18 May

ON IP TI SC R SU B

WEDNESDAY, MAY 18, 2011

British queen makes historic peace trip to Ireland

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JAMADI ALTHANI 15, 1432 AH

Schwarzenegger reveals he had child with staffer

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Fields of watermelon burst in China farm fiasco

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www.kuwaittimes.net

Gilchrist, Marsh run riot in IPL

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Assembly delays PM’s grilling for one year MPs call to cut ties with Syria, expel ambassador

Max 40 Min 29 Low Tide 06:07 & 19:07 High Tide 00:40 & 11:33

By B Izzak KUWAIT: The National Assembly yesterday approved a government request to postpone the grilling of the prime minister for one year amid an intense debate between pro- and anti-government MPs. The government surprised the Assembly with the request after it informed the house that it had referred the issue to the constitutional court because it believes it contained issues that breach the constitution. Thirtyseven members supported the government request while 10 MPs opposed it, but another 15 opposition MPs walked out before taking the vote.

Opposition MPs wasted no time after the defeat and said more grillings will be filed against the prime minister. Islamist MP Faisal Al-Mislem said his Reform and Development Bloc will file on Sunday or earlier a grilling against Prime Minister HH Sheikh Nasser Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah for allegedly harming Kuwait’s relations with neighbouring Gulf states.

The new grilling will be filed by MPs Waleed AlTabtabaei, Mubarak Al-Waalan and Mohammad Hayef and is expected to focus on Kuwait’s failure to dispatch troops to Bahrain to help quell Shiite-led protests there. Parliamentary sources also said that two more grillings are expected to be filed, one by the Popular Action Bloc and another by opposition MPs over the government’s referral of the grilling to KUWAIT: Lightning lights up the night sky in Shuwaikh during a the constitutional court. thunderstorm yesterday. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat Continued on Page 15

KUWAIT: MPs jostle to speak during a parliament session at the National Assembly yesterday as the parliament voted to delay for one year a grilling of the prime minister after the government referred the case to the constitutional court. (Inset) Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah gestures as he arrives to attend the session. — Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

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local

Facebook comments offend instructor at university

Local Spotlight

Unsolved agony of runaway workers

Students threatened with expulsion

By Hussain Al-Qatari KUWAIT: Expressing your candid opinion may get you in trouble, even if you do that on your personal blog or Facebook profile. An instructor from Kuwait University’s College of Women filed a lawsuit against 11 students. They were interrogated by the Ministry of Interior’s Cyber Crime department earlier this week. Despite the fact that the Ministry of Interior failed to incriminate students due to lack of evidence, the instructor insisted on punishing the students. Their fate will be decided in a trial by a special jury at Kuwait University. The students, who are about to graduate, may be expelled from university.

It all started when one student decided to post a status update on her Facebook account criticizing the instructor.

Students sharing their opinion reacted to this update with comments, echoing the same. The instructor found out about this, took offense and thought of it as public slander. Local press published a statement made by one of the student unions, the Democratic Circle, which stated that this jeopardizes Kuwait University’s reputation as an educational institute.

The Democratic Circle spokesperson Ali Ashkanani noted that freedom of speech is a fundamental right granted by the Constitution.

The fact that a university instructor does not respect this, only signifies the existence of a larger issue. Abdullah Al-Enizi, a student activist said, “Students should have the freedom to express their opinion as long as they do not offend anyone.

The fact that an instructor cannot take criticism only means that this instructor has a problem.”

Another student, Khaled Al-Ali, said that students should be given the opportunity to speak their mind openly about instructors, “There are websites online for students to rate their professors and instructors, and some comments made by students are quite harsh. At the end of the day, they are entitled to their opinion. How does this instructor wish to set an example to students if she can’t accept criticism? They didn’t even publicly publish their opinion: it was on a personal page,” he said.

The Kuwait Times attempted to speak to one of the students, but failed to find someone willing to talk on the subject. Local press reported that the students have been threatened with immediate expulsion if they spoke to the press.

Muna Al-Fuzai

muna@kuwaittimes.net

T PAYS chief meets students’ council KUWAIT: The Public Authority for Youth an d S por t ( PAYS ) seeks to continue their efforts in providing suppor t to students in Kuwait by creating a suitable environ men t th at includes afterschool activates an d progr ams th at h elp improve youth’s capabilities.

This was stated by the Acting Direc tor of th e PAYS S h eik h Talal Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, during a meeting with male students’ councils representing all six educational direc torates in Kuwait. This was attended by a number of PAYS officials, as well as students and members in the educational field.

Al-Fahad said that his work as an acting director for the PAYS will focus on completing the projects started by his pred-

ecessors “which set numerous positive bases which can contribute to the development of our nation”. “ There is no time for us to waste”, said Sheikh Talal, indicating that work must start to

utilize efforts that can transform the youths’ ambitions into reality. He also spoke of a hotl i ne w hi c h w a s l a unc he d to receive ideas and feedback on ways to improve PAYS’ youth activities.

Five-hour blackout in Yarmouk KUWAIT: Residents of AlYarmouk had to manage without electricity for more than five hours on Monday, following a blackout that took place in the morning which was only fixed at three in the afternoon.

The Ministry of Electricity and Water explained in a statement that the delay in restoring power to the area happened due to transformer overload.

Meanwhile, the ministry has started a test-run for one of two reactors at the South Zoor Power Plant, which divides electricity load in parallel on transportation lines connected by the electricity distribution network. — Al-Qabas

he Cabinet has approved a budget of KD700,000 to establish a shelter for runaway expatriate workers. Does this mean that they will be required to leave the country once the dispute is solved?

Runaway expat workers really need a lot of attention, and I doubt if one or ten shelters can improve their living conditions. We need to investigate the reasons that prompted these poor workers to run away from their sponsors in the first place. It does not seem to be happening now.

Of course, some may think this is good news, but I do not agree. In fact, large sums of money set aside for the purpose show that a large-scale plan is on the anvil. Although, it is good to know that the ‘escapee’ workers will have a refuge to resort to during bad times, it will not end their agony and solve the mystery behind those who decide to run away from their sponsors.

I wonder if their troubles can be put an end to just by running away. I hope this shelter can truly rehabilitate the less fortunate by providing them with physical, mental and sociological support.

I believe that domestic workers take this step only as the last resort. This is when the situations turns unbearable. They can avoid harming themselves or their sponsors. They certainly need help from everyone.

We, the people and the Kuwaiti government should adopt a policy to investigate cases one by one, and if the sponsor is proven to be guilty, he or she should be imprisoned. It is fair enough to set up a shelter. Care must be taken to ensure that it does not turn into a jail.

In Kuwait, most workers run away when the sponsors, some who think that the workers are indentured slaves fail to pay them salaries on time.

When the workers escape, they rush to the police station to file absconding and theft cases. So, when they are arrested for violating the country’s law, they get accused of committing crimes. How much can a shelter do for people? To what extent can shelters help protect against abuse, especially rapes and physical abuse!

I think it is fair to provide protection to laborers within the frame work of the country’s rules and regulations. I believe that the embassies of workers must intervene in this. They should play a role in this and they have the power to.

The Kuwaiti government can build a shelter, but it must be monitored by many government bodies, not only through the Ministry of Social Affairs, also, bilingual workers should be appointed so that they can communicate with other nationalities.

Disability issue makes strides in right path KUWAIT: The Public Authority for People with Special Needs has plans to carry out eight main projects in the fiscal year of 2011/2012. The Manager Dr Jassem Al-Tammar believes this will help reduce the percentage of disability in society when implemented. In a statement made recently to reporters, he indicated that one of these projects pertains to an ‘early examination plan’, which would be a joint process with the Ministry of Health to test women during pregnancy.

Dr Al-Tammar announced the inauguration of a specialized center that provides care to disabled citizens over the age of 21. While speaking to reporters, the official noted that the authority receives 100 disability applications per week, but only a few num-

ber of them would be approved following verifications.

“The total number of people with special needs registered at the authority exceeds 37,000”, Dr Al-Tammar added, hinting that this large number raises skepticism regarding the presence of disability faking incidents.

Moreover, Dr Al-Tammar addressed the criticisms that he has been receiving ever since he joined office last year, indicating that such incidents only make him “more determined”.

He added that the fact that the disability issue has become a hot topic in the media proves that the authority has been making successful strides in making the issue a subject of main social interest.

“Some critics are feeling bad because we aspire to act in the right

WEDNESDAY, MAY 18, 2011

LOCAL Kuwait to host Chinese trade delegation KUWAIT: Kuwait will host an economic delegation next week from the People’s Republic of China, coinciding with the holding of the 110th exhibition of Chinese exports and imports (Canton). It will be held in cooperation with the Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI).

The Chinese embassy here said in a press statement that a seminar would be held in conjunction with the exhibition on Chinese imports and exports organized by the Economic Trade Office at the KCCI headquarters next Monday.

The statement added that the Chinese delegation’s visit to Kuwait aims to increase trade exchange between the two countries, and to introduce Chinese products to Kuwaiti businessmen and consumers.

Chalets warned to pay electricity bills

By Nawara Fattahova KUWAIT: The Cabinet ordered the Ministry of Electricity and Water to collect the cumulative bills of electricity usage of the chalets and pens’ owners which is a total of KD30 million, and to warn them either to pay on time or stay in darkness without power.

According to sources, the ministry has begun to take action by addressing warning letters to concerned individuals, ordering them to collect the pending debts. On a separate issue, the same sources spoke about the postponed issue of importing water from Iran due to previous obstacles in the negotiations. The sources doubt that this issue will be discussed again, especially after considering the relations between the two countries. Furthermore the sources expect the Minister of Foreign Affairs to discuss the political issue with the visiting Iranian Foreign Minister. On the other hand, the Ministry of Electricity and Water is ready to present all the files and plans related to the water importing issue in case it is demanded at any time. Also specialized committees will be formed to work on improving the cooperation between the two ministries.

MP slams KU administration KUWAIT: A parliament member said that the Kuwait University administration is adopting a policy that restricts students’ freedom and deprives them of their right of freedom of expression. MP Saleh Al-Mulla addressed the media following a meeting with the Mustaqilla (The Independent) students’ bloc in the KU, during which he said that he became aware of a case in which a college student was dismissed after he led a protest to criticize the administration and the procedures of the students’ affairs deanship.

Al-Mulla referred to a story published recently in the press, pertaining to 11 female students receiving warnings from the KU administration for comments posted on Facebook which included ìharmless criticism that contained no insults whatsoeverî. —Al-Rai

KUWAIT: A fire broke out in an Abdaly farm, prompting Abdaly, Subiya and Sulaibikhat back up centers to respond. The fire was in a warehouse inside the farm covering an area of 4000 sq meters. No injuries were reported. —- Photos by Hanan Al-Saadoun

Stricter rules implemented against traffic offenders Fines levied on expats for driving ageing vehicles

By Ben Garcia KUWAIT: The Pakistani owner of a 1999 model car recently faced a surprising checkpoint. When asked to pulled over, he produced his Civil ID card and driving license. The police informed him that his car would be confiscated.

He spoke to the Kuwait Times on condition of anonymity. His car was seized by a traffic police at a checkpoint near Jleeb Al-Shoukh three days ago, “My car is still in police custody. It was a 1999 model. I was told that I can only take my car after 15 days. The police informed me that they were taking it because of the noisy engine sound,” he said.

This violation is punishable by law and is being strictly enforced of late. Kuwait’s Interior Ministry Spokesman admitted that stricter traffic regulations will be put into force.

Speaking with the Kuwait Times yesterday, Adel AlHashash, Interior Ministry spokesperson said that the stricter rules will continue to ensure safety and security of all road users. “We are implementing the existing rules and regulations which have been in place for

years,” he said. His reaction came as a response to complaints made by expatriates (car owners) who have been stopped at frequent check points.

The Pakistani driver’s experience is not an isolated case. An Indian expatriate who was only willing to be identified as Nithin said that he was intercepted, and his car was thoroughly inspected in Khaitan last week.

“My car, together with about 50 others were stopped and checked by traffic police in Khaitan. I have a problem with smoke belching out from my car. I thought I would just get a ticket citation, as has been the case before. I was surprised to hear the police say that I can no longer use my car because they were taking it. The traffic police told me that I can only take my car back after paying a KD 50 fine. I have to pay the impound fee as well,” Nithin said. Nithin’s car model was a 1997 one.

A similar incident occurred when a Filipino car owner was intercepted at a checkpoint in Kuwait City last month, “My problem was about car paint. I thought the policeman would issue a ticket citation; my car is quite old maybe 14 years , but is still in good condition. He took down my license and registration num-

ber. I asked him to give me a ticket. But he said, “I cannot drive it anymore because they are towing my car to the impound garage.” He advised me to take the car from ‘murur’( traffic police) after two weeks.”

A proposal has been made in the past to ban the use of old cars in Kuwait. According to some officials, a car older than 15 years will not be registered unless it passes an examination that is monitored by a committee at the traffic department. However, the proposal was not heard of again. With the latest campaign to get rid of old cars on Kuwaiti streets, many car owners cannot help but guess whether the law was passed silently.

The stricter traffic campaigns across various locations in Kuwait is being undertaken by the General Traffic Department (GTD). It started in early April, where the traffic police reportedly seized more than 400 cars. The campaign, involving hundreds of policemen, covered the country’s six governorates. Traffic offenses involved speeding, reckless driving, failure to fasten the seat belt, using mobile phones while driving, expiry of car insurance/licenses, illegal modifications made to vehicles and other forms of violations.

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LOCAL

Old pay amendment requires new law KUWAIT: There has been some controversy regarding the KD50 increase that was passed recently by the parliament, given its connection with a similar increase that was enforced three years ago for public sector employees with less than KD1,000 monthly pay. The Public Institution For Social Security indicates that the new increase will cover all public sector employees with more than KD1,000 monthly pay. However, the problem is cre-

ated for people with monthly pay between KD950 and KD,1000 who were covered by the previous KD50 regulation that was released in 2008 and covered people with less than KD1,000 salaries.

Under the previous stipulation, an employee with a KD980 monthly pay for example was only entitled to receive a KD20 increase so that their salaries wouldn’t exceed KD1,000 and thus be ineligible for the raise.

However, since the new KD50 increase covers those with salaries exceeding KD1,000, an amendment should be made to the original law in order for people who come under the stipulation shown in the example above, to have their raise automatically adjusted to KD50. Whether this amendment would be adopted and made retroactively or not remains to be seen.

Meanwhile, the parliament’s financial and economic affairs committee has

Zalzalah, who noted that Minister of Cabinet Affairs Ali Al-Rashid was asked during a meeting with the panel in which he represented the Cabinet, to provide statistical reports showing the effects of the enforcement of allowances and salary increases. “The public sector receives a large number of fresh graduates without a clear mechanism of how those labor forces are best utilized”, Al-Zalzalah added.

— Al-Rai, Al-Qabas

reached an agreement with the government in which the latter would provide a recommendation within three months, pertaining to a mechanism to reconsider the financial allowances and pay increases enforced.

“The panel has asked the government to provide a comprehensive study regarding the financial situations pertaining to public sector salaries for the upcoming 10 years”, said Chairman Dr Yousuf Al-

Expat woman dies while delivering

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: A 35-year-old Sri Lankan woman lost her life and her baby while delivering.

The body was moved to the coroner.

Woman gang raped A citizen in her 20s filed a complaint with the police stating that three men abducted her, took her to a camp located in Mina Abdallah and raped her repeatedly. The woman identified one of the men and produced documents to prove that he held dual citizenship. The case was referred to concerned authorities.

Car accident A 26-year-old Kuwaiti sustained a broken right thigh bone and various cuts in a car accident near Mishref. He was taken to Mubarak hospital.

Accidental overdose A 13-year-old Kuwaiti who overdosed on medication was taken to Farwaniya hospital.

Street fight A 49-year-old Bangladeshi suffered a lacerated head following a fight in Faiha.

He was taken to Amiri hospital.

Cash stolen A citizen reported to Umm Al-Haiman police stating that his maid stole 50,000 riyals (Saudi Arabian currency) before fleeing the country.

Rude behavior A citizen filed a complaint with the police stating that a Palestinian pharmacist insulted him while dispensing medicines at a government medical center.

Man commits suicide An Asian committed suicide at his sponsor’s house in Firdous.

Clothes store robbed A garment store owner filed a complaint with the police in Salmiya stating that his store was robbed and KD 350 was stolen.

MoI mum on pickup carrying explosives KUWAIT: Undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior General Ghazi Al-Omar refused to comment on the issue of finding explosive materials in a pickup truck which was on its way to Shuaiba port. “I don’t answer such questions as it contains a security angle which cannot be disclosed, we can talk about it only after investigations are completed”.

“There is a difference between accusing someone and interrogating an accused to get to the heart of the matter.

It is impossible to talk prematurely on

such sensitive matters; till then the media is free to write whatever they want”, AlOmar said. In the meantime, Criminal Investigation Director Lt General Fahad Al-Dawsari said that they were still waiting for the results of the lab tests before they could determine whether the material found was explosive or not. Security sources revealed that the criminal investigation department is confident that the material found near the pickup truck is highly explosive. The pickup was on its way to Shuaiba port. — Al-Anba

KUWAIT: Indian singer Asha Bhosle (center) is pictured accepting a tray of spices from the chefs at Asha’s restaurant in Marina Mall on Sunday. — Photos by Joseph Shagra

KUWAIT: Nader Hallal, Head of Marketing for M. H. Alshaya’s food service division (left) is pictured with Indian singer Asha Bhosle (center) and Ma’an Kouly, Business Manager - Casual Dining, M. H. Alshaya Co at Asha’s restaurant in Marina Mall on Sunday.

Asha Bhosle unveils brand new ‘Asha’s’ restaurant in Kuwait Legendary singer on GCC tour

By Priyanka Saligram KUWAIT: Legendar y Indian singer Asha Bhosle visited Kuwait and Qatar as a part of the GCC tour to promote her Indian cuisine, fine-dining chain of restaurants called Asha’s.

Bhosle, best known all over India for singing more than 13,000 songs in almost all the regional languages made an appearance at Asha’s restaurant in Marina Mall on Sunday, May 15. While two of her restaurants are in Marina Mall and Avenues, she went on to unveil the third and latest one in Spoons Complex, Fintas.

During her visit, Asha Bhosle hosted various cocktail dinners for VIPs and other mem-

bers of the media, “We were extremely honored that Asha Bhosle was able to visit us in the region, and it was a rare treat for the public to be able to meet Asha. She is a remarkable lady of many talents, and truly inspires everyone who works with her as part of the Asha’s team,” said Nader Hallal, Head of Marketing for Alshaya’s Food Service division which owns and operates the brand in Kuwait and Qatar.

Asha’s offers an exclusive dining experience with some of her signature dishes and ambience. While many know her to be a uniquely prolific singer, few know her to be an equally talented and brilliant cook with a passion for experimentation. Her recipes have

been known to enthrall many Bollywood personalities who claim that the magic they experience in her singing is the same they taste in her cooking.

Asha Bhosle opened the first Asha’s in Dubai in 2002 and there was no looking back after that. Today, Asha’s can be found in Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the UK. “There are plans to open Asha’s restaurant in Saudi Arabia and Egypt by the end of the year,” Asha said in an interview with the Kuwait Times.

Her visit also marked the pre-launch of the ‘Journey through India’ festival which featured regional dishes from all across India, specially handpicked by her and her chefs.

Shooting team’s achievements lauded

By Abdellatif Sharaa

KUWAIT: The fire department officials holding inspection visits yesterday.

Fire accidents can be prevented: Al-Hubail

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: The prevention department, in cooperation with the Salmiya fire center made a few regular inspections to ensure no license violations took place. Followup and coordination supervisor Colonel Khalid Al-Ajmi, and Salmiya Fire Center Director Colonel Hussein Asad and captains Abdallah Tuwaitan and Ycoub Karam from Hawally governorate participated in this.

Acting Head of Public Relations and Awareness at KFSD captain Ammar Al-Hubail warned against the danger of the butane gas cylinder that is used in every home. He said this cylinder pauses a danger if neglected or misused, as negligence is the main reason for most accidents and fires at homes.

He said carelessness can be in several forms such as lack of periodical maintenance, children’s mishandling of the cylinder, and leaving the gas regulator open at all times, which may cause a leak. He said danger can be avoided through some measures like using approved hoses and regulators by KOTC. He added that a fire extinguisher should be available in the kitchen.

Al-Hubail said using the cylinder horizontally causes major hazards as the gas may flow out in its liquid form.

KUWAIT: The Kuwait Shooting Sport Club’s general assembly held its annual meeting at the Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Olympic Shooting Complex recently.

The meeting was held in the light of various unprecedented achievements that were garnered both technically and administratively. Kuwait’s shooters showcased outstanding performances at several international competitions, including the Asian Games held in Guangzhou, China.

On an administrative level, following Kuwait’s assumption of the Asian Federation’s leadership under the aegis of Sheikh Salman Sabah Al-Salem AlHumoud Al-Sabah, and the presidency of the Arab Shooting Federation during the tenure of Duaij Al-Otaibi, followed

by Sheikh Salman’s election to the post of Vice-president, International Shooting Sport Federation, with Duaij Al-Otaibi as member of its administrative council were lauded.

Sheikh Salman Al-Sabah, Chairman of the board of Kuwait Shooting Sport Club (KSSC) opened a meeting with a brief on last year’s achievements. They were achieved with the support of HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber, HH the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf AlAhmad Al-Sabah, HH the Premier Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah, the government and PAYS, he explained. He also spoke about the significant role played by those founding members of the club. He added that the shooting fraternity was honored to meet HH the Amir on the occasion of their achievements, and meeting HH the Crown Prince who handed over the Amiri awards to motivate shooters.

He went on to say that the club honored its gold and silver medals winning shooters in Guangzhou. They bagged six

KUWAIT: Chairman and members of the board of Kuwait Shooting Sport Club during the general assembly meeting.

KUWAIT: Some of the general assembly members during their annual ordinary meeting. — Photos by Waleed Hindawi

out of the 11 medals that Kuwait had won during the Games. He said that with the support extended by Sheikh Salem Al-Ali, Head of National Guards and a sponsorship by Deputy Chief of NG Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad, a cooperation protocol between the National Guards and KSSC was signed. This is in order to enhance and develop the sport of shooting in Kuwait.

Sheikh Salman remarked that the Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Olympic Shooting Complex is now a landmark in the country. Visiting high ranking officials from the Olympic Committee are scheduled to visit it. Foreign shooting associations have been selected to hold their training camps at its premises.

Also, nine training camps were held last year, with more expected to be held this year. The complex is ready to play its cultural and social role.

Health clubs and swimming pools are completely equipped now. Sheikh Salman concluded by expressing hope that the annual support payments made to the Club have been increased.

Obeid Munahi Al-Osaimi, Secretary General of the Arab and Kuwait Shooting Federations presented the items on the agenda, including the board of directors report, budget and closing account, proposed budget for fiscal year 2011-2012 and the auditor’s appointment. All items were unanimously approved.

Obeid Al-Osaimi spoke after the meeting, lauding members of the General Assembly for their keen interest and thanked them for their continued support to the KSSC board, and the confidence expressed in its chairman and members.

He said, “we promise to exert more efforts to develop the shooting sport and maintain the level of achievements already garnered.”

Souk.com launched in Kuwait

By Nisreen Zahreddine KUWAIT: Souk.com, an e-marketing internet center was officially launched yesterday in Kuwait. It provides marketing and sales services for a slew of products that are sold through the internet. During a press conference held at Burj Al-Awadhi yesterday, General Manager of the website Omar AlNatour said that the website began its business six years ago - first in Dubai, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. He pointed out that the website offers safe sale and purchase services to more than 1.1 million internet users in the country.

He said, “the launch of Souk.com ushers in a new era in the e-commerce world. It will help increase internet use as an exchange and e-commerce tool by both the companies and individuals,” he added. This website

will provide comfort to customers, enabling the sale of a large number of commodities.

Buyers will be able to compare prices and different designs without the need to move from one place to another.

He also pointed out that the website showcases products from 20,000 different commodities from retail shops such as Future telecommunications, Samsonite, Phone 2000, and Java perfumes. It also provides fast and free delivery service to all its customers with a commission percentage that varies between five and 15 percent, in accordance with the prices of each product.

Al-Natour, in this regard, clarified that the website does not sell food, weapons or medicines. “The website offers a group of the labeled products at competitive rates,” Al-Natour continued. He explained that a large number of products starting from

electronic devices offered by the largest retail shops to the latest designs by the most famous local and international fashion designers is on display. It also provides a ‘deal of the day’ daily offer from Souk.com for 48 hours. It also includes discounts that reach up to 80 percent on some important products.

On the safety of monetary transactions performed online, Al-Natour said, “We realize the importance of protecting monetary transactions, especially considering the fact that a lot of customers in the region are not so keen on using their credit cards widely through the internet.

He added that the company is determined to overcome this obstacle by providing several payment options to customers.

Cash payment upon delivery is one of these methods. He stressed that the website is

mainly responsible for purchasing, including tracking the shipped product and certifying that it has reached the customer. The salesman does not get paid unless the customer’s approval on the product is received.

Al-Natour pointed out that at least 1.1 million customers have registered with the website. The visitors’ number is 2.5 million.

They added that the company’s future plan is to expand its reach to all the Arab states.

On the return policy of the product, AlNatour clarified that the website offers the products for three months without charging a commission. After the end of this period, it is possible to re-post the products for 15 days. He asserted that the website does not accept commission unless sale operation is finalized. He added that the products can be returned within 48 hours if they are intact.

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local kuwait digest

The seemingly endless game

By Abdullatif Al-Duaij

O

pposition lawmakers who have been dubbed ‘The MPs of Tension’ by the government and its supporters, have proved that they deserve this title with their latest moves, mainly over the seemingly endless interpellations that they file.

No one can question their patriotism or their commitment to their causes, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the oppositionists are always right and that the government is not walking the right path.

We agree that there are errors and shortcomings on the government’s part, and we support the parliament members in their quest to correct those mistakes and hold responsible individuals accountable.

At the same time, there are similarly patriotic and committed citizens who believe that despite the errors that the government has committed, this situation doesn’t warrant a reason to wage an endless war and burn the bridges of cooperation between the Cabinet and the parliament. Those citizens are the pro-Cabinet MPs who gave the Cabinet their trust, and formed a majority that stood by its premier on numerous occasions.

But it seems that even after their match with the prime minister is over, The MPs of Tension refuse to leave the field and insist that the match continues.

They are now demanding for a ‘popular prime minister’. Aside from the fact that this stipulation contradicts the constitution and the country’s democratic capabilities, didn’t the current prime minister win the parliament’s confidence on two separate occasions before? Doesn’t that mean that the current prime minister is technically a popular premier because he was selected to remain at his post by the people’s representatives in the parliament?

Political questioning is an undeniable right of MPs which has been protected by the constitution. But as per the parliamentary regulations, the prime minister is considered to have achieved victory against his oppositionists after he won the confidence of the majority in the parliament.

So, unless the majority scale shifts towards the oppositionists, I urge the so-called ‘MPs of tension’ to accept reality and cooperate with the current prime minister in accordance with the constitution and regulations. — Al-Qabas

ALO urged to speed up implementation of Kuwait Summit resolutions CAIRO: Undersecretary of the Kuwaiti Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor Mohammed Al-Kandari stressed here yesterday the need to speed up the implementation of all resolutions issued by the Kuwait Economic Summit, especially with regard to the social and economic affairs to contribute to the reduction of the problems faced by the Arab peoples. Al-Kandari said on the sidelines of the 38th session of the Arab Labor Organization (ALO) held here that the State of Kuwait and its political leadership are keen to move forward to activate joint Arab action through participation in various events held by all Arab organizations.

He noted in this context to the Kuwait’s proposal for the establishment of a fund to support small and medium enterprises in the Arab States, which will contribute significantly to the reduction of unemployment prevailing in different Arab countries.

Al-Kandari pointed out that this initiative, which was sponsored by His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, reflects HH the Amir’s belief that the Arab citizen is the real wealth for the Arab nation and must be granted a decent living.

He called on the ALO to expedite the implementation of the measures taken to implement the resolutions of the Kuwait Economic Summit on the integrated program to support employment and reduce unemployment in the Arab countries and to support development in Arab countries and the promotion of productive projects. On the 38th ALO session, AlKandari said that “this session was of special importance as it came amidst great political transformations and exceptional circumstances witnessed by the Arab states of popular revolutions. —KUNA

CBK celebrates graduation of employment trainees KUWAIT: Under patronage of the Central Bank of Kuwait and the Institute of Banking Studies management, and in presence of a team from the Bank Executive Management and Elham Mahfouz, Acting Chief Executive Officer and a group of bankers, the Commercial Bank of Kuwait celebrated the graduation of a group of its employees who passed with outstanding per formance the Program for Employment and Training Kuwaiti Fresh Graduates to Work in the Banking Sector.

On this occasion, Huda Sadeq, AGM, Human Resources Division, said that their staff attendance of specialized training courses is based on the fact that the Commercial bank of Kuwait is used to avail the chance to its staff to take part in training courses for those staff to gain skills, the latest and

advanced know-how, and this casts positive impacts on their performance at work. The graduation of this group, therefore, complements the Bank course of action to realize further progress and render better banking services.

Sadeq stressed that these training courses materialize a part of the Bank objectives by encouraging and training Kuwaiti cadres to occupy senior and top executive positions in future. Sadeq added that the Bank capability for substantial expansion and robust growth is basically based on the highly trained staff members, whereas the Bank is always keen for its staff to be highly professionals to keep the corporate image of the Bank and gain well reputation which the CBK enjoys, by means of the continued training and development as well as their motivation.

Cardiologist dies in car accident in Doha Brothel busted in Hawally KUWAIT: A cardiologist was pronounced dead at a car crash site following an accident that took place recently in Doha.

Police and paramedics rushed to the location where a car collision between the two vehicles was reported. One of the dead drivers was identified as a 44-year-old physician at Jahra Hospital, while the other driver, a Lance Corporal at the Ministry of Interior, was rushed to the Sabah Hospital with serious injuries. A case was opened at Sulaibikhat police station.

Toddler hurt A toddler was rushed to the hospital after he was accidently run over by his uncle’s car. The accident took place in front of a house in Jahra, where the man reversed his car without noticing that his two-and-a-half year old nephew was playing behind it. He immediately rushed the injured child to the Jahra Hospital where he was rushed to the intensive care unit. A case was filed at the area’s police station.

Fugitive held A drunk driver was arrested on Fahaheel street in possession of an unlicensed

weapon. The suspect was pulled over by Ahmadi traffic police who arrested him after realizing that he was under the influence of alcohol. A search inside his car revealed a loaded firearm that was discovered to be unlicensed, while police later found out that the man was wanted over a previous financial case. He was referred to the proper authorities.

Brothel busted Hawally police arrested 12 women and four men, all Asian, inside a brothel that was recently busted in the area in a raid operation that was carried out following information that police received. Four of the detained women claimed to have been kidnapped and forced into prostitution, and it was discovered that they were previously reported missing by their employers.

Pedestrians attacked Police are looking for a suspect who stabbed two pedestrians in a failed mugging attempt that took place in Sulaibiya.

The victims were walking when they were approached by an unidentified person, who is suspected to have been under the

influence of alcohol when he tried to mug the two at knifepoint. The suspect fled after stabbing the two Asian men during a fight that broke out when they tried to overpower him. Police rushed to the scene after the incident was reported, and the two were referred to the hospital by paramedics.

house and went inside to call his friends.

The three youngsters were able to escape before the kidnappers could get their hands on them, and the two brothers informed their father about the incident after which he immediately contacted the police.

Farwaniya campaign Farwaniya security officers were recently able to arrest 67 Asian nationals for residency violations during a recent security campaign that covered the Khaitan and Rai areas. The detainees were referred to the proper authorities.

Child molester Police arrested an Arab teacher accused of molesting a child inside an institute in the Hawally governorate. Investigations were underway after the mother of a 10year-old girl reported that her daughter told her that she was molested by the teacher inside the institute’s building. The suspect was caught following a brief investigations period, and is detained pending legal procedures.

Kidnap foiled Three teenagers were able to escape before falling victims to a kidnap attempt.

The three kids, two Kuwaiti brothers aged 15 and 16 as well as their Egyptian friend who is of the same age, were waiting for a cab to take them from Abu Halifa to Sabhan, and eventually agreed to take a car whose driver offered to take them to their destination for a fixed charge. The driver, however, headed to Al-Subahiya instead, where he stopped in front of a

The work team in a group photo with a number of swimmers.

Shaab Club’s pool reopened KUWAIT: The Shaab Sea Club of the Touristic Enterprises Company is set to feature several programs and activities during the summer season at the facility’s swimming pool, which was recently reopened after it was closed for regular maintenance.

Club supervisor Salem Al-Jeeran said that the pro-

grams planned for this summer include swimming and training lessons for ages between 6 and 60 years which will be ably aided by highly skilled trainers.

This is in addition to the regular swimming and diving activities that visitors can enjoy throughout the club’s opening hours.

Bosnia praises Kuwait’s role in preserving Islamic identity SARAJEVO: The Kuwaiti Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs plays an important role in preserving the Bosnia and Herzegovina Islamic culture and heritage, besides consolidating its religious identity, the country Grand Mufti Dr Mustafa Ceric said here yesterday.

He added that the Kuwaiti ministry built a number of mosques and Islamic centers that contributed in spreading Arabic language and Islamic culture in the country.

Ceric also praised the role it plays in financing projects that helped refugees to practice their religious rituals in their destroyed villages during the war.

The ministry arranges regular field tours to its projects in the country, he added, referring to the visit of the assistant-undersecretary of awqaf ministry for foreign relations and ‘Hajj’, Dr. Mutlag Al-Garrawi last night to check on the activities of the mosques and Islamic centers.

The Grand Mufti thanked the effor ts of Kuwaiti embassy in Sarajevo in boosting the coordination between the Kuwaiti Ministry of Awqaf, and Bosnia Fatwea council to serve the Islamic services and activities in the country.

Charge d’affairs of the Kuwaiti embassy in Sarajevo Adel Al-Adgham said that Kuwaiti Ministry exerts all possible effor ts to suppor t the Islamic culture of Muslims in Bosnia. — KUNA

Assault case A 22-year-old citizen was rushed to Jahra hospital with a stab wound he sustained after being assaulted by four men in Al-Qasr. Investigations were launched in search for the suspects whose descriptions were provided by the victim to police.

— Al-Rai, Al-Watan, Al-Anba, Al-Qabas

Kids pose for a photo in front of the pool.

An aerial view of the pool.

The Shaab Sea Club supervisor Salem Al-Jeeran

A trainer sets up swimmers ahead of a competition.

Trainer Essam Badawi is seen with the pool’s work team.

Floater boats which were used in a contest.

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Italy, Kuwait agree on cementing relations Agreement on UNSC reforms

Embassy wants ‘Iranian espionage network’ ruling to be repealed KUWAIT: An insider in the Kuwaiti government said that a recent statement made by the Iranian Embassy in Kuwait in which they hoped that the first degree court ruling in the Iranian spying network case be overruled by the appeals court, is rather destructive than constructive.

The statement, in which Iran’s Chargé d’Affaires Mohammad Shehabi expressed confidence in the “impartial Kuwaiti judiciary”, further quotes the top Iranian diplomat as criticizing the “rush of news regarding the espionage network”. This is seen by many spectators as an indirect criticism of Kuwait’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Dr Mohammad Al-Sabah, since he was the governmental figure who announced the court order which found the network members guilty of providing Iran’s Revolutionary Guard with sensitive information regarding vital and military sites in Kuwait. Moreover, the Chargé d’Affaires asserted that the Iranian embassy was never provided with details regarding Kuwait, and reiterated rejection of any involvement from Iran in the issue. A source from the Kuwaiti government said that the accusations regarding Iran’s involvement were based on concrete evidence. Iran’s Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi is set to arrive in Kuwait today where he is scheduled to meet His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah AlAhmad Al-Sabah, His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-

Sabah, before discussing matters of bilateral relations with his Kuwaiti counterpart, Sheikh Dr Mohammad Al-Sabah.

“There are continuous talks on high levels between the two countries that can eliminate all problems which might disturb the bilateral brotherly relations”, Shehabi said in an interview published a day ahead of the Iranian foreign minister’s scheduled arrival. He insisted that “the bilateral cooperation will not be affected by the passing cloud that is the espionage network”.

And while he spoke of the “wound in the strong body of relations between the two countries” when addressing the expelling of Iranian diplomats from Kuwait, Shehabi insisted on Tehran’s commitment to “maintain peace and security in the region”, referring to both countries as “two neighboring states neither of whom is willing to sacrifice their relationship with the other regardless of how much some parties try to put them at odds”.

Furthermore, Shehabi said that countries in the region are required to be “more alert and cautious” during this current period, explaining that “we are about to witness suspicious activities to foil the relationship between Arabs and Iranians, and between Sunni and Shiite Muslims”. He called for fighting this threat by boosting joint cooperation between Iran and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries in the field of security and economics. — AlQabas, Al-Rai

ROME: Italy and Kuwait have agreed to cement the bilateral friendly ties and coordinate the stance between the two states on regional and international political arenas.

The agreement was reached during a meeting between the visiting Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Sheikh Dr Mohammad Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, and his Italian counterpart Franco Frattini.

Sheikh Dr Mohammad said he discussed with Frattini the distinguished bilateral ties, robustly bolstered by the visit of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to Rome, last year, when His Highness held talks with Italian President Giorgio Napolitano and Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, agreeing with the top leaders on enhancing the mutual economic cooperation between the two sides. Other fruits of last year’s top-level talks was an accord to organize a visit for Kuwaiti businessmen to Italy and discuss means of promoting the economic and cooperation ties between the two friendly countries.

Regarding his fresh talks with Frattini, Sheikh Mohammad said they dealt with regional issues, adding that he agreed with the Italian counterpart on coordinating the two states’ stands ahead of the planned meeting of the international contact group on Libya, due in Abu Dhabi, early next month.

Sheikh Mohammad stated that he focused on the conversations with Frattini on Kuwait ’s desire to suppor t the interim national council of Libya, namely with humanitarian aid to help the people cope with the war-caused hardships. He said that he agreed with him on broad plans for such coordination in support of the people in the stricken nation.

ROME: Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Sheikh Dr Mohammad Sabah AlSalem Al-Sabah holding talks with his Italian counterpart Franco Frattini.

The cordial discussions also dealt with Middle Eastern issues, centering on the question of the Rome convention for restructuring the United Nations Security Council, he said, noting that the talks revealed harmony of the stances of Kuwait and Italy at this level. Conferees, during the Monday meeting, held at the headquar ters of the I talian Foreign Ministry, agreed on the necessity to reform the UNSC regulations to be more attuned to new global conditions and inter-

ests of the members of the international community including small nations. Sheikh Mohammad spoke on the necessity of placing restrictions and on usage of the veto-currently-solely enjoyed by the five permanent members of the UNSC. Recent events have underlined necessity of attaining such a right, Sheikh Mohammad stated, alluding to the Arab draft resolution calling for establishment of an independent Palestinian state was aborted with a veto by the US. — KUNA

New meeting held with KAC officials KUWAIT: The newly appointed Minister of Information and Communications has reportedly held a meeting with officials. He pointed out the snags that have been delaying Kuwait Airways Corporation’s privatization. They discussed ways to resolve the issues to finalize transactions. According to

officials, Minister Sami Al-Nisf met with the managing director of the Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA) Badr Al-Saad, as well as members of the founding committee of Kuwait Airways Company, reported AlQabas. Even representatives from three consulting firms were hired by the commit-

tee to contribute towards the firm’s privatization process, which are Citibank, Ernst & Young and Sabre.

Several technical problems were raised, and discussions focused on finding quick solutions to expedite the privatization process.

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NATO jets pound Tripoli Pressure piles on Gaddafi, oil minister crosses in to Tunisia

TRIPOLI: A view of the destruction following the NATO bombardment early yesterday of a security services building and the headquarters of Libya’s anti-corruption agency. —AFP TRIPOLI: Pressure piled on Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi yesterday as his oil minister appeared to have defected, Moscow issued a rebuke, NATO jets pounded Tripoli and a leading prosecutor sought his arrest for crimes against humanity. A Tunisian government source told AFP that Oil Minister Shukri Ghanem, a veteran of Muammar Gaddafi’s regime, has left his country and is in neighboring Tunisia.

Ghanem, also the chairman of Libya’s powerful national oil company, crossed the border by car on Saturday and is staying in a hotel in the southern tourist island of Djerba, the official said on condition of anonymity. If it is confirmed the minister has left his post, he would be among the most senior officials to abandon Gaddafi’s government amid an uprising that erupted in mid-February.

Former foreign minister Mussa Kussa defected to Britain in March, leaving Libya via Tunisia. In Moscow, meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he held talks yesterday with Gaddafi’s envoys and had

told Tripoli to obey the terms of UN resolutions on Libya. The visit to Moscow by Muhammad Ahmed al-Sharif, general secretary of the World Islamic Call Society, the Libya-based group founded by Gaddafi, comes as Russia is also preparing to hold talks with rebels fighting the regime. “We raised the issues that directly come out of our principal position aimed first and foremost at urgently ending bloodletting in Libya,” Lavrov said after talks with Sharif.

“We raised an issue about the need for the Libyan leadership to explicitly embrace and begin the implementation of the UN Security Council resolutions in full,” Lavrov said. “These resolutions demand that any use of military force against peaceful civilians be stopped.”

Moscow, which has been strongly critical of the international campaign against Gaddafi’s regime, had agreed to talk to both Gaddafi’s envoys and rebels who had also planned to come to Moscow but had to delay their trip.

Overnight, air strikes by NATO set fire to two buildings near Gaddafi’s compound in the Libyan capital, according to an AFP reporter

who along with other journalists was taken by the Libyan authorities to the site, where firefighters battled the flames.

Parts of Tripoli have been targeted almost daily by NATO-led strikes launched on March 19 after a UN resolution mandated a no-fly zone and called for the protection of civilians from Gaddafi’s regime. Britain, one of the main powers enforcing the no-fly zone, confirmed attacks overnight in Tripoli involving Tomahawk missiles and Royal Air Force Tornado aircraft which it said struck intelligence agency buildings and a military training base. Regime officials had identified the targets as a security services building and the headquarters of Libya’s anti-corruption agency.

A British defense ministry statement issued in London yesterday said the facilities destroyed “lay at the heart of the apparatus used by the regime to brutalize the civilian population.”

“One of the intelligence facilities which was hit is known to play a significant role in the collection of information by Colonel Gaddafi’s

Yemen rivals cling to positions as GCC plan stalls SANAA: The Yemeni regime and its opponents refused to budge yesterday as a Gulf mediator tried to keep up efforts to resolve the political crisis in the impoverished country. “We have discussed with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary General (Abdullatif ) al-Zayani the mechanism to implement a plan to end the crisis,” ruling General People’s Congress (GPC) spokesman Tareq al-Shami told AFP. “This plan needs a timeframe to implement it,” said Shami. The six GCC states have proposed an exit plan that would see embattled President Ali Abdullah Saleh out of office within 30 days. “In these circumstances, President Saleh according to the constitution has the right to serve his term until 2013,” and he might not resign before the opposition commits to the GCC plan which calls for an end to street protests.

But leading opposition figure Sultan alAtwani slammed what he called “a new manoeuvre” by the regime. “The opposition is sticking to the agreement reached on April 21 and refuses to negotiate any new ideas,” he said.

Chief opposition negotiator Mohammed Salem Basandou “has expressed our position to Zayani when he met him in Sanaa in the presence of European and US diplomats on Sunday and Monday,” said Atwani.

Saleh has stalled by refusing to sign in his

secret police, while the other was a headquarters for the External Security Organization, commanded by Abdullah Senussi,” it said.

Senussi, Libya’s intelligence chief, Gaddafi and the strongman’s son Seif al-Islam have been accused by International Criminal Court chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo of committing crimes against humanity in suppressing anti-regime protests which erupted on February 15. Moreno-Ocampo appealed on Monday to the court to issue warrants against the three, saying there was evidence “that Muammar Gaddafi personally ordered attacks on innocent Libyan civilians.”

A panel of ICC judges will now decide whether to accept or reject the prosecutor’s application. Moreno-Ocampo said thousands of people had been killed and around 750,000 people forced to flee since Gaddafi ordered his forces to crush the protests against his fourdecade autocratic rule. The rebels hailed the move by the ICC but said that Gaddafi ought to be tried in Libya first.

“The National Transitional Council wel-

comes the decision of chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Luis MorenoOcampo, to request an arrest warrant,” the rebel administration’s vice president, Abdel Hafez Ghoga, said.

“We would like him to be tried in Libya first before being put on trial in an international court,” he added. The Libyan regime however claimed the ICC prosecutor was acting on “incoherent” information. “Unfortunately, the ICC was from the start of the Libyan crisis dependent on media reports to evaluate the situation in Libya. As a result, the ICC has usually reached incoherent conclusions,” government spokesman Mussa Ibrahim said in a statement. NATO meanwhile, said yesterday it has stepped up a psychological campaign to pressure Gaddafi’s troops to surrender their arms and return home by broadcasting radio messages and air-dropping leaflets.

The messages also encourage pro-Gaddafi troops and civilians to stay away from military installations being targeted for air strikes, said Wing Commander Mike Bracken. —AFP

Residents say bodies lie in streets of Syrian border town

SANAA: Yemeni girls with their national flag painted on their face pose for a picture during the daily anti-government demonstration calling for the ouster of President Ali Abdullah Saleh in Sanaa yesterday.—AFP capacity as president, insisting on endorsing the agreement only as leader of the GPC, contrary to the demands of the opposition. He says that under the constitution he should serve out his current term of office, which expires in 2013.

But Washington called on him last Thursday to sign the deal “now.” The Gulf plan, which has lost Qatar’s support, proposes the formation of a government of national unity, Saleh transferring power to his vice president and an end to deadly protests which have shaken the country since late January.

The president would submit his resignation to parliament within 30 days and this would be

followed by presidential election within two months. In exchange, Saleh and his top aides would be granted immunity from prosecution.

“The regime is not serious, it continues to stoke crises. It’s up to the Gulf monarchies to” put an end to this, said Atwani. Unless things change, “the uprising will be our alternative,” he warned.

“We respect the will of our people” who want Saleh brought to justice “and we refuse anything that goes against their will.” At least 180 people have been killed in clashes during protests against Saleh’s regime that erupted in late January, according to a toll compiled from reports by activists and medics. — AFP

BOQAYA: Bodies lie in the streets of the Syrian town of Tel Kelakh after black-clad gunmen loyal to President Bashar al-Assad moved in to crush unrest, refugees who fled into Lebanon say. Speaking to Reuters after escaping their town, they said the assault began after residents of Tel Kelakh held protests on Friday calling for Assad’s overthrow.

On Saturday, at least 10 buses arrived carrying security troops including Assad’s irregulars, known as “shabbiha”, wearing black clothes with red armbands. By Sunday, tanks surrounded the town and shelling started, residents said. “Tanks and snipers fired haphazardly. They destroyed my house. They destroyed the water tank. The streets are flooded with water and dead bodies,” said Omar, a carpenter who walked for 3-1/2 hours with his wife and one-year-old twins to the Lebanese border town of Boqaya on Sunday.

