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NO: 16104- Friday, March 14, 2014

Buried in Kuwait SEE PAGE 8

Local FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2014

Local Spotlight

In my view

Inshallah in Kuwait dictionary

Only in Kuwait 2

By Talal Al-Ghannam

local@kuwaittimes.net

T

his is the second episode of the things you see happening in Kuwait even though our country is considered a “modern state”.

Maybe the honorable reader thinks I am being pessimistic, of course when I compare Kuwait with other countries in the region.

1- Only in Kuwait you could be run over when you cross the road on the pedestrian crossing. Always wait till there are no cars because they don’t care.

2- Only in Kuwait please, please don’t stare at anyone even if you admire him or her otherwise you could put yourself in trouble and end up in a fight.

3- Only in Kuwait the stop sign means GO. If you stop you could be hit from behind or encounter angry faces from maniacs who do not respect the law.

4- Only in Kuwait you see public bus drivers race and compete on the roads and they may not stop for you.

5- Only in Kuwait when many people see a sign saying ‘do not enter’, they do the opposite.

6- Only in Kuwait doctors are beaten just because they want to organize the queue.

7- Only in Kuwait you see people who had been fighting outside continue their contest inside the hospital.

8- Only in Kuwait policemen guard hospitals.

9- Only in Kuwait housemaids get kidnapped when they

go out to throw the garbage.

10- Only in Kuwait teachers who don’t help students pass get their cars damaged by paint, punctures or even fire.

11- Only in Kuwait when you approach the traffic light you must be extra careful if your side of the light is green because some maniacs run the red light from the other corner.

12- Only in Kuwait our soaps are full of crying and beatings in order to prove it is real drama.

13- Only in Kuwait public bus passengers have to wait under the searing sun for their bus ride without having a decent shade or bus stop.

14- Only in Kuwait many Kuwaiti plays and soaps put down other nationalities and make fun of them, not knowing that people from those countries possess nuclear weapons and we only use what other nations invent for us.

15- Only in Kuwait we call the tea boy sharekah, meaning company, without even respecting his name. I have seen this a lot in police stations and at various state institutions.

16- Only in Kuwait drivers ride their cars close to 200 km per hour thinking this speed will take them to heaven fast.

17- Only in Kuwait we build apartment buildings without adequate parking.

18- Only in Kuwait we enjoy parking on the yellow/black zone and occupy the bus stop area.

19- Only in Kuwait a 400 sq m empty land is worth KD 300,000 while in Khafji in Saudi Arabia, it’s KD 20,000 only for a 500 sq m piece of land.

20- Only in Kuwait contractors do projects inefficiently and once these are done, they find out that something is missing and have to do it all over again.

Kuwait’s my business

Should we care that graduates are unprepared for real world?

By John P Hayes

local@kuwaittimes.net

T

wo former students who recently graduated and are now working in Kuwait’s private sector came to see me a week ago and said essentially the same thing: “What we learned in college is only part of what we need to know to succeed in our jobs.” To which I said, “Welcome to the real world.”

Why not skip college?

For as long as I can remember, college graduates have bemoaned the fact that the classroom didn’t prepare them for the real world. Of course, we must consider that (in the US at least) almost two-thirds of college grads do not get a job that’s related to their major. But before anyone jumps to the conclusion that students should just skip college, the fact remains that people without college degrees struggle to find “good” jobs.

In spite of the major, a college degree provides certain advantages that students need before they enter the workplace. How is it that a math major becomes a journalist, or a history major becomes an entrepreneur, or a marketing major manages an accounting franchise? These twists of fate occur for good reasons, including the fact that college graduates acquire skills and abilities that help them succeed in a field distant from their major.

Can you deliver results?

As a former CEO, in most hiring situations an applicant’s major (and grade point average) didn’t matter to me. Granted, when I hired for the accounting or HR or finance departments, I only considered applicants with degrees in those disciplines.

But for other departments, I was most interested in the candidate’s skills. My leading question: “What can you deliver for

my company?” Answering that question required the applicant to show me results from a previous job, or at least a college project.

In Kuwait, some employers hire specific majors - three companies recently asked that I send them my top marketing majors - but most employers seek job applicants with these skills: Work in a team Work ethically Communicate in English Think critically Produce desired results Who’s really teaching?

The problem is that employers struggle to find graduates with all of those skills because graduates do not acquire all of those skills in college. They should, but they don’t. And they don’t for a variety of reasons, including poor educational foundation prior to college, university curricula that emphasize theories and de-emphasize skills, and faculty who have never worked in the real world and can only rely on textbooks (extremely unpopular in Kuwait) and PowerPoint slides to “teach”. Matters are even worse in a “wasta” environment because standards cannot be regulated across the board.

At least every few days, it seems, government officials, MPs, pundits, and educators express their opinions about the need for Kuwait to revamp its educational system, from kindergarten through college graduation. We can only wonder: Does anyone care? While other countries lack the financial resources and the knowhow to improve education, that’s not true in Kuwait. Instead, it appears that no one cares.

And until someone does care, and makes changes, employers will continue to struggle to find good job candidates (so they’ll hire more expats) and students will continue to complain that their college education did not prepare them to succeed in their jobs. Which all goes to support the management axiom: You get what you reward.

NOTE: Dr John P Hayes teaches marketing and management at GUST.

By Muna Al-Fuzai

muna@kuwaittimes.net

I

nshallah in Arabic means ‘by Allah’s will’. The use of this term in Islam is meant to leave everything we do as humans in the hands of Allah. This phrase acknowledges submission to Allah. Our wishes and plans will occur by the power of Allah. This also means our fate and destiny depends on God’s will.

Today my article is not about the meaning of inshallah in Islam but to shed light over this term here in Kuwait and how some Kuwaitis use this term as an escape from saying the truth! It is also worth saying that for many expatriates, inshallah means ‘forget it’. Don’t blame them - it is we the Kuwaitis who taught them the meaning of this word the hard way.

I learned about the misuse of this phrase in two different ways. The first: When an expat worker needs to get paid, travel back home or transfer his residency to a new company, he needs to get his sponsor’s approval. Some sponsors will keep saying inshallah, inshallah...eventually this inshallah day never shows up and the worker loses hope and starts feeling that this term means ‘never, forget it’. The second: The use of this phrase among the youth and it means ‘I will show you’ - a promise of revenge.

In the Holy Quran, Muslims are told that they should never say they will do a particular thing in the future without adding inshallah to their statement. But it is also wrong to use this term to avoid saying the truth or withholding someone’s right or cause harm to anyone.

Now some may wonder if this takes away the concept of free human will? The way I see it, we all have wishes to succeed in life. I can’t imagine anyone with sense who wishes to be a loser. But our desire may not be realized. Confronting difficulties and obstacles makes us feel weak and we seek God’s blessing and help.

The reason is that no one can control or predict the future. It is all Allah’s will. Our mission is to carry on with what we wish for ourselves, but it will only happen if it is within our maker’s decision to happen, and that is why we say inshallah. I also read somewhere that in Christian writings, the abbreviation DV referred to the Latin “Deo volente”, meaning “God willing”.

I don’t think we should bother ourselves with the results as much as we need to focus on what we are doing - the mission we have in this life. We need to remember that all prophets had suffered.

We are not prophets - we need to seek Allah’s blessings and help as long as we live.

Local FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2014

Museum

offers glimpse into history of law enforcement in Kuwait Exhibits include pictures, artifacts and a mini crime-lab

Vintage police cars are parked in front of the museum.

By Velina Nacheva

T

he Kuwait Police Museum is the only establishment in the country that houses the story of Kuwait’s law enforcement. Located on a small side street off the Gulf Road in Bneid Al-Gar, the museum is in a heritage building - a former police station. This small building is where visitors of all ages can explore the history of law enforcement in Kuwait either touring themselves or by watching a documentary projected on a screen inside the museum.

The museum, which was inaugurated in February, has five small rooms surrounding a diwaniya-style reception area. It displays police equipment, guns, swords and uniforms. The museum, which is run by the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters contains exhibits about the history of Kuwait’s police from its foundation in 1938 until the present day.

Pictures of various ministers of interior and the evolution of the uniforms that were worn by Kuwaiti policemen in the different stages of Kuwait’s law enforcement history greet visitors to the museum. Kneelength Bermuda shorts and calves

wrapped in strips was the uniform of policemen in the early days. “They used to wrap their legs with bandages as protection from the sun,” explained the museum curator.

The uniforms from the 1930s also featured a red and white shmagh (a red and

white chequered headdress that men use to cover their head) in combination with a beige vest and Bermuda shorts. The uniforms from Kuwait’s later periods sport the ghutra (white headdress). The headdress was later replaced by a black beret.

Kuwait’s new museum at Bneid Al-Gar tells the story of law-enforcement in Kuwait.

Car license plates in different colors

Crime scene paraphernalia The museum houses a mini-crime lab, various artifacts, photos, electric generators, archive documents and identification papers. One of the most interesting exhibits in the museum is the section on forensic entomology (the study of insects

Police uniforms from the past are on view A bomb disposal squad robot ready for bomb at the detonation welcomes visitors to the museum. museum.

Local FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2014

The winter uniforms of the police used in the old days. that is related to determining the time of death of a decomposed corpse).

In this section, visitors get a glimpse of models of bugs in plastic boxes that in real life are studied by crime scene investigators that determine a body’s time of death. Another interesting part of the museum is the mobile kit for taking fingerprints.

So is the DNA sample collector that resembles a pregnancy test kit and is on view in one of the four small rooms of the museum.

A rainbow of passport colours that belonged to Kuwaitis from different generations is the first thing that attracts the attention of visitors to the museum. Yellowish identification

The DNA collector kit is one of the exhibits in the museum from the most recent history of law-enforcement in Kuwait.

A mini crime lab that fits in a suitcase is displayed at the museum. cards and driving licenses with faded names and details dating back to the ‘50s and ‘70s are all at view at the museum. Car license plates in different colours demonstrate the evolution of traffic in the country. In the early stages of vehicle registration, cars in Kuwait had short three and four-digit numbers.

Placed on a mat in front of the museum, a bomb disposal squad robot ready for bomb detonation is an indicator of the exhibits housed in the museum. A tall mannequin at the entrance of the museum wears a bomb disposal suit in beige that look a lot like a spacesuit. Pistols, guns, Colt revolvers and swords are arranged in the museum for everyone to see.

The museum is open Sunday to Thursday from 8.30 am to 12 pm and from 4.30 pm till 8 pm.

Drivers’ licenses and other museum exhibits displayed.

The police uniform worn by Kuwait’s police in the early 60s.

Local FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2014

Kuwait bourse suffers a blow to its prestige Kuwait stock market - a big fish in small pond DUBAI: Kuwait’s stock market suffered a blow to its prestige last year when global index compiler MSCI decided to upgrade Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, leaving Kuwait languishing in a lower category. Being left behind may prove profitable for investors in Kuwaiti shares, however. Qatar and the UAE will move up from frontier market to emerging market status at the end of May, leaving a big void in MSCI’s frontier index, which will have to be readjusted.

Kuwait will remain in the frontier index and become by far the biggest market there. So its weighting in the index is expected to rise sharply - potentially attracting hundreds of millions of dollars of fresh foreign money to the country. The weighting increase “should provide significant additional liquidity into the Kuwaiti market, and therefore be a positive for Kuwait,” NBK Capital said in a research note. In recent days there have been early signs of some institutional investors buying beaten-down Kuwaiti blue chips in anticipation of them drawing more interest after rival Qatari and UAE stocks have left the frontier index, traders say.

Last year when global index compiler MSCI decided to upgrade Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, leaving Kuwait languishing in a lower category.

These include National Bank of Kuwait and telecommunications operator Zain, which are among the top constituents of the MSCI frontier market index. Investors have good reason to be disappointed by Kuwait; persistent tensions between the cabinet and parliament, and a sluggish bureaucracy, have delayed economic development plans and slowed improvement of the country’s poor infrastructure. The main Kuwait share index is up 25 percent since the end of 2012, compared to a 37 percent rise by Saudi Arabia, 36 percent by Qatar and 142 percent by Dubai.

But “passive” investors, which use MSCI weightings to guide their investment choices, are expected to put more money into Kuwait when its share of the frontier index rises.

The Kuwaiti market, which has a capitalization of about $110 billion, had the biggest weight in the frontier index at the end of February with 17.9 percent. The UAE had 17.3 percent and Qatar 16.6 percent. NBK estimates that after Qatar and the UAE leave, Kuwait’s weighting could increase to around 30 percent. A rise of 12 percentage points would imply an additional inflow of about $700 million into Kuwait - more than the approximately $500 million in passive funds which analysts estimate Qatar and the UAE will each gain from their upgrades.

Last year, Morocco demonstrated the benefits of being a relatively big fish in a small pond. In November it was downgraded from MSCI’s emerging markets index, where it had a miniscule weighting, to the frontier index, where it has a 4.6 percent weighting. The Moroccan stock index jumped 10 percent in the preceding weeks.

Projects The question is whether other economic and financial developments in Kuwait will combine with the expected inflow of MSCI funds to support an extended rally by the stock market. In February, the government approved bids worth a total of $12 billion for major upgrades at two oil refineries. Some investors see this as a sign that authorities are finally moving ahead with economic development plans.

“For the first time ever, there are some government changes there is a massive pent-up demand for infrastructure work and the government can’t wait anymore,” said Rami Sidani, Schroders’ Middle East head of investment.

“We’re at a turnaround and the government will start pressing ahead, albeit slowly. On the ground, projects are starting to take off, which means there will be lending opportunities for the banking sector.” Such hopes have been raised and dashed in Kuwait before, however. And there are potential

negatives in the market; the Capital Markets Authority appears to be cracking down more strictly on violations of listing and trading rules, for example by suspending companies that report losses which greatly exceed their capital.

In the long term, this is probably good for the market. A Reuters survey of a dozen international fund managers last month found they ranked Kuwait lowest among five big Middle Eastern markets for corporate disclosure and enforce-

ment of regulations against improper or illicit trading. In the short term, however, the crackdown may scare the individual investors who account for the vast majority of trading in the market, reducing liquidity. Earlier this month, a Kuwaiti court fined the chairman of Al Ahli Bank, the country’s eighth largest bank by market capitalization, 1.5 million dinars ($5.3 million) over alleged insider trading in the bank’s shares. The stock is down 6 percent so far this year. — Reuters

Local FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2014

Confessions of a bus driver in Kuwait From unruly riders to stone-pelting teens, these road warriors face it all

By Ben Garcia

R

ush hour madness, schedule delays and many other roadrelated mishaps make up the daily routine of J P Roa Jaya and Gopo Govindrasu who work for Kuwait Public Transport Company (KPTC) as bus drivers. For them, the breakout of a fist fight or the rising crescendo of a quarrel are part of their daily routine.

“Such problems are normal but it is not in our hands to control them because it can happen anywhere,” they both admit with a shrug. “We even have some isolated cases and problems with undisciplined teenage boys throwing stones at buses, especially on the Jahra and Fahaheel routes,” Roa Jaya told Kuwait Times.

Roa Jaya joined KPTC in 2000. “Back then it was always busy, especially in the rush hours because there were no other bus companies operating in Kuwait,” he said. After the entry of CityBus, buses became more prevalent and less crowded, though passenger numbers continue to rise on routes such as Kuwait City, Hawally, Salmiya, Khaitan and Farwaniya (route numbers 15, 16, 18, 21, 52, 59 and 999) - areas heavily populated by expatriates. Hearing complaints from passengers is also a frequent occurrence, Roa Jaya explained.

KPTC drivers begin their duty from the company’s headquarters in Mirqab in Kuwait City. There, they receive their yellow duty cards which they are required to complete with the time and their assigned routes. Another required document to fill is the time sheet where the route and the running time will be recorded for each cycle. “Our routes change frequently,” said Roa Jaya, saying that on average they cover a route for a month. “The time sheet tells us where our duty starts. For example, if we are told to start in Salmiya, we’ll have to go to Salmiya to start our duty,” he said.

Being a bus driver in Kuwait is tough. “Every day we face many issues from passengers. We encounter passengers who shout because they are late for work,” Roa Jaya said, and passengers who fight for seats - usually men who are sitting in seats

The public bus is a stage, for fights, for harassment, even for love affairs. Sometimes female passengers are harassed by perverts who blow air on their necks or whistle or hiss at them.

Bus drivers J P Roa Jaya and Gopo Govindrasu in Kuwait City recently. — Photo by Ben Garcia

reserved for women. “The bus is also the stage of fights when female passengers are harassed by perverts. These are the issues inside the bus,” he said.

Strict Inspections Govindrasu, from Chennai in India, spoke about how they are penalized for cutting trips short or for passengers who do not pay. “Normally, part of our salaries are cut and we get a memo from the management if we shorten duty routes. Each passenger must pay or we’ll be in trouble too. It will be recorded by the bus inspector. That is why we have bus inspectors - not just to check if passengers are holding valid tickets, but mostly it’s about us if we follow our routes religiously. If we stop for too long in one place, it will be recorded. We are also reprimanded. If there is traffic in an area, they’ll know, as they have people checking the routes frequently,” he said.

Most of the time, bus drivers are blamed for traffic accidents, admitted Govindrasu, but he said vigilant driving is key.

“Accidents occur when one doesn’t care about safety. We have to be cautious while driving. I care about safety because I am carrying passengers. But we cannot blame other motorists - we drive big vehicles and are known to drive aggressively. But I drive very carefully, as I don’t like to get involved in big or small accidents,” he said.

KPTC starts operations from 5 am. Drivers will normally work for eight hours a day, but some of them would work up to 10 hours straight. “It depends on us. We are not required to work overtime, but we are obliged sometimes because we have a target. For example, I have to get at least KD 25 every day. I also work extra to get commission or sometimes a bonus,” said Govindrasu.

Buses in Kuwait are generally very safe and reliable, with buses running approximately every ten minutes. Buses are air-conditioned, and fares range from around 200 to 300 fils per ride, depending on the distance traveled.

Local FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2014

The Sunni cemetery in Sulaibikhat

Buried in Kuwait

By Nawara Fattahova KUWAIT: With the wide variety of nationalities living in Kuwait who also have different beliefs and religions, Kuwait has provided different cemeteries. Currently there are five working cemeteries in Kuwait, while there were 50 in the past, but all are now out of service including the one on Failaka Island.

The Kuwait Municipality is responsible for the burial process and even for its expenses, not only for Kuwaiti citizens but for all expats as well.

“Nobody has to pay any fees for the burial as the Municipality arranges everything. There is an optional payment of KD 30 if the family of the dead wants to pay, which goes to the municipality treasury. This applies only for Muslims non-Muslims can’t pay anything,” Faisal AlAwadhi, supervisor of the funeral affairs department of the Kuwait Municipality told Kuwait Times.

There are three cemeteries in Sulaibikhat for Sunnis, Shiites and non-Muslims, one in Subhan (Sunni) and one in Jahra (Sunni). “Cremation is not allowed in Kuwait as we are an Islamic country and this is against our beliefs, and those who want this procedure for their dead relatives can transfer their corpses to their home countries.

For transporting dead bodies, the Municipality prepares everything including the coffin for free.

Of course the family of the dead person has the

option of getting their own coffin and this applies for the coffins for burial as well,” Awadhi added.

The burial procedures differ according to religion. “For Muslims, we transfer the body of the dead after receiving a call from the hospital with our vehicle, after fulfilling all conditions including the signature of the hospital and the doctor.

The corpse is then transported to the cemetery that the family chooses, not according to their residential address. The corpse is then washed and buried if they demand, or is placed in the mortuary till the time of burial. Before burying the body, prayers are held. The family then can take condolences at the hall of the cemetery, for which the Sulaibikhat is the biggest as it can accommodate 4,000 people,” stated Awadhi.

There are ritual washers at each cemetery except the non-Muslim cemetery. “There are male and female bathers, gravediggers and drivers who work on shifts 24/7. In the non-Muslim cemetery, the dead are brought ready from the church where they are washed already, and are directly buried. Also for expats, we only bury them in the presence of at least one of their family members or an agent from the embassy of their country, otherwise we don’t bury them,” he explained.

All the cemeteries are expanding, but there is no shortage of land. “Expats shouldn’t worry of the proposal made a few months ago regarding

The Shiite cemetery in Sulaibikhat stopping burying expats in local cemeteries, as all the cemeteries are being enlarged. So we have enough capacity for the next 50 years,” Awadhi reassured.

The department is also planning for the future. “We are planning new, bigger halls at the cemeteries. We also have plans for dividing the plots in the cemeteries and increase the number of mosques, so more people can attend funeral prayers. This is already done in the Subhan and Jahra cemeteries, and will soon be applied in the Sulaibikhat cemetery,” stressed Awadhi.

Regarding allowing night burials, Awadhi noted that it was always allowed. “In fact it was never forbidden to do so, as the cemeteries are opened 24 hours a day. But the custom followed was to bury between 9:00 am and 4:00 pm. Due to the hot weather, especially in summer, people have the option to bury at nighttime. Choosing the time of burial is always left to the people,” he pointed out.

The total number of burials including bodies sent abroad in 2013 was 7,184 - 4,143 Kuwaitis and 3,041 expats.

Cemeteries for Sunnis, Shiites and Christians serve all equally The old Jewish cemetery in Kuwait City. It is no longer open.

The Christian cemetery in Kuwait City

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Local FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2014

Gulf Arabs try to avert Egypt’s energy crunch Kuwait, Saudi, UAE rush to provide oil aid to Egypt CAIRO: Arab countries will extend aid to Egypt in the form of petroleum products until at least September, Finance Minister Hany Kadry Dimian said yesterday, a move that will help avert an energy crunch expected in the summer when consumption soars. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait have rushed to provide aid to Egypt, including around $4 billion worth of oil products sent between July and December, since

the army deposed Islamist President Mohamed Morsi after mass protests.

“Arab aid for petroleum products offered to Egypt will continue until next September or October,” Dimian, who took office last month in a surprise cabinet reshuffle, said in a text message to Reuters.

Last month, Egypt’s oil minister said the country would need to import $1 billion worth of petroleum products to meet

energy needs for the summer. Fuel subsidies cost Egypt’s government $15 billion a year, a fifth of the state budget. The money keeps pump prices well below market values, giving Egyptians no incentive to curb their consumption. Egypt also requires liquefied natural gas (LNG) for power generation, in short supply due to declining local production, even as it cut into exports of LNG previously promised to foreign firms. —Reuters

TOKYO: Kuwaiti Parliamentary Friendship Group delegation pictured with their Japanese counterpart in Tokyo. —KUNA

MPs’ visit boosts Kuwait-Japan ties TOKYO: The successful visit of a Kuwaiti Parliamentary Friendship Group delegation to Japan serves to strengthen advance future cooperation between the two friendly nations, said Kuwait’s Ambassador to Japan Abdulrahman AlOtaibi. “We are very happy to see the delegation of the Kuwait-Japan Parliamentary Friendship League members here, led by MP Dr Khalil Abdullah. Such visits will reinforce relationship between the two parliaments and countries, and push forward overall cooperation in the future,” the ambassador said, stressing the importance of their visit in his statement to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA).

The Kuwaiti parliamentary delegation, which also includes MPs Adnan Abdulsamad, Faisal Al-Duwaisan and Majed Al-Mutairi have held a series of talks with Japanese officials and their counterparts, including Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and House of Representatives Speaker Bunmei Ibuki, on ways to promote and deepen bilateral relationship.

“We are very satisfied with the outcomes of the meetings and committed to enhance ties between the governments and parliaments,” the diplomat said. The Kuwaiti group also inspected the Cancer Institute Hospital of Japan, an integrated control center for Tokyo subway network system and Japan’s first full-fledged ocean wind farm, and observed a parliamentary session.

The Kuwaiti legislators were invited by the Japanese government for a memorial service to commemorate the third anniversary of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, in which Emperor Akihito attended. “It was a great chance for the Kuwaiti members to be part of the memorial service and show their sympathies together with their Japanese counterparts and colleagues,” Al-Otaibi said.

Following the twin disasters, Kuwait donated 5 million barrels of crude oil to Japan, equivalent to some $500 million, to support its reconstruction work. In addition, Kuwait contributed $3 million to the

heavily-damaged marine science museum and $2 million to Japan Red Cross Society for the reconstruction projects such as the procurement of new railway coaches and the inauguration of a children’s care center in the affected areas.

Kuwait’s contribution was the largest amount ever donated to Japan by any country in the wake of the March 2011 catastrophe. The current visit came after the Japanese members of the friendship league visited Kuwait last month.

Chairwoman of the Japanese side of the league Yuriko Koike told KUNA that the visit by the Kuwaiti members gives them opportunities to get familiar with Japan’s parliamentary system. “Our league is aimed at deepening inter-parliamentary ties through close exchanges between Kuwaiti and Japanese colleagues,” Koike explained. She also asserted the significance of mutual exchanges among the lawmakers, saying they contribute to bolstering overall relations between the two countries. —KUNA

Kuwait, Albania strengthen relations SARAJEVO: Kuwaiti Ambassador to Albania Najeeb Abdulrahman Al-Bader met with the Mayor of Peshkopi Municipality Ilir Krosi and member of the Albanian parliament Sherefedin Shehu on Wednesday at the Embassy in Tirana.

During the meeting, the two sides discussed a number of related issues aimed at improving bilateral cooperation between the two countries. Ambassador Al-Bader stated that the meeting comes in the framework of consolidating ties with various cities in Albania in light of distinctive Kuwaiti-Albania relations and the desire to improve cooperation in various arenas.

He also expressed his aspiration to extend educational and cultural cooperation bridges with the city of Peshkopi as education is the basis of development and prosperity. On his part, Mayor Krosi expressed Albanian people’s gratitude to the great efforts exerted by the State of Kuwait to a number of developmental, cultural, and Islamic projects in Albania, valuing at the

same time Kuwait’s continuous support in this regard.

Water project “We are grateful for the Kuwaiti gesture and generous support and its financing of the overhaul and expansion of the water relay station and network in Novi Pazar in the Sanjak region,” said the city’s mayor Meho Mahmutovic in remarks yesterday, upon the inauguration of the revamped facility. The mayor of Novi Pazar, which lies within a region with a Muslim majority, said the population had suffered from poor water supply and service for many years, and the Kuwaiti contribution and revamp of the network will have a great positive impact on the people’s lives. Representing Kuwait at the inauguration ceremony, Ambassador Yousef Abdelsamad said, “Kuwait spares no effort to lend a helping hand to contribute to all projects that would alleviate the suffering and improve the living conditions of friendly peoples.” —Agencies

News

in brief

Emergency landing for Kuwait Airways plane averted

KUWAIT: A Kuwait Airways plane coming from Doha requested an emergency landing at Kuwait International Airport yesterday evening. The pilot of Flight #618 called KIA air traffic control and requested support for an emergency landing after the indicator light for the landing gear failed to come on as he readied for the approach to land. The pilot eventually flew in low over the airport and through visual report from watchers on the ground was able to confirm that the landing gear in fact had descended. The plane landed normally and no accident nor injuries were reported.

KUWAIT: Crown Prince of Brunei Darussalam and Senior Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Al-Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah pictured with Minister of Finance Anas Khaled AlSaleh. —KUNA

Brunei’s Crown Prince visits KIA

KUWAIT: Crown Prince of Brunei Darussalam and Senior Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office AlHaji Al-Muhtadee Billah visited Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA) headquarters on Wednesday. He was received by the Minister of Finance Anas Khaled Al-Saleh, Chief Executive Officer, Managing Director Bader Mohammad Al-Saad, Assistant Under-Secretary for Foreign Investment Office at the Ministry of Commerce and Trade Sheikh Mishaal Al-Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, besides senior officials at the Ministry and at KIA.

Kuwait lawmakers head to Geneva for IPU meetings

KUWAIT: A delegation of Kuwaiti lawmakers, headed by Speaker of the Parliament Marzouq Al-Ghanim will leave tomorrow to Geneva to attend meetings of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), slated for the period March 15-20. This will be the 130th IPU assembly at which it is expected a number of subjects will be thrashed by IPUs permanent committees including those on (Peace and International Security), (Sustainable Development, Finance and Trade), (Democracy and Human Rights), (Meeting of Women Parliamentarians), and (Forum of Young Parliamentarians of the IPU). Top on the agenda include election of the President and Vice-Presidents of the 130th Assembly; consideration of requests for the inclusion of an emergency item in the Assembly agenda; general debate on IPU’s renewing its commitment to peace and democracy and efforts toward a nuclear-weapon-free world and the contribution of parliaments to that. Also on the agenda will be the subject of risk-resilient development while taking into consideration the demographic trends and natural constraints, and the role of parliaments in protecting the rights of children.

