01 May 2011

ON SC RI PT I SU B

SUNDAY, MAY 1, 2011

Bahrain claims Iranian hackers hit government website

US tornadoes’ toll hits 350, thousands homeless

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Dortmund crowned German champions

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Top military officer: Gulf belongs to Iran Army chief demands Arabs call waterway by its ‘historical name’

Saddam’s US victims to get $400m payout BAGHDAD: Iraqi MPs okayed a $400-million compensation deal yesterday for Americans who say they were mistreated by executed dic tator Saddam Hussein’s regime during the 1990-1991 Gulf War. A total of 226 lawmakers were in the Council of Representatives’ main chamber, with a majority approving the agreement, which was originally signed between Baghdad and Washington in September. MPs loyal to radical anti-US Shiite cleric Moqtada Al-Sadr walked out of parliament when the issue was put to a vote, however.

Iraq’s Aug 2, 1990 assault on neighbouring Kuwait was rapidly met with a concerted international military response that pushed Saddam’s forces out of the state. Hussein’s reign was later ended by a US-led coalition in 2003. Several US citizens were held by Saddam’s regime during the war over Kuwait and used as human shields to deter coalition attacks, with some claiming they were mistreated and tortured by Saddam’s forces.

The US embassy welcomed the vote, with spokesman David J Ranz saying: “This decision represents an important step in our bilateral relationship, and in putting the terrible legacy of the Saddam regime in the past.”

The law still needs to be signed off by Iraqi President Jalal Talabani. In court cases filed in the United States, the former prisoners alleged they suffered death threats, mock executions, starvation, sleep deprivation and had medical care withheld. “Today, the majority of parliament voted in favour of the law to settle claims with the United States,” Hamid Al-Mutlaq, a lawmaker with the Iraqiya bloc, said. Bahaa Al-Araji, a lawmaker belonging to Sadr’s bloc, confirmed the faction did not vote in favour of the law.

The compensation deal is part of efforts to end provisions in force as a result of Chapter 7 of the United Nations Charter, which regards Iraq as a threat to international security. In December, the UN Security Council also ended key international sanctions imposed on Baghdad, halting punishing restrictions to prevent the proliferation weapons of mass destruction. But at the time, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon stressed Iraq must work to agree on a border with Kuwait and settle a dispute over war reparations if all sanctions are to be ended. Iraq still pays five percent of revenues from its oil sales into a reparations fund for Kuwait. — Agencies

LONDON: In this photo provided by Clarence House yesterday, Britain’s Prince William and his wife Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, pose for a photograph with (clockwise from bottom right) Margarita ArmstrongJones, Eliza Lopes, Grace van Cutsem, Lady Louise Windsor, Tom Pettifer, and William LowtherPinkerton in the Throne Room at Buckingham Palace following their wedding at Westminster Abbey on Friday. — AP (See Page 37)

William, Kate spring honeymoon surprise Royal newlyweds eye private time LONDON: Prince William and his new bride sprang a surprise yesterday, announcing they would not leave immediately on honeymoon and the prince will return to his day job as a helicopter pilot next week. A statement from St James’s Palace said William and Kate would spend the weekend in Britain following their wedding on Friday and have a honeymoon abroad in the future but it “will not be disclosed in advance”. The prince “will return to work as a search and rescue pilot next week”, it added.

The announcement appeared to be a way of throwing the media off their trail amid fears that photographers would pursue the couple wherever they chose to spend their honeymoon. The prince is known to enjoy outwitting the media, whom he still holds responsible for the death of his mother Diana, Princess of Wales, killed in a car crash in Paris in 1997 as she was being pursued by photographers. The prince’s office stressed that the couple “have asked that their Continued on Page 14

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TEHRAN: A top Iranian military officer yesterday denounced what he called an “Arab dictatorial front” and claimed that the “(Arabian) Gulf has belonged to Iran forever”, media reports said. “The Arab dictatorial regimes in the...Gulf are unable to contain the popular uprisings,” General Hassan Firouzabadi, the chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces, was widely quoted as saying by Iranian media yesterday. “Instead of trying and failing to open an unworkable front against Iran, these dictators should relinquish power, end their savage crimes and let the people determine their own future,” Firouzabadi said.

He also denounced “plots” by the Gulf Arab petromonarchies to “carve out an identity for themselves by rejecting the identity of others,” referring to Iran.

“The...Gulf has always, is and shall always belong to Iran,” the general said. Firouzabadi, speaking on the annual “National Day of the Persian Gulf”, also condemned the regional Arab monarchies for refusing to call the waterway between Iran and its Arab neighbours by its “historical name”. “With the arrival of the British and later the Americans in the region, plots were hatched to try and change the name with fake identities... to distort the history and identity of the...Gulf,” Firouzabadi said.

Relations between Iran and its Gulf Arab neighbours have deteriorated sharply, with the latter accusing Tehran of seeking Hassan Firouzabadi to destabilise Arab regimes in favour of popular unrest that has erupted in many Arab countries. Shiite-dominant Iran has strongly criticised Saudi Arabia’s military intervention in Sunni-ruled Bahrain aimed to help crack down on a Shiite-led uprising there. Iran says it gives “moral support” to Bahrainis but is not involved in the protests there. Bahrain and Kuwait have in turn expelled Iranian diplomats, accusing them of espionage. Iran has in the past claimed Bahrain as part of its territory, and it controls three islands in the southern Gulf that are also claimed by the United Arab Emirates.

The Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry, meanwhile, called for a countrywide boycott of all Iranian goods and services because of “blatant interference in Bahrain’s domestic affairs and threats to the kingdom’s national security.” It also appeals for other nations in the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council to join the proposed embargo. “It will be great support for the GCC countries as they deal with the relentless onslaught from Iran to divide their societies and spread sedition, discord and divisions,” the chamber said in a statement carried by the Bahrain News Agency. Iran is not among Bahrain’s leading trading partners, but there have been efforts to expand business contacts through joint ventures such as tourism and agriculture. Last year, Iran said it hoped to boost two-way trade with Bahrain to more than $5 billion a year. — Agencies

Saudi king tightens media restrictions

DAMASCUS: Syrian pro-government supporters kneel to kiss a Syrian flag during a protest to show support to the Syrian regime in old Damascus yesterday. — AP

Six killed as Syrians bury dead protesters DAMASCUS: Troops and snipers killed six civilians yesterday in the flashpoint city of Daraa, activists said, as Syrians buried scores of people killed in a “day of rage” on Friday. As the violence from seven weeks of protests continued, activists vowed to keep the pressure on the regime of President Bashar Al-Assad, promising a new week of pro-democracy protests. And 138 more members of Assad’s ruling Baath Party quit in protest at the deadly crackdown on pro-democ-

racy demonstrators, according to collective resignation lists received by AFP in Nicosia.

At least 66 people were killed on Friday when tens of thousands of people demonstrated across Syria, activists said, while authorities said nine members of the security forces were shot dead by “terrorist groups”. The Syrian Revolution 2011, a driving force of protests that erupted on March 15, said the blood of Continued on Page 14

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah has imposed new media restrictions and threatened hefty fines and closure of news organisations allegedly undermining national security, press reports said yesterday. Under a decree issued on Friday, the media will be prohibited from reporting anything that contradicts the strict Islamic sharia law or serves “foreign interests and undermines national security”. The decree requires publishers to stick “to objective and constructive criticism that serves the general interest”, media reports said, adding that violators face fines of up to 500,000 riyals ($133,000).

In addition to a threat to close publishers who violate the decree, the authorities can also ban a writer for life from contributing to any media organisation. The Saudi media is tightly supervised by the government, and the most prominent newspapers are owned by people who are a part of or closely linked to the ruling Al-Saud dynasty. The new restrictions come as the authorities aim to quell any uprisings inspired by the recent popular revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt and trouble elsewhere in the region.

Over the past week, police arrested 20 to 30 Shiites, including two bloggers, accused of taking part in demonstrations in the oil-rich Eastern Province, according to activists and a Shiite website.

The overwhelming majority of the estimated two million Saudi Shiites live in Eastern Province, which neighbours Bahrain where authorities last month crushed a Shiite-led protest. — AFP

AZIZIYA, Libya: A supporter of the Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi holds-up his image during a meeting of tribes from the surrounding west and south of Tripoli in this city about 40 km southwest of the capital yesterday. — AFP

Gaddafi offers truce, but won’t step down TRIPOLI: Muammar Gaddafi vowed yesterday not to step down and proposed talks to end Libya’s conflict, a call rejected by rebels and by NATO, as his forces pressed an offensive against the key port of Misrata. At the same time, a rebel spokesman said he feared loyalists were seeking to open a new front in the eastern desert to advance on Ajdabiya, a strategic road junction and gateway to the rebel stronghold of Benghazi. In an

early-morning speech on state television, the Libyan leader said NATO “must abandon all hope of his departure. “I have no official functions to give up: I will not leave my country and will fight to the death,” he said.

But he added a conciliatory note. “We are ready to talk with France and the United States, but with no preconditions,” Gaddafi said.

Continued on Page 14

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SUNDAY, MAY 1, 2011

Years

LOCAL

New cabinet lineup likely to be further delayed

Local Spotlight

Wedding of the century

By Muna Al-Fuzai

Tuesday’s NA session may be called off KUWAIT: No announcement on the new cabinet lineup is expected before the middle of this week, according to a source close to His Highness the Prime Minister, stating that the premier is taking his time over selecting the new government in order to ensure that it meets with the approval of the majority of the public. The suggestion that the announcement is likely to be further delayed follows speculation last week that the hotly anticipated announcement of the new cabinet lineup might be made as early as yesterday (Saturday), so that its members could be sworn in by the Prime Minister on Sunday and in parliament two days later. It’s also been announced that National Assembly (parliament) Speaker Jassem Al-Khorafi is likely to call off Tuesday’s session of parliament if the cabinet has not been announced by Monday.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the insider said that although a number of ruling family members will be returning to posts within the new cabinet, only two commoners are likely to reprise their government roles. The insider named these there as Mohammad Al-Busairi and Mustafa Al-Shamali, the ministers of communications and finance respectively.

Amongst the members of the ruling family likely to return in the new cabinet, meanwhile, the insider named defense minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, interior minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-Humoud Al-Sabah, foreign minister Dr. Mohammad Al-Sabah, development minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah and oil minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah.

The insider suggested, however, that talks on the formation of the new cabinet had “stalled” over disagreement on which ministerial portfolios should be assigned to Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad and Sheikh Ahmad Al-Abdullah, with one suggested solution to the impasse being the creation of an independent authority for development.

A younger sheikh had turned down an offer of a cabinet position, preferring to remain in his current position as an undersecretary at an undisclosed ministry, revealed the insider.

Meanwhile, a prominent member of the National Action Bloc (NAB) has rejected reports that the bloc had brokered a deal with His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Sabah. NAB member MP Saleh Al-Mulla condemned the rumors, describing those

behind them as “sick.”

The NAB is one of the three main anti-government parliamentary blocs, along with the Popular Action Bloc (PAB) and the Development and Reform Bloc (DRB). The latter two blocs are expected to file interpelation motions against the premier shortly after the new government lineup is announced, with the PAB reportedly set to file its motion as soon as the cabinet is sworn in and the DRB set to follow suit shortly afterwards.

Recent rumors had suggested that the NAB might have decided to side with the premier against the interpolation motions as part of a deal by which HH the Prime Minister would agree not to reselect Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad for the new cabinet. Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad is a longtime bete noire of the NAB’s, and the bloc was set to submit a grilling motion against him shortly after the cabinet’s unexpected mass resignation.

“There’s absolutely no conflict between the National Action Bloc and the other blocs in parliament,” Al-Mulla insisted, adding that the NAB’s stance on the planned grilling motions would be decided after they are submitted. — Agencies

High winds, sandstorms, rain likely for today KUWAIT: Changeable weather, bringing scattered showers, sandstorms and winds exceeding 80 kilometers per hour, is likely to persist until this evening, according to senior local meteorologist Mohammad Karam.

Karam, the head of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation’s (DGCA) meteorology center, said yesterday that rainfall could be heavy in some areas, with scattered showers and strong winds set to persist throughout the night and into today, gradually dying out this evening.

The sandstorms may take slightly longer to die down, he explained, adding that they may affect some areas well into Sunday night. — KUNA

muna@kuwaittimes.net

I

t was indeed the wedding of the century. I can’t imagine seeing anything anytime soon that will be more romantic, glamorous or perfect as the marriage that took place on Friday in London.

Britain’s Prince William and Kate Middleton married at Westminster Abbey. The ceremony attracted a huge world audience and gave a fresh image of the monarchy. I, like many people around the world, spent hours watching the amazing live coverage on the BBC. It was really a work of art by everyone.

The BBC reporters started their live coverage hours before the deadline. They tried to keep viewers updated and they did not have to work hard for that. This marriage was an event that the whole world wanted to be a part of, even if it meant watching it on their TVs. The newlyweds appeared on the balcony of Queen Elizabeth’s Buckingham Palace where they sealed their union with two kisses while the crowd cheered and waved flags. The bride looked amazing and I think the pictures of the wedding are going to be around for a long time. I think it will provide a positive and encouraging image of the UK. Police estimated that a million people lined the procession route from the abbey to the palace.

I was also happy to see a clear stand by the royal family and the couple to not receive the Syrian Ambassador at their wedding. A representative of a system that abuses and murders its own people just to stay in power at a wedding is unnecessary. They don’t need that. They were right.

This is a very special, happy occasion and only good friends should be around. I salute them for this move.

Many of princess Diana’s (Prince William’s mother who passed away in 1997) fans expressed their love and sincere passion for her at the wedding and she was obviously remembered. Charles Spencer, Diana’s brother, told the BBC that the wedding was very moving, adding, “The only downside on a perfect day was Diana not being there.”

Clearly the Spenser family was given the best seat and it shows how much Prince William appreciates and honors his mother’s family.

I think this marriage fuelled many people in the UK with a positive sense about the monarchy. I was glad to read about the charity that both Prince William and his bride Kate Middleton created. The fund will focus on assisting charities that support the five causes chosen by the couple. They have asked that anyone wishing to send them a wedding gift consider doing so in the form of a donation to the fund.

I believe this wedding was a breath of fresh air and that everyone was actually amazed by what they have seen.

The bride looked stunning and elegant. Thank you UK for giving us this enjoyable event. I wish the new couple a happy marriage.

Kuwait Digest

Mystery behind govt’s decision

By Ali Al-Baghli

I KUWAIT: Kuwait witnessed sandstorm accompanied by rain yesterday. Pictures show motorists driving in the rain. — Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

Conference on empowerment of Kuwaiti women concludes KUWAIT: The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs concluded yesterday its five-day conference on empowerment of Kuwaiti women within the nation’s development plan, held in association with the UN Development Program.

The conference emphasized some of the great strides Kuwaiti women have taken in recent years in numerous societal endeavors, be they social or political or otherwise, said the ministry undersecretar y Muhammad AlKanderi, who attended a get-together marking the conclusion of the conference.

He underlined that his ministry has suppor ted women and children through its vast array of social programs aimed at ameliorating their status in more ways than one.

Resident representative of UN Development Program Sahar AlShawa, who attended the gathering, applauded the officials of the ministry for taking part in forums and workshops and conferences geared to focusing on women’s issues and in particular empowering them to upgrade their status in society, socially and economically.

On behalf of the participants in the five day conference, Sheikha AlAdwani, who heads the department of social development at the ministry, extolled the proceedings of the conference and said the latter helped the participants get a better grip on what really empowers women and guides them through concrete stages of human development. — KUNA

GCC Secretariat invites research papers on security topics ABU DHABI: The GCC Secretariat announced the launch of its annual prize for the best research papers on security topics for the year 2013, urging candidates to hand in their papers early.

The topics should be associated with the youth in the GCC area as that sector of society comprises the largest in all GCC countries, said Col Ali Salem Al-Tenaihi, who heads the training bureau at the department of human resources in the Ministry of Interior. However, the overriding theme for all papers had been determined by the Secretariat to be: “Awareness programs for the youth in view of security challenges in GCC states,” he said. —KUNA

took part recently in a protest against the decision to not rename Newspaper Street after prominent Kuwaiti journalist the late Mohammad Musaed AlSaleh. I am still not sure whether the decision to not rename the street was made by the Kuwait Municipality, the Minister of Municipal Affairs or the cabinet.

There’s a story I have about Newspaper Street and I think now would be a good time for me to share it. This vital street, where the first newspapers chose to build their headquarters and where the majority of newspaper headquarters are still located to this day, was constructed in the late seventies by the Musaed Al-Saleh Construction Company. At the time, a dispute took place between the company and the Ministry of Public Works over the millions of dinars that the company asked for. As per the contract to build the area, the dispute between the company and the ministry had to be settled through arbitration. I was called by the company to serve as their attorney on the judging committee while senior engineer Abdullatif Al-Haddad was assigned by the ministry to represent them. Eventually, the committee’s head ruled that the company was owed KD 5 million but the ministry refused to pay the amount. The company was not paid until several years later when engineer Fawzi Musaed Al-Saleh met with then Prime Minister the late Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah and asked him to settle the issue.

If this story proves anything it is that Mohammad Musaed Al-Saleh not only deserves to have his name on the street because he spent most of his life working there as a journalist but also because he owned shares in the company that constructed the street.

The street parallel to Newspaper Street is Canada Dry Street, named after the soft drink factory that used to be located there until it was removed 20 years ago.

Today, public transportation buses refer to the street as Canada Dry Street but for some reason the government is still unable to make up their minds about renaming one street after Mohammad Musaed AlSaleh.

I close my article with a story that I heard from a trustworthy friend while visiting a diwaniya. The story is about how the Ministry of Education named a local public school after a not-so-well-known Kuwaiti personality shortly after he passed away. The headmistress decided to hang a poster on her wall inside the school detailing the achievements made by the person so that students could become familiar with who their school was named after. When she called the late man’s son to ask him about his father’s legacy he literally told her that the only legacy he was familiar with was the one involving his father’s excessive drinking habits and continuous physical abuse against his mother, his siblings and himself. The headmistress was left bewildered about the mystery behind naming her school after a drunken wife beater, the same way we are left to wonder why the government can make that happen but still fail to rename Newspaper Street after one of the most significant figures in the history of journalism in Kuwait. — Al-Qabas

SUNDAY, MAY 1, 2011

LOCAL

KUWAIT: Participants of the international workshop on urban development in Kuwait yesterday.

Workshop on urban development, security held in Kuwait KUWAIT: Participants in an international workshop on urban development called for increasing efforts in bolstering the mechanism of decision within the municipal mainframe to help in urban development

and security. A statement by the regional office of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements Habitat (UNCHS) said that the workshop, held on April 26-28, called for adopting technical solutions to help

in urban development, security, adding that the event, held in cooperation with Arab Towns Organization (ATO), focused its efforts on how to fight crime and other social ills.

Stop threatening GCC security: Al-Deqbasi KUWAIT: The Kuwaiti Speaker of the Arab Parliament, Ali Al-Deqbasi, asserted on Friday that Iran “must stop its threat to the Arabian Gulf’s security”, calling for the Islamic Republic’s nuclear facilities to be subjected to international inspection.

Al-Deqbasi, who is also a member of the Kuwaiti parliament, was speaking at a press conference held at the headquarters of the Arab League’s general secretariat in Cairo following a meeting of the Arab Parliament’s performance assessment committee.

“Iran and Turkey are two Muslim nations that neighbor the Arab World, and with whom we seek to maintain a dialogue that would prevent wars from taking place in the region”, the speaker said.

“We find Iran guilty of interfering in Arab internal affairs, especially in Bahrain”, said Al-Deqbasi, also citing the recent prosecution of the members of a spy network in Kuwait, as well as the ongoing controversy over the

islands of Abu Musa and Greater and Lesser Tunbs, which the UAE has accused Iran of occupying illegally as examples of this unwelcome intervention. The senior official stressed that the Arab Parliament wishes to see an equitable resolution of tensions, saying, “We seek a dialogue based on common interest.”

On the recent restoration of Egyptian-Iranian relations, Al-Deqbasi expressed “faith” in Egypt’s commitment to the security of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states.

During his address, Al-Deqbasi also lauded the reconciliation between the rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas, calling it “a step in the right direction” in pushing the Palestinian cause forward. Al-Deqbasi also urged the regimes in Syria and Libya to “stop the use of excessive force against their people”, while urging Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh to resign “in order to prevent matters from worsening.” —Al-Rai

UNCHS representative Alioune Badiane indicated that the municipal council’s effort within that frame was strongly felt, affirming that the council was putting such goal at the top list of priorities within the plans

for urban development.

On his part, head of international organizations at the Foreign Ministry Ambassador Jassem Al-Mubaraki said during the event that Kuwait was very interested in urban devel-

opment and security, affirming that Kuwait was eager to coordinate such effor ts with the UNCHS on the regional and global scales. The event witnessed the participation of 55 individuals from 18 states. —KUNA

CSC approves appointment of bedoon teachers at schools Moves to resurrect overseas information service

By A Saleh KUWAIT: The Civil Ser vice Commission approved the appointment of bedoon (stateless) teachers at state schools from the beginning of the next academic year. A CSC insider said that the commission has now officially informed the Central System for Remedying the Status of Illegal Residents (CSRSIR) of its decision so that the CSRSIR can coordinate with the Ministry of Education (MoE) to invite applications from bedoon teachers.

The CSC has stipulated that priority in employment be given to the bedoon children of Kuwaiti women, along with those whose forebears were registered in the 1965 census and those who are graduates of Kuwaiti universities, the insider

explained, adding that on issues of pay and conditions, bedoon teachers will be classified in the same category as their expatriate colleagues.

On a separate issue, Kuwait’s embassies are reportedly set to resurrect the coordinated overseas information service which offers information about Kuwait to media and individuals from around the world to help present the best possible image of the country internationally.

Provision of the service will be supervised by the relevant staff at Kuwait’s embassies around the world to help keep costs down and conserve time and effort, whilst avoiding excessive bureaucratic red tape, explained a diplomatic insider. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official also explained that this step

disproves rumors that the information ministr y is set to re launch its foreign information division.

Meanwhile, in other news, the Ministr y of Commerce and Industr y (MCI) has agreed to amend the Kuwait Investment Company’s governing regulations to allow the KIC to invest its funds in bonds issued by other Gulf nations’ government bodies.

The MCI has stipulated, however, that the KIC’s investment in these bonds should not exceed 30 percent of the total value of its funds. Approving decision to allow the bond investment move, Minister of Commerce and Industry Ahmad Al-Haroun said that since the objective of the KIC is to achieve good returns through investment in Kuwaiti bonds, it could also participate in

investment in bonds issued by non-Kuwaiti borrowers.

In a separate development, the government has tasked a specialist team with monitoring and reporting on the implementation of privatization in state bodies and the dismantling or restructuring of some ministries which previous studies have recommended should be privatized, including the ministries of communications and of electricity and water.

A government insider said that the members of the specialist team have been holding meetings with senior officials from the bodies in question to discuss which divisions should be privatized and to work on preparing the necessary legal arrangements to expedite the privatization process.

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Years

SUNDAY, MAY 1, 2011

local kuwait digest

Marking May Day

By Waleed Al-Rujaib

M

ay 1 is celebrated by many countries around the world as International Workers’ Day, marking the joint struggle of laborers against injustice and abuse. This year’s May Day is celebrated in light of various changes and circumstances that took place on the international, regional and local scenes.

The world is marking this day while still suffering from the repercussions of the capitalist economic crisis. This has affected laborers as they have been left to fend for themselves against increasing prices, unemployment rates and layoffs as a result of the flawed regulations in the private sector.

This situation has led labor unions in the United States, Europe and around the world to stage protests against major industrial countries.

Meanwhile in the Arab World, the occasion will be taking place amongst public uprisings for democracy and against tyrant regimes. Demonstrations featuring wide spread participation of laborers played a major part in ending the decades long rule of the regimes in Tunisia and Egypt.

In Kuwait, the local economy marks the occasions while still suffering from the repercussions of the financial crisis that affected the general living conditions of the local community. Several young Kuwaiti employees have lost their jobs as a result of this situation, which has led to the increase of unemployment rates since 2008.

Those rates are expected to further increase in light of the implementation of the privatization law as we see citizens lose their jobs in Kuwait Airways, Wataniya Airways, and most recently in EQUATE. In the meantime, limited wage workers are suffering from inflation rates that have led to the increase of commodities as the government has failed to curb the increase of prices.

Also, we celebrate labor day in Kuwait during a time in which labor unions are still not being operated the way they should. While the government still considers protests and strikes a crime punishable by law, several unionists have lost their fighting spirit and have became motivated by tribal or sectarian influences. — Al-Rai

Kuwaiti man shoots himself in front of police station Tragic saga in Adan area KUWAIT: A psychologically disturbed Kuwaiti man shot himself dead in front of Adan police station early on Friday morning following a family argument, despite the efforts of his sons and police negotiators to dissuade him from doing so. The man initially went to the police station after being summoned for questioning when his wife brought charges of domestic violence against him. On arriving there, he stood on the pavement opposite the station holding a gun which he pointed at his own abdomen, threatening to end his life and shouting imprecations against the officers who filed the case against him on his wife’s behalf whilst claiming that he was the Mahdi and his wife was involved in witchcraft.

Officers at the station immediately reported the man’s actions to senior officials, two of whom were quickly at the scene, launching negotiations with him and attempting to persuade him to give up the gun.

During the negotiations with the leading negotiators, Maj Gen Ibrahim Al-Tarrah and Maj Ali Al-Tammar, respectively the director of the Mubarak Al-Kabeer Criminal Investigation Department and the area’s senior investigator, the distressed citizen pointed the gun alternately at his head and abdomen.

When Maj. Gen. Al-Tarrah attempted to approach him to try and dissuade him from taking such drastic action over the dispute with his wife, the man aimed the gun at the officer to stop him coming any closer, as well as showing him a bullet from the gun to confirm that it was loaded with live ammunition.

The citizen repeatedly told the officers that he was the Mahdi, the savior who Shiite Muslims believe will arrive prior to Judgment Day to rid the world of injustice, alongside Jesus.

Although police brought the man’s 19-year-old son to the scene to attempt to talk his father out of killing himself, this was unsuccessful with the man threatening the understandably distraught youth with the weapon and ordering him to go away. Police also brought another of the man’s six children, his six-year-old son, to the scene to attempt to persuade him to abandon his drastic action, but this was also unsuccessful, as he

ordered them to take the alarmed young child away.

At one point, the man did accept a bottle of water from the negotiators which he had requested, although he smelt it carefully on receiving it to ensure it was not drugged or otherwise tampered with before drinking any.

When the time came for the Fajr (dawn) prayer, negotiators tried to persuade the man to lead them in prayer, but instead he continued to point the weapon towards himself whilst praying in a standing position.

The tragic saga ended just before 6:00 AM shortly after the man spotted special forces officers and snipers who were positioned nearby, at which point he shouted something about having received his orders to die and

Desperate debtor reconsiders suicide bid KUWAIT: A desperate Kuwaiti man poured petrol over himself and threatened to set himself alight in front of a local bank after being overwhelmed by despair at the magnitude of his debts.

The man, named only as Bu Nasser, told local daily AlAnba that the saga began when he borrowed KD22,000 from the local bank eight years ago. Despite paying regular installments of KD440 per month to clear the debt, he said, he was informed on checking its status two days ago that he is now registered as owing KD35,000.

Talking about his drastic action in pouring petrol over himself, Bu Nasser said, “Don’t blame me or think that I’m mentally ill or drunk or on drugs - think with me, is that logical after paying all those installments over the past eight years, amounting to KD440 per month, to discover that I’m still indebted by KD35,000, with additional interest reaching KD20,000 which the bank didn’t tell me about?”

Bu Nasser insisted that although he had only borrowed KD22,000, the banks had taken KD97,240 from

Bosnia plans to translate Suaad Al-Sabah’s poems SARAJEVO: Arab poet and author, Adbulhamid Dekakini, announced that a specialized literary committee is intending to translate some of the Kuwaiti poet Sheikha Suaad AlSabah’s poems into the Bosnian language.

The prestigious literary committee, which includes senior Arab and Bosnian literary men, is supervised by the Kuwaiti ambassador to Bosnia Mohammad Fadhel Khalif, Dekakini added.

He noted that the committee will soon start working on the translation project; a move that would lead to a cultural closeness between the Arab and Bosnian cultures.

Dekakini said that more than 50 poems of Sheikha Suaad Al-Sabah will be carefully translated in order to achieve a close rendition of the poems’ meanings and contexts, without a greater loss of their literary and cultural intent.

He considered this gesture an important one in achieving an interactive cultural cooperation between the Arab and Bosnian literature, stressing the vitality of implementing similar literary projects in the future.

Dekakini expressed his pride in assigning this translation project to him by the Kuwaiti ambassador; a project that would contribute directly to bringing about a connection and collaboration between different literary men, hence, providing a great opportunity in exchanging literary views and theories throughout the translation process.

“Translating the poetry of Sheikha Suaad Al-Sabah to Bosnian not only will it positively enriches the Bosnian literature but it will also positively affects the surrounding cultures of Croatia and Serbia since they all share the same language,” he pointed out. He further said that a number of Arabic Language professor at the Sarajevo University showed interest in using some of Sheikha Al-Sabah’s poems as a subject of study in their classes. —KUNA

him in repayment, more than four times the amount of the original loan and KD75,000 more than he borrowed.

He queried the bank’s charges, asking how it could be possible for a bank to charge more than 400 percent in interest, asserting that banks are sucking the lifeblood from the Kuwaiti people whilst the government ignores their demands at the same time as paying hundreds of millions of dinars to 12 traders under the financial stability law. The people remain at the mercy of financial traders who are rescued by the government whenever they get into trouble, Bu Nasser asserted.

“I poured gasoline over myself and threatened to burn myself but I didn’t do it,” he went on, adding that instead, “I came to my senses and handed myself over to the security men.”

Bu Nasser called on the government to fear God in their treatment of insolvent citizens and borrowers and to maintain control over the banks.

He has been referred to the Public Prosecutor and faces charges over his attempted suicide.

9th forum against drugs continues

MP says spoiled food is murder KUWAIT: The parliament’s budget committee is prepared to invite the governmental committee assigned to follow up on the notes mentioned in a State Audit Bureau report regarding state departments to their weekly meeting.

The panel held a preliminary meeting with the governmental committee shortly following its formation under the chairmanship of the Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Dr Mohammad Al-Afasi. A complementary meeting was scheduled and has been put on hold as the budgets committee was busy discussing the balance sheets of various ministries and state departments.

Meanwhile, the parliament’s health committee is prepared to meet today in order to look into their recommendations on how to handle the spoiled food crisis. According to sources close to the panel, the discussions will focus on whether the Ministry of Commerce, the Kuwait Municipality or both institutions should be held accountable for the crisis.

Independent MP Shuwaib Al-Muwaizri said that selling spoiled food found to be unsuitable for human consumption should not be considered a case of commercial fraud but murder. “[Smuggling and selling bad food] is a form of organized murder against the people of Kuwait,” Al-Muwaizri said. The lawmaker added that the willingness of importers to sell spoiled food and the amount of it that has been confiscated is proof that, “a war is being waged against all those living in Kuwait.”

Separately, MP Musallam Al-Barrak commented on a recent court order that resigned the general manager of the Environmental Public Authority because he was found to be unqualified for the position. The lawmaker said that the news should shed light on the way the government makes senior appointments to the public sector. He said that such appointments are done in the, “form of political deals.”

Meanwhile, MPs Mubarak Al-Khurainej and Ali Al-Deqbasi criticized the government for delaying the hiring of Kuwaiti citizens in the Civil Service Bureau until a new cabinet is reappointed. — Al-Qabas

recited a brief further prayer before shooting himself twice in the abdomen.

Although he was rushed to Adan Hospital, paramedics pronounced him dead en route.

His shocked wife subsequently told police that he had been behaving erratically and in a disturbed manner for three days prior to the incident and had repeatedly physically assaulted her.

An investigation into the tragic suicide has been recorded by the Deputy Attorney General.

The man is survived by four sons and two daughters. One of his sons, an army serviceman, told police that the weapon used by his father was licensed to him. — Al-Rai

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: The 9th Forum Against Drugs, held under the patronage of Lieutenant General Sheikh Ahmad Al-Abdullah, is being held in cooperation with the Drug Fighting Authority, the Saad AlAbdullah Academy, Kuwait University, the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET) and the Ministry of Education. Their latest meetings was held in the Commercial Studies College for Girls and the Technology Studies College.

Colonel Thamer Al-Hajari lectured about the role the Drugs Fighting Authority plays in investigating, detain-

KUWAIT: Yousef Al-Mousawi in his farm.

Kuwaiti cabbage king shares secrets of success KUWAIT: Kuwaiti hor ticulturalist Yousef Al-Mousawi has successfully grown two batches of cabbages and tomatoes in the past year, despite Kuwaitís famously scorching summer climate. Al-Mousawi, an engineer by trade, told KUNA that he attributed his success to using a special fertilizer mixture and a specially designed irrigation method.

The type of cabbage grown commercially by Al-Mousawi is primarily cultivated in northern Europe and Italy, he explained, adding that itís extremely rich in Vitamin C, potassium and calcium and can be eaten raw or cooked He added that research proved that

cabbage in oneís diet is good for bad digestion, as well as for treating Hepatitis and other diseases.

The variety of cabbage which AlMousawi grows can be cultivated during two yearly seasons, during the cold and moderate periods, he explained, adding that the first batch was planted in early September for harvesting in December, whilst the second was sown at the end of December and harvested in February.

Al-Mousawi said that fertilization is extremely impor tant in cabbage growing, adding that he had devised his own special blend of fertilizer after experimenting with a number of different varieties.— KUNA

ing and prosecuting those who try to sell or smuggle drugs in Kuwait. He explained to students how to identify different kinds of drugs and encouraged them to stay away from illegal substances.

He also said that the administration is always ready to receive reports of drug abuse or give support to those that need it. Sergeant Dr Ayed AlHmaidan, an expert with the UN on drugs spoke about how drug dealers cheat youngsters of both genders. He ended his lec ture by saying that nobody should do drugs as it destroys brain cells and leads to serious diseases like hepatitis A and B.

Govt urges public sector to increase technology use KUWAIT: The government asked all ministries and public institutions to limit the use of paper by using more computers. The government also asked that the level of technology be improved so as to decrease the public sector’s dependence on expat labor.

The above was included in a circular issued by the Council of Ministers that emphasized the use of technology to speed up production and reduce hidden unemployment in ministries and government institutions.

The Council of Ministers said the use of

technology enables the government to increase employee productivity. The memo also highlighted the council’s interest in eliminating computer illiteracy and stressed the need for public institutions to conduct computer courses for employees on all levels.

Official sources with the Civil Service Commission (CSC) said that the goal behind the circular is to uncover those that use bonuses inappropriately. The move would allow the CSC to check on them and make payments to those that deserve it their bonuses. —Al-Jarida

Upcoming retailers’ expo set to feature major discounts: organizer KUWAIT: A ten-day exhibition featuring the latest goods on offer from local retailers is set to begin at the Kuwait International Fairground on May 25.

More than 60 specialist retailers have already confirmed their attendance at the upcoming exhibition, which is to be sponsored by two leading local firms, Broy Co. and the Watch Company, revealed exhibition organizer Ruqaya Khalid Al-Rashdan yesterday.

Al-Rashdan added that many of the companies taking part will be offering major discounts to visitors to the exhibition in order to help maintain their excellent PR record and win new customers.

The exhibition will offer visitors the chance to check out a diverse range of goods, including readymade clothes and accessories, perfumes, cosmetics, watches, electronic items, furniture, bags and shoes.

A large number of local firms have already confirmed their participation in the exhibition, with the list of those taking part including Broy Co., the Watch Company, K&A Amal Al-Kuwait Co., AlJameel Optics, Hassan Optics, the Arabian International Oud Company, AlShaya Per fumes, Chermel Paris Co., Awatef Al-Hai Co., My Make-Up Co., Blue & Navy Co., Naoomi Co., Al-Abeer Gifts

Co., Al-Shihab Watches Co., Lausanne Collection Co., Baidoun Co., and clothes outlets including Arco Palino and Ricardi.

Al-Rashdan predicted that the exhibition, which is set to end on June 4, would be a great success, possibly even breaking previous attendance figure records.

Ruqaya Al-Rashdan

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Three-member gang held for stealing tires in Salmiya Arab man commits suicide in Jabriya KUWAIT: Jabriya police arrested three citizens accused of stealing tires from cars parked in Salmiya. An investigation was launched after citizens and residents living in the area reported that the tires on their vehicles were being stolen.

Eventually police found some of the stolen tires in the possession of a mechanic in the area. The store’s owner informed police that he bought the tires from three young men and provided them with the suspect’s phone number. Police identified the number’s owner as a Kuwaiti student at Kuwait University. He was eventually placed under arrest as well as his two accomplices. When questioned, the suspects admitted that they used the money from selling the stolen tires to pay for illegal parties.

KUWAIT: The KDT inspections in progress in the waters to the south of Um Al-Maradem Island.

Kuwait’s coral reefs recovering KUWAIT: During their latest inspections of the area of coral reefs in the waters to the south of Um Al-Maradem Island, members of the Kuwait Dive Team (KDT) found that the reefs there have recovered fully from the coral bleaching detected there previously.

In a press release issued yesterday, KDT project super visor Mahmoud Ashkenani revealed that whilst some areas of coral reef in Kuwait’s waters are still affected by the phenomenon, which can be deadly for the reefs and the surrounding marine wildlife, inspections by members of the team in the past month showed that there are definite signs of recovery, despite the extreme conditions which the reefs have been subjected to. Ashkenani further revealed that

during their latest inspections of the reef sites, the members of the team, which is affiliated to the Environmental Voluntary Foundation, found that the reefs south of Al-Maradem, 23 kilometers east of Khairan, are now fully free of bleaching, with only 13 percent of the coral reefs in Kuwait ’s waters now affected by the phenomenon. Overall, 69 percent of all Kuwait’s coral reefs are now healthy and free of the bleaching effect.

Coral bleaching occurs when the zooxanthellae symbiotic protozoa, the single cell organisms that give the coral reefs their color and nourishment via photosynthesis, die out due to a variety of conditions including marine pollution and high water temperatures.

Kuwait granted membership on pollutant review committee GENEVA: The state of Kuwait was granted a membership on the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee (POPRC ) during the Conference of the Par ties to the Stockholm convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, held in Geneva from April 25-29.

Kuwait will represent the Asia and Pacific region on this committee concerned with studying chemical substances to be enlisted on the Stockholm convention, in preparation to be discussed then included in the convention’s next agenda.

Kuwait ’s par ticipation in this international conference comes as part of its duties as member and host for the regional center of the Stockholm convention for the Asian and Pacific region.

The Kuwaiti delegation was headed by Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva Ambassador Dherar Razouqi with the participation of the Director of Environment Public Authority Dr Salah Al-Modhi and the consultant of the Kuwaiti permanent delegation in Geneva Malik Al-Wazzan. —KUNA

Indian egg shipment confiscated KUWAIT: A shipment of 21 containers of eggs imported from India by several local suppliers was recently confiscated before it could make its way to the local market. The goods were confiscated as they were found in violation of a regulation released by the Public Authority for Agricultural Affairs and Fish Resources (PAAAFR) to ban poultry imports from India from March 2 until further notice.

The seizure was announced by the Managing Director of livestock affairs at PAAAFR, Nabila Al-Khalil, who urged the Kuwait Municipality to take the necessary measures on this regard.

I n separate news, the Kuwait Municipality referred the issue of computer equipment that went missing from the Municipal Council Hall to its

legal department.

The move comes as part of a series of procedures mentioned in a letter sent by ac ting Public Relations Supervisor Iman Al-Musawi to Deputy Managing Director for Financial and Administrative Affairs Abdul Aziz AlHabib after it was discovered that two monitors and a server were stolen from the Municipal Council.

The measure also includes assigning a security company, as per the contract it has with the municipality, to compensate the municipality for the lost items and to substitute security staff work ing at the Municipal Council.

Furthermore, the letter includes a recommendation for surveillance cameras to be installed in the building.

—Al-Qabas

Corporate union concludes program KUWAIT: Union of Investment Companies (UIC) announced yesterday that its subsidiar y Center for Investment and Financial Ser vices Studies (CIFSS) concluded the second training course on combating money laundering in which exper t Jamal Abdulrehim lectured 47 trainees of UIC member companies.

UIC said, in a statement, that the course came in compliance with the demand made by the Central Bank of Kuwait (CB) which necessitates the par-

ticipation of all those working at investment companies in the anti-money laundering programs.

Fur ther, UIC and the Financial Investigation Unit distributed accreditation certificates to the graduates at the end of the training course.

Finally, Fadwa Darwish, acting director of the CIFSS, said that the center organized this second training course in order to help all working staff at various companies in implementation of the instructions made by the CB. —KUNA

Jabriya suicide An Arab man committed suicide inside a n a p a r t m e n t i n J a b r i y a . Au t h o r i t i e s responded to the situation after the victim’s roommates called police when they found his body hanging from the ceiling fan of his room. They explained to officials that he was feeling depressed due to his situation with his girlfriend back in his home country.

attempted to commit suicide due to family problems back home.

Traffic accident A man was killed and two others were seriously injured in a car accident on Salmi Road. The three Arab men were sharing a drive back home from work when their veh icle lost balan ce an d ove r t ur ne d.

Paramedics pronounced one of the victims dead upon arriving to the scene and the two others were admitted to Jahra Hospital in critical condition. An investigation was launched.

Teenagers arrested A teenager was arrested and two others are being searched for by police after a citizen accused them of firing guns toward his hous e i n N a e e m . The hous e ow ne r i nfor m e d p ol i ce t ha t t he youngs te r s showed up in front of his house with a firearm half an hour after he kicked them out of the area for drifting their car. The suspects are being charged with attempted murder and for being in possession of an unlicensed weapon.

Attempted suicide An Indian woman in her 40s was brought to Mubarak Hospital after she consumed pesticide in a an attempt to kill herself. The Kuwaiti family that sponsors her placed an emergen c y c all af ter th ey found t he woman lying motionless on the floor. An investigation revealed that the woman

Family rescued A Kuwaiti family was rescued by firefighters after their home in Bnaid Al-Gar caught on fire. The fire was successfully extinguished and no injuries were reported in the incident. An investigation was launched to reveal the cause of the fire.

Alcohol addict A female citizen reported to the Al-Qasr police station with her five children and lodged a complaint against her husband.

She accused him of drinking alcohol and of physically abusing her and her children when he was drunk. A case was filed and the

suspect was summoned for questioning.

Fugitives nabbed Authorities arrested five fugitives in operations carried out throughout the country. One of those arrested was sentenced to ser ve a five year prison term while another was sentenced to two years in prison. The third and fourth fugitives arrested were required to pay KD 33,000 and KD 5,000 worth of debt while the final suspect was sentenced to serve a month in prison.

Emergency landing The pilot of a Kuwait-bound Kuwait Airways flight was forced to make an emergency landing at an Egyptian airport shortly after takeoff when a large bird hit the cockpit screen, causing a crack to appear in it.

Senior officials at Alexandria’s Borg El Arab A i r p or t conf i r m e d t ha t t he p l a ne ha d returned there after the pilot radioed the control tower to request permission to make an emergency landing following the incident. The passengers were taken to a nearby hotel until a replacement plane was provided, with the exit stamps in their passports temporarily revoked in light of the situation.

— Al-Rai, Al-Watan, Al-Anba, Al-Qabas

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Japan tsunami-hit children receive Kuwait’s relief aid Symbolic soccer balls and other gifts

Caricature, art of sarcasm, sort of grotesque mimic of reality KUWAIT: Caricature is the sarcastic art of drawing as it aims at magnifying the deformed normal features or characteristics of the human beings in order to mock at them, as well as hurling social and political brickbats at the humanity.

Caricature as a name is derived from the Italian word “caricare”, which means to change or load, though the same art was known to ancient Egyptians, Assyrians, and ancient Greeks.

As for the oldest caricature drawings that history preserved, they were those ones that ancient Egyptian builders of the tombs of the Valley of Kings in ancient Thebes were keen on carving out at the era of Ramses dynasty on the pieces of pottery as well as solid stones in order to grotesquely depict different kinds of animals.

These drawings date back to 1250 B.C., though the goal that Egyptian artist sought to reach from these works of art was unknown, and some speculations say that they were an implicit reference to the unbalanced relationship between the ruler and the ruled, and consequently sculptors represented it in an ironical and subtle way.

The Arab world saw thousands of caricaturists in the present time, the most famous among them are late Palestinian Nagui Al-Ali, then comes Egyptian Makhlouf, Saudi Suleiman

Al-Mesihaj, Syrian Ali Farazat, and Kuwaiti Abdulreda Kamal.

Kamal, who majored in animated cartoon at the University of California in 1982, said in an exclusive interview with KUNA, that his fondness of such kind of art started when was still a young man as he frequently visited summer clubs in the 1960s.

Though he said that taking up caricature as a career started when was appointed as a caricaturist in the weekly magazine titled “the Nation’s Mirror” at the turn of 1971, adding that he was known for his conventional style that focuses on simple details with aim of highlighting the motif.

Kamal, who makes preparations for holding his personal exhibition and is well-noted of, “the acute social projections as well as the more toned-down political projections,” expresses his firm belief in a message which says that, “Kuwaitis are thinkers and creative people.”

Kamal also said, “I’m always keen on showing my political affiliation in my drawings, and I deem it absurd to draw without having a goal in my mind,” wondering jokingly, “why then I should take up caricature.”

Moreover, Kamal also held several exhibitions including some personal ones in 1972, 1973, and 1974, and so he became the first Kuwaiti to carry out such activity in the his-

tor y of Kuwait and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Arab region, besides other exhibitions which he held in Turkey, Bulgaria, and Belgium between 1984 and 1990, while his latest exhibition was in 2004 at the headquarters of the Kuwaiti Society for Plastic Artists (KSPA).

Asked on the Kuwaitis’ interest in the art of caricature, he says that it is a “weak” one, noting that, “they need some time to understand such art, its schools and theses, and the Kuwaiti society needs a more time to accept such kind of satirical and pungent criticism which do not make success except above a common and solid ground of democracy and tolerance.

Kamal says that he takes great pride in what he presented in this field, recalling how he was honored

by His Highness the late Amir Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah when he was the Crown Prince of Kuwait.

In the same vein, Chairman of the KSPA Abdulrasul Salman described the creative world of Kamal as “boundless as he can turn the inanimate objects to visible targets,” asser ting that the space of freedom in Kuwait, “helped Kamal say many things with a committed sense, and to invest any work with an aesthetic and intellectual value.” — KUNA

Wataniya Telecom sponsors Student Talents Exhibition KUWAIT: Believing in the importance of youth in the society and driven by its social responsibility towards the community, Wataniya Telecom has recently sponsored the Student Talents Exhibition organized by the Faculty of Science at Kuwait University on April 25 and 26.

Regarding its sponsorship, Abdolaziz Al-Balool PR Director of Wataniya said: “Wataniya Telecom believes in supporting youth in Kuwait and extending its help whenever we have the opportunity to do so. We have been involved in sponsoring different activities that bring out the creative talents of our youth and encouraging them to excel and produce more in order to benefit their future careers and their country.”

During the exhibition, a competi-

tion between the students took place in which the best talent presented won prizes and gifts from Wataniya.

The first place winner was Kholoud Al-Afasi who was awarded

for her photography talents, while Mohammad Al Sayegh came in second place and Abdulla Al-Khumairi were awarded for their project “AlDallal”. Prizes and gifts were also given to all student participants.

Kuwait dedicated to continuing relief aid to Libya KUWAIT: Kuwait’s embassy in Libya is cooperating fully with the Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRCS) in the distribution of humanitarian relief aid to people in Libya affected by the adverse conditions there, said Kuwait’s ambassador in Libya Mubarak al-Adwani, after a meeting he had yesterday with KRCS’s chairman Barjas Humoud Al-Barjas.

The Kuwaiti aid has been ongoing ever since fighting broke out in Libya, he said in a press statement, noting that the KRCS was among the first relief aid organizations that arrived on the Libyan soil, particularly in the area of the LibyanTunisian border, where droves of Libyan refugees had amassed to cross the border to safety.

KESENNUMA: Kuwaiti Ambassador Abdulrahman Al-Otaibi pictured with the students.

KESENNUMA: Kuwaiti relief aid to the students.

KESENNUMA: Abdulrahman Al-Otaibi at the tsunami-hit area. and friends.” The ambassador also highlighted Kuwait’s decision to donate 5 million barrels of crude oil to Japan upon directives of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah AlAhmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, in which the mayor showed appreciation.

The donation, equivalent to some $ 550 million, surpasses Japan’s daily consumption of 4.4 million barrels.

“The scale of the destruction was breathtaking, but I am convinced that your city and Japan will bounce back from this tragedy. Small gifts we brought today are just the first step. Please let us know what are needed for suffering people,” AlOtaibi pledged the mayor Kuwait’s fullest support.

Prior to the talks with the mayor, the ambassador paid visits to Minami Kesennuma Elementary School, Kesennuma Junior High School and two evacuation centers.

He also met city’s Superintendent of Education Board Katsumi Shirahata and expressed sympathy for the plight of local residents.

In a classroom at Minami Kesennuma Elementary School, 25 children in the sixth grade were excited to see the ambassador and to receive soccer balls, notebooks, school bags and other items bearing the two countries’ names.

Warmly encouraging children, the ambassador said, “Please remember that our hearts are with you, and your friends in Kuwait and all over the world stand by you. I believe all of you will contribute to the recon-

struction of Kesennuma in the future.” The students, most of them had their houses severely damaged, were also delighted by the presence of star player Kitazawa and broke out cheering when he demonstrated football skills.Carrying a photo of her late friend Moe Suzuki in her hands, 11-year-old Miyu Watanabe said: “Suzuki perished in the tsunami on March 11. She was very active, and I’m sure she would share this joy with us if she were here.”

At the makeshift shelters, AlOtaibi consoled survivors and offered food and daily necessities, and in return, they expressed appreciation to the ambassador, saying they were touched by the gifts from Kuwait.

Touring residential areas along the tsunami-ravaged coastline, where countless houses, buildings, ships and cars were destroyed, the ambassador expressed shock at the level of devastation. “It was a scene of incredible tragedy, even I have seen the images on TV so often. But with their strength and dignified spirit, I believe the Japanese people will rebuild the nation and will be stronger than ever,” he said at the end of the visit. “I hope our visit and delivery of gifts from Kuwait brought joy to children and encouraged survivors in this time of hardship,” he added.

The twin natural disaster left nearly 28,000 people dead or missing in northeastern and eastern Japan. — KUNA

The work being done by the KRCS in Libya is at the behest of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah AlAhmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, said the ambassador, who reviewed in his meeting with Al-Barjas the latest details of the crisis in Libya and the best methods available to ensure that Kuwaiti relief aid reaches its destination without a hitch. — KUNA

Kuwaiti delegation wraps up visit to Russia MOSCOW: Kuwait’s Health Minister Dr Hilal Al-Sayer concluded yesterday a visit to Russia during which he took part in the first ministerial World Health Organization (WHO) Global Forum which addressed issue of non-communicable diseases.

Dr Al-Sayer’s delegation was seen off upon departure by the Kuwaiti Ambassador to Russia, Nasser Al-Muzain and other diplomats of the national diplomatic mission

KESENNUMA, Japan: Kuwaiti Ambassador to Japan Abdulrahman Al-Otaibi visited Kesennuma City in northeastern Japan over the weekend to show Kuwait’s solidarity with survivors from the March 11 disaster. The top diplomat delivered soccer balls, school supplies, food and living necessities on behalf of the government and the people of Kuwait. With two countries’ national flags painted, specially-designed 240 soccer balls were chosen to give children here a hopeful future in the aftermath of the catastrophe.

Al-Otaibi’s visit to the coastal city of Kesennuma, which took more than six hours journey from Tokyo, was accompanied by the First Secretary Mohammad Al-Mutairi, renowned former Japanese national team football player Tsuyoshi Kitazawa and a Foreign Ministry official.

The badly-hit Kesennuma City in Miyagi Prefecture, 390 km north of Tokyo, had a population of 74,000 as of the end of February, of whom about 2,000 are listed as dead or missing from a magnitude 9.0earthquake and an ensuing tsunami. Up to 5,700 survivors are still living in emergency shelters as they lost homes and loved ones.

During his talks with the ambassador, city mayor Shigeru Sugawara expressed his gratitude to Al-Otaibi for his visit and conveyed appreciation to Kuwait for offering symbolic soccer balls and other gifts to suffering local residents, especially children. “We were touched by the solidarity extended by the government and the people of Kuwait,” Sugawara said. “Giving soccer balls is a great idea. I believe they will make children unite and remember Kuwaiti friends,” he added.

According to Sugawara, the waves of the tsunami reached up to the second floor of Minami Kesennuma Elementary School building. “All students in the building managed to flee to the higher floor, but houses of most of the children were destroyed or damaged.

As a new academic year has just started, many students moved to other cities to continue studies, and those who left behind feel lonely.”

Eight children became orphans and about 80 others lost a parent in Kesennuma, a city official said, adding that all the eight orphans were taken care of by their relatives.

The mayor also briefed the diplomat on the destruction in Kesennuma. A massive tsunami submerged 18-square km of land and bursting of all the 23 seaside oil storage tanks made an extensive area into “a sea of fire.”

He also explained how his government is supporting the recovery process of the city, which is well known for its industries. “Our priority is to revive this once beautiful city. The reconstruction plan is underway and I hope Kuwait will share its experience with us,” the mayor told Al-Otaibi.

Meanwhile, Sugawara said Kuwaiti citizen Abdullah Mudhafar is the most famous foreigner in Kesennuma, showing his amazement with Mudhafar’s commitment to child education and volunteer activities here.

“Local people already have a feeling of closeness towards Kuwait, and your visit today and delivery of gifts to schools and shelters will further deepen our bond,” the mayor said. The Kuwaiti government evacuated Mudhafar and his family in March after his house was smashed by the disaster.

For his part, Al-Otaibi told Sugawara, “On behalf of the people and the government of Kuwait, I extend my heartfelt condolences to those bereaved as well as my sincere sympathy to all affected by this catastrophe and to their families

in Moscow. Delegations of more than 160 states took part in the conference that addressed diseases such as stroke, cancer, asthma, diabetes, osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s disease and HIV/AIDS. Leading figures called for global cooperation to fight such diseases.

