13 May

Islamist MPs demand death for blasphemers

FR EE

10 www.kuwaittimes.net

Max 43 Min 28

NO: 15087- Friday, May 13, 2011

Palestinians mark Nakba

Palestinian students prepare a big mural to mark the 63th anniversary of “Nakba” (catastrophe), in the West Bank city of Ramallah, yesterday. — AFP (See Page 14)

Drive Now. Talk Later.

Local FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

Satire Wire

Local Spotlight

so cliched!

The Arab world’s WWE

By Sawsan Kazak

By Muna Al-Fuzai

sawsank@kuwaittimes.net

I

t has been reported that a Saudi student studying at Roger Williams University in America was arrested a few days ago for threatening to blow up the school’s cafeteria.

Apparently, this 25-year-old English major arrived at the food center before working hours and demanded food. Supervisors served him the food and requested that next time he come during working hours, to which he responded: “OK, don’t worry, today is the last day, and tomorrow I blow the walls out.” Local police arrested the Saudi student and charged him with making bomb threats. Unable to post bail, he was appointed a public defender and awaits his July 8 court day.

What was this young man thinking? You are a Saudi in the US, a country that just finished celebrating the death of Osama bin Laden, and you decide it would be a good idea to discuss blowing up walls. Seriously, an Arab threatening to blow up a place, so cliched! Why doesn’t he just declare war on the infidels (the supervisor) and run up and down the halls screaming jihad, while he is at it?

Wasn’t his statement just reinforcing the already annoying stereotype that all Arabs are terrorists that make vest-bombs and get on public transportation? Yes some Arabs do that, but the new generation of Arabs fight

muna@kuwaittimes.net

with Facebook pages, demonstrations and revolutions. This guy could have caught them completely off guard and threatened to start a revolution to topple the supervisor and the working hours’ system.

By threatening to bomb the school cafeteria, this student has done no favors for the rest of the Arabs in the university who now have to face daily harassment. And why the cafeteria? It is a place that provides nourishment, why not threaten to blow up the dean’s office or the place where they keep all the exam results. Maybe this way he might have gotten some support.

For those of you thinking that the police took it too far by arresting him and that he might have been joking, I would like to point to the fact that the comment is not funny and comes at a very inappropriate time. A statement like that would not be accepted at the airport, on a plane or even in a public setting such as a university.

The point is the whole world expects Arabs to throw rocks and threaten with bombs. It is our job to show them that this is an insulting and highly incorrect stereotype and not prove the fears right. Next time, he should threaten to kill them with kindness or a freak accident from nature. At least this way they won’t know what to charge him with.

T

he WWE stands for World Wrestling Entertainment; and its sole purpose is entertainment. While I do not enjoy all the fake pummeling scenes, everyone goes home sustaining the least amount of damage. In this part of the world, we have been witnessing many not-for-fun entertainment wrestling scenes!

The events unfolding in the Arab world are really worrisome for many sensible people. The Arabs are killing, destroying and endangering themselves and others. For what? Just to prove their views and express feelings? Unfortunately, these feelings of antipathy are not endorsed by any ethical law. The worst part is that if you come across any of these people and ask them to listen to the voice of wisdom and sense, you could be endangering your life! You have the option of getting killed or hurt.

What is going on in Arab world today? Why is there so much anger? Why is there so much hatred and madness? Now, I know that some will disagree with me and say that everything is exaggerated by the media. I don’t think so. A few days ago, a big fight broke out in a local

mosque over bin Laden. Some wanted to pray for his soul. Others who objected to the act were beaten.

Luckily, they did not die! This man has not brought any good to the world, except disrepute to Muslims. The hatred he has created against Islam in the western world will need millions of years to disappear! Yet, when the imam of the mosque refused to pray for bin Laden’s soul, he was punched and beaten up. This incident really took place in Kuwait.

Now Syria is facing the latest wave of uprising. I am not in favor of causing anyone’s death, especially under a dictatorial rule. Violence only worsens the situation.

We can rarely learn who is guilty or figure out how to save victims. Any idea? I think there will be more scenes of bloodbath before sensibility is restored.

I really think we need to see more people who are intellectuals and moderate. Writers should spread awareness to the public, especially to those who feel helpless. I think the Arabs should not look up to bin Laden as their role model. What really worries me is the fact that if we do not put an end to violence, there could be more bin Ladens springing up.

In my view

Seeking second opinions

By Abdellatif Sharaa

local@kuwaittimes.net

In my view

Did we actually miss that train?

By Hussain Al-Qatari hussain@kuwaittimes.net

A

s much as I try to be optimistic when it comes to the subject of art and culture, I cannot help but feel ashamed when I see that most countries in the region have surpassed us, and we are still lagging behind. It is also very depressing to see that the youth have gotten used to this culture-less state. It is as if they are happy and comfortable in this discomfort.

As a literature graduate, I find discomfort to be a very good environment to breed cultural and artistic work. Something about defying the status quo elevates art and gives it a literary merit. However, Kuwaiti discomfort seems to defy that notion, and is insistent on making art obsolete. I don’t mean to belittle the efforts of those who are making art in Kuwait today. Despite the fact that such attempts do exist, they are on a very small scale, as if nonexistent compared

to what other countries are doing.

A few days ago I saw an online blog post about a gallery held in Bahrain, and was amazed at how the people used art to obliterate all divides. While looking through the bookshelves of a local bookstore, I leafed through a novel written by an Iraqi novelist translated into English, and was taken aback when I saw that it was printed by the Qatar Foundation, an educational and cultural project that is nurturing art and artists in the region and helping them get international recognition.

Meanwhile in Kuwait only a handful of galleries curate local art, attracting the very same limited number of art enthusiasts in the country and failing to leave an impact on the mass. A Cabinet dissolved, a Cabinet assigned, and not a single effort to uplift culture.

W

henever I approach a mechanic to repair my car, I hear an explanation about what is terribly wrong. When I learn about the repair cost, I go to another to seek a second opinion, and I am told about a different malfunction at a different cost! As one has to oblige, and answer the car’s call for help, I ask the mechanic to repair it. When I collect the vehicle, the problem still persists. When the mechanic is approached once again, he tells you, ‘Oh, this is a different problem’. The saga keeps repeating!

I am not going to accuse the mechanics of any wrongdoing, but this seems to be a problem of wanting to do business and earning money to meet life’s demands. Do they build a base of clients who keep returning for repairs and services?

Well, a car is made of metal, wires, plastic and fiberglass pieces, unlike the human body that has zero tolerance. If a doctor makes a wrong diagnosis or prescribes the wrong medicine, it may lead to the patient’s death! One of my friends told me that he once went to a certain well-known doctor, who asked that tests be performed. A diagnosis was made and the medicine was prescribed. Three days later, the patient returned to the doctor because there was no improvement.

So the same doctor prescribed a different medicine.

However, he also approached another doctor who asked my friend to go through all the medicine he bought, and use just one drug, which he

did, and it worked! Again, I do not believe that the first doctor meant harm or wanted to prolong the agony of his patient. As three types of medicines were prescribed, I wonder if the drugs were ineffective or failed to live up to claims! Although I know for a fact that quality control labs at the Ministry of Health will not allow one tablet into the market before placing it through a series of tests to ensure safety and efficiency.

Talking about medicines, a colleague told me, “Every time I go to the pharmacy to ask for a medicine to treat my sore throat, I get a bag full of drugs, pay a certain amount and use the medicines as recommended. The problem, however, persists. So, I go to another pharmacy, explain the symptoms and get a different medicine that is more expensive at times, and so on!”

Well, when you look at the bag of medicines in both cases, you notice that they contain pain killers, vitamins and over the counter preparations. The medicines are not different in content except for the manufacturer’s name. So, dear readers, make sure you get into the habit of seeking second and third opinions before deciding on using medicines and make sure that the problem is well-understood.

Maybe we are always in a hurry, and human nature does not always allow us to be patient.

Are not our bodies worth a pause? Life is too short.

God bless you.

God Bless Kuwait.

A

y

e niv rsar n

Years

Local

FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

Website brings together

football players, enthusiasts Sikkaa.com recreates Kuwait’s old street football passion

By Nawara Fattahova

D

o you like playing football but have not found proper team to play with? Do you have a team but cannot find another to play against? If you are caught up in either one of these dilemmas, you’ll be glad to hear about the local website www.sikkaa.com. It currently boasts of a registered membership of 190, all football players, with the number increasing steadily.

With football being the most popular game in Kuwait, 28-year-old Kuwaiti Abdullah Al-Shemmeri devised the simple idea of creating a website to bring players together and satisfy frustrated football fanatics in Kuwait.

The beginning From looking for a job or opening a business, AlShemmeri came up with the idea of creating www.sikkaa.com. People can register for free and find a team to play with, “I thought of this idea in 2007, when I left my job in the private sector. I had been on the lookout for a job for about six months. I had more time and aimed to begin my own project. Then I started working on the website in October 2010, which I launched in February 2011,” Al-Shemmeri said.

Al-Shemmeri’s passion for soccer began after he successfully lost some weight, “I was fat when I was a child, and did not play much. After I lost weight, I began playing football regularly. I set up a soccer team, and we looked for another team or teams to play with. I was in charge of the organization and contacted other players,” he noted.

This is how the website idea came to life. “I was not able to do it myself because it was a large-scale project and I did not specialize in this field,” he explained, adding that in 2010 he sought professional help and began work-

ing on the website. Its name ‘Sikkaa’ means road or street where children would play football.

After launching the website, Abdullah’s friends began registering with them, “We created two soccer teams for friends. I began expanding the website by addressing bloggers and sending emails. They really helped me and even placed banners on blogs. The registered players then exchanged contacts,” highlighted Al-Shemmeri.

Through this website, Al-Shemmeri created a novel idea, “I’m concentrating on Kuwait, and to bring teams together. Those who do not have a team can join any of the available teams. Some teams have a playground, in case they do not, I arrange the place after discussing with the second team. This idea is still new to Kuwait. I want to familiarize people first,” he explained.

Al-Shemmeri has more plans in the offing, “After gaining some reputation, I will work toward promoting the website outside Kuwait, starting from GCC countries. I also plan to organize tournaments. Also, some tournaments are held every year, and these groups can also register with our site,” he pointed out. Sikkaa.com will also include other sports and games, “ At present, we only have soccer for men. We plan to organize football for women in the future. Also, I plan to expand the site to include sports such as basketball, volleyball, and others,” Al-Shemmeri added.

Results and conditions Once a match is over, the status is changed from ‘Upcoming’ to ‘Latest Games’. “The ‘Challenger’ registers the result and it is sent to the ‘Challenged’. Once he approves it, it will be registered on the site. If he does not agree, it will be returned. There are other results such as ‘Didn’t Attend’, Didn’t Complete match’, etc,” AlShemmeri said. No referee oversee matches. “The player can bring an external referee. I also thought of cooperating with the Kuwait Football Federation to provide us with referees through our website,” he said.

Two awards are conferred on winners - the first one is for the team as a whole, set automatically by the system.

“Then there is the Best Team, I want to play in this team (through join request), Hot Team (approved by other teams), Winning Streak (three consequent matches winner or more) etc. The second is the players’ award. “After each game, the captain awards his team with four titles: Player of the Week, Best Scorer, Best Assists, and Best Defense. Team members then vote to give the captain an award,” Al-Shemmeri added. The website is heavily advertized through social media forums like Twitter and blogs.

A

y

e niv rsar n

Years

Local

FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

How to survive

Kuwaiti summers

By Sawsan Kazak

S

ummer is finally here and it’s back with a vengeance. The few months of ‘winter’ in Kuwait seems to induce amnesia in most of us as we forget just how hot it can get in this country. With such a strong sun and absolutely no cloudy or rainy days, summers can seem endless and relentless. Thus to survive this season one must be prepared.

Freezer burn To compensate for the extreme heat outdoors, many houses, offices and malls will have their air conditioners on full blast. The problem is that these places tend to over-compensate the outdoor heat and turn indoors into an igloo. Walking from your car and into the office literally feels like walking through an oven and into a freezer.

Having adapted your clothing to fit the summer, you will be wearing some light pants, a t-shirt and maybe even a cute little dress with some sandals or flip-flops.

Initially walking into the cold will seem refreshing, but as time goes on you will notice that you are no longer comfortable, rather you are now cold.

Your finger, toes, and nose will all be cold to the touch and you might even start shivering. The trick here is to plan ahead. Always have an extra jacket or shawl handy that you can wrap yourself with to avoid frostbite. After having spent a few hours indoors, the outside inferno will come as a welcome change. But the extreme change in temperatures on your body is what causes so many people to develop summer colds, so stock up on vitamin C and tissues.

Like roasting a turkey Many of you are going to want to tan this summer. I suggest that your philosophy on tanning should be the same as roasting a turkey in the oven.

Firstly you do not want to stick a white and pasty bird into a 500 degree oven as it will be burnt on the outside and raw on the inside. The same applies with your skin, sitting in a 12:00 pm sun for a few hours will result in sun burn and instant peeling as your outer layer of skin got burned while the inside is still raw. Therefore low and slow is how you want to tan; either early in the morning or later in the afternoon will permit your skin to slowly adapt to the changes and reduce the peeling time.

Secondly, when you cook a turkey, a trick to keep it moist is to keep basting it. For a bird it might mean stock or oil, for you it means tanning lotion.

Applying tanning lotion will allow for a smoother tan and if you add in some sun protection, you can avoid serious problems in the future. Lastly, you always take the turkey out of the oven

when it is cooked, looking golden and delicious. You do not leave the bird in there until it is completely burned and has leather like skin. This means you should know when you have had enough. It’s a thin line between golden delicious and brunt to a crisp.

Drive at your own risk A car sitting for hours in the Kuwait heat can be a dangerous thing. Getting into your car and driving somewhere during the summer is easier said than done. Having absorbed all the rays for a few hours will make simply sitting in the car difficult. Whatever you do, never get into the car and close the door, the extreme heat in the car might make you faint. Always keep the door open for a minute to allow the heat to escape. Secondly, when in the car, you have to watch out what you touch as many items are potential hazards to your health. For instance, the buckle of your seatbelt is made of steel and can reach disgustingly high temperatures, thus it should be handled with care or you might end up with it branded on your lower back for a few weeks.

Touching a steering wheel that is scorching hot can result in you burning the tips of your fingers and losing a few layers of skin.

Other items also heat up such as sunglasses or loose change; therefore for the first few minutes you must move with caution and be aware of your surroundings. Do not expect your AC to work automatically, it will take time before your poor car can start to cool you down so be patient. The trick here is to avoid parking in the sun like the plague. Parking where there is shadow makes a world of difference.

Also, covering your windshield with those tacky silver covers seem to work a little, you could try those. Just know that there is no way to keep your car looking cool with that on; a sacrifice you might have to make.

With the right amount of planning and staying safe, this Kuwaiti summer just might be an enjoyable one.

A

y

e niv rsar n

Years

Local

FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

Young scientists

of Jahra go beyond

From solar cooker to lemon electricity

By Sunil Cherian

Sara Ahmed and Dima Mazyed took a different topic for their experiment, sensing the dire need of the time - Making our own recycled paper. Add food coloring if you want color paper and leaves for interesting textures, they said.

Mohammad Mishaal shows his periscope, an instrument to observe used in submarines, as his pal Salem Qudair answers to visitors’ queries.

Ghena Fahad and Layan Ahmad describe their experiment, Steel Wool Wonder, to Ghassan AlJilani, director, Kuwait Bilingual School, Jahra. A type of substance, they said, is chemically changed into another substance. Rusting, for example, is a slow mix of iron with oxygen.

7th grader Abdulaziz Mohammed raises a dyed T-shirt that he and Moath Hameed painted using red cabbage dye they made. After getting the idea from their science text book, they said, they were thrilled to make natural dyes from fruits and vegetables, like strawberry and beetroot.

Tariq Deghim explains his solar powered fan.

Together with Amer Hammad (not pictured) Tariq’s fan soothed and surprised many in the exhibition.

Happily making a mess, Ali Adel jogs on the Oobleck, a liquid when bein g poured, but like a solid when som ebody walks on it. Ali and Omar Eya da, his friend, researched on the Inte rnet to get their idea and watched the experiment on YouTube.

Wadha Sayed explains how a camera works to Shubhada Rajeev, her science teacher.

A

y

e niv rsar n

Years

Local

FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

“We cooked hotdog in the hot sun”, said Salman Mohammed and Abdulaziz Fahad who made solar oven, using solar energy to cook food. In the exhibition hall, however, they had to use a table lamp as the miniature sun.

Two bottles are shown, one an egg on the mouth of the bottle and the other, inside the bottle.

Abdullah Adel, with matchbox, lit fire on a piece of paper and put it in the bottle when his friend, Abdullah Soud placed an egg on the mouth of the bottle. The egg was sucked into the bottle as the fire needed oxygen to keep burning.

Bandar Sattam shakes his specially made bottle to make a tornado. In swirling motion, he said, a tornado will form in the top bottle as water rushes into the bottom bottle.

‘Magic Milk’, as Ghala Faisal and Noor Abdulnasser have named their design milk, is being prepared in front of curious primary students, yesterday during the Science Fair, at Kuwait Bilingual School, Jahra. Ghala and Noor created lovely patterns on the surface of the milk after adding food color and liquid soap to milk.

Hajer Lafi explains the benefits of healthy food.

Mahdi Qasam proudly presents his finding after his Trap the heat experiment with Hamad Ahmad (not seen). They prepared water glasses covered with black, white papers and aluminum foils to observe which traps more heat. “Wear white clothes in summer “, they advised.

The foamy fountain erupts as Turki Soud and Talal Yousef pours the mix of hydrogen peroxide, soap, yeast and hot water.

Fayez Fahad and Ahmad Sulaiman make battery from a film canister by mixing water and vinegar and putting a nail and copper wire together without touching each other.

Electricity from lemon experiment is being filmed as Abdullah Mutlaq and Abdullah Mamdouh explain the process.

Connecting copper strip on one lemon to the zinc trip on the other will make a bulb glow, they said.

Esra Saleh and Latifa Fahad demonstrate human digestive system and how it breaks down the fat.

A

y

e niv rsar n

Years

Local

FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

‘Aymstrong’ for a prize

By Ben Garcia uwait is a financially blessed country, but its oil income has dramatically altered the lifestyle of its citizens over the years. Many citizens are averse to exercise and healthy food. They mostly enjoy all types of delicious, rich food.

Kuwait is also one of the countries in the world with the fattest people - and has a negative impact on public health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over 74 percent of Kuwait’s population is overweight, and this ‘obesity epidemic’ is contributing to a rise in heart disease and diabetes. In fact, WHO reports that around 14 percent of Kuwaitis suffer from diabetes and it is on the rise.

Aymstrong, a health and fitness company sprung to life with the aim of countering this epidemic.

Yousef Al-Qanai, its founding director, was overweight himself but lost more than 45 kilograms after successfully undergoing his own weight loss regimen. He eventually became a certified Fitness Expert from the International Sports and Sciences Association, founded Aymstrong in Kuwait in 2009, “My main objective was for people in Kuwait to achieve their goals and dreams in life and to be more confident,” he said. “But, I also want them to create a positive lifestyle under the watchful guidance of professional people. We are strong from within, but we need to receive proper training and support from experts. So, I thought that creating a company like Aysmtrong would help. So, I set up this company to not just earn profit, but also to deliver much-improved diet to our people,” he narrated. Aymstrong was initially founded to offer fitness and consultancy-related services.

He wanted to educate locals on the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle.

Added to Yousef’s credential is his successful completion of ‘toughest foot race on earth,’ the 250 kilometer marathon held at Des Sables, (Moroccan desert). Yousef made it till the end, being the lone Kuwaiti contestant among a group of 900 participants from all over the world.

Yousef devised the weight loss regimen that was partially patterned on a well-known reality TV show. Since Kuwaiti culture is different, he did it the Kuwaiti way. His Marketing Executive Mohammed Jahjah, explained how the weight loss camp works in a reserved culture like that of Kuwait’s.

“We have a 40-day program for the weight loss, packed with several healthy dishes, lectures and exer-

K

cise activities. We programmed their schedules and divided them into four groups. The programs were home-based fitness regimes and diets. The tasks are simple and it is up to the participants to follow them. Since they are not working in

a camp alone, but as a team, they have no choice but follow. Besides, they compete for a prize. I mean, it was not as strict. Competing to lose weight, it was really fascinating,” Jahjah explained.

The first weight loss camp was

held in mid-March to 30 April 2011.

Participants were asked to report only on Sundays, Tuesdays, Thursdays from 5 to 8 pm, and the entire day every Saturday. The other days were controlled by a schedule formatted in accordance with daily/work schedules, “We encouraged participants to come every Saturday. This is because the entire day is packed with several activities from morning to evening. On Saturdays, we hold activities like smart shopping, out of town workshop and group exercises. They were also controlled by fitness programs and diet. The good thing about the program, if you are part of it, is that it can make you a true leader, and it can make you a better person. It could improve your lifestyle. It equips you with new knowledge for your journey,” he added.

Khalid, weighed 103 kilograms when he joined the camp. After successfully completing the 40-day program, his weight stood at 96.5 kilograms. “It was a really overwhelming program that is a combination of exercise and diet. It really works perfectly, and I am sure it will work for everybody. This is because our morale is boosted by the fact we work with a group. I received several ideas which have been helping me till now,” he said. Khalid noted that personal diet will result to lots of deviation disallowing you to be successful, but if you are in a group like in a weight loss camp, you will be obliged to follow and be with the group. “Being in a group is a good boost. But since 40 days are over, I plan to continue with my own set target. It is really hard because in Kuwait, it is all about food. Anywhere you go, you will be served with rich food. But now, it is my target to reduce two to three kilograms per month and I will do that until at least I reach the 85 kilogram target,” he said.

Winners for the 40 day camp were decided based on the percentage of weight lost, in addition to teamwork, leadership skills, healthy lifestyle adaptation, knowledge and health fitness plus the scores achieved in quizzes. Medical doctors are present during 40-day exercises. Activities in the camp were managed by groups of medical and fitness experts headed by Al-Qanai.

Aymstrong team also includes Dr Yasmin Abdulghafour - Medical Consultant from Dar Al-Shifa Hospital - partner, nutritionists Dalal Al-Nukhailan and Sara AlKandari, lifestyle coaches Mark Gillet and Nicholas Weaver, including groups of fitness expert professionals. The next weight loss camp is scheduled to begin after Ramadan or in early October.

A

y

e niv rsar n

Years

Local

FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

Give technology a chance ‘The phone in many cases is much more important than the wife’

By Hussain Al-Qatari

T

echnology can be intimidating to many people.

Terms like ‘apps’ and ‘video streaming’ can be very obscure in the lexicon of many, yet the only way to defeat this is to actually sit down and learn, says CEO of Future Telecommunications Company Salah Al-Awadi.

“The future lies within those little microchip devices, and if we refuse to learn about technology today, tomorrow we’ll find ourselves lagging behind,” he says.

Al-Awadi says that not only learning is important, but investment in the field of technology today holds the main key for a better future. “Technology is moving forward at a very fast pace, and we need to be involved in the making of technology. A little over a decade ago, laptops were starting to debut in the market but today their existence is threatened by tablet PCs, and a small device like a mobile phone now has more than one purpose. It has become essential,” he stressed.

Illustrating the relationship between the consumer and the mobile phone, Al-Awadi said: “If a man leaves his house and realizes at the traffic light that he forgot his mobile at home, he would without hesitation find the next U-turn and go back home. If the same man realizes that he forgot about an errand that his wife asked him to do, making a U-turn would be the last thing that crosses his mind he’ll pick up the phone, call her and tell her that he forgot about it and would rather do it later. The phone in many cases is much more important than the wife,” he added jokingly.

Al-Awadi said recounting the history of mobile phones in Kuwait: “Back in the early 1980s, getting a mobile phone was such a big deal. It came with accessories and equipments, and came in a big box.

You needed a pricey license of some thouSalah Al-Awadi sand dinars. The phone was initially placed in the car, and its function was just to make calls. Things like caller ID, SMS and voice mail were not heard of. But now, even SMS is beginning to be dethroned; it is slowly getting replaced by chat applications like WhatsApp and others.”

Speaking about the evolution of telecommunication technologies, Al-Awadi says that what makes this field more interesting than others is the fact that with technology, the sky is the limit. “People used to imagine that phones will be compact and will be able to comprehend voice commands, and this has actually happened now. All the things that were imagined have now become a reality,” he says.

With regard to technology trends in Kuwait, Al-Awadi noted that consumers in Kuwait keep up with international trends, and latest gadgets come to Kuwait days after their launch in the American and European markets. “The client is the determiner of the trends, and service providers here are realizing that today. More attention today is paid to the demands of the clients,” he said.

The business model has changed, and has become more concerned with the services that the client demands.

When the phone service providers started to offer data plans to clients, they had to do that at the cost of losing some other things that they used to offer. For example, many users resort to using chat applications, which are included in the monthly package for the data service,

instead of using the text-message feature.

Technology is now an open book, stressed Al-Awadi.

“The business today is not controlled by the big companies: individuals are able to create applications and soft-

wares today, and in many instances the companies actually pay those individuals for the copyrights of these creations.

It’s time for decision makers to give technology a chance and invest in it,” said Al-Awadi.

A

y

e niv rsar n

Years

Local

FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

Islamist MPs demand death for blasphemers Barrak-Dashti clash ends Assembly session

By B Izzak

Father Amir Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah is seen in this file photo. — KUNA

Kuwait remembers Father Amir as vanguard of unity KUWAIT: Kuwaitis mark today as the somber day of the demise of the Father Amir, Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, whose life was distinguished with great sacrifices and accomplishments at various levels. Particularly, he is remembered as the vanguard of national unity. Sheikh Saad belonged to the second generation of the leaders of modern Kuwait, founded by his father Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah.

The Father Amir, remembered as a top maker of the state policies at the security and defense levels, was the first figure to serve as the country’s minister of interior and defense, under the constitution. A witness of the establishment of modern Kuwait and its independence, Sheikh Saad had taken part in the making of the constitution, and engaged in lengthy and thorny debates with other members of a special commission that was tasked to ink it.

The late Amir Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, had nominated Sheikh Saad as the Crown Prince in Jan 1978. In February of the same year, he was named as prime minister, and formed the country’s 10th government. Sheikh Saad chaired governments in 1981, 1985, 1986, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2001.

And in July 2003, the post of the heir apparent was separated from that of the premiership, when Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad AlJaber Al-Sabah was named as the head of the 21st government.

On Jan 15, 2006, Sheikh Saad was named the Amir of Kuwait after demise of Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad, serving at the top post till Jan 29, 2006, when the most senior governing post was shifted to Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad.

The record of Sheikh Saad’s service for the homeland is a lengthy one. He had taken part in the enacting of a chain of legislations for housing, nationalization, public employment and social security. He worked hard to overhaul public utility facilities, increasing services for the citizens in various sectors, backing educational and scientific research authorities and the fund for the next generations. Sheikh Saad was an ardent advocate of national unity, was keen on holding direct conversations with ordinary citizens to listen to their problems. At the Arab level, his role for conciliation was visible. Moreover, he was keen on cementing Kuwait’s ties with foreign, Arab and particularly Gulf states.

He exerted enormous efforts, during the 1990-1991 Iraqi occupation of the country, defending Kuwait’s rights and touring brotherly and friendly nations to promote the national cause and rally support against the occupiers. It was Sheikh Saad who was behind the idea that the Amir, Sheikh Jaber, should settle in Saudi Arabia during the occupation, considering that his presence there would constitute necessary backup for the national resistance and would help in launching diplomatic campaigns against the occupiers.

Shortly after liberation, Sheikh Saad headed sessions of the government that were temporarily held at the Al-Shaya diwaniya in Shamiah. His hurried comeback home proved crucial for the post-occupation reconstruction of the country. In his speech addressed at the popular convention in Jeddah on Oct 13, 1990, Sheikh Saad affirmed that the national unity is the strongest arm for the liberation of the homeland. “Kuwait first .. Kuwait first ..

Kuwait first,” that was the main theme of his address to the parliament on Oct 15, 2001. — KUNA

KUWAIT: Five Islamist MPs yesterday proposed key amendments to Kuwait’s penal code, stipulating capital punishment for people who abuse Almighty Allah, the Prophet (PBUH) or his wives.

MPs Faisal Al-Mislem, Jamaan Al-Harbash, Waleed Al-Tabtabaei, Falah Al-Sawwagh and Mubarak Al-Waalan proposed to add a new article to the 1960 penal code to severely penalize those who abuse religious symbols.

They proposed to add a new article to the code which states that those who publicly abuse in any way God, the Prophet (PBUH) or any of his wives should be handed the death penalty or life in jail. The article stipulates that the sentence will be reduced to five years if those found guilty and convicted in court “repent verbally and in writing” before the judge.

The new tough legislation comes amid rising sectarian tensions between Shiites and Sunnis after a number of people wrote derogatory statements against the Prophet’s (PBUH) wife Aisha and Islam’s second Caliph Omar ibn AlKhattab, both highly revered by Sunnis but not by Shiites. The abusive statements were written on the walls of a number of mosques and schools and a number of young people have been arrested and are being interrogated.

Meanwhile, two Shiite mosques have been vandalized by unidentified people, the latest of which was on Wednesday night at the mosque of MP Adnan Abdulsamad in Mubarak Al-Kabir where vandals broke the window panes of the mosque, apparently in retaliation for the abusive remarks.

These incidents have increased sectar-

KUWAIT: National Assembly Speaker Jassem Al-Khorafi is surrounded by MPs during a parliamentary session yesterday.

—Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat ian tension in the country, although the culprits have not been caught yet and are unknown. In its first session after being sworn-in by the Amir, the new Cabinet last week asked its legal affairs committee to prepare a draft law for safeguarding national unity that has been harmed by sectarian tensions.

In the meantime, a clash between opposition MP Musallam Al-Barrak and head of the National Assembly’s health committee MP Rola Dashti forced deputy speaker Abdullah Al-Roumi to adjourn the parliamentary session till next week.

Barrak wanted to speak about a draft law for social aid, but Dashti, who was on the podium, continued to read the draft law.

That made Barrak upset and he insisted to speak. At this point, deputy speaker

Roumi who was chairing the session, adjourned the proceedings for next week.

Barrak defended his action as he said that the bill contains a very serious article that needed to be amended. The article states that the government’s social aid to Kuwaiti women married to non-Kuwaiti and orphans is decided by the minister of social affairs and labour.

The lawmaker insisted that he wanted to insist that these poor cases must be included in the law and aid must be paid to them without the need of the minister’s decision. Before that, the Assembly approved in the first reading a law to govern cooperative societies in Kuwait to replace the existing law. The second reading vote will be taken next week.

KUWAIT: Fully-veiled Kuwaiti nurses attend the opening ceremony of the International Nurses Day in Kuwait City yesterday. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat

A

y

e niv rsar n

Years

Local

FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

Jordan GCC membership push offers mutual gains AMMAN: The Gulf Cooperation Council’s surprisingly warm welcome of energy-poor Jordan’s application the ranks of the predominantly oil rich bloc of nations is the latest reflection of how the widespread protests in the Arab nations are reshaping the political landscape in the volatile Mideast, analysts said. Two days after Gulf Arab leaders said they “welcome” Jordan’s request to join the six-nation group that includes OPEC kingpin Saudi Arabia, Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh said yesterday contacts were under way with his counterparts in the GCC to meet Jordan’s membership requirements. Detailed discussions could come later this month, he said, without disclosing what the membership requirements are.

Jordan had first applied to the GCC for membership in the mid-1980s, when the resource-barren kingdom found itself unable to finance a multibillion dollar foreign debt caused by military purchases to modernize its army. But the request by the late King Hussein, the father of Jordan’s ruler - King Abdullah II - was rejected, with no reason given.

The GCC’s about-face now, however, appears to underscore mounting Arab security concerns following the regional uprisings that have so far ousted the leaders of Tunisia and Egypt and brought the unrest to GCC member Bahrain. That island nation’s neighbors fear the threat to that country’s Sunni monarchy could endanger the kingdoms and emirates of the region. They have pulled together, railing against what they say is Iran’s fueling of Shiite unrest in the Arabian Peninsula.

In those fears is a measure of political symbiosis that could provide the necessary impetus for Jordan’s membership in a club that currently also groups Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Qatar. “Jordan is in desperate need of the GCC’s umbrella to ease its economic hardships, while the GCC wants Jordan’s security and military expertise at a time of regional instability,” said Jordanian political analyst Labib Kamhawi. “If anything happens in any GCC country, like the unrest that engulfed Bahrain, Jordan cannot intervene militarily if it’s not a GCC member.”

Last month, under a joint security pact, the GCC sent troops into Bahrain to support the country’s king. Jordan is said to have sent a unit of about 800 police and army. The force, however, operated under the umbrella of Saudi Arabia to avoid being publicly as trying to crush the predominantly Shiite uprising.

Jordan is a vocal critic of Shiites, whom it accuses of harboring allegiance to Shiite Iran.

Jordan’s king, Abdullah, a Sunni and a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad, was the first Arab leader to warn of an Iranian-influenced Shiite “crescent” stretching from Iran across Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. The country stands out in that curve of nations as having neither a Shiite population nor good relations with Iran.

Membership in the GCC would offer an avenue for financial support for Jordan, an energy poor nation that relies extensively on foreign investment, tourism and worker remittances from abroad for its revenue. While Jordan has so far been spared the kind of large-scale protests that have ravaged other nations, investors are eying the country nervously, fearing that tensions could escalate given the prevailing economic challenges it faces.

The country is saddled with a record deficit of $2 billion this fiscal year, a swelling foreign debt, rising

Arab Gulf students gather in a coffee shop in Amman. inflation and rampant unemployment and poverty.

The GCC has already moved to help its members, pledging a total of $20 billion to Bahrain and Oman its two poorest members - to help allay the economic troubles that have fueled the unrest. Membership in the bloc would give Jordan similar access to cash while also opening the door more easily for Jordanian professionals, such as doctors, engineers and teachers, to work in any of the GCC nations.

Tourism, which accounts for 14 percent of Jordan’s GDP, may also receive a boost. Government figures show that the number of Gulf Arab tourists who visited Jordan last year made up 21 percent of the total number of sightseers. Jordan could also benefit

from increased oil donations from the Gulf Arabs.

The country currently imports all 120,000 barrels per day of crude it needs from Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the UAE. Saudi Arabia also remains the largest Arab donor to Jordan, with cash contributions estimated at $10 billion in the last 15 years.

“The timing couldn’t have been better, considering efforts to shore up Jordan’s economy to avoid popular unrest,” said Jordanian economist Fahd Fanek.

“Joining the GCC will increase aid in all kinds, create job opportunities for Jordanians and open the Gulf markets to the Jordanian products.” — AP

Al-Kat t) and Hamad ef (l i ir ta u M lts Talal A P Kuwaiti studen Amman Wednesday. — A in ty si er iv n u their

bi (right) mee

t outside

A

y

e niv rsar n

Years

Local

FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

KUWAIT: (Left) Shiekha Hessa Al-Sabah, Director of Dar Al-Athar Islamiya. (Right) Yasuyoshi Komizo, Ambassador of Japan to Kuwait

Dar Al-Athar Islamiya hosts Japan music fest

By Ben Garcia KUWAIT: The Embassy of Japan hosted a two-day musical extravaganza at the Dar Al-Athar Al-Islamiya in Maidan Hawally.

The music festival which included performances on drums, flutes and the ‘oud’ was held in honor of the 50th anniversary of Kuwait-Japan diplomatic relations.

Shiekha Hessa Al-Sabah, Director of Dar Al-Athar Islamiya, welcomed guests and lauded Japanese resilience especially in the face of multiple disasters the country faced in March. “With all due respect to the people who died in Japan last March, I think they deserve our salute especially the Japanese embassy and its people. Despite the trying times they faced a few months ago, they are standing up again and are committed to strengthening ties,” she added.

According to Sheikha Hessa, Japanese music represents the genuine characteristics and traits of its people who are ready to cope, and is especially indescribable to ears. “Like Japan, Japanese

drum experts should have the passion, control and ability to remain steadfast when it is necessary and improvised.

Such characteristics are remarkable Japanese traits that need to be loved and respected,” she added.

Yasuyoshi Komizo, Ambassador of Japan to Kuwait thanked Sheikha Hessa for her kind words. “Music has no borders. It can be shared with anyone. That is why we thought that celebrating it with you here will be great,” the ambassador mentioned. “You have been showing support to us, especially during times of trouble. We shall never forget, and we will treasure our beautiful friendship till the end.”

Japan has been hosting several activities since January to strengthen bilateral ties with Kuwait. From January to May, several activities were held including a calligraphy exhibition, cultural and music festivals, painting exhibitions and visit by therapeutic robots. A Japanese speech contest is also scheduled to be held next week in addition to various other activities.

Man files case against dog Three women go skinny dipping

KUWAIT: “To file a complaint against an individual is acceptable, but to file one against a dog is bizarre,” said an official, explaining that a citizen actually filed a complaint with Fahaheel police against a dog and its owner. Officials said that the man accused the dog of crossing the street and ‘colliding’ into his vehicle, creating some ‘damage’.

Blasphemy incident In a new blasphemy incident, more phrases insulting the mother of believers Aisha and Caliph Omar Ibn Al-Khattab were found scribbled over the walls of a Fahaheel secondary school for girls. The graffiti was immediately removed while further investigations are in progress to identify culprits.

Nude swimmers Completely taken aback, policemen were only able to jot down the license plate number of a vehicle in which three daring, female naked swimmers drove off from Messila beach. Case papers indicate that staff members noticed that several young men had gathered by the beach to watch and photograph three women who were swimming completely naked. “Don’t let anyone lay a

hand over us,” the women are reported to have told the policemen. They covered up in abayas and towels before entering their vehicle.

Hoax calls Firemen recently received four hoax calls about blazes that broke out across different locations in Jahra. Nevertheless, firemen rushed to the reported site, only to learn that there was no fire. Officials also noted that the caller, an Iraqi national, has lived in Kuwait for a while. A case was filed.

Kidnap case An Egyptian expatriate recently filed a complaint stating that a bedoon pickup truck driver kidnapped him, took him to a desert and physically abused him over a pay dispute over a fare charge from Jleeb to Jahra.

Hit and run case An Asian woman was run over by a speeding car. It was driven by another woman who fled the scene, said officials.

According to eyewitness reports, the woman was trying to cross the street.

Phone harassment A female citizen recently filed a complaint with Rumaithiya police against an unidentified individual who called her on her landline. The caller asked her tenyear-old daughter for the mother’s mobile phone number. The woman stressed that the man had kept calling her repeatedly.

A case was filed and the man is being summoned for further investigations.

Illegal abortion An Egyptian recently fled the country after his Filipina girlfriend, an illegal resident, died while performing illegal abortion in his Nugra apartment, said officials.

When his girlfriend refused to aborting her pregnancy, the man conducted it himself causing severe hemorrhage that killed her. A search is on to nab the man.

Inflammatory graffiti Police forces yesterday were summoned to Shamiya where the phrase ‘Iran will invade Kuwait, may Allah damn tumults’ was sprayed across the walls of the College of Basic Education, officials said. The phrase was wiped off after more investigations were held.

KUWAIT: A fire broke out at 2 am yesterday in Jabriya co-operative society. Firemen from Hawally and Salmiya rushed to the scene and contained the blaze. An Asian security guard who was found unconscious was referred to Mubarak hospital. — Photos by Hanan Al-Saadoun

FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

Spaniards sleep outside after quake kills 9

15

Syria crushes protesters in ‘barbaric’ crackdown

15

Unease in US South; Floodwaters spread

17

RIYADH: Saudi men in traditional Arab garb wait for the arrival of Gulf states leaders during a welcoming ceremony held on the eve of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit, on May 10, 2011 in Riyadh. — AFP

Jordan, Morocco could boost ‘monarchy club’ ‘They can no longer rely on traditional Western allies’ AMMAN: Jordanian and Moroccan bids to join the Gulf Cooperation Council could help buttress oil-rich monarchies against Arab uprisings and prove financially beneficial to the new members, analysts say. “Gulf countries feel the need to have their own network to protect their interests and security,” Mohammad Masri, a researcher at the University of Jordan Centre for Strategic Studies said yesterday. “They can no longer rely on traditional Western allies,” after a wave of popular uprisings across the Arab world, he added.