Meanwhile on the sidelines of the main IPU meetings, there will be other meetings by Gulf, Arab, and Islamic nations which are represented in the Arab Inter-Parliament Union.

Local FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2014

Arabs adopt Marrakech ‘Anti-Terror Statement’ Interior Ministers vow to fight extremism, terrorism MARRAKECH: The 31st Session of Arab Interior Ministers Council was concluded late Wednesday. The session adopted Marrakech Anti-Terror Statement to broaden cooperation in the fight against extremism and terrorism. The statement reiterated Arab countries’ denunciation of terrorism regardless of its motives and tactics as well as of the sectarian discourse which fuels terror and instigate sedition and hatred. It also condemned the terror acts that have taken place recently in several Arab states.

In this regard, the Arab Interior Minister Council strongly condemned the terror attacks against security forces in Bahrain, Algeria, Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Yemen, Iraq and other member states. In their statement, the ministers vowed to forge ahead their fight against terror, and vow to address its causes and to mobilize all efforts and potential to uproot it. They also expressed full support to the decisions taken by Arab states to protect their security and stability.

The Marrakech statement also reiterated denunciation of those who offer any form of support or finance to terror groups and to

those who promote their ideas. The ministers recommitted themselves to refraining from paying ransom to terror groups to secure the release of hostages. They stressed that they would not cave in to the terrorists’ blackmailing and intimidation, and ransom demands.

In this regard, the statement urged member states to abide by relevant UN Security Council’s resolutions which prohibit ransom payment to terror groups.

It urged Arab countries to boost anti-terror cooperation and extradition of wanted people as well as tightening border security to prevent smuggling of weapons and infiltration of terrorists into neighboring states. The ministers expressed great respect of human rights values and civil society. They called for developing a broad partnership between security agencies and societies to increase the efficiency of anti-terror strategies and bodies and secure public support for security measures.

Meanwhile, the General Secretariat of the Arab Interior Ministers Council said that the Arab ministers agreed on founding an Arab

GCC’s first expat

By Sunil Cherian

F

or them, all the world is a stage and they perform their roles fairly well. Most are working mothers who live in Salmiya -members of an Indian expat association who had been enjoying events and functions as mere spectators until December. Together they decided to form a theater troupe - the first of its kind in the Gulf - in view of a drama competition held on Feb 25-26 at Khaitan Indian School.

They named their group Nirbhaya - fearless - after the Delhi girl whose real name is not revealed in the media who died after being gang-raped more than a year ago.

No, the drama the Salmiya women acted in - against 4 dramas in Kuwait and 16 across the Gulf - was not the glorification of women’s sufferings. The one-hour plus play in

ideological security office to be based in Riyadh. It added that the conferees ratified the member states’ reports on the progress in the implementation of the Arab strategy for countering terror and drug activities as well as the Arab strategy for traffic and civil security.

They approved the resolutions and recommendations taken during the meetings of the Arab security officials at the level of General Secretariat in 2013. The ministers endorsed the reports on the activities of Naif Arab University for Security Sciences (NAUSS) and General Secretariat in 2013. The ministers welcomed Egypt’s proposal for holding a joint meeting for Arab interior and justice ministers to discuss activating pan-Arab security and legal cooperation agreements. Kuwait was represented in the meeting with a highranking delegation headed by Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Interior Sheikh Mohammad Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah. Sheikh Mohammad delivered a speech at the inaugural session and held a series of meetings with his Arab counterparts on the sidelines of the two-day event. — KUNA

women theater

Malayalam was titled The Cow, representing the exploitation of women by their own families. The production mainly focused on the independence of women who face their daily struggles confidently. The six main characters and 4 ‘extras’ did represent the dumped, displaced and depressed womenfolk.

However, the drama climaxes when the women who live together in a Jleeb flat give refuge to a Syrian displaced woman after the realization that worries shared are worries melted. The 10-women cast, and I who wrote the script, were delighted when the results were announced on March 10. The Cow won the best script award in an otherwise male-dominated arena.

The bold and beautiful 10 comprise of Nayana Santhosh, a dancer, Mini Satheesh, a housewife, Paulsy Biju, Trisa Wilson and Shelji, nurses, Shobha Nair, a businesswoman, Maya Udayan, a research assistant at Kuwait University and Sneha Wilson, Alma Trisa and Amritha Rajan, who are school students. The rehearsal started on Jan 1 and the group met for practice all weekends at the Nandanam School of Dance in Salmiya. Nurses requested adjustments in their shift duty schedules, young mothers left their crying kids with their fathers and students sandwiched themselves between tuitions and other academic and non-academic activities.

One actress was in the beginning stage of pregnancy.

Husbands dropped the actresses at the rehearsal place and rushed back home to their sick children, at least in two cases. The ladies brought coffee and snacks with them and shared them, a regular sight at the camp. The energy they gave and took was so visible on the day of the performance that the audience gave a thundering applause at the end when the Syrian Muslim displaced woman was embraced by a Hindu character. The poem at the end echoed: ‘It’s not the Spring nor mutiny; but the power the bond has built’.

FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2014

Ukraine mobilizes as Merkel warns Russia

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NY blast death toll rises

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Malaysia rejects ‘debris’ images report as false

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RAFAH: Smoke rises following an Israeli air strike in Rafah town in the southern Gaza Strip, yesterday. Israeli warplanes carried out raids on 30 targets in Gaza overnight. — AFP

Abbas asks Israel to halt ‘escalation’ Israel pounds 30 targets in Gaza overnight GAZA CITY: Israel pounded nearly 30 targets in Gaza overnight after militants fired scores of rockets into the south, prompting Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas to demand yesterday it halt its “escalation.” The rocket barrage, which was the heaviest since an eight-day conflict between Israel and Gaza’s Hamas rulers in November 2012, sent thousands of Israelis fleeing for cover across the south on Wednesday afternoon. So far, there have been no reports of casualties on either side of the border.

And experts said Israel was not interested in a major confrontation with Gaza’s Hamas rulers. The latest tit-for-tat violence was sparked by an incident on Tuesday when militants of the hardline Islamic Jihad group fired a mortar round at troops allegedly trying to enter southern Gaza, prompting an Israeli air strike which killed three of them. In retaliation, Islamic Jihad’s armed wing, the Quds Brigades, fired scores of rockets over the border on Wednesday, with the group putting the number at 130.

Israel responded with air strikes on 29 targets across Gaza, hitting bases used by Hamas as well as those of Islamic Jihad, which has so far claimed all of the rocket fire. Security sources in Gaza said there were no casualties in the air strikes as all the sites had been evacuated.

The army said more than 60 rockets had struck southern Israel on Wednesday, five of them hitting populated areas. Another

three were intercepted by the Iron Dome air defense system.

Another three rockets struck southern Israel yesterday morning. The army said one crashed into an open area near the border, while the other two struck between the port cities of Ashdod and Ashkelon. “Two rockets were fired, one north of Ashkelon, the second south of Ashdod, landing in open areas,” police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said.

Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon blamed both Islamic Jihad and Hamas for the escalation and said anyone firing at Israel would be responsible for his own fate. “Hamas is responsible for the strip and if it does not know how to prevent fire on Israel from its territory, we will act against it and all of its broader interests,” he said.

No rocket condemnation The air strikes, which began at around 2030 GMT on Wednesday, prompted a sharp rebuke from Abbas, who demanded Israel “put an end to its military escalation in the besieged Gaza Strip,” his spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hit back during a tour with visiting British Prime Minister David Cameron. “As the Teva (pharmaceutical) factory in Ashdod is manufacturing medications to be sent to Gaza, over there they are firing rockets at innocent Israelis,” he told the British leader.

“How is it possible that he doesn’t condemn the firing of rockets at innocent civilians? But he did condemn Israel for responding and firing at three terrorists who fired a mortar shell at them,” he said, referring to Tuesday’s border incident.

Cameron, who was to meet Abbas in Bethlehem later, said: “I join you in condemning unreservedly the rocket attacks from Gaza.” Netanyahu, who has said Israel will act “with great force” against anyone attacking it, was to convene a special session of his security cabinet in Tel Aviv later, army radio said.

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said on Wednesday that Israel would have no choice but to reoccupy Gaza, from which it withdrew all troops and settlers in summer 2005.

But experts said Israel was not seeking a major confrontation in the territory. “Israel has no intention of entering a major operation now,” said Yaakov Amidror, who served as national security adviser until November. “But if there’s a continued response from the other side, the IDF will have to reconsider,” he told army radio, adding that re-entering Gaza was “an option” but not one that Israel would rush into. “It depends on the other side’s decisions. Hamas is not joining in at this stage and that’s a good thing.” Washington denounced the rocket fire as “reprehensible” and called for an immediate halt to such “terrorist attacks.” — AFP

International FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2014

Rouhani extends hand to Gulf monarchies Tehran seeks to allay GCC nuke fears

DAMASCUS: Syrian lawmakers gather during a session to vote for a new election law, at the Syrian parliament in Damascus, Syria. Syria’s parliament unanimously approved a new election law yesterday allowing multiple candidates to run for president, opening the door at least in theory to other potential contenders besides President Bashar Assad. — AP

South Sudan facing ‘specter’ of famine ADDIS ABABA: South Sudan faces possible famine if warring forces continue to flout a ceasefire deal, US and EU envoys warned yesterday, after almost three months of raging conflict left thousands dead.

“The parties have failed to respect their commitment to the January 23 cessation of hostilities,” said United States envoy Donald Booth, at a meeting of regional leaders in Ethiopia on the conflict in the world’s youngest country. “This failure has led to thousands of additional deaths and an ever worsening humanitarian situation, with South Sudan facing a possible famine,” he added. South Sudan’s government has been at war with rebel groups

since December 15, when a clash between troops loyal to President Salva Kiir and those loyal to sacked vice president Riek Machar snowballed into full-scale fighting.

Over 930,000 civilians have fled their homes since fighting began, including over quarter of million leaving for neighboring nations as refugees, according to the United Nations.

“If things continue as they are, the specter of famine looms,” European Union envoy Alexander Rondos said. “The rains are coming, and if people cannot go and plant there will not be sufficient stocks within months... This should be a matter of the greatest urgency.” —AP

MUSCAT: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani sought yesterday to mend fences between his country and Gulf monarchies distrustful of Iran’s nuclear ambitions and its support of the Syrian regime. Rouhani, concluding a two-day visit to Oman, said the Islamic republic offered “a hand of fraternity to all the countries of the region, especially those south of the Arabian Gulf.” “Relations with one country should not grow at the expense of another. We want to see the countries of the region live in peace, understanding and friendship,” Rouhani told a business gathering in Muscat. The sultanate maintains strong links with Iran and has played an important intermediary role between Western countries and Tehran. However not all members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, which besides Oman also comprises Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, enjoy the same level of relations with Tehran.

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif of Iran yesterday sought to allay concerns among mainly Gulf Arab monarchies mistrustful of Tehran over its nuclear ambitions. “Our message to the other countries of the Arabian Gulf is a message of friendship, fraternity and cooperation,” Zarif said in the Omani capital Muscat, where he is accompanying President Hassan Rouhani on a landmark visit.

The sultanate maintains strong links with Tehran, and has played an important intermediary role between Western countries and the Islamic republic.

Gulf Arab countries have expressed concern about the reliability of Iran’s sole nuclear power plant at Bushehr and the risk of radioactive leaks should it be hit by a major earthquake.

They also fear there is a possible military dimension to Iran’s nuclear drive, despite

repeated assertions by Tehran that its atomic ambitions are peaceful. Ties between Gulf countries and Iran have also been strained by Tehran’s backing of Syrian President Bashar AlAssad’s regime in its battle against rebels supported by the Arab monarchies. “Cooperation and rapprochement would benefit the whole region,” said Rouhani, adding that his country is “open to investors from the region, especially Omanis.”

Dialogue In a meeting with university professors, Rouhani denounced “terrorism” and called for dialogue to coordinate the fight against it.

“All differences can be resolved through dialogue,” he said, pointing out that talking had helped end the deadlock in nuclear negotiations with Western countries. Earlier, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also made fresh overtures to the Gulf monarchies.

“Our message to the other countries of the Gulf is a message of friendship, fraternity and cooperation,” Zarif said. “Iran is ready for strong and fraternal relations with all the states of the region,” said Zarif, who has embarked on a charm offensive towards the Gulf since Rouhani became Iran’s president in August.

In December, he toured Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the UAE. Zarif has said he is ready to visit Riyadh, but the Saudis remain cool to the idea.

“The region does not need another war. We should coexist on the bases of religion, history and common interests,” said Zarif. Tehran’s good relations with Muscat “could serve as a example for other countries”, he added.

Relations between Shiite-majority Iran and Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia have long been strained as both countries vie for regional dominance. — AFP

International FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2014

Turkish oppn seeks parliament recall ANKARA: Turkey’s opposition demanded yesterday a recall of parliament to hear corruption allegations against four former ministers in a move which could spell further trouble for Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan ahead of local elections on March 30.

Erdogan has cast the graft scandal as a plot to smear him by Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, a US-based former ally with influence in Turkey’s police and judiciary. Erdogan has responded to the scandal by reassigning thousands of police officers and hundreds of judges and prosecutors.

Social media has been awash with snippets of leaked wiretap recordings presented as evidence of wrongdoing, but the purge of police and judiciary has brought

investigations to a virtual halt and few specifics on the core allegations have leaked out. Police documents on the four ex-ministers were sent to parliament in late February and a summary would usually be read out on the floor. However, the assembly went into recess for the election campaign period shortly afterwards and the files have been kept under lock and key ever since.

Mehmet Akif Hamzacebi, a senior deputy from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), told a news conference yesterday his party had filed a parliamentary petition with 132 signatures for the assembly’s recall. “The parliamentary speaker has no option other than to have the records read and present

the additional dossiers and documents to deputies,” Hamzacebi said, adding that failure to accept the petition would violate Turkey’s constitution.

Elections Under parliamentary rules, speaker Cemil Cicek, who is a member of Erdogan’s centre-right AK Party, has a week to summon the assembly for an extraordinary session. A recalled session requires the attendance of at least 184 deputies in the 550member assembly, which the CHP could achieve with the support of the nationalist MHP and pro-Kurdish BDP parties. Both have said they would back the move.

The police records concern former interior minister Muammer Guler, former envi-

ronment minister Erdogan Bayraktar, former EU affairs minister Egemen Bagis and former economy minister Zafer Caglayan, all of whom have left their cabinet positions since the corruption scandal erupted on Dec 17.

The ministers deny any wrongdoing.

The AK Party is expected to try to block a recall of parliament which could see details of the allegations made public just days ahead of municipal polls, widely seen in Turkey as a referendum on Erdogan’s leadership.

The party, which has presided over more than a decade of rising living standards in Turkey, remains well ahead of its rivals in opinion polls despite the corruption scandal. — Reuters

Milosevic-era minister shakes off dark past Centre-right leader in pole position for Sunday election

LONDON: Britain’s Princess Beatrice of York (left), Prince Charles, Prince of Wales (center) and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall (right) leave following a memorial service for British broadcaster David Frost at Westminster Abbey in central London yesterday. — AFP

Pope marks anniversary with prayer and a tweet VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis yesterday marked the first anniversary of his election in prayer and quiet contemplation of the meaning of Lent, far from the adoring crowds and controversies of Rome.

In keeping with Francis’s tendency to eschew much of the pomp and ceremony associated with his role, the anniversary was not marked in any official way, with the exception of a solitary tweet from the official @Pontifex account. “Please pray for me,” the 77-year-old wrote to his 12 million followers in nine languages, echoing an appeal he made in his first address to followers from the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica exactly one year ago.

Francis was spending the day on a pre-Easter spiritual retreat in the Castelli Romani, a picturesque area on the southeastern outskirts of Rome.

He left the Vatican on Sunday after his weekly blessing and will return on Saturday. The Lenten retreat is a regular fixture in the Vatican calendar and its focus on self-denial, penance and repentance chimes with the tone Francis has set for his papacy through his emphasis on the themes of mercy, humility and support for the poor.

“He did not want anything different from usual,” said his spokesman, Father Federico Lombardi. “It is his way to be solemn and to insist on prayer.” The Argentinian pope’s extraordinary popularity has helped increase church attendance around the world but it has also fuelled the growth of a cult of personality that he has denounced as inappropriate.

“Portraying the pope as a kind of superman, a type of star, it seems offensive,” Francis recently told Italian daily Corriere della Sera. More than anything, the pope’s first year in office has been marked by his apparently sincere determination to maintain the kind of simple lifestyle the former Jorge Mario Bergoglio has had throughout his career as a priest. —AFP

BELGRADE: When state television captured Serbia’s deputy prime minister wading into snowdrifts this winter to rescue a boy from a stranded car, it was one dramatic act too far for some skeptical Serbs.

Photo-shopped pictures of Aleksandar Vucic dressed in superman underpants and cape, head superimposed onto the bulging green body of the Incredible Hulk, bare-chested astride a horse a la Vladimir Putin - went viral.

As with all good jokes, there was an element of truth. After 18 months in government, the leader of Serbia’s dominant party has inspired the kind of idolatry, and amassed the kind of power, not matched since the late strongman Slobodan Milosevic. The face of a government crusade against crime and corruption, Vucic is expected to lead his centre-right Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) to a resounding victory in a snap election on Sunday.

Barring major upsets, he will become prime minister, with the task of overhauling Serbia’s ailing economy.

The SNS is polling at more than 40 percent support. That’s at least three times more than its closest rival, the opposition Democratic Party, and the kind of domination unseen since Serbia came in from the cold with Milosevic’s overthrow in 2000.

If all goes to plan, Vucic’s four-year mandate would take Serbia, the most populous country to emerge from the ashes of federal Yugoslavia, to within a few years of membership of the European Union. The irony is not lost on his detractors.

Until 2008, Vucic was a disciple of the “Greater Serbia” ideology that fuelled the wars of Yugoslavia’s demise in the 1990s and left Serbia isolated and bankrupt.

He is haunted by YouTube, where in TV clips he rails against the West and heaps praise on genocide suspect Ratko Mladic, the accused architect of Europe’s worst mass killing since the Nazis when his Bosnian Serb forces massacred 8,000 Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica in 1995.

Vucic broke with the ultranationalist Serbian Radical Party in 2008 and converted to the goal of EU integration as Serbia’s best hope of recovery and prosperity.

Critics say the U-turn was motivated by little more than expediency, recognition that the ultranationalizm of the 1990s was redundant in peacetime.

Some are nervous of Vucic’s power and popularity, in a country with an affinity for strongmen.

“Vucic has a firm hand, which obviously Serbs feel they need,” said Marko Blagojevic of Belgrade-

based pollster Centre for Free Elections and Democracy. “The situation is such that people are looking for authority.”

Mistakes The Serbian media have become increasingly cowed. Vucic served as information minister in the late 1990s when newspapers were fined or closed under tough legislation designed to muzzle dissent as Milosevic led Serbia into war with NATO over Kosovo.

“His slogan is ‘Everyone for reforms’, but until recently he was crying ‘Everyone in uniform’,” Democratic Party member Milivoj Vrebalov said on Wednesday, alluding to Vucic’s sabre-rattling past.

The Democrats, who came to power after Milosevic fell, have split in two since being shunted from office in 2012. Vucic, a 44-year-old law graduate who worked in a London corner shop while learning English as a teenage student, readily admits he has made mistakes. “But,” he told a rally in the southern mainly Muslim town of Novi Pazar, “smart people learn something through life, and those who are not smart can live three lives and learn nothing.”

Adopting the public manner of a well-groomed Western politician, Vucic has won over many of his harshest critics with his energy and apparent effectiveness in government.

His lead role in a much-publicized fight against crime and corruption, including the arrest and trial of influential Balkan retail tycoon Miroslav Miskovic, has increased his popularity.

But the outgoing coalition government he was part of since mid-2012 failed to produce the kind of far-reaching structural reforms that the International Monetary Fund says are needed to stabilize Serbia’s shaky finances. A bigger share of power would allow the SNS to jettison the likes of the Socialist Party of Prime Minister Ivica Dacic, which is hostile to pension reform, public sector pay cuts and steps to liberalize the labor market.

Serbia is wooing the IMF for a new precautionary loan deal, for which it will have to commit to cutting a budget deficit set at 4.6 percent of output for the year and stabilize public debt of more than 60 percent. Serbian doctors have already protested over pay, and more such complaints may follow. Vucic says he won’t be swayed. “We can’t spend more than we have,” he told Serbian daily Vecernje Novosti. “Either we’re going to pursue a realistic and rational policy, or we’ll simply keep lying to ourselves.” — Reuters

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International FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2014

Ukrainian oligarch Firtash, wanted by US, held in Vienna VIENNA: Austria has arrested Ukrainian businessman Dmytro Firtash at the request of the United States which has been investigating him since 2006, government sources said. The Federal Crime Agency yesterday identified the suspect only as Dmitry F., 48, but government sources said it was Firtash, one of Ukraine’s richest men.

“Based on years of investigations by the US FBI and an arrest warrant issued by a US federal district court, Vienna prosecutors issued a national order to detain the businessman,” the agency said in a statement. It said he was suspected of violating laws on bribery and forming a criminal organisation in the course of foreign business deals. A spokesman for the agency said the Austrian order to take him into custody came this month.

Firtash’s close links to Russia and involvement in the gas, chemicals, media and banking sectors gave him substantial influence, notably during the administration of recently ousted, Moscow-backed President Viktor Yanukovich. The suspect was taken into custody without incident in Vienna on Wednesday evening, a statement said. He was transferred to a justice facility in Vienna after the arrest.

Firtash is founder and chairman of Group DF, whose website describes it as a diversified international group of companies operating across Europe and Asia in fields including fertiliser, titanium, gas distribution and banking. Other businesses include agribusiness, media, soda ash production, energy infrastructure development and real estate.

Firtash is not named on an initial European Union list of Ukrainians suspected of misusing state funds and violating human rights and whose assets are to be frozen as a result of the crisis over the Russian takeover of Ukraine’s Crimea region. There was no immediate comment from the FBI or US Justice Department. —Reuters

China warns of dangerous Russia sanctions ‘spiral’ BERLIN: China’s top envoy to Germany has warned the West against punishing Russia with sanctions for its intervention in Ukraine, saying such measures could lead to a dangerous chain reaction that would be difficult to control. In an interview with Reuters days before the European Union is threatening to impose its first sanctions on Russia since the Cold War, ambassador Shi Mingde issued the strongest warning against such measures by any top Chinese official to date. “We don’t see any point in sanctions,” Shi said. “Sanctions could lead to retaliatory action, and that would trigger a spiral with unforeseeable consequences. We don’t want this.” The interview was conducted on Wednesday, the same day that the EU agreed a framework for sanctions that would slap travel bans and asset freezes on people and companies accused by Brussels of violating the territorial integrity of Ukraine. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has taken the lead in trying to mediate in the crisis, has said the measures, which mirror steps announced by the United States, will be imposed on Monday unless Russia accepts the idea of a “contact group” to Russia’s Deputy Economy Minister Alexei Likhachev responded by promising “symmetrical” sanctions by Moscow. But Shi urged patience, saying the door for talks should remain open even after a referendum on Sunday in which Ukraine’s southern region of Crimea could vote to secede and join Russia. Merkel and other western leaders have denounced the referendum as illegal and demanded that it be cancelled. “We still see a chance to avoid an escalation. The door to talks is still open. We should use this possibility, also after the referendum,” Shi said. Chinese President Xi Jinping, who will visit Berlin and other European capitals later this month, held separate phone calls on the Ukraine crisis with Merkel and US President Barack Obama earlier this week.

But beyond urging restraint and dialogue, China has shown little public interest in becoming involved diplomatically, a stance that is in keeping with its low-key approach to many international crises. Still, Ukraine presents Beijing with a dilemma. On the one hand it is a traditional ally of Moscow and has routinely sided with its northern neighbor in major international conflicts. On the other hand, the question of territorial integrity is a tricky issue for the Chinese because of Tibet and Taiwan. —Reuters

SEVASTOPOL: Children walk past a billboard sign in Sevastopol yesterday, reading ‘On March 16 we will choose either... or...” and depicting Crimea in red with a swastika and covered in barbed wire (left) and Crimea with the colors of the Russian flag. —AFP

Ukraine mobilizes as Merkel warns Russia ‘Moscow will mirror any sanctions’ KIEV: Ukraine moved yesterday to mobilize a volunteer force to ward off Russia’s expansionist threat as Berlin warned Moscow of long-term damage to its economy and EU relations over the Crimea crisis. The Verkhovna Rada parliament unanimously backed the creation of a new force of up to 60,000 volunteers who could keep Russian troops from advancing beyond the Crimean peninsula they seized at the start of the month. The dramatic decision to bolster Ukraine’s defenses with people outside the army came shortly after US President Barack Obama threw his full weight behind Ukraine’s new pro-European leaders in their Cold War-style standoff with the Kremlin.

Russia will impose symmetrical sanctions if the United States and European Union impose their own, Deputy Economy Minister Alexei Likhachev said yesterday. “We are ready for any eventuality,” Likhachev told journalists. “We will mirror (any actions).” He also said the ministry hoped that any sanctions would be political not economic. Russia announced yesterday it had started military exercises near the border with Ukraine, in what is likely to be seen as a show of force in the standoff with Kiev and the West over Crimea. The Defense Ministry confirmed exercises had begun in the Southern Military District, involving 8,500 artillery men, after pictures appeared on social media showing military vehicles on the move in the area.

The exercise includes a large number of artillery and Grad, Hurricane and Tornado multiple-rocket launchers, the Defense Ministry said in a statement on its website.

Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council chief Andriy Parubiy said the new National Guard would “ensure state security, defend the borders, and eliminate terrorist groups”-a term many in Kiev use to call the wellarmed militias who patrol Crimea alongside Russian troops.

Ukraine’s conventional army of 130,000 soldiers-half of them conscripts with ageing equip-

ment-is dwarfed by a 845,000-strong Russian force that has the backup of nuclear weapons.

Putin’s March 1 decision to order troops into Crimea for the “protection” of the Russian-speaking majority there now threatens to bring down a host of political and economic sanctions that could leave the Kremlin more isolated from the West than at any point since the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel-a fluent Russian speaker whose upbringing in Communist East Germany shaped both her cautious approach to Moscow and understanding of the importance of keeping relations with the Kremlin on trackdelivered her most ominous warning to date in an appearance before the German parliament.

‘Massively damage Russia’ “If Russia continues its course of the last weeks, it would not only be a catastrophe for Ukraine,” she told the chamber. “It would not only change the relationship of the European Union as

a whole to Russia. No, it would also, and I am firmly convinced of this, massively damage Russia both economically and politically.”

Merkel accused Russia of using the “failed” expansionist tactics of the previous two centuries.

Russia’s parliament is still due to consider legislation next week simplifying the process for the annexation of Crimea-a strong possibility after the Black Sea region holds a hotly disputed referendum on Sunday on switching over to Kremlin rule.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said meanwhile that it had postponed the process for the Russian Federation to join its 34-member organization. The European Union will debate travel bans and asset freezes on Monday against Russian officials held responsible for threatening Ukraine’s territorial integrity.

Brussels is also expected next week to offer Ukraine a chance to sign an historic EU trade pact whose abrupt November rejection in favor of closer ties with Russia sparked the initial wave of Kiev unrest. —AFP

A video grab made yesterday shows Russian paratroopers taking part in a night drill 150 km outside Russian southern town of Rostov-onDon yesterday. —AFP

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International FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2014

NY blast death toll rises Rescue workers comb through Manhattan buildings’ rubble NEW YORK: The death toll from a thunderous gas explosion rose to seven yesterday as rescue workers combed through the rubble of two flattened Manhattan apartment buildings. A spokesman for the New York Police Department said four women and three men had been found dead at the scene of Wednesday’s building collapse in East Harlem.

Three of the women were aged 21, 44 and 67.

Police said all the dead were recovered at the scene and that the number still unaccounted for was being verified. In total, 68 people were injured in the explosion, including those treated by first responders, police said. Hospital officials had put the figure at 63. The Mexican foreign ministry said two women among the dead were Mexicans, along with one of those injured.

