30th Jun

IPT IO N SC R SU B

SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012

No: 15494

SHAABAN 10, 1433 AH

7Iran to8equip Gulf 48 National service proposal angers Israeli Arabs

150 Fils

Egypt elected leader defies military rulers

Italy bid to depose the European kings

ships with missiles A warning signal to the West, Israel

DUBAI: Iran expects to equip its ships in the Strait of Hormuz soon with shorter-range missiles, a Revolutionary Guards commander was quoted as saying, in the latest apparent warning to the West not to attack it over its disputed nuclear program. The Islamic Republic has threatened to shut the Strait, the conduit out of the Gulf for 40 percent of the world’s seaborne oil trade, if Western sanctions aimed at curbing its nuclear works block its own crude exports.

The European Union plans to impose a total embargo on Iranian oil from tomorrow and has told Tehran that more punitive steps could follow if it keeps defying UN demands for limits nuclear activity that could be of use in developing bombs. “We have already equipped our vessels with missiles with a range of 220 km and we hope to introduce missiles with a range of over 300 km soon,” Ali Fadavi said, the semiofficial Mehr news agency reported yesterday.

“We could target from our shores all areas in the Arabian Gulf region, the Strait of Hormuz and the Sea of Oman.” Iran is about 225 km at its nearest point from Bahrain, where the US Fifth Fleet is based, and about 1,000 km from its arch-enemy Israel. Tehran’s longest-range missile, the Sajjil-2, can fly up to 2,400 km. Iran’s military and security establishment often asserts its strength in the region, particularly in the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most important oil transit channel carrying supplies from Gulf producers to the West.

But it has increasingly flexed its military muscle in the face of US and Israeli warnings that last-resort military action against Iran cannot be ruled out if diplomacy and sanctions fail to resolve the nuclear dispute. In January, the Islamic Republic said it had successfully test-fired what it called two long-range missiles. Earlier this month, the Iranian navy announced plans to build more warships and increase its presence in international waters such as the Gulf of Aden and northern Indian Ocean. —Reuters

Max 49º Min 32º

KUWAIT: Hundreds of Kuwaiti anti-government protesters gathered at the Irada Square in Kuwait City yesterday calling for an elected government. The protest was organized by the National Democratic Movement (HADAM).

(Inset) Shayma Al-Asiri addressing the protesters. Dr Faisal Al-Mislem, Dr Obaid Al-Wasmi, Dr Adel Al-Demkhi, Shaye’ Al-Shaye’, Faisal Al-Yahya and Khalid Al-Tahous were also in attendance. — Photos by Joseph Shagra

Corpses line street as Syria toll spirals BEIRUT: Syrians in the besieged city of Douma wrapped mangled and bloodied corpses in white burial shrouds yesterday, according to video posted online, after 190 people were killed in one of the deadliest days of Syria’s 16-month-old uprising.

Activists said more than 50 of those killed yesterday died in Douma, about 15 km outside the capital Damascus. Video published on YouTube showed rows of shrouded bodies lining what activists said was a street in Douma. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 41 people had died in the city, while other activists placed the toll at 59 or higher.

“Douma, the morning of June 29, 2012. This is the massacre committed

against the people of Douma. God is our savior. Two whole families are here (among the dead) ... God help us,” said the man filming the scene.

One man held up the limp body of a girl, her pink blouse drenched in blood. “This is another massacre of the massacres by Assad and his secret police,” he said. “This is another massacre of the massacres by the international community, of all the great nations that have conspired against our people.” Douma has been under siege for weeks by security forces loyal to President Bashar AlAssad.

Activists say rockets have been raining down on the city for days amid heavy fighting between rebels and government forces. Video

showed homes whose roofs had caved in and clouds of dust rising from crumbling buildings. An activist called Mohammed Doumany said by Skype that 22 people from a single family had been killed. “Dozens of the victims are still waiting to be buried, as cities continue to be under fire,” said a statement from activists posted online. Many of the injured were in critical condition. Syria’s revolt has grown bloodier in recent weeks.

Rebels, apparently getting access to heavier weapons that can be used against tanks, have inflicted higher losses on Assad’s forces. The army has also intensified its onslaught, using helicopter gunships to attack rebels and laying siege to rebellious towns.

Opposition activists accuse the inter-

national community of inaction.

Diplomacy has failed to produce an agreement between Western powers, who favor the opposition, and Russia,

which has used its veto power at the United Nations Security Council to block Western and Sunni Arab moves to drive Assad from power. — Reuters

DOUMA: Photo shows bodies of people killed by government forces in Douma. — AFP

LOCAL SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012

Former MP Al-Juwaihel arrested KUWAIT: Police arrested former MP Mohammad Salem AlJuwaihel outside his place of residence in Al-Salem, and was referred to the Criminal Detective Department in Salmiya. Al-Juwaihel was sent to the Sentences Execution Department, after which he will be transferred to the Central Jail to serve the two-year prison term that was handed out to him for defaming former MP Dr Daifallah Bu Ramya. — Al-Anbaa

Kuwait FM leaves for Geneva GENEVA: Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and State Minister for Cabinet Affairs Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid AlHamad Al-Sabah left to Geneva yesterday to head a delegation participating in the Task Force on Syria meetings in Geneva a day later. The Kuwaiti delegation includes representative to the Arab League Ambassador Jamal Al-Ghunaim, Kuwaiti ambassador to Syria Aziz Raheem Al-Dehani, Minister Plenipotentiary Saleh Salem Al-Loughani and foreign ministry officials.

Independent authority should oversee elections: Dr Khateeb ‘Historic opportunity to place Kuwait on right track’

KUWAIT: The National Committee for Drug Control (NCDC) has published the first copy of the Magazine, “gras,” on the occasion the International Day Against Drug that fell on June 26. Dr Ahmad Daen AI-Semdan, the secretary general of the committee, said in the editorial that the issue of narcotics became pre-occupation of not only the commission or the Ministry of Interior “but a cause of all of Kuwait.” The committee had been formed as a result of “a bold step by the Kuwaiti government that mapped out an explicit strategy against this peril,” he said.— KUNA

KUWAIT: A veteran Kuwaiti politician believes that members of the 2009 parliament will have the ‘historic opportunity’ to place Kuwait on the right track toward political reform by enforcing two regulations before it is dissolved.

“MPs are required to lay out two conditions, the first of which is to enforce a draft law entitling the judicial authority with full administrative, financial and legal independence,” former MP Dr Ahmad Al-Khateeb said in an article published

by Al-Qabas yesterday.

The second condition calls for enforcing a law to establish an independent authority that oversees elections “composed of members who are well-known for their integrity and competency, to exercise complete authority in managing and overseeing the election process,” the liberal politician said. He urged MPs to “walk out of the session before the Cabinet swears-in” if the prime minister fails to guarantee that these

404 teachers terminated on reaching retirement age KUWAIT: More than 400 teachers will not be retained to teach in public schools next year after reaching the official age of retirement, a local daily reported yesterday quoting Ministry of Education sources.

“Minister of Education and Minister of Higher Education Dr Nayef Al-Hajraf turned down applications to renew the contracts of 445 expatriate employees including 404 teachers who reached the age of retirement”, said the sources who explained that an employee’s contract cannot be renewed after it was renewed for two years upon

reaching 60 years of age. Employees who have children in 12th grade in a public school are exempted, the sources added.

Meanwhile, the sources who spoke to Al-Jarida on condition of anonymity said that “some undersecretary assistants were able to convince the minister to exempt a number of consultants whose contracts were eventually extended for one year”. The number of exempted staff who reached the official age of retirement is 165, the sources added. — Al-Jarida

GENEVA: Head of the Women’s Development Institute in Kuwait, Kowthar Al-Jo’an, took part in the Sixteenth Annual Womenís Conference for Peace in the Middle East, which concluded in Geneva, Switzerland yesterday. — KUNA

two conditions will be fulfilled, reported Al-Qabas.

Meanwhile, Dr Al-Khateeb also predicted that the Islamists are “not likely to regain majority in the upcoming elections,” repeating their victory in 2012 elections.

“Kuwaitis are worried about the Islamists’ performance in the 2012 parliament, especially concerning the proposal to amend Article 2 of the Constitution to make Islamic Sharia the only source of legislation,” Al-Khateeb told Al-Rai daily.

He added that the opposition’s pressure to call for an elected cabinet “does not necessarily help them secure majority votes again.”

Al-Khateeb, who served as deputy speaker in 1962, predicts that the current political turmoil “will end peacefully if new elections are held. It is necessary that an independent authority that is not run by the government monitor elections to ensure integrity,” he added, reported Al-Rai.— Al-Rai

KU professor freed on bail KUWAIT: A Kuwait University professor was released on bail after brief detention over charges of offending HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah through statements posted on Twitter, local dailies reported yesterday.

“The Capital Prosecution Department on orders of Director Rujaib Al-Rujaib released Dr (F M) on KD1,000 bail on Thursday after being charged with offending HH the Amir,” read a statement published by Al-Rai. The report further indicates that the accused was interrogated the same day during the morning “and confronted with pictures posted on Twitter account that includes offenses to HH the Amir”.

In other news, the Cassation Court overruled an Appeals’ Court ruling that forces the Fatwa and Legislation Department to sign 15 lawyers who appealed an earlier decision by which they were singled out of a list of 160 lawyers recruited recently. — Al-Rai

LOCAL SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012

Parliament polls in October likely New govt seen next week, Al-Khorafi may convene session KUWAIT: In all probability, the parliamentary elections will be held in October as dissolution of the 2009 parliament is waiting only on certain technicalities in order to ensure that the polls are held in accordance with the constitutional rules.

The predications have been made by sources with knowledge of the recent meeting between HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, and members from the recently reinstated parliament. Speaking on a condition of anonymity, MPs expressed their frustration at the cabinet’s performance during the meeting with HH the Amir. They said they objected to what they perceive as the cabinet’s compliance with opposition demands which contain radical changes to the political landscape in Kuwait.

Meanwhile, a new government will be formed next week, sources said.

Speaker Jassim Al-Kharafi will convene a new session of 2009 parliament which was reinstated through a court verdict. It is expected most lawmakers from the 2009 assembly will be convinced to attend the first session.

Osama Al-Munawer claimed that some members from the disbanded 2012 parliament asked him to demand compensation for the losses incurred owing to procedural errors made, said Al-Shahed.

While the lawmakers told HH the Amir that they had no problems with HH’s plans to dissolve parliament, they put forward a number of scenarios which include a ‘no cooperation’ letter which would be filed after the parliament fails to convene. This they say is likely to happen when the majority in the 2009 parliament implement their plan to boycott sessions.

Prime Minister HH Sheikh Jaber AlMubarak Al-Sabah made guarantees to the opposition (who won majority seats in the annulled 2012 elections) that his to-be-formed cabinet has no plans to cooperate with the 2009 parliament, MP Abdurrahman AlAnjari claimed.

He also explained that the guarantees were made in a meeting with Dr. Jamaan Al-Harbash and Musallam Al-Barrak after the constitutional court made its ruling to render the dissolution late last year unconstitutional.

In a statement made by MP Dr Faisal Al-Miselm the opposition is planning to enter the elections with a unified agenda which will call for “enforcing political reforms and constitutional amendments to endorse full parliamentary system”.

He continued to say that the plan “will be prepared with time limits to enforce regulations” and as a map to “save Kuwait from the endless cycle of political crises”.

Al-Mislem also announced that there are opposition plans to nominate “a list of four candidates in each electoral constituency”. That indicates 40 oppositionists could run in the upcoming elections, given that

the opposition’s campaign runs through two lists in each of the five constituencies. The opposition is expected to have a main election campaign headquarters at the Iradah Square, in addition to one branch in

Assembly (Islamic - Sunni - Salafist), among others.

The event tries to achieve balance between political movements after the majority bloc in the 2012 parliament took control of the political

Iraq’s Al-Sadr says sorry KUWAIT: The head of the Al-Sadr faction in Iraq, Muqtada Al-Sadr, has apologized for any insults some supporters may have caused. He also insisted that he would send them to apologize in person if necessary.

Al-Sadr has denied accusations made by MP Walid Al-Tabatabae and has commented that Kuwait is a valued neighbor which had suffered as much as the Iraqi people under the former regime. Al-Sadr directed his comments to MP Al-Tabatabae and said that the MP was under an illusion, because “I did not, and will not, interfere in Syria and neither will any of the Al-Sadr group.”

He has invited the Kuwaiti MP to visit him in AlNajaf, as his guest. — Al-Shahed

News

in brief

Former legislator pays KD 600,000 penalty KUWAIT: The Public Prosecution Department released Abdelhameed Dashti, a member of the annulled 2012 parliament after paying KD 600,000 penalty to settle the complaint filed by a lawyer in connection with a dud cheque case. Sources said that the lawyer will not accept the money until proper measures are taken to verify the authenticity of the cheque. Dashti had previously claimed that the signature on the cheque was forged.-Al-Shahed

The Parliament building. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat each constituency (Qabas) The opposition staged a gathering Tuesday last, at Iradah Square where a ‘seminar’ had been called by the Civil Democratic Movement.

In a statement made on Thursday they say they are looking to push ahead with demands for ‘constitutional monarchy and elected government”. In the meantime, former MP Mohammad Al-Saqr plans to host a seminar which will discuss “Kuwait’s future in light of repercussions of the constitutional court’s ruling”.

According to sources, the aim is to find radical solutions to the ongoing instability in Kuwait over the past years which have overshadowed development.

The sources said that invitations to attend the seminar have been sent to the National Action Bloc (libe r a l ) , N a t i o n a l I s l amic Alliance (Islamic - Shiite) and Islamic Salafist

scene. The cabinet resigned last week as a prelude to procedures that are expected to see the 2009 parliament dissolved and a call made for new elections to be held. Most ministers are expected to be retained for a cabinet that will be sworn in before the 2009 parliament, ahead of its dissolution as per the constitution.

The premier is now looking for an MP who is willing to join the cabinet to replace the former housing and cabinet affairs minister Shuwaib AlMuwaizri, who submitted his resignation from the 2009 parliament, according to General Secretary of the National Assembly Allam Al-Kandari.

Al-Kandari said Al-Muwaizri is the only MP to officially resign from the 2009 parliament, while Saadoun Hammad Al-Otaibi is the only lawmaker not elected in 2012 to return to the National Assembly building. —Al-Qabas & Al-Rai

No rain, sandstorm to hit Kuwait KUWAIT: Cloudy weather witnessed during the past two days were caused due to the rise in humidity, and will not result in precipitation, said meteorologist Dr Saleh Al-Ojairi. He said that Kuwait did not experience any rain during summer except in August 1947, when red clouds gathered for three days, resulting in then heavy rain fall on the fourth day.

Al-Ojairi said that sandstorms will return in two days as winds are expected to gain more speed during Sunday and Monday. -Al-Anbaa FAM trip for MOI employees’ children KUWAIT: The children of employees from the Ministry of Interior, martyrs and retired employees paid a visit on Wednesday to the School of Driving.

They were received by Colonel Waleed Al-Barrak, Head of Testing Department and Abdul Mohsen Farhan Al-Farhan, Deputy Chairman of the company.

Thereafter, children proceeded to the learning hall where engineer Sami Abu Hadeeqa explained rules and regulations of traffic. Brochures about traffic rules and driving skills were distributed.

Woman slaps man A young woman slapped a man who was harassing her while she was walking on the Arabian Gulf Road with a friend. She was walking on the beach when two men started to harass them, although the girls tried to ignore them.

local SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012

Woman arrested for roommate’s death Held in connection with KD2m debt KUWAIT: A Fahaheel resident was arrested on Wednesday in connection with the death of her roommate whose corpse was found near the building in which they resided. The victim, an Ethiopian woman in her thirties, was pronounced dead on the scene by paramedics who reached the scene shortly in response to an emergency call. Preliminary investigations revealed that the victim fell off a fifth floor apartment in the same building. Police detained a woman who shared the same apartment.

Drug overdose A citizen was found dead inside a house in Al-Nuzha from an apparent overdose after drug paraphernalia were found on the scene. The 34-year-old was pronounced dead inside his room by paramedics who headed to the scene after the homeowner reported to finding his son in an unconscious state. A physical examination revealed that the man died six hours before the case was reported.

Investigations as part of a case filed at the area’s police station are pending autopsy results which will determine the cause of death.

Held over KD2m debt Police forced a driver to stop his car after seeing him driving the vehicle erratically in the Mangaf area of the city. The patrol police arrested the man after it was discovered he was wanted for a KD 1.9 million debt owed to another individual.

The officers took him to the Abu Halifa police station.

Pay raise saves driver’s life A Kaifan resident managed to coax his driver out of committing suicide over relationship issues by promising to increase his pay. The Indian man had

tightened a rope around his neck when he was found by his Kuwaiti employer.

He began negotiating with him to talk him out of his plans. Eventually, the driver agreed to abandon plans to end his life when his employer promised to increase his monthly pay from KD 80 to KD 100.

The man decided to commit suicide after learning that his lover back home was getting married to another man. Police arrived at the scene after the homeowner reported the incident. The man was taken in custody to face suicide attempt charge.

Rapists at large A search is ongoing for two male suspects who sexually assaulted a domestic worker they kidnapped in Saad AlAbdullah recently. The victim described two men dressed in track suits who bundled her into an Sports Utility Vehicle(SUV) and drove to a remote area where they raped her before abandoning her near her employer’s house. The African domestic worker was helped by her employer to report the crime to local police after she returned home and explained what happened. A forensic examination was requested as part of ongoing investigations.

Students’ fight Two teenagers who sustained stab wounds were hospitalized following a fight sparked by high school finals results that were announced on Wednesday. The fight started when one of the boys who passed all his tests passed snide remarks over his classmate’s failure. A fight ensued during which each classmate attacked the other with a pocketknife. After receiving treatment, the two were referred to Al-Oyoun police station.

Student held for reckless driving A high school graduate ended up in police’s custody after he celebrated by performing risky stunts with his father’s car in Abdullah Al-Mubarak on Wednesday. The suspect escaped after patrol officers arrived at the scene after receiving multiple reports about his erratic driving. Police identified the car’s owner through the vehicle’s license plate number; who turned out to be a military man recruited in the Army. The man explained during investigations that he allowed his son to use his car after passing his final examinations. The teenager was soon detained to face charges which also includes damaging a patrol vehicle which hit a fence during the pursuit.

Home burglary Police are on the hunt for suspects who stole items worth thousands of dinars from a house in Al-Waha. A case was filed at the area’s police station recently after a citizen reported that his home was burgled into while the family was vacationing. The thieves stole jewelry and electric appliances worth around KD 12,000.

Jailed brothers A man who recently paid a visit to his imprisoned brother ended up being arrested after police learnt that he faces charges in connection with unpaid dues.

The citizen was reportedly planning to talk with his brother about an agreement to settle financial disputes owing to which his sibling was detained. He was taken into custody after police verified his identity and found that he owes KD 1,070 to a company that filed a case against him.

—Al-Rai, Al-Qabas, Al-Anbaa

Ex-husband lures, rapes woman in Rumaithiya KUWAIT: Investigations are underway following an incident in the Rumaithiya area of the city. A divorced woman lodged a complaint that her ex-husband called her to ask if they could meet up to discuss the idea of getting together again. She agreed to meet him but once inside the car there were a series of heated arguments. The man allegedly parked the car some distance away from pedestrians and raped her.

Mangaf power outage An electricity transformer maintenance program is thought to be the cause of power cuts in Magaf. Workers from the Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW) department have been working on the transformer. The MEW says KD 284 is owed by nationals and expats, but is seeking a new system to collect money by way of electronic transfers. They are also hoping to coordinate with other departments and to link services with debt free certificates from the MEW. SMS attacks An unhappy divorced woman bombarded her ex-husband with SMS messages, some of which ridiculed him. He responded with similar messages back to her. However, the situation escalated when the woman’s brother joined in and started sending messages to the ex-brother in law. In an effort to stop this, the ex-husband went to their house and, having asked him to stop, threatened and attacked him. Neighbors intervened and separated the two men, but the attacker escaped before the police arrived.

Missing boy A woman was struck after she was accused by her husband of losing their baby in a Salmiya shopping mall. The woman, who wanted to try on some dresses, left the baby in the charge of her 13-year-old sister. Unfortunately, the young girl was not very attentive in looking after her brother and the mother soon realized the baby was missing and called her husband, who on arrival slapped his wife. The happy ending is that the baby was soon found by fellow shoppers, enjoying himself in a game room.

Wife beaten up A Jordanian man is said to have beaten his wife severely, causing a number of injuries. The woman reported the incident to the Nugra police who are investigating the complaint.

Saudi expat raped Three men kidnapped and raped a Saudi expat after they lured him into their car. The 19-year-old said that he was asked to join three friends in their car. They then went to an area behind a club and raped him. They threatened him not to go to the police, but he has filed a complaint and the police are investigating the incident.

KUWAIT: Kuwait Fire Service Directorate and KOC officials at the Marina Mall during the fire safety awareness exhibition.

Exhibition on fire safety

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: Kuwait Fire Service Directorate held an awareness exhibition at the Marina Mall in which Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) participat-

ed. The activity came within the campaign, “we want it delivered”. The exhibition included a display from the hazardous materials department and included the clothing of the hazardous materials team.

The second display was for the technical rescue center, where systems used in rescue operations, be it car accidents, buildings collapse and suicides. The third display was the sea rescue with their diving gear and a replica

of the fire fighting boat “Mufid”.

The fourth display was of the prevention department where a full explanation was given on smoke detectors and the sprinklers system in addition to other means.

LOCAL SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012

Development plan to help draw more FDI into Kuwait PTB seeks to build platforms for investors: Al-Roumi KUWAIT: Kuwait needs to attract more foreign investors and draw their attention to the country’s development projects in order to raise the profile of these projects.

Also, the general climate in the world, especially in Europe and the US, seems to deter investors from looking at opportunities here in Kuwait, it is our endeavor to build platforms for investors to find the right niche for investments in the country, said Adel M Al-Roumi, President of Partnerships Technical Bureau Kuwait (PTB), in an interview.

Excerpts: Q: The Kuwait development plan has been adopted in 2010. Some say that its implementation has not been entirely successful. What do you know about the plan and how do you think it is going to transform the economy in Kuwait?

A: The Kuwait development plan is undoubtedly having a huge impact on the Kuwaiti economy. The plan itself is very ambitious, and in my opinion even if we only reach half of our target, it will be a big success. It will increase foreign direct investment and local participation in the economy from the private sector of Kuwait.

Q: You mentioned that one of the main benefits of the Kuwait development plan is to raise the profile of the private sector, to increase participation in the economy by 10-35%. Realistically, what are your expectations?

A: Go back to Economics 101. The more participation of the private sector in the local economy, the more benefit in terms of quality employment, the privatization of the economy, encouraging entrepreneurs and encouraging increased movement in the local scene. We know from experience that the private sector is more able to provide services than the public sector. Thus, if the public sector shifts from being an operator to being a regulator, the quality of service delivery will increase. The Kuwait development plan’s ambitious goals is sure to impact the economy greatly.

Q: This Plan attracted international

attention. How does Partnerships Technical Bureau fit into the Plan, and what are your expectations and vision?

A: It is the first time since the establishment of Partnerships Technical Bureau that investors, both international and local, have a platform to meet and seek partnerships with the government of Kuwait. As you know, all public entities in Kuwait must deal with Partnerships Technical Bureau in the process of creating new projects. Partnerships Technical Bureau raises awareness of

er, more open economy. When you look at Partnerships Technical Bureau projects, like the enhancement of telecommunications, transportation, electricity this is done to provide a better environment for business, and reach the goal set by His Highness the Amir to make Kuwait a major financial hub by 2030. Hospitals and public schools are also being built. Usually, countries choose infrastructure projects for lack of cash - this does not concern us. Partnerships Technical Bureau is working on a major upgrade of national services in order

not received many foreign direct investments in the past couple of years, so we now need more exposure, especially given the solid and stable state of Kuwaiti economy.

Reports say that Kuwait lacks some indicators in the World Bank Index for Business Competitiveness. But it is part of our Plan to solve these issues.

For example, one concern is timing to get a license to operate. We passed a law No 7 in 2008 that established the Higher Committee, chaired by the Minister of Finance and has four other ministers, three under-sec-

Adel M Al-Roumi during the interview. these projects. It is the first time that international and local investors can compete in a fair a transparent way.

Partnerships Technical Bureau ensures that all projects granted a license which is needed by operators to run them.

Q: Most projects are in infrastructure. This will help to boost the national economy. Infrastructure projects offer a temporary boost (5 to 8 years) - then ‘real’ economy needs to kick in. Do you think that there is a challenge here for Kuwaiti economy in the long run?

A: We are delivering this infrastructure in order to accommodate a larg-

to pave the way for future economic and financial developments. For any project, including infrastructure, if you are in partnership with AA-rated countries, you are on the safe side. As a government, we wish to make these projects not only deliverable, but sustainable. Yes, there will be a boost in the short term, but it will also allow boost in other sectors as a consequence in the long term.

Q: When you meet with foreign companies, what are their concerns and apprehensions regarding investing in Kuwait?

A: People in general are very keen to invest in the region. But Kuwait has

retaries and the Head of the Environment Agency, in order to smooth the processes of launching business ventures in Kuwait.

Q: Now every business has its challenges, and every CEO has frustrations. What do you feel needs to be improved in Partnerships Technical Bureau?

A: Partnerships Technical Bureau is not a company but a public sector organization. My main concern is that people are deprived of the benefits from the significant development going on in this country. We want to attract the best operators in the world. More competition would ben-

efit Kuwait. We need to attract foreign investors and draw their attention to our projects in order to raise the profile of these projects. Also, the general climate in the world, in Europe and the US especially, seems to stop investors from looking at opportunities here in Kuwait. This is frustrating. Another frustration is the time lag of decision-making. The private sector is usually a lot faster, and it is important that the public sector has the right image as well when it comes to timeliness, especially as our work will also impact the profile of the projects we are in charge of. If everything is always delivered on time, people are more keen on participating. But it has been proved that we are able to deliver projects on time in the Partnerships Technical Bureau projects we have already launched.

Q: Have you observed a direct/indirect impact of the launch of Partnerships Technical Bureau on the economy? Were you able to make a difference?

A: The project North Zour has been awarded and thus it pushed banks into lending money to this project. Given the slowdown in the global economy, local banks are increasing their loan portfolios of projects. Consultants, lawyers, accountants are also increasing their business opportunities. When this project progresses into the building phase, cement companies and metal companies will be involved - this is a huge push for the economy of Kuwait.

Q: What about the projects themselves - which are the most important ones that investors should look at?

A: Well, 2012 is going to be a year of launching new projects. One of the areas that needs investment is the production of electricity. There are five parts to the project, one only has been awarded so far so there are four left. There is also a power station in Khairan, over 3,000 MW. There is very high demand for electricity in Kuwait, so this is the priority for Partnerships Technical Bureau and Kuwait as a whole. —Marcopolis

Transformer catches fire in Mahboula

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: A fire broke out at a secondary power transformer in Mahboula. Firefighters who tackled the flames said that it may have resulted from an explosion that took place inside the station.

Children visit KFSD The Public Relations and Information

Department at Kuwait Fire Services Department (KFSD) received children from Jaber Al-Ali Children’s Club at north Salmiya fire center.

Duties performed by fireman and measures taken to prevent accidents were explained to children by Captain Ammar Al-Hubail.

A 31-year-old Bangladeshi sustained injuries to his head after being run over by a car in Fintas. He was admitted to Adan hospital’s Intensive Care Unit(ICU).

Car accidents A 20-year-old female citizen suffered lacerations in a car accident that took place near Rabiya. She was admitted to Farwaniya hospital.

An Afghani toddler sustained a leg fracture and facial injuries in a car accident that took place near Jaber Stadium. He was admitted to Farwaniya hospital.

A 35-year-old Pakistani fractured his left

hand and a 29-year-old Sri Lankan suffered a lacerated abdomen in a car accident that took place in Subiyya. They were admitted to Jahra hospital.

Street fight A 17-year-old citizen suffered head and hand injuries during a fight that broke out in AlNaseem co-operative society. He was admitted to Jahra hospital.

LOCAL SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012

News

in brief

New Board of Directors of ABCK

ABCK holds annual general meeting

Stevens leads new team for 2012-2013 KUWAIT: The American Business Council of Kuwait (ABCK) held its annual general meeting at the Hilton Kuwait Resort on Tuesday. Members and representatives from the US Embassy attended the event which was held at the Hilton hotel, Kuwait.

(Infrastructure), Labeed Abdal (Kuwait Liaison), Luis Suarez (Membership), Mohanned Al-Qanni (Health).

Lionel Gittens presented his Annual Treasurer’s report, declaring ABCK’s income and expense statements as a non-profit organization. This was fol-

KUWAIT: Members attending the annual general meeting.

The ABCK Chairman Gregg Stevens, introduced his new board of directors for the year 2012-13. They are Gregg Stevens (Chairman), Scott Beverly (Vice Chairman), Mark St. Germain (Secretary), Lionel Gittens (Treasurer). Other members are Alok Chugh (Audit), Angelo Johnson (Strategic Planning), Brian Freeman (Environment), Fred Shuaibi (External Affairs), Jassim Qabazard

lowed by Mark St. Germain, presenting upcoming ABCK events and activities for the calendar year Sept 2012-June 2013.

Mark highlighted roundtable discussions at the US Embassy, various business sectors, the Annual Gala event, the Golf Tournament, and Thanksgiving and Christmas events.

The meeting concluded with a statement of encouragement for its contin-

ued support to the success of ABCK’s mission and activities. The American Business Council of Kuwait (ABCK) is a non-profit professional organization operating under the patronage of the US Embassy of Kuwait and is a member of the US Chamber of Commerce and also the member of the Middle East Council of American Chambers of Commerce (MECACC). ABCK’s mission is to act as an advocate for American business interests and American companies in Kuwait, recognizing the importance of furthering American and Kuwaiti business interactions. Mainly, ABCK is to be highly involved with the US community in Kuwait and assist them to engage with the local Kuwaiti businesses/society here.

ABCK is comprised of 450 members in total, to include large multi-national corporations, special/individual business leaders and entrepreneurs. ABCK provides a uniquely situated platform called ‘Focus Groups’ through which executives pursue and discuss issues affecting business between the US and Kuwait.

Substantive government advocacy programs, educational, networking programs and customized business service are just a few of the many benefits ABCK provides to its members. Through the support of the US Embassy in Kuwait and its members, ABCK has become the recognized voice of US business in Kuwait.

Call to safeguard rights of disabled GENEVA: Kuwait called on the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to coordinate efforts at the international level and work out a ‘legal framework’ to protect the rights of people with special needs.

Moreover, a representative of the Gulf State hailed efforts taken by Navi Pillay High Commissioner for Ilaf Mahmoud Razouqi making preparations of an analytical study on violence against women and disabled. Political researcher at Kuwait Foreign Ministry, Ilaf Mahmoud Razouqi, said during 20th session of the Human Rights Council that Kuwait has secured healthcare for all segments of people with disabilities, including women with special needs.

Envoy urges citizens to honor regulations SARAJEVO: Kuwait’s Ambassador to Bosnia-Herzegovina Mohammad Fahdel Khalaf has urged citizens traveling to the European country to abide by local laws and safety precautions. The diplomat, speaking at a news conference late on Thursday, urged citizens to abide by security precautions to safeguard their safety and belongings. He cautioned against dealing with unlicensed travel agencies and asked nationals to be prudent when seeking to buy real-estate plots in the country. Citizens who attended the event thanked the ambassador for his concern for their safety in the country. —KUNA

Kuwait, US hold talks over Gitmo detainees WASHINGTON: A Kuwaiti delegation held official talks with US officials and discussed the possibility of releasing two Kuwaiti detainees from Guantanamo Bay detention camp, Sheikh Salem Abdullah AlJaber Al-Sabah Kuwaiti Ambassador to Washington said yesterday.

Sheikh Salem told KUNA that the meeting was part of a series of other meetings that were held, and will be held in the coming weeks, with the Americans. The discussions were held under the directives of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to find a quick solution to bring back the detainees to their homeland as soon as possible.

The Kuwaiti envoy asserted that the file of Kuwaiti detainees in Guantanamo Bay prison has been top priority for both Kuwaiti and US governments; Kuwait had received 10 prisoners so far and only two are left in detention camp.

The Kuwaiti delegation consisted of officials from the Foreign Ministry, Interior Ministry and the Public Prosecution Department.

Abdulrahman Al-Haroon, Kuwaiti detainees’ Defense Attorney was also present at the meeting. —KUNA

KFSD meeting on awareness campaigns

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: A meeting was held at the KFSD building between its officials and officials from Kuwait Oil Company (KOC). Acting KFSD Director General Brig Amin Abdeen chaired the meeting which was held to discuss mutual issues related to awareness campaigns. He lauded the relations shared between the two sides and its importance in educating people about fire prevention.

Lt Colonel Khalil Al-Amir, Director of Public Relations and Information at KFSD said the KOC’s initiative to support activities of KFSD elevates its status. He said such steps pave the way for other companies to compete for cooperation and participate with government departments.

Meanwhile, Mohammad AlBasry, Head of Health and Safety at KOC praised the role played by firefighters and the sacrifices made to preserve lives and property.

KUWAIT: Acting KFSD Director General Brig Amin Abdeen with officials from Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) after the meeting.

SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012

Handshake ‘difficult’ for Queen says McGuinness

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Officers in Mexico drug ring identified

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Floods swamp thousands of Indian villages, kill 27

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CAIRO: Egyptian President-elect Mohamed Morsi gives a speech at Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt, yesterday. — AP

Morsi takes symbolic oath to people Egypt elected leader defies military rulers

CAIRO: Egypt’s Islamist President-elect Mohamed Morsi took an informal oath of office yesterday before tens of thousands of supporters in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, in a slap at the generals trying to limit his power. “I swear by God that I will sincerely protect the republican system and that I respect the constitution and the rule of law,” Morsi said to wild cheers from the crowd, many of whom were followers of his once-banned Muslim Brotherhood. “I will look after the interests of the people and protect the independence of the nation and the safety of its territory,” said the bearded Morsi, in an open-necked shirt and suit.

Morsi is to be sworn in officially today by the constitutional court, rather than by parliament as is usual. The court dissolved the Islamist-dominated lower house this month in a series of measures designed to ensure that the generals who took over from ousted ruler Hosni Mubarak will keep a strong grip on Egypt’s affairs even after Morsi takes power.

“There is no power above people power,” said Morsi.

“Today you are the source of this power. You give this power to whoever you want and you withhold it from whoever you want.”

His defiant speech was a clear challenge to the army, which also says it represents the will of the people. The 60-year-old US-trained engineer addressed himself to “the Muslims and Christians of Egypt” and promised them a “civil, nationalist, constitutional state”. Morsi also paid homage to a militant Egyptian cleric jailed in the United States. “I see the family of Omar Abdel-Rahman (in Tahrir),” he

said. “And I see the banners of the families of those who have been jailed by the (Egyptian) military.” He pledged to work for the release of the prisoners, including Abdel-Rahman.

Tens of thousands of Egyptians cheered Morsi’s arrival in the square that was the hub of the antiMubarak uprising. “Say it loud, Egyptians, Morsi is the president of the republic,” they chanted. “A full revolution or nothing. Down, down with military rule. We, the people, are the red line.” The military council that pushed Mubarak aside on Feb. 11, 2011 has supervised a chaotic stop-go transition since then, holding parliamentary and presidential elections, but then effectively negating their outcome to preserve its own power.

“Do we accept that parliament is dissolved?” cheerleaders from the Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) asked the throng in Tahrir. “No,” the party faithful thundered back. Morsi was declared president last Sunday, a nerve-racking week after a run-off vote in which he narrowly beat former air force chief Ahmed Shafik, who was Mubarak’s last prime minister. After being sworn in as the first freely elected civilian president of the most populous Arab state on Saturday, Morsi would speak at Cairo University, a presidency statement said.

Hundreds of protesters have been camped out in Tahrir for weeks to press the army to transfer power to civilians. “I’m here to tell the military council that we, the people, elected parliament so it is only us, the people, who can dissolve it,” said Intissar al-

Sakka, a teacher and FJP member. She, like many of the women in Tahrir, was wearing a waist-length “khemar” veil of the kind favored by Morsi’s wife.

The military council has long promised to hand over power to the next president by July 1, but army sources said the ceremony had been postponed, without giving a reason or a new date.

The generals have seized new powers this month, giving themselves veto rights over the drafting of a new constitution, naming a National Defense Council to run defense and foreign policies and decreeing their control of all military affairs. The military’s insistence that Morsi take his oath before the constitutional court and his defiant riposte in Tahrir sets the stage for a protracted struggle for power in Egypt. Yet it will be vital to keep such tensions in check if Egypt is to overcome economic woes that have seen foreign reserves drop by more than half in the turmoil since Mubarak’s fall. The International Monetary Fund has made a possible $3.2 billion loan conditional on broad political support for the fiscal discipline it would demand.

The Muslim Brotherhood knows it must focus on the economy to stay popular with voters, who gave it much less support in the presidential poll than in the earlier parliamentary election. Scenes at the presidential palace occupied by Mubarak for three decades encapsulated the rise of an 84-year-old Islamist movement he had banned, constrained and often persecuted. Bearded men, some in white robes, others in suits, milled around the palace while Morsi held talks on Thursday with the Muslim

Brotherhood’s supreme guide Mohamed Badie and consulted clerics from the al-Azhar seat of Islamic learning, hardline Salafis and independent evangelical Muslim preachers.

Many seemed dazzled by the grandeur of their surroundings or intrigued to be walking once-forbidden halls of power. Security guards, still there from the Mubarak era, shook their heads in frank amazement at the bearded conclave. After the Brotherhood’s Badie entered the gates, one said: “Good God, these men were in prison before and wouldn’t have dared walk past the compound. Look at them now.” Many Egyptians swarmed around outside, hoping to meet the homespun president-elect with grievances and petitions. Security men said it was hard to impose order because Morsi had given instructions that people should not be turned away.

After the talks, Morsi’s Islamist visitors at the palace in Cairo’s Heliopolis district broke a day-long fast with hundreds of takeout meals in cardboard boxes hauled in by palace guards from an armyowned local restaurant - one of the many commercial interests developed by the military over the decades. The military, the source of every previous president in the Arab republic’s 60-year history, runs business enterprises accounting for an estimated one-third of the economy. It does not intend to jeopardize the $1.3 billion a year it receives in military aid from the United States to back Egypt’s 1979 peace treaty with Israel, widely criticized by Islamists.

