28 May

IO N IPT SC R SU B

SATURDAY, MAY 28, 2011

Kuwait Marine Reserve project kicks off

29 dead as drug gangs battle in West Mexico

150 Fils

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No: 15102

JAMADI ALTHANI 25, 1432 AH

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Utd vs Barca: The clash of the titans

48 Thousands join ‘Day of Rage’

Max 43 Min 30

Demonstrators chant slogans against premier

By Abdellatif Sharaa, Elizabeth Pickworth and Hussain Al-Qatari KUWAIT: The anti-government protesters held a massive rally outside the National Assembly building yesterday literally making it a ‘Day of Rage’ as promised. In an unprecedented show of strength, thousands of demonstrators lined up in front of the assembly and chanted slogans against HH the Prime Minister even as the police forces in full riot gear stood by.

Earlier, the demonstrators gathered at the parking lot of the municipal council, instead of the Safat Square as they announced, surprising the government forces who had set up a standby force in the late afternoon barricading the streets and making ‘safe zones’ for the protesters to carry out their demonstrations into the evening.

From the Magrib, the “Day of Rage” began on a peaceful note with the police and the protesters making jokes but after the Isha (evening prayer), the chants became louder and the demonstrations took a more violent turn.

The protesters tore photographs of HH the Prime Minister during which a fight broke out between them and the police but was contained before it went out of control.

Earlier after the prayers, Salafist Member of the Parliament Waleed Al-Tabtabae appealed to the gathered crowds to remain peaceful and not to have any contacts with policemen or any other people.

Member of Parliament Musallam Al-Barrak made a scathing attack against MPs who voted for postponing the grilling of HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah for one year. He said those MPs were trying to empty the constitution of its content.

Al-Barrak addressed the PM saying “you will not escape from what you have done to the Kuwaiti people, adding that the MPs who supported the PM also deserve punishment. He said that one of the columnists who said those who gathered during the “constitution Friday” are just gangsters and criminals, but the fact is that they are Kuwaitis who love Kuwait and its legitimacy”.

Al-Barrak said, “Though we seek the ouster of Sheikh Nasser, we will defend the regime and will not allow anyone to harm it. Our loyalty is to His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah,” he added.

Al-Barrak told the Interior Minister Sheikh Ahmad AlHumoud: “Do not allow Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad to put you in trouble, we are not trying to come in touch with you (police), and the proof is that we choose another square when Safat was closed to make sure no clashes take place.”

Al-Barrak said that Nasser Al-Mohammad asked his MPs to grill the ministers, and we want to hear the youths’ opinion.

He said “As we are standing with HH the Amir, we say that Nasser Al-Mohammad must go.”

He told the youths that they have a big role to play and Nasser Al-Mohammad will fall at the end. Each MP who supported him must be punished at the ballot box, he said.

Continued on Page 2

KUWAIT: The anti-government protesters led by MPs (above) march towards the National Assembly in a massive show of strength yesterday. — Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

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Thousands join ‘Day of Rage’ Continued from Page 1 Al-Barrak commended the young men by saying “You did the impossible, and we all are more keen on keeping security and there will not be any confrontation.” He said “Some people on the other side felt like being slapped on the face when we did not confront them.”

He said a field commander was appointed to face the free people of Kuwait, adding that on August 2nd 1990, there was not any such commander.

He warned the gathering that the premier sent some of his men to create problems with the protesters. So he asked them to be clever and more mature and not to respond to any provocations because they want to spoil the gathering.

Meanwhile, MP Dhaifallah Buramiyah said the government is as bad as the previous six governments and “We did not see anything other than corruption”. He said the people are able to right the wrong things although corruption has become so rampant in the government. “We support the “youth of change,” he said, reminding them that their demands will not be fulfilled without sacrifice.

KUWAIT: Images from yesterday’s rally held in Kuwait City. — Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

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local SATURDAY, MAY 28, 2011

Face grilling or lose votes, ministers told PM ready to face motion: Report KUWAIT: The Cabinet has instructed ministers to face the interpellation motions filed against them and defend themselves against accusations made during the debate. Ministers will not receive the Cabinet’s votes if they place a request for their grilling motion to be referred to the legislative committee of the Kuwaiti Parliament. This was reported in a recent story published by Al-Rai daily, amid rumors that His Highness the Prime Minister will face the grilling motion filed against him during next Tuesday’s session.

The grilling motion filed by the Development and Reform Bloc (DRB) focuses on allegations that the government has taken a more biased approach towards Iran in its foreign policy, as opposed to the other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries on the developments taking place in Bahrain. HH the Premier Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah could answer those allegations in a debate scheduled for May 31 session or request for it to be referred to the Constitutional Court or the Parliament’s legislative panel to verify its constitutionality. The Cabinet took a similar approach, when by the Popular Action Bloc(PAB) filed a motion against the premier over corruption allegations. The Parliament voted during the session on a request made by the Cabinet to put the debate on hold for up to a year or until the Constitutional Court verified its constitutionality.

“The prime minister’s intention to face the grilling motion is a positive step that comes in the right direction,” said MP Falah Al-Sawwagh while commenting on the rumors, reiterating that “fending off the allegations is better than referring the grilling to the Constitutional Court or any other option.”

The lawmaker also hoped that the motion would be debated in an open session “to allow the Kuwaiti public to be aware of how the premier responds to the allegations mentioned in the grilling motion. “ Meanwhile, the May 31 session is also set to feature the debate of another grilling; a motion filed by the National Action Bloc(NAB) against Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs and Minister of Housing and Development. MP Adel Al-Saraawi, the motion’s

Minister under pressure over ‘degrees trade’ issue KUWAIT: The Minister of Education and Higher Education Ahmad Al-Mulaifi has deferred decisions to accredit degrees of Kuwaiti graduates received from unrecognized universities in India and the Philippines. He had previously planned to proceed with this move which drew much criticism from activists and lawmakers.

Backlash against Al-Mulaifi’s reported intention to approve degrees from universities suspected of involvement in ‘degrees trade’ has almost appeared immediately after the news made their way to the press. This led the minister to announce, following a meeting with the academic accreditation committee of the Ministry of Higher Education, that the subject will not be settled until the committee convenes again.

Lawmakers responded to the news by describing the topic as ‘serious,’ demanding that any settlement concerning lifting the ban imposed on some universities in India, the Philippines or any other part of the world must be based on scientific evidence, and away from political pressures or attempts to ‘increase popularity among voters,’ reported Al-Qabas.

“No one expected the education minister to give favors at the expense of the best interest of the country and its educational process,” said MP Marzouq Al-Ghanim, while lawmaker Dr Aseel Al-Awadhi slammed what she described as ‘catastrophic’ and ‘political tampering in education’ on approving suspected degrees, insisting that the minister’s announced plans “would destroy efforts carried out by former minister Dr Mouhdi Al-Hmoud which has put an end to the corrupt degrees.”

And while MP Dr Ali Al-Omair said that Al-Mulaifi will be held accountable “if he fell under pressure to start accepting forged degrees,” MP Dr Hassan Jowhar noted that the issue could pave way for a clash between the new minister and MPs.

co-presenter with fellow NAB member Marzouq Al-Ghanim, said recently that the deputy premier had failed to reply to inquisitions made previously on the topics raised, adding that exposing corruption allegations pertinent with those topics is one of the main goals of the motion, reported Al-Rai. In a separate development, MP Khalid Al-Tahous said that

the Parliament’s public funds protection committee has discovered ‘heads of corruption’ within the Ministry of Defense, adding that violations were found in several equipment purchase contracts made locally and internationally. He noted the subject will be discussed in detail during a press conference planned for tomorrow.

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Kuwait Marine Reserve project kicks off VWC initiative to promote community awareness

By Nawara Fattahova KUWAIT: Spearheading a campaign to preserve the environment, the Voluntary Work Center (VWC) represented by the Senyar Diving Team launched the Kuwait Marine Reserve. The cornerstone of the conservation project was laid in Kheiran. This ceremony was held under the patronage of Major General Mohammed Al-Yousef Al-Sabah, Assistant Undersecretary at the Ministry of Interior for Borders Security and Sheikha Amthal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber AlSabah, Head of the VWC. This project aims to protect the environment and spread community awareness, “Senyar put forward the idea, that was approved by HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah by supporting the annual campaign to protect marine life. We are celebrating the World Environment Day which proves that the safety of environment is an integral part of Kuwait,” noted Sheikha Amthal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Head of the VWC. This is a pioneer project in its idea and support, as the Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) supports this large-scale national project, which will revive marine life.

“There were many phases prior to executing this project. Water currents were studied for five years, so was the biological nature of the sea bed. This was done to detect the creatures that live in the location,” she added.

With the development of modern means of fishing and transport, it has become easier to access the areas that were unreachable in the past. These are considered the main breeding grounds for fish, “This bad practice has placed the environment and fish resources in danger. Other factor that causes harm

Photographs show the members of the Voluntary Work Center (VWC) represented by the Senyar Diving Team during the launch of the Kuwait Marine Reserve project off Kheiran. to the environment is industrial waste.

It produces gas, liquid, or hard pollution. All this pollution has already taken a toll and it will be late before we attempt to rescue them,” Sheikha Amthal pointed out.

“This served as a motivational factor for the project of the Kuwait Marine Reserve to be aware of the community in general. It also aims to bind these categories through a mutual feeling of responsibility in manner that suits everybody,” she concluded.

After five years of study, the idea became clearer, “These models will carry the logos of the participating public and private institutions and Kuwait’s landmarks, which forms the artificial reserve that will attract divers. There are at least 3,000 beginners every year. This project aims to attract their attention. It is a kind of adventure,” said Mohammed Al-Basri, from the KOC. Ahmad Al-Rasheid, Deputy Managing Director, KOC highlighted the role played by KOC in preserving

the environment, “As part of our social responsibility program, we participate in all the activities that serve Kuwait. It is a general belief that oil causes pollution.

“We want to prove that we support the environment - both the marine and land. It took us three months to build the model in the shape of old Kuwait ‘Al Sour’ Gate. It was made from environment-friendly cement, metal, and concrete. It weighs seven tons, and measures 6 x 2 meters,” he said.

Female suspect held in Sabahiya murder case KUWAIT: Police arrested a female resident accused of murdering her roommate in Sabahiya. The two worked under the same sponsor. Investigations were ongoing following the death of a domestic worker, who was found murdered in her room. Officials first interrogated the victim’s roommate; a compatriot who worked at a workshop located in the house’s basement. She first denied being aware of the incident and claimed to have been working when the crime took place.

Detectives later recovered the murder weapon, a blood-stained kitchen knife that was hidden between dirty laundry in the workshop where the roommate had worked.

She then confessed to stabbing the victim repeatedly while she was asleep, reported AlRai. She admitted premeditated murder, citing disputes that had deepened between the two. The suspect now faces first degree murder charges.

Drug overdose A citizen’s body was recovered in Salmiya.

Preliminary investigations revealed that death was caused by drug overdose. Criminal investigators accompanied by police headed to a location near the Bahrain Street when

eyewitnesses reportedly found a dead body in a dumpster, reported Al-Rai. The victim was identified as a male citizen who had a history of drug related crimes. Paraphernalia found near the body provided additional evidence about the overdose. The body was removed from the scene. Investigations are ongoing to learn the circumstances that led to the man’s death.

Asian women raped Police are on the lookout for four rapists who have been accused of kidnapping two Asian women and raping them in a deserted area. Police reached a location near the Kuwait Hunting and Equestrian Club (along the Sixth Ring Road) where a citizen reportedly found two women sobbing uncontrollably; claiming to have been raped, reported Al-Rai. They explained to police that they were bundled into a car in Al-Qasr in Al-Jahra which headed to a jakhour (animal farm) in the desert. They were repeatedly raped before being dropped near the Hunting and Equestrian Club. Officers from the Waha police station where the case was filed, collected information that included descriptions of the rapists.

Shooting Jahra police are trying to nab a citizen who has been accused in connection with shooting at his place of residence on two separate occasions. Officials reached Saad Al-Abdullah were a citizen reported that bullets were being fired against his home, accusing his brother of committing the act, reported AlRai. The accused shooter was nowhere to be found, but police recovered empty bullet shells.

Mentally ill man escapes Police have cast a net to find a mentally ill man who escaped while being transported from one medical facility to another. The man was in custody of two security officers who were instructed to transfer him from the Psychiatry Hospital to Al-Razi Hospital for a scheduled medical check. According to a joint statement made to Capital governorate’s investigators, the two officers claimed that the man disappeared after leaving him unattended for a couple of minutes, reported AlRai. Further interrogations are being held.

Gang- members caught Hawally police arrested an eight-mem-

ber gang responsible for committing thefts in and around the governorate.

Investigations had been ongoing into several burglary and car robbery reports. It eventually led investigators to a number of suspects who were placed under arrest. It was later revealed that the suspects, who are of Jordanian, Palestinian and Syrian nationalities, are members of a network who carry out organized thefts. A number of laptop computers as well as KD 1,800 was recovered upon their arrest, reported Al-Anba.

They led officers to the place where the remaining stolen items were hidden.

Unlicensed dental clinic Detectives arrested a dentist who conducted private practice at home, after his official work timing at the Ministry of Health. An undercover agent posing as a patient was sent to the unlicensed clinic after police were tipped off on the man’s activities. A police patrol raided the place and the dentist was arrested, reported AlWatan. Dental equipment brought from the ministry was also recovered from the scene, in addition to other basic equipment.

LOCAL SATURDAY, MAY 28, 2011

Mixed views on KD 6,000 marriage grant Incentive for Kuwaiti men to marry a second time

By Hussain Al-Qatari KUWAIT: Conflicting reports were received yesterday on a new legislation that grants Kuwaiti men a KD 6,000 loan when marrying a second wife, under the condition that she is a Kuwaiti. Officials on condition of anonymity said that the law has been passed, but no official statements were issued.

Meanwhile, MP Faisal Al-Duwaisan stated to local press that the legislation was passed as part of a proposal he personally filed with the Parliament, suggesting that the marriage grant be increased from KD 4,000 to KD 6,000 and to have it include widows and divorcees. The lawmaker said that this legislation will help solve the problem of high number of unmarried Kuwaiti women. “I wish that people cease to see this legislation as a waste of money and rather focus on how it is a solution to a social problem,” pleaded the parliamentarian.

Reactions to the news are mixed, as some people found the government’s support for second marriage a decision that does not help in preserving households. Manal Al-Shatti, 37, said the legislation sounds implausible, “I don’t believe that the government can partake in something like this. It will do more damage than good: the government does not want to make decisions to please the people, especially when it comes to money. That is why the loans were not written off when people demanded that for several years. Besides, why would a man marry a second wife if he is financially incapable of supporting a new household?”

Another citizen, Ahmad Al-Sabti, 30, said that if this turns out to be true, it might lead to more damage than good. “It will make matters more complicated, and will allow for a lot of misuse. It is better if this money is invested in improving the quality of services instead,” he said.

News

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Fingerprint system at check points KUWAIT: The Criminal Investigations Department(CID) has installed an electronic fingerprinting system at land border checkpoints and sea ports in the country, which will begin operations tomorrow. A Ministry of Interior(MOI) official confirmed that the new equipment was installed at the Abdali, Salmi and Nuwaiseeb border checkpoints, in addition to the Shuwaikh Port. The official added that all expatriates passing through the check points will have to undergo mandatory fingerprint checks, while extending its use to include citizens will follow later, reported Al-Rai. The same system was applied at the Kuwait International Airport(KIA) earlier this year, and it has been effective in detecting several forgery and identity change problems.

KD230m allowance for teachers KUWAIT: The Civil Service Commission(CSC) has reserved KD230 million for Kuwaiti and expat teachers’ union. The announcement was made by Ahmad AlMulaifi, Education and Higher Education Minister to directors of all the educational zones. He said that KD88 million will be used to pay bonuses to teachers and supervisors. The minister said that the remainder of the budget (KD132 million) will be utilized to pay incentives to those specializing in rare courses, reported Al-Anba. The minister said the inclusion of expats and the decision to pay them ‘deserving’ pay rises is an important step.

Two convicted with fake degrees KUWAIT: The Criminal Court has sentenced two defendants to five years in prison after finding them guilty of forging university degrees. A third defendant was found not guilty. The three suspects, who are all employees with the Ministry of Electricity and Water(MEW) were held for trial in a forgery case. They were accused of issuing replica of degrees in Mechanical Engineering from an Indian college, and stamping them with fake signatures and stamps, reported Al-Qabas.

‘I wish that people cease to see this legislation as a waste of money and rather focus on how it is a solution to a social problem.’

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Qatar, Kuwait rank most peaceful states in MENA Global Peace Index shows the world is less peaceful this year KUWAIT: Kuwait and Qatar are the most peaceful countries in the Arab world, according to the 2011 Global Peace Index (GPI) released Thursday.

Qatar rises two places to 12th position and remains the highestranked Middle Eastern country by some margin. Kuwait is the next highest in 29th place.

Among the 153 countries listed in the Index only Kuwait and Qatar made it to the top 20 percent of the most peaceful countries. Qatar ranked 12 and Kuwait 29. Further down, the Emirates ranked 33, Oman 41, Saudi Arabia 101 and Bahrain 123.

The results of the Global Peace Index (GPI) for 2011 suggest that the world has become slightly less peaceful in the past year. The deterioration is smaller than that which occurred between the 2009 and 2010 editions of the GPI, when some nations experienced an intensification of conflicts and growing instability linked to rapid rises in food, fuel and commodity prices and the global economic downturn.

The recent waves of uprisings and revolutions in the Middle East have been reflected in sharply deteriorating GPI scores across the region, notably in Bahrain, Egypt, Libya and Tunisia, which were previously ranked in the top half of the GPI. Island nations generally fare well - most are in the top half of the GPI, with Sri Lanka a notable exception, although its score has improved since the defeat of the Tamil Tigers in May 2009 and it rose by 11 places in the 2011 index. Madagascar and Jamaica are accorded relatively low ranks (105th and 106th respectively), with the former experiencing a

sharp deterioration in its score for the second successive year amid an ongoing political and economic crisis. Other Arab countries listed are Tunisia, ranked 44, Morocco 58, Jordan 64, Egypt 73, Syria 116, Algeria 129, Lebanon 137, Yemen 138, Libya 143, Sudan 151 and Iraq 152. Iceland ranks the most peaceful country in the world, ranking first, and Somalia, the worst, ranking last-153.

According to the peace index which is released by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) lev-

els of world peace dropped for the third consecutive year due to an increased risk of terrorism and significant unrest in the Middle East and North Africa.

In the GPI 2011 Iceland is ranked as the country most at peace, replacing New Zealand.

Iceland topped the GPI in 2008, but dropped to fourth place in 2009 amid the country’s unprecedented economic collapse and political crisis. Small, stable and democratic countries are consistently ranked highest; 14 of the top 20 countries are western or

peacefulness that appear to be linked with their economic recoveries, others, notably those in North Africa and the Middle East that have been swept up in the political turmoil of the “Arab Spring”, have experienced sharp falls in their peacefulness, the Institute for Economics and Peace said in a press release.

The 2011 GPI, which gauges ongoing domestic and international conflict, safety and security in society and militarization in 153 countries, registered overall score increases for several indicators, the

philanthropists and members of peace institutions.

The GPI brings a snapshot of relative peacefulness among nations while continuing to contribute to an understanding of what factors help create or sustain more peaceful societies.

GPI forms part of the Institute for Economics and Peace, a global think tank dedicated to the research and education of the relationship between economic development, business and peace.

War-torn Somalia drops one place to replace Iraq as the country

The recent waves of uprisings and revolutions in the Middle East have been reflected in sharply deteriorating GPI scores across the region, notably in Bahrain, Egypt, Libya and Tunisia, which were previously ranked in the top half of the GPI central European nations. This is, however, a reduction from 15 last year, and reflects both an improvement in Malaysia’s score and a deterioration in Slovakia’s, which lifts the South-East Asian nation into the top 20 for the first time, a summary of the report said.

The indicator showing the most substantial year-on-year score decline was military expenditure as a percentage of GDP, reflecting the impact of the global financial and economic crisis on defence budgets. While several countries experienced improved levels of

largest of which were in the potential for terrorist acts and the likelihood of violent demonstrations.

This is the fifth edition of the Global Peace Index (GPI). The index is composed of 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators from respected sources, which combine internal and external factors ranging from a nation’s level of military expenditure to its relations with neighboring countries and the level of respect for human rights. These indicators were selected by an international panel of academics, business people,

ranked least at peace, although its score improved slightly. This is chiefly because of a more substantial improvement in Iraq’s GPI score compared with last year, lifting the country from the foot of the index for the first time since 2007. Sudan and Afghanistan follow. The more substantial deterioration between 2009 and 2010 appears to have reflected rising conflict in several countries, triggered by rapidly increasing food and fuel prices in 2008 and the subsequent dramatic global economic downturn, the summary of the Index said.

SATURDAY, MAY 28, 2011

6 UN peacekeepers wounded in Lebanon bomb

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‘Second revolution’ at Egypt’s Tahrir Square CAIRO: About 10,000 protesters returned to downtown Cairo’s Tahrir Square yesterday for what they called a “second revolution,” calling for Egypt’s military rulers to speed up the pace of democratic reforms in a country that is still charting its political future. Protesters carried banners reading the “Egyptian revolution is not over” and chanted the slogan.

Christians and Muslims took turns praying in Tahrir Square, as they did during the protests that forced the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak in February. Sectarian clashes have turned deadly since the revolution. They also called for the speedy trial of Mubarak and high-ranking members of his regime. “Our biggest fault is that we left Tahrir Square before seeing Mubarak inside a courtroom being tried,” 24-year-old salesman Ahmed Shawqi said. Two days before the protest, the prosecutor general ordered Mubarak and his sons to be tried over charges of ordering the killing of protesters during the uprising, along with other charges.

The step was seen as a way to prevent protesters from returning to Tahrir Square. Some 850 Egyptians were killed during the uprising, many shot by security forces, rights groups say. Thousands were injured. The ruling military warned that “dubious” elements may try to cause chaos during yesterday’s protests, and said it would stay clear of the protest area to avoid friction. As darkness fell, protesters formed checkpoints at the square’s entrances, body-searched visitors and asked for identification. Some protesters vowed to stay all night. The military’s leadership of the country’s democratic transition has left many protesters dissatisfied. “I came here because I didn’t feel that Egypt changed,” technician Raafat Hendi said, under huge posters calling for a new constitution.

Some critics accuse the military rulers of collaborating with the former regime and being too lenient in its prosecution of Mubarak, his family and regime members. The Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt’s best organized political force, opposed the protest and called it an attempt to drive a wedge between the military and the people. The Brotherhood’s absence will test the ability of liberal and secular groups to launch their own sustained opposition movement.

Some liberal groups are calling for planned parliamentary elections, now set for September, to be pushed back so that they will have more time to prepare. The Brotherhood, however, stands to make major gains and wants the vote to go ahead. The protest movement wants to oust the ruling Armed Forces Council and replace it with a civilian council. Protesters accuse the army of using excessive force in cracking down on peaceful protesters since Mubarak’s ouster, sending thousands to military tribunals and detaining young protesters. A joint statement by four liberal and secular groups called for postponing the September elections, drafting basic principles that guarantee that Egypt is a civil state and ending military tribunals.

The statement reflects worries of many political groups that the Brotherhood is poised to win a big portion of parliament. Some protesters are demanding a new constitution prior to elections, a divisive issue. “We can’t go to elections without having a constitution first,” accountant Ezz Eldin Hamid, 29, said. “You put the plan first then go to the game, not the other way around.” A referendum that passed in March with the backing of the military and the Brotherhood paved the way for parliamentary and presidential elections. It mandated that the country’s new constitution will be written by a committee selected by the new parliament. The protest movement fears a growing convergence of opinions between the Islamists and the military.

The Brotherhood, banned in 1954, became a political force after renouncing violence in the 1970s. Eventually it became the most formidable opponent to Mubarak’s regime, though it was still banned as a political party. When Mubarak fell, the Brotherhood stood ready with a huge network of social services and supporters. —AP

Four killed in Syria protests

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India says Pakistan is now a ‘fragile’ state

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INTERNATIONAL SATURDAY, MAY 28, 2011

4 killed in Syria protests, world pressure grows Russia will not support a UN resolution

SIDON: Two Italian UN peacekeepers stand guard next to a destroyed UN armored vehicle that was attacked by a roadside bomb yesterday. — AP

Six UN peacekeepers hurt in Lebanon bomb BEIRUT: A bomb blew up a UN jeep near the southern Lebanese port city of Sidon yesterday, wounding six Italian UN peacekeepers, the Italian military chief of staff said, in the first attack of its kind in three years. Lebanese security sources earlier said one peacekeeper had died in the attack on a busy highway leading to the port city, leaving a huge, grey plume of smoke. The UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said the bomb had been aimed at a logistics convoy and confirmed six peacekeepers had been wounded.

“Five are moderately wounded, and one is seriously wounded. They are in a hospital in Sidon,” UNIFIL spokesman Andrea Tenenti told Reuters. The attack prompted Rome to declare it would reduce its contingent, which is the largest in UNIFIL with nearly 1,700 soldiers.

UNIFIL’s previous commander was also Italian. The force of the explosion tore through part of a highway concrete barrier, smashed the white jeep’s windows and left it riddled with shrapnel, a Reuters picture showed. The driver’s face, hands and stomach were drenched in blood.

Other pictures showed two peacekeepers with bloodied faces and dazed expressions after they left the destroyed vehicle in Rmaileh village, about 35 km south of Beirut, and near Ain el-Hilweh, a Palestinian refugee camp where Islamist militant groups are known to reside. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon condemned the attack, which happened on the UN’s International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, when peacekeepers killed in missions across the world are commemorated by their colleagues.

“The United Nations will work closely together with the Lebanese authorities to have a full and swift investigation on the attack to bring the perpetrators to justice,” Ban said.

The last bomb attack against UNIFIL was in Jan. 2008 when two Irish peacekeepers were slightly wounded when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb near the area of yesterday’s attack. A car bomb killed six UN peacekeepers in June 2007. UNIFIL has about 12,000 troops and naval personnel in the country after its expansion under UN Security Council resolution 1701 that halted the 2006 IsraelHezbollah war in southern Lebanon. UNIFIL operates along 15,000 Lebanese army troops who are deployed in the south to keep peace near the frontier with Israel and make sure it is free of weapons transfers in an area that is a stronghold of Hezbollah guerrillas.

The border area has stayed largely quiet with the exception of occasional flare-ups. Ten Palestinian demonstrators were killed earlier this month after Israeli troops opened fire on a protest on the Lebanese side of the border, the Lebanese army and security sources said. A senior Israeli officer, two Lebanese soldiers and a Lebanese journalist were killed when Lebanese and Israeli troops clashed last August. — Reuters

AMMAN: Syrian security forces shot dead four people yesterday, rights campaigners said, as protesters defied a nationwide crackdown by President Bashar Al-Assad which world leaders condemned. Three protesters were killed in the Damascus suburb of Qatana and one in the town of Zabadani, near the border with Lebanon, they said. Troops also fired at protesters calling for the “overthrow of the regime” in the eastern city of Deir al-Zor, a rights group and residents said. Rights groups estimate at least 1,000 people have been killed over 10 weeks. Leaders at a Group of Eight meeting in France said they were “appalled” at the killing of peaceful protesters, demanding an immediate end to the use of force.

The biggest demonstrations typically occur on Fridays after Muslim prayers, and they have also generally been the deadliest. But the bloodshed this week appeared to be on a lesser scale than witnessed recently in Syria.

Human rights activists said protests flared in the eastern cities of Albu Kamal, where people burned pictures of Lebanese Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, who this week threw his weight behind Assad. Residents said gunfire was also heard in the central city of Homs as thousands gathered there and in the city of Hama despite a heavy security presence.

Demonstrations also broke out in Damascus districts of Barzeh, Rukn AlDin and Qaboun, the suburbs of Saqba and Hajar al-Aswad, and in Latakia on the coast and Deraa in the south. State television said five members of the security forces were wounded in Zabadani. It also said “armed elements” opened fire on security forces in Deir AlZor. Authorities say at least 120 soldiers and police have been killed since the protests erupted in March. Witness

reports of events are hard to verify independently because Assad’s government barred most foreign media from the country not long after the start of the unrest, which was sparked by democratic revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia.

Damascus has ignored growing Western condemnation and sanctions and looks determined to crush the prodemocracy revolt by sending out security forces and tanks to subdue unrest it blames on armed groups who are backed by foreign powers.

“Unfortunately, I regret to say that Syrian leaders have made a formidable step back. In these conditions, Syria no longer has our trust,” French President Nicolas Sarkozy said, speaking at the G8 summit in Deauville, France.

Ten weeks into the unrest, protests have failed to gain a critical mass as security forces prevent mass rallies and Damascus and Aleppo have yet to witness big demonstrations. The Baath Party suppresses any dissent and there is no unified opposition structure to lead the popular movement.

Opposition activists in exile will meet in Turkey next week to help coordinate the campaign. A resident in Nawa, near the city of Deraa said security forces had prevented mosques from calling out noon prayers and snipers were visible on tall buildings.

Two other residents said about 40 tanks were still deployed across two parts of Deraa, where the unrest first began. In a communique to be issued later after a two-day G8 summit held in Deauville, France, the leaders of the seven Western powers plus Russia called on Damascus to respond to the Syrian people’s “legitimate demands for freedom”. “We are appalled by the deaths of many peaceful protesters as a result of the sweeping use of violence in Syria as well as by repeated and serious violations of human rights,” the

leaders said in a communique, adding they would take further measures if authorities did not embark on serious reforms.

Washington and the European Union have already imposed sanctions against Assad and other Syrian officials.

But Russia has been more reticent in denouncing Assad because of a desire to reassert old Soviet-era influence in the region. Western diplomats had expressed hope on Thursday that vetoholders Russia and China would not block a draft resolution which Britain, France, Germany and Portugal circulated to the UN Security Council on Wednesday. But Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told reporters in Deauville a draft resolution was “untimely and damaging”.

“There are no grounds to consider this issue (Syria) in the UN Security Council. We will not even read the text.”

The draft says Syria’s actions may amount to crimes against humanity and condemns the violation of human rights, arbitrary detentions and torture of peaceful demonstrators. Assad, who inherited power from his father Hafez al-Assad on his death in 2000, has pledged to launch a national dialogue and undertake some reforms in the Sunni Muslim-majority country that has been in the grip of his minority Alawite sect for 40 years. But protesters and activists have dismissed the moves as empty gestures since the security forces have continued to violently suppress protesters. Lately, protesters have taken to holding nightly demonstrations to try and circumvent a heavy security presence. Two witnesses said security forces fired live rounds on Thursday at hundreds of protesters in a night rally in Deraa. In the nearby town of Dael, residents said security forces shot dead three demonstrators on Thursday night. — Reuters

Iran warns nuclear bomb will be ‘strategic mistake’ VIENNA: Iran’s nuclear envoy said yesterday it would be a “strategic mistake” to build atom bombs, dismissing what a leading Western expert cited as evidence suggesting Tehran was seeking the means to do just that.

Ali Asghar Soltanieh, Iran’s ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), also insisted during a public debate that sanctions and the Stuxnet computer virus had failed to slow the Islamic Republic’s disputed nuclear program. “Please be assured that none of the sanctions have affected our nuclear activities ...

100 percent sure,” he said. Asked about Stuxnet, which Iran has blamed on enemies waging a “cyber war” against it, he said: “No destruction, no

problem.” Western analysts say increasingly tough sanctions on Iran as well as Stuxnet and possible other sabotage have delayed Iran’s nuclear progress, even though they say the country now has enough lowenriched uranium for two bombs if refined more.

Enriched uranium can be used to fuel power plants, Iran’s stated aim, or provide bomb material if processed much further. Any setbacks for Iran’s nuclear work could buy more time for major powers to try and reach a diplomatic solution. Israel and the United States have refused to rule out military action to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear bombs. Soltanieh said that developing nuclear bombs

would put Iran at a disadvantage in any talks with the United States and other nuclear-armed states, which would have many more such weapons. “Because the United States (would say): ‘Wait a minute, you only have 2-3 weapons, I have thousands, I’m very powerful’.” Soltanieh added: “We don’t want to make this strategic mistake. Without nuclear weapons we are as strong and powerful as the nuclear weapons states.” Mark Fitzpatrick, a senior fellow for nonproliferation at the International Institute for Strategic Studies think tank, said “the totality of the evidence indicates beyond reasonable doubt” that Iran was seeking a capability to make such weapons. — Reuters

INTERNATIONAL

SATURDAY, MAY 28, 2011

After massacres, frustration, anger in Nigeria’s north KADUNA: The veiled woman at a camp housing thousands of displaced on the dusty outskirts of this northern Nigerian city tries to explain how her husband was killed, but becomes faint and backs away. “He said whatever happened we should not go out, that we should just be patient,” 67-year-old Talle Musa said as she described taking refuge in a neighbor’s house when riots broke out last month in her town of Zonkwa. “We didn’t know it was like his farewell to us.” It has been more than a month since deadly riots spread across the mainly Muslim north of Nigeria following the country’s presidential election, leaving some 800 people hacked, burnt or shot to death over the course of three days.

