looks like a 5-carat ring. If we assume it’s a white oval diamond in the five carat range, the price would be between $78,000 to $100,000.”

Lana Del Rey

Miley Cyrus

secretly engaged to Barrie-James O’Neill

claims Bangerz Tour will be ‘educational’

T

he ‘Summertime Sadness’ star reportedly accepted the Scottish singer’s proposal last summer, but they have been keeping it secret, according to Us Weekly magazine. The pair first sparked engagement rumors in July last year when Lana, 27, was spotted with a huge diamond ring on her wedding finger while they were house hunting in Los Angeles. The ‘Video Games’ star and Barrie previously singer in the folk-rock band Kassidy, but now thought to have left to perform under the name Nightmare Boy - first got together in 2011. In a 2012 interview, Lana said her song ‘Off to the Races’ had been inspired by her boyfriend. She said: “When I found somebody who I fell in love with, it made me feel different than I felt the rest of the day. It was electrifying. That’s what inspired the ‘Off to the Races’ melodies. “That’s one of the times when you’re feeling electrified by someone else and they make you happy to be alive.” Last April Barrie appeared alongside Lana as her love interest in the video for her track ‘Summer Wine’.

Jessica Alba’s daughter ate her diaper

J

essica Alba “completely freaked out” when her daughter ate her nappy. The ‘Sin City’ actress was not prepared for her daughter Honor - now five to keep putting things in her mouth when she was a baby and panicked when she started trying to eat her underwear, which could have been very harmful to her. She told Usmagazine.com: “My kid’s diaper exploded. All of a sudden, these beads were in her mouth. And I was calling my mom, and I was like, ‘What happened? What do I do? What is this made out of?’ I called my pediatrician. I called 911. I completely freaked out.” Jessica - who also has another daughter, Haven, two, with husband Cash Warren was worried her children could have an adverse reaction to some of the products used to make the nappies, and contacted the company to find out what was in them, but didn’t get satisfactory results. That and another incident involving her daughters and laundry detergent inspired her to start her own business, The Honest Company, which supplies only safe, effective, affordable, eco-friendly products. Jessica, 32, also says her children have made her less of a control freak and taught her how to compromise. She added: “I was much more of a control freak before [becoming a parent], probably. You kind of have to roll with the punches and be a little more easygoing with parenthood. I was like, ‘I’ll never have toys in my living room!’ Yeah, right.”

Gwyneth Paltrow

gets a bee sting facial

G

wyneth Paltrow was once stung by a bee in the name of beauty. The 42-year-old actress is always the first to try the latest skincare trends, but believes apitherapy - which uses the insect’s venom for medicinal purposes - was perhaps one step too far. She told Marie Claire magazine: “The craziest treatment I’ve ever tried is when I was stung by a live bee. It’s called apitherapy and it’s apparently been used since Egyptian times to promote healing. For a more relaxing treat, I love Ila Bath Salts at the end of the day.” Gwyneth - who is married to Coldplay frontman Chris Martin - has experimented with non-invasive cosmetic procedures like Botox in the past, but she is weary about go to the extreme.

The ‘Sliding Doors’ actress said: “You have to be very careful with Botox. I did it on my forehead and I looked awful. I also worry about what’s going into my bloodstream. I’m 41, so I don’t want to look 25. I think it’s nice to see a life lived in someone’s face. “I would probably do a bit of filler again, but at the moment I see a facialist in LA called Sonya Dekar, who is amazing, so I use all her products and go to her for collagen-boosting laser treatments.”

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he ‘Wrecking Ball’ singer starts her world tour in Vancouver, Canada, on February 14, and as well as entertaining her fans, wants to teach them a thing or two. She told MTV: “I hope people open their minds and they look at my tour as something that I do feel is educational for kids.

“Because I think a lot of people aren’t exposed to art enough and that’s something that I had to learn about. It wasn’t until I turned 21 that I wanted to learn because I’m from Nashville, that is not something that they care about; they pretty much teach you everything in the world as black and white and I want my fans to walk away knowing more about the art that inspires me.” Miley, 21, explained that unlike a normal pop concert, the show will take place in acts, like a stage play, and feature intermissions, by animator John Kricfalusi, best known for creating the cartoon ‘Ren and Stimpy’. She added: “It’s a lot how a play would be and we’ve got kind of these intermissions to keep people really involved and what I wanted is for people to see a show that they would least expect. “It is fun for people to walk out and be like ‘Oh my god did she just do that?’ but there’s so much that I do love about shock value, but then I really want there to be that core about the music.”