The accession of the Jordanian and Moroccan monarchies to the GCC could help strengthen the group and at the same time provide economic benefits to the two countries, Masri said. Samer Tawil, a former Jordanian minister, said “Arab leaders feel that reorganizing themselves can help protect them politically and militarily instead of relying on the West, particularly the United States.”

Mohammad Momani, a political science professor, interpreted the move as an attempt by oilrich Saudi Arabia to exert its leadership in the region and prevent foreign intervention when problems arise.

“By inviting Jordan and Morocco, Saudi Arabic is trying to play the role of the leader of stable Arab countries to be able to solve regional problems instead of the continuous international involvement in the region,” he said. The accession of Jordan to the GCC could be an asset to the Gulf Arab monarchies, where thousands of retired Jordanian officers have obtained citizenship and hold important positions in the armed and security forces. “Jordan has an important security role, particularly in protecting the border with Saudi Arabia. Its accession to the GCC means that it can openly intervene militarily to protect a member country,” Tawil said.

The kingdom has repeatedly denounced

“Iranian interference in the Gulf,” especially after protests in Bahrain which boosted Riyadh’s popularity among Sunni monarchies who see Shiite Iran as a destabilizing element.

Joining the GCC will also benefit the economies of Jordan and Morocco. “It’s good economically, but bad politically. Both Jordan and Morocco will have to make political compromises,” said analyst Daoud Kuttab. Momani said the move will affect reforms in Morocco and Jordan as “past experience has proved that Saudi Arabia is viewing regional reforms with skepticism because they don’t want a spill over effect.”

The Jordanian government welcomed prospects of joining the GCC and King Abdullah said it will bolster historic ties with Arab monarchies. “This step would further enhance historical ties and cooperation between Jordan and the Gulf Arab states,” King Abdullah II said during talks yesterday with vis-

iting Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal, the Petra news agency reported. Information Minister Taher Adwan said: “The GCC advocates economic cooperation, which can be good for Jordan.” “Jordan is facing an unemployment problem, a heavy bill for oil and gas and this membership brings hope,” he said.

A former senior official said “the budget deficit could exceed four billion dollars, which creates an explosive situation for a country that has witnessed protests to demand economic and political reforms.” “Priority must be given to the economy in an attempt to control social unrest,” he told AFP speaking on condition of anonymity. But Masri said “the fear is that economic benefits could be detrimental to the reform process, freedom of the press and women’s rights.” Morocco has welcomed with “great interest” plans to join the GCC but “reiterated its commitment” to building the Arab Maghreb Union (AMU).—AFP

International FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

Israel to curb Aqsa entry as Palestinians mark Nakba JERUSALEM: Israel’s law and order chief said some Muslims would be denied entry to Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque compound today when Palestinians begin mourning the creation of the Jewish state. Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch told public radio yesterday that police would “thin out the number of worshippers at the Temple Mount” - the Hebrew term for the compound inside the walled Old City which houses the Al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock.

The move to limit access to what is the third holiest site in Islam after Makkah and Madinah, came as the Palestinians were poised to begin a series of marches and demonstrations in the run up to Nakba Day, which will be commemorated on Sunday.

Qatar woman re-elected DOHA: A woman was re-elected to the Qatar municipal council, results released yesterday showed in the conservative Gulf nation which is yet to hold legislative polls promised under a new 2005 statute. Out of four women candidates only Sheikha Al-Jafiri was re-elected after Tuesday’s polls where only 43.3 percent of the 32,000 electorate turned out to vote, according to official results. A total of 101 candidates were vying for 29 council seats which represent the entire country.

Qatar has a population of about 1.7 million, but nationals are estimated at over 200,000 people.

Foreigners, lured by work opportunities created by the fast economic growth of the energy-rich nation, represent the majority. In June 2005, Qatar signed into effect a constitution for the first time since independence from Britain in 1971 with the aim of introducing democratic reforms. The constitution, which passed in a 2003 referendum, provides for legislative power to be vested in a Consultative Council, or parliament, made up of 45 members, two thirds of whom would be elected. The rest are to be appointed by the emir.

Currently, the Shura (Consultative) Council is named by the emir and, despite the changes, political parties remain banned.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jaber Al-Thani said in February that Doha was working on organizing legislative polls “in the near future,” adding the election had been delayed because of “preparing special laws.” Qatar boasts natural gas reserves of 900 trillion cubic feet, the third largest in the world. A member of the OPEC oil cartel, it also pumps around 800,000 barrels per day of crude oil.—AFP

Activists behind a website called “The Third Intifada” have also called for a new uprising, which would see thousands of Palestinian refugees march towards homes from which they fled or were forced out of when Israel was created in 1948. Palestinian refugees are also expected to stage rallies and demonstrations in Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria.

Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld confirmed that some restrictions would be in force during the Friday prayers but he was not immediately able to give details. Israel on Tuesday celebrated the 63rd anniversary of its creation, marking the date according to the Hebrew calendar.

Palestinians and their Arab Israeli kin, who mourn the day as the “nakba” or “catastrophe”, are to stage three days

of rallies and protests starting today.

But Aharonovitch told the radio he believed the anniversary would pass quietly, and Israeli news website Ynet quoted him as saying he had instructed the security forces “to exercise restraint and avoid using force”. More than 760,000 Palestinians - estimated today to number 4.7 million with their descendants - were pushed into exile or driven out of their homes in the conflict that followed Israel’s creation.

Around 160,000 Palestinians, who remained in Israel after 1948, are known as Arab Israelis and now number around 1.3 million people, or 20 percent of the country’s population.

Successive Israeli governments have refused to allow the Palestinian refugees to return to homes they fled from or were forced out of in 1948 for

fear that a massive influx would threaten the Jewish majority in Israel, which now counts some 5.8 million Jewish citizens. —AFP

BETHLEHEM: Palestinians take part in a demonstration to mark the 63th anniversary of “Nakba” (catastrophe) in this West Bank city yesterday. — AFP

Bahrain army: Gulf troops to stay on Tehran fumes

MANAMA: Saudi-led forces sent to Bahrain to help crush anti-government protests will remain even after emergency rule is lifted next month, the head of the kingdom’s military said in a move that is likely to deepen regional tensions with Iran. Shiite power Iran has condemned the 1,500-strong Gulf Arab force in Bahrain as an “occupation” by Sunni states against Bahrain’s Shiite majority, which has faced waves of arrests and deadly crackdowns after beginning protests for greater rights three months ago.

In response, Gulf leaders have sharply warned Iran to stay out of their affairs and accused Bahrain’s protesters of having links to groups such as the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon. The Bahrain military commander, Sheikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, also threatened even harsher crackdowns if demonstrators return to the streets in the strategic US ally, which is home to the Navy’s 5th Fleet. “I say to those who did not get the message, ‘If you return we will come back, stronger this time,”‘ Sheik Ahmed was quoted as saying late Wednesday by the official Bahrain News Agency.

He further claimed that protesters were “given pills which affected their minds and made them do unusual things” - a new allegation that echoed assertions by Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi that his opponents included young people on hallucinogenic pills placed “in their coffee with milk, like Nescafe.”

Meanwhile, the expected resumption of a trial against 21 opposition leaders and human rights activists was adjourned until May 16. The activists are accused of plotting against the state and having links to foreign factions - an apparent reference to Hezbollah. Fourteen of the suspects are in custody and the rest are being tried in absentia in a special security court set up under martial law-style rule imposed in March. Separately, the same court also convicted another opposition supporter on charges of attempted murder of a police offi-

TEHRAN: A group of anti-riot Iranian police officers (center) arrive to control the situation of a protest against Saudi and Bahraini leaders for cracking down on Bahraini opposition during a soccer match between Saudi’s Al Nassr and Iran’s Esteghlal, in AFC Champions League, at the Azadi stadium on Wednesday, May 11, 2011. — AP

cer and participation in a protest aimed at disrupting public order, a report by the staterun Bahrain News Agency said yesterday. It added that the protester, Hamad Yousef Kazim, was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Kazim’s court-appointed lawyer can appeal the sentence, the report also said.

Bahrain’s king said the emergency rule will be lifted June 1. But the military chief’s statements suggest a heavy security presence will remain along with the Saudi-led

troops. Bahrain’s Shiites comprise about 70 percent of the population, but claim widespread discrimination and abuses at the hands of the 200-year-old ruling Sunni dynasty. At least 30 people have been killed since the protests began in February, inspired by revolts against autocratic leaders in Tunisia and Egypt. Hundreds of protesters, opposition leaders, human rights activists, athletes and Shiite professionals such as doctors and lawyers have been detained. —AP

A

y

e niv rsar n

Years

International

FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

Ugandan president sworn for 4th term KAMPALA: Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni was sworn in for a fourth term yesterday as his rival Kizza Besigye returned home to a tumultuous welcome following treatment in Kenya after a police beating.

The 66-year-old Museveni, who has been in power since 1986, took the oath of office before a crowd of thousands of supporters and the leaders of a host of African countries including Kenya, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.

“I, Yoweri Museveni, swear in the name of all-mighty God that I will be faithful, swear allegiance to the people and to the Republic of Uganda and that I will preserve and protect the Constitution, so help me God,” he said. His oath, taken at a ceremony at an

airstrip in central Kampala, was followed by a gun salute. Thousands also turned out to welcome home opposition leader Besigye, Museveni’s strongest challenger in the February 18 elections which the incumbent won comfortably but opposition groups said was fraudulent.

Besigye, who has lost elections to Museveni three times in a row, flew in from neighboring Kenya where he spent several days for treatment after being hurt by police during an anti-government protest last month. “I am happy that even when I was not around the defiance campaign continued,” he told a handful of journalists on his arrival at the airport, which he left in a con-

voy under police escort. The convoy advanced at walking pace followed by supporters on motorcycles, while others lined the road in their thousands, cheering and waving greenery.

The Forum for Democratic Change party leader, wearing a blue shirt and with his arm in a sling following a gunshot wound to the finger, waved at the crowd who danced to loud music as his convoy crawled forward.

One supporter carried a placard reading: “Besigye must be sworn in as president today.” At one point, military police forced all motorbike taxis heading towards the airport to turn around and fired tear gas at a crowd of supporters. Party officials said

Besigye would stop off to address supporters along the way into the capital. He has vowed to continue anti-government protests despite a police crackdown which has seen at least nine people shot dead by security forces.

The veteran opposition leader last month embarked on a series of “walk to work” protests against soaring food and fuel prices which the opposition blames on the government. Besigye, 55, was attacked by police in one such demonstration on April 28. Police smashed the windows of his car, sprayed him with tear gas and arrested him for the fourth time in a month for participating in demonstrations.—AFP

Bangladesh lifts fatwa ban DHAKA: Bangladesh’s Supreme Court yesterday lifted a ban on issuing Islamic religious edicts, or fatwas, but said extrajudicial punishments in the name of Islam were illegal, the attorney general said. Bangladesh’s High Court banned fatwas in 2001 after a series of cases of Muslim women being beaten and caned, but the ruling was appealed by a group of Islamic preachers who argued fatwas were integral to Islamic practice. “Fatwas on religious matters may be given only by properly educated persons and may be accepted only voluntarily,” Attorney General Mahbubey Alam said, quoting the Supreme Court ruling. “No punishment, including physical violence and or mental torture in any form, can be imposed or inflicted by anybody in pursuance of fatwas,” the court ruled, Alam added.

The Supreme Court verdict, which was not unanimous, did not specify who would be considered “properly educated” enough to issue fatwas, said lawyer Imran Siddiqui who represented the Islamic scholars. “The court will clarify the details ... later,” he said. Rights groups had sought an outright ban on fatwas, arguing such edicts have often led to women being publicly whipped for “crimes” like adultery, having a child out of wedlock or even just talking to people of other faiths. In some documented cases, rape victims have been flogged for being a “participant” to their assault. Bangladesh, which is 90 percent Muslim, has a secular legal system but fatwas issued by village councils-known as shalish-are often used to resolve local disputes in poor, rural areas.— AFP

Syria crushes protesters in ‘barbaric’ crackdown BEIRUT: Syrian soldiers and tanks executing a nationwide crackdown on regime opponents surrounded the city of Hama yesterday, which President Bashar Assad’s father laid waste to in 1982 to stamp out an earlier uprising, an activist said. Forces also used clubs to disperse 2,000 demonstrators on a northern university campus.

Assad, who inherited power from his father in 2000, is trying to crush an uprising that exploded nearly two months ago and is now posing the gravest threat to his family’s 40-year ruling dynasty. The level of violence is intensifying as forces move into more volatile areas, and the United States called the crackdown “barbaric.”

Human rights activist Mustafa Osso said troops backed by tanks have deployed around the central city of Hama, known for the bloody 1982 revolt crushed by the regime, and security forces were detaining people.

In another echo of that earlier uprising, the Syrian army shelled residential areas in central and southern Syria on Wednesday, killing 18 people, a human rights group said. The shelling of neighborhoods evoked memories of Assad’s father and predecessor, Hafez, whose most notorious act was shelling Hama in 1982. He leveled the city to crush a Sunni uprising there, killing 10,000 to 25,000 people, according to

Amnesty International estimates.

Conflicting figures exist and Syria has made no official estimate. Other activists said security forces used clubs to disperse about 2,000 demonstrators late Wednesday at the university campus in Aleppo, Syria’s largest city.

The intensifying military operation and arrest raids seemed to be an effort to pre-empt another day of expected protests throughout the country today.

More than 750 people have been killed and thousands detained since the uprising against Assad’s autocratic rule began in mid-March. The revolt was touched off by the arrest of teenagers, inspired by uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia, who scrawled anti-regime graffiti on a wall. Syria’s private Al-Watan newspaper reported yesterday that Assad met for four hours with a delegation of Sunni clerics from Hama. It said the clerics asked the president to solve some problems pending since 1982, such as people who have been living in exile since then. “President Assad accepted to study the case as long as it includes people who are known to be loyal to the nation,” the paper said.

Since the uprising began, authorities have been making announcements about reforms on Thursdays in an attempt to head off protests Friday, the main day for demonstrations in the Arab world. —AP

LORCA: A police officer looks at the damage in Lorca, Spain after an earthquake. — AP

Spain scrambles tents for refugees of deadly quake Scared Spaniards sleep outside after quake kills 9 LORCA: Army and emergency workers pitched tents for thousands of evacuees after a 5.1-magnitude quake smashed through an historic Spanish city, killing nine people and injuring 130. The nine, including a child, perished when Spain’s deadliest quake in more than 50 years rocked the southeastern city of Lorca on Wednesday, the regional government of Murcia said. The toll moved higher because one of the injured had died, said a spokesman for the Murcia health services. The quake, which flattened some buildings, ripped open many walls and sent chunks of masonry flying into the streets, injured another 130 people, regional emergency services chief Luis Gestoso said. Stones, bricks, cornices, collapsed terraces and crumpled cars filled the streets and forced huge numbers of the town’s 93,000 inhabitants to evacuate their homes.

Some 20,000 buildings including many from the 16th and 17th centuries were reported damaged in Lorca, which traces its history back more than 2,000 years.

Mayor Francisco Jodar said 80 percent of the city’s buildings suffered some damage. The clocktower of the 17th century San Diego Church tumbled and smashed into pieces, narrowly missing a television reporter as he delivered a report on Spanish public broadcaster TVE. Its bronze bell lay in the street. “Almost no-one slept in their homes last night,” the city mayor said, some taking shelter in other towns, their cars, streets, parks and public squares.

Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez sent his condolences for the relatives of the dead and said the government was acting with maximum speed to confront “this catastrophe”. The government had sent in 800 personnel, half of them military emergency units and troops and the rest police, to help shelter the “very high number of peo-

ple who have been left without a home.” They were racing to set up more than 370 army tents and a field hospital with doctors, he said. The military emergency units had 140 vehicles to help clear the debris, the prime minister said.

With extensive damage to homes, public buildings, and water pipes, emergency workers were checking which can be repaired and which would have to be demolished, the premier said. “We will spare no effort for the reconstruction.” The Red Cross said it had six emergency teams who had distributed more than 2,000 beds and 10,500 blankets. Spain’s seismological authorities predicted smaller after-shocks in the next month in the region, which lies on a geological fault line. Regional authorities said there were no reports of missing people and the death toll was not expected to rise significantly.

The president of Spain’s College of Geologists, Luis Suarez, said the quake released energy equal to 200 tons of TNT and he expected the intensity of aftershocks to diminish.

A quake of this scale was not strong enough to bring buildings to the ground, and the scale of the damage must have been due to pre-existing problems, Suarez said in a statement. “We know we live near a fault line but we never thought this would happen to us,” said Pepe Tomas, 56, a male nurse at a local clinic who has lived his whole life in the city. Tomas said he had helped treat hundreds of people “mostly for anxiety,” after the earthquake struck at 6:47 pm (1647 GMT) on Wednesday at a depth of just 10 kilometers. The shock could be felt as far away as the capital Madrid. It hit nearly two hours after a smaller 4.4-magnitude quake. The Socialist Party’s Zapatero and his conservative Popular Party opponent. — AFP

International FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

Pakistan praises China ties, opens second nuke reactor ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s prime minister opened the country’s second Chinese-made nuclear power reactor yesterday, praising “unwavering” support from its long-time ally as Pakistan faces pressure over the discovery of Osama bin Laden. Prickly ties between Pakistan and the United States face new strains after US special forces discovered and killed the world’s most wanted man in the town of Abbottabad on May 2. China, Pakistan’s most steadfast ally since its independence from Britain in 1947, has already helped Pakistan build one nuclear power facility in Chashma, in Punjab province.

The new, 330 MW unit is at the Chashma nuclear plant.

China is building two more reactors at the same plant. “It is yet another illustrious example of Pakistan-China cooperation in the field of nuclear science and technology,” Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani said in a speech at the plant’s inauguration. “The high level of friendship that the two countries enjoy ... continues to be a source of strength for Pakistan,” said Gilani, who is due to visit China next week.

China’s nuclear ties with Pakistan are source of concern for Washington, for Pakistan’s nuclear-armed rival India and other countries worried about Pakistan’s nuclear program, which includes the development of nuclear weapons. Pakistan, plagued by a chronic energy shortage and regular power cuts, wants a civilian nuclear agreement with the United States, similar to one the United States struck with India in 2008, to help meet its growing energy needs. But the United States is reluctant, largely because Pakistan’s top nuclear scientist, Abdul Qadeer Khan, admitted in 2004 to transferring nuclear secrets to North Korea, Iran and Iraq.

Gilani did not refer to the United States but called for more international cooperation on nuclear power. “I ... urge the international community to eliminate discrimination between nations and make this promising technology accessible to Pakistan for peaceful use,” he said. In the absence of a US nuclear agreement, Pakistan depends on China. Gilani’s praise for relations with China also serves as a reminder to the United States that Pakistan has other friends to turn to in the event US anger over the discovery of bin Laden hiding in a Pakistani hill town leads to a diplomatic breakdown. “They’re trying to increase their diplomatic options,” said security analyst Hasan Askari Rizvi. Pakistan is facing US pressure to explain how was it was possible for the world’s most wanted man to live undetected in the town of Abbottabad until US special forces mounted a secret helicopter-borne raid from Afghanistan to kill him. That Pakistani security agency apparently failed to discover him, and its military failed to stop the US raiding team, has led to doubts about the abilities of Pakistan to protect its nuclear weapons. The government insists the weapons are safe and it would be impossible for militants, or anyone else, to get them.

Pakistan tested nuclear devices in 1998, soon after India conducted similar tests. Both of the south Asian rivals have declined to join the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.— Reuters

NEW DELHI: Congress Party General Secretary Rahul Gandhi is taken away in a police van after his arrest in Parsaul, on the outskirts of New Delhi. — AFP

Rahul Gandhi arrested Political parties seen using land to gain votes NEW DELHI: Rahul Gandhi, the heir-apparent of India’s ruling Congress party, was briefly arrested after he joined farmers protesting against land being taken over for a $2 billion highway, underscoring how land disputes are emerging as a political issue. Gandhi, seen as a prime minister-inwaiting, was held late Wednesday for two hours under preventive detention laws in opposition-ruled Uttar Pradesh state before being bailed and escorted by police to New Delhi, sparking off more protests.

Gandhi had abandoned his security detail and rode pillion on a motorcycle to Bhatta Parsaul village, where a week-long agitation against the highway to the Taj Mahal city of Agra has intensified after police shot dead two protesters. NDTV reported on its website that farmers were paid a little over 800 rupees ($18) per square meter for the land on which six townships are to be built alongside the highway. That same land was sold to developers for 3,200 rupees a square metre and resold as residential plots for 14,000 rupees a square meter. “I feel ashamed to call myself Indian after seeing what has happened here. The (state) gov-

ernment here has unleashed atrocities on its own people,” Gandhi said at the protest site. Congress supporters across cities in Uttar Pradesh held demonstrations yesterday against Gandhi’s arrest and scores were detained as they blocked roads and railway lines, underscoring how the issue could spiral. Ahead of a 2014 general election, the left-of-centre Congress is increasingly taking the side of farmers and others whose lands have been taken over for the highways, utilities and factories needed to power India’s near 9 percent growth.

Gandhi is the son of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, India’s most powerful politician.

He has set his sights on resurrecting Congress in time for state polls next year, pitting him against Mayawati, the fiery “untouchable” state chief minister.

Congress hopes to tap into farmers’ discontent, intensified by rising income inequalities between cities and villages, to strengthen Congress and shed its dependence on fickle allies to rule in New Delhi.

Land conflicts have the potential of unseating governments, especially since India’s colonial era laws allow the state to take over land without compensation to owners. A 34-year-old Communist rule in

West Bengal state looks set to end as voters punish it for a badly implemented plan to seize land to rapidly industrialize the state. “Land has been the most contentious issues without a resolution. As something that can be exploited for political gains, land presents an opportunity,” said Abheek Baruah, chief economist at HDFC Bank. Uttar Pradesh is key to controlling power in New Delhi, as it is India’s most populous state, sending the largest block of lawmakers to parliament, but Congress is a minor player there. “They (Congress) are seeking an opportunity to re-enter Uttar Pradesh. But I don’t see any great resurgence there (and) they are feeling desperate,” said Sudha Pai, professor of politics at New Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University.

The protests in Uttar Pradesh are the latest in a series across India over attempts to acquire land for industry, which have delayed multi-billion dollar investment plans by firms like ArcelorMittal and Tata Steel . Such protests forced the government in August to scrap Vedanta Resources’ plans to mine bauxite from land held sacred by indigenous people in eastern Orissa state. — Reuters

US drones hit Pakistani militants ISLAMABAD: A US drone aircraft fired missiles at militants in Pakistan yesterday, killing eight of them, Pakistani officials said, the third such attack since US forces found and killed Osama bin Laden in his Pakistani hideout. The killing of the AlQaeda chief in a US raid on May 2 has strained ties between Washington and Islamabad, with suspicion in the United States that Pakistan knew where bin Laden was hiding and Pakistan angered by a raid it saw as a violation of sovereignty.

The drone strikes also anger many Pakistanis and are a source of friction

between the allies. Pakistan officially objects to the attacks although US officials say they are carried out on an understanding with Pakistan. A drone fired two missiles at a vehicle in the North Waziristan region that was heading towards the Afghan border, killing eight militants, the Pakistani officials said. “At least four drones are still flying over the area,” said one of the officials, who declined to be identified.

The US CIA regularly launches attacks with its pilotless aircraft at militants in Pakistan’s Pashtun tribal lands who cross into Afghanistan to battle Western forces

there. But the third such strike since bin Laden’s killing indicated an intensification of the attacks compared with the weeks before the Saudi-born militant was killed.

The US raid on bin Laden’s compound has embarrassed and enraged Pakistan’s military and has added to already strained ties.

Pakistan rejects allegations that it was either incompetent in tracking down the man behind the Sept 11, 2001, attacks on the United States or complicit in hiding him in the town of Abbottabad just 50 km from Islamabad.

The United States wants to question bin

Laden’s three wives, who were found in his hideout after the US raid and are in Pakistani custody, but Pakistan has yet to agree. US Ambassador Cameron Munter held talks at the Foreign Ministry but neither side gave any details. Bin Laden’s killing has also led to domestic criticism of the government and military in Pakistan, over both the fact bin laden had been able to live in the country apparently undetected, and over the secret US raid. Opposition leader and former premier Nawaz Sharif accused the military’s powerful spy agency of negligence and incompetence. —Reuters

A

y

e niv rsar n

Years

International

FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

Romney, Gingrich change GOP race WASHINGTON: A health care speech by Mitt Romney and a formal announcement that Newt Gingrich is running mark a turn toward the substantive in the Republican presidential race. The change cannot happen too soon for the party after a series of events that did little to suggest it is ready to take on President Barack Obama, who is now benefiting politically from the US commando raid that killed Osama bin Laden.

The Donald Trump-for-president boomlet that overshadowed the candidates is going if not gone, and a televised debate in South Carolina that several probable Republican candidates skipped is history.

The polls indicate that even the Republican rank and file is less than enthused about the party’s potential contenders, although they are unhappy, as is the rest of the electorate, about 9 percent national unemployment and $4a-gallon gasoline. Not even the party’s national chairman, Reince Priebus, could hide his annoyance at Trump’s signature issue, the persistent questioning of Obama’s country of birth. “I don’t think it’s an issue that moves voters. It’s an issue that I, personally, don’t get too excited about,” Priebus said at one point. The debate in South Carolina was somewhat sparsely attended by candidates. Herman Cain, Texas Rep Ron Paul, former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty participated.

A businessman who has never held office and a black man in a party that is overwhelmingly white, Cain was widely judged to have helped himself. If so, it came at the expense of the professional politicians on stage in the state that will hold the first southern primary in 2012. Romney and Gingrich, both certain to run, stayed home. Nor were Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin or Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann there. All are considering candidacies.

A former state party chairman, Henry McMaster, tried to look on the bright side. “These are mostly new faces,” he said of those who debated. “That’s what we need to see. We’ve seen the old faces.” Priebus said the debate was early in the campaign, suggesting that was a reason so many had skipped it.

“This is the beginning of the debate, but as we all know there are numerous other candidates who are looking at it, and thank God, because we have a country that needs to be straightened out and we have an economy that we need to get back on track,” Priebus said.

Until recently, these events took place in something of a political vacuum, with the economy beginning to produce jobs but the country still struggling to emerge from the Great Recession. Obama grappled with a string of foreign crises. The political landscape changed 10 days ago, though, when bin Laden was killed in Pakistan and the president embarked on what amounted to a weeklong national victory lap.

A dramatic Sunday night announcement at the White House, a stop at ground zero in New York City and a visit to Fort Campbell in Kentucky led into a network television interview deemed so positive that the president’s campaign emailed supporters urging them to watch. “Justice has been done,” Obama said in announcing bin Laden’s death after a decade on the run.

The spontaneous celebrations that broke out near the White House, in New York and on college campuses that night were a prelude to at least a temporary rise in Obama’s poll numbers.

Voters may well see those images again in late 2012.

Against that backdrop, a health care speech by Romney and Gingrich’s three-day announcement tour on social media, television and in person hardly count as game changers. Yet because of their experience, fundraising potential and stature within the party, both men have legitimate chances to win the nomination, and their public appearances in the next few days suggest the race is becoming more serious. Romney’s speech yesterday in Michigan is designed to surmount an obvious difficulty. As governor of Massachusetts, he sought and signed a health care bill that requires state residents to buy health care. It is a forerunner of Obama’s individual mandate that Republicans loathe.

Gingrich, 67, is not without difficulties of his own in a party in which social conservatives and ultraconservative tea party activists hold power. He is married for a third time. As speaker of a Republican-controlled House more than a decade ago, he made the sort of deals that current conservative activists say they disdain: creation of a new health care benefit program as part of a balanced budget agreement with President Bill Clinton, for example. —AP

Unease in US South; Floodwaters spread Poverty-stricken Delta badly hit RENA LARA: Officials in a small town are trying to assure its 500 residents they are doing what they can to shore up the levee to protect them from the swollen Mississippi River.

The uneasiness is being felt all along the poverty-stricken Mississippi Delta as oozing floodwaters from the massive river and its tributaries spilled across farm fields, cut off churches, washed over roads and forced people from their homes Wednesday. Some used boats to navigate flooded streets as the crest rolled slowly downstream, bringing misery to low-lying communities. About 600 homes have been flooded in the Delta in the past several days as the water rose toward some of the highest levels on record. The flood crest is expected to push past the Delta by late next week. “It’s getting scary,” said Rita Harris, 43, who lives in a tiny wooden house in the shadow of the levee in Rena Lara. “They won’t let you go up there to look at the water.” Swollen by weeks of heavy rain and snowmelt, the Mississippi River has been breaking high-water records that have

stood since the 1920s and ‘30s. It is projected to crest at Vicksburg, Mississippi on May 19 and shatter the mark set there during the cataclysmic Great Flood of 1927. The crest is expected to reach New Orleans on May 23.

Even after the peak passes, water levels will remain high for weeks, and it could take months for flooded homes to dry out.

Mississippi Gov Haley Barbour urged people to get out if they think there is even a chance their homes will flood. He said there is no reason to believe a levee on the Yazoo River would fail, but if it did, 107 feet of water would flow over small towns. “More than anything else, save your life and don’t put at risk other people who might have to come in and save your lives,” he said. The Mississippi Delta, with a population of about 465,000, is a leaf-shaped expanse of rich soil between the Mississippi and Yazoo Rivers, extending about 200 miles from Memphis, Tennessee, to Vicksburg, Mississippi. While some farms in the cotton-, rice- and corngrowing Delta are prosperous, there is also

grinding poverty.

Nine of the 11 counties that touch the Mississippi River in Mississippi have poverty rates at least double the national average of 13.5 percent, according to the US Census Bureau. The governor said the state is asking local officials to get in touch with people who might have no electricity and phones and thus no way to get word of the flooding.

“It’s a tiny number, but we have to find them,” Barbour said. Late Wednesday, President Barack Obama signed a disaster declaration for 14 counties in Mississippi because of the flooding. Housing and home repairs will be covered and low-interest loans to cover uninsured damage will be available.

Much farther downstream, Louisiana officials were awaiting an Army Corps of Engineers decision on whether to open the Morganza spillway to take the pressure off the levees protecting Baton Rouge and, downstream, New Orleans and the many oil refineries in between. —AP

MISSISSIPPI: Houses and property along the Mississippi River near Tunica are flooded by the Mississippi River. — AP

Panel limits Obama authority on nukes WASHINGTON: Republican lawmakers voted on Wednesday to limit President Barack Obama’s authority to reduce America’s nuclear arsenal and implement a US-Russia arms control treaty overwhelmingly approved by the Senate last December. Over the objections of the Defense Department and Democrats, the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee approved a series of amendments directly related to Obama’s ability to make nuclear weapons reductions. By a 35-26 vote, the Republican-controlled panel approved an amendment that would prohibit money to take nuclear weapons out of operation unless the administration provides a report to Congress on how it plans to modernize the remaining weapons.

The panel also adopted an amendment that says the president may not change the target list or move weapons out of Europe until he reports to Congress. The votes are mostly symbolic because they are unlikely to pass the Democratic-controlled Senate. House Republicans, who have no constitutional authority to vote on a treaty, said they were ensuring the link between the treaty cuts and Obama’s promise to modernize the remaining weapons.

They also complained that the treaty did not cover tactical nuclear weapons.

The New START treaty, signed by Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in April 2010, would limit each country’s strategic nuclear warheads to 1,550, down from the current

ceiling of 2,200. It also would establish a system for monitoring and verification.

US weapons inspections ended in 2009 with the expiration of a 1991 treaty.

START stands for Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. The Senate approved the treaty on a 71-26 vote, with 13 Republicans breaking with their party leaders. The provisions added by the House panel to the $553 billion defense spending bill for next year are unlikely to survive in the Democratic-controlled Senate. Still, they elicited a fierce and lengthy debate in the committee.

Democrats criticized the measure for tying the president’s hands now and in the future on reducing nuclear weapons, and trying to rewrite the treaty through the defense bill. —AP

A

y

e niv rsar n

Years

International

FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

Neglected Libyan city battles Qaeda image Darna’s anti-American fighters stoke fears

TRIPOLI: Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi holds a meeting with tribal leaders (unseen) from eastern Libya in Tripoli. — AP

6 dead as NATO hits Gaddafi compound TRIPOLI: NATO-led air strikes hit Muammar Gaddafi’s compound yesterday, killing six people, the Libyan regime said as rebels celebrated the capture of Misrata airport and a British invitation to open their first foreign office. The pre-dawn strikes in the capital Tripoli came just hours after Libyan state television showed what it said was footage of Gaddafi meeting tribal leaders, the first new video of him aired since an April 30 air strike that his government termed an attempt on his life.

“There were three dead here and three dead in another place” in addition to 10 wounded, said the official, gesturing to scattered sandbags next to a crater in a street of the Bab Al-Azaziyah compound. Both he and another regime minder escorting foreign media on a tour of the site said all the casualties were civilians, but AFP was unable to independently confirm their accounts. An AFP correspondent heard four explosions in quick succession in the early hours as NATO-led jets flew overhead.

Two plumes of white smoke could be seen rising above the city following the blasts, as emergency vehicle sirens wailed and sporadic gunfire rang out. Late on Wednesday state television had shown footage of what it said was a meeting between Gaddafi and tribal dignitaries from the rebel-held east. A Libyan official told AFP the video was shot around 7:30 pm (1730 GMT). It was the first fresh footage of Kadhafi since an air strike killed his son Seif al-Arab and three of his grandchildren, in what the government described as “a direct operation to assassinate the leader of this country.”

NATO spokesmen have repeatedly insisted that they have made no attempt to strike individual leaders of the Libyan government, but have only targeted its capacity to harm civilians. A statement from the Western alliance said NATO-led aircraft carried out 46 strike sorties on Wednesday, including raids which took out four ammunition caches, four command and control facilities and two surface-to-air missile launchers in and around Tripoli, and one launcher near Misrata. In London, the rebels’ leader Mustafa Abdul Jalil held talks with British Prime Minister David Cameron buoyed by their capture of Misrata airport on Wednesday which gave them full control of Libya’s third city, their only significant stronghold in the west.

Cameron invited Abdul Jalil’s National Transitional Council-the rebels’ provisional administration-to open an office in London, their first foreign mission. He said Britain would from now regard the council as “the legitimate political interlocutor” in Libya, and its “primary partner”. Previously Britain had described the council only as a legitimate interlocutor. The prime minister said Britain was also boosting its diplomatic team in the rebel-controlled city of Benghazi, including by adding a new special representative to the council. In addition, “we are now completing plans to transfer several million pounds worth of equipment to the police in Benghazi. We will also provide new support to improve the council’s public broadcasting capacities,” Cameron said.

“These steps signal our very clear intent to work with you and your colleagues to ensure that Libya has a safe and stable future, free from the tyranny of the Gaddafi regime,” he added. Britain did not extend full diplomatic recognition to the rebels as its European partners France and Italy have done, along with Gambia and Qatar. The rebels’ capture of Misrata airport was their first significant advance in weeks and residents of the city celebrated into the night, an AFP correspondent said. —AFP

DARNA: Left bitter by stints in jail and infuriated by what he saw as Muammar Gaddafi’s brutal suppression of Islamists, Abdulaziz Layas decided he would be more useful as a Muslim abroad-fighting Americans in Iraq.

“At a certain point, I didn’t feel human anymore,” said Layas at Darna’s golden-domed mosque, where hundreds of photos of young men killed or tortured by Gaddafi’s security forces line a wall. “I needed to express myself, my relatives were in jail, and I tried to stand up for what I believed in but I wasn’t making any difference here, so I thought I would go to Iraq.”

Eight years later, Layas finds himself on the same side as the Americans he shot at with a Kalashnikov in Baghdad. Now he supports Libyan rebels that control the country’s east. He says he had been ready to become a “martyr” in the cause against the United States. He had even trained in an Iraqi camp bearing the sign “Lucifer will ask for mercy if he enters” in 2003. But he had no ties to AlQaeda, he said. It was poverty, despair and lack of a future under Gaddafi drove him to it.

Former fighters like him have created an image problem for the derelict city of Darna, which has come to symbolize Western fears that Libya’s chaotic rebel movement harbors or could be exploited by extremist Islamists and Al-Qaeda-linked militants.

Darna has long been considered sympathetic to Islamists and a widely reported list of foreign fighters in Iraq discovered by US forces in 2007 in the Iraqi town of Sinjar found the east Libyan city alone accounted for 52 of the several hundred cited. Darna residents strongly deny any links to AlQaeda, and so far there has been little evi-

dence to suggest the militant group has a presence in eastern Libya, despite Gaddafi’s claims that rebel ranks include Al-Qaeda militants. Still, Western powers and analysts fear extremists are more likely to exploit the security vacuum and any disillusion among rebels the longer the Libyan conflict continues.

After nearly three months, the war has a hit a stalemate, with much of the west in Gaddafi’s grip and rebels holding the east.

‘NO TO AL-QAEDA’ The head of the Darna rebel local council’s executive arm agrees on the risks, but bristles at the idea that his town of 100,000 harbors Islamic radicals. Like others here, he says the town is just full of Muslims unfairly targeted by Gaddafi. “In Darna, extremists represent a very small percentage of the population,” said Mohammed El-Mesori. “But if the West doesn’t solve this problem quickly, extremists will come in.” For now, Darna is waging a frantic battle to show it is not home to fundamentalists and signs in English like “Uprising is our choice, not Al-Qaeda” and “We refuse to be linked to Al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups” have popped up to get the point across to foreign journalists. Most people interviewed were quick to say they are happy Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden is dead. To visitors, little is visible to suggest the town is much more than a deeply conservative Muslim one. The atmosphere of mistrust and hostility towards Westerners palpable in Iraqi cities like Baquba and Mosul in the years after the US-led invasion there is absent here. What Darna’s residents know for sure is that the city suffered badly under Gaddafi, who they say deliberately starved it of invest-

ment after attempted uprisings against his rule starting in 1970, including an Islamist-led revolt in 1996. Near rolling hills and fields dotted with red poppies and set by the azure waters of the Mediterranean, Darna ought to be a wealthy tourist resort.

Instead, it is a mish-mash of crumbling buildings and garbage-strewn streets.

Most of its youth are unemployed and the government encouraged them to fight in foreign wars to prevent them from stirring trouble at home, said AbdulKareem Bentaher, 60, an English professor at Darna’s university. “Darna was completely neglected by Gaddafi-there are no factories, there is nothing to do here,” Bentaher said. “The young had to get out of this place and there was nowhere to go, so they went to Egypt, then Syria and on to Iraq.” A crackdown on Islamists meant anyone suspected of being one was quickly jailed or disappeared, he said.

‘A PURE MUSLIM’ At the mosque where residents have plastered a wall with photos of their beloved killed during Gaddafi’s four-decade rule, each has a grief-stricken account of death and loss. Hajda Selma Abdallah AlGhadi, 77, sobbed as she stared at the photo of her son Adil on the wall. He was 22 when he was killed in Tripoli’s Abu Salim prison, one of nearly 100 Darna residents killed in a notorious 1996 prison massacre that is said to have claimed more than 1200 lives. “They took him away because he prayed and had a beard. He was coming back from Tripoli and stopped to pray at a mosque in Ajdabiyah,” she said.—Reuters

‘Qaeda danger looms’ if Saleh falls DUBAI: The danger from Al-Qaeda’s branch in Yemen, whose leader has vowed to avenge Osama bin Laden’s killing, would increase if the regime of embattled President Ali Abdullah Saleh falls, analysts say. “The threat of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula should be taken seriously. It has the largest capacity to inflict damage among Al-Qaeda groups,” said Mustapha Al-Ani, security and terrorism director at the Dubai-based Gulf Research Centre.

“AQAP would benefit from a fall of the regime to reinforce logistically and increase its numbers” in Yemen, the scene of 15 weeks of deadly protests demanding the departure of Saleh, he said. The local franchise of the jihadist network was born out of a merger of the Saudi and Yemeni branches in 2009, and it is active mainly in the south and east of the impoverished Arabian Peninsula country.

The Yemeni chief of AQAP, Nasir AlWahishi, threatened in a message released on Wednesday to intensify attacks to avenge bin Laden’s killing by US commandos on May 2 near the Pakistani capital.