Morsi has said he will respect Egypt’s international obligations and does not want to take the country back to war. — Reuters

INTERNATIONAL

SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012

Car bomb leaves residents of Baghdad slum homeless BAGHDAD: A car bomb tore through the north Baghdad slum where Jihad Hussein and his wife lived, reducing their house to rubble and leaving them no choice but to take shelter in the yard of a Shiite shrine.

“It is a very shocking situation,” said Hussein, 28. “I became homeless in seconds, but thank God I did not lose my life or my wife in the explosion.” Piles of concrete blocks, clothes and furniture are all that remain of many of the makeshift houses in Imam Ali slum after an explosives-packed car tore through the area on June 13, claiming the lives of seven people and leaving more than 20 families homeless.

The blast has left the Shiite area’s impoverished residents mourning relatives and neighbours, and struggling to rebuild their shattered lives. Hussein said he looked for houses to rent but the cheapest one he found was 150,000 Iraqi dinars ($125) per month, and it was in poor condition and would have required significant repairs. And in any case, “I do not have this amount of money,” said Hussein. “None of my relatives want to help me because they don’t have enough money to give me,” he added, sitting in a meeting hall in Imam Ali, waiting for assistance from a Norwegian aid organisation.

Hussein had been living in the area since 2004, when his family had to leave the house they were renting because they could not afford an increase in the rent.

The slum, which was once a base for Saddam Hussein’s security forces, was the only place he could find. He spent eight years in his simple house made of concrete blocks, which consisted of one bedroom and a kitchen. After the blast,

BAGHDAD: People gather near destroyed building a day after a car bomb attack in the Washash neighborhood of Baghdad, Iraq yesterday. Police say a series of bombs around Iraq’s capital on Thursday have killed and wounded scores of people. —AP Hussein and his wife Fatima Safah slept on the ground in the stone-paved yard of the north Baghdad shrine of Musa Kadhim, the seventh of 12 revered Shiite imams, who died in 799 AD. The blast not only cost Hussein his home, but also his job at a car accessories shop, as he missed work after the attack.

“The owner of the shop I worked for told me that he doesn’t need me any more because he wants someone who is always with him,” Hussein said. “I told him about all my circumstances and that he should stand with me in my difficult conditions.

He told me to call him later, which means that he doesn’t want to talk to me.”

Hussein said if he cannot find work soon,

Soldier, four anti-Qaeda militiamen killed in Iraq BAQUBA: Gunmen shot dead four anti-Qaeda militiamen in central Iraq yesterday, while a roadside bomb killed an Iraqi soldier, security and medical officials said. Gunmen attacked a checkpoint in Khan Bani Saad, south of the city of Baquba, killing four Sahwa militiamen and wounding four others, a militia commander said, adding that the attackers escaped. And a roadside bomb against a patrol in the city killed one soldier and wounded another, an army major said.

Dr Ahmed Ibrahim of Baquba General Hospital confirmed the tolls. Yesterday’s deaths brought the number of people killed in attacks since June 13 to at least 212 — an average of more than 12 per day. That is a far higher toll than the 132 killed in May, according to official figures.

A significant amount of the violence has occurred in and around Baquba, capital of Diyala province, north of Baghdad. On Thursday, a car bomb exploded near a Shiite place of worship in Baquba, killing six people and wounding 51, while two people were killed and four wounded in another bombing, and three more wounded in an attack near the city.

On June 18, a suicide bomber killed 22 people in an attack on Shiite mourners in Baquba, and 10 people were killed in a series of attacks in and around the city on June 13. Iraqi army Colonel Mohammed al-Tamimi of the Diyala Operations Command said Al-Qaeda was behind the attacks. “Many attacks occurred recently in Diyala province and the Al-Qaeda organisation stands behind them,” Tamimi told AFP. “Our security forces will continue to target the hideouts of the perpetrators of the terrorist operations who frequently target innocent civilians,” Tamimi said. Violence has declined significantly since its peak in 2006 and 2007, but attacks still remain common. — AFP

he will move to the Shiite shrine city of Karbala south of Baghdad, where a cousin said there are job opportunities.

Violence and hollow promises- Some of the residents of Imam Ali had already fled unrest elsewhere in Iraq, constructing houses at the former military base because they had nowhere else to go. “We have more than 120 families in this place, and 45 percent of them are displaced from Sunni areas like Fallujah, Haswa, Abu Ghraib, Taji and other places,” said Abdul Zahra Abdul Sadeh, a 57-year-old man who manages the area, adding that those people had been forced out by threats or violence.

The United Nations says some 1.3 mil-

lion Iraqis remain internally displaced living in their country, but driven from their homes. Abdul Sadeh complained that the authorities have done nothing to help those people who lost their families or houses and that the only officials to visit were two members of the Baghdad provincial council, who did nothing but make promises. The attack that destroyed Hussein’s home was part of a wave of violence across Iraq on June 13 that left 72 people dead and was later claimed by AlQaeda front group, the Islamic State of Iraq. More attacks followed. Two car bombs targeting Shiites commemorating Imam Kadhim’s death killed 32 people in the capital on June 16, while a suicide bomber killed 22 people in an attack on Shiite mourners in Baquba, north of Baghdad, on June 18. That attack came on the same day that Sami al-Massudi, the deputy head of the Shiite endowment which oversees Shiite religious sites in Iraq, said a roadside bomb hit his convoy in the Saidiyah area of south Baghdad, wounding three guards. And at least 12 people were killed by roadside bombs, a suicide car bomb and a shooting on June 22, while 12 more were killed in two bombings on June 25.And on Wednesday, three bombings killed 11 people, while 20 were killed in attacks on Thursday. Along with the security forces, the Shiite majority has been a main target of Sunni Arab armed groups since the 2003 overthrow of Saddam Hussein’s Sunni-dominated regime. While violence in Iraq has declined dramatically since its peak in 2006-2007, attacks remain common. A total of 132 Iraqis were killed in violence in May, according to official figures. — AFP

National service proposal riles Israeli Arabs NAZARETH: Israel’s plan to overhaul its military draft has veered into turbulent new territory with the government’s abrupt proposal to mobilize the country’s Arab minority for civilian national service.

Israeli Arabs would be asked to perform community service and would not be required to join the army. But the concept of compulsory service - demanded by key members of the governing coalition - has stirred a hot debate within the Arab community over its place in the Jewish state, along with fierce resentment over being asked to serve a country that often treats its Arabs as second-class citizens.

“The state has never sat down with us to discuss the entire array of issues (we have), including our rights and historical rights,” said Ayman Odeh, point man on the issue for the influential Israeli Arab umbrella group, the High Follow-up Committee for Arab citizens. “If the government imposes this on us without sitting down with us, without consultation, without dialogue, we will not obey this law,” he said. No Israeli Arab sat on the parliamentary panel crafting recommendations for the new draft bill.

Israeli Arabs are ethnic Palestinians and descendants of those who remained inside Israel’s borders after the Jewish state was established in 1948. They make up 20 percent of Israel’s 7.8 million people and are largely exempt from the military, though

several thousand do serve or perform voluntary community service.

The calls to conscript Arabs into national service are part of a broader overhaul of Israel’s draft law, which the Supreme Court has ordered amended by Aug 1. The original aim was to end sweeping exemptions for ultra-Orthodox Jews, but Netanyahu says national service is a burden that must be shared by all, including Israeli Arabs.

Israeli men are required to serve three years in the military, and Israeli women about two years.

The parliamentary committee had expected to release its recommendations for a new draft bill next week. But a political storm was unleashed on Thursday after Israeli media reported the committee would not recommend compulsory service for Arabs. Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman’s Israel Beiteinu Party and another smaller coalition faction quit the committee in protest because Arab service would not be mandatory. Netanyahu, eager to quash the coalition ferment, contacted Arab lawmakers to tell them their community would have to bear their part of the burden. Netanyahu’s message was relayed by an aide in his office who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak for the record.

Arab lawmakers were furious at the prospect of compulsory service. “Arabs don’t have to be the victims of the Jewish

war between Lieberman and Netanyahu,” Arab lawmaker Ahmed Tibi of the RaamTaal Party told Army Radio yesterday. Not all Israeli Arabs oppose community service, seeing it as a welcome opportunity to help people, expand horizons and improve their Hebrew. Like Jews of draft age who cannot or will not join the military, they would be able to serve in hospitals, schools and other social service settings as a civilian alternative.

But the controversy over the proposal reflects a fierce debate within the Arab community over whether to seek to belong to the Jewish state or be on the outside. Israeli Arabs have always been in a precarious position, at once citizens of Israel and Palestinians identifying with the statehood aspirations of the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem. Although they enjoy equal rights on paper, Israeli Arab communities receive far less government funding for schools and public services, and Arabs often face bias in employment and housing. But many in the community want the government to narrow the gaps between Arabs and Jews before compelling Arabs to serve. “Why should I do something for a state that doesn’t give me everything?” asked Elias Alaa, a 19year-old aspiring doctor in Nazareth. His home, the biblical city of 60,000 where tradition says Jesus spent his childhood, has suffered from years of neglect. —AP

INTERNATIONAL SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012

Handshake ‘difficult’ for Queen says McGuinness LONDON: Martin McGuinness, Northern Ireland’s deputy first minister and an ex-IRA commander, acknowledged yesterday that his landmark meeting with Queen Elizabeth II would have been “difficult” for the monarch.

McGuinness told BBC radio he had been “very conscious” of his former role in the Irish Republican Army paramilitary organisation, which assassinated Louis Mountbatten, the queen’s second cousin once removed, in 1979.

The Sinn Fein politician shook the British sovereign’s hand at a Belfast theatre on Tuesday. The handshake had been agreed in advance. It was seen as a historic moment in AngloIrish relations but McGuinness stressed

afterwards that he was “still a Republican”. They both entered into the encounter “in good grace”, McGuinness said yesterday, adding: “I also fully understood or recognised that this would be a difficult meeting for Queen Elizabeth.”

His comments come after he criticised the British government for “blocking reconciliation” in Northern Ireland, during a speech in London on Thursday. His Catholic socialist Sinn Fein party, the political wing of the now-defunct IRA, wants Northern Ireland to leave the United Kingdom and join the Republic of Ireland to the south. McGuinness accused Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron of fail-

ing to engage in efforts to build on the peace process and his government of making “a series of very wrong and unhelpful decisions”.

Highlighting this “lack of engagement”, McGuinness said he and Northern Ireland’s First Minister Peter Robinson had met US President Barack Obama more times than Cameron. He also claimed Britain was refusing to face up to its role in the Troubles, the three decades of sectarian violence between Protestants and Catholics in the province, which largely ended with the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.

“Unfortunately, to date, the British state has refused to even acknowledge its role as a combatant in the conflict,”

A month in, Hollande approval rating slumps

Hardliners disenchanted, political blunders take toll PARIS: Just over a month into his mandate, French President Francois Hollande’s approval ratings have tumbled by seven points, reflecting growing economic malaise and fears of austerity measures as his Socialist government scrambles to control costs and spur growth. Confidence in Hollande “to effectively confront the principal problems weighing on the country” fell to 51 percent from 58 percent in late May, according to the survey by pollster CSA published in yesterday’s edition of Les Echos daily.

Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, who is poised to unveil an amended budget outlining tax hikes next week, also saw his rating fall seven points to 49 percent. With Hollande’s political capital waning so early in his term, plans to rein in the deficit and debt through tax increases and deeper spending cuts could become all the more complicated. Since being sworn in on May 15 to his five-year term on a wave of left-wing fervour, self-styled “Mr. Normal” has had a few rocky weeks at home politically while pressing France’s case for growth measures and mutualised debt on the euro zone stage.

Hollande has backed the need for bold steps to help Italy and Spain, the latest focus of Europe’s financial crisis, putting pressure on the French presidency’s relationship with Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel - traditional allies within the bloc. Polls conducted in the last month have accorded him approval ratings lower than equivalent ones for his predecessor, Nicolas Sarkozy, at the start of his mandate in 2007. “The anxiety of the French towards the economic situation remains immense, and the announcement of bad employment numbers at the beginning of the week certainly influenced certain respondents,” wrote CSA in its survey results.

Unemployment has risen for thirteen months in France with number of jobless people hitting the highest level since August 1999 in April, the last month for which figures are available.

France has seen its economic growth

grind to a halt and the public is bracing for what many fear are austerity measures to come, despite Hollande’s assurances to protect the middle class, as the government vows to meet its deficit reduction goals. The public’s worry, according to CSA, has been

a 2 percent rise in the minimum wage announced earlier in the week, saying the cosmetic hike could merely buy “a cup of coffee per week”.

Disenchantment by hardliners from the left contributed to Hollande’s lower approval rating, the poll found. It

he said. “That position is no longer tenable as we move forward. “It is also excluding the British state from assisting a genuine process of national reconciliation in Ireland.” The queen spent two days in Northern Ireland as part of the diamond jubilee celebrations marking her 60 years on the throne.

Mountbatten, also the uncle of the queen’s husband, Prince Philip, was murdered when the IRA bombed his boat while he was on holiday in County Sligo in the Republic of Ireland.

He is credited as being the pair’s matchmaker and was a mentor of their eldest son Prince Charles, the heir to the throne. — AFP

Myanmar detains dozen aid workers; 1 released GENEVA: Myanmar has detained a dozen aid workers working for international organizations in the past month, and released just one of them, a spokesman for the UN refugee agency said yesterday. Adrian Edwards said four Myanmar nationals working for the agency were taken by the authorities in June in areas of the country where there has been civil unrest, and three are still being held.

Two workers from the World Food Program and six from a non-UN group, Doctors Without Borders, had also been detained in several locations around Myanmar, and were still to be released, he added. Edwards said that some of the detentions occurred in Rakhine state, an area of western Myanmar where a state of emergency was declared in June after ethnic clashes took place between Rohingyas and Rakhine Buddhists, many of whom consider the Rohingyas to be illegal settlers from neighboring Bangladesh. The aid workers had been providing food, medical assistance and other help to displaced people.

He said the exact grounds on which they are being held remains unclear, and UN officials are seeking access to them.

Edwards told reporters in Geneva that discussions to free the staff are in “a delicate situation.” Earlier this week, Myanmar’s Information Ministry updated the death toll in the recent clashes in Rakhine to 78, and said that 87 others had been injured since late May. The clashes - the worst ethic violence to hit Myanmar in years - are a setback to President Thein Sein’s democratic and economic reforms, launched after decades of repressive rule by a military junta. — AP

Strauss-Kahn, wife have separated: Source

BRUSSELS: French President Francois Hollande speaks with the media as he arrives for an EU Summit in Brussels yesterday. —AP compounded by “uncertainty” over measures to plug a budget shortfall that will require 7-10 billion euros ($8.7-12.4 billion) to reach a targeted 4.5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) for 2012.

Yesterday, France’s gross public debt hit an all-time high of 89.3 percent of GDP in the first quarter, according to national statistics office INSEE, adding to pressure from markets to lower spending, as GDP growth was zero. Meanwhile, measures to try to help workers’ living standards have fallen flat. On Thursday, popular leftist leader Jean-Luc Melenchon scoffed at

also cited the knock to the president’s image from a media firestorm created when Hollande’s partner, Valerie Trierweiler, expressed her support for a political rival of his former partner and the mother of his children, Segolene Royal.

The incident was particularly damaging given that Hollande had vowed to lead a “dignified” and “sober” presidency in contrast to that of Sarkozy, whose soap opera love life and showy public style irritated many French. The CSA survey polled 1,005 people by phone on June 26 and 27. —Reuters

PARIS: Former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn, who is facing a probe into his alleged involvement with a prostitution ring in France, and his wife have separated, a source said. Anne Sinclair, a wealthy heiress who recently relaunched her media career as a news editor at the Huffington Post’s French edition, and Strauss-Kahn separated about a month ago and they are living in separate residences in Paris, said the source, who is close to Strauss-Kahn.

The weekly magazine, Closer, earlier reported in its online edition that Sinclair threw Strauss-Kahn out of their home in central Paris. Strauss-Kahn is under investigation in France to establish whether he knew he was dealing with prostitutes and pimps when he attended sex parties in northern France, Paris and Washington in 2010 and 2011 allegedly organized by business acquaintances. Public prosecutors last month widened the inquiry to include a possible gang rape charge after a prostitute told them Strauss-Kahn and friends had forced her to have sex in a group when she came to Washington to meet him in December 2010. The woman has not filed a formal complaint. Strauss-Kahn denies knowing that the women at the parties were prostitutes or that there was any violence. His career at the head of the Washingtonbased IMF was cut short when he was arrested in New York in May 2011 on charges, which he denied and that have since been dropped, of attempting to rape a hotel maid. — Reuters

INTERNATIONAL

SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012

US ambassador to Kenya resigns over differences NAIROBI: President Barack Obama’s ambassador to Kenya announced his resignation yesterday, citing differences with Washington over his leadership style. A former two-star Air Force general, Ambassador Scott Gration appears to have been forced by Washington to step down because of what Gration said were differences in priorities.

The US Embassy statement announcing Gration’s departure laid bare the disagreements the former military leader had with his civilian bosses at the State Department and other US agencies. Gration - who spent time as a child in Kenya and spoke the local language - said being ambassador to Kenya was “a dream job.” “It has been a great honor and a profound privilege to be a part of the US State Department team for the past three years and to serve as the US Ambassador to Kenya and as the CEO of Team Kenya since May of 2011,” Gration said.

“However, differences with Washington regarding my leadership style and certain priorities lead me to believe that it’s now time to leave.” Kenya is East Africa’s largest economy and has strong ties with the US The two countries cooperate on military affairs and have a shared interest in containing militant threats from Somalia. Gration spent his childhood as the son of missionary parents in Congo and Kenya, and speaks the dominant local language, Swahili. He served in the Air Force as an F-16 fighter pilot instructor, and spent two years in Kenya on assignment with the Kenya Air Force. Gration was a national security adviser to Obama’s first presidential campaign and served as a special assistant to the president. Before being named ambassador to Kenya, he was Obama’s special envoy to Sudan from March 2009 to April 2011. — AP

British police nab notorious fugitive MADRID: British police yesterday arrested an ETA fugitive who fled Spain after a legal bungle set him free from a 2,700-year jail sentence for killing 22 people, officials said.

British officers nabbed Antonio Troitino Arranz, 55-year-old member of the armed Basque separatist group, in a predawn raid on a home in the London, the Spanish and British authorities said.

Troitino, a member in the 1980s of ETA’s Madrid unit, which carried out some of the group’s bloodiest attacks, had been on the run for more than a year. One of the unit’s most notorious acts was a car bomb attack on a police bus in Madrid on July 14, 1986, which killed 12 officers and wounded another 51 people. “Troitino was the one who set off the bomb,” Spain’s Interior Ministry said in a statement. Troitino was captured in the London district of Hounslow along with 39-year-old Ignacio Lerin Sanchez, wanted on suspicion of membership of ETA and possession of explosives.

“The men have been taken to a central London police station where they remain in custody,” said a statement by Scotland Yard. Troitino was originally arrested in 1987 and sentenced to more than 2,700 years for 22 killings even though the maximum stay in prison in Spain is 30 years.

He was freed on April 13 last year after requesting that the six years he had spent in prison before sentencing be discounted from his term. Spain’s National Court subtracted those six years from the 30-year maximum jail time instead of the actual 2,700-year sentence because the law was not clear on the matter. But after an appeal by prosecutors, the court agreed a week later that it had erred and the six years should have been discounted from the actual sentence. By then, however, Troitino could not be found. ETA renounced violence on October 20, 2011 but has not bowed to Spanish demands that it disarm and disband.

Blamed for more than 800 killings in four decades of a campaign to create a Basque homeland in northern Spain and southwestern France, the group has not committed an attack on Spanish soil since August 2009. —AFP

Police in Kenya pursuing kidnappers of 4 aid workers

Dadaab refugee camp hosts 500,000 refugees NAIROBI: Somali militants ambushed an aid convoy yesterday, killed a Kenyan aid worker and kidnapped four international workers at a Kenyan refugee camp near the border with Somalia, officials said. Kenyan police said they were pursuing the attackers.

Four international workers from the Norwegian Refugee Council were kidnapped after gunmen attacked a twocar convoy traveling through the sprawling Dadaab refugee camp, said police official Philip Ndolo. Dadaab hosts nearly 500,000 Somali refugees.

The gunmen killed a Kenyan driver for the aid group during the attack, Ndolo said. Earlier reports said one Kenyan driver was also kidnapped but a security official said only the four internationals were in hostage takers’ hands. Ndolo said that police and military security personnel were pursuing

the attackers. Kenya deployed troops into Somalia last October, so even if the kidnappers succeed in crossing back into Somalia, they may have to contend with Kenyan troops on the other side of the border.

A Norwegian Refugee Council spokesman in Norway, Rolf Vestvik, said he could not yet confirm any of the details of the incident. However, Vestvik did say that the Norwegian Refugee Council’s Secretary General Elisabeth Rasmusson was in Dadaab during the attack. Vestvik said Rasmusson is safe and unharmed. A spate of kidnapping attacks by Somalia gunmen across the border in Kenya last year were one of the reasons Kenya used to publicly justify its military push into Somalia last year.

Last October gunmen entered Dadaab and snatched two Spanish

women working for Doctors Without Borders. The two are still being held, likely in Somalia.

Gunmen also carried out kidnapping attacks around the coastal resort town of Lamu. Since those attacks, Kenya has moved thousands of troops into Somalia, complicating the blueprint used by previous ambush attacks: grab a valuable international aid worker, resident or tourist in Kenya and take them back to the safehaven of Somalia in hopes of eventually collecting ransom.

Despite the presence of Kenyan military troops, al-Shabab militants still control wide swaths of southern Somalia, and if the kidnappers make it into that region the hostages could be in for a long ordeal. No claim of responsibility was immediately made after yesterday’s attack. —AP

First white woman stands in Senegal’s elections DAKAR: She was born in Paris but fell in love with Senegal, where filmmaker and photographer Laurence Gavron not only took nationality but is the first white woman to stand in parliamentary elections. “I’m a Senegalese of French origin, ‘a product of diversity,’ as they say in France,” the 57-yearold redhead told AFP in the garden of her Dakar home, lush with flowering plants, a fan-shaped traveller’s palm and-perhaps a concession to her French origins-an arbor full of plump green grapes, a rare sight in a Senegalese garden.

“If all the people who have said they will vote for me really do vote for me, then I shall certainly be elected” in Sunday’s poll, she said. If she does win, Gavron, who has lived in the west African state for the last decade, will be only the second “Toubab”-as white people are known here

DAKAR: French-born Senegalese candidate Laurence Gavron, running for the TEKKI party in the upcoming legislative elections speaks on June 27, 2012 in Dakar in front of a poster of Mamadou Lamine Diallo, founder of the TEKKI party. —AFP

to have taken Senegalese nationality and win a seat in parliament, following Jean-Baptiste Collin, a Frenchman who was naturalised in 1961.

“Laurence is entirely Senegalese, even if she has white skin. She has a place on our electoral list,” said El Hadji Sarr, one of the leaders of the left-wing Party for the Emergence of Citizens-Tekki. The group, which currently has only one member, a woman, in the outgoing National Assembly of 150 seats, is led by an economist, Mamadou Lamine Diallo, with whom Gavron says she upholds the same values: competence, morality, fairness, good governance, transparency and participation by citizens.

“I’ve always had a left-wing bent. I am incapable of voting for the right, it’s something that I’ve never done,” she said. A Jewish woman in a mainly Muslim country, Gavron sees her role as a Tekki candidate as “a sort of commitment” to Senegal, “a country which has greatly inspired me, which has given me a lot,” she said. She concedes that she has benefited from a 2010 law to redress the gender balance in elected institutions, passed under former president Abdoulaye Wade. It provides for complete parity between men and women on voting lists, and will be applied for the first time in Sunday’s polls.

“This is something very good, particularly in Senegal, where much injustice is done to women” and “it’s important to start there, in politics,” Gavron said. “I’m in love with this country”- Before coming to Senegal, a former French colony with a long tradition of multi-party politics, Gavron’s life revolved around film. She obtained a master’s degree in modern literature, specialising in cinema, in 1976, then moved into journalism covering cinema, before becoming a film director for television and then the movies.

She married a German cameraman who died when she was 32 and pregnant with her second child. “The first time I set foot on Senegalese soil was 25 years ago. I’m in love with this country,” said Gavron, who has since married a Senegalese man, speaks fluent Wolof and can “get by” in Peul, two of the country’s 20-some languages. Gavron has made films about several well-known Senegalese figures, including the late filmmaker Djibril Diop Mambety, and she has written books set in Senegal, including one called “Boy Dakar”. She took up residence in Dakar in 2002 and obtained Senegalese nationality in 2007. She is a wellknown figure in Senegalese cultural circles where some, like poet Thierno Seydou Sall, have declared they will vote for her because she “wants things to move.” — AFP

INTERNATIONAL SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012

Bernard Madoff’s brother arrested

US alleges conspiracy, falsifying records

COLORADO: Fire evacuees Jim and Lynn Becka react after learning their home was not one of the hundreds destroyed in the Waldo Canyon fire Thursday at a news conference in Colorado Springs, Colorado.—AFP

A family’s memories ‘just burned’ in Colorado blaze

COLORADO SPRINGS: After waiting for two days, Rebekah and Byron Largent learned from lists distributed by authorities that their home was among the hundreds that burned to the ground in the most destructive wildfire ever to rage across Colorado. It was especially hurtful as their house was destroyed on their daughter Emma’s first birthday. “Our minds just started sifting through all the memories of that house that we lost that can’t be replaced,” Rebekah Largent said Thursday night. She remembered her wedding dress, a grandmother’s china, the rocking chair where the couple would sit with Emma.

“Our little girl, our 1-year-old daughter, that’s the house that she’s lived in the longest. It’s just really hard to have lost a lot of the memories connected to that, you know? They just burned,” she said. Officials said the Waldo Canyon fire that forced tens of thousands to flee this city 60 miles south of Denver destroyed an estimated 346 homes and left at least one person dead. Police Chief Pete Carey said the remains of one person were found in a home where two people had been reported missing. He didn’t elaborate or take questions after making the announcement late Thursday.

President Barack Obama was to tour fire-stricken areas yesterday after issuing a disaster declaration for Colorado, releasing federal funds to help. A fire in northern Colorado, which is still burning, destroyed 257 homes earlier this month and until Thursday was the state’s most destructive. From above Colorado Springs, the destruction was painfully clear: Rows and rows of houses were reduced to smoldering ashes even as some homes just feet away survived largely intact.

When he first saw the aerial photos of the homes burned in his neighborhood, Ryan Schneider recognized immediately that his house had been spared. But relief quickly turned to sadness for his many friends and neighbors who hadn’t been so lucky. “I mean, there’s a lifetime of things that people collect in these homes, and they’ve lost it all,” said Schneider, vice president of the 1,700-home community association for the Mountain Shadows neighborhood.

Amid the devastation in the foothills of Colorado Springs, there were hopeful signs. Weather conditions improved Thursday and some evacuation orders were lifted by the evening, though there was no immediate word on how many people would be allowed back. People were told to still be ready to flee at a moment’s notice. The Air Force Academy was letting residents return Friday morning and officials said normal operations would resume throughout most of the academy. “We’re gaining more confidence,” said Bret Waters, director of the Colorado Springs emergency management office. “It doesn’t mean we’re out of the woods.”

More than 30,000 people frantically packed up belongings Tuesday night as the flames swept through their neighborhoods. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation said two people have been arrested in connection with a burglary at an evacuated home. Community officials began the process of notifying residents Thursday that their homes were destroyed. The lists of more than 30 street names were posted at a local high school, listing those areas with heavy damage. Anxious residents scanned the sheets, but for many, the official notification was a formality. They recognized their street on aerial pictures and carefully scrutinize the images to determine the damage. Photos and video from The Associated Press and the Denver Post showed widespread damage. Colorado Springs, the state’s second-largest city, is home to the US Olympic Training Center, NORAD and the Air Force Space Command, which operates military satellites. They were not threatened. Conditions were still too dicey to allow authorities to begin trying to figure out what sparked the blaze that has raged for much of the week and already burned more than 29 square miles. —AP

NEW YORK: The FBI said yesterday it had arrested Peter Madoff, the younger brother of swindler Bernard Madoff, who is serving a 150-year prison sentence for his multibillion-dollar Ponzi scheme. The arrest of Peter Madoff had been expected as he is due in federal court in Manhattan later yesterday to plead guilty to charges related to his brother’s decades-long fraud. Peter Madoff was arrested at his lawyer’s office, Federal Bureau of Investigation spokesman Peter Donald said.

Federal prosecutors on Wednesday revealed in a letter that Peter Madoff had been criminally charged with participating in his brother’s fraud. He is the first Madoff family member to be arrested and charged. The letter, filed in federal court in Manhattan, said Peter Madoff was expected to plead guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit securities fraud and falsifying records as well as other charges.

He agreed not to seek a sentence other than 10 years in prison, the letter said.

Peter Madoff also agreed to forfeit about $143.1 billion, including all real and personal property, the letter said. The amount is symbolic, being more than twice the estimated size of the fraud. John Wing, a lawyer for Peter Madoff, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Peter Madoff was chief compli-

ance officer at Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC when his brother was arrested on Dec. 11, 2008.

Prosecutors have not said whether criminal cases are also being prepared against Bernard Madoff’s son, Andrew, who was co-director of trading, or his niece, Shana, who was a compliance officer at the firm. In May, Irving Picard, the trustee seeking money for victims of the Ponzi scheme, named members of Madoff’s family in an expanded $255.3 million lawsuit, claiming they should have detected Bernard Madoff’s Ponzi scheme at the firm that operated “as if it were their family piggy bank.”

In addition to Madoff’s brother Peter, Picard sued Andrew Madoff, who was codirector of trading; the estate of son Mark, co-director of trading who committed suicide in December 2010; and Shana Madoff. In the lawsuit, Picard described Peter Madoff as a savvy investor who once served as vice-chairman of the board of governors of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. Picard is seeking $90.4 million from Peter, $81.3 million from Mark Madoff’s estate, $73.8 million from Andrew and $15.3 million from Shana.

Lawyers for Andrew and Shana Madoff did not immediately return calls seeking comment. Between 1993 and 2008, Peter

Madoff was paid over $36 million in salary and bonuses, Picard said, and the firm funded his lavish lifestyle, including $140,000 for a Ferrari in 1995 and a home on Manhattan’s upscale Park Avenue.

Bernard Madoff, 74, is serving a 150-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to the Ponzi scheme in March 2009. He was ordered to forfeit $170.8 billion.

Peter Madoff is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud and mail fraud as well as making false statements about the firm’s compliance program and investment advisory business. He is also charged with falsifying records. About a dozen people have now been implicated in criminal wrongdoing related to the Madoff firm. Five have pleaded not guilty: Annette Bongiorno, Daniel Bonventre, Joann Crupi, Jerome O’Hara and George Perez.

Frank DiPascali, the former chief financial officer often called Bernard Madoff’s right-hand man, pleaded guilty in August 2009 and has been praised by prosecutors for his cooperation. He has yet to be sentenced. Picard has estimated customers of the Madoff firm lost about $20 billion. On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court let stand a lower court ruling on the trustee’s methods for calculating losses.

That decision could help Picard repay customers faster. —Reuters

US health care court ruling becomes election-year fight WASHINGTON: The momentous Supreme Court ruling that upheld the heart of President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul has thrown the hugely divisive issue right back into the center of the political fight gripping the country in a presidential election year. The 5-4 ruling by the conservative-dominated court handed Obama a major political victory by leaving in force the legislative centerpiece of his term, a law aimed at covering more than 30 million uninsured Americans.

While the ruling was a big victory for Obama in that it validated the major piece of legislation he had pushed through Congress at a cost of much political capital, it remained unclear how the decision will affect the election. It could energize Obama voters. But it also may build a fire under conservatives supporting challenger Mitt Romney, who told donors yesterday the decision has injected “greater urgency” in the presidential contest. His campaign said it had raised more than $4 million online since the ruling.

The case was the most closely watched one to go before the court since the 2000 ruling that resulted in George W. Bush’s being declared the winner of the presidential election. Republicans, most notably Romney, immediately vowed if elected to repeal the health care law, pounding on the theme of what the party sees as federal government over-reach and an increase in taxes. Obama, using momentum from the ruling, must make clear to voters that Romney once embraced the health care policies he now fiercely criticizes.

Chief Justice John Roberts, a conservative who wrote the majority opinion, sided with the court’s four liberals and reasoned that the law was constitutional because its centerpiece - the requirement that all Americans obtain health insurance or face a federal fine - was actually a tax that legally could be imposed by Congress.

Roberts, appointed by former President George W. Bush, sided in his opinion, however, with the four other conservative justices in holding that the requirement could not be upheld under the federal government’s constitutional power to regulate interstate commerce. The Obama administration had sought to defend the law on those terms but had used the tax argument as a backup.

Polls show a majority of Americans do not support the health care overhaul, which was based on a plan put in place in Massachusetts when Romney was governor there. The Massachusetts law has been widely supported by residents since it took effect in 2006. While Romney defends the Massachusetts plan, he has said such changes should be left to the individual states and not be imposed by the federal government..

After the ruling, Republican campaign strategists said Romney will use it to continue campaigning against “Obamacare” and attacking it as a tax increase. “Our mission is clear,” Romney said. “If we want to get rid of ‘Obamacare,’ we’re going to have to replace President Obama. ... Help us defeat ‘Obamacare.’ Help us defeat the liberal agenda that makes government too big, too intrusive, and that’s killing jobs across this great country.”

Rep. Eric Cantor, the No. 2 Republican in the House of Representatives, said the chamber would vote July 11 to repeal the entire health care law. That was unlikely to be anything but symbolic because the Democratic-controlled Senate was unlikely to even take up such a measure. Obama, obviously pleased with the high court ruling, spoke on national television from the White House and acknowledged that the health care law was not politically popular.

“It should be pretty clear by now that I didn’t do this because it was good politics,” he said. “I did it because it was good for the country.” Polls show that while a majority of Americans do not support the overhaul in its entirety, they do back many individual parts of the law, especially sections that allow young people to remain on their parent’s health insurance policies until age 26 and that forbid insurance companies from refusing coverage to people who are ill.

The central issue in the ruling concerned the means for financing the law’s changes in health coverage. In order to keep insurance companies from suffering significant losses by being required to insure people who are ill or prevented from dropping them from coverage if they become ill, the law requires all Americans to have insurance. That would include the large number of uninsured young people who do not currently enter the insurance market until they grow older and more likely to need coverage. Those who don’t buy insurance will be subject to a federal fine, payable through the federal tax collection body, the Internal Revenue Service.—AP

INTERNATIONAL SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012

Officers in Mexico drug ring identified

Authorities still looking for third officer MEXICO CITY: Mexican authorities have identified two federal police officers who shot dead three of their colleagues at Mexico City’s international airport this week and say the shooters were part of a trafficking ring that flew in cocaine from Peru. Luis Cardenas Palomino, the federal police’s regional security chief,

after the shooting, Palomino said. The three remain at large. The government is offering a $360,000 reward leading to the capture of the officers, who Palomino described as “traitors.”

Photographs on Lugo’s Facebook page show him holding a high-powered rifle and handguns, and posing in front of his

MEXICO CITY: Luis Cardenas, chief of regional security division of the federal police of Mexico, points to surveillance camera footage at the international airport related to a shooting, during a press conference in Mexico City Thursday. —AP said Thursday that the slain officers were trying to arrest officer Zeferino Morales Franco at the food court of the airport’s Terminal 2 when agent Daniel Cruz Garcia arrived and shot the arresting officers from behind.

Authorities are also looking for a third officer, Bogard Felipe Lugo de Leon, who is the suspects’ supervisor and who abandoned his post at the airport shortly

patrol car or a federal police airplane. He also has photos of himself carrying a baby girl he identifies as his 7-month-old daughter.

Lugo’s comments on his Facebook page seem to suggest he was recently assigned to Mexico City’s airport and that before then he was in the resort city of Cancun. Palomino said that for several months authorities had been investigat-

ing a cocaine trafficking ring that involved passengers arriving from Peru’s capital, Lima. He said other government officials working at the airport are involved but didn’t identify them.

“We know there must be other authorities involved in trafficking and that’s what we are investigating,” he said. Passengers would allegedly bring cocaine hidden on their body or in their luggage, and drop it off in bathrooms before reaching the immigration and customs check area. Corrupt officials would then circle back to pick up the drugs, Palomino said. The federal Public Safety Department had conducted an 18-month investigation into corrupt federal police officers and other officials who were part of the alleged cocaine trafficking ring. The operation has seized 648 pounds (294 kilograms) of cocaine at the airport, Palomino said.

Since January, seven passengers arriving from Lima have been detained carrying cocaine, he added. On Monday, the day of the shooting, federal officers watching surveillance cameras saw Morales go into a bathroom shortly after the arrival of a flight from Lima. Two officers approached Morales once he was in the food court area and told their boss in a radio call that he was carrying drugs; that’s when the officers were attacked, Palomino said.

A third officer who was nearby for support fired at the attackers but he was wounded and later died at a hospital, he said. The shooting sent terrified people waiting for their flights diving to the floor for protection. Palomino said Morales and Garcia got away in a taxi. He said phone records show Morales called Lugo as he was leaving the airport.

Surveillance cameras captured Lugo leaving in his own car, he said. —AP

Brazil: Paraguay may be suspended from Mercosur MENDOZA: South American foreign ministers plan to recommend that Paraguay be suspended from the Mercosur regional trade bloc over last week’s ouster of former President Fernando Lugo, Brazil’s foreign minister said Thursday. But Antonio Patriota said that ministers attending a bloc summit in Mendoza, Argentina will recommend against economic sanctions in retaliation for the impeachment of Lugo. Speaking to a small group of journalists outside closed-door meetings, Patriota said he could not give any further details about Paraguay’s possible suspension, nor say how long it might last.

Mercosur’s final decision on what to do about Paraguay will be announced yesterday following a meeting of regional heads of state.

“We have been working on a resolution that will be taken tomorrow ... as you all might have anticipated, it is the suspension of Paraguay’s participation from the workings of Mercosur,” Patriota told reporters after meeting with his Argentine, Uruguayan and Venezuelan counterparts.

Lugo, a former Roman Catholic bishop whose presidency was marred by a cancer scare and several paternity scandals, was ousted last Friday by Congress in a fast trial triggered by a land eviction that killed people in gunbattles between police and landless peasants. Mercosur barred Lugo’s replacement, former Vice President Federico Franco, from attending the meetings. Franco told the Associated Press in an interview Thursday that the transition of power in Paraguay was carried out according to the law and that now “the country is absolutely normalized.”

Franco also said the current ban on his government attending the meeting of the Mercosur - which also includes Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay - was punishment enough. “This political sanction, God will help us manage it and it will give us the wisdom to soon find a solution to this problem,” he said.