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2014

lifestyle

Sienna Miller was relieved to end things with Jude Law

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he 32-year-old actress broke off her engagement to the ‘Alfie’ actor in 2005 after it emerged he had been having an affair with the nanny of his children, but is glad she gave him a second chance in 2009 and was able to “heal” their friendship before calling it quits for good.

Discussing their second shot at love, she told Esquire magazine: “Had to do it. A huge part of my life and his life and it ended in a way that was awful. When something ends in a way like that, it’s important if you can, in a way, go back and revisit it and either shut that door or create a new room. So it was a very healthy, cathartic experience. “And I think it paved the way for both of us to have great futures with no animosity or drama. Such a huge relief, to heal that. And I’m great friends with him and with his children. I love them, madly. Just huge love and respect for all of them.” Sienna - who has 18-month-old daughter, Marlowe, with her fiance, Tom Sturridge - is happy to live her life out of the limelight these days, and says her partner complements her “lunacy” perfectly. She enthused: “What’s lovely is how protected it is. It’s a totally novel experience, to be a part of something that does not belong to anyone but me and my man and my baby. He’s the antithesis of me, really.

And that’s a first for me, to be in a relationship with someone who’s in a lot of respects very different. “He’s the perfect balance to my lunacy, which makes him sounds really boring but he’s not, at all. It’s good, it works. It’s not easy, of course, but we’re a family and I love that. I wake up and I’m like, ‘I’m a family, I’m a grown up!’ I still can’t believe that.” - Bangshowbiz

Fergie starts her day with greens

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ergie starts each day with a lettuce, spinach, kale, apple and banana smoothie. The ‘Fergalicious’ singer gave birth to baby son Axl five months ago, and while she doesn’t feel any pressure to lose her baby weight too quickly, she’s working on “getting back into a bikini one day”. She also added to E! News she has been “hiking and biking” and eating as healthily as possible, with “green smoothies” made from “romaine lettuce, spinach, kale, apples and bananas” each day. However, Fergie, 38, is still allowing herself some treats, and she and husband Josh Duhamel celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary with dinner at upscale restaurant Mr. Chow in Beverly Hills earlier this month. Fergie was also back in the gym less than

three months after giving birth to Axl and, despite springing straight back into shape, the blonde beauty admits she worries about her body. She explained: “Let’s be truthful, who doesn’t have insecure moments. On stage or on the red carpet, it’s important to own your look and remember who you are.”

Owen Wilson becomes a dad again

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Ben Affleck is proud of his ‘back and forth career’

he ‘Midnight in Paris’ star welcomed a boy with “close friend” Caroline Lindqvist on January 30. A representative told People.com: “I can confirm they had a baby boy on Thursday morning.” Owen, 45, also has threeyear-old son Robert Ford with his ex-girlfriend, Jade Duell.

Although Owen and personal trainer Caroline, 41, decided to have a baby together, they are not in a relationship.

Swedish born Caroline said in October last year: “Owen and I decided to have a child even though we’re not in a relationship. And we’re not planning on starting a relationship, either. “Owen and I are two close friends. We are real-

ly looking forward to it and can’t wait to welcome our child at the end of January.” In the same interview, Caroline denied Owen had ever been one of her clients as well as rubbishing rumors she’d had an affair with him before the end of her marriage to plastic surgeon Dr. Ritu Chopra.

Owen is said to have been supporting Caroline throughout the pregnancy. A source said: “They are not living together, but Owen is involved. He comes to doctor’s appointments and makes sure Caroline is doing well.”

Crystal Hefner

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he ‘Runner Runner’ actor is glad to have had ups and downs during his 20 years in Hollywood - from being ridiculed for flop ‘Gigli’ to winning an Oscar for ‘Argo’ - because it shows he’s willing to take risks. He told HuffingtonPost.co.uk: “The actors, the directors, the writers, producers that I admire are ones who continue to try brave new things. So I’ve tried to copy them in that way, take that kind of risk and definitely sometimes not successful and sometimes successful. “When I see that when I look at this sort of back and forth of a career I take some satisfaction knowing OK, I’m probably doing something right because I’m taking risks and I’m trying different things and I’m not failing by virtue of just being boring when I fail. “I’m failing because I’m trying something different. So risk is inherently valuable.

Courage, the desire to take risk is really necessary.”