The UN plans an identical convention in New York in September. — KUNA

KUWAIT: Deputy CEO of the NBK Group Essam Al-Saqr with the awarded staff.

NBK awards Q1 Ideal Staff KUWAIT: The National Bank in Kuwait awarded a group of staff members who were selected as the ideal employees during the first quarter of 2011, in commemoration of their commitment to quality standards in regards to their work performance and customers serv-

ice. Meanwhile, the NBK further asserted in a press release their commitment to continue supporting national manpower by providing its Kuwaiti employees with training courses that improve their professional skills.

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Yemen power transition deal faces last-minute snag Page 8

Tornadoes death toll mounts to 350 Page 10

Iranian hackers target Bahrain website Shiites condemn protesters’ death sentences

LAHORE: Pakistani Shiite Muslims carry symbolic coffins during a protest in Lahore, against the Bahraini government. — AFP MANAMA: Bahrain says Iranian computer hackers tried to access the official website of the Housing Ministry in attempts to seek data on aid recipients. The report yesterday on the Bahrain News Agency gave no other details. The island kingdom’s Sunni rulers are facing an uprising by the country’s Shiite majority, which is calling for greater rights. Throughout the turmoil they have accused Shiite power Iran of interfering in their affairs.

Bahrain and its Gulf Arab allies claim Iran is seeking to gain advantage from the unrest in the region. The alleged hacking could be linked to Shiite allegations that a disproportionate share of housing aid goes to Sunnis. The news agency also says Bahrain’s Chamber of Commerce is calling for a boycott of Iranian goods.

Meanwhile, thousands of Bahraini Shiites gathered before a revered cleric on Friday denounced death sentences given to protesters over antigovernment rallies crushed last month in the US-allied Gulf kingdom.

The verdict, handed down by a military court a day earlier to four men accused of killing two policemen in violent protests last month, could intensify sectarian tension in the Sunni Muslim-led state that hosts the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet.

“It’s not true that they killed them,” said a man who identified himself only as Moussa, after praying at the mosque of Sheikh Issa Qassim, as a police helicopter circled overhead.

“The government made it up just like a movie.” He was referring to video footage that Bahraini authorities have circulated showing the two policemen smashed by a vehicle that sped through a crowd of protesters, some

of whom appeared to then trample and kick the fallen men. Police kept a tight grip on roads leading to the village where the mosque is located, turning back many vehicles.

The rulings were only the third time in over 30 years that a death sentence had been given to a Bahraini citizen. They have further divided a country whose Shiite majority says it faces systematic discrimination, but whose Sunni leaders warn Shiite giant Iran is trying to extend its regional influence by manipulating its co-religionists. “The sentence was appropriate,” said Mohammad al-Ammadi, a Sunni lawmaker, citing what he saw as the extreme brutality of the killings.

“This is the first time this happened in Bahrain.”

In his sermon, the cleric Sheikh Issa Qassim alluded to the growing rift in the country. “If you wish to be assailed with problems, to lose all comfort...then allow the spirit of antagonism to take hold and spread in your country,” he said. “This is a fire which may seem manageable at first, but is ultimately beyond control...and its consequences are always grave.”

The recent turmoil began with Shiite -led political protests in February demanding greater political liberties, a constitutional monarchy and an end to sectarian discrimination. A few Shiite groups called for the abolition of the monarchy.

Bahraini Shiites say the ruling family denies them access to state employment and land, and point to the naturalization of foreigners from predominantly Sunni countries, some of whom join the security forces, as proof of a policy of sectarian rule.

Bahrain, blaming the protests on

regional powers including Iran, declared martial law and called in troops from Sunni-led Gulf neighbours to strengthen its forces as they set about crushing demonstrations last month.

In the aftermath of the protests, hundreds of people have been detained, and at least three have died in custody. Human rights groups say hundreds of people have been sacked from public sector jobs and that Bahraini forces have seized patients and health workers from hospitals that were a site of protests. The latter assertion figured in a rare, mild rebuke of Bahrain from the United States after the court ruling, which included life sentences for three other men.

“Security measures will not resolve the challenges faced by Bahrain,” State Department spokeswoman Heide Bronke-Fulton said in an emailed statement.

“We are also extremely troubled by reports of ongoing human rights abuses and violations of medical neutrality in Bahrain. These actions only exacerbate frictions in Bahraini society.” State Department Policy Planning Director Jake Sullivan expressed concern about the legal process. “We are troubled by the speed with which the trial was conducted and the swiftness of the verdict,” he told reporters. “...it’s important that legal processes be carried out in a manner that is legitimate, credible and transparent,” he added.

Germany urged Bahrain on Friday to rescind the death sentences. “This draconian punishment impedes the process of rapprochement and reconciliation in Bahrain,” foreign ministry spokesman Andreas Peschke told a news conference.— Agencies

Sahel armies on alert BAMAKO: Army chiefs from Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Algeria are on alert as the crisis in nearby Libya deteriorates, placing the entire region at risk, a military source said yesterday. Speaking after a meeting Friday between the four army heads, a Malian officer who attended said: “The situation in Libya is of great concern. There is a risk of destabilizing the entire region.” The meeting was to reinforce the fight against insecurity in a region threatened by Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQMI). “Moreover, because of the Libyan crisis, the security situation in the Sahel has deteriorated, so it is necessary to be careful. We are all on aler t and we keep each other informed,” he added. According to a document from one of the partici-

pating countries, seen by AFP, “there is now no doubt, several Al-Qaeda fighters are involved in the Libya fighting.”

These included “Libyan Islamists who were released by the government a few weeks before the outbreak of the conflict ” in midFebruary. The document adds that among the insurgents fighting Muammar Gaddafi’s regime are Libyan combatants from Afghanistan and those who had fought for AQMI in the Sahel. It urged Sahel countries not to allow weapons from Libya to fall into the hands of “terrorists in the Sahel” and strengthen the Al-Qaeda army. In late March, Mali and Niger security sources said AQMI had taken advantage of the Libyan conflict to accu-

mulate heavy weapons, such as antiaircraft missiles, described as “a real danger for the whole area.”

Algeria’s army chief of staff Ahmed GaÔd Salah, told Algerian press agency APS, that no Sahel country could work alone, as stability in the sub-region was closely linked to regional co-operation.

“More than ever it is time for cooperation, mutual aid and linked efforts to fight terrorism, curb risk, subversion and instability to save our countries from the adverse consequences they cause,” he said. The vast Sahel desert zone is a base and hunting ground for AQMI which has stepped up activities in recent years, carrying out kidnappings of mostly foreign citizens, executions and drug trafficking.— AFP

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Egypt Islamists form ‘non-theocratic’ party CAIRO: The formerly banned Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt’s best-organized movement, said yesterday it formed a non-theocratic party that will contest up to half of parliament’s seats in September elections. Mohammed Hussein, the group’s secretary general, told a news conference the movement’s council had decided to form the Freedom and Justice Party. “We have adopted the measures taken by the guidance council regarding the Freedom and Justice Party and adopted its program,” he said. He added that the party will contest 45-50 percent of parliament’s 508 elected seats in the September polls, the first since a revolt ousted president Hosni Mubarak in February.

He did not say why the group had settled on that number. The party, headed by Brotherhood politburo member Mohammed al-Mursi, will be “independent from the Brotherhood but will coordinate with it,” he said Mursi, who had run the Brotherhood’s previous parliamentary campaigns, said the party was not “theocratic.” “It is not an Islamist party in the old understanding; it is not theocratic. It is a civil party.” Egypt’s constitution bans parties based on religion, class or regionalism. The Brotherhood has sought to allay fears that an Islamist parliamentary majority might emerge from the polls and said it would be willing to cooperate with secular groups in the September election.

It has also pledged not to field a candidate in a presidential election, to be held in November. A tentative party program leaked to the press in 2008 said that only an Egyptian Muslim male could

Haniya ‘ready to resign’ for peace GAZA: Ismail Haniya, the prime minister of the Islamist Hamas movement in power in the Gaza Strip, said yesterday he was “ready to resign.” “I am prepared to tender my resignation as part of the reconciliation agreement between Hamas and Fatah,” the secular party of Palestinian Authority (PA) president Mahmud Abbas. “This agreement is very important and should boost efforts to end the divisions and encourage unity among Palestinians,” he added. On Wednesday, the rival Palestinian groups reached an “understanding” in Cairo to set up a transitional unity government and hold elections.

Egypt, which shares a border with Gaza, has tried to bring the two sides together since Hamas defeated Fatah loyalists in week-long street battles four years ago, reducing their power base to the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

The PA prime minister, Salam Fayyad, expressed the hope on Wednesday that the agreement could lead to “the reunification of the nation, needed to enable our people to decide their destiny and to establish an independent state on all territories occupied since 1967, with east Jerusalem as its capital.” The Palestinian factions were on the verge of agreeing a deal in 2009 that would have led to a transitional government ahead of elections when Hamas pulled out.

Meanwhile, Syria yesterday said it welcomed the reconciliation agreement between the leaders of the main Palestinian factions, which is set to be signed in Cairo.

“Syria welcomes the positive results yielded by efforts to achieve agreement between Palestinian parties,” the foreign ministry said in a statement published yesterday by the official news agency SANA. ”Syria sees the forthcoming signing of the reconciliation agreement as a major victory for the Palestinian people in their just struggle for the liberation of their land and the recovery of their rights, as protected by Syria,” the ministry statement added.— Agencies

Washington rains sanctions on Syria WASHINGTON: The United States has imposed new sanctions on Syria over its brutal repression of mass protests, and again claimed that Iran’s Revolutionary Guard was aiding the crackdown. Europe also imposed an arms embargo and considered additional sanctions against Bashar Al-Assad’s government, hardening the international front against Damascus on another day of bloody violence in Syria. US President Barack Obama’s asset freezes and restrictions on financial transactions notably targeted Maher AlAssad, the powerful brother of the president, who commands Syria’s feared Fourth Armored Division.

Also named in Obama’s executive order enshrining the sanctions were Ali Mamluk, director of Syria’s Intelligence Directorate, and Atif Najib, the ex-head of intelligence in Daraa province, the epicenter of political violence. The Syrian intelligence directorate as a whole was also targeted by the sanctions, which came after US calls for restraint in Syria went unheeded and as Obama faced increased pressure for a more robust response. “The United States strongly condemns the Syrian government’s continued use of violence and intimidation against the Syrian people,” the White House said in a statement Friday. “We call upon the Syrian regime and its supporters to refrain from further acts of violence and other human rights abuses against Syrian citizens seeking to express their political aspirations.”

The statement also singled out Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, saying the Corps was acting as a conduit for material support for the Syrian government which was helping it enforce the crackdown. “Iran’s actions in support of the Syrian regime place it in stark opposition to the will of the Syrian people,” the White House said. The Revolutionary Guards have previously been sanctioned

by Washington for providing support to terrorism. The new measures block any property in the United States or in the possession or control of Americans belonging to the named individuals and entities and prevents them entering transactions with US individuals.

State Department Policy Planning Director Jacob J Sullivan said that Washington was specifically targeting individuals and entities it believed responsible for violence.’ “If they continue this violence..., we have the flexibility to add additional designations,” said Sullivan. Washington has repeatedly called on Assad to change course, embrace reform and allow Syrians their human and political rights, but has so far not called for Assad to go. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton renewed these calls on Friday, demanding that Assad immediately cease violence. “We continue to condemn in the strongest possible terms the absolutely deplorable actions that the Syrian government is taking against its own people.

The violence must end immediately,” she told reporters.

Obama also renewed previously imposed sanctions on Syria, imposed by former president George W Bush in 2005 as Washington accused Damascus of involvement in the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri. The sanctions were unveiled as tens of thousands of protesters poured onto the streets across Syria following a call for a “day of rage” against the Assad government after weekly Muslim prayers. —AFP

be president of the country, causing a fire storm of criticism at the time. Hussein said after the press conference that the Brotherhood remained of the view that the presidency could “only be undertak-

en by a Muslim male.” But Saed Al-Katatni, Freedom and Justice’s secretary general, said the party “would not object to any Egyptian” and added there was a “multiplicity of views” in the Islamist

CAIRO: Egyptian Secretary General of Muslim brotherhood Mahmoud Hussein (center) reads a statement during a press conference in the Muslim brotherhood headquarters yesterday.— AP

movement. Brotherhood officials said the party’s program will be released at a later date.

In the past, the Brotherhood ran candidates as independents to circumvent a ban on the group in place since 1954. It won a fifth of seats in a 2005, but fared badly in a November 2010 election that was widely seen as rigged to favor the former ruling National Democratic Party. The group, which recently built a seven-story headquarters decorated with its symbol of crossed swords and a Koran, appears to have gained acceptance from the country’s ruling military council after years of arrests by Mubarak’s security forces. But other groups who took part in the 18-day revolt that ended Mubarak’s regime have expressed fears of the Brotherhood sweeping to power in an election that secular groups would be too disorganized to contest.

Its announcement that it would contest up to half of the seats in parliament will dismay other political groups, said Diaa Rashwan, an expert on Islamist movements with the Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies. “This announcement will be depressing for political forces in Egypt,” he said, adding that other Islamist factions who said they would participate might field candidates for the 50 percent of seats. But Rashwan said he did not expect the Brotherhood to gain more than a fifth of seats and that the group’s clout was exaggerated under Mubarak’s regime. “The revolution was not Islamist. After the revolution, we have to revise the idea that the Brotherhood was the strongest force in the country,” he said.— AFP

Iran awards gas projects to Revolutionary Guard MPs urge Ahmadinejad to end boycott TEHRAN: A business consortium connected to Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard was awarded without tender two giant natural gas development projects, a senior Iranian official said yesterday. Mahdi Fakoor, a senior Oil Ministry official, said the Revolutionary Guard’s most important financial venture, Khatam-ol-Anbia, will develop two gas fields in the south of the country without tender. “A contract to develop Halgan and Sefid Baghoon gas fields has been signed with Khatam-oilAnbia ... without tender,” the semiofficial Mehr news agency quoted Fakoor as saying.

Fakoor said development of the two gas fields located in Fars Province will result to production of 19 million cubic meters of natural gas a day. Khatam-olAnbia is currently the largest contractor of government projects in Iran, handling 1,500 of the country’s most important state projects over the past four years.

The conglomerate is already involved in developing Iran’s giant South Pars Gas Field in the Arabian Gulf. Khatam Al-Anbia is one of the country’s largest corporations with stakes in mining, telecommunications and the oil and gas sector. The guard,

which was created after the 1979 Islamic Revolution to defend Iran’s clerical rule, has become a vast military-based conglomerate, amassing a network of economic and political power that extends to virtually every aspect of life in Iran. Its finances are not on the government budget and are free from any state oversight. The Revolutionary Guard is account-

able only to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say on all state matters in Iran.

Meanwhile, Iranian lawmakers have called on President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to end an eight-day boycott and accept the supreme leader’s decision to reinstate the intelligence minister, Shargh daily reported yesterday. More than

216 conservatives out of the parliament’s 290 MPs wrote a letter to Ahmadinejad after an “extraordinary ” meeting Thursday, urging him to accept the reinstatement of Heydar Moslehi, the report said quoting Tehran MP Reza Akrami. “You are expected to adhere to the supreme leader (Ayatollah Ali Khamenei) and put an end to that which our enemies are tak-

TABRIZ: Two Iranian clergymen, look on, at the Talebieh seminary, in the northwestern city of Tabriz, Iran yesterday. - AP

ing advantage of,” the lawmakers wrote. The all-power ful Khamenei reinstated Moslehi despite Ahmadinejad having reportedly forced his resignation, only minutes after it was made public on April 17. The interference sparked a row within the regime’s leadership, leading to Ahmadinejad’s withdrawal from public view as well as cabinet meetings since April 22, and the cancellation of a visit to Qom, the Shiite clerical city. The absence is unusual for the hardline president, who is ubiquitous in the media and is also known for his near daily public appearances and speeches.

The crisis seems to have been aggravated by accusations from ultra-conservatives that Ahmadinejad’s close aide and chief of staff, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie, was the one who forced Moslehi’s ouster. Ahmadinejad’s opponents have rallied against Mashaie, whom the president has staunchly defended, accusing him of leading a “current of deviation” aimed at destroying the Islamic regime. But Khamenei yesterday urged state officials to refrain from actions which would give excuse to “the enemy and create a tumult” for the country, in remarks broadcast by state television.— Agencies

Yemen deal faces last-minute snag SANAA: A deal to end Yemen’s political crisis hit a potential snag yesterday as doubts were raised about whether President Ali Abdullah Saleh would personally sign an agreement that would have him quit power within a month. But the country’s main opposition coalition said it still hoped wealthy Gulf states who brokered the deal would be able to ensure a signature by Saleh, a shrewd political survivor who has faced three months of pro - democrac y protests seek ing his ouster.

“Until now, we still have hope that the efforts of the Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council will succeed in per-

suading the president to sign,” a prominent opposition leader said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Saleh, who has ruled the impoverished Arabian Peninsula state for nearly 33 years, had been due to sign the deal yesterday in an agreement that, if implemented, would make him the third Arab ruler ousted by a wave of popular uprisings. But in a last-minute wrinkle, a government official said talks were under way within the ruling party on whether Saleh would personally sign or leave it to senior members of his party.

Such a move could throw the entire deal into doubt.

“There is discussion on the matter at

SANAA: Yemeni army soldiers who joined anti-government protestors react during a demonstration demanding the resignation of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh yesterday. — AP

the moment,” the official said. Other officials previously said repeatedly that Saleh would sign yesterday.

The United States and neighboring oil giant Saudi Arabia want the Yemen standoff resolved to avert chaos that could enable Al-Qaeda’s Yemen wing to operate more freely. Saleh has in principle accepted the agreement negotiated by his oilexporting GCC neighbors. Yemen’s mainstream opposition, which includes both Islamists and leftists, has also agreed to the deal, even as street protesters have rejected the agreement and demand Saleh step down immediately and face prosecution.

Saleh, long considered a US ally against Al-Qaeda’s Yemen-based wing, had already forced mediators to split the signing ceremonies over two days and has objected to the presence of Qatari officials. Qatar’s prime minister was first to state publicly the Gulf deal would seek Saleh’s resignation, and its satellite TV channel Al Jazeera has been accused by Saleh of inciting revolt in the Arab world, now swept by pro-democracy demonstrations. While the Yemeni leader was due to sign the pact in Sanaa, his party’s vice president will travel to the Saudi capital Riyadh for Sunday’s official signing ceremony by the opposition, which has warned that further bloodshed could derail the deal.

Violence broke out in south Yemen ahead of the expected signing when gunmen killed two police officers and wounded two more in the port city of Aden, state media said. Witnesses said the gunmen had attacked a police station. Gunfire also erupted outside a nearby prison. Shortly afterward, security forces moved in to break up an anti-government protest in the same neighborhood, killing two protesters and wounding 50 more, said Qassim Jamil,

a doctor. Protesters fled the scene, and tanks and armored vehicles were patrolling the streets, the witnesses said. The wounded were being taken to nearby hotels for treatment because they could not reach hospitals, Jamil said. Analysts say the government, which has been trying to contain separatists in the south and Shiite rebels in the north, fears secessionists may be trying to take advantage of Yemen’s leadership crisis to renew a push for separation.

Protesters say they will stay on the streets until Saleh leaves. They also called for him to be put on trial for corruption and the deaths of the estimated 144 protesters killed since rallies began three months ago.

The GCC deal offers Saleh and his entourage, including relatives who run branches of the security forces, immunity from prosecution. “The people want the trial of the murderer!” some anti-Saleh demonstrators shouted at a protest on Friday that ended in a funeral march for 12 protesters killed on Wednesday, thousands passing their wooden coffins from hand to hand to their graves.

Analysts say a 30-day window for Saleh to resign gives plenty of time for disgruntled forces from the old guard to stir trouble in Yemen, where half the population owns a gun and Al-Qaeda has gained a foothold in its mountainous regions.

Should the deal go through, Saleh would appoint a prime minister from the opposition to head a transitional government, which would set a presidential vote for 60 days after he leaves. Many protesters, wary of the opposition due to its presence in government in past years, urged it to back out of the deal. “They wouldn’t lose anything because Saleh isn’t going to stick to the agreement. If he can’t find a reason to overturn it he’ll spark a war,” Sanaa protester Abdulsalam Mahmoud said. — Reuters

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Authorities investigate burning of 7 in Indian village Act ‘without fear or favor,’ India PM tells police BHUBANESWAR: Police in eastern India are investigating reports that villagers protesting a noisy stone crushing plant burned to death its three owners and four employees, authorities said yesterday. A clash broke out as the victims rallied to defend the plant against villagers angry about blasting, dust and noise in Orissa state’s remote Bandaguda village, district police superintendent Nitinjit Singh said.

Police suspect the villagers set the seven on fire after locking them in a room near the crusher before midnight Friday, Singh said.

About 200 police officers were deployed to the area. Autopsies were being conducted on the charred bodies, which have been identified as the plant’s three owners, a security guard and other employees, Singh said. No suspects have been arrested.

There has been tension over the crusher since it was set up a year ago on the outskirts of the village, about 250 miles from the state capital of Bhubaneswar. Some complain the crusher is noisy and fills the air with dust as it pulverizes boulders and rocks for material used in making cement and other building materials. Others who work at the plant claim they are often not paid on time or in full.

Other areas in India have also had protests against stone crushers, as construction companies scramble for building supplies to keep

up with a surge in construction fueled by India’s economic growth. Meanwhile, India’s premier Manmohan Singh yesterday urged the country’s top police agency to investigate a series of corruption scandals embroiling his government “without fear or favor”. Singh’s statements came as his Congress-led coalition reels from a host of controversies, with his own reputation for probity on the line amid charges that he has allowed graft to go unchecked during his seven years in office. He noted the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was probing several high-profile corruption cases that have attracted wide public attention. “The handling of these cases constitutes a litmus test for you,” Singh said at the opening of a new CBI headquarters in New Delhi.

“The CBI should act without fear or favor and bring to book all those who are guilty, irrespective of their position or status,” he said.

“Whoever transgresses the law of the land, however mighty, has to be brought to book.”

At the same time, Singh said there “should be no vendetta, no witch-hunt and no harassment of the innocent.” Singh’s government has been in the eye of a storm over allegations that telecom licenses were sold at cut-rate prices in 2008 in exchange for kickbacks, depriving the treasury of as much as $40 billion in revenues. It also faces a second high-

profile graft scandal over last October’s Delhi Commonwealth Games. Last week the CBI arrested senior Congress lawmaker Suresh Kalmadi, who was the top organizer of the $6 billion Games, on corruption charges. Earlier, it had arrested Singh’s former telecoms minister A. Raja, government officials and telecom company officials over the telecom scam.

The main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), meanwhile, accused Singh and the then finance minister P Chidambaram of “direct complicity” in corruption in the telecom case.

The allegations came as the government and opposition clashed over the contents of a parliamentary committee report into the scandal.

“There was complete abdication of responsibility by the prime minister,” said senior BJP lawmaker Yashwant Sinha, a member of the Public Accounts Committee, in the most direct opposition attack yet on Singh. “In India’s history there is no precedent of this kind. Nine out of 10 decisions taken by (then telecom minister) A Raja were with the knowledge of the prime minister,” Sinha said.

The report, which was critical of the government and had been narrowly rejected by the Public Accounts Committee, where government supporters hold a majority, was sent to the parliamentary speaker by the BJP yesterday. “The government is trying to cover up

BHUBANESWAR: Local police officers stand near a burnt room as villagers look inside from the door in Bandaguda village, about 250 miles from Bhubaneswar yesterday. — AP corruption instead of tackling it. The public has a right to know what has happened to its hard-earned money,” committee head and BJP veteran MP Murli Manohar Joshi told a news conference.

Singh “remained a mute spectator” in the telecom scandal, added Joshi. Congress has

Afghan Taleban declares start to spring offensive Offensive targets foreign, Afghan troops, govt KABUL: The Taleban declared the start of a spring offensive across Afghanistan yesterday, warning they would target foreign troops as well as Afghan security forces and top government officials in a wave of attacks including suicide bombings. In a statement, the hardline Islamists warned Afghan civilians to stay away from public gatherings, military bases and convoys, as well as Afghan government centres and buildings, as these would be the focus of attacks starting on May 1.

The Taleban statement comes just a day after senior military officials and Western diplomats warned they expected a surge in attacks over the next week, beginning today. “ The Leadership Council of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan wants to declare the launching of the spring military operations named as “Badar” to be waged against the invading Americans and their foreign allies and internal supports,” the Taleban said in an emailed statement. “Operations will focus on attacks against military centres, places of gatherings, airbases, ammunition and logistical military convoys of the foreign invaders in all parts of the country,” the Taleban said.

Senior military officials told Reuters on Friday that recent intelligence reporting indicated the campaign of increased violence would last about a week and would be mounted by the Taleban, supported by the AlQaeda-linked Haqqani network and other insurgents. Brigadier General Josef Blotz, spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), said coalition bases were bolstering security in anticipation of attacks. “We do know for quite some time already that the insurgency plans an attempt to come out with a surge of violence in certain areas of this country in the next days,” Blotz said. The United Nations said it was relocating some of its staff in Afghanistan after receiving “credible threats” of increased attacks in a “number of locations around the country”.

The United Nations has been the target of several insurgent attacks over the past two years. Earlier this month, seven international staff were killed after protesters overran a UN compound in northern Mazar-Sharif. The Taleban denied involvement in that attack, but officials said insurgents had been involved in stirring up an already angry crowd. “As a precautionary measure the United Nations is shifting its staff from some of its regional operational centers into safe locations for a short period. Staff are not leaving their regions and will continue working from these locations,” said Kieran Dwyer,

DOVER AIR FORCE BASE: A Marine carry team carries the transfer case containing the remains of Marine Cpl Adam D Jones of Germantown, Ohio, upon arrival at Dover Air Force Base, Del. The Department of Defense announced the death of Jones who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. — AP spokesman for the UN Mission in Afghanistan.

The Taleban said the targets of the attacks would be foreign forces, high-ranking officials of President Hamid Karzai’s government, members of the cabinet and lawmakers, as well as the heads of foreign and local companies working for ISAF. “All Afghan people should bear in mind to keep away from gatherings, convoys and centers of the enemy so that they will not become harmed during attacks of Mujahideen against the enemy,” the Taleban said.

Senior military commanders have long anticipated a spike in violence with the arrival of the spring and summer “fighting season”, although the usual winter lull was not seen as US led forces pressed their attacks against insurgents, particularly in the Taleban’s southern heartland. While Washington and ISAF commanders have trumpeted successes against a growing insurgency since 30,000 extra US troops were sent to Afghanistan last year, the insurgency has shown little sign of abating.

Violence across Afghanistan hit record levels in 2010, with civilian and military casualties the worst since US-backed Afghan forces toppled the Taleban government in late 2001.The Pentagon said in a report on Friday

that an overall increase in violence was due in part to increased targeting of insurgent safe havens and unseasonably mild weather. The Taleban did not say how long their steppedup campaign would last, but said it had been codenamed “Badar” after a decisive Muslim 7th century battle victory in western Arabia that Muslims attribute to divine intervention.

In the statement, the Taleban repeated their frequent claim that fighting in Afghanistan would not end until foreign troops had left the country. They also called on Afghan government officials and security forces to switch sides to the insurgency.

Militar y commanders inter viewed by Reuters this week were not sure why May 1 had been chosen by the Taleban to launch their renewed offensive. The anticipated Taleban campaign would not change the coalition’s counterinsurgency strategy put in place last year by US General David Petraeus, the commander of the 150,000 US and ISAF troops in Afghanistan, they said. Under a program agreed at a NATO summit last year, ISAF said it will begin handing security responsibility to Afghan forces in several areas from July. The program will end with the withdrawal of all foreign combat troops by the end of 2014. — Reuters

accused the BJP of seeking to “destabilize” the government. It fears the controversies could lead to a repeat of the 1989 “Bofors scandal”, when Congress was voted out of office over a weapons deal involving associates of then premier Rajiv Gandhi, who were accused of taking kickbacks. — Agencies

New skirmishes on Cambodian border PHNOM PENH: Sporadic clashes broke out on the tense ThaiCambodian border yesterday, both sides said, casting doubt on peace efforts as the countries’ bloodiest conflict in decades stretched into a ninth day. The latest hostilities at two ancient temples on the disputed jungle frontier erupted just hours after Cambodia announced a second truce agreement in as many days, although Bangkok denied knowledge of a new deal. “Even though there is a recent ceasefire agreement... Thailand still breached it,” Cambodia’s Foreign Minister Hor Namhong told reporters in Phnom Penh.

“There were exchange of firing last night and this morning,” he said. “It shows that we cannot trust our counterpart.” Thai army sources also confirmed early morning clashes.

Thailand said Friday’s peace talks between commanders from both sides did not amount to a genuine breakthrough in a dispute that has left 16 people dead and displaced more than 85,000 civilians. “We actually have talked at local officers’ level which I hope will lead to a real ceasefire,” said Thailand’s government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn.

Seven Thai troops and eight Cambodian soldiers have died since the clashes began on April 22, and

Bangkok has said a Thai civilian has also been killed. Hor Namhong returned yesterday from The Hague where he had submitted a request to the World Court to clarify a 1962 ruling about land around the ancient Preah Vihear temple-an area that has inflamed tensions between the two neighbors. “The request for the interpretation by the court is a way to resolve the problem peacefully,” he said at Phnom Penh airport.

The court ruled more than four decades ago that the 900-year-old temple belonged to Cambodia, but both countries claim ownership of a 4.6-square-kilometre surrounding area. Thailand said it had hired legal advisors and would fight the case.

The stone structure has been the focus of border tensions since it was granted UN World Heritage status in 2008 and 10 people died in hostilities between the neighbors there in February.

The current unrest is centered around two other contested temple complexes 150 kilometers west of Preah Vihear, although there was some fighting at the site itself on Tuesday. The Thai-Cambodian frontier has never been fully demarcated, partly because it is littered with landmines left over from years of war in Cambodia. — AFP

Security forces foil attempt to burn church in Pakistan LAHORE: Police broke up a mob of people armed with sticks that was threatening to attack a church yesterday after word spread that two copies of the Quran had been burned in eastern Pakistan, officials said. The tiny Christian minority in predominantly Muslim Pakistan is often intimidated and subjected to mob violence. The crowds marching toward the church in the city of Gujranwala blamed Christians for the Quran burnings. Police charged the crowd of 300 people marching toward the church, lightly injuring several protesters, said Saeed Wahla, the top administrator in the city.

The protesters blocked a street with barricades of burning tires. A burned Quran was found yesterday, and two weeks earlier several burned pages from the holy book turned up, said Nabil Awan, another local official. Pakistan’s Christians, who make up 1.6 percent of

the country’s population of 180 million, live in fear of being persecuted or arrested under the country ’s harsh laws against blasphemy, which are often misused to settle personal scores or family feuds. The laws call for the death penalty for anyone insulting Islam, its holy book or the Prophet Muhammad.

Meanwhile, a roadside bomb hit a minibus in a northwestern tribal region yesterday, killing two passengers and wounding nine others, said local official Javed Khan. The attack happened on Ladda road in Pakistan’s Kurram tribal region. Kurram lies near the Afghan border. Pakistan’s military has carried out several operations against Islamist militants hiding there after escaping last year’s army offensive in the nearby Orakzai tribal area. The region has also been the scene of clashes between rival Sunni and Shiite communities for years. — AP

Cable: US long feared India arms-sale snags WASHINGTON: The United States has fretted for years that its ties to Pakistan and past sanctions against India would harm its efforts to win arms deals such as the $11 billion fighter order that slipped away from two US suppliers this week, a US diplomatic cable showed. “Our ability to seize the opportunities presented by this newly improved environment is limited by the commonly held view that the US will not prove to be a reliable supplier of defense equipment,” Timothy Roemer, the US ambassador to India, said in an October 29, 2009, cable to Michele Flournoy, a top Pentagon official then about to visit India.

US officials from President Barack Obama down subsequently pushed hard to sell US fighter jets to India to crown expanding security ties. The United States also is eyeing tens of billions of dollars in other potential arms

deals with India, the cable showed. In the end, India shortlisted two European aircraft over Boeing Co’s F/A-18 SuperHornet and Lockheed Martin Corp’s F-16, company officials said on Thursday. Lockheed and Boeing are the Pentagon’s No 1 and No 2 supplier, respectively. Each is pressing to boost sales in India, which plans to spend about $50 billion in the next five years to modernize old Soviet-era weapons and technology.

Roemer announced Thursday he was leaving his post for professional and family reasons. “The new environment” reference in his 2009 cable concerned the emergence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s government with “a clear mandate not beholden to coalition partners” for the first time since post-Cold War USIndian strategic ties took shape.

US competitors use the economic sanctions imposed by

Washington after Indian nuclear tests in 1998 to try to harm US sales prospects, the cable said.

They also point to “our close defense relationship with Pakistan as rationale that the US should not be trusted,” Roemer wrote in the message obtained by the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks and made available to Reuters by a third party. The cable cited one unnamed source as saying the Indian army will never put US equipment in divisions facing Pakistan, India’s historic foe, “because they expect the US will stop military supplies in the event of Indo-Pak hostilities.”

The US Defense Department said on Friday it was “deeply disappointed” by rejection of the US bid to supply 126 new fighter aircraft. Instead, India set up a contest between France’s Rafale and the Eurofighter Typhoon made by Britain, Germany, Italy and Spain.

“We look forward to continuing

to grow and develop our defense partnership with India,” said Navy Commander Leslie Hull-Ryde, a Pentagon spokeswoman, “and remain convinced that the United States offers our defense partners around the globe the world’s most advanced and reliable technology.”

She said US officials were closely studying Indian-provided documentation on the short-listing decision, and looked forward to a full “debrief” from the Indian Air Force. A State Department spokeswoman, Heide Fulton, declined to comment on Roemer’s 2009 cable as a matter of policy.

A senior State Department official said the United States was not aware of any allegations of impropriety “so far ” in the fighter matter. The full field included the two American planes, three Europeans and a Russian model. — Reuters

GUJRANWALA: Smoke erupt from burning tires set on fire by angry Pakistani Muslims during a rally against an alleged burning of the holy Quran in Gujranwala yesterday. Officials say police have broken up an angry mob threatening to burn a church after the alleged burning of a Quran in eastern Pakistan. — AP

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SUNDAY, MAY 1, 2011

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

Quiet for a while, Palin’s voice is back WASHINGTON: Sarah Palin has had a sliding spring. The former vice presidential nominee’s support among Republicans has shrunk. She’s kept an uncharacteristically low profile. And there’s no evidence that she’s anywhere close to announcing whether she will run for the chance to challenge President Barack Obama, who is expected to raise a staggering amount of money in his 2012 re-election bid. But it’s clear she still wants to be part of the conversation, in an election cycle that has yet to see a clearcut Republican frontrunner, as is normally the case.

After weeks of seemingly staying on the sidelines, the former Alaska governor is back with public appearances, fiery criticism of Obama and a strong defense of real estate mogul Donald Trump, the reality TV show

host who has raised questions about the president’s background without offering proof of his assertions. “What the heck is wrong with asking the president of the United States to disclose what his college thesis was, what some of the Harvard Law Review papers were that he wrote?” Palin said last week, adding her voice to a Trump-led chorus of critics questioning just how much the country knows about its president.

She added: “Here’s a point with Donald Trump, though, which I hope that he will seize this opportunity: Right now, he’s got the spotlight, he’s got the megaphone. Now is his opportunity to really force a shift in debate and discussion in this country.”

Palin used to be able to say that about herself. But she’s recently been overshadowed by other Republicans who

have taken steps toward the White House or are weighing bids, Trump included. Privately, people in her informal and fluid circle of advisers say that they have no sense of whether Palin will run for the Republican nomination or if she does, when she would begin a campaign. They say she’s asking questions about a potential White House run and will decide in her own time. The door to a candidacy, they say, is still open.

Yet, Palin, who abruptly resigned the Alaska governor’s office before finishing her first term, doesn’t seem to be doing the spadework others are as they consider running. She hasn’t set up campaign organizations in Iowa, New Hampshire or other crucial early nominating states. Her political travel seems haphazard and lacking the pattern of most contenders. For example,

she hasn’t been to New Hampshire since 2008, but she rallied tea party activists in Wisconsin as Gov Scott Walker pushed a bill that weakened public unions’ bargaining rights. And recently her standing has dropped in polls.

An Associated Press-GfK survey from late-March found 57 percent of adults holding an unfavorable view of her. And the survey marked her worst rating yet among Republicans. Nearly two-thirds of Republicans view her favorably but that number is down from 79 percent in November 2010.

Her favorability dips to just 38 percent among the four in 10 Republicans who don’t support the tea party.

Among those Republicans who do support it, 79 percent say they hold a positive view of Palin. Even so, she’s making sure her voice is heard, includ-

ing in high-profile public appearances.

She was giving a speech Saturday in a Washington suburb at a closeddoor, $250-a-plate fundraiser for an anti-abortion organization. She’s speaking at the same event as retired Lt Gen William G “Jerry” Boykin, who has made controversial statements painting the war on terror as a Christian fight against Satan and suggesting that Muslims worship idols.

Palin’s also been firing up her conservative base on Fox News Channel, where she is a paid contributor, and in other interviews by scorning Obama.

Recently, she summarized Obama’s energy policy as “outright bonkers.” So, for now at least, she’s ensuring she’s part of the political discourse. The answer to whether she becomes part of the presidential race, itself, will come later.—AP

Alabama tornadoes rise to 2nd-deadliest in US history Death toll mounts to 350 TUSCALOOSA: The death toll from killer tornadoes in the southern United States rose to at least 350 yesterday, making the storm the second-deadliest tornado-related tragedy in US history. The worst tornado outbreak in the United States in March 1925 left 747 people dead. The third-deadliest tornado storm struck in 1932, killing 332 people.

“I’ve never seen devastation like this. It is heartbreaking,” President Barack Obama said in Tuscaloosa Friday after meeting victims whose homes were demolished. In Alabama alone, Wednesday ’s deadly storms claimed 254 lives, the state Emergency Management Agency reported. In addition, 1,730 peo-

Tuscaloosa and dozens of other cities and towns across the US south struck by the worst US natural disaster since Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Obama spoke as the first estimates about the magnitude of property damage emerged, with catastrophe modeling firm EQECAT saying the tornadoes could result in between

Arkansas, officials said. Aside from those states, the twisters left 34 dead in Tennessee, 15 in Georgia, and five in Virginia, according to state officials.

Families picked through the remains of homes, businesses and schools, bearing witness to scenes of devastation more common in war zones or after earth-

ALABAMA: President Barack Obama tours tornado damage in Tuscaloosa, Ala on Friday, April 29, 2011. —AP ple in the state were either hospitalized or injured while eight others were listed as missing. Entire blocks were obliterated in Tuscaloosa, a city of about 90,000 people, where Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama touched down to see the destruction firsthand, meet with Alabama Governor Robert Bentley, and shake hands and hug distraught residents.

Obama pledged help for

$2 billion and $5 billion in insurance costs. “We can’t bring those who have been lost back, they are alongside God at this point,” Obama said, but he pledged “maximum federal help” to cope with property damage and recovery costs.

The number of confirmed tornado-related deaths increased Friday to 254 in Alabama, the worst-hit state; to 34 in Mississippi; and to eight in

quakes. In a bid to maintain order, Tuscaloosa Mayor Walter Maddox ordered a curfew, lasting from dusk until 8:00 am, for the second night. A police precinct was among the buildings damaged.

A sign on one door bluntly warned potential intruders what awaits them: “I will shoot you.” In addition to the deaths in Alabama, there were up to a million people left without power.

Restoration of electricity could

take several days. States of emergency were declared from central Oklahoma to Georgia on the eastern seaboard, and governors called out the National Guardincluding 2,000 troops in Alabama-to help with the rescue and clean-up operations. “We had a major catastrophic event here in Alabama with the outbreak of numerous long-track tornadoes,” said Governor Bentley.

Rescue workers battled through the day searching for missing people and trying to rescue survivors still trapped in the rubble. Many homes looked like they had been blown inside out, with the walls torn down and furniture spilling into the street. In a parking lot at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, where 36 people were confirmed dead, tornadoes smashed 20 cars, leaving many piled on top of one another. “I don’t want to think now on how much I lost,” Robert Mitton said. “I hope we can get some help from the government.

I live very close, my house is very damaged, but my family is fine.”

Owen Simmons, who works in a furniture store, pointed to a black cross and a zero below painted on the side of his house. “It means that the rescue team has already checked my home and they found no victims. That’s what really matters.”

Tommy Dockery, a member of a local emergency response team, thought he was safe in a steeland-concrete fortified basement of a government building. But the building turned out to be no match to a giant t wister. “ The whole building came crashing down on top of us,” he said. The crew used axes and picks and crowbars to dig themselves out. —AFP

Mexico drug lord extradited to US Mexican soldiers rescue 52 abducted migrants MEXICO CITY: Mexico extradited once-powerful drug lord Benjamin Arellano Felix to the United States on Friday in a renewed sign of US-Mexican cooperation in the drug fight. Arellano Felix was head of the powerful Tijuana cartel and operated on the Mexico-US border near San Diego until his capture in Mexico in early 2002. He faces charges in the United States of smuggling tons of cocaine into California in the 1990s.

Serving a sentence in Mexico on organized crime charges, he was due to be extradited in 2008, but a Mexican federal judge blocked that ruling. The injunction was overturned in April last year. Mexico’s attorney general’s office said in a statement that Arellano Felix was handed over to US agents at an airport outside Mexico City on Friday. It was not immediately clear what sentence Arellano Felix might face if convicted in the United States, but a US official thanked Mexico for the extradition. “The extradition ... reflects our close collaboration with our Mexican law enforcement partners to dismantle violent criminal organizations,” said Lanny Breuer, assistant attorney general of the criminal division.

Former Gulf cartel leader Osiel Cardenas, extradited to the United States by Mexico in 2007, is serving a 25-year sentence in Texas without chance of parole. The Tijuana cartel, also known as the Arellano Felix gang, is a shadow of its former self after the deaths and capture of many of its leaders over the past decade. The Sinaloa cartel run by Mexico’s most-wanted man, Joaquin “Shorty” Guzman, has largely taken over its turf. A nephew of the brothers, Fernando Sanchez Arellano, has emerged as the Tijuana cartel’s leader, but his pow-

er is limited to collaborating with the Sinaloans, US and Mexican drug trade experts say.

Friday’s extradition is not expected to influence the drug war raging in Mexico, in which 37,000 people have died since late 2006, but reflects Mexican and US efforts to keep working together.

Tensions over the conflict boiled over last month when US Ambassador Carlos Pascual said he would step down after weeks of pressure from the Mexican government. President Felipe Calderon,

Benjamin Arellano Felix, considered the number one and head of the notorious drug trafficking Tijuana cartel. —AFP under pressure in Mexico over his security strategy, has become embroiled in a war of words with Washington over US demand for narcotics. US officials have said the Mexican government is not doing enough to clean up endemic corruption in its police and courts that helps feed the violence.

In another development, Mexican soldiers res-

cued 52 migrants from Central America being held hostage at a home in the northeastern border state of Tamaulipas, defense secretariat said Friday.

The soldiers found the hostages in Victoria, the state capital, on Thursday after receiving a tip, the statement read. Among the hostages, 34 were from Honduras, 12 from Guatemala, five from El Salvador and one from Nicaragua. The migrants were likely heading north to attempt to cross illegally into the United States.

The bodies of 183 people were recovered earlier this month from mass graves near the Tamaulipas municipality of San Fernando, the same place where a group of 72 migrants from El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Ecuador and Brazil were slaughtered in August 2010. Abductions are hardly new in Tamaulipas: police on Tuesday rescued 51 people being held hostage in the town of Reynosa, across the border from McAllen, Texas.

Among them were 18 hostages from Central America and six from China.

And earlier in April police freed 68 kidnapped individuals, including 12 Central American migrants, also in Reynosa. At least two criminal organizations, the Zetas and their former employers, the Gulf cartel, are engaged in a bitter war over control of the lucrative drug smuggling routes in the border state of Tamaulipas. Mexico has been convulsed by drug violence since the government launched a major military assault on the cartels in 2006, with some 34,600 people killed in shootouts among rival cartels and security forces. Since 2010, more than 1,600 people have died in Tamaulipas state in the turf war between the Zetas and the Gulf cartel.—Agencies

ARIZONA: This image provided by the US Immigration Customs Enforcement shows an ultra-light aircraft carrying 253 pounds of marijuana that was captured in the Tucson, Arizona area. It is one of a growing number of aircraft being used to smuggle drugs into the United States. —AP

Obama vows to push immigration reform MIAMI: President Barack Obama has vowed to fight for immigration reform, a goal that has eluded him and which matters deeply to Hispanic American voters, whose support he needs for reelection in 2012. In remarks delivered to several thousand wildly cheering community college students, Obama was also courting support in the vital election battleground state of Florida, which he won in 2008 and wants to keep in his column next year.

“I strongly believe we should fix our broken immigration system. Fix it so it meets our 21st century economic and security needs,” Obama told a Miami Dade College graduation ceremony. The college serves tens of thousands of Hispanic and African-American students. The president’s drive for immigration reform has so far taken a back seat to more pressing matters, such as getting the economy growing again and driving through a massive overhaul of healthcare.

In addition, the Democrats’ loss of control of the House of Representatives to Republicans last year makes the chance of advancing immigration legislation before the election remote. But

Obama, who formally announced his 2012 reelection campaign earlier this month, must assure Hispanic-American voters who helped him win the White House that he will not abandon efforts to overhaul US immigration policy. The White House has held events over the last two weeks to discuss immigration and to show Obama is still pushing the issue and seeking to rally public support.

Obama failed last year to pass the “Dream Act,” which would have provided a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants who were brought to the United States as children, was a disappointment. That failure was a serious letdown for many Latin Americans, the fastest growing ethnic group in the United States and an increasingly important voting bloc. Obama said he had not given up. “I will keep fighting alongside many of you to make the ‘Dream Act’ the law of the land,” he said.

“It will be difficult and it will take time. I know that some of you wish I could just bypass Congress and change the law myself. But that is not how democracy works.” —Reuters

Obama father forced to leave Harvard: File BOSTON: President Barack Obama’s Kenyan father was forced to leave Harvard University before completing his PhD in economics because the school was concerned about his personal life and finances, according to newly public immigration records. Harvard had asked the Immigration and Naturalization Service to delay a request by Barack Hussein Obama Sr to extend his stay in the US, “until they decided what action they could take in order to get rid of him,” immigration official M F McKeon wrote in a June 1964 memo.

Harvard administrators, the memo stated, “were having difficulty with his financial arrangements and couldn’t seem to figure out how many wives he had.” An earlier INS memo from McKeon said that while the elder Obama had passed his exams and was entitled on academic grounds to stay and complete his thesis, the school was going to try and “cook something up to ease him out.”

“They are planning on telling him that they will not give him any money, and that he had better return to Kenya and prepare his thesis at home,” the memo stated. In May 1964, David D Henry, director of Harvard’s international office, wrote to Obama to say that, while he had completed his formal course work, the economics department and the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences didn’t have the money to support him. “We have, therefore, come to the conclusion that you should terminate your stay in the United States and return to Kenya to carry on your research and the

writing of your thesis,” Henry’s letter stated.

Obama’s request for an extended stay was denied by the INS. He left Harvard and divorced from the future president’s mother - returned to his native Kenya in July 1964. He did not complete his PhD. The immigration memos, contained in the elder Obama’s Immigration and Naturalization file, were given to a Boston Globe reporter in 2009 through a Freedom of Information request. The papers were first made public Wednesday by The Arizona Independent, a weekly newspaper. The Associated Press obtained copies of them on Friday.

Harvard issued a statement Friday saying that it could not find in its own records anything to support the accounts given in the INS memos.

“While we cannot verify accounts of conversations that occurred nearly 50 years ago, a review of our existing files did not find any support for either the language or the implied intent described by the US government official in the government documents,” the statement read.

When Obama was attending Harvard, the school faced serious constraints in financing research by international graduate students, the university also said.

Department of Homeland Security spokesman Matt Chandler declined to comment Friday, saying the department does not comment on specific immigration cases. Concerns about Obama’s personal life while he had been studying in the US had been raised previously, according to the INS documents. —AP

SUNDAY, MAY 1, 2011

i n t e r n at i o n a l

Japan mulls tsunami lessons for reconstruction TOKYO: Constructing taller buildings and moving towns to higher ground may be the key to rebuilding Japan’s devastated northeast coast, experts say, as the threat of future tsunamis shapes ideas for reconstruction. It was the monster wall of water, rather than March 11 magnitude 9.0 earthquake that spawned it, which tore through towns, destroying 300,000 homes and leaving 26,000 dead and missing. “ What we agreed with Prime Minister Naoto Kan is that it is not simply enough to restore things as they were before,” said Makoto Iokibe, chairman of the Council of Reconstruction, established by Kan. The daunting task of removing millions of tons of debris from destroyed homes and factories is the starting point for the remodeling of coastal towns in a region with an ageing population and fragile economy. But the concept of relocating towns is a sensitive issue for those

whose livelihoods revolve around them. “It’s actually a rather fundamental and philosophical question: where should people settle down? The sea is often the source of all their resources, so it’s difficult to settle down away from it,” said Yukio Nishimura, vice president of the University of Tokyo. “When you talk to those who were affected by the tsunami, some want to settle down to higher places or even move to a bigger town but others want to stay put,” he said.

The level of damage masks large regional disparities. The mountainous northernmost area paid the heaviest price, with numerous houses built on the narrow strip of land sandwiched between the sea and the mountains swept away. “ Topographically, these areas are very vulnerable to tsunamis so we need to completely re-think town planning,” said Jun Iio, who chairs a group of experts that submits proposals to the reconstruction

MIYAGI PREFECTURE: Mail carrier Kenjiro Ishimori rides a motorcycle after delivering mails at an area devastated by the earthquake and tsunami in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture.—AP council. Many specialists say detailed analysis of the topography of the 300 kilometers of devastated coastline on Honshu island should encourage rebuilding in higher places and further back from the sea.

Another recommendation for schools, hospitals

and town halls is to construct buildings that are at least four or five storeys tall to offer refuge from the giant waves when a tsunami strikes. Iokibe suggested the vast amount of rubble that forms the legacy of the March 11 disasters could be turned into landscaped

hills. “In normal times people would able to use these parks for recreation,” he said.

“During disasters, they would be used as evacuation zones.”

Some fishing-related facilities will have to be relocated, he said. Experts point out that while the huge

concrete walls facing the sea seen in many coastal towns and villages can help, they cannot guarantee safety. Several of the tsunami defenses gave way under the force of the monster wave triggered by the earthquake, including the one that was supposed to protect the small fishing village of Taro, north of the city of Miyako, or they were simply not high enough.

Based on experience gained after the earthquake that hit the western port city of Kobe in 1995, Iokibe estimates it will take 10 years to rebuild the devastated northeast. Japan faces a huge challenge in financing the mammoth rebuild without expanding a massive public debt of around 200 percent of gross domestic product. Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s Wednesday warned that reconstruction costs could be as much as 50 trillion ($612 billion), higher than government estimates of up to 25 trillion yen. A first disaster budget of four trillion

yen will be financed by cuts in welfare programs but the prime minister has said a further reconstruction budget will be funded by a “sizeable” bond issue.

For Nishimura, remembering the past is vital when rebuilding for the future.

Northeastern Honshu had already experienced the two largest tsunamis to hit the country in modern history, the 1896 Meiji Sanriku and the 1933 Showa Sanriku and plans were made at the time. “Some were followed and some were forgotten. Some of these plans are still valid today,” Nishimura said. “It is very difficult to keep this kind of memor y. But we have to learn from previous tsunamis,” the professor of urban planning said. “In some places, a few hundred meters away, houses are still standing and you can clearly see which areas are safer.

If people can see it with their own eyes, they might start reconsider the situation” and be ready to move.— AFP

China frees rights lawyer but another disappears Chinese army warns over Ai Weiwei image in Hong Kong

PAJU: Large balloons carrying anti-North Korea leaflets float in the sky after being released by international and South Korean activists at Imjingak peace park in Paju near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas. South Korean and international activists launched leaflets criticizing Pyongyang across the tense border despite North Korea’s threats to open fire. —AFP

Talk to South Korea first: Clinton tells North Korea WASHINGTON: US Secretar y of State Hillary Clinton said Friday that North Korea must reach out first to South Korea before it can expect any resumption of denuclearization talks involving Washington.

Clinton met with Japan’s visiting Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto and jointly renewed calls on North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons program, a source of decades of tensions with the communist state. “We have made consistently clear what we expect from North Korea in its actions in the future,” Clinton told reporters.

“We would like to see them engaging in meaningful dialogue with the South in the first instance prior to any other steps that might be taken,” she said. North Korea, with support from China, has called for a resumption of six-nation denuclearization talks that also involve the United States, Japan, Russia and South Korea. But President Barack Obama’s administration, despite its enthusiasm for engagement around the world, has pursued a policy of “strategic patience” on North Korea, insisting it will not talk unless it believes dialogue can yield progress.

Former US president Jimmy Carter visited North Korea this week and said the communist regime was ready for peace talks with the democratic South, but the Seoul government questioned Pyongyang’s sincerity. North Korea last year shelled a civilian part of the South for the first time since the 1950-53 Korean War and was also blamed for the sinking of South Korea’s Cheonan warship which killed 46 sailors.

The Obama administration has close ties with South Korean President Lee MyungBak, a conservative who turned the page on a decade-long “sunshine policy” of seeking to change North Korea through aid,

trade and dialogue. Meanwhile, South Korea will stage live-fire artillery exercises in the coming week on two frontline islands including one hit by a deadly North Korean shelling last November, a news report said yesterday.

A defense ministry spokesman said that regular military exercises will be carried out on the two islands but declined to give further details on the timing or whether livefire drills will be carried out. But Dong-A Ilbo daily said marine troops will fire K-9 self-propelled howitzers, Vulcan cannons and 81mm mortars deployed on Baengnyeong and Yeonpyeong islands, both located near the tense Yellow Sea border. About 10 US military regiment and battalion commanders will attend the exercises as observers, it said. Based in Japan’s Okinawa, US military commanders have been taking part in an annual exercise north of Seoul rehearsing the deployment of US reinforcements in the event of conflict, the daily said. In November, a South Korean live-fire artillery drill from Yeonpyeong island, which dropped shells into waters claimed by both Koreas, was followed by shelling of the island by the North, which killed four people. Tuesday’s drills will be the second livefire exercise on the two islands this year. The previous drills passed without incident despite threats from the North to hit back.