“What is coming is greater and worse, and what is awaiting you is more intense and harmful,” he vowed. AQAP has some 1,000 fighters, mostly Yemenis, and “benefits from the chaotic situation in Yemen which helps in strengthening its position in the society,” said Dominique Thomas, a Parisbased specialist on Middle East Islamist

groups. The group has managed to “weave alliances with tribes,” Thomas said.

“AQAP could benefit from instability which would result in its control over certain areas in Yemen.”

The group was behind an attempt to bomb a US-bound flight from Amsterdam on Christmas Day in 2009, and has claimed responsibility for explosive parcels that were intercepted in October in Dubai and Britain en route to the United States. “With such operations, AQAP has proven capa-

ble of launching attacks at a distance and has formed cells in Western countries,” said Saeed Obeid Al-Jihmi, a Yemeni specialist in Islamist organizations. “Taking advantage of the deterioration in security and the defections in the Yemeni army, AQAP has reinforced its ranks by attracting more fighters and sympathizers,” he said.

“The group could strike at any time to prove that the extremist network remains alive” despite the elimination of bin Laden, he added. —Agencies

TAIZ: Anti-government protestors block the road during clashes with Yemeni security forces in Taiz. — AP

A

y

e niv rsar n

Years

Business

FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

Saudi, Kuwait sell fuel at low prices DUBAI: The Middle East Gulf market has seen increasing number of naphtha cargoes this week, as producers ramped up their sales to cash in on buoyant premiums. But sentiment was likely to soften in the coming weeks, traders said. Kuwait Petroleum Company (KPC) sold another 150,000 tons of naphtha for June delivery, after last week’s 50,000 tons for May, with premiums for June cargoes ranging between $30 to $33 a ton on an free-on-board basis.

Reduced European exports to the East have propelled FOB premiums in Asia to as high as nearly $40 a ton in some deals, levels not seen since early 2010. “Naphtha itself is softening but the premiums are catching up,” one trader said. “And since it’s all June loadings in these tenders, they’re getting high premiums,” he said. Bahrain’s state-owned refiner Bapco has sold two 50,000-tonne cargoes the week before at around $27 a ton over Middle East spot quotes.

The refiner is tendering for another 25,000 tons for July loading but has not sold the latest cargo yet, traders say. “They’re asking for $30 a ton,” another trader said. Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) is also selling two 75,000-tonne spot cargoes of naphtha for June loading. Gasoline premiums came under pressure after the Asian and European markets have fallen following lower crude oil and bearish data from the United States. “The east-west has collapsed,” one gasoline trader said.

He did not provide an exact level for 95 RON gasoline but said it would be off from last week’s $120125 a ton over the benchmark Middle East naphtha quotes.

Two traders said the market would still be pricing gasoline at around $120 a ton but there were no actual deals done out of that level. “There’s still decent demand from Saudi, Pakistan,” gasoline trader said. Saudi Aramco is seeking another 2-3 cargoes for June delivery, traders said. The state oil giant has bought two cargoes from Gunvor last week, one trader said. But the premiums for the deal were not immediately available. Aramco has managed to purchase some cargoes with lower premiums, traders say, as there has been a surplus of gasoline cargoes in the Mediterreanean market due to lack of buying from Libya, which used to import 7-8 cargoes per month. Low sulphur gas oil remained under pressure with abundant supplies weighing on the sentiment, traders said. “Cargoes are being offer, there’s plenty of supplies but haven’t seen any deals done,” one middle distillates trader said.

“Summer demand is supposed to be kicking in, but haven’t seen much of an increase yet,” another trader said, adding that the usual buyers such as the United Arab Emirates has so far been absent. Two traders pegged lower sulphur gas oil, also known as 500 ppm, at around $3 to $3.20 a barrel on a freeon-board (FOB) basis.

Fuel oil traders in Fujairah were watching cargoes out of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to see how many would land in the Fujairah market, where premiums have been rather stagnant. May-loading fuel oil volumes from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, two of the top exporters from the Middle East, have risen to 750,000-800,000 tons. At least two parcels are expected to land in Singapore. “Demand here is not very good. Last week’s fall in crude price have spooked people. Everyone’s waiting to see how the demand would be before buying,” one fuel oil trader said. Both ExxonMobil and Kuwait sold their latest cargoes at lower prices. — Reuters

SAN FRANCISCO: Ken Liu, Senior Product Manager for Google, talks about new features for the Chrome operating system at the Google IO Developers Conference. — AP

Google-powered laptops arrive Google’s Chromebook set to challenge Apple SAN FRANCISCO: The first laptops running on a Google-designed software system will go on sale in the US and six other countries next month. The June 15 release date announced Wednesday means the lightweight laptops will hit the market nearly two years after Google Inc began working on an operating system based on its Chrome Web browser.

Since then, Apple Inc’s iPad and other tablet computers have become hot sellers. The growing popularity of tablets has raised questions about how interested consumers will be interested in buying Google-powered laptops specifically tailored for Web surfing.

Samsung Electronics Co and Acer Inc are making the first Chromebooks. They will sell for $349 to $499 at Best Buy and Amazon.com Inc in the US The cheapest iPad sells for $499. Acer’s Chromebook, at $349, will have an 11.6-inch (29.46centimeter) screen display and up to six hours of battery life. Samsung’s version, selling for $429 to $499, will have a 12.1inch (30.73-centimeter) screen and up to 8.5 hours of battery life. Both models will have keyboards, but no hard drives for storage. The machines will be like computer terminals dependent on a connection to the Internet. The laptops come with 16 gigabytes of flash memory - the kind found in smartphones, tablet computers and some iPods. They have slots to plug in other storages device you buy separately. The Chromebooks also will be sold in Britain, France, Germany, Netherlands, Italy and Spain. In an effort to get people to use Chromebooks, Google is offering three-year subscription plans to businesses and schools similar to how the mobile phone industry subsidizes devices up front and make the money back over the life of a service contract. For a monthly cost of $28 per user in businesses and government agencies and $20 per user in schools, Google provides the laptop, tech support and a warranty for the duration.

SAN FRANCISCO: Attendees interact with the VEVO program, used to view music videos, and compatible with Google TV at the Google IO Developers Conference, Wednesday, May 11, 2011. — AP Google will replace the Chromebooks at the end of the three years.

Chromebook’s long-awaited debut will intensify Google’s competition with Microsoft Corp whose Windows operating system remains the foundation of most personal computers.

Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin have long felt that Windows computers took too long to power up and were too clunky to operate. They believed that Windows’ drawbacks were discouraging people from spending even more time online, where they could click on ads sold by Google. To address the perceived problem, Google announced its plans in July 2009 for a Chrome-based operating system that would enable computers to turn on in a matter of seconds and encourage more Web surfing. “The complexity of managing computers is really frustrating for users out there,” Brin told reporters Wednesday at Google’s conference for software developers. “It’s a flawed mod-

el.” Brin, who began focusing on special projects earlier this year, said he didn’t have enough information to comment on a Justice Department investigation into the online ad system that generates most of Google’s revenue. The company disclosed Tuesday that it has set aside $500 million to settle the probe. It provided few details.

Besides attacking Microsoft’s Windows franchise, Google’s Chromebook also will represent another challenge to Apple, which makes Mac computers as well as iPads. Google and Apple have been engaged in a fierce competition in the smartphone market for the past two years. Google itself has joined the tablet computer craze by creating a special version of its Android software for mobile devices. Apple sold nearly 20 million iPads during the tablet’s first year on the market. and analysts expect people to buy tens of millions more tablets from Apple and other manufacturers during the next few years. —AP

A

y

e niv rsar n

Years

Business

FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

Oil extends slide to $112 on demand fears ‘Brent to fall towards $105’

NECKARSULM: An Audi R8 5.2 Quattro car stands at the Audi Forum yesterday. German luxury car maker Audi holds its annual general meeting at the venue. — AFP

Dana Gas faces delayed payments from Egypt DUBAI: Dana Gas, the UAE energy firm, faces delayed payments of $148 million for gas from the Egyptian government which could have an impact on its future investments in the country, Dana’s CEO told Reuters yesterday.

“We have a four to five months delayed payments from the Egyptian government which is an amount of $148 million,” Ahmed Al-Arbeed told Reuters in a telephone interview. Dana Gas has significant investments in Egypt and said it produced 4.25 million barrels of oil equivalent (BoE) in the country during the first-quarter of this year. “If the payment is not made, this might make us think twice before reinvesting in Egypt but for now we are in talks with the government and we hope the issue will be resolved soon,” said Al-Arbeed. He said it was too early to say if the company might consider stopping further investments in Egypt. Dana has significant operations in the UAE, Iraq and Egypt. Dana Gas posted a near three-fold rise in first-quarter net profit yesterday due to higher prices and increased production, helping it beat analysts’ forecasts.

The Gulf’s only listed natural gas company, posted first-quarter earnings of 92 million dirhams ($25.05 million), compared with 33 million dirhams for the year-ago period, it said in a statement on the Abu Dhabi bourse.

Five analysts on average had expected Dana to post a net profit of 57 million dirhams for the first quarter according to a Reuters poll. But some analysts expect that ballooning receivables- money owed to Dana by its customers-could pressure earnings.

“While the shares may still outperform today on the headline numbers, the earnings do not fully reflect the reality of the company’s operating environment,” said a research note from Nomura in Dubai.

Dana’s price target was cut by 10 percent by research firm AlembicHC in April, which warned that receivables at the gas company were expected to balloon in the short term as the Egyptian government deferred payments. Dana said first-quarter profit excluded an unrealized gain of 326 million dirhams on its investment in Hungary’s MOL. —Reuters

FRANKFURT: Reto Francioni (right and on screen), CEO of German stock exchange operator Deutsche Boerse AG, addresses the shareholders during the company’s annual general meeting yesterday. A central issue of the meeting is the planned fusion of the German stock exchange with the NYSE. — AFP

LONDON: Oil slipped to around $112 a barrel yesterday, extending the previous session’s sell-off, after a report from the International Energy Agency added to concern about high prices and demand destruction. The IEA, which advises 28 industrialized countries, cut its 2011 global oil demand growth forecast to 1.29 million barrels per day (bpd) from 1.43 million bpd, citing high prices and a weaker economic outlook for developed economies.

Brent crude fell 68 cents to $111.89 a barrel by 0935 GMT, adding to Wednesday’s $5 drop which was sparked by rising US gasoline inventories and falling domestic demand for the fuel. US crude lost $1.05 to $97.16. “We clearly have seen demand growth slowing compared to last year’s level and we’re seeing it very much concentrated where the price feed through is most direct, notably in North America in terms of gasoline,” said David Fyfe, head of the IEA’s Oil Industry and Markets division.

A surprise increase in US gasoline inventories reported on Wednesday sent gasoline futures down almost 8 percent and fuelled the second rout in a week on commodity markets. US crude stocks also rose, government data showed. The IEA said yesterday gasoline pump prices of near $4 a gallon in the United States would prompt Americans to drive less this summer. Gasoline demand in the world’s top consumer usually peaks in the summer months.

“We believe gasoline demand will indeed disappoint this year rising seasonally but nonetheless declining on a yearly basis if retail prices remain at

Petrofac sees busy 2nd half for Saudi projects KHOBAR: Oil services firm Petrofac will be more active in bidding for oil and gas projects in Saudi Arabia, where it sees many opportunities arising in the second half of the year, a senior executive at the company said. “We believe that in the second half of the year we will be very busy in bidding,” said Imad Shanan, senior vice president and general operations for the Saudi operations of Petrofac Engineering and Construction Ventures.

“The EPC (Engineering, Procurement, Construction) market did not recover yet (from the 2008 financial crisis). We expect that next year probably reasonable size of business will be available or awarded in Saudi,” Shanan told Reuters on the sidelines of a MEED conference.

Shanan said his company was not concerned by competition from South Korean companies who have won several EPC deals in the Saudi market over the past couple of years.

“We are not concerned at all...We can see that the South Koreans are bidding very aggressively but I think the market always will correct itself,” he said. State oil giant Saudi Aramco has awarded 39 contracts to South Korean companies worth $11.5 billion in the last five years, its chief executive, Khalid Al-Falih, said recently.

Petrofac is carrying out EPC work for the utilities and cogeneration package for the development of Saudi Aramco’s first non-associated gas field Karan, which will have a capacity to process 1.8 billion cfd once completed. Shanan declined to say when the project was due to be completed but said “We are doing well (on Karan).” Aramco had said it expected to start producing 450 million cubic feet per day of gas from the first phase of the Karan project by mid-2011.The project would be fully completed by 2013. — Reuters

current levels,” the IEA said. There could be further losses ahead, according to technical price charts.

Brent could fall toward $105.21, according to Reuters analyst Wang Tao. It fell as low as $105.15 on May 6. “If you see it from a fundamental point of view, the price is still too expensive and far from an appropriate value,” said Ken Hasegawa, a commodity derivatives manager at Japan’s Newedge brokerage. Oil had staged a modest bounce before the IEA report was released, clawing back about $1, as investors focused on strong demand growth in Asia.

“In the United States they are more concerned about the unexpected rise in gasoline inventories and the sputtering economic recovery,” said Gordon Kwan, head of energy research at Mirae Assets Securities in Hong Kong.

“But over in Asia we have a more bullish view.

Even if we see weakening in Chinese industrial output, it is still very strong and we don’t believe in a hard landing. Implied oil demand in China, the world’s second-largest crude consumer, reached its third-highest level on record last month, but yearon-year growth slipped to 8.8 percent after six consecutive months of double-digit gains. Wednesday’s tumble in prices drove oil volatility to its highest close since mid-March as prices posted their second rout in less than a week. Even after the latest decline, Brent crude is up 18 percent this year, having jumped to a 32-month high above $127 last month, driven in part by fighting in Libya and the loss of its crude exports. — Reuters

AE’s Eshraq firm raises $225m in IPO ABU DHABI: UAE property firm Eshraq raised 825 million dirhams ($225 million), its target amount, in an oversubscribed offer that signals renewed interest in the battered property sector, bankers said yesterday. Eshraq’s initial public offering, the first by a real estate firm since the UAE’s property boom collapsed in 2008, closed on Wednesday. The Abu Dhabi-based firm has total capital of 1.5 billion dirhams and offered 55 percent through the IPO. It plans to list on the Abu Dhabi exchange.

“The company offered 825 million shares and the demand was more than that with quality institutional and retail investors participating,” Majd Maaitah, head of securities at National Bank of Abu Dhabi, told Reuters. He declined to say how many times it was oversubscribed as numbers were still being finalised. NBAD acted as lead receiving bank and investment firm Royal Capital was lead manager for the IPO which launched on May 1.“That Eshraq, being in the real estate sector was able to raise the amount is a sign of success. It will be an added value to the stock market,” a banker involved in the IPO said. Esraq plans to use the funds for to finance current and future developments, it said ahead of the IPO. Some 70 percent of Eshraq’s future developments will be in the UAE and 30 percent in Saudi Arabia. Eshraq plans to invest 2.3 billion dirhams over the next three years in developing property. NBAD’s Maaitah said Eshraq could list on the Abu Dhabi Securities Market (ADX) within two months. — Reuters

A

y

e niv rsar n

Years

Business

FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

Thousands demonstrate against Greek measures Stones thrown, tear gas fired at Athens march

SAKHIR: An oil worker is pictured in the desert oil fields of Bahrain. Bahrain’s oil company has fired almost 300 employees in recent weeks for taking part in anti-government protests and general strikes, according to Abdulhussain bin Ali Mirza, the Gulf kingdom’s Energy Minister. — AP

China raises bank reserves BEIJING: China ordered most of its banks yesterday to increase the amount of money they hold in reserves in a new move to curb inflation after higher-than-expected price rises in April.

The central bank’s order was the fifth reserve increase this year and came a day after the government reported April inflation was 5.3 percent. Stubbornly high inflation has frustrated communist leaders who have declared taming surging living costs their priority this year. They have raised interest rates four times since October and ordered companies to restrain price rises.

The People’s Bank of China ordered most banks to increase reserves by 0.5 percent of their deposits as of next Wednesday. That will raise reserves for the biggest institutions to 21 percent of deposits. Economists blame China’s inflation spike on strong consumer demand that is outstripping food supplies and a flood of bank lending that was part of Beijing’s stimulus following the 2008 global crisis. China’s savings are rising so fast that economists regard increases in reserve levels and interest rates as only a signal to institutions to cut back lending. — AP

ATHENS: Riot police made heavy use of tear gas and stun grenades to disperse youths throwing stones and petrol bombs as thousands of demonstrators marched through central Athens to protest the Greek government’s harsh austerity measures. At least 25 civilians were injured Wednesday, including a man who suffered life-threatening head wounds and was hospitalized in critical condition, hospital officials said. Two police officers were also injured during the demonstration, officials said. The police quickly announced they were launching an investigation into the man’s injury and all other reports of casualties in the demonstration.

In 2008, the fatal police shooting of a teenage boy led to two weeks of severe riots in cities across Greece. The clashes came during a 24-hour general strike that brought most public services to a halt, idled all trains and island ferries, grounded flights for four hours and disrupted public transport. Police said at least 20,000 people marched in two separate demonstrations in the capital, and another 8,000 protested in the northern city of Thessaloniki.

The unions have joined many economic experts in questioning the effectiveness of more austerity at a time when the economy badly needs growth - or possibly a debt restructuring - to emerge from its debt hole. The country is expected to need more financial help, beyond the §110 billion ($158 billion) bailout that saved it from bankruptcy last year. But European officials, who have ruled out the possibility of Greece reneging on debt accords, say any new help would require more reforms. After a year of belt-tightening, some experts wonder how much more Greeks can realistically take and whether Europe should not reconsider its long-term crisis strategy. This month, the Socialist government is planning to pass further cutbacks aimed at saving an estimated §23 billion ($33 billion) through 2015.

Twenty-five people were treated at two hospitals for various injuries or breathing problems, hospital officials said. The most seriously wounded man was a 31-year-old man who suffered a

ATHENS: A protester runs as others are caught by riot police during clashes, Wednesday, May 11, 2011. —AP very serious head injury. Doctors managed to stabilize him in surgery, but “his injuries remain life-threatening,” a hospital official involved in his care said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with hospital policy.

Protesters gathered at the hospital and hit policeman who arrived to conduct an investigation, police spokesman Athanasios Kokalakis said. He said three policeman were slightly injured. A local member of parliament, Panagiotis Lafazanis, who was briefed by doctors about the man’s condition, said it was expected to remain critical for several days. Angered by the man’s wounding, about 300 people demonstrated in Thessaloniki against police brutality on Wednesday evening before dispersing peacefully. Another 100 people gathered outside the Athens hospital where the man was being treated. A media blackout due to the strike meant news about his condition was available mainly through online blogs.

Police said 30 suspected rioters were detained in Athens, with 11 of them arrested as dozens of black-clad anarchists smashed bus stops, set rubbish bins on fire and smashed a shop window. The fighting divided the day’s sec-

ond march called by the two main labor unions - which was otherwise peaceful into two. Choking clouds of tear gas sent demonstrators and tourists scurrying for cover past shops and banks that had their fronts shuttered in anticipation of trouble. Previous protests have also been marred by violence. Three clerks died last May when their bank was torched by rioters.

“Every day that passes (the government) takes back what the working class has won through blood and struggles all these years,” retiree John Pavlidis said.

Greece’s crisis follows years of inept governance, widespread corruption and waste that created bloated budget deficits and a public debt considerably larger than annual economic output. For the time being, the country is shielded from insolvency by the §110 billion, 2010-2013 program from its European Union partners and International Monetary Fund.

Parliament is to vote on the new round of cutbacks later this month. The governing Socialists have also committed themselves to an ambitious - but so far nebulous - privatization program worth a total of §50 billion ($72 billion) over the next few years. —AP

IMF urges joint action over euro zone crisis EU/IMF pressing for more Greek cuts FRANKFURT: Despite bailouts for Greece, Ireland and Portugal, Europe’s debt crisis could still spread to core euro zone countries and the emerging economies of eastern Europe, the International Monetary Fund warned yesterday. The IMF said it stood ready to provide more aid to Greece if requested, though the country that triggered the sovereign debt crisis in 2009 still had plenty of untapped options for raising extra cash itself though privatizations.

Government sources in Athens mean-

while said international inspectors checking on Greece’s compliance with its EU/IMF rescue package had found problems and were pressing for deeper spending cuts to cover a revenue shortfall. “Contagion to the core euro area, and then onwards to emerging Europe, remains a tangible downside risk,” the global lender’s latest economic report on Europe said. Finance ministers of the 17nation single currency area are set to approve a 78 billion euro rescue plan for Portugal next Monday after Finland’s

prime minister-in-waiting clinched a deal to ensure parliamentary approval of the package.

But markets are increasingly concerned that Greece may never be able to pay back its 327 billion euro debt pile and will have to restructure, forcing losses on investors with severe consequences in the euro zone and beyond.

Asked whether there could be new aid package to help Greece work through its fiscal recovery program, the IMF’s European department director, Antonio

Borges, said the fund was open to the possibility. “The Greeks have to take the initiative, and so far they have not approached us. The IMF stands ready (to provide additional support) as a matter of policy,” he told reporters. However, Athens also had the potential to raise funds by selling state assets, with the 50 billion euros mentioned as a possible estimate of revenues from a privatization program “probably less than 20 percent of all the assets the Greeks could privatize”. —Reuters

A

y

e niv rsar n

Years

Business

FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

Nissan makes comeback in Q4, annual profits soar Nissan considers nighttime production

TOKYO: Otogino Co employee (right) explains about the Wind Turbine DS-600 to a visitor during the Eco Office Expo in Tokyo yesterday. The Japanese company offers people to install the couple of 210,000 yen (US 2,594 dollars) wind turbine in their house and sell the stored electricity to other households, not only generating electricity for their own houses. — AP

Japan’s current account surplus down 34.3 percent TOKYO: Japan’s current account surplus in March shrank 34.3 percent from a year earlier, data showed yesterday, underlining the impact of a devastating quake and tsunami on the world’s third-largest economy. The plunge in the surplus followed a 3.0 percent rise in February. “While imports grew, exports fell due to the impact of the East Japan Great Earthquake,” the ministry said in a monthly report, referring to the March 11 disaster. The surplus in the current account-the broadest measure of trade with the rest of the world-stood at 1.68 trillion yen ($20.7 billion) in the month.

The sum was smaller than the surplus of 1.73 trillion yen expected by economists surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires and the Nikkei economic daily. The 9.0-magnitude quake and ensuing tsunami damaged supply chains and crippled a nuclear power plant operated by Tokyo Electric Power, causing rolling power outages. The worst natural disaster to hit Japan since World War II has sent industrial output, household spending and consumer sentiment falling at record rates in March, derailing an economic recovery. Yesterday’s data showed that Japan’s trade surplus tumbled by 77.9 percent to 240.3 billion yen with exports falling 1.4 percent despite a 16.6 percent rise in imports. The finance ministry also said in a separate report yesterday that Japan fell into a trade deficit in the first 20 days of April. Japan ran a deficit of 786.8 billion yen for the 20 days, reversing a surplus of 154.6 billion yen in the same period last year.

Exports fell 12.7 percent year-on-year, the sharpest fall since October 1-20 in 2009, while imports rose 14.2 percent.

“If exports keep falling at this pace... it may lead to a deficit in the current account in April” even with robust returns on overseas investment and businesses, said UBS economist Daiju Aoki. “The impact of the disaster was bigger than expected” in March and April, he said, while predicting the Japanese economy would still recover late this year.

“We can expect a strong recovery from mid-May onward. It would be just temporary even if Japan falls into a deficit,” Aoki said. As the government plans aggressive spending to reconstruct disaster-hit areas, companies are striving to save electricity. Chubu Electric said this week it would comply with Prime Minister Naoto Kan’s request to temporarily close its nuclear power plant, located near a tectonic faultline southwest of Tokyo. Economy minister Kaoru Yosano warned the new shutdown may cause electricity supply problems this summer. —AFP

TOKYO: Nissan rounded out a record year for car sales by returning to profit in the fourth quarter but Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn acknowledged serious challenges from Japan’s natural disasters. The good news yesterday was clouded by uncertainties due to the damage from Japan’s quake, tsunami and nuclear crises that have disrupted production for Nissan and other Japanese automakers. Nissan Motor Co, allied with Renault SA of France, reported a 30.77 billion yen ($380 million) profit for January-March, a turnaround from a 11.6 billion yen loss a year earlier.

Quarterly sales jumped 10 percent to 2.35 trillion yen ($29 billion) Ghosn said production at Nissan plants worldwide will be back at pre-disaster levels by October, after which the company will make up for lost production. He did not give an earnings forecast for the current fiscal year through March 2012, but promised projections would be ready by a shareholders’ meeting in June. Ghosn said Japan’s second biggest automaker was working on restoring full production. The magnitude-9.0 earthquake and tsunami on March 11 destroyed key auto parts makers in northeastern Japan.

On Wednesday, Toyota Motor Corp said fixing its production problems was moving faster than initially expected, although it did not give a date for a full recovery. “Nissan is once again proving its resilience in the face of adversity,” Ghosn said. He acknowledged overseas rivals were likely going to snatch market share away while Nissan struggles to fix production. But momentum was in Nissan’s favor, given the sales achievements and market gains for the year just ended, he said.

For the fiscal year ended March 2011, profit at Nissan, which makes the Leaf electric vehicle and the March subcompact, totaled 319.2 billion yen, more than seven times what it earned the previous year when Nissan was still recovering from the global financial crisis.

Annual sales jumped nearly 17 percent to 8.77 trillion yen ($108 billion) Nissan sold 4.185 million vehicles for the fiscal year, up 19.1percent from 3.515 million the previous year. The global auto industry had grown a smaller 12.6 percent during that period.

Nissan’s sales in China, its largest sin-

YOKOHAMA: Nissan vehicles are displayed at a showroom yesterday. — AFP gle market worldwide, reached a record 1.02 million vehicles for the fiscal year, up 35.5 percent. Although Nissan sold fewer vehicles in Japan on year, sales were up in the US, Europe and South America, according to Nissan. Nissan’s US sales rose 12.2 percent from a year earlier in April, riding on the back of the popularity of the Altima sedan, in contrast to Toyota, whose reputation has been hurt by massive recalls. Toyota’s US April sales gained just 1 percent.

Toyota saw its quarterly profit plunged by more than 75 percent, despite doubling its earnings for the fiscal year. Honda Motor Co reported a quarterly profit drop of 38 percent, and doesn’t expect to return to full production in Japan until the end of the year.

Ghosn said Nissan suffered from the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, including the deaths of five employees, pausing at the start of the news conference to ask that all deaths from the disaster be remembered. But Nissan was

showing it can bounce back, he told reporters at Yokohama headquarters.

Nissan was preparing for the risk of further electricity shortages in Japan, he said. The tsunami sent one nuclear plant to the brink of a meltdown, and safety concerns have prompted the government to ask that another nuclear plant be shut down, possibly creating severe power shortages, especially in summer months when demand shoots up.

Nissan will conserve energy and is considering adding nighttime production and in-house generation, said Ghosn. Nissan is also addressing fears about radiation contamination. In March, Nissan began testing radiation levels of its products before shipping and confirming their safety. “Our recovery is going smoothly and robustly,” Ghosn said. “Fiscal year 2010 was a record year for Nissan in terms of sales and growth.” Nissan shares rose 1.4 percent to 795 yen in Tokyo trading, shortly before earnings were announced. —AP

Indian industrial output grows 7.3% NEW DELHI: India’s industrial output rose 7.3 percent in March after growth of double that in the same month last year, data showed yesterday, as higher interest rates and rising material costs crimped expansion. The March figure exceeded analysts’ expectations of a 3.8-percent hike, and was higher than growth in February of 3.65 percent, but expansion remains far below the level of last year when it was clocked at 15.5 percent. Manufacturing output, which accounts for 80 percent of the industri-

al output index, rose 7.9 percent in March, about half the level of a year ago. Economists were surprised by the sudden spike in industrial activity, but warned that local firms would continue to face difficulty in boosting output because of tight lending practices, lower margins and rising commodity prices. They expect India’s hawkish central bank to continue to raise interest rates in coming months, with annual inflation at near 9.0 percent-the highest amongst all major Asian

economies. The Reserve Bank of India this month hiked interest rates for the ninth time in 15 months by a biggerthan-expected 50 basis points, warning that short-term economic growth might have to be sacrificed in the fight against inflation. “The output data is surprisingly high,” said Siddhartha Sanyal, chief India economist with Barclays Capital, who expects the central bank to maintain an aggressive monetary policy stance to tackle the rising cost of living. —AFP

A

y

e niv rsar n

Years

Business

FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

China super rich set to propel luxury yacht sales ‘People in China first will buy houses, then cars, then yachts’ HONG KONG: With their sleek, modern lines and polished finish, the two yachts built by Samuel Wong’s shipyard fit right in among the multimillion-dollar floating palaces moored at a tony Hong Kong yacht club.

Onboard, a disco ball, karaoke system and garish neon blue accent lighting in the living quarters are hints that the vessel is aimed at the luxury yacht industry’s newest growth market: wealthy Chinese. Yacht makers are hoping they will be the latest to benefit from China’s booming economy, which is creating a growing class of wealthy tycoons splurging on luxury lifestyle pursuits. Rich Chinese are already known for spending lavish sums of money on flashy apartments, designer labels such as Louis Vuitton and high-end cars such as Porsches and Rolls-Royces.

“People in China first will buy houses.

Then cars. Then the next step will be the yacht industry,” Wong said hopefully at a recent boat expo in Hong Kong. His familyowned shipyard located in Zhuhai, across the border from Macau in mainland China, has been building fishing and house boats for 40 years. Two years ago, it expanded into luxury yachts under the Accelera brand, a name chosen for its vaguely European sound. That illustrates another recent trend: Chinese companies are expanding into high-end boatbuilding, a field traditionally dominated by the Americans and Europeans. But in Wong’s favor are high import duties for foreign yachts, part of China’s strategy to help companies in a range of industries develop into global competitors.

About 20 companies in China, including 11 backed by foreign investment, are producing superyachts, which some define as longer than 24 meters (80 feet). Hong Kongbased Kingship Marine is building a 144-footer at its yard in Zhongshan in China’s southern Guangdong province. The company hasn’t found a buyer yet for the $27 million vessel, which is the biggest being built in China, but Managing Director Roger Liang believes there won’t be any shortage of interest.

China is “just like Russia five years ago.

Suddenly Russia became a very important player, so this could happen to China,” he said, a reference to billionaires such as Roman Abramovich, who owns at least three yachts. Yacht companies report that China sales started taking off two years ago, raising the possibility that some are being bought with improperly diverted stimulus money and bank lending that flooded the economy as part of government efforts to deflect the 2008 financial crisis. However, sailing experts say many are also being bought by young entrepreneurs who have made fortunes taking their companies public.

China’s yachting industry is still in its infancy but local governments are hoping for rapid expansion. The city of Tianjin is building a 9-billion yuan ($1.4 billion) yacht port that will be the country’s largest, with 750 berths to accommodate luxury yachts up to 295 feet (90 meters) long, according to a report in the China Daily newspaper.

Hainan Island on the southern coast, meanwhile, is being positioned as the Chinese Riviera. Qingdao, Xiamen and other ports along China’s 14,500-kilometer (9,000

mile) coastline are also being developed to attract the yachting crowd.

There’s no shortage of wealthy Chinese with money to blow on luxury motor yachts, a notoriously expensive pasttime. China has 875,000 millionaires and nearly half of them want to buy a boat, according to a survey last year by the Hurun Report, China’s version of the Forbes Rich List. There is plenty of room for growth, with about 1,300 private yachts

pared with about 15 percent for locally made watercraft. Some yachting experts believe the Chinese government is using the tax to help develop the country’s fledgling yacht building industry. “The Chinese really want to control it, up to the point where probably their own industry has developed to a level that it can run by itself,” said Bart Kimman, who runs a yacht management company based in Hong Kong. To get around red

including a sleek, black Predator model costing about 20 million Hong Kong dollars ($2.6 million). They also plan to buy three others that are at least 90 feet long, and come fitted with flat screen televisions, full size fridges and a rear “garage” hatch to stow dinghies, jetskis and other toys. Chan and his boss plan to travel to Italy later in May to look for more boats to buy. Eventually, they want to have a fleet of 50 yachts from a range of

HONG KONG: In this photo, models pose on the British-made Sunseeker Predator 92 sport motor yacht at a boat show. — AP in China, according to figures cited by state media. In the US, the world’s biggest yacht market, there are 17 million privately owned recreational boats, according to industry publication International Boating Industry.

However, some sailing enthusiasts are skeptical and say China still has a long way to go before it can rival the superyacht’s natural habitats of the Mediterranean or Caribbean.

One problem is murky regulations that vary from province to province. Some cities have rules governing boat ownership and how and where they can be operated, while others don’t. That makes it difficult for sailors to make longer journeys. Poor sailing infrastructure is also a problem, with relatively few experienced staff at a small number of marinas, some of which are located in the middle of industrial areas.

Meanwhile, imported boats are subject to an import duty of at least 43 percent com-

tape, Chinese yacht owners are buying and registering boats in Hong Kong, a special administrative region of China with a separate legal system.

Albert Wu, general manager of the Gold Coast Yacht and Country Club, said an increasing number of his 220 berths are occupied by mainland Chinese-owned boats.

Stiff duties don’t seem to be deterring statusconscious Chinese from buying ships from established American and European boatbuilders. Frankie Chan, who traveled with his boss from Beijing to visit the show, was planning to buy five British-made Sunseeker boats. Chan is vice president of Oursjia, which rents out luxury cars and high-end furniture to 500,000 clients in 60 cities around China. About 10 percent of them have been requesting luxury yachts.

The pair were inspecting two 60-footers that their company would take delivery of,

brands based at marinas around China. “You can’t compare with the European boats. If you talk about high-end boats, European boats are the best,” said Chan.

Gordon Hui, managing director of Sunseeker Asia Ltd., said that until two years ago, it had almost no sales to Chinese customers. Since then, he’s sold about 25 boats to Chinese customers and the market now accounts for 8 to 10 percent of the company’s annual production of about 200 yachts a year.Chinese shipyards are hoping to compete with their foreign rivals by undercutting them on price. —AP

A

y

e niv rsar n

Years

Business

FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

AIG, Treasury offer 300m shares worth $9 billion NEW YORK: Bailed-out global insurance company American International Group Inc and the US government are offering to sell a total of 300 million AIG shares to the public. The stock sale would be a big step by the US government toward disentangling itself from the company. The government stepped in to rescue AIG from collapse with $182 billion in 2008 the biggest bailout of the financial crisis.

AIG and the government didn’t specify a price for the shares in a regulatory filing on Wednesday. But 300 million shares of AIG were worth about $8.89 billion at Tuesday’s closing price of $29.62.

AIG shares rose $1.03, or 3.5 percent, to close at $30.65 Wednesday. AIG has seen its shares drop by more than 40 percent since hitting a high of $52.67 on Jan 7. Last week the New York-based company reported a first-quarter loss, weighed down by the repayment of bailout aid and losses from Japan’s earthquake and tsunami. In March, AIG repaid the Treasury Department nearly $7 billion, trimming its outstanding balance to just under $60 billion. Treasury owns about 92 percent of AIG through its holdings of the company’s common stock. The government expects to sell the shares over the next two years.

Treasury officials have said they expect to recoup the full bailout amount.

The “break-even” stock price at which taxpayers would fully recover their investment is considered to be around $27 to $28. As with the other financial bailouts, the government has to balance two objectives: ensuring maximum return on the taxpayers’ investment while also getting the U.S. out of the business of owning private companies.

The filing says AIG is offering 100 million shares for sale and Treasury is offering 200 million shares. In addition, Treasury will give the underwriters an option to buy up to an additional 45 million shares to cover any excess demand.

AIG plans to use net proceeds of $550 million to pay for part of a lawsuit settlement, with the remainder for general corporate purposes. Government auditors have said taxpayers might be repaid in full for the AIG bailout. The Government Accountability Office says the final cost of the rescue will depend on the strength of AIG’s businesses and its share price. Overall its insurance business is stronger, mostly because of the federal money it received, according to the auditors. Since 2008, AIG has sold 33 businesses and raised more than $57 billion in cash and securities.

Last year alone, AIG raised more than $37 billion, primarily by selling two international life insurance divisions. Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Deutsche Bank Securities, Goldman, Sachs & Co and J P Morgan Securities LLC are serving as joint global coordinators for the stock offering. Barclays Capital, Citi, Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, Macquarie Capital, Morgan Stanley, UBS Investment Bank and Wells Fargo Securities are the offering’s joint bookrunners. — AP

US Republicans unveil cuts Democrats eye tax hike WASHINGTON: US Republicans planned sharp cuts to foreign aid and education on Wednesday, while Democrats weighed a tax hike on millionaires, highlighting the yawning divide between the two parties in the budget debate. With a struggle over raising the US debt limit expected to last through the summer, Republicans in the House of Representatives forged ahead with a spending plan for the coming fiscal year that points to another bruising struggle in the fall.

Republicans have pressed for deep spending cuts to get the country’s rapidly rising debt under control. They won the largest domestic spending cut in history last month in a battle that took the government to the brink of a shutdown. An outline released by the House Appropriations Committee indicated they will press for further cuts in the coming fiscal year, which starts on Oct 1. Domestic programs would see their budgets shrink by 22 percent from the 2010 fiscal year, when Democrats controlled both the House and the Senate. The Defense Department’s budget would see a 3 percent increase from last year.

Democrats who control the Senate are considering a budget plan of their own that would impose a surtax of 3 percent on millionaires, according to a congressional source. They aim to keep domestic spending roughly at current levels — $47 billion higher than the Republican plan.

Democrats say tax increases are needed to help keep the US debt at a sustainable level, and more than half of Americans agree with them, according to a Reuters survey. Republicans say tax hikes are off the table in negotiations on cutting stubborn budget deficits, which have hovered around 10 percent of gross domestic product in recent years.

Even as the United States struggles to emerge from the deepest recession since the 1930s, the discussion in Washington has shifted from stimu-

WASHINGTON: US House Majority Leader Rep Eric Cantor speaks during a news conference May 11, 2011 on Capitol Hill. Cantor held a news conference to introduce the next phase of the You Cut program. — AFP lus to austerity. The country is due on Monday to hit the congressionally set $14.3 trillion limit on how much it can borrow. The Treasury Department says Congress must act by Aug. 2 to avoid a default that would cause turmoil in markets and economies across the globe.

Republicans and many Democrats say they will not back an increase in the country’s borrowing authority unless it is paired with steps to ensure

the debt does not rise to an unsustainable level relative to the economy.

The White House’s top economist, Austan Goolsbee, called that approach “insane” in a speech in Chicago. Nevertheless, the White House has launched a charm offensive aimed at reaching common ground. President Barack Obama met with Senate Democrats on Wednesday, and further meetings with other lawmakers are on the agenda. “The president was very clear in saying we can work something out,” Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid said after the meeting.

Vice President Joe Biden has separately been meeting with a smaller group of top lawmakers to see if a deal is possible. Meanwhile, lawmakers must begin work on the 12 spending bills that keep the government running-the subject of last month’s bruising budget battle. The House Appropriations Committee’s outline sets overall spending caps for those bills but does not indicate how individual programs would fare.

Nevertheless it shows sharp differences with Obama, who released his budget proposal back in February. The Education Department, Labor Department and Health and Human Services Department would get 23 percent less than Obama requested. Those agencies handle Democratic priorities like birth-control funding and college-tuition grants, which Republicans have previously targeted for reduction or elimination. Foreign aid, the State Department and other foreign operations would get 22 percent less than Obama requested, though the blow would be eased by war-related funding in a separate account. These funding levels are not final, but they indicate Washington could see a replay of last year’s ugly budget battle, which kept government agencies in limbo for six months before a deal was reached in April. — Reuters

Cisco to slash costs, jobs as profits fall NEW YORK: Cisco Systems Inc, the world’s largest maker of computer networking gear, said Wednesday that it’s set to eliminate thousands of jobs as part of cost-cutting moves to get profits growing again. Cisco’s sales rebounded from the recession, but then started stalling in the middle of last year. In the past few months, CEO John Chambers has signaled that he’s accepting long-standing criticism that the company is trying to compete in too many markets. He has vowed to radically simplify the company. The company is still troubled: On Wednesday, it gave a financial forecast for the current quarter that was well below analyst expectations.