‘Runner Runner’ is about online gambling and although Ben takes risks, he’s aware of the dangers of getting caught up in the world of casinos and high stakes betting, which the film uses as a metaphor. He added: “When you’re gambling, like a lot of other things is something that is healthy in moderation and quite dangerous in excess. “ The interesting thing about internet gambling as a whole and in this movie is that it’s used as emblematic of what’s happening in the larger country [the US]. With the financial market sort of turning into something that’s an engine of gambling themselves rather than something of productivity and sort of an ultrafast connectivity with smart phones and investing, and this idea that we should be getting instant returns, every two seconds.”

drives a smart car

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he Playboy model - married to the magazine’s founder Hugh Hefner - drives the modest microcar when she’s out and about in Los Angeles, as well as keeping a more luxurious motor for special occasions, although the babe is thinking of trading them in for an eco-car. Asked what she drives in an Twitter chat, she replied: “A smart car and a Bentley. Hoping to trade them both in for a zero emission Tesla soon!” Manufacturer Tesla make electric cars which can run up to 245 miles one battery charge and have zero carbon emissions, making them far better for the environment than standard petrol cars.

Crystal, 27, also opened up about whether she and Hugh, 87, will have children, saying: “That’s a great question and I’m not sure if we know the answer yet! Anything is possible!” The blonde star - who released a track, ‘Call the Cops’ last year - also said she is looking to further her pop career, and has been having meeting with record executives. She added: “Had a music meeting today. Next up will be either a full album or an EP. Looking forward to sharing it with you.”

Jennifer Lopez’s split from Marc Anthony was ‘devastating’

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he ‘On The Floor’ hitmaker was determined to pick up the pieces after her divorce from the Latino singer in 2011 for the sake of their twins Max and Emme, now aged five, but admits the high-profile separation was the toughest thing she has ever experienced. She told Britain’s GLAMOUR magazine: “Back then the pain hurt so much, but I didn’t want what happened to finish me. I wanted it to help me grow for the better. I didn’t want to just survive it; I wanted to come out of it stronger than I was before. “It took a lot a digging deep to do that. Right now I’d say it was the hardest thing I’ve ever been through, because of the kids. When you’re this little scrappy girl and things happen, you just cry yourself to sleep. But when you’re responsible for two other human beings and their lives and emotional wellbeing, that’s a biggie. You’re constantly wondering: ‘Am I doing the right thing here?’ Jennifer, 44, is now happy in a

relationship with choreographer Casper Smart, 26, and is pleased she can count Marc - her third husband following failed marriages to Ojani Noa and Cris Judd - as a friend these days. Quizzed whether she still loves her ex, Jennifer said: “I do. I love him as the father of my children and as a friend.

That doesn’t mean that we were meant to be in marriage forever though.” The ‘American Idol’ judge often lets pent-up emotions get the better of her and cries easily. Jennifer said: “I cry often. I cry out of exhaustion and feeling overwhelmed. I’ll be holding it all together and then some little thing will trigger it - a commercial or a romantic moment in a movie - and the floodgates will open. It’s about being tired all the time.”

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2014

lifestyle

This undated frame grab provided by Beats shows the company’s 2014 Super Bowl commercial.

This frame grab provided by Butterfinger’s shows their 2014 Super Bowl Ad entitled, ‘Chocolate’ and ‘Peanut Butter.’

10 Super Bowl Ads to watch out for

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This picture shows a frame grab from Wonderful Pistachios Super Bowl XLVIII ad. — AP photos

ctress Scarlett Johansson gives SodaStream some sensuous appeal in a controversial spot, Kia revives actor Laurence Fishburne’s “Matrix” character Morpheus in its commercial. And cute puppies and kids abound in ads for Cheerios to Anheuser-Busch. Advertisers are planning to pull out the tools in their arsenal during Super Bowl time today, including celebrities, A-list rock bands and cinematic story lines.

Of course, there will still be ad surprises today with major brands like Chrysler and Coca-Cola staying mum on at least one of their ads. But the ones that are already out use a variety of tactics to draw viewers’ attention. Overall, marketers are doing a better job getting their branding message across - while still entertaining than previous years when a cheap joke or gag ruled supreme, says Kelly O’Keefe, professor of brand strategy at the Virginia Commonwealth University Brand Center.

“This year there’s much more focus on brand personality: the spot has to be both interesting and funny and link back to the core assets of the brand,” he said. “I’m predicting a stronger Super Bowl than last year.” Advertisers are in the game to win.

