29th May 2012

CR IP TI ON BS SU

TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2012

Annan slams ‘appalling crime’ on visit to Syria

Djokovic untroubled, Federer levels Connors’ record

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NO: 15463

150 FILS

7 40 PAGES

www.kuwaittimes.net

RAJAB 8, 1433 AH

MPs trade blame as govt probes Dow compensation Hajraf named acting finance minister • MPs demand visa reciprocity

Max 43º Min 30º High Tide 06:01 & 17:00 Low Tide 11:24 & 23:30

By B Izzak conspiracy theories

Pluses and minuses

By Badrya Darwish

badrya_d@kuwaittimes.net

E

ugene Polley, the inventor of the TV remote control, died recently and the whole world, I felt, including many TV channels and businesses, did not give him the proper goodbye. He was not widely on the wires or on news channels like other celebrities. I don’t know if he even was considered a celebrity. Usually celebrity is associated with entertainment, singers, musicians, dancers, hip-hop bands and guitarists or Hollywood or Bollywood stars whatever you prefer - to me it is just the difference of a B replacing the H. The stars from both places are great.

Back to Eugene. At least I heard a program on BBC discussing and talking about the man. It was an interesting debate by the BBC. I wish I had participated but I always prefer to put down my thoughts instead. The debate was about his invention. Was it a curse or a blessing for the globe? It was not fair on the part of many commentators to relate the invention to obesity and laziness and other 101 diseases that are related to laziness. Poor Eugene! I am sure he wanted to help people bring more comfort to their house.

He started it as just a remote control for TV. Today, the remote control is in all industries - be it airplanes, military equipment, vehicles, even toys for kids and agriculture and medicine. How could people justify the minuses of this magic invention to the laziness of people. What about sick people who are bedridden or in wheelchairs and have a problem moving. Maybe they do not use the remote control only as a comfort to turn on the TV but as a necessity to live.

The remote control has minuses and pluses, like many inventions in the world if you do not use it properly. For example, what was exclusive for the defense industry is now the hands of terrorists to detonate bombs with a remote control. We are not going to blame Eugene for any bomb that goes off around the globe or for somebody who got fat by eating two packets of popcorn and 12 bars of chocolate and drinking what Americans call “soda”.

A genius is a genius. It is up to the human being to use technology in a good or bad way. At the end, the human being is responsible. God bless you, Eugene!

DOHA: Qatari firefighters and rescue teams work outside the Villagio Mall after a fire broke out at the ritzy shopping centre yesterday. (Inset) The father of a child killed in the fire is comforted by a relative. — AP

13 children among 19 dead in Qatar mall fire DOHA: A fire that erupted yesterday at a nursery in a main shopping centre in the Qatari capital killed 19 people including 13 children, the interior ministry said. Four of the children who died were Spanish, said a foreign ministry spokeswoman in Madrid. Also, a 3-year-old French child was among the victims, the deputy minister for overseas French citizens, Yamina Benguigui, said in a statement.

The blaze left “19 dead, including 13 children, among them seven girls and six boys, in addition to four female teachers,” the Qatari interior ministry said on its Twitter page, cit-

4 men handed life for spying for Iran KUWAIT: The appeals court yesterday reduced a death sentence on two Iranians and a Kuwaiti to life in prison and upheld a life term on a stateless man on charges of spying for Iran, a judiciary source said. The court however confirmed the acquittal of a man and a woman, both Iranians, while a Syrian who was sentenced to life by the lower court too was acquitted, the source said. The two Iranians and the Kuwaiti who were handed the life terms worked for the Kuwaiti army at the time of their arrest in May 2010.

The defendants were accused of spying for Iran and of passing information on the

Kuwaiti and US military in the state to the Islamic republic’s Revolutionary Guards, an accusation Iran has denied. The defendants, throughout the trial, denied the charges and insisted they had been tortured to extract confessions. The case strained relations between Kuwait and neighbouring Iran, prompting a tit-for-tat expulsion of diplomats. Ambassadors and diplomats later returned to both capitals following a visit

by Iran’s Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi to Kuwait City on May 11 last year.

The ruling is not final as the case will now go to Kuwait’s supreme court where a final verdict will be issued. —AFP

S&P maintains Kuwait credit ratings at AA KUWAIT: Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services said yesterday it has maintained sovereign credit ratings for Kuwait at AA on strong financial resources with a stable outlook. S&P “affirmed its ‘AA/A-1+’ long- and shortterm foreign and local currency sovereign credit ratings on Kuwait,” said the ratings agency. “The ratings on Kuwait are supported by the sovereign’s rich resource endowment, which has led to high levels of wealth and enabled it to build very strong external and fiscal balance sheet positions,” it said.

The ratings are however constrained by “our view of Kuwait’s underdeveloped private sector, strong dependence on oil revenues, latent

geopolitical risks and the lack of transparency regarding government assets”, it said. The OPEC’s third largest producer, pumping around 3.0 million barrels per day, has had a budget surplus during the past 12 fiscal years and is headed for a record surplus in the fiscal year that ended March 31 due to high oil price.

As a result, Kuwait, with a native population of just 1.2 million, has boosted its foreign assets at around $400 billion, according to the Institute of International Finance (IIF). But, development in the country has been hampered by continued political disputes.

Continued on Page 13

ing the country’s health minister.

Two members of the civil defence also died in the fire at the capital’s main Villagio mall, it said.

The fire started at a nursery, state minister for the interior Abdullah bin Nasser Al-Thani told reporters.

Firefighters had to break through the roof to get to trapped children after a staircase to the first-floor nursery collapsed, he added. Dense smoke inside the mall combined with the fierce temperature from the flames made reaching the trapped children very difficult, a representative of the civil defence told a news conference. Health Minister Khaled

Al-Qahtani said 17 people were injured in the blaze, mostly firefighters. Footage posted earlier online showed black smoke billowing from the shopping centre as emergency vehicles rushed to the scene.

In Madrid, a foreign ministry spokeswoman said: “Four of the dead children are Spanish,” and added that Spanish embassy officials were trying to get more details.

The fire at the Villagio broke out at 11:30 am (0800 GMT), the ministry said, quoting Al-Thani as telling reporters that the “public prosecution has taken charge of the investigation”. — Agencies

KUWAIT: MPs exchanged accusations yesterday on the controversy over a $2.16 billion compensation awarded to US Dow Chemical after Kuwait scrapped a multibillion-dollar joint venture in Dec 2008. Following highlevel meetings headed by Prime Minister HH Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, the Cabinet decided yesterday to form a number of panels to probe the deal and the way Kuwait should tackle the huge compensation.

The Cabinet formed a ministerial committee that will study legal and practical avenues to minimize losses and damages on Kuwait from the compensation ruling awarded by International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce.

The Cabinet also launched a comprehensive probe into the joint venture deal under which Kuwait would have paid $7.5 billion to create the K-Dow petrochemicals joint venture, owned equally by Kuwait’s state -owned Petrochemicals Industries Co (PIC) and Dow Chemical. The Nayef Al-Hajraf probe will cover all the negotiations, procedures to sign the deal and the penalty clause which was used by the arbitration to order Kuwait to pay $2.16 billion. The Cabinet also asked the legal and fatwa department to review all court cases involving Kuwait inside and outside Kuwait.

Opposition MP Mohammad Al-Khalifa however held former prime minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad AlAhmad Al-Sabah responsible for the huge Continued on Page 13

K-Dow fallout to linger long Special Report

By A Saleh KUWAIT: A senior energy official told Kuwait Times yesterday that the cancellation of the K-Dow deal caused “considerable damage both economically and politically to Kuwait in the international market”, adding “the cost of the cancellation is not only the $2.16 billion penalty but also $3 billion in lost opportunity from the money that Kuwait could have made on the deal”. — See Page 5

Powerful virus found in Mideast BOSTON: Security experts have discovered a highly sophisticated computer virus in Iran and the Middle East that they believe was deployed at least five years ago to engage in state-sponsored cyber espionage.

Evidence suggest that the virus, dubbed Flame, may have been built on behalf of the same nation or nations that commissioned the Stuxnet worm that attacked Iran’s nuclear program in 2010, according to Kaspersky Lab, the Russian cyber security software maker that claimed responsibility for discovering the virus.

Kaspersky researchers said yesterday they have yet to determine whether Flame had a specific mission like Stuxnet, and declined to say who they think built it. Iran has accused the United States and Israel of deploying Stuxnet. Cyber security experts said the discovery provides new evidence to the public to show what experts privy to classified information have long known: that nations have been using pieces of malicious computer code as weapons to promote their security interests for several years. “This is one of many, many campaigns that happen all the time and never make it into the public domain,” said Alexander Klimburg, a cyber security expert at the Austrian Institute for International Affairs.

A cyber security agency in Iran said on its website yesterday that Flame bore a “close relation” to Stuxnet, the notorious computer worm that attacked that country’s nuclear program in 2010 and is the first publicly known example of a cyber weapon. Iran’s National Computer Emergency Response Team also said Flame might be linked to recent cyber attacks that officials in Tehran have said were responsible for massive data losses on some Iranian computer systems.

Kaspersky Lab said it discovered Flame after a UN telecommunications agency asked it to analyze data on malicious software across the Middle East in search of the data-wiping virus reported by Iran. Experts at Kaspersky Lab and Hungar y ’s Laborator y of Cryptography and System Security who have spent weeks studying Flame said they have yet to find any evidence that it can attack infrastructure, delete data or Continued on Page 13

MANAMA: Bahraini human rights activist Nabeel Rajab gestures as he leaves a police station yesterday. The image on the building behind him shows (clockwise from top) King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa, Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa and Prime Minister Khalifa bin Salman Al-Khalifa. — AP

Bahrain activist ends 110-day hunger strike Rights campaigner freed on bail DUBAI: Opposition activist Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, facing a life sentence on charges of seeking to overthrow Bahrain’s Sunni rulers, announced yesterday an end to his 110-day hunger strike, as another rights campaigner was released on bail. “He has stopped his hunger strike,” Khadija Almousawi, Khawaja’s wife, told Reuters by telephone from Manama. His lawyer

Mohammed Al-Jishi had said earlier that Khawaja, a leading figure in Shiite-led pro-democracy unrest that erupted last year, felt he had succeeded in drawing attention to the issue of imprisoned activists.

Earlier Jishi announced that prominent activist Nabeel Rajab was granted bail although he continues to face three Continued on Page 13

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TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2012

LOCAL

News

in brief Senior MOH employees

KUWAIT: The Ministry of Health is currently putting the final touches on the files of those who will be retired when they reach the legal age limit.

Those who have spent 30 years of service or more will also be retired, in line with the last decision to shuffle government employees and fill vacancies with new young blood. Health sources said the decisions will include central administrative directors, area managers, hospital managers, and their deputies, in addition to the chiefs of nursing staff in hospitals.

New custody department KUWAIT: The Ministry of Interior has finalized a study to construct a new custody department to receive family reports, personal cases and court decisions relating to children. Sources said female security personnel will be responsible for this depar tment and follow up its work . Sources explained that seeing children inside a police station will be cancelled, as it has several negative points. Many parents refuse to allow their children to enter a police station, the sources said. The new administration will employ female personnel, specialized in supervising, receiving and delivering children to those who have court decisions to see them in a special nicely furnished place, without the atmosphere found at police stations.

National Guard officer honored

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, received at Bayan Palace yesterday the credentials of new ambassadors to Kuwait including ambassador Umit Yalcin of Turkey, Alexander Borisoff of Bulgaria, Abdullah Salifu of Ghana, Ablah Hard Omar of Tanzania and Omar Jabril Sala of Gambia. The ceremony was attended by Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and State Minister for Cabinet Affairs, Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Sabah and a number of senior officials.

Report finds ‘evidence of violation’ in transfers KUWAIT: The State Audit Bureau finished a report, they were assigned by the Cabinet to make, concerning the transfers case in which former Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah is accused of sending public funds to private accounts overseas.

The report reportedly contains “clear evidence of violations of regulations and mechanisms of spending” that the state department follows, according to a report quoting sources familiar with the case.

After the Cabinet receives the report, it will be sent to Parliament. The source said this will help “settle this issue since the report explains that the violations are related to administrative procedures and spending mechanisms”, and not connected to the financial status quo of former Cabinet members. A parliamentary committee investigating the case was scheduled to meet yesterday with Finance Ministry Undersecretary, Khalifa Hamadah, as well as the Director of the Administrative and Financial Affairs Department in the Foreign Ministry.

According to sources close to the committee, the meeting was supposed to focus on whether the transfers were ordered by Sheikh Nasser Al-Sabah.

MP Musallam Al-Barrak demanded that the State Audit Bureau be assigned to investigate the subjects brought up during the debate of the grilling against Finance Minister Mustafa Al-Shamali. The lawmaker, who co-presented the grilling with MPs Khalid Al-Tahous and Abdurrahman AlAnjari, said the new finance minister will be given a “three-month period to execute measures of reform, or else be considered an accomplice in crime with Al-Shamali”.

Al-Shamali reportedly submitted his resignation following the debate last Thursday, which ended with a request to file a vote of no-confidence. The 30-member plus Majority Bloc can easily vote him out of office.

To fill the void left by Al-Shamali, it is widely speculated that the Cabinet could be currently mulling a reshuffle that will also see the Minister of Social Affairs and Labor, Ahmad Al-Rujaib, and the Minister of Defense, Sheikh Ahmad Al-Khalid AlSabah, moved to avoid facing grilling motions planned against them. Sources recently said that former Interior Minister and current head of the National Security Service, Sheikh Mohammad Al-Khalid AlSabah, could return to the Cabinet in the planned reshuffle.

KUWAIT: A Kuwait National Guard (KNG) officer was honored yesterday for his heroic act where he saved a citizen from being burned alive after his vehicle was involved in a traffic accident in front of Khaitan area. Deputy Chief of the National Guard Sheik h M ishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah received Corporal Ghazi Faihan at his office and thanked him for his heroic act which reflected KNG’s personnel’s dedication to protect citizens.

Absence of women in politics blamed on Islamists, infighting GVH holds its first forum in Kuwait

By Nawara Fattahova KUWAIT: The Global Voice Hall (GVH) held its first forum in Kuwait titled ‘The Absence of Women in Politics....’ on Sunday at the Graduates Society. The speakers at the forum discussed the main reasons why there were no women in Kuwait parliament and cabinet.

They also discussed the absence of women in top positions in the Arab world. Dr Saud Al-Anezi, Chairman of the Graduates Society blamed the absence of women in Kuwait politics on the Islamists and infighting among the women.

“There seems to be an ongoing campaign aimed at excluding women from the political arena.

Also during the last election, some women candidates took part just to make other women fail. More so, the short period of time the women MPs stayed in politics made it difficult to evaluate their performance. For instance, some of draft laws the women MPs proposed and submitted were not approved,” he explained.

Regarding the absence of women at the top positions in the Arab countries after the Arab Spring, Al-Anezi said that the issue is more complex than thought.

“The young people who participated in overthrowing the autocratic regimes are basically being left out.

The presence of these groups is very important in our Arab society,” he added.

Dr Anoud Al-Sharikh, a researcher at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in the Middle East said that Kuwait

KUWAIT: Dr. Saud Al-Anezi, Dr. Lubna Al-Qadi, Dr. Anoud Al-Sharikh, Samar Al-Badawi and Shuruq Amin.

— Photo by Joseph Shagra democracy should serve as an fulfill the promises they gave to in politics. They are only allowed to example in the Gulf region. women candidates. We need the work in few places.

There are restrictions for women “Freedom of speech and expression media to highlight their achieveand the political participation ments before the next elections,” to participate in sports. We only have one karate sportswoman, one through elections were part of the she stated.

Saudi human rights activist, female footballer and one female Kuwaiti political culture since 1963.

This gained more recognition after Samar Al-Badawi sees Saudi society equestrian,” she stressed. Shuruq the Kuwaiti women gained their as tribal and conservative. “The Amin, a renewed Kuwait artist and political rights in 2005,” she pointed Arab Society does not allow more political activist said that the time rights for women. Women who was too short to make changes and out.

Dr Lubna Al-Qadi, a Professor of demand their rights always face modifications. “To change the situaSociology and Director of the repression. My relations with the tion it needs years. People do not Woman’s Studies Unit at the Kuwait international human rights organi- judge the men MPs the way they University lamented on the zations have received a lot of criti- judged the women MPs. We always absence of women MPs in last elec- cism. Women constitute 60 percent give women less and expect more tions. “Male candidates were look- of the Saudi population, but still, from them. This is not fair,” she ing on how to succeed and didn’t they are not allowed to participate added.

Safar calls for overhauling e-waste treatment laws KUWAIT: Kuwaiti Minister of Public Works and Minister of State for Planning and Development Affairs, Fadhel Safar, stressed yesterday the significance of revamping pieces of legislation and laws bearing on e-waste treatment.

Addressing an electronic waste treatment conference, the minister said it is necessary to overhaul e-waste treatment laws with a view to using relevant scientific methods.

He said the conference mainly aims to highlight the e-waste problem as a major challenge to humanity, and to find more effective ways to resolve it in light of the present stupendous technological advancement.

He urged all sides involved, be they public or private, to attach more attention to this big problem to reduce the effects of e-waste pollution.

The Kuwaiti minister considered the conference a significant opportunity for the conferees to share experience and information on the problem and come up with effective recommendations. He said Kuwait’s national development plan provides for collecting and recycling e-waste. — KUNA

KUWAIT: Minister of Public Works and Minister of State for Planning and Development Affairs Fadhel Safar inaugurating the conference.

TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2012

local

News

in brief

Iran calls for Gulf referendum KUWAIT: Iran welcomes any union between Arab and Islamic countries which guarantee their independence and sovereignty, as long as a public referendum is held to assure people’s approval. Ambassador of the Islamic Republic to Kuwait, Rouhollah Qahramani, asked for a comment on the potential union between the Gulf Cooperation Council countries. “The Islamic Republic of Iran always calls for unity and solidarity which guarantee people’s interests without intervention by foreign forces that harbor no good to our countries”, the Ambassador said. He said a GCC union “as long as people’s approval is taken into account, and as long as the independence, sovereignty and individual interests of each state are guaranteed”.

Plan to face nuclear radiation KUWAIT: First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, Sheikh Ahmad al-Humoud, said the ministry has prepared a national plan to face nuclear radiation since the year 2006. The plan was updated this year, and it relates to all formalities towards any nuclear accidents inside or outside Kuwait. The Minister was responding to a Parliament question filed by MP Dr. Waleed AlTabtabaie about the state plan to face a nuclear threat in the region. The Minister said Kuwait signed a nuclear ban treaty in 1968 and a nuclear safety treaty in 2006. Kuwait is considered at the forefront of states in the field of dealing with radioactive materials, by introducing necessary legislation and special laws that protect it from radiation.

Um Al-Haiman residents KUWAIT: The Supreme Court on Sunday made an unprecedented ruling, stating that the government should provide alternative houses to ten Um Al-Hamian residents who sued the government for damages caused by the pollution in that area. Each plaintiff was also granted a sum of KD 5001 as temporary compensation.

According to sources with the knowledge of the case, the ruling was based on the evidence that proved that the ten Kuwaiti citizens suffered pollution-related health disorder. More so, the court approves reports which indicate that Um Al-Haiman is not suitable for inhabitation as a result of the decade-long pollution problem there.

MoC plans new collection system KUWAIT: Minister of Communications (MoC), Engineer Salem Al-Othaina, said the ministry intends to introduce a new mechanism to increase the collection of the earnings for its services provided to consumers. Al-Othaina said the new strategy will be part of the government efforts to increase non oil earnings, and to diversify sources of income in Kuwait which depend 80 percent on oil income. He said the MoC is a service ministry which the national economy will be counting on during the coming period, considering that communication sectors and transportation are the pillars for any growth both inside and outside Kuwait. He explained that MoC earnings in 2011 were KD 155 million, and 85 percent of the earnings were collected. The MoC is looking to increase those earnings during the coming period through development and by updating its services, which it provides jointly with the private sector to its consumers.

KUWAIT: Brig Khaled Al-Jinahi, Director General of the department for Qualifying non-commissioned officers and individuals, awarded certificates and military service medals granted by His Highnes the Amir for 2012 to several non-commissioned officers. The event was held under the patronage of Ministry of Interior Assistant Undersecretary for Education and Training Affairs, Lt Gen Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf Al-Ahmad.

Shops, baqalas in Hasawi facing demolition threat People living in a strange environment

By Ben Garcia KUWAIT: Many shops and baqalas in the Hasawi area of Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh, particularly in blocks one, two and three, are deemed closed but they are operating and doing business as usual. They are operating in such a peculiar manner that some people there describe the environment as very ‘creative, secretive but worrisome’. The situation which has been there for quite some time is indeed strange, as you witness many shops closed but see them operating through a small door opening.

Many shop owners in question told this reporter it was merely about the license, another said they were given only until the end of May to operate and that portion of Hasawi will soon be demolished. Neither of these two pieces of information were verified, as telephone calls to the Municipality remained unanswered at press time.

“Many shops here are operating allegedly without a license. Many are expired (license) so they are afraid and are avoiding police patrolling the area. They (shops and baqalas) appear to be closed from the outside, but they are virtually operating,” the Kuwait Times source told this reporter.

Some shops that Kuwait Times noticed were covered with black fabric over their

windows, others are covered with black garbage bags in front appearing to be closed, but customers are going in and out of the shops.

The Kuwait Times source, who lives nearby, said the unusual event started just

KUWAIT: An area in Hasawi around seven in the evening.

—Photo by Ben Garcia

Blogger case adjourned

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: Kuwait’s comprehensive court yesterday adjourned until June 4 a case filed against Kuwaiti blogger, Hamad Al-Naki, over accusations of blaspheming Prophet Mohammed (PBUH), his companions and the mothers of believers

on his Twitter account. Al-Naki is accused of creating sectarian tumult amongst citizens, insulting the regimes of two GCC states, mocking Islam and misusing his mobile phone to spreading such insults.

Following up the case in which a Qatari national was accused of running over Kuwaiti citizen Ahmed

Assad, security sources said the criminal court adjourned the hearing to June 18 to announce its verdict. The case goes back to the National and Liberation Days in February when the defendant was arrested for attempted murder when he deliberately ran over the victim during a dispute.

Syria massacre tops agenda as Arab FMs meet in Doha New boss for SCB KUWAIT: Housing Minister Shuaib Al-Muwaizri issued a ministerial decision appointing Sayed Sandouh as the General Director of the Savings and Credit Bank (SCB). The decision followed an earlier discussion through which he fired former General Director, Salah Al-Mudhaf, for financial and administrative violations during his term.

D e c i s i o n 6 8 / 2 0 1 2 s t a te s t h a t S aye d Sandouh, Deputy Director for Administrative and Financial Affairs, will be responsible for the General Director work with immediate effect in addition to his own work.

In reaction to the news, Salah Al-Mudhaf said he filed a court case against the Housing M i n i s te r for f i r i n g him fro m his p o st . H e emphasized that the decision contradicts the Constitution and Civil Service Commission laws, and also challenges an Amiri decree appointing him to the post.

Al-Mudhaf said he filed a complaint to the Prime Minister and the concerned minister over his dismissal from his position. He continued to do his work while waiting for a decision to give him his rights, but the Council of Ministers did not take any political decision in this respect.

CAIRO: The abhorrent massacre in Houla will be top on the agenda of the Arab foreign ministers’ extraordinary meeting in Doha on Saturday, Kuwait delegate to the Arab League Ambassador Jamal Al-Ghuneim said yesterday. In statements to KUNA, Al-Ghuneim said that Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and President of the current session of the Arab League Council Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Sabah has made a series of contacts with Arab League Secretary General Nabil Al-Arabi and several Arab foreign ministers to debate the shocking developments in Syria, particularly the Houla massacre.

The UN mission said 92 bodies, 32 of them children aged less than 10, had been counted in the central Syrian town of Houla after reports of an artillery bombardment by government forces. Sheikh Sabah AlKhaled and the Arab officials have agreed on placing the issue on the top of the agenda in the next meeting, Al-Ghuneim said.

The Kuwaiti top diplomat also stressed the need for the participation of UN-Arab Special Envoy to Syria Kofi Annan in the Doha meeting to brief on his evaluation to the situation in Syria and the mission of the UN observers. Al-Ghuneim said that the Arab Ministerial Committee on Syria will convene ahead of Doha meeting to mull measures to be taken in light of the latest developments and present its recommendations to the Arab League Council on Saturday. — KUNA

Suspected terrorist in custody KUWAIT: A GCC national was sent from Shuwaikh Port to the state security for interrogation due to suspected connections to terrorist groups.

Sources said after checking his laptop, verbal assaults on the companions of the Prophet (PBUH) were found. Security sources said the man was stopped by Shuwaikh Sea Port officers after he arrived on board a boat from Iran.

After checking his passport, it was found that

a few days ago. In fact he noted that usually that part of Hasawi is normally crowded at seven o’clock in the evening. People are doing their usual business, cars and busses are usually crowding the place, but not any more. “The businesses here close at 11pm.

he moved from Iran to Iraq and back to Iran without obtaining a visa, but he got a visa to Iran from the Iranian Embassy in Kuwait. His luggage was checked, but nothing illegal was found. The GCC citizen refused to tell security men how he entered Iraq without a visa, nor mentioned the name of the parties who facilitated his travels.

More investigations will be carried at the state security department.

But for the last several days now, the scene has changed. The shops, especially in block one, are closed but operating secretly as you see. In block two and three, some baqalas are closed, but they are also operating secretly,” the source added. At least one street in block one is also in total darkness. There were no lights on in the street, except for some brightness emanating from the vehicles passing by.

“Crimes could take place in such dark places. The Municipality should at least do something and not to wait for such an incident to happen. We live here and you see the darkness is engulfing the street. It’s really dangerous. Cars cannot see the people walking, besides the damaged roads/drainage system are really irritating.

Are we on another planet or still part of Kuwait?” one resident asked.

One of the strange people, awaiting for customers from afar, said his shop is closed because the license was not renewed.

“We closed our shop because we don’t have a valid license now. But we have customers so, even if we are closed, we are getting some customers to transact with.

The Municipality won’t give us a license because they said they are going to demolish this place,” a shop owner told this reporter.

TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2012

LOCAL

Letters to Muna

kuwait digest

Penetration of the govt system

Wonderful world ... not any more!

Dear Madam Mona, Your story ‘The Ice Cream Vendor’ published in Friday Times (May 25), broke my heart. What a wretched world! Poor guy- what does he get? Five or ten fils for a cup of ice cream and a bottle of mineral water he sells after toiling the whole day in the scorching sun pedaling his wares on a rickety bicycle? In all probability, he may have gone to bed (if he had one) hungry that night when his hard earned KD10 (a fortune by any account) was gone. I couldn’t stop crying while I was reading the story. I don’t know what Louis Armstrong had in mind when he sang the song ‘What A Wonderful World’. Not any more!

James

By Ahmad Mohammad Al-Fahad

D

uring the previous grilling of former prime minister, His Highness Sheikh Nasser AlSabah, about Iran - Kuwait close ties, one of the aspects was related to the printing of the Iranian flag on a box of tissues for a Kuwaiti company which works in the oil field.

Citizens in the diwaniyas were speaking about it as an official penetration of the Kuwait Government Systems. Then, during the grilling, MPs realized that the printed flag is similar to the emblem of Kuwait Oil Tankers Company which printed the tissue boxes. The mistake was made by a female employee

The respected MP Abdulrahman Al-Anjari stood in front of the crowd near the Guests Hall after the Government withdrew from the grilling session of Finance Minister Mustafa Al-Shamali due to the merging of two motions. He started shouting like a car auctioneer saying: the masks have fallen, and this file has uncovered what was hidden. This file is of the social security! who belongs to one of the tribes, I think, or of an Arab origin...and her relation with Iran, is like that of footballer Messi with Islamic advocate Fuad AlRafae!

This story is repeated in the National Assembly, Municipal Council, cooperatives and NGOs because one of its members holds on to “foolproof ” evidence, but during a confrontation discovers that it is nothing!

The respected MP Abdulrahman Al-Anjari stood in front of the crowd near the Guests Hall after the Government withdrew from the grilling session of Finance Minister Mustafa Al-Shamali due to the merging of two motions. He started shouting like a car auctioneer saying: the masks have fallen, and this file has uncovered what was hidden. This file is of the social security!

It is true that the file may carry documents and dangerous information about the social security institute, and may contain contracts that no one thinks about, but it also may have useless information. Also judgment on the importance of the file comes through confrontation and discussion, not by screaming like a car auctioneer!

After the insistence by the Majority to merge the two grilling motions into one, many questions came to my mind. If the goal behind the grilling of the Finance Minister is reform, and not the minister’s head when he promised to answer the grilling individually, then instead of merging 11 aspects into six continuous hours of grilling rather than 3 hours, why insist on merging them?!

If the Majority justification to merge the two grilling is the similarity of the aspects, then why did the Majority - which criticizes the Government performance - fail to unify the aspects in one ministry and coordinate the grillers?! — Al-Watan

OP-ED

Dear Muna, I read and enjoyed your article in Kuwait Times regarding the ‘Minority Vs Majority’. In the United States we believe that it is the majority that should rule. We also believe strongly that the basic rights of the minority should be protected, and that protection must be provided by the government itself, otherwise the minority could be abused by the majority, particularly in the legislative process. We believe all are created equally and we possess certain rights, granted by God, that no government can or should take those rights away.

An American Citizen

No one above people’s will

By Abdullah Al-Misfer Al-Adwani

B

reathing clean air is a gift from the God, and it is a must for every human to enjoy oxygen which purifies the blood and the body. Oxygen is the symbol of life. Without it there is no life and our heart stops and dies in minutes. Then welcome to the clean air in the skies of Kuwait, so that we all enjoy it, and start natural life in a clean environment.

The political environment and even the social environment in Kuwait, turned into a corrupt space and the pollution is more than the pollution coming from the oil wells in the North and East and Ahmadi and Fahaheel and many other areas.

Pollution in the past was the trademark of our life with all its details. The purification system for the polluted air, which we were breathing, started giving its fruits and achieving its goals by purifying the space just two days ago.

The finance minister stood up on the platform by his own will and was forced to step down, after the grillers disclosed to the public opinion how polluted the air that we breath is.

The grilling of Al-Shamali and its results is a real indicator that the public, represented by the MPs, will not give up to pressure and corrupt practices by certain parties to get a tender here or a deal there at the expense of the

public and the sector of simple limited income citizens.

Even if influential people try to remove this National Assembly out of their way by devolution, the street is there and vote boxes are there and will get you a National

Even if influential people try to remove this National Assembly out of their way by devolution, the street is there and vote boxes are there and will get you a National Assembly stronger than this one. After eliminating the remaining moss, we are proud that the Majority is keen to protect public money.

Assembly stronger than this one.

After eliminating the remaining moss, due to the old corruption which is still keen to find itself a place in the legislative authority, we are proud that the Majority is keen to protect public money and joined together with 33 votes in the last grilling for the first time in Kuwaiti history.

Nor will the public remain silent. We demand that MP Musallam Al-Barrak insists, as he declared, to issue recommendation to send Al-Shamali to the ministers court along with high ranking officials of the Ministry of Finance and its subsidiary organizations to the Public Prosecution Department.

Right is right and there is no one above the law, or above the peoples will.

The reform train just started its journey and will not stop under any circumstances. He who stated liberty will not accept corruption, and he who breathed the clean air full of oxygen, shall not accept living one hour in pollution.

Let it be known to everyone, whoever he might be, that the public will not back up and go back to square one. Night is rubbed out by day, which will remain and continue by the will of a public that wants an honorable life in a clean and healthy environment. — Al-Anbaa

kuwait digest

It’s human lives, people!

By Abdullah Abbas Bowair

R

esponsible for being closely concerned with the lives of people, the Ministry of Health (MoH) is one of the most significant ministries and has been the core of interest of many legislators and citizens alike. Unfortunately, MoH violations and errors are uncountable and that’s why we’ll mention only a few at a time.

On a visit to a friend’s office at a coop society, one of his guests said that he had had a heart attack and that on going to a hospital, the doctor told him he needed open heart surgery.

“I decided to travel abroad for a second opinion. I sold some property to pay for the trip. After being examined, the doctor told me that I would only need a bypass to clear a slightly narrowing vein”, said the man noting that he had been well ever since.

In another story, the warehouse pharmacy has been suffering a shortage in a very important medication; TROXAL which is very important to help elderly patients fall asleep and protects them from psychological disorders. The ministry of social affairs stressed that it contacted the Health Ministry several times in vain.

A third story is of a citizen who had his wife examined for pregnancy in one of the ministry polyclinics and the results were ‘Positive’ on May 2. Being so happy with the news, the citizen decided to go to a private hospital to make sure his wife received the best service ever.

To his astonishment, the pregnancy tests conducted by the private hospital came back negative. He returned to the same polyclinic the following day, May 3rd, where the test also returned negative! He checked with the clinic manager, who blamed it all on the lab technician and promised to refer her for an investigation.

“Can our lives be taken so lightly and irresponsibly?”, wondered the citizen calling for taking such mishaps and violations into full consideration! — Al-Watan

kuwait digest

Do you know these things?

By Omar Al-Tabtabaei

D

o you know that Kuwait is suffering today because of you?

Do you know that the principles of achievement, honesty and integrity became lost in our society?

Do you know that what other countries consider basics of living became an ambition we dream of realizing here?

Do you know that we are eager to have a true hospital with medical services suitable with human dignity?

Do you know that many intellectual fortunes that can revolutionize countries are now sitting behind their desks in government offices, demoralized by the fact that their ideas are left to gather dust on shelves?

Do you know that the generations targeted by the ‘Fund of Future Generations’ when it was first established, have already given birth to a new generation?

Do you know that there are permanent solutions to all the problems the government finds temporary solutions to?

Do you know there are more competent advisors than those surrounding you?

Do you know that all countries around us are developing while we still struggle to deal with corruption?

Do you know that Qatar will host a future World Cup tournament while we don’t even have an international stadium?

Do you know that in Kuwait, ‘wasta’ (unlawful mediation) is right (a play on the term ‘might is right’)?

Do you know that young Kuwaiti people spend their weekends meeting to find solutions to improve their country?

Do you know that for decades we’ve been singing patriotic songs praising a developed country that we are yet to see?

Do you know we’ve become strangers in our own homeland?

Do you know that we learned how to hate in our society?

Do you know that one day you’ll become a dark page in the history of this country?

Do you know that HH the Amir always calls in his speeches for respecting the law that you keep violating?

Do you know that you can never stop the volcano of furious young people loyal to their country should it erupt at any minute?

Do you know that I’m fighting my tears right now while writing this column?

Do you know that despite all the pessimism filling our souls, we will never grow desperate of our country?

Do you know that despite your corruption that blackens the light of day, we can still brighten the sky in our country with the sun of our will?

Do you know that there are letters in my mind that are destined to be honest in their love for this country, and try to break away from emotions within this writing space?

In my nation, these letters are suffocated by the ropes of corruption held by people who know exactly how to tighten the hold around the country’s neck.

This message is sent to every state official with his hands immersed so deep in the swamp of corruption, and to every merchant who put his personal interests ahead of his country. It is sent to every citizen who violated any law, and to every minister too weak to make simple changes to improve the performance in his ministry’s departments.

It is sent to every MP who puts his political and financial ambitions ahead of the public good, and to every person capable of achieving reform but simply chooses not to.

One last note: A farmer and a writer both plant seeds in the soil of society. The former can make the land more beautiful with his flowers, and the latter can make it more beautiful with his ideas. —Al-Rai

TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2012

local K-Dow Special Report

K-Dow investigation to start

By A Saleh KUWAIT: A senior energy official told Kuwait Times yesterday that there will be an investigation into the decision to cancel the K-Dow deal.

“PIC (Petrochemical Industries Company in Kuwait) has to abide by the court decision,” the source said adding that PIC is liable for the damages.

The assets from the deal that were canceled are profitable, the source said, adding: “The cost of the cancellation is not only the $2.16 billion but also a $3 billion worth in lost opportunity from the money that Kuwait could have made on the deal.”

According to the source, the cancellation of the deal has caused “considerable damage both economically and politically to Kuwait in the international market.” The source explained that there continues to be mutual interest between Kuwait energy industr y and Dow through an EQUATE joint venture.

“This work relationship will continue, but Kuwait needs to make up its mind. They need to decide if they want to go into the petrochemical industry at an international level. You can’t keep moving one step forward and two steps back,” the source said Political agenda The K-Dow Chemicals launch was cancelled due to parliamentary opposition, that called the project “not economically viable”.

“In 2008, there was arm-twisting by some members of Parliament to cancel the deal,” according to the senior energy official. Such claims were refuted by Saad bin Tefla, former MP and former Minister of Information who yesterday told Kuwait Times: “To put the blame on Members of Parliament for aborting the venture between PIC and Dow Chemical is the most ridiculous political anecdote.”

He argued that the approval process must have followed certain channels, and if all these channels were right only then should the deal have been approved. “They should have seen the contract, and anyone who has the slightest experience should have noticed the conditions in the contract. How could anyone be penalized by one-third of the total contract? This is something that should not have happened.

Anyone who knows the A, B, C in business should have realized that,” bin Tefla said. “The decisionmaking process is that of the Government and it is not fair to blame the MPs for it. This is only a way to get rid of the responsibility.

Now the Government has to try to eliminate the unfair penalty and if not they should bring those responsible to account.”

Who is responsible?

On May 24, the International Chamber of Commerce’s international court ruled against Kuwait’s Petrochemical Industries Company in favor of Dow Chemical Co., a verdict estimated at $2.16 billion for the cancellation of a major petrochemicals joint

venture between the two companies in 2008. The International arbitration court ruling against Petrochemical Industries Co.(PIC), a subsidiar y of state -owned Kuwait Petroleum Corporation, is considered to be “one of the largest ever arbitration awards”, according to Dow’s law firm. The $17.4bn K-Dow was cancelled by PIC amidst the credit crunch anemic cycle.

Dow, the largest chemical maker in the United States, signed the deal with PIC valued at $17.5 billion to set up a joint venture to be named K-Dow on November 13, 2008. Under the deal, PIC was to pay $7.5 billion to own 50 percent of the new company. Dow Chemical’s contribution was through assets in a number of plants distributed around the world. The original value of the deal was $9 billion but the amount was reduced because of the global financial crisis, which sent the value of assets crashing.

Back in 2008, PIC Chairwoman Maha Mulla Hussein strongly defended the deal saying it would make the Kuwaiti company a true global petrochemical leader. In her words, under the deal PIC was to own 50 percent of K-Dow which would have owned Dow Chemical assets, plants and research centres in the US, Canada, Argentina, Chile, Spain, Holland, Germany, and Belgium.

In her statements in 2008, Hussein insisted that PIC reduced its contribution from $9 billion to $7.5 billion. In her words, the return on investments would range between 10 percent to 12 percent. She also acknowledged that “the party that withdraws from the deal is required to pay a fine of up to $2.5 billion.”

According to 2008 news reports, forecasts indicated that the new partnership would yield more than $11 billion annually and employ 5,000 workers worldwide. Cash from the joint venture deal was to fund acquisitions in the specialty chemicals sector.

A Government statement, issued at the time, appealed to the Supreme Petroleum Council to take the necessary measures to cancel the contract and apply a sound legal framework while safeguarding the country’s interests.

Fighting the verdict According to news reports published yesterday, there are a series of loopholes in the K-Dow deal that led to the multibillion verdict.

Currently, PIC is considering legal options. In a statement this week Maha Mulla Hussain, PIC chairwoman and managing director, said “PIC management is discussing with lawyers all of the available legal proceedings.”

Legal experts in the Gulf state are looking at details of the contract to find loopholes through which Dow Chemicals was able to benefit from the penalty clause, despite the fact that the termination happened before a deadline after which the clause could be exercised.

Legal experts and oil sector insiders said a “dangerous case of ambiguity” surrounded the case, which resulted in the triggering of

a penalty clause being activated even when the Kuwaiti Government terminated the contract on 28 December, 2008.

According to the repor t, the agreement was that the clause could not be implemented if the decision was taken before January 2, 2009.

One explanation indicates that the penalty clause was likely not linked to another clause, which required the Kuwaiti Government’s approval on the deal in order for it to become enforced. This explains how the right to exercise the penalty clause was left unrestricted, and could be activated “regardless of whether the Kuwaiti Government had agreed on all terms of the deal or not”.

The Kuwaiti Government had still not fully approved the deal when it made the decision to terminate it on 28 December, 2008.

This should have helped to avoid falling into the penalty, which would have been inevitable had the termination happened after the Government approved the contract in full. Experts speculate that PIC, which handled the negotiations, might have given full approval on the deal without keeping in mind Government steps which later transpired into backing out of the deal under MPs’ pressure.

If Kuwait is eventually forced to pay the penalty, as per the 24th of May International Chamber of Commerce’s International Court ruling, a simple calculation indicates that the loss can be divided into costing each Kuwaiti family $9,818.

Meanwhile, Minister of Oil Hani Husain reportedly submitted his resignation on Sunday night as a result of “parliamentary pressure” demanding answers over the case.

The report, which mentions “insider Cabinet information” as the source of the news, said the Cabinet wants him to remain in his post at the present time given his long experience in working in the oil sector which would help face the current crisis.

Minister Husain was present during a meeting held between the Cabinet and the Supreme Petroleum Council (SPC) on Sunday to discuss measures to handle the ramifications of the court ruling.

Sources familiar with the negotiations that preceded the signing indicated that the fine ruled by the International Court was in fact a penalty for “a series of wrong steps committed by Kuwait before the contract was canceled”.

Speaking to Al-Jarida on condition of anonymity, sources explained that PIC looked without authorization into the registers of assets and factories owned by Dow Chemical, which are regarded as “classified information” and warranted the company to demand compensation for an “unjustifiable violation of obligations”.

PIC led the negotiations for two years. They involved a preliminary agreement by which Dow Chemical was supposed to invest part of the partnership’s funds in projects with other companies.

The cancelation of the deal also

“Kuwait needs to make up its mind. It needs to decide if they want to enter the petrochemical industry at an international level.

You can’t keep moving one step forward and two steps back.”

caused these projects to be canceled, something Dow Chemical used to demand a maximum compensation of $2.16 billion.

Political matters Yesterday lawmakers continued to issue statements. MP Mohammad Al-Dalal was quoted as saying: “Hold former Prime Minister HH Sheikh Nasser AlMohammad fully responsible for making the termination decision”.

MPs Shaya Al-Shaya and Riyadh Al-Adsani demanded the formation of a parliamentary investigations committee into the case, AlJarida reported.

Sources said the Minority MPs are adopting the Dow case to disclose the truth relating to the cancellation of the deal, and the pressure from the Opposition group at the time - who are now the Majority. They will expose the causes of the cancellation, those

who have interests in the cancellation of the deal and whether there were external instructions to cancel the deal.

Sources told Al-Shahed that the Minority is displeased with the control by the Majority on decisions in the National Assembly.

They will put this matter up for discussion and will not accept giving up to the wishes of the Majority regardless of anything, Al-Shahed reported.

“The cost of the cancellation is not only the $2.16 billion but also $3 billion worth in a lost opportunity from the money that Kuwait could have made on the deal.”

TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2012

LOCAL

Policewoman sues colleague for sexual harassment Wedding night in police station KUWAIT: A policewoman has filed sexual harassment charges against a fellow airport security officer despite attempts by their directors to prevent the case from being reported. In her statements to the Jleeb police officers, the Lance Corporal explained that her comrade went as far as touching her inappropriately after she ignored his repeated verbal sexual harassments. According to the testimony, the policewoman was confronted by senior officials at the Kuwait International Airport who tried to talk her out of reporting the case and instead put the offender in a military trial, but she opted to take legal action. The offender denied the accusations following his arrest, arguing that the case was fabricated. The suspect is still in custody pending further investigations.

Groom detained A man spent his wedding night in Saad AlAbdullah police station after his guests fired celebratory gunshots and disappeared. Police headed to the scene on Sunday night after a man reported being physically assaulted by a group of armed men he confronted for firing gunshots during a wedding held near his home. All the suspects had fled before police arrived to the scene. A warrant was then issued to arrest the groom for investigations to reveal the identity of the suspects. He was ordered to be kept in detention after denying having knowledge of the suspects’ identities.

Forgery gang nabbed Four people were arrested following investigations that linked them in connection with forged traveler’s cheques used in making payments in Kuwait. Capital Investigations Department launched a probe following several reports filed by the victims claiming that they obtained forged traveler’s cheques from people who claimed to be working in a tourism industry. Investigators eventually identified the prime suspect - a Lebanese national who was active in promoting the cheques. Following his arrest, the man led the officers to his three accomplices, an Indian man and two Kuwaiti citizens, who were arrested in an ambush in Salhiya.

Lizard sparks panic Police rushed to an elementary school in Subahiya recently following an emergency call reporting a spiny-tailed lizard sighted on the school premises. The animal known commonly as the dabb lizard was found inside a bathroom.

Kidnapper in custody A kidnapper was arrested in Al-Qurain shortly after dropping off a teenager he kidnapped. The suspect discovered that the boy called police for help. The incident reportedly started in Al-Nugra where the Jordanian teenager was forced inside a vehicle by a Kuwaiti man who drove to the Qurain mar-

GCC celebrates 31st anniversary RIYADH: The Secretariat of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) held a celebration here Sunday evening to mark its 31st anniversary, in the presence of the council’s Secretary General Dr Abdullatif Al-Zayyani.

The ceremony, patronized and attended by Governor of Riyadh Region Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz, attracted a number of Arab and foreign diplomats in Saudi Arabia as well as several Saudi government and public figures.

Speaking to reporters on the occasion, Dr Al-Zayyani extolled the leaders of the GCC six member states for their perseverance in setting up the council and their efforts to protect the security and stability of the Arabian Gulf region. “The challenges faced by the GCC over the last three decades only strengthened the GCC leaders to advance the process of regional integration and the noble targets of unity and shared prosperity and development,” he said. “Through its ministerial council, the GCC strives to assert itself as a key player in the regional and international affairs and

makes great strides towards integration.

The council adopted crucial calculated steps in the field of economic development such as the economic unity agreement, the common market, the customs union and the monetary union. “It made headway in strategic projects such as the Arabian Gulf University, the power grid hookup and GCC railway network,” Dr Al-Zayyani noted.

He stated that the achievements made by the Council since its inception are a source of pride for the nationals of all its member states. Dr Al-Zayyani praised the initiative of Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud for the GCC metamorphosis from cooperation stage into union.

The dignitaries who attended the ceremony included Undersecretary of the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Multilateral Relations Prince Turki bin Mohammed bin Saud Al-Kabeer, President of Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu, President of Saudi Wildlife Authority Prince Bandar bin Saud bin Mohammed, and Prince Saud bin Abdullah bin Thunayan. — KUNA

Gulf artists showcase skills RIYADH: “The artistic productions and the formative art of the Gulf region now compete with the best schools and artists around the world. The fact is evident in the prizes and ovations the works of Gulf artists receive at international events and exhibitions,” Head of the Kuwaiti Formative Arts Society, Abdul Rasoul Salman said yesterday.

Salman was speaking on the occasion of ‘Contemporary Kuwaiti Art Exhibition’, which was inaugurated last night under the auspices of the Minister of Culture and Information Dr Abdulaziz Al-Khuja.

The opening was attended by advisor at the Kuwaiti Embassy Ahmad AlJeiran. Salman, who also functions as Arab coordinator for international arts associations, said Gulf art works at international competitions continue to impress and attract attention.

On the current exhibition, he said the works on display are from schools and represent the different hues and shades of the Gulf artist’s creativity.

ket’s area with the intention of molesting him. The boy took the opportunity when the kidnapper was briefly distracted to call police and give the operator descriptions of his location. The suspect soon noticed that the kid used his phone, so he stopped the car, beat the boy up then dropped him off and drove away. Security officers then secured the area’s entrances and were able to trap the suspect and eventually got him arrested. The suspect was reportedly found inebriated upon arrest, while a bottle of homebrewed liquor and a knife were found inside his car.

Investigations further revealed that the man has history of criminal behavior. He was referred to the proper authorities to face charges.

Salman said Kuwait is to host a Saudi art exhibition in October, and expressed appreciation to all those who helped in organizing of this current exhibition and contributed to its success. Meanwhile, Al-Khuja said the art exhibition was a message of peace.

It is a sublime summation of the human experience as perceived by the artists.

He added that “it is important to hold others in the future to provide opportunity for exchange of expertise and interaction with others in order to enrich the final product, and the events are opportunities for art enthusiasts as well to find what they are looking for.

The current exhibition has over 70 works on display by artists Ahmad Jowhar, Amira Ashkanani, Khalid AlShatti, Salem Al-Kharji, Saad Al-Bloushi, Samar Al-Bader, Abdullah Al-Otaibi, and Abdul Rasoul Salman himself, among others. The exhibit is hosted at Prince Faisal bin Fahad Art Center and lasts for 10 days, receiving visitors in the morning and evening. — KUNA

Employer’s husband Investigations are currently ongoing in a case in which a kindergarten teacher accuses her employer’s husband of harassments and attempted sexual assault. In her statements to the Sulaibikhat police officers, the Egyptian woman explained that the suspect stormed her room upstairs in the school building which she was offered to take as a temporary residence after she was recently hired from her home country. The woman reportedly managed to escape and headed directly to the police station to report the case. She further explained that the Egyptian man always harassed her.

News

in brief

Egypt Cancer hospital lauds Kuwait support CAIRO: The Manager of Children Cancer H o s p i t a l D r S h e r i f A b u l - N a j a ye s te rd ay praised Kuwait for supporting the facility.

In remarks to KUNA, while receiving the famous Kuwaiti actor, Saad Al-Faraj, Dr AbulNaja said the hospital has received many prominent Kuwaiti personalities, including religious figures, artists, media personnel and politicians, indicating that the eminent guests have supported the hospital in one way or the other.

“This is a commonly known fact of Kuwait and its people,” he said. Such continuing support depicts the solid ties between the two states and peoples, said the manager of the hospital. “Kuwaiti contributions have these children smile,” he added. — KUNA

Armenia, Kuwait hold civil aviation talks YEREVAN: A Kuwaiti civil aviation delegation arrived here on Sunday on a four-day visit for talks with the civil aviation administration of Armenia.

A statement by the Kuwait Embassy here said the talks will focus on the operation of flights between Kuwait and Armenia which will contribute to the development of relations on economic and investment levels.

Kuwaiti Ambassador to Armenia, Bassam Mohammad Al-Qabandi, said aviation talks are the fruit of the joint Kuwaiti-Armenian E c o n o m i c a n d Te c h n i c a l C o o p e r a t i o n Committee. It held its first meeting in Yerevan last October and will hold its second meeting in Kuwait later this year.

He hoped that the aviation talks will lead to concrete results in the interest of the two countries.

The Kuwaiti delegation included Nabil AlZamel, Deputy Director of Civil Aviation for safety of aviation and air transport, Khaled Al-Enezi, head of the air transpor t agree ments, and Ahmad Al-Saqar. —KUNA

KUWAIT: Albania’s first lady Teuta Topi toured a centre for disabled children, among other cultural centres during her visit to Kuwait yesterday. In the visit to the Al-Kharafi Activity Kids Center, the Albanian president’s wife met renowned Kuwaiti academic and former Kuwait University rector, Professor Faiza AlKharafi.

Kuwait ‘pioneer’ in caring for people with disability KUWAIT: Honorary President of the ‘Journey of Hope Project’ and a member of its Board of Trustees, Dr Rihab Bouresli said that Kuwait has been a ‘pioneer’ in caring for people with special needs for more than 50 years, particularly in the Gulf region.

Bouresli told Kuwait News Agency following a meeting with His Highness the Amir earlier yesterday, that the meeting was a continuation of Amir’s follow-up of the volunteering tour, a journey she said would roam the world to raise awareness on mental disabilities. She noted that Kuwait is still receiving GCC disabled persons to study in specialized schools. Bouresli pointed

Dive team lifts sunken ship KUWAIT: The Kuwait Dive Team affiliated to the Environmental Voluntar y Foundation (EVF) has succeeded in lifting a sunken Iranian ship at Beda’ shore close to Blajat street.

Th e te a m wo r k e d i n co o p e r a t i o n w i t h Kuwait Ports Authority, the coastal team of the cabinet’s security committee, and Kuwait Directorate General of the Coast Guard.

Head of the team Waleed Al-Fadel in press remarks yesterday said the ship, carr ying food supplies, sank four days ago.

“The team towed the ship to another location before lifting it to avoid crashing with any passing vessel,” he added. Coast Guards’ b o a t s l i f te d t h e 5 , 9 8 0 - to n s h i p f ro m t h e depth of the sea in an area close to the shore.

Th e te a m p u l l e d i t to t h e s h o re u s i n g

equipment of the security committee coastal team. Weather and sea conditions helped the team in floating the ship, using 18 air bags.