“I wouldn’t dare go back. Everyone who manages to escape thanks God a hundred times,” said Omar, who was staying at a home with dozens of other refugees from Tel Kelakh, some of whom said they were shot at as they crossed the border. Residents of the town said they could not count the corpses in the streets because when they left their homes they were fired on. Umm Ahmed, a mother of three who said she was hiding in the basement of a house in the besieged town with seven other families, told Reuters by telephone that electricity had been cut and entry and exit points

to the town were all blocked. “One man was wounded in the stomach and back. We couldn’t do anything for him but give him some water. He died in our hands. We can’t bury him and his smell is overpowering,” she said.

The international media has largely been banned from reporting in Syria since the unrest began against Assad in mid-March, making it difficult to corroborate witness accounts. All the residents Reuters spoke to said Assad’s forces were targeting Sunni Muslims. Some said they were checking identity cards to look for people from Tel Kelakh or nearby Sunni Muslim villages. Tel Kelakh, which is mainly Sunni, lies in a valley, surrounded by Alawite villages and a few Sunni villages. Assad and most of the ruling elite are Alawites, an offshoot sect of Shi’ite Islam.

Security forces, whose senior figures are mainly Alawite, have cracked down on flashpoints of unrest, many of which are predominantly Sunni Muslim, including Deraa in the south, Banias on the coast and now Tel Kelakh.

“The number of shots fired (in Tel Kelakh) would have been enough to liberate the Golan Heights and Shebaa Farms,” said one resident, referring to areas occupied by Syria’s old enemy Israel.

Syrian rights groups say at least 700 civilians have been killed in the violence nationwide, which the government blames on infiltrators and terrorists supported by Islamists and outside powers. —Reuters

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Syrian crosses border, hitchhikes to Tel Aviv Court orders man held

BAGHDAD: Liquor store owners clean up damage in Baghdad, Iraq yesterday. A bomb attack targeted the store in central Baghdad wounded several civilians, police said. —AP

21 bodies found in Iraq mass grave FALLUJAH: The bodies of 21 people killed in fighting between Sunni insurgents and US forces in the town of Fallujah, west of the Iraqi capital, were discovered yesterday in a cemetery, officials said. “The bodies were found in body-bags with Latin letters and numbers on them,” said Fallujah police chief Brigadier General Mahmud al-Essawi.

“They were blindfolded, their legs were tied and they had suffered gunshot wounds.”

The discovery was made in a section of Al-Maadhidi cemetery in the centre of the town, 60 kilometres (35 miles) west

of Baghdad, as a grave was being dug in preparation for a funeral, a security official said on condition of anonymity.

Essawi and town mayor Adnan Hussein both said the dead were killed in 2004 when the US army launched two major offensives on Fallujah to dislodge Sunni insurgents. Hussein charged that the 21 were killed by US forces, who remain unpopular in Fallujah due to the assaults. “The black body-bags and the manner in which they were buried proves this,” he said. The US military declined immediate comment on the report. —AFP

Fatah, Hamas agree mechanism for unity deal CAIRO: Rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas yesterday agreed on the mechanisms to implement a reconciliation agreement after talks described by both parties and their Egyptian mediators as “positive.”

“Fatah and Hamas held intense talks in Cairo over two days sponsored by Egypt, to define the mechanisms of implementation of a Palestinian reconciliation deal,” signed earlier this month, said an Egyptian statement carried by the official MENA news agency.

“The meetings took place in a positive atmosphere, amid cooperation and understanding from both sides which reflects their desire to end their division as soon as possible,” the statement said. President Mahmud Abbas’s Fatah faction began talks with rival Hamas on Monday aimed at hammering out a unity government as agreed under the deal. “The talks were very positive. We have put the train on the tracks... and are moving forward in a comfortable way,” Azzam al-Ahmad, who heads the Fatah delegation, told reporters after the talks on Monday.

Asked whether a new prime minister had been chosen, Ahmad said it was “premature” to discuss names. For his part, Izzat al-Rishiq of Hamas told reporters “the talks were conducted in the same positive spirit which

RAMALLAH: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in his office in the West Bank city of Ramallah yesterday. Abbas has decided to postpone municipal elections by three months until October to make sure they can be held in both the West Bank and Gaza. —AP launched this reconciliation.” He said both parties had agreed not to disclose the details of the meeting, saying only that the announcement of the government would be “soon.”

Fatah and Hamas, which rule the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza Strip respectively, signed the reconciliation agreement in the Egyptian capital earlier this month.

The accord, inked by the them and 11 other factions, aims to put a stop to the animosity which has split the Palestinian territories into two camps since 2007 and to pave the way for elections within a year. —AFP

JERUSALEM: A Syrian man who crossed into Israel in a large crowd that breached a border fence hitchhiked across the country, even sitting beside Israeli soldiers on a public bus, to find the home he said his family lost during Israel’s 1948 establishment. Hassan Hijazi, who is of Palestinian descent, told reporters he spent a full day on the run, making his way some 130 miles (200 kilometers) from the Golan Heights to a Tel Aviv neighborhood before surrendering to police late Monday.

A Tel Aviv court ordered him held until Thursday, saying he posed a possible risk, but said authorities were empowered to deport him earlier if they chose. Hijazi, 28, was among dozens of Arabs, mostly of Palestinian descent, who broke through a fence along Syria’s frontier with the Israeli-controlled Golan on Sunday to mourn the anniversary of the establishment of the Jewish state on May 15, 1948.

“It was my dream to reach Jaffa,” the Syrian Education Ministry official told Channel 10 TV before his surrender. He said his parents lived in the port city, which since has been annexed

by Tel Aviv, before being displaced during Israel’s war of independence. It was unclear whether Hijazi found the house or its location.

His family, he said, was among the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who fled or were expelled from their homes during the

war over Israel’s creation. The fate of the TEL AVIV: Hassan Hijazi, a Syrian man who infiltrated Israel when a large crowd breached the border on Sunday, attends a remand hearing in a Tel Aviv court, Israel yesterday. —AP

refugees, and several million descendants, is a central issue in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The Palestinian mourning ritual on the date the Jewish state was declared drew an unprecedented wave of protests this year in Syria and Lebanon, home to large Palestinian refugee populations. Fifteen people were killed in clashes with Israeli forces.

In all, four people who crossed into Israel from Syria, including Hijazi, were detained. The Israeli military said two were returned to Syria yesterday morning. It was not immediately known what happened to the fourth person.

Hijazi said he broke through the border fence in the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war, then hitched a ride in a minivan with Israeli and French Arab peace activists.

After making his way to Israel’s coastal road along the Mediterranean Sea, he boarded a bus to Tel Aviv, where he road alongside Israeli soldiers. He offered the name of an infantry unit he said they belonged to, and said he was never afraid. It was not clear how he knew which bus to take or how he paid for his fare. “I don’t recognize anything about the state of Israel,” he added. The border breach was more a symbolic achievement against Israel than a victory, Hijazi said. “The real thing will happen between armies, he said. —AP

Unsuccessful Baghdad prison break had inside help: Report BAGHDAD: Iraq’s interior ministry said yesterday its investigation has concluded that Al-Qaedalinked insurgents had inside help earlier this month in attempting to escape from a Baghdad prison.

The assault left 17 people dead.

The outcome of the ministry’s probe casts more doubt on whether Iraqi security forces are ready to protect the nation on their own as US troops prepare to leave by the end of this year.

The May 7 jailbreak involved a group of Al-Qaeda -linked prisoners who tried to overpower their guards and break out of a prison on the ministry’s compound. Six police officers, including a top

Wife of Mubarak released CAIRO: The wife of Egypt’s ousted president was released from detention yesterday after giving up assets but is still being investigated, said an official leading a probe into whether she amassed wealth illegally.

Suzanne Mubarak, who denies charges that she abused her husband’s influence for unlawful personal gain, was admitted to hospital on Friday after suffering symptoms of a hear t attack. She has been detained in the same hospital as her husband.

Former President Hosni Mubarak, 83, is also being investigated for abuse of power, embezzlement and responsibility for the deaths of some protesters during the 18 days of unrest that led to his overthrow on Feb. 11. He is still in detention.

“Suzanne Mubarak was released pending investigations after she gave up her assets of 24 million Egyptian pounds ($4 million) to the state,” Assem el-Gohari, the head of the illicit gains authority, told state radio.

A state television channel said Mubarak would apologize to Egyptians and would also return assets to the nation. This could not immediately be confirmed. The report adds to speculation among Egyptians about the fate of the couple, who were both reported to have suffered heart problems at the moment they would have had to be transferred to jail for questioning. Instead, both were held under guard in hospital in Sharm el-Sheikh, the Red Sea resort where they had been living in a villa after Mubarak was pushed from office. —Reuters

counterterrorism general, and 11 detainees were killed in the hours-long fight that lasted into the early morning.

The aim was to free about 200 Al-Qaeda in Iraq operatives, including those who were accused of masterminding last year’s bloody church siege that killed dozens, the statement said.

The ministry said some security personnel assisted in the jailbreak attempt by “slipping some tools and materials,” to the detainees. It gave no other details about what exactly was slipped in. It also blamed the negligence of some security personnel at the ministry’s compound where high-pro-

file insurgents are held.

The botched prison break started when a policeman was badly beaten and overpowered by two inmates as he was leading them to the bathroom, the statement said. Earlier, Iraqi officials had said the melee began when a detainee pulled a gun from one of the security officials and shot him.

The discrepancy could not immediately be explained. Then, the ministry statement said, the attackers headed to the office of the counter-terror chief, Brig. Gen. Muaeid Mohammed Saleh, and shot him dead when he opened the door. “They continued firing on each officer who came out of

his office,” it added.

Some prisoners found keys to a vehicle and tried to flee, but the guards opened fire on them, killing one and forcing the others back to the building, the statement said.

An interior ministry official familiar with the investigation said the insurgents had managed to smuggle in two handguns and explosive material into the building. He said some prisoners killed themselves with the smuggled explosives. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media about the escape attempt. — AP

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Queen makes historic peace trip to Ireland 4 day trip to highlight strong Anglo-Irish relations

LANEUVILLE-DEVANT-NANCY: French President Nicolas Sarkozy adresses workers in Novacarb plant in Laneuville-devant-Nancy, eastern France yesterday.—AP

Sarkozy to campaign with baby on the way PARIS: The worst kept secret in French politics was finally revealed yesterday: President Nicolas Sarkozy will run for re-election alongside a pregnant Carla Bruni. While the Elysee Palace is still refusing to comment on the First Couple’s private life, the president’s father Pal Sarkozy spilled the beans to Germany’s mass market daily Bild.

“I’m glad to be having a grandchild,” the 82-year-old reportedly said, adding that neither the president nor his wife “want to know the sex of the child, but I’m sure it’s a girl who’ll be as beautiful as Carla.” Contacted by AFP, the Hungarian-born painter refused to comment or confirm his statement, but in any case Bruni’s pregnancy has become an open secret.

When the 43-year-old singer appeared on television Monday to promote her adult literacy charity her interviewer said: “I know you don’t like people talking about your private life, but I just want to congratulate you.” Bruni giggled playfully and replied: “I congratulate you too.” The elegant former model has not been seen for a while in figure-hugging fashion, and last month told well-wishers at a meeting arranged by the newspaper Le Parisien that her “lips were sealed”.

It is not clear how long Bruni has been pregnant, but she will presumably give birth during the presidential campaign, which culminates in two rounds of voting on April 22 and May 6 next year. Sarkozy has not formally confirmed he will run for a second term but has made his intentions abundantly clear, having already adopted a weekly schedule of visits and launched a defence of his record in office. He is nevertheless trailing in the opin-

ion polls, with some survey groups citing an approval rating of only 20 percent, the lowest level of any incumbent at this stage of the electoral cycle.

Bruni’s happy news may give him a baby bump, particularly if it gives the centre-right leader the opportunity to soften his aggressive image and appear in a more tender role as a national father figure. Certainly, his situation could hardly contrast more sharply with that of the man opinion polls once said would beat him soundly in next year’s vote: IMF chief and Socialist heavyweight Dominique Strauss-Kahn.

Once the frontrunner, Strauss-Kahn’s political career is generally assumed to be over following his arrest in New York on a charge of the attempted rape of a hotel chambermaid.

On the economy, Sarkozy will take comfort in better than expected growth figures for the first three months of the year, which suggest that France is on track for a shallow but solid economic recovery just in time for the vote.

Bruni already has a 10-year-old son, Aurelien, from an earlier relationship with the philosopher Raphael Enthoven, and 56year-old Sarkozy has three sons aged 14, 25 and 26 from two previous marriages. If the pregnancy comes to term, Sarkozy will be the first French president to become a father while in office, although Foreign Minister Alain Juppe had his third child in 1995 when he was prime minister. Across the Channel, Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife Samantha had their fourth child last year, just 10 years after Downing Street welcomed his predecessor Tony Blair’s son Leo.— AFP

Denmark preparing to stake claim to North Pole COPENHAGEN: Denmark plans to lay claim to the North Pole and other areas in the Arctic, where melting ice is uncovering new shipping routes, fishing grounds and drilling opportunities for oil and gas, a leaked government document showed yesterday. The draft document titled “Strategy for the Arctic” said Denmark’s Science Ministry has started collecting data to formally submit a claim for those areas to the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf no later than 2014.

Russia, Norway and the US have their own claims , sometimes competing , in a region believed to hold as much as 25 percent of the world’s undiscovered oil and gas. The Danish government confirmed the authenticity of the document, which was first obtained by Danish Radio and published online by newspaper Information. Denmark has for years explored potential claims to areas off Greenland, a semiautonomous territory, but this is the first time the government explicitly states it will make a claim for the North Pole, said Martin Breum, a Danish journalist who has written a book about Denmark’s interests in the Arctic.

Foreign Minister Lene Espersen said the strategy is still being reviewed and a final version is expected in June. However, she affirmed in a statement that Denmark expects to “be able to lay claim on an area which includes the seabed of the North Pole.” The race to secure subsurface rights to the Arctic seabed heated up in 2007 when Russia sent two small submarines to plant a tiny national flag under the North Pole. Russia argued that an underwater ridge connected the country directly to the North Pole, a claim disputed by other Arctic nations.

The 34-page Danish document said Denmark wants “to lay claim to the continental shelf in five areas around the Faeroe Islands and Greenland, including the North Pole itself.” At least four of those areas are believed to hold oil or gas resources.

Exploiting such resources becomes easier as climate change shrinks Arctic sea ice coverage, which has reached record lows in the past decade. The document also said Denmark’s military will strengthen its focus on the Arctic but stressed that the Scandinavian nation will work for peaceful cooperation between Arctic states.—AP

Socialist seeks to form Belgian govt BRUSSELS : Almost a year after elections set off relentless political infighting, Belgium’s new government broker said yesterday all parties in the bilingual nation will need to show a spirit of compromise , and a willingness to fundamentally change the country , “as if it were our last chance.” Elio Di Rupo, the leader of Belgium’s French-speaking socialists, reached across the linguistic divide to Dutchspeaking parties and acknowledged the balance of power in the kingdom had to move away from the centralized government long preferred by Francophone parties.

In his opening speech as government broker, Di Rupo called for “a new balance with greater autonomy for the regions.” The insistence on more self-rule in Dutch-speaking Flanders has been at the heart of an 11-month political stalemate that has shaken the country of 6 million Flemings and 5 million Francophones to its roots, and even prompted some to contemplate for the first time the end of the nation.

Flanders, the Dutch-speaking part of the country, is richer, and it has increasingly demanded more autonomy, while Frenchspeaking Walloon politicians want to hang on to as many national institutions as possible for the financial well-being of their region. After endless information rounds between parties, King Albert II sent Di Rupo out as the first

politician to actually form a new government.

It will also have to revise the constitution and fundamentally change the running of the country.

“We have to meet the expectations of the people,” Di Rupo said. “I am convinced that the tipping point needs to move from the federal state to the regions” of northern Flanders, southern Francophone Wallonia and bilingual Brussels. Di Rupo will need broad support since any change of the constitution needs a two-thirds majority within each of the two linguistic groups. On top of that, he will be looking for a strong economic program which will hinge on a willingness of further austerity to keep Belgium a credible member of the eurozone countries.

A key goal will be to convince the N-VA Flemish nationalists who were the winners of last year’s elections along with the Di Rupo’s socialists. Their programs have long been seen as nearly incompatible. “Everybody knows that the views remain very far apart,” Di Rupo said. Almost everyone is convinced that Belgium will easily reach the landmark on June 13 of being without a fully-fledged government for a year. “We need the determination of the first day and try a compromise as if it were our last chance.” In the meantime, outgoing Prime Minister Yves Leterme continues in a caretaker capacity. — AP

DUBLIN: Undeterred by real or fake bombs, Queen Elizabeth II yesterday began the first visit by a British monarch to the Republic of Ireland, a four-day trip to highlight strong Anglo-Irish relations and the success of Northern Ireland peacemaking.

Resplendent in a cloak of emerald green and a dress of St Patrick’s blue, the 85-year-old queen stepped out from a bombproof, bulletproof Range Rover outside the official residence of Irish President Mary McAleese. Irish Army artillery units fired a 21-gun salute as a military brass band played “God Save the Queen.” The painstakingly choreographed visit has been designed to highlight today’s exceptionally strong Anglo-Irish relations and the slow blooming of peace in neighboring Northern Ireland following a three-decade conflict that left 3,700 dead.

The queen arrived 100 years after her grandfather George V visited Dublin and an Ireland that was still part of the British Empire. Beaming smiles by the queen and McAleese , a Belfastborn Catholic who has spent 14 years lobbying for Elizabeth II to visit , demonstrated genuine warmth between the two women, who have met several times before. McAleese said Britain and Ireland were “determined to make the future a much, much better place.” The queen didn’t comment ahead of her planned speech at Dublin Castle, the former seat of British rule of Ireland.

Four fixed-wing propeller aircraft from Ireland’s minuscule Air Corps flew overhead in tight formation as a white-gloved, gun-toting honor guard stood to attention. Inside the president’s residence, McAleese introduced the queen and husband Prince Philip to Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny. Outside, the queen introduced the president to British Foreign Minister William Hague. The two leaders then planted a tree as two children rang the residence’s Peace Bell.

A 33-motorcycle police escort led the queen to McAleese’s residence in Dublin’s vast Phoenix Park through the unusually empty streets of Dublin , cleared to ensure no anti-British extremist could launch an attack. Nearby Dublin Zoo was closed as a security precaution and no civilian aircraft were permitted over Dublin for the day. Irish Republican Army dissidents opposed to reconciliation with Britain still tried to undermine the visit with real and hoax bombs, but they caused no significant disruption. Irish Army experts overnight defused one pipe bomb on a Dublin-bound bus that was detected in Maynooth, 15 miles (25 kilometers) west of the capital. Police said the bomb was properly constructed but not primed to detonate. A second device abandoned near a light-rail station in west Dublin was deemed a hoax yesterday morning. Later, police responded to at least two more reports of suspicious packages in workingclass districts of north Dublin, but no further bombs were confirmed.

Police said IRA dissidents using a recognized codeword warned about the bus bomb, which was left in overhead luggage.

DUBLIN: Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II (C) accompanied by Irish President Mary McAleese (3rd R) arrives to lay wreaths in the Garden of Remembrance in Dublin yesterday.—AFP

Several small IRA splinter groups concentrated along the Irish border continue to plot gun and bomb attacks in Northern Ireland in hopes of undermining the success of its 1998 peace accord, particularly its stable Catholic-Protestant government.

But Irish and British officials were keen to stress that the queen’s visit to Dublin, Kildare, Tipperary and Cork would proceed as planned , accompanied by the biggest security operation in the Republic of Ireland’s history. “This is the start of an entirely new beginning for Ireland and Britain,” Kenny said. “I really do hope that the welcome she gets will be genuine and memorable for her.” On her first day in Dublin, the queen was also visiting Trinity College , founded in 1592 by her royal namesake, Queen Elizabeth I , and laying a wreath at the Garden of Remembrance, a central Dublin memorial that honors two centuries of Ireland’s rebel dead.

The latter gesture has been designed to symbolize Britain’s reconciliation with Ireland 90 years after a brutal guerrilla war led to independence for the Catholic south of the island.

More than 8,000 police, two-thirds of the entire country’s police force, shut down key roads in central Dublin and erected pedestrian barricades for several miles (kilometers). About 1,000 Irish troops were kept in reserve.

Police made it extremely difficult for protesters to get within sight of any of the queen’s engagements. Onlookers were given few vantage points to see the queen unless they had been included in carefully vetted guest lists. A few dozen supporters of an anti-British pressure group Eirigi , Gaelic for “rise” , scuffled with police on Dublin’s major thoroughfare several hundred yards (meters) from the Garden of Remembrance. No serious injuries were reported as police successfully moved the protesters to a fenced-off area.

Britain and Ireland spent decades in frosty

Suicide bomber attacks police in Kazakh city ASTANA: A suicide bomber wounded two bystanders in the Kazakh city of Aktobe when he blew himself up inside the offices of the state security services yesterday, a spokesman for the prosecutor-general said. The spokesman, Zhandos Umiraliyev, said the explosion was not linked to terrorism. He identified the bomber as a 25year-old member of a criminal group in the northwestern Kazakh city who was already under suspicion for other crimes. “(Rakhimzhan) Makatov used a self-activated, low-powered explosive device,” Umiraliyev told a news briefing. “As a result of the explosion, Makatov died at the scene. Two people in the vicinity received minor injuries.”

The explosion was the first known suicide bombing in Kazakhstan. Central Asia’s biggest economy, where 70 percent of the 16.4 million population are Muslim, has to date avoided the Islamist violence that has occurred in its ex-Soviet neighbors.

A photographer told Reuters by telephone from Aktobe, an industrial city 100 km (63 miles) from the Russian border, that the bomber detonated the device at the regional headquarters of the National Security Committee, Kazakhstan’s security police. Reinforced police units had cordoned off the area, he said. Regional imams were meeting in Aktobe’s central mosque to discuss the incident, said Baurzhan Yesmakhanov, chief imam for Aktobe region. He said that Makatov was not known at the mosque. “We have simply gathered imams to study what happened. We don’t know what this is connected to,” he said by telephone. Umiraliyev said the prosecutor’s office had opened a criminal case.

President Nursultan Nazarbayev, who has ruled Kazakhstan for 20 years, was re-elected by a landslide in April on a platform of economic growth and stability. He prides himself on lasting peace among the 140 ethnic groups that call Kazakhstan home. But media reports in recent months have identified several Kazakhstani citizens among radical groups operating in Russia’s North Caucasus region and other republics of Central Asia.

Militants from Aktobe have been detained or killed in recent months in Dagestan, a southern Russian republic where rebels want to establish an Islamic state, local media have reported. Analysts have also warned that Central Asian militants, after years fighting in Afghanistan and Pakistan, are filtering back across the region’s porous borders to their homelands. Tajikistan’s army has been fighting insurgents in the country’s mountainous east since an attack on a military convoy killed 28 troops last September, shortly after suicide car bombers attacked a police station in the country’s second city.—Reuters

opposition following Ireland’s 1919-21 war of independence and the creation in 1922 of the Irish Free State. Northern Ireland, created in 1921, remained in the United Kingdom. Ireland stayed neutral in World War II and offered condolences to Germany over Adolf Hitler’s death. It broke all symbolic ties with Britain by declaring itself a republic in 1949 and offered sympathy and a relatively safe haven when the modern IRA in 1970 began shooting and bombing in Northern Ireland.

But after Britain and Ireland joined the European Union in 1973, and as the bloodshed in Northern Ireland spilled over into the Catholic south, the governments in London and Dublin gradually found common cause. Their cooperation provided the essential bedrock for Belfast’s Good Friday peace accord in 1998. IRA disarmament and a coalition government of Northern Ireland’s British Protestant majority and its Irish Catholic minority eventually followed.

While the Irish remain proud of their independence, many concede that they are closely linked culturally and economically to their much bigger neighbor. Today’s Ireland is home to 4.5 million residents who watch British television and read newspapers daily, and shop in the British chain stores that dominate Irish retail life.

Many follow English and Scottish soccer with passion while the English, in turn, have made the Emerald Isle a favored tourist destination.

Ireland’s struggle to prevent a national bankruptcy , the Irish have spent three years raising taxes and cutting spending, and six months ago received a §67.5 billion ($95 billion) credit line from international lenders , has found its greatest champion in Britain, its No. 1 trading par tner. Prime Minister David Cameron’s government offered Ireland a particularly low-interest loan and is pressing other European Union members to give the Irish a cheaper deal, too. — AP

Mediators: Concern over Zimbabwe leader’s health HARARE: The failing health of Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe could jeopardize efforts to resolve his nation’s political crisis, South Africa’s ruling party said yesterday. Mugabe, 87, has traveled to Singapore five times since December to undergo medical treatment there. The African National Congress, which serves as the chief mediator on Zimbabwe, said in an official newsletter that its mediators reported concerns that “should Mugabe die or retire” before constitutional reforms are complete, rivalry over his succession could delay elections meant to end the nation’s troubled twoyear coalition.

Mugabe, who has ruled since independence from Britain in 1980, has said despite his age, he is fit to govern. He called for elections this year, but regional mediators say that would be too early for free and fair polling. The ANC said progress was made in recent negotiations over outstanding disputes between Mugabe’s party and the former opposition party, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change. A power sharing deal between the two parties was brokered by the Southern African Development Community after disputed, violent elections in 2008.

But the timing for the adoption of a new constitution ahead of elections has remained an obstacle, the ANC said. A referendum on constitutional reform is slated for September. Tsvangirai insists fresh polls cannot be held before May 2012 at the earliest. It was not clear yesterday if a regional summit on Zimbabwe will go ahead as planned Friday in Namibia’s capital, Windhoek.

The South African foreign ministry said yesterday its officials were waiting for the date to be confirmed. The Windhoek meeting was not on the routine weekly schedule for South African President Jacob Zuma who heads regional mediation efforts. But Mugabe’s office said it received an invitation to go to Windhoek on Friday. At the last regional

HARARE: In this Sunday, March, 27, 2011, photo, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe addresses mourners at a state funeral in Harare. According to South African ruling party African National Congress (ANC) mediators say in a report yesterday, that the failing health of Mugabe could jeopardize efforts to resolve his nation’s political crisis. — AP

summit in Zambia in March, Mugabe and his party received a stern rebuke over the slow pace of reforms in Zimbabwe and continuing political violence. A frail Mugabe was transported around that summit venue in an electric golf cart.

The state media loyal to Mugabe yesterday quoted George Charamba, Mugabe’s spokesman, saying Tsvangirai misled the regional bloc by alleging Mugabe was incapacitated and unable to hold office and that a “silent coup” had taken place, leaving generals and security chiefs in charge of the country.

Tsvangirai and Western nations intended to turn the regional grouping against Zimbabwe and divide its leaders, Charamba said. “Our objective ... is to ensure that the correct and accurate situation in Zimbabwe is communicated” to regional leaders, he said. — AP

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Cuba further loosens private sector regulation HAVANA: Communist-run Cuba has given all small businesses the authority to hire labor and will loosen other regulations governing private enterprise, the government said in a statement on Monday. The measure was the latest indication that President Raul Castro’s government has decided to loosen its grip on economic sectors that include retail services, construction and transportation in favor of private business.

Last year, the government allowed some types of family businesses and skilled trades to hire workers. The government said that “the Council of Ministers agreed to extend to all nonstate activities authorization to contract workers and continue the process of making more flexible regulations on self employment.” It provided no further details in the statement read on state -run television. The Cuban economy is dominated by the state, which employed about 85 per-

cent of the labor force through 2009.

The government announced plans late last year to lay off hundreds of thousands of workers and move them to what it called the “non-state” sector as part of an efficiency drive. In the years after the 1959 revolution, Cuban leader Fidel Castro, now retired, nationalized all small businesses. Selfemployment, often a euphemism for small private businesses, was first authorized in 1993 after the fall of the Soviet Union plunged Cuba into crisis, but it was severely restricted until last year.

In September, the government began issuing new licenses, allowed family businesses to rent space outside their homes, sign contracts with the state, hire labor and seek bank credits, among other measures. More than 200,000 new licenses have been granted since October, compared with less than 150,000 that existed previously. — Reuters

Brazil convicts pilots for 2006 plane crash SAO PAULO: A Brazilian court convicted two US pilots of negligence for their role in the 2006 crash of a Brazilian airliner over the Amazon rain forest that killed 154 people, but the judge suspended their sentence. Joseph Lepore and Jan Paul Paladino were flying a small business jet that clipped wings with a Boeing 737 operated by Brazilian airline Gol, causing the airliner to plunge into the jungle in one of Brazil’s worst air disasters. Federal Judge Murilo Mendes of the

state of Mato Grosso said late on Monday the two pilots had failed to adequately check plane equipment that would have alerted them to the presence of other aircraft nearby. Lepore and Paladino, who were unharmed in the incident and managed to land their jet safely, have consistently denied responsibility for the crash.

Mendes suspended a four-year sentence, instead requiring that the pilots do community service in the United States. — Reuters

PETEN: This courtesy picture handed by Nuestro Diario and taken on May 15, 2011 shows officers of the National Police working at the farm Los Cocos in San Andres, in northern Guatemala on the Mexican border, where 28 bodies were found decapitated, in Peten Department, some 500 km north of Guatemala City. —AFP

Guatemala: Massacre work of Mexico drug gang Zetas SAN BENITO: Guatemala declared a 30-day state of emergency for the northern Peten region following the brutal massacre of 28 people at a cattle ranch.

President Alvaro Colom called the killings sadistic and perverse, and said they were the work of a drug gang.

Colom said he would go to the jungle-covered region to personally direct operations aimed at rooting out what is believed to be a Mexican drug cartel that has taken up residence in Peten.

“Guatemala must face up to this aggression aimed not just at our country but at the whole region,” Colom said in an address broadcast to the nation late Monday.

Such declarations traditionally give the army emergency powers, including permission to detain suspects without warrants.

The attack late Saturday and early Sunday on an isolated cattle ranch was of one of Guatemala’s largest postwar massacres. Gunmen believed to belong to Mexico’s Zetas cartel killed 27 farm laborers, including two women and two children, and left their severed heads scattered across the pastures of the cattle ranch.

A message written in the blood of the victims was daubed across a wall of the ranch house, threatening the owner. A 23-year-old laborer who survived the attack said he was stabbed in the stomach, but his attackers were distracted by an attempt by some of the other victims to flee. The chilling scene was related by the surviving farm worker, who spoke to The Associated Press Monday from his hospital bed in a nearby town.

Authorities asked that the survivor not be named for security reasons.

The survivor said he fell to the ground as he was being stabbed, and at that moment some of the ranch employees tried to flee, distracting his attacker. He said he was able to walk, badly wounded, to safety. “I don’t know how I survived,” he said. The man had worked planting forage crops at the ranch, when gunmen arrived late Saturday asking for the owner , a man authorities said had links to the drug trade. The only other survivor was a pregnant woman whose young daughter clung to her so fiercely and cried so loudly the killers let her go. Relatives of the woman said the attackers spoke with Mexican accents. Mexico’s brutal Zetas drug cartel has set up shop in Guatemala in the largely indigenous region along the countries’ shared border.

The police finally came Sunday morning, but the violence continued Monday in nearby areas of Peten, a jungle-covered, strategic drug-trafficking region with a murder rate double the national average and far higher than the most violent parts of Mexico.

Colom, who toured the massacre site Monday, said as many as 40 to 50 armed commandos stormed the remote ranch on a one-lane dirt road about 19 miles (30 kilometers) from the nearest paved highway. They are believed to be part of a group called “Z 200.” Two men were killed and one suspect in the massacre was taken into custody after a confrontation with police Monday morning, while grenades were tossed at a home and business in a town near San Benito, where the bodies were taken for identification. — AP

Schwarzenegger reveals he fathered a lovechild Other woman member of household staff LOS ANGELES: Former California Gov Arnold Schwarzenegger has acknowledged that he fathered a child with a member of his household staff, a revelation that apparently prompted wife Maria Shriver to leave the couple’s home before they announced their separation last week.

Schwarzenegger and Shriver jointly announced May 9 that they were splitting up after 25 years of marriage. Yet, Shriver moved out of the family’s Brentwood mansion earlier in the year af ter Schwarzenegger acknowledged the child is his, The Los Angeles Times reported yesterday.

“After leaving the governor’s office I told my wife about this event, which occurred over a decade ago,” Schwarzenegger told the Times in a statement that also was sent to The Associated Press early yesterday. “I understand and deserve the feelings of anger and disappointment among my friends and family. There are no excuses and I take full responsibility for the hurt I have caused. I have apologized to Maria, my children and my family. I am truly sorry.

“I ask that the media respect my wife and children through this extremely difficult time,” the statement concluded. “While I deserve your attention and criticism, my family does not.” Schwarzenegger’s representatives did not comment further. A spokesman for the former first lady told the Times she had no comment.

The Times did not publish the former staffer’s name nor that of her child but said the woman worked for the family for 20

LOS ANGELES: In a May 10, 2011 photo Arnold Schwarzenegger speaks at the Israel’s 63rd Independence Day Celebration hosted by the Consulate General of Israel in Los Angeles.

Schwarzenegger has acknowledged that he fathered a child with a member of his household staff. —AP years and retired in January. In an interview Monday before Schwarzenegger issued his statement, the former staffer said another man, her husband at the time, was the child’s father. When the Times later informed the woman of the

governor ’s statement, she declined to comment further.

The child was born before Schwarzenegger began his seven-year stint in public office.

Shriver stood by her husband during his 2003 gubernatorial campaign after the Los Angeles Times reported accusations that he had a histor y of groping women.

Schwarzenegger later said he “behaved badly sometimes.” In his first public comments since the couple announced their breakup, Schwarzenegger said last week that he and Shriver “both love each other very much.” “We are very fortunate that we have four extraordinary children and we’re taking one day at a time,” he said at a Los Angeles event marking Israeli independence.

Their children range in age from 13 to 21. Since his term as California governor ended in early January, Schwarzenegger, 63, has traveled around the world, his wife nowhere in sight. While the “Terminator” star appeared confident about the future since exiting politics, cutting movie deals and fashioning himself as a global spokesman for green energy, Shriver, known for her confidence, seemed unsettled.

Shriver, 55, maintained her own identity when her husband entered politics, though she gave up her job at NBC. Their union was often tested in Sacramento, where the former action star contended with a rough seven years of legislative gridlock, a budget crisis and lingering questions about his fidelity. —AP

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IAEA to send experts to probe Japan nuclear crisis VIENNA: The UN atomic agency will send a fact-finding mission to Japan’s crippled Fukushima power plant next week, as part of efforts to help boost global safety standards after the worst nuclear disaster in 25 years. Nearly 20 experts from a dozen countries will take part in the May 24-June 2 visit to Japan to make a preliminary assessment of safety issues linked to the Fukushima accident, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said yesterday.

The mission, headed by a senior British official, will then submit a report to a ministerial conference in Vienna on June 20-24, which the IAEA says will launch work on strengthening interna-

tional safety related to operating nuclear power plants. The move underlined the ambition of the IAEA, which was criticized for being slow in its early response when the massive earthquake and tsunami struck in March, to take a more active role to help ensure there is no repeat of the Fukushima crisis.

More than two months after a magnitude 9 earthquake and a deadly tsunami knocked out its power and cooling systems, causing fuel rods to melt, engineers are still trying to gain control of the plant and bring its reactors to a cold shutdown.

Japan’s nuclear emergencyóthe most serious since Chernobyl in 1986 —

has put the spotlight on how the Vienna-based agency is equipped to deal with an accident that has implications for other member states.

Although vested with powers to curb the proliferation of atomic weapons, the UN body does not have the ability to enforce any of its recommendations on the safety of nuclear plants.

Mike Weightman, Chief Inspector of Nuclear Installations of the United Kingdom, will lead the expert mission to Japan. It will include IAEA and other experts under an agreement with Japan’s government, which has been under fire at home for its handling of the crisis, as has the plant’s operator.

“The mission will conduct fact-finding activities at Tokyo Electric Power Company’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station site and in other locations,” the IAEA statement said. The experts’ report will be “an important input in the process of reviewing and strengthening the global nuclear safety framework that will be launched” by the June meeting, it said.

Earlier yesterday, Japan unveiled new plans to contain the crisis at the nuclear plant after admitting it faced greater challenges than first disclosed, but kept its goal of bringing the reactors under control by January.

Diplomats expect next month’s ministe-

rial meeting, to be hosted by the IAEA, to adopt an action plan on nuclear safety. But they say there are disagreements among the IAEA’s 151 member states on whether to make safety rules mandatory and whether to give the agency more powers in implementing them.

Such issues are now mainly the responsibility of national authorities, and that is expected to largely remain the case. “That is a big divide (in opinions),” one diplomat from a developing country said.”There will be a plan of actionóto look at, analyze and strengthen the international safety regime. But they won’t make it mandatory.” —Reuters

NATO helicopter attacks Pakistani military post Two soldiers left wounded DERA ISMAIL KHAN: A NATO helicopter crossed into Pakistani territory and opened fire on a border post, wounding two soldiers and drawing return fire, local officials said, and Pakistan protested, further straining relations with the West following the US raid that killed Osama bin Laden. A Western military official in Afghanistan gave a different version of events, but he and a NATO spokesman said there was firing at the border. They did not confirm that Pakistani border troops were the target or had been hit. The official said a NATO base in Afghanistan took intermittent direct and indirect fire from the Pakistani side of the border. Two helicopters flew into the area, and one fired across the border after twice taking fire from the Pakistani side, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.

YANGON: Prisoners walk out of Myanmar’s Insein Prison after they were released as the new government cut one year from their prison terms under a “general amnesty” yesterday, in Yangon, Myanmar. More than 14,600 prisoners in Myanmar are being released under the clemency program that will include very few political prisoners. —AP

Myanmar frees 14,600, but few political prisoners YANGON: Myanmar is releasing more than 14,600 prisoners under a clemency program that includes just a few political prisoners, one of them a hip-hop singer. Prison Depar tment Director General Zaw Win said most of the convicts, including 2,166 women, would be freed yesterday from jails around the country.

Myanmar has been under the sway of the army since 1962, and critics say its recent transition to a civilian government is a charade that perpetuates military rule. Authorities have long clamped down on dissent, and the UN and human rights groups estimate there are more than 2,000 political detainees countrywide.

The limited nature of the program , which commutes death sentences to life imprisonment and cuts one year from other convicts’ prison terms , has drawn criticism from many who had expected more generous terms, similar to broader amnesties that have been announced in the past. New Yorkbased Human Rights Watch issued a statement calling the clemenc y “a pathetic response to international calls for the immediate release of all political prisoners.” The US State Department and Amnesty International both called for the immediate release of all political prisoners, as they have before.

The National League for Democracy , the country’s de facto opposition party, said at least 22 political prisoners, mostly members of the group, were among those freed. Zeyar Thaw, a singer with the band Acid who was accused of belonging to an underground opposition group, was one of those let free.

The Myanmar government generally grants amnesties to mark important

national days. The last in 2009 freed 7,114 prisoners. Most recipients are petty criminals, but previous mass releases have usually included a handful of political detainees.

An amnesty had been expec ted when the country held its first elections in 20 years in November. Most of the country’s political prisoners, both from the pro- democrac y movement and from out-of-favor factions in the government, are serving long sentences that will keep them locked up regardless of the clemency. Zaw Win repeated the government’s position that the country has no political detainees. But he said “some prisoners who are charged under emergency laws and for links with illegal organizations will be among those freed.” Emergency laws are broadly defined security statutes usually used to prosecute political activists, who are often accused of links to banned political groups. Those freed yesterday included Naw Ohn Hla, a member of a group of women who used to go to Yangon’s landmark Shwedagon pagoda every Tuesday to pray for the release of pro-democracy leader Aung Sang Suu Kyi when she was under house arrest.

Long-term detainees who remain behind bars include prominent student activists such as Min Ko Naing who are serving 65-year prison sentences and politicians from ethnic minority parties such as Shan leader Hkun Htun Oo who have sentences of more than 80 years.

Apart from pro-democracy activists, many former intelligence officers who were on the losing side of a power struggle are serving lengthy prison sentences. Myanmar has more than 60,000 prisoners in 42 prisons and 109 labor camps. —AP

The Pakistani army, facing internal criticism for failing to detect or stop the unilateral American raid that killed bin Laden, said it lodged a strong protest and demanded a meeting with NATO officials to discuss the incident. NATO said it would investigate. A similar event last year in which two Pakistani soldiers were killed prompted the army to immediately close a key border crossing to NATO supplies heading from Pakistan into landlocked Afghanistan, dramatically exposing the vulnerability of the war effort.

NATO declined to say which coalition country was involved, but most of the helicopters that fly in that part of Afghanistan are American. Relations between the United States and Pakistan have been tense since the Navy SEALs raid on May 2 that killed bin Laden in Abbottabad, an army town only about 35 miles (55 kilometers) outside the Pakistani capital, Islamabad. The Pakistani government is outraged that the US carried out the operation without telling Pakistan first, and many US officials have expressed disbelief that bin Laden could have lived in Abbottabad for at least five years without the authorities’ knowledge.

The border incident took place in the Datta Khel area of the North Waziristan tribal region, a known sanctuary for Taliban and AlQaeda militants that launch attacks inside Afghanistan as well as Pakistan. It has been targeted repeatedly by covert US drone strikes. NATO said it was still trying to determine whether the helicopter crossed in to Pakistani airspace. “We’re investigating the incident to determine a flight path by examining GPS waypoints in the helicopter computer, to construct a sequence of events and ultimately determine what led to the exchange of fire,” said Dorrian, the NATO spokesman.

Dorrian said NATO will work with the Pakistani government to determine what happened, say-

QUETTA: Pakistani volunteers remove a dead body of a woman believed to be one of five suicide bombers from a spot of attack in Quetta, Pakistan yesterday. Pakistani security forces shot and killed four would-be suicide bombers, including three women, when they tried to attack an army checkpoint in the southwestern city of Quetta. —AP ing they expect it will reflect the same good cooperation seen in recent military operations along the border. In recent weeks, NATO and Pakistan have launched coordinated offensives against militants on their respective sides of the border. “This is going to be transparently looked into,” Dorrian said.

The Pakistani army said in a statement that its troops fired on the helicopter after it entered Pakistani airspace in the early hours of the morning. Two of its troops were injured when the helicopter returned fire, it said. The helicopter attack came a day after US Sen. John Kerry wrapped up a 24-hour visit to Islamabad in which he worked to salvage the relationship with Pakistan, but also warned the government that “actions, not words” were needed to get ties back on track. Kerry was the most high-profile American to visit Pakistan since the raid on bin Laden.

Kerry said Pakistan had agreed

S Korean sex workers rally against police crackdown SEOUL: Hundreds of prostitutes and pimps rallied yesterday near a red-light district in Seoul to protest a police crackdown on brothels, with some unsuccessfully attempting to set themselves on fire. A crowd of about 400 people, mostly women wearing baseball caps, masks and sunglasses, chanted slogans like, “Guarantee the right to live!” during the four-hour rally.

At one point, about 20 protesters in their underwear and covered in body and face paint doused themselves in flammable liquid in an apparent attempt to burn themselves, but others stopped them from lighting any flames. Some of the women then sat in the street and wept and screamed, while other protesters consoled them. Minor scuffles between protesters and police officers erupted after the rally, but there were no reports of major injuries.

Prostitution is illegal in South Korea but is widespread despite repeated government crackdowns. The rally comes weeks after officials began stationing police cars near brothels in a bid to drive away people looking to pay for sex.

The sex workers accuse a nearby department store of pushing police to take such measures. Police deny the claim. As part of their protest, a group of prostitutes on Sunday tried to buy expensive items at the department store with only coins; when they were rejected, they placed large piles of coins on the department store’s floors. —AP

to immediately take several “specific steps” to improve ties, but did not say what they were. The only tangible signs of progress were a remark by Kerry that Pakistan had agreed to give America the tail of a classified stealth helicopter destroyed by US commandos when it malfunctioned during the raid and an announcement that Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton would soon announce a trip to the country. But there have also been signs of Pakistan’s anger.

The Pakistani government sent the United States a written request following the bin Laden raid, asking Washington to reduce the number of American military personnel in the country, said a US military official yesterday, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.

There are currently more than 200 US military personnel in Pakistan, some of whom are tasked with training Pakistani

troops, said the official. Pakistan has asked the US to reduce the number of trainers in the country, but the official would not specify the numbers involved. Also yesterday, Pakistani security forces shot and killed four would-be suicide bombers, including three women, when they tried to attack an army checkpoint in the southwestern city of Quetta, said Daood Junejo, the city police chief. A fifth suicide bomber detonated his explosives but did not injure anyone, the police chief said. Security forces stopped the five as they approached the checkpoint in a car, said Junejo.

One of the men got out of the car and blew himself up. The other four, who were also wearing suicide vests, were shot when they tried to lob grenades, he said.

However, local T V footage showed what appeared to be security forces shooting at two of the women as they were laying on the ground, one of them with her hand raised over her head. —AP

Pakistan’s Gilani visits ally Beijing amid US rift

SEOUL: Face-painted South Korean prostitutes in mourning clothes, march during a rally in Seoul, South Korea yesterday. Hundreds of prostitutes and pimps rallied yesterday near a red-light district in Seoul to protest a police crackdown on brothels, with some unsuccessfully attempting to set themselves on fire. —AP

BEIJING: Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani began a visit to China yesterday with his country’s old ally looking more attractive after the US killing of Osama bin Laden further strained Islamabad’s ties with Washington. The sentiment is mutual, with China now in the process of shoring up its relations with Islamabad, Afghanistan and several other Central Asia states in step with an expected diminished US presence as it winds down military operations in Afghanistan.

For Pakistan, Beijing represents an uncritical friend ready to provide aid, investment and military assistance. To the leaders in Beijing, ties with Pakistan and other countries in its neighborhood offer a bigger diplomatic footprint, better access to resources and a larger stable of allies to challenge US supremacy.

“Pakistan wants to give a show that it is an independent actor and has options, and China offers a model of a functioning non-democratic state,” said Indiana University China scholar Elliot Sperling.

Gilani arrived in Shanghai yesterday evening, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. Although Gilani’s four-day visit was planned well in advance, it comes at a

critical time for his country’s relations with the US, which have been thrown into crisis over the American raid that killed bin Laden in the northern Pakistani city of Abbottabad on May 2. Pakistan has called it a violation of its sovereignty and threatened to retaliate if there are any similar operations in the future.

While American politicians served up withering criticisms of Pakistan’s failure to find bin Laden’s hide-out , or the possibility that officials were protecting him , China offered welcome reassurance, praising Pakistan as resolute in the fight against terrorism.

