24th Jun

TI ON SC RI P SU B

SUNDAY, JUNE 24, 2012

Deadly Israel raids on Gaza deal blow to truce efforts

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SHAABAN 4, 1433 AH

Paraguay’s leftist president ousted by Congress

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Bahrain oppn leader injured in police clash

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www.kuwaittimes.net

Unbeaten Black Caviar wins thriller at Royal Ascot

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Filipinos jailed on drug charges narrate ordeals Pinoy men ‘treated like women’ in Kuwait’s Central Jail

Max 46º Min 31º High Tide 03:31 & 14:02 Low Tide 08:17 & 20:59

By Ben Garcia

US coach guilty of sex abuse PHILADELPHIA: A US jury convicted former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky Friday on 45 of 48 counts in a child sex abuse case that shocked the nation and rocked the university. Police led the 68-year-old Sandusky - who had a dazed look on his face - away from the courthouse in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania in handcuffs, and into a waiting patrol car to take him to the local jail, television footage showed.

Bystanders outside the courthouse cheered upon news of the verdict in the high-profile case in a nation where many are obsessed by college sports and revere the coaches of their Jerry Sandusky American football teams.

The headline-grabbing scandal also has tarnished the legacy of Pennsylvania State University, one of the country’s most illustrious college football programs. Sandusky, who stood accused of molesting 10 boys over a 15-year period, allegedly recruited his young victims under the Continued on Page 13

DONETSK, Ukraine: France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris saves a shot by Spain’s Fernando Torres (center) during the Euro 2012 championship quarterfinal match between Spain and France yesterday. Spain won 2-0. — AP (See Page 20)

KUWAIT: A parcel from Manila and a clique of bad friends have landed two Pinoys behind bars. Emily, a 40something Filipina and a mother of a two-month-old baby one day received a mailed parcel that could, if she is proven guilty, keep her in jail for a long time. Mon, a father of two had marijuana in his pocket when a policeman searched him in Kuwait. Today, both are in Kuwait’s Central Jail awaiting their final verdicts. Their families visit them regularly and shared their stories.

At the beginning of this conversation with Mon’s wife Aida, Mon called from the Central Jail. It was one of the phone calls he is allowed to make in a week. He tells his story: An undercover police agent arrested Mon on his way back from work last year. The policeman conducted a body search and found a stick of hash in his pocket.

Mon was detained on the spot. “We are OK. We are given food three times a day, the place is big, we have our own bed and we can take baths,” he said, a catch in his voice.

One of the things that bothers him though, is the attitude of his cellmates who “consider me a woman”.

“Not only me, all Filipinos here are thought of as women,” he said. “I hope the embassy will do something to separate us from hardened criminals because some of us are not inside for serious crimes but we share cells with murderers, thieves and rapists. They expect us to be like women by their side,” he told Kuwait Times.

Filipino prisoners suffer a variety of abuse from other prisoners, often being raped or forced to provide other sexual favors.

Aida, who said she loves her husband, asserted his arrest “is the best thing that could have happened”. She said that her husband could serve a jail sentence of up Continued on Page 13

Turkey-Syria tensions simmer Assad retains old guard • Saudis paying rebels DAMASCUS: Turkey yesterday played down the loss of a warplane to Syrian air defences as President Bashar Al-Assad announced a new cabinet with key posts unchanged and dozens of people were killed nationwide. NATO member Ankara acknowledged that one of its jets may have violated Syrian airspace after Damascus confirmed shooting down the F-4 Phantom on Friday, in comments seen as a bid to cool the latest spat between the former allies. “An unidentified aerial target violated Syrian airspace, coming from the west at a very low altitude and at high speed over territorial waters,” a Syrian military spokesman told the official SANA news agency.

Anti-aircraft batteries hit the plane about a kilometre from the coast and it crashed some 10 km off Latakia province, he added.

Turkish President Abdullah Gul said it was not unusual for warplanes flying at high speed to cross maritime borders, stressing that such actions were not “ill-intentioned”. Naval forces from both nations were searching for the two missing crew. Key Turkish ministers were meeting to discuss future steps, a foreign ministry diplomat told AFP, after Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Ankara “will announce its final position and take necessary steps with determination after the incident is entirely clari-

fied”.

Meanwhile, Assad announced the formation of a new government with the key foreign, defence and interior ministr y portfolios unchanged, as monitors said at least 48 people were killed in violence across the country. The announcement came less than two months after controversial parliamentary elections boycotted by the opposition. “President Bashar Al-Assad has issued Decree 210 forming a new government under Prime Minister Dr Riad Hijab,” state television said.

Foreign Minister Walid AlMuallem remains in his post, along with the defence and interior Continued on Page 13

CAIRO: Supporters of Muslim Brotherhood presidential candidate Mohamed Mursi wave Egyptian flags and banners as they demonstrate in Cairo’s landmark Tahrir Square yesterday. — AFP

Egypt awaits poll result CAIRO: Tensions soared in Egypt yesterday a day before the result of a divisive presidential election and as the Muslim Brotherhood sparred with the ruling generals over what it sees as a military power grab. The electoral commission overseeing the divisive contest between Brotherhood candidate Mohamed Mursi and former prime minister Ahmed Shafiq said it will announce the official winner today.

“Farouk Sultan, the head of the presidential election commission, will announce the results of the presidential election run-off on Sunday at 3:00pm (1300 GMT ),” the commission’s secretary general, Hatem Bagato, said in a statement.

Hundreds of Brotherhood supporters had spent the night in Cairo’s iconic Tahrir Square, having vowed to stay there until the election result is published. By early evening, their numbers had swelled to thousands. “Mursi, Mursi, God is the Greatest,” the protesters chanted in anticipation of a victory for their candidate, who says tallies provided by electoral officials show that he won.

“We want the military council to announce the real Continued on Page 13

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SUNDAY, JUNE 24, 2012

LOCAL

KUWAIT: The Embassy of Peru in Kuwait held a private lunch with the Kuwait’s Center for Expatriate’s Rights (KCER) members to congratulate the Center for the organization of the month of cultural activities that recently was closed with a lecture developed in Spanish. Pictures show Amador Velasquez, Ambassador of Peru in Kuwait; Gustavo Bravo, Deputy Head of Mission of Peru; Jamal Alosimi, General Secretary of KCER; Noura Madouh, Commissioner of International Relations of KCER and members of KCER.

MEW orders backup generators for summer

Rio+20 landmark for the future

By Antonio Patriota

Repeated malfunctions might take place

By A Saleh KUWAIT: Having noticed a marked rise in electricity consumption, the Ministr y of Electricity and Water(MEW ) recently made arrangements with specialized companies to provide additional electricity generators that will be used as backup units along with others that were ordered, said sources.

They added that with the rising temperatures, electricity consumption has increased, indicating that repeated malfunctions might take place across various units. Therefore, generators should be used in case power outages take place.

Public demonstrations Senior officials at the Society of Islamic Heritage Revival have urged all Salafi MPs (members of the Islamic Salafi Alliance ) not to take part in any public demonstrations that are to be staged in protest against reinstating the 2009 Parliament af ter the

Constitutional Court annulled the current one. The Society has informed legislators and activists against such practices and underscored that it believes in holding dialogues rather than staging demonstrations.

‘Whoever demonstrates on the streets only represents themselves,’ stressed the Society.

‘Parliamentarians for Syria’ In a meeting held at the diwaniya of MP Waleed Al-Tabtabae yesterday, 15 legislators from Kuwait, Bahrain and Lebanon agreed to establish the ‘Parliamentarians For Syria Association.’ The Association aims to urge people and NGOs to help Syrian people and support it with means to obtain freedom. It also discussed reconstruction plans.

Fur thermore, sources said that the Association includes MPs Mohammed Hayef, Waleed Al-Tabtabae, Jamaan Al-Harbash, Ali Al-Diqbasi, Osama Al-Menawer and Ali AlDamkhi from Kuwait. It also includes Khaled Al-Dhaher and Moeen Merabi from Lebanon,

in addition to MPs Abdul Haleem Murad, Ali Zayed, Mohammed Al-Emadi, Ali Ahmed, Abdul Hakim Al-Shammari and Hassan AlDoussari from Bahrain.

Al-Barrak warning MP Musallam Al-Barrak stressed that the Islamists will announce their resignation immediately if the court order on reinstating the ‘corrupt parliament’ is implemented. He urged the prime minister to dissolve the 2009 Parliament on the grounds that it would be a fatal mistake to convene the 2009 parliament.

Electoral constituencies Parliamentarian Abdul Hameed Dashti urged HH the Amir to issue an urgent decree to amend the parliamentary elections law banning naturalized citizens from running elections. In his motion, Dashti suggested candidates should be the descendants of citizens who lived in Kuwait before 1920.

Zain donates KD 50,000 to Kuwait Patients Helping Fund Society KUWAIT: Zain, the leading telecommunications company in Kuwait, has donated KD 50,000 for Kuwait’s Patients Helping Fund Society (PHFS) for the sixth consecutive year.

PHFS will contribute to the medical treat-

ment of patients with heart disease and cancer. Omar Alomar, acting CEO, Zain, Kuwait said, “We are delighted to contribute to the benefit of patients with heart disease and cancer. They are a vital part of our society.

KUWAIT: Omar Alomar presenting the KD 50,000 donation to Kuwait’s Patients Helping Fund Society.

The funds will be utilized by PHFS to help patients suffering from cardiac diseases and cancer.”

Alomar added, “We are keen to allocate a significant part of our Corporate Social Responsibility(CSR) programs to support the health sector in Kuwait. This contribution reflects Zain’s commitment to supporting local charity organizations that provide health care. We are glad to have shared such a successful partnership with PHFS - an institution that plays a very positive role in providing medical care.”

He added that Zain is the first private company that made donations to the first specialized hospital for Ear, Nose and Throat(ENT) at the Ministry of Health. Zain is the first private sector company that has supported organizations which fight diseases like the Kuwait Association for the Care of Children in Hospital (KACCH) and BACCH, in addition to a number of initiatives pertinent to health.

Alomar concluded, “Being one of the leading companies in Kuwait and the region, Zain will continue to develop its CSR strategy which is an essential part of the organization’s success in integrating the company with the community.”

Political uncertainty piling pressure on Kuwait market KUWAIT: The political uncertainty and lack of economic incentives are piling pressure on Kuwait stock market as traders appeared reluctant to increase liquidity, a specialized economic report said. The report, by Oula Wasata Brokerage Company, said the index continued points shedding this week even after reaching its lowest level in four months in last week trading.

Oula pointed out that the political uncertainty, particularly after the constitutional court’s verdict of the dissolution of the parliament, has put pressure on traders who preferred to wait and see before taking any investment decision. The report added that investors complained from the lack of any positive incentives to the economy and the stock market. Oula noted that the week trading was dominated by speculations on small and medium stocks. It explained that the investment portfolios as well as major traders have focused on selling operations to get liquidity.

Due to the retreating global economic growth and the increase in oil production, the oil market is expected to remain weak during

the rest of 2012, a specialized economic report forecasted yesterday. “Because the market is currently weak, it is anticipated that the countries which exceeded their official quota would begin its reduction, as started already

by Saudi Arabia. OPEC believes that any slight increase in the remaining part of the year will cover production from outside OPEC,” reads the report compiled by Kuwait-based Al-Shall Economic Consulting Company.

“OECD stocks -the advanced states and stocks of states outside it are measured by consumption days at their highest rates; therefore, the oil market will remain weak during the rest of the year.” The report added that this development would oblige OPEC members, including Kuwait, to cut its oil production levels. “During last May, Kuwait produced 3 million barrels per day according to one source and about 2.858 million barrels per day according to another. Kuwait consumes about 300 thousand barrels per day; thus only 2.7 million barrels per day (or 2.558 million barrels per day in the second case) are exported, this operation can be used as an index. —Agencies

io+20 is a landmark for the future.

As more than 190 countries gather in Rio, we are witnessing a historic moment. The recent global crisis has shown that old-fashioned views about development are misleading. It is now time to rethink the very foundations of how we consider development, wellbeing and wealth.

Over the past four decades, the world has increasingly realized that our natural resources are under serious pressure. A growing awareness of the need to ensure sustainability has led a whole new generation to consider the requirements of sustainable development in its decisions to produce or consume. This is no small achievement. Rio 92 was a major step forward. Important legal texts on key issues were adopted. These conventions ensured important progress that we must maintain and build on.

We now face a complex challenge.

Protecting the environment is not enough. We need to encourage public and private decision-makers to incorporate environmental and social concerns into economic planning and growth strategies. This will require a new thinking from policymakers, experts, business people, project managers and many other public and private actors in order to plan and implement sustainable development initiatives.

From now on, a three-dimensional approach to development is crucial, one that combines social, economic and environmental concerns. Rio+20 is endeavoring to become the launch pad for this new development model. This is why one of the main topics of Rio+20 is building consensus around the need for “sustainable development goals”. They will offer a blueprint for international co-operation on sustainable development for years to come. Future strategies, be it for governments, entrepreneurs or civil society, must offer a balanced and integrated

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approach encompassing the three pillars of sustainable development.

In order to achieve this result, Brazil decided to adopt new methods.

Innovative tools for multilateral meetings were introduced, bringing national governments and global civil society together. The Dialogues for Sustainable Development, a Brazilian initiative enthusiastically embraced by the UN, opened straightforward means of communication between interested groups and civil society on key aspects of decision-making.

Through an online platform, more than 1 million votes were cast, expressing views on 10 issues related to the conference. Topics ranged from energy and water to sustainable cities and food security. During four days in Rio, sharing the venue of the summit, experts, businessmen, activists and journalists engaged in live debates and streamlined the proposals that will be handed to the heads of state and government. The “Rio dialogues” were so successful that the UN is now considering turning this initiative into a standard practice for future summits.

Another key objective of Rio+20 is the strengthening of the UN framework for sustainable development, with a view to greater efficiency and consistency across issues.

Rio+20 has launched an important debate on green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication, based on the understanding that there is no one-size-fits-all solution.

A green economy only makes sense for developing countries if it is accompanied by a significant improvement in the living standards of the population, with special attention to the most vulnerable.

Rio+20 involves an assessment of the past 20 years and a look into the next few decades. We are confident that this message will echo through the years, fostering new initiatives which can lead to a more sustainable future for all.

KUWAIT: Kuwait Municipality Director General Ahmad Al-Sabeeh held talks yesterday with a visiting World Bank delegation over the development of the waste recycling department. In press statements, Al-Sabeeh said the delegation is preparing a study over the technical organizational administration and legal aspects of the department’s overhaul.

Kuwait never knew segregation: AL-Sanoussi KUWAIT: Former diplomat, Abdullah AlSanoussi expressed deep dissatisfaction with the current domestic situation and expressed fears that it would lead to division amongst Kuwaiti citizens.

Speaking on an inter view with AlWatan, Al-Sanoussi stressed that many current practices, such as demonstrations at the determination yard, were alien to the Kuwaiti society and described them as ‘far from the Kuwaiti people’s traditions and values derived from the Islamic Sharea ever since Kuwait only comprised of four regions; Jeblah, Sharq, Merqab and Salhiya.

Al-Sanoussi also slammed parliamentary practices that had been dominated by exchanged accusations, slander and talk about Sunnis and Shiites. “Kuwait has always been united with no segregation

between Sunnis and Shiites; Bedouins and Urban”, he underlined pointing out that voters should take part of the blame for the deteriorating performance of the NA. He also said that many MPs had been using the parliament to make tier own fortunes and leave much richer than when they were first elected.

Internationally speaking, Al-Sanoussi highlighted that Kuwait had many commended attitudes ever since HH the Amir, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah was foreign minister and dean of the diplomatic corps. “With his wisdom, he managed to solve many diplomatic problems and everybody appreciated Kuwait’s regional and international stances as well his role in bridging the gaps between GCC Amirs and kings”, he reiterated.

SUNDAY, JUNE 24, 2012

LOCAL

Kuwaiti travel document handwritten in 1930s KUWAIT: Travelling in the 1930s was not as a familiar process as it is nowadays since Kuwaiti people, back in the days, had no passports to travel with.

They traveled to few countries and were restricted to an agreement between the

government of Kuwait and the British Empire, researcher in the Kuwaiti heritage Dr Yagoub Al-Ghunaim said yesterday. People who wanted to travel had to go the Amir’s Secretary Scholar Saleh bin Mohammad Al-Mulla. As a secretary

of the Amir Sheikh Ahmad Al-Jaber AlSabah, the 10th ruler of Kuwait, he was assigned for the duties of issuing travel documents. These documents were handwritten and unprinted, however; these simple forms served the purpose of identifying the traveler by name and the destination he/she wanted to travel to, Al-Ghunaim noted.

He further explained that whoever wanted to travel had to stop by Scholar Saleh’s office who, on this part, had to write a letter to the resident British political agent in Kuwait. The letter mentioned the traveler ’s name, his/her nationality. The letter, then, was given to the British house of accreditation. After paying one Rupee (75 fils) a travelling certificate was issued. This procedure was necessary because Kuwaiti people back then did not have any official identification cards or other official documents.

The travel documents were 30 centimeters long. They contained photo and personal information of the carrier of the

document. At the top of the paper, there was the royal crest of the British Empire.

On his par t, Talal Saad Al-Rumaidi, another researcher in the Kuwaiti heritage, said that these travel documents continued to be issued from the British Council in 1945 since the British were responsible for the Kuwaitis back then.

He clarified that Kuwait was under the British protection after an agreement signed between Britain and former ruler of Kuwait Sheikh Mubarak AlSabah in 1899. This protection shifted Kuwait’s foreign affairs to the British, therefore; the latters had the duty to protect the Kuwaitis during their travels.

The protection agreement was cancelled after Kuwait gained its independence in 1961. After 1961, Al-Rumaidi noted, everything has changed and ministries emerged to take over more specific responsibilities, hence, the emergence of the ministry of interior that has been assigned the issuance of passports as they are known by everyone nowadays. — KUNA

News

in brief

Health centers doctors KUWAIT: The Ministry of Health (MoH) has directed all health centers to appoint new doctors to fill up shortages in the evening shift. However, some health centers have announced that they will remain closed in the evenings if new staff members are not hired. Each health zone will be supplied with 60 doctors as soon as possible to reduce pressure on doctors. Centers have been facing a shortage in doctors after working hours were extended to till midnight. Previously, they worked only in the morning shift.

New juveniles services KUWAIT: At least 219 juvenile delinquents benefit from the administrative services, the annual report released by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor (MSAL) states. The current number available at the end of 2010 stood at 246, which in 2011 were 897 juveniles. There were 924 juvenile delinquents left in 2011. The report shows that 20 citizens- 13 boys, seven girls and a bedoon were admitted into the government facility. Juvenile homes works toward correcting their behavior to be confirm with values and habits of the society. This is so that they can turn into productive citizens.

Jahra road to be partially opened KUWAIT: The Traffic Department has announced the opening of a part of Jahra road starting with Al-Jahez road starting tomorrow. The Traffic Department announced that all safety precautions were taken in coordination with Ministry of Public Works (MPW ). All drivers are advised to exercise caution, especially those using the Jahra road to Kuwait City.

Unlicensed medicines KUWAIT: Ministry of Health’s Medical Inspection Administration has carried out an extended campaign on pharmacies and perfumeries shops at Mubarakiya market. The inspectors found 578 prohibited medicines, which has been smuggled into the state without license by Ministry of Health. S ome of those medicines are sexenhanced and weight loss medicines which are banned internationally. The campaign lasted for six hours and aimed at finding unauthorized medicine, which could lead to death. Future campaigns will continue morning and evening to put an end to this kind of illegal trade.

KUWAIT: Traffic accident along Nuwaiseeb highway yesterday.

One dead in car accident

KUWAIT: A man died instantly when his car collided with a truck along Nuwaiseeb highway. The accident took place on Friday after midnight as the driver accidently drove his car into the truck that was parked on the rightside of the security lane. Security operatives had to cut open the car to retrieve his body.

resources Affairs (PAAFRA) headquarters in Al-Rabiya area, said security sources noting that firemen from Aradhiya and Frawaniya rushed to the scene. The fire had started in a shag and extended to two nearby ones before the firemen managed to control it. Fire officer (first lieutenant) Abdul Mon’em Al-Fraih was rushed to Farwaniya hospital for treatment of dehydration.

PAAFRA fire A fire broke out at the Public Authority for Agricultural and Fish

Kuwaiti with marijuana A citizen was arrested with the possession of a kilo of marijuana. Security

By Hanan Al-Saadoun

sources said that a police patrol had suspected the man’s vehicle and searched his vehicle. A case was filed and the suspect was referred to relevant authorities. In another development, a Syrian man was arrested for blasphemy and was referred to the state security directorate.

Mysterious box A number of KOC workers reported finding a mysterious box near an oil facility. When examined, it turned out to contain some ammunition which was a leftover of Iraqi invasion in 1990.

KUWAIT: Firemen try to extinguish the fire at the Public Authority for Agricultural and Fish Resources Affairs headquarters in Al-Rabiya area.

Construction of four docks underway at Boubyan Port KUWAIT: The Ministry of Public Works (MPW) is currently carrying out a project to build four docks at Mubarak AlKabeer Port, as part of phase one of the mega project undergoing construction at Boubyan Island. Insiders told Al-Jarida daily recently that “the MPW works as per a new work plan, executes without delay, all stages of the project touted to be one of the largest in the country.”

The work plan contains measures to tackle obstacles that could stand in the way of executing projects like allocating unoccupied spaces to be used by machinery in construction.

The sources, who spoke to Al-Jarida, further revealed that the MPW plans many infrastructure projects at the Boubyan Island that is located at a strategic site northeast of Kuwait, including residential, touristic and economic projects.

SUNDAY, JUNE 24, 2012

LOCAL Letters to Badrya

Local Spotlight

Kuwait traffic Discrimination

Constitutional monarchies

Hi Badrya, Salam to you.

I

read your feature on traffic discrimination. Thank you very much for the article. We hope your request will be fulfilled. All the best.

Thank You,

By Muna Al-Fuzai

Sharif Mohammad Mizanur Rahman muna@kuwaittimes.net Hello, Hope all is well with you and the KT team. On my recent trip to India, I saw that my very LOUD friend had placed a sticker on the back of his SUV, which read, “Designated driver drunk as well!” That really had me in splits. Just wanted to share it.

T

Rest easy and thank you, RYA

kuwait digest

Al-Wasmi and Rodney King legacy

kuwait digest

Oil capital of the world

By Dhari Al-Jutaili

T

here is no irony in the fact that officers that allegedly attacked MP Obaid Al-Wasmi during a court session was exonerated last week. What is surprising is a development that came from half way across the world in Los Angeles, California on Sunday.

The death of a person named Rodney King was announced. This man left a notable mark on American contemporary history.

King, an African American young man was over speeding in Los Angeles at night in 1991. He was pulled over by police after a chase. Four officers beat him up with batons when he resisted arrest. He was kicked and stunned before being arrested. The incident would have gone unnoticed, with King being blamed for all that happened had it not been for a pedestrian who video-taped the incident. The videotape showed police brutally assaulting him, with 17 other policemen, all white, watching. He sustained fractures and bruises to the head and body, and this resulted in an outpouring of public sympathy. The four were charged with abuse of power.

The defense lawyers were brilliant to take advantage of some legal loopholes as well as social contradictions to create a favorable atmosphere on the side of accused officers. The judge was changed and the trial was moved to another area. Court verdicts refused to find the officers guilty. There were angry demonstrations taking place, resulting in the death of 50 people in addition to hundreds injured over a five day period.

The federal prosecution interfered and the officers retried after violating King’s civil rights. Two were convicted and King was paid $3.8 million in compensation. What gave the case historical importance is the manner it was dealt with, when the City’s police commander admitted that extreme force was used. It was announced that the four officers were sent to court while the others were suspended. The city’s mayor condemned the ‘innocent’ verdict saying that the court’s message to the world stating that no crime took place!

He also admitted that police torture with racist motives are taking place. The mayor formed an independent commission to review arrest and search procedures. Then President George Bush Sr condemned the ruling as he sensed the repercussions that the case could have on relations between social groups and their effect on people’s confidence in the country’s judiciary. Officials and people did not question the patriotism of the person who taped the incident, rather civil societies were formed to monitor police behavior with people on the street.

Finally, although Rodney King, a former prisoner, was drunk on the night of the incident and resisted arrest, Los Angeles residents were not confused in any way. According to surveys conducted after the tape being broadcast, police action was condemned as being inhuman. King died 21 years after the incident that transformed him from a person living on the sidelines, to a pivotal turn in racial relations.

His case resulted in deep-rooted changes taking place to protect individuals’ dignity and civil rights.

While, in our case, Amer Khlaif died during interrogation and most felt it was ‘good riddance’ because he is a terrorist. Al-Maimoni was tortured to death and the interior minister was defamed. Obaid Al-Wasmi was beaten because he expressed an opinion, and they want us not to believe YouTube and our eyes. There are victims who remain hidden. Lies, defamation, forgery, beating, torture and killing. There are those who put more power in the hands of the Interior Ministry to ferret out people’s secrets. Madness! —Al-Jarida

By Talal Al-Arab

E

xpert and former senior official at the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation Ahmad Al-Arbeed talked to local media last week about his vision of making Kuwait ‘the world’s oil capital’ by the year 2022. The idea is undoubtedly great as a project of this magnitude will open the door for a wide range of investments that Kuwait and its partners can benefit from.

However, can Kuwait achieve a pioneer status in the global oil field when three mega projects which would have put the country on the right course to achieving that goal have so far been foiled? Is there a guarantee that future projects can go ahead smoothly while the government remains intimidated by MPs’ threat, incapable of defending developmental projects?

Kuwait’s economy and development process has sustained catastrophic losses as a result of the vehement campaign against these three projects.

The first is the K-Dow strategic deal which would have enabled Kuwait to seize an opportunity of taking a leap forward in the technology of petrochemical industries.

The second is the fourth refinery project which would have helped Kuwait take a significant step forward in the production of high quality refined products which are sold at high prices. The third is the project to develop oil fields in north Kuwait, which would have increased the country’s production of high quality crude oil, thereby improving Kuwait’s production which is essential to overcome cases of emergency.

The estimated losses Kuwait suffered as a result of foiling these three projects combined exceeds $100 billion, not to mention the job opportunities as well as the chance that they would have opened for new projects to follow. While there is an impending investigation in the collapsed KDow deal, I believe that the probe should also cover the two other canceled projects because people must know the reason behind the fierce campaigns made against them. Adjustments could have been made to protect citizens’ rights, which lawmakers allege, will be at risk if the projects proceed as planned. People who were thought to be

benefitting illegally from the deals could have been identified and removed. What I am saying is that there were steps that could have been taken instead of wasting such huge opportunities.

Can Kuwait become the world’s oil capital when its movement is restricted by political obstacles?

Realizing this dream within 10 years requires members in the cabinet and parliament who are qualified enough to give priority to projects ahead of political and administrative disputes. I am talking about projects that are costly but equally important.

They might seem a waste of time, effort and money in the first glance, but their strategic importance lies in securing Kuwait’s security.

Projects include building control stations, as well as a comprehensive network that connects Kuwait’s pipelines with the outside world through the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea as well as the Mediterranean.

Creating comprehensive, top quality and capacity infrastructure is essential for oil projects, realizing the ambition made by Mr. Al-Arbeed.

Moreover, efforts are required to improve the efficiency of oil sector employees and make sure that the right official is put in the right place.

The most important aspect to guaranteeing success of oil projects remains in the ability to secure flow of oil products to and from Kuwait.

Iran’s recent threats to shut down the Strait of Hormuz adds to the persistent need to ensure that. This brings back the experience during the Iraqi-Iranian war in the 80’s when US flags were hoisted on Kuwaiti tankers after they were targeted by Iranians.

At the time, Iraq managed to construct pipelines through Turkey and Saudi Arabia in record time. It is sad that since then, we have not been able to seize any of the many opportunities to secure flow of oil production.

I have faith that Kuwait can become a pioneer in the field through the efforts of loyal young citizens, a strong government and a Parliament that gives top priority to the general benefit of the country. —Al-Qabas

he National Assembly, known as Majlis AlUmma in Arabic, was dissolved by the Constitutional Court on June 20. The Court passed its verdict on the grounds that recently-held elections are unconstitutional owing to procedures errors.

The public reaction was different, especially the Islamist group which perceives this decision as a conspiracy against them by the corrupt.

It is an expected reaction because no matter what political group, they are all hungry for power! They achieved the historical feat of winning 34 out of 50 seats. We have to realize that Islamists are organized.

They are desperate for power and would do anything to get it, no matter what. That is the great goal. It has never been clear before. I think that they are preparing the public for that choice by creating more tension owing to a court decision.

We have to recall that HH the Amir unconstitutionally dissolved the National Assembly in 1986 and restored it after the Gulf War in 1992. He has also constitutionally dissolved the Assembly several times. The Amir of Kuwait has the power to dissolve the Assembly and call for fresh elections to be held within two months.

This time, It was the Constitutional Court that passed the epoch-making verdict, and the situation appears to be gloomy. Right now, people are hoping that several issues may crop up in the near future.

While operating within the Constitution of Kuwait, Islamists MPs were demanding significant reforms, including introducing a constitutional monarchy. Are we ready? Are we ready to hand over the country’s future and all its powers and wealth to Islamists?

Like many Kuwaitis, some parliamentarians are worried that constitutional monarchy is not about reform, elections or Kuwait. It is about power. They want to reduce their power over oil reserves, leading Kuwait into a state of chaos. I have not seen any place in the world today where Islamists have served as role models in running a civil state. I have seen some militant outfits like the Taliban, and their shameful practices!

Constitutional monarchies exist around the world in many countries today outside the British Commonwealth. In Kuwait, we partially practice this system because the Amir of Kuwait appoints the prime minister and deputy prime minister. The Cabinet is appointed by the prime minster comprising elected members from the National Assembly.

The government cannot commence duties without at least one member from the elected National Assembly!

The Amir of Kuwait rules in accordance with the Constitution. Yes, he does have the power to dissolve the National Assembly and reject some proposed laws. We have to understand no draft law was rejected by His Highness the Amir without a good reason.

This chaos perpetrated by the Islamists was only to prepare the ground to realize their dreams.

I believe if this constitutional monarchy becomes a reality, it will spell the end of the democracy we are familiar with. I will leave Kuwait because I do not think I can live under a system that suppresses my rights as a women, a human rights activist and a writer. I hope this call so-called constitutional monarchy will never take roots here.

in my view

Post-election scenario in Egypt

By Ali Bluwi

I

t’s difficult to make sense of Egypt’s presidential elections given the ascendance of Islamists beyond the widest dream of the most optimists of their supporters. However, it seems as though Egypt is poised to be dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood for some time to come. Not only did they do well in the last parliamentarian elections, but also their candidate for the presidential elections emerged a serious contender for the post.

If anything, the political contests between the militar y and the old regime on the one hand and the Islamists on the other hand is far from being finished. Two issues came to the surface recently. First, the military proved to be shrewd in handling the Egyptian revolution. The militar y moved slowly and in time it emerged as the most important player in the political game.

Their understanding is that the army is untouchable or subject to election gambits. For this reason, the ruling general fought tooth and nail to get the army out of the political game in such a way that it is not subordinate to the president anymore. Yet it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that any force seeking influence in politics has to deal positively with the army.

Second, the old regime’s candidate, Ahmed Shafiq, proved to be strong enough to stand up to Islamists who thought their time had arrived. All along he based his strategy on two

factors. First, the Copts’ fears of an Islamist takeover, thus bringing the sectarian crisis to the fore. Second, the Muslim Brotherhood committed a number of fatal mistakes that pushed many people to revise their favorable attitude toward them. We have not seen a political vision that can qualify to a political platform. Islamists instead remain in the realm of preaching while failing to understand that the Egyptian revolution was about finding solution to the most pressing and burning issues of economics and freedom. The Muslim Brotherhood’s language has been exclusive thus creating more fears among average Egyptians.

Pundits, analysis and indeed Western leaders have been watching the development of Egyptian politics fearing that a complete Islamists’ takeover may create a different environment with which all parties need to contend.

The key question, though, is about individual liber ties. The work ing assumption among politicians and analysts is that an Islamist-dominated Egypt may not be conducive to individual liberties and freedom. Some even went too far when they refuse to accept that the Muslim Brotherhood will be inclusive and be leaning toward pluralism. While some even brought up the Taleban model, conditions on the ground will prevent Islamists from shaping Egyptian socie-

ty in their own vision because the majority of Egyptians, though Muslim but not Islamist, will not accept it and because of the army firm position.

While it is difficult to predict which way it will be going, one thing is clear.

The non-Islamist parties and political groups have learned the lesson. These are the forces that triggered the revolution and contributed to no small amount to its success.

They share a sense of dismay as they feel that Islamists just kidnapped their revolution. Their efforts to bring about a genuine change became hostage to a contest between the army and the Islamists. It seems that liberal and non-Islamist forces are not effective in the current battle. That said, these forces are prone to rethink its approach and perhaps joint forces to present a formidable front in months to come.

Interestingly, there are some forces in Egypt that can’t afford to wait for the formulation of an impressive nonIslamist force to contend from a position of strength with the Islamists.

Here, I refer to the army.

The developments in Egypt over the past week have thrown what had been a confused set of institutional arrangements into disarray. The ruling generals declared the parliamentary elections unconstitutional and they announced a supplementary constitutional declaration as a hedge against the new president. Given the uncer-

tainty of the future, the army moved swiftly to ensure the continuation of its political role after the inauguration of the president. More importantly, the army granted itself a new, strong voice in the constitution-writing process.

The presidential elections have debunked a myth about the Islamists’ organizing capabilities. Ahmed Shafiq proved them vulnerable to a wellplanned campaign. Not surprisingly, the army leaned toward Ahmed Shafiq as a candidate for stability. They managed to manipulate the election process and they effectively used the state media as well as private medial outlets to frighten the Egyptians about a looming theocracy. More importantly, the military managed to play off the political forces against each other, thus weakening the new forces.

Simply put, the military managed to alienate the Muslim Brotherhood from the rest of the revolutionary forces.

The near future will witness a serious conflict in Egypt. Islamists are finally exposed and the Egyptian society is most unlikely to accept autocracy in the form of theocracy. People fought tooth and nail to win their freedom not to hand it over to Islamists.

Although, they proved to be strong, the Islamists themselves are surprised that the other camps are equally strong. Therefore, it takes some organization and the other forces can be a formidable political force in years to come.

SUNDAY, JUNE 24, 2012

local

Kuwait plans to hold one session of 2009 parliament New moves to contain political problem

Minors’ Affairs headquarters taking shape KUWAIT: Up to 27.5 percent of construction of the Headquarters of Minors Affairs in Mirqab area has been accomplished, announced Ministry of Public Works yesterday.

The ministry launched this project on June 15, 2011, on a total area of 10, 555 square meters, said Director of office of Public Relations (PR) in the Ministry of Public Works, Hameed Yousef Bu-Shehri.

The main building is an area of 5,550 square meters and consists of two towers of different heights. It includes administrative offices for the staff with a capacity of 1,200 employees and the higher tower consists of 25 storeys and the lower tow-

KUWAIT: All donations collected in Kuwait to Syria were made through groups authorized by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor to send cash to destinations outside, a senior ministry official told a local daily yesterday.

“All collected donations are transferred through official means — supervised by the social affairs and foreign ministries”, said charity organizations super visor Ahmad AlSanea, adding that no donations “gathered through unlicensed fundraisings” are transferred.

Meanwhile, the United Nations-Arab League Joint Special Envoy for Syria Kofi Annan voiced hope on Friday that the Syrian government would adopt a positive policy change that could solve the crisis.

Addressing a joint press conference with head of the UN Super vision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS) Major-General Rober t Mood in Geneva, Annan said: “I’m happy to be able to join you this afternoon with General Mood who is on his way back from New York to Syria.”

“As you would all remember, about a week ago, General Mood had to take a difficult decision when he decided temporarily to suspend the activities of the UNSMIS due to the escalation of violence. — Agencies

oath in front of the Amir, giving them the authority from a constitutional standpoint to attend a parliament session,” exper ts explained to Al-Rai. They added that a session was canceled owing to a lack of quorum, enabling the Cabinet to send a non-cooperation letter to the Amir based on which a dissolution can be carried out constitutionally, reported AlRai. Al-Tabtabaei believes that the Cabinet seeks to increase the number of electoral constituencies from five to 10 before a dissolution is held. Many lawmakers argue that proceeding with such a step without passing a draft law by the Parliament is unjustifiable.

“Any step can only be interpreted as an attempt to control election results,” Saleh AlMulla, a member of the 2009 parliament who lost the 2012 elections said.

The Constitutional Cour t made an unprecedented ruling last Wednesday indicating that procedures of the 2009 parliament dissolution is unconstitutional. This

subsequently means that the elections held last February in which the opposition won the majority seats has become void. The ruling also states that the 2009 parliament must be reinstated, a happening that the oppositionist coalition in the 2012 parliament warned against.

Meanwhile, reports varied about whether Shuwaib Al-Muwaizri, Minister of Housing, State Minister of Cabinet Affairs, submitted his resignation as shown by documents made available to the media on Thursday.

According to a cabinet insider, Prime Minister HH Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak AlSabah did not receive Al-Muwaizri’s resignation letter at the end of working hours on Thursday. The source noted that the minister handed over his resignation from the 2009 parliament to the General Secretariat of the National Assembly. Around 30 MPs announced that the ruling was passed by resigning from the 2009 parliament.

However, this step may not be necessary if a dissolution can be arranged.

Optimism about tourism in Kuwait

Hameed Yousef Bu-Shehri er has 16, he added.

Bu-Shehri pointed out that more work will be done to this project to be finalized. — KUNA

KUWAIT: Central Bank Governor Dr Mohammad Al-Hashel received bank bowling team members on the occasion of coming in second position in the banks club championship which was organized for the banks’ employees and their families. Reem Al-Waqyan, supervisor of the team was heading the team consisting from Bader Al Khubaizi, Maihteem Ashkanani and Yousuf Baqer.

‘No unlicensed donations to Syria from Kuwait’

KUWAIT: The furor created by a recent court verdict rendering the recently elected parliament as being unconstitutional, the government and the opposition blocs are trying to work out separate solutions to contain the problem. While the most probable solution would be to hold one session of the 2009 parliament so that the Cabinet can swear-in before dissolution procedures get underway.

Concern is already growing about the likelihood that most legislators will refuse to play the role of ‘puppets’ in a show that has been staged to ‘legalize’ dissolution.

This speculation mentioned by ‘anonymous spectators’ quoted in an Al-Qabas report yesterday falls in line with simultaneous statements of Dr Waleed Al-Tabtabaei.

He alleged that the government “plans to retain the 2009 parliament until the completion of its four-year term,” reported Al-Qabas.

Constitutional experts told a local daily that it is not necessary to hold a separate session to dissolve the 2009 parliament. “The Cabinet gains legitimacy after taking the

KUWAIT: As a holiday destination, Kuwait does not make it into dinner conversation about hotspots like Egypt and Jordan, or “Fly-Buy-Dubai.” Only at a second glance, does Kuwait offer a variety of urban life, Arab culture, desert tourism, and maritime sports.

Kuwait has a comparably liberal visa policy, at least for most passport holders from the European Union, the US, and of course its Gulf Arab neighbors.

Airlines from 36 countries have the Kuwait International Airport on their schedule. Among them are well-known carriers like United Airlines from the US, Germany’s Lufthansa, British Airways, Emirates Airline or Turkish Airlines. State-owned Kuwait Airways and local budget flyer, Jazeera Airways, to fly to 39 and 18 destinations abroad, respectively.

Being connected with the world means benefitting from travel and tourism. But it also translates into higher commitments. Kuwait has early moved into the global hospitality industry and attracted some of the top brands like Sheraton, Marriott, and Movenpick.

“I am very optimistic about tourism in Kuwait,” said Hassan Bayerli, General Manager of the Sahara Kuwait Resort. “We are talking about $130 billion that the government decided to be spent for the development of Kuwait for the coming thirty years,” Bayerli explains. “This initia-

tive is meant to affect all sectors, including the tourism industry, because tourism is usually influenced by the economy of the country.”

The Sahara Kuwait Resort is a stunning 18-hole golf course. Yes, playing golf on grass in desertrich Kuwait is only one mosaic that forms the country’s complete image of a travel destination. Designed by Swiss-born Peter Harradine, who lives in Dubai, has made many Golfer’s dreams real in the Gulf Arab region. The PGA standards-abiding course course is 6730 yards long and features three lakes and nearly 5000 trees. It harbors chalets, a luxury Spa, and conference and banqueting facilities.

For those with a smaller travel budget, Kuwait offers more than sand dunes and oil rigs. The famous three Kuwait towers are a must visit for any traveler. The tallest, 187 meters high main tower harbors a restaurant and viewing sphere which conducts a full-turn every 30 minutes.

Worth visiting are the old Souq in downtown Kuwait City, the Kuwait National Museum, the Kuwait Museum of Islamic Art, and the 372 meter-high Liberation Tower, which symbolizes Kuwait’s liberation from Iraqi occupation on February 26 1991.

During Saddam Hussein’s 7month-long occupation, the tower’s then ongoing construction had to be halted, but the site took no damage despite the fighting between Iraq and the US.-led

coalition forces.

The iconic capital will be one day be neighbored by the Silk City. The Madinat al-Hareer, as the 250 square kilometers large development is called in Arabic, will harbor the 1,001 meter tall Burj Al-Mubarak Al Kabeer, the Great Blessed Tower. The whole development’s cost is estimated at USD $94 billion.

Sports are also popular, albeit women shall respect the local Islamic traditions and exercise in dedicated places and facilities for ladies. Not to mention the endless options of doing water sports in the shallow Gulf waters.

Yachting, jet skiing, and paddling are popular, and the diving community counts ever more aficionados-Jazeera Airways’ CEO Stefan Pichler being one of them.

The best time to discover Kuwait’s long and beautiful beaches, its huge desert-which is best to indulge with a safari tourand its urban landmarks and museums, is between October and May, when temperatures stay at a reasonable and warm level.

Nevertheless, challenges remain. Kuwait’s peers in the GCC do far better. “I think that hotel service in Kuwait is very adequate at the moment,” said Sahara Kuwait Resort’s GM Bayerli with an audible regret in his voice. However, in 2012, occupancy for five-star hotels does not currently exceed 50%. This means that they are only working with half of their full capacity.

If you take another country such as Emirates or Qatar, I am sure that it is over 80%.

Will the globally booming medical tourism fill the gap? Dr. Tareq Al Mukhaizeem, Chairman and Managing Director of Kuwait’s Al Salam Hospital has his doubts. “I think medical tourism can serve Kuwait very minimally, because the other GCC countries also have very well-developed private and governmental sectors. The regulation should be changed in Kuwait giving more freedom to the private sector to develop itself.” Yousif Abou Zahr, CEO of Al Seef Hospital agrees with Dr. Al Mukhaizeem, although Zahr is more optimistic: “The treatment abroad is driven by subspecialties that some of the hospitals in Kuwait are lacking,” he said. “But Kuwait has the potential to provide all the services at high quality, and to have people from the Gulf area and from even from the Middle East region to come to hospitals in Kuwait and get the treatment they want.”

Can the Al Seef Hospital provide foreigners state-of-the-art treatment? “The Al Seef Hospital has an agreement with a Belgian team to provide orthopedic surgery locally,” Zahr explains. “It has an agreement with other large groups to provide the service locally. Other hospitals are moving in that direction by having collaboration with international institutes to provide the service locally.”

‘Immunity-less’ MPs face charges in kuwait KUWAIT: Nine lawmakers facing charges for storming the parliament’s building last November are set to stand trial tomorrow. Their immunity is considered lifted regardless of the current situation in the parliament. The parliament voted last April to lift the immunity of the MPs over the case that took place amidst public demonstrations against the former cabinet.

The constitutional court explained in its ruling last week which rendered the dissolution of the 2009 parliament unconstitutional, that all regulations passed by the now void 2012 parliament remain valid until their constitutionality is looked into.

“Decisions made by the 2012 parliament remain valid for now until the 2009 parliament convenes

again”, said constitutional expert Dr Mohammad Al-Feeli as he clarified the controversy surrounding the accused MPs’ immunity.

Furthermore, Al-Feeli told Al-Rai that the immunity would still be lifted even if the 2012 parliament’s decisions were void. “In that case, MPs automatically lose their immunity being members of a parliament nullified by a constitutional court

order”, the Kuwait University professor explained.

MPs Dr Waleed Al-Tabtabaei, Khalid Al-Tahous, Jamaan Al-Harbash, Faisal Al-Mislem, Mubarak AlWa’lan, Salem Al-Namlan, Musallam Al-Barrak, Falah Al-Sawagh and Mohammad Al-Khalifa face charges that include storming a public property and property damage, in addition to encouraging police to disobey orders.

SUNDAY, JUNE 24, 2012

local

KUWAIT: The Gulf Autism Union organized an exhibition recently of artistic works by students in autistic schools of six Gulf Cooperation Council states. The event, which was supervised by GAU chairperson and head of the Kuwait Autism Center Dr Sameera Al-Saad, as well as chairperson of the Faisaliya Society in Jeddah, Princess Fahda bind Saud, started in Qatar before moving to Kuwait and concluding in Saudi Arabia.

Gulf Bank treats priority customers with concierge services Qiblah Kuwait concierge services KUWAIT: Continuing its efforts to offer benefits and unique ser vices to its employ a team of highly qualified and Priority customers, Gulf Bank experienced agents to handle all announced that in collaboration with requests from Gulf Bank’s Priority cusQiblah Kuwait, one of Kuwait’s leading tomers through a dedicated line and website. The benefits of concierge ser vice this new service include: providers, it will launch Airpor t Pick-up and its concierge service to Drop-off, Courier servicprovide its Priority cuses, Key date reminder tomers with personal ser vices, Restaurant assistance. This offer is Reser vations, Visa valid as of June 1.

Assistance, Travel & Aly Shalaby, Gulf Holiday arrangements, Bank ’s General Car Ser vicing, Car Manager-Consumer Registration and many Banking Group said: more services.

“Gulf Bank’s collaboraPriority customers tion with Qiblah Kuwait wishing to take advanis intended to offer our tage of this service are Priority customers and advised to call Qiblah their families’ premium Kuwait on 22317755; a tailored ser vices dedicated line available designed to meet their Aly Shalaby from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily needs. We invite all our Priority customers to make use of from Sunday to Thursday or email on Qiblah Kuwait which provides them Concierge@qiblah.com.kw. To find out assistance through various means from more about the bank’s promotions and the comfort of their own homes. At Gulf offers customers can visit one of Gulf Bank, we are dedicated to providing Bank ’s 56 branches, or contact its first-class services to ensure ultimate Customer Contact Center on 1805805 for customer satisfaction, and through this assistance and guidance. They can also we are ensuring that our customers log on to www.e-gulfbank.com, Gulf Bank’s website. always remain our main priority.”

Man at large for molesting 12-year-old in Salmiya Maid disappears after robbing employer KUWAIT: Police are on the hunt for a teacher who has been accused of molesting a child during a private tuition class at a Salmiya home recently. Local police were approached by an Indian man who reported that his 12-year-old daughter was sexually abused by her Indian teacher. The man provided information of the runaway teacher. There is speculation about unreported incidents of other children who might have fallen victims to the same teacher.

Policeman shot A police officer was hospitalized after sustaining a gunshot wound following a quarrel with his former brother- in- law at the Mubarak Al-Abdullah area. Paramedics and police reached the scene were a shooting incident was reported, and found the VIP protection junior officer bleeding profusely from his shoulder.

The victim told officers that he was shot by his ex-wife’s brother during a heated argument over family disputes. A case was filed for investigations in search for the shooter.

Unfaithful husband Police are on the hunt for a citizen who has been accused of physically assaulting his wife after she caught him in a compromising position with another woman at a rented house in Jabriya. A case was filed at the area’s police sta-

tion Thursday night after officers approached a female citizen. The woman explained that her husband’s behavior caused her to investigate his activities until she discovered that he was at a rented villa with his girlfriend. The woman reportedly reached the house and asked her husband to come out. Soon, the man opened the door and attacked his wife, snatched her cell phone which he handed over to his Moroccan girlfriend and kicked her, according to the victim’s statement to police. A warrant was issued to detain the husband, who reportedly owns a coffee shop in Salmiya.

Domestic assault A man was arrested in Al-Qasr recently after attacking family members in a sudden outburst. Police rushed to a house located in the area where a citizen reported his brother that he went berserk and attacked his brothers and wife. The man was restrained after physical exhaustion from his state of rage. He was taken to the psychiatric hospital for examinations. A case was registered at the area’s police station.

Fatal fall A woman succumbed to fatal injuries sustained after falling from a building at Al-Jahra hospital. The Egyptian woman was hospitalized by a passerby who witnessed her falling from

an apartment building. A case was filed at the area’s police station to investigate the circumstances that led to the incident.

Maid disappears A search is ongoing for a domestic worker who stole her employer’s money and locked her inside the bathroom. The incident reportedly took place in Hawally where the Filipina housemaid locked the bathroom door as soon as her 29-year-old Lebanese employer entered it. The victim broke open the door’s lock after hearing the maid threatening to kill her son.

The domestic helper had fled by then, leaving her son unharmed. Soon after wards, the woman discovered that KD 100 in cash as well as jewelry worth KD 1,200 was missing. She headed to local police and pressed charges against her.

Jilted lover A citizen pressed charges against his exfiance, accusing her of cheating him. The man approached Rumathiya police station officers recently to report that his ex-fiancÈ ended their relationship after he spent nearly KD 2,000 to buy her gifts. The man insisted that the woman was adamant that she would not return any of the gifts he bought her. Investigations are underway.— Al-Anbaa, Al-Rai, Al-Watan

Key political risks to watch in Saudi RIYADH: The death of Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Nayef and the appointment of brother Prince Salman as heir defers the issue of handing power to a younger generation, but with the king 89 and top princes in their 70s, it cannot be shelved forever. Saudi Arabia, which has a fifth of global oil reserves, holds significant dollar assets and has the biggest Arab stock exchange. It is a linchpin of US security policy in the Middle East and wields great influence over the world’s 1.6 billion Muslims through its guardianship of Islam’s holiest sites in Makkah and Medina. Here are some political risks facing the kingdom:

KUWAIT: The International Fire Chiefs Association of Asia (IFCAA)’s general assembly recently honored Maj General Jassim Al-Mansouri, Kuwait Fire Services Directorate(KFSD)’s Director for contribution made toward firefighting and rescue operations conducted over the past decade.

SUCCESSION Changes in the royal line raise questions about the direction of gradual economic and social reforms aimed at reconciling conservative Islamic traditions with the needs of a youthful, increasingly outward-looking population. After Crown Prince Nayef died, his full-brother Defense Minister and former Riyadh governor Prince Salman was appointed King Abdullah’s new heir. The elevation of Salman, who is about 76, did not involve the Allegiance Council, a body of princes set up by King Abdullah in 2006 to regulate the succession process. Abdullah was under no obligation to use the body, which does not legally come into effect until after his death. However, analysts say this raises questions about the future of a system aimed at ensuring smooth transfers of power.

Crown Prince Nayef had been interior minister since 1975, building a formidable security apparatus that crushed al Qaeda and contained unrest among the Shiite minority but also arrested political dissidents. His long-time deputy and brother Prince Ahmed was appointed as the new interior minister, which Saudi commentators said showed the younger prince was likely to follow Salman as crown prince after the death of Abdullah.

So far, Saudi Arabia’s kings have all been sons of its founder, King Abdulaziz Ibn Saud, who died in 1953.

Around 20 remain alive, a handful of whom occupy senior government posts and may want to press a claim one day to rule the country. The succession may get more complicated when the crown moves down a generation to one of Ibn Saud’s grandsons. The more prominent grandsons include Mecca Governor Prince Khaled al-Faisal, Eastern Province Governor Prince Mohammed bin Fahd, National Guard chief Prince Miteb bin Abdullah and Deputy Interior Minister Prince Mohammed bin Nayef.

REGIONAL TENSIONS Relations are strained between Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia and Iran, its Shiite Muslim rival for regional influence. Turmoil in neighboring Yemen and Bahrain, both caught up in the unrest reshaping the Arab world, is another major concern.

Riyadh suspects Iran of fomenting trouble among Saudi Arabia’s Shiite citizens, and among the Shiite majority in Sunni-ruled Bahrain. It also frets that Iran might try to block the Strait of Hormuz, the main Gulf oil shipping route, in any war with the United States or Israel over its nuclear program.

As evidence of Iranian ill-will, it points to a US accusation in October that two Iranians plotted to kill the Saudi envoy to Washington. Iran denied any part in the alleged plot and rejects charges of meddling in Bahrain or Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia shares US suspicions that Iran is seeking to develop nuclear weapons. Tehran says its uranium enrichment program is exclusively for peaceful energy.

Publicly, Riyadh has said little about the dispute but US diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks portray it as privately hawkish. One cable said King Abdullah had “frequently exhorted the US to attack Iran to put an end to its nuclear program”.

REFORMS The king has tried to create jobs for Saudis by restricting foreign workers and liberalizing the economy. To combat Islamist militancy, he has reduced clerical control over education. Some 60 percent of Saudis are aged under 30, some 44 percent have Internet access and unemployment hit 10 percent in 2011. Youth unemployment helped drive Arab uprisings elsewhere, but the kingdom has avoided serious unrest. Top clerics backed a ban on demonstrations, tribal leaders pledged support and the government announced $110 billion in social spending plans. Officials say they fear young Saudis unable to find work could be recruited by violent Islamists who want to overthrow the House of Saud. The king launched judicial and educational reforms after taking office in 2005, but analysts say momentum has faltered. The most active area of reform now is the labor market, where new initiatives aim to encourage companies to replace some of the 6 million expatriate workers with Saudi nationals. Broader economic reform has slowed, but changes in economic posts in December may reinvigorate the process. Central Bank Governor Muhammad Al-Jasser became economy and planning minister and was replaced

by Fahad Al-Mubarak, who may make the central bank more market-oriented, given his private-sector background.

Politically, King Abdullah has barely altered the Gulf monarchy despite petitions by democracy activists, liberals and Islamists calling on him to allow elections and more freedom. Saudi Arabia’s only elections are for half the seats on toothless municipal councils. In September, the king said women would be able to take part in future municipal polls and serve in the appointed Shura council, which advises on new laws. But the authorities suppressed a campaign by some women to win the right to drive cars and arrested some who took part. Human rights groups have complained that political activists have been sentenced to long prison terms in secretive courts set up to handle cases of Islamic militancy. Saudi Arabia says it has no political prisoners.

SECURITY Al-Qaeda remains a significant security concern.

The Saudis crushed a violent militant campaign in 2003-06, but many Al-Qaeda operatives then joined their counterparts in Yemen. Riyadh fears the turbulence in Yemen may allow Al-Qaeda to entrench itself in territory now beyond government control. The goals of Yemen-based Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) include ousting the Saudi royal family. That threat was underscored in early May when Washington said Arab and Western intelligence agencies had uncovered a new AQAP plot to bring down an airliner with a bomb. Crown Prince Nayef’s death is not likely to have an impact on security operations because his deputy Prince Ahmed has taken over as interior minister while his son Mohammed bin Nayef stays in charge of security.

In April the Interior Ministry said its deputy consul in Yemen, kidnapped in March, was being held by an Al-Qaeda operative who had demanded the release of prisoners and threatened an embassy bombing and the assassination of a prince. AQAP caught world attention by claiming a failed attempt to bomb a US-bound passenger plane in December 2009. It remains active in Yemen despite the US killings of Al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden and Anwar Al-Awlaki, a US-born Muslim cleric suspected of belonging to AQAP in Yemen. In May, Saudi Arabia pledged $3.25 billion in aid to Yemen, showing how much it views the country’s problems as a security concern.— Reuters

KUWAIT: The Kuwaiti Direct Aid Society sent its second relief convoys to victims of the infightings in the South Kordofan region of Sudan, which cover needs of 1000 families for one month.