Al-Fadel called on relevant authorities to put more restrictions on entry requirements of wooden ships and ensure their safety, so t h a t t h e m a r i t i m e n a v i g a t i o n wo u l d b e spared of accidents, besides protecting the marine environment from pollution. — KUNA

out that the trip also aims at spreading the concepts of people with a disability and care extended by Kuwait for this segment of society, adding that such keenness is reflected by the Amir’s care and support for them.

She explained that the goals of the trip are focused on highlighting Kuwait’s cultural image, exchanging its expertise in this regard with other countries, demonstrating the ability of people with disability to carry out heroic acts to draw attention to their needs and to shed light on the category of those with Down Syndrome, Autism and other cases and show their ability to learn and innovate. — KUNA

TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2012

Philippine top judge to learn fate today

Ex-PM, Islamist set for Egypt’s run-off battle Page 8

Page 12

DAMASCUS: UN-Arab League peace envoy Kofi Annan (L) meets with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem in Damascus yesterday. The UN-Arab envoy expressed “horror” at the Houla massacre of more than 100 people as he began his latest visit to the Syrian capital with the aim of salvaging his battered peace plan. — AFP

Death toll mounts as violence rages Annan ‘horrified’ by Houla massacre DAMASCUS: UN-Arab envoy Kofi Annan expressed “horror” at the Houla massacre of more than 100 people as he began a visit yesterday to the Syrian capital aimed at salvaging his battered peace plan. Annan said the “tragic” massacre in the central town was “an appalling moment with profound consequences,” in remarks ahead of a meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem. The former UN secretary general said those responsible for the massacre must be held to account, and called on “everyone with a gun” to abide by his six-point blueprint to help end 15 months of bloodshed.

World leaders have voiced outrage over the deaths of at least 108 people in Houla on Friday and Saturday, among them 49 children and 34 women, many gruesomely blown to bits or shot dead at point blank range. French President Francois Hollande’s office said yesterday that Syria’s leaders would have to answer for their “murderous folly.” His comments came after the UN Security Council-where Syrian allies Russia and China wield veto powers-on Sunday condemned the Damascus government’s use of heavy artillery in the assault on Houla.

“I am personally shocked and horrified by the tragic incident in Houla two days ago, which took so many innocent lives, children, women and men,” Annan told reporters in Damascus. “This was an appalling crime, and the Security Council has rightly condemned it. “Our goal is to stop this suf-

fering. It must end and it must end now. “I urge the government to take bold steps to signal that it is serious in its intention to resolve this crisis peacefully, and for everyone involved to help create the right context for a credible political process.

And this message of peace is not only for the government, but for everyone with a gun.

“The six-point plan has to be implemented comprehensively. And this is not happening. “I intend to have serious and frank discussions with President Bashar Al-Assad,” said the joint UN and Arab League envoy. Those talks are scheduled for today, according to a Syrian official who spoke on condition of anonymity. Annan’s peace plan was supposed to begin with a ceasefire from April 12. But it has been broken daily, and a watchdog said another 36 people were killed yesterday, a day after 87 died across Syria in one of the deadliest days of the putative truce.

Thirty-four of Sunday’s dead were killed in random shelling of the central city of Hama by troops retaliating for losses suffered in clashes with rebels, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The Observatory said clashes raged yesterday in regions including Idlib in the northwest and Daraa in the south, where an anti-regime revolt first erupted in March 2011. It says more than 13,000 people have been killed in violence since. ‘Murderous folly’-The UN Security Council’s condemnation of the Syrian government’s role in the Houla massacre did little to bring the international powers together to end the crisis. Britain and France had proposed a text making an even stronger condemnation of the Assad government. But Russia would not agree on the wording and demanded a special meeting before approving the eventual text.

France said yesterday it would host a Friends of Syria meeting in Paris, after President Hollande and British Prime Minister David Cameron held talks on the crisis, and slammed the Assad regime for its part in the Houla massacre.

“The murderous folly of the Damascus regime represents a threat for regional security and its leaders will have to answer for their acts,” Hollande’s office said. But Syria’s UN envoy Bashar Jaafari said accusations of government responsibility were part of a “tsunami of lies” against Damascus.

Russia defended its key Middle East ally at the Security Council, and yesterday said both sides in the conflict were responsible for the massacre. “Here we have a situation where both sides clearly had a hand in the fact that peaceful citizens were killed,” said Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, adding “who is in power” in Syria was less important than “ending the violence.”

Syria’s opposition renewed its call to the international community yesterday to help the Syrian people defend themselves, a day after calling for a “battle of liberation” against the regime until the UN authorizes foreign military intervention. “ The Syrian National Council calls (on) brothers and friends of the Syrian people to help before it’s too

late,” the exiled opposition group said in a statement. And the Free Syrian Army warned unless the international community took concrete action it would no longer be bound by Annan’s plan. Syria’s Muslim Brotherhood lashed out at the Security Council for sending what it said was the “wrong message” to Damascus by only condemning the Houla massacre.

Human Rights Watch demanded that Annan push Assad’s government to allow the UN-appointed Commission

of Inquiry on Syria to investigate the Houla massacre. A growing concern for the international community is the more than 280 UN observers deployed in Syria as part of the peace plan. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said the Houla massacre had added to pressure on the monitors-the first UN force to be thrown unarmed into a conflict with a non-existent ceasefire-and that there was no “Plan B” if Annan’s peace plan failed.—AFP

TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2012

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

2 Israeli police convicted of ‘negligent homicide’ JERUSALEM: A Jerusalem court yesterday convicted two Israeli police of negligent homicide for abandoning an injured Palestinian man on a roadside, where he was found dead two days later. The case has raised questions about failures that led to the death of Omar Abu Jarban, a car thief from the Gaza Strip who illegally lived in Israel.

The man was passed from medical officials to prison and police authorities before he died.

Abu Jarban was still wearing hospital pants when he was left on the side

of an Israeli highway near the West Bank at night in June, 2008. One of the policemen testified he thought the man would be picked up by a passing Palestinian motorist. “The defendants were closed off to the distress of a human being and left him to his fate in circumstances that any reasonable human being would have avoided and refrained from doing,” said Judge Haim Li-Ran in an almost 1,000-page ruling.

“The decision to drop this detainee in the circumstances that he was dropped off under, in the unlikely

assumption that he would be picked up, is negligent. A reasonable person with eyes in his head and compassion in his heart would not accept these circumstances,” Li-Ran said. Abu Jarban was injured while driving a car he had stolen the month before, according to court documents. He was treated in two Israeli hospitals for his injuries.

Israeli hospitals routinely provide medical treatment for Palestinians, even if they are in the country illegally, and even if they are convicted criminals.

After several weeks of treatment, Abu Jarban was transferred to police custody. He was meant to be referred to a prison medical facility for further care. But a prison clinic refused to treat him, and the two policemen then decided to abandon him on the roadside. His dehydrated body was found two days later. A sentencing date was not set. A lawyer for the police officers said they would appeal the verdict. A police spokesman declined to comment. Although the treatment of Abu Jarban was unusual in its severity, a

noted critic of Israeli occupation of the West Bank said it showed how the decades-long conflict has hardened Israelis. “After 45 years of occupation, people get used to all kinds of distortions ... but sometimes there’s an event that is so unusual, and it’s like a metaphor,” author David Grossman, who wrote a front page editorial on the case in the Haaretz daily several weeks ago, said in an interview. “Such an event casts a light on so many aspects of our lives that we prefer not to notice,” he said.— AP

Ex-PM, Islamist set for Egypt’s run-off battle Mursi, Shafiq face off in landmark poll

ABYAN: Yemeni troops guard a government building in the capital Sanaa yesterday, following reported Al-Qaeda threats. — AFP

US drone, attacks kill 17 Al-Qaeda fighters ADEN: Air raids, including by US drones, and clashes in Yemen have killed at least 17 Al-Qaeda militants and a civilian, officials and tribesmen said yesterday. Five militants of Al-Qaeda were killed when they were hit by a US drone yesterday, a tribal source said. “A US drone struck a convoy carrying Al-Qaeda’s leader in Bayda province, Qaed Al-Dahab,” the tribal source said on condition of anonymity, adding that “Dahab survived but five of his guards were killed.”

The strike hit the militants as they were travelling in the area of Manaseh, east of the city of Radaa in central Yemen, he said. Seven other militants, including the local military chief in Hadramawt, Saleh Abdul Khaleq, were killed in an air raid conducted by Yemeni warplanes in the eastern province, a security official said. The raid struck the group as they met in a “deserted coastal area” some 60 kilometers west of the city of Mukalla, the official said.

Western diplomats say that US experts are assisting the Yemeni army in their battle to destroy Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, considered by Washington to be the network’s deadliest and most active branch. In an interview with ABC television’s “This Week,” US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta defended the use of drones as “the most precise weapons we have” in the campaign against the militant group. His comments marked the first time the US formally acknowledges the use of unmanned drones against Al-Qaeda sus-

pects in Yemen.

Five other Al-Qaeda fighters and a civilian were killed in overnight clashes as Yemeni troops inched closer to capturing the city of Jaar, a bastion of the militant group in war-torn southern province of Abyan, a military official said. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said a “mid-level commander” of the militant group, Abdul Rahman Al-Musallami, was one of the five Al-Qaeda operatives killed in the clashes. A local official in Jaar confirmed this toll and said the bodies of the five militants were taken to the city for burial. The military official said that Yemeni troops had advanced towards Jaar and were surrounding the city from three sides. Yemeni troops advanced to “about three kilometers of Jaar,” and have “surrounded the city from the north, the east and the west,” he said.

He said the overnight assault on AlQaeda positions in and around Jaar involved both ground troops and Yemeni air force. “We are tightening the noose around Al-Qaeda,” he added. The army also made strides in their advances on Zinjibar, the capital of Abyan that fell to the militants in May 2011, he said, but gave no further details. Yemeni forces launched an all-out offensive on May 12 this year to capture Al-Qaeda controlled areas in Abyan. Since the offensive began, at least 338 people have been killed, according to a tally compiled by AFP, including 247 Al-Qaeda fighters, 55 military personnel, 18 local militiamen and 18 civilians.— AFP

Blast rocks Nairobi NAIROBI: A blast struck a shopping complex in Nairobi’s business district during yesterday’s lunch hour, wounding more than two dozen people, but there was confusion over whether the explosion was caused by a bomb or electrical fault. Police Commissioner Mathew Iteere told reporters it was too early to determine the cause of the blast. He said blackened wires inside the trading centre indicated a possible electrical fault and ruled out a grenade attack.

Two shopkeepers, however said independently that they saw a man drop a bag inside the trading centre moments before the blast. “He came into the shop twice, looking at t-shirts. He said he didn’t have money so he left. Then he came back,” said Irene Wachira. “(He was) three shops away from where I was. He left a bag and a few moments later we had an explosion. The roof caved in and debris started falling on us,” Wachira said.

Prime Minister Raila Odinga said Kenyans would not be cowed by “terrorists”.

More than ten people have been killed in a string of attacks in Nairobi and the port city of Mombasa since Kenya sent troops into Somalia in October to fight Al-Qaedalinked militants. Nairobi has blamed the Al Shabaab militants, who merged with AlQaeda earlier this year, for the surge in violence and kidnappings that has threatened tourism in east Africa’s biggest economy and wider regional destabilization.

A spokesman for Kenya Power, the country’s sole electricity distributor, said initial investigations had ruled out any electrical malfunction. A military helicopter hovered in the skies above downtown Nairobi and the security forces cordoned off nearby streets. Dense black smoke billowed from a fire inside the b a d l y d a m a g e d b u i l d i n g a n d s i re n s b l a re d a s e m e rg e n c y s e r v i ce c re ws rushed to Moi Avenue, a major road run-

ning through the city centre.

Medics applied bandages to the walking wounded gathered by nearby buildings and some bystanders wailed in shock.

Clothing, shoes and blown out windows littered the road. Crowds carried away people seen with blood streaming down their faces. Iteere said 28 people had been wounded. In the days after Kenya deployed soldiers across the border, Al Shabaab warned Nairobi to withdraw from its southern strongholds or risk bringing the “flames of war” into Kenya. In April, the US embassy in Kenya warned of a possible strike on Nairobi’s hotels and key government buildings, which it said was in the last stages of planning.

The recent attacks, however, have tended to target low profile institutions, such as bars and nightclubs, where security is typically relatively light. “Maybe it is these AlQaeda people. They are wasting life for nothing. Just innocent people going about their business,” said Wilfred Kimani who was several blocks away when the blast occurred. Outside Nairobi’s Jamia mosque, one Somali refugee who identified herself as Aisha said she feared a backlash if Al Shabaab or its sympathizers were behind the explosion. “It’s bad because Kenyans may get angrier now.”

There have also been several attacks near the border with Somalia since Kenya’s military incursion. At least five people were killed in two separate attacks in the remote region on Saturday. Currency traders said the blast weakened the Kenyan shilling At 1230 GMT the local currency traded at 85.55/75 against the dollar after earlier trading at 85.30/50. “We have seen a bit of depreciation on the local currency. It’s right in the central business district, so it’s not very good news to be getting, and I think that causes some fear,” said Duncan Kinuthia, head of trading at Commercial Bank of Africa.— Reuters

CAIRO: Egypt’s landmark presidential election yesterday narrowed to a contest pitting a Muslim Brotherhood candidate against a Mubarak-era prime minister, the country’s electoral commission said. Announcing the results, commission Chief Faruq Sultan said: “No candidate won an outright majority, so according to Article 40 of the presidential election law, there will be a run-off between Mohammed Mursi and Ahmed Shafiq.” The results confirmed preliminary figures announced by the Muslim Brotherhood, polarizing a nation now forced to choose between a conservative Islamist and a symbol of ousted president Hosni Mubarak ’s regime.

Egyptians went to the polls on May 23 and 24 in the country’s first free presidential election, made possible by the 2011 uprising led by pro-democracy activists. Sultan said Mursi had won with 24.77 percent of the votes, slightly ahead of Shafiq with 23.66 percent. Nasserist candidate Hamdeen Sabbahi came third with 20.71 percent, ahead of moderate Islamist Abdel Moneim Abul Fotouh with 17.47 percent. Former foreign minister Amr Mussa was fifth, trailing with 11.12 percent.

The commission put the official turnout in the vote-the first since the 2011 uprising that ousted Mubarak-at 46 percent of the 50 million Egyptians who were eligible to cast a ballot in the historic election. Sultan said the commission had rejected seven appeals filed by candidates on May 26 and 27, citing electoral irregularities that “did not affect the outcome of the vote.” Both Mursi and Shafiq, who represent polar opposites in the country’s fragmented politics after last year’s uprising, are now trying to court the support of the losing candidates and their voters.

The Brotherhood, which alienated many other political parties after its domination of parliamentary elections last winter, has warned that the nation would be

CAIRO: This combination of two photos shows Egyptian presidential candidates, from left, Ahmed Shafiq, and Mohammed Morsi. The chairman of Egypt’s presidential election commission says the Muslim Brotherhood’s candidate and Hosni Mubarak’s last prime minister will context next month’s runoff vote. — AP in danger if Shafiq wins and has pledged to become more inclusive. Two of the losing candidates, Mussa and Abul Fotouh, declined to endorse either of the front runners, however. A “return to the old regime is unacceptable. So is exploiting religion in politics,” Mussa told a news conference, adding that he would be willing to hold consultations with any parties if asked.

Abul Fotouh also refused to openly back a single candidate, and warned against a return to the Mubarak era. “ The most important thing is that people don’t vote for a felool,” he said, using a common pejorative term for members of the old regime.

The Brotherhood has gained the support of the ultra-conservative Salafist Al-Nur party, which had supported Abul Fotouh in the first round. “The High Committee of the Al-Nur party supports Dr Mohammed Mursi for president of the republic in the run-off,” the party said late on Sunday on its

official Twitter account.

But a pending legal case could have serious implications for Shafiq’s bid for the presidency.

Egypt’s Supreme Constitutional Court is expected to rule on June 11 in a key case examining the constitutionality of a law barring senior Mubarak-era officials from running for office. On Saturday, Mursi called a meeting of candidates that was ignored by both Sabbahi and Abul Fotouh. He promised at a news conference after the meeting that his party would be prepared to include aspects of other parties’ programs in its platform, but fell short of reassuring critics who say the group wants to monopolize power.

“As president, I will be the president for all Egyptians. (My relationship) with the Brotherhood will be the same as all Egyptians,” he said. Shafiq also called on Saturday for broad support from former rivals, calling on his competitors by name to join

him and promising there would be no return to the old regime. “I reach out to all the partners and I pledge that we would all work together for the good of Egypt,” he told reporters.

Addressing the young people who spearheaded the 2011 revolt, he said: “Your revolution has been hijacked and I am committed to bringing (it) back.” The contest presents a difficult choice for activists who led the revolt. For them, choosing Shafiq would be to admit the revolution had failed, but a vote for Mursi could threaten the very freedoms they fought for. The presidential poll has followed a tumultuous military-led transition from autocratic rule marked by political upheaval and bloodshed, but which also witnessed free parliamentary elections. The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, in power since Mubarak’s downfall, has pledged to restore Egypt to civilian rule by the end of June.— AFP

Hamas leaders allow Central Election Commission in Gaza GAZA: Gaza’s Hamas rulers yesterday gave the green light to the Palestinian Central Election Commission to begin updating voter lists throughout the coastal strip, a top CEC official said. “Hamas has agreed to let the CEC start working throughout Gaza,” said CEC president Hanna Nasser at a news conference in Gaza City, in a key step to paving the way for elections.

“The commission has started its operations now with five offices in the five governorates,” he said after meeting Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniya to discuss starting work to update Gaza’s electoral register for the first time since 2006.

“We hope to begin working immediately to prepare for the process of updating voter lists,” Nasser said, thanking Haniya for allowing the CEC to start its long-overdue work. “We hope that within six weeks, the voter lists will be complete in Gaza as they are in Ramallah.” At a meeting in Cairo on May 20, senior Fatah and Hamas officials agreed that the CEC would start work in Gaza by the end of the month, and that both factions would at the same time begin consultations on forming an interim “government of independents.”

Holding elections and putting together a

GAZA: Palestinian Central Elections Commission chairman Hanna Nasser, left, and Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniya, meet in Gaza City, yesterday. Palestinian election officials from the West Bank have arrived in the Gaza Strip yesterday to prepare the way for longoverdue elections, a key step toward repairing a five-year rift between the two territories. — AP

caretaker cabinet are two of the main issues which have been holding up implementation of a reconciliation deal between the rival Hamas and Fatah factions which was inked on April 27, 2011. Speaking at the same news conference, Haniya’s deputy Mohammed Awad said he hoped the commission’s work would prove to the people that the stalled unity deal was really starting to be implemented. “I hope that this will be the foundation for ending the Palestinian division, and that Palestinian citizens will really feel that the reconciliation has begun in light of (plans to form) the new government and the resolution of all outstanding issues,” he said.

He also expressed hope that the CEC’s work “would take place everywhere, including in Jerusalem,” referring to the annexed eastern sector of the city where Palestinians hope to one day have the capital of their future state. The CEC reopened its Gaza offices in January but could not begin working on updating the voter lists without Hamas’s permission. Discussions over the interim government were also to start yesterday at an evening meeting between the two factions in Cairo, a Hamas spokesman told AFP on Sunday.

Under the terms of the long-stalled unity deal, the two factions were to put together a caretaker cabinet of independent technocrats tasked with preparing for presidential and legislative elections by May 2012. The new agreement reached between the two sides on May 20 envisaged a temporary government which would be headed by Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas which would have a six-month mandate to prepare for elections. In the event that elections were not held within that period, the two factions would put together a new administration which would be headed by an independent technocrat.— AFP

TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2012

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

S Sudan accuses Sudan of bombings ahead of talks JUBA: South Sudan accused Sudan yesterday of flying warplanes over the southern capital Juba and bombing other parts of its territory, one day before the resumption of negotiations between the two foes.

The two Sudans have been at loggerheads over a long list of disputes since the southern nation declared independence in July last year. Fierce clashes on the disputed border raised fears of an all-out war last in April.

“Yesterday the Sudanese air force violated the airspace of South Sudan, including flying over Juba and other towns in South Sudan,” the south’s chief negotiator Pagan Amum told

reporters at Juba airport before leaving for the talks in Addis Ababa.

He described the over-flights as a violation of a May 2 UN Security Council resolution that called on the neighbours to end fighting and resume talks or face sanctions. “Today, as we are leaving to the negotiations, the government of Sudan is attacking South Sudan. Now, as we speak, (the state of ) Northern Bahr el Ghazal is under attack by the Republic of Sudan by land and also aerial bombardment is continuing ... (These are) not signs of peace,” Amum said. Sudan’s army spokesman al-Sawarmi Khalid could not be reached on his mobile phone.

The foreign ministry was also not immediately available for comment. Sudan routinely denies bombing the South’s territory and the remoteness of the border region makes air strikes difficult to verify, although Reuters journalists have witnessed several bombing raids in the South since the country split in two. Since partition, the two countries have failed to demarcate five areas along their shared border or sign agreements on citizenship, oil transit fees and the division of debt. Despite the fresh attacks, Amum said he was hopeful the next round of talks in Addis Ababa will prove fruitful because of the surge in inter-

national support for an agreement. Diplomats see no quick progress at the talks as positions seem wide apart. Sudan has said it wants to make security a priority and accuses Juba of supporting rebels in Sudan’s borderlands. South Sudan denies the claims.

Both sides also need to agree on how much landlocked South Sudan should pay to export oil through Sudan’s Red Sea port of Port Sudan. In January, South Sudan shut down its entire output of 350,000 barrels a day to stop Khartoum taking some oil for what Sudan calls unpaid export fees. Oil is the lifeblood of both economies. — Reuters

JUBA: South Sudan’s Chief negotiator and SPLM Secretary General Pagan Amum talks to the media during a press conference at Juba airport yesterday. — AFP

Blair feared fight with Britain’s media barons Former PM heckled over Iraq war at Leveson inquiry

VATICAN CITY: Pope Benedict XVI (R) Costa Rica’s President Laura Chinchilla at the Vatican yesterday. — AFP

Vatican says trust in Church hurt by scandal VATICAN CITY: The Vatican acknowledged yesterday that the worst crisis in Pope Benedict’s papacy had hurt the faith of Roman Catholics in their Church, but denied any cardinal was a suspect in a deepening scandal over leaked documents.

The scandal exploded last week when, within a few days, the head of the Vatican’s own bank was abruptly dismissed, the pope’s butler was arrested for leaking documents and a book was published alleging conspiracies among the cardinals or “princes of the Church”.

Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi told a news conference: “This is naturally something that can hurt the Church, and put trust in it and the Holy See to the test.” But Lombardi strongly denied Italian newspaper reports, quoting insiders who had themselves leaked documents, that a cardinal was among those being investigated over the scandal, which has been dubbed “Vatileaks”.

“I categorically deny that any cardinal, Italian or other wise, is a suspect,” Lombardi said, adding that the pope was being kept fully informed of the case. “He is aware of a delicate situation that we are living through in the Roman Curia.

He continues on his path of serenity, his position of faith and morals that is above the fray.”

Lombardi played down the depth of the scandal, which has caused a frenzy in the Italian press, saying talk that it was linked to an internal power struggle was “exaggerated”. The scandal concerns documents passed to Italian journalists over the last few months that accuse

Vatican insiders of cronyism and corruption in contracts with Italian companies.

It has been brewing for months, but since it burst into the open it has shaken the very heart of the Roman Catholic Church. After an investigation inside the Holy See, Pope Benedict’s butler, Paolo Gabriele, 46, was formally charged on Saturday with stealing confidential papal documents. But leakers quoted by La Stampa, La Repubblica and other media said the leaking plot went much wider and higher.

One of Gabriele’s two lawyers, Carlo Fusco, said his client, who is being held inside a Vatican police station, would cooperate fully with investigators who are trying to track down other suspects.

He said Gabriele, who attended mass yesterday morning and was visited by his wife, was “very serene and tranquil.”

Italian newspapers, quoting other whistle blowers in the Vatican, said the arrested butler was merely a scapegoat doing the bidding of more powerful figures.

“There are leakers among the cardinals but the Secretariat of State could not say that, so they arrested the servant, Paolo, who was only delivering letters on behalf of others,” La Repubblica quoted one leaker as saying. The Secretariat of State is run by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the pope’s powerful right-hand man, and the scandal appears to involve a power struggle between his allies and enemies, reminiscent of Renaissance conspiracies in the Vatican. La Stampa daily quoted one of the alleged leakers as saying the goal was to help the pope root out corruption. — Reuters

Serbia rivals agree to cooperate on new govt BELGRADE: Serbia’s new nationalist president and the liberal rival likely to be the next prime minister assured the country yesterday that they could overcome deep differences and create a stable, pro-European Union government.

Tomislav Nikolic defeated his predecessor Boris Tadic in the presidential election earlier this month, and Nikolic’s nationalist Progressive Party won the largest number of seats in the 250-member parliament. But because Tadic’s Democrats gained enough allies to form the next Cabinet, Nikolic is expected to be forced to name Tadic as premier-designate.

The position of prime minister is stronger than that of the president, a largely ceremonial role that cannot draft laws. The two bitter political foes met yesterday, a day after Tadic announced the start of negotiations on the formation of a new government that would leave Nikolic without real power.

“We had very good talks,” Tadic said.

“This was a meeting not only about the transfer of power ... but about what Serbia’s institutions should look like in the future.” Nikolic also sounded an optimistic note.

“We have one common goal and that is for Serbia to move forward so that its citizens can live better,” the president told reporters. “I think that

you can view Serbia’s political stability in the future with much more optimism.”

Prior to losing to Nikolic in the May 20 election, Tadic served as president for eight years. Tadic said he would not include Nikolic’s nationalists in his new government, further diminishing Nikolic’s role. The Progressive Party said that a future Serbian government that excludes them “will have a problem with legitimacy.”

Tadic has said his goals include improving living standards for the impoverished population and fighting unemployment and corruption - problems that contributed to his loss to Nikolic. The new president, meanwhile, has claimed to have shifted from being staunchly anti-Western to pro-EU. Serbia is struggling to evade recession, create jobs and cut spending in an economy that has a 24 percent unemployment rate, falling currency and mounting foreign debt. Tadic said the post of the prime minister “is now a very hot seat” because these are “very challenging times.”

Nikolic said Serbs will be getting a stable country that will no longer have to choose between extreme proEastern or pro-Western options. “The citizens will no longer be afraid when elections come,” Nikolic said after his meeting with Tadic. “There are no more bad guys in Serbia.” — AP

LONDON: British leaders are forced to court power ful press barons such as Rupert Murdoch or risk savage media attacks which render them unable to govern effectively, former Prime Minister Tony Blair told an inquiry yesterday.

Interrupted by a heckler who accused him of being a war criminal for supporting the US invasion of Iraq, Blair paused briefly before continuing to justify his ties to Murdoch with whom he said he developed a close friendship. Blair cast himself as a politician facing the choice between being torn apart by what he once described as the media’s “feral beasts” and getting his policies implemented.

But Blair, whose reputation for obsessive media management brought him so close to Murdoch that the tycoon could joke about flirting, said he became increasingly concerned about the unhealthy relationship between the media and politicians.

“With any of these big media groups, you fall out with them and you watch out, because it is literally relentless and unremitting once that happens,” Blair, looking tanned and smart in a navy suit and white shirt, told the Leveson inquiry.

“My view is that that is what creates this situation in which these media people get a power in the system that is unhealthy and which I felt, throughout my time, uncomfortable with. I took the strategic decision to manage this and not confront it but the power of it is indisputable.”

Blair is the most senior politician to date to appear before Leveson, an inquiry that has tarnished the British elite by showing the collusion between senior politicians, media tycoons and police.

“If you fall out with the controlling element of the Daily Mail, you are then going to be subject to a huge and sustained attack,” said Blair, who governed Britain from 1997 to 2007 after rebranding the Labour Party.

“Managing these forces was a major part of what you had to do and was difficult,” said Blair. The inquiry has so far focused on the conduct of the media and the close ties between Murdoch’s empire and serving ministers, helping the opposition Labour Party leader Ed Miliband consolidate his position with attacks on the current British Prime Minister David Cameron.

But the grilling of Blair, who was renowned for trying to control the media by “spinning” news to gain the most favourable coverage, could undermine Miliband’s attempt to portray Labour under his leadership as a party above courting media tycoons.

“I did not change our positions on core policy issues at all. On the other hand, managing

these forces was a major part of what you had to do and was difficult,” Blair said.

“In articles we wrote for the Sun, for example, you stressed the bit of your policy that was going to appeal, but I didn’t change the policy,” he said.

Sometimes using Murdoch’s his first name, Blair said his friendship with Murdoch developed after leaving office in 2007, though he said it was clear that Murdoch called the shots in his media empire, not his newspaper edi-

media boss, infuriated much of his left-of-centre party who saw the Australian-born tycoon as a right-winger who had helped to keep them out of power for years.

“People would be horrified,” Blair said later in his autobiography. “On the other hand ... not to go was to say carry on and do your worst, and we knew their worst was very bad indeed.”

“The country’s most powerful newspaper proprietor, whose publications have hitherto

LONDON: Police officers march away a man who threw an egg at the vehicle of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair as he was being driven away after appearing at the Leveson inquiry at the Royal Courts of Justice in London, yesterday. Blair testified yesterday that he never challenged the influential British press because doing so would have plunged his administration in a drawn-out and politically damaging fight. — AP tors. Blair mentioned his decision, after stepping down as prime minister, to become a godfather to Murdoch’s daughter Grace at a ceremony on the banks of the river Jordan.

“Blair led the way in having no shame about courting Murdoch,” said Ivor Gaber, professor of political journalism at City university.

“He set the style and the standard and if you regard Cameron as the ‘heir to Blair’ then it’s not exactly surprising that he followed suit.”

Murdoch told the inquiry last month that he had never asked a prime minister for anything. Blair set the tone for his relationship with Britain’s press when, before his first election victory in 1997, he flew to Australia in 1995 to speak before a gathering of Murdoch’s executives who had previously used their British tabloids to vilify his Labour Party predecessors. The decision, mocked by rivals as an act of homage to the all-powerful

been rancorous in their opposition to the Labour Party, invites us into the lion’s den. You go, don’t you?”

Blair ’s speech to Murdoch executives received a standing ovation and Murdoch indicated for the first time that he could be willing to switch the allegiance of his newspapers to the Labour Party.

“If our flirtation is ever consummated Tony then I suspect we will end up making love like porcupines, very, very carefully,” he told him.

With the backing of Murdoch’s top-selling Sun tabloid, Blair swept to power in 1997 and again in 2001 and 2005. But with an ever increasing reputation for public relations “spin”, he started to face questions over his sincerity. Much of that came to a head when Blair and then US President George W. Bush agreed to invade Iraq, going against the public opinion in Britain. — Reuters

German woman covered in fresh bruises SARAJEVO: A young German woman police say was held captive and abused for years by a Bosnian couple was found hiding in the woods, covered in fresh bruises and old scars, prosecutors said yesterday.

Police arrested a Roma couple, Milenko and Slavojka Marinkovic, at their home in the northeast Bosnian hamlet of Karavlasi after getting a tip-off on May 17 that they were keeping a young woman locked up and had forced her to eat pig feed and pull them on a horse-cart.

The “young woman was found in the woods near the Marinkovic’s property,” local prosecution spokesman Admir Arnautovic told AFP. “She was really disoriented, scared, with visible injuries on her body. She had a lot old scars but also a lot of fresh bruises on her legs, arms and head,” he said.

The Bosnian authorities put the woman, identified by family members as 19-year-old German Bettina Siegner, in a safe house, where she underwent medical examinations. Prosecutors are trying to confirm the girl’s name in both Bosnia and Germany as she had no identity documents, Arnautovic said. She was exposed to physical abuse but no evidence

was found of sexual abuse, he said, adding that police estimated the maltreatment had gone on for about eight years. Local media reported that the woman arrived in Bosnia from Germany with her mother in 2004 and that her mother may have entered into a sham marriage with Milenko Marinkovic to allow him to obtain

a German residency permit. The mother, Christine Siegner, who lived between Karavlasi and Germany for several years and was in the village at the time of the arrests, has been questioned as a witness. When AFP spoke to her Sunday she burst into tears and denied the accusations. “It’s all a lie. We all lived very well here.

KARAVLASI: German citizen Christine Siegner is pictured in the house of Milenko and Slavojka Marinkovic in the northwestern Tuzla region village of Karavlasi yesterday. Bettina, her 19-yearold daughter has been rescued on May 17 by Bosnian police after allegedly being held captive by Milenko and Slavojka Marinkovic for eight years during which she was forced to eat pig feed and pull a horse-cart. The Marinkovics were arrested on May 17 after police received the tip-off from a neighbour earlier this month. — AFP

It’s a fabrication,” Christine Siegner said in German, speaking from the Marinkovic house and surrounded by members of the Roma family. “I hope that they will bring her back,” she added tearfully, gazing at her daughter’s picture.

According to members of the Marinkovic family, Siegner is Milenko’s second wife, which is not unusual in this Bosnian Roma community. They say the couple met Siegner when they fled to Germany during Bosnia’s 19921995 war and she put them up in her home.

Several years after the couple returned to Bosnia, Siegner joined them with her daughter Bettina, from her previous marriage. The neighbour who raised the alarm about the case told AFP he witnessed the couple treating Bettina like an animal.

“We were very good neighbours, but I was obliged to denounce them. I could not stomach the brutalities that this young girl was exposed to,” Sead Makalic, surrounded by some dozen villagers who unanimously agreed with him, said. Makalic said he had noticed the “bizarre behaviour” of his neighbours towards the young woman, including making her eat pig food. — AFP

TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2012

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

Fidel Castro, spy master, bedeviled America MIAMI: For almost three decades after Fidel Castro took power, Cuba’s budding intelligence service fielded four dozen double agents in a world-class operation under the nose of the CIA, according to a new book by a veteran CIA analyst.

It was not until June 1987, when a Cuban spy defected to the US Embassy in Vienna, blind-siding US intelligence services, that the CIA learned how badly it had been duped, writes Brian Latell, a retired veteran CIA analyst and Cuba specialist.

“Castro was a supreme, unchallenged spy master,” Latell told an audience at a recent book reading.

The revelations in Latell’s book help explain how Castro survived several well-documented assassination attempts and the impoverished island of Cuba weathered the changes that toppled other communist regimes in the late 20th Century.

“In the annals of modern spycraft it’s a pretty extraordinary accomplishment. It’s difficult to keep one double agent in play, and he managed them all ... down to the minute details,” added Latell, author of “Castro’s Secrets, the CIA and Cuba’s Intelligence Machine,” published by Palgrave Macmillan.

Latell began watching Cuba in the

mid-1960s and served as US National Intelligence Officer for Latin America before retiring from the CIA in 1998.

All four dozen double agents were recruited in Cuba and other parts of the world and personally run by Castro. He favored young, roughhewn, impressionable teens without a university education.

“Castro wanted them to be uncontaminated by the old Cuba. He wanted them to be malleable and enthusiastic,” Latell says. While Cuba has trumpeted its success with double agents in the past, Latell’s book shows the penetration was more extensive than previously known, and compromised U.S. intelligence sources and methods.

The defection in 1987 of Florentino Aspillaga finally alerted the CIA to the extent of Castro’s spy network. “They were in a state of shock. Nothing like this had ever happened to us before,” said Latell. Aspillaga was “the most informed and highly decorated officer ever to defect from Cuban intelligence,” Latell says, and his defection was a turning point in the CIA’s attitude toward Cuba.

“Until that point we grossly underestimated the Cubans. We never imagined that little Cuba could run an intelligence service that was world class,” he says. Counter-intelligence opera-

tions were subsequently stepped up.

After only four Cubans spies were arrested between 1959 and 1995, that number rose more than ten-fold between 1998 and 2011, Latell writes in his book.

Aspillaga was recruited as a spy at age 16 and spent 25 years in Cuban intelligence. His defection provided “some of the most precious secrets including the double agents,” says Latell, who interviewed him over several days in 2007.

The interview was conducted at the reguest of Aspillaga, who said he simply wanted to tell his story. Aspillaga also shared an unpublished memoir with Latell, asking for no payment or favor in return. The former agent now lives with a new identity after surviving an assassination attempt in London in 1988.

Aspillaga is just one of a dozen defectors Latell interviewed in the book, which relies on thousands of pages of declassified CIA documents the author reviewed at the National Archives in Maryland, as well as interviews with several CIA officers.

In the book, Latell reveals that Cuban intelligence knew more about the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy than they admitted at the time, including information about

the shooter, Lee Harvey Oswald.

Aspillaga told the CIA that in his first year he was trained to do radio intercept work, listening for CIA transmissions to spies on the island and incursions by sea. On Nov. 22, 1963, the day of the assassination, he was ordered to stop all CIA tracking efforts and redirect his antennas away from Miami and direct them toward Texas.

Castro knew Kennedy was to be fired upon, Latell says Aspillaga told him. The Warren Commission never attributed a motive to Oswald but Latell argues Oswald was fascinated with Castro and “his motive was to protect Fidel.”

It is well known Oswald met Cuban officials during visits to Cuba’s Mexican consulate in the summer of 1963, but there is no evidence he ever worked directly for Cuban intelligence. Latell says that while Cuban agents had kept track of Oswald, his research found no evidence linking Castro to the assassination. Instead, Latell has his own more nuanced theory.

Castro and his intelligence officers “were complicit in Kennedy’s death,” Latell writes, “but ... their involvement fell short of an organized assassination plot.” Cuban intelligence officers “exhorted Oswald” and “encouraged his feral militance,” he writes, “but it

was his (Oswald’s) plan and his rifle, not theirs.”

Castro had plenty of reason to want Kennedy out of the way. A Senate Committee found in 1975 that the CIA had pursued assassination as an instrument of foreign policy, with Fidel Castro as one of its prime targets.

The Committee’s first documented plots against Castro began in 1960, when the CIA contacted organized crime figures eager to return to the good old days of gambling, extortion and corruption in Cuba. Subseqent plots involved poison, an exploding seashell and marksmen with highpowered rifles.

Even though the CIA’s monitoring of Cuban intelligence improved substantially in the last 25 years, the Cubans remained very capable, Latell says.

He cites the case of Ana Belen Montes, a Cuban mole at the Defense Intelligence Agency, who was arrested in 2001 only days before she would have gained access to U.S. plans to attack al Qaeda and Taleban targets in Afghanistan. Fidel Castro is, however, no longer in charge. Now 85, he handed over power to his brother after falling ill in 2006 and is likely “too debilitated” to run spy operations, Latell says. — Reuters

America’s troops are coming home: Obama Memorial Day message

IDAHO: In this Sunday, May 27, 2012 photo provided by the Owyhee County Sheriff’s Office, members of the Idaho Army National Guard airlift one of three people who were rescued after their small plane crashed on a steep and snowy mountainside in Idaho, on Saturday night. — AP

German pilot proud of Red Square flight 25 years on MOSCOW: A German aviator who stunned the Kremlin in May 1987 by landing near Red Square said he helped bring about change in the Soviet Union, in an interview published yesterday on the 25th anniversary of his flight.

Mathias Rust, 43, told Russian masscirculation newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda he flew to Moscow across the Iron Curtain because he wanted the Cold War to be over. “I wanted to leave a message for humankind which I did,” he said.

Keen to meet Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, the then teenaged pilot from West Germany landed his rented Cessna near St. Basil’s Cathedral on May 28, 1987. He was sentenced to four years in prison but was released after serving a little over a year. “I wanted to take an active part in perestroika and was hoping Gorbachev would make me part of this movement,” Rust said, referring to the reform process launched by the last Soviet leader.

“And I believe I speeded up perestroika a little bit.” “For me the most important thing was to fly to Moscow and give the world my message. Looking back I still think I won because I did what noone expected,” he said, adding that he was lucky the Soviet forces did not shoot him down. At a time when the Soviet

Union’s ascendancy was already slipping away, Rust’s landing in broad daylight in the most iconic place in the entire country was a massive embarrassment for the political and military leadership.

However many in Russia are still unconvinced that an amateur pilot could have pulled off such a daring stunt, with some officials openly claiming that Rust’s landing was the work of the Western special services.

“It was a winning, 100 percent preplanned provocation,” said Vladimir Tsarkov, commander of air defence forces for the Moscow region in 1987-89, as he explained the choice he faced in 1987. “We have S-300, you know that,” he said, referring to missile shield systems.

“And if I launch three rockets at this shabby little plane and they explode somewhere at the height of 50-100 metres and there is a kindergar ten below what will I do then?” Tsarkov told Russian state-controlled Channel One which also aired an interview with Rust.

The German has denied the claims he was a spy, saying he was a beginner pilot. “When I landed in Moscow, I had a total of 100 hours” of flying time, he told Komsomolskaya Pravda. He added that landing near Red Square and walking out of the Soviet prison were the most memorable moments of his life. — AFP

MEXICO CITY: Enrique Pena Nieto, presidential candidate for the Institutional Revolutionary Party, PRI, right, and Mexican poet Javier Sicilia, leader of the Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity, embrace during a meeting with Sicilia and family members of victims of drug gang-related violence at Chapultepec Castle in Mexico City, yesterday. Pena Nieto was the second of the four presidential candidates to meet with Sicilia and representatives of his movement yesterday. — AP

ARLINGTON: US President Barack Obama said yesterday that America’s troops were coming home after a decade of war, as he marked Memorial Day, the annual commemoration of fallen and missing warriors.

Obama noted that US troops were no longer fighting Iraq, and remembered his nation’s first and last victims of that divisive conflict, adding that he was “winding down” America’s war in Afghanistan.

After sweeping to power in 2008 partly owing to his promise to end the war in Iraq, Obama followed through by bringing the final US soldiers home last year. “For the first time in nine years, Americans are not fighting and dying in Iraq,” Obama said. “ We are winding down the war in Afghanistan and our troops will continue to come home,” Obama said, after laying a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknowns, in Arlington National cemetery outside Washington.

“After a decade under the dark clouds of war, we can see the light of a new day on the horizon,” Obama said at the cemetery, a final resting place for US war dead and veterans, which features many fresh graves from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Obama is highlighting his honored promise to end the Iraq war, and plan to get US combat troops out of Afghanistan by the end of 2014, to bolster his leadership credentials as he faces reelection in November.

But the president, who also serves as commander-in-chief of US forces, noted that for relatives of the fallen, the end of America’s foreign wars, may hold little consolation.

“Especially for those who have lost a loved one, this chapter will remain open long after the guns have fallen silent,” Obama said, speaking from a memorial amphitheater at the cemetery.

Obama singled out for special mention four US marines who died when their helicop-

ter crashed early in the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, making them the first US servicemen of the nearly 4,500 US troops who would die in the war.

The president also mentioned Army specialist David Hickman, who became the last American soldier to die in Iraq last year, when his vehicle hit a roadside bomb in Baghdad. “I cannot begin to fully understand your loss,” Obama told relatives of the fallen.

“As a father, I cannot begin to imagine what it’s like to hear that knock on the door and learn that your worst fears have come true.” In return for the sacrifices of their loved ones, Obama told relatives that he would take the “wrenching” decision to send troops away

to war only if it was absolutely necessary.

Obama’s Republican opponent in November ’s presidential election, Mitt Romney, also issued a message, as he joined Vietnam war hero, and defeated 2008 Republican candidate Senator John McCain to mark Memorial Day in San Diego.

“A lot of young Americans are risking their lives in distant battlefields today,” Romney said in the statement. “Memorial Day is a day to give thanks to them, and to remember all of America’s soldiers who have laid down their lives to defend our country.

“As we enjoy our barbecues with friends and families and loved ones, let’s keep them in our thoughts and in our prayers.” — AFP

ARLINTON: US President Barack Obama escorted by Military District of Washington commanding general, Major General Michael Linnington, salute during a wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier yesterday to mark Memorial Day at Arlington National Cemetery. — AFP

Students, Quebec govt to hold ‘last chance’ talks MONTREAL: Students and the government of Canada’s Quebec province yesteray were to resume negotiations aimed at bringing an end to 106 days of protests over a tuition hike. Since February, hundreds of protesters have been arrested, and clashes have erupted sporadically as more than 165,000 students refused to go to classes and took to the streets to protest the planned increase in school fees. A tentative deal was reached after marathon talks a month ago but soon fell apart, and nightly protests in Montreal and other cities resumed. The meeting between Education Minister Michelle Courchesne and student leaders at 2:00 pm local time (1800 GMT) has been touted as a “last chance” to resolve the conflict that has gripped Quebec, before the start of summer festivals and other major tourist draws.

Courchesne is expected to put a new offer on the table, but will not likely budge on the start in September of the staggered increases in tuition at Quebec’s universities. Student leaders may drop demands for a tuition freeze but want the government to repeal a controversial law that restricts protests. The legislation was passed on May 18 in an effort to quell the unrest but has only served to galvanize opposition to the government.

Premier Jean Charest became the first Quebec premier in 2008 to win three back-to-back mandates since the 1950s. But his popularity has plummeted amid the student unrest, on the heels of corruption allegations. The students initially launched protests, boycotting classes, in response to the government’s plan to raise annual fees at Quebec universities by 82 percent or $1,700, with the increase gradually introduced over a period of several years. — AFP

Beryl weakens, dumping heavy rain over Florida ATLANTA: Tropical Storm Beryl weakened over north Florida early yesterday, dumping heavy rain and knocking out power while disrupting Memorial Day plans for travelers and beachgoers. The second named storm of the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season lashed the East Coast from north Florida to southern parts of North Carolina, and created a risk of flooding inland, before being downgraded to a tropical depression late on yesterday morning.

City officials in Jacksonville, on the Florida’s northeast coast, canceled open air Memorial Day ceremonies and closed some parks. “I am encouraging all area residents to stay indoors and off the streets,” said Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown.

A Memorial Day event at Veteran’s Cemetery in nearby St. Augustine was also canceled. Jacksonville fire and rescue officials reported more than 250 calls of downed trees blocking roads, and about 24,000 customers were without power in the area. By 11 am EDT (1500 GMT), Beryl’s winds had dropped to 35 mph (55 kph) and the storm’s center was located about 60 miles (95 km) westnorthwest of Jacksonville, and about 55 miles (90 km) east-southeast of Valdosta, Georgia, the hurricane center said.

“At this point ... the main concern with slow-moving Beryl is very heavy rains, which are expected to occur from northern Florida to southeastern North Carolina during the next day or two,” the

hurricane center said.

The storm is forecast to dump as much as 4 to 8 inches (10-20 cm) of rain, with as much as 12 inches (30 cm) in some areas, the hurricane center added.

Beryl peaked near hurricane strength as it made landfall shortly after midnight near Jacksonville Beach, packing winds of 70 mph (112 kph). That was just short of the 74 mph (119 kph) threshold that would have made it a Category 1 hurricane on the five-step Saffir-Simpson intensity scale.

Forecasters said they expect a steady weakening of Beryl as it moves inland over northeast Florida and into southeast Georgia by tonight.

Computer forecast models show Beryl moving on an eventual path back out over the Atlantic after coming ashore, posing no threat to US oil and gas installations in the Gulf of Mexico. The storm’s approach led some vacationers in Georgia to leave early, said Alden Alias, the front desk manager at The King and Prince Hotel on St. Simons Island, a popular resort.

“The waves are pretty big,” she said.

“The winds are starting to pick up.” The Coast Guard in Charleston, South Carolina, were searching for a man who disappeared on Sunday afternoon while swimming at Folly Beach, said Petty Officer First Class Joseph Wheatley. “ There were seven- to eight-foot waves and rip currents,” he said. “It was really bad yesterday.” — Reuters

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international

Pakistan death decree over wedding video: Police ISLAMABAD: Four women and two men have been sentenced to death in northern Pakistan for singing and dancing at a wedding, police said yesterday.

Clerics issued a decree after a mobile phone video emerged of the six enjoying themselves in a remote village in the mountainous district of Kohistan, 176 kilometres (109 miles) north of the capital Islamabad.

Pakistani authorities in the area said local clerics had ordered the punishment over allegations that the men and women danced and sang together in Gada village, in defiance of strict tribal customs that separate men and women at weddings.

“The local clerics issued a decree to kill all four women and two men shown in the video,” district police officer

Abdul Majeed Afridi told AFP. “It was decided that the men will be killed first, but they ran away so the women are safe for the moment. I have sent a team to rescue them and am waiting to hear some news,” he said, adding that the women had been confined to their homes.

Afridi said the events stemmed from a dispute between two tribes and that

there was no evidence the men and women had been inter-mingling.

“All of them were shown separately in the video. I’ve seen the video taken on a cell phone myself, it shows four women singing and a man dancing in separate scenes and then another man sitting in a separate shot,” he said. “This is tribal enmity.

The video has been engineered to

defame the tribe,” he added. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said at least 943 women and girls were murdered last year for allegedly defaming their family’s honour. The statistics highlight the scale of violence suffered by many women in conser vative Muslim Pak istan, where they are frequently treated as second-class citizens. —AFP

Nepal fails to agree on new constitution President ‘concerned’ over power vacuum

NAYPYITAW: Myanmar President Thein Sein, front right, walks to a car along with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, center, as they inspect the guard of honor before their meeting at presidential house in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, yesterday. —AP

India firms Myanmar ties during historic visit NAYPYIDAW: India’s prime minister signed a raft of deals with Myanmar yesterday in a historic visit aimed at boosting trade and energy links and contesting the influence of regional rival China.

Manmohan Singh, the first Indian premier to visit in a quarter of a century, met President Thein Sein in the capital Naypyidaw as energy-hungry New Delhi woos Myanmar after dramatic reforms ended its international isolation.

The neighbours signed 12 agreements covering an array of issues including security, development of border areas, a trade and investment pact and transport links between the two countries.

Singh will travel to the main city of Yangon for talks with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi today, in a move seen as a sign that India also wants to repair links with the veteran activist. New Delhi was once a staunch supporter of the democracy icon, but changed tack in the mid-1990s as it sought closer ties with Myanmar, and drew international criticism for its engagement with the former junta.

India has since pointed to recent dramatic reforms under a new quasi-civilian regime, including Suu Kyi’s election to parliament in April by-elections, as a validation of its stance. Singh is the latest in a series of top-level visitors to Myanmar as the international community begins easing sanctions, raising hopes that the impoverished nation could be the next big frontier market. He is seen as looking to expand India’s influence after half a century of military rule left Myanmar heavily reliant on Chinese investment and political support.

Indian-backed infrastructure projects in the country include a port at Sittwe on the Bay of Bengal but New Delhi’s presence lags well behind that of Beijing, which is behind a host of major energy

developments.

Renaud Egreteau, of the Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Hong Kong, said India was “realigning” its policy on Myanmar in an attempt to become its neighbour’s trading partner of choice. “India is trying not to miss the bus in Myanmar as it opens to the world,” he told AFP. But he said the “obstacles are always the same for India”, including delays to its infrastructure projects and a lack of political confidence between the two countries.

Indian trade with Myanmar stood at $1.2 billion in 2010, far short of the $4.4 billion between China and Myanmar.

According to data from IHS Global Insight, China led the ranking in investments in Myanmar last year, pledging $8.3 billion, with India trailing in 13th place, with $189 million pledged.

“India does seem to have been rather slothful in its response to Myanmar’s reforms compared to the enthusiasm shown by many other world leaders,” said Rajiv Biswas, Asia-Pacific chief economist at IHS. He said Myanmar was in the grip of a “gold rush”, and that oil and gas were an area of “considerable opportunity” for investors. Singh, who is travelling with a top-level business delegation, stressed the countries’ “shared history and culture” in a statement ahead of the visit.

Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, was administered as a province of India during British colonial rule and the two countries have religious links dating back to the early spread of Buddhism more than 2,000 years ago.

India sees Myanmar as the springboard to a closer connection with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as well as a key par tner in counter-insurgency and economic development drives in its northeast border areas. —AFP

Pro-nuclear mentality to blame for Fukushima TOKYO: The grip of the nuclear lobby in Japan before the Fukushima disaster was akin to that of the military in the run up to World War II, the prime minister at the time of last year’s catastrophe said yesterday.

At a parliamentary inquiry into the world’s worst atomic crisis in 25 years, Naoto Kan said the lion’s share of the blame for the tsunami-triggered disaster lay with the state for its unquestioning promotion of nuclear power.

“The nuclear accident was caused by a nuclear plant which operated as national policy,” Kan said. “I believe the biggest portion of blame lies with the state,” said the former premier, who has come out strongly against the technology since the Fukushima disaster in March last year. But, he said, the “nuclear village”-a term critics often use to refer to the pro-atomic lobby of academics and power companies-had blinded the government in a way analogous to the rise of the powerful military elite that led Japan into the vicious colonialism that precipitated World War II. “Before the war, the military came to have a grip on actual political power...

(Similarly, plant operator) TEPCO and FEPC (Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan) held sway over

the nation’s nuclear administration over the past 40 years,” Kan said.