Tensions along the disputed border have been acute since the shelling, which marked the first attack on a civilian area in the South since the 1950-53 war.

The shelling brought icy relations to a new low. The South accused the North of torpedoing a warship near the Yellow Sea border in March 2010 with the loss of 46 South Korean sailors. The North denies involvement in the sinking.— Agencies

Putin raps Japan over nuclear crisis reaction PENZA: Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin criticized Japan yesterday for its “slow” reaction to its nuclear disaster and for building nuclear reactors in earthquakeprone zones. Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactor complex was hit by a massive earthquake and tsunami on March 11, touching off the world’s worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl in 1986 as radiation from damaged reactors spewed into the surroundings. Putin said Japan should have promptly brought electricity storage devices such as batteries and accumulators to the complex to help pump in water to cool stricken reactors. “But ... they didn’t manage to do that on time, and then problems erupted,” he said, speaking at a

Russian nuclear industry meeting in the Volga region city of Penza, 630 km southeast of Moscow.

Putin also questioned Japan’s decision to build nuclear power stations in areas vulnerable to earthquakes. “As far as the Japanese are concerned, they are in a unique situation out there. I don’t know why, it is their choice, but they build (reactors) in seismically dangerous zones..., which are everywhere there,” he said.

Russian officials previously suggested Japan might be exaggerating the scope of the crisis to reduce the liabilities of insurance companies. President Dmitry Medvedev has called for new world rules on nuclear plant safety to be adopted.— Reuters

BEIJING: China released human rights lawyer Teng Biao after ten weeks in custody but a second lawyer has disappeared, rights groups said yesterday, amid an ongoing crackdown on dissent.

Advocacy group China Aid said Teng returned home at 3:30 pm (0730 GMT) on Friday but also stated that Li Fangping disappeared around 5:00 pm after leaving the office building of an AIDS victims group in Beijing. Teng Biao’s wife confirmed to AFP that her husband had returned home but said “it is not convenient to speak now”. “It’s a relief that Teng Biao has been released after almost 70 days of unlawful confinement at the hands of China’s security forces,” said Phelim Kine, Asia researcher at New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW).

In Februar y, Teng and other lawyers involved in defending Chen Guangcheng, an activist who has spoken out about forced abortions in China, were arrested, interrogated and beaten by police following a meeting in Beijing. HRW also named Li as the latest lawyer to disappear since China launched a blitz on government critics following calls for protests to match those rocking the Arab world.

The developments came after the latest human rights dialogue between the United States and China in Beijing broke off with the two countries at loggerheads after talks failed to produce any progress.

HRW’s Kine said Li’s disappearance “suggests that security forces are conducting a carefully planned assault on outspoken human rights defenders in a calculated effort to eviscerate China’s rights defense movement.” Renee Xia, from Chinese Human Rights Defenders said that “nobody has any idea why (Li is being detained) now”, but added “it is not a surprise, he is a very active human rights lawyer”.

China Aid said Teng and Li are both active members of the Chinese Christian Rights Defense Association, which has come to prominence since repeated arrests of Christians in recent months.

China’s communist government has long frowned on religion and imposes controls on faith by requir-

ing groups to register for government approval to gather, despite an official policy stipulating religious freedom. On April 10, nearly 170 church followers were rounded up by police after trying to hold an outdoor service in western Beijing.

Nearly 50 were detained a week later and a further 30 were arrested on April 24 for trying to hold an Easter service in defiance of the officially atheist government. Bob Fu, president of China Aid, welcomed Teng’s release but warned “China cannot continue to play this game by letting one go and taking one in if China wants to be seen as a responsible international partner.”

US Assistant Secretary of State Michael Posner on Thursday accused China of “serious backsliding” on human rights after the twoday US-China Human Rights Dialogue concluded in the Chinese capital.

Chinese authorities have launched their toughest campaign against government critics in years after anonymous online appeals emerged in February calling for weekly protests to emulate those in the Arab world. Scores of Chinese activists and rights lawyers have been rounded up since the emergence of the “Jasmine” campaign, which has gone largely unheeded.

The US State Department had made clear before the latest dialogue that it would zero in on China’s clampdown and a “negative trend of forced disappearances, extra-legal detentions, and arrests and convictions”.

In another development, China’s army has warned an image of detained artist Ai Weiwei briefly projected onto a Hong Kong barracks amid a campaign in the territory for his release was illegal, a report said yesterday. An artist calling himself Cpak Ming displayed an image of the dissident’s face with the words “ Who’s Afraid of Ai Weiwei?” on the barracks, police headquarters and other buildings last week, the South China Morning Post said.

A spokesman for the Hong Kong garrison of the People’s Liberation Army told the newspaper: “No one can paint or project pictures and images onto the outer wall of the barracks without the garrison’s per-

HONG KONG: (File) An activist holds a doll, a toy handcuff and a drawing of detained prominent Chinese artist Ai Weiwei during a protest to demand his release, in Hong Kong. —AFP mission. “Such an offence is a crimes”, sparking worldwide conbreach of Hong Kong law. The PLA demnation. Supporters say the reserves its legal rights.” Residents detention of the outspoken critic of of the semi-autonomous south China’s Communist Party leaders is China territory generally enjoy civil political and forms part of a crackliberties not seen on the mainland, down on dissidents in recent including freedom of speech, under weeks, under which scores of the “one country, two systems” prin- lawyers and campaigners have ciple in place since Britain handed been held. A rash of stenciled, painted graffiti in Ai’s support has the city back to Beijing.

More than 1,000 people took also appeared on the streets of the part in a protest march a week ago financial hub this month and is demanding the release of Ai, who under investigation by police as a was detained in early April in possible case of criminal damage, Beijing for unspecified “economic the Post reported.— Agencies

Prominent Thai Red Shirt arrested over ‘royal insult’ BANGKOK: A prominent Thai antigovernment activist was arrested Saturday on allegations of insulting the revered monarchy, authorities said, just days after 18 other “Red Shirts” faced similar claims. Somyot Prueaksakasemsuk, the head of a Red Shirt affiliate group who runs a tour company in addition to his political activities, was arrested at Sa Koew checkpoint as he was about to cross to neighboring Cambodia. “We checked his passport and found on our computer that he was wanted for lese majeste,” said immigration police at the checkpoint.

Lese majeste-insulting the monarchy-is a serious offence in Thailand punishable by up to 15 years in jail. Somyot was not aware

of the arrest warrant, which was issued on April 12, he told AFP while being escorted by police to Bangkok. He said the arrest could be linked to his involvement with two fortnightly magazines, including one that supports fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

“I guess that it related to my work as editor of Voice of Thaksin and Red Power,” he said, adding that he had been trying to cross the border to take a group of 30 tourists to visit Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

Thailand, which is preparing for elections expected to be called next week, remains deeply divided following its worst civil violence in decades in April and May 2010, which left more than 90 people

dead, most of them civilians. The Reds view Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva’s government as an unelected elite because it came to power in a 2008 parliamentary vote with military backing, after a court ruling threw out the previous administration.

Somyot’s arrest comes a little over a week after Thai authorities summoned 18 leaders of the Red Shirt movement to face charges of sedition and lese majeste. The accused include acting chairwoman Thida Thavornseth as well as Red Shirt lawmaker Jatuporn Prompan and other key figures. Those charges stem from speeches made at a Red Shirt rally held on April 10 that drew tens of thousands of people, to

mark the first anniversary of deadly clashes between the movement’s supporters and armed troops in central Bangkok. The leaders were set to report to the authorities to answer the allegations in early May, but the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) has since said the meeting is postponed indefinitely while it gathers more evidence.

In another development, Thai police say twin attacks blamed on suspected Muslim militants killed two soldiers yesterday and wounded nine others in southern Thailand. Pol Lt Gen Kritsanapong Paetsit says a group of at least five insurgents set off a roadside bomb that hurled a military truck off the road. — Agencies

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SUNDAY, MAY 1, 2011

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Issues

Iranian dissidents and a US dilemma

By Bernd Debusmann all it the coalition of the baffled - a diverse group of prominent public figures who challenge the US government’s logic of keeping on its terrorist blacklist an Iranian exile organization that publicly renounced violence a decade ago and has fed details on Iran’s nuclear program to American intelligence.

On the US Department of State’s list of 47 foreign terrorist organizations, the Mujahedin-e-Khalq is the only group that has been taken off similar lists by the European Union and Britain, after court decisions that found no evidence of terrorist activity in recent years. In the US, a court last July ordered the State Department to review the designation. Nine months later, that review is still in progress and supporters of the MEK wonder why it is taking so long.

The organization has been on the list since 1997, placed there by the Clinton administration at a time it hoped to open a dialogue with Iran, whose leaders hate the MEK for having sided with Saddam Hussein in the Iraq-Iran war. Calls to hasten the delisting process rose in volume after Iraqi troops raided the base of the MEK northeast of Baghdad, near the Iranian border, in an operation on April 8 that left at least 34 dead, according to the United Nations Human Rights chief, Navi Pillay. In Washington, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, John Kerry, called the raid a “massacre.” Video uploaded by the MEK showed gut-wrenchingly graphic images of dead and wounded, some after being run over by armoured personnel carriers.

The raid drew cheers from officials in Iran, where the group is also classified as terrorist, one of the few things on which Washington and Tehran agree. The word schizophrenia comes to mind here. Iran is one of four countries the US has declared state sponsors of terrorism. The MEK’s stated aim is the peaceful ouster of the Iranian theocracy. Isn’t there something wrong with this picture? In response to the April 8 violence, MEK supporters organized a seminar in Washington whose panelists highlighted the bipartisan nature of those critical of the terrorist label. It’s not often that you see the former chairman of the Democratic National Council, Howard Dean, a liberals’ liberal, sitting next to Rudolf Giuliani, the arch-conservative former mayor of New York.

At a similar event in Paris on the same day, the podium was shared by Nobel peace prize winner Elie Wiesel, Gen James Jones, US President Barack Obama’s former national security adviser, former NATO commander Wesley Clark and MEK leader Maryam Rajavi. The theme at both events - take the MEK off the list and protect the around 3,400 Iranians in Iraq, who live in Ashraf, a small town surrounded by barriers and security fences.

To hear Dean tell it in Washington, the April 8 raid was evidence that the Iraqi government is becoming “a satellite government for Iran,” with the terrorist designation used to justify “mass murder.” Dean is not alone in ascribing this and a previous attack that killed 11 in Ashraf in July 2009 to the growing influence of Iran as the US prepares to withdraw most of its troops from Iraq by the end of the year.

What then? You don’t have to be a pessimist to anticipate more raids, more bloodshed and a humanitarian crisis. Until the end of 2008, the US was responsible for the security of Ashraf and its residents enjoyed the status of “protected persons” under the Geneva Convention. That changed when the US transferred control of Ashraf to the Iraqi government which provided written assurances of humane treatment of its residents.

They don’t seem to be worth the paper they are written on. The Iraqi raid on April 8 came a day after US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates was in Baghdad for talks with Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki. One of the topics Gates raised - Iran’s influence in the region.

That Ashraf and the terrorist label for its inhabitants would put the United States in an awkward position after the transfer of responsibility was spelt out with remarkable clarity in Feb 2009 in a cable from the US embassy in Baghdad. Marked secret and released through Wikileaks, the cable said harsh Iraqi action would place the US in “a challenging dilemma”. “We either protect members of a Foreign Terrorist Organization against actions of the ISF (Iraqi Security Forces) and risk violating the US-Iraqi Security Agreement or we decline to protect the MEK in the face of a humanitarian crisis, thus leading to international condemnation of both the USG (US government) and the GOI (government of Iraq).” —Reuters

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

Egypt sees some shifts in foreign policy

By Hamza Hendawi n the relatively short time since Hosni Mubarak’s ouster in February, Egypt has introduced major foreign policy changes that already are redrawing the region’s diplomatic map, signaling Cairo’s growing independence from Washington and raising tension with Israel and Gulf Arab states. In some ways, the shift is linked to changes inside post-Mubarak Egypt, such as allowing long-oppressed Islamic groups to operate freely, as well as sustained popular pressure on the country’s military rulers to dismantle the legacy of the longtime ruler.

The foreign policy shift is part of the change sweeping Egypt since an 18-day uprising led by youth groups forced out Mubarak on Feb 11 after 29 years in power and unleashed diverse and clashing political forces in this mainly Muslim nation of more than 80 million people. Egypt has traditionally been at the heart of regional diplomacy, with a big say in key issues such as the ArabIsraeli peace process and relations with Iran.

But the country has lost much of its regional clout under Mubarak because of its perceived close ties with Israel, longtime alliance with the United States, woeful economy and lack of freedom.

Many in Egypt, for example, believe Mubarak’s approach to relations with the United States was dictated in large part by his wish to ensure Washington’s support for his son, Gamal, a banker-turned-politician, to succeed him over the opposition of the country’s powerful military and large segments of the population.

“The key to understanding Egypt’s new foreign policy is that it aims to end traditional hostilities and dilute traditional friendships with a view to adopting a more balanced approach,” said Abdel-Halim Kandeel, a longtime Mubarak critic and a founding member of Kifayah, or “Enough”, an opposition movement whose supporters were the first to call for Mubarak’s ouster earlier this decade. The magnitude of the foreign policy changes put forth by the generals who took over from Mubarak have turned upside down several constants of his approach to regional and international issues.

A surprise deal brokered by Egypt to end the rift between the two rival Palestinian factions — the moderate, Western-backed Fatah and the militant Hamas _ showcases Egypt ’s new approach toward Islamist groups. The deal, announced Wednesday in Cairo following secret negotiations, provides for a unity government bringing together Fatah and Hamas, and holding parliamentary and presidential elections within a year.

Egypt, which has eased its blockade of Gaza since Mubarak’s ouster, had distrusted Hamas under the former Egyptian president, viewing the group as an extension of the threat posed by opposition Islamic groups at home such as the Muslim Brotherhood, the largest and best-organized opposition group to Mubarak’s rule. Both the United States, Israel and the European Union view Hamas as a terrorist organization because of its role in sending dozens of suicide bombers and thousands of rockets into the Jewish state and its commitment to the destruction of Israel.

Reflecting its frustration with years of fruitless, US-sponsored negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil el-Arabi has declared Cairo’s suppor t to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ plan to secure recognition for an independent Palestinian state in the UN General Assembly in September, a course of action vehemently opposed by Israel and the United States.

“Egypt is not deliberately trying to be hostile to Israel,” said Hassan Nafaa, a prominent analyst and political science professor.

“Egypt’s hostility toward Hamas was meant to please Israel and the United States. This is

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a realignment of policy that places Egypt’s interests as the top priority.” Mubarak has long been suspected of paying too much heed to what Israel has to say about regional issues, an approach designed in large part to appease Washington, Israel’s main backer.

That ran against the deeply entrenched antiIsraeli sentiments many Egyptians harbor despite the two nations’ 1979 peace treaty.

A poll conducted by the US-based Pew Research Center and released Monday showed that more half of all Egyptians would like to see the 1979 treaty with Israel annulled and that only 36 percent of

Egyptians are in favor of maintaining the treaty. The poll was based on interviews with 1,000 Egyptians around the countr y between March 24 and April 7.

Egypt has put out cautious diplomatic feelers to non-Arab Iran since Mubarak’s ouster, something that has upset US-backed, Sunni-ruled Gulf Arab states that have long depended on Cairo’s support in their longtime rivalry with Shiite Iran. In late February, Egypt allowed two Iranian navy vessels to transit the Suez Canal en route to Syria in the first such trip in at least three decades. Israel viewed the move as a provocation.

Egyptian protesters hold banners that read in Arabic “we call for the release of Muslim females who are detained in the churches before they kill them” and chant slogans calling for end the church violence on Christians who converted to Islam during a demonstration held by Salafists in Cairo Friday. —AP

El-Arabi said this month it was important for Egypt to have normal relations with Iran, but there has been no concrete steps so far to upgrade diplomatic representation between the two to ambassadorial level.

However, Prime Minister Essam Sharaf has had to assure the leaders of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait repeatedly during a Gulf tour this week that any improvement in Egypt’s relations with Iran would not be at the expense of the security of Gulf Arab states, which have long accused Tehran of meddling in their affairs.

But Sharaf also has publicly recognized Iran as a regional and Islamic powerhouse and warned that legal proceedings against Mubarak were a purely domestic affair, an allusion to the widely reported dismay among some Gulf Arab leaders over Mubarak’s arrest and his likely trial and possible imprisonment. Egypt has had rocky relations with Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution, sharing Israel’s view that Tehran’s clerical regime posed the most serious threat to regional stability.

Egypt’s unpopular gas export agreement with Israel, a key component of the two countries’ relations, has come under increasing scrutiny since Mubarak’s departure and could even be annulled, dealing a serious blow to the country’s already cool ties with the Jewish state. Several Egyptian officials, including Mubarak’s oil minister, have been detained over allegations that Israel was buying the gas at levels much lower than market prices. Mubarak himself was questioned for his part in the gas deal. A gas export terminal in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula near the Israeli border was blown up Wednesday by masked gunmen, disrupting supplies to the Jewish state and Jordan.

Suspicion immediately fell on Sinai Bedouins frustrated by years of perceived government neglect or militants opposed to ties with Israel. — AP

Mayday protests test for Morocco monarchy

By Souhail Karam he government of Morocco’s King Mohammed faces a showdown today with protesters pressing the Arab world’s longest-serving dynasty for reform, despite attempts to appease the opposition. Security forces - already wary the protests could build into an Egypt-style revolt - are likely to be on high alert after a bomb at a cafe in the tourist city of Marrakesh killed 15 people, many of them foreign tourists. Protest organisers said that attack would not deter them. “We can’t allow the dark forces that perpetrated this odious act to stop a noble struggle for reform in our country” said Ahmed Mediany, an activist with the youth-led February 20 Movement which has been the driving force behind the protests.

Today’s demonstrations will be the first time that some of the country’s trade unions have joined in the protests, which are inspired by uprisings in other parts of the Arab world. On two previous occasions when the movement has organised nationwide protests, thousands of people gathered in Morocco’s biggest cities. In most cases, police did not intervene, something officials said was testament to Morocco’s status as one of the most tolerant countries in the Arab world.

But analysts said the authorities were anxious about the prospect of trade union members bolstering the ranks of the protesters today, which is also Labour Day. Protests in Tunisia which toppled veteran leader Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali gathered decisive momentum when trade unions put their weight behind them. In what appeared to be an effort to dampen the unions’ appetite for protests, the government announced last week it would increase public sector salaries and raise the minimum wage from as early as today.

It was the latest in a series of handouts as King Mohammed’s government tries to prevent a spillover of popular revolt from other north African countries. In another conces-

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sion to demands for change, King Mohammed has appointed a committee to reform the constitution in order to cede more powers, promised to make justice independent and freed some political prisoners. Those concessions, particularly the pay rise, are likely to dilute union involvement in today’s protest.

“The social tensions have reached such a pitch that, without a deal with the unions, May 1 could have been the tipping point for Morocco as a whole,” said Mustapha Khalfi, editor of Attajdid newspaper, mouthpiece of a key opposition party.

“Moroccan authorities are trying to isolate the population from other groups, including the February 20 Movement,” said JeanBaptiste Gallopin from London-based Control Risks.

But organisers of today’s protest say they are still expecting some trade union activists to take part. “We will stage joint sitins (with the unions) in the cities after the marches,” Mediany said. The protesters’ demands include a reduction in the king’s political clout, action on graft and the sacking of members of the king’s inner circle whom they accuse of abuse of power and business malpractice. In a sign they will play a part in today’s protests, trade unionists said they still have grievances. “We are happy with the salary rise but we are not happy that income tax for middle- and low-income labourers was not lowered,” said one union leader, who did not want to be identified.

Even before the so-called Arab Spring began, Labour Day has been an opportunity for Moroccan workers to vent frustration at wide income disparities and poor social safety nets.

“Labour Day will be a big challenge for the monarchy,” said Metsa Rahimi, intelligence analyst at risk advisory group Janusian Risk Management. “Even if the trade unions boycott it, political agitators will turn up. It’s therefore difficult to predict what will happen next ... It’s all up in the air.” Although levels of popular anger have risen, ratings agencies assess Morocco as the country in the region least likely to become embroiled in the type of unrest that toppled Tunisian and Egyptian leaders and led to a conflict in Libya.— Reuters

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ABU DHABI: Colombian singer Shakira performs during a concert in the Emirati capital late Friday. — AFP

Gaddafi offers truce, but won’t step down William, Kate spring honeymoon surprise Continued from Page 1 “We will not surrender, but I call on you to negotiate. If you want petrol, we will sign contracts with your companies - it is not worth going to war over. Between Libyans, we can solve our problems without being attacked, so pull back your fleets and your planes,” he told NATO. Gaddafi said the rebels battling his forces “are terrorists who are not from Libya, but from Algeria, Egypt, Tunisia and Afghanistan”. He also insisted his people love him, that he is like a father to them “more sacred than the emperor of Japan is to his people.”

But as he spoke, NATO warplanes hit three targets close to the television building in Tripoli in what state media said was an attempt to kill Gaddafi who has ruled since a 1969 coup. The air strikes left a large crater outside the attorney general’s office but did not damage the building, and hit two other government offices housed in colonial-era buildings. It was not immediately clear if there were any casualties.

Gaddafi’s call for talks was dismissed by the opposition Transitional National Council, which has shaped itself into a parallel government in the eastern city of Benghazi, and by NATO. “The time for compromise has passed,” said TNC vice chairman Abdul Hafiz Ghoga. “The people of Libya cannot possibly envisage or accept a future Libya in which Gaddafi’s regime plays any role,” he added. In Brussels, a NATO official also rejected the offer of talks. “We need to see not words but actions,” the official told AFP. UN Security Council Resolution “1973 explicitly calls for an end to attacks on and abuses of civilians. The regime has announced ceasefires several times before and continued attacking cities and civilians,” the official said.

On the ground, witnesses reported two loud blasts at dawn in eastern Tripoli after Gaddafi’s son, Seif al-Islam, vowed on Friday that Libya will “fight NATO for 40 years” if necessary. “We will not raise the white flag of surrender,” he said on a tour

of hospitals to visit people said to have been wounded in NATO bombardments. And the regime threatened to attack any ships trying to enter the rebel-held port of Misrata, after tanks launched an assault on the city east of Tripoli.

Misrata’s port is a crucial conduit for humanitarian aid to the city of half a million, which Gaddafi’s forces have been trying to capture for more than seven weeks. The fighting in Misrata has intensified 10 weeks after government forces launched a deadly crackdown on protests inspired by regime-changing movements in Tunisia and Egypt. An AFP correspondent there said 10 people had been killed and 20 wounded by mid-afternoon on Saturday, with witnesses saying as many as five tanks were seeking to advance on the city from the airport.

Earlier, AFP journalists reported loud blasts and heavy machine-gun fire from the direction of the airport after rebels said they destroyed at least four advancing tanks. Loyalist forces were pushed back from Misrata by the rebels and NATO air strikes last Monday, but remained within rocket range of the city. The rebels said earlier this week they had secured the port and that their next objective was the airport.

Meanwhile, the regime said it would attack “with force” any ship entering Misrata port. State television also said the military had “put the port out of service,” and that delivery of humanitarian aid to Misrata should now be carried out “overland and under the supervision of the armed forces.” British Brigadier Rob Weighill, director of NATO operations in Libya, said NATO warships stopped Gaddafi forces from laying mines in Misrata harbour on Friday. “Our ships intercepted the small boats that were laying them and we are disposing the mines that we found,” Weighill said at his headquarters in Naples, Italy. “It again shows his complete disregard for international law and his willingness to attack humanitarian delivery efforts,” he said of Gaddafi.

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Organisation for Migration said in Geneva an IOM ship to evacuate refugees was staying out to sea for the moment. “The ship is 12 miles off Misrata. We are not going in for the moment,” said a spokesman.

“We are waiting to get clearance to go in.”

In Benghazi, meanwhile, a rebel said loyalists had stormed the eastern oasis town of Jalo, several hundred kilometres south, and killed six civilians. He said the loyalists then continued moving towards the rebel-held, virtual ghost town of Ajdabiya, about 240 km to the north. “It seems Gaddafi is trying to open another front in the south,” said a second rebel, and TNC spokesman Jalal Al-Gallal said the attack was “not a great sign”.

“Gaddafi has troops travelling around the desert to spread fear, death and destruction but he doesn’t have the numbers to hold the gains,” he said.

The rebels said the troops that entered Jalo were the same ones that on Thursday swept into Kufrah, which lies hundreds of kilometres further south. At the time, a spokesman said rebels had withdrawn from there after “putting up a light resistance”, and that Gaddafi forces were “now in control of three quarters of the city”. AFP was receiving mixed reports about who now held the town. Kufrah is the main city in Kufrah province, which lies in the southeastern corner of the country, bordering Chad, Sudan and Egypt.

Abeir Imneina, a political science professor in Benghazi, said “the south is an area of advantage for Gaddafi as there has always been considerable military aid coming from the border countries, especially Chad.” In western Libya, NATO said its warplanes would focus on regime forces threatening the towns of Zintan and Yefren, scenes of heavy fighting. Meanwhile, rebels were expecting a new Gaddafi offensive for control of the Dehiba border crossing into Tunisia, witnesses said yesterday, a day after they retook it from loyalists in fierce fighting. — Agencies

KABUL: A bull charges at a cart loaded with sandals for sale in the centre of Kabul yesterday. Afghan policemen shot the bull after it became wild and uncontrollable, injuring five Afghans, police officials said. — AP

Continued from Page 1 privacy be respected during the coming weekend and during their honeymoon”. The royal family is thought to be prepared to take legal action to prevent any media outlet attempting to disrupt the trip.

So after being the focus of the world on Friday, watched by an estimated global television audience of two billion, William will return to the rural tranquility of his Royal Air Force (RAF) base in Anglesey, northwest Wales. After a night of partying, the couple departed from Buckingham Palace yesterday by helicopter. The Duchess of Cambridge, as Kate is now officially known, wore a belted short blue dress, with a cropped black jacket and black wedge heels, while the prince was dressed in an open-necked white shirt, dark blazer and beige chinos. The smiling couple held hands as they strolled through the palace grounds, then shook hands with royal staff before leaving.

The pageantry of their wedding service had given way to a night of dinner and dancing for the royal couple and 300 guests, who partied until 3:00 am. The new duchess said Friday the couple had had a “great day” and expressed relief that the forecast rain never came. Speculation about their secret honeymoon destination has focused on Africa, as William proposed to Kate in Kenya last year. Jordan has also been touted as a possibility and would have nostalgic appeal for Kate as her family lived in the kingdom for two years when she was a child. But given the current upheaval in the Middle East, it might be considered a compromised choice.

A secluded Caribbean island would allow the couple to escape the prying eyes of the media. Bequia and Necker Island have the benefit of being easily secured, and Kate’s wealthy entrepreneur parents are frequent visitors to the ultra-exclusive Mustique. Lizard Island, off the coast of Queensland, Australia, has also emerged as a contender.

Amid estimations that the wedding was watched by roughly a third of the world’s population, the BBC said almost 25 million people saw it live in Britain alone, with nearly 35 million catching some of their coverage throughout the day. Sky News said 661,000 viewers watched her entrance, and around a million logged on to their website. Millions more watched around the world, and the images from the wedding will be reprinted for years. Certainly, the Middletons and the royal family appeared to want to send out a clear signal that the wedding was definitely over. Middleton’s parents, her brother and sister left their London hotel in the afternoon, smiled and waved at waiting photographers, and then drove back to their home in Bucklebury, about 80 km west of London.

It emerged that Kate’s wedding bouquet was placed yesterday on the grave of the unknown warrior in Westminster Abbey, in a poignant moment amid the celebrations. Queen Elizabeth II’s mother, the late Queen mother, began the tradition of laying royal bridal bouquets on the tomb when she left her own bouquet there after her wedding to the Duke of York, later George VI in 1923.

More details of the wedding service in the abbey emerged in yesterday’s newspapers. With the help of lipreaders, they reported that as Kate walked up the aisle, William’s best man and brother, Prince Harry, turned to him at the altar and said: “Wait till you see the dress”. The ivory satin and lace wedding gown by Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen, featuring a handembroidered veil and lace sleeves, received unanimous praise in yesterday’s media. “ The House of McQueen and the future Queen surpassed all expectations,” said The Times’ fashion correspondent. Harry was said to be the driving force behind Friday ’s evening party at Buckingham Palace, featuring a disco and a live performance from pop starlet Ellie Goulding in what royal sources said was a chance for the younger royals to let their hair down. — Agencies

Six killed as Syrians bury dead protesters Continued from Page 1 those “will not have been spilled in vain” and announced a schedule of protests for the week beginning today. “The martyrs are eternal, but the criminals will end up in the dustbins of history after being judged and punished by the people,” the group said on its Facebook page. “Freedom is inexorably coming.”

Funerals for Friday’s “martyrs” would be held at 4:30 pm (1330 GMT) across Syria, it said.

The activists said countrywide protests from today would kick off a “week of breaking the siege” - a reference to the besieged southern city of Daraa and the Damascus suburb of Douma, which the army has controlled since Monday. Demonstrations would take place today in the southern protest hub town of Daraa and around Damascus tomorrow. Rallies are planned Tuesday in the northern towns of Banias and Jableh, Wednesday in Homs, Talbisseh and in Tall Kalakh on the border with Lebanon and nationwide night vigils on Thursday.

Yesterday, six more civilians were killed when the army began pounding Daraa at dawn while snipers opened fire from rooftops on anyone venturing on the streets, activists said. “There are six dead” in Daraa, one said, quoting witnesses. “The town is besieged. Food, water and medicine are running out.” Water and power have been cut in Daraa as the situation worsened after 3,000-5,000 troops backed by tanks stormed the town last Monday. “The town is a military zone and the situation is tragic, but our morale is high,” Daraa activist Abdullah Abazeid told AFP. Abazeid said one of the dead yesterday was Osama Ahmed Assayasni, 27, son of the imam of Daraa’s Omari Mosque, who was shot because he refused to reveal where his father was hiding. He said troops had entered the mosque and gunfire could be heard there in the evening. Abazeid said the assault on the mosque lasted 90 minutes, during which troops fired tank shells and heavy machine guns. Three helicopters took part in the operation, dropping paratroopers onto the mosque itself, he said. The Omari mosque, in the city’s Romanera old town, had been occupied by residents of Daraa.

Meanwhile, he said a pregnant woman and her two children died when their house was hit by a rocket. For its part, the military said five soldiers were killed and two captured by “armed terrorists” in the Daraa region, while three soldiers were killed when gunmen tried to cut off the highway linking Homs to Hama. A policeman

in Daraa was also among the dead, the military said, adding that dozens of assailants were killed and wounded and 156 arrested. Four soldiers were buried yesterday, the military said.

On Friday, activists said security forces opened fire as “thousands of people” from neighbouring towns tried to “bring aid and food” to the city. Friday’s “day of rage” also rocked the coastal city of Banias and the majority Kurdish city of Qamishli, and neighbouring towns. The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told AFP the death toll from Friday’s violence rose yesterday to 66, most of them killed in Daraa.

At least 582 have been killed by security forces firing live rounds and tear gas since protests erupted, said the Committee of the Martyrs of the 15 March Revolution, which has been keeping a tally of the dead. Also yesterday, 50 women protested outside parliament in Damascus calling for an end to the sieges in Daraa and Douma, a rights activist told AFP in Nicosia. Security forces rounded up at least 11 of them and forced them on a bus to an unknown destination.

Washington and the European Union, meanwhile, turned the heat up on Damascus by slapping it with new sanctions. The United States blocked the assets of Assad’s brother, Maher, who commands Syria’s feared Fourth Armoured Division, and of several other top officials and its intelligence services. “The United States strongly condemns the Syrian government’s continued use of violence and intimidation against the Syrian people,” the White House said.

EU ambassadors met Friday to prepare to slap an embargo on the sale of weapons and equipment that might be used for internal repression and decided to put the brakes on trade deals with Syria. EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said the bloc will also “urgently consider further appropriate and targeted measures with the aim of achieving an immediate change of policy by the Syrian leadership.” In Geneva, the UN Human Rights Council endorsed a US call for an investigative mission on the bloodshed as it voted in favour of a resolution condemning the crackdown.

Russia, a traditional Syria ally which opposed the Geneva vote on Friday, slammed the West’s “double standards and bias” as the foreign ministry warned anew against foreign interference in Syria. Meanwhile Turkey braced for an influx of refugee from neighbouring Syria after allowing 252 to enter the country as the Turkish Red Crescent sent aid to the border region, official media reported. — Agencies

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sp orts Briscoe clocks fastest time

India Open final clash NEW DELHI: Malaysian world number one Lee Chong Wei defeated Hong Kong’s eighth seed Hu Yun 21-11, 21-15 yesterday to set up a a final clash with Denmark’s Peter Gade in the India Open Super Series.

Former All England champion Gade, who recorded a comfortable 21-15 2119 win over South Korean Park Sung Hwan, has managed just one victory in 12 matches against the Malaysian.

“It is the first Super Series in India and I would like to win it. He (Gade) is an experienced player and it is always tough against him,” Lee Chong Wei said. “I hope I can beat him once again here. I will try my best and prepare myself well for the final.”

In the women’s singles, unseeded Porntip Buranaprasertsuk of Thailand breezed past fourth seed Yip Pui Yin of Hong Kong 21-13 21-8 in the semi-finals. — Reuters

SUNDAY, MAY 1, 2011

SAO PAULO: Ryan Briscoe was fastest yesterday in the first practice session for IndyCar’s Sao Paulo 300 on the streets of South America’s biggest city. The Australian, runner-up two weeks ago in Long Beach, had a time of 1 minute, 25.107 seconds with his Penske at the 2.5-mile (4-kilometer), 11-turn Anhembi temporary circuit.

Teammate and fellow Australian Will Power — last year’s race winner in Brazil — was second with a time of 1:25.142, and American driver Ryan Hunter-Reay of Andretti Autosport came in third with 1:25.204. HunterReay was second in Sao Paulo in 2010.

Series leader Dario Franchitti had the sixth-fastest time with the Target

Chip Ganassi Racing team, 0.280 behind Briscoe.

The track was significantly faster than last year’s inaugural race after officials repaved the entire surface to eliminate bumps and removed some curbs that were slowing the cars in some turns. Franchitti had the pole position last year with a time of 1:27.735.

“The track definitely improved a lot,” said KV Racing driver Tony Kanaan, who was eighth with 1:25.610. “The removal of the curbs really made a difference.” Penske’s Helio Castroneves said the resurfacing of the track helped too, as did the new grooves added to the front stretch to improve grip.—AP

Djokovic, Lopez final clash BELGRADE: Top seed Novak Djokovic reached the Serbia Open final without hitting a ball yesterday after fellow Serb Janko Tipsarevic pulled out of their semifinal with a thigh injury. Djokovic, who will enter today’s final with a 26-0 record in 2011 after winning four tournaments in a row including the Australian Open in January, meets Feliciano Lopez after the Spaniard beat Italy’s Filippo Volandri 7-6 6-2. Tipsarevic said after the quarter-finals he was looking forward to battle with close friend Djokovic, but the injury he sustained in a strength-sapping win over Somdev Devvarman will also force him to miss next week’s Madrid Masters.

“Tipsarevic was forced to withdraw from the tournament with a right leg injury and the world number 36 will also skip the Madrid Masters next week,” the Serbia Open organisers said on their website (www.serbiaopen.rs).

Djokovic will start as the strong favourite against world number 37 Lopez having won all three of their previous meetings, the latest en route to his 2011 Dubai Championships title. — Reuters

Santana’s slam lifts Indians CLEVELAND: Carlos Santana hit a grand slam with one out in the ninth inning to give Cleveland a 9-5 win over the Detroit Tigers as the surging Indians extended their home winning streak to 11 games Friday.

It was the latest dramatic win for the Indians, who mobbed Santana at home plate after the switch-hitter drove a 3-1 pitch from Joaquin Benoit (0-1) over the right-field wall.

Asdrubal Cabrera’s two-run homer in the seventh tied the score.

Matt LaPorta hit a solo homer off Tigers starter Max Scherzer to tie it at 5 in the seventh. Cleveland has 17 wins in April, the most by the franchise in 111 years in the American

League. Miguel Cabrera hit a two-run homer off Indians starter Jeanmar Gomez.

wins, gave up five runs and a career-high 12 hits in 4 1-3 innings.

Angels 8, Rays 5 At St. Petersburg, Florida, Mark Trumbo homered and drove in four runs, and Ervin Santana won for the first time this season as Los Angeles dominated Tampa Bay ace David Price. Trumbo, who entered with one hit in 20 at-bats over his previous seven games, had two hits, including a two-run homer. The Angels have won nine of 13 road games this year. Matt Joyce hit a three-run homer for the Rays, who had won five in a row.

Price (3-3), coming off three consecutive

Blue Jays 5, Yankees 3 At New York, Ricky Romero got right back up after a frightening line drive flattened him, twice retired Alex Rodriguez in dicey spots and pitched Toronto past New York. Jose Bautista hit his AL-leading ninth home run and JP. Arencibia also connected off Freddy Garcia (1-1) for the Blue Jays. Rajai Davis returned from the disabled list and stole two bases, then scored when reliever David Robertson botched a first-and-third pickoff play and made a wild throw.

Robinson Cano hit a pair of solo home runs for the Yankees, including a shot in the eighth inning. New York went on to load the bases with one out, but Derek Jeter struck out and Nick Swisher grounded out. In the third, Mark Teixeira hit a line drive directly at Romero’s head. The left-hander somehow managed to catch the ball inches from his face, and the impact sent him sprawling backward on the mound.

Mariners 5, Red Sox 4 At Boston, Jason Vargas pitched seven innings for his first victory of the season as Seattle took advantage of Daisuke Matsuzaka’s injury to beat Boston for its fourth straight win.

Jack Cust hit a go-ahead double in the seventh as the Mariners roughed up reliever Bobby Jenks (1-2), who was booed after allowing two runs in the inning and coughing up a one-run lead. Justin Smoak drove in two runs and Brandon League earned his sixth save as the Mariners held Boston hitless after the fourth inning. Mike Cameron homered twice for the Red Sox, who opened their 11-game homestand by losing for the third time in four games.

CLEVELAND: Indians’ Carlos Santana watches the flight of his game-winning grand slam off Detroit Tigers relief pitcher Joaquin Benoit in the ninth inning of a baseball game. — AP

Royals 4, Twins 3 At Kansas City, Missouri, Jarrod Dyson scored with a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning

as Kansas City rallied past Minnesota to snap a six-game losing streak. Kansas City trailed 3-2 in the bottom of the eighth when Wilson Betemit doubled with one out and moved to third on Kila Ka’ahiue’s single.

After Dyson ran for Ka’ahiue, Betemit scored on catcher Drew Butera’s throwing error to second with Dyson advancing to third. Dyson then came home on Alcides Escobar’s pop up to shallow left that shortstop Alexi Casilla caught with his back to the infield.

Orioles 10, White Sox 4 At Chicago, Matt Wieters homered and drove in four runs as Baltimore won in Chicago’s first game without suspended manager Ozzie Guillen.

Luke Scott also homered and Brian Roberts drove in three runs for the Orioles. Jake Arrieta (3-1) pitched five solid innings, allowing three runs on five hits and two walks. John Danks (0-4) gave up five runs on eight hits and a walk in only six innings, as the White Sox lost for the 12th time in 16 games.

Guillen was suspended the first two games of the series by Major League Baseball after he was ejected on Wednesday and posted derogatory comments on Twitter. Bench coach Joey Cora managed the team in Guillen’s place.

Athletics 3, Rangers 1 At Oakland, California, sleep-deprived firsttime father Kurt Suzuki came off the paternity leave list and delivered a go-ahead RBI single to help Trevor Cahill stay unbeaten as Oakland beat Texas.

Cahill (4-0) overcame a three-walk first inning to pitch seven scoreless innings against the Rangers, who kicked off a seven-game West Coast road trip all against the division with a punchless performance to lose for the fourth time in five games. Texas fell into a firstplace tie with the Los Angeles Angels in the AL West. Grant Balfour pitched the eighth and Brian Fuentes finished for his seventh save in nine chances after allowing Michael Young’s two-out RBI single. — AP

MLB results/standings Major League Baseball results and standings on Friday.

Toronto 5, NY Yankees 3; Cleveland 9, Detroit 5; Washington 3, San Francisco 0; Philadelphia 10, NY Mets 3; Florida 7, Cincinnati 6; Seattle 5, Boston 4; La Angels 8, Tampa Bay 5; St. Louis 5, Atlanta 3 (11 Innings); Milwaukee 5, Houston 0; Baltimore 10, Chicago White Sox 4; Kansas City 4, Minnesota 3; Pittsburgh 3, Colorado 0; Chicago Cubs 4, Arizona 2; Oakland 3, Texas 1; LA Dodgers 3, San Diego 2.

American League Eastern Division W L NY Yankees 14 9 Tampa Bay 14 12 Toronto 13 13 Baltimore 11 13 Boston 11 14 Central Division Cleveland 17 8 Kansas City 13 13 Detroit 12 14 Chicago White Sox 10 17 Minnesota 9 16 Western Division Texas 15 11 LA Angels 15 11 Oakland 13 13 Seattle 12 15

Philadelphia Florida Atlanta Washington NY Mets St. Louis Milwaukee Cincinnati Pittsburgh Chicago Cubs Houston Colorado LA Dodgers San Francisco Arizona San Diego

Phillies roll over Mets PHILADELPHIA: Ryan Howard hit two home runs, including a grand slam, and drove in six runs to back rookie fill-in Vance Worley and lead the Philadelphia Phillies to a 10-3 victory over the New York Mets on Friday.

Howard launched a two-run shot into the second deck in right field off starter Mike Pelfrey in the four th inning to give Philadelphia a 2-0 lead. After making contact, Howard dropped his bat and stared in admiration for a couple of seconds at the 427-foot drive before trotting around the bases.

the Marlins held on to beat Cincinnati.

Emilio Bonifacio, Hanley Ramirez and Gaby Sanchez each had two hits for the Marlins, who have won four of five and improved to 5-0 on Fridays.

Javier Vazquez (2-2) gave up four runs on four hits with three strikeouts and three walks in six innings. He also had two hits.

Leo Nunez allowed two runs in the ninth before escaping with his eighth save. Home runs by Jay Bruce and Jeremy Hermida couldn’t help the Reds overcome Travis Wood’s rocky first inning.

Dodgers 3, Padres 2 At Los Angeles, Tony Gwynn Jr. made a diving catch in left field for the final out, thwarting a ninth-inning rally by his former team as Los Angeles edged San Diego.

Andre Ethier extended his major league record for the longest April hitting streak to 25 games, and Los Angeles got a strong outing from Ted Lilly (2-2).

Juan Uribe and Matt Kemp homered for the Dodgers in their first home game since Commissioner Bud Selig hired former Texas Rangers president Tom Schieffer on Monday to monitor the day-to-day operations of the team. Lilly allowed a run and five hits over six innings and Jonathan Broxton got the last three outs for his sixth save.

Nationals 3, Giants 0 At Washington, Jason Marquis pitched a five-hitter to beat Tim Lincecum, and reserve outfielder Laynce Nix made the most of a rare start by connecting for a two-run homer that carried Washington past San Francisco.

Marquis (3-0) struck out seven and walked none in his fourth major league shutout and first since 2009 with Colorado.

Always a dangerous hitter, he helped his own cause with an RBI single and is batting .385. Lincecum (2-3) had seven strikeouts in seven innings to take over the major league lead, but dropped his second consecutive decision.

Marlins 7, Reds 6 At Cincinnati, John Buck hit a three-run home run in Florida’s five-run first inning as

Brewers 5, Astros 0 At Houston, Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun homered and Shaun Marcum allowed three hits over seven shutout innings to lead Milwaukee past Houston.

PHILADELPHIA: Phillies’ Shane Victorino (right) steals second base as New York Mets second baseman Daniel Murphy handles the throw from home in the third inning. — AP

Pirates 3, Rockies 0 At Denver, Kevin Correia pitched effectively into the seventh inning, and Andrew McCutchen and Garrett Jones each homered to lead Pittsburgh past Colorado. Correia (42) allowed three hits in 6 2-3 innings, struck out four and walked one in becoming the first Pirates pitcher to win four games in April since Jeff Suppan in 2003.

The victory against a Rockies team that came in tied with Cleveland and Philadelphia for the most wins (16) in the majors sweetened the homecoming for firstyear Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle. He spent 15 years with the Colorado organization, including eight seasons as manager, and guided the Rockies to their only World Series appearance in 2007.

Cubs 4, D’backs 2 At Phoenix, Alfonso Soriano hit a pair of leadoff homers and Carlos Zambrano bounced back from his first loss in 18 starts to lead Chicago over Arizona. Soriano led off the fifth and seventh innings with homers against Armando Galarraga (3-2), and Geovany Soto hit a solo shot of his own to help Chicago end a four-game losing streak.

Zambrano (3-1) was sharp after his 10game winning streak ended against the Los Angeles Dodgers last week, settling in after giving up a long two-run homer to Justin Upton in the first inning to win his ninth straight road start. — AP

GB 1.5 2.5 3.5 4

.680 .500 .462 .370 .360

4.5 5.5 8 8

.577 .577 .500 .444

2 3.5

.680 .667 .481 .480 .423

0.5 5 5 6.5

.577 .520 .500 .462 .440 .346

1.5 2 3 3.5 6

.667 .519 .480 .440 .346

3.5 4.5 5.5 8

Sandra leaves pack behind

Marcum (3-1) allowed four runs and two homers in his last start against Houston, but didn’t permit a runner past second base this time out. He struck out six and walked two.

The Brewers jumped on Brett Myers (1-1) early. Braun hit his 10th homer on a 2-1 pitch over leaping center fielder Michael Bourn in the first inning. Two pitches later, Fielder launched a 450-foot homer to right. It was Fielder’s fifth of the season and the ninth longest homer in Minute Maid Park history.

Cardinals 5, Braves 3 At Atlanta, Nick Punto drove in two runs with an 11th-inning triple after St. Louis rallied in the ninth, lifting the Cardinals past Atlanta. Braves rookie Cory Gearrin (0-1) dug his own hole, plunking Ryan Theriot in the left leg and walking pinch-hitter Mark Hamilton.

The right-hander was one out away from escaping, but Punto drove one into the right-field corner for the first big league hit allowed by Gearrin in 4 2-3 innings since being called up. Daniel Descalso tied it up with a sacrifice fly in the ninth, his second RBI of the game.

National League Eastern Division 17 8 16 8 13 14 12 13 11 15 Central Division 15 11 13 12 13 13 12 14 11 14 9 17 Western Division 16 8 14 13 12 13 11 14 9 17

PCT .609 .538 .500 .458 .440

AVONDALE: Bubba Watson tees off on the fourth hole during the second round of the Zurich Classic PGA Tour golf tournament. — AP

Watson takes charge at New Orleans Classic NEW ORLEANS: Long-hitting American Bubba Watson eagled the par-five 11th for a second consecutive day on his way to a one-shot lead in the second round of the New Orleans Classic on Friday. Joint pacesetter overnight with Australian Matt Jones, the left-hander fired a fourunder-par 68 in dazzling sunshine at the TPC Louisiana and stayed in front of the late starters as the greens firmed up and wind strengthened in the afternoon.

The 32-year-old Watson, from nearby Bagdad in the Florida panhandle, also recorded three birdies and a lone bogey to take control of the PGA Tour event with a 10under total of 134. American Josh Teater, a rookie on the circuit last year, briefly got to 11 under before doublebogeying the last for a 66 and second place.John Rollins carded a 69 to lie third at eight under, a stroke in front of fellow Americans Jason Dufner (69), Webb Simpson (69) and Dean Wilson (64), plus Australians John Senden (67) and Jones (71).

Watson, who clinched his second PGA Tour victory at the Farmers Insurance Open in January, was delighted to be heading into the weekend in contention for another title. “This is what we strive to do,” the slim American told reporters. “We always want the pressure. We always want the nerves, the butterflies. We’re trying to win golf tournaments.

“I’ve gotten lucky enough to win two so far and I’m trying to go for my third. It would be nice to pull it off here in New Orleans ... two and a half hours away from where I grew up.— Reuters

MOBILE: Sandra Gal of Germany birdied five of the final eight holes Friday for a 5-under 67 and a one-stroke lead over Amy Yang in the Avnet LPGA Classic, the tour’s only event in a six-week stretch.

Gal, who won the Kia Classic last month in California for her first LPGA Tour title, had a 7under 137 total on The Crossings course at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail’s Magnolia Grove complex.

“Obviously, I’m playing well,” Gal said. “I’m just enjoying myself out there. I mean, I’m not doing anything really different. I’ve been playing solid since the end of last year. Just winning, you know, I think you get more comfortable at the top. Being in the lead is something. You know, to be there and feel comfortable there, so that’s probably the difference now.”

Gal bogeyed Nos. 9 and 10 to fall to 2 under for the tournament and even par for the day, then birdied Nos. 11, 12, 13, 16 and 17 to top the leaderboard. “It was kind of slow start,” Gal said.

“Just made a couple bogeys, at 9, 10, and that was kind of like a turning point for me. I kind of got down on myself a little bit. Then I was like, ‘OK, let’s just play one shot at a time and be patient. The birdies are going to come.’ They did, so I was happy about that.”

Yang shot a 68. She bogeyed No. 1 and had eight straight pars before birdieing Nos. 10, 12, 14, 16 and 17. She credited her iron play. “My irons, mostly irons,” Yang said. “It was inside 10 feet, all five of my birdies.” Stacy Lewis, coming off a major victory in the Kraft Nabisco, had a 71, leaving her two strokes back at 5 under along with Karen Stupples (71) and Song-Hee Kim (72). “I scrambled around and just got the ball in the hole, and was pretty happy shooting 1 under,” Lewis said. “It was just kind of up and down all day.

I just had to fight.” — AP Defending champion Se Ri Pak, a threetime winner at Magnolia Grove, had a 71 to match Suzann Pettersen (68), Sun Young Yoo (68), Jenny Suh (69) and Sarah Kemp (70) at 4 under.

Grace Park, tied for the first-round lead with Kim, followed her opening 67 with a 75 to drop to 2 under. Michelle Wie missed the cut with rounds of 76 and 72. Top-ranked Yani Tseng also dropped out, shooting 7772.—AP

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SUNDAY, MAY 1, 2011

S P ORT S

US court restores lockout hours after players return SALVO: A US appeals court granted the NFL’s request to put the lockout back into effect Friday in a decision that came only hours after players across the league had returned to work.

The ruling is a temporary “administrative stay” to give the Eighth District Court of Appeals time to evaluate the league’s main request for a stay pending appeal on the injunction imposed earlier this week.

“The clubs have been told that the prior lockout rules are reinstated effective immediately,” NFL

spokesman Greg Aiello said in an email statement.

The lockout began seven weeks ago after talks between the league and players over a new collective bargaining agreement broke down on March 11.

That led to a flurry of legal activity and last Monday the players succeeded in gaining an injunction from a district court to halt the lockout.

Adding to the atmosphere of chaos surrounding the league, the court’s order was issued while the NFL was carrying out the second and

third rounds of their annual player draft.

The first impact of the return to the lockout is to put the brakes on any potential free agency deals. Players at the first round of Thursday’s nationally televised draft, witnessed NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell being booed by fans who chanted “We want football.”

For a few hours on Friday, football did return to something close to normality. Athletes worked out, chatted with coaches and picked up new playbooks as NFL teams began imple-

menting rules for complying with a judge’s order.

“It just feels good to come home, so to speak, and get back to football,” Selvish Capers, who was among a dozen players at the Washington Redskins facilities, told the Washington Post.

“It makes it easier to prepare for the season, being that our coaches are here and we have all the fields and equipment we need here.”

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, a plaintiff in the players’ antitrust lawsuit against the owners,

told CNBC he was confident there would be a 2011 season. “There are too many players and too many owners that want it,” said Brady. “There needs to be compromise.

“There are going to be a lot of talks that take place, a lot of negotiating sessions, and hopefully a lot of compromise comes from that.”

The legal wrangling could take months before a resolution, experts have said. At issue between owners and players is how to divide the $9 billion in revenue America’s most popular sport takes in each year. —Reuters

Hurricanes’ penalty sink Reds

DUBLIN: Leinster’s Brian O’Driscoll (left) and Shane Horgan (right) tackle Toulouse’s Maxime Medard (center) during their European Cup semi-final match at the Aviva Stadium. —AFP

Crusaders blast Force away SYDNEY: The Canterbury Crusaders scored two tries in the last 10 minutes to quash a desperate challenge from Western Force and ride out 42-30 winners in a pulsating Super rugby match in Perth yesterday.

Trailing 30-25 in the last quarter, the Crusaders counter-attacked furiously to wrest back the lead with a 71st minute tr y to hooker Corey Flynn before scrumhalf Kahn Fotuali’i crossed four minutes later to seal victory.

Despite dominating possession, illdiscipline threatened to undo the Crusaders as they conceded a raft of penalties to let the Force back in to the match in the second half. Inside centre James O’Connor took advantage with five penalty goals, the last giving his team a five-point lead with 20 minutes to play. Crusaders got off to a flying start courtesy of rampaging fullback Israel Dagg, who crossed twice to put his team up 10-0 by the eighth minute.

The spring-heeled All Black burned away from the Force defence to plant his first try in the right corner in the third minute. His second left another string of Force defenders in his wake as he crossed right of the posts after trampling over winger David Smith.

The Force steadied through O’Connor, who slotted three quick

penalties and sparked his team’s first try with a sprint down the left wing after Smith swooped on a turnover ball deep in defence.

The Wallabies back passed inside to split the Crusaders’ defence, allowing flyhalf Willie Ripia to hand off to fullback Cameron Shepherd who crossed in the left corner.

Ripia’s conversion put the Force in front 15-14 before Dagg exploded again, combining with S onny Bill Williams to wrest the lead back a few minutes later with a searing run through the middle that set up the centre to cross right of the posts.

O’Connor slotted a penalty goal to cut the deficit to 22-19 at halftime and the Force appeared set for an unlikely victory when Shepherd notched his second try in the right corner 13 minutes after the break.