The Super Bowl is advertising’s biggest showcase, with more than 108 million people expected to tune into the game.

Blige, Legend, Anthony headline Super Bowl bash

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ary J Blige, John Legend and Marc Anthony kicked off Super Bowl weekend in style by serenading a celebrityfilled crowd in Manhattan. Hundreds of New Yorkers and visitors packed into Cipriani’s 42nd Street Friday night for a party sponsored by Shape and Men’s Fitness magazines. Tickets cost $2,500 per person. Blige opened the show and had many in the crowd ignoring their dinner by the end of her energetic set, which included hits like “I’m Goin’ Down,” “Good Woman Down” and an impassioned rendition of “No More Drama” that brought the crowd to its feet.

Serenading a swanky Manhattan crowd, singer Legend said he never thought he’d see the day a Super Bowl came to New York City.

Then he corrected himself: “More accurately, New Jersey.” With that, he launched into a song by one of New Jersey’s favorite sons, Bruce Springsteen: “Dancing in the Dark.” Guests - who included supermodels like Petra Nemcova, TV hosts like Stephen Colbert, Katie Couric and Gayle King, and movie folk like Harvey Weinstein - were served lobster, strip loin and

Mary J Blige performs. — AP

branzino. The theme being fitness, there were also offerings like kale smoothies, and non-alcoholic “shots” made with lemon and ginger.

A charity auction during the dinner brought in amounts like $8,000 for a dinner for six at Rao’s, a New York restaurant that’s notoriously difficult to get into, and $4,000 for a Movado sports watch. Beneficiaries included the Happy Hearts Fund, which Nemcova introduced and which rebuilds schools and helps children after natural disasters. The three performers each chose a charity to receive funds: Legend chose the Show Me Campaign, which works to give children access to quality education; Blige chose the Mary J Blige Foundation for the Advancement of Women Now, Inc; and Anthony chose Maestro Cares, which works with orphaned children in Latin America. — AP

And companies are paying an estimated $4 million to have their ads be a part of the action. Here are 10 ads to watch for today.

1. Anheuser-Busch: The biggest Super Bowl advertiser’s ad in the fourth quarter shows an adorable Golden Labrador becoming enamored with one of the iconic Clydesdales to the tune of “Let Her Go” by Passenger.

2. General Mill’s Cheerios: The cereal maker brings back an interracial family that starred in a prior spot. This one shows a father telling his daughter that they’re going to have an addition to the family, a baby boy. Then, the little girl strongly suggests they also get a puppy. The ad airs during the first unscheduled time-out of the game.

3. Bank of America: The bank will promote its partnership with AIDS nonprofit (RED) by having music group U2 sing their new single “Invisible.” between the first and second quarter. The song will be a free download on iTunes during the game and for the following 24 hours.

Bank of America will donate $1 each time it is downloaded to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS. 4. SodaStream: The soda maker company has stirred up controversy on two fronts. Their ad features “Her” actress Scarlett Johansson touting the health and environmental benefits of the soda maker and will run in the fourth quarter. The ad first made waves when the company said it would delete its last line, “Sorry, Coke and Pepsi,” at a request by Fox.

Bodywear products with their remote control in real time.

6. Nestle’s Butterfinger: A suggestive teaser ad showed a couple, “Chocolate” and “Peanut Butter,” in ‘70s-style couple’s therapy talking about the need for “change” and “excitement.” The actual ad in the third quarter will have a related theme and Butterfinger is expected to introduce its Peanut Butter Cups with some tongue-in-cheek double entendres.

7. Beats Music: Ellen DeGeneres reimagines the Little Red Riding Hood tale in this ad running in the third quarter that introduces Beats Music, a streaming music service.

8. Wonderful Pistachios: The snack producer showcases comedian Stephen Colbert running amok in two 15-second ads in the second quarter.

9. Kia: In the carmaker’s third-quarter ad to introduce its K900 luxury sedan, Laurence Fishburne reprises his “Matrix” role as Morpheus and displays some surprising operatic skills.