Lugo had initially said he would attend the summit in order to plead his case with regional leaders but later changed his mind. —AP

BUENOS AIRES: Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff and Uruguayan Jose Mujica embrace each other before the family picture during the XLIII Mercosur presidential summit in Mendoza, 1050 Km west of Buenos Aires, Argentina yesterday. —AFP

Court in Venezuela orders embargo on channel’s assets CARACAS: Venezuela’s Supreme Court on Thursday ordered an embargo on nearly $5.7 million in assets belonging to a television channel that takes a critical line against President Hugo Chavez’s government. The decision came as regulators sought to force the channel to pay a fine totaling more than $2 million. The Supreme Court said in a statement that it had ordered an embargo on Globovision’s assets totaling 24.4 million bolivars, or $5.7 million.

The channel has been trying to challenge the fine imposed by regulators for its coverage of a prison uprising last year. But Ricardo Antela, a lawyer for the news channel, said it now plans to pay to original fine to avoid a larger penalty. “There are only two options left: pay the fine of 9 million bolivars ($2.2 million) or expose ourselves to an embargo of almost 25 million,” Antela said. If Globovision were to face the higher penalty, he said, it could lead to the “the closing of the channel.”

He said that Globovision’s executives have decided since “there isn’t going to be justice in this case,” they will go to court to pay the original fine yesterday.

Antela said they also plan to pay interest as determined by the Central Bank. Once the fine is paid, the court’s order of an embargo on assets should be lifted, he said.

The lawyer said the court had ordered a jury to convene to formally put in place the embargo on Globovision’s assets.

The court said it had responded to a request by the National Telecommunications Commission due to the channel’s failure to pay the fine initially imposed in October. Government officials did not immediately comment on the court’s decision. Globovision, a 24hour news network, has been the only anti-Chavez channel on the air since another opposition-aligned station, RCTV, was forced off cable and satellite TV in 2010. RCTV had been booted off the open airwaves in 2007.

Telecommunications regulators last year imposed the fine against Globovision accusing it of “apologizing for crime,” “altering the public order” and promoting political intolerance during its coverage of an intervention by troops to quash rioting at El Rodeo prison. The commission’s director general, Pedro Maldonado, said at the time that for four days Globovision broadcast 18 emotional reports with relatives of the prisoners and repeated them almost 300 times, adding the sound of gunfire over the reports.

The June 2011 prison riot erupted after troops raided one of two adjacent prisons looking for weapons.

The raid set off gunfights that left three dead, and the standoff finally ended with negotiations after 27 days.

Authorities said four inmates who escaped also were slain by soldiers. Globovision has accused Chavez’s government of trying to shut it down, and has said it did nothing wrong. Globovision still has three pending appeals seeking to challenge the fine, while two have been rejected by courts, Antela said. The Supreme Court previously upheld the $2 million fine against Globovision in March.

The channel’s majority owner, Guillermo Zuloaga, fled into exile in 2010 after a court issued an arrest warrant on charges of usury and conspiracy. He has accused prosecutors of carrying out a vendetta on orders from Chavez. Maria Fernanda Flores, a vice president of the channel, denounced the Supreme Court’s latest decision as “a new blow against freedom of expression and a way to intimidate” Globovision ahead of the country’s Oct. 7 presidential election. Chavez is seeking another six-year term in the vote. Globovision has provided an important outlet for opposition candidate Henrique Capriles to get out his message, while state television and other state-run media are largely monopolized by coverage of Chavez’s appearances.

“This decision doesn’t surprise us because we’re about to begin an election campaign in which the government tends to take judicial actions to intimidate the independent private media,” Flores told reporters. “Don’t worry, Globovision is going to be in the election campaign,” she said. “We don’t kneel before power.” —AP

INTERNATIONAL

SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012

Afghans face mass deportation from Pakistan KABUL: Hundreds of thousands of Afghans face the threat of deportation back to their war-torn country from Pakistan once a deadline expires today, but Kabul is crying foul over the move. Pakistan is home to 1.7 million refugees and hundreds of thousands more unregistered migrants from its neighbor, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

But Islamabad says it cannot be expected to tolerate illegal migrants, and 400,000 undocumented Afghans in Pakistan’s northwest province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where the bulk of the Afghan community live, face the imminent prospect of removal. The UNHCR describes the situation of Afghans in Pakistan as the “largest and most protracted refugee crisis in the world” and warned that the question of how to deal with it was becoming “increasingly politicised”.

Mian Iftikhar Hussain, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s information minister, said law enforcement agencies have been told to compile lists of illegal Afghans and once the June 30 deadline passes, orders will be issued for their arrest, appearance in court and subsequent deportation to Afghanistan. “No country allows illegal immigrants, how it is possible to legalise something which is illegal?” Hussain

said. “We have been accommodating Afghan immigrants for 32 years. The provincial government cannot take their burden any more. They should go back to their country.”

But Afghans are nervous about welcoming home so many jobless, impoverished people to a country where returnees have in the past struggled to find work and roofs over their heads. The government in Kabul denied the expulsions would take place. Afghan refugee ministry spokesman Islamuddin Jurat conceded there was a “small problem” in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but said the two sides had agreed to solve the issue and give the Afghans “some legal status to stay there”.

The Afghan-Pakistani border is notoriously porous and even if the deportations were to go into effect there would be little to stop returnees going back to Pakistan. Pakistan, where the economy is also depressed, says it cannot be expected to tolerate illegal migrants. Hussain claimed that illegal Afghans were involved in crime, although experts have dismissed such accusations as an excuse to rid the country of the immigrants.

At the heart of the problem is deep distrust between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Each country blames the other for Islamist violence, with both sides accusing the other of

sheltering Taliban insurgents on either side of the border.

Pakistan has already carried out some deportations, albeit on a much smaller scale. Between December 2010 and February 2011, some 1,400 Afghan families were sent home from Pakistan’s semi-autonomous tribal belt, according to the International Organisation for Migration. It said Afghan and Pakistani officials had agreed to offer “safe and dignified repatriation” to 7,200 families, or around 50,000 people, from Pakistan, if funding can be found. Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, in Kabul this month for a conference on Afghanistan’s future, stressed that Pakistan favoured voluntary returns of refugees.

“At the Chicago summit, we heard how the situation is improving in Afghanistan. If that is the case, then voluntary return should be natural,” said Khar. But the prospects for Afghans returning home are grim. Apart from the 10-year Taliban insurgency, they face trying to support themselves in a weak economy that is likely to suffer further when NATO forces leave by the end of 2014. “Afghanistan doesn’t have the capacity to absorb so many people. It doesn’t have the resources in terms of schools, clinics and especially jobs,” said IOM spokeswoman Aanchal Khuranaa.—AFP

Australia MPs warned of more refugee deaths SYDNEY: Australian politicians were warned yesterday of more asylum-seeker boat deaths while parliament goes on a six-week winter break after they failed to reach a compromise on the divisive issue. Parliament broke up Thursday after Senate opposition and Greens lawmakers rejected a private member’s bill to send boatpeople offshore for processing, leaving the issue at a stalemate following a spate of deadly incidents.

Independent MP Andrew Wilkie said parliamentarians should not be going into recess when such an important matter remained unresolved.

“We should be sitting today, we should have continued sitting last night, we should sit next week, we should sit until we get a solution,” he told state broadcaster ABC. “I think there is every chance in the world that more people will die during this six-week recess,” he said. The bill was introduced after two crowded asylum-seeker boats sank off the remote Australian territory of Christmas Island, near Indonesia, over the past week.In the first incident, 110 people were saved and an estimated 90 drowned while the sinking of a second boat on Wednesday left four dead, with 130 rescued. With few legislative options left, Prime Minister Julia Gillard commissioned an expert review led by former defence force chief Angus Houston to review the policy options with “fresh eyes”. She promised to consider whatever was suggested, but would not commit to dropping her controversial Malaysia people-swap plan if doing so was recommended.

Opposition leader Tony Abbott described her move as a pointless exercise. “This committee is not a solution. This is outsourcing the prime ministership,” he said as politicians began leaving Canberra for their constituencies. Since January a stream of asylum-seekers have attempted to reach Australia by boat, with two more vessels carrying 144 passengers intercepted in the past 24 hours taking the 2012 total to 69 boats with 5,146 on board.

The previous record — 134 boats carrying 6,555 boatpeople-was set in 2010, when the politically sensitive issue dominated national elections, despite overall numbers being relatively minor by global standards. Most come from Indonesia on unseaworthy vessels, and some founder in the vast seas off northern Australia and never make it to their destination. The government wants to send boat arrivals to Malaysia for processing, but the opposition refuses to agree, arguing Kuala Lumpur is not a signatory to UN refugee conventions.—AFP

GUAHATI: A flood affected family wait at a shelter in Burhaburhi village about 65 kilometers (40 miles) east of Guahati, India yesterday.—AP

Floods swamp thousands of Indian villages, kill 27 Hundreds of thousands marooned GAUHATI: Raging floodwaters fed by monsoon rains have inundated more than 2,000 villages in northeast India, sweeping away homes and leaving hundreds of thousands of people marooned yesterday. At least 27 people were killed, but the toll was expected to rise. The Indian air force was delivering food packages to people huddled on patches of dry land along with cattle and wild elephants. Rescuers were dropped by helicopter into affected areas to help the stranded, but pouring rain was complicating operations.

About 1 million people have had to evacuate their homes as the floods from the swollen Brahmaputra River - one of Asia’s largest swamped 2,084 villages across most of Assam state, officials said. Assam’s flooded capital of Gauhati was hit by mudslides that buried three people. Many of the city’s 2 million residents were

negotiating the submerged streets in rubber dinghies and small wooden boats. Most businesses were closed.

Officials have counted 27 people dead so far, but the toll is expected to be much higher as unconfirmed casualty reports mount. Many of the victims so far have drowned, including five people whose boat capsized amid choppy waves.

Telephone lines were knocked out and some train services were canceled after their tracks were swamped by mud. As the floods soaked the Kaziranga game reserve east of Gauhati, motorists reported seeing a one-horned rhino fleeing along a busy highway.

“We never thought the situation would turn this grim when the monsoon-fed rivers swelled a week ago,” said Nilomoni Sen Deka, an Assam government minister. Residents of Majuli - an

800-square-kilometer (310-square-mile) island in the middle of the Brahmaputra River - watched helplessly as the swirling, gray waters swallowed 50 villages and swept away their homes.

“We are left with only the clothes we are wearing,” said 60-year-old Puniram Hazarika, one of about 75,000 island residents now camping in makeshift shelters of bamboo sticks and plastic tarps on top of a mud embankment soaked by rain. Ratna Payeng, who was sheltering with her three small children in the camps, said she was praying for the rains to stop. “If they don’t, our land will become unfit for cultivation and everything will be lost,” Payeng said.

Nearby, a herd of 70 endangered Asiatic elephants, which usually avoid humans, were grouped together, Majuli island wildlife official Atul Das said. —AP

INTERNATIONAL SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012

Ruling party beat by democrats in Mongolian legislative elections ULAN BATOR: The opposition Democratic Party edged out Mongolia’s ruling party in a tightly contested legislative election that centered on how best to use the wealth generated by the still poor but fast-developing country’s mining boom. It was not yet clear if the Democrats would win an outright majority in the 76-seat parliament. The party won 20 of the 48 seats awarded by outright majority in Thursday’s vote, compared with 15 for the ruling Mongolian People’s Party and fewer seats for two other parties, results released yesterday by the General Election Commission showed.

Under a new system, the remaining 28 seats are awarded based on the parties’ proportion of the overall vote, giving the Democrats a commanding but not a decisive edge in the new parliament. A coalition government between the major parties or with smaller parties would likely perpetuate slow policymaking and partisan bickering that has characterized Mongolia’s fledgling democracy.

The Democrats and MPP each campaigned on promises that they would use revenues generated by mining mammoth, estimated trillion-dollar reserves of coal, copper and gold to create jobs and narrow a rich-poor gap in the large but landlocked country between China and Russia. The Democrats characterized the MPP as captives of the rich and foreign mining interests.

Along the way, a still popular ex-president split from the ruling party only to be arrested on corruption charges. Still, Enkhbayar Nambar’s splinter party in league with another minor party took third place, potentially making him a factor in forming the new government.

None of the parties immediately contested the vote results, possibly avoiding a repeat of the post-election violence four years ago that left four people dead in the capital, Ulan Bator.

Angry supporters of the Democrats took to the streets after the party alleged voting irregularities in a loss to the MPP. To avoid such problems, the government introduced the mixed system of awarding seats by majority vote and by proportion. It also imported electronic voting machines, though the parties also wanted votes counted by hand. The announcement of results was delayed earlier yesterday after the MPP asked for a recount in some districts due to discrepancies between votes tallied by machine and by hand.

Mindful of the violence in 2008, ruling party politicians struck a measured tone in doing so, saying they would abide by the law, even as they asked for the recount. “The election should run according to laws.

The party election committee has complaints regarding vote counting and we are addressing the issues,” said Prime Minister Sukhbaatar Batbold, the ruling party chairman. — AP

Tanker crash sparks fire, kills 20 in China Truck was carrying 40 tons of gasoline BEIJING: A tanker truck filled with gasoline collided with a truck in southern China yesterday, setting off an explosion and a massive fire that left 20 people dead and 14 others hurt, including at least two with severe burns. The tanker was carrying 40 tons of gasoline when it crashed into the other vehicle early yesterday morning on an expressway in Guangzhou city, capital of Guangdong province, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

Oil leaked from the tanker truck and triggered an explosion that set a timber mill and work sheds located under the expressway bridge on fire, Xinhua said.

Most of those hurt were workers from the factory and one of them was severely injured, it said. Other Chinese media reported that the fire blazed across 2,000 square meters (2,400 square yards), burning several other vehicles.

As the fire raged in the pre-dawn hours, nearby residents heard at least two loud bangs, according to a man surnamed Xu who lives in Honggang village, about 2 kilometers (1.3 miles) from the accident site.

“There often are overloaded container trucks passing

by, so I thought maybe a container fell off a truck and did not think too much about it,” Xu told The Associated Press in an online interview.

“But when the second bang went off, the force of the explosion was so strong it made me bounce a little on my bed,” said the man who works in a telecommunications company. A woman who answered the phone at the propaganda office of the Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital in Guangzhou said the facility was treating two of the injured people. One suffered 80 percent burns and the other, 90 percent, she said.

Xinhua cited the Guangzhou city’s Internet information office’s microblog account. The office’s phone number was not listed. Officials from the city’s government, police and fire brigade either could not be reached or said they had no information about the accident. Footage on state broadcaster CCTV’s noon bulletin showed the fire had been put out. State media say poorly maintained roads and bad driving habits result in about 70,000 deaths and 300,000 injuries a year in China. — AP

Plane hijacking foiled in restive western China BEIJING: Passengers and crew foiled a hijacking attempt by six people on a plane in China’s restive far-western Xinjiang region yesterday, a regional airline and state media said. The attempt was made just after the plane took off from Hotan in southern Xinjiang for the regional capital of Urumqi and the six suspects were detained after the plane returned safely, the Tianshan regional government’s news portal said.

Tianjin Airlines said on its website that the plane returned to Hotan 22 minutes after takeoff.

Tianshan’s report did not give further details, such as how the hijacking was foiled, how many passengers were on the plane or what was known about the suspects’ motive or ethnicity. Hotan has been the scene of recent clashes between

ethnic Uighurs (pronounced WEE’gurs) and authorities. The Uighurs say they resent government controls on their religion and culture.

The government says China faces an organized terrorist threat from radical Muslim groups in the region and that it has invested heavily to raise living standards in Xinjiang. The phone listed for Hotan police rang unanswered yesterday.

A man who identified himself as a police officer and gave only his family name Wang at Xinjiang Department of Public Security said no more information on the hijacking attempt was available. In 2008, state media reported that a Uighur woman made an unsuccessful attempt to hijack a passenger plane flying to Beijing from Urumqi. In general, threats to civil aviation in China are believed to be rare.— AP

TOKYO: Protesters shout slogans during an anti-nuclear protest rally near Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda’s office in Tokyo yesterday.—AP

Big anti-nuclear rally outside Japan PM’s office TOKYO: Thousands of people have gathered outside the Japanese prime minister’s office to protest a nuclear reactor startup set for this weekend. At least 10,000 protesters filled the street outside Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda’s office yesterday, blocking traffic and chanting “No to restart!” as they held up banners with anti-nuclear slogans.

The rally was the latest weekly protest held there this month. Noda’s government recently approved

a resumption of two reactors in western Japan.

One of them, Ohi No. 3 reactor, will be switched on Sunday for the first time since last year’s tsunami disaster triggered meltdowns at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant. All 50 of Japan’s commercial reactors are offline for maintenance or safety checks. Noda’s government has pushed to bring some reactors online to avert power shortages during the summer.— AP

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US sanctions may stop UAE Iran condensate imports

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RIM delays new BlackBerry launch; sales crumble

Business

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Japan’s Nomura to cut executive pay over leaks

SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012

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Latest threat to Europe: A weaker German economy

LONDON: A worker uses his mobile phone in London’s City financial district yesterday. Britain’s financial regulator says the country’s four biggest banks have agreed to a settlement for miss-selling interest-rate protection products to small and medium-sized businesses. — AP

Britain’s banks in a storm of scandal Banks ordered to pay for misleading businesses LONDON: Britain’s major banks, including HSBC and Barclays, were ordered yesterday to pay up for misleading businesses over interest rate insurance, in a second blow to the image of the City. The regulator said that the culprits were guilty of “serious failings”, and in a broader attack Bank of England governor Mervyn King told the British banking sector to wake up to a need for a “real change in culture”. His comments came after the Financial Services Authority (FSA) said it had reached agreement with Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds and Royal Bank of Scotland “to provide appropriate redress” for mis-selling interest rate hedging products.

The targeted banks issued statements stating that the compensation due would have little impact on earnings. Far worse for Barclays, which has seen its shares hammered this week, was expected to be the fallout from record fines imposed on the bank for rigging interest rates. Also this week, a severe IT meltdown at bailed-out Royal Bank of Scotland left millions

of customers unable to complete transactions.

“We can see we need a real change in the culture of the (banking) industry. And that will require two things. One is leadership of an unusually high order and changes to the structure of the industry,” BoE Governor King told a press conference.

Earlier, the FSA said in a statement that it had “found serious failings in the sale of interest rate hedging products to some small and medium-sized businesses.” It added: “We believe that this has resulted in a severe impact on a large number of these businesses.

“In order to provide as swift a solution to this problem as possible we have today confirmed that we have reached agreement with Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds and RBS to provide appropriate redress where mis-selling has occurred.” It was a second major blow for Barclays in just a few days, with the bank yesterday remaining under intense pressure over being fined for rigging interest rates that affect

businesses worldwide.

Shares in Barclays plunged by as much as 17 percent on Thursday, wiping billions of pounds from its value, as Prime Minister David Cameron and finance minister George Osborne said the bank had “serious questions” to answer. So far Barclays has ignored calls for chief executive Bob Diamond to resign ahead of an appearance by the US national before British deputies likely next week to explain the inter-bank rates rigging scandal. British and US authorities on Wednesday said they had fined Barclays a total $452 million (363 million euros) amid probes into suspected manipulation by several banks of key markets for Libor and Euribor interest rates.

Barclays is the first major financial institution to settle with regulators following investigations on both sides of the Atlantic. The rates concerned play a big role in international financial markets, and are linked to the level of borrowing costs passed on by banks to busi-

nesses and consumers for products such as mortgage loans. Anticipating a backlash over the rates rigging fines, Diamond and other senior executives at Barclays said they would forego their annual bonuses due for their work in 2012.

Ed Miliband-leader of Britain’s main opposition Labour party-has meanwhile called for a criminal investigation into the affair. “With law suits and criminal charges likely, and other banks set to agree settlements in the coming months, this issue is not going away soon,” said Rebecca O’Keeffe, Head of investment at Interactive Investor. “Barclays has a long way to go to reassure its customers and investors that its culture has changed,” she added in a note to clients yesterday. The rates rigging scandal is another massive blow to Britain’s embattled banking sector after huge bailouts in the wake of the financial crisis-and as lenders continue to massively compensate clients for mis-selling insurance. — AFP

BUSINESS SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012

Oman plans Islamic finance rules before year-end SYDNEY: A regulatory framework for Islamic finance is taking shape in Oman as government bodies move towards meeting the country’s stated aim of making sharia-compliant products available to the public this year. But logistical challenges and the limited size of the market may prevent entrants to the business from making quick profits.

Legislation covering takaful (Islamic insurance) and sukuk (Islamic fixed income securities) is expected to be finalized by the end of the third quarter of the year, Capital Market Authority officials told Reuters.

Approval of the country’s first takaful licence will follow soon afterwards, as three applications have already been received by the regulator, Ahmed Al Harrafi, takaful team leader at the CMA, said by telephone. This complements efforts by the country’s central bank to introduce a law that will supervise Islamic banks; the law is in its final stages of review, said Mohammed Al Abri, senior director at the CMA. Last year, after insisting for years that its banking industry should be purely conventional, Oman reversed its stance and said it would introduce Islamic finance, partly to prevent outflows of funds to sharia-compliant institutions elsewhere in the Gulf. But the introduction of the regulatory framework may not produce a rapid surge of activity. Many institutions are still grappling with the need to obtain product expertise, arrange oversight by boards of Islamic scholars, train staff and

build computer systems. “There is an expectations mismatch,” Azmat Rafique, head of Islamic banking at Oman Arab Bank, told Reuters. “On the ground things haven’t been finalised...and banks are still gathering teams and systems.”

Last week newly formed Bank Nizwa, the country’s first Islamic bank, failed at a shareholders meeting to appoint its board of directors, despite an initial public offer of shares that raised 60 million rials ($156 million) last month. This could potentially delay its schedule for launching products.

COMPETITION Also, banking competition will be stiff. Bank Nizwa obtained its banking licence last year along with Al Izz International Bank, another new Islamic institution; they will bring the total number of locally incorporated banks to nine.

Oman will thus have 19 commercial banks for a population of only about 2.8 million, with the three largest lenders initially accounting for about 60 percent of total banking assets, according to central bank data. Competition will be increased by the fact that conventional banks will be allowed to use Islamic windows to offer sharia-compliant products through their existing branch networks. Bank Muscat, which has Oman’s largest branch network of 130 offices, this week joined Bank Sohar and National Bank of Oman in saying it would deliver products this way. Converting some existing

conventional banks into Islamic banks could streamline the broad banking industry, but the central bank has not indicated whether this will be permitted, commercial bankers said.

The industry may in any case not be advanced enough to handle such conversions, said Rafique. Recent consolidation in the banking sector has been limited to a merger of HSBC’s Omani business with Oman International Bank, the country’s fifth largest lender, which obtained approval earlier this month. Rafique predicted 10 percent of existing bank customers in Oman would eventually make the switch to Islamic banks, which would also attract a similar number of people who are currently outside the banking sector because of their religious belief in avoiding interest.

TAKAFUL The takaful legislation, on the other hand, will not allow the use of Islamic windows but instead require stand-alone operations with paid-up capital of 10 million rials, Al Harrafi said. But such capital requirements are difficult to justify in a sector eager to build scale, said Shyam Zankar, regional head at Bahrain-based Medgulf Allianz Takaful. In addition, takaful companies will also have to be publicly floated on the country’s stock exchange within five years of launch, Al Harrafi said, adding that this requirement might dampen the interest of at least one of the applicants. —Reuters

US sanctions may stop UAE Iran condensate imports Dubai’s ENOC is major lifter of Iranian condensate

BRUSSELS: British Prime Minister David Cameron arrives for an EU Summit in Brussels yesterday. European leaders have agreed to use the continent’s permanent bailout fund to recapitalize struggling banks, and agreed to the idea of a tighter union in the long term. — AP

Crude oil up $3, set for deep quarterly fall LONDON: Oil rallied with other commodities and the euro yesterday, rising by $3 a barrel after European leaders agreed on a strategy to tackle soaring borrowing costs in Italy and Spain, but it was still set for the deepest quarterly loss since 2008. Euro zone leaders agreed to bend their aid rules to shore up banks and bring down the borrowing costs of stricken members, in a sign the bloc is adopting a more flexible approach to solving its twoyear old debt crisis. “I think the expectation was it would take the EU most of the weekend to reach an agreement, so I think this has taken the market a bit by surprise,” said Thorbjoern Bak Jensen, oil analyst at Global Risk Management.

Some consolidation was to be expected after the oil market had seen the steepest quarterly losses since the financial crisis, he added. Brent crude for August was up $2.99 to $94.35 a barrel by 1107 GMT. US crude was up $2.85 a barrel at $80.54 a barrel, up from an eight-month low hit on Thursday. Both contracts were on track to post a quarterly loss of around 20 percent, the

biggest drop since the 2008 financial crisis. Bargain-hunters may also have helped reverse some of the previous session’s losses, analysts said, after a steep drop of as much as 3 percent on Thursday. “Oil had a dramatic fall last night and there’s bound to be some shortcovering and bargain hunting,” said Ben Le Brun, a markets analyst at OptionsXpress in Sydney.

WEAK FUNDAMENTALS While overall global oil demand is still expected to grow this year, the pace is now expected to be the most sluggish since the financial crisis, a Reuters poll showed yesterday. Slowing growth in China will only just offset falling demand in developed economies, forecasters said. On the supply side, the spotlight remained on Norway where industrial action in the petroleum sector has cut oil production by as much as 18 percent, according to workers.

Norwegian trade unions decided not to escalate the ongoing strike, leaders told Reuters after a meeting yesterday, but further meetings are planned next week to evaluate the situation. —Reuters

DUBAI: Dubai’s national oil company may have to stop importing condensate from Iran unless Washington grants it an exemption or temporary exception from this week’s tightening of US sanctions, diplomatic and industry sources said. US State Department officials said that financial transactions that facilitate the import of Iranian condensate are liable to a new round of measures effective June 28 that aim to cut Iran’s oil revenues and force Tehran to drop its disputed nuclear program. The fresh sanctions target condensate, produced in association with gas, which is Tehran’s second-biggest source of export revenue after crude and refined products, which were targeted in earlier sanctions.

Officials at Dubai-government-owned Emirates National Oil Compay (ENOC) declined to comment. But two Gulf-based sources close to the company said ENOC had already applied for an exception. The US State Department declined to confirm or deny this. “I am sure they are petitioning for a temporary exemption, and this could apply for six months if not a bit longer. Thereafter, they need to find an alternative,” one industry source said.

“As a major US ally and a big part of the strategy against Iran, I would have thought the UAE would get some leeway,” another Dubai industry source. OPEC member the United Arab Emirates, a US ally in the Gulf, is home to one of the biggest Iranian communities in the world and has a thriving trade across the Gulf with Iran.

Dubai uses Iranian condensate at ENOC’s 120,000 barrels per day (bpd) Jebel Ali refinery that services its domestic fuel market. “Almost everything they put in that refinery is Iranian condensate. They would either have to shut down if they stop or find an alternative,” a Dubai industry source said. Dubai accounts for at least half of Iran’s condensate exports, which averaged 220,000 barrels per day in the first four months of the year, shipping data shows.

Most of the condensate comes from Iran’s South Pars gas field in the Gulf. Its other buyers include China, Japan and Singapore.

ELIGIBLE? The UAE might find it problematic to obtain a reprieve for condensate imports, because 180-day exceptions are granted on the basis of a significant reduction in crude oil imports, not condensate. But what is even more complicated in ENOC’s case is the fact that it has a barter deal with Iran for the condensate, according to industry sources, while sanctions are designed to target financial transactions and financial institutions. How US officials

might respond in the case of barter remains unclear.

ENOC will have to seek alternatives to Iranian condensate sooner or later, traders and sources say. Traders say any replacement would come from suppliers such as Qatar or Abu Dhabi and could be much more expensive than ENOC’s current deal and may not include the comfortable credit terms that Iran grants to ENOC. Decades of heavy subsidies on fuel prices, which oblige ENOC to sell its fuel at a fraction of what its costs, have swollen its debt and added to Dubai’s financial problems.

The subsidies are unlikely to be phased out in any time soon. The UAE Federal National Council last month asked for a reduction in fuel prices. “If ENOC’s condensate acquisition costs were to increase by $1 per barrel as a result of sanctions, for example, this would cost them $44 million per year. That’s not really significant compared to the $1.5 billion they have lost on subsidized gasoline sales in recent years,” Robin Mills, head of consultancy at Dubaibased energy consultancy Manaar. “Perhaps more significant, given ENOC’s significant debt load, is that the Iranians were probably giving them easy credit terms on purchases, as with Greece,” he said. — Reuters

TEHRAN: This file photo shows a part of Iran’s Azadegan oil field southwest of Tehran, Iran. Dubai’s national oil company may have to stop importing condensate from Iran unless Washington grants it an exemption or temporary exception from this week’s tightening of US sanctions. — AP

BUSINESS SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012

French bid ‘adieu’ to Minitel, the France-Wide Web PARIS: France pulls the plug on the Minitel this weekend, a home-grown precursor of the Internet which brought on-line banking, travel reservations and even sex chats to millions a decade before the World Wide Web. In a country where resistance to all things “Anglo-Saxon” runs deep, the Minitel evokes both pride at French technological prowess and regret that the country failed to capitalise on the commercial online network, launched in 1982. By its peak in the late 1990s, some 25 million people in France were using Minitel’s 26,000 services, ranging from checking the weather to buying clothes and booking train tickets. But its creator, France Telecom, was unable to sell the clunky system overseas.

“With the Minitel, we invented a lot of today’s

technology,” said Jean-Paul Maury, former director of the Minitel project at France Telecom. “A terminal accessing a service located at the end of the world, that was born with the Minitel: by that I mean the Internet and all online networks.” Aficionados are preparing to mourn the passing of the network, ironically enough, on the Internet. On social networking site Facebook, groups have sprung up to prolong its memory, proclaiming: “No to the end of the Minitel”.

For many French, the Minitel is a reminder of a time when their country - often criticised for stifling entrepreneurial innovation - was at the cutting edge of modernity. Under Socialist President Francois Mitterrand, the France of the 1980s led the world with its bold modern architecture - like the glass pyramid

outside Paris’ Louvre museum - its groundbreaking TGV high-speed train, and supersonic Concorde passenger plane.

Originally designed by France Telecom as an online directory to save paper, the Minitel was a drab, box-like terminal with a keyboard that used ordinary telephone lines to transmit information. The technology it used, videotex, was nothing new - Britain already had Ceefax, the US NAPLPS, and Germany was preparing to launch its Bildschirmtext. Its unique feature was the wealth of services it inspired, accessible via the dial-up code 3615. The most famous of these was “Minitel Rose”, or “pink Minitel”, a plethora of sex chats that encouraged some users to run up astronomical phone bills.—Reuters

RIM delays new BlackBerry launch; sales crumble Company to slash about 5,000 jobs to cut costs

DETROIT: In this file photo, Ashley Perkins, of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., stands in line with military veterans in Detroit. The number of people seeking US unemployment benefits fell last week, but the level of applications remains too high to signal a pickup in hiring. — AP

Tepid economic growth weighs on US job market WASHINGTON: The US economy is growing too slowly to pull the job market out of a slump, according to the latest data that suggest June will be another weak month for hiring. Applications for unemployment benefits stayed above a level last week that is generally considered too high to lower the unemployment rate. And the annual growth rate for the January-March quarter was unchanged at a tepid 1.9 percent. The two government reports released Thursday added to the picture of an economy that is faltering for the third straight year after a promising start. Job growth has tumbled, consumers are less confident and Europe’s financial crisis has dampened demand for US exports.

Most economists don’t see growth accelerating much from the first-quarter pace, although some are hopeful that lower gas prices could help lift consumer spending over the summer.

Growth of around 1.9 percent typically generates roughly 90,000 jobs a month.

That’s considered too weak to lower the unemployment rate, which was 8.2 percent last month. Slow improvement in the economy threatens President Barack Obama’s re-election hopes. He is likely to face voters with the highest unemployment rate of any president since the Great Depression. The Federal Reserve last week downgraded its outlook for 2012 growth. The Fed now predicts the economy will grow between 1.9 percent and 2.4 percent this year - a half a percentage point lower than its forecast in April. And it doesn’t see the unemployment rate falling much lower this year.

Hiring isn’t likely to improve in June,

based on the level of people applying for unemployment benefits. Weekly applications fell only slightly last week to a seasonally adjusted 386,000, the Labor Department said. Applications have climbed nearly 5 percent in the past two months. When applications are above 375,000, it generally means that hiring isn’t strong enough to rapidly lower the unemployment rate.

Economists are predicting that 100,000 jobs were added in June and the unemployment rate did not change, according to a survey by FactSet. The government will issue the June employment report on July 6. “Jobless claims are still too high and show that employment growth is slowing and no progress is being made,” said Jennifer Lee, an economist at BMO Capital Markets.

Employers added an average of only 73,000 jobs a month in April and May after averaging 226,000 a month in the first three months of the year. The report on the first quarter’s economic growth showed that US corporate profits fell, the first quarterly decline since the final three months of 2008.US corporations earned less profit overseas, the report said. That’s likely a result of Europe’s economic woes and slowing growth in countries like China and India. Lower overseas profits could discourage US employers from adding some jobs in the second half of the year.

“With global weakness continuing ... corporate profits are likely to remain under pressure, a development that is unlikely to help the employment outlook,” said Jeremy Lawson, an economist at BNP Paribas.—AP

TORONTO: Research In Motion Ltd delayed the make-orbreak launch of its next-generation BlackBerry phones until next year, in a devastating setback to the once-dominant technology company whose sales are crumbling. Shares of the company, which also announced a steeper-than-expected quarterly operating loss and deep job cuts on Thursday, plunged 14 percent after it said it would release its revamped BlackBerry 10 devices early in 2013. It conceded the development had “proven to be more time-consuming than anticipated.” The delay in releasing the devices - RIM’s last best hope of stemming its eclipse at the hands of Apple Inc’s iPhone and phones using Google Inc’s Android software - confirmed the worst fears of analysts and investors.

The size of the loss, RIM’s first in eight years, and the likelihood that sales will keep sliding into 2013, severely reduce the options for the company if it is to survive. RIM’s announcement that it would slash 5,000 jobs, or 30 percent of its workforce, only reinforced the impression of a company that could be in terminal decline. “It’s like watching a puppy die. It’s terrible,” said analyst Matthew Thornton of Avian Securities in Boston. “Wow, what a disaster,” said Edward Snyder, managing director of Charter Equity Research in San Francisco. RIM is now in “a handset death spiral,” he said. “From a numbers point of view, it could hardly be worse, and it’s going to deteriorate from here,” he said.

RIM, which virtually invented mobile email, has fallen from a leadership position to an also-ran in smartphones over a few years filled with delayed and uninspiring products, service outages and other embarrassments. Now the new BlackBerry line will miss both the back-to-school and Christmas shopping periods, while the competition brings out new phones with more bells and whistles. Apple is widely expected to unveil an iPhone 5 later this year, while a slew of manufacturers using Android are constantly pushing out new gadgets. Microsoft Corp is also planning to update its Windows software for mobile devices. “There’s really no guarantee that once they come out on the other side of BlackBerry 10 that it’s going to be something that people will want,” said Eric Jackson, a hedge fund manager at Ironfire Capital in Toronto. RIM’s board is under mounting pressure to consider unpalatable options such as selling its network business or forming an alliance with Microsoft, sources familiar with the situation told Reuters. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer approached RIM earlier this year looking to strike a partnership similar to the one the software giant has with Nokia Oyj, the sources said. Under that partnership, Nokia will use Microsoft’s latest Windows operating system on its smartphones.

In such a scenario, RIM could also look for Microsoft to buy a stake in the company and fund marketing and other expenses, the sources said. However, this option is not attractive to RIM because it would mean the end of the Waterloo, Ontario-based company’s technology independence, they said. Even so, freshman CEO Thorsten Heins gave no indication on a Thursday conference call that he was losing faith in the current tack of cutting costs while waiting for the BlackBerry 10 launch, which is now more than a year overdue. The new devices are now set to land in a slow period when consumers are tapped out after their holiday spending. “It’s akin to launching fire-

works underwater,” said IDC analyst Kevin Restivo.

JOB CUTS RIM expects the job cuts to cost $350 million in the current fiscal year. It has pledged to slash $1 billion from its operating costs in the year, but now considers that target as a minimum it will pursue, given the additional BlackBerry 10 delay. It said it had already cut layers of management, streamlined its supply chain and outsourced repair work. Analyst Shaw Wu of Sterne Agee in San Francisco said RIM would now have to be very careful. “Layoffs are not free - there’s a use of cash with that.

They have to be very careful with their cash balance. It’s a matter of survival now.” RIM’s cash position - which has become a focus of concern for analysts as the company dips into the red - increased to $2.2 billion by the end of the quarter, and it aims to maintain that level this quarter. The company conceded that may slip as it pays severance to reduce the workforce, but it declined to estimate the cash position going into 2013.

Shares of RIM, which have dropped about 70 percent over the past year, were down 14 percent at $7.86 in after-hours Nasdaq trading. At that price, the market is valuing the company at $4.12 billion, a far cry from its once-lofty market capitalization of about $84 billion.

OPERATING LOSS RIM had warned it would post an operating loss but did not provide specifics. Excluding special items, the loss came in at $192 million, or 37 cents a share, for the first quarter ended June 2. Revenue declined 43 percent to $2.81 billion.

Analysts on average expected a loss of 7 cents a share on revenue of $3.07 billion, according to an informal Reuters poll. For the year-earlier quarter, RIM reported a profit of $695 million, or $1.33 a share, on sales of $4.91 billion. RIM said it expected to post another operating loss in the current quarter, as it ships fewer smartphones. It shipped 7.8 million BlackBerry smartphones in the last quarter, only about half of the more than 14 million of two quarters ago. Until now, it had shipped more than 10 million devices every quarter since late in 2009. —Reuters

ONTARIO: In this file, photo, an unidentified person walks past part of the Research in Motion (RIM) campus in Waterloo, Ontario. Struggling BlackBerry maker Research in Motion Ltd. revealed that its business is crumbling faster than thought. — AP

BUSINESS SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012

Spanish and Italian bond yields fall on deal European and Asian shares jump, Wall Street futures up

BRUSSELS: European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso delivers a press conference after a second day of the European Union leaders summit in Brussels yesterday. Leaders from the 17 countries sharing the euro sealed a dramatic deal yesterday to direct emergency measures at crisis-hit Italy and Spain and boost the embattled economy, sending markets sharply upwards. — AFP

Analysts warn euro summit deal joy short-lived BRUSSELS: As markets cheered a late-night eurozone deal hailed as a pleasant surprise, analysts were already sounding a more sober tone in the cold light of day yesterday, warning euphoria could prove short-lived. After tense and seemingly never-ending talks, eurozone leaders clinched a dawn deal they hoped would reduce the high borrowing costs suffered by Italy and Spain, as well as boost the banking sector and inject billions into Europe’s economy.