Piles of unidentified bodies have been cleared off the floor of a morgue in Kaduna and buried in mass graves, the displaced have been steadily leaving camps, and President Goodluck Jonathan is due to be sworn in tommorrow. But deep anger and hurt remain in the north, poorer and less educated than the oil-producing south, and Jonathan, a southern Christian, faces a daunting task in healing divisions in Africa’s most populous nation.

While local and international observers called the presidential vote the fairest since Nigeria returned to civilian rule in 1999 despite major flaws, there is lingering suspicion in the north among those who allege rigging. They call the observers liars and say Jonathan, whose main opponent was an exmilitary ruler from the north, must now act to end what they say has been a long period of neglect of their region of the continent’s largest oil producer. The ostentatious wealth gained from blatant corruption while most of the country lives on $2 dollars a day must also be curbed, they say.

Frustration must be dealt with, northern politicians and analysts warn. If not, they say, it will build and explode into something no one can predict. “People will come to destroy my house,” said Tanko Yakasai, a veteran northern politician who helped push for power to be returned to the region, but who nevertheless agrees that Jonathan won outright. He argues that poverty and unemployment will lead to a “boiling point” if not addressed-and that it would not be limited to the north.

“Those unemployed youths will just vent out their anger regardless of the conse-

quences, and they will attack anybody who appears to be a well-to-do person,” he said.

Varying explanations have been given for what triggered the riots in the wake of the April 16 vote, but the violence quickly escalated into a crisis that played out on many levels.

Supporters of Jonathan’s main opponent, Muhammadu Buhari, took to the streets, burning tyres and holding his posters.

In some areas of the north, those who looked as though they were from Christian ethnic groups were pulled from cars and beaten or killed. Christian-owned shops and churches were burnt. But there was also heavy violence against Muslims, particularly in the south of Kaduna state, where Christians are more numerous and where most of the deaths were recorded. In fact, according to Human Rights Watch, the overwhelming number of victims in southern Kaduna, where entire areas were razed, were Muslim. Musa, the 67-year-old at the displaced camp who lost her husband, lived in southern Kaduna.

Yet it was another aspect of the violence that some analysts say politicians should pay the most attention to: rioters went after Muslim leaders seen as in league with those in power or

who were members of the ruling party, as well as those who appeared to be rich. “We are not going to have leaders who are squandering the wealth of the country and expect that nothing will happen,” said Abubakar Siddique Mohammed, head of a thinktank in the northern city of Zaria, where a home belonging to the family of Vice President Namadi Sambo was burned.

He spoke of signs of “a class war in Nigeria,” and hints of that could be seen in Kano, the north’s largest city. The palatial home belonging to former House of Representatives speaker Ghali Umar Na’Abba was burnt and ransacked by a mob of hundreds, rubble now spread across the floor, luxury cars torched. Everything that could be carried out was carted away. They left the safe that was in what a domestic worker said was Na’Abba’s king-sized bedroom, but it sat on its back, scorched and with the door open, nothing left inside. Among the poverty and frustration, however, there are suggestions of what is perhaps possible. In some parts of the north’s countryside, dams along rivers provide irrigation that feeds burgeoning farms of tomatoes, onion and maize, baobab trees standing tall in the breeze. — AFP

Poland rallies E Europe’s support for ‘Arab Spring’ Obama to discuss democracy with East Europeans

NOTTINGHAM: Ed Miliband, Leader of Britain’s opposition Labor Party, poses with his wife Justine and their two sons after their wedding in Langar Hall, in Nottingham, central England yesterday. — AFP

Ed Miliband marries long-term partner NOTTINGHAM: The leader of Britain’s main opposition Labor party married his partner in a low-key ceremony yesterday viewed as a response to a controversy over his marital status.

Ed Miliband tied the knot with Justine Thornton at a hotel in Nottingham, central England, in front of 50 friends and family members including his brother, former foreign minister David Miliband.

Ed Miliband, who beat David to the job last year, faced criticism as the first leader of a major political party in Britain to live with his family out of wedlock. He had previously insisted he would not be forced into it, telling one interviewer: “We’ll get married because we want to get married and love each other very much, no other reason.” But in what was widely viewed as an attempt to defuse the criticism, the 41-year-old announced in May that he had proposed to Thornton, a lawyer whom he met in 2005 and with whom he has two young sons.

The groom sent a Twitter message yesterday to followers who had wished him well for the big day. “Thanks for all the good wishes,” wrote Miliband. “Really looking forward to the day. Feel like the luckiest guy in the world to be marrying Justine.” Despite speculation, it emerged that David did not act as the younger brother’s best man after he decided against having one. Labor, the centre-left party of former prime ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, were ejected from power last year after 13 years in office. David was the favorite in September’s leadership election and was backed by the majority of the party’s lawmakers and members, but Ed won thanks to the support of Labor’s powerful trade union backers. — AFP

WARSAW: Poland’s president urged leaders from central and eastern Europe yesterday to support the reformers of the ‘Arab Spring’ by sharing their countries’ experiences of moving from communism to an open, free society. Poland has made promoting democracy in both the Arab world and in former Soviet republics such as neighboring Belarus a diplomatic priority as it prepares to assume the European Union’s rotating six-month presidency on July 1.

“We should aim to share our experiences with those who are on their way towards democracy today, to show support for the democratic transition in our neighborhood, the wider neighborhood of the European Union, both to the east and to the south,” President Bronislaw Komorowski told the gathering.

The presidents of Germany, Italy and Austria joined heads of state from ex-communist countries that included the former Soviet republics of Ukraine and Moldova for the one-day conference at Warsaw’s Royal Castle. US President Barack Obama, due to arrive in Poland yesterday evening on the last leg of a week-long European trip, was scheduled to join the democracy discussions at a working dinner.

Polish officials feel their region has a special contribution to make to the democratic movements that have swept dictators from power in Tunisia and Egypt and thrown regimes in Libya, Syria, Bahrain and elsewhere onto the defensive. Warsaw has sent two fact-finding missions to Tunisia since the revolt started there and Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski this month visited the Libyan rebels in Benghazi who are fighting to oust Muammar Gaddafi.

The international community is

making a $40-billion package of aid available for Arab Spring nations, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said yesterday. Half of that coming from Group of Eight countries, $10 billion from Gulf Arab states and the remainder from bilateral deals, he said.

KOSOVO Komorowski said the countries of central and eastern Europe had pursued democratic reforms in different ways and at different speeds but that their final destination was the same.

“Together we perfectly illustrate Europe’s cultural, linguistic and social diversity,” he said.

Many of the countries represented at yesterday’s conference are now members of both NATO and the European Union. Several ex-Yugoslav states including Croatia, which hopes to wrap up its EU accession talks during the Polish presidency, joined the event, but Serbia stayed away in

protest at the presence of Kosovo’s new president, Atifete Jahjaga. Serbia does not recognize the independence of its former province, where ethnic Albanians form a majority.

Romania’s president also did not attend. Home to a large ethnic Hungarian population, Romania has also refused to recognize Kosovo, fearing this would create a dangerous incentive for other minorities in Europe to break away.

Obama, whose country does recognize Kosovo, called this week for continuing military and other pressure on Libya’s Gaddafi. He is due to meet veterans of Poland’s struggle for democracy during his stay in Warsaw, though Lech Walesa, former leader of the Solidarity trade union that toppled the communist regime in 1989, said he was too busy to meet the US president. “There is no room in my schedule,” Walesa said.- Reuters

WARSAW: Presidents of Latvia Valdis Zatlers (left), Kosovo Atifete Jahjaga and Hungary Pal Schmitt (right) attend a plenary session during a presidential summit at the Royal Castle in Warsaw yesterday. — AP

INTERNATIONAL SATURDAY, MAY 28, 2011

Mladic arrest ‘no guarantee’ of fast EU entry for Serbia Kosovo, corruption, transparency issues all barriers

SARAJEVO: Survivors of the 1995 Srebrenica massacre in Bosnia, looking at the most recent photo of Bosnian Serb wartime General Ratko Mladic, released following his arrest, in Sarajevo. — AP

Mladic ‘fit’ for genocide trial BELGRADE: Ratko Mladic is fit enough to face genocide charges in The Hague, a Belgrade court ruled yesterday, after the Bosnian Serb wartime general’s son said he appeared too frail after more than 15 years on the run. The court said Mladic, arrested on Thursday in a Serbian village, had until Monday to appeal against extradition to the international criminal court to be tried over a massacre in Srebrenica and the siege of Sarajevo during Bosnia’s 1992-5 war.

European officials hailed his capture, at a farmhouse belonging to his cousin, as a milestone on Serbia’s path towards the European Union and said they expected his extradition within 10 days. His son, speaking after what he said was his first meeting with his father in years, said he was too ill.

“We are almost certain he cannot be extradited in such condition,” said Darko Mladic. “He is in very bad shape. His right arm is half paralyzed. His right side is partly numb.” The once burly and aggressive Mladic, 69, moved slowly and with a slight limp when he appeared before an investigative judge at the special war crimes court in Belgrade on Thursday.

Mladic’s lawyer later told reporters the court had halted the questioning because his client was “in a serious condition.

He is hardly responsive”. An official described him as looking disoriented and tired. “Dead man arrested,” ran several Serbian newspaper headlines yesterday, with a picture showing a pale and wizened Mladic, the last of the three men accused of instigating ethnic cleansing during the 1992-95 war in Bosnia to be held accountable. Officials say Mladic has high blood pressure, heart disease and a kidney stone and his son said he had suffered strokes which had left two scars on his brain, although he said his father recognised the family and knew he was in detention.

Judge Maja Kovacevic said the medical team had determined that he was fit for further proceedings. “Mladic’s lawyer was delivered the extradition papers and he has until Monday to appeal,” she said. Mladic’s lawyer Milos Saljic said he would appeal against the extradition on Monday and insisted that Mladic could not be handed over to The Hague until his health was stable. “He must be provided with adequate treatment before the extradition,” he told reporters. Rasim Ljajic, the Serbian minister in charge of the search for fugitive war criminals, said Mladic, often quoted declaring, “The Hague will not see me alive!” had not resisted arrest. —Reuters

LONDON: World leaders and investors welcomed the arrest of war crimes suspect Ratko Mladic, but while it may boost Serbia’s image abroad, his capture alone cannot guarantee fast EU membership. Without Mladic overshadowing Serbia’s international standing, Belgrade will now have to turn its attention towards difficult democratic and economic reforms which European Union states see as vital to push its EU integration forward.

“I know that people will ... be thinking about Serbia and its future in the European Union. What I know is that we will approach that with renewed energy,” EU foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, said in Belgrade. Pro-Western Serb President Boris Tadic announced on Thursday that Bosnian Serb wartime general Mladic had been arrested and would be extradited to the Hague for trial. The Serb dinar rallied on the capture of a long-sought military figure accused of instigating ethnic cleansing during the 1992-5 Bosnian war.

The long-awaited arrest boosts Serbia’s chances of becoming an official EU candidate state in October, a move Tadic also hopes will help his electoral chances early next year. It is also an important message for a region struggling to heal the wounds of years of ethnic wars that tore through the western Balkans with the collapse of Yugoslavia. In Brussels, the EU’s enlargement chief, Stefan Fuele, was quick to remind Belgrade that much remained to be done: “Does it mean that it (the arrest) removes the list of the reforms, the list of the benchmarks, which are still to be fulfilled ... No. That list is shorter by just one point.”

REGION RIVEN WITH DIFFICULTY Mladic’s arrest exposes the task Serbia and many other western Balkan countries still face before they can join the wealthy EU bloc. Ethnic strife in the 1990s delayed democratic reforms in the region, setting them far behind other countries in the former Soviet bloc, most of which are now EU members.

There are positive signs ahead. Croatia, once a foe of Serbia, is likely to finalize its EU negotiations this year and become a member in 2013.

“I think this is a great step for Serbia.

I would say, in my personal opinion, that Serbia can expect now reactions from Brussels,” the EU special representative to Bosnia, Valentin Inzko, said in Brussels. “Most importantly, the whole region is now moving. Croatia will become a member state soon.” But progress for others is mired in slow reforms, corruption and regional strife.

Macedonia needs to make amends with Greece in a conflict over its name.

Montenegro has to prove its justice reforms are yielding results, while Albania and Bosnia struggle with internal political divisions that bloc reforms.

Even Croatia has yet to convince all EU member states that its judiciary is up to Western standards of impartiality and independence, and that it is fully cooperating with the UN tribunal investigating war crimes in former Yugoslavia. In its annual enlargement

BELGRADE: Bosiljka Mladic, the wife of genocide suspect Ratko Mladic reacts after exiting the Special Court building in Belgrade yesterday. —AP report last November, the European Commission saw “serious shortcomings” in Serbia’s judiciary and told Belgrade to speed up public administration reforms, although EU diplomats say they see significant progress since.

It also faces political obstacles. EU diplomats made it clear on Thursday the arrest of Bosnian Serb Goran Hadzic, still sought by the international court, is important on Serbia’s EU path. Hadzic is another war crimes suspect who was briefly president of a short-lived Serb

Republic in Croatia. Holland-still scarred by the failure of its peacekeepers to prevent the 1995 Srebrenica massacre that Mladic is charged with orchestrating signaled on Thursday it still had reservations about Serbian EU membership.

“You need to look at the entire facts around every accession,” Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said. “This was an important element but it does not mean that... the arrest of this man means accession. It does not work like that.” —Reuters

Amnesty turns 50 LONDON: Amnesty International, which turns 50 today, has expanded from supporting prisoners of conscience into a global human rights watchdog, leaving some wondering if it has lost its sharp focus. Recognized around the world by its simple logo of a candle wrapped in barbed wire, the organization started out as a simple letter-writing campaign.

British lawyer Peter Benenson was outraged by the imprisonment of two Portuguese students under the dictatorship of Antonio de Oliveira Salazar for having allegedly toasted freedom.

On May 28, 1961, he wrote an article entitled “The forgotten prisoners” in The Observer newspaper. He urged people to speak up for prisoners of conscience and that was the start of Amnesty. This straightforward approach has not changed in the 50 years since: bombarding the authorities with correspondence, though these days filling up their email accounts as much as their letter boxes. “Amnesty is like mosquitos buzzing round governments,” said Javier Zuniga, who has worked for Amnesty for more than 30 years.

“Our power is nothing other than the power of the pen. “We put people who suffer in contact with people who care. We have no weapons other than public opinion, and that often works,”

he said. Imen Derouiche, a Tunisian arrested in March 1998 under the regime of president Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, is living proof of Amnesty’s effectiveness. She was detained for having taken part in a peaceful protest and tortured for five days, when 12 could have been expected. “Amnesty saved me from at least six or seven days of torture, which for me was the equivalent of six years in prison,” she said. In its 50 years, Amnesty has rallied to the cause of tens of thousands of prisoners, and its work was recognized with the Nobel Peace Prize in 1977. However, in recent years, the London-based organization, which publishes an annual report into the state of human rights around the world, has started campaigning on new fronts. “When we started we were very much focusing on issues of torture and prisoners of conscience,” said Amnesty secretary general Salil Shetty. “We are now working on issues of poverty and discrimination and the rights of women or people who are excluded.” “It changed from a very polite approach to human rights in which you wrote letters to governments asking for the release of people, to an organization which is visible at almost every human rights crisis”, explained Stephen Hopgood, author of the book “Keepers of the flame: Understanding Amnesty”. —AFP

INTERNATIONAL

SATURDAY, MAY 28, 2011

Judge throws out Wisconsin union-busting bill WASHINGTON: A judge in Wisconsin on Thursday threw out legislation backed by Republican lawmakers and the state’s governor that would have stripped public workers of union bargaining rights. Circuit court judge Maryann Sumi said the legislation, which Governor Scott Walker signed into law in March after weeks of massive protests in the state capital, violated a state law requiring lawmakers to give at least two hours’ notice before voting on legislation and breached the trust of the

public. Walker had pushed hard for the law, arguing that it was necessary to get rid of collective bargaining rights for unions to close the state’s yawning budget deficit.

In the midst of huge protests in Madison, the state capital, over the bill, minority Democratic lawmakers fled to a neighboring state to prevent a quorum needed in the legislature to pass the law, which was originally tied to the state budget. But Republicans stripped all fiscal language from the bill, detach-

ing it from the budget, and passed it in early March without the Democrats being present. “The legislators were understandably frustrated by the stalemate... but that does not justify jettisoning compliance with the Open Meetings Law,” which requires that notice be given before a vote in the legislature, Sumi said in her 33-page decision. She called the tactic the Republicans used to push the bill through “non-routine” and said the way they scheduled “a near-immediate vote on the redrafted legislation

was not ‘routine’ action under any definition.” The way the law was passed could damage the public’s trust in government because it indicated that the legislature does not hold itself “to the same rules of transparency that it has created for other governmental bodies,” Sumi added, declaring the law null and void. Sumi’s decision can be appealed to the state supreme court, and, according to media reports in Wisconsin, Republicans have said they will lodge an appeal.— AFP

Obama nominates new Defense and CIA chiefs

Palin fuels 2012 talk with bus tour announcement

Congress renews anti-terror powers

WASHINGTON: Sarah Palin announced Thursday a “One Nation” bus tour of the United States, fueling speculation that she will make a run for the US presidency in 2012 elections. The populist former vice-presidential candidate’s move comes as rightwing hopefuls jockey for position in a so-far lackluster field for the Republican nomination, from which two top-polling figures have recently withdrawn. Palin’s bus trip, starting in Washington DC Sunday and going up through New England, will take her “through our nation’s rich historical sites” over the coming weeks, she said on her website. “Our nation is at a critical turning point. As we look to the future, we are propelled by America’s past. It’s imperative that we connect with our founders, our patriots, our challenges and victories to clearly see our way forward.

“A good way to do this is to appreciate the significance of our nation’s historic sites, patriotic events and diverse cultures, which we’ll do in the coming weeks on our ‘One Nation’ tour,” she said. The announcement comes amid mounting speculation that the Tea Party favorite will throw her hat into the ring for the GOP nomination to take on Democratic President Barack Obama in next year’s White House election. That talk was fueled this week by reports that the former Alaska governor has bought a large house in Arizona, seen as potentially a better base for a presidential campaign than her northwestern US home state.

Palin, who was John McCain’s surprise running mate in the last White House election in 2008, has also authorized a featurelength film about herself, further suggesting she is preparing to raise her profile significantly. Recent polls suggest no great enthusiasm for any of the announced or potential candidates for the Republican nomination, with even leading figures like Mitt Romney garnering less than 20 percent support. Other Republican candidates like Minnesota’s Tim Pawlenty, libertarian congressman Ron Paul and former House speaker Newt Gingrich have so far inspired even less excitement.

One survey in early May said Palin and property tycoon Donald Trump were encountering outright rejection, with 58 percent saying they would never vote for either of them. Trump, who had been flirting with running for months, announced days later that he would not be seeking the GOP nomination, while Christian right darling Mike Huckabee withdrew from the race on May 15. —AFP

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama has formally nominated Leon Panetta as his new secretary of defense and David Petraeus, who commands the international force in Afghanistan, as Panetta’s successor at the CIA. Obama had first said he planned to nominate Panetta and Petraeus on April 28, just days before US commandos entered Pakistan and shot and killed Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden. The US Senate must confirm both men, but neither is expected to encounter any serious opposition there. The White House hopes that Panetta, whose mission would include cutting spending at the Defense Department, would be able to move into the job on June 30, the day current Defense chief Robert Gates is set to leave. Petraeus will continue to lead the international force in Afghanistan until his successor, General John Allen, takes over in September. Petraeus will retire from the military before moving to the CIA. The United States began troop withdrawals from Afghanistan this year, making good on a promise by Obama to reduce US troop levels there, although it is not clear how soon or how many additional troops will leave. A new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who is the president’s top military adviser, is also expected to be nominated next month. General Martin Dempsey, the current Army chief of staff, is considered Obama’s likely choice to replace Admiral Michael Mullen, according to Pentagon officials.

In another development, the US Congress voted overwhelmingly Thursday to extend until 2015 controversial counter-terrorism search and surveillance powers at the heart of the Patriot Act adopted after the September 11, 2001 attacks. The US Senate approved the measure 72-23 just hours before its midnight (0400 GMT Friday) expiration, sending the bill to the House of Representatives, which then gave its stamp of approval by a 250-153 vote.

President Barack Obama-currently on a European tour-plans to sign the bill by ‘auto pen,’ according to a White House spokesman Nick Shapiro. With the clock ticking toward the midnight deadline, the White House urged members of Congress “to act immediately to avoid any hiatus in these critical authorities needed to protect our national security.” FBI and intelligence

DEAUVILLE: US President Barack Obama (right) waves as he walks with United Nations SecretaryGeneral Ban Ki-moon to the Villa Le Cercle restaurant at the G8 summit in Deauville yesterday. G8 leaders, in a two-day meeting, will discuss the Internet, aid for North African states and ways in which to end the conflict in Libya. — AP officials have warned that if the Patriot Act were not extended by the deadline they would be deprived of crucial tools in the fight against terrorism-including wiretapping.

Congress has debated whether to extend the act just temporarily, longerterm or permanently in recent months. In February, Congress approved a threemonth extension to allow time for negotiations. In play are provisions allowing authorities to use roving wiretaps to track an individual on several telephones; track a non-US national suspected of being a

“lone-wolf” terrorist not tied to an extremist group; and to seize personal or business records or “any tangible thing” seen as critical to an investigation. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid acknowledged after the Senate vote it was “not a perfect law,” but said it provided US intelligence and law enforcement with tools that were crucial for keeping the country safe.

But the law has drawn fire from an unusual coalition of liberal Democrats and Republicans tied to the arch-conservative “Tea Party” movement who say it goes too far. In the House of Representatives, Democratic Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi voted against it. While agreeing that US intelligence and law enforcement officials deserved all the tools and resources they need to protect Americans, she said a better balance had to be struck between security and civil liberties. “Today Congress failed to seize the opportunity to enact measures and improvements needed to preserve Americans’ privacy and to incorporate oversight and compliance with the law,” she said.

“In addition, Congress failed to consider meaningful reforms to National Security Letters to address documented abuses,” she said, referring to special subpoenas used to obtain data on individuals without showing probable cause.

“Instead, we were left to vote only on a long extension of some of the most controversial and troubling aspects of the Patriot Act,” she said. Republican conservative Rand Paul sought to impede the extension by adding on several amendments, including a ban on inspecting some archives of arms sellers during terror investigations. That measure was rejected in an 85-10 vote.Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy called for greater congressional surveillance in counterterrorism inquiries. FBI director Robert Mueller wrote to Congress leaders on Wednesday to warn them of the urgency of the matter. “It is important that these tools be reauthorized without lapsing,” Mueller wrote, opposing proposed amendments which he said “would adversely impact our operations.” “Certain amendments currently being proposed would impose unique limitations on our ability to investigate foreign spies and terrorists and protect Americans against foreign threats.” —Agencies

Sarah Palin

INTERNATIONAL SATURDAY, MAY 28, 2011

Mexico town searches for the missing, seeks answers DURANGO: Armed men arrived at Jose Esparza’s house in the northern Mexican desert town of Cuencame during the night in January 2009 and dragged away his two brothers and sister. “After that, they came for more people from the town every Friday,” Esparza said. The kidnappers stopped coming in December 2009, when the corpses of several beheaded police officers were dumped in the town square. To this day, the family has no idea what happened, but suspect drug gangs may have been involved in the disappearances in a region which lies on trafficking routes, amid a wave of drug violence, which has left some 37,000 dead across the country since 2006.

Reports of missing people have escalated across Mexico along with the violence, which shot up after the government of President Felipe Calderon deployed tens of thousands of troops

across the country to take on the gangs.

Almost 5,400 people have disappeared in Mexico since December 2006, according to the National Commission of Human Rights. Esparza has now fled to San Antonio, Texas, from where he continues to document the people missing back home. He has recorded 200 similar cases in Durango state since 2009.

At the time of the abduction of his siblings, Esparza’s mother tried to seek refuge with her eight grandchildren at the local police headquarters, but the police chief was too scared to let them in.

One month later, the police chief himself was kidnapped. State prosecutors distanced themselves from the case, saying that organized crime was a federal offense. But the federal prosecutor’s office told Esparza that kidnappings come under the jurisdiction of state authorities. Durango hit the headlines in recent weeks after the discovery of 218

Mexico’s Cordero eyes presidency MEXICO CITY: Mexican Finance Minister Ernesto Cordero said yesterday he wants to run for president in the 2012 race that will revolve around spiraling drug violence and a moribund job market. The 43year-old National Action Party (PAN) member said he was not yet resigning his post, which he has held since January last year. “Yes I have ambitions but at the moment I will comply with my responsibilities at the ministry,” Cordero told a news conference.

He said he was honored to be considered as a potential candidate after a group of 134 lawmakers and officials from the ruling PAN published an open letter backing him as the party’s pick for the July 2012 elections. “He is the best option ... because he is part of a new generation,” the letter published in the El Universal daily stated. Drug violence has claimed close to 40,000 lives since President Felipe Calderon sent in the army in late 2006 to confront powerful drug cartels, hurting the government’s support base.

Calderon’s presidential term ends next year and he is not allowed to stand again. Security is a top voter concern in Mexico, eclipsing even the economy despite persistently high unemployment. Pollsters Mitofsky said in April the main opposition party, the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), had the support of 37.6 percent of voters, almost double the 19 percent who supported the PAN. Cordero is one of the cabinet ministers closest to the president and is linked to his unpopular drug war. He crafted the policy platform for Calderon’s 2006 presidential campaign and has been a long-standing policy brain for the conservative PAN, which will choose its candidate in February by a vote of almost 2 million senior party members.

A poll in El Universal earlier this month showed Cordero was the least popular among four potential PAN candidates. PRI state governor Enrique Pena Nieto is seen as the front-runner in the presidential race although the opposition party has not officially picked a candidate yet. Mexico’s economy is limping back from the deep 2008-2009 recession and is expected to grow between 4 percent and 5 percent this year. Unemployment remains well above prerecession levels. After earning a master’s degree in economics from the University of Pennsylvania in 1998, Cordero ran a conservative think tank that advises lawmakers for the PAN.—Reuters

bodies in six hidden graves in the state capital, also called Durango.

Fear has risen along with the body count, which has now surpassed the 183 bodies also found buried in northeastern Tamaulipas state in recent weeks. But the macabre discoveries have also raised hopes among the families of the missing.

The search for bodies and graves could now move outside the state capital to towns such as Cuencame, according to Juan Rosales, deputy state Public Security Secretary.

Meanwhile, Esparza, an aeronautical mechanic, continues to investigate from a distance, connecting with a network of locals in the town of 33,000 inhabitants, which lies on the edge of a lake. Locals believe many bodies were thrown into the water, although state authorities said an underwater search had provided no clues. Esparza claimed that a group of divers searching for a drowned child last

year said that they had seen more than 40 bodies lying under the lake. Several other families, too frightened to be named, said they believed bodies lay in at least three other lakes.

The Durango Human Rights Commission received 35 reports of disappearances in 2009 and 70 in 2010. Unlike in other regions of Mexico, there are no non-governmental groups investigating those cases and dozens more which were not reported officially. Some blame the disappearances and killings on the powerful Sinaloa drug cartel, known to operate in the area. Others point to the increasingly visible Zetas gang. Residents fear speaking out but desperately want to see the disappearances investigated, said one woman, declining to be named, whose son was shot dead as he returned home from work in July. “We’re in the middle of nowhere, abandoned and in the crossfire,” she said.—AFP

29 dead as drug gangs battle in West Mexico Gang clashes cause exodus and deaths MORELIA: A gunbattle between rival drug gangs in western Mexico left 29 bodies in fake military uniforms heaped across a roadway and inside bullet-riddled vehicles in the Pacific coast state of Nayarit, the army said Thursday. The bodies, all male, were found scattered around 14 shot-up pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles, two of which had bulletproofing. Television images of the scene near the town of Ruiz showed what appeared to have been a convoy of cartel vehicles that was ambushed or engaged by another column of gunmen on a stretch of rural highway. Military-style boots, bulletproof vests, hand grenades and thousands of rounds of ammunition were found at the scene. Federal and state officials gave conflicting reports on the incident.

Nayarit state police said officers responding to reports of a kidnapping found four wounded men at the scene of the shootout. One injured person died later, and three remain at the hospital, Nayarit officials said. The army said two suspects wounded in the battle were found at the scene. It was unclear if the two reported by the army were included in, or additional to, the state figure.

The army said in a statement that around the same time Wednesday, soldiers engaged in a shootout with armed suspects in a town about 35 miles north of Ruiz. Two suspects - a man and a woman - were killed in that confrontation. The military statement did not say whether the two shootouts were related. Nayarit’s attorney general Oscar Herrera told a radio station that preliminary reports indicated the two gangs involved in the fierce highway battle were the Sinaloa and the Zetas drug cartels. He said one of the two cartels kidnapped a man of the rival gang, which resulted in a car chase and subsequent gunfight. Nayarit and

NAYARIT: Men in military fatigues lie dead by the side of a road after a gunbattle between rival drug gangs near the town of Ruiz, in the Pacific coast state of Nayarit, Mexico. — AP the nearby states of Michoacan and Zacatecas have become battlegrounds for drug cartels fighting for control of the area. The Sinaloa cartel, Mexico’s most powerful, has long been active in Nayarit, which borders its home base in Sinaloa state, but the gang has recently been challenged by the Zetas and by remnants of the Beltran Leyva cartel. In nearby Michoacan state, officials said 500 marines and soldiers have been deployed to an area where at least 1,200 villagers fled their homes during three days of clashes between rival drug traffickers, which appeared to be unrelated to the Nayarit conflict. The government gave the families refuge at five shelters in two nearby towns.

The arrival of security forces Wednesday appeared to have soothed fears and hundreds of villagers decided to go back home by Thursday. Officials said only 300 people remained at the

five shelters Thursday evening. It is at least the second time a large number of rural residents have been displaced by drug violence in Mexico. In November, about 400 people in the northern border town of Ciudad Mier took refuge in the neighboring city of Ciudad Aleman following cartel gunbattles. That shelter has since been closed and most have returned to their homes.

Michoacan state Civil Defense Director Carlos Mandujano said the villagers were put up at a church, recreation center, event hall and schools in the towns of Buenavista Tomatlan and Apatzingan.

Mandujano said state authorities provided sleeping mats, blankets and food for those in the shelter. Residents had reported after fleeing that gunbattles between rival drug cartel factions had made it too dangerous for them to stay in outlying hamlets.— AP

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Mongols protest Chinese rule Calls for more demonstrations float online

JIANGXI: In this file, a damaged vehicle sits at the site of an explosion near the Linchuan district government building in Fuzhou city. Hours after homemade bombs blasted government buildings, some Chinese were quick to glorify the disgruntled bomb-setter - a sign of the bitterness many feel toward the government. — AP

China bomber seen as champion BEIJING: Hours after homemade bombs blasted government buildings, some Chinese were quick to glorify the disgruntled bomb-setter - a sign of the bitterness many feel toward the government for chasing growth while neglecting justice. Hundreds of admiring - and some mournful - messages were posted yesterday on the blog of Qian Mingqi, a 52-year-old jobless man who authorities say killed himself and two other people when he set off three bombs Thursday in southern Jiangxi province’s Fuzhou city. State media reports and Qian’s posts on Sina Weibo, a popular Twitter-like microblogging site, reveal a man driven to violence by a 10-year battle with authorities over his forced eviction from his house and a failed quest for compensation.

“I am healthy, mentally normal, and have never committed any crimes to date,” read Qian’s Weibo profile. “My newly built house was illegally and forcibly demolished, causing me massive losses. Ten years of fruitlessly trying to seek redress have forced me to go on a path I did not wish to take.” Qian’s Weibo page attracted more than 30,000 followers overnight before being closed by Sina yesterday. That’s despite the carnage Qian wrought - he set bombs outside government buildings, killing two other people aside from himself and wounding nine others.

Many likely signed on to parse why a seemingly ordinary man would resort to such violence. But his message board also quickly filled up with messages of sympathy and admiration.

“Rest in peace, old Qian, you blasted a lot of people awake,” one netizen, posting under the name evanfun, wrote. Many others called him a hero and promised he wouldn’t be forgotten. Qian’s grievances resonate widely in China, where land disputes have mushroomed amid a fast-paced economic boom. Standoffs between tenants and developers often turn violent, with homeowners beaten by thugs or even crushed by bulldozers. Other tenants have set themselves on fire rather than face eviction.

Adding to the sense of powerlessness is a ban on public protests, a petition system in which citizens submit grievances in writing that is widely considered broken, and a legal system that favors the powerful and connected over ordinary citizens. Liu Ping, a fellow petitioner from Jiangxi who did not know Qian personally but found his blog after the bombings, told The Associated Press that she “could profoundly understand his frame of mind, his despair.” Chinese in conflict with their local authorities are supposed to be able to visit the central government’s petition bureau in Beijing for assistance but they often end up victims of fresh abuse. Grabbed off the streets in the capital, petitioners are routinely held in unofficial detention centers known as “black jails” and sent home.

“The central government’s door is meant to be open to petitioners, but there are very few who take that route without being detained,” said Liu whose failed efforts to protest her forced early retirement persuaded her to run for office in her hometown of Xinyu. — AP

BEIJING: China tightened security yesterday in an area hit by unprecedented protests by ethnic Mongols upset with Chinese rule, witnesses said, as calls for further demonstrations were reportedly circulating online. Repeated protests have been reported in north China’s Inner Mongolia region after the killing this month of an ethnic Mongol herder ignited long-simmering anger over charges of Chinese political and cultural oppression. Thousands of protesters once again took to the streets on Thursday in two locations in the vast region’s Xilingol area where the herder’s death occurred, the US-based Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Centre said.