“They ousted experts, politicians and bureaucrats critical of nuclear energy from the mainstream. Many others they sidelined so that they could maintain the status quo.” Kan, who stepped down in September after just 15 months in charge, said the only way to ensure that a disaster like Fukushima did not happen again was for Japan to abandon nuclear technology.

Kan’s appearance, like that of many former ministers called to give evidence before the panel, was an opportunity for the ex-premier to give a detailed public account of his actions in the days and weeks after the tsunami struck.

Kan came in for intense criticism for creating a distraction when he visited the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant the day after the waves hit, as emergency workers were grappling with what would become full-blown meltdowns.

His administration was also lambasted for providing too little information to the public, apparently withholding computer models that showed how radiation from the venting reactors might spread. —AFP

KATHMANDU: Nepal sank into political turmoil yesterday after lawmakers failed to agree on a new constitution, leaving the country with no legal government. The premier called new elections, but critics said he lacked the power to do so. Security forces went on high alert and riot police patrolled the streets after several political parties called for rallies to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai and protest his unilateral decision to call elections for November. Only a few peaceful protests were reported.

“The country has plunged into a serious crisis,” said Ram Sharan Mahat, a senior leader of the country’s second-largest party, the Nepali Congress, who said that six months would not be enough time to prepare for new polling.

“This government has no legitimate grounds to continue,” he said.

The squabbling political parties in Nepal’s Constituent Assembly had failed to agree on a new blueprint for the Himalayan nation by their own deadline of midnight Sunday, despite repeated extensions of the due date over the past four years. A key sticking point was whether the country’s states should be drawn to give regional power bases to ethnic minorities.

Writing the new constitution was supposed to cap an interim period aimed at solidifying details of Nepal’s democracy after the country turned the page on centuries of royal rule and resolved a decade-long Maoist insurgency by bringing the former combatants into the political mainstream.

Bhattarai, from the party of the former Maoists, said the previous constitutional assembly, elected four years ago, had failed and must be dissolved, and that he would head a caretaker government until the Nov. 22 elections.

“We have no other option but to go back to the people and elect a new assembly to write the constitution,” Bhattarai said in his announcement. However, his plan immediately drew criticism from legal experts, who said any plans for new polling should be made in consultation with the country’s other political parties.

“It was politically, legally and

morally incorrect of the prime minister to announce fresh elections,” said constitutional and legal expert Bhimarjun Acharya. Police spokesman Binod Singh said thousands of police officers had been deployed in the capital, Kathmandu, and major cities across the country to stop any violence in the coming days. At a rally Monday in Kathmandu, small groups of college students burnt effigies of

tution before the deadline.

Much of the debate was over whether to draw state boundaries in a way to boost the political power of the country’s ethnic minorities. Nepal’s minority ethnic groups and low-caste communities were overshadowed for centuries by the country’s elite. In the past couple of years, as Nepal has struggled to create a new government, those divisions have given rise to caste-

demonstrated in support of states based on ethnicity. A thick police line kept the opposing groups apart. The Constituent Assembly was elected to a two-year term in 2008 to draft a new constitution but has been unable to finish the task. Its tenure has been extended four times, but the Supreme Court rejected any further extensions.

The assembly’s formation came two years after pro-democracy

KATHMANDU: Nepalese Students Union activists, affiliated with the Nepali Congress party, chant slogans as they parade an effigy of Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai during a protest demanding his resignation in Kathmandu yesterday. Nepal’s president voiced “serious concern” as the country faced a six-month power vacuum and fresh elections after parliament missed a midnight deadline to agree a new constitution. —AFP Bhattarai and demanded his resignation. Police quickly put out the flames. Separately, a group supporting the abolished monarchy also demanded the prime minister’s resignation, blaming him for the country’s political crisis. Police allowed the demonstrators to march through the center of Katmandu. On Sunday, police had clashed briefly with protesters outside the Constituent Assembly, where political leaders from the country’s four main parties had been meeting in a last-minute attempt to agree on a new consti-

and ethnic-based politicians, who insist their long-marginalized communities deserve to live in states that maximize their influence.

Thousands of protesters opposed to states drawn along ethnic and caste lines tried to push through a riot police blockade.

Police pushed back and a scuffle ensued, with protesters throwing stones and police responding with tear gas and batons. Three policemen and several protesters were injured.

On the other side of the assembly hall, thousands of people

protests forced Nepal’s king to give up authoritarian rule and restore democracy in the country. One of the assembly’s first decisions was to abolish the centuries-old monarchy and convert Nepal into a republic.

The political parties have been able to resolve some other thorny differences in the past, including the future of thousands of Maoist rebel fighters who were confined to camps after giving up their armed revolt in 2006. However, they have not been able to agree on the ethnic issue. —AP

Dhaka indicts Islamic leaders for crimes DHAKA: The chief of Bangladesh’s largest Islamic party and one of his deputies were indicted yesterday for alleged crimes against humanity committed during the 1971 independence war against Pakistan. A special tribunal set up by the government to deal with charges of crimes against humanity indicted Matiur Rahman Nizami, the chief of the Jamaate-Islami party, on 16 charges, including genocide and murder. Another tribunal indicted Abdul Quader Molla, a deputy of Nizami, for his alleged involvement in crimes against humanity.

Nizami’s trial will begin July 1, while Molla’s starts June 20. If convicted, they could face the death penalty. Bangladesh - with help from India - won independence from Pakistan in 1971 after a nine-month war. Bangladesh says Pakistani soldiers, aided by local collaborators, killed some 3 million people, raped about 200,000 women and forced millions to flee their homes during the war.

Jamaat-e-Islami openly campaigned against breaking away from Pakistan during the war, and several party leaders now stand accused of collaborating with the Pakistani army in committing atrocities.

Nizami and Molla, who have been in jail since last year, are among five top Jamaat-e-Islami leaders and one former party chief accused of crimes against humanity. The former party chief, Ghulam Azam, also is in jail awaiting his trial, which begins June 5.

Two other people, including a current member of Parliament, face similar charges. A threejudge panel headed by Justice Nizamul Huq indicted Nizami after prosecutors said he was responsible for the deaths of many academics, journalists and doctors just two days before Pakistan’s army surrendered on Dec. 16, 1971.

Nizami has been accused of masterminding the abductions and systematic killings of people sensing an imminent defeat. At the time of the war, Nizami was president of Islami Chhatra Sangha, then the student wing of Jamaat-e-

Islami. He also served as a Cabinet minister from 2001 to 2006 under then-Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, who now heads the main opposition party.

Separately, another tribunal indicted Molla, one of the assistant secretaries general of the party, on six charges, including genocide and conspiracy. He was widely believed to be behind the killings of many villagers near the capital, Dhaka, in 1971.

Jamaat-e-Islami - a key partner in Zia’s former government and now the chief ally of her Bangladesh Nationalist Party - says the charges are politically motivated. Authorities deny the

claim. Zia, the longtime political rival of current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has called the tribunal a farce. Hasina, in turn, has urged Zia to stop backing those who she says stood against the nation’s quest for independence and allegedly aided Pakistan’s army in committing serious crimes.

International human rights groups have called on the government to ensure that the tribunal is free and impartial. New York-based Human Rights Watch has called for changes to the tribunal, including allowing the accused to question its impartiality, which current law prohibits. —AP

DHAKA: In this, May 18, 2008, file photo, Matiur Rahman Nizami, the chief of Bangladesh’s Jamaat-e-Islami party is arrested and taken from his home in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The chief of Bangladesh’s largest Islamic party and one of his deputies were indicted yesterday, for alleged crimes against humanity in the 1971 independence war against Pakistan. A tribunal indicted Nizami, on 16 charges, including murder and genocide. —AP

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international

Australia denies mishandling dead soldiers’ bodies SYDNEY: Australia’s defence chief yesterday denied reports that bodies of the country’s soldiers killed in Afghanistan were mishandled during repatriation, or that the corpse of an Afghan insurgent was mistreated.

Australian Defence Force chief Lieutenant General David Hurley’s comments came after the Sydney Daily Telegraph said soldiers’ bodies were wrongly placed in coffin lids, with the main section of the casket set on top upside-down. The paper also said whistleblowers had highlighted an incident in which an Afghan insurgent’s

corpse was put in a taxi with its legs hanging out of the window, which had become known to troops as the “Weekend at Bernie’s” episode.

The reference is to a 1989 Hollywood comedy in which two men pretend their deceased boss is still alive. “Defence photographic records show that on three occasions, once in 2008 and twice in 2011, the caskets were used incorrectly during the initial part of the return journey from Afghanistan,” Hurley told a Senate hearing.

“In two instances the orientation of the caskets was corrected when the

remains were transferred to mortuary facilities in the Middle East. “And in the third case the error was reverently corrected before departing Al Minhad airbase in the UAE.” Hurley said inquiries had shown the bodies were “treated with the utmost respect and dignity”. In 2006 defence personnel bungled the repatriation of the body of Private Jake Kovco, who was shot in the head using his own pistol in Baghdad, mistakenly transporting the remains of another man to Australia.

Hurley also denied the reported whistleblowers’ allegations that an

Afghan man’s body was sent out of their Uruzgan base in a taxi-the “Weekend and Bernie’s” case. “He was last seen going out the gate with his legs hanging out the taxi window,” one told the paper, which also claimed the body was never traced.

Hurley said he believed the allegation related to an Afghan insurgent who was wounded in an engagement with Australian forces in October 2010 and treated at a medical facility at Tarin Kot where he subsequently died.

Afghan staff at the Tarin Kot hospital arranged the transport of the man’s body

to his home, and the vehicle used “may have also been used as a taxi”. Hurley said while the handling of locals’ remains in Afghanistan might not accord with Australian norms, the case met international practice in the country at the time.

“Any reference to the death of an Afghan local national as ‘Weekend at Bernie’s’ is derogatory, ill-informed, and does not accurately reflect the facts,” he said. Australia has some 1,550 soldiers in Afghanistan, mostly stationed in Uruzgan, with some 32 Australians killed since troops were first deployed there in late 2001. —AFP

Philippine top judge to learn fate today Historic four-month impeachment trial reaches climax MANILA: The Philippines’ top judge will learn his fate today after prosecutors accused him of “deception of the highest order” and called for his sacking, as his historic four-month trial reached a climax.

which he failed to declare as required by the constitution. Chief prosecutor Niel Tupas called on the Senate, sitting as a special tribunal, to find the 63-year-old guilty and hand him the stiffest penalty possible-a guilty verdict on any of the

deception of the highest order.”

Corona had declared a 2010 net worth of 22.9 million pesos (about $533,000). The trial has been closely watched because it is seen as a major part of Aquino’s determination to stamp out corruption in an

MANILA: Philippine Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile prepares to bang the gavel at the conclusion of the oral arguments in the impeachment trial of Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona yesterday before the senator-judges acting as an impeachment court in Manila, Philippines. The senator-judges will vote today to decide on Corona’s fate. —AP The first Philippine Supreme Court justice to stand trial, Renato Corona is accused of hiding millions of dollars’ worth of assets and other graft, claims he says were cooked up by President Benigno Aquino to have him removed.

Prosecutors say Corona blocked graft-tainted ex-president Gloria Arroyo’s prosecution and amassed $2.4 million in savings — way above the limits of his salary and

three charges will see him ousted.

It can also impose the lesser penalties of censure, reprimand, fine or a suspension. “His lies in the SALN (statement of assets, liabilities and net worth) run into the hundreds of millions (of pesos) and cannot be ignored,” Tupas said in his closing argument, after four months of at-times emotional scenes.

“It is lying, it is dishonesty, it is

impoverished country where graft is endemic. Fed up of it, the public largely supports his drive.

Aquino was elected to the presidency in 2010 on a platform to end corruption, which he claimed reached pervasive levels during his predecessor Gloria Arroyo’s term.

Aquino accused Arroyo of illegally appointing Corona as chief justice just before she stepped down, allegedly to protect her from pros-

ecution. Arroyo is now in detention while separately being tried for vote-rigging.

Amid accusations Aquino may have violated constitutional provisions in his zeal to remove Corona, the president is confident that the top judge will be removed from office, his spokeswoman Abigail Valte told reporters.

“The most important thing is his own admission,” Valte said of Corona, who testified last week that he did not declare his deposits because of a law that guaranteed absolute bank secrecy. Sixteen votes are required to unseat Corona. The 23 senators, only four of them members of Aquino’s party, have been tight-lipped about how they intended to vote. Corona has been backed by his peers in the judiciary.

His lawyer Eduardo de los Angeles stressed that Corona did not commit any “high crime”, as cited by the constitution, such as treason, bribery, or corruption, so he should not be removed.

Corona’s failure to declare his dollar savings was covered under the country’s bank-confidentiality laws, and at most was a minor breach of another law requiring officials to declare all their assets, de los Angeles added.

“Certainly a high government official should not be impeached nor removed from office for any minor breach of the law,” the lawyer said. Last week, an emotional Corona appeared as the final witness in his defence and accused Aquino of a conspiracy to oust him.

He claimed his impeachment was the result of a personal vendetta by Aquino following a landmark Supreme Court ruling last year to break up Hacienda Luisita, a giant sugar estate owned by the president’s clan. —AFP

2 Tibetans set selves on fire outside Lhasa temple BEIJING: Two men engulfed themselves in a burst of flames outside a Buddhist temple popular with tourists and pilgrims in Lhasa, marking the first time a recent wave of self-immolations to protest Chinese rule has reached the tightly guarded Tibetan capital.

One man died and the other was hospitalized after they set themselves on fire Sunday outside the Jokhang Temple, the official Xinhua News Agency said. The report quoted a local Communist Party official as blaming separatist forces, an accusation it often makes against Tibetan exiles who support the Dalai Lama.

Xinhua said the two men were taken away by authorities within two minutes of setting themselves on fire.

Protests have become rare in remote Tibet and Lhasa in particular because of tight police security that has blanketed the area since anti-government riots erupted in Lhasa in 2008.

There have been at least 34 immolations since March of last year to draw attention to China’s restrictions on Buddhism and to call for the return from exile of the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama. Most have taken place in heavily Tibetan areas of China, but only one had occurred in Tibet itself and none in the capital.

Chinese authorities have confirmed some of the self-immolations over the past year but not all. The twin immolations in the heart of the Tibetan capital are certain to embarrass the region’s communist leadership, who have pledged to prioritize social stability and ethnic unity. That mandate is especially pressing this year as China prepares for a once-adecade leadership transition in the fall

and doesn’t want the occasion undermined.

The immolations are also likely to prompt tough, new restrictions on Tibetan social gatherings and religious activities in Lhasa, as they have elsewhere. Radio Free Asia reported Monday that Lhasa was under heavy

situation, citing the sensitivity of the issue. The self-immolations occurred in the open-air Barkhor market near the temple in the center of Lhasa, an area popular with Tibetans and tourists alike.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said yesterday

LHASA: In this June 19, 2009 file photo, security guards keep watch over Buddhist pilgrims as they walk on the Barkhor, the circular route around the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, China. Two men engulfed themselves in towering flames outside the temple that is a popular tourist site in Lhasa yesterday, marking the first time a recent wave of self-immolations to protest Chinese rule has reached the tightly guarded Tibetan capital. —AP police and paramilitary guard following the immolations and that the situation was very tense.

Two foreigners working in the Lhasa tourism industry reached Monday declined to comment on the

that “inciting such deaths will win no hearts. The political motive behind (the immolations) will never be successful.” Beijing has called the protesters’ actions a form of terrorism. The Dalai Lama has blamed China’s harsh

repression on Tibetan spiritual life and empathized with the protesters.

In a statement from its Indian headquarters, the self-declared Tibetan government-in-exile said it was “seriously concerned” about the spread of such protests and urged China to open Tibetan regions to the media and UN observers.

Xinhua said the immolations were handled quickly and order was restored. “They were a continuation of the self-immolations in other Tibetan areas and these acts were all aimed at separating Tibet from China,” Xinhua quoted Hao Peng, secretary of the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the CPC Tibet Committee, as saying in a statement Sunday.

Xinhua identified the man who died as Tobgye Tseten from Xiahe county in Gansu province and the other man as Dargye, from Aba county in Sichuan province. Most of the recent immolations have been in Aba, home to Kirti monastery, where numerous protests have occurred for several years. Xiahe is home to the large and influential Labrang monastery and the Tibetan community there has had sporadic clashes with authorities.

Xinhua said Dargye was in stable condition and able to speak. US-funded radio broadcaster Voice of America said the two men worked at a Lhasa restaurant called Nyima Ling. It identified one of the men as 19-year-old Dorjee Tseten but was unable to give the name or age of the other. “This was the first time it has happened in Lhasa - and right in the middle of Lhasa,” said Tenzin Tsundue, a Tibetan poet and one of the most prominent activists living in India. —AP

BEIJING: In this photo taken Jun 1, 2007, Ya Weilin, right and his wife, Zhang Zhengxia, show a picture of their son, Ya Aiguo, during an interview at their home in Beijing, China. The 73-year-old Ya Weilin’s body was found in an unused underground parking garage below his residential complex in Beijing.

He was believed to have killed himself in protest after two decades of failed attempts to seek government redress, a support group said yesterday. —AP

Father of slain Tiananmen Square protester kills himself BEIJING: The father of a man killed in the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown has hanged himself in protest after two decades of failed attempts to seek government redress, a support group said yesterday.The group, known as the Tiananmen Mothers, said 73-year-old Ya Weilin’s body was found in an unused underground parking garage below his residential complex in Beijing. He was believed to have killed himself Friday. An obituary the group posted on its website said that according to Ya’s family, he had carried a note that detailed his son’s death and declared that he would die in protest because the issue had not been addressed for more than 20 years.

“We have written repeatedly in the past 18 years,” Ya said in a 2007 interview with Catalonian TV3. “They never bothered to reply, not even once, totally ignored us.” Beijing police did not immediately respond to a faxed request for comment. Ya’s death came about a week ahead of the anniversary of the night of June 3-4, 1989, when the military crushed the weekslong, student-led protests, possibly killing thousands of students, activists and ordinary citizens.

Official silence has been maintained about the incident ever since, with nothing written in school textbooks and public discussion virtually taboo. The Tiananmen Mothers routinely issue open letters urging the country’s leaders to account for the deaths. They have for years called for a

full investigation, compensation to victims’ families and punishment of those responsible for the military crackdown on student-led protesters. Members say the government has never responded.

Ya’s son Ya Aiguo was shot in the head by martial-law troops in Beijing, according to an obituary the support group posted on its website. A testimony by Ya Aiguo’s mother on the same site says that at the time, the 22-year-old had been waiting to be assigned a job and had gone out shopping with his girlfriend the evening he was killed.

His father killed himself out of despair and to protest the government’s longstanding refusal to address the grievances of the victims’ relatives, said Zhang Xianling, who knew Ya and his wife from the support group. “ The government’s cold-blooded behavior has caused this tragic ending,” said Zhang, who lost a 19-year-old son in the crackdown. “I hope this incident will make the government circumspect and that such a thing will not happen again,” Zhang said. “In this, the government has a responsibility. It owes a life now.”

The Chinese government has never fully disclosed what happened when the military crushed the weekslong Tiananmen protests, which it branded a “counterrevolutionary riot.” The government has never provided a credible account nor allowed an independent investigation into the events and the fatalities. —AP

4 Britons arrested over Bali ‘drug ring’ DENPASAR: Four Britons and one Indian national were arrested on the resort island of Bali for drug smuggling, police said yesterday, and could face death under Indonesia’s stiff anti-drug laws. Briton Lindsay June Sandiford, 56, was arrested on May 19 with almost five kilos (11 pounds) of cocaine at the airport in Denpasar, arriving on a Thai Airways flight from Bangkok, a customs official said.

The cocaine has an estimated street value of $2.5 million. Four others connected to Sandiford were arrested in a sting operation, Bali police narcotics head Mulyadi told reporters. “For over a week, we conducted a controlled drug delivery through the suspect, Sandiford, to uncover a drug ring,” Mulyadi said.

“Four Britons, including Sandiford, and one Indian citizen were arrested,” he said, without naming the other suspects. The police monitored Sandiford for over a week as she stayed in a hotel in Ahmed, on the eastern part of the holiday island, on the orders of another British woman who was also later arrested, Mulyadi said.

A British man who allegedly collected cocaine from Sandiford at the hotel was also arrested, with the substance in his car.

Police seized 3.36 grams of hashish from another British man, and 78 plastic satchels containing what police suspect are ecstasy pills from the Indian national before both were arrested, Mulyadi said.

Denpasar airport customs chief I Made Wijaya said they found the haul of cocaine in the lining of Sandiford’s suitcase. “We conducted an X-ray scan on the luggage, found a suspicious substance in it and

then examined it,” he said.

The cocaine found in Sandiford’s bag has a street value of more than 23 billion rupiah ($2.5 million), an amount large enough to warrant a maximum sentence of death by firing squad, Wijaya said.

Meanwhile, Indonesian lawyers for the bombmaker accused of masterminding the 2002 Bali attacks that killed 202 people insisted yesterday that he only played a minor role and should be jailed for less than 15 years.

Prosecutors last week recommended a life sentence for Umar Patek, 45, accused of heading the bombmaking operation in the attacks on two nightclubs on the resort island and Jakarta church bombings on Christmas Eve in 2000.

“The judges must give our client a sentence of less than 15 years’ imprisonment,” Asludin Hatjani, one of Patek’s lawyers, told AFP outside the court after the trial.

Hatjani earlier told the West Jakarta District Court that Patek’s “involvement was small.”

“The bombs were almost completely assembled when he arrived in Bali. He only helped mix the remaining explosives,” he said. Patek, a member of the Jemaah Islamiyah terror network, was arrested last year in the Pakistani town of Abbottabad, four months before US commandos killed Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden there.

Indonesian prosecutors stopped short of recommending the maximum death penalty last week, arguing that Patek’s remorse should spare him from the firing squad that has already executed three of the Bali bombers. —Agencies

NEWS

TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2012

An Egyptian woman walks past graffiti that reads in Arabic ‘Mubarak is coming’, referring to ousted president Hosni Mubarak in Cairo yesterday. — AFP

Powerful virus found in Mideast Continued from Page 1 inflict other physical damage. Yet they said they are in the early stages of their investigations and that they may discover other purposes beyond data theft. It took researchers months to determine the key mysteries behind Stuxnet, including the purpose of modules used to attack a uranium enrichment facility at Natanz, Iran. “Their initial research suggest that this was probably written by the authors of Stuxnet for covert intelligence collection,” said John Bumgarner, a cyber warfare expert with the non-profit US Cyber Consequences Unit think tank.

Flame appears poised to go down in history as the third major cyber weapon uncovered after Stuxnet and its datastealing cousin Duqu, named after the Star Wars villain. The Moscow-based company is controlled by Russian malware researcher Eugene Kaspersky. It gained notoriety in cyber weapons research after solving several mysteries surrounding Stuxnet and Duqu. Their research shows the largest number of infected machines are in Iran, followed by Israel and the Palestinian territories, then Sudan and Syria.

The virus contains about 20 times as much code as Stuxnet, which caused centrifuges to fail at the Iranian enrichment facility it attacked. It has about 100 times as much code as a typical virus designed to steal financial information, said Kaspersky Lab senior researcher Roel Schouwenberg. Flame can gather data files, remotely change settings on computers, turn on PC microphones to record conversations, take screen shots and log instant messaging chats.

Kaspersky Lab said Flame and Stuxnet appear to infect machines by exploiting the same flaw in the Windows operating system and that both viruses employ a similar way of spreading. That means the teams that built Stuxnet and Duqu might have had access to the same technology as the team that built Flame, Schouwenberg said. He said that a nation state would have the capability to build such a sophisticated tool, but declined to comment on which countries might do so.

The question of who built flame is sure to become a hot topic in the security community as well as the diplomatic world. There is some controversy over who was behind Stuxnet and Duqu. Some experts suspect the United States and Israel, a view that was laid out in a January 2011 New York Times report that said it came from a joint program begun around 2004 to undermine what they say are Iran’s efforts to build a bomb. That article said the program was originally authorized by US President George W Bush, and then accelerated by his successor, Barack Obama.

A US Defense Department spokesman, David Oten, declined to comment on Flame yesterday, saying it may take “some time” because of the US Memorial Day holiday.

The CIA, the State Department, the National Security Agency, and the US Cyber Command declined to com-

Five facts about ‘Flame’ Here are five key facts about Flame, according to researchers with Kaspersky Lab: Complexity: It is one of the most sophisticated pieces of malicious software ever discovered. It has about 20 times as much code than Stuxnet. It is built with some 20 modules - researchers still don’t understand the full purpose of most of them.

Breadth: It is the most complete data-stealing tools found to date. It can record sounds, access Bluetooth communications, capture regular screenshot images and log Internet Messaging conversations.

Network: The creators of the virus used a network of some 80 servers across Asia, Europe and North America to remotely access infected machines. They can change settings on personal computers and quietly gather the stolen data. It is the largest such Command and Control network identified to date.

Victims: The largest number of infected computers were found in Iran, followed by Israel and the Palestinian territories. The virus also turned up in Sudan, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

Kaspersky researchers estimate that altogether between 1,000 and 5,000 machines were infected worldwide.

Perpetrator: Kaspersky researchers decline to say which nation or nations they believe are behind Flame. The creators of Stuxnet and Flame employed similar techniques to infect computers, which suggests that they were “parallel” projects backed by the same nation state. — Reuters ment. Hungarian researcher Boldizsar Bencsath, whose Laboratory of Cryptography and Systems Security first discovered Duqu, said his analysis shows that Flame may have been active for at least five years and perhaps eight years or more. “The scary thing for me is: if this is what they were capable of five years ago, I can only think what they are developing now,” Mohan Koo, managing director of Britishbased Dtex Systems cyber security company.

Mikko Hypponen, chief research officer for anti-virus software maker F-Secure of Finland, described Flame as the latest of high-profile viruses that show makers of anti-virus software need to improve their performance. “Stuxnet, Duqu and Flame are all examples where we - the anti-virus industry - have dramatically failed,” he said. “All of these cases were spreading undetected for extended periods of time ... Yet, anti-virus products failed to protect users against these attacks.” — Reuters

MPs trade blame as govt probes Dow...

Continued from Page 1 compensation, saying that he should be forced to pay it from his own pocket. But pro-government MP Ali Al-Rashed insisted that opposition MPs, especially Speaker Ahmad Al-Saadoun and “his group”, should be held responsible for the negative decision against Kuwait because they had threatened the previous government to scrap the deal. Lawyer Ali Al-Ali meanwhile filed a lawsuit against those who caused the country to lose the case and order them to pay the huge compensation.

Meanwhile, the government appointed Nayef AlHajraf as the country’s acting finance minister, after his predecessor Mustafa Al-Shamali quit amid allegations of financial irregularities in his departments. “The prime minister has informed the Cabinet that the resignation of the finance minister has been accepted,” said a statement following the weekly Cabinet meeting. Shamali denied all allegations of mismanagement on his watch but stepped down last Thursday after opposition lawmakers accused him in parliament of failing to deal with alleged irregularities in his departments.

Hajraf, who is higher education minister, replaces Shamali on an interim basis. A more permanent replacement is expected to be announced in the coming weeks, according to Kuwaiti media. Shamali, 69, had served as finance minister from 2007 and worked in the ministry for more than four decades. Kuwait’s market index lost 1 percent, falling to a six-week low as political

instability in the country weighed on sentiment.

Separately, members of the Popular Action Bloc yesterday submitted a draft law calling on the government to subject nationals of certain countries to the same procedures Kuwaitis are subjected to when they visit those countries. The bill stipulates that the government will treat certain foreign citizens who request visas to visit Kuwait exactly in the same way Kuwaiti citizens are treated when then seek visas to those countries. The explanatory note of the bill states that following the Sept 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, certain countries imposed stiff measures on certain nationalities over granting them visit visas or while visiting their countries.

Such strict measures, like taking fingerprints, are imposed on Kuwaiti citizens when they visit those countries and accordingly, the Kuwaiti government must treat the nationals of those countries on an equal footing. As per regulations by the interior ministry, nationals of around 35 countries are exempted from restrictions on visit visas which they can obtain on arrival at Kuwait international airport or at other border posts. These countries include the United States, Canada, most European countries and China among others. A majority of foreign nationals who hold official residence permits in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states also enjoy this facility provided they work in good jobs.

In another development, Islamist MPs yesterday said the ruling by the appeals court against an Iranian spy ring confirms Iran’s aggressive intentions against Kuwait.

Turkey OKs indictment of Israeli commanders ANKARA: A Turkish court has approved an indictment seeking multiple life sentences for four former Israeli military commanders over their alleged involvement in the 2010 killing of nine Turks on a Gaza-bound aid ship, state media reported yesterday. The indictment, prepared by Istanbul state prosecutor Mehmet Akif Ekinci, was submitted to the court last week and its approval effectively marks the start of a trial in absentia against the four men.

Relations between Turkey and Israel deteriorated sharply after Israeli commandos raided the Mavi Marmara aid vessel in May 2010 to enforce a naval blockade of the Gaza Strip and killed nine Turks in clashes with activists on board the ship. Turkey expelled Israel’s ambassador and froze all military cooperation after a UN repor t into the incident released last September largely exonerated the Jewish state. The indictment accuses Israel’s former Chief of General Staff Gabi Ashkenazi and three other retired senior military commanders of involvement in the raid and calls for between 8,000 and 18,000 life sentences for each of the men, state news agency Anatolian said on its website.

Official Israeli sources have not commented on the indictment but media quoted Ashkenazi as saying he was certain “common sense would prevail in the end”.

The reports said Ashkenazi added: “( Turkey) is an important country which together with Israel has a joint interest in maintaining stability in the Middle East ... From the first moment, I chose to stand up in

ever y forum to defend the soldiers of the Israel Defence Forces ... if the price for this is that I won’t be able to visit Turkey, I will pay the price.”

Turkey had previously said it would try to prosecute all Israelis responsible for crimes committed during the raid and the prosecutor had written to Israel seeking the names of those involved but had received no answer. Last week a Turkish lawyer representing victims of the raid said Israel had offered to pay $6 million in compensation in turn for lawsuits to be dropped. However, a senior Israeli official who declined to be named said Israel, having indicated last year that it was prepared to indemnify victims without accepting blame, had not renewed its offer.

The UN report into the raid last September was meant to encourage a rapprochement between the two countries but ultimately deepened the rift when it concluded Israel had used unreasonable force but that the blockade on Gaza was legal. Turkey was stung by Israel’s refusal to make a formal apology and pay compensation to families of the dead. On several occasions in recent years, serving and former Israeli commanders and other senior officials either refrained from visiting Britain to avoid arrest after proPalestinian activists initiated criminal proceedings against them. Those fears of arrest were lifted after Britain changed a law last year which made it much more difficult for individuals to start legal proceedings against individuals they alleged had committed war crimes. — Reuters

S&P maintains Kuwait credit ratings at AA Continued from Page 1 “We view the institutionalised impasse between the parliament and government as an impediment to policymaking,” said S&P. “However, we believe that this risk is largely offset by the Kuwaiti population’s ability to express

its views in a relatively free and open society, thereby reducing the risk of domestic conflict that has been seen elsewhere in the Middle East and North Africa region,” it said. S&P estimated that Kuwait’s budget surplus in the 2011/2012 fiscal year which ended on March 31, will be a massive 30 percent of gross domestic product. — AFP

Bahrain activist ends 110-day hunger strike Continued from Page 1 separate trials on charges including writing tweets deemed insulting to the Bahraini government. In a statement posted by the lawyer on his Twitter page, Khawaja told his family he was ending his strike yesterday evening “despite failure to achieve the direct demand which is to be set free”. But he would stop his fast “following the success of his supporters... in shedding light on the issue of detainees in Bahrain prisons... and taking in consideration the forced feeding imposed on him by authorities since April 23.” Khawaja said he has “agreed to undergo a medical program to return to a normal diet.”

Khawaja, who was arrested in April last year following a government crackdown on Shiite-dominated protests, began his hunger strike on Feb 8. The former head of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR), who has dual Bahraini and Danish nationalities, was convicted last June by a military tribunal, along with 20 other activists, of plotting to overthrow the government. Khawaja was among seven activists jailed for life, while 14 others were sentenced to between two and 15 years in prison. He is being retried in a civil court along with 12 others. A new hearing is slated for today. Last week he made his first court appearance since he began his hunger strike, arriving in a wheelchair, and announced that he was force-fed in prison.

Rajab, also a Shiite and the current head of BCHR, was released on a bail of 300 dinars ($796) although he continues to face a travel ban, his lawyer said. Rajab was granted bail in the trial of posting tweets deemed insulting to security forces, over which he was arrested on May 5 upon arrival from a trip abroad. But the prose-

cutor ordered him to stay behind bars for questioning in the case of taking part in a rally and calling for illegal demonstrations.

Yesterday, the defence asked the court to “combine the three cases together in one trial,” Jishi said. Rajab flashed the V for victory sign as he emerged from a police station in Manama, where relatives and supporters had gathered to celebrate his release. “I was arrested because of my rights activities,” he said, vowing to continue to “defend the oppressed”. Rajab had been leading anti-government protests following a brutal crackdown on Shiite-led demonstrations against the Sunni AlKhalifa dynasty in March 2011.

The avid tweeter is accused of insulting the security forces in tweets that he admitted came from his account on the microblogging website. On May 16, Rajab told the court the charge against him was “vindictive” as more than 50 lawyers turned up to defend him.

Human Rights Watch earlier this month urged Bahraini authorities to drop charges against Rajab, saying they were an attempt to “silence one of the Bahraini government’s most prominent critics”.

Bahrain came under strong criticism from international rights organisations over last year’s mid-March crackdown on demonstrations that were inspired by the Arab Spring uprisings. An international panel commissioned

by King Hamad to probe the government’s clampdown found out that excessive force and torture were used against protesters and detainees. King Hamad promised reforms, including throughout the government’s security bodies, while a number of policemen have been put on trial over torture. Amnesty International estimates that 60 people have been killed since protests broke out on Feb 14 last year. — Agencies

14

TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2012

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Issues

Muslim sportswomen on the rise

By Marium Sattar t the first ceremony of its kind, fencer and Olympic hopeful Ibtihaj Muhammad was recognised for her achievements as a Muslim sportswoman at the Ambassador Awards. The awards were hosted by the Muslim Women’s Sport Foundation the first week of May to recognise Muslim women in this field. They are a reminder that Muslim sportswomen have broken new ground in the world of sports and helped change perceptions in society at large.

Although there are more Muslim women competing in sports today than there have been in the past, they have an overlooked legacy. For example, Halet Cambel was the first Muslim woman who competed in the Olympics - and did so in 1936, representing Turkey. Many athletes like her were honoured at the awards where Muhammad won the International Sportswoman of the Year. However, women’s sports participation in some countries is still limited.

One challenge some Muslim sportswomen have contended with is regulations about athletic dress codes but they have also paved the way for other players who want to dress modestly while still competing in the games they love. In 2007, for example, the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) placed a ban on wearing the hijab, or headscarf, during matches due to fears that it could lead to choking. The ban even led to the Iranian women’s football team being deemed ineligible from a qualifying match to play in the Olympics; however, this year, FIFA is planning to overturn that rule in light of new hijabs designed specifically for athletes.

The decision will be announced on 2 July after further testing of the new hijabs to ensure their safety.

Muhammad says that her faith, which requires women to dress modestly, directed her choice to start fencing, a sport which requires players to cover themselves from head to toe. “Often times, when I’m in competition, I’m the only African American, the only black person, definitely the only Muslim - not only representing the United States but in the competition itself. It can be really difficult...” she said.

Given their diversity, Muslim sportswomen are an inspiration to young women around the world. Yet some young women from Muslim backgrounds still face challenges overcoming cultural restrictions either because their parents believe girls should not become athletes or perhaps simply because they do not have role models.

However, these restrictions did not stop Pakistani runner Naseem Hameed, who won the gold medal for her performance at the 100-metre race at the South Asian Games in 2010, making her the fastest woman in South Asia. As more athletes like Hameed come into the limelight, young women watching them may start to have higher expectations about what they can achieve, especially in sports. Other Muslim sportswomen have contended with much bigger hurdles. Sadaf Rahimi, a 17year-old boxer from Afghanistan, is one Ambassador Award nominee who overcame the lack of facilities to practice in and the difficulties of living under the Taliban - which banned women from playing sports. Rahimi, who will be representing Afghanistan in the London 2012 Olympics, shatters stereotypes about Afghan women. Like her peers, she counteracts the misconception that Muslim women cannot play sports, while demonstrating that perseverance can overcome even the toughest hurdles.

In another part of the Muslim world, Qatar recently announced that it will send female athletes to the Olympics for the first time. Brunei has also nominated a female hurdler and 400-metre runner, Maziah Mahusin, to join their Olympic team for the first time. Their participation in sports heralds a new era, one which is more inclusive of all women, and shows that governments are following where women are leading.

Many athletes at the Ambassador Awards said they never expected to excel as they have - a reality that shows young women that they are capable of achieving more than they may think is possible. At the event, Muhammad reflected on how much her faith and sports have shaped her identity. “I would never have guessed in a million years that my hijab would have led me to fencing, to a sport, but also that I would have grown to love this sport so much. It’s so much a part of who I am; I can’t even imagine life without it.”

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NOTE: Marium Sattar is a multimedia and print journalist, and a recent graduate of the Columbia Journalism School in New York City — CGNews

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.

Muslims and secularism in the UK

By Tehmina Kazi ecently, the debate over secularism in the UK has come increasingly to the fore, especially after the muchpublicised case of a Christian woman, Nadia Eweida, who was asked to cover the cross she was wearing while at work for British Airways. London’s newly elected mayor, Boris Johnson, defended Eweida’s right to wear it, citing other examples of religious expression in public. However her story has led to a heated debate between those who feel it is their right to wear the symbols of their faith in public and those calling for a strict separation between religion and the public sphere.

For example, some Britons assume that Muslims in the UK seek a greater role for religion in the public sphere. Yet in the context of the current debate over secularism, it is worth emphasising that many Muslims actually see no contradiction between religious values and the framework of secular procedures and institutions in the UK. Britain is often described as a society which adheres to “procedural secularism”. Theoretically, this means that it enables all voices, whether religious or not, to access the public sphere equally.

In Contextualising Islam in Britain, a ground-breaking research project con-

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ducted by Cambridge University that asked a diverse group of Muslim participants to answer the question “what does it mean to live faithfully as a Muslim in Britain today?” an overwhelming majority of participants affirmed their support for this model. They observed that procedural secularism provides many benefits for British Muslims, including religious freedom.

As British Muslims we are able, for the most par t, to practice our faith in an atmosphere of respect and security, with recourse to established anti-discrimination provisions if this is not the case.

Many public sector workplaces now have multi-faith prayer rooms, and halal food options are available in school canteens.

Many people in the UK see the debate about religious expression as one between those that support the status quo of procedural secularism and “ideological secularists” who reject procedural secularism and say that religious voices should be excluded or rigorously controlled in public and private institutions.

Many Muslims, as well as Christians, across the UK have expressed concern about a potential rise in ideological secularism and worry about their right to religious expression being circumscribed.

Proponents of ideological secularism often cite the negative role that religion can play when it comes to issues like

women’s rights as grounds for their objection to allowing religion into the public sphere. When extremely conservative religious activists speak out against women’s rights and use supposedly religious arguments, this furthers such misconceptions.

However, such ex treme ac ts have more to do with culture than religion. For example, forced marriage is a negative cultural practice. Although associated with Islam, it is actually totally at odds with Islamic histor y, which includes examples of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) ending marriages in which consent had not been sought.

Contrary to much of the mainstream media discourse on Muslims, research suggests that the overwhelming majority of British Muslims feel comfortable with a procedural secular state.

The Contextualising Islam in Britain report correctly identifies that the only groups who put forward arguments to the contrary are fringe groups (both Muslim and non-Muslim) that have little interest in promoting a cohesive, pluralistic society.

Within a procedural secular state such as Britain, Muslims have rights and responsibilities that are in keeping with Islamic teachings. Far from advocating withdrawal from society, mainstream Islamic scholarship regards civic engagement as highly desirable for Muslim citi-

zens. Understanding that being a religious Muslim in Britain today also means living a full life as a citizen - with all the rights and responsibilities that entails - is a crucial step towards becoming wellintegrated citizens in today’s Britain.

Islamic history has something to say about the link between citizenship and religion as well. Imam Abu Ishaq alShatibi, an Andalusian scholar who lived in the 14th century, articulated this principle in his work on the Maqasid al Sharia (goals of the sharia, or Islamic principles).

He drew parallels between citizens’ rights and responsibilities in a state - such as freedom of conscience and the obligation to speak out against tyranny - and the objectives of Islam. More needs to be done to highlight this area of thought, and how it can be used as inspiration in t h e l i ve s o f B r i t i s h M u s l i m s to d ay.

Ultimately, it is not only theory that will help citizens from different backgrounds live together in a secular societ y.

Government and voluntary organisations in the UK must come up with practical strategies and resources to promote an inclusive society and help the next generation of citizens, including young Muslims, understand their role in it.

NOTE: Tehmina Kazi is the Director of British Muslims for Secular Democracy.

— CGNews

End of racial, religious profiling in US?

By Nadia S. Mohammad s the American public reads of yet another report released on governmental surveillance of Muslim American communities, it is refreshing to know that for the first time since the 9/11 attacks, the US Senate Judiciary Committee, along with various state legislatures and federal agencies, are directly addressing long-held public concerns about racial and religious profiling - a practice within law enforcement that relies solely on race, religion or ethnicity to determine possible criminal activity.

With these recent developments, could we finally be seeing the beginning of the end of racial and religious profiling in America?

The Senate hearing on racial profiling, initiated by Illinois Senator Richard Durbin, took place in conjunction with Durbin’s co-sponsored bill, the “End Racial Profiling Act of 2011” (ERPA), on 17 April. Racial and religious profiling has become a particularly sensitive issue for Muslim Americans in the past decade, although it affects multiple racial, ethnic and religious minority groups in the United States. In the United States, some assume that all individuals of South Asian or Arab descent are Muslim, and that being Muslim is somehow dangerous - which has led to members of these ethnic groups being profiled. Such practices violate the constitutional right to equal treatment under the law; moreover, racial and religious profiling is ineffective as it is based on unreliable assumptions about minority groups, rather than criminal behaviour profiles.

ERPA would also provide for additional training to help law enforcement, government officials and neighbourhood watch groups avoid using such tactics.

The political debate on the effectiveness of racial and religious profiling by

A

law enforcement goes back several decades. Interestingly enough, when it last garnered high-profile political attention, it was former President George W Bush who proclaimed, in a February 2001 address, that racial profiling is “wrong and we will end it in America”. He went even further to say that ending racial profiling practices would not compromise security. Then came the attacks of 9/11 and what Bush once dubbed as

Department (NYPD), after it was reported that the NYPD systematically surveilled Muslim Americans and certain ethnic minorities in the area without probable cause. After several police officers were arrested for illegally targeting and harassing Hispanic Americans in Connecticut, state legislators passed a definitive bill prohibiting “the stopping, detention or search of any person” due solely to “race, color, ethnicity, age, gen-

“wrong” became an excusable right, in the name of national security. “In the national trauma that followed 9/11, civil liberties came face to face with national security”, said Senator Durbin, and all too often the promise of national security won, at the expense of Muslim Americans and other Americans who appeared to be Muslim.

The ERPA hearing comes at a time when racial and religious profiling is being actively challenged across the nation. Numerous civil-rights advocates and legislative officials have called for an investigation and independent nonpartisan oversight of the New York Police

der or sexual orientation”.

The decades of grassroots organising have also allowed civil-rights groups to provide the public with better tools and technology to empower themselves when faced with harassment by law enforcement. The Sikh Coalition, for example, recently launched a mobile application that allows travellers to file direct complaints with the government if they feel they have been unfairly profiled. In turn, these groups have been able to provide advocacy organisations and legislators with better assessments of the extent and the overall ineffectiveness of racial and religious profiling.

Some federal agencies, after public pressure, are taking measures to prevent organisational discriminatory practices.

Both the military and FBI have initiated steps to review their training materials, due to recent reports of their use of severely Islamophobic materials. Last month the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for the US armed forces ordered a review of the military’s training material in its entirety to ensure it does not contain Islamophobic content. This month, the FBI is holding workshops titled “Combating Islamophobia: Truths and Myths about Islam”.

While it is difficult to tell, at this point, what the standards of either the military or the FBI are in determining what constitutes Islamophobic material, the attempt to instil better standards is a small step forward. The passing of ERPA would be a significant achievement at the federal level, but undoing the damage of decades of racial and religious profiling will be a lengthy process. This is only the beginning - in going forward, more legislators and law enforcement agencies will also need to critically examine their discriminatory practices and materials while allowing for greater transparency.

Local and federal law enforcement officers will need training to better understand and spot possible criminal behaviour using more effective practices than racial profiling. In ending racial and religious profiling and ensuring our civilrights are protected, it is important to remember that we are not compromising our security; instead, we are enhancing our safety and building stronger working relationships between law enforcement and community members.

NOTE: Nadia S Mohammad is an Associate Editor of AltMuslimah.com — CGNews

TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2012

TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2012

sp orts Clarke to miss US Open LONDON: British Open champion Darren Clarke has pulled out of next month’s US Open at the Olympic Club in San Francisco because of a troublesome groin injury. “I am extremely disappointed that I will be unable to play in the US Open,” the 43-year-old Northern Irishman said in a statement released by his management team yesterday. “But I have to make sure I am 100 percent ready for the British Open at Royal Lytham in July and to do that I’ve been advised not to play for a month.”

Clarke has also had to pull out of the June 6-9 Nordea Masters in Stockholm.

He was first troubled by his groin during last month’s Houston Open and it was again a problem in the PGA Championship at Wentworth.

Clarke missed the halfway cut on Friday at the European Tour’s flagship event. “I haven’t been able to get through the ball properly and I don’t want to take any chances,” he added. The US Open starts on June 14. —Reuters

Ukraine official quits over ticket scandal KIEV: A top official from Ukraine’s National Olympic Committee has resigned over allegations he offered to sell thousands of dollars worth of tickets for the London Games on the black market.

The committee said in a statement yesterday on its website (www.noc-ukr.org) that Volodymyr Gerashchenko, the general secretary and second highest-ranking official on the 149-member body, stepped down after an emergency meeting last Friday. It added that an investigating panel had been set up to probe the allegations, which stem from a BBC report which said that Gerashchenko had offered to sell up to 100 tickets for the July 27Aug.12 Games to a reporter posing as a buyer.

“After the meeting of the execu-

Boxer Tapia found dead

tive committee, the general secretary resigned. At the same time. V. Gerashchenko gave an assurance that he would cooperate fully with the investigation,” the statement said. “Ukraine’s NOC will do everything it can to clarify all aspects of the affair.” Gerashchenko, 56, who has been in his post since 1997, was temporarily suspended from his role on May 22 when news of the scandal broke during Olympic meetings in Quebec City.

The Ukraine Olympic Committee was allotted 2,900 tickets for distribution to various officials and groups. It said that Gerashchenko’s functions as general secretary required him to go to London to ensure the accreditation there of Ukraine’s athletes and official delegation. —Reuters

ALBUQUERQUE: Johnny Tapia, the five-time boxing champion whose turbulent career was marked by cocaine addiction, alcohol, depression and run-ins with the law, was found dead Sunday at his Albuquerque home. He was 45.

Authorities were called to the house at about 7:45 p.m. on Sunday, spokesman Robert Gibbs said. The death didn’t appear to be suspicious, he said.

Tapia won five championships in three weight classes, winning the WBA bantamweight title, the IBF and WBO junior bantamweight titles and the IBF featherweight belt.

He was regarded as the consummate underdog by his fans. The more trouble he found outside the ring - including several stints in jail - the more they rallied around him.

In a 1990s-era feud with fellow Albuquerque boxer and former world champion Danny Romero, Tapia’s fans anointed him with the slang Spanish title of “Burque’s Best.”

But his life was also marked by tragedy.

He was orphaned at 8, his mother stabbed 26 times with a screwdriver and left to die.

In 2007, he was hospitalized after an apparent cocaine overdose. Several days later, his brother-inlaw and his nephew were killed in car accident on their way to Albuquerque to see the ailing boxer. —AP

Rays rally to defeat Red Sox BOSTON: Sean Rodriguez hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning off Boston closer Alfredo Aceves as the Tampa Bay Rays rallied for a 4-3 victory over the Red Sox on Sunday, a day after losing in the final inning. Will Rhymes went 3 for 3 with three singles and an RBI for the Rays, who lost Saturday night on a pinch-hit, two-run homer by Jarrod Saltalamacchia in the ninth off closer Fernando Rodney.

Adrian Gonzalez hit a three-run homer for Boston, which was about to move above .500 for the first time this season until Rodriguez hit

defeated Toronto for a three-game sweep.

The AL West leaders outscored the Blue Jays 34-16 in the series, extending Toronto’s losing streak to five games. Ian Kinsler homered, doubled and drove in four runs and Michael Young had three hits for Texas. Mike Napoli added a tworun shot, ending his 24-game homerless drought.

Darvish (7-2) gave up three runs and seven hits in five innings. In his previous outing, he allowed five runs and walked a career-high six in four innings against Seattle.

sweeping the three-game series in Oakland, extending their winning streak at the Coliseum to nine games. That is tied for the secondlongest winning streak ever by a road team in Oakland, trailing only Baltimore’s 13-game run from 197679.

Derek Jeter singled to lead off the game for his 3,155th career hit, breaking a tie with Hall of Famer George Brett to move into sole possession of 14th place all-time.

Tigers 4, Twins 3 At Minneapolis, Miguel Cabrera’s

two walks for the Tigers, who have won 21 of their last 27 games against the Twins.

White Sox 12, Indians 6 At Chicago, Paul Konerko hit a tiebreaking three-run homer - his 400th with the White Sox - as Chicago routed Cleveland to complete a three-game sweep.

Gavin Floyd (4-5) got the win for the White Sox, who have won five straight for the first time this season and nine of 10 overall.

Chicago has homered in 13 consecutive games for the first time since 2006, and scored nine or more runs in four consecutive games. The White Sox haven’t accomplished that feat since June 27-30, 1938, according to the team, which cited the Elias Sports Bureau.

Konerko, who has a 13-game hitting streak, finished with two hits and four RBIs, and raised his average to a majors-best .399. Johnny Damon hit a three-run homer for the Indians, his first of the season.

Angels 4, Mariners 2 At Seattle, Kendrys Morales had three hits, including a home run, scored twice and drove in two runs to help the Los Angeles Angels complete their first four-game road sweep of Seattle in 27 years.

CJ Wilson (6-4) earned the win, allowing two hits and one run before leaving after six innings with a blister on his left hand. Scott Downs picked up his fifth save for the Angels.

Morales and Mark Trumbo each hit solo home runs off Mariners starter Hector Noesi (2-6). Seattle has lost four in a row.

BOSTON: Red Sox’s Alfredo Aceves delivers a pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays in the ninth inning of a baseball game at Fenway Park. —AP a drive off Aceves (0-2) over the Green Monster with one out after Ben Zobrist walked.

Boston lost for just the fifth time in 16 games, but dropped two of three in the weekend series that was highlighted by a benchesclearing incident on Friday. It’s the latest the Red Sox (23-24) haven’t been over .500 since late August of 1996.

Rangers 12, Blue Jays 6 At Arlington, Texas, Adrian Beltre homered during a seven-run second inning, and Yu Darvish posted his seventh victory as Texas

JP Arencibia hit two solo home runs, and Colby Rasmus hit a tworun homer for the Blue Jays. Kyle Drabek (4-5) allowed a career-high nine runs in three innings and lost for the second time this season to Darvish.

Yankees 2, Athletics 0 At Oakland, California, Hiroki Kuroda (4-6) pitched eight scoreless innings and Andruw Jones hit a solo homer to help the New York Yankees win their season-high fifth straight game.

The Yankees got off to a strong start to their nine-game road trip by

two-run, one-out homer in the ninth inning lifted Detroit to a 4-3 victory over Minnesota, as the Tigers finished a three-game sweep of the Twins in style after leaving 10 men on base earlier in the game.

Cabrera crushed a 0-2 pitch to center field from Matt Capps (0-3), who took his first blown save in 10 tries. Rookie Quintin Berry started the inning with a single.

Jose Valverde followed for his ninth save in 11 attempts. Brayan Villarreal (1-1) recorded two outs in the eighth for the victory.

Prince Fielder had two more hits and went 9 for 12 in the series plus

Royals 4, Orioles 2 At Baltimore, Jeff Francoeur and Billy Butler hit home runs, and Alcides Escobar had two hits to lead Kansas City over Baltimore.

Francoeur had a terrific series, hitting 7 for 12 against the Orioles, including two homers. Butler had home runs in successive games for the Royals, who won two consecutive games for the first time since a four-game winning streak from May 12-15.