Chambers now wants to cut annual expenses by $1 billion, or about 6 percent. He didn’t say how many jobs he’s aiming to eliminate, mainly through an early retirement program. If the percentage is similar to the cut in expenses, it could amount to 4,000 to 5,000 of the company’s 73,400 employees. Cisco last embarked on a belt-tightening program two years ago in the depth of the recession. The goal then was also to shave $1 billion of annual expenses, which it did by cutting travel, freezing hiring and instituting a similar early retirement program. It lost 2,000 employees before it started hiring again.

This time, the cost cuts are meant to address long-term challenges, not a short dip in the economy. The company may also sell or close underperforming units, Chambers said, much like a month ago when it announced it was killing the Flip Video camcorder, a product line it bought just two years earlier. The move was part of a partial pullback from the consumer market,

which Cisco has tried to court for years.

Another problem area is network switches, Cisco’s largest single product segment, where competition is quickly driving down prices.

Cisco’s revenue from the segment fell 9 percent in the quarter. Chambers said the company is introducing new products quickly to fight back.

Cisco has a long history as a growth company, befitting its position as the leading provider of the equipment that powers the Internet. That also means expectations for it are high, and Chambers has held on to a long-term goal of 12 percent to 17 percent annual revenue growth through the recession and its aftermath. On Wednesday, he said that goal is “not reflective of the environment,” and he’ll provide a new target in September.

“We know what we have to do. We have a clear game plan,” Chambers told analysts on a conference call. “We’ve had to make big changes before, and each time we’ve made these changes, we’ve emerged even stronger.”

For the fiscal third quarter, which ended April 30, Cisco said net income declined nearly 18 percent to $1.8 billion, or 33 cents per share.

That compared with earnings of $2.2 billion, or 37 cents per share, a year ago. Excluding the cost of stock-based compensation and some amortization and asset impairments, earnings were 42 cents per share, unchanged from last year. Analysts polled by FactSet had expected earnings of 37 cents per share on that basis.

Sales rose 5 percent to $10.9 billion, matching analyst expectations. This year’s third quarter was one week shorter than last year’s. For the current quarter, Cisco expects earnings of 37

cents to 39 cents per share, while analysts were expecting 42 cents per share. It expects revenue to be unchanged from last year or up to 2 percent higher, while analysts were looking for a 7 percent increase. Cisco expects the early retirement program to result in pretax charges of $500 million to $1.1 billion in the quarter. Cisco shares fell 53 cents, or 2.9 percent, to $17.25 in extended trading. The stock lost 1 cent to close at $17.78 in the regular session. — AP

SAN JOSE: In this photo, the exterior of Cisco headquarters is shown in California. — AP

A

y

e niv rsar n

Business

Years

FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

“The problem is there isn’t as much happiness around as you usually see at this point. In fact, 65 percent of consumers said in a recent survey that we are still in a recession and the consumer confidence surveys we see monthly, weekly and daily show that consumer anxiety levels have improved to the point where we’ve almost gotten back up to historic lows.”

WASHINGTON: Finance ministers and central bank governors pose for a group photo at the Group of 20 meeting during the IMF-World Bank spring meeting in Washington, D.C, on April 15, 2011. — MCT

‘Great recession’ fallout to last 20 years: Economist

A

merica’s economy is recovering, but the chief economist for one of the country’s largest banks said the effects of the “great recession” will be with us for the next 20 years.

Bob Allsbrook, the chief economist for Regions Bank’s corporate headquarters, was in Fort Walton Beach recently and stopped by the Northwest Florida Daily News to discuss the state of the economy.

“June will be the two-year anniversary of the end of the great recession,” Allsbrook said. “The problem is there isn’t as much happiness around as you usually see at this point. In fact, 65 percent of consumers said in a recent survey that we are still in a recession and the consumer confidence surveys we see monthly, weekly and daily show that consumer anxiety levels have improved to the point where we’ve almost gotten back up to historic lows.”

Allsbrook said he refers to the recession as a generational changer, similar to how the Great Depression changed the spending and savings habits of people who lived through it.

He said income is being used to reduce debt more than it did before the recession.

People also are spending less money to purchase things. Although consumer spending has represented 70 percent of all spending in the past, that could change, Allsbrook said.

People also are saving more than in the

past. Allsbrook said baby boomers typically saved about 2 percent of their total income. Now that figure is up to 6 percent, and he said he expects it to get as high as 12 percent.

“Consumers know they can’t borrow.

They know they have to take care of themselves,” Allsbrook said. “They can’t rely on anyone else. And that affects the priorities we have with our social and cultural values.”

Allsbrook said the recession also has brought about other changes in the way people live. Some changes are small, such as waiting to change their vehicle’s oil every 6,000 miles instead of every 3,000.

Other changes are more significant.

Allsbrook said there used to be more of a stigma associated with renting a home rather than buying one. He said that no longer is the case and that renting a home is considered a smart move.

Like most banks, Regions struggled during the recession. John Forrester, executive vice president for Regions Bank’s Okaloosa and Walton County area, said while Regions did not have a lot of the high-risk housing loans that other banks did, it had a lot of money tied up in the real estate market.

“We’re coming through the downturn,” Forrester said. “The last two quarters, Regions has posted profits. I think we’re on the right track to recovery there.” — MCT

US employers added more jobs in April

T

he America’s employers added more than 200,000 jobs in April for the third straight month, the biggest hiring spree in five years. But the unemployment rate rose to 9 percent, in part because some people resumed looking for work.

So, what do the figures released Friday by the Labor Department mean for the Inland Empire, which has lost about 160,000 jobs during the recession?

It’s very good news, said John Husing, an Inland area economist. “That means that companies have reached the point that they can’t expand production without adding workers,” Husing said. “We’re just late in the process, which is mainly because we’re in a deeper hole to dig out.”

Production suppliers in the region have had a very positive outlook on job growth for some time, Husing said.

“It just hasn’t shown up yet in the region,” he said. According to the Labor

Department’s report, the US economy added 244,000 jobs in April.

Private employers shrugged off high gas prices and created 268,000 jobs-the most since February 2006. The gains were widespread. Retailers, factories, financial companies, education and health care and even construction companies all added jobs. Federal, state and local governments cut jobs, as the agencies have been losing jobs since the second half of 2008, Keith Hall, Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, told Congress on Friday.

The data suggests businesses are confident in the economy despite weak growth earlier this year. Still, unemployment increased slightly from the 8.8 percent in March. It was the first increase since November.

However, the rate was 0.8 percentage point lower than in November 2010. In April, there were 13.7 million unemployed persons, little changed from the prior month, Hall said. — AP

A

y

e niv rsar n

Years

Opinion

FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

Egypt, Tunisia feel Arab Spring chill S

ectarian clashes in Cairo and violent protests in Tunisia erupted over last weekend amid signs that the Arab Spring is struggling to deliver the open, democratic societies it promised. At least 12 people were killed and 200 injured when Muslims attacked a Coptic Christian church in Cairo on Saturday following rumors that a Christian woman who had converted to Islam was being held prisoner there. In response to the violence, Prime Minister Essam Sharaf called an urgent cabinet meeting on Sunday and postponed a visit to the Gulf. Some 190 people were arrested.

In Tunisia, the caretaker government ordered a nightly curfew on the capital and its suburbs following three days of protests sparked by fears that the country’s path to democracy is in jeopardy. On Saturday, protesters carrying signs saying “The revolution has gone sour” and ‘Yes to defending the revolution” gathered at the capital’s main boulevard and hurled paving tiles while police fired teargas canisters.

Egypt and Tunisia are the biggest success stories of the Arab Spring.

Their long-time leaders were toppled with relatively little violence and the interim governments now in place are keeping to election timetables. But for many, Tunisia’s curfew and a crackdown on journalists harkened back to practices of the old regime. Meanwhile, in Egypt, the Muslim-Christian strife - the second such clash since the old regime fell - has aroused fears about the interim government’s ability to maintain order and human rights.

“The current role of the Egyptian security apparatus - both the police and the military - is negative and is even worse than that played by state security apparatus during the Mubarak era,” Ishaq Ibrahim, a researcher at the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, told The Media Line.

He said the number and violent attacks have grown while the police and army avoid taking responsibility. Many blamed the regime of President Husni Mubarak for the spate of sectarian strife that preceded the revolution. The president is gone, but Sally Al-Khodari, program director at the Arabic Network for Human Rights, asserted that oldregime figures are behind the continued violence. “There’s the hand of Mubarak in this,” she told The Media Line “Who benefits from these conflicts? Mubarak and his National Democratic Party do.”

Egypt has seen an effervescence of press freedom since mass protests brought down Mubarak in February. Egyptian voters approved constitutional reforms on March 19, paving the way for what are supposed to be the country’s first-ever free and fair elections next autumn.

But the much-maligned emergency laws remain in force and new legislation that criminalizes sit-ins and

Sectarian strife in Cairo, clashes in Tunisia raise doubts about democratic advance strike that disrupt business went into force April 12. “The adoption of this law at a moment when people are seeking to realize their demands for more human rights and dignity and preserve the achievement of the uprising is a major setback,” the London-based Amnesty International human rights group said.

Many of the Egyptians who

helped bring Mubarak down are concerned that a counter-revolution is under way. On Saturday, hundreds of political figures, scholars and activists met in the biggest postrevolt meeting of political forces dubbed “Egypt’s First Conference: The people protect the revolution.”

Activists called for ˝the release of anti-Mubarak protestors still held in jails and ˝attacked the use of military

courts to try civilians. As Mohsen AlNomani, the minister of local government, tried to address the conference he was interrupted with chants of “We want our detained brothers!” and “Legitimacy ˝belongs to the revolution and the people!”

Tarek El-Ghazali Harb, an opposition activist, said in an op-ed piece published in the Al-Masry Al-Youm daily April 27, charged that Prime

Firemen fight a fire at a church surrounded by angry Muslims in the Imbaba neighborhood in Cairo late on May 7, 2011. — AP

Minister Sharaf has allowed too many holdovers from the Mubarak era to remain in power. “I don’t know who is advising or pressuring you. I do know, however, that Egypt’s primary interest lies in the completion of its popular revolution.

If you feel that those pushing you to betray the revolution are stronger than yourself, then we respectfully ask you to resign,” he wrote.

Tunisians share many of the same fears about their interim government of Prime Minister Beji Caid el Sebsi, the second person to hold the post since President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was driven out of office last January after 23 years in power. “We believe there are many people from the old regime who are trying to keep the situation unstable. They are trying to upset the balance between freedom and security, saying that if you want freedom that you won’t get security,” Masoud Ramadani, of the Tunisian Human Rights Union, told The Media Line.

Tunisians are scheduled to go to the polls to elect a constituent assembly July 25, but Ramadani said he expected the vote to be put off till the autumn due to continued violence. Many in Tunisia are concerned about the prospect of Islamists gaining power, a fear brought home by former Interior Minister Farhat Rajhi, whose warning last week that the army might seize power if an Islamist party wins elections in July helped fan the three days of protests.

“If the results of the forthcoming elections go against their interests, there will be a military coup,” Rajhi, a former jurist, said in a video posted on Facebook. People of the Sahel, of which former president Ben Ali is among them, have dominated the country’s political life and aren’t ready to cede power, he contended.

A nervous government not only imposed the curfew but stripped Rajhi of his post as head of Tunisia’s High Commission on Human Rights.

But Ramadani said the government erred. The curfew was an “overreaction” to the protests.

Besides the curfew, the government brought up memories of the Ben Ali era by the police’s use of excessive force against journalists covering the first protests last week. The National Union of Tunisian Journalists (SNJT) said 15 journalists were assaulted as police broke up the protests using tear gas, truncheons and iron bars. While the Interior Ministry had to issue an apology a day later, critics said that is insufficient.

“We urge the transitional government to investigate these incidents and to order the security forces to put a stop to such practices.” JeanFranÁois Julliard, secretary-general of the Paris-based press freedom organization Reporters Without Borders, said in a statement on Friday. “It’s as if the old methods were back just four months after President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali’s fall.” — Media Line

FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

www.kuwaittimes.net

Actress Angelina Jolie poses during a photo call for Kung Fu Panda 2, at the 64th international film festival, in Cannes, southern France, yesterday. — AP (See Page 49)

A

y

e niv rsar n

Years

Te c h n o l o g y FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

Taking a peek at home video surveillance More money will buy more pixels, and images with 1.3 or 2 megapixels offer much better details

rivate video surveillance is normally not about guarding big treasures. Its users instead strive to discourage vandalism and burglaries or, if worse comes to worst, identify the perpetrators.

Modern digital systems are easy to handle and are able to deliver videos and stills that can be very helpful to the police. The live images can be saved on a hard disk or viewed directly over the internet. But which cameras are best suited for what purpose? And what are the legal constraints regarding private surveillance?

Webcams are not the first choice, in particular because of the USB cable restricts on where they can be placed. Germany’s Computer Bild magazine recently put home surveillance systems to the test and recommended LAN/WLAN cameras with a built-in server. “LAN cameras dock to the router’s network connectors, allowing users to access images on a networked PC at any time,” the edi-

P

tors explained. However, the wireless WLAN cameras only performed well when placed near the router.

There are three different camera types on the market. So-called interior cameras are ideal for monitoring homes due to their wide viewing angle. Exterior cameras, on the other hand, are intended for keeping an eye on gardens, driveways, garages and the like, which is why they should be sturdy and weatherproof. According to test results, protection class IP65 is sufficient for home use. Users requiring more than a static field of vision need to invest in a much more costly PTZ camera. As the name implies, these pan-tilt-zoom cameras are equipped with a lens that can be freely adjusted.

Those wanting to catch the ‘thief in the night’ need night vision technology. Cameras with a built-in infrared function that brightens objects sell for up to 500 dollars. But the test revealed that only objects very close to the infrared camera are clearly visible.

Resolution is another key factor determining image quality. Most devices on the lower end of the scale deliver VGA video footage (0.3 megapixels). More money will buy more pixels, and images with 1.3 or 2 megapixels offer much better details. If that’s not enough, devices priced at 500 dollars and above provide full HD images (1920 x 1080 pixels).

The image quality of cameras priced at around 100 dollars only achieved a “poor” rating.

Equipment retailing at 150 dollars and more yielded “satisfactory” results, and if you need even better quality, you’ll want to look at devices costing at least 300 dollars. One thing to keep in mind when installing a camera is that it must be supplied with power. If you don’t have an outlet nearby, you’ll need to lay a cable. Some LAN cameras draw enough power from the network cable and thus do not need an additional power supply. Other devices come with a motion detector, allowing for

applications such as automatically sending an email with a still image or video attached to it whenever the motion sensor is triggered.

But a home surveillance project is not defined by technical parameters only - legal restrictions also factor into the equation. “Where video surveillance is restricted to private interior space or outdoor property without capturing neighboring private or public space, the civil code governing personal rights applies,” says Thilo Weichert, data protection officer of the German state of SchleswigHolstein.

However, any other persons sharing the private living space must agree to the surveillance if they are or might be affected by it.

When monitoring a publicly accessible space, you’ll need to be aware of local laws governing surveillance. In many countries, private surveillance of publicly accessible areas such as streets or sidewalks may only take place if there is a justified purpose such as

enforcing property rights or protecting security interests. Typically, a sign stating that video surveillance is taking place must be put up in plain sight.

The private property of other people is usually off limits, however. “Video surveillance targeting neighboring property is not permitted because this would infringe on the neighbor’s rights,” explains Weichert. Again, though, know your local laws before erecting any video cameras in public. But what should be done in the event the camera actually captures suspicious activities? “First get in touch with your local police station,” says Frank Jesse from the Department of Technical Crime Prevention at the Federal Criminal Police Office of Baden-Wuerttemberg. “The officers will evaluate the case at hand and provide the appropriate assistance.” The video format normally does not matter, but the police require accurate information on when and where the surveillance material was recorded. —dpa

C a re e r FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

Getting your exit strategy ready W

ho hasn’t gotten fed up with their job and wanted to quit?

If you quit your job you will relieve yourself of some problems, like dealing with a crazy boss or difficult co-workers, but you will be facing some new challenges. Here are some steps you should take before and right after you quit your job.

1. Decide whether to quit your job If you quit your job your life will change in many ways, some for the better and some for the worse. Sure you won’t have to deal with a difficult boss anymore or a job you don’t like, but you will have a whole new set of challenges. Before you quit your job, make sure this is the right decision.

There are several good reasons to quit your job. Find out if yours is one of

them.

2. Make the best of your job if you can’t quit You may have decided you have a good reason to quit your job, but there may be something preventing you from doing it. For example, you may not be able to live without your income, even temporarily. If you find yourself in this situation you may not be able to quit until you have a new job lined up. If you can’t quit your job yet, find out how to improve your situation until you can.

3. Resign from your job You will obviously have to tell your boss you are quitting. If you think you are going to stick around for a while, don’t resign until you know when your actual date of departure will be and

don’t tell anyone until you tell your boss. You should write a formal resignation letter and speak to your boss in person, unless his or her office isn’t nearby. Give sufficient notice. Two weeks is typical for most jobs but professional positions require more time, generally three to four weeks. If you are currently immersed in a large project, give your employer the opportunity to have you train whoever will take it over.

4. Start looking for a new job You have some work to do as you begin your job search. You will have to revise your resume or write a new one, look for job openings and prepare for job interviews. You should also let your network contacts know your job situation has changed, but exercise

Avoid these career busters L

eaving a job is often upsetting, whether you were fired or finally decided to quit. You may have trouble remembering to do the right thing.

Here are five things you should avoid doing.

1. Don’t tell off your boss and co-workers, even if you think they deserve it.

When you leave your job, your emotions may be running high, especially if you are leaving on bad terms. You may want to tell your boss or co-workers what you really think of them. Don’t do it, even if they truly deserve it. You never know who you will meet down the road and who you may have to work with one day.

2. Don’t damage company property or steal something.

You may feel you were mistreated by your employer and you may be really angry. However, vandalism and theft are criminal offenses. Not only will your professional reputation be damaged by your actions, you could end up in jail.

3. Don’t forget to ask for a reference.

This may sound like an odd thing to consider if you are leaving your job on unfavorable terms. However, you will have to include this job on your resume, so

you should try to make sure you get either a good or, at least, a neutral reference. If you’ve been fired because of some horrible offense, this may be a moot point. However if your parting is due to something less serious, you may be able to ask your boss for a reference, in spite of the fact that “things didn’t work out as expected.”

4. Don’t badmouth your employer or any of your co-workers to your replacement.

First of all, it will only look like sour grapes, so there’s nothing to gain here. Second, your successor will figure things out for himself or herself. Third, it may have been bad chemistry, and your co-worker will have a totally different experience than you did.

5. Don’t badmouth your employer to a prospective employer when you go on a job interview.

The only person who this will make look bad is you. Your prospective boss will wonder what caused your relationship with your prior employer to sour and will suspect that you could have been at fault.

caution here. If you have decided not to quit your job until you find a new one, you shouldn’t broadcast your plans yet.

5. Leave your job peacefully Your emotions may be running high and you may be tempted to get even with an employer who you feel has done you wrong. Ignore this temptation because any spiteful acts you commit, such as damaging equipment, telling your boss and co-workers what you really think them, or badmouthing them to other people, will only reflect poorly on you. You’re better than that and you have too many things to have to deal with without having to restore a damaged reputation. www.careerplanning.about.com

A

y

e niv rsar n

Years

Fo o d

EVERY DAY COOKING

FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

By Sawsan Kazak

T

here is something so intrinsically comforting about pies. Whether hot, warm or cold, sweet or savory, a slice of pie always feels like a celebration. After you get past that whole crust thing, fillings are a piece of cake to make; or rather a slice of pie. The following recipes assume you have a favorite pie crust recipe. If you don’t, you can always pick up a frozen one at the market.

Happy baking. sawsank@kuwaittimes.net

Creamy meat pie 1pound ground beef 1 onion, chopped 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed vegetable beef soup, undiluted 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup 3 potatoes, peeled and cubed 4 carrots, sliced 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

P

reheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) In a large skillet, cook the ground beef and chopped onion until meat is no longer pink. Remove from heat and drain off excess fat. Stir in the vegetable beef and cream of mushroom soups, the potatoes and carrots. Season with salt and pepper. Divide filling between 2 - 9 inch pie plates.

Roll pastry to fit the top of each pie. Cover each pie and cut slits in top to allow steam to escape.

Bake in the preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until golden brown. Let stand on a wire rack for 15 minutes before serving.

Chicken pie 1 medium green pepper, sliced 50g/20z button mushrooms 10g/ 1/2oz butter 400g/14oz cooked chicken, shredded 225g/8oz puff or flaky pastry (ready-made is fine) 1 egg, beaten For the sauce: 25g/1oz butter 25g/1oz flour 150-200ml/6-7fl oz chicken stock 2-3 tbsp double cream squeeze of lemon juice sprig of fresh tarragon

P

reheat the oven to 220ºC/425ºF/Gas 7. Blanch the pepper for 2-3 minutes in a saucepan of boiling salted water, then drain, refresh in cold water and drain again.

Wipe the mushrooms and cut into quarters. SautÈ in the 10g/1/2oz butter for 2-3 minutes, then set aside.

For the sauce, melt the 25g/1oz butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, add the flour and cook slowly over a low heat until the mixture is straw-coloured. Pour in the chicken stock, turn up the heat and stir constantly until simmering. Add the cream and reduce until the sauce has a syrupy consistency. Add the lemon juice and tarragon. Turn off the heat, add the chicken, peppers and mushrooms to the pan.

Butter an ovenproof dish large enough to hold the chicken pie mixture with room to spare. Add the chicken mixture to the dish.

Roll out the pastry on a floured work surface, to a thickness of about 0.25in/1cm. Place the pastry over the filling and carefully trim the edges. Use the trimmings to make cut-out shapes to decorate the surface of the pie. Cut a couple of air holes with a knife to allow the steam to escape. Brush the pastry with the beaten egg.

Bake the pie in the preheated oven for about 25-35 minutes. The top should be nicely browned and the filling piping hot. Remove, allow to cool slightly and serve.

A

y

e niv rsar n

Years

Fo o d

EVERY DAY COOKING

Sweet Potato Pie

FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

1 (1 pound) sweet potato 1/2 cup butter, softened 1 cup white sugar 1/2 cup milk 2 eggs 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust

B

oil sweet potato whole in skin for 40 to 50 minutes, or until done. Run cold water over the sweet potato, and remove the skin.

Break apart sweet potato in a bowl. Add butter, and mix well with mixer. Stir in sugar, milk, eggs, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla.

Beat on medium speed until mixture is smooth. Pour filling into an unbaked pie crust.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 55 to 60 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Pie will puff up like a souffle, and then will sink down as it cools.

Rustic apple pie

Strawberry Pie

1/2 (15-ounce) package refrigerated piecrust 1 egg white, lightly beaten 3/4 cup sugar 2 tablespoons cornstarch 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 4 cups peeled, thinly sliced apples 1 teaspoon sugar

U

nroll piecrust onto a lightly floured surface. Pat or roll into a 12-inch circle. Place piecrust on an aluminum foil-lined 12inch pizza pan. Brush crust with half of egg white.

Combine 3/4 cup sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Add apples, and toss to coat; spoon into center of prepared piecrust, leaving a 2-inch border. Fold piecrust border up and over apples, pleating as you go, leaving an opening about 8 inches wide in center. Brush crust with remaining egg white; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sugar.

Bake at 425º on bottom oven rack for 20 to 25 minutes or until apples are tender and crust is golden. Cool 15 minutes before serving.

1 (9 inch) pie crust, baked 1 quart fresh strawberries 1 cup white sugar 3 tablespoons cornstarch 3/4 cup water 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

A

rrange half of strawberries in baked pastry shell. Mash remaining berries and combine with sugar in a medium saucepan. Place saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring frequently.

In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and water. Gradually stir cornstarch mixture into boiling strawberry mixture.

Reduce heat and simmer mixture until thickened, about 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour mixture over berries in pastry shell. Chill for several hours before serving.

In a small bowl, whip cream until soft peaks form. Serve each slice of pie with a dollop of whipped cream.

3/4 cup white sugar 1/3 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 cups milk 3 egg yolks, beaten 2 tablespoons butter 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 (9 inch) pie crust, baked 4 bananas, sliced

I

n a saucepan, combine the sugar, flour, and salt. Add milk in gradually while stirring gently.

Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is bubbly. Keep stirring and cook for about 2 more minutes, and then remove from the burner. Stir a small quantity of the hot mixture into the beaten egg yolks, and immediately add egg yolk mixture to the rest of the hot mixture.

Cook for 2 more minutes; remember to keep stirring. Remove the mixture from the stove, and add butter and vanilla. Stir until the whole thing has a smooth consistency. Slice bananas into the cooled baked pastry shell. Top with pudding mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 12 to 15 minutes. Chill for an hour.

Mini Rustic Apple Pies: Unroll 2 piecrusts on a floured surface; roll each into a 14-inch circle.

Cut 3 (6 1/2-inch) circles from each piecrust, rerolling scraps as needed. Brush with half of egg white as directed. Prepare apple mixture as directed in Step 2; spoon about 2/3 cup apple mixture into center of each circle, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border. Fold border up and over apples, pleating as you go, leaving an opening about 2 inches wide in center. Brush piecrusts with remaining egg white; sprinkle evenly with 1 teaspoon sugar. Proceed with recipe as directed.

Makes 6 servings. Prep: 30 min., Bake: 25 min., Cool: 15 min

Banana cream pie

THEY ARE THE 99!

99 Mystical Noor Stones carry all that is left of the wisdom and knowledge of the lost civilization of Baghdad. But the Noor Stones lie scattered across the globe - now little more than a legend. One man has made it his life’s mission to seek out what was lost. His name is Dr. Ramzi Razem and he has searched fruitlessly for the Noor Stones all his life. Now, his luck is about to change - the first of the stones have been rediscovered and with them a special type of human who can unlock the gem’s mystical power. Ramzi brings these gem - bearers together to form a new force for good in the world. A force known as ... the 99!

THE FASCINATING STORY OF THE 99 Baghdad lies in ruins, destroyed by the marauding armies of Hulagu Khan. The brave librarians of the great Dar Al-Hikma rush to save the glory of the ancient world’s accumulated wisdom, little knowing that centuries later their efforts will bear strange fruit. While the Noor Stones were created to save the library, their power has transcended that task and in our own time has provided extraordinary abilities to an international group of young people, the world’s newest superheroes known as… The 99.

The 99 ® and all related characters ® and © 2011, Teshkeel Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

www.the99.org

A

y

e niv rsar n

Years

Tr a v e l FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

No, it’s not torture, but a typical welcome from a ‘guard’ and his friendly alsatian at Lithuania’s Soviet Bunker visitor attraction.—Guardian

Those seeking even grimmer times can visit the Museum of Genocide Victims in Vilnius, where they can see old KGB cells.—Guardian

Lithuania’s Soviet nostalgia: Back in the USSR Feeling nostalgic for the good old Soviet Union? Then head to Lithuania, where several theme parks let visitors feel exactly what it was like - right down to scary, abusive guards

‘F

orget your past! Forget your history!” A colossal bullfrog of a guard, in an olive-green uniform with red epaulets, is spitting at us in Russian while a huge alsatian strains at the leash, barking ferociously. “Welcome to the Soviet Union,” snarls the guard. “Here you are nobody!”

I can’t say I wasn’t warned: I had just signed a health and safety waiver that included the following clause: “In case of disobedience participants may receive psychological or physical punishments.” This is 1984: Survival Drama in a Soviet Bunker, a threehour long, quasi-theatrical experience in a genuine Soviet bunker in the middle of the Lithuanian forest; imagine Punchdrunk Theatre Company run by retired KGB officers.

While most former Soviet republics have let their memories of the period fade into red mist, 20 years since the Russian tanks rolled out, Lithuania is confronting its communist past headon.

An hour earlier, Ruta Vanagaite, the creator of the Soviet Bunker, was setting the mood. “Someone always faints - our record is five people fainting in one show,” she explained matter-of-factly, re-assuring me that my translator will have smelling salts handy. “But be sure to answer the guards’ questions promptly and clearly. They are mostly actors, but they can get stuck in that time and forget they are actors. We had to fire some of them because they were a little too hard on people. It’s very easy to break people’s will - once you are down there, six metres underground, you feel like you can’t get out.”

Just by the Neris river, towards the Belorussian border, a red flag by the side of the road indicates a turning into the forest, down a path towards

bunker. For three hours, we are force- applied to my bare shoulders: known an anonymous, decrepit building in a as “fire cupping”, it was supposed to marched through icy, virtually pitchsmall clearing. Inside, Soviet anthems draw out disease through the skin. black corridors, barked at (by canine blare out from a creaking old radio, Six metres underground, and and human alike), humiliated, interrothe paint is not so much chipping as comprising 3,000 square metres of gated, forced to sign false confescrumbling off in blocks, the few striptunnels and cave-like rooms, the sions to imagined crimes, shown lights that are working are flickering bunker was built in 1984 as an emermaddeningly, and damp swarms over propaganda, and taught to prepare gency base for Lithuanian state TV for a nuclear attack by the imperialist the walls like triffids. We are given transmissions, in case the capital pigs. Each stage is designed to illusmouldy overcoats that are so damp Vilnius came under attack from Nato. trate, with little allowance for subtlethey’re virtually liquid, and a cup of It boasts stand-alone heating and ty - or health and safety - an aspect of Soviet coffee - coffee with no coffee sewerage facilities, and communicain it, made from barley. As we wait for life in the Soviet Union.

Having failed to answer a question tion lines to Moscow, and a roof the actors to show up (several of designed to withstand the impact of correctly in Russian, I get it repeated them genuine ex-KGB), the 40 or so a nuclear bomb. in broken, angry English. The interroparticipants, mostly Lithuanians in Ignes, the young their 20s, laugh at project administrathe absurdity of it, tor, thinks it is more smirking at the of an educational kitsch costuming. experience than a This, it becomes dramatic one, especlear, is the fun cially for those, like bit. “Do you guys him, who are too understand young to remember Russian?” asks a the parades, the Lithuanian comfood shortages, the rade. An paranoia and the Australian, Matt, rest. His parents answers for both would never even of us: “I underdream of enduring stand people with the bunker, he dogs shouting at laughs, “but for us, me.” Vanagaite for my generation, chips in to tell us the alsation’s day- Lithuanian schoolchildren pose beside a sculpture of Stalin in we should all come, so we can feel what job is working in Grutas Park, Vilnius.—Guardian it was like too”. This the police’s organisn’t the first time a Lithuanian in ised crime squad, digging for corpses. gating KGB officer pushes me against their early 20s has used that very a filing cabinet. “Where are Oh good. physical verb about their Soviet histoy’fRRROM?” England, I say, cowering.

The bullfrog-guard enters and ry to me - you have to “feel” it; just He prods me in the chest, hard. “You gives us our orders: we will answer reading about it isn’t enough, are English? English spy! English spy!” only in the affirmative or negative; because it is almost too strange to be In another “scene”, a KGB doctor dissent will be punished with beatbelievable. “The young people, they forces me to strip to the waist, in ings and solitary confinement; and don’t understand what it was like,” front of the other participants. we will forget all thoughts other than Vanagaite insists. “They say: ‘How “Jacket off! Shirt off! Strip to waist! the glory of the socialist paradise in come you couldn’t get out of the Quick! Quick!” She sits me down on a which we now live. We stand to country? You just take a train and you stool, grabs a clump of cotton wool, attention for the Soviet anthem and leave.’ They think they could just douses it in alcohol, and sets it alight. hoisting of the red flag, and then This is then dropped in a glass jar and overpower Soviet guards. We try to down we go, into the freezing-cold

show them the reality.”

Less theatrical, but equally harrowing, is the Museum of Genocide Victims, housed in a former KGB prison in central Vilnius where hundreds were tortured and killed. The exercise yard is adorned with poignant children’s paintings in response to school trips here. “We encourage them to imagine what it was like,” says Remigija Paldauskaite, herself only five years old when the Berlin Wall fell. “The best way to learn it is to feel it.” She mimes a bored child flicking through a text book.

“It’s a better way than history lessons.”

The final, stunning plank in the trinity of Lithuanian exercises in Soviet memory is Grutas Park, known slightly glibly to some as “Stalin’s World”. It is not exactly a theme park (though there is a playground, and a zoo featuring llamas and bears), but a massive outdoor collection of the country’s Soviet-era statues, as well as log cabins containing thousands of other exhibits, from rugs with Lenin’s face on them to Pioneer drums, communist toys, flags, paintings and Soviet-era calculators. Now celebrating its 10th anniversary, this macabre oasis of socialist realism was built on snail money (the owner Viliumas Malinauskas is a wealthy snail and mushroom farmer), and is situated deep in the tranquil Lithuanian forest.

It is a surreal experience, walking for a mile through the tiny village of Grutas, past a solitary fisherman sitting by a lake, to discover a world where Stalin stands quietly gathering cobwebs in a clearing, and Marx and Engels peek out from the shadows.

Glimmers of sunlight pass through the cedars, dappling totemic statues to collective farm chiefs and partisan martyrs: it’s both fascinating and oddly beautiful. —Guardian

A

y

e niv rsar n

Years

Tr a v e l FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

Top 10 summer destinations Summer is the best season of all, when everything moves outdoors, cities come alive with festivals, and freshwater lakes and backyard pools beckon.

W

arm days, long nights, garden barbecues, and ice-cream cones on the boardwalk. For many of us, summer is the best season of all, when everything moves outdoors, cities come alive with festivals, and freshwater lakes and backyard pools beckon. Our list of top summer destinations highlights the best spots to be at the height of the season, from northern capitals that truly flourish from June through Labor Day, to cool seaside and lakefront retreats that refresh and rejuvenate. Of course, nothing is more quintessentially North American come summertime than a canoe and camping trip - don’t worry, we’ve got you covered there, too.

Capri Italy’s most glamorous getaway, the island of Capri is one of the most picturesque islands around.

Hamptons Long stretches of sand, seaside villages, sprawling vineyards, and grand estates . . . the Atlantic-facing Hamptons are simply spectacular come summer and the perfect antidote to bustling New York City, just 120 miles away Greek Islands Scattered in the sparkling Aegean Sea, the Greek Islands are a much-fantasizedabout summer hotspot, with Europeans and Americans alike flocking to their dazzling shores for hedonistic fun in the sun.

London London is never more animated than in the height of summer, when fair weather brings out the best in Londoners, who

endure an infamously gloomy weather forecast the rest of the year.

Montreal Montreal’s joie de vivre is most visible in summer, when festivals and celebrations light up the town and droves of locals and visitors take to the streets to join the fun.

National Parks Summer and the great outdoors go hand and hand, and the outdoors just don’t get greater than in our national parks.

New England New England truly springs to life between the July 4 and Labor Day holidays, when a vibrant summer culture produces a mindboggling array of special events in the region’s many maritime and mountain towns and historic cities.

Russia Notorious for its long, frigid winters, summer shines an entirely different light on Russia, particularly on its thriving cultural capitals of Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Scandinavia While you’d have to be a thick-skinned Viking to make it through a Scandinavian winter, happily, you needn’t be much more than a reveling vacationer with a good pair of sunglasses during the summer months.

Upper Peninsula, Michigan If city-living gets too hot, pack up some marshmallows, hot dogs, and camping gear and head to the refreshing Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where majestic wildlife, unspoiled rivers, waterfalls, and dense forests abound. (www.msnbc.msn.com)

A

y

e niv rsar n

Years

Books

FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

8

books you should know about The Wilder Life

By Wendy McClure

W

endy McClure is on a quest to find the world of beloved Little House on the Prairie author Laura Ingalls Wilder - a fantastic realm of fiction, history, and places McClure has never been to yet somehow knows by heart. She traces the pioneer journey of the Ingalls family-looking for the Big Woods among the medium trees in Wisconsin, wading in Plum Creek, and enduring a prairie hailstorm in South Dakota. She immerses herself in all things Little House - exploring the story from fact to fiction, and from the TV shows to the annual summer pageants in Laura’s hometowns. Whether she’s churning butter in her apartment or sitting in a replica log cabin, McClure is always in pursuit

of “the Laura experience.” Along the way she comes to understand how Wilder’s life and work have shaped our ideas about girlhood and the American West.

The Wilder Life is a loving, irreverent, spirited tribute to a series of books that have inspired generations of American women. It is also an incredibly funny first-person account of obsessive reading, and a story about what happens when we reconnect with our childhood touchstones - and find that our old love has only deepened.

The Story of Beautiful Girl

The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth

By Alexandra Robbins

By Rachel Simon

W

I

t is 1968. Lynnie, a young white woman with a developmental disability, and Homan, an African American deaf man, are locked away in an institution, the School for the Incurable and Feebleminded, and have been left to languish, forgotten. Deeply in love, they escape, and find refuge in the farmhouse of Martha, a retired schoolteacher and widow. But the couple is not alone-Lynnie has just given birth to a baby girl. When the authorities catch up to them that same night, Homan escapes into the darkness, and Lynnie is caught. But before she is forced back into the institution, she whispers two words to Martha: “Hide her.” And so begins the 40-year epic journey of Lynnie, Homan, Martha, and baby Julia-lives divided by seemingly insurmountable obstacles, yet drawn together by a secret pact and extraordinary love.

The Reading Promise: My Father and the Books We Shared

By Alice Ozma

N

amed for two literary characters (“Alice” from Lewis Carroll and “Ozma” from L. Frank Baum), the author is the daughter of a Philadelphia-area elementary school librarian.

Father and daughter embarked on a streak of reading-out-loud sessions every night before bed as Ozma was growing up. At first they decided on 100 nights straight of reading before bed-a minimum 10 minutes, before midnight, every night, no exceptionsthen it stretched to 1,000, and soon enough the author was headed to college and they had spent eight years straight reading before bedtime, from Oz stories to Shakespeare. Reading with her father offered a comforting continuity in the midst of her mother’s disquieting move away from the family, her older sister’s absence as a foreign exchange student, and the parsimoniousness of her single father. Ozma’s account percolates chronologically through her adolescence, as father and daughter persevered in their streak of nightly reading despite occasional inconveniences such as coming home late, sleepovers (they read over the phone), and a rare case of the father’s laryngitis. Ozma’s work is humorous, generous, and warmly felt, and with a terrific reading list included, there is no better argument for the benefits of reading to a child than this rich, imaginative work.

hen school lunchroom doors open, hungry students rush in, searching for tables where they wouldn’t be outsiders. Of course, in middle school and high school, almost everyone is an outsider: the nerds, the new girls, the band geeks, the loners; even the “popular” cheerleaders. Alexandra Robbins’ The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth takes us inside the hallways of real schools to show us how shifting cliques and permanent marginalization affect children. Following individual students over the course of year, she tracks the plight and possibilities of self-confessed nerds, freaks, punks, Goths, and weirdos. Her central message is heartening: Our increasingly homogenized society ultimately needs and welcomes the cafeteria fringe.

A

y

e niv rsar n

Years

Books

FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

House Rules

The Crimean War: A History

By Jodi Picoult

J

acob Hunt is a teen with Asperger’s syndrome. He’s hopeless at reading social cues or expressing himself well to others, though he is brilliant in many ways. But he has a special focus on one subject-forensic analysis. A police scanner in his room clues him in to crime scenes, and he’s always showing up and telling the cops what to do. And he’s usually right.

But when Jacob’s small hometown is rocked by a terrible murder, law enforcement comes to him. Jacob’s behaviors are hallmark Asperger’s, but they look a lot like guilt to the local police. Suddenly the Hunt family, who only want to fit in, are directly in the spotlight. For Jacob’s mother, Emma, it’s a brutal reminder of the intolerance and misunderstanding that always threaten her family. For his brother, Theo, it’s another indication why nothing is normal because of Jacob.

And over this small family, the soulsearing question looms: Did Jacob commit murder?

By Orlando Figes

T

Wicked Bugs

By Amy Stewart

I

n this darkly comical look at the sinister side of our relationship with the natural world, Stewart has tracked down over one hundred of our worst entomological foes-creatures that infest, infect, and generally wreak havoc on human affairs. From the world’s most painful hornet, to the flies that transmit deadly diseases, to millipedes that stop traffic, to the “bookworms” that devour libraries, to the Japanese beetles munching on your roses, Wicked Bugs delves into the extraordinary powers of six- and eight-legged creatures.