It was not immediately clear whether further protests took place yesterday. But tightened security was reported in the area as Chinese authorities are no doubt fearful of another major outburst of ethnic turmoil following deadly unrest in Tibet in 2008 and the remote northwestern Xinjiang region in 2009. An official in the Left Ujumchin Banner, or Xiwuqi in Chinese, told AFP by phone that security officers had sealed off his government office building yesterday morning.

“Yes, it’s sealed off to avoid trouble,” he said, declining to give his name. He and other police and government officials declined further comment. A banner is equivalent to a

Chinese county. A Mongolian woman who operates a hardware store in the area also said a key road had been sealed off. “Yes, the road has been blocked since this morning. A lot of armed police have been deployed,” she said.

The unrest was sparked by the May 10 death of a Mongol herder who was run over by a truck driven by a member of China’s dominant Han ethnic group, the Mongol rights group said.

China is home to an estimated six million ethnic Mongols who have cultural and linguistic links with the Republic of Mongolia to the north.

Many harbor deep resentment over alleged Chinese repression and encroachment on traditional pasture lands by Han mining and energy interests. Many in Inner Mongolia complain their plight has been overshadowed internationally by Tibet and Xinjiang, despite similar grievances against Chinese authorities.

Mongols in the region told AFP by phone there is also growing anger over the continued disappearance of Hada, China’s most prominent ethnic Mongol dissident. Hada completed a 15-year jail term in December imposed after he called for ethnic Mongol rights, but his supporters say that he and his wife Xinna and their son Uiles have since vanished into police custody.

Calls for further protests over the coming week were being circulated

among Mongols on the Internet, an ethnic Mongol in the regional capital Hohhot, who asked not to be named, told AFP. The Mongolian rights group said the calls were urging “all Mongols to inform each other to take to the streets to defend the lands and rights of the Mongols”. The group posted pictures on its website purportedly showing Thursday’s protests, in which crowds of mostly Mongol youths are seen holding banners and marching through Left Ujumchin Banner and the Huveet Shar Banner, known in Chinese as Xianghuangqi. The Mongolian rights group said the protesters’ Mongol-script banners bore slogans such as “Defend the rights of Mongols” and “Defend the homeland”. A tight crackdown by China is almost certain. Chinese authorities are already in the midst of a broad nationwide clampdown on dissent, apparently aimed at heading off any possibility of Arab-style “Jasmine” protests.

Tibet and Xinjiang remain under tight security. The herder who died, named Mergen, had been among a group of Mongols who attempted to block a caravan of coal-hauling trucks in Xilingol, the Mongolian rights group said. They had been angered by an influx of miners that had displaced herders, destroyed grazing lands and killed livestock. The Xilingol government has said four people were arrested over the killing and the destruction of pasture lands. — AFP

Thailand arrests American for insulting the monarch BANGKOK: Thai authorities said yesterday they arrested an American citizen on charges he insulted the country’s monarchy by posting a link on his blog four years ago to a banned book about the Southeast Asian nation’s ailing king. The 54-year-old man has denied the charges, which also include inciting public unrest and violating Thailand’s Computer Crimes Act, according to the Thai-language prachatai.com news website, which tracks cases of lese majeste, as the crime of insulting the monarch is known. The Thai-born man lived in the US state of Colorado for around 30 years before returning recently to Thailand for medical treatment, the website said. Walter M Braunohler, the US Embassy spokesman in Bangkok , identified the man as Joe Gordon. A court official, who declined to be named because she is not authorized to speak to the media, gave the man’s Thai name as Lerpong Wichaikhammat.

Thailand is a constitutional monarchy but has severe lese majeste laws that mandate a jail term of three to 15 years for any person who “defames, insults or threatens the king, the queen, the heir to the throne or the Regent.” Critics say the lese majeste laws - used with alarming frequency

Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej over the last several years - are often a weapon of political harassment and calls have grown recently to amend or abolish them. Thai-based media routinely self censor coverage of the royal family, but the Internet has tested the taboo. Thai authorities have responded by trying to block thousands of websites considered subversive, arguing that defending the monarchy is a priority.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Special Investigation,

Thailand’s equivalent of the FBI, said the American was arrested Thursday in the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima. Speaking on customary condition of anonymity, she said he was being held in a Bangkok prison after a Thai court denied his request for bail. The American had posted a link on his blog in 2007 to “The King Never Smiles,” an unauthorized biography of King Bhumibol Adulyadej that is banned in Thailand, the DSI official said.

Praachatai.com said police arrested the man at his home and seized a computer and cell phone. Braunohler said a US consular officer visited the American yesterday morning. He declined comment further, saying only that officials were following the case “very closely.”

“We’re still looking into what the exact charges are,” Braunohler told The Associated Press. Sensitivity over criticism of the monarchy has increased in recent years as the poor health of the country’s 83-year-old king has elevated concern about a smooth succession. At the same time, sharp partisan political battles in the wake of a 2006 military coup have unleashed unprecedented questioning of established institutions, including the palace. — AP

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Roadside bomb kills eight US troops in Afghanistan KABUL: Eight US troops were killed by a roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan on Thursday in the deadliest single attack on foreign forces in a month, the US military said. Afghan violence has surged in recent weeks as Taliban-led insurgents ramped up their long-expected “spring offensive.” US commanders had warned a surge in violence was likely, with militants hitting back after NATO-led forces claimed parts of the insurgency’s southern stronghold over the last year.

Thursday’s bomb was the worst individual attack on foreign troops since

eight US service personnel and a US contractor were shot dead by an Afghan air force pilot at a military airport in Kabul on April 27. The Pentagon and NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan initially said seven troops were killed on Thursday, but later added that an eighth died.

Separately, another ISAF service member was killed earlier on Thursday when a helicopter crashed in eastern Afghanistan, the coalition said. The cause of that crash was under investigation. The nearly decade-old war in

Afghanistan is increasingly unpopular in the United States. Of the roughly 2,480 foreign troops killed in Afghanistan since 2001, more than 1,580 have been US nationals.

News of the latest killings came as lawmakers in Congress narrowly lost a vote that would have required US President Barack Obama to start planning for an accelerated withdrawal.

Foreign troops are preparing to start a gradual reduction in forces from July, handing over lead security responsibility to Afghan forces by the end of 2014.

But critics of Obama’s war strategy in

Congress are calling for a faster drawdown, particularly in the wake of the killing of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in neighboring Pakistan.

Civilian and military casualties reached record levels in 2010, the worst year of the war since US-backed Afghan forces toppled the Taliban in 2001. A total of 711 foreign troops were killed last year and 2011 is expected to follow a similar pattern, with casualty tolls rising during the spring and summer. Almost 200 foreign troops have been killed in Afghanistan so far in 2011. — Reuters

India says Pakistan is now a ‘fragile’ state Pakistan ‘global epicenter of terrorism’: Chidambaram

ISLAMABAD: US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton addresses a news conference with Admiral Mike Mullen, the Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff at US embassy yesterday. — AP

Pakistan needs to take ‘decisive steps’: Clinton ISLAMABAD: US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said yesterday that relations between the United States and Pakistan have reached a turning point after the killing of Osama bin Laden and she called on Islamabad to take “decisive steps” in the days ahead to fight terrorism. Clinton made the remarks after meeting with Pakistani leaders on a sevenhour trip aimed at repairing ties badly damaged by the May 2 US raid that killed the Al-Qaeda chief. A brief portion of the meetings witnessed by reporters was stiff and awkward, with no smiles among the US delegation, and it was unclear how much, if any, progress was made.

Although she stressed that the US won’t abandon an alliance it considers critical to success in the war in Afghanistan and that both countries had shared interests, Clinton also criticized Pakistanis for propagating conspiracy theories and anti-American sentiment. Pakistani officials are angry they were not told in advance of the raid against bin Laden, who was living in an army town not far from the capital, Islamabad. Parliament has passed resolutions condemning the US incursion, and the US has been asked to reduce the number of military personnel it has stationed in nucleararmed Pakistan, which has become a nexus for Islamic extremism. In the US, suspicions have abounded that elements in Pakistan’s security services may have harbored the terrorist mastermind, and some lawmakers have called for a review of the billions in military and humanitarian aid that the US gives to Pakistan.

Clinton and Adm Mike Mullen, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, were the highest ranking US officials to travel to Pakistan since the raid. They met yesterday with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and army chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, among others.

Afterward, Clinton said relations “had reached a turning point,” but that she thought Pakistan knew the stakes involved. She joked about the tense atmosphere witnessed by reporters at the beginning of the talks, but was serious-faced for the most of the news conference. “We will do our part, and we look to the government of Pakistan to take decisive steps in the days ahead,” she said at the US Embassy, with no Pakistani official present. —AP

NEW DELHI: India said yesterday that Pakistan had become a “fragile” state with militant groups nurtured as “an instrument of state policy” uniting in their battle against the government.

Home Minister P Chidambaram issued the warning at the start of talks with US Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, who was on a four-day trip to India to strengthen anti-terror cooperation between the two countries. New Delhi has long accused its neighbor of harboring militant groups, but analysts say it is becoming increasingly concerned that growing unrest in Pakistan could compromise the safety of the country’s growing nuclear arsenal.

Chidambaram said in a statement that the “global epicenter of terrorism” was in Pakistan where “the vast infrastructure of terrorism in Pakistan has for long flourished as an instrument of state policy”. He continued: “Today, different terrorist groups, operating from the safe havens in Pakistan, are becoming increasingly fused; the society in Pakistan has become increasingly radicalized; its economy has weakened. “The state structure in Pakistan has become fragile.” Chidambaram and Napolitano later said they had agreed to step up cooperation in security-related areas such as intelligence and technology sharing, forensics and mega-city policing to help combat threats to public order.

“We identified six areas and there will be many meetings in the next one year which will strengthen the strategic partnership between India and the US,” Napolitano told reporters. In a joint statement the two sides also promised “comprehensive sharing of information” on the 2008 attacks in Mumbai, in which 166 people, including six Americans, were killed. India, Britain and the United States have blamed the attacks on the Pakistanbased Lashkar-e-Taiba Islamist guerrilla force.

Napolitano’s visit to India came as

NEW DELHI: Indian Home Minister P Chidambaram (left) talks with US Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano prior to a delegation level meeting yesterday. — AP

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton flew to Islamabad where she said Washington was committed to Pakistan, but she urged the country to take decisive steps to defeat AlQaeda. Clinton was on a mission to smooth relations between the wary allies after a raid by US Navy SEALs on

May 2 that killed Osama bin Laden in the city of Abbottabad. Shrouded in blanket security, she met Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, before talks with army chief Ashfaq Kayani and the chief of Pakistan’s intelligence agency Ahmad Shuja Pasha. —AFP

SRINAGAR: An unidentified Kashmiri relative of Mohammed Imran Khan, a suspected militant of Jaish-e- Mohammed, wails during his funeral procession in Keller yesterday. Thousands attended the funeral of two suspected rebels in Kashmir yesterday, a day after they were killed in a gun battle with government forces in the restive region, according to police. — AP

Hopes of softer capital rules lift European banks

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Greeks fail to agree on debt measures amid aid threat

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Wall Street higher as dollar lifts commodities

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First Land Rover rolls out of Indian factory

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SATURDAY, MAY 28, 2011

DEAUVILLE: (First row from L) Ivory Coast’s President Alassane Ouattara, Guinean President Alpha Conde, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade, US President Barack Obama, Niger’s President Mahamadou Issoufou and UN General Secretary Ban Ki-Moon, (second row from L) Jose Manuel Barroso, Head of the European Commission, Egyptian Prime Minister Essam Sharaf, British Prime Minister David Cameron and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan and the President of the European Council, Herman van Rompuy, (third row from L) French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe, Nigerian ambassador to France Gordon H. Bristol, South African Finance minister Pravin Gordhan, President of the World Bank, Robert Zoellick, African Union president Jean Ping and International Monetary Fund (IMF) First Deputy Managing Director John Lipsky, pose for a family photo at the end of the G8 summit in Deauville, yesterday. — AFP

G8 pledges $20 bn to foster Arab Spring Funds to be tied to democratic, economic reforms DEAUVILLE: The Group of Eight promised $20 billion in aid to Tunisia and Egypt yesterday and held out the prospect of billions more to foster the Arab Spring and the new democracies emerging from popular uprisings.

Likening it to the fall of the Berlin Wall that changed Europe, G8 leaders ending an annual summit in France launched a partnership for North Africa and the Middle East that ties aid and development credits to progress on political and economic reforms by states which have thrown off autocratic rulers.

Most is in the form of loans rather than outright grants, to the two countries in the vanguard of protest movements which have swept the Arab world from the Atlantic to the Gulf.

Egypt and Tunisia are planning to hold free elections this year.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said that on top of $20 billion of credits provided by the World Bank and similar regional lenders dominated by the major powers, there would be as much again from other sources — $10 billion from oil-rich Gulf Arab states and $10 billion from other governments.

Other countries could hope for aid in future.

In a statement after the two-day summit in the northern resort of Deauville, the G8 leaders signalled they “strongly support the aspirations of the Arab Spring as well as those of the Iranian people”. “The changes under way in the Middle East and North Africa are historic and have the

potential to open the door to the kind of transformation that occurred in Central and Eastern Europe after the fall of the Berlin Wall,” the G8 said. Multilateral development banks “could provide over $20 billion, including 3.5 billion euros from the EIB, for Egypt and Tunisia for 2011-2013 in support of suitable reform efforts”.

Senior Egyptian and Tunisian officials met the leaders of the G8, expanded from seven Western powers to include Russia and bridge the East-West divide after the end of the Cold War, to plead for massive support for their fragile economies.

Tourism, major sources of revenue for both Tunisia and Egypt, has been particularly badly hit by the popular uprisings that have also spooked investors.

“We are truly very satisfied with the very strong, clear and precise statements proffered by all of the G8 nations, and the financial institutions,” said Tunisian Finance Minister Jalloul Ayed told a news conference in Deauville.

“It’s very clear that everybody wants to help us.” An International Monetary Fund report on Thursday said the external financing needs of oil-importing Middle East and North African states would top $160 billion over the next three years. The IMF said it could provide $35 billion, but many states are implementing austerity measures to rein in budget deficits and trim public debt, which could affect the amount they are willing to stump up to help emerging Arab

democracies. The summit also backed the extension of the mandate of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development into North Africa and the Middle East. The bank was created after the Cold War to help former Communist states become market economies.

A US official travelling with President Barack Obama was among several to stress that money is tight, that the credits would be forthcoming only if political change went ahead and that the main goal was to help the Arabs help themselves. “It’s not a blank cheque. It’s in the context of overall reform programs,” said Mike Froman, a deputy national security adviser at the White House. “It’s an envelope that could be achieved in the context of suitable reform efforts. “More important than any numerical figure, I think, is the vision that it lays out,” he added “This is largely a case of trade not aid, investment not assistance over time. It’s really about establishing the conditions under which the private sectors in these economies can flourish and the benefits of growth are broadly shared.”

The World Bank on Tuesday unveiled $6 billion in new funding for Tunisia and Egypt, whose revolts have inspired popular uprisings in Yemen, Bahrain and Syria. Demands for reform have also been heard from Morocco to Saudi Arabia. The popular movement for change has also left Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi fighting to stay in power, and G8 leaders said he had

lost all legitimacy because of his use of force against civilians protesting his rule: “He has no future in a free, democratic Libya. He must go,” the leaders said. Russia signalled it was ready to mediate in the crisis, Moscow’s special representative on Africa Mikhail Margelov telling reporters Russia had contacts in Gaddafi’s entourage. But Sarkozy said: “Mediation is not possible with Gaddafi.” And other Western leaders stressed that they were mainly grateful for Moscow’s agreement that the Libyan leader should step down, even if Russia has opposed NATO’s bombing campaign.

British Prime Minister David Cameron, however, said he did not recall Medvedev offer to mediate and said Britain was sending attack helicopters to Libya to step up pressure on Gaddafi.

Earlier, Obama and Sarkozy said they were determined to “finish the job” in Libya.

On Syria, the G8 leaders said they were “appalled” by the killing of peaceful protesters opposed to the rule of President Bashar alAssad, and demanded authorities stop using force against them.

They also condemned violence against protesters seeking the removal of Yemen’s President Ali Abdullah Saleh, and urged him to respect a pledge to stand down. The world’s current crises have forced their way on to the agenda of the Group, whose importance has diminished with the rise of emerging economies like China and India.—Reuters

BUSINESS SATURDAY, MAY 28, 2011

Mixed economic picture keeps Asian shares in check Stronger yen push Japanese exporters down

TOKYO: This file photo taken on April 28, 2009 shows customers checking the newly released hybrid vehicle “Insight” from Japan’s Honda Motor at the company’s showroom in Tokyo. — AFP

Thailand sees record 2011 sugar exports BANGKOK: Thailand expects to export a record 7 million tonnes of sugar in 2011, a senior official said yesterday, though demand from traditional buyers in the Middle East and new Russian and EU markets could help ease pressure from the global surplus.

The 2010/11 crushing season had almost ended and a total 9.62 million tonnes of sugar was likely to be produced, the highest ever, Prasert Tapaneeyangkul, secretary-general of the Office of Cane and Sugar Board (OCSB), told Reuters.

Against that backdrop, the quota to be set aside for the home market had been cut to 2.6 million tonnes from 2.8 million. “This means we would have up to 7.0 million tonnes surplus left for export this year,” Prasert said. “Concerns over a possible shortfall on the domestic market have subsided as we have record output this year.”

Thailand, the world’s second-biggest sugar exporter after Brazil, shipped 5.12 million tonnes in 2009 but only 4.42 million tonnes last year, when authorities bought back sugar from international trading houses for the first time to meet domestic demand. Some 74,350 tonnes were bought back in July 2010. Prasert said he expected firm global demand at a time when other major producers such as Brazil and Australia faced disruption to crushing and a fall in supply.

Brazil’s centre-south has produced 47 percent less sugar in the season through mid-May versus a year earlier, but output is catching up with last year’s pace, helped by drier weather from mid-April and more mills starting to crush cane from the new season. Premiums for Thai raw sugar were offered at 200 points, or 2.0 US cents, above New York raw sugar futuressteady since early this month. But buyers mostly bid at 180 points, with eyes on the impact of the vote by the European Union committee on Thursday to open a 200,000 tonne dutyfree import quota for raw and white sugar.

The EU also approved a tendering system for future imports at reduced duties. Thailand is expected to be a key supplier to the EU with the vote. The premium on Thai white sugar was steady at $65 above London white futures, but some dealers has seen business done recently at a premium of $55. Demand from Russia is also likely to rise, as Moscow has switched to buying the sweetener from Thailand after its traditional supplier, Brazil, faced port congestion.

But Brazil’s No. 2 port for sugar exports now expects throughput to climb as much as half and for ships to face shorter waiting times to load in the current harvest. An official said queues would recur at the port this year as it expected to handle even more sugar, though waiting times would be less severe than last year.

At least 98,625 tonnes of Thai sugar was shipped to Russia from January to April, nearly five times the 21,200 tonnes sold in the same period last year, and Moscow was expected to take more because of competitive prices. —Reuters

BANGKOK: Shaky economic data from the US canceled out gains on Wall Street to keep Asian shares in check yesterday.

Oil prices crept higher to near $101 a barrel in Asia as traders shrugged off signs of tepid US economic growth. The dollar slipped against the yen and the euro. Sony Corp. plunged 3 percent, a day after reporting a 259.6 billion yen ($3.2 billion) loss for the fiscal year ended March 2011, the third year in a row of losses. Costs of online security breaches around the world and the March 11 earthquake in northeastern Japan battered the electronics and entertainment giant.

A stronger yen pushed other Japanese exporters down, including Toyota Motor Corp. by 0.2 percent and Sharp Corp. by 0.6 percent.

Shares in mainland China were down amid concerns over the impact of the country’s worst drought in a half-century on power. Shanghai’s electricity utility has warned that some stores and factories may have to close in the hottest

days of summer to limit demand. The Shanghai Composite Index dropped 0.1 percent to 2,733.48 and the smaller Shenzhen Composite Index lost 0.7 percent.

But Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index rose 0.4 percent to 23,000.06, and Australia’s S&P ASX 200 was 0.4 percent higher to 4,677.40. South Korea’s Kospi index was 0.7 percent higher at 2,106.09.

On Wall Street, strong earnings helped push stocks higher Thursday, despite two reports suggesting the US economic recovery is slowing. The Commerce Department reported the economy grew at an annual rate of 1.8 percent in the first quarter, lower than many economists expected. Higher prices for gasoline and weak consumer spending have held back the economy.

The Labor Department also said more people applied for unemployment benefits last week. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 8.10 points to close at 12,402.76. It was the second day of gains

for the Dow after three days of losses driven by new concerns about Greece’s debt crisis. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index rose 5.22 points to 1,325.69. The Nasdaq composite rose 21.54 to 2,782.92.

Concerns about the European debt crisis have caused the market to wobble in recent weeks as the likelihood seemed to increase that Greece would need to renegotiate its debts, even after receiving a package of emergency loans last year. Greece’s debt troubles sent global markets reeling last spring as investors shunned the debt of other European nations. Investors are fearful that scenario might repeat itself.

Benchmark oil for July delivery rose 23 cents to $100.46 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract settled at $100.23 on the Nymex on Thursday. The euro strengthened to $1.4173 from $1.4140 in late trading Thursday in New York.

The dollar also slipped to 81.07 yen from 81.30 yen. — Reuters

Indian adviser calls for FDI in retail NEW DELHI: India’s top economic adviser called yesterday for the government to open up the nation’s vast retail sector to foreign investors to cut supply bottlenecks and ease stubbornly high inflation.

Large retailers such as US-based Wal-Mart and France’s Carrefour have been lobbying India’s government aggressively to open the consumer market to foreign chains as they seek to grow outside saturated Western markets.

“We recommend that foreign direct investment in multi-product retail should be allowed,” the Indian government’s chief economic adviser Kaushik Basu told reporters. “This can be an inflation-busting measure,” he said. Foreign groups such as Wal-Mart can only operate as wholesalers and must partner with domestic firms to sell in India, amid fears that big Western retail chains could swamp small family-run stores. However, Basu said opening up the sector posed no danger to small retailers. “The (retail) cake is so big and it will continue to grow,” Basu said. Basu was reporting recommendations of an inter-ministerial group set up in February to look at how to reduce inflation, now at around 8.5 percent.The issue of fully liberalising India’s retail sector has been under debate for years but government opinion appears now to be coalescing in favour of taking such a step.

India’s tight foreign investment rules are aimed at protecting small “mom-and-pop” stores in the sector where less than 10 percent of consumers shop in big Western-style stores. Only single-brand foreign outlets such as Nokia or Reebok are allowed to operate freely in the country of 1.2 billion people.

In a bid to get round India’s investment ruleswhich critics say are protectionist-some companies like Wal-Mart have entered the back-end retail supply chain in an alliance with a local partner.Basu said international retail chains would modernise storage and transportation methods, reducing spoilage and creating greater competition at the supply level-all of which could help bring down inflation. —AFP

TOKYO: Japanese electronics giant Ricoh president Shiro Kondo announces the company’s mid-term management strategy in Tokyo yesterday. Ricoh said it plans to cut 10,000 jobs worldwide over three years to turn around sagging business operations. — AFP

Japan consumer prices log first rise in 28 months TOKYO: Japan’s consumer inflation rose for the first time in 28 months in April, partly because the March 11 quake and tsunami and Arab political turmoil stoked higher fuel prices, data showed yesterday. However, analysts said the small jump does not spell an end to the deflation that has for years stalked the economy in a country where an ageing and shrinking population has increasingly held onto their purse strings.

Japan’s core consumer price index, which excludes volatile fresh food prices, rose 0.6 percent in April from a year earlier, the first increase since December 2008, according to the internal affairs ministry. The rise, which was in line with market expectations, was due largely to higher costs for oil products.

Unrest in Libya and the Middle East drove up global oil prices, while Japan’s March catastrophe damaged oil refineries and disrupted distribution of gasoline, kerosene and other petroleum products.

“It’s too early to think that Japan is close to the end of deflation,” an official at the ministry said as he briefed reporters on the data.

He noted that the figures were also skewed by factors related to government education benefits. More than a year has passed since the subsidies were introduced, meaning they were no longer distorting year-on-year price changes. —AFP

business

SATURDAY, MAY 28, 2011

Tradition, sprawl confront next Tata Group leader MUMBAI: Ratan Tata, retiring soon as chairman of India’s sprawling Tata conglomerate, is known for making sketches of the company’s next car model and fussing over details of a hotel’s design.

Whoever succeeds him in India’s highest-profile job is likely to be less caught up in details and more focused on taming an unwieldy $67 billion business that earns pedestrian returns and is saddled with debt after an acquisition spree. The search for a successor to head the enterprise, founded by 73-year-old Ratan Tata’s great-grandfather in 1868, has not gone entirely as planned. Last August, Ratan Tata, who has been at the helm for 20 years, had predicted it would

announce a successor by March this year. No announcement is imminent, a source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters earlier this week.

The delay underscores the challenges facing the group, which for the first time in its 143-year history is looking outside the family, and the companies, to fill the top spot. Tata’s new boss must manage a group that was founded as a textile company, but now spans everything from cars and consultancy to telecoms and tea, and embodies India’s global ambitions. Two-thirds of Tata’s revenue is generated abroad.

Succession is an increasingly important risk factor for investors in corporate

India, dominated by family dynasties.

“It has been tough to find someone who is a natural fit for the role,” said the person with direct knowledge of the matter, declining to be identified because details about the search are not public. “We will probably change what we are looking for,” the person said, referring to the search criteria.

Some of the top names in India’s formidable executive diaspora have been in the mix at various stages in the process.

The search committee approached PepsiCo Chief Executive Indra Nooyi, an Indian-born American, who declined to enter the race for personal reasons, two sources said. Arun Sarin, former CEO of

British telecoms giant Vodafone and now a California-based senior adviser at private equity firm KKR, was also considered, the source with direct knowledge of the matter said.

One potential front-runner yet to win the full support of the five-member search panel is Ratan Tata’s half-brother, 54-year-old Noel Tata, sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. Noel Tata is the son-in-law of Pallonji Mistry, the single largest shareholder in group holding company Tata Sons. He was recently moved into the top spot at the group’s international operations in a move seen aimed at grooming him for the top job. — Reuters

India eyes diplomacy and private sector to woo Africa NEW DELHI/ADDIS ABABA: Bereft of China’s riches, India is banking on diplomacy, development and its entrepreneurial private sector to woo African nations to open markets and natural resources to Asia’s third-largest economy New Delhi has promised billions of dollars in development support, financing for infrastructure projects and the building of educational and training institutes as it positions itself as the alternative to Beijing.

India enjoys historical ties with some African countries, but became a mere observer when China came calling for resources and energy, with financial riches New Delhi could not match. China boasts foreign exchange reserves of more than $3 trillion, 10 times India’s $307 billion, and has aggressively used state-owned development banks to invest heavily in oil, gas and other resources across the continent. But after being caught cold by China, and losing a series of bids for oil rights and infrastructure projects to its Asian rival, India is banking on a new approach to Africa that blends trade and investment with development economics. “India’s approach is reciprocal, expecting access to resources in exchange for developing technology and training Africa’s human resources. That’s how India is different to other foreign powers,” said Suresh Kumar, head of the Department of African Studies, University of Delhi.

“In providing education, technology, development and security, India is a complete partner.”

Like China, India has posted high economic growth rates since 1990 and the economy in a country of 1.2 billion people is now expanding at more than 8 percent a year. Resources from Africa are seen as crucial to help sustain growth. Total trade between India and African countries stood at $46 billion last year, still less than half of China’s $108 billion in 2008, but a huge increase on $3 billion in 2000-1. India says it will reach $70 billion by 2015.

Beijing also leads the way in diplomatic terms, with 42 embassies across sub-Saharan Africa, double India’s diplomatic presence of only 21 embassies, a report from the London-based Chatham House think-tank said.

Indian is keen to trumpet its cultural links with African countries, citing a shared history of imperialism and trade routes established hundreds of years ago. The Indian diaspora in Africa tops 2 million people, but it is mainly concentrated in South Africa, the Indian Ocean and some countries along the Eastern seaboard such as Kenya. “The private sector is pushing the Indian government to engage on Africa more consistently and to expand its network,” said Alex Vines, head of Chatham House’s Africa Programme. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, on a six-day trip to Ethiopia and Tanzania this week, pledged $5 billion over three years in development support, $700 million for new institutions and training programmes and $300 million for an EthiopiaDjibouti railway line. “India can be blamed for waking up late to the African opportunity, but can make up for lost time by projecting itself as a more humane investor than its northern neighbour,” wrote India’s Hindustan Times newspaper in an editorial. —Reuters

PUNE: Jaguar Land Rover cars stand at an assembly plant in Pune, India, yesterday. Tata Group-owned luxury carmaker Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) in the day opened its first assembly plant in India. — AP

First Land Rover rolls out of Indian factory ‘India is Jaguar Land Rover’s fastest-growing market’ PIMPRI: Mumbai-based Tata Motors opened its first Indian factory yesterday for Land Rover, the formerly loss-making British brand aiming to make inroads into the booming South Asian market.

A Freelander 2 sports utility vehicle was the first to roll out of the assembly plant on the outskirts of Pune, some 100 kilometres (60 miles) from India’s financial capital Mumbai.

Production of Jaguars-the Land Rover stablemate bought in the same $2.3 billion deal between Tata and Ford in 2008 — is expected to begin at the plant at a later date. Both will be for the domestic market.

“Today is the start of our plan to build a Jaguar Land Rover house in India,” Jaguar Land Rover’s chief executive Ralf Speth told a news conference.

“India is Jaguar Land Rover’s fastestgrowing market but we still have some way to go. We will build globally and also expand our product range.”

Auto sector analysts say the move

will help Jaguar and Land Rover lower costs and become more competitive in India-the world’s fastest-growing major car market-where rivals BMW, Daimler and Audi are already well-established.

Tata announced bumper profits of 92.7 billion rupees ($2.04 billion) on Thursday, of which the vast majority — 1.7 billion dollars-came from the Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) unit.

Annual unit sales of the brands rose 25 percent to 243,621, the company said.

Ford offloaded Jaguar Land Rover as part of its restructuring efforts after losing $15 billion in two years. In 2007, the British unit sold just 65,500 cars.

While it is now booming under Indian ownership, the new facility-the fifth non-British assembly plant for the group-has raised questions about production at its three factories in its home market.

Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata was recently embroiled in a row about the

work ethic of local managers, telling The Times newspaper that “nobody is willing to go the extra mile” at the company or its steel unit Corus.

The company later said he was talking about former managers and was not suggesting they were lazy.

A Jaguar Land Rover spokeswoman in Britain said the Pimpri plant would help increase capacity at the Halewood plant in Merseyside, northwest England, so it “will not have any negative impact on jobs in the UK”. Tata Motors sells Jaguar XJ, XF and XK sedans in India in addition to the Discovery and Range Rover SUVs from Land Rover, which are currently imported as complete units and marketed through a network of local showrooms.

Chief executive Carl-Peter Forster has said that India is a “huge market with immense potential” and sees it with China, where Jaguar and Land Rover sales rocketed to 27,500 last year, as a key target for growth. —AFP

BUSINESS SATURDAY, MAY 28, 2011

Young and restless in Spain as jobless rate soars MADRID: The first thing Silvia Huelves was told when she started studying architecture was that she should take up Chinese or Japanese — she was not going to build anything in Spain any time soon.

It wasn’t criticism of her skills but a reflection on the state of the country, where the jobless rate among 16- to 24year-olds is a staggering 45 percent and a construction sector slump caused nearly two years of recession. Now the young people are protesting, roughing it out in improvised camps in the hearts of Spain’s main cities to bring attention to their plight. While they’re angry about lots of things, bleak job prospects and having to live with mom and mad well into adulthood are high on the list.

Huelves, a 19-year-old with a big smile, said her professors make no secret of the

dire state of things. “You go in and the first thing they say is ‘forget about it, you are never going to build buildings,”‘ she said. “They say ‘Architecture is really cool and well-rounded and useful for a lot of things, but you are not going to build buildings.”‘ Construction is no doubt the hardest hit sector in Spain’s battered economy as it tries to recover from a burst real estate bubble. But in almost any line of work Spain’s young people face a dark outlook. The jobless rate in the under-25 age bracket makes the national unemployment rate of 21.3 percent seem mild by comparison.

Widen the bracket to the age of 29 and the rate is still a stunning 35 percent.

To voice their discontent, young people have been coordinating in the past two weeks via social media like Twitter and Facebook to set up huge camps in

city centers. The camp in Madrid features makeshift clinics and libraries with grungy sofas as well as stands with donated apples and bananas, juice and baguette sandwiches. “More than anything, this is about being fed up. We are absolutely fed up,” said Maria Martinez, 32, sitting in a lounge chair under blue sheeting protecting the Madrid camp from a blazing midday sun.

Martinez considers herself relatively lucky because she has been jobless for only about two months and has worked since age 17, mainly in factories and offices. But it was always for low wages, sometimes with no benefits and always getting part of her pay under the table.

