16 Mar 2013

IPT IO N SC R SU B

SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 2013

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MOI holds security crackdown at Friday market

150 Fils

JAMADA ALAWWAL 4, 1434 AH

EU fails to agree on arming Syria rebels

No: 15749

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Ailing Federer outmuscled by resurgent Nadal

Iran ‘over a year or so’ from bomb: Obama Pentagon: Iranian plane pursued US drone

JERUSALEM: Iran is “over a year or so” from getting a nuclear bomb, US President Barack Obama said in an interview a week before visiting Israel, warning that the military option remained on the table. In an interview with Israel’s Channel 2 television, Obama laid out a clear timeline for Iran to acquire a military nuclear capacity, while insisting that Washington would not wait until the last minute to take action to stop it.

“We think that it would take over a year or so for Iran to actually develop a nuclear weapon, but obviously, we don’t want to cut it too close,” he said in an exclusive 25-minute interview with the private TV station. Obama is due to arrive in Israel on March 20 for a three-day visit, his first since being elected president in 2008, on a trip which will also take him to the Palestinian territories.

Should diplomacy fail, all options remained “on the table” for stopping Iran, he said. “My message to (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu) will be the same as before: if we can resolve it diplomatically, that’s a more lasting solution. But if not, I continue to keep all options on the table,” he said. Asked if there was a realistic option that he would order an attack on Iran’s nuclear sites, he said: “When I say that all options are on the table, all options are on the table and the United States obviously has significant capabilities.

“But our goal here is to make sure that Iran does not possess a nuclear weapon that could threaten Israel or could trigger an arms race in the region that would be extraordinarily dangerous at a time when obviously there are already a lot of things going on,” he said.

Washington, Israel and much of the West believe that Iran’s nuclear program of uranium enrichment is a cover for a weapons drive, a charge denied by Tehran. Iran possessing a nuclear weapons would be “a red line” for the United States, Obama said, insisting that he would have the necessary support within his cabinet should a military strike become necessary.

An Iranian fighter jet approached a US surveillance drone over the Gulf but broke off its pursuit after the pilot of a US escort plane radioed a verbal warning, the Pentagon said Thursday.

Pentagon press secretary George Little said the incident occurred Tuesday and that the unarmed MQ-1 Predator surveillance drone as well as two US military escort planes remained over international waters at all times. — Agencies

20 wounded in hospital fight

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: At least 20 people, including many security men, were wounded when a ‘free-for-all’ fight broke out in Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital yesterday, sources said. Several furniture and equipment in the hospital also were damaged during the fight that started when a citizen, who came to the hospital with injuries resulting from a traffic accident, saw his ex-wife there. According to the sources he began to beat up the woman. Seeing the woman being beaten, some young men tried to stop the man, but soon the things got worse with more friends from both sides getting involved, the sources added.

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ISTANBUL: Turkish Muslims chant slogans during a demonstration held in front of the Fatih mosque in Istanbul yesterday against the regime of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad. Syria’s devastating conflict entered its third year yesterday with EU leaders frustrated over the failure of diplomacy to end the bloodshed pressing to arm rebels despite Russian objections. — AFP

Vatican sees anti-clerical campaign against pope VATICAN CITY: The Vatican lashed out at what it called a “defamatory” and “anti-clerical left-wing” campaign to discredit Pope Francis over his actions during Argentina’s 1976-1983 military junta, saying no credible accusation had ever stuck against the new pope.

While the former Jorge Mario Bergoglio, like most other Argentines, failed to openly confront the murderous dictatorship, human rights activists differ on how much responsibility he personally deserves. The Vatican spokesman the Rev Federico Lombardi noted yesterday that a Jesuit who was kidnapped

during the dictatorship in a case that involved Bergoglio had issued a statement earlier in the day saying the two had reconciled.

Lombardi also noted that Argentine courts had never accused Bergoglio of any crime and that on the contrary, there is ample evidence of the role he played protecting people from the military as it kidnapped and killed thousands of people in a “dirty war” to eliminate leftist opponents. He said the accusations were made long ago “by anti-clerical left-wing elements to attack the church and must be decisively rejected.” The most damning accusation against Bergoglio is that as the military

junta took over in 1976, he withdrew his support for two slum priests whose activist colleagues in the liberation theology movement were disappearing. The priests were then kidnapped and tortured at the Navy Mechanics School, which the junta used as a clandestine prison.

Bergoglio said he had told the priests Orlando Yorio and Francisco Jalics - to give up their slum work for their own safety, and they refused. Yorio later accused Bergoglio of effectively delivering them to the death squads by declining to publicly endorse their work. Yorio is now dead. — AP (See Page 10)

LOCAL SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 2013

Kuwait urges framework for reducing disaster perils Desertification a big challenge

Anti-terrorist exercise at US embassy

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: Military affairs unit of the National Guards in cooperation with training and development American company (MPRI) conducted an anti-terrorist exercise at the American Embassy in Kuwait, in the presence of the American Ambassador Mathew Twiller and military affairs commander at National Guards Brig Saad Jaber Al Hajraf.

The exercise included action against a ‘terrorist attack’ on the embassy. Anti-ter-

ror unit, explosives clearing unit, military police, medical emergency, and training and planning unit moved to the embassy area, found the hiding places of the terrorists. Forces were set as planned and started the fight. They raided place and arrested the terrorists.

After the exercise, the American ambassador hailed the performance of the participants, which indicated their ability to deal with emergencies and administer crises. He valued the fruitful cooperation between National Guards and American Army.

GENEVA: The State of Kuwait stressed here yesterday the significance of setting out an international framework for climate services in an effort to slim the risks of natural disasters. Addressing a UN conference on the fight against desertification and drought, Assistant Undersecretary and Deputy General Director of Kuwaiti Naval Services Abdelhamid Dashti said natural disasters include drought, desertification and water mismanagement.

He said the users of information on drought would contribute to revamping the output of the international framework for climate services and drought-bearing information. ‘Kuwait is suffering from factors that have led to drought and desertification as well as bad weather including high temperature, scarce rains, sand and dusty storms and saline soil,’ he said.

However, he said, Kuwait was in the forefront of the countries which took precautious moves against drought and desertification as a national plan was adopted in 1987 to plant trees nationwide.

The State of Kuwait also signed the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in September 1995, Dashti added. Anti-desertification efforts in Kuwait were jointly exerted by governmental agencies and voluntary groups, he pointed out. He also lauded existing cooperation between Kuwait Meteorological Department and its counterparts in other member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in all meteorological fields, especially sand and dusty storms.

This cooperation led to the conclusion of a memo of understanding between the GCC member states and the

World Meteorological Organization (WMO), including the conduction of studies on sandy and dusty storms in south Asia, he said. Kuwait, in coordination with other GCC member states, is in the process of inking cooperative protocols with some international centers and agencies such as NASA to study dusty and sandy storms in south Asia, he pointed out.

Meanwhile, adviser to Kuwait’s Permanent delegation to the United Nations, Malik Al-Wazzan, said here yesterday that Kuwait’s participation in the United Nations Conference to Combat Desertification comes as part of its interaction with the problem of drought, which has become threatening to various parts of the world.

Al-Wazzan said that the drought and desertification phenomena have direct effect on global food production and higher prices, a matter that was felt by everyone in recent years, as well as global climate change and its negative economic dimensions.

He added that the economies of poor countries are the most affected by this problem, which has hit the depth of their food security as well as causing humanitarian disasters such as displacement, homelessness and associated diseases. He said that the participation of Heads of State, Government and senior ministers and politicians from different regions of the world along with scientists and specialists under the auspices the Secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification reflect the interest of the United Nations in the international cooperation to find scientific and political ways to deal with the problem. — KUNA

Local SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 2013

Kuwait minister offers to quit over student’s death No traces of violence or bruises KUWAIT: Kuwait’s education minister has offered to resign following the death of a student, even though initial reports indicated that the child died of natural causes. Dr Nayef Al-Hajraf said over the weekend that he had submitted his resignation assuming responsibility in his political capacity after Noora, 11, died in her classroom at the Sabah Al-Nasser middle school.

“We have been briefed about the terrible tragedy and all parties have confirmed that the death was natural,” Al-Hajraf said. “A case was recorded at the Interior Ministry stating that the death was natural, but we will wait until the final report is issued,” he said, quoted by local Arabic daily Al-Watan.

The ministry is launching its own investigation into the case and will involve the school administrative staff, teachers, students and the nurse, the minister said. Students will be given psychological help and counseling to assist them in maintaining or regaining trust in the country’s educational institutions, he added.

Reports said that Noora, a sixth grader, suddenly collapsed in the classroom and was rushed to hospital, but died before the medical staff could do anything. Farwaniya Hospital sources said that there were no traces of violence or bruises on her body, the daily said.

The school principal, Mona Al-Arifan said that the school authorities informed the girl’s mother

when she collapsed. “She told us that her daughter did not suffer from any deficiency, allergy or heart condition,” the principal said.

According to reports, a teacher, reportedly an expatriate, had hit Noora with a notebook on her hand.

Al-Hajraf and senior Education Ministry officials visited Noora’s family and offered their condolences.

Noora’s father, Ali Hassan, reportedly said that he believed his daughter’s death was natural and that he would not file a complaint.

Noora’s uncle, Hussain, told the daily that the family accepted her death as fate and that they would not sue the teacher in case she was found guilty of causing it.

A senior government official said that the minister’s resignation had not been accepted by Wednesday evening.

Meanwhile, in a rather fatherly gesture, His Highness the Amir send a cable of condolences to the parents of the deceased child.

Officially, forensic medicine report on the girlís death excluded any homicide causes for the kidís death and stressed that the girl, who had a heart problem, passed away with a heart failure. The report also stressed that the girlís body was clear of any bruises or marks indicating that the girl had been beaten.

Farwaniya educational area suspended the con-

cerned teacher, who reportedly beat the girl minutes before she collapsed and passed away, and opened a wide scale investigation with the school administration, pupils and teachers.

In this regard, educational sources said that the minister of education Hajraf had ordered the suspension of the concerned teacher till the investigation was over.

Further, the acting MOE undersecretary, Mariam Al-Wetaid and Farwaniya educational area director, Badriya Al-Khaldi visited Al-Wosta Intermediate school, where the kid died, and met the school administration, teachers and pupils on Thursday, the first school day after the incident where they addressed the school assembly to condole the teachers and the girlís school-mates and boost their spirits.

Commenting on the incident, Al-Khaldi said that social and psychological working supervisors also visited the school to handle the girlís classmates shock and help them overcome it.

On his part, and though he fully believed in destiny, the girlís uncle, Hussein Al-Dasam, blamed the ministry of education for not fully equipping the school clinic with first aid kits, namely oxygen cylinders, and for the unprofessional way the school administration handled the case. ìThe girl was left unattended to for long periods while moving her from class and waiting for an ambulance till some teachers carried her to hospital by a teacherís own

carî, said the uncle.

Commenting on news about MOE ministerís resignation, HH the PM Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak stressed that it was not yet accepted and that it is being reviewed by HH the Amir before a final decision is made.

Within the same concern, high-ranking official sources at the health ministry said that the ministry would conduct a full review of the school health servicesí tasks in a bid to include providing new ones to ensure providing immediate health care for students when needed. The sources added that periodic medical examinations would be conducted on students and that special health programs would be set to follow up students with special health and medical cases.

In another development, Kuwait’s criminal court has acquitted blogger Faris Al-Balhan of charges of insulting HH the Amir through his Twitter posts.

The court explained that the defendant explained that his calls about Kuwait having an elected ‘head’ meant having an elected prime minister and cabinet and not a head of state, and such a demand was covered by the freedom of speech as guaranteed and not incriminated by the constitution.

The court also saw that the defendant’s tweet about calling to elect a head of state to replace the Amir had been broadcast by a Bahraini blogger and that he later deleted it.

LOCAL

SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 2013

KUWAIT: Under the patronage of Interior Ministry Assistant Undersecretary and Director of Traffic Department Lt Gen Dr Mustafa Al-Zaabi, a celebration was held over the weekend to mark the end of the GCC Unified Traffic Week which was held from March 10 to 16. — Photos by Joseph Shagra

Kuwait among first donors for Syrian refugees CAIRO: Kuwaiti Minister of Health Dr Mohammad Barrak AlHaifi said Thursday his country was among the first countries that responded to the needs of the Syrians displaced by the conflict. “The State of Kuwait, under the wise leadership of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, spares no effort in alleviating the suffering of the Syrian refugees,” the minister said.

Dr. Al-Haifi made the remarks in an interview on the sidelines the 39th session of the Arab Health Ministers Council which kicked off here earlier yesterday.

“Kuwait hosted in last January the International Humanitarian Pledging Conference for Syria. During the conference HH the Amir pledged $300 million to the relief effort,” he noted. The minister added that the donor conference contributed remarkably to the relief effort for the Syrian refugees in the neighboring countries and those internally-displaced.

He highlighted the importance of the current meeting of the Arab ministers of health in helping the health services for the Syrians and the Palestinian people.

He added that Kuwait offers essential aid to the Palestinians, particularly those in Gaza Strip, in all forms whether economic, political, or health. — KUNA

KD 3.4 million loan for Togo KUWAIT: Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) signed here yesterday a loan agreement with the Republic of Togo under which the fund would provide KD 3.4 million to help finance the Kpalime-Adagali-Atakpame road project.

The agreement was signed by Adji Ayassor, Minister of Economy and Finance, on behalf of the Togolese government, and Ghanem Sulaiman Al-Ghenaiman, KFAED’s Deputy Director General, KFAED said in a press statement.

The financed project aims to support economic and social development in the southwestern area of Togo, face the increasing demand on transportation for local residents, and facilitate ways of communication between these areas and the capital, Lome, which is the main sea port in the country, added the statement.

Also, it noted that the project would consist mainly of sand works, pavement segment layers, bridges works, sewage systems, safety equipment, as well as consulting services necessary to update tender documents, supervision on implementation, and institutional support of public authority of public works, which includes administrative expenses, supply field vehicles, and office supplies. —KUNA

Four in police custody for open air fight in Salmiya Arab woman issues dud cheques KUWAIT: Operations department at the Ministry of Interior received a call yesterday informing them about an open air fierce fighting in Salmiya between four persons.

Hawally security officials immediately responded to the report, and rushed to the scene of the fight. Police arrested the fighters who were drunk and took them to Salmiya police station. After checking their records and IDs, one of them turned out to be a policeman working as a criminal detective. He tried to escape after threatening the policemen. Sources said that police reported the matter to area commander Col Bader AlMutairi, who ordered them to file a case, and to apply law on every one without exception.

A case was filed against the four who were found to be coming after a liquor party in one of the private apartments and the fight started after all of them competed to ‘win the heart’ of a girl who was attending the party. A case was filed and the four were sent to the public prosecutor.

Theft cases An Indian reported to Salmiy police that someone entered his apartment which is on the first floor of one the buildings through the balcony and stole jewelleries worth KD 5000 and KD 120 in cash and ran away. A case was filed and criminal investigations was called to see the apartment and have taken fingerprints and noticed a ladder left behind by the thieves near the balcony.

KD 6,000 in cash and KD 8000 worth jewelleries disappeared from the safe of a citizen at Rumaithiya. His social visit during which he left home gave the chance to some thieves to break into the house, and into his bedroom and broke the safe and stole the cash and jewelleries, while another citizen in same area reported to police about

some thieves who broke in his house and stole expensive clothes from the house.

Both thefts happened in the same area, and hunt is on for the thieves.

Dud cheques An Egyptian expat reported to Jabriya police that an Egyptian woman gave him two dud cheques— one amounting to KD 38,000 and the other KD 32,500. He told police that he got the cheques for business transaction between him and the woman, but cheques bounced without balance. A case was filed, and police are in the process of arresting the

woman for further investigation.

Asian killed?

Public prosecutor ordered south Surra police to detain three Bangladeshis for the possibility of being involved in the killing of one of their fellow countrymen, and dumping his body in the elevator well. Earlier information was received by police that an Asian fell in the elevator well, as police arrived they found him dead and found another three Bangladeshis there. As police investigations revealed that a fight started between them, before the man fell into the elevator well.

Al-Nasser outlines UNAOC priorities UNITED NATIONS: The UN High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, of Qatar, on Thursday said he will use sports, arts and music to foster the culture of peace.

The newly appointed official and former General Assembly President told a press conference that the Alliance is “more relevant than ever, particularly in these times of historical changes and unprecedented political, economic, social and cultural challenges.”

It can become a “major soft power tool to diffuse tensions and conflicts, especially those which are ethnically or identity based,” he noted.

He said his priorities in the next few years is to accomplish additional goals in the areas of Youth, education, and

Migration and increase interaction with media, civil society and the business sector.

He said he will reach out to religious leaders, community leaders, grassroots organizations and youth groups, the “real change-makers.”

“I will work with peacemakers, wherever we may find them to strengthen our capacity and achieve our shared goals of peace, tolerance and mutual respect,” he stressed.

Meanwhile, the 2013 Human Development Report said the rise of the South is radically reshaping the world of the 21st century, with developing nations driving economic growth, lifting hundreds of millions of people from poverty, and propelling billions more into a new global middle class. —KUNA

LOCAL

SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 2013

MoI holds security drive at Friday market

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: A security campaign was carried out by Ministry of Interior at the Friday market at Al-Rai area yesterday and a number of illegal expatriates were arrested. The campaign caused a big traffic jam in the area and the market was closed for several hours. Sources said that the campaign was carried out by traffic and patrol departments led by Brigadier Zuhair Al-Nasrallah.