With wit, style, and exacting research, Stewart has uncovered the most terrifying and titillating stories of bugs gone wild. It’s an A to Z of insect enemies, interspersed with sections that explore bugs with kinky sex lives (“She’s Just Not That Into You”), creatures lurking in the cupboard (“Fear No Weevil”), insects eating your tomatoes (“Gardener’s Dirty Dozen”), and phobias that feed our (sometimes) irrational responses to bugs (“Have No Fear”).

Intricate and strangely beautiful etchings and drawings by Briony

he Charge of the Light Brigade, Florence Nightingale-these are the enduring icons of the Crimean War. Less well-known is that this savage war (1853-1856) killed almost a million soldiers and countless civilians; that it enmeshed four great empires-the British, French, Turkish, and Russian-in a battle over religion as well as territory; that it fixed the fault lines between Russia and the West; that it set in motion the conflicts that would dominate the century to come.

In this masterly history, Orlando Figes reconstructs the first full conflagration of modernity, a global industrialized struggle fought with unusual ferocity and incompetence. Drawing on untapped Russian and Ottoman as well as European sources, Figes vividly depicts the world at war, from the palaces of St. Petersburg to the holy sites of Jerusalem; from the young Tolstoy reporting in Sevastopol to Tsar Nicolas, haunted by dreams of religious salvation; from the ordinary soldiers and nurses on the battlefields to the women and children in towns under siege..

Original, magisterial, alive with voices of the time, The Crimean War is a historical tour de force whose depiction of ethnic cleansing and the West’s relations with the Muslim world resonates with

contemporary overtones. At once a rigorous, original study and a sweeping, panoramic narrative, The Crimean War is the definitive account of the war that mapped the terrain for today’s world.

Morrow-Cribbs capture diabolical bugs of all shapes and sizes in this mixture of history, science, murder, and intrigue that begins-but doesn’t end-in your own backyard.

The Sojourn

By Andrew Krivak

U

prooted from a nineteenth century mining town in Colorado by a shocking family tragedy, young Jozef Vinich returns with his father to an impoverished shepherd’s life in rural Austria-Hungary. When war comes, Jozef is sent as a sharpshooter to the southern front, where he must survive the killing trenches, a perilous trek across the frozen Italian Alps, and capture by a victorious enemy. Strikingly contemporary though replete with evocative historical detail, The Sojourn will join the ranks of the great classic fiction of World War I. — bn.com

A

y

e niv rsar n

Years

Beauty

FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

Safe tanning: Know the do’s and dont’s All sense is very essential to your body for it helps in some metabolic activities

V

arious questions arise in your mind regarding tanning when you read the hazards of it in your favorite lifestyle magazine or a website.

And the very next moment you see a celebrity’s tanned body photographed in the same magazine or at another website.

Well, despite all these ill claims about tanning or tanned skin, the truth is tanning prevails and is still opted by billions of people around the world with safety measures. Tanning besides all sense is very essential to your body for it helps in some metabolic activities. The borderline is to follow some defined tanning Do’s and Dont’s.

1. Do use your instinctive common sense while you go for tanning-be it natural or artificial. Here is a list of Tanning do’s and don’t for that healthy and rich luster on your skin.

2. Don’t tan without knowing your skin type. Do consult a dermatologist to know the type of your skin. And then tan accordingly.

3. Don’t tan without moisturizing your skin. Your skin will get dry which will further make it

prone to various disorders. Do use quality moisturizers to get the safe tanning.

4. Don’t tan naked. Its harmful for genital organs and breasts.

Hence, do cover the susceptible parts of your body preferably with cotton cloths.

5. Don’t tan with naked eyes.

UV radiations cause harm to the

retina of your eyes. Do wear sunglasses for sun tanning and goggles meant for tanning beds instead.

6. Don’t use perfumes, deodor-

ants or ant make up before tanning. They increase the possibility of sun burns. Instead go for tanning lotions.

7. For facial tanning don’t use oils, but do use lotions or creams meant for tanning.

8. Don’t tan for more than 20 minutes either under the sun or inside a tanner. Do keep track of the time you are exposed to UV rays. Less exposure to UV rays fulfills the requirement of the radiations needed by the body and has no side effects.

9. Don’t tan at very short intervals. However do give a minimum gap of two days between two sessions.

10. Don’t tan if you experience some kind of uneasiness like burning sensation or itching or red rashes on your skin. Do consult a doctor immediately.

11. Don’t take tanning pills.

They are not approved by FDA. Do use morning sun before 10 to get natural and safe tanning.

Following these precautions, you are sure to get safe tan that will last for long. Yes, getting safe tan is that easy! (www.articlesbase.com)

A

y

e niv rsar n

Years

Beauty

FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

Spring/summer 2011 makeup trends I

f you love makeup you are going to adore the new makeup trends set for the spring summer 2011so take a peek at what’s hot Makeup trends change directly proportional with fashion trends as makeup helps complete the look of any outfit, so keeping up with the latest makeup trends is as equally as important as keeping up with fashion. Choosing to be diverse with your makeup can help you look different every time, so you can constantly surprise your friends with your new looks.

Because this spring summer 2011 fashion trends have changed, the trends had to evolve to match the new trends also, thus you can opt for a new makeup look which will suit your personality as well as style.

Choosing the right makeup colors as well as adapting the style of the makeup to suit your facial features is a must if you want the look adopted to enhance your natural beauty perfectly. Because in order to match your makeup to your stylish new spring summer 2011 wardrobe you need to know what’s in and what’s out, we have put together some of the most popular makeup trends from the spring summer 2011 fashion podiums, so sneak-a-peek at the following hot looks: Bold lips The lip color shades which can definitely aid your sexiness are red, orange as well as hot pink so if you’re looking to attract attention towards these colors choose a matte version of these two shades. As far as the rest of the makeup goes, try to stick to natural by creating a flawless look using foundation and emphasizing your eyelashes using a black colored mascara. Optional, when it comes to eyeliner try to opt for a white eyeliner pencil which you will apply on your waterline during the day and a black eyeliner for an evening makeup Natural makeup It seems that makeup artists can’t get enough of the natu-

ral look, as this type of makeup seems to maintain its popularity this season as well. Natural beauty indeed cannot be topped by anything else so no wonder you can once again put your natural beauty into value without too much effort and still manage to look trendy and fabulous.

Create a flawless looking skin using concealer and makeup, define your cheeks subtly with a small tough of blush, apply mascara on your eyelashes and allow your lips to remain bare or apply a subtle, natural looking lipstick. Optional you can turn towards applying a neutral colored eyeshadow just for kicks. This looks suits all women and all ages so no wonder it is oh so popular.

Bright eye makeup Choosing to add a great amount of attention towards the eyes can be a great option especially during the evening and if you have gorgeously shaped eyes. Adding bold eyeshadow colors such as orange, pink, green, blue, can definitely help you enhance your eyes and attract a generous amount of attention towards your face. Keep in mind that for this type of makeup you will need flawless skin so create it using concealer and foundation.

Apply your favorite bright colored eyeshadow, apply a black eyeliner close to your upper lash line and coat your eyelashes with a black colored mascara. You can leave your lips bare or enhance the lips as well using a red colored lipstick Smokey eye makeup It seems that the smokey eye makeup will never loose its beauty and it’s no surprise why. Creating a smokey eye makeup is not difficult and with a little bit of practice one can master this eye makeup technique. To look trendy and stylish use black and gray eyeshadow or go for dark blue to enhance your eyes (www.make-up.becomegorgeous.com)

A

y

e niv rsar n

Health

Years

FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

Your body may be trying to tell you something if your tongue gets bumpy, changes color, or worse.

What Your Tongue is Telling You About Your Health

Y

ou may not give your tongue much thought, but chances are your doctor does. “Telling a patient to stick out their tongue is a valid way to start examining someone,” says Dr. Jordan S. Josephson, attending physician at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City and author of Sinus Relief Now (Perigee, 2006).

“In fact, in Chinese medicine they believe that the tongue actually reflects all the diseases of the body.” If you have a mystery tongue problem, Josephson recommends going to see a board certified otolaryngologist (more commonly known as an ear, nose, and throat specialist).

White coating When the tongue looks sort of white and pasty-in patches or in its entirety-it’s an indication that there’s probably some sort of infection present on the tongue, such as a bacterial overgrowth or an autoimmune-related inflammatory disease. One possible cause: thrush, which is an overgrowth of candida (also called yeast) bacteria. Once the infection is treated with anti-fungal drugs (either topical or oral) and the infection clears up, the tongue will return to its healthy pink shade.

Too dark A healthy tongue should have a warm, pinkish color, so when it looks dark brown or black, you need to wonder why. And chances are, the answer will be in your diet, lifestyle or your medicine cabinet. “The filiform papillae on the top of the tongue-particularly if they’re elongated-can easily take on stains or various colors from the foods, drinks, antibiotics, lozenges, etc. that you consume,” says Sol Silverman, Jr., D.D.S., a spokesperson for the American Dental Association. A side effect of taking bismuth medications (like Pepto Bismol) is that the tongue may

turn temporarily black. And drinking a lot of coffee, smoking or chewing tobacco can stain the tongue a brownish shade. The good news is that in both cases, it’s probably just stained from food or medicine, and simply brushing your tongue a few times should help it fade back to its normal shade. While the staining may not be permanent, beware that any kind of tobacco use increases your risk of oral cancer.

Getting hairy “The top of the tongue is covered with little projections called filiform papillae,” explains Silverman. “They’re made up of keratin-the same protein that makes up hair, but they’re not really ‘hair.’” And under normal conditions, you wouldn’t even notice them.

But certain conditions can cause them to elongate, giving the tongue a “hairy” appearance. Several factors could be responsible for causing the filiform papillae to grow, including a bacterial infection, taking antibiotics, or having a very dry mouth.

Sore spots They may be small, but canker sores or mouth ulcers (which can occur anywhere in the mouth, including the tongue) can be extremely painful. “Most things that happen in the mouth are multi-factorial,” says Silverman. And these sores are no exception. Generally, those with a genetic predisposition to getting cankers will see them crop up when other factors fall into place-such as having a cold or fever, eating an excess of citrus fruits, or biting your tongue. But keep an eye on those spots. A normal canker will heal up and vanish in a week to 10 days.

Something that lasts longer and doesn’t seem to be going away could be a sign of oral cancer and should be checked out by your doctor immediately.

A bumpy surface The filiform papillae-projections on the top of the tongue, including the taste buds-normally stick up a little bit. But occasionally one will get temporarily inflamed, red, and a bit sore.

As with canker sores, as long as the area returns to normal within a time span of a few days, the inflammation is most likely harmless. “But if it turns very red or white, is painful and tender, and most importantly, doesn’t go away, it could be a sign of oral cancer,” Josephson warns.

Red and painful When the tongue’s healthy pink color mutates to bright or dark red, that can be clue to certain nutritional deficiencies-especially a lack of niacin (also called vitamin B3), a condition known as pellagra. Other nutritional issues can also cause this odd coloring. Anemia or a diet lacking in folic acid and vitamin B-12 may be to blame. But a temporary redness and pain in the tongue is most likely caused by something you ate or drank. Sensitivity to certain flavors of toothpaste, mouthwash or gum (like cinnamon) and acidic foods (like pineapple) are potential culprits. If you suffer from frequent bouts of tongue pain, you might want to try eliminating these foods from your diet to see if the irritation clears up.

Turning yellow A yellowish tint on the tongue is probably a clue that there is some sort of fungal or bacterial infection in the mouth. Another possible cause of tongue yellowing is gastric reflux. “It may be that the acid rearranges the mouth’s normal bacterial flora, and some of it may have a yellow hue,” says Josephson. Occasionally, changes in the tongue’s color will happen only in patches-a condition known as “geographic tongue.” In that case, some spots on the tongue

will become yellow while other areas remain normal and pink.

A burning sensation Burning mouth syndrome, also called oral dysesthesia, is a specific, not well-understood condition that goes far beyond simply eating certain foods that cause a temporary stinging sensation. The condition is characterized by pain and burning that can affect just the tongue or the entire mouth; the sensation may be constant or it may come and go throughout the day. For reasons that are not clear, burning mouth syndrome most commonly afflicts post-menopausal women. “It could be some damage to the nerves of the tongue that are somehow related to the hormonal changes of menopause,” Josephson says. Other possible causes include bacterial infections, dry mouth (a side effect of some medications), or nutritional deficiencies. A cure is elusive, but some of the current treatments for managing burning mouth syndrome include drinking water more frequently, chewing gum (to combat dry mouth), or taking anti-anxiety or anti-depressant drugs.

Pale and smooth When people are suffering from iron-deficiency anemia, the tongue can take on an abnormally pale, smooth look. “That’s because when your body is dealing with a lack of iron, your blood doesn’t have the necessary oxygen-carrying capacity to keep the tissues red,” explains Josephson. And the result of that lack of oxygen in the blood is that all of the tissues-including the tonguebecome pale and look, well, anemic.

When the anemia is under control and the blood is once again well-oxygenated, the tongue will go back to its healthy pink shade. (www.health.msn.com)

A

y

e niv rsar n

Health

Years

FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

Tips to triple your workout’s effectiveness Itʼs possible to get a super-effective workout in 30 minutes

Y

ou don’t want to spend long hours at the gym, but you want to get stronger, fitter, leaner, and just plain look good. It’s possible that you’re not getting the most out of your workout time. It’s possible to get a super-effective workout in 30 minutes, and only do a few workouts a week, if you maximize your workouts.

Disclaimer: First, I’m not a certified trainer. These are tips I’ve read elsewhere that work well for me. Second, you should always get a doctor’s approval of any new workout plan. This plan is especially intense, so if you have a heart condition or other condition that might be affected by heavy exercise, you should definitely refrain from trying it until you’ve gotten checked out by a doctor.

And even if you have gotten checked out, or even if you don’t bother doing so, it’s still important to start out an exercise program slowly, until your body has the chance to adjust, or you will face burnout or injury.

Don’t dive right into this program - it’s designed for people who have already been working out but want to see better results, quicker, and spend less time doing it. Here’s how to do it.

Limit your workouts to 30-40 minutes.

Though the tendency of some people who really want to get a lot out of their workouts is to spend a lot of time at the gym, the truth is that after 30 or 40 minutes, the benefit isn’t as great. To go that long, you’d have to lower the intensity of the workout, and that means that you’re spending too much time working out. It’s better to work out at a higher intensity for a shorter amount of time.

High-intensity workouts. If you’re just starting out with exercise, it’s best to take it slow. If you’re running or cycling, for example, build up your endurance for at least a month before you get into anything more intense. That means going at a rate where you can easily talk without being out of breath. However, once you have that base of endurance, step up the intensity to step up the effectiveness of the workout.

Protein. Many people don’t pay enough attention to getting the protein their muscles need to rebuild. If you don’t, you are going to get very little out of your workout, as both cardio and strength workouts require protein for building muscles. I recommend either whey or soy protein shakes.

Water. Be sure to hydrate throughout the day. It takes a couple of hours for your body to absorb the water, so you can’t just drink right before exercise. Make it a habit to drink water regularly throughout the day.

Carbs. Although the low-carb craze might say otherwise, carbs are our body’s main source of fuel. If you do intense workouts, you will need carbs, or you won’t have enough energy. If you do a shake, be sure to include carbs - or a banana is a great source of low fiber/high glycemic carbohydrates that you need for exercise.

Shake before and after workout. It’s best to take a protein/carb shake just before your workout and then just after. Taking it before your workout increases the flow of

amino acids to your muscles during training, giving them the building blocks they need. After the workout, the shake stimulates muscle growth. Also take a small protein/carb meal 60-90 minutes after a workout - a meal replacement bar would work fine.

Slow lifting. Many people contract their muscles slowly and then release more quickly. But if you lift slowly in both directions, you are maximizing each move. Lift and lower to a 5-second count in each direction.

Heavier weight. When you’re starting

out, it’s best to start with lower weights so you can focus on good form. But once you’ve gotten your form down, it’s best to lift the heaviest weights you can lift while still keeping good form. Don’t sacrifice form for heavy weights - that is ineffective. But heavy weights, with good form, can give you better results in a shorter amount of time. Heavy weights are not just for those who want to bulk up - that’s a common misconception.

One set, to failure. Instead of doing 2-3 sets, as many people do, maximize your effectiveness by doing just one, with heavy

weights, until you can no longer keep the proper form. Lifting to “failure” doesn’t mean that you should lift the last few times with a wobbly or inefficient form.

Compound exercises. Instead of isolating your muscles with exercises such as the bicep curl, you can maximize the time you spend in a workout by doing exercises that work out multiple muscle groups at once.

With just a few exercises, you could get a full-body workout. Another benefit is that your muscles are working together as they do in the real world, rather than alone.

Some great compound exercises include squats, deadlifts, good mornings, lunges, pushups, bench presses, military presses, rows, pullups, dips, and more.

Balance lifting. Instead of having exercises where you’re sitting down or holding on to something or otherwise stabilized, it’s more effective to do them standing up, or on one leg, or on a Swiss exercise ball.

These types of exercises force you to balance yourself while lifting, which brings your core muscles into play. This gives you a stronger overall body and allows you to lift more over time.

Pick a cardio exercise you enjoy. It’s no fun to exercise if you hate it. And you won’t keep it up for very long. Pick something that’s fun - running, walking, swimming, biking, hiking, rowing, stairmaster, etc.

After the initial phase when you’re getting used to exercise, you’ll start to have a blast and look forward to it.

Mix it up. Don’t stick to the same workout routine for too long, or your body will adjust to the stress level and you won’t be getting an effective workout. For strength training, change your routine every few weeks. For cardio, it’s best to cross train rather than, say, to run every time.

Good form. For strength training especially, and swimming, form is very important, but it’s also important for other types of exercise. If you’re strength training, start with lighter weights so you can work on your form. It’s good to have an experienced spotter or trainer who knows good form to help you for the first month or so. Never sacrifice form for heavier weight. For swimming, you’ll need to get a coach to teach you form.

Hills. If you run or bike or walk for cardio, you’ll want to incorporate hills (after the first month or two of doing it at an easy pace on flat ground). These will make you stronger and make your limited workout time even more effective. Take them easy at first, but once you’re used to hills, you can get a good pace going. Either use a hilly route or do repeats on one hill.

Circuits. One mistake that people make is to do multiple sets of the same exercise without rest between the sets. This doesn’t allow your muscles to recover and it’s a waste of your workout. But instead of doing a set, resting, and then doing your second set, it’s more effective to move on to multiple exercises in a circuit, so that you don’t rest between exercises but do rest each muscle group. This will give you a good cardio workout while you do your strength training. (www.zenhabits.net)

Arts FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

Race to save digital art from the rapid pace of technological change Pioneers of computer art are in danger of becoming the lost generation of our cultural heritage because scientists are unable to preserve their work Digital video art by Simon Payne

A

race is on against the fast pace of technological change as scientists search for ways to preserve today’s most innovative artworks.

A team of experts is warning that some of Britain’s contemporary artistic landmarks will be no more than memories within a decade unless conservationists can effectively archive digital works and stop them degrading.

“The threat is very real that, unless we do something, we will have a ‘lost generation’ in terms of our cultural heritage,” said Dr David Anderson, who, together with his colleague Dr Janet Delve at the School of Creative Technologies at the University of Portsmouth, is leading efforts to save the more complex artworks of the digital age from oblivion.

“Past generations captured who they were and what they did via museums and books,” Anderson said, “but the pace of technological development in the digital age has now outstripped our capacity for preservation.”

At the same time as the visual artist Hilary Lloyd is nominated for this year’s Turner Prize for her inventive work in film

and video, “digital preservationists” are campaigning for more shared research and have organised the first of a series of symposiums to be held at King’s College London and Cambridge next month.

The fast pace by which technology changes means that many of the earliest works of art created on computer are in danger of being lost, or are already impossible to read, while new interactive digital artworks, such as 3D visualisations and video games, are so complex that scientists are not yet capable of faithfully preserving them.

“Digital preservation is desperately important,” said Anderson. “In technology little things change all the time. Over the course of a 20- or 30-year working life, the software we use is updated or made obsolete all the time, but most of us aren’t really bothered by the changes. But in terms of science and art, digital preservation is increasingly important.”

Preserving today’s works of art poses more of a challenge to science than continued efforts to restore and conserve the great oil paintings and sculptures of the past, Anderson and Delve argue.

It is a problem already faced by collectors and contemporary art galleries, as formats are updated and CDs, DVDs and digital recordings degrade.

Lloyd, 48, from Halifax, creates innovative work that poses typical problems for conservators. Her recent film and video footage, previously on display at the Raven Row gallery in London, was put together in a way that subverts expectations of art. A piece that initially appeared to be a still life, for example, turned out to be in perpetual motion. Projectors and monitors formed a part of the work itself.

“In digital art, the key is to find ways of preserving the colour and visual aspects of a piece of art. If we don’t preserve the digital art made today, it could be like walking into a world-famous gallery and seeing nothing on the walls, that no art has survived some global meltdown,” said Anderson.

A new digital art gallery is to launch on Monday in the centre of Cambridge. The vaulted section, set up by Anglia Ruskin University inside the Ruskin Gallery, which was opened by the art critic John Ruskin in 1858, has been fitted with cutting-edge 3D plasma screens to enable digital artists to experiment.

But the preservation of this kind of work, in contrast, is still a work in progress.

Dr Simon Payne, a digital video artist and senior lecturer in film and media at Anglia Ruskin University, who will be exhibiting at the gallery, points out that many contemporary artists are happy for their work to have a short lifespan, or at least can accept that its temporary nature is a key part of the experience for viewers.

“Some artists who make digital art that is ephemeral, who are almost like performance artists, are dedicated to the idea that it will not last.

“But from an academic point of view, of course, you want to be able to recreate the culture of the past and to show it to students.”

Payne’s own work is what he describes as “perceptual”, playing with what the viewer can see, such as the Op Art movement of the 60s and 70s.

“It is designed with the idea of creating a discrete physical effect on the viewer and for me, ideally, it should be shown in the context of a cinema, so I don’t know how you would ever preserve it effectively.”

Ironically, an artwork made or recorded on celluloid, or even on videotape, is more likely to survive the test of time than more recent work created or archived digitally, Payne added. —Guardian

Arts FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

Tadasu Takamine: Too Far to See

A still from Tadasu Takamine’s God Bless America (2002), in which ‘the artist and his wife wrestle with two tons of clay over a period of 17 days’. —Guardian

A

rt changes art. One painting, alongside another, can strengthen or fatally weaken its neighbour. Group shows may make you look differently at the focus or style of an image, for a while at least. When the Hayward Gallery mounted its 2001 survey of contemporary Japanese art, it seemed to many observers that the several hundred works on show were characterised by a precision and understatement not often found in the confrontational British art of the day. National affinities appeared to emerge.

This was an exaggeration, of course.

Even the senior stars of that show - Hiroshi Sugimoto, Yayoi Kusama, Nobuyoshi Araki had little in common beyond the selected works, leave aside their younger contemporaries. But I remember finding a particular vein of absurdism that seemed to run all the way from Sugimoto’s vibrating Buddhas, shaking so fast they vanished before your eyes, to a guided tour of Tokyo for sea creatures and a brief film by Tadasu Takamine, whose first European exhibition opens at the Ikon Gallery in Birmingham this week.

It showed a girl taking a high-wire ride on the top of the Tokyo Bullet, the train rushing along, the landscape hurtling past, the traveller trying to keep her skirt from billowing above her waist in the wind.

What might have been disturbing seemed faintly ridiculous, certainly far less alarming for all these polite but futile attempts at decency.

Inertia, to use its correct title, feels quite different in Birmingham. It now looks like a metaphor for rape. The train drives on relentlessly and the girl cannot protect herself against the effects of its force. The camera focuses quite steadily upon her efforts

to draw down the skirt. Now this film doesn’t have any more impact, for me, than it did last time round. What the girl is resisting may well be sexual violence, if the train is taken as a Freudian symbol. Her underwear is exposed, her face is cut out of the picture. But what the camera cannot help recording is something else, or something different, a real girl having an awkward time of it trying to conform to the artist’s instructions. In the most bathetic sense her ordeal is real.

What has changed is the context. Inertia appears in Birmingham alongside several works that show sex, imply sex or centre quite explicitly on the sexual act. And in each case, although those involved are known people (Takamine’s assistant, his wife, his friends), there is some sense of a broader social theme. The artist is reaching towards an ideal society, or questioning the one in which he lives; this is where, for a British viewer, problems of interpretation may come in.

Takamine was born in Kagoshima in 1968. He is cool enough for Vogue, controversial enough for shocked headlines in the Japanese press. He started out as a member of the artist collective Dumb Type, famous for their darkly political performances. He is known for his candour and what is commonly described as irreverence, though some of his works - “paintings” made out of blankets - are more annoying than this implies, whereas others, such as his theatrical installations, assembled out of junk, are more powerful and at the same time conventional.

But it is Takamine’s video work that has travelled most widely around the world and which carries controversy from place to place. Though the most contentious piece

is the one least shown, vetoed and even removed from exhibitions in the US and Japan.

It concerns Mr Kimura, a victim of poisoned infant formula milk, who cannot control his limbs, walk or talk. For five years the artist was one of his carers; in the film, he gives Kimura sexual relief with his hand.

It is a sensitive piece, in many ways. The artist questions whether he has the licence to show it, whether he has interpreted Kimura’s eye movements correctly. He ponders Kimura’s courage, accepting what his body cannot reject, namely its appalling openness to others. But the aesthetic is a barrier of confusion: split-screens, showing partial details, with the artist sitting between them apparently as part of a filmed performance. And it ends with Takamine, rather egotistically, wishing he had done a better job.

Having seen it (Ikon has taken the decision to show it whereas the Hayward did not), I don’t doubt that Takamine has understood Kimura perfectly well, seeing the joy in his face. But I still have no idea why Kimura’s lack of privacy should be extended to art audiences, nor why (or how) Takamine wishes to make him “a superstar”, or whether the sexual needs of the disabled are even the true focus of this work, which keeps cutting ostentatiously back to the artist.

People say that Takamine is intent on ethical inquiry, and so he may be. In God Bless America, the artist and his wife wrestle with two tons of clay over a period of 17 days. The claggy mound is pummelled

from critter to GI to Easter Island statue in stop-motion animation, to the tune of the eponymous anthem. At one point, the head is sacked; later, the couple frolic in the sack; make of that what you will. As satire, let alone ethical inquiry, it’s formless and callow.

Takamine’s film of a woman in labour shows her face in close-up on the bed, restless, expectant, eyes inwardly turned. The association with sex, or the filming of sex, is direct and repugnant. And even without that association, the film’s impassivity - just looking - feels offensively aimless. I wish I hadn’t seen it for the way it inflected the rest of the show. Sometimes it is the artist’s own works that bring one another down.

—Guardian

Comic

C R O S S W O R D

3 1 6

FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

To Yester

Word Sleuth Solution

Yesterday’s Solution

ACROSS 1. Cleaning implement consisting of absorbent material fastened to a handle.

4. The capital of the Mexican state of Yucatan.

10. A slight amount or degree of difference.

13. A constellation in the southern hemisphere near Telescopium and Norma.

14. Surveying instrument consisting of the upper movable part of a theodolite including the telescope and its attachments.

15. A period marked by distinctive character or reckoned from a fixed point or event.

16. Having a face or facing especially of a specified kind or number.

17. A school teaching mechanical and industrial arts and the applied sciences.

18. Having undesirable or negative qualities.

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

24. A clear oily brown solution of cresols in soap.

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

28. A drug combination found in some over-the-counter headache remedies (Aspirin and Phenacetin and Caffeine).

29. A male child (a familiar term of address to a boy).

32. A high-crowned black cap (usually made of felt or sheepskin) worn by men in Turkey and Iran and the Caucasus.

35. (Scotland) A landowner.

36. The United Nations agency concerned with civil aviation.

37. One of the most common of the five major classes of immunoglobulins.

39. A soft white precious univalent metallic element having the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal.

40. A public promotion of some product or service.

41. The last (12th) month of the year.

43. A radioactive element of the actinide series.

44. A soft yellow malleable ductile (trivalent and univalent) metallic element.

45. Large brownish-green New Zealand parrot.

47. Electronic warfare undertaken to insure effective friendly use of the electromagnetic spectrum in spite of the enemy's use of electronic warfare.

51. The blood group whose red cells carry both the A and B antigens.

55. Relating to or characteristic of a tribe.

60. A port in southwestern Scotland.

61. A member of an agricultural people of southern India.

64. The bill in a restaurant.

65. The network in the reticular formation that serves an alerting or arousal function.

66. Belonging to or prescribed for celiac disease.

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

DOWN 1. A Chadic language spoken south of Lake Chad.

2. Using speech rather than writing.

3. Large burrowing rodent of South and Central America.

4. (informal) Roused to anger.

5. Angular distance above the horizon (especially of a celestial object).

6. An established ceremony prescribed by a religion.

7. Conforming to an ultimate standard of perfection or excellence.

8. A metrical unit with stressed-unstressed-unstressed syllables.

9. Hormone secreted by the posterior pituitary gland (trade name Pitressin) and also by nerve endings in the hypothalamus.

10. Italian operatic soprano (born in 1922).

11. The biblical name for ancient Syria.

12. An informal term for a father.

20. Italian lawn bowling (played on a long narrow dirt court).

21. A member of an aboriginal people living in the hills in southeastern India.

22. The head of a branch of an organized crime syndicate.

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

25. A deep bow.

27. A cord that is drawn through eyelets or around hooks in order to draw together two edges (as of a shoe or garment).

30. A self-funded retirement plan that allows you to contribute a limited yearly sum toward your retirement.

31. A doctor's degree in education.

33. The state of needing something that is absent or unavailable.

34. The capital and largest city of Bangladesh.

38. (Greek mythology) Goddess of the earth and mother of Cronus and the Titans in ancient mythology.

42. The syllable naming the fourth (subdominant) note of the diatonic scale in solmization.

46. A gradual decline (in size or strength or power or number).

48. A representation of the Virgin Mary mourning over the dead body of Jesus.

49. Cubes of meat marinated and cooked on a skewer usually with vegetables.

50. Any of numerous low-growing cushion-forming plants of the genus Draba having rosette-forming leaves and terminal racemes of small flowers with scapose or leafy stems.

52. Genus of prickly shrubs and small trees of the Caribbean region.

53. (Scottish) Bluish-black or gray-blue.

54. A radioactive metallic element that is similar to tellurium and bismuth.

56. The bureau of the Treasury Department responsible for tax collections.

57. The elementary stages of any subject (usually plural).

58. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in Turkey).

59. (British) A waterproof raincoat made of rubberized fabric.

62. A metric unit of volume equal to one tenth of a liter.

63. The branch of computer science that deal with writing computer programs that can solve problems creatively.

Yesterday’s Solution

A

y

e niv rsar n

Years

Lifestyle

FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

AP Essay: Truth, Justice and the

Global Way

?

Elephant therapy program for Thai autistic kids

B

y the 1960s, Superman was visiting JFK in the White House and trusting the president with his secret identity (though the planned story was shelved for months after Kennedy was assassinated), while also stopping by the United Nations. In the Christopher Reeve movies of the 1970s and 1980s, too, the Man of Tomorrow seems clearly on the side of the American government most of the time. And after 9/11, Superman made an appearance, albeit a very nonpartisan one, in a compilation of comics about the 2001 terrorist attacks.

Nowhere is the tension between Superman’s outsiderness and Americanness more evident than in the decade-long TV series “Smallville,” which wraps up Friday with a two-hour series finale that is expected to put its version of the hero, played by Tom Welling, in cape and tights for the first time.

With the luxury of 10 years to play with, “Smallville” reframed Clark Kent’s coming of age in Smallville, Kan., as an angsty, conspiracy-ridden epic full of In this undated file photo beautiful young originally released by American faces - “The ComicConnect.com, Fred X-Files” meets Ray’s original 1942 cover “Dawson’s Creek,” in a artwork to Superman #14 is way, though it escaped shown. Also known as the that box years ago. In “patriotic shield” cover, it is recent years Smallville’s widely considered to be the producers have teased most valuable single piece out the theme of an of original comic art still in outsider who arrived in existence. It’s the cornerAmerica the day a stone image that defined meteor shower rained the 20th Century icon as down upon the heartthe defender of truth, land. Young Clark Kent justice and the American called “The Blur” in his Way. —AP mysterious preSuperman displays of heroics - is pursued relentlessly by shady agents of the American military-industrial complex. In secret installations dappled with light and checkered with shadows, these covert operatives plot the undoing of Clark and his hero friends. They consider The Blur a dangerous interloper with a hidden agenda who may not have the country’s best interests at heart. We, the viewers, know better.

When you look at the history of American superhero comics, you realize that the most memorable good guys have one thing in common: Like Clark Kent, they’re outsiders, whether by birth, choice or accident. That gives them the narrative tension of a built-in internal struggle.

Batman was pushed to a darker side by the murder of his parents. Spider-Man, the Hulk, the Fantastic Four: All were turned into freaks by experiments gone awry. Even Captain America is a scientific guinea pig of the military and the government, albeit voluntarily; he is the only one of his kind, with nobody to truly understand his supersoldier existence. Then there’s Superman, who stands alone.

His planet is in fragments, his people dead except for the odd superpowered straggler who turns up now and then.

He has grown up in an archetypal American childhood - a farm outside a small Midwestern town - but is, despite everything about him, an impostor. He is very much American, and he is very much alien - not unlike the waves of immigrants, legal and otherwise, who have spent the last two centuries coming here to make, or remake, their lives against a blank canvas. —AP

File photo shows Nuntanee Satiansukpong, in white, the head of occupational therapy department, as she rides Nua Un, a female elephant, during an animal therapy program in Lampang, Thailand. —AP

K

uk-kik, a 14-year-old boy, punctuates his few, slurred words with yelps. Kong screams and bites his fingers when he can’t figure out how much to pay for bananas. Other children freeze midmotion, fix their gazes on minute objects and withdraw. Enter Nua Un and Prathida-two gentle, lively and clever female elephants-and the mood among the autistic teenagers in Thailand changes as they begin their therapy, the world’s first using these charismatic animals. They scrub and soap their bristly hides, play ball games with the well-trained pachyderms and ride them bareback, smiling.

“Chang, chang (Elephant, elephant). Children, have you ever seen an elephant?” the group sings, clapping hands to the traditional Thai nursery tune and hugging the elephants’ trunks. Disco-like, Nua Un bobs her head and sways. Everyone cheers in a rousing climax to another day in this program in the forests of northern Thailand, which seeks to help autistic children through interaction with elephants.

Animal therapy for people with developmental disabilities-notably using dolphins, dogs and horses-is not new, and has provoked skepticism-especially in connection with expensive swimming-with-dolphins programs.

But some anecdotal evidence and studies have shown positive results. Wittaya Khem-nguad, the elephant project’s founder, says parents “see improvements after the elephant therapy and that gives them this hope.” A small preliminary observation found improvements among four boys after three weeks of elephant therapy, but more research with larger samples is needed, says Rebecca Johnson, who heads the Research Center for Human Animal Interaction at the University of Missouri. A presentation on the Thai program was recently made at the school’s Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders.

Autism is incurable but therapy and medication can improve speech, learning and social problems, and reduce behavior like tantrums. Elephants have lost their traditional roles in Thailand as trucks, teak loggers, and battle tanks, Wittaya, who gave up a career in advertising to work with elephants, started the project as a way to help the endangered animals regain their usefulness. After reading about horse riding therapy, he approached Chiang Mai University, where Nuntanee Satiansukpong, head of its occupational therapy department, suggested elephants might help those with autism. Elephants, she says, provide the rich, attention-grabbing “sensory menu”

beneficial to the autistic, while the animals’ intelligence and other traits allow for a wide range of interactions with humans. Additionally, elephants are woven into the fabric of Thai culture, familiar to children since birth.

Nuntanee worked out six key activities for the therapy sessions with her staff. Then they went to the government-run Thai Elephant Conservation Center near the northern city of Lampang, where the sessions take place in a forested clearing.

Each activity is designed to improve specific skills.

The children learn to follow step-by-step instructions by drawing up shopping lists and buying food for the elephants-bananas, sugar cane, corn, sunflower seeds-at a mock store with real money. If the elephant rejects the food, they return to the store for an alternative, which teaches flexibility. Feeding the animals and brushing 7-year-old Nua Un when she obligingly lies on her side for a bath can help the kids overcome an aversion to sticky and rough textures.

Playing games, with the elephants kicking and offering balls with their trunks, fosters group activities. Riding, besides sheer fun, requires specific sequences of mounting and commanding while addressing poor balance and posture. And elephantthemed art activities-painting and making mobiles, paper lanterns and mosaics-spark the imagination.

“The elephant is such a big stimulus it can keep the attention of an individual longer, and since it is such a wonderful animal bonding can occur,” says Nuntanee. “If we can drag the children out of their own world they will be better,” she says. But throughout the day, some of the participants regress.

Kuk-kik Kraisiri refuses to take part in a game, abruptly squatting down to bang two stones together and poke the earth with a stick. Kong Jatjeeng erupts in screams after a stray brush stroke. A third teen tears his paper lantern to shreds because he cannot puncture holes for stringing it up, then sobs.

The parents, who accompany their children to the elephant center, have asked for the free therapy to be continuous, but Nuntanee says that with limited funding, only eight-day sessions are offered. Kukkik’s mother Saithong says her son doesn’t usually “join activities with other people. He would be by himself. This is the first time he is not.” Kong’s mother Keesorn said the therapy helps make her son more patient, gentler and willing to share. But she added: “His mood changes every day. He lives in his own world. We will have to take care of him for the rest of our lives.” —AP

A

y

e niv rsar n

Years

Lifestyle

FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

Panettiere

DiCaprio and Refaeli

splits from boyfriend

H

dating Wizard again

Miller

ayden Panettiere and her boyfriend Wladimir Klitschko have split up. The actress and the heavyweight champion boxer have decided to call time on their 18month romance because they couldn’t cope with having a long-distance relationship. Hayden, 21, lives in the US, while 35-year-old Wladimir who was raised in the Ukraine - is based in Hamburg, Germany. A statement from Hayden said: “While we decided to split, we feel great sympathy and respect for each other and will surely stay close friends.” Wladimir added: “We had a great time together.

But more and more we realised how difficult it is to maintain a relationship when living on two continents ... I cherish Hayden as a person and woman. I’m sure we will stay friends.”

Wladimir - whose brother Vitali Klitschko is also a world champion boxer - is currently in training for his heavyweight title unification bout with British fighter David Haye which takes place at the Imtech Arena in Hamburg, Germany, on July 2.

S

ienna Miller has reportedly rekindled her romance with DJ Slinky Wizard. The actress - who first dated the DJ, real name George Baker, in 2009 - is said to have enjoyed a string of dates with the former trance musician and friends think it could get serious between them. A source close to Sienna - who split from Jude Law in February - told the Daily Mail newspaper: “Sienna texted George when she broke up with Jude and asked if he wanted to meet up. “They went out but she made it clear that she was seeing other people. He has waited though, and now thinks that she is going to ditch the others and stick with him.” In 2009, Sienna was so smitten with George, she even introduced him to her family at a pool party at her former stepmother Kelly Hoppen’s villa, in Ibiza, Spain. A source said at the time: “Sienna and George are really quite besotted. They haven’t been dating for long but decided to just go for it and get away for a sunshine break. Sienna and her stepsister Natasha had organized a surprise 50th birthday for Kelly, and Sienna invited George along too so they could meet informally over a few glasses of champagne. “He seemed pretty nervous about meeting the family but it went really well, and he was utterly charming to everyone.”

L

split up

eonardo DiCaprio and Bar Refaeli have reportedly split up. The ‘Inception’ star and the Israeli-born supermodel - who have been dating for over five years - ended their relationship last week after they both realized neither of them are ready to settle down. A source told the New York Post newspaper: “It was amicable, they’re still friends and they are still talking. They just grew apart and went their separate ways. “Neither are ready to settle down, and both have busy careers that have been taking them in different directions.” This is not the first time Leonardo and 25-year-old Bar have called time on their relationship, they split for six months in 2009 after dating for four years before reuniting last year. Leonardo, 36, has previously admitted he is unsure if he will ever marry because seeing other people’s failed unions has put him off tying the knot. He explained: “I don’t know whether I’ll ever get married. I’ve seen too many supposedly happy marriages go down. I’ve been as shocked as anyone. “No one can look at the marriages of other people and make a judgment. I don’t know the private lives of the actors I work with. I just know if they are good actors or good directors.”