Martinez rattled off other gripes — conservative politicians who watched Spain’s real estate market heat up and took credit as GDP rose nicely, banks

that helped and profited by providing streams of easy credit, and the current Socialist government that presided over the bubble’s loud pop in 2008, with its disastrous impact on the country.

“I am the first one to acknowledge we have reacted late and we have been asleep for a long time,” Martinez said.

Another jobless protester, Pablo Luna, 27, has a degree in history, just finished a master’s in journalism and says he has zero prospects for work. He said it is virtually unheard of for people to complete their studies and go right into work in their field.

“Of the people I know, no one has done it,” said Luna, an articulate man with a thick, dark, wild pony tail and the rich voice of a radio announcer. “I should be out looking for a job. But my heart tells me I should be here now.” —AP

Hopes of softer capital rules lift European banks Germany, France push for leeway in new capital rules

NEW YORK: In this April 6, 2011 photo, MasterCard CEO Ajay Banga speaks to reporters in New York. —AP

French regulator says OTC trading should be exception PARIS: France’s financial regulator wants off-exchange share trading scaled back in a reform of European Union securities laws, underlining its hardline approach.

Off-exchange or over-the-counter (OTC) share trading is so opaque not even regulators are capable of providing reliable figures about its size, Jean-Pierre Jouyet, chairman of France’s Financial Markets Authority (AMF), said.

The size of the OTC market has been estimated at 1540 percent of the overall European market, with the actual figure nearer the top end of the range, Jouyet told the International Capital Market Association annual conference. “Whatever the case, this ad hoc form of trading should remain the exception,” he said. “The volume of OTC trades must, therefore, be reduced and execution of share transactions in transparent, organised multilateral facilities encouraged.”

The EU’s executive European Commission was due to publish proposals to reform its MiFID securities trading rules in coming months, so they can broadened to cover assets like bonds or commodities.

EU members, such as France and Britain, have been speaking out-the former to toughen up the rules while the latter, the bloc’s biggest trading centre, wants to preserve competition that has reduced exchanges’ market shares. Banks have also been hitting back, saying the power of bourses was set to increase with the planned merger of Deutsche Boerse and NYSE Euronext and, therefore, users should have a choice of where they want to trade. Daniel Trinder, managing director, global head of regulatory policy at German lender Deutsche Bank, said Jouyet’s comments were not a surprise ahead of the MiFID reform. —Reuters

BRUSSELS/PARIS: European bank shares rose yesterday on hopes that new international capital rules for lenders would be applied with a lighter touch in the European Union as Germany and France demand more leeway.

Berlin and Paris have pushed for more flexible treatment of some types of bank capital including controversial hybrid bonds in a debate over the rules that are designed to make banks more stable, an EU source said yesterday.

Germany wants lighter treatment of some hybrids, bonds that combine characteristics of debt and equity, which have been used in the past to bolster banks’ capital cushions.

Both countries, home to Europe’s top insurers and where there are close ties between insurers and banks, are also keen to protect the status of stakes banks hold in insurers when calculating their capital.

Yesterday, the Financial Times said the European Commission had proposed that banks be allowed to sidestep part of an international accord on bank capital, seen as a sign that Berlin and Paris had pushed through their demands. The newspaper said rules the EU executive had drafted would allow European banks to count more of the capital in their insurance subsidiaries than had been agreed globally as well as giving bank more leeway on hybrids.

One German banker told Reuters that the country was winning the argument for flexibility in the treatment of a unique form of German hybrid capital, known as silent participations, relied on by regional banks known as landesbanks to support their balance sheets.

Europe’s banking index was up roughly 1 percent in early morning trade, outperforming a 0.6 percent gain in the benchmark FTSE Eurofirst 300 index. French banks Credit Agricole was among the top gainers, up about 4 percent. One analyst estimated that lighter

capital rules could save the bank 4 billion euros. Banks with big insurance arms, such as British lender Lloyds and France’s Societe Generale and BNP Paribas, also rose. Lloyds, SocGen and BNP all gained by about 2 percent.

The law, however, is far from being finalised. All EU countries, including Britain, which has demanded tougher rules, have first to approve the proposal.

The European Parliament, which has campaigned for tighter regulation, will also have a chance to beef it up.

British Finance Minister George Osborne recently co-wrote a letter to Michel Barnier, the European official in charge of financial reform, demanding there be no retreat from the capital regime agreed internationally-Basel III. “The UK fully supports the implementation of Basel III as agreed by the G20 leaders without any watering down,” a British diplomat told Reuters.

Barnier pledged yesterday to fully implement the rules and that there

would be no loopholes.

“I will not be swayed by various pressures,” he said. Basel III is a set of minimum capital and liquidity requirements for banks, endorsed by world leaders last November and set to be phased in over six years from 2013.

A regulatory source said the EU was divided, with some states worried the global accord will be weakened when it gets introduced into the bloc’s law.

The Basel Committee has pledged to monitor closely how the new rules are applied but it has no power to sanction those who ignore the standard. It had no comment yesterday. “Consistent application is something very high on the agenda,” said the source. “There will be considerable transparency over how the rules are applied and laggards would have to explain themselves.”

Under the new Basel rules, banks will be allowed to use stakes in other financial institutions such as insurers for up to 10 percent of its capital cushion. —Reuters

HYDERABAD: Andhra Pradesh regional head of Aircel, India, Hamir Bakshi poses with the newly launched iPhone 4 at a press conference in Hyderabad yesterday. — AFP

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Greeks fail to agree on debt measures amid aid threat IMF withholds June tranche slice pending EU pledge

NEW DELHI: In this photo taken yesterday, Himmat, right, with his friend Banu Singh, rests for a while from scorching heat near his bicycle rickshaw, in New Delhi, India.

Himmat who earns 5,000 rupees ($110) a month barely able to manage his family of four. — AP

India’s stingy definition of poverty irks critics NEW DELHI: Every day, through scorching summers and chilly winters, Himmat pedals his bicycle rickshaw through New Delhi’s crowded streets, earning barely enough to feed his family. But to India’s government he is not poor — not even close. The 5,000 rupees ($110) he earns a month pays for a tiny room with a single light bulb and no running water for his family of four. After buying just enough food to keep his family from starving, there is nothing left for medicine, new clothes for his children or savings. Still, Himmat is way above India’s poverty line. Earlier this month, India’s Planning Commission, which helps sets economic policy, told the Supreme Court that the poverty line for the nation’s cities was 578 rupees ($12.75) per person a month — or 2,312 rupees ($51.38) for Himmat’s family of four. For rural India, it’s even lower at about 450 rupees ($9.93).

The revelation set off an angry debate in a country with soaring economic growth that has brought Ferrari dealerships and Louis Vuitton stores to cater to the new urban rich but left hundreds of millions of others struggling without access to adequate food and clean water. The World Bank global poverty line, at $1.25 a day or about $38 per month, is three times higher than India’s urban level. Local activists say a better name for India’s standard would be “the starvation line.”

“This number is a joke. There’s no seriousness about the poor,” activist Aruna Roy said.

The Planning Commission said it has to set the poverty line — which determines who gets government assistance — to make the best use of limited funds.

“When you have such a large number of people, given the resources that are available to the government, do you target the poorest of the poor or do you spread your net wider and succeed in covering nobody?” Pranab Sen, an adviser to the Planning Commission, recently told the NDTV news channel.

A daily allowance of 19 rupees (42 cents) would buy 3 1/2 bananas from a stall outside the commission’s own office in the Indian capital or less than two pounds (one kilogram) of wheat flour or rice, staples for most Indians. Himmat, who like many Indians uses just one name, said India’s poverty line was ridiculous. “What can we eat with that much money? Not even two dry rotis,” he said, referring to the traditional flat bread of north India.

Rent for his room, which is no larger than 10 feet by 4 feet, costs 1,500 rupees ($33). He struggles to send his two children to a poorly run government school that costs him another 1,000 rupees ($22). The remaining 2,500 ($55) must pay for food, medicines and any other necessities for his family.

In the summer, he sends his wife and children back to their village in eastern India and sleeps on the sidewalk to save on rent. “I am a very poor man. I can’t imagine living on any less money,” he said.

The poverty debate began after India’s top court asked the Planning Commission to explain earlier this month why hundreds of millions of Indians are undernourished when the country had vast stores of food grains — at times running into millions of tons of surplus.

The commission maintained the government has only limited resources to distribute the grain to subsidized shops, and that it must set its poverty line accordingly to target the neediest. Rights activists and some economists have slammed the commission, saying it should guide the government to set aside adequate resources to help the poor, and not merely set a poverty line so low that hundreds of millions are kept out of the social security net. — AP

ATHENS: Greece’s prime minister failed to convince opposition leaders yesterday to support tougher austerity measures to free up EU/IMF aid needed to avert a debt default.

European Union policymakers have demanded that Greek politicians reach a cross-party consensus behind long-term economic and fiscal reforms as a condition for providing more funding for the debt-burdened euro zone member.

“Consensus was blocked,” an official from one party who attended the fivehour emergency talks with Socialist Prime Minister George Papandreou told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity. Far-right LAOS leader George Karatzeferis told reporters: “Unfortunately, some people put their chair above Greece.”

The conservative New Democracy party, the main opposition force, has rejected proposed tax increases to help reduce the budget deficit, arguing instead for tax cuts to revive economic growth. The Athens stock exchange reversed gains on news of the failure to reach a deal and was trading 2 percent lower on the day by 1400 GMT. Financial markets were spooked on Thursday when Jean-Claude Juncker, who chairs meetings of euro zone finance ministers, warned that the International Monetary Fund could withhold its contribution to a 12 billion euro aid tranche Greece needs next month to pay its bills and service its massive debt.

But the spread between Greek 10year bonds and German benchmarks edged back below the 14 percent mark yesterday, suggesting some hope that a compromise could be sealed.

Analysts say if debt markets were pricing in a Greek default, they would react considerably more violently.

“This is not a done deal but we can see a scenario in which the stars align,” Jacques Cailloux, a European economist at RBS in London, said. “Obviously there are risks, there is a lot of noise from people who are not decision makers. It feels like it’s going in the right direction though. There is not much choice. The alternatives to further aid to Greece are all sub-optimal.”

Papandreou’s socialists enjoy a comfortable majority in parliament but EU policymakers want to see broader backing for new debt-cutting measures if

ATHENS: A banner reading “we resist” hangs at the entrance to the Hellenic Telecommunications Organisation (OTE) headquarters in Athens during its occupation by employees to protest its privatisation yesterday. — AFP they are to provide extra cash to plug a 27 billion euro funding gap next year.

Papandreou faces resistance from some members of his own party and from powerful unions.

Without a credible political consensus, EU aid guarantees for next year are unlikely. But unless Europe commits itself to meet Greece’s 2012 funding needs, the IMF is resisting payout of its 3.3 billion euro slice of the June tranche.

Greece’s finance minister has warned that without the new funds, the country-which faces a 13.4 billion euros funding crunch soon-would be unable to meet its obligations and would default.

US President Barack Obama told European counterparts at a summit in France that he backed efforts to tackle the crisis and underlined Washington’s interest in officials successfully dealing with the problems.

Juncker on Thursday warned European countries could not be counted on to step up and fill the gap left by the IMF if it decided against releasing its portion of the June aid tranche.

“That won’t work because in certain parliaments-Germany, Finland and the Netherlands and others, too-there is no preparedness to do so,” he said.

Some analysts saw Juncker’s comments as an act of brinkmanship to press Greek political leaders to form a consensus on austerity measures, rev-

enue increases and privatisations designed to get the country’s 2010 bailout programme back on track.

But they also appeared to reflect a tug-of-war between the global lender and major EU creditors, led by Germany, over a further multibillion-euro aid package for Athens.

“There is enormous pressure on Greece to resolve this,” European Central Bank Governing Council member Nout Wellink was quoted as saying by news agency Bloomberg.

“It is difficult. I’m fully confident that in the end, Greece will meet the conditions, meaning that only then the IMF and Europe can say ‘yes’.”

A mission from the so-called troikaEuropean Commission, the ECB and IMFis currently in Greece assessing how sustainable its debts are. At roughly 330 billion euros, or 150 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), many economists believe the country’s debt will inevitably have to be restructured eventually. Acting IMF Managing-Director John Lipsky said the EU/IMF bailout plan did not envisage any restructuring.

“We have a programme under way with the Greek authorities, supported by ourselves and with our European partners, and that programme does not contemplate any debt restructuring or reprofiling or anything,” he told CNBC television from France. — Reuters

Posen says now not time to raise interest rate LONDON: Bank of England policymaker Adam Posen yesterday dismissed short-term fluctuations of inflation as irrelevant and repeated his call for the Bank to pump more money into the economy.

“Setting monetary policy in response to short-term commodity price gyrations would only destabilise the UK economy and create greater uncertainty about future inflation,” Posen wrote in a guest column for the Financial Times.

Posen, an external member of the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), said those urging for a rise in interest rates now were “playing the wrong game” and would miss the Bank’s inflation target.

The column made clear Posen was expressing his own views.

Posen, who has called for a 50 billion-pound expansion to

the BoE’s programme of quantitative easing, said the economy had performed “pretty much as I expected” and restated his prediction that consumer price inflation will fall below the 2 percent target in mid-2012.

“The majority of the MPC is right to have held its nerve against calls for rate hikes,” Posen said.

“The fiscal contraction and household deleveraging will continue, and wages will grow more slowly than productivity. Headline CPI inflation will decline towards the target.”

Posen said raising interest rates to offset VAT hikes would be counter-productive “Tightening fiscal policy with no offset from additional monetary easing will strengthen the underlying disinflationary pressures-as in Japan in 1997, when VAT was raised without a monetary response,” he wrote. — Reuters

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April consumer spending shows weak gain WASHINGTON: US consumers spent more in April but much of the increase was eaten up by higher food and energy prices. After discounting for the jump in prices, spending barely budged and after-tax incomes were flat for a second straight month.

Consumer spending rose 0.4 percent, reflecting a surge in the category that covers food and gasoline, areas which showed big price gains last month, the Commerce Department reported Friday. Excluding price changes, spending rose a much smaller 0.1 percent.

Incomes rose 0.4 percent but aftertax incomes adjusted for inflation were flat for a second straight month.

Analysts are worried that weak income growth and big gains in gasoline and

food prices are leaving consumers with little left to spend on other products.

That could dampen economic growth.

Consumer spending is closely watched because it accounts for 70 percent of economic activity. Paul Dales, senior US economist at Capital Economics, said that the income and spending data in April painted a ´weak pictureª of household finances. ´Unless incomes rebound sharply, something we believe is unlikely, real consumption growth will remain subdued,ª he said.

The savings rate was unchanged at 4.9 percent of after-tax incomes, the same as March. Both months represented the smallest savings rate since October 2008, the month the country was plunged into a deep financial crisis

Tate & Lyle to reopen plant, growth picks up LONDON: Britain’s Tate & Lyle is set to re-open a mothballed Splenda plant as demand for healthy sweeteners picks up after it beat forecasts with a 34 percent rise in annual profits and saw another year of earnings growth.

The London-based sweetener and starches maker said it will dust down its plant at McIntosh, Alabama, during 2012 as demand for its zero-calorie Splenda sweetener outstrips capacity at its Singapore unit due to long-term trends towards healthy eating.

Chief Executive Javed Ahmed said re-opening the plant after two years to supplement Singapore reflected the growth in the group’s value-added speciality products as the former sugar refiner moves increasingly away from bulk commodity products.

“In North America and Western Europe we are seeing steady demand for our speciality food ingredients and have seen some pickup since the economic downturn,” he told a results briefing.

Ahmed has focused on value-added products and away from bulk commodity business since taking on the role of CEO in late 2009, selling its sugar refining operations and its mothballed Fort Dodge ethanol plant in Iowa to rival Cargill.

The group now makes just over half its profits from Splenda and speciality starches, with the rest from bulk commodity ingredients such as corn sweeteners and industrial starches.

While growth is forecast from speciality products, Ahmed is predicting flat profit margins for its bulk corn sweeteners this year. Although industrial starches will perform better there will be less of a boost from by-products sold as animal feed as the price of corn comes off the highs seen earlier this year.

Tate shares rose 0.2 percent to 609-1/2 pence by 0830 GMT after profit beat expectations and a higher dividend was tempered by caution over by-product prices and the share rally this year. The stock has outperformed the FTSE 100 by 18 percent in 2011, hitting a new high of 639-1/2 pence earlier this month.

“The strategy set out by CEO Javed Ahmed in May 2010 is demonstrably well under way. The hardest thing to change within any company is its culture, and Tate & Lyle seems to have made huge progress in becoming more dynamic,” said analyst Sara Welford at Tate’s house brokers Citi. The company, which makes most of its profits in the United States, posted a pretax profit of 263 million pounds ($419.2 million) for the year through March, ahead of a company-compiled average analyst forecast of 257 million and a Reuters SmartEstimate of 252.9 million.

Tate raised its final dividend 5 percent to 16.9 pence to give a full-year payout of 23.7 pence, up 3.5 percent, its first annual increase since 2008/09.

Earlier this year, Tate raised the price of its bulk corn sweeteners-which account for a quarter of group profitcharged to big food and drinks users by 15-20 percent for 2011 to offset soaring corn costs and hold its profit margins steady. — Reuters

which contributed to the worst recession since the 1930s. During the recession, Americans worked to build up savings out of concerns that they needed a deeper cushion in the face of massive job layoffs. The savings rate high a high of 8.2 percent in May 2009, the month before the recession ended. A key inflation gauge preferred by the Federal Reserve showed prices rose 0.3 percent in April, the fifth straight month of gains of 0.3 percent or higher. However, excluding food and energy, inflation was up just 1 percent in April, well below the level where the Fed would be worried that inflation could be a threat to the economy. The government reported Thursday that the overall economy grew at an annual rate of just 1.8 percent in the January-

March period, sharply lower than the 3.1 percent growth in the previous quarter.

Much of that slowdown reflected weakness in consumer spending, which was growing at a 2.2 percent pace, just about half the rate of the October-December period. Private forecasters think the US economy will grow at a slightly faster pace this quarter and in the second half of this year, but they believe the pickup will be modest at best as higher energy and food costs continue to dominate in an environment of weak income growth.

These adverse forces are overwhelming the boost the economy was supposed to get this year from the 2 percentage point cut in Social Security payroll taxes. — AP

Wall Street higher as dollar lifts commodities Oil prices advance, euro gains NEW YORK: US stocks were higher yesterday as bullish comments about Greece caused the dollar to fall, resulting in strength in commodity prices.

The US dollar index fell 0.5 percent as the euro rose following comments from European Central Bank Governing Council member George Provopoulos, who said Greece could handle its debt if it sticks to its aid program.

The dollar helped lift commodity prices, and oil gained 0.6 percent. The S&P Energy index rose 0.6 percent while Occidental Petroleum added 1.5 percent to $106.60.

This has been a choppy week for equities, with steep losses early offset by a rally in the past two days. The S&P 500 is down 0.6 percent for the week. Trading volume could be anemic yesterday ahead of Monday’s Memorial Day holiday.

The losses early in the week came on worries about euro-zone sovereign debt, as well as concerns that global demand was slowing. While there are few catalysts seen for strong positive advances, technical support suggests there is a floor for stocks.

“We’re having a little bit of a snapback rally given the stretch of selloffs we had earlier this week,” said Doug Godine, head of institutional sales and trading at Signal Hill Capital in Baltimore. “I don’t think there will be a lot of volume today, as no one is going to make any huge bets going into the holiday weekend.”

The Dow Jones industrial average was up 51.16 points, or 0.41 percent, at 12,453.92. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index was up 5.40 points, or 0.41 percent, at 1,331.09. The Nasdaq Composite Index was up 7.82 points, or 0.28 percent, at 2,790.74.

The Group of Eight leaders agreed yesterday that the global economic

LAFAYETTE: Chris LeBlanc changes the price of regular gasoline from $3.67 to $3.63 Thursday at a Valero station in Lafayette, Aa. — AP

recovery was becoming more “selfsustained,” though higher commodity prices were hampering further growth.

Medco Health Solutions Inc will lose a major pharmacy benefit contract starting next year. The Blue

Cross Blue Shield Association will move its mail order and specialty pharmacy benefit coverage to CVS Caremark under a three-year contract.

Medco shares fell 10 percent to $57.75 while CVS rose 3.2 percent to $39.35. — Reuters

SATURDAY, MAY 28, 2011

Hong Kong artists revel in freedom to support Ai (Page 24)

LA swimwear designers get summer happy (Pages 28-29)

A model wears a traditional wedding outfit from Bangka Belitung province during a festival in Jakarta yesterday. Indonesia which comprises 17,508 islands and thirty-three provinces has many different cultures from Sabang at the tip of the island of Sumatera to Merauke in Papua. — AFP

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he ‘Baby’ hitmaker also had a hand in designing his new piece of jewelry which is based on animated ‘Family Guy’ talking baby Stewie Griffin - voiced

by Seth McFarlane - and features 12 carats of rubies and diamonds. Former Beverly Hills jeweller Jason Arasheben helped the 17-year-old singer with the necklace’s creation, saying the ‘One Time’ performer “had a specific vision for how he wanted it

to look”. In addition to his latest piece of jewelry, Justin - who is dating ‘Wizards of Waverly Place’ actress Selena Gomez recently revealed a new tattoo below his left armpit. It is believed to be the singer’s second tattoo after he had a picture of a small bird inked onto his left hip shortly after turning 16 in March last year.

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Hilary Duff

is a changed woman now

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he ‘Bloodworth’ actress married Canadian NHL player Mike Comrie almost a year ago and has revealed that she is delighted at how much more time they have spent together since they became man and wife. She told website Hollyscoop: “It’s changed a lot, being married is a different thing. It’s really exciting, we spent a lot of time together this year which was nice. “He was in Pittsburgh playing hockey so I was back-and-forth all the time, It’s another year where a lot of big changes happened.” As well as enjoying one another’s company, Hilary and Mike have been busy working and building a home together. The 23-year-old singer revealed: “I wrote two books, and we’re remodeling a house right now.” She also offered some advice to Kim Kardashian, who this week announced that she is engaged to basketball star Kris Humphries after six months of dating. On being told the news, Hilary said: “Congratulations! Everybody told me when I got engaged to enjoy the moment and make the most of it.” The former ‘Lizzie McGuire’ star recently revealed that she wants to take her marriage to the next level and start a family. 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.”

he troubled singer - who has a history of drug addiction checked herself in at London’s The Priory clinic earlier this week. The source said: “She seemed out of it.

She was stumbling about, slurring her words. “I was shocked to see her drink so early in the day, and even more shocked to see her knock it straight back.” Just minutes earlier, she had shocked staff and clients in a local hair salon by bursting in and loudly vomiting in their bathroom.

Customers said she was dressed scruffily in a tracksuit and told staff: “I just puked all over your bathroom.”

One told The Sun newspaper: “I felt really sorry for the staff. I think they were too scared to say anything.” on thursday night (26.05.11) Amy’s spokesman denied she had been sick, insisting her comment was a joke, but confirmed she is in rehab. He said: “Amy’s embarked on treatment at The Priory.” Earlier this month, it was reported that the 27-year-old star wants to move to the countryside and start a family with her boyfriend Reg Traviss.

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he 29-year-old singer - who shot to fame after winning the first series of ‘American Idol’ - believes star-search contests are good for the music industry because they focus more on musical abilities than creating the right image. She said: “I am a reality show junkie - you name it, I watch it “I do still watch ‘Idol,’ more this season than any other. “I just love when you can see someone sing through their ‘person’ and you can just feel it. “I love all of those talent shows and think they are great for the whole industry, because they are all about the music and the voice. Everything it should be about.” The ‘Breakaway’ hitmaker also admitted she needs to find time to be alone to maintain her confidence, because it can be hard working in such a critical

industry. She told PopEater: “It is so hard to find confidence in this industry when everyone is trying to tell you what they think you should be. “I have learned to schedule a lot of ‘me’ time so I can make sure I am always feeling my best. I have also been so lucky that God gave me amazing people in my life that help keep me grounded and be the best I can be. “I’ve learned how important confidence is, especially in this industry, and I am into anything that helps people just be themselves.”

Brad Pitt still makes parenting mistakes

Lady Gaga feels ‘dead’ when she isn’t on stage

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he ‘Hair’ singer - whose real name is Stefani Germanotta insists she is at her best when she is on stage and doesn’t care if people don’t think her attitude is “healthy”. She said: “When I am not onstage I feel dead. Whether that is healthy or not to you, or healthy or not to anyone, or a doctor, is really of no concern to me. I don’t feel alive unless I’m performing, and that’s just the way I was born.” The 25-year-old singer is famously close to her fans who she calls her ‘Little Monsters’ -and can’t bare the thought of ever cutting them out of her life. She told a forthcoming issue of Rolling Stone magazine: “We have this umbilical cord that I don’t want to cut, ever. “I don’t feel that they suck me dry. It would be so mean, wouldn’t it, to say, ‘For the next month, I’m going to cut myself off from my fans so I can be a person.’ What does that mean?

They are part of my person, they are so much of my person. They’re at least 50 percent, if not more.”

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he ‘Tree of Life’ star raises adopted children Maddox, nine, Pax, seven, Zahara, six, and biological kids Shiloh, four, and twins Knox and Vivienne, two, with partner Angelina Jolie and although he tries not to let his “crap” affect his kids, Brad admitted he doesn’t always get it right. He said: “It’s not like I’m a horrible parent, but I’ve certainly made mistakes and had to make up for it. “I’m painfully aware that my actions leave a double mark on them in these formidable years, so I make sure I don’t bring my nonsense home.” Although Brad and Angelina have both carved successful careers in Hollywood, the star has no intention of persuading their kids to follow in their footsteps and just hopes they will be happy in whatever they do. He explained to People magazine: “Listen, I just want them to follow their bliss.

Whatever makes them happy, “I want to keep them free to explore that innocence as long as possible and find out what’s really interesting to them. I just don’t want to encumber them in any way.”

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he singer – who rejoined the band last year, 15 years after he first walked out on the group– famously suffers from crippling stage fright but has taken up some calming hobbies to help with his nerves ahead of the stadium shows. A source close to the star told the Daily Mirror newspaper: “Rob suffers from crippling anxiety and has been worried about the lads’ forthcoming concerts. A pal suggested Bikram yoga to refocus his pent up energy and handle stress more effectively.” Robbie has reportedly been attending Bikram yoga sessions for the last three months, which see him strike a number of meditative poses in a room heated to 40 degrees centigrade.

The source added: “After a couple of sessions he was hooked – and sweating like a wildebeest. While the others have stuck to the gym or pool, Robbie’s been using meditation and yoga to help his

stage fright and to keep sane on tour.”

The ‘Rock DJ’ hitmaker – who is joined in the group by Howard Donald, Gary Barlow, Mark Owen and Jason Orange – previously admitted he started to get stage fright after touring for excessive amounts of time as a solo artist. He said: “I’m not the kind of person who can do nine months. I can do two months solid, not a problem. But nine months - I’m not built for it. I go loopy.

“But mentally, all I’m projecting is very positive, all I can see is it being healthy and happy and an amazing show.”

Mark has also admitted he recently suffered a bout of stage fright ahead of the shows, in support of the band’s ‘Progress’ album. He said: “A few weeks ago I had a pre-tour panic, a bit of a meltdown, which I went through for a couple of days. I wasn’t getting much sleep, but I came through the other end and I’ve been all right since.” The

group will play 36 stadium shows across Europe, ending on July 29 in Germany.— Bang Showbiz

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A visitor looks at photographs by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei at the photo museum in Winterthur, Switzerland, yesterday. — AP

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i Weiwei may be languishing in Chinese detention, but the influence of the prominent artist and social activist has permeated Hong Kong’s burgeoning art scene, from glitzy art fairs to edgy street art. The cavernous halls of the ART HK International art fair straddling the iconic harbor are filled with a blitz of works, from the natureinspired art of Iceland’s Olafur Eliasson to male nude photographs by Zhang Huan. But tucked inside one of nearly 300 galleries cramming the stark white spaces, a single marble sculpture of a life-sized arm and hand giving an unseen person the middle finger has gained widespread attention for its particular poignancy.

Created by Ai Weiwei in 2007, the “Marble Arm” formed part of a series exploring the defiance of authority in which the bearded and burly artist was photographed giving the finger to centers of political power around the world-from the Reichstag in Berlin to Tiananmen Square in Beijing, the nucleus of Communist Party rule and site of a bloody crackdown in 1989. “It’s important that we still have this discussion (on Ai) ... but I’m not sure whether this will help in the higher levels of the government,” said Karin Seiz, with the Galerie Urs Meile, as visitors to her gallery chuckled at Ai’s work. While China’s artists have largely been silenced over the plight of Ai, who was detained by authorities in April for evading a “huge amount” of taxes amid a clampdown on dissent, a tenacious and angry band of young artists in Hong Kong have emerged as a major force rallying to Ai’s cause.

The city, formerly a British colony that reverted to Chinese rule in 1997, was promised a high degree of auton-

omy as enshrined in its mini-constitution and now sees fervent mass protests, a vibrant, free media and a lively political arena- a liberal climate the city’s artists have seized upon. “I think Hong Kong is a very special place in Asia, a place where freedom of expression is greatly valued ... so it’s a very good place for the full variety of voices to be heard,” said Magnus Renfrew, the head of ART HK. Anonymous graffiti artists have spray-painted Ai’s face and freedom slogans across the city and thousands have marched and performed street art in carnival-like gatherings, providing a stark contrast to the silence of mainland China artists.

“There’s a new fear I could feel that’s going on in Beijing,” said Katie De Tilly, a gallerist who organized a Hong Kong exhibition of stark, censored works by noted Chinese artists, including photos of sex on the Great Wall, a montage of banknotes perverting a patriotic slogan of Chairman Mao Zedong, and “To fight with crossed arms,” a quartet of images of Ai holding a brick. “Artists are whispering the name Ai Weiwei but at the same time wanting to talk about it,” said de Tilly, who also runs the 10, Chancery Lane Gallery beside a colonial-era prison. In a cluster of industrial buildings to the east of Hong Kong island, looking onto a dock at the mouth of Victoria Harbor, more artists have flocked to Ai’s cause, pushing the bounds of tolerance from Beijing, which has pressured Hong Kong since the handover.

“It (Hong Kong’s arts community) has always been very politically active, through performance, through action,” said Valerie Portefaix, a Hong Kong-based French architect

and cross media artist who is a longtime collaborator with Ai. “We have something to say that is so much between different time zones, creating something very unique here with the living condition, the urban landscape, the port, the light.” added Portefaix, who is hosting an exhibition inspired by the injustice of Ai’s arrest. Close associates of Ai’s, including Huang Rui, a respected pioneer of China’s contemporary art movement that germinated after the Cultural Revolution in 1979, have also flown into Hong Kong for this week’s proliferation of arts events.

In a room with an eclectic assemblage of work from nearly 50 Hong Kong artists and poets, including a wall of faces tattooed with Ai’s name beneath a sculpture of fluorescent tubes spelling the word “Free-doom,” some brushed off the risks of incurring China’s wrath. “Of course, that fear is always looming above the head,” said Kacey Wong, the curator of the Love the Future display. “You can’t escape it. But like Ai Weiwei once said if you don’t do anything, the fear and the consequences could be even worse,” Wong added. “Hong Kong could become mainland China and this is not what we want to see.” — Reuters

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Britain fumes after Cole sacked from US show

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ritain fumed yesterday after pop star Cheryl Cole was dropped from the US version of “The X Factor” TV talent show because American audiences cannot understand her accent. Cole, a major celebrity in Britain, appears to have been discarded from the show less than a month after arriving in the United States, and well before it hits US TV screens in September. There was no official confirmation from the show’s host television network, Fox, but a “close friend” told The Sun tabloid that she was “shocked and stunned” and she “never saw it coming”.

Cole is from Newcastle in northeast England, which has one of the country’s strongest accents, and has admitted in the past that some Americans took time to adapt to her Geordie brogue.

“I’ve got a lot of American friends and we have the odd moments where they’re like, ‘What? What did that mean?’-you know, a phrase,” she said. “But I’m proud of my accent.” Cole, 27, had a string of plat-

inum-selling hits and was a judge on the British version of “The X Factor” before British TV mogul Simon Cowell offered her a chance to be a judge on the new US version, alongside singer Paula Abdul. British newspapers, with tongue firmly tucked in cheek, said the timing of the snub was ironic because it came just days after US President Barack Obama reaffirmed the importance of the US-British ‘special relationship’. The Times even produced an entire editorial written in phonetic ‘Geordie’, including the line: “They sez they couldn’t understand what Ah wez saying.

Darlings, Ah can hardly understand what I’m saying mesel horf the time.” Cole was formerly married to Chelsea and England footballer Ashley Cole, but the couple split up last year. — AFP

Sydneysiders (below) walk past a light installation entitled ‘Jellight’, during the launch of ‘Vivid Sydney’ yesterday. Now in its third year, Vivid Sydney which will run until June 13 is reportedly the Southern Hemisphere’s largest festival of light, music and ideas. — AFP

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Miley Cyrus poses for photos prior to a news conference in Mexico City, Thursday, May 26, 2011. The US pop entertainer starred on the hit Disney TV show ‘Hannah Montana, will perform in Mexico City as part of her “Gipsy Tour.” — AP

prah Winfrey ended her show after 25 years on Wednesday without celebrities or car giveaways. Instead, she addressed her audience solo from her studio in Chicago, alternating between tears and laughter and recounting her life lessons. What did the critics think of her send-off? “The hour perfectly embodied how complex it is to analyze or critique the woman behind the message,” wrote The Hollywood Reporter’s Tim Goodman on his Bastard Machine blog. “On the one hand, it’s hard to argue how deeply Oprah has touched her massive audience and how much good the self-help emphasis has done for so many people, celebrities included. On the other hand, for those outside the sphere of influence that Oprah holds over her worshippers (they are too numerous to be a cult), it’s impossible to miss some of the God-complex patina that she wears so proudly.”