Field operation team at Ministry of Interior headed by General Sulaiman Al-Fahad carried a security campaign against outlaws and residency violators at Friday Market and tents market and arrested 450 people for violating the residency law, mainly Article 20. All the arrested individuals were referred to concerned authorities.

Assistant Undersecretary Lt General Mahmoud Al-Dawsery, Assistant Undersecretary Lt General Dr Mustafa Al-Zaabi, Assistant Undersecretary Lt General Abdullah Al-Muhanna, and other high ranking leaders participated in this campaign.

A plan was drawn out to arrest all the violators and confiscate unauthorized military uniforms exhibited for sale.

Security media at Ministry of Interior said such campaigns will continue and that all concerned security sources will participate in cooperation with the state organization. Citizens and expats were informed not to cover for any wanted person, law-breaker or residency violator to avoid being held for abetting crime.

Citizens and expats play an important role in supporting security campaigns by helping the authorities with necessary information and details. Surveillance cameras proved to be effective in all areas by keeping track of violators and aiding in their arrest.

SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 2013

Morsi praises police despite criticism

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Communist Party’s No 2 Li Keqiang named PM

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India alerts airports to stop Italian envoy’s exit

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DOHA: Britain’s Prince Charles (second left) looks at camels as he visits the Al-Safwa farm in Doha yesterday. Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, are on a threeday official visit to Qatar, as part of their regional tour, which has already taken them to Jordan and also includes Saudi Arabia and Oman. — AFP

EU fails to agree on arming Syria rebels Rebel chief says fighters ‘will not give up’ BRUSSELS: The European Union stood divided yesterday on whether to lift an embargo on supplying arms to Syria’s opposition despite a strong push from Britain and France.

Pressed by the two major EU powers to help tip the balance in the conflict by arming the ill-equipped rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad, leaders of the 27-nation bloc agreed to discuss the issue again next week, but there was little sign of a deal in the offing. “We agreed to task our foreign ministers to assess the situation as a matter of priority” at talks in Dublin on March 22 and 23, EU President Herman Van Rompuy said at the close of a two-day summit. As the bloody conflict entered its third year, London and Paris said there was no sign of Assad relenting on the political front as he continued to receive arms from Russia and elsewhere. But there was little appetite from some Europeans for arming the rebels, fearful that a flood of weapons into Syria would only escalate the conflict.

“It is unlikely there will be an agreement to lift the arms embargo given very principled opposition from some nations, such as Germany,” Jan Techau, head of the Carnegie think-tank, told AFP. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose country is traditionally shy of conflict, said “I haven’t made up my mind yet”, but added that “we have a series of reservations because one has to ask whether or not one is fanning the flames of the conflict.” “It is an extremely difficult situation,” she added after the summit. “It must be considered very very carefully.” After British Prime Minister David Cameron this week called for an EU arms embargo to be lifted, France’s President Francois Hollande unexpectedly turned the spotlight on the issue on arriving in Brussels, saying: “We want Europeans to lift the arms embargo.” “Political solutions have now failed,” he said. “We cannot allow a people to be massacred by a regime that for now does not

want a political transition,” Hollande said. Like Britain, France warned it was ready to break ranks with European partners to supply weapons to the rebels. Paris was ready to “take its responsibilities” if other EU nations were unwilling to lift the embargo, Hollande said.

“Of course people want a political solution,” said Cameron. “We are more likely to see political progress if people can see the Syrian opposition as a credible and strengthening force.”

The EU embargo on supplying arms to Syria, whether to the regime or rebels, is part of a package of sanctions that was extended on February 28 for three months by EU foreign ministers, though such sanctions are always reviewed in case events change.

At the February talks ministers agreed under pressure from Britain, France and Italy to ease the arms ban to enable any EU state to provide non-lethal aid or training to the insurgents. Britain quickly pledged armoured vehicles and protective clothing for the opposition. But a number of EU countries have been sceptical about going further and dropping the arms ban. “We are against the end of the arms embargo. We think the delivery of arms does not contribute to a possible solution,” Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann told reporters in Brussels.

An EU diplomat said many countries were likely to fall in quietly behind Germany and refuse to lift the ban. Meanwhile, the chief of Syria’s main, Western-backed rebel group marked the second anniversary of the start of the uprising against President Bashar Assad yesterday by pledging to fight until the “criminal” regime is gone. Gen. Salim Idris, the head of the Supreme Military Council, called on Syrian soldiers to join the rebels in a “fight for freedom and democracy,” and said: “Dear friends, the Free Syrian Army (fighters) will not give up.”

In Damascus, authorities beefed up security measures as rebel groups called for stepped-up attacks on government troops and state institutions on the anniversary. The revolt against Assad’s authoritarian rule began in March 2011 with protests in the southern city of Daraa, after troops arrested teenagers who scrawled antiregime graffiti on a wall. It has since morphed into a civil war that has killed an estimated 70,000 people, according to the UN. “We want (a) Syria where every Syrian can live in peace and liberty. This is our dream. This is what we are fighting for,” Idris said in a video address obtained by The Associated Press form the military council’s media office. He spoke in an undisclosed location in northern Syria that is under rebel control.

“I know our battle is not so easy. We have to fight against planes, tanks and huge missiles,” Idris said. “But our will is still very strong. We will not stop until this criminal regime has gone.” Idris, 55, studied in Germany and taught electronics at a Syrian military college before defecting to the rebel side in July. In the past year, the rebels have made significant advances on the battlefield, capturing large swathes of land outside of major cities and along the border with Turkey and controlling some areas in the northern city of Aleppo, Syria’s largest urban center and its commercial hub.

They have also seized border crossings along the frontier with Turkey and Iraq and have overrun major military bases. They captured dams on the Euphrates River and came within a mile of the center of Damascus, the seat of Assad’s power. On Friday, rebels battled regime forces in several smaller army bases and weapons depots around Aleppo, seizing some ammunition in an army depot near a village of Khan Touman, southwest of the city, according to activist groups. — Agencies

INTERNATIONAL SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 2013

Morsi praises police despite criticism UN women text threat to society: Islamists

TUNIS: Rached Ghannouchi, leader of the Islamist Ennahda party that heads the new Tunisian government elected in the midst of a political and economic crisis, speaks during a press conference in Tunis yesterday. — AFP

Tunisia Islamists ‘against’ female circumcision TUNIS: The head of Tunisia’s ruling Islamist party Ennahda insisted yesterday that his group was opposed to female circumcision, after one of its MPs caused a storm by reportedly saying the operation was “aesthetic.” “We do not approve of female circumcision, a practice supported neither by Ennahda nor by religion, and which is not a part of our culture,” Rached Ghannouchi told a news conference in Tunis. “Whoever approves of female circumcision cannot remain within our ranks,” he added. Ennahda MP Habib Ellouze sparked outrage in the north African country with comments he reportedly made last week in an interview published in an Arabic newspaper.

“In the (African) regions where it is hot, people are forced to circumcise girls ... because in these regions clitorises are too big which affects the spouses,” Ellouze was quoted as saying in the Sunday edition of Maghreb. “There are more circumcisions but it is not true that circumcision removes the pleasure for women. It is the West that has exaggerated the issue. Circumcision is an aesthetic surgery for women,” he reportedly said.

But Ellouze on Monday accused the newspaper of distorting his quotes, saying the journalist “attributed remarks to me that I have not said.” Ennahda, which heads the Tunisian government, is regularly accused of orchestrating a creeping Islamisation of society and seeking to limit the rights of women. It denies the charges. The International Organisation of Migration says around 100 to 140 million women have suffered female genital mutilation around the world, mainly in Africa. —AFP

Turkish Cypriots eye turning to Muslim states for recognition NICOSIA: Frustrated by a stalled process to reunite Cyprus, the de facto Turkish Cypriot state that has run the north for almost four decades says it is considering asking fellow Islamic states for formal recognition. That would infuriate the Republic of Cyprus government, a European Union member that describes the north as being under illegal military occupation since a 1974 Turkish invasion. The eastern Mediterranean island has been divided ever since, with only Turkey so far recognizing the north as a sovereign state.

The discovery of considerable natural offshore natural gas deposits between Cyprus and Israel has further increased tension.

The Turkish Cypriot side accuses the Cypriot government of acting unilaterally in inviting foreign firms to drill in the area. It says it wants to see some form of revenue-sharing from any gas production, an idea the Cypriot government rejects. The Turkish Cypriot side say their first choice would be to negotiate reunification with the Greek Cypriot south, but that after decades of inaction it could not take forever.

If a deal proved impossible, the Turkish Cypriot side would have to respond, chief Turkish Cypriot presidential spokesman Osman Ertug told Reuters in an interview this week in the Turkish Cypriot part of the capital Nicosia. That could mean going beyond the unilateral declaration of independence with which Turkish Cyprus announced it was seceding in 1983. “How do you go further? By getting recognition,” he said.

Asked where such recognition might come from, Ertug - a veteran Turkish Cypriot negotiator who served as its representative to both Washington and the United Nations - would not name individual countries but said: “From our Islamic brothers. We haven’t aggressively sought recognition. But if things are not moving forward it is something we may have to do.”

The election of a new Cypriot government last month offered a new opportunity for progress, according to Ertug. “I would say the next few months are crucial. It is not just the gas. We have a new Greek Cypriot leader who says he is keen on talking. There seems to be willingness to talk when we call...,” he said. —Reuters

CAIRO: Egypt’s president praised the country’s policemen yesterday despite public criticism over their violent response to anti-government demonstrations, and warned officers who are also protesting his rule against breaking ranks.

President Mohammed Morsi spoke ahead of traditional Islamic Friday prayers, which he attended at a Cairobased camp for riot police in a show of solidarity with the force. The black-clad riot squads have been at the forefront of deadly clashes with protesters for more than two years. Rights groups accuse the police of using snipers and lethal force against unarmed protesters. More than 1,000 demonstrators have died in the clashes, and policemen also have been killed and have suffered serious injuries.

Part of the Interior Ministry’s force that oversees Egypt’s battered police has been on strike for more than a week.

Many say they are tired of having to confront protesters angry with Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood group’s policies.

Thousands of officers and low-ranking policemen staged protests this month outside police stations and refused to work. They are demanding that Interior Minister Mohammed Ibrahim resign and accuse him of trying to politicize the force. Thousands of policemen in the Interior Ministry are also demanding higher wages, better working conditions, greater firepower and stronger immunity from prosecution for carrying out their duties.

Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood has warned that a UN document demanding global standards to prevent violence against women is un-Islamic and would

CAIRO: Supporters of Egypt’s military shout anti-Muslim Brotherhood slogans and wave national flags during a protest in front of the Unknown Soldier memorial in Cairo yesterday. — AP lead to the “complete degradation of society.”

Governments and NGOs from around the world are to wrap up two weeks of discussions in New York on ways to end violence against women and children with the aim of reaching a consensus by Friday.

But the Muslim Brotherhood, from which President Mohamed Morsi hails, said the document includes articles “that contradict established principles of Islam, undermine Islamic ethics” and, if ratified, “would lead to the complete disintegration of society.” The movement argued against imposing universal standards to fight violence against women and called on women’s organizations “to commit to their religion and the morals of their communities... and not be deceived with misleading calls

for decadent modernisation and the path of subversive immorality.”

The Brotherhood’s statement is its clearest yet on women and their role in society-an issue the group had tried to skirt around since being thrust into power following a popular uprising in 2011. The Brotherhood warned that “decadence awaits our world” should the UN document be signed. It said it opposed 10 key points of the text, including “full equality in marriage legislation” and “cancelling the need for a husband’s consent in matters like travel, work or use of contraception.” It slammed “granting wives full rights to file legal complaints against husbands accusing them of rape or sexual harassment” as well as “removing the authority of divorce from husbands and placing it in the hands of judges.” — Agencies

Worshippers clash with police in Baghdad BAGHDAD: Protesters clashed yesterday with Iraqi police trying to prevent them from reaching the most venerated Sunni mosque in Baghdad, as members of their sect once again massed for anti-government rallies in several Iraqi cities. Several people were reported injured.

Iraqi security forces had prevented worshippers from holding Friday prayers at the Abu Hanifa mosque last week as well, a development that reflects heightened sectarian tensions nearly a decade after the US invasion of Iraq. Police officials said anti-riot police used batons and water hoses in order to prevent worshippers from crossing a bridge leading to the mosque, which is located in the primarily Sunni neighborhood of Azamiyah. The officials said several worshippers sustained bruises and minor injuries in the skirmishes at the bridge, about 2 kilometers (1 mile) from Abu Hanifa. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to talk to the media.

Abdul-Rahman Al-Azzawi was among of a group of people who tried to cross the 14th of Ramadan bridge when they were met by

security forces. “We were showered with water and the policemen started to beat us,” he said. “I do not know the reason behind this savage attack. We were only going to a

mosque, not to Al-Maliki’s office in the Green Zone,” referring to the heavily secured quarter in the center of Baghdad where many officials have their offices. —AP

BAGHDAD: An Iraqi man inspects the damage at his shop in Baghdad yesterday a day after militants staged an apparently unsuccessful assault on the Iraqi justice ministry in the capital. — AFP

International SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 2013

Kenya’s Odinga delays legal challenge to vote Collusion between Kenyatta, vote body alleged NAIROBI: Kenya’s defeated presidential contender Raila Odinga has delayed his legal challenge to last week’s election result, his allies said yesterday, extending a period of uncertainty over the outcome of the disputed poll. Odinga refused to

election-related cases. “The reason for the postponement is merely strategic and has nothing to do with the content of the petition and other accompanying documents,” senior CORD member James Orengo said.

Kenyatta, the son of the country’s first pres-

NAIROBI: Supporters of Kenyan presidential candidate Raila Odinga attend the launch of their campaign of social media protest and prayer vigils entitled “Democracy on Trial”, which is due to last until the country’s highest court has ruled on petitions challenging the validity of the recent election, in Nairobi yesterday. —AP accept the slim first-round win by rival Uhuru Kenyatta - and his allies had said he would present a petition to the Supreme Court on Friday alleging collusion between the president-elect and the electoral commission.

But officials from Odinga’s CORD coalition told reporters the papers would now go to the court a day later today - the deadline for complaints - to prevent their challenge getting “mixed up” with other

ident, faces charges of crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court alleging he incited violence during the bloody aftermath to Kenya’s 2007 presidential vote. He denies the charges.

There has been no repeat of that elections’ deadly tribal violence that sent the region’s biggest economy into a tailspin and threatened the country’s image as a safe place for tourists and investors.

Odinga has called for calm while he

takes his case to court and has said he will accept the final ruling.

While Odinga’s petition - and the delay to its filing - will prolong uncertainty about the outcome of the vote, most Kenyans said they were relieved the dispute was being fought out in the courts, not the streets. “No-one is ready to go back to the streets. We believe the judgment will reflect fairly what happened,” said doctor Jack Kataka from Odinga’s tribal homeland in the west of Kenya.

Chief Justice Willy Mutunga has promised to deal with any election petitions in a fair, speedy and transparent manner. The court’s performance will be seen as a test of ongoing reforms of the judiciary.

Kenyatta only just avoided a second round in last week’s poll after winning 50.07 percent of the vote - candidates need more than half of all votes cast to win outright.

But he was more than 800,00 votes ahead of Odinga, who also lost the 2007 election. In a sign of other looming legal battles, three people with close ties to Kenyatta have filed a petition arguing rejected ballots should not have been included in the final tally, local media reported. If rejected ballots had been excluded from the final count, Kenyatta would have secured a fractionally more comfortable margin of 50.51 percent of the vote. International observers said the vote was credible up to the point vote counting started on March 4. But tallying went on for five days, and some observers have not assessed the full process.

Kenyan markets rallied on investor cheer the vote had passed off peacefully.

Shares on the benchmark NSE-20 index struck a 4 1/2 year high after the result before easing off slightly in later sessions. — Reuters

Zimbabwe seems set to endorse new constitution HARARE: Zimbabwe’s political leaders were making their final pitch to voters yesterday, on the eve of a constitutional referendum that would guarantee democracy in future elections in the crisis-weary country.

If approved, the new supreme law will also clip many of the presidential powers that veteran leader Robert Mugabe has enjoyed for decades.

The constitution looks poised to be easily adopted, laying the groundwork for watershed general elections that would end an often acrimonious power-sharing deal between Mugabe and his nemesis Morgan Tsvangirai. Prime Minister Tsvangirai has been criss-crossing the southern African nation to drum up support for the text which took some three years to compile, in what some saw as an extremely difficult environment. He was due to talk to church leaders.

His 89-year old rival Mugabe has left party officials to run his low-key campaign,

which is also in favour of the law.

Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has highlighted constitutional clauses guaranteeing protection against all forms of violence, and free and fair voting.

MDC supporters have been on the receiving end of violence blamed on activists of Mugabe’s Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF).

They have also lauded a provision that obliges police and the military to be apolitical, raising the hopes of victims of past political violence at the hands of the security forces. “I’m hoping this new constitution will bring about change, especially in the police force. The police used to behave as if they were ZANU-PF youth activists,” said 31-year-old Tendai Maritinyu, who bears scars of a 2006 beating all over his body. Maritinyu was also assaulted in 2010 during constitutional consultative meetings that turned violent in Harare’s

oldest township, Mbare. He had to flee his home to a safe house in a different part of the city.

But others are sceptical that the adoption of the constitution alone can really be a reason to celebrate, since laws are not always respected in a country where security forces have impunity. “It has been quiet so far because we are all agreeing to vote ‘yes’. But what will happen after the referendum is our greatest fear. We are not settled because after the referendum, things might hot up,” said John Munikwa, 38, a father of four who also is a victim of past violence.