Rose praises new man Wiz

A

mber Rose says insists her new boyfriend is not a “downgrade” from Kanye West. The model split from the ‘Stronger’ hitmaker last year and is now dating rapper Wiz Khalifa and while he is not as famous as her ex, she is a lot happier with him. She said: “There’s no comparison in personalities. You know when people say, ‘How do you go from Kanye to Wiz Khalifa, that’s a downgrade.’ But the only question I can ask them is, ‘Have you ever dated Kanye? Because I have, and believe me, I did not downgrade at all. Not in any aspect, at all.” Although Amber had vowed never to get involved with another musician following her relationship with Kanye, she couldn’t help falling for Wiz. She revealed to King magazine: “I chilled with him for two weeks. We didn’t kiss or nothing. Then he left for Pittsburgh and when he left I was so lost without him. “He is a grown man about his business and a positive person who always has a smile on his face.” While she is happy with Wiz, Amber has previously admitted she was bisexual and could fall in love with a man or a woman. She said: “I’m extremely open about my sexuality.”

A

y

e niv rsar n

Years

Lifestyle

FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

Stewart fell in love with Vancouver

K

Underwood to have second honeymoon

risten Stewart fell in love with Vancouver while she was shooting the ‘Twilight’ movies.

The 21-year-old actress - who recently finished filming the final scenes for the two ‘Breaking Dawn’ movies in the city and Squamish, British Columbia admits it was a great experience to shoot in the Canadian city because it has so much natural beauty.

She said: “We shot most of the ‘Twilight’ series in Vancouver. I fell in love with it - it’s such a beautiful city. I found the climate so different from what I’m used to in Los Angeles. The air is clean and fresh and there are beautiful mountain views everywhere. But I didn’t get to go out as much as I would have liked.”

Vancouver isn’t the only place to have captured her heart during the filming of the vampire movie franchise. Kristen - who is dating her co-star Robert Pattinson - also loved shooting the second movie in the series in Italy and she especially enjoyed the European country’s food. She explained to new! magazine: “When we shot ‘Twilight: New Moon’ in Italy, I tried all different kinds of pasta dishes Alfredo, fettuccine with cream, basil and Romano cheese - and gnocchi with seafood. I suddenly took an interest in cooking. It was amazing! It’s now my favorite cuisine.”

Pattinson wants to win Best Kiss award R

C

arrie Underwood is planning a second honeymoon. The country music singer - who married professional ice hockey player Mike Fisher in July 2010 - is reportedly hoping a romantic sunshine break in Hawaii will lead the couple to conceive their first child. According to the National Enquirer magazine, she told pals: “I’m planning a romantic second honeymoon in Hawaii very soon. Mike and I hope to make a baby under those tropical stars.” The 28year-old star thinks now could be the “perfect time” to start a family after Mike got transferred to Nashville-based hockey team, the Nashville Predators, meaning the couple are living under the same roof for the same time in their relationship. A source explained: “Carrie is anxious to have a baby.

Now, with Mike traded to Nashville, she feels they’ll finally be living year round under the same roof, so it’s the perfect time to start a family.” However, Carrie recently revealed the pair were planning to “wait a while” before they attempted to conceive a child. She said: “Oh, it’s going to be a while. The other night, Mike was with some friends and their kids, and he sent me a funny text saying, ‘Watching my friend’s kids ... let’s wait a while.’ “I didn’t grow up around kids, and I hope those motherly instincts are in me. I’m sure they are, but I don’t know what to talk about with a four-year-old.” — Bang Showbiz

obert Pattinson wants to win Best Kiss award.

The ‘Twilight’ actor - who is dating his costar Kristen Stewart - said he would be disappointed not to win the MTV Movie accolade for the third time in a row for his onscreen kiss with Kristen in ‘The Twilight Saga: Eclipse’. When asked what the secret of his success has been, he told MTV News: “I don’t know. I mean - I thought I won it three times?! Did I win it three? It’s kind of terrifying if you suddenly stop winning it, you’re like, ‘Oh God!’. “It’s almost worse than if you stop winning like, acting awards or whatever. If you can’t kiss anymore, it’s like, ‘What?! I’m still good at kissing!’” However, Kristen has two attempts at winning the award, as she has also been nominated for her clinch with co-star Taylor Lautner in ‘Eclipse’. Robert and Kristen will also face tough competition from fellow nominees Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis in ‘Black Swan’, Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe in ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1’ and ‘Inception’ couple Ellen Page and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The 20th MTV Movie Awards are set to take place at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California, on Sunday, June 5.

Vergara becomes

face of CoverGirl

S

ofia Vergara has become the new face of CoverGirl.

The ‘Modern Family’ actress follows in the footsteps of Queen Latifah, Drew Barrymore and Taylor Swift in representing the cosmetic brand and will appear in campaigns from January 2012. Speaking of her new role, she told People magazine: “It feels amazing. I’ve always wanted to be a CoverGirl. I always loved seeing the pictures of the campaigns in magazines. “My mother used to do her make-up every day, and I used to watch her, just fascinated. I’ve always had a very good relationship with makeup; it’s one of my favorite things.” Sofia - who is to launch her own clothing range later this year - says one of the reasons the role appealed to her was that other Latino girls can look up to her.

She said: “When you grow up, you look up to girls in the magazines, and you never think you’re going to be that pretty, or that well made-up, or that glamorous. I love that I have the Latin flavor; Latin girls can relate to me, see what I’m wearing, see my makeup, my hairstyle.”

A

y

e niv rsar n

Years

Lifestyle

FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

Bob Marley exhibit opens on anniversary of death

In this 1979 file picture, reggae musician Bob Marley, from Jamaica, performs in an undisclosed location. —AP

B

ob Marley’s battle with cancer ended in a Miami hospital 30 years ago on Wednesday, bringing to a premature close the life of reggae music’s most important standard-bearer. His son, David “Ziggy” Marley, who was 12 at the time and has gone on to reggae stardom in his own right, considers the anniversary a day for celebration rather than mourning. “It’s not the happiest day, but we’ve learned to live with it,” he told Reuters on Wednesday. “The actual day is a day of journey. It’s a day of movement. We accept it as that. We’re not here to cry or to be sad. We’re here to celebrate and be happy.”

Marley was on hand at the Grammy Museum where an exhibit about his father opened on Wednesday and runs through Oct. 2. The Marley family worked closely with the museum’s curators, lending memorabilia from its personal collection. Perhaps the most significant item in the display is Marley’s primary guitar, a modified mahogany Gibson Les Paul. The curators said it has never been displayed in the United States. The guitar is part of the permanent collection at the Bob Marley Museum in Kingston, Jamaica.

“That was his baby,” Marley said. “That was his weapon. That’s what he held closest to him onstage, offstage. It’s made of wood, it’s natural. Some of Bob’s sweat, whatever, is in that wood, that guitar.” He recalled that he used to play the guitar himself on stage until he was told it should be placed in the museum. “I was very sad about that,” he said with a laugh. “I wish I could still be jammin’ on it.” The exhibit also includes an embroidered blue denim stage jacket worn by Marley, as well as candid photographs, old concert posters and records. Music clips and video footage are also displayed, and drum machines allow visitors to try and play along with Marley’s songs.

Marley said the exhibition could be better appreciated while being high, a nod to Bob Marley’s use of cannabis as one of the most high-profile adherents of the Rastafari movement. “Spiritually high, or high on herb,” he said. “But no drugs, though. No other thing.

Natural high.” The herb unifies a pair of new projects Ziggy Marley has been working on, a superhero comic book titled “Marijuanaman” and a new album called “Wild and Free.” In the comic, Marijuanaman is forced to leave his planet after its natural supply of THC in the atmosphere is depleted. He lands on Earth, inevitably in a marijuana field, and is befriended by a community of environmentalists.

The drug gives him super powers and he helps his friends battle an evil pharmaceutical company. He has a girlfriend, of course, named MJ, which is slang for marijuana. Actor and noted hemp advocate Woody Harrelson appears on the title track of the album, dueting with Marley in a spirited declaration of the beneficial effects of cannabis. It comes out on June 14. —Reuters

Irish singer Bono of the Rock band U2 perform on their 360Tour at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, on May 11, 2011. — AFP

Pink Floyd in race against time to reissue albums

T

he mammoth CD reissue program undertaken by Pink Floyd is an acknowledgment that the era of physical CDs and lavish artwork is coming to an end, as fans increasingly opt to download music digitally, drummer Nick Mason said on Wednesday. Two years after the Beatles unveiled a similar program, the British progressive rock band is reissuing digitally remastered versions of all 14 of its studio albums, both individually and as a boxed set on Sept. 26.

But Pink Floyd is doing something the Beatles never did, to the disappoint-

ment of Fab Four fans. Three albums will also be reissued with plenty of rarities in multi-disc versions. Revised and expanded artwork was a heavy priority for a band with a history of visual innovation. “There is a slight sense that we are coming to the end of the period where people will buy the physical record with all the packaging and the information and so on,” Mason, 67, told Reuters at the Hollywood outpost of the band’s EMI Records label.

“I think it’s really important to try and have a last go at that, because if we do end up just downloading everything

from now on it would be a shame if there wasn’t on record all that good artwork and the things that went with it.”

The band’s 1973 smash “The Dark Side of the Moon,” one of the biggest selling albums of all time, will additionally come out on six- and two-disc configurations.

Exact details of the contents were not available, but EMI previewed several previously unreleased tracks including a fast-tempo live version of “Money,” and an early mix of “The Great Gig in the Sky” without the soaring vocals of session singer Clare Torry. —Reuters

Doherty faces

no charges over death

B

ritish rock star Pete Doherty will not face criminal charges over the death of a partygoer who fell from a balcony shortly after the pair had a row, prosecutors said yesterday.

The family of Mark Blanco, 30, had campaigned for criminal proceedings to be brought over his death at a London party in December 2006. Blanco was involved in a confrontation with Doherty, the 32-year-old Babyshambles frontman and former lover of supermodel Kate Moss, along with the star’s minder and another man shortly before he fell to his death.

Doherty, currently on a tour of Britain and Ireland, was questioned over the death but never arrested.

Prosecutors said yesterday there was insufficient evidence to bring criminal charges. “None of the evidence is capable of establishing to the required standard that Mr Blanco was thrown or pushed from the balcony or that any

other individual was present at the time he fell,” said Jenny Hopkins, from the Crown Prosecution Service. The dead man’s mother Sheila Blanco lashed out at the decision: “It is a police cover-up-I really did not expect anything better.” She added the family were undecided what their next steps would be.

Two police reports and an inquest had already failed to conclusively establish what caused Blanco to fall to his death. Doherty, who shot to fame with his old band The Libertines, is likely to be handed a jail term later this month after pleading guilty to possession of cocaine in a separate case. He was one of four people arrested following the suspected overdose death of filmmaker Robyn Whitehead, 27 in January last year. Doherty has had recurring problems with drugs, alcohol and driving offences and he has already served time in prison. —AFP

Pete Doherty

A

y

e niv rsar n

Years

Lifestyle

FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

Kung Fu Panda 2

kicks back in Cannes

J

ack Black was in Cannes yesterday to present “Kung Fu Panda 2” which sees Po, the bear with unexpected martial arts talent which he voices, seeking inner peace alongside tigress Angelina Jolie.

The success of the first film — $633 million (446 million euros) in ticket sales worldwide and nominated for an Oscar for best animation in 2009 — ensured that the cast would return, and this time the apparently orphaned panda faces a new challenge.

Po, who has been raised by a noodle cook goose, has become a Dragon Warrior who must protect the Valley of Peace alongside Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) and the Furious Five, which includes Jolie’s Master Tigress. Jolie, who has three biological and three adopted children with fellow Hollywood star Brad Pitt, said she had taken them to see the film and “they absolutely loved the movie,” she said.

“They laughed through the whole thing, and I wondered whether they would ask me questions about it, but because (for them) adoption, and birth mothers and orphanages and all that, they’re happy words. “They’re very used to these discussions, they just felt that much more proud that they were a little like Po.” —AFP

Angelina Jolie and Jack Black pose in front of a giant panda during a photo call for Kung Fu Panda 2, at the 64th international film festival, in Cannes yesterday. —AP

Woody Allen film charms Iran accuses Cannes Cannes, Lady Gaga surprises of being ‘political’ I W

oody Allen delighted the crowds at the start of the Cannes film festival on Wednesday with “Midnight In Paris,” in which Owen Wilson travels back in time and meets the likes of Ernest Hemingway and Pablo Picasso. There was laughter and applause from famously fussy Cannes critics at the press screening, which opened 11 days of red carpets, media interviews, lounging on luxury yachts and late night partying in the glamorous Riviera resort.

In a testament to the festival’s pulling power, Hollywood stars Robert De Niro, Uma Thurman, Salma Hayek and Antonio Banderas twirled and smiled for a legion of tuxedo-wearing photographers on the red carpet leading to the festival palace. Hayek, in town to promote her film “Puss in Boots,” held their attention for the longest with a creamcolored floor-length dress and sideswept hairdo.

Gleaming yachts packed the harbor around the giant cinema complex, the

Lady Gaga performs for a television show during the 64th international film festival, in Cannes, southern France, Wednesday. —AP

rich and famous filled the five-star hotels and organizers hoped the 2011 festival lives up to this year’s unusually high expectations. Blockbusters “Kung Fu Panda 2” starring Angelina Jolie and “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” with Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz both launch in Cannes, as studios return en masse after avoiding the notoriously costly trip to France due to the financial crisis over the past couple of years. And De Niro is in town as head of this year’s jury. “For me to see 20 movies in this amount of time is unusual and it’s kind of a bit of a vacation, because I can focus on the films, (and) don’t have any distractions that I normally would have in my everyday life, so this is a terrific thing for me,” he said. Adding to the star power, pop diva Lady Gaga gave a “surprise” concert on the palm-lined waterfront wearing a two-toned hairstyle, matador-like bodice and spotted tights as fans screamed from behind the barricades. In “Midnight in Paris,” Allen, a Cannes favourite, explores the notion that bygone ages are better than the present, so Wilson’s character Gil pines for 1920s Paris while painter Paul Gauguin wants to return to the Renaissance. The 75-year-old Oscar-winning director played for laughs by transporting Wilson into a Paris populated by Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, Salvador Dali and other artistic greats. — Reuters

ranian Culture Minister Mohammad Hosseini has accused the Cannes film festival of being political for screening movies by Iranians who back the country’s opposition movement, media reports said yesterday.

The annual festival, which opened on Wednesday, “sometimes takes political positions that we disagree with and condemn,” Hosseini said, referring to films by Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof, which are to be screened this year. In December, an Iranian court sentenced both directors to six years in prison and barred them from making films for 20 years.

The two are free on bail pending an appeal, but forbidden to travel abroad. Berlin in February, Venice in September and Cannes a year ago all invited Panahi to sit on their juries, and left a symbolic empty chair for him when he was barred from leaving Iran. Panahi was convicted of “propaganda against the system” for making a film about unrest after the disputed re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in June 2009. His Cannes entry, “In Film Nist” (This is not a film), depicts a day in his life as he waits for a verdict in a court appeal. It will be included in the festival’s official selection and screened on May 20.

Rasoulof’s “Be Omid e Didar” (Goodbye) is the story of a young Tehran lawyer trying to get a visa to leave Iran and will be shown on May 14 in the parallel Un Certain Regard section of the festival. Cannes organizers have said both films were made in “semi-clandestine conditions.”

“Mohammad Rasoulof’s film and the conditions under which it was made, Jafar Panahi’s ‘diary’ of the days of his life as an artist not allowed to work, are by their very existence a resistance to the legal action which affects them,” the festival’s organizers said earlier this month. —AFP

A

y

e niv rsar n

Years

Lifestyle

FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

A visitor walks by artwork in the ‘Room of Wonders’ at the MAS Museum in Antwerp, Belgium, on Wednesday. A new iconic building is rising on Europe’s cultural horizon. The rusty sandstone-and-glass MAS museum towers over the old port of Antwerp and is supposed to become an international attraction in itself.

Stunning from the outside it also has superb art inside, all linked to the centuries-old tradition of one of the world’s biggest ports. —AP

Watch for hotel fees, and not just for Internet

I

f you’re budgeting for summer travel, be on the lookout for fees on your hotel bill for everything from newspapers to luggage storage. Some of the fees can be avoided: Be careful with the mini-bar, because even jostling items may incur a charge if they are electronically tracked, and ask about charges for things you used to take for granted, like an early check-in. Other charges you may encounter include fees for mandatory valet parking, porters, fitness centers, late check-out, housekeeping services, Internet connection, package or fax delivery, minibar restocking, inroom safes and even inroom coffee.

“In places other than Las Vegas, I run into mandatory parking fees all the time,” said Timothy Genter, 44, of Olathe, Kansas, who travels several times a year, both for leisure and for his job as the finance manager at a Fortune 50 company. “Those are a scam as well, but you know about those and it could be argued that they are actually providing a service for the fees.” On the other hand, he said, “there is no justification for resort fees.”

Mandatory resort fees, which can range from a few bucks a night to $20 or $30, often show up on a bill for amenities you might have assumed were part of the base cost of your accommodation, covering items like a newspaper, Internet connection or access to the fitness center and pool. The fees are typically imposed whether you use the amenities covered or not, but if you’re booking online, they don’t appear in the price quote, making it much harder for consumers to comparison shop.

“What’s driving this is the Internet,” said Ed Perkins, contributing editor to SmarterTravel.com. “It has so magnified the importance of price comparisons that a lot of hotels feel it’s very important for them to show up as low as they can in the base rates. The temptation is very high to take something that should be part of the room rate and carve it out separately and add it on later. “ While online travel agencies often post a disclaimer saying that the prices shown “may not include taxes, services fees or other hotel charges,” it is impossible on some websites, like Priceline.com, to know what those fees will be without calling the hotel directly. —AP

Warhol self-portrait nets record $38.4 million A

blue canvas self-portrait by Pop Art king Andy Warhol fetched a record $38.4 million in a tense two-way bidding war at Christie’s in New York Wednesday. The 1963-1964 work, which shows Warhol wearing sunglasses in four panels, was the star of a brisk contemporary art sale that saw the auction power house leave arch-rival Sotheby’s in its tracks. Total sales hit $301.7 million, just over the high presale total estimate of $299 million, and far above the $128 million netted at Sotheby’s in its own contemporary art sale on Tuesday.

Christie’s said the Warhol set a record for a self-portrait by the still hugely lucrative artist, who died in 1987. Presale estimates for the work ranged between $20-30 million, but bidding burst those barriers in a dramatic contest between a phone bidder and a bidder present in the Manhattan auction room. Bids shot up in increments of half a million dollars, then a quarter of a million and then, as the competitors dug in, by just $100,000 a time, drawing laughter from the well-heeled crowd. As the struggle limped on, passing the $30 million mark, Christie’s auctioneer quipped: “Longest lot in history.” When the phone bidder finally prevailed, applause erupted.

Another Warhol self-portrait, this time showing the wild-haired artist in diabolical red against a dark background, sold for $27.5 million, a hefty but relatively disappointing performance that fell below the $30 million low

estimate of $20-30 million. Warhols also dominated the Sotheby’s top sellers, with “Shadow - Red” selling for 4.8 million, far above the estimate of $700900,000 and “Round Jackie” fetching $3.7 million, compared to the pre-sale estimate of $3-4 million. Christie’s had a much smoother ride, hitting the biggest haul for an evening sale since May 2008.

Of 65 lots offered, 95 percent sold, with

Photo shows a circa 1963-64 painting by artist Andy Warhol entitled ‘Self-Portrait’. —AP pre-sale estimate. Other big sellers included an untitled oil by Mark Rothko, selling for $33.7 million, well above the $22 million high pre-sale estimate.

“Three Studies for Self-Portrait” by Francis Bacon sold for $25.3 million. The evening sale had a buzz distinctly lacking on Tuesday at rival Sotheby’s contemporary art auction. There, Andy Warhol canvas “Sixteen Jackies” sold for $20.4 million, at the low end of the presale estimate.

Jeff Koons’ “Pink Panther,” a porcelain sculpture of a topless blonde hugging the famous cartoon character, sold for $16.8 million. That was far below the

Photo shows a circa 1963-64 painting by artist Andy Warhol entitled ‘Self-Portrait’. —AP 38 lots selling for more than $1 million, five for more than $10 million and four for over $20 million. The previous record for a self-portrait by Warhol, $32.6 million, dated to May 2010. Brett Gorvy, international co-head of post-war and contemporary art at Christie’s, said it was “one of the best sales we’ve ever had.” —AP

Stars

FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

Aries (March 21-April 19)

The 16th-century English writer John Heywood was a prolific creator of epigrams. I know of at least 20 of his proverbs that are still invoked, including "Haste makes waste," "Out of sight, out of mind," "Look before you leap," "Beggars shouldn't be choosers," "Rome wasn't built in a day," and "Do you want to both eat your cake and have it, too?" I bring this up, Aries, because I suspect you're in a Heywoodian phase of your long-term cycle. In the coming weeks, you're likely to unearth a wealth of pithy insights and guiding principles that will serve you well into the future.

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

I'll quote Wikipedia: "Dawn should not be confused with sunrise, which is the moment when the leading edge of the sun itself appears above the horizon." In other words, dawn comes before the sun has actually showed itself. It's a ghostly foreshadowing -- a pale light appearing out of nowhere to tinge the blackness. Where you are right now, Gemini, is comparable to the last hour before the sunrise. When the pale light first appears, don't mistake it for the sun and take premature action. Wait until you can actually see the golden rim rising.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

I'll quote Wikipedia: "Dawn should not be confused with sunrise, which is the moment when the leading edge of the sun itself appears above the horizon." In other words, dawn comes before the sun has actually showed itself. It's a ghostly foreshadowing -- a pale light appearing out of nowhere to tinge the blackness. Where you are right now, Gemini, is comparable to the last hour before the sunrise. When the pale light first appears, don't mistake it for the sun and take premature action. Wait until you can actually see the golden rim rising.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

When some readers write to me, they address me as "Mr. Brezsny." It reminds me of what happens when a check-out clerk at Whole Foods calls me "sir": I feel as if I've been hit in the face with a cream pie -- like someone is bashing my breezy, casual self-image with an unwelcome blast of dignity and decorum. So let's get this straight, people: I am not a mister and I am not a sir. Never was, never will be. Now as for your challenges in the coming week, Cancerian: I expect that you, too, may feel pressure to be overly respectable, uncomfortably formal, excessively polite, and in too much control. That would be pushing you in a direction opposite to the one I think you should go.

Leo (July 23-August 22)

At one point in the story "Alice in Wonderland," a large talking bird known as the Dodo organizes a race with unusual rules. There is no single course that all the runners must follow. Rather, everybody scampers around wherever he or she wants, and decides when to begin and when to end. When the "race" is all over, of course, it's impossible to sort out who has performed best, so the Dodo declares everyone to be the winner. I encourage you to organize and participate in activities like that in the coming weeks, Leo. It's an excellent time to drum up playful victories and easy successes not only for yourself, but for everyone else, too.

Virgo (August 23-September 22)

In his book The Rough Guide to Climate Change, Bob Henson talks about the "five places to go before global warming messes them up." One such beautiful spot is Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park. Vast swatches of its trees are being ravaged by hordes of pine beetles, whose populations used to be kept under control by frigid winters before the climate began to change. Australia's Great Barrier Reef and Switzerland's Alpine glaciers are among the other natural beauties that are rapidly changing form. I suggest that you apply this line of thought to icons with a more personal meaning, Virgo. Nothing stays the same forever, and it's an apt time in your astrological cycle to get all you can out of useful and wonderful resources that are in the midst of transformation.

Libra (September 23-October 22) There's not a whole lot of funny stuff reported in the Bible, but one notable case occurred when God told Abraham that he and his wife Sarah would finally be able to conceive their first child. This made Abraham laugh out loud, since he was 99 years old at the time and Sarah was 90. It may have been a while since God has delivered any humorous messages to you, Libra, but my sense is that She's gearing up for such a transmission even as we speak. To receive this cosmic jest in the right spirit, make sure you're not taking yourself too damn seriously.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21)

No one in history has ever drunk the entire contents of a regulation-size ketchup bottle in less than 39 seconds. So says the Guinness Book of World Records. However, I believe it's possible that a Scorpio daredevil will soon break this record. Right now your tribe has an almost supernaturally enormous power to rapidly extract the essence of anything you set your mind to extracting. You've got the instincts of a vacuum cleaner. You're an expert at tapping into the source and siphoning off exactly what you need. You know how to suck -- in the best sense of that word -- and you're not shy about sucking.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21)

"I'm not superstitious," said Michael Scott, the former boss in the TV show "The Office." "I'm just a little stitious." From my perspective, Sagittarius, you shouldn't indulge yourself in being even a little stitious in the coming weeks. You have a prime opportunity to free yourself from the grip of at least some of your irrational fears, unfounded theories, and compulsive fetishes. I'm not saying that you suffer from more of these delusions than any of the rest of us. It's just that you now have more power than the rest of us to break away from their spell.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19)

In Plato's Republic, Socrates speaks derisively about people who are eu amousoi, an ancient Greek term that literally means "happily without muses."

These are the plodding materialists who have no hunger for inspiration and no need of spiritual intelligence. According to my reading of the astrological omens, Capricorn, you can't afford to be eu a-mousoi in the coming weeks.

Mundane satisfactions won't be nearly enough to feed your head and heart.

To even wake up and get out of bed each morning, you've got to be on fire with a shimmering dream or a beautiful prospect.

Aquarius (January 20- February 18)

In his Book of Imaginary Beings, Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges reports the following: "Chang Tzu tells us of a persevering man who after three laborious years mastered the art of dragon-slaying. For the rest of his days, he had not a single opportunity to test his skills." I bring this to your attention, Aquarius, because my reading of the astrological omens suggests that you, too, may be in training to fight a beast that does not exist. Luckily, you're also in an excellent position to realize that fact, quit the unnecessary quest, and redirect your martial energy into a more worthy endeavor.

Pisces (February 19-March 20) Want to see a rabbit chase a snake up a tree? If for some reason you don't have access to Youtube, then please close your eyes and visualize a cute bunny harassing a six-foot-long snake until it slithers madly away and escapes up a tree. Once you have this sequence imprinted on your mind's eye you will, I hope, be energized to try a similar reversal in your own sphere. Don't do anything stupid, like spitting at a Hell's Angels dude in a biker bar. Rather, try a metaphorical or psychological version. Whatever you have been trying to say, it's time to say it stronger and clearer. You can no longer afford to hope people will read your mind or guess what you mean. Your communications must be impeccable and irresistible.

COUNTRY CODES Afghanistan 0093 Albania 00355 Algeria 00213 Andorra 00376 Angola 00244 Anguilla 001264 Antiga 001268 Argentina 0054 Armenia 00374 Australia 0061 Austria 0043 Bahamas 001242 Bahrain 00973 Bangladesh 00880 Barbados 001246 Belarus 00375 Belgium 0032 Belize 00501 Benin 00229 Bermuda 001441 Bhutan 00975 Bolivia 00591 Bosnia 00387 Botswana 00267 Brazil 0055 Brunei 00673 Bulgaria 00359 Burkina 00226 Burundi 00257 Cambodia 00855 Cameroon 00237 Canada 001 Cape Verde 00238 Cayman Islands 001345 Central African Republic 00236 Chad 00235 Chile 0056 China 0086 Colombia 0057 Comoros 00269 Congo 00242 Cook Islands 00682 Costa Rica 00506 Croatia 00385 Cuba 0053 Cyprus 00357 Cyprus (Northern) 0090392 Czech Republic 00420 Denmark 0045 Diego Garcia 00246 Djibouti 00253 Dominica 001767 Dominican Republic 001809 Ecuador 00593 Egypt 0020 El Salvador 00503 England (UK) 0044 Equatorial Guinea 00240 Eritrea 00291 Estonia 00372 Ethiopia 00251 Falkland Islands 00500 Faroe Islands 00298 Fiji 00679 Finland 00358 France 0033 French Guiana 00594 French Polynesia 00689 Gabon 00241 Gambia 00220 Georgia 00995 Germany 0049 Ghana 00233 Gibraltar 00350 Greece 0030 Greenland 00299 Grenada 001473 Guadeloupe 00590 Guam 001671 Guatemala 00502 Guinea 00224 Guyana 00592 Haiti 00509 Holland (Netherlands)0031 Honduras 00504 Hong Kong 00852 Hungary 0036 Ibiza (Spain) 0034 Iceland 00354 India 0091 Indian Ocean 00873 Indonesia 0062 Iran 0098 Iraq 00964 Ireland 00353 Italy 0039 Ivory Coast 00225 Jamaica 001876 Japan 0081 Jordan 00962 Kazakhstan 007 Kenya 00254 Kiribati 00686

Kuwait 00965 Kyrgyzstan 00996 Laos 00856 Latvia 00371 Lebanon 00961 Liberia 00231 Libya 00218 Lithuania 00370 Luxembourg 00352 Macau 00853 Macedonia 00389 Madagascar 00261 Majorca 0034 Malawi 00265 Malaysia 0060 Maldives 00960 Mali 00223 Malta 00356 Marshall Islands 00692 Martinique 00596 Mauritania 00222 Mauritius 00230 Mayotte 00269 Mexico 0052 Micronesia 00691 Moldova 00373 Monaco 00377 Mongolia 00976 Montserrat 001664 Morocco 00212 Mozambique 00258 Myanmar (Burma) 0095 Namibia 00264 Nepal 00977 Netherlands (Holland)0031 Netherlands Antilles 00599 New Caledonia 00687 New Zealand 0064 Nicaragua 00505 Nigar 00227 Nigeria 00234 Niue 00683 Norfolk Island 00672 Northern Ireland (UK)0044 North Korea 00850 Norway 0047 Oman 00968 Pakistan 0092 Palau 00680 Panama 00507 Papua New Guinea 00675 Paraguay 00595 Peru 0051 Philippines 0063 Poland 0048 Portugal 00351 Puerto Rico 001787 Qatar 00974 Romania 0040 Russian Federation 007 Rwanda 00250 Saint Helena 00290 Saint Kitts 001869 Saint Lucia 001758 Saint Pierre 00508 Saint Vincent 001784 Samoa US 00684 Samoa West 00685 San Marino 00378 Sao Tone 00239 Saudi Arabia 00966 Scotland (UK) 0044 Senegal 00221 Seychelles 00284 Sierra Leone 00232 Singapore 0065 Slovakia 00421 Slovenia 00386 Solomon Islands 00677 Somalia 00252 South Africa 0027 South Korea 0082 Spain 0034 Sri Lanka 0094 Sudan 00249 Suriname 00597 Swaziland 00268 Sweden 0046 Switzerland 0041 Syria 00963 Taiwan 00886 Tanzania 00255 Thailand 0066 Toga 00228 Tonga 00676 Tokelau 00690 Trinidad 001868 Tunisia 00216 Turkey 0090 Tuvalu 00688 Uganda 00256 Ukraine 00380 United Arab Emirates00976

A

y

e niv rsar n

Years

W h a t ’s O n

FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

Announcement Moving Up Day ceremony Smart Nursery will celebrate its Moving Up Day Ceremony on May 14, 2011. The event will highlight the giving of awards for this year’s cream of the crop in the academe.

IWG dinner dance For those of you who still require tickets to the IWG Spring Dinner-Dance (Thursday, 19 May), we will have tickets available for purchase at Costa Coffee in Al Bida’a on Tuesday, 10 from 10:00 am to 11:30 am.

KNES Puppet Show Trip

A

ll primary year groups from Kuwait National English School in Hawally attended the Puppet Show and Puppet Workshop at Puppet Kingdom. It began with a stimulating fairytale, shown using puppets and it finished with each pupil making their own puppet. This enabled pupils to develop their skills in language, drama and design and technology and young students from Kuwait National English School look forward to returning next year.

Thanima to present legend play Thanima (The Human and Nostalgic Interaction of Malayalees Abroad) is presenting of yet another unique cultural event to the Kuwait cultural spectrum by enacting ballads of the epic Vadakkan Pattukal (Ballads of North Malabar) of medieval Kerala on stage. ‘Oru Vadakkan Veerakatha’, drama scope mega budget full length visual entertainer becomes a reality in the collective effort of Malayalee expatriate community in Kuwait spearheaded by Thanima. The play will be staged at 4.30 pm and 8.30 pm on 20 May at Al-Jeel Al-Jadeed School Auditorium Hawally. The drama combines both the legendary spirit of Vadakkan Pattu and the bravery of Kalaripayattu (martial art form of Kerala) and harmonizes with the technical excellence of silver screen. In 18 sets it will be on stage designed by acclaimed Artist Sujathan. Entry will be restricted through passes.

Leisure activities Kuwait Zoo The Kuwait Zoo is located in Omariya on the Airport Road. It is open everyday except on Saturdays. The timings during winter are 8am to 8pm. For more information contact: 24733389.

is open from Saturdays to Thursdays from 9am to 10.30pm and on Fridays from 2pm to 10.30pm. For more information contact: 22240025 or visit their website at: www.tsck.org.kw.

Art galleries and artifacts

Amusements Parks Aqua Park Aqua Park will be open from 1st April 2011 from 10am10pm everyday. For information contact: 22431960/1/3 or visit: www.aquaparkkuwait.com.

Entertainment City Entertainment City is open from Sunday to Wednesday from 3pm to 11pm during winter. It is also open on Thursdays and Fridays from 10am to 10pm. For more information contact: 24879455.

The Scientific Centre Scientific Centre is located on the Gulf road in Salmiya. It

Voice Kuwait 6th Anniversary Voice Kuwait is celebrating its 6th anniversary “VISWAKALA 2011” on May 20th Friday from 4 pm to 9 pm at Carmel School Khaitan.

Voice Kuwait is giving award to its member’s children who got highest mark in last S.S.L.C. either from Kuwait or from Kerala. The students those are eligible should give attested copy of their mark list to Area conveners or sent copy to voicekuwait2004@gmail.com For more information please contact 66950482,94419371.

a)Sultan Art Gallery The Sultan art gallery is located on Street no: 105, building no: 168, Subhan, Kuwait city. b)Boshehri Gallery Boshehri Gallery is located on the Al-Mobarak street, Salmiya, Kuwait. For more information on their collection please contact: 25714883/25724883.

Ahmadi Music Group The Ahmadi Music Group, directed by Richard Bushman, is delighted to announce the forthcoming production of The Desert Song by Siegmund Romberg and Oscar Hammerstein. Fully-staged, with costumes, dancing, professional soloists, a cast of around fifty people and a full symphony orchestra, this will be a wonderful opportunity to experience an evening of musical theatre in the stunning new Performing Arts Centre at The English School Salmiya.

Tuesday 31 May, Preview Performance for students.

Wednesday 1 June, Black-tie Gala Opening Performance followed by Buffet Supper. Thursday 2 June, Performance. Friday 3 June, Performance. All performances start at 7pm at The English School, Salmiya.

Emailing invitations@ahmadimusicgroup.com

c)Tariq Rajab Museum This museum is open from Saturdays to Thursdays at 9am to 12pm and 4pm to 7pm. On Fridays it is open from 9am to 12pm. For more information on their location etc contact: 25317358 or visit their website: www.trmkt.com.

Write to us

Summer action for kids

K

idz Play Group in Farwaniya is holding a summer camp for kids from age groups 4-7, 8-12 & 13-16. A variety of different summer activities have been planned for each age group including arts and crafts, painting, indoor games, karate, swimming, excursions and much

more. If your child is not travelling this summer, let them make the most of it with us. For further details contact us at 50572333/ 24726796 (call between 8 am-2 pm only).

Send to What’s On upcoming events, birthdays or celebrations by email: local@kuwaittimes.net Fax: 24835619 / 20

A

y

e niv rsar n

Years

W h a t ’s O n

FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

Embassy Information

ICSK observes Safety Month

“K

nnnnnnn

IIS adds another feather to its cap

I

bright, brilliant students.

Asif of XII, Muneera of XII and Riya of XII exhibited the model on “Production of Water from Atmosphere” in senior category. Ashjon of Class X, Shabir of Class X and Hansen of Class X exhibited the model on “Sound Production and Propagation”. Director, Moosa Koya, Principal, F M Basheer Ahmed and the

nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF BRITAIN The Visa Application Centre (VAC) will be closed on the same dates above. The opening hours of the Visa Application Centre are 0930 - 1630 Application forms remain available online from the UKBAs’ website: www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk or from the Visa Application Centre’s website: www.vfs-uk-kw.com.

And also, from the UK Visa Application Centre located at: 4B, First Floor, Al Banwan Building (Burgan Bank Branch Office Building), Al Qibla area, opposite Central Bank of Kuwait, Kuwait City. For any further inquiries, please contact the Visa Application Centre: Website: www.vfs-uk-kw.com E-mail:info@vfs-uk-kw.com Telephone:22971170.

The Consular Section will also be closed on the same dates. For information on the British Embassy services, visit the British Embassy website: www.ukinkuwait.fco.gov.uk

now safety, no injury, No safety know injury”, “Accidents hurt, safety doesn’t” are some of the quotes seen around The Indian Community School, Junior Branch as the new academic session began in April for 2011-2012. This was done with the intent to educate students about the importance of safety in their everyday lives and have a safe, secure and peaceful school environment.

This observance was actively supported by all children, teachers at ICSK junior. The goal of this month long program was to motivate students and parents and community to advocate school safety. School safety includes keeping campus free from accidents, injuries and improving discipline.

The safety month was initiated with speeches by students of classes I toV over the public address system every morning. Classes I to V observed safety month in a befitting manner by organizing interesting and imaginative skits, role-plays, songs, talks, displays etc for the morning assembly.

Topics ranged from safety on the bus, road, in the class room and at the play ground. Children took a pledge to remain safe. Placards, posters, slogans and quotes were displayed to promote safety awareness in the school premises.

A quiz was conducted to test awareness after a month long drilling on the topic of safety. Children participated with enthusiasm.

ICSK junior succeeded in helping children stay safe and that’s certainly a concern for everybody. Children are our future, so it’s wise of us to provide an opportunity for children to keep themselves safe so that they can be happy in the future.

t was a great moment for the children of IIS when their exhibit was announced for the third position at the 3rd Shaastrotsav- Festival of Science organized by NSS College of Engineering Alumni on May 6, 2011 at GUST Campus, Mishref, Kuwait.

Fourteen schools in Kuwait participated in different categories of science project contest for schools. There were about 3,000 students, teachers and professionals visited the venue and appreciated the efforts of budding scientists.

Yumna Kulsoom of VB, Julia Lijo of VII and Sadaf Mariyam of VII exhibited models on “Earthquake and Tsunami Cases due to Tectonic Activity” and they demonstrated diligently the tectonic activities with the help of their models to all the visitors. Their hard work and continuous effort fetched the third position in the competition in the sub junior category and made the entire IIS family proud for having such

EMBASSY OF AUSTRALIA The Embassy encourages all Australians to register their presence in Kuwait through Smartraveller Online (see link below).

Australians who are registered are asked to update their details. The information provided will assist us in contacting you in an emergency. www.smartraveller.gov.au Kuwait citizens can apply for and receive visit visas to Australia online at www.immi.gov.au. This usually takes two working days. All others visa applications are handled by the Australian Visa Application Centre Tel. 22971110.

Witnessing and certifying documents are by appointment only, please contact the Embassy on 2232 2422. The Australian Embassy is open from 8.00am to 4.00pm, Sunday to Thursday.

staff members congratulated the young budding scientists on their participation and success in the Festival of Science. Hats off to the teachers Salim, Najeeb, Sapna Raof, Vanaja, Reena and Elizabeth who encouraged and stood by the students in all their efforts. Well done IIS team!