The Crusaders, however, mounting a withering assault on the Force line that culminated in Flynn’s try, the hooker leaping to his feet after being brought down in a tackle and scampering over the line to put the Crusaders 33-30 up.

Williams brought another Crusaders drive deep into the 22, allowing Fotuali’i to roll off a ruck on the tryline and plant the ball over in the 75th minute to seal the win. —Reuters

Waratahs grind down Rebels SYDNEY: The New S outh Wales Waratahs kept their playoff hopes alive with a 28-9 win in the wet over the Melbourne Rebels in their Super rugby match in Sydney yesterday.

The Waratahs, who handed the competition newcomers a 43-0 trouncing in the first round, stifled the Rebels with a miserly defensive effort and ran over two tries in the last eight minutes on a rainy night at Sydney Football Stadium.

Fullback Kurtley Beale, who will join the Rebels next season, slotted three penalties and two conversion kicks in a 13-point haul against his future team-mates as the Rebels slumped to their seventh loss of the season.

“We did a lot of work early and probably didn’t get a lot of pay out of it,” said lock Dean Mumm, who celebrated after planting a lastminute try in the right corner. “It was pleasing for us to stick to a gameplan for 80 minutes and get a little bit of pay at the end.”

Wallabies front-rower Tatafu Polota-Nau barged over the line for the Waratahs’ first try in the 12th minute but the match then descended into a dour arm-wrestle as both teams struggled in the

damp conditions.

Fullback Julian Huxley slotted two penalty goals to cut the Rebels’ deficit to a point, but his direct opponent Beale added a penalty kick of his own in the 26th minute and the Waratahs held a 10-6 lead at halftime.

Danny Cipriani, who was demoted to the bench af ter his poor defensive skills were exposed over successive weeks, came on in the second half to miss a penalty that would have put the Rebels within a point with 20 minutes to play.

Beale gave the Waratahs’ breathing space with his third penalty a few minutes later before Dave Dennis crossed to put his team up 21-9 with eight minutes left.

Fo l l ow in g a tex tbook rollin g maul that drove the Rebels back 15 m e t re s, f l a n k e r D e n n i s b ro k e a tackle before diving between an opponent’s legs and reaching an arm over the line at the right corner. Mumm clambered over at the same corner in the 80th minute to complete the Waratahs’ sixth win of the season, a vic tor y soured slightly by a second-half headc l a s h t h a t k n o c k e d Po l o t a - N a u unconscious. —Reuters

WELLINGTON: Flyhalf Aaron Cruden found his kicking boots when it counted to slot a lastgasp penalty goal and hand the Wellington Hurricanes a dramatic 28-26 upset victory over the Queensland Reds yesterday.

The Hurricanes stunned the Reds with four first-half tries to take a 22-5 lead at the break but were reeled in through the brilliance of Quade Cooper on a clear night in Wellington.

Trailing 26-25, the Hurricanes were awarded a penalty almost directly in front of the posts in the last minute after Reds prop Guy Shepherdson was judged offside.

Cruden, who had missed three conversions and a penalty kick in a mostly forgettable night in front of the posts, steered the ball over to help the Hurricanes notch their third win of a disappointing season.

“To pull that off and get a kick like that is pretty special ...

Obviously we’re pretty pleased with that,” said Hurricanes skipper Andrew Hore, who celebrated his 100th match for the New Zealand Super rugby side.

“To play the top side of the table and top them over is pretty special and hopefully (will) put a few smiles on the faces and get a few more people out here next Friday.”

The heart-breaking loss will rekindle bad memories for the Reds, whose playoffs hopes were dashed by the Hurricanes in Wellington last season.

Saturday’s defeat may see the Queensland side topple out of the southern hemisphere competition’s top three, depending on other results in the weekend’s matches.

The Reds imposed themselves on the game in less than two minutes, mounting an assault on the try-line that ended with number eight Scott Higginbotham crashing over after receiving a sharp pass from a ruck.

The move proved the only highlight of a largely dismal half, however, as the Hurricanes hit back 10 minutes later through winger Alapati Leiua, who roared down the right wing to spark a drive that ended with flanker Faifile Levave crossing at

the right corner.

The try turned the match on its head, sparking a sustained attack on the Reds’ line that wielded three more tries in a dominant seven-minute burst to leave the visitors reeling.

Cruden failed to convert Leiua’s try and hoofed a penalty kick wide but made amends minutes later when he threw a dummy that bamboozled Reds scrumhalf Will Genia and cantered over the line in the 27th minute.

Fullback Andre Taylor jogged over at the left corner two minutes later after a smart chain of passes cut the Reds’ defence to shreds.

Another lightning-quick recycled ball put Neemia Tialata over five minutes later in the same corner, the prop ploughing Genia into the turf to secure the Hurricanes’ fourth try and a bonus point six minutes from halftime.

Smashed at the breakdown, the Reds staggered to the break trailing 22-5 and would have been further behind but for Cruden’s inaccurac y, the f l y h a l f m i s s i n g t h re e o u t o f

four conversions.

Reds flyhalf Cooper sparked the Reds’ fightback, brilliantly combining with Luke Morahan to put the winger over the try-line twice.

The mercurial Wallaby landed a deft kick on the chest of the running Morahan, who streamed over at the right corner three minutes after the break.

Cooper then flicked a lookaway pass to release Morahan at midfield and the jet-heeled winger sprinted away from a clutch of defenders before ducking back inside to plant the ball left of the posts in the 64th minute.

Cooper missed the conversion but slotted his third penalty of the half to put the Reds in front by a point with eight minutes left.

The Reds appeared destined to extend their undefeated run to eight matches but Morahan coughed up possession after knocking the ball forward, allowing the Hurricanes to mount a final bid for victory that Cruden capped off in style. —Reuters

Zabriskie wins Tour de Romandie time trial

LISBON: MotoGP rider Yamaha Factory Racing, Jorge Lorenzo, from Spain, steers his Yamaha during the qualifying session for the Por tugal Motorcycling MotoGP Grand Prix. —AP

Lorenzo on pole in Portugal LISBON: M otoGP world champion Jorge Lorenzo took his first pole position of the season in Portugal yesterday after a late crash kept Italian Marco Simoncelli off the top spot.

The Spaniard, winner of the previous race in front of his home fans at Jerez, lapped the Estoril circuit with a fastest lap of one minute 37.161 seconds in the final minutes as dark clouds gathered overhead.

“All the lap times are very close and in theory tomorrow the race will be close,” said the Yamaha rider, who is chasing his fourth successive win from pole at the track and has now chalked up 17 poles in MotoGP. “ The impor tant thing is to take points and not to crash.” Simoncelli, the Gresini Honda rider who dominated Friday practice, did just that and will start today’s race in second place after he fell in the final minutes while lapping quicker than Lorenzo.

“I am so disappointed because after practice I believed I could do the pole position,” said the Italian rider, who was leading the race in Spain before his bike spat him off with 16 laps remaining.

“I did a little mistake, I pushed too hard in braking for turn seven, I lost the front and crashed. But anyway I am so happy for my rhythm for tomorrow’s race and for how the bike is working,” he added.

Spaniard Dani Pedrosa completed the front row of the starting grid on

another Honda, returning after surgery on his collarbone this month.

“It’s quite painful,” he told BBC television. “But the situation is like this and I will try my best tomorrow. I think the front row is very good today with these conditions.

“It’s always difficult to choose the right tyres and go out on the track at the right moment. I hope we can have a normal race but I’m sure it’s going to be tight.”

The top 10 riders on the grid were separated by just 1.202 seconds.

Lorenzo leads the championship after two races with 45 points to Pedrosa’s 36.

Australian Casey Stoner, also on a Honda, will star t four th ahead of Lorenzo’s American team mate Ben Spies in fifth while Italy’s nine-times world champion Valentino Rossi will have to start ninth on his Ducati.

Stoner and Rossi collided in Spain and the Australian was highly critical af ter wards of the marshals who appeared more eager to help the Italian great than him.

The governing FIM upheld the marshals behaviour as “safe and appropriate” at a review of the incident on Friday. Spain’s Alvaro Bautista returned for Suzuki, 42 days after breaking his thigh bone, and qualified 15th of the 17 riders.

Germany’s Stefan Bradl took pole for the Moto2 race while Spain’s championship leader Nicolas Terol was fastest in the 125cc class. —Reuters

SWITZERLAND: David Zabriskie of the United States won the Tour de Romandie time trial yesterday, and Cadel Evans took the overall lead with one stage left.

Zabriskie won his first stage of the season, clocking 27 minutes 57 seconds over the 20.1-kilometer (12.5-mile) course from Aubonne to Signal-de-Bougy.

Australia’s Evans was eighth fastest, 45 seconds behind Zabriskie, to rise from fourth overall and take the leader’s yellow jersey.

“The Tour de Romandie is a special race for me,” said Evans, who won it in 2006. “It’s like I’m at home here.” The BMC-Racing rider has an 18-second edge on Germany’s Tony Martin, who placed fifth yesterday. Alexandr Vinokourov of Kazakhstan is a further second back in third.

The Astana team leader began the time trial in s e cond p l a ce b ut l os t 29 s e cond s to Eva ns.

Overnight leader Pavel Brutt of Russia dropped out of contention.

Zabriskie said the undulating course suited his strengths. “I gave it everything and it turned out well,” said the Garmin-Cervelo rider, who raced before strengthening headwinds made conditions tougher for the leaders. “That’s how it goes sometimes, it’s a game of luck.” Zabriskie was two seconds faster than Australian Richie Porte and 14 clear of Lieuwe Westra of the Netherlands, who placed third. The six-day race ends today with a 164.6-kilometer (102.3-mile) stage from Champagne to Geneva. —AP

SWITZERLAND: Switzerland’s Steve Morabito rides during the fourth stage, 20.1 km race against the clock between Aubonne and Signalde-Bougy, for the Tour de Romandie cycling race. —AFP

SUNDAY, MAY 1, 2011

S P ORT S

Ando wins 2nd gold at worlds in Moscow

MOSCOW: (From left) Silver medalists Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, of Canada, gold medalists Meryl Davies and Charlie White, bronze medalists Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani, both of the United States, show off their medals after free dance at the ISU Figure Skating World championships. — AP

Sehwag stars as Delhi defeat Kochi by 38 runs KOCHI: India opener Virender Sehwag struck a 47-ball 80 to power Delhi Daredevils to a 38-run victory over Kochi Tuskers Kerala in the IPL yesterday.

The Daredevils captain lashed eight fours and five sixes to help his team post a challenging 157-7 following a disastrous start after choosing to bat first.

Daredevils medium-pacers Morne Morkel, Irfan Pathan and Ajit Agarkar then shared seven wickets before South African spinner Roelof van der Merwe claimed the last three dismissals from five deliveries to bowl out Kochi Tuskers for 119 in 18.5 overs.

It was only the Daredevils’ third win in eight matches. “Absolutely happy.

The wicket was not easy,” Sehwag said.

“Once we crossed 120, I thought we had got par. I was hitting the ball nicely, it was obvious I had to bat longer.”

Daredevils lost two wickets with four runs on the board after India paceman Shanthakumaran Sreesanth struck twice in four balls on a pitch with variable bounce. Sreesanth bowled Australian opener David Warner for 3 and Naman Ojha for zero before Sehwag, who

began cautiously, opened up to hammer spinner Ravindra Jadeja for two successive sixes and then his 50 with a six off medium-pacer Vinay Kumar.

Sehwag put on 56 for the fourth wicket with Yogesh Nagar (22) before holing out at the extra cover boundary after having hit 49 runs off the last 15 balls he faced. Pathan dismissed New Zealand opener Brendon McCullum for 7 and Parthiv Patel for 1 and Morkel sent back Australian batsmen Michael Klinger for 2 and Brad Hodge for 27 plus Balachandra Akhil for 13.

Agarkar had skipper Mahela Jayawardene caught by Sehwag for 18 and Jadeja for 31, before Van der Merwe polished off the tail to ensure the Kochi Tuskers lost their fifth match out of eight. Later yesterday, Kolkata Knight Riders play Kings XI Punjab.

Scores: Delhi Daredevils 157-7 in 20 overs ( Virender Sehwag 80, Shanthakumaran Sreesanth 2-10) def.

Kochi Tuskers Kerala 119 in 18.5 overs (Ravindra Jadeja 31, Brad Hodge 27, Irfan Pathan 2-27, Morne Morkel 3-18, Ajit Agarkar 2-23, Roelof van der Merwe 3-20). — AP

KOCHI: Kochi Tuskers Kerala’s S Sreesanth looks back to see the bail fly off the wicket resulting in his dismissal during the Indian Premier League match against Delhi Daredevils. — AP

MOSCOW: Miki Ando claimed her second gold medal at the world figure skating championships after overcoming Kim Yu-na of South Korea in a duel of exceptional elegance to win the women’s title yesterday.

The victory by the Japanese skater, who also won at the 2007 worlds, was fitting in a competition that was originally set to take place in her homeland before it was hit by an earthquake and tsunami in late March.

Both skaters’ free programs contained languid moves interspersed with moments of power and steely control. They were within less than half a point of each other going into the free skate and didn’t have room to play it safe.

“I was skating for Japan and I never cared about the result. I’m really happy to have a gold medal,” Ando said. “I worked hard and I’ve become a little bit of a stronger skater than a year ago.” Ando, skating first to a Grieg piano concerto in the final group of six, opened with a triple lutz-double toe loop. She didn’t falter until the middle of the program, when she stepped out of a double axel and reduced the planned combination triple toe to a double.

But she regained her poise, continued through three more solid triples and on to a double axel-double loop-double loop cascade so surprising that some of the crowd gasped.

Kim, the Olympic champion in her first competition of the year, started even more boldly with a triple lutz-triple toe to a medley of traditional Korean music.

But she quickly ran into trouble, singling two of her next three jumps. She also featured a cascade starting with a double axel, but one of the subsequent jumps was a toe loop instead of a loop, giving the element slightly less value. “I’m just so glad that the competition is over,” Kim said.

“After the Olympics, I was thinking: ‘Am I going to come

back to competition or not?’ ... Mentally I couldn’t stop thinking: ‘Why do I have to do this?’ I think that was the hardest thing. But then I felt ready to go and I thought: ‘I can do this.”‘ Italy’s Carolina Kostner rose from sixth place to take the bronze, with a charming program to the dreamy strains of Debussy’s “Afternoon of a Faun,” marred only by popping one triple.

“Last year it was a hard time for me, so it was a big emotion just to finally again just enjoy it,” she said. “To be able to get a medal ... just makes it more special.” All of last year’s champions entered this year, but with three disciplines completed, none of the defenders have prevailed.

Mao Asada of Japan finished sixth in Moscow after an errorinfested short program. Daisuke Takahashi finished sixth in the men’s, overwhelmed in a field won by Canada’s Patrick Chan, who set three world records in the process. Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy won the pairs, with 2010 champions Pang Qing and Tong Jian of China settling for bronze.

However, Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada were in the pole position to defend their ice dancing gold later yesterday, closely challenged by Meryl Davies and Charlie White of the United States.

Russian spectators longing for a return to the country’s onetime eminence in women’s skating had something both to cheer and lament.

MOSCOW: Meryl Alena Leonova, a sore disappointment in the Davies and Charlie Cup of Russia, nailed seven triples in her highWhite, of the United spirited free program to end in fourth place, less States, perform their than a point behind Kostner. But Ksenia free program to win Makarova, who had been third after the short the gold at the ISU program, ended the competition in seventh Figure skating World after a fall in a free program also marred by othchampionships. —AP er errors. — AP

US beats Austria in worlds opener KOSICE: The United States has opened its world ice hockey championship campaign with a 5-1 victory over Austria behind goals

by Chris Kreider, Blake Wheeler, Yan Stastny, Kevin Shattenkirk and Craig Smith.

The young American team clearly outshot Austria 32-13 on the second day of the tournament which ends May 15. Kreider opened the scoring after he applied his skills and speed to cruise past Austrian captain Gerhard Unterluggauer to convert at 14:42.

Wheeler scored with an angled shot from the left into an empty net 2:33 later to double the advantage after the Austrian goalie was too slow to react to Derek Stepan’s clever and quick pass. “It was the way we wanted to start,” Stepan said.

“We wanted to make sure that we play hard, play a solid game for 60 minutes.” “I hope I can find the way to find the net,” said Stepan, who had two assists in the game and is coming off his impressive rookie NHL season with 21 goals for the New York Rangers.

“We have a good team, we’re confident we just have to keep playing and take game by game,” Stepan said. The US next play Norway in Group C tomorrow. Austria replied with Marco Pewal’s shot over goalie Al Montoya’s shoulder but Stastny restored the two-goal advantage later in the second period. It was an emotional return for Stastny to the homeland of his father, NHL legend Peter Stastny, who was watching the game at Steel Arena.

“It is a very special event for me,” Stastny said in Slovak. “Every day here is great for me and my family.” “It was a goal for the team,” he said. “Our line did what we could.

We put them under pressure, it was fine, though I think we still can play better.”

Shattenkirk and Craig each scored in the third. “They had a very good game. We made too many mistakes and they capitalized on them,” Austrian coach Bill Gilligan said. In Bratislava, Finland beat Denmark 5-1 in Group D to avenge an embarrassing 4-1 loss to the same opponent in the group stage of last year’s worlds in their opening game.. Jarkko Immonen, Juhamatti Aaltonen, Antii Philstrom scored a goal each before Denmark answered with one from Nichlas Hardt in the third period. —AP

SAN JOSE: Sharks defenseman Niclas Wallin (7), of Sweden, defends on Detroit Red Wings right wing Daniel Cleary as goalie Antti Niemi looks on during the first period in Game 1 of an NHL Western Conference semifinal Stanley Cup playoff hockey series. — AP

Lightning strike down Capitals WASHINGTON: Sean Bergenheim scored early, Steve Downie had a goal and an assist, and Steven Stamkos netted the go-ahead goal from a power play toi help the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the top-seeded Washington Capitals 4-2 on Friday in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals series. Dwayne Roloson, Tampa Bay’s 41-year-old goalie, made 26 saves.

Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin was held without a point and limited to two shots. Alexander Semin and Eric Fehr scored for Washington, which led 2-1 before Downie and Stamkos put Tampa Bay ahead with goals less than 3 1/2 minutes apart late in the second period.

Dominic Moore added an empty-netter with 40 seconds left for the fifth-seeded Lightning, who have won four straight games since falling behind Pittsburgh 3-1 in the first round.

The Lightning lost forward Simon Gagne and defenseman Pavel Kubina to injuries. Both players were to be re-evaluated yesterday. Game 2 is

Bahrain keeps options open on F1 race rescheduling LONDON: Bahrain refused to give up hope of resch’eduling its postponed Formula One Grand Prix yesterday with a statement that kept all options open.

The International Automobile Federation (FIA) said last month that it had asked Bahrain ‘to communicate

by May 1st at the latest’ whether it would be in a position to reschedule.

Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone told Reuters on Thursday however that he was prepared to give the country more time.

Bahrain International Circuit chairman Zayed Rashid Alzayani said in the statement ‘regarding the rescheduling’ that the situation was improving in a country that remains under martial law after violent anti-government protests killed at least 29 people. He thanked Formula One management, the governing FIA and motor racing fans for their under-

standing. ‘The national situation has moved on in a positive manner, the situation is evolving all the time; our day-to-day life is gradually improving under the current State of National Safety,’ he said.

‘Bahrain’s Grand Prix is a time of celebration and hosting the race is a source of great pride for Bahrain and Bahrainis.

‘It is a showcase to the world and we look forward to welcoming the teams and drivers and ever yone involved in Formula One back to Bahrain in the very near future.’

No dates were mentioned and there was no specific confirmation that the race, originally scheduled as the season-opener on March 13, could be rescheduled.

Four men accused of killing two policemen were sentenced to death this week, a verdict that could intensify sectarian tension in the Sunni

Muslim-led state.

An FIA spokesman was unaware of the circuit statement until contacted

by Reuters. A senior member of the Sakhir circuit media team said the statement meant what it said and contained no official commitment.

‘We are not saying we are hosting it, we are not saying we are not hosting it. We are not saying it is cancelled,’ he added. The statement also quoted Ecclestone as saying the country’s commitment was clear.

‘While obviously the kingdom has had to put its national affairs first I have never been in any doubts that restoring the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix has been of paramount importance,’ declared the 80-year-old Briton.

‘In eight years with my relationship with Bahrain I have always been confident that they will produce something special.’ — Reuters

today at Washington.

Sharks 2, Red Wings 1 At San Jose, California, Little-used Benn Ferriero scored 7:03 into overtime of his playoff debut on a deflected goal that gave San Jose a victory over Detroit in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinal series.

Ferriero’s shot hit off Detroit defenseman Brad Stuart’s stick and got past Jimmy Howard for the game-winner just seconds after the Red Wings had killed off a four-minute penalty.

Stuart slammed his stick to the ice in disgust after the goal, as the Red Wings again fell behind in their series to the Sharks. Joe Pavelski scored the tying goal on the power play in the third period for San Jose. Antti Niemi made 24 saves as the Sharks won their fourth overtime game of this postseason. Howard made 44 saves, and Nicklas Lidstrom scored the only Detroit goal the day after his 41st birthday. Game 2 is today in San Jose. — AP

Grizzlies finish off Spurs

MEMPHIS: San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker (9), of France, shoots against Memphis Grizzlies guard OJ Mayo (32) during the second half of Game 6 of a first-round NBA basketball series. —AP

MEMPHIS: Zach Randolph had 31 points and 11 rebounds as the Memphis Grizzlies advanced to their first Western Conference semifinals and made NBA history by eliminating the top-seeded San Antonio Spurs 99-91 on Friday.

Memphis had been the franchise best known for empty seats and the unenviable NBA mark for playoff futility at 012 after being swept in its first three appearances. This time, a third straight sellout crowd cheered every bucket with a couple signs begging the Grizzlies to “Finish Them” in a town in desperate need of a hero.

The Grizzlies needed 10 seasons, but they have become just that as only the second No. 8 seed to upset a No. 1 seed since the NBA expanded the opening series to a best-of-seven. They will play Oklahoma City in the semifinals. Marc Gasol had 12 points and 13 rebounds for Memphis. Tony Allen added 11 points, and rookie Greivis Vasquez had 11 off the bench playing 24 minutes with Mike Conley in foul trouble most of the game.

Tony Parker led San Antonio with 23 points, Manu Ginobili had 16, Tim Duncan 12 and Antonio McDyess 10.

The Spurs led only twice at 2-0 and again at 80-79 when McDyess hit a 15-footer with 4:41 left. That’s when Randolph, the man cast off and unwanted when he arrived in Memphis in the summer of 2009, took over and scored 17 of the Grizzlies’ 29 points in the fourth quarter. He scored 10 of the next 14 for Memphis, with his hook putting Memphis ahead to stay at 81-80. — AP

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SUNDAY, MAY 1, 2011

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Dortmund crowned German champions

SPAIN: Barcelona’s Lionel Messi from Argentina (left) vies for the ball with Real Sociedad’s Diego Rivas during their Spanish La Liga soccer match. —AP

Sociedad stun Barcelona 2-1 Real suffer home defeat MADRID: Barcelona missed a glorious chance to close in on the league title after falling to a shock 2-1 defeat at promoted Real Sociedad yesterday as their 32-match unbeaten league run came to an end.

Pep Guardiola’s side could have moved to within one point of a third successive league crown with victory after rivals Real Madrid suffered a surprise 3-2 home loss to Real Zaragoza earlier in the day.

Instead, the champions now need four points from their final four games to retain the title. Barcelona took the lead through Thiago Alcantra on 29 minutes, but Uruguayan substitute Diego Ifran equalised on 71 minutes and Xabi Prieto converted an 82nd-minute penalty to give strugglers Sociedad a vital win.

It was Barcelona’s first away defeat of the season and their first in the league since midSeptember, although they retain their eightpoint cushion over Real at the summit.

Real coach Jose Mourinho saw his week go from bad to worse as Madrid fell to strugglers Zaragoza, three days after their 2-0 Champions League semi-final first leg loss to Barcelona.

Mourinho had gone nine years without losing a home league match, but this was his second home league loss inside a month following the 1-0 defeat by Sporting Gijon at the beginning of April.

Guardiola resisted the temptation to rest all of his stars ahead of the semi-final second leg against Real at Camp Nou on Wednesday, fielding Lionel Messi, Xavi and Gerard Pique.

Youngsters Martin Montoya, 20, and Andreu Fontas, 21, were given a chance to shine along with 21-year-old Thiago, all three of whom are products of Barca’s fabled youth system.

Messi went close early on, shooting just wide, before Dutch winger Ibrahim Afellay had a drive well saved in the fifth minute.

The breakthrough came in the 28th minute, with Thiago latching on to a Xavi pass before scooping the ball over the advancing goalkeeper. Uruguayan striker Ifran, who had only been on the pitch a matter of minutes, took advantage of a slip-up at the back to dink the ball over Jose Pinto for the equaliser.

Six minutes later Gaby Milito thought he had scored for Barcelona but his header was ruled out for offside. Argentine Javier Macherano then conceded a spot-kick on 82 minutes and Prieto was fortunate to see his penalty scrape past Jose Manuel Pinto, who almost kept out the effort down the middle.

It is not often Barcelona lose, but it is even more rare to see Barcelona and Real Madrid lose on the same day. Still reeling from their Champions League loss to Barcelona, Real suffered another setback at the Santiago Bernabeu.

A brace from Angel Lafita, the first due to a rare howler from goalkeeper Iker Casillas, and a penalty from Gabriel Arenas helped down Madrid, who were reduced to 10 men late on with Ricardo Carvalho sent off for two yellow cards.

“We can practically say goodbye to the miracle of trying to win the league,” said Madrid captain Casillas. “Everything was more complicated because of my mistake but we are all human and make mistakes.

“Now we have to go to Barcelona to try and win. We trail by two goals but anything can happen and we will go with the hope of playing the Champions League final in a month’s time.”

Sergio Ramos (62 minutes) and Karim Benzema (85) pulled goals back for the hosts, but Zaragoza held on to move four points clear of the relegation zone. Atletico Madrid was due to travel to Deportivo La Coruna later yesterday, looking to make more headway in their bid to finish in the top six.—AFP

MADRID: Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema from France reacts during a Spanish La Liga soccer match against Zaragoza at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium.—AP

Confident Blatter wins South American backing ASUNCION: Sepp Blatter said he was fully confident of winning another four-year term as FIFA president as he secured the backing of South America’s soccer chiefs on the campaign trail on Friday.

“Sure, I’m confident. I don’t need to make a lot of promises,” said Blatter, who faces opposition from Asian Football Confederation president Mohamed bin Hammam in the June 1 FIFA presidential election.

“I’m not interested in what he is doing. I have my programme, it’s 36 years I’ve been serving FIFA,” he said in an interview with Reuters at the Paraguay headquarters of the South American Football Confederation (Conmebol). “(Bin Hammam) came into the FIFA executive committee in 1996, so he was part of the construction of today’s FIFA. You need to ask him why he wants to change that construction,” the 75-year-old added.

The Swiss was certain he could count on the support of Conmebol despite his recent criticism of the preparations for the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil.

“It was Conmebol that already in January or February 1998 made a declaration that the 10 countries of Conmebol were fully behind Sepp Blatter,” Blatter said, looking back to his election that year in succession to Brazilian Joao Havelange.

“Therefore, I’m fully confident that they are still in the same mood. I don’t know why they shouldn’t be.”

His confidence was justified when Conmebol, who will re-elect their Paraguayan president Nicolas Leoz unopposed for anoth-

er term today, announced their official support for Blatter on Friday night.

“South America is unanimously and resoundingly committed to supporting the candidacy of Joseph Blatter for another period as president of FIFA, there’s no doubt in this regard,” Argentina soccer chief Julio Grondona told the Conmebol executive board. “That’s how we started in 1998 and that’s how we want to continue for the good of world football.” Blatter said he wanted another term in which to finish what he has called his “mission in football”.

“We want to be a little more (influential) in our society ... in education. What is education in our game? It is discipline, respect, fighting spirit and fair play,” he said.

Blatter said he wanted to “go away by the big door and not go out by the back door”.

Despite his recent reprimand, Blatter expressed his confidence that Brazil would stage a great World Cup in 2014.

“They needed a little bit of a wake-up call and now they are working hard,” Blatter said.

“I’m sure Brazil 2014 will be a great, great moment in international football because Brazil is the country of football.

“I do hope I will be in shape and in position to attend this great event in Brazil.” Blatter had been concerned about delays in work on stadiums, particularly in the major World Cup venues in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.

He was concerned, for instance, about the giant Maracana in Rio being ready by June 2013 for the Confederations Cup, which serves as a dress rehearsal for the finals a year later.—Reuters

BERLIN: Borussia Dortmund were crowned Bundesliga champions yesterday with a 2-0 win at home against Nuremberg to land their first German league title since 2002.

After last week’s shock defeat at relegation-threatened Borussia Moenchengladbach, the hosts saw off Nuremberg to claim their seventh German title and a place in next season’s Champions League.

The victor y at a sold- out Dortmund’s Signal Iduna Park stadium in front of 80,720 fans leaves Borussia eight points clear at the top of the table. After secondplaced Bayer Leverkusen lost 2-0 at Cologne, Dortmund were confirmed champions.

“I’m just happy,” said coach Jurgen Klopp after his side gave him the traditional beer shower. “I had thought it would feel different, more euphoric, but maybe that comes later. The team has achieved extraordinary things, set high standards and handled every pressure situation very well.

“What these young guys have achieved is hard to put into words. “ The way they have taken our direction and used it on the pitch has been incredible.”

Paraguay striker Lucas Barrios proved his recent thigh injury is behind him by opening the scoring for his 14th goal of the season when he pounced on a blocked shot from Mario Goetze to fire home on 32 minutes.

I t was 2-0 at the break as Poland striker Rober t Lewandowski beat goalkeeper Raphael Schaefer to the ball after a long pass from Germany defender Mats Hummels and tapped home on 43 minutes.

Cologne striker Milivoje Novakovic scored twice in the second-half to settle the title race as Leverkusen went down to defeat.

Yesterday night, Bayern Munich went third in the table as they blitzed Champions League semifinalists Schalke 04 with a 4-1 defeat.

The Royal Blues’ poor week continued after losing last Tuesday’s semi-final, first-leg, 2-0 at home to Manchester United in the Champions League.

after just six minutes, was only denied a hat-trick by some excellent goalkeeping from Schalke’s Germany shot-stopper Manuel Neuer.

The win puts Bayern in poleposition to claim the valuable third Champions League spot with two games left while Hanover drop to fourth after being beaten

Frankfurt, who are third from bottom and in the relegation places.

VfB Stuttgart are virtually safe after their 2-1 win at Hoffenheim as the 2007 champions are now 12th while Freiburg are seventh after their 2-0 win at Hamburg where Senegal striker Papiss Cisse scored both goals.

On Friday, VfL Wolfsburg boost-

GERMANY: Dortmund’s teammates celebrate with player Dede (top) after winning the German First Division Bundesliga soccer match against FC Nuremberg. —AP Schalke were hit by three goals in less than 20 minutes, including top-scorer Mario Gomez’s 24th Bundesliga strike of the season and 35th in all competitions, while Germany star Thomas Mueller scored twice.

Dutch winger Arjen Robben, who scored Bayern’s opening goal

1-0 at home to ‘Gladbach.

Second-bottom ‘Gladbach gave themselves a fighting chance of survival although they are three points from safety with two games left.

Mainz moved into the Europa League places with an impressive 30 win over 10-man Eintracht

ed their chances of Bundesliga survival with a 1-0 win at Werder Bremen as the 2009 champions moved clear of the bottom three for the first time in nearly two months.

St Pauli are almost sure of being relegated after they were beaten 2-0 at Kaiserslautern which left them bottom of the table.—AFP

Rangers five star display keeps pressure on Celtic GLASGOW: Rangers extended their lead at the top of the Scottish Premier League to four points with a comprehensive 5-0 win away to Motherwell yesterday that also reduced significantly bitter rivals Celtic’s goal difference advantage.

Motherwell had a decent penalty claim turned down before Kyle Lafferty opened the scoring in the 18th minute, but, Rangers had to wait till the second-half to seal their victory when the Scottish Cup finalists collapsed.

Steven Davis doubled the lead in the 51st minute before Nikica Jelavic and two stunning strikes from Steven Naismith cut Celtic’s goal difference advantage to three.

Celtic, who have played two games less than Rangers, have the chance to cut the gap at the top when they face Dundee United at Parkhead today.

Rangers did all the early pressing with the first chance falling to Maurice Edu in the box but Gavin Gunning made a vital block.

Motherwell had a decent shout for a penalty turned down when Keith Lasley was fouled by Madjid Bougherra however referee Mike Tumilty adjudged he had been brought down inches outside the box.

Lafferty was booked for clattering into a late challenge with Gunning before the Northern Irishman gave Rangers the lead in the 18th minute.

International teammate Davis’ pass was knocked into Lafferty’s path by Gunning and he rounded Darren Randolph before firing the ball off Stevie Hammell on the line and in.

Motherwell looked to hit back immediately but Allan McGregor produced a magnificent save to stop Steve Jones’ deflected shot creeping into the top corner.

The ‘keeper came to the rescue again in the 38th minute when Francis Jeffers beat the offside trap but McGregor made a vital interception when the former Rangers player tried to unselfishly pick out strike partner John Sutton with a pass.

Davis, though, struck to dampen hopes of a Motherwell comeback. Gregg Wylde sent Naismith racing away with a fine pass and his shot was blocked by the legs of Randolph but the rebound fell for Davis who drilled his effort into the net from 10 yards.

Jelavic grabbed his 13th league goal of the season in the 65th minute when he rose highest at the far post to head Sasa Papac ’s cross past Randolph.

Rangers looked dangerous going forward and added a fourth in the 76th minute when Naismith played a one-two with Wylde before unleashing a powerful strike that rifled past Randolph from 20 yards for his side’s 100th competitive goal of the campaign.

The Rangers striker then added another in stoppage time with a sensational strike that flew into the top corner after being teed up by sub El-Hadji Diouf.—AFP

ITALY: Cesena’s Marco Parolo (right) vies for the ball with Inter Milan Maicon of Brazil, during their Serie A soccer match at Cesena Manuzzi stadium. —AP

Last-gasp Pazzini keeps Inter title hopes alive ROME: Giampaolo Pazzini scored two injury-time goals to earn Inter Milan a 2-1 victor y at Cesena and a Serie A title reprieve yesterday.

With the 90 minutes up, and the hosts leading 1-0 through Igor Budan’s 56thminute goal, Inter faced the prospect of handing their bitter city rivals AC Milan the chance to win the title today at the San Siro.

Anything other than a win over Cesena would have meant a victory for Milan at home to Bologna would be enough to see the rossoneri crowned league champions for the 18th time.

But instead substitute Pazzini turned the game on its head in a most unlikely and stunning finale. It means Inter closed the gap to five points and left Milan still needing four points to be crowned champions.

It was more than Inter deserved after possibly their most listless performance this season in which they created almost nothing until the 90 minutes were up. For Cesena it was deeply disappointing after they looked set to go five points clear of the relegation zone.

The first half was a disappointing affair with only one chance of any note, going the way of the hosts early on. Emanuele Giaccherini burst onto a dinked ball over the top and headed on but the diminutive striker faced a race to the ball with Luca Castellazzi.

Although he got there first he couldn’t quite stretch his leg out far enough to prod the ball over the Inter goalkeeper who blocked.

It was again the hosts who had the better of things after the break as former Inter attacking midfielder Luis Jimenez created problems. A first effort from the right was parried by Castellazzi at his near post while the Chilean flashed wide a second on the volley from the same spot.

Cesena got the lead their industr y deserved on 56 minutes but it was in no small part thanks to some poor defending from Inter.

The overlapping Luca Ceccarelli was allowed to run free down the right behind Japan full-back Yuto Nagatomo and he sent over an inviting cross into the centre of the box.

Lucio was drawn to the near post where his centre-back partner Andrea Ranocchi already was and both missed the ball allowing Budan to volley home unmarked from eight yards out.

A mark of Inter’s ineptitude was highlighted by the fact they reached the 90 minute mark with only two half-hearted efforts from Lucio to show for their efforts.

In the dying moments Cesena substitute Dominique Malonga wriggled into the box and then saw his shot deflected behind for a corner as he tried to put the icing on the cake.

But what happened next was as unexpected as it was stunning. Suddenly in injury time Samuel Eto’o sent an inswinging cross into the box and Pazzini got in front of his marker to poke home on the volley. And moments later he rose again in the box to head home Maicon’s cross from the right for the most dramatic turnaround.—AFP

SUNDAY, MAY 1, 2011

S P ORT S

Black Cats mauled by Fulham

Soccer results/standings English Premier League results Blackburn 1 (Olsson 20) Bolton 0; Blackpool 0 Stoke 0; Chelsea 2 (Lampard 45, Kalou 89) Tottenham 1 (Sandro 19);Sunderland 0 Fulham 3 (Kakuta 33, Davies 61, 73); West Brom 2 (Odemwingie 60, Mulumbu 84) Aston Villa 1 (Meite 4-og); Wigan 1 (N’Zogbia 21) Everton 1 (Baines 78-pen).

Playing today Birmingham v Wolves; Liverpool v Newcastle; Arsenal v Man Utd; Man City v West Ham. English Football League results Championship Coventry 0 Reading 0; Derby 0 Bristol City 2; Doncaster 1 Leicester 1; Hull 1 Crystal Palace 1; Ipswich 2 Preston 1; Leeds 1 Burnley 0; Millwall 0 Swansea 2; Nottingham Forest 5 Scunthorpe 1; Sheffield Utd 2 Barnsley 2; Watford 0 QPR 2.

Celtic v Dundee Utd Playing tomorrow St Mirren v Hamilton

Sunderland 0

Scottish Football League results First Division Cowdenbeath 1 Stirling 0; Dundee 3 Partick 2; Falkirk 0 Ross County 1; Morton 0 Dunfermline 2; Raith 0 Queen Of The South 1.

Second Division Ayr 3 Airdrie 1; East Fife 3 Alloa 1; Forfar 2 Peterhead 1; Livingston 1 Dumbarton 1; Stenhousemuir 1 Brechin 3.

Third Division Albion 1 Stranraer 0; Annan Athletic 3 Arbroath 0; Clyde 0 Queen’s Park 2; Elgin City 3 Berwick 2; Montrose 3 East Stirling 0.

Playing tomorrow Cardiff v Middlesbrough; Portsmouth v Norwich.

Italian Serie A results Cesena 1 (Budan 56) Inter Milan 2 (Pazzini 90+1, 90+5)

Division One Brentford 0 Southampton 3; Brighton 2 Huddersfield 3; Bristol Rovers 1 Sheffield Wednesday 1; Dagenham and Redbridge 3 Carlisle 0; Exeter 1 Plymouth 0; Hartlepool 2 Bournemouth 2; Leyton Orient 0 Tranmere 3; Milton Keynes Dons 2 Notts County 1; Rochdale 2 Peterborough 2; Swindon 0 Oldham 2; Walsall 2 Charlton 0; Yeovil 4 Colchester 2.

Playing later Napoli v Genoa Playing today AC Milan v Bologna, Catania v Cagliari, Chievo v Lecce, Fiorentina v Udinese, Parma v Palermo, Sampdoria v Brescia, Bari v Roma.

Division Two Accrington 3 Barnet 1; Aldershot 2 Rotherham 2; Bury 1 Wycombe 3; Cheltenham 0 Shrewsbury 1; Crewe 2 Stockport 0; Gillingham 2 Macclesfield 4; Hereford 1 Bradford 1; Northampton 2 Stevenage 0; Oxford 2 Lincoln 1; Port Vale 7 Morecambe 2; Southend 1 Burton 1.

Played Friday Torquay 0 Chesterfield 0

Scottish Premier League results Aberdeen 1 (Pawlett 75) Inverness CT 0; Hibernian 1 (Sodje 23) St Johnstone 2 (Craig 74, Moon 90); Kilmarnock 2 (Fowler 55, Agard 86) Hearts 2 (Skacel 67, Pascali 76-og); Motherwell 0 Rangers 5 (Lafferty 18, Davis 51, Jelavic 64, Naismith 76, 90).

Playing today

Playing tomorrow Lazio v Juventus German League results Borussia Dortmund 2 (Barrios 32, Lewandowski 43) Nuremberg 0; Hamburg 0 Freiburg 2 (Cisse 16, 87); Mainz 05 3 (Ivanschitz 26, Soto 38, 45) Eintracht Frankfurt 0; Hoffenheim 1 (Mlapa 14) VfB Stuttgart 2 (Cacau 63, Kuzmanovic 68-pen); Cologne 2 (Novakovic 67, 82) Bayer Leverkusen 0; Hanover 96 0 Borussia M’gladbach 1 (Reus 76); Bayern Munich 4 (Robben 6, T. Mueller 13, 84, Gomez 19) Schalke 04 1 (Badstuber 8-og).

Fulham 3 SUNDERLAND: Injury-hit Sunderland crashed to their eighth defeat in 10 matches as Fulham scored only their second away win in nearly two years with a 3-0 victory at the Stadium of Light yesterday.

Fulham had not won on their league travels since August 2009, but the Cottagers proved too strong for Steve Bruce’s side, who had been hoping to build on last weekend’s victory over Wigan. French teenager Gael Kakuta, a loan signing from west London rivals Chelsea, gave Fulham the lead on 33 minutes before Welsh international Simon Davies bagged a second-half brace to wrap up the points. Sunderland enjoyed the better of the early chances but ultimately suffered through a lack of composure in attack, an inevitable side effect of a injury toll that has left Bruce without any fit strikers.

Fulham manager Mark Hughes however was able to make three changes from the side which beat Bolton 3-0 in midweek, Philippe Senderos making a long-awaited debut following an injury-plagued start to his Craven Cottage career. Kakuta and veteran striker Bobby Zamora were also promoted to the starting line -up as Hughes rotated his resources. And it was Kakuta who opened the scoring for Fulham on 33 minutes after some

LONDON: Fulham’s Simon Davies (left) scores past Sunderland’s Ahmed Elmohamady during the English Premier League soccer match at the Stadium of Light. —AP dreadful defending from the home side.

Zamora slipped a pass through to Kakuta in the middle of the area and the 19-year-old kept his cool to jab the ball through the legs of Simon Mignolet.

Sunderland spurned a glorious chance to level soon afterwards but Lee Cattermole failed to seriously test Mark Schwarzer, who saved comfortably from 10 yards out.

Sunderland might have made it 2-0 early in

Baines spot-kick thwarts Wigan great escape bid

Spanish league results Real Madrid 2 (Ramos 62, Benzema 85) Real Zaragoza 3 (Lafita 41, 77, Gabi 54-pen); Real Sociedad 2 (Ifran 71, Prieto 81pen) Barcelona 1 (Thiago 29) Playing later Deportivo La Coruna v Atletico Madrid

English Premier League table English Premier League table after yesterday’s matches (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points): Man Utd Chelsea Arsenal Man City Tottenham Liverpool Everton Bolton Fulham Stoke West Brom Newcastle Aston Villa Sunderland Blackburn Birmingham Blackpool Wigan W’hampton West Ham

34 35 34 33 34 34 35 35 35 35 35 34 35 35 35 34 35 35 34 34

21 21 18 17 14 15 11 12 10 12 11 10 10 10 10 8 9 7 9 7

10 7 10 8 13 7 15 10 15 7 10 11 11 11 8 14 8 14 6 11

3 7 6 8 7 12 9 13 10 16 14 13 14 14 17 12 18 14 19 16

71 66 67 51 50 51 48 48 43 43 51 49 44 39 41 34 48 35 37 39

32 28 36 30 43 39 43 48 36 43 65 48 57 52 55 51 70 58 60 61

73 70 64 59 55 52 48 46 45 43 43 41 41 41 38 38 35 35 33 32

English Football League tables Championship QPR 45 24 16 5 70 3088 — champions Norwich 44 22 14 8 80 56 80 Cardiff 44 23 10 11 75 50 79 Swansea 45 23 8 14 65 42 77 Reading 45 19 17 9 75 50 74 Nottingham 45 19 15 11 66 50 72 Leeds 45 18 15 12 79 69 69 Millwall 45 18 13 14 62 47 67 Burnley 45 18 13 14 64 60 67 Hull 45 16 17 12 52 48 65 Leicester 45 18 10 17 72 69 64 Ipswich 45 18 8 19 60 64 62 Watford 45 16 13 16 76 68 61 Bristol City 45 16 9 20 59 65 57 Portsmouth 44 15 12 17 52 58 57 M’brough 44 15 11 18 62 68 56 Coventry 45 14 12 19 52 56 54 Barnsley 45 13 14 18 54 66 53 Derby 45 13 10 22 57 69 49 Crystal 45 12 12 21 44 66 48 Doncaster 45 11 15 19 55 78 48 Sheffield Utd 45 11 9 25 44 7542 — relegated Scunthorpe 45 12 5 28 42 8641 — relegated Preston 45 9 12 24 51 7839 — relegated Division One Brighton 45 28 10 7 84 3994 — champions Southampton 44 26 8 10 80 36 86 Huddersfield 45 25 11 9 73 44 86 Peterborough 45 22 10 13 101 75 76 Keynes Dons 45 22 8 15 65 59 74 Bournemouth 45 19 14 12 74 52 71 Leyton Orient 45 18 13 14 67 61 67 Exeter 45 19 10 16 64 72 67 Rochdale 45 17 14 14 61 54 65 Brentford 45 17 9 19 51 58 60 Carlisle 45 16 11 18 60 60 59 Colchester 45 15 14 16 55 62 59 Sheffield 45 16 10 19 66 65 58 Charlton 45 15 13 17 62 66 58 Tranmere 45 15 11 19 53 58 56 Oldham 45 13 17 15 52 58 56 Yeovil 45 15 11 19 54 66 56 Hartlepool 45 15 11 19 47 65 56 Notts County 45 14 7 24 45 59 49 Walsall 45 12 12 21 55 72 48 D’ & R’bridge 45 12 11 22 52 65 47 Bristol Rovers 45 11 12 22 47 80 45 Plymouth 44 15 7 22 49 67 42 Swindon 45 8 14 23 48 7238 — relegated Note: Plymouth deducted 10 points for going into administration Division Two Chesterfield45 23 14 8 82 5083 — promoted Bury 45 23 11 11 79 4780 — promoted Wycombe 45 21 14 10 66 49 77 Shrewsbury 45 21 13 11 69 49 76 Accrington 45 18 18 9 72 54 72 Torquay 45 17 18 10 73 50 68 Stevenage 45 18 14 13 59 42 68 Gillingham 45 17 17 11 66 54 68 Port Vale 45 17 14 14 54 48 65 Rotherham 45 16 15 14 72 59 63 Oxford Utd 45 17 12 16 58 57 63 Crewe 45 17 11 17 82 64 62 Southend 45 16 13 16 61 53 61 Aldershot 45 13 19 13 51 54 58 M’field 45 14 12 19 58 72 54 Bradford 45 15 7 23 42 63 52 Morecambe 45 13 12 20 53 71 51 Cheltenham 45 13 12 20 55 76 51 Burton Albion 45 12 14 19 55 69 50 Northampton 45 10 19 16 61 70 49 Hereford 45 12 16 17 49 65 49 Lincoln City 45 13 8 24 45 78 47 Barnet 45 11 12 22 57 77 45 Stockport 45 9 13 23 47 9540 — relegated Note: Torquay deducted 1 points for fielding an ineligible player Hereford deducted 3 points for fielding an ineligible player Rangers Celtic Hearts

Scottish Premier League table 35 27 3 5 77 28 33 25 5 3 70 18 35 18 9 8 52 36

84 80 63

Dundee Utd Kilmarnock Motherwell Inverness CT Hibernian St Johnstone Aberdeen St Mirren Hamilton

34 35 35 34 35 35 35 34 34

15 13 13 10 10 9 10 7 3

10 9 6 11 7 10 5 8 11

9 13 16 13 18 16 20 19 20

48 51 39 44 38 20 36 32 21

43 47 51 41 55 43 55 55 56

55 48 45 41 37 37 35 29 20

Scottish Football League tables First Division Dunfermline 35 19 10 6 63 3167 — promoted Raith 35 17 9 9 47 32 60 Falkirk 35 17 7 11 57 38 58 Q of South 35 13 7 15 51 53 46 Dundee 35 19 12 4 54 31 44 Partick 35 11 11 13 41 39 44 Morton 35 11 10 14 37 40 43 Ross County 35 8 14 13 27 34 38 Cowdenbeath 35 9 8 18 41 69 35 Stirling 35 3 8 24 29 8017 — relegated Note: Dundee deducted 25 points Second Division Livingston 35 24 7 4 76 3279 — promoted Ayr 35 18 5 12 62 54 59 Forfar 35 17 7 11 50 48 58 Brechin 35 14 12 9 62 45 54 East Fife 35 14 9 12 75 58 51 Airdrie Utd 35 13 8 14 50 58 47 Dumbarton 35 11 6 18 52 70 39 Alloa 35 9 9 17 48 68 36 Stenhousemuir 35 9 8 18 43 59 35 Peterhead 35 5 11 19 47 73 26 Third Division Arbroath Albion Annan Athletic Queens Park Stranraer Berwick Elgin Montrose Clyde East Stirling

35 35 35 35 35 35 35 35 35 35

20 6 9 17 9 9 16 11 8 17 5 13 14 12 9 12 12 11 12 6 17 10 7 18 8 8 19 9 4 22

77 54 58 53 69 60 48 46 37 31

56 38 43 42 57 54 60 57 64 62

66 60 59 56 54 48 42 37 32 31

Italian Serie A table AC Milan 34 22 8 4 60 23 74 Inter Milan 35 21 6 8 62 39 69 Napoli 34 20 5 9 54 34 65 Lazio 34 18 6 10 46 32 60 Udinese 34 18 5 11 59 37 59 Roma 34 16 8 10 52 47 56 Juventus 34 14 11 9 52 42 53 Palermo 34 15 5 14 52 55 50 Fiorentina 34 11 13 10 40 36 46 Genoa 34 12 9 13 38 39 45 Cagliari 34 12 8 14 42 42 44 Bologna 34 11 10 13 34 46 40 Chievo 34 9 12 13 32 35 39 Parma 34 9 11 14 34 45 38 Catania 34 9 10 15 33 47 37 Cesena 35 9 10 16 33 47 37 Sampdoria 34 8 11 15 27 39 35 Lecce 34 9 8 17 40 60 35 Brescia 34 7 9 18 28 44 30 Bari 34 4 9 21 20 49 21 Note: Bologna deducted three points for unpaid taxes and player salaries German League table Borussia Dortmund32 Leverkusen 32 Bayern Munich 32 Hanover 32 Mainz 32 Nuremberg 32 Freiburg 32 Hamburg 32 Hoffenheim 32 Schalke 32 Kaiserslautern 32 Stuttgart 32 Werder Bremen 32 Cologne 32 Wolfsburg 32 Eintracht 32 M’gladbach 32 St. Pauli 32

22 6 4 19 7 6 17 8 7 18 3 11 16 4 12 13 8 11 13 5 14 12 7 13 10 10 12 11 7 14 11 7 14 11 6 15 9 11 12 11 5 16 8 11 13 9 7 16 9 5 18 8 5 19

Spanish League table Barcelona 34 28 Real Madrid 34 25 Valencia 33 19 Villarreal 33 17 Bilbao 33 16 Atletico 33 14 Sevilla 33 14 Espanyol 33 14 Levante 33 12 Mallorca 33 12 Sociedad 34 13 Sporting 33 10 Zaragoza 34 10 Deportivo 33 9 Getafe 33 10 Racing 33 9 Malaga 33 10 Osasuna 33 9 Hercules 33 9 Almeria 33 5

4 5 6 6 3 7 7 3 6 6 2 11 9 11 7 10 6 8 6 11

2 4 8 10 14 12 12 16 15 15 19 12 15 13 16 14 17 16 18 17

64 62 71 45 47 45 41 44 47 36 43 57 43 43 39 30 45 33 89 81 57 51 51 54 51 40 37 35 45 31 35 27 43 32 44 37 30 32

19 43 38 42 37 40 47 50 46 39 48 56 58 61 45 44 64 58 19 29 41 39 47 44 49 46 46 45 58 37 47 41 53 49 63 41 50 58

72 64 59 57 52 47 44 43 40 40 40 39 38 38 35 34 32 29 88 80 63 57 51 49 49 45 42 42 41 41 39 38 37 37 36 35 33 26

the second half but Zamora was just unable to get a touch on Gudjohnson’s firm cross.

But Fulham made no mistake on 61 minutes, when Steve Sidwell got to the byline and cut back for Davies who steered his shot into the far corner to make it 2-0. Davies then sealed a miserable afternoon for Sunderland with his second, taking advantage of a mix-up between Mignolet and Anton Ferdinand to turn in Zamora’s cross. —AFP

LONDON: West Bromwich Albion’s Youssouf Mulumbu (center) scores past Aston Villa goalkeeper Brad Friedel, right, during the English Premier League soccer match. —AP

Albion grab rare win West Brom 2

Aston Villa 1 BIRMINGHAM: Youssouf Mulumbu clinched 10-man West Bromwich Albion’s first victory over local rivals Aston Villa for 26 years as they fought back to win 21 at The Hawthorns yesterday.

An own goal from Abdoulaye Meite gave Villa an early lead before Peter Odemwingie levelled for the Baggies with his 14th goal of the campaign.

Albion midfielder Paul Scharner was sent off after 62 minutes for two bookable offences, but Mulumbu netted the winner with six minutes remaining.

West Brom, who have now taken 16 points from nine matches under boss Roy Hodgson, moved above Villa into 11th place in the Premier League.

With Villa boss Gerard Houllier still recovering from severe chest pains, Gary McAllister remained in charge and the Scot saw his side take the lead in the

fourth minute.

Gabriel Agbonlahor held the ball up inside the Baggies box before picking out Stewart Downing. Meite was unable to deal with Downing’s low cross and deflected the ball past Scott Carson into the corner of his own net. Carson was then unable to cling onto a deflected shot from Villa captain Stiliyan Petrov, but he recovered in time to grab the rebound before Darren Bent could take advantage. Scharner became the first player to be booked for a challenge on Nigel Reo-Coker.

Carlos Vela missed a great chance to bring Albion level, the on-loan Arsenal striker latching onto Simon Cox’s defence-splitting pass but failing to keep his shot down as he tried to chip Brad Friedel.