SUNDAY, JUNE 24, 2012

Paraguay’s leftist president ousted

Women and song tempt Mali’s Islamists Page 10

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GAZA CITY: A Palestinian woman and man sit wounded in the emergency room of a hospital following an Israeli strike on Gaza City yesterday. A Palestinian teenager riding a motorcycle was killed, and 10 passers-by wounded in a fresh Israeli air strike on the Gaza Strip Palestinian medics said, bringing the death toll from the current Israeli raids to three. —AFP

Hamas threatens to escalate attacks on Israel Airstrikes kill several gunmen in the coastal territory JERUSALEM: Gaza’s militant Hamas rulers threatened to escalate fighting with Israel yesterday after airstrikes killed several gunmen in the coastal territory, while Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel wounded one person and damaged an elementary school in the country’s south. There are periodic exchanges of strikes between Gaza and Israel but this flare-up is the most serious in months. It started with an attack by a little known Al-Qaeda-inspired Palestinian militant group but has extended to drag in Hamas.

Hamas has largely stayed out of direct confrontation with Israel since a war more than three years ago although other factions have launched cross-border attacks. An Israeli military spokesman said Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz convened “an urgent meeting” to discuss ways of dealing with a week of persistent Palestinian attacks. Gaza militants fired over 30 rockets and mortar shells yesterday alone, bringing the week’s rocket tally to more than 150, according to the Israeli military.

The military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, gave no other details about the meeting. Over a million people in southern Israel live in range of the rockets and the Israeli military has advised the residents to make sure they can get to a bomb shelter quickly. Israel’s military said it carried out a series of airstrikes yesterday in response to the rockets. At least four militants were killed and over 20 Palestinians, both combatants and civilians, were injured, according to Gaza health official Ashraf Al Kedra.

Hamas’ military wing, the Izzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, vowed to escalate the fighting. “If the last rounds were not enough to deliver the message ... we are ready to crush the enemy and to curb its arrogance and to respond to aggression in a strong way,” the group said in a statement released yesterday

afternoon. A few hours later an Israeli airstrike killed a Gaza militant riding a scooter. The Popular Resistance Committees, a Hamas-allied militant group that often fires rockets at Israel, said he was a member.

Witnesses said the force of the explosion caused a wall of a nearby building to collapse, injuring several people. The Israeli military said they targeted the militant as he was preparing to launch rockets.

In an earlier attack the same day, an Israeli airstrike killed a Palestinian militant as he rode his motorcycle in Gaza. Several buildings used by Hamas, which rules the coastal territory, were also damaged. The Israeli military said it hit “terror sites” and that it holds Hamas accountable for any attacks originating from the Gaza Strip. Also, an Israeli was seriously wounded when a Gaza rocket smashed through a factory roof.

Rockets from Gaza also hit a school in the Israeli border town of Sderot. The school was closed for the weekend so no one was hurt but the building was damaged. Several other Israelis were injured in Palestinian rocket attacks this past week. “ We have been enduring years of relentless Palestinian escalations and this is just one of them,” said David Buskila, mayor of the Israeli border town Sderot where the school was hit. “We trust the Israeli military and government to restore calm,” he said.

The spike in violence began on Monday when two gunmen infiltrated into Israel along its border with Egypt’s Sinai peninsula and killed an Israeli Arab construction worker who was part of a crew building a border security fence meant to avert such attacks.

Later, a little known al-Qaida-inspired group, the Mujahedeen Shura Council of Jerusalem, claimed responsibility for the attack and identified the gunmen as an Egyptian and a Saudi.

Since then, Gaza gunmen have fired barrages of rockets and mortar rounds at Israel, wounding several Israelis and damaging apar tment buildings.

Israel has carried out airstrikes on militant targets that killed at least 12 Palestinians and wounded dozens so far.

Meanwhile, Gaza health official Ashraf Al Kedra said a boy was killed in a playground during an airstrike yesterday morning in Khan Younis. The Israeli military said it had not attacked that area.

M ilitar y spokeswoman Lt. Col. Avital Leibovich later called the allegation a “false rumor ” and said that according to intelligence information, the boy was killed by “ordinance belonging to one of the terror groups.”

Palestinian rockets often misfire and explode inside Gaza.— AP

SUNDAY, JUNE 24, 2012

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

Troops take control of Al-Qaeda bastion 35 people killed in 10 days

BAGHDAD: In this June 14, 2010 file photo, Iraq’s parliament convenes in Baghdad. A parliamentary committee plans to discuss a law aiming to help public employees avoid searing temperatures blanketing the country that commonly exceed 120 degrees during summer’s peak. —AP

Governing Iraq is nice work, if you can avoid it BAGHDAD: Iraq’s government, already infamous for its lethargy and red tape that has snarled national progress, may soon shut down for much of the summertime. A proposed new law, which a parliamentary committee plans to discuss today, aims to shorten workdays and help public employees avoid searing temperatures that commonly exceed 120 degrees and blanket the country during summer’s peak. It will also cut work hours during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan that begins in late July, Younadam Kanna, chairman of parliament’s labor and social affairs committee, said yesterday.

But Iraq is already feeling the heat from its people and foreign partners. Experts say its government largely has failed to overcome decades of war, sanctions and military occupation and settle into a new democratic system that delivers reliable security, electricity and other public services, or fosters job growth. Much of the government’s work has been slowed by a political crisis, fueled by ethnic and sectarian tensions, that flared immediately after US troops withdrew from Iraq last December and has produced demands for the Shiite prime minister’s ouster.

“The employees in our ministries are looking for any pretext to run away from their offices,” Jassim al-Obeidi, a real estate agent in Baghdad, said yesterday. “I think that this measure will add more delay to the work in the government offices, and the only damaged party will be the ordinary people who will have to spend more time and efforts trying to finish their paperwork for the government.”

Kanna, a member of parliament’s tiny Christian political coalition, said the new law should not significantly affect the government work. But he said it is still not decided how short workdays might be cut.

He also declined to comment on whether it would apply to security forces, lawmakers or top ministry officials. “We think that the proposed measure is necessary for government employees, especially those who work in the streets, construction sites or open fields,” Kanna said yesterday. “Working

under high temperatures for a long time will definitely affect the health of the employees or workers.”

Last week, the US -based Fund for Peace ranked Iraq No. 9 on its annual Top Ten list of failed states worldwide. The nonpartisan research group ranked 178 nations and cited persisting security problems in Iraq, like the attacks that have killed more than 160 people so far this month, amid few improvements in soothing the long-standing ethnic and sectarian tensions. Other groups highlight corruption as a key obstacle undercutting development and trust in state institutions.

But Iraqis frequently complain that languid administration compounds the problems caused by instability and corruption.

Like many Muslim countries, official work in Iraq usually grinds to a halt during Ramadan, which this year begins July 20.

But the law would for the first time legalize the slowdown for the country’s government.

Before then, parliament is trying to rush through votes on as many as 50 pieces of legislation that have been stalled for at least since the beginning of the year. Laws to divide oil revenues between the central government in Baghdad and Iraq’s self-rule Kurdish region, and settle boundaries for disputed lands in the country’s north, have languished for years. Parliament’s major accomplishment so far this year was approval of Iraq’s $100 billion operating budget - which included $50 million to pay for pricey armored cars for each of the 325 lawmakers. Lawmakers earn an estimated $22,500 each month in salary and allowances for housing and security. In contrast, a midlevel government employee makes around $600 a month. Education ministry employee Abas al-Saadi welcomed the extra time, noting that “there are a lot of holidays in this country during the year and few more hours off will not hurt.” “With the summer temperatures in this country and the constant electricity cutoffs, I think the law recommendation is positive and helpful for employees, especially those who want to fast during Ramadan,” he said. — AP

VILLEPINTE: People attend an international gathering asking for democracy in Iran yesterday in Villepinte, near Paris. — AFP

Bahrain opposition says leader injured in police clash MANAMA: The head of Bahrain’s leading opposition party was hit by a rubber bullet and a teargas canister during clashes with riot police late on Friday, the party said, accusing the government of intensifying a crackdown on protests. Bahrain’s police said one man was taken to hospital and a number of other people were injured in the confrontation. The Gulf Arab state, which hosts Washington’s Fifth Fleet, has been in turmoil since prodemocracy protesters, led by majority Shi’ites, took to the streets in February 2011, partly inspired by revolts in Egypt and Tunisia.

The ruling Al Khalifa family, which is Sunni Muslim, has extended parliament’s powers of scrutiny over ministers and budgets, but rejected demands for full legislative powers and elected governments.

The leader of the opposition Wefaq party Sheikh Ali Salman was hit on the chest and shoulder by a rubber bullet and a teargas canister on Friday, the movement said in a statement. It added several others were also injured including Hassan Marzouk, pictures of whom

circulated on social media showing him lying on the ground covered in blood around the neck.

Witnesses said large number of police turned out to stop the march. They said they saw police firing teargas and demonstrators throwing petrol bombs.

“Security forces have been careful in dealing professionally with political leaders but this time was different. It seems a gradual crackdown is going on,” said senior Wefaq party member Matar Matar.

“They are closing the small margin for freedom of expression.” The government has denied it is cracking down on demonstrations, saying it has allowed several to take place this year.

“The director general of police ... clarified that a limited number of people had been exposed to miscellaneous injuries, and that one person had taken to hospital for treatment,” said the police in a statement. The government says Wefaq and its supporters have a Shiite sectarian agenda. The opposition says this is an excuse to avoid giving up privileges. — Reuters

ADEN: Yemeni troops took control yesterday of the southeastern town of Azzan, a known AlQaeda bastion, after the group’s fighters left it a week ago, an official said. Thirty-five people, meanwhile, were killed in the southern Abyan province over the past 10 days in explosions from landmines laid by Al-Qaeda fighters before they fled from the province, officials said. “Some 60 vehicles of army and security forces have been deployed across central Azzan,” a local government official said on condition of anonymity, adding that army warplanes were seen flying over the area.

Witnesses confirmed that Azzan, in the southeastern Shabwa province, was finally handed over to the army by a committee of tribal mediators to whom the Al-Qaeda fighters had initially handed over the town. On June 17, Al-Qaeda militants fled from Azzan, the last town in Yemen where they had established complete control.

Al-Qaeda had declared an Islamic emirate in the desert town where hundreds of fighters were believed to have sought refuge after fleeing their strongholds in the nearby Abyan province.

Taking advantage of a weakening central government control by an Arab Spring-inspired uprising last year, the militants had overrun most of Abyan, capturing Zinjibar, Jaar, Shuqra and several other villages. But on May 12, Yemen’s military launched an all-out offensive to recapture the lost province. The army and local militiamen have succeeded in taking over all of Abyan’s towns except for Mahfad where jihadists still have a strong presence.

Meanwhile, landmines the jihadists had laid in Abyan before fleeing have killed at least 35 people in the past 10 days, officials said.

Twenty-seven people were killed only in the provincial capital of Zinjibar, while eight died on the outskirts of the town of Jaar. “Landmine explosions in Zinjibar have left 27 people dead” since the army, backed by local militiamen, drove out Al-Qaeda militants from the capital of the province on June 13, said Zinjibar deputy mayor Ghassan Sheikh. He said of the 27 people

ABYAN: Yemeni army troops patrol the road between the provincial capital Zinjibar and the town of Jaar in the southern restive region of Abyan on Friday. —AFP killed, nine died on June 14 while returning to Zinjibar from where they had fled after the militants seized it in May 2011, local official Mohsen Saleh said.

Sheikh said the Yemeni army has so far been unable to clear all the landmines, adding the explosives were sown in most streets of Zinjibar.

“Most of Zinjibar’s residents have been unable to return yet” from the main southern city of Aden to their town which has been totally destroyed by the fighting, he said. Eight other civilians were killed in similar landmine blasts on the outskirts of the nearby town of Jaar which was a major stronghold of Al-Qaeda since last year, rights activist Wahid Abdullah said. On Friday, the new army commander for the south, Major-General Naser al-Taheri, vowed to contin-

ue the fight against Al-Qaeda.

He replaced General Salem Ali Qoton who was assassinated by an Al-Qaeda suicide bomber on Monday. Taheri vowed that his predecessor’s killing will only “make us more determined... to hunt these terrorist groups in their hideouts until the nation is cleansed from their evil,” state news agency Saba quoted him as saying. Qoton, who had led the five-week-long offensive against the jihadists in Abyan and Shabwa provinces was killed along with two of his aides, when a Somali suicide bomber threw himself on his vehicle in the regional capital Aden. US officials have repeatedly described Yemen-based Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula as the most dangerous of the jihadist network’s worldwide affiliates. — AFP

Oil key to any Kurdistan independence bid BAGHDAD: Iraqi Kurdistan’s efforts to ramp up its oil production and export capabilities increase the viability of independence as an option for the region, which is in a months-long standoff with Baghdad. The dispute has seen Kurdistan president Massud Barzani launch a series of attacks against Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki, while the region cut off oil exports to Iraq in a payment dispute and also refused to hand over a fugitive Iraqi vice president who is wanted for allegedly running a death squad.

The autonomous region in northern Iraq has not made any overt moves towards independence, although Barzani has said he could resort to a referendum on its future if the crisis with Baghdad drags on.

Kurdistan has its own government, security forces, borders and flag, but it is economically dependent on the Iraqi government, which is required to pay 17 percent of the national budget to Kurdistan. The region has signed dozens of contracts with foreign oil firms aimed at boosting its oil sector in recent years, and said it intends to build pipelines that would give it an independent export capability-moves that could give it financial independence.

The Iraqi government, which says all oil contracts must go through Baghdad and regards any that do not as illegal, has strenuously opposed such deals. “It is becoming increasingly clear that the Kurds see expansion of (Kurdistan’s) oil sector as the key to future independence,” said Reidar Visser, an Iraq analyst and editor of the www.historiae.org website. “By signing those deals, the Kurds are looking at the long term, when it would be in their favor to split from Iraq proper by being financially independent,” said Ruba Husari, the editor of www.iraqoilforum.com.

Iraqi Kurdistan does not currently have the ability to independently export oil, but the region has said that two pipelines, one for oil and another for gas, are planned. A statement posted on the Kurdistan government website in May said that natural resources minister Ashti Hawrami had spoken about “plans for a new gas pipeline to supply Turkey’s BOTAS gas grid... and in the next 12 months, a million-barrel oil pipeline to connect to the Ceyhan pipeline” that feeds an export terminal on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast. “A pipeline from Kurdistan to Turkey would allow the Kurds to export crude independently of Baghdad and cash the proceeds directly,” Husari said. “The Kurds are acting independently in everything but the name,” said Visser.

But he noted that the position of Turkey, with which Kurdistan has important economic ties, is key, saying: “It is conceivable that Turkey may prefer to maintain the nominal unity of Iraq.” Baghdad has pushed back against Kurdistan’s oil deals, especially an exploration contract the region signed with US oil giant ExxonMobil last October.

“Maliki views these deals as representing a very dangerous initiative that may lead to the outbreak of wars” and “breaking up the unity of Iraq,” the premier’s spokesman Ali Mussawi said. The premier “sent a message to American President Barack Obama ... urging him to intervene to prevent ExxonMobil from going in this direction,” Mussawi said. And Iraq’s deputy premier for energy affairs issued a warning to French companies that any contracts with Baghdad would be scrapped if they signed deals with local or regional governments in Iraq. Baghdad “has been blacklisting companies from doing projects in Iraq proper,” if they sign deals with Kurdistan, Husari said. “There is little it can do with past contracts, but all future contracts will have a clause saying that federal

BAGHDAD: A statue of Iraqi-born pan-Arab poet of the 10th century, Abu Tayeb Al-Mutanabbi, stands next to the Tigris river at the entrance of central Baghdad where a small museum dedicated to the belongings and collections of late Iraqi historian Michael Awwad (1912-1995) was recently inaugurated at the Baghdadi Cultural Center. — AFP government approval is required for any project in the oil sector,” she said. But production-sharing contracts that are offered by Kurdistan are a major draw for companies, as they are more lucrative than the service contracts the federal government has awarded, which offer a fixed fee per barrel of oil. The region’s Prime Minister, Nechirvan Barzani said in Arbil that Kurdistan is committed to the Iraqi constitution, but also said that the Kurdish people have a right to self-determination. “It’s a question about people. Of course, as a nation, yes, we have that right, but now we are dealing with reality,” Barzani said.— AFP

Iranian general: military strike would be the end of Israel DUBAI: A high-ranking Iranian general said yesterday Israeli military action against Iran’s nuclear program would lead to the collapse of the Jewish state, Fars news agency reported.

Last week’s round of nuclear talks between Iran and world powers in Moscow failed to secure a breakthrough, heightening fears Israel might take unilateral military action to curb Iran’s nuclear activities. The two sides agreed to a follow-up meeting of technical experts on July 3, saving the process from outright failure.

“They cannot do the slightest harm to the (Iranian) revolution and the system,” Brigadier General Mostafa Izadi, deputy chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces, told Fars. “If the Zionist

regime takes any (military) actions against Iran, it would result in the end of its labors,” he added. “If they act logically, such threats amount to a psychological war but if they want to act illogically, it is they who will be destroyed.”

Izadi’s comments are an apparent response to Israeli Vice Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz’s calls for tougher sanctions against Tehran and his indication that military action was still an option. Analysts say Iranian officials use such rhetoric as a way of stoking Western concerns of chaos in the Middle East and the disruption of oil supplies in the event of military action.

During negotiations in Moscow the six powers - the United States, China, Russia, France,

Britain and Germany - demanded Iran scale back its nuclear work and, in particular, stop enriching uranium to levels that could bring it close to making an atom bomb.

The demands included the shutting down of the Fordow underground uranium enrichment facility and the shipping of any stockpile out of the country. In return, they offered fuel to keep Iran’s medical isotope reactor running, assistance in nuclear safety and an end to a ban on spare parts for Iran’s ageing civilian aircraft. Iran denies its work has any military purpose and says the powers should offer it relief from sanctions and acknowledge its right to enrich uranium before it meets their demands. — Reuters

SUNDAY, JUNE 24, 2012

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

Chemicals found in Saudi man’s apartment in Texas Aldawsari accused of gathering materials for bomb AMARILLO: Federal agents who searched the Texas apartment of a Saudi man accused of gathering materials to make a bomb found sulfuric acid and nitric acid, among other things, an FBI agent testified Friday. During the first day of testimony in the trial of Khalid Ali-M Aldawsari, Special Agent Aaron Covey walked jurors through the 22-year-old former chemical engineering student’s apartment in West Texas using photos taken hours after Aldawsari’s Feb 23, 2011, arrest. Prosecutors contend Aldawsari gathered bomb components with the goal of targeting sites across the US. Prosecutors presented more than 80 exhibits Friday, many of them photos that gave jurors a first look at Aldawsari’s sparsely furnished apartment near Texas Tech University. In addition to the bottles of sulfuric and nitric acids, prosecutors showed photos of cellphones, Christmas lights, journals and notebooks, a laptop computer, wiring, a stun gun, a hazmat suit and a baby scale. Aldawsari faces up to life in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted of attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction. Investigators say the targets he researched included the Dallas home of former President George W. Bush, dams and nuclear plants.

Defense attorney Dan Cogdell argued that though Aldawsari had intent, he never took a “substantial step” to make or use a bomb. Under cross-examination, Covey confirmed that none of the bottles of sulfuric and nitric acid had been opened. Cogdell also asked Covey about a third chemical Aldawsari allegedly had tried to obtain to make a bomb. “In that time did you find any phenol?” Cogdell asked. “No,” Covey testified. Testimony was scheduled to resume Monday.

Aldawsari came to the US in October 2008 from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to study chemical engineering at Texas Tech University in Lubbock. He transferred in early 2011 to nearby South Plains College, where he was studying business.

A Saudi industrial company, which was not identified in court documents, paid his tuition and living expenses. In his opening statement earlier Friday, Cogdell called his client a failure who never presented a true threat. “Was he a lone wolf or was he a loser alone?”

Cogdell asked. “I think the evidence will show he was a loser alone who failed.”

Cogdell said one word came to mind in

describing his client: Failure. “He’s a failure academically,” Cogdell said. “He’s a failure at relationships.” Prosecutor Jeffrey Haag described “10 blocks of evidence” he would present to the jury, including emails, writings and recordings of phone conversations in which Aldawsari described his desire to attack Americans.

“Maybe they deser ved 9/11 and maybe it should happen again and again because these people actually deserve it,” Aldawsari allegedly said, according to Haag. Aldawsari sat quietly in the courtroom during Friday’s testimony, looking up occasionally as photos of his apartment were shown. At one point, he wrote for several minutes on a legal pad, though he never passed anything to his defense team.

Authorities say they were tipped to Aldawsari’s online purchases by chemical company Carolina Biological Supply of Burlington, N.C., and shipping company Con-way Freight on Feb 1, 2011. The chemical company reported a $435 suspicious purchase to the FBI, while the shipping company notified Lubbock police and the FBI because it appeared the order wasn’t intended for commercial use. Prosecutors played recordings of a frustrated Aldawsari complaining to the supply company when his order was held up. “They keep asking me why I’m using this product,” Aldawsari is heard telling a customer service employee. The employee told Aldawsari that the company couldn’t ship hazardous materials on a personal credit card.

Aldawsari became a familiar caller as he grew angrier. One worker is heard telling another, “I have Khalid. He’s hotter than a firecracker.” Workers were eventually instructed to always transfer Aldawsari’s calls directly to a supervisor’s voicemail. Court documents say Aldawsari wrote in Arabic in his journal that he had been planning a terror attack in the US even before he came to the country on a scholarship, and that it was “time for jihad,” or holy war. He bemoaned the plight of Muslims and said he was influenced by Osama bin Laden’s speeches. FBI bomb experts have said they believe Aldawsari had sufficient components to produce almost 15 pounds of explosive - about the same amount used per bomb in the London subway attacks that killed scores of people in July 2005.—AP

Paraguay’s leftist president ousted Outcry in Latin America

ASUNCION: Paraguayan lawmakers have impeached president Fernando Lugo over his handling of a deadly land dispute, prompting an angry din across Latin America and refusals to recognize his successor.

In a 39-to-4 vote Friday, senators found Lugo, a 61-year-old former Catholic priest with a string of outstanding paternity cases, guilty of performing his duties badly during a land dispute last week that left 17 people dead. An hour later, to cheers inside Congress and angry clashes outside, 49-year-old vice president Federico Franco was sworn in as the new leader of one of Latin America’s poorest nations. “ The process took place in a manner that was a little bit quick and it took me and all Paraguayans by surprise,” Franco said, hours after taking the oath of office and as he set about swearing in new ministers.

Police, some on horseback, had used tear gas and water cannons to beat back crowds of thousands outside Congress chanting “Lugo, president!” and tearing down fences.

Lugo-who rose to power in 2008 as a champion of the poor, ending more than six decades of rule by the right-wing Colorado Party-called for calm in a brief speech before leaving the presidential palace.

“I submit to the decision of Congress,” Lugo said, adding that “the history of Paraguay and its democracy have been deeply wounded.” “Today I retire as president, but not as a Paraguayan citizen,” he said. “May the blood of the just not be spilled.” Holed up in the palace earlier while events in the Senate took their course, he angrily denounced the lawmakers’ action, saying: “It is more than a coup d’etat, it’s a parliamentary coup dressed up as a legal procedure.”

A torrent of furious responses poured in from across the region, not just from traditional leftist allies like Bolivia, Nicaragua and Venezuela, but also from centrist and right-wing governments in Argentina and Chile. “Without any doubt there has been a coup d’etat

Chavez hosts Ahmadinejad CARACAS: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad pledged Friday to stand together to battle “imperialism,” with Chavez criticizing tough sanctions on Tehran. Upon his arrival in Caracas from Brazil, where he attended the UNsponsored Rio+20 summit on sustainable development, Ahmadinejad said:

sanctions.” The pair then headed into talks with their key ministers. Chavez, who has been battling cancer for more than a year and faces a tough re-election contest in October, has expressed “solidarity” with key ally Iran as it faces growing pressure from the West over its suspect nuclear program.

Tehran has sought closer political

CARACAS: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez (C) welcomes his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, at Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas on Friday.—AFP “We will build our countries, and we will get away from all the pressures of imperialism.” Chavez responded: “We know the effort you must put in to overcome the obstacles imposed on you by imperialism-blockades, threats, unilateral

and economic relations with countries far and wide, including many in Latin America, as its standoff with the West drags on. Ahmadinejad hailed Chavez as a “great revolutionary” and “dear brother.” Iran and Venezuela engage in mili-

tary cooperation. Chavez raised hackles last week when he announced that, with Iranian help, he had made his first drone and planned to soon begin exporting the unmanned aircraft. A Venezuelan general said the drone, which “does not carry arms,” has a 100kilometer (60-mile) sweep, can fly solo for some 90 minutes and reach an altitude of 3,000 meters (9,000 feet).

The United States-which has controversially waged drone strikes remotely against suspected militants in Pakistan and Yemen-expressed caution about Chavez’s announcement. “ The Venezuelans make lots of extravagant claims. So do the Iranians,” State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters in Washington.

During Friday’s talks, the firebrand leaders-who share a common hostility towards the United States-reviewed their cooperation on a number of issues, and Chavez thanked Ahmadinejad for Iran’s help in building 14,000 houses.

Iran and Venezuela have mutual investment of about $5 billion in factories to make cement, satellites, food, tractors and bicycles.

En route to Rio, the Iranian leader stopped in Bolivia to court support from another leftist Latin American nation that has tense ties with the United States. Chavez has visited Tehran 13 times since taking power in 1999. He is hoping for a third term in October 7 elections, but faces a strong challenge from an often fractious opposition that has now united behind center-left rival Henrique Capriles. — AFP

Dick Cheney ‘delighted’ at lesbian daughter wedding WASHINGTON: Former US vice president Dick Cheney said Friday he was delighted after his lesbian daughter Mary married her long-term partner Heather Poe. The wedding came amid fierce debate about gay marriage, after President Barack Obama recently came out in favor if it, while his likely Republican rival Mitt Romney opposes same-sex marriage. Cheney and Poe, who have two children, were married in Washington DC, where gay marriage has been legal since 2010, reports said.

“Mary and Heather have been in a committed relationship for many years, and we are delighted that they were able to take advantage of the opportunity to have that relationship recognized,” said a Cheney family statement.

“Mary and Heather and their children are very important and much loved members of our family and we wish them every happiness,” it added. Forty-three year-old Mary Cheney confirmed the news on her Facebook page, according to People magazine. “Very happy to announce that as of this morning, Heather and I are legally married (at least in DC). They married 20 years to the day after their first date, she added. The couple have a five-year-old son and a two-year-old daughter. Cheney has said he believes US states should decide on legalizing same-sex marriage, but he backed then president George W Bush’s efforts to establish a constitutional ban on gay marriages. —AFP

in Paraguay. It is unacceptable,” said Argentina’s President Cristina Kirchner. She added that the issue would be discussed next week at a summit of the South American trade bloc Mercosur, which includes Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and

since the late dictator Augusto Pinochet left office, there was disbelief at the move. The impeachment “did not fulfill the minimum requirements for this type of procedure,” Chilean Foreign Minister Alfredo Moreno said on national television.

ASUNCION: Paraguayan new President Federico Franco gestures as he holds the ceremonial staff after being sworn in a ceremony in Asuncion on Friday.—AFP Uruguay. “In the name of the Venezuelan people and as head of state, Venezuela does not recognize this worthless, illegal and illegitimate government that has been installed in Asuncion,” blasted Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, in words echoed by Bolivian and Nicaraguan leaders. Even in Santiago, where Sebastian Pinera is Chile’s first right-wing president

Central American nations issued a joint statement urging the international community to reject Lugo’s impeachment.

In Washington, a US State Department spokeswoman, Darla Jordan, said: “We urge all Paraguayans to act peacefully, with calm and responsibility, in the spirit of Paraguay’s democratic principles.”

Lawmakers announced the surprise

move against Lugo after clashes last week left at least six police and 11 squatters dead on a huge estate poor farmers claim was acquired by political influence decades ago.

Lugo sacked his interior minister and Paraguay’s police chief to try to defuse the crisis, which highlighted the president’s failure to redistribute land to the poor in a country where only a gilded few have all the wealth. But the president became isolated when the Colorado Party joined forces in the impeachment bid with the Authentic Radical Liberal Party, part of his ruling coalition. Lugo appealed the impeachment proceedings before the Supreme Court, saying they were unconstitutional and that under the law he had the right to delay the process for 18 days to give him time to prepare his defense. As it turned out, five lawyers acting on the president’s behalf had only two hours to present their case in the Senate, where only four of 45 senators remained allied to Lugo. The suddenly former president, who was recently treated for lymphatic cancer, had already said he would not seek another term in April 2013 elections. Underscoring the gravity of the crisis, foreign ministers from the regional grouping UNASUR were dispatched to Paraguay from a UN environment summit in Rio de Janeiro after the lower house vote on Thursday.

Extremely popular at the time of his election, Lugo saw his reputation in this predominantly Catholic country take a nosedive by repeated claims he fathered children while under a vow of chastity.

Earlier this month, he acknowledged being the father of Angel, a 10-year-old boy. Already in 2009, Lugo admitted to being the father of another three-year-old boy. In addition, he faces at least two other paternity suits. Franco, a surgeon by training, has said he is inspired by former center-left Latin American leaders such as Brazil’s Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Chile’s Michelle Bachelet.— AFP

SUNDAY, JUNE 24, 2012

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

Liberia extradites 41 unrest suspects to Ivory Coast TOE’S TOWN: Liberia yesterday extradited 41 Ivory Coast nationals for their role in last year’s bloody post-electoral violence in the neighboring West African nation.

The handover witnessed by an AFP journalist took place in the northeastern border region of Toe’s Town and followed a Liberian court ruling that the men be sent back home to face justice. A four-truck convoy escorted by heavily-armed UN troops and Liberian police brought the Ivorians from the central prison of Zwedru to

Toe’s Town, 45 kilometres (30 miles) away at dawn.

Grand Gedeh county attorney John Gabriel said the move had been kept quiet because relatives of the Ivorians had threatened to set up roadblocks to stop the extradition. After handover formalities lasting about an hour the handcuffed Ivorians were put into trucks on the other side of the border and driven away. They were arrested on April 19 last year by United Nations forces as they tried to cross the border into Liberia with cars, guns and

ammunition shortly after the capture of former Ivorian president Laurent Gbagbo.

Gbagbo’s refusal to accept election defeat to current Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara led to a four-month conflict in the country that claimed some 3,000 lives. Gbagbo was captured on April 11, 2011 and has been in custody in The Hague since November on allegations of crimes against humanity.

Many of his supporters fled to neighbouring countries, including

Liberia. Two weeks ago 22 people, including seven UN peacekeepers from Niger, were killed in two separate attacks in western Ivory Coast, which Ivorian officials say they believe originated in Liberia. Shortly before the attacks Human Rights Watch issued a report saying at least 40 people had been killed since July 2011 in raids from Liberia by diehard Gbagbo supporters.

More than 12,000 people fled their homes as a result of the latest attacks, according to the United Nations,

whose peacekeeping force in Ivory Coast has stepped up support for the Ivorian army in the area.

The UN has called on Ivory Coast to ensure security in the region, citing a “climate of fear”, while Ouattara’s government has said it is seeking 10 people in connection with the attacks, including Gbagbo’s former close ally Charles Ble Goude. Goude, head of a pro-Gbagbo youth movement who has been on the run since the ex-president’s fall, has denied involvement. — AFP

8 killed, 44 injured in Croatia bus crash Accident occurs at popular tourist destination

LONDON: John Pilger, an Australian journalist, broadcaster and documentary maker, talks to members of the media after meeting WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, at the Ecuadorian Embassy, in London, Friday. —AP

Ecuador’s envoy heads to Quito for Assange talks LONDON: Ecuador’s embassy in London said yesterday that ambassador Anna Alban was scheduled to travel to her country’s capital for talks on the bizarre request for political asylum made by Wikileaks chief Julian Assange. Assange took refuge inside Ecuador’s embassy on Tuesday, and remains camped out in an office, as his legal options ran out for avoiding extradition from Britain to Sweden, where he is wanted for questioning for alleged sex crimes.

Ecuador ’s leftist President Rafael Correa has said his government is considering Assange’s request, but has not indicated when a decision will be made.

A spokesman for the country’s embassy, who requested anonymity to discuss the visit in advance, said yesterday that Alban would travel to Quito this weekend for talks on the matter.

Speaking Thursday from inside the embassy, Assange said he had made his bid for asylum becase the “Ecuadoreans were sympathetic in relation to my struggles.” He had previously interviewed Correa, with whom he shares skepticism toward the United States. Assange has been fighting since 2010 to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he is wanted for questioning over alleged sexual assaults on two women. Assange denies the claims, and says the case against him is politically motivated.

Both he and supporters insist that if he was sent to Sweden he would then likely become the target of a U.S. request to extradite him there over allegations linked to his leaking of hundreds of thou-

sands of secret U.S. documents via the secret-spilling WikiLeaks website. US soldier, Pfc. Bradley Manning, a 24-year-old from Crescent, Oklahoma, has been charged with aiding the enemy by passing the secret files to WikiLeaks and is awaiting trial.

A Virginia grand jury is studying evidence that might link Assange to Manning, but no action has yet been taken. “We are hoping what I am doing now will draw attention to the underlying issues,” Assange told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio in an interview Thursday. Correa said his country would discuss the case with both Britain, Sweden and the United States before reaching a final decision. While inside the embassy, Assange remains outside the reach of British authorities - but police are poised to arrest him the moment he steps foot outside the building.

Police said Assange will be arrested for breaching the terms of his bail, which included an overnight curfew at a registered address. Assange’s lawyer Jennifer Robinson said yesterday that filmmaker Michael Moore has sent Assange a message of support, urging him not to despair. Robinson posted an email sent

by Moore, among supporters who offered money to meet Assange’s 200,000 pounds ($316,000) bail, to her Twitter account.

In the message, sent Wednesday, Moore told the WikiLeaks founder it was a crime “that you even have to seek asylum, and I stand with you through this.

Do not despair.” — AFP

Blast outside Nigerian club after security chiefs fired ABUJA: A blast went off outside a nightclub in the Nigerian capital Abuja hours after the national security adviser and defence minister were sacked amid fears of spiralling violence in the country’s north. No casualties were reported in the explosion late Friday. Windows in the nightclub, a bank and a barber shop were shattered and a number of luxury cars were damaged. “No human casualty,” Yushau Shuaib, spokesman for the National Emergency Management Agency, said. “The explosives were suspected to have been planted on a tree opposite Kryxtal Lounge.”

The popular nightclub is located in a district frequented by foreigners and the wealthy. Shuaib said he did not believe there were many people there, though a security guard nearby said a crowd had been at the nightclub at the time of the blast, which caused people to flee in panic. Nigeria has been hit by scores of bombings blamed on Islamist group Boko Haram, including some in and around Abuja.

A suicide bomb attack on UN headquarters in Abuja in August killed at least 25 people, while another at the Abuja office of one of the country ’s most prominent newspapers left four dead.

Prominent areas of the capital, including major hotels, have long been under tight security over fears of more violence.

Nigeria has been grappling with Boko Haram’s insurgency for months, but criticism of President Goodluck Jonathan intensified this week after three suicide bombings at churches sparked reprisals from Christians who burnt mosques and killed dozens of Muslims.

There have been growing warnings

that there could be more cases of residents taking the law into their own hands if something is not done to halt the Boko Haram attacks. Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation and largest oil producer, is roughly divided between a mainly Muslim north and predominantly Christian south. Jonathan met with his security team on Friday after he returned from a UN environmental summit in Brazil. His decision to leave Nigeria on Tuesday for the summit as fresh riots broke out had also drawn heavy criticism.

After the meeting, Jonathan’s spokesman announced the national security adviser and defence minister had been fired. The new security adviser is to be Sambo Dasuki, a retired colonel, prominent northerner and cousin to the Sultan of Sokoto, Nigeria’s highest Muslim spiritual figure. He is also a former aide to ex-military ruler Ibrahim Babangida, an influential northerner who challenged Jonathan for the ruling party nomination ahead of 2011 presidential elections before eventually dropping out of the race.

It was not yet clear who would replace defence minister Bello Mohammed, who was widely viewed as ineffective. The fired national security adviser, Owoye Azazi, is a political ally of Jonathan’s, with both men from Bayelsa state in the oilproducing south. Azazi faced suspicion in the north, particularly after comments he made in April which many took as indicating that the violence was politically linked.

Several days of unrest in parts of northern Nigeria have left at least 106 people dead. — AFP

ZAGREB: A Czech bus carrying more than 50 passengers crashed near a tunnel in Croatia early yesterday, killing eight people and injuring at least 44, the national rescue services said. “A bus with Czech licence plates drove through a safety barrier and turned over” near a tunnel in Sveti Rok, some 230 kilometres (138 miles) south of Zagreb, the National Protection and Rescue Directorate said. The accident occurred around 4:00 am (0200 GMT) on the road to the Adriatic city of Split, a popular tourist destination.

The bodies of seven victims were found immediately while an eighth was pulled out later, local media reported. The injured were taken to a hospital in nearby Gospic, while three victims with serious injuries, a woman and two children, were transferred by a military helicopter to the capital Zagreb, rescuers said. In Prague, a Czech foreign ministry’s spokesman Karel Srol was quoted by CTK agency as saying that the lives of two injured passengers were in danger.

A Gospic hospital’s surgeon, Goran Nola, said a dozen others were seriously injured, adding that passengers were of all ages, from children to the elderly. The bus belonged to a travel agency from the southern Czech town of Brno, Srol said.

A spokesman for the travel agency, Martin Vasulin, said all the passengers in the bus, that was heading towards Croatian coastal resort Basko Polje, were Czech nationals, mostly

from Brno and its surroundings but also from Prague. Local media said the bus hit the barrier, turned over and smashed into a concrete fence opposite.

Some 10 million tourists visit Croatia each year, among them hundreds of thousands of

SVETI ROK: Officials stand next to the wreckage of a bus, near a tunnel in Sveti Rok, some 230 kilometres (138 miles) south of Zagreb yesterday —AFP

Women and song tempt Mali’s Islamists OUAGADOUGOU: Women, song and drinks are putting Malian Islamists to the test as they talk about the future of their divided country with regional mediators in Burkina Faso. “The problem is that in our hotel we can’t help looking at the beautiful women and listening to the music,” sighed Algabass Ag Intalla, a member of the hardline Ansar Dine, one of the groups controlling northern Mali since March. “It’s a real test for us Muslims to have to look at all that as well,” he added, pointing to rows of alcoholic drinks in full view from the lobby.

An Ansar Dine delegation arrived in Ouagadougou on June 15 at the invitation of Burkina Faso’s President Blaise Compaore, named chief mediator in the Malian crisis by the Economic Community of West African States. The Islamists met Compaore on June 18 and have since been continuing talks with his aides. The Burkina government has put them up in a luxury hotel in the wellheeled Ouaga 2000 district. “President Compaore asked us to stay, so we are still here,” delegation leader Algabass, dressed in a white robe and turban like his five colleagues said.

Soft music drifted through from the bar as they sat on couches in the hotel lobby. Delegation spokesman Cheick Ag Wissa, speaking broken French, asked for the sound to be turned off, but only succeeded in having it lowered. “The manager has told us not to switch it off until the bar is closed,” a member of staff explained. It is a sharp contrast from the situation in northern Mali, where Ansar Dine and other Islamist groups, including Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), are trying to impose Muslim Sharia law

Czechs, vacationing on the picturesque Adriatic coast.

The accident is the most serious involving a Czech bus since a crash in March 2003 near the southwestern Czech town of Nazidla, when 20 people were killed. —AFP

by force. Their ultra-conservative doctrine punishes smokers, drinkers, adulterers and even football fans. On Wednesday, in the desert city of Timbuktu, a couple who had a child out of wedlock were given 100 lashes. The Ansar Dine representatives, whose chief Iyad Ag Ghaly has remained in Mali, are also watching what they eat and where they pray. “In the morning we have meat at the home of a friend, we always eat fish,” Algabass said. “They say the food is halal, but we still prefer fish. “We pray at a friend’s, we don’t go to the mosques here.” Cheikh Ag Wissa, like the others a member of the desert Sahel region’s nomad Tuareg tribes, chimed in, “There’s something else we miss: dates and camel’s milk.”

Also in the hotel are representatives of the secular Tuareg National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), which spearheaded the capture of northern Mali amid the confusion sparked by a military coup in the capital, Bamako. The MNLA, which seeks the independence of the region, has been shunted aside by its rivals, and a merger with Ansar Dine collapsed amid dissent over the implementation of Sharia. Despite the acrimony, the two groups are still speaking to each other, if only in Ouagadougou. “We see each other every day, we greet each other but we don’t talk politics,” Algabass said. “They are our brothers,” said Colonel Hassan Ag Mehdy, a member of the MNLA delegation. “We talk to each other even if we are fundamentally opposed.” Another member of the group, Magdi Ag Bahada, added, “We are the same: the other day I had some tea brought from Mali, which I gave to Ansar Dine.” — AFP

OUAGADOUGOU: Cheick Ag Wissa (R), a spokesman for Mali’s Islamist rebel group Ansar Dine (Defenders of Faith) which jointly controls the country’s north, AG Ahanga Ahyoub (C) and Ag Intalla Algabas, both members of Ansar Dine, are pictured yesterday at a hotel in Ouagadougou. —AFP

Ukraine reawakens 1990s murder ghosts in Tymoshenko case KIEV: It was November 3, 1996, at the height of the blood-stained chaos that enveloped Ukrainian business in the years after the fall of the Soviet Union.

Ukrainian lawmaker and wealthy businessman Yevgen Shcherban stepped from a passenger jet onto the tarmac of the airport at his native eastern stronghold of Donetsk. A car pulled up. At least two men in dark glasses rushed out of the vehicle, produced machine guns and pumped bullets at pointblank range into Shcherban and several others accompanying him.

He died instantly, his bloodied corpse languishing on the tarmac for four hours, according to reports at the time. His wife also later died of her wounds. The contract-style killing of Shcherban was just the most notorious of a series of murders that shook Ukraine and in particular the Donetsk region in the anarchy of the 1990s. Although over oneand-a-half decades have passed since his murder, the authorities are now showing a new interest in the case as they seek to keep up the pressure on jailed former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko.

Ukraine’s deputy prosecutor general Renat Kuzmin said this week he planned to charge Tymoshenko over the murder, which he said was ordered by her disgraced former ally and ex-prime minister Pavlo Lazarenko who is in jail in the US. “We have enough proof confirming Tymoshenko’s implication in this murder and we are intending to present her with charges,” Kuzmin told the Ukrainian edition of the Kommersant newspaper.

Kuzmin also linked Tymoshenko to the notorious Kushnir criminal gang who he said were involved in 25 cases of murder and attempted murder.

Tymoshenko’s lawyers furiously rejected the new allegations as a desperate attempt by the authorities to pin more charges on the opposition leader amid growing international unease over her case.

Tymoshenko has always said that the seven year jail sentence she is serving for abuse of power is an act of revenge orchestrated by President Viktor Yanukovych who defeated her in the high-stakes 2010 presidential elections. “They have started inventing all sorts of rubbish to try to show the West that she is a criminal,” her lawyer Sergiy Vlasenko told AFP. “They have a savage desire to keep Yulia Tymoshenko in prison, no matter what the pretext.”

Ukraine in April 2003 sentenced a Russian national, Vadim Bolotskikh, to life in prison for carrying out the Shcherban murder but the masterminds of the crime have never been found. Kuzmin said Tymoshenko had an interest in Shcherban’s disappearing as he had been impeding her ambition, backed by Lazarenko, to force Donetsk companies to buy gas traded by the United Energy Systems of Ukraine (UESU) utility she headed at the time.

He portrayed the murder as a result of infighting between business clans based in the central city of Dnipropetrovsk, the home region of Tymoshenko and Lazarenko, and Donetsk, the base of Shcherban and Yanukovych. Lazarenko, who started his career as a driver in a Soviet collective farm, headed the Ukrainian government from May 1996 to July 1997. He was convicted in the United States of money laundering in 2006 and given a nine-year jail term. — AFP

SUNDAY, JUNE 24, 2012

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

Bullying of teachers more damaging in online era MIAMI: The bullying that bus monitor Karen Klein endured on a ride home from an upstate New York school was painful and egregious, but also shows how student harassment of teachers and administrators has become more spiteful and damaging in the online era.

Much attention has been paid to students who bully students in class, after school and on the Internet. Less has been given to equally disturbing behavior by students who harass instructors, principals and other adults.

It’s something that’s long existed; think ganging up on the substitute teacher. But it has become increasingly cruel and even dangerous as students get access to advanced technology at earlier ages. In Mar yland, students posed as their vice principal’s twin 9year-old daughters on pedophile websites, saying they had been having sex with their father and were looking for a new partner. Elsewhere, students have logged on to neo -Nazi and white supremacist sites claiming to be a Jewish or minority teacher and inciting the groups’ anger. Others have stolen photographs from teachers’ cellphones

and posted them online.

“The ways they provoke teachers are limited only by their imaginations,” said lawyer Parry Aftab, who described the above cases as just a few of the hundreds she’s handled. Compared with those, what happened to Klein in Greece, N.Y., a suburb of Rochester, was mild, Aftab said.

Students poked the bus monitor with a textbook, called her a barrage of obscenities and threatened to urinate on her front door, among other callous insults.

One student taunted: “You don’t have a family because they all killed themselves because they don’t want to be near you.”

Klein’s oldest son killed himself 10 years ago. Eventually, she appears to break down in tears. A cellphone video of the incident posted on YouTube went viral. There is no data collected on how often students bully and harass teachers and other school authorities. The most recent school safety report from the National Center for Education Statistics, the data branch of the U.S. Department of Education, found that 5 percent of public schools reported students verbally abused teachers on a daily or weekly basis. Also, 8 percent of secondary school

teachers reported being threatened with injury by a student, as did 7 percent of elementary teachers.

“Is what we saw in this video occurring with many children every day with adults? No,” said Ken Trump, president of the National School Safety and Security Services, a Cleveland-based consulting firm. “One incident is one too many, but we certainly have a problem where the authority of educators and school support personnel has been undermined.”

Certainly, students harassing teachers isn’t new. John Ristow remembers an incident from his early days as a teacher’s assistant in Alpena, Mich. A student in the class was upset that he was singled out by the lead teacher for disrupting other students who were trying to study. When Ristow passed him in the hall later that day, the middle school student lashed out. “It was ver y nasty swear words that were extremely demeaning to my character,” said Ristow, who now is head of communications for the Broward Teachers Union in Florida. Ristow held out his hand and said, “Stop.” A security officer came by and asked if Ristow wanted her to take

the boy to the principal’s office. He said no, deciding to resolve the issue directly with the teacher and student instead. He brought both of them together, they discussed how inappropriate the behavior was and told the student he would face a suspension if it happened again.

“It never happened again,” Ristow said. That was in the late 1980s. Two decades later, students are equipped with cellphones with video cameras and a plethora of apps that allow them easily to share information among each other and post online. One of the new ways that students are harassing teachers has become known as “cyberbaiting.”

Students irritate a teacher to the point that the teacher breaks down; that reaction then is captured in photos or video to post online. A Norton Online Family Report published last year found that 21 percent of teachers had experienced or knew another teacher who had experienced “cyberbaiting.” Then there are cases of students who have created websites and blogs against teachers and administrators. In South Florida, one student created a Facebook group page called, “Ms. Sarah Phelps is the worst

teacher I’ve ever met!” The student encouraged others to “express your feelings of hatred.”

The student, Katherine Evans, took the page down but was suspended for three days and removed from her Advanced Placement classes. She later was represented by the American Civil Liberties Union in a lawsuit against the principal of the Pembroke Pines Charter High School, arguing that her right to freedom of speech had been violated.

She settled for $15,000 to cover her legal fees and her suspension was wiped from her record. Aftab said such an outcome is not uncommon. Unless the incident occurs on school grounds, during school hours, at a school sponsored event or on school equipment, the district generally does not have jurisdiction to expel or suspend a student, although some courts around the country have ruled differently. Courts “tend to side more with the students unless you can show dramatic problems,” Aftab said. Phelps, in her first public comments since the 2007 incident, said while kids make mistakes, it’s the responsibility of adults to turn them into teachable moments.—AP

Flooding kills at least 37 in northern Afghanistan Blast at Afghan music market, two dead

MIRATI: The Union Finance Minister and the ruling UPA candidate for the Presidential election Pranab Mukherjee gestures as family members and his supporters present a flower garland to him on his arrival at his ancestral house in Mirati village around 200 KM north west of Kolkata yesterday. Mukherjee came to his house where he was born and spent his childhood, before he contests for the Presidency. — AFP

Indian PM congratulates new Pakistan PM Ashraf Gunmen kill eight in Pakistan laundry attack NEW DELHI: India’s prime minister has welcomed the appointment of new counterpart in Pakistan and said that he was “confident” of strengthening ties between the two neighbors. Pakistani MPs elected Raja Pervez Ashraf as the country’s new prime minister Friday, seeking to end a political upheaval. India chose to refrain from commenting on Pakistan’s internal crisis, sparked by judges ousting ex-Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani over contempt charges and demanding the arrest of the first candidate to be nominated as his successor.

On Friday, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh congratulated his Pakistani counterpart. “Our two countries will continue to make progress in their bilateral dialogue...(and) build good neighborly relations by strengthening their cooperation in all areas for the benefit of the peoples of both countries,” he said.

Relations between India and Pakistan, which have fought three wars since the subcontinent was partitioned in 1947, have been plagued by border disputes, and accusations of Pakistani militant activity against India. The neighbors are still at loggerheads on the divided Himalayan territory of Kashmir and no closer to a full peace deal, but are channeling their efforts into increasing trade in the hope that business can bring them together. Last month, they also agreed to

enhance cooperation on terrorism, human trafficking, narcotics, counterfeit currency and cyber crime.

In another development, gunmen on motorcycles yesterday shot dead eight men at a laundry in the restive southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta, police said. The gunmen were riding two motorcycles when they struck at the laundry in a busy area of Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province, before fleeing, they said. “At least eight men were killed and another man was wounded,” senior police official Iskandar Tareen said.

Initial investigations indicated that the victims were “settlers,” he said, referring to people who have settled in Baluchistan but come from other provinces of Pakistan.

There was no claim of responsibility for the attack, but Baluchistan suffers from Islamist militancy, sectarian violence between Sunni and Shiite Muslims and a separatist insurgency which also targets non-natives. Baluch rebels rose up in the province in 2004, demanding political autonomy and a greater share of profits from oil, gas and mineral resources in the region. It is one of the most deprived regions of Pakistan despite its wealth in resources, and human rights activists have accused the military of mass arrests and extra-judicial executions in its bid to put down the separatist insurgency.—Agencies

Sudanese protest over cuts amid security crackdown KHARTOUM: Hundreds of Sudanese joined anti-government demonstrations in Khartoum yesterday, witnesses and activists said, pushing protests against tough spending cuts into a second week despite a security crackdown. Fuelled by unpopular austerity measures, demonstrations spread throughout the capital a day earlier and expanded beyond the core of student activists who have dominated it so far. Activists have sought to use anger over a worsening economic crisis to spark an “Arab Spring”-style uprising against the government of President Omar Hassan AlBashir. Security forces have responded by using teargas and batons to break up the demonstrations, which have broken out in a variety of Khartoum’s neighborhoods but have not exceeded more than a few hundred people at any one time.

Yesterday, the smell of teargas hung in the air and smoke rose from burning tyres amid a heavy security presence in the neighborhood of Al-Daim, which had also been the site of protests a day earlier. A Reuters correspondent saw around 300 to 400 demonstrators, but it was difficult to get a precise count because the protesters were dispersed in small groups throughout different streets. Activists also reported that protests broke out in at least four other neighborhoods of Khartoum yesterday, but

it was not immediately possible to verify the reports independently.

The police were not immediately available to comment. In a rare acknowledgement of the protests on Friday, the police said they had dispersed “limited” demonstrations that did not exceed 150 people.

Sudan avoided the wave of unrest that toppled strongmen in neighboring Egypt and Libya last year, but tough spending cuts announced this week unleashed a spate of demonstrations. The measures are aimed at coping with an economic crisis rooted largely in the secession of South Sudan a year ago. The new nation took about threequarters of the country’s oil output - previously Sudan’s dominant source of state revenues, exports and hard currency.

That left Sudan with a budget deficit of about $2.4 billion, a weakening currency and high inflation for food and other goods, many of which are imported. The two countries were supposed to work out a deal whereby the landlocked South would pay Sudan fees to export crude via pipelines and other facilities on its territory, but they have so far failed to reach an agreement. South Sudan shut down its crude output in January after Khartoum started taking some oil. African Union-brokered talks in Addis Ababa have yet to produce a deal. — Reuters

KABUL: Flash floods have swept northern Afghanistan, killing at least 37 people, Afghan and UN authorities said yesterday. More than 100 homes, hundreds of hectares of farmland and farm animals were been destroyed by the floods that followed four or five days of heavy rain in the region. Abdul Hai Khateby, who is the spokesman in Ghor province, said yesterday that 24 people have been killed in four districts, including the provincial capital of Chaghcharan.

“Many, many houses have been destroyed, and there are reports of lots of cattle and other animals being killed,” Khateby said. “It is cloudy and we expect more rain.” The provincial spokesman of Badak hshan, Abdul Marouf Rasekh, said 13 people were killed Friday night in Yaftal district and four other districts have been affected. The Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority said an estimated 135 houses in Badak hshan had been destroyed, forcing residents to flee.

The UN O ffice for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said many of the unpaved, rutted roads in the area have been severely flooded, making aid distribution difficult.

Elsewhere, a bomb exploded at a music store yesterday in Jalalabad, the provincial capital of Nangarhar in the east.

Provincial spokesman Ahmad Zia Abdulzai said the shopkeeper

HELMAND: US Marines from Kilo Company of the 3rd Battalion 8th Marines Regiment patrol in Kalinoum village, west of Garmser, Helmand Province yesterday. The US-led war in Afghanistan has cost the lives of around 3,000 U.S. and allied troops, seen thousands of Afghans killed and cost hundreds of billions of dollars. —AFP and one of his customers were killed in the blast and two other people were wounded.

Meanwhile, an improvised bomb exploded at a music market in an Afghan city yesterday, leaving two people dead, officials said, a day after Taleban militants stormed a lakeside resort near Kabul, killing at least 18. The blast at the market in the eastern city of Jalalabad, close to the border with Pakistan’s militant-infested trib-

al areas, wounded four people, local government spokesman Ahmad Zia Abdulzai said. Two of the casualties later died from their injuries, Sayed Afandi Sayedi, a senior doctor at the local hospital, said.

Under the hardline rule of the Taleban, overthrown by a US-led invasion in 2001, music was regarded as un-Islamic and banned, and Afghan music shop owners particularly in Jalalabad, have recently complained of

being threatened by extremists.

Yesterday’s blast and Friday’s bloody 12-hour siege at a hotel popular with families will add to fears that the Taleban are seeking to re-impose their extreme moral code as the departure of foreign forces approaches. The 130,000 NATO troops are due to leave Afghanistan by the end of 2014 and there are fears that their exit will lead to a reduction in rights and freedoms in the war-torn country.— Agencies

Washington’s Constitution fetches record $9.8 million

LA PAZ: Wives of police officers on strike march along the streets of La Paz, Bolivia, on Friday. Looting broke out near Bolivia’s presidential palace as junior members of the police force angry over low wages joined a nationwide mutiny. —AFP

Bolivian officials, striking police plan talks over pay LA PAZ: Bolivian government officials and police officers demanding better pay planned a new round of talks yesterday after failing to reach agreement amid a nationwide mutiny. The mutiny, which began Thursday when protesters took over the headquarters of the country’s riot police just steps from the presidential palace and eight other police stations, has spread across the nation.

A crowd of some 200 officers in civilian clothes, covering their faces, attacked the National Intelligence Directorate on Friday, smashing windows and pulling out furniture, documents and computers, and even setting flags ablaze. “Mutiny, police mutiny!” chanted the protesters as they ransacked the office. In an upscale La Paz neighborhood, roughly 300 protesters hurled rocks and shattered windows at national police headquarters.

Police on duty outside the building offered no resistance.

Police currently earn an average of $195 a month, and want their lowest pay

raised to $287 a month. Demands also include full pay upon retirement and annulling a law that forbids them to publicly express their opinions.

Demonstrators have also demanded the resignation of the national police chief, Colonel Victor Maldonado. “The government does not want to listen to the police, does not want to give us a good salary, a better life,” Guadalupe Cardenas, leader of a union of police wives, told Erbol radio.

Cardenas said that protesting police and their wives would meet early yesterday to agree on “new strategies to pressure the government to hear us.”