Wednesday’s 9:30 am explosion sparked inevitable reminders for some New Yorkers of the 9/11 terror attacks in 2001 that brought down the Twin Towers. Other witnesses said it felt like an earthquake, describing how they were knocked to the floor. Mayor Bill de Blasio called the incident “a tragedy of the worst kind” because the smell of gas was detected “but there was no indication in time to save people.”

As dawn approached, around 100 firefighters were on the scene, as well as police and emergency rescue teams, Fire Department spokesman Michael Parrella said. Where the apartment buildings once stood were piles of twisted metal, thick white smoke and dusty rubble-a scene of utter

just literally ran,” she said.

The couple live across the street from the blast site. Arzuaga’s wife Jay Virgo, also 30, said she was lying in bed when the blast threw her to the floor.

“There was glass everywhere, huge pieces of glass. It just looked crazy,” she said. Firefighters took hours on Wednesday to extinguish the heavy fire at 116th Street and Park Avenue, a mainly Latino community in northern Manhattan. Around 15 minutes before the blast, energy company Con Edison received a call from an adjoining building alerting maintenance staff to the smell of gas.

NEW YORK: People gaze from a police barricade at Lexington Avenue and 116th Street towards the site of an explosion and building collapse in East Harlem yesterday in New York City. —AFP devastation that witnesses likened to a war zone.

There were 15 apartments in the two buildings that collapsed, de Blasio told reporters.

Jazzmen Arzuaga, 30, said she was at work

when her wife rang to tell her what had happened. “She called me and told me ‘Oh my God, you need to come home now, it’s like World War II, people are dying, there was an explosion.’ I

Drunken driver kills 2 at festival in Texas AUSTIN: A suspected drunken driver fleeing police crashed through barricades set up for a major festival in Texas yesterday, killing two people and injuring 23 others on a crowded street.

The crash stunned revelers at the annual South By Southwest music, film and interactive gathering that draws tens of thousands to Austin each year, and where NSA leaker Edward Snowden had spoken via live video conference from Moscow three days earlier.

The two people who died were on a

moped that the motorist hit at about 12:30 am as he tried to evade a pursuing police officer, Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo told reporters at a news conference.

The driver also struck pedestrians in front of a club that was emptying and hit a cab before crashing, jumping out of his car and trying to run, Acevedo said. A pursuing officer shocked him with a stun gun and took him into custody. Five of the injured were in critical condition, Acevedo said.

AUSTIN: A bystander and a police officer tend to a man who was struck by a vehicle on Red River Street in downtown Austin, Texas, at SXSW. —AP

The man, whose name was not released, faces two counts of capital murder and 23 counts of aggravated assault with a vehicle, the chief said.

Many revelers were getting real-time reports of the accident from social media. The street was full of concertgoers just minutes before the crash, but officials had cleared the street because it was a fire lane. Acevedo did not identify the driver or the victims and asked witnesses and those who may have taken video to contact police rather than post it to the Internet. He said all the injured were taken to area hospitals.

Police said the man pulled into a nearby gas station after an officer tried to stop him, wove through cars and then took off at a high speed the wrong way down a one-way street. He took a right turn on Red River Street, crashing through a barricade and narrowly missing a police officer who was standing guard, they said.

He hit some of the victims in front of The Mohawk, a local club hosting Spin events during the five-day music conference, police said. He continued down the street where he struck and killed the two victims on the moped and then hit the cab before finally crashing, they said. Officers had closed off a two-block section of downtown Austin and continued to investigate into the early morning. Acevedo said there were no plans to change safety protocols at the festival. —AP

‘Tremendous’ anxiety It was the first deadly disaster of its kind to strike the city of eight million since de Blasio took office in January and may raise concerns about safety in less affluent neighborhoods.

“There is a tremendous amount of anxiety, but suffice it to say that every effort is being expended to locate each and every one of these (missing) individuals,” the mayor said. Four different hospitals told AFP they treated a total of 63 people, the vast majority with minor injuries.

Mount Sinai hospital said Wednesday it was treating a woman with head trauma who was in critical but stable condition. The blast forced the suspension of train services in and out of Grand Central Station in midtown Manhattan for part of the day. —AFP

News

in brief

Top US terror suspect may be in Hawaii SAN FRANCISCO: America’s most wanted domestic terrorism suspect - an alleged animal rights extremist - may be hiding in Hawaii. FBI agents are hunting for Daniel Andreas San Diego on the state’s Big Island after receiving “credible intelligence” that he might be there. Agents are focusing on the island’s eastern district of Puna and in the small, eclectic town of Pahoa, the FBI office in San Francisco announced Wednesday. San Diego, 36, is suspected to be an animal rights extremist. He is charged with exploding pipe bombs in front of two San Francisco Bay Area companies with ties to a lab that conducted animal experiments.

Tanker crash in NJ delays trains NEWARK, New Jersey: Some rail commuters are facing delays following a tanker crash in New Jersey’s largest city.

The tanker and a car collided on McCarter Highway adjacent to Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor rail line in Newark at about 1:45 am yesterday. That caused problems for Amtrak’s signals and overhead wires. Amtrak service is running with minor delays. New Jersey Transit spokesman John Durso Jr. says Raritan Valley Line service is temporarily suspended.

Northeast Corridor and North Jersey Coast Line trains are operating with delays of up to 30 minutes.

Vegas fire: 1 dead; several treated LAS VEGAS: A late night fire in west Las Vegas killed one resident, injured another and left nearly a dozen police officers suffering with minor smoke inhalation. Fire and Rescue spokesman Timothy Szymanski says police weren’t able to immediately reach a woman screaming for help inside a burning house late Wednesday night because the door and all the windows had bars on them and prevented escape.

Several police officers worked to reach her and wound up using a bolt cutter to hack the door in half and pull her to safety. She was hospitalized with smoke inhalation.

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International FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2014

US judge dismisses charges against Indian diplomat Move could smooth frayed US-India ties NEW YORK/NEW DELHI: An Indian diplomat charged in New York with visa fraud and making false statements about her domestic worker has won a dismissal of her federal indictment, in a move that could help smooth over a dispute that has frayed US-India ties.

Devyani Khobragade, who was India’s deputy consul-general in New York, had diplomatic immunity when she sought on Jan 9 to dismiss the indictment, and thus could not be prosecuted, US District Judge Shira Scheindlin in Manhattan ruled on Wednesday.

New Delhi gave a cautious welcome to the news but it was far from clear if the matter had been fully resolved. US prosecutors could still seek a fresh indictment, while in India reports emerged that Khobragade’s two children held both US and Indian passports, in apparent violation of Indian rules.

India is due to kick off a general election on April 7 and its major political parties have vied to outdo each other in condemning the US over the Khobragade case, as they seek to match public anger over the row. Narendra Modi, the prime-ministerial candidate of the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), brought up the diplomat’s “ill-treatment” in a

meeting with US ambassador to India Nancy Powell last month. Modi has topped several recent opinion polls as the most popular choice for prime minister. US prosecutors have accused Khobragade of making

did not have diplomatic immunity either when she was arrested, or now that she has left the country. They can seek a fresh indictment but it is not yet clear if they will do so. “As the court indicated in its decision, and as

Devyani Khobragade Sangeeta Richard, her housekeeper and nanny, work 100-hour weeks at a salary of just over $1 an hour, far below the legal minimum US wage of $7.25 an hour.

They argued that the indictment should stand because Khobragade

Devyani Khobragade has conceded, there is currently no bar to a new indictment against her for her alleged criminal conduct, and we intend to proceed accordingly,” said James Margolin, a spokesman for US Attorney Preet Bharara in Manhattan.

Scheindlin said Khobragade had immunity on Jan. 9 when the indictment was issued, having the day before been named a counselor to India’s mission to the United Nations.

She also lifted Khobragade’s bail and said open arrest warrants based on the indictment must be thrown out.

India’s foreign ministry welcomed the dismissal but would wait for its lawyers to go through the court order before giving a detailed reaction, a ministry spokesman said. The U.S. Department of State was not immediately available for comment.

Khobragade, 39 at the time of her arrest on Dec. 12, is now working for the foreign ministry in Delhi, having left the United States in January, said her U.S. lawyer, Daniel Arshack.

Back on track Khobragade’s arrest and subsequent strip-search provoked an outcry in India, setting off reprisals against US diplomats and the removal of some security barriers near the US embassy in New Delhi.

Many Indians thought the case reflected US arrogance towards their country.

The dispute led to the postponement of trips by US officials and business executives to India, although this month moves have been made

Dead Indian guru in freezer for ‘deep meditation’

CHANDIGARH: An Indian guru declared dead has been in a deep freezer in his ashram for nearly six weeks with followers confident he will return to life to lead them, his spokesman said. Devotees placed Ashutosh Maharaj, whom authorities declared clinically dead on January 29, in the freezer and have been watching over his body in the sprawling ashram in a small town in northern Punjab state.

Maharaj, reportedly in his 70s, is one of India’s many gurus or god-men who headed the Divya Jyoti Jagrati Sansthan (Divine Light Awakening Mission) and claims to have millions of followers around the world. Mission spokesman Swami Vishalanand insisted their leader was not dead but was in fact in a state of samadhi, the highest level of meditation, and was therefore still conscious.

Vishalanand told AFP that followers were now waiting for him to end his meditation. Until then, the ashram in Nurmahal town would stay open with followers performing their own mediations and spiritual sessions. “Mahara-ji (a Hindi term of respect) is still sending messages through followers in their meditative stage to protect his body till he returns,” he said earlier this week.

The decision to place him in the freezer was challenged in court by a man claiming to be his former driver, who alleged several followers were not releasing the body as they were seeking a share of the guru’s properties, local media reports said.

But the court rejected the man’s petition after receiving information from authorities confirming his death, reportedly from a heart attack, said Reeta Kohli, additional advocate general of Punjab state.

“The court rejected his pleas after the Punjab government said that the man is clinically dead and that it is up to his followers to decide what they want to do with the body,” Kohli told AFP. —AFP

to get relations between the world’s two largest democracies back on track. Assistant Secretary of State Nisha Biswal, Washington’s point person for South Asia, visited India last week after a two-month delay.

US Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz also came to India this week on a postponed trip. The attempts to strengthen ties, however, are blighted by trade rows between the two countries over issues including drug patents and solar panels.

Meanwhile, the citizenship of Khobragade’s children is causing a stir in India, with fresh local media reports yesterday that her two daughters have both US and Indian passports. India offers certain kinds of lifelong visas for people of Indian origin but does not allow dual citizenship.

Khobragade’s father, Uttam, told Reuters that the children are US citizens who have only been issued Indian passports to allow them to travel with their mother. They do not have dual citizenship and their Indian passports are kept at the Indian embassy in New York, he said.

“What is the great deal with that?” he said. “This is just to facilitate their travel.” The foreign ministry declined immediate comment on whether this broke any rules. —Reuters

Death sentence for gang-rapists upheld

JALANDHAR: A hoarding featuring an image of Indian spiritual leader Ashutosh Maharaj stands outside the Divya Jyoti Jagrati Sansthan in Nurmahal on the outskirts of Jalandhar. —AFP

NEW DELHI: An Indian court upheld yesterday the death penalty handed to four men convicted of the fatal gang-rape of a student in New Delhi, an attack that triggered protests over violence against women.

The High Court rejected an appeal by the four who were sentenced last year to hang following a trial over the attack on the 23-year-old student on a moving bus in the capital in December 2012.

A lawyer for the four said he would now appeal against the sentence to the country’s top court. “Our appeal has been dismissed by the high court. The death sentence of the four convicts has been upheld. We will go to the Supreme Court,” AP Singh told reporters outside the court.

“This is a politically motivated decision,” he added. The physiotherapy student was attacked by six men, including with an iron rod, after she boarded a private bus while going home from the cinema with a male friend. She died from her injuries 13 days later. The brutality of the attack, and her determination to survive so she could identify her attackers to police, sparked large-scale angry street protests as well as soul-searching about India’s treatment of women.

The case led to reform of rape and sexual assault laws and shone an international spotlight on what women’s groups called a “rape epidemic” in the country. Four of her attackers were convicted last September after the case was fast-tracked, while a juvenile was sentenced to three years in a detention centre. A sixth man was found dead in jail.

The woman’s mother, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, welcomed the decision, saying the family was “inching closer to justice”. “Complete justice will be delivered when all the convicts are hanged to death,” she said outside the court. —AFP

International FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2014

Fukushima lesson phased-out: US ex-nuclear chief

A fishing boat moves near a naval base with ships from the Vietnam Coast Guard and Navy in the southern province of Phuc Quoc yesterday. — AFP

Malaysia rejects ‘debris’ images report as false Mystery deepens as 4-hour flight theory debunked KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia said yesterday that satellite images of suspected debris from a missing jet were yet another false lead, and debunked a report the plane had flown on for hours after losing contact-leaving the nearly week-old mystery no closer to being solved. China had sparked talk of a breakthrough in the riddle of the Malaysia Airlines (MAS) jet with satellite images of three large floating objects near where flight 370 with 239 people on board lost contact on Saturday, en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

But Vietnamese and Malaysian planes that searched the area in the South China Sea yesterday found no sign of wreckage of the Boeing 777, which has one of the best safety records of any jet. Adding to confusion, the Wall Street Journal reported that US investigators suspected the plane flew for four hours after its last known contact with air traffic control at 1:30 am Malaysian time, based on data automatically sent from its Rolls-Royce engines.

It would mean flight MH370 travelled for hundreds of miles after it dropped off the radar, expanding the potential crash site far beyond the vast zone under scrutiny now. The WSJ said US counterterrorism officials were probing the possibility that a pilot or someone else on board diverted the jet towards an unknown location after turning off its communication transponder. But Malaysia denied the report as “inaccurate”.

“The last (data) transmission from the aircraft was at 0107 hours which indicated that everything was normal,” Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein told reporters.

“Rolls-Royce and Boeing teams are here in Kuala Lumpur and have worked with MAS and investigation teams since Sunday. These issues have never been raised.”

He added that China had told Malaysia that the satellite photos posted on the website of a Chinese state science agency were released “by mistake and did not show any debris”.

‘Every day like eternity’ The day of Malaysian denials only exacerbated the puzzles surrounding the search for flight MH370, which has been blighted by false alarms, swirling rumors and contradictory statements about its fate. Authorities have chased up all manner of leads, including oil slicks, a supposed life raft found at sea and even witness accounts of a night-time explosion, only to rule them all out. “Every day it just seems like it’s an eternity,” Danica Weeks, whose husband Paul was on board, told CNN from their home in the Australian city of Perth.

Fighting back tears, she described how Paul had left his wedding ring and watch with her for safekeeping before starting his journey to a mining venture in Mongolia. “I’m praying that I can give (them) back to him. It’s all I can hold onto.

Because there’s no finality to it and we’re not getting any information,” she said. Malaysia has contributed to the confusion by saying the plane may have turned back after taking off. Military radar detected an unidentified object early

Saturday north of the Malacca Strait off west Malaysia but it is unclear if it was the missing airliner. The search for the plane now encompasses both sides of peninsular Malaysia, over an area of nearly 27,000 nautical miles (more than 90,000 square kilometers) — roughly the size of Portugal-and involves the navies and air forces of multiple nations. Theories about the possible cause of the disappearance range from a catastrophic technical failure to a mid-air explosion, hijacking, rogue missile strike and even pilot suicide. Beijing will keep up the search “as long as there is a glimmer of hope”, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said. The passengers included 153 Chinese citizens, and Li told his once-a-year news conference: “Those people’s families and friends are burning with anxiety.”

Pursuing all ‘concrete clues’ The satellite information prompted the focus of the search to swing back yesterday to the original flight path, after a shift in recent days to Malaysia’s west coast-far from the last known location. “We will look at all areas especially the ones with concrete clues,” a spokesman for Malaysia’s civil aviation department said. The China Centre for Resources Satellite Data and Application said in a statement on its website earlier this week that it had deployed eight land observation satellites to scour the suspected crash area. By Tuesday morning, it had obtained images covering 120,000 square kilometers, describing their quality as “rather good”. China has also requested assistance from a fleet of Earth-monitoring satellites under an international charter designed to aid emergency efforts. US authorities said their spy satellites had detected no sign of a mid-air explosion. Malaysian police said yesterday they were investigating the two pilots, after an Australian television report of a past cockpit security breach, although the transport minister denied that their homes had been raided.

Malaysia Airlines has said it was “shocked” over allegations that First Officer Fariq Abdul Hamid, 27, along with a fellow pilot, violated airline rules in 2011 by allowing two young South African women into their cockpit during a flight. It also emerged that months before the Malaysia Airlines jet vanished, US regulators had warned of a “cracking and corrosion” problem on Boeing 777s beneath their satellite antenna that could lead to a drastic drop in cabin pressure and possible mid-air break-up. But Gerry Soejatman, a Jakarta-based independent aviation analyst, said the warning did not apply to the missing aircraft, a Boeing 777-200ER, which has a different kind of antenna. “When an aircraft simply disappears from radar with no trace whatsoever, normally it means a rapid deterioration of the aircraft-an explosion or structural failure that’s very rapid,” he added. “That means the wreckage would be found near where it was last reported. But in this case, this doesn’t seem to be the case.” Yesterday, Malaysia Airlines said it would retire the flight codes MH370 and MH371 — the return flight from Beijing to Kuala Lumpur-as a mark of respect. —AFP

TOKYO: As radiation spewed from Japan’s nuclear disaster three years ago, the top US atomic energy regulator issued a 50-mile evacuation warning for any Americans in the area, a response some found extreme. Gregory Jaczko, who stepped down as chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in 2012, still believes he was right, and says the events at the Fukushima Dai-Ichi plant show that nuclear power should be phased out in Japan and worldwide.

“The lesson has to be: This kind of accident is unacceptable to society. And that’s not me saying it. That’s society saying that,” he said in an interview this week in Tokyo, where he is giving lectures and speaking on panels marking the third anniversary of the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami that overwhelmed the Fukushima plant.

Now a lecturer at Princeton University, Jaczko, 43, has become a hit on the speaking circuit in Japan, where all 48 nuclear plants remain offline as the country debates what role nuclear power should play in its future. The government is pushing forward with a plan to restart several reactors after safety checks, despite continuing public opposition. Nuclear regulators announced yesterday they are beginning the final approval process for the restart of two reactors at a plant on the southernmost main island of Kyushu. Jaczko said he had always been concerned about nuclear safety. But so much unfolded at Fukushima that experts were unprepared for, that it changed his view, and that of the Japanese public, on nuclear power.

Chernobyl and Three Mile Island were major accidents, but for Jaczko, Fukushima definitively undermined industry assumptions such as multiple accidents were unlikely or hydrogen leaks would be controlled.

Three of the reactors at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant had meltdowns, and two had hydrogen explosions. The idea that a plant wouldn’t be under control three or four days after an accident was unthinkable before Fukushima, he said.

“We have defined safety measures against the things that we kind of know. An accident is going to be something that we didn’t predict,” he said.

During the Fukushima crisis, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff discussed possible evacuation zones of between 20 miles and 50 miles, and given the uncertainty, opted for 50 miles, he said. A 50-mile evacuation has never been adopted as a standard for disaster scenarios in the US. Jaczko said it was luck the wind blew in a direction that sent much of the radiation out to sea. His resignation from the NRC, three years into his five-year term as chairman, followed complaints about his management style. He says he could no longer support the licensing of reactors in the US after Fukushima. — AP

Ship slams into boat in Manila Bay; 9 missing MANILA: Philippine authorities say a cargo ship smashed into a small fishing boat in Manila Bay, causing the fishing boat to sink and leaving nine of its 21 crew members missing. Coast guard spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Armand Balilo says the incident occurred late Wednesday off Cavite province, south of Manila.

He said yesterday that nine members of the fishing boat’s crew were still missing. The other 12 were rescued by another fishing vessel. Cavite Gov. Jonvic Remulla told ANC Television that the wooden-hulled fishing boat sank immediately after being hit.

Balilo said the cargo ship was still unidentified, but that the coast guard would check harbor records to determine which ships were in the area. The cargo ship was carrying steel containers, according to rescued crew members from the fishing boat. — AP

Business FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2014

Ukraine split set to hurt Crimea’s economy

India aviation market to be ‘No. 1’ globally: KPMG PAGE 21

PAGE 20

BERLIN: A Lamborghini Huracan LP 610-4 (right), a Bugatti Veyron 16 4 (center), and a Bugatti GTV8S Convertible are pictured during the annual press conference of German carmaker Volkswagen (VW) yesterday. — AFP

Saudi launches new housing scheme $67bn earmarked for the plan RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s government has launched a new scheme to provide housing aid to its citizens, in the hope of ending a shortage of homes which has depressed living standards and is politically sensitive for the government. After social discontent prompted uprisings elsewhere in the Arab world in 2011, King Abdullah announced a plan to build 500,000 homes in Saudi Arabia over several years. Some $67 billion of state funds were earmarked for the plan.

But the program has been slow to get underway because of sluggish bureaucracies, difficulties in obtaining suitable land and the complexity of allocating aid. The new scheme, named ESKAN - the Arabic word for housing - and launched by the Ministry of Housing last week, aims to break through those bottlenecks.

Saudi families seeking assistance, in the form of state-subsidized home loans or subsidised sales of land or housing units, are being given two months to register on a website. The applications will be considered for three months and the ministry will then announce who is eligible for aid.

Housing minister Shuwaish Al-Duwaihi was quoted by local newspapers as saying all citizens who submitted requests through ESKAN and met the conditions would be allocated

homes within seven months. Khaled Al-Rubaish, a real estate analyst, said the new scheme could help to ease the housing problem by creating a clear, universally applicable mechanism for Saudi families to obtain aid.

“The situation will become clearer for the private sector, real estate developers and financiers, whether banks or mortgage firms. All of these will now know their targets,” he said. John Sfakianakis, chief investment strategist at Saudi investment firm MASIC, said: “Any step towards finding a solution to the housing challenge is good and very much welcome... It turned out that building 500,000 housing units was more difficult than it seemed, so we need to pick up the pace.” He added that ESKAN would “help initiate a housing market take-off to tackle the needs of the middle class, where most of the demand lies. Once people see the supply being addressed, there will be fewer concerns about systemic risks and housing market imbalance.”

Families Analysts estimate that about 60 percent of Saudi families among the country’s population of about 20 million citizens do not own their own homes, a high ratio for a wealthy country.

Rising rents have made it difficult for even middle class people to afford housing; many Saudis do not meet qualifications for housing loans from banks.

It is not clear whether the Ministry of Housing will be able to stick to its timetable for approving ESKAN applications, and how long actual construction of homes will take. It may be hard to verify that applications are genuine, which could delay the handover of homes, said Abdulwahab Abu Dahesh, a Saudi economist.

Nevertheless, the detailed conditions of the ESKAN scheme suggest the ministry wants to avoid bureaucratic delays by creating a straightforward, transparent system for allocating aid, and this could be a step forward from past programs. Applicants must not own a house and have not received aid from a statesubsidized housing program in the past; applications will be given priority through a points system which takes into account factors such as family size, monthly income and age, and favors the most needy people. Applicants will pay for their subsidized homes or land, or pay off their loans, in monthly installments over 10 years through a 25 percent deduction of their monthly income. — Reuters

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Business FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2014

Turkish assets firm after sell-off

HYDERABAD: Dassault Aviation pilot Herve Laverne sits at the cockpit of a business jet parked at a static display at the India Aviation 2014 airshow at Begumpet Airport in Hyderabad yesterday. —AFP

India aviation market to be ‘No. 1’ globally: KPMG India’s Infosys sees weaker sales, shares tank

NEW DELHI: India’s fast-growing civil aviation sector, already among the top 10 globally, could be number one worldwide by 2030, said a report yesterday by global consultancy KPMG. Even though most Indian airlines face hefty losses this year and huge debts in the face of fierce competition and a sharply slowing economy, in the longer term the $16-billion sector is on a highgrowth track thanks to large untapped potential, experts say.

“We’ve just touched the tip of the aviation iceberg,” said Amber Dubey, KPMG’s India aerospace head said, noting “access to aviation is still a dream for nearly 99.5 percent” of India’s 1.2 billion population. The report was released to coincide with a five-day air show in the southern city of Hyderabad which winds up this weekend. Chicago-based Boeing separately yesterday, in a similarly bullish mode, projected demand for over 1,600 new airplanes in India over the next 20 years, valued at $205 billion.

“India’s demographics are highly favorable to growth of air transportation” while “the share of India’s large population entering the workforce is growing,” said Dinesh Keskar, a Boeing senior vice president.

Boeing on Wednesday clinched a $4.4-billion order from India’s fourthplace no-frills carrier SpiceJet for 42 of its top-selling single-aisle 737 MAX jets.

Low-cost carriers, foreign investment in domestic airlines, modern airlines and a new drive for regional connectivity are propelling a new expansion wave, the KPMG report said.

Many states, especially in eastern India, have begun promoting air connectivity including by lowering aviation fuel sales tax and developing no-frills airports, the report noted. But a lot more needs to be done, such as allowing domestic code-sharing and developing infrastructure, said the report prepared with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).

“India is blessed with a great geo-

graphic location, a large upwardly mobile middle class and immense tourism opportunities,” Dubey said, adding, “the beauty is our challenges primarily relate to policies, procedures, regulations and taxes”. “These are all man-made problems and hence surmountable.” The number of Indian airline passengers has grown by around 13 percent a year over the last decade, according to the Airports Authority of India, to 159 million in 2013. The most significant development in the domestic market is growing dominance of lowcost carriers which now account for almost 70 percent of capacity. Boeing projects passenger airlines in India will rely primarily on single-aisle airplanes such as the Next-Generation 737 and the 737 MAX, a more fuel efficient variant of the widely used 737, to connect passengers.

Meanwhile, shares of Indian outsourcing giant Infosys slid almost nine percent yesterday after the firm warned that quarterly revenues may be weakerthan-expected following project cancellations. Analysts said the revenue warning could also have implications for the rest of India’s flagship outsourcing sector, which has made the country a top business destination by offering services including software development, information technology and engineering to other, mainly global, companies. “Some of our clients have seen a slowdown in their business. These are across various verticals leading to unanticipated project rampdowns and cancellations in Q4,” Infosys chief S D Shibulal was quoted by domestic media as saying.

Shibulal’s comments late Wednesday came as the Bangalore-based company has been seeking to reinvent itself with a strategic overhaul to focus on highervalue software and consulting services instead of labor-intensive outsourcing services. The company’s shares pared some losses to close 8.54 percent lower at 3,357.50 rupees after trading down nine percent earlier in the day yester-

day. Infosys’ shares have shed 12.73 percent of their value from their 52-week peak hit in early March. Last December, V Balakrishnan, a top executive at Infosys and tipped as a future chief executive resigned, one of a string of departures since co-founder Narayana Murthy returned to lead the company.

Murthy was reappointed executive chairman last June, two years after he retired, amid hopes he could help Infosys regain market share lost to rivals such as Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and HCL. “Attrition in the top-level management combined with subdued client spending might affect Infosys’ ability to get increased client wallet share,” Ankita Somani, an analyst at Mumbai’s Angel Broking, told AFP. Analysts had seen Murthy’s return as a positive, given his stature as a pioneer of India’s “outsourcing revolution”, and were impressed after the company raised its revenue outlook for 2013-14 in January.

The firm now expects its revenues for the January-March quarter to expand at the “low end” of its projected range, the Press Trust of India national news agency reported. “Some challenges in skill miss-matches between skills clients need and what we have has led to a slowdown in ramp-ups. These factors are leading to a decline in business momentum for us during the quarter,” Shibulal added.

Back in January, when Infosys improved its revenue outlook, the move suggested better economic conditions in key United States and European markets. In turn, it meant better earnings for other big Indian IT firms such as TCS and Wipro. But now, the subdued revenue growth projection from Infosys might mean trouble for its peers, analysts suggested. Shares of leading outsourcing company TCS fell 1.16 percent to 2,153.45 rupees yesterday while Wipro, which stands in third-place by revenue, slipped half a percent to 563.40 rupees. —Agencies

ISTANBUL: Turkish assets firmed yesterday despite rising political tensions as investors focused on US economic data that may provide clues about the timing of monetary tightening in the world’s biggest economy. The United States will release data for February jobless claims and retail sales figures later yesterday that will indicate the strength of its economic recovery.