EU president Herman Van Rompuy hailed the accord, reached after unusually feisty exchanges and a veto threat by Madrid and Rome, as a “real breakthrough” and for the moment, markets seemed to believe him. Asian stock markets staged a spectacular turnaround and the euro experienced its sharpest bounce in months as traders reacted with joy to a solution that leaders said tackled the short-term crisis as well as long-term euro weaknesses. Europe’s markets also shot up amid hopes that leaders were showing more flexibility in tackling the two-year crisis.

But analysts were more cautious when they looked at the detail of the agreement, with many now looking to the European Central Bank to plough in more funds to the economy at its meeting on Thursday or maybe even before. Christoph Weil, an economist at Commerzbank, was concerned that the EU’s new bailout mechanism (ESM), which leaders agreed could recapitalise banks directly and buy up bonds of ailing nations, could soon run short of funds. “The Spanish government is seeking up to 100 billion euros for its ailing banks, and Cyprus has also now asked for help. More SOS calls could follow soon,” he said.

“A long queue could soon form for the rescue fund,” he said, adding that final demands on the bailout pot could amount to double its firepower. At Moneycorp, analysts said: “The usual pattern for these things is euphoria followed by analysis leading to realism with an undertone of disappointment.” Several economists drew parallels with the European football championship semifinal, held during the summit, in which Italy beat the highly fancied Germans 2-1 to face World Champions Spain in the final. “Having just kicked Germany (the paymaster) and Portugal (the fastest reformer) out of the Euro 2012, Italy and Spain also scored some nice points at the EU summit last night,” said Holger Schmieding, analyst at Berenberg Bank.

“But the referee to decide whether or not the goals will count is the European Central Bank,” added the analyst. Many said that Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti had scored a victory over German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who had been wary of allowing the ESM to recapitalize banks directly. Carsten Brzeski, from ING Bank in Belgium, said: “At first glance, last night’s decision could look like the second Italian victory over Germany within less than 12 hours. “At second glance, however, it is rather a draw, bringing the game on the euro crisis into extra time,” he added. — AFP

LONDON: The euro climbed and global shares jumped yesterday after euro zone leaders agreed measures to cut borrowing costs in Spain and Italy and eventually recapitalize the region’s banks. There was no movement towards common euro zone bonds, which leaders including Italy’s Mario Monti and France’s Francois Hollande have called for, but with expectations at rock bottom before the Brussels summit, the deal caught markets by surprise. Tenyear Spanish and Italian bond yields were down 20-28 basis points to 6.64 and 5.99 percent, respectively, and the common currency rose more than 1.2 percent on a flurry of stop-loss buying to as high as $1.2628, well clear of a low of $1.2407 on Thursday. It later settled under $1.2600, with resistance at the June highs of $1.2748.

Safe-haven German bonds headed lower - briefly pushing yields above their US equivalents for the first time since early February - while prices for gold, oil and copper all rose. After allnight talks that pitted Rome and Madrid against European paymaster Berlin, the leaders of the 17-nation currency bloc agreed that euro-area rescue funds could be used for sovereign debt purchases without forcing countries to adopt extra austerity measures. They also agreed that, once a single supervisory body for euro zone banks has been created, the funds could be lent directly to banks for recapitalization. German Chancellor Angela Merkel was quick to state that new aid would not flow with-

out “conditionality”.

VERY LONG ROAD “It is one step on a very long road,” said Charles Diebel, head of market strategy at Lloyds Bank. “But we don’t have any details, and arguably the detail is where the risk lies, because the market will start to pick holes in it as we’ve seen previously.” Derek Halpenny at Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ in London said among questions the market will ask is whether the firepower available to the rescue funds will be enough to stabilise the 2.5 trillion euro Spanish and Italian bond markets, and how easy it will be to agree on the banking supervisory mechanism. “Our initial view is this deal is no game-changer, and any EUR/USD rally will simply offer attractive levels to sell,” he said.

“By and large we’re still in a situation where the bond yields for many European countries are too high, and the growth rates are too low,” said Andrew Milligan, Head of Global Strategy at Standard Life Investments.

“We really didn’t see any actions by the authorities last night which are going to have a material impact on either of those.”

PRIMING THE BIG BAZOOKA? Sean Callow, senior currency strategist at Westpac in Sydney, said there was good news in the deal for the risk markets, but this was small arms fire, not the “big bazooka” of common euro bonds. European shares hit a high for

the week; the FTSE Eurofirst 300 index rose 1.6 percent, with banks up 2.3 percent, helping MSCI’s world equity index to gains of just over 1.1 percent. US stock futures suggested Wall Street would follow suit, with futures for the S&P 500, the Dow Jones and the Nasdaq 100 rising 0.9-1.3 percent. “Although this had caught the markets a little off guard, the spike higher was a relatively minor move when you account for the market being considerably short at the time of release,” Andrew Taylor, market strategist at GFT Global, said in a note.

“Stocks are not exactly rising at the moment, they opened with an upside gap, and that’s it for now,” said David Thebault, head of quantitative sales trading, at Global Equities, in Paris.

“We’re slowly moving towards euro bonds, and the way policymakers communicate and manage market expectations is getting much better.” Investors are now turning their focus to the European Central Bank’s meeting next week, with expectations of a rate cut. Oil rose by more than $2, gold jumped over 1 percent and copper gained the most since mid-April on the last trading day of June, though the quarter is still bound to be the worst in years for oil and gold.

Brent crude for August delivery touched a high of $93.80 and was up $2.24 at $93.60 a barrel at 1043 GMT. US crude was up $2.29 to $79.98, pulling away from an eight-month low hit in the previous session. Spot gold rose 1.3 percent and hit a session high of $1,571.89 an ounce. — Reuters

Latest threat to Europe: A weaker German economy FRANKFURT: For Germany - the biggest of the 17 countries that use the euro the crisis gripping Europe can feel like someone else’s problem. Its economy is growing. Unemployment is low. And its government can borrow at lower interest rates than any other major country can. That helps explain why Chancellor Angela Merkel seems to favor a slower approach to the financial crisis than other leaders do - especially if a solution would impose a heavy burden on Germans.

But now, Germany itself is at risk of a slowdown, which would make it even harder to end Europe’s crisis. Many analysts say a downturn would hit home to Germans how much they depend on the health of other European economies. If so, they could become more willing to put money at risk to sup-

BRUSSELS: German Chancellor Angela Merkel leaves an EU Summit in Brussels yesterday. European leaders have agreed to use the continent’s permanent bailout fund to recapitalize struggling banks, and agreed to the idea of a tighter union in the long term. — AP

port their weaker neighbors. Those issues are helping drive discussions that began Thursday at a European Union summit in Brussels. The summit is intended to reach agreements on how to shore up Europe’s economies and save the euro alliance. Olli Rehn, the European commissioner for economic affairs, said Thursday he expects an agreement on steps to spur growth and reduce Spain’s and Italy’s unsustainably high borrowing costs. Concerns about Germany’s economy grew last week with a report that German business optimism fell in June. Earlier in the week, a survey showed manufacturing was slowing. Germany’s economy is powered by exports, and manufacturing is at the heart. Both surveys are intended to forecast where Germany’s economy could be in several months. For now, its economy remains far stronger than its European neighbors’. Unemployment is just 5.4 percent.

German autos and other products have been selling well in China and North America. Low interest rates have made it easy to borrow and invest. And the euro’s value, held down by weaker nations in the currency alliance, has made German goods affordable for foreign buyers.

But Europe’s raging debt crisis threatens the entire continent. Nearly 60 percent of Germany’s exports go to the 27 countries in the European Union. Recessions in Greece, Spain, Italy and Portugal are weakening demand for those goods.

Slowing growth by its trading partners in Asia is also affecting Germany’s economy. Asia accounted for 16 percent of German exports. Germany’s exports to China surged 15 percent last year and contributed significantly to Germany’s 3 percent growth in 2011. Fear of a catastrophe, possibly resulting from a Greek exit from the eurozone or the need to bail out a big economy like Italy’s, could make German businesses scale back plans to expand. — AP

BUSINESS SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012

No quick-fix for China’s troubled dairy industry Industry still plagued by quality lapses

VALENCIA: President of Bankia Jose Ignacio Goirigolzarri speaks during the Bankia Shareholders’ Extraordinary General meeting yesterday. The European Union’s executive arm approved on June 27, 2012 a 4.5-billion-euro package of Spanish state aid and a 19-billion-euro guarantee from Madrid for troubled Bankia. In May, Bankia revised its 2011 results from a net profit of 309 million euros ($387 million) to a loss of nearly three billion euros and asked the state for a bailout of 19 billion euros, the largest in Spanish history. — AFP

Vivendi shake-up sets off asset sale frenzy PARIS: Just three months ago Vivendi’s veteran chief executive Jean-Bernard Levy, under fire for a slumping stock price, said asset sales were “not taboo”. Now that he’s quit, the group could be looking at a more dramatic shakeup than he could have imagined. Video game maker Activision Blizzard and Maroc Telecom head up the list of candidates for sale, analysts and bankers said, but his successors could now mull a Murdoch-style split or even the sale of the SFR telecoms unit which Vivendi grabbed control of just a year ago. “I have the impression that all options are open with the exception of a full split of the group, which seems less likely,” said one Paris-based banker. “But certainly asset sales are likely.”

Vivendi, whose debt burden soared by roughly a third last year to 12 billion euros ($14.91 billion), has seen its stock price slump some 13 percent this year on growing concern about competition faced by its long-time cash cow, French telecoms operator SFR. The company, which also controls assets including Universal Music Group and Brazilian telecoms operator GVT, provided few clues as to the strategic differences that divided Levy, who is quitting after nearly a decade, and the company’s board. But there seemed little doubt that Levy had stood for keeping intact most of the empire that he had built, while the board was eager to look at ways to boost the company’s stock price and slash debt.

While speculation swirled around Activision, in which the company owns a 60 percent stake, the possibility of a split of the group into media and telecom assets, echoing News Corp’s similar move announced earlier this week, could not be ruled out, analysts at Liberum Capital said in a note. They also said SFR itself could go on the block, which would constitute a huge about-face just a year after the group bet big on the French telecoms business, spending 7.75 billion euros to assume full control of it from Vodafone. Sources said on Thursday that Vodafone European head Michel Combes, who had been set to take the reins at SFR, would no longer make the switch, boosting uncertainty about the future of the unit, which is struggling with competition from upstart rival Iliad.

BOLLORE RETURNS Vivendi shares, which jumped on Thursday, were up 1.7 percent at 1201 GMT, about in line with the European media sector as investors tried to assess the difficulties of an overhaul given that the company now has two executive positions vacant - CEO and the head of SFR. “With what’s going on with the company, we can think that there will be significant changes in the outline of the group, a major modification to this conglomerate,” said Yohan Salleron, a fund manager at Mandarine Gestion in Paris. “But it seems too early to buy in the sense that we have no idea what’s going to happen. You don’t even know what you’re buying at this point.”

Still, Levy’s exit was greeted by various analyst upgrades on optimism that group Chairman Jean-Rene Fourtou would now move to make shareholder returns his priority, especially with the imminent return to the board of longtime activist investor Vincent Bollore. —Reuters

BEIJING: China learned hard lessons from a contaminated milk scandal that left six babies dead four years ago but its dairy industry is still plagued by quality lapses, from toxic mold in milk to mercury in baby formula. Experts say the new scandals have a silver lining: they show the industry’s new transparency. But the persistent problems also underscore that milk is a new addition to the Chinese diet and it will be a long time before it’s truly safe. The latest company to run into a problem is Bright Dairy and Food Co, which this week announced that one of its factories had accidentally flushed alkaline water, used for cleaning, into cartons of milk. The recall of some 300 cartons didn’t happen until consumers complained about foul smelling milk.

The problems have sent people over the border into Hong Kong to buy milk powder for their babies, and have been reported in the usually tightly controlled state media. One columnist, Wang Xiaoshan of the Beijing News, has lobbied online for dairy boycotts. He regularly vents to his nearly 1 million micro blog followers about Mengniu Dairy Group, an industry leader who was among those found to have the industrial chemical melamine in their products in 2008. “The safety problems have never stopped happening,” said Wang. “I only drink water.” After six babies died from melamine-laced formula in 2008, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao vowed the leadership would prevent anything like it happening again but despite such pledges, dairy scandals keep emerging.

In December, Mengniu announced it had destroyed a batch of milk found tainted with cancer causing mold afla-

BEIJING: A worker unloads boxes of infant milk powders into a trolley after being recalled at a supermarket in Beijing Friday, June 15, 2012. Leading Chinese dairy company Inner Mongolia Yili Industrial Group Co. announced it was recalling a line of baby formula because it was found to contain unusual levels of mercury. — AP toxin but admitted some had already reached consumers. An investigation linked the tainted milk to dirty cow feed.

Though at low doses it is not considered harmful to humans, high doses are linked to cancer, especially in the liver.

Earlier this month, Yili Industrial Group said it had recalled infant formula because it was tainted with “unusual” levels of mercury. Once a rarity in the Chinese diet, dairy has become a staple as incomes have risen, and though demand has skyrocketed, supply has lagged. Chinese herds are small, feed is substandard and yields are low.

David Mahon, managing director of Mahon China Investment Management,

a Beijing research and investment advisory firm, said China officially has about 16 million cattle though the real number is probably closer to 12 million. A large percentage of those cows are part of small backyard herds milked by hand by a single farmer, he said. Mahon said chronic shortages led to the practice of watering down milk that spawned the melamine scandal, and that shortages today still lead to corner cutting and quality problems. Farmers are too reluctant to dump milk, even if it has problems. “What we see in China is particular to a country that has a medieval farming system serving a product to a 21st century market,” said Mahon. — AP

Turkish lira firms; bonds up on monetary policy outlook Lira firms on positive European summit outcome ISTANBUL: The Turkish lira firmed against the dollar and bond yields eased yesterday as the inflation outlook suggested scope for looser monetary policy and a year-on-year fall in the trade deficit offered some reassurance on the current account deficit. By 1001 GMT, the lira traded at 1.8175 against the dollar, stronger than 1.8327 late on Thursday.

Against its euro-dollar basket, the lira stood at 2.0509, firming from 2.0547.

“The positive outcome from the European summit boosted the lira,”said Bilge Gonen, manager of the forex desk at Eurobank Tekfen. Euro zone leaders agreed yesterday to bend their aid rules to shore up banks and help struggling Italy and Spain, making investors more confident about the global outlook and taking on emerging market risks.

“However, I think current levels will be the strongest for the lira for now, because the central bank seems likely to loosen its policy stance in the period ahead on a lower inflation outlook,” Gonen said.

“That’s why 1.8500-1.9000 could be the

new trading band for the dollar-lira.” The lira hit a two-week weak low against the dollar of 1.8340 after central bank governor Erdem Basci said the bank’s inflation forecast might be revised downwards if commodity prices remain low. The Turkish central bank has a 6.5 percent mid-point forecast for annual inflation and a 5 percent target this year. Turkey’s trade deficit narrowed in May to $8.58 billion from $10.164 billion a year earlier, data showed yesterday, above a forecast deficit of $8.2 billion in a Reuters poll.

“Regarding the trade deficit excluding energy, we can say that the central bank policies to balance domestic and external demand have worked out,” said Haluk Burumcekci, chief economist at EFG Istanbul.

“The current account deficit is expected to improve further until third quarter 2012, though at a slower pace. The risk to our forecast is increasingly on the downside ... due to lower oil prices and a milder recovery in economic activity compared with our projections in the second quar-

ter,” Burumcekci said. In its battle to curb double-digit inflation while supporting growth and narrowing a gaping current account deficit, the bank reverted in March to a tighter overall bias in its complicated monetary policy mix due to concern that a weaker lira currency would drive up prices.

The policy mix, in place since late 2010, is based on daily injections of lira funding, a flexible corridor between base lending and borrowing rates and high bank reserve requirements coupled with a low policy rate.

The yield on Turkey’s two-year benchmark bond stood at 8.61 percent, slightly stronger than Thursday’s closing level of 8.62 percent, after falling to 8.52 percent in early trade. “The central bank governor’s comments support prospects for an easier monetary policy, which shored up bonds,” wrote analysts at Halk Invest.

Istanbul’s main share index was 1.05 percent up at 61,461 points, underperforming a 2.09 percent rise in the MSCI emerging markets index. — Reuters

BUSINESS

SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012

Vietnam’s growth slows to 4.38% in first half HANOI: Vietnam’s economic growth slowed to 4.38 percent in the first half of 2012, its most sluggish rate for three years as the government prioritizes fighting inflation, data released yesterday showed. The figure from the General Statistics Office (GSO) falls short of the 5.63 percent growth achieved over the same period last year and lags a government target of 6 to 6.5 percent growth for the whole of 2012. Vietnam posted a record 8.4 percent growth in 2005 but economic expansion has edged down since with businesses struggling to combat high inflation and a weak currency.

Industrial growth was sluggish at 3.81 percent while agriculture was also weak at 2.81 percent after a virus affected pigs, the GSO said. “Economic growth in the first half is low due to difficulties in several sectors, especially in industrial production,” according to the GSO report.

Government efforts to curb inflation have been successful so far with consumer prices slowing to their weakest pace in more than two years in June, reaching 6.9 percent yearon-year. Economists said the sharp cut in inflation is the result of tighter monetary policy and the fall of purchasing power in the local market.

Vietnam had for years enjoyed strong growth. But double-digit inflation, a large trade deficit and a currency in free fall forced the ruling Communist Party to seek a new development model. Figures released Thursday showed the country had slashed its first half trade deficit by a factor of nearly ten to $690 million, a success in its fight against major macroeconomic imbalances. — AFP

China blocks Bloomberg site after report on leader BEIJING: China blocked access to Bloomberg’s website on the mainland after the business and financial news agency published a report yesterday detailing the multimillion-dollar assets of relatives of the man set to become the country’s next president. The report says that the extended family of Vice President Xi Jinping holds interests that include investments in companies with total assets of $376 million, an 18 percent indirect stake in a rare-earths company with $1.73 billion in assets and a $20 million holding in a tech company. The report cites public documents Bloomberg reporters compiled.

Bloomberg noted that no assets were traced to Xi, his wife, or their daughter and said in the report that there was no indication of any wrongdoing by Xi or his extended family. Still, the move to block access to Bloomberg’s main website, on which the Xi story was the lead news item, underscores the government’s sensitivity to such exposure of wealth belonging to people linked to top leaders amid a burgeoning gap between rich and poor and rampant official corruption. “The government has always been very careful in, on the one hand, emphasizing how they want to contain corruption but yet also worrying about how reports of this nature might galvanize public opinion against the Communist Party,” said Dali Yang, a political scientist at University of Chicago Center in Beijing.

The outage also points to the government’s concerns about ensuring the country’s leadership transition goes smoothly. Xi is poised to take over as Communist Party leader in the fall and president next spring. Bloomberg’s spokeswoman in Asia, Belina Tan, said the company believed the Bloomberg site was inaccessible in China because of a story that it published yesterday. Tan did not elaborate. Officials at several departments at the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology either could not be reached or said they were not in charge of censorship of the Internet. This underscores a problem that companies face when their sites are blocked in China: it is unclear which government department to even approach to seek an explanation. In a sign that censors were vigorously scrubbing the Internet to prevent circulation and discussion of the story within China, searches on the popular Twitter-like site Sina Weibo for Bloomberg’s account and the company’s full name in Chinese were blocked or partially censored. In searches that did go through using an abbreviation of the news agency’s name, no results related to the Xi story appeared. Among details revealed by Bloomberg were that most of Xi’s extended family’s assets it traced were owned by Xi’s older sister Qi Qiaoqiao, her husband Deng Jiagui and her daughter. —AP

Japan’s Nomura to cut executive pay over leaks Temporary cuts to range between 10, 50% TOKYO: Top Japanese brokerage Nomura said yesterday that it would temporarily cut its most senior executives’ pay by as much as half in the wake of an embarrassing insider trading scandal at the firm. Nomura announced the penalties at a hastily convened press briefing in Tokyo where it also released the findings of a damning report into the leaking of material information by some of its employees. The report said Japan’s biggest brokerage was overrun with “serious systemic defects that would erode confidence in (Nomura) as a securities company”.

Two executives in the compliance and institutional equity sales departments would resign, while Nomura also said it would suspend operations at its institutional equity sales department for three to five business days as it reviews its business amid the spiraling crisis. The pay of Nomura’s top executives would be temporarily cut between 10 and 50 percent, with Chief Executive Kenichi Watanabe’s compensation to be chopped by half for six months, the company said. “We sincerely apologize for causing a loss of confidence in this country’s securities markets and we deeply regret the inconvenience we have caused all those affected,” it said in a statement.

Watanabe, who said he would not resign, told reporters that “after reviewing the investigation reports, we acknowledge internal problems”. The report by a group of outside lawyers that Nomura commissioned to investigate its practices catalogued a culture that turned a blind eye to insider trad-

ing, which is illegal in Japan but usually carries token fines. Sales staff tipped off clients about share sales and information often flowed freely between sales and Nomura’s investment banking and

TOKYO: CEO of Japan’s top brokerage Nomura Holdings, Kenichi Watanabe (left), speaks as Nomura Securities president Koji Nagai listens during a press briefing at the company’s headquarters in Tokyo yesterday. Nomura will cut its chief executive’s pay as a penalty for an embarrassing string of insider trading scandals as regulators ramp up a probe. — AFP research side, usually barred through a so-called Chinese Wall, the report said.

There was little or no training for younger employees about their ethical responsibilities, and “some instances of excessive entertainment of particular

clients were found to be contrary to business ethics”, it added. Although it usually draws huge fines and jail time in the West, insider trading is largely tolerated in Japan with recent fines coming in at around just $1,500, while criminal convictions are few and far between. But there has been renewed pressure to crack down on lax regulations and legal loopholes, which have dented Japan’s corporate governance image.

Japanese media reports about the impending pay cuts earlier yesterday sent Nomura shares 3.88 percent higher at 294 yen in Tokyo. Japan’s market regulators are probing a series of insider trading cases as they ramp up their investigation of the widespread practice. “Rigorous measures will be taken in line with the law,” Financial Services Minister Tadahiro Matsushita told a news briefing yesterday in response to questions about insider trading. On Thursday, Japan’s top-selling Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper said Tokyo’s bourse would search the offices of dozens of brokerage houses as part of a wider investigation.

Earlier this month, Japan’s market watchdog called for a New York firm to be slapped with a 14.7 million yen penalty for trading on confidential information about a $6.3 billion share sale by Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO) in 2010. That was its first-ever action against a foreign company for insider trading. The probes by the Securities and Exchange Surveillance Commission have also focused on share sales reportedly underwritten US-based investment bank JPMorgan. — AFP

India oil firms cut petrol prices after protests NEW DELHI: State-run Indian refiners announced a cut in petrol prices from yesterday, mitigating a sharp increase a month ago that sparked public protests and anger among the government’s coalition allies. The cut reduced the cost of a litre of petrol by 2.46 rupees to 67.78 ($1.19) per litre, the country’s largest refiner Indian Oil Corp. (IOC) said in a statement. It was the second cut this month following a record 11 percent hike in prices in May that triggered the severe political backlash. India imports around 80 percent of its oil needs and the import bill has risen dramatically because of high global prices and a plunging rupee.

State-run refiners complain that they are forced to incur massive revenue losses due to the constraints in revising their selling prices in line with the international price. The Congress-led government deregulated petrol prices in 2010 in a reform aimed at reducing the massive subsidies it pays to state-run fuel refiners which rely on imported energy. But it still wields significant influence when it comes to petrol price changes and

retains complete control over the heavily subsidised costs of diesel, cooking gas and kerosene, which are used most by India’s poor. Yesterday’s cut reflects a

recent drop in international crude prices, but IOC stressed that it had still sustained losses of 10.5 billion rupees since April 1. — AFP

AMRITSAR: In this file photo, an Indian motorcyclist looks on as a petrol pump employee fills his tank at a petrol station in Amritsar. State-run Indian refiners announced a cut in petrol prices from yesterday, mitigating a sharp increase a month ago that sparked public protests and anger among the government’s coalition allies. — AFP

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Menswear pioneer Cardin makes 90th birthday ‘comeback’

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Midsummer night’s dream: Free outdoor opera in NY

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A dancer performs during a rehearsal of the “Yes We Can’t” ballet by US choreographer William Forsythe during the Montpellier Dance Festival at the Opera Berlioz in Montpellier, southern France. — AFP

Grammys to honor

Springsteen next year B ruce Springsteen is being recognized for his creative and philanthropic contributions by the group that puts on the Grammy Awards. The Recording Academy announced Thursday that Springsteen has been named its 2013 MusiCares person of the year. The Boss will be feted at a private fundraising dinner ceremony on Feb. 8 in Los Angeles.

Recording Academy President Neil Portnow called Springsteen a “renais-

sance artist of our time, a national treasure, and an exemplary humanitarian.” Springsteen has won 20 Grammy awards during his nearly 40year career. The Recording Academy’s MusiCares Foundation provides financial, medical and educational services to members of the music community.

Past person of the year honorees include Barbra Streisand, Quincy Jones, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin and Paul McCartney.

Disick wants to marry Kardashian

SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012

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cott Disick wants to marry Kourtney Kardashian. The couple have a two-year-old son Mason together and are expecting a daughter this summer but Scott insists the only reason he agreed to have another child was if they got married and says his girlfriend has “broke the deal” they had.

On Sunday’s episode of ‘Keeping Up With the Kardashians’, he says: “The whole reason I had another kid with you is because you agreed to get married. You broke the contract - you broke the deal.”However, despite her reluctance to walk down the aisle, Kourtney tells Scott she is committed to their relationship. She says: “I know that I’m indecisive but I’m not indecisive with you. I’m obviously committed to us, even though we’re not getting married, and I thought that that was understood.”

Kourtney and Scott recently revealed they are in therapy in order to keep their relationship strong. She said: “He’s grown so much over the years. I love seeing him as a dad - he’s great with Mason - and I’m not saying that we’re perfect. We go to therapy, which helps us a lot. I think we’re always working to better ourselves, which I think a lot of people can do. “I could go into the therapy session despising him, but by the time I leave even if he’s not in there - I feel like I understand him so much more.”

Brand and Sheen’s Flaming Lips break 24-hour record for live shows

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t’s official: The Flaming Lips are the music world’s road warriors. The psychedelic rockers from Oklahoma set a new Guinness World Record for most live shows in a 24-hour period, finishing off their feat of eight performances Thursday night in New Orleans. Their journey started a day earlier in Memphis, Tennessee, and they were joined on their trip south through the Mississippi Delta by several other acts and celebrities in celebration of MTV’s O Music Awards. Jay-Z held the record previously at seven shows in 24 hours. Lips lead singer Wayne Coyne called the record “an absurd joy” in a news release. While the Lips were rocking, Selena Gomez, Big Freedia, Karmin, Adam Lambert, iamwhoiam and 30 Seconds to Mars picked up O Music Awards wins.

pet names

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ussell Brand and Charlie Sheen have pet names for one another.

The British comedian and the ‘Anger Management’ star - who underwent a public meltdown last year - have struck up a friendship after working together recently promoting shows on network FX and the US actor came up with some special monikers for them to use.

Russell explained to The Sun newspaper: “I got an answerphone message, ‘Brand, Genius One. This is Genius Two’. “There were instructions to go to his house. There was him being Charlie Sheen - which was out of control - sat with a bunch who looked really on the edge.

“I think he’s super-cool and funny.” It was recently claimed that ‘Brand X’ presenter Russell who has previously battled addictions to drugs - has invited Charlie to join his yoga class.

A source said: “Russell and Charlie have been spending an increased amount of time together as they’ve been named by FX as the stars for their summer schedule so have done a lot of promotional work together. “Russell has invited Charlie to join him at his yoga classes.”

SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012

Cee Lo Green snags role in ‘Can a Song Save Your Life?’

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ee Lo Green will share the big screen with Keira Knightley, Mark Ruffalo, Hailee Stanfied and Catherine Keener in the upcoming John Carney film “Can a Song Save Your Life?” The film’s cast also includes Green’s fellow “The Voice” coach, Adam Levine. Production stars Monday in New York on the Exclusive Media project. Green will play Troublegum, a “very successful hip hop star,” Exclusive Media said. “Can a Song Save Your Life?” stars Knightley and Levine as a couple that moves

to New York to pursue their passion for music.

After Levine’s character dumps Knightley’s character, she encounters a down-on-his-luck record producer (Ruffalo) who assembles a ragtag music team to appear on a record with her, including Green’s character Troublegum. Carney wrote and will the direct the film. Anthony Bregman (“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”) will produce, with Judd Apatow attached as executive producer.

Mila Kunis has ‘never’ dated

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he ‘Ted’ actress - who has previously been romantically linked with Justin Timberlake and Ashton Kutcher - admits her career makes it difficult to meet guys and insists any rumors about her relationships can’t be true because she has no idea what it is like to go on dates. She said: “I’m OK in my personal life. I’ve never dated. I can say this honestly; I don’t know what it’s like to date. But also, how am I going to date? I’m not in one state long enough.” If she wasn’t famous, the 28-year-old beauty would happily turn to internet dating because she loves helping her friends meet guys online. She added in an interview with the August edition of America’s Glamour magazine: “If I didn’t do what I do, I would do Internet dating instead of going out to bars. In two seconds I would.

It makes so much more sense. “One of my really good friends met her fiancÈ on an OkCupid-style website.OkCupid’s really popular all my girlfriends have joined. I love those sites. I go on and I pick the guys for my friends. I think it’s great. “It’s online shopping! We all get together with our laptops. Then we message the guy.”

McConaughey’s kids did well at the wedding M

atthew McConaughey’s children ran down the aisle when they saw him at his wedding. The ‘Killer Joe’ actor’s children Levi, four, and Vida, two, played key roles when he married their mother Camila Alves at their Texas home earlier this month and though they were easily distracted, he says things “worked out” in the end. He explained on ‘TODAY’: “Levi brought the rings on a necklace.

Vida was the flower girl. “I don’t think she dropped one petal. “It was only 25 yards. It took them two minutes to make it this far. They stopped, talked to some guests. Then I crouched down and they came running this way and it all worked out.” The 42-year-old actor is thrilled with how “healthy” all aspects of his life are at the moment. He added: “My life is healthy. Personal life is good, career feels good and we’ll just keep on cultivating.” Meanwhile, the actor admits he has “always” wanted to be a father, even when he had uncertainty about other aspects of his life. He told the Metro newspaper: “One thing I always knew I wanted to be, since I was eight years old, was to be a father.

“When I was 20, I didn’t know what I wanted for a career but I knew I wanted to be a father. The men I looked up to the most were fathers - men who raised good kids.” —Agencies

Paris invites disabled child to her home P

aris Hilton helped grant a wish for a seriously ill child. The hotel heiress met with six-year-old Oran - who is confined to a wheelchair - as part of her volunteer work for the Starlight Children’s Foundation, which grants wishes for sick kids. Animal-lover Paris spent time chatting with the little lad and introduced him to her pets, and after their meeting, she took to her twitter page to say how much she had enjoyed it. In a series of tweets, she said: “Amazing to spend some time with Oran today, a very special 6 year old boy - love helping starlightmagic! Helping Starlightmagic bring smiles to some very special kids like Oran. “You can too ... Do something great today, help Starlightmagic grant the wishes of brave kids like Oran.” The blonde beauty then posted a picture of little Oran meeting the animals and wrote: “All my animals loved Oran today. He is the coolest & smartest 6 year old I’ve ever met! (sic)” For nearly 30 years, Starlight Children’s Foundation has been dedicated to improving the quality of life for children around the globe with chronic and lifethreatening illnesses and lifealtering injuries by providing entertainment, education and family activities that help them cope with the pain, fear and isolation of prolonged illness.

SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012

‘Magic Mike’ never quite takes (it) off S

teven Soderbergh’s “Magic Mike” brings to mind the old joke about non-dairy creamer - we know what it isn’t, but what is it? If you’re expecting a sexy and voyeuristic peek into the world of muscular dancers taking off their clothes for roomfuls of rowdy women (i.e., the movie that the ads and trailers are selling), you’ll be disappointed at how lackluster and, ultimately, repetitive the stripping sequences are. If Soderbergh wanted to use male stripping merely as a catchy hook on which to hang an interesting story or a captivating character study, well, the script by first-timer Reid Carolin provides a slight, familiar story alongside characters that aren’t all that interesting. And while “Magic Mike” tries to use the business of sexual fantasy to make a point about the depressed state of the new millennial economy, Soderbergh already covered that ground to much better effect in “The Girlfriend Experience.”

Perhaps the most surprising thing about “Magic Mike” is the way that it hews, intentionally or unintentionally, to the plot of a previous male-stripper epic, the 1981 TV movie “For Ladies Only,” which featured Gregory Harrison as a would-be Serious Actor who instead becomes Manhattan’s hottest male exotic dancer while his best pal (played by a pre”Beastmaster” Marc Singer) sinks into drug addiction.

Channing Tatum (on whose life experience this film is loosely based) stars as Mike, who thinks of himself as an entrepreneur - his gigs include roofing, furniture design and car detailing but who makes a living shaking his groove thing every night for Tampa’s most pent-up females. On a construction job, he meets young college dropout Adam (Alex Pettyfer) and figures “The Kid” (as Alex is known for the rest of the movie) would make a better stripper than roofer.

The Kid stumbles through an impromptu baptism by fire at the strip club (as Harrison’s character did) before getting hooked on pills (as Singer’s character did), while Mike strains to

become anything that is Not a Stripper (as Harrison’s character did). Replace the questionable early-’80s fashions with zeitgeist-y concerns about the recession, and you’ve pretty much got the same movie.

Soderbergh doesn’t shoot the stripping sequences as though he were directing a musical; it would be tempting to say that he’s going for a documentarian’s approach, but an actual recent doc about exotic dancing Frederick Wiseman’s “Crazy Horse” offers up numbers that are much more elaborate and significantly sexier. The naughty bits of “Magic Mike” are, for the most part, dull, and not in a way that feels like a directorial choice.

Outside of the club, Soderbergh mutes the Florida sunshine to a grimy overcast-ness, part of an overall strategy to give the movie a more 1970s feel.

(Said strategy includes everything from organically unstructured Altman-esque scenes, complete with overlapping background dialogue, to the use of the vintage, Saul Bass-designed Warner Bros. “W” logo that was retired 20 or so years ago.) But even if we don’t talk about them much, there were bad movies in the ‘70s, too.

Both Tatum and Matthew McConaughey (as the strip club’s figuratively and literally oily manager) continue their streak of movies in which they prove that they’re actors and not just himbos, and they’re matched by Cody Horn as Adam’s concerned sister.

Horn brings a young-Diane-Lane vibe to the proceedings, and her scenes with Tatum bring “Magic Mike” its only moments of feeling like a genuinely compelling story about recognizable human beings. Pettyfer doesn’t have it in him to inject any life into the noncharacter he’s playing, and Matt Bomer and Joe Manganiello have so little dialogue that they barely register at all.

(Manganiello plays a dancer known as “Big Dick Rich,” and that one detail is about as much as we ever learn about him.) Riddled with show-biz clichÈs, stick-figure studs and reheated ideas, “Magic Mike” thrusts its junk in your face despite having a very empty Gstring. —Reuters

‘Ted’ vs. ‘Magic Mike’ in battle of the sexes T

Indian Bollywood film actor Akshay Kumar poses during the music release of upcoming Bollywood film ‘From Sydney with Love’ in Mumbai on June 28, 2012. — AFP

here could be a lot of couples splitting up and then meeting back in the lobby after the movie this weekend. Both Warner Bros.’ “Magic Mike” and Universal’s “Ted” are tracking very strongly - with one gender. Channing Tatum’s male strippers appear to have the female market locked, though current box office champ “Brave” could factor in. And Seth MacFarlane’s potty-mouthed teddy bear looks very big with men.

Whether either will be able to dislodge “Brave” from its perch remains to be seen. Disney’s Pixar tale of the highland lass with the dead-eye bow is still the analysts’ pick for No. 1, with a weekend of around $33 million projected. “Magic Mike” is looking at around $29 million, “Ted” in the $26 million range and “Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Witness Protection” will do more than $20 million say the analysts, who admit it’s a fluid landscape.

“It’s a real race this weekend,” Boxoffice.com editor-in-chief Phil Contrino told TheWrap. “The top four films could wind up in any order and I wouldn’t be shocked.” MacFarlane wrote, directed and voices the title character in “Ted,” his off-center tale of a man and his teddy bear, who comes to life as a result of childhood wish. Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis, Joel McHale and Giovanni Ribisi star. Universal has the fantasy comedy in 3,000 theaters. The production budget on the R-rated comedy was $50 million, with Media Rights Capital financing.

“We’re confident because of the tracking, the high awareness level and because there is a track record of films like this doing well,” Nikki Rocco, Universal Pictures domestic distribution chief, told TheWrap Thursday. The numbers back her up.

“Bad Teacher,” “Horrible Bosses” and “21 Jump Street” were all

recent R-rated comedies that opened between $26 million and $36 million and went on to top $100 million. Universal would love to see the film match the performance of one of its own films, last summer’s “Bridesmaids,” which opened at $26 million and built steadily to $169 million.

“We think it’s going to have some staying power,” said Rocco, who is convinced that “Ted” audiences won’t be totally men’s clubs. “Our tracking shows young women are interested in this film.” Critics think it’s pretty good. Seventy percent of the reviews on Rotten Tomatoes are favorable and 63 percent on MovieReviewIntelligence are positive. Metacritic gives it a 61 rating. Steven Soderbergh directs “Magic Mike,” the tale of a male stripper teaching a young up-and-comer the ropes, from a script by Reid Carolin. Matthew McConaughey, Channing Tatum, Alex Pettyfer and Olivia Munn star. Carolin and Tatum are the producers of the movie, done on a $7 million budget.

WB will open it on 2,900 screens. The film is tracking extremely well with women, and social media mentions and its tracking have surged over the past few days.