Government officials held negotiations for nearly seven hours Friday with the two unions representing the striking officers and their wives, who have joined the protests. But they failed to reach agreement. “We have made every effort we can as a government with realistic proposals,” said Interior Minister Carlos Romero, who opened the talks.—AFP

NEW YORK: George Washington’s personal copy of the US Constitution and Bill of Rights sold for $9.8 million at auction on Friday, setting a record for any American book or historic document. Bidders at Christie’s New York salesroom and others on the telephone competed for the first US president’s signed, gold-embossed volume dating to 1789, which had a pre-sale estimate of up to $3 million The non-profit Mount Vernon Ladies Association of the Union, which maintains the historic Mount Vernon estate in Virginia that was Washington’s home and is now open to the public, was the successful bidder.

“The unique book has been in the Mount Vernon library until 1876, and will soon be returned to that library,” said Chris Coover, senior specialist of books and manuscripts at Christie’s. The bound volume was Washington’s personal copy of the Acts of Congress and is noteworthy for his bold signature marking it as his own. The Acts of Congress include the Constitution, whose preamble promises to “secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity,” and the Bill of Rights, the first 10 amendments to the Constitution, which establish such fundamental liberties as the right to free speech, press, assembly and religion.

Christie’s described the book as being in near-pristine condition after 223 years. It was specially printed for Washington in 1789, his first year in office as president. The margins include Washington’s handwritten brackets and notations highlighting key passages concerning the president’s responsibilities. The Acts of Congress volume was sold from Washington’s library at Mt Vernon in 1876 and eventually bought at auction by collector Richard Dietrich in the 1960s. It was being sold by the family’s estate.

Similar volumes created for Thomas Jefferson, the first Secretary of State and third US president, and Attorney General John Jay, are in Indiana’s Lilly Library and a private collection, respectively. Rare books and manuscripts have achieved impressive prices in recent years. An autographed manuscript of Lincoln’s 1864 election victory speech sold for $3.4 million in February 2009, which set a record for an American manuscript at the time. A 1787 letter written from Washington to his nephew on the subject of the ratification of the Constitution fetched $3.2 million in December 2009.—Reuters

SUNDAY, JUNE 24, 2012

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

Wen seals deals, talks investment in Uruguay MONTEVIDEO: Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has signed five cooperation agreements with Uruguay, his first stop on a multi-nation visit to South America, and left the door open to increased investment in the country. A spokesman for Uruguayan President Jose Mujica said after Friday’s talks that the accords-on telecommunications, the environment, and economic and technology cooperation-would help “deepen the relationship.” During the nearly two hours of talks,

Mujica told Wen his country hoped Chinese companies would consider investing in a deep-water port project in the southeast department of Rocha, according to the spokesman, Diego Canepa.

Canepa said Wen had conveyed China’s interest in the construction and the development of the port. A Uruguayan delegation will visit China in the next three months to present the project to potential investors, the spokesman said. Chinese companies are keen to

explore the possibility of using Uruguay as a “key platform” for improving ties with Mercosur, the South American trade bloc that includes Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, Canepa said. Upon his arrival in Uruguay, the first time a Chinese premier has visited the country since diplomatic ties were established in 1988, Wen noted the “substantial advances” in bilateral relations during that near quarter-century.

China is Uruguay’s second-largest trading partner

after Brazil. Wen, whose stay wraps up Saturday, is also scheduled to visit Chile and Argentina on his trip to the region. He arrived in Uruguay from Brazil, where he participated in the UN’s Rio+20 conference on sustainable development. Beijing has in recent years been ramping up its investment in Latin America, investing in everything from agriculture to railways while satisfying its need for oil and other raw materials to fuel its booming economy. — AFP

Voting starts in troubled PNG Pacific nation on the brink of huge resources boom

SYDNEY: Voting began in Papua New Guinea yesterday in polls seen as a watershed moment after months of political uncertainty in the struggling Pacific nation which is on the brink of a huge resources boom. PNG’s electoral commission said voting started between 8:00 am and 9:00 am (2200-2300 GMT Friday) in a number of provinces across the rugged nation of 6.8 million with the full count expected to take two weeks.

Commission spokesman Alphonse Muapi said the leadup to the election had been mostly peaceful and the morning’s voting had started without a hitch. Electoral commissioner Andrew Trawen was yet to receive the first detailed updates from the ground but said “all systems are set to go”. “These elections are very important and we’ve needed to get under way very quickly,” Trawen said.

Security forces are out in strength across the nation, particularly in the volatile highlands where a number of pre-polling raids and arrests were made and which was the scene of violence in 2002 polls. There are 4.6 million people registered to vote and 3,428 candidates are vying for just 109 parliamentary seats, with no single political party likely to win enough seats to form government on its own. There are 4,700 polling stations - 1,700 of which are so remote they are only accessible by air. The commission has described the vote as the most crucial in PNG’s 37 years since independence, with the country poised for a huge US$15 million liquefied natural gas project set to transform its impoverished economy.

Australia’s secretary for Pacific island affairs, Richard Marles, expressed hope that the election would offer a “reset” button on “what has been a very difficult 12 months” for the country. “I think we can all have a sense of hope and optimism that these elections will herald in a new period of politics in PNG,” Marles told ABC Radio.

Corruption and bribery are common in the aid-dependent Melanesian nation, described as a “dysfunctional blob” and “steeped in traditional magic” by diplomats in memos published by WikiLeaks last year. A backgrounder prepared by US officials ahead of the last elections likened the country’s politics to “Ponzi” fraud schemes and described its citizens as “rubes”, or country bumpkins, whose votes were easily bought.

MADANG: An handout photo taken by the Australian Department of Defence yesterday shows Australian soldier Ben Crawford (R) helping a member of the Papua New Guinea Election Office unload ballot boxes from the back of a C-130H Hercules aircraft after arriving in Madang, Papua New Guinea. —AFP Election observers said vote-buying was even worse this time around, with bribes on offer increasing as much as 30-fold in some areas as contenders jostled for a position in the front seat of the resources boom. “Our team in Enga has reported that certainly one of the sitting members (of parliament) has been handing out debit cards with 3000 kina (US$1,445) in the account,” said Nicole Hayley, head of the Domestic Election Observers group. “Clearly this election is much more competitive and people are crediting that to the liquefied natural gas project. The stakes are much higher,” said Hayley, from the Australian National University.

Due for completion in 2014, the US$15 billion

ExxonMobil gas project stands to end PNG’s reliance on foreign aid, potentially doubling the nation’s GDP. Wrangling over the project’s spoils has been seen as the key driver of a power struggle between veteran leader Sir Michael Somare and would-be successor Peter O’Neill which has plunged the nation into a protracted political impasse. O’Neill was installed as prime minister while Somare was ill in Singapore last year, but the Supreme Court ruled in December that the man known as the “Grand Chief” had been wrongly ousted. The decision triggered a crisis which, at its height, saw the nation with two prime ministers, two governors-general and two police chiefs. — AFP

S Korea, US launch major naval exercise SEOUL: South Korea and the United States yesterday launched a massive naval exercise in the tense Yellow Sea, ahead of the 62nd anniversary tomorrow of the outbreak of the Korean War, a spokesman said. The three-day drill will involve 10 South Korean warships plus the USS George Washington aircraft carrier, 8,000 personnel and hundreds of combat aircraft, the defence ministry said.

The joint naval drill, which comes amid high tensions on the peninsula, is conducted every year, alternatively in the Sea of Japan (East Sea) and the Yellow Sea. “The naval exercise started as scheduled today,” the defence ministry spokesman said. On Friday, South Korean and US troops held their biggest singleday joint live -fire exercise to test responses to any North Korean attack.

The drill at Pocheon near the North Korean border involved 2,000 troops

along with jet fighters, tanks, Apache attack helicopters, A-10 “tank-killer” aircraft, missiles and rocket launchers, the defence ministry said.

On Thursday and Friday, the US, South Korea and Japan carried out a separate drill off the southern South Korean island of Jeju, involving destroyers, supply ships and helicopters. North Korea denounced it as a “reckless provocation”. Tensions are high after the North’s failed rocket launch in April, seen by the US and its allies as an attempted ballistic missile test. “Throughout the joint military exercises, South Korean and US forces will test their ability for joint operations and enhance combat-readiness,” Navy Brigadier General Park Seong-Bae said in a statement Friday. “We will immediately retaliate against any attacks from North Korea and finish the enemy off on the spot.”— AFP

TOKYO: Japanese anti nuclear power activists hold banners as they walk down a street during a demonstration in Tokyo yesterday. Some 500 people took part in the demonstration against the government’s decision to restart two nuclear reactors, ending a brief period without any atomic power generation. —AFP

News

in brief

Australia ends search for 90 missing from boat CANBERRA: Australia has ended a three-day search for survivors among more than 90 Afghan asylum seekers missing since a fishing boat carrying them capsized between Australia and Indonesia. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority says the air and sea search for survivors ended late yesterday and that all of the missing are now presumed dead. No survivor has been found since the day of the tragedy on Thursday, when 108 men and a 13-year-old boy were rescued from the Indian Ocean. Searchers will now focus on recovery of bodies. The safety authority said six bodies had been retrieved by yesterday, and more had been seen by planes searching for survivors.

More than 200 males seeking asylum in Australia were aboard the Indonesian fishing boat.

China rescues 11 from prostitution BEIJING: State media say police in southern China have rescued 11 Vietnamese women who were abducted and forced into prostitution in a border province and are returning them home. State-run China News Service said yesterday that police in Guangxi province investigated the case in response to a request by Vietnamese police and located the women in Nanning city. It says the victims were confined to a spa in the city and forced to engage in prostitution, but one woman managed to notify her family in Vietnam. China News says police arrested one suspect. Despite repeated police crackdowns, there remains a thriving market for foreign prostitutes in China, especially in border provinces and big cities.

Journalists end strike at S Korea news agency SEOUL: Journalists at South Korea’s largest news agency Yonhap have ended a strike. About 360 employees stopped working in March after their union accused Yonhap’s management of censoring reports critical of the country’s president. Yonhap executive Jang Ik-sang said yesterday that the union and management agreed earlier this week to set up a joint panel overseeing fairness in reporting and other matters. Jang says Yonhap’s production of stories halved during the strike. He says the company has yet to assess financial losses from it. Jang expects strikers - less than half of Yonhap’s workforce - to return to work early next week. Broadcasters KBS and MBC have also seen strikes over alleged pro-government bias. The one at KBS ended earlier this month.

Philippines arrests militant in American beheading MANILA: Philippine police have arrested a militant suspected of involvement in the beheading of an American tourist by the Al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group 11 years ago. National police investigation chief Samuel Pagdilao says Alawie Pasihul was arrested Thursday in southern Zamboanga city near Basilan island where American Guillermo Sobero, two other Americans and 17 Filipinos were taken after they were abducted in May 2001 from a resort. Militants beheaded Sobero. One of the Americans was killed during a military rescue. Pagdilao said yesterday that Pasihul allegedly also was involved in a mass kidnapping of students and teachers in Basilan. US-backed offensives against the Abu Sayyaf have weakened the group. It continues ransom kidnappings to raise funds.

In North Korea, learning to hate US starts early PYONGYANG: A framed poster on the wall of a kindergarten classroom shows bright-eyed children brandishing rifles and bayonets as they attack a hapless American soldier, his face bandaged and blood spurting from his mouth.

“We love playing military games knocking down the American bastards,” reads the slogan printed across the top. Another poster depicts an American with a noose around his neck.

“Let’s wipe out the US imperialists,” it instructs.

For North Koreans, the systematic indoctrination of anti-Americanism starts as early as kindergarten and is as much a part of the curriculum as learning to count. Toy pistols, rifles and tanks sit lined up in neat rows on shelves.

The school principal pulls out a dummy of an American soldier with a beaked nose and straw-colored hair and explains that the students beat him with batons or pelt him with stones - a favorite schoolyard game, she says.

For a moment, she is sheepish as she takes three journalists from The Associated Press, including an American, past the anti-US posters. But Yun Song Sil is not shy about the message.

“Our children learn from an early age about the American bastards,” she says, tossing off a phrase so common here that it is considered an acceptable way to refer to Americans. North Korean students learn that their country has

PYONGYANG: In this April 27, 2012 file photo, children perform at the Kaeson Kindergarten in Pyongyang, North Korea. For North Korean children, the systematic indoctrination of anti-Americanism starts as early as kindergarten, and is as much a part of the curriculum as learning to count. —AP

had two main enemies: the Japanese, who colonized Korea from 1910 to 1945, and the US, which fought against North Korea during the 1950-53 Korean War. They are told that North Korea’s defense against outside forces - particularly the US, which has more than 28,000 soldiers stationed in South Korea - remains the backbone of the country’s foreign policy.

And they are bred to seek revenge, even as their government professes to want peace with the United States. “They tell their people there can be no reconciliation with the United States,” says American scholar Brian Myers, who dissected North Korean propaganda in his 2010 book “The Cleanest Race: How North Koreans See Themselves and Why It Matters.” “They make it very clear to the masses that this hate will last forever.” In recent years, state propaganda has shifted away from the virulent anti-American slogans of the past and has instead emphasized building up the economy. On the streets of Pyongyang, anti-American posters have largely given way to images of soldiers in helmets and workers in factories.

But the posters and curricula at kindergartens across North Korea remain unchanged.

One glimpse inside a school, and it’s clear that despite US-North Korean diplomacy behind closed doors, 4-year-olds are still being taught that the “Yankee imperialists” are North Korea’s worst enemy. At the Kaeson Kindergarten in central Pyongyang, one of several schools visited by the AP, US soldiers are depicted as cruel, ghoulish barbarians with big noses and fiendish eyes. Teeth bared, they brand prisoners with hot irons, set wild dogs on women and wrench out a girl’s teeth with pliers. One drawing shows an American soldier crushing a girl with his boot, blood pouring from her mouth, her eyes wild with fear and pain.

“The American imperialists and Japanese militarism are the sworn enemies of the North

Korean people,” reads a quote from late leader Kim Jong Il affixed to the top of one wall in a large room devoted to anti-US education. “The main theme of anti-American propaganda is not ‘We must be ready for an attack’ but ‘We must be ready for revenge,’” Myers says. “People are being whipped up to hate the United States on the basis of past actions.” The Americans also are portrayed with nuclear symbols on their helmets and uniforms, a reference to the North Korean insistence that the US poses an atomic threat to the region.

An undated poster in French is dotted with places in South Korea where missiles and fighter jets purportedly were kept. The US denies having nuclear weapons in Korea. The North cites the presence of US soldiers in South Korea, as well as the alleged nuclear threat, as key reasons behind its drive to build atomic weapons in defiance of UN Security Council resolutions designed to hobble its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. As disarmament discussions continue in fits and starts, the message in classrooms across the country remains the same: North Korea needs its rockets, bombs and missiles and is proud of its atomic arsenal.

Kaeson Kindergarten is a model school. In the mornings, the children line up for calisthenics and to sing patriotic songs, and at lunchtime they are fed rice, fish and tofu, according to the principal. They learn to sing, dance and ride unicycles, and at 4 pm they get a snack and soy milk. History lessons include tales about Kim Jong Il’s childhood, life under Japanese occupation and the Korean War. “First, we start by teaching that the American imperialists started the war,” said soft-spoken schoolteacher Jon Chun Yong, citing the North Korean version of how the war began.

“From that time on, the tragedy emerged by which our nation was divided in two,” said Jon, who has taught at the kindergarten for 15

years. “Since then, our people had to endure the pain of living divided for a long half-century.” Outside North Korea, history books tell a different story. Western textbooks say that two years after North and South Korea declared themselves separate republics, North Korean troops marched into South Korean capital, Seoul, on the morning of June 25, 1950. US-led United Nations and South Korean forces fought communist North Korean troops backed by Chinese soldiers in a three-year battle for control of the peninsula.

The US and North Korea finally called a truce in 1953, and Korea remains divided to this day.

At the Kaeson Kindergarten, children sit hunched over sheets of drawing paper clutching pastel crayons. One girl has drawn a school of bright blue fish; the boy next to her has covered his paper with tanks. Another boy depicts a whole battlefield: a North Korean plane dropping bombs on dead, bloodied American soldiers, as well as grenades and tanks. In a final flourish, he adds the name of the South Korean president to the tableau, muttering the name under his breath as he labors over the letters.

The North Korean hate campaign generally does not include South Koreans, who are portrayed as puppets of the US. However, in recent months, it has come to encompass South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, whose tough policies toward the North have enraged its leaders as well as the South’s conservative media. The best of the children’s work is pinned up on a board: One kindergartner used color pencils to draw a boy in a blue cap attacking a midget American soldier with a studded club.

Another drawing depicts North Korean fighter jets dropping bombs on American soldiers trapped in flames. In a third, a man wearing a helmet marked “US. in English is on his knees begging for mercy as he is pummeled on the head with a stick.—AP

SUNDAY, JUNE 24, 2012

NEWS

A Saudi boy waves as he waits along with others outside the Masmak Palace to show allegiance to the kingdom’s new Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz during a public rally in Riyadh yesterday. — AFP

US coach guilty of sex abuse Continued from Page 1 guise of a program he ran for abused and neglected youth. The once popular coach was found guilty of charges related to each of the 10 victims, but acquitted of three individual counts relative to three separate individuals, the Harrisburg-based Patriot-News reported. Sentencing was expected in about 90 days, according to US media reports.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Linda Kelly called Sandusky “a serial child predator who committed horrific acts” and thanked the victims for testifying, saying they had “shown great strength” in telling their stories. Eight of those victims took the stand, offering graphic testimony about Sandusky’s actions, on campus, in hotel rooms and at his home. Another coach told the court he saw Sandusky raping a boy in the showers at Penn State. Sandusky, who did not testify in his own defense, had faced 48 counts of sexually abusing at least 10 boys between 1994 and 2008. Four additional counts were dismissed during the trial.

Prosecutors said he recruited his victims through his Second Mile charity, which went bankrupt last month after donations dried up in the wake of the scandal. Defense lawyer Joseph Amendola told reporters that he had battled a “tidal wave of public opinion against Jerry Sandusky” and that the verdict, though not a surprise, was a disappointment for the Sandusky family. “I used the analogy that we were trying to climb Mount Everest from the bottom of the mountain. Well obviously, we didn’t make it,” Amendola said. Amendola said there were “decent appeal issues” that his team would pursue, but acknowledged: “Essentially, the sentence that Jerry will receive is a life sentence.”

That statement elicited cheers from the crowd gathered outside the courthouse in bucolic Bellefonte, which has been invaded by the media since the trial began on June 11. The jury in the case which included one Penn State professor, a student and many others with Penn State ties - had deliberated under tight security since

Egypt awaits poll result

Thursday. The jurors therefore were likely unaware of the bombshell disclosure from Sandusky’s youngest adopted son, Matt, who said through his attorneys that he too was a victim of sex abuse at the hands of Sandusky.

Amendola told reporters that the allegations had led to the decision not to put his client on the stand, as Matt Sandusky could then have been called as a witness. “To have Matt testify against him would have absolutely destroyed whatever chances Jerry Sandusky had of acquittal,” Amendola said. On Thursday, lead prosecutor Joseph McGettigan had made an emotional plea to the jury to convict Sandusky, depicting him as a predatory pedophile who callously groomed his young victims. “I feel like I have 10 pieces of souls in my pockets, pieces of childhoods ravished,” McGettigan said. The scandal led to the firing of Penn State’s longtime head football coach Joe Paterno, a national icon whose fall from grace came just a few weeks before his unexpected death from lung cancer in January at the age of 85. The legendary coach was fired in November for failing to notify authorities when he was told Sandusky had been seen molesting a boy in the shower. The university’s president, Graham Spanier, was also sacked. Paterno’s family released a brief statement calling the verdict an “important milestone,” thanking the jurors for their “diligent service” and offering prayers to the victims and their families.

Two other Penn State officials, Tim Curley and Gary Schultz, face trial for lying to a grand jury investigating Sandusky. Penn State said in a statement that it wanted to “provide a forum where the university can privately, expeditiously and fairly address the victims’ concerns and compensate them for claims relating to the university”. “No verdict can undo the pain and suffering caused by Mr Sandusky, but we do hope this judgment helps the victims and their families along their path to healing,” it said. Kelly however had tough words for those officials who have yet to face trial, saying: “To those who fail to respond to child sexual abuse: their behavior is abominable.” — AFP

Filipinos jailed on drug charges narrate...

Continued from Page 1 to 15 years after the court of First and Second Instance issued their verdicts. Now, Mon is waiting for the Supreme Court’s final ruling. “I hope for the best in the final ruling. But a 15-year sentence for the possession of marijuana is a really long period. I don’t blame the authorities. I know my husband was guilty and I’d warned him several times but he never listened. That is why in a way I am sad but also happy because this will be a lesson for him,” Aida said, adding that her husband intends to start a new life when he leaves jail.

Mon had a good life and a stable job.

Aida, an executive secretary in a private company, is committed to help him deal with the crisis. “I’ve been helping my husband to provide our family with everything for our two children,” she said, questioning his involvement with some “dodgy” people. “I told him to stay away from them because they only wanted to destroy our family and turn our life to ruins; at the time of trouble they are nowhere to be seen,” she said.

Aida explained that their relationship was rocky because of her husband’s friends. “I knew that they would bring him misery. Now that he is in jail, his friends are no longer to be found, they don’t even pay him a visit. Now he realizes everything. That is why I think what happened is somehow good for him,” she said. “I told my husband to stop befriending such people because at the end, they’ll not be there for him.”

Aida says her life experiences have made her stronger. “I learned many things in life when my husband was imprisoned. I learned how to ride a taxi

and a bus alone,” she says adding that previously she would always be accompanied by her husband when using public transport. Today she regularly rides the bus to go to the ministry of justice and to the charity organization that is helping her husband. One of the most disturbing things she has to deal with, she says, are indecent proposals from people who claim they want to help her husband. “I carry on with my life alone. I only communicate with the lawyer every now and then,” she said.

Emily was mailed a parcel that had illegal drugs inside. When she received the package, the police detained her, a family member said. Emily was arrested in May at her friend’s home in Kuwait City for selling methamphetamine hydrochloride, internationally known as ice. Her friends told this reporter that she had been under surveillance for months. Emily, however, denies the charges of drug trafficking. According to her, she was charged with being in possession of 10 gm of meth received through a mail parcel that was delivered to her by courier.

The parcel was already in possession of the police when she was arrested.

Emily, her relatives say, has a lawyer and she vests all her hope in him. “I don’t want to stay here for long. I need to breastfeed my baby,” she keeps on telling her family members when they visit her in jail. In Kuwait, newborn babies are allowed inside the prison for up to two years so that mothers may nurse them and take care of them. “I already requested it and they will bring my baby soon,” she told her family.

Emily’s husband was deported in April on absconding charges filed by his

employer. Emily’s baby is now in the temporary care of her flat-mate and Emily’s plans to be with her child may not work out. A community leader aware of Emily’s case said she has been sentenced to 12 years for drug trafficking. “Probably I will send the baby home to her family in the Philippines. It is sad but I’ll do my best to help,” the community leader added.

Fifteen years in jail in possession of a stick of hash and 12 years for 10 gm of meth looks like harsh punishments, but according to Labid Abdal, an attorney, there could be more charges that weren’t shared by the accused.

“In fact it’s not the amount, they were surely charged of other crimes, like selling or distributing perhaps.

Regardless of how much drugs were recovered in their possession, if it’s proven they have distributed or sold it, it’s another story,” he said, reiterating that surely there are other charges. “Selling or distributing drugs can destroy people’s lives and it can harm society directly and indirectly.

So the punishment is really harsh anywhere, not just in Kuwait,” explained Abdal.

There are about 13 male and seven female Filipinos currently at the Central Jail for drug-related cases. The figure was relayed to this reporter by the prisoners, but no official statistics were provided by the Kuwaiti government or the Philippine Embassy despite repeated requests.

(Note: Names have been changed and the manner the information was gathered was shared partially to protect the family and people who cooperated in making this story possible.)

Continued from Page 1 results without forgery,” said Hassan Eissa, 43, an accountant from north of Cairo who was demonstrating on the square. He accused the army of reneging on promises to hand over when it dissolved the Islamist-led parliament on the eve of the presidential run-off and then took for itself legislative powers by decree. “They have no right,” Eissa said.

“Egyptians shouldn’t be under any kind of guardianship after the revolution.”

Cairo lawyer Atef Rehan said: “I’m not from the Brotherhood and I voted for Mursi only reluctantly. But I am here to support their demands.”

Both Mursi and Shafiq have claimed victory in the election for a successor to Hosni Mubarak, sparking tensions between the rival camps that have deepened after the electoral commission delayed announcing the official outcome. Across the city, in the Nasr City neighbourhood, thousands of Shafiq supporters held up pictures of their candidate and of military ruler Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, chanting “the people and the army are one”.

“Down with the rule of the Supreme Guide,” protesters shouted, referring to the head of the Muslim Brotherhood. A

massive security plan has been put in place in the capital to prevent unrest when the result is announced today, an interior ministry official told AFP. The delay in the announcement of the result of the June 16-17 run-off, initially scheduled for Thursday, has raised suspicions that the outcome of the election is being negotiated rather than counted. As the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) and the Brotherhood clashed publicly over recent measures that consolidated the army’s power, privately they have been talking behind the scenes, sources told AFP. On Friday, the SCAF warned it would deal “with utmost firmness and strength” with any attempts to harm public interests, while the Brotherhood warned against tampering with the election results but said it had no intention of instigating violence.

The Brotherhood rejects a constitutional declaration by the military which strips away any gains made by the Islamist group since the popular uprising which forced Mubarak to stand down in February last year. The document dissolves the Islamist-led parliament and gives the army a broad say in government policy and control over the new constitution. It was adopted

just days after a justice ministry decree granted the army powers of arrest.

Even if Mursi wins the election, the changes leave the Brotherhood with no parliament, no say in the constitution and a powerless president. “It’s a problem which we are trying to resolve,” one Brotherhood official said earlier. The standoff comes amid conflicting reports over who would be declared the election winner and when the result would be announced. “Mursi to be declared the winner today. Unless,” read yesterday’s headline of the independent daily Al-Shorouk. “Shafiq is close to the presidential palace,” said the liberal daily Al-Wafd on its front page.

The election has polarised the nation, dividing those who fear a return to the old regime under Shafiq’s leadership from others who want to keep religion out of politics and who fear the Brotherhood would stifle personal freedoms. Shafiq ran on a strong law-andorder platform, pledging to restore security and stability. Mursi, on the other hand, sought to allay the fears of secular groups and the sizeable Coptic Christian minority by promising a diverse and inclusive political system in Egypt. — Agencies

Turkey-Syria tensions simmer Continued from Page 1 ministers, Daoud Rajha and Mohammad Al-Shaar. Rajha, in the post since August, was among those sanctioned by the United States for his role in the deadly crackdown on Syrian protesters. Abdel Basset Sayda, head of the main opposition Syrian National Council, dismissed the new line-up as a sham aiming “to give the impression that reforms have been brought in”. He said there was “no real change,” with key posts unchanged.

The new cabinet assumes power amid an intensification of repression and clashes, which last week led to the halt of the United Nations observer mission. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said most of the dead yesterday were civilians, killed by security forces as the army pressed its campaign against rebel strongholds. On Friday, at least 116 people, among them 69 civilians, 31 members of pro-regime forces and six rebels, died nationwide.

Britain’s Guardian newspaper reported yesterday that Saudi Arabia was set to pay the salaries of the rebel Free Syrian Army to encourage mass defections from Assad’s forces. “The payment has been going on for months and the agreement was made on April 2 by Saudi Arabia and Qatar, with logistical organisation from Turkey where some Free Syrian Army factions are based,” an Arab diplomat also said

yesterday. “The point of this is to encourage as many factions of the Syrian army to defect and to organize the FSA, control it and prevent any extremist organizations from joining it.”

The Guardian claimed that Turkey has allowed the establishment of a command centre in Istanbul co-ordinating the supply of weapons to the rebel fighters in Syria, staffed by more than 20 mainly Syrian nationals. The Guardian said Turkey sees weapon supply lines as crucial to the defence of its border with its former close ally Syria, with Syrian forces edging closer in an attempt to stop guns crossing the border into the hands of rebel fighters.

The Guardian says its reporters witnessed weapons being transferred across border from Turkey into Syria in early June. On Friday, Ankara denied allegations in a New York Times report, citing US officials and Arab intelligence sources, that Turkey was among a number of countries shipping weapons to Syrian rebels over the border.

“Turkey does not ship weapons to any neighbouring country, including Syria,” foreign ministry spokesman Selcuk Unal said.

Turkey-Syria relations were already strained by Erdogan’s outspoken condemnation of the Assad’s government’s bloody crackdown that rights activists say has killed more than 15,000 people since March 2011. The downing of

the F-4 is the most serious incident between the two countries since then, but Turkey’s Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc played down the tensions. “We should be calm ...

Yes, we accept this is a critical matter but we don’t have clear information,” he told Anatolia news agency, adding that the results of the ongoing investigation would be publicised “as soon as possible.”

Turkey has now taken in more than 30,000 refugees from the Syria unrest, according to foreign ministry figures, and is also playing host to army defectors including 12 generals. Article 5 of the NATO treaty stipulates that an attack on one member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation is considered an attack on all members of the alliance.

Turkey had already considered invoking the NATO article after stray bullets fired on the Syrian side of the border killed two Syrians on Turkish soil in April.

“Assad is playing with fire,” headlined Turkey’s mass-circulation daily Hurriyet, while Vatan newspaper said: “They (Syria) will pay the price.”

In neighbouring Iraq, Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari warned that the Syrian crisis might spill over. “Our main concern is the spillover of the crisis... into neighbouring countries, and no country is immune from this spillover because of the composition of the societies... the connections, the sectarian ethnic dimensions,” he told reporters. — Agencies

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SUNDAY, JUNE 24, 2012

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Issues

Rio+20 shows UN ‘impotence’ in eco-crisis

By Richard Ingham he outcome of the Rio+20 summit provides further proof that the nation-state system is failing badly in tackling global environmental threats, say analysts. The UN’s Conference on Sustainable Development had been billed as a once-in-a-generation chance to overhaul an economic model that had left a billion people in poverty and imperiled the biosphere. But veteran observers who watched the 10-day event drag to a close on Friday shook their heads in dismay. To them, it was a fresh failure by the United Nations system, after the near- disastrous 2009 Copenhagen climate summit, to respond to ecoperils that are now approaching at express speed.

“It’s a demonstration of political impotence, of system paralysis, and it makes me feel pessimistic about the system’s ability to deliver,” Laurence Tubiana, director of a French think-tank, the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI), said in an interview. “The multilateral process today is not delivering the urgent action we need,” WWF’s Jim Leape told AFP in an email. “International action is in fact important, to galvanize a global response to these challenges, but it’s clear that we need to look to leadership in other places... that means looking for changes everywhere - communities, cities, national governments and companies.”

After a three-day summit of 189 nation-states, the conference issued a 53-page declaration with the horizon-sweeping title “The Future We Want”.

It itemized a distressingly long list of problems from global warming, deforestation and fisheries collapse to water stress, pollution and biodiversity loss that scientists fear could turn into a mass extinction. But long months of textual trench warfare, as nations defended their own interests, meant radical proposals were either watered down or got the chop. They included a commitment to phase out subsidies for fossil fuels and demands for up to $30 billion a year to help poor countries grow in a sustainable way.

Connie Hedegaard, the European commissioner for climate change, admitted that “to the normal citizen, it (the outcome) doesn’t sound a lot”.

Even so, Europe had cemented references to the green economy, which set an important precedent, “something to build on in the years to come,” she said. Observers said the most tangible success was a plan for “Sustainable Development Goals” to succeed the UN’s Millennium Development Goals, which touch on health, poverty and so on, after they expire in 2015. In an interview with AFP carried on its Geopolitics blog, Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University in New York, said the MDGs had been an important catalyzer - but for ordinary citizens, not leaders.

“They have been a global call to action that has mobilized millions of people around the world, as well as informed, nudged or pushed governments to take seriously the challenges of pover ty, hunger and disease. They thus teach us a lesson: we cannot rely on the politicians and the diplomats to get this job done.” After Copenhagen, some critics said the UN system was genetically incapable of coping with a global environment crisis. Solutions demand sacrifice by all nations, which gives any dissenter the chance to sabotage or weaken a radical deal.

But Steve Sawyer, a former Greenpeace campaigner who is now secretar y general of a Brussels clean-energy lobby, the Global Wind Energy Council, said the UN still offered hope.

“The UN system has lost its way,” crippled by the format determined by the victors of World War II, he argued. “For all its warts, it’s what we have, and there is no alternative,” he said. “To deal with global problems, we need a global framework, and to make that work we need the big powers to drive it and not fight against it. So we’re hoping that the Chinas, Indias, Brazils, Germanys and Japans will take up some of the slack.” — AFP

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

Sizing up Penn State’s liability in abuse scandal

By Andrew Longstreth he Jerry Sandusky trial was loaded with details of the child sex abuse a jury has now convicted the onetime Penn State assistant football coach of carrying out over 15 years, but it revealed little about the university’s potential liability in the scandal. That is likely to change in a related prosecution of two former university officials: athletic director Tim Curley and finance official Gary Schultz. Both have been charged with perjury and failing to alert authorities to one act of sexual abuse by Sandusky in a scandal that tarnished Pennsylvania State University’s name and led to the firing of its president and its head football coach, the late Joe Paterno. “Their trial will be much more an indictment of Penn State,” said Max Kennerly, a Philadelphia lawyer who is not involved in the case. A trial date has not been set.

Late Friday, the jury in Sandusky’s criminal trial found him guilty of 45 out of the 48 charges against him after about 21 hours of deliberation over two days. He faces hundreds of years in prison. Now, attention will turn to compensating the victims. With $4.6 billion in operating revenue reported for the last fiscal year and an endowment topping $1.8 billion, Penn State is a flush civil litigation target for Sandusky’s victims.

At least one unidentified male has already filed a lawsuit against the university for failing to protect him from Sandusky. He is initially seeking more than $50,000 in damages, the standard amount in Pennsylvania courts to trigger a jury trial. To hold the school liable, an victim would have to show that Penn State - through its employees - owed the boys a duty of care and that they failed to uphold that duty. Legal experts said they expect more civil suits to be filed soon against Penn State and media reports have suggested that the total number of victims could be closer to 20. Victims of sexual abuse often wait until a criminal proceeding has concluded to initiate civil

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litigation. Following Friday’s verdict, Penn State issued a statement inviting victims to participate in discussions toward a resolution of their claims against the university.

“The university plans to invite victims of Mr. Sandusky’s abuse to participate in a program to facilitate the resolution of claims against the university arising out of Mr Sandusky’s conduct,” the statement said.

“The purpose of the program is simple - the university wants to provide a forum where the university can privately, expeditiously and fairly address the victims’ concerns and compensate them for claims relating to the university.” Penn State had previously declined to comment for this story.

The situation Penn State faces has drawn comparisons to the sexual abuse allegations that have dogged the Roman Catholic Church and prompted calls for the university to set up a victims’ compensation fund. So far, Penn State has not established such a fund. In Sandusky’s trial, the prosecution’s case relied mostly on the testimony of eight of the 10 victims, who described being molested by Sandusky in graphic detail.

While a conviction of the former coach would bolster any civil case against Penn State by establishing that molestation occurred, a conviction of Schultz and Curley could help in establishing Penn State’s responsibility, legal exper ts said. A grand jur y repor t made public in November found that Curley and Schultz, who oversaw the campus police, lied about their response to a 2002 report from Mike McQueary, then a graduate assistant for the football team. McQueary testified to he told Curley and Schultz he witnessed what he believed to be Sandusky having anal sex with a boy in a shower on campus.

NBC reported last week that newly obtained evidence includes emails showing Curley, Schultz and former Penn State President Graham Spanier discussing how to handle the McQueary report. Spanier and Schultz, according to

NBC, agreed that it would be “humane” to not report Sandusky to social services agencies. Prosecutors for the Pennsylvania attorney general alluded to the new evidence in recently filed court papers. They claimed that a grand jury had “long ago” subpoenaed evidence relating to Sandusky from Penn State, but that the university only recently provided a file that was maintained by Schultz.

In a statement following the NBC report, Penn State said the emails were discovered during the course of an independent investigation led by former FBI Director Louis Freeh and were immediately turned over to the state attorney general. Lawyers for Curley and Schultz, meanwhile, said the files show the two men “conscientiously” considered McQueary’s report and “deliberated about how to responsibly deal with the conduct and handle the situation properly.”

It’s impossible to know what the cost to Penn State ultimately might be. There is no formula for damages in sexual abuse cases and there are no caps on damages. Lawyers who specialize in sex abuse cases say damages can vary widely from case to case, depending on the harm done to the victim. Last week, a jury in Northern California awarded $7 million in compensatory damages and an additional $21 million in punitive damages to a woman who claimed the Jehovah’s Witnesses allowed one of its members to sexually abuse her when she was a child. Lawyers for the plaintiff say they believe the award is the largest ordered in the United States in a religious child abuse case for a single victim.

Another variable that could determine Penn State’s liability is what portion of blame a jury assigns to it. If a verdict is returned in a civil case brought by one of Sandusky’s victims, a jury may be asked to determine how much of a judgment Penn State should be required to pay.

“That will be a big issue,” said Stephen Estey, an attorney who has litigated sex abuse cases. “The defense is going to say we didn’t commit the crime.” — Reuters

Putin disavows, but won’t ditch, state capitalism

By Douglas Busvine tate capitalism is not our goal,” Vladimir Putin said in his first big speech on the economy since his return to the Kremlin, managing to leave investors at Russia’s premier business forum little wiser as to how serious he is about selling state assets. Privatisation has come to the fore as Russia’s most divisive policy issue since Putin, elected in March to a third term as president after four years as prime minister, named a new government last month. Although dire markets preclude major deals that would reduce the state’s 50 percent share in Russia’s $1.8 trillion economy at the moment, the privatisation debate has caused a power realignment that could have far-reaching consequences.

The kicker to Putin’s state capitalism quote was that private-sector monopolies should not replace state ones - a dig at the rushed sell-offs of the 1990s that handed the Soviet Union’s industrial legacy to a new breed of industrial oligarch. “Without healthy competition, a market economy shows a tendency to decay that is no less pronounced than the command-administrative system,” Putin said on Thursday.

Despite that scepticism, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has committed to a string of sell-offs that, starting small, that would see the state exit entirely as owner of major firms such as oil major Rosneft within four years.

Igor Sechin, the energy ‘tsar’ in Putin’s last government and recently named chief executive of Rosneft, has other ideas.

Sechin has lobbied to create an energy commission subordinate to Putin that, sources said, may evolve into a separate centre of power that would further his goal of building a state energy champion. Oil bosses outnumbered bank CEOs at the St Petersburg forum, and it was they who were granted an audience with Putin, who himself has blessed recent oil exploration deals between Rosneft and Eni, Exxon

“S

Mobil and Statoil. But the 59-year-old Putin also made clear that the 25 percent foreign share of output in the world’s largest oilproducing nation was quite sufficient. “We think we have great openness in our economy,” Putin told them.

Medvedev’s privatisation ambitions collide with the realities of Europe’s sovereign debt crisis, which has delivered a double whammy of rapid capital outflows and sliding oil prices that has pummelled Russian asset prices. That is keeping on hold the state’s proposed sale of a 7.6 percent stake in Sberbank, even though the Russian market leader has ridden out the global credit crunch to become Europe’s second-largest bank by equity market value.

With Russian public finances still in rude health - sovereign debt is 10 percent of gross domestic product - the government

can afford to be a price-sensitive seller, investment bankers say.

“The purpose of the privatisation programme is a strategic process of continued liberalisation of the financial system,” said Nicholas Jordan, UBS’s CEO for Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States.

“It is not because the country needs the money. So, why sell certain precious jewels at what you think is not the right price?”

Medvedev’s government has agreed to sell a stake of nearly 50 percent in the United Grain Company, a grain trader, to Russian investment group Summa, and further deals could follow in sectors that are not strategically sensitive. “There is a new government in place. They are young, active and want to do something. The problem is not the government but the market and the order in which assets get

Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures at a meeting with heads of foreign investment funds and banks at the St Petersburg economic forum in St Petersburg, Russia, June 21, 2012. At left is Head of Kuwait Investment Authority Bader Mohammad Al-Saad. — AP

privatised,” said Sergei Arsenyev, managing director for investment banking at Goldman Sachs in Russia. “The process will start. The non-energy assets - I do not think there is any issue about. There are a lot of young guys (in government ...) who will prove themselves.”

Sechin, under Putin’s patronage, is seeking to consolidate oil industry assets under Rosneftegaz, the state energy holding company he was expected to join as a director. The first big oil deal of Putin’s third presidential term could, sources say, be the entry by the state into No.3 oil firm, TNK-BP, following British oil major BP’s decision to sell its 50 percent stake. “It seems very likely the state is going to consolidate assets in certain industries,” said Stephen Jennings, chief executive of Moscow-based emerging markets bank Renaissance. “In other industries, I think we will see more privatisation.

Over time some of these really big state entities (will see) partial privatisations.”

One powerful state manager and opponent of privatisation, Russian Railways head Vladimir Yakunin, took Putin’s speech as a cue to launch a media offensive to speak against privatisation. Yakunin told local media that proceeds from the proposed sale of a 25 percent stake in Russian Railways, the country’s fourth-largest company and employer of 1 million workers, would not cover huge investment commitments that needed to be met.

Former finance minister Alexei Kudrin, a strong proponent of privatisation before he was ousted by Medvedev from government last autumn, said the debate on privatisation missed the point. “The main problem is not the state’s formal ownership of business, but its informal involvement in business,” said Kudrin, who remains politically active and, some analysts say, could return to government should Medvedev stumble. “This is not the best moment for privatisation. It would be better to take other more serious measures to reduce the state’s influence over the economy.” — Reuters

SUNDAY, JUNE 24, 2012

sp orts I have no plans to quit, says Serena LONDON: Serena Williams has good news for women’s tennis - she has no plans to quit the sport and neither, as far as she knows, does sister Venus. “I have no intention of stopping, and I don’t think she does either,” the 13-times grand-slam winner who, with her older sister has been one of the biggest characters in women’s tennis for a decade and a half, said yesterday. “I enjoy being out there on the court so much and I’ve been having so much fun, so it’s been great.” Despite her upbeat language, the 30-year-old American, who made a shock first-round exit at the French Open last month, seemed gloomy at a news conference at Wimbledon where she will begin the task of trying to win a fifth title next week.

Venus, who already has five, has slipped down the world rankings since being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease. —Reuters

MLB results/standings Baltimore 2, Washington 1; Pittsburgh 4, Detroit 1; Atlanta 4, Boston 1; Toronto 12, Miami 5; NY Mets 6, NY Yankees 4; Minnesota 5, Cincinnati 4; Texas 4, Colorado 1; Cleveland 2, Houston 0; Milwaukee 1, Chicago White Sox 0 (10 innings); St. Louis 11, Kansas City 4; Arizona 6, Chicago Cubs 1; San Diego 9, Seattle 5; LA Angels 8, LA Dodgers 5; San Francisco 5, Oakland 4.

Eastern Conference Atlantic Division W L PCT NY Yankees 41 28 .594 Baltimore 40 30 .571 Tampa Bay 38 31 .551 Boston 36 34 .514 Toronto 36 34 .514 Central Division Cleveland 37 32 .536 White Sox 36 34 .514 Detroit 34 36 .486 Kansas City 31 37 .456 Minnesota 28 41 .406 Western Division Texas 44 27 .620 LA Angels 39 32 .549 Oakland 34 37 .479 Seattle 30 42 .417 National League Eastern Division Washington 40 28 .588 NY Mets 39 32 .549 Atlanta 38 32 .543 Miami 33 37 .471 Philadelphia 33 38 .465 Central Division Cincinnati 38 31 .551 Pittsburgh 37 32 .536 St. Louis 36 35 .507 Milwaukee 33 37 .471 Houston 28 42 .400 Chicago Cubs 24 46 .343 Western Division LA Dodgers 42 29 .592 San Francisco 39 32 .549 Arizona 35 35 .500 Colorado 26 43 .377 San Diego 25 46 `.352

GB 1.5 3 5.5 5.5 1.5 3.5 5.5 9 5 10 14.5

2.5 3 8 8.5 1 3 5.5 10.5 14.5 3 6.5 15 17

Oilers swoop on Russian dynamo PITTSBURGH: The Edmonton Oilers took Russian sniper Nail Yakupov with the number one pick at the National Hockey League (NHL) draft on Friday, dashing speculation the team would deal the selection. Yakupov, a dazzling skater rated the best offensive player available, had 31 goals and 69 points in 42 games last season for the Ontario Hockey League’s Sarnia Sting. His addition gives the Oilers a trio of young, dynamic forwards, after they used the first overall selection in 2011 on Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and the top pick in 2010 on Taylor Hall.

“The natural ability, the skill set that Nail has is elite and we’ve been talking about elite athletes coming to our organization,” Oilers general manager Steve Tambellini told reporters at Pittsburgh’s Consol Energy Center. “He’s dangerous, he’s hungry to score goals and I think he’s a pretty good fit with the people we already have.”

The Columbus Blue Jackets, who earlier in the day sent three later round picks to the Philadelphia Flyers for netminder Sergei Bobrovsky, held onto the second overall selection and used it on Canadian defenseman Ryan Murray. The Montreal Canadiens, picking third, grabbed Yakupov’s compatriot and Sting team mate centre Alex Galchenyuk before the focus shifted back to defensemen with a record eight blueliners taken in the first 10 selections. Picking fourth, the New York Islanders started a run of seven consecutive defensemen taking Griffin Reinhart, whose father Paul was a first round selection in 1979, while the Toronto Maple Leafs went for Morgan Reilly at number five.

The first round also featured a major trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins shipping centre Jordan Staal to the Carolina Hurricanes for Brandon Sutter, defenseman Brian Dumoulin and the eighth overall selection, which they used on Canadian defenseman Derrick Pouliot.

Staal, who turned down a 10-year $60 million contract extension earlier in the week, learned he was joining his brother Eric in Carolina on his wedding day. “As an organization we just thought it was the right thing to do for Jordan, he’s ready for an expanded role and Carolina is certainly a great place for him,” Penguins general manager Ray Shero. “He had a wonderful six years here. “The reality of the salary cap and having three centers (Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Staal) who are this good, it was time for him to go. “It was a good return for us.” In a particularly cosmopolitan draft, 24 of the top 30 in the opening round were non-Americans, with neighboring Canada producing 14 picks, and Russia three. — Reuters

Dwayne Bravo fined

Cook suffers new setback

LONDON: West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo has been fined 20 percent of his match fee for publicly criticising an umpiring decision, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Friday.

Commenting on the dismissal of team mate Chris Gayle in Tuesday’s second one-day international against England at The Oval, Bravo told reporters: “It is okay, umpires make mistakes.

“That’s accepted but not when they see it after and they realised they made a wrong decision and stand by it.”

“However, match referee Jeff Crowe said in an ICC statement that Bravo had stepped “over the mark”.

Gayle, who made 53 from 51 balls, was given out leg before wicket by umpire Tony Hill and asked for the decision to be reviewed.

The batsman believed he had inside-edged the ball before it hit his pad but after viewing replays of the incident, television umpire Kumar Dharmasena upheld the original decision.

West Indies lost the match and the series 2-0. The third game in Leeds on Friday was washed out by rain without a ball being bowled. —Reuters

LONDON: World number one Aaron Cook’s bid to be selected for Great Britain’s taekwondo team at the London Olympic was hit by a new double blow yesterday. The British Olympic Association (BOA) has rejected the latest evidence put forward by the representatives of Cook, controversially omitted from the original team, for his inclusion in the squad.

Lutalo Muhammad, the world number 49, was preferred to Cook in the -80kg class following a fraught process which required three selection meetings.

Cook’s camp warned they would take his case to London’s High Court or the Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) if the BOA did not act on receipt of his pre-action letter, drafted following advice from leading sports lawyer Michael Beloff.

The High Court now looks like Cook’s only route to the Games after the BOA declared CAS was “not the correct forum” because the fighter hadn’t been nominated for selection. — AFP

Angels win over Dodgers ANAHEIM: Angels rookie sensation Mike Trout hit a go-ahead homer and scored from first base on a single as the hosts rallied from an early five-run deficit to beat the Dodgers 8-5 on Friday in their all-Los Angeles interleague clash.

Angels starter Dan Haren (5-7) allowed nine hits over five innings with five strikeouts. Dodgers starter Chad Billingsley (4-6) gave up six runs in five innings. He is 1-5 with a 5.36 ERA in seven career starts against the Angels.

Mets 6, Yankees 4 In New York, Ike Davis hit a three-run homer off a fielder’s glove as the Mets hung on to beat the Yankees in the New York subway series.

The game began after a rain delay of nearly an hour, and the Mets immediately set up a big buffer, scoring five runs with two outs in the first inning.

Justin Turner had a two-run single and Davis followed with a fly ball to rightfield that a leaping Nick Swisher got his glove on. But when he hit the wall, the ball was nudged off the top of the fence and over for a 5-0 lead.

Still, the homer-happy Yankees rallied with three late drives. Alex Rodriguez and Andruw Jones went long against Jonathon Niese (5-3). Robinson Cano added a two-run shot in the eighth to cut it to 6-4.

That brought out Mets closer Frank Francisco, who made headlines in New York this week by saying “I can’t wait to face those chickens” and expressing his desire to strike out the side against the Yankees. In a heavy drizzle, Francisco got the last out on a popup with two runners on base, sending the Yankees to their third straight loss.

Orioles 2, Nationals 1 In Baltimore, Jason Hammel pitched eight commanding innings with a career high-tying 10 strikeouts to lead Baltimore over near neighbor Washington.

Coming off a one-hit shutout against Atlanta, Hammel (8-2) allowed one unearned run and no walks in improving to 5-0 lifetime against Washington. He has gone 19 straight innings without giving up an earned run. Orioles closer Jim Johnson got three outs for the save. Mark Reynolds homered to help Baltimore end a three-game losing streak. Nationals starter Ryan Zimmermann (3-6) allowed eight hits over seven innings.

Braves 4, Red Sox 1 In Boston, Atlanta pitcher Jair Jurrjens made an impressive return to the majors by limiting Boston to one run. Jurrjens, an All-Star last season when he topped the Braves with 13 wins, worked 7 2-3 innings, giving up only two hits.

The Braves got at least one hit in each of the seven innings pitched by Jon Lester (4-5). Andrelton Simmons drove in two runs for Atlanta and Jason Heyward had two doubles and a single to help the

Braves win their third straight.

Giants 5, Athletics 4 In Oakland, Brandon Belt hit a tying, two-run double and scored on Hector Sanchez’s single during a four-run ninth inning that rallied San Francisco past Bay Area rival Oakland.

Ryan Cook (2-2) walked two batters on nine pitches to open the final inning.

Belt sliced a double just out of the reach

Adrian Beltre and Mike Napoli both homered for Texas, which improved to a major-league best 13-3 in interleague play. Christian Friedrich (4-4) allowed four runs and seven hits in six innings for the Rockies, who have lost 13 of 15.

Blue Jays 12, Marlins 5 In Miami, Jose Bautista homered and drove in three runs as Toronto powered past slumping Miami. Kelly Johnson also

OAKLAND: Athletics left fielder Collin Cowgill dives and misses a fly ball hit by the San Francisco Giants’ Brandon Belt during the ninth inning of their interleague baseball game. —AP of a diving third baseman, and Sandoval ignored orders by his third base coach to stop and dashed for home to easily score the tying run from first base.

Giants closer Santiago Casilla allowed a home run in the ninth before earning his 20th save in 21 chances. Clay Hensley (3-3) got one out for the victory.

Pirates 4, Tigers 1 In Pittsburgh, A.J. Burnett pitched six shutout innings to win his seventh consecutive start as in-form Pittsburgh downed Detroit.

Burnett (8-2) extended his streak of starts that resulted in victories to the longest by a Pirates pitcher in 38 years.

He matched his career high by winning a seventh consecutive decision.

Andrew McCutchen went 3-for-4 to improve his batting average to .346 and Rod Barajas added two hits for the Pirates, who have won five of six. Tigers starter Doug Fister (1-4) was charged with eight hits in six innings.

Rangers 4, Rockies 1 In Arlington, Texas, Roy Oswalt pitched efficiently into the seventh inning in his first start of the season as Texas won its seventh straight with victory over Colorado.

Oswalt (1-0) allowed one run in 6 2-3 innings. The 34-year-old pitched with Philadelphia last season and signed with the Rangers on May 29.

had three RBIs to help the Blue Jays end an eight-game losing streak to the Marlins, who have lost 14 of 16.

Ricky Romero (8-1) provided the Blue Jays with seven much-needed innings after Toronto placed three starters on the disabled list in the last week. He struck out five. Miami’s Anibal Sanchez (3-6) gave up six runs and four walks in 3 1-3 innings.

Brewers 1, White Sox 0 In Chicago, Zack Greinke pitched nine scoreless innings, setting up Milwaukee’s tight win over Chicago. Greinke (8-2) picked up the win and John Axford came on in the 10th for the save.

Rickie Weeks drove in the lone run with a single in the 10th. Aramis Ramirez led off the 10th by lining his second double of the game against Jesse Crain (1-1). Pinch runner Nyjer Morgan advanced on a wild pitch before Weeks drove a single past a diving third baseman to make it 1-0.

Cardinals 11, Royals 4 In Kansas City, Carlos Beltran hit two two-run doubles against one of his old teams as St. Louis pounded Kansas City.

The Cardinals matched a season high with 17 hits. David Freese and Tyler Greene added two RBIs, Jon Jay returned from injury to score twice and Matt Carpenter also returned from the disabled list to go 2 for 4 with an RBI. St. Louis’ Joe Kelly (1-0) gave up three

runs over six innings to pick up his first major league victory in his third career start. Royals starter Mazzaro (3-2) allowed seven runs while recording just four outs.

Twins 5, Reds 4 In Cincinnati, Ryan Doumit and Ben Revere each had four hits as Minnesota handed Cincinnati its season-worst fourth straight loss.

Doumit hit a solo shot off Homer Bailey (5-5), who angrily left the field after failing to get through the sixth inning. Revere broke a 0-for-15 slump with four singles.

Twins starter Nick Blackburn (4-4) took the win despite lasting only five innings.

Glen Perkins worked out of a ninthinning jam with a pair of strikeouts for his second save in place of injured Matt Capps.

Indians 2, Astros 0 In Houston, Ubaldo Jimenez pitched scorelessly into the seventh inning with eight strikeouts to lead Cleveland past Houston in the first meeting between these clubs since 2001.

Jimenez (7-5) went 6 2-3 innings. Chris Perez struck out the side in the ninth for his major league-leading 23rd save. ShinSoo Choo scored after a leadoff triple and Michael Brantley drove in a late run for the Indians, who won despite managing only two hits in seven innings against Lucas Harrell (6-6), who struck out a career-high nine.

D’backs 6, Cubs 1 In Phoenix, Jason Kubel hit a two-run homer to help Arizona beat Chicago.

Scheduled Diamondbacks starter Joe Saunders had trouble getting loose in the bullpen, so the Diamondbacks turned to one -time starter Josh Collmenter. He gave up a homer in the fourth and Brad Ziegler (4-1) followed with two scoreless innings as the hosts got through the game with five relief pitchers. Arizona has won eight of its past nine at home. Chicago’s Jeff Samardzija (5-6) gave up a two-run triple to Miguel Montero and the Cubs stranded 11 runners.

Padres 9, Mariners 5 In San Diego, pitcher Clayton Richard settled down after a rough start and also drove in three runs for San Diego in the win over Seattle.

Richard (5-7) gave up four runs including two homers - over the first three innings but allowed only an unearned run the rest of the way as he pitched into the seventh.

A two-run double by Richard keyed the Padres’ five-run fourth inning when they took a 7-4 lead. Chase Headley also drove in three runs for San Diego.

Kevin Millwood (3-6) allowed eight runs over five innings for Seattle, which has allowed 39 runs on the first four games of its road trip. —AP

Swede Jacobson leads as rain mars Travelers Championship

CROMWELL: Fredrik Jacobson, of Sweden, watches his approach shot on the ninth hole during the second round of the Travelers Championship golf tournament. —AP

CROMWELL: Sweden’s Fredrik Jacobson prolonged his love affair with the Travelers Championship when the title-holder grabbed the lead in a rain-hit second round on Friday. Jacobson picked up four birdies and an eagle in a four-under 66 for a nine-under total of 131, his sixth straight round of 66 or better on the TPC River Highlands layout.