Meanwhile Mugabe’s ZANU-PF has focused on the “irreversibility of the land reform” campaign and “economic empowerment opportunities” among the reasons for pushing for a ‘yes’ vote.

With the main political rivals pressing for the adoption of the text, the vote is likely to take place relatively peacefully. —AFP

DAKAR: Karim Wade (white), the son of former Senegal President, leaves yesterday after appearing before the west African nation’s top anti-corruption prosecutor in Dakar, to justify his income against “illegal wealth” accusations. —AFP

Guinea oppn agrees to election talks with govt CONAKRY: Guinea’s main opposition parties said yesterday they will take part in preliminary talks aimed at ending a deadlock over forthcoming elections, after the government agreed to suspend poll preparations. At least eight people have been killed and hundreds wounded in street protests called by the opposition over accusations that the authorities were planning to rig parliamentary elections due on May 12.

“We will go to the negotiating table as our demands have been respected,” said leading opposition figure Sidya Toure. Toure was referring to a decision by the government late on Thursday to suspend the activities of the election commission for a week, one of the demands issued by President Alpha Conde’s rivals, who were threatening to protest again next week.

Toure, a former prime minister, said parties would continue to push for the replacement of Waymark, the South African firm tasked with updating the electoral register, and demand that Guineans living abroad be allowed to vote.

Last weekend, West African leaders called on Guinea’s government to hold talks to ease tensions. Washington also urged the administration to work with “all parties” to ensure peaceful and transparent polls. Guinea is the world’s top supplier of the aluminium ore bauxite and holds rich deposits of iron ore. But the political turmoil has unnerved investors.

According to sources involved in mediation efforts, religious and civil society leaders will first talk to both sides separately before arranging direct negotiations.

“I am optimistic about talks,” Laye Junior Conde, a member of the pro-Conde RPG party, told journalists.

“Having flexed their muscles, the parties are now ready to talk.”

The vote is meant to be the last step in a drawn-out transition to civilian rule after a coup in late 2008 was followed by two bloody years with the army in charge.

Political uncertainty hit Guinea’s growth last year, with the mining-dependent economy registering 3.9 percent, 1 percentage point lower than forecast.

Rio Tinto last week told government officials it had slowed progress of its multi-billion dollar investment in the huge, untapped Simandou iron ore deposit, according to government and industry sources - the latest sign that investors may be getting cold feet.

Hundreds of millions of dollars in European aid also hinges on the holding of the election.

Behind Guinea’s political feuding there is a deep-rooted rivalry between the Malinke and the Peul, its two largest ethnic groups. The Malinke broadly support Conde, who comes from that ethnic group, while the opposition draws heavily from the Peul. —Reuters

International SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 2013

Vatican rejects Argentina junta claims against pope Pontiff urges Church not to be disappointed

ROME: Newly elected members of the senate attend the first session yesterday in Rome. —AFP

Italy’s parliament meets amid crisis ROME: Italy’s newly elected Parliament was heading toward political gridlock as it convened yesterday for the first time after elections gave no party a clear victory. The normally routine inaugural duty of electing leaders of both houses was locked in a stalemate - auguring badly for the establishment of the stable government needed to keep the euro-zone’s third-largest economy on a straight fiscal path while introducing growth measures to bring Italy out of recession and get more Italians back to work.

Investors were watching the sessions closely for signs of where Italy was headed. There was more bad financial news as the new deputies and senators held the first round of voting: The Bank of Italy said the nation’s debt had reached a new record, topping 2 trillion euros ($2.6 trillion) in January.

The first round of voting in both houses ended with no winners. Italian media employed a metaphor from the recent papal conclave, reporting “black smoke” from both chambers, a reference to the smoke that emerges from the Vatican when cardinals fail to reach agreement on a pope.

Center-left leader Pier Luigi Bersani’s coalition came in first in Feb. 24-25 elections. While the extra seats given to the top vote-getters guarantees a stable majority of 345 seats in the 630-seat lower house, Bersani has no such margin in the Senate, and a two-thirds majority, or 420 votes, is needed to vote a chamber leader in the first three rounds.

Bersani’s lawamkers are expected to file blank ballots in the early rounds. His attempts in recent days to persuade followers of comic-turned-political leader Beppe Grillo’s antiestablishment 5 Star Movement to cooperate on a leadership strategy failed. The movement, meanwhile, says it will only vote for its own candidates.

Bersani has ruled out an alliance with former Premier Silvio Berlusconi’s center-right forces, which finished second.

Acting Senate president Emilio Colombo told the chamber that the political stalemate will hurt Italy’s recovery and “could bring us to institutional paralysis, with dramatic consequences on ... the great social and economic problems that torment us.”

Both houses were expected to hold two rounds of voting yesterday, continuing today if no winners emerge.

Subsequent voting rounds relax the rules on majority. Only after leaders are chosen can Italy’s president open talks on forming a government, expected next week. —AP

VATICAN CITY: The Vatican yesterday rejected claims that Pope Francis failed to do enough to protect two priests kidnapped and tortured by Argentina’s military junta and said he had in fact helped save lives. Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the first pope to hail from Latin America, has been criticized by leftist critics for his actions during Argentina’s “Dirty War” in which 30,000 people died or disappeared from 1976 to 1983.

His role in the arrest of two young Jesuits, Orlando Yorio and Francisco Jalics, who were taken to a notorious torture centre by the brutal right-wing junta, has come under intense scrutiny.

Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said: “There has never been a credible, concrete accusation against him. The Argentinian justice system... has never charged him with anything.” He said the campaign against Bergoglio was “well known” but claimed it was defamatory and aimed at discrediting the Church.

“The accusations come from parts of the anti-clerical left to attack the Church and must be denied,” said Lombardi, insisting that Bergoglio “did a lot to protect people during the dictatorship” when he was not yet a bishop. Bergoglio himself has always denied any involvement in the case, and even says he intervened with the head of the junta, Jorge Videla, to beg for them to be freed. The two men were released after five months.

The newly-elected pontiff, who is also the first Jesuit pope, earlier urged the troubled Catholic Church that he has inherited not to succumb to “pessimism” and to find new ways of spreading the faith. “Let us not give in to pessimism, to that bitterness that the devil offers us every day,” he told an audience of the world’s cardinals on his third day in office. In a reference to the declining number of worshippers in many parts of the world, he urged the cardinals to find “the courage to persevere and also to find new ways to bring evangelisation to the ends of the earth”.

Francis, 76, said he and they were “elderly”, but old age brought wisdom.

“Let us give this wisdom to young people like good wine that gets better over the years,” he told the cardinals.

Francis hailed his predecessor Benedict XVI’s historic resignation as a “coura-

geous and humble act”. Benedict, who last month became the first pope to stand down for 700 years, had “lit a flame in the depth of our hearts that will continue to burn”, he said.

Francis wore white papal vestments but also plain black shoes, not the red shoes favored by his German predecessor, for the address in the ornate 16thcentury Clementine Hall in the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican. He has signalled he will lead a more simple papacy, stripped of the fineries enjoyed by his predecessors.

On Thursday, he gave a stark warning

power in Latin America, which is home to 40 percent of the world’s Catholics. In Europe, its traditional power base, it is ageing and declining.

Projecting an image as a simple man of the people, the pope chose to name himself after St Francis of Assisi, the 13th century saint who shunned the riches of his family to devote himself to God and the poor. As archbishop of Buenos Aires, he lived in a modest apartment rather than the official residence, and he has already made his mark in Rome with his informal style.

The Vatican revealed that following

THE VATICAN: Pope Francis stumbles as he prepares to greet cardinals in Sala Clementina, at the Vatican, yesterday. The newly appointed Pope Francis stumbled after being introduced to the College of Cardinals, but did not fall and quickly recovered. —AP that the Church, wracked by scandal and Vatican infighting, risked becoming just another charitable organization if it strayed from its true mission. His inauguration mass will take place on Tuesday-a significant date in the Catholic calendar because it is the Feast of St Joseph, the patron saint of the universal church.

The new pontiff is also due to meet his predecessor, who has withdrawn to the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, in the coming days.

The surprise election of the son of an Italian emigrant railway worker, who was considered a rank outsider before the cardinals began their confidential deliberations, has sparked hope for change in the Church. His elevation is being seen as a nod to the Church’s

his election Francis had chosen to ride in a minibus with his fellow cardinals rather than the papal limousine. He also returned to his lodgings to pay his own bill.

With health always an issue surrounding new popes-John Paul I only lived for just 33 days after he was elected in 1978 — the Vatican confirmed that Francis had part of a lung removed as a boy, but insisted that he is in good health.

The pope faces the challenge of stamping his authority on the Vatican machinery and trying to bring back people in the West who are turning their back on Catholicism. He must also confront the continuing fallout from the sexual abuse of children by paedophile priests stretching back decades. —AFP

Russian oppn lawmaker in hot water after US speech MOSCOW: Russian lawmakers yesterday accused a fellow deputy of betraying national interests after he delivered a speech in the United States criticizing President Vladimir Putin’s crackdown on the opposition.

Dmitry Gudkov, 33, travelled to Washington in early March to give a speech at a forum organized by a prodemocracy group headed by Pavel Khodorkovsky, the son of the jailed oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky. In the speech released by Gudkov, he lambasted “repressive methods of Putin

and his minions” and called on the United States to help expose corrupt officials by providing information on their accounts in Western banks.

On Friday, the deputy speaker of the Russian lower house of parliament, the State Duma, said that representatives of all four Duma factions had lodged a complaint over Gudkov’s speech with the ethics committee.

“Gudkov’s speech amounts to an attack on our country’s sovereignty,” Sergei Zheleznyak said in comments posted on the website of the ruling

party United Russia.

The ethics committee is scheduled to look at the complaint on Wednesday.

Zheleznyak said the entire lower house would then address Gudkov’s behavior, indicating the deputy may lose his mandate.

Gudkov said he believed that Russian lawmakers were incensed by his call on the United States to help fight corruption in Russia. “The deputies got scared because many of them have property in the States and their children study there,” he told AFP.

The head of the Duma’s ethics committee Vladimir Pekhtin resigned last month after opposition bloggers accused him of having US-based property worth over $2 million.

Dmitry Gudkov’s father, Gennady Gudkov, who is a vocal member of the anti-Kremlin opposition, was expelled from the parliament in September over alleged conflicting business interests.

Both men were expelled from their left-leaning party, A Just Russia, earlier this week because of their opposition activities. —AFP

INTERNATIONAL

SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 2013

China’s new leadership faces myriad challenges Communist Party’s No 2 Li Keqiang named PM

Malaysian soldiers preparing for an operation in the area of Sungai Nyamuk where Filipino gunmen were locked down in a standoff in the surrounding villages of Tanduo, in Sabah. Philippine armed intruders shot dead a Malaysian soldier on March 12, the first military fatality since security forces launched an assault one week ago to crush the Islamist gunmen. — AFP

Key figure in Malaysian scandal dies suddenly KUALA LUMPUR: A Malaysian private investigator who returned from self-exile vowing to lift the lid on a sensational scandal linked to the country’s prime minister died suddenly yesterday, his lawyer said.

P Balasubramaniam, 53, died of a heart attack in the capital Kuala Lumpur, less than a fortnight after suffering an initial attack that hospitalized him for a week, his lawyer Americk Sidhu told AFP. Balasubramaniam was a key figure in a scandal linking Malaysian premier Najib Razak with a Mongolian woman’s murder and alleged kickbacks in a 2002 submarine deal.

Americk said Balasubramaniam had complained of breathing difficulties and later died in a clinic. Balasubramaniam, an ethnic Indian Malaysian citizen, returned from India last month, with media reports quoting him as saying he would expose the truth in the murky scandal. His return came as Malaysia braces for hotly contested elections due within months, in which the opposition is seen as having its best chance ever to dethrone the long-ruling coalition now headed by Prime Minister Najib Razak. Americk said Balasubramaniam had planned to campaign for the opposition. The scandal revolves around a $1.1 billion purchase by Malaysia of two submarines from French arms giant DCNS, inked in 2002 when Najib was defense minister. DCNS is alleged by the opposition to have paid kickbacks to top officials amounting to more than 114 million euros ($142 million) via a purported shell company linked to Abdul Razak Baginda, a former close associate of Najib’s.

Balasubramaniam had said he was hired by Abdul Razak to investigate the latter’s mistress Altantuya Shariibuu, a Mongolian translator. Abdul Razak alleged she was blackmailing him for a cut of the money. In 2006 she was shot dead and her body was blown up with plastic explosives near Kuala Lumpur. Two police bodyguards assigned to the prime minister’s office have been convicted of the killing. The ruling is under appeal.

In 2008, Balasubramaniam implicated several government officials, including Najib, in the murder. He later recanted before doing yet another U-turn, saying he was being coerced to keep silent and fleeing to India. Najib has denied knowing the Mongolian or having any knowledge of wrongdoing in the deal.

Malaysian authorities have ignored calls to investigate. —AFP

South Korean army soldiers are silhouetted as they patrol along a barbed-wire fence near the border village of Panmunjom, which has separated the two Koreas since the Korean War, in Paju, north of Seoul yesterday. —AP

BEIJING: China named the Communist Party’s No 2 leader, Li Keqiang, premier yesterday as a long-orchestrated leadership transition nears its end, leaving the new leaders to confront uneven economic growth, unbridled corruption and a severely befouled environment that are stirring public discontent.

The rubber-stamp legislature endorsed Li for the post, voting 2,940 in favor, with three opposed and six abstaining. A day earlier, the legislature similarly appointed Xi Jinping to the ceremonial post of president, making him China’s pre-eminent leader following his ascent last November to head the Communist Party and the military.

Though the outcome of the legislative session was a foregone conclusion, it’s the result of years of fractious behind-thescenes bargaining. They hail from different factions: Li Keqiang (pronounced lee kuh chahng) is a protege of the now-retired President Hu Jintao while Xi Jinping (pronounced shee jin ping) is the son of a revolutionary veteran with backing among party elders. After Li’s selection was announced, he and Xi shook hands and smiled for photographers in the Great Hall of the People.

Evidence of their and their patrons’ ability to forge consensus will be seen Saturday when appointments to the Cabinet and other top government posts are announced. The son of a revolutionary veteran, Xi cuts an authoritative figure with a confidence and congeniality that was lacking in his predecessor, the aloof and stiff Hu. New Premier Li, from a low-level officials’ household, has appeared to be a cautious administrator, like Hu, and has not been associated with particular policies on his rise. Together, Xi and Li now steer a rising global power beset with many domestic challenges that will test their leadership. Chief among them are a sputtering economy that’s overly dominated by powerful state industries. Chinese leaders want to nurture self-sustaining growth based on domestic consumption and reducing reliance on exports and investment. Consumer spending is rising, but not as fast as Beijing wants, which has forced the government to support an economic recovery with spending on public

BEIJING: Newly-elected Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (left) shakes hands with former Premier Wen Jiabao (right) during the 12th National People’s Congress (NPC) in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing yesterday. — AFP works and investment by state companies.

“If the official data is to be believed, China has been moving in the wrong direction for the past decade - towards ‘more investment, less consumption,’” wrote Standard Chartered economists Stephen Green and Wei Li in a research note. “This could create problems.”

An increasingly vocal Chinese public is expressing impatience with the government’s unfulfilled promises to curb abuses of power by local officials, better police the food supply and clean up the country’s polluted rivers, air and soil.

“What do ordinary people care about?

Food safety, and smog if you are in a big city, and official corruption,” said Chinese author and social commentator Murong Xuecun, the pen name of author Hao Qun. “They just want to have a peaceful, stable and safe life. To have money and food, and live without worry of being tortured, or having their homes forcefully demolished.”

“The entire country is watching for Xi’s next step,” the writer said. Wu Xiangdong, chairman of a wine company in central Hunan province and one of the congress delegates

who poured out of the vast, ornate Great Hall of the People after Friday’s vote, said expectations also were high for Li, the new premier. “We are very excited and look forward to the premier and the new generation of leaders to be better able to work on the economy, food safety, the environment and improving social equality,” Wu said.

Xi’s accession marks only the second orderly transfer of power in more than six decades of Communist Party rule.

Underlining that transition, after the result of Thursday’s vote was announced, the 59year-old Xi bowed to delegates and turned to his predecessor, Hu. The two shook hands and posed for photos.

Governing China is often plodding as leaders, none of them politically strong enough to prevail individually, forge consensus with their colleagues in the collective leadership. In some intriguing signs of the new leadership’s direction, the congress on Friday appointed as supreme court president Zhou Qiang, a provincial party secretary with a reputation as a progressive and a former aide to a well-known legal reformer. —AP

3 Indonesia terror suspects killed JAKARTA: Counter-terrorism police in Indonesia shot dead three suspected militants and seized 14 homemade explosives yesterday, officials said, in the latest of a series of deadly raids by the elite unit.

The police squad conducted several raids in the capital Jakarta and on its outskirts early Friday after the suspected militants robbed a jewelry store last weekend, national police spokesman Boy Rafli Amar said. “Three were shot dead and four more were arrested today,” he said, adding the suspects were shot after resisting arrest in three separate raids. The police squad also confiscated 14 homemade bombs, five homemade firearms, 34 munitions and one kilogram (2.2 pounds) of gold, Amar said. National detective police chief Sutarman told national television that those involved in Sunday’s robbery were part of a terrorist network that police were “hunting down”, but gave no further

details. “We managed to cut their funding from abroad... that’s the reason they carried out the robbery,” he said, adding one of the suspects killed was involved in a 2010 bank robbery on Sumatra island in which gunmen escaped with around 40,000 dollars.