EMBASSY OF GERMANY The Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Kuwait wishes to announce that as of 1 May 2011, the external service provider Al Qabas Assurex is operating a Visa Application Centre in support of the German Embassy. Short-term visa applications for travels to Germany (e.g. for tourism, visits, business) are to be submitted to the service provider Al Qabas who for your convenience will ensure that all relevant documents are included in your application. Your personal appearance at the Application Centre is not required. Address of the Visa Application Centre: Al Qabas Assurex Sanabel Tower (Al-Babtain) Mezzanine (M3) opposite Sharq Mall Kuwait 22924444 Fax: 22924442 Further information are available on the following websites: www.kuwait.diplo.de www.qavisa.com nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF GREECE The Embassy of Greece in Kuwait announces the launching of its new Website www.mfa.gr/kuwait. Visa applications and other useful information is available on the site. In view of the summer vacation and due to the increasing number of applications for Schengen visas to Greece, the embassy strongly recommends both Kuwaiti citizens and foreign residents to apply early, prior to the intended date of travel. nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF GUYANA The Embassy of Guyana, recently established in Kuwait, announces that it is located at Block 3, Street 321, Villa 3, Mubarak Abdullah al Jabar, West Misrhef. The Embassy’s telephone numbers are 2539-7939 and 25394336; the fax number is 2539-3448. The Embassy can also be contacted by e-mail at Guyanaembassy.kuwait@gmail.com; its website address is www.guyana.org.

TV Listings FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

00:45 01:40 02:35 03:30 04:25 05:20 06:10 06:35 07:00 07:25 07:50 08:40 09:10 10:05 11:00 11:55 12:50 13:45 14:10 14:40 15:30 16:00 16:30 17:25 18:20 19:15 20:10 21:05 22:00 22:55 23:50

Untamed And Uncut Cats 101 Cheetah Kingdom Max’s Big Tracks Crime Scene Wild Animal Cops Houston Extraordinary Dogs Project Puppy Meerkat Manor The Really Wild Show Crocodile Hunter Breed All About It Dogs 101 Michaela’s Animal Road Trip Animal Precinct Wildlife SOS Animal Cops South Africa SSPCA: On The Wildside E-Vets: The Interns Lions Of Crocodile River Planet Wild The Really Wild Show Growing Up...

Cats 101 Cheetah Kingdom Michaela’s Animal Road Trip Dogs/Cats/Pets 101 Karina: Wild On Safari Big Five Challenge In Search Of The King Cobra Killer Crocs Of Costa Rica

00:00 00:35 01:20 02:10 03:00 03:30 04:00 04:30 04:50 05:10 05:35 05:45 06:05 06:25 06:50 07:05 07:25 07:45 08:10 08:20 08:40 09:00 09:25 09:40 10:40 11:25 12:15 12:45 13:15 14:05 15:35 16:30 17:15 17:45 18:15 19:05 20:00 20:45 21:15 22:05 22:55 23:30

My Family The Weakest Link Casualty Doctor Who Eastenders Doctors My Family Me Too Tweenies Teletubbies Charlie And Lola Me Too Tweenies Teletubbies Charlie And Lola Me Too Tweenies Teletubbies Charlie And Lola Me Too Tweenies Teletubbies Charlie And Lola My Family The Weakest Link Around The World In 20 Years Doctors Eastenders Casualty My Family Around The World In 20 Years The Weakest Link Doctors Eastenders Casualty Around The World In 20 Years The Weakest Link Doctors The Planets Jekyll Supernova Taking The Flak

00:15 01:05 01:55 02:45 04:55 05:50 07:20 07:50 08:40 10:50 11:15 12:10 12:50 13:40 14:25 16:40 17:25 18:10 19:00 19:50 20:35 21:20 22:10 23:00 23:45

Great British Menu Come Dine With Me The Home Show Great British Menu Indian Food Made Easy Daily Cooks Challenge Indian Food Made Easy Antiques Roadshow Great British Menu Indian Food Made Easy Antiques Roadshow Cash In The Attic Bargain Hunt Come Dine With Me Great British Menu Rhodes Across China Rhodes Across China How Not To Decorate Antiques Roadshow Cash In The Attic Bargain Hunt Come Dine With Me The Home Show Masterchef: The Professionals Masterchef: The Professionals

00:55 Extreme Close-Up 01:25 20 Most Shocking Unsolved Crimes 03:15 25 Most Stylish 04:10 Sexiest 05:05 Extreme Hollywood 06:00 THS 07:50 Behind The Scenes 08:20 E! News 09:15 Kimora: Life In The Fab Lane 10:15 THS 12:05 E! News 13:05 Giuliana And Bill 14:05 Kourtney And Khloe Take Miami 14:35 15 Most Infamous Child Star Mugshots 16:25 Behind The Scenes 16:55 Kourtney And Kim Take New York 17:55 E! News 18:55 Kendra 19:55 THS 20:55 Kourtney And Kim Take New York 21:25 Holly’s World 22:25 E! News 23:25 Behind The Scenes 23:55 Keeping Up With The Kardashians

ALONG CAME A SPIDER ON OSN ACTION HD

00:40 01:35 02:30 03:25 04:20 05:15 05:40 06:05 07:00 07:50 08:45 09:10 09:40 10:55 11:25 12:20 13:15 14:10 15:05 16:00 16:55 17:50 18:45 19:10 19:40 20:05 20:35 21:00 21:55 22:50 23:45

00:30 00:55 01:45 02:35 03:25

Dirty Jobs Worst-Case Scenario Ultimate Survival Mega Builders Mythbusters How Do They Do It? How Stuff’s Made Dirty Jobs Mega Builders American Chopper How Stuff’s Made How Do They Do It? Mythbusters Border Security Street Customs Berlin Ultimate Survival Mythbusters LA Ink Dirty Jobs Street Customs Berlin Mythbusters River Monsters Cake Boss Border Security I Could Do That How Stuff’s Made How Do They Do It? Mega Builders Huge Moves Mighty Ships River Monsters

The Gadget Show Mega World Bang Goes The Theory The Future Of...

How Does That Work?

03:50 04:45 05:40 06:10 07:00 07:55 07:58 08:25 08:55 09:45 10:35 11:25 11:50 12:40 13:05 13:55 14:45 15:35 16:00 16:03 16:30 17:00 17:50 18:40 19:30 20:20 20:45 21:10 22:00 22:50 23:40

00:00 00:25 01:15 02:00 02:50 03:35 04:25 05:15 05:35

Junkyard Mega-Wars What’s That About?

Patent Bending Ecopolis Da Vinci’s Machines Head Rush Sci-Fi Science Weird Connections The World’s Strangest UFO Stories The Gadget Show Bang Goes The Theory Savage Planet Da Vinci’s Machines Patent Bending Weird Or What?

Powering The Future Mega World The Gadget Show Head Rush Sci-Fi Science Weird Connections Brainiac Super Comet: After The Impact Stephen Hawking’s Universe The Gadget Show Weird Connections How Stuff’s Made The Gadget Show Stephen Hawking’s Universe The Gadget Show The Colony

Kim Possible Fairly Odd Parents Stitch Replacements Emperors New School Stitch Replacements Fairly Odd Parents Fairly Odd Parents

06:00 06:20 06:45 07:05 07:30 07:55 08:20 08:35 09:00 09:25 09:50 10:10 10:35 10:50 11:15 11:35 12:00 12:25 12:45 13:10 13:30 13:55 14:20 14:40 14:47 14:55 15:20 15:40 16:00 16:25 17:35 18:00 18:25 18:45 20:15 20:25 20:50 21:12 21:15 21:35 22:00 22:25 22:50 23:15 23:35

Emperors New School Phineas And Ferb Phineas And Ferb Suite Life On Deck Fish Hooks Good Luck Charlie Fairly Odd Parents Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Handy Manny Special Agent Oso Jungle Junction Imagination Movers Phineas And Ferb Suite Life On Deck Wizards Of Waverly Place Good Luck Charlie Shake It Up Fairly Odd Parents Phineas And Ferb Hannah Montana Sonny With A Chance Wizards Of Waverly Place Suite Life On Deck Have A Laugh Have A Laugh Suite Life On Deck Phineas And Ferb Good Luck Charlie Good Luck Charlie Suite Life On Deck Wizards Of Waverly Place Wizards Of Waverly Place Shake It Up Johnny Kapahala: Back On Board Fish Hooks Sonny With A Chance Good Luck Charlie Have A Laugh Phineas And Ferb Fairly Odd Parents Replacements Hannah Montana Sonny With A Chance Wizards Of Waverly Place Jonas

00:00 BBC World News 00:30 World Business Report 00:45 Sport Today 01:00 BBC World News America 01:30 Asia Business Report 01:45 Asia Today 02:00 BBC World News 02:30 Asia Business Report 02:45 Asia Today 03:00 BBC World News 03:30 Asia Business Report 03:45 Asia Today 04:00 BBC World News 04:30 Asia Business Report 04:45 Asia Today 05:00 BBC World News 05:30 Asia Business Report 05:45 Asia Today 06:00 BBC World News 06:30 Peschardt’s Business People 07:00 BBC World News 07:30 World Business Report 07:45 BBC World News 08:00 BBC World News 08:30 World Business Report 08:45 BBC World News 09:00 BBC World News 09:30 World Business Report 09:45 Sport Today 10:00 BBC World News 10:30 World Business Report 10:45 Sport Today 11:00 BBC World News 11:30 Peschardt’s Business People 12:00 BBC World News 12:30 World Business Report 12:45 Sport Today 13:00 BBC World News 13:30 World Business Report 13:45 Sport Today 14:00 GMT With George Alagiah 14:30 GMT With George Alagiah 15:00 BBC World News 15:30 World Business Report 15:45 Sport Today 16:00 Impact 16:30 Our World 17:00 Impact 17:30 World Business Report 17:45 Sport Today 18:00 World Have Your Say 18:30 World Have Your Say 19:00 The Hub With Nik Gowing 19:30 BBC World News 19:40 Weekend World 20:00 The Hub With Nik Gowing 20:30 World Business Report 20:45 Sport Today 21:00 World News Today With Zeinab Badawi 21:30 World Have Your Say Extra 21:40 Weekend World 22:00 BBC World News 22:30 Middle East Business Report 23:00 BBC World News America 23:30 Peschardt’s Business People

00:05 00:30 00:55 01:20 01:45 02:10

Cow And Chicken Cramp Twins George Of The Jungle Adrenalini Brothers Eliot Kid Ed, Edd N Eddy

02:35 Ben 10: Alien Force 03:00 The Powerpuff Girls 03:15 Chowder 03:40 The Secret Saturdays 04:05 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey 04:30 Ben 10: Alien Force 04:55 Best Ed 05:20 Skunk Fu! 05:45 Cramp Twins 06:10 Eliot Kid 06:35 The Marvelous Misadventures Of Flapjack 07:00 Codename: Kids Next Door 07:25 Cow And Chicken 07:50 Angelo Rules 08:05 Cartoon Network Dance Club 08:15 Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends 08:40 Ben 10: Alien Force 09:05 The Secret Saturdays 09:30 Batman: The Brave And The Bold 09:55 The Powerpuff Girls 10:20 Robotboy 10:30 Hero 108 10:55 Ben 10 11:20 Chowder 11:45 The Marvelous Misadventures Of Flapjack 12:10 Camp Lazlo 12:35 George Of The Jungle 13:00 Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends 13:25 Codename: Kids Next Door 13:50 Ben 10 14:15 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey 14:40 Squirrel Boy 15:05 Cartoon Network Dance Club 15:20 Eliot Kid 15:35 Ed, Edd N Eddy 16:00 Cow And Chicken 16:25 Chop Socky Chooks 16:50 Skunk Fu! 17:15 Chowder 17:40 Best Ed 18:05 Hero 108 18:30 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 18:55 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 19:20 Adventure Time 19:45 Cow And Chicken 20:10 The Marvelous Misadventures Of Flapjack 20:35 Courage The Cowardly Dog 21:00 The Powerpuff Girls 21:25 Ed, Edd N Eddy 21:50 Robotboy 22:00 Camp Lazlo 22:25 Hero 108 22:50 Ben 10 23:15 Bakugan Battle Brawlers 23:40 Chowder

00:30 01:20 02:10 03:00 03:50 04:45 05:15 06:10 07:00 07:50 08:40 09:30 09:55 10:20 11:10 12:00 12:50 13:40 14:30 14:55 15:20 16:10 17:00 17:50 18:40 19:30 19:55 20:20 21:10 22:00 22:50 23:40

The Haunted A Haunting On The Case With Paula Zahn True Crime Scene Dr G: Medical Examiner Ghosthunters The Haunted Mystery Diagnosis Forensic Detectives Undercover Mystery Diagnosis Real Emergency Calls Real Emergency Calls On The Case With Paula Zahn FBI Files On The Case With Paula Zahn The Prosecutors Mystery Diagnosis Real Emergency Calls Real Emergency Calls On The Case With Paula Zahn Forensic Detectives Undercover FBI Files Mystery Diagnosis Real Emergency Calls Real Emergency Calls On The Case With Paula Zahn The Prosecutors Murder Shift Undercover Dr G: Medical Examiner

00:00 00:30 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 04:30 05:00 05:30 06:00 06:30 07:00

Market Values Market Values Departures Don’t Tell My Mother

By Any Means Pressure Cook David Rocco’s Dolce Vita Food Lovers Guide To The Planet Exploring The Vine Market Values Market Values Departures

TV Listings FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

08:00 09:00 10:00 10:30 11:00 11:30 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 16:30 17:00 17:30 18:00 18:30 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 22:30 23:00 23:30

Don’t Tell My Mother

By Any Means Pressure Cook David Rocco’s Dolce Vita Food Lovers Guide To The Planet Exploring The Vine Market Values Departures Don’t Tell My Mother Long Way Down Pressure Cook David Rocco’s Dolce Vita Food Lovers Guide To The Planet Exploring The Vine Market Values Market Values Departures Don’t Tell My Mother Long Way Down Pressure Cook David Rocco’s Dolce Vita Food Lovers Guide To The Planet Exploring The Vine

00:00 The Ruins-R 02:00 XXX-PG15 04:00 Outpost-18 06:00 Hollywood Homicide-PG15 08:00 Snake Eyes-PG15 10:00 Along Came A Spider-PG15 12:00 Fast And Furious-PG15 13:45 Snake Eyes-PG15 15:30 Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen-PG15 18:00 Fast And Furious-PG15 20:00 Notorious-18 22:15 Midnight Meat Train-18

01:00 03:00 05:00 07:00 09:00 11:00 13:00 15:00 17:00 18:45 21:00 23:00

Order Of Chaos-R The Cake Eaters-PG15 Flying By-PG15 Delgo-FAM Astro Boy-FAM The Wronged Man-PG15 Furry Vengeance-PG15 The Informant!-PG15 Astro Boy-FAM Sherlock Holmes-PG15 Nine-PG15 Harry Brown-18

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

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart The Colbert Report South Park The Ricky Gervais Show Entourage Just Shoot Me Community South Park The Tonight Show With Jay Leno Malcolm In The Middle Yes Dear The Drew Carey Show Late Night With Jimmy Fallon Tyler Perry’s House Of Payne Dharma And Greg Just Shoot Me Malcolm In The Middle Yes Dear Melissa And Joey The Drew Carey Show The Tonight Show With Jay Leno Dharma And Greg Tyler Perry’s House Of Payne Malcolm In The Middle Yes Dear Community Melissa And Joey The Daily Show With Jon Stewart The Colbert Report The Drew Carey Show Late Night With Jimmy Fallon Friends 8 Simple Rules ...

Outsourced Modern Family The Tonight Show With Jay Leno The Daily Show With Jon Stewart The Colbert Report Funny Or Die Presents Bored To Death South Park Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

00:00 01:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 07:00 08:00 08:30

The Cape American Idol The Gates The Cape Good Morning America C.S.I. New York Emmerdale Look-A-Like

09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

The Gates The Martha Stewart Show The View American Idol Live Good Morning America C.S.I. New York The Ellen DeGeneres Show One Tree Hill No Ordinary Family American Idol Survivor: Redemption Island Lie To Me C.S.I. New York

00:00 Cold Case 01:00 American Idol 03:00 The Cape 04:00 The Gates 05:00 The Philanthropist 06:00 Cold Case 07:00 The New Adventures Of Christine 07:30 The New Adventures Of Christine 08:00 Smallville 09:00 The Philanthropist 10:00 American Idol 12:00 The New Adventures Of Christine 12:30 The New Adventures Of Christine 13:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show 14:00 Smallville 15:00 Cold Case 16:00 The New Adventures Of Christine 16:30 The New Adventures Of Christine 17:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show 18:00 The Unit 19:00 No Ordinary Family 20:00 American Idol 21:00 Survivor: Redemption Island 22:00 Royal Pains 23:00 The Philanthropist

01:00 Friday The 13th-18 03:00 Blood And Bone-18 05:00 Casualties Of War-18 07:00 Ghost Town (TV Movie)-18 09:00 Changing Lanes-PG15 11:00 Gone In Sixty Seconds-PG15 13:00 The Snow Walker-PG15 15:00 Changing Lanes-PG15 17:00 Darkness Falls-PG15 18:45 Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels-18 20:45 Pride And Glory-18 23:00 Grudge 3-18

Old Old

Old

00:00 Four Christmases-PG15 02:00 Sweet Liberty-PG15 04:00 17 Again-PG15 06:00 Saved!-PG15 08:00 Leaving Normal-PG15 10:00 Did You Hear About The Morgans?-PG15 12:00 The Fighting Temptations-PG15 14:00 Flirting Wth Flamenco-PG15 16:00 Four Christmases-PG15 18:00 The Hudsucker Proxy-PG15 20:00 PJ Gallagher: Just Jokes-18 22:00 Black Dynamite-18

Old

Old Old

01:00 03:00 05:00 07:00 09:00 11:00 13:00 15:00 16:45 19:00 21:00 23:00

Fascination-18 The Sisters-18 Whip It-PG15 Einstein And Eddington-PG15 Mama I Want To Sing-PG Drumline-PG15 Rudy-PG Enid-PG15 Che Part One: The Argentine-PG15 Everybody’s Fine-PG15 Quills-18 Boogie Nights-18

01:00 Seven Years In Tibet-PG15 03:30 The Last Song-PG15 05:30 Girl, Positive-PG15 07:00 Adventures Of A Teenage Dragonslayer-PG 09:00 Phoebe In Wonderland-PG 11:00 Bandslam-PG15 13:00 Nativity!-PG 15:00 The Lovely Bones-PG15 17:00 Phoebe In Wonderland-PG 19:00 When In Rome-PG15 21:00 Piranha-PG15 22:30 Broken Embraces-PG15

00:00 The Archies In Jugman-FAM 02:00 Hotel For Dogs-FAM 04:00 Scruff In Halloween-FAM 06:00 Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs-PG 08:00 Looney, Looney, Looney Bugs Bunny Movie-FAM 10:00 The Archies In Jugman-FAM 12:00 Pocahontas III: The Journey In Time-PG 14:00 Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs-PG 16:00 The Princess And The Frog-FAM 18:00 Babe: Pig In The City-FAM 20:00 Wild Records!-PG 22:00 Pocahontas III: The Journey In Time-PG

00:00 Lower Learning-PG15 02:00 Adventures Of A Teenage Dragonslayer-PG 04:00 Toy Story 3-FAM 06:00 Secret Origin: The Story Of DC Comics-PG 08:00 Adventures Of A Teenage Dragonslayer-PG 10:00 Free Willy: Escape From Pirate’s Cove-FAM 12:00 Toy Story 3-FAM

SHERLOCK HOLMES ON OSN CINEMA

14:00 Who’s Your Caddy?-PG15 16:00 Free Willy: Escape From Pirate’s Cove-FAM 18:00 500 Days Of Summer-PG15 20:00 Piranha-PG15 22:00 The Hangover-18

00:30 01:00 01:30 03:30 04:00 04:30 05:30 06:00 07:00 10:30 14:30 17:00 18:00 20:00 21:00 21:30

Futbol Mundial Scottish Premier League Highlights Scottish Premier League Scottish Premier League Highlights Futbol Mundial Golfing World NRL Full Time Weber Cup Bowling Premier League Darts Live Super 15 AFL Premiership Trans World Sport NRL Premiership Trans World Sport Scottish Premier League Highlights Live Super League

01:30 02:00 05:30 06:30 07:00 08:00 12:30 14:30 15:00 15:30 19:30 20:00 21:00

Futbol Mundial Premier League Darts Trans World Sport Total Rugby Golfing World European PGA Tour Live NRL Premiership Scottish Premier League Highlights ICC Cricket World Live European PGA Tour Futbol Mundial Golfing World European PGA Tour

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

UFC The Ultimate Fighter UFC Unleashed UFC Unleashed WWE NXT V8 Supercars Championship V8 Supercars Championship UFC The Ultimate Fighter WWE NXT Full Throttle V8 Supercars Championship Live AFL Premiership Live NRL Premiership WWE NXT Full Throttle V8 Supercars Championship Superstock Powerboat Series UFC The Ultimate Fighter V8 Supercars Extra WWE NXT WWE SmackDown WWE Bottom Line UFC The Ultimate Fighter

00:30 01:20 02:10 03:00 03:55 04:50 05:40 06:30 07:20 08:10 09:00 09:55 10:50 11:40 12:30 13:20 14:10 15:00 15:55 16:50 17:40 18:30 19:20 20:10 21:00 21:55 23:40 Tree

Investigating History Conspiracy?

Modern Marvels Ax Men 3 Tunnellers Secret Superpowered Aircraft Ancient Discoveries Investigating History Conspiracy?

Modern Marvels Ax Men 3 Tunnellers Secret Superpowered Aircraft Ancient Discoveries Investigating History Conspiracy?

Modern Marvels Ax Men 3 Tunnellers Secret Superpowered Aircraft Ancient Discoveries Investigating History Conspiracy?

Modern Marvels The Universe The Real Wolfman Bloodlines: The Dracula Family

00:15 00:17 01:00 01:50 02:00 02:45

Top Mobile Playlist Hit Us Playlist Urban Hit Playlist

03:15 03:17 07:15 07:17 09:15 09:17 13:15 13:17 15:15 15:17 16:00 16:45 17:15 17:17 18:00 18:45 19:00 20:00 20:30 22:15 22:17 23:00 23:40

Top Fashion Playlist Top Gossip Playlist Top Money Playlist Top Gossip Playlist Monthly Top Playlist Africa 10 Playlist Top Sexy Playlist Urban Hit Playlist Trace Video Mix New Playlist Top Mobile Playlist Club 10 Playlist

00:00 Jerseylicious 01:00 Fashion Avenue 01:30 Fashion Avenue 01:55 Big Boutique 02:25 How Do I Look?

03:20 Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?

04:15 Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?

05:10 Homes With Style 05:35 Area 06:05 Clean House 07:00 Big Boutique 07:30 Big Boutique 08:00 Homes With Style 08:30 Homes With Style 09:00 Fashion Avenue 09:25 Fashion Avenue 09:55 How Do I Look?

10:50 Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?

11:50 Clean House: Search For The Messiest...

12:50 Clean House 13:45 Clean House Comes Clean 14:15 Mel B: It’s A Scary World 14:45 Jerseylicious 15:40 Ruby 16:35 Giuliana And Bill 17:00 Giuliana And Bill 17:30 Top 10 17:55 Top 10 18:25 Giuliana And Bill 19:25 Big Boutique 19:50 Fashion Avenue 20:20 Clean House Comes Clean 20:45 Clean House Comes Clean 21:15 Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?

22:10 Bridalplasty 23:05 Clean House

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

The Big Fish Word Travels Cruise Today Travel Today Australia’s Great Wildlife Islands Glutton For Punishment Angry Planet Globe Trekker The Big Fish Word Travels First Class South Africa Chef Abroad Globe Trekker Inside Luxury Travel-Varun Sharma Megalopolis Grannies On Safari The Seasoned Traveler Working Holiday Globe Trekker Distant Shores The Thirsty Traveler First Class South Africa Inside Luxury Travel-Varun Sharma Rudy Maxa’s World Globe Trekker The Big Fish Grannies On Safari Distant Shores The Thirsty Traveler Globe Trekker Globe Trekker 48 Hours In Distant Shores Four Men and a Lady Cruise Today Globe Trekker

A

y

e niv rsar n

Years

Classifieds FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

ACCOMMODATION Sharing accommodation available in Abbassiya in a two bedroom apartment for a couple or an executive bachelor with all facilities.

Please call 66699841.

(C 3339) Sharing accommodation available in Abbassiya near Highway center with Keralite Christian family, two bed-

room 2 separate bathroom available, family or working ladies preferred. Contact: 99509436.

(C3338) Sharing accommodation available for Indian Hindu or Catholic 2 bachelors or small family with Mangalorean Catholic family in a window A/C bldg opp Appolo hospital, Shara Amman, Salmiya.

Contact: 55995437. (C 3334) Sharing accommodation for one executive bachelor with

one Indian bachelor in Omariya area, near bus stop, beside zoo, kitchen, bathroom separate, preferable Indians. Call: 99566462. (C 3322) Big furnished room with attached bathroom C-A/C, available in Fintas, near to London hospital, close to Fahaheel Highway, for executive bachelor or decent couple, rent KD 90. Contact: 60020168. (C 3335) 12-5-2011

Sharing accommodation available for a single executive Indian bachelor, near Al Rashid hospital, Salmiya.

Central A/C, new building, separate room. Rent KD 70.

Contact: 66251716, 99550578. (C 3238) 11-5-2011 A big furnished room available in Salmiya Al Thugaira street for decent couple or a lady. Contact: 66373409, 75618576.

Available room for rent with

sharing accommodation for Manglorean or Goan family.

Opp Jabriya Bridge, near Al Bahar Comp. Hawally.

Contact: 99247271. (C 3325) 10-5-2011 Sharing accommodation available effective today for a non-smoking bachelor in a double bedroom flat in Amman street, Salmiya. Call 97199146. (C 3322) Room with kitchen bathroom for a family or working ladies, opposite Lulu Hyper

Market, Shuwaikh, Central A/C, Indian or Sri Lankan only. Tel: 65152017.

(C 3321) 9-5-2011 Sharing accommodation available in Abbassiya near United Indian school and Apsara bazaar with Keralite Christian family in a C-A/C new building with two bedroom, two bathroom.

Working ladies or couples preferred. Contact: 67731613.

(C 3320) 8-5-2011

DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION In case you are not travelling, your proper cancellation of bookings will help other passengers to use seats Airlines RJA JZR THY ETH UAE DHX ETD FDB GFA QTR JZR JZR JZR BAW KAC KAC KAC KAC FDB KAC KAC KAC KAC UAE QTR ABY IRA ETD GFA MEA JZR JZR IYE MSR RBG KAC KAC MSR UAL RJA FDB OMA KAC KAC KAC JZR QTR JZR MLR ETD UAE GFA SVA JZR ABY ALK JZR KAC

Flt 642 267 772 620 853 370 305 67 211 138 503 223 555 157 416 206 302 332 53 678 352 284 362 855 132 125 619 301 213 404 165 121 825 623 3553 618 672 610 982 640 57 645 546 552 788 257 134 201 403 303 857 215 510 239 127 227 177 165

Arrival Flights on Friday 13/5/2011 Route AMMAN BEIRUT ISTANBUL ADDIS ABABA DUBAI BAHRAIN ABU DHABI DUBAI BAHRAIN DOHA LUXOR ALEPPO ALEXANDRIA LONDON JAKARTA / KUALA LUMPUR ISLAMABAD MUMBAI TRIVANDRUM DUBAI MUSCAT / DUBAI COCHIN DHAKA COLOMBO DUBAI DOHA SHARJAH LAR ABU DHABI BAHRAIN BEIRUT DUBAI BAHRAIN SANAA SOHAG ALEXANDRIA / SOHAG DOHA DUBAI CAIRO WASHINGTON DC DULLES AMMAN DUBAI MUSCAT ALEXANDRIA DAMASCUS JEDDAH BEIRUT DOHA DAMASCUS COLOMBO / DUBAI ABU DHABI DUBAI BAHRAIN RIYADH AMMAN SHARJAH COLOMBO / DUBAI DUBAI PARIS / ROME

Time 0:05 0:35 1:15 1:45 2:25 2:55 2:55 3:10 3:15 3:20 5:15 5:20 6:10 6:30 6:35 7:15 7:50 7:55 7:55 8:00 8:05 8:10 8:20 8:25 9:00 9:10 9:20 9:30 9:35 10:55 11:10 11:15 12:05 12:10 12:55 12:55 13:15 13:20 13:30 13:35 13:50 14:00 14:30 14:35 15:00 15:10 15:15 15:45 16:40 16:50 16:55 17:15 17:20 17:35 17:40 18:00 18:00 18:40

KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC AIC JAI KAC JZR FDB OMA VOS MEA KAC SVA DHX GFA FCX QTR UAL UAE JZR JZR MSR DLH SAI KLM JZR

542 744 674 774 102 975 572 562 787 61 647 81 402 786 506 372 217 304 136 981 859 135 185 612 636 441 447 481

CAIRO DAMMAM DUBAI RIYADH NEW YORK / LONDON CHENNAI / GOA MUMBAI AMMAN RIYADH DUBAI MUSCAT BAGHDAD BEIRUT JEDDAH JEDDAH BAHRAIN BAHRAIN RIYADH DOHA BAHRAIN DUBAI BAHRAIN DUBAI CAIRO FRANKFURT LAHORE / KARACHI AMSTERDAM / BAHRAIN SABIHA

18:50 19:15 19:25 19:25 19:25 19:30 19:35 19:50 20:00 20:00 20:10 20:15 20:15 20:20 20:35 21:00 21:25 21:30 21:35 22:00 22:00 22:10 22:35 22:50 23:00 23:05 23:35 23:50

Airlines AXB DLH BBC AIC PIA THY ETH UAE FDB DHX ETD QTR JZR RJA GFA KAC VOS JZR BAW FDB KAC KAC KAC KAC JZR KAC KAC UAE ABY

Flt 390 637 44 982 206 773 620 854 68 371 306 139 164 643 212 545 94 120 156 54 177 671 117 551 256 787 617 856 126

Departure Flights on Friday 13/5/2011 Route MANGALORE / KOZHIKODE FRANKFURT DHAKA AHMEDABAD / CHENNAI LAHORE ISTANBUL BAHRAIN / ADDIS ABABA DUBAI DUBAI BAHRAIN ABU DHABI DOHA DUBAI AMMAN BAHRAIN ALEXANDRIA DUBAI / KANDAHAR BAHRAIN LONDON DUBAI FRANKFURT / GENEVA DUBAI NEW YORK DAMASCUS BEIRUT JEDDAH DOHA DUBAI SHARJAH

Time 0:25 0:40 1:00 1:05 1:10 2:15 2:30 3:45 3:50 3:55 4:05 5:00 6:55 7:00 7:10 7:40 8:00 8:20 8:25 8:40 8:55 9:00 9:05 9:10 9:10 9:25 9:35 9:40 9:50

QTR ETD GFA IRA JZR MEA KAC JZR KAC IYE MSR RBG JZR MSR RJA FDB UAL KAC OMA KAC KAC JZR KAC QTR KAC JZR ETD MLR UAE GFA ABY JZR SVA ALK JZR KAC KAC JAI FDB JZR KAC KAC OMA MEA SVA DHX GFA KAC QTR KAC KAC FCX JZR JZR UAE UAL KAC MSR SAI

133 302 214 618 200 405 541 238 103 825 624 3554 176 611 641 58 982 561 646 785 673 480 773 135 743 786 304 404 858 216 128 184 511 228 134 283 361 571 62 528 343 351 648 403 507 373 218 381 137 301 205 102 502 554 860 981 411 613 442

DOHA ABU DHABI BAHRAIN LAR DAMASCUS BEIRUT CAIRO AMMAN LONDON DOHA / SANAA SOHAG ALEXANDRIA DUBAI CAIRO AMMAN DUBAI BAHRAIN AMMAN MUSCAT JEDDAH DUBAI SABIHA RIYADH DOHA DAMMAM RIYADH ABU DHABI DUBAI / COLOMBO DUBAI BAHRAIN SHARJAH DUBAI RIYADH DUBAI / COLOMBO BAHRAIN DHAKA COLOMBO MUMBAI DUBAI ASSIUT CHENNAI COCHIN MUSCAT BEIRUT JEDDAH BAHRAIN BAHRAIN DELHI DOHA MUMBAI ISLAMABAD DUBAI LUXOR ALEXANDRIA DUBAI WASHINGTON DC DULLES BANGKOK / MANILA CAIRO LAHORE

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

10:00 10:15 10:20 10:20 10:20 11:55 12:00 12:10 12:30 13:05 13:10 13:35 13:40 14:20 14:30 14:35 14:45 14:45 15:00 15:05 15:10 16:00 16:05 16:15 16:25 16:35 17:35 17:40 18:05 18:15 18:20 18:25 18:35 19:10 19:10 20:00 20:20 20:35 20:40 20:50 21:00 21:05 21:10 21:15 21:55 22:00 22:30 22:30 22:35 22:45 22:55 23:00 23:05 23:10 23:10 23:40 23:40 23:50 23:59

A

y

e niv rsar n

Years

FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

FOR SALE

Toyota-Bus-HiAce model 2010, white color, excellent condition, price KD 5,750, negotiable.

Contact: 66507741. (C 3336) PC Compaq Pentium 4, intel original HD 20 GB, Ram 128 MB (expandable), Windows XP pro with 15” LCD Neovo, price KD 400 & Laptop Acer Aspire 4315 price KD 75, all in excellent condition. Call 99322585.

(C 3337) 12-5-2011 Nissan Pathfinder, model 2003, well maintained, good condition, serious buyers please call 66457115.

(C 3329) 11-5-2011

MISCELLANEOUS Sri Lankan Engineer in Maidan Hawally needs home cooked Sri Lankan food.

Please call 97263962 for details.

12-5-2011

SITUATION WANTED An Indian male, bachelors

degree in Petroleum Engineering, subject of specializations: well drilling and completion, production technology, logging, geophysics, reservoir engineering, is looking for a suitable job.

Please contact: 66204579, email: sonyjohnk@gmail.com (C 3327) 10-5-2011

LOST Policy No. 633000388 issued by the State Life Insurance Gulf Zone on the Life of Mr Tahir Mahmood is reported to have been lost. Anyone finding the same or claiming any interest in it should communicate with the State Life Kuwait Office Phone No. 22452208 within one month of this date.

12-5-2011

CHANGE OF NAME The new name changed for Haneef Abdul Khaleel, holder of Indian Passport No. E9556818 issued in Kuwait on 28-09-2004. Name change from Haneef Abdul Khaleel to Abdul Khaleel.

12-5-2011

A

y

e niv rsar n

Years

Sports

FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

Rollins’ late hit lifts Phillies over Marlins MIAMI: Jimmy Rollins hit a two-out, two-run single in the ninth inning to lift the Philadelphia Phillies to a 5-3 win over the Florida Marlins on Wednesday in a clash of the National League’s two top teams. The Phillies fell behind 3-0, but their bats came alive late.

Shane Victorino extended his hitting streak to 14 games when he led off the eighth with a homer to tie the game 3-3. Pete Orr entered the game in the seventh and had two doubles for Philadelphia.

Dane Sardinha singled in the ninth off Leo Nunez (0-1), then took third on a double by Orr. Both scored on the single by Rollins.

Nationals 7, Braves 3 In Atlanta, Ian Desmond hit a tiebreaking, two-run double in the 11th and Jayson Werth followed with a two-run homer as Washington beat Atlanta.

Alex Cora had driven in two runs with a bases-loaded single in the ninth as Braves closer Craig Kimbrel blew a 31 lead. Drew Storen (3-1) pitched the 10th and Tyler Clippard took over in the 11th for his first save as the Nationals improved to 5-1 in extra-innings games. Scott Linebrink (0-1) took the loss.

Cubs 11, Cardinals 4 In Chicago, the hosts delivered their biggest offensive output of the season to beat St. Louis. Chicago scored six runs in the third after a 53-minute rain delay, added four more in the fifth and finished with 17 hits, four by Starlin Castro.

The Cardinals are 1-1 without manager Tony La Russa, who missed his second straight game as he recovers from shingles. He’ll be absent for the remainder of St. Louis’ sixgame road trip that ends Sunday in Cincinnati. Cubs starter Matt Garza (2-4) got his first win at Wrigley Field, allowing one run in five innings. St. Louis starter Jake Westbrook (2-3) took the loss.

Dodgers 2, Pirates 0 In Pittsburgh, Hiroki Kuroda pitched seven scoreless innings to steer Los Angeles past Pittsburgh. Kuroda (4-3) struck out eight as the Dodgers won back-to-back games for the first time in three weeks.

Los Angeles scored its first run against Paul Maholm (1-5) on a double-play grounder in the sixth. Jerry Sands added an RBI double. Vicente Padilla gave up a two-out double in the ninth before finishing for his third save.

Giants 4, D’backs 3 In San Francisco, the home team came from three runs down to edge Arizona. Aubrey Huff hit a tying home run for the Giants, who moved four games over .500 for the first time this season. Miguel Tejada hit a run-scoring single and then doubled with one out in the sixth to chase Diamondbacks starter Armando Galarraga (3-3). He scored on Andre Torres’ double to give San Francisco a season-high fifth straight win.

Jonathan Sanchez (3-2) allowed three runs in six innings. Brian Wilson pitched out of jam in the ninth for his 12th save. He gave up a leadoff double, then a walk before Torres caught a flyball against the center field wall for the final out.

Astros 4, Reds 3 In Houston, Hunter Pence hit a tiebreaking double in the ninth inning as Houston avoided a series sweep with a win over Cincinnati. Mike Leake (3-2) walked J.R. Towles with one out in the ninth before Pence’s full-count hit landed in the corner of right field and sent Towles home.

The Astros had led 3-1 before the Reds tied it with consecutive homers in the seventh inning. Mark Melancon (3-1) picked up the win in relief.

Padres 13, Brewers 6 In Milwaukee, San Diego squandered an early lead but recovered in style with an eight-run eighth inning to sink Milwaukee. Chris Denorfia led off the game with a homer and San Diego built an early 5-0 lead, but Milwaukee rallied with Prince Fielder’s 200th career homer and went ahead 6-5. Then in the eighth. Jason Bartlett tied it with a single and Cameron Maybin doubled down the line with the bases loaded for the go-ahead run.

Ryan Ludwick followed with a two-run shot that made it 11-6, and the Padres kept rolling from there. San Diego racked up a season-high 23 hits after coming in hitting a majors-worst .219. —AP

ATLANTA: Washington Nationals’ Ian Desmond steals second base as Atlanta Braves second baseman Dan Uggla applies the late tag in the third inning. —AP

Rays pound Indians at home CLEVELAND: The Cleveland Indians’ 14game winning streak at home was ended at the hands of David Price and the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday, beaten 8-2 in the American League.

Price (5-3) was perfect for four innings, dominant for seven and became the first visiting pitcher to record a win at Cleveland in more than a month. He allowed two runs in eight innings, struck out seven and did not yield a walk.

Ben Zobrist and Matt Joyce homered, Sam Fuld had three hits and B.J. Upton had two RBIs as the Rays roughed up Indians starter Carlos Carrasco (1-2) and won for just the third time in 22 games at Cleveland since 2005. At 12-5, Tampa Bay has the majors’ best road record.

Royals 4, Yankees 3 In New York, Eric Hosmer hit his first career homer then delivered the go-ahead sacrifice fly in the 11th inning to lift Kansas City over New York.

Hosmer’s homer was a soaring shot into the second deck in right field in the fourth inning. Wilson Betemit had a tying RBI single in the eighth for Kansas City and Jeff Francoeur drove in a run during the 10th inning. Royals closer Joakim Soria (3-0) allowed an equalizing RBI single in the bottom half of the 10th to blow the save but did pick up the win. Buddy Carlyle (0-1) got the loss.

White Sox 6, Angels 4 In Anaheim, Chicago’s Alexei Ramirez scored the tie-breaking run from third base when Los Angeles reliever Kevin Jepsen threw a wild pitch during an intentional walk in the 10th inning.

Jepsen (0-2) embarrassingly sailed a throw over the head of catcher Henk Conger, who had stood up to take the four intentional balls, and Ramirez raced home to cap the White Sox rally from a three-run deficit.

Adam Dunn, who homered among his career-high four hits, scored on Brent Lillibridge’s 10th-inning sacrifice fly to add another run.

Omar Vizquel had an RBI double in the eighth and a tying sacrifice fly in the ninth for the White Sox, who stranded a seasonhigh 15. A.J. Pierzynski had four hits and

drove in a run during Chicago’s ninth-inning rally. Sergio Santos (2-0) allowed one hit over two innings to take the win. Matt Thornton pitched the 10th for his first save.