Still, Goodman joked about Oprah’s religious and at times over-the-top message. “Freezeframe the DVR yourself: No bongs in sight.” The New York Post’s Michael Starr also called out Winfrey’s religious undertones. “And On The Final Day, she wept,” he wrote. “Oprah Winfrey signed off yesterday after 25 years as TV’s reigning daytime queen-sounding more like an evangelist than a talk-show host. “Coming out to a standing ovation from her rapturous, squealing studio audience, Oprah held court on stage, alone, for the show’s full hour, striding back and forth and spewing fluffy, New Age-y aphorisms offset by occasional clips from past episodes,” he went on.

But the Washington Post’s Sally Quinn lauded Oprah for her religious leaning. “Oprah’s final show was a sermon. She finally came out

as a true religious leader, an image she has skirted around for these last 25 years,” wrote Quinn. “She is America’s high priestess.” “This is ministry at its best and something that more religious leaders should pay attention to,” she added. “She managed to touch something in a lot of people and changed countless lives by giving her audience a spiritual message that they could apply to their own lives. Her message was inclusive and pluralistic rather than exclusive. Everyone belonged. Everyone had value.”

“The pope couldn’t have done better,” Quinn ended. The UK Guardian’s Hadley Freeman didn’t think Oprah spent enough time on “any of the new age baloney she has increasingly peddled”-and she was grateful for that. “The celebrity dazzle might have brought more media attention but that is not her true appeal,” Freeman also noted of her decision to not have guests on her last show, which aired after twodays of major celebrities wishing her farewell in Chicago’s United Center, packed with 13,000 audience members. “There were plenty of needlepoint truisms-’Do unto others as you would have others do unto you’-but she keenly emphasized the social issues she has focused on over the years (sexual abuse, alcoholism) and the words ‘Jonathan Franzen’ were not mentioned once, nor, thank heavens, was any of the new age baloney she has increasingly peddled,” wrote Freeman. — Reuters

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Review

Gaga delivers the goods on new CD

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ady Gaga, “Born This Way” (Interscope) With the Lady Gaga-market reaching oversaturation, it’s easy to get a sense of fatigue when listening to her latest effort, “Born This Way.” Delivering her third studio album in just a 3-year span after a nonstop juggernaut that included a seemingly endless tour, hit after hit, countless magazine covers and even social activism, another Gaga offering is a little bit tiring to those who aren’t part of her army of “little monsters.” It doesn’t help that the standard edition of the album is 17 full-length tracks, clocking in at a little over two hours. A little less than a third of the way through, a “what there’s more?” feeling starts to sink in, and finishing the album seems to be a daunting task. But “Born This Way” deserves that listen - again and again and again. Though there are a few songs that miss the mark - the Madonna-rip-off title track, for example overall, the album, like Gaga, is hard to get out of your conscious.

“I could be girl/ unless you want to be man/ I could be s**/ unless you want to hold hands/ I could be anything/ I could be everything,” coos Gaga on “Government Hooker,” a wicked electro-groove that manages to be more naughty than Rihanna’s “S&M” without being as explicit. At its core, “Born This Way” is mostly an album about themes that have been written about from the beginning of pop music - love, lust and acceptance.

“Americano,” with its flamenco-inspired melody, is a love song - it just happens to be about two women. “We can marry, on the West Coast, on a Wednesday,” Gaga sings slyly. “Hair,” like “Born This Way,” is a plea for individual freedom via the follicles - “I don’t want to change, I don’t want to be ashamed, I’m the spirit of my hair ... I am my hair,” she declares on the pop-rock groove, which sounds as if it could have emerged from the soundtrack to a 1980s teen flick.

Much of the music veers from pulsating dance grooves and the retro rock that Gaga showcased on “Fame Monster.” The album’s best track -”You and I” - sounds as if it could be the companion to “Speechless,” another ballad similarly anchored by dominating piano chords. Gaga, who co-wrote every tune on the record and again worked with collaborators such as RedOne and Fernando Garibay, doesn’t show particular musical growth, but establishes a consistency of strong material throughout most of the disc. Lyrically, at times she still perplexes - the whirring “ScheiBe” starts off with German then segues into a female empowerment anthem - but it’s those bizarre moments that are part of the Gaga-intrigue. “Born This Way” needs a bit more editing. A smattering of tracks, like “Bad Kids” could have been left off for a tighter disc. But it doesn’t take away from its strength, and overall, it’s an album that should add to Gaga’s growing status as this generation’s cultural icon. — AP

A man poses for pictures in front of cars that participate in this year’s Gumball 3000 international car rally, in cenral London’s Covent Garden, Thursday May 26, 2011. Over 100 vehicles will set off from London on a 3,000 mile journey across 10 countries bringing together supercars, eco-cars, free music concerts and VIP parties along the way, according to the organizers. — AP

Steve Earle grapples with mortality in CD, novel I

t wasn’t part of any master plan that Steve Earle released a CD and his debut novel virtually simultaneously and with the same titles, ´I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive.” The novel, named for the last single released by Hank Williams before his death, took eight years of work and features Williams’ ghost as a main character. There’s no obvious link to the subject matter of his new songs, but when Earle listened to them he realized the idea of mortality ran through both projects. Earle’s father died three years ago at a time Steve was writing songs for an album he produced for Joan Baez. Two of those songs, ´God is God” and ´I Am a Wanderer,” Earle also recorded for his own disc. ´It can’t help but seep into everything,” he said. ´It’s a big event in everyone’s life. When the generation before you is gone, you’re next.” Earle and three friends all dropped out of high school at the same time. Two of them are dead. The third has cancer. And Earle, at 56 and 16 years removed now from a heroin addiction that sent him to jail and almost killed him, is the one alive and healthy - with a multifaceted professional life, happy marriage to singer Allison Moorer and a one-year-son, John Henry.

His appreciation of that bursts through on ´Waitin’ on the Sky,” the opening cut of the new CD, where Earle sings: ´Didn’t know I was going to live this long now I’m sittin’ on top of the world.” Earle had written more than songs through the years, and a collection of short stories predated his new book. His agent encouraged him to pursue the idea of a novel taking off from the true story that a doctor had been traveling with Williams when he died on Jan. 1, 1953 and had likely supplied the musician with drugs. Not that it was easy.

Earle had become a master in a discipline that required writers to boil complex ideas into concise, three or four-minute stories. Here he’d have to stretch. His idea of writing during downtime traveling on concert tours proved a bust. ´You can’t stare at a word processor on a moving vehicle,” he said. ´You’ll throw up.” He borrowed a friend’s apartment in Spain for a couple of stretches to write. ´It’s just hard work,” he said. ´I typed 18 words a minute in high school when I started learning typing and I think I typed 14 when I finished. I play piano better than I type. It’s painful.

It’s physically grueling. If I didn’t go to the gym every day it would kill me. It was like somebody was beating me between the shoulders with a baseball bat.” In the novel, Dr Joseph Alexander Ebersole III - everyone just knows him as ´Doc” had settled into a seedy part of San Antonio. He’d long since lost his license, but paid for his drug fixes by providing under-the-table medical services to the community around him. His life begins changing when a Mexican girl for whom he’d performed an abortion stays to live with him, and Hank’s ghost doesn’t like the competition for his time.

Williams was an obvious draw for him. ´Hank Williams

haunts me, and I think everybody else who does what I do, to a certain extent,” he said. ´He certainly did Townes (Van Zandt, Earle’s musical hero). Townes died on New Year’s Day, and I’m not sure it’s totally an accident.” Earle’s effort brought forth a wide swath of critical opinion. In the Chicago SunTimes, critic Jeff Johnson writes that ´Earle proves an imaginative, insightful author with an innate gift to storytelling.”

But while there’s no question Earle can tell a great story, Kim Curtis of The Associated Press wrote that ´he cannot seem to sustain it throughout this short volume of fiction.” Earle brought to his novel writing a strong ear for character nuances and voice, said Jenna Johnson, senior editor at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ´Steve shows a remarkable respect and empathy for his characters even as he lets them be full and complicated and not always sympathetic people,” said Johnson, who edited the book. ´This is not something every novelist can pull off.” Writing a novel was new for Earle; recording an album certainly wasn’t. Although the songwriting process came across a longer period of time and it took Earle awhile to recognize its theme, he had very definite ideas about how he wanted to make it.—AP

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Five best

Review

Arnold Schwarzenegger movies L

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he roly-poly Po is back in “Kung Fu Panda 2,” with high energy, some lovely visuals and peppy, playful voice work, as always, from star Jack Black. But the freshness and novelty that made the original film such a kick back in 2008 has been, well, kicked to bits. And the story line of this sequel feels overstuffed with plot lines and characters, none of which gets its due individually. Parents also should be aware of some violent, frightening imagery that may be too much for the littlest kids (we’re talking around age 4).

Everyone else, though, will probably delight in the animated spectacle from director Jennifer Yuh Nelson, which is bright and tactile, bold and subtle. The 3-D - you didn’t think it would not be in 3-D, now did you? - generally is unobtrusive, but it doesn’t really add anything, either. The most beautiful parts come from the other kinds of visual styles that are worked in, including a delicate segment that features paper-style animation. “Delicate” probably is not the first word that comes to mind when pondering the portly Po, who has gone from the underdog dreaming of kung-fu greatness all day at his dad’s restaurant to the Dragon Warrior himself. He must protect the Valley of Peace with the help of The Furious Five, the various animal species who fight alongside him and happen to come with celebrity voices.

One day, Po begins having flashbacks to long-suppressed childhood memories, and he begins to wonder who his biological parents might have been. As lug-headed as Po can be, even he can figure out that Mr Ping (lovingly voiced by James Hong), the duck who runs the village noodle shop in the film’s version of ancient China, probably did not provide him with any DNA. And so Po goes on a quest, as so many kung-fu warriors must, in search of his past. At the same time, a megalomaniacal peacock named Lord Shen (Gary Oldman) is hellbent on dominating the country with some serious firepower.

These two story lines run parallel to each other and eventually collide but never truly gel. It is an admirable attempt to develop the character beyond the usual animated kids’ movie hero, but it also results in a crammed narrative that will make you wish they had stuck with one story or the other.

In every way, it feels like there is too much going on, and that includes having too many characters. This is especially true when it comes to Po’s posse, The Furious Five. Except for Angelina Jolie as the fierce Tigress, the animals who comprise Po’s team - Monkey (Jackie Chan), Mantis (Seth Rogen), Viper (Lucy Liu) and Crane (David Cross) - do plenty of fighting but only get a couple of lines here and there, and they are not fleshed out terribly well.

Dustin Hoffman returns in a reduced role as Po’s diminutive mentor, Master Shifu (and there’s not nearly enough of him), with Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dennis Haysbert and Michelle Yeoh among the other actors joining the supporting cast.

The way to true inner peace comes from knowing that more does not necessarily equal better. “Kung Fu Panda 2,” a DreamWorks Animation and Paramount Pictures release, is rated PG for sequences of martial arts action and mild violence. Running time: 90 minutes. Two stars out of four. — AP

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• This undated file photo originally supplied by Warner Bros.

Pictures shows Arnold Schwarzenegger in his role as the Terminator in his most recent sequel “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.” — AP “Terminator” director James Cameron in this remake of a French comedy, Schwarzenegger stars as a spy posing as a mild-mannered computer salesman.

When he suspects his wife (a funny and sexy Jamie Lee Curtis) is having an affair, he uses all the gadgets and weapons at his disposal to win her back. A screwball blockbuster.

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classic and most-quoted lines - “I’ll be back” - and allowed us all to put the suffix “-ator” at the end of any word to describe him in a corny way. Cameron also put himself on the map, as director and co-writer, with this sci-fi fable about an unstoppable cyborg sent back from the future to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) before she can give birth to ... well, you know what the “Terminator” series is about. Clever, intense and mind-bendy, filled with a dark mythology of biblical proportions and the kind of elaborate action sequences that would become one of Cameron’s trademarks.

“Terminator 2: Judgment Day” (1991): A rare sequel that is as good as the original, if not better (are you listening, makers of the “Hangover” movies?). “T2” was super high-tech in its day, with seamless visual effects that allowed Robert Patrick’s character, the even deadlier Terminator known as the T-1000, to shape-shift and heal itself instantly. Schwarzenegger is back as the original Terminator, who must now protect Sarah Connor’s son. Of course, “T2” features yet another of his classic lines - “Hasta la vista, baby” which he would use to cringe-inducing effect in various real-world circumstances.

“Total Recall” (1990): Inspired by a Philip K Dick short story and directed by Paul Verhoeven, this is a brisk, paranoid, violent and darkly funny adventure.

Schwarzenegger stars as Doug Quaid, a construction worker living in the future who discovers that his entire existence has been a fabrication. His real identity (which has something to do with Mars) has been erased, but virtual reality trips help him unlock his own mysteries. This vision of an efficient future is meant to be startling in its soullessness, but “Total Recall” also features plenty of sleaze; this is, after all, from the man who would go on to direct “Basic Instinct.” Speaking of which, a young and extremely cute Sharon Stone co-stars as Schwarzenegger’s wife.

“Predator” (1987): OK, I will admit that I am choosing this one in part because my husband loves it, and he has an uncanny knack for finding it on TV at any time of the day or night. (I also enjoy hearing him yell, “Get to the chopper!” in his bad Arnold accent.) An early film from action veteran John McTiernan, this sci-fi thriller is about a group of commandos who are trapped in a Central American jungle and hunted by an extraterrestrial monster. Schwarzenegger, as a special forces bad-a** named Dutch, is sent in to save them but he also must fight this creature with deadly camouflage abilities. If anyone could do it, it was Arnold at the height of his powers. — AP

“The Terminator” (1984): One of the definitive ‘80s action flicks and the movie that truly made Schwarzenegger a superstar. It features one of his

Ailing Indian star to rest in Singapore

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he family of Indian movie star Rajnikanth says he will go to Singapore to rest after recovering from recent illnesses. His daughter Aishwarya Rajnikanth says the 60-yearold actor had recovered but needed rest and care to regain his health. His wife Latha Rajnikanth said yesterday that Rajnikanth has been hospitalized three times in a month with a kidney ailment and respiratory infection. She told reporters in the southern Indian city of Chennai the actor was doing well but the family was looking forward to some private time.

Rajnikanth, whose real name is Shivaji Rao Gaekwad, has acted in more than 175 films since 1975. He is one of India’s biggest movie stars, especially in Tamil and Telugu language films in southern India. — AP

Rajnikanth

‘Panda 2’ is lovely but lacks fresh kick

ike Charlie Sheen, Arnold Schwarzenegger was once known as an actor. Granted, not a great actor, but still. He starred in a lot of movies. And, like Sheen, Schwarzenegger is infamous these days for his off-camera antics. Revelations that the former California governor’s 25-year marriage to Maria Shriver is ending and that he fathered a son with a member of his housekeeping staff have put him in the spotlight in a way even he probably never wanted. So, like we did with Sheen, we’re going to go back to a simpler, happier time and reflect on Schwarzenegger’s five best films. And there actually are five: • “True Lies” (1994): Schwarzenegger has always injected an element of humor into his action movies, a tongue-in-cheek recognition of his own outsized ridiculousness, for better and for worse. His puns, for example, can be painful. But this is the best example of his ability to blend laughs and gunfire, sight gags and explosions. Teaming up once again with

SATURDAY, MAY 28, 2011

LA

swimwear designers get summer happy Cali Dreaming swimsuit designers Carrie Jardine (left) and Lisa Priolo, pose next to model Molly Kucera who wears one of their designs titled, “The Sweetheart One Piece and Berry Tie-dye,” in their studio in Venice, California. — MCT

A

t first glance there doesn’t seem to be much to a swimsuit - a little bit of fabric that the wearer hopes will cover the necessary areas in the most flattering way and that will stay put in pool or surf.

But swimwear style changes by the year, however subtly. Pay close attention and you notice that some modern designers are eschewing embellishments, hardware and potentially uncomfortable details in favor of streamlined, seamless and versatile suits.

And quite a few women seem to be paying attention. Sales of women’s swimsuits grew 8.1 percent during 2010, with sales in the US market totaling just over $2.6 billion, compared with $2.4 billion in 2009, according to NPD Group, a market research firm.

In the vanguard is a fresh crop of swimsuit designers based in, and inspired by, Southern California. They approach designing swimwear in the same way others approach designing a ready-to-wear collection - with a strong focus, signature fit and comfortable fabrics that make each suit feel as if it is barely there. Forget digging and indentation marks, cumbersome hardware, underwires and all the bells and whistles so popular five years ago. Today’s swim

designers love a functional suit that works as well for surfing as it does for sunning, and they design accordingly.

Southern California’s exciting new group of swimwear designers includes models and surf enthusiasts, an artist and a fashion buyer who claim to take into account everything from a good-looking backside to the functional aspect of neoprene when creating their collections. Here are a few who are making a splash.

Mikoh Swimwear Sisters and San Clemente, Calif, natives Oleema and Kalani Miller know firsthand what makes a practical swimsuit, having grown up surfing and eventually competing as part of the Roxy surf team through their teens. Taking into account a flattering fit, durability and ability to withstand a fairly strong wave or two, the sisters set out to create a functional line of swimwear that might also make the wearer stand out in a surf competition lineup, thanks to the vivid colors, seascape-inspired prints and sexy details.

“Growing up in a surfing environment and always wearing swimsuits had most to do with creating this swim collection,” says

Oleema, at 22 a self-proclaimed free spirit with a penchant for world travel, a passion her 24-year-old sister shares. The two spend about half the year bouncing among Australia, Hawaii, Orange County, Santa Barbara and Bali - the latter where they produce their swimsuit line.

Their brand, which launched its first collection in 2010, combines a carefree athletic and colorful aesthetic with seamless, hardware-free suits whose prints and colors are inspired mostly by the sisters’ travels abroad. Suits are named for exotic settings (the Bora Bora and the Lanai, for instance).

Prints include graphics that echo the jagged lines waves create when hitting the beach and an abstract interpretation of sea kelp.

Though the Mikoh line is relatively new, it made a splash early on when the suits were featured in the photo spreads in last year’s Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition.

Three more of their suits made it into this year’s issue, due in no small part to the pops of color, such as citron yellow and bold teal, in their current season’s swimsuits and coverups.

“We want to wear something that you

can surf in, but still looks good, makes your butt look good,” Oleema says. “It’s a good thing if you’re able to paddle out representing women surfers and look good while doing it.” Mikoh swimsuits retail for about $200. Silk coverups are $100 to $200; rayon coverups are $100. Available at Barneys, Saks Fifth Avenue and Shopbop.com.

Cali Dreaming Forget overly embellished, splashy printed swimwear. Fine artist Carrie Jardine and fashion buyer-turned designer Lisa Priolo find beauty in simple, understated and mostly earthy neutral hues. For their first collection in 2009, the duo debuted a line in which all 10 styles were in a shade of nude or a glimmery gold-beige. “We’re very inspired by the natural look of the 1970s,” Priolo says. “And everything is also hardware-free. We’re not attracted to hardware at all.”

Comfort was a motivating factor for these friends who met while living in Toronto and moved to Los Angeles six years ago, when they started the line. They despised the way bikini bottoms would dig into the hip area, leaving unsightly indentations. To keep this from happening, their

SATURDAY, MAY 28, 2011

suits are double-lined, with seamless construction and hidden elastic to alleviate any pressure on the hips and mid-section. Bikini tops feature multiple closures to provide more options on fit. Jardine, 38, and Priolo, 34, are the fit models for the line and road test each piece to ensure comfort.

As the line has grown, Priolo and Jardine (who combined the first two letters of their first names to come up with their company’s moniker) have stuck to their subdued, sophisticated approach to design, and they’ve started to incorporate texture by using perforated fabrics, mesh detail and tie dye patterns. The women channel the golden sunlight and beautiful beaches of Southern California into their designs.

“Landing back in LAX I still feel like I’m on vacation,” Priolo says. “I love the lifestyle out here.” That laid-back California vibe and the shimmery golden colors of the swimsuits reflect their love for LA and the landscape of the city. “When I moved here, I hit the beach right away,” Jardine says. “I started surfing, which was a very natural evolution into swimwear.” They keep their production local too, to support the area’s economy. All their suits are made in Los Angeles from fabrics sourced here. Cali Dreaming swimsuits are $165 to $175.

Available at Barneys Co-op, Intermix and Planet Blue.

Shimmi The mantra less is more can be a daunting concept when it comes to swimsuits, but professional models Alison Renner and Scarlett Chorvat believe that when it comes to bikinis, itty-bitty can be quite flattering when done right. They started their LA-based line Shimmi in summer 2009 after agreeing that the more fabric in a swimsuit, the less flattering. They set out to create a line of flirty and ultra-feminine swimsuits with bottoms inspired by the low-slung hipsters from the 1970s. Sweet and dainty florals adorn their bikinis, and a one-piece suit has an asymmetrical strap

Ex-pro surfers, swimwear designers and sisters Oleema (left) and Kalani Miller (right) pose for portrait with model Danica Solomon in one of their suits. The sisters have created Mikoh Swimwear. — MCT

igner ear des Swimw ra Cassaniti d Alexan or portrait in f s e ica, pos ta Mon her San nia studio, Califor 2011. Her , May 16 re made of suits a material, ne neopre the materio t r a il — MCT sim tsuits. e w in l a

and edgy lace-up detail along one side.

They also incorporate vivid brights, such as fuchsia and a few neons - the latter of which will be used in an exclusive capsule collection for Net-a-porter.com.

Though the suits may seem to be on the skimpier side, Renner, 29, and Chorvat, 37, road test each piece and make sure the suits stay put and cover the backside in the right places. “We’re both the fit models,” Renner says. “As far as surfing in them, well, we’ll leave that to the girls who know how to surf. But we get them in the pool and make sure they don’t move or fall off.”

Their aim is to make swimwear that doesn’t feel bulky. Fabrics are all UV-protective, and suits are made in Los Angeles.

Shimmi swimsuits are $170 to $240 and coverups $220 to $310. Available at www.net-a-porter.com, Satine and Madison.

Alexandra Cassaniti Alexandra Cassaniti grew up surfing in Hawaii and Leucadia, Calif. But after she moved to New York and braved the brisk waves of the Atlantic, she was inspired to create neoprene swimwear that can be worn as a layer in cold waters and worn alone in more temperate seas. Cassaniti, 28, the former designer of Steven Alan’s women’s line, is now based in Santa Monica and has expanded her neoprene suits into sexy shapes, added interesting hardware such as oversized black zippers.

For some styles, she salvages scraps of neoprene and pieces them together to form tops and bottoms. All the suits are reversible and have a sporty appeal thanks to the technical material, which Cassaniti says can be challenging to work with. The suits are made in Orange County, Calif.

In addition to her wet-suit-inspired biki-

nis and one-piece suits, she makes tank tops and rash guard-style tops for layering.

Cassaniti also manages to incorporate neoprene into her clothing and accessories collection, edging the cuffs of a structured canvas jacket with neoprene, which she coats with recycled surf wax to make it waterproof; using the material for the uppers and linings of simple, ‘70s-inspired low wedge sandals; and crafting it into a beret.

“I feel like girls don’t have a lot of choices for neoprene pieces,” says Cassaniti, explaining her motivation for starting a line of suits. She is expanding her range of neoprene by collaborating with San Diegobased wet-suit company Matuse to create two spring wet suits. Alexandra Cassaniti swimsuits are $130 for a top, $60 for bottoms and $200 for a one-piece. Available at Creatures of Comfort, Opening Ceremony and Curve. — MCT

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technology

SATURDAY, MAY 28, 2011

Japan orders Sony to improve data security TOKYO: Sony was told by the Japanese government yesterday to strengthen its data security as the electronics and entertainment giant reels from a series of attacks by hackers.

The industry ministry officially instructed Sony to implement its own plan to improve management and protection of key information. “This is a serious case, considering the nature of the information and the scope of the data leak,” the ministry said in a statement.

In April the firm admitted personal information such as the user names, passwords, addresses and birth dates of more than 100

million people may have been compromised after hackers struck the PlayStation Network and Sony Online Entertainment services.

The hackers, staging one of the biggest data breaches since the advent of the Internet, may also have made off with credit and debit card data, the company said.

Sony said the data breach will likely result in at least a $170 million hit to operating profit this financial year in terms of insurance and damages costs.

The firm, which has since suffered attacks on more websites worldwide including in Greece and Thailand,

announced the initial security breach on April 26, after discovering it on April 19.

Since then, Sony has hired outside security firms to put in place new safety measures.“The fact that such a case happened and that it took time to report the incident to users as well as to this ministry is very regrettable,” the ministry said.

The ministry said it had held three hearings about the case, and had reviewed the company’s plans to improve its security.

The ministry also ordered Sony to tighten internal communications as well as exchanges with partner companies to further enhance protection of consumer infor-

mation. “We are taking aggressive action including increasing security measures and working with respective authorities to address the concerns that were raised by this incident,” said Kazuo Hirai, Sony executive deputy president.

“We are making consumer data protection a full-time, company-wide commitment so that our customers can rest assured about enjoying their entertainment,” he said in a statement.

Sony said it has found no evidence so far that credit card data has been stolen and fraudulent financial transactions made due to the data leak. — AFP

Sony to restore PlayStation Network in Asia today Hacking sparks lawsuits

BEIJING: This file photo taken on February 10, 2010 shows the Chinese Web search giant Baidu’s head office in Beijing. Chinese search engine Baidu said it was thinking about expanding into more overseas markets. — AFP

Nook gets lean, adds touch screen NEW YORK: Barnes & Noble unveiled a lean new version of its Nook electronic book reader boasting a touch screen, months-long battery life and a price on par with Amazon.com’s mid-line Kindle.

The Simple Touch Reader featuring a six-inch, blackand-white touch screen was available for order online at nook.com for $139 and was to begin shipping on June 10.

“Touch makes it simple to use, and the beautifully compact design makes it the most portable eReader in its class,” Barnes & Noble chief executive William Lynch said in a release. “Add to that an unmatched battery life, the most advanced paper-like touch display on the market and wireless access to the world’s largest digital bookstore.”

The Nook was billed as tailored for readers and not touted as a challenge to tablet computers such as iPads, which are platforms for Web browsing, games, videos and more as well as electronic books.

Barnes & Noble claimed to have captured 25 percent of the digital book market since launching the first Nook model about 18 months ago.

Simple Touch Reader weighed in at 7.48 ounces (212 grams), lighter than a typical paperback novel, and was described as easy to fit in a jacket pocket or handbag while being able to hold as many as 1,000 digital books.

The new Nook’s debut came five days after the struggling US bookseller said that Liberty Media had offered to buy the company for $17 a share in cash, valuing the retailer at around $1 billion.

The bid would give the media conglomerate controlled by tycoon John Malone a new business to go with its Starz film channel, QVC shopping network and stakes in the Expedia travel website and other media assets.

Barnes & Noble calls itself the world’s largest bookseller, with 705 bookstores in 50 states.

But the book business has been hammered by a shift to electronic books as well as Internet sales.

Borders, the second-largest US bookstore chain, filed for bankruptcy in February, and is still undergoing restructuring. — AFP

TOKYO: Sony Corp said it would begin restoring its PlayStation videogame network in Japan and elsewhere in Asia today, more than a month after a massive security breach leaked personal details on tens of millions of accounts.

The Japanese electronics and entertainment giant, which has already begun restoring services in other parts of the world, said yesterday it would also offer a new identity protection service to customers in Asia. In what is thought to be the biggest security breach of its kind, hackers accessed personal information on 77 million PlayStation Network and Qriocity accounts, 90 percent of which are in North America and Europe, and may have stolen credit card information.

Gamers and security experts had criticised Sony for its handling of the incident, which sparked lawsuits and cast a shadow over its plans to combine the strengths of its content and hardware products via online services.

The company apologised to customers for the outage, and said a range of new security measures had been introduced. These included an early warning system that could alert the company to any attempt to penetrate the network. On Thursday, Sony said it was keeping to its target of restoring all PlayStation Network services by the end of May, with any delay beyond that not likely to be more

TOKYO: A man looks at Sony’s Bravia flat panel TV sets on display at a Tokyo store Thursday. — AP than a few days. It has said it expects the hacking to drag down operating profit by 14 billion yen ($172 million) in the current financial year, including costs for boosting security measures.

Shares in Sony fell 3.2 percent ahead of the announcement on the restart, with analysts concerned Sony’s forecast for a $975 million net profit this business year may not meet expectations.Some users had said the prolonged outage had prompted them to switch to rival Microsoft’s Xbox Live games service. The attack on Sony is the highest-profile of a series that have affected large corporations in recent months, fuelling

doubts about the security of cloud computing services. Sony discovered unusual activity on its PlayStation Network, which enables games console owners to download games, chat with friends and pit their skills against rivals, on April 19.

It shut down the network and its Qriocity online music and movie service, frustrating many users, but waited almost a week before alerting users to the extent of the security leak.

The company later found out that a separate online games service had also been penetrated, allowing access to another 25 million user accounts. — Reuters

Twitter buys TweetDeck for $40m SAN FRANCISCO: Twitter announced Wednesday that it had bought TweetDeck and pledged to continue to invest in the popular application for using the microblogging service. “We’re pleased to announce that the TweetDeck team has joined Twitter,” Twitter chief executive Dick Costolo said in a blog post.

San Francisco-based Twitter did not disclose the financial details of the acquisition, but various reports in technology blogs have put the purchase price for the London-based TweetDeck at around $40 million.

“TweetDeck is a great example of a third-party developer that designed tools for the incredibly important audience of Twitter power-users and, in turn, created val-

ue for the network as a whole,” Costolo said.

“This acquisition is an important step forward for us,” he said. “TweetDeck provides brands, publishers, marketers and others with a powerful platform to track all the real-time conversations they care about.

“In order to support this important constituency, we will continue to invest in the TweetDeck that users know and love,” Costolo said.

TweetDeck, which was founded in 2008 by Iain Dodsworth, is a favorite of heavy users of Twitter, allowing them to view “tweets” in various different ways and to organize their messages into columns, features which are not offered on Twitter’s own website. — AFP

Technology SATURDAY, MAY 28, 2011

Microsoft board backs Ballmer over Einhorn SEATTLE: Microsoft Corp’s board stood behind Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer, defending its longtime leader after influential hedge fund manager David Einhorn touched off a debate by calling for his dismissal.

The fund manager, who made his name warning about Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc’s financial health before the investment bank’s collapse, accused Ballmer on Wednesday evening of being stuck in the past, launching the sharpest attack yet by a high-profile investor against the company’s leadership.

Einhorn’s comments, which echo what some investors have said for some years in private, caused a stir on Wall Street and helped Microsoft shares climb 2 percent on Thursday to $24.67.

“His continued presence is the biggest overhang on Microsoft’s stock,” Einhorn told fellow fund managers at the annual Ira Sohn Investment Research Conference in New York. Microsoft’s nine-person board, including Chairman and co-founder Bill Gates, supports Ballmer, a source close to the board told Reuters on Thursday.

Microsoft itself declined comment.

Gates, who co-founded the software company in 1975 and is still the largest shareholder with 6.6 percent of the company’s stock, is generally regarded as the one

person who could make the decision to switch management. “Bill Gates is a ruthless capitalist. If he wanted to, he’d walk Ballmer to the door himself,” said a fund manager at one of Microsoft’s largest shareholders, who asked to remain anonymous.

Gates, who spends most of his time on his philanthropic foundation, has given no indication he is considering a change. A representative declined comment on Thursday. Other investors acknowledged Microsoft’s stock has suffered under Ballmer, but stopped short of calling for his ouster.

“I thought the board was firmly behind Steve, and the only way Steve was going to leave was if Steve wanted to leave,” said Eric Jackson at hedge fund Ironfire Capital, which sold its position in Microsoft last autumn, disappointed the company would not lift its dividend higher.

“I don’t see anybody else on the management team at Microsoft that I think would be much better than Ballmer.” Whitney Tilson, founder and managing partner of T2 Partners LLC, which holds Microsoft stock, suggested Ballmer might be running out of steam.

“This dissatisfaction with Ballmer, with the company, is more than baked into the stock,” said Tilson in an appearance on financial news channel CNBC. “When

you’ve been the top dog so long, how do you become hungry again?”

Microsoft-the largest US company by market value in the late 1990s-has been overtaken by Apple Inc and International Business Machines Corp in market value, and is no longer seen as a dominating force in technology after a failure to capitalize on Internet and mobile markets. Before Thursday’s gain, the stock had been down 6 percent in the past two weeks after Microsoft agreed to pay $8.5 billion for Internet phone service Skype, a move that mystified many investors.

Einhorn said it was time for Microsoft to consider strategic alternatives for its money-losing online business, which has so far failed to win share from Google Inc. “Clearly, some people are calling for a change,” said Sid Parakh, analyst with McAdams Wright Ragen. “If you look at the financial performance, that’s been fine. But I think the issue is broader than that.