Police have linked several robberies in recent years to the funding of militancy in Indonesia. The anti-terror police unit, Detachment 88, has come under scrutiny recently, with allegations the unit employs a shoot-to-kill policy in raids, and tortures terror suspects.

Indonesia has been rocked by several deadly terror attacks over the last decade, including the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people, mainly Western tourists. But a crackdown has weakened key militant groups and only lowimpact attacks have been carried out in recent years by networks targeting law enforcement officers. — AFP

INTERNATIONAL SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 2013

India alerts airports to stop Italian envoy’s exit Dispute over Italian marines escalates

KARACHI: Local Pakistani residents gather at the site of an overnight bomb blast in Karachi yesterday. A remote controlled bomb went off at a television network office and killed three people and wounded five others, officials said. — AFP

UN: US drones violate Pakistan’s sovereignty ISLAMABAD: The head of a UN team investigating casualties from US drone strikes in Pakistan declared after a secret research trip to the country that the attacks violate Pakistan’s sovereignty.

Ben Emmerson, the UN special rapporteur on human rights and counter-terrorism, said the Pakistani government made clear to him that it does not consent to the strikes - a position that has been disputed by US officials.

President Barack Obama has stepped up covert CIA drone strikes targeting al-Qaida and Taleban militants in Pakistan’s tribal region along the Afghan border since he took office in 2009. The strikes have caused growing controversy because of the secrecy surrounding them and claims that they have caused significant civilian casualties - allegations denied by the United States.

According to a UN statement that Emmerson emailed to The AP yesterday, the Pakistani government told him it has confirmed at least 400 civilian deaths by US drones on its territory. The statement was initially released on Thursday, following the investigator’s three-day visit to Pakistan, which ended Wednesday. The visit was kept secret until Emmerson left. Imtiaz Gul, an expert on Pakistani militancy who is helping Emmerson’s team, said yesterday that the organization he runs, the Centre for Research and Security Studies, gave the UN investigator case studies of 25 strikes that allegedly killed civilians during his visit. The UN investigation into civilian casualties from drone strikes and other targeted killings in Pakistan and several other countries was launched in January and is expected to deliver its conclusions in October. The US rarely discusses the strikes in public because of their covert nature, but officials have said privately that they have caused very few civilian casualties.

A 2012 investigation by the AP into 10 of the deadliest recent drone strikes in Pakistan found that a significant majority of the casualties were militants, but civilians were also being killed. Pakistani officials regularly criticize the attacks in public as a violation of the country’s sovereignty, a popular position in a country where antiAmerican sentiment runs high. But the reality has been more complicated in the past.

For many years, Pakistan allowed US drones to take off from bases within the country. Documents released by WikiLeaks in 2010 showed that senior Pakistani officials consented to the strikes in private to US diplomats, while at the same time condemning them in public.

Cooperation has certainly waned since then as the relationship between Pakistan and the US has deteriorated. In 2011, Pakistan kicked the US out of an air base used by American drones in the country’s southwest, in retaliation for US airstrikes that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers. —AP

NEW DELHI: India’s airports were put on alert yesterday to prevent Italy’s ambassador from taking flight, in a dramatic escalation of a dispute over two Italian marines who skipped bail while on trial for murder. A source in the home ministry told AFP that an order had been faxed to immigration authorities at all the country’s international airports telling them that “Daniele Mancini should not leave without permission”.

Another senior official in the department said the ministry “is just following the Supreme Court’s order of preventing the Italian ambassador from leaving India”. “He will have to inform the immigration authorities if he wants to leave the country,” the official told AFP on condition of anonymity. The Supreme Court on Thursday directed that Mancini, who had negotiated a deal for the marines to return home to vote in last month’s Italian election, should stay in India until the next hearing about the dispute on Monday. Rome announced earlier in the week that it was reneging on commitments to send back Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone, who face murder charges over the death of two Indian fishermen in February last year.

Mancini signed an affidavit giving his personal assurance that the two marines would return. The Supreme Court ruling appeared to run contrary to diplomatic norms guaranteeing the freedom of movement of foreign envoys and risks a further souring of relations between Rome and New Delhi.

Article 29 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961 states that diplomats shall “not be liable to any form of arrest or detention”. But referring to Mancini’s affidavit, India’s foreign min-

NEW DELHI: Italian Ambassador to India Daniele Mancini (center) exits the Ministry of External Affairs offices in New Delhi. India’s home ministry has put the country’s airports on alert to prevent the Italian ambassador leaving the country amid a dispute over two Italian marines who skipped bail while on trial in New Delhi, a ministry source said yesterday. — AFP istry has argued that “if the diplomatic agent willingly submits to the jurisdiction of a court, then that jurisdiction applies”.

Diljeet Titus, a lawyer who is acting for the Italian government and the two marines following the resignation of another attorney, refused to comment on the alert order. The marines shot dead the fishermen off India’s southwestern coast when a fishing boat sailed close to an Italian oil tanker they were guarding. They say they mistook the fishermen for pirates. Italy insists the marines should be prosecuted in their home country because the shootings

involved an Italian-flagged vessel in international waters, but India says the killings took place in waters under its jurisdiction.

Relations between the two countries have also been soured by corruption allegations surrounding a $748 million deal for the purchase of 12 Italian helicopters which the Indian government is now threatening to scrap. The dispute has been a major embarrassment for the Indian government and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who has warned of “consequences” for bilateral ties if the pair do not return to stand trial in New Delhi. —AFP

Myanmar parliament to review constitution YANGON: Myanmar’s parliament took the first step yesterday towards the possible amendment of the constitution which was drafted under a military regime and bars Nobel laureate and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi from the presidency.

The constitution, ratified after a rigged 2008 referendumand widely seen as undemocratic, disqualifies presidential and vice-presidential candidates whose spouses or children are citizens of a foreign country. Suu Kyi’s late husband, academic Michael Aris, was British, as are their two grown-up sons.

The constitution also reserves a quarter of parliamentary seats for military personnel chosen by the armed forces chief. The review was proposed by Aye Myint and Thein Zaw, both former generals and senior members of the ruling, military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), said Ohn Kyaing, a member of Suu Kyi’s party.

Military delegates also voted in favour of the proposal. “They seem to have realized that it’s essential to amend the present constitution for the country to build

genuine democracy,” Ohn Kyaing said. The junta stepped aside in March 2011, when President Thein Sein took office after the USDP swept a 2010 general election. He has opened up the country and started to modernize the economy.

Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) boycotted the general election but she and 42 colleagues won by-elections in April last year to take seats in parliament. She has made amending the constitution a priority. —Reuters

YANGON: A worker carries a basket of garbage in downtown Yangon yesterday. —AP

SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 2013

International SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 2013

Obama reaches out to China’s new president WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama wasted no time in courting China’s new President Xi Jinping Thursday, calling him within hours of his elevation, and then pressing him on cybercrime and North Korea. Obama, beginning his second term as Xi embarks on his first, congratulated his new opposite number in the crucial US-China relationship, and announced the dispatch of two senior cabinet lieutenants to Beijing shortly.

The US president had a cordial yet sometimes frustratingly formal relationship with Xi’s predecessor Hu Jintao, and his decision to reach out quickly to the new Chinese leadership may be a sign of intent. The White House said Obama congratulated Xi on his new position and promised regular high-level engagement on economic and security challenges on which Beijing and Washington have been increasingly at odds in recent months.

“The president highlighted the threat to the United States, its allies, and the region from North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs,” and sought close coordination with China on the issue, a statement said.

Earlier this week, Obama said he detected increasing frustration in Beijing with its troublesome ally, following Pyongyang’s third nuclear test and inflammatory rhetoric towards Washington and Seoul. Obama also raised with Xi the importance of addressing cybersecurity threats which he said, diplomatically, represent “a shared challenge.”

In an ABC News interview this week, Obama was more blunt, saying some Internet-borne attacks on US corporations, infrastructure and government from China were state-sponsored, and pledged to raise them at the highest levels.

Shortly after Obama spoke to Xi, offi-

cials said Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew would travel to Beijing next week to discuss the vast and complicated relationship between the world’s two largest economies. US Secretary of State John Kerry will follow Lew to Beijing in midApril, on a trip also including South Korea and Japan, as he seeks to lock in gains from an Obama administration first-term diplomatic and military pivot to Asia.

China’s state Xinhua news agency said that Xi told Obama that “China and the United States have enormous common interests, but also differences.”

“He emphasized that as long as the two sides follow the spirit of mutual respect, openness and tolerance, China and the United States will be able to achieve more” and turn “the Pacific into an ocean of peace and cooperation.”

Beijing has viewed Obama’s pivot of diplomatic and military resources towards Asia with concern, and chafed as

Washington has supported the idea of a regional code of conduct on maritime disputes wanted by its allies.

Xi also underlined China’s principles on cyber security and North Korea, Xinhua said without giving further details. US officials, long frustrated at China’s stance on North Korea, for which it is a dominant source of oil and food, were encouraged that China helped draft a new UN resolution condemning Pyongyang’s nuclear test last month.

But new tensions have erupted over a report by US security firm Mandiant which said a unit of China’s People’s Liberation Army had stolen hundreds of terabytes of data from at least 141 organizations, mostly in the United States.

Obama has complained that industrial secrets worth billions of dollars are being stolen by cyberhacking, and top US officials have sharpened public warnings to China on the issue. —AFP

Venezuela opposition grilled by Chavistas Capriles faces arduous task in mid-April vote

NATIONAL HARBOR: Donald Trump gestures as he speaks at the 40th annual Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Maryland yesterday. —AP

US clergy sex victims want change from new pope LOS ANGELES: The election of a new pope could help heal the wounds left by a Roman Catholic sex abuse crisis that has savaged the church’s reputation worldwide. For alleged victims, much depends on whether Pope Francis disciplines the priests and the hierarchy that protected them. Some hope the Jesuit pontiff’s wellknown humility and social benevolence will lead to an era of greater transparency and renewed faith. A greater number, however, are calling on the new Roman Catholic leader to defrock US cardinals who covered up for pedophile priests, formally apologize and order the release of all confidential church files from every diocese.

Adding to their distrust are several multimillion dollar settlements the Jesuits paid out in recent years, including $166 million to more than 450 Native Alaskan and Native American abuse victims in 2011 for molestation at Jesuit-run schools across the Pacific Northwest.

The settlement bankrupted the Oregon Province of the Society of Jesus. It’s unclear how much direct experience Pope Francis, an Argentine cardinal, has had dealing with sexually abusive clergy in Latin America, where the scope of the abuse scandal has been more muted. When the scandal broke, however, he made it harder for people to become priests and now 60 percent are eliminated, his authorized biographer, Sergio Rubin, told the AP. In contrast, his predecessor Pope Benedict XVI was in charge of the Vatican office that handled clergy abuse cases before becoming pope and was a guiding force behind several sex abuse policies enacted under Pope John Paul II. Those policies haven’t been enough for most victims, who say they will scrutinize the new pope and his actions.

Elsie Boudreau, a Yup’ik Eskimo, was abused for nine years by a Jesuit priest in a tiny village in northern Alaska. She settled her case in 2005 and now works as a social worker helping 300 other sex abuse victims in Alaska. She has since learned that Vatican officials had been aware of her alleged abuser since before she was born, she said. —AP

CARACAS: The people tapped by Hugo Chavez to carry on his socialist revolution seem to be improvising the rules of governing as they march toward what most Venezuelans consider certain victory in a midApril vote to replace the late president.

Chavez’s designated successor, Nicolas Maduro, and his ruling clique have repeatedly circumvented the constitution and exploited their monopoly on power to all but crush an opposition already crippled by years of government intimidation.

The odds are so stacked against opposition candidate Henrique Capriles that he has compared his run to being “led to a slaughterhouse and dropped into a meat grinder.”

Long before Chavez succumbed to cancer, Capriles and his supporters were already maligned and harassed, legally and financially, by the government, say human rights and press freedom analysts.

Now, they say, the repression is reaching new levels as the president’s heirs step up attacks to compensate for their lack of Chavez’s political acumen, charisma and moral authority. Liliana Ortega, director of the COFAVIC human rights group, says the government acts with “military logic: You are loyal to me to the end. One small criticism, and you’re my enemy.”

The government has vilified Capriles as a “fascist” conspiring with US putschists against the homeland. It hauls opposition leaders into court on criminal corruption charges.

And it has impoverished Capriles’ campaign by wielding tax investigators against donors, the opposition says, Venezuelans learned Monday that the owners of the last remaining TV channel critical of the government were selling the channel, under what they described as government coercion. And on Wednesday, Interior Minister Nestor Reverol announced the arrest of a 53-year-old woman for sending “destabilizing” messages on Twitter. He offered few details, and the woman could not be located. All this as the Chavista leadership choreographs Maduro’s succession, dipping into a treasury fortified

by revenues from the world’s largest oil reserves and wielding a state media machine that takes control of all airwaves at will.

“It is classic consolidation of power in a crisis,” said Adam Isacson, security analyst at the Washington Office on Latin America. “There was always an effort to at least put a patina of legality on what was being done. There was always a process. There’s not much of a

surgery. After the president’s March 5 death, Maduro was sworn in as acting leader, Chavez’s wish for the man he named vice president after defeating Capriles in October by a 12-point margin.

The constitution says the National Assembly speaker should instead become interim leader if a president-elect dies before taking the oath of office. But no matter. The

VARGAS: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro (centre) is seen during a campaign event in Vargas, Venezuela on Thursday. The campaign to succeed the late Hugo Chavez in Venezuela has officially begun. —AFP process now.” Information Ministry spokesman Oscar Lloreda said he doubted there would be a comment from the government about its tactics. “I don’t think there is a spokesman interested in responding to those accusations,” he said.

The improvisation began when the Supreme Court, stacked with Chavez loyalists, said the president’s new term could begin as scheduled although he wouldn’t be sworn in on Jan. 10 as specified by the constitution.

Chavez was in Cuba at the time, battling a respiratory infection after his fourth cancer

high court decision saying Chavez’s term had already begun let the government swear in Maduro.

Another Supreme Court ruling, issued during Chavez’s state funeral March 8, ratified Maduro as acting president. The opposition screamed. The government ignored them. At the swearing-in, more improvisation. Maduro claimed the armed forces’ allegiance to a din of applause. He pumped a fist in the air as the state TV camera turned to Defense Minister Diego Molero, who reciprocated the gesture from the gallery. —AP

Boeing: Commercial 787 flights to restart in weeks

16

Europe eases the austerity whip

Business

16

Singapore property sales plunge 65% in February

19

SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 2013

20

Macau group signs $600m Philippine casino deal

NEW YORK: Specialist James Sciulli works at his post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, yesterday. US stock markets are opening lower, threatening to end the Dow’s winning streak at 10 days. — AP

US data underscores economic momentum Consumer sentiment hit by gasoline, fiscal policy concerns WASHINGTON: US manufacturing output bounced back in February, the latest signal of strength in an economy that is showing clear momentum despite the headwind of government austerity. While other reports yesterday showed a surge in gasoline prices caused a spike in consumer inflation last month and eroded consumer sentiment in early March, the impact on the economy was likely to be limited and temporary.

“It appears that real economic growth is on an upswing,” said John Ryding, chief economist at RDQ Economics in New York. Factory production increased 0.8 percent last month after falling 0.3 percent in January, the Federal Reserve said. The gain was broad based and double what economists had expected.

The increase combined with a big rise in utilities’ output to lead overall industrial production up by 0.7 percent, a good sign for first-quarter economic growth after activity stalled at the end of 2012. Data ranging from employment to retail sales have suggested a limited hit on the economy from the end of a 2 percent payroll tax cut and higher tax rates for wealthy Americans, which went into effect at the start of the year.

Economists, who had already raised their firstquarter growth forecasts substantially this week, were further encouraged by the rise in factory

output. “It had seemed like the economy was going to be leaning primarily on the consumer and housing. We have another leg to stand on with manufacturing kicking-in,” said Ryan Sweet, a senior economist at Moody’s Analytics in West Chester, Pennsylvania. First-quarter GDP growth estimates currently range as high as a 3.0 percent annual rate. The economy grew at only a 0.1 percent pace in the fourth quarter.

Separately, the Labor Department said its Consumer Price Index increased 0.7 percent last month, the largest gain since June 2009, as the cost of gasoline jumped 9.1 percent. The CPI had been flat for the two previous months.

Gasoline accounted for about three quarters of the spike in consumer inflation in February, and so-called core prices advanced just 0.2 percent, leaving the door open for the Federal Reserve to press ahead with its bond-buying stimulus.

Economists polled by Reuters had expected the CPI to advance 0.5 percent. In the 12 months through February, it was up 2 percent, the largest gain since October and an acceleration from January’s 1.6 percent.

Core prices, which strip out volatile food and energy costs, also increased 2 percent over the past 12 months. The gain was the largest since October. However, a separate inflation index the

central bank follows more closely has been falling and hit a nearly two-year low in January.

“The way the data has been playing out it gives them a free hand to be extremely aggressive to bring down unemployment,” said Stephen Stanley, chief economist at Pierpont Securities in Stamford, Connecticut.

Officials at the central bank meet next week to assess the economy and are widely expected to keep purchasing $85 billion in bonds per month to spur even stronger growth. The dollar fell against a basket of currencies as the inflation data reinforced expectations of the Fed would continue to pump money into the economy. US Treasury debt prices rose, while stocks dropped on corporate news.

The rise in gasoline prices last month was the largest since June 2009 and snapped four straight months of declines. The gasoline-driven spurt in inflation eroded household purchasing power, which could hurt spending. Average hourly earnings adjusted for inflation fell 0.6 percent in February, and were up only 0.1 percent compared with a year ago.