Blue Jays 9, Red Sox 3 In Toronto, John McDonald homered to help Toronto defeat Boston. Rajai Davis had four hits for the Blue Jays, who pounded struggling Boston starter John Lackey (2-5), who lost his third straight start and matched a season-worst by allowing nine runs. He walked a season-high five and struck out only one. Toronto’s Jesse Litsch (4-2) allowing three runs in 5 2-3 innings, walking just one and striking out four.

Orioles 4, Mariners 2 In Baltimore, Chris Tillman pitched six impressive innings to guide Baltimore past Seattle. Adam Jones went 4 for 4 with two RBIs for the Orioles. Tillman and Jones were

both traded from the Mariners to Baltimore in 2008 as part of a five-player deal that sent pitcher Erik Bedard to Seattle.

Tillman (2-3) gave up one run in his first start against the Mariners, striking out five.

Seattle’s Felix Hernandez (4-3) allowed seven hits in five innings.

Tigers 9, Twins 7 In Minneapolis, Detroit notched its fifth straight win by downing Minnesota.

Brandon Inge’s RBI triple off the center field wall in the ninth inning off Twins closer Matt Capps (1-2) scored Ramon Santiago.

Jhonny Peralta had a pinch-hit, two-run homer in the eighth inning and Victor Martinez went 3 for 4 with a homer and three RBIs for the Tigers, extending his hitting streak to 11 games. Joaquin Benoit (1-2) allowed one unearned run in 1 2-3 innings of relief to get the win for the Tigers.—AP

MLB results/standings Major League Baseball results and standings on Wednesday.

Detroit 9, Minnesota 7; San Diego 13, Milwaukee 6; Houston 4, Cincinnati 3; Baltimore 4, Seattle 2; Kansas City 4, NY Yankees 3 (11 innings); Tampa Bay 8, Cleveland 2; LA Dodgers 2, Pittsburgh 0; Toronto 9, Boston 3; Washington 7, Atlanta 3 (11 innings); Philadelphia 5, Florida 3; Chicago Cubs 11, St Louis 4; Chicago White Sox 6, LA Angels 4 (10 innings); San Francisco 4, Arizona 3; Texas V Oakland (postponed); Colorado V NY Mets (postponed).

American League Eastern Division W L PCT NY Yankees 20 14 .588 Tampa Bay 21 15 .583 Toronto 17 20 .459 Boston 17 20 .459 Baltimore 16 19 .457 Central Division Cleveland 23 12 .657 Kansas City 19 17 .528 Detroit 20 18 .526 Chicago W Sox 15 23 .395 Minnesota 12 23 .343 Western Division LA Angels 21 17 .553 Texas 19 18 .514 Oakland 19 18 .514 Seattle 16 21 .432

GB 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.5 9.5 11 1.5 1.5 4.5

National League Eastern Division Philadelphia 24 12 .667 Florida 21 15 .583 Atlanta 20 18 .526 Washington 18 18 .500 NY Mets 16 20 .444 Central Division St. Louis 21 16 .568 Cincinnati 20 17 .541 Pittsburgh 18 19 .486 Chicago Cubs 16 19 .457 Milwaukee 16 21 .432 Houston 14 23 .378 Western Division Colorado 19 15 .559 San Francisco 20 16 .556 LA Dodgers 18 20 .474 Arizona 15 20 .429

3 5 6 8 1 3 4 5 7 3 4.5

A

y

e niv rsar n

Sports

Years

FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

Blues, Reds tussle over 1st place in Super 15

IPOH: Charun Singh Baljit Singh of Malaysia (left) and Lee Seung of Korea (right) compete for the ball during the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup men’s field hockey tournament.—AFP

Australia secure place in final IPOH: World champions Australia booked their place in the final of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Malaysia after they held on to defeat Great Britain 2-1 yesterday in a topof-the-table clash.

The Australians could meet great rivals New Zealand in the final at the weekend after the Kiwis kept their slim hopes alive with a 7-3 demolition of India. That means codefending champions India have surrendered their crown.

With 13 points from five matches, Australia top the standings with an unassailable lead, but coach Ric Charlesworth said there was still room for improvement.

“I cannot say that I am happy with the performance,” he said. Australia took the lead in the 8th minute off their first penalty corner when Brent Dancer’s drag flick sailed into the net despite James Fair getting a foot to it in the Great Britain goal.

In the 28th minute Australia went 2-0 up thanks to another penalty corner goal, this time by Christopher Ciriello.

Great Britain raised their game slightly in the secondhalf, but still made too many mistakes, conceding a number of penalty corners. However Australia failed to put them away to seal the match.

In the 58th minute, Great Britain pulled a goal back through a penalty corner by Richard Mantell. They chased the equaliser but it was not to be.

Great Britain coach Jason Lee said his team failed to take their chances, but stressed they were still in the hunt to face Australia again in the final at the weekend.

“We had a chance to score and at least come away with a point,” Lee said. “It is disappointing that we couldn’t play better as we had ample rest to prepare for the match. It was a scrappy affair, but the Australians did well to win.

“Still, we remain in the title race and we have to beat South Korea on Saturday. It is there for us to make the final and I believe the players will be determined to win as well.” Australia will most likely meet either Great Britain or Pakistan in the final. Both have nine points.

If both teams win their last matches Saturday it will be decided by goal difference or if that proves indecisive a shoot-out between the two teams.

However, New Zealand are just about alive in the tournament after they destroyed a disappointing India. The Kiwis will squeeze into the final if they win their last game and Great Britain and Pakistan both lose.

Former powerhouse India, who now may not even make the third/fourth play-off, took the lead through Sunil Sowmarpet in the 20th minute But that was as good as it got for India and they conceded five goals in a spectacular second-half collapse.—AFP

WELLINGTON: The first-place Auckland Blues and second-place Queensland Reds will tussle over top spot in Super 15 rugby in a 13th round which may shorten the list of playoff candidates. The Reds and Blues meet in Brisbane today the 13th in the biggest match of the season, each trying to consolidate its place at the top of its national conference and to clinch a guaranteed playoff spot.

Below them, an increasingly tight battle for playoffs spots is unfolding. The Cape Town-based Stormers remain atop the South African conference but only four points ahead of the Sharks, who will receive four points for a bye this weekend.

The Stormers must beat the improving Waikato Chiefs in Hamilton to keep the Sharks at bay. The Blues, Reds and Stormers hold the top three spots in the tournament after 12 of 18 regular-season rounds. The Canterbury Crusaders. Durban-based Sharks and New South Wales Waratahs are next, with the Sharks and Waratahs both enjoying weekend byes. The fourth-place Crusaders will be strengthened by the return from injury of All Blacks captain Richie McCaw when they play the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein on Saturday.

Of the other playoff candidates, the seventhplace Otago Highlanders play the Wellington Hurricanes on Friday, the eighth-place Bulls play the Melbourne Rebels at Pretoria and the Chiefs play the Stormers in matches critical to their playoffs chances.

The battle over first place remains the most compelling contest of the round. The Blues are unbeaten in seven games, although they have struggled in their last two matches, grinding out a five-point win over the Highlanders and a seven-point win over the Hurricanes.

Both matches were played in wet conditions and they hope to resume try-scoring in dry conditions in Brisbane. “First thing I always do the day after (a) game is get the forecast for the week ahead and I just track it religiously every day, seeing where it is,” Blues coach Pat Lam said.

“There is sun both days (in Brisbane) and it is looking good ... so we know we will have the chance to play the game we like to play, rather than the game we have to play.” The Blues are likely to target Reds and Wallabies flyhalf Quade Cooper as a defensive weakness, as the Hurricanes did when they snapped Queensland’s record seven-match winning streak two weeks ago.

“We can’t go and play as individuals. We have to go with our team pattern and team culture in a cauldron where they haven’t lost for a long time,” Lam said. “The emphasis has to be on our team ethos.”

All Blacks center Luke McAlister and lock Anthony Boric return to the Blues lineup for Friday’s match while the Reds have made one change, naming Ben Tapuai in place of injured center Mike Harris.

Reds coach Ewen McKenzie said the Blues were probably the current benchmark for the competition. “They’re pretty close to it,” he said. “They’re sitting on top of the table.

They’ve got all the facets of the game covered. They’ve got x-factor. They’ve got All Blacks all through their forward pack. They’ve got everything you need to do well.”

Ace goalkicker Peter Grant will return to the Stormers lineup tomorrow for their match against the Chiefs. Grant was the leading pointscorer in the competition, the first player to reach 100 points this season, before he suffered a knee injury in training. He returns just

FRANCE: A combo made on May 11, 2011, of file pictures, shows French rugby union team coach Marc Lievremont (bottom right) and the 32 players selected for the Rugby World Cup 2011 to be held in New Zealand from September 9 to October 23, 2011. —AP in time for a critical match for the Stormers, a must-win if they are to remain atop the South African conference.

Springboks winger Bryan Habana also returns from injury while scrumhalf Ricky Januarie will start as coach Allister Coetzee continues his squad rotation. In total, Coetzee has made four changes to the squad that was beaten at home by the Crusaders last weekend. Stormers forwards coach Matt Proudfoot said the Chiefs would pose a similar challenge to the Crusaders. “We know what we have to do technically. They’ll try and take us out of our comfort zone and put pressure on us it will be a complete challenge,” he said.

The Chiefs, who have four wins from 11 games, remain outside contenders for the

playoffs and will have to win on Saturday to keep their challenge alive. The Highlanders must also regain winning form, after losing their last two matches to the Blues and Chiefs.

A spate of injuries has forced the Highlanders to make five changes to their lineup for the match at Invercargill, while the Hurricanes are strengthened by the return of All Blacks Ma’a Nonu and Piri Weepu.

All Blacks scrumhalf Weepu, named on the bench, will play his first match since breaking his ankle last October. Springboks scrumhalf Fourie du Preez will captain the Bulls against the Rebels, who make their first visit to Pretoria’s Loftus Versfeld stadium. Du Preez takes over the captaincy from lock Victor Matfield, who starts on the bench.—AP

Sports FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

Heat beat Celtics, Thunder roll MIAMI: Using a 16-0 run to end the game, the Miami Heat beat the Boston Celtics 97-87 on Wednesday to win the series 4-1 and take a spot in the NBA Eastern Conference finals.

Dwyane Wade scored 34 points, and LeBron James put the Heat up for good with a 3-pointer with 2:10 left on the way to a 33point effort. James added a series-sealing 3pointer with 40.4 seconds left.

A steal and two-handed slam 6 seconds later for good measure, followed by a Celtics turnover, got the party started. It was over, the Heat and Celtics knew it, and Boston coach Doc Rivers stood silently near the bench, his arms folded across his chest as James ran down the clock on Miami’s final offensive possession of the series.

Boston was thoroughly worn down by a younger, more athletic opponent. The Celtics won the first three meetings between the clubs this season, then lost five of the final six.

Miami took another step on delivering on the massive pre-season investment that attracted James and Chris Bosh to join Wade in an intimidating lineup. Next up will be either Chicago or Atlanta, in a series that may start as early as Sunday. Chicago leads the series 3-2.

“It’s a great team,” James said of the Celtics. “I got the utmost respect for that team. They’re the reason why all three of us came together, is because of what they did, that blueprint they had in ‘08 when they all came together.” Bosh finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds, including head-faking his way past Kevin Garnett for a game-tying dunk with 2:57 left.

The rest was up to James. He scored the game’s final 10 points, putting to rest talk that he couldn’t be effective late in games.

“I never even got to all that with (what) everybody was saying about me in late-game situations,” James said. “I know what I work hard for, and that’s to be put in those positions. My coaching staff gave me a lot of confidence. Teammates kept giving me confidence, and happy to bring it home.” It’s Miami’s fourth trip to the East finals, its first since 2006.

Ray Allen led Boston with 18 points.

Garnett had 15 points and 11 rebounds, Paul Pierce scored 12 and Delonte West added 10.

Rajon Rondo finished with six points in 31 minutes for Boston, playing in a brace over the elbow he dislocated during Game 3.

Boston led virtually all of the first three

MIAMI: Heatís Dwyane Wade (right) goes up for a shot against Boston Celtics’ Kevin Garnett during the first half of Game 5 of a second-round NBA playoff basketball series. —AP quarters — Miami led for only 1:45 of the game’s first 36 minutes — but that hardly meant the Celtics were in control. Boston’s lead was only 73-71 entering the fourth.

And when everyone went cold to open the fourth, Boston seized a bit of control. West scored six of the Celtics’ first eight points in the final quarter, the last of those coming on a

drive with 9:21 left for an 81-74 lead.

Thunder 99, Grizzlies 72 In Oklahoma City, the hosts blitzed Memphis to take their first lead in this series, three games to two. Kevin Durant scored 19 points and reserve Daequan Cook added 18 for the Thunder, who won comfortably after

the triple-overtime effort in the previous game.

Marc Gasol had 16 points to lead Memphis, which matched its lowest point total from the regular season and played like it was still drained from the emotional overtime loss.

The Grizzlies shot a season-worst 36 percent and were far enough behind that Durant and Thunder teammate Russell Westbrook were rested in the fourth quarter.

“We played great defense. Everyone was in tune, locked in,” Durant said. “It was a group effort.” Memphis’ Zach Randolph, who played 56 minutes in the marathon Game 4, never was effective. He finished with just nine points and seven rebounds, and even missed four of his first five free throws.

Gasol did most of his damage during a 6minute stretch in the third quarter. Then the Grizzlies fell hopelessly behind.

Oklahoma City’s Nick Collison turned a rebound into a three-point play. When he converted the free throw, it completed a string of seven straight points by the Thunder to bump the lead to 65-46 late in the third quarter. Memphis didn’t stand a chance of a comeback. Too many missed layups. Too many short shots that clanked off the front rim. Too little energy left.

Mike Conley made just 4 of 16 shots, Tony Allen was 4 for 13 and O.J. Mayo 2 for 8 on a dreadful night when nothing was going in.

“It wasn’t a factor at all. We wouldn’t let that beat us,” Durant said when asked about fatigue. “We came out ready.” Memphis didn’t reach 50 points until there was 2:04 left in the third quarter, and the Thunder quickly squelched any hopes of yet another wild comeback after the Grizzlies had overcome double-digit deficits to force overtimes in each of the previous two games.

Collison had a two-handed dunk, Cook hit a 3-pointer and Nazr Mohammed made a layup during a string of seven straight Oklahoma City points early in the fourth quarter and the lead grew to 27 before both coaches emptied their benches for the final 4 minutes.

“We’re going to need them and they know that,” Durant said of the reserves, who got more than the usual minutes. Westbrook had 11 points in 25 minutes - half of what he played in Game 4. Mohammed added 10 points and Collison had nine points and 10 rebounds, helping the Thunder to a 50-33 edge on the boards.—AP

Stars fight for top ranking at Players FLORIDA: Luke Donald, Martin Kaymer and Phil Mickelson have the chance to claim golf’s world number one ranking by winning the $9.5 million US PGA Players Championship that begins late yesterday.

World No. 1 Lee Westwood of England and rising star Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland will not be in the field of 156 playing for a $1.71 million top prize on the 7,220-yard TPC at Sawgrass course.

That opens the door for Germany’s second-ranked Kaymer, who was overtaken for the top spot last month, thirdranked Englishman Donald or fourthranked US star Mickelson, who has missed numerous past chances without ever being No. 1.

“It’s certainly what everybody strives for, but it’s not really something that’s on the forefront of anybody’s mind,” Mickelson said.

“The most important thing is to win tournaments and compete in a tourna-

ment like this week, play against the best players. There’s a lot more satisfaction over beating the best players in the world on a challenging test like this than there is to say you’re ranked X on the world rankings.”

To that end, Donald was a bit disappointed not to have Westwood and McIlroy, who led the Masters with nine holes remaining, in the hunt this week.

“Any time you don’t have the No. 1 ranked player it’s going to weaken the field,” Donald said. “But it’s still an extremely strong event.

“I know Lee has played here a few times but he just doesn’t feel it suits his game very well. So why play an event when you don’t feel like you’re going to get to it having a chance to win or feel comfortable in it?”

Donald, who won the World Golf Championships Match-Play crown in Tucson last February, narrowly missed out on the top ranking last month when

he lost a playoff at the Heritage but is not overly focused on the prize this week.

“Being No. 1 isn’t really a goal of mine,” Donald said. “That’s really just an outcome of going through the right processes and hopefully the results coming. If I pick up the trophy, then great, it’s one of the spoils. But it’s certainly nothing I’m really concentrating on.” Northern Ireland’s fifth-ranked Graeme McDowell, who defends his US Open title next month, sees the top spot as a reachable goal for him with long-time top man Tiger Woods having fallen to eighth and no rival pulling away in the race for the top spot.

“I think it’s a very prestigious title to be the No. 1 golfer in the world,” McDowell said. “It’s something that hasn’t been very achievable so far in my career with the Tiger Woods era, with his domination of the world rankings and the amount of daylight that he put between 1 and 2.

“It’s tough to see him ever having a lean period perhaps like he’s having right now. But he’s had that lean spell for a couple years and given us all a chance to get up there now. It felt unachievable.

“I think things have changed. It’s a very achievable target for me. If I can even get to 75 percent of the form I had this time last year over the summer, it’s certainly an achievable goal for me.”

Mickelson, who won last month at Houston the week before his Masters title defense, does not see his window on such achievements closing even as a younger generation begins to make its charge into contention regularly.

“I see some things in my game that are starting to get better and better,” Mickelson said. “I really know what it is I’m trying to do on the greens now. I’m rolling the ball better than I ever have in years. My short game has been sharp. My driving has been much better and I’m excited about this week. —AFP

Sports FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

DAEGU: Carmelita Jeter of the United States (center) crosses the finish line to win the women’s 100 meters of the Daegu Pre-Championships Meeting in Daegu, south of Seoul. —AP

Jeter bags 100 at Daegu meet DAEGU: American sprinter Carmelita Jeter breezed to victory in the women’s 100 meters at the Colorful Daegu meet yesterday, clocking 11.09 seconds to beat countrywoman Lashaunte Moore.

Jeter couldn’t match the worldleading 10.86 she ran in Jamaica last

week but was still dominant in the latest installment of the IAAF World Challenge series, held in a sparsely filled Daegu Stadium. Moore was second in 11.27 seconds.

Americans dominated the sprint races, with Walter Dix taking the men’s 100 in 10.00, narrowly edging

Eyes on Liu as Olympic countdown begins SHANGHAI: All eyes will be on Chinese hurdler Liu Xiang at Sunday’s Diamond League meet in Shanghai as fans watch for signs the hometown hero is on track to recapture Olympic glory in London next year.

With Liu in the starting blocks, the 110m hurdles are expected to be the highlight at the second event in the 14meeting Diamond League series, with sprint stars Asafa Powell and Carmelita Jeter also sharing the spotlight.

Liu, the first Chinese athlete to win an Olympic track gold medal in 2004, has been talking about winning redemption in London ever since an Achilles injury caused him to limp out of his first heat at the 2008 Beijing Games.

He has said he is confident he can return to the podium in London. But the 27-year-old former world champion came in seventh at last year’s indoor championships in Doha. And while he won a third straight Asian Games title in November, he was far off his personal best of 12.88sec.

In Shanghai, Liu is expected to unveil a new start technique aimed at boosting his chances, Chinese media reported. Liu, who has been dubbed “flying man” in China, said he has cut the number of steps before launching into the first hurdle from eight to seven.

“The change poses a big challenge for me and it may not be successful, but I don’t fear failure,” news portal Sina.com quoted Liu as saying. Liu’s coach Sun Haiping told Chinese media this week there was still time to adjust the crucial launch before London: “We still have time. If the new method does not work out, we can still go back to the old eight-step method.” American David Oliver, Liu’s topranked competitor in Sunday’s race, ran a lifetime best of 12.89 last year, just 0.01 off Liu’s former world mark.

Jamaica’s Powell, formerly the world’s fastest man, headlines the men’s 100m and will be hoping for a more comfortable outing than his 200m showing at last week’s Jamaica International Invitational, where he finished last.

Meanwhile the women’s 100m promises to be a grandstand showdown between American Jeter and Jamaican Veronica Campbell-Brown, who was the fastest woman in the world last year. Jeter will be the woman to beat in the 50,000-seat Shanghai Stadium after clocking this year’s fastest time — 10.86 — tomorrow in Kingston.

The Diamond League awards points depending on performances throughout the 14-event programme with the overall winners in each of the 16 individual events taking home a diamond trophy and a cash prize.—AFP

countryman Mike Rodgers who was second in 10.03. Three-time world champion Allyson Felix of the U.S. won the women’s 200 in 22.37, David Oliver clocked 13.14 to win the men’s 110 hurdles, and Olympic champion Dawn Harper took the women’s 100 meter hurdles in

12.73.

Yuzo Kanemaru of Japan had a season’s-best 45.23 to win the men’s 400, beating David Neville of the US by just 0.01 seconds. Kenya’s Boaz Lalang won the men’s 800 in 1:45.90, ahead of Duane Solomon of the US.

The Chinese women earned a couple of victories in the field events, with Wenxiu Zhang taking the hammer throw with a toss of 73.49, and Xingjuan Zheng winning the high jump with a leap of 1.94 meters. Daegu will host the world championships in August.—AP

Nadal sends Lopez packing ROME: Rafael Nadal overcame a virus to beat fellow Spaniard Feliciano Lopez 6-4, 6-2 in the third round of the Italian Open yesterday. The start of the match was delayed by about 20 minutes as Nadal considered withdrawing.

“I had a fever last night and this morning I didn’t feel better,” he said. “I didn’t know if I was going to go on the court for the match. I decided at the last moment.” To keep his No. 1 ranking for at least one more week, Nadal will need to beat American Mardy Fish or Marin Cilic of Croatia in the quarterfinals.

Otherwise, Novak Djokovic could claim the top spot by winning the tournament. In his opening match Wednesday, Nadal struggled past 148th-ranked qualifier Paolo Lorenzi 67 (5), 6-4, 6-0.

That marked the third consecutive match in which Nadal dropped the first set, having also rallied to beat Roger Federer in the Madrid Open semifinals and then lost in straight sets to Djokovic in Sunday’s final. “I didn’t understand why I felt so slow yesterday, why I had no energy. I understand today,” Nadal said.

This is Nadal’s fourth tournament of the clay season, having won titles in Monte Carlo and Barcelona before falling to Djokovic in Madrid. He was asked if his grueling schedule is wearing him down.

“I don’t know,” Nadal said. “That’s something that’s impossible to control.

Usually I don’t have this type of virus or fever and this is the second time this year.” Nadal said his health could also be affected by his constant travel from one tournament to the next. “That’s not positive for the body. That’s probably what’s happening,” he said.

ROME: Rafael Nadal of Spain serves to Feliciano Lopez of Spain at the Italian Open tennis tournament. —AP This tournament is an important warmup for the French Open, which starts in 10 days. Nadal believes he’ll be better by the time he gets back to Paris.

“I don’t see why I won’t be in perfect condition in one week and a half,” he said. Against Lopez, Nadal got out to an early lead in the first set, but then handed Lopez back a break to make it 4-3 by missing a routine forehand into the net. Lopez then held at love as Nadal didn’t even attempt to run down one shot that appeared within reach.

Fortunately for Nadal, the 40thranked Lopez was not particularly sharp either, and made three consecutive errors before Nadal landed a backhand cross-court passing shot to break again and win the first set. Nadal broke

midway through the second set to take control for good.

In women’s action on a cloudless day at the Foro Italico, Australian Open runner-up Li Na of China rolled past Jarmila Gajdosova of Australia 6-2, 6-1; two-time champion Jelena Jankovic edged Spanish qualifier Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-4, 2-6, 6-2; and last year’s French Open finalist Sam Stosur beat Slovenian qualifier Polona Hercog 6-3, 6-4. Federer, who has never won this title, meets Richard Gasquet of France later, and Djokovic attempts to extend his 35-match winning streak against 14th-seeded Stanislas Wawrinka in a night match. Also later, top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki faces Yanina Wickmayer.—AP

Sports FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

Sampdoria struggling to avoid relegation MILAN: Sampdoria fans certainly weren’t expecting to mark the 20th anniversary of their club’s only Serie A title with relegation, but that could be the reality they have to face.

The season started with the team in the Champions League qualification rounds and with a strike duo of Antonio Cassano and Giampaolo Pazzini that many said was the best the club had featured since Gianluca Vialli and Roberto Mancini fired the Genoabased club to the 1991 title. However, Cassano and Pazzini both left in the January transfer window and since then the team has been in a tailspin.

Last week’s injury-time loss to Genoa not only gave Sampdoria’s eternal rival citywide bragging rights, but left the side two points behind Lecce and safety with two games to go, starting at home to Palermo on Sunday.

“We have always played with intelli-

gence, determination and courage and left all our energy on the pitch,” Sampdoria coach Alberto Cavasin said.

“The championship isn’t over yet and we are always hopeful.

“We have to win against Palermo and hope that Lecce don’t win so that it is all to play for in the last round of matches. But of course the odds on us staying up aren’t high.” Palermo is in buoyant mood after reaching its first Italian Cup final since 1979 with a 2-1 win over newly crowned champion AC Milan in midweek. The victory sets the Sicilian team up to win its first ever trophy in the final against Inter at Rome’s Olympic Stadium on May 29.

“What we have done hasn’t fully sunk in yet,” defender Federico Balzaretti said. “We have made history and our joy is total and indescribable.

We gave nothing away to Milan. We used a lot of energy, but the way we

played over 90 minutes showed that we are on form.” At the top of the table Napoli is at home to Inter Milan and one point will ensure Walter Mazzarri’s side an automatic place in the Champions League. However, Napoli’s success in getting so close is being overshadowed by speculation that Mazzarri will leave to join Juventus at the end of the season.

“I don’t know what my reaction would be,” Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis said. “I do not expect to be betrayed, but if it happens, it happens.”

Napoli is without striker Edinson Cavani and his understudy Giuseppe Mascara, both of whom are suspended.

Their absence will place an extra burden on Ezequiel Lavezzi and Marek Hamsik, who have formed a fearsome attacking trident with Cavani this year.

Having lost its title to city rival AC Milan, Inter is looking forward to the

Italian Cup final and ending the season in positive mood. “This year we have suffered a lot of injuries, but the team has always given its all,” Inter coach Leonardo said. “This year the team has done some enormous things and getting to the Italian Cup final is the team’s crowning moment.” Milan will finally get to celebrate with its supporters at home to Cagliari. After winning the title with a draw away to Roma, Milan remained in the Italian capital before traveling to Palermo for the Italian Cup semifinal. “On Saturday we will celebrate in Milan,” Massimo Allegri said.

“I’m sorry not to have reached the final, but the guys have had a great season.

We’ve won a championship and the team deserves to celebrate.” Also, it is; Lazio vs. Genoa; Fiorentina vs. Bologna; Bari vs. Lecce; Catania vs. Roma; Cesena vs. Brescia; Chievo Verona vs. Udinese; Parma vs. Juventus.—AP

Zaragoza plays Espanyol in crucial game in Spain

JOHANNESBURG: In this Wednesday, June 2, 2010 file photo FIFA President Sepp Blatter (left) shakes hands with CAF president Issa Hayatou during the opening ceremony of International Broadcasting Center (IBC) in Johannesburg, South Africa.—AP

FIFA election heats up amid bribery scandal GENEVA: With FIFA embroiled in a World Cup bribery scandal, the presidential election campaign intensified yesterday as challenger Mohammed bin Hammam accused Sepp Blatter of allowing the governing body’s image to be “sullied beyond repair.”

Blatter, meanwhile, picked up a key endorsement from a regional bloc in his bid for re-election on June 1. English claims that six members of FIFA’s executive committee were involved in corruption during the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bidding contests have thrown Blatter’s bid for a fourth term into disarray.

Since the accusations were made in the British parliament on Tuesday, FIFA demanded to see evidence to back up the claims against a quarter of the 24-man group that runs world football.

Bin Hammam, a 61-year-old Qatari who heads the Asian confederation, responded to the ethics crisis Thursday by criticizing Blatter on his blog. “I firmly believe FIFA, as a decision-making body and as an organization, is not corrupt,” he wrote. “However, under the current status quo it is impossible to deny that the governing body’s reputation has been sullied beyond compare and it is time for that to change.” Bin Hammam added that “something urgently needs to be done to improve and enhance the image of FIFA” in light of the accusations. Bin Hammam was instrumental in delivering the 2022 World Cup to Qatar and has dismissed suggestions that there was any wrongdoing in connection with the bid. The British Parliament was told that two FIFA executives allegedly were paid $1.5 to vote for Qatar. “Much wonderful work is done by FIFA and to label the entire organization corrupt would be to tarnish the efforts of all those who operate tirelessly to bring all that is positively associated with our sport to people all over the globe,” Bin Hammam wrote. He also criticized Blatter for spending FIFA’s money “arbitrarily” by donating €20 million ($29 million) to Interpol to tackle match-fixing and betting fraud, without consulting the executive committee.—AP

BARCELONA: With Barcelona having already won the title, attention in the Spanish league turns to the other end of the standings where relegationthreatened Zaragoza takes on an Espanyol team still in the hunt for a Europa League spot.

The financially troubled Zaragoza is on the brink of joining the relegated Almeria and Hercules in the second division by being demoted for the third time in 10 seasons after back-to-back losses.

“We have to pick ourselves up and beat Espanyol. The worst part is that we depend on other results to stay up, but our job is to try and win the six points in play,” Zaragoza coach Javier Aguirre said ahead of the nextto-last round.

After a poor start to the season, Zaragoza has won seven of its past 10 games at La Romareda stadium. “In these last six or seven dogfight games we have had, the details have made the difference,” said Aguirre, a former Mexico manager.

Espanyol has lost six of its past seven away matches, a run the team will have to end if it wants to keep alive its chances of playing in Europe next season. Teams finishing fifth, sixth and seventh in Spain this season will qualify for the Europa League.

Espanyol is eighth, three points behind No. 6 Sevilla and No. 7 Atletico Madrid.

“We depend on winning everything,” Espanyol defender Javi Chica said. “We will work until the very end for our European dream.” Getafe, meanwhile, is one point above Zaragoza and needs to win at home against Osasuna in the Spanish capital.

The trouble for Getafe is that Osasuna has been fighting hard recently, coming from behind to win in its past two games. A fourth straight win for Osasuna would ensure its safety.

MADRID: Real Madrid’s president Florentino Perez (left) and Mayor of Madrid Alberto Ruiz Gallardon (right) poses with a signed team shirt at the city hall in Madrid. Real Madrid soccer team were at the Madrid City Hall for a social function to celebrate winning the Copa Del Ray soccer cup. —AP

After a horrendous second half of the season, Getafe has won its past two home games. But the team must quickly rebound from a 4-0 thrashing

by Real Madrid on Tuesday. “We have the quality to beat Osasuna,” Getafe coach Michel Gonzalez said.

“Now we have to spend all our energies on Sunday’s game.”

Barcelona will celebrate its third straight league title when it receives the trophy at Camp Nou stadium before playing Deportivo La Coruna, which is only three points above the drop zone.

While Madrid is condemned to be runner-up for the third straight season to its fierce rivals, forward Cristiano Ronaldo’s quest to become the top scorer in the history of the Spanish league will draw attention to its game at Villarreal.

Ronaldo has scored seven goals in the past two matches to bring his season total to 36, five more than

Barcelona forward Lionel Messi and only two from equaling the record set

by Telmo Zarra (1950-51) and Hugo Sanchez (1989-90). “I am fighting to reach an important record,” Ronaldo said.

As its title hopes faded in recent weeks, Madrid has focused on making sure Ronaldo has enough scoring chances. More of the same can be expected at El Madrigal stadium. “It is true that on occasions my teammates have looked for me so I can score more, but the collective is above the individual,” Ronaldo said.

Villarreal still has a shot at catching third-place Valencia if their provincial rival slip up at Levante. All games in the next-to-last round will be played at the same time on Sunday.

Also in the 37th round, it’s: Sporting Gijon vs. Racing Santander; Athletic Bilbao vs. Malaga; Atletico Madrid vs. Hercules; and Sevilla vs.

Real Sociedad.—AP

Sports FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

Frankfurt out to spoil Dortmund party BERLIN: Eintracht Frankfurt has to spoil Borussia Dortmund’s title celebrations on Saturday to have any hope of avoiding relegation on the final day of the Bundesliga season.

Frankfurt is in the worst position of the three teams fighting to avoid joining already demoted St. Pauli. The club is one point below Borussia Moenchengladbach and Wolfsburg plus is without a win in six games since Christoph Daum took over as coach, and it has the worst attack in the league with only 30 goals scored.

Moenchengladbach has momentum after winning three games in a row as it travels to Hamburger SV, while Wolfsburg — which has a superior goal difference — will be safe if it wins at Hoffenheim.

Bayern Munich can overtake second-place Bayer Leverkusen to clinch an automatic Champions League spot on superior goal difference if it beats Stuttgart at home, and if Leverkusen loses at Freiburg in a game neither coach is desperate to win.

Leverkusen coach Jupp Heynckes takes over at Bayern next season and will be replaced by Freiburg’s Robin Dutt, meaning a loss for either would benefit their future clubs.

Daum, who has endured the worst ever start by a coach in the Bundesliga, is still waiting for his first win. “It’s no longer in our hands,” the 57-year-old Daum acknowledged.

A draw for Eintracht would only be enough for the playoff spot on goal difference if Moenchengladbach loses, but offfield trouble is threatening to overshadow efforts. Riot police used pepper spray to protect players from angry fans last week, and fans threw stones at the team’s coach the week before.

Daum showed some of his irritation when he complained of “unscrupulous” reporting from the local press. “We’re vulnerable, we’re on the ground. All right — destroy us. But we’ll be back, you can count on it,” the former Cologne and Leverkusen coach said.

Extra security arrangements have been made for the game on Saturday, when Dortmund will be presented with the league trophy. But Frankfurt president Peter Fischer’s insulting description of Borussia — made while attempting to calm rampaging fans — will do little to diffuse the atmosphere of another 80,720-capacity crowd.

The game will be shown live in 196 countries.

Moenchengladbach defender Dante has promised to shave his distinctive hair if his side manages to avoid relegation.

“First we have to reach our goal,” the 27-year-old Brazilian said. “We cannot relax in 16th place. That’s why we’re fully concentrated on winning in Hamburg.”

Moenchengladbach coach Lucien Favre agreed: “We’ve had to win every game since I’ve been here, and that is also now the case in Hamburg.” Hamburg is already planning for next season and several players are leaving the club, including Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy and Brazilian Ze Roberto - who has made 336 Bundesliga appearances, a record for a foreigner. If Wolfsburg secure survival, coach Felix Magath will exchange his bonus of a §250,000 ($360,000) Bentley Continental Cabrio for six Volkswagen multivans to be given to local charities.

“I want to make it clear that everyone must be ready to give everything for survival,” Magath said on the club website. “And if something good comes of that, even better.”

Influential midfielder Diego is optimistic of recovering from muscle problems to play in what will be Hoffenheim coach Marco Pezzaiuoli’s last game. Fellow Brazilian Josue should also be fit for Magath’s side.—AP

LONDON: Manchester City’s David Silva (centre left) trains with teammates at Carrington training ground. Manchester City will play Stoke at Wembley Stadium in the FA Cup final soccer match tomorrow. —AP

City and Stoke face off in FA Cup final LONDON: Four days after qualifying for the Champions League for the first time, Manchester City can give its successstarved fans more reason to cheer by beating Stoke in the FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium tomorrow to end a 35-year trophy drought. An investment of more than $1 billion on players since the 2008 takeover of Man City by Abu Dhabi businessman Sheikh Mansour is starting to pay dividends, with the northwest side securing a first top-four finish in the Premier League by defeating Tottenham 1-0 on Tuesday.

Standing in the way of the team’s first trophy since 1976 is mid-table Premier League rival Stoke, the second oldest club in England which is in prime form heading into its first FA Cup final. “Saturday will be a very, very hard game,” City manager Roberto Mancini said. “Stoke are a difficult team and it is important that we recover very well in the next two days.

“If we think it will be an easy game, that will be a big mistake. If we concentrate, maybe we can win.” Stoke, whose famous players down the years have included former England stars Stanley Matthews and Gordon Banks, has won only one trophy in its 148-year history — the League Cup in 1972 following a 2-1 victory over Chelsea.

But the team nicknamed the Potters

has established itself as a topflight club since gaining promotion in 2008. Its physical and direct approach has earned the side few plaudits but makes it tough to beat, going into the final on a five-match unbeaten run that includes a 3-1 win over Arsenal on Sunday.

“If you had said to me at the beginning of the season we would be in the final, I would be doing somersaults. We will just make sure we enjoy it,” Stoke manager Tony Pulis said.

City heads to Wembley as the clear favorite, armed with a star-studded squad including players like Argentina striker Carlos Tevez, Ivory Coast midfielder Yaya Toure and Spain winger David Silva.

This season’s squad is stronger in depth than in previous years, allowing Mancini to rotate players throughout the campaign to help the team compete on more fronts.

City reached the last 16 of the Europa League before being eliminated by Dynamo Kiev, but has qualified for the Champions League with two matches to spare in the Premier League.

A first trophy since a League Cup victory over Newcastle in 1976 now rests with the FA Cup. “Last year we lost in the semifinal of the League Cup against Manchester United; this year, we played

them in the semifinal of the FA Cup and beat them,” center back Vincent Kompany said. “It was the same with Tottenham and the top four.

“It is going forward for us. We can build on it for next season and challenge for the (Premier League) title.” Tevez, the team’s attacking inspiration, had been in doubt ahead of the match after a hamstring injury caused him to miss the last month.

He returned against Spurs as a late secondhalf substitute, but may still struggle to make the starting lineup on Saturday.

“I don’t think Carlos can be ready 100 percent because he played 15 minutes and did only one week’s training with the team,” Mancini said. If Tevez doesn’t start, Mancini will have to decide between Italy forward Mario Balotelli and Bosnia striker Edin Dzeko, who joined for 27 million pounds in January, to lead the line at the weekend. Stoke was once accused by Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger of playing like a rugby team because of its physicality, but the team has mixed long-ball tactics with some neat passing and spectacular long-range goals in recent games.

Stoke defeated Bolton 5-0 in the semifinal at Wembley in a thoroughly impressive display that will have made some pundits eat their words.—AP

Penarol, Santos secure wins MONTEVIDEO: Penarol of Uruguay and Brazil’s Santos both secured first leg wins in the Copa Libertadores quarterfinals Wednesday.

Juan Manuel Olivera and Alejandro Martinuccio gave Penarol a 2-0 home win over Chile’s Universidad Catolica, while Alan Patrick scored the decisive goal in Santos’ 1-0 victory at Colombia’s Once Caldas. The return legs of both matches will be played next week. Neymar, the most talked-about young player in Brazil, was at the heart of Santos’ most incisive attacks against Once Caldas.

The 19-year-old played a pass with the outside of his foot for Alan Patrick to side-

foot past goalkeeper Luis Martinez in the 43rd minute.

The Colombian side was reduced to 10men when Elkin Calle was shown a red card for grappling Neymar to the ground in the 60th and former Manchester City midfielder Elano hit the angle of post and crossbar after yet another foul on the forward in the 66th.

Despite playing with a man down, Once Caldas finished strongly and were denied an apparent penalty when substitute Bruno appeared to foul Wason Renteria in the box in stoppage time.

The result puts Santos in prime position ahead of the return leg in Brazil, but

Once Caldas has reached the last eight mainly because of its away form after failing to win any of its seven home matches in the group stage or round of 16.

Elsewhere, Olivera stabbed home the first goal for Penarol after Catolica goalkeeper Garces dropped a simple save from Jonathan Urretaviscaya’s looping cross in the 37th minute. Garces seemed to be impeded by defender Hans Martinez, but the error was a blow for the Chilean side after a strong start.

In the second half, chances came more regularly and Catolica’s Lucas Pratto had a shot cleared off the line by Penarol captain Dario Rodriguez.—AP

COLOMBIA: Alexander Mejia, of Colombia’s Once Caldas (right) battles for the ball with Neymar, of Brazil’s Santos, during a Copa Libertadores soccer match. —AP

A

FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

y

e niv rsar n

Years

FIFA election heats up amid bribery scandal Page 62

www.kuwaittimes.net

SEOUL: American Tianna Madison competes in the women’s long jump of the Daegu PreChampionships Meeting in Daegu, south of Seoul. —AP

Jeter bags 100 at Daegu meet Page 61