“Retail sales may indicate the strength of domestic demand, which is quite a good indicator for the continuity of US growth as domestic demand is a must for sustainable growth,” said Erkan Dernek, market strategist at Odeabank.

“We are concerned with the underlying strength of US economic activity as US GDP heading to 3 percent or above this year may mean global rate pressures and a possible weakening of the lira.” Having hit five week lows on Wednesday, the Turkish lira firmed to 2.2250 against the dollar by 1013 GMT from 2.2352 late on Wednesday, but it remained under pressure ahead of what is expected to be a turbulent election cycle that kicks off with municipal elections on March 30.

Turkey is especially vulnerable to monetary tightening by the US Federal Reserve after years of cheap money helped it to fund its gaping current account deficit.

Fed focus The Fed has kept interest rates near zero since 2008 and has bought trillions of dollars of Treasuries and mortgagebacked securities, allowing Turkey and other emerging markets to benefit from the resulting inflows of cheap capital.

Having cut its asset buying by $10 billion a month since January, the Fed is expected to start raising US interest rates in the third quarter of next year as the unemployment rate falls and the economy charts a new path of stronger growth, according to a Reuters poll.

Turkey’s 10-year benchmark bond yield fell to 11.1 percent yesterday from 11.24 percent at Wednesday’s close having hit 11.41 percent earlier in the session. The main Istanbul share index was up 1.13 percent at 63,967.57 points, outperforming the wider emerging markets index, which rose 0.3 percent.

Investors are also keeping a nervous eye on political turmoil in Turkey in the run-up to local elections on March 30. —Reuters

China PM warns of economic slowdown BEIJING: Chinese Premier Li Keqiang warned yesterday that the economy faces “severe challenges” in 2014 - comments that came as weak data fanned speculation the central bank would relax monetary policy to support stuttering growth. Li, speaking at a news conference on the final day of China’s yearly parliament, hinted Beijing would tolerate slower economic expansion this year while it pushes through reforms aimed at providing longer-term and more sustainable growth.

Data released shortly after his comments suggested that tolerance may face an early test. Growth in investment, retail sales and factory output all slumped to multi-year lows, suggesting a marked slowdown in the first two months of the year, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics.

“A storm is coming,” said Gao Yuan, an analyst at Haitong Securities in Shanghai, while Hao Zhou, the China economist for ANZ said “policy easing should be imminent.” But Sheng Laiyun, a spokesman for the statistical bureau, said China’s economic fundamentals remain sound despite experiencing some short-term pains from structural adjustments.

“The economy is likely to maintain steady and healthy growth in the future,” he was quoted by state radio as saying.

At the carefully orchestrated briefing where questions had to be vetted in advance, Li spent most time discussing the economy. But he also touched upon other topics, including friction in relations with Washington, corruption, pollution, and the disappearance of a Malaysia Airlines aircraft.

While acknowledging the economy faced difficulties, Li suggested Beijing would not let growth slip too far. The government has targetted a rise of GDP in 2014 of 7.5 percent after actual growth last year of 7.7 percent. “We believe we have the ability, and all the means, to ensure that economic growth will stay within a reasonable range this year,” he said. —Reuters

Business FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2014

Dubai Islamic Bank eyes Kenya, Indonesia DUBAI: Dubai Islamic Bank plans to expand its operations into Indonesia, Kenya and other African countries as it emerges from a period of consolidation, the bank’s chief executive said. The emirate’s largest sharia-compliant lender, which currently makes some 95 percent of its revenue within the United Arab Emirates, says it is entering a growth phase domestically and internationally. “We are exploring opportunities in Indonesia, Kenya and surrounding countries in Africa, the Indian subcontinent and the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council),” Adnan Chilwan said in an interview late on Wednesday.

“We could acquire, set up a JV, establish a finance company or start a greenfield operation as long as we keep management control and operate under our brand.” Like many other banks in the UAE, the shariacompliant lender saw its profits nosedive after Dubai’s financial crisis erupted in 2009 and it was forced to set aside billions of dirhams (hundreds of millions of dollars) to cover bad loans.

The bank focused over the last few years on strengthening its balance sheet and reducing costs,

and says it has now dealt with most of its bad loans.

Last year DIB completed the takeover of Dubai-based mortgage lender Tamweel, in which it already held a majority stake, through a share swap. DIB posted a 66 percent jump in fourth-quarter net profit to 518 million dirhams ($141 million), beating analysts’ forecasts, on the back of lower financing costs and impairment charges. Net profit for the full year increased 42 percent to 1.72 billion dirhams.

Africa push Chilwan, who was promoted to CEO in July last year, described Africa as virgin territory for Islamic finance. In Kenya, most estimates put the number of Muslims at only about 15 percent of the population of 40 million, but the financial regulator is preparing a ten-year capital markets development strategy that includes Islamic finance.

“Both consumer and wholesale opportunities are there, especially in the countries we are targeting and while the initial investments are not too intensive, the

returns are extremely decent and more than acceptable in our line of work,” Chilwan said, without giving details of his plans for Africa.

He added, however, that entry into one country would ease expansion into other countries around the region. “Given a five-year scenario, we expect a decent franchise spread across these countries with stable and solid yields across all sectors.” However, Chilwan said the bank also expected strong growth in its domestic market, so the balance between local and international business would not change radically.

“We are pretty much skewed towards the domestic franchise with nearly 95 percent of the contribution coming from the UAE. “With all the plans in place, we do not expect a dramatic change in the medium term, with international business perhaps getting at best 10 percent to 15 percent of the overall group numbers in about six to eight years.” The bank’s liquidity position is strong so “there appears to be no current requirement to enter capital markets at this time,” Chilwan added. — Reuters

Ukraine split set to hurt Crimea’s economy Moscow ready to provide $1.1bn to support Crimea KIEV: Beyond Sunday’s referendum on whether Crimea should join Russia, one big question looms: how viable will the disputed peninsula be if it decides to split from Ukraine? A week before the vote, a senior Russian lawmaker said Moscow was ready to provide more than $1 billion to the strategic Black Sea region, which is now under de facto Russian control. Ukraine’s Finance Minister Oleksandr Shlapak meanwhile vowed that Kiev will continue to “cover all budgetary expenditures in Crimea... Crimea will be financed as normal.” All this money talk is indicative of the peninsula’s reliance on outside help to survive.

A rugged peninsula of two million people in Ukraine’s south, slightly smaller than Belgium, Crimea gets 85 percent of its water supplies and 82 percent of its electricity from the mainland, said Mihaylo Gonchar, an energy expert with Kiev’s Nomos Centre. State-owned company Chornomornaftogaz extracts 1.6 billion cubic meters of natural gas from the Black Sea every year, but this just about covers Crimea’s needs, he told AFP. This will pose a major problem if Russia does take over the strategic region, the analyst warned. “Russia will not be able to provide shortterm compensation for Ukrainian resources to the Crimean peninsula because infrastructure connections do not exist between Russia and Crimea,” he said. A bridge project that has long been in the planning stages will not be ready for years. “There will be bad consequences for Crimeans in any case” if the peninsula is annexed

by Russia, Gonchar warned.

Where are the tourists?

Located on the Black Sea, a prime holiday destination under the Soviet Union, Crimea’s economy still relies heavily on tourism, with resorts such as Yalta and Evpatoria attracting crowds in the summer. But with Russian soldiers and warships now in place of sun-seeking tourists and cruise ships, the resorts are already looking at a loss-heavy season. “A lot of people have decided not to go to Crimea on vacation because it’s dangerous, it’s not a safe place,” said Sevgil Musaeva, a well-known Ukrainian economic journalist.

“So a lot of people will go to Turkey or Sochi,” the Russian Olympic resort that is currently hosting the Paralympic Games even as the threat of

war looms across the vast sea. “Last year there were more than two million tourists in Crimea, what will it be this year? I can’t imagine,” Musaeva said. Companies, which may lose clients if not their entire business if Crimea switches allegiance from Ukraine to Russia, were not yet panicked in her opinion. “They’re just shocked by this whole situation, they can’t believe it. Yesterday, it was Ukrainian territory, now there are a lot of soldiers near offices, a lot of Russian flags on city halls, on schools.” Oleksiy Skoryk, head of the Development Fund for Crimea, was much more pessimistic, warning that the peninsula’s already difficult economic situation would only worsen as the crisis escalates.

A lost territory Aside from tourism, agriculture is a major driver of the local economy but “(it) is very dependent on the water supply and all water supply is closely connected to the mainland, so there’s a lot of fear that it might be cut if the situation worsens,” Skoryk said. “It’s ridiculous to say that there will be any investment in Crimea if unrest continues. Crimea is a lost territory for economic development.”On Wednesday, Crimea’s self-appointed leaders warned they would start taking over Ukrainian state-owned companies, although they reassured private firms they would be left untouched.

Companies like Chornomornaftogaz and local segments of national firms like the Ukrzaliznytsya railway company “will be transferred into Crimean ownership very soon”, regional deputy premier Rustam Temirgaliyev was quoted as saying by Interfax news agency.

Ukraine pours about 2.8 billion hryvnia (220 million euros, $300 million) into the Black Sea peninsula every year, according to Valeriy Chaly, deputy director of the Razumkov Centre, a Kiev think-tank, and a former vice-foreign minister of Ukraine. A senior Russian lawmaker, Pavel Dorokhin of the Russian Duma’s committee on industry, said Moscow was ready to provide $1.1 billion “to support the development of the industrial and economic infrastructure of Crimea”. But “that’s not enough to maintain a new order and to reaffirm all the social guarantees for Crimea’s citizens,” including pensions and salaries, Chaly told AFP.—AFP

NEW YORK: In this photo, specialist Gregg Maloney works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. — AP

European stocks stable LONDON: European stocks steadied yesterday as investors eyed the latest news in crisis-hit Ukraine, while the euro spiked to a 29-month peak against the dollar, dealers said. In late morning deals, London’s FTSE 100 fell 0.18 percent to 6,608.85 points. In Frankfurt, the DAX 30 rose by 0.12 percent to 9,200.43 points and in Paris the CAC 40 was down 0.01 percent at 4,305.66 compared with Wednesday’s closing values. “European indices are little changed... with traders tending to stay on the side-lines for now closely watching events unfolding in the Ukraine,” said analyst Markus Huber at brokerage Peregrine & Black.

Asian equities were mostly higher yesterday but sentiment took a hit after China released another batch of disappointing data, adding to fears about growth in the economic giant.

Concerns over Ukraine, as well as China’s economic slowdown, also sent traders fleeing to traditional haven investment gold. Gold leapt to a sixmonth peak at $1,375.21 an ounce on the London Bullion Market, up from $1.366 late on Wednesday.

“It is not just the Chinese concerns that are driving gold prices higher. The situation in Ukraine ... is getting worse,” noted Forex.com analyst Fawad Razaqzada. Ukraine moved yesterday to mobilize a volunteer force to ward off Russia’s expansionist threat as Berlin warned Moscow of long-term damage to its economy and EU relations over the Crimea crisis. The Verkhovna Rada parliament unanimously backed the creation of a new force of up to 60,000 volunteers who could keep Russian troops from advancing beyond the

Crimean peninsula which they seized at the start of the month.

Euro pressures dollar Meanwhile in foreign exchange deals, the European single currency jumped to $1.3967 — the highest level since late October 2011. The euro has charged higher after the European Central Bank (ECB) last week played down deflationary risks in the euro-zone last week, dampening prospects of easier monetary policy, dealers said.

“The market is still chewing over the ECB’s playing down of current deflationary threats to the zone, but this is largely just a continuation of the trend in place since early February,” said CMC Markets analyst Toby Morris.

The unit later pulled back to $1.3957, but still up from $1.3904 late in New York on Wednesday.

Back in Asia, Shanghai stocks jumped 1.07 percent, with analysts suggesting Chinese policymakers should start looking at moves to boost economic growth. Elsewhere, Sydney rose 0.53 percent and Seoul added 0.10 percent, while Tokyo fell 0.10 percent and Hong Kong was down 0.67 percent.

China said yesterday that industrial output rose 8.6 percent year on year in January and February, the slowest rate since April 2009. At the same time retail sales, a key indicator of consumer spending, were up 11.8 percent, which was also the worst performance for several years. However, the news added to speculation the Chinese economy-a crucial driver of regional and global growth-is slowing and comes days after officials announced a surprise trade deficit in February. —AFP

Business FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2014

BoE’s misbehaving bankers face 6-yr bonus clawback New rule to be in force from January 2015 LONDON: Misbehaving bankers and their bosses will have to hand back bonuses up to six years after they pocket them under a rule the Bank of England is proposing to prevent excessive risk-taking. The aim of the rule put out for consultation by the central bank yesterday is designed to stop bankers taking huge bets in the knowledge that they could move jobs before any problems come to light. It marks a toughening of current rules that allow only for the cancellation or reduction of parts of bonuses that have been awarded but not yet paid.

British lawmakers called for such a move in a report on banking standards compiled amid public anger at bankers receiving big bonuses even though some banks had to be propped up by taxpayers in the 2007-09 financial crisis and a number of lenders were hit with misconduct fines. A new clawback rule will necessitate a rewriting of staff contracts to make it a legal requirement for senior bankers to return bonuses if they are found to have misbehaved, even if they no longer work at the bank.

“The policy we are consulting on will ensure bonuses can be clawed back from individuals, where they have already been paid, if it becomes apparent they have put the stability of their firms at risk or engaged in inappropriate actions,” BoE Deputy Governor Andrew Bailey said in a statement. “This will provide a clear message to individuals of what is expected from them and the consequences of not acting properly,” said Bailey, who also heads the BoE’s Prudential Regulation Authority, which supervises Britain’s banks.

Rob Moulton of Ashurst law firm said clawing back bonuses already paid was politically attractive but tough in practice. “What happens if the banker has spent it on champagne and drunk it? It will be even harder to claw back from someone who was not directly responsible for misconduct but was a line manager,” Moulton said. “It may be more PR than practical impact. Do I think bankers won’t come to work in London because of this? No,” Moulton said.

Retrospective The new rule will be applied when there is “reasonable evidence of employee misbehavior or material error”, if there is a “material downturn” in the bank’s performance or the relevant business unit suffers a material failure of risk management, the BoE said. Clawbacks will not only be applied to staff directly involved in misconduct, but also to those who could have been “reasonably expected” to be aware of the failure or misconduct at the time and failed to take action.

Bosses of staff caught up in misconduct could also have their bonuses clawed back if they are deemed indirectly responsible or accountable for the failure or misconduct.

The Bank also expects lenders to “take all reasonable steps” to apply the rule to bonuses awarded up to January but which won’t be paid until after that date.

Lawyers said this would need the consent of bankers to alter terms already agreed, a tricky task with staff that have left. “It would, therefore, be another step towards greater regulation of pay albeit with an understandable risk management focus,” said Matthew Findley, head of share plans at law firm Pinsent Masons.

The public consultation period will last two months and the rule is due to come into effect in early 2015, meaning it will cover bonuses related to this year’s performance. A six-year cut-off has been proposed because this is the longest period possible under British contract law. Britain views the ability to claw back bonuses as a better method for dampening excessive risk-taking than the new European Union cap on bonuses that will affect payments made from early next year. Under the EU rule, bonuses will be capped at no more than fixed salary, or twice that amount with shareholder approval, and will apply to bankers earning more than 500,000 euros ($695,200). Britain, the base for about 80 percent of the bankers who will be affected, is challenging the rule in the EU’s top court. — Reuters

METZINGEN: A bag by German fashion label Hugo Boss is on display yesterday. — AFP

Hugo Boss sees higher sales FRANKFURT: German fashion house Hugo Boss yesterday unveiled recordhigh sales and earnings in 2013 and said it would improve on this performance this year despite a “challenging” economic environment. Hugo Boss said group sales grew by 4.0 percent to 2.346 billion euros ($3.4 billion) last year and underlying profit, as measured by earnings before interest, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA), rose by 7.0 percent to 564.7 million euros. Net

profit was up 7.0 percent at 329 million euros. “In a challenging market environment, Hugo Boss reached record sales and earnings in 2013. And for 2014, management is targeting sales and earnings growth in the high singledigit percentages,” the firm said in its annual earnings statement. “I am confident we will be able to increase our growth momentum compared with the previous year,” said chief executive Claus-Dietrich Lahrs. — AFP

FAQ on cellphones in flight NEW YORK: Telecommunications experts say the odds that passengers’ cellphone data can help locate the missing Malaysian jetliner are next to zero. Locating the mobile phones of the 239 travelers on the Boeing 777 that vanished Saturday isn’t as simple as activating a “Find My iPhone” app, given the speed the plane was traveling, its altitude and the fact it was probably flying over water.

Many people assume smartphones to be all-powerful tracking devices. Often police, rescue units and others can use a person’s phone to pinpoint the user’s precise location. Even so, there are large portions of the planet that don’t have the transmission towers that are necessary for mobile communications. In the case of Malaysian Airlines Flight 370, smartphones are unlikely to lead investigators to the plane. Here’s what you need to know about mobile connections and how they’re used to determine location: Q: Can telecommunications providers remotely locate a phone?

A: Yes, if the phone is turned on and is connected to either a cellular or Wi-Fi network, says Ritch Blasi, senior vice president for mobile and wireless at the consulting firm Comunicano. Apps like “Find My iPhone” only function properly when a phone is able to receive a location signal from a GPS satellite and relay that signal via cell connection or Wi-Fi to those who are searching for it.

DALLAS: Job seekers line up to meet prospective employers at a career fair at a hotel in Dallas. The Labor Department reported on the number of people who applied for unemployment benefits last week. — AP

Q: Does this change when you’re on a plane?

A: Yes, considerably. For one thing, most airlines require passengers to turn their phones off or at least put them in airplane mode before takeoff. That means there’s no connection to a cellular network, says Blasi. Even if some passengers left their phones on during Flight 370, it would be tough for their phones to connect with a tower given the speeds planes travel at and the altitudes involved.

Q: What about flying over the ocean?

A: Flying over oceans reduces the odds of a connection even

more, since there just aren’t cell towers there. Charles McColgan, chief technology officer for the mobile identity firm TeleSign says that while investigators might be able to determine the last cell tower that cellphones had contact with before the plane started flying over water, if the plane was flying above 10,000 feet at the time, the phones on it wouldn’t be able to make a connection with a tower. “Anyone leading the investigation should check, but it is unlikely that pinging a passenger’s phone is going to find them,” McColgan says.

Q: What if the plane managed to crash on land and some people and phones survived?

A: If someone could get a signal, in theory they could make a call. But if the plane went down in a remote area without service, then they would be out of luck. Foreign travel also complicates things. Unless a person signs up for local phone service in whatever country they’re traveling through, his or her phone may not be able to connect to a network, says Blasi, who spent more than 35 years at AT&T before going into consulting.

Q: What about reports of people who claim they called the phones of loved ones who were on the flight and said the phone rang several times without an answer, rather than going straight to voice mail, indicating that the phone might be connected to a network?

A: This doesn’t necessarily mean that the phone is connected to a network, is turned on, or is even operational. It just means that the cellular carrier’s system is taking some time to look for the phone.

Q: Is there any hope if the plane crashed in the water and the phones on board were soaked?

A: Water and electronics don’t mix, so generally speaking the answer is no. — AP

Tr a v e l FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2014

Traveling with

Fido

How to make the most of vacation with your furry best friend

B

ringing your dog on vacation with you just adds to the fun and alleviates the worry of not knowing what’s happening with your dog while you’re on the road. You need to do your homework on dog travel though. Planes and cars aren’t designed with dogs in mind, and you need to know what to expect when you reach your final destination. By planning your dog travel ahead of time, you can make the vacation a truly relaxing time for you and your dog. Here are my best dog travel tips to help make that happen: Crating your dog for travel It’s natural to feel bad about crating your dog. After all, you wouldn’t want to be crated. But don’t project your feelings onto your dog. They don’t mind the crate and some even feel safer in one. *

The most important thing you can do is make sure your dog has been well exercised before he goes in the crate. If he’s burned off his excess energy, he’ll be more inclined to rest.

*

Make sure there’s nothing in the crate that can harm your dog. Leashes and loose collars are especially dangerous items that could present a strangling hazard.

*

Keep your energy positive. Don’t present the crate like it’s a prison. Show the dog the crate and open the door. Don’t shove the dog in the crate. Let him go into the crate on his own. When he’s inside and comfortable, you can close the door. Walk away with good energy and body language. If you affect a sad voice and say things like “Don’t be sad.

Mommy and Daddy will be back soon,” your dog is going to think something’s wrong and get anxious.

*

Come back in 15 minutes. This will ease the dog’s separation anxiety next time you crate him. But don’t take him out of the crate. Remember that you’re not projecting that the crate is a bad thing. Just open the door and he can come out when he’s ready.

Driving with your dog It’s usually a good idea to crate or harness your dog when riding in the car. You’ll be less distracted while driving which is safer for both of you. It also prevents your dog from becoming a projectile if you have to stop fast, also reducing the chance of injury for both of you. Speaking of projectiles, don’t feed your dog a lot before the trip as they are prone to motion sickness. Don’t feed your dog while you’re moving either. Wait until there’s a break and you can give her a small snack, prefer-

ably high in protein. It’s also good to spend a little time playing or walking during the break to get rid of some pent-up energy. And of course, don’t leave your dog in a parked car, especially when it’s warm out. Even with the window cracked open, the car can quickly turn into an oven, and your dog will get dehydrated.

Taking your dog on an airplane The first thing you need to do is check with the airline for their rules regarding pet travel. Many require a health certificate and may have other rules you haven’t thought of that you don’t want to be surprised with at the airport. Your dog will almost certainly be traveling in a crate and it will probably make everyone’s lives easier if you crate your dog before you enter the chaos of the airport.

As with car travel, it’s smart not to start the trip on a full stomach or bladder (dogs should fast for at least six hours before the trip) and to make a pit stop as close to the departure time as possible. However, make sure your dog has access to water-enough to keep hydrated but not full. If your dog isn’t flying with you in the main cabin, don’t have a big goodbye scene. You’ll only upset your dog. If you’re calm, he’ll be calm.

To medicate or not to medicate your dog With almost as large a selection of pharmaceuticals as humans, it may be tempting to medicate your dog with a sedative or calmative for the trip. I don’t recommend medicating your dog. You don’t want to start a pattern that ends with a reliance on pills for you or your pet. You possess all the tools to keep your pet calm with your voice, attitude, and body language.

Keeping your dog calm during travel Make sure you bring your dog’s blankie or his favorite stuffed animal, toy, bone-any item which is familiar to your dog and will comfort and relax him.

For a little extra calm, try rubbing a little lavender oil between your hands and give your pet a little aromatherapy or deep tissue massage at the beginning of your dog’s spine or base of her head.

Tr a v e l FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2014

Staying in a hotel with your dog As with flying, a little preemptive research is in order. Does the hotel you’re considering even allow pets? Better to find out before you arrive. Pet-welcoming hotels like Best Western will be prepared for your visit, and can even recommend parks, hikes, and other dog-friendly activities. At other hotels, the only thing fit for a dog is the Continental breakfast. It can also be embarrassing if your dog barks or howls in the new room. Don’t inadvertently encourage the barking with affection. Stay calm and assertive and take him out for some exercise to calm him.

Go on a long walk once you reach the hotel A recently exercised dog will be in a more relaxed state during any long trip. Your dog may growl at strangers and that’s ok. It’s natural for your dog to be a little nervous around new people. She’s out of her element and may growl. This isn’t because she’s being aggressive, but because she’s a little freaked out and needs reassurance that everything’s under control. If you pull her away from the new person, you’re indicating that there is something wrong and she’ll freak out more. Again, be calm and assertive and show your dog that you’ve got it covered.

How to enter the hotel room with your dog Now you are ready to go to your hotel room. Enter first. Get the dog to stay where he is. Don’t let him wander around or he’ll assume control of the situation. While you are unpacking, showering, or making phone calls, he is waiting. The only one who should move in the environment is you-until you are ready, then you initiate activity. It’s important that your scent is everywhere before the dog settles in.

Exploring a new place You’re away from home and that means a lot of new sights, smells, sounds, and potential food items for your dog. Make sure you’re vigilant wherever you go about what’s around, especially in the area of things your dogs could ingest. Also, especially around the holidays, there may be a lot of lights, decorations, and snout-level treats that can be distracting or dangerous for your pooch. Keep an eye on him and the new place.

Can’t bring your dog along?

Find a good substitute pack. In a kennel, your dog should be immediately adopted as a member of the pack. The staff should be able to get your dog focused on what is there for him - and not leave him mourning over the fact that you left.

It is a big deal for a dog to detach himself from a pack. The new pack should equal or better the pack he just left.

Traveling with a dog can be a fun experience for both of you. Just remember to be as prepared as possible wherever you go. The more homework you do on dog travel, the fewer surprises there will be. Don’t forget to make sure your dog gets plenty of exercise and above all, of course, be calm and assertive. A balanced dog makes the best travel companion.

— www.cesarsway.com

Best cities for dog lovers D

o you love to bring your dog everywhere with you? Of course you do! Your dog is an adorable part of the family!

If you love man’s best friend as much as we do, check out the list of Best Cities for Dog Lovers: San Diego, California You and your pooch will love San Diego not just for its great weather, but also because it has plenty of pet-friendly accommodations. Go shopping with your canine, play at the park, walk the hiking trails or head to the beach. There are 16 off-leash dog parks where man’s best friend can stretch his legs, play and run around. Lighthouse Ice Cream & Yogurt even offers Frosty Paws-a sugar-free, soy-based ice cream for your dog.

Portland, Oregon Portland is the 12th most walkable large city in the US and home to 32 off-leash dog parks. On Saturdays, get out of your Portland apartment and head over to the Portland Market. You and your canine can enjoy the outdoors while picking up some fresh produce. Get some exercise with Fido by taking him to the Powell Butte Trail-an easy four-mile hike that takes about an hour and a half to complete.

Seattle, Washington Walk the city of Seattle with your furry friend to any of its 11 off-leash dog parks. If you need to get some shopping done, the University Village Shopping Center has many outdoor stores in a relaxing, dog-friendly environment. You can even add some fun into your day by visiting the Fremont Sunday Ice Cream Cruise.

Well-behaved, leashed pets are welcome aboard to enjoy some sweets on the water.

Chicago, Illinois Have some fun in the sun by taking a walk to one of the three dog-friendly beaches in Chicago. You can take off your dog’s leash at Montrose Dog beach and splash around in the water-or choose one of the 18 off-leash dog parks. Get out of your apartment and check out one of Chicago’s biggest attractions with Fido: Navy Pier. Dogs are welcome in the outdoor common areas

and some merchants and tours permit dogs to join their humans.

Orlando, Florida You and your pooch can travel to seven different off-leash dog parks to enjoy the fresh air and exercise in Orlando. There are also nine veterinary clinics, 13 pet stores and nine grooming facilities, ensuring that your pup looks and feels happy and healthy. Hit the trails with Fido or go camping at Turkey Lake Park. You both can hike, play games or visit the butterfly garden. At the Downtown Orlando Farmers Market, you can shop for farm-fresh produce, listen to live music and enjoy a drink in the beer and wine garden.

Don’t leave without purchasing something for man’s best friendvendors sell homemade pet treats, supplies, clothing and travel accessories.

Austin, Texas Southern hospitality doesn’t just apply to humans in the Lone Star state. Want to do your morning yoga? Visit Austin Dogathat’s right, yoga for dogs. Both you and Fido can feel refreshed and reset in this yoga class for humans and canines. You can also visit one of Austin’s 18 off-leash dog parks, which are great social scenes for dogs and humans alike. If you’re new to the city, go on one of Austin’s guided walking tours, where leashed dogs are welcome.

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas has 25 off-leash dog parks for your and your pooch to choose from. You can also head over to the Las Vegas DockDogs-a beach where you and your pet can cool off, get some exercise and play fun games. There are 12 veterinary clinics in the area, so you can always stay up-to-date on your canine’s health.

Explore the great outdoors by heading to the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, which is less than a half-hour drive from the Strip.

San Francisco, California There are endless amenities for you and your pup in San Francisco, whether it’s hiking a trail, shopping, checking out attractions or enjoying the park-all 56 of them. Give Fido a view of the water with Blue and Gold Fleet Bay Cruises. Your on-leash pet is welcome to join you for this one-hour cruise, which offers gorgeous views of the bridges, piers and more.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Ever thought you could go paddleboarding with your pup?