Gilani made Pakistan’s appreciation clear, singling out China in a testy May 9 speech to parliament as Islamabad’s “allweather friend.” China-Pakistan ties were forged shortly after the founding of the People’s Republic in 1949 and have thrived in part on both countries’ distrust of their mutual neighbor India. Gilani’s visit is formally pitched as part of celebrations of the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties, and he is scheduled to meet with top Chinese leaders and oversee the signing of a series of agreements beginning today. —AP

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 18, 2011

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Issues

A nation in fear

By Frederik Richter hen I got the usual call to visit Bahrain’s Information Ministry, I braced myself for complaints about my coverage of the crackdown on Bahraini Shiites protesting against the kingdom’s Sunniled government. Every other week it seemed, since I moved to the island, I have been called in for meetings with government officials over Reuters coverage of what Bahrain’s Shiite majority says is discrimination by the Sunni rulers. Once, I got an angry call in the middle of the night.

This time, though, the mood was calm and somewhat friendly when I went to the ministry last Tuesday.

The official, in a traditional white robe, sat down with me in a modern office with a large TV screen to monitor media coverage. Then came the announcement I had not expected. “You have to stop reporting from now,” he said. “You have to leave the country within one week.”

The official, Sheikh Abdullah bin Nezar al-Khalifa, added that Reuters had lacked balance in its reporting during the crackdown on pro-democracy protesters.

The meeting lasted no more than five minutes. A story published earlier this month on disputes between moderates and hardliners within the royal family had, it seemed, crossed a red line. The authorities said Bahrain was not closing down the Reuters office in Manama and would accredit another foreign correspondent nominated by the agency.

As I prepare to leave, I can barely recognise Bahrain as the country I came to in 2008. It has been transformed by fear. When I arrived, the tiny island, linked to Saudi Arabia by a causeway, was a thriving business and financial centre. Its hotels bustled with bankers and executives flown in to discuss investment deals. Few gave much thought to discontent rumbling beneath the surface or any inkling that it would later spark mass popular protests in central Manama. Tens of thousands of people from around the world have converged on the island each year to watch the Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix, inaugurated in 2004.

Bahrain’s parliament, in which the country’s main Shiite opposition group Wefaq held 18 out of 40 seats, had very limited powers. Despite that, it gave the opposition voice of the Shiite majority a platform for debates and corruption probes. Activists spoke freely about complaints of discrimination in jobs and services in favour of Sunni Muslims, whose faith was aligned with the ruling family, and with Saudi Arabia. Bahrainis talked to me.

But in February, crowds mainly comprised of Shiites took to the streets. It would become weeks of protests demanding more freedom, an end to sectarian discrimination and a constitutional monarchy. Some even called for the abolition of the monarchy. The protests were inspired by revolts that had toppled rulers of Egypt and Tunisia. Manama declared emergency law in March, accused Shiite Iran of fomenting unrest and invited in troops from Sunni Arab neighbours, notably from Saudi Arabia.

What followed was a sweeping crackdown on Shiite villages, opposition activists, media and health workers.

The government said it targeted only those who broke the law during protests. But state television enlarged the faces of many who took part in protests - singling them out and frightening off others. At least 29 people, all but six of them Shiites, have been killed since the protests started in February. The non-Shiites killed included two foreigners and four policemen.

The numbers of deaths may be small compared to the violence seen in other Arab countries like Syria or Libya. But it may have forever altered the psyche of the island kingdom, a tiny country with just under 600,000 citizens. In addition to those killed, hundreds more have been arrested or fired from jobs at state-owned companies. Bahrain’s hotels have been empty for weeks as conferences and the Formula One grand prix were postponed or cancelled. The government has accused Iran and Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah of instigating the protests. Another culprit, in the eyes of officials, were international media, which the government saw as siding with the protesters.

Even before I was told to leave, journalists were turned back at the airport or told not to come when they inquired about visas. A crew sent in by broadcaster CNN was detained when it attempted to interview a Bahraini human rights activist. —Reuters

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Laden pic fight pits White House vs press

By Andrew Longstreth ven before President Barack Obama outlined his decision not to release photos of a dead Osama bin Laden, news organizations began filing requests to have them made public under the US Freedom of Information Act. The dispute pits national security concerns against the right of a free press. Which side prevails will turn on who is custodian of the photos and whether the photos are exempt from the Freedom of Information Act. The first question - about custodianship - is critical. The Navy SEALs who descended on the Al-Qaeda leader’s compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, and took the photos are part of the Defense Department. But the photos now appear to be held by the Central Intelligence Agency, which invited members of Congress to view them at its headquarters.

In seeking to resist a FOIA request, the administration could invoke the CIA Information Act of 1984, said Mark Zaid, a national security lawyer. The act exempts “operational” files from publication or disclosure. The CIA may argue the photos are operational, he said. “I think that would be an untested argument,” Zaid said. “I don’t know if it would work.”

If the administration doesn’t make that argument, the question is whether the photos would still fall under FOIA exemptions that allow the government to withhold material. Any material in a government agency’s possession is presumed to be open to the public. But in responding to FOIA requests for the photos, the government will likely invoke

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either the exemption for material that is to be kept secret in the interest of national defense or foreign policy or the exemption for material related to law enforcement operations that would endanger lives, according to national security lawyers.

The CIA and the Defense Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the FOIA request. During an interview with the “60 Minutes” news program shortly after the raid, Obama cited national security as his reason for not releasing the photos. “It is important for us to make sure that very graphic photos of somebody who was shot in the head are not floating around as an incitement to additional violence as a propaganda tool,” he said. “And given the graphic nature of these photos it would create some national security risk.”

The Obama administration may soon have to make that case to a court. If the photos are not released, news organizations seeking the photos, including Reuters, would be allowed to sue. Steven Aftergood, a secrecy specialist at the Federation of American Scientists, said it would be difficult for the administration to keep the photos secret. “I don’t believe the executive branch will be able to claim the photographs of a corpse are classified,” Aftergood said. “The photographs of the corpse may be gruesome, but it’s hard to say it would damage national security.”

Some experts said it would depend on which judge hears the case. Attorney Floyd Abrams, known for his defense of the US Constitution’s First Amendment guaranteeing a free press, said news media seeking the photos faced an uphill battle. “It requires a

judge to make a judgment that the judgment of the president and the executive branch is so plainly flawed that this material either shouldn’t be considered properly classified or is not really related to a national defense issue,” he said. “It’s not that it’s impossible but it’s very difficult.”

Five years ago, the American Civil Liberties Union and a handful of other organizations won a legal fight over photos depicting abusive treatment of detainees held by US soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2006, the US 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a lower court’s decision ordering several agencies, including the CIA and the Department of Defense, to release the photos.

The government cited exemption 7(F) under FOIA, which authorizes withholding records “compiled for law enforcement purposes” where disclosure “could reasonably be expected to endanger the life and physical safety of any individual”. According to the United States, release of the photos could have reasonably endangered US troops, coalition forces and civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan. But in its ruling, the 2nd Circuit found that the government had not been specific enough about the threat.

“It is plainly insufficient to claim that releasing documents could reasonably be expected to endanger some unspecified member of a group so vast as to encompass all United States troops, coalition forces, and civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan,” the court wrote. The Obama administration appealed the ruling to the Supreme Court, but before a ruling was issued, Congress intervened and passed a Department of Defense appropria-

tions bill that exempted from FOIA request photos taken beginning on Sept 11, 2001, through Jan 22, 2009, relating “to the treatment of individuals engaged, captured, or detained after Sept 11, 2001, by the Armed Forces of the United States in operations outside of the United States”.

Zaid, who said he had turned down FOIA work over the photos, believes congressional involvement was the best and mostly likely outcome. It’s unclear whether Obama would have support in Congress for legislation barring release. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who was a major supporter of the photo suppression legislation passed in 2009, told Fox News that he supported releasing the bin Laden photo. “I understand the potential backlash, but there are millions of people in this world who were very intimidated by bin Laden,” he said. “They need to see photographic evidence in my view to close this chapter.”

A Republican who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, James Inhofe, viewed the death photos last week and said the pictures - some gruesome - left no doubt the Al-Qaeda leader was dead. Inhofe told CNN he saw 15 photos, nine taken at the scene of the May 2 raid on a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan; three from the USS Vinson, where bin Laden’s body was prepared for burial at sea; and three older photos to compare for positive identification. Inhofe described some photos that showed brain matter protruding from an eye socket. The senator, a proponent of releasing the pictures, said he had not changed his mind after viewing them.— Reuters

Assad stands to gain from Israel unrest

By Elizabeth A Kennedy

brief but deadly border incursion has broken more than 35 years of quiet along the Syria-Israel frontier - and it could not have come at a better time for Syria’s embattled leader. Syrian President Bashar Assad has much to gain from the furor over Israeli soldiers opening fire on thousands of Arab protesters Sunday, killing 15 Palestinians who made a stunning march on the Jewish state from Lebanon, Gaza and Syria. Four of them died on the Syrian frontier. The unrest diverts the world’s gaze from Assad’s growing troubles at home specifically, his regime’s brutal crackdown on a popular uprising that has killed more than 850 people in just two months. But it also plays directly into the narrative Assad is spinning to maintain his grip on power.

Facing an unprecedented threat to his rule, Assad is desperate to show that only he can guarantee security in a troubled region where failed states abound. The violence along the border was a not-sosubtle message that a calm border with Israel will be the first casualty if Assad is swept from power. There is little doubt that the Palestinians’ protest was driven by a real fervor for statehood, inspired by the extraordinary Arab Spring. But there are signs the Syrian regime - and its ally Hezbollah, in Lebanon - at the very least facilitated the run on the border in a cynical attempt to exploit the gatherings.

Washington has openly accused Syria of inciting the violence. Speaking aboard Air Force One, White House press secretary Jay Carney said Monday the unrest was intended to draw attention from the Syrian government’s violent crackdown on its own people, who are pushing for reforms. The march on Israel’s borders occurred as the Palestinians marked the

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A Palestinian refugee living in Syria flashes the V-sign as he walks between Druze residents (white caps) prior to returning back to Syria after he and others crossed during a protest into the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights near the Druze town of Majdal Shams on May 15, 2011. — AFP “nakba,” or “catastrophe” - the term they use to describe their defeat and displacement in the war that followed Israel’s founding on May 15, 1948. Each year, Palestinians throughout the region mark the “nakba” with demonstrations.

But never before have marchers descended upon Israel’s borders from all directions. Surprised and overwhelmed, Israeli troops fired to keep the crowds from breaching all three borders. In addition to the dead in the Golan Heights, 10 were killed in Lebanon while another was fatally shot as dozens rushed Israel’s border wall with the Gaza Strip. The Syrian incursion was especially surprising, given the regime’s tight control over the area. Israel

captured the Golan from Syria in the 1967 war, and Syria demands the area back as part of any peace deal. Despite hostility between the two countries, Syria has been careful to keep the border quiet since the 1973 Mideast war.

On Sunday, however, Syrian forces did not intervene as thousands approached the frontier, hoisting Palestinian flags, shouting slogans and throwing rocks and bottles at Israeli forces. When hundreds of people burst across the border fence into the Israeli-controlled town of Majdal Shams, soldiers opened fire. Salman Facherdin, a 57-year-old resident of Majdal Shams, said it would be impossible for people to get that close to the border without

Syrian forces being aware. There is a Syrian military checkpoint at the entrance to the area, so anyone passing through would need the soldiers’ approval.

Tarek Al-Hamid, editor-in-chief of the Saudi-owned Al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper, said Syria used the anniversary to send a message that there will be no stability in the region if Assad’s regime crumbles.

“Damascus is ready to sacrifice even the last Palestinian to serve its ends without itself losing one bullet,” Al-Hamid wrote Monday.

In both Lebanon and Syria, the nakba events were meticulously organized and had much larger crowds than in the recent past. Palestinian organizers bused hundreds to Lebanon’s border with Israel and to the Syrian frontier in the Israeli-held Golan Heights. In Lebanon, Hezbollah supporters wearing yellow hats and carrying walkie-talkies organized the entry to Maroun Al-Ras village and handed out Palestinian flags. Thousands of Palestinian refugees traveled to the village in buses adorned with posters that said: “We are returning!”

A correspondent for Hezbollah’s television station, Al-Manar, was among those who crossed the Syrian border and was reporting live from the Israeli-occupied side. It is unlikely that the border killings will do much in the long term to shift Syrians’ attention from their problems at home, where the military and security forces have responded to anti-government protests by opening fire on demonstrators, shelling residential neighborhoods and arresting thousands of people in a sweeping campaign of intimidation and torture.

But at least for a day or two, the Palestinians’ march on the border was a temporary distraction. “Yesterday, no one was talking about what’s going on in Syria,” said Hamed Awidat, a 27-year-old from Majdal Shams. — AP

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KUWAIT: Kuwaiti boys sit in the gallery as they watch the ongoings of a parliament session at the National Assembly yesterday. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat

Assembly delays PM’s grilling for one year Continued from Page 1 The three-hour drama began after Oil Minister and State Minister for National Assembly Affairs Mohammad Al-Busairi informed the house that the government had decided to refer the grilling to the constitutional court to rule whether the grilling is in line with the constitution or not. The announcement was met with strong criticism by opposition MPs who described the move as a de facto amendment of the constitution to strip powers enjoyed by MPs under the constitution to question ministers.

MP Ahmad Al-Saadoun, who along with MP Abdulrahman AlAnjari had submitted the grilling request, stressed that even if the government referred the grilling request to the constitutional court, the debate of the grilling must go ahead without any delay. State Minister for Cabinet Affairs Ali AlRashed described the grilling as “corrupt” and that it totally breached the constitution and that the country’s top court must review it.

The decision taken by the

Assembly is for one year but is also conditional to when the constitutional court issues its verdict. The grilling will take place, for example, after one month if the court rules on it within that period of time. Later, spokesman of the Popular Action Bloc MP Musallam Al-Barrak said that the opposition “is dealing with a vacant seat for the prime minister and will continue to submit grillings against him”.

But liberal MP Marzouk AlGhanem appealed to MPs not to submit several grillings that could be listed at the May 31 session when the debate of the grilling of deputy premier and minister of housing and development Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahd Al-Sabah is scheduled to take place. Pro-government MP Youssef Al-Zalzalah however praised the Assembly decision, saying the vote has averted a crisis between the Assembly and government.

Meanwhile, 25 MPs signed a statement in which they called on the government to expel the Syrian ambassador to Kuwait and to sever ties with Damascus over the Syrian

regime’s “repression” against the Syrian people. The MPs, mostly from the opposition, denounced the “massacre” in Syria where the regime has repressed “peaceful demonstrations of the Syrian people defending their legitimate rights to liberty and justice,” it said. “We will take further steps to support the resisting people (of Syria) and we will work on isolating this regime internationally,” MP Tabtabaei said.

The lawmakers criticised Damascus for denying entry to a Kuwaiti humanitarian aid convoy sent to Syria’s southern city of Daraa, hotspot of the revolt against the regime. The recommendation is however non-binding for the government. Zalzalah called on MPs not to interfere in Kuwait’s foreign policy decisions because that could send the wrong message to others, recalling that HH the Amir has asked MPs to leave the foreign policy to the government. More than 850 people, including women and children, have been killed and at least 8,000 arrested in the crackdown on the two-month-old protest movement, according to rights groups.

DANYANG, China: In this May 13, 2011 photo, farmers clear out watermelons from their rented greenhouse that had burst in this city in eastern China’s Jiangsu province. — AP

Fields of watermelon burst in farm fiasco BEIJING: Watermelons have been bursting by the score in eastern China after farmers gave them overdoses of growth chemicals during wet weather, creating what state media called fields of “land mines.” About 20 farmers around Danyang city in Jiangsu province were affected, losing up to 115 acres of melon, China Central Television said in an investigative report.

Prices over the past year prompted many farmers to jump into the watermelon market. All of those with exploding melons apparently were first-time users of the growth accelerator forchlorfenuron, though it has been widely available for some time, CCTV said. Chinese regulations don’t forbid the drug, and it is allowed in the US on kiwi fruit and grapes. But the report underscores how farmers in China are abusing both legal and illegal chemicals, with many farms misusing pesticides and fertilizers.

Wang Liangju, a professor with College of Horticulture at Nanjing Agricultural University who has been to Danyang since the problems began to occur, said that forchlorfenuron is safe and effective when used properly. He told AP that the drug had been used too late into the season, and that recent heavy rain also raised the risk of the fruit cracking open. But he said the variety of melon also played a role. “If it had been used on very young fruit, it wouldn’t be a problem,” Wang said. “Another reason is that the melon they were planting is a thin-rind variety and these kind are actually nicknamed the ‘exploding melon’ because they tend to split.”

Farmer Liu Mingsuo ended up with eight acres of ruined fruit and told CCTV that seeing his crop splitting

open was like a knife cutting his heart. “On May 7, I came out and counted 80 (burst watermelons) but by the afternoon it was 100,” Liu said. “Two days later I didn’t bother to count anymore.” Intact watermelons were being sold at a wholesale market in nearby Shanghai, the report said, but even those ones showed telltale signs of forchlorfenuron use: fibrous, misshapen fruit with mostly white instead of black seeds.

In March last year, Chinese authorities found that “yard-long” beans from the southern city of Sanya had been treated with the banned pesticide isocarbophos.

The tainted beans turned up in several provinces, and the central city of Wuhan announced it destroyed 3.5 tons of the vegetable. The government also has voiced alarm over the widespread overuse of food additives like dyes and sweeteners that retailers hope will make food more attractive and boost sales.

Though Chinese media remain under strict government control, domestic coverage of food safety scandals has become more aggressive in recent months, an apparent sign that the government has realized it needs help policing the troubled food industry. The CCTV report on watermelons quoted Feng Shuangqing, a professor at the China Agricultural University, as saying the problem showed that China needs to clarify its farm chemical standards and supervision to protect consumer health. The broadcaster described the watermelons as “land mines” and said they were exploding by the acre in the Danyang area. Many of farmers resorted to chopping up the fruit and feeding it to fish and pigs, the report said. — AP

Raiders knew mission was a one-shot deal WASHINGTON: Those who planned the secret mission to get Osama bin Laden in Pakistan knew it was a oneshot deal, and it nearly went terribly wrong. The US deliberately hid the operation from Pakistan, and predicted that national outrage over the breach of Pakistani sovereignty would make it impossible to try again if the raid on bin Laden’s suspected redoubt came up dry. Once the raiders reached their target, things started to go awry almost immediately, officials briefed on the operation said.

Adding exclusive new details to the account of the assault on bin Laden’s hideout, officials described just how the SEAL raiders loudly ditched a foundering helicopter right outside bin Laden’s door, ruining the plan for a surprise assault. That forced them to abandon plans to run a squeeze play on bin Laden - simultaneously entering the house stealthily from the roof and the ground floor. Instead, they busted into the ground floor and began a floor-by-floor storming of the house, working up to the top level where they had assumed bin Laden - if he was in the house - would be.

They were right. The raiders came face-to-face with bin Laden in a hallway outside his bedroom, and three of the Americans stormed in after him, US officials briefed on the operation told AP. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to describe a classified operation. US officials believe Pakistani intelligence continues to support militants who attack US troops in Afghanistan, and actively undermine US intelligence operations to go after Al-Qaeda inside Pakistan.

The level of distrust is such that keeping Pakistan in the dark was a major factor in planning the raid, and led to using the high-tech but sometimes unpredictable helicopter technology that nearly unhinged the mission.

Pakistan’s government has since condemned the action, and threatened to open fire if US forces enter again. On Monday, the two partners attempted to patch up relations, agreeing to pursue high-value targets jointly. The decision to launch on that particular moonless night in May came largely because too many American officials had been briefed on the plan.

US officials feared if it leaked to the press, bin Laden would disappear for another decade. US special operations forces have made approximately four forays into Pakistani territory since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, though this one, some 145 km inside Pakistan, was unlike any other, the officials say.

The job was given to a SEAL Team 6 unit, just back from Afghanistan, one official said. This elite branch of SEALs had been hunting bin Laden in eastern Afghanistan since 2001. Five air-

craft flew from Jalalabad, Afghanistan, with three school-bus-size Chinook helicopters landing in a deserted area roughly two-thirds of the way to bin Laden’s compound in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad, two of the officials explained. Aboard two Black Hawk helicopters were 23 SEALs, an interpreter and a tracking dog named Cairo. Nineteen SEALs would enter the compound, and three of them would find bin Laden, one official said, providing the exact numbers for the first time.

Aboard the Chinooks were two dozen more SEALs, as backup. The Black Hawks were specially engineered to muffle the tail rotor and engine sound, two officials said. The added weight of the stealth technology meant cargo was calculated to the gram, with weather factored in. The night of the mission, it was hotter than expected. The Black Hawks were to drop the SEALs and depart in less than two minutes, in hopes locals would assume they were Pakistani aircraft visiting the nearby military academy.

One Black Hawk was to hover above the compound, with SEALs sliding down ropes into the open courtyard.

The second was to hover above the roof to drop SEALs there, then land more SEALs outside, plus an interpreter and the dog, who would track anyone who tried to escape and to alert SEALs to any approaching Pakistani security forces.

If troops appeared, the plan was to hunker down in the compound, avoiding armed confrontation with the Pakistanis while officials in Washington negotiated their passage out. The two SEAL teams inside would work toward each other, in a simultaneous attack from above and below, their weapons silenced, guaranteeing surprise, one of the officials said. They would have stormed the building in a matter of minutes, as they’d done time and again in two training models of the compound.

The plan unraveled as the first helicopter tried to hover over the compound. The Black Hawk skittered around uncontrollably in the heatthinned air, forcing the pilot to land. As he did, the tail and rotor got caught on one of the compound’s 3.6-m walls.

The pilot quickly buried the aircraft’s nose in the dirt to keep it from tipping over, and the SEALs clambered out into an outer courtyard. The other aircraft did not even attempt hovering, landing its SEALs outside the compound.

Now, the raiders were outside, and they’d lost the element of surprise.

They had trained for this, and started blowing their way in with explosives, through walls and doors, working their way up the three-level house from the

bottom. They had to blow their way through barriers at each stair landing, firing back, as one of the men in the house fired at them. They shot three men as well as one woman, whom US officials have said lunged at the SEALs. Small knots of children were on every level, including the balcony of bin Laden’s room.

As three of the SEALs reached the top of the steps on the third floor, they saw bin Laden standing at the end of the hall. The Americans recognized him instantly, the officials said. Bin Laden also saw them, dimly outlined in the dark house, and ducked into his room.

The three SEALs assumed he was going for a weapon, and one by one they rushed after him through the door, one official described.

Two women were in front of bin Laden - yelling and trying to protect him, two officials said. The first SEAL grabbed the two women and shoved them away, fearing they might be wearing suicide bomb vests, they said.

The SEAL behind him opened fire at bin Laden, putting one bullet in his chest, and one in his head. It was over in a matter of seconds.

Back at the White House Situation Room, word was relayed that bin Laden had been found, signaled by the code word “Geronimo”. That was not bin Laden’s code name, but rather a representation of the letter “G”. Each step of the mission was labeled alphabetically, and “Geronimo” meant that the raiders had reached step “G”, the killing or capture of bin Laden, two officials said. As the SEALs began photographing the body for identification, the raiders found an AK-47 rifle and a Russianmade Makarov pistol on a shelf by the door they’d just run through. Bin Laden hadn’t touched them. They were among a handful of weapons that were removed to be inventoried.

It took approximately 15 minutes to reach bin Laden, one official said. The next 23 or so were spent blowing up the broken chopper, after rounding up nine women and 18 children, to get them out of range of the blast. One of the waiting Chinooks flew in to pick up bin Laden’s body, the raiders from the broken aircraft and the weapons, documents and other materials seized at the site.

The helicopters flew back to Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, and the body was flown to a waiting US Navy ship for bin Laden’s burial at sea, ensuring no shrine would spring up around his grave. When the SEAL team met President Barack Obama, he did not ask who shot bin Laden. He simply thanked each member of the team, two officials said. In a few weeks, the team that killed bin Laden will go back to training, and in a couple of months, back to work overseas. — AP

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani child, with his face covered with flies, sits inside a wooden cart in an alley of a slum on the outskirts of Islamabad yesterday. — AP

WEDNESDAY, MAY 18, 2011

sp orts All Black Dagg has surgery WELLINGTON: All Blacks fullback Israel Dagg has undergone surgery on a ruptured tendon in his right thigh and could be out of rugby for anything between two to five months, the Canterbury Crusaders said yesterday. Dagg injured his leg executing a clearing kick in the Crusaders’ 20-14 victory over the Stormers in Cape Town on May 7. He was one of four Crusaders’ players sent home from South Africa after the match and had surgery on Monday.

Utility Adam Whitelock also had surgery on his torn pectoral muscle, while winger Sean Maitland (foot) is scheduled to have surgery today.

The Crusaders said a definitive time frame o n each o f t h eir recover ies would be known within the next few days th ough it could range from t wo to five months. —Reuters

Raza protests innocence over betting charge KARACHI: Former Pakistan off-spinner Akram Raza has protested his innocence after being arrested during a raid on a bookmakers den.

Raza, 46, was granted bail and will appear in court next week after Pakistani police in Gulberg, Lahore charged him and six other people with running an illegal betting ring and taking bets on the Indian Premier League.

“I am innocent. It was a set up. I have hired a lawyer to fight these ridiculous charges against me,” Raza told Reuters from Lahore yesterday.

Police raided a plaza on Saturday

night, arresting seven people for running the betting ring and recovering computers, mobile phones, cash and telephone numbers.

“I don’t know who is behind this and why but I will prove my innocence. I will also be writing to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to inform them of my innocence,” Raza said. Raza played nine tests and 49 one-day internationals and is now a first-class umpire. He was one of six players fined in 2000 by a judicial commission which held an inquir y into match-fixing in Pakistani cricket. —Reuters

Keeper dropped after head-butt MEXICO CITY: Mexico dropped Cruz Azul goalkeeper Jesus Corona from their Concacaf Gold Cup squad on Monday for his part in a free-for-all at the end of his club’s Clausura championship semi-final defeat.

Corona, caught by TV Azteca cameras head-butting Morelia’s physical trainer Sergio Martin during the fracas, was also suspended for six league matches by the Mexican Football Federation (Femexfut). “...we have decided not to take Jesus Corona to the Gold Cup. We have called up Jonathan Orozco (of Monterrey in his place),” Femexfut’s national teams director Hector Gonzalez said. With Morelia leading 3-0 in the 89th minute and 3-2 on aggregate, one of their fans ran onto the pitch, made a remark to Crux Azul captain Gerardo Torrado and was attacked by several of the visiting team’s players, sparking a free-for-all.

The referee dismissed three players, two from Cruz Azul and one from Morelia, and sent both teams’ coaches to the stands but missed the incident involving Corona.

“One works to be first choice in the team and get to the Tri (Color). It’s lamentable what happened,” Corona told reporters. “I make a little mistake and I’m out of the national team. —Reuters

Indians destroy Royals 19-1

ST LOUIS: Cardinals’ Nick Punto (right) is safe at home to score on a single by the Cardinals’ Jon Jay as Philadelphia Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz (left) drops the throw during the seventh inning. —AP

Cardinals beat Phillies ST. LOUIS: The St. Louis Cardinals marked the return of manager Tony La Russa from illness, beating the Philadelphia Phillies and an errant Cliff Lee 3-1 in the National League on Monday.

Lee (2-4) issued a career-worst six walks and is now winless in six starts. He departed after a marathon 122 pitches in 6 1-3 innings.

The Phillies got only three runners into scoring position against Cardinals starter Jake Westbrook (3-3), who allowed just one run in seven innings.

Fernando Salas worked the ninth for his fourth save in four chances.

The 66-year-old La Russa was back on the job after missing a six-game trip while getting treated for shingles.

Marlins 2, Mets 1 In New York, Florida pitcher Burke Badenhop got just his second career hit to drive in the winning run with two outs in the 11th inning, as Florida edged New York. Badenhop (1-0) came to bat after escaping a two-on, two-out jam when he was pitching in the bottom of the tenth.

With runners on first and second, Badenhop lined a single up the middle off Ryota Igarashi (2-1) for his first hit since 2008, and his second career RBI. Leo Nunez pitched the bottom half of the 11th for his 15th save, despite allowing a two-out triple to pitcher Jonathon Niese — pinch-hitting because the Mets were out of position players. Mike Stanton hit a tying homer in the seventh and Omar Infate had three hits for Florida.

Rockies 7, Giants 4 In Denver, Carlos Gonzalez capped a five-run sixth-inning with a three-run homer to power Colorado over San Francisco.

Seth Smith also homered off the uncharacteristically wild Giants starter Tim Lincecum (3-4), who set up the Rockies’ big inning with a throwing error on a potential double-play that led to four unearned runs.

Lincecum allowed seven runs and walked six in 5 2-3 innings. The Rockies turned four double plays.

Clay Mortensen (1-0) pitched six solid innings for his first win in a Rockies uniform and Huston Street closed out the ninth inning for his 13th save in 14 tries.

Reds 7, Cubs 4 In Cincinnati, Jonny Gomes hit his first homer in nearly a month, completing Cincinnati’s seven-run rally that defeated Chicago.

The big inning ended the night for Cubs starter Carlos Zambrano (4-2), who had won his previous 10 starts on the road, matching the second-longest such streak in Cubs history. He held the Reds scoreless for six innings, then fell apart.

The Reds sent 12 batters to the plate, matching their biggest inning this season. Scott Rolen’s fly was misfielded and turned into a double that tied the game 4-4. Marcos Mateo let in a run with a wild pitch that nearly hit Gomes, who then hit a two-run shot. Cincinnati starter Homer Bailey (3-0) gave up four runs in six innings.

Braves 3, Astros 2 In Atlanta, Eric Hinske had three hits, including a tie-breaking single in the seventh, as Atlanta used a makeshift lineup to beat Houston.

Missing third baseman Chipper Jones and right fielder Jason Heyward, the Braves profited from their replacements:

Hinske and Joe Mather, who had a tworun single in the sixth.

Fernando Abad (1-4) walked Nate McLouth and Dan Uggla in the seventh, then Hinske’s single drove in McLouth for a 3-2 lead. Atlanta starter Tommy Hanson (5-3) gave up one earned run in seven innings, striking out 10, one shy of his career high, with only one walk. Craig Kimbrel struck out the side in the ninth for his 11th save.

Brewers 2, Dodgers 1 In Los Angeles, Shaun Marcum outpitched Jon Garland to win his fifth straight decision and guide Milwaukee to a tight win over Los Angeles.

Marcum (5-1) allowed one run over seven innings. Since losing on his Brewers debut, he has been unbeaten in eight starts, with a 2.08 ERA. Garland (1-3) went six innings, allowing seven hits and four walks. Rickie Weeks singled home the go-ahead run for Milwaukee. Prince Fielder drove in their other run with a third-inning single.

Nationals 4, Pirates 2 In Washington, the hosts extended Pittsburgh’s losing skid to a season-worst seven games. Danny Espinosa broke out of a slump with a two-run homer in the seventh inning, driving the first pitch thrown by reliever Jose Ascanio into the bullpen, scoring Mike Morse, who had singled off hard-luck Pirates starter Paul Maholm (1-6). Espinosa’s 22 RBIs leads all rookies. Jerry Hairston also homered for the Nationals, who won despite having just six hits. Washington’s Cole Kimball (1-0) earned his first major league win in relief. Drew Storen pitched the ninth for his ninth save in as many chances.

Padres 8, D’backs 4 In Phoenix, Ryan Ludwick homered and drove in three runs to help San Diego defeat Arizona. Cameron Maybin and Jason Bartlett had two RBIs apiece as the Padres roughed up Armando Galarraga (3-4) for five runs in the first two innings, giving their starter Clayton Richard (2-4) plenty of cushion to earn his first win in six weeks.

Chase Headley had three hits and drove in a run for San Diego, and Mike Adams got the final five outs for his first save. —AP

KANSAS CITY: The Cleveland Indians piled on 10 runs in the fourth inning on their way to a 19-1 rout of the Kansas City Royals in the American League on Monday.

Michael Brantley’s three-run homer and Travis Hafner’s bases-loaded double keyed the huge inning. Brantley and Matt LaPorta each had four RBIs as the Indians racked up their biggest score for two years.

LaPorta reached base five times with a walk and four hits. Vin Mazzaro, the third Royals’ pitcher, gave up a staggering 14 runs in 2 1-3 innings. After giving up 10 runs, all earned, in the fourth, Mazzaro allowed four more in the fifth before he was removed.

Kansas City starter Kyle Davies (1-6) left after walking the bases full in the first inning and retiring only one batter.

Cleveland starter Josh Tomlin (5-1) went six innings, allowing one run.

Rays 6, Yankees 5 In St. Petersburg, Sam Fuld and BJ Upton hit two-run homers as Tampa Bay handed New York its sixth consecutive loss. It’s the first time in four years the Yankees have lost this many consecutive games.

New York starter A.J Burnett had a four-run advantage before imploding in the sixth. After Fuld homered and Matt Joyce drove in a run with a single, Upton ended Burnett’s night with his two-run drive that put Tampa Bay up 6-5.

Burnett (4-3) allowed six runs over 5 2-3 innings. Rays reliever Juan Cruz (2-0) pitched a scoreless sixth for the win. Kyle Farnsworth got the final three outs for his eighth save.

Blue Jays 4, Tigers 2 In Detroit, Toronto snapped Detroit’s seven-game winning streak. Kyle Drabek (2-3) pitched seven strong innings, allowing one run. Frank Francisco pitched the ninth for his fourth save.

Toronto won the game with three runs off Joaquin Benoit (1-3) in the eighth. Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion started the inning with singles, and Aaron Hill made it 2-1 with a double. Juan Rivera and J.P. Arencibia followed with sacrifice flies to give the Blue Jays a three-run lead.

Athletics 5, Angels, 10 In Oakland, Kurt Suzuki scored from third base in the 10th inning on a fielder’s choice groundball to give Oakland a win over Los Angeles.

Suzuki drew a one-out walk off Los Angeles reliever Fernando Rodney (2-2), moved to second on another walk then took third on a wild pitch.

Angels left fielder Howie Kendrick was moved in to play in the infield. Mark Ellis hit a sharp grounder to Kendrick near second base. Kendrick tried to throw home but the ball sailed high as Suzuki slid across the plate. Athletics reliever Grant Balfour (3-1) pitched one inning with three strikeouts for the win.

The A’s blew a 3-0 lead then tied the game with one run in the ninth.

Red Sox 8, Orioles 7 In Boston, Adrian Gonzalez hit a tworun double in the ninth inning to lift Boston over Baltimore. Trailing 7-6 going into the inning, the Red Sox put

KANSAS CITY: Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Josh Tomlin (43) pitches to Kansas City Royals’ Mike Aviles during the first inning of a baseball game. —AP runners at first and second on one-out walks to Jacoby Ellsbur y and Dustin Pedroia.

Gonzalez, the AL leader with 37 RBIs, then got the winning hit on the first pitch he saw from Kevin Gregg (0-1).

Alfredo Aceves (1-0) got the win, allowing one run in three innings. Boston went over .500 for the first time this season with its fourth straight win.

Rangers 4, White Sox 0 In Chicago, Colby Lewis pitched his first career shutout to steer Texas past Chicago.

Lewis (4-4) struck out seven in his third career complete game. It was also his fourth consecutive start of at least 7 1-3 innings, improving to 3-1 with a 1.67 ERA during that sequence.

Endy Chavez had three hits for the Rangers.

He had been hitless in nine at-bats since he was promoted from the minors.

White Sox starter Edwin Jackson (3-5) left with one out in the sixth as Chicago suffered its 10th loss in its past 11 home games.

Mariners 5, Twins 2 In Seattle, the hosts ended a six-game losing skid by defeating struggling Minnesota.

The Twins have lost nine straight for the first time since 1998, and fell 15 games below .500 for the first time in 11 years.

Mariners starter Michael Pineda (5-2), the American League’s Rookie of the Month for April, struck out seven and walked none as he lowered his ERA to 2.45. He went to a threeball count on just two of the 26 batters he faced. Adam Kennedy and Carlos Peguero hit consecutive home runs in the sixth inning; the first time Seattle had done that this season.

Twins starter Scott Baker (2-3) went six innings, allowing four runs. — AP

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

Tampa Bay 6, NY Yankees 5; Toronto 4, Detroit 2; Washington 4, Pittsburgh 2; St. Louis 3, Philadelphia 1; Atlanta 3, Houston 2; Florida 2, NY Mets 1 (11 innings); Cincinnati 7, Chicago Cubs 4; Boston 8, Baltimore 7; Texas 4, Chicago White Sox 0; Cleveland 19, Kansas City 1; Colorado 7, San Francisco 4; San Diego 8, Arizona 4; Oakland 5, LA Angels 4 (10 innings); Seattle 5, Minnesota 2; Milwaukee 2, La Dodgers 1.

American League National League Eastern Division Eastern Division Philadelphia 25 15 .625 W L PCT GB Florida 24 16 .600 1 Tampa Bay 24 17 .585 Atlanta 24 19 .558 2.5 NY Yankees 20 19 .513 3 Washington 20 21 .488 5.5 Toronto 21 20 .512 3 NY Mets 19 22 .463 6.5 Boston 21 20 .512 3 Central Division Baltimore 19 21 .475 4.5 Cincinnati 24 17 .585 Central Division St Louis 23 19 .548 1.5 Cleveland 25 13 .658 Milwaukee 20 21 .488 4 Detroit 22 19 .537 4.5 Pittsburgh 18 23 .439 6 Kansas City 20 20 .500 6 Chicago Cubs 17 22 .436 6 Chicago White Sox17 25 .405 10 Houston 15 26 .366 9 Minnesota 12 27 .308 13.5 Western Division Western Division San Francisco 22 18 .550 Texas 22 19 .537 Colorado 21 18 .538 .5 LA Angels 22 20 .524 .5 LA Dodgers 19 23 .452 4 Oakland 21 20 .512 1 San Diego 18 23 .439 4.5 Seattle 17 23 .425 4.5 Arizona 17 23 .425 5

Animal Kingdom trainer says Derby win a fairy tale

Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom

ELKTON: Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Graham Motion laughed when asked if he thought Animal Kingdom had a shot at winning the the elusive Triple Crown.

The muscular chestnut defied 20-1 odds and a new jockey to win the Run for the Roses on May 7 but winning the Preakness and then the Belmont Stakes is another matter, said Motion.

“I don’t even want to think about it,” Motion told reporters on Monday at his home base in Maryland. “I’m excited to go to the Preakness with the Derby winner. “ That’s something I never expected to do in my lifetime. That’s a thrill as it is.

“Obviously, you have to think about the Triple Crown, but I’m not going to put that type of pressure on myself.” Motion, 46, appeared at ease on Monday after saddling his first Derby champion but admitted dealing with the attention over the past two weeks was “almost overwhelming.”

“It’s fairy tale stuff,” the soft-spoken, Britishborn trainer said. “A lot of what’s involved in the Derby is fairy tale. “The Derby, it’s almost an unreasonable goal to set out to win because it’s so high, so many things have to align to win the Derby that I think it’s almost unfair to put that kind of

pressure on yourself. “For us, I just feel like it was fate, it was our turn. It is such an incredibly hard thing to win just by circumstances, let alone having the best horse.”

Few people, even Motion, believed lightly raced Animal Kingdom was the best horse at venerable Churchill Downs.

The Kentucky-bred had never before raced over the dirt in his four career starts. His jockey, Robby Albarado, was hurt in a spill just days before the Derby and Motion turned to John Velazquez, who had never reached the winner’s circle in America’s most prestigious race in 12 career attempts. But Animal Kingdom exploded down the stretch and won the race by 2 3/4 lengths. Luck often players a role in the Derby but not this time. “He was the best horse,” said Motion, whose stable is just 60 miles nor theast of Baltimore’s Pimlico Race Course, site of the Preakness. “He did it very easily, in fact.” Animal Kingdom galloped easily for a mile-and-a-half on the dirt Monday at the Fair Hill Training Center.

Motion said he might ship Elkton’s newest celebrity to Pimlico just hours before the $1 million Preakness on May 21. —Reuters

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2018 bid cities to make pitches to IOC members LAUSANNE: With the global campaign in its final weeks, the three cities vying for the 2018 Winter Olympics get the chance today to make their case directly to the IOC voters.

Bid leaders from Pyeongchang, South Korea; Munich; and Annecy, France, will be hoping to pick up the same kind of boost that sent Rio de Janeiro to victory in the race for the 2016 Summer Games.

More than 80 International Olympic Committee members are expected to attend the closed-door presentations and question-and-answer sessions at the Olympic Museum. On Thursday, the members can visit the bid cities’ exhibition rooms at a Lausanne hotel.

The briefing comes less than two months before the IOC selects the 2018 host city by secret ballot at its session in Durban, South Africa, on July 6.

The Lausanne meeting will feature two figure skating greats _ two-time gold medalist Katarina Witt, who chairs the Munich bid, and Kim Yu-na, the reigning Olympic champion who will be part of Pyeongchang’s presentation.

Munich’s bid received a big boost Tuesday ahead of the presentations when organizers

NFL season in limbo NEW YORK: The fate of the next NFL season was back in limbo on Monday after an appeals court reinstated the league’s lockout of players, leaving the long-running dispute no closer to a resolution.

The players had claimed an early points victory last month when a federal court ordered the NFL to lift the lockout, saying the league’s actions were hurting not only the players but fans alike.

But the NFL immediately launched an appeal, saying the federal judge had no jurisdiction in the case because it was a matter for the National Labor Relations Board, and succeeded in winning the majority support of three appeals judges.

The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals voted 2-1 in support of the league, agreeing that the appeal should be heard next month and the lockout should be reimposed until the case is settled.

“In sum, we have serious doubts that the district court had jurisdiction to enjoin the League’s lockout, and accordingly conclude that the League has made a strong showing that it is likely to succeed on the merits,” the court said.

One of the three judges dissented, saying he supported the players, but agreed that nothing would change until the full appeal was heard on June 3.

“The NFL has not persuaded me it will suffer irreparable harm during the pendency of this expedited appeal,” judge Kermit Bye wrote. “In any event, there will not be any shift in the ‘balance of power’ until the appeal is resolved.”

A decision on the league’s appeal was not expected quickly, raising doubts that the 2011 NFL season will begin as scheduled in early September.

“The NFL’s request for a stay of the lockout that was granted today means no football,” the NFL Players Association said in a statement. “The players are in mediation and are working to try to save the 2011 season. The court will hear the full appeal on June 3.”

The decision drew a sharp response from players on their social networking sites while frustrated football fans appeared near the breaking point venting their anger at both sides with posts on the NFL’s official websites. “Owners get what they want. No FOOTBALL,” moaned one fan. “Sad”, offered another.

The ruling came on the same day that the feuding sides reconvened in Minneapolis for mediation talks that were ordered by the federal judge, who urged both sides to sort of their differences away from the courts.

But after two years of failed negotiations and the likelihood of more complex court negotiations, America’s most popular sport remains in a stalemate.

The sides remain divided over a range of issues centered around how they should divide more than $9 billion in annual revenues.

When talks collapsed in March, the players union decertified, allowing the players to take individual action against the NFL and triggering tit-for-tat legal wrangling. — Reuters

secured the last piece of property needed for the downhill course. “The properties for the sporting events of the 2018 Winter Games now have been secured 100 percent,” said Bernhard Schwank, the chief executive of the Munich bid.

“Seven years before possibly staging the games we have an optimal offer for the IOC.” It’s the second time the IOC has arranged a special meeting with bid cities ahead of a vote, and the first for Winter Games candidates.

The presentations in 2009 proved to be pivotal in the 2016 race, with Rio gaining a groundswell of support that culminated in victory several months later over Madrid, Tokyo and Chicago.

The dynamics are different this time, with just three candidates in the race and many IOC members coming from countries without a winter sports tradition. Pyeongchang, bidding for a third consecutive time after narrow defeats in the voting for the 2010 and 2014 Games, has been widely considered the front-runner as it seeks to bring the Winter Games to a new territory in Asia.

Munich, the 1972 Olympic host which is seeking to become the first city to stage both summer and

winter games, has been seen as the main challenger, while Annecy appeared to be lagging behind. The French bid may have the most to gain from this week’s meetings.

“It’s a much closer race that people believed that it would be because the Annecy bid has improved dramatically to make it a contender,” British IOC member Craig Reedie told The Associated Press.

“Munich offers the safety of a big city and enormous degree of support from the history of winter sport in that part of the world, and Pyeongchang are bidding for the third time and have delivered practically everything the IOC have asked them to do.” Rio used the 2009 meeting to underline its economic strength and unveiled a world map that showed where all previous Summer Olympics have been held — with an empty spot for all of South America. It was crucial in convincing IOC members to send the games to the continent for the first time.

“What happened last time was the ultimate winners performed wonderfully well here,” Reedie said.

“The projection of the world map ... was a master-

piece of public relations. To get everybody in the room and say, ‘Look at where it’s been before and where it’s never been.’ Everybody says, ‘Wow, we haven’t thought of that.”‘ Today’s presentations come a week after the release of a 119-page report on the cities by the IOC evaluation commission. The highly technical report said all three cities could successfully host the games. By contrast, this week’s meetings should give voters a better feel for the contenders.

“I would think Pyeongchang and Munich would not want to slip up in any way, but I think it gives Annecy a platform to show that they are well organized and that they actually have everybody behind them, which I suspect other people believe is not the case,” Reedie said.

The IOC’s evaluation report cited a survey showing a 51 percent approval rating in Annecy for the bid, with 63 percent in the Rhones-Alpes region and 62 percent nationally. The report cited 92 percent backing in Pyeongchang, 87 percent in Gangwong Province and 87 percent across South Korea. Munich had 60 percent support in the city, 53 percent in Bavaria and 56 percent nationally. — AP

Franchitti finally reaches Indy as defending champ INDIANAPOLIS: Dario Franchitti will finally get a chance to defend a Indianapolis 500 title — four years late. The Scotsman has returned to the venue of his two biggest wins with an opportunity to — finally — become a repeat winner.

He never got that chance in 2008, leaving the comfort of IndyCars for the world of stock cars. “It’s nice to talk about last year, but my job is to win this one,” Franchitti said. “Yeah, I’ve got a shot, and I think I’ve got a good one.” Franchitti already has a sense of what this month will entail.

In March, NBA Hall of Famer Larry Bird presented Franchitti with his Indy 500 champion’s ring. A week later, he returned to Indy in the hope of knocking out some of the interview requests he expects to fill over the next two weeks.

He’s been asked to do more sponsor appearances, will participate in a soldout fundraiser Monday night to benefit Riley Children’s Hospital of Indianapolis, and three days later will celebrate his 38th birthday. Yes, it’s been a busy month, and if the rain actually stops this week, Franchitti will have to cram in all of his on-the-track work before qualifying starts next weekend.

In Saturday’s abbreviated practice, he was fourth on the speed chart with a best lap of 224.107 mph. More showers washed out the 6-hour session scheduled for Saturday before any cars could make it onto the track, and rain is sprinkled into the forecast for most of this week, too.

The good news is that Franchitti’s with a team, Target Chip Ganassi, and a teammate, Scott Dixon, who have endured the champion’s treatment before.

“You’re definitely a lot more in demand and it takes some time away as well,” said Dixon, the 2008 Indy winner. “As long as you get that managed well, and focus on the track, you’ll be all right.” Franchitti could have sampled it himself after winning the 500 in 2007.