US Open champion Webb Simpson shot a 69 to remain within striking distance, four strokes behind the Swede on 135.

Rain stopped play for the day in mid-afternoon and 77 players must return to complete their rounds.

Jacobson went out in the early groups and after opening with a par on the 10th, his first hole, went birdie-birdie-eagle to soar up the leaderboard, the run highlighted by a 40-foot putt for eagle on the parfive 13th. “I started off really good today. It was good to get into a

good start and get things running straight away,” he said. “Would have liked to have a couple more as the day went on, but overall I played really steady.”

Jacobson dropped shots at the 14th and his final hole but added two birdies in his last nine holes to be well placed in his bid for a second PGA Tour title and to join Phil Mickelson as a repeat winner here.

“Last year I really felt like things started to click at the US Open and similar this time around,” he said. “I do like the course, but I liked it the first three times I came here and I missed the cut.

So I think it’s more important the way I am playing.” The bad weather ended play prematurely and also brought a halt to good runs by Australian Nathan Green and American Charley Hoffman. Green started with two bogeys before bouncing back with birdies on five

of the next seven holes. He was three-under through nine and one shot off the lead at eight-under overall.

Hoffman opened with a par at the 10th before reeling off five consecutive birdies to join Green at eight-under. “It was a nice five-hole run,” Hoffman said. “I wish I could have kept it going a little longer, but obviously I’ll be in a good frame of mind going into tomorrow.”

Americans Blake Adams (64) and Roland Thatcher (67), and Australian Stuart Appleby (65), were a shot further adrift at seven-under 133.

Appleby welcomed his return to form after missed eight cuts in 13 events this season. “I wasn’t hitting it any good and I wasn’t thinking any good and I was just finding it really hard,” Appleby said. “My body and mind are a lot better, and if you get those two right, you can play better golf.” — Reuters

SUNDAY, JUNE 24, 2012

sp orts

Sangakkara misses milestone

AUCKLAND: In this photo released by Rally New Zealand, France’s Sebastien Loeb and co-driver Daniel Elena of Monaco have two wheels off the ground as they race during the Rally of New Zealand. — AP

Loeb extends lead in Rally of New Zealand AUCKLAND: Eight-times world champion Sebastien Loeb extended his lead over Citroen team mate Mikko Hirvonen to 6.4 seconds after the second leg of the Rally of New Zealand yesterday.

France’s Loeb, who had just a foursecond lead at the end of day one, battled to pad his slender advantage in slippery conditions on the technical stage on roads north of Auckland.

Norway’s Ford driver Petter Solberg is in third place, more than 90 seconds off the lead. “We’ve had a good battle with Mikko today,” Loeb said. “It’s been difficult this afternoon, very slippery and I really don’t like that Girls High School stage.

“It’s very technical and I lost about eight seconds there this morning. It’s exciting to have a battle with Mikko and tomorrow I will have to push to

keep him behind.”

The pair battled all day through the seven special stages on the roads north of New Zealand’s largest city.

Loeb’s lead fluctuated stage to stage, with both drivers winning two stages before Hirvonen closed the gap with victory on the final 15th Girls High School stage.

“Here we are, two days down and still in a proper fight so I’m having a good time,” Hirvonen said. “One thing is that I don’t have any soft tyres left and I know Sebastien has a few, so it’s going to be difficult to fight against him tomorrow.”

Heavy rain is forecast for early on Sunday before it eases to showers, with the rally concluding after special stages around the Auckland Domain and a ceremonial finish on the city’s waterfront. — Reuters

GALLE: Kumar Sangakkara missed out on a double hundred by one run but his team ended the second day of the first test on a high with Pakistan reeling at 48 for five at the close yesterday. Sri Lanka were dismissed for 472 shortly after tea with Sangakkara stranded on 199 not out made off 387 balls and including 18 fours and two sixes. Pakistan were rocked by Nuwan Kulasekara who snapped up the wickets of Taufiq Umar lbw for nine and Azhar Ali for a golden duck caught behind by Prasanna Jayawardene.

Stand-in skipper Mohammad Hafeez and Younis Khan took the score to 43 when offspinner Suraj Randiv made a double strike by trapping Hafeez lbw for 20 and sending back nightwatchman Saeed Ajmal caught first ball off bat and pad by Tharanga Paranavitana.

Left-arm spinner Rangana Herath joined the party when he forced Asad Shafiq to edge a catch behind the wicket to Jayawardene for a duck. At stumps Younis Khan was unbeaten on 15 and Mohammad Ayub on one. Sri Lank a’s innings was built around Sangakkara’s 29th test hundred which nearly brought him joint second on the all-time list with West Indian Brian Lara on nine test double hundreds.

A blunder by the scoreboard had Sangakkara celebrating his double century with when he slog-swept Ajmal for six but actually his score was 199. When told by his team mates that he still required one run he tried desperately to steal a single off the final ball of the over but failed. That left last man Nuwan Pradeep exposed to Hafeez and after defending the first ball Pradeep was bowled to end the Sri Lanka innings. Pakistan fought back in the afternoon session through their spinners to restrict Sri Lanka to 439 for eight at tea.

Sri Lanka scored 73 runs and lost three wickets, squandering some of their advantage having resumed the day on a commanding 300 for two. Off-spinner Hafeez broke a threatening sixth-wicket stand of 80 between Sangak k ara and Prasanna Jayawardene (48), who drove at a ball that spun and offered an outside edge to wicketkeeper Adnan Ak mal. Left-arm spinner Rehman caught Suraj Randiv (eight) off his own bowling and Hafeez picked up his second wicket when he removed the scoreless Kulasekara on the stroke of tea. The morning session was dominated by Ajmal who claimed his sixth five-wicket haul in tests with figures of five for 146.

The 34-year-old spinner captured three

GALLE: Pakistan’s stand-in-captain Mohammad Hafeez drops a catch off Sri Lanka’s batsman Kumar Sangakkara (unseen) during the first Test cricket match.— AP

SCOREBOARD GALLE, Sri Lanka: Scoreboard at close of play on the second day of the first test between Sri Lanka and Pakistan yesterday.

Pakistan first innings Mohammad Hafeez lbw b Randiv 20 Taufiq Umar lbw b Kulasekera 9 Azhar Ali c P Jayawardene b Kulasekara 0 Younis Khan not out 15 Saeed Ajmal c Paranavitana b Randiv 0 Asad Shafiq c P Jayawardene b Herath 0 Mohammad Ayub not out 1 Extras: (lb-2, w-1) 3 Total: (five wickets, 24 overs) 48 Fall of wickets: 1-17, 2-17, 3-43, 4-43, 5-44.

To bat: Adnan Akmal, Abdur Rehman, Umar Gul, Junaid Khan.

Bowling: Kulasekara 7-3-15-2 (w-1), Pradeep 4-117-0, Herath 8-3-9-1, Mathews 2-2-0-0, Randiv 30-5-2.

Sri Lanka 1st innings (300-2 overnight) Tharanga Paranavitana st Akmal b Ajmal

24

wickets for 10 runs off 22 balls. Pakistan’s new ball bowlers Umar Gul and Junaid Khan once again toiled without luck, prompting Hafeez to introduce Ajmal after seven overs of seam and the spinner did not let down his skipper.

The top-ranked test spinner struck a cru-

Tillakaratne Dilshan lbw b Ajmal 101 Kumar Sangakkara not out 199 Mahela Jayawardene b Ajmal 62 Thilan Samaraweera st Akmal b Ajmal 6 Angelo Mathews c & b Ajmal 0 Prasanna Jayawardene c Akmal b Hafeez 48 Suraj Randiv c & b Rehman 8 Nuwan Kulasekara c Ayub b Hafeez 0 N Kulasekara c Ayub b Hafeez 0 R Herath run out 0 N Pradeep b Hafeez 0 Extras: (b-10, lb-7, nb-2, w-5) 24 Total: (all out, 153.2 overs) 472 Fall of wickets: 1-63. 2-187, 3-315, 4-335, 5-335, 6-415, 7-438, 8-439, 9-455, 10-472.

Bowling: Gul 27-8-76-0 (w-5, nb-2), Junaid 18-552-0, Hafeez 19.2-2-55-3, Ajmal 46-9-146-5, Rehman 43-7-126-1.

cial blow when he bowled Mahela Jayawardene for 62 when the Sri Lanka captain fluffed a slog-sweep. The spinner then lured Thilan Samaraweera (six) out of his crease with a doosra to get him stumped and Ajmal caught Angelo Mathews for a duck from the next delivery. — Reuters

All Blacks seal 3-0 series sweep NZ thrash Ireland 60-0 HAMILTON: New Zealand posted a record-breaking 60-0 thrashing of Ireland in their third and final test match at Waikato Stadium yesterday to complete a series sweep. The All Blacks, who squeezed past the Irish with a last-gasp Daniel Carter drop goal in Christchurch last week, scored nine tries including two each to Sam Cane and Sonny Bill Williams, and had the game won at halftime leading 29-0. Ben Smith, Hosea Gear, Israel Dagg, Liam Messam and Adam Thomson also scored as the world champions recorded their largest winning margin against Ireland.

The previous largest margin was 53

points, when the All Blacks won 59-6 in 1992. It was the third time in their 27 tests that the All Blacks have held Ireland scoreless. “A wounded All Blacks side is a dangerous All Blacks side,” New Zealand coach Steve Hansen said of the difference between last week ’s per formance in Christchurch and the deciding test in Hamilton yesterday. “We ... put them under pressure. We got gain line (advantage) and got quicker ball and with the backs we have got they’re pretty elusive when they get quick ball.”

Ireland, who have never beaten New Zealand, gave the All Blacks a major fright last week before losing 22-19, but the

HAMILTON: New Zealand’s Richie McCaw (left) is tackled by Ireland’s Sean O’Brien during the international third test rugby match at Waikato Stadium in Hamilton. —AP

world champions, who made six changes to the side, put the game beyond doubt by halftime with four tries. All four were set up by flyhalf Aaron Cruden, two to inside centre Williams and one each to flanker Cane and winger Ben Smith. Cane and Williams’ first try came from incredible sleight of hand by the slender flyhalf when he was able to free his hands in the tackle and find the player running off him.

Smith’s try was just as impressive, with Ireland captain Brian O’Driscoll turning the ball over while on attack, Cruden snatching the loose ball, running about 30 metres and feeding to centre Conrad Smith, who found his namesake outside him. Cruden was injured in the tackle and immediately went off for treatment but did not return, handing a test debut to Beauden Barrett, who looked just as composed as the man he replaced. The All Blacks quickly built on their 29-0 lead after the break with Cane scoring his second try after a superb break from Aaron Smith, while Gear finished off a longrange try after Cane had stolen a deep line-out throw and they spread it wide.

Gear could probably could have outstripped Keith Earls to the corner but slowed slightly before smashing over the top of the Irish winger to emphasize the gulf in intensity between the two sides.

Messam, Dagg and Thomson scored tries in the second half as the All Blacks continued their rout and refused to allow Ireland to put any points on the board. “I think the ‘D’ (defense) set the attitude and that was the difference from last week,” All Blacks captain Richie McCaw said.

“We were going forward on D and forcing turnovers and that made the 60 (point difference) I guess.” Ireland captain O’Driscoll was frustrated at the margin of defeat. “ That scoreline is a bit embarrassing. We knew we had to start well and we didn’t,” he said. “That’s what the All Blacks do when they get a 15, 20point lead they just play their own game and you’re running after them for 80 minutes.” — Reuters

Scotland edge Samoa APIA: Debutant loose for ward Rob Harley scored a try in stoppage time as Scotland snatched a 17-16 victory over Pacific Nations Cup champions Samoa in Apia yesterday. The 22-year-old was put clear from replacement scrumhalf Mike Blair’s pass, and flyhalf Greig Laidlaw slotted the conversion to give the visitors the narrow victory, ensuring the Scots return home from their three-

match southern hemisphere tour unbeaten.

Andy Robinson’s team also upset Australia 9-8 in Newcastle on June 5, then held off a furious late challenge by Fiji in Lautoka last week to win 37-25, with debutant winger Tim Visser scoring two tries. Scotland, who failed to make it out of their pool at last year’s rugby World Cup, had never lost to Samoa in

seven previous tests, though they needed a last minute penalty in Aberdeen two years ago to take a 19-16 victory and drew 15-15 at Murrayfield in 1995.

Samoa flyhalf Tusi Pisi scored all of his side’s points with a drop goal, two penalties and converted his own try, while Laidlaw added a penalty and also converted Joe Ansbro’s first half try. The visitors had led 7-6 at halftime. — Reuters

SYDNEY: Wales’ Jonathan Davies (left) is tackled by Australia’s Digby Ioane during their rugby union test match at the Sydney Football Stadium. — AP

Barnes kicks Wallabies to victory SYDNEY: Australia relied on the boot of Berrick Barnes to edge Wales 20-19 in a bruising third test yesterday and secure a 3-0 whitewash in a series that was anything but one-sided. Wales number eight Ryan Jones and Australia centre Rob Horne scored second half tries, but in a match dominated by the whistle of referee Craig Joubert it was the five penalties from rejuvenated flyhalf Barnes that gave the Wallabies a seventh successive win over the Welsh. Australia had already wrapped up the series with victories in Brisbane and Melbourne and, as in those two tests, they were pushed to the limit by the Six Nations champions, this time in front of 43,000 fans at the Sydney Football Stadium.

“I think we showed composure at the critical moments,” said Wallabies coach Robbie Deans. “It was a good test match played between two good sides. “There was plenty going on out there, it just showed the desperation of both teams. Wales wanted to get the win and we wanted to finish the series.” Wales, who had 14 points from the kicking of Leigh Halfpenny, were seeking just their second win over the Wallabies in Australia, and a first since 1969, but will return home empty-handed after a tough series at the end of a long season.

“It’s 3-0, it’s a whitewash, we’re not hiding from that, but ... my overall feeling is immense pride in the players,” said Wales caretaker coach Rob Howley, whose team were outscored by a combined 11 points over the three tests. On a sunny winter afternoon, the stage was set perfectly for a thrilling contest between two young sides who like to run the ball but Jouber t stopped play with a regularity that prevented any tempo building. “Sometimes I thought there were three referees out there, to be honest,” joked Howley.

The South African referee allowed absolutely no leeway at the key battleground of the breakdown and the ensuing slew of penalties saw the sides locked at 9-9 after 25 minutes, Barnes putting Australia ahead three times before Halfpenny replied for the tourists. Australia dominated territory and possession as they had in the

first two tests and there was more bad news for Wales when captain Sam Warburton departed after half an hour with a concussion sustained after tackling Pat McCabe. Barnes put the home side back in front at 12-9 a minute before halftime, which came up with Wales flyhalf Rhys Priestland’s failed attempt to level the scores once again with a drop goal.

The second half opened with more attacking rugby from both sides but two promising Welsh attacks near the Australia line were halted when Joubert blew for the 15th and 16th penalties of the contest. Wales dominated the scrums throughout and another infraction at the setpiece on halfway allowed Halfpenny the chance to level the score after 53 minutes. Halfpenny’s huge attempt hit the post and bounced away his first miss from 16 kicks in the series - and within a minute Wallabies fullback Kurtley Beale had been blocked in an attempt to chip and chase his way to the Wales line.

In the ensuing broken play, Wales hacked the ball deep into the home team’s half and Australia winger Digby Ioane was forced to take the ball over his own line, conceding a five metre scrum.

Three attempts to set the scrum resulted in two freekicks and a penalty against the Wallabies and after the fourth, the Welsh hammered away at the line until number eight Jones forced his way over under the posts. “When you consider how dysfunctional our setpiece was, it was a very good effort to win the game,” Australia coach Deans said. Halfpenny added the extras to give Wales a 16-12 lead just after the hour mark but Australia stormed back immediately and Beale’s pass put centre Horne over in the corner to put the hosts back in front and set up a tense last 15 minutes.

Halfpenny edged the Welsh back ahead at 19-17 with his fourth penalty after 71 minutes but Barnes was not to be denied and his three points from the 23rd penalty of the match three minutes later proved the last score of the series. “I thought we played some good rugby to get into the lead but after that we didn’t show the composure we needed and against Australia we are not going to get away with that,” said Howley. — Reuters

SUNDAY, JUNE 24, 2012

sp orts

Olympians no more ‘immortal’ than we are COLOMBES: At what’s left of the stadium where Harold Abrahams won his “Chariots of Fire” Olympic 100 meters, where Paavo Nurmi won the 1,500, caught his breath and then lined up 55 minutes later to win the 5,000, it is almost as if their feats at the Summer Games of 1924 never happened.

There is no plaque to commemorate the students from California who won the last Olympic gold in rugby and humiliated France 17-3, infuriating the 40,000-strong home crowd that burned the American flag, knocked an Illinois spectator unconscious and booed “ The Star-Spangled Banner” during the medal ceremony.

There are no statues of William DeHart Hubbard, the Cincinnati-born chauffeur’s son whose long jump of 24 feet, 5 inches (7.44 meters) made him the first black athlete to win an individual Olympic gold, or of Johnny Weissmuller, the US swimmer who won three golds and then became bigger in a Hollywood loincloth as Tarzan.

Even with your eyes closed, it is almost impossible to imagine the spectators in their berets and straw boaters whooping

from the terraces now thick with weeds and fenced off as unsafe. The Olympics came here? To this bedraggled arena, on the outskirts of Paris, that town planners now hope to demolish? Surely not.

Forget the notion that Olympians and their exploits invariably shine forever. It’s not true. They are no more immortal than any of us. How could they be? Because the Olympics, more than mere bricks, mortar and commemorative steles, are a human communion - between the athletes and us, the people of the world who will be wowed by them again this July and August. And neither we, they nor our collective memory will be around forever.

So feast on London 2012 while you can, because the emotions will be over in a flash. Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps or whoever grabs our imagination will be filmed, photographed, tweeted and Facebooked as never before. The records, winning times, throws and point totals, the medal winners’ names, all that stuff, will again be squirreled away in the vaults. Future generations will have archives far richer than

the black and white photos and scratchy footage we have of Nurmi and his peers.

But only we will actually remember the physical sensations, what it really felt like, of watching this generation of London Olympians perform. Only we will be able to say, “It sent shivers down my spine. I wish you’d seen it.”

The same, of course, must also have been true for those in the Colombes stadium who witnessed Nurmi’s same-day Olympic double on July 10, 1924. But 88 years on, how many of them are alive today? In short, appreciate the Olympics for the uniquely human and ephemeral experience they are.

There has been a lot of griping in Britain about the 9 billion pound (11 billion euro; $14 billion) price tag, the extreme security, the commercialism of the modern Olympics and the expected disruption to Londoners’ everyday lives.

Some in New York, which also bid for the 2012 games, feel lucky their city wasn’t selected. The debate about whether the Olympics have become too big, resource-

draining and wasteful is valid, important and needs to continue after London.

But nothing else we do showcases us quite in the same way as the Olympics our strengths, weaknesses, colors, cultures, our savage hunger to compete and prove ourselves, our chest-beating individuality and ability to work in teams, the pleasure we get from watching others succeed and fail, and the fleeting nature of our youthful years when we are capable of anything but not yet fully aware of how quickly they will be gone.

Yes, yes, I know the United Nations also brings together all four corners of the globe. Call me shallow, but the prospect of watching the Security Council deliberate doesn’t excite me like 17 straight days of swimming, track and field, Greco-Roman, BMX, beach volleyball or even syncroswimming - whatever tickles you. What makes Olympians so fascinating is that they’re just like you and me and yet not like us at all. They burn toast, chew their nails, can’t remember where they put the house keys, but put themselves through

hell and high water in pursuit of their goals - to be the best in London or simply to do their best.

In other words, we’re sufficiently alike for us to be able to dream that we, too, could have been like them if only we had been born bigger, stronger, faster, luckier, less lazy and more determined than we are. They are an ideal - even if, as people, many of them aren’t ideal at all.

So we all should feel that we own a share of the achievement when Olympians in London redefine what we imagined humans are physically capable of doing. They are our ambassadors, performing exploits that we can’t or won’t but, in different circumstances, perhaps could.

If Bolt or Phelps, the stars of Beijing 2008, break more world records this time, it won’t make them better humans than the rest of us.

But by being superhuman, they and the other Olympians will show how super more humans perhaps could be, given the chance and the will.—AP

Japan looking for more judo golds at Olympics

MEXICO: In this Oct. 21, 2011, file photo, Brady Ellison, of the United States men’s archery team, takes aim in the final team competition during the Pan American Games. Ellison is hoping for the country’s first Olympic archery medal in 12 years.—AP

US has plenty of medal prospects WASHINGTON: Matt Emmons is a cancer survivor hoping to atone for a pair of costly blunders in Olympic shooting events. Teenager Race Imboden is seeking the first men’s foil medal for the US since 1960. World No 1 Brady Ellison is hoping for the country’s first archery medal in 12 years. Check out the smaller sports on the Olympic docket, and there are plenty of compelling stories and medal prospects on the American side. Glenn Eller and Vincent Hancock are hoping to defend their Olympic shooting golds from 2008. Shotgun specialist Kim Rhode could become the first American athlete to medal in five straight Olympics.

Married shooters Sandra and Eric Uptagrafft are set to represent the US in different disciplines. World No 1 Mariel Zagunis is seeking her third consecutive Olympic gold medal in saber, and the men’s team wants to improve on its silver finish in Beijing. Medal chances are slimmer in field hockey, triathlon, modern pentathlon and badminton, but the Americans could deliver some surprises. The US has been without a team handball entry since 1996, when men’s and women’s teams automatically qualified for the Atlanta Games through their host country status. Here is a closer look at a handful of the smaller sports on the London schedule: SHOOTING The US is poised to add to its Olympicbest 103 shooting medals, including 50 golds. The London team, subject to trials, is expected to include four Olympic champions. Eller won the double trap and Hancock took the skeet competition in Beijing, making the most of the knowledge they gained in the US Army Marksmanship Unit. Rhode won gold in 1996 and 2004. Emmons earned the 50m rifle prone gold medal in 2004 and the silver in 2008, but is perhaps best known for shooting at the wrong target in Athens and his rifle accidentally going off in Beijing - robbing him of two more gold medals.

Emmons also was diagnosed with cancer in 2010 and had his thyroid removed, making him even more of sentimental favorite this time around. Other medal hopefuls include; Joshua Richmond, the world champion in double trap, Jason Turner, a 2008 bronze medalist in air pistol and Eric Uptagrafft, who was ranked No 3 in 50m rifle prone.

Sandra Uptagrafft will compete in pistol.

FENCING US fencers won six medals in Beijing and could exceed that number this summer. The United States - not Italy, not France, not Russia - is the only country that qualified the maximum 16 fencers for the London Olympics.

Zagunis is still going strong eight years after she won in Athens for America’s first fencing gold medal in 100 years. The 19-year-old Imboden, hailing from Brooklyn, NY, is ranked No 4 in the world and won six gold medals in individual or team competitions last year. Lee Kiefer, the youngest member of the team at 17, snapped a long drought for US women when she medaled in foil at the 2011 World Championships. The US also could medal in a couple of the team competitions. Tim Morehouse and James Williams are the key players on the saber team that won silver in Beijing, and the men’s foil group handed Italy its first loss in more than a year earlier this season. The women’s epee group is coming off a strong performance in the World Cup. ARCHERY The US is without a medal in archery since

2000, but that should come to an end this summer. Ellison is a strong contender for top spot on the podium in London. He won the World Cup final in 2010 and 2011. Last year, he became the first archer in the world to win three consecutive World Cup stages. A topthree finish for the American team of Ellison, Jake Kaminski and Jacob Wukie is a more challenging task. South Korea’s men’s team has won three consecutive gold medals. First-time Olympian Miranda Leek, ranked seventh in the world and just 19, has an outside shot in the women’s individual competition. She won an individual event and helped the US to a victory at a world ranking stop in Phoenix, and she placed fourth at a World Cup stage competition earlier this year. Two-time Olympian Jennifer Nichols and four-time Olympian Khatuna Lorig also qualified for the US The American men have won only two medals (both in Sydney in 2000) since winning two golds in 1996. No US archer made it past the quarterfinals in Beijing.

BADMINTON Tony Gunawan is set to compete in his first Olympics since he became a US citizen last year. He was part of Indonesia’s gold medalwinning doubles team in 2000, and won the world doubles title in 2001. He then immigrated to the US and won America’s first world title with Howard Bach in 2005. Gunawan, of West Covina, Calif., will team with San Francisconative Bach again this summer. Bach is competing in his third games, and a quarterfinals appearance would be a good showing for the duo. The only other qualifier for the US in badminton is Rena Wang, of Arcadia, Calif, who is ranked 57th and will compete in the women’s singles in her Olympic debut.

FIELD HOCKEY The US women’s team is part of a loaded Group B for the London Olympics which also includes gold medal-favorite Argentina, former Olympic champs Germany and Australia, plus New Zealand and South Africa. So the Americans aren’t expected to contend for a medal, but they do have a surprising showing last year for inspiration. The US punched its Olympic ticket with a 4-2 victory over Argentina in the Pan American Games final in October. It was the country’s first victory over Argentina since 1987. Argentina had won each of the previous six Pan American competitions.

The 2008 Beijing squad finished eighth, and seven women will make their second Olympic appearance. Midfielder Katelyn Falgowksi was the only American to make the world all-star team last year.

MODERN PENTATHLON Margaux Isaksen is seeking a rare medal for the US in modern pentathlon, one of the more obscure Olympic competitions. But she had mononucleosis earlier this year and it affected her stamina in training and competition.

Isaksen was 16 when she finished 21st in Beijing and showed improvement by winning back-to-back events in October and qualifying for the final round in every World Cup event she entered, except for one in April during her recovery from mono. US Army Spc Dennis Bowsher might be the only other American in the event unless the US gets spots from a reallocation from other countries in mid-June. The 29-year-old Dallas native is 44th in the world, and qualified for the London Games with a fourth-place overall finish in last year’s Pan American Games in Mexico.— AP

LONDON: The birthplace of judo is struggling to stay on top of the sport. Judo is a source of national pride in Japan, where the martial art originated.

But the country’s judo ego has been bruised in recent years, and it’s looking for a comeback at the London Olympics. Despite rule changes to the throwing and grappling sport that favor the Japanese, bigger opponents using unorthodox techniques have gotten a foothold into the sport, often at Japan’s expense. The country won eight of 14 judo gold medals at the Athens Games, then dropped to four in Beijing.

This summer, Japan is betting a new generation of judo players can restore their supremacy: of the 14 judoka on the team, 12 will be making their Olympic debut. “For the Japanese, nothing less than gold will do,” said Nicolas Messner, who is a spokesman for the International Judo Federation, the martial art’s governing body. “Japan will definitely be the favorite in the Olympics, though in some categories, there will be a lot of surprises.”

Tsagaanbaatar Khashbaatar earned Mongolia’s first Olympic medal at the Beijing Games, and a couple other countries not known for their sporting prowess - Uzbekistan, Georgia and Ukraine - boast strong medal contenders for the London Olympics.

“There’s not a weak country in judo anymore,”

US Olympic coach Jimmy Pedro said. “ The Olympics for some countries like Egypt and Iran represents what they are all about. They want to exceed at the strong, manly sports to send a message to the rest of the world.” After the Beijing Olympics, officials changed the rules to preserve the sport’s Japanese origins after they saw wrestling techniques creeping into judo. Direct attacks on the leg that don’t involve any other techniques in combination are forbidden.

Now competitors rely more on traditional Japanese judo, which focuses on throws from an upright position. The change also increased the number of fights which end in ippon, judo’s equivalent of a knockout. Ippons are usually won when a judoka throws his or her rival flat on their back with force and control. It also has made judo more interesting and easier to follow for spectators. “We know people complain that judo is complicated to understand,” Messner said. “But even if you don’t understand the rules, it’s clear when someone gets thrown to the ground who has won the match.”

There are only two judo veterans on Japan’s Olympic team: Misato Nakamura, who won a bronze medal in Beijing in the women’s 52-kilogram division and Takamasa Anai, the defending Japanese champion in the men’s 100-kilogram

category for the past four years. At 27, Anai is the oldest judoka on the team and says it’s his job to set the tone for the team’s London performance.

Pedro predicted the London Olympics may be the United States’ best chance for a gold medal. Kayla Harrison is ranked No. 4 in the world in the women’s 78-kilogram division, and Pedro said she is on track to peak at London after recently winning a competition in Brazil. “We sent a message that Kayla’s ready to fight anybody, anytime,” Pedro said.

Harrison could face world No 1 Mayra Aguiar of Brazil in the semifinals. Pedro thinks she will go on to win gold if she can get past that round. Aside from Harrison and her teammates, Pedro is looking forward to watching judo at its highest level at the Olympics. “You’re not going to get any more spectacular judo than you’ll see at 60 kilograms,” he said, adding he was particularly looking forward to seeing top-ranked fighter Rishod Sobirov of Uzbekistan. Pedro also predicted five-time world champion Teddy Riner of France would add to his medal collection with an Olympic gold. “He’s in a class all by himself,” Pedro said. “If you were going to pick one guy to put your money on to say he’s going to be an Olympic champion, I’d bet on Teddy.”— AP

Women boxers get long-awaited Olympic chance LONDON: The door to the last remaining boys club in the Summer Olympics finally opens in London. Three dozen women are about to punch it into smithereens.

Women’s boxing is an Olympic sport for the first time, with 36 fighters in three weight classes competing to make history with its first medals. A sport long derided as a sideshow by elitists has been hotly competitive for several years, and the debut Olympic tournament is expected to bring worldwide attention and cachet to boxing, which has slipped into secondary status after decades as a main Olympic event.

Boxing joined the Olympic program in St. Louis in 1904, but was the only Summer Games sport without a female analogue until 2009, when the IOC added a women’s competition to the London program. Supporters had argued for the addition for several years. New worlds suddenly opened for athletes like Katie Taylor, the lightweight world champion who also plays on Ireland’s national soccer team, and Queen Underwood, the fivetime American champion who took up boxing nearly a decade ago with no illusions of Olympic glory or financial rewards.

Underwood and Taylor simply boxed for the love of their sport but now they’re Olympians. “This whole process has been a dream come true,” said Underwood, who didn’t secure an Olympic berth until five weeks before the start of the London Games. “So many women have worked so hard to get us here, and now we just want to go out and put on a great show for everybody, and show we deserve to be right next to the men at the Olympics.”

With a relatively small field compared to the 250 fighters in 10 weight classes in the sprawling men’s competition, the women’s tournament doesn’t begin until the Games’ second Sunday and lasts only five days.

The rest of the 16 Olympic days and nights at ExCeL Exhibition Centre will be filled with the men’s competition, which also is at a key point in its evolution.

The London Games will be the final major international event featuring headguards and the amateur game’s computerized scoring system, which receives nearly as much criticism as the incompetent and sometimes corrupt judging that forced its invention 20 years ago. The system has been tweaked in recent months to improve its accuracy, but don’t be surprised if fighters complain relentlessly about unfair decisions, a dismaying common event at every level of the amateur game.

Wu Ching-kuo, the influential President of the International Boxing Association (AIBA), is moving the sport back to pro-style judging and removing the debatably useful headgear in his attempt to move amateur boxing closer to the pro model. He hopes to attract better athletes to the sport while also fostering talent for his innovative pro-amateur hybrid programs, including the World Series of Boxing.—AP

IMPHAL: In this June 14, 2012 photo, Indian boxer and five-time world champion Mary Kom displays her medals at her residence in Langol Games village on the outskirts of Imphal.—AP

EUGENE: Galen Rupp, Matt Tegenkamp and Dathan Ritzenhein pose after the men’s 10,000m finals at the US Olympic Track and Field Trials.—AP

Decathlete Eaton makes the splash at rainy trials Rupp, Hastings win 10,000m finals EUGENE: World silver medalist Ashton Eaton, accustomed to the rain in his native Oregon, splashed to a big first-day decathlon score at the US Olympic trials on a chilly Friday. The world indoor record holder posted record decathlon performances in the 100 meters and long jump, his first two events, and finished the day 17 points ahead of the pace Dan O’Brien marked to set the American decathlon record in 1992. “It was one of the best first days I have ever seen,” O’Brien told Reuters after Eaton clocked a total of 4,728 points from the five events.

Whether the 24-year-old can reach O’Brien’s record of 8,891 points after today’s closing five events may depend on the weather, which is expected to be rainy once again. He went into Sunday with a 322-point lead over world champion Trey Hardee.

Olympic champion Bryan Clay was running third at 4,252 points. The top three finishers in the trials, which continue through July 1, book tickets to London provided they meet the Olympic qualifying standard. In Friday’s only finals, US record holder Galen Rupp clocked a meet record 27 minutes, 25.33 seconds to win the men’s 10,000 meters and Amy Hastings took the women’s race in 31:58.36.

Rupp was joined on the US team by runner-up Matt Tegenkamp (27:33.94) and thirdplace finisher Dathan Ritzenhein (27:36.09).

Hastings’s London team mates will be Lisa Uhl, the fourth-place runner, and Janet Cherobon-Bawcom, who finished seventh, the pair securing selection having already made the “A” qualifying standard. Runner-up Natosha Rogers (31:59.21) failed to make the Olympic grade, while the third-placed Shalane Flanagan will run the marathon at London.

SPRINTERS ADVANCE Top US female sprinters Sanya RichardsRoss and Allyson Felix had little trouble with

the wet conditions in advancing through qualifying rounds. “Other than messing up my hair, it was fine,” Richards-Ross quipped after jogging the last 100 meters in a steady rain to win her women’s 400 preliminary. The Jamaican-born American, who is bidding for spots on the American team in the 200 and 400, ran hard the first half of her race before easing off to finish in 51.69 seconds. Threetimes 200m world champion Felix, who will try to book places in the 100 and 200 for London, won her opening race in the shorter event in 11.19 seconds.

Tianna Madison, the 2005 world long jump gold medalist turned sprinter was even faster (11.10 seconds) while reigning world champion Carmelita Jeter clocked 11.20 in a separate race.

Olympic champion LaShawn Merritt topped the men’s 400 preliminaries in 45.36 seconds with former Games gold medalist Jeremy Wariner 13th fastest of 16 qualifiers.

Kellie Wells ignored the wet track to clock an impressive 12.68 seconds in women’s 100 hurdles qualifying.

Reigning Olympic champion Dawn Harper, world silver medalist Danielle Carruthers and 2004 Games winner Joanna Hayes, who is making a comeback at age 35, also advanced to Saturday’s semi-finals along with Lolo Jones.

Eaton stole the limelight, however, as he ran 10.21 seconds to post the fastest ever 100 meters in a decathlon. “Ashton Eaton is a true beast,” tweeted 2004 Olympic 100m champion Justin Gatlin. Eaton later leaped 8.23 meters, an unprecedented mark in the long jump leg of decathlon competition. Although finishing fifth in the shot put, one of his weaker events, he closed out the day by high jumping 2.05 meters in the rain and winning the 400 in 46.70 seconds. “What you’re seeing is a culmination of everyone who supported me,” Eaton said. “I just do not want to let anyone down.”— Reuters

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SUNDAY, JUNE 24, 2012

S P ORT S

Vettel takes European Grand Prix pole VALENCIA: Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel took a big step towards becoming Formula One’s first repeat winner of the season after qualifying on pole position for today’s European Grand Prix for the third year in a row. The 24year- old double world champion whooped with joy over the team radio after beating McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton to the top slot with a best time of one minute 38.086 seconds in the Valencia heat. “Oh yes, we did the right thing at the end.

That was a challenge, boys,” shouted the German after being told that Hamilton and “the rest of the world” was behind him on the provisional grid. His 33rd career pole lifted Vettel

to equal third place with four times champion Alain Prost and the late Jim Clark in the sport’s all-time records. “I had a good feeling on the last lap, put ever ything in and it was good enough for pole,” he told reporters.

Team principal Christian Horner said it was more than good: “He strung it all together...he put together a perfect lap, probably his best lap this year I would say.” Hamilton, winner in Canada two weeks ago but whose team have yet to triumph in Valencia, was surprised to have made second on the grid - a hefty 0.324 seconds behind - after a difficult time in Friday practice. “I expected to be further back,” said the 2008 world cham-

pion, who leads Spaniard Fernando Alonso by two points after seven races with Vettel a point further adrift.

“We had to make some adjustments and it seemed to work. I am surprised,” added the Briton, whose team mate Jenson Button qualified ninth.

Venezuela’s Pastor Maldonado, a surprise winner of the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona last month, was an impressive third for Williams. The two Lotuses of Romain Grosjean and Kimi Raikkonen, who have been going well in hot weather this season, made the most of the 46 degree centigrade track temperature to take fourth and fifth place.

Hopes of an unprecedented

eighth different winner in the first eight races faded, with the top three all having won this season and no winner in four previous races in Valencia having ever started lower than third. Germany’s Nico Rosberg was sixth in a Mercedes and local favourite Alonso was back in 11th, with Ferrari president Luca Di Montezemolo watching from the garage on a rare race visit. Alonso’s Brazilian team mate Felipe Massa was back in 13th, a place behind M ercedes’ M ichael S chumacher, while Vettel’s Australian team mate Mark Webber failed to get through the first session and starts 19th.

“He’s going to have to go for it,”

said Horner of Webber’s chances at a tight track that has produced processional races in the past. “He’s had a wretched day today and very unlucky to have a hydraulic issue with the DRS (rear wing) that wouldn’t allow it to activate. He came close to making the cut, it was a really good lap... he’s going to have a busy race from there.”

Caterham benefited from Webber’s woes with Heikki Kovalainen qualifying 16th and ahead of both the Toro Rosso cars. Marussia’s German driver Timo Glock missed qualifying with a stomach bug and remains a doubt for today’s race, with the decision in the hands of stewards as much as doctors and his tail-end team. —Reuters

Roddick, Paszek win Eastbourne titles EASTBOURNE: Andy Roddick’s confidence was boosted by winning the Eastbourne Championships on the eve of Wimbledon when he beat defending champion Andreas Seppi 6-3, 6-2 in the final yesterday. Tamira Paszek of Austria fought off five match points to defeat fifth-seeded Angelique Kerber of Germany 5-7, 6-3, 7-5 in the women’s final. Roddick entered

seeded Italian, speeding to a 5-1 lead in the opening set. He was equally dominant in the second set, often forcing his opponent into errors. After breaking to lead 2-1 he held off a break point and then broke again at love to lead 4-1.

Three games later he was a champion again, two days before the start of Wimbledon, where he’s been a finalist three times.

Bartoli in the semifinals, and she trailed Kerber 4-2 in the final set of their 2-hour, 45-minute final.

Kerber, who was chasing her third title of the year after winning the Paris Indoor and Copenhagen events, made a blistering start to the match, holding three break points for a 4-0 lead.

Paszek held off that threat and went on to level at 3-3 before

EASTBOURNE: Austria’s Tamira Paszek celebrates defeating Germany’s Andelique Kerber during day six of the AEGON International tennis tournament. —AP the event as a wild card after losing his opening match at Queen’s Club last week, a defeat that stretched his personal losing streak to six matches dating to mid-March.

It’s his 31st career title, ending a 16-month drought. He looked brisk and business-like against the third-

Paszek claimed her first title since she won Quebec City late in 2010, and her victory comes after she won just two matches this year with 11 first-round defeats. The unseeded Austrian battled back from a set and 4-0 down against defending champion Marion

Kerber broke again for the set.

Showing greater enthusiasm for battle than her opponent in the second set, Paszek leveled the match by breaking serve twice to set up a tense finale. Kerber broke serve to lead the third set 4-2 and went on to hold five match points

on Paszek’s serve at 5-3. The Austrian fought off the challenge but after slipping during the game she needed her right ankle strapped before continuing play.

Kerber then failed to serve out the match at 5-4, and after Paszek held off a break point at 5-5 she clinched victory on her own third match point by breaking Kerber’s serve.

“I don’t know what kept me going, how I kept going,” said Paszek, who faces former world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki in her opening match at Wimbledon next week. “I was dead tired in the third set. I could hardly move. I just gave all I had left, and it just was enough.” Kerber was disappointed at the result but satisfied with her week of preparation for Wimbledon. “She was playing very well in important moments and also when I had the match points.

So actually I couldn’t do anything,” Kerber said. “Yeah, she won the match, and she played very well today. But I had a lot of great matches, and I won also some good matches here, so now I’m ready for the next week in Wimbledon.”

Roddick was thrilled with his week in the genteel atmosphere of the English south coast resort.

“Yeah, it’s been great,” Roddick said.

“You know, it’s everything I could have asked for. I feel like I can come here and get my work in. The facility has been great. The courts have been great. There’s plenty of practice courts. The community really seems to support this event. “You know, you’re not dealing with the hustle and bustle of a massive city. I think before a major, that’s nice.

You can kind of come down here under the radar and get my work done and really have a positive week. So it was a really good opportunity for me.” —AP

LONDON: Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II looks on as Mrs Barry Hawkes wife of one of the five owners of the Australian horse Black Caviar shows the winning trophy to the crowd after it won the Diamond Jubilee Stakes on the fifth day of Royal Ascot horse race. —AP

Unbeaten Black Caviar holds on for glory ASCOT: Australian champion sprinter Black Caviar narrowly maintained her unbeaten record with victory at Royal Ascot yesterday but was lucky not to lose the race in the hands of over-confident jockey Luke Nolen. ‘The Wonder from Down Under’ narrowly landed the Diamond Jubilee Stakes by a fast-fading head and neck from Moonlight Cloud (5-1) and Restiadargent (40-1) for her 22nd consecutive victory.

Nolen was the first to admit his mistake aboard the 1-6 favorite and Australia’s most famous horse since 1930 Melbourne Cup winner Phar Lap. “It was an error that every apprentice is taught not to do and I got away with it today,” Nolen, in confessional mode, told reporters. “I probably just underestimated the testing track. “It is going to overshadow what was a very good win. They are going to talk about my brain-fade rather than the horse’s fantastic effort.” Black Caviar took the lead at halfway and moved clear of the field but was caught in the closing stages of the sixfurlong sprint, leaving the thousands who had flocked to Ascot to see her, with an anxious wait for the official result.

There were gasps of relief when the

photo finish result was announced. “You have only got to win by a quarter of an inch. That’s what we were prepared to come here and win by. We have got the job done,” said Black Caviar’s trainer Peter Moody. Britain’s Queen Elizabeth came down to the paddock afterwards to admire the mighty mare and offer her a pat of congratulations. Moody said it was quite overwhelming to meet the Queen adding: “ There is no doubt that Her Majesty is certainly a horse lover - the two queens of Australia maybe?”

Black Caviar’s 11,000-mile trip from Australia wearing a specially designed equine compression suit had clearly taken its toll and any arguments about her being better than the world’s highest ranked racehorse, Frankel - who won Tuesday’s Queen Anne stakes by 11 lengths - rang hollow afterwards. About 5,000 Australian racing fans poured into Royal Ascot to watch the much-hyped race, which was also shown live in Melbourne’s Federation Square. The Melbourne Cup has always been known as the race that halts a nation for the day but yesterday it was a horse on the other side of the world who did just that. —Reuters

Don Bosco Oratory crowned champions KIFF LEAGUE KUWAIT: Inspired with a sublime performance by Man of the Match Loyed Mascarenhas, Don Bosco Oratory (DBO) thrashed DHL FC 41 in a one sided season finale of the grand KIFF League Championship for the JP D’Mello Memorial Trophy organized by the Kuwait Indian Football Federation at the Al-Qadsia Sporting Club stadium (Hawally) last Friday.

The final was watched by a large crowd including H.E. the Ambassador of India to Kuwait Shri Satish Mehta who was the chief guest, Indian soccer icon and guest of honor Bruno Coutinho and Nasser Omran Kanan, the Regional Admin and PR manager of Gulf Cable who was the other special invitee.

The final of the grueling league cum knock out tournament featuring 19 teams was played under floodlights and the occasion brought out the best of the youthful Don Bosco Oratory team, who forced the game right from kick off.

Loyed whose inclusion in the Oratory team has given them the extra boost in midfield scored the first goal when in typical fashion he cut through two defenders from the right flank and struck ferociously past the outstretched arms of DHL keeper Manoj, 1-0.

Moments later Loyed could have scored again but his excellent free kick from just outside the box was well parried away by the DHL keeper. Alexandro Gomes who had been the backbone of DBO’s surge for the title with his accurate

passes and all-round performance than got his name on the score sheet when he easily tapped in from a defense splitting pass from Loyed to make it 2-0. A few sporadic forays in the DBO half by DHL FC forwards Cruz and Jai John

were easily dealt with by Godfrey, Michael, Salman and strongman Roshan in the Bosco defense.

DHL FC briefly threatened to add a twist to the game when Terrence’s long range try a few minutes into the second half, sur-

prised Alido Gomes in the DBO goal who was caught off his line to make it 1-2. DBO however were not to be denied their day of glory and cheered on by their supporters, captain Peter Fernandes dipped one over the DHL goal-

keeper and hard working Roshan Dias added the fourth in the dying minutes of the game to finish 4-1.

It was a strangely subdued performance by DHL FC who in spite of fielding the likes of Vico, Terence, Roland, John Furtado and

Captain of Don Bosco Oratory lifting the glittering JP D’Mello Trophy

DHL FC captain receiving the runners-up trophy from Nasser Omarn Kanan of Gulf Cable

KIFF President presenting memento to the Ambassador of India

Michael Dias receiving the Golden Boot award from VK Vohra

Binoj could not find the form that got them to the final.

Earlier before the start of the final, the emcee Julio Cardoso introduced ‘Jovas XLNC for Dance’ a local dance troupe led by Joythi and Sunil who entertained the spectators with their soccer themed dance performance.

Fidelis Fernandes the President of Kuwait Indian Football Federation thanked the Ambassador for gracing the occasion and the sponsors Gulf Cable for their support. He also paid glowing tributes to the guest of honor and Arjuna Awardee Bruno Continuo who was flown is especially for the final.

In his brief speech, the ambassador of India to Kuwait, Shri Satish Mehta congratulated the Federation and said he was amazed to see that Indians could organize a football tournament of such caliber in Kuwait. Bruno Coutinho and Nasser Omarn Kanan too spoke on the occasion and complimented both the finalists and the federation. The VIP guests along with all 19 presidents of affiliate clubs of the federation were then introduced to the players and doves were released in a symbolic gesture to commemorate the occasion.

During the break and end of the match, mementos were presented to the chief guest: Shri Satish Mehta, Guest of Honor: Bruno Coutinho, special invitee: Nasser Omarn Kanan, Performers of Jovas XLNC for Dance, Derick Gomindes and Julio Cardoso for

their contribution and support to KIFF. Loyed Mascarenhas deservedly was declared ‘Man of the Match’ and presented with an award by Hugh Fernandes on behalf of Al-Muzaini Exchange Company, Best goalkeeper was begged by Alido Gomes, Best Defender Godfrey Aguiar, best midfielder Loyed Mascarenhas and best forward Roshan Dias, all of Don Bosco Oratory. The fair play award for the season went to DHL FC and the KIFF Regular Season championship was won by Malabar United.

The highest scorer of the season was shared by Michael Dias of DBO and Cruzedio of Navelim YC, and both players received trophies from KIFF and individual gold coins sponsored by V. K. Vohra.

The final was very well officiated

by Derick Gomindes assisted by Jerry Mello and Pascoal Fernandes on the lines. Victor Andrade, Romeo and Arnold Bothelo were the extra officials.

The Kuwait Indian Football Federation which came into existence in 1983 is run by nine elected committee members from the 19 affiliate members with Fidelis Fernandes as President, Clifford Pinto - V. President, Michael Fernandes - Gen. Secretary, Zico Fernandes - Treasurer, Mario Carneiro - Sports Secretary, Praveen Kumar - Registrar, Adley D’Lima - Asst. Sports Secretary, Venancio Pereira - Public Relations and William Stranauch - Reliever.

KIFF also has an in-house Referees Body to officiate all matches.

SUNDAY, JUNE 24, 2012

SPORTS

Today’s Match on TV UEFA European Championship

England v Italy 21:45

19 Euro 2012 briefs

Aljazeera Sport 1 HD Aljazeera Sport +9 Aljazeera Sport +10 Aljazeera Sport - Euro

A very logical Greek tragedy at Euro 2012 DONETSK: A double bill of German strength and Greek tragedy. Two for the price of one. Football’s gods clearly speak German. Because if they had a heart, Greece, not Germany, would have won the quarterfinal Friday at Euro 2012 - for sympathy reasons, alone. The bottom has fallen out of the Greek economy. More than one in five Greeks are out of work. They are miserable and surviving on rescue loans from other European countries and the International Monetary Fund. So a short-lived jolt of football joy could have done Greece the power of good.

Plus, the opponent, Germany, is the same country that has been pushing for Greece to get its finances in order and severely tighten its belt in return for bailouts. In short, this was a bit like the Greeks going toe-to-toe with their strict, no-nonsense bank manager. In fact, she was there, in the stands, sitting next to the boss of European football, Michel Platini.

Angela Merkel likes her football and comfortably juggles serious business and serious pleasure. The German chancellor flew to the game in Poland

from yet another meeting - this one in Italy - about what type of medicine should be administered to the European economy.

Europe’s biggest economy playing football against its sickest ensured that the Internet was awash with jokes.

“Greece can’t afford to concede tonight. Greece can’t afford anything” was one pre-game comment. But no, the Greek players didn’t have “Sponsored by Germany” on their sober blue shirts.

And no, Merkel didn’t phone Antonis Samaras, Greece’s new prime minister, before the game to make an unspeakable offer: “Hey, about that money we lent you. ... Could your team concede a couple of goals in return?”

The brutal truth is that Merkel didn’t need to. This German team, the youngest of the 16 competing at the European Championship, manages just beautifully on its own.

Merkel clapped in delight when Sami Khedira volleyed in Germany’s second goal, and looked pretty happy about the third, just minutes later, from Miroslav Klose, too. In Athens, Greek

fans watching in cafes cursed at the TV screen and made rude hand gestures when Merkel was shown celebrating.

But Germany’s fourth goal from Marco Reus, well, that just seemed cruel. By then, you just wanted the pain to stop for Greece. Enough is enough.

Greek sports journalist Vasilis Sambrakos wrote before the game on www.footballspeak.com about his hopes that his team would “send a message to everybody, especially Germans, that we are not lazy, we are not losers, we don’t feel like losers, we are not bankrupted, and we don’t feel or think that we are forced to give up our fight for a decent future, a decent life, a decent living in our country.”

Well, Sambrakos can consider his wish fulfilled. Greece didn’t embarrass itself. It didn’t simply surrender after Philipp Lahm opened the scoring for Germany. Georgios Samaras briefly pulled Greece level before Germany pulled away again for good. The final 42 score was a fair and accurate depiction of how Greece was comprehensively outplayed by a German team that should reach the July 1 final, and even

win it. As much as a Greece victory would have warmed sad Greek hearts, football is more logical than sentimental. Germany has 81 million people and Europe’s biggest economy that comfortably sustains its passion for football.

Germany invested much money and effort over the past decade on youth football to end up with the devastatingly quick and dynamic team it has today. But there are just 11 million Greeks, their deep recession is in its fifth year, and their football is not as financially healthy. The Greek league’s last season began in disarray, with two teams demoted because of their owners’ involvement in a match-fixing scandal and another relegated because of unpaid debts. So, in that respect, too, this outcome at the Arena Gdansk made sense.

If it reaches the final, Germany could end up meeting another country with financial difficulties - either Portugal or perhaps Spain. Football, of course, is just a game. But because of the financial politics surrounding Euro 2012 match-ups, it’s starting to feel much more important than that.—AP

Football, Kiev and shadow of ‘The Death Match’

DONETSK: Soccer enthusiasts wave Spanish flags prior to the Euro 2012 soccer championship quarterfinal match between Spain and France yesterday. —AP

Players using their heads at Euro 2012

WARSAW: From the moment Poland centre forward Robert Lewandowksi stooped to plant a firm downward header into the net against Greece for the opening goal of Euro 2012, strikers have been using their heads.

Halfway through the quarter-finals, there have been 19 headed goals out of a total of 67 in the tournament, more than any other European Championship. Irish writer Oscar Wilde once said “Football is all very well a good game for rough girls, but not for delicate boys”, and while the 19th century poet was talking about the game in general, fortune has often favored those who leap highest or put their bonce, tete, nut or noggin in where it hurts.

From when footballs were nothing more than inflated pig-skin bladders, to mud-spattered and water-clogged leather balls that gave the feeling of heading a lump of lead and now the modern-day aerodynamic spheres that zip through the air, the art of heading a ball properly brings reward. Euro 2012 has featured fine headed goals, from Cristiano Ronaldo’s well-timed and accurate placement that secured Portugal semi-final’s berth, to Croatian Mario Mandzukic’s off-balance effort that caught out Ireland and Andriy Shevchenko’s quickfire double for Ukraine against Sweden. The pick so far, though, was England striker Andy Carroll’s net-bursting effort against the vulnerable Swedes, a throwback to when a centre-forward was cut from granite and commanded the airspace around him.

The burly pony-tailed striker met Steven Gerrard’s cross with a majestic header that had was a perfect blend of power, timing and precision. Hurtling off Carroll’s forehead like a laser-guided missile, Sweden keeper Andreas Isaksson was left flapping in the ball’s vapour trail.

UEFA president Michael Platini believes the introduction of additional officials behind each goal has led to more headed goals because defenders are more wary and less likely to try and impede opponents when they have additional eyes on them.

“With the additional referee you score more headers, because there is the fear of being caught,” the Frenchman told reporters during the group stage.

“So there are more goals because the players know that the referee is there and they cannot commit fouls all the

DONETSK: Spain’s Alvaro Arbeloa (back) and France’s Franck Ribery challenge for the ball during the Euro 2012 soccer championship quarterfinal match. —AP time. “I think that the refereeing system allows more goals because there is less shirt pulling, less simulation.” Platini said it had not always been so.

“We have spent all our youth to try and fool the referee.

You actually pulled the shirt when the referee wasn’t looking. “You can score more goals because you have the space to score. Before, if you held the shirt it was impossible.” —Reuters

KIEV: The Ukrainian capital Kiev hosts the final of Euro 2012, cementing an association with football that goes well beyond its famous teams Dynamo and Lokomotiv to one of the most talked-about matches in history.

The Start stadium is a crumbling arena not far from the city centre. The letters START are mounted on a stone colonnade but the letter “R” looks ready to fall at any minute onto the abandoned wooden terraces overrun with rubbish and weeds.

The dilapidated venue is a far cry from the overhauled Olympic Stadium, where the two best teams in European football will run out on July 1 in front of a capacity 60,000 crowd. But 70 years ago the Start stadium hosted a match forever etched in the memory of Ukrainians, when a team made up of former Dynamo and Lokomotiv players freed from a prison camp played a FlakElf XI of soldiers and pilots of the Nazi German occupiers.

On August 9, 1942, several thousand people were in the then Zenit stadium to watch FC Start win 5-3 in a game later dubbed “The Death Match”.

The story began several months before when former Dynamo goalkeeper Nikolai Trusevich found work after his release from a prison camp in a Kiev bakery, with the city occupied by German troops after they pushed back the Soviet Union’s Red Army a year earlier. Trusevich’s boss, Josef Kordi, was a Dynamo fan and persuaded him to put together a team with some of his former team-mates, who found themselves on the streets, to play in a league organised by their hated occupiers. With seven former Dynamo players and three from Lokomotiv, Start were very strong. The team, which played in red, won six times before playing FlakElf for the first time on August 6.

Start’s winning run did not go down well with the German authorities, who thought it would be a source of inspiration for the local population and hit the morale of its own troops.

Nevertheless, Start ran out emphatic 5-1 winners and a rematch was organised for just three days later.

The stands at Zenit stadium were full on August 9 with German police and soldiers among the crowds. The match itself was hard-fought and marked by dubious refereeing by an SS officer.

Despite that, Start went into half-time 3-1 up. The players are then said to have received a visit from two German officials asking them them to throw the match. The team won the game 5-3.

History and legend diverge from reality after the final whistle. In the 1960s, Soviet propaganda seized on the Start story and made two films based on it, suggesting that the 11 players were arrested after the match and immediately executed while still wearing their football jerseys.

In reality, that didn’t happen. Start even played another match after “The Death Match”-and won again. But several players on the team were later arrested on suspicion of being members of the Soviet secret political police, the NKVD. One of them, Nikolai Korotkikh, was tortured and died.