But relief is on the way as prices at the pump have declined in the past two weeks. Expensive gasoline and tighter fiscal policy also weighed on consumer morale early this month. The Thomson

Reuters/University of Michigan’s index of consumer sentiment fell to its lowest level since December 2011.

Given the signs of strength in the economy, economists were little disturbed by the drop in sentiment. “This drop in consumer sentiment was quite a surprise. I think these numbers will be revised higher later in the month, but consumer confidence remains fragile,” said Terry Sheehan, an economist at Stone & McCarthy Research Associates in Princeton, New Jersey.

The data on industrial production further bolstered growth expectations. The gain in manufacturing output reflected a big 1.2 percent jump in the production of long-lasting goods, with auto production up a sharp 3.6 percent after a 4.9 percent plunge inJanuary.

Even though a separate report from the New York Federal Reserve Bank showed its “Empire State” general business conditions index slipped to 9.24 in March from 10.04 in February, economists were not too concerned. “The Empire index has kicked off March manufacturing surveys on a fairly solid note, suggesting further growth in the manufacturing sector is in store, even if at a slightly less-stellar pace than had been indicated in February,” said Gennadiy Goldberg, an economist at TD Securities in New York. — Reuters

BUSINESS SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 2013

Gold heads for second week of gains ahead of US data LONDON: Gold edged above $1,590 an ounce yesterday, helped by a rebound in the euro and waning appetite for assets seen as higher risk, such as stocks, ahead of key US inflation data later in the day.

Prices were headed for a second straight week of gains as investors still count continued quantitative easing measures in key economies and lurking risks in the euro zone among reasons to own bullion.

Spot gold rose 0.3 percent to $1,594.79 an ounce by 1257 GMT, on course for a weekly gain of around one percent. US gold futures for April delivery were up 0.2 percent at $1,593.80. “I think there is a feeling that the risk appetite is gone too far and I wouldn’t be surprised to see equities pulling back and gold coming back into favour a bit in coming days,” Standard Chartered analyst Dan Smith said.

“Obviously, the euro strength is helping gold prices to hold above $1,590 and

it seems to me that there is more upside risk than downside risk for the time being.” A series of positive economic data out of the United States sent equity markets to multi-year highs and boosted the dollar in recent weeks, tarnishing gold’s safe-haven appeal.

But European shares fell and Wall Street looked set for a mixed start as traders waited for fresh insight on the economy’s performance. The dollar retreated against the euro and a basket of other key currencies on Friday as uncertainty crept in over whether recent strong US data will be enough to prompt an early retreat from monetary easing by the Federal Reserve.

Analysts also said the prospect of EU leaders looking at short-term ways of boosting faltering euro zone economies may lift the euro against the dollar. A weaker dollar makes commodities like gold cheaper for holders of other currencies. The market will monitor US con-

sumer inflation data at 1330 GMT, which is likely to provide some direction, analysts said. “The risk of stronger numbers today would once again test gold’s resilience,” UBS analyst Joni Teves said in a note.

“The yellow metal’s ability to hold its ground amid better U.S. data today would offer further encouragement to nervous investors.” The next major event is a policy meeting of the Federal Reserve on March 19-20 to gauge the central bank’s attitude towards monetary stimulus.

An exit from the stimulus policy would deal a heavy blow to gold, which has thrived on demand from investors who buy gold to hedge against the inflationary risks of loose monetary policies.

As a gauge of investor interest, holdings of SPDR Gold Trust , the world’s largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, were unchanged at 1,236.307 tonnes from a day earlier on March 14.

But they have dropped 3.432 tonnes so

far this week - on course for an eleventh week of decline.

Signs of investor fatigue and higher downside risks to the gold outlook led Barclays’ analysts to cut its 2013 price forecast by 7.4 percent to $1,646 an ounce. It however said that thers is scope for gold to gain traction, given the debt ceiling debate in the United States, scheduled for May. “Prices are likely to encounter range-bound trading, with support coming from physical demand and a low interest rate environment, but struggle to gain momentum without a new catalyst, given the risk of mediumterm inflation,” it said. Spot silver rose 0.4 percent to $28.90 an ounce. Platinum was up 0.4 percent at $1,592.99. The metal has returned to trade around parity with gold again this week on worries over auto demand growth in Europe, which mostly uses platinum loadings in auto catalysts to clean up exhaust emissions. Palladium rose 0.4 percent to $770.22. — Reuters

Boeing: Commercial 787 flights to restart in weeks Changes to wiring for battery

BRUSSELS: European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso gestures while speaking during a media conference at an EU summit in Brussels yesterday. — AP

Europe eases the austerity whip FRANKFURT: Three and a half years into its government-debt crisis, there are signs that Europe is adopting a gentler approach toward austerity. Political leaders aren’t backing away aggressively from budget cuts and higher taxes, but they are increasingly trying to temper these policies, which have stifled growth and made it harder for many countries to bring their deficits under control.

The European Union is relaxing its enforcement of deficit limits until the region’s economy turns around; countries that were bailed out by their European neighbors are being given more time to repay loans, easing the pressure to cut budgets further; and financial leaders, including the head of the European Central Bank, say it’s time to place more emphasis on reviving growth.

“There has clearly been a shift in thinking,” says Christian Schulz, economist at Berenberg Bank in London. After the crisis broke out in late 2009, governments dramatically slashed spending - either to meet conditions for bailout loans, or to reassure jittery bond markets that they were trustworthy borrowers. This fiscal belt-tightening was introduced to help countries reduce their deficits and pave the way for critical financial aid.

Promises of austerity gave the ECB political breathing room to get more aggressive. The bank’s pledge last summer to buy unlimited amounts of government bonds is largely responsible for taming Europe’s financial crisis.

But austerity also inflicted severe economic pain in places like Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Spain and Italy. Over time - as the economy of the 17 European Union countries that use the euro descended into recession - evidence grew that slashing spending and raising taxes were less effective at reducing deficits than initially thought, and perhaps counter-productive.

Why? Because as economies shrink, so do tax revenues, making it harder to close budget gaps. The latest eurozone recession, which began last year, is forecast to end in the second half of this year and was the main focus of Thursday’s summit of European Union leaders in Brussels. —AP

TOKYO: Boeing said yesterday it sees commercial flights of its grounded 787 jets resuming “within weeks” even though it has not pinpointed the cause of battery overheating. Boeing Co. Chief Project Engineer Michael Sinnett outlined a fix centered on a new design for the lithiumion battery system that has layers of safeguards to prevent overheating and measures to contain malfunctions.

“We could be back up and going in weeks and not months,” Sinnett told reporters at a Tokyo hotel. A third of safety tests have already been completed. A Japanese official said it was possible flights could resume next month.

The 787 fleet was grounded worldwide by the US Federal Aviation Administration, its counterparts in Japan and other nations in January, following a battery fire in a Dreamliner parked in Boston and an overheated battery that led to an emergency landing of another 787 in Japan.

All Nippon Airways, a major Japanese carrier, was the launch customer for the technologically advanced Dreamliner planes. With Japan Airlines another customer, about half the 787 jets in use are with Japanese carriers. The Boeing executives sought to allay flier fears about the 787 by repeatedly stressing their commitment to safety. The Dreamliner is the first airliner to make wide use of lithium-ion batteries. They are light and quick to charge but can suffer from “thermal runaway,” a chemical reaction in which a rise in temperature causes a spiral of temperature increases.

The executives said it would take too long to figure out what had specifically caused the problems in Boston and southwestern Japan but the new design would ensure 787s are safe.

Boeing came up with 80 possible causes for the battery failures, categorized them into four groups, and came up with design changes such as better insulation between each battery cell so any malfunctions won’t spread. That was to allow the

TOKYO: Boeing Commercial Airplanes Vice President and Chief Project Engineer Mike Sinnett poses with a model of newly designed 787’s battery for photographers during a news conference in Tokyo, yesterday. — AP 787 to be back in the air more promptly, they said. There were also changes to wiring for the battery, aimed at preventing overheating, and a new enclosure for the battery that they said would eliminate fire risk.

The enclosure has a direct vent to carry battery vapors outside the airplane, and small holes at the bottom of the battery case will allow moisture to drain from the battery, according to Boeing. The battery charger is also being adapted to beef up safety, it said.

While executives acknowledged that final approval would have to come from the FAA, and didn’t rule out further delays to ensure safety, they said they were in close contact with the FAA and didn’t foresee any long delays.

“It’s a safe airplane. We have no concerns at all about that,” Sinnett said.

Boeing Executive Vice President Ray Conner offered his apologies to Japan for the problems. “We do apologize for this situation,” Conner said. He said he was in

Japan to meet with aviation authorities and airlines, and the company had picked Japan as the place to outline the battery fix. About a third of the plane is made by Japanese manufacturers, including GS Yuasa, which supplies the lithium-ion batteries. Despite assurances from Boeing, it is unclear if travelers will have enough confidence in the 787 to book flights on them.

Aviation analyst Kotaro Toriumi said carriers will likely face some challenges wooing people back to the 787 especially because the cause of battery overheating has not been identified. But many won’t hesitate to do so once the FAA gives the go-ahead, he said.

“What the FAA decides will be critical,” he said. “Boeing can’t afford to have the jets staying idle forever.” Both ANA and JAL have announced cancellations of hundreds of 787 flights through the end of May. Still, once the FAA clears the jet, approval from Japanese aviation regulators is likely to be instant.—AP

Business SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 2013

Smart Spending: Lifting the veil on store brands NEW YORK: Supermarkets including Kroger, Safeway and Whole Foods are improving the image of their store brands with better packaging and more distinctive offerings. But where exactly do these products come from?

It’s a question a growing number of people may have as retailers increasingly develop their store brands as a way to cultivate loyalty among shoppers.

Safeway, for example, offers versions of Doritos, Cheetos and other salty snacks. But rather than merely imitating the look of their big-name counterparts, the “Snack Artist” line comes in distinctive, earth-tone bags made to look more like a premium brand. The Safeway logo appears only a small strip at the bottom.

“In many cases, people are buying some of our brands and think it’s a national brand,” said Diane Dietz, chief marketing officer for Safeway.

The rise of store brands - known in the industry as “private-label” products became apparent last year when ConAgra Foods Inc. said it was buying Ralcorp Holdings Inc. Although it’s not a household

name, Ralcorp makes pasta, granola bars and other foods for a wide array of retailers.

ConAgra executives note that there’s still plenty of room for growth, with store brands representing just 18 percent of packaged foods in the US, compared with 36 percent in the United Kingdom and 44 percent in the Netherlands. So as store brands get more attention, here’s a look at what’s behind the packaging.

To maintain the image of their store brands, supermarkets like to keep the origins a mystery.

One reason Whole Foods doesn’t reveal the suppliers for its in-house “365 Everyday Value” products is that it may be carrying other branded products made by the same companies, said Brianna Blanton, who manages store brands for the organic grocer.

For a shopper, tracking down which company made a particular product can also be challenging because the storebrand industry is fragmented.

Supermarkets often work with a network hundreds of suppliers to produce their store brands. These include national name-brand companies that make store

brands on the side as well as businesses that specialize in making store brands.

The store-brand specialists often focus on certain product categories as well, said Mike Minasi, Safeway’s president of advertising and marketing. Overhill Farms, a company based in Vernon, Calif., for example, is known for making frozen foods, he said.

And not all store brands are made by outside companies. Kroger, for instance, has 37 plants that churn out about 40 percent of its store brands. Safeway also makes some of its own brands.

Everyone knows store brands are usually cheaper. But they have also grown because they offer something new, or make an improvement on better-known products.

One way Whole Foods differentiates its “365 Everyday Value” products is by examining nutritional stats. In many cases, a registered dietitian on staff works with the grocer’s suppliers to see if there are ways to lower sodium or fat content.

Stores are pushing to offer more distinctive products. So the process for develop-

ing new store-brand items has gotten more sophisticated and mirrors how name-brand products are conceived and marketed, said Jesse Spungin, general manager for ConAgra’s store brands business.

Nevertheless, people may wonder how unique some store-brand products can be when they’re made in factories that churn out other store-brand or name-brand products. Sometimes, the difference is really just cosmetic.

To ensure efficiency in production lines, for instance, ConAgra CEO Gary Rodkin says the company pushes “differentiation as far downstream as possible.” For some product lines, he said there are no changes made until the very end, when a different seasoning or packaging is applied.

Pantry staples such as saltines are less likely to have significant differences as well, because people expect certain qualities for such products. There’s also less room for variation with products that only have a few ingredients. “There aren’t a lot of changes you can make to a can of low sodium black beans,” said Blanton of Whole Foods. —AP

FTSE holds at 5-yr high ahead of options expiry Credit Suisse hikes year-end FTSE 100 target to 7,000 LONDON: Britain’s top share index was flat yesterday, holding around five-year highs, with trading likely to be choppy heading into options and futures expiries later in the session.

The FTSE 100 was down 2.80 points at 6,526.61 by 0901 GMT, pegged back by a retreat from banks, having risen 0.7 percent on Thursday after better-thanexpected US weekly jobless claims data.

The index was on course to post its fifth consecutive week of gains, although trade could be volatile yesterday ahead of futures and options contract expiries at 1015 GMT, dubbed ‘triple-witching’. “(It’s) quarterly expiry in the UK today and all shorts have thrown in the towel or are about to,” said Lex van Dam, hedge fund manager at Hampstead

Capital, which manages around $500 million assets.

“The question is, at what point will large institutional investors such as pension funds be forced to buy as well?”

Some bet on more gains from the index, up almost 11 percent this year and around 6 percent shy of an all-time closing high of 6,930.20 set in December 1999, months before the dot-com bubble burst.

Credit Suisse has raised its year-end FTSE 100 target to 7,000 from 6,600, while lifting its target for the S&P 500 which on Thursday took a run at its record closing high of 1,565.15, but ended just 2 points away - to 1,640.

Positive analyst comment boosted a number of shares yesterday. British Airways owner International Airlines

ISSY-LES-MOULINEAUX: A picture taken on July 14, 2012 shows a building of the French mobile telecommunications operator Bouygues Telecom in Issy-les-Moulineaux, Paris suburb. The share in Bouygues leapt 7% on March 15, 213 after the owner of France’s third-largest mobile phone company announced yesterday. —AFP

firmed 2.8 percent as Morgan Stanley added the firm to its Europe best ideas list, while an upgrade to “buy” from Jefferies helped send chip designer ARM 2 percent higher.

Aggreko, Thursday’s top blue-chip riser on an unexpected deal to supply power to Mozambique and Namibia, extended gains, up 1 percent as Deutsche Bank lifted its rating on the stock to “buy”.

The bank, which raised its 2014 and 2015 earnings per share estimates by 3 percent and 7 percent to reflect the power deal along with slightly faster top-line growth, said its forecasts could prove conservative “given the headroom for share buybacks and acquisitions, as well as the potential to win sporting event contracts”.

In a day otherwise quiet day on the corporate earnings front, Rentokil jumped 10.2 percent, hitting a two-year high and leading midcaps higher, as the cleaning to pest control firm unveiled better than expected full-year results.

Oriel Securities, which has a “hold” stance on the stock, said the earnings report was “a pleasing outturn”, adding the outlook statement was robust.

While some investors are optimistic about the outlook for equities, emboldened by improving economic data from the United States and the fact a strong trend is in place, they could be tentative at these levels. “No one wants to get caught in a bull-trap, chasing the market higher,” said Autochartist analyst James Hyerczyk, noting that short-term traders are watching 6,534 on the 1,440 minute chart, the high for the week and near the January 2008 top, wanting to be sure there will be a follow-through to the upside. —Reuters

KARAWANG: A worker makes a final inspection on a new Toyota Etios Valco at the new Toyota plant in Karawang, West Java, Indonesia, yesterday. Toyota officially opened their second manufacturing plant in the country yesterday to increase their total production capacity to more than 200,000 cars a year by 2014. —AP

Software glitch delays 660,000 tax refunds WASHINGTON: The Internal Revenue Service says 660,000 taxpayers will have their refunds delayed by up to six weeks because of a problem with the software they used to file their tax returns.

The delay affects people claiming education tax credits who filed returns between Feb. 14 and Feb. 22. H&R Block, the tax preparing giant, says that some of its customers were affected but the company has resolved the problem. A limited number of other software companies have also had problems, but IRS spokeswoman Michelle Eldridge declined to name them.

Turbo Tax customers were not affected, spokeswoman Julie Miller said. The IRS expects to process about 150 million tax returns from individuals, so less than 1 percent will be affected.

About 6.6 million taxpayers are expected to claim the education tax credits.

The software problem was on Form 8863, which is used to claim the American Opportunity credit, which provides up to $2,500 to help pay for college expenses, and the Lifetime Learning credit, which provides up to $2,000.

The form includes a series of questions. On some of the questions, if the taxpayer answered “no,” the answer was left blank when the form was electronically transmitted to the IRS. H&R Block said the forms were filled out correctly but the answers were dropped when the forms were transmitted to the IRS. “It’s important to note that the tax returns were prepared accurately. The error occurred in e-file processing,” H&R Block said in a statement. “We are communicating directly with our impacted clients to assure them that we are doing everything we can to expedite their returns.” —Reuters

BUSINESS SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 2013

Venezuela to auction dollars to counter black market CARACAS: Venezuela’s central bank may auction US dollars in a second official currency exchange mechanism designed to improve the supply of greenbacks and counter black market trading, newspapers said yesterday. Acting president Nicolas Maduro said this week that the OPEC-member country’s government had decided on a second complementary system to run parallel to state currency board Cadivi’s sale of a restricted amount of dollars at a fixed rate of 6.3 bolivars.