Well, in Milwaukee you can. Juneau Park Paddleboats allows you and your leashed pets to tour the waters on Veterans Park Lagoon. Once you’re done, grab some coffee at the Community Bark Dog Wash & Coffee Bar. You can hang with your furry friend inside while grabbing some coffee, surfing the web or just relaxing. You can also visit any one of Milwaukee’s five off-leash dog parks.

Minneapolis and St Paul, Minnesota Bring your pup into Birchbark Books, where you can search for the latest and greatest novel. Then, head to the Lake Harriet Rose Garden, where you can relax and read while your dog keeps you company. Get some exercise at any of the seven dog parks in the Twin Cities-one of which winds along gorgeous waterfalls in the Minnehaha Park.

— www.forbes.com

Opinion FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2014

How separatists gave Crimea to Moscow Openly separatist Aksyonov won just 4 percent of vote in 2010

By Alissa de Carbonnel

W

ithin a week of its building being taken over by armed gunmen last month, the regional parliament in Crimea was voting in favour of the Ukrainian region becoming part of Russia. How that was achieved under the leadership of Sergei Aksyonov, 41, a Russian separatist whose political party won 4 percent of the vote at the parliamentary election in 2010, was a master class in vote rigging and intimidation, according to several opposition lawmakers.

“It was all a great spectacle, a tragic spectacle,” said Leonid Pilunsky, one of a number of regional lawmakers who say a vote behind closed doors to install Aksyonov was fixed and key decisions were taken before anyone could respond. Moscow says Crimea is in the grip of a home-spun uprising, a popular response to the revolt in Kiev which ousted Ukraine’s Russian-backed President Viktor Yanukovich.

But for the authorities in Kiev and local politicians still loyal to Ukraine, the rapid pace of events were evidence of a carefully orchestrated campaign from Moscow. Moscow denies any role in installing Aksyonov, who is known from his business days by the nickname “The Goblin”. But even those close to the Kremlin say Russia picked him.

“Moscow always bet on Yanukovich. But after the coup in Kiev on Feb. 22 ... Moscow decided it needed to back the secession of Crimea from Ukraine. Then they looked for who could be its leader,” said Sergei Markov, a political analyst sympathetic to the Kremlin who often explains its workings abroad. “They chose Aksyonov.”

Enter the Goblin The day before the takeover of Crimea began, on Feb 26, the region’s parliament met to debate holding a referendum on loosening ties with Kiev.

The atmosphere was volatile. In the four days since Yanukovich had fled Kiev, pro-Russian groups had been signing up volunteers to selfdefence militias, spurred by Russian television reports that armed Ukrainian nationalists would descend from the capital. While Crimea’s parliamentarians met, thousands of pro-Russian demonstrators clashed outside the building with protesters supporting unity with Kiev.

The vote on the referendum was not held that day: There were not enough lawmakers to reach a quorum after Pilunsky and another opposition lawmaker refused to register as present. “They begged, appealed and threatened us,” he said.

The next morning before dawn, armed men seized the building, and from then on, journalists were excluded and it was not possible to verify whether a quorum was reached. Lawmakers had their phones confiscated at the door.

Among those not allowed in was Anatoly Mogilyov, Crimea’s regional prime minister, appointed by Yanukovich. Mogilyov had spoken out against breaking away from Kiev, and the ruling party he represented - Yanukovich’s Party of the Regions which controlled 80 seats in the 100 seat legislature - was publicly committed to autonomy within Ukraine. Nevertheless, that night parliament’s website said 53 lawmakers had voted to replace Mogilyov with Aksyonov, and 61 had voted to hold a referendum on “sovereignty”.

Crimea’s Information Minister Dmitry Polonsky, asked whether installing the new leaders in parliament was rigged, said: “There is one supreme power in Crimea which is its parliament and with a majority of votes it is legitimate and legal. It is impossible to rig a vote in the Supreme Soviet (parliament). There are deputies who push buttons or raise their hands and if the majority have voted for, then the issue is resolved. There are no ways for influencing the vote or falsifying the vote.” Aksyonov did not immediately return calls.

The Kremlin also says the vote to install

Officers from the Ukrainian navy ship Ternopil get on board a boat in front of the Russian navy ship minesweeper “Turbinist” anchored at the harbor of Sevastopol on March 11, 2014. — AFP Aksyonov followed all legal procedures in Crimea, but no independent journalists were permitted inside to witness it. At least one Party of Regions deputy told Reuters his vote was recorded as cast for Aksyonov though he was not in the city, much less the building. “I wasn’t even in Simferopol but my vote was counted,” said the lawmaker, who spoke on condition he not be identified, saying he had received threatening calls and text messages.

The lawmaker said duplicate voting cards were taken from parliament’s safe to allow votes to be cast in the name of people who were not present. He was aware of at least 10 votes that were cast for people who were not in the chamber. They have not come forward for fear of reprisals, he added. “Let me tell you how they scared people: After the first vote was fabricated, they told us that they would open criminal cases against anyone who spoke out,” he said. “Those in power are not really politicians but businessmen. It’s very easy to put pressure on them. They have a lot to lose.”

Save Their Skins Crimea is the only part of Ukraine with an ethnic Russian majority, and the 1990s saw frequent agitation for independence there, especially when relations between Kiev and Moscow were tense. Washington and Kiev blamed Moscow for stirring it up. In a 2006 cable released by WikiLeaks, the US embassy reported back to Washington that Moscow’s agents were active again, after the 2004-2005 “Orange Revolution” that brought anti-Russian politicians to power in Kiev.

Of all the Russian-backed groups in Crimea, the cable identified the Russian Society of Crimea as the one “with the most overt contacts with Moscow”. The man identified in the cable as its leader, Sergei Tsekov, is now deputy speaker of the Crimean parliament and one of Aksyonov’s main lieutenants. In 2010, Aksyonov led the political wing of Tsekov’s Russian Society, a party called Russian Unity, into parliamentary elections.

The party won just 4 percent of the vote, or 3

seats. “In spite of all the financing and help he got from Moscow, his party was not able to do better in elections because these currents in Crimean society are not that strong,” said Andrei Senchenko, an opposition member of Kiev’s parliament who hails from Crimea.

On their website, Russian Unity and the Russian Society are clear about their aim to reunite the province with Moscow, saying: “the future of Crimea and Ukraine is union with Russia”. The last time Crimeans were asked about Moscow’s rule, in 1991, they voted narrowly for independence along with the rest of Ukraine.

Despite the tensions of the 1990s, open support for secession or reunion with Russia had become a fringe view as long as the sympathetic Yanukovich held power in Kiev.

But as Yanukovich’s grip looked less solid, there were already signs the Kremlin was seeking more influence in Crimea. In early February, Crimean media reported that one of Putin’s closest aides, Vladislav Surkov, had visited Crimea.

Once Yanukovich fell, lawmakers in Kiev from the ousted president’s Party of Regions backed the new government that replaced him. But in Crimea, some party members swung behind Aksyonov. Crucially, he won the support of the Crimean parliament speaker Vladimir Konstantinov. That allowed control over votes being held behind closed doors inside the assembly building under guard of armed men.

Pilunsky, the Crimean opposition lawmaker, said ruling party figures in Crimea had switched allegiance to Moscow to protect themselves from the prospect of investigation by the new authorities in Kiev over their years in power in the province. Party of Regions figures blame the new government in Kiev for failing to negotiate quickly enough to head off secession. “The breakup of Ukraine began in Kiev,” said Vadim Kolesnichenko, a Party of Regions lawmaker from Crimea in Ukraine’s parliament. “At first, the question was only about enlarging Crimea’s autonomy within Ukraine,” he said. “When instead of talks, Kiev launched criminal investigations

(against Crimea’s new leaders) ... That is when it became clear: how long can we live in isolation?”

Referendum Then, as Aksyonov seized control, Russian lawmakers were flown into Crimea, promising Moscow’s financial backing and support. Only a week after gunmen planted the Russian flag on the local parliament, Aksyonov and his allies held another vote and declared parliament was appealing to Putin to annex Crimea. The referendum would be moved forward to March 16 and voters would now be asked if they wanted to join Russia, it said. Again, a number of lawmakers say they were not present. Nor were reporters. Those deputies who did attend were not told in advance what the vote would be about.

In a video provided by the regional government press service, speaker Konstantinov is shown addressing some 10 deputies sitting in two mostly empty front rows. “We will vote on a resolution on joining the Russian Federation and they must decide before the referendum if they will accept us so people don’t look stupid voting for Russia.” The decision was announced outside parliament to a roaring a crowd, chanting “Rossiya! Rossiya!” and waving the Russian tricolour. Parliament said 78 deputies had backed it.

That day, Russia’s parliament also adopted legislation making it easier to annex territory.

The outcome of the referendum is in little doubt. Billboards tell Crimeans they have a choice between a map of Crimea painted with a Russian flag or one emblazoned with a Swastika.

Voters have been given a choice between joining Crimea to Russia or restoring an earlier constitution which would declare it a sovereign part of Ukraine. The regional assembly has voted that if sovereign, Crimea would join Russia anyway.

Those who favour continued ties with Kiev are widely expected to abstain, including the 250,000 Crimean Tatars, the most solid supporters of ties with Kiev, who fear rule by Russia which deported them en masse to Uzbekistan under Stalin. — Reuters

FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2014 www.kuwaittimes.net

US socialite and entertainer Paris Hilton arrives for a press conference prior to the inauguration of her first real estate project, the Paris Beach Club, in Manila yesterday. Hilton unveiled the Paris Beach Club in collaboration with Century Properties, a high-end real estate developer in the country's capital. —AFP

C a re e r s FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2014

Walking the talk 7 management practices that can improve employee productivity

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ll companies want to improve employee productivity, but how often do they examine their own management practices as a means of attaining it? Studies consistently show that a disturbingly high number of non-management employees are disengaged, not working at full productive capacity.

Following are 7 practical suggestions - steps management can take to improve productivity by putting employees in a more productive mindset.

Design economic incentives so employees at all levels of an organization can benefit from them: There’s a natural tendency for management to focus most heavily on senior-level economic incentives. While this is completely understandable, it’s best not to neglect substantive incentives for lower-level employees... that is, if you expect them to be vigorously committed to an enterprise’s success. To the argument that this will be unduly costly, a program has to be carefully structured, of course, so additional payouts reflect clearly defined revenue and/or earnings targets.

Provide meaningful feedback in a constructive manner on a regular basis: Feedback is a foundational management skill; the ability to provide regular, helpful feedback to employees in a manner that encourages, not discourages, is a cornerstone of effective management. That’s not to say feedback is always positive - that wouldn’t be management at all - but that the communication is done thoughtfully... whether the occasion is encouragement for a job well done, or that course correction is needed.

Respect employees as individuals, in addition to the job they do: Respect can be a sim-

ple but powerful motivator, just as its unpleasant twin, lack of respect, has the opposite effect. When employees feel genuinely respected (always assuming it’s warranted), they’re much more likely “to go the extra mile” to help a company succeed.

Be sure management at all levels of an organization receives adequate training: There’s a tendency for companies to invest

heavily in “leadership training” while focusing far less on supervisors and middle managers.

Provide support for employees when it’s genuinely needed: Valued support can take many forms: equipment when existing is outdated or inefficient; emotional support in the face of (occasionally) unfair criticism; flexible support for a reasonable level of work-life balance. Management support in times of need

How great managers manage people

won’t be forgotten; it builds employee goodwill and loyalty.

Don’t be emotionally stingy: There’s nothing for management to gain by withholding praise and recognition when it’s warranted. A recent employee study indicated that recognition is often a more powerful motivator than money. While this may well be less true at senior levels as financial rewards escalate, this post is focused on general employee productivity where the broadest gains can be made.

Ensure senior leadership models behavior that makes the rank-and-file proud to be part of the team: Nothing demoralizes employees more quickly than seeing senior leaders act in a way they don’t respect, and few things energize employees more than a senior team they admire. Leaders are always being watched and judged; employees have keen eyes (and are keen data sharers!) When leadership is “walking the talk,” it will be quickly noted - but so will “talking the walk” without actually walking it.

To help boost productivity, employee engagement matters. Ultimately, most employees would much rather be part of a team they’re committed to, not just a member of an organization. Developing and maintaining a consistent management approach that engenders esprit de corps is a key link in the productivity process. Such management - balancing appropriate levels of results-orientation with understanding of employee needs is neither easy nor unattainable. It’s also the thread from which the cloth of day-to-day productivity gains are made.

— www.forbes.com

Food FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2014

As sweet as no sugar Treats that put maple syrup, honey, agave nectar front and center - without a grain of white sugar in sight

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t’s sweet and soothing, delightful and delicious-the stuff of birthdays and holidays, a portal to instant nostalgia, a perfectly lovely way to (occasionally) ring in 3 pm or complete a celebratory meal. And some of the best examples we’ve recently tried contain nary a speck of white sugar. Most baked goods include sugar as an ingredient, but that’s just one source of the sweetness

we love-and not the most interesting one. Pastry chef Joanne Chang, proprietor of beloved Boston bakery and cafe Flour and author of the forthcoming cookbook Flour, Too, contends that maple syrup, honey, fruit juice, and agave nectar have more complex flavors than granulated sugar. “Sugar hits you high and sharp,” Chang says. “It’s a familiar, pleasing experience. But maple

and honey have more distinctive tastes-and a warm, round quality. Put those in a dessert and you make it really flavorful in a way that you can’t with white sugar.”

Dark Chocolate Mousse Ingredients * 11/2 cups heavy cream * 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips * 1/8 tsp kosher salt Crust * 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting * 1/4 tsp kosher salt * 9 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into pats * 2 tbsp whole milk * 1 egg yolk Chocolate truffle filling * 3/4 cup heavy cream * 1/2 cup whole milk * 11/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips * 2 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small pieces * 1/2 tsp kosher salt * 2 egg yolks Garnish * 1 (2- to 3-ounce) block semisweet chocolate Directions Active time: 1 1/2 hours Total time: 12 hours including chilling

To make dark chocolate mousse: In a small pot, bring cream just to a boil. Place chocolate and salt in a large, heatproof bowl and pour in cream; whisk until combined.

Cool to room temperature, then cover and chill 8 hours, or overnight.

To make crust: In a large bowl, stir together flour and salt. Add butter and cut into flour using a pastry cutter or 2 table knives (using a scissors motion) until butter is in pecan-size pieces. In a small bowl, whisk together milk and yolk, then gently stir into flour mixture. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface; gather the shaggy dough into a tight mound. Using the palms of your hands, smear the dough, starting at the top and sliding your palms down the sides of the mound along the work surface, until most of the butter is incorporated. Shape into a 5inch disk, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and chill at least 1 hour, or overnight.

Working on a lightly floured surface, roll out dough into a 12-inch circle. Carefully transfer to an aluminum or glass pie pan and press gently into the bottom and sides.

Crimp and trim dough as desired, leaving a 1/4 lip around the edge to allow for shrinkage during baking. Chill 30 minutes, or cover and chill up to overnight.

Once dough is chilled, preheat oven to 350º. Line the bottom and sides of the pie shell with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until golden brown all over, 30 to 35 minutes. Carefully remove paper and pie weights and set pie shell aside.

To make chocolate truffle filling: In a small pot, bring cream and milk just to a boil. Place chocolate in a medium, heatproof bowl and pour in cream mixture; whisk until incorporated. Add butter, salt, and yolks and whisk until well combined. Pour into pie shell and bake until just slightly jiggly in the center, about 20 minutes. Let cool to room temperature, about 2 hours.

To finish the mousse, beat with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Spoon onto pie and spread out evenly.

Using a vegetable peeler or the back of a paring knife, shave chocolate onto pie, scattering curls evenly over the top. Serve immediately, or cover with plastic wrap and chill up to 1 day.

Maple Creme Caramel Ingredients * 11/2 cups pure maple syrup, divided * 2 cups heavy cream * 1 cup whole milk * 4 eggs plus 1 egg yolk * 1/4 tsp. kosher salt * 1/4 tsp vanilla extract Directions Active time: 30 minutes Total time: 1 1/4 hours (plus overnight chilling) Preheat oven to 350º. Arrange eight (5- to 6-ounce) ramekins or ovenproof bowls in a large roasting pan. In a medium pot, bring 1 cup syrup to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until reduced by half, about 30 minutes. (Keep a close eye on the syrup to ensure it doesn’t boil over or burn.) Immediately divide syrup reduction among ramekins, swirling each to coat the bottom.

Bring a medium pot of water just to a boil. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together cream, milk, eggs and yolk, salt, vanilla, and remaining 1/2 cup syrup until well combined, then pour evenly into ramekins.

Working near the oven (so that you won’t have to walk far with the roasting pan), carefully ladle hot water into the pan to reach about 3/4 of the way up the side of each ramekin. Gently place roasting pan in oven and bake until custards are just slightly jiggly in the center, about 40 minutes. Set roasting pan aside until ramekins are cool enough to move, then remove and set aside until completely cool. Cover and chill overnight, or up to 4 days. To serve, run a small paring knife around the inside edge of each ramekin and invert onto a serving plate.

Health FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2014

Keeping pollen out of your home is impossible, but using the right air purifier may reduce the amount you breathe in

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olar bears and beach dwellers aren’t the only ones who should be worried about global warming: It turns out the 35 million Americans who suffer from seasonal allergies are in harm’s way. “There are clear projections that, as atmospheric temperatures and levels of greenhouse gases continue to rise, the pollen season will start sooner, last longer, and hit harder,” says immunologist Leonard Bielory, MD, who’s heading up a program funded partly by the Environmental Protection Agency to investigate the impact of climate change on allergies. In fact, according to Bielory’s research, pollen counts may double by 2040 as higher levels of carbon dioxide trigger plants to produce more of the airborne particles. And with elevated temperatures bringing earlier thaws (witness 2012, the hottest year on record in the United States), conditions are ripe for a prolonged sneezing season. But take heart: These five science-based strategies can help stifle the symptoms.

Act early If pollen count levels in your area reach ten or above for three days in a row, start using a prescription nasal steroid spray, says Linda Cox, MD, president of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology. (Use the National Allergy Bureau’s pollen tracker.) The steroids in the spray block the production of chemicals that cause two common allergy complaints: nasal swelling and congestion. The meds take a while to kick in, so even if you feel fine, it’s smart to begin treatment.

“Once symptoms start and inflammation sets in, it’s harder to reverse,” Cox says.

Clear the air Keeping pollen out of your home is impossible, but using the right air purifier may reduce the amount you breathe in. High-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters remove over 99 percent of pollen, dust, and mold. But shop wisely-the air purifier industry has ballooned in recent years, and impostor filters have made their way onto the market.

Avoid products labeled anything other than just

plain HEPA (some bill themselves as “HEPA type” or “99 percent HEPA”) to make sure you’re getting the real thing.

your body to “good” types of bacteria, you may increase your immune system’s tolerance for allergens.

Go outside at the right time Since staying shut in all spring isn’t an option, venture outdoors during midday, when chances for flare-ups are at their lowest. Trees and weeds typically release pollen in the morning, while grass does so both morning and night. Wind matters, too: On dry, blustery days, pollen can cover great distances, meaning that even if counts start out low in your immediate area, pollen that’s blown in from hundreds of miles away can still cause an attack.

Protect yourself for seasons to come Allergy shots are the closest thing we have to a cure. They introduce small amounts of an allergen into your system so that your immune cells become desensitized and your allergic reactions diminish. It’s a big commitment-a full course of shots typically involves once- or twice-weekly injections at the doctor’s office for one to six months, followed by monthly booster shots for up to five years. But relief may soon come in the form of a pill or a liquid drop. Two types of tablets made from grass extracts have performed well in clinical trials; one pill dissolved under the tongue daily for three years is as effective as a full course of allergy shots. And an oral liquid for ragweed allergy is currently in the FDA’s approval pipeline.

All three treatments may hit the market within the next two years.

Eat more yogurt A study in the Journal of Nutrition found that people who ate seven ounces of yogurt daily for one year reported fewer allergy symptoms than those who didn’t. Other studies have shown that probiotics often found in yogurt may relieve congestion from birch and cedar pollen if consumed regularly. Researchers suspect that by exposing

Health FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2014

What’s

causing that allergy?

Different types

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earn the types of allergies including food allergies, seasonal allergies, pet allergies, and many more.

Food allergies Food allergies or food intolerances affect nearly everyone at some point. People often have an unpleasant reaction to something they ate and wonder if they have a food allergy.

Milk allergy If you suffer from a milk allergy, strictly avoiding milk and food containing milk and milk products is the only way to prevent a reaction, which can include immediate wheezing, vomiting, and hives.

Egg allergy Egg allergies-especially to egg whites-are more common in children than in adults and reactions range from mild to severe.

Fall allergies The allergy triggers might be slightly different, but they can be just as misery-inducing as the flower pollen that fills the air in the spring and summer.

Winter allergies Here are some common causes of winter allergies, and a few tips for managing your symptoms.

Pet allergies Dog allergy For a person with dog allergies, life in a dogloving country isn’t easy. Nearly 40 percent of US households have a dog. Dog dander gets everywhere, including places where dogs have never set a paw.

Wheat allergy If you are allergic to any wheat protein strictly avoiding wheat and wheat products is the only way to prevent a reaction, which can include stomach upset, eczema, allergic rhinitis, bronchospasm (asthma-like symptoms) and even anaphylaxis.

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our out of five allergy sufferers never visit a doctor, and few people know what to take and when. If you’re sneezing and have red, itchy eyes and a drippy nose, choose an antihistamine, says Sakina Bajowala, a board-certified allergist and immunologist with a private practice in North Aurora, Illinois. Antihistamines block the actions of symptom-triggering histamines throughout the body. They’ll kick in within a few hours, but for optimal relief, start taking them before symptoms hit (Bajowala adds that many antihistamines-even “non-drowsy” versions-can make people sleepy and recommends taking a 24hour-action pill at bedtime). If your main problem is a stuffed-up head, Bajowala suggests an oral decongestant, which temporarily decreases the swelling of the nasal tissues. You can wait until after your head feels full of cotton-but avoid taking at night, because decongestants tend to make people jittery, Bajowala says. (They also have a tendency to raise blood pressure, so use caution if you have heart issues.)

You’ve developed “rebound congestion” An OTC nasal decongestant spray can help in a pinch, but you should never rely on one for more than three days in a row, says Bajowala, who is also a fellow of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI). She explains that after repeated use, nasal tissues become accustomed to the decongestant and begin to overcompensate.

This causes you to feel even more stuffy than before, and you’ll need increasingly higher doses of nasal spray to get relief. If you’re already hooked, make an appointment with a doctor who can recommend an anti-inflammatory prescription spray. They build up in the tissues over weeks of use, so they don’t provide immediate relief, but they’re much safer and more effective in the long run.

You’ve been letting in the sunshine-along with less delightful things It’s spring-time to air out the house to help you breathe easier... except this can make the pollen levels inside the house as bad as they are outside, Bajowala says. Raise the shades but keep the windows closed when the pollen count is high (check local levels at the National Allergy Bureau web site). Instead, get rid of dust and other allergens

with central air-conditioning or an air filter (clean or change filters once per season to keep them working properly).

You’re making a mess with your neti pot For all-natural relief, doctors including Dr Oz often recommend “nasal irrigation.” You can do this with a neti pot, which looks like a tiny teakettle that allows you to pour salt water into one nostril so that it exits out of the other. It may take practice to get the hang of it: First, use distilled water with plenty of salt (try this recipe from AAAAI-baking soda prevents the solution from burning). Neti pots depend on gravity to pull the water through your nose, so when irrigating the right nostril, tilt your head so that your left ear is parallel to the ground; do the opposite for the left nostril. (You can also use a bottle like the NeilMed Sinus Rinse. Same principle but less chance of mistakes, Bajowala says.) Don’t bother with a neti pot if you’re so congested that you can’t breathe through your nose, because, Bajowala says, the water will either flow back out the same nostril or end up in your Eustachian tube (she often gets calls from annoyed-sounding neti potters complaining that their ears are full of water).

You’re having a bad reaction-or none at all-to your natural remedy There’s some scientific evidence that butterbur, a plant that sounds like it was made up by JK Rowling but is often found near real-world marshes and streams, can act like a natural antihistamine.

Although some of Bajowala’s patients believe that taking butterbur extract orally helps their symptoms, she says that more research is necessary before she’ll prescribe it. She adds that many people don’t realize that butterbur is part of the ragweed family, which may trigger another allergy.

She also strongly advises looking for butterbur products labeled “PA-free,” which means they no longer contains naturally occurring pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) that could be toxic to the liver.

There’s another popular theory that honey containing pollen from local plants will help you build tolerance to those allergens. While raw honey is safe (and sweet) for adults, Bajowala says there are no reliable studies that prove it will help your symptoms. — www.oprah.com

Nut (peanut) allergy If you suffer from a nut allergy, strictly avoiding nuts, including peanuts and tree nuts like cashews and walnuts, and food containing nuts is the only way to prevent a reaction.

Fish allergy If your doctor is able to identify exactly which type of fish causes your allergies, than you only need to eliminate that species of fish from your diet. For the majority of fish allergy sufferers, this is not an option and all fish must be avoided.

Shellfish allergy Learn about shellfish allergies and which foods to avoid.

Sulfite allergy Sulfites are a group of sulfur-based compounds that may occur naturally or may be added to food as an enhancer and preservative.

The FDA estimates that one out of 100 people is sensitive to the compounds.

Soy allergy Soy allergies start with soybeans. Soybeans are legumes. Other foods in the legume family include navy beans, kidney beans, string beans, black beans, pinto beans, chickpeas (garbanzo or chichi beans), lentils, carob, licorice, and peanuts.

Casein allergy If a glass of milk or a slice of pizza causes swollen lips, hives, or other significant symptoms, you may have an allergy to casein, a protein in milk.

Seasonal allergies Spring allergies Spring is the time of year that we normally think of when it comes to seasonal allergies. As the trees start to bloom and the pollen gets airborne, allergy sufferers begin their annual ritual of sniffling and sneezing.

Summer allergies Although spring most readily comes to mind when we think of allergies, many of the same allergic triggers that can make us miserable in the spring persist into summer.

Hay fever Hay fever is an immune disorder characterized by an allergic response to pollen grains and other substances. Also known as allergic rhinitis, there are two types: seasonal, which occurs only during the time of year in which certain plants pollinate, and perennial, which occurs all year round.

Allergic Conjunctivitis (Pink Eye) Pink eye caused by bacteria, viruses, or STDs can spread easily from person to person but is not a serious health risk if diagnosed promptly; allergic conjunctivitis is not contagious.

Hives (Urticaria) Hives, also known as urticaria, are an outbreak of swollen, pale red bumps, patches, or welts on the skin that appear suddenly-either as a result of allergies, or for other reasons.

Allergies to poison ivy, aak, and sumac Poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac are plants that contain an irritating, oily sap called urushiol. Urushiol triggers an allergic reaction when it comes into contact with skin, resulting in an itchy rash, which can appear within hours of exposure or up to several days later.

Allergies to insect stings (bee stings) Bee, wasp, yellow jacket, hornet, or fire ant stings are the insect stings that most often trigger allergies. However, most people are not allergic to insect stings and may mistake a normal sting reaction for an allergic reaction.

Mold allergy People with mold allergies, however, may have a reaction if exposed to too much of the fungus. — www.webmd.com

BOOKS FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2014

Ra Ra Rasputin Frances Welch’s new biography uncovers the humor and strangeness in Rasputin’s fatal embrace of the Romanovs rigory Rasputin was a Siberian peasant turned holy man with incredible charisma, bad teeth, questionable hygiene (he claimed that he once went six months without changing his underwear), and a strong animal odor - like a goat’s (according to the French ambassador). He used these various attributes to ingratiate himself with the royal family of Russia and become, for about a year toward the end of the Romanov dynasty, the de facto power behind the throne.

While doing all this, he seduced thousands of women. It’s an inspiring story, though it ends badly, and no wonder that the expatriated French actor Gerard Depardieu has played Rasputin in not one but two biopics in the last two years.

As Robert Massie once wrote, only in Russia could the story of Rasputin have unfolded, but even in Russia it was pretty strange. In her humorous new biography, Frances Welch does not stint on its strangeness, though she does try to explain just how it came to pass.