Other players were sent to the Syrets labour camp in the Kiev suburbs. Ivan Kuzmenko, Alexei Klimenko and Nikolai Trusevich were executed but a German court ruled in 2005 that it was impossible to prove that their deaths were linked to “The Death Match”.

The same inquiry was not able either to establish beyond doubt whether German officials visited the Start dressing room at half-time and a photo even exists of the two teams at the end of the match, smiling. Following the fall of the Soviet Union, one member of Start who survived the war, Makar Goncharenko, spoke out about how his former team-mates met their deaths. “They didn’t all die because they were good footballers or Dynamo players. They died like a lot of other Soviets because two totalitarian regimes went to war. “They were victims of a wide-scale massacre. The death of these players isn’t very different from those of a lot of other people,” he said.—AFP

Mix and match Of 16 teams at Euro 2012 no fewer than 15 incorporate players who either have double nationality or or are of a different origin, according to the Austrian Integration Fund (OeIF) specialising in migration studies. France are the most “mixed’ side with 13 players of foreign origin - the majority of them from Francophone Africa. Croatia and the Netherlands have nine while eight of the Irish squad are of British origin. “These figures show the huge potential of sport in terms of integration,” said the OeIF. Russia went against the trend with all of their squad of Russian origin.

Irish win Polish vote Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk says he considers Ireland as ‘the real winners of Euro-2012” owing to its “fantastic supporters.”

Tusk said: “Even if we don’t yet know the finalists, the real winners of the Euro are Ireland owing to the fantastic behavior of their supporters.”

The Irish crashed out without a point to their name but their supporters won plaudits for backing their side to the hilt all the way through three defeats.

Hot shots Some Portugal players have found a novel way of relaxing as they wait for their semi-final as the first team to have made it through. Several in the squad, including Nani, Nelson Oliveira and Hugo Viana, went off to the rifle range Syesterday to learn to be hot shots not with footballs but air pistols near their hotel at Opalenica, Poland, Portuguese media said.

Germany’s Rolls Reus Having been dubbed Germany’s “Rolls Reus”, attacking midfielder Marco Reus has said he is ready to go full throttle in the side’s bid to win the European title. Reus marked his first Euro 2012 start for Germany with a second-half goal in Friday’s 4-2 quarter-final win over Greece and his eye-catching display has seen him nicknamed “Rolls Reus” by both the British and German media. The latest German starlet off the Bundesliga’s production line, Reus combined with Real Madrid’s Mesut Ozil to constantly threaten the Greek defence and slotted seamlessly into the well-oiled machinery of the German attack.

“Nicknames aren’t something you can influence, I just want to put my foot on the gas for the team now,” quipped the 23-year-old.

SUNDAY, JUNE 24, 2012

Players using their heads at Euro 2012 Page 19

DONETSK: Spanish midfielder Xabi Alonso (right) scores against French goalkeeper Hugo Lloris during the Euro 2012 football championships quarter-final match. —AFP

Alonso fires Spain into Euro semis DONETSK: Spain yesterday took a step closer to defending their European title, beating France for the first time in a major competition to secure a semi-final meeting with neighbors Portugal.

Two goals from Xabi Alonso, making his 100th appearance for Spain, took La Roja to the last four in Euro 2012, in a match that Vicente Del Bosque’s side showed no signs of losing.

Alonso’s first goal-his 14th at international levelcame after he found himself unmarked at the back post, with Jordi Alba drawing the French defence too far across the line before delivering a deep cross. The Real Madrid midfielder then made it two from the penalty spot on 90 minutes after Anthony Reveillere bundled over Andres Iniesta.

A Yohan Cabaye freekick on 25 minutes was the closest Laurent Blanc’s men came to scoring but Spain captain Iker Casillas was equal to the shot and turned the ball over for a corner from under his bar. Spain’s win ended a run in which they had failed to beat France in major competitions, with memories fresh of Les Bleus’ 2-0 win in the final of

Euro 1984 and their 3-1 victory in the last 16 of the World Cup in 2006. The European and world champions now meet Portugal on Wednesday, also in Donetsk, with all eyes on how Spain will deal with Real Madrid’s star striker Cristiano Ronaldo, who is coming to the boil with three goals in two games.

The last quarter final of the competition sees England play Italy in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, with the winner going on to meet Germany in the semi-final in Warsaw, Poland, next Thursday.

England are currently on a five-match unbeaten run since Roy Hodgson took over as coach last month, fuelling genuine belief that the Three Lions could reach the semi-finals of a major competition for the first time since Euro 96.

But Italy will be no push-overs. The two sides have played each other 22 times since 1933 and the Azzurri have the better record, with nine wins, six draws and seven defeats.

Their last meeting in the European championships was in 1980, when Italy won 1-0. They also ran out 2-1 winners in the third-place play-off of

the 1990 World Cup. But England captain Steven Gerrard said England were in confident mood and had great team spirit, despite being written off coming into the tournament due to a long list of injures.

“The level of performance of the team and the squad so far in this tournament gives me the confidence and belief,” he told a news conference.

“I think in previous tournaments the reason we’ve gone out is because the level of performance has been under what we’re capable of. I think we’ve got stronger as the tournament’s

Semi finals line-up Semi-finals June 27 (Donetsk/UKR): Portugal v Spain June 28 (Warsaw): Germany v England or Italy

gone on and hopefully that will be the same tomorrow (Sunday) night.”

Hodgson, whose side has five key players, including Gerrard, one booking away from a suspension, said there was a growing sense of belief in the camp and the match was finely poised. In an ironic reversal of traditional stereotypes, Italy come into the game amid praise for their attractive style of play, while England have been lauded for their defensive obduracy. Italy’s veteran midfielder Daniele De Rossi believes England still bear the Italian traits of former coach Fabio Capello while remaining under the influence of former Inter Milan manager Hodgson.

Coach Cesare Prandelli is wary of an England side which he believes has found the “right equilibrium”, although he insisted his team has nothing to fear.

“We all know the English character, they never hold anything back but they also have some good creative players,” he said.—AFP

However Hodgson will instruct the players in jeopardy to ignore the threat of suspension for fear it could inhibit their performance. Hodgson will harbour the biggest concerns over his captain Gerrard, the Liverpool star who has lit up England’s performances so far with a series of inspirational displays from midfield.

Gerrard has set up three of England’s five goals at these championships while at the same time shielding his team’s defence effectively with Scott Parker.

Hodgson is expected to field the lineup which started in the 1-0 win over Uk raine on Tuesday, with the more defensively minded Milner holding his place on the right side of midfield ahead of Theo Walcott.

Italy coach Cesare Prandelli meanwhile has been forced to reshuffle his defence following the injury to rugged centre-back Giorgio Chiellini, who is likely to be replaced by Leonardo Bonucci.

Prandelli is wary of an England side which he believes have found the “right equilibrium” while maintaining the Azzurri have nothing to fear.

“We all know the English character, they never hold anything back but they also have some good creative players,” he said. In an ironic reversal of traditional stereotypes, Italy head into the game with plaudits for their attractive style ringing in their ears while England have been lauded for their defensive obduracy.

Match statistics for Spain’s 2-0 win against France in their Euro 2012 quarter-final at the Donbass Arena yesterday: Goals scored Total shots Shots on target Corners Offsides Fouls committed Yellow cards Red cards Ball possession (percent)

Spain 2 9 5 7 6 6 1 0 55

France 0 4 1 3 1 12 2 0 45

Line-up leaking Germany mole has Loew fuming

England and Italy in heavyweight collision KRAKOW: England will attempt to reach the last four of a major tournament for the first time in 16 years today as they face Italy in a heavyweight Euro 2012 quarter-final collision.

The burgeoning confidence within Roy Hodgson’s youthful squad is tempered by the knowledge that England have rarely progressed beyond the last eight of major tournaments, with three quarter-final exits in the past 10 years alone.

But after winning Group D ahead of highly-rated France and extending their unbeaten run to five games, England head into today ’s test in Kiev with a mounting sense of belief that they can prolong their stay in the tournament.

“If we can go about the job in the way we are doing at the moment we will make a game of it and who knows what will happen,” Hodgson said.

“It will be another even encounter, another game that will swing either way.

The good thing is we are there, we are taking part and still in the competition and we want to be in the competition because we have really enjoyed it.”

A potential headache for Hodgson is that no fewer than five key players are walking a disciplinary tightrope heading into the match.

Steven Gerrard, Ashley Cole, Ashley Young, James Milner and Alex OxladeChamberlain are all just one booking away from missing a potential semi-final against Germany.

STATISTICS

KIEV: Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon stretches for the ball during a training session at the Olympic stadium on the eve of the Euro 2012 football championships quarter-final match against England.—AFP

Italy’s veteran midfielder Daniele De Rossi believes England still bear the hallmark of former coach Fabio Capello while remaining under the influence of former Inter Milan manager Hodgson.

“England are a very Italian team,” De Rossi said. “You can see the signs, from Fabio Capello to now, with Hodgson.

“One is Italian, one worked in Italian football. Hodgson was managing in Italy with Inter Milan, so his teams know how to play defensively and then attack. They will have very good players on the flanks but also be a really compact team. It won’t be easy.”

The key battleground is expected to be midfield, where England are likely to require second striker Wayne Rooney to

drop deep to prevent Parker and Gerrard from being outnumbered.

“The particular challenge with Italy is in the midfield area where they have a lot of very gifted and experienced players, players who are technically good on the ball, and they’re basically a central team,” Hodgson said.

“We’re going to have to be careful we don’t get outnumbered in that area and they don’t play around us ... We have to be aware of that.”

“We’re fully aware we’re meeting a technical and experienced team, and a team that’s been together for a while.

But we’ll prepare for the challenge they give us and we’ll try and give them a few little headaches of our own.”—AFP

GDANSK: Germany coach Joachim Loew is said to be fuming after a “mole” in the German camp again leaked their starting line-up at Euro 2012.

Loew sprung a surprise for Friday’s quarter-final by dropping Mario Gomez, Lukas Podolski and Thomas Mueller for the Germans’ 4-2 quarter-final win over Greece at Arena Gdasnk, but the news was reported earlier that afternoon.

“I can’t say exactly from where this (leak) has come,” admitted Loew ahead of his team’s semi-final against England or Italy in Warsaw on Thursday.

“The players talk to their agents, perhaps it comes from there. “They phone home and talk with friends, either because they are happy or disappointed. “I am certain it doesn’t come from the players. These are other channels, but they are unidentifiable.

“It is not good when the cards are on the table so early.”

Team line-ups are normally only released just prior to kick-off, but Loew’s formation was reported much earlier by several German media outlets with the news Miroslav Klose, Andre Schuerrle and Marco Reus would all start.

After the latest leak, midfielder Schuerrle revealed the national coach is fuming. “It is certainly regrettable,” said the 21-year-old Bayer Leverkusen midfielder. “The head coach has spoken to us about this leak and he is, of course, far from happy. “I am sure it is someone outside the team, I can’t imagine it would be anyone inside.” This is not the first time this has happened at Euro 2012.

It was common knowledge ahead of the opening Group B match against Portugal that Loew intended to play Gomez, rather than Klose, up front and he dropped Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker for Borussia Dortmund’s Mats Hummels.

News also leaked prior to the final group game against Denmark that Leverkusen midfielder Lars Bender would be used at right-back for the suspended Jerome Boateng.

Dortmund-bound forward Marco Reus said any espionage is not affecting the German team. “I do not know who the mole is, but fortunately it doesn’t affect what we are doing,” he said.—AFP

Business

Volatility returns to Kuwait bourse Page 24 Markets enter the summer in volatile mood Page 25

SUNDAY, JUNE 24, 2012

Global oil market to remain weak in 2012: Al-Shall report

Page 22

European leaders push for $163bn in measures Page 23

TUNIS: Mustapha Kamel Nabli (left), a Tunisian economist and the Governor of the Central Bank of Tunisia, speaks during a seminar on “Launching Consultations on the 2013 budget, Preparing for the Future for more Equitable and Inclusive Development in the new Tunisia” yesterday in Tunis, as American Nobel Prize in Economy winner Joseph Stiglitz (second right) and Tunisian Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali (right) listen. — AFP

Greece sets bailout revision agenda New government braces for EU-IMF audit ATHENS: Greece’s new government yesterday said it wanted to review several austerity measures enacted for rescue loans and bargain for a two-year fiscal adjustment extension as it prepared for an EU-IMF audit. A policy document released by the conservative-led coalition said efforts to “revise” Greece’s EU-IMF bailout deal in talks with creditors starting tomorrow include “the extension of the fiscal adjustment by at least two years”, to 2016.

The aim would be to meet fiscal goals “without further cuts to salaries, pensions and public investment” and new taxes, it said, announcing a freeze on further civil-service layoffs, sales-tax cuts and longer unemployment benefits.

“The aim is to avoid layoffs of permanent staff, but to economize a serious amount through non-salary operational costs and less bureaucracy,” the three-party coalition document said.

Under its loan agreement, Greece had promised to

reduce the state payroll by 150,000 civil servants by 2015, including 15,000 this year.

The new government said it also wanted to review minimum-wage cuts and measures taken earlier this year to facilitate private-sector layoffs, arguing that collective labor agreements would “return to the level defined by European social law” and what Europeans have agreed on.

It said employers and unions should be allowed to set the private-sector minimum wage, which was cut by 22 percent to 586 euros ($736) in February amid additional austerity measures taken to clinch a new rescue deal. The blueprint is designed to reduce anger in Greece towards the austerity policies of the EU-IMF loan agreement, which are deemed to have deepened a recession now continuing for a fifth year. Over a quarter of Greece’s workforce — 1.12 million-are jobless according to official figures.

But Greece remains under intense international pressure to implement the terms of the EU-IMF bailout pack-

India to unveil measures to improve economy NEW DELHI: India plans to unveil new measures tomorrow to boost the economy, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said yesterday, a day after the rupee touched a new record low against the US dollar. The rupee fell to a record low of 57.32 against the dollar for the first time Friday, as global uncertainty pushed investors to the safehaven US currency.

“These are no doubts of signs of weakness in the Indian economy. I am concerned but not depressed,” Mukherjee told reporters in eastern city of Kolkata. “We will be able to take certain measures, which will be announced on Monday, which will improve the market condition.”

Mukherjee said the government had discussed the economic situation with the central bank governor on Friday.

He said at a time when the global economy is in turmoil, then no country can expect that there will be pocket of development and particularly in a large economy like India. Foreign corporate confidence in Asia’s third largest economy is low, due to new restrictive tax policies and a perception of government paralysis in enacting further reforms.

The rupee has been one of

the hardest-hit currencies in Asia, reflecting investor concerns about India’s economy, which is being buffeted by high inflation and slow growth. The economy grew just 5.3 percent in January to March, its slowest quarterly expansion in nine years. — AFP

NEW DELHI: Indian Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee gestures at a function in New Delhi.

India plans to unveil new measures tomorrow to boost the economy, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said yesterday. — AFP

age that has kept the indebted country’s economy afloat for two years. The euro-zone’s outgoing leader JeanClaude Juncker this week said the creditors would simply be looking to “update” accords struck against 130 billion euros of loans-plus a 107-billion-euro write-down of privately held debt. There have been indications that a target extension can be considered, but euro-zone hardliners such as Germany and Austria are unlikely to accept a watering-down of Greek engagements.

European Commission, IMF and European Central Bank inspectors return to Athens tomorrow to resume discussions suspended because of Greece’s two-month political deadlock, brought to an end by the elections on June 17.

The appointment of Greece’s new finance minister was delayed on Friday after the man chosen, Vassilis Rapanos, the 65-year-old chairman of leading lender National Bank, was hospitalized with stomach pains.

Rapanos is expected to be released on Monday, news

reports said. Newly-elected Prime Minister Antonis Samaras was also forced to cancel a parliamentary speech on Friday to undergo eye surgery for a retinal detachment.

Samaras, 61, was expected to remain in hospital until Monday and his recovery pace will determine whether he can attend an EU summit on Thursday.

In its first pronouncement, the new coalition government said last Thursday it planned to revise the EU-IMF loan bailout while safeguarding its place in the euro-zone.

The coalition is headed by the New Democracy party and backed by the Pasok socialists and the small Democratic Left party. It can count on 179 deputies in the 300-seat parliament. The new team has nevertheless pledged to honor Greece’s targets on deficit reduction, debt control and structural reforms. “The goal is to create the conditions to take the country out of the crisis for good and out of dependence on loan agreements in the future,” a statement said on Thursday. — AFP

Bank downgrades could hurt loans, credit cards NEW YORK: When a major bank’s credit rating is cut, it deals a psychological blow - to customers, the public and financial markets. So Thursday’s downgrading of 15 of the world’s largest banks is almost sure to cause wide concern. Most deposits are perfectly safe, but the downgrades could hurt people in more subtle ways: Banks may jack up fees and might be reluctant to lend, which could affect mortgages, credit cards and even the job market.

“It is normal that the first thing that people worry about is whether their money is safe,” said Jim Nadler, chief operating officer at Kroll Bond Ratings Agency. “But the real costs may be hidden.”

Bank deposits up to $250,000 are guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

But the downgrades come at a tenuous time for banks. An avalanche of new regulations adopted after the financial crisis has wiped out many of the fees they charged on credit cards and checking accounts. Banks are also barred from making lucrative bets in the stock and bond markets, eliminating billions of dollars in trading income.

So banks are now squeezing income from any place they can. Basic services that were once free now cost money. Checking accounts can cost $8, a bank statement $3, canceling a check $2. The list goes on. In light of the lower ratings, existing fees might climb further and new ones could appear.

“Banks are going to figure out a way to extract revenue from the customer in any way, shape or form,” said Stanley J.G. Crouch, chief investment officer at money manager Aegis Capital. The top ratings agencies - Moody’s, Standard & Poor’s and Fitch - hold immense sway over how much every company and state or local government pays to borrow money. They assign ratings on a scale that determines the ability of those entities to pay

down their debt.

The downgrades could eventually increase the banks’ cost of borrowing in financial markets because investors will demand more interest when they lend the banks money. With interest rates hovering near record lows, most analysts say the cost of borrowing won’t be affected immediately.

However, if the ratings remain at these levels and interest rates rise, banks will pay dearly. For now, investors aren’t worried. The stocks of downgraded banks rose Friday. Bank of America gained 1.5 percent, while JPMorgan Chase and Morgan Stanley each rose 1.3 percent.

The downgrades also suck capital out of banks.

That’s because all the large banks sell insurance to investors to protect them from losses on bonds in case of a default. The downgrades will force banks to set aside billions of dollars in additional reserves because the debt they are insuring has suddenly become riskier. Each notch in the ratings scale triggers automatic requirements for additional money a bank must set aside in reserves.

Because of those requirements, the downgrades will funnel money into reserves and reduce the amount of capital that banks have to lend.

Americans will experience it when they go to their banks for home mortgages, car loans and credit cards.

Already those lending markets are extremely tight. Since the financial crisis and the bursting of the real estate bubble, banks have become very choosy about lending. During the real estate boom, banks gave out mortgages without checking if people held jobs, whether their income was real and without taking any upfront money.

Today, millions of first-time home buyers are finding it hard to qualify for home loans unless they have stellar credit, a steady employment his-

tory and at least 20 percent of the home loan in cash.

Experts say the downgrades will make it difficult for banks to provide much relief to less-qualified home buyers.

The number of credit cards issued by banks has also dropped dramatically because they won’t issue cards to people with poor credit. Credit reporting agency TransUnion estimated that more than 8 million people left the credit card market between 2009 and 2010.

“Banks are a good source of many low-cost loans, like car loans, and I worry that these avenues will get narrower,” Nadler said. Small and mediumsize businesses, which typically account for a large portion of hiring in this country, will feel the effects even more. They rely heavily on banks for loans to finance their operations, because they don’t have access to financial markets to raise debt in the same way as large, well-known corporations such as McDonald’s or Coca-Cola.

Since the financial crisis, smaller businesses have been complaining about difficulty getting bank loans. Now there will be even fewer loans to tap and fewer jobs to add.

Americans who invest in bond funds will feel the effects of the downgrades in their quarterly statements. Many pension funds and large mutual funds have rules that don’t allow them to invest in bonds that are rated below a certain level. They will be forced to sell those bonds even if it means a loss. Ultimately, this takes away all the advantages that banks have over other financial companies, said Andrew Ang, a finance professor at Columbia Business School.

“Banks have less capital to get the best innovations,” Ang said. “So if you have a large amount of money, why even go to a bank?” — AP

SUNDAY, JUNE 24, 2012

BUSINESS

Global oil market to remain weak in 2012: Al-Shall report

Twelve ways to be a lifelong learner

By Lama Ataya Alvin Toffler said “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn”. This quote more or less summarizes the importance of continual learning in today ’s ever changing times. The best way to approach the process of ongoing discovery is with zest and ardor. The career experts at the Middle East’s #1 job site Bayt.com have twelve suggestions you can incorporate in your life to make continual learning work for you.

1. Read voraciously literature related to your career According to Bayt.com’s Career Advancement in the MENA’ poll 77.9% of professionals in the region indicated they read constantly and the same poll also showed that 69.6% professionals believed that reading is vital to career progress. There are many books that are absolute business and management classics and there are others that may be very specific to your chosen domain; consult book reviews and industry journals when uncertain about what to pick up. Reading is the best way to stay ahead of the curve in your career.

2. Develop interests and read on non-job related areas You would be surprised at the value you can derive both in your career and in your life, in general, from becoming better rounded in your knowledge and skills. Most skills are transferable and you will definitely find some way to incorporate your learnings in your job at some point. Even if you can’t directly apply your new learnings in your profession, by indulging your quest for knowledge you will become a much more interesting, satisfied and fulfilled professional.

3. Write about your learnings or at least take notes and jot ideas Share your learnings through a blog or by writing reviews online. If you are not comfortable sharing, do take and keep notes for yourself. Active reading involves jotting ideas and taking notes and involves a higher level of participation and learning; plus these notes and ideas may come in very handy later on.

4. Learn from video and audio not just reading There is plenty of choice available when it comes to medium of learning these days so by all means mix and match and don’t limit yourself. You may find your best cooking lessons come from a video channel and a new language is best acquired through audio means while on the treadmill at the gym. Take advantage of all means available to you to learn and vary the medium when you need a change or want to experiment.

5. Take courses and attend lectures/seminars/conferences when you can It’s great to sit back and listen to

experts’ perspectives and join in healthy classroom discourse every now and then. If you cannot physically attend courses, you may want to try online courses. A recent Bayt.com online education poll showed that 39.3% of professionals in this region say they would consider pursuing an online course if given a chance.

6. Join online and offline groups related to your interests By joining a group you will fuel your interests, challenge and reinforce your learnings, and keep the flame alive. It can be by joining a general book club or a group specific to your area of interest eg. an Engineering Society, sewing circle, stargazers club, accounting forum etc.

Whatever format your group takes it is bound to result in synergies that improve and augment your learnings.

7. Join discussions in your area of interest; ask questions Try not to be a passive learner; ask and answer questions, participate in discussions and aim to truly understand and aid in the defining of best practice.

Take advantage of the energies and synergies around you always and aim to find and contribute to the ongoing innovations and solution development.

OPEC members to curtail output on demand drop KUWAIT: Due to the retreating global economic growth and the increase in oil production, the oil market is expected to remain weak during the rest of 2012, a special economic report forecast yesterday.

“Because the market is currently weak, it is anticipated that the countries which exceeded their official quota would begin its reduction, as started already by Saudi Arabia. OPEC believes that any slight increase in the remaining part of the year will cover production from outside OPEC,” reads the report compiled by Kuwaitbased Al-Shall Economic Consulting Company.

“OECD stocks -the advanced states and stocks of states outside it are measured by consumption days at their highest rates; therefore, the oil market will remain weak during the rest of the year.” The report added that this development would oblige OPEC members, including Kuwait, to cut its oil production levels.

“During last May, Kuwait produced 3 million barrels per day according to one source and about 2.858 million barrels per day according to another. Kuwait consumes about 300 thousand barrels per day; thus only 2.7 million barrels per day (or 2.558 million barrels per day in the sec-

Qatar in French luxury hotel buying spree

8. Teach someone; no better way to learn than by teaching It’s proven that teaching is often the best way to learn. We learn from our students’ burning questions as well as from preparing to be the best teachers we can be. If you have no student or mentee perhaps you can organize a learning circle for people with similar interests.

9. Don’t be shy to implement, practice and experiment with your learning Don’t be afraid to try to innovate using your newly acquired state-of-theart technical skills or experiment with that new management technique at work.

10. Find a mentor/coach in your field of interest if you can A coach can be an invaluable source of knowledge and resource as well as a sounding board and advisor. Pick someone who has sufficient quality time for you and who shares your interests and whose opinions and ideas you really respect and value.

11. Set milestones and reward yourself on reaching them Set smart goals you can easily achieve and reward yourself when you do, to make the journey even more satisfying and rewarding.

12. Enjoy the process of learning and treat it as a lifelong journey Learning can be fun and immensely satisfying especially when you have the luxury of choosing and controlling the pace and setting and subject matter and dynamic. Enjoy the journey and celebrate every new learning and every implementation of your learnings along the way.

with financial costs outside the state’s budget, after their approval, for a three-year term. It does not harm either to introduce tax policies that would begin by some additional fees on luxurious articles and the extravagance in consuming subsidized services that comes second on the global level in wasting natural resources, “The initial aim of the taxes is to reduce waste, restoring balance between the citizenship rights and obligations, in addition to setting foundations for taxation policy to build on it.

Once that is accomplished, the state will begin restoring its ability to control its future.

Meanwhile, the week ly repor t of Oula Wasata Brokerage Company, ascribed the slight increase on US crude prices in the closing sessions of this week to the tropical storm that hit Gulf of Mexico. It noted that US crude futures ended slightly higher on Thursday in very choppy trading, as support from a tropical storm shutting some production was offset by uncertainty about the debt limit row in the United States. On the New York Mercantile Exchange, September crude rose 4 cents, or 0.04 percent, to settle at $97.44 a barrel, trading from $96.51. — KUNA

ond case) are exported, this operation can be used as an index. It, however, warned that the production cut may cause budget deficit in Kuwait and several countries.

“This means that there are between 780 thousand barrels per day and 638 thousand barrels per day provisional surplus, but they prevent the occurrence of actual budget deficit. If Kuwait complies with its prescribed quota, as decided in OPEC’s latest meeting (2.220 million barrels per day), its exports will drop to 1.92 million barrels per day with a value of KD 18.1 billion per annum (at a price of $92.38 per barrel on 20/06/2012 and exchange rate of 279 fils per USD) and with a budget deficit by KD 4.6 billion.

But the deficit won’t be realized in reality because of the increased production and because prices change.

Facing the challenge of oil revenues decline, Al-Shall stressed that prudent policy should adopted to bring Kuwait back to the flexibility in controlling its economic potentials. “ There should be a nation agreement on a law that fortifies public finance, or freeze its expenditures at an agreed ceiling for three forthcoming fiscal years. Then it will not hurt to submit proposals

ALLAHABAD: Fishermen pull their net in the water of the river Ganga in the northern Indian city of Allahabad yesterday. —AFP

PARIS: Qatar has signed to buy four luxury hotels from US investment group Starwood at a total cost of up to 750 million euros ($940 million), adding to its investment in France, newspapers there reported yesterday.

Gas-rich Qatar has gone on a spending spree in the past few years in France, investing in several sectors: industry, luxury, media, real estate and sport.

French daily Le Figaro said Qatar, which owns the Royal Monceau hotel in Paris and the Carlton in Cannes, was to buy Le Martinez, one of France’s most prestigious hotels on the Cote d’Azur, famous for hosting celebrities during the Cannes film festival.

The three other hotels are the Concorde Lafayette, l’Hotel du Louvre in Paris, and Le Palais de la Mediterranee in Nice, Le Figaro said. The world’s top gas exporter has bought PSG football club, a 13 percent stake in French media-to-aerospace conglomerate Lagardere, and a stake in Total. While Qatar will own the hotels, it will ask US hotel group Hyatt to manage them, Le Figaro said, citing a source close to the matter. Starwood was expected to announce the sale on June 28. —Reuters

Philippines: Credit rating stable according to Fitch, hopes for Moody’s upgrade MANILA: Fitch Ratings affirmed the Philippines’ credit rating on 19 June 2012 at BB+ indicating a stable outlook. The credit rating is based on strong external finances, favorable economic prospects and a track record of macroeconomic stability. The Philippines, one of Asia’s prolific offshore bond issuers, has maintained Fitch’s rating at BB+ since June 2011 but had hoped to obtain an investment grade rating in the last credit assessment to further attract foreign investors and lower the cost of borrowing.

In an interview published at ABSCBN.com, Philip McNicholas, Director in Fitch’s Asia Pacific Sovereign Ratings Group said, “The ratings and outlook are suppor ted by strong external finances, a track record of macroeconomic stability, favorable economic prospects and falling public debt ratios.”

The Philippines is confident that the country’s 6.4% GDP growth in the first quarter of 2012 is sustainable and would further boost the Philippine economy forward. In an inter-

view with the Philippine Star, an English daily in the Philippines, Governor Joey Salceda, a noted economist in the Philippines and a renowned economic adviser to the government, emphasized that the 6.4% growth accomplished four milestones: it was higher than the market forecast of 4.8% growth, the highest growth rate recorded among ASEAN countries, it created 1.1 million jobs, and was based on sustained remittance inflows and increasing tourism revenues.

The creation of 1.1 million jobs is part of the poverty reduction program of the Aquino government aiming at making overseas employment no longer a need but an option for Filipinos. Fitch noted the Aquino government’s reforms aimed at addressing issues of governance, poverty and greater public spending which are favorable to longer-term growth prospects.

Overseas remittance grew at 5.4% in the first quar ter amounting to $4.84 billion.

Remittances from overseas account for about 10% of the GDP and sustain higher household spending. In an article by Lawrence Agcaoili at the Philippine Star, Central Bank of the Philippines Governor Amando Tetangco, Jr. attributes the steady flow remittances to sustained demands for Filipino professionals and skilled workers. Kuwait, along with Saudi Arabia, UAE, Taiwan and Qatar, is a top destination for Filipino manpower. Governor Tetangco further emphasized that “for 2012, enhancements in the recruitment systems of host countries, as reported by the POEA, are expected to support the resilience of remittance flows.”

The tourism industry is expected to attract 10 million international tourists by the time H.E. President Benigno S. Aquino III steps down from the office. With an initial budget of PhP 63 million, the Philippines is going international with its brand campaign “Its more fun in the Philippines” that won the best logo design for the Adobo Awards for 2012.

EXCHANGE RATES Commercial Bank of Kuwait US Dollar/KD GB Pound/KD Euro Swiss francs Canadian Dollar Australian DLR Indian rupees Sri Lanka Rupee UAE dirhams Bahraini dinars Jordanian dinar Saudi riyals Omani riyals Philippine peso Egyptian pounds

.2730000 .4360000 .3510000 .2920000 .2720000 .2820000 .0040000 .0020000 .0757020 .7375400 .3830000 .0710000 .7230260 .0040000 .0430000

CUSTOMER TRANSFER RATES US Dollar/KD .2781000 GB Pound/KD .4375350 Euro .3529510 Swiss francs .2939280 Canadian dollars .2733570 Danish Kroner .0474870 Swedish Kroner .0399200 Australian dlr .2835920 Hong Kong dlr .0358410 Singapore dlr .2193910 Japanese yen .0035200 Indian Rs/KD .0000000 Sri Lanka rupee .0000000 Pakistan rupee .0000000 Bangladesh taka .0000000 UAE dirhams .0757460 Bahraini dinars .7379590 Jordanian dinar .0000000 Saudi Riyal/KD .0741800 Omani riyals .7226190 Philippine Peso .0000000

.2825500 .4450000 .3590000 .3010000 .2810000 .2920000 .0070000 .0035000 .0764630 .7449530 .4010000 .0770000 .7302930 .0072000 .0500000 .2817000 .4431990 .3575200 .2977330 .2768960 .0481020 .0404370 .2872640 .0363050 .2222310 .0035660 .0050510 .0021310 .0030000 .0034560 .0767260 .7475120 .3984440 .0751400 .7319730 .0067350

Kuwait Bahrain Intl Exchange Co. Currency

Rate per 1000 (Tran)

US Dollar Pak Rupees Indian Rupees Sri Lankan Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Peso UAE Dirhams Saudi Riyals Bahraini Dinars Egyptian Pounds Pound Sterling Indonesian Rupiah

280.000 2.980 5.019 2.115 3.419 6.685 76.335 74.820 744.400 46.272 448.800 2.990

Yemeni Riyal Euro Canadian Dollars Nepali rupee

1.550 360.600 280.500 3.190

UAE Dirhams Qatari Riyals Saudi Riyals Jordanian Dinar Egyptian Pound Sri Lankan Rupees Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Pesso Cyprus pound Japanese Yen Thai Bhat Syrian Pound Nepalese Rupees Malaysian Ringgit

Al Mulla Exchange Currency

Transfer Rate (Per 1000)

US Dollar Euro Pound Sterling Canadian Dollar Japanese Yen Indian Rupee Egyptian Pound Sri Lankan Rupee Bangladesh Taka Philippines Peso Pakistan Rupee Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham Saudi Riyal

279.900 357.850 442.250 276.500 3.575 5.905 46.265 2.107 3.407 6.610 2.973 745.100 76.200 74.700

COUNTRY

SELL DRAFT SELL CASH

Australian Dollar Canadian Dollar Swiss Franc Euro US Dollar Sterling Pound Japanese Yen Bangladesh Taka Indian Rupee Sri Lankan Rupee Nepali Rupee Pakistani Rupee UAE Dirhams Bahraini Dinar Egyptian Pound Jordanian Dinar Omani Riyal Qatari Riyal Saudi Riyal

283.26 277.39 298.34 355.83 280.25 438.67 3.61 3.428 5.027 2.127 3.155 2.978 76.37 746.22 46.37 399.27 729.38 77.39 74.94

283.00 277.00 295.00 356.00 281.50 438.00 3.65 3.550 5.200 2.400 3.700 3.200 77.00 746.00 47.75 397.50 732.50 77.75 75.25

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd US Dollar Canadian Dollar Sterling Pound Euro Swiss Frank Bahrain Dinar

Selling Rate

280.000 278.235 441.295 355.410 295.990 741.285

COUNTRY Australian dollar Bahraini dinar Bangladeshi taka Canadian dollar Cyprus pound Czek koruna Danish krone Deutsche Mark Egyptian pound Euro Cash Hongkong dollar Indian rupees Indonesia Iranian tuman Iraqi dinar Japanese yen Jordanian dinar Lebanese pound Malaysian ringgit Morocco dirham Nepalese Rupees New Zealand dollar Nigeria Norwegian krone Omani Riyal Pakistani rupees Philippine peso Qatari riyal Saudi riyal Singapore dollar South Africa Sri Lankan rupees Sterling pound Swedish krona Swiss franc Syrian pound

SELL CASH 285.800 745.580 3.660 277.300 550.600 45.700 48.400 167.800 48.040 356.500 36.830 5.200 0.032 0.160 0.235 3.650 397.300 0.190 91.680 44.300 4.310 225.400 1.816 48.200 728.220 3.130 6.820 77.550 74.850 221.380 36.210 2.671 440.700 41.100 296.900 4.300

9.240 198.263 76.440 280.700 1.350

9.020 76.340 280.300

GOLD 1,655.410

10 Tola Sterling Pound US Dollar

TRAVELLER’S CHEQUE 438.700 280.300

Al-Muzaini Exchange Co.

Bahrain Exchange Company

UAE Exchange Centre WLL

Rate for Transfer

Thai bhat Tunisian dollar UAE dirham U.S. dollars Yemeni Riyal

76.210 76.855 74.625 394.140 46.352 2.110 5.011 2.987 3.422 6.640 686.835 4.545 8.980 5.895 3.220 88.355

SELL DRAFT 284.300 746.580 3.425 275.800

Japanese Yen Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Srilankan Rupees Nepali Rupees Singapore Dollar Hongkong Dollar Bangladesh Taka Philippine Peso Thai Baht Malaysian Ringgit

3.553 5.072 3.053 2.141 3.173 220.090 36.173 3.425 6.439 8.876 89.338 GCC COUNTRIES 74.883 77.158 729.380 745.850 76.464

221.400 46.310 355.000 36.680 5.930 0.030

Saudi Riyal Qatari Riyal Omani Riyal Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham

397.200 0.189 91.680

ARAB COUNTRIES Egyptian Pound - Cash 48.250 Egyptian Pound - Transfer 46.466 Yemen Riyal/for 1000 1.309 Tunisian Dinar 176.65 Jordanian Dinar 396.190 Lebanese Lira/for 1000 1.884 Syrian Lier 4.899 Morocco Dirham 32.64

3.100 223.900 728.040 2.980 6.610 77.120 74.850 221.380 36.210 2.110 438.700 296.400 4.300

EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES US Dollar Transfer 280.700 Euro 354.52 Sterling Pound 441.820 Canadian dollar 274.79 Turkish lire 152.400 Swiss Franc 295.01 US Dollar Buying 279.500 20 Gram 10 Gram 5 Gram

GOLD 293.000 148.000 75.250

SUNDAY, JUNE 24, 2012

BUSINESS

Malaysia’s industrial production logs a surprise KCIC WEEKLY ANALYSIS

By Dana Al-Fakir KUWAIT: Malaysia, South East Asia’s third largest economy, witnessed a larger-than-expected rise in its industrial production (IP) figure for the month of May, on the back of an uptick in growth in both the manufacturing and electricity sectors. IP grew from 1.5% in March to 3.2% in April, compared to the same time last year, versus the forecasted 2%. The recent figure is also high relative to the historical average: from 2007 to 2012, Malaysia posted an average IP growth rate of 1%. Manufacturing growth accelerated from 2.6% in March to 5.7% year-on-year (yoy) in April, which more than offset the slight slowdown in the electronics sector and the continued contraction in the mining sector due to declining commodit y prices. The rise in IP growth comes in spite of the contraction in exports in April by 0.1% yoy, which suggests that the growth in IP should be coming from resilient consumption growth. The contraction in exports was mainly attributed to the fall in global demand for electrical and electronic products and palm oil. Domestic demand however, is expected to remain robust for the next coming months, which could help continue to offset dwindling export demand as the euro zone, which imports about 11% of Malaysia’s exports, continues to be plagued by its burgeoning debt crisis. If domestic demand does remain high, then this should keep IP buoyant and in turn help Malaysia achieve its targeted economic growth rate of somewhere between 4

and 5% by year-end.

IP is a measure of economic activity, surveying factory production, related manufacturing processes and mining. IP reflects the consumer sentiment and interest rate conditions because levels of production are highly sensitive to those factors. Thus, due to its qualities, forecasters use IP to understand future economic activity. IP is a coincident indicator, which means that it reflects the current state of the economy. If production activity accelerates, this could mean the economy is recovering or growing, but can also be a warning sign of up-coming rising inflationary pressures. The relatively strong industrial production figure in Malaysia justifies the central bank’s recent move to leave its key interest rate unchanged at 3%, to avoid the risk of over stimulating the economy. On the other hand, if prices accelerate and the central bank undergoes monetary tightening by raising interest rates in order to curb inflationary pressures, IP, as well as economic activity, could decelerate due to more expensive credit.

Malaysia’s IP will continue to rise, just as long as robust domestic consumption continues to outweigh the fall in exports, as demand from Europe sputters due to its lingering debt crisis.

The robust domestic consumption can be mainly attributed to the government’s cash giveaways to the poor and the implementation of the minimum wage for the very first time in May. Malaysia’s policymakers enacted a minimum wage law to help support low income households, in a bid to achieve a rich nation status by

2020 and amid speculation that the government may call elections soon. The policymakers are hoping that the lowest paid will now be guaranteed enough income to lift them out of poverty and meet the rising costs of living. Thus, if the cash giveaways and minimum wage do feed through into the hands of the consumer and the domestic economy does subsequently remain

buoyant, then Malaysia should see its IP continue to climb. The shift from being an export-led economy to a domestically driven economy in Malaysia, to help sustain long-term economic growth, is in line with our view for Asia as a whole and justifies our reasoning as to why Asia will become increasingly attractive in the eyes of investors.

European leaders push for $163bn in measures Summit expected to kickstart economy

NEW YORK: People stand in the lobby of JPMorgan Chase headquarters in New York.

Moody’s Investors Service on Thursday lowered the credit ratings of 15 the world’s largest banks late Thursday, including JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, and Goldman Sachs, saying their long-term prospects for profitability and growth are shrinking. —AP

European stimulus pushes oil higher NEW YORK: Europe’s latest attempt to revive its economy drove the price of oil 2 percent higher Friday, reversing a sharp, two-day drop.

Benchmark US crude finished at $79.76 per barrel in New York. Crude is still down more than 5 percent for the week, however. Brent crude, which is used to price oil imported by many US refineries, climbed $1.75 to end at $90.98 a barrel in London.

Prices rose after leaders of Germany, France, Italy and Spain said they would push for a $163 billion stimulus package. The 17-nation eurozone has been burdened for years by a mountain of debt, and European leaders have been looking for ways to encourage growth. Even a small improvement in Europe’s flagging economy could boost energy demand and increase oil consumption.

Meanwhile, traders kept an eye on a gathering storm in the Gulf of Mexico that could interrupt oil supplies. The National Hurricane Center said a system off the Yucatan Peninsula and western Cuba could strengthen into a tropical storm over the weekend, possibly disrupting production platforms in the Gulf.

Royal Dutch Shell said on Friday the storm may force it to suspend some operations and evacuate some workers in the Gulf, but so far it doesn’t expect the storm to impact production

from its wells. “Even if the storm doesn’t do any major damage, it could still slow down imports,” coming in on ships, said Phil Flynn, an analyst with Price Group. Oil prices tumbled earlier this week on signs of a weakening economy. If businesses and people use less energy, demand for oil falls. Rising supplies are also weighing on prices. US supplies are at their highest level in 22 years, thanks to a production boom in North America. As the price of oil fell this week, it pulled down the price of U.S. gasoline and other petroleum based fuels.

Pump prices fell by 7 cents this week to a national average of $3.45 a gallon (91 cents a liter), according to AAA, Wright Express and Oil Price Information Service. The cost of regular is down 48 cents per gallon from an April peak. Drivers paid about 14 cents less for a gallon of gasoline than they did in the same week last year. The drop, combined with falling consumption this year, means American drivers are spending roughly $124 million less per day for gas.

In other energy futures trading, heating oil rose nearly a penny to finish at $2.5337 per gallon, while wholesale gasoline almost rose 2 cents to end at $2.5699 per gallon. Natural gas rose by 4.3 cents to end the week at $2.6250 per 1,000 cubic feet. — AP

Huawei denies using Chinese subsidies to grab business ST PETERSBURG, Russia: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, the world’s No 2 telecom gear maker, has denied using Chinese subsidies to gain global market share after it was accused by US lawmakers and EU officials of unfair competition. Huawei and cross-town rival ZTE Corp have come under close scrutiny by US lawmakers and the European Commission, which say both are able to use subsidies to bid for contracts at lower prices than Western competitors.

Both companies rose to prominence rapidly over the past few years, clinching contracts with major telecom carriers and sometimes edging out European rivals Ericsson, Alcatel Lucent SA and Nokia Siemens Networks.

“It’s not true that Huawei uses subsidies to gain market share,” Chen Lifang, Huawei’s global board director, told Reuters in an interview on the sidelines of a business event at St Petersburg in Russia. “We receive legal subsidies. Like European countries, China also gives out subsidies for R&D-related activities. Huawei has taken part in such European and Chinese schemes,” said Chen, a member of Huawei’s 13-person board. Huawei, together with the world No 5 telecom equipment maker ZTE, denied accepting illegal subsidies earlier this year, but this is the first time a Huawei board member has com-

mented about the issue.

The head of the US House of Representatives’ Intelligence Committee this week said apart from the investigation on subsidies, legislation could be proposed to deal with any related nationalsecurity threats. In May, EU diplomats said the trade bloc would like to take action against Huawei and ZTE on the grounds that they receive illegal state subsidies that allow them to sell equipment at lower prices.

Analysts said Chinese telecoms equipment makers had also the support from policy banks, such as China Development Bank , which provided low interest rate loans for network infrastructure projects in emerging economies.

Chen brushed off rumors that Huawei did not need to pay back such loans. “Our competitors even spread rumors that we needn’t repay these loans. This is impossible and untrue,” she said late on Friday. She said Huawei usually worked with Chinese and foreign banks in project financing and loans, and was transparent in the process.

In 2011, Huawei borrowed $4.6 billion from banks, with more than 70 percent from overseas banks and less than 20 percent from Chinese lenders, Chen said. “These banks usually make necessary risk assessments before agreeing to the loans. —Reuters

ROME: The leaders of France, Germany, Italy and Spain have agreed to push for a growth package worth up to 130 billion euros ($163 billion) at a European Union summit next week that’s intended to kick-start the economy and safeguard the currency bloc.

President Francois Hollande of France, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and Italian Premier Mario Monti, playing host, provided few details beyond agreement on pursuing a financial transaction tax something Germany has championed.

Economists said the size of the growth package would be modest, about 1 percent of the euro alliance’s gross domestic product. But they said it marked a recognition by Merkel that more government spending would be needed.

“It is at least a step in the right direction,” said Ted Truman, a former international economics advisor at the Federal Reserve and at the Treasury Department in the Obama administration. “The tone has changed, in part because the German economy has not been doing as well recently.”

Merkel has come under rising pressure to give ground on key pro-growth measures. “We say that growth and solid financials are two sides of a coin,” she said. “Solid financials are not sufficient.” Monti, who met with his fellow leaders at a government villa in Rome, is trying to build a bridge between Merkel’s insistence on fiscal discipline and the focus on growth by recently elected Hollande. He acknowledged that steps taken so far have not been sufficient, and that markets and European Union citizens alike need to view the euro currency as “irreversible.”

“We maintain that if four countries as important and diversified as ours can find a convergent line, this can help force a strong consensus at the EU Council,” Monti told a closing press conference.

Monti has warned of severe consequences for the 17 countries that use the euro and the world economy if next week’s summit fails.

“A large part of Europe would find itself having to continue to put up with very high interest rates, that would then impact on the states, and also indirectly on firms. This is the direct opposite of what is needed for economic growth,” Monti said in an interview with six European newspapers published Friday.

Without a successful outcome at the summit “there will be progressively greater speculative attacks on individual countries, with harassment of the weaker countries,” Monti said.

The 130 billion euros growth package discussed at the Rome meeting could include funds from unspent European Union structural funds, the European Investment Bank and European “project bonds” - debt sold to finance cross-border infrastructure projects.

Yet it’s hardly a long-term answer to the crisis.

“We still have miles to go before we get to any meaningful solutions to Europe’s problems,” said Sung Won Sohn, an economics professor at the Martin Smith School of Business at California State University. A major challenge, Sohn noted, is how to strengthen Europe’s banking system. The European Central Bank said Friday that it will make it easier for banks to receive its loans by accepting more kinds of securities as collateral. The shift could support Spain’s hard-pressed lenders, though it means more risk for the ECB’s own finances.

Europe’s banks will have greater access to ready cash amid the turmoil of the region’s debt crisis.

The ECB has been offering unlimited loans at its 7day, one-month and three-month credit offerings to steady the banking system. But banks must have something they can put up as collateral.

The proposed financial transaction tax would charge banks 0.1 percent of the value of sales of stocks or bonds, and 0.01 percent per derivative contract with the proceeds going to fund future bank bailouts. However, at a meeting of finance ministers from the 27 countries in the European Union in Luxembourg Friday, only 10 member countries were prepared to support the idea.

The Rome meeting caps an intense week for Europe in which markets have been roiled on fears that the region’s governments will not come up

with adequate measures to fight the debt crisis and that Spain and Italy might soon need bailouts that the rest of the euro-zone could not afford.

There are fears that an economic crack-up in Europe could drag down the entire global economy. Europe is a substantial trading partner with the rest of the world. Any deep recession in Europe will be felt in the order books of other leading economies - including the US. At a meeting of euro-zone finance ministers in Luxembourg on Thursday night, the head of the International Monetary Fund warned that the euro was under “acute stress” and urged leaders to consider measures - including jointly issuing debt - to alleviate the pressure on the region’s debt-stricken members.

“We are clearly seeing additional tension and

Luis Garicano, head of economics and strategy at the London School of Economics. “But the big decision is not the move beyond austerity, it is to set up the short-term and long-term architecture for the euro to separate the sovereign risk and the financial risk.”

The meeting was moved up by a few hours to give Merkel time to fly to Poland to watch Germany play Greece in a European Championship quarterfinal match. The game pits the teams of Europe’s strongest economy, Germany, against the eurozone’s most troubled, Greece. The just-installed Greek leader had no immediate plans to attend.

Barry reported from Milan. Geir Moulson in Berlin, Nataliya Vasilyeva in St Petersburg and Martin Crutsinger in Washington contributed to this report. — AP

LUXEMBOURG: Luxembourg Prime Minister and Eurogroup president Jean-Claude Juncker, Maltese Finance minister Tonio Fenech and Austrian Federal Finance Minister Maria Fekter (left to right) talk prior to an Eurozone Council at the Kirchberg conference centre in Luxembourg. — AFP acute stress applying to both banks and sovereigns in the euro area,” Christine Lagarde said at a meeting of finance ministers late Thursday.

Germany has strenuously opposed the issue of joint debt - or eurobonds - because, while it would immediately ease pressure on countries like Spain, German taxpayers would be put on the hook for foreign debts, and Germany’s cost of borrowing would increase.

Asked in Luxembourg what Germany would think of her suggestions, Lagarde smiled and said “We hope wisdom will prevail.” Lagarde also Thursday said it was necessary to break “the negative feedback loop” that occurs when governments take on more debt to bail out their banks.

In Rome, Hollande said eurobonds need to remain a possibility “and not in 10 years,” without specifying a timeframe. Rajoy spoke favorably about Monti’s proposal to use bailout funds to buy bonds of vulnerable countries like Italy and Spain on secondary markets. The leaders said they would spend the coming days lobbying their EU counterparts.

A growing number of international leaders have called on Merkel and the euro-zone to find quickly a comprehensive solution to the debt crisis rather than continuing to take piecemeal measures that provide only temporary relief. At this week’s G-20 summit of world economic powers in Los Cabos, Mexico, politicians, including US President Barack Obama, called on Europe to do what was necessary.

Speaking at an economic forum in St Petersburg, David Lipton, first deputy managing director at the International Monetary Fund, urged European leaders to act quickly: “The markets are beginning to question the viability of the European monetary union itself. It’s very important that eurozone countries address the long-run question: Where is the architecture of the European monetary union going?” “It’s good that there is recognition that they have to move beyond austerity,” said

Treasurys fall as investors become less fearful NEW YORK: Treasurys fell Friday on receding fears about Europe. At a meeting in Rome, several European leaders agreed to push for a growth package of up to $163 billion at a European Union summit next week. Investors have been buying Treasurys in recent seeks out of fear that recession in some European countries could deepen and that the sovereign debt crisis there might spiral out of control. The price of the benchmark 10-year Treasury note on Friday fell 50 cents for every $100 invested. The yield, which moves in the opposite direction, rose to 1.67 percent from 1.62 percent late Thursday. The selling in Treasurys comes a day after weak manufacturing reports suggested the global economy is slowing. That led investors on Thursday to buy Treasurys and sell stocks. On Friday, they did the reverse. The S&P 500 rose 10 points to 1,335. The price of the 30-year bond fell $1.38, sending its yield up to 2.75 percent from 2.69 percent Thursday. The yield on the two-year note rose to 0.31 percent from 0.29 percent. In the short-term Treasury market, the three-month T-bill paid a yield of 0.08 percent. — AP

24

SUNDAY, JUNE 24, 2012

business

Volatility returns to Kuwait bourse BAYAN WEEKLY MARKET REPORT KUWAIT: Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) ended last week with variance in its indices. The price index ended last week with a decrease amounted to 0.10%, while the weighted index increased by 1.08% compared to the closings of the week before, where KSX-15 Index raised by 7.92%. Furthermore, last week’s average daily turnover decreased by 7.92%, compared to the preceding week, reaching KD 16.60 million, whereas trading volume average was 191.33 million shares, recording decrease of 21.36%. KSE witnessed a state of caution as a result to the possibility of delisting some companies. Capital Markets Authority gave 8 listed companies a notice period that ends on 30th June 2012, to correct its financial positions, in order for its stocks to be traded back in the market. This situation had a negative impact on the market in general and on traders in particular. As far as the annual indices performance, two of the market main indices recorded losses. While the price index recorded gain of 1.50%, in spite of its losses during the last weeks; the weighted index recorded loss amounted to 1.87% and KSX-15 index retreated by 3.59%. By the end of the week, the price index closed at 5,901.57 points, down by 0.10% from the week before closing, whereas the weighted index registered a 1.08% weekly loss after closing at 398.02 points. Moreover, the KSX-15 index recorded 1.38% weekly loss after closing at 964.08 points.

Sectors’ Indices Seven of KSE’s sectors ended last week in the red zone, while the other Five recorded increases. The Insurance sector headed the losers list as its index declined by 3.69% to end the week’s

activity at 916.75 points. The Technology sector was second on the losers’ list, which index declined by 2.84%, closing at 1,115.72 points, followed by the Industrials sector, as its index closed at 914.53 points at a loss of 0.98%. The Basic Materials sector was the least declining as its index closed at 926.12 points with a 0.16% decrease. On the other hand, last week’s highest gainer was the Consumer Services sector, achieving 1.95% growth rate as its index closed at 943.26 points. Whereas, in the second place, the Telecommunications sector’s index closed at 879.33 points recording 1.70% increase. The Banks sector came in third as its index achieved 1.25% growth, ending the week at 950.04 points.

Sectors’ Activity The Financial Services sector dominated total trade volume during last week with 408.06 million shares changing hands, representing 53.32% of the total market trading volume. The Real Estate sector was second in terms trading volume as the sector’s traded shares were 19.74% of last week’s total trading volume, with a total of 151.04 million shares.

On the other hand, the Financial Services sector’s stocks where the highest traded in terms of value; with a turnover of KD 21.57 million or 32.48% of last week’s total market trading value. The Banks sector took the second place as the sector’s last week turnover of KD 18.76 million represented 28.24% of

the total market trading value.

Market Capitalization KSE total market capitalization grew by 1.04% during last week to reach KD 27.04 billion, as seven of KSE’s sectors recorded an increase in their respective market capitalization, whereas the other five recorded declines. The Consumer Services sector headed the growing sectors as its total market capitalization reached KD 761 million, increasing by 4.39%. The Telecommunications sector was the second in terms of recorded growth with 2.59% increase after the total value of its listed companies reached KD 3.87 billion. The third place was for the Health Care sector, which total market capitalization reached KD 222.46 million by the end of the week, recording an increase of 1.13%. The Oil & Gas sector was the least growing with 0.29% recorded growth after its market capitalization amounted to KD 378.79 million.

On the other hand, the Technology sector headed the decliners list as its total market capitalization decreased by 4.21% to reach, by the end of the week, KD 74.24 million. The Consumer Goods sector was second on this list, which market value of its listed companies declined by 2.63%, reaching K.D. 569.80 million, followed by the Insurance sector, as its market capitalization amounted to KD 311.34 million at a 1.83% decrease.

—Prepared by the Studies & Research Department Bayan Investment Co.

SUNDAY, JUNE 24, 2012

BUSINESS

Markets enter the summer in volatile mood NBK INTERNATIONAL MARKETS REPORT KUWAIT: This summer will not be your typical doldrums quiet summer. The rolling euro crisis, having hit Greece by storm, has now landed in full in Spain, and Italy looks like the setting for the next act. In the meantime, the tensions between Germany and France, the largest European economies, are on the rise. The weaker economies are reeling from austerity measures while the stronger ones, primarily Germany, are reluctant to help further in what they see as high-cost high-risk changes: higher debt, eurobonds, unchecked fiscal integration etc.

Markets and investors are holding their breath and watching the Greek crisis unfold. Will Greece manage to stay in the euro? Either way, what are the implications for Europe, the euro, and the banks in Europe and worldwide? Analysts are furiously playing the scenarios games. What is clear for now is that the uncertainty and weak growth in

Europe have finally caught up with world economic growth and financial markets. Greece and Spain are both mired in recession.

Stocks made post-Lehman highs in April of this year when data from the US and China were looking firm, economies in core Europe were holding, and Greece had just finished restructuring its debt.