Baltimore’s Adam Jones, whose six-year, $85.5 million contract extension was officially announced before the game, extended his career-long hitting streak to 18 longest in the majors this season, with a fifth-inning double. —AP

New Giro winner Hesjedal swaps survival for success MILAN: When new winner Ryder Hesjedal first rode the Giro d’Italia in 2005, he never saw his Discovery Channel team mate Paolo Savoldelli of Italy ride into Milan for his second overall victory.

Instead Hesjedal, then a secondyear pro, crashed after five stages and struggled on for another nine days before abandoning. “I pulled out the day he (Savoldelli) got the pink jersey,” Hesjedal once said. “It was just a struggle every day...just survival.”

Fast forward seven years and Hesjedal’s 2012 Giro could not be a more different story as he claimed the pink jersey on the last day in Milan’s time trial to became Canada’s first Grand Tour winner.

Savoldelli was still there, too but as a Giro race commentator for Italian TV on the back of a motorbike. For the last three weeks the now retired Italian has watched his former team mate slowly build towards his overall victory.

Hesjedal’s professional career on the road had begun in 2004 with Lance Armstrong’s U.S. Postal team, but that year the Canadian used road-racing almost purely as

preparation for the mountain bike race in the 2004 Athens Olympics.

However, after a crash into a large rock hidden by a dense cloud of dust saw him lose all chance of victory in Athens, Hesjedal opted to focus on the road.

Hesjedal signed for Garmin, his current team, in 2008. A stand-out showing in the 2009 Tour de

France team time trial and helping then team mate Bradley Wiggins ride to a British record-equalling fourth overall confirmed Hesjedal’s potential for three-week stage racing.

Victory in the Tour of Spain’s toughest single mountain stage the same year after 6,000 metres of climbing further increased

MILANO: Canadian Garmin team cyclist Ryder Hesjedal celebrates after winning the Tour of Italy (Giro d’Italia) cycling race in this file photo. —AFP

Hesjedal’s confidence in his stage racing abilities and in 2010 he claimed seventh in the Tour de France, his best overall finish in a Grand Tour prior to his 2012 Giro triumph.

A ninth place finish in LiegeBastogne-Liege, the ultra-hilly Belgian Classic, this April strongly suggested the man from Victoria would be in the frame for the Giro.

On stage seven he became Canada’s first Giro leader and the first rider from his country to head a Grand Tour since Steve Bauer in the Tour de France, 22 years previously.

A fortnight later, the quietly spoken 31-year-old - who loves hiking and who lives in Hawaii in the off-season - broke yet more glass ceilings when he became the first Canadian to finish in the top three of a major Tour, let alone win one. Hesjedal’s victory is also the first Grand Tour podium finish for his Garmin team in their five-year history. To achieve both in the Giro, where Hesjedal had such a rough debut to Grand Tour racing, can only increase his satisfaction. —Reuters

ST LOUIS: Philadelphia Phillies’ Carlos Ruiz (left) is safe at home as he avoids the tag from St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina during the second inning of a baseball game. —AP

Cardinals roll over Phillies ST. LOUIS: Roy Halladay gave up a grand slam to Yadier Molina in an abbreviated two-inning start before leaving with shoulder soreness as the St. Louis Cardinals avoided a four-game sweep with an 8-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday. The Phillies were looking for their first four-game sweep in St. Louis in 99 years. Halladay (4-5) departed with a 3.98 ERA after an outing that matched the second-shortest outing of his career.

The team said the two-time Cy Young pitching award winner was taken out as a precautionary measure and that he’ll be re-evaluated in the next few days. Since winning his first three starts, Halladay is 1-5 with a 5.08 ERA in eight games, and the Phillies have lost seven of his last eight starts.

Carlos Beltran hit his NL-leading 15th home run for St. Louis and rookie Matt Adams hit the first of his career.

scoreless innings for his 12th save in 13 chances.

Pirates 10, Cubs 4 At Pittsburgh, the Chicago Cubs lost their 12th straight game as Pedro Alvarez, Andrew McCutchen and Garrett Jones homered for Pittsburgh. Erik Bedard (3-5) allowed two hits in six shutout innings. Pittsburgh completed its first three-game sweep at PNC Park since Sept. 17-19, 2010. The Cubs’ skid is their longest since they started out 0-14 in the 1997 season. Matt Garza (23) took the loss. The lowest-scoring team in baseball, the Pirates set a season high for runs and matched a season best by winning their third consecutive game.

Dodgers 5, Astros 1 At Los Angeles, Jerry Hairston Jr. got a careerhigh five hits and Chris Capuano won again as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat Houston. Matt Treanor put the Dodgers ahead for good with a home run in the fourth inning that deflected off center fielder Justin Maxwell’s glove as he made a leaping attempt in left-center field. Capuano (7-1) pitched two-hit ball over seven innings and struck out eight. The 33-year-old left-hander improved to 5-0 at home with a 1.36 ERA. Tony Gwynn Jr. chipped in with a pair of RBI singles as the NL West leaders won for the sixth time in eight games despite missing injured regulars Matt Kemp, Mark Ellis, Juan Uribe and Juan Rivera.

Reds 7, Rockies 5 At Cincinnati, Brandon Phillips hit a three-run homer to help Cincinnati outslug Colorado in a game that set a record for Great American Ball Park with nine home runs. Mat Latos (4-2) allowed five hits - and all of them were solo home runs.

Colorado’s Carlos Gonzalez hit two of them, and Troy Tulowitzki, Michael Cuddyer and Dexter Fowler also took the Cincinnati starter deep. Joey Votto, Jay Bruce and Todd Frazier homered for Cincinnati, which finished 6-1 on a seven-game homestand during which 29 home runs were hit also a ballpark best.

Giants 3, Marlins 2 At Miami, Melky Cabrera equaled a career high with four hits, including a home run, and scored all three runs for San Francisco to help Matt Cain beat Miami. Cabrera went 4 for 4 to raise his average to .369 and has 73 hits, most in the majors. He also stole two bases. Cain (5-2) won his fourth start in a row. Santiago Casilla gave up one hit in 1 1-3

Mets 2, Padres 0 At New York, RA Dickey struck out 10 batters and reached double digits for strikeouts in consecutive games for the first time in his career as the New York Mets held San Diego scoreless for the second straight day. Dickey (7-1) struck out 11 Pirates on Tuesday. He is the first Mets pitcher to have back-to-back games with at least 10 Ks since Pedro Martinez did it in May 2006. A day after Johan Santana pitched a four-hitter, Dickey combined with two relievers on a shutout. Tim Byrdak got two outs to finish the eighth and Frank Francisco pitched the ninth for his 13th save in 15 chances. Daniel Murphy had an RBI single and Mike Baxter scored on a passed ball as the Mets took advantage of a wild Edinson Volquez (2-5).

D’backs 4, Brewers 3 At Phoenix, Aaron Hill doubled twice and singled as Arizona rallied past Milwaukee. Arizona won a series at home for the first time since a season-opening, three-game sweep of San Francisco.

Bryan Shaw (1-2) threw one pitch to induce an inning-ending double play in the sixth to get the win. Jose Veras (3-2) took the loss.

Nationals 7, Braves 2 At Atlanta, Bryce Harper hit his second homer in two days and Gio Gonzalez gave up only one hit in seven innings as Washington beat struggling Atlanta to complete a three-game sweep.

Washington’s first sweep at Turner Field in three years left the Braves with a seven-game losing streak, their worst skid since dropping nine straight in 2010. At 29-18, the Nationals moved 11 games over .500 for the first time since their 2005 inaugural season in Washington. —AP

MLB results/standings San Francisco 3, Miami 2; NY Mets 2, San Diego 0; Cincinnati 7, Colorado 5; Pittsburgh 10, Chicago Cubs 4; St Louis 8, Philadelphia 3; Arizona 4, Milwaukee 3; LA Dodgers 5, Houston 1; Washington 7, Atlanta 2; Kansas City 4, Baltimore 2; Tampa Bay 4, Boston 3; Detroit 4, Minnesota 3; Chi White Sox 12, Cleveland 6; Texas 12, Toronto 6; NY Yankees 2, Oakland 0; LA Angels 4, Seattle 2.

Washington NY Mets Miami Atlanta Philadelphia

National League Eastern Division W L 29 18 27 21 26 22 26 23 25 24

National League Central Division Cincinnati 27 20 St Louis 26 22 Pittsburgh 23 24 Houston 22 25 Milwaukee 19 28 Chicago Cubs 15 32 National League Western Division LA Dodgers 32 15 San Francisco 25 23 Arizona 22 26 Colorado 17 29 San Diego 17 32

PCT .617 .563 .542 .531 .510

.574 .542 .489 .468 .404 .319

.681 .521 .458 .370 .347

GB 2.5 3.5 4 5

Baltimore Tampa Bay NY Yankees Toronto Boston

American League Eastern Division 29 19 29 19 26 21 24 24 23 24

.604 .604 .553 .500 .489

2.5 5 5.5

1.5 4 5 8 12

American League Central Division Cleveland 26 21 Chi White Sox 26 22 Detroit 23 24 Kansas City 19 27 Minnesota 15 32

.553 .542 .489 .413 .319

.5 3 6.5 11

7.5 10.5 14.5 16

American League Western Division 30 18 24 25 22 26 21 29

.625 .490 .458 .420

6.5 8 10

Texas LA Angels Oakland Seattle

TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2012

S P ORT S

Another last-lap blunder decides Indy 500 INDIANAPOLIS: In the early going of the Indianapolis 500, Bobby Rahal advised his driver to show a little patience. If only Takuma Sato had been listening on the last lap Sunday.

The Japanese driver was perfectly positioned when the white flag came out - right behind leader Dario Franchitti. Second was definitely the place to be for the final trip around the 21/2-mile oval, these new Indy cars designed in such a way that a trailing driver knew he could slingshot to the front like he had a rocket attached to rear wing. “The catbird seat,” ABC analyst Scott Goodyear called it.

Turns out, Sato got a little greedy the very thing Rahal counseled him against over the radio during the opening stages of the race, when the ex-Formula One driver realized the strength of his car and started darting all over the track to get past anyone in his way. On that final lap, Sato spotted a narrow opening going into turn one.

Franchitti didn’t give an inch. Sato got below the white line at the bottom of the track, a treacherous place to be.

The rear end began to slide, touching Franchitti’s wheels at more than 200 mph.

Franchitti managed to keep control of his machine, speeding off to take the checkered flag for his third Indy 500 win. Sato careened into the outside wall, crawling out of his battered

machine for the mandatory ride to the infield care center about the time Franchitti was going past on his victory lap. The hard hit didn’t cause any injuries. Sato sure was hurting, though. “I was going for the win,” he said. “Very disappointed.”

All day long, the first turn was the most difficult to navigate. All the big wrecks happened going into that corner or coming out of it. That’s why runner-up Scott Dixon, Franchitti’s teammate and the guy with the best view, was baffled by Sato picking that spot for his daring move. “I don’t know why he didn’t wait any longer,” Dixon said.

“I really don’t.”

The winning car owner, Chip Ganassi, would’ve even been OK with Sato going on by, since there was still nearly an entire lap to go. “I wasn’t too concerned about Dario,” Ganassi said.

“I thought he’d get him on the back stretch.”

To Rahal’s credit, he didn’t throw his driver under the bus. The winner of the 1986 Indy 500 knows from experience that so much of racing is instinct.

An IndyCar driver has a split-second to make his move. When Sato decided he had the momentum and room to pull off the pass, there was no turning back. “Takuma drove just a beautiful race,” Rahal said. “I have no problem with what he tried to do. It’s the last lap of the Indianapolis 500, and if you

see an opportunity, you have to go for it.” That was being a bit charitable.

While Sato is unlikely to be linked through the ages with JR Hildebrand, this was the second year in a row that someone had their first Indy 500 win in the bag - and let it slip away.

blunder as good, hard racing.

“Tak is very aggressive,” Franchitti said. “He thought that was his chance.

Why not? I think he did everything right up until he lost the rear end of the car. ... Up until that point, I thought he had made a good move.” Of course,

INDIANAPOLIS: Takuma Sato (right) of Japan, spins in the first turn under Dario Franchitti of Scotland on the final lap of IndyCar’s Indianapolis 500 auto race. —AP Hildebrand’s error was more egregious, of course. He was running all alone at the front going into the last turn, just a few hundred yards from victory, when he slammed into the wall. Sato’s crash was more reminiscent of the 1989 race, when Emerson Fittipaldi won after touching wheels with Al Under Jr. on the next-to-last lap, sending Little Al into the wall. But make no mistake, this was as much a

that’s like saying the Titanic was an enjoyable cruise until that little collision with a block of ice.

Sato implied the three-time 500 winner pinched him off with a questionable blocking maneuver, but Rahal had no plans to protest. He must’ve looked at the replays, which clearly showed Franchitti did nothing wrong.

He followed the letter of the law regarding how much room he should

leave for an attempted pass - essentially, the width of a car.

“I wanted to make sure I left him more than that,” Franchitti said. “I didn’t touch him. I didn’t squeeze him.

He just lost the rear of the car.”

No matter who won, this was another thrilling ride for a sport that lost its way during the 1990s, wound up with two dueling series and turned off just about everyone who cared about American open-wheel racing.

On this day, there were a record 35 lead changes - six more than the previous high - and the quality of the racing over the closing laps was downright exhilarating. The best move was turned in by hard-luck Tony Kanaan, who made a zigzagging dash from fifth to first on a late restart, sending the crowd approaching 250,000 into a tizzy. But the popular Brazilian couldn’t hold on for his first Indy win, settling for third behind Franchitti and Dixon.

Throw in the poignant tributes to 2011 winner Dan Wheldon, who was killed in a crash at Las Vegas last October, and this was a memorable day all around. Maybe, just maybe, it will be another small step toward restoring IndyCar to a more worthy place in the sporting hierarchy. Hey, folks, this was just as exciting as NASCAR on its best day. For everyone but Sato, that is. — AP

Kahne ends drought, wins Sprint Cup race

Janet Evans

Evans finishes sixth in 800m at Olympic warm-up meet IRVINE: Janet Evans finished sixth in the 800-meter freestyle Sunday at the Speedo Grand Challenge in the former Olympic champion’s final warm-up meet before the Olympic trials next month when she’ll try to make the US team at 40. Haley Anderson, who also competes in open water swimming, won the race in 8 minutes, 33.65 seconds. The 20-yearold will try to make the London Olympics in an open-water qualifier June 9 in Portugal. Anderson raced former Olympian Kate Ziegler to the wall, with Ziegler touching second in 8:33.97. “She really pushed it so that made me get in an extra gear,” Anderson said.

Ziegler won the 200 and 400 freestyles earlier in the three-day meet, and will try to qualify for her second straight Olympic team at the trials in Omaha.

“I wanted to be a little faster than that,” she said. Megan Rankin, an 18-yearold who trains with Evans, was third.

Evans finished in 8: 49.36. She stayed close to the top three in the early stages of the 16-lap race before fading in the second half of the eight-woman race.

She was the first woman to win back-toback Olympic titles in the 800 in 1988 and ‘92.

“It was a little disappointing, but I think she’s tired from training,” said Mark Schubert, Evans’ longtime coach. During her comeback, Schubert has tinkered slightly with Evans’ famed windmill stroke in which her head and shoulders come up out of the water more than most swimmers.

“We tried to get her head down and get her to swim in and out of her turns a little better, which she’s doing,” Schubert said. “You don’t make huge changes. It’s just trying to figure out the right things to do the last four or five weeks before

trials.” Three-time Olympian Jason Lezak won the 100 free in 49.96, the only man under 50 seconds in the final. He carried 2-year-old son Ryan on the awards podium. “I had a real solid first 50 and coming off the wall, I did what I wanted to do,” he said. “The last 15 was a little painful, but with rest I’ll be able to take it out faster, easier and come back stronger. I was 50.4 at the previous meet and I really wanted to be under 50, so that was good.”

British Olympian Ellen Gandy won the 200 butterfly in 2:09.83 to go with her victory in the 100 fly on Saturday. She clutched a check for $600 covering her earnings in her first U.S. meet. She also earned gift cards to a coffee shop and a bookstore.

“I really wanted to get an iPhone, so this will go nicely toward that,” she said, adding that she plans to buy the phone before she returns to Australia, where she lives with her family and trains.

Nick D’Arcy, considered a strong medal contender for Australia’s Olympic team, easily won the 200 butterfly in 1:57.16, a meet record. He was the only swimmer to go under 2 minutes in the race.“For the kind of pressure we’re under at the moment training-wise, it’s a pretty good swim,” he said. “It’s about where I expected to be at.”

D’Arcy missed the 100 fly final Saturday because he was in the restroom with an upset stomach when the finalists were called to the starting blocks. He was disqualified in that event, but wasn’t prevented from swimming Sunday because the races were running ahead of the estimated timeline. “It was pretty unfortunate,” he said. “We’re over here to get in some good racing, but I did a time trial instead and went a 53.7 which is a good time for me, so I was still pretty happy about that.” — AP

CONCORD: Kasey Kahne was starting to feel a little guilty. Sure, he’d finished in the top 10 in five of the last six Sprint Cup races, but he still hadn’t picked up that elusive first victory for car owner Rick Hendrick. “Our team is solid.

Our car is solid. Hendrick gives us everything we need to win races and run up front,” Kahne said. “I just knew for myself I needed to step up.” And he did just that.

Kahne pulled away to victory in the CocaCola 600 on Sunday night, winning NASCAR’s longest race for the third time and gaining his stripes for Hendrick Motorsports the only way that matters - taking the checkered flag.

“I never really doubted myself,” Kahne said.

“I was upset at some of the things that may have happened. I made a huge mistake at Phoenix, hit the wall there. But other than that, we were solid, we were fast. It was just a matter of getting past those five weeks and moving on and putting some solid races together.”

The self-imposed pressure grew this week before Charlotte Motor Speedway at a party Hendrick threw to celebrate the owner’s 200th career win Jimmie Johnson earned at Darlington Raceway two weeks back. Kahne was introduced as part of the current team after the 15 drivers who won races for Hendrick took a bow. Hendrick then challenged him to win the Coca-Cola 600.

Despite the challenge, Hendrick could tell the losing streak was wearing on Kahne and tried to assure him that better times were ahead.

“Well, I could see that it was bothering him,” Hendrick said. “A racer doesn’t like to wreck a car or have bad luck. You could see it with Kenny, too. They hated to have those problems. When you can see, again, they had speed. I tried to reassure them, ‘Look, we’re in this for the long haul. You guys are running good. You just have to have some breaks.’”

And it was a popular victory. Teammate Jeff Gordon rushed up to hug Kahne after the race and told him, “Proud of you.”

What a roll for Hendrick Motorsports. The program was stuck on 199 victories since October. Then came Johnson’s milestone win at Darlington. The five-time champion followed that with a victory in the All-Star race at Charlotte last week.

Kahne led four Hendrick cars in the top 11.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. was sixth and Gordon was right behind in seventh - only his third top 10 finish of the year. Johnson came in 11th. He was vying for more but fell from contention with a mistake on the final pit stop as he left the stall with his gas can still engaged, dragging his crew member behind.

Johnson was docked with a stop-and-go penalty that ended his chances at winning a third straight week. “I think we’re showing the

consistency from all of our teams,” Hendrick said. “I can’t wait for the second half of the season.” Kahne crossed the finish line nearly 5 seconds ahead of Denny Hamlin. Kyle Busch was third and series points leader Greg Biffle fourth. It was Kahne’s 13th career win and first since last November in Phoenix. Kahne’s a racing gym rat who can’t stay away from competition. He drives in NASCAR Truck races when the Sprint Cup series is off - as he did at Darlington in 2011 and Rockingham this spring - and raced this weekend in the World of Outlaws dirt track contest across the street from Charlotte Motor Speedway.

down in 20th and McMurray right behind in 21st.

For much of this race, it looked as if Biffle wouldn’t be caught. He led 204 laps to dominate early and was clearly best as the race began in the hot, bright sunshine. Once the night cooled off the track, Biffle was no match for Kahne. “Kasey’s car was just better at night,” Biffle said.

An early crash took Patrick out of contention in the season-opening Daytona 500 and she finished 38th. Patrick returned to Sprint Cup two weeks ago at treacherous Darlington and lasted throughout at the track

CONCORD: Kasey Kahne celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 Sprint Cup Series auto race. —AP Kahne led 96 laps, including the final 42.

He doesn’t see why the winning can’t continue. “I just know that the cars and the people we have that Mr. Hendrick gives us is everything that we need to win,” Kahne said.

Danica Patrick, the first woman to drive in the race since Janet Guthrie in 1976, was five laps down in 30th - her best finish in three career Sprint Cup races.

Car owner Chip Ganassi flew to Charlotte after celebrating Dario Franchitti’s win at the Indianapolis 500 earlier Sunday. Ganassi, part of Earnhardt Ganassi Racing, had hoped to double up with drivers Jamie McMurray and Juan Pablo Montoya. But 250 laps in, McMurray was a lap down and Montoya two behind after needing an extra pit stop to tighten a loose wheel.

“The minute I walked into the garage, people were high-fiving me,” Ganassi said. “Right now, we’ve got to get our cars up the grid.” It didn’t happen as Montoya finished two laps

considered “Too Tough to Tame” and crossed the line in 31st.

Patrick’s goals this week were simply to be running at the end - and that she was.

Starting 40th after a poor qualifying effort, Patrick quickly fell top laps down. But she held on throughout the long, long night. Patrick also kept her humor. When she was cautioned by her team to keep hydrating, Patrick cracked, “Copy that. Every time you don’t get an answer to a question, that’s what I’m doing.” Patrick’s next Sprint Cup race will be at Bristol on Aug. 25. She promised to be more aggressive upon her return.

“Now that I’m getting more comfortable in certain situations, it’s time to start testing those waters and freeing the car up a little bit and seeing what we can get out of it,” Patrick said. Earnhardt had hoped to avenge last year’s heartbreaking loss when he ran out of fuel 700 feet from the finish line while leading. — AP

McLaren playing catch-up again

Jenson Button in action in this file photo

LONDON: Jenson Button left the Monaco Formula One paddock feeling more like the long-suffering Honda also-ran he once was than a McLaren world championship contender.

His fear, shared by team mate Lewis Hamilton, is that McLaren are falling behind their rivals at a time when they should have been powering ahead as others dropped points.

Button, the 2009 world champion with Brawn GP, won the season-opening Australian Grand Prix with a car that appeared to be the quickest on the Formula One starting grid as well as the most attractive. After Sunday’s sixth round of the season, the Briton looked at the points stand-

ings on the table in front of him and shook his head sadly.

“It’s my leanest period since my old Honda days,” grimaced the driver whose last race for Honda in 2008 ended with the car catching fire. He had scored just three points that entire season.

“Shit happens sometimes. I’ve just got to clear it up and move on,” he said. Button has scored just two points in his last three races and drawn a blank in three of the six. He scored 25 points in Australia but just 20 from all the rest. In Monaco he failed to finish, colliding and retiring with a puncture after chasing Heikki Kovalainen’s Caterham - a car that has yet to score a point in Formula One - for much of the

afternoon in 13th place. As he observed with a wry smile, at least the puncture put him out of his misery.

“Since I’ve joined the team everything has gone amazingly well and after every few races the confidence would step up a gear, with the understanding of the car and working with the engineers,” he said. “Even into this year, with the first race (it was going well).

The first three races were good, I was happy. But suddenly the last three races, I don’t know where the pace and feeling I get from the car has gone. I haven’t had that before.

“It’s tough, but it’s nothing we can’t sort out. We will solve the issues. It’s just whether we do it in

time,” said the 32-year-old, whose smooth style means he has struggled in the past to get vital heat into the tyres.

Hamilton finished fifth in Monaco, after starting third, and the 2008 champion was also concerned that the team was going backwards. “ The team definitely have some work to do. I’ve fallen behind, and race by race we are getting further and further behind the others,” he told reporters after a frustrating afternoon on his favourite track. “I’m still there, but we are falling behind bit by bit, which is tough for us, but we will keep pushing, keep fighting,” said the Monaco resident. — Reuters

TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2012

S P ORT S

England crush Windies Clinch Test series NOTTINGHAM: England beat West Indies by nine wickets to win the second Test with more than a day to spare at Trent Bridge here yesterday and take an unbeatable 2-0 lead in this three-match series. Set 108 for victory on the fourth day, England finished on 111 for one. England captain Andrew Strauss, who made 141 in the first innings to follow his hundred in the five-

Samuels made a dashing 76 not out, topscoring for the tourists for the second time in the match after his first innings 117.

However, he merely delayed the inevitable and this loss extended West Indies’ winless run in England to 16 Tests, with 14 defeats and two draws.

Man-of-the-match Tim Bresnan took four wickets for 37 runs in 17 overs for a

NOTTINGHAM: England’s Andrew Strauss drives a ball from West Indies’ Shane Shillingford during the fourth day of the second Test match at the Trent Bridge cricket ground. — AP wicket first Test win at Lord’s, was out for 45 when he chipped part-time spinner Marlon Samuels to short extra-cover with his side just 19 runs short of victory.

But fellow left-hander Alastair Cook (43 not out) and Jonathan Trott (17 not out) completed the win. “We’re delighted to get over the line,” said Strauss. “It was quite hard work at times. It’s been a hot, hard four days and there were some really good performances from the lads.”

West Indies were all out for 165 in their second innings shortly after lunch.

Test-best match haul of eight for 141, while James Anderson was close behind his fellow paceman with a second innings return of four for 43 in 20.1 overs. This victory meant Bresnan, who made a useful 39 not out in England’s first innings, had been on the winning side in all his 13 Tests. “Tim Bresnan was fantastic,” said Strauss. “He showed what a good contributor he is for the side in both innings, and he chipped in with the bat as well.”

Bresnan added: “It’s quite difficult at times when you’ve got a soft ball and a flat

Pakistani team in Champions League ISLAMABAD: Indian Premier League chairman Rajiv Shukla has told a private television channel that Pakistan’s Sialkot Stallions will compete in this year’s Champions League. Shukla told Geo Television that the “decision will be stamped” in the Champions League’s governing board meeting later yesterday in which Australia and South Africa will also participate.

This year’s Champions League will be held in India and it will be the first time that Pakistan’s domestic Twenty20 champions will be invited to the tournament. The Champions League began in 2009. Last year the Mumbai Indians won the tournament.

Domestic champion teams from India, South Africa, England, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and the West Indies had participated in the previous three editions of the event. It was scheduled to start in 2008, but was postponed after the terror attacks in Mumbai that killed 166 people straining political relations between Pakistan and India.

Tensions between the subcontinent neighbors also led to Pakistan players not being invited to the Indian Premier League over the last four years - an event that features players from various test playing countries.

Shukla said that it was too early to confirm whether Sialkot Stallions’ participation in the Champions League would pave the way for Pakistan players to participate in next year’s IPL. “This year’s IPL finished, and there’s a lot of time left in next year’s event so just wait and see,” he said. Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Zaka Ashraf also went to Chennai to watch Sunday’s IPL final in which Kolkata Knight Riders defeated two-time defending champion Chennai Super Kings. Ashraf said before leaving for India that he would also raise the issue of reviving the bilateral cricket series that has not been played since the Mumbai attacks. — AP

pitch but that’s when you’ve got to step up and do it. “Consistency is my major weapon and to keep banging in that length.” Considering West Indies resumed on their overnight 61 for six, their second innings total represented a considerable recovery.

“We’ve really got to consider how we go about playing Test cricket, something has got to be done,” said West Indies captain Darren Sammy, who made a maiden Test hundred in the first innings. “We just have to be more focused and put a higher price on our wickets. We’ve been lacking top order runs for a while and it has set us back.” Samuels started the day on 13 not out and Sammy nought not out.

They started positively, with Samuels clipping Bresnan for a leg side boundary while Sammy drove him through extracover for four. But Bresnan had Sammy lbw-his fourth leg before wicket of the innings-for 25.

Sammy reviewed the decision and replays showed the ball, which hit him on the back leg, would have just clipped the top of the stumps.

As Aleem Dar had already given Sammy out, the Pakistani umpire’s call was upheld and West Indies were now 110 for seven after their two best batsmen of the match had only added 49 this time around. Kemar Roach struck several fours before he was lbw to Anderson for 14, although England had to review umpire Asad Rauf’s original not out decision.

Samuels, on 58, survived a sharp chance to Cook at short leg off the bowling of off-spinner Graeme Swann, who did dismiss Shane Shillingford for nought. But Swann then conceded 16 in an over to Samuels, who drove him for a four and a six in successive deliveries before, two balls later, lofting him for a huge straight six.

Anderson wrapped up the innings when he had No 11 Ravi Rampaul caught in the slips by Bresnan, with Samuels unbeaten after facing 160 balls with two sixes and nine fours. The third Test at Edgbaston starts on June 7. — AFP

SCOREBOARD NOTTINGHAM: Final scoreboard on the fourth day of the second Test between England and the West Indies at Trent Bridge here yesterday: West Indies 1st Innings 370 (M Samuels 117, D Sammy 106; T Bresnan 4-104) England 1st Innings 428 (A Strauss 141, K Pietersen 80; R Rampaul 3-75) West Indies 2nd Innings (overnight: 61-6) A. Barath lbw b Anderson 7 K. Powell b Anderson 1 D. Bravo lbw b Bresnan 22 S. Chanderpaul c Trott b Broad 11 M. Samuels not out 76 D. Ramdin lbw b Bresnan 6 K. Edwards lbw b Bresnan 0 D. Sammy lbw b Bresnan 25 K. Roach lbw b Anderson 14 S. Shillingford c Anderson b Swann 0 R. Rampaul c Bresnan b Anderson 0 Extras (b1, lb2) 3 Total (all out, 60.1 overs, 277 mins) 165 Fall of wickets: 1-5 (Powell), 2-14 (Barath), 3-31 (Chanderpaul), 4-45 (Bravo), 5-61 (Ramdin), 6-61 (Edwards), 7-110 (Sammy), 8-139 (Roach), 9-148 (Shillingford), 10-165 (Rampaul) Bowling: Anderson 20.1-6-43-4; Broad 17-5-58-1; Swann 6-1-24-1; Bresnan 17-5-37-4.

England 2nd Innings (target: 108) A. Strauss c Bravo b Samuels 45 A. Cook not out 43 J. Trott not out 17 Extras (b5, nb1) 6 Total (1 wkt, 30.4 overs, 111 mins) 111 Fall of wickets: 1-89 (Strauss) Did not bat: K Pietersen, I Bell, J Bairstow, M Prior, T Bresnan, S Broad, G Swann, J Anderson Bowling: Roach 5-2-16-0; Rampaul 6-2-12-0; Sammy 6-032-0; Samuels 5.4-0-18-1; Shillingford 8-1-28-0 (1nb) Result: England won by 9 wkts Man-of-the-match: Tim Bresnan (ENG) Series: England lead three-match series 2-0

Chapman wins Senior PGA BENTON HARBOR: England’s Roger Chapman won the Senior PGA Championship on Sunday, holding on for a two-stroke victory after leading comfortably throughout the final round.

Chapman led by five after 54 holes and was never really threatened. His closing 1-over 72 was his worst score of the tournament - but enough to give him his first Champions Tour title. He finished at 13 under, after bogeying three of the last five holes.

John Cook was at 11 under after a 69. Hale Irwin shot 68 to finish another stroke back. Kenny Perry shot a tournamentrecord 62 at Harbor Shores but finished five shots behind in ninth place. Before this week, the only real highlight of Chapman’s pro career was a win in Brazil at a European Tour event in 2000. The European Senior Tour has held only one tournament this year, so Chapman hadn’t played many competitive rounds before coming to Harbor Shores. He became the first player since Hale Irwin in 2004 to win the Senior PGA Championship after holding at least a share of the lead following each round. Chapman’s third-round 64 helped him pull away from Cook, and he extended his lead on the front nine Sunday. Chapman birdied Nos. 4 and 6, and after another birdie on the par-4 seventh, he led by nine strokes.

Cook made birdies on Nos. 9, 13 and 14, and he trailed by only four after Chapman bogeyed the par-4 14th. But Cook missed a birdie putt at No. 15, a par 5 that was the easiest hole on the course during the tournament. A bogey on No. 17 trimmed Chapman’s lead to three strokes, but he kept his tee shot in the fairway on No. 18. Chapman missed the green with his approach, but so did Cook. On an emotional walk toward the 18th green, Chapman took his hat off to acknowledge the crowd, then eventually gathered himself and calmly finished with another bogey to win by two. There were plenty of low scores Sunday, even as the temperature hovered around 90 degrees. Perry began the day 15 strokes behind the leader, so winning was never realistic, but he put on a clinic, shooting 31 on each nine. Perry broke the Senior PGA Championship record

KUWAIT: Bastaki, Al-Sayegh and Al-Weqayyan honoring the winner, Boubyan Bank.

Boubyan Bank wins KBC Bowling Cup KUWAIT: Boubyan Bank won KBC Bowling Cup championship for the first time followed by Kuwait Central Bank in the second place in the presence of the Kuwaiti Banks Club (KBC)’s deputy chairman, Mahmoud Bastaki, treasurer Mohammed Al-Sayegh, chairperson of the sports committee, Reem Al-Weqayyan and deputy director, Abbas AlBloushi.

Bastaki and Al-Weqayyan presented special trophies to the first and second place winners in addition to a memorial shield to the Cosmo Recreational Co. in appreciation for their cooperation. Special trophies were also given to the best player and the highest scorer.

Group photo of participants.

BENTON HARBOR: Roger Chapman holds the Alfred S Bourne trophy after winning the Senior PGA Championship golf tournament. — AP for a single round of 63 set by Arnold Palmer in 1984 and Buck White in 1961, although they both did it on par-72 courses.

Peter Senior shot a 63 on Sunday - including a 28 on the back nine - and tied with four other players at 9 under. Sandy Lyle and Joe Daley were in that group, too. They shot 64. — AP

Bastaki, Weqayyan with the winners.

FORT WORTH: Zach Johnson holds the trophy after winning the PGA Colonial golf tournament. — AP

Johnson edges Dufner to triumph at Colonial FORT WORTH: Zach Johnson had already shared celebratory hugs and kisses with his two young sons and talked about his Colonial victory on television.

Then caddie Damon Green, prompted by a rules official, asked Johnson if he had properly remarked his ball before his final putt Sunday. “First time it crossed my mind,” said Johnson, who then began to wonder if he had cost himself a victory.

Johnson had failed to put his ball back on its original mark after moving it out of the line of Jason Dufner’s last putt. But even with a two-stroke penalty, Johnson won by one and got to slip on the plaid jacket for his first victory since also winning at Hogan’s Alley two years ago.

The penalty was assessed before he signed his scorecard for a 2-over 72. Johnson’s 12-under 268 total was enough to edge Dufner, who finally faltered and closed with a 74.

After being so caught up in the emotion of another Colonial title and a victory in honor of Green’s late father, Johnson luckily didn’t have to worry about regrouping to play more.

“Let’s just count it as a hypothetical and move on,” he said. “It wouldn’t have been easy. ... I had a lot of emotion running and draining through me. I would like to think that I could gather myself and go back out there and perform.”

Not to mention that Johnson hit out of turn on the 18th tee. “Fortunately Dufner is forgiving,” Johnson said. That was the strange ending to what was essentially a matchplay final round, with Johnson taking command after a triple bogey by Dufner at the 414-yard 15th hole created a four-stroke gap. There had already been four holes with two-stroke swings between the two before that.

Dufner’s only two PGA Tour victories came in the previous four weeks, a stretch when he also got married. After winning last week at the Byron Nelson Championship, he was trying to match Ben Hogan, his hero, as the only players to win both PGA Tour events in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in the same year. Hogan did it in 1946, when the tournaments weren’t played in consecutive weeks.

“Zach played better than I did today. ... He was able to grind it out a little better and not make doubles and triples like I did,” said Dufner, describing his poor play as disappointing. “He deserves the jacket, and the trophy and the win. But that is definitely one of the weirdest finishes I would think on the PGA Tour that anybody has seen.”

Tommy Gainey was a distant third at 7 under after a 67, a stroke better than Jim Furyk. Johnson’s eighth PGA Tour victory earned him $1,152,000 even as the 2007 Master champion’s record streak of 15 consecutive under-par rounds at Colonial ended.

The victory came 10 days after Green’s 88-year old father died from stomach cancer. After Johnson’s runnerup finish at The Players Championship two weeks ago, the caddie drove to Pensacola, Fla., to see his father. But Damon Green was ready to get back on the course this week.

“He wanted to be here, he felt like his dad wanted him to be here,” Johnson about his caddie of 10 years. “I think he’s the one that deserves this one more than I do. His courage and certainly his strength to get through last week and then work, and work well this week, to stay focused somehow. That’s really commendable.”

At the deciding 15th hole, Dufner’s approach hit the left side of that green then trickled over the ledge into a drainage canal. He then pitched his drop all the way over the green and missed a 4-foot putt for double bogey.

Johnson made par at the same hole where a day earlier his approach settled into a grassy clump only inches from going into that ditch and he had saved par after his approach rolled only inches from the cup. Johnson had blown a two-stroke lead Sunday before going back ahead with a 9-foot birdie putt at the 445-yard 14th.

At the 616-yard 11th, a straight par 5, Johnson’s drive hit a tree and ricocheted back into the middle of the fairway.

He took advantage with an 18 1/2-foot birdie putt to get to 15 under. Dufner wasn’t as fortunate with his wayward drive, which settled under a tree before he went on for a bogey.

But Dufner needed only one hole to get even again, with an 8-foot birdie at No. 12. Johnson hit his tee shot into a fairway bunker, then his first attempt out of there hit the lip and rebounded over and behind him before a bogey.

Johnson led for the first time with a 28-foot birdie at the 382-yard second hole, where Dufner three-putted from the same distance.

Dufner regained the lead with consecutive birdies, starting with an 8-footer for his third birdie of the week at the tight par-4 fifth parallel to the Trinity River that is one of Colonial’s toughest holes.

A bogey by Johnson at No. 8 had down by two. But they went to the back nine tied at 14 under, after Dufner’s approach from 103 yards at the par-4 ninth hit short of the green and rolled back into the water and he made double bogey.

“There’s a number of adjectives I’m calling myself right now. And lucky would be the biggest one,” Johnson said.

“Blessed would be another one, humbled would be another one. It’s an honor to put this jacket on once. ... I’m in shock I got it twice.” — AP

19

TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2012

SPORTS

Euro buzz builds in Poland and Ukraine

‘VIVA 55’ crowned champion Samir Saeed Football League KUWAIT: VIVA, Kuwait’s newest and most advanced mobile telecommunications service, concluded its third Football League championship organized to support and strengthen its relationship with its staff.

The VIVA Football League was recently renamed Samir Saeed League, in honor of the memory of the late Samir Saeed, an icon of Kuwait sports and goalkeeper of the Kuwait National Team.

VIVA 55 scored the decisive goal in the shootout and beat VIVA POSSIBLE on penalty kicks after a 2-2 draw.

Sixteen teams with ten players each participated in this year’s championship that attracted huge crowds of football fans. Teams competed from April 16 to May 21, 2012 at the Corner football fields.

At the end of the final match, VIVA’s Chief Executive Officer, Salman Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Badran honored outstanding players. Mohamad Merza won the title of the League’s Best Player, Abdullah Hady was named Best Goalkeeper, and Mohamad Orayqat, leading scorer. Following this, VIVA POSSIBLE was awarded the Silver medal, and VIVA 55 the Gold medal and the league trophy.

VIVA organized a friendly match on Monday May 21, 2012 between its football team and players from the National Kuwaiti team that was attended by

VIVA’s Chief Executive Officer, Salman Al-Badran along with VIVA employees, their families and friends. The spectators were all entertained by renowned presenter Mubarak Al Dousary and all gained a chance to enter a raffle draw to win one of many attractive prizes.

The National Kuwaiti team was represented by Osama Hussein, Khaled Al Fadhli, Hussein Al Khudary, Jassim Al Huwaidy and Dr. Tarek Al Jalahma, in addition to Hamad Al Saleh, Shehab Kankony, Faraj Laheeb, Nawaf Bakheet, Khaled Abdul Quddous, Abdullah Al Sabty and Waleed Ali who played against the VIVA team.

Commenting on this event, VIVA’s Chief Executive Officer, Salman AlBadran said: “It is really impressive to see the motivation and drive of our colleagues who insisted this tournament be held for the third consecutive year. This helped us organize an entertaining and competitive league championship for football fans.” He concluded: “I would like to thank everyone for their contribution towards making this championship a success and congratulate the trophy winner.”

VIVA rewarded the champions of the Samir Saeed Soccer League with an allexpenses paid trip to Manchester to see Manchester United football team play in one of their homes games at Old Trafford next season.

WARSAW: As the clock ticks down to Euro 2012, the buzz is building in host nations Poland and Ukraine, though a section of the population of both countries seems immune to football frenzy.

Opinion is split between those relishing the party mood that surrounds sporting showcases like the European championship, and those far from enthused. The 16nation tournament kicks off in Warsaw on June 8 and ends with the final in the Ukrainian capital Kiev on July 1.

“It’s going to be crazy and loud,” said student Monika Kowalska, 19, sitting in the sun at the foot of Warsaw’s city centre Palace of Culture.

The lofty, Stalinist-kitsch “gift” from the Soviets, now a landmark, will be the hub of a fan zone for 100,000 people, the largest in Poland or Ukraine. “The atmosphere’s going to be great the whole time, even if Poland get knocked out early,” said Kowalska’s boyfriend Rafal Szmit, also 19.

Over the nearby River Vistula lies Warsaw’s brand-new National Stadium, venue for the first match of Euro 2012, Poland against Euro 2004 champions Greece.

To stoke the atmosphere, Warsaw’s refurbished railway station has been decked out with flag-painted faces of fans of the Euro 2012 teams, while a salon nearby is offering to dye hair and paint nails in their colors.

Slowly but surely, the folkinspired Euro 2012 logo and spikyhaired mascots Slavek and Slavko are invading shop windows and shelves, on anything from chocolate to sportswear.

Slavek in Poland’s white and red and Slavko in Ukraine’s yellow and blue line the lampposts of Warsaw’s main Nowy Swiat street.

In 2007, Ukraine and neighbouring Poland were surprise winners of the race to host the quadrennial championship, beating favorites

PARIS: French national football team’s head coach Laurent Blanc speaks with supporters at the end of the training session as part of the team preparation for the Euro 2012 championships.—AFP Italy. It marks the first time European football’s governing body UEFA has opted to hold the top tournament behind the former Iron Curtain, meaning it is a crucial showcase of the hosts. The infrastructure challenges have been massive, with the Polish and Ukrainian state funding the bulk, albeit mostly for much-needed transport projects.

The host cities have been vast building sites, leading to grumbling from some residents, who also feel football is taking over. “It’s going to be great for restaurateurs and hotels, but for ordinary people, much of a muchness,” said retired engineer Darek Sikora, 73, in a Warsaw park. “It’s going to be an inconvenience,” he added.

“Getting around won’t be easy.”

Surveys in both countries show the public is far from gung-ho. A study in Poland showed that 44

percent were happy to host Euro 2012, six percent were unhappy and 49 percent were indifferent. A similar poll in Ukraine found 50 percent support, while 32 percent were critical.

“I’m indifferent to football, and I don’t see that the tournament gives our city anything,” said teacher Maria Stefanovych, 39, in Lviv, western Ukraine.

“The only thing is that some roads were repaired. But it had to be done without this Euro 2012,” she told AFP. “We live in the centre, where the fanzone is set up, so I don’t want to listen to the thousands of drunkards screaming.

Perhaps some businessmen will earn something, but ordinary people won’t get anything,” she added. But journalist Oleksandr Peremot, 23, in Donestk in eastern Ukraine, was upbeat. “It’s a great event, which will have a positive

Corinthians lose to Mineiro

Pakistan, Britain thrashed Azlan Shah Cup IPOH: South Korea demolished Asian champions Pakistan 4-0, while top seeds Britain lost 2-3 to Argentina, in a day of upsets at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup yesterday.

The results catapult Argentina to second place in the rankings, with six points from four games, behind New Zealand in the seven-team tournament which is an important last warm-up for the London Olympics. In a match that saw South Korea repeatedly overwhelm the Pakistani defence who could not match their rivals’ pace or tactics, Nam HyunWoo opened the scoring for South Korea before converting a penalty corner to make it 2-0.

The third goal came in the 49th minute from You Hyo-Sik, who dived full stretch to flick the ball into the goal.

Hyun Hye-Sung scored the final goal to seal the match for South Korea.

It was their 14th win over the Pakistanis in 56 meetings. Eleven of the matches had ended in a draw. “Pakistan did not look hungry at all as they seemed to lack motivation,” South Korean team manager Kim Yoon-Dong said.

“I am happy with this win but we still have Britain and New Zealand to overcome if we harbour hopes of” a place in the tournament’s finals, he added.

Pakistan coach Khawaja Muhammad Junaid said the blue turf, which was “bouncy and slippery,” had made it difficult for his team, but conceded the sur-

face was “no excuse for the heavy defeat.” In another upset at the competition in Ipoh, Malaysia, Argentina beat tournament favourite Britain, who are ranked fourth in the world.

Argentina’s Matias Paredes opened the scoring before Ashley Jackson converted a penalty corner to equalise for Britain.

But the Argentinians quickly regained control, with Paredes scoring again and Lucas Cammareri giving the South American team a 3-1 lead.

Britain pulled one back when Jackson converted another penalty corner in the 65th minute, but by this time the game already appeared over. Britain, who narrowly beat India Sunday and have also drawn with hosts Malaysia, now have four points.

In the last match yesterday, India kept alive their chance of a place in the finals on Sunday with a 3-2 win over Malaysia, the only team in the tournament who have not qualified for the Olympics.

The Indians dominated play in the early stages with goals from Danish Mujtaba and Shivendra Singh until Malaysia’s Muhamad Amin Rahim scored. But Tushar Khandker restored India’s two-goal lead in the 43rd minute so that even another goal from Malaysia’s Muhamad Fitri Saari couldn’t change the outcome. India have six points from four matches after two wins and two defeats and currently rank third in the table.—AFP

BUENOS AIRES: Boca Juniors’ Dario Cvitanich (right) fights for the ball with Nicolas Sanchez of Godoy Cruz during an Argentina’s League soccer match.—AP

Boca Juniors closing in on league sweep BUENOS AIRES: Boca Juniors took a large step toward completing a sweep of Argentina’s two split-season titles with a 30 victory over Godoy Cruz on Sunday.

Boca won the Apertura in the first half of the season, and now leads the second half Clausura by three points from Tigre with three matches remaining.

Juan Insaurralde scored from a 14thminute header, Dario Cvitanich broke through in the 43rd and Pablo Mouche capped the scoring in the 84th. In other matches Sunday: Rafaela 1, Tigre 1; San Lorenzo 3, Newell’s 2; Independiente 0, Union 0. Playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme set up the first two goals. He lofted in a long free kick that Insaurralde headed home for the first, and chipped a short cross to Cvitanich, who finished off the second. Boca improved to 32 points in 16 matches. Tigre has 29 and Arsenal and Newell’s have 28.

Boca is also into the semifinals of the Copa Libertadores, Latin America’s most important club tournament and will face Universidad de Chile. Defending champion Santos face Corinthians in the other semifinal. Boca has won the Copa Libertadores title six times, and only fellow Argentine club Independiente has won more with seven. In Argentine matches Friday and

Saturday; San Martin 3, Olimpo 2; Lanus 1, All Boys 0; Argentinos 1, Banfield 0; Belgrano 0, Racing 1.

Violence struck the Argentine game again when a 21-year-man was shot dead in a drive-by shooting Saturday outside the stadium of Argentine club Lanus. Police said the shooting involved rival factions of a hooligan gang.

Officials identified the dead man as Daniel Sosa, who was shot in the chest as three motorcycles passed by and gunmen opened fire. Violence inside and outside stadiums has intensified in Argentina with at least five people dying this year, according to non-profit group Let’s Save Football.

The weekend incident is the latest of the unrelenting violence that haunts the game in Argentina. “It’s sad what’s happening with football in Argentina,” Lanus coach Gabriel Schurrer told reporters. “If one really wanted to get rid of the violence, it could be done. English football was more violent, and they did it. If England and other countries can get rid of it, I don’t understand why it can’t be done here.” The Argentine Football Association and its president Julio Grondona have been widely criticized for doing little to stem the violence. AFA has said it’s a social problem and a matter for the police.—AP

Japan dominates in Asian rugby SEONGNAM: Kim Myong-won couldn’t have summed up the state of Asian rugby any better as she watched South Korea wrap up second spot in the regional 5 Nations tournament behind Japan.

“We’ll be playing for second place for a long time,” Kim said during South Korea’s 4721 win over United Arab Emirates on the weekend at Seongnam Stadium, near Seoul.

South Koreans love nothing more than defeating neighboring Japan in any contest.

But when it comes to rugby, the chances are remote. The Brave Blossoms, as the Japanese

national team has become known, have never lost in the five-year history of the Asian 5 Nations.

This season, Japan amassed 312 points in four matches, only giving up 11. But while it’s a regional powerhouse, Japan has struggled to compete at the World Cup featuring the most elite teams. Japan hasn’t won a match at the quadrennial World Cup since 1991, but has started closing the gap.

A draw against Canada and a competitive first hour of the group match against eventual finalist France were encouraging. A

impact on Ukraine’s relations with European countries,” he said.

“It’s a great opportunity for ordinary Ukrainians to communicate with foreign supporters who will come to Ukraine, as not many ordinary inhabitants of Donetsk can afford to travel abroad,” he added.

The open question is whether enthusiasm will wither if Poland and Ukraine fare badly on the pitch. “Doing well would have a boost for the atmosphere during the tournament,” Mikolaj Piotrowski, spokesman for the tournament organisers, told AFP. That was echoed by top UEFA official Martin Kallen, who recalled Euro 2004 host Portugal’s sterling performance in reaching the final.

“I’m really hoping very much that the two teams have a good start to the event, that’ll give real fire,” he said.—AFP

stronger challenge in Asia could only boost the team currently ranked No. 14 in the world. Japan, set to host the 2019 World Cup, is ambitious and wants to become a major force in a sport dominated by countries such as New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, England and France. It has a well established professional league and has employed some well-recognized coaches to guide the national team. But, there are drawbacks of being top team in a weak zone.

“Japan won’t get in the top 10 by beating us,” UAE captain Alistair Thompson told The

Associated Press. “We are an amateur team, we have jobs and families and even when we have time, there are still club commitments.

“From a selfish point of view, it was great to play against the 14th best team in the world and one that is trying to become a real power in the game. It is great exposure for our players.”

UAE finished fourth in the 5 Nations, behind Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong.

Kazakhstan placed fifth and will be relegated to a lower tier in 2013, replaced by Philippines.—AP

SAO PAULO: Corinthians’ dismal start to the new season continued Sunday when the Brazilian champion lost 1-0 to Atletico Mineiro, a second defeat in two matches.

Corinthians is second-to-last in the 20-team standings, while Atletico Mineiro moved to the top of the table after striker Danilinho’s winner in the 65th minute in Belo Horizonte.

Botafogo and Vasco da Gama have also won two in a row, while six-time champion Sao Paulo earned its first victory thanks to Luis Fabiano’s winner in a 1-0 home win over Bahia.

Ronaldinho scored from the penalty spot on Saturday but Flamengo relinquished a two-goal second-half lead in a 3-3 draw with Internacional, remaining winless in the competition.

Santos, without Neymar and Paulo Henrique Ganso, drew Sport 0-0 at home on Sunday and also is yet to win. Corinthians rested most of its regular starters in its opening 1-0 home loss to Fluminense last weekend because of the Copa Libertadores, but coach Tite played most of his top players at the Independencia stadium on Sunday.

Danilinho gave Atletico Mineiro the win with a header over Corinthians goalkeeper Cassio after a perfect cross by defender Rever.

Atletico had a goal ruled offside in the 70th, and both teams went a man down in the 85th.

Corinthians’ Fabio Santos and Atletico’s Andre were sent off for receiving their second yellow cards. Atletico Mineiro had opened with a lastminute 1-0 win over Ponte Preta last weekend in Campinas.

Botafogo picked up its second win with a 3-2 result against Coritiba in the city of Curitiba, while Sao Paulo took advantage of a 58th-minute goal

by Luis Fabiano to edge Bahia 1-0 at the Morumbi stadium in Sao Paulo. Santos had its second consecutive scoreless draw playing Sport at home.

Neymar didn’t play because he is with Brazil’s national team, while Ganso is recovering from minor knee injury.

Vasco da Gama’s second victory came with a 1-0 result against recently promoted Portuguesa on Saturday. The winner was a wonderful bicycle kick goal by striker Alecsandro at the Caninde stadium in Sao Paulo. Also Saturday, Flamengo drew its second in a row to start the championship, allowing Internacional to rally from 3-1 down at the Engenhao stadium.