Rasputin took advantage of the Russian tradition of the wandering peasant holy man, walking from village to village and reputed to have a direct connection with God (even Tolstoy, toward the end of his life, visited one).

He also exploited the loneliness and isolation of the last Romanov couple, Nicholas and Alexandra - the tsar a polite, indecisive man and the tsarina a German-born and English-bred granddaughter of Queen Victoria (“The tsarina was as happy ordering chintzes from the latest Maples catalogue as she was cultivating mystics,” writes Welch),

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who never quite adjusted to Russian life or shed her accent (she communicated with Nicholas in English). And, finally, he made use of the vexed condition of the couple’s son, Alexis, the heir to the Russian throne, who had inherited (from Queen Victoria) a terrible disease: haemophilia. Nicholas and Alexandra kept vigilant watch over the boy, employed two sharp-eyed sailors to accompany him everywhere and commandeered

turn her against him. All warnings about Rasputin came to seem like attacks on the family, and further isolated them from the people who wanted to help.

The worse things got, the more Alexandra came to rely on Rasputin’s judgment. In the summer of 1915, with the war going poorly for Russia, Nicholas decided to leave the capital and assume command of the Russian army. This was a moderately bad idea militarily, but it was a disastrous idea for the government, which was left in Alexandra’s hands. The tsarina was devoted to Russia, but inexperienced, and blinded by her belief in Rasputin. Under their joint direction a series of catastrophic decisions were made, as experienced ministers who disliked Rasputin were dismissed in favor of non-entities and incompetents. For years there had been (crazy) rumors that he and the empress were lovers; now people became convinced that they were also German spies.

an army of doctors to try to make him well.

None of them could do anything; as Welch points out, they may easily have done more harm than good, prescribing, for example, the new wonder drug aspirin, which we now know is an anti-coagulant, the exact opposite of what a haemophiliac needs.

The disease was torture for both the boy and his mother. During bleeding episodes Alexis would suffer excruciating pain, and his mother, an empress but also, she knew, the carrier of the disease, would sit by him, helpless.

Hypnotizing people with his charm The one person who appeared able to help was Rasputin. He was recommended to the family by their confessor, who had been impressed by his mixture of smelliness and religious fervor.

Then it turned out that he seemed able to stop Alexis’s bleeding. Exactly what Rasputin did has been the subject of medical dispute.

During bleeding episodes, Rasputin would talk to the boy, tell him stories, calm him down - this may have lowered the heir’s blood pressure, easing the bleeding.

Contemporaries claimed that Rasputin could hypnotize people with his eyes, and it’s possible he hypnotized Alexis, with the same calming effect. Rasputin was also the purveyor of some undeniably sage advice, as wise then as it is now: “Don’t let the doctors bother him too much.”

For Alexandra, there was no medical dispute. Rasputin became a frequent visitor to the royal household and the tsarina plied him with gifts and favors. Knowing of

Rasputin’s connection at court, people were always making requests of him, and a word from the empress went a long way in making those requests a reality. Rasputin’s St Petersburg apartment became a busy office where he would meet supplicants, taking care of their medical problems with his healing powers and their bureaucratic problems with his influence. Payment could be made in money, pledges of loyalty, or, most con-

troversially, “kisses”.

During quieter times perhaps this all would have passed, but Russia was entering a period of intense crisis. In 1905, after a war with Japan ended in defeat and soldiers fired on a large protest in St Petersburg, Nicholas was forced to grant a constitution and convene a parliament, the Duma. But Nicholas granted the constitution against his better judgment, and when the Duma became too bold in its demands, he dispersed it.

Another Duma was called, and also dispersed, and then another. Under the leadership of prime minister Pyotr Stolypin the country’s economic performance improved rapidly. But Stolypin was assassinated in 1911. Russia soon found itself embroiled in the first world war, and less than four years later the entire royal family, including 13year-old Alexis, was executed in a basement in Yekaterinburg.

True colors The judgment of most historians is that the autocracy had no chance of surviving a war it could not win. And yet the war was won, eventually. What if Nicholas had held on another year? There’s no question that some changes would have been in order.

But he and his family may have had a different fate.

That they didn’t can at least partly be attributed to Rasputin. His true nature - that of a drunk who made it a principle to start undressing every woman he met, until she made him stop - had become clear to people in St Petersburg relatively quickly, and soon Rasputin’s relationship with the royal family became a scandal.

The orthodox church, which had supported him, now tried to bring his behavior to the attention of the tsar. It had no effect.

Stolypin considered the question a sufficiently vital matter of state that he, too, presented a report: this also was ignored. And on it went.

Rasputin had convinced Alexandra of his holiness, and no amount of evidence could

Nine lives Throughout all this, people kept trying to kill Rasputin. Welch lists at least four assassination attempts, including one by the female follower of a rival holy man, Iliodor, who stabbed Rasputin in the stomach. He survived.

The final, successful attempt came in December 1916, and was carried out by a monarchist Duma deputy and two young aristocrats - one of them, Felix Yusupov, was the heir to Russia’s largest fortune, and the other, Grand Duke Dmitry, was a nephew of the tsar. Yusupov lured Rasputin to his house, where he fed him poisoned cakes and wine, and, when these did not have their intended effect, shot him in the back.

Rasputin, however, got up and started running away, at which point he was shot again by the Duma deputy. The conspirators then wrapped him in a curtain, bound his hands and threw him in a hole in the ice in the Neva river; he drowned.

They had hoped to save the autocracy, but if anything things became worse, and in any case it was too late. Just two months later crowds took to the streets of St Petersburg, and Nicholas was forced to give up the throne. In one of its few wise moves the provisional government dug up Rasputin’s body and burned it. Not long after, the Bolsheviks seized power.

The story of Rasputin and his fatal embrace of the last Romanovs is a story of autocracy, of the kind of damage that can be wrought when a nation’s fate depends too much on the judgment of a single individual. It’s not easy to find contemporary analogues - Putin, for example, has no Rasputin - but Larry Summers, a man reviled in many circles, who nonetheless managed to ingratiate himself into the inner circle of President Obama’s economic advisers early in his first term, when robust and equitable measures might have been taken to save the American republic - all of which Summers discouraged. But in that case, too, there probably wasn’t much anyone could have done.

— www.theguardian.com

Lifestyle FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2014

Peru’s Gaston Acurio:

From master chef to world food ambassador

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e’s not even 50, but he’s already transformed Peruvian cuisine and his restaurants are ranked among the best in the world. Now, Gaston Acurio says he’s abandoning the kitchen to become a self-styled food ambassador, promoting a cuisine without borders.

“Twenty years ago, I was a chef. Today I am an ambassador. I’m living sort of an early retirement,” a smiling Acurio told AFP in an interview.

In a quaint workspace in Lima’s bohemian Barranco neighborhood, surrounded by stacks of books, pottery, diplomas and awards, the 46-year-old Acurio is getting ready for his next big project. “The challenges have changed,” said Acurio, glancing at the large slates with the names of dishes and ingredients that line the room’s walls. “People know us-we have to conceptualize our next steps, inspired by ideas with the same energy as at the beginning, but aiming to become universal.”

His signature restaurant Astrid and Gaston, repeatedly ranked the best in all of Latin America, is moving from its humble beginnings in a small street to a giant 18th century colonial building. That building, classified as a piece of national heritage, has been fully renovated to serve as a veritable palace of food and laboratory for ideas. Astrid y Gaston Casa Moreyra, as the space is called, will have multiple dining areas and gardens, including the new incarnation of the storied restaurant, which will only offer an ultra-sophisticated tasting menu.

“We’ve linked history and tradition with modernity by using cutting-edge kitchen equipment imported from Europe, minimalist decor and open spaces,” Acurio said.

Last month, top chefs Ferran Adria, the creator of the nowclosed El Bulli, and Joan Roca attended the formal inauguration of the space. The restaurant reopened to the public this month. Casa Moreyra features a garden for spices and rare plants, which will be open to visits by schoolchildren. A patio is meant as a “place for chatting, conferences and space for integration and fellowship.”

Beef bourguignon to ‘tacu’ Acurio’s $6-million project in Lima is the linchpin of his empire of more than 40 restaurants in 14 countries across three continents. He and his wife Astrid, the namesakes of the original restaurant, hope to put Peruvian cuisine on the global foodie map. “Peruvian cuisine has undergone vast change over the past 20 years,” said Acurio, who originally studied at a culinary institute in Paris. Among his early specialties were beef bourguignon and foie gras. Over the years, those French dishes were replaced by ceviche and traditional Peruvian fare: the rice and bean dish tacu-tacu or lomo saltado, consisting of stir-fried marinated beef and vegetables. “Our story has only barely begun and it’s up to us to grow and become the epicenter of world cuisine,” said Acurio, who is also the founder of Mistura, the continent’s largest food festival. “We are part of a culinary movement to establish a community-to create a link between restaurateurs, small farmers, fishermen, growersto share our cuisine with the world,” he said. “Our duty is to create businesses, from the richness of Peru, and move forward,” said Acurio, who opened the Pachacutec Culinary Institute in 2007 for young, disadvantaged Peruvians.

“After 500 years of colonialism, we have rediscovered our national pride in the multicultural, multiracial society that comprises Peru,” he said. “There is a mix in Peruvian cuisine and we can celebrate this reality today without shame and without fear.” Acurio, the author of some 20 books and the former host of a television cooking show, is also the son of a senator. Some have suggested he should run for Peru’s presidency, but the chef says he is not interested. “No, no politics for me. I know the beast all too well, from the inside,” he said. — AFP

Japanese artist Yoko Ono poses for photographers during the presentation of her exhibition “Yoko Ono. Half-A-Wind-Show - A Retrospective” at the Guggenheim Bilbao Museum in the northern Spanish Basque city of Bilbao yesterday. — AFP

World Chefs - Bobby Flay sharpens competitive edge on new reality TV show

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elebrity chef, restaurateur and reality television star Bobby Flay is a born-and-bred New Yorker who has made his culinary fortune celebrating the cuisine of the American Southwest.

Flay, who rose to prominence in the early 1990s at the helm of Mesa Grill in New York City, has since forged a culinary empire of reality television shows, cookbooks, high-end restaurants and burger eateries stretching from New York to Las Vegas to the Bahamas.

In “Beat Bobby Flay,” his latest venture in reality TV, the 49-yearold competes with another chef for bragging rights to the contender’s signature dish. “I like the competition of it all,” said Flay, whose first job, at 17, was cooking at the legendary Theater District haunt, Joe Allen. “I was an athlete as a kid so this is sort of my athletics as an adult. It keeps you sharp.” Flay recently spoke to Reuters about his culinary career, signature dishes and celebrity chefs.

Q: How would you describe your cuisine?

A: I’m known for Southwestern food and I think of myself as an American chef first ... I’m opening a new Mediterranean restaurant in New York called Gato so I would say that I cook American food in half my restaurants and Mediterranean food in the other half.

Q: What is the concept behind “Beat Bobby Flay”?

A: Two chefs come in, they take each other on and then the winner of that gets to try to take me down in a 45-minute battle with their signature dish, so that they know exactly what they’re cooking and I don’t.

Q: Do you have a signature dish?

A: Probably a shrimp tamale that I did at Mesa Grill for over 20 years. It is probably the dish that people have ordered the most and the one dish that has never been off the menu.

Q: You’re famous for grilling. How do you think people can improve their grilling technique?

A: I think people are intimidated by the grill, for some reason. I always say think of the grill as just a burner with grates. So if you’re comfortable cooking at a stove, you should be comfortable cooking at a grill. It’s basically the same thing. Also I think that people leave things on the grill way too long.

Q: How do you relate to the celebrity chef label?

A: I think the phrase is overused. It’s a brand that the media, came up with. TV helps you to have more notoriety, but I would never refer to myself as a celebrity chef. I think of myself as a chef in my restaurant.

Q: What is your advice to young, aspiring chefs?

A: I think young chefs should go back to the basics. Go to culinary school and then work for a chef whom you really like and respect.

Q: Any advice for home cooks?

A: There’s so much access online and on television now ... You can get a zillion recipes and videos, things that make the home cook that much better. At dinner parties now the game has been turned way up. People at home are cooking like restaurant chefs, which is great.

Q: What’s always in your kitchen?

A: I have a very big spice rack and I always have about four or five different mustards - Dijon mustard, yellow mustard, whole grain mustard. Garlic Shrimp Served on Grilled Tomato Bread, serves four to six Garlic Shrimp 1 pound medium (36 to 40 count) shrimp, shelled and deveined 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling 12 garlic cloves, chopped 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1/4 cup dry sherry 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves Grilled Tomato Bread 6 plum tomatoes 1/4 cup canola oil Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 1/4 teaspoon smoked mild Spanish paprika 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped Clover honey, if needed French baguette, sliced 1/2-inch thick Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, for garnish 1. Prepare the shrimp: Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a small sautÈ pan over medium heat, add the garlic and cook until soft, about 1 minute. Add the red pepper flakes and cook for 30 seconds. Add the sherry and thyme and cook until the liquid evaporates, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, transfer to a bowl and whisk in the remaining 1/2 cup olive oil; season with salt and pepper.

2.

Put the shrimp in a medium bowl, add 1/4 cup of the garlic marinade and toss to coat the shrimp. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

3.

Meanwhile, heat your grill to high for direct grilling.

4.

Make the tomato bread: Brush the tomatoes with the canola oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the tomatoes until charred on all sides and just soft, about 8 minutes.

5.

Immediately transfer the tomatoes to a food processor, add the paprika and garlic, and pulse until coarsely chopped. Season with honey, if needed, and salt and pepper.

6.

Grill the bread on both sides until lightly golden brown, about 30 seconds per side. Remove the bread to a platter and immediately spoon some of the tomato mixture on top of each slice.

Garnish with chopped parsley.

7.

Remove the shrimp from the marinade and season with salt and pepper. Grill until pink and just cooked through, about 1 1/2 minutes per side.

8.

Remove the shrimp from the grill to a clean bowl and toss with the remaining marinade and the parsley. Spoon shrimp over each slice of bread and drizzle with olive oil. — Reuters

Lifestyle FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2014

Kanye, Jay Z ‘Honky Tonk Women’ too dirty for China as song ‘vetoed’

T

he sexual lyrics of “Honky Tonk Women” were apparently too much for China’s Communist fathers as the Rolling Stones said the chart-topping song was “vetoed” for their second ever show in the country on Wednesday. “About now we’d usually play something like ‘Honky Tonk Women’... but it’s been vetoed,” front man Mick Jagger said at Wednesday’s show, according to a posting on the band’s official Twitter feed. He did not give a reason.

The enduring rock band played in commercial capital Shanghai once previously, eight years ago, when several songs fell victim to the censor, including “Brown Sugar”. Concertgoers confirmed Jagger’s comments at the packed show on Wednesday night but said

the reaction from the Shanghai audience was muted. “He didn’t play it for shock,” said Andrew Chin, a local arts writer who attended.

“People were just excited to see the Stones.”

China censors content it deems to be politically sensitive or obscene. Authorities have been especially sensitive about live concerts since Bjork chanted “Tibet” during her song “Declare Independence” in 2008. China considers Tibet its sovereign territory. Pop-rock balladeer Elton John dedicated a Beijing show to Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei in November 2012, provoking condemnation by state-controlled media.But other classic Stones numbers passed muster, including “Street Fighting Man” and “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”. — AFP

steal the show in SXSW performance S

amsung got its money’s worth from Jay Z and Kanye West. Two of rap’s top stars combined for a powerful, hit-filled two-hour show Wednesday night and yesterday morning during South By Southwest, allowing Samsung to steal some of iTunes’ luster at the annual music conference and festival. Samsung announced the Austin Music Hall show early this week and scheduled the pair at the same time as the iTunes Festival’s hip-hop night that featured Kendrick Lamar and ScHoolboy Q at the very nearby ACL Moody Theater. The performance came a few weeks after West called out Apple CEO Tim Cook

File photo shows singer Kanye West attends the Y-3 men’s Fall-Winter 20142015 fashion collection, in Paris. — AP

Bollywood’s Saif Ali Khan pleads not guilty to assault

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Actress Kristen Bell poses on arrival for the film premiere of ‘Veronica Mars’ in Hollywood, California. The film opens on March 14. — AFP

ollywood star Saif Ali Khan appeared in court yesterday and denied breaking the nose of a South African businessman at a luxury hotel two years ago, a report said. The alleged incident happened in Mumbai’s Taj Mahal Palace hotel in February 2012, where the businessmen accused Khan of pushing him and punching him in the face in the Japanese restaurant Wasabi. “The court today framed charges against Khan and his two friends-Shakeel Ladak and Bilal Amrohi-under section 325 (assault) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code,” public prosecutor Wajeed Sheikh said, according to the Press Trust of India news agency.

The trio pleaded not guilty after the charges were read out against them in the Mumbai court, PTI said. The businessman, Iqbal Sharma, said he had only asked the staff to get Khan’s table to quieten down, which sparked a heated argument and the alleged assault. Khan however claimed that Sharma had started the row. The actor surrendered to police after the brawl and was released on bail. Khan, married to top Indian actress Kareena Kapoor, is one of Bollywood’s biggest actors and the Nawab (Muslim prince) of the former princely state of Pataudi. His father was famous cricketer Mansur Ali Khan, better known as “Tiger Pataudi”. — AFP

In this Oct 10, 2013 file photo, US singer Jay Z performs on stage at the o2 arena in east London, as part of his Magna Carta World Tour. — AP at a New Jersey concert, telling him to “stop trying to get performers to play your festival for free, you are rich as (expletive).”

Chances are West and Jay Z didn’t play the show for free, but the return on investment wasn’t marginal. The show was one of the most anticipated surrounding the annual buzz-building gathering and fans with Samsung devices with the company’s new streaming music service, Milk Music, were granted free entry. Fans lined up several hundred yards around the block before the show with most having little hope of getting in. Those who did - including Odd Future’s Tyler, The Creator, who forced his way to the front row to the delight of selfie-snapping fans and spent some of the show crowd surfing were treated to an energetic performance from two of hip-hop’s biggest stars.

A good show They emerged individually atop two large boxes stationed on the stage and in the crowd West wearing his trademark leather kilt and Jay Z in a black American flag t-shirt - and began the show near the rafters. They played selections from their “Watch the Throne” collaboration throughout, including “No Church in the Wild,” “... in Paris,” “Who Gon Stop Me” and “Otis” as images of Doberman pinschers, lions and tigers, great white sharks and gazelle-killing cheetahs flashed across a screen that wrapped around the stagebound box.

The pair, who recently announced a partnership between West’s Donda Music and Jay Z’s Roc Nation, each also played hits from their own lengthy catalogs. West, engaged and smiling and even occasionally trading high fives with the crowd, performed “Black Skinhead” and “New Slaves” from his latest album “Yeezus” along with older hits like “Jesus Walks” and “Runaway.” Jay Z offered favorites recent hit “Tom Ford” from “Magna Carta ... Holy Grail,” and standards “99 Problems,” “Empire State of Mind,” “Dirt Off Your Shoulder” and “Big Pimpin’.” What they didn’t offer was any clues about a sequel to their collaborative album “Watch the Throne,” which is anticipated later this year. — AP

Sony overhauls ‘Smurfs’ franchise, plans ‘Popeye’ movie

S

ony Pictures Animation is overhauling its “Smurfs” franchise and pushing forward on a sequel to 2012 hit “Hotel Transylvania,” the studio division said Wedneday. It also announced plans for computer animated version of “Popeye” and an original animated film “Genndy Tartakovsky’s Can You Imagine?” Plot details on the latter project were kept under wraps.

The studio had great success with 2011’s “Smurfs,” with the live action and computer graphic hybrid racking up more than $560 million at the box office. Last year’s sequel still made $347.5 million globally, but that was less than some box office prognosticators had expected and was

deemed a disappointment. This new version will be entirely animated and Sony is swapping Raja Gosnell, the director of the first two movies, for Kelly Asbury, whose work on “Shrek 2 and “Gnomeo & Juliet” gives him a deeper understanding of animation. It hits theaters in August 2015 and there are hints it will be an origins story.

“I’m really excited about taking the Smurfs in a completely new fresh direction,” Asbury said in a statement. “We’re not making a Smurfs 3 film. Our character designs and environments will be stylistically closer to the original artwork created by Peyo.

Our story will explore the beginnings of the beloved little blue creatures.” —Reuters

Lifestyle FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2014

‘Muppets Most Wanted’ review:

Caper sequel proves second verse can be as good as the first I

f it’s the fate of rebooted franchises to follow in the footsteps of their predecessors, then let’s just say that “Muppets Most Wanted” puts a fresher spin on “The Great Muppet Caper” than “Star Trek Into Darkness” did to “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.” Even if the 21st century Muppet features don’t quite reach the pinnacle established while Jim Henson was alive, “Muppets Most Wanted” is often as good as or even better than 2011’s “The Muppets,” which wonderfully relaunched the cinematic shenanigans of Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie and all the felt-covered rest.

This latest chapter picks up precisely where the last one left off, down to featuring stand-ins for the backs of Amy Adams and Jason Segel, who have not returned.

Newcomer Walter (voiced by Peter Linz) wonders what’s next, and the rest of the Muppets start singing a hilarious ditty about sequels and doing everything all over again.

(Bret McKenzie, the “Flight of the Conchords” vet who scored a Best Song Oscar last time around, provides a new batch of clever and catchy tunes for the Muppets to sing.)

Constantine: The world’s most dangerous frog Kermit (voiced by Steve Whitmire) wants his newlyreunited crew to hone their act, but everyone else falls for the sales pitch of one Dominic Badguy (Ricky Gervais) - he insists it’s pronounced “bad-jee” - to tackle a world tour.

Badguy’s plan is to replace Kermit with his look-alike Constantine (voiced by Matt Vogel), “the world’s most dangerous frog,” and to use the Muppet tour to cover up a series of crimes across the European continent.

The presence or absence of a facial mole is all it takes to dupe people that Constantine is Kermit, and vice versa, so while Constantine tries to fill Kermit’s emcee shoes (despite

the fact that he can’t even say “Kyer-mitt” without an accent), Kermit gets thrown into Constantine’s old cell at a Russian gulag, overseen by no-nonsense Nadya (Tina Fey).

The script, by Nicholas Stoller and director James Bobin (both veterans of the previous movie), is classic Muppets in that it knows when to barrage the audience with gags and when to provide enough plot to keep things moving right along. Kermit tries to escape the gulag under cover of the prison talent show he’s been dragooned into directing - and if you ever wanted to see Ray Liotta and Danny Trejo perform “I Hope I Get It” from “A Chorus Line,” this may be your one and only chance. Meanwhile, Sam the eagle (voiced by Eric Jacobson), now all too fittingly a CIA agent, tries to solve the rash of continental crimes with Interpol agent Jean Pierre Napoleon (Ty Burrell); the latter being European, he often interrupts the investigation with lengthy lunch hours and extended vacations.

Sensational and Celebrational Try to avoid peeking at the IMDB page, since one of the delights of “Muppets Most Wanted” is the cavalcade of celebrity cameos that come fast and furious throughout the film. Wisely, these famous faces never distract too much from the movie’s real stars, and longtime Muppet fans will enjoy appearances by invaluable second bananas like the Swedish Chef (who gets to be at the center of a hilarious Ingmar Bergman reference), Dr Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker, and boomerang fish-tosser Lew Zealand.

Purists who nit-picked “The Muppets” for moments of hipness or smuttiness or something else that they claimed somehow besmirched the Henson legend will no doubt find some tiny throwaway moment objectionable, but overall “Muppets Most Wanted” remains sensational and

Actor Ricky Gervais, with Constantine, Miss Piggy and Kermit the Frog pose at the premiere of Disney’s ‘Muppets Most Wanted’ at the El Capitan Theatre on March 11, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. — AFP celebrational, proving beyond a doubt that these beloved characters will continue to lead a plush life on the big screen for years to come. — Reuters

Rick Ross’s ‘Mastermind’ outfoxes Pharrell’s ‘GIRL’ on Billboard 200

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‘Fast & Furious 7’ resumes production this month

‘F

ast & Furious 7 is shifting back into production later this month, Universal told TheWrap. The studio said production, delayed since star Paul Walker’s death in a car crash last November, will resume March 31. The franchise’s star, Vin Diesel, telegraphed that it was near Tuesday in a Facebook post. “The transition into that Dom state of mind has always beenan interesting one,” he wrote. “Only this time there is added purpose, a collective goal to make this the best one in the series... Ps. The long awaited completion of Seven, begins ” Production on the seventh installment of the long-running vehicular action series has

been delayed since Walker’s death in a fiery car crash. Production was more than halfcompleted at the time of the accident, and was slated to go to Abu Dhabi to continue filming.

Universal canceled what were supposed to be the final days of production to allow the cast and crew to grieve, as well as to figure out how to proceed and adjust the story in the wake of his loss. The studio, director James Wan, producer Neal Moritz and writer Chris Morgan have considered starting from scratch, as The Wrap previously reported. The film, initially slated to be released this year, was pushed back to April 10, 2015. — Reuters

apper Rick Ross beat fellow hip-hop star Pharrell Williams to the top of the Billboard 200 album chart on Wednesday, despite Pharrell’s high-profile performance with leading film ladies at the Oscars. Ross’s “Mastermind” became his fifth No. 1 album after selling 179,000 copies in its first week, according to figures from Nielsen SoundScan.

Pharrell’s “G I R L” sold 112,000 copies in its first week and entered the chart at No. 2.

The release came after a month of highprofile performances from the singer at intimate parties and awards events, culminating in his singing his Oscar-nominated song “Happy” and spontaneously dancing with the actress nominees on the live Oscars telecast. “Happy,” the lead song from Oscarnominated animated feature “Despicable Me 2,” did retain its hold at No. 1 on Billboard’s Digital Songs chart this week, selling 490,000 downloads and bringing its cumulative digital sales to more than 2.6 million units.

Both “Mastermind” and “G I R L” came in ahead of Disney’s soundtrack to the animated princess tale “Frozen,” which placed third on the chart, with sales of 100,000 this week. The album has sold 1.3 million copies since its release in November.

Other new entries on the top 10 of this week’s Billboard 200 include “Glee” star Lea

Rick Ross Michele’s debut record “Louder” at No. 4, country music group Eli Young Band at No. 5 with “10,000 Towns,” and R&B star Ashanti’s “Braveheart” at No. 10.

Cumulative album sales for the week ending March 9 totaled 5 million units, down 9 percent from the comparable week in 2013, Billboard said. — Reuters

Lifestyle FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2014

Khooshboo and Prem

Bollywood film actress Jacqueline Fernandez showcases a creation by Indian designer Tarun Tahiliani.

Fashion Week

Lakme

Models showcase creations by Indian designer Tarun Tahiliani on the second day of the Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) Summer/Resort 2014 in Mumbai. — AP/AFP

Lifestyle FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2014

Suman Nathwani

Monica & Karishma

Khooshboo and Prem

Pallvi Singhee Models accompany Indian Bollywood actress Mandira Bedi (center in black) and her mother Gita.