Since then, economic data have weakened globally, Greece’s restructuring proved no solution, and Spanish banks were found in dire need of recapitalization. The Spanish sovereign will thus need to borrow from its Euro partners, who will need to borrow themselves, adding further to the debt burden of all European sovereigns.

The optimistic risk-on period was thus followed by a risk-off period that saw stocks well off their April highs and interest rates decline again. The perceived safe havens of US, Germany, UK etc saw 10-year rates near 1.5%. The Euro was pressured

lower, and oil prices fell under $100 pb.

With softer growth numbers from the major economies US, EU, China etc, the inflation numbers also have softened thus allowing the markets to hope, again, for further quantitative easing (QE) in the UK, and possibly the EU and/or the US. In the US, further weakness could imply outright QE3, while for the time being the market expects at least an extension to operation TWIST (Fed selling short notes, buying longer term ones, in order to lower mortgage rates). Of course China has already cut its policy rate recently and acted to boost bank lending.

With elections and summits looming, politics is driving the economics, especially in the Euro Area.

We just note that the politics is still moving too slowly for the economics and for the markets, and there is a sense that each new step is not quite enough. With each round of QE, the impact lessens;

with each new bailout package, the soothing period shortens. The euphoria around the latest EUR100 billion package to rescue Spanish banks lasted all of one day (we still await the details of that package).

We are still, at best, in a muddle through environment with Europe facing crises and struggling to come out of recession or zero-growth. The US is looking vulnerable as real GDP growth hovers near 2%, not enough to reduce unemployment.

Meanwhile, China and other emerging economies (Australia, India) are trying to reinvigorate their softer growth rates.

For the GCC, we still look for oil prices to remain close to $100 pb providing current and future support to government finances. Non-oil GDP growth, at around 5.0%, is still expected to hold-up relatively well given the global vulnerabilities discussed above.

Economic outlook takes center stage WALL STREET WEEKLY OUTLOOK NEW YORK: Wall Street navigated some potent obstacles last week, like Greece’s elections and the Federal Reserve’s slashing its US economic growth forecasts, but the drama is not over.

Investors say big gains will be hard to come by amid signs of slowing growth and economic headwinds from the euro-zone.

The S&P 500 posted its second-biggest daily decline of the year this week. Trading is likely to be volatile in the final week of the quarter as headlines from Europe drive sentiment.

The market also is awaiting a US Supreme Court ruling on the Obama administration’s healthcare overhaul, and there are certain to be winners and losers in the healthcare sector, depending on how the justices decide.European Union leaders will begin a two-day meeting on long-term plans for fiscal and banking union on Thursday.

Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti said the euro zone countries faced “escalating speculative attacks” unless a lasting solution to Europe’s financial crisis is found at the summit.

Spain’s bond yields have been steadily rising, and investors urged a faster pace by European leaders toward greater fiscal union and helping the peripheral economies. “We’re starting to run up against Spain and Italy having trouble financing Spain for sure,” said John Mauldin, president of Millennium Wave Investments, an investment advisory firm in Dallas. “Europe is up against that moment when it has to do something.”

David Joy, who helps oversee $571 billion as chief market strategist at Ameriprise Financial in Boston, said the overseas issues “are things over which we have no control ... makes this time particularly challenging.”

For the week, the Dow lost 0.9 percent and the S&P 500 fell 0.6 percent. But the Nasdaq was up 0.7 percent. Despite the S&P 500’s weekly loss, signs of market resilience exist. The CBOE Volatility index, a measure of investor anxiety, has fallen for the past three weeks, dropping about 30 percent.

The S&P 500 is up 1.5 percent so far this month.

The problems in Europe have been largely telegraphed, somewhat explaining the market’s ability to bounce back, said Ted Weisberg, a trader with Seaport Securities who works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. The market “has been somewhat discounting them,” Weisberg said.

The US Supreme Court is expected to rule on the Affordable Care Act, the healthcare overhaul passed by Congress in 2010 that has faced a number of court challenges.

For health insurance companies and hospitals there are several different scenarios for the impact of the ruling. Some on Wall Street have devised complex strategies betting on one sector against another depending on how the ruling comes out.

Stocks of health insurers that specialize in Medicaid programs for the poor, like Centene Corp or Molina Healthcare Inc, could be hit if the law is struck down. Large insurers like Aetna Inc or WellPoint Inc could benefit. Data has pointed to slowing growth in the United States, a view corroborated by the Fed. Corporate earnings have also pointed to strained conditions as more companies signal disappointing results than at any time over the past decade.

“The data suggests we’re going into a global slowdown, and as investors position for the end of the quarter the volatility and weakness we saw this week could prove to be an appetizer for what’s coming,” said Carl Kaufman, who helps manage about $2 billion at the Osterweis Strategic Income fund in San Francisco. The coming week will provide data on consumer sentiment, new home sales and other housing figures, which could shed light on whether the housing market is finally healing. Major companies scheduled to report financial results include Nike, Monsanto Co and General Mills Inc. — Reuters

Abu Dhabi, Dubai stocks reel from global crisis KAMCO WEEKLY ADX REVIEW ABU DHABI: The Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange retreated for the third consecutive month in line with global and regional markets which witnessed all GCC exchanges record losses in May. Fears of a global economic slowdown stoked by high euro-zone debt, slowing global growth and geopolitical tensions pressured markets lower, with oil prices under downward pressure falling more than 14 percent in May, which if sustained may weigh down on the economies of the GCC states. The ADX General Index shed 2.51 percent to 2,441.03 eroding its YTD-12 return to 1.61 percent. Trading indicators were mixed as volume dropped slightly by 2.8 percent to 1.19bn shares, while value increased 20 percent to AED 2 bn with a 5.6 percent decrease in deals to 21,528. Trading was concentrated in the Banks and Real Estate sectors which captured 32.5 percent and 29.6 percent of all value traded, respectively. Low liquidity in the stock market reflects the unclear direction as investors remain cautious about the regional uncertainty and the European-debt crisis. Trading indicators will most likely remain light following the summer season while the positive outcome of MSCI review of the UAE marketthe possible inclusion in MSCI emerging markets index- will boost liquidity and cause upward movement in the market.

Total market capitalization for the month decreased by 4.54 percent to AED 262.1 bn as compared to AED 274.5 bn in April-12. No sectors gained for the month with the Real Estate and Investment & Financial sectors suffering the sharpest drops in market cap of 11.3 percent to AED 8 bn and 8 percent to AED 1.15 bn. The heavyweight Banking sector shed 3.7 percent to AED 117.9 bn while, the Energy and Telecom sectors shed 5.55 percent and 5.54 percent respectively to AED 9.92 bn and AED 95.25 bn.

In earnings news, 66 out of 68 companies announced earnings for Q1-12 recording almost double the profits with a 95 percent surge to AED 29.2 bn as compared to a previous AED 14.99 bn for Q1-11. The exceptional earnings results are attributable to the reversal of the real estate sector’s fortune from a loss of AED 12.46 bn in Q1-11 to a profit of AED 1.08 bn in Q1-12 largely on the back of Al-Dar Properties. The real estate developer had received a bail out from the Abu Dhabi government last year, along with general steps by the government to bolster the sector; Al-Dar properties had registered losses of AED 12.66 bn in Q1-11. The banking sector also registered an increase in earnings of 26.3 percent to AED 16.16 bn as compared to AED 12.80 bn in Q1-11 with profits in the sector greatly aided by Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank’s 694 percent whopping jump in earnings to AED 3.03 bn. On the other hand, profitability of the Industrial, Consumer Staples and Investments & Financial Services sectors decreased 65.3 percent to AED 270.71 mn, 55.6 percent to AED 101.35 mn and 47.9 percent to AED 130.98 mn. Market heavyweight Emirates Telecommunication (Etisalat) suffered a 23.5 percent decline in earnings during Q1-12 to AED 5.84 bn from AED 7.63 bn in Q1-11, as the company continues to suffer from increased competition due to the intro-

duction of Du in Dubai and a maturing home market with one of the highest mobile penetration rates in the world. Etisalat’s plunge in earnings significantly impacted the sector’s earning to drop 19.3 percent to AED 8.6 bn as compared to AED 10.67 bn.

The UAE’s non-oil foreign trade achieved a 23 percent annual growth according to the Federal Customs Authority; the total value of non-oil foreign trade has soared to AED 927.7 bn in 2011 from AED 754.3 bn in 2010. On the other hand imports also increased 24 percent to AED 602.8 bn from AED 485.4 bn but remained lower than exports, which con-

Staples sector as aggregate market capitalization lost 6.73 percent of its value during May to reach AED 175 bn from AED 187.6 bn.

In earnings, 54 of 66 companies have announced their Q1-12 results that recorded AED 3.12 bn down 7 percent from a AED 3.35 bn reported in Q1-11. The drop was significantly impacted by the heavyweight banking sector’s 33.5 percent drop in earnings to AED 1.49 bn from a previous AED 2.23 bn. Dubai’s largest lender Emirates NBD was significantly impacted the drop in banking sector revenues as its earnings plunged 54.6 percent to AED 641.1 mn from AED 1.4 bn in Q1-11 due

Confidence Index (BCI) stood at 120.5 points at the end of March, with any reading over 100 indicating a positive outlook. The recent confidence also stems from the government’s successful in dealing with its debt; the government has lowered its debt to 11.6 percent of Dubai’s 2010 GDP. Furthermore, many government-related entities (GREs) are reforming and have won the approval of lenders and rating agencies, which has increased the market’s confidence in the government’s ability to support GREs due to a clearer strategy.

In its latest paper that looked at the global

tributes towards minimizing the financial deficit due to a trade surplus.

According to the IMF, UAE’s nominal GDP grew by an estimated $62 bn in 2011 around 20.8 percent to $360 bn on the back of strong crude prices with high oil production allowing it to maintain its position as the second largest Arab economy; nominal GDP is projected to grow by $26bn this year to record $386 bn.

to booking high provisions of AED 1.7 bn.

Despite the drop, Emirates NBD had managed to grow its revenues 19 percent to AED 2.7 bn and increase its operating profit by 20 percent since Q1-11. Dubai’s troubled investment sector managed to diminish overall losses by 70 percent to AED 77.27 bn in Q112 as compared to a loss of AED 258.19 bn in Q1-11, indicating an improvement in conditions as the emirate’s debt crisis subdues while market conditions improve. The real estate sector which was also challenged by the Dubai’s fiscal problems is reaping benefits from the market turnaround as it posted a 30 percent jump in profits to AED 777.55 mn in Q1-12 as compared to AED 596.18 mn for Q1-11. In telecom, Emirates Integrated Telecom (Du) posted a 62 percent growth in earnings to AED 333.13 mn from AED 205.83 mn with the company growing on its increasing presence and strategy.

On the economic front, an optimistic view has been emerging as Dubai’s Economic Council estimated that GDP would grow by 4-5 percent in its latest forecast, up from 3 percent for 2011 and double the projections of some international agencies. According to the council’s chief economist the growth will be broad-based rather than by one or two individual sectors. The leaders of the growth are expected to be Dubai’s strong trade, tourism, and industrial sectors, while increased opportunities for investors will emerge during the year. The business community seems to be echoing the sentiment as a survey by the Department of Economic Development revealed that the Business

spillovers to the UAE financial system, the IMF concluded that the UAE’s financial system is highly integrated and still remains exposed to global financial vulnerabilities.

The IMF stated that “while vulnerabilities have decreased since 2008, the results nonetheless suggest that the authorities need to remain vigilant to global shocks and continue to strengthen buffers. Also the IMF recommended that “The Central Bank of UAE (CBU) should continue to closely monitor the liquidity of individual banks and encourage them to proactively manage liquidity risks”.

The global outlook and the heightened uncertainty in foreign funding highlight the need to develop domestic debt markets.

Domestic debt markets would facilitate banks’ liquidity management, help reduce reliance on foreign funding, and eventually allow corporates to raise funds from domestic capital markets. The credit stress-testing exercise underscores the need to mitigate increasing credit concentration to strengthen capital. The CBU should ensure that banks recognize Non-performing Loans (NPLs) fully and continue to provision adequately, while monitoring the performance of restructured loans. The concentration of risk in a few banks indicates the need for close supervision of these banks and closer monitoring of their cross-border and domestic interbank exposures. Enabling a more robust risk assessment culture, conducting regular stress testing of banks, and strengthening the framework for an early warning system would help mitigate risks to the banking system and strengthen financial stability.

DFM Review A regional downturn in equity markets on the back of fears of a global economic slowdown and increasing investor anxiety regarding the euro-zone debt crisis following the French elections, which may complicate economic policy in the euro-zone, coupled with fears of a worsening situation in Greece and Spain, drove market behavior during the month. The DFM General Index suffered its largest one month drop since Jan-10 as it shed 9.78 percent to 1,471.49 paring its YTD12 gains to 8.73 percent and marked 3months of corrections following February’s whopping 20.53 percent surge in the index; the exchange has now shed 11.45 percent in the last 60 days and 13.54 percent in the last 90 days, while market volatility has settled down during May to 13 percent as compared to the previous 4-month average of 23 percent. Liquidity in the market continued to drop building on last month’s slump with volume plunging a further 47 percent to 2.48 bn shares, while value traded sunk 52 percent to AED 3.24 bn down from AED 6.74 bn. All sectors ended in the red except the Consumer

26

SUNDAY, JUNE 24, 2012

BUSINESS

X-cite by Alghanim Electronics wins ‘In-store Experience of the Year’ 2012 Middle East Retail Academy KUWAIT: X- cite by Alghanim Electronics won the award for the Best In-Store Experience at the M iddle East Retail Academy (MERA) awards held at Distree 2012 in UAE. Award submissions were received from retailers across the middle east. The shortlisted finalists were CompuMe for its concession stands in Virgin outlets in Dubai; Emax for an in-store display system it has deployed called ‘Positive Disturbance’; iMachines in Bahrain for its new Apple-focused store; Jacky’s for its Dubai Mall outlet and X- cite for its all new expanded store at Avenues. The InStore Experience Award was decided by a VIP jury based on the submission submitted by the respective retailers.

The Best In-Store Experience award evaluates the customer experience in a store and is evaluated on a variety of parameters such as the store layouts, the services available in the store, the fit and finish, the application of brand colors, and most importantly assesses the efforts made by the retailer to provide the customer with a superlative in store experience.

Farouk Hemraj, CEO at DISTREE Events, organizers of the ‘MERA: 2012 Awards’, said “Shopping is still all about the experience in the Middle East and retailers in the ICT and CE market are coming up with innovative methods to attract customers to their outlets .From a

store-in-store concept through to an interactive demonstration zone, a unique POS display, superior service or an innovative retail layout, we want to find out who is leading the way in terms of the development of the In-Store Experience in the Middle East, The Middle East ICT and CE channel continues to develop and mature

ahead of time. X-cite moved from the conventional passive display of products in locked cases to an environment where the customers can experience and engage with products to the latest concept where X- cite presents entire ecosystems of products that tie in to the interactivity of products.

This shift in experiential retailing is

Best In-Store Experience Award for the new and expanded X-cite store at the Avenues Mall recognizes our efforts to enhance the shopping environment and bring to market the most advanced electronics showroom in the region.”

In addition to the many new zones, X-cite offers a range of services in its stores, some of the value

tainment devices laser engraved or “instant skinned” with pictures of your friends and family etc. With 17 outlets and an online e-commerce portal ( www.xcite.com) X-cite is the destination for consumer electronics , home appliances and technology products.

X-cite is the largest consumer electronics retailer in Kuwait and

at X-cite is an unforgettable experience. Operating a network of 17 stores in addition to the regions premier e-commerce electronics website, X-cite’s customers are offered an unparalleled shopping experience by providing access to amazing range of international brands under one roof. The X-cite experience is further enhanced by

at a rapid pace and the retailers picked out at the MERA: 2012 Awards are all playing a key role in driving this development across the region.”

As the largest consumer electronics and home appliances retailer in the middle east , X-cite has been the pioneer in deploying evolved shop floor tactics much

also presented in conceptual display in form of innovative 3D studios, home cinema rooms, sound rooms for audiophile, home automation zones - all initiatives that provide the customers an oppor tunity to keep pace with technology.

Samer Sayegh, Vice President Alghanim Electronics said, “The

added services provided in its retail environment include- Easy Credit Service (for product financing), Al Esraa - the Islamic financing option, A tech force support counter for technology related configuration and installation support and dedicated customization counter where customers can get their personal digital enter-

the Middle East. Headquartered in Kuwait, the award winning retailer delivers a modern, dynamic and convenient shopping experience with the primar y objective of delighting its customers. With touch and feel displays, cash and carry shopping, a highly trained multilingual sales staff and the latest gadgets and gizmos, shopping

providing customers with Easy Credit, 24-hour shopping in select outlets and extended warranty programs with 24-hour free delivery and installation services. X-cite’s shopping experience is also available online at www.xcite.com in both English and Arabic where customers can browse and shop for the latest in technology products.

Burgan Bank wins ‘Best Bank Branding’ award

FASTtelco launches new ‘Subscribe and Choose Your Gift’ campaign Promotion for high-speed Internet fans

The Banker Middle East Industry Awards 2012 KUWAIT: Burgan Bank announced yesterday that it has been awarded the coveted “Best Bank Branding” award by the Banker Middle East. The award comes in recognition of its creative approach towards continuously building its brand name and values, an element that is reflected across all forms of communications including the physical application of its brand concept within branches and channels to provide seamless services to customers.

The awards were recently announced at the 13th Bankers Middle East industry awards ceremony at the Jumeirah Emirates Towers. Winners were chosen by peer-voting and a judging panel of international industry experts drawn from international rating agencies and some of the region’s leading financial centers.

Bashir Jaber, Burgan Bank’s

Assistant General Manager Corporate Communications said: “We are delighted to receive this award and the recognition it presents for our brand management activities, not only through

our communications, but also by strategically utilizing the brand across our branches and channels to create the ideal customer journey.”

“In modern business condi-

Bashir Jaber, Burgan Bank’s Assistant General Manager Corporate Communications

tions, the brand is essentially important for business strategy success, a crucial aspect of why strategic brand management is incorporated in Burgan Bank’s overall corporate strategy, aiming at reinforcing the overarching brand message vividly, creating customer loyalty, motivating staff, and securing business partners while also reassuring financial markets.” Added Jaber.

Burgan Bank ’s brand has been created on a solid platform of trust and partnership, and one that ensures the delivery of international best practices across its operations. Earlier this year, Burgan Bank’s brand was rated as AA with a positive outlook by Brand Finance, the international brand valuation company. The rating places the bank’s brand at 2nd amongst the banking brands in Kuwait, 19th in GCC and 397th in the top 500 global banking brands list.

Warba Insurance launches first Human Resources, Administration event KUWAIT: Focused at Warba Insurance Company’s (KSC) corporate vision, and through the realization of the significant role played by the management of human resources and administration (HR & A) department in creating and developing a spirit of communication, cooperation and harmony amongst the workforce, Sunday, 24/6/2012 witnesses the launch of WIC’s first annual “Week of Human Resources Management & Administration” - with the participation of all employees of the institution.

Led by a group of distinguished experts in the field of training, development and human resources management at the headquarters of the company in downtown Kuwait City, this event comes with the purpose of motivating employees, inspiring thei rcompetitive spirit, ambition and creativity. It also serves as a platform to enlighten the workforce of its rights & obligations towards the enterprise through the creation of an attractive, safe and creative work environment. The week’s events will include a large number of diverse activities that are sure to receive praise from the participants Saeid Dashti - Director, Human Resources and Administration Dept. said that

the organization of this event in its inauguration comes in response to the aspirations of several of the directors in charge of the company to raise the level and quality of the work to meet the challenges associated with the expansion of the enterprise. This expan-

Saeid Dashti sion coincides with the renewed dependence on the local insurance industry as an essential service partner to the mega-projects being launched by the government of the State of Kuwait. In this context, Saeid Dashti -commented that despite the growing interest in the activities of training and human resource development

there remains an urgent and necessary need for the development of criteria and indicators by which to assess the performance of training and measuring the impact of and return on the investment made in this field.

Dashti expressed his thanks

and appreciation to the senior management of the company on the sponsorship of this week’s events. He lauded their enlightenment, and their continued support for the HR&A Dept. to enhance the administrative training and development of the company’s human resources. He also praised all those that will participate in

the organization and participation in the events. The concept of an HR & A week emerged after having evaluated the findings of number of consultants & specialists in the field of HR&A affairs sur veying the enterprise workforce. Their findings sensed the need for independent activities that become a documented reference to provide support to all sectors involved in the company, and encourages the workforce to adhere to the development strategy imbedded in which is a mechanism of administrative work, dissemination of corp. culture and promotion of ethics in various sectors. The initiative of WIC’s HR&A Dept. to launch the activities of this week came in response to these findings in order to develop and activate of its role, in anticipation that human resources management evolves as an important factor in the development of the enterprise workforce, raising the overall performance of the institution and becoming an effective tool in problem solving. The week’s events will conclude on Thursday 28/6 with a ceremony honoring a number of managers and employees of the company, as a tribute to their performance & their dedication.

KUWAIT: Winner of Bizz Arab Award of 2012, an international recognition for business excellence and most inspiring companies in addition to the Annual GCC HR Excellence Awards for Best Change Management Strategy of 2012, FASTtelco launched last week the new “Subscribe and Choose Your Gift” campaign as a gesture of appreciation to its existing customers for their trust and confidence and as a welcome message to all its new subscribers.

This campaign allows high-speed Internet fans the chance to choose one of the many valuable prizes offered, such as MSI WindPads, Canon Digital Cameras and Vulkano devices that enable users to watch and control their TV from anywhere in the world. Individuals may benefit from this offer by subscribing to a 2Mbps Internet connection or more, or by renewing their existing subscription.

In this regard, Public Relations Manager, Hamad Saleh AlSelmi stated that this campaign allows all new subscribers to choose from a long list of gifts with different values according to the internet speed they have subscribed to. Therefore, whenever the subscriber chooses to upgrade and speed up his internet connection, he gets the chance of winning a more valuable gift from one of FASTtelco’s showrooms in Sharq, Hawalli, Fahaheel and Farwaniya.

AlSelmi further added that the “Subscribe and Choose Your Gift” offer marks the early stages of large promotional campaigns dedicated to all FASTtelco’s priviliged customers.

AlSelmi also mentioned that the company is looking forward to creating and developing more exceptional offers in order to encourage and welcome all its new customers and subscribers.

Moreover, AlSelmi stated that this campaign proves FASTtleco’s commitment to

Hamad Saleh Al-Selmi showing appreciation and recognition to its existing customers and continuously welcoming its new subscribers who will eventually savor the great experience of joining the FASTtelco family and benefit from highspeed internet services and exceptional data communication solutions. AlSelmi finally mentioned that this new offer is applicable to customers who wish to renew their subscriptions as well as to new subscribers.

Gulf Bank announces winners of 24th Al-Danah Weekly Draw for 2012 KUWAIT: Gulf Bank held its twenty-fourth Al-Danah weekly draw on June 18, 2012, announcing a total number of ten Al-Danah weekly prize draw winners, each awarded with prizes of KD 1,000.

The 24th Al-Danah weekly winners are: George Matanyous Nakhlah, Hanadi Husain Mohammed Jawad Marafi, Maher Abdullatif Khalil Bin Naji, Sanya Mahmoud Mohammed Rizk, Marwah Omar Fahad Al-Seri, Awaad Mobark Ali Mobark, Ibrahem Suliman Auwaid Ibrahem, Nanu Lal Panchal Raghunathji Panchal, Hanadi Anwar Essa AlSaleh, Layla Zahzeeh Ramadan Al-Anzi.

Gulf Bank encourages everyone in Kuwait to open an Al Danah account and/or increase their deposits to maximize their chances of becoming a winner in the upcoming weekly (KD 1,000 each for 10 winners). Gulf Bank’s Al-Danah allows customers to win cash prizes and encourages them to

save money. Chances increase the more money is deposited and the longer it is kept in the account.

Al-Danah also offers a number of unique services including the Al Danah Deposit Only ATM card which helps account holders deposit their money at their convenience; as well as the Al-Danah calculator to help customers calculate their chances of becoming an Al-Danah winner.

To be part of the Al-Danah draws, customers can visit one of Gulf Bank’s 56 branches, transfer on line, or call the Customer Contact Center on 1805805 for assistance and guidance. Customers can also log on to www.e-gulfbank.com, Gulf Bank’s website, to find all the information regarding Al-Danah or any of the Bank’s products and services or log on www.e-gulfbank.com/aldanahwinners, to find out more about Al-Danah and who the winners are.

Greek telecom OTE to sell Bulgaria’s Globul SOFIA: Greek telecoms operator OTE, controlled by Germany’s Deutsche Telekom, is looking to sell its Bulgarian unit Globul to service its debts, a newspaper report said yesterday.

The possible sale is ‘part of a strategy for refinancing 3.4 billion euros ($4.3 billion) of debt maturing over the next two years,’ OTE’s press office told the Capital financial weekly. OTE has hired investment bank Citigroup to help with the sale, with the firmís board having taken the decision to sell

the unit several days ago, Capital said.

Turkeyís Turkcell, Britainís Vodafone and Orange, owned by France Telecom, were cited by the newspaper as potential bidders. Globul’s new owner will be chosen by Deutsche Telekom, which has a 40percent stake in OTE, together with the Greek government, which has a ‘golden share,’ Capital added. Globul is Bulgaria’s second largest mobile phone operator with 4.3 million clients, corporate data show. —AFP

SUNDAY, JUNE 24, 2012

TECHNOLOGY

US computer graphics scientist wins Kyoto Prize TOKYO: An American regarded as the father of computer graphics, an Indian literary critic and a Japanese molecular cell biologist are winners of the annual Kyoto Prize, Japan’s highest private award for global achievement. The Inamori Foundation said Friday that US computer scientist Ivan Sutherland won the advanced technology prize.

Sutherland is perhaps best known for developing the Sketchpad in 1963. The graphics interface pro-

gram that allowed users to manipulate figures on a screen through pointing a device - an innovation that helped people use computers without the need for complicated programming.

Gayatri Chakrovoty Spivak , an Indian literary critic and educator whose work focuses on those marginalized by Western culture, including immigrants, the working class and women, won the ar ts and philosophy prize. A professor at

Columbia University, she is known in literary circles for her essay, “Can the Subaltern Speak?” about the economically dispossessed. Japan’s Yoshinori Ohsumi, a molecular biologist at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, was awarded the basic sciences prize for his contributions in the significance of autophagy, now regarded as a vital cell-recycling system that may aid in future developments to treat neurodegenerative dis-

eases such as Alzheimer’s, cancer and other agerelated ailments.

The Inamori Foundation is a charitable body established in 1984 by the founder of Japanese electronic component maker Kyocera Corp., Kazuo Inamori. Each laureate receives a diploma, a gold Kyoto Prize medal and a cash gift of 50 million yen ($630,000) at a ceremony in Kyoto in November. — AP

Chinese tech giant calls for cyber cooperation Cyber security a common issue the whole industry has to face

Sound advice: Instead of a digital SLR camera, try this Olympus model

By Don Lindich Q. We are in the market for a midrange digital SLR camera and need your advice on what model we should consider. We need something easy to use that takes very sharp pictures. We travel a great deal, love to take pictures and are planning a trip to Tanzania next year. On this trip we expect to take some long-distance shots. We are leaning towards Nikon or Canon, just because all the cameras we see on our travels are Nikons or Canons. Our budget is about $2,000.

A. Nikon and Canon completely rule at the high end and if I was a professional shooting sports or weddings I would probably go and buy a couple of top-of-the-line Canon or Nikon bodies with a set of fast pro zoom lenses to match. Despite the “big two” dominating at the high end I have always thought in the middle and lower price ranges you can get better quality elsewhere. I prefer Pentax and Olympus here.

I am confident the best camera for you is not even a digital SLR, but a new interchangeable lens Micro Four-Thirds camera from Olympus, the OM-D E-M5. It looks and performs like an SLR, but has a built-in electronic viewfinder.

For years I have recommended the Olympus Micro Four-Thirds cameras because the cameras and lenses are compact and light, they produce amazing jpg pictures right from the camera with no tweaking necessary, the bodies have image stabilization, and even the inexpensive kit lenses are very sharp. In the past the downside to Micro Four-Thirds has been the sensor is somewhat smaller than

the APS-C size sensor in most Canons and Nikons, which gave the “big two” an edge in low light. The OM-D E-M5 has a new 16-megapixel sensor that gives up nothing to them and combined with the sharp lenses and incredible jpg processing, you have a compact system with world-class image quality that puts more expensive cameras to shame.

You can see for yourself on the dpreview.com comparison widget.

Go to http://tinyurl.com/bpaaetj to see the comparison tool for the OMD E-M5. Select “Canon EOS 7D” in one of the drop down boxes, and “Nikon D7000” in one of the others. You will see that the Olympus image quality is dramatically superior to either of the much more expensive cameras from Canon or Nikon. The OM-D EM5 records HD video as well and if you put the memory card in your Blu-ray player it most likely will play, as most players now support AVCHD video from a memory card.

The OM-D with 14-42mm lens is $1,099. The $269 40-150mm lens is a good choice for long distance shots.

For under $1,400 you get a comprehensive outfit that is small and light with cutting-edge features and image quality. If you want some extreme magnifying power you can get the 75-300mm lens for $899 and still be at $2,000.

The OM-D EM-5 is the toast of the photographic world right now, playing to some of the biggest rave reviews I have seen in years. The camera is backordered for months, but with your trip a year away you have time to order one. It will be worth the wait. I am getting one myself once I decide on black or silver! See it at http://olympusomd.com.—MCT

ST. PETERSBURG: The founder of Chinese telecom equipment giant Huawei, which has faced security concerns in the US and Australia, is calling for global cooperation to improve data protection. Ren Zhengfei, in a rare public appearance at an economic forum on Friday, did not mention the controversy surrounding Huawei. But he warned data would be “vulnerable to attack again and again” because technology will develop faster than security. He gave no details of possible joint measures.

“Cyber security is a common issue that the whole industry has to face,” Ren said at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. “We must join hands to proactively address this issue.” Huawei Technologies Ltd., which Ren founded in 1987, has faced suspicions it is controlled by China’s ruling Communist Party or is a front for the military. The company has denied it is a security threat and says it is owned by its employees.

Huawei was barred from bidding to work on a planned Australian high-speed Internet network due to concerns about cyber attacks traced to China. The company had to unwind its purchase of a U.S. computer company, 3Leaf Systems, last year after it failed to win approval from a government security panel.

The Australian ban highlighted concern about Beijing’s cyber warfare efforts, a spate of hacking attempts aimed at Western companies and the role of Chinese equipment providers, which are expanding abroad. A U.S. congressional panel has said it will

investigate whether allowing Huawei and other Chinese makers of telecoms gear to expand in the United States might aid spying by Beijing.

Huawei works with 45 of the 50 biggest global phone companies and says it has won the industry’s trust. It publicly invited the U.S. government last year to investigate it in order to allay security concerns.

Ren, a former military engineer, said the industry must rapidly develop reliable cyberspace technology to support development of education and social skills. “It is unfeasible to establish an absolutely impenetrable security assurance system that can keep data flowing securely within the networks

(pipes) at all times,” Ren said, comparing the flood of data to the global inundation in the Hollywood disaster movie “2012.”

“Data floods will never go away,” he said. “No matter how well we design and reinforce security assurance systems, they will be vulnerable to attacks again and again.” Ren is one of China’s most enigmatic business figures, rarely appearing in public and never talking to reporters. Forbes magazine has estimated his net worth at more than $1 billion. Huawei reported profit of 11.6 billion yuan ($1.8 billion) last year on sales of 209.9 billion yuan ($32.4 billion). Profit fell 53 percent from 2010, which Huawei blamed on weak global demand and the strength of China’s yuan against foreign currencies.

After building its business on making switching equipment that forms the backbone of phone and computer networks, Huawei is trying to become a business and consumer brand. It launched a campaign this year to sell smartphones under its own brand in the United States. Ren said Huawei plans to expand investment in Russia to take advantage of the country’s background in technology. Huawei already has a development lab in Moscow, one of 23 around the world, including in Silicon Valley.

“Russia has a very solid foundation in the military industry, rich assets of wisdom and plenty of talent,” Ren said. “ This foundation endows Russia with unique advantages in developing the information industry.”— AP

TOKYO: In this May 10, 2012 photo released by the Inamori Foundation, Japanese scientist Yoshinori Ohsumi, a molecular biologist at the Tokyo Institute of Technology is shown. — AP photos

TOKYO: In this undated photo released by the Inamori Foundation, American computer scientist Ivan Sutherland, of Portland State University, is shown.

TOKYO: In this March 21, 2007 photo released by the Inamori Foundation, India’s Gayatri Spivak, a literary critic and professor at Columbia University, is shown.

ST. PETERSBURG: Ren Zhengfei, CEO of Huawei Technologies, speaks at the International economic forum in Russia, Friday, June 22, 2012. — AP

Facebook allows fix for embarrassing mistakes SAN FRANCISCO: For those embarrassing mistakes people make in their Facebook posts, there is finally some relief. The giant social network said Friday it started allowing users to edit their comments, avoiding a more

cumbersome deletion. “For instance, if I join a thread and write a long comment but make a typo, I’ll now be able to go edit it instead of having to delete it and repost,” spokeswoman Johanna Peace said.

“We’ll also be showing the editing history for a comment so that subsequent commenters or likers have the full context of the conversation. It’s rolling out now and should be live to everyone in the next couple days.”— AFP

Tesla’s new sedan will make or break the company DETROIT : It’s a make or break moment for electric car maker Tesla Motors. Tesla has lost nearly $1 billion selling high-end electric sports cars to the likes of George Clooney. Now it’s going to attempt to sell them to the rest of us - and try to make money doing so. The company’s first mass-market, five-seat sedan will be delivered Friday. The car, called the Model S, will either propel the company to profitability or leave it sputtering on the fumes of a $465 million government loan.

“The Model S is the going to be the first true mass market product experiment for Tesla, one they cannot afford to fail,” says Jesse Toprak, vice president of market intelligence at car buying site TrueCar.com. Tesla, the brainchild of PayPal billionaire and SpaceX founder Elon Musk, has always been a moon shot. Analysts and auto industry insiders scoffed at the idea that a new car company could be created from scratch and built in a highcost state like California. Boardroom turmoil and a string of technical problems repeatedly delayed the launch of the company’s only car, the $109,000 twoseat Tesla Roadster.

Tesla survived by creating something so unique that the price tag was almost irrelevant: A beautiful car that could tear up a race track without burning a single drop of gasoline. Celebrities flocked to it, giving Tesla a cache that an established brand like Cadillac could only dream of. Now Tesla must do something much more difficult. It has to convince more traditional car customers to buy an expensive vehicle with limited range from a small, untested company.

The Model S carries a starting price of $49,900 after a federal tax credit - about the same as a Lexus RX hybrid crossover. Models top out at $101,550, or about the same as a hybrid Fisker Karma sports car.

A car that’s half the price of the Roadster lets Tesla break into a bigger market, but those customers will take a hard look at the value they are getting. This isn’t a trophy car to park on Rodeo Drive. It’s a sedan for hauling kids and groceries.

The high price will limit sales, says Rebecca Lindland, an analyst with IHS Automotive. She doubts Tesla will reach its goal of selling 20,000 Model S sedans in 2013. Nissan has sold just under 30,000 all-electric Nissan Leaf sedans since they

went on sale at the end of 2010. But the Leaf is little more than half the price of a Model S. Still, the Model S already has broader appeal than the Roadster. Tesla says more than 10,000 people have put down a refundable deposit for the sedan, and it expects to sell 5,000 this year. The Roadster has sold just 2,150 since 2008 The first sedans will be delivered to customers Friday at Tesla’s factory in Fremont, Calif., a plant the company bought for $42 million in 2010 from its former operators, General Motors Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. Tesla will host 12 test drives around the country this summer for reservation holders. Tesla didn’t make executives available for interviews ahead of Friday’s event. But at the company’s annu-

CALIFORNIA: In this May 25, 2011 photo, people look at a Tesla Motors electric car vehicle at a showroom in San Jose. — AP

al meeting this month, Musk said he’s “highly confident” that Tesla will meet its goals. That includes making a profit in 2013. Even if buyers take a chance on Tesla, the risks don’t end there. A charging network doesn’t exist in the U.S., and electriccar owners can run out of power between stops.

There’s no gasoline engine that kicks in as a backup, as there is in the electric Chevrolet Volt.

Tesla is trying to ease worries about range by throwing in a charger with three kinds of adapters that can be used at home or at public charging stations. It’s also planning a network of fast chargers at highway exits. Buyers can upgrade to a battery with an industry-best 300 miles of range. The base model can go for 160 miles on one charge.

The company’s retail strategy is also untested. Its 14 U.S. stores have a tiny presence compared with Lexus’ 230. When Roadsters need repairs, Tesla deploys technicians to the owners’ house. It will be far more expensive to do that if Tesla sells as many Model S sedans as it hopes. The company’s plans for servicing the cars are hazy. Musk said recently that Tesla simply wants to make cars that don’t need servicing. “We want every aspect of that car to be as perfect as possible,” he said.

For investors, the Model S will test whether the company is built for endurance or a quick test drive. So far, the company’s glamorous founder and its sculpture-like cars have generated enough buzz to keep the stock hot. Its price has nearly doubled from its initial public offering level of $17 a share two years ago. Tesla’s current stock price of $32 assumes achievements the company has yet to accomplish, says Carter Driscoll, who researches clean energy companies for Capstone Investments.

The company has lost $759 million since it was founded in 2003 and has never made a profit. It sur vives, in par t, on its loan from the US Department of Energy. It also sells electric drive systems to Toyota and Daimler AG. “It’s sexy,” says Driscoll. “People want to believe in it. But there are so many what ifs, ands or buts.” But if you’re a believer, all you have to do is point out Musk’s latest accomplishment: Last month, his SpaceX venture became the first private company to send a cargo rocket to the International Space station.

Moon shots can work. — AP

28

SUNDAY, JUNE 24, 2012

health & science

Endangered Sumatran rhino gives birth in Indonesia JAKARTA: A critically endangered Sumatran rhinoceros was born yesterday at an Indonesian sanctuary, only the fourth birth in captivity in more than a century, boosting survival hopes for the species, say conservationists. “Ratu gave birth to a male baby at 00:45 yesterday. Both the mother and the baby are all very well,” conservationist Widodo Ramono, who works at a sanctuary on the southern tip of Sumatra island said.

The last three in-captivity births for Sumatran rhinos took place in the United States at the Cincinnati Zoo in Ohio. The father of the new born, Andalas, was himself the first Sumatran rhino delivered in captivity in 112 years. He was born in September 2001, according to the zoo.

Before Andalas, the latest Sumatran rhino born in captivity was in the Calcutta Zoo in India in 1889, according the Rhino Resource Center, a British reference website. Andalas was brought to Indonesia to mate with Ratu, a female who grew up in the wild but wandered out of the forest and now lives at the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary in Way Kambas National Park.

Sumatran rhinos have suffered a 50 percent drop in population numbers over the past 20 years, largely due to poaching and loss

of tropical habitat. There are now believed to be fewer than 200 alive. Most reside in isolated pockets in Southeast Asia.

“Thank God, we are very grateful that all the delivery process went smoothly and naturally. We actually made some emergency preparation in case that Ratu need(ed) a surgery in delivering the baby,” Indonesia forestry ministry’s spokesman Masyhud said. “It’s really a big present for the Sumatran rhino breeding efforts as we know that this is a very rare species which have some difficulties in their reproduction,” the ministry’s spokesman said.

Solitary and aggressive, the rhinos are rarely sighted in the wild and avoid even other members of their species except when females are ready to mate.

“This is the first birth of a Sumatran rhino at a sanctuary in Indonesia,” he said.

“Soon after the delivery, the mother began breastfeeding the baby,” he added. The USbased International Rhino Foundation executive director Susie Ellis said in a press release, published on Friday before the birth, that a veterinary team would immediately harvest placental cells that can be used to generate stem cells.

Stem cells have the potential to be useful for many purposes in the near future,

including curing diseases and helping promote reproduction, it said. The head veterinarian Dedi Candra had closely monitored Ratu’s pregnancy by weighing her weekly and conducting regular ultrasound exams, the release also said. Ratu and Andalas were paired in 2009 at the sanctuary, two years after Andalas was brought from the Cincinnati zoo for a breeding program. The 12-year-old lost her first pregnancy after two months and her second after less than a month. She gave birth after a 16-month pregnancy.

Poaching is one of the biggest killers of Sumatran rhinos, whose horns are reputed to have medicinal properties. But rhinos have also suffered from the destruction of their habitat. According to environmentalists, two million hectares of forests are lost every year in Indonesia.

Andalas is the only remaining male Sumatran rhino at the Way Kambas sanctuary since Torgamba, another male, died last year. The sanctuary has three female Sumatran rhinos. Besides the Sumatran rhino, Indonesia is also the last refuge to the critically endangered Javan rhino, which conservationists believe number only 44, located in the Ujung Kulon National Park on the western-most tip of Java. — AFP

LAMPUNG: A female Sumatran rhino named Ratu is seen at Way Kambas Rhino Reservation in Lampung, Indonesia. An Indonesian official said that 12-year-old Ratu has given birth to a male calf yesterday. It’s only the fifth known to have been born in captivity. — AP

Rio+20 ends with weak text Obama, Merkel, Cameron among the absentees

NEW YORK: This photo provided by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) shows the fossil head of a Tyrannosaurus bataar dinosaur. The US government seized the rare dinosaur skeleton Friday for its transfer to Mongolia, considered its prehistoric homeland. — AP

US government seizes ‘Ty’ the dinosaur in NY NEW YORK: The US government seized a rare dinosaur skeleton Friday in what observers for the Mongolian government and a dinosaur expert called an important step toward returning the skeleton to its home in Mongolia. Wooden crates holding pieces of the Tyrannosaurus bataar fossil were loaded onto a white truck at a Queens storage center shortly before it was driven away to a facility whose location was not disclosed.

“We are one step closer to bringing this rare Tyrannosaurus bataar skeleton back home to the people of Mongolia,” Mongolia President Elbegdorj Tsakhia said in a statement handed out by his Houston lawyer, Robert Painter, who took photographs of the seizure through a chain-link fence outside the Cadogan Tate Fine Art property where it had been stored. “Today we send a message to looters all over the world: We will not turn a blind eye to the marketplace of looted fossils,” he said. Bolortsetseg Minjin, director of the Institute for the Study of Mongolian Dinosaurs, took pictures of the exchange as well, saying: “It’s a very exciting event. It’s just unbelievable. I never expected it would be this fast.”

The seizure was ordered by a federal judge in Manhattan earlier this week after the United States requested it in a lawsuit, saying the relics had been brought into the country with documents that disguised the potentially valuable dinosaur skeleton that originated in Mongolia as reptile bones from Great Britain. Eric Prokopi, 37, of Gainesville, Florida, defended his handling of the skeleton in a statement Thursday, saying he was not an international bone smuggler and that he had worked since bringing the bones into the country in March 2010 to turn chunks of rocks and broken bones “into an impressive skeleton” that he came to call “Ty.” “I can wholeheartedly say the import documents are not fraudulent, a truth I am confident will be brought to light in the coming weeks,” he said. “The value was declared much lower than the auction value because, quite simply, it was loose, mostly broken bones and rocks with embedded bones. It was not what you see today, a virtually complete, mounted skeleton.”

The bones were valued on import documents at only $15,000, but the skeleton Prokopi put together sold at auction last month for $1.052 million, contingent on the outcome of litigation involving the dinosaur. Although the buyer has not been disclosed, Painter said he had been told that a New York private gallery owner had made the winning bid. Prokopi responded to an email request for comment Friday by writing: “My reaction to the government driving away with my dinosaur in a large white truck is the reaction I imagine Indiana Jones had to

the ark being put into storage at the end of his film.”

After the seizure Friday, Glenn Sorge, a deputy special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations for the Department of Homeland Security in New York, said the dinosaur “is now in the custody of the US government and will be stored in a secure location.” The dinosaur was taken from the custody of Heritage Auctions, a Dallas-based company. Its co-chairman, Jim Halperin, said Friday that the company will continue to work with Prokopi.

“We hope arrangements can be made for the public to view it as a museum or other convenient venue while our efforts continue to reach a fair and just resolution for our consignor, who had spent a year of his life and considerable expense identifying, restoring, mounting and preparing what had previously been a much less valuable matrix of unassembled, underlying bones and bone fragments,” he said. The Tyrannosaurus Bataar was a dinosaur from the late Cretaceous period, approximately 70 million years ago, the government said in its lawsuit. It was first discovered in 1946 during a joint Soviet-Mongolian expedition to the Gobi Desert in the Mongolian Province.

Mongolia has enacted laws since 1924 declaring dinosaur fossils to be the property of the government of Mongolia and criminalizing their export from the country.

Mark Norell, head paleontologist with New York’s American Museum of Natural History, was not at the seizure but said in a telephone interview that he was one of several people to spread word about the dinosaur’s planned sale at auction. He challenged Prokopi’s claim that the skeleton may have come from outside Mongolia, saying only some fragments of the same species of dinosaur had been found in adjacent China but no complete skeletons. He noted also that China’s laws regarding excavation were stricter than Mongolia’s.

He said Prokopi was inaccurate when he claimed the skeleton was professionally excavated and had lost some claws and teeth from the weather and that some teeth had slipped out before burial. “That’s just not the case,” he said. “I’ve excavated fossils my entire adult career.

Teeth and claws are about the last things to erode because they’re so hard,” he said.

Minjin said the skeleton was one of only 10 to 15 full skeletons of the Tyrannosaurus bataar to exist worldwide.

“Finding this kind of complete skeleton is very rare, very special,” she said. Fredrik T Hiebert, an archaeologist with National Geographic mission programs who attended the seizure, said the likelihood that the dinosaur will end up in Mongolia was vital to the country bordered by China and Russia. “This is a bigger story than just a dinosaur. — AP

RIO DE JANEIRO: Global leaders ended a UN development summit on Friday with what was widely considered a lackluster agreement, leaving many attendees convinced that individuals and companies, rather than governments, must lead efforts to improve the environment. Nearly 100 heads of state and government gathered over the past three days in efforts to establish “sustainable development goals,” a UN drive built around economic growth, the environment and social inclusion. But a lack of consensus over those goals in Rio de Janeiro led to an agreement that even some signatory nations said lacked commitment, specifics and measurable targets.

A series of much-hyped global summits on environmental policy has now fallen short of expectations, going back at least to a 2009 UN meeting in Copenhagen that ended in near chaos. As a result, many ecologists, activists, and business leaders now believe that progress on environmental issues must be made locally with the private sector, and without the help of international accords. “The greening of our economies will have to happen without the blessing of the world leaders,” said Lasse Gustavsson, executive director of the World Wildlife Fund.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who arrived early on Friday for a quick announcement on US-backed projects in Africa and a series of bilateral meetings with various world leaders, admitted as much. “Governments alone cannot solve all the problems we face,” she said, “from climate change to persistent poverty to chronic energy shortages.” Most troubling for many critics of the summit is the fact that leaders arrived in Rio merely to sign a text that their diplomats had all but sealed beforehand. The text, dubbed “The Future We Want,” left little room for vision or audacity from presidents and prime ministers, critics argued.

“The world we want will not be delivered by leaders who lack courage to come here, sit at the table and negotiate themselves,” said Sharon Burrow, general secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation.

“They took no responsibility for imposing the action, the targets, the time lines.”

Some heads of state and government stayed away, given the global economic slowdown, worsening debt woes in Europe and continued violence in the Middle East. Notable absentees included US President Barack Obama, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister David Cameron, all of whom

attended a gathering of the Group of 20 major economies earlier this week in Mexico.

GOALS DIFFERENT FROM AT ‘92 SUMMIT The summit, known as Rio+20, was never expected to generate the sort of landmark accords signed at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio, which included a treaty on biodiversity and agreements that led to the creation of the Kyoto protocol on greenhouse emissions.

Although this week’s meeting attracted more than 50,000 people, many were disappointed that the leaders made few specific commitments on issues ranging from energy to food security to oceans. Throughout the three-day

treaties, organizers say, the purpose of the summit was to initiate a process to define a new set of development principles.

But that process, like most global diplomacy, is rife with conflicting interests and tensions between rich countries and the developing world. “The storyline is different from 1992,” said Andre Correa do Lago, chief negotiator at the conference for Brazil, which led the final talks on the declaration. “This summit recognizes more than the others that not one size fits all,” he added.

Many leaders used their time at the podium to note the markedly different needs they were struggling with, especially compared

RIO DE JANEIRO: Environmental activists, one portraying a shrinking planet (left) another dressed as a butcher carrying a hatchet and donning a red-stained apron with corporate logos of fast food restaurants, attend a protest on the final day of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, or Rio+20, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. — AP gathering and weeklong negotiations beforehand, the streets of central Rio and surrounding the suburban conference hall that hosted the summit were filled with demonstrations by activists ranging from Indian tribes to environmentalists to anti-nuclear protesters. The completion of a draft text even before the arrival of government heads gave the gathering itself a sense of finality from the start.

Some delegates left on Thursday and by late Friday a handful of leaders were still delivering ceremonial addresses in a large, empty hall. Instead of forging legally binding

with the developed world. While Brazil, China and other big emerging nations spoke of their need to catch up with rich countries, others like Bolivia, Iran and Cuba unleashed traditional rants against capitalism and conventional definitions of growth.

One point of contention is what many emerging nations say is a need for a global fund that could help them pursue development goals. Early talk of a $30 billion fund for that purpose as a possible outcome of the summit foundered well before leaders arrived. — Reuters

Rising sea levels to hit California hard by 2100 Strong earthquake could cause sudden sea rise WASHINGTON: Seas could rise higher along the California coastline this century than in other places in the world, increasing the risk of flooding and storm damage, dune erosion and wetland destruction, the US National Research Council reported Friday. Rising sea levels have long been seen as a consequence of climate change,

because as the world warms, glaciers melt and contribute water to the Earth’s oceans. At the same time, ocean waters tend to expand as they heat, pushing sea levels higher.

The report looked at how much seas could rise by 2100 along the US West Coast, and found that the water off California’s coast from the

CALIFORNIA: Waves pound a wall near buildings in Pacifica, Calif, during a rain storm. A new federal report gives the West Coast its best look yet at what to expect from rising sea levels due to climate change. — AP

Mexican border to Cape Mendocino could rise between 16.5 inches (42 cm) and 66 inches (167 cm) by century’s end, compared to what they were in 2000.

The high end of the range is higher than the projection for the global rise in sea levels, which runs from about 20 inches (50 cm) to 55 inches (140 cm), scientists said in the report.

That global range is higher than predictions made in 2007 by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change: between 7 inches and 23 inches, with an additional 6.7 inches if rapid changes in ice flow are part of the calculation. But melting ice and expanding oceans are not the only forces at work, said Robert Dalrymple, a professor of civil engineering at Johns Hopkins University who headed the panel of scientists who contributed to the report. “There are two components of regional sea level rise,” Dalrymple told reporters in a telephone briefing. “What is the land doing in terms of moving up and down, and what is the sea level

doing in terms of moving up?”

As global seas rise, some land may rise too, due to the movement of tectonic plates or the rebounding of land that used to be covered by ancient ice sheets. Without the heavy ice to weigh it down, some areas in northern Washington are rising, the report said. “If the land is rising, then to the residents on that land, it looks like the sea level is falling,” Dalrymple said. Other factors include periodic ocean circulation patterns El Nino and La Nina, the scientists said.

Sea level rise as projected increases risk of damage from floods and storms, which ride into land on higher ocean water. It also endangers wetlands and could force dunes and bluffs to retreat as rising waters erode them, the report said. While the projected sea level rise for northern California, Oregon and Washington state is lower than for the rest of California, the researchers cautioned that an earthquake of magnitude 8 or more could cause waters to rise by an additional 39 inches. —Reuters

SUNDAY, JUNE 24, 2012

H E A LT H & S C I E NC E

Race is on to lure new SpaceX launchpad

CODFISH ISLAND: This undated handout image shows three rare green kakapo parrots on Codfish Island, off the South Island, an offshore sanctuary where the flightless birds have been bred since 1990. — AFP

New Zealand’s ‘night parrot’ brought back from the brink AUCKLAND: Flightless, slow-moving and at times more sexually attracted to humans than their own species, it’s small wonder New Zealand’s kakapo parrot is on the verge of extinction. But a mammoth conservation effort stretching back decades is offering hope for one of the world’s rarest birds, lifting its numbers from about 50 in 1990 to 126 this year. The plump, green kakapo-the name means “night parrot” in Maori-was once one of the most common birds in New Zealand, which had few land predators before European settlement in the early Nineteenth Century.

“There was a report from an early explorer, Charles Douglas, who said they were so populous you could shake them out of trees like apples,” said Deirdre Vercoe Scott, head of the Department of Conservation’s kakapo recovery program. “He said he’d once seen six kakapo shaken from a single tutu bush.” Vercoe Scott said habitat destruction by humans and the introduction of pests such as stoats and predatory cats and dogs, sowed the seeds of the kakapos’ decline. The flightless nocturnal birds, while essentially ground dwelling, are strong climbers but freeze when confronted by a threat, making them easy pickings for predators.

The males also attract mates by emitting a deep booming sound from thoracic air sacs, turning them into conspicuous targets for hunters in the night forest. With an ageing population and bird numbers declining, kakapo recovery program chief scientist Ron Moorehouse said the species’ future appeared “dire” in the 1990s. The situation sparked an intense conservation initiative, which has cost tens of millions of dollars, to save a bird that those who have encountered it describe as endearing and full of personality. “They can be quite grumpy,” ranger Sarah Kivi said. “They display so much personality, which I guess you don’t get from a lot of birds. They’ll sit there and look at you and you wonder ‘what are they thinking?’”.

Biggest breakthrough-Exacerbating the problem was the fact that kakapo, which can live up to 90 years, are notoriously slow breeders, only reproducing in seasons when abundant fruit is available from native tree species.

The breeding program faced another hurdle when male kakapo became “imprinted” on their human handlers, meaning they saw them as more likely potential mates than female kakapo.

In the early days of the conservation effort, rangers even wore an outlandish rubber helmet dotted with dimples in an unsuccessful attempt to collect kakapo sperm when males tried to mate with their heads.

British actor Stephen Fry witnessed the kakapo’s amorous antics first hand while filming his program “Last Chance to See” in 2009, when a kakapo named Sirocco took a shine to zoologist Mark Carwardine and began vigorously coupling with his scalp. The resulting footage, which Fry described as “one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen”, attracted almost four million hits on video-sharing website Youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9T1vfsHYiK Y. Vercoe Scott said the birds’ fortunes began to improve when they were moved to two remote islands where existing pests had been eliminated and which predators from the mainland could not reach by swimming. “The biggest breakthrough was putting all the birds together on predator-free islands and understanding how they breed while getting over (our) fear of intervening,” she said.

“If we’d taken a hands-off policy we would have lost the kakapo, so we really had to get in there and be quite intense with our management, particularly during the nesting period.” She added that her team set up cameras, weighed the chicks nightly and as a result hand reared many of the birds. Vercoe Scott said it was highly unlikely any kakapo now survived in the wild, meaning only the conservation program could save the species. Such has been its success that rangers this year reintroduced eight kakapo to a third sanctuary, Little Barrier Island off the Auckland coast, after eliminating a rat infestation which forced their removal in 1999.

Moorehouse said some of the eight birds originally came from the island and immediately returned to their old nesting spots, raising hopes they will quickly settle in and breed in the new environment. While the kakapo is still listed as critically endangered, Moorehouse said the situation no longer looked bleak. “The trend is up, so we’re encouraged by that,” he said. “We’re certainly more comfortable, but with 126 birds you have to manage the genetics very carefully and that’s what we’re trying to do, so we retain as much genetic variation in the population as we can.

“So we’re not out of the woods by any means but we’re going in the right direction.”— AFP

WASHINGTON: A record-breaking mission to the International Space Station has triggered another space race back on Earth, with Florida competing against Texas and Puerto Rico for the chance to land a new launchpad for Space Exploration Technologies Corp, or SpaceX, and its ambitious line of Falcon rockets.