England winger Downing teed up Kyle Walker, whose menacing cross was tipped over the bar by Carson. But inform Nigerian striker Odemwingie brought West Brom level in the 60th minute. James Morrison’s deep free-kick was headed back across goal by Jonas Olsson and Cox and Scharner miskicked before Odemwingie lashed the ball into the roof of the net. — AFP

WIGAN: Wigan Athletic remain mired in the Premier League Wigan 1 relegation zone after Leighton Baines’s late penalty rescued a 1-1 draw for Everton Everton 1 against his former club yesterday.

Charles N’Zogbia gave Wigan the lead in the 21st minute at the DW Stadium and Everton’s Mikel Arteta then had a penalty saved by Ali Al Habsi.

Wigan came close to extending their lead on several occasions but a handball by Hugo Rodallega enabled Baines to draw the Toffees level from the penalty spot 12 minutes from full-time.

With three games of the season remaining, Wigan are third-bottom in the table but trail fourth-bottom Blackpool on goal difference alone.

They visit Aston Villa next weekend before hosting fellow strugglers West Ham United and then travel to FA Cup finalists Stoke City on the season’s final day.

Everton remain seventh, four points behind sixthplaced city rivals Liverpool, who host Newcastle United today. Everton welcomed back key attacking midfielders Arteta and Tim Cahill from injury but it was Wigan who made the more enterprising start. A pass from Ben Watson released Rodallega behind the Everton defence but the Colombian’s snap-shot was way off target.

Everton threatened through Victor Anichebe, who was denied by an alert block from Emmerson Boyce, before the hosts went ahead.

James McCarthy’s gentle chip forward ran through to N’Zogbia, who beat Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard to the ball, turned inside and curled a fine shot inside the left-hand post. Everton came close to an instant response, but Leon Osman’s rising drive drew a brilliant one-handed save from Wigan goalkeeper Al Habsi.

David Moyes’s side were given a glorious opportunity to pull level in the 36th minute, when N’Zogbia was penalised for a foul on Osman inside the Wigan penalty area following a short corner.

Arteta took responsibility for the subsequent spot-kick but his effort was superbly turned away by Al Habsi. Man of the moment N’Zogbia had to leave the fray due to injury early in the second period, but his replacement, Victor Moses, proved just as persistent a thorn in Everton’s side. The former Crystal Palace forward drew a fine near-post save from Howard and then brought the American shot-stopper into action again with a clipped shot from Boyce’s cut-back. Wigan were left to rue their failure to register a second goal when Rodallega conceded a penalty for a needless handball. — AFP

QPR go up, Blades and Scunthorpe relegated LONDON: QPR clinched promotion to the Premier League with a 2-0 win against Watford yesterday while Sheffield United and Scunthorpe were relegated to the third tier of English football.

Neil Warnock’s side returned to the top-flight after a 15-year absence, and secured the Championship title in the process, thanks to second half goals from Adel Taarabt and Tommy Smith at Vicarage Road. But QPR now face a nervous wait for the results of a disciplinary hearing due to be held next week over allegations they breached rules on third-party ownership.

A report in The Sun newspaper on Friday quoting an unnamed FA source said the club could be docked 15 points in connection with the signing of Argentinian midfielder Alejandro Faurlin. A 15-point penalty would leave QPR having to secure promotion all over again via the play-offs. But they will take heart from news earlier Saturday that the FA distanced itself from The Sun report, insisting that no decision had been taken. QPR had a scare before the game as goalkeeper Paddy Kenny had to be replaced by Radek Cerny following the warm-up but went on to win comfortably. After a tense first half, the goal QPR had been threatening finally arrived in the 77th minute when Smith charged down the left and crossed for Taarabt to sidefoot home at the near post.

Smith then ran through and tucked in the second in stoppage time to spark wild scenes in the away end, but Warnock and company must now wait and see if their champagne celebrations are premature.

At the other end of the table, Warnock’s former club Sheffield United and Scunthorpe followed already-relegated Preston into League One. United fell behind to a Danny Haynes goal at Bramall Lane against Barnsley but Matthew Lowton and Lee Williamson had given them hope of surviving the drop until Haynes netted a second with six minutes to go to secure a 2-2 draw. — AFP

Matches on TV (Local Timings) English Premier League Liverpool v Newcastle - 14:00 Abu Dhabi Sports HD 4

Al Jazeera Sport 1 HD

Birmingham v Wolves - 14:00 Abu Dhabi Sports HD 6

Bari v Roma - 21:45 Al Jazeera Sport +1 Al Jazeera Sport 1 HD

Arsenal v Man United - 16:05 Abu Dhabi Sports HD 3 Abu Dhabi Sports HD 5 Man City v West Ham - 18:00 Abu Dhabi Sports HD 3 Abu Dhabi Sports HD 5 Italian League Catania v Cagliari - 16:00 Al Jazeera Sport +7 Sampdoria v Brescia - 16:00 Al Jazeera Sport +8 Chievo v Lecce - 16:00 Al Jazeera Sport +2 AC Milan v Bologna - 16:00 Al Jazeera Sport +3

Fiorentina v Udinese - 16:00 Al Jazeera Sport 2 HD

Spanish League Racing v Mallorca - 18:00 Al Jazeera Sport 1 HD Malaga v Hercules - 18:00 Al Jazeera Sport +6 Levante v Sporting - 18:00 Al Jazeera Sport +8 Almeria v Sevilla - 18:00 Al Jazeera Sport +5 Villarreal v Getafe - 20:00 Al Jazeera Sport +2 Osasuna v Valencia - 22:00 Al Jazeera Sport +2 Al Jazeera Sport 2 HD

Lorenzo on pole in Portugal

SUNDAY, MAY 1, 2011

16

Dortmund crowned German champions

18

Sehwag stars as Delhi defeat Kochi by 38 runs Page 17 LONDON: Chelsea’s English defender Ashley Cole (left) vies with Tottenham Hotspur’s French defender Younes Kaboul (right) during their English Premier League football match. —AFP

Kalou keeps Chelsea’s title bid alive Chelsea 2

Tottenham 1

LO N D O N : S a l o m o n K a l o u k e p t Chelsea’s title challenge alive with the 89th minute winner after his side had cancelled out Tottenham’s opener with a highly-controversial equaliser in the 2-1 victory yesterday.

Carlo Ancelotti’s team were trailing to Sandro’s stunning first half opener at Stamford Bridge when Spurs goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes allowed Frank Lampard’s shot to slip through his hands.

Referee Andre Marriner awarded a goal on his linesman’s advice even though replays showed Gomes had clawed the ball back just before it completely crossed the line.

There was more controversy as Kalou’s goal, a close range effor t that turned home Didier Drogba’s miscued shot, delivered victory with Spurs defenders claiming the Blues striker was in an offside position.

Victory moved Ancelotti’s side to within three points of leaders Manchester United and piled pressure on the leaders ahead of today’s trip to Arsenal.

Spurs, meanwhile, missed out on the chance to close the four-point gap on fourth-placed Manchester City and their chances of qualifying for the Champions League have faded significantly.

E a r l y o n , To t t e n h a m s t r i k e r Roman Pavlyuchenko should have done better when Branislav Ivanovic slipped, but he fired wastefully across Petr Cech’s goal.

At the other end Chelsea forward Fernando Torres was close when his shot was deflec ted into the side netting two minutes later.

Drogba then came within inches of breaking the deadlock with a dipping free kick that beat Gomes from 30 yards but rebounded to safety off the crossbar.

Gomes would have less fortune later on but by then Sandro had fired the visitors into a 19th minute lead with a spectacular long range shot.

There was little sign of danger when Rafael van der Vaart helped a t h ro w - i n i n t o t h e p a t h o f t h e Brazilian midfielder, who struck a rising drive that beat Cech despite the keeper getting a hand on the ball.

Chelsea responded positively and Gomes was forced to tip Michael Essien’s header over the bar before Torres failed to connect properly with Drogba’s flick on.

But Spurs were defending solidly and looked set to reach half time ahead when Lampard struck a low drive from outside the area straight at Gomes seconds before the break.

The Spurs keeper appeared to have the shot covered, but allowed the ball to squirm though his hands and roll through his legs towards the goal.

Gomes was convinced his desperate reac tion was enough to save him from fur ther embarrassment but Marriner awarded a goal after receiving a signal from his assistant.

G o m e s’ e r ro r h a d n e e d l e s s l y h a n d e d t h e i n i t i a t i ve b a c k t o Ancelotti’s side and Drogba quickly made it clear he intended to test the Brazilian at every opportunity after the restart.

A l o n g r a n g e s h o t f ro m t h e Chelsea striker forced Gomes into an unconvincing block eight minutes after the restart.

And the keeper was lucky not to gift Chelksea a second goal when he failed to hold Drogba’s 40-yard freekick, allowing the ball to bounce into the path of K alou who shot over.

Kalou had appeared as a substitute moments earlier when Ancelotti withdrew Torres in the 63rd minute. The Spaniard’s early threat had fizzled out and Chelsea’s attack needed more urgency as the hosts sought a winning goal.

A n d A n c e l o t t i b e l i e ve d t h e y s h o u l d h a ve b e e n h a n d e d t h e opportunity to take control of the game when Marriner turned appeals for a penalty after Younes Kaboul’s l a s t d i t c h c h a l l e n g e o n Fl o re n t Malouda.

But Chelsea pressure eventually told in the dying minutes when Kalou struck from close-range after Drogba barged his way through the Spurs defence.—AFP

Blackburn stop rot as Bolton downed

LONDON: Stoke City’s Kenwyne Jones (right) and Blackpool’s Ian Evatt battle for the ball during the English Premier League soccer match. —AP

Blackpool stay out of relegation zone Blackpool 0

Stoke 0 BLACKPOOL: Blackpool remain just above the Premier League relegation zone despite being held to a 0-0 draw by Stoke at Bloomfield Road yesterday.

Ian Holloway’s side could have significantly boosted their chances of avoiding the drop with a victory over the FA Cup finalists, but a dour encounter left them ahead of third bottom Wigan only on goal difference.

The Seasiders were fortunate to escape a defeat as Stoke striker Kenwyne Jones missed the best chance of the game when he rounded goalkeeper Matt Gilks but shot woefully wide in the first-half.

Victory for Wolves over Birmingham on Sunday would see Blackpool slide into the relegation zone with only three matches to play. Blackpool carved out the first opportunity after six minutes as Stephen Crainey whipping in a cross and DJ Campbell headed over the bar. Having soaked up some

pressure, Stoke got their first strike in on goal as Robert Huth saw a shot blocked by Crainey.

Blackpool’s Gary Taylor-Fletcher got on the end of a cross from Ian Evatt four minutes before the interval but was unable to get much power behind his header, which Asmir Begovic gathered comfortably.

The hosts then survived a real scare in first half stoppage-time when they lost possession and the ball came to Jones, who took it around Michael Gilks as Evatt slipped over. It seemed like a simple finish for the former Sunderland striker, but he somehow contrived to blaze wide and the score remained 0-0.

Matt Phillips went close for Blackpool at the start of the second half but his flick towards goal from Charlie Adam’s corner was saved by Begovic.

Keith Southern then fired an effort in which took a deflection off his team-mate Campbell and went narrowly wide.

Stoke responded with a swerving shot from Glenn Whelan which Gilks dived to palm away and a downward header from Jones that was scrambled clear.

Blackpool fans appealed for a penalty when Campbell got in a tangle with Whelan in the box, but referee Mark Clattenburg waved play on.—AFP

B L AC K B U R N : Blackburn halted their slide towards Premier Blackburn 1 League relegation when Martin Olsson’s first-half goal earned them a potentially Bolton 0 priceless 1-0 win over Lancashire rivals Bolton here yesterday. It was Rovers’ first win in 11 league games stretchi g back to January and eased the pressure on beleaguered boss Steve Kean.

After an edgy start, the home side dominated and ultimately deserved their victory on a tense afternoon at Ewood Park.

But Rovers made hard work of it by missing a series of chances to kill the game off in the second-half and Bolton, though below their best, were always capable of nicking an equaliser. But ultimately it was the Swede Olsson, never a prolific goalscorer since joining the club five years ago, who was the hero. Both teams struggled to cope with the blustery conditions and Rovers looked nervous early on. They almost fell behind after ten minutes when Rodrigo Moreno’s snapshot flashed past Paul Robinson’s left-hand post.

Bolton fans taunted Rovers supporters with cries of ‘You should have kept Big Sam’-a reference to the former Wanderers manager controversially sacked by Blackburn’s Indian owners last December.

It generated some sympathetic applause from the Ewood faithful, who had watched their team slide into relegation trouble on the back of a 10-match winless run. But the mood almost changed when Olsson’s fierce shot was saved by Adam Bogdan before the Bolton ‘keeper scooped the loose ball away as Mwaruwari Benjani tried to bundle it over the line.

Blackburn’s luck was in again when Moreno beat Robinson for a second time only to see his shot smack an upright. But it was Olsson who made the breakthough after 20 minutes. Goals from the Swede have been as rare as hen’s teeth since he joined Rovers in 2006 and his only other Premier League strike this season was against Liverpool in January.

Olsson took Michel Salgado’s pass and glided past David Wheater before toe-ending his shot into the bottom corner of the net from 16 yards.

Bogdan ought to have kept it out, but the Hungarian-making his first Premier League appearance since last September - redeemed himself four minutes later when he prevented Olsson adding a second. The Rovers man was again allowed far too much space, but Bogdan smothered his close-range shot.

The home side continued to press and Benjani wasted a chance after being teed up by Olsson before he was replaced by Nikola Kalinic.

Bolton skipper Kevin Davies endured a frustrating afternoon, starved of service and easily kept in check by the Blackburn defence, and was finally booked for raising his arm in a heading challenge with Phil Jones which left the Rovers man clutching his face.—AFP

A

y

e niv rsar n

Business Years

SUNDAY, MAY 1, 2011

Al-Shaya, H&M support retail training scheme for women Page 22 Zain Kuwait’s ‘AdZone’ service offers smart way to advertise Page 23

In tough times, business at thrift stores thrive

Page 25

India’s Infosys names banker as new chairman Page 23

ALLAHABAD: Indian laborers carry gravel on their heads, to be used for construction purpose, on the eve of May Day yesterday. — AP

Saudi Arabia to post $25bn surplus Inflation to remain between 5-6% JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia will post a 95 billion riyal ($25 billion) surplus this year, despite its record spending plans, based on an average oil price of $95 per barrel, a state-owned bank said yesterday. The biggest Arab economy rolled out its third consecutive record budget for 2011, planning to spend 580 billion riyals, and has also announced additional fiscal handouts of over $100 billion to be spent on infrastructure and other projects. “Our estimates for the surplus, despite the government’s increased spending plans, are expected to reach close to 95 billion riyals and government spending is expected to reach close to 846 billion riyals,” National Commercial Bank’s chief economist Said Al-Shaikh said. Speaking at a press conference in Jeddah, Al-Shaikh said business confidence in the world’s biggest oil exporter will increase in the second quarter over various sectors as a result of this increased spending.

“We see a jump in optimism across all variables, whether we are talking volume of sales, new orders, selling prices, or profit, all is showing an increase,” he said. NCB in collaboration with Dun & Bradstreet released on Friday its survey for the Business Optimism Index for the second quarter of 2011, surveying 500 businesses in the country, which revealed record levels in the non-oil sector.

The non-oil sector rose to 68 points in the second quarter from 65 points the previous quarter, its highest level since the survey began in Q1 2009, while

the manufacturing composite index rose to 70 points from 64 points, the index showed. Saudi Arabia’s construction sector, supported by government plans to boost its infrastructure development, rose to 71 points from 66 points.

Al-Shaikh expects that with higher oil production, expected to reach 9 million barrels a day in 2011, Saudi Arabia will see GDP growth of 5.8 percent. Its non-oil sector will also rise by 5 percent as the government pushes forward with infrastructure projects. Inflation, which dropped to 4.7 percent in

March from 4.9 a year earlier, is expected to rise on the increased spending but will not exceed 6 percent, Al-Shaikh said.

“The spending program ... is expected to raise inflation levels but we expect it to remain between 5-6 percent. We do not see it exceeding that figure, at least not this year,” he said. Al-Shaikh also expected loan growth to continue in 2011, reaching growth levels of 10-12 percent as banks start lending again to the private sector. Bank lending slowed down in 2009 on concerns over non-performing

loans during the financial crisis but has risen after banks took provisions to protect them against bad loans.

Last year, Saudi Arabia’s Central Bank Governor Mohammad Al-Jasser urged banks to be more conservative and make sure provisions for bad loans exceed 100 percent of their value. Al-Shaikh said provisions for bad loans in Saudi Arabia were covered by 116 percent in 2010. Bad loans reached 27 billion riyals, around 3.4 percent of total lending portfolios in Saudi banks, he said. — Reuters

Rising gas prices mean oil company profits: Obama WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama declared yesterday that oil companies are profiting from rising gasoline prices and urged Congress once again to end $4 billion a year in oil and gas company tax breaks. “These tax giveaways aren’t right,” Obama said in his weekly radio and Internet address.

“They aren’t smart. And we need to end them.” Obama has been sparring with congressional Republicans over the skyrocketing cost of gasoline, which has topped $4 a gallon in some regions of the country, more than $1 dollar higher than a year ago. The rising prices have contributed to a slowdown in economic growth and have hurt Obama’s public approval ratings.

The Exxon Mobil Corp. last week reported nearly $11 billion in profits for the first quarter of this year but said it

had no control over oil prices. Other oil companies also reported huge gains.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says he plans to consider Obama’s proposal as early as this week. The president said money recouped from ending the oil and gas tax subsidies should be used on new energy resources and research. He said he refuses to cut spending on clean energy initiatives.

“An investment in clean energy today is an investment in a better tomorrow,” he said. “And I think that’s an investment worth making.” Obama’s critics say his call to end such subsidies is merely support for new tax increases that would end up costing jobs. “The president may think he’s punishing CEOs of big companies, but his plan will hurt the everyday consumer of energy and imperil the jobs of millions of hard-

MOUNTAIN VIEW: In this photo, a Chevron customer pumps gas in California. — AP

working people in American-based companies,” Rep James Lankford, a firstterm congressman from Oklahoma, said in the Republicans’ weekly address.

In his address, Obama said the economy was growing again and took note of nearly 2 million new private sector jobs in the last 13 months. But the president did not mention that the pace of the recovery slowed significantly in the first three months of this year. The US economy grew at a 1.8 percent annual rate during that quarter, a much slower pace than the 3.1 percent rate reported in the previous three months.

High gasoline prices, bad winter weather and steep government spending cuts were responsible for the slowdown. Eager to show action on gas costs, Obama has repeatedly called for ending the tax subsidies to oil and gas companies, even while conceding that they would not have an immediate effect on prices. He has also called for the Justice Department to investigate possible price fixing and said this week that he was also prodding OPEC nations such as Saudi Arabia to increase production. “I also believe that instead of subsidizing yesterday’s energy, we should invest in tomorrow’s,” he said.

Lankford also warned that Republicans would not vote to raise the nation’s debt ceiling - now at $14.3 trillion - in the coming weeks unless the measure also includes steps to cut government spending. Presidents have agreed to such deals in the past, and Obama this month, in an interview with The Associated Press, conceded that some spending restrictions might be necessary to win an increase in the debt ceiling.

Without raising that limit, the government would default on its debts. — AP

NEW DELHI: This picture taken shows two grounded Air India aircraft at Indira Gandhi International airport. — AFP

Air India crippled as pilots’ strike goes on NEW DELHI: Flagship carrier Air India’s woes deepened as it was forced to cancel most of its domestic flights by a pilots’ strike over pay that entered its fourth day yesterday.

The financially ailing state-run carrier, which says it has lost $6 million in revenues so far due to the strike, said it was operating just 39 domestic flights out of its regular 320, according to the Press Trust of India. The airline is “operating on only trunk routes” to major Indian cities, an Air India spokesman said. “We do not have any pilots,” he added. The airline, which at the start of the strike had been able to operate most flights, has also scaled back international operations.

More than 800 pilots were on strike, defying management warnings of dismissal, while non-unionized pilots, asked by management to fill in for the strikers, have begun calling in sick in support of their colleagues. The airline, which has condemned the strike as “illegal, unfortunate and most irresponsible,” has already sacked nine pilots and suspended six others. The Delhi High Court has

initiated contempt of court proceedings against the pilots, citing their “utter defiance” of its orders to end their strike.

If found guilty, the pilots could be sentenced to six months in jail. “We’re more than willing to go to jail,” Rishabh Kapur, General Secretary of the Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA), told India’s NDTV news. In 2007, the government merged Air India with state-run domestic carrier Indian Airlines in a bid to create a more cost-efficient national carrier.

The pilots on strike were all originally hired by Indian Airlines and say that four years after the merger, they are still paid significantly less than the pilots from Air India.

They are demanding equal wages, but the airline has said no strike is legally permitted as a case on wage parity and other issues is pending before a tribunal. “I hope sense will prevail upon these people,” said civil aviation minister Vayalar Ravi. Private airlines have cashed in on the strike by hiking their fares on routes served by Air India. — AFP

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Dubai lender DIB’s Q1 net profit up Bank’s assets reach 100.4bn dirhams DUBAI: Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB), the largest Islamic lender in the United Arab Emirates, reported an 11 percent gain in first quarter net profit, missing analysts’ forecasts. The bank, also Dubai’s thirdlargest by market value, said in a statement yesterday that net profit rose to 222 million dirhams for the three months ending March 31, compared to a profit of 200 million dirhams in the same quarter of

2010. EFG Hermes had estimated an average quarterly net profit of 310 million dirhams.

DIB reported a full-year profit of 806 million dirhams for 2010 in March. Fourth quarter profit slipped 62 percent but still beat analysts’ forecast. “These positive results-including growth in net profits, assets and customer deposits-reflect the resilience of Dubai Islamic Bank during this

period of increasing domestic economic expansion,” DIB’s chairman Ibrahim AlShaibani, who also serves as director of Dubai’s ruler’s court, said in a statement.

Banks in the United Arab Emirates were forced to take on record provisions for bad loans in the wake of the global financial crisis, which hurt profits and constrained lending.

The lender is thought to have suffered

from heavy exposure to investments in Dubai’s battered real estate sector.

Government-controlled DIB became the majority shareholder of troubled Islamic mortgage provider Tamweel in September last year after it raised its stake in the firm to 57.33 percent. The bank’s assets stood at 100.4 billion dirhams, an 11 percent increase from the previous quarter, the statement said. — Reuters

Gulfmart country manager wins award

DOHA: Al-Jazeera’s social media team celebrates with a specially branded cake.

Al-Jazeera celebrates million Facebook fans DOHA: Al-Jazeera is proud to announce that it has reached more than one million fans on its Arabic Facebook page making it the first and only Arabic news channel to do so.

Al-Jazeera has been particularly praised for its social media efforts in recent months. The network’s new media team has been seen as crucial in both newsgathering and news broadcasting during the Arab uprisings. Fans on Facebook and followers on Twitter have increased dramatically during this period.

Al-Jazeera’s Head of Social Media, Riyaad Minty, stated: “This is a huge moment for us. The really wonderful thing

has been that these numbers have been achieved organically till now - we have not invested huge amounts of money in building this fanbase. “I can remember first launching the page in 2009, and watching it grow has been phenomenal. At that time it was seen as a somewhat strange move, but as we can see from this milestone, the page is central to our output. “We want to continue to grow. Across all of our Facebook pages, including the English one, we have over two million fans in total. Our presence on YouTube is amongst the most popular channels there.”

Al-Shaya, H&M support retail training scheme for women JEDDAH: Al-Shaya International Trading Co, and H&M, one of the world’s leading international fashion brands, have teamed up in Saudi Arabia to establish a seven week retail training scheme for Saudi women. The scheme, which started this April, is running in partnership with the Future Institute of Higher Training for Ladies and aims to provide women who want to work in retail with the chance to learn about the sector and develop skills which will support them in future retail career opportunities.

Alshaya owns and operates the H&M brand franchise in Saudi Arabia.

With sustained growth predicted for the retail sector in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, demand for skilled employees is set to rise and there is a shortage of local candidates. H&M’s

new training scheme will help to bridge that gap and is focused specifically on women. The new course will support the sector by providing an introduction to Saudi females who wish to start working in a fashion retail store, but who have little or no experience or knowledge of the sector. Through a mix of practical and theoretical training it aims to equip students with all the skills and experience they need to succeed in the fashion retail sector.

Students will study the principles of fashion retailing including product knowledge, customer services, selling skills store operations and visual merchandising. In addition, they will be trained in general skills which are important in working life including communication skills and problem solv-

KUWAIT: Gulfmart, the country’s fastest growing retail chain, had yet another occasion to celebrate when the retail outlet’s country manager for Kuwait, T A Remesh, won the prestigious Garshom Special Award for 2010.

The annual Garshom Awards was instituted in 2003 by Garshom Infomedia, an organization committed to serving Non-Resident Indians (NRI) in every facet of their life. The awards recognize the valuable contributions of NRIs in enriching lives of their compatriots as well as strengthening relations between India and their country of Residence.

The Garshom awards pay tribute to the neversay-die, always-come-trumps spirit of NRIs who have ventured out of their homeland and weaved a success story by their sheer determination, innovation, hard work and drive. Besides the Special Award category, the 8th Garshom Awards also honors winners in the categories of Garshom Pravasi Ratna, Garshom Vanitha, Garshom Yuva Pravasi, Garshom Pravasi Returnee and the Garshom Pravasi Organization.

The Special Award honoring Remesh is in recognition of his excellence in all aspects of the retail industry, his outstanding leadership qualities and for his dedication to the betterment of the community.

Announcing his name, Garshom Infomedia said that as country Manager of Gulfmart, Remesh has been the leading force in spearheading the assertive expansion of Gulfmart throughout Kuwait and his managerial excellence and social commitments have been appreciated by the Indian community in Kuwait.

The winners of 2010 Garshom Awards were selected by a panel of international judges from nominations submitted by readers of Garshom publications and visitors to www.garshom.com. The panel of judges was headed by Jins Paul, Managing Editor Garshom Infomedia and included Ivan Nigli (India) Dr B Ashok Kumar (Oman) and Polly Mathew Somatheeram (Germany). The 8th Garshom Award Nite, a grand cultural event marking the Garshom Awards presentation ceremonies, is scheduled to be held in Kuwait at the Indian Community School, Salmiya, on May 27, 2011.

ing. As part of the course, which will be delivered in English by Arabic speaking tutors, students will also undertake periods of in-store work placement where they can put the skills they learn into practice.

Following completion of the course, students who can succesfully fulfil the necessary requirements, will be supported in finding employment, both in H&M stores and in stores managed by other retail companies who operate in Saudi Arabia. Around the world H&M has been involved for many years in projects which focus on women and education.

Its goal in supporting this training initiative is not only to increase the number of female staff within its own business, but also to increase the number of women working within the overall marketplace.

T A Remesh

Burgan Bank extends services KUWAIT: Burgan Bank announced its partnership with Salhiya Complex, long regarded as Kuwait’s premier shopping destination to extend a unique shopping experience to the complex’s premier clientele. Burgan Bank will be present in Salhiya Complex until May 5, 2011 to present its Premier Banking Services; in addition, the bank has entered into an exclusive partnership with a range of merchants at the complex to offer Burgan’s Premier Banking Customers exclusive offers, discounts, and special benefits.

Premier Banking Customers in Burgan will be entitled to discounts that range between 10 percent- 50 percent when using their Premier Debit Card or VISA Platinum Credit Card in an array of Salhiya restaurants and cafÈs that include Caribou, Fauchon, Fonduc, Laila Min Libnan and Johnny Rockets. Furthermore, this promotional offer is also eligible at a large variety of boutiques such as Moustache, Etienne Aigner, OptyLife, Gold Pfeil , Schumacher, Mosaic, Circles, Les petit Parisians, Private Collection, Marcello Sweets, Atyab Al-Marshoud, International Mill, Charles Jourdan, Bouquet flowers, Thoub Zaman, OSHA, and Nail Lounge, this offer is valid until May 31, 2011.

Chief Retail Banking Officer Muneera Al-MukhaizeemGeneral Manager at Burgan Bank said, “This offer is part of our continuous efforts to present our customers with value added services and benefits throughout their banking experience with us. We are delighted to welcome you to a new world of premier opportunity and privilege! As a premier customer, you deserve a rather special level of service and exclusive benefits that fits your premium lifestyle. We always aim to put forward special offers and discounts across a wide range of categories and added features to our customers.”

The bank’s premier banking service offers a number of personalized services and products that have been delicately tailored to match the unique and prestigious lifestyle of its customers. Customers can enjoy priority banking service through a dedicated personal banking executive, access to exclusive premier lounges in branches, as well as entitlement to the very best in life-style related offers, discounts and promotions. Burgan Bank aims to continuously offer its Premier banking customers a range of innovative and different banking solutions and products.

To find out more about Burgan Bank’s Premier Account visit any of Burgan Bank’s conveniently located branches, or call the 24/7 Telebanking service on 1804080 or log on to Burgan Bank’s website at www.burgan.com.

EXCHANGE RATES Commercial Bank of Kuwait US Dollar/KD GB Pound/KD Euro Swiss francs Canadian Dollar Australian DLR Indian rupees Sri Lanka Rupee UAE dirhams Bahraini dinars Jordanian dinar Saudi riyals Omani riyals Philippine peso Egyptian pounds

.2700000 .4525000 .4010000 .3115000 .2860000 .2950000 .0061800 .0020000 .0744830 .7256640 .3820000 .0700000 .7113810 .0045000 .0450000 CUSTOMER TRANSFER RATES .2743500 .4546390 .4029790 .3138660 .2883040 .0540530 .0451550 .2972720 .0353000 .2225780 .0033540 .0000000 .0000000 .0000000 .0000000 .0747240 .7279120 .0000000 .0731800 .7127830 .0000000

US Dollar/KD GB Pound/KD Euro Swiss francs Canadian dollars Danish Kroner Swedish Kroner Australian dlr Hong Kong dlr Singapore dlr Japanese yen Indian Rs/KD Sri Lanka rupee Pakistan rupee Bangladesh taka UAE dirhams Bahraini dinars Jordanian dinar Saudi Riyal/KD Omani riyals Philippine Peso

Al-Muzaini Exchange Co.

Japanese Yen Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Srilankan Rupees Nepali Rupees Singapore Dollar Hongkong Dollar Bangladesh Taka

ASIAN COUNTRIES 3.416 6.196 3.244 2.498 3.883 225.080 35.426 3.764

.2800000 .4620000 .4080000 .3210000 .2950000 .3020000 .0062990 .0035000 .0752310 .7329570 .4020000 .0770000 .7185310 .0072500 .0560000 .2764500 .4581190 .4060640 .3162680 .2905110 .0544670 .0455010 .2995470 .0355700 .2242820 .0033800 .0062470 .0025150 .0032790 .0038130 .0752960 .7334840 .3910180 .0737400 .7182390 .0064290

Philippine Peso Thai Baht Irani Riyal - Transfer Irani Riyal - Cash

6.415 9.198 0.271 0.273 GCC COUNTRIES 73.370 75.605 714.690 730.640 74.910

Saudi Riyal Qatari Riyal Omani Riyal Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham Egyptian Pound - Cash Egyptian Pound - Transfer Yemen Riyal Tunisian Dinar Jordanian Dinar Lebanese Lira Syrian Lier Morocco Dirham

ARAB COUNTRIES 47.250 46.254 1.259 205.720 388.570 182.500 5.940 36.673

EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES US Dollar Transfer 275.050 Euro 411.470 Sterling Pound 463.460 Canadian dollar 294.170 Turkish lire 181.190 Swiss Franc 322.870 Australian dollar 299.720 US Dollar Buying 273.850

Indonesia Iranian tuman Iraqi dinar Japanese yen Jordanian dinar Lebanese pound Malaysian ringgit Morocco dirham Nepalese Rupees New Zealand dollar Nigeria Norwegian krone Omani Riyal Pakistani rupees Philippine peso Qatari riyal Saudi riyal Singapore dollar South Africa Sri Lankan rupees Sterling pound Swedish krona Swiss franc Syrian pound Thai bhat Tunisian dollar UAE dirham U.S. dollars Yemeni Riyal

GOLD 288.000 145.000 74.000

Sterling Pound US Dollar

Bahrain Exchange Company COUNTRY Australian dollar Bahraini dinar Bangladeshi taka Canadian dollar Cyprus pound Czek koruna Danish krone Deutsche Mark Egyptian pound Euro Cash Hongkong dollar Indian rupees

SELL CASH 302.200 732.980 3.990 293.500 541.300 14.100 54.700 167.800 47.370 409.000 36.150 6.490

SELL DRAFT 300.700 732.980 3.782 292.000

225.300 46.364 407.500 36.000 6.205

0.032

389.540 0.185 93.680 3.900 224.000 715.690 3.270 6.385 75.820 73.590 225.300 43.800 2.497 457.000 318.100 5.900 9.410 75.100 275.600

GOLD 1,560.410

10 Tola 20 Gram 10 Gram 5 Gram

0.033 0.246 0.243 3.470 391.010 0.186 93.680 47.800 4.320 226.000 1.869 52.600 715.870 3.350 6.590 76.250 73.590 225.330 43.800 2.675 459.000 45.500 319.600 5.900 9.560 198.263 75.200 276.000 1.230

TRAVELLER’S CHEQUE 457.000 275.600

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd Rate for Transfer US Dollar Canadian Dollar Sterling Pound Euro Swiss Frank Bahrain Dinar UAE Dirhams Qatari Riyals Saudi Riyals Jordanian Dinar Egyptian Pound Sri Lankan Rupees

Selling Rate 276.800 292.345 453.255 400.600 308.720 732.607 75.339 76.008 73.783 391.007 46.496 2.506

Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Pesso Cyprus pound Japanese Yen Thai Bhat Syrian Pound Nepalese Rupees Malaysian Ringgit Malaysian Ringgit

6.239 3.283 3.806 6.397 678.972 3.437 9.341 6.038 3.943 91.033 91.428

Kuwait Bahrain Intl Exchange Co. Currency US Dollar Pak Rupees Indian Rupees Sri Lankan Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Peso UAE Dirhams Saudi Riyals Bahraini Dinars Egyptian Pounds Pound Sterling Indonesian Rupiah Nepali rupee Yemeni Riyal Jordanian Dinars Syrian Pounds Euro Canadian Dollars

Rate per 1000 (Tran) 27.00 3.265 6.215 2.515 3.785 6.420 75.110 73.670 732.400 46.345 462.400 0.00003280 3.910 1.550 392.400 5.750 410.400 298.300

Al Mulla Exchange Currency US Dollar Euro Pound Sterling Canadian Dollar Japanese Yen Indian Rupee Egyptian Pound Sri Lankan Rupee Bangladesh Taka Philippines Peso Pakistan Rupee Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham Saudi Riyal *Rates are subject to change

Transfer Rate (Per 1000) 275.150 407.300 456.800 291.800 3.375 6.202 46.315 2.496 3.755 6.374 3.254 732.900 75.000 73.550

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Zain Kuwait’s ‘AdZone’ service offers smart way to advertise AdZone targets advertisers and customers

KUWAIT: NBK senior staff members pose for a picture.

NBK awards Thahabi account staff members KUWAIT: The National Bank of Kuwait awarded staff members of the Thahabi account administration, after they passed an extensive training program held to improve their skills in the financial and investment fields. The ceremony was attended by assistant general manager of the personal accounts services group, Adel Al-Jana’ei, as well as NBK Capital CEO Salah Al-Fulaij, human resources group chairman, Emad AlAblani, and deputy manager of the personal accounts services group Abdullah Al-Tuwaijri.

“The vision of the NBK’s administration focuses on sustainable development of human resources as a top strategic priority”, Al-Jana’ei said in a speech during which he congratulated the awarded staff and asserted on the bank’s commitment to improve the skills of young Kuwaiti employees to make them ready to serve their country in their future from senior posts.

The training course lasted for four months and consisted of three phases that covered the fields of economy, investment, financial analysis, and planning. Al-Thahabi account, which was acknowledged by the Banker Middle East

Magazine when they selected the NBK as the best Middle Eastern bank in 2011, provides special banking services and investment options to a significant class of NBK customers, and that through personal banking officials that take care of all their banking transactions.

Adel Al-Jana’ei

Market rally sustains profit Markaz Financial Report KUWAIT: This week, the KSE weighted index ended 1.5 percent higher at 467 level and the KSE price index increased 1.2 percent at 6,521 level. The market continued moving up with higher volume for past four weeks. This week rally mainly led by the banking sector which rose by 2.5 percent. While the real-estate, the industrial and the Non-Kuwaiti sectors added 2 percent, 1.8 percent and 1.6 percent respec tively. The I nvestment sec tor moved up 0.5 percent on weekly basis.

The market sentiment was positive as 72 stocks increased against 40 stocks declined and 21 stocks closed at same

level as the previous week. Among the large caps stocks the top gainers were NMTC +5.2 percent, Burgan +3.8 percent, BPCC +3.5 percent, GBK +3.6 percent, NBK +3.3 percent, KPROJ +2.4 percent, FOOD +1.3 percent, AGLTY +1.2 percent and the losers were NINV -5.1 percent, KFH -1.8 percent. The stocks of NIG and ZAIN remained unchanged compared to last week. The KSE weighted index has downside support at 460 level and upside it may rally towards to 475 to 480 levels.

While the KSE price index has downside support at 6,450 level and upside it may go up to 6,650 to 6,700 levels.

BANGALORE: Infosys Technologies Ltd’s newly appointed chairman K V Kamath smiles after announcing management changes of the company yesterday. — AP

India’s Infosys names banker as new chairman BANGALORE: Infosys yesterday named a prominent banker to take charge of India’s second-largest software exporter as the firm struggles to boost performance in the face of slow global recovery. Infosys Technologies appointed K V Kamath as chairman to replace founder N R Narayana Murthy, who is slated to retire from the post at the age of 65 in August as part of a shake-up in its top management.

Kamath, 63, the first non-company founder to head the software giant based in India’s southern technology hub Bangalore, formerly headed India’s largest private bank, ICICI. “I am so happy he will be steering the company in the future,” Murthy told a news conference as he announced the appointment, which he said had been a unanimous choice. Kamath, who has been an independent director on the Infosys board since May 2009, takes the helm as India’s flagship outsourcing sector faces challenges from a slow recovery in Europe and the United States and currency volatility.

Infosys said S D Shibulal, now chief operating officer, would become chief executive, replacing S Gopalakrishnan, who will become executive co-chairman. Murthy, who helped

pioneer India’s outsourcing industry and is widely respected for his business acumen and ethics, will serve as chairman emeritus of the company, which will be realigned into new broad business groups.

“I accept this position with the deepest humility,” Kamath said, paying tribute to Murthy as someone who built a company “with integrity and defined that as a core value”. “No-one can replace N R Narayana Murthy,” Kamath, currently non-executive chairman of ICICI Bank, told reporters. “What he did for Infosys epitomized the spirit of the new India.”

Infosys, regarded as a bellwether for the $60 billion Indian export-focused outsourcing sector, was founded by Murthy and six other entrepreneurs three decades ago with an investment of just $250. US and other foreign firms, drawn by India’s vast, educated Englishspeaking workforce and labor costs that are lower than in the West, have farmed out a range of jobs from answering bank client calls to processing insurance claims. The appointment comes after Infosys reported earlier in April fiscal fourth-quarter earnings which disappointed investors and gave a weak outlook for the current financial year. — AFP

KUWAIT: Zain Kuwait, the country’s leading mobile network operator, has officially rolled out its ‘AdZone’ innovative service that was earlier launched on a trial basis in January 2011.

AdZone is the first service of its kind in the Middle East, allowing advertisers to send and customers to receive ads on their smart phones, relevant to and according to where they are geographically located at any one time. Mobile advertising can be in the form of either alarm messages, SMS, media, video clips .

When visiting popular retail areas in Kuwait such as 360 mall, Al-Bairaq, Al-Manshar, Marina Mall, Souq Sharq, City Center Salmiya, Avenues, Fair Ground, and Kuwait International Airport, Zain customers will receive promotional content from companies and brands in that location. When they move to another AdZone location, the adver tising content will change

accordingly.

“The launch of AdZone Zain has opened new horizons in mobile phone advertising that will appease both advertisers and customers,” said Zain Kuwait’s Director for Value-Added Services, Nadia Al-Saif. She added that, “in light of the rapid technological developments in the communication industry, Zain is at the forefront of the current revolution in mobile phone advertising giving greater penetration to brands, products and services.”

Al-Saif explained that Zain has taken the mobile phone to a new level, making it virtually a media tool in its own right. She added that Zain would also be working particularly closely with government agencies, universities and cooperatives as well as other sectors seeking to promote themselves and their services through this unique service.

Nadia Al-Saif

KSE performance upbeat in April Al-Shall Weekly Economic Report KUWAIT: The forthcoming fall, 18 years have passed for the KAC privatization. On February 10, 2008 a special law transforming KAC to a company within two years in preparation to its privatization.

The intention was to manage the company commercially to reduce its losses to enhance its value when offered for privatization. None of the promises materialized. Three years since the issuance of the law have passed. The last promise was to submit 35 percent for auction in the second half of May while the corporation’s conditions deteriorated both in the number of usable aircraft out of 17 ones or in risk and losses level. The corporation whose value was estimated in 1993 by KD442 million will not be worth half the figure now in a recent assessment, about KD220 million. Its losses which decreased from KD34.4 million on 31/03/2002 to KD9.2 million on 31/03/2007 revived their rise to KD17.6 million on 31/03/2008.

Very briefly, 18 years have passed from the assessment and the declaration of intention to privatize a project which thousands of the same took place in the world. During this period, risk increased on people’s life, assets degenerated, reputation afflicted and losses increased. The question is how can we read these indicators? What is happening to KAC is happening to education, health services, postal and communications services and efficiency of the oil sector.

There must be a conscientious pause. Kuwait is about to form a public administration team, or cabinet, and KAC is a conclusive evidence of the failure of the public administration model in accomplishing the simplest matters or projects.

How then can it handle a comprehensive development project, both due and necessary for survival?

The demand to change the methodology of forming the new cabinet has nothing to do with politics or with positions pro or against this or that side; it rather has to do with the failure of the old methodology to achieve any real accomplishment albeit very small in reality. KAC privatization and management is only an example and is neither the more important nor the more serious. The country needs a management team that carries it in its heart and on its shoulders not to be fatigued by carrying it, its followers and corruption.

KSE performance during April 2011 was positive, where the decrease came only in the number of concluded deals while the average daily value, volume and Al-Shall Index increased. Al-Shall index rose by about 24 points (4.7 percent) compared with its level at the end of March 2011 to reach 534.1 points. While Al-Shall index drop since the end of 2010 - 4 months - was 43.1 points or 7.5 percent. The graph reflects Al-Shall index movement vis-a-vis the KSE price index movement in the past part of 2011. Value of traded stocks (in 20 working days) scored about KD718.9 million, about ($2.61 billion), which is 0.5 percent below its value in March 2011 which resulted of that the working days in March reached 23 while they reached only 20 days in April and not from the decrease in the average daily trading. The highest value of traded stocks in one day was at KD54.7 million on 27/04/2011 and the lowest was on 10/04/2011 at KD17.4 million. The increase in the daily average trading value scored KD35.9 million or 14.4 percent over March 2011. Volume of traded shares during the month scored 3.4 billion shares, a daily average trading number of 169.4 million, an increase of 4 percent comparing to March level of 162.9 million shares. Total number of concluded deals scored 57.9 thousand deals (2.9 thousand

deal daily); lower by 8.5 percent than March level, meaning that there was a focus on heavy shares.

On 28/04/2011, total market value of 217 listed companies (after the listing of Al-Imtiaz Investment Company in April 2011) scored about KD33.983 billion. If we calculate the market value of the common companies (214) from the end of December 2010 to the end of April 2011, the total market value will score about KD33.689 billion, a drop by 7.1 percent below its level of KD36.255 billion on 31/12/2010. The number of companies whose value went up was 43 companies, while the number of companies whose value dropped was 138 companies and value of 33 ones remained the same. Excluding the companies that increased or reduced their capital since the beginning of the year, Safwan Trading & Constructing Co recorded the highest rise on the list with an increase of 133.3 percent then followed The Educational Holding Group by 102.8 percent. On the other hand, Mena Holding recorded the highest loss in value among the companies whose value dropped by a decrease of (78.6 percent) then the Real Estate Trade Centers Co which lost about 77.2 percent of its value.

As for sectors, all the 8 sectors went down compared to the end of last year, with the highest decrease in market value going to the service sector by 14.9 percent, and then the investment by an average decrease of 11.5 percent, the graph shows the market capitalization distribution according sectors as at 28/04/2011. When looking to the market’s liquidity during the past 4 months of the current year, we notice that total value of the market’s traded stocks scored about KD2.76 billion.

The daily average trading value (81 work days) came close to KD34 million, an average lower by 54.3 percent value of its counterpart period in 2010 which scored KD74.5 million. It appears that the decline in the liquidity of the market is a continuous trend. The impact of major political events in the region is clear, when the situations are disturbed and risk increases, both liquidity and prices decrease.

NBK announced results of its operations for the three months ending March 31, 2011 which indicated that the bank achieved net profits which scored about KD81.1 million after deduction of the share of Kuwait Foundation, Zakat and taxes on foreign branches, which is higher than the 1st quarter of 2010 by KD4.4 million or 5.7 percent (KD76.7 million in 2010). The main reasons for the rise in profits are due to a rise in the amount of share item in the outcome of associate companies by 319.3 percent and scored KD 4.2 million (KD993 thousand for the same period 2010). Similarly, profit distributions also increased by 177.1 percent and scored KD1.8 million (KD647 thousand for the same period in 2010). Net profits from investments in securities increased by KD501 thousand or 52.8 percent, and scored KD1.5 million (KD948 thousand in 2010). Profits from trading in foreign currency increased by KD249 thousand or 4.7 percent, and scored KD5.5 million (KD5.3 million in the same period 2010). The bank’s net fees and commissions also increased and reached KD25.6 million (KD 24.9 million in the same period of 2010), a 2.8 percent rise.

Analyzing the bank’s expenditures, we notice a slight rise in the operational expenses of about KD1.6 million, or 4.1 percent, to KD41.1 million (KD39.4 million for the same period 2010). This is due to a rise in personnel expenses by KD937 thousand (4.2 percent), and a rise in the building

and equipment depreciation by KD757 thousand or 36.2 percent, and a rise in administrative expenses by KD67 thousand or 0.4 percent. Total provisions increased by KD1.7 million or 34.7 percent to reach KD6.6 million (KD4.9 million in the same period of 2010).

It is worth mentioning that the bank’s net interest income increased by 1.9 percent or KD1.7 million, due to a drop in interest revenues by 4.9 percent (about KD6.2 million), which is less than the drop in interests charges which scored KD8 million or 22 percent. Net interest margin (the difference between received and paid interest) dropped very slightly to 3.38 percent (3.42 percent for the same period 2010). The bank’s financial statements indicate that its total assets increased by KD1.0106 billion (7.8 percent) to KD13.9095 billion (12.8989 billion in the end of 12/2010).

However, it went up by KD1.1708 billion or 9.2 percent, if compared with total assets at end of 3/2010. This means most of the growth occurred during the first quarter of this year.

As for the clients’ loans and advances portfolio, which constitutes the largest component in the bank’s assets, it rose by 0.7 percent or KD58.3 million, pushing the portfolio volume to KD7.9117 billion (56.9 percent of total assets) vis-a-vis KD7.8533 billion (60.9 percent of total assets) in vis-a-vis KD 7817.1 million (60.6 percent of total assets) in 12/2010. This portfolio also increased by 2.4 percent or KD184.9 million over the amount in the same period in 2010 when it scored KD 7.7267 billion (60.7 percent of total assets). As for government assets (bills and bonds), they increased by 16.7 percent to reach KD986.6 million (7.1 percent of total assets) vis-a-vis KD 857.4 million (6.6 percent of total assets) in the end of 2010. Those assets went higher by 23.3 percent compared with their value in the end of September 2010 when they scored KD800 million (6.3 percent of total assets). On the other hand, cash and short-term deposits item went up noticeably by KD1169.5 million (99.8 percent) to reach KD2341.4 million (16.8 percent of total assets) compared with KD1171.9 million (9.1 percent of total assets) in December 2010. Deposits’ value increased by 61.6 percent in comparison with March 2010 value; it increased by KD892.9 million (11.4 percent of total assets).

As for profit indexes, return on average assets (ROA) went up slightly to 2.42 percent (2.39 percent in 3/2010); return on capital (ROC) dropped to 81.9 percent (93.7 percent for the same period 2010), and return on equities (ROE) dropped to 14.8 percent (16.8 percent for the same period 2010). Earnings per share (EPS) scored 20 fils (20 fils in the same period 2010), thus it achieved annual return on the per share market value of 6.8 percent. Price multiplies to earning per share (P/E) scored 18.8 times while price multiplier to the book value (P/B) scored 2.8 times.

The bank continues its distinguished performance despite the global financial crisis and the difficult Arab political conditions, knowing the Arab region represents its major market. Therefore, its accomplishment is good.

The performance of Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) for the last week was more active compared to the previous one, where all the major indices including the general index showed an increase. Al-Shall Index (value weighted) closed at 534.7 points at the closing of last Thursday, showing an increase of 7.7 points or about 1.5 percent compared to previous week’s closing, and decreased by 43.1 points or about 7.5 percent compared to the year end 2010.

China to speed up transport links with South East Asia JAKARTA: China will speed up the development of transport connections with Southeast Asia, building roads, telecommunication and power links as it seeks to boost trade, Premier Wen Jiabao said yesterday.

Wen, speaking in Jakarta during a two-day visit to Indonesia, said China would give financial support through credit aid and investment, to provide for better exchange of commodities, capital and people.

“In the next 10 years we will speed up the inauguration of land transport routes between China and ASEAN,” said Wen in a speech in Jakarta, adding it will also provide funds for air and sea transport.

“Today we witness the rise of Asia.”

He said China would unconditionally help underdeveloped countries in the Association of South East

Asian Nations (ASEAN), which groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. ASEAN has sought to highlight the potential for greater connections between its frontier markets and Asia’s biggest economic power, with the group’s foreign ministers heading on an unconventional road trip in January from Thailand to China.

Indonesia is seeking $100 billion of private investment to develop its own dilapidated infrastructure, seen as a hurdle to attracting foreign firms and to gaining a sovereign investment grade rating that would cut government borrowing costs and put it on a par with BRIC nations such as China and Brazil. Wen’s schedule in Jakarta looked ambi-

tious for a capital hit by tropical downpours yesterday that flooded roads and jammed traffic. Bad roads in the archipelago cause delays adding to costs and exacerbating inflation, while air and boat accidents are all too common.

Wen promised Indonesia $9 billion worth of loans for infrastructure on Friday, after meeting his Indonesian counterpart, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

ASEAN’s plan to link new and existing rail, road and sea routes together with China and allow better travel within a free trade area of 1.9 billion people is ambitious. But analysts say there is huge trade potential between ASEAN and China and better links could encourage Japan and South Korea to forge a closer relationship with ASEAN. Japan has

already pledged more than $50 billion in infrastructure investment.

China, ASEAN’s biggest trading partner, is seeking to double trade with Indonesia and get access to resources from a country that is a leading exporter of natural gas, palm oil and coal. However, many Indonesian businesses are worried about a flood of cheap Chinese goods and a widening trade deficit with the Asian powerhouse.

Yudhoyono asked for trade between the two countries to be balanced.

“China’s development will not disturb any countries and will not be a threat to other countries,” Wen said, according to a translation of his speech obtained by Reuters, adding China’s foreign policy was free, independent and peaceful. —Reuters

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KSE continues positive performance KUWAIT: Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) ended last week in the green zone, as both its main indices recorded gains. The price index ended last week with an increase amounted to 1.23 percent, while the weighted index raised 1.52 percent compared to the closings of the week before. Furthermore, last week’s average daily turnover increased by 44.94 percent, compared to the preceding week, reaching KD43.54 million, whereas trading volume average was 249.88 million shares, recording increase of 59.90 percent.

KSE continued its positive performance, supported with the active buying on banks sector, which sized nearly 50 percent of the trading value, on the shadow of the good results for the sector for the first quarter 2011, which recorded notable rise compared to the same period 2010. On the other hand, several sectors witnessed active trading, marked with speculation, especially on the small stocks, yet, it had a positive effect. In addition, the market gains were lightened by profit taking, which came as a reaction to the growth of large number of stocks. By the end of the week, the price index closed at 6,521.7 points, up by 1.23 percent from the week before closing, whereas the weighted index registered a 1.52 percent weekly gain after closing at 467.39 points.

Sectors’ indices All of KSE’s sectors ended last week in the

green zone except for one sector. Last week’s highest gainer was the banks sector, achieving 2.51 percent growth rate as its index closed at 12,422.5 points. Whereas, in the second place, the Real Estate sector’s index closed at 2,250.7 points recording 1.95 percent increase.

The industry sector came in third as its index achieved 1.83 percent growth, ending the week at 4,749.9 points. The investment sector was the least growing as its index closed at 4,333.2 points with a 0.50 percent increase. On the other hand, the insurance sector was last week’s only loser as its index declined by 2.92 percent to end the week’s activity at 2,597.5 points.

Sectors’ activity The services sector dominated total trade volume during last week with 333.04 million shares changing hands, representing 26.66 percent of the total market trading volume.

The Investment sector was second in terms trading volume as the sector’s traded shares were 25.94 percent of last week’s total trading volume, with a total of 324.07 million shares.

On the other hand, the banks sector’s stocks where the highest traded in terms of value; with a turnover of KD91.86 million or 42.19 percent of last week’s total market trading value. The Services sector took the second place as the sector’s last week turnover of KD47.31

million represented 21.73 percent of the total market trading value.

Market capitalization KSE total market capitalization grew by 1.50 percent during last week to reach KD32.95 billion, as six of KSE’s sectors recorded an increase in their respective market capitalization, whereas the other two recorded declines. The non-Kuwaiti companies sector headed the growing sectors as its total market capitalization reached KD2.07 billion, increasing by 3.65 percent. The industry sector was the second in terms of recorded growth with 2.69 percent increase after the total value of its listed companies reached KD2.59 billion. The third place was for the real estate sector, which total market capitalization reached KD1.82 billion by the end of the week, recording an increase of 2.13 percent.