“If you look at search, mobile, tablet, these are areas they should have been investing in, and they have-but they weren’t able to get it right,” he added. But: “If there was any reason to believe the board was not with Steve, it would be a different situation. But the board seems to be behind Steve.”—Reuters

Google faces lawsuit over mobile phone ‘Wallet’ Mobile payments are being tested

PALO ALTO: In this May 10, 2011 file photo, the exterior view of Skype offices in Palo Alto, Calif., are shown. Internet phone service Skype said yesterday, a “small percentage” of its users have been unable to sign in to its service but it is taking steps to resolve the problem. — AP

Skype scrambles after service trouble SAN FRANCISCO: Skype was scrambling to fix a problem that caused the globally popular Internet telephone service to be inaccessible for a “small number” of users.

“A small number of you may have had problems signing in to Skype,” Skype engineer Peter Parkes said in an update at the Luxembourg-based firm’s blog. “This predominantly affects people using Skype for Windows,” he continued.

We have identified the problem and will issue a fix in the next few hours.”

His message included step-by-step instructions for Skype users to correct the problem on computers powered by Windows, Linux, or Macintosh operating systems.

Skype spokesman Chaim Haas said that while some users had trouble signing in, the service never went out and its computers didn’t crash.

Skype was up and running, with 25

million people logged in early Thursday afternoon, according to Haas.

“Engineers have been hard at work all day and a formal fix will be pushed out shortly,” Haas said of the situation.

The problem came just weeks after Microsoft sealed a deal to buy the Internet voice and video leader for $8.5 billion dollars in a move aimed at boosting its presence in an online arena dominated by Google and Facebook.

The purchase of Skype, which reportedly also attracted interest from Cisco, Facebook and Google, is the largest ever by Microsoft and gives it control of one of the few companies whose name has become a verb, as in to “skype.”

Skype users can make low-cost or free phone calls over the Internet using their computers or smartphones. Skype bypasses the standard telephone network by channeling voice and video calls over the Web. — AFP

NEW YORK: Google faced a lawsuit yesterday hours after it unveiled a free mobile application that turns a smartphone into an electronic wallet and is designed to replace plastic credit cards.

PayPal and eBay filed a lawsuit in a California state court Thursday charging that the Internet giant tapped into trade secrets for its newly released Google Wallet. Google did not immediately respond to the allegations.

PayPal spent three years trying to work out a deal in which it would handle payments for Android smartphones, only to see Google scuttle the talks and hire its lead negotiator Osama Bedier, according to court documents.

Bedier worked at the eBay-owned online financial services unit as a vice president of platform, mobile, and new ventures until being hired in January by Google.

He played a central role at Google’s official unveiling in New York with financial partners Citibank, MasterCard and First Data and telecom ally Sprint, saying Google Wallet is being field tested and will be available this summer.

Google Wallet will initially work with Google’s Nexus S 4G smartphone from Sprint, the third-largest US wireless provider, and will eventually be expanded to other phones equipped with near field communication (NFC) technology.

An NFC chip in a phone allows a user who has entered his or her credit card details to “tap-and-pay” for purchases at a checkout register equipped with the PayPass system from CitiMasterCard.

Customers can also use a Google Prepaid card to pay for purchases and take advantage of Google Offers, the Mountain View, California-based company’s online discount coupon program.

The company said Google Wallet will be accepted at more than 124,000 US merchants at launch and more than 311,000 around the world.

Stephanie Tilenius, Google’s vice president for commerce and payments, described Google Wallet as the “next generation of mobile commerce.”

“We’re building an open commerce ecosystem that for the first time will make it possible for you to pay with an NFC wallet and redeem consumer promotions all in one tap, while shopping offline,” Tilenius said.

“We are looking at expanding internationally, Europe first and then Asia.”

The PayPal lawsuit contends that Tilenius helped Google poach Bedier and named both executives and the Internet company as defendants in a civil case alleging misappropriation of trade secrets.

Mobile payments are being tested or used in a number of countries already, notably France and Japan, but Google Wallet will be among the first to bring NFC technology to stores in the United States.

NFC technology uses short-range, high frequency wireless to enable the encrypted exchange of information between devices at a short distance.

Three of the largest US wireless carriers-AT&T, TMobile and Verizon Wireless-announced in November that they were teaming up to build a national network called “Isis” to allow for payments by mobile phones.

They said they expect to introduce the service during the next 18 months. Then-Google chief executive Eric Schmidt said shortly before the Nexus S smartphone hit the market in December that he expects tap-and-pay technology to eventually replace credit cards.

Forrester Research analyst Charles Golvin said it remains to be seen, however, whether Google can change the payment behavior of consumers, and it will take time and more widespread adoption to find out.

“Relying on an installed base of phones that is today indistinguishable from zero, a single payment system, a single card issuer, and a modest network of merchants capable of accepting these phone-based payments means that the near-term impact will be negligible,” Golvin said.

Andrew Eisner, director of community and content at Retrevo, agreed that “the big question is how consumers will warm up to NFC.” “So far it looks like consumers are a bit skeptical,” Eisner said. “They worry about security and privacy issues.”

Google said it has built a number of security systems into Google Wallet including the need for a PIN number and credit card encryption. If lost, the payment system can be disabled with a phone call.

In addition to allowing for mobile payments, Google Wallet lets consumers pay using gift cards and redeem promotions such as discounts or coupons.

“Google Wallet will start with offers, loyalty and gift cards, but some day items like receipts, boarding passes and tickets will all be seamlessly synced to your Google Wallet,” Google said in a blog post. — AFP

LENIN

TV listings SATURDAY, MAY 28, 2011

00:45 Untamed And Uncut 01:40 Dogs/Cats/Pets 101 02:35 Karina: Wild On Safari 03:30 Big Five Challenge 04:25 Natural World 05:20 Animal Cops South Africa 06:10 Dogs 101 07:00 Meerkat Manor 07:25 Crocodile Hunter 08:15 The Really Wild Show 08:40 Natural Born Hunters 09:10 Michaela’s Animal Road Trip 10:05 Dogs/Cats/Pets 101 11:00 Animal Precinct 11:55 Wildlife SOS 12:20 Vet On The Loose 12:50 Animal ER 13:45 Wildest Africa 14:40 Austin Stevens Adventures 19:15 Austin Stevens Adventures 20:10 Dogs 101 21:05 Great White Appetite 22:00 Shark Attack File 22:55 The Animals’ Guide To Survival 23:50 Running With Wolves

00:00 00:30 01:15 02:05 02:50 03:20 03:50 04:35 04:55 05:15 05:40 05:55 06:15 06:35 07:00 07:20 07:40 08:05 08:20 08:40 09:00 09:25 09:40 10:40 11:30 12:20 14:15 16:25 16:55 17:45 18:30 20:10 21:00 21:30 22:00 22:45 23:15

Beautiful People The Weakest Link Jekyll Live At The Apollo Beautiful People Doctors Last Of The Summer Wine Me Too Tweenies Teletubbies Bobinogs Me Too Tweenies Teletubbies Me Too Tweenies Teletubbies Bobinogs Me Too Tweenies Teletubbies Bobinogs Last Of The Summer Wine The Planets The Weakest Link Eastenders Strictly Come Dancing One Foot In The Grave The Planets The Weakest Link Holby City Robin Hood One Foot In The Grave Green Green Grass Live At The Apollo Beautiful People A Thing Called Love

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Come Dine With Me The Home Show Masterchef: The Professionals Masterchef: The Professionals The Hairy Bikers’ Cookbook The Hairy Bikers’ Cookbook Daily Cooks Challenge Saturday Kitchen Cooked Saturday Kitchen Masterchef: The Professionals Masterchef: The Professionals Saturday Kitchen Holmes On Homes Holmes On Homes Fantasy Homes By The Sea Holmes On Homes Holmes On Homes Masterchef: The Professionals Masterchef: The Professionals Saturday Kitchen

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BBC World News Sport Today Weekend World BBC World News America Our World BBC World News Horizons BBC World News Weekend World

THE SPIRIT ON OSN ACTION HD 03:30 04:00 04:30 05:00 05:10 05:30 06:00 06:30 07:00 08:30 09:00 09:30 10:00 10:10 10:30 11:00 11:10 11:30 12:00 13:10 13:30 14:00 14:30 15:00 15:10 15:30 16:00 16:15 16:30 17:00 17:30 18:00 18:10 18:30 19:00 19:30 20:00 21:15 21:30 22:00 22:30 23:00 23:10 23:30

Women On War BBC World News Earth Reporters BBC World News World Features Horizons BBC World News Fast Track BBC World News Middle East Business Report BBC World News Click BBC World News Weekend World Women On War BBC World News World Features Earth Reporters BBC World News World Features Newsnight BBC World News Our World BBC World News Weekend World Equestrian World BBC World News Sport Today Fast Track BBC World News Dateline London BBC World News World Features Horizons BBC World News Click BBC World News Sport Today Fast Track BBC World News Women On War BBC World News World Features Dateline London

00:05 Cow And Chicken 00:30 Cramp Twins 00:55 George Of The Jungle 01:20 Adventure Time 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 Ed, Edd N Eddy 07:25 Chop Socky Chooks 07:50 Chowder 08:05 Cartoon Network Dance Club 08:15 Ben 10: Alien Force 08:40 Bakugan: Gundalian Invaders 09:05 Batman: The Brave And The Bold 09:30 The Secret Saturdays 09:55 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey 10:20 George Of The Jungle 10:30 Angelo Rules 10:55 Best Ed 11:20 Eliot Kid 11:45 Skunk Fu! 12:10 Fantastic Four: World’s Greatest Heroes 12:35 Bakugan: New Vestroia 13:00 Ben 10 13:25 Codename: Kids Next Door 13:50 The Marvelous Misadventures Of Flapjack 14:15 The Life And Times Of Juniper

Lee 14:40 George Of The Jungle 15:05 Ed, Edd N Eddy 15:20 Cartoon Network Dance Club 15:35 Chop Socky Chooks 16:00 Robotboy 16:25 Squirrel Boy 16:50 Chowder 17:15 The Secret Saturdays 17:40 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 18:05 Bakugan: New Vestroia 18:30 Angelo Rules 18:55 Best Ed 19:20 Adventure Time 19:45 Cow And Chicken 20:10 The Marvelous Misadventures Of Flapjack 20:35 Courage The Cowardly Dog 21:00 The Powerpuff Girls 21:15 Cartoon Network Dance Club 21:25 Ed, Edd N Eddy 21:50 Robotboy 22:00 Batman: The Brave And The Bold 22:25 Skunk Fu! 22:50 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 23:15 Bakugan Battle Brawlers 23:40 Chowder

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Dirty Jobs Extreme Engineering 7 Ultimate Survival Mega Builders Mythbusters How Do They Do It? How Stuff’s Made Dirty Jobs American Chopper Motor City Motors Motor City Motors Mythbusters

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

Deconstruction Deconstruction Cell Phone Revolution Mythbusters Motor City Motors Motor City Motors Extreme Engineering 7 Huge Moves Mighty Ships How Do They Do It? River Monsters American Loggers Ultimate Survival Sarah Palin’s Alaska Gold Rush: Alaska River Monsters: Killer Catfish Get Out Alive

00:30 00:55 01:45 02:35 03:00 03:25 03:50 04:45 05:40 06:10 07:00 07:55 08:45 08:48 09:15 09:45 10:35 14:45 15:10 15:35 16:00 16:03 16:30 17:00 17:50 18:40 19:05 19:30 19:55 20:20 20:45 21:10 22:00 22:50 23:40

The Gadget Show Kings Of Construction How The Universe Works The Gadget Show The Gadget Show How Does That Work?

Thunder Races What’s That About?

One Step Beyond Creatures Inside Us Sci-Fi Saved My Life Brainiac Head Rush Sci-Fi Science Weird Connections Scrapheap Challenge Da Vinci’s Machines The Gadget Show The Gadget Show Patent Bending Head Rush How Stuff’s Made How Does That Work?

Ultimate Power Builders How Stuff Works Sci-Fi Science Sci-Fi Science Bang Goes The Theory Bang Goes The Theory The Gadget Show The Gadget Show Alien Storms Punkin Chunkin 2010 Catch It Keep It Weird Or What?

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Kim Possible Fairly Odd Parents Fairly Odd Parents Stitch Stitch Replacements Replacements Emperors New School Emperors New School Stitch Stitch Replacements Replacements Fairly Odd Parents Fairly Odd Parents Special Agent Oso Jungle Junction Handy Manny Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Fish Hooks Sonny With A Chance Have A Laugh The Princess Diaries Fish Hooks Fish Hooks Shake It Up Shake It Up Suite Life On Deck Sonny With A Chance Sonny With A Chance Hannah Montana Forever Stitch Shake It Up Fish Hooks The Princess Diaries Wizards Of Waverly Place Suite Life On Deck Shake It Up Have A Laugh Shake It Up Fish Hooks Fish Hooks Lemonade Mouth Hannah Montana Wizards Of Waverly Place Jonas LA Good Luck Charlie Sonny With A Chance

22:40 23:05 23:30 23:55

Wizards Of Waverly Place Jonas Hannah Montana Kim Possible

00:00 Bondi Rescue 1 00:30 Bondi Rescue 2 01:00 Lonely Planet- Roads Less Travelled 02:00 Food School 02:30 Food Lovers Guide To The Planet 03:00 Exploring The Vine 03:30 Pressure Cook 04:00 Cruise Ship Diaries 05:00 Earth Tripping 06:00 Bondi Rescue 1 06:30 Bondi Rescue 2 07:00 Lonely Planet- Roads Less Travelled 08:00 Food School 08:30 Food Lovers Guide To The Planet 09:00 Exploring The Vine 09:30 Pressure Cook 10:00 Don’t Tell My Mother 11:00 David Rocco’s Dolce Vita 11:30 Wedding Crasher 12:30 Food Lovers Guide To The Planet 13:00 By Any Means 14:00 Market Values 14:30 Departures 15:30 Market Values 16:00 Don’t Tell My Mother 17:00 David Rocco’s Dolce Vita 17:30 Wedding Crasher 18:30 Food Lovers Guide To The Planet 19:00 By Any Means 20:00 Market Values 20:30 Departures 21:30 Market Values 22:00 Don’t Tell My Mother 23:00 David Rocco’s Dolce Vita 23:30 Wedding Crasher

00:25 00:55 01:25 02:20 03:15 04:10 05:05 06:00 07:50 08:20 09:15 09:45 10:15 12:05 13:05 14:05 15:05 16:55 17:25 17:55 18:55 York 19:25 York 19:55 20:25 20:55 21:25 22:25 23:25 23:55

Kendra Behind The Scenes E!es E!es 25 Most Stylish Sexiest Extreme Hollywood THS Behind The Scenes E! News Extreme Close-Up Extreme Close-Up E!es E!es THS E!es THS Extreme Close-Up Fashion Police E! News Kourtney And Kim Take New Kourtney And Kim Take New E!es E!es The Soup Kimora: Life In The Fab Lane E! News Chelsea Lately The Soup

00:30 Ghost Lab 01:20 A Haunting 02:10 Murder Shift 03:00 Undercover 03:50 Autopsy: Most Shocking Cases 04:45 Black Museum 05:15 Ghost Lab 06:10 Diagnosis: Unknown 07:00 Forensic Detectives 07:50 CSU 08:40 Mystery Diagnosis 09:30 Real Emergency Calls 10:20 Disappeared 11:10 FBI Files 12:00 True Crime With Aphrodite Jones 12:50 The Will: Family Secrets Revealed 13:40 Mystery Diagnosis 14:30 Real Emergency Calls 15:20 Disappeared

TV listings SATURDAY, MAY 28, 2011 16:10 Forensic Detectives 17:00 CSU 17:50 FBI Files 18:40 Mystery Diagnosis 19:30 Real Emergency Calls 20:20 True Crime With Aphrodite Jones 21:10 The Will: Family Secrets Revealed 22:00 The Haunted 22:50 Ghost Lab 23:40 Mysterious Journeys

00:00 Two: Thirteen-PG15 02:00 Smokin’ Aces 2: Assassin’s Ball-18 04:00 Let Me In-R 06:00 Timeline-PG15 08:00 Enemy Of The State-PG15 10:15 Shinjuku Incident-PG15 12:15 The Truth About CharliePG15 14:00 Enemy Of The State-PG15 16:15 Con Air-PG15 18:15 The Truth About CharliePG15 20:00 The Spirit-PG15 22:00 The Manchurian Candidate18

01:00 The Limits Of Control-18 03:00 Furry Vengeance-PG15 05:00 Delgo-FAM 07:00 The Prince And Me 3: A Royal Honeymoon-PG15 09:00 Furry Vengeance-PG15 11:00 Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant-PG15 13:00 Charlie And Boots-PG 15:00 Good Hair-PG15 16:45 Invictus-PG15 19:00 All About Steve-PG15 21:00 Attack On Leningrad-PG15 23:00 World’s Greatest Dad-18

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Off The Map Survivor: Redemption Island Downton Abbey Live Good Morning America The Bachelor The Ellen DeGeneres Show Emmerdale Coronation Street Persons Unknown The Event Sons Of Anarchy Treme The Bachelor

00:00 Cold Case 01:00 No Ordinary Family 02:00 Royal Pains 03:00 Survivor: Redemption Island 04:00 Off The Map 05:00 The Philanthropist 06:00 Cold Case 07:00 The New Adventures Of Old Christine 07:30 The New Adventures Of Old Christine 08:00 The Unit 09:00 The Philanthropist 10:00 No Ordinary Family 11:00 Survivor: Redemption Island 12:00 The New Adventures Of Old Christine 12:30 The New Adventures Of Old Christine 13:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show 14:00 The Unit 15:00 Cold Case 16:00 The New Adventures Of Old Christine 16:30 Coronation Street 17:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show 18:00 The Unit 19:00 Persons Unknown 20:00 The Event 21:00 Sons Of Anarchy 22:00 C.S.I. 23:00 Psych

01:30 Snow White: A Tale Of TerrorPG15 03:15 Universal Soldier: Regeneration-PG15 05:00 Two: Thirteen-PG15 07:00 Star Trek: Generations-PG 09:00 Ice Twisters-PG15 11:00 The Sum Of All Fears-PG15 13:00 Armageddon-PG15 15:30 Ice Twisters-PG15 17:00 Hollywood Homicide-PG15 19:00 Underworld: Rise Of The Lycans-18 21:00 The Manchurian Candidate18 23:15 Rage: Carrie 2-PG15

00:00 A Low Down Dirty ShamePG15 02:00 He’s Just Not That Into YouPG15 04:30 Aliens In The Attic-FAM 06:00 Night At The Museum: Battle Of The Smithsonian-PG15 08:00 Mean Girls-PG15 10:00 The Cable Guy-PG15 12:00 Love Happens-PG15 14:00 I Spy-PG 16:00 A Low Down Dirty ShamePG15 18:00 Down And Out In Beverly Hills-PG15 20:00 Man About Town-18 22:00 Women In Trouble-PG15

01:00 L’affaire Farewell-PG15 03:00 The Damned United-PG15 05:00 Mary Reilly-PG15

07:00 09:00 11:00 13:00 15:00 17:00 19:00 21:00 23:00

A Far Off Place-PG15 April Showers-PG15 Michael Jackson’s This Is It-PG Nurse.Fighter.Boy-PG15 Bran Nue Dae-PG15 Last Chance Harvey-PG15 Man In The Chair-PG15 Free Style-PG15 The Vintner’s Luck-PG15

00:30 03:00 05:00 07:00 09:00 11:00 13:30 15:00 17:00 19:00 21:00 23:00

Jerry Maguire-18 Mr. Deeds-PG Catch That Kid-PG15 The Proposal-PG15 All About Steve-PG15 W-PG15 Monsters Inc-FAM Someone Like You-PG15 All About Steve-PG15 An Education-PG15 Freestyle-PG15 The Final Destination-18

02:00 The Nutty Professor-FAM 04:00 The Jungle Book IV: Hate And Love-FAM 05:45 Up-FAM 08:00 Barney’s Great AdventureFAM 10:00 The Nutty Professor-FAM 12:00 Tom And Jerry: Blast Off To Mars-FAM 14:00 Catch That Kid-PG15 16:00 Dennis The Menace: Cruise Control-FAM 18:00 Nativity!-PG 20:00 Gold Diggers: The Secret Of Bear Mountain-PG 22:00 Tom And Jerry: Blast Off To Mars-FAM

00:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 01:00 The Colbert Report 01:30 South Park 02:00 Funny Or Die Presents 02:30 Bored To Death 03:00 Friends 03:30 Modern Family 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 07:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 08:00 8 Simple Rules ...

08:30 Dharma And Greg 09:00 Friends 09:30 Will And Grace 10:00 Yes Dear 10:30 Outsourced 11:00 The Drew Carey Show 11:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 12:30 Dharma And Greg 13:00 8 Simple Rules ...

13:30 Will And Grace 14:00 Yes Dear 14:30 Modern Family 15:00 Outsourced 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 Friends 18:30 8 Simple Rules ...

19:00 My Boys 19:30 How I Met Your Mother 20:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 21:00 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 21:30 The Colbert Report 22:00 Saturday Night Live 23:00 South Park 23:30 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00

No Ordinary Family Off The Map Survivor: Redemption Island No Ordinary Family Lie To Me Good Morning America The Bachelor One Tree Hill Lie To Me Downton Abbey The View

00:15 Man On Wire-PG15 02:00 Alice In Wonderland-PG 04:00 Mee Shee-PG 06:00 Freestyle-PG15 08:00 Nanny Mcphee And The Big Bang-PG 10:00 Before You Say I Do-PG15 12:00 You Again-PG15 14:00 9-PG 16:00 Nanny Mcphee And The Big Bang-PG 18:00 Valentine’s Day-PG15 20:00 The Spirit-PG15 22:00 Piranha-PG15

00:00 Super 15 02:00 NRL Premiership 04:00 Trans World Sport 05:00 Super League 07:00 ICC Cricket World 07:30 Futbol Mundial 08:00 Total Rugby 08:30 Trans World Sport 09:30 Live AFL Premiership 12:30 Total Rugby 13:00 Live Test Cricket 20:00 Total Rugby 22:00 Live Senior PGA Championship

00:30 Futbol Mundial 01:00 Super League 03:00 Premier League Darts 06:30 European Tour Weekly 07:00 The Senior PGA Championship 10:30 Liv Super 15 12:30 Liv Super 16 14:30 AFL Premiership 16:30 Live European PGA Tour 17:00 Live Aviva Premiership 19:30 Total Rugby 20:00 Live Super League

03:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 09:00 10:00 10:30 12:30 14:30 15:30 17:30 18:00 20:00 22:00 23:00

WWE SmackDown UFC Unleashed UFC Unleashed WWE SmackDown WWE Bottom Line V8 Supercars Extra Live NRL Premiership Live NRL Premiership WWE Vintage Collection WWE SmackDown Total Rugby Live Super 15 Live Super 15 UFC The Ultimate Fighter UFC 130 Countdown

01:40 Wild Rovers-FAM 03:50 Fury-FAM 05:20 The Naked Spur-FAM 07:00 Somebody Up There Likes Me-FAM 08:50 Son Of A Gunfighter-FAM 10:20 36 Hours-FAM 12:10 TCM Presents Under The Influence-FAM 12:40 Les Girls-FAM 14:30 TCM Presents Under The Influence-FAM 15:00 The Harvey Girls-FAM 16:40 Light In The Piazza-FAM 18:20 The Sunshine Boys-FAM 20:10 Meet Me In St. Louis-FAM 22:00 Home From The Hill-FAM

THE LIMITS OF CONTROL ON OSN CINEMA

00:30 Investigating History 01:20 The Crusades 02:10 Mysteryquest 03:00 The Universe 03:55 Deadly Dust Storm 05:40 Declassified: Rise And Fall Of The Wall 06:30 Investigating History 07:20 The Crusades 08:10 Mysteryquest 09:00 The Universe 09:55 Deadly Dust Storm

11:40 Declassified: Rise And Fall Of The Wall 12:30 Investigating History 13:20 The Crusades 14:10 Mysteryquest 15:00 The Universe 15:55 Deadly Dust Storm 17:40 Declassified: Rise And Fall Of The Wall 18:30 Investigating History 19:20 The Crusades 20:10 Mysteryquest 21:00 Deep Sea Detectives 21:55 Deep Wreck Mysteries 22:50 Deep Sea Salvage 23:40 Seven Signs Of The Apocalypse

00:00 Working Holiday 01:00 Globe Trekker 02:00 Great Scenic Railways-US & Canada 02:30 Distant Shores 03:00 Globe Trekker 04:00 Globe Trekker 05:00 Working Holiday 06:00 World Class 06:30 Cruise Today 07:00 Globe Trekker 08:00 Spring 08:30 Think Green 09:30 Essential 10:00 Globe Trekker 11:00 American Civil War Trail 12:00 Globe Trekker 13:00 Spring 13:30 Think Green 14:30 Essential 15:00 Nomad’s Land 16:00 Globe Trekker 17:00 Planet Food 18:00 Hollywood and Vines 18:30 Cruise Today 19:00 Globe Trekker 20:00 Working Holiday 21:00 Think Green 22:00 Julian and Camilla’s World Odyssey 23:00 Globe Trekker

00:00 Jerseylicious 01:00 Fashion Avenue 01:30 Fashion Avenue 01:55 Big Boutique 02:25 How Do I Look?

03:20 Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?

04:15 Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?

05:10 Homes With Style 05:35 Area 06:05 Clean House 07:00 Big Boutique 08:00 Clean House 09:00 Giuliana And Bill 12:50 Jerseylicious 19:25 Clean House 20:20 Glam Fairy 21:15 Clean House Comes Clean 22:10 Jerseylicious 23:05 Top 10 23:30 Top 10

01:00 Cop 02:50 River’s Edge 04:30 The Last Of The Finest 06:15 Secret Screams 07:45 The Missouri Breaks 09:50 A Home Of Our Own 11:35 The Blue Lightning 13:05 Meteor Man 14:45 The 60’s 16:50 Convicts 18:20 The Adventures Of Buckaroo Banzai 20:00 Big Screen 2 20:15 Garbo Talks 22:00 Black Mama, White Mama 23:25 Sheba, Baby

WHAT’S ON SATURDAY, MAY 28, 2011

Successline library inaugurated

PGA coaching course in Kuwait

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he players from the Premier GOAL Academy are pictured in the players’ lounge at Old Trafford, Manchester United FC. - home of the new English Premier League Champions. These players from Kuwait are following in the footsteps of star striker Wayne Rooney, whose penalty goal clinched the title. Rooney began his footballing development as a young player at Everton FC, following the unique Evertonway coaching curriculum. The PGA in association with Everton FC offers the same Premier League program that helped develop Rooney, here in Kuwait. Sponsored by Porsche

Centre Kuwait, Behbehani Motors Company, the PGA coaching courses are held at Shaab Park and open to all between the ages of 3 and 18 years. There are regular trips to the UK for selected players to visit and train with top English Premier League clubs. For further details of the PGA program contact Academy Director, Mike Finn on 99981327 or Executive Director Baker Al-Nazer on 66918666.

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enowned Indian writer Benyamin rekindled the spirit of reading amidst a gathering of literary enthusiasts by stating that an active reading group of people and their open discussions can only enliven our otherwise mechanical life, yesterday at Successline center, Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh.

Benyamin was speaking after inaugurating the Successline library, a collection of English and Malayalam books and periodicals shelved at Successline center, Jleeb. John Mathew, Successline head and Alexander Chacko of AlShamel Books, which provides the books and other reading materials to the library detailed the working procedure of the library after the noted writer of ‘Aatujeevitham’ (Sheep life) inaugurated the library by cutting a ribbon.

In the lively discussion that followed, John Mathew, Sam Pynumood, Sheejo Philip, Kaippattoor Thankachan, Karunakaran, Bergman Thomas, Babuji Batheri and Ashraf Kalathode spoke on the culture of reading among Indian expats in Kuwait. While reading is an activity equivalent to meditation, the group discussed, it could be shared among others despite personal differences and backgrounds. Benyamin who is based in Bahrain came to Kuwait to receive the first Youth India award organized by Youth India, Kuwait. He said that he had read 10 books on desert before writing his award winning novel, Atujeevitham, the surviving story of a shepherd which is going to be filmed starting in October, scripted and directed by Blessey. His new novel will be out soon through DC Books.

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WHAT’S ON

SATURDAY, MAY 28, 2011

AUK President Dr Winfred Thompson Awards Honorees of the Presidents Honor Roll.

AUK commends exemplary students’ achievements

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n celebration of AUK students’ academic achievements, a ceremony was held at the Liberal Arts Auditorium where recipients of the President’s Honor Roll and Dean’s List shared their joy with faculty, staff and parents. An unprecedented 60 students we awarded by AUK President Dr Winfred Thompson for being on the President’s Honor Roll, which requires students to maintain a 4.0 GPA to be eligible for this honor. The Dean’s List saw 255 recipients awarded by Acting Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Dr Nizar Hamzeh.

These exemplary students must maintain a minimum 3.5 GPA. Exemplary students were also awarded by each division within the College of Arts and Sciences in recognition of their Outstanding Academic Achievement. Below is the list of students awarded by each division: Division of Arts and Humanities: Fatima Ali Ibraheem Haji Division of Sciences and Engineering: Ali Taqi Division of Business and Economics: Rasha Abdelhadi Division of Social Sciences: Maryam Al-Naserallah

AUK’s Sigma Tau Delta International English Honor Society, Alpha Rho Eta chapter were honored for their historic achievement of being the first International chapter to win the ‘Chapter Award of the Year’ in its 87 year history. Another great achievement that was honored was AUK’s Microsoft Imagine Cup Gulf Team who placed 2nd in the GCC Region and qualified for the World Finals in New York.

The Finance Club and International Club at AUK were both recognized for outstanding activities for the year. AUK student Nour Al-Ariss was recognized for placing third in the 10th Inter College Public Speaking Contest conducted by the Emirates Environmental Group in Dubai. Two more AUK teams were recognized, AUK’s team which placed 3rd in Kuwait’s First National Collegiate Programming Contest (Q8CPC), as well as the team that participated in Kuwait E-awards placing 2nd in the Entertainment Category. The Writing Center had a competition for prose and poems and honored the winners of the competition while the participants of the Kuwait at 50/20 Project were recognized for their efforts.

Acting Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Dr Nizar Hamzeh Awards Honorees of the Dean’s List.

Co-curricular and extra-curricular activities were also recognized for exceptional accomplishments.

Head of the Division of Business and Economics Dr Mohsen Bagnied awards Rasha Abdelhadi in recognition of her outstanding academic achievement within the division.

Head of the Division of Arts and Humanities Dr Craig Loomis awards Fatima Ali Ibraheem Haji in recognition of her outstanding academic achievement within the division.

The Microsoft Imagine Cup team that placed second with AUK President Dr Winfred Thompson.

Head of the Division of Sciences and Engineering Dr Shereef Abu Almaati awards Ali Taqi in recognition of his outstanding academic achievement within the division.

International Club at AUK with Faculty Supervisor Assistant Professor of Studio Arts Sharon Lawrence.

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HEALTH

SATURDAY, MAY 28, 2011

Drug may take the edge off bad memories NEW YORK: Blocking a hormone involved in the body’s response to stress may change the way people recall negative memories, said a study.

But it’s still unclear exactly how the drug works, and whether it has implications for the treatment of conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to the study, which appeared in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

The drug, metyrapone, blocks the stress hormone cortisol and has been used to treat people with diseases related to cortisol production.

Cortisol is also involved in storing and retrieving memories, though, making researchers wonder if tinkering with its levels could change how people recall past events.

“We know that (cortisol) is important for memory,” said Marie-France Marin, the study’s lead author from the University of Montreal.

“Very high levels are bad for your

memory, and very low levels are bad for your memory,” she told Reuters Health.

Marin and her colleagues used metyrapone to stop healthy volunteers from producing cortisol.

The volunteers, 33 young men, were first shown a narrated slide show that had both “neutral” and “emotionally negative” slides about a young girl at her grandparents’ house who is badly injured. Scenes showed a lot of blood and a trip to the operating room, though at the end viewers knew she would be okay.

Three days after watching the show, researchers gave the men either a single 750-milligram dose of metyrapone, a double dose, or a drugfree placebo pill. Then they asked them to recall as much information as possible from the story.

Another four days after that, they brought the participants in once more, and without giving them any more

drugs, asked them to recall the story again.

There was no difference in how men who had taken a single does of the drug and those given the placebo remembered the story either time. But on both occasions, those given a double does remembered significantly less of the negative emotional components of the story.

“The fact that the effects of metyrapone were still evident for four days after-that’s pretty remarkable,” said Tony Buchanan, who studies stress and memory at Saint Louis University, to Reuters Health.

Both metyrapone groups still recalled the “neutral” information as well as the placebo group did.

Marin and her colleagues believe that once participants were asked to retrieve the memory of the story, those taking the high dose of metyrapone re-stored that memory in a different, less emotional way-probably because

cortisol levels were lower at that time.

What surprised them was that the memory would still be changed when hormone levels returned to normal, and she said that her team still wasn’t sure why it only affected negative memories.

The goal of such research would be something that might help treat PTSD that doesn’t resolve with psychotherapy. About 3.5 percent of U.S. suffer from PTSD, with estimates of up to 20 percent of veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.

More research is needed-to see if women would have the same response as men, or to study other drugs that might have the same affect.

Metyrapone is currently not on the market.