The rivalry - already ongoing - only has intensified in the weeks since SpaceX became the first commercial company to blast a spacecraft to the station and return it safely to Earth. And though none of the rivals has made public the incentives each is offering, the numbers are certain to be in the millions of dollars. The stakes are high: hundreds of good-paying jobs at SpaceX and supporting companies that would pop up around its operation, as well as the prestige - at a time when NASA is no longer flying its own rockets - of serving as home to the commercial space industry’s most successful startup.

SpaceX founder Elon Musk, the Internet billionaire who founded his company a decade ago in California, is expected to take full advantage of the competition. As part of his victory lap following the successful return of his Dragon capsule from the space station, Musk met last week with Texas Gov. Rick Perry to discuss locating a launchpad at the southernmost tip of the Lone Star State. Texas officials and economic leaders have acknowledged working on an incentive package, estimated in the millions of dollars, to lure SpaceX to the city of Brownsville. And the Federal Aviation Administration, which must sign off on new launch sites, already has held a public hearing on that possibility.

“Please be assured that as you seek to expand the capabilities of SpaceX to launch spacecraft, whether unmanned or manned, the State of Texas stands ready to support you and the work of your talented employees who are

blazing a new trail into space,” Perry wrote to Musk earlier this month. So far, SpaceX has not disclosed what incentives it has been offered or the timing of its decision, though Musk recently indicated that Texas might have the inside track, calling it the “lead candidate” before meeting with Perry.

Florida officials acknowledge the competition is keen. They’re hoping to leverage the fact that SpaceX already has one launchpad at Cape Canaveral, which the company will use to launch all its NASA flights, including the dozen space-station resupply missions in its $1.6 billion contract with the agency. Any future crew flights would also be launched from there. But SpaceX officials said the one Florida pad isn’t enough to handle both its government work and flights for commercial customers. “Our manifest is growing quickly, and we will need an additional launch site,” said Kirstin Brost Grantham, the company’s spokeswoman.

SpaceX recently inked a deal with Intelsat, a major satellite operator, for a future launch aboard a massive new rocket that is still under development. And its manifest already shows more than a half-dozen commercial flights through 2014 in which SpaceX will carry satellites to orbit.

Florida officials also note they have a track record of helping the company. Space Florida, the state’s aerospace booster, has invested more than $8.5 million so far to help establish the company at Cape Canaveral. Frank DiBello, head of Space Florida, said the state intends to be “aggressively competitive” in landing the new launchpad - by offering financial incentives; one offer under consideration is converting a pad formerly used by the space shuttle at Kennedy Space Center into a facility for SpaceX. DiBello said he’s also making the broader argument that keeping its operations in one

place would enable SpaceX to simplify its supply chain and lower its costs. “We are going to try and make the case with those things that directly impact his business model and ease of operations,” he said. DiBello said he’s also trying to convince Musk to build a facility in Florida to reprocess the engines of his Falcon rockets.

SpaceX hopes to eventually develop technology that would allow its rocket stages to steer themselves back to Earth to be used again, which can drive down costs.

Still, DiBello admitted that Florida faces one obstacle that has no immediate solution. The Air Force and NASA already use Cape Canaveral for launches - of government satellites and space probes and SpaceX at times could be forced to wait its turn until the range is clear. “There is only so much flexibility they can have with others on the range,” DiBello said. Considering that Musk has designed his company to be as autonomous as possible, having to wait for a launch window might be a deal-breaker when compared to remote locations in Texas and Puerto Rico.

Indeed, Puerto Rican officials are making geography a core argument in their pitch. Jose Perez-Riera, the island’s secretary for economic development and commerce, said Puerto Rico has been talking with SpaceX for more than a year about potential sites on the east coast.

Perez-Riera said Puerto Rico is closer to the equator than Cape Canaveral or Brownsville, which means SpaceX rockets would use less fuel (and thus cost less to launch to orbit) because rockets get more of a “boost” from Earth’s rotation near the equator. He said Puerto Rico could provide significant tax breaks and other incentives for SpaceX _ for the same reason that Texas and Florida are crafting offers. “It would put Puerto Rico on the map for this budding industry,” he said.— MCT

Bird flu study published after terrorism debate Papers describe how researchers create virus strains NEW YORK: The second of two bird flu studies once considered too risky to publish has been released, ending a saga that pitted concerns about terrorism against fears of a deadly global epidemic. Both papers describe how researchers created virus strains that could potentially be transmitted through the air from person to person. Scientists said the results could help them spot dangerous virus strains in nature.

But last December, acting on advice of a US biosecurity panel, federal officials asked the researchers not to publish details of the work, which identified the genetic mutations used to make the strains. They warned the papers could show terrorists how to make a biological weapon.

That led to a wide-ranging debate among scientists and others, many of whom argued that sharing the results with other researchers was essential to deal with the flu risk. Bird flu has spread among poultry in Asia for

several years and can be deadly in people, but it only rarely jumps to humans. People who get it usually had direct contact with infected chickens and ducks.

Scientists have long worried that if the virus picked up mutations that let it spread easily from person to person, it could take off in the human population, with disastrous results.

The two teams that conducted the controversial research eventually submitted revised versions of their papers to the federal biosecurity panel. They said the changes focused on things like the significance of the findings to public health, rather than the experimental details themselves.

The panel announced in March it supported publishing the revised manuscripts, saying it had heard new evidence that sharing information about the mutations would help in guarding against a pandemic. It also concluded that the data didn’t appear to pose any immediate terrorism threat.

The government agreed in April.

The benefit of scientists sharing data from the new paper “far outweighs the risk,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said Wednesday. One paper, from Yoshihiro Kawaoka of the University of WisconsinMadison and colleagues, was published last month by the journal Nature. On Thursday, the journal Science published the second paper, from a team led by Ron Fouchier of the Netherland’s Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam.

Both papers tested the ability of the altered bird flu viruses to spread through the air between ferrets, none of which died from those infections. The Fouchier paper reports that the virus could spread this way by acquiring as few as five specific mutations.

Two of those mutations are already found frequently in strains of the virus. And the other three could arise during infection

of people or other mammals, a new mathematical analysis in Science concluded. But the likelihood is unclear. An author of the analysis compared the situation to earthquake prediction.

“We now know we’re living on a fault line,” Derek Smith of Cambridge University and the Erasmus center told reporters. “It’s an active fault line. It really could do something.” Fouchier said the ferret results don’t give a clear answer about how deadly an altered virus would be in people.

Eddy Holmes of Penn State University, who studies the evolution of flu viruses but did not participate in the Fouchier or Kawaoka studies, said those works present the first good experimental evidence about how the bird flu virus could mutate to become more easily spread between people. The studies are “a useful frame of reference” for studying that question, but not the final answer, he said.— AP

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SUNDAY, JUNE 24, 2012

WHAT’S ON

Attorney Labeed Abdal will visit the Netherlands for a training course from 26-28 June 2012. The course is organized by the special Lebanon tribunal in the Hague. The visit will include legal training in the defense of victims , the international grounds for international advocacy standards.

Commemorative plaques presented to Kuwait United Company representa-

Adnan Saad receives a commemorative plaque on behalf of the International Advertising Association.

Great deals at Arirang Korean Restaurant reat discounts waiting for all professionals. Visit Arirang Korean restaurant every Monday for all teachers in Kuwait, every Tuesday for Doctors and Wednesday for Diplomats. Avail 30% discount by just showing your Identification card and enjoy the Korean cuisine.

Arirang Restaurant can accommodate nearly 70 guests; it is suitable for a private gathering or event.

Guests can dine with family, colleagues or friends; the dining experience starts as you enter with a warm welcome and smiling friendly staff. The cozy atmosphere lit up by handcrafted lamps and Korean music.

The environment in general, the aroma, the atmosphere, the food that absolutely delicious, rich with spices and will definitely satisfy every cravings.

Arirang Korean Restaurant is located at SwissBelhotel Plaza Kuwait, in the heart of city near all corporate establishment and tourist spots.

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Chief Executive of Dotbackspace Company, Inass Abdul Aziz delivers her speech.

Director of the Central Agency for Information Technology Abdullatif Al-Saree’a.

Scott Rewick speaks.

Microsoft’s manager in Kuwait Ihab Mustafa receives a commemorative plaque.

Announcements Open House for Indian citizens pen House for Indian citizens by the ambassador which is being held every alternate Wednesday has been found useful by the Indian community and the embassy. It will now be held on every Wednesday from June 2012 between 1500 hrs and 1600 hrs. in the embassy. During the month of June, 2012 the dates for the open house fall on 20th and 27th of the month. In case Wednesday is an embassy holiday, the meeting will be held on the next working day.

To ensure timely action/follow-up by the embassy, it is requested that, wherever possible, Indian citizens should exhaust the existing channels of interaction/grievance redressal and bring their problems/issues in writing with supporting documents. It may be mentioned that embassy of Indiaís Consular Wing is providing daily service of Open House to Indian citizens on all workings days from 1000 hrs to 1100 hrs and from 1430 hrs to 1530 hrs by the Consular Officer in the Meeting Room of the Consular Hall.

For any unaddressed issues, Second Secretary (Consular) could be contacted. Furthermore, the head of the Consular Wing is also available to redress grievances. Similarly, a labour wing Help Desk functions from 0830 hrs to 1300 hrs and 1400 hrs to 1630 hrs in the Labour Hall to address the labour related issues. There is also a 24x7 Help Line (Tel No. 25674163) to assist labourers in distress. For any unaddressed issues, the concerned attaches in the labour section and the head of the labour wing could be contacted.

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‘Leniency of Islam’ An unprecedented initiative of KTV2 (English channel) is the new program by the name ‘Leniency of Islam’ presented by Shaikh Musaad Alsane and directed by Hamid Al-Turkait. The program is mainly meant to address the expatriates living in Kuwait. Religious questions are received through the program email qislam@tv.gov.kw and sms can be sent to97822021 and answered by the lecturer and Imam in Awqaf Ministry Shaikh Musaad Alsane - a Master Degree holder in Sharia and fiqih from Kuwait University. So don’t forget to watch the program every Friday at 1:00 pm.

Free Arabic course IPC is opening an Intensive Basic Arabic Course for ladies commencing from June 3 to July 8, 2012. The class will be from 5-7 pm for three days a week. Registration is on! For information, call 22512257.

Write to us Send to What’s On upcoming events, birthdays or celebrations by email: local@kuwaittimes.net Fax: 24835619 / 20

(From right) Patrick Abu Fadhel, Dr. Salah Al-Najem, Abdullatif Al-Saree’a, Badr Al-Humaidhi, Tal’aat Salem and Inass Abdul-Aziz.

Scott Rewick with Dotbackspace company’s workteam.

Dotbackspace company announces partnership with Silicon Valley nder the auspices of the Minister of Transportation and the Acting Minister of Social Affairs and Labor the Engineer Salem Al Ozaina represented by the Director of the Central Agency for Information Technology Abdel Latif Sareea Al Souraya’a and in collaboration with the International Advertising Association in Kuwait, Dotbackspace, one of Dotspacegroup companies working in online advertising, announced its partnership with Cranking Media Company, one of the largest media companies in Silicon Valley in the United States specialized in online advertising strategies, during a dinner ceremony held in honor of the staff of both sectors, media and advertising in the presence of a large number of decision makers from various major Kuwaiti companies.

The event started by an introductory film about the company and then the Chief Executive of Dotbackspace Company, “Inass Abdul Aziz”, delivered a speech declaring this partnership and strategic alliance: “Our decision to take a step forward to the world of online came because of Scott,

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who I thank for helping us make this decision after a series of contacts, discussions and fortune of experiences that he carried all the way here to provide us with, making us partners as we announce it today officially. I can’t in the special occasion but to greet Dotbackspace team that is exerting all the required effort to serve our clients. We aim at putting among your hands the experience we have gained and which we are still working on developing it at your disposal. Once again, I would also thank His Excellency the Minister for patronizing our event which reflects the position of Kuwait that supports each development in implementation of the orientations of His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and the efforts he exerts, his Secretary Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, his Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak AlHamad Al-Sabah and all those responsible of Kuwait city”.

After that, the representative of the sponsor of the event and the Director of the Central Agency for Information Technology, Abdel Latif Sareea Al Souraya’a, said a word:

“The online media is one of the substantial means that accompanied the modern technology revolution and took ways and patterns we never knew about before and the Central Agency for Information Technology in its main contribution in developing the e- governmental program in Kuwait and with the coordination of various government sectors, has indulged e-awareness as one of the basic tasks in its work program allocating a vital corner in Kuwait’s official site portal. It recently inaugurated in its series of projects the Customer Service Center on 164 for assisting all the users of the e-services and modern technology means available via this portal.”

The representative of the sponsor of the event, Abdel Latif Sareea Al Souraya’a, honored the media partners and the sponsors of the event: Microsoft Company, Kuwait Airways, International Advertising Association, Kuwait United Company, Mondanite Magazine and Holiday Inn Salimya Hotel, in addition to honor certificates presented by Dotbackspace Company to Minister of Transportation and the Acting Minister of Social Affairs

and Labor the Engineer Salem Al Ozaina represented by the Director of the Central Agency for Information Technology Abdel Latif Sareea Al Souraya’a and to Scott Rewick in recognition of his efforts.

The honor was followed by a seminar of about an hour delivered by the online media expert, Scott Rewick, under the title “Online Advertising Strategies” from the very beginning to the revolution where he spoke about the latest achievements of companies working in the domain of online media in the United States, about the beginnings of this business, his work with Steve Jobs and his establishment for more than 4 companies that was then sold by millions of dollars. He said that what’s happening now in the Online World is a successive waves each carrying with it some change and insisted on the smart phones and its role in expansion. He gave several points that can be used in e-marketing and is effective.

Baqsami took part in Maiden Tower 3rd Art Exhibition uwaiti formative artist and writer, Thuraiya Al-Baqsami recently took part in the Maiden Tower 3rd International Formative Art Exhibition in Baku, Azerbaijan’s capital that was held in the period of May 15 till 21 with participation of 30 artists from 24 countries including artists from Kuwait, Syria, Iraq and KSA. The Maiden Tower festival is one of Azerbaijan’s most popular and merry festivals where artists make and paint their works on miniatures of the famous historical monumental tower located in the middle of the city of Baku.

Artists entries were placed in a yard near the tower and attracted a huge audience of city residents, tourists and members of the media. Each artists used Acrylic colours to paint his own story in a unique way.

A number of Azerbaijan artists also took part in the exhibition that was organized an supervised by the Modern Art Museum, Aliyouf Cultural Establishment, Baku municipality and QGallery. The paintings displayed on the exhibition will tour Europe and a special book will be published including the paintings that took part in the festival’s three cycles so far. Commenting on her participation, Al-Baqsai said that the festival was one of the merriest festivals she had ever taken part in and that she really enjoyed the experience of painting live before an audience that really appreciates art. Notably, Al-Baqsami had previously taken part in the Berlin Bear festival and the bear she painted has been touring the world for over six years now.

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SUNDAY, JUNE 24, 2012

WHAT’S ON

BSK clinch Under 15 ISACK Volleyball Trophy he U15 British School of Kuwait squad started promisingly in their quest to regain the ISACK championship, despite losing a number of key players from the previous season due to age restrictions. Solid victories against TEA, NES, FSIS and a fantastic away victory at KES were enough to secure the top seed position before the final game away to ESF. Firstly, there was the BSK term break to deal with, which unfortunately fell the week before the finals. A training session was called during this term break in order to ensure that the boys were ready before the matches that counted. The side limped past TEA in two sets in the semi-final, leaving them a day to collect their thoughts before facing a strong KES team at FSIS. However, the final was where the BSK team finally found their rhythm, as they produced a fantastic performance when it mattered to overcome KES. After securing the first set by three points, KES took the second set by the same margin, leading to a deciding third set. Despite falling four points adrift in this set, some superb recovery play from the team, and four continuous serves from Year 7 student Chris Bonner, ensured a BSK victory in an extremely close fought match. A special mention for leading points scorer in the season Meshal Omani, and the performance on the afternoon of the final

by Yousef Abousedou, which was truly outstanding.

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Embassy Information EMBASSY OF AUSTRALIA The Australian Embassy Kuwait does not have a visa or immigration department. All processing of visas and immigration matters in conducted by The Australian ConsulateGeneral in Dubai. Email: info.ausdxb@vfshelpline.com (VFS) immigration.dubai@dfat.gov.au (Visa Office); Tel: +971 4 355 1958 (VFS) - +971 4 508 7200 (Visa Office); Fax: +971 4 355 0708 (Visa Office). In Kuwait applications can be lodged at the Australian Visa Application Centre 4B 1st Floor, Al-Banwan Building Al-Qibla Area, Ali Al-Salem Street, opposite the Central Bank of Kuwait, Kuwait City, Kuwait. Working hours and days: 09:30 - 17:30; Sunday - Thursday. Or visit their website www.vfs-au-gcc-com for more information. Kuwait citizens can apply for tourist visas on-line at www.immi.gov.au/e visa/e676.htm ■■■■■■■

EMBASSY OF BRAZIL The Embassy of Brazil requests all Brazilian citizens in Kuwait to proceed to the website www.brazil.org.kw (Contact Us Form / Fale Conosco) in order to register or update contact information. The Embassy encourages all citizens to do so, including the ones who have already registered in person at the Embassy. The registration process helps the Brazilian Government to contact and assist Brazilians living abroad in case of any emergency.

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EMBASSY OF BRITAIN Please be advised that the British Embassy Consular Section will be starting online appointment booking for our consular customers from Sunday, July 1, 2012. All information including how to make an appointment will be available on the embassy website from June 24, 2012.

You will also be able to book appointments on the embassy website from June 24, 2012. Please be aware that from July 1, 2012, we will no longer accept walk-in customers. We will provide regular updates every Thursdays throughout June. For the latest FCO travel advice please visit: www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/middle-eastnorth-africa/kuwait ■■■■■■■

Mannar Association holds blood donation campaign annar Association Kuwait, MAK a prominent NRI association of the residents of Mannar, conducted a blood donation program on June 19, 2012, to mark the World Blood Donor Day on 14 June 2012. The theme of the 2012 World Blood Donor Day campaign, “Every blood donor is a hero” focuses on the idea that every one of us can become a hero by giving blood.

The group of blood donors from Mannar Association arrived at Kuwait Central Blood Bank (KCBB), Jabriya between 6pm and 8pm and took part in this social cause to help foster a culture of voluntary blood donations.

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EMBASSY OF KOREA The Embassy of the Republic of Korea wishes to inform that it has moved to Mishref. New Address: Embassy of the Republic of Korea Mishref, Block 7A, Diplomatic Area 2, Plot 6 The Embassy also wishes to inform that it will be opened to the public on the following office hours: Saturday to Thursday Morning: 8:00 am to 12:30 pm Lunch Break: 12:30 pm to 1:00 pm Afternoon: 1:00 pm to 3:30 pm ■■■■■■■

EMBASSY OF KENYA The Embassy of the Republic of Kenya wishes to inform Kenyan residents throughout Kuwait and the general public that with effect from June 1, 2012 the Embassy has moved from its current location to a new location in Surra Block 1, Street 8, Villa 303.

Please note that the new telephone and fax numbers will be communicated as soon as possible. For enquiries you can contact Consular Section on mobile 90935162 or 97527306.

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EMBASSY OF MEXICO The Embassy of Mexico is pleased to inform that it is located in CLIFFS Complex, Villa 6, Salmiya, block 9, Baghdad street, Jadda Lane 7. The working hours for consular issues are from 9:00 to 12:00 Sunday through Thursday. The reception is closed from 14:00 to 15:00 hours for lunch break. The Embassy of Mexico kindly requests all Mexicans citizens in Kuwait to proceed to the e-mail: embkuwait@sre.gob.mx in order to register or update contact information. Other consultations or/and appointments could be done by telephone or fax: (+965) 2573 1952 ■■■■■■■

Oriental Insurance Company Ltd appoints new chairman and managing director he Oriental Insurance Company Limited (OICL), one of the largest General Insurance companies in India specializing in non-life General Insurance, appointed Dr. A.K. Saxena as Chairman and Managing Director on 13th June, 2012. Dr. Saxena, who previously held the post of General Manager at OICL, succeeds Dr. R.K. Kaul who retired at the end of his term.

A Government of India undertaking, OICL, which began operations in Kuwait in 1959 and subsequently appointed Bader Al Mulla and Brothers as their Chief Agent in 1985, is today the biggest foreign insurance company in Kuwait. On the occasion of assuming his new role as Chairman and Managing Director, the staff and manage-

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ment of OICL Kuwait extended their warmest congratulations and best wishes to Dr. Saxena.

Dr. A.K. Saxena, who joined

as Direct Officer with the New India Assurance Company Limited (NIACL) in 1979, worked as Branch and Divisional Head at various

offices of NIACL till 1994, when he was posted as Country Manager for Philippines operations. Having worked in this

post for 5 years, he returned to India to head the Retail Business Division of the Company in Mumbai. An associate member of the Insurance

Institute of India, Dr. Saxena, joined OICL in 2008 as General Manager with charge over the Indian and foreign business operations of the Company.

With over two decades of experience in the insurance sector, Dr. Saxena brings with him a wealth of knowledge and business acumen. As General Manager, Dr. Saxena was instrumental in reinvigorating the financial standings and consolidating the leading position of OICL in the General Insurance Sector and making it one of the most dynamic insurance providers in the country.

With an outstanding reputation for efficiency and ethical business practices, Dr. Saxena is expected to build on the inherent strengths of the company, through an unwavering commitment to standards of excel-

lence based on principles of professional management, customer focus and long-term business relationships. Under his assertive and positive chairmanship the company will undoubtedly achieve unprecedented progress and growth in the coming years.

OICL, which is represented in Kuwait by their Chief Agents, Bader Al Mulla and Brothers, offers a wide spectrum of insurance coverage in Kuwait, including health, marine, fire, engineering and motor insurance. Recently the company launched their innovative OIC Medical Insurance Program for individuals and families under the tag line ‘Insuring a Better Future’.

Safir Hotel & Residences Kuwait launches the ‘hummus bar’ ummus is the perfect Middle Eastern introduction to start your meal or a delightful snack by itself! With its smooth texture and being a healthy alternative, it can be part of any occasion. Since Hummus is the most popular item on the menu, Safir Hotel & Residences-Fintas decided to satisfy the Hummus lover’s appetite.

With the new improvisation of Chef

H

Frank Funke, you’ll get to assemble your own Hummus dish every Friday evening at Al Roshinah restaurant. With the Friday specialty, you’ll get to create your own Hummus by choosing the flavor along with the toppings of your preference. You’ll get to explore the wide selection of different flavors infused within the Hummus, whether its garlic, lemon, mint, beetroot, you name it! Moreover, complement your

Hummus with your choice of toppings as well! This satisfying meal is never complete without freshly oven-baked Arabic bread!

Now you can sample all varieties at AlRoshinah Restaurant every Friday evening at the Hummus Bar. Like a good old friend, a Hummus dish never disappoints; however, we have given our trusted friend a little oomph, at Safir Hotel & Residences Kuwait!

EMBASSY OF MYANMAR Embassy of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar would like to inform the general public that the Embassy has moved its office to new location at Villa 35, Road 203, Block 2, AlSalaam Area in South Surra. The Embassy wishes to advice Myanmar citizens and travellers to Myanmar to contact Myanmar Embassy at its new location.

Tel. 25240736, 25240290, Fax: 25240749, email:myankuwait11@gmai1.com ■■■■■■■

EMBASSY OF NEPAL The Embassy of Nepal has moved to a new location in Jabriya, Block 8, St. 13, House No. 514, effective from 15th April, 2012. Till the new telephone connections are installed, the Embassy may be contacted by email: info@nepembku.org ■■■■■■■

EMBASSY OF NIGERIA The Nigerian embassy has its new office in Mishref. Block 3, Street 7, House 4. For enquires please call 25379541. Fax25387719. Email- nigeriakuwait@yahoo.com or nigeriankuwait@yahoo.co.uk ■■■■■■■

EMBASSY OF THAILAND The Royal Thai Embassy in Kuwait, wishes to invite the Kuwaiti companies that deal business with Thai companies or those agencies of Thai commercial companies to visit the Embassy’s Commercial Office to register their relevant information to be part of the embassy’s business and trade database. The Royal Thai Embassy is located in Jabriya, Block 6, Street 8, Villa No. 1, Telephone No. 25317530 -25317531, Ext: 14.

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EMBASSY OF UKRAINE We’d like to inform you that in response to the increasing number of our citizens who work in the state and the need for 24-hour operational telephone in case of emergency the Embassy of Ukraine in the State of Kuwait has opened “hotline telephone number” - (+ 965) 972-79-206.

SUNDAY, JUNE 24, 2012

TV PROGRAMS

00:45 01:40 02:35 03:30 03:55 04:25 04:50 05:20 06:10 07:00 07:25 08:15 09:10 10:05 10:30 11:00 11:25 11:55 12:50 13:45 14:40 15:35 16:00 16:30 17:25 17:50 18:20 19:15 20:10 21:05 22:00 22:55 23:50

Untamed & Uncut Into The Pride Whale Wars: Viking Shores Up Close And Dangerous Up Close And Dangerous Karina: Wild On Safari Cheetah Kingdom Great Ocean Adventures Cats 101 Escape To Chimp Eden Crocodile Hunter The Planet’s Funniest Animals Growing Up...

The Really Wild Show Breed All About It Dick ‘n’ Dom Go Wild Cats Of Claw Hill Dogs/Cats/Pets 101 O’shea’s Big Adventure O’shea’s Big Adventure Wildlife SOS Safari Vet School Safari Vet School Must Love Cats Animal Kingdom Animal Kingdom Max’s Big Tracks Austin Stevens Adventures Great Ocean Adventures Wildest Africa Wildest Arctic Monster Bug Wars Animal Cops South Africa

00:00 00:25 00:45 02:25 02:50 03:35 04:20 04:45 06:30 07:20 08:10 12:15 13:05 13:30 14:20 15:10 16:00 16:25 16:50 17:40 18:30 19:20 20:10 21:00 21:50 22:40 23:30

Cash In The Attic USA Cash In The Attic USA Come Dine With Me Come Dine With Me Cash In The Attic Cash In The Attic Come Dine With Me Come Dine With Me Come Dine With Me MasterChef Australia MasterChef Australia MasterChef Australia Cash In The Attic USA 10 Years Younger Gok’s Fashion Fix Gok’s Fashion Fix DIY SOS DIY SOS Holmes On Homes Holmes On Homes What Not To Wear Gok’s Clothes Roadshow Gok’s Clothes Roadshow Holmes On Homes Holmes On Homes Holmes On Homes Gok’s Clothes Roadshow

00:10 00:35 01:00 01:25 01:50 02:15 02:40 03:00 03:25 03:50 04:15 04:40 05:00 05:25 05:50 06:00 06:10 06:35 07:00 07:25 07:50 08:15 08:40 08:55 09:15 09:40 10:05 10:30 10:55 11:20 11:30

Duck Dodgers The Perils Of Penelope Pitstop Tom & Jerry Kids A Pup Named Scooby-Doo The Jetsons Puppy In My Pocket Popeye Tom & Jerry Looney Tunes Scooby Doo Where Are You! Droopy: Master Detective Wacky Races The Flintstones A Pup Named Scooby-Doo Popeye Classics Wacky Races Pink Panther And Pals Dexter’s Laboratory Bananas In Pyjamas Jelly Jamm Baby Looney Tunes Gerald McBoing Boing Ha Ha Hairies The Garfield Show The Looney Tunes Show What’s New Scooby-Doo? Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries Yogi’s Treasure Hunt Help! It’s The Hair Bear Bunch Wacky Races The Man Called Flintstone

13:00 13:50 14:40 Doo 15:05 15:55 16:20 16:45 17:15 18:05 18:30 18:55 19:20 19:45 20:05 20:30 20:55 21:25 21:50 22:15 22:35 Doo 23:00 23:20 23:45

Dastardly And Muttley Looney Tunes Scooby-Doo And ScrappyTom & Jerry Top Cat Top Cat Pink Panther & Pals The Garfield Show The Looney Tunes Show Scooby Doo Where Are You! The Scooby Doo Show Pink Panther And Pals The Jetsons Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries What’s New Scooby-Doo? The Garfield Show The Flintstones Help! It’s The Hair Bear Bunch Popeye Scooby-Doo And ScrappyWacky Races Dastardly And Muttley New Yogi Bear Show

00:30 Bakugan: New Vestroia 00:55 Bakugan: New Vestroia 01:20 Powerpuff Girls 02:10 Courage The Cowardly Dog 03:00 The Amazing World Of Gumball 03:25 Ben 10 03:50 Adventure Time 04:15 Powerpuff Girls 04:40 Generator Rex 05:05 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 05:30 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 05:55 Angelo Rules 06:00 Casper’s Scare School 06:25 Casper’s Scare School 07:00 The Powerpuff Girls 07:15 Hi Hi Puffy Ami Yumi 07:40 The Amazing World Of Gumball 08:05 Adventure Time 08:55 Regular Show 09:20 Evil Con Carne 09:45 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 10:05 Thundercats 10:35 Hero 108 11:00 Hero 108 20:10 Hero 108 20:35 Hero 108 21:00 Star Wars: The Clone Wars 21:25 Redakai: Conquer The Kairu 21:50 Cow And Chicken 22:00 Codename: Kids Next Door 22:50 Ben 10 23:15 Ben 10 23:40 Chowder

00:00 Aiming For Gold 00:30 World Sport 01:00 World Report 01:30 Talk Asia 02:00 World Report 02:30 Amanpour 03:00 CNN Marketplace Europe 03:15 CNN Marketplace Africa 03:30 The Brief 04:00 CNN Presents 05:00 CNN Newsroom 06:00 I Report For CNN 06:30 Inside Africa 07:00 World Sport 07:30 Leading Women 07:45 Future Cities 08:00 World Report 08:15 CNN Marketplace Middle East 08:30 Talk Asia 09:00 World Report 09:15 CNN Marketplace Europe 09:30 The CNN Freedom Project 10:00 World Sport 10:30 Open Court 11:00 African Voices 11:30 The Brief 12:00 World Report 12:30 The Royals 13:00 CNN Presents 14:00 World Report 14:30 Road To Rio 15:00 Fareed Zakaria Gps 16:00 State Of The Union With Candy Crowley

17:00 17:30 18:00 18:15 18:30 18:45 19:00 19:30 20:00 20:30 21:00 21:30 21:45 22:00 23:00 23:30

International Desk Inside Africa Global Exchange CNN Marketplace Africa Global Exchange CNN Marketplace Middle East World Sport Aiming For Gold International Desk African Voices International Desk Leading Women Future Cities Fareed Zakaria Gps World Report The Royals

00:40 Nothing Personal 01:35 Kidnap And Rescue 02:30 How Do They Do It? 03:00 How It’s Made 03:25 How Do They Do It? 03:55 How It’s Made 04:20 How Do They Do It? 04:50 How It’s Made 05:15 How Do They Do It? 05:40 How It’s Made 06:05 How Do They Do It? 06:35 How It’s Made 07:00 How It’s Made 07:25 How Do They Do It? 07:50 American Chopper: Senior vs Junior 08:45 Wheeler Dealers Revisited 09:40 Fifth Gear 10:05 Fifth Gear 10:30 Hillbilly Handfishin’ 11:25 When Fish Attack 12:20 How It’s Made 14:10 How It’s Made 14:35 Auction Kings 16:00 Auction Kings 16:25 Auction Kings 16:55 Border Security 18:45 Border Security 19:10 Mythbusters 20:05 Dynamo: Magician Impossible 21:00 Mythbusters Dirty Dozen 21:55 Curiosity 22:50 X-Machines 23:45 X-Machines

00:35 Stuck With Hackett 01:00 Stuck With Hackett 01:25 Powering The Future 02:15 Bigger, Better, Faster, Stronger 02:45 Sport Science 06:05 Sport Science 07:00 Mega World 07:55 Brave New World 08:50 How Does That Work?

09:15 How Does That Work?

09:40 Engineered 10:30 Alien Encounters 11:20 Mega World 12:10 Catch It Keep It 13:00 Bigger, Better, Faster, Stronger 13:25 Bigger, Better, Faster, Stronger 13:50 Scrapheap Challenge 14:45 Weird Or What?

15:35 Patent Bending 16:00 Patent Bending 16:30 Future Weapons 17:20 Cosmic Collisions 18:10 Bigger, Better, Faster, Stronger 18:40 Brave New World 19:30 Prophets Of Science Fiction 20:20 Through The Wormhole With Morgan Freeman 21:10 Stuck With Hackett 21:35 Stuck With Hackett 22:00 Prophets Of Science Fiction 22:50 Through The Wormhole With Morgan Freeman 23:40 Dark Matters

00:10 00:35 01:00 01:25 01:50 02:15 02:40

Replacements Replacements Fairly Odd Parents Fairly Odd Parents A Kind Of Magic A Kind Of Magic Stitch

03:05 03:30 03:55 04:20 04:45 05:10 05:35 06:00 06:25 06:40 Cody 07:05 07:30 07:40 07:55 08:20 08:45 09:10 09:35 10:00 10:25 11:45 12:05 12:30 12:55 13:20 13:45 14:10 14:35 15:00 15:25 15:50 16:15 16:40 17:00 18:20 18:45 19:10 19:35 20:00 20:25 20:50 22:05 22:30 22:40 22:55 Cody 23:20 Cody 23:45

Stitch Replacements Replacements Fairly Odd Parents Fairly Odd Parents A Kind Of Magic A Kind Of Magic Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Jake & The Neverland Pirates The Suite Life Of Zack And So Random Phineas And Ferb Phineas And Ferb Shake It Up Good Luck Charlie Wizards Of Waverly Place Jessie A.N.T. Farm Good Luck Charlie Aladdin & The King Of Thieves So Random Suite Life On Deck Shake It Up Austin & Ally A.N.T. Farm Good Luck Charlie Jessie Wizards Of Waverly Place So Random Phineas And Ferb Shake It Up Good Luck Charlie Wizards Of Waverly Place Minute Men A.N.T. Farm Austin & Ally Shake It Up Wizards Of Waverly Place Good Luck Charlie Jessie Aladdin & The King Of Thieves So Random Fish Hooks Fish Hooks The Suite Life Of Zack And The Suite Life Of Zack And Sonny With A Chance

06:00 Kid vs Kat 06:20 American Dragon 06:45 Incredible Hulk 07:10 Pokemon: Black And White 07:35 Phineas And Ferb 08:00 Iron Man Armored Adventures 08:25 Rated A For Awesome 08:50 Mr. Young 09:15 Kickin It 09:40 Lab Rats 10:05 Pair Of Kings 10:30 Scaredy Squirrel 10:55 Zeke & Luther 11:20 I’m In The Band 11:45 Phineas And Ferb 12:10 Fort Boyard - Ultimate Challenge 12:35 Pair Of Kings 13:00 Good Luck Charlie 14:20 Phineas And Ferb 14:35 Kickin It 15:00 Phineas And Ferb 15:10 Phineas And Ferb 15:25 Kick Buttowski 15:50 Pair Of Kings 16:15 Iron Man Armored Adventures 16:40 Zeke & Luther 17:05 Mr. Young 17:30 I’m In The Band 17:55 Rated A For Awesome 18:20 Kickin It 18:45 Lab Rats 19:10 Scaredy Squirrel 19:35 Pokemon: Black And White 20:00 Phineas And Ferb 20:25 Rekkit Rabbit 20:50 Kick Buttowski 21:15 Pair Of Kings 21:40 Phineas And Ferb 22:05 The Avengers: Earths Mightiest Heroes 22:30 Kid vs Kat 23:00 Programmes Start At 6:00am KSA

00:55 Style Star 01:25 E!es 02:20 E! Investigates 04:10 Sexiest 05:05 Then And Now 05:30 Then And Now 06:00 25 Hottest Hollywood Cougar Tales 07:50 Behind The Scenes 08:20 E! News 09:15 Extreme Close-Up 09:45 Extreme Close-Up 10:15 THS 11:10 Ice Loves Coco 11:35 Ice Loves Coco 12:05 E! News 13:05 Giuliana & Bill 14:05 Giuliana & Bill 15:00 Giuliana & Bill 15:55 Giuliana & Bill 16:55 Behind The Scenes 17:25 Giuliana & Bill 18:25 Giuliana & Bill 19:25 Giuliana & Bill 20:25 Ice Loves Coco 20:55 Khloe And Lamar 21:25 Khloe And Lamar 21:55 Ice Loves Coco 22:25 Fashion Police 23:25 Chelsea Lately 23:55 Keeping Up With The Kardashians

PLANET OF THE APES ON OSN ACTION HD

00:30 01:20 02:05 02:55 03:45 04:30 05:20 06:10 07:00 07:50 08:40 09:30 09:55 10:20 11:10 12:00 12:50 13:40 14:30 14:55 15:20

Mysterious Journeys Ghost Lab The Haunted A Haunting Mysterious Journeys On The Case With Paula Zahn Mystery Diagnosis Disappeared Forensic Detectives Murder Shift Mystery Diagnosis Real Emergency Calls Who On Earth Did I Marry?

On The Case With Paula Zahn Disappeared Forensic Detectives Murder Shift Mystery Diagnosis Real Emergency Calls Who On Earth Did I Marry?

On The Case With Paula Zahn

16:10 17:00 17:50 18:40 19:55 20:20 21:10 22:00 22:50 23:40

Disappeared Forensic Detectives Murder Shift Real Emergency Calls Who On Earth Did I Marry?

On The Case With Paula Zahn Disappeared American Greed American Greed Scorned: Crimes Of Passion

01:15 The Taking Of Pelham One Two Three-18 03:00 The War At Home-18 05:05 Holiday Heart-PG 06:45 Heart Of Midnight 08:20 Salt And Pepper-PG 10:00 Chance Of A Lifetime-PG 11:40 Death Rides A Horse-PG 13:35 Avanti-PG 15:55 Mgm’s Big Screen-FAM 16:15 Women vs. Men-PG 17:45 New York, New York-PG 20:25 Safari 3000-PG 22:00 It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World-FAM

00:00 Geo Sessions 00:30 Geo Sessions 01:00 David Rocco’s Amalfi Getaway 01:30 David Rocco’s Amalfi Getaway 02:00 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 02:30 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 03:00 Lonely Planet: Roads Less Travelled 04:00 Racing To America 05:00 David Rocco’s Amalfi Getaway 05:30 David Rocco’s Amalfi Getaway 06:00 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 06:30 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 07:00 Lonely Planet: Roads Less Travelled 08:00 Racing To America 09:00 One Man & His Campervan 09:30 One Man & His Campervan 10:00 Extreme Tourist Afghanistan 11:00 The Frankincense Trail 12:00 Bite Me With Dr. Mike Leahy 13:00 David Rocco’s Amalfi Getaway 13:30 David Rocco’s Amalfi Getaway 14:00 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 14:30 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 15:00 Lonely Planet: Roads Less Travelled 16:00 Racing To America 17:00 A World Apart 18:00 Geo Sessions 18:30 Geo Sessions 19:00 Around The World For Free 20:00 Departures 21:00 Banged Up Abroad 22:00 62 Days At Sea 23:00 Into The Drink 23:30 Into The Drink

00:00 Geo Sessions 01:00 David Rocco’s Amalfi Getaway 02:00 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 03:00 Lonely Planet: Roads Less Travelled 04:00 Racing To America 05:00 David Rocco’s Amalfi Getaway 06:00 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 06:30 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 07:00 Lonely Planet: Roads Less Travelled 08:00 Racing To America 09:00 One Man & His Campervan 10:00 Extreme Tourist Afghanistan 11:00 The Frankincense Trail 12:00 Bite Me With Dr. Mike Leahy 13:00 David Rocco’s Amalfi Getaway 14:00 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 15:00 Lonely Planet: Roads Less Travelled 16:00 Racing To America 17:00 A World Apart 18:00 Geo Sessions 19:00 Around The World For Free 20:00 Departures 21:00 Banged Up Abroad 22:00 62 Days At Sea 23:00 Into The Drink 23:30 Into The Drink

00:00 Situation Critical 01:00 Taboo 02:00 Megastructures 03:00 World’s Deadliest Animals 04:00 Shark Men 05:00 Banged Up Abroad 06:00 Light At The Edge of The World 07:00 Departures 08:00 Situation Critical 09:00 Taboo 10:00 Megastructures 11:00 World’s Deadliest Animals 12:00 Shark Men 13:00 Banged Up Abroad 14:00 Light At The Edge of The World 15:00 Departures 16:00 Situation Critical 17:00 Taboo 18:00 Megastructures 19:00 Megastructures 20:00 Machines Of War 21:00 Dangerous Encounters With Brady Barr 22:00 Sea Patrol 23:00 Air Crash Investigation

00:00 Wild Chronicles 00:30 Wild Chronicles 01:00 Savannah 01:25 Wild Detectives 01:55 Bear Nomad 02:50 Crocs Of Katuma 03:45 Strike Force 04:40 Triumph of Life 05:35 Rescue Ink 06:30 Dangerous Encounters With Brady Barr 07:25 Strike Force 08:20 Monkey Thieves

DAYDREAM NATION ON OSN CINEMA 08:45 Monkey Thieves 09:15 Snake Wranglers 09:40 Snake Wranglers 10:10 Built For The Kill 11:05 Hidden Worlds 12:00 Lost Sharks of Easter Island 13:00 Dangerous Encounters With Brady Barr 14:00 Monster Fish 15:00 Clouded Leopard 16:00 Animal Impact 17:00 Snake Wranglers 17:30 Snake Wranglers 18:00 Shadow Hunters 19:00 Clouded Leopard 20:00 Animal Impact 21:00 Snake Wranglers 21:30 Snake Wranglers 22:00 Shadow Hunters 23:00 Lost Sharks of Easter Island

00:00 Luster-18 02:00 The Silence Of The Lambs-18 04:00 Fantastic Four-PG15 06:00 Largo Winch 2-PG15 08:00 Jesse Stone: Innocents LostPG15 10:00 Planet Of The Apes-PG15 12:00 The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen-PG15 14:00 Jesse Stone: Innocents LostPG15 15:45 Alive-PG15 18:00 The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen-PG15 20:00 Four Brothers-18 22:00 Let Me In-R

01:00 Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides-PG15 03:15 A Trace Of Danger-PG15 05:00 Cars 2-FAM 07:00 Big Fat Liar-PG 09:00 Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides-PG15 11:15 16 To Life-PG15 13:00 Red-PG15 15:00 Stonehenge ApocalypsePG15 17:00 According To Greta-PG15 19:00 Daydream Nation-PG15 21:00 The American-18 23:00 Backwash-PG15

00:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 01:00 The Colbert Report 02:30 Angry Boys 03:00 Best Friends Forever 03:30 Bent 04:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 05:30 Til Death 07:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 08:30 Best Friends Forever 09:00 Til Death 09:30 The Office 10:00 Breaking In 11:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 13:00 Til Death 14:00 Bent 14:30 Breaking In 15:00 The Office 15:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 16:00 The Colbert Report 17:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 18:00 The Simpsons 18:30 Last Man Standing 19:00 Two And A Half Men 20:00 Whitney 20:30 Napoleon Dynamite 21:00 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 21:30 The Colbert Report 23:00 Angry Boys 23:30 Whitney

00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 08:00

Criminal Minds C.S.I. New York Law & Order: Criminal Intent C.S.I. Lights Out The View Good Morning America Franklin & Bash Emmerdale

08:30 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 18:00 18:30 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

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00:00 02:00 04:00 06:00 08:00 10:00 12:00 PG15 14:00 PG15 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00

Cemetery Junction-PG15 French Kiss-PG15 The Chaperone-PG15 The Open Road-PG15 Feed The Fish-PG15 Elevator Girl-PG15 My Best Friend’s Wedding-

01:00 03:00 05:00 07:00 09:00 11:00 13:00 15:00 17:00 19:00 21:00 23:00

Nowhere Boy-PG15 The Tempest-PG15 Limousine-PG15 Veronica Guerin-PG15 The Third Wave-PG15 Don’t Fade Away-PG15 9-PG The Third Wave-PG15 The Greatest-PG15 The Thirteenth Floor-18 2:22-18 The Chamber-18

00:30 02:30 04:45 PG15 06:45 09:00 10:45 12:30 14:00

Black Death-PG15 How Do You Know-PG15 My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend-

Anniversary-PG15 17:00 Our Family Wedding-PG15 19:00 Life As We Know It-PG15 21:00 Unstoppable-PG15 23:00 Backwash-PG15

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Classifieds SUNDAY, JUNE 24, 2012

DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

Airlines JZR QTR JZR RJA ETH RJA GFA UAE ETD THY DHX FDB MSR RBG QTR KAC THY KAC JZR CLX DHX JZR KAC BAW KAC KAC IRA KAC FDB KAC KAC KAC UAE ABY QTR MEA FDB IRA ETD GFA IRC MEA JZR MSR MSC JZR AFR SYR KAC MSR KAC GFA KAC FDB KNE KAC JZR QTR SVA RJA KAC JZR QTR JZR ETD UAE UAL GFA SVA JZR JZR ABY KAC QTR KAC KAC KAC FDB MSR MSC JZR KAC KAC KAC JZR JAI KAC AXB FDB OMA MEA QTR GFA KAC JZR ALK KLM JZR UAE ETD KAC ABY QTR DHX KAC JZR AIC FDB GFA UAL JZR DLH RJA MSR THY JAI PIA

Arrival Flights on Sunday 24/6/2012 Flt Route 185 DUBAI 148 DOHA 267 BEIRUT 5418 AMMAN 620 ADDIS ABABA 642 AMMAN 211 BAHRAIN 853 DUBAI 305 ABU DHABI 768 ISTANBUL 370 BAHRAIN 67 DUBAI 612 CAIRO 3553 ALEXANDRIA 138 DOHA 544 CAIRO 770 ISTANBUL 154 ISTANBUL 1541 CAIRO 792 LUXEMBOURG 170 BAHRAIN 555 ALEXANDRIA 412 MANILA 157 LONDON 206 ISLAMABAD 382 DELHI 615 SHAHRE KORD 284 DHAKA 53 DUBAI 302 MUMBAI 332 TRIVANDRUM 352 COCHIN 855 DUBAI 125 SHARJAH 132 DOHA 408 BEIRUT 55 DUBAI 603 SHIRAZ 301 ABU DHABI 213 BAHRAIN 6801 AHWAZ 404 BEIRUT 165 DUBAI 618 ALEXANDRIA 401 ALEXANDRIA 561 SOHAG 6708 PARIS 341 DAMASCUS 742 DAMMAM 610 CAIRO 672 DUBAI 219 BAHRAIN 774 RIYADH 57 DUBAI 472 JEDDAH 538 SOHAG 535 CAIRO 140 DOHA 500 JEDDAH 640 AMMAN 788 JEDDAH 257 BEIRUT 134 DOHA 213 DEIREZZOR 303 ABU DHABI 857 DUBAI 982 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 215 BAHRAIN 510 RIYADH 177 DUBAI 777 JEDDAH 127 SHARJAH 502 BEIRUT 144 DOHA 542 CAIRO 786 JEDDAH 166 PARIS 63 DUBAI 624 SOHAG 405 SOHAG 787 RIYADH 618 DOHA 674 DUBAI 102 NEW YORK 175 DUBAI 572 MUMBAI 562 AMMAN 389 KOZHIKODE 61 DUBAI 647 MUSCAT 402 BEIRUT 146 DOHA 221 BAHRAIN 514 TEHRAN 481 SABIHA 229 COLOMBO 417 AMSTERDAM 135 BAHRAIN 859 DUBAI 307 ABU DHABI 172 FRANKFURT 129 SHARJAH 136 DOHA 372 BAHRAIN 678 MUSCAT 539 CAIRO 981 CHENNAI 59 DUBAI 217 BAHRAIN 981 BAHRAIN 239 AMMAN 636 FRANKFURT 5420 AMMAN 614 CAIRO 772 ISTANBUL 574 MUMBAI 205 LAHORE

Time 0:15 0:20 0:50 1:05 1:45 2:10 2:20 2:25 2:30 2:50 2:55 3:10 3:20 3:20 3:25 4:10 4:35 4:55 4:55 4:55 5:00 6:00 6:15 6:30 7:15 7:30 7:35 7:45 7:45 7:50 7:55 8:05 8:25 8:30 9:00 9:10 9:20 9:25 9:30 10:00 10:15 10:55 11:05 11:25 12:00 12:25 12:35 12:35 13:25 13:30 13:40 13:40 13:45 13:45 14:15 14:20 14:20 14:25 14:30 14:55 15:00 15:00 15:15 15:30 16:35 16:55 17:10 17:20 17:20 17:30 17:40 17:45 18:00 18:05 18:15 18:40 18:40 18:45 18:55 19:00 19:10 19:20 19:25 19:35 19:35 19:35 19:50 19:55 20:00 20:10 20:15 20:25 20:35 20:55 20:55 20:55 21:05 21:15 21:15 21:20 21:25 21:30 21:35 22:00 22:05 22:10 22:25 22:30 22:35 22:40 22:55 23:10 23:30 23:35 23:40 23:50 23:55

Airlines AIC FDB UAL DLH MSR JAI RJA THY ETH THY UAE FDB DHX RBG ETD MSR QTR QTR JZR RJA JZR GFA THY JZR KAC CLX BAW FDB IRA KAC JZR KAC ABY KAC KAC UAE QTR FDB MEA ETD KAC KAC IRA GFA IRC KAC MEA KAC JZR JZR MSR KAC MSC KAC JZR JZR SYR AFR GFA FDB MSR KAC KAC JZR KNE KAC JZR KAC SVA RJA JZR QTR KAC ETD JZR QTR UAE GFA JZR ABY UAL SVA JZR QTR FDB MSR MSC JZR KAC JAI FDB KAC KAC OMA MEA KAC GFA JZR DHX ALK KLM JZR ABY ETD UAE KAC QTR KAC KAC JZR DHX QTR AXB FDB GFA KAC JZR KAC

Depature Flights on Sunday 24/6/2012 Flt Route 976 GOA 52 DUBAI 981 WASHINGTON 637 FRANKFURT 615 CAIRO 573 MUMBAI 5419 AMMAN 773 ISTANBUL 621 ADDIS ABABA 769 ISTANBUL 854 DUBAI 68 DUBAI 371 BAHRAIN 3554 ALEXANDRIA 306 ABU DHABI 613 CAIRO 139 DOHA 149 DOHA 560 SOHAG 643 AMMAN 164 DUBAI 212 BAHRAIN 771 ISTANBUL 534 CAIRO 537 SOHAG 792 GIALAM 156 LONDON 54 DUBAI 614 SHAHRE 171 FRANKFURT 256 BEIRUT 117 NEW YORK 126 SHARJAH 671 DUBAI 787 JEDDAH 856 DUBAI 133 DOHA 56 DUBAI 409 BEIRUT 302 ABU DHABI 773 RIYADH 741 DAMMAM 602 SHIRAZ 214 BAHRAIN 6802 AHWAZ 541 CAIRO 405 BEIRUT 501 BEIRUT 212 DEIREZZOR 776 JEDDAH 623 SOHAG 103 LONDON 406 SOHAG 785 JEDDAH 480 ISTANBUL 176 DUBAI 342 ALEPPO 6708 DUBAI 220 BAHRAIN 58 DUBAI 611 CAIRO 561 AMMAN 673 DUBAI 538 CAIRO 473 JEDDAH 677 MUSCAT 174 DUBAI 617 DOHA 503 MADINAH 641 AMMAN 786 RIYADH 135 DOHA 513 IMAM KHOMEINI 304 ABU DHABI 238 AMMAN 141 DOHA 858 DUBAI 216 BAHRAIN 134 BAHRAIN 128 SHARJAH 982 BAHRAIN 511 RIYADH 266 BEIRUT 145 DOHA 64 DUBAI 621 ALEXANDRIA 402 ALEXANDRIA 184 DUBAI 361 COLOMBO 571 MUMBAI 62 DUBAI 283 DHAKA 351 KOCHI 648 MUSCAT 403 BEIRUT 543 CAIRO 222 BAHRAIN 502 LUXOR 171 BAHRAIN 230 COLOMBO 417 DAMMAM 1540 CAIRO 120 SHARJAH 308 ABU DHABI 860 DUBAI 343 CHENNAI 137 DOHA 301 MUMBAI 205 ISLAMABAD 554 ALEXANDRIA 373 BAHRAIN 147 DOHA 390 MANGALORE 60 DUBAI 218 BAHRAIN 411 BANGKOK 528 ASSIUT 415 KUALA LUMPUR

Time 0:05 0:10 0:25 0:30 0:35 0:50 1:50 2:15 2:45 3:40 3:45 3:50 3:55 4:00 4:05 4:20 4:50 5:40 6:00 6:50 6:55 7:05 7:10 7:30 8:05 8:15 8:25 8:25 8:35 8:55 9:00 9:05 9:05 9:20 9:35 9:40 10:00 10:05 10:10 10:15 10:25 10:25 10:25 10:45 11:15 11:30 11:55 12:00 12:10 12:15 12:25 12:30 13:00 13:10 13:15 13:20 13:35 14:20 14:25 14:25 14:30 14:40 15:05 15:10 15:15 15:25 15:25 15:45 15:45 15:50 15:50 16:15 16:25 17:20 17:30 17:45 18:05 18:20 18:20 18:25 18:30 18:35 18:50 19:05 19:25 19:55 20:00 20:05 20:20 20:35 20:40 20:45 21:05 21:10 21:15 21:30 21:35 21:45 21:50 21:55 22:05 22:05 22:10 22:20 22:25 22:30 22:35 22:40 22:45 23:00 23:00 23:10 23:10 23:15 23:30 23:40 23:50 23:50

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

ACCOMMODATION Single bachelor accommodation available in Abbassiya double bedroom flat on 1st July, rent KD 40.

Contact: 99162583.

(C 4054) Sharing accommodation available for decent bachelor non smoking, Amman street, opposite to Al Rashid hospital.

Contact: 66232356. (C 4055) 24-6-2012 Sharing accommodation available for bachelor with Pakistani (non-smoking), near K.P.T Round About, Hassawi.

Contact: 99792546. (C 4052) Room available in New Riggae in a central AC flat for single, non-smoker, south Indian executive bachelor.

Contact.

99515956.

22-6-2012

SITUATION VACANT A multinational company in Africa is looking for an experienced Human Resources/Personnel Manager. Salary will be paid in US dollars - with other incentives. Be ready to relocate to Africa. Indian,

Christian, Keralite (pre ferred). Send CV with 3 letters of recommendation to ekehinde2006@yahoo.com 24-6-2012

SITUATION WANTED Accountant, MBA Finance with 5 years of experience looking for part-time job; can prepare your all business accounting reports and financial statements independently.

Call: 55829223 or Email: acconline@ymail.com (C 4049) 22-5-2012

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

03:14 11:51 15:24 18:52 20:24

MATRIMONIAL Proposal invited for a Keralite Christian Jacobite girl (BAMS/26 years/157cms/fair) Ayurvedic Doctor working in Kuwait, looking for professionals working in Kuwait. Contact: shibu_v@hotmail.com (C 4051)

CHANGE OF NAME I, Joseph Mathew Thamarakkatte holder of Indian passport No. E5415197 change my name as Mathew Joseph Thamarakkatte. (C 4053) 22-6-2012

THE PUBLIC AUTHORITY FOR CIVIL INFORMATION Automated enquiry about the Civil ID card is 1889988

112 Ministry of Interior website: www.moi.gov.kw

34

SUNDAY, JUNE 24, 2012

stars CROSSWORD 715

STAR TRACK

CALVIN & HOBBES

Aries (March 21-April 19) Morning hours are your best times for getting things accomplished. Later there may be a mix up in plans. So write instructions or plans down on paper. There is an interest in some sort of civic affair this evening.

You are very flexible and other-oriented today. You will find that young people willingly listen to your ideas and advice—particularly, if they are not your own children. Your laser-like mind makes conversations fast-paced and informative. A ready wit and a great sense of humor create the setup for a rewarding day. You may have joined a selfhelp group or find yourself talking about a self-help book to a close friend this evening. Whatever the case, you have insight into your emotions and drive that is admirable.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) Easy does it—this is one of those busy days. Excessive emotional fervor could produce flare-ups, harsh words and arguments.

Be careful with what you agree to and take counsel with someone you really trust. This time will pass and with your determination, you will be most respectful—even with whom you have little patience. You may have a political influence or handle other people’s money soon. The high energy available today may continue on into the afternoon; it would be advisable to be very protective of your credit card until this time passes in a day or so. Enjoy an evening out-of-doors. Perhaps a picnic meal in the back yard or local park with family members would be fun—perhaps some homemade ice cream.