The services sector was the least growing with 0.69 percent recorded growth after its market capitalization amounted to KD8.48 billion.

On the other hand, the insurance sector headed the decliners list as its total market capitalization decreased by 2.84 percent to reach, by the end of the week, KD300.07 million. The investment sector was second on this list, which market value of its listed companies declined by 0.08 percent, reaching KD2.68 billion.

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Renren to raise $690m in IPO Censorship, patents, accounting among concerns

KANSAS CITY: Rhonda Daily looks around Hillcrest Thrift Shop in Missouri. Thrift stores are now starting to resemble regular retail locations. — MCT

In tough times, business at thrift stores thrive KANSAS CITY: When Kansas City preschool teacher Elizabeth Eastburn walked down the aisle last April she wore an $800 wedding gown from a major bridal retailer. Only she didn’t pay $800 for it. She paid $15 for the neverworn dress at a thrift store. With money tight these days, this is Eastburn’s new way to shop. “I’ll go to thrift stores first,” she said. “You can find anything, anytime. It’s like a garage sale inside.” So on a recent day off from school, with book shelves and exercise pants on her shopping list, Eastburn wandered the aisles of Hillcrest Thrift Shop, one of several stores changing their ways to attract, and keep, new customers like Eastburn.

With its Le Boutique (sequined evening gowns for $15) and sporting goods department ($3 for a Royals Tshirt), the store is one of her favorite stops. Manager Lou Warner couldn’t be happier. “We’re going gangbusters,” he said of business. “It’s the economic times the way they are. People are just needing to find things cheaper.” And thrift stores are thriving. Members of the Association of Resale Professionals, which represents nearly 1,000 consignment and thrift stores, reported that net sales increased 12.7 percent in 2009 from 2008, trouncing overall retail sales that declined 7.3 percent over that time.

“People are so distressed right now,” said the group’s president, Kitty Boyce, who runs a shop in Rochester, Ill. “A family with a limited income has to spend more on gas and food, and they have less money to spend on clothing and housing and everything else.” In the Hillcrest store, more than 90,000 transactions last year boosted sales 55 percent over 2009. It has been so successful that its nonprofit parent, a ministry for the homeless called Hillcrest Transitional Housing, plans to model two new stores after it.

As Americans become increasingly comfortable with and interested in buying “used,” thrift stores are stepping up their game. Stores are being remodeled and redesigned with traditional retail details - think mall-bright lighting, dressing rooms, shopping carts, public rest rooms. If you’re shopping at the Hillcrest store on the right day, you might even get a free cookie. “We want to compete.

We want people to see that we are an avenue that they can use and they don’t have to deal with the image of dirty, smelly thrift stores,” said Teri Mairet, manager of Synergy in Style thrift store in Gladstone, Mo. The story is run by Synergy Services, which helps abused women and children.

Synergy and other thrifts have launched marketing efforts too, emphasizing the eco-friendly, reuse-recycle nature of buying secondhand and, in the case of charity thrift stores, what the money is being used for. Many now are using Facebook and Twitter to tell customers about in-store specials, daily merchandise offerings, even drawings for prizes. And did you hear? It’s cool to shop at the Salvation Army. Or so says a new TV ad campaign the Salvation Army will launch in Kansas City in the coming weeks. Sgt Troy Barker, a self-described

“thrift-store geek,” was transferred to Kansas City from Detroit more than a year ago to help rebrand the organization’s local stores. One of the newest opened last September in an 18,000square-foot renovated furniture store in Belton, Mo. But the crown jewel of Barker’s efforts will be a new, $2.2 million Salvation Army “superstore” in a former Comp USA building in Overland Park, Kan. The store is slated to open in about three months. “We don’t even call ourselves thrift stores; we call them family stores. Because thrift to me is a 5,000square -foot store, poorly lit, musty smelling, for low-income people,” Barker said.

“We look at it as a retail adventure now.” As part of its own rebranding project, Goodwill of Western Missouri and Eastern Kansas has remodeled five of its Kansas City area stores since last April, with five more on tap for makeovers this year. Most recently it remodeled its 20,000-square -foot store in Olathe, Kansas, a former Hastings bookstore. “ That was a really large Goodwill store for us,” said J. Stuart Hoffman, vice president of marketing and development. “We reduced the size of the sales floor so it didn’t look so daunting. We repainted it. We pulled up the old carpet and redid the floor, and reorganized the merchandise itself. ... It looks much, much cleaner in there.” Walk into the store and you can see all the way from the front to the back, past orderly rows of $5.99 jeans and $4.99 women’s blazers toward 49-cent drinking glasses and other housewares arranged by category on metal display shelves at the back of the store. Books are lined up library-perfect; it’s one employee’s job to keep them so.

Maria Rayas of Kansas City was impressed with the store as she, her sister and niece recently hunted for church clothes. Rayas and her family moved to Kansas City last year when their home repair business dried up in Los Angeles.

“It’s a nice store. There’s a lot here,” she said, pushing a cart loaded with skirts and blouses and dresses to try on. “What (people) don’t need, it’s good for us.”

Since reopening in early January, the Olathe store’s sales have increased about 30 percent, Hoffman said.

There’s no typical thrift-store shopper anymore, say managers who are selling to young people buying clothes for job interviews, displaced workers buying clothes for their new job, families and seniors - busloads of whom pour into the Hillcrest store on the weekly Seniors Day. “People, I think, are getting smart in the economy,” said Synergy in Style manager Mairet. “And telling their neighbor, ‘Hey, look what I got. Guess how much I paid.’ “ Leann Bailey bought a house last spring with her husband in Overland Park. Now they have a house but little money left to buy the stuff that goes in it. “But I still want it to feel like home,” she said. Needing a lamp for a bedside table, the substitute teacher checked out the latest arrivals at Blessings Abound, a thrift shop around the corner from her house. —MCT

KARACHI: A Pakistani laborer works on a construction site yesterday. Political parties, workers, laborers, peasants and other segments of the working class will actively observe International Labour Day today by holding rallies, special meetings and processions across the country. — AP

SHANGHAI: When Chinese social networking site Renren goes public this week, investors will likely ignore big risks the company faces, and be lured instead by a combination of the words “China” and “social networking.” Hot Chinese tech companies like Internet search engine Baidu Inc and online video site Youku.com have risen triple-digit percentages since their IPOs, whetting investors’ appetites for such offerings. And this is in a sector that is hot in the US Facebook, the biggest social network company in the world, has a market value of somewhere around $70 billion, based on a share sale currently being contemplated, making it worth more than companies such as Boeing Co. The demand for Renren shares was clear on Friday when the company raised the expected price range of its IPO by 30 percent to $12 to $14 per share. “Appetite to invest in China right now is so strong that some investors are willing to ignore factors that they wouldn’t in other markets,” said Mark Natkin, managing director of Marbridge Consulting, a Beijingbased company that advises investors on China’s Internet and telecommunications sectors. Renren’s IPO filings do raise a handful of very serious questions. For one thing, Renren doesn’t really seem sure how many users it has. According to its April 27 revised IPO filing, the Chinese Facebook clone’s monthly unique log-in user base grew by only 5 million, or 19 percent, in the first quarter of 2011 — not the 7 million, or 29 percent, it reported in its first filing only 12 days earlier.

Some investors and analysts brush off such red flags- after all China is the biggest Internet market in the world and it is growing rapidly.

They justify their cavalier attitude by saying that figures reported by Chinese companies should be used for directional information and not as perfect quantitative measurements. Others say the opaque information is a big problem. “If you can’t validate the numbers or the company proves it doesn’t have a good handle on the numbers, then you’ve got to be concerned,” said Gary Rieschel, founder of Qiming Venture Partners, which is an investor in Renren rival Kaixin001.

Another possible risk for investors is the broad government oversight that Renren, and other companies operating in China, face.

Chinese authorities keep extremely close tabs on Internet companies, arguing that this is necessary to maintain social harmony. This led to a big bust up between Google Inc. and the Chinese government last year that ended with Google curtailing its operations in the country. Renren says in the risk factors section of its IPO prospectus that this means a prohi-

HONG KONG: Traders work at the Stock Exchange on April 29, 2011. — AFP bition against posting content that, among other things, “impairs the national dignity of China” or is “superstitious.”

The prospectus doesn’t mention the recent Middle Eastern uprisings, which led to a crackdown on the use of certain words on the Internet in China, but it does say Renren may not post content that is “socially destabilizing.”

If Renren fails to comply, the company says that its websites could be shut down. Clearly that could put it out of business. Whether a social network page posting is objectionable is determined by the Chinese authorities.

Renren is also required to monitor advertisements on its websites, some of which are subject to special government review before they are posted. Renren must even guard against providing services that may lead to its users finding themselves in “emotionally charged situations.”

The company also said in its filings that while it hasn’t conducted a comprehensive review, it found a “material weakness” and a “significant deficiency” in its internal financial controls: Renren doesn’t have enough people with knowledge of US generally accepted accounting principles. It also lacks a formal policy for investing surplus cash and managing its treasury functions. That’s not unusual for Chinese IPO companies. Neither is the fact that 87 percent of Renren’s leased floor area did not have the proper title documents. But it all paints a picture of a company that is far from risk free. Still, it isn’t difficult to find peo-

Rio Tinto advises Australia against emissions tax haste SYDNEY: Mining giant Rio Tinto weighed into the debate over Australia’s proposed carbon emissions tax yesterday, urging Canberra not to rush into a decision while major polluters such as China and the United States held back. Prime Minister Julia Gillard wants to charge polluters from July 2012 under a fixed-price scheme that would move to a full capand-trade model linked to international carbon markets within five years. But she faces stiff opposition from her political rivals and the business community, with the powerful coal industry warning the plan will drive investment offshore and damage Australia’s mining-powered economy. Rio Tinto voiced its objections yesterday, warning Australia not to jump the gun on emissions when few significant polluters were taking similar action. “The question is how and when does Australia move in the light of the disappointment of the Copenhagen (climate change) conference, and in the light of the fact there are very few signs the big gorillas-the United States and China-really are going to be moving,” Rio chairman Jan du Plessis told The Australian newspaper.

Australia is the world’s worst per capita polluter, largely because it relies heavily on coal-fired power.

It also exports millions of tons of the fuel every year to Asian electricity companies and steelmakers, and is home to the world’s largest coal export port, with total shipments worth Aus$43 billion last year ($46 billion). Gillard’s proposal would see a fixed levy placed on emissions for the first three to five years before moving to a full cap and trade scheme, which would see the government set a national limit on pollution and sell permits to firms. Those companies who exceeded their cap would have to buy extra permits from other emitters who had more than they needed, and prices would be linked to international carbon markets.

The ruling Labor party twice failed in a bid to introduce an emissions trading scheme, sparking a plummet in the polls which saw ex-leader Kevin Rudd ousted by Gillard, then his deputy, and badly damaged the party’s credibility. Du Plessis said there was a “very clear link” between carbon emissions and global warming and commended Gillard’s courage for taking a stand, but he questioned whether it was the right time for a carbon tax. “If the Australian government, with all the best intentions in the world, is going to move too fast and eventually simply damage energy-intensive trade-exposed business at a cost to Australia as a country whilst China and America don’t move, I am not sure that is smart,” the Rio chairman said. He called for Canberra to “give reassurances that while the government is passionate about dealing with climate change, which I admire, it is not going to do it in a way that damages Australian businesses at a time when the rest of the world doesn’t appear ready to move.” Gillard visited Australia’s major trading partners in a whistlestop tour of North Asia last week, insisting that insatiable demand in the region for energy would buoy the nation through the transition to a carbon tax. —AFP

ple who will give it the benefit of the doubt.

“Given the investors it has who have board seats and who work closely with it, you would expect any major issues to have turned up by now,” said Nick Einhorn, an analyst at Connecticut-based IPO research and investment house Renaissance Capital. Renren’s investors include private equity firm General Atlantic and venture capital firm DCM. Renren may also face some heat over intellectual property questions.

When social networking website Kaixin001.com started taking off, Renren founder and CEO Joseph Chen launched a matching site with a similar color scheme and layout under the name Kaixin.com.

Kaixin001.com won a lawsuit that ultimately resulted in Chen changing the name of another of his social networking sites to Renren, and merging Kaixin.com into Renren. Sources have told Reuters that Kaixin001 is also planning a US IPO. Renren in its IPO filings also said that its social networking platform may be subject to patent infringement claims, and mentions Facebook as one of the potential claimants.

Still, while Renren has posted losses in each of the past two years, it could still be a dream growth stock. Its net revenue grew more than fivefold to $76.54 million in 2010 from $13.78 million in 2008. But there will be some who, after reading the prospectus, may wonder whether the risks outweigh the rewards. — AP

Conditions could kill Cairn-Vedanta deal NEW DELHI: Cairn Energy has warned India that imposing conditions on the sale of the British firm’s majority stake in its Indian unit to Vedanta could kill the deal, a report said yesterday. The energy exploration company has also told the Indian government that the deadline for sealing the transaction will not be stretched beyond the current extended deadline of May 20, according to the Indian Express newspaper.

Imposing conditions would “inevitably cause the proposed transaction to fail,” Cairn Energy chief Bill Gammell said in a letter dated April 18, the newspaper said.

The report came ahead of a meeting expected early next week of an Indian ministerial panel formed to advise the cabinet on whether to approve Cairn Energy’s plan to sell its majority stake in Cairn India to London-based resources giant Vedanta.

Last August, Vedanta offered to buy up to a 60 percent stake in Cairn India in a deal expected to cost as much as $9.6 billion. But the sale has been held up by by deep differences between Cairn and its Indian state-owned partner Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) over the payment of royalties involving India’s biggest onshore oilfields.

ONGC gets just 30 percent of the output from Cairn’s oilfields. But it pays royalties on 100 percent of the production under a “royalty holiday” scheme dating from the 1990s aimed at pro-

moting private oil exploration in energy-hungry India. ONGC has been pushing for an equal share of the royalties before the government approves the sale. The cabinet is split over whether the royalty row should be settled before or after the sale goes through.

Vedanta has already repor tedly expressed its inability to proceed with the deal if it is asked to share the royalty burden.

The panel headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee which is expected to meet later tomorrow will send its recommendations to the cabinet, but no date has been set for a final decision. The sale and the settlement of disputes between Cairn and ONGC are “two distinct issues” that should be settled following due process, Gammell was quoted as saying by the newspaper.Gammell added that uncertainty over the transaction “has resulted in the strategic development and businesses of all three of Cairn Energy, Cairn India and Vedanta essentially being frozen”. “ The board of Cairn Energy will not countenance any further extension” of the deal deadline beyond May 20, Gammell added.

The impasse comes at a bad time for India as foreign investment has p l unge d, w i t h i nve s tor s wor r yi ng about a slew of corruption scandals that have shaken the Congress government, including a huge suspected telecoms licensing fraud. — AFP

China looks to foster cooperation with ASEAN JAKARTA: Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said yesterday Beijing wants to boost cooperation in trade and security with the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). In a policy speech on the last day of a threeday visit to Indonesia, the current chair of ASEAN and its biggest member, Wen extolled the virtues of an ASEAN-China free trade agreement (FTA) that came into effect in January. “China is committed to deepening practical cooperation with ASEAN,” Wen said. He said China would accelerate the development of various areas from telecoms and electricity to infrastructure projects in the region, and would support efforts to boost transport links between ASEAN nations and China.

“Last year, China became ASEAN’s

biggest trading partner. We launched the largest FTA among developing countries and we have set the target of $500 billion in two-way trade by 2015,” Wen said.”China stands ready to work with ASEAN to maintain regional security and stability,” he added. ASEAN is comprised of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Indonesian officials say Jakarta wants to renegotiate its part of the landmark free trade pact to protect vulnerable sectors from competition with Chinese manufacturers. On Friday, Wen held talks with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and announced billions of dollars in loans for badly needed infrastructure projects in the archipelago. — AFP

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Solid blue-chip earnings maintain US stock rally Export-dependent companies witness gains WASHINGTON: Solid profits in US blue chips propelled the Dow to a near-three year high this week, and analysts predicted more of the same next week, halfway through the earnings season. Investors shrugged off the weakening dollar and sluggish first quarter economic growth as profits filled corporate coffers and soaring oil prices boosted energy industry counters. The Dow Jones Industrial Average finished up 2.4 percent from the previous week at 12,810.54, its best close since May 20, 2008.

SANTA MONICA: An iPad user looks up, “HBO GO,” HBO’s new authenticated streaming service that is free to existing subscribers, at HBO offices. —MCT

HBO makes a play for mobile LOS ANGELES: HBO is going mobile. The pay TV network tomorrow will begin offering its subscribers access to watch HBO programming on Android mobile devices and Apple Inc’s iPhone and iPad tablet.

“That device has changed television,” HBO Co-President Eric Kessler said this week, pointing to an iPad during an interview at the company’s Santa Monica, Calif., offices.

HBO hopes the iPad will kick-start HBO Go, the online viewing option for current HBO subscribers that the network launched last year. The move marks a turn for the Time Warner Inc.-owned channel, which was a pioneer in enticing viewers to watch cable TV but has moved cautiously in embracing the Internet.

HBO, however, recognizes that the revolution underway in viewing habits is as profound as the one it helped spark in the 1980s when TV viewers began flocking to cable to watch uncut movies and big-ticket sports events. Company executives have

been guarded about putting the network’s programming on the Web, fearful that doing so might give subscribers a reason to drop cable TV service. “HBO, regardless of how strong their programming is, faces a host of significant challenges to their business - more than at almost any other time in their history,” said Will Richmond, a longtime cable executive and publisher of the Boston-based VideoNuze.com news site. “This is a completely new landscape for HBO.” HBO has held to a contrarian view about how to approach the Internet. Although broadcast networks have rushed to throw their shows on the Web, HBO has held back, pointing out that cable and satellite TV providers are still - and will remain for some time - the financial bulwark of the pay-TV industry. Still, company executives acknowledge that the Internet and mobile technology is reshaping the way people watch TV. —MCT

LG’S BD670 delivers smart entertainment KUWAIT: LG Electronics (LG) yesterday introduced the BD670, a Blu-ray 3D Player that combines the best in 3D entertainment, all the content options of LG Smart TV and seamless connectivity with other digital devices. Drawing on LG’s state-of-the-art Smart TV functions, the BD670 boasts an easy-to-use onscreen interface that offers direct and simple access to a wide range of premium content. As well as top-tier global content providers - including YouTube and global VOD companies - the BD670 provides access to a range of locally sourced material so that viewers can enjoy the very best shows and movies from their region.

The BD670’s Smart TV functions also mean viewers can take advantage of the growing selection of LG Apps. Coming in five categories - Life, Entertainment, Games, Information and Education - the apps are custom designed for use on TVs, offering fun, exciting and educational options for the whole family.

Users can also download a special app for their iPod touch, iPhone or Android-based mobile phone that turns the handset into a remote control for the BD670. Through the app, viewers will be able to do ever ything from adjusting the volume to searching for content on a touch screen QWERTY key-

board. The BD670 continues to pile up the entertainment options with Blu-ray 3D playback. With the range of 3D Bluray content now growing fast, the BD670 provides an ideal platform for enjoying 3D movies and shows on some of LG’s sharpest, most realistic 3D images yet.

In terms of connectivity, the BD670’s Wi-Fi Direct lets viewers stream multimedia content directly to other devices, without the need for a separate internet connection. Additionally, Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) functionality makes content options almost limitless by enabling easy access to movies and pictures stored on other DLNA-friendly devices, such as digital cameras or PCs. “It’s no longer enough to offer great content, 3D or easy internet access today’s viewers demand it all from a single source that’s easy and intuitive to use,” said H S Paik, President of LG Electronics Gulf FZE. “In this way, the BD670 is the future of home entertainment, delivering all the content you’ll ever need from a box so slender and elegant, you’ll barely notice it’s there.”

For viewers with a library of standard and Blu-ray titles, LG’s players also use 1080p up-scaling of standard DVDs for a near high-definition viewing experience - no matter what format is being played.

Portugal aid may benefit Finland: True Finns chief HELSINKI: The head of the eurosceptic True Finns said yesterday that helping Portugal could be in Finland’s best interest, the strongest sign yet that the party could tone down its opposition to EU bailout plans. Disagreement among Finland’s three biggest parties over the bailout package has raised concerns that a new government could disrupt EU plans to help Portugal. Asked in an interview with public broadcaster YLE whether the True Finns could view aid to Portugal as the best option for Finland, party leader Timo Soini said: “That is possible too. But keeping the Finnish people’s autonomy, that is the core.”

Finland’s previously obscure True Finns party emerged as the third-biggest party in an election this month, after a campaign focused on criticizing aid to indebted governments. Finland’s parliament, unlike others in the euro zone, has the right to vote on EU requests for bailout funds. Financial markets are concerned the True Finns’ increased power and likely participation in a coalition government may hamper bailout plans. Portugal this month became the third euro zone country to seek foreign aid, following Greece and Ireland.

Talks to form a coalition are set to start next week, with the focus on whether the

leading National Coalition Party, the second-largest Social Democrats and True Finns can agree on Portugal aid. An early agreement is crucial as European finance minister discuss Portugal aid in mid-May. Jyrki Katainen, head of the National Coalition and prime minister-in-waiting, said on Friday Finland has only a few days to decide whether to back aid for Portugal.

His party has said the new government must support EU plans.

Soini acknowledged the risk of Portugal falling into insolvency. “That danger exists, as well as for Greece and others. This cannot be taken lightly. We need to look carefully at what is possible and what is not,” he said, adding that he was not afraid of being accused of backpedalling on his pre-election stance against EU policies.

“In politics, I’m not afraid of anything,” he said. But he also reiterated his view that Finland’s position on bailouts must change with a new government. Asked whether the True Finns party still opposes Portugal aid, increasing the capacity of the temporary bailout fund and the launch of a permanent stability mechanism, he replied: “That is the issue which is being negotiated now, whether it is possible for the pre-election stance to be changed... But we cannot approve it as it was then.” —Reuters

The tech-rich Nasdaq Composite was up 1.9 percent for the week, reaching its best level since the dot-com plummet of 2000, hitting 2,873.54, a mark last seen as the index was in a free-fall on December 13, 2000.

The broader S&P 500 index added nearly two percent to 1,363.61, also its highest point in nearly three years. First quarter company results drove the surge. “Most of the results were very good,” said Gregori Volokhine of Meeschaert Capital Markets.

“Especially the companies dependent on exports showed that even if US growth has slowed, that won’t impact them because they have developed internationally,” he said. “We were able to break out the February highs for all the major averages,” said Scott Marcouiller, Wells Fargo Advisors. “Corporate earnings have come very strong.” The economic news was not encouraging, with data showing prices continued to climb while economic growth slowed sharply to 1.8 percent in the January-march quarter.

But investors took more cues from the Federal Reserve’s keeping interest rates at the ultra-low level of 0-0.25 percent while confirming that its $600 billion stimulus program would continue as planned through June. While discouraging thoughts that it would be renewed after that, Fed chairman Ben Bernanke did not close the door on more stimulus if the economy remained weak. “The chairman sounded very reassuring, it was a major factor for the market,” said Marcouiller. “ They have no intention to tighten any time soon, it seems that they are just going to keep

NEW YORK: Traders work at the Stock Exchange on April 29, 2011. —AFP going. They feel that the pickup in inflation is transitory and the market took this as a positive.” Big oil companies expectedly showed well on higher oil prices in quarterly reports, with ExxonMobil (+1.9 percent for the week) scoring a 69 percent jump to $10.7 billion in net income for the period, and Chevron (+1.2 percent) profits were up 36 percent to $6.2 billion.

Caterpillar (+5.5 percent for the week) benefited from the global recovery, reporting record quarterly profits of $1.22 billion, more than five times a year earlier, handily beating estimates.

Procter & Gamble (+2.6 percent) said net profit rose 11 percent in its third quarter as sales increased in all its regions around the world.

Boeing (+5.8 percent) reported a 13 percent net earnings gain to $586 million, benefiting from a

sharply lower tax rate that helped to offset a dip in sales.

Microsoft (-3.0 percent) though disappointed investors despite a 31 percent rise in earnings to $5.23 billion, in line with estimates. The company said there was still weakness in the personal computer sector that pushed down revenues for its Windows 7 operating system.

Ford (+0.3 percent) posted its highest first-quarter profit in 13 years: $2.55 billion on the back of sales of fuel-efficient vehicles.

Next week will see results from Chrysler (Monday), Pfizer and Comcast (Tuesday), Time-Warner, News Corp and Kellogg ( Wednesday), GM and AIG (Thursday) and Colgate-Palmolive on Friday.

Eyes will also be on new economic data next week: manufacturing and construction spending

What employers are looking for KUWAIT: The interview seat looks tired and worn and you know you have a difficult task ahead of you, competing with all those candidates who occupied the chair before you. The next time you find yourself seated across the desk from a potential employer, bear in mind that there are six key areas you will be evaluated on and aim to outshine in every one of them! The following is provided by the career exper ts at Bayt.com, Middle East’s jobsite.

1. Work experience and education: Your skills, credentials and training will be paramount in placing you above the fray.

Have all your relevant work experience at the tip of your tongue and ready to recite.

There is no substitute for the right experience and qualifications and you need to be able to recite a history and general aptitude for success in the given role and industry. The right credentials coupled with sound examples of how these credentials have been professionally applied in different positions to add to productivity will be the main determinants of your suitability for any role.

2. Business sensibility: Employers look for candidates with a sound understanding of how businesses in general, and this business in particular, are run.

They are looking for efficiency-minded people with an eye for productivity and the bottom line and a keen sense of business policies and procedures. In any position you apply for, the employers are looking for individuals with finely honed problem-solving skills who can identify and define a problem with clarity and find and implement the optimal business solution.

3. Enthusiasm and willingness to learn: Attitude alone will not get you the job but goes a long way in bridging the gap between you and a potential employer. Enthusiastic employees with a positive attitude typically show more initiative in their role and are more likely to go the extra mile. In any role, your initial learning cur ve will probably be steep and employers want to be sure that you are willing to make the effort and put in the time to learn the ropes, perfect the role and continue to take the initiative to make positive strides forward. Moreover, employers know that enthusiasm is contagious and they hope that adding an employee with a positive attitude and unbounded energy will rub off positively on the rest of the team and elevate the general morale and spirit of the unit.

4. Work ethic: A professional attitude, work style and work ethic are criti-

Lama Ataya cal in any business setting. You need to demonstrate dedication and commitment to the company and your career, honesty, integrity, sound business judgment, motivation and reliability. Make sure you always present yourself in a professional light and have a keen understanding of how your professional role impacts the company and the bottom line.

5. Interpersonal skills: Your emotional intelligence and ability to get along well with peers, management and clients will play a key role in your success and will be under the spotlight during the interview. Be sure to demonstrate that you are a cooperative team player and have no problems interacting with other people. In a poll run by Bayt.com, 15% of employers polled cited that interpersonal skills was the area they found it most challenging to meet the required standards in their candidate sourcing and assessment activities.

In another bayt.com poll, 79 percent of employers cited that in their opinion candidates needed to brush up on their soft skills - of them 37 percent cited that the candidates they interviewed needed to dramatically improve their soft skills.

6. Manageability: Even star performers have to report to their boss and have to follow company rules and procedures. An employer’s worst nightmare is an entrepreneurial type who cannot take directions and is focused on outperforming in his own little domain independent of the team and the manager. Make sure you emphasize your ability to work in a team, follow the chain of command and take instructions, advice and constructive criticism positively.

(Monday), industrial orders (Tuesday); private sector payrolls and service sector (Wednesday); and unemployment and job creation (Friday). After this week’s report of a troubling rise in new unemployment applications, the Friday data “is going to get a lot of attention next week, no doubt about it,” said Scott Marcouiller of Wells Fargo Advisors.

But mostly analysts were optimistic about the coming week.

“We remain relatively optimistic on the stock market going forward, although as the economic recovery matures the gains could be more of a grind,” said analysts at Charles Schwab.”For the moment there is no sign that the Fed will reduce liquidity in the markets. We have all the ingredients necessary for the market to continue climbing,” said Volokhine. —AFP

KFH named ‘Best Islamic Financing Institution’ KUWAIT: Kuwait Finance House (KFH) received Best Islamic Financing Institution award in Kuwait and GCC from Global Finance magazine, as part of the prestigious magazine’s awards for best Islamic financial institutions in the world in 2011 for the four th consecutive year. The magazine stated in its report that the awarded financial institutions conMohammed Al-Omar tributed in the growth of Islamic finance, and managed to meet the demands of its clients for various Islamic products. It noted that the selections that were made by financial and experts and analysts from around the globe, were based on several professional criteria, such as growth in assets and profits, geographical expansion, strategic relationships, the upgrading of services, and technical innovation.

Meanwhile, KFH’s CEO Mohammed Al-Omar said that receiving such a prestigious award from Global Finance, serves to highlight KFH’s initiatives to offer its clients the best level of services possible, whether individuals or institutions. He added that KFH continued to play its role in the financing sector during the financial crisis, while other financial institutions were reluctant to follow in its footsteps in that field. KFH continued to shoulder its responsibilities because it believes it has a role to play in assisting the national economy through supporting Kuwaiti companies; thus allowing them to function optimally again. He went on to say that the bank played an effective role in restructuring several institutions through granting them the required financing according to the internal terms and regulations followed.

Moreover, he remarked that KFH is willing to finance major development plan projects, since the concerned authorities rely on Kuwaiti banks to shoulder this responsibility, while banks await such opportunities to channel their liquidity into fruitful investment opportunities. He revealed that KFH is highly experienced, since it has financed major developmental projects in the field of infrastructure in the region, such as the oil, gas, airports, communications, and other sectors. The magazine’s publisher Joseph Giarraputo said that Islamic finance is the fastest growing area of finance worldwide, with more than 300 financial institutions that are either fully Islamic or selling Islamic finance products, in addition to hundreds of Islamic investments banks and insurance companies.

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SUNDAY, MAY 1, 2011

TECHNOLOGY

Sony to reveal PlayStation hack probe findings Conference on the security breach to be held

FLORIDA: US President Barack Obama speaks with Astronaut Mark Kelly, commander of the Space Shuttle Endeavour and husband of Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, alongside other Endeavour astronauts at the Launch Control Center Firing Room 1 after the Endeavour launch was scrubbed at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida Friday. — AFP

Technical failure delays Endeavour launch CAPE CANAVERAL: The launch of the US space shuttle Endeavour was delayed at least 72 hours Friday due to a technical failure with the shuttle’s heating units that arose shortly before liftoff, NASA said. Engineers were working to determine what caused the problem, which postponed until at least tomorrow the shuttle’s last journey to the International Space Station in what will mark the second to last shuttle flight ever. “ We hope we can get there by Monday,” said shuttle launch director Mike Leinbach. If not, other launch window options could open on May 4 or May 10. President Barack Obama, who had planned to watch the launch, flew in with his family, did a brief tour of Kennedy Space Center and chatted with the six astronauts at Kennedy Space Center, the White House said.

The president also met with wounded lawmaker Gabrielle Giffords, who moved to Florida from a rehabilitation facility in Texas for the launch. Giffords was shot in the head at a neighborhood political gathering in January but was allowed by her doctors in Houston, Texas to take a break from rehab in order to watch her husband, Mark Kelly, command the shuttle. Meanwhile, NASA engineers drained the shuttle’s external fuel tank and prepared to investigate further on Saturday afternoon. Leinbach said the problem was related to an electrical failure in an auxiliary power unit linked to a fuel line

heater. “We need to keep those lines warm to keep them from freezing on orbit,” Leinbach explained. “It was a hard failure. We were not able to get it to come to life no matter what we did.”

“Today, the orbiter is not ready to fly and as we always say in this business, we will not fly before we are ready,” Leinbach said. The news came as a disappointment to as many as 750,000 onlookers who had converged on the area around Cape Canaveral to catch a glimpse of the shuttle’s blast-off. The shuttle Endeavour is the youngest of the three-member space flying fleet. It was built in the wake of the Challenger disaster in 1986 and flew its first mission to space in 1991.

Discovery, the oldest, flew its last mission in February and March, and is in the process of being stripped of all its valuable components ahead of its retirement in a museum on the edge of the US capital Washington. Endeavour will carry a $2 billion, seven-ton particle physics detector, the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2, which will be left at the space station to scour the universe for clues as to how it all began.

There have been six space shuttles in all, including Endeavour, Atlantis and Discovery. Enterprise was a prototype that never flew in space; Challenger exploded after liftoff in 1986, killing all seven on board; and Columbia disintegrated on its return to Earth in 2003, also killing seven astronauts. — AFP

Making sense of streaming media options Hulu Plus debuted yesterday on the Xbox 360, and HBO launched its HBO Go app for iPhone and iPad. It is quickly getting to the point where anything you can watch on traditional cable or satellite TV can also be watched via streaming from the Internet, but for now the options can be a bit confusing and intimidating.

Between services like NetFlix and Hulu Plus, and the lineup of streaming content from channel-specific sites and apps like ABC, CBS, and HBO, it seems like you can get virtually all of your visual entertainment streamed over the Internet, and just abandon traditional cable and satellite TV. But, choose carefully because no single streaming media option has it all.

I currently have AT&T Uverse for my home television entertainment. I pay some astronomical amount of money (like nearly $120 per month) for the ultimate package Uverse has to offer—the U450. For my $120 I get about 370 channels to choose from, including 50 or so

premium channels. Granted, many of those 370 channels are just HD duplicates of standard definition channels, and most of the premium channel options are just variations of HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, and Starz.

When it comes down to it, it’s probably really less than 300 unique channels.

But, do you know how many channels I actually use on a monthly basis? I don’t know for sure, but I would guess that it’s less than 10.

I could save myself a ton of money by ditching cable and just using streaming options, right? Well, yes—except that I first have to figure out which streaming services I need in order to see the shows and movies I want, and some of the shows I like may not be available at all which might make me regret giving up my old-fashioned cable TV. Netflix seems to be everywhere, and has established itself as the de facto leader of streaming media. —Pcworld

TOKYO: Sony will reveal details of its internal probe into a massive theft of personal data from users of its PlayStation Network today, plus a timetable for bringing the network back into action, it said.

The electronics giant said yesterday it would hold a news conference on the security breach of the online network, which may have involved the theft of credit card details and which it said this week was carried out by hackers. The PlayStation Network and Qriocity streaming music service were shut down on April 20 after what Sony described as an “external intrusion” and remain offline as the company upgrades security and works with Federal investigators.

The United States, Britain, Australia and Hong Kong are investigating the hacking and theft of personal data from the network, which has 77 million users worldwide. A US House of Representatives panel Friday sent a letter to Kazuo Hirai, chairman of Sony Computer Entertainment America, with questions on the data breach.

“Given the amount and nature of personal information known to have been taken, the

potential harm that could be caused if credit card information was also taken would be quite significant,” said the letter from a panel of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, which was posted on the Internet.

Sony has said users’ credit card data was encrypted but could not rule out the possibility that card data was obtained by hackers. The committee also asked Sony to explain why it believes credit card information was not taken despite being unable to determine the exact scale of the theft.

“The fact that encryption was being used on the credit card data is to be welcomed-as it reduces the chances of stolen information being used for fraud,” Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Internet security firm Sophos, said on his blog. “However, there still remains the question about just how strong the encryption is that Sony used.”

Britain’s Information Commissioner’s Office said it had contacted Sony, while Australia’s Privacy Commissioner Timothy Pilgrim said he had launched an investigation. “We’re seeing more and more now information being held globally, and it’s more incumbent upon

organisations to make sure they do have strong security systems in place to protect that information,” he told broadcaster ABC earlier this week.

Hong Kong Privacy Commissioner Allan Chiang said he was probing the breach and met with local Sony official Katsuhiko Murase who told him 400,000 Hong Kong PlayStation Network user accounts were involved. He said Murase told him the account information compromised includes the name, address, country, email address, birthdate, PSN password and login, and PSN online ID of users, but there was no evidence credit card data was taken.

Sony is being sued in a US court by gamers who have accused the company of being negligent and breaching its contracts with PlayStation Network users. The company has not indicated whether it has identified a culprit in the intrusion.

Internet vigilante group Anonymous had vowed retribution against Sony for taking legal action against hackers who cracked PS3 defences to change console operating software. — AFP

Apple juggernaut sends ripples through tech world NEW YORK: Consumer technology companies reporting financial results this week are looking like rowboats bobbing in the wake of Apple Inc.’s supertanker.

Close to oblivion in 1997, Apple is now the world’s second-most valuable company, after Exxon Mobil Corp. On April 20, it reported net income of $5.99 billion for the January-toMarch period, nearly double that of a year ago. It shipped a record 18.65 million iPhones during the quarter. Its iPad tablet computers are so popular, the company couldn’t make enough.

Apple’s ascendancy has produced many losers and a few winners, as underscored over the past two weeks: Microsoft Corp: loser Apple dethroned Microsoft as the world’s most valuable technology company a year ago. In its mid-fall report, it surpassed Microsoft in quarterly revenue. In the JanuaryMarch period this year, it surpassed Microsoft in net income, too.

On Thursday, Microsoft reported that revenue from the Windows operating system declined for the second straight quarter because people are buying fewer Windows computers.

Some prospective buyers are going to Macs instead - Apple reported that it sold 28 percent more units. Others are going to iPads.

Goldman Sachs now believes that more than 30 percent of iPads sold may be replacing PC sales. In the 90s, the trend was the opposite, as Windows PCs were crowding out Macs.

Nokia Corp: loser Nokia said this week that it will slash 7,000 jobs through layoffs and outsourcing. It still sells more phones than anyone else, but it’s losing share to Apple, especially when it comes to smartphones.

Research firm Strategy Analytics also said revenue from Apple’s iPhone sales surpassed that of Nokia’s phones in the January-toMarch period, as iPhones are much more expensive than the average Nokia phone.

That makes Apple the world’s largest phone maker by revenue.

To better compete with the iPhone, Nokia is ditching its old Symbian software and adopting Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7. But the transition will take time; the first Windows-powered Nokia phones aren’t expected until late 2011 or early 2012.

Research In Motion Ltd: loser The maker of the BlackBerry is in a predica-

MUMBAI: An iPad 2 buyer checks out the new product at the counter of an Apple premium reseller outlet in Mumbai on Friday. — AFP ment that’s similar to Nokia’s. RIM warned Thursday that net income, revenue and unit sales for the quarter ending in May will come in below its previous forecast.

The company’s high-end phones are looking old compared with the iPhone and ones running Google Inc.’s Android software. They aren’t selling as well as the company expected.

RIM promised investors that new phones with revamped software will bring sales roaring back in the latter half of the year, but investors are skeptical, sending RIM’s stock down Friday.

HTC Corp, Samsung Electronics Co. and Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc.: winners, indirectly Although all three companies compete with Apple’s iPhone, they are doing well.

Unlike Nokia and RIM, the three are betting on Google’s Android system, which comes the closest to mimicking the look, feel and functions of the iPhone.

Motorola Mobility is a shadow of the old Motorola, once the world’s second-largest maker of phones. But its focus on Androidpowered smartphones is showing signs of success. It reported on Thursday a near-doubling of smartphone sales in the first quarter.

HTC of Taiwan has been making smartphones for a decade, and sales are really tak-

ing off with the help of Android. On Friday, it reported selling 9.7 million in the first quarter.

For South Korea’s Samsung, smartphone sales were a bright spot in the first quarter as overall phone sales declined and other electronics were weak. The company is embroiled in patent litigation with Apple.

Verizon Wireless: winner The No 1 US cellphone carrier posted a jump in new contract-signing customers - the more profitable kind - after it introduced its version of the iPhone on Feb 10, which ended AT&T Inc.’s exclusive grip on the device in the US. (Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications Inc. of New York and Vodafone Group PLC of Britain.)

AT&T and Sprint Nextel Corp: mixed Verizon’s new subscribers came at the expense of AT&T and Sprint Nextel Corp. But neither carrier saw signs of current customers moving to Verizon for the sake of the iPhone.

Rather, it seems customers weighing between carriers were more likely to go to Verizon because of the iPhone.

AT&T appeared to be splitting new iPhone customers evenly with Verizon Wireless.

Sprint lost lucrative contract customers in the quarter, but continued its long turnaround by signing up a record number of people on cheaper, contract-free plans. — AP

Facebook reuniting tornado victims with memories

WASHINGTON: A woman looks at the Facebook page on victims of the killer US tornadoes at an office in Washington, DC, on Friday. — AFP

WASHINGTON: In a digital era update to the lost and found booth, a Facebook page started by an Alabama woman is reuniting victims of the killer US tornadoes with their precious family photos and documents. As of Friday afternoon, the page featured more than 600 pictures and documents, many just scraps after the powerful winds picked them up and deposited them in streets and yards up to 200 miles (320 kilometers) away.

“This is a photo of a baby girl sitting with Santa Claus in 1957,” says one entry accompanying a faded color picture which has “Baby ‘Sandra’” written on the back. “Picture found in backyard in Duck Springs, AL.” Facebook user Nicole Hagood posted a picture of a Christmas gathering with the comment: “This photo was found hanging from a gutter in Muscle Shoals. If you recognize this family, please let me know.”

Among the torn and rain-spattered documents posted on the

site are birth certificates, wills, diplomas, utility bills, letters, checks and Valentine’s and Mother’s Day cards. The page, “Pictures and Documents found after the April 27, 2011 Tornadoes,” has been “liked” by nearly 50,000 people since it was set up in the hours after the tornadoes ripped through eight southern US states, killing over 300 people.

The page was created by Patty Bullion, a mother-of-three who lives in Lester, Alabama, near the border with Tennessee. Bullion, 37, said her small town received heavy rain and strong winds but was spared the wrath of the tornadoes, the nearest of which touched down about 10 miles (16 kilometers) away.

“Our area was very blessed,” she said in a telephone interview with AFP. “Downed trees, a little bit of roof damage but nothing that can’t be fixed.” Bullion said she went on Facebook during the storm to get updates on loved

ones and a friend a few houses away posted “It’s raining pictures.”

“So I went outside,” she said. “I walked out the door and I saw something white lying outside in the road. “I flipped it over and it was an ultrasound picture,” she said. “It just ripped my heart out.

I’m a Mom. I’ve got three kids. I can’t imagine losing these items.”

Bullion said that after the storm passed over she went outside with her husband and children and collected another seven or eight pictures.

Her daughter suggested she put them on her Facebook page but “I knew if we did that only our friends would see it,” Bullion said.

“So I started a group,” she said, “thinking I’d probably get 100 people on it and if I could just identify one picture it would be worth my time. “I didn’t know it would get this big,” she said. “This has been too overwhelming to a small town girl.” Bullion said at least 40 items have been claimed so far.

“Two pictures last night were identified as people that just lost their lives and their family are wanting the pictures back,” she said. Bullion, who had been scheduled to start a new job on Wednesday at the Limestone County council on aging, said creating the page and reading the comments has been an emotional experience for her. “I was adopted when I was two so I had no idea what I looked like as a baby,” she said. “So I know what it’s like to not have those pictures.

“I sat there last night and I cried,” she said. “I’m not a big crier but tears have rolled. These are these people’s lives that are just gone.” Besides family photos and documents, the page has also become a repository for people to share their own emotions following the tragedy. “ This page is wonderful,” wrote Tina Moyers Hill. “I wish we would have had a page like this after Katrina. God bless all of you that was affected by this horrible event.”— AFP

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health & science

Scientists unlock how fire ants avoid drowning LOS ANGELES: The mystery behind the remarkable ability of fire ants to turn themselves into a living, crawling life raft has been unlocked by scientists: The insects use air pockets that form around their bodies to protect themselves from drowning. The analysis, published online last week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could one day provide a useful model for building robots that can perform complex functions quickly and cooperatively, the study authors said.

Fire ants, named for the burning sting left by their bites, possess incredible powers of floatation when they work together, turning themselves into life rafts that can survive flash floods in their native Brazilian rain forests and travel for months before making landfall. “They bring out the eggs, the young ants and provisions - everything that happens to be in their mandibles at the time - “ and carry them onto rafts made of their own bodies, said lead author Nathan Mlot, a thirdyear doctoral student in the mechanical engineering department at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta.

But no one knew how these insects, which flounder and struggle in the water as individuals and whose bodies are denser than water and thus should sink, could float when they banded together. To catch the ants in action,

Insects use air pockets to protect themselves researchers collected fire ants off roadsides in Atlanta and brought them to their lab. The ants, they knew, behaved like a fluid: A handful could be molded and even poured. So the scientists swirled the ants in beakers until they formed spherical clumps, then dropped those ant balls into containers of water.

Quickly, the ants spread out into a pancake-like formation, forming rafts. The researchers froze one of the ant rafts with liquid nitrogen and studied its composition under an electron microscope. They observed that the ants had used their claws, adhesive pads on their legs and their mandibles - pincer-like jaws - to grip onto one another. “At first it just looks like a tangle of bodies and limbs everywhere, but the longer you look at the picture, the more you’re able to distinguish between different body parts and see the connections,” Mlot said. At such a high and perhaps unflattering - resolution, the researchers also noticed how hairy the ants’ water-repelling bodies were.

Those hairs allowed the insects to trap air bubbles. With so many ants jammed together, their individual bubbles fused to form a protective air layer for all of them.

The ants could also dynamically respond

Crude oil chemical linked to heart defect in babies WASHINGTON: Babies who are exposed before birth to ethyl benzene, a toxic component in crude oil, may have a higher risk of developing congenital heart disease, US researchers said yesterday. Another chemical used as an industrial metal degreasing agent, trichloroethylene (TCE), also boosted heart risks, said the research to be presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting in Denver, Colorado. Congenital heart disease occurs when the heart is malformed before birth, and is the most common of all birth defects. Previous studies have suggested it could be caused by chemicals in the environment.

“Congenital heart disease is a major cause of childhood death and life-long health problems,” said D. Gail McCarver, lead author of the study and professor of pediatrics at the Medical College of Wisconsin. “Thus, identifying risk factors contributing to CHD is important to public health.” Researchers collected stool samples from 135 newborn babies with

the heart condition and 432 infants without it. A full 82 percent of all the infants showed exposure to at least one of the 17 solvents measured in the study. White, but not black, infants who showed exposure to ethyl benzene had four times the risk of CHD. Black infants exposed to trichloroethylene showed an eight-fold risk for the heart condition, and white infants with the traces in their stool had a two-fold higher risk, said the findings. “This is the first report that exposure to ethyl benzene, a compound present in crude oil, was associated with CHD,” McCarver said, noting that more studies are needed to confirm the link.

Some residents of the US Gulf Coast have expressed concern about their health in the aftermath of the BP oil spill last year, though no studies have been completed yet to determine the effects of exposure to the spilled oil. Other sources of ethyl benzene include vehicle exhaust, petrol pump vapors and cigarette smoke. — AFP

World’s oldest captive orangutan dies in Japan TOKYO: The world’s oldest captive orangutan died yesterday at a zoo in Tokyo, Kyodo news agency reported, citing officials. Molly’s age was estimated at 59 years and four months, according to Tama Zoological Park where she died, Kyodo said. The animal arrived at Ueno Zoological Gardens, also in Tokyo, from Indonesia in 1955 aged three and became

popular as an artist in recent years after starting to draw with crayons. Her condition began to deteriorate in March, Tama Zoo said. Kyodo did not specify Molly’s illness. Another female orangutan at the zoo, named Gypsy, becomes the world’s oldest captive member of the species with an estimated age of 57 years and four months, Kyodo said. — AFP

ALASKA: Jodi Smith, environmental coordinator for ConocoPhillips Alaska, feeds a polar bear cub found near the Alaskan North Slope Alpine oil field Friday. Officials from the Alaska Zoo in Anchorage were helping to escort the 17pound cub from the North Slope, the US Fish and Wildlife Service said Friday.

The female cub, estimated to be at least 4 months old, was herded into a net and kept in a large dog kennel, said Rosa Meehan, the Fish and Wildlife Service marine mammals manager in Alaska. — AP

and rebalance the raft if needed, and the researchers wondered whether there was a method to their movements. They used single paintbrush hairs to apply blue, pink, green and other bright colors across the creatures’ behinds so that they could track individual ant movements. Understanding individual, and not just mass, movement would help the researchers generate a mathematical model to describe the ant raft’s development.

The researchers had originally thought that the ants on the bottom of the raft were underwater and would be unable to breathe, and thus that the ants must have been changing shifts to prevent drowning. Not so: The insects didn’t need to change positions because the protective layer of air kept their bodies from sinking beneath the water’s surface. The scientists did see, however, that there was always a clear ratio between the top ants and the bottom ants, and that if anything happened to upset that ratio, ants would crawl to the sides of the ant pancake and move up or down to rebalance the raft.

The researchers also wanted to know how tightly the ants were gripping one another.

To find out, they glued individual live ants to

the bottom of a glass slide and allowed another ant to grip on to the glued ant. They harnessed the gripping ant with a tiny elastic band and pulled on it to measure the grip strength. That force, they determined, was more than 400 times the creatures’ body weight. The ants could use this power to pull in tighter and become more rigid if they felt a threat, such as a prod from a researcher’s twig.

The researchers created ant rafts containing as many as 12,000 ants. In the wild, where colonies of fire ants can number in the hundreds of thousands, the floating rafts could potentially be much more formidable. The research sheds light on how the deeply social insects act together: almost as if they’re part of a superorganism, scientists said. “Some people almost think of ants as a fluid neural network: The colony itself is performing collective computations, but each ant is unaware of all these options,” said Iain Couzin, a biologist at Princeton University in New Jersey, who was not involved in the study. “The individuals acting together create this awareness of the environment that no individual ant has, and that’s what I think we find fascinating about these insects.” — MCT

China imprisons 14 in tainted milk case BEIJING: Chinese courts have sentenced 14 people to prison for producing or selling melamine-tainted milk powder, news reports said yesterday, highlighting Beijing’s struggle to stamp out rampant sales of phony or tainted food and medicine. Three years after use of melamine in infant formula killed six babies and prompted a shake-up of China’s dairy industry, authorities still are seizing tons of tainted milk. Adding melamine to watereddown milk can make it appear to have adequate protein.

In the latest cases, courts sentenced two people on Friday to life in prison, four to terms of 10 to 15 years and others to shorter terms, the official Xinhua News Agency said. One who was sentenced to life in prison was a producer named Li Baosheng, who was accused of selling 130 tons of milk powder containing melamine, Xinhua said. It said authorities seized that and an additional 43 tons he had not sold yet.

The other who received a life sentence was identified as Qi Weigang, who was convicted of selling Li 11.3 tons of tainted milk powder.

Xinhua gave no other details about Qi. The sentences were imposed by courts in the northern provinces of Shanxi and Hebei, Xinhua said. Zhao Chunfeng, general manager of the Yuquan Dairy Co. in Chengde, a city in Hebei, was sentenced to 15 years for selling tainted milk that had been recalled and producing shoddy milk powder, Xinhua said. In 2008, nearly 300,000 children were sickened after consuming infant formula containing melamine, which can cause kidney damage.

Dozens of people were arrested and a dairy farmer and a milk salesman were executed.

New cases of phony or tainted food or medicine are reported regularly despite repeated crackdowns and threats of severe penalties.

This year, authorities have uncovered sales of drug-tainted pork, bean sprouts treated with a carcinogenic chemical compound and old bread treated with sweeteners and dye to make it seem fresh. The spate of problems

prompted China’s Cabinet to order a renewed crackdown last week on illegal food additives.

A newspaper said this week that 26 tons of melamine-tainted milk powder was seized from an ice cream maker in the southwestern city of Chongqing. The report said the company bought the powder to make pastries and ice cream. — AP

BEIJING: Photo shows a bottle of food additive at a shop in Beijing. A wave of taintedfood reports have renewed fears in China over continued product-safety problems despite a government promise to clean up the food industry following a deadly 2008 milk scandal. — AFP

Height, not just weight, increases blood clot risk

Abbott cuts cost of AIDS drug for govt programs CHICAGO: Abbott Laboratories this week reduced the price of its popular AIDS drug Kaletra for some customers. The move, disclosed Friday during the company’s annual shareholders meeting, comes amid reductions in government spending on programs for low-income Americans with HIV. Cashstrapped states such as Illinois have curtailed eligibility for people enrolled in AIDS drug assistance programs, which also receive federal funds.

Meanwhile, there has been an influx of applicants for AIDS drug assistance programs as people have lost jobs and their ability to pay for HIV prescriptions.

Starting in July, the Illinois Health Department will restrict the state’s AIDS Drug Assistance Program to “new applicants with incomes at or below 300 percent of the federal poverty level,” or $32,670 for a single individual. Currently, the qualification for the program is 500 percent of the federal poverty level, or $54,450 for a single person.

North Chicago-based Abbott on Friday said it reduced the price most AIDS drug assistance programs will pay for Kaletra by 8 percent, to $5,037 per year. Kaletra is a protease inhibitor, a key ingredient in the so-called cocktails of medicines HIV patients take to keep the virus in check. More than 7,700 patients across the country are on waiting lists for drug assistance programs, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation said, citing state and federal records. Miles White, Abbott chairman and chief executive, said the company has not raised the price of Kaletra since 2007, while some companies have increased prices on their AIDS drugs by 5 percent to 6 percent annually. — MCT

NEW YORK: You’re more likely to get blood clots if you’re tall, heavy and male a new study reports. While being obese is already linked with a higher risk of forming potentially deadly clots in the legs and lungs called venous thromboembolism (VTE) - a large study in this week’s Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology reports that taller people, especially those who are obese, are at risk, too.

“In tall people the blood must be pumped a longer distance by the calf-muscle pump, which may cause reduced flow in the legs and thereby raise the risk of clotting,” says senior author Sigrid Braekkan, a researcher in the Hematological Research Group at the University of Tromso in Norway, in a statement. The researchers analyzed height and obesity measurements in 26,714 Norwegian men and women between the ages of 25 and 97, collected over a 12 year period as part of a long-term health survey.

During that time, 461 VTEs occurred.

The findings: In men, compared with short (5 feet, 7.7 inches or less) and normalweight men, the risk of blood clots (both deep vein and lung embolism types) was five times higher in obese, tall men, 2.6 times higher in normal-weight, tall men (5 feet, 11.7 inches or taller), and two times higher in obese, short men. In women, compared with short (5 feet, 2.6 inches or

less) normal-weight women, the risk of clots was 2.8 times higher in obese, tall women, 1.8 times higher in obese, short women, and not increased in normalweight, tall women (more than 5 feet, 6 inches). This is one of the first studies to look at the combination of weight and height in relation to VTEs, says Darren Schneider, Chief of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College, in New York. “The study is strong due to the sheer number of patients and length of follow up time,” says Schneider.