As of Thursday, “Magic Mike” was accounting for 61 percent of pre-sales at online ticket broker Fandango. And a whopping 98 percent of the respondents to a survey question about the movie on the site were women. Critics have responded well to the film. Seventy-three percent of reviews on MovieReviewIntelligence and 78 percent of Rotten Tomatoes’ are positive, and Metacritic gives it a 71 ratings. The critics haven’t seen Lionsgate’s “Tyler Perry’s Witness Protection,” but that shouldn’t matter. This is the fifth installment in the Madea franchise and the previous four films were weren’t critical faves, but they’ve opened to an average of $29 million. —Reuters

SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012

Midsummer night’s dream:

Free outdoor opera in NY I

(From left) French actress Jeanne Disson, Australian actress Kylie Minogue, French actress Edith Scob, French actor Denis Lavant, and French actress Elise Lhomeau pose during the opening ceremony of the Paris Cinema Festival prior to the premiere of ‘Holy Motos’, on June 28, 2012 in Paris. — AFP

Review

t is an opera lover’s midsummer night’s dream: a picnic blanket and blissful strains of Mozart, Verdi or Puccini in New York’s Central Park. In a nearly 40-year tradition, city dwellers converge in Manhattan’s Central Park to experience the sumptuous operatic fare usually only enjoyed by those willing to pay top-dollar at the city’s celebrated symphony halls. This week, under the baton of the octogenarian maestro Vincent La Selva, music lovers enjoyed a production of Puccini’s “Tosca.”

The performance took place in Central Park’s Naumburg Bandshell, where many music lovers snubbed the amphitheater’s built-in seats in favor of folding lawn chairs-or simply took in the music while reclining on the grass. “I do operas that I think people want to see. They come from all around the country,” said La Selva, founder and director of the New York Grand Opera, which staged the free public production. “What’s very interesting is that we have a lot of young people, which is unusual. The young people — 19, 20 years old-they don’t go to the opera, they are not opera-goers,” he said.

The decades-long tradition began when New York’s cultural authority asked La Selva if he would be willing to try to stage a production at the Bandshell, an underused clamshell-like amphitheater. He eagerly accepted the challenge. “The first year I did one opera, ‘La Boheme,’” he said. “The next year I did five. For the last four or five years, I have done two or three operas a year, mainly because the funding has gone down,” he said.

Even with less funding, over the years the operas in the park have come to be a New York tradition, and La Selva has become something of a celebrity. “I have people stopping me on the street and saying: ‘You know, the first opera I ever saw was in Central Park with you, and now I go very often to the opera’ It’s great,” he said.

There are no curtains on the Bandshell stage, so audience members watch the entire production unfold, including set changes, before their eyes. Somehow, under the canopy of trees and the starlit sky, none of the magic is lost. La Selva has attracted top talent to his productions. On Wednesday, the role of Cavaradossi was sung by the celebrated Mexican tenor Alejandro Olmedo.

But his operas also feature New York’s legions of talented singers, who gain valuable experienced in the high-profile production.

“There’s a tremendous amount of talent in New York, singers who don’t have place to go,” he said. The New York Grand Opera’s critically acclaimed productions over the years have been seen by an estimated three million people throughout the New York metropolitan area, including productions staged in the city’s four other boroughs outside Manhattan. This summer, two free Puccini performances will be put on in the Bandshell. The audience heard “Tosca” this week. On July 18, visitors will be treated to a production of “Madama Butterfly.”

La Selva has been lauded by former president Bill Clinton, governors George Pataki and Mario Cuomo, and has been awarded the Handel Medallion, New York City’s highest honor for cultural contributions. Next year, on the 40th anniversary of the open-air opera, La Selva plans to honor Giuseppe Verdi, one of his favorite composers. In the coming years he hopes to see opera expand to even more venues. “New York is a big place. We are eight, nine million people.

Why should it have just one opera? We deserve five or six.” — AFP

Beautiful ‘Beasts’ is one of year’s best

“B

easts of the Southern Wild” is sheer poetry on screen: an explosion of joy in the midst of startling squalor and one of the most visceral, original films to come along in a while. The story of a little girl named Hushpuppy (Quvenzhane Wallis) living on a remote, primal strip of eroding land in the southernmost reaches of the Louisiana bayou is so ambitious and so accomplished, it’s amazing that it’s only the first feature film from director Benh Zeitlin. Working from a script he co-wrote with longtime friend Lucy Alibar, based on her play, Zeitlin deftly mixes a sense of childhood wonder with the harsh realities of the adult world.

His film is at once dreamlike and brutal (the gorgeous work of cinematographer Ben Richardson), ethereal yet powerfully emotional. Fight it all you like, but this movie will get to you by the end. And he’s coaxed some surprisingly strong performances from a couple of inexperienced actors he had the daring to place frontand-center. Wallis, who was only 6 when shooting began, has a fierce presence beyond her years with her wild hair and bright eyes, but also a plucky, girlish sweetness. This is Hushpuppy’s fairy tale but she’s no damsel in distress, which is clear from the first moment we see her.

Hushpuppy’s mother left long ago; now she and her ailing, alcoholic father, Wink (Dwight Henry), are living together on the narrow and ruggedly beautiful Isle de Jean Charles, known affectionately by the rag-tag locals in the film as “The Bathtub.” As her father becomes consumed by poor health and drink - and with a damaging storm on the way - she must figure out how to survive on her own.

Even before these pressing problems arose, though, Wink wasn’t exactly the most traditional father. Living side-by-side in separate trailers propped up in makeshift fashion, the two are more like next-door neighbors who pal around and share whatever dinner they can scrounge up. At best, Hushpuppy’s daddy is neglectful; at worst, he disappears for days. Still, you know he loves his daughter and - when he’s around - he teaches her to be strong and tries to protect her in his own feeble, erratic way.

The character and the unorthodox parental bond depicted are sure to provoke mixed, complex responses from viewers, but “Beasts of the Southern Wild” never judges Wink. That’s an impressive feat in itself, but what’s even more amazing is that Henry had never acted before. Zeitlin found him at the bakery he runs in New Orleans and persuaded him to take part in the production. His

presence, and that of all the good-time locals, adds to the air of authenticity. Obviously, these two aren’t going anywhere, and neither are their friends; an unshakable sense of pride and territoriality fortifies them. We saw this again and again as Hurricane Katrina barreled toward southern Louisiana: folks who saw no reason to leave. This was their home.

They stood firm. Katrina is never mentioned by name and it doesn’t need to be. The idea of a landscape-altering storm is just one of the many mythical elements at work here. Some of the magical realism imagery may seem a little too literal, too obvious, and may not work for everyone. Hushpuppy, who also narrates the film, envisions giant, prehistoric beasts storming toward her home from far away - the fantastical manifestation in her mind of the real-life threats that are imminent. But they’re all of a piece in a film that’s wild and wondrous, and one of the year’s best.

The only drawback is that some of the kids who could benefit the most from witnessing such a display of bravery and resourcefulness are too young to experience it - unless maybe they have open minded parents, too. “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” a Fox Searchlight release, is rated PG-13 for thematic material including child imperilment, some disturbing images, language and brief sexuality. Running time: 91 minutes.

Four stars out of four. —AP

SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012

The home that President Richard Nixon was born in and lived in, located on the grounds of the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda, will turn 100-yearsold this year.

Nixon birthplace turns

O

ne of Orange County’s most famous landmarks didn’t start out that way when it was built 100 years ago. In fact, the simple farmhouse was built from a kit Frank Nixon likely bought at a lumber yard not far from his property along what is now Yorba Linda Boulevard. But just a few months after it was put together, the house saw the birth of a boy who would become the nation’s 37th president. “I was born in a house my father built,” Nixon would recall in his memoirs.

The house officially hit the century mark in early June. Today, it is one of the showpieces of the Nixon Presidential Library & Museum, receiving thousands of visitors each year. “We have a tremendous amount of history here,” said Marg Garvey, a library docent. There were just 31 residents in the village called Yorba Linda in 1910. It was Yorba Linda’s climate that drew Frank Nixon from Whittier in 1912 to

try his hand at growing oranges and lemons. Nixon researchers haven’t been able to pinpoint exactly when the Nixon home was built, though they do know it was in 1912.

The Janss Investment Co., which subdivided the land that would become Yorba Linda, promised agricultural land that was “frost free,” said Robert Lyons, the longestserving docent at the library. Ironically, the following January was one of the coldest Yorba Linda had ever seen; so bad, in fact, Hannah Nixon was cautioned it would be more dangerous for her to travel to the hospital than to bear her second son at home. On Jan. 9, just months after the 900square-foot farmhouse was built, Richard Milhous Nixon became the only one of the five Nixon boys to be born at the home.

The Nixons grew up knowing the hard work that comes with farming for a living.

As they got older, they helped their father with chores. “In every way, it was a typical

Much of the furniture in Richard Nixon birthplace are the actual articles used by the Nixon family, who lived there from 1912 to 1922, such as this highchair Nixon ate in as a baby.

100 years old

farm life,” said Lyons, a docent who has served at the library since it opened nearly 20 years ago. “It could have been Nebraska. From what the president and (his youngest brother) Ed said, Mom ruled the house from threshold to threshold, and if they screwed up, they got thrown outside.”

Visitors to the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda tour the home and birthplace of Richard Nixon.

The wood burning stove in the Richard Nixon birthplace. The stove is not original but the pots and pans are.

A time capsule will be buried at the Richard Nixon birthplace during the anniversary of the 100year-old home. — MCT photos

On warm afternoons, Garvey said, the boys often stirred their father’s ire by swimming in the irrigation canal that ran past the house, Today, that canal has been filled in and is a public walkway running behind the museum. When the boys weren’t working, Frank and Hannah Nixon encouraged them to read. Richard Nixon took to training on the family’s piano, but also learned to play the clarinet and the violin. In his spare time, Garvey said, he devoured issues of National Geographic

lent to him by his uncle. “He always wanted to travel,” Garvey said. The family lived a meager existence, with Frank Nixon having a difficult time coaxing his citrus to grow. The area’s heavy clay soil contributed to that, Garvey said, along with Frank Nixon’s apparent complete trust in Mother Nature rather than fertilizers. “It was a hard life. They were homebodies and hard workers,” said Clara Jane Nixon, 92, the widow of the third Nixon son, Francis Donald. A native of Placentia, Clara Jane Nixon now resides in Irvine. Because the family never had much money, their belongings weren’t fancy. “They didn’t have hardly a thing. They didn’t have a baby crib,” she said. Instead, they relied on a bureau. “They would just pull out a drawer, fit the child in, cushion him, and everything was dandy.”

SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012

The upstairs bedroom in the Richard Nixon birthplace is where Richard and his brothers would sleep. The family lived in the home from 1912 to 1922.

After about a decade in Yorba Linda, another cold winter ravaged Frank Nixon’s citrus trees. He sold the western portion of his 8-acre plot to the Yorba Linda Elementary School District, and the eastern portion-including the house-to private buyers. At the time they left to return to Whittier in 1922, the town had grown to 46 residents.

Though the Nixons left, the house has remained in the spot where it was first built.

“The house went through six different owners through ‘46. That’s when the school dis-

trict purchased it so it could be a residence for the custodian/ school bus driver,” Lyons said. In the 1950s, with Richard Nixon serving as Dwight Eisenhower’s vice president, the school board and the city declared the house a historic landmark.

The district held on to the home for years. In the meantime, Clara Jane Nixon had stored away much of the family’s furniture. In the 1980s, when the Nixon Foundation began planning a library and museum at the site, she began contacting relatives, gathering pieces that had been

The interior of the Richard Nixon birthplace contains the piano, at right. Nixon took piano lessons on as a child. The home, built from a kit, will turn 100-years-old this year. taken up by different branches of the family.

“When the house opened, we wanted every bit of furniture that we could get that was original to the house,” Clara Jane Nixon said.

Today, Lyons said, 70 percent of the items in the house were used by Frank and Hannah Nixon and their sons. Others are period pieces added to the home to show how it would have looked during the years Richard Nixon lived there. While things inside the house have changed only moderately, the Nixons’ former land is another matter. Of the trees growing on the farm

then, only a scattering of palm and pepper trees remain.

The grounds are vastly different as well.

Instead of orchards, a museum sits to the west, and to the south, the Sea King helicopter Richard Nixon travelled in during his presidency. Lastly, just to the northwest, lies the president himself, in his grave next to his wife, Pat. This is the second major celebration at the library this year, with one earlier commemorating what would have been Pat Nixon’s 100th birthday. Richard Nixon’s centennial will follow early next year. — MCT

Afghanistan wants its cultural heroes back I

nterred a quarter century ago in Pakistan, the remains of Afghan poet Ustad Khalilullah Khalili now lie in a forlorn corner of Kabul University, brought here to be reburied so that no one else can lay claim to the revered poetphilosopher. He has no epitaph; only a few wilted bouquets lie at the grave of Afghanistan’s most prominent 20th century poet. Three policemen guard the site. But if President Hamid Karzai - who ordered the remains be disinterred from a grave in the Pakistani city of Peshawar last month - has his way, the reburial will become an assertion of Afghan culture over encroachment by Pakistan and Iran.

“We brought him back from Pakistan because he was our poet and scholar,” said Mohammad Hussain Yamin, head of the Persian and Dari department at Kabul University. “We don’t want someone in future to say that he belonged to Pakistan just because he lived the final years of his life there.” The assertion of cultural sovereignty is part of an effort to unite Afghanistan and prove it can stand on its own after most foreign troops leave at the end of 2014. The government says it wants an end to “foreign interference”, usually a reference to Pakistan, but also Iran with which it is locked in a fierce debate over ownership of some of the greatest poets and philosophers in the region.

Poetry is big in Afghanistan, from the time of the kings of the 10th century to the present day, permeating every level of society from children in school to warlords and even the austere Taliban who study long works of classical Persian poetry as part of their education in religious schools. It’s the thread that runs between Afghanistan’s often warring ethnic groups whether Tajik, Hazara, Pashtun, Uzbek, Turkmen, Nuristani, Baluch, or any of the many other subgroups and clans.

Cultural claims But along with the death and destruction of the past three decades, Afghans say they also

lost a chunk of their rich cultural heritage with Iran, Pakistan and even Turkey claiming parts of it. Many, like Khalili, left the country to escape the wars and died in faraway lands which slowly began to claim them as their own, Afghanistan says. Now it aims to get its heritage back. “Iran wants to show the world it had a glorious past. This has been going on for years, they have been claiming many of our literary figures as their own. We cannot remain silent,” said Jalal Noorani, an adviser at the Information and Culture Ministry. Debate has long raged over Rumi, arguably the greatest Persian poet, but now as Afghanistan begins to stand on its feet, the claims and counter-claims have intensified not only over him but also others.

Rumi, known as Mawlana Jalal-ud-Din Balkhi in Afghanistan and Mevlevi in Iran, was born in the 13th century in Balkh which was at the time an eastern part of the Persian empire of Khorasan but is now a province in northern Afghanistan. His family moved and they eventually settled in present-day Turkey where he wrote some of the greatest mystic Sufi poetry in Persian.

Today, all three countries regard him as their national poet even though his poetry itself transcends borders, religion and ethnic divides.Rumi’s poetry is displayed on the walls of Tehran, sung in Iranian music and read in Iranian school books. Iranians are known to live with his poetry. But Yamin says what is indisputable is that his origins were in Afghanistan.

Rumi’s occupies pride of place on a billboard in Yamin’s room that gives details of the birth dates and place of birth of poets that others have laid claim to. “We have repeatedly given evidence that these figures belong to Afghanistan, not Iran. When we sit down with the Iranians and discuss these issues, they don’t offer any evidence. They say in the past both countries were one, so they call all these poets, philosophers Iranian,” said Yasmin.

CHALLENGE Iranian embassy officials could not be reached for comment and did not respond to an email. In the past, Iranians have challenged Afghanistan to a test of history, suggesting they were waking up a bit late to claim inheritance.

At a concert in Kabul a few years ago, an Iranian singer challenged any member of the audience to speak for two minutes on Rumi since they claimed he was their own. Afghan authorities took offence and the concert had to end hastily.

“Afghans are a bit late at this. Iran and Turkey have stolen their thunder,” said Mohammad Taqi, a U.S.-based columnist for Pakistan’s Daily

Times newspaper who has written extensively on the Pashtun heartland straddling Afghanistan and Pakistan. Iran, he said, had milked Rumi and the whirling dervishes that his poetry inspired by setting up cultural centres on the pattern of Germany’s Goethe Institute. Still, this new burst of cultural revivalism in Afghanistan can help bridge the distance between the Tajiks and the Hazaras, and to a certain extent the Pashtuns, he said. “A supraethnic Afghan identity needs non-violent icons.”

— Reuters

This photo taken on June 27, shows Yuzo Shiozawa a 60-year-old Tokyoite dressed in a hand-made costume of cartoon heroine Candy posing on a street at Harajuku fashion district in Tokyo. Candice ‘Candy’ White Ardlay is the main character of a hugely popular cartoon anime series originally launched in Japan in the 1970s and set in the United States during the early 20th century. — AFP

SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012

Queen’s 10,000 diamonds on display in London

M

ore than 10,000 diamonds go on show at London’s Buckingham Palace this week to mark Queen Elizabeth’s 60th year on the throne, in a dazzling display of gems gathered over the centuries as objects of beauty and symbols of power. The exhibition, which runs from June 30 to July 8 and then from July 31 to Oct. 7, was designed to coincide with the queen’s diamond jubilee this year, and features jewels she wears regularly at official functions in Britain and abroad.

“The aim of the exhibition is to show how rulers have used diamonds as visible signs of wealth and power,” said curator Caroline de Guitaut, who described the crowns, tiaras, rings, earrings, swords and snuff box on display as “priceless.”

De Guitaut said the 86-year-old monarch was consulted on what would be used for the exhibition, housed in a darkened room inside Buckingham Palace and accessed via gilded, colonnaded corridors lined with royal portraits going back generations. “We have tried to showcase some of the most important diamonds in royal possession.” The first item on show in a

brightly lit glass case is Queen Victoria’s small diamond crown which, despite its size, features more than 1,100 diamonds.

After her husband Prince Albert’s death in 1861, the only other British monarch to have marked a diamond jubilee wore only mourning clothes, meaning that colourless stones such as clear diamonds were an ideal adornment. Victoria was regularly pictured wearing it, including in her official diamond jubilee portrait. Perhaps the most impressive display, however, is that containing seven of the nine major stones cut from the Cullinan Diamond, the largest ever found.

Sceptre, crown and more The gemstone was discovered in South Africa in 1905 and was so large that a clerk working at the mine initially threw it away, assuming it was a worthless crystal.

Eventually, though, the stone weighing 3,106 carats in its rough state was presented to King Edward VII who decided to have it cut and polished.

It produced nine principal stones and 96 small brilliant diamonds. The two main

gems, the largest colourless and flawless cut diamonds in the world, were set in the Sovereign’s Sceptre and Imperial State Crown. Like many of the important diamonds in the exhibition, Cullinan III and IV were used in a variety of settings over time but today form a brooch worn by Queen Elizabeth at a service of thanksgiving at St. Paul’s Cathedral earlier this month.

Cullinan V is in a brooch, Cullinan VII hangs as a pendant from an emerald necklace, Cullinan VI and VIII are also in a brooch and Cullinan IX, the smallest of the nine main stones at 4.4 carats, is set into a platinum ring. Underlining how diamonds were used as gifts of diplomacy as well as objects of desire, Queen Victoria’s fringe brooch includes stones presented to her by the Sultan of Turkey as a token of thanks for Britain’s support in the Crimean War. Victoria appears not to have appreciated the sultan’s tastes, and had the jewels reset. The Jaipur Sword and Scabbard were presented to King Edward VII for his coronation in 1902 by the Maharajah of Jaipur, and have been set with 719 diamonds weighing 2,000 carats in total.

More recently, Queen Elizabeth was gifted the Williamson Diamond in 1947 by Canadian geologist and royalist John Thorburn Williamson, and it is considered the finest pink diamond ever discovered.

From its original uncut 54.5 carats it was cut into a 23.6-carat round brilliant stone and now sits in the centre of a flowershaped brooch by Cartier.

While De Guitaut said she could not even guess the value of the diamonds on display, a pink diamond of similar size without royal provenance, fetched $46 million at an auction in Switzerland in 2010. Of all the royals represented in the exhibition, Queen Mary’s name came up most often.

Queen Elizabeth’s grandmother clearly had a passion for jewellery, and among her acquisitions was a snuff box made originally for Frederick II of Prussia and his court. The box is covered with nearly 3,000 diamonds, including many on the bottom which would normally be invisible, and came to England after the Russian Revolution. There it was sold twice before being purchased by Mary in 1932.—Reuters

Cardin

Menswear pioneer makes 90th birthday ‘comeback’ B

ack in 1958 Pierre Cardin signed up a battalion of students for Paris’ first ever men’s catwalk show. As he prepares for a comeback show on Sunday, the eve of his 90th birthday, the style veteran thinks he still has a lot to offer modern man. The last active survivor of the great postwar French fashion houses, the Italian-born Cardin is today sole owner of a sprawling luxury empire, but his catwalk shows are few and far between, his last in Paris a women’s line in 2010.

“This is a comeback for me, and it’s a great pleasure,” he told AFP in an interview. “I hadn’t shown a man’s line in Paris for a very long time.

It’s a chance to present my style, my personality, what made my name.” “Here is my modern man,” the white-haired designer said as he showed off one of Sunday’s looks in his Paris office, a black felt jacket with sleeves cut very short, faithful to the space-age theme Cardin has mined on and off since the 1960s. “Women show off their legs, so I show off men’s muscu-

Pierre Cardin, 90, presents a specimen of his perfume ‘Cardin de Pierre Cardin’.

French fashion designer, businessman and Fine Arts Academy member Pierre Cardin, 90, presents a picture published in a French weekly magazine, which represents him during a meeting with then Cuban head of State Fidel Castro, as he poses in his office in Paris on June 27, 2012, during an interview some days ahead of the show of his ready-to-wear 2013 spring-summer men collection in Paris. —AFP

lar arms,” he explained. “It looks like nothing else, don’t you agree? And it’s wearable.”

Putting on Paris’ first menswear fashion show back in the 1950s, before the advent of male models required some lateral thinking. “I rang up the university deans across Paris-science, maths, philosophy, medicine-and asked them to send me some students,” he recalled.

“Around 100 turned up. And the show was a triumph,” he said. “At the time, some people frowned at seeing a couturier in men’s fashionbut now everyone is in on the game.” Be it branching into men’s fashion or ready-to-wear, brand licensing or pushing into Asian markets,

which he was first to do a half-century ago, Cardin blazed a trail that many of his contemporaries have since rushed down.

Yet he holds an odd place in the French fashion world, where his relaxed-even cockyattitude towards licensing his name and making money is seen as somehow incompatible with an artist’s calling. “There are a lot of great fortunes out there, but mine is one that I earned through creativity, not betting on horses or the stock-exchange,” Cardin said of his personal wealth, estimated in 2009 at 310 million euros ($385 million). “What I do, I do with passion,” he said, showing off an article about his latest grand design, a 2.5-billion-euro futuristic skyscraper called the Palace of Light in his native Venice.

Very ambitious but not vain Cardin, who dreamed up the tower together with his architect nephew Rodrigo Basilicati, will lay the first symbolic stone on September 24, with the target of delivering the project in time for the 2015 Universal Exhibition in Milan.

“This is my last great project-for now at least.

Because I have to admit I am getting on in age.” “You see when I make sunglasses they look like ‘Pierre Cardin’ and no one else. The same goes for my skyscraper.” And when it comes to selling Cardin-stamped bath towels or cigarettes? “Ah, that’s commerce, that’s something else altogether,” he quips back.

For the past two years Cardin’s vast empire has been up for sale, but he has yet to find a buyer willing to match his asking price of one billion euros. “I have had a lot of offers, but when it came to setting a figure I always said no in the end. If you want to buy me, you have pay the right price.”

French fashion designer, businessman and Fine Arts Academy member Pierre Cardin, 90, presents a picture of him when he was 17-year-old.

While he can be disarmingly immodest, famously boasting he could dine in his restaurant before catching a show at his own theatre and sleeping in his own hotel, he says his feet are still on the ground. “I have always been very ambitious. But I am not vain,” he insisted.

In fairness, despite the mammoth scale of his business empire — 800 licensed products across 122 countries-Cardin’s office, which sits above his sole Paris clothing store, is not your typical business tycoon’s den. Wildly messy, the furniture past its best, the room is chock-ablock with old magazines, press clippings, books and paintings, piled thickly on his desk and spilling out of drawers and off shelves.

He fondly shows off a sketchbook signed by Dior. He was the couturier’s very first employee, joining him in 1946, before striking out on his own three years later. “This is where I live.

This is my life,” he said, thumbing through pictures of himself with Nelson Mandela or Fidel Castro, on the front page of Time magazine in 1968, or Elle from 1973. —AFP

SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012

Men’s

spring-summer 2013 fashion collection Models present creations by Japanese designer Junya Watanabe for the Japanese fashion label Comme Des Garcons during the men’s spring-summer 2013 fashion collection show yesterday in Paris. —AFP

Drum rolls as iconic Dior meets the avant-garde

W

hat do you get when you mix iconic French couture with an edgy avant-garde designer? With days to go until Raf Simons’ debut couture collection at Dior on Monday, the fashion pack is bubbling with impatience to find out. It took the French house more than a year to find the right fit for its top design job, after it ousted John Galliano in disgrace in March last year over a drunken, racist outburst in a bar that turned the Briton into a fashion pariah overnight.

That was long enough for the memory of the scandal to fade, and for months of speculation linking many of the top names in the industry to the job, held in the interim by Galliano’s right-hand man Bill Gaytten. But when Dior finally settled, in April, on the 44-year-old Belgian Simons from the house of German designer Jil Sander, the industry could barely contain its delight. “It’s a match made in heaven that you never imagined would ever be consummated,” Tim Blanks of US website Style.com told AFP at this week’s Paris menswear shows. “It’s going to be a beautiful baby!” enthused the fashion commentator, who has closely followed Simons’

career over the years. “This is a genuine synthesis of past and future.” For the past year Gaytten has kept the Dior ateliers ticking over-and sales buoyant-with a string of polished collections built on trademark Dior codes like the 1950s nipped-waist suit, houndstooth and flamboyant red.

But fashion-lovers were left hungering for something more than competence at the brand’s helm. That something is what they hope Simons can deliver on Monday, the first of three days of haute couture shows set to cast a spell over the French capital city with their heady mix of craft and luxury. “He’s a rare bird,” Blanks said of the designer, who is known for working pure, clean lines with a wry, playful touch.

“He really is consistently one of the most provocative and fascinating designers that we have-provocative not in a way that he shocks you, but a way that he makes you question things.”

How much liberty is Simons likely to take with the venerable house, crown jewel of the luxury empire of LVMH owner Bernard Arnault? “I feel that he has a natural restraint, and a natural respect in the way he approaches things,” said Blanks.

Simons’ last three collections for Jil Sanderdubbed his couture trilogy were “like an amazing audition tape for a job in haute couture,” Blanks said, based entirely around the hushed world of mid-20th-century couture. “He’s riveted by codes, codes of youth culture, codes of any kind of closed world where people operate to their own set of rules and create their own universe out of their passions and obsessions.”

“Raf is obsessed too, so he understands obsession.” Simons headlined day one of the Paris menswear shows Wednesday, sending out an urbane, playful look that showed a lot of leg, before knuckling down to prepare for his Dior debut. The Belgian made his name in menswear, as did his contemporary Hedi Slimane, the cult designer returning to fashion this year at the helm of Yves Saint Laurent, where he will show his first catwalk collection in October. “These appointments, it’s a new world for fashion,” said Blanks. “The pendulum has swung towards designers whose basis is in the codes of menswear” which, he noted, is a deeply codified discipline, as is couture.

A file picture taken on January 16, 2010 during the Men’s fashion week in Milan, shows Belgian designer Raf Simons saluting after the Jil Sander Fall-Winter 20102011 Menswear collection.— AFP “There’s ways of doing things-it’s not just ‘It feels good, do it’.” Catering to a core client base of no more than 200 women worldwide, haute couture is a protected appellation in France, awarded based on strict criteria like the amount of work carried out by hand and in-house, and the share of pieces made-to-measure. Two dozen houses including Chanel, Dior, Gaultier and Givenchy will send out their one-off creations-whose artistry is matched only by their astronomical price tags-over three days of exclusive shows from Monday to Wednesday. — AFP

technology SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012

Google takes browser battle to iPhone, iPad Search engine release of Chrome software SAN FRANCISCO: Google has taken the web browser battle to iPads and iPhones with the release of Chrome software for popular Apple devices built with Safari online surfing programs at heart. “People have been asking to use Chrome on the iPhone,” Chrome product management director Brian Rakowski said while showing off the new browser programs slated to be available in Apple’s online App Store. “We figured why stop there, that we would launch Chrome for the iPad too.” Safari remains the default browser used in Apple gadgets and the “engine” that Chrome or other web-surfing applications has to rely on.

“It is obviously not what powers Chrome in Windows and Android,” Chrome senior vice president Sundar Pichai said in an interview at Google’s annual developers conference in San Francisco. “I think we were able to get it working well,” he continued. “We had to make trade-offs.”

Google announced Chrome for iPads and iPhones as it enhanced software to synch the browser across the array of Internet-linked devices commonly used in modern lifestyles.

People could start browsing with Chrome on a Macbook and then pick up where they left off on a smartphone, tablet, or other computer, Rakowski demonstrated at the company’s annual gathering of developers.

“Chrome was built for a better web,” Pichai said during a presentation. “We want to make sure Chrome acts like a layer to work seamlessly across all your devices,”

he continued. “No other browser is doing this.” Google on Thursday also made its Drive online data storage service available on iPhones, iPods and iPads, joining Microsoft’s SkyDrive and others as competition to Apple’s iCloud.

easy to live in the cloud,” said Google product manager Clay Bavor.

“At its core, Drive is about enabling sharing and collaboration.” Improving and expanding Chrome appears to be part of a

tomers are,” Gilette said. “Google is making it so that no matter what device an individual picks up, their stuff and what they were doing (at Google previously) is right there.”

Google’s strategy includes making Chrome ubiquitous and, where

SAN FRANCISCO: Attendees of Google’s annual developer conference, Google I/O, walk around to check out Google related softwares and products at Moscone Center in San Francisco. —AFP Cloud-based “lockers” allow users to store documents, images or other digital files at datacenters and then access them from whichever Internet-linked devices they wish.

“Google Drive is about making it

shrewd strategy to keep Google woven into people’s Internet activities no matter what gadgets they use, according to Forrester analyst Frank Gilette. “Google wants to be in as many places as their cus-

needed, making its own hardware.

On Tuesday, Google unveiled its own Nexus branded tablet computer built by Asus and a made-inAmerica Q device for streaming movies, music and other content

from online shop Google Play to televisions or speakers. “The goal behind something like Nexus is to serve as a reference design for the ecosystem to shoot at something,” Pichai said of Google working with partners on its Nexus brand devices.

Google said it will begin selling its Chromebook computers powered by versions of the browser in consumer electronics stores in the United States and Britain, and that it is readying a fresh line for the year-end holiday season. “Google is growing and stretching and trying to go in a lot of directions,” Gilette said. “It looks really interesting.” The release of Chrome and Drive for gadgets running on Apple’s iOS mobile platform came as Google also ramped up efforts to wean companies from Microsoft software used at work and developers from database services sold

by Amazon.com.

Pichai said that more than five million businesses have switched from in-house computer programs to using applications hosted by Google as services in the Internet “cloud.” “Many businesses are going Google,” Pichai said, firing barbs at Microsoft software in the process. Google also took the wraps off a Compute Engine that lets developers or website operators tap into the massive power of datacenters in a direct challenge to Amazon Web Services. “You now have access to the scale and performance of Google’s infrastructure and at a great price,” Google’s Urs Hoelzle said. “It is up to you to figure how to use that.” —AFP

Fears, hopes grow for Sony under new president TOKYO: The record 9,000 shareholders that packed Sony’s annual meeting was no cause for celebration. After four years of losses and a halving of the share price, some angry investors doubt even a new CEO can pull the entertainment and electronics giant out of its slump.

The questions for management at a Tokyo convention hall this week were familiar ones, but only growing harsher.

How is Sony Corp going to regain its past glory? Is Sony finished? When is the red ink ever going to stop? One man got up and began shouting. One by one, shareholders demanded to know why management didn’t have more fresh faces, asked if the quality of Sony products was dropping, and even wondered whether Sony faced the risk of total collapse.

Once an icon of Japan Inc. with its portable Walkman music player and Trinitron TV, Sony reported the worst loss in its 66-year corporate history for the business year ended March with red ink of 457 billion yen ($5.7 billion).

Profitability was battered by factors outside Sony’s control such as last year’s tsunami disaster in northeastern Japan, flooding in Thailand, the global economic slowdown and a soaring yen.

But most critically, Sony stumbled in the face of powerful, often cheaper, rivals such as South Korea’s Samsung Electronics Co, which dominates the global TV market. Sony has lost money for eight straight years in its TV business.

Sony’s glamour image is fading next to Apple Inc.’s iPod, iPhone and iPad, now

bigger hits not only globally but also in Sony’s Japanese home market, displaying the kind of ingenuity that was once prized as Sony’s.

“We take the problem Sony’s electronics business is facing very seriously, and we feel a sense of crisis,” said Kazuo Hirai, the former head of Sony’s game division who has taken over as CEO and president from Howard Stringer.

Decades ago, Sony co-founder Akio Morita was praised as a pioneer in unifying entertainment with technology to deliver dazzling fun gadgets such as the Walkman. He was a hero, helping fix Japan from wartime devastation, and catapulting a nation’s technological wizardry to the global stage. Steve Jobs often sang the praises of Sony. —AP

TOKYO: A visitor inspects Sony’s flat panel TVs at a retail store in Tokyo. Sony Corp now has a new president - Kazuo Hirai, the former head of its game division. But shareholders are already raising doubts about his ability to revive the Japanese electronics and entertainment giant. —AP

technology SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012

Cybercrime disclosures rare despite SEC rule WASHINGTON: Hackers broke into computers at hotel giant Wyndham Worldwide Corp. three times in two years and stole credit card information belonging to hundreds of thousands of customers. Wyndham didn’t report the break-in in corporate filings even though the Securities and Exchange Commission wants companies to inform investors of cybercrimes.

Amid whispers of sensational online break-ins resulting in millions of dollars in losses, it remains remarkably difficult to identify corporate victims of cybercrimes.

Companies are afraid that going public would damage their reputations, sink stock prices or spark lawsuits.

The chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, Sen Jay Rockefeller, is adding a provision to cybersecurity legislation that would strengthen the reporting requirement. The SEC’s guidance issued in October is not mandatory. It was intended to update for the digital age a requirement that companies report “material risks” that investors want to know.

Rockefeller’s measure would direct the SEC’s five commissioners to make clear when companies must disclose cyber breaches and spell out steps they are taking to protect their computer networks from electronic intrusions.

The SEC recently challenged Internet retailer Amazon’s decision

to omit from its 2011 annual report references to the online theft of customer data held by Zappos, an online shoe company owned by Amazon. Amazon eventually agreed to modify the statement slightly, according to correspondence between the company and the SEC. But the company still argued that

head of Britain’s domestic spy agency said this week that cybersecurity ranks alongside terrorism as one of the United Kingdom’s most pressing security challenges. In one recent case, an unspecified, Londonlisted company hit by a cyberattack incurred revenue losses of $1.2 billion, MI5 Director General Jonathan

Senate Commerce Chairman Sen Jay Rockefeller, presides over a hearing of the committee on Capitol Hill in Washington.

Rockefeller is adding a provision to cybersecurity legislation that would strengthen the requirement to report cybercrimes. —AP the Zappos attack was not covered by the commission’s cybersecurity guidance because it had no material impact on Amazon’s business.

Cybercrime is rampant and not confined to the United States. The

Evans said in rare public remarks in London. He did not identify the company or say which country was behind the attack. The U.S. has said China and Russia are the governments most frequently engaged in

such hacking.

“What is at stake is not just our government secrets but also the safety and security of our infrastructure, the intellectual property that underpins our future prosperity, and the commercially sensitive information that is the lifeblood of our companies and corporations,” Evans said.

Research by a cybersecurity expert shows dozens of Fortune 500 companies have lost a wide range of valuable information to cybercrimes, including intellectual property, bank account credentials, restricted data about patients of pharmaceutical companies and internal legal records.

Rodney Joffe of Neustar, an Internet infrastructure management company in Virginia, monitors networks used by online criminal groups and traces the origin of stolen information. He found evidence that 162 out 168 companies in the manufacturing, chemical and transportation sectors had been compromised. The names of the companies are being kept confidential for proprietary reasons, he said. “No one is safe. Everyone is compromised,” said Joffe, Neustar’s senior technologist.

“When people tell you, ‘We are protected as a company,’ they are really fooling themselves.”

The SEC isn’t tracking how many companies comply with its cybersecurity guidance. But publicly traded companies historically have resisted

supplying information about cyber incidents because it highlights their weak spots, said Peter Toren, a former federal prosecutor with the Justice Department’s computer crime division.

“It just doesn’t look good,” Toren said. The breach of Wyndham’s computers was described in a Federal Trade Commission lawsuit filed this week against the company and three subsidiaries for alleged security failures that led to the three data breaches between April 2008 and January 2010. The failures caused “the export of hundreds of thousands of consumers’ payment card account information to an Internet domain address registered in Russia” and millions of dollars in fraudulent charges on consumers’ accounts, the FTC said.

Wyndham didn’t mention the break-ins in its 2011 annual report or prior securities filings, according to an Associated Press review of the records. Wyndham’s 2011 annual report said the “hospitality industry is under increasing attack by cybercriminals in the US and other jurisdictions in which we operate” and noted that it was involved in “claims relating to information security and data privacy.”

Wyndham spent $13 million more on security improvements and expects to spend as much as $100 million in 2012 to guard against “the increasingly aggressive global threat from cyber-criminals,” according to the report. —AP

Ellison closes deal to buy Hawaii’s Lanai

Castle and Crooke declines details on sale price

MUMBAI: Chairman of Tata Consultancy Services, Ratan Tata (center) speaks as Vice-Chairman of TCS, S Ramadorai (R), and CEO and MD Natarajan Chandrasekaran look on during the annual general meeting of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) in Mumbai yesterday. India’s biggest outsourcing firm, TCS reported that net profit jumped 23% in the three months to March, beating market forecasts as US and European customers boosted orders. —AFP

Solar plane takes off for return flight to Rabat RABAT: An experimental solar-powered plane, flying without using any fuel, took off yesterday for Rabat on a return journey after its successful flight over the Moroccan desert, the plane’s owner announced. The Swiss-made Solar Impulse took off from Quarzazate in southern Morocco at 0733 GMT, and was expected to reach the Moroccan capital around 2200 GMT, the Solar Impulse company said. Pilot Andre Borschberg had landed in Ouarzazate, about 550 kilometres (340 miles) from Rabat, on June 22 after having to abandon an attempt a week earlier because of strong winds and turbulence near the Atlas mountains. —AFP

HONOLULU: Oracle Corp CEO Larry Ellison has closed on his deal to buy most of the Hawaiian island of Lanai, the island’s seller said.