But five months after the race and just weeks after clinching the first of his three IndyCar points titles, Franchitti left Michael Andretti’s IndyCar team for Ganassi’s Sprint Cup team.

It was a miserable experience.

Franchitti failed to finish higher than 17th in his three warm-up races to close the 2007 season, then broke his left ankle in a Nationwide Series crash in 2008 at Talledega. The worst part was watching Dixon dominate the race at Indy with

INDIANAPOLIS: Dario Franchitti, of Scotland, climbs into his car during practice in this file photo. — AP another ex-IndyCar driver, Max Papis, on Memorial Day weekend in Charlotte, N.C. “It wasn’t so much about coming back and defending the title as it was driving in the Indy 500, and I missed that,” Franchitti said. “You know, I had taken that into consideration when I made the move, but I was not quite as prepared for it as I thought.”

Things got even worse in 2008.

By midseason, Franchitti’s NASCAR sponsorship dried up and just 11 months after joining the Sprint Cup series, he gave up the experiment to return to the more familiar IndyCars. “I’m sure he had regrets about not being here (in 2008), but Dario

was trying to do a different discipline and looking toward the future and I talked to him quite a bit that year,” Dixon said. “I’m sure he would have liked to have been back here as defending champ, but that’s why he had to go out and do it again.”

Since returning in 2009, Franchitti has been almost untouchable.

He qualified third for the 2009 Indy 500, finished seventh and eventually won his second points title. Last year, he qualified on the outside of the front row again at Indy, had enough fuel to win the race and celebrate again with his wife, Ashley Judd, before clinching a third points champi-

onship in the season-finale at Homestead.

Now he’s on the cusp of making history.

Only five Indy 500 drivers have won backto-back titles — Wilbur Shaw, Mauri Rose, Bill Vukovich, Al Unser and Helio Castroneves, who won in 2001 and 2002.

And only one foreign-born driver, Castroneves of Brazil, has won three titles.

Franchitti could put himself on both lists if he can defend his title for the first time.

“It’s certainly more intense and there are a lot more things to do. A day here, a day there, it all adds up, but the on-track stuff always comes first,” Franchitti said. “And I’d sure like to do it again.”—AP

Sutil faces legal charges

TOKYO: Japanese champion Tsunami Tenkai sends a left to Thai challenger Petohsairung Looksaikondim in the second round of their WBA women’s super flyweight title boxing bout. Tenkai defended her title by a technical knockout in the third round. — AP

LONDON: Force India driver Adrian Sutil was warned on Monday he faced legal charges for physical assault after a nightclub incident at last month’s Chinese Formula One Grand Prix.

Sutil issued a statement last week apologising for the incident, without giving any details about what happened after the race. However a lawyer for Eric Luz, Luxembourg-based chief executive of Renault F1 team owners Genii Capital, said in a statement on Monday that legal action would be taken.

“In the view of the recent events which occurred in Shanghai on 17 April, Mr Eric Lux has decided to file a criminal complaint against ... Adrian Sutil for physical assault and grievous bodily harm,” it said.

“As soon as the complaint is registered, the (governing International Automobile Federation) FIA and the team Force India will be notified,” it added.

The legal statement, from attorney Marc Henzelin at the Swiss-based Lalive law firm, said Lux did not exclude action against other unnamed individuals.

There was no immediate comment from Force India. Sutil said in his statement to German media last Wednesday that there had been “an action on my part that injured another person inadvertently” at a private event. “I regret this incident and I have already apologised,” the German added.

Force India and a Renault team spokeswoman confirmed at the time that the other person involved was Lux but said it was a private matter and gave no further information. —Reuters

Adrian Sutil of Force India

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Maves face Thunder in Western finals showdown NEW YORK: A young Oklahoma City team take on the wily Texas sharp-shooters of Dallas in a Western showdown between the Mavericks and Thunder starting yesterday with the survivor heading on to the NBA Finals.

Dirk Nowitzk i, the deadly accurate shooter for the Dallas Mavericks, will be pitted against the league’s 22-year-old scoring champion Kevin Durant in a bestof-seven series for the Western Conference crown.

Dallas, 57-25 in the regular season, won two out of three from Oklahoma City (5527) during the campaign, but the slate is clean in the playoffs with both sides hun-

gering for a chance to play for the league title.

The Mavericks, who lost the 2006 NBA Finals to the Miami Heat and flopped out of every post-season since, are gunning for their maiden championship in their 31st season.

The Thunder, who relocated to Oklahoma City for in 2008, are in the conference final for the franchise’s first time since losing the 1996 NBA Finals as the Seattle SuperSonics.

The 32-year-old Nowitzki and his crew of over-30 hardwood partners are coming off a sweep of the twice defending champion Los Angeles Lakers and will have had

nine days of rest when they host the Thunder in the series opener.

The layoff raises the benefits of rest versus the rust from a lengthy absence, yet Nowitzki, 38-year-old evergreen point guard Jason Kidd, 33-year-old scoring guard Jason Terry and 33-year-old threepoint specialist Peja Stojakovic of Croatia may need all the energy they can muster against Oklahoma City.

Nowitzki, a 7-foot (2.13 m), 10-times AllStar and 2007 NBA Most Valuable Player, has been brilliant in the postseason.

The German forward has averaged 26.5 points on 49.7 percent shooting in a Dallas offense that spreads the floor and shares

the ball with selfless passing.

Oklahoma City needed seven games to muzzle the Memphis Grizzlies but youth is on their side to bounce back. “We are not done yet,” Thunder six th man James Harden said after Sunday’s Game Seven win. “We still have more games to play.”

Two-time scoring champion Durant’s sidekick in the Thunder attack is fellow 22year-old point guard Russell Westbrook, who can score as well as distribute.

Dubbed ‘Durantula’ for his ability to turn into a scoring monster in the open court once the Thunder get rolling on the fast break, the lanky forward scored 39 points in the clincher against Memphis

and has averaged 28.9 points in the playoffs, with Westbrook adding 23.9.

The young, athletic Thunder are expected to focus on defending against the three-point shooting by the Mavs, who shot a mind-boggling 20-of-32 from long distance in finishing off the Lakers.

“They have so many shooters,” Harden said. “We’ve got to make them put it on the floor.” Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle k nows i t w i l l b e a f re s h te s t a ga i ns t Oklahoma City, which is allowing 33.9 percent shooting from the three-point line. “(Oklahoma City) will contest everything,” Carlisle said. “Nothing will come easy.” —Reuters

Djokovic’s 37-0 start changes French Open

VANCOUVER: Goaltender Antti Niemi No. 31 of the San Jose Sharks can’t make the save in this file photo. —AFP

Masked men make the difference in Stanley Cup TORONTO: They are the NHL’s masked men; robbers capable of stealing a game, a playoff series and even carrying a team to a Stanley Cup title.

For the teams remaining in the championship chase, it is the play of goalies Tim Thomas of the Boston Bruins, Roberto Luongo of the Vancouver Canucks, Antti Niemi of the San Jose Sharks and Dwayne Roloson of the Tampa Bay Lightning on which each city’s Cup hopes will hinge.

It is an eclectic group that features two finalists for the 2010-11 Vezina Trophy given to the top goalie, including former winner Thomas and 2010 Olympic gold medallist Luongo.

There is also Niemi, a Stanley Cup winner with the Chicago Blackhawks last year, and 41-year-old Roloson, who may not have the flashy credentials as his rivals but has demonstrated the ability to backstop a team all the way to the finals.

Luongo, taken with the fourth overall pick by the New York Islanders in the 1997 draft, has always seemed destined for NHL stardom while the others manning the nets in the conference finals took a more meandering route to NHL jobs.

Thomas was an afterthought when he was plucked in the ninth round of the 1994 draft by the Quebec Nordiques while Roloson and Niemi were not selected at all.

A battler with an acrobatic, unconventional style, Thomas never played for the Nordiques and through the early part of an unremarkable career bounced around Europe and North American minor leagues.

It was not until signing as a free agent with the Bruins in 2002 that Thomas finally played his first NHL game, stopping 31 shots in a 4-3 Bruins win over Edmonton.

But Thomas has made up for lost time, winning the Vezina in 2009, a silver medal at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and then posting a career-best goals-against average and setting an NHL record for best save percentage this season.

“One goal, one dream that I thought a lot about was raising the Stanley Cup over

my head,” said Thomas. “You can make goals but you never know whether you’re going to be able to accomplish them.”

Over the last nine seasons, three netminders have won the Conn Smythe Trophy given to the most valuable player during the playoffs, and before the Cup is hoisted next month it is almost certain that at least one of the remaining goaltenders will again be part of the MVP conversation.

Roloson, whose 13-season career has included stints in Calgary, Buffalo, Minnesota, Edmonton, New York and Tampa Bay, heard MVP whispers when he anchored the Oilers’ surprising run to the Cup final in 2006 until he was hurt in Game One. Signed as a free agent by Calgary in 1994, Roloson did not play his first NHL game until he was 27. With a series win over Boston, he would be in position to become the oldest starting goalie to lead a team to a Stanley Cup win since a 42-yearold Johnny Bower did it with Toronto in 1967.

“I think the guys who played against him (Roloson) maybe didn’t realise how good he is until he got here, then he stole some hockey games for us,” said Lightning leading goal-scorer Steven Stamkos. “I think the thing that separates him is his leadership abilities. You don’t see that.

“He’s obviously a veteran guy in this league who has been to the finals before.

He knows how to react.” Niemi spent most of his career playing in his native Finland until signing with Chicago and leading them to a Stanley Cup win last year in his rookie season. Despite his play, Chicago opted not to resign Niemi because of salary cap restraints and so the Sharks jumped in and signed him to a contract.

“We feel he’s the best goaltender in the world,” said Sharks captain Joe Thornton.

“As a team, you have so much confidence going into every game just knowing we have a chance to win. “If we play well in front of him, we’ll probably win, because he’s that good.” —Reuters

Killebrew dies at 74 MINNEAPOLIS: Minnesota Twins legend Harmon Killebrew, who blasted 573 home runs during a 22-year Major League Baseball career, died yesterday at his Arizona home aged 74.

Killebrew revealed last December that he was suffering from esophageal cancer and last week said that doctors had determined there was nothing more they could do and he would no longer continue medical treatment.

The slugger returned to his home in Scottsdale, Arizona, last week and died there yesterday morning with his wife Nita and their family at his side.

Known as a power hitter who could produce key hits in crucial moments, Killebrew ranks 11th on the all-time major league home run list. His eight campaigns with at least 40 homers rank second only to Babe Ruth.

Killebrew, voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984, won the 1969 American League Most Valuable Player award for a season where he hit 49 homers, walked 145 times and drove in 140 runs. Those marks remain Twins team records.

“No individual has ever meant more to the Minnesota Twins organization and millions of fans across Twins territory than Harmon Killebrew,” Twins president Dave St. Peter said.

Harmon Killebrew Killebrew’s career began with the Washington Senators at age 18 and in his first full season with the club in 1959 he smacked 42 homers.

When the club moved to Minnesota in 1961, Killebrew was its first star, smashed 190 homers in the Twins’ first four seasons, 49 of them in 1964, and he helped power the Twins to their first World Series in 1965. His jersey number, 3, was retired by the Twins in 1975, the year he finished his career playing for Kansas City. —AFP

NEW YORK: It’s tough to decide what’s most impressive about Novak Djokovic’s 37-0 record in 2011, the best start in men’s tennis in more than a quarter-century.

Djokovic has won all seven tournaments he’s entered, including the Australian Open; he had never collected more than five titles in a full season. He’s a combined 7-0 against Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, two men who dominated him and the sport the past several years.

He’s 13-0 against all top-10 players. He leads the ATP in return games won and is second in service games won. The No. 1-ranked Nadal summed it up simply, saying: “He is doing amazing things.” Nadal should know.

He is 0-4 against the second-ranked Djokovic this season, including straight-set losses in the finals on clay at Madrid and Rome this month. Those matches — and Djokovic’s body of work all year — completely change the dynamic heading to the French Open, the clay-court Grand Slam tournament that begins next weekend.

“Nadal doesn’t seem to know what to do against him, and quite honestly, if Nadal is baffled by playing him, then that just shows you how great he’s playing on clay,” seventime major champion John McEnroe said in a telephone interview Monday. “You’re looking at a guy who’s the best player in the world right now.”

McEnroe owns the Open era mark for best start to a season, 42-0 in 1984, which Djokovic would surpass by reaching the final in Paris.

McEnroe will be there as an NBC analyst, including for the June 5 men’s final.

“It’s probably the one record — or one of the few, if any — I have left. That would be the bad part. But at the same time, the good part is it’s given quite a real shot in the arm to tennis, which I’m quite happy about,” McEnroe said. “There’s some excitement going into the French. There’s something really to talk about.”

Nadal has won five of the past six titles at Roland Garros; Djokovic has never made it past the semifinals there. But Djokovic, who turns 24 the day the French Open starts, has the momentum and mental edge at the moment, including this tidbit: He is the first player to beat Nadal twice on clay in one season.

“Let us be clear: He is the ‘King of Clay,’ and he is the best player ever to play on this surface,” Djokovic said after beating Nadal 6-4, 64 in Sunday’s Italian Open final. “I have won against him twice in the last eight days, which I think is incredible, an incredible achievement for me, and has given me a lot of confidence for the French Open.” Listen to Djokovic enough, and you’ll hear that word “confi-

ITALY: Serbia’s Novak Djokovic celebrates as he wins the Men’s final of the Rome tennis open tournament in this file photo. —AFP dence” over and over again.

He credits his recent run to a boost of selfbelief he got while helping Serbia beat France in December to win its first Davis Cup. Djokovic won two matches during that final, the start of what now has become a 39-match winning streak overall — seven away from Guillermo Vilas’ Open era record of 46 in 1977.

“I’ve seen a lot of maturation in Novak,” 14time Grand Slam champion Pete Sampras said in a recent telephone interview.

“I’ve seen him play a number of times over the years, and he was at the level with Roger and Rafa, but you never felt like his temperament could withstand a four-hour match. It always felt like he was a little bit up and down, a little bit emotional,” Sampras added.

“And this year, something clicked in him, where he just sort of became a little bit more positive.” Djokovic acknowledges he’d been waiting, as he put it Sunday, “for everything to come together.” He entered this year 13-29 total against Nadal and Federer, who finished ahead of him in the rankings the past four seasons.

His movement — “He’s like Gumby out there,” McEnroe said — groundstrokes and return of serve quickly made Djokovic someone to watch when he turned pro at 16, and he really began to draw more widespread attention a few years later.

In 2007, he made the semifinals at the French Open and Wimbledon, then was the runner-up to Federer at the US Open.

Djokovic made a splash in New York after his quarterfinal that year when, prompted by

a TV interviewer, he did perfect impersonations of Maria Sharapova (pretending to tuck his hair behind his ears, exactly the way the Russian does) and Nadal (even yanking at the back of his shorts, exactly the way the Spaniard does).

There were those who wondered when Djokovic’s play would catch up to his personality. There have been questions about his fitness and mental strength, in part because he cited injuries when quitting during several matches at important tournaments.

Clearly he is a different player now. He won his first major title at the 2008 Australian Open, was the runner-up to Nadal at last year’s US Open, then added his second Grand Slam trophy in Australia in January. Against fourth-ranked Andy Murray in the Rome semifinals last week, Djokovic was two points from defeat three times.

But he came back to win in a third-set tiebreaker. “It took him a few years to find his way,” Sampras observed, “and now he has that aura now where he’s really, really tough to beat.” Djokovic also has a great chance to earn his first No. 1 ranking. According to the ATP World Tour, if Nadal doesn’t win the tournament, Djokovic will rise to No. 1 — no matter how he fares in Paris.

As it is, the tour announced Monday that Djokovic is the first player to qualify for its season-ending championship in London.

“Today I am definitely not thinking (about) losing a match,” Djokovic said Sunday in Rome, “and thinking only of winning.” So far this year, he’s done nothing but win. —AP

Finland fetes hockey champions HELSINKI: Tens of thousands of exultant flag-waving ice hockey fans thronged the streets of the capital Monday to welcome home Finland’s new world champions.

Finland’s team, the Lions, beat Sweden 6-1 in the final on Sunday in Bratislava, Slovakia, to claim the Nordic country’s second world championship title. Allnight revelers filled city streets nationwide late Sunday after the squad, now dubbed the “Golden Lions,” beat their fierce rivals in a repeat of its first world victory in 1995.

The team flew to Finland, escorted by a Finnish Air Force Hornet F-18 jet, and made its way to the central market square where tumultuous roars greeted them as the players stepped off an open-air bus.

Finland President Tarja Halonen, who usually attends Finland’s international games but didn’t make the final, joined the players on the outdoor stage.

“Looks like when mum stays at home the boys play well,” she said to the cheering crowds.

Hockey fans joined Finnish pop and rock artists in nationalist songs as helicopters buzzed overhead in the carnival-like festivities that were broadcast live on nationwide television and radio.

Police estimated crowds of up to 100,000 in Helsinki.

Sunday’s game was the fourth

FINLAND: Over 90, 000 people gather for the celebrations of the Finland’s victory in the Ice Hockey World championship 2011 at the Market Square in Helsinki. —AFP worlds final between the longstanding rivals. Sweden, which was chasing its ninth world title and first since 2006, beat Finland in 1992 and 1998. Finland also lost the Olympic gold against Sweden in 2006.

“We have waited long enough for this moment. It was time we brought the championship back to Finland,” team coach Jukka Jalonen said. The world championship — after a break of 16

years — was the country’s top news. A record 2.4 million T V viewers watched the final, almost half the country’s 5 million population.

“Finland is ice hockey. That’s what it’s all about, period,” said Kimi Brugger, a 15-year-old schoolboy. “And it won’t be another 16 years before we win again.” Even Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd, who lived in Finland 30 years ago and came

for talks in Helsinki on Monday, got caught up in the atmosphere and described the victory as “an extraordinary win.”

“I know something from personal experience how much ice hockey is drilled into the Finnish soul,” he told reporters. “So, when I arrived here last night I could sense the jubilation from 30,000 feet (9,100 meters) that was occurring down here in the streets of Helsinki.”—AP

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Porto’s new ‘Special One’ eyes Europa League glory

THAILAND: Retired Japanese football star, Hidetoshi Nakata (right) and Edgar Davids of Holland (left) pose with Thai All Star team prior to a football charity match. Nakata hosts a charity football match to raise funds to support victims of Japan earthquake and tsunami.—AFP

Japan withdraws from Copa America TOKYO: Japan said yesterday it had scrapped plans to play in the prestigious Copa America football tournament after initially deciding to compete in the wake of the devastating March 11 quake and tsunami. “We are sorry to inform you that the Japanese team cannot participate in the Copa America 2011 in Argentina,” the Japanese Football Association (JFA) said in a letter to the Argentine Football Federation. “We apologise deeply.”

Japan and Mexico were invited as teams from outside South America to play in the regional tournament in July, where the Japanese had been drawn in Group A with the hosts, Bolivia and Colombia.

But their attendance was cast into doubt after the huge earthquake and tsunami laid waste to much of the country’s Pacific coast.

Initially the JFA said it would send the national team in spite of the devastation, but it has struggled to convince European clubs to release their Japanese star players ahead of the start of the new season.

“Under the current circumstance, we cannot form a team competitive for Copa America,” JFA President Junji Ogura told reporters in Tokyo.

“Based on the judgement, we have unfortunately decided to decline,” Ogura said. “It is extremely regretable.” The South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) con-

firmed later Tuesday that Costa Rica have been invited to replace Japan in the tournament.

“The Confederation have officially sent an invitation to Costa Rica, who from the start have expressed their interest in playing this Copa America,” CONMEBOL spokesman Nestor Benitez told AFP. Costa Rica have played in the tournament three times. The twin disasters of March 11 severely damaged a nuclear power plant in Japan’s northeast, causing widespread electricity cuts that forced the temporary suspension of the J-League.

J-League clubs had agreed to cooperate with Japan’s participation in the Copa America on condition that Europe-based players made up the bulk of the national squad coached by former AC Milan boss Alberto Zaccheroni.

Many of Japan’s top players moved to Europe after the Blue Samurai reached the last 16 in South Africa last June in their best ever World Cup finish on foreign soil.

Japan’s squad is usually spearheaded by CSKA Moscow midfielder Keisuke Honda, Borussia Dortmund goal machine Shinji Kagawa and Stuttgart striker Shinji Okazaki.

Left back Yuto Nagatomo, now on loan to Inter Milan from Cesena, is a key defender for Japan, along with Uchida.—AFP

DUBLIN: Andre Villas-Boas has a golden opportunity to underline his reputation as the new ‘Special One’ when his Porto team face Braga in an all-Portuguese Europa League final in Dublin today.

Villas-Boas has only been in charge of Porto for a year and is already regarded as the brightest young coach to emerge in Europe since Jose Mourinho earned his stripes at the same club almost a decade ago.

Comparisons between VillasBoas and the Real Madrid coach have more substance than just their early career path as the 33year- old learned much from Mourinho during his time as the original Special One’s opposition scout at Porto, Chelsea and Inter Milan.

Villas-Boas - who has since fallen out with his mentor - could enjoy an even more meteoric rise than Mourinho judging by the amount of covetous glances he has received from some of the world’s biggest clubs.

His team wrapped up the league title without losing a single league game - only the second club ever to do that in Portugal and established domestic records for the most consecutive wins and points in a season in the process.

Por to also face Vitoria Guimaraes in Portugal’s Cup final this weekend and are heavy favorites to finish a memorable campaign by winning the Europa League. That could be the defining moment for Villas-Boas.

Mourinho burst onto the global stage by inspiring Porto to a 3-2 victor y over Celtic in the 2003 UEFA Cup final — the Europa League’s previous guise — and Villas-Boas’s stock would rise even higher if he could emulate that achievement and become the youngest coach to win a major UEFA competition.

However, just because the likes of Chelsea, Juventus and Roma are eyeing a coach who has a higher win percentage at Porto than even

Mourinho managed, it doesn’t mean they will get their man just yet. “My future, as you know, is completely linked to Porto,” he said recently. “I do not know of any official interest from other clubs.”

Although Villas-Boas never played for a professional club, he

Academica sandwiched his lengthy spell as Mourinho’s scout before he took charge of Porto in 2010.

Villas-Boas has encouraged his players to express themselves in a more attacking system than the one employed by Mourinho, with

playing in their first European final.

Yet Villas-Boas refuses to write off a team who defeated Arsenal in the Champions League group stages this season and beat Liverpool and Benfica in the Europa League.

“Being the first Portuguese final

DUBLIN: Porto’s Radamel Falcao (centre) takes on team mate Hulk (left) at the Dublin Arena during final training the day before the UEFA Europa League final to be held today between Portuguese teams FC Porto and SC Braga. —AP has been involved in the game at the highest level since he was a teenager after earning a role on Bobby Robson’s coaching staff at Porto in 1994.

Then just 16, Villas-Boas wrote to Robson to protest about his decision to leave one of the club’s strikers on the bench and his raft of statistics so impressed Robson that he offered him a trainee position coaching the youth team.

Spells in charge of the British Virgin Isles, aged 21, and

the form of prolific strikers Hulk and Falcao - who has scored a record 17 goals in the Europa League this season - key to their bid to beat Braga.

Standing in Villas-Boas’s way at the Aviva Stadium is 42-year-old former Por to player Domingos Paciencia, who will be tak ing charge of his last game with Braga.

Braga, whose only major silverware was the 1966 Portuguese Cup, finished a massive 36 points behind Porto in the league and are

it brings something special to the game. Both teams know each other very well but anything can happen in the game,” Villas-Boas said.

“I think it has nothing to do with what happened in the league and it’s a challenge that is very difficult for us.” Paciencia agrees that Braga should not be underestimated and he added: “My side goes into every game determined to succeed. “They simply do not give up and this has helped us go all the way to the final.”—AFP

West Ham must rebuild on and off the pitch

GERMANY: Solbakken (right) new head coach of German first division Bundesliga football club FC Cologne, shakes hands with the club’s manager Volker Finke during a press conference. Sobakken signed a two-year contract with Cologne.—AFP

Sochaux bid to disrupt Lille title procession PARIS: Lille will be practically assured of a first French league title since 1954 with victory over Sochaux today, but in Francis Gillot’s side they must overcome the form team in the division.

A day after beating Paris Saint-Germain 10 in the French Cup final, Lille looked on gleefully as defending champions Marseille drew 2-2 at Lorient on Sunday to effectively concede defeat in the title race.

Going into Wednesday’s home game, Rudi Garcia’s men require four points from their remaining three matches to complete the second league and cup double in the club’s history, after a previous such success in 1946.

However, their +30 goal difference is seven goals superior to Marseille’s, meaning that OM would require a miracle to retain the trophy if Lille prevail in their next outing.

A third league title in the club’s history may be beckoning, but sporting director Frederic Paquet says Lille cannot afford to look beyond Wednesday’s game.

“We’ve expended a lot of energy in our recent series of matches and we’ll be up against a team who play well and who are on a positive dynamic,” he said.

“The Marseille result changes almost nothing for us, because in any case, we absolutely have to win.” If Marseille are seeking grounds for optimism, they will find them in the superb recent form of Sochaux’s young, ultraattacking side.

Unbeaten since a 2-0 defeat at Auxerre on March 19, Sochaux have picked up 17 points from a possible 21 in their last seven games.

Having scored seven goals in their last two matches-a sensational 4-0 win at Bordeaux, followed by a 3-0 defeat of Monaco-they are now in pole position to secure sixth place and a berth in next season’s Europa League.

“It’s now a real objective for the players and it would be a real disappointment not to get there,” said Gillot. “With a four-point lead (now three points, over seventh-placed

Lorient) and a good goal difference (+15), the cards are in our hands.”

Central midfielder Florent Balmont (thigh) misses out again for Lille, but captain Rio Mavuba should be able to start despite a nagging adductor muscle concern.

Sochaux’s holding midfielder Carlao could feature after resuming training following a thigh injury, but defenders Jacques Faty (adductors), Yassine Mikari (ankle) and Jeremie Brechet (Achilles) are all out.

In today’s other game, PSG will bid to put their French Cup final disappointment behind them when they visit Bordeaux. Third-placed Lyon’s 1-1 draw at Brest on Monday means PSG can move above them into the final Champions League qualifying position if they take all three points.

Bordeaux go into the game just four points clear of the relegation zone in 11th place after a run of one win in nine games that prompted coach Jean Tigana to fall on his sword.

Interim coach Eric Bedouet can call on captain Alou Diarra after he completed a onegame suspension, with Yoan Gouffran (fractured ankle) the only long-term absentee from the Bordeaux squad. PSG captain Claude Makelele, forced off in the cup final with a hip muscle strain, is suspended for the trip to Stade Chaban-Delmas.—AFP

Matches on TV (Local Timings)

UEFA Europa League Porto v Braga Al Jazeera Sport +2 Al Jazeera Sport +1 Al Jazeera Sport +3 Al Jazeera Sport 1 HD

21:45

LONDON: Chris Hughton, who spent two seasons at West Ham United towards the end of his long playing career, emerged as favorite to succeed Avram Grant as the troubled club’s new manager yesterday.

Whether Hughton gets the job or it goes to another “British” manager as co-owner David Sullivan has implied it will, the new man faces a huge task in restoring the club’s pride-as well as the Premier League place it lost on Sunday. To cap a poor campaign on the field, West Ham’s end of season dinner, attended by more than 800 guests in a central London hotel, was marred by a brawl between fans and players and the police being called to the hotel before peace was restored.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: “We were called to reports of a disturbance at the Grosvenor House Hotel in Park Lane .. officers attended, there were no arrests.”

No-one could arrest West Ham’s slide into the Championship (second division) either and Grant was sacked within an hour of Sunday’s 3-2 defeat at Wigan Athletic which sealed their relegation. Dropping into the Championship is little short of calamitous in sporting and financial terms for the club who, despite a trading profit, are still tens of millions of pounds in debt following the spending of their previous Icelandic owners.

The current owners, millionaires David Gold and Sullivan, fans since boyhood, bought the controlling interest in West Ham in January last year.

As well as the trauma of their third relegation from the top fligt in the last 20 seasons, West Ham’s fans are facing the prospect of a not-altogether popular move away from Upton Park, their home for the last 107 years, to the Olympic Stadium after the London Games next year.

Whether West Ham are a Premier League, Championship or League One (third division) team by then is anyone’s guess, but right now the club are coping with stark realities.

Sullivan said yesterday that choosing Grant as manager last summer was a “bad selection” by the board. “Avram is a lovely person but the results sadly speak for themselves that it was a bad selection by the board,” Sullivan told The Sun. “ We all share some blame for the results-the board, the manager and the team. However, the team can only play the tactics and formation they are asked to play.

“We want a manager who will get the best out of the squad and foster a strong team spirit.” Sullivan tried to put a brave face on things. “It is not Armageddon but its a huge setback for the club and myself and David Gold as supporters. “I confidently predict that this time next year ... we will be back in the Premier League.” “The financial burden to us and our families will rise, not the debts of the club. Some players will leave but hopefully not as many as you might think.”

The season started poorly when West Ham lost their opening four matches and only spent two weeks off the bottom of the table before Christmas.

If the board had acted decisively in January by sacking Grant and replacing him with Martin O’Neill, things may have turned out very differently.

O’Neill is viewed as a better tactician than Grant and would probably have got more from the players. O’Neill, who has not managed since leaving Aston Villa last year, is among the contenders to be new manager along with Hughton, the 2-1 favourite, former Blackburn Rovers boss Sam Allardyce, Paul Lambert of Norwich City and former Tottenham Hotspur manager Martin Jol. They could well inherit a side without Footballer of the Year Scott Parker, England goalkeeper Robert Green or England striker Carlton Cole who are all likely to be sold while West Ham begin to rebuild, a resurrection as much about a rebirth on the field as off it.—Reuters

FA warn Ferguson, Ancelotti LONDON: Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson and Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti were both warned as to their future conduct by the Football Association (FA) yesterday in relation to recent comments about referee Howard Webb.

Both managers made complimentary remarks about World Cup final referee Webb ahead of the Premier League clash between the title rivals at Old Trafford on May 8.

However, in the process, they contravened FA regulations prohibiting managers from making any comments whatsoever about referees prior to a match.

Ferguson was warned to his future conduct yesterday before the FA issued an identical ruling on Ancelotti several hours later the same day.

Scottish boss Ferguson was handed a five-match touchline ban by the FA earlier

this term for his derogatory comments about referee Martin Atkinson during United’s match at Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge ground.

But there was widespread disbelief that he faced the prospect of being punished for praising Webb, with even Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, a longstanding rival of Ferguson, saying: “To me, it doesn’t look to be a major problem to say that somebody is good. I would not charge him for that.”

United beat Chelsea 2-1 and last weekend gained the point they needed to reclaim the Premier League title from the Blues with a draw at Blackburn.

Now Ferguson can concentrate on preparing United for their Champions League final against Spanish giants Barcelona at Wembley on May 28 without the threat of more significant FA action hanging over him.—AFP

FIFA president Joseph S. Blatter

Africa adds support for ‘unbeatable’ Blatter ZURICH: Africa became the fourth continent to back FIFA president Sepp Blatter’s bid for re-election while the Swiss said that he could not lose.

Africa joined Europe, South America and Oceania in backing a fourth term for Blatter, who is being challenged by Asian football chief Mohamed Bin Hammam.

Blatter also announced plans to make sure a woman sat on the FIFA executive committee if, as he expected, he won. “I can’t lose,” Blatter, 75, was quoted as saying by German news agency DPA. “I have confidence in myself and confidence also that the associations will choose me for another four years.

“Until now, it has been a macho structure with 24 members,” he added “We should create a women’s quota and raise it 25 members.”

He put forward Lydia Nsekera, president of the Burundi federation, as the first possible occupant of the new post.

Each national association holding one vote at the FIFA Congress, which will choose the president in Zurich on June 1.

Africa and Europe hold 53 apiece, while South America has 10 and Oceania 11, making a total of 127 which would be more than enough for what Blatter has already promised will be a final term.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced its decision. “Following a secret ballot, the CAF executive committee voted in the majority to support the incumbent,” a brief statement from Cairo said.

However, voting is secretive and national associations are not obliged to obey their regional confederation’s orders, something which gives hope to Bin Hammam.

African countries, especially, have been known to ignore their confederation’s recommendations in the past. When Blatter was voted to power in 1998, the CAF executive campaigned vigorously for his Swedish opponent Lennart Johansson but the majority of Africa went against the regional body’s wishes and helped the Swiss sweep to victory.

They also failed to give the expected backing to their own president Issa Hayatou when he challenged Blatter four years later.

Blatter is due to meet more than 40 African soccer association leaders in a hastily arranged conference in Johannesburg at the weekend, to discuss the legacy of last year’s World Cup in South Africa.

In the DPA interview, Blatter also replied to criticism from Bin Hammam that he had not consulted the executive committee before last week’s announcement of a 20 million euro ($28.39 million) donation to Interpol to help combat matchfixing and illegal betting.

“I can’t call in the executive committee every time,” he said.

I’m an executive president who has been given the job by the executive committee and the FIFA Congress of keeping all illegal wheeling and dealing out of football.”—Reuters

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ITALY: Britain’s Mark Cavendish (right) sprints ahead to win the 10th stage of the Giro díItalia, Tour of Italy, cycling race from Termoli to Teramo yesterday. —AP

Cavendish wins 10th stage of Giro TERAMO: British standout Mark Cavendish responded to a bit of controversy by winning the 10th stage of the Giro d’Italia in a sprint finish yesterday.

Race favorite Alberto Contador wore the pink jersey for the first time in this year’s Giro and retained the overall lead.

Cavendish clocked 4 hours, 49 seconds over the mostly flat 159-kilometer (99-mile) route from Termoli to Teramo, which featured a slight uphill finish.

Spanish sprinter Francisco Ventoso finished second and Italy’s Alessandro Petacchi was third, both with the same time.

It was Cavendish’s first victory in this year’s Giro and the sixth in his career, having won two stages in 2008 and three in 2009.

“Winning in Italy is massively impor-

tant for me,” said Cavendish, who lost a close sprint to Petacchi in Parma in stage 2. “It’s where I took my first ever grand tour stage win and I was disappointed not to win in Parma because this is one of my favorite races, really close to my heart.”

Before the stage began, Ventoso and Italy’s Manuel Belletti said Cavendish should have been disqualified for getting help from his team car in Sunday’s uphill finish on Mount Etna.

“It’s shameful. Everyone else fights like crazy to finish within the maximum time and then some people attach themselves to the car and the judges don’t intervene,” Ventoso said.

Cavendish was the 189th and last finisher on the volcano, crossing 26 minutes, 35 seconds behind stage win-

ner Contador — just 25 seconds within the cutoff that would have eliminated him from the race.

“I suffered badly in the mountain stages, but I wanted to get through in order to keep winning here,” Cavendish said.

During yesterday’s stage, Cavendish punctured a tire with 50 kilometers (32 miles) to go, but quickly rejoined the main pack after changing wheels.

After a rest day, the race path changed direction and began heading north along the Adriatic coast. With schools closed for the occasion in Termoli, large crowds greeted the riders at the start. During the opening kilometer (mile), two riders — Pierre Cazaux of France and Fumiyuki Beppu

of Japan — broke away from the pack and Yuriy Krivstov — who was born in Ukraine but recently became a French citizen — soon caught up with them to form a three-man breakaway.

Cazaux, Beppu and Krivstov gained a lead of more than six minutes at one point but were caught by the main pack with 11 kilometers (seven miles) to go.

With 25 kilometers (16 miles) remaining, Belgian rider Kristof Vandewalle fell and bloodied his face, but got up and kept going after switching to a spare bike. After completing the stage, he required eight stitches in his chin.

“A branch got stuck in my front wheel, blocking it,” Vandewalle said. “I didn’t have time to react. In a flash, I

Gilchrist, Marsh run riot DHARAMSALA: A record double-century partnership between Adam Gilchrist and Shaun Marsh powered Kings XI Punjab to a resounding 111-run vic tor y over Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL yesterday.

Gilchrist bludgeoned 106 off 55 deliveries and Marsh hammered an unbeaten 79 off 49 as Kings XI Punjab totaled 232-2, the highest score this year in the IPL. The Australian left-handed pair added 206 in the second-wicket stand. In reply, Bangalore was bowled out for 121 in 17 overs.

“It was a pretty important game for us,” Gilchrist said. “You’ve always got to maintain trust in your mind that you will get runs.” Punjab remains in playoffs contention with 14 points from 13 games, while Bangalore, the only team to be assured of a berth, tops the standings with 17 from 13.

Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians each have 16 points from 12 matches.

Gilchrist smashed nine sixes, the most ever by a Punjab batsman in the IPL, and eight fours. The 39-year-old Gilchrist dominated the bowling from early on, smashing West Indies allrounder Chris Gayle for two consecutive sixes and following up with three successive sixes off South African swing bowler Charl Langeveldt.

Gilchrist eventually fell to Langeveldt toward the end of the innings after completing his second IPL century earlier in the over. Marsh had been content playing second fiddle early on but then came into his own in style.

The 27-year-old Australian hammered 30 off an over from South African allrounder Johan van der Wath, hitting the hapless seamer for three sixes and three fours. He finished with five sixes and seven fours as Punjab set Bangalore an average of 11.65

DHARMSALA: Adam Gilchrist of Kings XI Punjab acknowledges his fifty runs during an Indian Premier League cricket match against Royal Challengers Bangalore. —AP runs an over to win.

Bangalore caved in under the pressure of runs, with Gayle falling to Ryan Harris without the star batsman scoring, Gilchrist taking a fine catch jumping high to his left.

Harris also dismissed Virat Kohli when the stand-in skipper edged a delivery to the slips for a run-a-ball 11. Saurabh Tiwary and Asand Pathan then fell in quick succession as Bangalore was reduced to 43-4 by the seventh over.

Legspinner Piyush Chawla ripped

through the middle order to finish with the enviable figures of 4-17. Today, Chennai Super K ings and Kochi Tuskers play at Chennai.

Scores: Kings XI Punjab 232-2 in 20 overs (Adam Gilchrist 106, Shaun Marsh 79 not out, Charl Langeveldt 2-48) def. Bangalore Royal Challengers 121 all out in 17 overs (AB de Villiers 34, Piyush Chawla 4-17, Ryan Harris 3-28, Shalabh Srivastava 2-30). —AP

was on the ground and I hit my face hard on the asphalt. “I also have a few scrapes on my arms and hands and I also chipped my incisor tooth. It was quite a scare, but fortunately it’s nothing too serious.” With three kilometers (two miles) to go, British rider David Millar attempted a solo breakaway but Cavendish’s teammates chased him down and set up a perfect sprint for the Isle of Man rider.

“We haven’t got our most experienced sprint team here, but it is still the same as it’s always been in terms of heart and commitment,” Cavendish said. “We controlled the break perfectly, and when we came into the finish, they were all there.

“I got on Petacchi’s wheel, he started accelerating with 250 meters to go.

I went with 150 meters to go and then I came past him for the win.” Looking ahead, rider representatives met with race director Angelo Zomegnan and approved keeping the Crostis descent in Saturday’s 14th stage after seeing videos and photos of protective mattresses and netting set up along the dangerous route.

Belgian rider Wouter Weylandt died when he crashed after clipping a wall during a descent in the fourth stage.

Today’s 11th stage is a hilly 144-kilometer (89-mile) leg from Tortoreto Lido to Castelfidardo, in which Contador could face attacks to his 59second lead over Belarus rider Kanstantsin Sivtsov. “Tomorrow will be like racing a classic,” Contador said. “It will be a very, very difficult stage.”—AP

Benneteau downs Baghdatis in Nice NICE: French wild card Julien Benneteau upset sixth-seeded Marcos Baghdatis 7-6 (3), 6-2 in the first round of the Open de Nice yesterday.

Benneteau converted three of four break opportunities to claim his third win in five matches over Baghdatis and avenge a straight-set loss three weeks ago in Munich. It was also his first win on clay this season. Latvian wild card Ernests Gulbis rallied to beat eighth-seeded Fabio Fognini 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 after saving nine of 11 break points.

After a strong start to the season that took to the semifinals in Doha, Gulbis went through a poor run of form. He will now try to win consecutive matches for the first time in four months. S ergiy Stak hovsk y also advanced by beating Teymuraz Gabashvili of Russia 7-6 (5), 6-3.

The seventh-seeded Stakhovsky, a quarterfinalist at the warm-up event for the French Open last year, broke his opponent three times to set up a match against Robin Haase. The Dutch lucky loser defeated Yen-hsun Lu of Taiwan 6-3, 6-4.

Carlos Berlocq came from behind to beat Austrian qualifier Andreas Ha ider-M au rer 5 -7 , 6 -3 , 6 -0 . The Arg entine will play third-s eeded Nicolas Almagro of Spain.

In Strasbourg, top-seeded players Marion Bartoli and Andrea Petkovic reached the second round of the Stra s bou rg I nterna tional with straight-sets wins yesterday.

Bartoli, seeded No. 1, overcame problems with her serve to beat Kimiko Date-Krumm 6-2, 6-1 after breaking the Japanese veteran six times.

The Frenchwoma n nex t plays Elena Baltacha of Britain, who was lea ding 6 -3 when M a g dalena Rybarikova of Slovakia retired.

The second-seeded Petkovic made light work of Anna-Lena Groenefeld 6 -3 , 6 -1 in a n a ll- G erman ma tch.

Eighth-seeded Lucie Hradecka beat American qualifier Ahsha Rolle 6-3, 64. The Czech, runner-up to Aravane Rezai two years ago, served 10 aces and broke Rolle three times.

She will nex t play Stephanie Foretz Gacon of France, who defeated Ukraine’s Alona Bondarenko 6-4, 6-1.

China’s Zhang Shuai beat Pauline Parmentier of France 6-2, 6-4, Mirjana Lu cic of Croa tia beat Chris tina McHale of the United States, 7-5, 7-6 (7) and France’s Alize Cornet pre vailed 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 over Sania Mirza of India.

Meanwhile, Virginie Razzano will play at the French Open despite the death of her fiance. Stephane Vidal, who also served as Razzano’s coach until March, was diagnosed with a brain tumor nine years ago and died Monday at 32.

But despite his illness, he encouraged the 28-year-old Razzano to compete at Roland G a r ro s. “ Fo u r o r f i ve d ays a g o, I asked him: ‘Do you want me to go and play at Roland G arros?”‘ the Frenchwoman told Tuesday ’s edit i o n o f L’ E q u i p e n e w s p a p e r. “ H e answered: ‘ Yes, you need to play.’

Because his intention is that I keep on going in my life, that I play for him and that I continue to be s t ro n g a n d t o f i g h t .” T h e Fre n c h Open begins on Sunday. —AP

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KSE equities rally as real estate looks up

US housing starts, permits fall in April Page 25

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Europe moves away from Strauss-Kahn IMF jockeying starts • Lagarde may emerge favorite

PARIS: A woman picks up a copy of a newspaper headlining on IMF head arrest at a news stand in Paris yesterday. International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn was accused on Monday of a pattern of sexual misconduct that began years before he was charged with a weekend attack on a maid in a New York hotel room. Headline of Le Parisien reads: standing KO. — AP

BRUSSELS: European powers began yesterday to distance themselves from Dominique Strauss-Kahn as current French finance minister Christine Lagarde emerged as their favored replacement to head the IMF. With Strauss-Kahn, one of Lagarde’s predecessors, languishing in New York’s Rikers Island jail awaiting trial on charges of attempted rape, the European Union has unfinished business with the euro-zone debt crisis and the virtual certainty that Greece will need further financial aid. For that reason, European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso told Dutch media that “if a succession is necessar y, European Union states should present their candidate.”

But emerging powers believe it is time for Europe, the IMF’s biggest capital contributor, and the United States, its home, to reconsider arrangements dating back to World War II which share leadership at the IMF and World Bank between the two.

Stepping into the fray, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told Dow Jones Newswires on Tuesday that nominations for the International Monetary Fund should be fair and transparent.

Booming China and many other major developing countries feel it is long overdue that they get the senior jobs at the IMF and World Bank so that their interests get a better hearing.

Strauss-Kahn, who before his arrest was front-runner for the French presidential polls in 2012, was seen as having brought special connections and understanding to the eurozone debt crisis.

Even before he appeared before a US judge Monday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Belgian Finance Minister Didier Reynders fired the starting gun on the succession issue. As potential runners and riders began to emerge, either way “the feeling is it’s not for Europe to budge,” said a diplomat who asked not to be named.

Lagarde is considered “certainly a credible candidate,” the diplomat said, but EU par tners are “waiting to see if (French President Nicolas) Sarkozy will put her forward. “She is waiting to see if Sarkozy will put her forward,” the diplomat said, noting that the Europeans are trying not to appear in any “indecent” haste to decide the issue.

Lagarde also has her own judicial woes in France, where a prosecutor has asked for an

investigation into whether she exceeded her authority when ordering a special panel of judges to arbitrate in a banking scandal involving tycoon Bernard Tapie.

France has had four of the 11 IMF bosses since the institution was set up in 1946, which may prove Lagarde’s biggest drawback, but it would appear she can also count on support from London, judging by an appearance alongside George Osborne last week on the BBC. When asked about who would replace Strauss-Kahn when he stepped down in 2012, Osborne said Lagarde would make a good future candidate.

As the convention is that only heads of state or government can nominate candidates, former British Labour prime minister Gordon Brown’s long-cherished hopes of succeeding Strauss-Kahn may be dead and buried. His Conservative successor David Cameron’s government has already noted “no groundswell of support” for the Scot.

Germany’s mass-market daily Bild mentioned Josef Ackerman, chief executive of Germany’s largest bank, Deutsche Bank, as well as Lagarde, while a compromise candidate who could find favour if emerging

Brazil wants IMF chief from emerging nation SAO PAULO: Brazil believes the next head of the IMF should come from a large emerging market country, but does not plan to pressure actively on the issue because Europe is likely to keep its “stranglehold” on the job, a senior government official told Reuters yesterday.

“We think it would be appropriate to have someone from emerging countries,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “We believe India and Brazil would be good options. But we also believe that Europe is likely to keep its deep stran-

economies step up a campaign might be Turkey’s Kemal Dervis, according to diplomats. As Turkish finance minister, Dervis used an IMF bailout to set Ankara on its path to sharp growth and has also previously headed the UN Development Program. IMF deputy managing director

N Sudan faces economic crisis after split: Turabi KHARTOUM: Sudan will see an economic crisis after the south secedes in July that could lead to protests and instability as inflation gets worse, opposition leader Hassan Al-Turabi said yesterday.

South Sudan voted in January to become independent on July 9 in a referendum promised in a peace deal in 2005 that formally ended decades of civil war in the vast African country.

The north, where 80 percent of the population live, will lose 75 percent of the country’s 500,000 barrels per day of oil production, which is located in the south and is almost the state’s only source of income.

Turabi, the leader of the Popular Congress Party, said the loss of oil revenues would be felt after July and worsen economic woes with annual inflation already hitting 16.5 percent in April.

“Inflation is a very serious problem,” Turabi said in an interview, sitting relaxed in his office in Khartoum just two weeks after being released from three months in prison.