Argentine playmaker Jesus Datolo scored the equalizer for Inter in the 65th. Ronaldinho scored Flamengo’s second goal converting a penalty kick in the 16th, but he was substituted in the second half and was jeered by fans again.

The former two-time FIFA player of the year has been under pressure because of a series of poor performances and there has been talk about his possible exit from the popular Brazilian club.

Coach Joel Santana has been at odds with the former Brazil star and said he didn’t play well on Saturday. To make things worse, Flamengo has been struggling to pay for the player’s high salary, prompting Ronaldinho’s agent to complain.

In other results Sunday, Gremio beat eight-time champion Palmeiras 1-0 in Porto Alegre, while Fluminense drew Figueirense 2-2 at the Engenhao in Rio de Janeiro. Cruzeiro drew 0-0 at Nautico in Recife on Saturday, the same result it had in its opener against Atletico Goianiense last week.—AP

England crush Windies

Boxer Tapia found dead

18

16

TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2012

Kahne ends drought, wins Sprint Cup race

Page 17

Federer levels Connors’ record

FRANCE: Serbia’s Novak Djokovic serves to Italy’s Potito Starace during their Men’s Singles first round tennis match of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium. (Inset) Switzerland’s Roger Federer serves the ball to Germany’s Tobias Kanke. —AP PARIS: Novak Djokovic’s bid for an historic Grand Slam enjoyed the perfect French Open start yesterday as Roger Federer celebrated his 50th straight major with a record-equalling 233rd Grand Slam win.

But there was a huge scare for women’s world number one Victoria Azarenka, who had to fight from a set and 4-0 down to defeat Italian veteran Alberta Brianti to avoid becoming the first top seed ever to lose in the opening round.

Djokovic, bidding to become only the third man to hold all four majors at the same time, and the first in 43 years, eased past Italian clay court specialist Potito Starace 7-6 (7/3), 6-3, 6-1.

The world number one already has the Wimbledon, US Open and Australian Open crowns under wraps and a first French Open triumph in two weeks’ time would make him the first man since Rod

Laver in 1969 to complete the sweep.

“It’s a challenge and something to embrace and to enjoy. It’s really too early to talk about getting my hands on the trophy, but it’s definitely a goal. Anything is possible,” said Djokovic, who next faces Slovenia’s Blaz Kavcic.

Djokovic has yet to reach a Paris final, having fallen three times at the semi-final stage. This year, he is scheduled to meet Federer in the last four.

Federer, the 2009 champion and four times runner-up to Rafael Nadal, endured few problems getting past Germany’s Tomas Kamke, the world number 78, winning 6-2, 7-5, 6-3.

The win, achieved on a sixth match point, took him level with Jimmy Connors’ 30-year-old record of 233 Grand Slam match wins.

Yesterday’s victory was also his 50th at

Roland Garros having made his debut as a wildcard in 1999 where he went down to Australia’s Pat Rafter in the first round.

Since that time, he has missed just one Grand Slam-the 1999 US Open where he failed to qualify.

“It’s a big record. Jimmy is obviously one of the greats of all time, and was around for 20 years,” said the 16-time Grand Slam title winner, who next faces Adrian Ungur of Romania.

“I have been so successful for such a long time and to already tie that record which is 30 years old is pretty incredible.”

Azarenka staged a thrilling recovery to defeat world number 105 Brianti 6-7 (6/8), 6-4, 6-2 and will next face German qualifier Dinah Pfizenmaier.

But for much of her rollercoaster battle with the 32-year-old Brianti, who had never won a match in four previous appear-

ances at Roland Garros, the Belarussian struggled.

Brianti was on the verge of a 5-0 lead in the second set when the Australian Open champion sent down a second serve ace to stay in contention. That proved to be the significant moment as Azarenka, who finished with 60 unforced errors, reeled off 12 of the last 14 games.

“I started well but my game just collapsed,” admitted 22-year-old Azarenka, twice a quarter-finalist in Paris. “I tried to stay concentrated but I don’t know how I got out of it.”

Defending champion Li Na of China advanced to the second round with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Romania’s Sorana Cirstea, a quarter-finalist in 2009.

“I’ll just try my best,” Li said, when asked to rate her chances of a successful defence. “It’s tough for me to stay at the

his total innocence,” Conte’s lawyer, Antonio De Rencis, said. Siena president Massimo Mezzaroma has also been placed under investigation.

“The searches are connected to what’s happening with Siena,” said Cremona prosecutor Roberto Di Martino. “There are seven, eight games being looked at and there have been statements that make us think they were manipulated. The searches involved players, coaches and directors of the club, including Conte and Mezzaroma.

“We shouldn’t place too much emphasis on the blitz at Coverciano, it is a problem that concerns only Criscito and not other players in the national team at the moment,” Di Martino said, before the squad was announced.

“Also we shouldn’t place too much emphasis on this anyway, the notification of an impending investigation is a tool we have, but not a guilty judgment.”

The Cremona prosecutors said that Criscito is free to travel and play in the Euros.

Criscito, who did not take part in Italy’s training session, has asked to be heard by the authorities as soon as possible. Action has been taken against 19 people, 11 of whom are footballers or former footballers - 14 have been arrested, three have been placed under house arrest and two others are to present themselves to authorities. Five of the arrests were made in Hungary.

“It’s devastating news,” former Italy and current Ireland coach Giovanni Trapattoni said. “If the authorities are acting it’s because there’s something there.” Mauri has been accused of sporting fraud.

Most of the footballers accused now play in Serie B or lower leagues, although one, Omar Milanetto, spent five years at Genoa before joining Padova in 2011. Numerous others have had their houses searched, including Chievo Verona’s Sergio Pellissier.

More than 50 people have now been arrested in Italy in the past year as part of the probe started by

went through, beating Czech qualifier Karolina Plizkova 6-3, 6-3. Vera Zvonareva, the 11th seeded Russian, withdrew with a right shoulder injury while German 12th seed Sabine Lisicki slumped to a 6-4, 6-3 defeat to America’s Bethanie MattekSands. The United States already have 10 women in the second round, their best performance since 2003.—AFP

Spurs silence Thunder

Lazio captain held over match-fixing CREMONA: Italian authorities arrested Lazio captain Stefano Mauri and more than a dozen others yesterday as part of a wide-ranging investigation into match-fixing in football. Police also swept through the Italy national team training site near Florence as part of the operation.

The Italian football federation said Mauri was one of 14 people arrested and later announced that Zenit St. Petersburg defender Domenico Criscito would not be in Italy’s European Championship squad after it emerged the player was being investigated.

Two police cars arrived at the national team’s training site at around 6:25am local time and left nearly three hours later. Criscito’s house in Genoa was also searched.

Criscito had been in Italy coach Cesare Prandelli’s provisional 32-man squad for Euro 2012, but was left out of the final 23-man group.

“It was a choice shared by Prandelli and the federation, to let the player clarify his position as quickly as possible,” FIGC vice-president Demetrio Albertini said. “Criscito was sorry for the repercussions on the national team and the dressing room and he apologized to them and also reasserted his innocence.

“He explained some things to me, I believe his version and his innocence. In the morning he talked with his lawyers and then he went into the dressing room to say bye to his teammates. You can clearly understand the sadness in the dressing room air. His teammates showed him they are completely with him in this terrible time.”

The coach of Italian champion Juventus, Antonio Conte, was also placed under investigation for alleged wrongdoing while he was coach of Siena and his house in Turin was searched.

“Conte’s reaction is that of someone who’s completely innocent and strongly determined to prove

same level all the time.” Li will face France’s Stephanie Foretz Gacon for a place in the last 32.

Polish third seed Agnieszka Radwanska took just 49 minutes to wrap up a 6-1, 6-0 win over Serbia’s Bojana Jovanovksi and will take on Venus Williams for a place in the last 32.

French eighth seed Marion Bartoli also

Lazio’s captain Stefano Mauri judicial authorities in Cremona.

Former Atalanta captain Cristiano Doni was banned from football for three and a half years last summer, and former Lazio captain Giuseppe Signori was also arrested.

Serie A clubs Atalanta, Novara and Siena were among the 22 Italian teams notified at the beginning of this month that they are being investigated by sports authorities.

Prosecutors in Cremona have detailed an extensive match-fixing ring stretching as far as Singapore and South America that was allegedly in operation for more than 10 years.

“It will be impossible to go right to the end with this because my office is not equipped to do so,” Di Martino said. “If people wanted, we could go on forever but there’s very few personnel. “It will be impossible to go ahead with this for a long time.”—AP

SAN ANTONIO: Manu Ginobili scored a playoff-high 26 points as the San Antonio Spurs won their 19th game in a row to equal the NBA record for longest winning streak kept alive in the playoffs, beating the Thunder 101-98 in the Western Conference finals opener on Sunday.

Obeying orders snarled by their coach in a fourth-quarter timeout to play “nasty,” the Spurs erased a nine-point deficit that stunned the Thunder, who had looked on their way to finally kicking the perception that they’re the underdog.

Kevin Durant led the Thunder with 27 points. Russell Westbrook had 17. “I talked to them about they’ve got to get a little bit uglier, get a little more nasty, play with more fiber and take it to these guys,” Gregg Popovich said. “Meaning you have to drive it, you have to shoot it.”

And when they started doing just that, the Thunder couldn’t keep up. The 2001 Lakers are the only other team to carry a winning streak this long in the playoffs and they did so on their way to a championship. Game 2 is today.

The Spurs matched the fourth-longest streak in NBA history, and with one more will become just the fourth team to surpass 20. Tim Duncan had 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Tony Parker shook off a dismal start to finish with 18 points. But it was Ginobili who steered the Spurs to strike first in a highly anticipated matchup of the West’s top two teams for practically the entire regular season.

“They got us on our heels. We were not aggressive,” Ginobili said. “And in the second half, we did have it.” On the other end, Oklahoma City’s own Big Three struggled to find its shot early before awakening in the second half.

Yet Westbrook still finished just 6 of 15

and took a nasty, face-first spill late in the fourth that had the entire Thunder bench crossing the court to check on their All-Star point guard underneath the opposite basket. Westbrook appeared to favor his left leg when he got up, but he never left the game.

Meanwhile, Britain’s basketball chiefs have vowed to cover the cost of Luol Deng’s participation in the Olympics amid concerns over the high cost insurance for the Chicago Bulls star.

Deng has been nursing a wrist injury for the closing months of the NBA season, a pre-existing condition which means his lucrative $27-million-dollar contract is not covered by the league’s insurance during the Olympics.

It means British Basketball is likely to have to find around £300,000 to insure Deng for the games this summer, according to some reports, an enormous amount for the relatively cash-strapped governing body.

British Basketball has already in the past paid additional insurance to cover an old back injury sustained by Deng, but cash for the new premium will have to be found by diverting resources from other programmes, officials said.

“Luol Deng is hugely committed to the British Basketball programme and he has maintained this stance, despite recent pressure for him not to play after injuring his wrist during the highly-demanding shortened NBA season,” British Basketball performance director Chris Spice said.

“We admire and support his stance. Luol is a true professional and manages his body extremely well, as shown by the high amount of minutes he was able to play for his club after sustaining the injury in January this year.—AFP

Qatar Telecom $1.87bn rights issue covered Page 22

Spain’s bond yields rise on bank recap plans Page 24

TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2012

Rupee woes highlight India’s economic drift Page 25

Greek banks given 18bn euros in fresh funds Page 23

MADRID: Visitors pose for pictures under the main display at the Stock Exchange in Madrid yesterday. Conservative Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy was adamant that Spain’s bank sector would not need an international rescue as concern over the bailout fund for nationalized lender Bankia sent the bank’s stock price plummeting while Spain’s borrowing costs soared. —AP

Investors flee Spanish debt amid bailout fears State struggles to borrow, stocks nosedive MADRID: Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said yesterday the state was struggling to borrow as its risk premium hit a euro-era record and fears spread over its stricken banks. Rajoy sought to calm investors after the distressed lender Bankia pleaded for the biggest state rescue in Spanish history.

Spain’s sovereign debt risk premiumthe extra return investors demand to hold Spanish bonds over their safer German counterparts-struck a euro-era record of 514 basis points. “With a risk premium at 500 points, it is very difficult to raise finances,” Rajoy told a news conference.

But he played down the repercussions of Bankia’s troubles, saying it would have no impact on efforts to trim the public deficit and denying that it had undermined confidence in Spanish sovereign debt. The Spanish leader reiterated his government’s line that it will not seek a foreign bailout.

Bankia’s request Friday for 19 billion euros ($24 billion) in state funds raised concerns over the entire sector as

reports circulated that other banks need another 30 billion euros.

On the Madrid stock exchange, the IBEX-35 index slid 2.17 percent to 6,401.20 points, its lowest close in nine years. Bankia slumped 13.38 percent, Banco Popular skidded 7.50 percent, CaixaBank dropped 5.09 percent.

Santander, the biggest in the euro-zone by market value, fell 3.23 percent and Spanish number-two BBVA fell 3.39 percent. The big question in the markets is: Where will Spain find the money to pump into its banks? If the state finds itself unable to raise the cash on the financial markets, investors fear that, despite the denials, the euro-zone’s fourth largest economy may be forced to go cap in hand to Brussels. Bankia’s board met Friday and requested the bailout. When taken together with a 4.465-billion-euro capital injection made earlier this month, the total bill would be an unprecedented 23.5 billion euros.

Now, “even if we knew what to do, we still need to decide on how to finance it,” analysts at Link Securities said in a

S&P cuts Lebanon outlook on Syria BEIRUT: Ratings agency S&P cut its outlook on Lebanon’s long-term sovereign credit rating to negative from stable yesterday and said government stability and the currency peg to the dollar could be threatened if unrest in Syria fuelled further tension.

Standard & Poor’s reaffirmed its B/B long- and short-term foreign and local currency sovereign credit ratings on Lebanon. But it said the balance of risks on the long-term rating had shifted to the downside. Unrest from neighboring Syria’s 14-month-old uprising spilled over into Lebanon this month with street battles in Beirut and the northern city of Tripoli. A dozen people were killed and analysts said the bloodshed could mark the start of protracted instability in Lebanon, which already witnessed a slowdown in economic growth last year.

“The security situation in Lebanon may deteriorate in tandem with Syrian developments, threatening government stability in Lebanon - which could put deposit levels at risk and potentially strain already weak public finances and the central bank’s ability to maintain its currency peg to the US dollar,” S&P said. Lebanon enjoyed GDP growth of around 7 to 8 percent annually from 2007 to 2010, but that fell off sharply last year after domestic political tensions were followed by the start of the uprising against President Bashar Al-Assad in Syria. Economy and Trade Minister Nicolas Nahas surprised Lebanese economists and businessmen two weeks ago when he said the economy grew by 5.2 percent last year - twice the size of earlier estimates, although still significantly below previous levels.— Reuters

report. “It is this question that will keep investors on alert in the coming days.”

Until now, the state-backed Fund for Orderly Bank Restructuring (FROB) has raised finances in the debt markets and then transferred the money into troubled banks. But the FROB only has 5.4 billion euros, of which one billion has already been committed to the Banco de Valencia, which was recently taken over by the state, Bankinter analysts said in a report.

In this context, Bankinter said, the government was considering injecting newly issued government bonds directly into Bankia’s parent Banco Financiero y de Ahorros (BFA), thus avoiding the markets. Bankia could then use the government bonds as collateral to borrow on the interbank market or from the European Central Bank, or it could even sell them on the open market.

This, however, would not prevent Spain’s debt from rising above Madrid’s end-2012 target of 79.8 percent of gross domestic product. “The idea of such a debt/equity swap for Bankia looks clever,

or is it too clever,” wondered Berenberg Bank chief economist Holger Schmieding. “The key issue is whether such a debt-equity swap would do enough to bolster public trust in Spanish banks and thus safeguard their deposit base,” he added.

According to centre-right daily El Mundo, the state might have to inject another 30 billion euros in public funds into three other banks it has taken over: CatalunyaCaixa, NovacaixaGalicia and Banco de Valencia. That would bring the total bill to more than 50 billion euros, enough to sow doubts about Spain’s capacity to pay up at a time when it is struggling to trim its budget deficit.

Concerns about spending by Spain’s powerful regions are also weighing on sentiment.

Catalonia president Artur Mas called Friday for the central government to approve the use of “hispanobonos” jointly issued by the regions and guaranteed by the state. His region alone faces debt payments, including refinancing costs, of 13.48 billion euros in 2012. — AFP

Saudi snaps 3-day losing streak; markets mixed MIDEAST STOCK MARKETS DUBAI: Saudi Arabia’s bourse snapped a three-day losing streak yesterday as fears eased of a disorderly Greek exit from the euro bloc, while Egypt’s market fell ahead of the release of official presidential election results. The Saudi kingdom’s index finished 1 percent higher at 7,056 points, tracking late-day gains in European shares.

Greek polls on Saturday suggested the pro-bailout conservatives could win elections on June 17, keeping the country in the euro-zone and making a swift collapse of the currency bloc less likely.

“It has more to do with Europe today - people were waiting to see how markets there would react to issues in Greece,” said Tariq Alalaiwat, equity research analyst at NCB Capital. “The market is trading above the support of 6,800 to 7,000 levels with stocks of small-nominal value reacting positively.”

European stocks gained for a third straight session yesterday and Brent crude oil rose above $107 per barrel. Telco Zain Saudi jumped to a five-week high, up 9.9 percent after the market regulator approved its multibillion dollar capital restructuring plan. Pending shareholder approval, the operator will reduce its issued share capital to 4.8 billion riyals ($1.28 billion) from 14 billion before launching a 6 billion riyals rights issue.

In Qatar, the index climbed 0.2 percent, trimming its May losses to 2.2 percent but investors remain cautious

of euro zone debt woes. “The market remains dominated by retail investors, causing mid and small size caps to outperform,” said Ahmed Shehada, head of trading at Qatar National Bank. “We will remain above the 8,450 support area, which is a positive sign but still flat for the (short-term) period.” Al Khaliji Commercial Bank led gainers, rising 4.4 percent. Barwa Real Estate climbed 0.7 percent. The two firms accounted for nearly a third of all shares traded on the index.

“The lack of an immediate catalyst combined with the global negative sentiment has added to the lackluster environment,” Shehada added.

Elsewhere, Egypt’s benchmark dropped 1.3 percent, extending losses driven by political uncertainty. The run-off in the presidential election will pit the Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohamed Mursi against Ahmed Shafiq, Hosni Mubarak’s last prime minister and a former air force commander, Egypt’s state news agency MENA reported on Monday after the Cairo bourse closed.

“Investors are afraid because now we have two extreme candidates facing one another. No one will invest heavily in Egypt in the coming period and until it becomes clear who is president,” said Amr Chamel from Pharos Securities. Orascom Telecom recovered some of its early-session losses and closed 0.3 percent lower. An Algeria appeals court confirmed a fine on the firm’s Algerian unit worth $1.3 billion. —Reuters

Saudi to complete minimum wage study in 4 months JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia aims to complete a study on setting a minimum wage for private sector workers within four months, local media quoted the labor minister as saying, part of a government drive to make jobs more appealing to nationals and cut unemployment. The jobless rate in the world’s top oil exporter is now running at 10 percent and is a potential source of discontent as private companies prefer to hire foreigners, mainly from Asian countries such as Pakistan, who agree to work for wages as low as 1,800 riyals ($480) a month. That is less than the monthly unemployment benefit of 2,000 riyals.

Saudis have favored government jobs, which offer security and higher salaries.

“There was a royal order for the labor ministry to study this issue in collaboration with the private sector,” Labor Minister Adel Faqih was quoted as saying in daily Okaz newspaper yesterday.

“We are now in the final stages of this study, which will be announced within the next four months,” he said. Media reports have suggested the government could set a minimum wage of 2,000-3,000 riyals. Last year the government tightened rules introduced in the mid-1990s to try to increase the employment of locals through a “Saudization” scheme that set quotas for the number of Saudis each company must hire.

Foreign workers, including laborers and expatriate professionals, account for a third of the desert kingdom’s population of 27 million and Saudi nationals account for only 10 percent of the private sector workforce. Saudi Arabia has not seen the mass uprisings that rocked other parts of the Arab world last year, facing only small protests by a Shiite minority in its oilproducing Eastern Province.

Still, last year hundreds of university graduates and teachers staged rare protests in Jeddah and Riyadh to demand jobs and better wages and vowed to continue demonstrating until the government produces jobs.

The groups later dispersed after government officials pledged to deal with the complaints.

King Abdullah promised last year to spend about 400 billion riyals ($110 billion), or more than 18 percent of gross domestic product, on housing, new jobs, health care, salary bonuses and other benefits. The kingdom’s deputy labor minister said last week the largest Arab economy would start licensing expatriate labor companies within a month in a first move away from a sponsorship system, whereby employers bring in foreigners on a work visa for a certain job only.

Authorities hope that shifting from the sponsorship system will help more Saudi citizens fill jobs previously filled by foreigners.

Thanks to a decades-long population boom, the Saudi government can no longer afford to reduce unemployment by creating public sector jobs. Last year’s revolutions in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Yemen and Syria were blamed by some on high youth unemployment. — Reuters

TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2012

BUSINESS

Qatar Telecom $1.87bn rights issue covered

Bayt.com weekly report

Informational interview: A key networking event

By Lama Ataya

Capital to be used for refinancing debt DUBAI: Qatar Telecom has raised 6.8 billion riyals ($1.87 billion) from a fully subscribed rights issue, the firm said in a statement yesterday.

The capital will be used for general corporate purposes and to refinance existing debt, according to a regulatory filing to the London Stock Exchange where Qtel has bonds listed. “Qtel continues to optimize its capital structure to ensure the financial efficiency of the company as it delivers on its strategy,” Sheikh

financial statement said. Qtel has approached banks regarding a $1 billion commercial paper program, which, if set up, would be a rare example of a Middle Eastern entity using the liquidity management instrument. The Gulf state’s former monopoly beat analysts’ forecasts for its first-quarter results, despite reporting a 12 percent drop in net profit on foreign exchange losses. Shares in Qtel ended up 0.8 percent yesterday, extending 2012 gains to 22 percent. — Reuters

Abdullah Bin Mohammed Bin Saud Al-Thani, Qtel chairman, said.

Qatar National Bank was lead manager for the offering. In April, Qtel said it had no refinancing needs and would pay back maturing debt using its own cash, following reports it was seeking a $2 billion loan to help refinance a $3 billion obligation due in October. The telecom had 21.1 billion riyals cash and cash equivalents at the end of March, its first-quarter

What is an ‘informational interview’?

The ‘informational interview’ is a formal meeting between a jobseeker and an industry professional during which the job-seeker learns more about the industry and the company from an ‘insider’.

The job-seeker can ask during this interview questions that are best answered by someone already in the field.

Besides being a vital medium for gathering information firsthand, the informational interview can also advance the job-seekers job search by helping him/her research the industry and companies of interest. These meetings can also help job-seekers identify experienced professionals who are in the best position to give valuable information about the industry as well as about specific job prospects in the field.

Kuwait’s crude exports to China up 28.4% in Jan-Apr BEIJING: Kuwait’s crude oil exports to China in the first four months of this year reached 3.83 million tons, equivalent to around 232, 000 barrels per day (bpd), up 28.4 percent from the same period of 2011, the latest government data showed.

Kuwaiti share of Chinese crude oil imports in the JanuaryApril period stood at 4.1 percent, compared to 3.5 percent from the year before, according to the General Administration of Customs.

In April alone, Kuwait’s shipments to China fell 33.6 percent on the year to 157,000 bpd. China’s overall imports of crude oil in April rose 3.3 percent from a year earlier to 5.44 million bpd.

Saudi Arabia remained China’s top supplier with its shipments jumping 14.0 percent to 1.07 million bpd, followed by Angola with 923,000 bpd, up 41.2 percent. Russia became third, with imports from the country growing 20.3 percent to 450,000 bpd.

Meanwhile, China slashed its oil imports from Iran by 23.7 percent to 399,000 bpd in April.

Kuwait has been in talks to build a 300,000 bpd refinery in the southern Chinese city of Zhanjiang with Sinopec and French oil giant Total as part of its aim of more than doubling crude exports to China to 500,000 bpd. — KUNA

How to go about arranging for an informational interview?

Once you have identified the target professional, send them an email or call them if you have their contact details, requesting no more than 30 minutes of their time to learn more about the industry and the position you are targeting. Introduce yourself briefly mentioning your experience and career objectives and make it clear that you are not approaching them for a job but merely to learn more about the industry from a seasoned, successful professional.

To facilitate matters, try to get a referral from someone you know ex-employers, friends, family, someone already at that company.

Alumni associations can also be very helpful in this instance; contact your alma mater’s alumni association for names of professionals who work in your target company/field and approach them making it clear that you went to the same university and got their name form the alumni association. Fellow alumni are usually more than happy to meet with you, offer needed advice and point you in the right direction.

Saudi’s Al-Tayyar IPO raises $365m, six-times covered DUBAI: Saudi Arabian group Al-Tayyar Travel raised 1.37 billion riyals ($365.3 million) from its 30-percent initial public offering which priced at the top of its price range, figures from the lead manager said.

The offering was 6.1-times oversubscribed with the tranches open to retail and institutional investors covered 2.4 and 4.9-times respectively, according to a statement from Samba Capital, the investment banking arm of Samba Financial Group.

Pricing of the shares came at the top end of the 45 to 57 riyals range. The family-owned business group offered 24 million shares, with retail subscription running between May 14 and 20. It is the second time that Al-Tayyar has looked to list on the Saudi stock exchange, having first looked to go public in February 2010 through a 30-percent stake sale.

Lackluster market conditions forced the firm to pull the process at the end of the institutional stage, the first time a Saudi IPO had failed to complete after receiving listing approval from the country’s regulator.

However, market conditions in Saudi - and across much of the Middle East - have been buoyant in 2012, despite a recent decline on the back of global economic worries.

The Saudi index has gained 8.9 percent this year. — Reuters

Dollar drops against dinar KUWAIT: Exchange rate of the US dollar against the Kuwaiti dinar went down to KD 0.279, while the euro went up to KD 0.352 compared to last Sunday’s figures, said the Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK) yesterday on its website.

Exchange rate of the Sterling pound increased to KD 0.439, and the Japanese yen remained unchanged, at KD 0.003., whereas the Swiss franc went up to KD 0.

293. — KUNA

A

ny resourceful job-seeker will have relatively little trouble finding key information about target industries as well as specific companies and job descriptions. Besides industry publications and journals, there are many websites that lend current and relevant information for the diligent job-seeker. However there is no substitute for meeting people within the industry and getting the key facts firsthand. For this reason, the ‘informational interview’ is an invaluable resource and a welcome addition to any seasoned job-seeker’s toolkit.

To help better understand this form of interview the career experts at the Middle East’s #1 job site Bayt.com have compiled a quick guide below.

How do you conduct an informational interview?

Make sure you arrive at the informational interview prepared with a list of questions related to your job hunt and research activities and make sure that you respect the professional’s time. You may take your CV with you but don’t present it right away. Take some time introducing yourself, your experience and your present career objective ending with what you hope to achieve by way of information-gathering from this meeting.

YANGON: Myanmar laborers gather during a protest outside their factory in Hlaing Tharyar industrial zone in Hlaing Tharyar township, on the outskirt of Yangon yesterday.

The rallies, which started at the weekend in Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, have also spread to Yangon, where about 250 residents defied a police request to disperse. — AFP

Saudi group eyes stake sale in lubricant JV DUBAI: The Alhamrani Group, a family-owned Saudi conglomerate, is considering the sale of its approximate two-thirds stake in a lubricant business joint venture with Germany’s Fuchs Petrolub, two banking source said.

The potential sale of the stake in Alhamrani-Fuchs Petroleum Saudi Arabia Ltd is expected to generate $400-$500 million for the conglomerate with automotive, financial services and building materials operations, the sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity as the matter is not public.

The remaining, approximate one-third stake is held by Fuchs Petrolub which has a right of first refusal on any sale, the sources said. The German firm is not selling its stake in the venture, the sources added. Alhamrani is near to completing a second round of the bidding process, one of the banking sources said, adding talks have been ongoing for the last six months.

Some sample questions you may want answered during the interview include: l How did you get started in this industry? lWhat does it take to enter this field of work? l How would you suggest I approach my job hunt? Are there any specific companies you know of that are hiring? lWhat skills are key to success in this role? lWhat do you like most about your role? lWhat is the most challenging aspect of your job? l Are there any courses or trainings that you recommend to supplement my CV? l What industry associations or publications would you recommend for me to learn more about this field?

Treat the informational interview as you would a formal interview, dress conservatively, arrive early, behave professionally and research the company and industry well before-hand. In the end thank the interviewee for his time and do not hesitate to ask him if he/she can refer you to anyone else in the industry.

What happens after the informational interview?

Your informational interview is a key networking event and you should aim to leverage the contact you made to build a professional long-term relationship. Follow up with a thank-you email afterwards then periodically keep the professional informed of any progress or success in your job hunt and in your career in general.-Lama Ataya is Chief Marketing Officer — Bayt

“Interest for the stake is mainly from financial investors in the region. With the second round now nearing completion, the deal may close in the coming weeks,” the source said.

Investment bank Rothschild is advising on the sale, according to the sources. Rothschild declined to comment.

Alhamrani Group and Fuchs Petrolub did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Alhamrani-Fuchs, formed in a joint venture in 1995, runs a lubricant blending plant in Yanbu, the largest of its kind in the Middle East and Africa, according to Alhamrani group’s website. The plant has a capacity of over 95,000 metric tons and meets 30 percent of Saudi Arabia’s domestic lubricant requirements and exports to 26 countries in the region, the website says.

Fuchs Petrolub is the world’s largest independent manufacturer of lubricants and related speciality products. — Reuters

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 .4370000 .3490000 .2910000 .2710000 .2730000 .0040000 .0020000 .0758240 .7387280 .3830000 .0710000 .7241910 .0040000 .0430000

CUSTOMER TRANSFER RATES US Dollar/KD .2785500 GB Pound/KD .4372120 Euro .3504160 Swiss francs .2914470 Canadian dollars .2723010 Danish Kroner .0471600 Swedish Kroner .0389520 Australian dlr .2750960 Hong Kong dlr .0358850 Singapore dlr .2183850 Japanese yen .0035100 Indian Rs/KD .0000000 Sri Lanka rupee .0000000 Pakistan rupee .0000000 Bangladesh taka .0000000 UAE dirhams .0758680 Bahraini dinars .7391540 Jordanian dinar .0000000 Saudi Riyal/KD .0743000 Omani riyals .7237880 Philippine Peso .0000000

.2830000 .4460000 .3570000 .3000000 .2800000 .2830000 .0070000 .0035000 .0765860 .7461530 .4000000 .0770000 .7314690 .0072000 .0500000 .2821500 .4428630 .3549450 .2952130 .2758200 .0477690 .0394550 .2786510 .0363490 .2212070 .0035550 .0051420 .0021570 .0030720 .0034600 .0768490 .7487060 .3990810 .0752600 .7331430 .0065330

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

280.800 3.057 5.075 2.150 3.434 6.485 76.555 75.035 746.500 46.485 445.600 3.090

Yemeni Riyal Euro Canadian Dollars Nepali rupee

1.550 358.600 279.200 3.220

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

280.200 355.900 442.100 275.700 3.570 5.066 46.521 2.142 3.424 6.414 3.060 746.100 76.375 74.900

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

280.71 277.95 298.51 356.44 280.10 443.45 3.61 3.427 5.065 2.140 3.186 3.051 76.32 746.12 46.42 399.06 729.00 77.35 74.99

288.00 280.00 300.00 355.80 281.25 445.00 3.65 3.550 5.330 2.400 3.850 3.200 76.80 745.00 47.85 396.00 730.00 77.55 75.15

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd US Dollar Canadian Dollar Sterling Pound Euro Swiss Frank Bahrain Dinar

Selling Rate

280.450 277.585 441.305 353.740 294.145 742.480

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 280.000 746.110 3.670 277.300 551.000 45.700 48.500 167.800 48.070 357.600 36.820 5.280 0.032 0.160 0.238 3.630 397.530 0.190 92.320 44.400 4.310 217.400 1.817 48.200 728.740 3.180 6.950 77.600 74.910 221.540 36.230 2.673 444.400 40.400 297.600 4.300

9.300 198.263 76.490 280.900 1.350

9.070 76.390 280.500

GOLD 1,667.070

10 Tola Sterling Pound US Dollar

TRAVELLER’S CHEQUE 442.400 280.500

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

76.335 76.980 74.745 394.775 46.427 2.139 5.081 3.061 3.429 6.441 687.940 4.525 8.940 5.905 3.270 88.975

SELL DRAFT 278.500 746.110 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

221.500 46.454 356.100 36.670 5.080 0.031

Saudi Riyal Qatari Riyal Omani Riyal Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham

397.540 0.189 92.320

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

3.200 215.900 728.660 3.065 6.450 77.170 74.910 221.540 36.230 2.138 442.400 296.100 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

TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2012

BUSINESS

Gold prices pare gains as euro slips lower LONDON: Gold pared gains yesterday as the euro slipped back into negative territory versus the dollar in US holiday-thinned trade, but the precious metal held above $1,575 an ounce as investors bet last week’s price drop had been overdone. Gold is down more than 5 percent so far in May and is vulnerable to fresh losses in the euro. Lingering concerns over sluggish growth in the euro-zone and the health of Spanish banks mean the unit is also on track to fall 5 percent this month.

Spot gold was at $1,575.90 an ounce at 1542 GMT, up 0.2 percent but well off a high of $1,583.50 reached earlier. The precious metal fell 1.1 percent last week.

Afshin Nabavi, head of trading at MKS Finance in Geneva, said some buyers had been tempted back by its dip towards $1,525. “I was among the ones looking for a deeper correction,” he said. “But $1,525 now looks to be rather solid.”

“It could be a rangebound week, but my guess is

that after the US non-farm payrolls data on Friday, gold may very well break above $1,600.” Gold remains firmly tied to the currency markets, climbing earlier in the day after opinion polls ahead of next month’s Greek elections showed pro-bailout conservatives in the lead, lifting the euro on hopes Greece may stay in the euro zone.

The news boosted assets seen as higher risk across the board, but European shares later pared gains on fears over the outlook for Spanish banks, while oil prices also came off highs.

The bond markets pointed to ongoing worries over euro zone debt, with the premium investors require to hold Spanish government bonds over their German counterparts hitting its highest since the euro was launched earlier yesterday.

Without the support lent to the market last year by safe-haven demand linked to the euro zone debt crisis, prices will struggle to rise significantly in the near term. “It feels as though there is plenty of

scope later this year for the focus to move from the European fiscal situation to the US fiscal situation.

That has the potential to be supportive for gold prices,” Natixis analyst Nic Brown said. “But I would have to say that apart from that, the outlook doesn’t look particularly good.”

While gold prices in India tracked the spot price higher, physical demand for the metal in its biggest global consumer remained depressed by the weak rupee and seasonal factors. “We are heading towards a seasonally weak demand period,” Babu Alapatt, managing director at retailer Alapatt Gold Pvt Ltd in the southern state of Kerala, said. “The wedding season is coming to an end and the monsoon is approaching.”

Meanwhile, data from the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission showed that in the week ended May 22, speculators cut net bullish bets on US gold to the lowest since Dec. 2008 as the rise in short positions outpaced the uptick in longs.

Among other precious metals, silver was down 0.4 percent at $28.38 an ounce. Silver has underperformed gold this month, on track to decline 7.6 percent after falling to its lowest this year at $26.73.

Holdings of silver-backed exchange-traded funds were at a one-month high on Friday, Reuters data showed, at 489.3 million ounces, though they remain around 7 percent below the record high they hit in April 2011. Spot platinum was up 0.5 percent at $1,434.24 an ounce, while palladium was up 2.5 percent at $601.22. The gold/platinum ratio, which measures the number of platinum ounces needed to buy an ounce of gold, held at its highest since early January yesterday.

“Within the precious metals complex, gold continues to outperform relative to silver and the platinum group metals,” Deutsche Bank said in a note.

“We expect this trend to continue in an environment where downside risks to global growth continue to persist.” — Reuters

Greek banks given 18bn euros in fresh funds Bid to boost capital bases amid crisis

MADRID: Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said yesterday the state was struggling to borrow as its risk premium hit a euro-era record and fears spread over its stricken banks. — AFP

Italian manufacturers lose confidence MILAN: Confidence in the Italian manufacturing sector fell unexpectedly sharply in May to the lowest level since August 2009, the official statistics institute Istat said yesterday.

Italy, which has the third-biggest economy in the eurozone, is undergoing deep reforms to reduce public debt and restructure the economy, and is in recession. The confidence index published by Istat fell for the second month in a row to 86.2 points from 89.1 points in April.

Economists had expected it to fall to 88.7 points, on the basis of a poll by Dow Jones Newswires. The index is based on a survey by Istat which showed that sentiment by business leaders in the manufacturing sector regarding orders and production activity had “worsened significantly.”

The government headed by Mario Monti expects the economy to contract by 1.2 percent this year, but the European Commission forecasts shrinkage of 1.4 percent, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development 1.7 percent, and the International Monetary Fund 1.9 percent. — AFP

India seeks measures to lure capital flows NEW DELHI: India is looking at ways to attract new capital flows from foreign investors as a way to bolster its ailing currency, a senior finance ministry official said yesterday.

India’s rupee hit an unprecedented string of all-time lows last week, falling as low as 56.38 to the dollar but it rose yesterday to a one-week high of 55.18 rupees as investors took profits on the greenback. The government is expected to announce this week steps that could include easing rules for overseas retail investors to buy local shares or bonds, the official, who did not wish to be named, told reporters.

The government will also conduct road shows in the Gulf countries next month to promote investments in India, he said. India draws major remittances from Indians living abroad, especially in the Gulf countries, and officials believe there may be scope to attract more money from the region to help support the rupee.

However, analysts say while such measures might help the currency temporarily, they are not a long-term solution to the rupee’s weakness which reflects concern over slowing growth and gaping fiscal and trade deficits.

Analysts said the government needs to press ahead with long-delayed reforms such as further opening up the retail and aviation sectors to foreign investment.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s second term in office has been tainted by a series of policy U-turns and corruption scandals and his once ambitious reform agenda has stalled amid coalition infighting.

Government measures announced in January to draw new foreign investors have been largely unsuccessful. It raised the investment cap in infrastructure bonds, but just $1.5 billion of the $25 billion limit has been taken up so far.

Indian brokerage Emkay forecasts the currency could drop to 60 rupees to the dollar if weak economic growth persists.

The currency has fallen nearly 10 percent against the dollar since mid-March. The government has forecast growth of 7.6 percent for this fiscal year to March 2013. But economists are predicting six to seven percent growth-enviable by Western standards but not enough to reduce India’s crushing poverty, experts say. — AFP

ATHENS: The four biggest Greek banks received 18 billion euros ($22.6 billion) in rescue funds yesterday to help reinforce their capital bases, a Hellenic financial stability fund source said. “The order to pay the banks has been made, this completes the process,” the official told AFP on condition of anonymity. The banks needed to recapitalize after they took hits as part of a deal to cut Greece’s privatelyowned debt by 107 billion euros. National Bank, the biggest Greek lender, has received 7.43 billion euros, Piraeus bank 4.7 billion, Eurobank 3.97 billion and Alpha 1.9 billion, the official said.

The payments came as the Athens stock exchange closed with a jump of 6.87 percent, but the fund official said the gain was probably linked to opinion polls which show that pro-reforms parties might be able to form a government following a June 17 general election.

“The payment is certainly a positive event but it had been considered as a certainty by the market. The jump is more likely linked to the poll,” the source said. These sums were part of a 25-billion-euro envelope created to help Greek banks survive the sharp writedown on Greek sovereign debt, a key element in a bigger international bailout package for Athens that was approved in March.

The funds were transferred from the European Financial Stability Fund (EFSF) to the Hellenic Financial Stability Fund, a Greek body that is now charged with releasing them to Greek banks. As part of the bank bailout package, Greece negotiated a huge exchange of government debt held by private creditors that included a write-off of roughly half the amount owed.

The restructuring caused big losses for private lenders, particularly Greek banks that held many of the government’s bonds and which have also been hurt by a steady drop in deposits over the past two years. Private banks lost about 70 percent of the balance sheet value on their holdings of Greek government bonds.— AFP

ATHENS: A man waters plants outside the Stock Exchange in Athens. Uncertainty over Greece’s future in the eurozone has hammered markets ahead of June 17 general elections in the crisis-hit country. — AP

Euro’s long-time doubters say ‘I told you so’ LONDON/FRANKFURT: They were dismissed as prophets of doom. Now, as the euro struggles to survive, longstanding critics of Europe’s single currency are more like prophets in their own time.

But when they say ‘I told you so’, many do so with a regretful shake of the head, knowing the chaos and contagion that could ensue if austerity-weary Greece, at the epicentre of the crisis, quits the euro after a new election next month.

“I feel a deep sorrow that things could develop like they have in the euro-zone considering that the fundamental mechanisms at play now were there for everybody to see,” said Leif Pagrotsky, a former Swedish trade minister. He said it had been obvious to him from the outset that a single interest rate for 17 countries with different inflation rates was a recipe for real estate bubbles and banking crises.

Similarly, a single-currency area without central decision-making or fiscal transfers and coordination of budgets political union in short - was bound to lead to trouble.

“The sadness is that, in spite of that, this was allowed to happen. Millions and millions of people are suffering. The European cooperation project is suffering, and a crisis of legitimacy has resulted,” Pagrotsky, a senior member of Sweden’s opposition Social Democratic party and one of his country’s most prominent eurosceptics, told Reuters.

Swedes emphatically rejected the euro in a plebiscite in 2003, and for Pagrotsky the matter is closed. “I don’t think Sweden will join. We had a referendum and the people said ‘no’, and I think that’s it,” he said.

Euro zone leaders, who met on Wednesday in Brussels for yet another inconclusive summit on the two-yearold crisis, will eventually take steps towards closer coordination of fiscal policy, Pagrotsky believes. And, for all his

reservations about the construction of the euro, he expects the currency to survive - with a question mark next to Greece.

“I’ve always thought Greece would remain in the euro, because the will to stay together is so strong and the political capital invested has been so enormous,” he said. “But the rhetoric has changed, and there seems to be a game of chicken. So I’m not so sure.”

If it was up to Wilhelm Noelling, an anti-euro economics professor at the University of Hamburg, Athens would be ushered to the exit forthwith. Greece and the rest of the euro zone have no rational future unless they can reclaim control of their own currencies, said Noelling, one of a clutch of eurosceptics who filed a case last year with Germany’s constitutional court arguing that bailouts for Greece and other countries violated German law.

“If we go on with this policy, then what’s going to become of Europe in a year or two?” he asked. “I’ve said for a long time that an end with horror - and it would be an end with horror - is better than a horror with no end, the horror that is now ahead of us for the unforeseeable future.”

Noelling, who sat on the Bundesbank’s council from 1982 to 1992 in his capacity as head of Hamburg’s regional central bank, said fears of contagion from a Greek exit were vastly exaggerated by those unable and unwilling to imagine an alternative to the euro.

“Europe’s politicians don’t want to look beyond the end of their nose,” he said. Citing US theologian James Freeman Clarke as saying ‘A politician thinks of the next election. A statesman, of the next generation’, Noelling added: “Today we need statesmen more than ever, and if it’s statesmen making the decisions here and now, then Greece’s exit must begin immediately.”

Paul De Grauwe is also an economics

professor, at the London School of Economics, but he is less sure of Greece’s fate. When the decision was made to go ahead with the euro 20 years ago, De Grauwe argued that monetary union had to be embedded in a political union. He still calls himself a sceptic, but, since the currency was launched in 1999, he has concentrated on practical proposals to remedy its shortcomings.

“They didn’t know what they were doing when they started this thing, and I’m afraid they still don’t know what they’re doing,” De Grauwe said. “But if it collapses, it’s going to be hell. It was relatively easy to enter; it’s going to be much more traumatic if it breaks up. So let’s try to avoid it.”

De Grauwe expects Greece to default, at least partially, on its officialsector debt: “That seems to me to be inevitable. They would be foolish if they were to continue to pay that. The burden is just unsustainable.”

But default need not lead to Greece’s quitting the single currency, as long as the European Central Bank does not turn off the money taps to Greek banks, De Grauwe argued.

On balance, he thinks Greece will stay in the euro. He is far from certain, however. “I find it extremely difficult to predict how the Greeks themselves will react,” he said.

De Grauwe’s constructive criticism has irritated officialdom down the years.

After attending one European Commission meeting in the early 1990s for a report to trumpet the gains the euro would bring, De Grauwe said he and other sceptics were not invited back.

“The idea that you needed a political union, up to just recently, wasn’t taken seriously. Now everyone is saying this,” he added. De Grauwe, a Belgian, also suspects his views doomed his candidacy for the ECB’s Executive Board in 2003.

Some of his warnings seem chillingly prescient. — Reuters

Barclays says it was singled out in tax row LONDON: British bank Barclays said tax authorities singled it out for unfair treatment in a tax row earlier this year that damaged the bank ’s reputation. Britain said in February it would close two “aggressive tax avoidance schemes” used by Barclays and retrospectively applied a new tax to a bond buyback the bank did in December.

Barclays could have to pay back about 120 million pounds ($188 million), Reuters has estimated. “The way in which this situation was handled seems to us to have been completely unwarranted,” chief executive Bob Diamond said in a letter to Andrew Tyrie, chairman of parliament ’s cross-par ty Treasury Select Committee of lawmakers.

“Unnecessar y damage was placed on Barclays reputation just at a time when the focus should be on rebuilding confidence and accelerating growth, not undermining it,” Diamond said.

Tyrie asked Diamond to write the letter at a meeting on April 17 at which they discussed the matter. Tyrie released the letter, dated May 15, yesterday after saying he had asked finance minister George Osborne to assess what happened, in consultation with HM Revenue and Customs, the tax office.

Tax avoidance is not illegal and Barclays has said it had done nothing wrong. But it was a high-profile embarrassment as the bank has signed up to a tax code of conduct and, last year, Diamond said banks must win back trust and be better “citizens.” Diamond’s letter to Tyrie said: “We were ... surprised to be singled out in the way that occurred; not only through a retroactive change of law, but the effective naming of Barclays ... accusing the bank of entering into a ‘highly abusive’ scheme”.

Barclays said it had an open and transparent process for reviewing deals with HMRC and it voluntarily disclosed that it had repurchased debt in a tax efficient manner.

The tax treatment it used was based on strong legal guidance and other companies had used similar treatment, indicating there was a clear precedent the transactions were in the spirit of the law, the letter said. — Reuters

24

TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2012

business

Spain’s bond yields rise on bank recap plans European shares give up gains from Greek poll results LONDON: European shares turned lower and the euro slipped back toward two-year lows yesterday as a plan by Spain to use public debt to revive one of its troubled banks pushed up the premium investors demanded to hold the Madrid government’s bonds.

The rise in Spanish government debt yields, which saw 10-year bonds touch a high of 6.5 percent, undermined gains in other riskier assets linked to weekend polls giving a pro-bailout Greek party a slender lead ahead of a June 17 election.

Global share markets, commodities and the euro had been recovering from the sharp falls of last week. The declines had come when investors fled to the safety of the US dollar on mounting concerns about Greece’s future and Spain’s banking sector, and after some disappointing economic data from China and Europe.

In markets thinned by public holidays across Europe and in the United States, the easing in speculation on a euro zone break-up helped lift the MSCI world equity index 0.2 percent to 300.85, though this was only 1.4 percent above its lows for the year, set last week. The FTSEurofirst 300 index of top European shares was little changed by mid-afternoon yesterday at 984.64 points, having reversed course from a session high of 993.21. It remains on course for its biggest monthly loss since an August selloff last year.

Spain’s IBEX was the main faller, down 2 percent, led by banking sector heavyweights Santander and BBVA . The outlook across the risk asset markets worsened as it emerged that Spain may recapitalize the troubled lender Bankia with sovereign paper in return for shares in the bank.

Government sources told Reuters this method could also be used to prop up other troubled lenders - moves which would push the country’s debts above the 79.8 percent of economic output that had been expected this year. “I don’t believe transferring the bad assets of the bank onto the sovereign is in any way a good idea,” said Brenda Kelly, senior strategist at CMC Markets.

Bankia shares fell 26.8 percent as trading resumed following a suspension on Friday. In the interim, the bank had asked the state for rescue funding of 19 billion euros ($24 billion).

“When you think about $24 billion for one bank you could be looking for anything upwards of 60 billion to a 100 billion if it all falls apart,” she said of the Spanish banking sector.

Those concerns sent the premium investors require to hold Spanish government bonds over their safer German counterparts up 16 basis

points yesterday to 514 bps, the highest since the euro was launched over a decade ago. Spanish 10-year government bond yields also jumped 15 bps to 6.49 percent, their highest since November, while equivalent Italian government bond yields followed suit, gaining 7 bps to 5.87 percent. Spain’s Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said only that the government is currently studying how best to inject public funds into its troubled banks, adding that there had not been any talks with the European Central Bank over recapi-

MADRID: The Stock Exchange main display is reflected on a Bankia sign in Madrid yesterday. Shares in Spanish bank Bankia, one of the banks hardest hit by Spain’s real estate collapse over the past four years, fell 28 per cent on opening in Madrid yesterday, the bank’s first day back on the stock exchange following its announcement Friday that it would need Euro 19 billion ($23.8 billion) bailout to bolster its defenses. — AP

talizing Bankia . The euro edged down 0.3 percent to $1.2525, drifting nearer to Friday’s low of $1.2495, its lowest since July 2010. After last week’s sharp falls, the single currency is on track for its worst month since September. The outlook for the single currency is limited by the high numbers of leveraged investors in the foreign exchange market holding euro bearish bets, as revealed by data for the week to May 22 released by the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

“Because the market is very, very short euro, reactions to any positive news may be bigger than those to negative news,” said Mitul Kotecha of Credit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank. Commodity markets, already firmer on the prospects pro-bailout parties may succeed in the Greek election and the resultant easier tone in the US dollar, also gained a boost from hopes China may take steps to boost its flagging economy. A government official told Reuters on Monday that China will soon resume paying subsidies to rural residents who trade in old vehicles for new ones in an effort to rekindle demand in the world’s largest auto market.

Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange rose 0.5 percent to $7,683.75 a ton, recovering from falls of 8 percent this month.

Brent crude oil gained for a third session to be $107.60 per barrel. The price was also affected by Middle East oil supply concerns as talks over Iran’s nuclear program faltered. U.S. crude oil futures also rose more than $1 to a high of $91.92.

Spot gold gained 0.3 percent at $1,577.76 an ounce, its highest level in nearly a week. Investors were also looking ahead to major economic data due from the United States this week which includes consumer confidence, gross domestic product and, on Friday, the May non-farm payrolls report, which could provide clues on whether the economy is running out of steam or has simply hit a soft patch. “Data this week will reveal further contrasts between the US and euro-zone,” said Credit Agricole’s Kotecha. — Reuters

Africa mustn’t let growth go to its head: AfDB

LISBON: Three elderly women pass by a closed shop with a sticker on its window that reads in Portuguese “Everything 1Euro “ yesterday in Lisbon. Inspectors from foreign lenders who provided Portugal’s 78billion-euro bailout last year are currently in Lisbon to assess austerity measures and the performance of the national economy. —AP

Petroplus UK refinery likely to close: PwC LONDON: Insolvent Swiss refiner Petroplus’ Coryton refinery in the UK is likely to close after its administrator PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) said yesterday that it had failed to find a buyer that could pay $1 billion for the site.

Petroplus filed for insolvency in December after it could not meet its debt obligations.

PwC said in an emailed statement it could not find “a solution which sees the refinery continue as a going concern”.

“The current economic environment, the challenge of raising $1 billion (£625 million) of funding for the refinery, including the $150 million capital expenditure ‘turnaround’ project ultimately proved prohibitive in the face of an over supplied European refinery market for both buyers and investors.” The Coryton refinery has a capacity to process about

175,000 barrels of crude oil per day and additional 65,000 barrels per day of feedstock. Richard Howitt, the local member of the European Parliament said: “It’s a bitter blow for the workforce...I think the process was flawed and that the government should have stepped in.”

PwC said “a substantial number of redundancies” were likely in the next few months if operations were wound down.

The administrators suspended all work connected with the refinery turnaround program in September, the administrator said. Coryton is more complex and profitable than other Petroplus refineries and most analysts expected it to survive as a refinery. However, so far two other refineries - Antwerp and Cressier - have been sold despite the odds that they would likely turn into oil terminals. — Reuters

BEIJING: Diners and pedestrians are reflected in a puddle on a street in Beijing yesterday. China’s government on May 25 stressed the need to make growth a priority as it warned that the world’s number two economy faces “increasing downward pressure”. — AFP

ARUSHA, Tanzania: Africa’s robust 4.5 percent economic growth forecast for 2012 should not prompt premature celebration, the African Development Bank (AfDB) cautioned yesterday, citing the festering euro zone crisis and chronic youth joblessness.