“We need to see if autobiographical memories are sensitive to metyrapone in the same way or not,” Marin said. — Reuters

E. coli outbreak spreading in Germany

MATOLA: In this photo provided by the United Nations Foundation, Mozambique Prime Minister Aires Ali assists health workers in administering a dose of vitamin A to a child during the launch of the week-long national measles campaign in Matola, Mozambique. — AP

Vatican convenes AIDS experts amid condom flap VATICAN CITY: The Vatican has invited AIDS experts from around the world to a two-day symposium on preventing HIV and caring for people with the virus, just months after the pope made international headlines with his comments about condoms and AIDS. Organizers insist the meeting yesterday and today won’t call into question traditional church teaching opposing artificial contraception. In the run-up to the conference, the Vatican’s newspaper has run a series of articles reinforcing the church’s position that abstinence and fidelity in marriage are the best ways to curb HIV. Yet Pope Benedict XVI’s comments last year about condom use in prostitutes with HIV seem to have removed a Vatican taboo that had all but ruled out public discussion of whether condoms were even effective in reducing HIV transmission.

Some of the speakers at the conference organized by the Pontifical Council for Health Care Workers forcefully advocate condom use to prevent HIV’s spread: Among them is Dr. Michel Sidibe, executive director of UNAIDS, the UN agency which maintains that condoms are an “integral and essential” part of prevention programs, which the UN says should also include education about delaying the start of sexual activity, limiting sexual partners and marital fidelity. — AP

BERLIN: More than 270 people in Germany have fallen seriously ill because of potentially deadly bacteria, which has been found in imported Spanish cucumbers, officials said yesterday.

The Robert Koch Institute, the national disease centre, said more than 60 new cases of haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS) had been reported in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number to 276.

Two people have died.

The ministry of consumer affairs said a nationwide special warning had been issued, adding that investigations were underway to track the origin of contaminated vegetables which have been ordered withdrawn from the market.

German authorities have identified organic cucumbers from Spain as a source of the bacteria, a strain of E. coli, which has also led to food poisoning in Sweden, Denmark, Britain and the Netherlands.

Consumer Affairs Minister Ilse Aigner was to speak by telephone with her Spanish counterpart about the issue later yesterday, her spokesman told a regular news conference.

“The European Union internal market has very strong safety rules and we expect all EU states to observe them,” he said, adding that, for the present, “one

can only speculate about the causes” of the outbreak.

A spokesman for the health ministry said that the number of infections was still growing.

In Spain, a spokesman for the AESA food safety agency said investigations were also underway.

“The Andalusian authorities are investigating to find out where the contamination comes from and when it took place,” he said.

“This type of bacteria can contaminate at the origin or during handling of the product,” he added.

There has been no report of contamination within Spain, AESA said.

Enterohaemorrhagic E. coli causes haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS), which can result in acute renal failure, seizures, strokes and coma.

In the German state of Saarland, near the French border, officials announced they had banned the sale of all cucumbers from Spain.

Some supermarket chains, including the giant Rewe, also said they had withdrawn all Spanish-imported cucumbers from their shelves nationwide.

German officials meanwhile defended themselves against charges, mainly from farmers in northern Germany, that they had acted rashly in their warnings

to the public.

Initial warnings had spoken of possible contamination in tomatoes, lettuce, and cucumbers grown in northern Germany, where most cases of food-poisoning have been reported.

“The protection of the consumer must always take precedence over economic interests,” the consumer ministry spokesman said.

German vegetable growers have suffered losses of some two million euros ($ 2.8 million) per day since the middle of the week, a spokesman for the German Farmers’ Association said yesterday.

“Trading is completely flat on the vegetable market in Hamburg,” Germany’s second city, according to Jochen Winkhoff, who heads the Association of German Vegetable Growers.

All growers are hard hit and “we have to destroy their produce because there is no demand,” he added.

Denmark’s veterinary and food products agency said Friday it had found contaminated cucumbers from Spain in the stocks of two wholesalers in the west of the country and ordered them withdrawn.

It advised consumers not to eat raw cucumbers from Spain or tomatoes and lettuces from northern Germany. — AFP

Australia doctor charged over hepatitis cluster SYDNEY: Australian police yesterday charged a doctor with endangering life and recklessly causing serious injury over an outbreak of the blood-borne disease hepatitis C at a Melbourne clinic.

The 61-year-old medic faces 162 charges after a year-long investigation into allegations that a patients at medical centre were infected with the illness, which can develop into cirrhosis and liver cancer. “The man has been charged with 54 charges each, of conduct endangering

life, negligently cause serious injury and recklessly cause serious injury,” Victoria police said in a statement.

Anaesthetist Dr James Latham Peters appeared briefly in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court yesterday but was released on bail on strict conditions, including that he not work in his profession, reports said.

Deputy chief magistrate Jelena Popovic granted bail but said Peters could not work in a medical capacity or

contact any witnesses for the prosecution, The Age newspaper said.

Australian authorities began investigating a suspicious cluster of hepatitis C cases in early 2010, eventually finding that some 50 women who had the infection had been treated at the same Melbourne clinic between 2008 and 2009.

Victoria Police said that they were unable to comment on how the alleged infections took place, given that the matter was before the courts.

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information SATURDAY, MAY 28, 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 PIA THY ETH PIA UAE DHX ETD FDB GFA QTR JZR JZR JZR KAC BAW KAC FCX KAC KAC KAC FDB KAC KAC KAC KAC UAE QTR ABY ETD GFA MHK JZR IRC IRM KAC MSR UAL RJA MSR KNE FDB KAC LMU JZR SVA KNE JZR QTR JZR IRC AFR KAC ETD UAE GFA CLX KAC SVA JZR JZR ABY KAC JZR ALK

Arrival Flights on Saturday 28/5/2011 Flt Route 215 KARACHI 772 ISTANBUL 620 ADDIS ABABA 239 SIALKOT 853 DUBAI 370 BAHRAIN 305 ABU DHABI 67 DUBAI 211 BAHRAIN 138 DOHA 529 ASSIUT 503 LUXOR 555 ALEXANDRIA 412 MANILA / BANGKOK 157 LONDON 416 JAKARTA / KUALA LUMPUR 201 BAHRAIN 206 ISLAMABAD 382 DELHI 302 MUMBAI 53 DUBAI 352 COCHIN 284 DHAKA 344 CHENNAI 362 COLOMBO 855 DUBAI 132 DOHA 125 SHARJAH 301 ABU DHABI 213 BAHRAIN 711 BAGHDAD / NAJAF 165 DUBAI 6964 TEHRAN 5066 MASHAD 672 DUBAI 610 CAIRO 982 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 640 AMMAN 621 ASSIUT 703 MEDINAH 57 DUBAI 786 JEDDAH 109 ALEXANDRIA 357 MASHAD 500 JEDDAH 745 JEDDAH 257 BEIRUT 134 DOHA 535 CAIRO 6791 MASHAD 6706 PARIS 118 NEW YORK 303 ABU DHABI 857 DUBAI 215 BAHRAIN 792 LUXEMBOURG 178 GENEVA / FRANKFURT 510 RIYADH 777 JEDDAH 239 AMMAN 127 SHARJAH 550 SOHAG / SHARM EL SHEIKH 177 DUBAI 227 COLOMBO / DUBAI

Time 0:25 1:15 1:45 2:15 2:25 2:55 2:55 3:10 3:15 3:20 3:35 5:15 6:10 6:15 6:30 6:35 7:00 7:15 7:20 7:55 7:55 8:05 8:10 8:20 8:20 8:25 9:00 9:10 9:30 9:35 11:00 11:10 11:15 12:50 13:15 13:20 13:30 13:35 13:40 13:45 13:50 14:00 14:05 14:10 14:30 14:45 15:10 15:15 15:50 16:00 16:15 16:15 16:50 16:55 17:15 17:15 17:15 17:20 17:25 17:35 17:40 17:50 18:00 18:00

KAC KAC KAC KAC IRA KAC KAC SIA JAI KAC AIC VOS FDB OMA JZR MEA KNE KAC MLR MSR DHX KLM UAE GFA JZR QTR UAL JZR MSR JZR MSR DLH AXB JZR JZR

104 502 542 618 607 774 674 458 572 562 975 93 61 647 179 402 789 788 1405 618 372 445 859 217 203 136 981 135 606 185 612 636 393 539 137

LONDON BEIRUT CAIRO DOHA MASHAD RIYADH DUBAI SINGAPORE / ABU DHABI MUMBAI AMMAN CHENNAI / GOA KANDAHAR / DUBAI DUBAI MUSCAT DUBAI BEIRUT JEDDAH JEDDAH COLOMBO / DUBAI ALEXANDRIA BAHRAIN AMSTERDAM DUBAI BAHRAIN DAMASCUS DOHA BAHRAIN BAHRAIN LUXOR DUBAI CAIRO FRANKFURT KOZHIKODE / COCHIN CAIRO BAHRAIN

Airlines DLH AIC KLM PIA THY ETH PIA UAE FDB DHX ETD QTR JZR GFA KAC JZR BAW FDB JZR KAC JZR KAC UAE ABY KAC QTR ETD GFA

Departure Flights on Saturday 28/5/2011 Flt Route 637 FRANKFURT 576 GOA / CHENNAI 447 AMSTERDAM 216 KARACHI 773 ISTANBUL 620 BAHRAIN / ADDIS ABABA 240 SIALKOT / ISLAMABAD 854 DUBAI 68 DUBAI 371 BAHRAIN 306 ABU DHABI 139 DOHA 164 DUBAI 212 BAHRAIN 785 JEDDAH 356 MASHAD 156 LONDON 54 DUBAI 534 CAIRO 671 DUBAI 256 BEIRUT 101 LONDON / NEW YORK 856 DUBAI 126 SHARJAH 549 SOHAG / SHARM EL SHEIKH 133 DOHA 302 ABU DHABI 214 BAHRAIN

18:35 18:45 18:50 18:55 19:05 19:25 19:25 19:35 19:35 19:50 19:55 20:00 20:00 20:10 20:10 20:15 20:20 20:25 20:50 20:55 21:00 21:05 21:15 21:25 21:30 21:35 22:00 22:10 22:15 22:35 22:50 23:00 23:15 23:30 23:55

Time 0:40 0:50 0:55 1:25 2:15 2:30 3:30 3:45 3:50 3:55 4:05 5:00 6:55 7:10 8:15 8:20 8:25 8:40 8:50 9:00 9:10 9:30 9:40 9:50 9:55 10:00 10:15 10:20

KAC KAC JZR JZR MHK IRC KAC JZR IRM MSR KNE RJA FDB MSR UAL KAC LMU KAC KAC KNE KAC JZR SVA KAC JZR QTR JZR IRC ETD AFR UAE GFA ABY JZR JZR SVA CLX ALK JZR KAC IRA JAI FDB JZR KAC KAC OMA KNE MEA SIA MLR MSR DHX KLM KAC UAE GFA KAC FCX QTR KAC KAC JZR MSR UAL KAC MSR

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ROME / PARIS CAIRO JEDDAH AMMAN NAJAF / BAGHDAD SHIRAZ BEIRUT DUBAI MASHAD CAIRO RIYADH AMMAN DUBAI ASSIUT BAHRAIN AMMAN ALEXANDRIA DUBAI JEDDAH JEDDAH DOHA DUBAI JEDDAH RIYADH DAMASCUS DOHA CAIRO MASHAD ABU DHABI DUBAI / HONG KONG DUBAI BAHRAIN SHARJAH DUBAI BEIRUT RIYADH HONG KONG DUBAI / COLOMBO BAHRAIN DHAKA ISFAHAN MUMBAI DUBAI BAHRAIN TRIVANDRUM COCHIN MUSCAT JEDDAH BEIRUT ABU DHABI / SINGAPORE COLOMBO ALEXANDRIA BAHRAIN BAHRAIN / AMSTERDAM DUBAI / MUSCAT DUBAI BAHRAIN DELHI BAHRAIN DOHA MUMBAI ISLAMABAD ALEXANDRIA LUXOR WASHINGTON DC DULLES BANGKOK / MANILA CAIRO

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

C R O S S W O R D

3 3 1

SATURDAY, MAY 28, 2011

Word Sleuth Solution

Yesterday始s Solution

ACROSS 1. Resinlike substance secreted by certain lac insects.

4. Artificial and inferior.

10. An argument opposed to a proposal.

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

14. A person authorized to conduct religious worship.

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

16. (computer science) The smallest discrete component of an image or picture on a CRT screen (usually a colored dot).

17. Small terrestrial lizard of warm regions of the Old World.

19. Sweet juicy gritty-textured fruit available in many varieties.

21. A unit of magnetomotive force equal to 0.7958 ampere-turns.

22. A native of ancient Troy.

24. A cord fastened around the neck with an ornamental clasp and worn as a necktie.

27. Boiled or baked buckwheat.

28. An enveloping bandage.

30. A public promotion of some product or service.

31. A white metallic element that burns with a brilliant light.

37. A radioactive element of the actinide series.

39. Speak in a nasal voice.

40. A metric unit of length equal to one billionth of a meter.

41. Large high frilly cap with a full crown.

45. An Arabic speaking person who lives in Arabia or North Africa.

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

49. A mountainous landlocked communist state in southeastern Asia.

51. A soft silvery metallic element of the alkali earth group.

54. A white linen liturgical vestment with sleeves.

58. The (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb.

60. Fiddler crabs.

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

63. An independent agency of the United States government responsible for collecting and coordinating intelligence and counterintelligence activities abroad in the national interest.

64. A light touch or stroke.

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

66. A doctor's degree in education.

DOWN 1. An inhabitant of Lappland.

2. American novelist (1909-1955).

3. West Indian tree having racemes of fragrant white flowers and yielding a durable timber and resinous juice.

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

5. Popular music originating in the West Indies.

6. Someone who works (or provides workers) during a strike.

7. A unit of pressure.

8. Any of various tailless stout-bodied amphibians with long hind limbs for leaping.

9. A lustrous gray strong metallic element resembling titanium.

10. A game played with playing cards.

11. A religious belief of African origin involving witchcraft and sorcery.

12. Wife of Balder.

18. A small nail.

20. A training program to prepare college students to be commissioned officers.

23. Jordan's port.

25. A gonadotropic hormone that is secreted by the anterior pituitary.

26. The syllable naming the fifth (dominant) note of any musical scale in solmization.

29. A city in east central Texas.

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

33. A former copper coin of Pakistan.

34. God of death.

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

36. A young woman making her debut into society.

38. The longer of the two telegraphic signals used in Morse code.

40. A region of Malaysia in northeastern Borneo.

42. African tree having an exceedingly thick trunk and fruit that resembles a gourd and has an edible pulp called monkey bread.

43. System of measurement based on centimeters and grams and seconds.

44. (Spanish) Saffron-flavored dish made of rice with shellfish and chicken.

45. A compartment in front of a motor vehicle where driver sits.

47. To some (great or small) extent.

48. A unit of information equal to one million (1,048,576) bytes.

50. Type genus of the Alcidae comprising solely the razorbill.

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

52. A town in north central Oklahoma.

53. (Babylonian) God of storms and wind.

55. A compartment in front of a motor vehicle where driver sits.

56. A resource.

57. A humorous anecdote or remark.

59. (informal) Of the highest quality.

62. An official prosecutor for a judicial district.

Yesterday始s Solution

SPORTS SATURDAY, MAY 28, 2011

Red Sox get 14 runs again, rout Tigers

DENVER: Colorado Rockies left fielder Carlos Gonzalez tumbles after diving for a fly ball hit by Arizona Diamondbacks batter Chris Young during the fifth inning of a baseball game at Coors Field on Thursday, May 26, 2011. — AP

DETROIT: Jacoby Ellsbury hit a three-run homer in a five-run second inning as the hot-hitting Boston Red Sox went on to rout the Detroit Tigers 14-1 in an eight-inning, rain-shortened American League game Thursday.

The Red Sox scored at least 14 runs in back-to-back games for the first time since 1998. Boston has won 11 of 13. Carl Crawford’s two-run triple gave the Red Sox a seven-run lead and chased Detroit starter Max Scherzer (6-2).

Alfredo Aceves (2-0) took the win in his second Boston start, allowing one run striking out six over six innings. He has won his past 12 decisions, dating to 2009 when he was a Yankees reliever, for baseball’s longest winning streak since Cliff Lee with Cleveland three years ago.

Athletics 4, Angels 3 In Anaheim, Brett Anderson pitched eight scoreless innings to steer last-placed Oakland past Los Angeles. Anderson (3-4) beat the Angels for the first time in six career starts. Los Angeles’ runs came from a three-run homer with two outs in the ninth, but the hosts could not get a tying run. Andy LaRoche drove in three runs for the A’s. Angels starter Joel Pineiro (2-1) allowed 11 hits in 6 1-3 innings.

White Sox 3, Blue Jays 1 In Toronto, Juan Pierre’s ninthinning infield single drove in the tiebreaking run as Chicago downed Toronto. Pierre went 2 for 4 with two RBIs and extended his hitting streak to 11 games.

Jesse Crain (2-1) pitched a third of an inning for the win and White Sox closer Sergio Santos finished the ninth for his eighth save in nine opportunities.

Marc Rzepczynski (2-1) allowed two runs in one inning to take the loss for the Blue Jays, who have lost three straight.

Orioles 6, Royals 5, 12 innings In Baltimore, Vladimir Guerrero singled home the winning run in the 12th inning to give Baltimore its season-high fifth straight victory, edging Kansas City. Robert Andino led off the 12th with a single off Louis Coleman (0-2), the sixth Kansas City pitcher.

After a pop out and an intentional walk, Guerrero hit a bouncing single up the middle to bring home Andino. The Orioles squandered a bases-loaded, no-out situation in the 11th before coming through in the 12th. Baltimore reliever Jeremy Accardo (3-1) worked two perfect innings for the victory. — AP

Phillies thump Reds Marlins add to Giants’ day of misery PHILADELPHIA: Cliff Lee drove in three runs from the plate and pitched eight effective innings from the mound, leading the Philadelphia Phillies to a 10-4 victory over the Cincinnati Reds in the National League on Thursday. Raul Ibanez hit a three-run homer, and Chase Utley also connected as the teams resumed hostilities with little sleep, with their previous game ending at 1.19 am Thursday. Lee (4-4) threw 114 pitches in eight innings. But his biggest contributions came with the bat. The Phillies loaded the bases with no outs in the sixth inning against Daryl Thompson (0-1), who was making his major league debut. Lee (4-4) followed a walk with a first-pitch double over the center fielder’s head. It bounced over the fence for a ground-rule double. An inning later, Lee’s single up the middle scored John Mayberry Jr. Lee became the first Phillies pitcher in seven years to drive in three runs.

Marlins 1, Giants 0 In San Francisco, Anibal Sanchez threw a complete game shutout to lead Florida over a San Francisco team still reeling from loss of catcher Bustor Posey. A day after the star catcher broke his lower left leg in a collision at the plate - likely ending Posey’s season the Marlins finished off a three-game sweep.

Sanchez (4-1) struck out eight for his fifth career complete game and second this season. Logan Morrison’s RBI single in the sixth inning off Ryan Vogelsong scored Chris Coghlan for the only run. Vogelsong (3-1) took the loss despite giving up only tha run in eight innings.

Diamondbacks 6, Rockies 3 In Denver, Micah Owings pitched five effective innings for his first win in more than a year, leading Arizona over Colorado. and Miguel Montero hit a three-run homer,

helping Arizona win for the ninth time in 10 games. Owings (1-0) bottled up the Rockies’ struggling offense, allowing just one run. He earned his first win since last May, when he pitched for Cincinnati. Miguel Montero staked Owings to an early lead, lining a belt-high pitch over the right-field fence in the fourth after Clayton Mortensen (1-2) walked the first two batters of the inning. Kelly Johnson added a two-run homer in the ninth to give Arizona a three-run lead. David Hernandez got the final five outs for his first save of the year.

Cubs 9, Mets 3 In Chicago, Carlos Zambrano pitched six

strong innings, went 3 for 3 at the plate and drove in a run in Chicago’s victory over New York. Zambrano (5-2) allowed one earned run to pick up his first win at Wrigley Field this season.

He also doubled and scored a run, and has four hits in his last four at-bats to raise his average to .375. Carlos Pena hit a tworun homer in the fourth for Chicago. The Mets lost starter R A Dickey to a heel injury in the third when he fell trying to cover first base. New York’s bullpen allowed seven runs after Dickey departed. Pedro Beato (11) took the loss, allowing four runs in 1 1-3 innings. — AP

MLB results/standings Major League Baseball results and standings on Thursday. Baltimore 6, Kansas City 5 (12 innings); Boston 14, Detroit 1 (8 innings); Philadelphia 10, Cincinnati 4; Chicago Cubs 9, NY Mets 3; Oakland 4, LA Angels 3; Florida 1, San Francisco 0; Chicago White Sox 3, Toronto 1; Arizona 6, Colorado 3.

American League Eastern Division W L PCT NY Yankees 27 21 .563 Boston 28 22 .560 Tampa Bay 26 23 .531 Baltimore 24 24 .500 Toronto 24 26 .480 Central Division Cleveland 30 17 .638 Detroit 25 24 .510 C’ White Sox 24 28 .462 Kansas City 22 27 .449 Minnesota 16 32 .333 14.5 Western Division Texas 26 24 .520 LA Angels 26 26 .500 Seattle 24 25 .490 Oakland 24 27 .471

GB 1.5 3 4 6 8.5 9

1 1.5 2.5

National League Eastern Division Philadelphia 31 19 .620 Florida 29 19 .604 Atlanta 28 23 .549 NY Mets 23 26 .469 Washington 21 28 .429 Central Division St Louis 30 21 .588 Milwaukee 27 23 .540 Cincinnati 26 25 .510 Pittsburgh 22 26 .458 Chicago Cubs 22 26 .458 Houston 19 31 .380 10.5 Western Division San Francisco 27 22 .551 Arizona 26 24 .520 Colorado 24 25 .490 LA Dodgers 22 29 .431 San Diego 20 30 .400

1 3.5 7.5 9.5 2.5 4 6.5 6.5

1.5 3 6 7.5

SPORTS SATURDAY, MAY 28, 2011

Tendulkar’s Mumbai bid for IPL final CHENNAI: Sachin Tendulkar’s Mumbai Indians are hoping the momentum from back-to-back wins will carry them into the IPL final in qualifier against Royal Challengers Bangalore. Mumbai looked in danger of missing the play-offs but two victories against Kolkata Knight Riders have revived their campaign in the glitzy Twenty20 competition.

A win against Bangalore will take Tendulkar’s men into today’s title clash against defending champions Chennai, and offer them a chance to avenge their defeat against the same rivals in last year’s final.

“It’s obviously a knockout game for us,” said Mumbai coach Robin Singh Thursday.

“We have done pretty well against Bangalore in the few outings we have had in the past. “But this is a fresh game and we have to start from scratch. We have to refocus and regroup because the stakes are really high.” Bangalore will be counting once again on hard-hitting West Indies opener Chris Gayle to fire with the bat.

Gayle has been instrumental in guiding Bangalore to the play-offs, having scored 519 runs from 10 innings at a strike rate of 184 after joining the franchise as a replace-

ment for the injured Dirk Nannes. “You can’t ignore the fact that Gayle is in terrific form,” said Singh, a former India allrounder. “But we have been bowling exceptionally well. You have to back yourself to bowl well against anyone. We have thought about how we want to go about things. We have our own plans ready for what we would like to do.” Bangalore captain Daniel Vettori also praised Gayle but dismissed the suggestion that his side were too dependent on the muscular left-hander. “We know Chris has played well and he has been the main scorer for us this season,

winning so many games for us. But we have other batsmen like Virat Kohli who have stepped up and performed when needed,” Vettori said. “So if Gayle has an off-day, we are still confident that we can win games.”

Mumbai are high on confidence following a spectacular last-ball victory against Kolkata in the final league game and another by four wickets with four balls to spare in the first play-off on Wednesday. But Mumbai may bring in Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds to replace West Indies batsman Kieron Pollard, who has just 143 runs from 15 matches with a high score of 28. — AFP

Misbah’s Pakistan face tricky Ireland series BELFAST: Pakistan are set to play a two-match oneday series against Ireland with Misbah-ul-Haq their fifth limited overs captain in three years. Misban was handed the captaincy last week following the sacking of Shahid Afridi, who, it was announced on Tuesday, is not travelling to Ireland. “Afridi has informed us that his father has been admitted to hospital for liver treatment and he wants to be with him and would not be available for the two matches in Ireland,” said Pakistan Cricket Board spokesman Nadeem Sarwar.

The 31-year-old Afridi took over as Pakistan captain last year and guided the team to the World Cup semifinal where they lost to India-who went on to win the final-in March.

After the recent series against the West Indies, Afridi accused Pakistan coach Waqar Younis of meddling in team selection upon his return home on May 9. “Everyone should do his job and should be answerable for his duties,” Afridi said. When asked about his differences with Waqar, he replied: “They are not at a stage where we cannot resolve them.” The weather could hardly be more different to that in the Caribbean the Pakistanis left barely 24 hours earlier before they arrived in Belfast here on Thursday amid cool, breezy conditions.

Meanwhile, the Stormont ground, the venue for both matches, on Saturday and Monday, was too wet Thursday to allow Ireland to train. If Pakistan can adapt to the drop in temperatures and not think too longingly of home after more than a month away, they should have enough all-round strength to see off the leading Associate nation. But anything less than a fully committed performance could see them struggling. Since Ireland knocked Pakistan out of the 2007 World Cup, they have gone from strength to strength, defeating England at this year’s edition. And even one victory against Pakistan will consolidate their 10th place ranking in the ODI table, just four places behind the tourists.

Afridi will probably be missed more by the Irish public - he was a popular professional for Ireland in 2006 - than his team-mates because his bowling is much more dangerous than his batting these days and, as Pakistan proved in the Test matches in the West Indies, they have plenty of quality slow bowling.

Between them Saeed Ajmal, Abdur Rehman and Mohammad Hafeez took 32 of the 40 wickets in the two matches although it is unlikely the Stormont pitch will turn nearly as much as in Guyana or St Kitts.

Ireland coach Phil Simmons, the former West Indies all-rounder, is hoping for a similar surface to the one served up at Stormint for the ODIs against Bangladesh in July last year. That pitch didn’t turn, the Tigers were tamed and Ireland drew the series 11. While Pakistan have a 15-man squad at their disposal, including the return of Umar Gul and Younis Khan, both rested for the five one-dayers in the Caribbean, Ireland will be without the injured Niall O’Brien and George Dockrell. — AFP

PARIS: Francesca Schiavone of Italy returns against Peng Shuai of China in her third round match of the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros stadium in Paris yesterday. — AP

Stosur bows out Schiavone survives early scare PARIS: Australian Samantha Stosur’s high-kicking serve and punishing forehand went AWOL on a gloomy yesterday at the French Open as she suffered a 6-4 1-6 6-3 third round defeat by Argentine Gisela Dulko. A year after Jelena Jankovic described Stosur’s forehand as “like a man’s”, the 2010 runner-up failed to hit her stride as her serve and booming forehand failed to click. It briefly looked like holder Francesca Schiavone would also be shown the exit but the Italian fifth seed recovered from a stuttering start before benefitting from Chinese Peng Shuai’s decision to quit. Peng pulled out apparently feeling dizzy while trailing 6-3 1-2.

With the morning sun playing hide and seek between the threatening clouds, eighth seed Stosur looked on course for victory when Dulko, the world number 51, seemed to be run-

ning out of steam in the second set.

But Dulko hung on and broke decisively for a 4-2 lead in the third set when a dejected Stosur hit one of her 35 unforced errors. The Argentine bagged the win on serve with a forehand winner before showing the crowd a towel which had the names of her brother’s newborn twins: “Para Myla y Teo. Valia la pena” (For Myla and Teo. It was worth it).”

She will next face France’s Marion Bartoli or German Julia Goerges.

Schiavone will take on former world number one Jankovic after the Serb, barely impressed by Bethanie MattekSands’s painted face, thrashed the American 6-2 6-2.

Schiavone needed 54 minutes to take the first set as she struggled to hold serve on court Suzanne Lenglen and was again broken early in the second. But one hour is just

what Peng had in the tank. She called on the doctor while 1-0 up in the second set to have her blood pressure checked. She called him on again at 2-1 before signalling, with tears in her eyes, that she could not go on. Schiavone offered her a consolation hug.

David Ferrer demolished Ukraine’s Sergiy Stakhovsky 6-1 6-1 6-3 as he continued to bulldoze his way through the bottom half of the draw.

The Spanish seventh seed, who has not dropped a set in three matches, will take on either Belgian Steve Darcis or France’s Gael Monfils. Novak Djokovic will take on Juan Martin del Potro later when the sledgehammer groundstrokes of the Argentine will test the world number two’s armorplated confidence in the most eagerly anticipated match of the French Open so far. — Reuters

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Heat eliminate Bulls CHICAGO: LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh joined to win an NBA championship and now they have their shot after the Miami Heat beat the Chicago Bulls 83-80 on Thursday to clinch their Eastern Conference finals series 4-1. James scored 28 points, Wade added 21, and they led a furious rally in the final minutes.

They scored eight points each during a gameending 18-3 run as Miami wiped out a 12-point deficit.

Now, the Heat are headed back to the NBA finals for the first time since 2006, and by coincidence they will again be facing the Dallas Mavericks. Back then, with Wade leading the way, Miami beat Dallas to capture the championship. This time, it’ll respective stars James and Dirk Nowitzki going for their first rings.

The Heat will host Game 1 on Tuesday. “There’s no sense of relief right now,” James said.

“We’ve still got work to do. We’ll look at this moment tonight, have a little bit of time tomorrow to go over this moment, what we just accomplished. But we get ready for Dallas very soon. We don’t take for granted this win and take for granted being Eastern Conference champions.”

For Miami’s Big Three, this was the plan from the moment they chose to get together in Florida before the season. The Heat had their difficulties along the way, but look at them now. They just knocked off the team that won more games than any other, that boasted the league’s MVP in Derrick Rose and which had sent expectations soaring around Chicago in a way not seen since Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen were racking up championships. Rose led Chicago with 25 points but hit just 9 of 29 shots. He fouled Wade on a key four-point play and missed a tying free throw with 26.7 seconds left.

James, Wade lead charge

CHICAGO: Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah (right) gets boxed out by Miami Heat forwards LeBron James (6) and Chris Bosh (1) during the second quarter of Game 5 of the NBA basketball Eastern Conference finals on Thursday, May 26, 2011. — AP James had 11 rebounds and six assists.

Wade’s late surge helped negate his nine turnovers. Bosh added 20 points and 10 rebounds as the Heat pulled out a dramatic win. The Bulls looked like they were in good shape up 77-65 with about three minutes to go, but Wade started the deciding run with a runner and layup. A 3 by James pulled Miami within 77-72 with 2:07 left. Rose then scored on

a spin move in the lane, but fouled Wade as he nailed a 3, resulting in a four-point play. Then, after a miss by Rose, James tied it at 79 with another 3 with 1:01 remaining, sending a loud groan through the arena.

James buried another jumper to put Miami ahead 81-79 with 29.5 seconds left. Rose immediately got fouled by James, but missed the second free throw after making the first.

Indy 500 still sets hearts racing at 100 INDIANAPOLIS: For a century, the Indianapolis 500 has delivered highoctane thrills and spills and tomorrow the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” will add another chapter when it celebrates its 100th anniversary. Since Ray Harroun nursed his Marmon Wasp to victory in 1911, the Indy 500 has been a magnet to motor racing giants and thrill seekers eager to test their skill and bravery on the sprawling 2.5 mile oval known as the Brickyard.

Over the decades, Formula One greats such as Graham Hill, Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart, Nigel Mansell and Emerson Fittipaldi have battled wheel-to-wheel against American auto sport royalty, the Foyts, Unsers and Andrettis, for a chance to chug from the traditional quart of milk in Victory Lane. Run on the Memorial Day weekend in the US heartland, the 500 is a uniquely American event that offers none of the glitz and glamour of the Monaco Grand Prix, another of the world’s signature motor races that will go the same day.

In Monaco, the winner will be sprayed with expensive champagne. At the Indy, he is bathed in milk. There are no yachts or palaces filling the vista at the Brickyard, only motor homes and campers packed into parking lots and fields turning them into refugee camps. At Monte Carlo race fans snack on caviar and crackers, at Indy they dine on burgers and beers. At the Monaco Grand Prix cars will dart around the tight streets past casinos and luxury apartments. At Indianapolis, 33 cars

INDIANAPOLIS: In this file photo, Simona De Silvestro, of Switzerland, crashes in the third turn during practice for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis. — AP watched by nearly 300,000 spectators will charge at breath-taking speeds around an oval so big it could hold Churchill Downs, Yankee Stadium, the Rose Bowl, the Roman Coliseum and Vatican City.

“Everybody understands what Monaco is, everybody understands what the Indianapolis 500 is that this is not just a normal race,” Eddie Cheever Jr., who drove in more Formula One races than any other American and winner of the 1998 Indy 500 said. “It’s very fast, very dangerous. “It just speaks so much about the difference of our culture and the European culture. “A European has a very

hard time understanding why you would want to be at a race track at full throttle for 3 1/2 hours and in America we don’t understand why you would want to run around a tiny town by the sea. “They are two different things. It is a race admired all over the world.”