Billionaire David Murdock’s Castle & Cooke Inc said the deal has been completed for about 88,000 acres on the island near Maui. The land makes up 98 percent of the island’s 141 square miles.

“It is very gratifying to me personally to see Lanai now in the hands of Larry Ellison, a very committed individual who will bring his ideas and energy to sustain the beauty and heritage of Lanai,” Murdock said in a statement. Murdock said his 28 years on the island have been “inspiring.”

A sale price for the land was not disclosed and the firm declined to give details. The Maui News previously reported Castle & Cooke was asking for $500 million to $600 million for the rural island. The land includes two resorts, two golf courses, assorted commercial and residential buildings, and plenty of open space. According to Maui County records, the 301 parcels have an assessed value of $325

million, including improvements. The total market value is likely much higher. The largest parcel, for example, comprising 86,000 acres, has a total assessed value of $13.6 million but a

market value of $100.8 million.

The deal also includes control of the island’s major economic driver, tourism, which sustains the vast

majority of the roughly 3,200 residents who live there. Ellison, whom Forbes ranks as the world’s sixth-richest man with $36 billion as of March, has not spoken publicly about his plans for the island. Local lawmakers who have talked to the billionaire’s representatives say he has indicated he plans no major disruptions and to keep resort and other employees in place. He did not immediately return a message from The Associated Press seeking comment through Oracle, the Redwood City, Calif.-based software company.

Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie said on Thursday that he thought Ellison would have the best interest of the people of Lanai in mind as he operates.

“Come on, this is Hawaii, let’s show a little aloha,” Abercrombie said. “Let’s have an open heart and open mind.”

The closing comes the same week state officials approved the transfer of three utilities on the island to Ellison.

The state Public Utilities Commission then asked Castle & Cooke’s lawyers for confirmation the deal went through. —AP

TV listings SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012

00:45 01:40 02:35 03:30 03:55 04:25 05:20 05:45 06:10 06:35 07:00 07:25 08:15 09:10 09:35 10:05 10:30 11:00 11:25 11:55 12:50 13:45 17:25 18:20 19:15 20:10 21:05 21:30 22:00 22:25 22:55 23:50

Untamed & Uncut Crime Scene Wild In Search Of The King Cobra Up Close And Dangerous Up Close And Dangerous Natural World Cheetah Kingdom Predator’s Prey E-Vets: The Interns E-Vets: The Interns Escape To Chimp Eden Crocodile Hunter The Planet’s Funniest Animals Jeff Corwin Unleashed Jeff Corwin Unleashed The Really Wild Show Breed All About It Dick ‘n’ Dom Go Wild Cats Of Claw Hill Dogs/Cats/Pets 101 Wildlife SOS The Planet’s Funniest Animals The Planet’s Funniest Animals O’shea’s Big Adventure O’shea’s Big Adventure Great Ocean Adventures Cheetah Kingdom Cheetah Kingdom Up Close And Dangerous Up Close And Dangerous Whale Wars: Viking Shores Animal Cops South Africa

00:45 Indian Food Made Easy 01:15 Saturday Kitchen 01:40 Saturday Kitchen 02:05 Saturday Kitchen 02:30 MasterChef 02:55 MasterChef 03:25 Living In The Sun 04:15 Nigel Slater’s Simple Suppers 04:45 New Scandinavian Cooking With Andreas Viestad 05:10 Rick Stein’s Far Eastern Odyssey: Christmas 06:00 Indian Food Made Easy 06:30 Saturday Kitchen 06:55 Saturday Kitchen 07:20 Saturday Kitchen 07:45 Come Dine With Me 11:30 Come Dine With Me 11:55 Masterchef: The Professionals 12:20 Masterchef: The Professionals 13:15 Come Dine With Me 14:00 Cash In The Attic USA 14:25 Cash In The Attic USA 14:45 Saturday Kitchen 15:10 Gok’s Fashion Fix 16:00 Gok’s Fashion Fix 16:45 Antiques Roadshow 20:10 Antiques Roadshow 21:00 Cash In The Attic 21:45 Cash In The Attic 22:30 Bargain Hunt 23:15 Bargain Hunt

00:10 Duck Dodgers 00:35 The Perils Of Penelope Pitstop 01:00 Tom & Jerry Kids 01:25 A Pup Named Scooby-Doo 01:50 The Jetsons 02:15 Puppy In My Pocket 02:40 Popeye 03:00 Tom & Jerry 03:25 Looney Tunes 03:50 Scooby Doo Where Are You! 04:15 Droopy: Master Detective 04:40 Wacky Races 05:00 The Flintstones 05:25 A Pup Named Scooby-Doo 05:50 Popeye Classics 06:00 Wacky Races 06:10 Pink Panther And Pals 06:35 Dexter’s Laboratory 07:00 Bananas In Pyjamas 07:25 Jelly Jamm 07:50 Baby Looney Tunes 08:15 Gerald McBoing Boing 08:40 Ha Ha Hairies 08:55 The Garfield Show 09:15 The Looney Tunes Show 09:40 What’s New Scooby-Doo? 10:05 Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries 10:30 Yogi’s Treasure Hunt 10:55 Help! It’s The Hair Bear Bunch 11:20 Wacky Races 11:30 Johnny Bravo 18:30 Johnny Bravo Goes To Bollywood 19:30 Johnny Bravo 23:00 Wacky Races

THE UNTOUCHABLES ON OSN ACTION HD 23:20 Dastardly And Muttley 23:45 New Yogi Bear Show

00:30 Bakugan: New Vestroia 00:55 Bakugan: New Vestroia 01:20 Powerpuff Girls 02:10 Courage The Cowardly Dog 03:00 The Amazing World Of Gumball 03:25 Ben 10 03:50 Adventure Time 04:15 Powerpuff Girls 04:40 Generator Rex 05:05 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 05:30 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 05:55 Angelo Rules 06:00 Casper’s Scare School 06:25 Casper’s Scare School 07:00 The Powerpuff Girls 07:15 Hi Hi Puffy Ami Yumi 07:40 The Amazing World Of Gumball 08:05 Adventure Time 08:55 Regular Show 09:20 Evil Con Carne 09:45 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 10:05 Thundercats 10:35 Hero 108 11:00 Redakai: Conquer The Kairu 11:25 Grim Adventures Of...

12:15 Courage The Cowardly Dog 13:05 Generator Rex 13:30 Powerpuff Girls 14:20 Batman: The Brave And The Bold 14:45 Thundercats 15:10 Best Ed 16:00 Fantastic Four...

16:25 Ben 10 16:50 The Amazing World Of

Gumball 17:15 Adventure Time 17:40 Regular Show 18:05 Powerpuff Girls 18:55 Ben 10: Alien Force 19:20 Ben 10: Alien Force 19:45 Ed, Edd n Eddy 20:35 Grim Adventures Of...

21:00 Star Wars: The Clone Wars 21:25 Redakai: Conquer The Kairu 21:50 Cow And Chicken 22:00 Codename: Kids Next Door 22:50 Ben 10 23:15 Ben 10 23:40 Chowder

00:00 00:30 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 05:45 06:00 07:00 07:30 07:45 08:00 08:15 08:30 09:00 09:15 09:30 10:00 10:30 11:00 12:00 12:30

Amanpour World Sport Piers Morgan Tonight World Report Anderson Cooper 360 Piers Morgan Tonight Quest Means Business CNN Marketplace Africa The Situation Room World Sport Leading Women Future Cities World Report CNN Marketplace Africa Backstory World Report CNN Marketplace Middle East The CNN Freedom Project World Sport Open Court The Best Of The Situation Room World Report Backstory

13:00 13:30 14:00 14:30 15:00 15:30 16:00 16:30 17:00 17:30 18:00 18:15 18:30 19:00 19:30 20:00 20:30 21:00 21:30 21:45 22:00 23:00 23:30

The Brief Inside Africa World Report Road To Rio Talk Asia I Report For CNN World’s Untold Stories Backstory International Desk African Voices CNN Marketplace Europe CNN Marketplace Africa The Brief World Sport Aiming For Gold International Desk Inside Africa International Desk Leading Women Future Cities The Best Of The Situation Room World Report World’s Untold Stories

00:15 00:40 01:35 Junior 02:30 03:25 03:55 04:20 05:15 05:40 06:05 07:00 07:25 08:15 09:10 10:05 10:55

One Way Out Behind Bars American Chopper: Senior vs Wheeler Dealers Revisited Fifth Gear Fifth Gear Behind Bars How Do They Do It? How It’s Made Gold Rush How It’s Made Built From Disaster Mega Builders Extreme Engineering Cut In Half Wild Swimming Adventure

11:50 12:45 13:40 14:35 15:30 16:25 17:20 18:15 19:10 20:05 21:00 21:55 22:50 23:45

Alaska’s Great Race Ultimate Survival Ultimate Survival World’s Toughest Jobs Coal Extreme Fishing Hillbilly Handfishin’ Tornado Road Finding Bigfoot Gold Rush Deadliest Catch Hillbilly Handfishin’ Extreme Fishing River Monsters

00:35 01:25 02:15 03:05 03:35 04:25 05:15 06:05 07:00 07:55 08:20 08:50 09:15 09:40 10:30 13:50 14:45 15:35 16:00 16:30 17:20 18:10 18:40 19:30 20:20 21:10 22:00 22:50 23:40

Nyc: Inside Out Colony Powering The Future The Gadget Show Smash Lab Race To Mars Nyc: Inside Out Speed Junkie Powering The Future Bigger, Better, Faster, Stronger Bigger, Better, Faster, Stronger How Does That Work?

How Does That Work?

Engineered Sport Science Sport Science Prophets Of Science Fiction Patent Bending Patent Bending Future Weapons Cosmic Collisions Bigger, Better, Faster, Stronger Scrapheap Challenge Mega World Brave New World Weird Or What?

Dark Matters Brave New World Prophets Of Science Fiction

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 06:25 06:40 Cody 07:05 07:30 07:40 07:55 08:20 08:45 09:10 09:35 10:00 10:25 12:05 12:30 12:55 13:20 13:45 14:10 14:35 15:00 15:25 15:35 15:50 16:15 16:40 17:00 18:20 18:45 19:10 19:35 20:00 20:25 20:50 22:05 22:30 22:40 22:55 Cody 23:20 Cody 23:45

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 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Jake & The Neverland Pirates The Suite Life Of Zack And So Random Phineas And Ferb Phineas And Ferb Shake It Up Good Luck Charlie Wizards Of Waverly Place Jessie A.N.T. Farm Austin & Ally Ratatouille Suite Life On Deck Shake It Up Good Luck Charlie A.N.T. Farm Austin & Ally Jessie Wizards Of Waverly Place So Random Phineas And Ferb Phineas And Ferb Shake It Up Good Luck Charlie Wizards Of Waverly Place Starstruck A.N.T. Farm Austin & Ally Shake It Up Wizards Of Waverly Place Good Luck Charlie Jessie Starstruck So Random Fish Hooks Fish Hooks The Suite Life Of Zack And The Suite Life Of Zack And Sonny With A Chance

00:25 Kendra 00:55 Style Star 01:25 THS 02:20 THS 03:15 Behind The Scenes 03:40 Extreme Close-Up 04:10 Sexiest 05:05 Extreme Hollywood 06:00 THS 07:50 Behind The Scenes 08:20 E! News 09:15 Bridalplasty 10:15 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 16:55 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 17:55 E! News 18:55 Kourtney & Kim Take New York 19:55 Kourtney & Kim Take New York 20:55 Style Star 21:25 Fashion Police 22:25 E! News 23:25 Chelsea Lately 23:55 Keeping Up With The Kardashians

00:30 01:20 02:05 02:55 03:45 04:30 05:20 06:10 07:00 07:50 08:40 09:30 09:55 10:20 11:10 12:00 12:50 14:30 14:55 15:20 16:10 17:00 17:50 18:40 19:55 20:20 21:10 22:00 22:50 23:40

The Haunted A Haunting True CSI On The Case With Paula Zahn Dr G: Medical Examiner The Haunted A Haunting Disappeared Forensic Detectives Murder Shift Mystery Diagnosis Real Emergency Calls Who On Earth Did I Marry?

On The Case With Paula Zahn Disappeared Forensic Detectives Murder Shift Real Emergency Calls Who On Earth Did I Marry?

On The Case With Paula Zahn Disappeared Forensic Detectives Murder Shift Real Emergency Calls Who On Earth Did I Marry?

On The Case With Paula Zahn Disappeared Ghost Lab The Haunted A Haunting

00:00 Departures 01:00 Bite Me With Dr. Mike Leahy 02:00 First Ascent 02:30 First Ascent 03:00 Meet The Natives: USA 04:00 Keeping Up With The Joneses 04:30 Keeping Up With The Joneses 05:00 Extreme Expeditions 06:00 First Ascent 06:30 First Ascent 07:00 Meet The Natives: USA 08:00 Boxing Natalia 09:00 Deadliest Journeys 09:30 Chasing Che: Latin America On A Motorcycle 10:00 Don’t Tell My Mother 11:00 The Ride: Alaska To Patagonia 11:30 The Ride: Alaska To Patagonia 12:00 Eccentric Uk 12:30 Eccentric Uk 13:00 Extreme Expeditions 14:00 First Ascent 14:30 First Ascent 15:00 Meet The Natives: USA 16:00 Keeping Up With The Joneses 16:30 Geo Sessions 17:00 Treks In A Wild World 18:00 Departures 19:00 One Man & His Campervan 19:30 One Man & His Campervan 20:00 Extreme Tourist Afghanistan 21:00 The Frankincense Trail 22:00 Bite Me With Dr. Mike Leahy 23:00 A World Apart

00:00 01:00 02:00 02:30

Departures Bite Me With Dr. Mike Leahy First Ascent First Ascent

TV listings SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012 03:00 Meet The Natives: USA 04:00 Keeping Up With The Joneses 04:30 Keeping Up With The Joneses 05:00 Extreme Expeditions 06:00 First Ascent 06:30 First Ascent 07:00 Meet The Natives: USA 08:00 Boxing Natalia 09:00 Deadliest Journeys 09:30 Chasing Che: Latin America On A Motorcycle 10:00 Don’t Tell My Mother 11:00 The Ride: Alaska To Patagonia 11:30 The Ride: Alaska To Patagonia 12:00 Eccentric Uk 12:30 Eccentric Uk 13:00 Extreme Expeditions 14:00 First Ascent 14:30 First Ascent 15:00 Meet The Natives: USA 16:00 Keeping Up With The Joneses 16:30 Geo Sessions 17:00 Treks In A Wild World 18:00 Departures 19:00 One Man & His Campervan 19:30 One Man & His Campervan 20:00 Extreme Tourist Afghanistan 21:00 The Frankincense Trail 22:00 Bite Me With Dr. Mike Leahy 23:00 A World Apart

00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

Trapped Taboo Megastructures Fight Science Hunter Hunted The Known Universe Cruise Ship Diaries Bite Me With Dr. Mike Leahy Trapped Taboo Megastructures Fight Science Hunter Hunted The Known Universe Cruise Ship Diaries Bite Me With Dr. Mike Leahy Trapped Taboo Ancient Megastructures World’s Deadliest Animals Shark Men Banged Up Abroad Light At The Edge of The World Departures

01:00 The Answer Man-PG15 03:00 St. Trinian’s 2: The Legend Of Fritton’s Gold-PG15 05:00 True Story Of Puss’n Boots-PG 07:00 West Is West-PG15 09:00 The Tender Hook-PG15 11:00 African Cats: Kingdom Of Courage-PG 13:00 Despicable Me-FAM 15:00 Certified Copy-PG15 17:00 West Is West-PG15 19:00 The Eagle-PG15 21:00 MacGruber-18 23:00 Piranha-R

00:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 01:00 The Colbert Report 02:00 Allen Gregory 02:30 Angry Boys 03:00 New Girl 03:30 Melissa & Joey 04:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 05:30 Til Death 07:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 08:30 New Girl 09:00 Til Death 09:30 30 Rock 10:00 Modern Family 11:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 13:00 Til Death 14:00 Melissa & Joey 14:30 Modern Family 15:00 30 Rock 15:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 16:00 The Colbert Report 17:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 18:00 Best Friends Forever 18:30 Bent 19:00 The Office

19:30 Breaking In 20:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 21:00 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 21:30 The Colbert Report 23:00 Angry Boys 23:30 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

15:00 16:00 16:30 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

00:00 01:00 02:00 05:00 08:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 18:00 18:30 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

Jane By Design Smash The Bachelor Good Morning America Castle The Martha Stewart Show The View Jane By Design Fairly Legal Emmerdale Coronation Street C.S.I. Criminal Minds C.S.I. New York Law & Order: Criminal Intent True Blood

01:00 Windtalkers-PG15 03:15 Wild Things: Foursome -18 05:00 The Echo-PG15 07:00 Smoke Screen-PG15 09:00 The Reunion-PG15 11:00 Fighting-PG15 13:00 Little Big Soldier-PG15 15:00 The Reunion-PG15 17:00 The Devil’s Teardrop-PG15 19:00 Restitution-PG15 21:00 Green Lantern: Emerald Knights-PG15 23:00 The Killing Room-18

00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 12:30 14:00

Unforgettable The Bachelor Boardwalk Empire Jane By Design Smash C.S.I. Miami Unforgettable The Bachelor Castle The Chicago Code Jane By Design Fairly Legal Emmerdale Coronation Street Castle

00:00 Lottery Ticket-PG15 02:00 Easy A-PG15 04:00 Cool Runnings-PG15 06:00 Elle: A Modern Cinderella TalePG15 08:00 Labor Pains-PG15 10:00 Paper Man-PG15 12:00 Marmaduke-PG 14:00 Mean Girls 2-PG15 16:00 Paper Man-PG15 18:00 Burke And Hare-18 20:00 Jack Goes Boating-PG15 22:00 Beavis And Butt-Head Do America-PG15

01:00 03:00 05:00 07:15 09:00 11:15 13:00 14:45 17:00 19:00 21:00 23:15

All Good Things-18 Rumble Fish-18 Riding In Cars With Boys-PG15 A Family Thanksgiving-PG15 Dead Poets Society-PG15 Six Days Seven Nights-PG15 The Moveon.Org Story-PG15 Dead Poets Society-PG15 The Social Network-PG15 Return To Rajapur-PG15 Miracle-PG15 One Hour Photo-18

00:00 Made In Dagenham-PG15 02:00 The Open Road-PG15 03:30 That’s What I Am-PG15 05:15 Stone Of Destiny-PG15 07:15 The Smurfs-PG 09:00 Morning Glory-PG15 11:00 Sundays At Tiffany’s-PG15 12:30 My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend-PG15 14:00 Flash Of Genius-PG15 16:00 Morning Glory-PG15 18:00 Chronicles Of Narnia: Voyage Of The Dawn Treader-PG 20:00 The Dragon Chronicles: Fire & Ice-PG15 22:00 True Grit-PG15

00:00 The Thief Of Baghdad-PG 02:00 Marco Antonio-PG 04:00 The Borrowers-PG 06:00 The Littlest Fox-PG15 08:00 The Proud Family Movie-PG15 10:00 Diary Of A Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules-PG15 12:00 Moomins And The Comet Chase-FAM 14:00 The Borrowers-PG 16:00 Last Of The Mohicans-PG 18:00 Diary Of A Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules-PG15 20:00 Tommy & Oscar-PG15 22:00 Moomins And The Comet Chase-FAM

00:00 MSNBC Hardball W/ Chris Matthews 01:00 MSNBC Politicsnation 02:00 Live NBC Nightly News 02:30 ABC World News W/ Diane Sawyer 03:00 MSNBC The Ed Show 04:00 MSNBC The Rachel Maddow Show 06:00 NBC Nightly News 06:35 ABC Nightline 07:00 ABC World News W/ Diane Sawyer 07:30 Live NBC Nightly News 08:00 MSNBC The Ed Show 09:00 MSNBC The Rachel Maddow Show 10:00 MSNBC Morning Joe 13:00 MSNBC Documystery 14:00 Live NBC Saturday Today Show 16:00 MSNBC Up With Chris Hayes Saturday 17:57 Live MSNBC Hardball W/ Chris Matthews 18:38 Live MSNBC The Ed Show 19:19 Live MSNBC The Rachel Maddow Show 20:00 Live ABC 20/20 21:00 MSNBC Documystery 22:00 MSNBC Documystery 23:00 MSNBC Documystery

00:00 Wild Russia 01:00 Planet Carnivore 01:55 Predator CSI 02:50 Swamp Men 03:00 Bear Nomad 03:45 Savannah 04:10 Wild Detectives 04:40 Expedition Wild 05:35 Killer Shots 06:30 Big Blue (1 hour) 07:25 World Wild Web 07:50 Savannah 08:20 Live Like An Animal 09:15 Camera Trap 09:40 Camera Trap 10:10 Night Stalkers 11:05 Built For The Kill 12:00 Built For The Kill 13:00 Wild Chronicles 13:30 Wild Chronicles 14:00 Fairy Penguins: The Secret of Sydney Harbour 15:00 Expedition Wild 16:00 Gorilla Murders 17:00 Hunter Hunted 18:00 Hyena Queen 19:00 Expedition Wild 20:00 Gorilla Murders 21:00 Hunter Hunted 22:00 Hyena Queen 23:00 Built For The Kill

00:00 The Echo-PG15 02:00 Fade To Black-18 04:00 The Untouchables-PG15 06:00 Hidalgo-PG15 08:15 Rocky v-PG15 10:00 Enter The Phoenix-PG15 12:00 Fatal Secrets-PG15 14:00 Rocky v-PG15 16:00 Robin Hood (2010)-PG15 18:30 Fatal Secrets-PG15 20:00 Icarus-18 22:00 Green Lantern: Emerald Knights-PG15

Unforgettable Emmerdale Coronation Street Body Of Proof C.S.I. Criminal Minds C.S.I. New York Law & Order: Criminal Intent Rescue Me

00:00 Scream 4-18 02:00 The Karate Kid-PG 04:15 The Smurfs-PG 06:00 The Spy Next Door-PG 08:00 Mars Needs Moms-PG 10:00 Slipstream-PG15 12:00 The Karate Kid-PG 14:15 B-Girl-PG15 16:00 Mars Needs Moms-PG 18:00 Zookeeper-PG15 20:00 The Dragon Chronicles: Fire & Ice-PG15 22:00 The Fighter-PG15

THE EAGLE ON OSN CINEMA

00:00 ODI Cricket 07:00 Trans World Sport 08:00 Super Rugby

10:00 10:30 12:30 14:45 16:15 18:00 20:00 22:00

Futbol Mundial Live Super Rugby Live Super Rugby Live Volvo Ocean Race Super Rugby Live Super Rugby Live Super Rugby PGA European Tour

01:00 03:00 05:00 07:00 11:30 12:30 14:30 15:00 15:30 19:30 21:00 22:00

Super Rugby Super League Super Rugby PGA European Tour Trans World Sport Live NRL Premiership Futbol Mundial PGA European Tour Weekly Live PGA European Tour Volvo Ocean Race Highlights Trans World Sport Super Rugby

01:30 NRL Premiership 03:30 AFL Premiership 06:00 Ping Pong World Championship 07:00 Live AFL Premiership 10:00 Super League 12:00 NRL Full Time 12:30 Live AFL Premiership 15:30 NRL Premiership 17:30 AFL Premiership 19:00 NRL Premiership 20:00 Super League

00:00 01:00 03:00 04:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 11:00 12:00 12:30 13:30 14:30 15:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 21:00

UFC The Ultimate Fighter WWE SmackDown WWE Bottom Line UFC 147 WWE Vintage Collection WWE Bottom Line WWE SmackDown WWE Experience WWE This Week V8 Supercars Highlights V8 Supercars Highlights Mobil 1 The Grid WWE SmackDown WWE Experience WWE Bottom Line UFC 147 Prelims UFC 147

01:20 Dead Calm 02:55 The Unsinkable Molly BrownFAM 05:00 Captain Blood-FAM 07:00 Casablanca-FAM 08:40 The Adventures Of Huckleberry...-FAM 10:25 The Unsinkable Molly BrownFAM 12:30 Rio Rita-FAM 14:00 Rose Marie-FAM 15:45 Grand Prix-PG 18:30 Hooper-PG 20:15 Memphis Belle-PG 22:00 Cannery Row

00:00 00:30 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 19:30 20:00 20:30 21:00 22:00 23:00

American Pickers American Pickers Ax Men Ancient Wonders Tony Robinson Down Under UFO Hunters Soviet Storm: WWII In The East Ax Men Life After People Life After People Life After People America: The Story Of The U.S. America: The Story Of The U.S. America: The Story Of The U.S. Life After People Life After People Life After People Ancient Wonders Tony Robinson Down Under The Universe American Restoration American Restoration Pawn Stars Pawn Stars No County For Old Men IRT: Deadliest Roads Deep Wreck Mysteries

what’s on

SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012

Announcements Open House for Indian citizens

O

pen House for Indian citizens by the ambassador which is being held every alternate Wednesday has been found useful by the Indian community and the embassy. It will now be held on every Wednesday from June 2012 between 1500 hrs and 1600 hrs. in the embassy. In case Wednesday is an embassy holiday, the meeting will be held on the next working day.

To ensure timely action/follow-up by the embassy, it is requested that, wherever possible, Indian citizens should exhaust the existing channels of interaction/grievance redressal and bring their problems/issues in writing with supporting documents. It may be mentioned that embassy of Indiaís Consular Wing is providing daily service of Open House to Indian citizens on all workings days from 1000 hrs to

1100 hrs and from 1430 hrs to 1530 hrs by the Consular Officer in the Meeting Room of the Consular Hall.

For any unaddressed issues, Second Secretary (Consular) could be contacted. Furthermore, the head of the Consular Wing is also available to redress grievances. Similarly, a labour wing Help Desk functions from 0830 hrs to 1300 hrs and 1400 hrs to 1630 hrs in the Labour Hall to address the labour related issues.

There is also a 24x7 Help Line (Tel No. 25674163) to assist labourers in distress. For any unaddressed issues, the concerned attaches in the labour section and the head of the labour wing could be contacted.

‘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.

what’s on

SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012

AUK participates in World Environment Day

C

oncluding its activities for this academic year, Al -Akhdar Environmental Club (AEC) of AUK participated in the World Environment Day hosted by the Kuwait Scientific Center earlier this month.

The theme for this year’s World Environment Day was “Green Economy: Does it include you?” Bringing together many academic and non-academic organizations, the event was an attempt to raise awareness about the concept of green economy, considered too complex by many.

Hani Azzam and Mariam El-Temtamy represented AUK during the exhibition.

They introduced to the visitors the activities of the of AEC through a video summing up the club’s latest events; including AEC’sparticipation in the AUK 5th Annual Social Awareness Week, participation in the Environmental Forum held at AUK, arranging a talk on Air Quality in Kuwait. One of the major events the AEC highlighted in the video was the club’s trip to Egypt, which included visits to the Arab League Environmental Authority, environmental clubs at Egyptian universities, and a tree planting day under the name of AUK. Other participants in the World Environment Day included, Green Ambassadors Kuwait, the Australian College of Kuwait (ACK), Kuwait University, Kuwait Institute for Scientific

Research (KISR), and the Environment Public Authority.

Al Akhdar Environmental Club (AEC) of AUK is a chapter of AAEC (ArabAkhdar Environmental Clubs). It is a stu-

sustainability within Kuwait and the Arab vicinity. Under the supervision of its Academic Advisors, Dr. Ali Al Jamal and Dr. Aly Mansour, Al Akhdar Environmental Club aspires to precede

Information EMBASSY OF AUSTRALIA The Australian Embassy Kuwait does not have a visa or immigration department. All processing of visas and immigration matters in conducted by The Australian ConsulateGeneral in Dubai. Email: info.ausdxb@vfshelpline.com (VFS) immigration.dubai@dfat.gov.au (Visa Office); Tel: +971 4 355 1958 (VFS) - +971 4 508 7200 (Visa Office); Fax: +971 4 355 0708 (Visa Office). In Kuwait applications can be lodged at the Australian Visa Application Centre 4B 1st Floor, Al-Banwan Building Al-Qibla Area, Ali Al-Salem Street, opposite the Central Bank of Kuwait, Kuwait City, Kuwait. Working hours and days: 09:30 - 17:30; Sunday - Thursday. Or visit their website www.vfs-au-gcc-com for more information. Kuwait citizens can apply for tourist visas on-line at www.immi.gov.au/e visa/e676.htm ■■■■■■■

EMBASSY OF BRAZIL The Embassy of Brazil requests all Brazilian citizens in Kuwait to proceed to the website www.brazil.org.kw (Contact Us Form / Fale Conosco) in order to register or update contact information. The Embassy encourages all citizens to do so, including the ones who have already registered in person at the Embassy. The registration process helps the Brazilian Government to contact and assist Brazilians living abroad in case of any emergency.

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dent organizationthat aims to implement schemes that enrich appreciation for the environment, demonstrating the link between environmental and social relations and enhancing environmental

its reputation as a non-profitenvironmental organization and to become a leading figure in accordance to ecosystem conservation and ecology.

AWARE Diwaniya presentation

“T

he AWARE Center cordially invites interested Western expatriates to its diwaniya presentation entitled, “ Dealing with Change,” on Tuesday July 3rd, 2012 at 7:00pm by An Swinnen.

Change is all around us. An will show you the process and emotions you go through when you deal with changes in your life and world. She will talk about communicating change and gossip as well as to change your own or others’ behavior.

An Swinnen is the Owner and Managing Director of BECS, a British training company that specialises in business skills and management training and train the trainer. BECS has been established in Kuwait and the Gulf for five years. Some of their clients in Kuwait include Kuwait Petroleum Corporation, Business and Professional Women Kuwait and Arab Open University. In 2011 An Swinnen was awarded the British Business Forum Excellence Award 2010 by Baroness Nicolson at the British Embassy in Kuwait.

For more information, call 25335260/80 or log onto: www.aware.com.kw .”

YMCA’s Free Malayalam Classes

Y

Embassy

MCA Kuwait is conducting Malayalam Classes at different areas of Kuwait.

For details & registartion contact the YMCA Members. - 99498369 & 55120208 (Salmiya) , 99046751 & 66933926 (Abassiya), 99491189 & 66011059 (Riggai).

ASSE-Kuwait bids Satpathy farewell

A

s part of recognizing ASSE Members who are leaving Kuwait for good, American Society of Safety Engineers - Kuwait Chapter (ASSE-KC) recognized Prabhat Kumar Satpathy for his contribution towards the chapter activities. The ceremony was conducted during the 12th Annual General Body meeting on 5th June, 2012 at Hotel Safir, Fintas.

Satpathy is working for Kuwait Gulf

Oil Company as Safety Specialist. He was associated with ASSE Kuwait Chapter since the year 2001. During his association with the chapter, he participated in 2002, 2004, 2007, 2009 & 2011 Professional Development Conference (PDC) organizing committee and was the member of Executive committees of ASSE KC in the past.

Around 90 members attended this farewell event.

Summer Scrabble for kids

G

ood news for kids still here during the summer vacations. You can join up with me to learn some tricks, tips and how to play Scrabble the right way! Need to know more? Then register with me Rohaina at 66634224 or at rainaveer@hotmail.com.

You will be given Scrabble boards and have loads of fun games, mind games and quizzes. If this sounds fun, then call soon. Classes will end on July 26th.

Classes are on Thursdays ONLY and from 2.30 - 4.00 pm. Loads of fun and games in store.

EMBASSY OF BRITAIN Consular section at the British Embassy will be starting an online appointment booking system for our consular customers from Sunday, 01 July 2012. All information including how to make an appointment is now available on the embassy website. In addition, there is also a “Consular Appointment System” option under Quick links on the right hand side on the homepage, which should take you to the “Consular online booking appointment system” main page.

Please be aware that from 01 July 2012, we will no longer accept walk-in customers for legalisation, notarial services and certificates (birth, death and marriages). If you have problems accessing the system or need to make an appointment for nonnotarial consular issues or have a consular emergency, please call 2259 4355/7/8 or email us on consularenquirieskuwait@fco.gov.uk. If you require consular assistance out of office hours (working hours: 0730-l430 hrs), please contact the Embassy on 2259 4320.

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EMBASSY OF KOREA The Embassy of the Republic of Korea wishes to inform that it has moved to Mishref. New Address: Embassy of the Republic of Korea Mishref, Block 7A, Diplomatic Area 2, Plot 6 The Embassy also wishes to inform that it will be opened to the public on the following office hours: Saturday to Thursday Morning: 8:00 am to 12:30 pm Lunch Break: 12:30 pm to 1:00 pm Afternoon: 1:00 pm to 3:30 pm ■■■■■■■

EMBASSY OF KENYA The Embassy of the Republic of Kenya wishes to inform Kenyan residents throughout Kuwait and the general public that with effect from June 1, 2012 the Embassy has moved from its current location to a new location in Surra Block 1, Street 8, Villa 303.

Please note that the new telephone and fax numbers will be communicated as soon as possible. For enquiries you can contact Consular Section on mobile 90935162 or 97527306.

HEALTH

SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012

‘Holiday’ for sick US child after healthcare ruling

INDIA :This combination of two undated handout photographs released by Fortis Hospital Mulund yesterday shows at left a 13-centimetre long worm that was surgically removed from a patient’s eye in Mumbai, and at right, patient P.K. Krishnamurthy posing with consultant optalmologist Dr. V. Seetharaman following the surgery.—AFP

Indian doc removes 13cm live worm from man’s eye MUMBAI: When an elderly Indian patient came to Dr V. Seetharaman with persistent pain in his eye, what the surgeon found was reminiscent of a far-fetched alien movie plot: a live, 13 centimetre-long worm. On examining the 75-year-old at Mumbai’s Fortis Hospital this week, the eye expert was shocked by the highly unusual sight of the writhing parasite and had to operate speedily to remove it before serious damage was caused. “It was wriggling there under the conjunctiva,” Seetharaman told AFP, referring to the thin membrane lining the eye. “It was the first time in my career of 30 years that I had seen such a case.”

Retired patient P.K. Krishnamurthy had been suffering for more than two weeks with redness and irritation before the doctor pinpointed the threadlike creature under a microscope on Wednesday.

“He was also confused and very much disturbed,” said Seetharaman.

The specialist removed the 13-centimetre (five-inch) worm by making a small opening in the conjunctiva-a 15-minute operation that

was observed by the patient’s horrified wife, Saraswati.

“It just kept moving and jumping; it was scary for a bit,” she told the Mumbai Mirror. The patient was relieved of his symptoms while the worm, which was alive for another 30 minutes after surgery, was sent to the hospital’s microbiologists to be identified. Seetharaman had previously only heard of worms of about two to three centimetres being removed. “Probably this is a record,” he said. He suggested the creature could have entered the patient from a cut in his foot or from eating raw or improperly cooked food, before entering the bloodstream and travelling to the eye.

“If the worm was not removed it could have gone into the layers of the eye and caused visual loss,” he said. “It could have entered the brain and caused major neurological problems.” Dr S. Narayani, the hospital’s medical director, agreed it was an extremely rare case.

“We have a very active ophthalmology department and we have not come across a case like this in the last 10 years,” she said.—AFP

FDA panel sees little use for metal-on-metal hips WASHINGTON: Government health experts said Thursday there are few reasons to continue using metal-on-metal hip implants, amid growing evidence that the devices can break down early and expose patients to dangerous metallic particles.

The Food and Drug Administration asked its 18-member panel to recommend guidelines for monitoring more than a half-million U.S. patients with metal hip replacements. The devices were originally marketed as a longer-lasting alternative to older ceramic and plastic models. But recent data from the U.K. and other foreign countries suggests they are more likely to deteriorate, exposing patients to higher levels of cobalt, chromium and other metals.

While the FDA has not raised the possibility of removing the devices from the market, most panelists said there were few, if any, cases where they would recommend implanting the devices. “I do not use metal-on-metal hips, and I can see no reason to do so,” said Dr. William Rohr of Mendocino Coast District Hospital, who chaired the meeting. For decades nearly all orthopedic implants were coated with plastic or ceramic. But in the last 10 years some surgeons began to favor all-metal implants, after laboratory tests suggested the devices would be more resistant to wear and reduce the chances of dislocation. But recent data gathered from foreign registries shows the devices fail at a higher

rate than older implants. That information comes on top of nearly 17,000 reports to the FDA of problems with the implants, which sometimes require invasive surgery to replace them. The pain and inflammation reported by patients is usually caused by tiny metal particles that seep into the joint, damaging the surrounding tissue and bone. The long-term effects of elevated metal levels in the bloodstream are not clear, though some studies have suggested links to neurological and heart problems.

About 400,000 Americans get a hip replacement each year to relieve pain and restore motion affected by arthritis or injury. Metal hips accounted for about 27 percent of all hip implants in 2010, down from nearly 40 percent in 2008. Doctors have begun turning away from the implants amid several high-profile recalls, including J&J’s recall of 93,000 metal hips in 2010. FDA’s experts said Thursday that patients complaining of pain and other symptoms should get regular X-rays and blood testing for metal levels. However, panelists pointed out the problems with the accuracy of blood tests and the difficulties of interpreting the results.

There are no standard diagnostic kits for sale that test for chromium and other metals For patients who are not experiencing pain, panelists said annual X-rays would be sufficient to monitor their

implants. If the FDA ultimately follows the group’s advice, U.S. recommendations would be less involved than those already in place overseas. Earlier this year U.K. regulators recommend that all people who have the implants get yearly blood tests to make sure no dangerous metals are seeping into their bodies.

FDA regulators have suggested they want to take more time to sort out the differences between various implants and patient groups before making recommendations. “The truth is there are different types of hips and different types of patients,” said Dr. William Maisel, FDA’s chief scientist for devices, in an interview last week. “Understanding the characteristics of patients who experience adverse events is very important.” Women and overweight people are among the groups that are more likely to have an implant failure.With little definitive data on US hip implants, the agency has asked manufacturers like Johnson & Johnson, Zimmer Holdings Inc. and Biomet Inc. to conduct long-term, follow-up studies of more than 100 metal-on-metal hips on the U.S. market. FDA scientists say the studies will help “fill in the blanks” on a number of scientific questions, including the long-term effects of metal particles. But public health advocates say it could take a decade before that information is available.—AP

WASHINGTON: When three-year-old Violet, who suffers from a rare and severe form of epilepsy, saw her parents cheering in front of the TV when news on US healthcare reform broke Thursday, she joined in and cried “happy holidays!” Her mother, Julie Walters, laughed and said yes, it was indeed a holiday, for the family would no longer have to worry about how their daughter would keep health insurance coverage for her costly, lifelong condition. “We are jumping for joy,” Walters, 35, told AFP in a phone interview from her home in northern California. “It means we can live our lives not in fear.”