Ranked as the poorest continent in the world, Africa has posted strong growth rates in recent years, second only to Asia, drawing rising inward investment and giving rise to talk of its economic resilience, accompanied by much self-congratulation among officials. “I’ll be cautioning against excessive exuberance,” Donald Kaberuka, AfDB president said at the launch of its African Economic Outlook, at the start of the bank’s annual meeting.

The AfDB’s forecast for 2012 outpaces the 3.4 percent growth

rate posted in 2011, after the Arab spring in North Africa cut the northern region’s growth in economic output to 0.5 percent.

In contrast, sub-Saharan Africa grew by more than 5 percent, with the exception of South Africa, the continent’s most advanced economy, which expanded output by 3.1 percent.

The euro zone and other rich nations would take some time to resolve the issues bedevilling their economies, Kaberuka said.

“That will have implications on the growth of the continent,” he said, adding that any economic slowdown by large emerging markets like China would cause further problems.

Despite the growing economic role of large emerging markets like the BRICS in Africa, Europe remained a vital economic part-

ner for the continent, accounting for more than half of external trade, said Mthuli Ncube, AfDB chief economist. The euro-zone crisis could hit demand for Africa’s export commodities, denting growth in economies like Kenya, which also depend on Europe as a source of visitors.

“The visitors from Europe will certainly feel the pressure to travel less,” Ncube said, adding that remittances from Africans living there could also be hurt.

The AfDB said the continent’s economic growth also faced risks from political crises with the potential to spill over to neighboring states, thus curbing overall growth.

Mali and Guinea Bissau have both experienced coups this year while Uganda, Burundi, Kenya and other nations in the horn are

all militarily involved in efforts to secure peace in Somalia, after decades of conflict. The impact of the political turmoil had already started to be noticed in development studies carried out by the bank on key indicators, Kaberuka said. “Mali was scoring very well, now we are back to square one,” he said. Governments on the continent also needed to do more to ensure they were creating jobs for the legions of young people who could pose a social challenge if they felt left out of the economic growth, AfDB said.

“Africa is on a good path but of course it needs to be inclusive, it needs to create jobs for it to be a better quality of economic growth,” Ncube said. AfDB says youth unemployment in most African countries is at least 25 percent.— Reuters

Crude oil rises above $107 on Greece, Iran LONDON: Brent crude oil rose above $107 per barrel yesterday as fears of a euro zone break-up receded but Middle East oil supply worries resurfaced after minimal progress in talks over Iran’s nuclear program.

Opinion polls suggested Greece’s pro-bailout conservatives could win elections on June 17, keeping the country in the euro zone and making a swift collapse of the currency bloc less likely.

Fears of a war in the Gulf that could threaten global oil supplies have returned after world powers failed to convince Iran last week to halt its most sensitive nuclear work.

Tension between Iran and the West remains high ahead of more talks in Moscow next month to try to end the stand-off. Brent gained for the third session in a row, supported by a weaker dollar, and rose to a high of $108.04, up $1.24, before easing back to around $107.65 by 1210 GMT. US crude oil futures also rose more than $1 to an intra-day high of $91.99.

“The latest Greek opinion polls are being seen as a positive and a lack of progress in the Iranian talks have also helped lift the market,” said Christopher Bellew at brokerage Jefferies Bache in London.

Ben Taylor, a trader at CMC markets, said news from Greece was key to commodities markets. “The idea that Greece will stay within the euro-zone calms the market,” said Taylor. “A move towards creating a common euro bond, and stimulating the economy through growth-related policies versus austerity are factors that will be positive.”

Surveys over the weekend showed Greece’s New Democracy party has regained an opinion poll lead, which could see the formation of a government determined to keep on good terms with its European partners. A conservative government would attempt to impose tough austerity conditions attached to a 130 billion euro bailout agreed with the EU and International Monetary Fund in March.

The euro bounced off two-year lows in Asian trade yesterday, hitting $1.2590 and pulling away from Friday’s 1.2495, its lowest level since July 2010. Despite recent gains, oil has fallen sharply this month with Brent down more than 12 percent.

The front-month Brent contract is off about 16 percent from this year’s high above $128 reached at the beginning of March.

Large speculators in crude oil futures and

options markets have cut net long positions this month, easing back on assets deemed risky.

Exchange data yesterday showed Brent net longs have been trimmed for three consecutive weeks.

Investors say a key risk for the oil market is tension over Iran’s nuclear program, which Washington and its allies is designed to produce an atomic weapon. A dispute between Iran and the West intensified over the weekend after Tehran refused to allow the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) from visiting a nuclear site suspected of being used to develop nuclear weapons.

A report by the UN watchdog last week said satellite images showed “extensive activities” at the Parchin complex, located southeast of Tehran. Iran says the complex is a military site.

The US-based Institute for Science and International Security think-tank has said there is concern Iran may be trying to cleanse the building at Parchin - possibly by grinding down surfaces, collecting the dust and washing the area thoroughly. “Any escalation of tensions involving Iran is going to push up the risk premium and put the market on edge,” Taylor said. — Reuters

Gulf Keystone sees big oil moving into Kurdistan LONDON: Kurdistan’s plan to start oil exports to Turkey could make it attractive for more big oil players to try to move into the region, the head of Britain’s Gulf Keystone Petroleum told Reuters yesterday.

Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region has been locked in a long-running dispute with Baghdad over oil exports, inconveniencing oil firms that operate there and putting off others due to the complication of monetizing huge oil finds made in the area. Gulf Keystone’s Chief Executive Todd Kozel believes the stage is set for change, however, after Kurdistan earlier this month detailed plans to start exporting crude to Turkey by August 2013.

“This is the first I’ve seen of this kind of aggressiveness,” Kozel said in an interview.

“It’s finally showing an opening into the commercialization phase. They laid out dates for the beginning and ending of those projects. They laid out quantities. It’s significant.”

Kurdistan, previously a no-go area for oil majors with contracts to develop Iraq’s southern oil fields, has increasingly been on the radar of the biggest oil companies after US group ExxonMobil inked a deal to explore there in 2011. Gulf Keystone, which estimates it has found around 10.5 billion barrels of oil at its giant Shaikan oil field, has been the subject of frequent rumors that Exxon is looking to acquire it.

“Is that possible in the future? Yes, anything’s possible, we’re a public company,” said Kozel when asked whether the company would still be inde-

pendent in a year’s time. “It’s life. I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow.

Our plans are to keep our nose down and keep working.” The dispute between Baghdad and the Kurdish capital Arbil is part of a broader political crisis in Iraq, where a fragile government of Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish blocs is struggling to overcome deep splits over power-sharing.

Baghdad says only the central government’s oil authorities have the right to control oil exports, and dismisses contracts signed with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) as illegal, while the KRG says it has the right to develop its own oil fields.

Kozel added that oil majors were now “visible” in Kurdistan, and said “mostly large companies” were behind several indicative offers Gulf Keystone has received for a stake in the Akri-Bijeel license in Kurdistan which it has put up for sale.

Finalization of the sale, which the company said in January could raise up to $500 million, could come in the next couple of months, said Kozel, one of the UK’s highest paid executives whose earnings doubled to $20 million in 2011. Gulf Keystone is targeting production of up to 40,000 barrels of oil per day (bopd) from its Shaikan field by the end of 2012. Kozel said that Gulf Keystone, which has been the subject of internet gossips speculating on whether it will need to raise money, was fully funded to the end of 2013 at its current production level of 7,000 bopd and without any proceeds from the Akri-Bijeel stake. — Reuters

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business

Odds lengthen on Osborne’s UK debt reduction gamble LONDON: In George Osborne’s office, a framed cartoon shows Britain’s finance minister being crushed by an elephant labeled debt. The irony may be choking for Osborne: his bet on Britain growing out of its debt addiction is in doubt and the $2.5 trillion economy is bracing for the what Prime Minister David Cameron has warned could be the breakup of the eurozone.

On inheriting Britain’s biggest peacetime deficit, Osborne gambled he could charm bond investors by slashing spending, but that growth rates of between 2.0 and 3.0 percent would kick in from 2013 to lift the mood of voters ahead of the 2015 election.

Britain has however slipped back into recession, making the task of reducing borrowing much harder, while spending cuts have upset millions of voters. “I thought, you know what, I am convinced that George Osborne is cutting as deep as he can now so that when we come to 2014 and it has worked, he can do the budget and say ... ‘Here is a thank-you budget for four years of austerity’,” Mark Garnier, who sits on parliament’s Treasury Select Committee and is like Osborne a member of the Conservative Party, said.

“I am now convinced that won’t happen,” Garnier, who said external factors such as the euro crisis and high oil prices were to blame, told Reuters.

“It’s the worst possible outcome.”

Cameron, who staked the reputation of the Conservative-led coalition government on reducing Britain’s debts, is now under pressure to close Osborne’s bet and reinflate. Even the

International Monetary Fund (IMF) has told Britain and the Bank of England to do more to stimulate demand, though bond investors say reducing the deficit remains essential to preserving government credibility.

“Those that argue for a lot of government spending underestimate the need to be able to (sell) ... your bonds to bond markets,” said Jamie Stuttard, fixed-income portfolio manager at Fidelity, which manages $231.6 billion in assets. “In this government bond market that is bifurcating into ... the haves and have-nots, the UK is still in the haves. But it is important for policy makers to continue to retain credibility in terms of keeping inflation low and a conservative approach on the fiscal side,” Stuttard said.

Since the coalition came to power, the bond market has been distorted by the Bank of England’s 325 billion pound bond purchase facility, pushing down the yield on the benchmark 10year gilt to a record low of 1.74 percent. But Britain’s Maastricht treaty deficit - the standard EU measure of borrowing - is forecast by the European Commission to reach 6.5 percent of GDP in 2013, higher than any other EU state bar Greece with 8.4 percent and Ireland at 7.5 percent.

Osborne was just 38 when he took the job in 2010, becoming the youngest Chancellor of the Exchequer since the appointment in 1886 of Winston Churchill’s father Randolph.

But when he arrived at the offices of the Treasury, his deputy had been left a note by departing Labour treasury chief secretary Liam Byrne saying: “I’m afraid there’s no money left”.

Osborne faced a budget deficit of

11 percent and the UK gilt market was, in the words of Pimco’s Bill Gross, the manager of the world’s biggest bond fund, “resting on a bed of nitroglycerine” because debt was far too high.

Initially dismissed by some - including Bank of England Governor Mervyn King - as too wet behind the ears to cope with the situation, Osborne went for the jugular and silenced many doubters with an ambitious emergency budget.

He proposed cutting budgets across Whitehall by a fifth, eliminating the “structural” current deficit by fiscal year 2014-2015 and forecast public sector net debt would fall from a peak of 70.3 percent of GDP in 2013-2014.

Osborne said Britain had no choice: if it did not cut spending, it could lose its prized AAA credit rating. Investors seemed pleased by his audacity; here was a politician who seemed to speak their language. “He’s a risk taker, but in a positive way,” said one source who works closely with Osborne but who spoke on condition of anonymity.

“He realizes that without taking

some calculated risks, the chance that you’ll achieve your goals is a lot less.”

Another adviser to Osborne describes his decision to put Britain in the vanguard of the Western world’s deficit reducers as one of political courage, though enemies say his choice would be more akin to political suicide if growth proves elusive.

Aides to the Conservative leadership were sanguine in 2010, admitting in private that it all hinged on the economy recovering. Asked at a reception shortly after the emergency budget what would happen if the economy tanked instead of flourishing, one admitted it would be catastrophic. The lack of growth so far has torpedoed the government’s debt projections, while voter anger at spending cuts has raised concerns in the Conservative party that Osborne’s bet may lose it the next election. If the economy remains stagnant but nominal debt projections remain accurate, public sector net debt could soar to over 90 percent of GDP in 2016/17, instead of the 74 percent forecast.

Public sector borrowing, forecast two years ago by Osborne to fall to 37 billion pounds ($59.5 billion) in 2015, is now forecast to be around double that at 75 billion, roughly the original estimate of the previous Labor government.

Only Greece, Italy, Ireland, Portugal and Hungary in the EU will spend more than Britain on interest payments in 2013 as a percentage of GDP, according to European Commission forecasts. Nicknamed “the submarine” for his habit of working quietly in the background and surfacing only for major strategic interjections, Britain’s

economic woes have dragged Osborne into the harsh glare of a deeply critical local media.

Rupert Murdoch’s Sun newspaper has ridiculed Cameron and Osborne as “dipsticks” and mocked their privileged backgrounds. Osborne’s 5 pence in the pound income tax cut for the wealthy cemented the image of a government out of touch with millions of voters struggling to cope with recession. One disgruntled Conservative lawmaker even branded them as “arrogant posh boys” who “don’t know the price of milk”. Osborne went to one of Britain’s top fee-paying schools and then to Oxford University. His father, Sir Peter, earned a fortune from the Osborne & Little wallpaper firm he cofounded. Though Osborne is feted by allies as one of the most courageous and ruthless men in British politics, the charge that a risk-taking millionaire was gambling with the economic future of 62 million people has stuck.

“The voters were promised that all the pain ... would be worth it to get the deficit down,” the opposition Labor Party’s shadow chancellor, Ed Balls, said in an article this month.

“The government won’t now meet its key pledge to balance the books by 2015 and is set to borrow an extra 150 billion pounds.”

A recent poll showed the Conservatives losing their image of economic competence and local elections showed many Conservative voters staying at home rather than vote for the government. “This is always going to be the time when the difficult decisions were coming to fruition. So I would describe him as resolute,” Osborne said.

Rupee woes highlight India’s economic drift Currency set for more fall: Analysts

KARACHI: Pakistani stockbrokers watch the index board during a trading session at the Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE) in Karachi yesterday. The benchmark KSE-100 index was 14042.47, with increase of 117.41 points in mid of the day’s session. — AFP

Japan’s April auto output soars in year after quake TOKYO: Japan’s major automakers yesterday reported huge production increases for last month, as the hard-hit sector recovers from the devastating impact of last year’s quake-tsunami.

Heavyweights Toyota, Nissan, and Honda saw huge jumps in output from the same month a year earlier when they slashed production and shuttered plants due to power shortages and a parts supply crunch after the disaster. Toyota, the nation’s biggest automaker, said output at its factories in Japan surged more than three-fold to 352,973 vehicles last month, while overseas production rose 64.8 percent in the period to 439,988. Honda Motor said its production at home skyrocketed 514.4 percent to 87,049 vehicles, while foreign output climbed by 112.5 percent to 264,614. Nissan’s production, meanwhile,

jumped 94.0 percent to 85,734 at home, while overseas production rose 39.2 percent to 283,788. Japan’s auto sector suffered one of its worst months on record in April last year, while flooding in Thailand later in the year added to the pain as Japanese manufacturers with plants in the country saw their supply chains hammered. Most automakers returned production to pre-quake levels by the end of 2011.

The yen also hit a record high against the dollar last year, hurting exporters whose products become more expensive overseas when the currency strengthens.

The latest production figures come less than a week after data showed Toyota regained its position as the world’s number one automaker in the first quarter of 2012, stealing back the lead from US giant General Motors. — AFP

Russian oligarch Fridman quits as head of TNK-BP MOSCOW: Russian oligarch Mikhail Fridman resigned as chief executive of oil producer TNK-BP, a joint venture with BP which has repeatedly clashed with the billionaire, the company said in a statement yesterday.

“Mikhail Fridman has submitted a letter of resignation to TNK-BP Ltd’s board of directors, notifying his resignation from the position of chief executive officer of the TNK-BP Group,” the statement said.

Fridman also resigned from the post of chairman of the management board of TNK-BP Management, TNK-BP Group’s subsidiary which operates assets in Russia and Ukraine.

The resignations will take effect in 30 days, the company added. TNK-BP is owned 50 percent by BP and 50 percent by a group of Russian billionaires known as Alfa-Acess-Renova (AAR) which includes Fridman. The two other AAR shareholders-German Khan and Victor Vekselberg-stay on as executive directors and members of the management board, the company said without providing further details.

TNK-BP operation of huge oil fields in Siberia makes it one of the crown jewels for the British firm and accounts for a quarter of its total production. TNK-BP has been dogged by boardroom disputes for the past few years. Last year, AAR prevented BP from completing a historic tie-up with state-owned Rosneft arguing that it would break their shareholder agreement. — AFP

MOSCOW: Mikhail Fridman, the Russian head of British-Russian oil venture TNK-BP speaking at a press conference in Moscow. Fridman resigned yesterday as TNK-BP CEO, the company said in a statement.— AFP

MUMBAI: India’s rupee, which hit an unprecedented string of all-time lows last week, is set for more falls unless policymakers move quickly to put Asia’s third-largest economy back on track, analysts say.

The rupee, which slumped to as low as 56.38 to the dollar last week, pulled back marginally to 55.29 on dollar profit-taking yesterday but Indian brokerage Emkay forecast the currency could drop to 60 if weak economic growth persists. “The Indian rupee’s weakness is a symptom and not the underlying problem”, which is “policy incoherence, shifting global risk appetite and a comatose government”, said Rajeev Malik, senior economist at independent brokerage CLSA. Ratings agency Standard and Poor’s has cut India’s credit outlook to negative, growth is slowing and the current account deficit-the widest measure of a country’s trade with the rest of the world-is at a three-decade high.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has admitted his squabbling Congress-led coalition must do more to get the once red-hot economy moving again. “I will be the first to say we need to do better,” the 79-year-old said as he presented his coalition’s annual report card at a function last week.

Singh is credited with opening India’s economy when he was the finance minister in 1991 but his premiership has been tainted by a series of policy U-turns and corruption scandals. His once ambitious reform agenda has stalled amid coalition infighting, and the economic climate has been further strained by the announcement of new tax policies seen as hostile to foreign investment.

“India’s weak national government remains the single biggest drag on activity,” said Glenn Levine, senior economist at Moody’s Analytics.

Now the free-fall by the rupee, Asia’s worstperforming currency, appears to be bringing economic worries to a head.

Out of 58 economists and corporate chief executives polled, 53 said the economic situation had suddenly worsened, according to the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham).

“The worst disaster is coming from a huge uncertainty on the rupee value and its freefall.

Everybody out there in the business world is feeling shaky,” said Assocham when it announced the survey at the weekend. Many analysts are eyeing 60 rupees to the dollar as

the next big mark for the currency as lackluster US data and a worsening European debt crisis prompt risk-averse investors to dump emerging-market assets.

A falling rupee stokes India’s inflationalready running at over seven percent-by making imports costlier and makes it harder for firms to service dollar-denominated debt.

It also deters capital inflows, making it much tougher to close the gaping current account deficit, which is already running at 4.3 percent of gross domestic product. Analysts say India could take steps to temper dollar demand and support the rupee-such as hav-

depreciation somewhat, while not being able to reverse it”, said Deepali Bhargava, chief India economist at Espirito Santo Securities.

Analysts said the rest was up to the government-which needs to press ahead with longdelayed economic reforms such as further opening up the retail and aviation sectors to foreign investment. “The government will have to restore confidence in governance... and address investor nervousness on tax issues,” said private bank IndusInd’s head of trading Rajeev Mahrotri. In the meantime, global banks have been taking a knife to their growth estimates following a string of weak economic

MUMBAI: A shopkeeper holds a 500 rupee note as he inspects it for authenticity at a roadside food stall in Mumbai. — AFP ing the central bank sell dollars directly to Indian oil firms, which would lower demand for greenbacks in the foreign exchange market. Fuel-scarce India purchases 80 percent of its crude from abroad, using dollars.

India could also issue bonds to non-resident Indians at attractive rates.

“Everything is on the table to encourage capital flows,” including holding roadshows overseas in a bid to boost foreign investments, a senior finance ministry official said, according to Dow Jones Newswires. But the central bank “at best, can only contain the pace of

indicators. The government has forecast growth of 7.6 percent for this fiscal year to March 2013. But private forecasters are pencilling in numbers from six to seven percentenviable by Western standards but not enough to reduce India’s crushing poverty, experts say.

Investment house Morgan Stanley said it expects growth for the fiscal year just ended to be 6.5 percent —- lower than the government’s estimate of 6.9 percent, and below even the 6.7 percent achieved in 2008-09, the year of the global economic meltdown. — AFP

British house prices up 0.2% LONDON: House prices in the UK increased by 0.2 percent during this month, but the rise was only driven by London and the South, a study said yesterday.

Prices rose by 0.6 percent in London and by 0.1 percent in the South East of England, but remained static or fell in the North, the Midlands, and in Wales, the property website Hometrack said.

A widening gap as the number of homes on the market outstrip buyer demand is likely to hold prices back outside London in the coming months, along with rising mor tgage rates and concerns about the euro-zone and unem-

ployment, the report said. The number of new buyers registering with estate agents across the country slowed over the month, recording a 0.4 percent increase compared with 2.1 percent in April.

The volume of properties coming to market also slowed down as part of a seasonal post-Easter pattern, but the 2.2 percent increase it recorded over the month is a higher rise than that for new buyers. London has continued to demonstrate its relative strength in the tough market, with demand having risen ahead of supply over the last three months, experts

said. But across the Nor thern regions, the number of new potential buyers has risen by 9 percent while the number of houses coming on the market has increased much more sharply, by 28 percent. Richard Donnell, director of research at Hometrack, said the “Increased mortgage rates and mounting concerns over the impact of the euro-zone on the UK’s economic growth and employment are likely to keep demand and prices in check as we move into summer.”

Lenders have been raising their mortgage rates for both existing customers and new ones this

month, blaming the weak economy and the increased cost of funding a mortgage.

London has enjoyed strong demand from overseas buyers, but the study said that much of its latest price rise came from the largely domestic markets of south west, south east, and north London, with price growth in central London being lower in May than in these outer boroughs.

The proportion of the asking price achieved was at its highest in London at 94.6 percent and its lowest in the North East at 91.2 percent, standing at 93. 2 percent across England and Wales. — KUNA

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TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2012

BUSINESS

FASTtelco thanks minister for supporting service providers expo KUWAIT: FASTtelco has been the platinum sponsor of the largest Service and Product Providers Exhibition in Kuwait. The exhibition was organized by Brayton Media Group and was held on Sunday, May 27 and yesterday, May 28 at the main Conference Center at the Movenpick Hotel, in Kuwait Free Zone, under the auspices of the Kuwaiti Minister of Commerce and Industry Anas Al-Saleh.

Commenting on this event, Public Relations Manager Hamad Saleh Al-Selmi mentioned that the participation of FASTtelco comes as part of the company’s role in offering innovative Internet and data communication services to both individuals and companies and in boosting the national economy with its innovative services which today compete head-to-head with the largest regional companies operating in the same field.

Al-Selmi added that this exclusive platinum sponsorship proves that FASTtelco offers one of the best properties in the local market by maintaining high standards and considering further expansion beyond the national borders.

He further stated on the fact that FASTtelco is dedicated to continuously introducing top-of-the-line services and products to both the

consumer and corporate markets through its state-of-the-art infrastructure which allows the company to keep ahead of the latest technological innovations. He also added that the participation in the Service

dominant data communications industry, adding that since its establishment FASTtelco has been looking forward to participate in to turning Kuwait into a financial and commercial centers as well as a regional

networks and is today the preferred choice of customers in terms of internet services. Al-Selmi also stated that FASTtelco is dedicated to offering its quality services and products at competitive prices

porate and retail clients and showcase the top-of-the-line services specifically designed to satisfy clients’ expectations and to boost the national economy.

Al-Selmi stated that FASTtelco’s

play its advanced Internet and data communications technologies, products and services, and to maximize on its state-of-the-art infrastructure which allows it to undertake larger projects and consolidate

Providers Exhibition allows FASTtelco the opportunity to showcase its latest services and highlights its leadership position in the Internet and Data Communication sector in Kuwait.

Al-Selmi continued that the national economic development depends on the expansion of the

economy portal through participating in its development cycle.

FASTtelco is also working on developing large projects through its advanced infrastructure that emulates international standards.

According to Al Selmi, FASTtelco has implemented the most resilient Internet and data communications

while providing the best after-sales support through its corporate and retail customer services department that is constantly committed to meeting the customers’ special requirements and dealing with their urgent problems.

The exhibition allows services providers to engage with their cor-

platinum sponsorship proves that the company is committed to playing a significant role in the social development process by continuously introducing the latest in the field of communication technology.

Furthermore, he added that the participation in this exhibition gives FASTtelco the opportunity to dis-

the national economy.

Al-Selmi finally concluded that FASTtelco would like to thank the Kuwaiti Minister of Commerce and Industry Anas Khaled Al-Saleh for supporting the Service Providers Exhibition and working on expanding the service sector and the Kuwaiti economy in general.

5,917 people road-test in new Volkswagen’s GCC roadshow Six-nation tour ends in Abu Dhabi DUBAI: Volkswagen Middle East, in cooperation with its regional partners, has successfully completed its ambitious six-nation, 13-city roadshow tour of the GCC. Starting in September last year, the roadshow crossed the GCC visiting Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and the United Arab Emirates. Throughout the 68-day tour more than 11,500 people visited the roadshow locations with 5,917 test drives taken by members of the public.

Discussing the roadshow Stefan Mecha, Managing Director, Volkswagen Middle East said: “This is the first time we have embarked on a roadshow that allows us to interact directly with our customers, and offer them first-hand experience with our cars. In collaboration with our regional partners we have successfully completed roadshow events in 13 cities throughout the GCC, allowing us to truly engage with the communities we’re operating in.”

He continued: “Volkswagen means ‘the people’s car’ and we’re committed to delivering pioneering yet affordable cars to our customers.

The roadshow gave us the opportunity to raise awareness of the brand throughout the region, and we have received excellent feedback from the public on the comprehensive range of vehicles we offer.”

A wide range of Volkswagen models were available to test drive including the flagship Touareg, the recently launched all-new Jetta, the Golf R, the iconic Golf GTI, the convertible Eos, the Tiguan and Scirocco. Volkswagen representatives were also available throughout the tour allowing the public to learn more about the firm’s innovative cars and special offers.

“I would like to thank the Volkswagen regional partners who contributed to the great success of the roadshow and we look forward to bringing new and exciting cars to the region,” concluded Mecha.

Nexen & Roadstone’s summer promotion and grand prizes KUWAIT: Al-Ghannam Tires Center, the official exclusive dealer of Nexen & Roadstone Tires in Kuwait launches the buy 3 get 1 free from May 5, 2012 till August 5, 2012.

Nexen & Roadstone Tires are manufactured by one of the world’s leading Korean tire manufacturing companies, Nexen Tire Corporation which today is sold in more than 120 countries. Nexen aspires to become one among the top 5 global tire companies in the world in the coming decade and has taken multiple strides recent years developing some of the most efficient tires in the earth today.

Nexen is now not only a major player in the global tire replacement market but is also par t of original equipment in many globally supplied models of Chevrolet, Hyundai, KIA & Sangyong. Notably, Nexen is one of the very few global companies to specialize only in development and manufacture of tires in car & SUV segment.

Nexen’s enduring passion is to continuously develop new technology to stay in sync with ever increasing trend of automotive.

Nexen presently manufactures tires to suit a majority of the cars & SUV models in the world and is also a proud recipient of many international awards for excellent product design in the past years through

successful introduction of new patterns in a wide range of sizes.

The offer of ‘buy 3 get 1 free’ is available on the complete range of Nexen & Roadstone tires. Any purchase of 3 tires of the same size will be eligible for getting one free tire of the same size. Additionally, the customer will also get chances to win $5000 each month through a raffle draw. For every 50KD purchase, the customer will be eligible to receive one raffle coupon.

The drop boxes for filled up coupons are kept in all the participating dealerships and will be removed for raffle draws by 20.00 Hrs on the last day of each month.

There will be three draws held during the promotion period for a prize of $5000 on 10th June, 10th July & 15th August respectively.

Earlier a customer purchases tires in this scheme, more the number of chances they would get to win by participating in more number of draws. The scheme is exclusively available in more than 25 dealership locations across Kuwait only through Al-Ghannam Tires and other participating leading multi brand dealerships across Kuwait. If you would like more information about this press release, or schedule an interview with us call us at 2483 0915 or email us at mhariharan@auto1.ws

Incredible summer bonanza at Joyalukkas KUWAIT: Joyalukkas has launched its ‘Incredible Summer Bonanza’ promotion across its showrooms in Kuwait. The summer bonanza will offer customers up to 5percent in cash-back vouchers on purchase. This promotion will run during the peak summer period from 23 of May to 28, July 28, 2012 across all Joyalukkas showrooms in Kuwait.

“The best incentive for customers on their shopping is to give them cash-back vouchers that are useful for them on their next purchase. We have planned this promotion based on a survey of our customers and they felt rewarding them in cash-back vouchers was a definite win-win.

Our objective is to delight our customers on all shopping occasions and we are looking forward to ensuring the same with our ‘Incredible Summer Bonanza’,” said John Paul Joyalukkas, Executive Director, Joyalukkas Group.

All four showrooms of Joyalukkas across Kuwait have been stocked with new and exquisite collections of jewelry to ensure a wider range of choice for customers shopping during the offer period. In addition to this, Joyalukkas is also continuing its popular ‘Gold Exchange Scheme’ for those who wish to exchange their old gold jewelry for new items. Customers are assured of not losing on rate or weight when they exchange their old gold for new at Joyalukkas.

Joyalukkas Group is a multi-billion dollar global conglomerate with varied business interests. The group operates its various business operations across UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, Singapore, London and India. The group businesses include jewelry, money exchange, fashion and textiles, luxury air charter, malls and realty. Joyalukkas employees a staff of over 5000 professionals across the world and is one of the most awarded and recognized jewelry retail chains in the world.

KUWAIT: AshishTandon, General Manager KAICO LuisLatour-President and CEO (Freezetone), MichaelBonnin - Sales and Marketing Int’l (VR-12), Sadiq Ali - Divisional Manager - Lubes and Tires.

KAICO goes green with VR-12: Vitamin for your radiator KUWAIT: Kuwait Automotive Imports Co (Al Shaya & Al Sagar), exclusive distributor of world renowned brands like Mazda, Peugeot, Geely, Eicher, Michelin, Apollo, Mobil introduced a new and revolutionary product known as VR-12 -The Ultimate Cooling System Protection made exclusively for Kaico in the USA. AshishTandon General Manager KAICO said “KAICO is extremely proud to add VR12 to its brand lineup. VR-12 a one of a kind Eco-Friendly product it is a must for maintenance of the radiator and cooling system. We have the exclusive distributorship of VR-12 for Kuwait and the GCC and have opened the first VR-12 outlet in Shuwaikh on Zeena Street”.

LuisM Latour President and CEO of Freezetone said “We are very pleased to be associated with a professional organization like KAICO and are sure of the success of the brand in the region with the support of our business partners”.

Sadiq Ali, Divisional Manager for Lubricants and Tires explained the VR-12 Concept in 5 simple points

1) A Cooling System consists of: Coolant or Antifreeze,Water and Ad-Packs 2) The cooling system wear out due to vehicle usage, it’s the water and AddPacks that evaporate 3) Topping the system with coolant /antifreeze or water will not add back the depleted Add-Packs causing electrolysis and corrosion 4) You can Topping up your cooling system with any product but don’t forget to add a 16 oz bottle of VR-12 - it will make everything better 5) Also it is a known fact that Coolant/Antifreeze are hazardous and toxic to people as well as the environment” Michael Bonnin - Sales and Marketing International (VR-12) added “VR-12 is compatible with any coolant/antifreeze/water and can be used in any car/truck. VR-12 increases the cooling efficiency of the vehicle which is a must in hot climatic conditions of the GCC” VR-12 will help to reduce engine temperature if used on a vehicle maintenance program.

BMW continues to promote safety on Kuwait roads KUWAIT: Following its participation in Gulf Traffic week, Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive, the BMW Group importer in Kuwait, is continuing to promote road safety on the roads of Kuwait by distributing 100 child booster car seat cushions and educational brochures to families at its BMW 3 Series stand display at Avenues mall star ting from Sunday, May 27.

With the aim of educating families about the importance of wearing seatbelts and using child safety restraints in cars, Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive will offer complimentary booster cushions to families with children between the ages of 6 and 11 years and weighing between 22kg and 36kg (the internationally recognized safest weights).

This initiative is part of BMW Group Middle East’s award-winning ‘Stay Alert.

Stay Alive.’ campaign which was launched in 2010 with a focus on educating the public about the importance of using appropriate safety restraints while travelling by car, particularly those for children. The campaign was a resounding success with thousands of child safety booster seats distributed to parents throughout public awareness events.

Yousef Al-Qatami, General Manager of Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive, said: “Raising awareness of road safety should be a sustained and united effort. The government, automotive companies and

the general public all have a vital role to play in encouraging a safe driving culture in our community.

“As a leader in the automotive industry in Kuwait, we have taken on this responsibility, under our corporate social

responsibility program, because the more people who know how to protect themselves on the roads, the less likely they are to suffer severe or even fatal road traffic injuries. When children graduate out of the car seat, they need to be in a booster seat because adult seatbelts won’t fit them properly. In the case of an accident, booster seats can cut serious injuries by half.” Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive is committed to supporting the core national initiatives, particularly ones which help the well-being of the Kuwaiti society.

TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2012

TECHNOLOGY

EMC leads market with 42 percent share of NAS DUBAI: EMC Corporation yesterday announced it has captured the Number 1 revenue market share position in Gar tner ’s recent repor t: “Market Share: Network Attached Storage/Unified Storage Market, Worldwide, 2011.” According to Gartner’s report, EMC revenue attributable to NAS/unified storage nearly doubled year-over-year to $2.8 billion, mak ing it the fastest-growing NAS/unified storage vendor.

“We believe our diversified, bestin-class approach to information storage has helped catapult EMC to the top of the NAS/unified storage market,” said Pat Gelsinger, President and Chief Operating O fficer, EMC Information Infrastructure Products.

“EMC has a long and proven track record of effectively adding new technologies to its product portfolio and nurturing them to outperform the market. EMC’s industry-leading prod-

ucts from its Unified Storage, Isilon and Backup and Recovery divisions are stand-outs in this area. Our vision, customer centric focus and ability to execute are why we’re outstripping the competition in this growing and highly competitive market. Our solid product strategy and vision for transforming and accelerating our customers’ journey to the cloud is driving our leadership.”

Overall, Gartner reports worldwide

vendor revenues for the NAS /unified storage market increased 32.5 percent in 2011 compared with 2010, reaching $6.8 billion. The estimated pure NAS market grew 21.5 percent to $4.5 billion. The report also cites block storage vendors adding NAS capabilities to their SAN storage arrays with a unified management interface as a key growth driver for this market.

Additionally, the report discusses the hard-disk drive (HDD) shortage

due to flooding in Thailand in October 2011. The report points to the significant impact on the low-end NAS market, noting that EMC is the only toptier storage system vendor in the market. Other vendors were adversely affected due to their disk drive sales volumes being too low to form a strategic relationship with HDD suppliers, and low-end drives being more severely impacted by the flood than midrange or high-end drives.

NY is vying to become global high-tech hub CornellNYC Tech aims for $1bn in tax revenue

GRAPEVINE: Shoppers at Grapevine Mills in Grapevine, Texas, can turn to the mall’s social media and mobile apps to aid in holiday shopping. — MCT

Retailers follow holiday shoppers online FORT WORTH: More consumers are using smartphones and tablet computers to help them shop this holiday season, and more stores and shopping centers are rushing to meet them there. An estimated 15 percent of US consumers visiting a retailer’s website this month will use a mobile device, up from 4.2 percent in October a year ago, according to data compiled by IBM Coremetrics.

Boosting traffic this holiday season: the fast growth of Android-based smartphones as well as tablet computers such as the iPad, said John Squire, Coremetrics’ chief strategy officer. Consumers are using mobile devices to search for store locations, compare prices and promotions, check product availability, read reviews, check the digital gift lists of family and friends, and makes purchases, industry people say. The consumer has an entire store in their hands,” Squire said. Mobile applications are one of a number of digital tools that retailers and shopping centers increasingly are deploying. Against an uncertain backdrop for the important holiday retail season, online sales are expected to surge.

Coremetrics estimates that mobile devices accounted for 9.6 percent of online sales in October, up from 3.4 percent a year earlier.

Mobile platforms also dovetail with consumers’ and retailers’ increasing use of social media sites like Facebook to reach each other. Indianapolis-based Simon Malls launched an Apple mobile app a year ago that integrates the Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare social networks.

Shoppers can use the app to check their Simon gift card balances, find their cars in the parking lot, and view events and promotions at local malls. In September, Simon launched an app for Android devices. Les Morris, a spokesman for Simon, says the company doesn’t disclose specific figures on total downloads, “but we’re well into the six figures.” He says the Simon app consistently is among the top 100 free lifestyle apps in Apple’s iTunes store.

In the last year, Simon malls have also launched Mobile Shopper Clubs, where shoppers can sign up to receive text message updates. Simon-owned Grapevine

Mills mall, near Fort Worth, recently used its mobile platforms and social networking sites to announce Santa’s arrival and promote a $3 coupon against the price of photo packages, which start at $19.95.

Squire, of IBM Coremetrics, says he expects retailers to increasingly use what they know about their shoppers to deliver a “hyperpersonalized” experience and offers over mobile platforms, including free shipping, which is highly important to online and mail order shoppers.

Collaborative features such as shopper ratings, reviews and gift wish lists will be popular, he said.

“Consumers can go in and find out what is the best gift for kids under $40,” he said.

“What’s the wisdom of the crowds for gifting this season? That’s a place where the mobile device can be invaluable.” A Deloitte annual survey of more than 5,000 consumers in September found 27 percent of smartphone users expected to use their devices for holiday shopping this year.

Sixty-seven percent expected to use them to search for store locations, 59 percent to compare prices, and 46 percent to check product availability. But retailers have less time to close the deal over the mobile platforms than they do with consumers sitting in front of their PCs. Coremetrics’ research shows consumers spend an average of 3.5 minutes on a retail site when visiting from a mobile device, compared to seven minutes from a PC. Squire said that time should rise as more consumers use tablets, which tend to show longer visits on retail sites. He attributes that to factors such as larger screen size, the “fairly rich shopping experience” that comes over a tablet, and a consumer demographic “that appears to be great shoppers.” Some segments may do better than others with mobile platforms.

“Department stores have spent a lot of time investing in (mobile) technology, they’ve invested in promotions and free shipping,” Squire said. Health and beauty, while “probably not as challenged by the pricing,” has done a good job of building consumer loyalty and mobile platforms, he said. — MCT

Far-off families log on for ‘Pomp and Circumstance’ HACKENSACK: Jim Fabros’ mother lives in the Philippines and his father lives in Hawaii.

Neither could afford airfare to attend his Montclair State University graduation. But this year, Montclair State joined the growing ranks of colleges streaming graduation ceremonies live over the Internet. Fabros’ parents were able to watch live as he gave the graduate student commencement speech after marching with other students into the Izod Center in East Rutherford at 10 am Friday. “My father said he cried tears of joy when he saw me,” said Fabros, 26, of Jersey City. NJ. “My mother said she was watching together with my grandparents. ... It’s difficult because I don’t have that much family here.”

Fabros said his mother and other relatives gathered around a computer screen about 10 p.m. Philippines time. Other universities already have been streaming graduation ceremonies so far-off relatives and friends can be part of the celebration. Ramapo College started in 2005, while Fairleigh Dickinson University has been streaming its ceremonies since 2009, according to officials at each school. William Paterson University began streaming its commencement last year, when it moved the ceremony from an on-campus location to the Izod Center. The university had begun streaming the ceremonies to campus sites five years ago after college officials noticed that office employees were ducking out to attend the graduation.

“I can’t tell you over the years how many people from university offices would come to

watch the graduation,” said John Martone, William Paterson’s vice president of student development. “We got into it (streaming) bigtime last year so we could expand the program to more people who couldn’t come to the Izod Center.”

Patricia Williams of Midland Park, NJ, said her 80-year-old mother, who uses a wheelchair, was able to sit in her Bergen County, NJ, home while watching her receive a master’s degree in educational technology from Ramapo College in 2010. Williams said she set up her mother’s laptop so she just had to click on a link to start the webcast. “She’s not tech savvy,” said Williams, who works in a Ramapo College instructional design center that helps professors use technology for teaching.

Last Wednesday, Williams’ mother again watched from home as her 22-year-old grandson, Jesse Palmieri, received a bachelor’s degree from Ramapo at a ceremony held at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. “She is proud of our achievements and said she was happy to be included,” Patricia Williams said.

Fairleigh Dickinson’s graduation webcast from the Izod Center last Tuesday was watched live by 5,000 people around the world, said university spokesman Scott Giglio. He said the audience included 1,000 people in India and smaller audiences in China, Mexico, Russia, Egypt and other nations. Fabros said he expected his commencement speech to have a big audience of family and friends in Muntinlupa City, Philippines, where his mother moved years ago to start a business. —MCT

NEW YORK: Just as a trench dug in the 1800s created a shortcut to the nation’s interior and helped make New York a global trading hub, the city is now hoping for another “Erie Canal moment” with a high-tech research complex to be built on an island in the East River. The idea is to create an applied-sciences university where engineers are also trained as entrepreneurs from day one. Proponents say New York, home to powerful global companies and now exploding with technological startups, could shift this sector into top gear if the latest findings went straight into new businesses. “ Today we’re second only to Silicon Valley as a tech centre, and we don’t like to be second to anybody,” Mayor Michael Bloomberg said. The $2 billion, 10-acre campus planned for Roosevelt Island is being called CornellNYC Tech and is a partnership between the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology and Cornell University, which has its main site in the upstate town of Ithaca but also has a major presence in New York City with its medical school. CornellNYC Tech expects to generate $1 billion or more in tax revenue over several decades, plus tens of thousands of construction jobs.

Graduate students will start working in September, using 22,000 square feet of Manhattan space loaned free of charge by Google. The island campus is set to open in 2017, with construction beginning after a half-abandoned, rust-tinged hospital is demolished in early 2014 to make room for the gleaming new community.

Roosevelt Island, a relatively placid oasis facing the United Nations on the Manhattan side and Queens on the other, is home to high-rise residential buildings and an aging hospital complex. The little automobile

traffic is courtesy of one road connected to the mainland, and most residents get back and forth on the subway or on a sky tram over the river.

Patients are still getting care at a public hospital built in 1939 that includes a nursing home and longterm rehabilitation centre. Plans are in the works to move the patients to facilities elsewhere in the city.

Officials are reassuring residents that their lives won’t be disrupted.

“We’re going to use our expertise to try to minimize the number of cars on the island,” Cornell President David Skorton told concerned residents at a recent town hall meeting.

The land for the project belongs to the city, which is also providing $100 million in public money for infrastructure. Another $350 million comes from 81-year-old Cornell alumnus Charles F. Feeney, who made his fortune from duty-free shops. With academic brains linked to business brawn and the initial injection of money, CornellNYC Tech is expected to be different from other academic endeavours.

At most graduate research centres, practical applications follow academic results - hoping for a connection that’s profitable. But at this school, students will develop software and hardware for three core industries that already are the city’s strength: medical technology and environmental and green energy systems, plus digital media being used in fields from fashion and financial services to advertising.

Mentors from various industries will work directly with students, so innovative ideas and business develop side by side and any patents belong to those involved, with a minimum of middlemen.

Students can then immediately help grow startup companies with interested investors.

“We hope to bootstrap quicker,” said Craig Gotsman, a computer science professor at Technion-Israel in Haifa, Israel, who was named director of the Technion-Cornell Innovation Institute within CornellNYC. “We will involve industry right away, on campus, to develop entrepreneurial skills in the students,” he said. The idea for the school was born after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, which put many businesses near the World Trade Centre on the brink of collapse.

“We went to hundreds of the smartest people we could think of academics, business leaders, community groups, entrepreneurs - and we asked them, ‘If there were one thing about New York you could change, that would have a significant impact on the economy, what would it be?” said Seth Pinsky, president of the city ’s Economic Development Corp. The Technion won over dozens of other institutions competing to partner with Cornell because Israel’s high-tech community is the best model for New York, Gotsman said.

Haifa has for decades spawned a stream of companies drawn to its research community. Students and staff at the IBM Haifa Research Lab are working on innovations in everything from health care to chip design, but it’s the thousands of small ventures mushrooming around research all over Israel that mirror New York’s ambitions.

New York’s technology industry has likewise exploded, with almost 500 new companies popping up since 2007, making the area the fastest-growing digital hub after California’s Silicon Valley, according to Jonathan Bowles, director of the Center for an Urban Future, a public policy think tank.

In early May, the organization released a study called “New Tech City,” which shows that technologi-

cal businesses have kept the city from drowning in tough economic waters. Current demand for engineers far outstrips supply, “in large part because so many tech startups are growing and looking for more engineering talent,” Bowles said, adding that giants like Facebook and Twitter also are building large engineering teams in New York.

Pinsky introduced the “Erie Canal” concept. “ This major investment by a combination of private and public sectors is going to create infrastructure that will set New York on a different course for the 21st century,” he said. “ This is New York’s Erie Canal moment.” The 360-mile-long waterway was completed in 1825 as the first commercial link between the East Coast and the Great Lakes. It was used for more than 130 years as essential transport for goods from the heartland to the world, helping New York become more influential as a trade and financial center than competing cities such as Baltimore, Boston and New Orleans.

Gotsman, a native of England who grew up in South Africa, will move to New York next year to set up a curriculum pairing industrial and intellectual efforts.

Pro j e c t i o n s fo r co m i n g ye a r s include thousands of students and hundreds of faculty culled from top institutions. Another high-power member of the team i s G re g Pa s s, Tw i t te r ’s fo r m e r chief technology officer, who was just hired as the “entrepreneurial officer ” in charge of tethering business to academic activities.

Developing the campus will be a challenge, Bowles said, but it is “incredibly important because it w i l l c re a te a n e w p i p e l i n e o f engineering talent that could help address this growing talent gap.” — AP

Button batteries can be fatal to kids if ingested CHICAGO: When Susan Sadauskas turned her back for a few moments on her 15-month-old son Max, the Ohio mom never imagined that the toddler would make his way to the remote control for her stereo, remove its coin-shaped battery and swallow it. So when she later saw the disassembled device on the coffee table, she didn’t think much of it. That changed when Max began to throw up at the dinner table and his parents took him to the emergency room. There staff detected the nickel-sized battery stuck in the boy ’s esophagus and rushed him to Nationwide Children’s Hospital for emergency surgery.

“Max was really lucky that we caught it within a two- to three-hour time period so he didn’t have any damage to his esophagus,” said Sadauskas, of Columbus. “But if we had waited, the damage would have been pretty bad.” Last year more than 20 children suffered major injuries or died after ingesting button batteries, leading to public awareness campaigns this holiday season. The batteries are often used to power small electronic devices, from remote controls

and watches to musical cards and ornaments.

Last week, doctors and safety experts joined Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan to discuss the issue at her annual news conference on the state’s Safe Shopping Guide, which compiles information about product recalls. “The battery gets stuck in the esophagus and it starts to discharge its energy and it doesn’t take a lot to cause a serious burn,” said Dr. Steve Krug, who heads the emergency department at Children’s Memorial Hospital. “It doesn’t seem like a lot of energy, but it’s focused in a delicate place.”

Krug also said that in the majority of cases parents do not witness the ingestion, making it hard to connect symptoms including loss of appetite, irritability and vomiting to the problem. The shiny objects are most likely to be ingested by children age 4 or younger. This year 80 cases of button battery ingestion were reported in Illinois and 3,500 cases nationally, though authorities believe those numbers represent only a small portion of the actual cases.

Ten deaths - none in Illinois - have been associated with ingestion of the batteries since 2008

ILLINOIS: Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan holds a press conference in Chicago. — MCT

nationally, Madigan said. All were children.

Although the number of battery ingestion incidents has held steady in recent years, according to the National Capital Poison Center, moderate to fatal outcomes have risen sevenfold since 1985. Michael Wahl, director of the Illinois Poison Control Center, said most of the recent deaths were associated with newer lithium batteries that have become popular over the last six years.

“They were stronger and had a longer life and you could do more with them,” Wahl said. “But they also caused much more injury than the other batteries could.”

Madigan urged parents to look through the electronic devices in their homes to be sure that batteries are in secure compartments and that no spare batteries are within the reach of children. She herself recently found a button battery on the floor in a playroom in her house after her children brought it home from a Halloween party, she said.

Krug has been part of a multi-party discussion - which included the American Academy of Pediatrics and Consumer Products Safety Commission - aimed at finding solutions to the problem. In June, U.S. Sens. John D. Rockefeller and Mark Pryor introduced a bill that would mandate more safety measures, but it remains in committee. Krug said he advocates a multipronged approach that includes public awareness and voluntary actions by industry. “But if voluntary actions don’t get us to a solution,” he said, “then we’ll see what can you achieve through the law.” Some sectors of industry have already responded. This fall Energizer partnered with the Safe Kids USA network to launch an awareness campaign called “ The Battery Controlled,” and the company is developing new packaging for button-sized batteries that is harder to open. Dr. Kris Jatana operated on young Max Sadauskas as a surgeon with Nationwide Children’s Hospital, and his experience with such cases has turned him into an advocate who has appeared before the Consumer Products Safety Commission. He said he also believes in public education and voluntary action. “These are the short-term solutions that we can focus on right now,” he says, “but our hope is that there will be a long-term solution for the future and it will save lives.”— MCT

TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2012

H E A LT H & S C I E NC E

Kenya’s El Molo nostalgic for hippo hunting days KOMOTE: Lparin Lokuk will never kill a hippo, the event which would have marked his passage into manhood, according to the ancestral traditions of his community in Kenya’s far north.

Lokuk belongs to the El Molo, which is one of the east African country’s smallest tribes, who are today seeing their traditions being eroded and their future under threat. In the baking sun on the shores of Lake Turkana-the world’s largest lake to lie in a desertonly a few thousand El Molo remain in two settlements of huts made of palm leaf and pieces of plastic. Several small African tribes are at risk of becoming extinct. The El Molo have fallen prey to a drop in Lake Turkana’s fish stocks, cohabitation with more dominant war-

KOMOTE: Lparin Lokuk from the El Molo tribe checks his fishing nets in the village of Komote, on the shores of Lake Turkana, northern Kenya. — AFP rior tribes and ever tougher environmental protection laws.

“I used to go hunting hippos with a panga. I killed four but then the Kenya Wildlife Service banned hunting 15 years ago,” reminisced Charles Luya, an old man in Komote. Still agile at 70, Luya, who sports a white goatee, explained that he also used to savour the flesh of crocodiles and turtles, two other species that are now protected.

With no money to buy meat or vegetables, the El Molo eat nothing but fish and this has serious consequences for their health.

They have also lost one of the cornerstones of their culture, just like the Maasai warriors a few hundred kilometres (miles) farther south, who are now also banned from the lion hunts that used to mark their passage into manhood. “ The young men often joke about not having killed a hippo, but beyond the joke you can sense that they regret it,” said Lparin Lokuk, a fisherman of 25. “Killing a hippo meant

being part of a team with a lot of solidarity among the hunters. Each man learned how to identify his strengths and weaknesses and that made him a better person,” the father-of-two went on, his chest and belly criss-crossed with traditional scarring.

Only the older men like Luya can show off the pendulous earlobes threaded through with hippo bone earrings that are the mark of the most courageous hunters. The body paint with which the hunters used to adorn themselves-red and white circles on the chest and the face-is now applied only for traditional dances.

‘Globalisation is like a tornado’ “The young men still have circumcision rites and wrestling contests in which they can prove their strength,” the old man explained. Even without wrestling contests, the El Molo have plenty of challenges to face on a daily basis, most of them caused by poverty and exclusion. Visitors are asked for medicine to help a boy with a swollen knee and a young girl slowly going blind, a veil over the eyes to help protect her from the glare of the sun.

As soon as they smile children and adults alike reveal rotten teeth. Many are bandy-legged. Komote has no electricity, no running water and no means of transport. The only concrete sign of progress is a reservoir of drinking water financed by the European Union.

The El Molo have also lost their language, which died out when the last man to speak it fluently passed away a few years back. It gradually gave way to the language of the Samburu, the tribe of hunters and livestock herders who are dominant in the region.

“Globalisation is like a tornado that comes and sweeps and destroys. Most of the communities around the lake are in danger, not just the El Molo. We will do whatever we can to keep them.

I don’t think they will disappear but of course they will be eroded,” said the local member of parliament, Joseph Lekuton.