While the 500 is anchored in a rich past it is a race focused on the future. Four women from four different countries, American Danica Patrick, Swiss Simona de Silvestro, Britain Pippa Mann and Brazilian Ana Beatriz will be on the starting grid, while a fifth, Sarah Fisher will watch from the pits as a team owner. — Reuters

Kurt Thomas tipped the inbounds pass, but the Heat recovered, leading to two free throws for Bosh. The Bulls still had one more chance to tie it, but Kyle Korver got doubled up top and passed to Rose on the wing. His 3-pointer got blocked by James, with Udonis Haslem doubling him as time expired. “We don’t even know what happened,” Wade said. “I’m not going to lie to you and say we do.” It all seemed like a blur to him and not just the late rally. The entire season, really.

Wade scrolled all the way back to those first few days of training camp, when the Heat gathered at Hurlburt Field and Eglin Air Force Base in Florida’s Panhandle, trying to limit distractions. “It just seems like yesterday we were coming together as a new unit, and the Miami organization decided we needed to get away and (have) it just be about us and not let any outside distractions get in,” he said. “And it was just about us.”

Now, James and his gang have their title shot. He came close with Cleveland, getting all the way to the finals in 2007 but never could win it all. His surge at the end capped a terrific series in which he repeatedly made big shots and helped contain Rose at times.

For Chicago, it was simply a bitter end. After losing out on their bid to land some combination of two of the Big Three in free agency, they built a solid team that leaped to the top of the Eastern Conference with a league-leading 62 wins. That’s probably little consolation after they let this one slip away. “I do think experience helps,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “That being said, all these games came down to the end.... Tonight, we had the lead and we couldn’t hold onto it. Hopefully, we learn from that, move on. You use this experience to drive you so you can improve for next year.” — AP

Vancouver unfazed

by Stanley Cup wait VANCOUVER: The schedule for the NHL Stanley Cup finals took away a potential edge for the Vancouver Canucks, but players and coaches said on Thursday they welcome the time to rest up. The league announced the best-of-seven series will begin Wednesday in Vancouver, which is a later start than many observers had expected. Western Conference champions Vancouver advanced to the final Tuesday by defeating San Jose in game five of that series. But the Eastern Conference final will not be decided until Friday’s game between Boston and Tampa Bay. A quicker start for the finals might have given Vancouver an edge in facing a tired opponent that faced the prospect of playing seven games then flying across the continent to meet the Canucks. “It is what it is,” Vancouver captain Henrik Sedin said. Sedin said there were plenty of examples of teams that have a restadvantage going into a playoff series only to lose the opening games. Player said they also welcomed the chance to recover from all the minor injuries they took in the last playoff round and to refocus mentally after the excitement of advancing to the finals.

“It gets you out of the roller coaster ride of being up so high after the win. It kind of brings you back down to earth to prepare for the next round,” defenseman Sami Salo said. This is the first time in 17 years Vancouver has advanced to the finals, so Stanley Cup fever has gripped the city on Canada’s Pacific coast. Coach Alain Vigneault said while the team was enjoying the excitement, he recognizes part of its job through the playoffs is to make sure players do not get caught up in the distractions. “I think so far we have done a real good job of making sure that they stay focused on that one game at a time mentality,” Vigneault said. — Reuters

SPORTS SATURDAY, MAY 28, 2011

Rugby

Hurricanes down Force in cliffhanger PALMERSTON NORTH: The Wellington Hurricanes kept alive their hopes of an unlikely Super 15 play-off berth with an Aaron Cruden-inspired 34-28 win over the Western Force at Palmerston North yesterday. The Hurricanes, outplayed for much of the match, scored two tries in the last 10 minutes to pull ahead of the visitors and snare a bonus point.

With All Blacks Conrad Smith and Cory Jane back from injury, the Hurricanes’ flair eventually proved too much for the Force as they ran in four tries to three, with fly-half Cruden kicking six from six to seal the victory. Cruden also helped set up two tries and Ma’a Nonu chipped

Golf

in with five-pointers in each half to lift the Hurricanes from the foot of the New Zealand conference and gave them a mathematical chance of making the final six.

The Force, written off as rank outsiders by bookies ahead of the game, came within a whisker of upsetting the home side and captain Nathan Sharpe admitted the defeat was hard to take. “It’s very disappointing, for 77 minutes we played reasonably well but in the last three, we let them in,” he said.

While both sides have endured injury-plagued seasons and went into the match with only three wins apiece, the pressure was squarely on Hurricanes’ coach Mark Hammett to

get results from his star-studded line-up.

The signs looked good as Nonu combined with Smith to score the first try of the match after 13 minutes. But the Force hit back six minutes later when Rory Sidey caught the Hurricanes’ defense flat-footed after latching on to a looping pass from Shepherd.

The Force fullback converted, then extended the visitors’ lead with a try as the Australians’ no-frills possession game paid dividends and they went into half-time leading 1810. The Hurricanes brought Piri Weepu on after the break to inject more pace into the game but were frustrated early when their free-

Overton sets Byron Nelson pace

Early eagle helps Garcia charge into contention DALLAS: Sergio Garcia charged into contention at the Byron Nelson Championship in Irving, Texas, on Thursday just three days after pulling out of a British Open qualifier because of an infected fingernail.

Despite not having played the TPC Four Seasons Resort Las Colinas in practice this week, the Spaniard holed out with a sand wedge to eagle his opening hole on the way to a sparkling four-under-par 66.

Garcia also carded three birdies and a lone bogey at the par-four 15th in dazzling sunshine to end the first round two strokes behind pacesetting American Jeff Overton. Ryan Palmer, also of the United States, was alone in second after two birdies in his last three holes earned him a 65.

“It was definitely a nice round to start the week,” Garcia, 31, told reporters after finishing the day among a group of nine players on 66.

“On Tuesday I didn’t think I had a chance of playing... the finger was so sore. But we worked on it ... they gave me some antibiotic cream and I kept putting on that cream and taking the antibiotics. “It definitely feels better. A little sore but definitely I can play without having to think about it, which is good.” Garcia, who withdrew on Monday from the US qualifying tournament in nearby Plano, Texas, for this year’s British Open, surprised himself with his red-hot start to the round. He hit a wayward drive on his opening hole, the par-four 10th, but was fortunate to end up with a good lie close to a cart path for his second shot, 115 yards from the flag.

PERFECT START “I thought if I hit a good shot with a sand wedge I could start with a

birdie and calm me down after everything that’s been going on through the week,” said Garcia, who won the Byron Nelson Championship in 2004. “And I hit it and I saw guys on the green saying ‘in’ and I thought: ‘Perfect!’ I couldn’t have started in a better way.” The former world number two is bidding for his eighth PGA Tour title but his first since the 2008 Players Championship.

Overton, runner-up in last year’s Byron Nelson Championship, took control at the TPC Four Seasons late in the day with a bogey-free 64, his lowest round this season. In pursuit of his first victory on the US circuit, the 27-year-old hit 11 of 14 fairways and 16 of 18 greens in regulation to surge to the top of the leaderboard.

“It’s nice having confidence because of last year,” Overton said after recording four birdies in his last eight holes. “I was able to hit a lot of great shots and strike out early. I hope this is the beginning of a good streak for me.”

Overton has posted just one top10 in 13 PGA Tour starts this year, a tie for sixth at the Honda Classic in March. “I’ve been hitting it really well the last three or four weeks, I just have not made my putts all year,” he said. “Hopefully this is a breakthrough round and I can carry it over.” Australian Jason Day did not fare anywhere near as well as Overton as he launched his title defense with a 72. Winner here by two strokes last year, Day bogeyed three of his first six holes and then fought back to level before doublebogeying the par-four ninth, his final hole, after hitting his second shot into water. — Reuters

TEXAS: Jeff Overton lines up his putt on 18th hole during the first round of play at the Byron Nelson Championship golf tournament in Irving, Texas on Thursday, May 26, 2011. — AP

flowing play only succeeded in turning the ball over to the Force.

But some hard work from Smith paid off when he was held up near the line and Nonu seized the ball from his shoulder to cross for his second try and cut the Force’s lead to 18-17.

The visitors restored the buffer when fly-half James Stannard eluded two tacklers to set up a Ben McCalman try but Cruden helped the Hurricanes exploit the Force’s tiring defense in the closing stages of the game. His elusive footwork and quicksilver passing put lock James Broadhurst and fullback Corey Jane through for the tries that clinched the victory. — AFP

WCup hopefuls bid to stake claim against Barbarians LONDON: England’s World Cup hopefuls will be looking to stake their claim to a place in the squad for New Zealand later this year when they take on the Barbarians in tomorrow’s non-cap international at Twickenham. Gloucester number eight Luke Narraway is among a group of more experienced players bidding for a place in the World Cup training squad. Prop Paul Doran-Jones and lock Dave Attwood are both World Cup contenders while England are using this game as an opportunity to try Matt Banahan at inside centre.

Charlie Hodgson, who like Banahan seems set for a place in England’s full World Cup squad, starts at fly-half with Paul Hodgson at scrum-half. Ugo Monye and James Simpson-Daniel start on the wings and Mike Brown gets a run at fullback after an impressive season for Harlequins.

Five uncapped players have been named for tomorrow’s game including Harlequins prop Joe Marler, Worcester lock Graham Kitchener, Exeter flanker Tom Johnson and Sale loose-forward Carl Fearns with Gloucester’s Henry Trinder named at outside centre.

The bulk of the squad, being coached

by Stuart Lancaster, will remain together for next month’s Churchill Cup. “It’s a very exciting line-up with a good blend of experience and youth and we have the opportunity to measure ourselves against a very experienced Barbarians side including some of the very best players in the world tomorrow,” said Lancaster. ”It is a young England side and the match day squad has an average age of 23, but these are players who’ve been in terrific form for their clubs and many of them have played a major part in big games at the end of the season in the Aviva Premiership and in Europe.” —AFP

SPORTS SATURDAY, MAY 28, 2011

FIFA boss facing ethics hearing with rival Move follows complaint by presidential rival Bin Hammam

Kolo Toure

Toure gets 6-month LONDON: Manchester City centre-back Kolo Toure was on Thursday banned for six months for testing positive for a banned substance earlier this season. The ban was backdated to March 2, the date of his provisional suspension, meaning the Ivory Coast international will be available to play for his club in September. Toure will also be target-tested for a period of two years, starting on Thursday, following an independent regulatory commission hearing convened at Wembley by the Football Association. Toure admitted the offence - his first - contrary to Regulation 3 of the FA Doping Regulations 201011.

But the panel took into consideration the circumstances behind his use of water tablets belonging to his wife. Headed up by Christopher Quinlan QC, the commission were satisfied Toure did not intend to enhance sporting performance or to mask the use of a performance-enhancing substance. “This has been a difficult period for me. I am sad to have missed the team’s triumph of securing Champions League football and also the FA Cup victory at Wembley,” Toure said after the ruling. “But I am relieved I will be able to return to football in September and thank the FA’s commission for their understanding about my case in coming to their decision.” — AFP

ZURICH: FIFA president Sepp Blatter will face an ethics investigation alongside his election rival Mohamed bin Hammam after soccer’s governing body widened its enquiry into bribesfor-votes allegations. In shock move yesterday, FIFA said it was calling Blatter to appear at an ethics hearing tomorrow, three days before he stands against challenger Bin Hammam in the election for the most powerful job in world soccer. Bin Hammam was summoned on Wednesday, along with CONCACAF president Jack Warner and two Caribbean Football Union (CFU) officials, after fellow executive committee member Chuck Blazer reported a possible case of bribery in the election campaign.

According to FIFA’s statement yesterday, ethics proceedings were opened against Blatter at Bin Hamman’s request because the FIFA president may have known about cash payments to delegates at the meeting. “I cannot comment on the proceedings that have been opened against me today,” Blatter, who has been FIFA president since 1998, said in a brief statement yesterday. “The facts will speak for themselves.” Bin Hammam has denied any wrongdoing in the matter, which concerns a CFU meeting attended by Bin Hammam and Warner on May 10-11.

The presidential election, in which the two men are the only candidates, is due to go ahead on June 1 at the annual FIFA Congress in Zurich but is now surrounded by uncertainty.

FIFA would not comment on the potential consequences of the ethics committee hearing, to be headed by Namibia’s Petrus Damaseb. However, a previous ethics committee hearing in November handed down provisional bans to two executive committee members who allegedly offered to sell their votes in the 2018 and 2022 World Cup hosting contest to undercover newspaper reporters. If such a ban was handed to one or both of the candidates it would make it impossible to hold the election on June 1.

Blatter is standing for a fourth term against Qatari Bin Hammam, head of the Asian Football Confederation. The crisis erupted on Wednesday following a report by CONCACAF gen-

Asian champions to shake off cobwebs after disaster Japan at full strength for friendlies TOKYO: Japan coach Alberto Zaccheroni yesterday named 11 overseas-based players in his 25-man squad for home friendlies against Peru and the Czech Republic on June 1 and 7. CSKA Moscow’s Keisuke Honda and Inter Milan defender Yuto Nagatomo are among those who will play in Japan’s first full internationals since the deadly earthquake and tsunami on March 11. “We only have three more matches before the start of the World Cup qualifiers (in September),” Zaccheroni told reporters. “So these two games are very important. Results are important but more relevant is the development of the team.

“Both the Czech Republic and Peru are aggressive and fight hard.

These games will toughen us up,” added the Italian, who is set to blood 19-year-old Gamba Osaka striker Takashi Usami. “(Usami) is an Olympic player and has excellent potential.

For a 19-year-old he already has a lot of ability.”

Borussia Dortmund midfielder Shinji Kagawa is the only notable absentee after recently recovering from a fractured metatarsal suffered at the Asian Cup in January. Chelsea

goalkeeper Petr Cech will travel to Japan for the tri-nation Kirin Cup tournament despite fears over the nuclear crisis north of Tokyo.

Montenegro and New Zealand both pulled out of friendly internationals against the Asian champions at the end of March citing potential health risks posed by stricken power plant.

“At the beginning everyone was concerned,” Cech told Japanese media.

“But we have got all the (safety) guarantees.”

Japan had wanted to use the Kirin Cup as a tune-up for their appearance at July’s Copa America until they were forced to pull out as team’s refused to release players. The Blue Samurai face Peru in Niigata on June 1, the Czech Republic play the South Americans three days later, before Japan and the Czechs meet in Yokohama on June 7. The disaster, which ravaged north-east Japan and ripped through a nuclear plant 150 miles north of Tokyo, has plunged sport into chaos across the country.

Despite Japanese assurances, several foreign teams and athletes have refused to travel to Japan because of fears over the risk of exposure to radiation. — Reuters

FIFA President Sepp Blatter eral secretary Blazer alleging possible violations of the FIFA code of ethics. On Thursday, Bin Hammam said in a statement that Blatter was aware of alleged payments and should therefore be investigated himself. FIFA accepted that view and will invite Blatter, who recently described the governing body as comfortably off with over $1 billion in reserves, to explain his conduct in the matter. — Reuters

Inter coach to test theory in Cup final ROME: Inter Milan coach Leonardo will get the chance to test his theory that his injury-ravaged side do not need wholesale changes when they take on giantkillers Palermo in the Italian Cup final (1900 GMT) tomorrow. The 41-year-old Brazilian, who has had to make do without a number of key players since taking over from Rafa Benitez in December, is confident his talented squad are capable of winning major trophies even though they recently relinquished their hold on the Serie A and Champions League titles. “This team has achieved something huge this season,” Leonardo told reporters. “We’ve been heavily penalized through a series of injuries but the team has shown great spirit. We struggled in the semi-final to overcome Roma but the final of the Coppa Italia will be a celebration.

“We don’t need to bring in replacements (for next season). We just need to touch up a few areas to be competitive on all fronts but the nucleus of the team is already there and we won’t interfere with that spirit.” The six-times Italian Cup champions lost centre-back Walter Samuel for virtually the whole season and fellow Argentine Diego Milito has struggled for fitness since scoring both goals in last season’s Champions League final win over Bayern Munich. To add to their woes, goalkeeper Julio Cesar, defender Lucio and midfielders Wesley Sneijder and Esteban Cambiasso are all doubtful for the final with injuries while right-back Maicon is suspended. While holders Inter have one last chance to salvage their disappointing season, Palermo have been on a rollercoaster ride thanks to eccentric president Maurizio Zamparini’s actions which led to a coaching merry-go-round. Delio

Rossi was unceremoniously sacked following a 7-0 hammering by Udinese in February despite Palermo lying just outside the Europa League places. Zamparini appointed Serse Cosmi as his replacement but just five weeks later Rossi was reinstated as coach and Palermo went on to beat AC Milan to reach the Italian Cup final.

NEW CONTRACT “We know we are up against the world champions but if we can play at our full potential we can beat any team. The players really want to bring home the cup for our fans,” Rossi told reporters.

However, after a brief honeymoon following his reinstatement more troubles are brewing between coach and president over the signing of a new contract. According to reports in Italy, Genoa have approached Rossi, while Zamparini has talked about Bortolo Mutti, Edy Reja, Gian Piero Gasperini and Gigi Simoni taking over. “Right now it makes no sense whatsoever to mention the names of other coaches,” said Rossi. “It’s just a waste of energy.

The president knows what I think. Whatever I have to say I, unlike him, tell it to his face.” Zamparini tried to clarify the situation by saying: “There’s a 60 to 70 percent chance of Delio Rossi staying. It won’t depend on the result but we’ll make the decision after the final so it doesn’t affect the players. We have a plan A and a plan B.” Centre-back Cesare Bovo and midfielder Armin Bacinovic are both suspended but left-back Federico Balzaretti is expected to recover from injury. The final could be the last time Palermo’s two forwards- captain Fabrizio Miccoli and Argentine Javier Pastore-turn out in the team’s pink-and-black colors. —Reuters

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Barcelona and Manchester United factfiles LONDON: When Barcelona face Manchester United in the Champions League final today, a global audience will be treated to a clash between two of the world’s biggest clubs. Here we compare the vital statistics of Spain and England’s leading super-powers: Barcelona Club founded: 1899 Stadium: Nou Camp (current capacity is 99,354) Record attendence: 120,000 v Juventus in 1986 Spanish league titles: 21 (first in 1929, most recent in 2011) Spanish Cups: 25 (first in 1910, most recent in 2009) Champions League winners: 3 (1992, 2006, 2009) Champions League runners-up: 3 (1961, 1986, 1994) European Cup-Winners’ Cup: 4 (1979, 1982, 1989, 1997) Inter-Cities Fairs Cup (now called Europa League): 3 (1958, 1960, 1966) FIFA Club World Cup: 1 (2009) Record victory: 18-0, v Tarragona in 1901 Record appearances: Xavi, 576 in all competitions Record goal-scorer: Paulino Alcantara, 357 in all competitions Record signing: Zlatan Ibrahimovic, £56 million from Inter Milan in 2009 (price includes £20 million valuation of Samuel Eto’o, who joined Inter in part exchange) Manchester United Club founded: 1878 (originally called Newton Heath) Stadium: Old Trafford (current capacity is 75,957) Record attendance: 83,260 v Arsenal in 1948 (match played at Maine Road due to war damage at Old Trafford) English league titles: 19 (first in 1908, most recent in 2011) FA Cups: 11 (first in 1909, most recent in 2004) League Cups: 4 (first in 1992, most recent in 2010) Champions League winners: 3 (1968, 1999, 2008) Champions League runners-up: 1 (2009) European Cup-Winners’ Cup: 1 (1991) FIFA Club World Cup: 1 (2008) Intercontinental Cup: 1 (1999) Record victory: 10-0 v Anderlecht in 1956 Record appearances: Ryan Giggs, 875 in all competitions Record goal-scorer: Bobby Charlton, 249 in all competitions Record signing: Dimitar Berbatov, £30.75 million from Tottenham in 2008 —AFP

LONDON: The Football Association Chairman David Bernstein has a shot at goal during the official hand over of a UEFA funded artificial grass soccer pitch at a school in north London. UEFA President Michel Platini also attended the event ahead of the Champions League final match between Barcelona and Manchester United at Wembley today. — AP

Study: Champions League final to boost economies LONDON: The Champions League final between Manchester United and Barcelona today will generate 369 million euros ($525 million) across Europe’s economy, MasterCard said on the eve of the football showdown. The winners will scoop an estimated 126 million euros thanks to “prize money, an increase in squad value, enhanced television and media rights and greater brand equity,” according to a survey by the global payments group.

The losers will pocket 73 million euros, while the economic benefit to host city London will be 52 million euros

as fans spend money in bars, hotels and at Wembley stadium, the final venue.

Europe’s economy will also reap 100 million euros and the city of the winning club 18 million euros thanks to increased consumer spending and tourism. The total benefit of 369 million euros is a five percent rise compared with the final in 2010, when Inter Milan beat Bayern Munich.

“Manchester United FC versus FC Barcelona is the dream final as far as most football fans are concerned. But the English and Spanish champions are two of the most successful teams off the

How Utd might beat Barcelona MADRID: Following is a Q&A on how Manchester United might trump Barcelona in today’s Champions League final at London’s Wembley stadium: How should United start the match?

It will be crucial for Alex Ferguson’s players to prevent Barca getting into their passing rhythm early, a task at which Real Madrid achieved partial success in some of the recent “Clasicos” when they came flying at Barca from the off. United’s midfielders and forwards will have to work like trojans to prevent Barca building from the back. They will need to cut off outlets for goalkeeper Victor Valdes, close down the defenders and, above all, starve playmaker Xavi and his midfield partners Sergio Busquets and Andres Iniesta of possession.

Pushing up on Barca will also help prevent mobile fullbacks Daniel Alves and Eric Abidal getting forward and blunt one of the Catalan club’s most potent weapons.

What should United do with the ball when they get it?

The English champions will almost certainly spend a lot of time chasing the ball but once they do get hold of it, they must get it to their pacy forwards as quickly as possible. In Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez, United have exactly the type of players who can hurt Barca, whose likely central defensive pairing of captain Carles Puyol and former United player Gerard Pique are not the quick-

est in the game. They have both been exposed this season by strong, swift attackers and once beaten lack the pace to get back and clear the danger.

However, in Victor Valdes, Barca have one of the most effective performers around at dealing with one-on-one situations.

How on earth do you stop Messi?

The short answer is you can’t. The World Player of the Year is just too fast and skillful so the key is to try as far as possible to prevent him getting the ball in the first place. Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho converted centre back Pepe into a roving defensive midfielder for their recent matches against Barca and he was extremely effective at stopping their midfielders from finding Messi. He also put in some robust challenges on the Argentina forward and United could task Michael Carrick or Park Ji-Sung with similar duties today. It was no coincidence that in the semi-final first leg at the Bernabeu Messi’s two goals came only after Pepe had been sent off.

Is it worth man-marking Xavi?

The Spain playmaker is a master at picking up the ball in tight central spaces, twisting and turning out of trouble and finding a killer pass that releases a team mate into a goal-scoring position.

However, there have been games in La Liga where opposing coaches have instructed a player to man-mark him and he has admitted that he doesn’t like it. —Reuters

pitch too,” said the study’s author Simon Chadwick.

“They will collectively scoop (around) 200 million euros, making this the most lucrative final in European club football’s history,” added the director of the Centre for the International Business of Sport at Coventry University, central England. The report added that Latin America’s economy is set for a windfall of up to 100 million euros from today’s showpiece event, with Barcelona’s talisman, Lionel Messi of Argentina, and Manchester United’s Brazilian defender Rafael Da Silva set to feature. — AFP

Lionel Messi v Wayne Rooney comparison LONDON: One of the most fascinating subplots to the Champions League final today will be the contest between Barcelona forward Lionel Messi and Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney. The supremely-talented Messi is widely regarded as the best player in the world, while Rooney’s sublime skills make him a danger to any defense.

Here we look at the key statistics of the players whose genius could decide the destiny of Europe’s top club prize: Lionel Messi Club: Barcelona Birthplace: Rosario, Argentina Age: 23 Height: 5ft 7in Previous clubs: None Barcelona appearances: 268 Barcelona goals: 179 Argentina caps: 55 Argentina goals: 16 Club honors: 5 Spanish League titles (2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011), 1 Spanish Cup (2009), 2 Champions League titles (2006, 2009), 1 FIFA World Cup (2009) International honors: Gold medal at 2008 Olympic Games

Individual honors: 2010 FIFA Ballon d’Or, 2010 European Golden Boot, 2010 Spanish Player of the Year, 2009 FIFA World Player of the Year, 2009 Ballon d’Or, 2009 Spanish Player of the Year, 2009 Champions League Player of the Year Wayne Rooney Club: Manchester United Birthplace: Liverpool, England Age: 25 Height: 5ft 9in Previous clubs: Everton (77 appearances and 17 goals from 2002 to 2004) Man Utd appearances: 320 Man Utd goals: 146 England caps: 70 England goals: 26 Club honours: 4 Premier League titles (2007, 2008, 2009, 2011), 2 League Cups (2006, 2010), 1 Champions League title (2008), 1 FIFA Club World Cup (2008) International honours: None Individual honours: 2010 PFA Player of the Year, 2010 Football Writers’ Player of the Year, 2006 PFA Young Player of the Year, 2005 PFA Young Player of the Year —AFP

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Ferguson’s Euro odyssey leads to Wembley LONDON: Sir Alex Ferguson’s love affair with Europe began as a teenager when he was among the 135,000 fans who crammed into Hampden Park for Real Madrid’s destruction of Eintracht Frankfurt in 1960. Watching the fabled Madrid of Alfredo Di Stefano and Ferenc Puskas demolish Frankfurt 7-3 left a lasting impression on Ferguson, who has said the match “epitomised all the dreams of European football”. Ferguson has been captivated by Europe ever since and milestones such as Celtic’s win in 1967 and Manchester United’s victory over Benfica the following year remain etched in the Scot’s memory.

“When Celtic won in 1967 I was with the Scotland team abroad in Hong Kong,” recalled Ferguson this week as he prepared for today’s Champions League final against Barcelona. “But I know that even in my part of Glasgow (Ferguson was playing for Rangers at the time), everyone was behind Celtic that night.”Because it was an incredible achievement for Jock Stein to have built a team from players who all came from within 20 miles of the club, all Scottish players from Glasgow, to become champions of Europe.”

The following year, Britain was united in willing United to victory at Wembley, a triumph for Sir Matt Busby who had rebuilt his team following the horrors of the Munich air disaster a decade earlier. “My memory of that game is that I was disappointed Denis (Law) wasn’t playing. He was in hospital with a knee operation,” Ferguson said.”I think everybody in the whole country, particularly in Scotland because of Sir Matt’s Scottish links, were rooting for the team, and I was one of them.

“It was a fantastic feat because Sir Matt had lost most of his team in 1958.

So to rebuild and win the European Cup 10 years later was incredible. “Plus the fact most of them were home-produced players. I think only two players in the team that started that night had been bought. It was a fantastic achievement.” The successes of Liverpool throughout the 1970s served only to heighten Ferguson’s sense of the unique drama served up by European nights. While manager of St Mirren in 1977, he was among the fans who crowded into Anfield to watch the quarter-final between Liverpool and St Etienne, when the English side overturned a first leg deficit to win 3-1 on the night.

Ferguson admitted to being intoxicated by the experience. “I didn’t walk away from the ground after the game,” he later recalled. “I floated.” When Ferguson took over at Aberdeen he was to finally gain first-hand experience of the European Cup following the Scottish club’s championship-winning season in 1980.An early round tie with mighty Liverpool, who would go on to win the tournament, proved a chastening experience, a 1-0 defeat at Pittodrie followed by a 4-0 hammering at Anfield. “They annihilated us really,” Ferguson said this week.

Ferguson was a quick learner though, and within three years Aberdeen were conquering Real Madrid, albeit in the European Cup Winners’ Cup. With English clubs banned following the 1985 Heysel disaster, Ferguson’s first foray into Europe with United came in 1991 and ended in success, a 2-1 win over Barcelona in the Cup Winners’ Cup final. Since then Ferguson has won the European Cup twice, with United stunning Bayern Munich 2-1 in injury time in 1999 before downing Chelsea in 2008. Now, more than half a century after watching the white-shirted matadors of Madrid torment Frankfurt at Hampden, Ferguson is on the threshold of his own piece of European history.

If United beat Barcelona at Wembley today he will equal Liverpool legend Bob Paisley’s record as the only manager to win the European Cup three times.

Typically, Ferguson thinks United should have more victories in the European Cup than their wins in 1968, 1999 and 2008.”The expectation from my point of view has always been very high in Europe because you do get envious of the other great teams-Real Madrid, Milan, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, and Ajax,” he said. “We are looking to get parity with those clubs. It is where we should be.” — AFP

Guardiola the guardian of Barca’s dream teams LONDON: When Pep Guardiola settles into his seat in the final moments before kick-off in the Champions League final at Wembley, the Barcelona manager may find it hard to stop his mind drifting back to a night at the same venue 19 years earlier when his club’s European dreams came true at last. Guardiola is rightly feted for his role as the guiding light for a group of players widely regarded as the among the best of their era.

But he first made his name two decades ago as a tenacious midfielder whose tough-tackling and astute reading of the game allowed him to become a key component of Barcelona’s first golden generation. Barca’s then coach Johan Cruyff had assembled a team true to his purist principles and the likes of Michael Laudrup, Hristo Stoichkov and Ronald Koeman played with such style that they were christened ‘the dream team’. On 20 May 1992, their fantasy football reaped the ultimate reward on the same Wembley stage to which Guardiola returns to face Manchester United today.

The English national stadium remains hallowed ground for Barcelona after Koeman clinched their first European Cup by blasting a superb free-kick past Sampdoria goalkeeper Gianluca Pagliuca with just nine minutes remaining in extra-time. It was a cathartic moment for Barcelona as they emerged from the long shadow cast by Real Madrid, who often taunted the Catalans for their failure to emulate their bitter rivals’ success in Europe’s elite competition. No-one took more joy from the triumph than Guardiola. A Barca fan from his childhood in Santpedo, just an hour’s drive from the Catalan capital, he had been

nurtured through the youth team and served as a ball boy before Cruyff spotted his potential.

Guardiola may not have been the headline act in that side but he learned the lessons of Cruyff’s commitment to stylish success. By the time Guardiola returned to the Nou Camp as youth coach, Cruyff was retired but he remained a keen Barca fan and could see his former player had become a guardian of the Dutch ‘total football’ ethos he brought to the club in the 1990s.

He recommended to president Joan Laporta that Guardiola be installed as Barca manager in 2008 and the appointment proved an inspired move.

Guardiola infused the team with a fluid passing and pressing game that tormented opponents and in his first year they won La Liga, the Copa del Rey and beat Manchester United 2-0 in the Champions League final. Two more league titles have followed and, aided by the development of Argentine forward Lionel Messi from gifted prodigy to the genius of his generation, Guardiola has created Barca’s second dream team.

Humble as ever, he has no doubt where the credit for success should be directed. “All the coaches I had in my career were important but Cruyff was the most important of all,” Guardiola said. “He was without equal on training and tactics and he helped me to understand the million details that decide why some matches are lost and some matches are won.” If Barca can emulate that 2009 final win against United this weekend, they will be ranked alongside legendary European champions like Real Madrid, Ajax, AC Milan, Liverpool and

Bayern Munich.

With history in their hands, Guardiola wants his team to seize the moment. “In 1992 we thought that we would never play a European Cup final again. I want my players to feel the same. We cannot waste this opportunity,” he said.

Guardiola’s old team-mate Koeman can compare both great Barca eras from a more neutral perspective and he is convinced Messi and co are ready to join the immortals. “This Barcelona team is more complete than ours,” Koeman said. “We played fantastic football for periods, but we could not maintain the high level every week, every month for a whole year. “This Barcelona team can do that.

They never drop their standards, which is amazing.” — AFP

Matches on TV (Local Timings) UEFA Champions League Final Barcelona v Man United Aljazeera Sport +7 Aljazeera Sport +2 Aljazeera Sport +1 Aljazeera Sport +5 Aljazeera Sport +6 Aljazeera Sport +3 Aljazeera Sport 1 HD Aljazeera Sport +4 Aljazeera Sport +8 Aljazeera Sport +9 Aljazeera Sport +10 Aljazeera Sport 2 HD

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FIFA boss faces ethics hearing with his rival

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United aim for biggest surprise vs Barcelona LONDON: For once, it would be a surprise if Manchester United wins this weekend.

Barcelona has already clinched a third straight Spanish title and such is the fashion in which Lionel Messi and his teammates routinely frustrate and dismantle opponents that few expect to see United victorious when the teams meet in today’s Champions League final. A Barcelona win is so widely anticipated that British bookmakers rate a side that has just won a record 19th English title the biggest Champions League final outsider for more than a decade.

But odds of 3-1 against United winning are more a reflection of the amount of money wagered on 21-20 shot Barcelona than any shortcomings in a side that advanced to the final without conceding an away goal and is drawing close to two decades of dominance in England. “It doesn’t bother us who is favorite and who is not,” United midfielder

Michael Carrick said. “It is about performing in a one-off game. We respect them for what they are, the way they play the game and the strengths they have. We are well aware of how they play but at the same time it is about us as well.

“We have gained a lot of experience over recent years and hopefully it will all come together on today night.” With a third Champions League final appearance in four seasons headed United’s way, part of that experience came against Barcelona in the final two years ago. Defending champion United dominated the opening 10 minutes in Rome before Samuel Eto’o put Barcelona ahead. Barcelona then eased through the rest of the match against a rattled opponent before Messi’s 70th-minute header put the result beyond all doubt.—AP

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