POOCH CAFE ACROSS 1. A man who serves as a sailor.

4. Of or relating to Vesta.

10. The sign language used in the United States.

13. The month following March and preceding May. 14. Any of various water-soluble compounds capable of turning litmus blue and reacting with an acid to form a salt and water.

15. Aircraft landing in bad weather in which the pilot is talked down by ground control using precision approach radar.

16. The cry made by sheep.

17. United States space station.

18. A unit of absorbed ionizing radiation equal to 100 ergs per gram of irradiated material.

19. Primitive chlorophyll-containing mainly aquatic eukaryotic organisms lacking true stems and roots and leaves.

21. A person who lacks confidence, is irresolute and wishywashy.

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

26. Broken into sharp pieces.

31. United States writer (born in Poland) who wrote in Yiddish (1880-1957).

35. Upright deciduous plant with crimson pods and seeds.

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

40. A legal document codifying the result of deliberations of a committee or society or legislative body.

41. A small cake leavened with yeast.

43. A person who announces and plays popular recorded music.

44. A defensive missile designed to shoot down incoming intercontinental ballistic missiles.

46. A republic in eastern Africa.

48. A white soft metallic element that tarnishes readily.

51. Used as a Hindi courtesy title.

54. Angular distance above the horizon (especially of a celestial object).

56. The content of cognition.

58. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in Turkey).

62. The elementary stages of any subject (usually plural).

63. A bachelor's degree in theology.

64. A city in northwestern Turkey.

65. (British) A waterproof raincoat made of rubberized fabric.

66. Grass mowed and cured for use as fodder.

67. Travel up, "We ascended the mountain".

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

DOWN 1. An amino acid that is found in the central nervous system.

2. A translucent mineral consisting of hydrated silica of variable color.

3. (informal) Exceptionally good.

4. An open jar of glass or porcelain used as an ornament or to hold flowers.

5. Large northern deer with enormous flattened antlers in the male.

6. Outer space as viewed from the earth.

7. A fine grained mineral having a soft soapy feel and consisting of hydrated magnesium silicate.

8. (botany) Of or relating to the axil.

9. A military dictatorship in North Africa on the Mediterranean.

10. A city in northern India.

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

12. A polite name for any woman.

20. In addition.

22. (Scottish) Bluish-black or gray-blue.

23. A light strong brittle gray toxic bivalent metallic element.

24. A public promotion of some product or service.

27. The arch of bone beneath the eye that forms the prominence of the cheek.

28. According to the Old Testament he was a pagan king of Israel and husband of Jezebel (9th century BC).

29. An open box attached to a long pole handle.

30. Any of numerous hairy-bodied insects including social and solitary species.

32. A fraudulent business scheme.

33. Being one hundred more than two hundred.

34. Headdress that protects the head from bad weather.

36. A Hindu prince or king in India.

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

39. Excellent and delightful in all respects.

40. A fine grained mineral having a soft soapy feel and consisting of hydrated magnesium silicate.

42. A Kwa language spoken by the Yoruba people in southwestern Nigeria.

45. The Tibeto-Burman language spoken in the Dali region of Yunnan.

47. In such a manner as could not be otherwise.

49. Cubes of meat marinated and cooked on a skewer usually with vegetables.

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

52. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in Turkey).

53. Being or befitting or characteristic of an infant.

55. A native or inhabitant of Finland.

57. Fallow deer.

59. Large brownish-green New Zealand parrot.

60. A metal-bearing mineral valuable enough to be mined.

61. A doctor's degree in education.

Yesterday’s Solution

Gemini (May 21-June 20) Having and appreciating things of beauty is fun, relaxing and most important to you at this time. You may find yourself asking for advice from a respected friend or family member this morning, regarding finances.

You find yourself talking about investment options and comparing your choices to what your friends or family may see as good investments—you have a plan of your own. Provided you do not spend it all on the fancy things that catch your eye, a shopping expedition can be a financially favorable one. This may mean that you find a great buy at an art show or a garage sale. Circumstances may stimulate enjoyment of your life situation today. Your system of values may deepen, providing you with a better sense of discrimination.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) You do not like to be bound by relationships and you may not be much of a domestic type of individual. Today you may find yourself in a place where you rethink some of your ideas regarding future life styles and conditions. There are others that think like you and it might be enjoyable to get into a few conversations about what people become involved with when one is driven by a professional life. Travel and bonded help when you are in need of house maintenance may be a delightful possibility. Foreign affairs catch your attention today. A trip you may be thinking about gets approval from your friends. You are interested in purchasing a better supply of healthy foods and you are more determined to eat lighter, health-conscious meals.

NON SEQUITUR

Leo (July 23-August 22) You are very much the creature of habit and habitat. You are nourished in great measure by the atmosphere and conditions you are able to set up for yourself, as well as the encircling network of friends. You may, however, tend to fluctuate between uninspired routine and crazy binges. Your sense of responsibility and the way you go about organizing your life may seem like a prison sentence to some. You could, however, become so set in your ways that you break away—careful. You may seek refuge in the same old routine and we begin again.

Neuro-linguistic programming and classes in organizational skills will benefit you a great deal. A book club, which might be fun, but consider something more daring like a travel, hiking or touring club.

ZITS

Virgo (August 23-September 22) It is easy for you to convey yourself to others and you always manage to make a good appearance. You have an easy manner and find it easy to relate with just about anyone. This is why you were chosen to head up the gathering this weekend. This could be anything from a neighborhood swimming party to an ice cream recipe contest. Everybody brings food and whatever you are organizing is a great success! You may be planning a water garden for those hot summer days—maybe a few gold fish. Consider researching your subject before you get in to deeply as you may find some wonderful suggestions that will amount to less expense and frustration. This afternoon you will find plenty of opportunities to interact with friends.

Libra (September 23-October 22)

MOTHER GOOSE AND GRIMM

Someone may annoy you today with persistent questions.

Don’t be rude—just pretend they are the media and say to them what you would say to a reporter. You like your conversations and the ideas you verbalize to stay somewhere near the surface. You resent a probing analysis and may be wise in saying so. However, you are very friendly indeed—you love to chitchat with your friends. Today is a great day to check out the garage sales or small town entertainment. You might invite someone to go with you but however you plan this time, you will enjoy some fun surprises. Subject for conversation at work next week will be most delightful. A hunch of yours will be extremely accurate this evening. Partners see eye to eye regarding a mutual concern.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) Circumstances may create an opportunity to be expressive and creative. If you are outside for long, you might think about the color or smells that you enjoy. Gnats, mosquitoes, bees and other interesting critters enjoy the same color and smells. A little research will help you combat this problem. The zoo, animal show or store, garden show, flower exhibits, water conservation demonstration are all possibilities for this evening. Pay attention, today you may see something you have not seen before. Later today you concentrate on home atmosphere.

You are very original when it comes to home and surroundings—the environment you build around you. Today may be the day you decide to pick out a new paint color for your kitchen or a bedroom wall.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) Progressive people play an important role in your life today.

This is a concern for something bigger than any one person—the good of the many outweighs the needs of the few. Perhaps a neighborhood group meeting is in the making. You are coming into a time of experimenting with new concepts. Your optimum job is just being you, which often indicates a career in front of the public. The best way for you to get ahead in the world is to just be yourself. You understand more than you let on and life changes seldom surprise you. You show a great deal of control over your actions as a young person may try your patience.

Before too long, however, you will be present to see this young person have to exercise some patience with something or someone.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19) Everything points to your making some final decisions today.

You could feel great support from those around you. You feel healthy and natural. You will find that today is packed full of communication with friends, particularly those you may not have seen in some time. Perhaps it will soon be time for a reunion. Optimistic and goal-setting groups or concepts play a more important role in your life. This may mean a city council or youth activity group. Practical ideas are the ones that make the most sense—putting them to good use is a focus for you. Material things are on your mind where needs are concerned and you may find yourself collecting food or clothes for a charity. There is time this evening to enjoy quiet time with a loved one.

To

Yesterday’s Solution Yester

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) The morning can be enjoyed with friends. You could be helping someone move or driving someone to the airport.

Whatever the case, you are able to help and you are glad. Sympathy and understanding are emotional qualities that take on a greater importance. You may find yourself a mirror for another person’s focus. You are equality-minded and it is easy to talk with you—a good mediator. As a sociable and slightly frivolous orientation sets in this afternoon, you may find yourself planning a neighborhood gettogether. If you do not have a pool, someone that lives near you may have a pool.

This pool is where you will find yourself later today. You are driven to excel in any form of physical or creative expression.

Pisces (February 19-March 20)

Word Sleuth Solution

Today marks a time when relations with a spouse or family member are on a solid ground. Expressing affection should come easily and can do much good for your disposition. You are good at relations, including politics, diplomacy and sales deals—not to mention considerate and helpful. After you finish up some old projects as well as take care of the usual chores for the day, there will still be time to enjoy some pleasant interactions with others. You have an inner urge to be all things to all people and you would rather bend than argue. You are always concerned for the comfort of others. Don’t be afraid to express your concerns to friends today, they can assuage your worries and help you find the answers you need. A little relaxation tonight is best.

SUNDAY, JUNE 24, 2012

i n f o r m at i o n For labor-related inquiries and complaints: Call MSAL hotline 128 GOVERNORATE Sabah Hospital

24812000

Amiri Hospital

22450005

Maternity Hospital

24843100

Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital

25312700

Chest Hospital

24849400

Farwaniya Hospital

24892010

Adan Hospital

23940620

Ibn Sina Hospital

24840300

Al-Razi Hospital

24846000

Physiotherapy Hospital

24874330/9

4732263

Roudha

22517733

Adhaliya

22517144

Khaldiya

24848075

Keifan

24849807

Shamiya

24848913

Shuwaikh

24814507

Abdullah Salim

22549134

Al-Nuzha

22526804

Industrial Shuwaikh

24814764

Al-Khadissiya

22515088

Dasmah

22532265

Bneid Al-Ghar

22531908

Al-Shaab

22518752

Al-Kibla

22459381

Ayoun Al-Kibla

22451082

Al-Mirqab

22456536

Sharq

22465401

Salmiya

25746401

Jabriya

25316254

Maidan Hawally

ADDRESS

Sama Safwan Abu Halaifa Danat Al-Sultan

Fahaeel Makka St Abu Halaifa-Coastal Rd Mahboula Block 1, Coastal Rd

23915883 23715414 23726558

Jahra

Modern Jahra Madina Munawara

Jahra-Block 3 Lot 1 Jahra-Block 92

24575518 24566622

Capital

Ahlam Khaldiya Coop

Fahad Al-Salem St Khaldiya Coop

22436184 24833967

Farwaniya

New Shifa Ferdous Coop Modern Safwan

Farwaniya Block 40 Ferdous Coop Old Kheitan Block 11

24734000 24881201 24726638

Tariq Hana Ikhlas Hawally & Rawdha Ghadeer Kindy Ibn Al-Nafis Mishrif Coop Salwa Coop

Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St Salmiya-Amman St Hawally-Beirut St Hawally & Rawdha Coop Jabriya-Block 1A Jabriya-Block 3B Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St Mishrif Coop Salwa Coop

25726265 25647075 22625999 22564549 25340559 25326554 25721264 25380581 25628241

ST TAT TE OF K KUW WAIT A

Tel.: e 161

DIRECTORA AT TE GENE GENERAL OF CIVIL AV VIA AT TION METEOROLOGICAL DEP PA ARTMENT

BY Y DA AY:

Hot with moderate to fresh north westerly wind, with speed of 20 - 40 km/h causing blowing dust

BY Y NIGHT:

Relatively hot with moderate to fresh north westerly wind, with speed of 20 - 45 km/h with a chance for blowing dust No Current Warnings arnin a

WA ARNING

34 °C

KUW WAIT A AIRPOR RT

46 °C

34 °C

NUW WAISEEB A

48 °C

33 °C

WA AFRA

46 °C

34 °C

SALMI

45 °C

29 °C

ABDAL LY

45 °C

31 °C

JAL ALIY YAH A

41 °C

31 °C

25623444

FA AILAKA

44 °C

32 °C

Bayan

25388462

AHMADI POR RT

45 °C

36 °C

Mishref

25381200

UMM AL-MARADEM

36 °C

33 °C

W.Hawally

22630786

WA ARBA A - BUBY YAN A

44 °C

30 °C

Sabah

24810221

Jahra

24770319

South Jahra

24775066

North Jahra

24775992

North Jleeb

24311795

Al-Ardhiya Firdous

ST TAT TION

SFC. CHART

23/06/2012 0000 UTC

4 DA AYS Y FORECAST Temperatures DA AY

DA AT TE

WEA AT THER

MAX.

MIN.

Wind Direction

Wind Speed

Sunday

24/06

Monday

25/06

dusty

45 °C

32 °C

NW

25 - 45 km/h

hot

46 °C

31 °C

NW

15 - 40 km/h

Tuesday Weednesday

26/06

hot

47 °C

31 °C

NW

20 - 35 km/h

27/06

hot

47 °C

30 °C

NW-SE

12 - 35 km/h

RA AY YER TIMES PRA

RECORDED YESTERDA AY AT KUW WA AIT AIRPORT

Fajr

03:14

MAX. Temp.

48 °C

24884079

Sunrise

04:49

MIN. Temp.

30 °C

24892674

Zuhr

11:50

MAX. RH

28 %

Asr

15:24

MIN. RH

04 %

Sunset

18:51

MAX. Wind i

W 50 km/h

Isha

20:23

TOT TA AL L RAIINF FA ALL L IN 24 HR.

Al-Omariya

24719048

N.Kheitan

24710044

All times are local time unless otherwise stated.

Fintas

Al-Shuwaikh

24810598

Al-Nuzha

22545171

Sabhan

24742838

Al-Helaly

22434853

Al-Fayhaa

22545051

Al-Farwaniya

24711433

Al-Sulaibikhat

24316983

Al-Fahaheel

23927002

Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh

24316983

Ahmadi

23980088

Al-Mangaf

23711183

Al-Shuaiba

23262845

Al-Jahra

25610011

Al-Salmiya

25616368

Expected Weather e for the Next 24 Hours

45 °C

24772608

22545171

INTERNATIONAL CALLS

KUW WAIT A CITY

West Jahra

Al-Shohada’a

WWW.MET.GOV V.KW .

MIN. REC.

24575755

Ext.: 2627 262 - 2630

22418714

Fax: 24348714

MAX. EXP P.

New Jahra

PHONE

Ahmadi

Hawally

Rabiya

PHARMACY

Al-Madena

3900322

GOVERNMENT WEB SITES Kuwait Parliament www.majlesalommah.net

The Public Institution for Social Security www.pifss.gov.kw

Ministry of Interior www.moi.gov.kw

Public Authority of Industry www.pai.gov.kw

Public Authority for Civil Information www.paci.gov.kw

Prisoners of War Committee www.pows.org.kw

Kuwait News Agency www.kuna.net.kw

Ministry of Foreign Affairs www.mofa.gov.kw

Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affair www.islam.gov.kw

Kuwait Municipality www.municipality.gov.kw

Ministry of Energy (Oil) www.moo.gov.kw

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Ministry of Energy (Electricity and Water) www.energy.govt.kw

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Ministry of Communications www.moc.kw

Ministry of Information www.moinfo.gov.kw

Supreme Council for Planning and Development www.scpd.gov.kw

Kuwait Awqaf Public Foundation www.awqaf.org

.18 mm

Afghanistan 0093 Albania 00355 Algeria 00213 Andorra 00376 Angola 00244 Anguilla 001264 Antiga 001268 Argentina 0054 Armenia 00374 Australia 0061 Austria 0043 Bahamas 001242 Bahrain 00973 Bangladesh 00880 Barbados 001246 Belarus 00375 Belgium 0032 Belize 00501 Benin 00229 Bermuda 001441 Bhutan 00975 Bolivia 00591 Bosnia 00387 Botswana 00267 Brazil 0055 Brunei 00673 Bulgaria 00359 Burkina 00226 Burundi 00257 Cambodia 00855 Cameroon 00237 Canada 001 Cape Verde 00238 Cayman Islands 001345 Central African 00236 Chad 00235 Chile 0056 China 0086 Colombia 0057 Comoros 00269 Congo 00242 Cook Islands 00682 Costa Rica 00506 Croatia 00385 Cuba 0053 Cyprus 00357 Cyprus (Northern) 0090392 Czech Republic 00420 Denmark 0045 Diego Garcia 00246 Djibouti 00253 Dominica 001767 Dominican Republic 001809 Ecuador 00593 Egypt 0020 El Salvador 00503 England (UK) 0044 Equatorial Guinea 00240 Eritrea 00291 Estonia 00372 Ethiopia 00251 Falkland Islands 00500 Faroe Islands 00298 Fiji 00679 Finland 00358 France 0033 French Guiana 00594 French Polynesia 00689 Gabon 00241 Gambia 00220 Georgia 00995 Germany 0049 Ghana 00233 Gibraltar 00350 Greece 0030 Greenland 00299 Grenada 001473 Guadeloupe 00590 Guam 001671 Guatemala 00502 Guinea 00224 Guyana 00592 Haiti 00509 Holland (Netherlands) 0031 Honduras 00504 Hong Kong 00852 Hungary 0036 Ibiza (Spain) 0034 Iceland 00354 India 0091 Indian Ocean 00873 Indonesia 0062

Iran 0098 Iraq 00964 Ireland 00353 Italy 0039 Ivory Coast 00225 Jamaica 001876 Japan 0081 Jordan 00962 Kazakhstan 007 Kenya 00254 Kiribati 00686 Kuwait 00965 Kyrgyzstan 00996 Laos 00856 Latvia 00371 Lebanon 00961 Liberia 00231 Libya 00218 Lithuania 00370 Luxembourg 00352 Macau 00853 Macedonia 00389 Madagascar 00261 Majorca 0034 Malawi 00265 Malaysia 0060 Maldives 00960 Mali 00223 Malta 00356 Marshall Islands 00692 Martinique 00596 Mauritania 00222 Mauritius 00230 Mayotte 00269 Mexico 0052 Micronesia 00691 Moldova 00373 Monaco 00377 Mongolia 00976 Montserrat 001664 Morocco 00212 Mozambique 00258 Myanmar (Burma) 0095 Namibia 00264 Nepal 00977 Netherlands (Holland) 0031 Netherlands Antilles 00599 New Caledonia 00687 New Zealand 0064 Nicaragua 00505 Nigar 00227 Nigeria 00234 Niue 00683 Norfolk Island 00672 Northern Ireland (UK) 0044 North Korea 00850 Norway 0047 Oman 00968 Pakistan 0092 Palau 00680 Panama 00507 Papua New Guinea 00675 Paraguay 00595 Peru 0051 Philippines 0063 Poland 0048 Portugal 00351 Puerto Rico 001787 Qatar 00974 Romania 0040 Russian Federation 007 Rwanda 00250 Saint Helena 00290 Saint Kitts 001869 Saint Lucia 001758 Saint Pierre 00508 Saint Vincent 001784 Samoa US 00684 Samoa West 00685 San Marino 00378 Sao Tone 00239 Saudi Arabia 00966 Scotland (UK) 0044 Senegal 00221 Seychelles 00284 Sierra Leone 00232 Singapore 0065 Slovakia 00421 Slovenia 00386 Solomon Islands 00677

36

SUNDAY, JUNE 24, 2012

LIFESTYLE G o s s i p

Sheen to play US president in ‘Machete’ sequel harlie Sheen is following in his father’s footsteps. Sheen, whose father, Martin Sheen, famously played US president Jed Bartlet on “The West Wing,” will play the nation’s chief executive in Robert Rodriguez’s upcoming sequel to 2010’s “Machete.”

Filmmaker Rodriguez announced the casting on his Twitter account Thursday, writing, “I just cast Charlie Sheen in #machetekills as the President of the United States! Who better? More soon...”

As photographic evidence that the tweet was not some kind of cruel hoax, he included a photo of himself and Sheen together. Sheen retweeted the message, adding, “My Fellow Americans!” According to IMDB, the cast also includes Danny Trejo andMichelle Rodriguez from the first film, with Mel Gibson and Amber Heard coming aboard for round two. The film is currently scheduled for a 2013 release. Now the only question is, will President Sheen pack the cabinet with his goddesses?

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Shakira pregnancy rumors false elly dancing Colombian pop star Shakira is not pregnant, her father said Friday in an effort to quell rumors that have gone viral in Latin America. “I’ve heard certain media announce the confirmation of my daughter’s pregnancy,” William Mebarak said in a statement. “That’s absolutely false.” Stories speculating that the singer, who famously rollerbladed around a beach in a bikini top for her music video “Loca,” would soon become a mother have been circulating in Latin American media for weeks. According to the reports, the father is Shakira’s longtime companion, Spanish soccer star Gerard Pique.

Some media outlets even go so far as to claim the 35year-old’s supposed pregnancy is being complicated by toxoplasmosis, a parasitic infection. Stories were first pub-

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Baby girl

lished by the Colombian and Mexican press, before being picked up elsewhere in the region. Shakira fans say it was her father who first who alluded to his daughter’s alleged pregnancy in a television interview. But Mebarak vehemently disputed that. “I’m hoping for good news, and hope it happens soon, because she knows it will make us all rejoice,” Mebarak said. “I’ve never said otherwise.”

Currently in Poland to watch her boyfriend play in the Euro 2012 soccer championships, the singer is preparing songs for an upcoming album. She has yet to comment on the reports.

for Aldridge,

Followill ictoria’s Secret model Lily Aldridge and Kings of Leon frontman Caleb Followill are the new parents of a baby girl. The couple welcomed Dixie Pearl Followill on Thursday morning at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn. Spokesman Ken Weinstein says both Aldridge and the baby are happy and healthy and are resting at their home outside of Nashville. Dixie Pearl was born at 1 a.m., weighing in at 7 pounds, 11 ounces. Aldridge, 26, and Followill, 30, married in California in May 2011. Dixie Pearl is their first child.

V

Maxwell cancels short tour due to voice &B singer Maxwell has cancelled his short US tour after developing vocal swelling and hemorrhaging. A representative for the singer said Friday that he has been advised by doctors to rest and undergo treatment.

Maxwell’s six-date summer tour had shows planned for Los Angeles, Atlanta and Newark, N.J. for July and August. Maxwell said in the statement that cancelling the tour “sucks” and he plans to hit the road when his new album, “blackSUMMERS’night,” is released later this year. The 39-year-old made his return to music in 2009 after a seven-year break with the platinum album “BLACKsummers’night.” It won the singer-songwriter two Grammy Awards, among other accolades.

The statement also said refunds are available at the point of purchase.

Spider-Man mask fits Garfield perfect

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ndrew Garfield was in “ideal physical shape” to play Spider-Man. The 28-year-old actor takes on the role of the superhero/Peter Parker in his latest action movie ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ and producer Avi Arad thought the ‘Social Network’ star was perfect for the part because he had both “shy” and “edgy” personality traits which were ideal to play the dual roles. He told BANG Showbiz: “He was in ideal physical shape to play the role of Peter Parker/Spider-Man, not too big for Peter and just right for Spider-Man. He was shy like Peter but edgy like Spider-Man.” Avi admits one of the main reasons the production team were keen to sign Andrew up for the role was because he has been a fan of the superhero since he was a toddler and the production team were eager to see how he would portray him. He added: “We knew that Andrew loved Spider-Man and this was an important component in signing him up to the film. He had been watching and reading it since he was three years old.”

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David and Victoria Beckham

Cole has become

to renew their wedding vows

‘braver’ with her style

avid and Victoria Beckham will renew their wedding vows next month.

The couple - who have children Brooklyn, 13, Romeo, nine, Cruz, seven, and 11-month-old Harper - are said to be planning a special ceremony to take place on their 13th anniversary, July 4, and have invited family and friends to join them at their summer residence for the celebration. A source said: “Last time they renewed their vows Cruz was still a baby and David pretty much did everything. But this time Victoria is planning a lavish vow-renewal at their usual rented summer Malibu pad around 4 July. “She’s been telling all their families and close showbiz friends in LA, including Eva Longoria, who is Harper’s godmother and Kate Beckinsale, to keep the weekend free. She wants to make it extra-special for David. She’s so excited.” Victoria has planned events over the entire Independence Day weekend in order to celebrate their 13-year union. The source added to heat magazine: “Victoria wants to have a candlelit dinner with friends the night before followed by a quiet family brunch the next morning and then into their Independence Day celebrations. It’s going to be magical.” David recently admitted the most romantic thing he has ever done for his wife was arrange their vow renewal ceremony as a surprise several years ago. He said: “The most romantic thing I’ve ever done was probably when we renewed our wedding vows. It was a whole surprise, Victoria knew nothing about it. I had it all organised. I told her we were going out for lunch and I packed her bag. “I had a dress ready for her to change into on the plane. I picked the dress. I picked everything. It was just a simple white Dolce & Gabbana dress I think. “This is going back a few years, when I was playing in Spain. So then we renewed our vows, flew on to Paris and had a night in Paris.”

heryl Cole has become “braver” with her personal style as her career has evolved.

The ‘Call My Name’ singer claims her musical evolution on new album ‘A Million Lights’ has inspired her to be more adventurous with the clothes and try bolder patterns and crazy colour combinations. She told VOGUE TV: “I feel like, each album you feel different, the music feels different and naturally with that, your style evolves. You get a little bit braver, maybe. “I have got braver on this album because I’ve gone for complete pattern clashes which goes against all the rules. Crazy colour and pattern and clashing which is something I have never done before, but I was ready for this album.” The 28-yearold beauty cited Roberto Cavalli and the late Alexander McQueen as her all-time favourite designers and revealed that Roberto’s iconic prints have been a wardrobe staple since her style overhaul. She gushed: “I’ve always been a fan. He does a bit of the pattern stuff, he actually made my outfit on ‘The Voice’ - bespoke. “We have a great relationship and I love all his pattern stuff. He’s always had that actually, it’s just really at the forefront of fashion right now!” Cheryl credits her rise to fame on talent show ‘Popstars: The Rivals’ in 2002 and subsequent success with bandmates Nicola Roberts, Kimberly Walsh, Nadine Coyle and Sarah Harding for her fashion education and trademark glamorous look. She explained: “I wasn’t aware of fashion, I was wasn’t that femininely dressed. I was always quite girly, but I was tomboy-y dressed because I liked TLC [the band] and loved the whole hip-hop scene. “I liked the baggy jeans with the Timbalands and the vest and the cap and thought I was kinda cool like that! It wasn’t until late teens until I got into the group [Girls Aloud] really and I’ve seen what a glamorous woman was really like that I was like, wow. “I loved glamour and I loved gorgeous women and how clothes made them look, that I was then taken by clothes, but it wasn’t always until later on in my life.”

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Knightley is learning how to cook he ‘Seeking a Friend’ actress says she wants to improve her culinary skills so her mother is starting to teach her the basic rules in the kitchen. She said: “I’m an alright cook. Not brilliant, but alright. My mum’s a really good cook, but we had a really small kitchen, so she could never actually teach me any of the stuff that she made. But now she’s starting to. I’ve gotten really good recipes, which are excellent. I’m good at, like, a one-pot dish. It’s the timing. I always walk away at a wrong point. And then everything burns! But stews and curries, I’m good at that!” Keira - who is engaged to Klaxons star James Righton - also revealed how she doesn’t have many celebrity friends and would never call them up in a crisis. When asked what famous people she would call if the world was coming to an end, she said: “I don’t have celebrity friends like that. I mean, I have ones that I’d kind of call up to say, ‘Hello, how are you?

How is everything going?’ But no, my friends aren’t actors. That’s a lie. One is actually.” —Agencies

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37

SUNDAY, JUNE 24, 2012

LIFESTYLE T r a v e l

5 free things to do in he coastal Peruvian capital of Lima is home to a third of the country’s population and most live in dusty barrios on a coastal desert where it never rains. The traffic is chaotic, the food is world-famous. Attractions include colonial and neocolonial architecture from the city’s three centuries as the seat of the Spanish viceroy as well as pre-Columbian sites. The city is dotted with ancient mounds known as “huacas,” which charge nominal fees, and the Pachacamac ruins just south of Lima are well worth the trip but also charge for admission. But there are plenty of things to do and see around Lima for free, from parks to plazas, starting with the Pacific Ocean.

Costa Verde: Lima’s walkable and bikeable coast spans four districts, each with its own character. Grassy parks and a bike path separate a coastal bluff from the “Malecon” road in San Isidro and Miraflores, the wealthiest districts. Gaze at the paragliders, partake of the skate park, join the lovers at “Parque del Amor.” Or take the steps down in Miraflores to Waikiki beach and watch the wetsuit-clad surfers. The more bohemian Barranco district, studded with cafes, bars and art galleries, has more modest parks on its bluff. Its cobbled walk down to the beach from the “Puente de Suspiros,” or bridge of sighs, is a nice stroll. Working-class Chorrillos’ coastal attraction is down at the water: The “Mercado de Pescadores Artesanales.” It’s the fish market where the independent fishermen sell their catch.

Parque Kennedy: At the heart of Miraflores’ commercial district, probably Lima’s best people-watching venue. It is lined by cafes, restaurants, bookstores, and the Virgen Milagrosa church, a magnet for stray cats. The municipal government organizes free music, dance and theater performances evenings Three blocks north of the park on Av. Petit Thouars is the folk art “artesania” market. The website http://blogs.miraflores.gob.pe/larco400/ has a park performance schedule in Spanish.

Plaza De Armas, Presidential Palace: One of Latin America’s most charming central squares, the Plaza de Armas in the downtown Lima district is intoxicating at night, particularly the Archbishop’s Palace. See the changing of the guard at 1 p.m. every day but Sunday at the Presidential Palace. The palace is open for free tours on Saturday mornings, including in English. For reservations call 3113908 by the previous Thursday.

Free Museums: Also downtown, on the Plaza Bolivar, is the Spanish Inquisition museum. Yes, they tortured heretics in Lima, too. Coin buffs will like the Museo Numismatico of the central bank; also downtown is the Afro-Peruvian museum. A haunting must-see exhibit for students of recent Latin American history: At the Museo de La Nacion, created by Peru’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, is a tribute to nearly 70,000 victims of the country’s 1980-2000 internal conflict, located on Javier Prado in San Borja district.

Parque El Olivar: Some 1,500 olive trees dating from saplings first planted in the 16th century by the Spanish in a peaceful residential section of the San Isidro district. Walk a few blocks west, crossing the busy Camino Real, to the pre-Incan Huaca Huallamarca burial mound. —AP

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Lima, Peru

This March 11, 2011 file photo shows beach chairs along Agua Dulce beach in Lima, Peru. —AP photos

Shows beachgoers enjoying the warm weather on the Pacific Ocean coast in Lima.

File photo shows a child next aside a figure of a tortured man at the Spanish Inquisition museum in Lima.

File photo shows participants playing their cajons, a box-shaped percussion instrument of Afro-Peruvian origin, in hopes of beating their country’s 2009 Guinness World Record for the world’s largest cajon ensemble during the Fifth International Festival of the Peruvian Cajon at the Plaza de Armas in Lima, Peru.

File photo shows an exhibit depicting torture from the Inquisition era is shown at the Inquisition Museum.

File photo shows people taking a tour of the “Inquisition museum” in Lima.

Zip lines come from wild to mild he mother of all thrill rides? It’s at Forever Florida, about 45 miles south of the Orlando theme parks.

The choice of thrills is yours. It could be Peregrine Plunge, smooth and straight and, at 1,300 feet, the longest zip line in Florida. Or the Rattlesnake, which turns and dips so it feels like the zip line hangs beneath a roller coaster track. There’s Panther Pounce, a straight drop to the ground. And the Zip Line Safari, with seven zip lines and two suspension bridges that take almost 2 hours to complete.

Florida EcoSafaris at Forever Florida put in the Zip Line Safari last year, ratcheting up the thrills available at the cattle ranch-turned-adventure park. In April, it added the other zip lines. Forever Florida is a 4,700-acre wildlife conservation area that includes a working cattle ranch and the Allen Broussard Conservancy as well as the adventures. It has a mailing address in St. Cloud, but it’s closer to Holopaw and is about an hour’s drive from Orlando.

In addition to the zip lines, it offers “safaris” by horseback, a recumbent bicycle attached to a cable 25 feet above the ground, and a “coach” that is more like a swamp buggy. There is wildlife throughout the property, including peacocks, alligators, deer, wild turkey and other creatures that are frequently sighted, and scarcer animals including wild hogs, blacks bears and Florida panthers.

Except for the coach safari, Matt Duda, director of sales and marketing, likes to brag that none of the adventures burns fuel, they’re all powered by people or horses. And adrenalin. On a sunny day last month, six staffers from Visit Orlando

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and one Miami Herald reporter visited Forever Florida to try out the new zip lines. All but two were had ridden zip lines before this excursion.

One of the newbies, a calm and adventurous fellow, volunteered to be the first to ride The Rattlesnake, which uses a rigid spine instead of a cable that sends the rider on a zigzag, up-and-down route through the trees. Florida EcoSafaris

“Now just lift up your feet and sit in the harness,” the attendant told him. And just like that, he was off, gliding along the beginning of the line that, if stretched out straight, would end up nearly 1,000 feet from where he started, His friends watched as he slid along the cable, tense and silent, even as it took a gradual turn that took him 90 degrees from where he had been before.

A pair of riders take off on a tandem ride on the Peregrine Plunge, a 1,300-foot-long zip line at Florida EcoSafaris at Forever Florida. —MCT photos calls it a zip line roller coaster. It’s the only one in the United States.

The man’s colleagues watched as he stepped out onto the platform about 70 feet above the ground, got his harness checked and was attached to the zip line.

“He’s going to scream,” one of them said as the rider approached a dip, and a few seconds later he did, although it was more like a yelp as he got a little bounce from the dip. There was more surprise than fear in the yelps that followed, the

result of unexpected turns and bounces.

He finished, got unhooked and quickly climbed the eight flights of stairs to the platform where riders launched themselves on both the Rattlesnake and Peregrine Plunge. His colleagues cheered.

Meanwhile, this reporter was getting to ride her first zip line. I chose Peregrine Plunge because it was straight and simple. “I don’t think I can do this,” I told the fellow adjusting my harness. My stomach was knotted with fear. “You don’t have to do anything,” he said. “Just pick up your feet and you’ll go without doing another thing.”

He reached up and tugged on the cable. “This cable will hold 5,000 pounds,” he said, trying to encourage me.

Peregrine Plunge is a tandem zip line.

Another woman from Visit Orlando, strapped into her harness, stood calmly waiting so we could launch together and ride side by side. There were people waiting behind us. “OK,” I said.

After a final check, I picked up my feet and was out over thin air in a flash. I leaned back in my harness. Not so bad after all. Woo-hoo! We zipped along, not too fast, turning from side to side a little.

“Grab the yellow rope,” the guide on the far platform called to me, too soon. I grabbed it as I passed, and as I slowed, he hauled me in the rest of the way.

Emboldened, I climbed back up the stairs to ride the Rattlesnake. But it had a bit much action for me. I landed safely and told Duda I was finished with zip lines for the day. The others decided to try the Panther Pounce, which is essentially a free fall with cables slowing the rider as he nears the ground. It’s a 68-foot fall, and

unlike the other two zip lines, requires the rider to deliberately step into thin air. One woman crossed herself when she touched the ground. A man screamed “Awesome!” as he plummeted. The other first-time rider looked down, screamed, stepped back into the tower and got unclipped from the harness. But eventually he took the plunge.

I retreated to the Cypress Canopy Cycle, a reclining bicycle suspended from

a steel cable. It moves only as fast as the rider wants it to and is only 25 feet high at most. It is more my speed. The route winds below the tree canopy but above saw palmetto and other growth. For about 40 minutes I pedaled, pausing occasionally to enjoy the view and a different kind of thrill ride. —MCT

A first-time zip-line rider takes off on The Rattlesnake, a ride of almost 1,000 feet of twists, turns and dips at Florida EcoSafaris.

SUNDAY, JUNE 24, 2012

lifestyle M U S I C

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M O V I E S

Allen’s ‘Rome’ delivers lackluster love

Review

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oody Allen’s “To Rome with Love” began with better titles. Yet despite the exquisite locations of the filmmaker’s first story of love, Italian style, this bland ensemble romance deserves the generic name rather than the clever working titles it started with. Allen initially called it “Bop Decameron,” then changed it to “Nero Fiddled” before he and his distributor decided to slip in the name of the Eternal City.

Hey, it helped to have the City of Light mentioned in the title of last year’s Allen hit “Midnight in Paris.” So putting Rome in the name makes good marketing sense to hint that his latest continues the trend of light romance in a beautiful Old World capital. Unfortunately, “To Rome with Love” lives up - or rather, lives down - to the superficial postcard sentiment of its title.

Weaving four stories of Italians and American visitors, the writer-director creates a lot of clever moments with his ensemble comedy that features Allen’s first on-screen appearance since 2006’s “Scoop.” In between the good times, the story and characters just drift about awkwardly, stuck on a walking tour of Rome that continually bumps up against dead ends, or worse, circles back so we wind up seeing the same things a few times too many.

It’s hard to even pick out a highlight among the four stories. Parts of each story work quite well, while other portions just weigh the scenarios down. The film almost comes down to how well the actors inhabit their roles.

Allen’s known for giving his cast plenty of leeway. That’s often resulted in Academy Award performances, and just as often has left Allen’s stars nervously milling around.

There are no Oscar prospects on screen in “To Rome with Love,” but Alec Baldwin conveys a sense of wistful nostalgia as an architect seemingly

This film image released by Sony Pictures Classics shows, from left, Alessandro Tiberi as Antonio, Roberto Della Casa as Uncle Paolo and Penelope Cruz as Anna in a scene from “To Rome With Love.” — AP strolling into his own memories of Italy in his youth. Baldwin’s a wry, omniscient commentator wafting in and out of a love triangle involving Jack (Jesse Eisenberg), Sally (Greta Gerwig) and her seductive pal Monica (Ellen Page). Gerwig’s sadly cast as a flavorless third wheel, but Eisenberg and Page are so tentative and cold in their supposedly impetuous fling that they seem like neutered pups alongside old hound Baldwin.

Roberto Benigni manages a few laughs as a dreary but contented family man hurled into notoriety after Rome’s press and paparazzi inexplicably choose him as a person of interest, shadowing him like an A-lister and hanging on his every word

about what he had for breakfast. It’s a lightweight commentary on fleeting fame, and the gimmick quickly wears thin.

The weakest of the stories centers on naive newlyweds Antonio and Milly (Alessandro Tiberi and Alessandra Mastronardi), who come to Rome for a fresh start but end up separated and tossed into romantic misadventures with others. Antonio winds up with a bombshell hooker (Penelope Cruz, an Oscar winner for Allen’s “ Vicky Cristina Barcelona”), Milly with an Italian movie star (Antonio Albanese).

Antonio and Milly’s meanderings are pointless and uninvolving. Cruz, however, knows how to

play voluptuous in her sleep, so she makes her little corner of the scenario fun and sexy.

Allen co-stars as retired music producer Jerry, who comes to Rome with his wife, Phyllis (Allen veteran Judy Davis) to meet the Italian fiance of their daughter, Hayley (“Midnight in Paris” co-star Alison Pill).

After Jerry hears the sublime opera vocals of Hayley’s future father-in-law, Giancarlo (Italian tenor Fabio Armiliato) from the shower, he’s determined to make the humble undertaker into a star.

Giancarlo insists he sings only for personal pleasure, and when he auditions at Jerry’s insistence, he discovers that his talent fails him outside the shower.

You can guess the rest. The scenes of Giancarlo performing on stage could have become as repetitious as the media’s pursuit of Benigni, but Allen shows enough restraint and gives the sequences enough diversity that they remain consistently funny.

The time away from the screen hasn’t helped Allen’s acting chops. He’s curiously listless as Jerry, and Davis, who was razor-sharp in Allen’s “Husbands and Wives,” rarely rises above dreary hen-pecking as his wife.

The ineffable magic that made “Midnight in Paris” click eludes Allen here. When in Paris, Allen’s gimmicks coalesced into a sly, engaging romantic fantasy. When in Rome, though, it’s not Nero who’s fiddling, but Allen, bopping and dithering around the city like a tourist so desperate to cram in all the sights that he comes away only with a few crisp highlights and a lot of out-of-focus snapshots. “To Rome with Love,” a Sony Pictures Classics release, is rated R for some sexual references. Running time: 112 minutes.

Two stars out of four.— AP

Mirren, Joplin, Bardem to get Hollywood stars

Malian singer Oumou Sangare performs in Essaouira yesterday during the Gnaoua World Music Festival.

The annual festival provides an opportunity for Gnaoua musicians to perform to international audiences and to play with foreign musicians. — AFP

A conversation with Woody Allen

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n a sweltering Manhattan day, it’s hard not to think of Woody Allen’s old line about preferring air conditioning to the Pope. Allen’s Park Avenue office and screening room are a cool sanctuary, far off the Manhattan street and away from the heat. Asked if he was looking forward to the New York premiere that evening of his latest film, “To Rome With Love,” he answers “No” with comical quickness. Depending on how you count, “To Rome With Love” is the 76-year-old filmmaker’s 45th film, a total he’s amassed by making, with remarkable consistency, a film a year. It’s also his eighth film made in self-imposed exile, traversing European capitals.

His last movie, the Oscar-nominated “Midnight in Paris,” was his biggest box-office hit ever, a success Allen greets only with a shrug. “To Rome With Love” as much of a European postcard as Allen has made is an ensemble farce about numerous characters (Alec Baldwin, Jesse Eisenberg, Penelope Cruz, Roberto Benigni, Ellen Page) chasing conflicting desires in the Eternal City. The film, which opened Friday in New York and Los Angeles, hasn’t received very good reviews, but Allen is already onto his next film, with plans to begin shooting a movie in August - again starring Baldwin - that will take him back to New York and also to San Francisco. Allen chatted with The Associated Press about filmmaking Woody’s way: AP: You’ve often described filmmaking as a constant process of disappointment in not realizing your initial idea. So what keeps you trying?

Allen: You always think that you’re going to do better the next time. It’s deceptive. Sometimes you

do better than the last time, sometimes you don’t. It’s like a gambler. You’re constantly thinking, ‘This next one, I’m going to really nail it.

Everything’s going to be perfect.’ And you do it, and of course it’s far from perfect.

AP: What was your initial concept for “To Rome With Love”?

Allen: The people in Rome who distribute my films (Medusa Film) always kept saying, “Come to Rome and make a film.” Finally, they really got serious. Then I was faced with having to write something for Rome.

AP: Did you ever think that you’d be part filmmaker and part travel guide?

Allen: No, I never wanted to or expected to make a film outside of New York. New York became very, very expensive. The same $18 million spent in Barcelona or Rome goes much further there. I’ve had six other offers since then. ... I don’t know if I could do that indefinitely.

AP: Your earlier films seemed to be more searching and questioning.

Allen: You can see them as searching, but you would find that after time, the conclusions are grim. No matter what kind of sugarcoating people put on it - whether it’s a religious sugarcoating or a philosophical sugarcoating - no matter what they tell you, the facts are grisly.

AP: So what, then, is the point of art or a movie?

Some look for enlightenment when they open a book or go to a movie.

This film image released by Sony Pictures Classics shows director Woody Allen, standing left, talking with the cast during the filming of “To Rome With Love.” — AP

Allen: The answer to your question, I think, on both sides of the camera or the novel: Distraction.

I’m obsessed with: Can I get this actress or my third act to work? I’m distracted. I’m interested in that so I don’t sit home and think, “Gee, life is meaningless. We’re all going to die. The universe is pulling apart at breakneck speed.” So I’m distracted with relatively solvable trivia.

AP: Have you ever felt you accomplished the film you set out to make at the start?

Allen: A couple times I’ve felt, “Gee, I’ve come very close to my original concept here and this is nothing to be ashamed of.”... For me, the trick is to execute my original intention. The audience may wind up hating my original intention. And it may be that when I prostitute the film and don’t live up to the original intention - let’s say like “Hannah and Her Sisters” - it’s a big success, and a bigger success than if I had achieved my original idea. There’s no correlation between what the public likes and what I’m after. I’m in a different world.

AP: How did you want “Hannah and Her Sisters” to be different?

Allen: It was much darker. I softened it a lot, and then people liked it. But I didn’t. It was too neatly tied up.

AP: You were also dissatisfied with “Manhattan,” which is among your most beloved films.

Allen: When I saw it, I was not crazy about it. To this day, I have memories of it as being disappointing to me. I’m not saying it wasn’t beautifully filmed - it was Gordon Willis, shot in black in white - and the people were good. But the writing was too preachy, too self-righteous. That’s one of the reasons I thought “Match Point” was a good film, because it wasn’t preachy or selfrighteous. It just was what it was.

AP: At the end of “Manhattan,” your character listed the things that make life worthwhile, including Willie Mays, Louis Armstrong’s “Potato Head Blues,” Flaubert’s “Sentimental Education,” Frank Sinatra, Marlon Brando, Groucho Marx and the crabs at Sam Wo’s. If you updated that list, what would you add?

Allen: I made one big mistake on that list and I would change it today. I got a letter from a lady that said: “You named all the things that made life worth living, but you didn’t name your child.” I had a child with Meryl Streep in the movie. At the time, I had no children in my life, and I figured, “Eh, she’s nuts,” and I threw it away. Now that I have children, I realize what an egregious blunder that was and how short sighted I was. That would be the leading thing on the list. —AP

These two file photos show British actress Dame Helen Mirren arriving at the film premiere of ‘The Debt’ at the Curzon Mayfair on September 21, 2011 in London, England, and Spanish actor Javier Bardem during a press conference on the sideline of a “High-Level copyright dialogue on the film industry” at the World Intellectual Property Organization on July 19, 2011 in Geneva, Switzerland. — AFP

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ritish actress Helen Mirren, Spain’s Javier Bardem and 1970s rock icon Janis Joplin are among celebrities set to get their stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame next year, organizers said Friday. Chat show host Ellen DeGeneres and actress Jane Lynch are also among the 24 honorees for 2013, while music stars include The Backstreet Boys, Usher and Luther Vandross, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce announced.

“The Walk of Fame committee is proud to announce next year’s honorees whose additions to the world famous Hollywood Walk of Fame will bring everlasting memories of their star power, talent, and popularity,” it said. The Chamber of Commerce meets every June to select roughly 20 honorees from hundreds of nominations.

Those picked get the glory but also have to pay $30,000 for the upkeep of the stars, which line Hollywood Boulevard and nearby streets in downtown Tinseltown, drawing millions of tourists every year.

One star whose absence was noted recently was that of the singer Whitney Houston, found dead in her Beverly Hills hotel bathtub on February 11, aged 48.

Houston was selected for a star in 1995, but neither she nor her managers organized a star inauguration ceremony within five

years, after which her selection expired.

Ana Martinez, spokeswoman for the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, said Houston’s family had not requested to have her Walk of Fame star nomination revived.

“Her family has not contacted us, there’s nothing we can do,” she told AFP. But she said: “We would absolutely reinstate her, the committee would just have to take a little quick re-vote.”

The full list of new nominees for 2013: Movies: Rick Baker, Javier Bardem, Viola Davis, James Franco, Ron Howard and Helen Mirren.

Television: Simon Baker, Bryan Cranston, Ellen DeGeneres, Jane Lynch, Katey Sagal and Matthew Perry.

Music: The Backstreet Boys, Jennifer Hudson, Jane’s Addiction, Janis Joplin (Posthumous), New Kids on the Block, Usher Raymond IV, Thalia and Luther Vandross (Posthumous).

Live theater: Olympia Dukakis and Penn & Teller.

Radio: Steve Harvey and “Shot Gun” Tom Kelly. — AFP

Composer and lyricist Richard Adler dies at 90

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ichard Adler, the Tony Award-winning composer and lyricist renowned for his songs for such Broadway hits as “Damn Yankees” and “The Pajama Game” and who organized President John F. Kennedy’s birthday with Marilyn Monroe, died Thursday in New York. He was 90. Adler’s widow Susan A. Ivory said that Adler died in his home in Southampton, New York, according to media reports. He staged and produced several shows for U.S. presidents, including Kennedy’s 1962 birthday featuring Monroe’s breathy, seductive rendition of “Happy Birthday.”

But his songs went well beyond the average birthday ditty. Among his most popular were “Everybody Loves a Lover,”“Hernando’s Hideaway,” “Heart,” “Another Time, Another Place,” and “Rags to Riches.” Adler’s life came full circle in New York City, where he thrived in the sprawling metropolis’ theater scene.

He was born in New York, the son of famed concert pianist Clarence Adler.

Raised around music, he began his career as a lyricist after serving in the Navy and teamed up with Jerry Ross in 1950. They worked in tandem, sharing credits on both the words and the music.

The five-year partnership, which produced some of Adler’s more popular work, was curtailed when Ross died suddenly in November 1955 at age 29. He continued working alone or with various partners until 1976, when he composed music for his last original Broadway musical “Music Is.” Since then, his songs have been sampled in such songs as Debelah Morgan’s 2000 R&B hit “Dance With Me.” Adler died roughly two months before his 91 birthday at his home on Long Island. According to his daughter-in-law, he is survived by his widow, two sons Andrew Adler and Charles Shipman, daughter Katherine and three grandchildren Damien and Scarlett Adler and Lola Jane Shipman. His son Christopher Adler died in 1984. —Reuters

SUNDAY, JUNE 24, 2012

lifestyle M U S I C

&

M O V I E S

In a picture taken on May 6, 2012, a Taiwanese girl group perform during a new talent show “Asian Idol Group Competition” in Taipei. —AFP photos

Asian reality stars

go overseas in search of fame

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ike many Chinese girls her age, Qi Ji enjoys singing and dancing and dreams of becoming a star. But rather than tr ying to make a star t in vast and crowded China, she is pinning her hopes on Taiwan. The 18-year-old is the first of many Chinese contestants expected to enter a Taiwanese reality show aimed at creating a girl band that producers hope can rival supergroups such as Japan’s AKB48 or South Korea’s Girls’ Generation. With such televised contests now a major part of the global music industry, in Asia they are spurring a migration of talent between countries as per formers and producers look to crack domestic, regional and global markets.

For Qi, who grew up in northeast China and attended a performing art school in

less likely to get discovered.”

Beijing, this could offer a once-in-a-lifetime chance for a fast track to stardom in China’s market of 1.3 billion people-and perhaps beyond. “Many young Chinese people like me dream of becoming a star,” Qi told AFP prior to a recording session for “Asian Idol Group Competition” aired in mid-May. “I hope to start in Taiwan and eventually have a career both here and in China.” Growing numbers of young Chinese performers are coming to Taiwan in search of a big break, reversing a trend that saw famous Taiwanese per formers such as A-Mei and Jay Chou focus on China.

The show’s producer Lee Fang-ju, the mastermind behind reality shows both in his native Taiwan and in China, is holding auditions in several major Chinese cities this

Chinese native Qi Ji and her Taiwanese teammates answer questions after performing during a new talent show “Asian Idol Group Competition”.

A recording in studio during a new talent show “Asian Idol Group Competition”.

Chinese native Qi Ji performs.

summer to select more contestants to come to Taipei. “ Taiwan has a special allure as many young Chinese idolise Taiwanese singers. They think that making a mark here could turn them into pop divas such as Taiwan’s Jolin Tsai and Elva Hsiao,” Lee said.

“We hope to combine Taiwan and China’s strength to create a pop idol group so that our idols won’t be replaced by the Japanese or South Koreans,” he said. The most successful case so far is arguably Hu Xia, a 22-yearold from Guangxi in southwestern China, who was signed by Sony Music Taiwan after winning the “One Million Star” singing contest in 2010. His latest record “Flame of Love” hit number one on Taiwan’s G-Music chart in March.

“Winning a title in Taiwan is a big boost

for a young Chinese performer since it has a leading role in Mandarin pop music,” said Hsieh Tsung-han, a music producer and lecturer at China University of Technology in Taipei. A-list Entertainment, which is based in Taipei and offers courses for those aspiring to become singers, models and show hosts, is meanwhile getting plenty of interest from China. Last year, it recruited about 100 Chinese nationals aged between 14 and 35 from as far as Mongolia to take performing lessons in Taiwan for an eight-day program at a cost of 15,000 Chinese yuan ($2,380).

“Many Chinese youth follow Taiwan’s TV programs closely and they are attracted by Taiwan’s colourful, diverse and free entertainment scene,” said A-list publicity officer Stella Teng. “China is huge and so you are

Beyond Asia While many Chinese acts look to get noticed in smaller markets first, one Englishspeaking Asian act has looked to use their ethnicity to do the reverse and crack the United States- despite a histor y of such attempts falling flat. “Blush” is made up of five women from the Philippines, India, China, Japan and South Korea who beat hundreds of other pop star wannabes during a talent search across Asia in 2010 called “Project Lotus”. Based in both Hong Kong and the US, Blush have opened for Justin Bieber on the Hong Kong leg of his 2011 tour, recorded with US hip hop star Snoop Dogg and are supported by an A-List of Los Angeles-based producers who have worked with the likes of Lady Gaga and Beyonce.

“Asian singers have not crossed over although many attempts have been made,” said Project Lotus producer and Blush manager Jon Niermann in Los Angeles.“What we’ve tried to do is take artists from the region, but develop them in a very western style with western producers, western songs and a western way of sound and that’s what is helping give Blush the recognition and some initial success.” In February the band’s single “Dance On” hit number one on the Billboard dance club chart, above Rihanna and Kelly Clarkson. The band’s debut EP “The Undivided” was released in May. “We’re in it for the long run and we are serious about our music,” said Blush’s Victoria Chan, who is the band’s Chinese member.

“We have been waiting for this for a long time.” “You lead with the music and the rest of it becomes a public relations angle as to who this group is to set them apart, which is important,” said Niermann. “But it ultimately comes down to talent. — AFP

Spanish actor Galiardo dies at 72 Juan Luis Galiardo

S

panish actor Juan Luis Galiardo, known for film roles as Don Quixote and in Charlton Heston’s “Anthony and Cleopatra”, has died aged 72, his publicists said yesterday.

“A quick and devastating illness has taken away one of the most popular and significant faces in our country’s cinema, theatre and television,” read a statement posted on his official website after his death late Friday. Born in Andalucia, southern Spain in 1940, Galiardo began his five-decade film acting career in the early 1960s and came to international attention in pictures such as “Anthony and Cleopatra” directed by and starring Heston in 1971.

He later worked for several years in Mexico before returning to Spain and played his defining role as the comic knight Quixote in a film of the Spanish classic directed by Manuel Gutierrez Aragon in 2002. His prolific stage career included leading roles such as King Lear, Oedipus and Moliere’s “The Miser”. — AFP

American band Linkin Park performs during the MTV Video Music Awards Japan show in Makuhari, near Tokyo, yesterday. — AP

Shakira pregnancy rumors false

SUNDAY, JUNE 24, 2012

36 Models display creations as part of Jil Sander Spring-Summer 2013 Menswear collection yesterday during the Men’s fashion week in Milan. — AP/AFP photos

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fter a seven year absence, the German designer Jil Sander made her comeback on the Milan catwalks yesterday to a rapturous reception with her menswear collection for spring-summer 2013.

Visibly moved, the 68-year-old queen of minimalism, her blue-eyes framed by her trademark blonde haircut, emerged in an immaculate white linen shirt to take her bow and accept the warm applause for her show. “Minimalist is what I was, and minimalist is how I’ll stay” could be the mantra for the designer, whose show was the first down the runway in the menswear shows which end Tuesday.

Her vision of menswear is evolving, the house explained in a press release. “The Jil Sander man likes form and formality. The core of the collection is the precision cut, executed with a knife.” Sander, who took back the reins from Belgian designer Raf Simons after he was named to Dior in April, experimented with layering and eye-catching contrasts: the playful pairing of a sleeveless blue coat with a white shirt, cropped pants baring ankles and bermuda shorts morphing

Dolce & Gabbana

into culottes. There was a whiff of nostalgia for wellscrubbed schoolboys in their blouses in the 19th century or jaunty sailors on shore leave in the silhouettes.

A midnight blue cardigan with acidic lemon, emerald and scarlet stripes was a nod at the abstract painter Piet Mondrian.

Blocks of primary colours, red, green and blue, dominated the collection, while natural fibres-poplin, cotton, silk, mohair, wool and linen-had pride of place for fabrics. Sander, who founded the house that bears her name in 1968, left in 2004 after falling out with its new owners, the Italian group Prada. Since then she has collaborated with various outfits, notably the Japanese group Uniqlo. —AFP