“Look at doctors. They do not make enough to buy a car or a house. They go abroad for work, they work in Saudi Arabia,” he said, referring to a strike by state employed doctors in the Sudanese capital yesterday. Security forces arrested Turabi

and eight other party officials on Jan. 18 after he called for a “popular revolution” if Khartoum did not tackle inflation, a sensitive issue in Sudan weighed down by years of conflict and a US trade embargo. Sudan has not seen uprisings like those in Egypt or Tunisia but Turabi said corruption and economic difficulties might drive people to the streets in larger crowds than the sporadic protests seen so far.

“Many people are very angry,” he said.

“People are now conscious about corruption due to the new media. They see what is happening in Arab countries,” he said.

He said Sudan was a fragile country held together along tribal lines where some areas, such as the troubled region of Darfur, could break up in protests inspired by Arab revolutions.

“It might happen,” he said. “I am worried that any protest, revolution could lead to chaos because Sudan is decentralized.” He stopped short of calling for street protests but said Sudan needed an “orderly transition” of power to prevent instability. “We need real freedom, elections. A peaceful transition of power,” he said. Turabi was the spiritual mentor behind the Islamist government of Sudan’s president Omar Hassan Al-Bashir when it took power in a 1989 coup, but the men later fell out. —Reuters

glehold on the position, and so were not planning to push very hard on this issue for now,”the official added. Brazilian Finance Minister Guido Mantega told an IMF panel in April — before the scandal erupted — that it was “high time” for the institution to break with its practice of traditionally appointing Europeans to the top job. Yet the senior official said yesterday that early diplomatic signs indicated that, if StraussKahn permanently steps aside from the IMF job, it will be hard to prevent another European from taking his place. — Reuters

John Lipsky is filling in for Strauss-Kahn for now but he had announced before the Frenchman’s dramatic arrest on board an Air France plane that he would leave on August 31 — meaning the IMF faces a challenge replacing its top two officials in a very short period. — AFP

Saudi may overspend 2011 budget by up to 15%

SAN FRANCISCO: The exterior view of a Saks Fifth Avenue store is seen in San Francisco. Saks Inc, the upscale department store chain, said yesterday rebounding luxury spending helped its first-quarter net income rise 51 percent from a year ago to $28.4 million. —AP

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia will overspend its budget by up to 15 percent this year due to spending on construction and job-creation measures, its finance minister said yesterday.

Worried by unrest sweeping the Arab world, the world’s top oil exporter has pledged to spend an estimated $130 billion, or around 30 percent of its annual economic output, on new houses, creating jobs, unemployment benefits and other measures.

The OPEC member, which relies on hydrocarbons for over 80 percent of budget revenue, has not said how the expenditure will be spread. “Because of decrees issued by the custodian of two holy mosques, it (spending) will be over (plan),” Finance Minister Ibrahim Alassaf told reporters at a financial conference, referring to King Abdullah’s more formal title in the country that is home to Islam’s two holiest sites.

“We will have overspending. I cannot project exactly but I would think, although it is very difficult ... it (overspending) will be 10-15 percent,” Alassaf said. He reiterated an earlier forecast that Saudi economic growth this year would exceed 4 percent, up from 3.8 percent growth last year.

The biggest Arab economy, which tends to heavily overspend its conservative budget when oil prices are higher, had originally planned to spend 580 billion riyals ($155 billion) in 2011 in its third consecutive record budget.

Robust oil prices-near $98 per barrel yesterday should enable Saudi Arabia to cover the additional spending without having to tap into its record high net foreign asset reserves of $461 billion and could event generate a budget surplus in 2011.

“We might not need to (use foreign reserves),” Alassaf said, adding it was premature to assess the need as it was still early into the year. “We are confident that the current resources will be enough to meet needs (for project financing) due to high oil prices, which is the base of the budget.” —Reuters

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BUSINESS

Ford’s rear inflatable seatbelts earn prestigious safety award All-new Explorer’s breakthrough safety innovation KUWAIT: Ford’s industry-exclusive rear inflatable seatbelts - one of the all-new Explorer’s breakthrough safety innovations - recently earned the 2011 Traffic Safety Achievement Award from the New York International Auto Show’s World Traffic Safety Symposium. This advanced restraint system is designed to help reduce head, neck and chest injuries for rear seat occupants. Over time, Ford plans to offer this technology in other nameplates globally.

“Ford’s rear inflatable seat belt technology will enhance safety for rear seat passengers of all ages, especially young children who might be more vulnerable in crashes,” said Sue Cischke, Ford group vice president, Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering. “Rear inflatable seat belts - a Ford exclusive help build on our safety leadership.”

Safer and more comfortable In everyday use, rear inflatable belts operate like conventional seat belts, including compatibility with infant and child safety and booster seats.

The additional comfor t and padding of rear inflatable seat belts encourages increased use.

In the event of a frontal or side crash, the increased diameter of the inflated belt more effectively holds the occupant in the proper seating position, helping to reduce the risk of injury.

The inflated belts help to distribute crash force energy across up to five times more of the occupant’s torso than a traditional belt. This expands its range of protection and reduces risk of injury by diffusing crash pressure over a larger area, while helping pro-

vide additional head and neck support.

Following deployment, the belt remains inflated for several seconds before dispersing its air through pores in the material.

Innovation and heritage Rear inflatable seat belts

debuted as an affordable option for the 2011 Ford Explorer, named in January as the 2011 North American Truck of the Year.

Ford has the most top US safety ratings of any automotive manufacturer ever. This

includes more Top Safety Picks from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and more National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) fivestar ratings.

Ford was the first automaker to introduce seat belts in all

seating positions in 1955 and was a leader in making driver and front passenger airbags standard in most vehicles by 1993.

The New York International Auto Show’s 2009 World Traffic Safety Symposium honored Ford’s MyKey(r) owner control feature, enabling parents or fleet administrators to set limits on vehicle speed and audio volume while muting the audio system if front occupants don’t buckle up.

In 2007 Ford was recognized with the Traffic Safety Achievement Award for Community Service, honoring the Driving Sk ills for Lifeinitiative to improve driver skill sets among teens. Two years earlier, Ford was feted for its exclusive VIRTTEX driving simulator and its use in researching potential driver distractions.

Ford’s rear inflatable seat belts also stood out at the 2011 Edison Best New Product Award ceremony by receiving the gold medal in applied technology.

The 2011 Ford Explorer is just one of Ford’s highly-anticipated offerings for this year and is due to launch in the GCC region in the third quarter.

Commercial Facilities Co reaches across Kuwait in less than an hour

Nasser Ali Al-Mannai, Assistant Managing Director Marketing, Commercial Facilities Company

KUWAIT: In a further step to reach out to its clients with premium and convenient financial solutions, the Commercial Facilities Company (CFC) upgraded their communication system that links the 25 representative offices spread across all the car dealerships in Kuwait allowing the representative faster responses surpassing the market benchmark. Using up to date state of the art technology, customers can now apply for car financing at any of the outlets and get a response in less than an hour.

Nasser Ali Al-M annai, Assistant M anaging Direc tor M arketing, Commercial Facilities Company said “At CFC, we continuously provide exceptional products and services that meet the needs of different customers segments. Our commitment of guaranteeing car finance in less than an hour comes as par t of CFC ’s effor ts to improve convenience and quality of services to be taken to reflect our con-

sumer-based mission. It is also in-line with our vision of making experience with CFC as simple and as convenient as possible by using state of the art technologies and to entrench the principle of speed.”

Nasser added, “In coordination with the IT department, each outlet is connected in a different way finding the best solution for its location which added not only to the speed of the transaction, but the quality of the service as well.”

Time is an important factor that CFC takes into consideration, thanks to its easier procedures, leniency, and quicker processing of transactions, when all required documents are present, customers can benefit of speedy and quality procedures in less than an hour. CFC also offers its customers an online website service that provides financing applications, installment payments, plus a financing calculator. It is worth to mention that the process of apply-

ing applications online has been receiving high customer satisfaction since its swift reply. It also allows customers to inquire about their accounts directly through CFCOnline.

Commercial Facilities Company (CFC) was established in 1977 as the first Kuwaiti closed shareholding company with an initial capital of KD 3.8million (US$ 12.7million). It specialized in providing credit facilities to finance consumer and commercial products. CFC is considered the leading company in financing consumer goods and providing credit facilities to individuals.

Branching out in strategic locations, CFC has over 200 employees across its 5 branches and 21 representation offices located in the major car dealerships.

CFC’s online service, http://www.cfckw.com, provides customers with a convenient por tal to manage their accounts, applying applications, pay installments and calculating loans.

Charminar, Hyderabad

flydubai’s passage to South India India network expands KUWAIT: flydubai, Dubai’s first low cost airline, yesterday announced its much anticipated second destination in India, the City of Pearls, Hyderabad. The airline’s 37th destination will provide a low cost option from Dubai to one of the fastest-growing cities in the world and will open up Southern India to travellers on flydubai’s rapidly expanding network.

Flights to Hyderabad will operate three times per week and will start on June 11th, giving the 1.4 millionstrong Indian expat community in the UAE a timely yet low-cost connection to their home country during the peak summer holiday season. flydubai CEO, Ghaith Al Ghaith, said: “We are delighted to announce Hyderabad as our latest destination.

There is a huge Indian community in the UAE and one of the reasons flydubai was established was to provide low cost, quality links to places the expat community in the UAE wish to travel to. Hyderabad is an important new route for flydubai and goes a long way in our efforts to fulfil that commitment. While our Lucknow route provides a gateway to Nor th and Central I ndia; our Hyderabad route will be a low-cost connection to South India, benefiting not only the Indian expat population in the UAE but also bringing increased tourism and business opportunities to this historic city.”

With historical roots and modern ambitions, Hyderabad is symbolic of 21st century India. Known as the “City of Pearls”, thanks to a 200-year old trade in pearls once patronized by the Nizams or Mughal rulers, Hyderabad today is fast gaining currency as an IT hub, housing global players like Google and Microsoft, as well as home-grown brands Wipro and TCS. Also, as the centre of Mughlai cuisine, Hyderabad is responsible for introducing the famous Hyderabadi Biriyani to the world.

Flight details Flight FZ435 to Hyderabad will depart Dubai Terminal 2 at 2030hrs, arriving in Hyderabad at 0145hrs local time. The return flight FZ436 will depart Hyderabad at 0230hrs, landing back in Dubai at 0440hrs.

A one-way fare to Hyderabad from Dubai starts at AED585, and includes one piece of hand luggage weighing up to 7kg and one small laptop bag or hand bag.

Fares from Hyderabad to Dubai are priced from AED760.

Checked baggage starts at AED50 for 20kgs. A seat with extra legroom costs AED100. Flights between Dubai and Hyderabad can be purchased from flydubai’s website (www.flydubai.com), its call centre (+9714 301 0800) and through travel partners.

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 .4440000 .3870000 .3070000 .2810000 .2890000 .0040000 .0020000 .0747400 .7281710 .3810000 .0700000 .7138390 .0040000 .0430000

.2800000 .4550000 .3960000 .3170000 .2910000 .2970000 .0072500 .0035000 .0754910 .7354890 .4010000 .0770000 .7210140 .0072000 .0540000

CUSTOMER TRANSFER RATES .2753000 .2774000 .4462340 .4496380 .3894940 .3924660 .3092910 .3116500 .2837560 .2859200 .0522490 .0526480 .0432390 .0435690 .2916390 .2938640 .0354020 .0356720 .2207880 .2224720 .0034010 .0034270 .0000000 .0062200 .0000000 .0025330 .0000000 .0032640 .0000000 .0038130 .0749830 .0755550 .7304320 .7360040 .0000000 .3923620 .0734330 .0739930 .7152510 .7207070 .0000000 .0064510

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 3.413 6.138 3.235 2.514 3.862 221.690 35.559 3.770

Philippine Peso Thai Baht Irani Riyal - Transfer Irani Riyal - Cash

6.387 9.117 0.271 0.273 GCC COUNTRIES 73.750 75.990 718.330 734.360 75.291

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 48.500 46.427 1.265 200.040 390.550 183.400 5.970 35.217

EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES US Dollar Transfer 276.450 Euro 394.490 Sterling Pound 452.130 Canadian dollar 285.590 Turkish lire 173.810 Swiss Franc 314.150 Australian dollar 292.710 US Dollar Buying 275.250

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 280.000 140.000 71.000

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 SELL DRAFT 296.300 294.800 734.840 734.840 4.000 3.760 287.800 286.300 542.700 14.100 53.800 167.800 222.800 47.630 46.599 396.000 394.500 36.240 36.090 6.400 6.135

0.033

390.530 0.186 95.160 3.850 218.200

Sterling Pound US Dollar

314.800 5.800 9.320 75.240 276.300

TRAVELLER’S CHEQUE 450.000 276.300

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 Indian Rupees

Selling Rate 276.200 287.845 450.205 393.945 312.458 731.016 75.176 75.843 73.623 390.159 46.552 2.512 6.142

Pakistani Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Pesso Cyprus pound Japanese Yen Thai Bhat Syrian Pound Nepalese Rupees Malaysian Ringgit

3.242 3.756 6.364 677.498 3.492 9.175 6.025 3.916 90.836

Kuwait Bahrain Intl Exchange Co. 717.510 3.260 6.390 75.010 73.770 222.810 42.120 2.515 450.000

GOLD 1,548.870

10 Tola 20 Gram 10 Gram 5 Gram

0.033 0.244 0.244 3.500 392.000 0.187 95.160 48.200 4.330 219.700 1.873 51.500 717.690 3.330 6.620 76.440 73.770 222.810 42.120 2.681 452.000 44.800 316.300 5.800 9.520 198.263 75.340 276.700 1.270

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) 276.200 3.250 6.135 2.530 3.775 6.415 75.285 73.855 734.300 46.515 454.400 0.00003280 3.910 1.550 392.400 5.750 397.200 290.400

Al Mulla Exchange Currency Transfer Rate (Per 1000) US Dollar 275.850 Euro 394.300 Pound Sterling 449.800 Canadian Dollar 286.000 Japanese Yen 3.405 Indian Rupee 6.130 Egyptian Pound 46.485 Sri Lankan Rupee 2.514 Bangladesh Taka 3.742 Philippines Peso 6.362 Pakistan Rupee 3.234 Bahraini Dinar 734.800 UAE Dirham 75.200 Saudi Riyal 73.650 *Rates are subject to change

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 18, 2011

BUSINESS Batul Al-Najar wins 20,220 QR in Doha millionaire draw Doha Bank announces winners DOHA BANK: Doha Bank, most excellent bank in the Middle East for the year 2011, one of the Qatari Banks working in Kuwait and provides full fledged banking striving to provide t he finest dist ing u ished ser vices, announced the name of t he t hird “Do ha Millionaire” draw winner of 20,220 Qatari riyal for the month April 2011, Batul Ridah Najar, as well the winner of the 2022 grams o f g o l d o f t he “Doha Golden” draw to Arkan Aneel Shinshalkar.

Also announced the other 9 winners Bashir Au t a s i r i , M o h a m m e d Au n i Aw l a k a r, R a b a b Hameed Ibrahim Yo u s e f R a o u f, Al Salman Sirinivasan Krishnan, B i l a l K a u k , S a b a h A k h t a r, M o h a m a d R a s h i d A l Noaimi and Prabharakan Al Aqeel each won cash prize in the amount of 20,220 Qatari Riyal.

With this occasion, the Manager of Retail Banking - Doha Bank Kuwait Hameed Ibrahim Al Salman said “Doha bank” since the opening of the branch, we were in line with the Bank’s strategy to strengthen its local presence in Kuwait. “Doha Bank” introduced a bouquet of privileged products and generous offers which were met with great acceptance, a m o n g s t w h i c h t h e m o n t h l y d r aw, t h e D o h a Millionaire draw, in addition the possibilities to win gold with the Doha Gold plan; as well as Fixed deposit interest in advance, as well as the “Dream Card” credit cards and other unique products and services.

Al Salman pointed out the increase in the number of customers during the last period, which attributed to the escalating number of prize winners in Kuwait, which adds more credibility to the Bank’s performance. Al Salman pointed out “Doha Millionaire” campaign for the year 2011, includes semiannual “Doha Millionaire” draws giving 2 lucky winners the opportunity to win each, 2.022 million Qatari Riyals.

This is not all; the bank has many exiting surprises for its customers, where 5 lucky members will have the opportunity to win 2022gr of gold, in addition to the grand prize of 10.11gr. of gold in the “Doha Gold” draw at the end of this year. And because “Doha Bank” accustomed its kind customers to look forward to more offers, it completed the special plan with monthly prizes, revealing the Doha monthly draw valued at 20,220 Qatari Riyal.

Kuwait’s broad money supply remains stagnant KAMCO MONEY MARKET REPORT KUWAIT: Kuwait’s broad measure of money supply (M2) remained almost stagnant in March 2011, following last month’s significant increase of 6.3 per cent or KD 1.61bn to record a marginal increase of around 0.1 per cent or KD 28.4mn and stand at KD 27 bn. The increase in M2 during the month was mainly driven by an increase of KD 123mn in KD sight deposits, or 2.3 per cent to stand at KD 5.5 bn by the end of March 2011; despite a drop in currency in circulation of KD 89.6 mn over the period. Net Foreign Assets (NFA) with The Central Bank saw a decrease of KD 24.3 mn; while on the other hand, Net Domestic Assets (NDA) increased by KD 298 mn on the back of the increase in government deposits and other accounts by around KD 74 mn and KD 241.4 mn, respectively.

During Q1-2011, M2 rose by around 6 per cent or KD 1.52 bn, driven by the Amiri grant of KD 1.1 bn distributed to Kuwaiti citizens in Feb2011, compared to a marginal growth of 2.4 per cent or KD 590 mn during FY-10. The growth recorded in M2 during 2010 was much lower than the 13.9 per cent increase witnessed during 2009 where stock market volatility and low investors’ risk appetite played a key role in building up deposits with banks. Moreover, since the intensification of the financial turmoil in Sep-08, M2 surged by 26.1 per cent or KD 5.6 bn, with the bulk or 51.1 per cent added during February 2009 & 2011. Nevertheless, given the stringent lending strategies applied by local banks due to the higher risk of default by distressed companies, particularly investment firms, the growth in money supply was not successful in triggering an upward stimulus in credit facilities.

Deposits with Local Banks Total residents’ deposits continued last month’s upward movement to rise by 0.9 per cent or KD 259.5 mn, to end the month at KD 29.86 bn. Private sector KD sight and saving deposits added around KD 123 mn and KD 88 mn, respectively, while on the other hand, private sector deposits in foreign currencies grew by 0.5 per cent or KD 12 mn.

Private sector deposits, which hold a significant portion of local Banks’ deposit base with a percentage contribution of around 87.2 per cent, increased by KD 118 mn or 0.5 per cent to stand at KD 26.04 bn during Mar-11, therefore adding around 5.7 per cent or KD 1.39 mn during Q1-2011 while registering an increase of KD 523 mn or 2.17 per cent during FY-2010.

Moreover, private sector deposits denominated in Kuwaiti Dinar represented the majority of

private sector deposits with a percentage contribution of 91.3 per cent or around KD 23.78 bn, whereas private sector deposits in foreign currencies constituted the remaining 8.7 per cent or KD 2.26 bn.

Credit facilities During March-11, credit facilities extended by local banks remained stagnant, increasing by a marginal KD 15.2 mn, to reach KD 25.3 bn and therefore adding a marginal KD 65 mn or 0.3 per cent during Q1-2011. Given the mixed movements seen during 2010, credit facilities recorded a yearly growth of 0.4 per cent, or KD 100 mn, compared to a growth of 17 per cent and 7 per cent during 2008 and 2009, respectively. The slowdown in credit facilities growth during 2010 and Q1-2011, is mainly due to the liquidity squeeze in the market, tight credit conditions, rise in default risk by stressed and highly indebted local firms along with the deterioration in the prices of financial assets which together pushed banks to implement conservative and strict lending policies.

Personal facilities which constitute the largest component of credit facilities increased by a marginal 0.02 per cent or KD 1.8mn to stand at KD 8.42 bn at the end of March 2011, hence comprising around 33.3 per cent of banks’ total loan portfolios. Credit facilities for the purchase of securities represented around

31.1 per cent of personal facilities and recorded around KD 2.62 bn, down by 1.3 per cent or KD 35.3 mn from Feb-2011 level. The structure of credit facilities with the highest percentage being in the stock market has exposed banks to a high default risk by individual investors who are heavily invested in the local and regional bourses, thus resulting in massive provisioning by Kuwaiti banks since the onset of the financial crisis in 2008 on the back of the surge in non-performing loans which reached an unprecedented level or around KD 2.99 bn and KD 2.50 bn at the end of 2009 and 2010, respectively.

Loans to the real estate and construction sectors, which have together comprised an average of around 33 per cent of local banks’ loan portfolios since Dec-08, grew by a marginal 0.9 per cent or KD 78 mn to KD 8.41 bn at the end of Mar-11. Given the slowdown in the local property market and unfavorable operating environment faced by real estate companies and contractors in Kuwait, local banks’ exposure to this sector indicates that further weakness in the property market might expose local banks to credit risk.

Banks are still reluctant to extended additional loans to investment companies (ICsNon-bank financial institutions) given the unclear outlook over the sector’s performance

and to avoid further provisioning; accordingly, credit facilities to stressed ICs showed a drop from Feb-11 to stand at KD 2.73 bn at the end of Mar-11 and represent around 10.8 per cent of banks’ loan portfolios.

Growth in credit extended to the real estate sector during the last 12-month period ending Mar-11 slowed down to KD 81 mn, from to KD 416 mn witnessed during the comparable period ended Mar-2010. Growth in personal facilities lost momentum, while credit to construction sector added around KD 79 mn in comparison with a drop of KD 9 mn during the last 12 months ending Mar-2010; this growth is mainly driven by the rise in government’s spending on infrastructure projects that encouraged banks to extend more loans to contractors. Growth in personal facilities was close to zero compared to an increase of KD 458 mn in the 12 months ended Mar-2010. The Industrial sector has gained the lion’s share of additional credit extended by local banks with total new credit of KD 179 mn versus a drop of KD 3 mn in the comparable period ended March-10. This revive in credit to the industrial sector is mainly driven by the banks’ new strategies that became more directed towards lending to the real economic sectors that have low default risk and backed by generating real cash flows.

Transfer and win with Al Muzaini KUWAIT: Al Muzaini Exchange Co is the leading foreign exchange company in Kuwait.

The company has been established in 1942 and is known for its dedication towards its customers and the top quality services. Al Muzaini Exchange Co has more than 45 branches spread all over Kuwait including Kuwait International Airport as well as the latest branch in Zahra Area. Al Muzaini Exchange Co offer a variety of services: Banknotes exchange, remittance services, Drafts, Buying and selling of traveller ’s cheques, door to door service for draft ad cash, sending drafts through internaNames Abdulaziz Jassem Ahmed Altajalli Jahangir Hossain Saibol Karim R Awadh Ali Mohamed Alam Chakkingal Thodi Mohamed Kutty Mohamed Aslam Mohamed Casim Srinivas Naido Vinkatiswarao Halim Lathi Manik Cedelia F Acierto Mona Nair Jayesh Kumar Kaushikbhai Diaa Alden Abdoulla Ahmed

tional courier and instant money transfer through Western Union.

Al Muzaini Exchange Co has recently launched its first 2011 yearly promotion under the theme “ Transfer and you may win” The campaign has star ted on 24/04/2011 and will continue till 10/07/2011and offers the chance to win more than $120,000 cash prizes for every money transfer transaction, customer can have many chances to enter 3 draws. The First draw took place yesterday May 15, 2011 at Al Muzaini Watiya Branch at 7:00pm. The amount of the 1st draw prizes were $25,000 and below is a list of the winners:

Prize $10,000 $5,000 $1,000 $1,000 $1,000 $1,000 $1,000 $1,000 $1,000 $1,000 $1,000 $1,000

Civil ID No 283012201347 257090200367 276120702434 266112202414 261040105451 280121003434 274081102401 272051804817 265110105886 276090505113 275062404812 273032005133

Nationality Kuwait Bangladesh Indian Afghanistan Indian Sri Lanka Indian Bangladesh Philippines India Indian Egypt

The Second draw will take place in Farwaniya on 09/06/2011 at 7:30pm. There will be 12 cash prizes amounting $25,000 (1st prize = $10,000, 2nd prize $5,000, 3rd prize to 10th prize each of $1,000) The third draw will take place in Amman Street, Salmiya Branch on 14/07/2011 at 7:30pm. There will be 20 cash prizes with a total amount of $71,000 (1st prize $ 35,000, 2nd prize $10,000, 3rd prize $5,000, 5th to 20th prize each of $1,000).

Transfer now with Al Muzaini and increase your chances to win.

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 18, 2011

business

KSE equities rally as real estate looks up GLOBAL DAILY MARKET REPORT KUWAIT: Kuwait Stock Exchange closed yesterday on a positive note.

All the action was in the Real Estate Sector during with companies taking the spot in terms of top gainers, top losers, top volume and top value lists.

Even the rumors were surrounding some real estate stocks. National Real Estate Company (NREC) said that its stake in Agility is one of its major strategic investments which it does not intend to exit at present. This announcement came to deny some media reports. However, NREC stock ended the session down by 1.01 percent, while Agility remained flat.

Global General Index (GGI), market weighted, ended the day up by 0.15 percent, at 200.3 point. Market capitalization was up for the day at KD32.85bn. On the other hand, KSE Price Index closed at 6,495.6 point, adding 27.10 points (0.42 percent) to its previous close.

Market breadth Market breadth was skewed towards advancers with 44 stocks ending the session with a gain against 30 stocks retreated. Trading activity was down this session. The trades conducted in the Real Estate sector. Total volume traded was down by 0.51 percent with 147.76mn shares changing hands at a total value of KD20.41mn (15.43 percent lower compared to the day before). The real estate sector was the volume leader today, accounting for 37.82 percent of total shares. The services sector was the value leader, with 32.46 percent of total traded value.

Mabanee was the most active in terms of values of shares traded during yesterday’s session, with 3.14mn shares exchanged at an aggregate value of KD2.80mn.

In terms of top gainers, Al Dar National Real Estate took the top spot for the day, adding 10.53 percent and

closed at KD0.021. On the other hand, Kuwait Business Town Real Estate Company shed 7.58 percent and closed at KD0.031, making it the biggest decliner in the market.

Sector-wise On a sector-by-sector basis, five out of the eight sectors managed to eke out gains. Real Estate stocks led the pack of advancers with a 1.19 percent climb. Mabanee Company bolstered the gains with a 3.49 percent improvement. Kuwait Real Estate Company continued to trade heavily, with 16.24mn shares exchanged. The scrip reported a 1.75 percent gain.

Industrial stocks too were notable gainers. The sector as a whole, pre-

sented through the Global Industrial Index, produced 0.59 percent in gains. Gulf Cables & Electrical Industries Company was the top gainer in the sector, registering a 2.60 percent climb. The Company is almost fairly valued in the market. It is trading at a P/E of 12.59X its 2010 earnings, versus the sector’s P/E of 14.88X. Banking sector was the top loser during the session, shedding 0.21 percent. Boubyan Bank and Commercial Bank of Kuwait closed down by 1.64 percent and 1.08 percent, respectively. Investors continued to shy away from insurance stocks. The sector as a whole saw only 40,000 shares changing hands.

The Global Insurance Index edged

lower by a marginal 0.17 percent.

Corporate news National Real Estate Company has made a clarification about the news published in a local gazette about plans to sell its stake in Agility Public Warehousing Co. The company rebutted the news, saying that its equity in Agility represented one of its major strategic investments and that it had no plans to divest it. It added that it officially assigned no local or foreign advisors in this regard.

The price of OPEC basket of twelve crudes stood at $107.79 a barrel on Monday, compared with $108.93 the previous Friday, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations.

Oil reverses gains on dollar, growth outlook LONDON: Oil prices edged lower yesterday, pressured by a stronger dollar and concerns about global growth prospects after a slew of weak economic data, bringing losses to around 15 percent so far in May. ICE Brent for July fell 56 cents to $110.28 a barrel by 1245 GMT. US crude futures for June delivery fell 67 cents to $96.70 a barrel on the day of the front-month expiry. “There’s a reassessment of the fundamentals, and there’s a perception that the current price is too high for the fundamentals with demand being affected by the high oil prices, so they have to correct,” said Christophe Barret, oil analyst at Credit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank.

Prices fell after earlier trading in positive territory on a jump in the dollar index, making oil more expensive for non-dollar buyers.

US oil prices are set for their biggest monthly price drop since January 2009 and have been volatile since falling 10 percent in a single session on May 5. Daily volatility based on data from one market close to the next has flattened in the last couple of days but is still near 25-month highs, Reuters data showed. Concerns about the European debt crisis also weighed on Tuesday, with markets watching to see if peripheral economies will be able to meet their obligations. A senior European finance official acknowledged for the first time yesterday Greece may have to restructure its debt, a move which could blow Europe’s sovereign debt crisis wide open again.

Lacklustre growth in key economies added to bearish sentiment after data showed manufacturing growth in New York State slowed much more than expected in May, while German investor sentiment also

disappointed.

US crude inventories likely rose for the fourth straight week as higher imports outpaced refinery demand, a preliminary Reuters poll ahead of weekly industry and government reports showed on Monday. Crude inventories were expected up 1 million barrels in the week to May 13 and gasoline stocks were seen up 1.1 million barrels. If confirmed, this could stoke a further sell-off in RBOB gasoline futures after a 5 percent slide on Monday within days of the start to the US peak summer driving season.

Traders watched for a further rise in inventories at the US delivery point of Cushing, Oklahoma, which hovered just below record highs. Fears that rising water levels on the Mississippi River would affect eight refineries in Louisiana have abated following news US army engineers began opening flood gates. Trading volumes on US crude have fallen so far this week in a move that some analysts took as a sign of uncertainty about price direction, with liquidity less than half the multi-year highs hit in the immediate aftermath of the crash in early May. The previous day, the contract fell below the 100-day moving average at around $98.40 a barrel-a key technical support level which Olivier Jakob of Petromatrix said could be converted to the new price ceiling.

“Regaining that level ($98.40) is not yet out of reach but for now we will have to watch whether it becomes a line of resistance,” he said in a daily note. OPEC producer Libya’s top oil official Shokri Ghanem, chairman of Libya’s National Oil Corporation has defected from the government of Muammar Gaddafi, the rebels’ finance and oil minister said yesterday. He left Libya for Tunisia, a rebel source told Reuters. — Reuters

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25

WEDNESDAY, MAY 18, 2011

business

US housing starts, permits fall in April Manufacturing output in first drop since June Bridgestone GCC Tyre safety campaign roadshow stops off in Kuwait this week KUWAIT: The Bridgestone ‘Tyre Safety and Eco Station’ campaign continues its GCC-wide roadshow, and after being in Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, comes to Kuwait on Thursday 19th and Friday 20th of May. The roadshow which aims at making the region’s roads safer for everyone will be at the Marina Bridge of Marina Mall in Kuwait City.

The campaign, developed by Bridgestone Middle East & Africa FZE, urges the region’s drivers to check their tyre pressure and tread in a bid to enhance driver safety and reduce the incidence of road traffic accidents.

At the Bridgestone ‘Tyre Safety & Eco Station’, people will learn how to properly check tyre air pressure, tread wear, and other important tyre safety measures which enhances safety while driving on roads.

The stand will have a special demo corner where drivers can personally learn how to check the proper tyre air pressure and avoid the dangers of driving with underinflated/overinflated and worn-out/damaged tyres.

There are also a whole host of fun activities for children and families at the stand - including drawing and coloring activities, face painting, giveaways, and raffle draws. All participants will receive an exclusive Bridgestone eco-bag, Tyre Safety booklet and a Bridgestone Tyre Safety compact gauge which measures air pressure and tread depth when they visit the stand and partake in the activities.

According to the World Health

Organization’s Global Report on Road Safety (2009) the Eastern Mediterranean Region, which includes the GCC, has the highest rate of road deaths in the world along with African nations.

Kuwait and Bahrain are the only two countries among GCC with incidence of fatalities below the global average of 19 per 100,000 at 16.9 and 12.1 road deaths per 100,000 people respectively. The highest number is recorded by UAE at 37.1 followed by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at 29, by Qatar at 23.7 and Oman at 21.3.

Daisuke Hotta, Deputy General Manager for Consumer Tyre Marketing of Bridgestone Middle East & Africa, says: “The ‘Tyre Safety & Eco Station’ is a fun and educational campaign that Bridgestone developed to help reduce the number of road accidents in the region. By implementing a few simple and easy steps around the station, a proper and regular tyre check can be quickly learned which will really improve safety of people on the roads.”

The campaign also emphasizes the positive environmental impact of maintaining correct tyre pressure.

Driving at the correct pressure reduces fuel consumption, which in turn minimizes the environmental impact of a journey, and saves the motorist money.

The 2011 Bridgestone “Tyre Safety & Eco Station” campaign will finish its GCC-tour in the UAE by June, making finale stops in Abu Dhabi and in Dubai respectively.

WASHINGTON: US housing starts and building permits fell in April and factory output slumped as automobile part shortage scrimped production, showing the economy off to a weak start in the second quarter.

Groundbreaking for new housing dropped 10.6 percent to an annual rate of 523,000 units as a glut of homes on the market discouraged new projects, a Commerce Department report showed yesterday. March’s starts were revised up to a 585,000-unit pace from the previously reported rate of 549,000 units. The report pointed to prolonged weakness for the sector. Economists had forecast housing starts rising to a 568,000-unit rate.

Compared to April last year, residential construction was down 23.9 percent, the largest decline since October 2009.

Starts in the South slumped to a two-year low. “We’re still struggling to find the bottom here for the housing market. It does not bode well for construction in the near term, and there’s a good deal of overhang in terms of inventory,” said Michael Woolfolk a senior currency strategist at BNY Mellon in New York.

A separate report showed the Japanese earthquake had hit US manufacturing output, which fell 0.4 percent in April after 9 consecutive monthly increases, the Federal Reserve said. Overall industrial production was flat, buoyed by gains in mining and utilities.

Excluding cars and parts, manufacturing output rose 0.2 percent. Capacity utilization, a measure of how close to flat out factories are running, slid unexpectedly in April, suggesting scant inflationary pressures in the world’s largest economy.

US stock indexes opened lower after the data, while Treasury debt prices extended gains on the weaker-than-forecast industrial production report. Residential construction is being crowded out by an oversupply of used homes on the market, in particular, foreclosed properties, which sell well below their value.

In March, the spread between the prices of new and previously owned houses was about $54,200. Home builders’ sentiment was flat in

BRISTOW: Construction workers build a new home in a community called New Bristow Village in Bristow, Virginia. Home construction in the United States plunged in April, official data showed yesterday. —AfP May, the National Association of Home Builders said on Monday. Though builders expected a modest improvement in sales during spring, they anticipated market conditions to weaken in the next six months.

Residential construction accounts for about 2.2 percent of gross domestic product.

Investment in home building contracted in the first quarter after a modest increase in the last three months of 2010.

Groundbreaking last month was depressed by a 24.1 percent tumble in the volatile multifamily homes sector, where starts for buildings with five or more units dropped 28.3 per-

cent. Single-family home construction fell 5.1 percent.

New building permits dropped 4.0 percent to a 551,000-unit pace last month. March’s permits were revised down to a 574,000-unit pace and economists had expected overall building permits in April to remain unchanged at the previously reported 585,000-unit pace.

Permits were held down last month by an 8.8 percent drop in the multi-family segment.

Permits to build single-family homes slipped 1.8 percent. New home completions rose 4.1 percent to 554,000 units in April. —Reuters

PetroRabigh expansion on track, bids begun KHOBAR: Expansion work on a petrochemical complex owned

by Saudi-based PetroRabigh is on track and contractors have been invited to bid for the project, industry sources said.

A joint venture between Japanís Sumitomo Chemical and Saudi Aramco, the company now produces an annual 18 million tons of refined products and 2.4 million tons of petrochemicals.

A second phase of development will add 17 plants though will not expand refinery capacity.

London-based MEED magazine reported this month that

the joint venture partners in the project might delay the second phase pending a new feasibility study but Saudi-based sources said they have heard of no delays. Industr y sources said Saudi-based firms had received five of seven engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) packages.

A meeting will be held in early June in Saudi Arabia to identify the scope of work and Aramco officials have said a final investment decision on the project would be taken by the end of the year. The complex is integrat-

ed with a 400,000-barrel-per-day crude oil refinery in Rabigh on the Red Sea coast representing about 19 percent of Saudi Arabiaís total refining capacity.

As part of the expansion, the firms will consider increasing the capacity of the existing ethane cracker to take in an additional 30 million cubic feet per day of feedstock ethane.

The venture will also consider building an aromatics complex using around 3 million tons per year of naphtha as feedstock. It is also looking at constructing various petrochemical units. The

cost is expected to range between $6 billion and $8 billion, Saudi Aramco Chief Executive Khalid Al-Falih said in December.

Japan’s JGC Corp is carrying out the front-end engineering and design (FEED) of the second phase of expansion. PetroRabigh CEO Ziad Labban said in March financing will determine the equity partners of the expansion.

Bidding has already started for another petrochemical complex in Jubail, on the Gulf coast shared

by Aramco and US Dow Chemical, sources said. —

BEIJING: A man dressed like a bronze sculpture stands at a shop to attract customers in Beijing yesterday. China should raise interest rates to battle spiraling inflation, which is likely to hit 4.2-4.3 percent this year, exceeding the official target, a central bank adviser was quoted saying yesterday. —AFP

SABIC plans $1bn China plant with Sinopec GUANGZHOU: Saudi Basic Industries Corp (SABIC) , the world’s largest chemicals producer by market value, said yesterday that it is planning a $1 billion-plus facility in China with China Petroleum & Chemical Corp (Sinopec) to tap the country’s robust demand for plastics.

The project in the eastern port city of Tianjin would have an annual capacity of 260,000 tons of polycarbonate and require total investment of more than $1 billion from SABIC’s existing 50/50 venture with Sinopec in Tianjin, said SABIC Chief Executive Mohamed Al-Mady.

Polycarbonate is a essential plastic used to produce a variety of consumer products and industrial components including automotive parts and compact discs. “This is a major step for us to continue our leadership position in China in the plastics area,” Al-Mady told a news conference in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou. “The project will drive local economic development, satisfy

growing demand for polycarbonate in Asia-Pacific and is of significant importance to the Chinese petrochemical industry and local industry in Tianjin.”

Petrochemical demand should grow by an annual 20 percent for the next 10 years in China, the world’s second-largest economy, he said. SABIC’s Tianjin joint venture with Sinopec, which started operation in 2010, produces various petrochemical products, including ethylene, polyethylene, ethylene glycol and polypropylene.

The polycarbonate project, for which a memorandum of understanding had been signed by SABIC and Sinopec, was expected to be operational by 2015, SABIC said.

SABIC, 70 percent owned by the government of Saudi Arabia, makes chemicals, fertilizers, plastics and metals used in paint, rubber, textiles, leather, cleaning products, glass, food and other consumer industries. —Reuters

Sharjah Islamic Bank plans $400m sukuk DUBAI: Sharjah Islamic Bank (SIB) plans to issue a $400 million Islamic bond, which will price today, according to a document by the arranging banks.

Order books are above $2 billion with pricing on the five-year, dollar-denominated issue expected to be 287.5 basis points above midswaps, according to the document seen by Reuters.

The lender said in March it planned to issue an Islamic bond, or sukuk, of between $300 million to $500 million in a letter to the central bank.

The bank, which is based in one of the UAE’s northern emirates and listed on the Abu Dhabi bourse, mandated HSBC and Standard Chartered as joint lead managers for the sukuk.

SIB is rated BBB+ by Fitch and Standard & Poor’s. The Gulf sukuk market has struggled to pick up, despite a ambitious growth outlook for the industry, hampered by high profile defaults, the Dubai’s debt crisis and a wave of antigovernment protests sweet the Middle East. — Reuters

The Sultan Center announces winners of Healthy Living Week KUWAIT: The Sultan Center culminated the Healthy Living week , which commenced on April 26, 2011 and finished on May 4, 2011, with a draw on SPA travel packages to London, Paris and Geneva including a round trip, a four days hotel accommodation and a SPA program.

The draw was held on May 9, 2011 at TSC Sultan Center Salmiya in the presence of a representative from Ministry of Commerce.

The winners were then announced and they received their prizes amid joy and cheer. GHSOUN SAOUD ALSAEED won the

SPA travel package for a couple to London including a round trip through Kuwait Airways and four days accommodation at Bentley 5 star hotel and AJWAA AHMED BADER AL-FARSI won the SPA travel package for a couple to Paris including a round trip through Kuwait Airways and four days accommodation at Le Meurice 5 star deluxe hotel, while the third winner was BASSAM AHMED ARNAOUT and won a SPA travel package for a couple to Geneva including a round trip through Kuwait Airways and four days accommodation at Kempinski Geneva

5 Star hotel. TSC Rewards program manager mentioned that this celebration is the truest expression of gratitude and love that The Sultan Center wishes to share with all its esteemed customers in this special occasion.

This promotion was exclusive to the TSC Rewards card holders.

TSC customers who are not already members of the Rewards Program can sign up for free and receive their card immediately at any TSC Sultan Center. For more information, please visit www.sultan-center.com or call 1844449.

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 18, 2011

BUSINESS

Betfred, BA chairman last runners in Tote race LONDON: The final two bidders for Britain’s state-owned Tote offered around 200 million pounds ($325.2 million) for the bookmaker and vied to win over a powerful racing lobby that has a say in who buys it.

Sports Investment Partners (SIP), the vehicle of British Airways Chairman Martin Broughton, said it would give the horseracing industry a 10 percent stake in the business and offer “racing friendly investors”, such as owners, breeders, trainers and racecourses a further 25 percent shareholding. Rival Betfred, Britain’s fourth-biggest bookmaker, said its 40 years in the sports betting business put it in a strong position to unlock value in the Tote.

“The Tote has been underworked for the last seven years because of the

‘for sale’ sign over the door,” Betfred co-founder and Executive Chairman Fred Done told Reuters in an interview yesterday.

The Tote, which takes bets on horse racing, soccer and other sports is being sold off by the coalition government as part of a wider disposal of state assets to tackle a record peacetime budget deficit. The 200 million pounds valuation is in line with what analysts had expected and is about half the price Britain tried unsuccessfully to sell the company for five years ago.

The government has sought views on the Tote sale from the horse-racing industry and has pledged that the deal would be in its interest as well as the taxpayers’.

Broughton’s SIP, backed by stockbroker Cenkos, said it plans to float the Tote on London’s junior AIM market if it wins the auction. SIP, which has broad support from the horse racing industry, is also offering the industry two seats on the board of the company after a floatation.

“Our proposal is unique because we are striking a real partnership with Racing-with guarantees in place which we believe no one else can offer,” Broughton, a former chairman of Liverpool Football Club and the British Horseracing Board, said in a statement.

Betfred’s Done said its proposals would represent value for both the racing industry and the UK government which is being advised by investment bank Lazard.

“I believe that we’re paying a full price for the business. I think taxpayers have got a wonderful deal for themselves. Racing has got a great deal out of it. For 200 million pounds, I think Lazard has squeezed the pips,” Done said.

Done said he believed that the auction had been narrowed down from 18 original bidders, leaving the field to just Betfred and SIP. Betfred has committed to pumping 65 million pounds into horseracing over the next seven years — 11 million pounds in the first year and at least 9 million each year thereafter- while SIP has committed to an 11 million pounds annual contribution.

Both parties supported the government’s pledge that 50 percent of pro-

ceeds from the sale would be put back into the racing industry. A final decision on the sale may come as early as next week, Betfred’s Done said.

Britain’s Department of Culture, Media and Sport declined to comment on which bidders remained in the auction or when an announcement would be made. Done said there would be no redundancies at the Tote’s 517 betting shops if Betfred’s bid was successful.

However, he expected between 100 and 150 head office jobs would go.

Both Betfred and SIP said they would create jobs at the business over the medium term. SIP said it would keep the Tote’s headquarters in Wigan while Betfred would integrate the Tote’s HQ into its own head office in Warrington. —Reuters

EU reaches compromise on regulating risky trades Cause for worsening financial crisis BRUSSELS: European finance ministers yesterday reached an uneasy compromise on restricting naked short-selling, a trade in which investors sell stocks or bonds they don’t own and which some blame for worsening the global financial crisis. The deal, however, does not include a ban on naked short-selling of credit default swaps for government bonds, as demanded by the European Parliament and Germany. A credit default swap, or CDS, is a kind of insurance that protects investors against a default on a bond. The deal was reached after heated discussions among finance ministers, with some — like Germany — pushing for stricter rules, while others — led by the United Kingdom — warned that too much regulation could hurt financial markets.

MOSCOW: A view shows the headquarters of the state-controlled Russian oil giant Rosneft in Moscow yesterday. Rosneft yesterday shattered BP’s hopes of exploiting Russian Arctic oil by pulling out of a planned joint venture with the British giant after losing patience with protracted negotiations. —AFP

Rosneft shatters BP’s Arctic dream MOSCOW: Rosneft yesterday shattered BP’s hopes of exploiting Russian Arctic oil by pulling out of a planned joint venture with the British giant after losing patience with protracted negotiations.

A Rosneft source told AFP that the statecontrolled Russian oil giant was now looking for a new Western partner following the failure of the two sides to resolve a row concerning BP’s Russian joint venture before Monday’s deadline. The deal-championed

by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin-was hailed as a breakthrough in Russian business ties with the West and a chance for BP to restore its reputation after the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

But it appears neither side expected objections from a group of Russian oligarchs who own half of BP’s existing Russian joint venture TNK-BP. They argued that the deal breached their shareholder pact and blocked it in court. BP and Rosneft sought to buy out the billionaires-known collectively as AAR-to end the crisis but the Russian firm tired of the conditions and price demands they set.

The Rosneft source said it was now ready to offer the difficult Kara Sea project to another experienced Western firm. “Various partners have sent us their proposals about entering the Arctic shelf project,” the Rosneft official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

“We had not reviewed them until now since we still had a deal with BP. But as of today, the company intends to carefully study these proposals,” the source said.

Rosneft-forged into Russia’s state champion from the ruins of the jailed Mikhail Khodorkovsky’s Yukos oil firm-has already been approached by the US multinational ExxonMobil and the Anglo-Dutch firm Royal Dutch Shell.

Analysts said California-based Chevron may also be in the running. Rosneft finds itself sitting on some of the world’s largest unexplored reserves while at the same lacking the expertise or equipment needed to tap the wealth and turn itself into a dominant international force.

BP for its part had been hoping to use the Russian tie-up to end years of its shares’ underperformance and win back the support of shareholders who had turned an April meeting into a raucous show of their mounting frustrations.

But the Russian partners at TNK-BP became furious when the Rosneft agreement was struck without their agreement and successfully argued in court that they had a right of first refusal on any deal. BP had spent weeks trying to buy the local billionaires out of TNK-BP in hopes of completing the deal.

The Rosneft source said the Russian company was also willing to contribute cash to the deal and that the two sides had by the end upped BP’s initial $27 billion offer by more than $5 billion.