While Violet’s genetic disorder is rare, she is far from alone. As many as 129 million people-almost one in two Americans-have some kind of pre-existing condition, ranging from asthma to cancer, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. In a highly anticipated decision likely to transform the future of healthcare in the United States, the Supreme Court ruled to uphold key parts of President Barack Obama’s healthcare reform law to extend coverage to the sick. The high court’s ruling means that if Violet’s parents ever lose their employergranted coverage, they won’t be denied the right to buy it for their daughter on the free market due to the child’s pre-existing condition.

For millions of others, it means that having had an operation for conditions like a kidney stone or a Caesarean-section for the birth of a child will no longer prevent them from obtaining future health coverage. Current provisions bar many Americans with chronic or past illnesses from obtaining health coverage. The Department of Health and Human Services estimates that 25 million people with preexisting conditions are uninsured. A key part of the Affordable Care Act establishes that as of 2014, insurers “can no longer use health status to determine eligibility, benefits, or premiums,” said HHS. The Supreme Court ruling also means that insurers cannot impose lifetime limits on the cost of a person’s coverage.

That is particularly important for Violet. When she has a seizure, she stops breathing. The seizures come in clusters, and are unpredictable. She had over a thousand seizures in her first two years of life. One hospital stay, lasting about two weeks, cost $250,000. Walters’ family was covered by health insurance provided by her husband’s job at a video game company. But the industry can be volatile, and as parents they often worried what it might mean for their daughter’s health if he had to change jobs. “We were really fortunate that we had insurance. That was during a time when a lot of people were being laid off, and had my husband been laid off, because she has a pre-existing condition we wouldn’t have been able to just go out on the market and buy her insurance,” Walters said.

“So I don’t know what would have happened. Even if you make a good salary, you can’t pay bills like that.”

Without the removal of lifetime limits on the total cost of a person’s healthcare needs, Violet would exhaust her coverage in a few years’ time, leaving her uninsurable for the rest of her life. Walters, who works as a recruiter, is well aware that many people on the job market are looking for work simply to get desperately needed health coverage.

She hopes that healthcare reform will lead to a change of landscape for those people, too, allowing them to seek a job because they want it, not purely to maintain health care coverage.

“I talk to people every day who say, ‘I need enough hours to get benefits.’ It’s sad,” she said. Obama signed healthcare reform into law in March 2010. Some of its provisions have already gone into effect, while others are being phased in over the coming years. “Pediatricians have already seen firsthand that health reform works,” said American Academy of Pediatrics president Robert Block, who hailed the ruling for its protection of children’s health.

“Since the Affordable Care Act took effect, millions of children with pre-existing conditions gained health care coverage,” he said. “Our number one goal is to keep children healthy, and we can now do so knowing that a landmark law prioritizes children’s health needs.”—AFP

HEALTH

SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012

LAUREL: Rodney Stott, raptor program director for Wings Over America, attempts to hood James, a Lanner Falcon following a training session at the organization’s bird sanctuary.

LAUREL: Dallas Coleman, 20, holds Bennie, a Lanner Falcon bred in Saudi Arabia during a training session.

LAUREL: Dallas Coleman, 20, brings Bennie, a Lanner Falcon bred in Saudi Arabia to his arm during a training session.

— AFP photos

Falcons, and their handler, inspire at-risk US youth LAUREL: Benny and James are a pair of handsome Lanner falcons, bred in Saudi Arabia, that came to the United States a few weeks ago on a mission to change the lives of inner-city youth. If that sounds unlikely, then so too is the story of Rodney Stotts, on whose gloved arm they perched one muggy summer morning in the unexpectedly lush countryside a half-hour’s drive outside Washington.

Stotts, 41, is among the very few African-Americans to hold a falconry license, enabling him to trap, train and keep birds of prey. But 20odd years ago, he was a hardened drug dealer in the roughest neighborhoods in the US capital with little to look forward to but a life of violent street crime.

“I was a typical drug dealer. Sold coke. Weed. Pills. Pretty much anything you could get your hands on to flip and make money with.

Carried numerous guns,” he told AFP. “I thought I knew everything,” added Stotts, who sports a wool cap, a Bluetooth earpiece and an engaging smile. “Conceited as all outdoors. Hard-headed.

Stubborn. Would do anything I had to do to get what I had to get.”

He wasn’t alone living on the edge, but he was lucky to stay alive. In 1992, the year he attended no fewer than 33 funerals of people he knew in southeast Washington, he started to change his life. Step one was the non-profit Earth Conservation Corps, created under the

auspices of then-president George H. W. Bush to undertake youthdriven environmental projects around the United States.

It hired Stotts and eight others to clean up Lower Beaver Dam Creek, a tributary of the Anacostia River that runs through Washington’s east side before joining the Potomac River. “We pulled out 5,000 tires. Car engines. Motorcycles. Sofas. Couches. Dressers.

You name it,” he said. “Then after, like, three weeks, we started seeing turtles and beavers and great blue herons flying back through the creek. That really made us take off, and we couldn’t stop them.”

In time, the clean-up led to the return of the bald eagle, the national bird of the United States, to the skies over Washington for the first time since 1954 — and nurtured Stotts’ keen interest in birds of prey. He reckons he has trained around 10 birds, housing them in mews he built behind his home in suburban Fort Washington, Maryland, and returning some of them to the wild.

‘Never seen a black falconer’ Not content with just trapping and training birds in the wild, Stotts took his winged friends on the road, traveling to local parks, boys and girls’ clubs, hospitals and even senior citizens’ homes to share his passion. “I’ve done 96 days straight, no days off, just going

places, taking the birds,” he said. “Walk down the street with an owl on your arm and you stop a lot of traffic.” “Most people’s initial reaction is shock, because I’m a black man and they’ve never seen a black falconer,” he said. “After they get over that initial shock, everything is pretty good from that point on.”

Today Stotts is raptor program coordinator for Wings Over America (www.wingsoveramericadc.org), an Earth Conservation Corps offshoot that uses raptors to connect with at-risk youth and inspire them to change their lives. It’s off to a flying start, occupying 600 acres (240 hectares) of woodland outside Washington plus a vintage barn under renovation to house its growing collection of birds and host a range of bird-related events. “That’s one of the things I want to do, is to give back, to give young people another alternative and to show that there is nothing you can’t do, that you’re the only one who stops you from doing anything,” he said.

Among those inspired by Stotts is his stepson Dallas Coleman, 20, a soft-spoken high school graduate with dreadlocks who is helping turn Benny and James into full-time public performance birds.

“People my age don’t believe I do the things I do, because of my age,” Coleman told AFP. “When they see us, they have a bunch of questions about how we got into it, why we got into it.”—AFP

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Bobee

SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012

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information SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012

DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION In case you are not travelling, your proper cancellation of bookings will help other passengers to use seats Airlines JZR QTR MEA SAI ETH PIA RJA GFA UAE ETD OMA THY DHX FDB MSR QTR MSC JZR THY JZR DHX JZR KAC BAW KAC JZR KAC KAC FDB KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC UAE ABY QTR FDB ETD BAB GFA IRA JZR MSR IRM JZR MSR GFA KAC FDB KNE JZR QTR SVA KAC JZR RJA KNE KAC JZR QTR IRC KAC IZG KAC JZR ETD UAE UAL GFA SVA JZR JZR ABY KAC KAC QTR KAC JZR BAB KAC

Arrival Flights on Saturday 30/6/2012 Flt Route 185 DUBAI 148 DOHA 408 BEIRUT 441 LAHORE 620 ADDIS ABABA 239 ISLAMABAD 642 AMMAN 211 BAHRAIN 853 DUBAI 305 ABU DHABI 643 MUSCAT 768 ISTANBUL 370 BAHRAIN 67 DUBAI 612 CAIRO 138 DOHA 2401 ALEXANDRIA 503 LUXOR 770 ISTANBUL 1541 CAIRO 170 BAHRAIN 555 ALEXANDRIA 412 MANILA 157 LONDON 416 JAKARTA 529 ASSIUT 206 ISLAMABAD 382 DELHI 53 DUBAI 302 MUMBAI 352 COCHIN 284 DHAKA 362 COLOMBO 344 CHENNAI 855 DUBAI 125 SHARJAH 132 DOHA 55 DUBAI 301 ABU DHABI 436 BAHRAIN 213 BAHRAIN 3407 MASHAD 165 DUBAI 618 ALEXANDRIA 5066 MASHAD 325 NAJAF 610 CAIRO 219 BAHRAIN 672 DUBAI 57 DUBAI 472 JEDDAH 535 CAIRO 140 DOHA 500 JEDDAH 562 AMMAN 241 AMMAN 640 AMMAN 476 JEDDAH 788 JEDDAH 257 BEIRUT 134 DOHA 6791 MASHAD 538 SHARM EL SHEIKH 4161 MASHAD 118 NEW YORK 357 MASHAD 303 ABU DHABI 857 DUBAI 982 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 215 BAHRAIN 510 RIYADH 177 DUBAI 777 JEDDAH 127 SHARJAH 176 GENEVA 502 BEIRUT 144 DOHA 542 CAIRO 125 BAHRAIN 438 BAHRAIN 786 JEDDAH

Time 0:15 0:20 1:00 1:30 1:45 2:05 2:10 2:20 2:25 2:30 2:50 2:50 2:55 3:10 3:20 3:25 3:30 3:55 4:35 4:55 5:00 6:00 6:15 6:30 6:35 6:40 7:15 7:30 7:45 7:50 8:05 8:15 8:20 8:20 8:25 8:30 9:00 9:20 9:30 9:35 10:00 10:10 11:05 11:25 11:55 12:30 13:30 13:40 13:40 13:45 14:15 14:20 14:25 14:30 14:30 14:40 14:55 15:00 15:00 15:00 15:15 15:25 15:30 15:45 16:00 16:20 16:35 16:55 17:10 17:20 17:20 17:30 17:40 17:45 17:45 18:00 18:05 18:15 18:30 18:40 18:40

FDB KAC QTR MSR KAC KAC IRM JAI JZR KAC IRA AXB OMA MEA QTR KNE KAC GFA KNE ALK KLM UAE JZR BBC SYR ABY QTR KAC DHX JZR FDB JZR AIC GFA UAL JZR LMU DLH FDB MSR THY JAI

63 104 6130 620 618 674 5064 572 175 774 607 393 647 402 146 460 790 221 474 229 415 859 135 43 341 129 136 1672 372 513 61 539 975 217 981 239 1109 636 51 614 772 574

DUBAI LONDON DOHA ASSIUT DOHA DUBAI MASHAD MUMBAI DUBAI RIYADH MASHAD KOZHIKODE MUSCAT BEIRUT DOHA MEDINAH MEDINAH BAHRAIN JEDDAH COLOMBO AMSTERDAM DUBAI BAHRAIN DHAKA DAMASCUS SHARJAH DOHA DUBAI BAHRAIN SHARM EL SHEIKH DUBAI CAIRO CHENNAI BAHRAIN BAHRAIN AMMAN ALEXANDRIA FRANKFURT DUBAI CAIRO ISTANBUL MUMBAI

Airlines AIC UAL DLH MSR JAI KLM MEA THY SAI ETH PIA THY UAE FDB DHX OMA ETD MSR MSC QTR QTR RJA JZR GFA THY JZR BAW FDB JZR JZR ABY JZR KAC KAC KAC UAE QTR KAC

Departur Flights on Saturday 30/6/2012 Flt Route 976 GOA/CHENNAI 981 WASHINGTON DC 637 FRANKFURT 615 CAIRO 573 MUMBAI 413 AMSTERDAM 409 BEIRUT 773 ISTANBUL 442 LAHORE 621 ADDIS ABABA 240 SIALKOT 769 ISTANBUL 854 DUBAI 68 DUBAI 371 BAHRAIN 644 MUSCAT 306 ABU DHABI 613 CAIRO 2402 ALEXANDRIA 139 DOHA 149 DOHA 643 AMMAN 164 DUBAI 212 BAHRAIN 771 ISTANBUL 534 CAIRO 156 LONDON 54 DUBAI 256 BEIRUT 324 AL NAJAF 126 SHARJAH 240 AMMAN 561 AMMAN 671 DUBAI 787 JEDDAH 856 DUBAI 133 DOHA 537 SHARM EL SHEIKH

18:45 18:45 19:00 19:10 19:20 19:25 19:30 19:35 19:35 19:40 19:50 19:55 20:10 20:15 20:25 20:25 20:25 20:35 20:45 20:55 21:05 21:15 21:15 21:25 21:30 21:30 21:35 21:35 22:00 22:00 22:05 22:10 22:25 22:35 22:40 22:55 23:05 23:10 23:30 23:35 23:40 23:50 Time 0:05 0:25 0:30 0:35 0:50 0:55 2:00 2:15 2:30 2:45 3:20 3:40 3:45 3:50 3:55 3:55 4:05 4:20 4:25 4:50 5:40 6:50 6:55 7:05 7:10 7:30 8:25 8:25 9:00 9:05 9:05 9:10 9:15 9:20 9:35 9:40 10:00 10:00

KAC FDB KAC ETD BAB JZR GFA IRA KAC KAC KAC JZR MSR KAC JZR IRM GFA FDB MSR KAC JZR KNE JZR JZR KAC RJA KNE JZR SVA KAC QTR IRC KAC IZG ETD JZR QTR UAE KAC JZR GFA ABY UAL SVA JZR QTR FDB BAB KAC JZR MSR QTR KAC JAI IRM IRA KAC KAC OMA MEA KNE KAC GFA KNE DHX ALK KLM JZR ABY KAC UAE SYR QTR KAC KAC JZR JZR DHX FDB BBC QTR AXB GFA KAC

101 56 107 302 437 356 214 3406 541 165 501 776 619 785 176 5065 220 58 611 673 538 473 174 124 617 641 461 512 505 789 135 6792 773 4162 304 238 141 858 1671 134 216 128 982 511 266 145 64 439 283 184 621 6131 153 571 5063 604 331 351 648 403 477 543 222 475 171 230 415 1540 120 381 860 342 137 301 205 188 554 373 62 44 147 394 218 411

LONDON DUBAI GENEVA ABU DHABI BAHRAIN MASHHAD BAHRAIN MASHHAD CAIRO ROME BEIRUT JEDDAH ASSIUT JEDDAH DUBAI MASHHAD BAHRAIN DUBAI CAIRO DUBAI CAIRO JEDDAH DUBAI BAHRAIN DOHA AMMAN JEDDAH SHARM EL SHEIKH JEDDAH MADINAH DOHA MASHHAD RIYADH MASHHAD ABU DHABI AMMAN DOHA DUBAI DUBAI BAHRAIN BAHRAIN SHARJAH BAHRAIN RIYADH BEIRUT DOHA DUBAI BAHRAIN DHAKA DUBAI ALEXANDRIA DOHA ISTANBUL MUMBAI MASHHAD ISFAHAN TRIVANDRUM KOCHI MUSCAT BEIRUT JEDDAH CAIRO BAHRAIN JEDDAH BAHRAIN COLOMBO DAMMAM CAIRO SHARJAH DELHI DUBAI DAMASCUS DOHA MUMBAI ISLAMABAD DUBAI ALEXANDRIA BAHRAIN DUBAI CHITTAGONG DOHA KOCHI BAHRAIN BANGKOK

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

10:00 10:05 10:10 10:15 10:25 10:30 10:45 11:10 11:30 11:45 12:00 12:15 12:25 13:10 13:20 13:25 14:25 14:25 14:30 15:05 15:10 15:15 15:25 15:30 15:45 15:50 15:50 15:55 16:00 16:00 16:15 16:25 16:25 16:45 17:20 17:30 17:45 18:05 18:15 18:20 18:20 18:25 18:30 18:35 18:50 19:05 19:25 19:30 19:30 20:05 20:10 20:30 20:30 20:35 20:40 20:50 20:50 21:05 21:10 21:15 21:15 21:30 21:35 21:35 21:50 21:55 22:05 22:05 22:10 22:20 22:25 22:30 22:35 22:40 22:45 22:50 23:00 23:00 23:00 23:05 23:10 23:10 23:30 23:40

C R O S S W O R D 7 2 1

SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012

Word Sleuth Solution

Yesterday始s Solution

ACROSS 1. An associate degree in applied science.

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

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

13. (British) A waterproof raincoat made of rubberized fabric.

14. Relating to or having the characteristics of bees.

15. An elaborate song for solo voice.

16. Toward the mouth or oral region.

18. City in southwestern Colombia in a rich agricultural area.

19. Interface consisting of a standard port between a computer and its peripherals that is used in some computers.

20. Cubes of meat marinated and cooked on a skewer usually with vegetables.

21. Any of various plants of the genus Althaea.

25. The blood group whose red cells carry both the A and B antigens.

26. An organization of countries formed in 1961 to agree on a common policy for the sale of petroleum.

29. An Arabic speaking person who lives in Arabia or North Africa.

31. A translucent mineral consisting of hydrated silica of variable color.

35. Tree native to southeastern Asia having reddish wood with a mottled or striped black grain.

37. A city of southeastern Mexico.

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

42. Lacking in light.

43. (Old Testament) The minister of the Persian emperor who hated the Jews and was hanged for plotting to massacre them.

45. A radioactive element of the actinide series.

46. Any taillike structure.

48. A genus of Lamnidae.

50. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in Turkey).

51. (informal) Exceptionally good.

54. Goddess of spring and wife of Bragi.

58. The capital of Morocco.

60. (Babylonian) God of storms and wind.

63. Used of a single unit or thing.

64. Assign a new name to.

66. A master's degree in business.

67. An informal term for a father.

68. Freed from illness or injury.

69. The network in the reticular formation that serves an alerting or arousal function.

DOWN 1. In a murderous frenzy as if possessed by a demon.

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

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

4. A soft silvery metallic element of the alkali earth group.

5. A drug combination found in some over-the-counter headache remedies (Aspirin and Phenacetin and Caffeine).

6. An independent agency of the United States government responsible for collecting and coordinating intelligence and counterintelligence activities abroad in the national interest.

7. West Indian tree having racemes of fragrant white flowers and yielding a durable timber and resinous juice.

8. A blue dye obtained from plants or made synthetically.

9. A strongbox for holding cash.

10. Type genus of the family Arcidae.

11. A dry cold north wind in SE France.

12. (Greek mythology) Goddess of the earth and mother of Cronus and the Titans in ancient mythology.

17. The capital and largest city of Bangladesh.

22. A hard gray lustrous metallic element that is highly corrosion-resistant.

23. East Indian tree bearing a profusion of intense vermilion velvet-textured blooms and yielding a yellow dye.

24. A colorless and odorless inert gas.

27. A metabolic acid found in yeast and liver cells.

28. Mild yellow Dutch cheese made in balls.

30. A long thin fluffy scarf of feathers or fur.

32. A city in Veneto.

33. Harsh or corrosive in tone.

34. A Tibetan or Mongolian priest of Lamaism.

36. The inner and longer of the two bones of the human forearm.

38. Type genus of the Alcidae comprising solely the razorbill.

40. Large and brightly colored handkerchief.

41. (zoology) Lacking a tail or taillike appendage.

42. A blue dye obtained from plants or made synthetically.

44. Primitive chlorophyll-containing mainly aquatic eukaryotic organisms lacking true stems and roots and leaves.

47. How long something has existed.

49. Destruction of heart tissue resulting from obstruction of the blood supply to the heart muscle.

52. Type genus of the Ranidae.

53. In bed.

55. A language unit by which a person or thing is known.

56. A small cake leavened with yeast.

57. South African term for `boss'.

59. Hormone released by the hypothalamus that controls the release of thyroid-stimulating hormone from the anterior pituitary.

61. A doctor's degree in education.

62. The rate at which heat is produced by an individual in a resting state.

65. The branch of engineering science that studies the uses of electricity and the equipment for power generation and distribution and the control of machines and communication.

Yesterday始s Solution

SPORTS

SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012

Giants notch fourth straight shutout SAN FRANCISCO: San Francisco recorded a fourth straight shutout for the first time in Giants history, beating the Cincinnati Reds 5-0 on Thursday and going clear atop the National League West standings for the first time this season. Madison Bumgarner (10-4) pitched a one-hitter, allowing only a single leading off the sixth inning. He struck out eight in winning his fifth straight decision. The Giants became the 17th team to have four or more consecutive shutouts since 1918. The Baltimore Orioles did it most recently, with five straight in 1995. Reds starter Johnny Cueto (9-4) had his fourgame winning streak halted.

deep center that was caught by Bryce Harper. Herrera tagged up and took third on the play with pinch-runner Christian Friedrich advancing to second. Scutaro, who was 13 for 68 with runners in scoring position, then completed a sevenpitch at-bat with a single to right-center.

Harper’s homer in the ninth off Colorado closer Rafael Betancourt tied the score and sent the game into extra innings.

PADRES 7, ASTROS 3 At Houston, Alexi Amarista launched a grand slam for his first major league homer, capping a six-run rally in the ninth inning that lifted San Diego over Houston. With two outs and the score 33, Amarista homered off Brett Myers (03). San Diego’s Andrew Cashner held Houston hitless for six innings in only his third big league start. — AP

METS 3, DODGERS 2 At Los Angeles, David Wright hit a solo homer and RBI double as New York sent Los Angeles to its fifth straight loss.

The Dodgers ended their 33-inning scoreless drought in the fourth, but couldn’t break through against the Mets’ bullpen and dropped from the top of the NL West. Mets starter Chris Young (2-1) allowed two runs in 6 1-3 innings, striking out six and walking none. Bobby Parnell, getting his first save opportunity since closer Frank Francisco was injured, pitched a perfect ninth inning for his first save of the year. LA starter Chris Capuano (9-3) gave up three runs in seven innings.

DIAMONDBACKS 3, BRAVES 2 At Atlanta, Chris Young hit a tiebreaking homer in the ninth inning to give Arizona the win over Atlanta. Jason Kubel had hit a two-run double in the sixth to tie the score for the Diamondbacks. Trevor Bauer, the No 3 overall draft pick in 2011, did not receive a decision in his major-league debut for Arizona. David Hernandez (1-0) earned the win with a scoreless eighth. JJ Putz got the last three outs for the save.

Braves closer Craig Kimbrel (0-1) gave up the first homer he’s conceded this season, and took the loss.

PIRATES 5, PHILLIES 4 At Philadelphia, AJ Burnett threw 6 23 sharp innings to win his eighth straight start and guide Pittsburgh past Philadelphia. Burnett (9-2) allowed six hits, striking out seven. It’s the first time a Pirates pitcher has won eight in a row since Dock Ellis in 1974. Casey McGehee hit a three-run homer for Pittsburgh, who are 40-35 but haven’t finished a season with more wins than losses since 1992. Joel Hanrahan tossed a scoreless ninth for his 20th save. Phillies starter Kyle Kendrick (2-8) gave up five runs before he’d recorded two outs.

ROCKIES 11, NATIONALS 10, 11 INNINGS At Denver, Marco Scutaro’s RBI single in the 11th inning lifted Colorado over Washington after it squandered an early seven-run lead. Jonathan Herrera doubled with one out off Craig Stammen (31). After pinch-hitter Jason Giambi walked, Dexter Fowler hit a fly ball to

White Sox capitalize on error, rally over Yankees NEW YORK: Chicago’s Dayan Viciedo hit a three-run homer in the ninth inning after a throwing error, lifting the White Sox to a 4-3 win over the New York Yankees in Thursday’s clash of American League divisional leaders.

New York pitcher Clay Rapada’s wild toss to second base on a potential double-play ball set up the White Sox. With closer Rafael Soriano not available after pitching the past two games, the Yankees had their five-game winning streak ended. New York came close to responding in the bottom of the ninth, but Derek Jeter’s long hit - with a man on basewas caught by right fielder Alex Rios with his back against the wall for the final out.

Chicago’s Hector Santiago (2-1) took the iwn, while Viciedo’s homer came off David Robertson (0-2).

RANGERS 7, ATHLETICS 6 At Arlington, Texas, leadoff man Ian Kinsler got four hits, scored three runs and stole two bases, sending Texas past Oakland for its 11th win in 13 games. Texas’ Scott Feldman (2-6) won despite allowing nine hits in five innings.

Joe Nathan earned his 18th save. Oakland’s Tyson Ross (2-8) was tagged for five runs in four innings.

ANGELS 9, BLUE JAYS 7 At Toronto, rookie Mike Trout and Mark Trumbo each hit two-run homers and Alberto Callaspo added a solo shot as Los Angeles beat Toronto. Trout had two hits and raised his AL-leading average to .345. The Angels have won 14 of their past 15 road games. Toronto’s Jose Bautista hit his major league-best 26th homer, a three-run drive in the fifth. It wasn’t enough as the last-place Blue Jays slumped to their third straight defeat. Los Angeles starter Dan Haren (6-7) allowed seven hits in six innings. Toronto’s Brett Cecil (1-1) took the loss.

SAN FRANCISCO: San Francisco Giants outfielders Melky Cabrera, Gregor Blanco and Angel Pagan celebrate the victory over the Cincinnati Reds at the end of a baseball game Thursday, June 28, 2012. — AP

MLB results/standings Pittsburgh 5, Philadelphia 4; Colorado 11, Washington 10 (11 innings); Cleveland 7, Baltimore 2; Chicago White Sox 4, NY Yankees 3; LA Angels 9, Toronto 7; Detroit 5, Tampa Bay 2; Arizona 3, Atlanta 2; Texas 7, Oakland 6; San Diego 7, Houston 3; NY Mets 3, LA Dodgers 2; Seattle 1, Boston 0; San Francisco 5, Cincinnati 0.

American League Eastern Division W L PCT GB NY Yankees 46 29 .613 Baltimore 41 34 .547 5 Tampa Bay 40 36 .526 6.5 Boston 40 36 .526 6.5 Toronto 38 38 .500 8.5 Central DivisiON Chicago White Sox 41 35 .539 Cleveland 38 37 .507 2.5 Detroit 37 39 .487 4 Kansas City 34 39 .466 5.5 Minnesota 30 44 .405 10 Western Division Texas 48 29 .623 LA Angels 43 33 .566 4.5 Oakland 37 40 .481 11 Seattle 33 45 .423 15.5

National League Eastern Division Washington 43 31 .581 Atlanta 40 35 .533 NY Mets 41 36 .532 Miami 35 40 .467 Philadelphia36 42 .462 Central Division Cincinnati 41 34 .547 Pittsburgh 40 35 .533 St. Louis 40 36 .526 Milwaukee 34 41 .453 Houston 32 44 .421 Chicago Cubs26 49 .347 Western Division San Francisco44 33 .571 LA Dodgers 43 34 .558 Arizona 38 37 .507 Colorado 29 46 .387 San Diego 28 49 .364

3.5 3.5 8.5 9 1 1.5 7 9.5 15 1 5 14 16

INDIANS 7, ORIOLES 2 At Baltimore, Johnny Damon and Asdrubal Cabrera hit three-run homers and Choo Shinsoo had a solo shot as Cleveland beat Baltimore to end a five-game losing skid.

Recalled from the minors before the game, Indians rookie Zach McAllister (2-1) allowed two runs over 5 2-3 innings, striking out six and walking one in his fifth career start. Orioles rookie Chen Wei-yin (7-4) gave up six runs in 6 1-3 innings.

TIGERS 5, RAYS 2 At St Petersburg, Florida, Miguel Cabrera had four hits and drove in two runs, leading Detroit over Tampa Bay. Cabrera homered and doubled. His sixth-inning RBI single off James Shields (7-5) gave the Tigers a 4-1 lead. Detroit starter Max Scherzer (7-5) allowed only four hits in six-plus innings in his second start since the death of his brother this month.

MARINERS 1, RED SOX 0 At Seattle, Felix Hernandez matched his career high with 13 strikeouts in a brilliant complete game, steering Seattle past Boston. Hernandez (6-5) pitched his fifth career shutout. The sole run came in the bottom of the ninth. Casper Wells lined a oneout double off Scott Atchison (2-1). After an intentional walk, John Jaso lined the first pitch he saw for a single that brought home Wells. — AP

SPORTS

SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012

Phelps cruises in 200 fly at Olympic trials OMAHA: After a couple of epic duels with his biggest rival, Michael Phelps made this one look easy. Phelps stayed on course to swim eight events at the London Games, pulling away for a dominating win in the 200-meter butterfly at the US Olympic trials on Thursday night. “The last 25 meters are pretty painful,” Phelps said. “I just wanted to get to the wall and secure another spot on the team.”

Phelps has locked up three individual events for London and he’s got two more to go in Omaha. Combined with a likely spot on all three relays, the 26-year-old from Baltimore - already the winningest Olympian ever - would have a chance to duplicate his record from the Beijing Games if he doesn’t stumble over the next three days.

Davis Tarwater led at the first and second turns, but there was never any doubt about Phelps pulling ahead in his signature stroke. He surged to the front on the third leg, his body slinking through the water like a dolphin, and was a body-length ahead of the field when he touched in 1 minute, 53.65 seconds. Phelps had a much easier time than his first two events at Omaha, when he was going

against Ryan Lochte. Phelps edged out Lochte in the 200 free after losing to him in the 400 individual medley (but still finishing second, earning an Olympic spot).

Phelps said he’ll have to go even faster in London to claim his third straight gold in the 200 fly. But he appears to be getting stronger every day. “It’s not a good enough time to win a gold medal, but I think I’m OK with it,” he said. “Going into the last wall. I didn’t want to have any close ones, so I tried to stay under as long as I could. Today was the best my stroke has felt throughout the whole meet.” The real race was for second place - and another spot on the Olympic team. Tyler Clary, who lost out to Phelps in the 400 individual medley, rallied from behind for a time of 1:55.12, edging Bobby Bollier’s touch of 1:55.79.

Clary pumped his right fist and pounded the water when he saw a “2” beside his name on the scoreboard.

When Phelps got out of the water, he walked side-by-side with Clary along the deck, patting the first-time Olympian on the back of the head. “When I got out I said to him, ‘It’s

pretty cool to make your first one,’ and he goes, ‘You have no idea how good that feels,’” Phelps said. “It was definitely cool to watch his excitement, and swimming with him for a couple of years of school, you see how much of a hard worker he is. It’s cool to see everything pay off.” Clary was the silver medalist behind Lochte in the 400 IM at last year’s world championships, but Phelps restored the event to his program and Clary wound up third at the trials - out of the Olympics.

Now, London’s calling. “It was amazing,” Clary said. “I can’t even put into words how the end of that race felt, not only the pain in the last 20 meters but just the complete and total turnaround. “I’m on cloud nine right now,” he added. Phelps isn’t the only one building a busy Olympic schedule. His training partner, Allison Schmitt, was equally dominating in the 200 free. She broke her own American record with a time of 1:54.40, the best in the world this year. Already the winner in the 400 free, she eclipsed the national record set in the 2009 world championships at Rome.—AP

Uphill battle to realize the London GP ‘dream’ LONDON: London’s prospects of hosting a street circuit Formula One Grand Prix around the capital’s most iconic landmarks were given a temporary boost this week when Spanish bank Santander unveiled a video of its plans. Too much fanfare in the British capital, and with the support of two leading British drivers whose team just happens to be sponsored by the Spanish banking giant, the story was given a widespread airing. But behind the hype and the gloss, there was little of substance to support the long-held view that a London Grand Prix is anything more than a dream - a fantasy that would need political support and great financial backing to become established and permanent.

The support of Britons Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button of McLaren was as obvious and predictable as the over-hyped presentation and left few seasoned observers, many of whom have been cynical for years, with much doubt. Unlike the London marathon, or hosting the Olympic Games, the logistical challenge and level of disruption is both long-term and costly, not to mention likely to lead to many parts of London being closed to traffic for several weeks. Hamilton, however, said he believed in the project and added that Britain would be justified in hosting two Grands Prix at a time when the national economy is in a downward spiral and the population suffering from austerity programs.

“Some other countries have two races like Spain and Germany, and arguably the UK makes an enormous contribution to F1, so I reckon that would be completely justified,” he said.

“Silverstone is more than just my home race; it is a giant of a circuit, a real racer’s track. The idea of a London race presents a completely different possibility and it would be great to reward our home fans with two races, wouldn’t it?” The Santander circuit takes in many of London’s famous landmarks including Buckingham Palace and the Houses of Parliament. The start/finish straight and the pits would be on the Mall where only a few weeks ago a vast crowd stood and celebrated the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. Button said he believed that if an event could ever be put on it could help cement London’s place as a sporting capital. “There have been times when I’ve been sitting in the back of a black taxi and idly thought to myself, ‘This would make a pretty good corner on a racetrack,” he said. “If we ever could have a London Grand Prix, I think it would be spectacular and would be such a great addition to the city’s status as one of the world’s greatest sporting capitals. “We did an F1 street demonstration on Regent Street a few years ago, and half a million people came out to watch - I remember the sight of thousands of people on rooftops and balconies on every storey of every building along the route.

“There’s a mammoth following for Formula 1 in the UK and a race in the city would be at the heart of everything, easily reachable by public transport. It would be a fantastic race for the drivers and the fans alike.” Despite their support and a claimed offer from F1 commercial ringmaster Bernie Ecclestone that he is prepared to put up £35 million to be the promoter, this project - or the video - was apparently ignored by politicians and received little palpable support. Sir Stirling Moss, a legendary name in the history of British motor racing, was quoted saying: “I think they have been talking about this for as long as I have been racing and it has always been a great idea, but it is just a dream.”— AFP

HAVANA: British-Australian swimmer World Champion Marathon swimmer and world record in open water swimming, Penny Palfrey, dives to swim towards the United States yesterday at the Hemingway International Yacht Club in western Havana. — AFP

Marathon swimmer starts her long Cuba-US journey HAVANA: Marathon swimmer Penny Palfrey, a 49-year-old grandmother, dove into the clear waters of the Florida Straits yesterday to try to break her own world record by swimming 103 miles from Cuba to the United States without a shark cage. With the just-risen sun casting an orange glow in the eastern sky, Palfrey dove into the calm sea from a rocky point at Havana’s Hemingway Marina, then stroked methodically away as a handful of spectators looked on.

“Beautiful sea, beautiful sunrise, it’s a lovely morning in Cuba,” the compact, muscular Palfrey told reporters just before entering the water. She described herself as “a little excited, a little nervous.” She wore a blue bathing suit and gray bathing cap. Her body was coated with sun block lotion and grease, the latter to protect against chafing on the long journey. Palfrey, who was born in Britain but lives in Australia, hopes to arrive somewhere in southern Florida within 40 to 50 hours.

Because of variances in the size and speed of the Gulf Stream, which flows through the straits toward the east, it was hard to know exactly where she would come ashore. Her swim follows two unsuccessful attempts last year by American swimmer Diana Nyad, now 62, to cross the dangerous body of water that separates communist Cuba from the United States, its longtime ideological foe. The treacherous straits, known for tricky currents and unpredictable weather, have the been watery graveyard for many Cubans trying to flee their homeland for the United States the past half century. The swim was completed successfully in May 1997 by Australian Susan Maroney, who unlike Nyad and now Palfrey, used a shark cage.

Maroney was just 22, but Palfrey, who has three grown chil-

dren and two grandchildren, dismissed the notion that she was too old to make the swim. In June 2011, Palfrey set the world record for what are referred to as “unassisted open ocean swims” by swimming 67.25 miles without a shark cage in the Cayman Islands, Cuba’s neighbor in the Caribbean Sea. She has completed many other marathon swims, including two across the English Channel, a round trip in the Strait of Gibraltar and three swims around Manhattan Island. She decided to take on the Florida Straits after flying over on her way back from the record-breaking Cayman swim. “I saw this beautiful stretch of water,” she said at a Thursday press conference. The 44-foot boat Sunluver and a crew of 16 are accompanying Palfrey, who will be given liquids and food at regular intervals without touching the boat. Instead of a shark cage, equipment that emits an electric current will be used to repel sharks, who can be frequent companions of swimmers in the Gulf Stream.

Nyad had to quit her second attempt last year after suffering severe strings from jellyfish and Portuguese man o’ war. Palfrey plans to don a Lycra suit at night, when they are most likely to be out, for protection. There were reports that her crew killed several sharks who came close during the Cayman Island swim, but Palfrey said that was not true and would not happen on this swim. “We don’t kill sharks. We love the ocean, we like to preserve the ocean,” she said. Palfrey had to delay the swim a few days to wait for Tropical Storm Debby to stop churning in the Gulf of Mexico off northwestern Florida, which caused rough seas in the straits. She said weather forecasts for the next three days looked “fantastic.” — Reuters

sports

SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012

Buescher dominates Truck Series race SPARTA: As the mercury climbed, so did James Buescher’s confidence. Buescher held the lead for most of the way in temperatures approaching 100 degrees, fending off challengers to win the NASCAR Truck Series race Thursday night at Kentucky Speedway. Asked about the oppressive heat, Buescher tried hard not to smirk. “I’m from Texas,” he said, hesitating for emphasis. “I mowed my grass yesterday and it was 103. I like to say I’m ready for the heat all summer long.”

Buescher, who started the night fourth in the season standings, took the lead in his Turner Motorsports Chevrolet for the first time just 27 laps into the 150-circuit race and dominated the rest of the way. He was on top for 119 laps.

It was his second career Truck Series victory, following a win at Daytona to open the season. “For James to dominate like this, it’s awesome,” said team owner Steve Turner. “We feel like we’ve become dominant on a mile-and-a-half track.” The temperature was 98

degrees - on the track it was 117 when the race began. The heat contributed to some of the trucks getting loose in the turns. There were seven caution periods covering 31 laps. Pole-sitter Matt Crafton led at the outset before Buescher took over and didn’t let go. “This is the third time this year we’ve raced this particular truck and the second time we’ve won with it,” Buescher said. “The truck was phenomenal.

We made some changes in practice this morning and the truck came to life. I knew halfway through the first practice that we had a truck that was capable of running up front. Then we made some more changes and it got even better.” Sprint Cup driver Brad Keselowski started 17th but steadily climbed back to finish second, 3.805 seconds behind Buescher. He wasn’t surprised to see the No. 31 truck control the race. “He’s a really good driver. You can see how he’s matured over the last few years,” said Keselowski, who is competing in all three NASCAR races this week-

end in Kentucky. “He’s got a lot of great opportunities to come. We’re all interested to see how he’s going to come out. He’s not winning races because he’s a bad driver, that’s for sure.”

Ty Dillon was third, Crafton fourth and Timothy Peters fifth.

Peters accumulated enough points to take over the lead in the standings. “It’s definitely cool to leave here as the points leader,” Peters said with a laugh. “We were way out in left field at the start of qualifying this morning, but the guys got us back in right field. Leading the points race is definitely a morale booster.” Dillon and Kyle Larson, who finished 10th in his first national series start, both had to start from the back of the pack after blowing engines during qualifying.