Mandira Bedi

FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2014

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AVENUES-5 300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE (DIG) 300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE (DIG-3D) 300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE (DIG) 300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE (DIG-3D) 300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE (DIG) 300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE (DIG-3D) NO SUN+TUE+WED

12:30 PM 2:45 PM 5:00 PM 7:15 PM 9:30 PM 11:45 PM

A360째- 1 300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE 300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE 300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE 300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE 300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE 300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE NO SUN+TUE+WED

12:30 PM 2:45 PM 5:00 PM 7:15 PM 9:30 PM 11:45 PM

FANAR-1 NON-STOP (DIG) NON-STOP (DIG) NON-STOP (DIG) NON-STOP (DIG) NON-STOP (DIG) NON-STOP (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED FANAR-2 MR. PEABODY & SHERMAN (DIG) MR. PEABODY & SHERMAN (DIG) LAMO AKHZA (DIG)(Arabic) LAMO AKHZA (DIG)(Arabic) LAMO AKHZA (DIG)(Arabic) LAMO AKHZA (DIG)(Arabic) NO SUN+TUE+WED

12:45 PM 3:00 PM 5:15 PM 7:45 PM 10:00 PM 12:15 AM

1:30 PM 3:30 PM 5:30 PM 7:30 PM 9:30 PM 11:45 PM

FANAR-3 RED SKY (DIG) RED SKY (DIG) RED SKY (DIG) BEWAKOOFIYAAN (DIG) (Hindi) RED SKY (DIG) RED SKY (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

12:30 PM 2:45 PM 5:00 PM 7:15 PM 9:45 PM 12:05 AM

FANAR-4 300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE (DIG-3D) 300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE (DIG-3D) 300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE (DIG-3D) MR. PEABODY & SHERMAN (DIG-3D) 300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE (DIG-3D) 300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE (DIG-3D) 300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE (DIG-3D) NO SUN+TUE+WED

12:30 PM 2:30 PM 4:30 PM 6:30 PM 8:30 PM 10:30 PM 12:30 AM

FANAR-5 FORCE OF EXECUTION (DIG) FORCE OF EXECUTION (DIG) LAST LOVE (DIG) LAST LOVE (DIG) FORCE OF EXECUTION (DIG) FORCE OF EXECUTION (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:45 PM 3:45 PM 6:00 PM 8:15 PM 10:45 PM 12:45 AM

360째- 2 3 DAYS TO KILL (DIG) 3 DAYS TO KILL (DIG) 3 DAYS TO KILL (DIG) 3 DAYS TO KILL (DIG) 3 DAYS TO KILL (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED 360째- 3 REASONABLE DOUBT (DIG) REASONABLE DOUBT (DIG) REASONABLE DOUBT (DIG) REASONABLE DOUBT (DIG) REASONABLE DOUBT (DIG)

(DIG-3D) (DIG-3D) (DIG-3D) (DIG-3D) (DIG-3D) (DIG-3D)

1:15 PM 3:45 PM 6:15 PM 8:45 PM 11:15 PM

2:30 PM 4:45 PM 7:00 PM 9:15 PM 11:30 PM

BAIRAQ-1 300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE (DIG-3D) 12:30 PM 300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE (DIG-3D) 2:30 PM MR. PEABODY & SHERMAN (DIG-3D) 4:30 PM 300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE (DIG-3D) 6:30 PM 300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE (DIG-3D) 8:30 PM 300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE (DIG-3D) 10:30 PM 300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE (DIG-3D) 12:30 AM NO SUN+TUE+WED BAIRAQ-2 MR. PEABODY & SHERMAN (DIG) REASONABLE DOUBT (DIG) LAMO AKHZA (DIG) (Arabic) MR. PEABODY & SHERMAN (DIG) LAMO AKHZA (DIG) (Arabic) REASONABLE DOUBT (DIG) BAIRAQ-3 NON-STOP (DIG) RED SKY (DIG) NON-STOP (DIG) RED SKY (DIG) NON-STOP (DIG) RED SKY (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:30 PM 3:30 PM 5:30 PM 7:30 PM 9:30 PM 11:30 PM 12:45 PM 3:00 PM 5:15 PM 7:45 PM 10:00 PM 12:15 AM

PLAZA BEWAKOOFIYAAN (DIG) (Hindi) FRI+SAT MR. PEABODY & SHERMAN (DIG) FORCE OF EXECUTION (DIG) 300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE (DIG)

6:00 PM 8:00 PM 10:00 PM

LAILA NON-STOP (DIG) 300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE (DIG) RED SKY (DIG)

6:15 PM 8:30 PM 10:30 PM

AJIAL.1 1983 (DIG) (Malayalam) 1983 (DIG) (Malayalam)

6:45 PM 9:45 PM

AJIAL.2 BEWAKOOFIYAAN (DIG) (Hindi) BEWAKOOFIYAAN (DIG) (Hindi) BEWAKOOFIYAAN (DIG) (Hindi)

5:30 PM 8:00 PM 10:30 PM

AJIAL.3 RAJA RANI (DIG) (Telugu) RAJA RANI (DIG) (Telugu)

6:30 PM 9:30 PM

AJIAL.4 NIMIRNTHU NIL (DIG) (TAMIL) NIMIRNTHU NIL (DIG) (TAMIL)

7:00 PM 10:00 PM

3:30 PM

FOR SALE

CHANGE OF NAME

Cooker Indesit gas 4 ring with oven, Linen box, ironing board, cloths hang rail with shelf, dining table and 4 chairs, sofa 3 seats, office desk, office chair, bookcase.

Personal trainer CPS with heart monitor, dock station for iPod, printer HP photosmart, safe. Tel: 94400865.

(C 4656) Galant 2013, fully automatic, like new, done km 13,600, doctor-owned, KD 3,450 (price for new 5,450).

Contact: 66572082.

(C 4662) 12-3-2014 Black long leather coat, size M-L with removable lining, made in Turkey, price KD 55.

Also new white artificial fur coat knee length, price KD 50 (both KD 90). Tel: 66293005.

10-3-2014 MATRIMONIAL Pakistani Punjabi speaking coming from landlord family and working as Director Services in a company looking for Pakistani girl residing in Kuwait for immediate marriage. Fintas P.O. Box 1476, Code 51015 / zaidiformerdiplomat@hotmail.com (C 4661)

I, Taza, holder of Indian Passport No. K9682992 have changed my name to Murtaza Shabbir Husain Raswala, residing at Partapur, Rajasthan.

(C 4663) I, Thopugunta Sudheer holder of Indian Passport No. K7916639 change my name to Ali Haider Shaik, my address in India is N.T.R. Nagar, Chitvel, K. Kandulayaripalli, Kadapa Dist, AP, 516104. (C 4664) 13-3-2014 I, Safia Begum, D/O Murugesan holder of Indian Passport No. L0038265, date of birth 5-10-1969. Residing at no. 57 Tha Krishnappa Vdiyar Street, Vandavasi Post.

T.S Dist. Tamil Nadu, 604408, shall henceforth be known as Murugesan Uma Mageswari.

(C 4660) 11-3-2014 I, Aju Kurackuva Koshy Mathew Indian Passport No H2014478 have changed my name to Aju Mathew.

(C 4659) 10-3-2014

THE PUBLIC AUTHORITY FOR CIVIL INFORMATION Automated enquiry about the Civil ID card is

1889988

112 Prayer timings Fajr: Shorook Duhr: Asr: Maghrib: Isha:

04:41 06:00 11:57 15:22 17:55 19:12

Te c h n o l o g y FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2014

A bit about these coins FAQ on the rise of alternate currency

B

itcoin is a distributed peer-to-peer digital currency that can be transferred instantly and securely between any two people in the world. It’s like electronic cash that you can use to pay friends or merchants.

What are bitcoins?

Bitcoins are the unit of currency of the Bitcoin system. A commonly used shorthand for this is “BTC” to refer to a price or amount (e.g.

“100 BTC”). There are such things as physical bitcoins, but ultimately, a bitcoin is just a number associated with a Bitcoin Address. A physical bitcoin is simply an object, such as a coin, with the number carefully embedded inside.

How can I get bitcoins?

There are a variety of ways to acquire bitcoins:

of these are true.

Is Bitcoin a ‘get-rich-quick’ scheme?

If you’ve spent much time on the Internet, you’ve probably seen ads for many ‘get-richquick’ schemes. These ads usually promise huge profits for a small amounts of easy work.

Such schemes are usually pyramid/matrixstyle schemes that make money from their own employees and offer nothing of any real value. Most convince one to buy packages that will make them earn hundreds a day, which in fact have the buyer distribute more such ads, and make minute profits.

Bitcoin is in no way similar to these schemes. Bitcoin doesn’t promise windfall profits. There is no way for the developers to make money from your involvement or to take

has something to offer those chasing conceptually interesting projects or bleeding edge technology.

As an investment, is Bitcoin a sure thing?

Bitcoin is a new and interesting electronic currency, the value of which is not backed by any single government or organization. Like other currencies, it is worth something partly because people are willing to trade it for goods and services. Its exchange rate fluctuates continuously, and sometimes wildly. It lacks wide acceptance and is vulnerable to manipulation by parties with modest funding.

Security incidents such as website and account compromise may trigger major selloffs. Other fluctuations can build into positive

buy SLL with Paypal (which is acceptable by Paypal’s TOS) and then exchange your SLL to Bitcoin.While it is possible to find an individual who wishes to sell Bitcoin to you via Paypal, (perhaps via #bitcoin-otc ) most exchanges do not allow funding through PayPal. This is due to repeated cases where someone pays for bitcoins with Paypal, receives their bitcoins, and then fraudulently complains to Paypal that they never received their purchase. PayPal often sides with the fraudulent buyer in this case, which means any seller needs to cover that risk with higher fees or refuse to accept PayPal altogether. Buying Bitcoins from individuals this way is still possible, but requires the seller to have some trust that the buyer will not file a claim with PayPal to reverse the payment.

How are new bitcoins created?

New bitcoins are generated by the network through the process of “mining”. In a process that is similar to a continuous raffle draw, mining nodes on the network are awarded bitcoins each time they find the solution to a certain mathematical problem (and thereby create a new block). Creating a block is a proof of work with a difficulty that varies with the overall strength of the network. The reward for solving a block is automatically adjusted so that, ideally, every four years of operation of the Bitcoin network, half the amount of bitcoins created in the prior four years are created.

What’s the current total number of bitcoins in existence?

The number of blocks times the coin value of a block is the number of coins in existence.

The coin value of a block is 50 BTC for each of the first 210,000 blocks, 25 BTC for the next 210,000 blocks, then 12.5 BTC, 6.25 BTC and so on.

How divisible are bitcoins?

A bitcoin can be divided down to 8 decimal places. Therefore, 0.00000001 BTC is the smallest amount that can be handled in a transaction. If necessary, the protocol and related software can be modified to handle even smaller amounts.

* Accept bitcoins as payment for goods or services * The most common way to buy bitcoins are the Bitcoin Exchanges * There are several services where you can trade them for traditional currency * Find someone to trade cash for bitcoins inperson through a local directory * Participate in a mining pool * If you have a lot of mining hardware, you can solo mine and attempt to create a new block (currently yields 25 bitcoins plus transaction fees) * Visit sites that provide free samples and offers Does Bitcoin guarantee an influx of free money?

Since Bitcoin is a new technology, what it is and how it works may be initially unclear.

Bitcoin is sometimes presented as being one of three things: Some sort of online ‘get-richquick’ scam; a loophole in the market economy, the installation of which guarantees a steady influx of cash or a sure investment that will almost certainly yield a profit. In fact, none

money from you. That bitcoins are nearly impossible to acquire without the owner’s consent represents one of its greatest strengths. Bitcoin is an experimental, virtual currency that may succeed or may fail. None of its developers expect to get rich off of it.

Will I make money by installing the client?

Most people who use Bitcoin don’t earn anything by doing so, and the default client has no built-in way to earn Bitcoins. A small minority of people with dedicated, high-performance hardware do earn some Bitcoins by “mining” with special software, but joining Bitcoin shouldn’t be construed as being the road to riches. Most Bitcoin users get involved because they find the project conceptually interesting and don’t earn anything by doing so. This is also why you won’t find much speculation about the political or economic repercussions of Bitcoin anywhere on this site: Bitcoin developers owe their dedication to the project’s intellectual yieldings more than to those of a monetary nature.

Bitcoin is still taking its first baby steps; it may go on to do great things but right now it only

feedback loops and cause much larger exchange rate fluctuations. Anyone who puts money into Bitcoin should understand the risk they are taking and consider it a high-risk currency. Later, as Bitcoin becomes better known and more widely accepted, it may stabilize, but for the time being it is unpredictable. Any investment in Bitcoin should be done carefully and with a clear plan to manage the risk.

Can I buy bitcoins with Paypal?

It is possible to buy physical bitcoins with PayPal but it is otherwise difficult and/or expensive to do so for non-physical bitcoins, because of significant risk to the seller.

There is a workaround that can be done in order to use Paypal to buy Bitcoins but it holds within it higher transaction fees. Using theVirtual World Exchange you can buy Second Life Lindens (SLL) with Paypal and then convert your SLL to Bitcoins. This process will charge you transaction fees of around 6 percent but will let you purchase Bitcoins pretty quickly as opposed to a wire transfer. The reason this method works is because you do not buy Bitcoins with Paypal directly, you only

How long will it take to generate all the coins?

The last block that will generate coins will be block #6,929,999 which should be generated at or near the year 2140. The total number of coins in circulation will then remain static at 20,999,999.9769 BTC. Even if the allowed precision is expanded from the current 8 decimals, the total BTC in circulation will always be slightly below 21 million (assuming everything else stays the same). For example, with 16 decimals of precision, the end total would be 20,999,999.999999999496 BTC. If no more coins are going to be generated, will more blocks be created?

Absolutely! Even before the creation of coins ends, the use of transaction fees will likely make creating new blocks more valuable from the fees than the new coins being created. When coin generation ends, these fees will sustain the ability to use bitcoins and the Bitcoin network. There is no practical limit on the number of blocks that will be mined in the future.

— www.en.bitcoin.it

Stars

FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2014

Aries (March 21-April 19)

Issues regarding freedom are apt to come up today in more ways than one, Aries. These issues could be connected with opportunities for adventure and travel. Although you initially want to dive into this promised freedom, take time to reflect on what you need in your current situation before making any final decision. Don't forget the other people in your life and how such actions might affect them and your relationships.

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

There is a great deal of startup energy working for you today, Taurus. You may feel as if you're walking on hot coals. This isn't a good day to sit on the couch watching TV. The coals will burn you for sure. It's important that you keep moving. Engage in activities that exercise your mind as well as body. You'll feel much better if you can point to something and say that you created it.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

Your energy will light up any room you enter today, Gemini.

Feel free to take advantage of this incredible magnetism by initiating and encouraging others to join you in creative activities and bold adventures. However, be careful that your head doesn't get too big. You can be proud without becoming egotistical; otherwise you'll end up losing your followers before you even get started.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

Put an extra spring in your step, Cancer. The slow, steady pace may be something that you're comfortable with, but note that the situations of the day call for something much more dynamic and brave. Pull out your leadership hat and put it on proudly.

Today is the day for you to call the shots, instead of compromising in order to get along with others.

Leo (July 23-August 22)

Be prepared for all-out combat with people today, Leo, even though this is pretty much the opposite of your normal style.

In fact, "opposite" is the name of the game for you today.

Don't be surprised if you walk into an ice cream shop wanting vanilla and all they have is chocolate. Remember to not get upset by these types of situations over which you simply have no control.

Virgo (August 23-September 22)

Control is apt to be a big theme for you and the people around you today, Virgo. You'll find such a brutal dispute over who is holding the reins that once someone finally gets a firm hold of them, he or she is apt to take the situation to the extreme.

There's an aggressive tone to things that can't easily be ignored.

Keep an eye on your associates on a day like this.

Libra (September 23-October 22)

In general, things should be going extremely well for you today, Libra, so don't miss this opportunity to pursue your dreams in every sense of the word. Do things with passion and don't hold back. Remember that your mind and will are the only things stopping you from getting where you want to be.

There's a great deal of magnetism at your disposal today, so enlist others to help you.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21)

You may feel anxious today, even more so than usual, Scorpio.

Your nerves may be quite jittery, and there's a feeling that you may not be on exactly the right track. More than likely, what you need to do is simply calm down and relax. Let your brain slow down and think clearly without the distraction of many people telling you what to do.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21)

Other people are the most important aspect of your day today, Sagittarius. You'll find that things might get a bit difficult and unruly alone, but if you connect with others, even the most challenging task becomes almost effortless. One toothpick is easily broken, but 50 toothpicks together are as strong as steel.

Conjure up this power created by a force of people who all share a common goal.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19) Don't be a pushover today, Capricorn. This is your time to lead. At least get your opinion out in the open and let it be known to the people around you. Put some passion in your day in order to liven things up and get the energy moving.

A powerful transformation may take place within you as you start to wield your power instead of give it blindly away to others.

Aquarius (January 20- February 18)

You have a great deal of power at your disposal today, Aquarius. You should keep in mind that just about anything you wish for will come true. Don't waste words or actions.

Concentrate your energy and focus it on one or two important things instead of dispersing it and thereby diluting your overall power. There isn't anything to fear on a day like this.

Pisces (February 19-March 20)

Think of today as a restorative time for yourself in which you can come to a point of greater ease and comfort, Pisces. Trust yourself and the people around you. Open your eyes to the reality of the situation at hand. If you're currently working through some major life changes, have faith that whatever happens will work out to your benefit.

COUNTRY CODES 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 Republic 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 Somalia 00252 South Africa 0027 South Korea 0082 Spain 0034 Sri Lanka 0094 Sudan 00249 Suriname 00597 Swaziland 00268 Sweden 0046 Switzerland 0041 Syria 00963 Taiwan 00886 Tanzania 00255 Thailand 0066 Toga 00228 Tonga 00676 Tokelau 00690 Trinidad 001868 Tunisia 00216 Turkey 0090 Tuvalu 00688 Uganda 00256 Ukraine 00380 United Arab Emirates00976

L e i s u re

FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2014

Word Search

Challenge Maze

C R O S S W O R D 4 8 6

ACROSS 1. A young woman making her debut into society.

4. A smouldering fire.

12. A dark-skinned member of a race of people living in Australia when Europeans arrived.

15. A flat wing-shaped process or winglike part of an organism.

16. Low tufted evergreen shrubs of colder parts of north temperate regions having mosslike foliage and nodding white or pink flowers.

17. 10 grams.

18. Formerly a contemptuous term of address to an inferior man or boy.

20. A silvery ductile metallic element found primarily in bauxite.

21. Strike with disgust or revulsion.

23. The type of environment in which an organism or group normally lives or occurs.

25. A highly unstable radioactive element (the heaviest of the halogen series).

27. The lofty nest of a bird of prey (such as a hawk or eagle).

28. An infant who is sponsored by an adult (the godparent) at baptism.

30. A river in north central Switzerland that runs northeast into the Rhine.

33. A benevolent aspect of Devi.

34. Type genus of the Nepidae.

38. A historical area and former kingdom in northwestern Spain.

39. A French abbot.

42. One of the five major classes of immunoglobulins.

44. An association of people to promote the welfare of senior citizens.

46. Explosive consisting of a yellow crystalline compound that is a flammable toxic derivative of toluene.

47. Experiencing motion sickness.

50. A midwestern state on the Great Plains.

53. A strong paper or thin cardboard with a smooth light brown finish made from e.g.

Manila hemp.

54. Of or relating to or in the manner of Erasmus.

55. Liquorice-flavored usually colorless sweet liqueur made from aniseed.

58. A unit of information equal to 1024 bytes.

59. (astronomy) The angular distance of a celestial point measured westward along the celestial equator from the zenith crossing.

60. Imperial dynasty that ruled China (most of the time) from 206 BC to 221 and expanded its boundaries and developed its bureaucracy.

61. A rounded projection or protuberance.

64. A small motor nerve supplying the lateral rectus muscle of the eye.

69. Inquire about.

72. The cry made by sheep.

73. Clothing of a distinctive style or for a particular occasion.

75. Joint capital (with Riyadh) of Saudi Arabia.

76. The sense organ for hearing and equilibrium.

77. Any plant of the genus Bergenia.

79. A rotating disk shaped to convert circular into linear motion.

80. A chronic skin disease occurring primarily in women between the ages of 20 and 40.

81. The father of your father or mother.

82. A loose sleeveless outer garment made from aba cloth.

telling effect.

4. Singing jazz.

5. Shrubby tree widely distributed along tropical shores.

6. A mouth or mouthlike opening.

7. North American republic containing 50 states - 48 conterminous states in North America plus Alaska in northwest North America and the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean.

8. Of a pale purple color.

9. An uproarious party.

10. A federal agency established to coordinate programs aimed at reducing pollution and protecting the environment.

11. Cause to move back by force or influence.

12. The sixth month of the civil year.

13. An island in Indonesia east of Java.

14. Look at with amorous intentions.

19. Cause to ripen.

22. A major victory by the Romans over the Macedonians in 168 BC. 24. An alloy of copper and zinc (and sometimes arsenic) used to imitate gold in cheap jewelry and for gilding.

26. Psychoactive substance present in marijuana.

29. A Chadic language spoken south of Lake Chad.

31. Of or relating to or characteristic of the prehistoric Aegean civilization.

32. Of or relating to the Gypsies or their language or culture.

35. The Uralic language spoken by the Yeniseian people.

36. A large fan consisting of a frame covered with canvas that is suspended from the ceiling.

37. Remote city of Kazakhstan that (ostensibly for security reasons) was made the capital in 1998.

40. Bulky grayish-brown eagle with a short wedge-shaped white tail.

41. (Roman mythology) Roman god of death.

43. A digestive juice secreted by the liver and stored in the gallbladder.

45. An incidental benefit awarded for certain types of employment (especially if it is regarded as a right).

48. East Indian tree whose leaves are used for fodder.

49. A thin flexible tube inserted into the body to permit introduction or withdrawal of fluids or to keep the passageway open.

51. A coffee cake flavored with orange rind and raisins and almonds.

52. Projectiles to be fired from a gun.

56. Doctrine of enlightenment as the realization of the oneness of one's self and the visible world.

57. A person who holds a commissioned rank in the United States Navy or Coast Guard.

62. A member of a people who have no permanent home but move about according to the seasons.

63. An indehiscent fruit derived from a single ovary having one or many seeds within a fleshy wall or pericarp.

65. Any of numerous local fertility and nature deities worshipped by ancient Semitic peoples.

66. A challenge to do something dangerous or foolhardy.

67. Open-heart surgery in which the rib cage is opened and a section of a blood vessel is grafted from the aorta to the coronary artery to bypass the blocked section of the coronary artery and improve the blood supply to the heart.

68. Try to manage without help.

70. Someone who works (or provides workers) during a strike.

71. God of love and erotic desire.

74. Having any of numerous bright or strong colors reminiscent of the color of blood or cherries or tomatoes or rubies.

78. A state in midwestern United States.

Yesterday’s Solution

DOWN 1. Distinctive and stylish elegance.

2. English essayist (1775-1834).

3. An aggressive remark directed at a person like a missile and intended to have a

Daily SuDoku

Yesterday’s Solution

42

Sports FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2014

Hamilton rejects Mercedes ‘favourites’ tag MELBOURNE: Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton has played down his team’s “favourites” tag ahead of the season-opening Australian Formula One Grand Prix Sunday, saying technical changes make any predictions worthless.

The Briton and his teammate Nico Rosberg have enjoyed the fastest times in offseason testing, leading many to tip Mercedes as the car to beat going into the Melbourne

race. But the 2008 champion is not sure Mercedes warrants all the hype as he prepares for Friday’s opening practice sessions at the Albert Park circuit. “All the media are talking us up. Favourite driver, favourite team,” Hamilton told reporters yesterday.

“I just don’t know what’s going to happen this weekend,” he added. Hamilton said a raft of significant rule changes including a return to turbocharged engines, a limit on

fuel and new energy recovery systems meant it was hard to say which car would come out on top.

“It’s very technical this year. Everybody is in the same boat,” the 29-year-old said.

“There are lots of us trying to find where the advantages can be.” Hamilton, who finished fourth in last season’s drivers championship, added that he was still getting used to the setup of this year’s Mercedes. “Last year’s car

felt better, it was nicer to drive and we had a lot more downforce and that was the car that was in its fourth year of evolution,” he said.

“Now we are in a new phase and it’s something that takes some time to get used to.” Rosberg finished sixth in the overall standings last year after winning at Monaco and Silverstone. Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel won the drivers championship for the fourth year in a row. —AFP

Massa keeping faith for Schumacher

MELBOURNE: Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel of Germany holds his arms out as he walks around the paddock ahead of the Australian Formula One Grand Prix at Albert Park in Melbourne, Australia, yesterday. —AP

Embattled Vettel vows ‘maximum’ in record bid MELBOURNE: Red Bull ace Sebastien Vettel yesterday vowed to “push to the maximum” as he bids to shrug off preseason mechanical woes and claim a record 10th successive win at the Australian Grand Prix.

The young German clinched his fourth straight world title in 2013 with a record-equalling nine wins in a row, matching the feat of Italy’s Alberto Ascari 60 years previously.

Victory on Sunday would give Vettel an unprecedented 10th consecutive win and a major boost in his attempt to match Michael Schumacher by claiming five titles in as many years. But Vettel’s new Red Bull car is struggling to adapt to new technical requirements which include a turbocharged engine, energy recovery system and fuel limit.

He tipped Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes, an impressive performer in testing, as the most likely winner in Melbourne-but warned that Red Bull wasn’t waving the white flag just yet. “It’s difficult to have any sort of expectations for most of us,” Vettel told reporters.

“But it’s a long season so I’m going out here not trying to just to make it round. I’m going out here to push to the maximum and do the best I can and then we will see where we are. “The tar-

get for sure is to finish and to finish in the best possible position.

“For the rest of the year we are a strong team, we have a lot of good people on board and we have strong resources so I’m confident we should progress as the season goes on.”

Hamilton, the 2008 world champion, played down his chances in what is an unusually unpredictable race owing to the large number of technical changes.

Favourite driver, team “All the media are talking us up.

Favourite driver, favourite team... I just don’t know what’s going to happen this weekend,” said the Briton, adding that he expected stiff competition from team-mate Nico Rosberg.

“It’s very technical this year and everyone is in the same boat and everyone is trying to see where the advantage is going to be between the two drivers,” Hamilton said, referring to Rosberg.

“From race to race I think you’re going to see one time he’s ahead, and another time I’m ahead, the same that you saw last year. The goal is to be ahead on the track.”

Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, teamed this year with fellow former world champion Kimi Raikkonen, also said there was

great uncertainty before the seasonopener. “It’s very difficult to tell how competitive we are at the moment and we will know some answers in the next 24-48 hours,” said the Spaniard.

“I think the car itself and the technology that Formula One has brought this year is a little complex for everyone and we are learning and developing the car every day.”

The plight of Schumacher, who remains in an induced coma following a skiing accident in December, will provide a sombre backdrop to the start of the new season. In a tribute to the seventime world champion, Brazilian driver Felipe Massa will race with an “MS” emblazoned on his helmet in his first start for new team Williams.

“I always think about him every day.

I’m praying for him every day,” Massa said. “So I hope everything can go back and he’ll be okay. “For sure it was a shame to see what has happened, but I keep thinking about him. He’s on my helmet and I’ll keep praying and hope that things can be okay for him and he’s coming back.” Schumacher’s family said on Wednesday that the German great was showing “small, encouraging signs of recovery” from his severe head injuries. —AFP

MELBOURNE: Felipe Massa remains hopeful his friend and former Ferrari team mate Michael Schumacher can pull out of an induced coma and return to health.

The retired seven-times Formula One champion suffered severe head injuries when he slammed into a rock while skiing off-piste in the French Alps resort of Meribel in December, and has been in a stable but critical condition in a hospital in the French city of Grenoble since.

Schumacher’s agent raised hope this week that the 45-yearold German might revive when she wrote of “small, encouraging signs” in his condition since doctors started lowering his sedation in January to wake him up from the induced coma.

“I keep praying and believe that things can be okay for him and he’s coming back,” Massa told reporters at Albert Park yesterday ahead of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

“I always think about him every day, pray for him every day.

“For sure it was a shame to see what’s happened, but I keep thinking about him. He’s on my helmet.”

The 32-year-old Massa joined Ferrari as a test driver in 2003 during Schumacher’s hey-day and after two seasons with Sauber returned to the team in 2006 for the German’s last season at Maranello.

Brazilian Massa spent several days in an induced coma in 2009 after being hit by a bouncing spring from another car and has led the tributes to Schumacher, the sport’s most successful driver.

After eight years at Ferrari, largely overshadowed by twice world championship-winning team mate Fernando Alonso, Massa has been replaced by 2007 champion Kimi Raikonnen at Maranello and moved to Williams, where he will be expected to take a leading role ahead of 24-year-old Finn Valtteri Bottas.

Motivated Despite coming off a wretched season in which they managed only five points and finished ninth in the constructors’ championship, a revamped Williams arrive at Albert Park more confident after a good showing during pre-season testing.

“I feel the team is really motivated, they want to grow, to get better and get back to the times when Williams was there,” Massa said of the once-formidable team that won nine constructors titles between 1980 and 1997.

“I don’t know how competitive we can be, compared to the other teams ... maybe we can see ourselves fighting with them and being competitive with the top teams.