The Russian partners “declined the offers even though there was a premium placed on the price,” the Rosneft source said. The deal’s collapse appeared seemed to catch both the British firm and its Russian partners off guard.

“We plan to continue discussions about potential collaboration among BP, Rosneft and AAR,” AAR shareholder Mikhail Fridman said in a statement issued moments after Rosneft sources said the company was now looking for new partners.

Yet the news sent BP shares up one percent in London on investor relief that it would no longer be paying a premium on a deal whose immediate rewards seemed uncertain and depended in large part on the whims of the Russian state.

Analysts said BP shareholder may be also be cheered by a vow from the billionaires to “intensify their efforts to ensure TNKBP’s continued success” a comment aimed at dispelling concern of bad blood between the British and Russian partners.

A spokesman for Putin also dismissed suggestions that the historic agreement’s demise might have further political or economic repercussions. “This will not impair Russia’s investment climate,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Interfax. —AFP

The ministers now head into discussions with the European Parliament, which has already taken a much tougher position on such trades.

Yesterday’s compromise shows the difficulty European politicians face in reforming markets after the global financial crisis, when some countries blamed shortselling for exacerbating market turbulence.

In a traditional short-sale, an investor hopes to profit by borrowing a share or bond, selling it and then buying it back at a lower price. In a naked short sale an investor bets on a drop in the price without actually borrowing the underlying share — a practice some regulators say can force asset prices to drop.

The ministers said yesterday that investors must have a reasonable expectation of quickly obtaining the underlying asset when engaging in a short-sale.

That leaves investors more leeway than the position of the Parliament, which said traders must be able to obtain the asset within one working day.

On top of that, states can request that the restrictions on naked short selling of their government bonds be temporarily removed when they fear that it limits liquidity in the market.

Germany dropped its demand to also include a strict ban on uncovered trading in CDS for sovereign debt. However, Deputy

BRUSSELS: (Left-right) French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde, Irish Minister of EU Affairs Michael Noonan and British Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne talk prior to an ECOFIN meeting yesterday at the EU Headquarters in Brussels. —AFP Finance Minister Joerg Asmussen said he hoped that the ban on naked CDS trades would come up again in the course of the discussions.

Germany and some other countries unilaterally banned the short-selling of sovereign CDS at the height of the debt crisis last spring, saying that speculators like hedge funds and investment

banks were deliberately pushing down the price of Greek government bonds in the hope to make an easy profit.

The hedge fund industr y insists that there is no clear evidence between uncovered trades in sovereign CDS and bond prices, saying that prices dropped because of normal market.

Andrew Baker, CEO of the Alternative Investment Management Association, a hedge fund industry association, welcomed yesterday’s decisions to refrain from banning the use of uncovered sovereign CDS. “The Council’s stance bears out the fact that such a ban could push up government borrowing costs,” Baker said. —AP

Home Depot ups forecast despite weak spring sales

LOS ANGELES: Shoppers wheel their purchases out of a Wal-Mart store in Los Angeles, California. US retail giant Wal-Mart’s net profit rose 3 percent to $3.4 billion in its first quarter, exceeding expectations, the company reported yesterday. —AFP

Wal-Mart tops view; key US sales down 1.1% CHICAGO: Wal-Mart Stores Inc posted a bigger-than-expected jump in quarterly profit yesterday, as strength overseas mitigated the continued pressure it felt in the United States, where its same-store sales have now fallen for two years, Wal-Mart’s core US shoppers are still stretched and have concerns about rising gas, energy and food prices, as well as employment issues. At the same time, small business owners who shop at its Sam’s Club warehouse stores remain concerned about the economy and their access to credit.

Shares of Wal-Mart, the world’s largest retailer, slipped 0.4 percent to $55.82 in premarket trading. US same-store sales fell 1.1 percent, in line with the company’s forecast of a drop of 2 percent to flat and slightly better than the average 1.3 percent decline expected by analysts according to Thomson

Reuters. “We recognize we still have work to do and comp sales growth remains the greatest priority for me and the entire Walmart US team,” Wal-Mart Chief Executive Officer Mike Duke said in a recorded call.

While US same-store sales were within guidance, such sales still fell, which “tells us other players continue to steal market share,” said Wall Street Strategies analyst Brian Sozzi. Wal-Mart continues to see a paycheck cycle, and shoppers kept trading down to lower priced items and some private label goods, Walmar t US Chief Executive Bill Simon said.

Most of the decline in first-quarter US same-store sales came from a drop in traffic in the stores, while the average that shoppers spent was up. Same-store sales of groceries and health and wellness items increased. —Reuters

NEW YORK: Top home improvement chain Home Depot Inc backed its sales outlook and raised its profit forecast for the year despite a slow start to the key spring selling season. The results came a day after smaller rival Lowe’s Cos cut its forecast for the year after missing both sales and earnings estimates in the first quarter.

Home Depot’s forecast yesterday soothed some concerns about demand in the world’s largest economy and reassured investors that the slow start to the season was mainly a factor of inclement weather in many parts of the United States.

“Home Depot reported a relatively strong quarter after what was implied from Lowe’s yesterday,” analyst David Strasser at Janney Capital Markets said. “This is an impressive quarter considering the difficult weather and tough compares.”

A colder-than-usual spring eroded demand for outdoor products and kept shoppers away in many parts of the United States. Both chains are up against strong numbers from last year, when a first-time home buyer tax credit and a federal stimulus for energy-efficient appliances boosted demand.

Lower expenses helped Home Depot beat Wall Street estimates on the profit front, prompting it to boost its full-year earnings outlook even as it just backed its sales forecast.

Many other analysts also picked Home Depot over its smaller rival citing better merchandising, advertising, and execution in the key selling season. “Home Depot’s consistent television message of low-price leadership and a friendlier shopping experience is leading to market share gain,” Wall Street Strategies’ Brian Sozzi said. “The home improvement space has yet to experience a real demand recovery but Home Depot is well positioned to see earnings upside when the segment gets stronger,” Credit Suisse analyst Gary Balter said.

Fresh data yesterday showed that the housing recovery will be slow. US housing starts fell 10.6 percent in April as an overhang of homes on the market discourages builders from taking on new projects. —Reuters

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TECHNOLOGY

New EMC Vplex Geo redefines cloud storage KUWAIT: EMC Corporation yesterday announced new EMC Vplex Geo technology, an industry first that stretches data center walls across continents, enabling the resources of disparate storage systems in geographically dispersed data centers to be federated together and utilized as a single pool of virtual storage. When combined with virtual servers it is a key enabler of private and hybrid cloud computing and fundamentally changes the way data centers are designed and information technology is delivered.

Since the first generation of Vplex technology was introduced last May - with the ability to aggregate resources within a single data center or between data centers less than 100km apart - the technology has been deployed as the foundation

of cloud computing by organizations worldwide.

Vplex Geo enables data mobility, availability and collaboration through active/active data over distance - the ability to non-disruptively move thousands of virtual machines and petabytes of information thousands of miles , allowing customers to dynamically balance workloads and easily shift IT operations out of the way of regional disasters.

Additionally, EMC announced several new capabilities for all versions of Vplex yesterday including: • The latest version of the Vplex operating system improves storage efficiency by enabling Vplex to non-disruptively move or copy virtually provisioned or thinly provisioned devices across EMC and non-EMC arrays, allowing

storage to be allocated and consumed only as it is needed.

• Added support for some of the most common midrange storage systems, including those from NetApp and HP, enables more data center resources to be federated.

• New software capabilities that take the time and complexity out of failovers by constantly monitoring two Vplex clusters and acting as an independent third-party safeguard and arbitrator that keeps applications online in the event of a failure.

• Vplex hardware improvements save space and speed performance. New, smaller rack-mounted clusters include more powerful Intel multicore processors, PCI Gen 2 cards for faster

throughput, and new 10 Gigabit Ethernet WAN interfaces for faster communications between clusters.

• The addition of Vplex products into the EMC Velocity Solution Provider Program, enabling EMC resellers to build solutions and offer leading storage federation technology to their customers.

• New EMC Proven Solutions assist customers in effectively leveraging EMC Vplex Geo with business critical applications, such as Microsoft SQL, SharePoint and SAP in a Hyper-V environment. EMC offers a range of EMC Proven Solutions for Vplex, providing best-practices for implementations in both VMware and Microsoft environments.

White House unveils global cyberspace strategy ‘We want to do more together to protect privacy’

TOKYO: Models display KDDI’s new smart phones, Sony Ericsson’s Xperia (R) and Infobar A01, made by Sharp with Android 2.3 OS, at a press preview in Tokyo yesterday. KDDI announced six new models of Android smart phones, which uses free WiFi communication service through some 100,000 KDDI’s access points across Japan. — AFP

Video gaming teens sleep less: Study WASHINGTON: Teens who play a lot of video games are likely to sleep less than the eight to nine hours a night recommended for the age group, researchers said Monday.

Speaking via teleconference from the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association, researchers said that an analysis of data on 16,000 teens also found that youths who reported sleeping less than seven hours a night did not get enough exercise, which could also impact their health.

And not getting enough sleep is detrimental for all-and has a particularly negative effect on teens, added Caris Fitzgerald, a psychiatry resident at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences who led the study,.

A poor night’s sleep can bring on a slew of ill effects, including low energy, poor concentration, moodiness, a greater tendency to act on impulse and more suicidal thoughts.

Yet only 10 percent of US teens get the recommended hours of shut-eye, according to the study, for which Fitzgerald and her fellow researchers analyzed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2009 Youth Risk Behavior

Survey.

Because teens have “accelerated demands for growth and memory retention, very vital things with regard to the teen in their overall success,” getting sufficient sleep is even more important for them, Fitzgerald said.

But they also struggle to do so more than adults. “When it comes to teens, they have a lot of factors that affect them, from an ever greater quest for independence reflected by later bedtime; to expectations from parents and peers-like texting in the middle of the night,” said Fitzgerald.

Teens’ circadian rhythms don’t help them in their quest for sleep either.

Their body rhythms put them on a schedule where they like to stay up late and sleep in each morning.

“But unfortunately the rest of society is not on that schedule and school is still going to start at 8:00 am,” Fitzgerald said.

The researchers were unable to conclude there was a cause-effect relationship between sleep and online gaming or spor t, but Fitzgerald pointed to “some evidence that reducing media exposure and increasing physical activity could increase the amount teens sleep.”—AFP

This undated screenshot released by Progrestar Inc. yesterday shows a khaki-clad Prime Minister Vladimir Putin (R) and a former Russian spy, Anna Chapman (L), in a new computer game called “Voinushka,” or “Shoot ‘em Up.” —- AFP

Chapman ‘helps Putin in computer game’ MOSCOW: A khaki-clad Prime Minister Vladimir Putin issues commands, assisted by a voluptuous red-haired aide with a resemblance to the spy Anna Chapman in a new computer game, developed by a Russian company. Putin “is the commander-in-chief, the leader of the game, he is the constant right hand of the player,” said Varvara Zolotova, chief marketing officer of Moscow developers Progrestar Inc. “He is the leader just as in life he is for young people.”

The young-looking Putin, with a full head of hair, walks around, gun pointed in a khaki shirt and gives players assignments in the game, called “Voinushka”, or “Shoot ‘em Up”. He is also depicted on the online game’s opening page in army uniform, with his sleeves rolled up over toned muscles and gun pointed James Bond-style. The game was launched last month and is available as an application on Russia’s two most popular social networking sites, VKontakte and Odnoklassniki.

While the game apparently buffs Putin’s public image as a cool-headed strongman, his spokesman complained the premier had

not been consulted over the game. “The authors have not contacted us to ask permission to use the image of Vladimir Putin,” his spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the Life News tabloid website. The game developers chose Putin after doing a survey of the most popular figures among young people, Zolotova said. “Putin is a popular hero, young people really like him both as a political figure and as a person.” The Putin figure has a red-haired side-kick in an army fur hat with a rifle on her shoulder and her khaki tunic unbuttoned to reveal her spectacular cleavage. The figure has been compared to Anna Chapman, the most publicity-hungry member of a spy ring exposed in the United States last summer, who has posed in lingerie, but in fact she was not planned that way, Zolotova said. “The heroine was drawn without a personality but people saw them together and thought that she was Anna Chapman,” Zolotova said.

Chapman last year used her Facebook account to promote a poker game application for iPhone, called Poker with Anna Chapman. — AFP

WASHINGTON: The White House unveiled a set of policy proposals Monday for international cooperation in ensuring an open and secure Internet.

“Together, we can work together to build a future for cyberspace that is open, interoperable, secure, and reliable,” US President Barack Obama wrote in an introduction to the 25page “International Strategy for Cyberspace.”

Obama, who has made cybersecurity a top priority along with diplomatic engagement, wrote that the document “outlines not only a vision for the future of cyberspace but an agenda for realizing it.

“It provides the context for our partners at home and abroad to understand our priorities and how we can come together to preserve the character of cyberspace and reduce the threats we face,” he wrote.

The policy document is short on specifics but provides goals and a framework for international cooperation in promoting the US vision for cyberspace in what it called seven priority areas.

Obama did not personally attend the unveiling of the document but the event drew top members of his cabinet including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, Attorney General Eric Holder and Commerce Secretary Gary Locke.

White House cybersecurity coordinator Howard Schmidt, Deputy Defense Secretary William Lynn and Obama’s counter-terrorism chief, John Brennan, also addressed the gath-

ering, attended by diplomats and leaders of private industry.

Schmidt said the document explains “what the US stands for internationally in cyberspace, and how we plan to build prosperity, enhance security, and safeguard openness in our increasingly networked world.”

Clinton said the strategy hinges on seven key policy priorities including promoting Internet freedom and economic engagement to encourage innovation and trade while safeguarding intellectual property.

“We want to do more together to protect privacy and secure fundamental freedoms of expression, assembly, and association, online as we do offline,” she said.

Other priorities include enhancing the ability of law enforcement to respond to cybercrime and military cooperation to “help our alliances do more together to confront cyber threats,” Clinton said.

“It is not a series of prescriptions,” she said.

“There is no one-size-fits-all, straightforward route to that goal.

James Lewis, a cybersecurity expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the policy paper was not a “particularly bold document” but was a good first step.

“It’s a continuation of the Obama national security strategy that says the US will engage with people and try to work with them,” he said. “So saying the United States wants to engage and here’s what we’d like to achievean Internet that’s open and stable and securethat’s a good thing.”

The White House document also calls for a robust response to cyber threats.

Lynn, the deputy defense secretary, said Pentagon networks “are probed millions of times a day and more than 100 foreign intelligence agencies have tried to penetrate our networks or those of our industrial partners.”

“When warranted, the United States will respond to hostile acts in cyberspace as we would to any other threat to our country,” the White House said in a fact-sheet.

“We reserve the right to use all necessary means-diplomatic, informational, military, and economic-as appropriate and consistent with applicable international law, in order to defend our nation, our allies, our partners, and our interests,” it said.

Dean Garfield, president and chief executive of the Information Technology Industry Council, welcomed the White House initiative.

“A growing number of governments worldwide are enacting cybersecurity-related laws, regulations, and other requirements that are inconsistent with generally accepted norms and standards,” Garfield said.

“This growing policy patchwork not only results in decreased security for nations, but also disrupts global commerce and ignores the borderless nature of the Internet. “To date, the international community has lacked the collective willingness to engage in a meaningful conversation on the need for a global approach,” he said. “US leadership is critical to reaching a consensus solution.” — AFP

LED bulbs hit 100w as US ban looms NEW YORK: Two leading makers of lighting products are showcasing LED bulbs that are bright enough to replace energyguzzling 100-watt light bulbs set to disappear from US stores in January.

Their demonstrations at the LightFair trade show in Philadelphia this week mean that brighter LED bulbs will likely go on sale next year, but after a government ban takes effect.

The new bulbs will also be expensive — about $50 each — so the development may not prevent consumers from hoarding traditional bulbs.

Creating good alternatives to the light bulb has been more difficult than expected, especially for the very bright 100-watt bulbs. Part of the problem is that these new bulbs have to fit into lamps and ceiling fixtures designed for older technology. — AP

CAPE CANAVERAL: Space shuttle Atlantis makes its way from the Orbiter Processing Facility to the Vehicle Assembly Building to prepare for its final launch at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla.,yesterday. Atlantis is targeted for mid-July launch. — AP

Microsoft’s Bing leans more heavily on Facebook SAN FRANCISCO: Microsoft Corp.’s Bing search engine is increasing its emphasis on the recommendations shared within Facebook’s online social network to give people something they can’t find on Google’s dominant search engine.

Starting Monday afternoon, Bing’s search results will vary depending on whether the person making a request is logged into Facebook’s online social network at the same time. For example, Bing’s standard ranking system might analyze a search request about the band “U2” and relegate a link pertaining to the music group to the fourth or fifth page of results if the query came from someone who wasn’t logged into Facebook at the time. But that same link might appear at the top of Bing’s first search page if the query were made by a logged-in Facebook user and a few friends in the requestor’s social circle had pressed Facebook’s “Like” button on the site.

Bing’s revisions will also affect the rankings of some search results even when people aren’t logged into Facebook. That’s because Bing’s formula also will consider how many times Facebook’s more than 500 million members have pressed on a Web page’s “Like” button to help determine the content’s value and relevance.

“Bing is bringing the collective IQ of the Web together with the opinions of the people you trust most, to bring the ‘Friend Effect’ to search,”

Microsoft search executive Yusuf Mehdi wrote in a Monday blog post. Bing also is adding several other features and tools that deepen its ties to Facebook. Among other things, online shoppers using Microsoft’s search engine will be able to post links about products and services directly to their Facebook accounts to get the opinions from their friends and family. Microsoft plans to deliver notices about discounted travel deals on people’s Facebook pages, based on the cities they have said they liked. The changes are the latest step in a search alliance Microsoft and Facebook announced seven months ago in a joint challenge to Google Inc. Both Microsoft and Facebook are trying to lure traffic away from Google, the Internet’s most profitable company, so they can make more money selling Internet ads.

Google, whose search engine processes about two out of every three Internet search requests, also has been trying to add more personal touches as Web surfers have bonded together on Facebook and other websites such as Twitter where they share photos, recommendations and other insights.

But Facebook’s online hangout has erected barriers that prevent Google’s search engine from indexing all the information on a social network where an estimated 30 billion pieces of content are being shared each month.

Facebook’s antipathy toward Google became clearer last week when it acknowledged that it had secretly hired a prominent public relations firm, Burson-Marsteller, to persuade reporters and bloggers to write stories about Google’s privacy problems.

Besides sharing a unified front against Google, Microsoft and Facebook also have financial ties. Microsoft owns a 1.6 percent stake in Facebook.

Microsoft also has teamed up with Yahoo in its quest to topple Google. Since last summer, Microsoft’s technology has been powering Yahoo’s search results. The Yahoo partnership has given Microsoft’s engineers access to billions more requests to analyze in an effort to get a better understanding of what people are seeking based on specific queries.

Bing has been making progress, although it remains far behind Google and remains a financial drag on Microsoft, whose online division had suffered an operating loss of $1.9 billion through the first nine months of its current fiscal year.

Through April, Bing held a 14.1 percent share of the US search market, up from 10.8 percent at the same time last year, according to the research firm comScore Inc. Google’s share stood at 65.4 percent in April, a decline of less than a percentage point from last year. —AP

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health & science

China AIDS sufferers face discrimination for treatment BEIJIN G: People in China living with HIV and AIDS are routinely being denied medical treatment in mainstream hospitals due to fear and ignorance about the disease, according to a study released by the United Nations’ International Labour Organisation (ILO).

The world’s most populous nation-with 1.34 billion people had 740,000 people infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, with 105,000 AIDS patients, in 2009, according to state news agency Xinhua, citing United Nations estimates.

HIV/AIDS became a major problem for China in the 1990s when hundreds of thousands of impoverished farmers in rural Henan province became infected through botched blood-selling schemes, but the virus is now primarily spread in the country

via sexual contact.

Based on interviews with 103 people living with HIV and 23 healthcare workers, the ILO and China’s National Centre for STD and AIDS Prevention and Control found that people have been refused medical care and have been discriminated against by healthcare workers.

One HIV-positive man, talking at a news conference to unveil the report, recounted how he was denied medical treatment for his back problem because of his HIV status in hospitals in Tianjin and Beijing.

“The doctor said at our hospital, many patients need surgery, and if other patients get infected, it will be a very bad thing,” said the man, who declined to be identified.

“At the second hospital ... the doctor

Riddle of ‘God particle’ could be solved by 2012: CERN LONDON: Physicists said yesterday they believed that by the end of 2012 they could determine whether a theorised particle called the Higgs boson, which has unleashed a gruelling decades-long hunt, exists or not.

“I’m pretty confident that towards the end of 2012 we will have an answer to the Shakespeare question for the Higgs boson-to be, or not to be?,” Rolf-Dieter Heuer, director general of the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN), told a press conference at Britain’s Royal Society.

CERN runs the world’s biggest particle collider, located on the outskirts of Geneva.

One of the first tasks assigned to the giant machine has been to step up the quest for the Higgs to resolve one of physics’ great puzzles: why some particles have mass and others have little, or none.

The Higgs-named after British physicist Peter Higgs who mooted its existence in 1964 — is one of the last missing pieces in the so-called Standard Model, a unified theory of all the particles and forces in the Universe.

“By the end of 2012 we will either discover the Standard Model Higgs Boson, if it exists, or we will rule it out,” said Fabiola Gianotti, who is the spokesman for CERN’s biggest particle-collider lab called Atlas.

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is located in a 27-kilometre (16.9-mile) ring-shaped tunnel 100 metres (325 feet) below ground in a complex straddling the French-Swiss border.

It is designed to accelerate sub-

atomic particles to nearly the speed of light and then smash them together.

The particles whizz around the racetrack in opposite directions, and powerful magnets then bend their direction so that some of the particles are forced to collide in house-sized labs that record the sub-atomic rubble that tumbles out.

Collisions briefly stoke temperatures 100,000 times hotter than the Sun, fleetingly replicating conditions which prevailed in split-seconds after the “Big Bang” that created the Universe 13.7 billion years ago.

In this primordial soup, novel particles may lurk that will resolve mysteries clouding our understanding of fundamental matter, scientists say.

Enigmas include the Higgs-dubbed “the God particle” for being mysterious yet ubiquitous-as well as suspected “supersymmetrical” particles that could explain dark matter, which comprises around 23 percent of the Universe.

The first proton collisions at the LHC occurred on September 10, 2008.

The smasher then had to endure a 14month shutdown to fix technical problems.

The LHC recently notched up the biggest-ever energy release from particle collisions, although this is still only half of its design capacity.

It was due to shut down at the start of 2012 to allow work enabling it to crank up to full power.

However, a decision was made several weeks ago to delay the closure for a year to help the search for the Higgs, said Gianotti. — AFP

Mummified princess had coronary heart disease PARIS: The diagnosis is more than 3,500 years late, but no less stunning for all of that.

An Egyptian princess who lived between 1580 and 1550 BC has become the earliest person in human history to be diagnosed with coronary heart disease, according to computer scans presented at a medical conference this week.

“We can’t be sure what she died of, but we can see what illnesses she had,” Gregory Thomas, director of Nuclear Cardiology Education at the University of California at Irvine, said by phone.

Researchers delved into the mummy of Princess Ahmose-Meryet-Amon using a computerised tomography (CT) scanner, a non-invasive technique that gives highly detailed cross-sectional images of the body.

The princess, who died in her 40s, had atherosclerosis, or a buildup of fatty material, in two of her three main coronary arteries, the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) said in a press release.

“Today she would have needed bypass surgery,” said Thomas, who led the analysis.

The work was to be presented this week at an annual conference of noninvasive cardiovascular imaging, taking place in Amsterdam, the ESC said.

The May 15-18 event showcases advances in diagnostic tools for heart doctors.

Thomas said he was struck by how much atherosclerosis was found in the remains of the princess, who lived in Thebes, as modern-day Luxor is known.

The princess-daughter of Seqenenre Tao II, the last pharaoh of the 17th dynasty-is among 52 mummies that were scanned under a study called Horus.

Arterial clogging is typecast as a curse of today’s high-fat diets, yet the contemporary diet was rich in vegetables and fruit, limited in meat and tobacco was unknown.

It could be that the princess could have been showered in more meat, butter and cheese, or with rare foods that were preserved in salt.

Alternatively, she could have been more susceptible to parasitic infections or genetic susceptibility to coronary disease.

Half of the mummies in the Horus study had calcification markers in their arteries that pointed to atherosclerosis.

Most of these died at around 45 years on average.

“Our findings certainly call into question the perception of atherosclerosis as a modern disease,” said Thomas. — AFP

told me: ‘I sympathise with your suffering but because of your status, I dare not operate on you’,” said the man, who is a farmer from Tianjin and added he was forced to leave his job in a steel firm after his boss discovered he had HIV. “I’ve visited many other hospitals and encountered similar denials and excuses such as a lack of equipment.”

Beijing was initially slow to acknowledge the threat of the disease but has since stepped up the fight against it, spending more on prevention programmes, launching schemes to give universal access to anti-retroviral drugs to contain the disease, and introducing policies to curb discrimination.

But in a countr y where taboos surrounding sex remain strong and discussion

of the topic is largely limited, persistent discrimination by healthcare workers could mean that many sufferers are likely to avoid medical treatment.

Zhang Ke, deputy director of the infectious disease department of the Beijing You An Hospital, said China’s policy that people with HIV and AIDS should only be treated in designated hospitals for treating infectious diseases was one of the root causes for the discrimination.

“We should eliminate these designated hospitals,” said the doctor, who treats HIVinfected patients.

Another HIV-positive man from Hebei province, who contracted the virus through a blood transfusion, recalled how hospital workers insisted on discharging him quickly after they found out he had

HIV. “I talked to them later ... and their worry is that in rural hospitals, when a HIV positive person receives procedures, very few people would visit the hospital. They are worried about the impact on economic gains,” he said.

While it has stepped up the fight against AIDS, China has been wary of AIDS activists who have agitated for the rights of AIDS sufferers. Hu Jia, an advocate of rural AIDS sufferers, was sentenced to three-and-ahalf years in prison by a Chinese court in April 2008, for “inciting subversion of state power”.

Another AIDS activist, former health ministry official Wan Yanhai, has fled to the United States with his family, citing pressure from authorities, according to rights group Human Rights Watch. — Reuters

No rush to destroying last smallpox viruses Gates appeals for ‘decade of vaccines’ GENEVA: The last known stockpiles of the smallpox virus won’t be destroyed anytime soon, the US health secretary said yesterday, in part out of fear that one of the world’s deadliest diseases could be used as a bioweapon. US Health Secretary Kathleen Sibelius told reporters that the stockpiles held in secure US and Russian labs would remain in place for at least another five years when the World Health Organization could review the situation.

At a news conference at the UN’s European headquarters where the World Health Assembly also was debating the matter, Sibelius said the US is “committed to the eventual destruction” of the stockpiles but fears that smallpox could still re-emerge and be released unintentionally or deliberately used as a bioweapon. Scientists would need the virus to create a vaccine. For centuries smallpox killed about one-third of the people it infected, but it was eradicated from the environment three decades ago. The last known case was in Britain in 1978.

Many countries say the world would be safer if the remaining stockpiles of the virus — held at US federal facilities in Atlanta, Georgia, and a Russian research center in Koltsovo — were now destroyed. At the meeting this week some of WHO’s member countries again pushed to set a date for the virus’ destruction, the fifth year they have made such an attempt.

WHO officials said there was no indication there was more support for resolving the dispute this year. The UN health agency first agreed in 1996 that smallpox should be destroyed — though it lacks the power to enforce the decision.

But that has been repeatedly delayed to give scientists time to develop safer smallpox vaccines and drugs. There are now two such

GENEVA: Microsoft founder Bill Gates (L) listens to World Health Organization DirectorGeneral Margaret Chan (R) yesterday during a press conference in Geneva after addressing the World Health Assembly to make a push for vaccine programs. Gates has said that some African countries are failing to deliver life-saving vaccines to children, hampering billion-dollar efforts to save millions of lives and stamp out deadly diseases. — AFP vaccines and a third coming along, plus experimental drugs in the works to treat but not cure the disease.

A report commissioned by WHO last year concluded the stockpiles could still be useful for drug development. Sibelius said the possibility of a future biological threat demands more tests with the virus. She says no one has ever verified whether all nations complied with WHO’s efforts to transfer all the collections of smallpox virus to the US and Russian labs.

“The world has no immunity to smallpox whatsoever,” she said. “It could be released unintentionally or released as a bioweapon.”

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates did not directly address the smallpox issue.” Bill Gates called for strengthened immunisation programmes against infectious diseases to save 4 million

lives by 2015 and 10 million lives by 2020 during a “decade of vaccines”. He said five or six new vaccines could be available by the end of the decade and urged pharmaceutical manufacturers to make them affordable for poor countries.

“If donors are generous, we will prevent 4 million deaths by 2015. By 2020, we can prevent 10 million deaths,” Gates, co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, said.

All countries should aim to have 90 percent immunization coverage against diseases including polio, meningitis and pneumonia, Gates said. “We can meet these goals with your leadership. And that will be critical to really making this the decade of vaccines,” he said. “It might be the most difficult thing we’ve ever done, but it will also be the most important.” — Agencies

WHO blames cuts on global finances, dollar

KABUL: Lt. Nurse Mentor, Misty Roomsburg, left, and Major Chief Mentor, Joyce Tow, centre right, both from Nebraska supervise the CPR practice by Hanifa Baghaie, 2nd left, and her other classmates during the third course of Nursing Program for Afghan National Security Forces at Davoud Khan military hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan, yesterday. — AP

GENEVA: The World Health Organization will cut $1 billion from its next budget because of financial problems among rich donor nations and the exchange rate for the weak US dollar, the agency’s director said yesterday. The Geneva-based UN health agency supports health ministries around the world, helped eliminate smallpox in the late 1970s and has coordinated worldwide efforts to deal with the swine flu pandemic and other emergencies.

Margaret Chan, WHO’s director-general, told reporters that a drop in voluntary contributions among its top 30 ‘traditional’ donor nations is just part of the agencys problem. The other part, she said, is that the dollar has fallen to a record low against the Swiss franc, which is now worth about $1.13.

“Because of their own financial difficulties, some of them have cut back,’ she said of the wealthiest nations, many still struggling in the wake of a global financial crisis. “We are hit as well by the currency exchange rate. We get our income in US dollars, and we are paying our staff in Swiss francs.” The Geneva-based agency previously said it expects a $300 million (euro 212 million) deficit this year. It has cut its biannual budget for 2012 and 2013 by about $1 billion, and is expected to lay off 300 workers — about 12 percent of its local staff. At a news conference alongside multibillionaire Bill Gates, a major donor to global health causes, Chan said many nations are still supportive despite the cutbacks. The pair met with reporters as the worldís health ministers gathered for WHO’s general assembly this week. — AP

Philippine contraception bill pits Aquino vs Church

CAIRO: In this image made available by the Mission Internal Medical Group yesterday, the mummy of Maiherpri (New Kingdom,18th Dynasty,1550-1295 BC), is prepared for CT scanning in the Egyptian Museum Cairo May 10, 2010. — AP

MANILA: Philippine politicians resumed debating yesterday a reproductive health bill that is increasingly seen as a test of the political will of President Benigno Aquino, a champion of the measure, and the Catholic Church which fiercely opposes it.

The Church has a high-profile politician arguing its case: Manny Pacquiao, the world’s best poundfor-pound boxer and a neophyte lawmaker, came out against the bill which would improve access to contraception and sex education.

“I am totally against the RH (reproductive health) bill,” Pacquiao, 32, a father-of-four, told reporters after meeting members of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines.

“Let’s listen to God and not an

ordinary man. We should educate people on how to plan their family, but, in accordance with God’s teachings. The RH bill will not end poverty. We must stop corruption if we really want to help our poor people.”

Opponents of the bill have linked the use of contraception to abortion, which is illegal in the Philippines and would remain so.

Supporters, including Aquino, say it aims to improve maternal health and family planning to help alleviate poverty.

Aquino’s support is seen as improving the bill’s chances of passing, after the Church has successfully blocked a number of previous versions. But a protracted battle could also erode his personal support and sideline other legislative plans.

Politicians are wary of upsetting the Church, which is not afraid to preach politics from the pulpit, and analysts say the bill could be Aquino’s toughest testdespite an opinion poll showing a clear majority of Filipinos support the measures.

“He can’t risk antagonising further the church and losing altogether its support, because his mother and his predecessor were shored up by the church during their difficult times,” Joselito Zulueta, an analyst on church issues, told Reuters.

“In the cases of Ferdinand Marcos and former President Joseph Estrada, the church’s opposition to their regimes was very decisive.”

Both Marcos and Estrada were forced from office with the back-

ing of the Church, in 1986 and 2001 respectively. The presidency’s of Aquino’s mother, Cory, and Gloria Macapagal Arroyo were strengthened by the Church’s backing.

Aquino pledged last month to push for the enactment of the reproductive health bill, even at the risk of his excommunication from the Church.

Church leaders walked out of talks on the bill last week, and the war or words escalated after a senior bishop compared Aquino with ousted dictator Marcos for warning against calls for civil disobedience by opponents of the bill.

About 80 percent of the population, which is nearing 100 million, are Roman Catholics, including Aquino. — Reuters

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H E A LT H

Big tobacco threatens to slash prices in Australia SYDNEY: The tobacco industry yesterday threatened to slash the price of cigarettes if Australia goes ahead with plans to introduce plain packaging, saying more people will end up smoking.

Last month, Australia unveiled the world’s toughest laws on tobacco promotion that would see cigarettes sold in drab olive-green packets plastered with graphic health warnings.

Under proposed legislation, due to take effect next year, all logos will be removed from cigarette packaging, and tobacco companies must print their brand name in a specific font.

British American Tobacco launched a national media campaign against the “unproven plans” yesterday, with its Australian chief executive David Crow warning of a boom in the black market.

“When all cigarette packs look the same and lose their trademarks and distinguishing features, counterfeiters will have a field day mass producing packets to smuggle into Australia,” he said.

“Could (the price of ) cigarettes halve over time? In the longer term, potentially yes,” he added, saying the cheap prices “basically means more people will smoke,

more kids will smoke”.

“It’s going to backfire and go bad and lead to more people smoking, which is just mad if you’re sitting at a government desk,” he told the Melbourne Herald Sun. In a statement, Crow said there was no evidence that plain packaging would reduce smoking.

“What proof does the government have that their plain-packaging experiment will work?” he said.

“Can the government give a 100 percent guarantee that taxpayers’ dollars won’t be wasted on legal fees and compensation?”

Canberra says 15,000 Australians die of smoking-related diseases every year, and that tobacco use costs the country Aus$31.5 billion ($32.9 billion) annually in healthcare and lost productivity.

Although Australia would be the first country to mandate plain packaging for cigarettes, New Zealand, Canada and Britain have considered a similar policy.

The move has infuriated the industry, with Imperial Tobacco Australia already saying it planned to challenge the move on the grounds that it would impact profits.

Say bye to obesity

British American Tobacco says the proposed legislation, which still needs to be approved by parliament, would infringe international trademark and intellectual property laws.

Health Minister Nicola Roxon said she expected big tobacco to fight in the courts, but vowed the government would not back down, adding that the excise could be raised if cigarette prices fall.

“I think we are in an extraordinary position where they say they want to protect their brands and profits but then they say they will slash prices to get people hooked onto smoking,” she said.

“I mean this really is turning into a little bit of a nonsense argument from them.

“This (plain packaging) is one way that we know we can actually reduce the harm caused to people by smoking, we can free up money spent in the health system.”

The Cancer Council said the industry “scare tactics” meant it was seriously worried.

“This desperate threat from the industry should send a clear message to anyone who questions the evidence on whether plain packaging will work,” chief executive Ian Olver said. — AFP

SYDNEY: British American Tobacco Australia chief executive David Crow launches a national media campaign against plain packaging for cigarettes in Sydney yesterday. Despite the fact that over 15,000 Australians die of smoking-related diseases every year, and that tobacco use costs the country 33 billion USD annually in healthcare and lost productivity, the tobacco industry threatened to slash the price of cigarettes if Australia goes ahead with plans to introduce plain packaging plastered with graphic health warnings. —AFP

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 18, 2011

W H AT ’ S O N

ESF celebrates 43rd year of excellence!

Hairspray at KLT

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ears 11, 12 and 13 students and hundreds of guests attended The English School Fahaheel’s 43rd Annual Graduation and PrizeGiving ceremony in style again at the opulent Hashemi 2 Ballroom at the Radisson Hotel.

The chief guest at this special event was the Ambassador for the United Kingdom to Kuwait Frank Baker. Among the other dignitaries attending were former Minister of Housing in Kuwait Dr Abdullah Rashed Al Hajeri and Ambassadors of Germany, Cuba, Azerbaijan, Romania, Austria, Switzerland, South Africa, Russia and Serbia.

The Head of the Department of Private Education Fahd El Ghais also attended. The ESF Chairman and owner Ibrahim Shuhaiber was accompanied by ViceChairman Jasmine Shuhaiber, Principal and Department Heads and Upper School staff.

The evening commenced with the National Anthem aptly performed by the ESF Band.

Following this the Graduates Class of 2011 entered to the tune of “The Valiant Years.”

During the course of the evening the ESF Choir headed by, Ms Ledgard and Ms Grmusa performed mellow numbers.

Certificates and prizes were presented to Years 11, 12 and 13 Graduates by the British

Hairspray is the latest musical performed by the Kuwait Little Theater. It’s directed by Kirsty McDonagh with an all singing, all dancing KLT cast of talented actors. Most of the performances are already sold out but they still have some openings available so if you’re interested you need to book right away. Location: Kuwait Little Theater. Dates still available: May 18th, 24th and 25th. Time: 7:30pm.

IWG dinner dance For those of you who still require tickets to the IWG Spring Dinner-Dance tomorrow 19 May, we will have tickets available for purchase at Costa Coffee in Al Bida’a from 10:00 am to 11:30 am.

Thanima to present legend play on Friday Thanima (The Human and Nostalgic Interaction of Malayalees Abroad) is presenting of yet another unique cultural event to the Kuwait cultural spectrum by enacting ballads of the epic Vadakkan Pattukal (Ballads of North Malabar) of medieval Kerala on stage. ‘Oru Vadakkan Veerakatha’, drama scope mega budget full length visual entertainer becomes a reality in the collective effort of Malayalee expatriate community in Kuwait spearheaded by Thanima. The play will be staged at 4.30 pm and 8.30 pm on 20 May at Al-Jeel AlJadeed School Auditorium Hawally. The drama combines both the legendary spirit of Vadakkan Pattu and the bravery of Kalaripayattu (martial art form of Kerala) and harmonizes with the technical excellence of silver screen. In 18 sets it will be on stage designed by acclaimed Artist Sujathan.

Entry will be restricted through passes.

Ambassador Frank Baker and Mrs Baker accompanied by Ibrahim Shuhaiber.

Principal Bowery and Head of Upper School Cox then addressed the audience.

The winner of The International Student Award (Council of International Schools) award this year was Nawaal Zuberi.

The special French award

was then presented to the winning student Tina Raad by a very kind supporter of the school Fredrique Asfar.

The 43rd Annual Graduation at The English School Fahaheel

came to a close with a vote of thanks in English, French and Arabic after which a sumptuous buffet was offered to all diplomats, honoured guests, parents students and staff.

Movenpick Hotel organizes blood donation campaign

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ovenpick Hotel Kuwait Free Trade Zone organized a blood donation campaign in collaboration with the Central Blood Bank in the belief that the achievement of social objectives will help to strengthen and consolidate its role and activities in the social community.

The blood donation campaign was held on May 9. About 50 employees of Hotel Movenpick Kuwait Free Zone, Convention Center and Royal Suites, Swiss Bel Hotel Plaza Kuwait, and Marafie Group donated blood in the oneday event.

Marco Saxer, the General

Manager of Movenpick Hotel Kuwait, expressed his happiness saying, “We organized a blood donation campaign with the support of our belief in humanitarian action, as an attempt to participate in community service and help to deal with critical situations that are so common at hospitals every day.”

Kuwait Airways Aircraft Maintenance bids farewell to Pokala

Arpan children host Mothers, Fathers Day

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Announcements

rpan children hosted Mothers and Fathers Day celebration as a tribute to their parents at Sopanam auditorium on Friday (May 13). The celebration, the first of its kind, was the fruit of the combined effort by Arpan’s children who were assisted and guided by the Ladies Wing headed by Rajeshwari Subbaraman, Kala Mohan and Sowmya Venkat. The parents were given a traditional welcome as the children escorted them with lit ‘dhiyas’ and applied a curd ‘tilak’ on their foreheads as a gesture of respect. This was followed by a captivating violin recital by Anjana Mohan, Divya Mahadevan and Ardra Anil. The program began with a prayer song rendered by Alma and Cherish.

Anjana Mohan welcomed the gathering. John Daniel and Nandu Sajeevan performed the Ganapati Stuti followed by a brilliant dance piece “Sarva mangala mangalya” performed by Nithika Suresh, Aathira Sathish, Aroma Sathish, Divya Mahadevan, Ardra Anil and Shreya Sajeev. A photo

gallery at the venue displaying the pictures shot by Nandu Sajeevan, was also quite attractive.

Highlights of the program included a Yoga session.

The musical titled “Mother Nature” was another attraction of the day as the children put across the message of being environmentally committed human beings. Anurag Sreenath, Sidharth Suresh, Nandu, Gayathri Sajeevan were among those who participated in the musical.

Darshana Jayadevan and Shilpa Sajeev brought to life the playfulness of the young Krishna and the affection of Yashoda as they performed “Thaaye Yashoda.” The little tips, tricks and “did you know?” were especially endearing. The children honored renowned Mohiniyattam exponent Kalamandalam Mallika Vasudevan who taught them a semi-classical dance number. The rendition of “Janani janani” led by Anjana and Ardra was a fitting culmination to the colorful program. Chinnu Sam, Samuel Sam, Siddharth Anil Das, Arundhati Jayadevan, Anand Milan , Sharath Mohandas, Abirami Moorthy, Liva Maria, Nayana Suresh, Raghuram Moorthy and Nimitha Suresh also participated in the grand finale.

Aathira Sathish proposed the vote of thanks which was followed by a sumptuous lunch.

T

he aircraft maintenance engineering hangar staff of Kuwait Airways Corporation bid farewell to its colleague Pokala Ramakrishnaiah, who is retiring on 1 June 2011.

Khalil Hammadi, Deputy Director, Aircraft Engineering Department presided over the program. The program begun with welcome speech given by Mohan Menon, Aircraft Engineer. Khalil Hammadi, Deputy Director, Aircraft Engineering Department presented a memento.

Also Mustafa Shatti Aircraft Maintenance Superintendent, Bonny D’Mello Aircraft Engineer and Ms Nadia Al Gobban Aircraft Engineer presented Pokala Ramakrishnaiah gifts as a token of appreciation.

Khalil Hammadi, Mustafa Shatti, Hussan Al Yousaf, Chief Leading Hand expressed gratitude for his valuable services. Special guests in the event were Khalid Sebzali Aircraft Maintenance Superintendent, Khawar Mahmood Khokhar Aircraft Engineer, Mohammad Al Fadhly Aircraft Engineer, Dennis George Aircraft Engineer, Fawwad M. Naja, Kliyappan Sethu, Ramana Murthy and Basher Al Najam. Vote of thanks was given by Pokala Ramakrishnaiah to all dignitaries and invitees. Subsequently, Joseph Mendes for arranging memento and meeting organizers Kliyappan Sethu, Abdul Aziz and Salman Arif for a job well done.

Aware Arabic course The 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.

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.

Ahmadi Music Group The Ahmadi Music Group, directed by Richard Bushman, is delighted to announce the forthcoming production of The Desert Song by Siegmund Romberg and Oscar Hammerstein. Fully-staged, with costumes, dancing, professional soloists, a cast of around fifty people and a full symphony orchestra, this will be a wonderful opportunity to experience an evening of musical theatre in the stunning new Performing Arts Centre at The English School Salmiya. Tuesday 31 May, Preview Performance for students. Wednesday 1 June, Black-tie Gala Opening Performance followed by Buffet Supper. Thursday 2 June, Performance.

Friday 3 June, Performance. All performances start at 7pm at The English School, Salmiya.

Emailing invitations@ahmadimusicgroup.com 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.

‘Mahakte Lamhe’ with Udit Narayan Indian Cultural Society (ICS) presents “Mahakte Lamhe” with Udit Narayan (a renowned playback singer from Indian cinema)) with Deepa Narayan (female singer). Another attraction of the evening will be reality show fame Neha Chouhan & Nayan Rathod on 10th June 2011 Friday at 7.30 pm. The Chief Guest for the event will be Vidhu P Nair Charge d” Affaires Embassy of India, Kuwait and the guest of honor will be prominent personalities from Kuwait.

Write to us Send to What’s On upcoming events, birthdays or celebrations by email: local@kuwaittimes.net Fax: 24835619 / 20

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 18, 2011

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 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.vfsuk-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 ■■■■■■■

AUK celebrates International Labor Day

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s part of International Labor Day the American University of Kuwait held a Staff Appreciation lunch and related activities on April 28th. International Labor Day is a day that takes place on the first of May each year, celebrating the many contributions to society made by laborers and honoring their dignity. This day is celebrated around the world and is also known as “International Workers’ Day”.

The purpose of the event at AUK was to thank the housekeeping, secu-

rity, technicians, gardening, landscaping and office facilitators for all their hard work in ensuring that AUK remains a safe and pleasant place to both work and learn. AUK community members came together between 9 am and 4 pm to assist in making this event successful and to show their appreciation to AUK’s support staff through various activities which included the main event, an appreciation lunch.

At the lunch President Winfred Thompson thanked the AUK support

staff for their tireless efforts and ongoing support of our campus and additionally handed each a certificate of appreciation along with a gift from the university and its faculty/staff. The student body, led by the Community Service Club, Entrepreneurship & Business Club, & Hope Club also collected gift items for each support staff member and a student representative, Fatima M. Thunayan, thanked the staff and presented them with a gift bag and other amenities on behalf of the various student organizations and all

AUK students. Additionally, AUK faculty and staff did the setup and cleanup for the lunch, greeted and helped seat individuals as they arrived, and even served food and drinks.

The activities throughout the day also included student, faculty, and staff volunteers who were trained and helped supervise the AUK gates for the security personnel, and included picking up and collecting trash from the campus grounds and waste receptacles for the housekeeping personnel in an effort to keep the campus clean.

Infunity Center presents ‘The Stage Group’ team

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n Thursday and Friday, May 12-13, 2011, Infunity Entertainment Center organized an entertainment ceremony to create an environment of happiness and a state of joy where the “Stage Group” Team presented a show with a big crowd of families and youth at 360 Mall, 3rd level.

This event comes as part of Infunity’s philosophy to organize events and activities that suit different age groups.

Infunity Entertainment Center is keen to create a state of excitement and fun.