More than 275,000 people in the USA are hospitalized yearly with deep vein clots or pulmonary embolisms, says the American Heart Association. The total number of yearly VTE cases is estimated to exceed 900,000, Schneider says. More belly fat can increase a person’s risk for leg and lung clots because it places more pressure on the deep vein system in the abdominal area, slowing circulation, says Schneider.

Other factors that can increase risk include inflammation (which occurs after surgery, for example), cancer, pregnancy, and long periods of inactivity.

However, the condition is very preventable, says cardiologist Riyaz Bashir, director of Vascular and Endovascular Medicine at Temple University Hospital, in Philadelphia. —MCT

China’s smoking ban expected to have little effect BEIJING: On sunny days, Xu Dongguang, a manager of a trendy cafe in downtown Beijing, arranges tables outside for patrons to while away the afternoon, reading, drinking coffee and chain-smoking. But starting Sunday, all bars, restaurants, hospitals and other public places in China are slated to become smoke-free, inside and out. A few days before the ban was set to go into effect, many places in Beijing had only heard of the restrictions from news reports, and no one had received an official notice.

Xu didn’t have plans to comply. “Our whole restaurant is the smoking section,” he said.

“Maybe we’ll try to ask people to go outside, but in the end, the customer is God.”

Efforts to ban smoking in public places here have been plagued by false starts and failed campaigns. China, with the world’s largest population, also has the most smokers - more than 300 million - a deeply entrenched smoking culture and little awareness among the general public about the health risks. The current ban was mandated by the State Council, China’s top administrative body, in response to a World Health Organization treaty Beijing signed in 2006 pledging to enact nationwide tobacco-control legislation within five years.

China already has missed the deadline by almost five months.

The law mandates a penalty of 30,000

yuan, or about $4,600, for owners of establishments that do not comply, but it is still unclear who will enforce the ban and what actions will trigger such a steep fine. Many Chinese businessmen greet each other with rounds of cigarette giving, and it’s rare a business deal that concludes without one party giving the other expensive tobacco.

“When I applied for permits (for the bar), I would always give officials cigarettes as a present,” said Lin Tao, a bar owner. One posh brand of smokes readily available in fashionable Beijing malls is Panda Cigarettes, which cost 700 yuan, or about $107, a pack.

Most brands, however, cost about $2 a pack.

In 2008, Zhou Jiugeng, the director of the

Nanjing Property Bureau, was sacked after he was seen at a news conference with cigarettes that cost $20 a pack, much more than he could afford on his official salary.

China accounts for a third of all cigarettes smoked worldwide, and about 3,000 people die every day here from smoking-related illness, according the World Health Organization. Cigarette smoke contributes to four of the five leading causes of death in China, WHO says. Public health experts doubt that the ban will be immediately effective, citing legal and education obstacles.

“I would be very surprised if it were enforced from May 1,” said Sarah England, a

technical officer at the World Health Organization. “The law will need to be interpreted by the local and municipal authorities before it has a real impact.” She also noted the lack of a nationwide public education campaign similar to those in the West, so “only 23 percent of adults believe smoking causes cancer or other health problems.”

Since most Chinese haven’t been told about the harmful effects of smoking, they don’t see the need to stop. From 2006 to 2009, three antismoking units at Beijing hospitals officially closed, and others merged with hospital respiratory departments, according to the China Daily newspaper. — MCT

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Scientists transform mosquitoes into anti-malaria weapons Malaria infects an estimated 200 million people per year LOS ANGELES: Malaria, a parasitic disease transmitted by mosquito bites, has resisted insecticides, mosquito netting and other eradication efforts. Recently, a team of scientists from Imperial College London and the University of Washington in Seattle reported on a genetic approach.

They inserted a fungus gene into mosquitoes that can attack specific mosquito genes - making it possible, for example, to destroy genes that allow the malaria parasite to reach humans’ bloodstreams.

Andrea Crisanti, the paper’s senior author and a molecular biologist at Imperial College London, talked about the work, which was recently published in the journal Nature. This interview was edited for space and clarity from a longer discussion.

Why are you tackling malaria?

Malaria is one of the most important infectious diseases. It infects an estimated 200 million people per year, with about 1 million people dying as a consequence, on the same order as HIV/AIDS and tubercu-

losis. If you have enough money, with sustained effort, you can eradicate malaria. In the United States and in Europe, malaria was eradicated. Unfortunately, developing countries don’t have the resources to sustain the use of insecticides over long periods of time and different locations. It requires complex logistics, a lot of money, effort and motivation, and a strong political will.

Ideally, it requires a measure that is affordable, easy to implement and sustainable. And such a measure does not exist at the moment. So we thought if we developed genetically modified mosquitoes that are unable to transmit malaria and are able themselves to transmit this genetic modification to local mosquitoes, through mating - that would be an effective solution.

How does it work?

So it’s a sort of cut-and-paste function: You have a gene able to attack the other gene, destroy it and copy itself in its location. The technology is based on a gene

Caring your beauty

that makes an enzyme that selectively recognizes DNA sequences and cuts them.

Now if you induce a cut in the DNA, a break in the DNA, you trigger the cell’s repair mechanism. The repair mechanism then uses the enzyme’s gene as a template to repair the broken DNA sequence. And so, key genes in the mosquito that are involved in malaria transmission can be disrupted. As the mosquitoes breed, it spreads through the population. In the lab, we saw the mutation spread to more than half the population of mosquitoes we had living in cages. This happened in a time span of 12 to 16 generations of mosquitoes (each generation being between 18 to 30 days in the wild). So it’s quite efficient.

What would you target for destruction and why?

These enzymes can be reprogrammed to attack different DNA sequences, so there is flexibility there. The question is, which sequences do you want to attack?

You could, for example, destroy genes that

are important for the parasite. There are some genes that are important for the mosquito to recognize and bite humans rather than animals. Or you could destroy genes that regulate sex development for female mosquitoes, so every generation will produce only males. This will, in the span of a few generations, have tremendous impact on the size of the mosquito population.

Which countries do you want to use this in first?

I don’t want to mention any specific countries. I’m think ing sub -Saharan African countries where malaria is highly endemic and they have problems using insecticides or don’t have the infrastructure to use them. India has made fantastic progress in controlling malaria; so has China. They’re doing very well now.

How long will it take to reduce malaria?

Without new technology, I would guess

we’re talking several decades. If our technology works, it can really work in spans of one to two years. Once you start to release the modified mosquitoes into the field, they’ll do the job in a relatively short time.

That’s why it’s so exciting.

Are people working on genetic approaches?

There’s been work done by a group that released genetically modified mosquitoes in the Cayman Islands, but they released sterile male mosquitoes. They’re monogamous - so once the male mosquitoes mate, they don’t mate again. The idea is that you make a genetically sterile male, or you introduce genes which kill the females, so in principle, the genes don’t spread. But the technology requires multiple releases, breeding the mosquitoes is not easy, and the technology would be very difficult to implement in Africa. Also, it’s been used on a different mosquito that’s responsible for the transmission of dengue fever. — MCT

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Announcements

Experience cruising!

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oyal Caribbean Cruises, the global cruise vacation company that challenges you to ask, ‘why not’; that allures you to go out and see, to do and be more than you had ever thought possible, recently held a promotional exhibition at the Marina Mall in Salmiya. The well-attended event attested to the growing popularity of cruise tours among citizens and residents in Kuwait.

Speaking on the sidelines of the threeday exhibition, Neomi D’Souza, Sales Manager Royal Caribbean International for Kuwait- Bahrain, said that cruising is the fastest growing leisure vacation choice today, and it also enjoys the highest rate of repeat satisfied customers of any type of vacation. The choices of destination, experience, accommodations, and cuisine are nearly limitless and cruising is the ultimate vacation in value and convenience.

“Our guests have an appetite for new experiences and an interest in activities that take them out of the ordinary, connect them with other people and enable them to explore new places and learn

about other cultures. They are keen travelers seeking a quality vacation at the best value, one that caters to an array of travel needs and preferences,” said D’Souza.

In December 2010, Royal Caribbean International inaugurated the world’s

features lush, tropical grounds spanning more than the length of a football field.

With 26 dining options to choose from, Allure introduces several novel restaurant concepts for those looking for a range of special epicurean experiences. Allure of

newest, largest and most innovative cruise ship, Allure of the Seas. One of the innovations onboard the ship is Central Park, a revolutionary design in which the center of the ship opens to the sky and

the Seas alternates a Western Caribbean with an Eastern Caribbean seven-night itinerary.

Mediterranean itineraries, which are highly favored by Middle Eastern guests,

include 7-night cruises onboard royal Caribbean’s Voyager and Freedom class ships that promise innovative activities, exciting dining and entertainment options, amazing destinations and breathtaking shore explorations that allows you to experience the Mediterranean like never before. The cruise line’s 2011 Europe cruise and cruise tour season is the biggest ever European deployment and will offer 109 unique itineraries, ranging from three to 15 nights and visiting 27 countries and 78 ports.

To accommodate multigenerational travels, the global cruise line is debuting new half-day excursions designed specifically with families in mind. “If families and couples have been waiting for the right time to cruise in Europe, it has arrived. With so many great itineraries and ships, Royal Caribbean International cruises and cruise tour land packages offer the best value for vacationers to experience vibrant cultures and compelling destinations throughout Europe,” concluded D’Souza.

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 Vadak k an Pattuk al (Ballads of Nor th Malabar) of medieval Kerala on stage. ‘Oru Vadak k an Veerak atha’, 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 at 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.

Al Taalib Scholarship 2011 Al Taalib Scholarship is a financial aid scheme for the under privileged school students in Kuwait, sponsored by the Ministry of Awqaf in association with Islam Presentation Committee (IPC), Friday Forum and Pakistan Kuwait Welfare Association. These scholarships were given to the needy students irrespective of their religion or nationality. The process of Al Taalib Scholarship for the current academic year, 2011-12, has begun for all Indian and Pakistani Schools in Kuwait. In order to avail this scholarship, applicants are requested to collect the Application Form from Al Taalib Office located in CAMS, Ahmed Al Jaber Street, Darwaza, Near Warba Insurance Co., Int’l Islamic Charity Organization Building, 2nd Floor, Al Sharq. The duly filled application form shall be submitted to Al Taalib office on or before 10th May 2011 along with all supporting documents specified in the Application Form.

ABCK golf tournament The American Business Council of Kuwait is hosting its 10th annual Golf Tournament at the Sahara Golf Club on Friday, May 13th, 2011. It will be a Texas 4-man scramble and your participation is encouraged. Registration begins at 7.00am and shotgun at 8.00am. Event includes breakfast, lunch and raffle prizes. For details contact americanbusinesscouncil@gmail.com before May 10th.

TSC Salmiya celebrates Healthy Living Week

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huge number of customers flocked to TSC Sultan Center Salmiya to take part in the opening activities of the healthy living week. The opening ceremony started with ribbon cutting followed by a tour around the store, where customers were invited to sample an exclusive range of organic and nutritional products. Customers were also entitled to a free nutritional assessment and one to one consultation and evaluation provided by Lina’s and Dina’s Diet Center.

The healthy living week was also complemented by a draw promotion to give the customers a chance to win free spa travel packages to London, Paris and Geneva including a round trip, a four days hotel accommodation and a SPA program for each KD 5 they spend at any TSC Sultan Center.

According to TSC Public Relations Manager of Retail, “We are pleased to play a leading role in promoting healthy living through an exclusive range of organic and nutritional products available at all TSC Sultan Centers and are much delighted to provide some health oriented activities to give our customers more reasons to get started on a healthy lifestyle.”

The draw promotion is valid until 4th May 2011 at TSC Sultan Center Salmiya, Sharq, Hawally, Al-Kout, Jabriya, Fahaheel, Salwa and Ahmadi and is exclusive to TSC Rewards card holders. TSC customers who are not already members of the rewards card program can sign up for free and receive their card immediately at any TSC Sultan Center.

Birthday Greetings

Happy Birthday Cendy!!

We wish all the happiness, success and good health. Greetings from family, friends and relatives!!!

3rd annual blood donation campaign by Landmark

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s part of its ongoing commitment towards supporting the society, Landmark Group, the largest value retail shopping chain in Kuwait recently conducted its annual blood donation campaign in association with Kuwait Central Blood Bank (KCBB).

The event took place at Al Bahar Center, Hawally; with 100 plus employees and customers of Landmark Group as volunteers who took part in this social cause. Staff members from all departments and

branches across Kuwait were invited to participate in the blood donation drive. The campaign, which was supervised by a team of specialized doctors, generated a tremendous response from the employees.

“Landmark Group’s annual blood donation drive has consistently been able to involve a significant number of its employees, who voluntarily come forward to donate blood and support a worthy cause. Serving the local com-

munity and the society at large has always been high on the agenda for Landmark Group. We are glad to continue our support to the Kuwait Central Blood Bank which has been doing an admirable job in saving lives by maintaining ample stock of blood,” said Saibal Basu, Chief Operating Officer, Landmark Group Kuwait. The campaign is a part of the Group’s continuous efforts to highlight the principles of corporate social responsibility and support patients in need.

NAFO to present Soorya’s ‘Sangamam’ National Forum Kuwait (NAFO Kuwait) is all set to bringing a spectacular, well conceptualized, a jewel in crown super cultural show ‘Sangamam’ for the art lovers of Kuwait, according to a press release. Indian Ambassador Ajai Malhotra will inaugurate the first of its kind super show, scheduled for the evening of Friday, May 13, 2011 (6.00 PM) at the American International School Auditorium, MaidanHawalli.

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.

Balakalamela on MAY 13 The yearly event “Balakalamela” conducted by Kerala Art Lovers Association (Kala-Kuwait) for the students of all Indian Schools in Kuwait for attaining the Benji Benson EverRolling Trophy has been scheduled for May13th, Friday at Carmel School, Khaithan as informed by the Central Committee of Kala. The items that are included for the competition are Bharthnatyam, Mohiniyattam, Oppana, MargamKali, Folk Dance, Group Dance, Fancy Dress, Mappilapaattu, Monoact, Light Music (Malayalam, Hindi), Group Song (Malayalam, Hindi), Classical Song, Poetry Recitation(English, Hindi, Malayalam), Elocution (Malayalam, English), Essay Writing(English, Malayalam), Story Writing (English, Malayalam), Poetry Writing (English, Malayalam) and Drawing.

Participants are categorized as shown below: L.K.G & U.K.G( Kindergarten) Standard1 - Standard 4 (Sub Juniors) Standard 5 - Standard 8 (Juniors) Standard 9 - Standard 12 (Seniors) Registrations can be done via the respective schools or through Kala Centre. Registration forms can also be downloaded from the official website of Kala, www.kalaonweb.com and the filled forms should be mailed to the email address kalabalakalamela@gmail.com. For the success of the program a reception committee was formed in which K.vinod was selected as General Convenor . Members who are in charge of various Sub Committees are as follows:- Sunil (Program), Bineesh.K.Babu (Registration), Binu Rani Albert(Reception), Sunny Saijesh (Stage), C.Krishnan (Food), Skaria John (Volunteer), K.Chandran (Publicity and Souvenir) and R.Ramesh (Finance) . For more details regarding the program contact 24317875 (Kala Centre), 66180229, 97817100 or 66656642

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W H AT ’ S O N

Embassy Information 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.

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EMBASSY OF BANGLADESH The Embassy of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh in Kuwait will remain closed today, 01 M ay 2011 on the occasion of the May-Day. ■■■■■■■

GUST Ruwwad Business Club does some business in Istanbul

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ver the Gulf University for Science and Technology (GUST) spring break, the student club Ruwwad Business Club organized a trip to the financial power house of Istanbul, Turkey. It was a five-day business trip that included many interesting visits and enlightening conferences for the students. The purpose of the trip was to expand the knowledge of the participants about the business world in Turkey and further educate those who were unaware of the financial ties between Turkey and Kuwait. Secondary to this, was of course, enjoyment.

Thanks to the organized efforts of Mohammad Ebrahi, Ruwwad Club President, and Abdulrahman Estanbli, the Vice President, Faisal Al-Roumi, Dhari Al-Meshari and Sara Buabbas the trip was organized with many activities and tours. Throughout the trip, the

group of 30 students, parents and staff members was taken on a business and touristic tour of Turkey’s financial hub and center, Istanbul. Throughout the trip, the group visited the Istanbul

Stock Exchange (IMKB), Ziraat Bank, Istanbul Chamber of Commerce, AK Par ty branch, and MUSIAD (Businessman’s Association). As for enter tainment stops, they visited

KSSC receives applications for young swimmers courses

Aware Arabic course

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he AWARE management is glad to inform those interested in learning Arabic that Summer 1 Arabic language courses will begin on April 24 and go on till June 2, 2011.

AWARE Arabic language courses are designed with the expat in mind. The environment is relaxed and courses are designed for those wanting to learn Arabic for travel, cultural understanding, and conducting business or simply to become more involved in the community. We cater to teachers, travelers and those working in the private business sector.

Topkapi Palace, Sultanahmet Mosque (more famously known as the Blue Mosque), Panorama Istanbul, Hagia Sophia, Kapalicarsi (The Grand Bazaar), Miniaturk Park and the widely acclaimed Bosphorous boat trip.

The 30 students also participated in training courses which taught them about how to use certain marketing and financial strategies and gave them insights into the methods of business that are currently used in Turkey. Upon the completion of the trainings and the attendance of all conferences and visits, attendies were granted a certificate of recognition and participation of the one week program. The students and chaperones alike learned a lot on this trip, not only when it came to the intricacies of the business world, but also in communication, culture and interpersonal aspects as well.

T Al-Fahad, Al-Foudari, and Al-Durai’a are seen with young swimmers during a previous course.

he Kuwait Sea Sports Club is set today to start receiving registration applications on its new swimming training course for children, eligible for boys aged between five and twelve years, and girls between five and nine years of age.

Hassan Al-Durai’a, manager of the club’s swimming complex, explained in a press release that applications be handed at the KSSC’s headquarters in Salmiya. The event is being held for the seventh year in a row, and is receiving good attention by KSSC chairman Maj Gen Fahd Al-Fahd, Vice Chairman Ahmad Al-Ghanim and secretary general Khalid Al-Foudari.

Crowne Plaza Kuwait Welcomes Sabaya

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 ■■■■■■■

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 ■■■■■■■

EMBASSY OF CANADA The Embassy of Canada is located at Villa 24, AlMutawakel St., Block 4 in Da’aiyah. Please visit our website at www.Kuwait.gc.ca.

Canada offers a registration service for all Canadians travelling or living abroad. This service is provided so that Consular Officials can contact and assist Canadians in an emergency in a foreign country, such as a natural disaster or civil unrest, or inform Canadians of a family emergency at home. The Embassy of Canada encourages all Canadian Citizens to register online through the Government of Canada Travel Website at www.voyage.gc.ca. The Canadian Embassy in Abu Dhabi provides visa and immigration services to residents of Kuwait. Individuals who are interested in visiting, working or immigrating to Canada are invited to visit the website of the Canadian Embassy to the UAE at www.UAE.gc.ca.

Effective January 15, 2011, the only Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) application form that will be accepted by CIC is the Application for Temporary Resident Visa Made Outside of Canada [IMM 5257] form. All previous Temporary Resident Visa application forms will no longer be accepted by CIC and instead will be returned to applicants. Should old applications be submitted prior to January 15, 2011 they will continue to be processed. To ensure that the most recent version of the Temporary Resident Visa application form is being utilized, applicants should refer to the CIC website. As of January 15, 2011, forms are to be filled in electronically. The Embassy of Canada is open from 07:30 to 15:30 Sunday through Thursday.

Consular Services for Canadian Citizens are provided from 09:00 until 12:00 on Sunday through Wednesday.

The forms are available on the internet at: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/kits/forms/IMM5257 E.PDF. A guide explaining the process can be found here: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/kits/guides/5256E. PDF. ■■■■■■■

EMBASSY OF FRANCE On the occasion of public holiday in France, the French Embassy in Kuwait will be closed on Sunday the 1st and Sunday the 8th of May 2011.

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A

midst glitz and glamour, Crowne Plaza Kuwait welcomed the members of the Sabaya Series, along with cine artist Suzanne Najm Al Deen. The members of the Marketing and PR Team welcomed the group with floral bouquets, escorting them to the waiting Volvo luxury cars that took them to the hotel.

Complete arrangements had been made before hand to ensure that all the needs of the guests were taken care of. Suites had been prepared in advance with all the amenities for

their accommodation. The guests were taken to the Spa Aquatonic for a complete Spa journey, where they

had a total relaxing experience at the hands of experts and had a fitness session at the 24 hour Nautilus Fitness Centre. Lunch was readied with the treasures of the sea from Al Noukhaza restaurant, and the evening was completed with a visit to the outside restaurants at Shaab, where they enjoyed a delightful dinner of Sakura-Viaggio mix, with coffee and dessert from Ayam Zaman.

The highlight of their visit was the press conference held at the hotel for the launch of the “A Healthy You” campaign, involving the restaurants,

rooms, Spa Aquatonic, Laila Gallery and the Health Club. A health menu was also launched, which will be present in every restaurant of the Crowne Plaza Kuwait. A Healthy You campaign endorses that that life is not about diets, but it is about eating healthy foods and enjoying a healthy lifestyle.

The Crowne Plaza Kuwait stresses on the importance of a healthy life for all its guests, with all its restaurants in the hotel, Abu Halifa, Laila Gallery, Shaab, 360 Mall and Discovery Mall promoting the healthy menu as well.

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 2539-4336; 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.

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EMBASSY OF NIGERIA The Nigerian embassy has moved its office to Mishref. Block 3, Street 7, House 4. For enquires please call 25379541. Fax25387719. Email- nigeriakuwait@yahoo.com or nigeriankuwait@yahoo.co.uk

A

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Years

03:30 Pit Bulls And Parolees 04:25 Crime Scene Wild 05:20 The Most Extreme 06:10 Cats 101 07:00 Meerkat Manor 07:25 Growing Up...: Polar Bear Orphan 08:15 The Really Wild Show 08:40 Natural Born Hunters 09:10 Michaela’s Animal Road Trip 10:05 Dogs 101 11:00 Animal Precinct 11:55 Wildlife SOS 12:20 E-Vets: The Interns 12:50 Chimp Family Fortunes 13:45 Chimp Family Fortunes 14:40 Extraordinary Dogs 15:05 Cats Of Claw Hill 15:35 Natural Born Hunters 16:00 Natural Born Hunters 16:30 Sharkman 17:25 Venom Hunter With Donald Schultz 18:20 World Wild Vet 19:15 Mutant Planet 20:10 Dogs/Cats/Pets 101 21:05 Life In The Undergrowth 22:00 Life Of Mammals 22:55 The Animals’ Guide To Survival 23:50 The Most Extreme

04:30 Me Too 04:50 Tweenies 05:10 Teletubbies 05:35 Charlie And Lola 05:45 Me Too 06:05 Tweenies 06:25 Teletubbies 06:50 Charlie And Lola 07:05 Me Too 07:25 Tweenies 07:45 Teletubbies 08:10 Charlie And Lola 08:20 Me Too 08:40 Tweenies 09:00 Teletubbies 09:25 Charlie And Lola 09:40 Programmes Celebrating Royal Wedding

03:25 Come Dine With Me 07:20 Ching’s Kitchen 07:40 How Not To Decorate 08:30 Glamour Puds 08:55 Daily Cooks Challenge 11:15 How Not To Decorate 15:10 Antiques Roadshow 19:00 Holmes On Homes 19:45 Holmes On Homes 20:30 New Scandinavian Cooking With Andreas Viestad 22:10 Come Dine With Me

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

BBC World News World Features Equestrian World BBC World News Dateline London BBC World News Click BBC World News Newsnight BBC World News India Business Report BBC World News Fast Track BBC World News World Features Equestrian World BBC World News World Features Dateline London BBC World News

12:10 13:00 13:10 13:30 14:00 14:30 15:00 15:10 15:30 16:00 16:15 16:30 17:00 17:30 18:00 18:10 19:00 19:30 20:00 20:30 21:00 21:15 21:30 22:00 22:30 23:00 23:10 23:30

BBC World News BBC World News World Features BBC World News BBC World News Newsnight BBC World News World Features Extra Time BBC World News Sport Today Click BBC World News Nature Inc. BBC World News BBC World News BBC World News India Business Report BBC World News BBC World News BBC World News Sport Today Click BBC World News Equestrian World BBC World News World Features Nature Inc.

07:00 07:10 07:35 08:00 08:25 08:50 09:05 09:15 09:40 10:05 10:30 10:55 11:20 11:45 12:10 12:35 12:45 13:10 13:35 14:00 14:25 14:45 15:00 15:10 15:35 16:00 16:20 16:45 17:10 17:30 17:55 18:20 18:45 19:10 19:35 20:00 20:25 20:50 21:00 21:25 21:50 22:15 22:40 23:05 23:30 23:55

Timmy Time Special Agent OSO Handy Manny Imagination Movers Lazytown Jungle Junction Timmy Time Handy Manny Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Jo Jo’s Circus Little Einsteins Jungle Junction Higglytown Heroes Handy Manny Timmy Time Jo Jo’s Circus Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Imagination Movers Special Agent OSO Handy Manny Higglytown Heroes Timmy Time Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Jungle Junction Little Einsteins Handy Manny Lazytown Special Agent OSO Higglytown Heroes Jo Jo’s Circus Little Einsteins Handy Manny Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Jungle Junction Timmy Time Handy Manny Higglytown Heroes Jungle Junction Handy Manny Little Einsteins Jo Jo’s Circus Lazytown Jungle Junction

06:00 06:25 06:45 07:00 07:20 07:45 08:00 KSA 20:00 20:45 21:10 21:35 22:00 23:30 23:45

New Adventures Of Madeline Rupert Jass Time Rescue Heroes Rescue Heroes Rescue Heroes Programmes Start At 8:00pm Dennis The Menace Sabrina The Animated Series S Club 7 In Miami Beverly Hills Teen Club Seventeen Again Dennis The Menace Nancy Drew

SUNDAY, MAY 1, 2011

TV PROGRAMS

03:00 Ducks Unlimited 03:25 Ducks Unlimited 03:50 Game Chasers 05:05 Western Extreme 05:30 The Wingshooter 07:00 Adventure Guides - Fishing Edition 08:15 Salmon, Trout & Steelheader 09:05 Trev Gowdy’s Monster Fish 09:30 Familiar Waters 09:55 Familiar Waters 10:20 Familiar Waters 10:45 Cowboys 11:10 Cowboys 11:35 Cowboys 12:00 Cowboys 12:25 Familiar Waters 12:50 Familiar Waters 13:15 Ultimate Match Fishing Pro 14:30 Cowboys 14:55 Cowboys 15:20 Cowboys 15:45 Cowboys 16:10 Familiar Waters 16:35 Familiar Waters 17:00 Ultimate Match Fishing Pro 18:15 Cowboys 19:55 Familiar Waters 20:20 Familiar Waters 20:45 Ultimate Match Fishing Pro 21:10 Ultimate Match Fishing Pro 21:35 Ultimate Match Fishing Pro

04:20 05:45 07:35 09:00 10:25 11:50 13:30 15:00 16:35 18:20 20:20 22:00

Black Mama, White Mama Criminal Law It Runs In The Family Breakin’ Sibling Rivalry Romantic Comedy

By Duty Bound The Defiant Ones Hannah And Her Sisters The Killer Elite Mr. Majestyk West Side Story

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 Ed, Edd N Eddy 07:25 Chop Socky Chooks 07:50 Chowder 08:15 Ben 10: Alien Force 08:40 Bakugan: Gundalian Invaders 09:05 Batman: The Brave And The Bold 09:30 The Secret Saturdays 09:55 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey 10:20 George Of The Jungle 10:30 Angelo Rules 10:55 Best Ed 11:20 Eliot Kid 11:45 Skunk Fu! 12:10 Fantastic Four: World’s Greatest Heroes 12:35 Bakugan: New Vestroia 13:00 Ben 10 13:25 Codename: Kids Next Door 13:50 The Marvelous Misadventures Of Flapjack 14:15 The Life And Times Of Juniper Lee 14:40 George Of The Jungle 15:05 Cartoon Network Dance Club 15:20 Ed, Edd N Eddy 15:35 Chop Socky Chooks 16:00 Robotboy 16:25 Squirrel Boy 16:50 Chowder 17:15 The Secret Saturdays

THE THREE MUSKETEERS ON OSN ACTION HD

17:40 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 18:05 Bakugan: New Vestroia 18:30 Angelo Rules 18:55 Best Ed 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 Batman: The Brave And The Bold 22:25 Skunk Fu! 22:50 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 23:15 Bakugan Battle Brawlers 23:40 Chowder

16:45 17:10 17:30 17:57 18:00 18:20 18:45 19:10 20:40 20:57 21:00 21:25 21:50 22:15 22:40 23:05 23:30 23:55

03:25 Destroyed In Seconds 04:20 How It’s Made 04:50 How Stuff’s Made 05:15 Brew Masters 06:05 Mythbusters 07:00 Weaponizers 07:50 Ultimate Weapons 08:45 American Chopper: Senior vs Junior 09:40 Mythbusters 10:30 Gold Rush: Alaska 11:25 Brew Masters 12:20 Royal Wedding: William And Kate...

16:00 Cake Boss 16:55 Mythbusters 17:50 How It’s Made 18:15 Gold Rush: Alaska 19:10 Brew Masters 20:05 James May’s Man Lab 21:00 Mythbusters 21:55 Get Out Alive 22:50 Dual Survival 23:45 Stunt Junkies

06:00 Kid Vs Kat 06:20 Kick Buttowski 06:40 Pokemon 07:05 American Dragon 07:30 Phineas & Ferb 08:20 Suite Life On Deck S3 08:45 Pair Of Kings 09:10 Next X 2011 Winter Edition (Cema) 09:25 The Avengers: Earths Mightiest Heroes 09:50 New Spiderman 10:15 Zeke & Luther 10:40 I’m In The Band 11:05 The Super Hero Squad Show 11:30 The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody 11:50 Phineas And Ferb 12:00 Up Up And Away 13:15 Next X 2011 Winter Edition (Cema) 13:25 Phineas And Ferb 13:40 Pokemon 14:05 The Super Hero Squad Show 14:30 Kick Buttowski 14:55 Pair Of Kings 15:20 Phineas And Ferb 15:30 The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody 15:50 I’m In The Band 16:15 Zeke & Luther 17:05 The Super Hero Squad Show 17:30 Pokemon 17:55 Suite Life On Deck S3 18:45 Phineas & Ferb 19:10 The Avengers: Earths Mightiest Heroes 19:35 New Spiderman 20:00 Kick Buttowski 20:25 Zeke & Luther 20:50 I’m In The Band 21:15 Aaron Stone 21:40 American Dragon 22:00 Pokemon 22:20 Pokemon

03:00 Sci-Fi Science 03:25 Sci-Fi Science 03:50 How Stuff Works 04:45 Engineered 05:40 How Stuff’s Made 06:10 Superships 09:15 Weird Connections 09:45 Catch It Keep It 14:45 The Gadget Show 15:10 The Gadget Show 15:35 Patent Bending 16:00 Head Rush 16:03 How Stuff’s Made 16:30 How Does That Work?

17:00 The Future Of...

17:50 Bad Universe 18:40 Human Body: Ultimate Machine 19:30 Mighty Ships 20:20 The Gadget Show 20:45 The Gadget Show 21:10 Through The Wormhole With Morgan Freeman 22:00 Powering The Future 22:50 Discovery Project Earth 23:40 Mega World

HD 03:25 Ultimate Recipe Showdown 04:15 Good Eats - Special 04:40 Unwrapped 05:05 Ten Dollar Dinners 05:30 Paula’s Best Dishes 05:50 Paula’s Party 06:35 Barefoot Contessa 07:00 Chopped 07:50 Guy’s Big Bite 08:15 Boy Meets Grill 08:40 Good Deal With Dave Lieberman 09:05 Ten Dollar Dinners 09:30 Paula’s Best Dishes 09:55 Barefoot Contessa 10:20 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives 10:45 Throwdown With Bobby Flay 11:10 Unwrapped 11:35 Paula’s Party 12:25 Good Eats - Special 12:50 Paula’s Best Dishes 13:15 Throwdown With Bobby Flay 13:40 Ultimate Recipe Showdown 14:30 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives 14:55 Unwrapped 15:20 Boy Meets Grill 15:45 Chopped 16:35 Guy’s Big Bite 17:00 Barefoot Contessa 17:25 Good Deal With Dave Lieberman 17:50 Ten Dollar Dinners 18:15 Paula’s Party 19:05 Good Eats - Special 19:30 Food Network Challenge 20:20 Unwrapped 21:10 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives Special 22:00 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives 22:50 Guy’s Big Bite 23:40 Good Eats - Special

03:10 03:35 04:25 05:15 06:00 06:25 06:45 07:10 07:35 08:00 08:25 08:50 09:00 10:00 10:27 10:30 10:55 11:15 11:40 12:00 12:25 12:50 13:12 13:15 13:40 14:00 14:25 14:47 14:50 15:15 15:35 16:00 16:25

Stitch Kim Possible Emperors New School Stitch Special Agent Oso Jungle Junction Handy Manny Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Fish Hooks Sonny With A Chance Sonny With A Chance Have A Laugh Stitch! The Movie Hannah Montana Forever Have A Laugh Hannah Montana Forever Good Luck Charlie Shake It Up Suite Life On Deck Fish Hooks Wizards Of Waverly Place Sonny With A Chance Have A Laugh Hannah Montana Forever Fairly Odd Parents Jonas LA Replacements Have A Laugh Phineas And Ferb Jonas LA Fairly Odd Parents Suite Life On Deck Hannah Montana Forever

Wizards Of Waverly Place Shake It Up Fish Hooks Have A Laugh Hannah Montana Forever Good Luck Charlie Sonny With A Chance Gotta Kick It Up Hannah Montana Forever Have A Laugh Wizards Of Waverly Place Jonas LA Good Luck Charlie Sonny With A Chance Wizards Of Waverly Place Jonas Hannah Montana Kim Possible

03:15 E! Investigates 04:10 Sexiest 05:05 Reality Hell 05:30 Wildest TV Show Moments 06:00 E!es 07:50 Behind The Scenes 08:20 E! News 09:15 Extreme Close-Up 09:45 Extreme Close-Up 10:15 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 13:05 Kourtney And Kim Take New York 16:55 Behind The Scenes 17:25 Behind The Scenes 17:55 E! News 18:55 Married To Rock 19:25 Married To Rock 19:55 Kimora: Life In The Fab Lane 20:55 Kendra 21:25 Kourtney And Kim Take New York 21:55 Kourtney And Kim Take New York 22:25 E! News 23:25 The Soup 23:55 Chelsea Lately

03:10 Dr Danger 04:00 BMX Megatour 04:50 Lucas Oil Motocross Championships 2009 06:30 iEX 2009 08:00 Parcour 08:25 Kenny Belaey’s Big Time 09:40 LG Action Sports World...

11:20 Lucas Oil Motocross Championships 2009 13:00 Winter X Games 14 2010 13:50 Ride Guide Mountainbike 2008 14:40 Final Fu 17:10 Fight Girls 18:00 Ride Guide Mountainbike 2008 18:50 Lucas Oil Motocross Championships 2009 20:30 Winter X Games 14 2010 21:20 Fantasy Factory 22:10 Ride Guide Mountainbike 2008 22:35 Ride Guide Mountainbike 2009 23:00 Fight Girls 23:50 Glutton For Punishment

03:00 03:50 04:45 05:15 06:10 07:00 07:50 08:40 09:30 10:20 11:10 12:00 12:50 13:40 14:30 15:20 16:10 17:00 17:50 18:40 19:30 19:55 20:20 21:10 21:35 22:00 22:25 22:50 23:40

A Haunting A Haunting Crime Scene Psychics Murder Shift Mystery ER Forensic Detectives On The Run Mystery ER Real Emergency Calls Fugitive Strike Force FBI Files Murder Shift Extreme Forensics Mystery ER Real Emergency Calls Fugitive Strike Force Forensic Detectives On The Run FBI Files Mystery ER Real Emergency Calls Real Emergency Calls Murder Shift Who On Earth Did I Marry?

I Was Murdered I Was Murdered Deadly Women: Face To Face On The Case With Paula Zahn I Almost Got Away With It

MUTANT CHRONICLES ON OSN MOVIES ACTION

03:30 Market Values 04:00 Don’t Tell My Mother 05:00 David Rocco’s Dolce Vita 05:30 Exploring The Vine 06:00 Pressure Cook 06:30 Food Lovers Guide To The Planet 07:00 By Any Means 08:00 Market Values 08:30 Departures 09:30 Market Values 10:00 62 Days At Sea 11:00 Danger Men 12:00 The Frankincense Trail 13:00 Cruise Ship Diaries 14:00 Banged Up Abroad 15:00 Banged Up Abroad 16:00 62 Days At Sea 17:00 Danger Men 18:00 The Frankincense Trail 19:00 Cruise Ship Diaries 20:00 Banged Up Abroad 21:00 Banged Up Abroad 22:00 62 Days At Sea 23:00 Danger Men

04:00 06:00 08:00 09:45 11:30 14:00 15:45 PG15 17:30 20:00 18 22:00

The Three Musketeers-PG15 Hardwired-PG15 The Marine 2-PG15 Darkness Falls-PG15 Armageddon-PG15 The Marine 2-PG15 Beyond A Reasonable DoubtArmageddon-PG15 Battlestar Galactica: The PlanSet It Off-18

03:30 Car Babes-PG15 05:15 Astro Boy-FAM 07:00 Preacher’s Kid-PG 09:00 Car Babes-PG15 11:00 The Prince And Me 3: A Royal Honeymoon-PG15 13:00 The People Speak-PG15 15:00 The Cake Eaters-PG15 17:00 Harold-PG15 19:00 All About Steve-PG15 21:00 Broken Embraces-PG15 23:00 Let Me In-R

03:00 Friends 03:30 Parks And Recreation 04:00 Family Guy 04:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 05:30 Malcolm In The Middle 06:00 Yes Dear 06:30 The Drew Carey Show 07:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 08:00 8 Simple Rules ...

08:30 Dharma And Greg 09:00 Friends 09:30 Malcolm In The Middle 10:00 Yes Dear 10:30 My Boys 11:00 The Drew Carey Show 11:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 12:30 Dharma And Greg 13:00 8 Simple Rules ...

13:30 Malcolm In The Middle 14:00 Yes Dear 14:30 Parks And Recreation 15:00 My Boys 15:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 16:00 The Colbert Report 16:30 The Drew Carey Show 17:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 18:00 Just Shoot Me 18:30 Tyler Perry’s House Of Payne 19:00 Seinfeld 19:30 30 Rock 20:00 Two And A Half Men 20:30 Cougar Town 21:00 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 21:30 The Colbert Report 22:00 Saturday Night Live 23:00 Family Guy 23:30 Two And A Half Men

03:00 The Three Musketeers-PG15 05:00 Into The Blue 2: The Reef-18 07:00 Lost Junction-PG15 09:00 Enemy Of The State-PG15 11:00 X-Men Origins: WolverinePG15 13:00 Wushu Warrior-PG15 14:30 Enemy Of The State-PG15 16:30 Mutant Chronicles-PG15 18:30 Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen-PG15 21:00 Set It Off-18 23:00 Alone In The Dark 2-18

04:00 06:00 08:00 10:00 PG15 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00

Man Of The House-PG15 Four Christmases-PG15 Who’s Your Caddy?-PG15 Ghosts Of Girlfriends Past-

04:00 05:45 07:30 09:00 11:00 13:30 15:15 17:00 19:00 21:00 23:00

In America-18 My Sister’s Keeper-PG15 Beneath The Blue-PG15 Awakenings-PG Mr. Holland’s Opus-PG Benny And Joon-PG It Might Get Loud-PG15 Mama I Want To Sing-PG The Unloved-18 Gattaca-18 Croupier-18

03:00 05:00 07:00 09:00 11:00 13:00 PG15 15:00 PG 17:00 18:45 21:00 23:00

Frost/Nixon-PG15 The Fog Of War-PG15 The Brothers Bloom-PG15 Bandslam-PG15 Anger Management-PG15 It’s A Wonderful Afterlife-

04:00 06:00 08:00 FAM 10:00 12:00 PG 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00 PG

That Thing You Do!-PG Houseguest-PG15 All’s Faire In Love-PG Mafia!-PG15 The Big Lebowski-18 American High School-18

Where The Wild Things Are-

Scottish Premier League European PGA Tour Futbol Mundial European Challenge Cup

06:00 Live European PGA Tour 10:00 Futbol Mundial 10:30 European Challenge Cup 12:30 Super 15 14:30 Trans World Sport 15:30 ICC Cricket World 16:00 Live Snooker World Championship 20:00 Trans World Sport 21:00 Live Snooker World Championship

03:00 Live UFC 129 Prelims 04:00 Live UFC 129 08:00 Live NRL Premiership 10:00 Live V8 Supercars Championship 11:00 Live V8 Supercars Championship 12:00 WWE SmackDown 14:00 WWE Vintage Collection 15:00 V8 Supercars Championship 16:00 V8 Supercars Championship 17:00 V8 Supercars Championship 18:00 UFC 129 Prelims 19:00 UFC 129 23:00 UFC The Ultimate Fighter

03:20 04:15 05:10 05:35 06:05 07:00 08:00 09:00 09:55 10:50 11:50 12:50 19:25 20:20 21:15 22:10 23:05

Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?

Married Away Homes With Style Area Clean House Big Boutique Clean House Top 10 Homes With Style Bridalplasty Bridalplasty Giuliana And Bill Clean House Fashion Police Giuliana And Bill Ruby Bridalplasty

Bandslam-PG15 Paris-PG15 Calvin Marshall-PG15 Fired Up!-18

Hotel For Dogs-FAM G-Force-PG Scruff Cinderella’s CarnivalUp-FAM Legend Of Sleeping BeautyHotel For Dogs-FAM Ramses Of Egypt-PG Wild Records!-PG Hua Mulan-PG Legend Of Sleeping Beauty-

04:00 The Box-PG15 06:00 Secret Origin: The Story Of DC Comics-PG 08:00 Freestyle-PG15 10:00 National Security-PG15 12:00 Toy Story 3-FAM 14:00 End Of The Spear-PG15 16:00 Freestyle-PG15 18:00 Percy Jackson And The Lightning Thief-PG15 20:00 Calvin Marshall-PG15 22:00 Cheri-PG15

03:00 05:00 07:00 09:00 09:30 11:30 13:30

15:30 17:30 22:00 22:30

NRL Premiership Live NRL Premiership Live NRL Premiership ICC Cricket World Scottish Premier League NRL Premiership NRL Premiership

03:00 Deep Sea Detectives 03:55 Deep Wreck Mysteries 04:50 Ancient Discoveries 05:40 Meteors: Fire In The Sky 07:20 Hotel Ground Zero 08:10 Surviving History 09:00 Deep Sea Detectives 09:55 Deep Wreck Mysteries 10:50 Ancient Discoveries 11:40 Meteors: Fire In The Sky 13:20 Hotel Ground Zero 14:10 Surviving History 15:00 Deep Sea Detectives 15:55 Deep Wreck Mysteries 16:50 Ancient Discoveries 17:40 Meteors: Fire In The Sky 19:20 Hotel Ground Zero 20:10 Surviving History 21:00 Barbarians 21:55 Russia: Land Of The Tsars 22:50 Japan Under American Occupation 23:40 Modern Marvels

03:35 Shaft-FAM 05:20 Casablanca-FAM 07:00 Saratoga-FAM 08:35 Hotel Paradiso-FAM 10:15 Kismet-FAM 11:55 Captain Nemo And The Underwater City-FAM 13:40 Two Weeks In Another TownFAM 15:25 The Wheeler Dealers-FAM 17:10 The Catered Affair-FAM 18:40 Easter Parade-FAM 20:20 California Suite-FAM 22:00 Butterfield 8-FAM 23:45 Cat On A Hot Tin Roof-FAM

Classifieds SUNDAY, MAY 1, 2011

Healthy Living

ACCOMMODATION

Eat your broccoli sprouts Your mother was right. Broccoli is good for you, and broccoli sprouts may be even better in helping to ward off major illnesses.

Sulforaphane: Broccoliâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s magic bullet s Broccoli and broccoli sprouts ARE THE RICHEST NATURAL SOURCES OF THIS COMPOUND s Causes the liver TO PRODUCE AN ENZYME THAT HELPS DEACTIVATE CANCER CAUSING AGENTS

s May help prevent gastric cancer, AS WELL AS CANCERS OF THE LUNG SKIN BLADDER ESOPHAGUS s May protect against inflammation LINKED TO ASTHMA AND OTHER LUNG DISEASES

3OURCE (EALTH$AY -#4 0HOTO 3ERVICE 'RAPHIC 0AT #ARR

Š 2009 MCT

A Hindu bachelor wants one bachelor/couple to share a complete 2 bedroom furnished ďŹ&#x201A;at near Holy sweet, Abbassiya, minimum rent KD 100. Tel: 66913938. (C 3302) 30-4-2011 Sharing accommodation available with Indian decent bachelor single bedroom ďŹ&#x201A;at. 1+1 basic, very good location in Salmiya, Amman street, Indian Community school-3, adjacent building. Contact: 99813483. (C 3299) Sharing accommodation in Salmiya C-A/C ďŹ&#x201A;at, 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom, for family or bachelor with Indian couple. Contact: 99467432.

(C 3300) 28-4-2011

SITUATION WANTED

Healthy Living

The skinny on egg whites With no fat, cholesterol or carbohydrates, egg whites can form the base for some tasty, heart-healthy desserts.

Everything but the yolk Â&#x2021; (JJV ZKLWHV DOVR FDOOHG ´DOEXPHQÂľ RU ´JODLU Âľ DUH WKH FOHDU OLTXLG VXUURXQGLQJ WKH \RON WKDW EHFRPHV ZKLWH ZKHQ FRRNHG

Accountant Indian (male) 9 years experience (2 years in Kuwait), B.Com, PG in Sociology, accounts up to ďŹ nalization, bank reconciliation, inventory, cash, creditors and debtors management, good knowledge in Tally, Oracle, MS OďŹ&#x192;ce.

Tel: 65990299.

(C 3304) 1-5-2011

Â&#x2021; 7KH\ DUH ULFK LQ SURWHLQV PLQHUDOV DQG YLWDPLQV ORZ LQ FDORULHV

FOR SALE

Â&#x2021; 8QOLNH \RONV HJJ ZKLWHV IUHH]H ZHOO WKH\ FDQ EH WKDZHG LQ WKH IULGJH RYHUQLJKW RU LQ WKH PLFURZDYH RQ WKH ORZHVW VHWWLQJ

PC Compaq Pentium 4, HD 20 GB, Ram 128 MB (expandable), Windows XP professional with 15â&#x20AC;? LCD Neovo. All in excellent condition, price KD 40 only. Call 60477518 & 99337034.

(C 3305) 1-5-2011

Â&#x2021; $QJHO IRRG FDNH SLFWXUHG ULJKW WXLOHV DQG PHULQJXHV DUH VRPH FODVVLF HJJ ZKLWH GHVVHUWV 6RXUFH 135 .LWFKHQ :LQGRZ 0&7 3KRWR 6HUYLFH *UDSKLF 3DW &DUU

2005 model Mitsubishi Nativa white color, running 96,000 km excellent condition, CD, remote, alloy

Š 2011 MCT

wheel, single owner, accident free new 4 tires, price KD 2400.

Contact: 60797291. (C 3303) 30-4-2011 Toyota Corolla, model 2009, color sky blue, good condition. Tel: 60951195.

(C 3298) 28-4-2011 Toyota Corolla white color, 2008 model, excellent condition, very low mileage, well maintained wanted price KD 3050. Contact: 60099305.

(C 3293) 26-4-2011

SITUATION WANTED Indian male B.Com, 25 years Gulf experience (Kuwait & UAE) in management, procurement, sales, seeks senior position, experience in oil ďŹ eld materials, hard wares, power and hand tools, timber, steel, building materials etc.

Contact: 66889375.

(C 3302) 28-4-2011

MATRIMONIAL Tamil CSI Nadar parents invite marriage proposals for daughter (27 years, 162cm, working in MOH Kuwait), well settled in Kuwait, preferably from same caste. Contact: veneetha2008@gmail / nesamvinitha@yahoo.com 28-4-2011 CHANGE OF NAME Syrian Orthodox Keralite parents invite marriage proposals for their daughter (27 years, 164cms, currently working in Kuwait) from well educated & professionally qualiďŹ ed boys. More details: avcheriankwt@gmail.com (C 3296)

I, Shaik Younus, S/o Shaik Ahmed, resident of H.No. 17-1-34/2, Darga Barhanashah, Santoshnagar, Hyderabad, holder of Indian Passport No. E6703568 issued Hyderabad, A.P., intending to change my name as Shaik Younus instead of my old name Mohammed Younus.

(C 3300)

I, Mario Angelo De Souza, holder of Indian Passport F9269433 issued in Kuwait wish to change my name to Mario Agnelo De Souza.

(C 3301) 28-4-2011 I, Najmuddin Mohammed Husain, holder of Indian Passport No: H1115666 issued in Kuwait wish to change my name to Mohammed Hussain, surname - Pakawala. (C 3294) 26-4-2011

No: 15075

Housemaid urgently needed. Please call 65881297, 66088398.

27-4-2011 MISCELLANEOUS Required 2003 - 2004 model Honda Accord, full option or regular, 4 cylinder, in excellent condition.

Tel: 60005317, 99976051.

30-4-2011

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 KAC JZR THY ETH UAE DHX ETD FDB GFA QTR JZR AFR JZR FCX JZR KAC BAW KAC KAC IRA KAC KAC FDB KAC KAC KAC UAE QTR ABY IRA ETD GFA IRC FCX MEA JZR JZR JZR JZR RBG KAC MSR UAL RJA KAC

Flt 642 544 267 772 620 853 370 305 67 211 138 207 6706 223 201 555 412 157 206 382 615 302 332 53 678 352 284 855 132 125 603 301 213 6801 203 404 165 121 549 561 3553 672 610 982 640 774

Arrival Flights on Sunday 1/5/2011 Route AMMAN CAIRO BEIRUT ISTANBUL ADDIS ABABA DUBAI BAHRAIN ABU DHABI DUBAI BAHRAIN DOHA DAMASCUS PARIS ALEPPO DUBAI ALEXANDRIA MANILA / BANGKOK LONDON ISLAMABAD DELHI SHAHRE KORD MUMBAI TRIVANDRUM DUBAI MUSCAT / DUBAI COCHIN DHAKA DUBAI DOHA SHARJAH SHIRAZ ABU DHABI BAHRAIN AHWAZ DUBAI BEIRUT DUBAI BAHRAIN ALEXANDRIA SOHAG ALEXANDRIA / SOHAG DUBAI CAIRO WASHINGTON DC DULLES AMMAN RIYADH

Time 0:05 0:30 0:35 1:15 1:45 2:25 2:55 2:55 3:10 3:15 3:20 3:55 5:05 5:20 5:25 6:10 6:15 6:30 7:15 7:20 7:35 7:50 7:55 7:55 8:00 8:05 8:10 8:25 9:00 9:10 9:25 9:30 9:35 10:15 10:30 10:55 11:10 11:15 11:20 12:30 12:55 13:15 13:20 13:30 13:35 13:40

FDB KAC SVA SYR KAC KAC JZR QTR ETD UAE GFA SVA JZR JZR ABY JZR JZR ALK KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC JAI FDB OMA VOS MEA KAC KAC DHX UAE KAC GFA QTR AFG UAL AIC JZR JZR JZR DLH AXB KLM JZR PIA

57 562 500 341 788 746 257 134 303 857 215 510 777 239 127 213 177 227 166 542 618 786 614 102 674 572 61 647 81 402 552 512 372 859 172 217 136 405 981 981 135 787 185 636 389 447 481 205

DUBAI AMMAN JEDDAH DAMASCUS JEDDAH ABU DHABI / DAMMAM BEIRUT DOHA ABU DHABI DUBAI BAHRAIN RIYADH JEDDAH AMMAN SHARJAH DEIREZZOR DUBAI COLOMBO / DUBAI PARIS / ROME CAIRO DOHA JEDDAH BAHRAIN NEW YORK / LONDON DUBAI MUMBAI DUBAI MUSCAT BAGHDAD BEIRUT DAMASCUS TEHRAN BAHRAIN DUBAI FRANKFURT BAHRAIN DOHA KABUL / DUBAI BAHRAIN CHENNAI / AHMEDABAD BAHRAIN RIYADH DUBAI FRANKFURT KOZHIKODE / MANGALORE AMSTERDAM / BAHRAIN SABIHA LAHORE

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

Airlines AXB DLH AIC BBC THY ETH UAE FDB DHX ETD JZR QTR JZR AFR JZR RJA GFA VOS JZR BAW IRA FDB KAC KAC KAC JZR KAC KAC UAE ABY KAC QTR ETD GFA KAC IRA IRC FCX MEA KAC JZR JZR JZR KAC KAC

Flt 394 637 976 46 773 620 854 68 371 306 548 139 560 6706 164 643 212 94 120 156 614 54 171 671 745 256 561 787 856 126 117 133 302 214 773 602 6802 204 405 541 776 212 238 103 785

Departure Flights on Sunday 1/5/2011 Route COCHIN / KOZHIKODE FRANKFURT GOA / CHENNAI DHAKA ISTANBUL BAHRAIN / ADDIS ABABA DUBAI DUBAI BAHRAIN ABU DHABI ALEXANDRIA DOHA SOHAG DUBAI / HONG KONG DUBAI AMMAN BAHRAIN DUBAI / KANDAHAR BAHRAIN LONDON SHAHRE KORD DUBAI FRANKFURT DUBAI DAMMAM / ABU DHABI BEIRUT AMMAN JEDDAH DUBAI SHARJAH NEW YORK DOHA ABU DHABI BAHRAIN RIYADH SHIRAZ AHWAZ DUBAI BEIRUT CAIRO JEDDAH DEIREZZOR AMMAN LONDON JEDDAH

Time 0:15 0:40 0:50 1:00 2:15 2:30 3:45 3:50 3:55 4:05 4:20 5:00 5:55 6:50 6:55 7:00 7:10 8:00 8:20 8:25 8:35 8:40 8:55 9:00 9:05 9:10 9:15 9:25 9:40 9:50 10:00 10:00 10:15 10:20 10:20 10:25 11:15 11:45 11:55 12:00 12:00 12:05 12:10 12:30 13:30

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

RBG JZR MSR RJA FDB UAL KAC KAC KAC SVA SYR JZR QTR KAC KAC ETD UAE GFA ABY JZR SVA JZR JZR JZR ALK KAC KAC JAI FDB KAC KAC OMA MEA DHX UAE GFA FCX QTR KAC KAC JZR JZR JZR KAC UAL KAC

3554 176 611 641 58 982 552 673 617 503 342 480 135 613 511 304 858 216 128 184 511 786 204 134 228 283 361 571 62 343 351 648 403 373 860 218 102 137 301 205 502 554 530 411 981 415

ALEXANDRIA DUBAI CAIRO AMMAN DUBAI BAHRAIN DAMASCUS DUBAI DOHA MEDINAH / JEDDAH DAMASCUS SABIHA DOHA BAHRAIN TEHRAN ABU DHABI DUBAI BAHRAIN SHARJAH DUBAI RIYADH RIYADH DAMASCUS BAHRAIN DUBAI / COLOMBO DHAKA COLOMBO MUMBAI DUBAI CHENNAI COCHIN MUSCAT BEIRUT BAHRAIN DUBAI BAHRAIN BAHRAIN DOHA MUMBAI ISLAMABAD LUXOR ALEXANDRIA ASSIUT BANGKOK / MANILA WASHINGTON DC DULLES KUALA LUMPUR / JAKARTA

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

34

star CROSSWORD 304

SUNDAY, MAY 1, 2011

s

STAR TRACK

CALVIN & HOBBES

Aries (March 21-April 19) Tremendous personal insight may come today. Any situation that seemed foggy or clouded in the past will seem to become understood now. Denial is not a word for today. Something you say or communicate may go against your own best interests. You could blurt out the wrong thing today or be unable to convey what you really intend to someone. Ideas and thoughts may be easy for you to understand but difficult to explain. Listening and assimilating the facts is in your best interest at this time. This is a period of transformation for you and if you accept the change and use it as a path to new growth, you can move into positive new directions. Be prepared for good things to happen—whether you have earned them or not—they are yours for the taking.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) A desire to be noticed for your hard work will not go unrewarded today. You have a balance of dignity and integrity, which leads to earned positive results. Take on a sense of knowing that you belong where you are because you achieved this place through your own efforts. You may be sought after as just the person for a particular job. Your judgment and planning abilities are in high focus now. There is a sense of satisfaction and completeness today. General good feelings with those around you and a sense of support and harmony make this a happy time. This evening you may find yourself thinking, planning and studying; for you have a real appreciation for thoughts and ideas. Family members are voting to invest in moving or enlarging the home.