The second system, the newspapers said, would be via direct sales of dollars from oil revenues, as opposed to a similar mechanism in the past, known as Sitme, based on bond transactions.

“The central bank will fix the official price, which will rise or fall depending on the daily offer of dollars,” El Nacional said, quoting an unidentified source with knowledge of the plan. Venezuela devalued its bolivar currency by 32 percent last month in the fifth such move in a decade under the socialist rule of President Hugo Chavez. He died last week of cancer, and his interim replacement Maduro is running for election in April.

After that devaluation, the black market rate for dollars jumped to about four times the new official rate.

Businesses have for years complained about restrictions on access to foreign currency, while the government says it is obliged to maintain controls to counter specu-

lative trading. Another newspaper, El Universal, said the new parallel mechanism could have a price of about 9 bolivars to the dollar. That would compare with 5.3 for the old Sitme system. “This new scheme will represent the end of the devaluation,” El Universal said.

Maduro, who is being closely watched by financial markets for details of post-Chavez economic policies, said this week the new “complementary” currency system would be “completely different” from those in the past. “It is ready, there are a few details left to sort out,” he said in a television interview. “We hope to announce and activate it very soon and involve all sectors.” — Reuters

No need to ban UK banks from proprietary trading LONDON: A US-style ban on Britain’s banks trading with their own money is not needed and would be too difficult to enforce, a group of influential lawmakers said yesterday.

Instead, Britain should use the threat of capital add-ons or other tools to bear down on any bank that shows signs of proprietary trading, said the Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards (PCBS).

The PCBS said a US ban on proprietary trading, known as the Volcker rule, has shown it is difficult to define and prohibit such trading, and it would impose an extra burden on UK regulators who already have to enforce a complex separation of banks’ retail operations.

“The Banking Commission does not feel it appropriate to recommend the immediate prohibition of proprietary trading,” said Andrew Tyrie, chairman of the PCBS. But he did not rule out a ban in the future. “Were this approach to prove ineffective, further measures, including prohibition, could be desirable,” he said in report released by the PCBS. There has been limited support for a “Volcker rule” in Britain, which is pushing through plans to shield retail banking arms from riskier investment banking activity, called Vickers reform, as a way to safeguard taxpayers and depositors from any future banking troubles.

Incoming Bank of England Governor Mark Carney last month said there was no need to add a Volcker rule, citing the difficulty in drawing a line between market-making and proprietary trading.

The PCBS is finalising its report on banking standards, and its proposals could be added to a banking reform bill currently being discussed in Parliament. UK banks told the PCBS they do not engage in proprietary trading and said they do not want to, but Tyrie said that could change: “At a time when banks are under less intense scrutiny, proprietary trading could re-emerge as a greater risk.”

He said proprietary trading was not a suitable activity for a bank, and could lead to conflicts of interest, have harmful cultural effects and raise pay expectations.

The Prudential Regulation Authority, which takes over UK financial regulation in April, should pay close attention to big trading units and volatile revenue flows, and if it spots potential proprietary trading it should use capital add-ons or other methods to incentivise the firm to exercise tighter control, Tyrie said. — Reuters

NEW YORK: In this March 15, 2012 photo, a trader works in the Goldman Sachs booth on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs need better plans for coping with a severe recession, the Federal Reserve said Thursday, giving the banks until September to revise them. — AP

JPMorgan and Goldman need better capital plans ‘We remain strongly committed to our shareholders’ NEW YORK: JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs need better plans for coping with a severe recession, the Federal Reserve said , giving the banks until September to revise them.

The announcement came as part of the Fed’s so-called “stress tests,” its annual check-up of 18 of the country’s big banks. The government runs the tests to see how the banks would fare in a bad economic downturn. As a result of the tests, it also tells each bank whether it’s allowed to raise its dividend, the quarterly payout it gives to stockholders, or buy back more of its own shares.

Overall, the Fed approved requests outright from 14 of the banks, including Citigroup, Wells Fargo, Morgan Stanley and Bank of America.

Senior Fed officials painted a picture of a healing industry, saying the banks had made great strides since the tests were started in 2009.

JPMorgan and Goldman, both based in New York, are allowed to increase their dividends and buy back their stock. That privilege would be withdrawn only if they didn’t submit new capital plans that satisfy the Fed. JPMorgan Chase & Co. said it had received permission to raise its quarterly dividend to 38 cents per share, from the current 30 cents, and to buy back up to $6 billion worth of its own stock. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. didn’t give specifics about its plans.

Both the banks have emerged from the finan-

cial crisis not unscathed but better than many of their peers. Goldman currently pays a quarterly dividend of 50 cents per share, by far the highest of any of the six mega-banks. JPMorgan is second.

In statements, JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon and Goldman CEO Lloyd Blankfein said they were pleased that their plans were approved. The Fed didn’t give specifics on why it is asking the two mega-banks to resubmit their capital plans, except to say that both had “weaknesses” in their plans or processes that required “immediate attention.”

Dimon said that JPMorgan was “fully committed to meeting all of the Fed’s requirements.”

Goldman said it would resubmit its plan, incorporating “certain enhancements” to its stress test procedures. The banks with less-favorable results were Ally Financial and BB&T Corp. The Fed forbade them from going through with any dividend increases and share buybacks they may have asked for.

Detroit-based Ally shot back, saying its capital levels were strong and that the Fed’s testing models were unreasonable, assuming loan-loss rates in at least some areas that were much greater than what the bank had experienced even in the peak of the Great Recession. Ally, the former financial arm of General Motors, is still majority owned by the government because it hasn’t paid back its cri-

sis-era bailout loans. It called for the Fed to be more transparent about its stress test models and methods. Senior Fed officials have said they don’t want to reveal everything about the tests to the banks, saying it would be akin to telling a student what was on a test beforehand.

BB&T, based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and concentrated in the Southeast, said it would resubmit its capital plan and that it believes that will “address the factors which led to the Fed’s objections.” It said it wasn’t allowed to release specifics about why the Fed rejected its plan.

Neither BB&T nor Ally specified exactly what they had asked for permission to do.

“We remain strongly committed to our shareholders and are proud to have one of the strongest dividend yields and highest payout rates in the industry,” BB&T’s CEO, Kelly King, said in a statement. Senior Fed officials said there were different reasons behind their objections to Ally and BB&T. It found that a key capital ratio of Ally’s would be just 1.5 percent if it proceeded with its capital plans as requested, then suffered a severe recession. The government wanted that ratio to be at least 5 percent. The reason for BB&T’s rejection was less obvious. Under those circumstances, the bank would have a capital ratio of 7.8 percent, according to the Fed’s calculations - well within the requirements.—AP

BUSINESS

SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 2013

Italy’s ENI sells Africa gas stake to China BEIJING: Italian oil producer ENI says it has sold a 20 percent stake in a gas field in Mozambique in southern Africa to China’s biggest state-owned energy company for $4.2 billion.

The sale announced Thursday to PetroChina Ltd. adds to a string of foreign acquisitions by Chinese mining and energy companies as they try to become global competitors.ENI S.p.A., headquartered in Milan, said it will retain 50 percent of the Area 4 field while three other partners each will own 10 percent.

The Italian company said it also signed an agreement with PetroChina, a unit of China National Petroleum Corp., to jointly study development of a shale gas block

in southwestern China.

China’s state-owned energy companies, flush with cash from the country’s economic boom, are spending billions to acquire assets abroad in hopes of profiting from future demand.

Acquisitions so far this year total $7 billion, on top of last year’s $34 billion and 2011’s $17.1 billion, according to financial information company Dealogic Ltd. Some are aimed at acquiring oil and gas to import to China, the world’s biggest energy consumer. But companies also are investing in assets in Africa and Latin America that supply North America and Europe.

ENI has described Area 4 in

Mozambique as one of the biggest gas discoveries of the past decade.

The deal also gives the Italian company a foothold in China’s growing shale gas industry. The Rongchang block that ENI and PetroChina will study “has proven to be the most promising in the country,” the Italian company said.

China’s government is promoting shale gas exploration in hopes of curbing rising dependence on imported oil and gas. Its companies control access to promising fields but lack the advanced technology needed to extract shale gas.

So they are forging partnerships with global energy companies that supply know-how.

China’s No. 2 state-owned energy producer, Sinopec Ltd., announced a partnership in December with US oil giant ConocoPhilips Co. to explore for shale gas in a different portion of the Sichuan basin. In December, PetroChina agreed to invest $2.2 billion for a 49.9 percent stake in a Canadian shale gas field being developed by Encana Corp.

Last month, another Chinese stateowned oil producer, CNOOC Ltd., completed a $15.1 billion acquisition of Canadian energy producer Nexen. It was Canada’s biggest overseas energy deal to date. Calgary-based Nexen also operates in western Canada, the North Sea, Africa and the Middle East. — AP

Asia stocks push higher as US jobless data fuels optimism Japan’s Nikkei 225 index rose 1.1%

SINGAPORE: This photograph taken on March 12, 2013 in Singapore shows a newly under construction private condominium (L). New private home sales in Singapore plunged 65 percent in February from the month before, official data showed, as tough government measures and the Lunar New Year holidays kept buyers away. — AFP

Singapore property sales plunge 65% in February SINGAPORE: New private home sales in Singapore plunged 65 percent in February from a month before as market cooling measures and the Lunar New Year holidays kept buyers away, official data showed yesterday.

Only 708 private homes were sold in February, down from 2,016 units in January, according to data from the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA).

“In line with expectations, private residential market activity was subdued in February, following the market cooling measures... and the Lunar New Year festive period,” said Chia Siew Chuin, director of research and advisory at Colliers International.

“Developers held back on project launches, while homebuyers stayed on the sidelines to assess the impact of the measures and reassessed their options.” Ong Teck Hui, national director for research and consultancy at Jones Lang LaSalle, said the measures imposed in January 2013 to avert a bubble “made it more difficult for developers to assess the market in order to set prices and gauge demand”.

But he said the February home sales numbers were “likely to be one-off and not indicative of a particular trend”. In the latest move to tamp down the red-hot property market, Singpore’s government in January made it costlier for foreigners to buy property by raising stamp duties, and sharply increased minimum cash downpayments for individuals applying for loans for second or subsequent homes to 25 percent from 10 percent.

The latest measures were imposed after property prices continued to rise despite an economic slowdown that saw the citystate narrowly avoiding a technical recession last year.

The trade-reliant economy grew just 1.3 percent in 2012, down from 5.2 percent in 2011, with 2013 expansion forecast at 1.0-3.0 percent. Earlier measures by the government to tame the property market included a move by the central bank in October to impose a maximum tenure of 35 years for new housing loans.

Analysts said market players will continue to closely watch home sales in March for trends. “Now that the dust is more or less settled, developers have started project launches in March.

Hence, March and the coming months will be the real litmus test for market demand and the effectiveness of the cooling measures,” Chia of Colliers said. —AFP

BANGKOK: Investor optimism about the economy pushed Asian stock markets higher yesterday after Wall Street logged more gains and the US job market showed further signs of strengthening.

Fewer Americans sought unemployment aid last week, reducing the average number of weekly applications last month to a five-year low. The Labor Department said Thursday that applications fell by 10,000 to a seasonally adjusted 332,000. That reduced the four-week average to the lowest level since the week of March 8, 2008, three months after the Great Recession began.

The drop helped propel the Dow Jones industrial average to its tenth straight sessions of gains.

That hasn’t happened since 1996.

Mitul Kotecha of Credit Agricole CIB in Hong Kong said US industrial production figures and other data to be released later Friday are expected to show additional signs of recovery in the world’s No. 1 economy.

Hope for the US economy offsets worries about Europe’s recession and debt woes and a brewing budget battle in Washington over automatic spending cuts, also known as sequestration in government circles.

“The trend of improving US data is continuing. It’s impressive it is taking place despite the drag of the sequestration and the worries about the eurozone. It shows the market is overlooking some of these concerns and looking at growth,” said Mitul Kotecha of Credit Agricole CIB in Hong Kong.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 index rose 1.1 percent to 12,512.23 after both houses of parliament endorsed Haruhiko Kurodo, the current president of the Asia Development Bank, to head the Bank of Japan. The vote allows Kuroda to stand in for current Bank of Japan Gov. Masaaki Shirakawa after he steps down on March 19. Another vote is required to make Kuroda’s appointment permanent.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose 0.6

TOKYO: Pedestrians pass before a share prices board in Tokyo yesterday.

Japan’s share prices rose 179.76 points to close at 12,560.95 points at the Tokyo Stock Exchange, tracking gains on Wall Street and after Japan’s parliament approved a new central bank governor expected to take aggressive action to stoke the economy. — AFP

percent to 22,761.33. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 advanced 1.6 percent to 5,089.40. Benchmarks in Singapore, Taiwan, mainland China and Indonesia also rose. South Korea’s Kospi fell 0.7 percent to 1,989.26. Benchmarks in the Philippines and Malaysia also fell.

The Dow rose 0.6 percent to close at 14,539.14. The S&P 500 index gained 0.6 percent to 1,563.23. The Nasdaq composite rose 0.4 percent to 3,258.93. In addition to positive jobs data, record corporate profits and reassurances from Federal Reserve officials that they plan to keep interests rates at historically low levels have also helped push stocks higher.

Among individual stocks, Petrochina Ltd., China’s biggest oil and gas producer, was flat after Italian oil producer ENI said it sold a 20 percent stake in a gas field in Mozambique to the Hong Kong-listed company for $4.2 billion.

Benchmark oil for April delivery was up 26 cents to $93.29 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose 51 cents to close at $93.03 per barrel on the Nymex on Thursday. In currencies, the euro rose to $1.3023 from $1.3000 late Thursday in New York. The dollar rose to 96.11 yen from 96.02 yen. — AP

Business SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 2013

Japan to join talks on Pacific trade pact Joining TPP would be the beginning of new Japan TOKYO: Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced yesterday that Japan will join talks on a Pacific trade pact that would oblige the country to open up sheltered industries including farming, long a bastion of protectionism. The decision to seek participation in the US-led Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP, is raising protests from farmers who are a traditional bastion of support for Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party. But many in Japan see the pact as a way to overcome stubborn resistance to reforms essential for reviving the stagnant economy. Abe said Japan has no choice but to opt for the growth that comes with freer trade or lose out to other countries that are capitalizing on such market opening, Abe

and ensure that the trade pact would benefit farmers as well as other Japanese.

“What we really should fear is doing nothing,” Abe said. “I promise you that we will guard our sovereignty as we pursue our national benefit through these negotiations.”

The decision dovetails with his “Abenomics” economic strategy, which is based on easing monetary policy, boosting public spending and longer-term reforms.

“TPP is a core issue for Japan right now.

The main thing is that Abenomics, the plan of getting Japan moving and growing again, does not only depend on printing more money or on fiscal spending, but really depends on liberalizing the economy,” said Martin

TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe answers a question beside a map of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) participating countries during a press conference at his official residence in Tokyo yesterday. Abe announced Japan’s participation in talks to forge the TPP deal. —AFP said in a national address.

“Japan has run into a big wall - low birthrate, aging and lingering deflation - and we have turned inward looking,” he said. “If Japan becomes the only one that turns inward, there is no chance for our growth. No businesses would want to invest in such a country and talented people would not be interested.” “Joining TPP would be the beginning of a new Japan,” Abe said. He repeatedly pledged to guard Japan’s national interest

Schulz, an economist at Fujitsu Research Institute in Tokyo.

“For that, TPP is a core part because it involves all sectors, from energy, to agriculture, insurances, the car industry as well. That would be a big step for Japan,” Schulz said.

Japan’s agricultural lobby is small but politically powerful. However, after two decades of stagnation, calls by big business groups such as the Keidanren to join the trade pact or miss out on easier access to key export

markets appear to have outweighed objections from farmers. The average age of Japanese farmers is 66 and hundreds of thousands will retire in the coming years. “If we don’t do anything about this, we cannot protect our villages or our beautiful countryside,” Abe said. “And that is the reality we face, whether or not we join TPP.” News reports Friday said the government estimates that joining the Pacific trade agreement would boost Japan’s GDP by as much as 3 trillion yen ($31 billion) a year, equal to about 0.7 percent of GDP in the first year.

With Japan’s participation, the free trade zone “would cover basically 40 percent of (world) GDP. It would be a very, very big area and it would have a significant impact,” Schulz said. Abe held back from committing to the trade pact until his recent visit to the US, where after with President Barack Obama the two leaders issued a statement appearing to offer some wiggle room for Abe on thorny issues such as heavy protections for Japan’s rice farmers.

Apart from the imperative for reforming the economy, Abe’s agreement to push ahead with trade liberalization also reflects geopolitical realities: Japan’s status as the leading U.S. ally in Asia also swayed the decision to participate in the trade talks.

“We have no choice,” said Masayuki Kichikawa, of Bank of America-Merrill Lynch.

“This is kind of a very delicate matter for Mr. Abe.”That angers some groups who object to foreign influence over domestic policy, including those who view the plan as an American scheme to usurp Japan’s sovereignty.

“Obama has threatened Japan and forced us into joining TPP,” Takaaki Tabuchi, a financial consultant, shouted to a group of about 20 protesters who gathered near Tokyo’s Shibuya train station late Thursday.

“Preserve our livelihoods. Reject TPP,” they chanted, largely ignored by passers-by. The protests this time, including a big gathering of farmers who conducted a rally at Tokyo’s Hibiya Park on Tuesday, appear to lack the scale or passion of past anti-TPP demonstrations. Abe’s reassurances that Tokyo will not remove protections for strategically sensitive industries, such as rice farming, may have somewhat placated the Zenchu, or Japan’s Central Union of Agricultural Cooperatives, the newspaper Nihon Keizai Shimbun said in a report yesterday. Japan must join the talks or miss its chance to have any say in negotiations on the trade pact, Abe said. —AP

Strong auto output boosts US factory production WASHINGTON: A strong increase in auto output boosted US factory production last month, the latest sign that manufacturing is helping drive economic growth after lagging for much of 2012.