“Today was all about me learning how the trucks feel,” Larson said.

“And I’d never been on a 1.5-mile track before.” Dillon started 32nd but was solid all night, steadily picking off trucks in front of him.

“To come from pretty much last to

third was something,” he said.

Rounding out the top 10 among the 36 entries were Johnny Sauter, Joey Coulter, Jason Leffler, Ron Hornaday Jr. and Kyle Larson.

Nelson Piquet Jr., coming off a victory last week in the Nationwide Series race at Road America, was running among the leaders until he bumped into the wall. The Brazilian, the son of the three-time Formula One champion, was sidelined on the 70th lap when pushed outside as Todd Bodine and Justin Lofton made contact. Lofton, the No 1 driver in the standings coming in, finished 14th. He dropped to second behind Peters in the rankings, with Dillon now third and Buescher fourth. Despite how well he was running, Buescher said he never felt at ease. “After a couple of restarts, I got in front of two trucks and I was looking to put a gap on second place,” he said. “But anything can happen. You don’t go through any race uncontested and feeling nothing can happen to you.” Besides, Texans love that heat. —AP

‘Don’t play poker with Sharapova’

Shooting tournament kicks off KUWAIT: Sheikh Sabah Al-Salem Al-Humoud Al-Sabah Cup Tournament will take place today at Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Olympic Shooting Complex. The tournament marks the launch of the new season of Sheikh Saad Olympic Shooting Academy. 42 shooters will compete in the 10M Air Pistol and rifle, while 30 shooters will compete in the Skeet and Trap events. Kuwait Shooting Sport Club (KSSC) treasurer Essa Butaiban, said this tournament is receiving special attention from shooters of Sheikh Saad Academy. As the opener of the academy tournaments, they seek to become champions after completing their courses on safety and proper use of weapons at the Sheikh Sabah AlAhmad Olympic Complex.

He said that he appreciates the strong support from the family of Late Sheikh Sabah Al-Salem Al-Humoud Al-Sabah, and President of Asian and Kuwait Shooting Federations and Vice President of ISSF Sheikh Salman Al-Humoud Al-Sabah. Butaiban lauded the efforts of President of the Arab Shooting Federation, member of the ISSF Administrative Council, KSF Vice President and head of Sheikh Saad Olympic Shooting Academy Engr Duaij Al-Otaibi in supporting the national teams.

Essa Butaiban

LONDON: Maria Sharapova would give any poker player a run for their money in Las Vegas, according to the famous tennis coach who helped to shape her talent from the age of nine. For Nick Bollettieri, the larger than life extrovert whose Florida tennis academy changed the face of the game, the Russian world number one is a fascinating study in determination, savoring every minute of her comeback from a shoulder injury that would have finished off many a career. “For most people, her career was over. She slipped down from being a star to 123 or 125 in the world - similar to Andre Agassi from one to 142,” Bollettieri said at Wimbledon where his former pupils, from Jim Courier to Monica Seles, have sparkled on the grass courts.

Sharapova won Wimbledon in 2004 at the age of 17 but her career ground to a halt due to a persistent shoulder injury.

Bollettieri never doubted her ability to climb back to the very top, something she proved by winning the French Open this month amid scenes of unbridled joy to complete a career grand slam of major titles. Bollettieri is brimming with energy just one month short of his 81st birthday. “The money I don’t think is a factor for Maria Sharapova,” he said. “It’s all about not saying I can’t do it but I will do it. She is most dangerous when she is behind. That is when a lot of players take her for granted and think the battle is over.”

Bollettieri clearly revels in the mind games that tennis players have to play in this most solitary of sports, a one-on-one gladiatorial

contest where no quarter is given. That is where he sees Sharapova having such a vital edge. “She would be a winner in the poker games out in Vegas. You wouldn’t know one thing about the cards she is holding. No positive emotions, no negative emotions,” said Bollettieri, all bronzed good health and gleaming white teeth in sharp contrast to the drizzly gloom of Wimbledon. Bollettieri’s autobiography comes out in September and it should make for an intriguing read about a coach who has masterminded the careers of 13 grand slam winners.

INFECTIOUS ENTHUSIASM His enthusiasm for the job and for telling you about it - he grasps you by the arm as he eagerly makes every point - is infectious.

“Some say you can make a champion,” he said. “I don’t believe that. I believe people are born with certain traits and then their support team can add to it. “The sign of a great educator is knowing the idiosyncrasies.” When it came to coaching at his academy, it had to be different strokes for different folks. “With Jim Courier, I beat the crap out of him, with Monica Seles I was calm. With Andre Agassi I was afraid to say anything,” Bollettieri said. “With Boris Becker (who he coached for two years) I waited two weeks before I said anything when I took him over. He turned around in Munich where we were training and said ‘Mr B, can you speak?’ “I replied ‘Mr B, when I talk to you, I’ll be knowing what I am talking about.’

“He said - ‘Mr B, we are going to get on very well’.” —Reuters

SPORTS

SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012

Bangladesh’s man of the sea ready for the biggest honor DHAKA: Mahfizur Rahman watched his friends turn to cricket, golf and soccer over the years in the hopes of earning a living out of sport, but the Bangladesh swimmer is happy with his decision to stick to the water.

Rahman, whose nickname Sagar means ‘sea’ in Bengali, believes years of perseverance have paid off after he was handed a wildcard place to compete at the London Olympics.

Despite being crisscrossed by more than 230 rivers, swimming is a minor sport in Bangladesh and the lack of financial reward plays a major part in that. Cricket careers can be extremely lucrative on the subcontinent while Siddikur Rahman has earned almost $150,000 on golf’s Asian Tour

this season.

Swimming is the poor cousin, says the 19-year-old. “All we earn is a medal, which is sometimes not even worth 50 taka ($0.60), so it is very difficult to keep us motivated,” Mahfizur said in a recent interview.

“We know we will gain very little out of it; still we keep swimming because we love it,” he said at Dhaka’s National Swimming Complex. Mahfizur, who has been at Bangladesh’s lone sports academy (BKSP) for more than a decade, has recently been selected by the Bangladesh Navy to become a junior commanding officer. “When I came to BKSP in 2001, I saw everybody just wants to be a cricketer, but frankly, it

has never attracted me,” he said.

‘LOST FOR WORDS’ Mahfizur is the undisputed king of Bangladesh’s freestyle swimming, winning gold medals in the 50, 100, 200, 400 and 1,500 meters in every national meet since 2007. He struck his first gold medal at senior level in 2005 at the age of 12. However, getting to the Olympics always seemed like a distant dream as his times had been nowhere near the top level. He clocked 24.82 seconds in the 50 freestyle at the World Championships in Shanghai last year, far behind gold medal winner CÈsar Cielo’s 21.52 seconds.

“One morning last February one

Taekwondo champion Cook gives up fight for Olympics LONDON: Top-ranked taekwondo star Aaron Cook ended his fight for a place on Britain’s Olympic team yesterday and said he is “devastated” he won’t be competing at the London Games. Cook is the reigning European champion in the 80-kilogram category. Britain’s Taekwondo Federation picked the 104-ranked Lutalo Muhammad in his place, setting off a campaign of bitter complaints from Cook, his supporters and his agent, who had said the athlete will fight for an Olympic spot in courts.

The British Olympic Association said last week that Cook’s case was not suited for the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The world taekwondo champion could turn to Britain’s High Court, but Cook said in a statement that a legal battle would be too expensive. Although the World Taekwondo Federation is conducting its own review into Britain’s omission of Cook, its conclusions will not be published in time to enable Cook to fight at the Olympics that start July 27.

Cook has fought in several international champions this year, beating 10 of the 15 fighters who will be competing at the London Games. Muhammad has beaten one. He also won a European title, but in a heavier weight division. “I don’t think that I could have done any more in terms of my performance,” Cook said. “I will sit down with my team and consider my best way forward in the coming months.”

Taekwondo officials said Muhammad’s height he is slightly taller than Cook - made him better suited to land head kicks, which win the most points in taekwondo. Cook is known for his aggressive attacking style using several head kicks in quick succession.

Cook has claimed British officials sidelined him to punish him for ditching the national training program last year after disagreements over coaching strategies. He said the Olympics would have been “the pinnacle” of his career.

Britain’s taekwondo officials offered Cook to train as Muhammad’s alternative on the Olympic team, but he refused. “Clearly, it would be hugely difficult for me to work with their coaches in view of what has happened,” Cook said. Since leaving the national taekwondo academy, Cook has mostly trained in a gym his parents built in the backyard of their Manchester home. He has won more competitions than any fighter, training in his division at the British taekwondo academy, and is ranked world No 1. — AP

of my coaches told me that I was going to swim in the Olympics. I did not believe him and went straight to the Bangladesh Olympic Association, where officials confirmed the news,” he said. “I was lost for words for a few seconds because this was unbelievably good news for me. I could not think of it despite being the best in the country for the last few years.”

The International Olympic Committee granted Mahfizur a wildcard place after analyzing his performance in local and domestic events. “I always knew swimming would give me nothing but honor.

And representing the country in an Olympics is the best honor for any athlete,” he said. — Reuters

India’s Paes refuses to play politics in the Olympic row LONDON: None of India’s top players want to play with him and he has been called “a backstabber” by his former friend, but on Thursday Leander Paes’ only concern was whether his novice partner at the Olympics had the right shoes to compete. The doubles specialist has been at the centre of an angry row within Indian tennis over who would partner whom in the tennis competitions at the London Games.

His former doubles partner Mahesh Bhupathi threatened to boycott the Olympics if he was forced to play with Paes and not with regular tour partner Rohan Bopanna.

The All India Tennis Association (AITA), who had originally intended to send only one men’s doubles team, eventually bowed to pressure, pairing Bhupathi and Bopanna together while teaming Paes up with Vishnu Vardhan, a 24-yearold, ranked 209 in doubles. To add fuel to the already raging fire, AITA picked Paes to play with Sania Mirza in the mixed doubles, which prompted the 25-year-old to accuse the federation of using her as “bait” as she usually partners Bhupathi at the slams.

On Thursday, Paes addressed the issue and spoke to reporters at Wimbledon with a prepared statement saying he was interested in playing “sport and not politics”. He said he did not want to speak any further on the matter but eventually opened up about his main concerns heading into his sixth Olympics. “It is the dream of any young Indian kid to play and no-one is going to stop me from that,” the 39-year-old, a singles bronze medalist in 1996, said. “I have been the only player that qualified directly for the Olympics from India and for me that is a great honor. I have already got an Olympic medal in singles and it is the greatest joy.

Aaron Cook

OLYMPIC NONSENSE “Every Olympics has some nonsense coming with it. For me I know how much hard work goes into what I do and people chose to respect it and I am very lucky that most of India does. If people chose to disrespect it then that is their choice.” The row originally erupted when Bhupathi said he would not even consider going to the Games if he had to play with Paes, a partnership that had worked to great effect in the late 1990s and early 2000s. They won the French Open and Wimbledon in 1999 before claiming a second Roland Garros title two years later, but their relationship deteriorated and they ceased to play together on the tour circuit from 2002. They played together at the Australian Open in 2011 and Paes attended Bhupathi’s wedding to former Miss Universe Lara Dutta. They went through another acrimonious split following the season-ending World Tour Finals in November, a decision that prompted Bhupathi to call Paes “a backstabber”. Paes’s partner at the Olympics is Vardhan, who has never played in a grand slam or competed in the Games. “The only one that I need to worry about is Vishnu,” Paes added. — Reuters

SPORTS

SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012

Chiefs down Highlanders to extend Super 15 lead DUNEDIN: The Waikato Chiefs consolidated their lead at the top of the Super 15 ladder yesterday, dashing the Otago Highlanders’ hopes of a play-off spot with a 27-21 win in Dunedin. In the first match back after a three-week break for international fixtures, both sides scored two tries apiece but five penalties to Aaron Cruden proved the difference in a tightly contested New Zealand derby.

The win puts the Chiefs in prime position to top the New Zealand conference, although they face a tough final two regular season matches against the Canterbury Crusaders and Wellington

Hurricanes.

The Highlanders entered the match eighth on the ladder and, barring major upsets, have no chance of achieving a top six play-off position. “It’s not easy to get a win down in Dunedin,” Chiefs captain Craig Clarke said. “What pleased me the most was probably the heart of our defense towards the end when they were chasing the game, we just stayed in there and made some tackles.”

The Chiefs stunned the Highlanders with a try in the opening two minutes, Liam Messam intercepting a pass and sending Sonny Bill Williams down the

field, with Tim Nanai Williams touching down for the five pointer. Cruden converted but the Highlanders, their season on the line, continued to attack, earning two penalties to one to narrow the gap to 10-6 after 20 minutes. They patiently dominated possession but only managed to secure a penalty before conceding against the run of play three minutes before half-time after a charge down by Ben Tameifuna led to a Robbie Robinson try. Cruden piled on the pressure with a penalty after the half-time siren, then another just after the restart to make it 21-9.

Van Pelt leads the way at tough Congressional Woods five off the pace in hot, fast conditions MARYLAND: American Bo Van Pelt weathered hot, hard and fast conditions best to take a one-shot lead after the opening day of the AT&T National at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland on Thursday. After Rory McIlroy destroyed the layout in the 2011 US Open, winning at a record 16-under, grounds staff ensured there would be no such blowout this year, with Van Pelt’s four-under 67 one of just 22 rounds under par. Tiger Woods was one of the many above par, as his short game struggled around the greens, and particularly in the sand. He posted a one-over 72 to be five off the pace in a tie for 30th.

Former world number one Vijay Singh of Fiji, American Jimmy Walker and Zimbabwe’s Brendan de Jonge share second following rounds of 68.

Americans Billy Hurley III and Pat Perez, and Australia’s Jason Day are tied fifth a shot further back. Woods, the tournament host, confirmed he had nothing to do with the course set-up, but did believe there was some revenge in mind in its preparation. “It’s certainly, I think, a little retribution for what happened last year,” said the 14-times major champion, who missed last year’s US Open with a knee injury.

“But don’t be mad at me, I didn’t play. “It was a pretty good grind out there. Not a lot of low scores on this golf course, especially this afternoon. It was baked out, the ball was springy, and it’s hard to believe that four-under par is leading.” Woods expects conditions to toughen further as the course continues to dry out in the heat over the course of the week. “I think it’s going to be interesting as the week goes on, as it gets hotter, how this golf course is going to play because it’s going to get baked out, and I don’t think they’re going to be able to put water on it while we’re playing,” he said. “It’ll be interesting to see how the afternoon guys do over the next three days.”

Woods’s hopes of finishing under par were undone by some poor shots from the sand late in his round.

“There’s so much sand in these bunkers and my 60 is not built for this much sand,” he said. “It’s designed for less sand, so I have to make an adjustment and make sure I hit a little bit closer to the golf ball, and I just didn’t do it.” Van Pelt was the only player to shoot a bogey-free round, with his total highlighted by an eagle on the first, his 10th, from 93 yards. Day, runnerup to McIlroy in the 2011 US Open, enjoyed a return to form with his 69, but may have to rush off the course early with his wife Ellie expected to go into labor with their first child. Day has already said he has a plane on stand-by. — Reuters

BETHESDA: Bo Van Pelt watches his hit on the ninth fairway during the first round of the AT&T National golf tournament at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda. — AP

The hosts made the most of an attacking opportunity when Sonny Bill Williams was penalized for a shoulder charge, rewarded when they opted to run the ball and hooker Andrew Hore forced the ball over from a ruck. The Chiefs responded with a period of sustained attack but had a try disallowed when the ball was ruled held up over the line, only for the Highlanders’ Adam Thomson to concede a penalty and make it 24-14. Hosea Gear managed a try for the Highlanders three minutes from time but the Chiefs defense proved up to the task of keeping them out.— AFP

Reds grab bonus point MELBOURNE: Queensland Reds kept their Super Rugby title defense very much alive with an ultimately comfortable 32-17 bonus-point victory at the Melbourne Rebels yesterday.

Teenager Chris F’Sautia, a late replacement for the sick Digby Ioane, scored the first try and his fellow winger Dom Shipperley, lock Adam Wallace-Harrison and replacement back Nick Frisby also crossed for the Super Rugby champions. In their first match after the international window, Queensland tired in the second half as the many Wallabies in their ranks began to feel the lingering effects of the hard-fought series win over Wales.

The always game Rebels, hoping to give former Wallabies centre Stirling Mortlock a win in his final home match, hit back in the second half with tries from Kurtley Beale and Lachie Mitchell but never closed to within 10 points of the Reds. To make matters worse, they lost flyhalf James O’Connor to a hamstring injury in his first match back after recovering from a liver injury which had kept him sidelined for a month. “The game didn’t go to plan, the big send off,” Rebels captain Gareth Delve said in a pitchside interview. “But we showed great character in the second half. In the first half we made too many mistakes and left ourselves with a mountain to climb.”

Another Wallabies flyhalf, Quade Cooper, was replaced at halftime by the Reds after setting up Wallace-Harrison’s try five minutes before the break. It was a moment of magic from the least lauded of the playmakers on the field, however, which set up the best try of the night after 26 minutes. Centre Mike Harris made the most of his pack winning a scrum against the head by chipping over the defensive line and regathering his own kick. The Reds moved the ball quickly outside to F’Sautia, who looked like he might score a brace on his first start but he was forced to look for support and his pass back inside found Shipperley who crossed in the corner.

Trailing 27-3 at the break, the Rebels laid siege to the Queensland line in the second half and got their reward when fullback Beale snaked over the line in the 56th minute and Mitchell finished well nine minutes later. The Reds refused to let the Rebels eat further into their lead, however, and went back down the pitch through 20 or more phases before a flat pass from peerless scrumhalf Will Genia put Frisby in to score in the corner six minutes from time. “We dropped a little bit in that second half which is disappointing but we got that fourth try and that’s very important for the competition,” said skipper Genia, whose side now return home for matches against the Highlanders and Waratahs in their last two regular season fixtures. — Reuters

SPORTS

SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012

Felix, Tarmoh win heats in 200 at trials EUGENE: Looking so smooth and exerting little effort, Allyson Felix glided to an easy heat win in the 200 meters. Minutes later, appearing just as smooth and expending just as little of energy, Jeneba Tarmoh cruised to a victory in her heat as well at the US Olympic track trials on a drizzly Thursday night. If controversy was weighing the sprinters down, they didn’t show it on the track. Five days ago, the training partners crossed the finish line in a tie for the third and last Olympic spot in the 100.

Now, everyone is waiting to see what they will choose to break the dead heat - a runoff, coin flip or if one of them simply gives the spot to the other. After the race, Felix and Tarmoh might have gotten more of a workout than on the track - trying to make it through the media without saying a word. First was Felix, who followed her coach, Bobby Kersee, through the corral and into the restricted area reserved for athletes. The only thing she muttered on her way out was a simple “after the final” comment. Kersee, who also coaches Tarmoh, doubled back around and met up with Tarmoh, escorting her through the same circus. Tarmoh apologized on her walk, politely declining interview requests with a “No, I’m sorry.” Felix and Tarmoh have already said they won’t announce any sort of decision until after the final today. Judging by their performance on a slick track, they should each have a lane on that day.

In a thrilling finish to end the night, Galen Rupp caught Bernard Lagat in the 5,000 final, a scintillating race that came down to a sprint at the end.

Rupp finished in a time of 13 minutes, 22.67 seconds, significant because it broke meet record set by the late Steve Prefontaine nearly 40 years ago. Around these parts, Pre’s a folk hero, rising to fame in this very stadium. “Never brought (Prefontaine’s record) up,” said Rupp’s coach, Alberto Salazar. “I told him, ‘The only way you can have the confidence you can kick it on the last lap, is to leave it to the end here. If you go early, we’re never going to know. In London, you’re going to have to do it in the last lap.’ That was the plan today, get it going a little bit.”

Rupp outkicked one of the best, too. Lagat is 37, but he still has the energy of a youngster. “He’s 1-for-13 against Lagat now,” cracked Salazar, who said Rupp will run both the 5,000 and 10,000 in London. “I was going to joke afterward that if Galen had lost today, we still have another five years to beat Lagat. We figure we can get him when he’s around 45.” Julie Culley (women’s 5,000), Evan Jager (steeplechase), Lance Brooks (discus) and 2008 Olympic silver medalist Brad Walker (pole vault) also won. Felix looked stylish in her black two-piece suit with neon green patches. She looked just as stylish blasting out of the blocks and finishing in a time of 22.82 seconds. And then Tarmoh took the track. Like Felix, she took off and couldn’t be caught, clocking 22.90 seconds.

The 100-meter flap seemed hardly a concern. USA Track and Field was caught off guard by the third-place tie and had no protocol in place. The organization had to make one up in a hurry, resulting in all sorts of criticism. The 200 has long been Felix’s specialty, winning Olympic silver medals in 2004 and ‘08.

She’s said that if she doesn’t get a gold in the 200, it will be considered a “failure.” “Just because it’s not my first games, not my second, but my third time,” Felix said in a recent interview. “I’ve had eight years to think about being a silver medalist. This time I want to win.” After six grueling rounds - provided, of course, they both make it to the 200 final - the two will get to pick how to break the tie. While Felix and Tarmoh technically have until Sunday, when the trials end, to decide, there might be some wiggle room. Kersee has been advocating for a Tuesday runoff race, should that be the option his sprinters decide to pick.

That way, they have more time to recover. Because of the unique circumstances, these two sprinters may forever be linked. Before this drama, many had heard of Felix, who’s one of the faces of the sport. But few knew anything about Tarmoh.

Fans are quickly learning about the 22-year-old who began turning heads last season when she finished third in the 200 no tiebreaker necessary - at US championships to earn a spot on the team bound for South Korea. Soon after, Tarmoh decided to leave Texas A&M and turn pro. She was a two-time runner-up in the 200 at NCAA championships. Overlooked in the Felix and Tarmoh drama was the performance of Sanya Richards-Ross, who looked strong in her opening heat as she tries to make the team in the 200 after already earning a spot in the 400. —AP

Bolt cruises in trials debut KINGSTON: And, he’s off. On a night where the only bit of drama came from a false start a few lanes over, Usain Bolt took his first step toward the London Olympics with an easy qualifying heat, finishing 100 meters in 10.06 seconds. Starting four lanes over from Bolt, Ainsley Waugh jumped from the block early in the first heat Thursday night. The gun signaled the false start and the crowd - only a few thousand for a light schedule on opening night - oohed and ahhhed.

But Bolt was hardly fazed. He crouched his 6-foot-5 frame back toward the ground, stuck his lime-green shoes into the blocks, jumped out safely and slowly, accelerated past the competition with about 40 meters left, then looked left and right as he approached the finish line and saw exactly what he expected - nothing. A few minutes later, defending world champion Yohan Blake ran the fastest time on a calm night in Kingston - 10 seconds flat - to advance. These times are almost certain to pick up Friday, when the semifinals and final are scheduled.

Bolt and Blake both declined comment after the race. Bolt, being followed by a couple dozen reporters, draped a towel over his head and a handler said, “Sunday, Sunday, Sunday,” which is when the meet ends with the 200 final. Blake’s contribution: “Can’t talk. Later.”

On Friday, though, the two are expected to line up against each other in the 100 for the first time since 2011 world championships, when Bolt false-started and Blake won the title.

Willing to stop after he advanced in a time of 10.19 was Asafa Powell, often the forgotten man in these meetings. Powell was the last man before Bolt to hold the world record. Seems like eons ago, even though it was only four years. Last month, he lost to Bolt by 0.06 seconds and said he felt pretty ready to make a challenge. But if there’s another gear or a challenge to be made, it probably won’t be this week. “We’re not in London yet,” Powell said. “So, no, it’s not the time.” The first round of women’s 100 heats were originally scheduled for Thursday, but with only 20 women in the field, those heats were

scratched and everyone will advance to the semifinals Friday night.

Those races could be the most competitive of the meet. Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is the defending Olympic champion, while Sherone Simpson and Kerron Stewart were part of a medals sweep for Jamaica in Beijing. But before all that, Veronica Campbell-Brown was considered the island country’s best sprinter. She failed to make it out of trials four years ago, though she did go in the 200, where she won her second straight Olympic title. Four (or more) contenders for three spots: It’s a situation some men would like to believe exists, as well.

Actually edging Powell in their heat was Nesta Carter, whose official time was also 10.19. The class of the fourth heat was Michael Frater, a long-time figure on the Jamaican track scene, who owns gold medals from the last three major 400 relays - Beijing, and the 2009 and 2011 world championships. “As long as I go out and run the best race, I’ll be satisfied,” Frater said after running 10.09. Also advancing easily, much earlier in the day, was defending 400-meter hurdle Olympic champion Melanie Walker. She ran her heat in 54.88 seconds, more than a second better than the next best hurdler. In the 400 sprint, Novlene Williams-Mills advanced easily on this, the same track where she notched a victory over Sanya Richards-Ross last month at the Jamaican Invitational.

It was at that same meet four years ago that Bolt announced his presence, running a track-record 9.76 seconds. Within weeks, he had broken Powell’s world record at a small meet in New York. A few months after that, he set the record again in Beijing, coasting to the line and still recording a 9.69. He has dropped the record to 9.58 and become larger than life - a reality felt most keenly on this night by a sprinter named Ramone Nichol, who drew Lane 7 for the first heat.

The lane next to Bolt. “I like to think of it as a little less pressure on you, and more on him,” Nichol said, after his sixth-place finish in 10.44. “But this person I lined up next to tonight, it’s really an experience. I hope I’ll get many more chances.”— AP

KINGSTON: World record holder Usain Bolt (left) runs ahead of countrymen (from right) Mario Forsythe, Jacques Harvey and Kimmari Roach to win the 100m quarterfinal heat of the Jamaica’s Olympic trials in Kingston, Jamaica. — AP

Dead-heat dispute brings 200m silence EUGENE: Allyson Felix and Jeneba Tarmoh, stuck in a dispute over an Olympic berth, strode past reporters without comment after advancing in the 200 meters Thursday at the US Olympic Track and Field Trials. Both women involved in the controversy over the third and final women’s 100m Olympic berth were flanked by coach Bobby Kersee as they walked in silence through the only access point where they must meet with journalists. Tarmoh smiled and waved to a camera but otherwise said nothing about the controversy that almost everyone else at the trials is talking about. Also silent were reigning world 100m champion Carmelita Jeter and Tianna Madison, who secured 100m berths in last Saturday’s final by finishing first and second. Training partners Felix and Tarmoh shared third in 11.068 seconds.

With only three qualifying for London and USA Track and Field having no protocol to break the deadlock, the sanctioning body and US Olympic Committee created a policy that came down to a coin flip or run-off if neither backs out. Felix and Tarmoh have told USA Track and Field that they will not decide how they want to settle the matter until after today’s 200m women’s final but USA Track and Field says it needs an answer by Sunday’s conclu-

sion of the meet. That added tension to an already heated 200m qualifying session in a race expected to be one of the toughest of the meet.

Madison led 21 semi-final qualifiers by winning her heat in 22.57 with Jeter next in 22.63. Sanya Richards-Ross, already qualified in the 400 and hoping to double in London, was pleased with her heat-winning time of 22.67. “It was good,” she said.” The first round is always the toughest. You want to stay controled but you also want to go for it.” Felix, the 2004 and 2008 Olympic 200m silver medalist, was sixth-fastest overall but won her heat in 22.82 while Tarmoh was eighth overall after winning her heat in 22.90.

Felix and Tarmoh will both go to London as members of the US 4x100 relay pool but only one of them can have a chance to become the first US Olympic winner in the event since Gail Devers in 1996. Bianca Knight, who was 17th in 200 qualifying, finished fifth in the 100 just behind Tarmoh and Felix and hopes to be selected to one of two open spots in the relay pool. She said the controversy was not a distraction to her. “That never bothered me at all,” she said. “I ran the race I wanted today. I’m going to have to have a personal best to make the team.” —AFP

sports

SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012

Pakistan seek revival in Sri Lanka’s den COLOMBO: Pakistan are confident of bouncing back in the second Test against Sri Lanka starting today despite playing the crucial game at the hosts’ favorite venue. Sri Lanka, who lead 1-0 in the three-match series, have not lost a Test at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo since 2004 and have won six of their last 11 matches there. It was at the same venue in 2006 against South Africa that current Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene and senior pro Kumar Sangakkara put on Test cricket’s world record partnership of 624.

Sangakkara scored 287 and Jayawardene made 374 as Sri Lanka won by an innings and 153 runs against a South African attack that included Makhaya Ntini, Dale Steyn and Andre Nel. But Misbah-ul Haq, returning as Pakistan captain after

missing the first Test in Galle due to a one-match ban for slow over-rates, was unfazed by the hosts’ ominous record at the SSC. “We know Sri Lanka play well at home, they know the conditions well,” he said. “But this is a new Test match and both sides will go out there to win.”

Misbah wanted his team to get over the massive 209-run defeat at Galle, where the tourists were bowled out for 100 in the first innings, and concentrate on the two Tests ahead. “We have to forget the past and be positive going into the match,” he said. “This is how cricket goes, you just can’t afford to remember the games you have lost.

“I am confident this team can come back hard and win matches. We have shown that in the last couple of years.”

Pakistan had won seven of their last

nine Tests before the Galle defeat, an impressive run that included a 3-0 whitewash of top-ranked England in the United Arab Emirates earlier this year.

Jayawardene conceded Sri Lanka liked playing at the SSC, but warned that bowlers would find it difficult to take 20 match-winning wickets on what promises to be a good batting pitch. “You do feel confident at a venue where you have done well in the past, but it’s not about one particular ground,” he said. “We don’t like to be beaten at home.

“It’s a new game and we know that Pakistan will come hard at us. We have to be on our toes.” Jayawardene said his team wanted to target Pakistan’s bowling attack to secure their first Test series win since beating New Zealand

2-0 at home in 2009.

Sri Lanka did well to dent the rivals’ confidence at Galle by scoring 472 in the first innings on the back of an unbeaten 199 from Sangakkara and 101 by Tillakaratne Dilshan. “I read in the papers that it was their bowling against our batting and we have won that battle till now,” he said. “If we can put runs on the board, we can probably put their batting under pressure.

“That has been our gameplan, there is no secret about it.” Pakistan’s spinners claimed 11 of the 14 Sri Lankan wickets to fall to the bowlers at Galle, with prolific off-spinner Saeed Ajmal picking up seven in the match. But the batting failed spectacularly in the first innings and only veteran Younis Khan (87) and young Asad Shafiq (80) provided any real resistance in the second. —AFP

Mikulak shines on first day of gymnastics trials SAN JOSE: Danell Leyva likes being right as much as he enjoys winning. The world parallel bars champion has been saying for months there is not just one guy pushing him on the way to the London Olympics. And every competition, someone else comes along to back him up. Leyva moved into the overall lead in the race for London on Thursday, but it was Sam Mikulak who won the first day of the Olympic trials. The 19-year-old who oozes California cool finished with 91.8 points, edging Leyva by a mere 0.1 points. John Orozco, who beat Leyva for the US title earlier this month, was third. “That’s huge because I did a pretty good meet myself,” Leyva said. “To know he had the highest all-around score today, that’s awesome.”

While individual prizes are nice, the Americans want that big shiny gold medal that goes to the best team. And for the first time since 1984, they just might have the goods to do it. Leyva and Orozco remained in position to earn automatic spots on the five-man London squad, reserved for the top two all-arounders - so long as they also rank among the top three in at least three of the six disciplines. At the moment, Orozco and Leyva both meet those criteria, with Mikulak closing fast. Leyva has a total score of 276.500 going into Saturday’s finals, followed by Orozco (275.550) and Mikulak (274.650).

Jonathan Horton, a double Olympic medalist, is fourth, and Jake Dalton is fifth.

Chris Brooks, a former world team member, lost ground in his quest to get off the London bubble, falling on both vault and parallel bars. He is in sixth place, and is in the top five in only one event.

“I don’t think anybody’s out of it,” Brooks said. “You’ve got to get your head back into the game and

continue to fight.” Or, if you’re Mikulak, keep doing what you’re doing. Mikulak has been one to watch since claiming the NCAA title as a freshman at Michigan.

But he never had a shot at last year’s world championships team after breaking both his ankles at a meet in Puerto Rico. His rehab set him back several months, and the

plete with Mikulak’s picture - and moving around the arena with every event, Mikulak let everyone know from the start that he cannot be overlooked. His parallel bars routine was exquisite, filled with difficult skills and combinations but done with the precision of a Swiss watchmaker. His handstands were so still he could have

the day. He had the crowd oohing and aahing with his acrobatic high bar routine, and he displayed cat-like reflexes on floor exercise.

Looking as if he was about to go out of bounds on one of his tumbling passes, his toes almost seemed to pull back into his feet to keep him safely in bounds. His only real “flaw” was on pommel

SAN JOSE: Sam Mikulak competes on the high bar during day 1 of the 2012 US Olympic Gymnastics Team Trials at HP Pavilion in San Jose. —AFP legs remained so tender it wasn’t until recently that coach Kurt Golder let his precocious star bust loose.

But look at him now. Cheered on by a raucous bunch of friends wearing “Team Sam” T-shirts com-

been a model for an art class, and when he hit the mat with an emphatic thump, the low-key Golder pumped his fists. His score of 15.7 included a 9.5 execution mark that would be matched by only one other person the rest of

horse, where he stalled before his dismount. But he managed to hang on, and walked off the podium with a grin. “I was just able to zone everything out, breathe and keep control over all my skills,” Mikulak said. He was so in the

zone he didn’t even realize he’d finished ahead of Leyva and Orozco, the last two US champions. “What?” Mikulak said when Horton told him. “Seriously?”

“Kid’s a gamer,” Horton said. “He just knows how to perform. That’s all there is to it. He just knows how to go out there and do his job.”

Indeed, Mikulak was able to keep his cool while the high stakes seemed to get the best of his more seasoned competitors.

The dynamic Leyva was perhaps a little too amped up. Leading off on floor, he zipped through a sloppy set that included a step out of bounds, moving so quickly it appeared he’d chugged a fistful of Red Bulls during warmups.

Orozco, dubbed the “Silent Ninja” because of the way he sneaks up on the competition, stumbled a bit on pommel horse, stalling just before his dismount. Two events later he took a step back, literally on vault. He failed to get the proper height off the table and crouched while landing. His rear never hit the floor, but his hands did, and the 14.8 he received blunted his momentum.

“The only thing I would like to do is my best and show the committee I’m ready and ready to compete and represent the USA,” Orozco said. “I think I didn’t show enough of that tonight.” It was all the opening Leyva needed despite a somewhat ho-hum afternoon that lacked the “wow” factor that’s made him perhaps the most charismatic gymnast of his generation. But as Leyva has been telling everyone, there’s plenty more where he came from.

“This is such a deep team and everybody is so good,” Mikulak said. “This is such a deep USA team ... but if I keep hitting routines, and they see that I’m consistent and reliable, I think that’s a good quality.” —AP

SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012 ZIRNDORF: An illustration shows Playmobil figures in an Italian (left) and a Spanish jersey at the toy manufacturer Playmobil in Zirndorf, Germany. Spain will face Italy for the final match of the UEFA EURO 2012. — AFP

Italy seek to depose European kings KIEV: Having steadily risen to the boil in trademark fashion, Italy will seek to exploit chinks in the armor of defending champions Spain when the teams meet in the Euro 2012 final here tomorrow. After beating strongly fancied Germany 2-1 in Thursday’s second semi-final in Warsaw, the Azzurri appear to be hitting form at precisely the right time. Reigning world and European champions Spain are bidding to become the first team in history to win three consecutive major titles, but they failed to convince in their last-four penalty shoot-out win over Portugal in Donetsk.

Despite dominating possession, as they did in the 2-0 quarter-final success over France, Spain labored in attack against the Portuguese and have started to face accusations that their ‘tikataka’ style has become sterile. Italy, in contrast, have confounded low pre-tournament expectations to eliminate first England and then Germany, and now stand on the brink of a second European Championship honor. Their preparations for the tournament having been clouded by the Calcioscommesse match-fixing affair, Italy could be poised to triumph in the face of adversity once again.

Their World Cup successes in both 1982 and 2006 were prefaced by match-fixing scandals, but coach Cesare Prandelli has cooled talk of omens by insisting that his side will be the underdogs at Kiev’s Olympic Stadium. “The favorites are Spain because they’ve been working for many years and they dominate every game,” said Prandelli, whose side beat Spain 2-1 in a friendly in August last year. “We’ll come up

PARIS: This combination of two recent pictures shows Italian midfielder Andrea Pirlo (left) and Spanish midfielder Andres Iniesta. — AFP against a brilliant team, who are always able to ed his defenders extra room to maneuver against play their game and have shown that over recent Spain’s fluid front three. Fabregas was used as a years.” Spain and Italy drew 1-1 in their opening ‘false nine’ in that game, but Spain coach Vicente Group C game-Cesc Fabregas cancelling out del Bosque appears to have doubts over who is Antonio di Natale’s opener-and it will be the the best player to spearhead his attack. fourth time that two teams who have met in Fernando Torres played up front in the 4-0 win their first game resume hostilities in the final. over Ireland and the 1-0 defeat of Croatia, while The last occasion was at Euro 2004, when Alvaro Negredo started in the 0-0 draw with Greece twice upset hosts Portugal. Italy success- Portugal but was replaced by Fabregas early in fully stifled Spain three weeks ago in Gdansk, as the second half. The powerful Fernando Prandelli opted for a 3-5-2 formation that afford- Llorente, meanwhile, is yet to see action in

Poland and Ukraine despite a fine season with Athletic Bilbao.

One striker brimming with confidence is Italy’s Mario Balotelli, who came of age in the semi-final against Germany with a confidently taken first-half brace. The controversy-prone 21year-old provided one of the images of the tournament by embracing his adoptive mother in the crowd after the final whistle, and he will enter tomorrow’s game as the tournament’s joint-top scorer with three goals. “I scored two goals in front of my mother and I would like to score four in front of my father in Kiev in the final,” said the Ghana-born Manchester City striker. An engaging tournament requires only a memorable final to confirm its status as a modern classic, but Spain will need to awake from their slumber if they are to overcome a disciplined and committed Italy side.

The champions must also shake the weariness from their legs after 120 minutes of graft against Portugal, although they will benefit from an extra day’s rest. “At the moment, yes, they are tired,” said Del Bosque, who is seeking to become the first coach to have won the European Championship, the World Cup and the Champions League. “They have played all season to their limits. But at the same time, they are used to the wear and tear of a whole season spent playing at the highest level.” As well as pitting together two of the tournament’s outstanding midfielders in Spain’s Andres Iniesta and Italy’s Andrea Pirlo, tomorrow game’s will also see Spain attempt to become the first country to successfully defend the European title. — AFP