POOCH CAFE ACROSS 1. Someone who works (or provides workers) during a strike.

5. At surface level.

10. Hormone produced early in pregnancy by the placenta.

13. A sensation (as of a cold breeze or bright light) that precedes the onset of certain disorders such as a migraine attack or epileptic seizure.

14. A heavy wooden pole (such as the trunk of a young fir) tossed as a test of strength (in the Highlands of Scotland).

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

16. Pompous or pretentious talk or writing.

17. A city in northern India.

19. The capital and largest city of Jordan.

21. Having undesirable or negative qualities.

22. Primitive chlorophyll-containing mainly aquatic eukaryotic organisms lacking true stems and roots and leaves.

23. A region of Malaysia in northeastern Borneo.

26. A quantity of no importance.

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

30. Australian operatic soprano (1861-1931).

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

35. The sense organ for hearing and equilibrium.

36. A tricycle (usually propelled by pedalling).

41. A city in southern Turkey on the Seyhan River.

42. A genus of orb-weaving spiders including common garden spiders and barn spiders.

43. A state in New England.

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

49. A pilgrimage to Mecca.

54. A flat-bottomed volcanic crater that was formed by an explosion.

56. (of complexion) Blemished by imperfections of the skin.

57. How long something has existed.

60. Any of various coarse shrubby plants of the genus Iva with small greenish flowers.

61. Thigh of a hog (usually smoked).

62. A quick look.

63. Either of two folds of skin that can be moved to cover or open the eye.

64. An associate degree in nursing.

DOWN 1. A island in the Netherlands Antilles that is the top of an extinct volcano.

2. Stem of plants of the Gramineae.

3. The biblical name for ancient Syria.

4. The dialect of Malay used as the national language of the Republic of Indonesia or of Malaysia.

5. Aircraft landing in bad weather in which the pilot is talked down by ground control using precision approach radar.

6. A motley assortment of things.

7. The first of the Old Testament patriarchs and the father of Isaac.

8. No longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life.

9. A trivalent metallic element of the rare earth group.

10. Heal or recover.

11. A steep rugged rock or cliff.

12. Offering fun and gaiety.

18. A very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk.

20. A silvery soft waxy metallic element of the alkali metal group.

24. A Chadic language spoken south of Lake Chad.

25. Slanderous defamation.

27. In bed.

28. An informal term for a father.

31. Lacking excess flesh.

32. A Chadic language spoken in northern Nigeria.

33. A particular geographical region of indefinite boundary (usually serving some special purpose or distinguished by its people or culture or geography).

37. (trademark) An alloy of iron and nickel having a low coefficient of thermal expansion.

38. Feline mammal usually having thick soft fur and being unable to roar.

39. King of Saudi Arabia since 1982 (born in 1922).

40. Someone who is morally reprehensible.

44. An Indian tree of the family Combretaceae that is a source of timber and gum.

45. American professional baseball player who hit more home runs than Babe Ruth (born in 1934).

46. A public promotion of some product or service.

47. Mentally or physically infirm with age.

48. A complex red organic pigment containing iron and other atoms to which oxygen binds.

50. Similar to the color of jade.

51. A blue dye obtained from plants or made synthetically.

52. (New Testament) Disciple of Jesus.

53. (Babylonian) God of storms and wind.

55. A logarithmic unit of sound intensity equal to 10 decibels.

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

58. 1/10 gram.

59. Being nine more than ninety.

Gemini (May 21-June 20) You value what is honest and straightforward and have a particular aversion to what is secret, intense and private—you do not enjoy gossip just now. You may need to speak up for your beliefs so that particular people will respect your standards. Your inner resources and emotions are accented. Expect a sense of support and good will from those around you. Social affairs, group meetings, neighborhood gatherings are all possibilities after your workday is completed. You are at your most elegant when it comes to social situations. Be prepared to create a balance for your inner and outer life so that the material issues of life do not take control over everything else. This may mean you learn new ways to meditate.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

NON SEQUITUR

Your concentration is so intense that you could find others will be calling your name before you realize that a one-sided conversation occurred and it was not you conversing. Thoughts and ideas that come to you may be just what are needed to help in an office dispute. Speak up and be heard; coworkers or teammates will be pleased with your insight. Your idea of conflict resolution and someone else’s idea of solving problems may be two different avenues to the same desired outcome. However, once you have expressed your style of solving problems, you might as well know that people will come to you for encouragement and continued advice. One of your innermost efforts are to not judge and to only come from the truth. A smile is contagious.

Leo (July 23-August 22) Your enthusiasm is contagious and before the day is over There is continued success and attention in whatever you decide to do today. Quick answers, great wit and a surplus of insights and solutions are available. It is a good time to write and communicate with real originality. Your family may be calling you from time to time today. If the calls interrupt your train of thought or work project, jot down a couple of key words and get back to what you were doing quickly; you will be glad you did. Inventions and breakthroughs are possible today. There will be invitations from friends to enjoy their fellowship later today. If there are emotional wounds between you and a loved one, tonight would be a wise time to repair those wounds. You don’t want to miss the wonderfully romantic events coming up very soon.

ZITS

Virgo (August 23-September 22) Your attitude toward decision making has and will be going through some transformations. Today you could be tested by the negative attitude of an authority figure. Perhaps the business has some problems and higher-ups recognize your problem-solving abilities. You may want to delegate your regular job to others in order to become as helpful as possible. Your work will not go unnoticed; however, you must also show your appreciation to the ones that help you.

If you do not delegate your work, you may have to work an excessive amount of overtime. It is time to barter for what you want. You will benefit through your flexibility. Be confident in expressing your viewpoints. Good news about a family matter may boost your spirit this afternoon.

Libra (September 23-October 22)

MOTHER GOOSE AND GRIMM

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) Building successful communication bridges in the professional world will bring you excitement and direction. You may look forward to learning all about the news that people do not see everyday. Much of your morning may be spent in a library, a newspaper or finding the news through reputable sources on the Internet. You are just plain witty today and the ideas roll off your tongue. This is a great time for communication—by phone, letter or in person and a visit with a relative might be planned for later in the day. A community organization would benefit having you on their team. A new direction is in the picture for your personal life—perhaps it is travel, education, technical tool or romance. There are wonderful experiences to come.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) Quick answers, great wit and a surplus of insights and solutions are at the ready. This would be a good time to write and communicate with real originality. Inventions and breakthroughs are possible. This is a successful and busy day. You can be easily influenced by your surroundings or other people’s attitudes. Practice using your powerful intuition to help you make the right move at the right time. This afternoon there will perhaps be some time to think and study, for you have a real appreciation for ideas and thoughts. You may find yourself enjoying a long conversation, writing a letter or making a special phone call. There is a chance to understand those around you and to have a special time with someone you love. This is a happy time.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19)

To

Yesterday’s Solution

You are extremely creative and can come up with some great ideas for business management today. You may or may not be working this Sunday but your ideas are excellent for making a presentation. If you have time, create a work up on your presentation ideas as it will gain you positive attention and make your point. You may be sought after as just the person for a particular job. You are particularly witty and make for good company. Your special relationship to the material world will allow you to be practical and precise in your choice of risks—financially speaking. Firm up a relationship through committing yourself honestly. Progress can be realized now. There are ways to multiply your financial holdings this weekend.

You have an inborn ability to see the sunny side of life.

Although your concentration may not be up to par today, you manage to make this a fairly successful day. Take a little trip, or get outside, weather permitting. You may discover insights into day-to-day problems that will be of great value later. Your feelings could be more inward and more like sharing some time with your lover or with close friends. Perhaps this is not a time to be outward or to try to present yourself to the world. You are feeling reflective rather than expressive just now. Close relationships take on more emotional depth and importance. Feeling cared for and needed is comfortable; the lack of these things can cause an instinctive feeling of uneasiness.

Yesterday’s Solution Yester

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) You may have new and promising ideas today. Today is the day to start new ventures—or adventures. Your creative thinking is enhanced and your eager mind will learn things very quickly. Being in the spotlight may be familiar to you. You should realize that it is a good time to be humble and see where you can best help others, perhaps yourself. If you have not enjoyed your hobby recently, later this afternoon may be the time to dive in and give it your attention. You enjoy being with your friends and you enjoy planning get-togethers with them. It is time to plan some time together again . . . some unusual entertainment that brings everyone together in a fun participation. This does not have to be expensive and can be a combined meal or game night.

Pisces (February 19-March 20)

Word Sleuth Solution

Know your competition and you will stay ahead of the game.

A career in one of the entertainment industries is a possibility. You find it easy to work with other people and tend to pour a lot of energy into those around you. You are more relaxed than most people are and can be as much or more productive than most. When it comes to teaching young people, you are a natural, always able to motivate and inspire. You have a way of finding new ways or new methods in which to relate to different people in many different situations. You will be able to express your abilities and ideas today in order to create more revenue for your company and your own advancement. This evening you may find yourself enjoying your many friends.

A

y

e niv rsar n

Years

SUNDAY, MAY 1, 2011

i n f o r m at i o n

FIRE BRIGADE

112

Al-Madena

22418714

Al-Shohada’a

22545171

Al-Shuwaikh

24810598

Al-Nuzha

22545171

Sabhan

24742838

Al-Helaly

22434853

Al-Fayhaa

22545051

Al-Farwaniya

24711433

Al-Sulaibikhat

24316983

Al-Fahaheel

23927002

Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh

24316983

Ahmadi

23980088

Al-Mangaf

23711183

Al-Shuaiba

23262845

24812000

Al-Jahra

25610011

Amiri Hospital

22450005

Al-Salmiya

25616368

Maternity Hospital

24843100

Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital

25312700

Chest Hospital

24849400

Farwaniya Hospital

24892010

Adan Hospital

23940620

Ibn Sina Hospital

24840300

Al-Razi Hospital

24846000

Physiotherapy Hospital

24874330/9

Ministry of Interior website: www.moi.gov.kw For labor-related inquiries and complaints: Call MSAL hotline 128

Hospitals Sabah Hospital

POLICE STATION Al-Madena Police Station Al-Murqab Police Station Al-Daiya Police Station Al-Fayha’a Police Station Al-Qadissiya Police Station Al-Nugra Police Station Al-Salmiya Police Station Al-Dasma Police Station

Clinics Rabiya

4732263

Roudha

22517733

Adhaliya

22517144

Khaldiya

24848075

Keifan

24849807

Shamiya

24848913

Shuwaikh

24814507

Abdullah Salim

22549134

Al-Nuzha

22526804

Industrial Shuwaikh

24814764

Al-Khadissiya

22515088

Dasmah

22532265

Bneid Al-Ghar

22531908

Al-Shaab

22518752

Al-Kibla

22459381

Ayoun Al-Kibla

22451082

Al-Mirqab

22456536

Sharq

22465401

Salmiya

25746401

Jabriya

25316254

Maidan Hawally

25623444

Bayan

25388462

Mishref

25381200

W.Hawally

22630786

Sabah

24810221

Jahra

24770319

New Jahra

24575755

West Jahra

24772608

South Jahra

24775066

North Jahra

24775992

North Jleeb

24311795

Al-Ardhiya

24884079

Firdous

24892674

Al-Omariya

24719048

N.Kheitan

24710044

Fintas

3900322

22434064 22435865 22544200 22547133 22515277 22616662 25714406 22530801

THE PUBLIC AUTHORITY FOR CIVIL INFORMATION Automated enquiry about the Civil ID card is 1889988

PHARMACIES

AIRLINES

ON 24 HRS DUTY GOVERNORATE

PHARMACY

ADDRESS

PHONE

Ahmadi

Sama Safwan Abu Halaifa Danat Al-Sultan

Fahaeel Makka St Abu Halaifa-Coastal Rd Mahboula Block 1, Coastal Rd

23915883 23715414 23726558

Jahra

Modern Jahra Madina Munawara

Jahra-Block 3 Lot 1 Jahra-Block 92

24575518 24566622

Capital

Ahlam Khaldiya Coop

Fahad Al-Salem St Khaldiya Coop

22436184 24833967

Farwaniya

New Shifa Ferdous Coop Modern Safwan

Farwaniya Block 40 Ferdous Coop Old Kheitan Block 11

24734000 24881201 24726638

Hawally

Tariq Hana Ikhlas Hawally & Rawdha Ghadeer Kindy Ibn Al-Nafis Mishrif Coop Salwa Coop

Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St Salmiya-Amman St Hawally-Beirut St Hawally & Rawdha Coop Jabriya-Block 1A Jabriya-Block 3B Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St Mishrif Coop Salwa Coop

25726265 25647075 22625999 22564549 25340559 25326554 25721264 25380581 25628241

Kuwait Airways Jazeera Airways Jet Airways FlyDubai Qatar Airways KLM Air Slovakia Olympic Airways Royal Jordanian Reservation British Airways Air France Emirates Air India Sri Lanka Airlines Egypt Air Swiss Air Saudia Middle East Airlines Lufthansa PIA Alitalia Balkan Airlines Bangladesh Airlines Czech Airlines Indian Airlines Oman Air Turkish Airlines Aeroflot

22433377 177 22924455 22414400 22423888 22425747 22434940 22420002/9 22418064/5/6 22433388 22425635 22430224 22425566 22438184 22424444 22421578 22421516 22426306 22423073 22422493 22421044 22414427 22416474 22452977/8 22417901/ 2433141 22456700 22412284/5 22453820/1 22404838/9

PRIVATE CLINICS Ophthalmologists Dr. Abidallah Al-Mansoor 25622444 Dr. Samy Al-Rabeea 25752222 Dr. Masoma Habeeb 25321171 Dr. Mubarak Al-Ajmy 25739999 Dr. Mohsen Abel 25757700 Dr Adnan Hasan Alwayl 25732223 Dr. Abdallah Al-Baghly 25732223 Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) Dr. Ahmed Fouad Mouner 24555050 Ext 510 Dr. Abdallah Al-Ali 25644660 Dr. Abd Al-Hameed Al-Taweel 25646478 Dr. Sanad Al-Fathalah 25311996 Dr. Mohammad Al-Daaory 25731988 Dr. Ismail Al-Fodary 22620166 Dr. Mahmoud Al-Booz 25651426 General Practitioners Dr. Mohamme Y Majidi 24555050 Ext 123 Dr. Yousef Al-Omar 24719312 Dr. Tarek Al-Mikhazeem 23926920 Dr. Kathem Maarafi 25730465 Dr. Abdallah Ahmad Eyadah 25655528 Dr. Nabeel Al-Ayoobi 24577781 Dr. Dina Abidallah Al-Refae 25333501 Urologists Dr. Ali Naser Al-Serfy 22641534 Dr. Fawzi Taher Abul 22639955 Dr. Khaleel Abidallah Al-Awadi 22616660 Dr. Adel Al-Hunayan FRCS (C) 25313120 Dr. Leons Joseph 66703427 Psychologists /Psychotherapists

Paediatricians

Plastic Surgeons Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalaf

22547272

Dr. Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rashed

Dr. Abdal-Redha Lari

22617700

Dr. Zahra Qabazard

Dr. Abdel Quttainah

25625030/60

Family Doctor Dr Divya Damodar

23729596/23729581

Psychiatrists Dr. Esam Al-Ansari

22635047

Dr Eisa M. Al-Balhan

INTERNATIONAL CALLS

22613623/0

Gynaecologists & Obstetricians DrAdrian arbe

23729596/23729581

Dr. Verginia s.Marin

2572-6666 ext 8321

Endocrinologist 25340300

25710444

Dr. Sohail Qamar

22621099

Dr. Snaa Maaroof

25713514

Dr. Pradip Gujare

23713100

Dr. Zacharias Mathew

24334282

(1) Ear, Nose and Throat (2) Plastic Surgeon Dr. Abdul Mohsin Jafar, FRCS (Canada)

Dr Anil Thomas

3729596/3729581 22641071/2

22655539

Dr. Majeda Khalefa Aliytami

25343406

Dr. Anesah Al-Rasheed

22562226

Dr. Ahmad Al-Khooly

25739272

Dr. Abidallah Al-Amer

22561444

Dr. Salem soso

22618787

Dr. Faysal Al-Fozan

22619557

Dr. Abdallateef Al-Katrash

22525888

Dr. Amer Zawaz Al-Amer

22610044

Dr. Abidallah Al-Duweisan

25653755

Dr. Mohammad Yousef Basher

25327148

Dr. Bader Al-Ansari

25620111

Neurologists

Dr. Adnan Ebil

22639939

Dr. Sohal Najem Al-Shemeri

25633324

Dr. Mousa Khadada

22666300

Dr. Jasem Mola Hassan

25345875

Gastrologists

25728004

Dr. Nadem Al-Ghabra

25355515

Dr. Sami Aman

22636464

Dr. Mobarak Aldoub

24726446

Dr. Mohammad Al-Shamaly

25322030

Dr Nasser Behbehani

25654300/3

Dr. Foad Abidallah Al-Ali

22633135

Soor Center Tel: 2290-1677 Fax: 2290 1688

info@soorcenter.com www.soorcenter.com

Dr. Kamal Al-Shomr 25329924 Physiotherapists & VD Dr. Deyaa Shehab

25722291 22666288

Rheumatologists:

Dr. Fozeya Ali Al-Qatan

Dr. Latefa Al-Duweisan

Dr. Ahmad Al-Ansari 25658888

Dr. Musaed Faraj Khamees

Dentists

Internists, Chest & Heart

25339330

25655535

Dr. Shamah Al-Matar

General Surgeons

Dr. Abd Al-Naser Al-Othman

Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa, Ph.D. 2290-1677 Susannah-Joy Schuilenberg, M.A. 2290-1677

Dr. Adel Al-Awadi

25330060

Dr. Khaled Al-Jarallah

25722290

Internist, Chest & Heart DR.Mohammes Akkad

24555050 Ext 210

Dr. Mohammad Zubaid MB, ChB, FRCPC, PACC Assistant Professor Of Medicine Head, Division of Cardiology Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital Consultant Cardiologist Dr. Farida Al-Habib MD, PH.D, FACC Inaya German Medical Center Te: 2575077 Fax: 25723123

2611555-2622555

William Schuilenberg, RPC 2290-1677 Zaina Al Zabin, M.Sc. 2290-1677

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36

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Years

SUNDAY, MAY 1, 2011

lifest yle G o s s i p

Prince Charles rince Charles made a speech in which he also paid tribute to William’s bride, Kate Middleton - now the Duchess of Cambridge - welcoming her into the family. Kate’s ex-school headmaster Dr Bob Acheson told The Sun newspaper: “He said he was very lucky to have a daughter-in-law like Kate.”

Also as part of the speech, Charles - who himself has a prominent bald patch - made jokes at his son’s expense. One guest recalled: “He joked about his own bald patch and his son’s thinning hair, saying it must be hereditary. “Everyone found it funny, even William and Kate.” The most eagerly awaited speech of the day, however, was that delivered by the best man, William’s brother, Prince Harry, who is well known among the royal family for his sense

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of humour. A wedding guest and friend of the 26year-old royal told website US Weekly: “Harry was brilliant. We all wished he could have just carried on. It was perfect. “But he was the model brother and said all the things he needed to say. It was perfect. He was a dude.” The reception was held at London’s Buckingham Palace after the couple’s wedding at nearby Westminster Abbey, and saw some 300 guests enjoy both an eight-tier wedding cake and a chocolate biscuit cake - a favourite of William’s prepared at his special request - then party until the early hours of this morning.

he Oklahoma-based brothers, Isaac, Taylor and Zac Hanson - who shot to fame with their debut single ‘MMMbop’ in 1997 - have been heavily influenced by music from the 70s and Taylor says it shows on their new album ÎShout It Out’. He explained: “The last two records we were definitely leaning away from the old school R&B that we had been doing, we’ve been going a little bit more layered and textured, more pop rock and with this album we’ve tried to create it in a way that captures a certain energy that we love about albums from our past. “We joke that we’re a 70s rock band because we grew up in the Midwest with a little bit of roots music around us but also listening to 50s and 60s soul music and as a result this album is a mid 70s pop rock

he 48-year-old supermodel who has two kids, Flynn, 13, and eight-year-old Cy, with former fiance Arpad Busson - has a male assistant, Mike Tanner, who helps out with family life but she insists he doesn’t do everything for her children. She said: “He comes in the morning just before school and leaves at 6 or 7pm in the evening so we have help if we need it. “He assists the boys as I engender independence and self-responsibility and I prefer they have support rather than someone doing everything for them.

They’re very independent.” Though she gets help from Mike, Elle insists she is always there for her sons and likes to take the time to catch up on their day. She added in an interview with Closer magazine: “They know I’m 100 per cent there for them. I’m the first person they see in the mornings and the last they see at night.

“One of my favourite things to do is lie on Flynn’s bed and chat to him while he potters around, listen to music together, talk about the day, unwind.”

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wants her sons to be independent

Elle Macpherson

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album made in 2011.” While Taylor - who will play a series of five shows in London in June called ‘Five of Five’ with Hanson - admits the siblings do have their fair share of rows, he says their “mutual respect and admiration” will keep the band together for a long time to come. Asked if he gets sick of working with his brothers, Taylor told BANG Showbiz: “How many times a week, would be the answer to that. Of course we don’t always get along. But the truth is we have a mutual respect and connection and sometimes it’s actually the clash that makes great art. We have a positive message and story in that we don’t get into fights in public and act like idiots but the difference is we don’t air our dirty laundry in the middle of the street.”

he ‘Born this Way’ hitmaker has been accompanied round the world by Luc Carl since they reunited last July, but she regularly insists on booking them separate hotel rooms because she thinks sharing a bed every night would damage her creativity. A source said: “She calls it her 16th century monarch night as she doesn’t always allow Luc to sleep in bed with her. She just summons him when she needs him.” The eccentric singer reportedly shows signs of “crazy” behaviour when she is stressed and her worried friends and entourage now believe her bizarre habits - including refusing to pour her own drinks or sit on a chair someone else has previously used - are escalating out of control. The source told Grazia magazine: “She often suffers bouts of crazy behaviour when she is tired and stressed. It’s certainly happening now. “For example, she always has 28 tour buses, 140 staff and an even number of tables, chairs, glasses and plates in her backstage area. “She also insists on having her own crockery so she can be sure

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that no one else has used it and will not sit on a chair that anyone else has sat on before. “She even has someone on hand to pour her drinks because she thinks pouring for oneself is bad luck.”

Foster loves her changing relationship with eldest son he 48-year-old actress-turned-director - who has sons Charles, 12, and Kit, nine, with an unnamed father - is delighting in seeing how much her older child is developing as he grows up and finds he inspires her more than ever.

She said: “Parenting is the most creative thing I’ve ever done.

You are watching this thing blossom that is outside you and yet part of you in some ways. “I’m now at this point where my elder son is 12 years old and he’s taller than me and he’s got a deep voice. And I have to say I am really loving living in the same house as this young man who is totally different from me.

Having conversations and being really inspired by him. And

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then him explaining things to me that are not part of my universe.” Jodie also believes her desire to keep working will help her stay close to her sons as it will make them realise she has a sense of purpose outside of their home life. She told Psychologies magazine: “I see that it’s so important for me to have a separate creative life from him, so he doesn’t feel that I just live for him. I feel like I won’t lose him that way. “I feel like he’ll always come back to dinner with me, because Ide have been to work with interesting people.”

he Australian actor - who has children Oscar, 10, and Ava, five, with wife Deborra-Lee Furness - has loved ones spread throughout the world and would love to have special abilities that would make seeing the people he cares about easier to do. He said: “If I could have a superpower I’d love to be able to swim and breathe underwater - I’d love to be Aquaman. “I’m sure there are better superpowers though flying would be good and teleporting, as I have family and friends all over the world. I’m a little greedy, I want three superpowers.” While the ‘X-Men’ star has no superpowers, he admits he has one unusual habit - constantly moving in his sleep. He explained: “I’m one of those people who runs in their sleep - I twitch a lot. “I’m fine with it but my wife says that she can count to 17 after I fall asleep and I’ll start twitching.

Luckily she’s quite a heavy sleeper but that’s probably my most frustrating habit.”— Bang Showbiz

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SUNDAY, MAY 1, 2011

lifestyle

In this photo provided by Clarence House yesterday, Britain’s Prince William, center left, and his wife Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, center right, pose for a group photograph with, from back row left, Master Tom Pettifer, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Charles, Prince Harry, Michael Middleton, Carole Middleton, Philippa Middleton, and front row from left, Grace van Cutsem, Eliza Lopes, Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth II, Margarita Armstrong-Jones, Lady Louise Windsor, and William Lowther-Pinkerton in the Throne Room at Buckingham Palace, following their wedding at Westminster Abbey, London Friday. —AP

New style amid royal wedding tradition T

he biggest royal wedding for 30 years struck a balance between time-honoured tradition and youthful exuberance, the British press and newspapers across the world said yesterday. Front pages from Warsaw to Sydney were emblazoned with pictures of Prince William and Kate at their spectacular wedding in Westminster Abbey on Friday, followed by their procession to Buckingham Palace in a horse-drawn carriage.

The Times in Britain summed up the lighter mood of the day with a wraparound front-page photograph of the couple as they made their impromptu drive down The Mall in an open-top Aston Martin sportscar. “Every element of the wedding reflected the couple’s

shared humour and taste, and a determination to remain as anchored as possible in their own normality,” the newspaper said. Corriere della Sera in Italy said the spin in the Aston Martin was “in the style of James Bond”.

The Australian press also picked up the theme of a modern feel to the day.

“Beaming with happiness and radiant with love, a remarkably relaxed William and Catherine Middleton looked like the university sweethearts they were and the modern royals they are,” the Daily Telegraph tabloid said under the headline “An uncommon journey to love”.

The front page of Britain’s biggest-selling newspaper The Sun focused on the unprecedented double kiss on the Buckingham Palace balcony. “You wait for

years for a Royal kiss then two come along at once,” its headline said under a full-page photograph of the couple embracing. The paper said the wedding had given the country a lift at a time of deep public spending cuts and economic austerity.

“Britain showed the world yesterday that it is in good heart, capable, and open for business,” an editorial said. Germany’s Bild tabloid also found the balcony scene irresistible, headlining its coverage: “Kate and William: Kiss! Kiss! Hurray!”. It even gave readers precise timings: the first kiss lasted 0.7 seconds, the second smacker was 1.5 seconds long.

Newspapers in the Gulf gave frontpage coverage to the wedding in London-but left out the kiss. In Poland,

the Gazeta Wyborcza focused on the renewal of the dusty image of the British monarchy thanks to the addition of the middle-class girl who had snared her prince. “It is said that two billion people watched this wedding of pomp and splendour which should renew the British monarchy,” it said.

Turkish daily Gunes described Kate as “the Cinderella of the Palace”. She was a “commoner who had become the wife, the duchess and the princess”, said Croatia’s Vecernji List. But in Australia, warnings were sounded that despite the public relations success of the spectacle played out on Friday, “the monarchy remains capable of stumbling into scandal at any moment”, The Australian said.

“But the wedding... shows it has taken

cues from corporate and celebrity image makers in a bid to more carefully craft its future,” the paper added.

Bosnian newspaper Dnevni Avaz focused on the ghost of William’s late mother Diana at the wedding and recalled that she had visited the country to meet victims of landmines in August 1997, a month before she died.

Mersija Brkic, whose husband was killed by a landmine, told the paper: “If Diana were alive today, I am sure she would still be doing so much for the victims. “May the world treat William well and may he have a happy marriage. He can be proud of having a mother like Diana.”—AFP

Underground fashion thrives in Philippines I

n a dark and hot pedestrian tunnel underneath Manila’s university district, shoemaker Julius Wilfredo Gregorio sweats as he sews rubber soles to a pair of hand-crafted leather boots.

The 37-year-old is aiming to make five pairs for the day and avoid getting buried under a pile of orders from his evergrowing list of cash-strapped fans of fashion.

Since taking over his father’s “Freddie’s Leather Haus” shop in 1991, Gregorio has gained a steady stream of both foreign and local clients who buy his designs that aim to rival those sold in trendy boutiques. “You don’t have to be a rich action movie star to own top-quality boots and be fashionable,” Gregorio said, his sweat dripping as the battered electric fan in the corner struggled to provide ventilation.

“I can make you shoes that will make you feel like one, all you have to add is a little attitude,” he said, pointing to a picture strategically tacked on his display wall of a local action movie star wearing one of his designs. Gregorio is one of the movers of the Philippine capital’s underground fashion haven that operates semi-legally in two pedestrian tunnels on Recto boulevard, where you can find many of the city’s universities.

Over the decades, their tiny stalls and cubicles have come to symbolize defiance of an industry obsessed with ultra-expensive signature labels favored by Manila’s social elite. The tunnels’ strategic location has helped clothiers and expert craftsmen gain a cult following among mostly college students short on cash but high on fashion sense. Shops here sell anything from jeans, boots and leather garments, accessories such as beads and bracelets, to school and office uniforms and athletic gear at friendly prices.

Designs patterned after popular American brands are peren-

This photo taken on April 14, 2011 shows clothiers working at their shop inside the pedestrian tunnel in Manila.—AFP

nial top sellers, although those seeking a personal touch can bring their own designs while most retailers offer their own cutting-edge concepts. Price tags range from 300 to 400 pesos (six to nine dollars) for a pair of denim jeans, while cowhide boots can cost up to 4,000 pesos (93 dollars).

This season’s hot tickets are colorful basketball jerseys to be worn in summer leagues organized by various athletic organizations in a country addicted to the sport. “I often go here to get my clothes done,” said Pauline Banigued, a 23-year-old communications major at one of the nearby universities, as she had her measurements taken from a tailor for a blouse. “They are not exactly fashion runway material, but they suit my taste just the same.”

The shops began operating illegally in the 1970s but city hall long ago gave up the fight to evict them, instead allowing them to thrive informally in exchange for token electricity

and rent payments. The subterranean industry has survived globalization and the influx of foreign brands sold in air-conditioned department stores and malls that are ubiquitous across the megalopolis of 12 million people.

A powerful storm in 2009 that triggered Manila’s worst flooding in 40 years threatened to shut them down for good with the tunnels completely submerged, but demand for their services remained high and they soon returned.

Veteran tailor Ruben Rosal, 59, began in the tunnels making just denim jeans, but diversified over the years to meet customer demand. “People go to us and ask us to make them blouses, skirts, even school and office uniforms,” said Rosal, 59, amid the distant rumble of automobile engines overhead and as fluorescent lights flickered in his shop. Rosal learned his craft from his older brother, Danny, who channeled his creative juices from photography to

clothing design in the late 1970s.

They named their shop Crazy Horse Jeans to capitalize on spaghetti westerns that were the rage in Hollywood then, and the catchy label stuck.

Rosal’s family now owns four shops, and the earnings from the business have paid for the education of his five children, all of whom now have university degrees. But just as importantly, Rosal said he believed his retail career had offered something important back to the community. “I’ve been a farmer and a fisherman in the province, but this is what I do best. I have made clothes for all sorts of people, and I feel happy when they come back because they are satisfied,” he said. “I always say that good, quality clothes are for everyone. Not just those who have the money to buy them.”—AFP

SUNDAY, MAY 1, 2011

lifestyle

Race to Erase

MS celebrity

gala

Fromm left to right: Singer LaToya Jackson arrives for the 18th Annual Race to Erase MS celebrity gala in Los Angeles. The event benefits research to find a cure for multiple sclerosis.

Paris Hilton arrives for the 18th Annual Race to Erase MS. Actress Raven-Symone Pearman arrives for the 18th Annual Race to Erase MS celebrity gala on Friday.—AFP photos

‘People in the Picture’ an odd blend of styles

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Talented cast wasted in ‘Jesus Henry Christ’ P

rodigious mental gifts prove no substitute for an intact family in “Jesus Henry Christ,” an amusing but scattered and unconvincing comedy about a kid genius in search of the father he never knew. A generally strong (if poorly used) cast and cartoonish vibe may connect with some moviegoers, but theatrical prospects are limited even without taking the film’s unnecessarily provocative title into account.

Teen actor Jason Spevack gives an intelligent, uncutesy performance as Henry, the prodigy in question-who remembers everything he sees and started using complete sentences when he was nine months old.

(CGI-enhanced scenes of his baby talk are

no more believable than E*Trade’s baby brokers and significantly less funny.) In an opening sequence relying too heavily on ‘70s signifiers, we see how Henry’s mother Patricia (Toni Collette) lost nearly her family entireone brother suffered a shock-comic death lifted shamelessly from Pulp Fiction- growing up to become a single mom whose principled over protectiveness isn’t as endearing as Frances McDormand’s was in “Almost Famous.”

Patricia loves her kid, but refuses to acknowledge his sperm-bank roots until Grandpa spills the beans in a scene that for unknown reasons mimics a Mexican telenovela. An investigation leads to professor

thing: Collette is wasted here, Sheen utterly misplaced, and Weinstein a one-note chorus of teen misanthropy. And between his underwritten plot points and over stylized gags Lee fails to convince us that any of these characters actually exist, much less to explain why it matters if they’re blood relatives or not. Spevack is likeable and unassuming enough that, for a while, Henry’s own interest in the mystery is sufficient. But when Lee weaves other characters’ cathartic needs in with Henry’s, the movie’s shaky makeup gets hard to ignore-and is more likely to provoke shrugs of mild disappointment than any levels of passion to match JHC’s profane title. —-Reuters

Sincere tragedy

‘Dylan Dog’ a monster movie with no bite

carries little dramatic heft

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ilm noir is combined with horror to zero effect in “Dylan Dog: Dead of Night,” based on an obscure Italian comic book. Starring Superman veteran Brandon Routh in the titular role of a New Orleans private investigator who specializes in dealing with the vampires, zombies and werewolves that apparently populate the city ’s streets-hasn’t it suffered enough? — this would-be franchise is stillborn. It opened Friday via Freestyle Releasing.

Dylan, whose business card reads “No pulse, no problem,” gets embroiled in a case involving a comely young blonde (Anita Briem) whose father was killed by a werewolf. Along with his sidekick Marcus (Sam Huntington), he soon finds himself battling the various demons of the night, armed with his silver knuckles for werewolves and guns loaded with wooden bullets for vampires and dum-dum bullets for zombies.

Marcus quickly finds himself a quick casualty, only to be brought back to life as, naturally, a zombie. His newfound state leads to the film’s few laughs, such as when he rebels against the standard zombie diet-for the non-cannibalistic variety at least-of maggots and worms. He’s also helpfully assured by Dylan that “the condition is manageable.” The film has inexplicably snared some good actors to fill out the supporting roles, includ-

Slavkin O’Hara (Michael Sheen), who may have donated the sperm but has clearly failed at raising the daughter he already knows about: JHC never bothers with details, but O’Hara somehow used daughter Audrey (Samantha Weinstein) as the unwilling subject of a lifelong experiment studying gender roles. These stray parents and offspring make a singularly uncomfortable nuclear quartet, and in his shambling attempt to spell out just who’s related to whom and what they ’re going to do about it, writer/director Dennis Lee seems to reaching for a “Little Miss Sunshine” vibe that completely eludes him. He has nothing resembling that film’s fine-tuned ensemble, for one

ing Peter Stormare as a werewolf and Taye Diggs as the vampire owner of a nightclub whose specialty of the house is vampire blood.

But genuine thrills are in short supply, with cheesy special effects, awkwardly staged battles and monster get-ups that look like they were rented from the nearest Halloween shop giving the production a cheap, direct-to-DVD feel.

The New Orleans locations, naturally centered on the old French Quarter neighborhood and the city’s famed cemeteries, do add some appropriately spooky atmosphere.

The terminally bland Routh brings little conviction or energy to his portrayal, failing to provide the sort of sly humor that might have made the proceedings more bearable.

Genre film fans will note that he’s reunited here with Huntingon, his Jimmy Olsen in the recent, less than successful attempt to reboot the Superman franchise.—Reuters

ober and heartfelt, “Angels Crest” observes a small snowbound community as it processes the accidental death of a 3-year-old boy.

Cast and crew’s investment in the story’s tragedy and its ensuing moral debates is evident in every frame, but the film isn’t fully successful in generating the same depth of feeling in viewers. Familiar faces (Mira Sorvino, Jeremy Piven) in supporting parts help theatrical prospects to some extent, but a picture this serious needs better word-of-mouth than “Crest” is likely to get.

Thomas Dekker plays Ethan, a loving if unconventional single dad who wanders away from a parked truck long enough for his son to escape his car seat and get lost in the surrounding woods.

After a desperate search, the boy is found frozen to death; while most locals are inclined to sympathize with Ethan (whose stages of grief play out mutely in Dekker’s dark, emo band-ready eyes), a few-the boy’s estranged mother, Cindy, and a nearby District Attorney-blame him for the death.

“Crest” struggles under the weight of Cindy, a promiscuous alcoholic whose hatefulness and self-pity are established with a bluntness seen nowhere else in the film. Lynn Collins brings no nuance to the part, though it’s hard to blame her for failing to find depth in a script that has her comparing alcohol to others’ source of

strength by quipping “You have your god, I have mine.”

Piven, as the DA prosecuting Ethan for negligent homicide, ostensibly provides the movie’s dramatic push. But his questioning of townfolk feels obligatory, with director Gaby Dellal methodically walking him through single-scene encounters with each potential character witness, subjecting him to a bit of friction, and scuttling him to the sidelines to await his next appearance.

In adapting Leslie Schwartz ’s novel, Catherine Trieschmann doesn’t have her heart in these stock antagonists. She’d clearly rather be exploring little interpersonal dynamics in a town where everyone knows everyone else by name Sorvino’s ambivalence about Ethan, whom she loves despite reservations about his parenting; Elizabeth McGovern’s impassioned support, clearly motivated by her own history of parenting failure. (Her performance is the most moving thing in the film.)

But “Crest ’s” sense of place never becomes rich enough to compensate for its dramatic weaknesses, and its solidly commercial production values (including stirring images of a snowy Canadian mountainside) can only carr y it so far. Even before the action takes a stark (if plausible) left-turn in the final scenes, the movie will have lost even some of its most sympathetic viewers. —Reuters

iven the deluge of movie retreads and jukebox assemblies on Broadway, entirely original musicals are always welcome. But “ The People in the Picture” is an odd duck.

While it’s ultimately touching and contains some charming melodies, the show’s earnestly old-fashioned blend of multi-generational melodrama, Holocaust tragedy and Borscht Belt humor makes for a lumpy stew. It’s at Studio 54 through June 19.

Chief attraction of the Roundabout Theater Company production is Donna Murphy, one of Broadway’s classiest leading ladies. She plays Raisel Rabinowitz, the star player of a pre-WWII Yiddish theater company called the Warsaw Gang.

The action shifts between Poland in the turbulent decade of 1935-1946 and New York in 1977, where the elderly Raisel recounts stories from her past to her enraptured granddaughter, Jenny (Rachel Resheff ). Physically and vocally, Murphy slips back and forth with fluidity and authority between playing an ailing yet still feisty old woman and her toughminded younger self. Even in this wellintentioned but wobbly vehicle, Murphy’s work demonstrates again that she’s one of musical theater’s most dramatically nuanced performers.

The score marks a late entry into musicals for Mike Stoller, one half of legendary songwriting hit factory Leiber & Stoller, working with the team’s longago Brill Building discovery Artie Butler.

Book and lyrics are by novelist Iris Rainer Dart, best known for “Beaches,” which also is being developed as a musical. Like the 1988 Bette Midler film adapted from that novel, her work here combines syrupy sentimentality with knowing insights into rocky female relationships. The writer also brings a shticky vaudevillian sensibility. (She apparently never met a tuchas joke she didn’t like; not for nothing have politically incorrect Broadway insiders quietly rechristened the show Jewsical!) The comedy to some degree tempers the material’s cloying sincerity yet stops it being as emotional as it perhaps might have been.

The rhymes in Dart’s lyrics are often so shamelessly hoary that you laugh and wince at the same time: deadpan/bedpan; bamboozle ‘em/Jerusalem; glamorous/mammarous. The writer ’s approach mirrors Raisel’s habit of deflecting the suffering in her life with a joke.

The sturdy ensemble embraces the challenges of the material, and director Leonard Foglia has staged the show with a firm grasp of its constant time jumps, unfolding within designer Riccardo Hernandez’seffective set of picture frames within frames. Raisel’s fellow Warsaw Gang players enliven the Polish scenes and haunt the 1977 sections as benevolent ghosts.

The third point of the central triangle is Raisel’s divorced daughter Red (Nicole Parker), whose thorny relationship with her mother and ambivalence toward her history are explained gradually through disclosure of the hard wartime choices that soured the love between them. It’s far from fresh, but the importance of self-knowledge and of maintaining a connection to the past is well developed as a theme.

Among the supporting cast, Alexander Gemignani strikes a soulful note as a homosexual troupe member who saves Raisel from disgrace; Joyce Van Patten is funny as a former ingenue still hard-selling her charms despite having stacked on the years and the pounds; and Parker and Resheff make the most of figures whose outlines are familiar from countless weepies stitched out of the bonds and battles of women across the generations. —Reuters

SUNDAY, MAY 1, 2011

lifestyle Saudi men perform the traditional Arda dance, or War dance, during the Janadriyah Festival of Heritage and Culture on the outskirts of the Saudi capital Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Friday, April 29, 2011. —AP

New Orleans

Jazz and Heritage Festival kicks off

Ann Curry to replace Vieira on ‘Today’ in June

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Rocker Jeff Beck performs at the Louisiana Jazz and Heritage Festival in New Orleans Friday.

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e danced, to the music of British rhythm and blues artist Jon Cleary, but there was no one act that drew Ray Ladonceur to the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival on Friday’s opening day. “It really doesn’t matter who is on stage,” said Ladonceur, a New Orleans attorney and accountant. “If you can’t find a genre of music you’re interested in at this festival then you don’t like music. It’s a beautiful, gorgeous day. There’s great

food, great people and great music.

What more can you ask for?” Festival producer Quint Davis stressed variety going into the 2011 festival, calling the lineup one of the broadest in the event’s history.

It was evident from the sounds wafting through the air as lines formed early at booths offering everything from cold beer and crawfish to ice cream and jambalaya. There were some of the state’s greats: George Porter Jr., John

New Orleans jazz saxophonist Donald Harrison performs at the Louisiana Jazz and Heritage Festival in New Orleans, Friday.

Blues guitarist and singer Walter ‘Wolfman’ Washington performs with the Joe Krown Trio at the Louisiana Jazz and Heritage Festival in New Orleans, Friday.—AP photos

Mooney and Bluesiana, Lil Nathan and the Zydeco Big Timers and Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk. And there were the visitors.

On one stage: English folk rock band Mumford and Sons drew thousands.

The group, fronted by Marcus Mumford on guitar, got rousing applause, pumping the crowd with such hits as “Little Lion Man” and “The Cave,” from their debut album “Sigh No More.” “I actually love them,” said Lisa Podzinger, of

Georgia. “I love their whole melody thing they’ve got going on.” On another stage, Jeff Beck entertained thousands more while, in the Blues Tent, Keb’ Mo’ belted out down home blues.

Janneka Scherrenberg of Holland said this was her first time at the festival and she plans to return. “Our friends live here and they kept telling us, ‘You have to go to the jazz fest.’ We finally got here,” she said, swaying to Cleary.

“Everything is just great. New Orleans, the people, the food. We’ll be back.”

Robert Plant, Wyclef Jean and The Avett Brothers were among big known acts closing the first day of the festival, which runs for seven days over two weekends at the Fair Grounds Race Course.

Gabi Baigel, a South African native now living in New York, danced along with the crowd packed in front of the stage to hear Jean. “I love the rhythm of him,” she said, “and his third world sentiment.” Baigel said this was her first visit to the festival and was surprised at how organized everything was. “It’s a really great atmosphere. The people here and the city have a really great personality.” Jean entertained the crowd with Shakira’s “Hips Don’t Lie,” his own take on Bob Dylan’s “Knocking’ on Heaven’s Door,” as well as a bit of freestyle. He also revved up the fans when he spontaneously jumped into the midst of them. As they bounced to his beats and screamed his name, he shook hands while cameras clicked and roars of approval hummed in the air.

“I’ve never seen him live before, but he’s so connected to his audience. He’s so full of positive energy,” said Kelly Ketner, who was at the festival with her boyfriend, Alex Perk, on a visit to New Orleans from Ottawa, Canada. Perk said Jean “puts on a great show,” but his draw was Mumford and Sons. “It’s all about the music, the instrumental interludes for them. They were amazing.”— AP

eredith Vieira will exit NBC’s “Today” show in June, nearly three months before the end of her contract, according to sources with direct knowledge of the situation. “Today” newsreader Ann Curry will be promoted to co-host, and will be in turn replaced by correspondent Natalie Morales. An official announcement could come as early as next week.

Vieira took the seat next to co-host Matt Lauer in 2006, replacing Katie Couric. Since then, “Today” has extended its run as the top-rated morning news program to more than 800 weeks. The show is critically important to NBC News’ bottom line, pulling in half a billion dollars in ad revenue last year for the weekday morning hours alone.

By elevating Curry and Morales, “Today” executives have the benefit of personalities who are familiar to viewers at a time of pronounced tumult in television news in general. Earlier this week, Couric announced that she will step down as anchor of “CBS Evening News.” And while she will mount a daytime program with former NBC News executive Jeff Zucker, Couric also is looking for a part-time perch at a news division, with ABC News among her suitors. ABC News president Ben Sherwood has already hired several new faces: “The Insider’s” Lara Spencer and ESPN’s Josh Elliott will join “Good Morning America.”

CBS News executives are expected to announce next week that “60 Minutes” correspondent Scott Pelley will replace Couric at the “Evening News” anchor desk. It will mark the second anchor change this year for CBS News; in January, “The Early Show” got an entirely new morning team led by Chris Wragge and Erica Hill.

Vieira has long been mulling an exit from “Today” for family reasons. She is preparing her youngest daughter Lily for college in the fall, and her husband Richard Cohen continues to struggle with multiple sclerosis. She still hosts the syndicated game show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” and recently produced her first movie”Return,” about a female solder’s return from war. An NBC News spokesperson declined comment. — Reuters

A man walks in the procession on the street during the annual Carnival in Lagos yesterday. During the annual display costumed dancers and decorated floats parade down the main streets on Lagos Island, Ikoyi and Victoria Island and the carnival culminates in a grand display at Tafawa Balewa Square. Other parts of the carnival include a beauty pageant and a junior carnival. —AP

New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival kicks off

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SUNDAY, MAY 1, 2011

A horse jumps on a meadow near Saalfelden, Austrian province of Salzburg yesterday. —AP

New delay sought in Jackson medic’s trial A

ttorneys for Michael Jackson’s doctor called Friday for a new delay in his trial for the alleged 2009 manslaughter of the pop icon, due to start in barely a week’s time.

Lawyers for Conrad Murray say they want more time to prepare for two new witnesses for the prosecution. In the trial, currently scheduled to begin

on May 9, jurors will decide if Murray is to blame for Jackson’s death from an overdose of a powerful sedative.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor called a hearing on the request for Monday, asking Murray to be in court to decide whether to delay the trial, already postponed from March. “I need to hear and see more

information,” said Pastor, asking Murray’s main lawyer Edward Chernoff to submit a written request for a delay by email by Sunday.

Prosecutors allege that Murray, 58, “abandoned his patient” after administering the sedative propofol to help Jackson sleep, and then tried to cover it up after the singer’s death on June

T

dress,” said the city councilor in charge of security, Assumpta Escarp.

The owners of some tourist shops welcomed the move, but defenders of nudism were outraged.

“It’s a ban that goes beyond laws that decriminalized nudity 22 years ago,” said Jacit Ribas i Deix, the head of an association for the defense of nudity and who became well known in Barcelona for walking and cycling naked through the city. But Egidio Pagliotta, 68, a ice-cream salesman, said “there was a lot of permissiveness and (the new regulation) will be better for everyone.”

Rajich Monarni, a 38-year-old Indian who sells shirts in the old town, was also pleased. “They were more and more of them in the streets. I approve of the fact that they can now be booked.” The beaches and cultural attractions of the capital of Spain’s northeastern Catalonia region draw millions of foreign visitors each year.— AFP

March 28, but was then pushed back with opening statements due May 9.

There have already been some jury selection sessions, with more planned from Wednesday. Chernoff had sought to prevent the prosecution from calling the two new expert witnesses, claiming they would promote “new theories” not discussed during

the six days of hearings in January.

Prosecutor David Walgren said the pair, including a top anesthesiologist expected to testify that Jackson could not have ingested propofol, would merely clarify already established arguments.—AFP

Argentine writer Ernesto Sabato dies at 99

Barcelona to fine bikini-wearers on the streets ourists in Barcelona who wander off the beach onto the streets in just their swimming costumes-or even less-will now face stiff fines. The city hall voted on Friday to ban “nudity or virtual nudity in public places” and limit swimming costumes to swimming pools, beaches, adjacent roads and beach walks. Nudists who stray off their designated areas of the beach will be subject to fines of 300 to 500 euros ($450 to 750).

Those who wander into the streets in bikinis, swimming trunks or swimsuits face fines of 120 to 300 euros. Authorities in the city, where the port and the beach areas are adjacent to the historic old town, earlier this year put up posters discouraging such behavior. They showed a couple in swimming costumes with a red line across it next to another couple dressed normally but without the red line.

With the new regulations, city authorities hope to “ensure coexistence between citizens in public areas,” but denied that they are “telling people how they should

25, 2009. Murray acknowledged that he had used propofol, but denied involuntary manslaughter, saying that on the day of the 50-year-old singer’s death he administered only a small amount of the drug that should not have been fatal.

After preliminary hearings in January the trial was initially set for

Novel ‘The Tunnel’ hailed as existentialist classic

A

rgentine writer Ernesto Sabato, whose novel “The Tunnel” is hailed as an existentialist classic and who presided over a probe into the crimes committed by the nation’s military rulers, died yesterday at age 99. “Humankind cannot live without heroes, martyrs and saints,” Sabato, an intellectual known as a tireless activist for justice and human rights, once said.

His death was reported by local media.

Sabato, who trained as a physicist before becoming a writer, had three novels to his name-”The Tunnel” published in 1948, “On Heroes and Graves” published in 1961 and “Abaddon, The Exterminator” in 1974. Known for his bald pate, tinted glasses, brush mustache and open-necked shirts, he was viewed as a hero by many in his South American homeland.

After the end of Argentina’s notorious 1976-83 military rule, Sabato was chosen to preside over the National Commission on the Disappeared (CONADEP), which investigated the fate of tens of thousands of Argentines who disappeared at the hands of the militarykidnapped, tortured and killed. The commission compiled 50,000 pages of chilling evidence of systematic kidnap, torture and rape waged against anyone even remotely suspected of sympathizing with leftist guerrillas.

Its findings and recommendations that the “Dirty War” soldiers should be tried and punished were published in 1984 in a book called “Nunca Mas” (“Never Again”). Sabato seemed ill at ease in the limelight even as he was idol-

ized by many young people and students in Argentina. Lionized by the political left, Sabato nevertheless rejected any party affiliation.

“I don’t belong to any party, I just support anything I think is good for this sickly country and denounce anything I find false, despicable, dirty, corrupt and hypocritical,” he said. He railed against the tendency to seek techno-

logical solutions to human suffering, a painful admission for a man who studied science in Argentina, France and the United States.

He embraced surrealism and abandoned science for writing. His first novel, “The Tunnel,” was hailed after its release in 1948 as an existentialist classic and won him fans including Thomas Mann and Albert Camus.—Reuters

In this Aug. 13, 2002 file photo, Argentine writer Ernesto Sabato delivers a speech at Teresa Careno theater in Caracas, Venezuela. Sabato, 99, died at his home, on the outskirts of Buenos Aires yesterday.—AP