Tradition has it that if the El Molo have to flee fighting or persecution, they take refuge on Lorian, a barren island in the lake. Here the El Moloregardless of the fact they have converted to Catholicism-have four sacred huts, dedicated to fertility, hunting, rain and wind. “I want my children to go to school but also to learn a bit about fishing so that they don’t forget their culture or where they come from,” explained Lparin Lokuk. The younger generation doesn’t seem to see it that way. Luya’s son, 14-year-old Fabion, clad in a shapeless David Beckham vest, has no time for fishing. “I don’t want to fish. I want to learn.” —AFP

Homecoming buzz Short-haired bees return to UK LONDON: They’ve been away, but now they are - hopefully - buzzing back to their rightful place in the bucolic British countryside. Around 50 short-haired bees were released into an English nature reserve yesterday, some two decades after they were wiped out from most of rural Britain. Ecologists hope that with the support of farmers who have agreed to grow flowers and plants that help bees flourish they will zip across the country again.

“Our farmland always used to have wild flower borders. We are just asking farmers to go back to the way things were and the response has been overwhelmingly positive,” Nicky Gammans, who is leading the ambitious project, told The Associated Press. The population of short haired bees - scientific name Bombus subterraneus - has declined dramatically across most of Europe the last two decades as its habitat was destroyed.

The bees were declared extinct in Britain

twelve years ago. But they survived in Skane, southern Sweden and three years ago Natural England, a UK governmentbacked conservation project, launched a program to bring the bees back into the wild. They gave farmers grants to plant flower-rich hay meadows on their land and border their fields with wildflowers to attract bees. Once the wildflowers were in place, Gammans collected nearly a hundred bees from Sweden, and held them in quarantine while screening them for parasites. The 51 that made it through the screening process were released into the wild Monday in a nature reserve in Dungeness, Kent in southeast England, filled with wild flowers like red clover, white dead nettle, yellow flag and tufted vetches. “There are corridors of wild flowers all over the country so we really hope the bees will be able to spread out and thrive in the English countryside again,” said Gammans. —AP

Getting smoker’s lung is better than none ‘There is rarely an ‘ideal’ organ available’ LONDON: Patients who need new lungs are better off getting donated organs from smokers than none at all, even though they probably won’t live as long as those who get a lung transplant from a nonsmoker, a new study says. Researchers say patients will survive longer if they are willing to accept lungs from anyone, including smokers. In Britain, that’s a key issue, for about 40 percent of donated lungs come from people who have previously smoked.

Yet in recent years, several cases of British patients dying after getting lungs from smokers have sparked calls for the policy to be overhauled. Doctors behind the new study said changing the UK transplant system would be wrong and lead to a spike in the number of people dying while waiting for donated lungs.

“That could deny patients the opportunity to get help,” said Dr. James Neuberger, associate medical director of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham and one of the study’s authors. Neuberger and colleagues analyzed information from the UK Transplant Registry and the Office of National Statistics on the survival rates of 2,181 adult

British patients waiting for lung transplants between 1999 and 2010. About 2 in 5 of those transplants came from smokers.

They found that patients who got lungs from smokers were about 46 percent more likely to die within three years after getting the replacement lungs compared to patients who got the organs from non-smokers. But they had a 21 percent lower chance of dying versus people who were still on the waiting list. The research was published online today in the journal, Lancet.

In the US, doctors also use lungs from smokers, although Dr. Norman Edelman, the chief medical officer for the American Lung Association, didn’t have any data on how often that happens. The US and the UK have similar overall smoking rates of about 20 percent.

Some experts said it wasn’t realistic to expect organ donor systems to refuse lungs from smokers because the demand is such that nearly every usable lung is transplanted.

The key issues in lung transplants involve the size of the lung and the donor’s blood type, which must match the recipients.

“There is rarely an ‘ideal’ organ

available,” He said most organs have defects based on factors like underlying disease or the age and circumstances of the donor ’s death. “A smoker donor is really just one more factor to consider,” he said in an email. In the UK, advocates have called for patients to be given more information about organ donors before accepting a transplant. In 2010, the family of a 28-year-old woman with cystic

DUNSTABLE: Young elephant Donna plays with a football watched by keeper Elizabeth Becker at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo yesterday. — AP

Evolution debate set to be history?

NEW YORK: Richard Leakey predicts skepticism over evolution will soon be history. Not that the avowed atheist has any doubts himself. Sometime in the next 15 to 30 years, the Kenyan-born paleoanthropologist expects scientific discoveries will have accelerated to the point that “even the sceptics can accept it.” “If you get to the stage where you can persuade people on the evidence, that it’s solid, that we are all African, that colour is superficial, that stages of development of culture are all interactive,” Leakey says, “then I think we have a chance of a world that will respond better to global challenges.”

Leakey, a professor at Stony Brook University on Long Island, recently spent several weeks in New York promoting the Turkana Basin Institute in Kenya. The institute, where Leakey spends most of his time, welcomes researchers and scientists from around the world dedicated to unearthing the origins of mankind in an area rich with fossils. His friend, Paul Simon, performed at a May 2 fundraiser for the institute in Manhattan that collected more than $2 million. A National Geographic documentary on his work at Turkana aired this month on public television.

Now 67, Leakey is the son of the late Louis and Mary Leakey and conducts research with his wife, Meave, and daughter, Louise. The family claims to have unearthed “much of the existing fossil evidence for human evolution.” On the eve of his return to Africa earlier this week, Leakey spoke to The Associated Press in New York City about the past and the future. “If you look back, the thing that strikes you, if you’ve got any sensitivity, is that extinction is the most common phenomena,” Leakey says.

“Extinction is always driven by environmental change. Environmental change is always driven by climate change. Man accelerated, if not created, planet change phenomena; I think we have to recognize that the future is by no means a very rosy one.”

Any hope for mankind’s future, he insists, rests on accepting existing scientific evidence of its past. “If we’re spreading out across the world from centers like Europe and America that evolution is nonsense and science is nonsense, how do you combat new pathogens, how do you combat new strains of disease that are evolving in the environment?” he asked. “If you don’t like the word evolution, I don’t care what you call it, but life has changed. You can lay out all the fossils that have been collected and establish lineages that even a fool could work up.

Leakey insists he has no animosity toward religion. “If you tell me, well, people really need a faith ... I understand

fibrosis lodged a complaint when she died a year after getting lungs from someone who had smoked for three decades. They said she had not been told and would have been horrified to get a smoker’s lungs. Neuberger said patients had the right to refuse lungs from smokers as long as they understood the implications. “I’d rather take the lungs from a smoker than get no lungs at all,” he said. — AP

that,” he said. “I see no reason why you shouldn’t go through your life thinking if you’re a good citizen, you’ll get a better future in the afterlife ....” Leakey began his work searching for fossils in the mid1960s. His team unearthed a nearly complete 1.6-million-year-old skeleton in 1984 that became known as “Turkana Boy,” the first known early human with long legs, short arms and a tall stature.

In the late 1980s, Leakey began a career in government service in Kenya, heading the Kenya Wildlife Service. He led the quest to protect elephants from poachers who were killing the animals at an alarming rate in order to harvest their valuable ivory tusks. He gathered 12 tons of confiscated ivor y in Nairobi National Park and set it afire in a 1989 demonstration that attracted worldwide headlines.

In 1993, Leakey crashed a small propeller-driven plane; his lower legs were later amputated and he now gets around on artificial limbs. There were suspicions the plane had been sabotaged by his political enemies, but it was never proven. About a decade ago, he visited Stony Brook University on eastern Long Island, a par t of the State University of New York, as a guest lecturer. Then-President Shirley Strum Kenny began lobbying Leakey to join the faculty. It was a process that took about two years; he relented after returning to the campus to accept an honorary degree.

Kenny convinced him that he could remain in Kenya most of the time, where Stony Brook anthropology students could visit and learn about his work. And the college founded in 1957 would benefit from the gravitas of such a noted professor on its faculty. “It was much easier to work with a new university that didn’t have a 200-year-old image where it was so set in its ways like some of the Ivy League schools that you couldn’t really change what they did and what they thought,” he said.

Earlier this month, Paul Simon performed at a benefit dinner for the Turkana Basin Institute. IMAX CEO Rich Gelfond and his wife, Peggy Bonapace Gelfond, and billionaire hedge fund investor Jim Simons and his wife, Marilyn, were among those attending the exclusive show in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood. Simon agreed to allow his music to be performed on the National Geographic documentary airing on PBS and donated an autographed guitar at the fundraiser that sold for nearly $20,000. Leakey, who clearly cherishes investigating the past, is less optimistic about the future. “We may be on the cusp of some very real disasters that have nothing to do with whether the elephant survives, or a cheetah survives, but if we survive.” — AP

Health

in brief

Friend groups may encourage kids to be more active NEW YORK: Kids in after-school programs often increase their own physical activity if they make friends who run and jump around more than they do, a new study from Tennessee has found. Though not completely surprising, that finding could be important as parents, after-school teachers and camp counsellors try to encourage youngsters to move more and head-off obesity before it starts, researchers said.

Paediatricians raise caution on sensory-based therapy NEW YORK: Occupational therapy for kids who are overor under-sensitive to sound, touch or other senses could help improve their symptoms-but parents and doctors should be careful not to miss an underlying disorder in those children, paediatricians said today. So-called sensory integration therapy, in which occupational therapists use brushes, swings, balls, music and other tools to help kids adapt to external stimuli, has been controversial among doctors.

Sanofi’s cholesterol drug reports positive test results PARIS: An experimental cholesterol treatment being jointly developed by Regeneron and Sanofi has shown it can lower bad cholesterol levels in difficult-to-treat patients, according to data from a mid-stage study published on Saturday. The treatment, a monoclonal antibody that works by blocking a protein called PCSK9 which preserves high bad cholesterol levels in the bloodstream, is a component of a new type of drug that could become effective in preventing heart attack and stroke.

ILERET: In this photo, paleoanthropologist Richard Leakey discusses the evidence for human evolution over a collection of hominin fossil casts at the Turkana Basin Institute’s Ileret research facility in northern Kenya.— AP

Runaway penguin suffers ‘pink-eye’ TOKYO: A plucky penguin that was recaptured last week after nearly three months at large in the polluted waters of Tokyo Bay has conjunctivitis, an aquarium official said yesterday. The Humboldt penguin, one of 135 kept at Tokyo Sea Life Park, was taken back into captivity after 82 days of freedom following a breakout that made global headlines and garnered it a following around the world. On Friday, the day after its adventure came to an end, the bird “was

diagnosed by a veterinarian as having conjunctivitis, so we have kept it in a room separate from the rest of our penguins”, said aquarium official Takashi Sugino.

Fans of the one -year-old runawayknown by the aquarium only as Penguin No. 337 and without any sexual features because of its age-will have to wait until it has recovered from the condition, also known as pink eye, before it is revealed to the world. “At first its eyes seemed to be

swelling a bit, but now it’s recuperating as we’ve been giving it eye-drops every day,” Sugino said. “I don’t know the exact reason for its eye disease, but in this aquarium the sea water pumped up for penguins is filtered and disinfected,” he added. A government official told AFP water quality in Tokyo Bay has improved in recent years, but pollution by organic substances sometimes breaches Japanese environmental standards. — AFP

TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2012

H E A LT H

Survivors reflect on battle with necrotizing fasciitis New telescope to be in S Africa, Australia PRETORIA: Australia and South Africa will share hosting of a giant radio telescope made up of thousands of separate dishes and intended to help scientists figure out the make-up of the universe, the international consortium overseeing the project announced. South Africa led an African consortium that included Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia and Zambia, and telescopes will be erected in all its partners. In South Africa, dishes will be added to a remote site in the arid Karoo desert where a smaller radio telescope project already is underway.

South Africa and Australia, which partnered with New Zealand in bidding for the project, had competed fiercely. South Africa claimed victory Friday, saying it got two of the projects three major components. “We may feel slightly disappointed that we didn’t get the whole thing.

But I think one should emphasize that we did get most of it,” said Justin Jonas, the chief South African scientist on the project. “Two-thirds of the biggest instrument in the world is still the biggest instrument in the world.”

South Africa’s science minister Naledi Pandor and scientists who had prepared the country’s bid celebrated with an Africa-shaped cake at a news conference in South Africa’s capital. “This marks a real turning point in Africa, where we are becoming a destination for science and engineering, and not just a place where there are resources and tourism opportunities,” Jonas added.

Australia also welcomed the split decision. “It is an outstanding result for the Australia-New Zealand bid after many years of preparation and an intensive international process,” said Sen. Chris Evans, Australia’s science minister.

The Square Kilometre Array telescope will be 50 times more sensitive and scan the sky 10,000 times faster than any existing telescope. It requires huge open spaces with very few humans. John Womersley, chair of the consortium’s board, said the telescope will help scientists answer key questions: “Where do we come from? Where are we going? What is this universe we live in?”

“We don’t understand what 96 percent of our universe is made of,” he said. The organization said dividing construction of the telescope will “maximize on investments already made by both Australia and South Africa.”

Womersley said that splitting construction between the two nations will likely add around 10 percent to the $439 million cost of the first phase of building the giant telescope. But he said there would be a payoff for astronomers. “It delivers more science in phase one.—AP The capabilities of this instrument are greater than the original design,” Womersley said. —AP

ATLANTA: It’s not so much the chills, the high fever, nausea and stomach upset that many survivors remember most. It’s the pain. “(Doctors) asked me to rate the scale of pain. I said, ‘It’s 100, it’s 1,000. It’s gone,’” recalls Brenda Walker, an Alpharetta, Ga., woman whose left calf was ravaged by necrotizing fasciitis, commonly known as flesh-eating bacteria, six years ago.

Walker, who had gone through childbirth without pain medication, was in such agony that the maximum allowable dose of morphine couldn’t make it tolerable. Doctors put her in a medically induced coma for more than two weeks as they performed several surgeries to save her life.

Scary as tales like hers are, though, the pain is actually a valuable diagnostic signpost.

Not only is the infection exceedingly rare, its symptoms are so severe and so fast-moving that even the most stoic victims generally wind up at a hospital in short order. Concerns over flesh-eating bacteria have intensified in recent weeks, prompted, in large part, by the plight of Aimee Copeland, a University of West Georgia student who likely contracted the infection when a homemade zip line near the Little Tallapossa River broke.

She tumbled into rocks and water below, cutting her leg.

Since then, her battle, and multiple amputations, have captured worldwide headlines. Like many victims, Janelle Hansberger’s symptoms progressed rapidly. She dropped a computer on her left foot in late 2010. Within hours, her foot had swelled and she simultaneously developed what felt like a stomach flu, she said.

Unable to endure the pain and illness, she went to the

hospital within 24 hours.

Hansberger, a 37-year-old mother of two young boys, eventually had her left leg amputated below the knee.

Each year, only about one in every 400,000 people is diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis in the United States, said Dr. Chris Van Beneden, a medical epidemiologist with the Division of Bacterial Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In Georgia, that would translate into roughly 25 cases each year.

A number of different bacteria can cause the infection, Van Beneden said, including Klebsiella, E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus and group A Streptococcus. The infection can start with a trivial injury - a cut, scrape or burn on the skin. In some cases, patients and doctors never determine how the infection began.

Symptoms include small, painful red bumps or lumps; bruise-like areas that grow rapidly or turn black; and skin that may break open and ooze, according to the US National Library of Medicine. Victims also might have fever, nausea, weakness, chills, dizziness or shock.

And, of course, the pain.

“A common denominator in most cases appears to be pain that is disproportionate to the size of the rash or trauma on the skin,” reports an article on the website of the American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists. Or, in Walker’s more colorful words: “It’s the worst pain you could possibly imagine.” Survivor Bill Brust, 60, echoes that.

“I had never ever been through any pain like that. It’s indescribable,” said Brust, of Roswell, Ga., who developed the infection following knee surgery

in 2001. “I have fallen off a bicycle and broken my arm, but that was nothing (compared to this).”

Robert Vaughn, a Cartersville, Ga., man currently battling necrotizing fasciitis, said the infection “hit me like a ton of bricks.” Vaughn, 33, remains hospitalized at the Joseph M. Still Burn Center in Augusta, Ga., where Copeland remains in crit-

ical condition. Vaughn doesn’t know what triggered his infection. It seemingly began with a small bump near his groin that grew from the size of a pea to a grapefruit overnight, he said.

“I don’t know how I got it,” said Vaughn, who admits he at first didn’t want to tell doctors about the “bump” because of its location. But his wife insisted.

ALPHARETTA: Brenda Walker sits on her back porch in Georgia. — MCT

Vaughn is grateful he was spared amputation, but is still reeling from the “what-ifs” of his medical nightmare. “I think about it a lot ... what if my wife hadn’t been there?” Most of all, he said, “I hope I never get it again.” Doctors believe Copeland’s case began with the bacterium Aeromonas hydrophila, typically found in warm climates and waters.

The survivors interviewed for this story said Copeland’s case has brought back vivid memories. At the same time, they said others with the condition should take heart, recognizing that life after necrotizing fasciitis is possible. Brust, who lost a ligament in his knee to the infection, is still able to ride bicycles, though he’s given up skiing. Walker, 43, who credits her doctors and the power of prayer for her survival, eventually learned to walk again. She can now run and play with her three children.

And Hansberger, an avid runner before her amputation, completed her first triathlon less than a year after her 40-day hospitalization in Atlanta. “There are a lot of blessings that have come out of all of this,” said Hansberger, who has since moved to Charlotte. “It might sound weird, but I am very grateful for everything I have now, and I enjoy all the things I get to do with my children, whereas I maybe took it for granted before.”

While the illness changed her life, Walker refuses to live in fear - even though she has to battle against it when her children incur the inevitable scrapes and bruises of childhood. “I cannot live every day in fear that someone else I love is going to get this,” Walker said. “You can’t live like that.” - MCT

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TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2012

WHAT’S ON Greetings earest Unni! May each and every passing year bring you wisdom peace and cheer. May the Good Lord shower you with many blessings on your special day. Hope you have a birthday as awesome as you are! From Kukki chechi, Neville achacha, Nagesh uncle and Preeth K aunty, Joanne, Josh, pappa and mama.

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Announcements ‘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 to- 97822021 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.

Open House for Indian Citizens The Ambassador of India will be holding an Open House for Indian citizens to address their problems/grievances on Wednesdays of the second and the fourth week of every month between 1500 hrs and 1600 hrs at the embassy. In case Wednesday is an Embassy holiday, the meeting will be held on the next working day. To ensure timely action/followup 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 India’s Consular Wing is providing daily service of Open House to Indian citizen 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 labor wing Help Desk functions from 0830 hrs to 1300 hrs and 1400 hrs to 1630 hrs in the Labor Hall to address the labor related issue. There is also a 24X7 Help Line (Tel No. 25674163) to assist labors in distress. For any unaddressed issues, the concerned Attaches in the labor section and the head of the labor wing could be contacted.

Basil Arts Kuwait The Basil Arts Kuwait requests all its registered members to attend the General Body / Family get-together, scheduled at 11:00am on Friday, the 1st June, 2012 at the HiDine Restaurant, Abbasiya. For further information contact General Secretary on 65003040

ICSK students excel in Class 10 result he Indian Community School, Kuwait is proud to announce that Class 10 students of ICSK have excelled in the CBSE class X (AISSE) result announced on Thursday, May 24, 2012. With an impressive 100 percent pass percentage and total level for Cumulative Grade Point of 7.5, ICSK students have once again brought glory to the school. Also, out of the 374 candidates registered for Class 10 examination in ICSK, 28 candidates secured a CGPA of 10(A1 Grade) and a total of 103 students achieved

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CGPA of above 9. 163 students have done the English department proud with their A1, A2 grades in English. 133 students secured A1/A2 in Hindi/French. 127 students secured A1/A2 in Maths, 124 students achieved A1/A2 in Science and 184 students got A1/A2 in Social Science.

In ICSK, Senior Branch, out of the 183 students registered, 19 students got a perfect CGPA of 10.

A total of 66 students got A1 or A2 in English, 66 A1/A2 in Hindi/French, 69 A1/A2 in Maths, 60 A1/A2 in Science, 93 students secured A1/A2 in

Social Sciences.

In ICSK, Amman Branch 109 students were registered for the Class 10th exam. 5 students achieved CGPA of 10. A total of 68 students secured A1/A2 in English, 42 students got A1/A2 in Hindi/French, 34 students secured A1/A2 grade in Maths, 43 A1/A2 grades in Science, 51 students brought glory to social Science department with their A1/A2 grades.

In ICSK, Khaitan Branch, out of the 83 students registered, 4 students secured a perfect CGPA of

10. A total of 29 students got A1 or A2 in English, 25 students secured A1/A2 in Hindi/French, 24 students got A1/A2 in Maths, 21 A1/A2 in Science, 40 students secured A1/A2 in Social Sciences. The students were ecstatic on getting their results. The high number of A1 and A2 grades in all subjects is a reflection of the hard work of students and teachers. ICSK management and staff extend hearty congratulations to all the students for their achievement and wish they keep up the hard work in the years to come.

Amala Eliza P

Bhakti Priya R

Greeshma R

Jakia Sultana J

Jeffrey S

Nayantara S

Rinet Maria

Shubhangi S

Soniya Suresh

Spandana

Amal Jose

Aparna C

Prakash Sankar

Shilpa S

Syeda Aliya S

Anagha A

Anjali Krishna

Joel Gee Mathew

Sreeshma S

Aparna G

Meenakshy S

Mufaddal Kaid Johar

Sakina Nasir H

Yusera Farose

Cilpa V

Gloria George D

Maria Wasek

Sylvester Marcos B

Akhnath Bibu M

Farhanan Fathima

Rubbee B Sangle

Aishwarya S

Amjad Bin Younus

Ganindu Lakshan

Mariyam Begum

Sanjida Sanwar

Shalom Jennifer

Sudhara C Kuruppu

Yesha R Mistry

Albin Santhosh

Mehnaz Musthafa

Navya James

Niji Chinna Sam

Sakina Idress

Sera Martha F

Sharon John

Shilpita

Legal seminar alakkad Pravasi Association of Kuwait, the association of Palakkad natives living in Kuwait and ‘Indian Lawyers’ Forum’, (ILF) the association of Indian Lawyers and Law graduates in Kuwait is conducting legal seminar, on June 1, at 11 am at Mangaf Friends of Kannur (FOKE) auditorium. All Indian community members in Kuwait, especially Palpak members, families and friends are cordially invited to participate.

Your legal doubts/questions can be send by email to: palpaklegal@gmail.com and it will be answered in the seminar. For further information contact, P.N.Kumar, 99771830, Aravindhashan 68535989.

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Write to us Send to What’s On upcoming events, birthdays or celebrations by email: local@kuwaittimes.net Fax: 24835619 / 20

Sparkling performance by GIS he spectacular performance of Class 10 of Gulf Indian School once again reflected the disciplined training of the teaching faculty under

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the guidance of the principal. Out of 116 students, 115 opted for the school-conducted CBSE examination and all of them qualified for admission to the next

level. Nineteen students scored the maximum CGPA 10 and about 47 students scored CGPA 9 and above. The result emphasizes the importance of the

conducive and stress-free environment that is being provided by GIS to the students. Congratulations to the young achievers.

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TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2012

WHAT’S ON

Embassy Information 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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ISP kindergarten celebrates Colour Day olour Day was celebrated in the KG Section of ISP on May 21, 2012. Every section of KG was given a specific colour. Section A was given ‘Red’, B: ‘Blue’, C: ‘Orange’, D: ‘Green’, E: ‘Yellow’ and F: ‘Purple’. The

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teachers, students and parents participated enthusiastically to present their class in the best way. The classes were decorated with their specific colours in an attractive way. Students presented different songs and information about

the colour of their class. The Director of ISP, Nadia, Principals, Anjum and Bushra Karamat and Vice Principal, Nadiya, visited all the classes and highly appreciated the teachers for their efforts and presentation of colours. It

was an exceptional day for the students as they were able to enjoy and learn in a better way. The idea of involving the students in such extracurricular activities was appreciated at all levels, especially the parents.

EMBASSY OF CANADA The Embassy of Canada is located at Villa 24, Al-Mutawakel St., Block 4 in Da’aiyah.

Please visit our website at www.Kuwait.gc.ca. The Embassy of Canada is open from 07:30 to 15:30 Sunday through Thursday. The reception is closed from 12:30 to 01:00 pm for lunch break. Consular Services for Canadian Citizens are provided from 09:00 until 12:00 on Sunday through Wednesday. The Canadian Embassy in Abu Dhabi provides visa and immigration services to residents of Kuwait. Individuals who are interested in visiting, working or immigrating to Canada are invited to visit the website of the Canadian Embassy to the UAE at www.uae.gc.ca.

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EMBASSY OF CYPRUS The Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus requests Cypriot citizens living in Kuwait to register with the Embassy has moved.

This registration service is provided so that the Embassy can update its contact list and assist Cypriot citizens in cases of emergencies.

Registration information can be emailed to cyprusembassykwt@gmail.com or faxed to 22253227 or given by phone to 65906048 (Mrs Christine).

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Natyalaya Dance School Team got first place in group dance Inter dance school competition. (From left to right) Neha James, Pristina Pathrose, Greeshma Susan Philip, Renitta Rajan Thottungal, Krishna Prakash (Director), Sneha Wilson, Karishma Joseph, Merlin Wilson, Elizebeth Benjemin are pictured.

KALA-Kuwait to hold Thawamasi he arrangements are in progress for Cultural Fiesta as the part of 34th year celebrations of KALA-Kuwait ‘Thawamasi’ scheduled on June 1, 2012 at Central School Auditorium. The organizers informed through a press release that the celebration will start with the inaugural meeting at 9:30 am to followed with colourful displays of different art forms.

KALA-Trust Chairman VV Dakshinamoorthy and well known cartoonist Yesudasan will be participating as distinguished guests.

The free Malayalam education programme for the current year also will be inaugurated in the same function.

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Distribution of Benji Benson Ever Rolling Trophy and prizes for the winners of KALABalakalamela conducted by KALA-Kuwait on April 17 and May 4, 2012 at Carmel School will be distributed in the function ‘Thawamasi’ by honourable chief guests and cultural leaders of Kuwait. Arts wing of KALA have scheduled several programmes thereafter including the performances of selected items of Balakalamela-2012 winners. The programmes will conclude with the grand gala musical evening by well known artists Kallara Gopan and Preetha Kannan, scheduled at 6 pm. The entrance is free and all are welcome.

Babu Chackola enacts as Maveli with a family during an Onam celebration held in Mangaf in this file photo.

Indian drama activist holds award ceremony abu Chackola, an Indian drama activist based in Mangaf is organizing a cultural program on June 24, to honour the stalwarts from the fields of art and humanities.

The awardees include Artist Sujathan, Fr Davis Chiramel, Chairman, Kidney Federation of India, Raju Chirackal, renowned dramatist and Varghese Koonan an expat for decades.

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The function will be inaugurated by noted filmmaker Kamal and will be presided over by MP Vincent MLA. Another highlight of the program will be a concert in commemoration that is dedicated to the late musician Johnson. Johnson’s wife will receive a complementary financial aid during the function. The awards are named after Chakkola Oppan and Rossy, the late parents of Babu Chackola.

AIPS Kindergarten resounded with a fresh new rhyme on the morning of May 21, 2012. Dr. Roshila Mathew, a renowned pedodontist, honoured the FAIPS kindergarten with a very child-friendly workshop on ‘the right techniques of brushing our teeth and staying healthy.’ While the tiny tots were swept away by her comical slides, she enjoyed the interaction with the senior kindergarten children who came up with amazing answers to her questions.

Highlighting the advantages of fresh fruits and vegetables, she also dwelled upon the limitations on fizzy drinks and junk food.

Surprisingly, the tiny tots at FAIPS were an interactive audience and kept her completely entertained with their queries. She also gifted each of them a personal Dental Record Card which they excitedly took home.

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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 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

ood news for Kids who are going to be facing the heat this summer and would love to play mind games and learn Scrabble.

This is open to all kids aged between 9 and 19.

Basics of Scrabble as well as competitive play will be taught to all, together with lots of quizzes, mind games and vocabulary learning. It’s more fun than learn so register quickly before the 3rd of June. Classes will start on June 7 and will be held once a week at the UCMAS Centre in Salmiya. The course is for seven weeks for each batch. For more information, call Rohaina at 66634224. Classes will be on Thursday afternoons from 3 pm to 4:30 pm.

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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 ■■■■■■■

IKFS marks first anniversary

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The Embassy of the Republic of Kenya wishes to request all Kenyans resident in or training through Kuwait to register with the Embassy.

We are updating our database. This information is necessary in order to facilitate quick assistance and advise in times of emergency. Kindly visit in person or register through our website www.kenyaembkuwait.com. The Embassy is located in: Surra Area Block 6 - Street 9 - Villa 3 Tel: 25353362 - 25353314; Fax: 25353316.

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Summer scrabble for kids

Balakrishnan) were also present.

IKFS will honor during the ceremony with “IKFS Excellence Awards for 2011” to Dr. Noora Sayid Zoheb, M.B.B.S. (Former student of Yenepoya Medical College Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Mangalore, Karnataka state), who was the top scorer in the medical field, Esraa’ Sayid Mazhar, B.Arch. (Former student of M.E.S. Engineering College, Faculty of Architectural Engineering, Kuttipuram, - Calicut University, Kerala State) as the other top scorer in the engineering field from the children of IKFS members and Patrons. Both of them were graduated in their first attempt. The

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EMBASSY OF KENYA

FAIPS Kindergarten holds workshop

ndo-Kuwait Friendship Society, a nonprofit socio-cultural friendship association, established in February 2011, marks their first anniversary on Friday, June 1, 2012. Pradeep Rajkumar, IKFS Secretary said in a press release that some of the VIPs and IKFS Patrons who have agreed to grace the function are, Dr. Abdul Razak Rumane (Consultant Engineer), Sayid Nasir Al-Mashoor Thangal, (Chairman of KKSMC, KKMCC) Muzammil Malik (Vice President , IMWA & Industrialist) Abdul Mohsen Al-Sadi, (CEO, Al-SADI GTC), in addition to IKFS patron Binesh Kodiyeri (Business Executive, Dubai and the son of former Home Minister of Kerala, Kodiyeri

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

awards are arranged for promoting Higher education in Medical and Engineering fields for the children of Patrons and Members of I.K.F.S. The same day convention will witness also the distribution of several prizes and certificates to the winners of recently held “IKFS Arabic Expertise, Art & Calligraphy competitions” at the auditorium of Salmiya Indian Model School. The winners were already notified by the program Convener, Lakshmi Kalyana Subramaniam, Principle of Gulf Institute for strategic and Technological Studies and they include: Sabiha Bilgrami, the First Prize winner (Hindi Calligraphy) Kiran

Khalid, First Prize winner (Urdu Calligraphy, second place in General Quiz) and Zainab Ghalib First Prize winner (Arabic Calligraphy, Quiz in Islamic and General competitions) as well as the second place winners in Hindi, Urdu and Arabic calligraphies Nisrin Merchant, Samah, Sumayya and Shymaa , Afraah, and Adil respectively will be bestowed with engraved certificates and prizes. The cash awards, certificates and prize distributions will be convened on Friday, June 1, 2012 and program will start sharp 4:00 pm at the premises of Gulf Institute for Strategic and Technological Studies in Salmiya, Block 9.

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.

TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2012

TV PROGRAMS

00:45 Untamed & Uncut 01:40 Your Worst Animal Nightmares 02:35 Great Animal Escapes 03:00 Great Animal Escapes 03:30 My Cat From Hell 04:25 Wildest Africa 05:20 Wildlife SOS International 05:45 Escape To Chimp Eden 06:10 Wildlife SOS 07:00 Shamwari: A Wild Life 07:25 Wild Animal Orphans 07:50 Natural Born Hunters 08:15 Dick ‘n’ Dom Go Wild 08:40 Talk To The Animals 09:10 Must Love Cats 10:05 Wildest Africa 11:00 Animal Precinct 11:55 Animal Cops South Africa 12:50 Safari Vet School 13:15 Safari Vet School 13:45 Bondi Vet 14:10 Wildlife SOS International 14:40 Wildest Africa 15:30 Shamwari: A Wild Life 16:00 Dick ‘n’ Dom Go Wild 16:30 Wild Animal Orphans 17:00 Natural Born Hunters 17:25 Dogs 101: Specials 18:20 Your Pet Wants This 19:15 Wildlife SOS International 19:40 Escape To Chimp Eden 20:10 Great Ocean Adventures 21:05 Queens Of The Savannah 22:00 Safari Vet School 22:25 Safari Vet School 22:55 World Wild Vet 23:50 Animal Cops Houston

00:00 Newsday 00:30 Asia Business Report 00:45 Sport Today 01:00 Newsday 01:30 Asia Business Report 01:45 Sport Today 02:00 Newsday 02:30 Asia Business Report 02:45 Sport Today 03:00 Newsday 03:30 Hardtalk 04:00 BBC World News 04:30 World Business Report 04:45 BBC World News 05:00 BBC World News 05:30 World Business Report 05:45 BBC World News 06:00 BBC World News 06:30 World Business Report 06:45 Sport Today 07:00 BBC World News 07:30 World Business Report 07:45 Sport Today 08:00 BBC World News 08:30 Hardtalk 09:00 BBC World News 09:30 World Business Report 09:45 Sport Today 10:00 BBC World News 10:30 BBC World News 11:00 GMT With George Alagiah 11:30 GMT With George Alagiah 12:00 BBC World News 12:30 World Business Report 12:45 Sport Today 13:00 Impact With Mishal Husain 13:30 Impact With Mishal Husain 14:00 Impact With Mishal Husain 14:30 World Business Report 14:45 Sport Today 15:00 BBC World News 15:30 Hardtalk 16:00 The Hub With Nik Gowing 16:30 The Hub With Nik Gowing 17:00 The Hub With Nik Gowing 17:30 World Business Report 17:45 Sport Today 18:00 World News Today With Zeinab Badawi 18:30 World News Today With Zeinab Badawi 19:00 World News Today With Zeinab Badawi 19:30 World Business Report 19:45 Sport Today 20:00 BBC World News America

20:30 21:00 21:30 21:45 22:00 22:30 22:45 23:00 23:30 23:45

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 06:30 06:55 07:20 07:45 08:00 08:25 08:50 09:15 09:40 10:05 10:25 10:50 11:15 11:40 12:00 12:15 12:40 12:55 13:45 14:10 14:35 15:25 15:50 16:15 16:40 17:05 17:30 18:10 19:00 19:15 19:40 19:55 20:20 20:35 20:55 21:20 21:45 22:10 22:35 23:00 23:20 23:45

Hardtalk BBC World News World Business Report Sport Today BBC World News America Asia Business Report Sport Today BBC World News Asia Business Report Sport Today

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 Dexters Laboratory Bananas In Pyjamas Baby Looney Tunes Gerald McBoing Boing Ha Ha Hairies Pink Panther And Pals The Garfield Show Dastardly And Muttley A Pup Named Scooby-Doo Scooby Doo Where Are You! The Flintstones Duck Dodgers Tom & Jerry Kids Droopy: Master Detective Wacky Races Jelly Jamm Baby Looney Tunes Ha Ha Hairies The Garfield Show Scooby Doo Where Are You! Dastardly And Muttley Looney Tunes Puppy In My Pocket Pink Panther And Pals Pink Panther And Pals Tom & Jerry Moomins The Garfield Show Dexter’s Laboratory Jelly Jamm Baby Looney Tunes Ha Ha Hairies Gerald McBoing Boing Bananas In Pyjamas Pink Panther And Pals Tom & Jerry Looney Tunes Scooby Doo Where Are You! Droopy: Master Detective The Flintstones Wacky 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 Eliot Kid 06:50 The Amazing World Of Gumball 07:15 Adventure Time 07:40 Regular Show 08:05 Grim Adventures Of...

08:55 Courage The Cowardly Dog 09:45 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 10:10 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 10:35 Powerpuff Girls 11:25 Scooby-Doo! Mystery

Incorporated 11:50 Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated 12:15 Ed, Edd n Eddy 13:05 Ben 10: Alien Force 13:30 Bakugan: Gundalian Invaders 13:55 Redakai: Conquer The Kairu 14:20 Camp Lazlo 14:45 Powerpuff Girls 15:35 Angelo Rules 16:25 Grim Adventures Of...

17:15 The Amazing World Of Gumball 17:40 Adventure Time 18:05 Regular Show 18:30 Ben 10 18:55 Bakugan: Mechtanium Surge 19:20 Hero 108 19:45 Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated 20:10 Courage The Cowardly Dog 21:00 Ben 10: Alien Force 21:25 The Powerpuff Girls 21:50 Cow And Chicken 22:00 Codename: Kids Next Door 22:50 Ben 10 23:15 Ben 10 23:40 Chowder

00:15 Surviving The Cut 01:10 Destroyed In Seconds 01:35 Gold Rush 02:30 Gold Divers 03:25 Alone In The Wild 04:20 Surviving The Cut 05:15 How It’s Made 05:40 How It’s Made 06:05 Gold Rush 07:00 Chop Shop: London Garage 07:50 Mythbusters 08:45 Ultimate Survival 09:40 Border Security - Series 6 Specials 10:05 Dealers 10:55 How It’s Made 11:25 Deception With Keith Barry 12:20 One Man Army 13:15 Storm Chasers 14:10 Dealers 15:05 Gold Rush 16:00 Chop Shop: London Garage 16:55 Wheeler Dealers On The Road 17:20 Ultimate Survival 18:15 Mythbusters 19:10 How It’s Made 19:40 How It’s Made 20:05 Border Security - Series 6 Specials 20:35 Dealers 21:30 Deception With Keith Barry 22:25 One Man Army 23:20 An Idiot Abroad

00:35 Nasa’s Greatest Missions 01:25 The Tech Show 01:50 Mega Builders 02:40 Superships 03:35 How Does That Work?

04:00 How Does That Work?

04:25 Stunt Junkies 04:50 Stunt Junkies 05:20 Mega Builders 06:10 Smash Lab 07:00 Nasa’s Greatest Missions 07:50 How Does That Work?

08:15 How Does That Work?

08:40 Mega Builders 09:35 Superships 10:25 The Gadget Show 10:50 The Gadget Show 11:20 Smash Lab 12:15 Mega Builders 13:05 Nasa’s Greatest Missions 13:55 How Does That Work?

14:20 How Does That Work?

14:50 Stunt Junkies 15:15 Stunt Junkies 15:40 The Tech Show 16:05 Smash Lab 17:00 The Gadget Show 17:25 The Gadget Show 17:50 Nasa’s Greatest Missions 18:40 Last Flight Of The Space Shuttle 19:30 Space Pioneer 20:20 The Gadget Show

BLOOD OUT ON OSN ACTION HD

20:45 The Gadget Show 21:10 Prototype This 22:00 Last Flight Of The Space Shuttle 22:50 Space Pioneer 23:40 Ultimate Power Builders

York 20:55 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 21:25 Giuliana & Bill 22:25 E! News 23:25 Chelsea Lately 23:55 Fashion Police

00:10 00:35 01:00 01:25 01:50 02:15 02:40 03:05 03:30 03:55 04:20 04:45 05:10 05:35 06:00 06:15 06:40 07:05 07:30 07:55 08:20 08:32 08:45 09:10 09:25 09:35 09:45 10:00 10:25 10:50 11:15 11:26 11:40 12:05 12:30 12:55 13:07 13:20 13:45 14:10 14:35 15:00 15:25 15:50 16:00 16:15 16:40 17:00 17:30 17:55 18:20 18:31 18:45 19:10 19:35 20:00 20:25 20:50 21:15 21:40 22:05 22:30 22:55 23:20 23:45

00:30 01:20 02:05 02:30 03:20 03:45 04:30 05:20 06:10 07:00 07:50 08:40 09:30 09:55 10:20 Jones 11:10 12:00 12:25 12:50 13:40 14:30 14:55 15:20 Jones 16:10 17:00 17:50 18:40 19:05 19:55 20:20 Jones 21:10 22:00 22:50 23:40

Fairly Odd Parents Fairly Odd Parents Brandy & Mr Whiskers Brandy & Mr Whiskers Replacements Replacements Emperor’s New School Emperor’s New School Brandy & Mr Whiskers Brandy & Mr Whiskers Replacements Replacements Fairly Odd Parents Fairly Odd Parents Fish Hooks Recess So Random Wizards Of Waverly Place Good Luck Charlie Shake It Up Phineas And Ferb Phineas And Ferb Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Jake & The Neverland Pirates Handy Manny The Hive Mouk Recess So Random Hannah Montana Fish Hooks Fish Hooks Jake & Blake Sonny With A Chance Wizards Of Waverly Place Phineas And Ferb Phineas And Ferb Recess Jessie A.N.T. Farm Good Luck Charlie Suite Life On Deck Shake It Up Phineas And Ferb Phineas And Ferb Jessie A.N.T. Farm Recess Wizards Of Waverly Place So Random Fish Hooks Fish Hooks Shake It Up Good Luck Charlie Wizards Of Waverly Place Hannah Montana Phineas And Ferb Shake It Up Jonas So Random Good Luck Charlie Good Luck Charlie Wizards Of Waverly Place Wizards Of Waverly Place Kim Possible

06:00 Kid vs Kat 06:20 American Dragon 06:45 Rekkit Rabbit 07:10 Phineas And Ferb 07:35 Phineas And Ferb 07:45 Phineas And Ferb 08:00 Phineas And Ferb 08:10 Phineas And Ferb 08:25 Phineas And Ferb 08:35 Phineas And Ferb 08:50 Kick Buttowski 09:15 Zeke & Luther 09:40 I’m In The Band 10:05 Phineas And Ferb 10:30 Kid vs Kat 10:55 The Avengers: Earths Mightiest Heroes 11:20 Aaron Stone 11:45 Rekkit Rabbit 12:10 American Dragon 12:35 Kick Buttowski 13:00 Phineas And Ferb 13:25 I’m In The Band 13:45 Kid vs Kat 14:10 Pair Of Kings 14:35 Zeke & Luther 15:00 Rekkit Rabbit 15:25 Pokemon: Black And White 15:50 Timon And Pumbaa 16:15 Rated A For Awesome 16:40 Rated A For Awesome 17:05 Zeke & Luther 17:30 Mr. Young 17:55 Phineas And Ferb 18:20 Phineas And Ferb 18:30 Phineas And Ferb 18:45 I’m In The Band 19:10 Kickin It 19:35 Kick Buttowski 20:00 Pair Of Kings 20:25 Zeke & Luther 20:50 Escape From Scorpion Island 21:20 Aaron Stone 21:45 The Avengers: Earths Mightiest Heroes 22:10 Phineas And Ferb 22:20 Phineas And Ferb 22:35 Kid vs Kat 23:00 Programmes Start At 6:00am KSA

00:25 00:55 01:25 02:20 03:15 03:40 04:10 05:05 06:00 07:50 08:20 09:15 10:15 12:05 13:05 13:35 14:05 14:35 15:00 15:30 16:25 16:55 17:25 17:55 18:55 19:55 York 20:25

Kendra Style Star E!es THS Behind The Scenes Extreme Close-Up Sexiest Extreme Hollywood THS Behind The Scenes E! News Scouted THS E! News Ice Loves Coco Ice Loves Coco Kourtney & Khloe Take Miami Kourtney & Khloe Take Miami Style Star E!es Behind The Scenes Khloe And Lamar Khloe And Lamar E! News E!es Kourtney & Kim Take New Kourtney & Kim Take New

Ghost Lab A Haunting I Married A Mobster Scorned: Crimes Of Passion Stalked: Someone’s Watching Dr G: Medical Examiner Ghost Lab A Haunting Disappeared Forensic Detectives Murder Shift Mystery Diagnosis Real Emergency Calls Who On Earth Did I Marry?

True Crime With Aphrodite Disappeared Street Patrol Street Patrol Murder Shift Mystery Diagnosis Real Emergency Calls Who On Earth Did I Marry?

True Crime With Aphrodite Disappeared Forensic Detectives Murder Shift Real Emergency Calls Mystery Diagnosis Who On Earth Did I Marry?

True Crime With Aphrodite Disappeared Killer Kids Deadly Women Dr G: Medical Examiner

01:25 The Resurrected 03:10 A Girl To Kill For-18 04:40 Psych-Out 06:10 Dangerous Game 07:50 The Glory Stompers-PG 09:15 Women vs. Men-PG 10:40 How To Succeed In Business Without Trying-PG 12:40 Ghoulies 14:00 Grow Old Along With Me 15:30 Haunted Honeymoon-PG 16:55 Love Or Money 18:25 Hair-PG 20:25 Welcome To Woop Woop-18 22:00 De-Lovely

00:00 Lonely Planet: Roads Less Travelled 01:00 Deadliest Journeys 01:30 Deadliest Journeys 02:00 Don’t Tell My Mother 03:00 Banged Up Abroad 04:00 Treks In A Wild World 05:00 Endurance Traveller 06:00 Lonely Planet: Roads Less Travelled 07:00 Deadliest Journeys 07:30 Deadliest Journeys 08:00 Don’t Tell My Mother 09:00 Banged Up Abroad 10:00 Treks In A Wild World 11:00 Endurance Traveller 12:00 Lonely Planet: Roads Less Travelled 13:00 Deadliest Journeys 13:30 Deadliest Journeys 14:00 Don’t Tell My Mother 15:00 Banged Up Abroad 16:00 Treks In A Wild World 17:00 Endurance Traveller 18:00 Lonely Planet: Roads Less Travelled 19:00 Word Travels 19:30 Word Travels 20:00 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 20:30 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 21:00 Food School 21:30 Food School 22:00 Long Way Down 23:00 Bite Me With Dr. Mike Leahy

00:00 Megastructures 01:00 Ancient Secrets: Mystery of The Silver Pharaoh 02:00 Is It Real?

03:00 Megastructures 04:00 Caught In The Act 05:00 Hunter Hunted 06:00 Banged Up Abroad 07:00 Inside 08:00 Megastructures 09:00 Ancient Secrets: Mystery of The Silver Pharaoh 10:00 Is It Real?

11:00 Megastructures 12:00 Caught In The Act 13:00 Hunter Hunted 14:00 Banged Up Abroad 15:00 Inside 16:00 Megastructures 17:00 Ancient Secrets: The Sphinx 18:00 Is It Real?