10. Chrysler: The automaker is bound to surprise. Always mum ahead of the game, Chrysler has produced some of the best loved and most remembered spots during the big game, from Eminem’s “Imported from Detroit” ad in 2011 to last year’s “Farmer” ad featuring scenes of American farmland and a voiceover by conservative radio broadcaster Paul Harvey. Look for another surprising spot or two this year. - Reuters

5. H&M: The clothing maker’s ad in the second quarter features nifty technology that will allow people with some Samsung Smart TVs to order soccer star David Beckham’s

Super Bowl Party

This image Starpix shows actress Laura Prepon from “Orange is the New Black,” at the Shape Magazine and Men’s Fitness Super Bowl Party at Cipriani 42nd Street on Friday, Jan 31, 2014, in New York. — AP photos

Katrina Bowden

Petra Nemcova

Stacy Keibler

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2014

lifestyle

A puppy and adult Golden Retriever pose as 2013 most popular dog breeds in the US are unveiled to the press at the American Kennel Club in New York on January 31, 2014. — AFP pictures

French Bulldog puppies pose.

Labrador is Americans’ top dog T

he Labrador retriever is the most popular dog breed in the United States for the 23rd straight year, but the French bulldog has gained ground by leaps and bounds, the American Kennel Club said on Friday.

Labrador retrievers enjoy the longest consecutive reign of any dog in the annual ranking compiled by the American Kennel Club, or AKC, which bases its list of the most popular breeds on the number of dog registrations across the country. The German shepherd took second place, followed by the golden retriever and the beagle, respectively.

Breeds pulling ahead in the pack included the Doberman pinscher, which scurried past 20 other breeds to 12th place and the Great Dane, which made an 11-place jump to 16th.

In a testament to their growing popularity, large breeds dominated the list. “Owning bigger breeds - an economic indicator of sorts - has been on the rise during the past five years,” said Lisa Peterson, a spokeswoman for the American

Kennel Club, or AKC. “As the economy has improved, people are turning back to the big dogs they love, which cost more to feed and care for than the smaller breeds that saw a rise in popularity in 2007 and 2008,” during the financial crisis, she said in a telephone interview.

The English bulldog is the most popular breed in New York City, while the French bulldog rose three spots to No. 11 on the national list, its highest ranking. “That’s a big jump. I haven’t seen anything like that in any breed,” Peterson said. The breed has seen a 323 percent leap in registrations since 2003, according to the AKC. The club would not provide registration numbers.

French bulldogs require minimal grooming and exercise, making them an ideal choice for owners in apartments and suburbs. “It’s a wash-and-wear, easy to care for companion dog,” Peterson, the AKC spokeswoman said.

After a decade in decline, rare breeds made a comeback.

Giant schnauzers, the largest of the schnauzer breeds, climbed 13 places in the rankings. The keeshond, a medium-size dog with a plush silver and black coat, scrambled up 17 places.

The AKC announced its rankings in advance of next month’s Westminster Kennel Club dog show. The United States’ most prestigious dog competition culminates with the “best in show” award at New York City’s Madison Square Garden. Three new breeds will compete this year: rat terriers, Chinooks, and Por tuguese Podengo Pequenos. — Reuters

A Labrador Retriever puppy poses.

DA rejects battery charge against Kanye West

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anye West will not face criminal charges over an incident in which he apparently punched a man in a Beverly Hills chiropractor’s office, prosecutors determined Friday. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office rejected a battery case against the rapper because he had reached a civil settlement with the man and there were no significant injuries documented after the altercation. The altercation occurred after the 18-year-old man used a racial slur in an argument with West’s fiancee Kim Kardashian on Jan. 13, according to a document prepared by a prosecutor. The man had held the door for Kardashian when she entered the building but they then exchanged words. The reality starlet called West and told him about the man’s use of the slur and the rapper came to

the building and attacked the man in a chiropractor’s office, the document states. West was not arrested and his attorney Blair Berk declined comment on the prosecutor’s decision.

The prosecutor’s charge evaluation sheet says there were conflicting witness accounts about how many times West punched the man, but noted he wasn’t seriously injured.

The rapper faces a misdemeanor battery charge filed after the singer was involved in a videotaped altercation with a paparazzo at Los Angeles International Airport last year.

West has plead not guilty and the case is scheduled for a hearing on Feb 25. — AP

A visitor looks at “Capa in Color” exhibition at the International Center of Photography in New York, January 30, 2014. — AFP

Robert Capa in color lights up New York

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obert Capa was one of the world’s most renowned photographers covering 20th century war and politics, and a new exhibition showcases his dazzling work in color, much of it forgotten. A Hungarian who studied in Berlin and fled the Nazis in 1933, Capa shot to fame with his coverage of the Spanish civil war, World War II and the Israeli war for independence in 1948. Most of his iconic war pictures were shot in blackand-white film. Capa was killed when he stepped on a landmine at the end of the French Indochina war in 1954, but between conflicts he traveled around the world taking color photographs of everyday situations and of his celebrity friends.