“I’m really looking forward and I think it can be a really nice season for us, but how nice I don’t know.” —Reuters

MELBOURNE: Felipe Massa of Brazil signs autographs for fans at Albert Park ahead of the Australian Formula One Grand Prix in Melbourne, Australia, yesterday. —AP

Sports FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2014

Teen Aussie sensation sets sights on Olympics HAIKOU: Teenage sensation Minjee Lee said she is in no rush to follow New Zealand’s Lydia Ko by turning professional as she plots a path to the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

The 17-year-old Australian has assumed Ko’s former crown by becoming the world’s top-ranked amateur and making waves with her performances at professional events. Last month, Lee won the Victorian Open by six strokes and was runner-up to Tiger Woods’s niece Cheyenne at the Australian Ladies Masters.

She tied for fourth in a star-studded field at last week’s World Ladies Championship in China-and was then invited to her first major, next month’s Kraft Nabisco Championship in California.

It’s a run which, together with warm praise from the likes of world number one Park In-Bee, could tempt Lee to leap into the professional ranks at the first opportunity. But the level-headed Lee, who comes from Perth, said she is not about to abandon her plan to turn professional late this year and build towards the next Olympics. “There’s no rush,” she said at Mission Hills Haikou, during the World Ladies Championship. “I am happy with my game but I still feel I have a lot to learn. The aim is to get my card at the end of the year and turn pro then.” Ko has started her first professional season in solid if unspectacular fashion as she makes the big adjustment to life on tour and a new

NHL results/standings Results from the NHL games on Wednesday (home team in CAPS); Boston 4, Montreal 1; Vancouver 3, Winnipeg 2 (So); Colorado 3, Chicago 2; Calgary 7, Anaheim 2.

WESTERN CONFERENCE PACIFIC DIVISION W L OTL GF 43 16 7 210 42 17 7 205 38 22 6 162 31 24 11 184 30 28 10 160 26 33 7 159 23 35 8 166

GA 167 159 139 189 183 196 215

PTS 93 91 82 73 70 59 54

St. Louis Colorado Chicago Minnesota Dallas Winnipeg Nashville

CENTRAL DIVISION 44 14 7 213 43 18 5 202 38 14 14 225 34 22 9 161 32 23 10 188 30 28 9 184 28 28 10 160

148 174 175 161 181 195 195

95 91 90 77 74 69 66

Boston Toronto Montreal Tampa Bay Detroit Ottawa Florida Buffalo

EASTERN CONFERENCE ATLANTIC DIVISION 43 17 5 208 35 24 8 198 35 25 7 167 34 24 7 186 29 23 13 172 28 25 12 185 24 34 7 157 19 38 8 129

144 205 170 171 183 213 209 192

91 78 77 75 71 68 55 46

Pittsburgh NY Rangers Columbus Philadelphia New Jersey Washington Carolina NY Islanders

METROPOLITAN DIVISION 44 17 4 206 35 27 4 172 34 26 5 190 33 25 7 184 29 24 13 163 30 27 10 193 28 28 9 163 25 33 9 188

159 165 179 190 168 202 185 228

92 74 73 73 71 70 65 59.

Anaheim San Jose Los Angeles Phoenix Vancouver Calgary Edmonton

coaching and management set-up. And Lee said this year, she plans to restrict herself to a handful of professional events and the top amateur tournaments before taking the plunge into full-time golf. She said the ultimate goal is Rio 2016, where golf will return to the Olympic programme for the first time in more than 100 years.

Big future in the game “Well, you’d be representing your country and what else could you hope for as an athlete?” said Lee. “Going to the Olympics, playing for your country and playing the sport that you love-it doesn’t get better than that.” At the $600,000 World Ladies Championship, Lee was only out-scored by three women, all top 10 players and major-winners: Park, Suzann Pettersen and Ryu So-Yeon. Paired with Park over the first two days on Mission Hills’s Blackstone course, she was a study in concentration, following the world number one’s every move. “(This event) definitely gives me confidence that I can mix it with the pros and compete with them,” said Lee, who learned the game at the Royal Fremantle Golf Club. “I feel like I have got a chance in any tournament I play now.” She added: “I want to keep learning and gaining experience and tournament such as this are giving me the opportunity to do that. I am learning every round I play. —AFP

HAIKOU: This handout photo taken on March 4, 2014 and released by Mission Hills yesterday to AFP shows Minjee Lee of Australia, the world’s No 1 amateur player, teeing off at the 15th hole during an official practice round for the World Ladies Championship golf tournament at Mission Hills Hainan in Haikou, on the southern Chinese island of Hainan. — AFP

Varlamov helps Avalanche to 3-2 win over Blackhawks DENVER : Semyon Varlamov stopped 37 shots for his 100th NHL win and Brad Malone scored his first goal of the season to help the Colorado Avalanche hold off the Chicago Blackhawks 3-2 on Wednesday. Matt Duchene and Ryan O’Reilly added goals as the Avalanche took four of five from the Blackhawks in the season series.

They also moved a point ahead of the defending Stanley Cup champions for second place in the Central Division. Patrick Kane and Brandon Saad scored for Chicago. Varlamov became the fourth Russian-born goaltender to record 100 wins, joining Evgeni Nabokov (347), Nikolai Khabibulin (333) and Ilya Bryzgalov (213). This also was Varlamov’s 33rd win, second-most in the league behind Pittsburgh’s Marc-Andre Fleury (34).

Bruins 4, Canadiens 1 Second period goals by Carl Soderberg, Patrice Bergeron and Milan Lucic led the Boston Bruins to a season-high sixth straight win with a victory over the Montreal Canadiens. Goalie Tuukka Rask made 35 saves for Boston (43-17-5), who are on their longest winning streak since a six-game run last season from Feb. 17 to March 2. Defenseman Zdeno Chara scored his 15th goal 23 seconds into the third to put the Bruins up 4-0. Montreal goalie Peter Budaj stopped 27 of 31 shots. The Canadiens (35-25-7), who returned from a four-game trip to California and Arizona, have lost four of five.

Canucks 3, Jets 2 (Shootout) Chris Higgins scored the only goal of the shootout, deking Winnipeg goaltender Ondrej Pavelec, and the Vancouver Canucks handed the Jets a fifth straight defeat. Struggling Vancouver left winger Alex Burrows scored his first two goals of the season, tying the game on both occasions. Vancouver improved to 30-28-10 and now have 70 points, bringing them to within four points of the Dallas Stars, who have the second and final wild-card playoff spot, though Dallas have played three fewer games. The Jets slipped to 30-28-9 and now have 69 points.

Flames 7, Ducks 2 The Calgary Flames thrilled their fans at the Scotiabank Saddledome by scoring a season-high seven times against Anaheim.

Mikael Backlund scored twice and had a three-point night for the Flames (26-33-7), who will miss the playoffs for a fifth straight season.Andrew Cogliano and Nick Bonino replied for the Ducks (43-16-7), who still sit top of the Pacific Division but are now winless in their past four with only two points over that span. Ducks starting goaltender Jonas Hiller was pulled after allowing three goals and five shots, while Frederik Anderson surrendered four on 20 shots after entering the game. — Reuters

CALGARY: Mikael Backlund #11 of the Calgary Flames chases Cam Fowler #4 of the Anaheim Ducks during an NHL game at Scotiabank Saddledome on Wednesday in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. — AFP

44

Sports FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2014

Jets agree to terms with former Broncos WR Decker NEW YORK: The New York Jets have agreed to terms with former Denver Broncos wide receiver Eric Decker, considered by many the top free agent at his position.

Decker spent all day Wednesday at the Jets’ facility and had dinner with a contingent of team officials, including coach Rex Ryan. He gives quarterback Geno Smith and the offense a sorely needed laymaker and No. 1-type wide receiver.

The Jets on Monday cut talented but oft-injured wide receiver Santonio Holmes after four seasons. The move saved the Jets $8.25 million, and Holmes was also scheduled to have a $10.75 million cap number, a lofty total for a one-time Super Bowl MVP who has struggled with inconsistency the last two seasons. He turned 30 last week.

The Jets get a rising star in Decker, who last season combined with Demaryius Thomas as the most prolific receiving tandem (2,718 yards) in the league, meshing with Peyton Manning all year. The 6-foot-3, 214-pound Decker, who’ll be 27 on Saturday, set career highs with 87 catches and 1,288 yards receiving to go along with 11 touchdowns. He had 85 receptions for 1,064 yards and a career-best 13 TDs in 2012.

Getting a top receiver was a priority as the Jets headed into free agency, especially after parting with Holmes.

Decker emerged late last season, with a four-touchdown breakout at Kansas City on Dec. 1. Until then, the only starring role Decker enjoyed with the Broncos had come in his reality TV show about his wedding to country

and pop singer Jessie James.

He was in the final year of the contract he signed as a rookie four years ago with no extension in hand. He ended December with eight touchdowns for the Broncos, a triumph of sorts for a player who had contended with a balky shoulder and endless comparisons to teammates Thomas, Wes Welker and Julius Thomas. The slump-busting performance against the Chiefs did wonders for him as the Broncos advanced to the Super Bowl.

Also Wednesday, the Jets agreed to terms with former Seattle Seahawks right tackle Breno Giacomini, quickly finding a replacement for Austin Howard. The Jets re-signed backup defensive lineman Leger Douzable to a one-year deal, too.

Giacomini missed seven games with

Nets get Heat again, win 96-95 MIAMI: Paul Pierce scored 17 of his 29 points in the third quarter and Mirza Teletovic scored 17 off the bench as the Brooklyn Nets beat Miami for the third time in as many tries this season, topping the Heat 96-95 Wednesday.

Shaun Livingston scored 13 points, Andray Blatche added 11 and Deron Williams had eight assists for the Nets, who’ve won seven of their past eight games and are 23-9 since Jan. 1.

Chris Bosh scored 24 points for Miami, giving him 15,003 for his career. Dwyane Wade scored 22, LeBron James finished with 19 and Mario Chalmers scored 14 for the Heat.

Clippers 111, Warriors 98 Blake Griffin had 30 points and 15 rebounds, and Danny Granger added 18 points off the bench as Los Angeles surged past Golden State for its ninth straight victory. Chris Paul had 16 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds for the Clippers, who split their four-game season series against their Pacific Division rivals with an impressive finish to a tight game.

Los Angeles has the third-longest winning streak in club history and the team’s best record after 66 games (46-20). Klay Thompson scored 26 points and David Lee had 20 for the Warriors, whose five-game winning streak ended with their fourth straight loss to the Clippers at Staples Center. Stephen Curry had just 13 points and 11 assists before sitting out the final minutes.

Kings 115, 76ers 98 Rudy Gay scored 27 points and Isaiah Thomas added 20 as Sacramento extended Philadelphia’s losing streak to 18 games.

DeMarcus Cousins had 19 points and 12 rebounds, and Ben McLemore scored 15 points for the Kings, who snapped a three-game skid. Jason Thompson added 14.

The Kings are in the midst of a seven-game, 12-day road trip, their longest of the season. They are 2-3 on the trip. Henry Sims posted career-highs of 20 points and 10 rebounds, James Anderson added 17 points and Thaddeus Young had 16 for Philadelphia, which fell to 15-49 in dropping its 14th in a row at home, an ongoing franchise record.

Michael Carter-Williams had 13 points, seven rebounds and two assists two nights after earning his second career triple-double.

Spurs 103, Trail Blazers 90 Patty Mills scored 15 points, and Tim Duncan had 10 points and 11 rebounds in limited minutes as San Antonio rolled to its eighth straight win. Damian Lillard had 23 points for Portland, which lost LaMarcus Aldridge to a bruised back early in the second half.

Danny Green added 14 points for San Antonio, Manu Ginobili scored 13, Kawhi Leonard had 12, and Tiago Splitter had 12 points and 10 rebounds. San Antonio’s bench outscored Portland’s 46-23, enabling coach Gregg Popovich to limit Duncan, Parker, Ginboli, Splitter and Green to less than 30 minutes. Portland opened the third on an 8-0 run after trailing by as many as 17 in the first half, but lost Aldridge 43 seconds into the quarter.

a knee injury last season for Seattle, but was back in time for the Seahawks’ run to their Super Bowl title against Denver.

The 6-foot-7, 318-pound Giacomini will replace Howard, who signed with Oakland as a free agent after starting every game the last two seasons.

Giacomini was a fifth-round pick in 2008 of Green Bay, where he spent three seasons before spending the last three with Seattle.

Douzable signed with New York as a free agent last offseason and had 20 tackles and a career-high 11/2 sacks.

The Jets earlier released cornerback Antonio Cromartie, clearing $17.75 million of salary cap space. New York could also save another $8.3 million if they cut quarterback Mark Sanchez, who missed last season with a shoulder injury. —AP

NBA results/standings Results from the NBA games on Wednesday (home team in CAPS); Brooklyn 96, Miami 95; Denver 120, Orlando 112; Sacramento 115, Philadelphia 98; Toronto 101, Detroit 87; Charlotte 98, Washington 85; NY Knicks 116, Boston 92; Memphis 90, New Orleans 88; Dallas 108, Utah 101; San Antonio 103, Portland 90; Cleveland 110, Phoenix 101.

EASTERN CONFERENCE ATLANTIC DIVISION W L 36 27 33 30 26 40 22 43 15 49

PCT 0.571 0.524 0.394 0.338 0.234

GB 3 11 15 21

Indiana Chicago Detroit Cleveland Milwaukee

CENTRAL DIVISION 47 17 35 29 25 40 25 40 13 51

0.734 0.547 0.385 0.385 0.203

12 22

Miami Washington Charlotte Atlanta Orlando

SOUTHEAST DIVISION 44 18 33 31 31 34 27 35 19 47

0.71 0.516 0.477 0.435 0.288

12 14 17 27

0.734 0.646 0.508 0.438 0.338

5 14 19 25

Toronto Brooklyn NY Knicks Boston Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA: Philadelphia 76ers’s Henry Sims, left, and Sacramento Kings’s Jason Thompson battle for a rebound during the second half of an NBA basketball game on Wednesday, in Philadelphia. —AP Knicks 116, Celtics 92 Carmelo Anthony scored 19 of his 34 points in the first half as New York opened a 24-point lead and coasted past Boston for its fifth straight win. Tim Hardaway Jr. added 22 points, J.R. Smith 13 and Cole Aldrich had 12 with 10 rebounds in his first career start for the Knicks, who are making a charge for the Eastern Conference’s eighth and final playoff spot. The victory moved the Knicks into ninth place, a half-game ahead of Detroit, which lost in Toronto on Wednesday. They are three games behind eighth-place Atlanta. Jeff Green led Boston with 27 points. Kris Humphries and Jerryd Bayless each had 15 for the Celtics, who have lost nine of 12.

Cavaliers 110, Suns 101 Kyrie Irving scored 12 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter as Cleveland spoiled Eric Bledsoe’s return for Phoenix. Spencer Hawes added 19, 17 in the first quarter, and Luol Deng scored 18 as the Cavs snapped a four-game losing streak.

Bledsoe, who had knee surgery and missed 33 games, had 15 points on 5-for-16 shooting and a team-high nine assists. Goran Dragic scored 20 points, Markieff Morris 18 and Channing Frye 17 in the Suns’ third straight loss. Irving also had nine rebounds and six assists for the Cavs, who never trailed, building a 14-point first-quarter lead. The Suns twice cut it to two in the third quarter. —AP

WESTERN CONFERENCE NORTHWEST DIVISION Oklahoma City 47 17 Portland 42 23 Minnesota 32 31 Denver 28 36 Utah 22 43

34

LA Clippers Golden State Phoenix Sacramento LA Lakers

PACIFIC DIVISION 46 20 41 25 36 28 23 42 22 42

0.697 0.621 0.563 0.354 0.344

5 9 22 23

San Antonio Houston Memphis Dallas New Orleans

SOUTHWEST DIVISION 48 16 44 20 38 26 39 27 26 38

0.75 0.688 0.594 0.591 0.406

4 10 10 22

Sports FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2014

Wales ring six changes against Scotland LONDON: Wales coach Warren Gatland named six changes yesterday in his side to play Scotland tomorrow as the champions look to finish the Six Nations with a flourish.

Wales’ 29-18 loss to England at Twickenham on Sunday ended their hopes of becoming the first side to win an unprecedented third successive Six Nations title.

Gatland responded by making changes across the team, although several are injury-enforced. Three come in the backs with Liam Williams replacing Leigh Halfpenny following the star full-back’s season-ending shoulder injury at Twickenham, while Mike Phillips comes in for scrum-half Rhys Webb, who also suffered a knock against England.

But at fly-half Dan Biggar makes his first start of the championship following Rhys Priestland’s lacklustre display against England, with James Hook again left kicking his heels on the bench.

Up front, prop Gethin Jenkins will become Wales’ mostcapped player when he makes his 105th appearance, one more than former fly-half Stephen Jones, although the veteran forward will hope to avoid a third successive yellow card after being sin-binned at Twickenham for failing to scrummage straight.

Jenkins is a member of a changed front row where Scarlets duo Rhodri Jones and hooker Ken Owens make

their first starts of the Championship. Luke Charteris returns from injury to partner Alun Wyn Jones in the second row with the rest of the pack unchanged.

Ospreys front row forwards Richard Hibbard and Adam Jones drop to the bench as does Priestland. Defeats this season by Ireland and England, both vying for the title tomorrow, have led to accusations Wales are becoming too predictable a a side when faced with major opposition.

Accurate execution Nevertheless they will still be favourites to beat a Scotland team seeking a first win in Cardiff since 2002 and whose lone success this tournament was a last-gasp win over Italy, although they were unluckly to lose 19-17 to France at Murrayfield last weekend.

“Saturday is an opportunity for us to put in a performance we know we can and finish the Six Nations on a high,” said Gatland. “We’ve made a number of changes and freshened things up with a just a six day turnaround between matches,” the New Zealander added.

“Liam (Williams) and Mike (Phillips) come in with Leigh (Halfpenny) and Rhys (Webb) ruled out and Dan Biggar gets his opportunity at fly-half. “In the front-row Ken Owens and Rhodri Jones get their chance to start after

impressing off the bench and it’s good to have Luke (Charteris) back from injury in the second-row.

Turning to Wales’ opponents, Gatland said: “Scotland will come looking to play some rugby and had a morale boosting win against Italy and were unlucky to lose against France in recent weeks.

“We will be looking for a more accurate execution this week to finish with a win at home in Cardiff.” Saturday’s match will be former Wales coach Scott Johnson’s last in charge of Scotland, with the Australian handing over to New Zealander Vern Cotter at the end of the season to concentrate solely on his role as director of rugby at the Scottish Rugby Union. Wales team to play Scotland in a Six Nations international at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium on Saturday (1445GMT kick-off): Wales (15-1) Liam Williams; Alex Cuthbert, Jonathan Davies, Jamie Roberts, George North; Dan Biggar, Mike Phillips; Taulupe Faletau, Sam Warburton (capt), Dan Lydiate; Alun Wyn Jones, Luke Charteris; Rhodri Jones, Ken Owens, Gethin Jenkins Replacements: Richard Hibbard, Paul James, Adam Jones, Jake Ball, Justin Tipuric, Rhodri Williams, Rhys Priestland, James Hook. — AFP

Federer advances as Wawrinka, Murray fall at Indian Wells

PRETORIA: South African Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius leaves after a hearing of his murder trial at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria yesterday.— AFP

Police back in dock at Pistorius trial PRETORIA: Oscar Pistorius’s defence lawyer grilled a police forensics expert for a second day yesterday, questioning his qualifications in a bid to discredit key evidence from the night the Paralympian shot dead his girlfriend. Barry Roux resumed a searing cross-examination of Colonel Gerhard Vermeulen, hoping to rubbish his testimony that could indicate the double-amputee sprinter lied about how events unfolded on February 14, 2013.

Pistorius, 27, stands accused of intentionally killing Reeva Steenkamp, 29, by shooting at her through a locked toilet door, though he says he mistook her for an intruder.

Pistorius’s defence claims the athlete, after realising his mistake, tried to break open the door with a cricket bat, while the prosecution is positioning to argue that the couple were fighting and Pistorius fired the gun after failing to beat down the door.

Vermeulen on Wednesday testified that Pistorius was likely on his stumps when he bashed on the door with the cricket bat, contradicting the accused’s account that he was wearing his prostheses at the time. The four bullet holes and cricket bat marks on the bathroom door offer valuable ballistic and forensic evidence about the sequence of events in the case.

Mishandled Roux yesterday attempted to show it was significant that Vermeulen did not have any formal qualifications to examine tool marks and did not conduct a microscopic examination of the door.

Vermeulen earlier admitted police may have mishandled the evidence, with footprints matching police boots appearing on the door in evidence photos, that were later rubbed off.

Roux claimed they could have been from Pistorius’s prostheses, proving he had them on at the time the door was broken down.

He also said the door was removed from the crime scene and propped up against a cabinet and that shards of the door, which could have shone light on what happened the night of the killing, were missing.—AFP

INDIAN WELLS: Roger Federer cruised into the quarter-finals of the PNB Paribas Open at Indian Wells on Wednesday after Wimbledon champion Andy Murray and Australian Open winner Stanislas Wawrinka both fell in the fourth round.

In a tournament full of surprises, Federer struck a blow for the old world order with a 6-4 6-4 win over German Tommy Haas.

The only player left in the men’s draw with a higher ranking than world number eight Federer is Serbia’s Novak Djokovic, who was due to play Marin Cilic in Wednesday’s feature night match.

Wawrinka and Murray joined the bigname casualties when they both crashed to lower-ranked opponents on another day of upsets in the Californian desert.

Wawrinka suffered his first loss this year when his 13-match winning streak came to a shuddering halt as he was beaten 7-6(1) 4-6 6-1 by South African Kevin Anderson.

“It wasn’t really on my mind that he had won Australia,” said Anderson, whose next opponent is Federer. “It feels great to beat somebody who obviously has just won a grand slam.”

Murray was blown away by Canada’s Milos Raonic, one of the biggest servers in men’s tennis. Despite winning the first set, the Scotsman was unable to contain the raw power of Raonic, who triumphed 4-6 7-5 6-3 in a little over two hours.

Raonic blasted 15 aces past his bewildered opponent, who is one of the best returners in the game, and won a staggering 83 per cent of points when he landed his first serve.

Murray did break Raonic’s serve in the opening set and again in the deciding third to lead 2-1 but lost the next four games in a row against the 6ft 5in (1.96 metre) tall Canadian. “To get broken two consecutive times in that situation isn’t good enough. I played poor tennis at that stage. I didn’t make enough balls and I missed some really easy shots,” Murray told reporters.

“It’s tough to win matches like that,

because against him, he obviously wins a lot of free points with his serve. So over the course of the set, if you give up enough unforced errors on basic shots, then with the amount of free points he gets on his serve, that’s going to add up to a negative result.”

Giant killer Raonic’s next opponent in the quarterfinals will be Ukrainian giant killer Alexandr Dolgopolov who followed up his upset victory over Rafa Nadal on Monday with a comprehensive 6-2 6-4 drubbing of Italy’s Fabio Fognini.

“I think the most important thing is obviously my serve and the beauty of that is nobody can affect me,” Raonic said.

John Isner kept American hopes alive with a 7-6(3) 3-6 6-3 win over Spain’s

Fernando Verdasco while Latvia’s Ernests Gulbis defeated Roberto Bautista of Spain 7-6(0) 4-6 6-2.

A third Spaniard, Feliciano Lopez, was sent packing by Frenchman Julien Benneteau, losing 6-3 7-6(4).

In the only match completed in the women’s draw, Romania’s Simona Halep cruised into the semi-finals with a 6-2 6-2 victory over Australian qualifier Casey Dellacqua.

Halep only needed an hour to wrap up a lopsided victory and will now play either second seed Agnieszka Radwanska or Jelena Jankovic on Friday. “I had no pressure,” said Halep, who is poised to break into the world’s top five rankings for the first time. “I was more relaxed than yesterday. I said that if I’m in the quarter-finals I have to enjoy it.” — Reuters

CALIFORNIA: Serbia’s Novak Djokovic hits a return against Croatia’s Marin Cilic during the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on Wednesday in Indian Wells, California. — AFP

Sports FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2014

Obaid Al-Osaimi with the ladies youth 10m pistol winners

Eng Duaij Al-Otaibi with the 10m pistol event winners. —Photos by Sherif Ismail

Kuwait crowned champions of HH the Amir Grand Prix KUWAIT: Kuwait shooters emerged winners at HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Grand Prix by winning gold, silver and bronze medals at the Trap event. Talal Al-Rashidi won gold, Nasser Al-Miqlid won silver and Khalid Al-Mudhaf bagged bronze. Legends like Michael Diamond and Adam Fella failed in the shooting event. Kuwait tops the table with two gold, two silver and three bronze medals followed by Qatar, Egypt, and North Korea who won gold medal each. Slovenia, Switzerland and Scotland won silver medal each while Thailand and Lebanon walked away with bronze.

The final day of the 7th Asian Air Gun Championship witnessed heated competition between China, India, South Korea, Mongolia and Thailand, and two Asian records were broken in the process. South Korea’s Kim Cheongyoung won the 10M youth pistol event and was followed by Thailand’s Chokkaeo Jettakan and Uzbik Svechnikov. Thailand placed first in the team event and was followed by Iran and India.

In the ladies’ youth 10M pistol event, Korea’s Kim Minjung won gold and was followed by India’s Yashaswini while her compatriot Goel Malaika won a bronze medal. In the team event, India won gold while China was placed second and Iran came third.

In the 10M air pistol junior event for men, Mongolia’s Ganbaatar Buyanbaatar won first place and was followed by Malaysia’s Chew Eddy and his compatriot Zhang Zhuanqiang who was placed third. In the team event, India won first place and was followed by China and Mongolia.

China’s Qian Wei won the gold medal in the 10M junior

women pistol event while her compatriot Huang Xiao won second place and India’s Gawande Shrea stood third. In the team event, China won gold, India took home silver and Mongolia walked away with bronze.

China topped the table in the 7th Asian Air Gun Championship with 11 gold, eight silver and six bronze, followed by India with five gold, six silver and eight bronze.

South Korea walked away with two gold, silver and bronze while Iran took home gold, two silver and two bronze.

Thailand got a gold medal and silver, Uzbekistan gold and bronze, Singapore a gold medal, Taipei got silver and bronze, Malaysia got silver and Saudi and Oman took home a bronze each.

President of Kuwait and Arab Shooting Federations Duaij Khalaf Al-Otaibi expressed his happiness at the success of HH the Amir International Grand Prix. Al-Otaibi thanked HH the Amir for his unlimited support of the Grand Prix in particular and Kuwait Shooting Federation in general which reflected positively. He added that HH the Amir is the spiritual leader of Kuwait’s Shooting Federation and his support gives them confidence.

Meanwhile, Secretary General of Kuwait and Arab Shooting Federation Obaid Al-Osaimi said the organizing committee had not received any complaint which meant that the event was a grand success. He dedicated the success to HH the Amir and said that without his support, “we would not have reached this international level of organization which was lauded by all”.

Al-Osaimi congratulated Kuwait’s champions who performed well during the Grand Prix and competed with international champions including Olympic winners.

Obaid Al-Osaimi with Tunisian referee

Salem Al-Dahish

By Abdellatif Sharaa

Adnan Nasser Al-Ibrahim

Third Grand Prix shooting tourney concludes

By Shereif Ismail KUWAIT: Kuwait Shooting Sports Club Assistant Treasurer Adnan Nasser Al-Ibrahim congratulated and thanked HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber for supporting the 3rd Grand Prix which concluded yesterday. Al-Ibrahim said the Grand Prix is considered a successful gigantic step forward for shooting in terms of adhering to international standards. The tournament attracted well-known world champions as it bears HH the Amir’s name and witnessed an unprecedented number of shooters.

Kyrgyzstan coach instructing a shooter

Sports

FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2014

Dr Nidal Sayyed Omar honoring the Chinese ladies team

Adnan Al-Ibrahim hands flowers to Chinese team

Eng. Duaij Al-Otaibi with an ASC official

Marian and her mama

Wael Ghandoor, Ahmad Amer, Hassan Adbelsattar

Security man Ashri

Security volunteer Musaed Al-Dhubaibi

Esraa Jassim

www.kuwaittimes.net

FRIDAY, MARCH 28, 2014

KUWAIT: Amina Ismail, Eng. AlGhurba, Eng. Al-Otaibi, Obaid AlOsaimi with Kuwaiti Shooters, winners of the men’s trap event.

Kuwait crowned champions of HH the Amir Grand Prix Pages 46 and 47