19:00 Megastructures 20:00 World’s Deadliest Animals 21:00 Shark Men 22:00 Lockdown 23:00 Inside

00:00 Animal Underworld 01:00 Anaconda: Queen Of The Serpent 01:55 Hooked 02:50 Expedition Wild 03:45 Caught In The Act 04:40 Wildlife Rescue Africa 05:35 The Living Edens 06:30 Hooked 07:25 Expedition Wild 08:20 Caught In The Act 09:15 Hippos: Africa’s River Beast 10:10 Ape Genius 11:05 Animal Underworld 12:00 Planet Carnivore 13:00 Hooked 14:00 Expedition Wild 15:00 Caught In The Act 16:00 Spine Chillers: Vampire Bats 17:00 Swamp Troop

AFRICA UNITED ON OSN CINEMA 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

Animal Underworld Hooked Expedition Wild Caught In The Act Hippos: Africa’s River Beast Ape Genius

00:00 Animal Underworld 01:00 Anaconda: Queen Of The Serpent 01:55 Hooked 02:50 Expedition Wild 03:45 Caught In The Act 04:40 Wildlife Rescue Africa 05:35 The Living Edens 06:30 Hooked 07:25 Expedition Wild 08:20 Caught In The Act 09:15 Hippos: Africa’s River Beast 10:10 Ape Genius 11:05 Animal Underworld 12:00 Planet Carnivore 13:00 Hooked 14:00 Expedition Wild 15:00 Caught In The Act 16:00 Spine Chillers: Vampire Bats 17:00 Swamp Troop 18:00 Animal Underworld 19:00 Hooked 20:00 Expedition Wild 21:00 Caught In The Act 22:00 Hippos: Africa’s River Beast 23:00 Ape Genius

00:00 02:00 04:00 06:00 08:15 10:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00

Dad Savage-PG15 Assassination Tango-18 Blood Out-18 Hidalgo-PG Rocky v-PG15 Blank Slate-PG15 All Star Superman-PG15 Rocky v-PG15 True Justice: Lethal Justice-18 All Star Superman-PG15 Gridlock’d-18 13 Assassins-18

01:00 A Perfect Getaway-18 03:00 St. Trinian’s 2: The Legend Of Fritton’s Gold-PG15 05:00 Alabama Moon-PG15 07:00 Africa United-PG15 09:00 The Eagle-PG15 11:00 Arthur And The Revenge Of Maltazard-PG 13:00 My Sassy Girl-PG15 15:00 Unanswered Prayers-PG15 17:00 Mars Needs Moms-PG 19:00 How Do You Know-PG15 21:00 13-PG15 23:00 Pete Smalls Is Dead-18

00:00 King Of The Hill 00:30 The Daily Show Global Edition 01:00 The Colbert Report Global Edition 01:30 Louie 03:00 The Simpsons 03:30 Raising Hope 04:00 Weird Science 04:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 05:30 Seinfeld 06:30 Melissa And Joey 07:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 08:00 Weird Science 08:30 The Simpsons 09:00 Seinfeld 10:30 Melissa And Joey 11:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 12:30 Weird Science 13:00 Seinfeld 13:30 Melissa And Joey 14:00 Raising Hope 15:30 The Daily Show Global Edition 16:00 The Colbert Report Global Edition 17:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 18:30 Wilfred 19:00 The League 20:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 21:00 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 21:30 The Colbert Report 22:00 Eastbound And Down 22:30 Hung 23:30 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 07:00 08:00 08:30 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 18:30 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

Justified Game Of Thrones The Closer Revenge Pillars Of The Earth Good Morning America Charlie’s Angels Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show The Martha Stewart Show The View Justified Revenge Good Morning America Charlie’s Angels The Ellen DeGeneres Show Emmerdale Coronation Street White Collar Private Practice House The River Pillars Of The Earth

00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 07:30 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 12:30 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 16:30 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

Pan Am The Closer Game Of Thrones Justified Revenge Eureka Pan Am Emmerdale Coronation Street The Practice The Closer Justified Revenge Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show The Practice Pan Am Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show Surface White Collar Royal Pains House The River True Blood

01:00 03:00 05:00 07:00 09:00 11:00 13:00 15:00 17:00 19:00 21:00 23:15

The Siege-18 Quarantine 2: Terminal-18 RoboCop 3-PG15 The Warlords-PG15 Planet Of The Apes-PG15 Ladder 49-PG15 StreetDance-PG15 Planet Of The Apes-PG15 Star Trek: First Contact-PG District 9-PG15 13 Assassins-18 Storm Warning-18

02:00 Cool Runnings-PG15 04:00 The Addams Family-PG 06:00 Paper Man-PG15 08:00 Everybody Wants To Be Italian-PG15 10:00 The Parent Trap-PG 12:15 102 Dalmatians-PG 14:00 Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement-FAM 16:00 The Parent Trap-PG 18:15 Napoleon Dynamite-PG 20:00 Life As We Know It-PG15 22:00 Barry Munday-18

01:00 Shampoo-18 03:00 The Silence Of The Lambs-18 05:00 Strange Culture-PG15 07:00 Veronica Guerin-PG15 09:00 Cinema Verite-PG15 11:15 Across The Sea Of Time-FAM 12:30 Desperate Hours: An Amber Alert-PG15 14:30 Unstrung Heroes-PG15 16:45 Cinema Verite-PG15 19:00 The Fantastic Water Babes-PG 21:00 The Private Lives Of Pippa Lee-PG15 23:00 Agora-18

01:00 True Grit-PG15 03:00 Evan Almighty-PG15 05:00 Elle: A Modern Cinderella Tale-PG15 07:00 Call Of The Wild-PG15 09:00 Jumping The Broom-PG15 11:00 Glitter-PG15 13:00 Gasland-PG15 15:00 A Soldier’s Love Story-PG15 17:00 Jumping The Broom-PG15 19:00 Rio-FAM 21:00 13-PG15 23:00 Predators-18

00:00 Super-18 02:00 The Winning Season-PG15 04:00 Double Wedding-PG15 06:00 Bustin’ Down The Door-PG15 08:00 The Flyboys-PG15 10:00 Life In A Day-PG15 12:00 Legend Of The Guardians-PG 14:00 How To Go Out On A Date In Queens-PG15 16:00 The Flyboys-PG15 18:00 Paper Man-PG15 20:00 Morning Glory-PG15 22:00 Diary Of A Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules-PG15

00:00 07:00 08:00 11:30 12:30 13:00 21:00 23:00

Test Cricket Super Rugby Highlights Premier League Darts Volvo Ocean Race Volvo Ocean Race Highlights Live Test Cricket NRL Premiership Super Rugby Highlights

00:30 01:30 02:30 06:30 07:00 09:00 11:00 11:30 13:30 14:30 15:30 17:30 18:30 19:30 20:00 20:30 21:00 21:30 22:00 23:00

European PGA Tour Highlights AFL Premiership Highlights Super League Top 14 Highlights NRL Premiership Super League City Center Races Adventure Sports Super Rugby Highlights AFL Premiership Highlights Top 14 European PGA Tour Highlights Golfing World NRL Full Time Top 14 Highlights Mobil 1 The Grid Futbol Mundial SPL Highlights European PGA Tour Highlights Golfing World

03:30 Top 14 Highlights 04:00 NRL Premiership 06:00 World Cup Of Pool 07:00 Golfing World 08:00 AFL Highlights 09:00 Top 14 Highlights 09:30 Super Rugby Highlights 10:30 Pro 12 12:30 Scottish Premier League Highlights 13:00 AFL Highlights 14:00 Golfing World 15:00 Volvo Ocean Race Highlights 15:30 NRL Premiership 17:30 Super League 19:30 Volvo Ocean Race Highlights 20:00 Super Rugby Highlights 21:00 Super Rugby 23:00 NRL Full Time 23:30 Super Rugby

00:00 01:00 04:00 05:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 12:00 12:30 13:00 14:00 15:00 17:30 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 23:00

UFC Unleashed PrizeFighter UFC The Ultimate Fighter UFC Unleashed WWE NXT WWE Bottom Line PrizeFighter V8 Supercars Extra UAE National Race Day WWE Bottom Line WWE Vintage V8 Supercars V8 Supercars Extra WWE NXT WWE Experience UFC The Ultimate Fighter UFC Unleashed WWE SmackDown

Classifieds TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2012

DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

Airlines JZR QTR JZR RJA GFA UAE ETD OMA DHX FDB MSR RBG QTR JZR BBC THY DHX FAH JZR KAC BAW KAC KAC FDB KAC KAC KAC KAC UAE ABY QTR FDB IRA ETD IRA GFA MEA JZR MSR JZR JZR MSR GFA KAC KAC FDB KNE QTR SVA KAC RJA KAC KAC QTR JZR JZR ETD JZR UAE SVA GFA UAL JZR JZR ABY KAC KAC KAC KAC FDB KAC MSR JZR KAC KAC KAC KAC JAI KAC AXB FDB OMA MEA QTR GFA ALK SYR KLM UAE JZR ABY QTR DHX AIC GFA UAL JZR DLH THY PIA

Flt 185 148 539 642 211 853 305 643 370 67 612 3553 138 503 43 770 170 201 555 412 157 416 206 53 302 332 352 284 855 125 132 55 605 301 619 213 404 165 618 561 201 610 219 672 514 57 472 140 500 562 640 678 546 134 215 535 303 787 857 510 215 982 177 777 127 1782 542 166 786 63 104 624 325 618 674 742 614 572 774 389 61 647 402 146 221 229 341 415 859 135 129 136 372 981 217 981 239 636 772 205

Arrival Flights on Tuesday 29/5/2012 Route DUBAI DOHA CAIRO AMMAN BAHRAIN DUBAI ABU DHABI MUSCAT BAHRAIN DUBAI CAIRO ALEXANDRIA DOHA LUXOR DHAKA ISTANBUL BAHRAIN DUBAI ALEXANDRIA MANILA LONDON JAKARTA ISLAMABAD DUBAI MUMBAI TRIVANDRUM COCHIN DHAKA DUBAI SHARJAH DOHA DUBAI ISFAHAN ABU DHABI LAR BAHRAIN BEIRUT DUBAI ALEXANDRIA SOHAG DAMASCUS CAIRO BAHRAIN DUBAI TEHRAN DUBAI JEDDAH DOHA JEDDAH AMMAN AMMAN ABU DHABI ALEXANDRIA DOHA DEIREZZOR CAIRO ABU DHABI RIYADH DUBAI RIYADH BAHRAIN WASHINGTON DC DULLES DUBAI JEDDAH SHARJAH JEDDAH CAIRO PARIS JEDDAH DUBAI LONDON SOHAG NAJAF DOHA DUBAI DAMMAM BAHRAIN MUMBAI RIYADH KOZHIKODE DUBAI MUSCAT BEIRUT DOHA BAHRAIN COLOMBO DAMASCUS AMSTERDAM DUBAI BAHRAIN SHARJAH DOHA BAHRAIN CHENNAI BAHRAIN BAHRAIN AMMAN FRANKFURT ISTANBUL LAHORE

Time 0:15 0:20 0:30 2:10 2:20 2:25 2:30 2:50 2:55 3:10 3:20 3:20 3:25 3:55 4:00 4:35 5:00 5:30 6:00 6:15 6:30 6:35 7:15 7:45 7:50 7:55 8:05 8:15 8:25 8:30 9:00 9:20 9:20 9:30 9:40 10:00 10:55 11:05 11:25 12:25 12:30 13:30 13:40 13:40 13:40 13:45 14:15 14:25 14:30 14:30 14:55 15:05 15:05 15:15 15:15 16:00 16:35 16:40 16:55 17:20 17:20 17:25 17:30 17:40 17:45 17:50 18:15 18:40 18:40 18:45 18:45 18:55 19:15 19:20 19:25 19:30 19:30 19:35 19:40 19:55 20:00 20:10 20:15 20:25 20:35 20:55 21:00 21:05 21:15 21:15 21:30 21:35 22:00 22:25 22:35 22:40 22:55 23:10 23:40 23:59

Airlines AIC UAL DLH KLM PIA THY UAE FDB OMA DHX RBG ETD MSR QTR BBC QTR JZR RJA JZR JZR GFA THY KAC BAW FDB KAC ABY JZR KAC KAC KAC UAE JZR QTR KAC FDB ETD IRA IRA GFA KAC KAC MEA KAC JZR MSR KAC JZR JZR GFA FDB MSR KAC KNE SVA KAC RJA JZR QTR KAC KAC KAC ETD JZR JZR QTR UAE GFA JZR ABY SVA UAL JZR FDB KAC MSR JZR KAC JAI FDB KAC KAC OMA MEA GFA DHX ALK SYR KLM ABY KAC UAE FAH QTR KAC KAC DHX JZR QTR AXB GFA KAC JZR

Departure Flights on Tuesday 29/5/2012 Flt Route 976 GOA/CHENNAI 981 WASHINGTON DC 637 FRANKFURT 411 AMSTERDAM 240 SIALKOT 773 ISTANBUL 854 DUBAI 68 DUBAI 644 MUSCAT 371 BAHRAIN 3554 ALEXANDRIA 306 ABU DHABI 613 CAIRO 139 DOHA 44 DHAKA 149 DOHA 560 SOHAG 643 AMMAN 164 DUBAI 200 DAMASCUS 212 BAHRAIN 771 ISTANBUL 545 ALEXANDRIA 156 LONDON 54 DUBAI 677 ABU DHABI 126 SHARJAH 534 CAIRO 561 AMMAN 513 IMAM KHOMEINI 671 DUBAI 856 DUBAI 214 DEIREZZOR 133 DOHA 101 LONDON 56 DUBAI 302 ABU DHABI 604 ISFAHAN 618 LAR 214 BAHRAIN 541 CAIRO 165 ROME 405 BEIRUT 1781 JEDDAH 776 JEDDAH 623 SOHAG 785 JEDDAH 786 RIYADH 176 DUBAI 220 BAHRAIN 58 DUBAI 611 CAIRO 673 DUBAI 473 JEDDAH 501 JEDDAH 617 DOHA 641 AMMAN 324 AL NAJAF 135 DOHA 773 RIYADH 613 BAHRAIN 741 DAMMAM 304 ABU DHABI 238 AMMAN 538 CAIRO 141 DOHA 858 DUBAI 216 BAHRAIN 134 BAHRAIN 128 SHARJAH 511 RIYADH 982 BAHRAIN 266 BEIRUT 64 DUBAI 283 DHAKA 607 LUXOR 184 DUBAI 361 COLOMBO 571 MUMBAI 62 DUBAI 343 CHENNAI 351 KOCHI 648 MUSCAT 403 BEIRUT 222 BAHRAIN 171 BAHRAIN 230 COLOMBO 342 DEIREZZOR 415 DAMMAM 120 SHARJAH 381 DELHI 860 DUBAI 102 DUBAI 137 DOHA 301 MUMBAI 205 ISLAMABAD 373 BAHRAIN 554 ALEXANDRIA 147 DOHA 390 MANGALORE 218 BAHRAIN 411 BANGKOK 528 ASSIUT

Time 0:05 0:25 0:30 0:55 1:00 2:15 3:45 3:50 3:55 3:55 4:00 4:05 4:20 4:50 5:30 5:40 6:00 6:50 6:55 7:00 7:05 7:10 8:10 8:25 8:25 8:35 9:05 9:10 9:15 9:15 9:20 9:40 9:45 10:00 10:00 10:05 10:15 10:20 10:40 10:45 11:30 11:45 11:55 12:05 12:15 12:25 13:10 13:15 13:20 14:25 14:25 14:30 15:05 15:15 15:45 15:45 15:50 15:50 16:15 16:25 16:30 16:30 17:20 17:30 17:40 17:45 18:05 18:20 18:20 18:25 18:35 18:40 18:50 19:25 19:30 19:55 20:05 20:20 20:35 20:40 20:55 21:05 21:10 21:15 21:35 21:50 21:55 22:00 22:05 22:10 22:20 22:25 22:30 22:35 22:40 22:45 23:00 23:00 23:10 23:10 23:30 23:40 23:50

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

ACCOMMODATION Sharing accommodation available for decent Kerela bachelor in Abbasiya near German Clinic, from 1st June onwards. Contact: 66941892. (C 4029) 29-5-2012

FOR SALE Pajero model 2006, 3.8 liters full options, leather upholstery, always serviced by company, single owner driven, excellent condition, KD 3,500/- O.N.O. Contact: 24810860. (C 4027) 27-5-2012 Households for sale cheap prices with or without, 2 BR C-A/C flat at Fahaheel, family leaving June. BR set, sofa, fridge, thread mill, electronics, medicated bed etc.

Contact: 99232986.

(C 4021) Toyota Camry model 2010, white color, GL, CD, excellent original condition, cash price KD 4200/-, installation possible.

Contact: 66396517.

(C 4025) 24-5-2012

SITUATION WANTED Auditing, Accounting, Financial Management, Business Development ser vices/ advice by an experienced Indian man available for part-time assignment.

Contact: 65802853. (C 4028) 28-52012 Accountant, MBA-Finance, B.com-Accounts & CA-Inter, having 5 years experience looking for part time job; can prepare your all business accounting reports and financial statements independently. Call Now: 55829223 or Email: acconline@ymail.com (C 4010) 26-5-2012

CHANGE OF NAME I, Vinoth Kannan Kesavan son of Kesavan bearing an Indian passport No. E3242791, born on 3, June 1984, residing at No.1/8 West Street, Keezhupadi, Sathaputhur post, Sankarapuram T.K, Villupuram - 606 205, has converted to Islam with the name of Abdul Rahman .K on 6th May 2009. (C 4026) 26-5-2012

I, Syed Arhad Ahmed holder of Indian Passport No. J5395460 do hereby change my name to Syed Arshad Ahmed. (C 4022) 23-5-2012

SITUATION VACANT Indian driver for Kuwaiti family. 1) Working as driver in Kuwait at least 5 years. 2) Knows to speak English. 3) Residence 20. Contact: 66343220.

(C 4017) 20-5-2012

Sivakumar Krishnamoorthy, son of Krishnamoorthy and Theivanayagi bearing Indian passport No. F9732440 and having address New No. 151, Achuthampettai, Thirukandeeswaram,

ST TATE T OF KUW K WA AIT

Tel.: e 161

DIRECTORA AT TE GEN GENERAL OF CIVIL AV VIA AT TION METEOROLOGICAL DEP PARTMENT A DA AY: Y Monday

Sannanallur (P.O), Nannilam TK, Thiruvarur DT, Tamil Nadu, India have embraced Islam and changed the name as ABDURRAHMAN. (C 4024) 24-5-2012

Ext.: 2627 26 - 2630

Fax: 24348714 WWW.MET.GOV V.KW .

28/05/2012

Issue Time

19:00

Expected Weeather for the Next 24 Hours BY Y NIGHT:

Partly cloudy with moderate to fresh northerly to north westerly wind, with speed of 20 - 40 km/h causcaus ing raising dust over open areas

BY Y DA AY:

Clouds will decrease gradually with light to moderate northerly to north westerly wind, with speed of 15 - 38 km/h

WARNING A ST TATION T

No Current Waarnings arnin

MAX. REC.

MIN. N. EXP P.

KUW WA AIT CITY

39 °C

30 °C

KUW WA AIT AIRPOR RT

40 °C

30 °C

NUW WA AISEEB

37 °C

30 °C

WA AFRA

41 °C

27 °C

SALMI

39 °C

25 °C

ABDAL LY

40 °C

27 °C

JAL ALIY YAH A

40 °C

26 °C

FA AILAKA

39 °C

29 °C

AHMADI POR RT

36 °C

30 °C

UMM AL-MARADEM

35 °C

30 °C

WA ARBA A - BUBY YAN A

40 °C

27 °C

SFC. CHART

28/05/2012 1200 UTC

4 DA AYS Y FORECAST Temperatures DA AY

DA AT TE

WEA ATHER T

Tuesday

29/05

Weednesday

30/05

Thursday Friday

Wind Speed

MIN.

clouds to decrease

43 °C

30 °C

N-NW

15 - 38 km/h

hot

44 °C

31 °C

NW

12 - 35 km/h

31/05

very hot

47 °C

32 °C

NW

20 - 40 km/h

01/06

very hot + raising dust

46 °C

31 °C

NW

20 - 45 km/h

RECORDED YESTERDA AY AT KUW WAIT A AIRPOR RT

PRA AYER Y TIMES Prayer timings 03:17

MAX. Temp.

43 °C

04:50

MIN. Temp.

28 °C

11:46 Zuhr

11:45

MAX. RH

24 %

15:20 Asr

15:20

MIN. RH

06 %

Sunset 18:42

18:40

MAX. Wind

N 43 km/h

Isha 20:12

20:10

TOT TA AL L RA AINF FA ALL L IN 24 HR.

Fajr

Fajr: Duhr: Asr: Maghrib: Isha:

Wind Direction

MAX.

03:17 Sunrise

All times are local time unless otherwise stated.

28/05/12 14:49 UTC

00 mm V1.00

T1.06

34

TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2012

stars CROSSWORD 689

STAR TRACK

CALVIN & HOBBES

Aries (March 21-April 19) Whether you are working in a place of business or at home, your attention is in getting things accomplished. If you find yourself working within a group today, you will help the group be productive. You expect praise for your good works but this may not come on your time schedule so—do not push. Emotions and feelings of those around you may be very clear, allowing you to know what is expected of your time and energies. If you feel you need to move in a different direction from the people you are around, give them a time limit before involving yourself too deeply. This is a good time to use your writing skills as you can communicate with real originality. Learning ways to release restlessness is beneficial to your health.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) You could find yourself expressing your ideas deliberately today with little waste of words. You have a natural sense of organization and come across as disciplined and careful—perhaps a little too sober. An inner vision, coupled with the ability to see the big picture, finds you working as a gobetween with others. You have a special gift for spanning the generation gap by bringing older and younger people together. A love of animals, children and mature people as well as the needy in general is a lifelong trait that is visible today. It is easy for you to work with those in authority now. You enjoy working with people and you would be good in professional situations where you can take control and be helpful.

Submerge yourself in the out-of-doors this evening.

POOCH CAFE ACROSS 1. A doctor's degree in dental surgery.

4. An unstable situation of extreme danger or difficulty.

10. Standard time in the 6th time zone west of Greenwich, reckoned at the 90th meridian.

13. A dissolute man in fashionable society.

14. A genus of Accipitridae.

15. South American wood sorrel cultivated for its edible tubers.

16. Any plant of the genus Erica.

18. The 16th letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

19. East Indian tree bearing a profusion of intense vermilion velvet-textured blooms and yielding a yellow dye.

20. A region of Malaysia on northwestern Borneo.

22. Small terrestrial lizard of warm regions of the Old World.

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

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

28. A white soft metallic element that tarnishes readily.

29. A soft silvery metallic element of the alkali earth group.

30. Edible starchy tuberous root of taro plants.

34. A radioactive element of the actinide series.

36. Plant with an elongated head of broad stalked leaves resembling celery.

39. A large spotted feline of tropical America similar to the leopard.

41. An ability to understand a broad range of topics.

43. The blood group whose red cells carry both the A and B antigens.

44. (Irish) Mother of the ancient Irish gods.

45. A pass between mountain peaks.

46. A state in midwestern United States.

47. Capital and largest city of Iraq.

50. Counting the number of white and red blood cells and the number of platelets in 1 cubic millimeter of blood.

52. Cubes of meat marinated and cooked on a skewer usually with vegetables.

55. Unarmed feather palms of central and northern South America.

60. (Babylonian) God of storms and wind.

63. American prizefighter who won the world heavyweight championship three times (born in 1942).

64. The arch of bone beneath the eye that forms the prominence of the cheek.

65. Sluggish tailless Australian arboreal marsupial with gray furry ears and coat.

67. (informal) Roused to anger.

68. An independent ruler or chieftain (especially in Africa or Arabia).

69. Cause to feel relaxed.

70. Used of a single unit or thing.

DOWN 1. Suitable for formal occasions.

2. English theoretical physicist who applied relativity theory to quantum mechanics and predicted the existence of antimatter and the positron (1902-1984).

3. In the shape of a coil.

4. A wad of something chewable as tobacco.

5. An intensely radioactive metallic element that occurs in minute amounts in uranium ores.

6. Of or relating to Iraq or its people or culture.

7. A secret agent hired by a state to obtain (military) information about its enemies or by a business to obtain industrial secrets from competitors.

8. Being one more than two.

9. The capital and largest city of Yemen.

10. The closing section of a musical composition.

11. A fraudulent business scheme.

12. The basic unit of money in Bangladesh.

17. A small tent used as a dressing room beside the sea or a swimming pool.

21. Free of or using methods to keep free of pathological microorganisms.

23. The dialect of Albanian spoken in northern Albania and Yugoslavia.

26. A soft silvery metallic element of the alkali metal group.

27. The seventh month of the Moslem calendar.

31. Two items of the same kind.

32. (Irish) Mother of the Tuatha De Danann.

33. Toward the mouth or oral region.

35. Electronic equipment that provides visual images of varying electrical quantities.

37. A public promotion of some product or service.

38. According to the Old Testament he was a pagan king of Israel and husband of Jezebel (9th century BC).

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

42. Angular distance above the horizon (especially of a celestial object).

48. Aircraft landing in bad weather in which the pilot is talked down by ground control using precision approach radar.

49. Measuring instrument in which the echo of a pulse of microwave radiation is used to detect and locate distant objects.

51. A clique that seeks power usually through intrigue.

53. Mild yellow Dutch cheese made in balls.

54. An island in Indonesia east of Java.

56. The basic unit of money in Western Samoa.

57. A Tibetan or Mongolian priest of Lamaism.

58. A feeling of strong eagerness (usually in favor of a person or cause).

59. An officer who acts as military assistant to a more senior officer.

61. A genetic disorder of metabolism.

62. The longest division of geological time.

66. An edge tool with a heavy bladed head mounted across a handle.

Yesterday’s Solution

Gemini (May 21-June 20) Opportunities may go against your own sense of security and responsibility today. Career choices may require that you take a chance and neglect your usual projects. Some compromise is perhaps the best way to a workable solution for now. Your career, practical vision and skills are of central importance. You feel there is a waste of time if there is no organization and your actions are deliberate in this area of your life. Your reputation and image are a source of concern and you do everything you can now to make them solid. You appear perhaps more charming and refined than usual today. Putting your best foot forward takes on greater importance. Patience—romance, enjoying the arts and others of life’s pleasures are on the horizon.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) Reading or attending a lecture on law, politics, education, travel or religion may be part of this productive day. Your creative side is showing this afternoon as you help a friend decorate or make suggestions for updating an old look. Your home environment, friends and surroundings in general are enjoyable and you are pleased with many of the choices lately. People encourage your creative endeavors. Your work or career is in real harmony with the rest of your life. You could gain from subordinates or young people just now—information or help is available for whatever you want to accomplish. You make your way through ideas, concepts and your ability to communicate and express them to others. Life seems to run well at this time; enjoy.

NON SEQUITUR

Leo (July 23-August 22) You always find new ways to make your dreams come true.

Self-sacrifice and an understanding attitude on your part could have far-reaching effects on your own life-path and career during this time. A little restraint just now could really pay off in the future. In other words, you may have to start at the bottom of a new company before you will be able to prove yourself and reach your goals. Be encouraged however, circumstances all around you are favorable and should bring you positive attention soon. When you do start to progress, you will have no problem moving up the professional ladder. There are personal insights into your psychological self. There is the possibility of new visions or sudden insights into your beliefs and dreams.

ZITS

Virgo (August 23-September 22) You are communicative, flexible and other-oriented today.

Perhaps you can give others what they require. A service-oriented job suits you and in solving the customerís problems, you seem to create calmness where there was once frustration. You are able to use a more creative and original approach to problem-solving difficulties most of the time. You are successful in sales.

This afternoon you may want to shop for yourself and make up for some of the grocery or laundry chores you set aside over the weekend, perhaps in socializing with friends. There is plenty to do but some new music to listen to will probably make the time go quickly. A wonderful way to relax this evening is with bubbles, hot water and candles; smile.

Libra (September 23-October 22)

MOTHER GOOSE AND GRIMM

Go with the flow today. In a business meeting this morning, you may have some hesitation in expressing your ideas—keep notes and trust in your own instincts—your ideas are as good. You will have a feeling of accomplishment with your creative endeavors today—at least there is progress.

Perhaps you are improving or updating a piece of technical equipment or some new computer software at this time. Your perseverance pays off; know when to stop—all work and no play, etc. A person that you were close to in the past may contact you this afternoon. A long-lost friend is once again in your life. You may enjoy planning a reunion with this old friend, to get to know each other once again. Optimism is good—particularly in love and romance.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) Today is one of your best times to see progress in your goals—personal or professional. If you keep your own progress chart you will be able to communicate the progress—there will be rewards. By giving recognition to the co-workers around you, you will be recognized and respected. You are very tolerant of others and may find yourself the go-between for a co-worker friend and a higher-up today. You are always helpful and may be in the position to speak for the employees from time to time. In your personal life, favors given out freely will return to you in marvelous ways. Wear a smile for everyone you meet this evening. You will have an opportunity to gain the attention of someone you have had on your mind lately.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) You will make practical decisions concerning group issues today. Other people tend to lean toward your intelligent summations about how things are processed. You have a natural sense of what the public wants. Clear decisions that affect others are wisely considered now. You could also come up with new solutions. You have a great appreciation of how your life is going and this afternoon you will enjoy the company of an old friend that knew you some time ago. You will both enjoy talking about what you have each accomplished.

Perhaps you will even be evaluating and reassessing your own plans. Someone close to you understands you and is supportive of your eccentricities. You may find yourself visiting over the phone this evening.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19)

To

There is a great appreciation for things of value. This could be a period of great material gain; it is certainly a time when material things are most important to you. Around the middle of next month, there will be opportunities in which you can invest your money. Ask questions—know the risks— take your chances. This is a great time to reflect and understand your own situation, just how you feel about yourself. Emotions of others, as well as your own, can be very clear. You are valued for your ability to make practical decisions and you could find yourself representing co-workers in a sensitive issue today. Clear decisions will help put you in a leadership role; you may also find yourself in a mentor role. A loved one has special meaning to you tonight.

Yesterday’s Solution Yester

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) You will be extremely busy today. There will be many times where you will have to supply a solution to a particular problem. Be prepared to work hard! This is not a great time to attempt to get your ideas across to others. You may find yourself feeling blocked and unable to express yourself. Examine all aspects of your work or dealings today—it could lead to success! A long-awaited dialogue with an older person may take place this afternoon. There will be opportunities for outdoor activities with friends later. This evening you could be catching up on your reading or just visiting with a nearby neighbor. You are interested in up-to-date news with regard to medicine, nutrition and overall matters connected with the physical wellbeing.

Pisces (February 19-March 20)

Word Sleuth Solution

This is a time for imagination and creativity when it comes to ideas and thinking. This, combined with the ability to put your thoughts into words, gives you the opportunity to captivate and enchant others. You could be speaking for your company, lecturing or teaching today. A sudden loss of valuable or sentimental objects could occur, through no fault of your own. Be assured that with a small amount of dedicated search, you will be able to find this object. You are motivated to tackle whatever comes before you this day. Try out that new recipe on your family this evening, yum . . . good. This evening is a good time to help the kids with homework, prepare for a project tomorrow and put things in order. News after dinner this evening may be comforting.

TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2012

i n f o r m at i o n

112 GOVERNORATE Ahmadi

23915883 23715414 23726558

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

Hawally

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

24812000 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

Rabiya

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

25623444

Bayan

25388462

Mishref

25381200

W.Hawally

22630786

Sabah

24810221

Jahra

24770319

New Jahra

24575755

West Jahra

24772608

South Jahra

24775066

North Jahra

24775992

North Jleeb

24311795

Al-Ardhiya

24884079

Firdous

24892674

Al-Omariya

24719048

N.Kheitan

24710044

Fintas

3900322

PHONE

Fahaeel Makka St Abu Halaifa-Coastal Rd Mahboula Block 1, Coastal Rd

Jahra

Amiri Hospital

ADDRESS

Sama Safwan Abu Halaifa Danat Al-Sultan

website: www.moi.gov.kw

Sabah Hospital

PHARMACY

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

Kuwait Electronic Government www.e.gov.kw

Ministry of Energy (Electricity and Water) www.energy.govt.kw

Ministry of Finance www.mof.gov.kw

Public Authority for Housing Welfare www.housing.gov.kw

Ministry of Commerce and Industry www.moci.gov.kw

Ministry of Justice www.moj.gov.kw

Ministry of Education www.moe.edu.kw

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

Psychologists /Psychotherapists

Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalaf

22547272

Dr. Khaled Hamadi

Dr. Abdal-Redha Lari

22617700

Dr. Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rashed

Dr. Abdel Quttainah

25625030/60

Family Doctor Dr Divya Damodar

23729596/23729581

Psychiatrists Dr. Esam Al-Ansari

22635047

Dr Eisa M. Al-Balhan

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TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2012

lifest yle G o s s i p

he ‘Call My Name’ singer - whose four-year marriage to soccer player Ashley Cole ended in 2010 amid rumours of infidelity - wants a “massive” family but doesn’t believe her personal circumstances mean her life plans have gone “wrong” as she would rather be a mother later in life. She said: “I’d love a massive family. I’m from a big family. I’ve got 10 nieces and nephews.” Asked if her life plans have gone awry as a result of her marriage breakdown, she added: “No, I wouldn’t say wrong; I’d probably say right. “My mam is like,

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‘You’ve done it the right way round. I didn’t even know myself when I had children. You’re at that nice age where you’re developing into a young woman and you can give your children the things they need.’” As well as having no personal regrets, the 28-year-old beauty also admitted she isn’t upset about being sacked from the US version of ‘X Factor’ after just four days last year. She told The Observer magazine: “I think people think it was [upsetting] but it wasn’t. I should probably care more than I do.” Two years ago, Cheryl contracted

potentially-fatal malaria and admits it took a “long time” to come to terms with the fact she had been close to death. She added: “It takes a long time mentally to come to terms with it. As it’s happening, you’re just going through it. Looking back you think, ‘Wow, that was really near.’”

Charlize Theron wants to go into space Lindsay Lohan still indebted to T tanning company ine months ago, the troubled actress was ordered by a judge in Nevada to pay Tanning Vegas - run by entrepreneur Lorit Simon - what was owed and now the company is trying to get the case moved to California so they can cite her assets and force her to pay up, according to TMZ. Lindsay racked up the huge bill between 2007 to 2009 when she was a client of the tanning company. This is the latest in a long line of legal disputes for the 25-year-old actress, who was recently reported to have paid off a member of staff at the Betty Ford rehab clinic who is she is accused of being violent towards. Dawn Holland sued Lindsay following the incident where she was apparently opposed to taking a breathalyser test. According to the prosecutor, the actress appeared intoxicated at the time and Holland says she grabbed her right wrist, “twisting and pulling it for eight to 10 seconds.” However, the case was closed for an undisclosed amount. Lindsay is current trying to resurrect her acting career and will next star as Dame Elizabeth Taylor in Lifetime movie ‘Liz and Dick’ alongside ‘True Blood’s Grant Bowler in the role of Richard Burton.

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he 30-year-old actress is a big hit with her fiance Justin Timberlake’s friends because she is so easy to get along with, says the singer-turned-actor’s former *NSYNC bandmate Lance Bass. Lance said: “[Jessica]’s amazing. One of the best people I know. She has always been one of the guys.

She’s like a best friend. It’s like hanging out with a best friend.” Lance was among the guests at the couple’s engagement party at the weekend and he will definitely be attending their wedding, regardless of where it takes place. He said: “Justin’s like my

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he ‘Run the World (Girls)’ singer has been on a diet and exercise regime since giving birth to Blue Ivy - her first daughter with husband Jay-Z - in January and is now looking forward to tucking into some calorific treats.

Addressing her fans on Saturday night during her concert at Revel Beach’s Ovation Hall in Atlantic City, Beyonce

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he ‘Snow White and the Huntsman’ actress - who adopted a baby boy named Jackson in March - thinks it would be a “scary” experience, but would love to be onboard Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic commercial space flights. She said: “I’m totally open to going up in space. Isn’t Richard Branson doing it? But I hear it’s expensive! You can go up for $200,000. I’m open to all of that stuff.

I’m sure it would be scary, but hopefully I’d just be going to see what it looks like, so I’d be coming back. I wouldn’t miss anything here because I try to live in the present.” Charlize, 36, has been single since splitting with Stuart Townsend after nine years in 2010 but even when she meets someone new, she has no plans to marry them because she finds the institution unequal. The South African beauty told You magazine: “Marriage is not for me. Until it’s equal for everybody, I don’t want to be a part of it. I grew up during apartheid and this feels similar.”

he soccer star says he’s absolutely smitten with 10-month-old Harper and loves spending time with her and watching her grow.

David - who also has three sons, Brooklyn, 13, Romeo, nine, and seven-year-old Cruz, with fashion designer wife Victoria - said of having a daughter: “It’s great. I love to bite her legs, or shoulders.

It’s how a baby should be. She’s so beautiful.

There’s no more love for a daughter than there is a son, but it’s just different. When they [boys] are kids you can roll them around and they fall to the sides and they pick themselves up and they’re fine.

Whereas Harper, now, she hits herself just slightly and she cries.... I still think ‘Oh God, I can’t believe this, I’ve got a girl.’ And to see the boys with her it’s incredible. When they walk into the room, her little face lights up.”While David and Victoria are handson parents, they like to have a date night once a week where they can just spend some time on their own. Speaking to the UK edition of ELLE Magazine - in which he becomes the publication’s first male cover star - the handsome athlete said: “She comes home and shows me what she’s been doing all day and what exciting dresses and bags she’s got coming through. And then I say something boring like ‘I got kicked today.’ But we listen to each other. We try to go out at least once a week, just the two of us, a quiet dinner somewhere. It’s not about wearing a nice dress or a nice suit. It’s just going out and chatting and having some time together.” The full feature appears in the July issue of ELLE UK, which goes on sale tomorrow.

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he 68-year-old actor received an honorary doctorate of fine arts at Bates College in Maine pm Sunday, and joked that leaving school early to pursue a movie career had been the best thing he could have done financially. He said: “In many ways, leaving school when I did it was an advantage. I saved nearly $6,000 by not having to pay tuition and expenses for four years of education. I feel a little foolish, because if I had waited until now not to go to college, I could have saved around a quarter of a million.” He added, “It worked out just fine. I saved the money, and I got the degree.” The ‘Raging Bull’ star also advised the assembled guests to follow his career path as his life “sucked” before he became a film star. Referring to fellow honorees, he joked: “With all due respect to Gwen Ifill and Bonnie Bassler, I think this is the most important piece of advice you’ll get today; become a movie star.” He added, “Now, you might be tempted by other careers, other interests, other commitments. There might be pressure on you to change the world, but you want to find the strength to resist. When I started, I wasn’t a

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movie star, and it sucked. The moment I became a movie star, things started to get better.” And the actor admitted his mother would have been proud to see him receive a degree - but claimed she would rather it had been from a more prestigious establishment. He said: “My mother would be so proud to see her son, who never graduated high school, standing up here, receiving this honorary doctorate of fine arts. She would’ve been more proud of it if it was [from] Harvard.”

brother, so there’s no question about whether or not I’ll make it to his wedding.

“Any time you get to travel, it’s fun!” Justin first shot to fame as a member of The AllNew Mickey Mouse Club and Lance joked he is planning to send the 31-year-old hunk a reminder of his childhood as a wedding gift. He told UsMagazine.com: “The man has everything, so a nice little toaster will do maybe the one that puts a little Mickey Mouse emblem on it!”

exclaimed: “Y’all have no idea how hard I worked! I had to lose 60 pounds. They had me on that treadmill. I ate lettuce!

Now tonight I’m gonna get chocolate wasted!” Beyonce performed to a star-studded crowd which included US First Lady Michelle Obama and her young daughters Malia, 13, and 10-year-old Sasha, and the trio, along with broadcaster Gayle King, appeared to be enjoying the singer’s performance. A fel-

low concert-goer told UsMagazine.com: “They sat up in a private balcony with Gayle King. Michelle was jamming out to ‘Crazy In Love’. When Beyonce told the crowd to get up and jump, [Malia and Sasha] stood and started dancing and jumping. “They were shouting when Beyonce asked, ‘Do girls run the world?’ Together, all three of them did the ‘Single Ladies’ dance moves”.Beyonce’s husband Jay-Z was also in the audience and was incredibly proud of his spouse at her first live show since August 2011. He tweeted: “I’m gonna say this and then I’m gonna end mine. BEYONCE is the best performer in the world. Period”.

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TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2012

LIFESTYLE T r a v e l

Gulf Air, Rotana arrange trip to Lebanon

The Gefinor Rotana

The Raouche Arjaan Rotana he Rotana hotel group and Gulf Air, along with Al-Shamel and Supreme Services travel agencies, arranged a trip to Lebanon for a group of travel agents and a Kuwait Times representative. The group flew Gulf Air and enjoyed their spacious business lounge along with its facilities during their stop in Bahrain. The lounge is open to business class travellers as well as their families. The onboard service was exceptional as the group took the quick trip to Beirut’s international airport. During their stay, the group stayed at Rotana’s excellent hotels as Al-Shamel and Supreme Services travel agencies arranged tours for them to Lebanon’s top sites, including Harissa, Jeita Grotto and Byblos. The group enjoyed exceptional hospitality whilst in Lebanon, both from Rotana’s excellent staff and Al-Shamel and Supreme Services’ expert guides.

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About Gefinor Rotana From the moment you step into the Gefinor Rotana the blend of traditional Arabic hospitality and the splendor of modern luxury will leave you spellbound. The hotel with distinctive view over the city, the sea and the mountains is conveniently located in close proximity to the business and banking districts and main shopping areas, the AUB, major hospitals in addition to the Downtown and the major exhibitions grounds with the airport just 15 minutes away.

The 159 elegant rooms and suites prove to be the perfect choice for both the business and leisure traveler, in addition to the fully serviced and furnished apartments. Ideal for businessmen, Club Rotana offers a lounge, business services and wireless internet, private check in and check- out, a

complimentary breakfast and evening cocktails.

You can unwind after a busy day at Bodylines, our rooftop health and fitness centre offering sauna, steam bath, massage service and temperature-controlled swimming pool with breathtaking views of the Mediterranean Sea. For Conferences and Banqueting,

equipments and video conferencing.

Olive Garden, our newly renovated open-kitchen restaurant with access to an Olive garden terrace, is a modern place that offers an extensive and delightful fusion of continental and traditional buffet breakfast, lunch and a la carte dinner in addition to our various theme nights. Situated in the hotel’s main lobby, the Moodz is

Rotana, guests will be enchanted by the Lebanese hospitality mixed with personalized service. It is the best destination for the holiday maker and businessman as comfort and personalized service is always a top priority.

The four star hotel is 10 minutes away from Downtown Beirut, the major exhibition grounds and business districts and only a few minutes away

The group at Rotana hotel two dedicated floors, for any type of event, with a capacity of 450 persons in a reception set up, 2 meeting rooms with natural daylight and 6 new contemporary room’s available with state-of-the-art audiovisual

Gefinor Rotana’s new lobby cafe and bar, the ideal venue to unwind where you can enjoy a light snack or a coffee.

About Hazmieh Rotana When stepping into the Hazmieh

from the airport.

During summertime, you can relax at the Aquarius pool bar and terrace and enjoy an array of fresh juices with direct access to the hotel garden or keep fit with our fully-equipped

A spacious Gefinor Rotana room

The group enjoying a visit to Harrisa

The Gefinor Rotana’s pool

The Hazmieh Rotana

Bodylines fitness centre, sauna, steam bath and massage services.

Banquet facilities and rooms are available for all business, private and wedding functions where a dedicated team ensures the smooth handling of all requirements. The multipurpose Byblos Grand Ballroom with a capacity of 400 persons enjoys a flexible layout with full-wall soundproof dividers and smaller fully equipped meeting rooms also available for various needs, that with easy accessibility to an outdoor garden that can also accommodate private functions.

Le Jardin restaurant is our contemporary all-day dining restaurant, offering an extensive International buffet for breakfast and lunch, and ‡ la carte dinner. During the summer, you can indulge in the extensive breakfast buffet then take a sip in the cool pool, while enjoying a sunny afternoon between the trees and hotel building.

About Raouche Arjaan by Rotana Rotana, the leading hotel management company in the Middle East and Africa, opened its third hotel in Lebanon, RaouchÈ Arjaan by Rotana, in October 2009 under the Patronage of His Excellency the Minister of Tourism.

In the importance of Rotana properties’ contribution to the boost in tourism and economic welfare in Lebanon, specifically, Beirut city and in its faith in the future of the country we opened our third property said Joseph Coubat, Area Vice President for Lebanon, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain.

Coubat added “RaouchÈ Arjaan by Rotana is a first-class property, which has been developed with both longterm guests and families in mind.”

The hotel, which targets both, the leisure and business sector, is com-

prised of 176 studios and suites with state-of-the-art amenities and recreational facilities, including a rooftop swimming pool and a Bodylines Health and Fitness centre.

RaouchÈ Arjaan by Rotana’s location in the heart of the city allows guests to enjoy gorgeous sea views coupled with the energetic atmosphere of one of Beirut’s liveliest quarters - RaouchÈ Boulevard. “We are proud that RaouchÈ Arjaan by Rotana has blurred the line between hotel apartment and home for our guests through the level of comfort and individual attention offered,” said Hala Massaad.

Business travellers looking for a venue to host meeting, conferences and seminars can utilise the hotel’s two meeting rooms, with a capacity to accommodate 150 people.

The Raouche Arjaan by Rotana showcases authentic Lebanese and international cuisine with its FandB offering which includes the Bella Vita Cafe - a relaxed terrace cafe overlooking the bustling RaouchÈ Boulevard, in addition to the Murjan restaurant and Terrace- an all-day dining venue offering a delightful fusion of continental and traditional fare for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The group enjoying Gulf Air’s luxurious business lounge

The breathtaking view from the Raouche Arjaan Rotana hotel

A wide array of delicacies at the Hazmieh Rotana

TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2012

lifestyle

French actors Stanley Weber, Anais Demoustier, Gilles Lellouche, Audrey Tautou and Catherine Arditi, French Culture Minister Aurelie Filippetti, Annie Miller, widow of French director Claude Miller, unidentified person and Nathan Miller. — AP/AFP photos

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here was Brad Pitt and Nicole Kidman, red carpet glamour and a crop of new Academy Award contenders - but this was also the year the global financial crisis exploded onto movie screens at Cannes. “La Crise” - as the French call it - bedeviled Robert Pattinson’s disaster-bound billionaire in David Cronenberg’s “Cosmopolis,” the unemployed Glasgow youth in Ken Loach’s “The Angels’ Share,” the bare-knuckle boxer in Jacques Audiard’s “Rust and Bone” and the worried mobsters in Andrew Dominik’s “Killing Them Softly.” We live in anxious times, and that feeling was reflected at the French Riviera film festival that’s a byword for frocks and froth, as well as for serious cinema.

The mood seemed to be mirrored by the weather. Several days were unseasonably cold and stormy, turning red-carpet photocalls into rain-lashed ordeals. In the face of this angst, the jury rewarded love, giving Cannes’ top prize, the Palme d’Or, to Austrian director Michael Haneke for “Amour,” a starkly powerful film about an elderly couple coping with the wife’s worsening health. Second and third prizes went to Matteo Garrone’s Italian satire “Reality” and Ken Loach’s whiskey-tasting comedy “The Angels’ Share,” and there were acting honors for Denmark’s Mads Mikkelsen for “The Hunt” and Romania’s Cristina Flutur and Cosmina Stratan for “Beyond the Hills.”

Although the festival had a strong American flavor, there were no prizes for a batch of films that examined the United States, past and present - often through the lens of non-American directors.

Australia’s John Hillcoat depicted Prohibition-era bootleggers in “Lawless” and Brazil’s Walter Salles crossed the country in his adaptation of Jack Kerouac’s Beat classic “On the Road.” New Zealand-born Dominik set “Killing Them Softly,” a thriller starring Brad Pitt as a worldly Mob enforcer,

against the backdrop of the 2008 US presidential election, while Canada’s Cronenberg sent Pattinson’s stretch limo across a Manhattan of security threats and Occupy-style protests. Cronenberg said that “it seemed at points that we were working more on a documentary.”

American directors also looked long and hard at their country. Lee Daniels stirred the sexual and racial politics of the 1960s South into a death-row thriller in “The Paperboy,” while Jeff Nichols’ “Mud” spun a modern-day “Huckleberry Finn” story among Mississippi River fishing families whose way of life is threatened.

It would not be the Cannes Film Festival without moments of controversy - and craziness. The former was provided by the absence of any female directors from the 22 films in the festival’s main competition.

The situation drew letters and petitions in France and the United States, and even a small protest by feminist group La Barbe in front of Cannes’ famous red carpet. Cannes director Thierry Fremaux responded that he chose films solely on merit, but the festival promised to make a greater effort to hunt down films by women. The baffling and bizarre were provided by the surreal appearance of the devil in a Mexican family home in Carlos Reygadas’ “Post Tenebras Lux” - which won the directing prize - and by pretty much everything, including a parking lot full of talking stretch limos, in Leos Carax’s “Holy Motors.”

From left, member of the jury Alexander Payne, directors Benh Zeitlin, Carlos Reygadas and actor Mads Mikkelsen pose with their awards during the awards ceremony.

Guests arrive under pouring rain for the closing ceremony.

The members of the Jury (from left) German actress Diane Kruger, US director and producer Alexander Payne, Italian director and president of the Jury Nanni Moretti, Palestinian actress and director Hiam Abbass, French designer Jean-Paul Gaultier, British director and scriptwriter Andrea Arnold, British actor Ewan Mc Gregor, French actress Emmanuelle Devos and Haitian director and producer Raoul Peck.

TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2012

lifestyle

US actress Andie MacDowell (left) and her daughter Sarah Margaret Qualley.

Actress Nicole Kidman

Romanian director Cristian Mungiu

Actor Jean Dujardin, left, and Alexandra Lamy.

Italian director Matteo Garrone

While Carax’s mysterious meditation on performance and reality is unlikely to tempt Hollywood’s Academy, there was plenty at Cannes that will. There was no film this year with the obvious mainstream crossover appeal of last year’s breakout Cannes movie, “The Artist,” which went on to win five Oscars. That film was acquired by The Weinstein Co., which this year has picked up “The Sapphires,” a buoyant musical about an Australian Aboriginal girl group that played out of competition at Cannes. It plans a fall release in the US The likeliest candidate for an Oscars boost may be “Mud,” an assured and moving third feature from 33-year-old director Nichol. The film gives Matthew McConaughey a standout role as a mystic-minded fugitive holed up on an island in the Mississippi, and also draws powerfully natural performances from child actors Tye Sheridan and Jacob Lofland.

McConaughey also appears in “ The Paperboy,” which features an attention-grabbing performance from Kidman as a sultry femme fatale. It could win her an Oscar nomination, and there could also be one for Marion Cotillard’s intense performance as a killer whale trainer who has a tragic workplace accident in “Rust and Bone.” And there’s likely to be a solid audience for “Killing Them Softly,” a taut, 1970sstyle crime thriller that sees Pitt play cynical straight man to some outstanding character acting from the likes of James Gandolfini and

Ray Liotta. Cannes is a strange blend of high-art seriousness and Hollywood chutzpah, where the latest Haneke masterwork coexists with Sacha Baron Cohen riding a camel down the seaside Croisette as “The Dictator.”

Even for showbiz veterans, it can be a remarkable experience, as McConaughey discovered at the gala premiere of “The Paperboy.”

“It got a wonderful ovation and I’ve never experienced that,” he said. “I’ve never done stage, and so I’ve never really experienced an immediate response live like that. It was nice to take a breath and say, ‘Feel this. Feel this, McConaughey. This is a special, once-in-a-lifetime thing.’” — AP

Finnish Formula One driver Mika Hakkinen (left) and his partner Marketa Kromatova.

Actress Audrey Tautou

Kylie Minogue arrives for the awards ceremony.

Chinese actress Gong Li

Actresses Cristina Flutur, left, and Cosmina Stratan pose with a jointly presented the Best Actress award for ‘Beyond the Hills’ during a photo call.

Froth, frocks and film at an anxiety-tinged Cannes

TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2012

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ussia’s legendary Mariinsky Theatre has surprised audiences with a new production of a classic opera that draws parallels between a ruthless 16th century ruler and Russia’s current regime. At one point in the new production of “Boris Godunov” by Modest Mussorgsky the stage at the Saint Petersburg theatre is swarmed by riot police and protesters brandishing slogans, in a clear reference to the street demonstrations against Vladimir Putin’s rule. The 19th century opera-based on the play by national poet Alexander Pushkin-chronicles the rise and fall of Tsar Boris Godunov, who ascended to the throne at the turn of the 16th century after murdering the rightful heir.

The plot, which focuses on the rift between the tsar and his own people, caused the opera to be censored multiple times by the imperial authorities and then in the Soviet Union. It has now been put on by British director Graham Vick at the Mariinsky Theatre, premiering Friday evening as part of the Stars of the White Nights festival. It is extremely rare for major Russian opera houses to make contemporary political references in their productions. The starkest reference to present-day Russia comes in the uniforms of riot police, or OMON, who protect Tsar Godunov and his family from a throng of angry fist-shaking citizens. “None of the protesters expected that the latest trends of Russian Twitter would be voiced on the conservative opera stage,” the Izvestia daily wrote yesterday, saying the production “delivers a swinging blow.”

While many of the set details allude to the late Soviet perestroika years, when Russia was hit hard by economic crises and mass rallies, elements like a monk with a laptop or the lavish icon backdrop are more typical of

Vladimir Putin’s era of Internet and growing power of the Orthodox Church. The Mariinsky’s internationally renowned music director Valery Gergiev is known as a Putin supporter and was one of the celebrities who recorded a promotional clip for his presidential campaign this winter. Keeping the details of the Mariinsky’s production under wraps until the last minute, Gergiev focused on its artistic merits in his latest remarks, hinting ever so slightly that Godunov’s atrocities are mirrored in modern Russia. “I don’t think that the opera

world so much needs to do (a news reporter’s) work,” the maestro said at last week’s press conference, “but that can happen in the hands of a strong director or artist.” — AFP

A dancer performs during the gala concert ‘Boris Eifman Ballet Theater and the stars’ on the open stage at the Mikhailovsky Castle in honor of the City Day of St. Petersburg, on May 27, 2012. — AFP

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Muslim men shout slogans during a rally against U.S. pop singer Lady Gaga’s concert that is scheduled to be held on June 3, outside the US Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, May 25, 2012. — AP

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ady Gaga told fans she was “devastated” at having to cancel her sold-out show in Indonesia following threats by Islamic hard-liners, who called her a “devil worshipper.” Controversy over the concert is a blow to the predominantly Muslim country’s reputation as a tolerant, pluralist society that respects freedom of expression. Some fans accused police - who refused to issue a permit over concerns about security - of buckling to the will of a small group of thugs. “We had to cancel the concert in Indonesia,” the 26-year-old pop diva tweeted to her followers Sunday night after promoters acknowledged concerns about her own safety and that of her “Little Monster” fans if the show went ahead. “I’m so very sorry to the fans and just as devastated as you if not more,” she wrote. “You are everything to me.”

Indonesia, a secular nation of 240 million, is often held up by the US and others an example of how democracy and Islam and can coexist. In many ways they are right. Since emerging from dictatorship just over a decade ago, sweeping reforms have resulted in direct elections, while vastly improving human rights and freeing up the media. But a small extremist fringe has become more vocal - and violent - in recent years, attacking Christians and members of other religious minorities, transvestites, atheists and anyone else deemed immoral. The most notorious, the Islamic Defenders Front, said Lady Gaga’s sexy clothes and provocative dance moves would corrupt the youth.

They vowed to turn out at the airport by the thousands if Lady Gaga arrived.

Others said they bought tickets so they could wreak havoc from inside the 52,000-seat stadium in the capital, Jakarta.

Police responded by denying the necessary permits. Then, after public outcry, they said they’d reconsider - but only if Lady Gaga agreed to tone down her act. Instead, she pulled the plug on what was supposed to be the biggest stop on her Asian tour. Michael Rusli, head of Big Daddy, promised “Little Monster” fans full refunds. But that provided little consolation to people like 25-year-old Johnny Purba. “This only shows to the world how weak security forces are in this country, how police are afraid of a bunch of hard-liners,” he said. “Gaga’s two-hour show will not hurt Indonesian Muslims. For God’s sake, she is not a terrorist!” Hard-liners, however, were ecstatic. “This is a victory for Indonesian Muslims,” said Salim Alatas, one of the leaders of the Islamic Defenders Front. “Thanks to God for protecting us from a kind of devil.” — AP

he suits have knocked off the superheroes at the box office. Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones’ sequel “Men in Black 3” debuted as the No. 1 movie over the Memorial Day holiday weekend with $55 million domestically from Friday to Sunday. That bumps Disney’s “The Avengers” into second-place after three blockbuster weekends on top for the superhero sensation. “The Avengers” took in $37 million over the three days to push its domestic total to $514 million and become only the fourth movie ever to top half a billion dollars. Distributor Sony estimates that by the end of the four-day holiday weekend, “Men in Black 3” will have pulled in $70 million domestically and $202 million worldwide.

Universal’s “Battleship” was No. 3 in its second weekend with $10.8 million, raising its domestic earnings to $44.3 million. Paramount’s comedy “The Dictator” took in $9.6 million to finish fourth in its second weekend and lift its total to $41.5 million. The Warner Bros. horror tale “Chernobyl Diaries” opened at No. 5 with $8 million. “Men in Black 3” launched with a bit more cash than its two predecessors, which both had opening weekends of just above $50 million. But the original “Men in Black” debuted in 1997 and “Men in Black II” premiered in 2002, when admission prices were much lower than today’s. That means “Men in Black 3” sold fewer tickets than the previous installments.

“Men in Black 3” reunites Smith’s Agent J and Jones’ Agent K as they battle a new alien menace that travels four decades back in time to do

In this film image released by Sony Pictures, Tommy Lee Jones, left, and Will Smith are shown in a scene from “Men in Black 3.” — AP away with the younger Agent K (Josh Brolin).

Among the movie’s box-office highlights overseas were debuts of $19.5 million in China, $18.9 million in Russia, $8.5 million in South Korea and $8 million in Japan. Distributor Disney estimates that “The Avengers” will take in $47.1 million for the four-day holiday weekend, lifting the film’s domestic total to $523.8 million. That will put “The Avengers” within $10 million of “The Dark Knight,” the No. 3 movie on the all-time revenue chart with $533.3 million domestically.

“The Avengers” will pass “The Dark Knight” in the coming week, leaving only two movies above it: “Avatar” at $760.5 million and “Titanic” at $658.5 million. With $26.3 million overseas, “The Avengers” raised its international total to $781.6 million, and its worldwide revenues to just under $1.3 billion.—AP

Elvis Presley crypt up for auction this month

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or the right price, you or a loved one can rest in peace in the tomb of The King.

Celebrity auctioneer Darren Julien is selling Elvis Presley’s original crypt to the highest bidder as part of his “Music Icons” auction later this month. The tomb is located inside the granite and marble mausoleum at the Forest Hill Cemetery in Memphis, Tennessee. Presley was interred there alongside his mother, Gladys, after he died Aug. 16, 1977. Two months later, they were re-buried at his Graceland home. The original crypt has remained empty ever since. Julien says the winning bid from the auction beginning June 23 will receive the crypt, opening and closing of the vault for burial, a memorialization inscription and use of a chapel for a committal service.

Transportation and funeral home charges are not included. — AP

In this undated image released by Julien’s Auctions, shows singer Elvis Presley’s Crypt in the Forest Hill Cemetery in Memphis, Tenn. — AP