Therefore; it invited the Stage Group team to present its unique performances at Infunity, which included dances, athletic and quick movements that reflects the youth spirit of the team. The team also presented an indoor Mountaineering show, plays, musical performances and other

shows that entertained the audience.

It is worthy to mention that Infunity Entertainment Center is the shelter of the families who are seeking to spend pleasant and unique times to all family members since its games are the latest in Kuwait as well as combines education, focus and entertainment.

In addition, the place guarantees all visitors to spend the most enjoyable times due to the great efforts made by the Center’s management to satisfy the needs and the demands of families and to ensure a safe environment for them. Furthermore, Infunity is one of the popular centers for many people where it hosts a large number of visitors which leads to the fact that Infunity has it is own unique identity among others.

W

GREETINGS

H

appy birthday to Fuad Rahman on your 6th birthday today. On this beautiful day, we pray to Allah to bless you with all the joys, happiness and glory in the world. We wish you a sensational birthday. Greeting and best wishes from father, mother, sister (Naymah), friends & uncles, Kamal Hussain Imtiaz, Abdur Rahim, Mijanur Rahman, K M Kamrul Islam, Tajul Islam & Saiful Islam.

Starbucks MENA said: “It is with great pleasure that we join hands with PizzaExpress and Pinkberry to celebrate our new store openings in Kuwait, while cultivating our relationship with our new neighbours in the area. Community outreach is an important pillar for Starbucks and something we enjoy greatly. This event allows us to engage with our valued customers, letting them enjoy the Starbucks experience as the ‘third place’, away from home and the office.

We look forward to increasing our presence further in Kuwait, enriching the Jabriya neighbourhood and community with the Starbucks experience of human connection and excellent standards of coffee.”

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EMBASSY OF CANADA The Embassy of Canada is located at Villa 24, Al-Mutawakel St., Block 4 in Da’aiyah.

Please visit our website at www.Kuwait.gc.ca.

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/IM M5257E.PDF. A guide explaining the process can be found here: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/kits/guides/5 256E.PDF. ■■■■■■■

EMBASSY OF KENYA

Starbucks, PizzaExpress and Pinkberry destination of choice at Jabriya Plaza ith the openings of three new Starbucks, PizzaExpress and Pinkberry stores taking place at the same time in Jabriya Plaza, Kuwait, the three brands, housed under one roof in a nonmall setup, will bring together a unique dining experience for Jabriya Plaza’s customers.

In addition to being Starbucks 68th location and Pinkberry’s 5th location in Kuwait, the new PizzaExpress Jabriya (the 7th store in Kuwait) features the brand’s latest store design and will be the first PizzaExpress in the Middle East to introduce the new look and feel and its new menu.

Commenting on the community event, Rana Shaheen, Regional Communications and CSR Manager at

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

Commenting on PizzaExpress’s new look, Nader Hallal, Head of Marketing for Alshaya’s Food Service division said: “This event has been the perfect celebration to present the new menu and the new-look PizzaExpress store. As an award winning pizzeria, with a passion for real Italian pizza made with the highest quality ingredients and recipe from Italy, it is fantastic to share our passion for cuisine with the Jabriya neighbourhood in Kuwait.”

Speaking about Pinkberry’s newest opening, Nader Hallal added: “We are also really excited about our new store in Jabriya Plaza. Making people happy with our healthy non-fat frozen yogurt, fresh toppings and signature tang is a big priority for us. By partnering with Starbucks and PizzaExpress we look forward to satisfying all the cravings of Jabriya’s local residents.”

The Embassy of the Republic of Kenya wishes to request all Kenyans resident in or training through Kuwait to register with the Embassy.

We are updating our database. This information is necessary in order to facilitate quick assistance and advise in times of emergency. Kindly visit in person or register through our website www.kenyaembkuwait.com. The Embassy is located in: Surra Area - Block 6 - Street 9 - Villa 3 Tel: 25353362 25353314; Fax: 25353316.

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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 ■■■■■■■

EMBASSY OF SOUTH AFRICA The Embassy of the Republic of South Africa will be closed on Wednesday, May 18, 2011 at 12:30 due to the National Day celebration. The Embassy will resume its normal working hours on Thursday, May 19, 2011, from Sunday to Thursday. Please note that the working hours will be from 8:00 to 16:00 and the consular section operation hours will from 8:30 to 12:30.

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 18, 2011

Years

TV PROGRAMS

00:45 Untamed And Uncut 01:40 Dogs/Cats/Pets 101 02:35 Great Savannah Race 03:30 Last Chance Highway 04:25 Natural World 05:20 Animal Cops South Africa 06:10 Animal Crackers 06:35 Animal Crackers 07:00 Meerkat Manor 07:25 The Really Wild Show 07:50 Natural Born Hunters 08:15 All New Planet’s Funniest Animals 08:40 Breed All About It 09:10 Must Love Cats 10:05 Michaela’s Animal Road Trip 11:00 Animal Precinct 11:55 Wildlife SOS 12:20 Wildlife SOS 12:50 Last Chance Highway 13:45 SSPCA: On The Wildside 14:10 E-Vets: The Interns 14:40 Life In The Undergrowth 15:30 Planet Wild 16:00 The Really Wild Show 16:30 Baby Planet 17:25 Extraordinary Dogs 17:50 Project Puppy 18:20 Great Savannah Race 19:15 Michaela’s Animal Road Trip 20:10 Dogs/Cats/Pets 101 21:05 Wildest Africa 22:00 Queens Of The Savannah 22:55 Buggin’ With Ruud 23:50 Life In The Undergrowth

00:00 00:30 01:15 02:10 03:00 03:30 04:00 04:30 04:50 05:10 05:35 05:45 06:05 06:25 06:50 07:05 07:25 07:45 08:10 08:20 08:40 09:00 09:25 09:40 10:10 10:40 11:25 12:15 12:45 13:15 14:10 15:40 16:30 17:15 17:45 18:15 19:10 20:00 20:45 21:15 21:45 22:40 23:30

00:05 00:50 01:40 02:25 04:15 05:00 07:05 08:20 09:10 10:00 10:20

My Family The Weakest Link Holby City Conviction Eastenders Doctors My Family Me Too Tweenies Teletubbies Charlie And Lola Me Too Tweenies Teletubbies Charlie And Lola Me Too Tweenies Teletubbies Charlie And Lola Me Too Tweenies Teletubbies Charlie And Lola My Family My Family The Weakest Link Michael Palin’s New Europe Doctors Eastenders Holby City My Family Michael Palin’s New Europe The Weakest Link Doctors Eastenders Holby City Michael Palin’s New Europe The Weakest Link Doctors Eastenders Casualty Desperate Romantics Beautiful People

Cash In The Attic USA Come Dine With Me The Home Show Cash In The Attic USA Rhodes Across China Daily Cooks Challenge New Scandinavian Cooking Rhodes Across China Antiques Roadshow Cash In The Attic USA Cash In The Attic USA

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

Cash In The Attic USA Rhodes Across China Antiques Roadshow Cash In The Attic Bargain Hunt Come Dine With Me Cash In The Attic USA Rhodes Across China Antiques Roadshow Cash In The Attic Bargain Hunt Come Dine With Me The Home Show Holmes On Homes

00:00 BBC World News 00:30 World Business Report 00:45 Sport Today 01:00 BBC World News America 01:30 Asia Business Report 01:45 Asia Today 02:00 BBC World News 02:30 Asia Business Report 02:45 Asia Today 03:00 BBC World News 03:30 Asia Business Report 03:45 Asia Today 04:00 BBC World News 04:30 Asia Business Report 04:45 Asia Today 05:00 BBC World News 05:30 Asia Business Report 05:45 Asia Today 06:00 BBC World News 06:30 Hardtalk 07:00 BBC World News 07:30 World Business Report 07:45 BBC World News 08:30 World Business Report 08:45 BBC World News 09:00 BBC World News 09:30 World Business Report 09:45 Sport Today 10:00 BBC World News 10:30 World Business Report 10:45 Sport Today 11:00 BBC World News 11:30 Hardtalk 12:00 BBC World News 12:30 World Business Report 12:45 Sport Today 13:00 BBC World News 13:30 World Business Report 13:45 Sport Today 14:00 GMT With George Alagiah 14:30 GMT With George Alagiah 15:00 BBC World News 15:30 World Business Report 15:45 Sport Today 16:00 Impact With Mishal Husain 17:30 World Business Report 17:45 Sport Today 18:00 BBC World News 18:30 Hardtalk 19:00 The Hub With Nik Gowing 20:30 World Business Report 20:45 Sport Today 21:00 World News Today With Zeinab Badawi 22:30 World Business Report 22:45 Sport Today 23:00 BBC World News America 23:30 Hardtalk

00:05 Cow And Chicken 00:30 Cramp Twins 00:55 George Of The Jungle 01:20 Adrenalini Brothers 01:45 Eliot Kid 02:10 Ed, Edd N Eddy 02:35 Ben 10: Alien Force 03:00 The Powerpuff Girls 03:15 Chowder 03:40 The Secret Saturdays 04:05 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey 04:30 Ben 10: Alien Force 04:55 Best Ed 05:20 Skunk Fu! 05:45 Cramp Twins 06:10 Eliot Kid 06:35 The Marvelous Misadventures Of Flapjack 07:00 Codename: Kids Next Door 07:25 Cow And Chicken 07:50 Angelo Rules

08:05 Cartoon Network Dance Club 08:15 Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends 08:40 Ben 10: Alien Force 09:05 The Secret Saturdays 09:30 Batman: The Brave And The Bold 09:55 The Powerpuff Girls 10:20 Robotboy 10:30 Hero 108 10:55 Ben 10 11:20 Chowder 11:45 The Marvelous Misadventures Of Flapjack 12:10 Camp Lazlo 12:35 George Of The Jungle 13:00 Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends 13:25 Codename: Kids Next Door 13:50 Ben 10 14:15 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey 14:40 Squirrel Boy 15:05 Eliot Kid 15:35 Ed, Edd N Eddy 16:00 Cow And Chicken 16:25 Chop Socky Chooks 16:50 Skunk Fu! 17:15 Chowder 17:40 Best Ed 18:05 Hero 108 18:30 The Marvelous Misadventures Of Flapjack 18:55 Star Wars: The Clone Wars 19:20 Ben 10: Alien Force 19:45 The Secret Saturdays 20:10 Bakugan Battle Brawlers 20:35 Fantastic Four: World’s Greatest Heroes 21:00 The Powerpuff Girls 21:25 Ed, Edd N Eddy 21:50 Robotboy 22:00 Camp Lazlo 22:25 Hero 108 22:50 Ben 10 23:15 Bakugan Battle Brawlers 23:40 Chowder

00:40 01:35 02:30 03:25 04:20 05:15 05:40 06:05 07:00 07:50 08:45 09:10 09:40 10:30 10:55 11:25 12:20 13:15 14:10 15:05 16:00 16:55 17:50 18:45 19:10 19:40 20:05 20:35 21:00 21:55 22:50 23:45

Dirty Jobs The Next Great Baker Ultimate Survival Mega Builders Mythbusters How Do They Do It? How Stuff’s Made Dirty Jobs Mega Builders American Chopper How Stuff’s Made How Do They Do It? Mythbusters Cake Boss Border Security Street Customs Berlin Ultimate Survival Mythbusters LA Ink Dirty Jobs Street Customs Berlin Mythbusters River Monsters Cake Boss Border Security I Could Do That How Stuff’s Made How Do They Do It? Is It Possible?

Mythbusters Ipod Revolution River Monsters

00:30 The Gadget Show 00:55 Mega World 01:45 Space Pioneer 02:35 Through The Wormhole With Morgan Freeman 03:25 How Does That Work?

03:50 Junkyard Mega-Wars 04:45 What’s That About?

05:40 Patent Bending 06:10 Superships 07:00 Da Vinci’s Machines 07:55 Head Rush 07:58 Sci-Fi Science 08:25 Weird Connections 08:55 Joao Magueijo’s Big Bang

WATCHMEN ON OSN ACTION HD

09:45 The Gadget Show 10:35 Engineered 11:25 Savage Planet 11:50 Ldrs (Large Dangerous Rocket Ships) 12:40 Patent Bending 13:05 Sci-Fi Science 13:55 Space Pioneer 14:45 Mega World 15:35 The Gadget Show 16:00 Head Rush 16:03 Sci-Fi Science 16:30 Weird Connections 17:00 Brainiac 17:50 Space Pioneer 18:40 How It’s Made 19:30 How Stuff Works 20:20 Weird Connections 20:45 How Stuff’s Made 21:10 The Gadget Show 22:00 How It’s Made 22:50 How Stuff Works 23:40 The Colony

00:00 00:25 01:15 02:00 02:50 03:35 04:25 05:15 06:00 06:20 07:05 07:30 07:55 08:20 08:35 09:00 09:25 09:50 10:10 10:35 10:50 11:15 11:35 12:00 12:25 12:45 13:10 13:30 13:55 14:20 14:40 14:47 14:55 15:20 15:40 16:00 16:25 16:45 17:10 17:35 18:00 18:25 18:45 19:10 19:35 20:00 20:25 20:50 21:12 21:15 21:35 22:00 22:25 22:50 23:15 23:35

Kim Possible Fairly Odd Parents Stitch Replacements Emperors New School Stitch Replacements Fairly Odd Parents Emperors New School Phineas And Ferb Suite Life On Deck Fish Hooks Good Luck Charlie Fairly Odd Parents Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Handy Manny Special Agent Oso Jungle Junction Imagination Movers Phineas And Ferb Suite Life On Deck Wizards Of Waverly Place Good Luck Charlie Shake It Up Fairly Odd Parents Phineas And Ferb Hannah Montana Sonny With A Chance Wizards Of Waverly Place Suite Life On Deck Have A Laugh Have A Laugh Good Luck Charlie Shake It Up Wizards Of Waverly Place Hannah Montana Sonny With A Chance Jonas LA Fish Hooks Wizards Of Waverly Place Hannah Montana Suite Life On Deck Phineas And Ferb Good Luck Charlie Wizards Of Waverly Place Sonny With A Chance Jake And Blake Hannah Montana Have A Laugh Phineas And Ferb Fairly Odd Parents Replacements Hannah Montana Sonny With A Chance Wizards Of Waverly Place Jonas

06:00 Kid Vs Kat 06:20 Kick Buttowski 06:40 Pokemon 07:05 Phineas & Ferb 08:05 American Dragon 08:30 Kick Buttowski 08:50 Cars Toons 09:00 Zeke & Luther 09:25 Zeke & Luther 09:50 I’m In The Band 10:15 The Super Hero Squad Show 10:40 Suite Life On Deck 11:05 Suite Life On Deck 11:30 Pair Of Kings 11:55 Phineas & Ferb 12:20 Phineas & Ferb 12:45 Kid Vs Kat 13:10 Cars Toons 13:20 Kid Vs Kat 13:30 Kid Vs Kat 13:50 The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody 14:15 The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody 14:40 Zeke & Luther 15:05 Suite Life On Deck 15:25 Cars Toons 15:35 Kick Buttowski 16:00 Pair Of Kings 19:20 Mom’s Got A Date With A Vampire 20:35 Phineas & Ferb 21:05 I’m In The Band 21:30 Zeke & Luther 21:50 Phineas And Ferb 22:00 The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody 22:20 The Super Hero Squad Show

00:25 Kendra 00:55 Style Star 01:25 E!es 01:50 E!es 02:20 THS 03:15 25 Most Stylish 04:10 Sexiest 05:05 Extreme Hollywood 06:00 30 Best And Worst Beach Bodies 07:50 Behind The Scenes 08:20 E! News 09:15 Kimora: Life In The Fab Lane 10:15 THS 12:05 E! News 13:05 Holly’s World 14:05 Kourtney And Khloe Take Miami 14:35 E!es 15:30 THS 16:25 Behind The Scenes 16:55 E!es 17:55 E! News 18:55 Kourtney And Kim Take New York 19:25 Kourtney And Kim Take New York 19:55 Chelsea’s Big Interview Special 20:55 Chelsea Lately 21:25 Kimora: Life In The Fab Lane 22:25 E! News 23:25 Chelsea Lately 23:55 Keeping Up With The Kardashians

00:15 Fantasy Factory 00:40 Mantracker 01:30 World Combat League 02:20 Fantasy Factory 03:10 Aiya TV 04:00 Gumball 3000: 2008 04:25 Jet Powered Joel 04:50 Mantracker 05:40 World Combat League 06:30 Ride Guide Mountainbike 2007 07:00 Ride Guide Mountainbike 2007 08:00 Quattro Events 2009 08:25 Summer Dew Tour 2010 09:15 Lucas Oil Motocross Championships 2009 10:05 Lucas Oil Motocross Championships 2009 10:55 Final Fu 11:45 X-Traordinary 12:35 Fantasy Factory 13:25 Mantracker 14:15 World Combat League 15:05 Final Fu 15:55 X-Traordinary 16:45 Quattro Events 2009 17:10 Summer Dew Tour 2010 18:00 Lucas Oil Motocross Championships 2009 18:50 Lucas Oil Motocross Championships 2009 19:40 Mantracker 20:30 Fantasy Factory 20:55 Fantasy Factory 21:20 Fight Girls 22:10 World Combat League 23:00 Aiya TV 23:50 Fantasy Factory

00:30 01:20 02:10 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 20:20 21:10 22:00 23:40

Ghost Lab A Haunting Deadly Women The Prosecutors Dr G: Medical Examiner Ghosthunters Ghost Lab Mystery Diagnosis Forensic Detectives Undercover Mystery Diagnosis Real Emergency Calls Fugitive Strike Force FBI Files On The Case With Paula Zahn Solved Mystery Diagnosis Real Emergency Calls Fugitive Strike Force Forensic Detectives Undercover FBI Files Mystery Diagnosis Real Emergency Calls On The Case With Paula Zahn Solved I Almost Got Away With It Dr G: Medical Examiner

00:00 Market Values 01:00 Departures 02:00 Don’t Tell My Mother 03:00 Long Way Down 04:00 Pressure Cook 04:30 David Rocco’s Dolce Vita 05:00 Food Lovers Guide To Planet 05:30 Exploring The Vine 06:00 Market Values 07:00 Departures 08:00 Don’t Tell My Mother 09:00 Long Way Down 10:00 Pressure Cook 10:30 David Rocco’s Dolce Vita 11:00 Food Lovers Guide To Planet 11:30 Exploring The Vine 12:00 Market Values 13:00 Departures 14:00 Don’t Tell My Mother 15:00 Long Way Down 16:00 Pressure Cook 16:30 David Rocco’s Dolce Vita 17:00 Food Lovers Guide To Planet 17:30 Exploring The Vine 18:00 Market Values 19:00 Departures 20:00 Don’t Tell My Mother 21:00 Long Way Down 22:00 Pressure Cook 22:30 David Rocco’s Dolce Vita 23:00 Food Lovers Guide To Planet 23:30 Exploring The Vine

The

The

The

The

00:00 02:00 04:00 06:00 08:00 10:00 11:45 14:00 15:45 17:45 20:00 22:45 PG15

Amusement-18 Bad Guys-18 12 Rounds-PG15 Air Force One-PG15 The Order-PG15 The Marine 2-PG15 Angels And Demons-PG15 The Order-PG15 Gone In Sixty Seconds-PG15 Angels And Demons-PG15 Watchmen-18 Wrong Turn 3: Left For Dead-

01:00 03:00 05:00 07:00 09:00 11:00 13:00 15:00 17:00 18:45 21:00 23:00

While She Was Out-18 Good Hair-PG15 Charlotte Gray-PG15 Charlie And Boots-PG MacHEADS-PG15 Good Hair-PG15 Bandslam-PG15 MacHEADS-PG15 All About Steve-PG15 Invictus-PG15 Crazy On The Outside-PG15 Mr. Nice-PG15

00:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 01:00 The Colbert Report 01:30 South Park 02:00 The Cleveland Show 02:30 Entourage 03:00 Just Shoot Me 03:30 30 Rock 04:00 South Park 04:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 05:30 Will And Grace 06:00 Yes Dear 06:30 The Drew Carey Show

GOOD HAIR ON OSN CINEMA 07:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 08:00 Tyler Perry’s House Of Payne 08:30 Dharma And Greg 09:00 Just Shoot Me 09:30 Will And Grace 10:00 Yes Dear 10:30 Seinfeld 11:00 The Drew Carey Show 11:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 12:30 Dharma And Greg 13:00 Tyler Perry’s House Of Payne 13:30 Will And Grace 14:00 Yes Dear 14:30 30 Rock 15:00 Seinfeld 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 Melissa And Joey 19:30 30 Rock 20:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 21:00 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 21:30 The Colbert Report 22:00 The Big C 22:30 Entourage 23:00 South Park 23:30 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

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

Private Practice The Glades The Ellen DeGeneres Show Grey’s Anatomy The View Good Morning America C.S.I. New York Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show The Martha Stewart Show The View Private Practice Grey’s Anatomy Live Good Morning America C.S.I. New York The Ellen DeGeneres Show Emmerdale Coronation Street Glee Law And Order Game Of Thrones Treme C.S.I. New York

00:00 Cold Case 01:00 C.S.I. 02:00 The Glades 03:00 Private Practice 04:00 Grey’s Anatomy 05:00 The Closer 06:00 Cold Case 07:00 The Office 07:30 Coronation Street 08:00 Smallville 09:00 The Closer 10:00 Private Practice 11:00 Grey’s Anatomy 12:00 The Office 12:30 Coronation Street 13:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show 14:00 Smallville 15:00 Cold Case 16:00 The New Adventures Of Old Christine 16:30 Coronation Street 17:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show 18:00 Smallville 19:00 Glee 20:00 C.S.I. 21:00 Game Of Thrones 22:00 C.S.I. 23:00 The Closer

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

The General’s Daughter-18 12 Rounds-PG15 El Orfenato-18 Star Trek: Generations-PG The Three Musketeers-PG15 Enemy Of The State-PG15 Fast And Furious-PG15 The Three Musketeers-PG15 Appaloosa-PG15 Bangkok Adrenaline-PG15 Se7en-18 28 Days Later-18

00:00 That Thing You Do!-PG 02:00 Patch Adams-PG15 04:00 Up-FAM 06:00 Meet The Applegates-PG15 08:00 Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel-PG15 10:00 Houseguest-PG15 12:00 Everybody Wants To Be Italian-PG15 14:00 The Wedding Singer-PG15 16:00 That Thing You Do!-PG 18:00 New York City Serenade-PG15 20:00 My Father The Hero-PG15 22:00 Say It Isn’t So-18

01:15 Blessed-R 03:15 Parlez-Moi De LA Pluie-PG15 05:15 Mary Reilly-PG15 07:15 Under The Mountain-PG 09:00 Sticks And Stones-PG 11:00 Born Free-PG 13:00 Three Investigators-PG15 15:00 Carnera: The Walking Mountain-PG 17:00 Benny And Joon-PG 19:00 Confidences Trop Intimes-R 21:00 Titanic-PG15

01:30 Fragments-18 03:30 The Box-PG15 05:30 Head Of State-PG15 07:30 Alvin And The Chipmunks: The Squeakquel-FAM 09:00 Toy Story 3-FAM 11:00 One Hot Summer-PG15 13:00 The Lizzie McGuire MoviePG15 15:00 Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant-PG15 17:00 Toy Story 3-FAM 19:00 Land Of The Lost-PG15 21:00 Crazy On The Outside-PG15 23:00 All Good Things-18

00:00 Cars-PG 02:15 Zorro’s Secrets-PG 04:15 Pollyworld-FAM 06:00 Monsters vs. Aliens-PG 08:00 Pocahontas And The Spider Woman-PG 10:00 Cars-PG 12:15 Tutenstein: Clash Of The Pharaohs-PG 14:00 Gold Diggers: The Secret Of Bear Mountain-PG 16:00 Nanny Mcphee And The Big Bang-PG 18:00 Dr. Dolittle-PG 20:00 Pete’s Dragon-PG 22:15 Tutenstein: Clash Of The

00:00 Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. The N.Y. Knicks-PG15 02:00 Paper Man-PG15 04:00 School Of Rock-PG15 06:00 Oceans - Into The Deep-PG 08:00 Maneater: Part I-PG15 10:00 Maneater: Part II-PG15 12:00 Emotional Arithmetic-PG15 14:00 Not The Messiah: He’s A Very Naughty Boy-PG15 15:30 Before You Say I Do-PG15 17:00 Avatar-PG 19:45 The Hurt Locker-18 22:00 The Private Lives Of Pippa Lee-PG15

00:00 NRL Premiership 02:00 Futbol Mundial 02:30 World Hockey 03:00 Super 15 05:00 Trans World Sport 06:00 Weber Cup Bowling 07:00 Super League 09:00 European PGA Tour Highlights 10:00 FEI Equestrian World 10:30 Mobil 1 The Grid 11:00 Aviva Premiership 13:00 Trans World Sport 14:00 Live Tennis Masters Guinot 16:00 Live Tennis Masters Guinot 18:00 Live Tennis Masters Guinot 20:00 Trans World Sport

21:00 Futbol Mundial 21:30 Scottish Premier League Highlights 22:00 AFL Highlights 23:00 Asian Tour Highlights

00:00 NRL Full Time 00:30 AFL Highlights 01:30 AFL Premiership 04:00 European PGA Tour Highlights 05:00 NRL Premiership 07:00 Golfing World 08:00 AFL Premiership 10:30 ICC Cricket World 11:00 World Hockey 11:30 Scottish Premier League Highlights 12:00 FEI Equestrian World 12:30 Weber Cup Bowling 13:30 Mobil 1 The Grid 14:00 Aviva Premiership 16:00 Asian Tour Golf Show 16:30 Asian Tour Highlights 17:30 Golfing World 18:30 Trans World Sport 19:30 Futbol Mundial 20:00 European Tour Weekly 20:30 Mobil 1 The Grid 21:00 Tennis Masters Guinot 22:30 Tennis Masters Guinot

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

UFC 129 UFC The Ultimate Fighter UFC Unleashed UFC Unleashed WWE Vintage Collection UAE National Race Day Series Full Throttle V8 Supercars Championship V8 Supercars Championship Sports Adventure WWE NXT UAE National Race Day Series City Centre Races City Centre Races Superstock Powerboat Series Full Throttle Intercontinental Le Mans Cup V8 Supercars Championship WWE NXT WWE Bottom Line WWE Vintage Collection UFC Wired UFC Unleashed UFC The Ultimate Fighter

00:00 The Big Fish 00:30 Word Travels 01:00 Think Green 02:00 Journey Into Wine- Australia 02:30 Journey Into Wine- Australia 03:00 Working Holiday 04:00 Globe Trekker 05:00 The Big Fish 05:30 Word Travels 06:00 First Class Italy 06:30 Distant Shores 07:00 Globe Trekker 08:00 Inside Luxury Travel-Varun Sharma 09:00 Working Holiday 10:00 Grannies On Safari 10:30 The Seasoned Traveler 11:00 The Big Fish 11:30 Word Travels 12:00 Globe Trekker 13:00 Distant Shores 13:30 The Thirsty Traveler 14:00 First Class Italy 14:30 Inside Luxury Travel-Varun Sharma 15:30 48 Hours In 16:00 Globe Trekker 17:00 The Big Fish 17:30 Grannies On Safari 18:00 Distant Shores 18:30 The Thirsty Traveler 19:00 Globe Trekker 20:00 Hollywood and Vines 20:30 Distant Shores 21:00 Inside Luxury Travel-Varun Sharma 22:00 Globe Trekker 23:00 Globe Trekker

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Source: iT iTunes unes

ACCOMMODATION Sharing accommodation available eďŹ&#x20AC;ective today for a non-smoking bachelor in a double bedroom ďŹ&#x201A;at in Amman street, Salmiya. Call 97199146. (C 3353) Sharing accommodation available for single decent, non smoking bachelor, share with family. Opposite to Rashid hospital, Shara Amman, Salmiya. Tel: 65717906, 50223132.

(C 3354) Family on vacation ďŹ&#x201A;at available in Abbassiya for 2 months (June - July) Keralite only. Tel: 97121669.

(C 3352) 18-5-2011 Sharing accommodation

available single room with Tamil bachelor in Salmiya near Edee store & Sagar restaurant.

Contact: 99690298, 97208716.

(C 3348)

room, 2 bathroom (1 attached) from 30th May onwards. Rent KD 85. Phone: 99416236 (C 3343)

nurses or decent working lady, should Muslim Indian or Pakistan. Please call: 66373409 Furnished room available for single Muslim working lady with a Pakistani family in Farwaniya, rent KD 50.

Contact: 65603645.

(C 3347) 16-5-2011

FOR SALE

Accommodation available in Jabriya, 3 bedroom 2 bathroom fully furnished CA/C ďŹ&#x201A;at near Jabriya Indian School.

Please call 55779225. (C 3351) 17-5-2011

Sharing accommodation available in Abbassiya, near Al-Mulla exchange, one bedroom & separate bathroom with Keralite family from June onwards, small family or working ladies. Please call 66450237.

(C 3340)

Sharing accommodation available for Indian bachelors in a fully furnished central A/C building in Farwaniya with kitchen and parking facilities. Those interested may call Mob: 99038601. (C 3341)

Sharing accommodation single room available in Farwaniya near gas station, clinic from 10-6-2001 to 109-2011. Three month visit visa only with household items also. Please call 99482666. (C 3344)

Sharing accommodation available in Abbassiya for decent couples (non-smoking) in a central A/C, 2 bed-

One Room available in three bedroom ďŹ&#x201A;at in Salmiya, Shara bin Mughaira street, behind Hadi hospital, prefer

Toyota Corolla, model 2007, golden color, 1.8 engine, 89,000 km done, original paint, excellent condition, price KD 2,750, negotiable.

Contact: 99105286. (C 3355) 18-5-2011 Mazda 6, white color, 2007 model, full option, km 82000, KD 1750. Mob: 65085629. (C 3349) Honda City, 2009 model, golden color, full options, + CD, km 18000, KD 2400. Tel: 66729295. (C 3350) 17-5-2011 Ford Edgese model 2011,

zero mileage, brand new from company original price KD 8,000, selling price KD 7,200, serious buyers.

Contact: 99495795.

(C 3342) 16-5-2011

No: 15092

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 3345) 15-5-2011

DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION In case you are not travelling, your proper cancellation of bookings will help other passengers to use seats Airlines JZR THY ETH ETH UAE DHX FDB GFA QTR JZR JZR FCX JZR KAC BAW IRC KAC KAC KAC FDB KAC KAC KAC KAC UAE QTR ABY IRA ETD GFA FCX MEA JZR IRM JZR SVA RBG KAC MSR IRC UAL RJA FDB KAC SVA SVA

Arrival Flights on Wednesday 18/5/2011 Flt Route 267 BEIRUT 772 ISTANBUL 620 ADDIS ABABA 3718 LIEGE 853 DUBAI 370 BAHRAIN 67 DUBAI 211 BAHRAIN 138 DOHA 529 ASSIUT 503 LUXOR 201 DUBAI 555 ALEXANDRIA 412 MANILA / BANGKOK 157 LONDON 6807 SHIRAZ 206 ISLAMABAD 382 DELHI 302 MUMBAI 53 DUBAI 352 COCHIN 284 DHAKA 362 COLOMBO 344 CHENNAI 855 DUBAI 132 DOHA 125 SHARJAH 603 SHIRAZ 301 ABU DHABI 213 BAHRAIN 203 DUBAI 404 BEIRUT 165 DUBAI 5066 MASHAD 561 SOHAG 9552 JEDDAH 3557 ALEXANDRIA 672 DUBAI 610 CAIRO 6791 MASHAD 982 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 640 AMMAN 57 DUBAI 802 CAIRO 9370 JEDDAH 500 JEDDAH

Time 0:35 1:15 1:45 2:00 2:25 2:55 3:10 3:15 3:20 3:35 5:15 5:25 6:10 6:15 6:30 7:10 7:15 7:20 7:50 7:55 8:05 8:10 8:20 8:20 8:25 9:00 9:10 9:25 9:30 9:35 10:30 10:55 11:10 11:50 12:30 12:35 12:55 13:15 13:20 13:25 13:30 13:35 13:50 14:00 14:25 14:30

KAC CLX QTR JZR KNE SYR ETD UAE GFA SVA KNE JZR JZR JZR ABY KAC JZR JZR ALK IYE KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC AIC JAI FDB JZR OMA VOS MEA DHX UAE GFA QTR UAL JZR JZR DLH SAI AXB KLM PIA

552 792 134 201 701 341 303 857 215 510 745 535 777 239 127 550 481 177 227 824 166 542 618 786 614 102 674 774 975 572 61 787 647 81 402 372 859 217 136 981 135 185 636 441 393 447 215

DAMASCUS LUXEMBOURG DOHA DAMASCUS RIYADH DAMASCUS ABU DHABI DUBAI BAHRAIN RIYADH JEDDAH CAIRO JEDDAH AMMAN SHARJAH SHARM EL SHEIKH / SOHAG SABIHA DUBAI COLOMBO / DUBAI SANAA / DOHA PARIS / ROME CAIRO DOHA JEDDAH BAHRAIN NEW YORK / LONDON DUBAI RIYADH CHENNAI / GOA MUMBAI DUBAI RIYADH MUSCAT BAGHDAD BEIRUT BAHRAIN DUBAI BAHRAIN DOHA BAHRAIN BAHRAIN DUBAI FRANKFURT LAHORE / KARACHI KOZHIKODE / COCHIN AMSTERDAM / BAHRAIN KARACHI

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

Departur AXB DLH DLH BBC AIC PIA THY ETH UAE FDB DHX ETH QTR JZR JZR GFA KAC VOS IRC BAW FDB KAC KAC KAC KAC JZR UAE ABY KAC QTR JZR ETD GFA JZR IRA FCX MEA JZR KAC JZR KAC IRM KAC RBG JZR SVA

Depurture Flights on Wednesday 18/5/2011 Flt Route 390 MANGALORE / KOZHIKODE 637 FRANKFURT 637 FRANKFURT 46 DHAKA 982 AHMEDABAD / CHENNAI 206 LAHORE 773 ISTANBUL 620 BAHRAIN / ADDIS ABABA 854 DUBAI 68 DUBAI 371 BAHRAIN 3718 HONG KONG 139 DOHA 560 SOHAG 164 DUBAI 212 BAHRAIN 801 CAIRO 94 DUBAI / KANDAHAR 6963 TEHRAN 156 LONDON 54 DUBAI 177 FRANKFURT / GENEVA 671 DUBAI 117 NEW YORK 551 DAMASCUS 534 CAIRO 856 DUBAI 126 SHARJAH 549 SHARM EL SHEIKH / SOHAG 133 DOHA 480 SABIHA 302 ABU DHABI 214 BAHRAIN 200 DAMASCUS 602 SHIRAZ 204 DUBAI 405 BEIRUT 776 JEDDAH 541 CAIRO 238 AMMAN 103 LONDON 5065 MASHAD 785 JEDDAH 3558 SOHAG / ALEXANDRIA 176 DUBAI 2653 JEDDAH

Time 0:25 0:40 0:40 1:00 1:05 1:10 2:15 2:30 3:45 3:50 3:55 4:00 5:00 5:55 6:55 7:10 7:20 8:00 8:10 8:25 8:40 8:55 9:00 9:05 9:10 9:30 9:40 9:50 9:55 10:00 10:05 10:15 10:20 10:20 10:25 11:45 11:55 12:00 12:00 12:10 12:30 13:20 13:30 13:35 13:40 14:00

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

MSR IRC RJA FDB UAL KAC KAC SVA SVA KAC QTR CLX KAC JZR KNE SYR ETD UAE KNE GFA ABY JZR JZR SVA ALK JZR IYE KAC KAC KAC JAI FDB KAC KAC OMA MEA DHX UAE GFA KAC FCX QTR KAC KAC JZR UAL KAC SAI

611 6792 641 58 982 673 617 503 2371 773 135 792 613 786 704 342 304 858 746 216 128 184 266 511 228 134 824 283 1781 361 571 62 331 351 648 403 373 860 218 381 102 137 301 205 554 981 415 442

CAIRO MASHAD AMMAN DUBAI BAHRAIN DUBAI DOHA MEDINAH / JEDDAH JEDDAH RIYADH DOHA HONG KONG BAHRAIN RIYADH MEDINAH DAMASCUS ABU DHABI DUBAI JEDDAH BAHRAIN SHARJAH DUBAI BEIRUT RIYADH DUBAI / COLOMBO BAHRAIN SANAA DHAKA JEDDAH COLOMBO MUMBAI DUBAI TRIVANDRUM COCHIN MUSCAT BEIRUT BAHRAIN DUBAI BAHRAIN DELHI BAHRAIN DOHA MUMBAI ISLAMABAD ALEXANDRIA WASHINGTON DC DULLES KUALA LUMPUR / JAKARTA LAHORE

14:20 14:25 14:30 14:35 14:45 15:10 15:35 15:45 15:55 16:05 16:15 16:20 16:20 16:35 16:45 17:00 17:35 18:05 18:05 18:15 18:20 18:25 18:30 18:35 19:10 19:10 19:40 20:00 20:15 20:20 20:35 20:40 21:00 21:05 21:10 21:15 22:00 22:25 22:30 22:30 22:30 22:35 22:45 22:55 23:10 23:40 23:50 23:59

34

star CROSSWORD 321

WEDNESDAY, MAY 18, 2011

s

STAR TRACK

CALVIN & HOBBES

Aries (March 21-April 19) By knowing ahead of time that this could be a stressful day in the workplace, you may be able to determine your limitations. Take plenty of breaks and get away from your work during the noon hour. Begin to care for yourself more by realizing that your body needs good nutrition and rest to operate well. You have a natural insight and understanding as to what people want. Your career gets all kinds of support from other people and you feel at home making practical and management decisions. You look to your professional friends for strength and encouragement in your profession. You may enjoy eccentric or unconventional friends in your personal life. Keep track of your original ideas when it comes to community and create ways to help others.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) Your mind is quick and sharp and your way with words is just what you and others need today. You have insight into your emotions and drive and you can talk about your ideas with great insight. Good will and compromise should be your first thought in any activity you do that is a little out of the ordinary. There is a more outgoing quality to your lifestyle now and more of a possibility to forget the essentials, like turning on your headlights or putting your keys in their proper place. It is a good idea to work on all aspects of a project or plan to see where your energies can be best applied. Maternal instincts, whether you are male or female, may come into play today—making you put forth every effort to appease any discord in the home.

POOCH CAFE ACROSS 1. A light touch or stroke.

4. Italian painter and art historian (1511-1574).

10. A caustic detergent useful for removing grease.

13. A Turkish unit of weight equal to about 2.75 pounds.

14. Fungus used in the preparation of punk for fuses.

15. A broad flat muscle on either side of the back.

16. God of the earth.

17. An esoteric or occult matter that is traditionally secret.

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

19. Not only so, but.

21. Informal terms for a mother.

22. Capital of Armenia.

24. A member of the Siouan people formerly living in the Missouri river valley in NE Nebraska.

26. A monarchy in northwestern Europe occupying most of the British Isles.

27. A yellow trivalent metallic element of the rare earth group.

28. Not easy.

31. Surface layer of ground containing a matt of grass and grass roots.

33. Type genus of the Aceraceae.

37. (Babylonian) God of wisdom and agriculture and patron of scribes and schools.

40. A nucleic acid consisting of large molecules shaped like a double helix.

42. (astronomy) The angular distance of a celestial point measured westward along the celestial equator from the zenith crossing.

44. A radioactive element of the actinide series.

45. A loose cloak with a hood.

47. A large fleet.

50. Harsh or corrosive in tone.

51. Any of numerous local fertility and nature deities worshipped by ancient Semitic peoples.

52. Jordan's port.

56. The 10th letter of the Greek alphabet.

59. A room or establishment where alcoholic drinks are served over a counter.

60. Of a pale purple color.

64. A sudden short attack.

65. A benevolent aspect of Devi.

66. An isogram connecting points having equal barometric pressure at a given time.

68. An accountant certified by the state.

69. The bill in a restaurant.

70. Naked freshwater or marine or parasitic protozoa that form temporary pseudopods for feeding and locomotion.

71. A river in north central Switzerland that runs northeast into the Rhine.

DOWN 1. Motherless calf in a range herd of cattle.

2. Widely cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions for its fragrant flowers and colorful fruits.

3. A small cake leavened with yeast.

4. British informal term.

5. Small terrestrial lizard of warm regions of the Old World.

6. A region of Malaysia in northeastern Borneo.

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

8. Cause annoyance in.

9. (Greek mythology) Son of Daedalus.

10. Speaking a Slavic language.

11. Hungarian choreographer who developed Labanotation (1879-1958).

12. A support or foundation.

20. A blind god.

23. A visual representation of an object or scene or person produced on a surface.

25. (Judaism) Sacred chest where the ancient Hebrews kept the two tablets containing the Ten Commandments.

29. An inflammatory disease involving the sebaceous glands of the skin.

30. Being or occurring in fact or actuality.

32. An official prosecutor for a judicial district.

34. A sock with a separation for the big toe.

35. (Babylonian) God of storms and wind.

36. According to the Old Testament he was a pagan king of Israel and husband of Jezebel (9th century BC).

38. Having undesirable or negative qualities.

39. Fiddler crabs.

41. Genus of tall smooth herbs of forested mountains of Europe and Asia minor.

42. Small terrestrial lizard of warm regions of the Old World.

43. Any of various strong liquors distilled from the fermented sap of toddy palms or from fermented molasses.

46. A workplace for the conduct of scientific research.

48. A flat-bottomed volcanic crater that was formed by an explosion.

49. Wool of the alpaca.

53. God of love and erotic desire.

54. An Arabic speaking person who lives in Arabia or North Africa.

55. A very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk.

57. Type genus of the Pipidae.

58. The sixth month of the civil year.

61. A belief (or system of beliefs) accepted as authoritative by some group or school.

62. A toilet in England.

63. A compartment in front of a motor vehicle where driver sits.

64. North American republic containing 50 states - 48 conterminous states in North America plus Alaska in northwest North America and the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean.

67. An intensely radioactive metallic element that occurs in minute amounts in uranium ores.

Yesterday’s Solution

Gemini (May 21-June 20) There is some powerful energy available for you; however, do not rush through projects. You could make mistakes that you would regret later. Use your power wisely and pace yourself. Now is a good time to finish those jobs you have been putting off, whether it is from fear of failure or lack of confidence. Applying yourself to work will prove successful. You will excel in activities that involve a great deal of concentration. Your burning zeal for the ideal world and your need to be a part of a group of like-minded souls are the topics of conversation during the noon meal. You learn and grow though your efforts to help others and to make your inner vision into a reality—volunteer work is possible. You may hear from a longlost friend tonight.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

NON SEQUITUR

Take a little trip, or get outside today. You may want to change your routine a little and try something new or different at this time.

Communicating and helping others to understand difficult matters creates a great deal of satisfaction. Your timing should be perfect and those around you should find you most spontaneous. This is a time in which you may feel the need to feel secure through some material or sentimental objects that you possess. Any depression or anxiety about the work you do or the state of your financial affairs could be eliminated. Take full stock of your accounts and debts so as to know where you stand financially. This is a perfect time to clear away any unfinished business and look to the future with insightful speculation.

Leo (July 23-August 22) You could be inclined to misapply your energy in projects or people today. There is a tendency to drain your energy, making you tired. You could fall under the heavy burden of responsibility and may have to work hard to acquit yourself well. However, this time also indicates great strides toward success and improvement in all areas of your life. Caution should be applied before entering into any type of relationship or transaction impulsively. Family, home, relatives and real estate play a big part in your life. You want to belong on a private, intimate, personal level and to be needed and to feel it’s okay to have needs. Friends are among your greatest blessings and today a friend will give you encouragement. Your inner resources are accented.

ZITS

Virgo (August 23-September 22) This is a time when your spirituality is aroused, making you more philosophical and compassionate about the less fortunate.

Ventures of groundbreaking insight will be stimulating and successful. You are apt to spend a considerable amount of time and effort to find ways in which to improve your finances. This is a time when the desire for material success and considerable monetary gain is great, though you could be reckless in handling newfound finances.

Others may oppose your own life dreams and imagination. You may find yourself going head-to-head with someone older over matters of honesty and integrity. You could fear being deceived or misled. Good advice is available; reassess your plans— easy does it.

Libra (September 23-October 22)

MOTHER GOOSE AND GRIMM

Your business partners are trustworthy and the business deals you create together will be positive for some time to come. Balance your energies today. Time spent in psychological support of others—in addition to your own accomplishments today—can make for a stressful day. Be clear in your words and in your writing; you can be confusing if you try to hurry with particular instructions. This evening is a good time to enjoy kind relations with friends and family. If you are really serious about losing weight, counting calories may make you very nervous since you like good hearty meals. Eat your meat without gravy and try one helping with a small salad. A friend will give you support for your efforts to improve and may join you in an exercise program.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) It would be wise to listen to all those around you before making a particularly difficult decision today. An old habit needs changing and your friends will help you change. Do not become preoccupied with one concept and accept it as gospel. Weighing all sides of a problem may be most beneficial at this time. You may be sought after as just the person for a particular job. You enjoy management and take your job quite seriously. There could be pressures today that will awaken you to some situation in your home or nearby vicinity that needs changing.

Keep an eagle eye on the development and you could be a part of the change. There could be some financial panic now as your monetary situation may be difficult to gauge—you will find a balance.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) Today is the day you could plan for a new way of living or a new habit. Go about your day with a list in hand and have a purpose in mind so that you do not sway from your goal. This could encompass a new job identity, a new diet, an undertaking to stop smoking, etc., etc. You may show great pleasure in the creativeness of someone near you. This could be a coworker or a close friend or even a family member. Saving and creating ways in which to make extra money grabs your attention this afternoon. Instead of throwing things away that may have some good use left, you may decide to toss things in a container for a garage sale or a trip to your nearby charity. An evening bicycle ride or to exercise by walking could be enjoyed by you and others.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19)

To

Business and family matters can be easily handled today. This would be an excellent time to weigh the possibilities of advancement or change in your career. You may find that someone close to you understands and is supportive of your ideas. You could come up with new solutions. People are affectionate and may show their imagination through gift giving at this time. You have clear insight into your own inner sense of values, how you appreciate and love. This is a good time to become lost under the spell of a good salesperson—careful. You have an inborn ability to see the positive side of life, especially when you help or allow someone else to excel. A short trip may be in order this evening—perhaps to a restaurant or some entertainment place.

Yesterday’s Solution Yester

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) Your communication skills are at a high now. You will enjoy a debate today and will not mind speaking your thoughts on a particular matter. You could be most persuasive with others. The situation is a natural for your particular ideas and thoughts. If your emotions and attitudes are applied right, no sacrifice will be too great to achieve personal success. You have a strong psychic potential. Your imagination is strong as well and may lend itself to writing or some form of art. However, since you do not like to waste time, you may find it difficult to start such an endeavor, so try using a tape recorder. Educational pursuits and travel may figure prominently in your career growth. Go back and consider some form of art as a good stress relief tool.