The exhibition that opened on Friday at the International Center of Photography in New York includes pictures of Ingrid Bergman, Humphrey Bogart, Truman Capote, Orson Welles and other stars. His friends allowed Capa to photograph what would have otherwise been private moments: for example, there is a picture of Pablo Picasso with his family on the beach in the south of France, and another of writer Ernest Hemingway at home in Sun Valley, Idaho.

The exhibition “gives a first look of color photographs of Robert Capa. Some of the work have never been seen before,” said ICP director Mark Lubell. The ICP found around 4,200 color negatives of Capa, curator Cynthia Young told AFP. “This exhibition is also about how Capa reinvents himself as a photographer during the years when he is not covering war and political conflicts,” she said.

Capa founded the legendary Magnum Photos agency with French photogra-

pher Henri Cartier-Bresson in 1947, and color photos at the time played a huge part in meeting demand from magazines. Capa first experimented with color in 1938 while covering the SinoJapanese war. But of the 12 Kodachrome rolls he requested, only four prints were published, all related to the battle for control of the Yangtze river.

Starting in 1941 Capa began to take color photos regularly. From then until his death in 1954 Capa always traveled with two cameras, one with black-andwhite film, and the other with color.

“Black and white was cheaper, but color was glamorous and they were used pretty regularly on covers,” said Young.

“It was a world that demanded color.

Color was in the movies, color was in advertisement,” Young said. Capa’s war photographs were almost entirely taken in black-and-white because it at the time it took too long to process, censor, edit and publish color photos. “Color was not a great medium for spot news,” said Young.

The exhibition closes with heartbreaking photos taken by Capa shortly before he died on May 25, 1954 in Vietnam on the route between Namdinh and Thaibinh, where he stepped on the landmine. “Capa in Color” will be on display at the ICP until May 4. — AFP

Fireworks explode over Victoria Harbor in Hong Kong yesterday as the southern Chinese city celebrated the new Year of the Horse. Tens of thousands of people lined the harbor to watch a spectacular 23-minute long fireworks display in Hong Kong to mark the new lunar year. — AFP

Beyonce by the book: Rutgers offers course on star

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eyonce is one of the world’s most scrutinized pop stars, and now that study is moving to academia.

The Department of Women’s and Gender Studies at Rutgers University is offering a course called “Politicizing Beyonce.”

Kevin Allred, a doctoral student who is teaching the class, tells the university’s online news site that he is using Beyonce’s career as a way to explore American race, gender and sexual politics. The class supplements an analysis of Beyonce’s videos and lyrics with readings

from Black feminists. Allred says he’s seeking to help students think more critically about media consumption. Rutgers also has a class examining the theology of Bruce Springsteen’s lyrics.

Georgetown University has a class called “The Sociology of Hip-Hop: The Urban Theodicy of Jay-Z,” focusing on BeyoncÈ’s rapper husband. — AP

10 Super Bowl Ads to watch out for

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2014

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International Flamenco Fashion Show Models present creations by Mari Carmen Cruz during the second day of the SIMOF (International Flamenco Fashion Show) in Sevilla.

— AFP photos

I DVF will team up with

Vincent at fashion show

t’ll be music to the ears of fashionistas.

Literally. The singer St. Vincent will give a live performance at designer Diane von Furstenberg’s Fashion Week runway show on Feb 9 in New York, debuting songs from her new selftitled album, which comes out some two weeks later. The event, which will include an additional performance after the runway show, is being sponsored by American Express as part of a yearlong partnership with von Furstenberg to cele-

brate the 40th anniversary of her iconic wrap dress. For those not lucky enough to snag a ticket to the runway show, the event will be live streamed on AmexUnstaged.com and DVF.com.

The event is part of “American Express Unstaged,” launched in the summer of 2010 in partnership with VEVO and YouTube, to showcase “breakthrough artists playing at landmark venues across the world, using digital and social media to connect the online audience to the live shows in

unexpected ways,” according to American Express. Last September, singer Janelle Monae performed at the runway show of designer Rebecca Minkoff as part of the same program. The DVF runway show and concert will be held at Spring Studios in downtown Manhattan. — AP