Factory output rose a seasonally adjusted 0.8 percent in February from January, after falling 0.3 percent in the previous month, the Federal Reserve said yesterday. The biggest gain was in autos and auto parts, where production increased 3.6 percent after falling 4.9 percent in January. Car sales have risen steadi-

ly this year after reaching a five year high in 2012. Overall industrial production, which includes mining and utilities, rose 0.7 percent in February. That is the most in three months.

Utility output jumped 1.6 percent while mining output, which covers oil and gas drilling, fell 0.3 percent, the third straight decline. The report adds to recent signs that manufacturing is picking up. A closely watched index of US manufacturing activity increased in February for the third straight month. Big increases in new orders and production

pushed the Institute for Supply Management’s index to its highest level in 20 months. Auto sales, meanwhile, reached their highest level in five years in 2012 and are still rising. New car and truck sales rose 4 percent in February from a year earlier to an annual pace of 15.4 million. That’s a big improvement from sales of only 10.4 million in 2009. It’s still short of the pre-recession peak of 17 million in 2005. Auto makers are expected to have boosted output last month to keep up with the sales. —AP

MANILA: Macau casino tycoon Lawrence Ho (L), Australian billionaire James Packer (C) and Philippine partner Henry Sy Jnr. (R) attend the Manila launch of a major casino joint venture project yesterday. —AFP

Macau group signs $600m Philippine casino deal MANILA: Macau mogul Lawrence Ho’s gaming firm signed an agreement yesterday to invest $600 million in a giant casino project in Manila, boosting the Philippines’ bid to join the world’s gambling big leagues.

The investment in the Belle Grande integrated gaming resort is Melco Crown Entertainment’s first venture in the casino business outside its Macau base, Ho told a news conference.

“We’re very excited about our project. We think that the Philippines is one of the fastest-growing and most exciting countries around,” Ho said before overseeing the signing of the deal with Philippine billionaire Henry Sy. Ho’s Melco Crown partner James Packer, an Australian billionaire, was also in Manila for the signing of the joint venture agreement with Sy-controlled Belle Corp, which is building the casino. It is set to open by mid-2014 inside a giant complex along Manila Bay called Entertainment City.

Belle Corp. was one of four firms given franchises by the Philippine government to build gaming resorts worth at least $1 billion each at the 100-hectare (247-acre) site. The first of the four casinos, $1.2 billion Solaire, opens for business today.

After Solaire and Belle Grande, two other casinos-one controlled

by Japanese tycoon Kazuo Okada and the other by Malaysia’s Genting Group-are set to open between 2015 and 2017.

The Philippine government is hoping Entertainment City can draw millions of newly wealthy Asians, boosting tourism and eventually generating up to $10 billion in annual revenues.

“For the next probably 30-50 years the main growth in entertainment and gaming is going to be in Asia,” said Ho, co-chairman and chief executive of Melco Crown.

“We think our Philippine venture is going to be a key contributor to our business,” he added. “This is definitely a city where people love to enjoy and live life.” Ho said he was impressed by Solaire’s offerings during a visit yesterday on the eve of its launch, adding the clustering of rivals in a single hub would help both draw more customers.

Ho expects gaming revenues in the Philippines to triple to $3 billion by 2015, from about $1 billion annually.

“If you project that and extrapolate it even further down the road, the Philippines in five, six years could be effectively the size of Las Vegas or Singapore,” he said, referring to the world’s other major gaming hubs.

As the only one among the planned or existing Manila casinos with a Macau connection, Ho said Belle Grande would draw more Chinese tourists to the Philippines.

“Ultimately, we do have one of the largest databases in terms of Chinese and also Asian visitors... I think that’s going to be a significant contributor to our success,” he said.

Ho said he was not worried about potential fallout from a tense territorial dispute between China and the Philippines over islands and waters in the South China Sea. “Hopefully these issues will resolve themselves in the near future,” he said. —AFP

SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 2013

Fanning inspires look at 5 great child actresses

www.kuwaittimes.net

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Justin Bieber lashes out at media’s ‘countless lies’ PAGE 25

A model displays a creation by Turkish designer Tuba Ergin during the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Istanbul, Turkey, on March 14, 2013. — AFP

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he reality TV star doesn’t think the fashion designer and mum-of-four - who revealed in a magazine interview she helps her children with their homework over breakfast and drops them off to school herself before working a full day at her fashion label - is being honest about her daily routine, suggesting she has a full team of staff including nannies and chauffeurs to help her cope with her kids’ demands. Writing in her column in The Sun newspaper, she said: “I don’t think she’s being entirely honest. What you don’t see in all the shots of her being the perfect mum is the nanny who is probably pushing the buggy behind her, the security team holding her bags, or the driver chauffeuring her on all those school runs. “From her hair to her shoes, you never see Victoria looking anything less than immaculate and there is no way you can achieve that, day in day out, without help if you’re a working mum with four kids.” Katie - who has three children, Harvey, 10, Junior, seven, and five-year-old Princess Tiaamii - insists that most mums’ morning routines, including her own, are much more manic than Victoria, 38, per-

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ceives. The 34-year-old beauty added: “I’ve got a nanny and I’m happy to admit it. School mornings in my house are still a nightmare, though. “For a start, the kids never want to go to school and try to pull a fast one, saying they’ve got a stomach ache. I’m like a bad version of Nanny McPhee yelling, ‘Come on, get your uniforms on!’ Junior winds Princess up and vice versa, and finally, when I’ve managed to pull on a tracksuit and we’re halfway down the drive, we realise someone’s forgotten their book bag and we’re back to square one.” Former Spice Girl Victoria - who has four children, Brooklyn, 14, Romeo, 10, Cruz, eight, and 19-month-old Harper with husband David - described a typical day in her life to the US edition of Harper’s Bazaar magazine earlier this week, claiming she worked “nonstop” between running her business and looking after her kids.

he ‘X-Files’ actress has admitted she was a troublesome teenager - becoming jealous of her younger siblings when her parents had more children when she turned 13 - and caused havoc by dying her hair red, piercing her nose, drinking and dating a man 10 years her senior. She told Reader’s Digest magazine: “I was promiscuous, drinking a lot and lucky to come out the other side.” The 44-year-old star shocked her

classmates at school, who voted her ‘Most Likely to Get Arrested’, and she proved them right when she was apprehended by police officers on her graduation night. She revealed: “I tried to glue the school gates shut. I’m pretty sure it was the only time, though.” Gillian eventually turned to acting as a way to channel her energy and shot to fame aged 24 when she was cast alongside David Duchovny in the hit US sci-fi drama.

However, Gillian - who has daughter Piper Maru with her first husband, Clyde Klotz, and sons, Oscar and Felix with her former partner Mark Griffiths - admits to being “very naive” about the attention that came with the role and eventually fled to London when the show ended in 2002. She said: “London is my favourite city in the world. I love everything about it - it’s a great place to bring up children and there are so many green spaces.

People in the British service industry are so great. And, by the grace of God, I don’t have paparazzi outside my door.”

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he ‘Skyfall’ star was grocery shopping with his wife Rachel Weisz near their New York home when an onlooker tried to sneakily take a snap of the A-list couple on their handset, sending the 007 actor into a fury. Daniel screamed, “Is watching me food shopping with my wife really all that interesting to you?”, before snatching the phone off the shocked fan as Rachel attempted to calm him down. An eye witness is quoted by the Daily Star newspaper as saying: “Daniel was really angry, and it looked at one point like he might even destroy the phone. “But Rachel was much more calm, and quickly stepped in to give the guy a stern but polite lecture on privacy. She really defused the situation, which could have got out of hand.” The ‘Oz the Great and Powerful’ actress was able to calm her hot-headed husband and even managed to convince the fan to delete the snapshot, as well as offer Daniel an apology. The couple - who fell for each other on the set of ‘Dream House’ in 2009 - are known for being very secretive about their relationship and have attached great importance to their privacy. Daniel said in the past: “I think there’s a lot to be said for keeping your own counsel. It’s not about being afraid to be public with your emotions or about who you are and what you stand for. “But if you sell it off it’s gone. You can’t buy it back. You can’t buy your privacy back.”

SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 2013

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he ‘Mad Men’ star was wearing a onesie when she tripped and fell, leaving her bruised and embarrassed. She said: “I was walking down the stairs in pyjamas and I slipped. I bounced down and had bruises from my bum down to my ankle. It was really painful and unattractive.” While Christina favours comfort when she’s at home, she admitted to recently splashing out on an extravagant Alexander McQueen cape. She said: “I treated myself to an Alexander McQueen cape recently. I went into the shop intending to court a pair of pants but I walked out with something way more extravagant. I wear it pretty much every day.” The 37-yearold actress is famous for her shocking red hair and large bust but when she began her career she was advised not to dye her naturally blonde locks. She revealed: “When I first started modelling I was blonde. Then I got a job and they wanted to do my hair bright red.

I’d always wanted to, but the head of my agency was like, ‘You look terrible, it’s so ugly,

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he ‘Girls’ creator and star who is dating fun guitarist Jack Antonoff - claims she wouldn’t like to have the body of a Victoria’s Secret model like Miranda Kerr and Alessandra Ambrosio because people would always be staring at her. The 26-year-old actress told Playboy magazine: “There would be all kinds of weird challenges to deal with. I don’t think I’d like it very much. “I don’t want to go through life wondering if people are talking to me because I have a big rack. Not being the babest person in the world creates a nice barrier. “That said, I probably would want to see if I could get free food at restaurants. Then I’d call a doctor and see if she could return me to my former situation.” Lena also revealed her taste in men has changed in recent years but she is now madly in love with Jack, who she began dating last year. She said: “When I was younger, I liked men who gave me some guff. Now I’m much more into someone who is interesting and open with his emotions, has a really good sense of humour and a passion for what he does, wants to hang out with my

you cannot have red hair.’ “I came back as a readhead and couldn’t get my hair back to blonde for two days - in the meantime I had to audition. I booked two or three jobs, because were a lot fewer redheads than blondes, and I was like, this is working for me, I’m keeping this!”

he 20-year-old singer is terrified ‘The Hunger Games’ star - who has been staying in his new Australian bachelor pad in the wake of their sudden split amid claims he cheated on her - won’t communicate with her and is willing to do whatever it takes to win him after initially being intent on humiliating him. A source close to Miley told gossip website RadarOnline.com: “Miley is super independent, which Liam loves about her, but at the same time she’s an insecure girl who’s terrified of losing him and will do whatever it takes to make their relationship work.” Liam, who was previously said to have grown tired of Miley’s partying, was allegedly spotted flirting with Emma Watson and leaving a bash at the Chateau Marmont with

January Jones last month, while his fiancee was enjoying a night out elsewhere in Los Angeles. But according to the insider, Miley now feels responsible for their split, saying: “This just goes to show Miley’s immaturity and lack of relationship experience-that she’s the one who’s dying to make it work with Liam, when he’s the one who strayed from their relationship! “Miley can be a super jealous girl and feels like she probably pushed Liam away. “And even though she doesn’t really want to tame her wild ways, if she wants to keep Liam she’s going to have to.

Either that, or she’ll completely rebel because she’s hurt and act out even more. “On the outside Miley likes to appear like she’s bada** and nothing bothers her, but on the inside she wants to be loved and doesn’t think she could ever snag another guy as amazing as Liam.”

— Bang Showbiz

parents and doesn’t want to stay out too late. “If I can get excited imagining funny things he did as a kid, there’s a pretty good chance I’m in love with him.”

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he ‘Paperboy’ actress feels a lot “better” than she imagined she would aged 45 but realises, while looking after her elderly parents, her energy won’t last forever so she tries to make the most of each day. She explained: “[Being 45] is better [than I expected], but at the same time suddenly I’m dealing with my parents who are in their 70s and it’s bittersweet because you know where it’s heading. “There’s the beginning, there’s the end and there’s everything in between. The end obviously gets closer and you get older, but at the same time there’s enormous joy and gratitude for each day.” Nicole - who has daughters Sunday, four, and Faith, two, with husband Keith Urban and adopted kids, Isabella, 20, and 17-year-old Conor, with exhusband Tom Cruise - views time as a “precious” gift and her main ambition in life now is to spend as much time as she can with her family. In an interview in the Daily Mirror newspaper, she explained: “Time is so precious and it becomes more so as you get older. It comes into play with making decisions.

“My husband says, ‘You can’t buy time,’ and that’s why we always try to make decisions

that mean our family is kept together because you just can’t get that back.”

SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 2013

‘Slumdog’ star would have been wedding planner

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ndian actress Freida Pinto, of Oscarwinning “Slumdog Millionaire” fame, In this said yesterday she would have become photograph, a wedding planner if she had not sucIndian actress ceeded in show business. Pinto, a former Freida Pinto model, said “my only passion was acting” arrives on the red but she had told her sister that if she hadcarpet for the 69th n’t become successful by the age of 25, annual Golden she would switch profession. “But fortuGlobe Awards at nately when I was 23, Slumdog Millionaire the Beverly Hilton happened and so I didn’t become a wedHotel in Beverly ding planner,” Pinto, now 28, told a conHills, ference organised by Indian media group California. — AFP India Today.

US

rapper Jay-Z has teamed up with Australian director Baz Luhrmann to produce and perform on the soundtrack for “The Great Gatsby” which will open the 2013 Cannes film festival in May. Jay-Z said he would join some of the world’s top musical artists on the soundtrack which would bring modern “jazz age” energy to the latest film version of F Scott Fitzgerald’s novel of 1920s America.

The hip-hop entrepreneur said he was introduced to Luhrmann by Leonardo DiCaprio who plays the lead role of the mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby in the movie and this led to a two-year collaboration. “As soon as I spoke with Baz and Leonardo, I knew this was the right project,” Jay-Z said in a statement. “‘The Great Gatsby’ is that classic American story of one’s introduction to extravagance, decadence and illusion. It’s ripe for experimentation and ready to be interpreted with a modern twist.”

Jay-Z will be executive producer of the soundtrack and contribute some newly written songs to the score by composer Craig Armstrong, who worked with Luhrmann on his previous films “Moulin Rouge!” and “Romeo + Juliet”. The soundtrack of the film, which opens on May 10, will be released by Interscope Records.

Luhrmann’s adaptation of Fitzgerald’s account of “Roaring Twenties” America will open the Cannes film festival, the world’s most important cinema showcase, with DiCaprio appearing at the event for the first time since 2007. Organisers this week said the opening gala, preceded by a glitzy red carpet fashion parade and followed by parties along the palm-lined Riviera, will also be attended by Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan and Jay-Z. Luhrmann’s first film “Strictly Ballroom” was screened at Cannes 21 years ago.

DiCaprio plays Jay Gatsby in the 3D movie, Carey Mulligan takes the role of Daisy Buchanan and Tobey Maguire is Nick Carraway, the narrator.

The festival runs from May 15 to 26 and US director Steven Spielberg is head of this year’s jury. —Reuters

Indian girl, but I had no problem doing (other) ethnic roles,” said Pinto, who has played Middle Eastern and Latin American parts She has so far avoided Bollywood movies and their overtly commercial song-and-dance routines, but she told the audience the type of films being produced by the Indian movie industry was changing.

“I can find my place here,” she said.

Indian media say she is set to make her Bollywood debut in as yet-unnamed movie directed by Navdeep Singh and Vikramaditya Motwane. — AFP

A woman looks at an artwork creation

by Austrian artist Franz West entitled “Parrhesia (Freedom of Speech)” and dated from 2012, as she visits the “Franz West Where is my Eight” exhibition held at the Mumok museum of Modern Art in Vienna. — AFP

Durang’s ‘Vanya and Sonia’ a zany joy I

Review

Jay-Z to put modern jazz twist on Gatsby soundtrack

Since the actress shot to fame with the 2008 “Slumdog Millionaire”, she has worked in other international movie projects like Woody Allen’s “You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger”, “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” and “Trishna”. She said that dealing with sudden fame with “Slumdog Millionaire” directed by Danny Boyle was difficult. Since then, her biggest effort has been to avoid being stereotyped as the “token Indian girl” in Hollywood movies.

“I played the racial ambiguity card when I had to look for roles in the West,” she said. “I didn’t want to be the ethnic

n most theaters, the sight of someone pulling out a cellphone and texting during a performance is very much frowned upon. In the world of Christopher Durang, the guy texting is actually onstage interrupting a play he’s watching. That’s typical of the things flipped around in the playwright’s utterly refreshing farce “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike,” which happily has made the leap from offBroadway to open Thursday at the Golden Theatre.

It’s a sweet, witty play with a huge pop culture appetite. Durang flings all kinds of references into his word processor: Angelina Jolie, Snow White, Maggie Smith, global warming, Norma Desmond, William Penn, “Peter Pan,” the HBO show “Entourage,” Lindsay Lohan, ancient Greek drama, voodoo and, as the title suggests, a big dollop of Anton Chekhov.

It centers on three middle-aged siblings named after Chekhov characters who are uneasily negotiating with age. Two of them Vanya, a perfectly laconic David Hyde Pierce, and Sonia, a sweetly sensitive Kristine Nielsen have been sitting around their Pennsylvania home and bickering for years ever since their parents died.

The sibling who escaped, Masha, has become an insufferable movie star and has returned to sell the house, leaving her sister and brother with the prospect of being homeless and penniless. Sigourney Weaver, a longtime collaborator with Durang, plays Masha with flamboyant overacting.