Pisces (February 19-March 20)

Word Sleuth Solution

You may find yourself at odds with those around you or with your life situation regarding issues of great sensitivity— very personal. Difficulties, blocks and all manner of hot spots may be discovered. Have faith in yourself—you will know just what to do. It is possible that you could be spending too much time with friends. Job and family may be suffering from a lack of attention. Today you may want to reassess the way you spend your time and insert some notes or other type of reminders to help you to bring about a balance in scheduling. The way you live and perhaps your career and basic life direction may be changing. If you are entertaining friends this evening, you might want to add a few family members as well.

A

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 18, 2011

Years

i n f o r m at i o n FIRE BRIGADE STATE ST TAT TE OF K KUWAIT KUW WAIT A

112 Ministry of Interior

For labor-related inquiries and complaints: Call MSAL hotline 128

WWW.MET.GOV.KW WWW .MET.GOV V..KW W

BY Y DAY: DA AY:

Unstab Unstable ble later on with moderate to o fresh south easterly changing changin ng to north westerly later on wind, with speed of 20 - 45 km/h causing raising dust dust with a chance for rain thatt might be thundery at times

BY Y NIGHT: NIGHT:

Unstab ble with moderate to fresh north no orth westerly becoming north h easterly wind, with speed of o 25 - 45 km/h Unstable thaat might be thundery at timess with a chance for scattered rain that No Current W Warnings aarnings

WARNING W A ARNING STATION ST TAT TION

Hospitals 24812000

Amiri Hospital

22450005

Maternity Hospital

24843100

Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital

25312700

Chest Hospital

24849400

Farwaniya Hospital

24892010

Ext.: 262 2627 27 - 2630

Fax: 24348714

Expected Weather Weather for the Next 24 4 Hours

website: www.moi.gov.kw

Sabah Hospital

Tel.: T el.: e 161

DIRECTORA DIRECTORATE ATE T GENERAL GENE ERAL OF CIVIL A AVIATION V VIA ATION T METEOROLOGICAL DEPARTMENT D PARTMENT DEP A

24 °C

SALMI

40 °C

28 °C

ABDAL LY ABDALY

41 °C

28 °C

41 °C

28 °C

SFC. CHART CHART

17/05/2011 17/05/2011 0000 UTC

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

Rabiya

4732263

Roudha

22517733

Adhaliya

22517144

DAY DA AY

DA DATE ATE T

WEA WEATHER ATHER T

Khaldiya

24848075

Wednesday W eednesday

18/05

Keifan

24849807

Thursday

Shamiya

24848913

Shuwaikh

24814507

Abdullah Salim

22549134

Al-Nuzha

22526804

Fajr

03:25

MAX. Temp.

MA AX. T emp.

38 °C

Industrial Shuwaikh

24814764

Sunrise S i

04:55 04 55

MIIN. IN T emp.

MIN. Temp.

28 °C

Al-Khadissiya

22515088

Zuhr

1 1:44 11:44

MAX. RH M

34 %

Dasmah

22532265

Asr

15:20

M MIN. RH

12 %

Bneid Al-Ghar

22531908

Sunset

18:34

MAX. Wind MA AX. W ind i

E 46 km/h

20:01

T OT TAL AL RAINFALL RAIINF FALL A L IN 24 HR. TOTAL

Al-Shaab

22518752

Al-Kibla

22459381

Ayoun Al-Kibla

22451082

Al-Mirqab

22456536

Sharq

22465401

Salmiya

25746401

Jabriya

25316254

Maidan Hawally

25623444

Bayan

25388462

Firdous

24892674

Al-Omariya

24719048

N.Kheitan

24710044

Fintas

3900322

23980088

41 °C

27 °C

24884079

Ahmadi

WAFRA W A AFRA

35 °C

Al-Ardhiya

24316983

25616368

WARBA W A ARBA A - BUBYAN BUBY YAN A

24311795

Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh

Al-Salmiya

26 °C

North Jleeb

23927002

26 °C C

10 °C

24775992

Al-Fahaheel

37 °C C

UMM AL-MARADEM M

24775066

24316983

NUWAISEEB NUW WAISEEB A

24874330/9

North Jahra

24711433

Al-Sulaibikhat

25610011

Physiotherapy Hospital

South Jahra

Al-Farwaniya

Al-Jahra

28 °C

24772608

22545051

27 °C

35 °C

West Jahra

Al-Fayhaa

39 °C

PORT AHMADI POR RT

24575755

22434853

KUWAIT KUW WAIT A AIRPORT AIRPOR RT

24846000

New Jahra

Al-Helaly

23262845

Al-Razi Hospital

24770319

24742838

23711183

26 °C

Jahra

Sabhan

Al-Shuaiba

36 °C

24810221

22545171

Al-Mangaf

FAILAKA F A AILAKA

Sabah

24810598

Al-Nuzha

28 °C

24840300

25381200

Al-Shuwaikh

38 °C

Ibn Sina Hospital

22630786

22545171

KUWAIT KUW WAIT A CITY

23940620

W.Hawally

Al-Shohada’a

MIN.. REC.

Adan Hospital

Mishref

22418714

MAX. EXP. EXP P.

ALIYAH JAL ALIY YAH A

Clinics

Al-Madena

4 DAYS DA AYS Y FORECAST T emperratures Temperatures MAX.

MIN.

Wind Direction Direction Wind

W Wind ind Speed

Cloudy + scattered thunder thu under rain

39 °C

27 °C

NE-SE

20 - 40 km/h

19/05

partly cloudy

40 °C

29 °C

SE

15 - 35 km/h

Friday

20/05

hot + raising du ust dust

41 °C

31 °C

NW

20 - 45 km/h

Saturday

21/05

hot + raising du ust dust

42 °C

32 °C

NW

20 - 45 km/h

22434064 22435865 22544200 22547133 22515277 22616662 25714406 22530801

THE PUBLIC AUTHORITY FOR CIVIL INFORMATION

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TUESDAY, MAY 17, 2011

lifestyle G o s s i p

-Bone of the rap group Cali Swag District, which scored a hit last year with the song “Teach Me How to Dougie,” was killed in a weekend drive-by shooting as he sat in a car outside a liquor store, police said Monday. The 22-yearold Inglewood man, whose real name is Mante Ray Talbert, was sitting in the driver’s seat of his car shortly after 10:30 pm Sunday. “Another car pulled alongside, gunshots were fired, and the victim was struck twice in the head,” Lt James Madia said. A man sitting in the passenger seat of Talbert’s car was not injured, Lt Gabriel Garcia said. “Another car pulled alongside, gunshots were fired, and the victim was struck twice in the head,” Lt James Madia said. Talbert was pronounced dead at a hospital. Lt Steve Overly said the motive for the attack was under investigation. Several theories had been put forward on social media sites and detectives were following up on some of these to see if they were credible, he said. Talbert was “the victim of a random act of violence,” Cali Swag District’s publicist Greg Miller said in a statement. “He was a hardworking, passionate artist and dancer that will be deeply missed,” Miller said. Witnesses gave varying descriptions of the fleeing car, Madia said.

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Bandmate C-Smoove tweeted Monday that his life changed drastically in the blink of an eye, and added “rip mbone.” “He was the life of the group,” CSmoove told KABC-TV as he wiped away tears with his shirt. “He made us laugh, he was the energy.”

Dozens of friends, fans and family members gathered outside the liquor store Monday evening and held a vigil for Talbert. Cali Swag District’s hit “Teach Me How to Dougie” is based on the “Dougie” dance, which first appeared in Texas and is noted for its leaning stances, shoulder and arm movements. The dance was not only performed in dance clubs and the streets but by celebrities as well, from CNN news anchor Wolf Blitzer to Washington Wizards basketball star John Wall; even first lady Michelle Obama recently performed the dance as part of her “Let’s Move” initiative to counter childhood obesity.

“Teach Me How to Dougie” spent several months in the top 10 of Billboard’s hot rap songs. The group also performed the dance on several television shows.

Aniston’s dog Norman dies

Duff

Lady Gaga sings to her wigs

is ‘excited’ for kids

ilary Duff is “excited” at the prospect of starting a family. The 23-year-old star - who married hockey player Mike Comrie last August - explained while the couple are keen to have children in the future, she wants to wait “a little while longer” until she has released another record. When asked whether she would be becoming a mother any time soon, she said: “We talk about it. Yes, we’re excited to do that, but I want to work a little bit more. “I’m tossing around the idea of making another record and obviously that wouldn’t be very good timing. We want it, we’re excited for it, but I think it can wait just a little while longer.” However, Hilary insisted her husband is “supportive” of her career aspirations, and is ready to wait until she thinks it’s the right time to start a family. She added to ‘Access Hollywood’: “He’s supportive of me, he knows that I’m still young and if I want to work more, he’s totally supportive of that.” With Hilary currently spending most of her time in Los Angeles for work and her sportsman spouse playing for Pittsburgh Penguins in the NHL league, the singer-and-actress recently revealed she sends Mike sexy photos of herself to keep their relationship “interesting”. She said: “Oh my God, you’re going to get me in trouble.

They never have my face in them! We’ve gotta keep it fun, gotta keep it interesting.”

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ennifer Aniston’s beloved dog Norman has died. The 15-yearold Welsh corgi-terrier mix - who accompanied the actress everywhere including on film location shoots passed away a few weeks ago due to complications from old age.

Jennifer’s representative said: “He died a few weeks ago. He was an old dog and it was just his time.” Jennifer - who recently bought a $4.95 million apartment in New York under the name Norman’s Nest Trust - has previously been revealed to pay for Norman to receive a number of specialist treatments to deal with various ailments, including spending $250 a week on massage and acupuncture therapy. A source revealed in the past: “Norman has been Jennifer’s constant companion during all her

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emotional upheavals, but he suffers from aching joints and stiffness.

Jennifer doesn’t want to put him on medication just yet, so she has opted for doggy spa treatments from a licensed vet technician.” The 42-yearold actress - who has had a string of failed romances following her divorce from Brad Pitt in 2005 - has previously stated that she wished some of the men in her life had some of Norman’s characteristics. She said: “It wouldn’t be bad if, when a man comes home, he’d run to his woman with his tail wagging. This sort of excitement is something I’ve always missed in a man to be honest.”

Norman is survived by Jennifer’s other pooch, a white German Shepherd named Dolly.

Campbell divorce finalized eve Campbell has finalized her divorce from ex-husband John Andrew Light. The ‘Scream’ actress who filed for the matrimonial split in December after three years of marriage, citing “irreconcilable differences” with the English actor - was officially rendered single by a Los Angeles Senior Court judge on May 6. According to official documents obtained by E! News, the 37-year-old star refused her right to seek spousal support, with the former couple reaching a confidential, out of court settlement with regards to the division of their property and other assets. This is the second divorce Neve has gone through, after parting ways from first husband Jeff Colt in 1998 - also after three years of marriage. However, the Canadian actress - who met John on the set of ‘Investigating Sex’ in 2001 - recently admitted she was “doing great”, despite her marital split. Neve said: “I’m always doing great.” Meanwhile, a friend of the former couple revealed the divorce was “very amicable”. The source recently explained: “They’re still really close friends, and it was a very amicable divorce.”

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indsay Lohan claims she has a stalker who has threatened to kill her. The troubled actress says she’s living in fear of the unnamed man who has been trespassing on her property and has issued her death threats. After posting a picture on her twitter page of the alleged stalker on the grounds of her home, which she has now taken down, Lindsay wrote: “This is the freemason stalker that has been threatening to kill me - while he is TRESPASSING! “im actually scared nowthe blood in the ‘cults’ book was too much. “All my fans, my supporters, please stand by me. (sic)” According to gossip website TMZ, Lindsay believes the man has been obsessed with her for nearly four years and frequently drops by her home to leave her weird gifts. She also claims the man has been sending her “insane” text messages for the past few years and she is now set to take the matter to the police. Meanwhile, Lindsay - who has been ordered to undertake three years probation, serve 120 days in jail, complete 40 hours of community service and

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undergo psychological counseling after taking a necklace from an upmarket boutique and breaching the terms of her 2007 probation - was allegedly out drinking over the weekend, where she reportedly grabbed the wrist of a fellow club goer trying to take a picture. An eyewitness at Hollywood’s Paul and Andre Nightclub said: “Lindsay appeared to be belligerently drunk. She and her people were doing shots of something all night. She looked like she was falling all over the place. She was being stupid.” According to RadarOnline.com, she then allegedly grabbed the camera owner’s wrist, saying, “I need that camera”, before one of her companions took the device and put it in cooler of ice. However, no charges were pressed because everyone was intoxicated and they didn’t realize the camera was destroyed because of water damage until after they left.

ennifer Lawrence refused to look like a “prepubescent 13-year-old boy” when she appeared naked in ‘X-Men: First Class’. The 20-year-old actress - who plays shape-shifting mutant Mystique in the superhero prequel - appears naked apart from blue body paint in numerous scenes in the film and she was determined viewers would see her with womanly curves.

She said: “I knew that if I was going to be naked in front of the world, I wanted to look like a woman and not a prepubescent 13-year-old boy. I’m so sick of people thinking that’s what we’re supposed to look like.” Jennifer is proud of her shapely figure and will eat whatever she likes, even though she knows it’s a rare occur-

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he ‘Judas’ hitmaker - who recently split from her boyfriend Luc Carl - owns a huge array of hair pieces which she changes to match her eccentric outfits and she has confessed she likes nothing more than to be on her own playing her piano and admiring her wigs. She told the Daily Mirror newspaper: “I like being alone. I lived alone for so long when I was in New York City fighting for my shot at stardom, so there is something that is very sentimental to me about time with wigs and a glass of whisky. “To relax, I like to be by myself. I play piano by myself sometimes. I write poetry, I read and I play with my wigs and I listen to my music.”

However, the 25-year-old performer won’t be spending much time on her own in the near future because she is planning a huge world tour to promote her new album ‘Born This Way’. She told the Daily Star newspaper: “I’m planning on launching a new tour by the end of the year if not the beginning of next. “I’m itching like a heroin addict trying to get back on stage. I can’t wait.” Gaga insists the run of shows will be bigger than her ‘Monster Ball Tour’ which grossed $139 million worldwide - because she can never imagine making anything less “epic”.

She said: “I’ll never do a smaller show. It’s got to be bigger, bigger, more epic, more of an opus. I don’t care where I am in the world, theatrics are part of who I am. I don’t do it big for the sake of it.”

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rence in Hollywood. Speaking about her preparations for this year’s Oscars - where she was up for the Best Actress award for her role in ‘Winter’s Bone’ - Jennifer said: “Around 15 minutes before, the guy doing my hair goes, ‘If you can get a salad, get a salad.’ I said, ‘I’m getting a Philly cheesesteak.’ I’m sure there’s proof on a hotel bill somewhere.” Despite her new-found fame, Jennifer is still uncomfortable with being treated like a star. She told America’s Elle magazine: “When you’re on set, everybody’s like, ‘Oh, do you need water? Here’s 45 bottles!’ It’s really bizarre ... I’m still getting used to it. I’m still in wonderland.”

— BangShowbiz

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Years

lifestyle T R A V E L The climb up a spiral ramp, then stairs, to an observation platform in the church’s dome offers panoramas of today’s Dresden and the Elbe River flowing through it. —MCT photos

Three

German churches offer wisdom born of wartime tribulations

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hurches and messages are inseparable.

So it is that three German churches swept by fires of war speak to the generations. A ruin in Hamburg teaches, “Remember.”

A Bremen cathedral says, “Be strong.” A landmark in Dresden celebrates, “Forgive.”

St Nikolai Memorial, Hamburg A blackened spire lances the blue above Hamburg’s teeming docklands and city center.

The thrumming of traffic on busy Willy Brandt boulevard muscles into the space below the stone needle, entering through skeletal Gothic windows, their shattered stained glass long ago swept away.

The steeple and broken sections of walls are what remain of the once majestic St Nikolai Church, built in the mid-1800s, though its history dates to the 12th century. In July and August 1943 during World War II, the spire, the tallest structure in the harbor area, became a reference point for British and American air raids on the city’s shipyards and U-boat facilities.

Inevitably, the church was hit. The tower survived, but the nave’s roof fell, and outer walls were heavily damaged. A firestorm devoured the area around.

In 1951, debris was cleared from the church, and in 1987 after restoration, the site became a memorial “to the victims of war and persecution 1933-1945.” The space once occupied by pews, altars and congregants is open-air now, set with two bronzes by Hamburg sculptor Edith Breckwoldt that embody the memorial’s message. A female figure stretches heavenward from a pillar on which bas-relief hands reach toward her. Nearby, a disconsolate male figure sits atop a mound of broken stones, collected for the artwork from the site of Sandbostel, a Nazi camp where an estimated 50,000 prisoners died.

In a corner, morning sun fleshes out the bones of a window, duplicating its graceful tracery in light and shadow on an opposite brick wall. A door in the glass pyramid at the nave’s center leads to the crypt, where displays

at. A 100-yard-long nave with soaring vaulting and flanking aisles, splendid 1638 oak pulpit with intricate limewood figures, and rose window backstopping a magnificent organ (one of five) are unexpected beauties behind the timedarkened entrance stones. If awe needs leavening, let a church mouse at the base of a pillar in the high choir-the legacy of a good-humored, 13th-century stonemason-amuse you.

Crypts below the nave date to the earliest days of St Peter’s, and conflicting stories are told about the eight mummies in the Lead Vault. A museum showcases priceless artifacts, and strong-legged visitors can climb the 265 steps of a spiral staircase in the south tower for wide vistas. Walk just minutes from St. Peter’s to tour the city hall and eat in its equally old restaurant, measure yourself against 18-foot-tall Roland, hear the glorious tones of the Meissen porcelain carillon on artsy Bottcherstrasse, and be charmed among the unusual shopping and fragrant food in the slim streets of the Schnoor neighborhood. But return to the cathedral.

Cheer its endurance. Be glad it was spared. And marvel at its strength and unbroken line of history.

Frauenkirche, Dresden The story isn’t unique. Allied aircraft came to this city on the Elbe River to unleash a hurricane of fire, hoping to break the German will to fight and hasten the end of World War II. For the city known for centuries as “Florence on the Elbe” and beloved for its art and architecture, it was a human and cultural catastrophe. An esti-

mated 25,000 or more people died, and 80 percent of the heart of old Dresden was destroyed.

Its jewel, the Frauenkirche (Our Lady Church) stood through the inferno of Feb 13-14, 1945.

Then on Feb 15, its stones and supports deformed by heat, the 300-foot-tall dome collapsed into the fire-gutted church, creating a mountain of rubble that remained for five decades. The story could end there, but former enemies wrote an epilogue of rebirth and reconciliation: The Frauenkirche rose again.

Financed primarily by the gifts from more than 100,000 people around the world, including Gunter Blobel, a German-born American biologist who donated his million-dollar Nobel Prize, the debris was sorted and studied by archeologists, engineers, computer wizards, craftsmen and religious authorities. Then, like a puzzle with thousands of pieces, it was reassembled using original 18th-century plans.

Salvageable stones were inserted into the structure. Nearly 2,000 fragments of the altar were identified and pieced together. New technologies strengthened or supplanted old building methods.

The result is the majestic, monumental church-a mirror image of the original-where hundreds of thousands of people have come since its consecration in 2005. They gather for sermons in the 1,800-seat sanctuary, for concerts, for guided tours, to climb the spiral ramp through the dome’s 12,000 tons of Elbe sandstone and scan a city regaining its momentum after years behind the Iron Curtain. —MCT

An angel reaches toward Jesus as he prays in artwork above the Frauenkirche’s altar.

The Schnoor quarter, a five-minute walk from St Peter’s Cathedral, is a charming warren of shops, galleries and restaurants.

of photos and artifacts show wartime destruction, and church history is outlined. An elevator at the base of the 483-foot-tall steeple carries visitors past a 51-bell carillon to a windy observation platform at the 249-foot level. Each opening offers an expansive panorama of the vibrant city. Panels in German and English speak unblinkingly of the war: “The original catastrophe occurred ... in 1933, when the National Socialists, with the support of large parts of the elite and the population abolished democracy and the rule of law in a matter of weeks. This catastrophe was to bring on all the tragedies that followed.” There are no excuses at St Nikolai, and no glorification of the conflict that left it a hulk. There are only admonitions and challenges to be carried away into the hiss of traffic outside.

St Peter’s Cathedral, Bremen St Peter’s is a survivor, outlasting nearly 1,200 years of political and religious upheaval, wars and the inexorable passage of time and life. Prayers have risen from this high point beside the Weser River in northwestern Germany since a wooden chapel was built here in 789. Destroyed and rebuilt several times, it faced perhaps its greatest peril during World War II. In what Eva Rogge, a Bremen tour guide, called a miracle, St Peter’s and the 600-year-old Gothic City Hall and 1404 statue of the knight Roland next to it on the market square survived repeated Allied air raids that destroyed 65 percent of the city and razed adjacent structures.

The twin-spired Protestant church, substantial and solid, was damaged but endured.

Firebombings in 1943 and 1944 took its stained glass, and three bays on the north aisle were punctured in 1945.

Repaired and restored now, its windows gradually replaced, St Peter’s has returned to loveliness its broad Romanesque face only hints

A circular former gas-storage site has been remodeled and now contains the 360-degree, 10-story-tall artwork depicting Dresden in 1756, shortly after completion of the Frauenkirche.

The 18-foot-tall statue of the heroic knight Roland dates to 1404. People of Bremen say that as long as the statue stands on the market place, Bremen will be free.

A former gas storage site in Dresden stands derelict next to a similar structure, now remodeled to contain the Panometer, which contains exhibits and a 10-story tall painting of Dresden in 1756.

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Years

lifestyle

Bruno Mars

Music & Movies

Bruno Mars tops UK singles chart

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Director Jodie Foster poses during a photo call for The Beaver at the 64th international film festival, in Cannes, yesterday. — AP

Foster thinks Cannes film can be ‘therapeutic’ for Gibson

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odie Foster drew cheers at Cannes yesterday for her latest film “The Beaver” and said she thought the experience of making it could be “therapeutic” for her troubled star Mel Gibson. The small-budget drama, directed by Foster and featuring Gibson as a depressed toy company executive who turns to a beaver hand puppet to help him get his life back on track, had a shaky opening at US cinemas this month.

But critics in Cannes, where the film is screening out of competition, embraced the eccentric picture in which two-time Oscar winner Foster plays Gibson’s con-

fused wife, showering it with frequent laughs and a warm round of applause at a packed presentation. Gibson, who has faced allegations of domestic violence and been caught making a string of misogynistic and anti-Semitic rants in recent years, skipped the traditional post-screening press conference but was due to appear on the red carpet for the gala Cannes screening.

“He won’t be talking but he’ll be here,” Foster, 48, quipped as she fielded reporters’ questions in English as well as her fluent French. Much of the discussion

Joe Jonas

around the film has centered on the unusual overlap between the on-screen storyline and Gibson’s off-screen travails, and whether his presence in the film would prove to be box office poison.

Foster said she had counted the 55year-old Gibson as a close friend for several years and believed their work together on the movie would help him with his inner demons. “Anything that you do, that you obsess about and give that much to for six months of your life ... allows you to look deeper at yourself and at the people around you and the fact of what you do

has to have some kind of therapeutic, cathartic end,” she said. “I think that he’s proud of the movie. I think he’s proud of what he’s shown and he wants people to see that side of him. He’s an incredibly private man yet he shows on screen (something) as deep as you can possibly get.

That’s our way as actors, I think, of telling people this is who I really am.”—AFP

Finnish fairytale wins fans, Cannes films warm up

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Joe Jonas’ ‘See No More’ solo single due out June 3

innish director Aki Kaurismaki tackles the tough theme of illegal immigration in his touching fairy tale “Le Havre”, launching yesterday in Cannes where enthusiasm for the competition films is hotting up. After a sluggish start dominated by sombre tales, critics and journalists filing into the Grand Theatre Lumiere cinema for early morning screenings have a spring in their step again as 2011 begins to live up to expectations of a strong year.

Kaurismaki’s movie about an old man who sets out to rescue a young African boy from the French authorities in the northern port city of Le Havre was loudly applauded at the end of a packed press screening. The director said his vision of the world was far darker than the one portrayed in “Le Havre”, which is full of humor,

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oe Jonas will release his debut solo single “See No More”-co-written by Jonas and Chris Brown-on June 3, arriving to digital retailers on June 13.

“See No More” is the Jonas Brothers singer’s first offering from his upcoming debut album, due out September 6 on Hollywood Records. The set boasts production by Danja, Brian Kennedy and Rob Knox.

“Working on this album has been a rewarding but intense experience. ‘See No More’ especially carries a lot of personal emotions with it and I am hoping people listening to it will get a sense of where I’m coming from with this new sound,” Jonas said. “I’ve had an awesome team working with me on the music and I am excited, anxious, but more importantly... ready... to share it all with my fans.

It’s as much for them as it is for me.” Jonas Brothers’ last studio album, “Lines, Vines and Trying Times,” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart in 2009, selling 247,000 copies in its first week according to Nielsen SoundScan. It has sold 661,000 in the US to date. The Brothers have notched five top 10 albums, including last year’s “Jonas LA “ soundtrack to their Disney Channel series, and have sold 4.4 million albums. Joe is the second of the three Brothers to release his own project away from the brother trio.

Younger brother Nick Jonas released his Hollywood Records debut, “Who I Am,” last year, which bowed and peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200. — Reuters

Finnish director Aki Kaurismaki smokes during the photocall of ‘Le Havre’ presented in competition at the 64th Cannes Film Festival yesterday. — AFP

tenderness and painterly beauty.

“I was about 10 years old when I found myself disappointed (with life) so I decided to fake that I am not and I started to create hope for others because they still have some,” he said. “The more skeptical and cynical I get the more soft are my feelings. I can’t help it. I start to be tender in my old days and I start to even like my characters,” he added in English at a press conference, where he was in a sardonic mood. In “Le Havre”, Andre Wilms plays Marcel Marx, a former author who scrapes a living as a shoe shiner and is part of a close-knit local community in a run-down part of town sharing a modest home with his wife Arletty.

His life is thrown upside-down when Arletty falls seriously ill and a young refugee turns up on his doorstep, setting in motion an increasingly desperate bid to help him cross the Channel to England and reunite with his mother in London.

Politicians “not too interested” Asked about his stance on the issue of refugees and economic migrants coming to Europe, he replied: “The problem is of course huge and I honestly don’t have an answer. “If the politicians would come out of their hotel rooms they might have a solution, but they don’t seem to be too interested in common life between the hotel room and (the) Mercedes.”

The sets and characters in Le Havre are taken straight from the 1950s and 60s, although the presence of mobile phones and the appearance of news footage of the closure of the refugee camps in the last decade come from a later period. The dialogue often sounds like it is straight out of a novel, and ageing French rocker Little Bob steals the show with a performance. Kaurismaki called him the “Elvis” of the region.

Le Havre is the 11th of 20 competition entries in Cannes this year, and could be among the frontrunners to win the coveted Palme d’Or for best picture which is awarded on Sunday. Also popular among critics in a notoriously difficult event to second guess are Belgium’s Dardenne brothers, who could become the first directors to win Cannes three times with “The Kid With a Bike”. French black-and-white silent film “The Artist”, a bold throwback to the pre-sound era of cinema, is seen as a contender as is Terrence Malick’s sweeping “The Tree of Life” starring Brad Pitt, which has divided festival goers like no other movie. — Reuters

he UK’s new bestselling single is Bruno Mars’ “The Lazy Song,” after it moved up 2-1 yesterday to end the four-week reign of “Party Rock Anthem” by LMFAO featuring Lauren Bennett and Goonrock. Adele’s “21” tops the album chart for the 15th time, of which the first 12 were consecutive. Mars has now had three UK No 1 singles from “Doo-Wops & Hooligans,” which itself topped the album chart in January. “The Lazy Song” follows similar success for “Just The Way You Are (Amazing)” last September and for “Grenade,” also in January. The album has now passed sales of 500,000, according to the Official Charts Company, and moved up 5-4 on the new chart.

The big newcomer on the album chart was British actor-turned-bluesman Hugh Laurie’s “Let Them Talk,” which followed intense publicity and promotion with a No 2 debut. Adele’s first album “19” held at No 3, just ahead of Mars, but Fleet Foxes fell three places to No 5 with “Helplessness Blues.” Also debuting in the album chart’s Top 10 were the “Glee” spinoff album, “Glee Presents The Warblers,” at No 7 and Sade’s “The Ultimate Collection” at No 8.

Chase & Status climbed back 12-9 with “No More Idols,” and Miles Kane opened at No 11 with “Colour Of The Trap.” Wild Beasts’ “Smother” started at No 17.

“Now That’s What I Call Music! 78” started a fifth week atop the compilation chart. Also on the singles chart, “Where Them Girls At” by David Guetta featuring Flo Rida & Nicki Minaj, held at No 3, and “Give Me Everything,” by Pitbull featuring Nayer, Afrojack and Ne-Yo improved again, 12-4.

Lady Gaga’s “The Edge of Glory,” released only last Tuesday, sold well enough for a No 6 debut, as her previous hit “Judas” climbed back 20-11. US soulman Aloe Blacc’s sleeper hit “I Need A Dollar” moved up another notch to No 9, and there were top 20 starts for British-Iranian DJ-artist Yasmin’s “Finish Line” at No 13, Take That’s new theme for the “X-Men: First Class” movie, “Love Love” at No 15 and Romanian dance hitmaker Inna’s “Sun Is Up” at No 17.

British-Nigerian singer Sade Adu performs on stage during a concert Monday in Zurich, Switzerland. — AP

‘Family Guy’ creator to give modern spin to ‘Flintstones’

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he Flintstones” are heading back to television, courtesy of irreverent “Family Guy” creator Seth MacFarlane, Fox television said on Monday.

MacFarlane will give a 21st century spin to the classic 1960s animated comedy series about the lives of Fred Flintstone, his wife Wilma, and their neighbors Barney and Betty Rubble. “The very first cartoon charac-

ter I drew at age two was Fred Flintstone,” MacFarlane said in a statement. “So it’s appropriate that events have come full circle, allowing me to produce the newest incarnation of this great franchise. Plus, I think America is finally ready for an animated sitcom about a fat, stupid guy with a wife who’s too good for him,” he added. The new animated series will feature MacFarlane’s

modern-day take on the lives of the Flintstones and the Rubbles, two hard-working middle-class families living with contemporary conveniences in the dinosaurera town of Bedrock.

Fox entertainment president Kevin Reilly said the network hoped to introduce the prehistoric characters to a “whole new generation.” “Fox has long been home to

iconic families like the Simpsons and the Griffins, so I have no doubt that the Flintstones and the Rubbles are going to fit right in on our air,” Reilly said.

Fox said production would start in the fall of 2011 and would likely air some time in 2013. “The Flintstones” will be a joint production between 20th Century Fox Television and Warners Bros Television, the

owners of the Hanna-Barbera collection of animated titles. “ The Flintstones” first appeared on US television in the 1960s and have inspired numerous television specials, three Hollywood movies and videogames.—Reuters

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‘Where Do We Go Now?’ Cannes review

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t’s been frequently observed that if women and mothers in particular ran the world there would be no more wars. While that view is simplistic and far from fresh, it gets a spirited illustration in Nadine Labaki’s “Where Do We Go Now?” The film’s blend of pathos, broad comedy and the occasional musical number is a little lumpy. But with sectarian violence continuing to scar the globe, its light tone provides a refreshing response that should give it fuel on the festival circuit.

Lebanese director Labaki had a background in commercials and music videos before moving into features in 2007 with “Caramel,” which premiered at Cannes in the Directors’ Fortnight. Her new film is set in an isolated Christian-Muslim village in Lebanon, but the country is never named, suggesting that the scenario could apply to any number of places in the Middle East or beyond.

It opens with a funeral procession that morphs into a subdued formation dance number, as black-clad women of varying ages, clutching photographs of their lost husbands and sons, bow their heads and beat their breasts in sorrow.

Christians and Muslims have lived side by side all their lives in the barren, sun-scorched village, but the forced confinement of a community encircled by landmines makes friction unavoidable.

Those differences tend to surface in heavyhanded arguments played for laughs, sometimes with the priest and imam serving as ineffectual peacekeepers. Even death is initially given a comic spin via a goat that stepped on a mine, with a shepherd mourning his beloved animal’s loss as it turns on the spit-roast. But attempts to maintain unity and peaceful co-existence are constantly challenged. Incendiary provocations such as livestock being let loose in the mosque or holy water fonts being filled with chicken’s blood demand retaliation.

Village women from both sides of the religious divide come up with a series of nutty solutions to stop the fighting. The mayor’s wife (Yvonne Maalouf ) fakes a miraculous communication from the Virgin Mary to explain away an offending incident; a band of Ukrainian showgirls is recruited to keep the men distracted; the one barely functioning television is sabotaged to avoid news reports inflaming tensions. The biggest threat to the village’s fragile equilibrium

comes when a local lad (Kevin Abboud) is killed by crossfire during a regular motorbike run to the nearest town for provisions. His mother (Claude Baz Moussawbaa) hides her grief and pretends the boy is bedridden with mumps to avoid reprisals. When that doesn’t work, the women cook up a feast laced with hash and sedatives, knocking out the men long enough for them to implement a plan.

A star-crossed lover strand involving Christian Amale (Labaki) and Muslim Rabih (Julien Farhat) runs out of steam somewhere along the way. The director’s own screen character tends to be the one island of relative calm and poise in every

scene, also getting the most glamorous makeup and flattering outfits.

Written by Labaki with Jihad Hojeily and Rodney Al Haddad, in collaboration with Thomas Bidegain (who scripted Jacques Audiard’s “A Prophet”), the film takes an unorthodoxly buoyant approach to solemn subject matter. This mostly works, but Labaki doesn’t have the lightest touch with the comedy. The characterizations tend to be drawn large, and too many scenes escalate into all the women squawking and flapping about in exaggerated states of agitation.

That makes it harder to invest in the story’s moments of genuine tragedy.

Still, the crisp visuals and extensive use of Khaled Mouzanar’s original music and songs give the film a vibrant energy, as does its warm sense of a community not defined by religion or politics. The title question, “Where do we go now?” arises in the final scene in a way that is both amusing and poignant, underlining the serious wish for peace behind this quirky fantasy.—Reuters

Lebanese director Nadine Labaki (4th R) stands alongside composer Khaled Mouzannar (5th R) and Actress Anjo Rihane (6th R) as they pose with members of the cast during the photocall of ‘Et Maintenant on Va Ou?’ (Where Do We Go Now) presented in the Un Certain Regard Selection at the 64th Cannes Film Festival yesterday in Cannes. — AFP

Film stars, models share Cannes charity catwalk

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US actress Angelina Jolie and US actor Brad Pitt leave after the screening of ‘The Tree of Life’ presented in competition at the 64th Cannes Film Festival on May 16, 2011 in Cannes. — AFP

Angelina Jolie Bosnia movie gets Dec US release

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ngelina Jolie’s directorial debut-a controversial movie set in wartime Bosnia-has a name and a release date. “In the Land of Blood and Honey” will be released in the United States on December 23, producers said in a statement on Monday, just in time for Oscar consideration. “The film is specific to the Bosnian War, but it’s also universal,” Jolie said in a statement. “I wanted to tell a story of how human relationships and behavior are deeply affected by living inside a war.”

Jolie, who also wrote the screenplay, last year described the then untitled movie as a love story between a Serbian man and a Bosnian woman on the eve of the 199295 Balkans conflict, in which 100,000 people died. But it caused controversy in Bosnia with some female victims of sexual violence objecting to details in the plot

and Bosnian authorities canceling a filming permit. As a result, some scenes scheduled to be shot in Sarajevo were moved to Budapest, Hungary.

Jolie, who won a supporting actress Oscar for “Girl, Interrupted”, and who is a United Nations goodwill ambassador, has asked the people of Bosnia to withhold judgment until they see the completed film. “In the Land of Blood and Honey” features a local cast, and was shot in both the English and Serbo-Croat languages. Producers Graham King and Tim Headington on Monday called it a “bold new film (which) illustrates the consequences of the lack of political will to intervene in a society stricken with conflict.”— Reuters

ashion rolled out the red carpet for charity in Cannes on Monday, with a star-benefit a benefit runway show that saw A-listers including Naomi Campbell, Jane Fonda, Rosario Dawson and tennis man Novak Djokovic strut their stuff for a good cause.

Campbell’s Fashion for Relief charity organized the show and an auction that followed to raise money for the Japanese Red Cross to aid victims of the recent earthquake and tsunami there.

Scores of celebrities, in town for the Cannes Film Festival, turned out to support Monday’s event, while a small army of models donated their time, walking in red carpet-ready looks from Lanvin, Jean Paul Gaultier, Sonia Rykiel, Valentino and a host of other top labels. From her front-row perch, Ivana Trump hailed the decision to hold the show in Cannes during the 12-day-long film festival here as “a brilliant choice.

“All the rich people are in town for the festival, people in movies and in fashion, so they can reach into their pockets and give money to help,” said Trump, looking elegant in a black minidress with a bedazzled dipping neckline.

She said she hadn’t yet seen any movies but planned to spend the final six days of the prestigious cinema showcase shuttling between her homes in Cannes, Monaco and Saint Tropez while attending some select films.

Another audience member, designer Peter Dundas —whose label Pucci has long been considered an iconic brand in Japan — said he’d turned out for Monday’s event because “Japan’s disaster is our disaster.

“More than ever, we can’t think that just because something happens on the other side

US model Naomi Campbell poses with people during a photocall to promote the charity event ‘Fashion for relief’ to raise funds for the victims of Japan’s earthquake on the sideline of the 64th Cannes Film Festival.—AFP of the world it doesn’t concern us. Of course it does,” he said. Editor-in-cheif of Japanese Vogue Anna Della Russo said the “it’s in the Japanese character to be really strong and optimistic” but “they really do need help.”

Asked whether she thought the disaster would affect the Japanese’s notoriously extravagant sense of style, the envelope-pushing style maven exclaimed, “I hope not because they’re so crazy about fashion like me and I don’t want that to change.”

In addition to the flock of professionals — both from the current herd of young girls that rule today’s catwalks to industry veterans, led

by Campbell herself, in a long lean black num-

ber — models also included tennis champ Djokovic and Grace Hightower, who’s married to the president of this year’s Cannes jury, Robert De Niro.

At age 73, Fonda looked divine in a shimmering second-skin gown, while Dawson rocked a floor-length burnt orange number.

The crowd devoured both, showering them in applause. None of the nonprofessional models had any problems, but one of the hottest models of the moment was undone by her oversized meringue gown. — AFP

Film shows no happy ending for N Korea refugees

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orth Korean refugee Jeon Seung-Chul, battling terminal stomach cancer in South Korea in 2008, had a final request for a film student friend: make a movie about my life even if I never get to see it.Park Jung-Bum has done just that with “The Journals of Musan”, a raw and gritty look at a refugee’s struggle to survive in the new world of South Korea.”This is like my letter for Jeon Seung-Chul,” said Park, whose former college roommate died later in 2008 at the age of just 30. “Seung-Chul went through so many hardships to come to the South... only to die so young. I felt I had to do something for his memory.” “The Journals of Musan,” a film school graduation project which Park made with $74,000 and 12 staff members, has brought him unexpected fame.

After premiering last October, it won awards at home and abroad and went on general release last month to rave reviews.

The film focuses on the bewildering problems

which refugees face crossing the gulf between an impoverished communist dictatorship and a wealthy but sometimes uncaring capitalist democracy. Park, 35, directed the film, wrote the script and plays the main character named after his late friend, who came to the South via China in 2002 after leaving the North’s northeastern border city of Musan. The movie’s protagonist, like some 20,000 others in the past half-century or so, fled chronic hunger or repression in the North.

But life in the South, which was separated from the North just 63 years ago, hardly offers a happy ending in many cases. With most of their knowledge and skills deemed outdated or irrelevant and southerners viewing them with suspicion, many defectors lament that they are treated like second-class citizens in their new-found home. Many also complain of difficulties finding decent jobs and making friends, and some allege discrim-

ination in the workplace.The jobless rate for refugees last August was 8.8 percent compared to 3.3 percent nationally at the time.

Half of them earned less than 1 million won ($924) a month last year, less than one third of the national average.

The movie captures the sense of isolation, loneliness and disillusionment which refugees feel in what was once the country of their dreams.When Jeon heads to a job interview at a trading firm, his guardian-a local policeman assigned to monitor him-urges him repeatedly: “Never, ever say you’re from the North.”At the interview Jeon says as little as possible-perhaps also to hide his distinctive North Korean accent-but still doesn’t get the job. —AFP

This handout provided by Jinjin pictures and taken on May 16, 2011 in Seoul shows South Korean movie director Park Jung-Bum in a scene of his film ‘The Journals of Musan’. — AFP

Cannes film review: ‘Where Do We Go Now?’

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 18, 2011

A Chinese woman poses with a four-dimensional (4D) painting on display at a contemporary art exhibition in Jilin, northeast China’s Jilinís province. China overtook Britain as the world’s second biggest market for art and antiques in 2010, said a report from the European Fine Art Fair (Tefaf) opening in the Netherlands. —AFP

Denzel Washington receives honorary Penn degree

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enzel Washington confessed to a bit of stage fright in his latest role: Commencement speaker at the University of Pennsylvania. Addressing about 5,000 graduates at the Ivy League school in Philadelphia on Monday, the Oscar- and Tony-winning actor said the academic ceremony was “a little overwhelming and out of my comfort zone.” And that was his reason for accepting the invitation to speak, he said.

“I had to come exactly because I might make a fool of myself,” said Washington. “I’ve found that nothing in life is worthwhile unless you take risks. Nothing.” The 56-year-old star of “Malcolm X” and “Philadelphia” delivered a humorous speech with a sobering truth: Failure is inevitable. Yet instead of having something to fall back on, he said, graduates should “fall forward” — learn from their mistakes and keep going.

Thomas Edison had countless failed experiments before succeeding with the light bulb, he said. “Do you have the guts to fail?” Washington said. “If you don’t fail, you’re not

even trying.” One of his earliest failures was as a pre-med student at Fordham University in New York, he said. He changed to pre-law, then journalism, and was close to flunking out before switching to drama and getting his degree. Washington described a second failure about 30 years ago at a miserable tryout for a Broadway musical.

Then last year, on the same stage as that audition, Washington won a Tony award for his work in “Fences.”

The speech resonated with new grad Adam Shore, a 21year-old physics major from the Philadelphia suburbs. “No one ever tells a graduating class, ‘You’re going to fail.’ But it was very important for everyone to hear that,” Shore said.

“You can’t go ... thinking you’re going to succeed in every way. You have to be realistic.” Washington also teased the crowd at Franklin Field by alluding to Hollywood gossip, such as alleged arguments with Russell Crowe on the set of “American Gangster” and an encounter with a partially clothed Angelina Jolie in her dressing room. Washington and Jolie co-starred in “The Bone Collector.” But then he

demurred. “You’re a group of high-minded intellectuals,” he said. “You’re not interested in that.”

Washington endeared himself to some students by peppering the speech with references to favorite local hangouts. His son Malcolm just finished his sophomore year on campus, and Washington often traveled to see him play on Penn’s basketball team. “The coach didn’t give him enough playing time,” Washington said, drawing laughs. “We’ll talk about that later.” Washington received an honorary doctorate at the ceremony. In granting the degree, Penn President Amy Gutmann said that his moving performances have “entertained us, inspired us and often enlightened us.” She also praised his off-screen work with charities and social causes, including the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

Other honorary degree recipients included author Joyce Carol Oates, husband-and-wife journalists Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, cellphone entrepreneur Mo Ibrahim, Nobel laureate Ei-ichi Negishi and sociology scholar Renee C Fox.—AP

Actor Denzel Washington gestures during his remarks at the University of Pennsylvania’s 255th Commencement Monday in Philadelphia. —AP

Young Brazilian craftsmen rescue indigenous music

I File: Jerry Lewis listens to the final tally of donations during the 43rd annual Muscular Dystrophy Association Labor Day Telethon a the South Point hotel-casino in Las Vegas. — AP

Jerry Lewis retiring from MDA telethon in Sept

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fter 45 years promoting treatment and a cure for children he calls “my kids,” comedian Jerry Lewis announced Monday he is retiring as host of the Labor Day Muscular Dystrophy Association telethon that has become synonymous with his name. Lewis, 85, issued a statement through the association calling it “time for an all new Telethon era.” “As a labor of love, I’ve hosted the annual Telethon since 1966 and I’ll be making my final appearance on the show this year by performing my signature song, ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone,”‘ Lewis said of a shortened sixhour primetime broadcast scheduled for Sept. 4. Lewis, a Las Vegas resident, has in

recent years battled a debilitating back condition, heart issues and the crippling lung disease pulmonary fibrosis. He said he’ll continue serving as national Muscular Dystrophy Association chairman, as he’s done since the early 1950s. “I’ll never desert MDA and my kids,” he said.

Officials with the Tucson, Arizona-based nonprofit hailed Lewis as one of the world’s great humanitarians. More than $1 billion has been raised during Muscular Dystrophy Association telethons over the years, association spokesman Jim Brown said. And a national network of some 200 hospital-affiliated clinics has opened since Lewis became involved in the telethon. —AP

Brazilian musician and luthier David Rocha plays the violin at the Tide Setubal Foundation. — AFP

n a poor neighborhood on the outskirts of Sao Paulo, the sounds of a fiddle merge with the buzz of an electric saw as apprentice craftsmen build Brazilian folk instruments-often using wood found in city dumps. In Sao Miguel Paulista, in the eastern part of this enormous Brazilian city, David Rocha, 20, shows off one of his most recent creations: a “rabeca,” a violin-like instrument popular in Brazilian culture. “I learned to play with sheet music in church,” he told AFP. Rocha is a member of the Tide Setubal Foundation, a community organization which is seeking to rescue the popular culture of a region of modest homes and widespread emigration in the impoverished Brazilian northeast. To make money, he sells some of the instruments, which are made of wood and scraps collected from the banks of the polluted Tiete river. With patience and skill, Rocha gently places his hands on the strings of his latest instrument, a “cavaquinho”-a small, four-stringed guitar- freshly painted, and made of three native woods: imbuia, known as Brazilian walnut, jacaranda, a blue-flowering tree, and an evergreen tree known as araucaria.

Rocha’s rabeca was made with araucaria, imbuia and pau-brasil, a type of Brazilian timber that he took from an old bed. One of Rocha’s guitars was made from a box of imported Norway cod he found one day at the central market in Sao Paolo. “I find the wood on a vacant lot or on the banks of the Tiete. When it is waterlogged, I take it back

David Rocha works on a guitar at the Tide Setubal Foundation. — AFP to the workshop and let it dry,” said Rocha, who has lost count of how many instruments he has made. Surrounded by handsaws and hammers, Renato Soares, 21, and Caique Aron, 18, are finishing their second “alfaia”, a drum popular in Brazil’s northeast which resembles the drums used in 19thcentury military marching bands.

Strips of rope wrapped around the drum’s body can be tightened or loosened for tuning. “It’s for the five-year-old brother of a friend of mine,” says Soares.“Since he plays the flute, I promised him I would make him an alfaia, since it makes more noise,” said Soares, laughing. Back at the workshop, the cupboards are full of percussion instruments, both large and small, some with the leather already tanned and cured, others with the original skin. —AFP