She’s clearly having a ball; the whole cast is.

Rounding up the cast is Masha’s boy-toy Spike (a splendidly buoyant Billy Magnussen), a housekeeper convinced she can see the future

(a very game Shalita Grant) and an ethereal neighbor (the fairy-ish Genevieve Angelson).

Director Nicholas Martin thankfully doesn’t rush things, allowing the actors the freedom to extend a scene just a little further with merely a look. The company also seems to have added their own little physical jokes to Durang’s script, such as some recurring hair-mussing and flirtatious touching. It helps if you know something about Chekhov - when Sonya wails “I am a wild turkey,” it’s more fun if you know that’s a riff on his “Seagull” - but Durang’s genius is the ability to write highbrow and low at the same time.

Masha’s arrival unsettles the stifling life of

Vanya and Sonia. Vanya shakes off his complacency by dusting off a play he’s written and gets everyone to perform it - Spike cloddishly interrupts the show with his cellphone - and Sonia snaps out of her ennui by putting herself out there at a fancy party.

Durang has given Pierce a simply lovely rant about how great growing up in the 1950s was “We licked postage stamps, and we sent letters!” - and Nielsen has a touching phone call we only hear her side - from a potential suitor that becomes a touching aria about hope and fear and love. It’s all a bit silly, a tad daffy and very, very sweet. —AP

This publicity photo shows David Hyde Pierce (left) and Sigourney Weaver in “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike.” — AP

SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 2013

Capsule reviews of new movie releases

By Christy Lemire

“T

he Call” - Long a bit player in movies, the 911 dispatcher finally gets a starring role. It would seem long overdue, since Halle Berry is apparently among their ranks.

She’s an emergency operator in Los Angeles, where the trauma of a first kidnapping case has forced her to hang up the headset.

But, having shifted to a trainer position, she’s lured back for a second kidnapping call when a rookie dispatcher can’t handle the frightening pleas from a taken teenager (Abigail Breslin) trapped in a car’s trunk. Director Brad Anderson (“Transsiberian”) working from the simple, high concept screenplay by Richard D’Ovidio, ably cuts between the fraught strategizing at the call center and the frantic police pursuit

of the kidnapper (Michael Eklund). The film dials up a shallow thrill ride, but one efficiently peppered with your typical “don’t go in there!” moments. But what once was usual for Hollywood reliable, popcorn-eating genre frights isn’t so much anymore. A rudimentary, almost old-fashioned 90 minute escape, the film achieves its low ambitions. R for violence, disturbing content and some language. Running time: 95 minutes.

Two stars out of four.

“The Incredible Burt Wonderstone” The only incredible thing here is the way this comedy makes Steve Carell so thoroughly and irreparably unlikable. In a film about magic tricks, this is the most difficult feat of all. Even when Carell is playing characters who are nerdy (“The 40-Year-Old Virgin”) or needy (“Crazy, Stupid, Love”) or clueless (TV’s “The Office”) or just plain odd (“Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy”), there’s usually an inherent decency that shines through and makes him seem relatable, vulnerable, human.

None of those qualities exists within Burt Wonderstone, a selfish and flashy Las Vegas magician who once ruled the Strip alongside his longtime friend and partner, Anton Marvelton (Steve Buscemi), but now finds his act has grown outdated and unpopular. Even within the confines of a comedy sketch, where he probably belongs, Burt would seem one-dimensional and underdeveloped with his hacky jokes and tacky

clothes.

Stretched out to feature length, the shtick becomes nearly unbearable until, of course, the movie doles out its obligatory comeuppance, followed by redemption, and goes all soft and nice.

By then it’s too little, too late. Jim Carrey gives it his all, as always, as the up-andcoming gonzo street magician who threatens Burt’s career, but Olivia Wilde gets little more to do than serve as the supportive “girl” as Burt’s assistant. PG 13 for content, dangerous stunts, a drug-related incident and language.

101 minutes. One and a half stars out of four.

“Spring Breakers” - Harmony Korine seems to want it both ways, all day, in this superstylized descent into a sunbaked hell where bikini-clad, gun-toting college babes serve as our guides.

As writer and director, Korine wants us to be appalled and aroused, hypnotized and titillated. He wants to satirize the debauchery of girls gone wild while simultaneously reveling in it. And damned if he doesn’t pull it off. This is the rare movie that I actually found myself liking the more time I spent away from it. In the moment, I found it numbingly repetitive, even boring at times: dreamlike aesthetics within a nightmare scenario. And it is all those things. But it stuck with me, and it made me realize the genius of his

approach. There is a great deal of genuine artistry in this film, which is the most polished and mainstream to date from the maker of indies like “Trash Humpers,” but “Spring Breakers” is also provocative in various ways, depending on the viewer.

The corruption of formerly squeakyclean Disney superstars Selena Gomez and Vanessa Hudgens may be Korine’s cleverest trick of all: They get to show some range, we get to gawk. But James Franco steals the whole movie away when he arrives about halfway through as a cornrowed, wanna-be gangster rapper named Alien. It’s a showy, wonderfully weird performance, but Franco also finds the vulnerability beneath the bravado. R for strong content, language, nudity, drug use and violence throughout. 92 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four. — AP

Canadian singer Justin Bieber performs live in concert at Palacio de los Deportes de Madrid. — AFP

Justin Bieber lashes out at media’s ‘countless lies’ about him

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op star Justin Bieber struck back at his critics on Thursday, denouncing the “countless lies” written about him after a week in which he canceled a concert, collapsed on stage and had a run-in with paparazzi. In a lengthy posting on his Instagram profile, the 19-year-old singer said he was not going into rehab, contrary to some media speculation, and felt he had done nothing to deserve the negative press surrounding his European tour.

“Everyone in my team has been telling me, ‘keep the press happy’ but I’m tired of all the countless lies in the press right now. Saying I’m going to rehab and how my family is disappointed in me,” Bieber wrote.

Saying he wanted to let his fans know directly how he felt, Bieber

added: “I’m a good person with a big heart. And don’t think I deserve all this negative press I’ve worked my ass off to get where I am and my hard work doesn’t stop here ...

All this isn’t easy. I get angry sometimes. I’m human. I’m gonna make mistakes. I’m gonna grow and get better from them.” The clean-cut Canadian teenager has had a meteoric career since being discovered on YouTube in 2008.

But he hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons last week when he turned up two hours late for a London concert, collapsed on stage in London with shortness of breath on another night, and was caught on camera cursing at a pushy photographer. He was spotted wearing a bizarre gas mask on a night out in London, and one British tabloid labeled him “Pop brat Justin.” On

Monday, he canceled one of two planned concerts in Portugal this week. A statement cited “unforeseen circumstances,” but local media in Portugal reported that ticket sales for the gigs had been slow.

Bieber, who has more than 35 million Twitter followers, suggested on Thursday that envy of his success might lie at the root of the jibes from the news media. “I’m 19 with 5 number one albums, 19 and I’ve seen the whole world. 19 and I’ve accomplished more than I could’ve ever dreamed of, i’m 19 and it must be scary to some people to think that this is just the beginning,” he wrote. Bieber played a concert, apparently without incident, in Madrid on Thursday before moving on to Barcelona and other European cities later this month. —Reuters

Universal picks Trevorrow to direct ‘Jurassic Park 4’ H

ollywood newcomer Colin Trevorrow was named the director of the long-awaited fourth installment of dinosaur movie franchise “Jurassic Park” on Thursday. Universal Pictures said that Steven Spielberg, who directed the first two movies in the $1.9 billion worldwide franchise, would be the executive producer of “Jurassic Park 4,” but he would not direct.

Trevorrow, 36, is little known in Hollywood. He made his feature film directorial debut with the independent time travel comedy “Safety Not Guaranteed,” shown at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, and has made a TV movie and documentary.

Universal said “Jurassic Park 4” would be made in 3D and was scheduled for release on June 13, 2014.

Spielberg announced in 2011 that a fourth film was in development, and speculation had been rife about whether he would direct it. “Jurassic Park III,” directed

by Joe Johnston, was released 12 years ago, but its $368 million worldwide box-office take was well below that of the first two films. The original “Jurassic Park,” first released in 1993, will return to US movie theaters in April in a 3D conversion. Universal, a unit of Comcast Corp, gave no details of casting or the plot for “Jurassic Park 4.” — Reuters

SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 2013

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fast-food burrito chain in Albuquerque has become an international tourist attraction as people come from all over the world to see the spot where a fictional drug trafficker runs his organization. A pastry shop sells doughnuts topped with blue candy designed to resemble crystal meth. A beauty store has a similar product - crystal blue bathing salts.

As “Breaking Bad” finishes filming its fifth and final season in Albuquerque, the popularity of the show is providing a boost to the economy and creating a dilemma for local tourism officials as they walk the fine line of profiting from a show that centers around drug trafficking, addiction and violence.

“Breaking Bad” follows the fictional character Walter White, a high school chemistry teacher turned meth lord.

In this file photo, statues of La Santa Muerte are shown at the Masks art store in Albuquerque, NM. — AP

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riting her first musical turned into a time machine for Cyndi Lauper. As the Grammy Award winner began work on the exuberant “Kinky Boots,” it took her back to her childhood, where she was likely to be found listening endlessly to cast albums on a record player. There was “There’s No Business Like Show Business” and “My Fair Lady.” And “South Pacific,” of course. She remembers her grandmother coming downstairs and ripping “The King and I” off the player after one too many spins. “My mother said I was a little odd as a kid,” says Lauper, 59. “I was alone a lot but I didn’t feel alone. When I sang with those records, I’d be Julie Andrews and there was

This photo released by Starpix shows, Cyndi Lauper at the open house for the Upcoming Musical “Kinky Boots,” featuring Music by Cyndi Lauper, at the Al Hirshfeld Theatre in New York. — AP

Other popular shows over the past decade like “Sex and the City” and “The Sopranos” have generated tours and widespread interest in the filming locations, but “Breaking Bad” has seen a unique twist with drug-themed products that have been springing up around Albuquerque. Albuquerque has seen an unexpected jump in tourists visiting popular sites from the show and local businesses cashing in on its popularity. Tourists are also flocking to sites that before the show were unknown and unimportant: the suburban home of White, played by Bryan Cranston; a car wash that is a front for a money-laundering operation on the series; a rundown motel used frequently for filming; and the real-life burrito joint, which is a fast food chicken restaurant on the show. The Albuquerque Convention & Visitors Bureau has even created a website of the show’s most popular places around town to help tourists navigate, and ABQ Trolley Company sold out all its “BaD” tours last year at $60 a ticket.

“They ask if they can take pictures. They ask if Gus is here,” said Rachel Johnson, 19, a shift manager at the Twisters burrito restaurant in Albuquerque’s South Valley, referring to the show’s character Gus Fring, played by actor Giancarlo Esposito. The eatery has served as the location for the “Los Pollos Hermanos” restaurant where Fring runs his drug operation on “Breaking Bad.” Debbie Ball, owner of The Candy Lady store, recently capitalized on the show’s popularity by selling blue “Breaking Bad” meth treats - sugar rock candy that looks like the meth sold on the show. Ball provided her candy as props of the show in the first two seasons and said she has sold 20,000 bags of the stuff at $1 apiece. She also launched her own “Breaking Bad” limo tours this year with a driver dressed as Walter White.

“The show is amazing,” said Ball. “I don’t live too far from Walter White’s house.” A pastry shop called the Rebel Donut has among its specialties “Blue Sky” Breaking Bad doughnuts, pieces decorated with blue rock candy. And the Great Face & Body shop recently developed a new line of blue bath salts called “Bathing Bad.” (It’s actually bath salt used to bathe, not

Rex Harrison sitting on my mother’s bed. I was Mitzi Gaynor. I was Ezio Pinza. I think she had Mary Martin, too - I was all of them. I was pretty good until they sang duets.”

Sitting backstage at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, waiting to catch another preview of her 15-song debut as a Broadway lyricist and composer, Lauper is both nervous and humble. The little girl who listened compulsively to show tunes has now delivered her own. “It’s the closest thing to being 5,” she says. “Kinky Boots,” which opens April 4, is based on an obscure 2005 British film about a British shoe factory on the brink of ruin that retrofits itself into a maker of fetishistic footwear for drag queens. The musical version has a reworked story by Harvey Fierstein. It is directed and choreographed

by Jerry Mitchell, with music supervised by Stephen Oremus. All three are Tony Award winners.

“I keep telling myself how lucky am I that the first thing I do on Broadway has Harvey and Jerry and Stephen Oremus everyone a Tony winner,” Lauper says.

“C’mon, that’s awesome!” This isn’t the first time the “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” singer has been asked to compose music for the stage. It took her old friend Fierstein, the book writer for “La Cage aux Folles” and “Newsies,” to lure her out. His new story helped: Fierstein has teased out the friendship between the straight factory owner and the factory-saving transvestite who suggests the boot switch, who bond over their harsh fathers. —AP

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the street drug also known as “bath salt.”) Meanwhile, Masks y Mas Mexican folk art store near the University of New Mexico sells papier mache statues of La Santa Muerte - Mexico’s folk Death Saint who counts drug traffickers among her devotees.

During the chilling opening scene of the show’s third season, a pair of cartel assassins is shown crawling to the saint’s shrine in Mexico to request some divine help.

“We provided the Santa Muerte statues for that shrine in that episode,” said store owner Kiko Torres. “The stuff now sells out all of the time.”

Tania Armenta, a vice president for the Albuquerque Convention & Visitors Bureau, said the city has seen positive benefits from the show’s popularity, from demands for tours to inquiries from other production companies seeking to film in Albuquerque. The Legislature also passed what has been labeled the “Breaking Bad” bill this year that provides tax breaks to TV shows that film in New Mexico. “It’s raised the visibility of the city,” said Armenta. “They are intrigued by the scenic images that they see.”

Still, tourism officials and business owners are quick to point out that they are walking a fine line in trying not to promote the dark themes from “Breaking Bad.” But their pride in the show taking place in Albuquerque - and the money that it brings in - is often enough to offset their concerns. Ball said the show doesn’t glorify the drug war but rather educates the public on its dangers. “Watch it with your children. Yes, it’s dark,” said Ball. “It actually educates you about meth, about making it and what actually happens to you when you walk down that road.”—AP

ou practically need an advanced degree in physics to fully comprehend the convoluted physical machinations depicted in “Upside Down,” Juan Solanas’ dizzyingly loopy scifi romance. Depicting the Romeo and Juliet-style romance between lovers from twin planets with opposite gravitational pulls, this head-scratcher boasts visual imagination to spare even as its logistical complexities and heavy-handed symbolism ultimately prove off-putting. The lovers - none so subtly named Adam (Jim Sturgess) and Eden (Kirsten Dunst) - first meet as children who manage to forge a spiritual connection even if they’re literally upside down from each other.

Unfortunately, contact between the inhabitants of the two worlds is strictly forbidden by the dominant one, Up Top, which exploits the resources of its neighbor planet, Down Below. Connecting the two worlds is a massive tower owned by an exploitative megacorporation named - what else?

— TransWorld. Ten years after their initial encounter, which ended with Eden apparently falling to her death, Adam is a lowly scientist working at TransWorld who has managed to invent an anti-aging cream made from the pollen of pink bees (really). He suddenly comes across the now grown-up Eden, who has no recollection of him thanks to a case of amnesia from her fall.

So he sets out to woo her all over again, a task made more complicated by the fact that the only way he can enter her world is to don gravity-defying anti-matter that inconveniently bursts into flame after a short time. If you’ve managed to follow all of this so far, then you indeed might enjoy the undeniably clever otherworldly setup for what otherwise is a fairly pedestrian love story. —AP

This film image released by Millennium Entertainment shows Jim Sturgess (left) and Kirsten Dunst in a scene from “Upside Down.” — AP

SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 2013

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In this photo, Kirsten Dunst stars in the title role of “Marie Antoinette.”

— AP photos

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lle Fanning does some incredible work as a teenager caught up in the antinukes activism of 1960s London in the new coming-of age drama “Ginger & Rosa.”

This latest, greatest performance is part of a career she’s carved out for herself at only age 14, with previous impressive roles in films including “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “Super 8” and “Somewhere.” (Must be in the DNA: Her older sister, Dakota Fanning, is also talented and experienced well beyond her 19 years with an eclectic mix of films ranging from “War of the Worlds” and the “Twilight” movies to “Hounddog” and “The Runaways.”) So in a year in which “Beasts of the Southern Wild” star Quvenzhane Wallis became the youngest-ever best-actress nominee at the Academy Awards at only 9, here’s a look at five great child actresses: Shirley Temple: The original. What precocious little girl hasn’t watched Temple singing and dancing to “On the Good Ship Lollipop” and thought to herself: “That looks like fun - I want to do that too”? Of course, we all couldn’t do it because she had that rare “thing” - that spark, that zest, that glow.

She also worked her butt off perfecting her craft at a very young age - she started dancing and appearing in short films at 3 and making features at 5 - but she made childlike charm and enthusiasm look effortless.

By 6, she’d already won an Academy Award - a special juvenile honor, but still. She then went on to make dozens of films over a three-decade career and remains arguably the greatest child star ever. What has your kid done today?

Elizabeth Taylor: In her early, familyfriendly films such as “Lassie Come Home” and especially “National Velvet,” Taylor had a startling and mature beauty for someone her age. Something about her aura radiated a grace and sophistication well beyond her years. Those mesmerizing eyes, that luxurious dark hair and flawless skin. It was as if she never went through the sort of awkward pre-adolescent stage the rest of us endured. She made her first film, “There’s One Born Every Minute,” at age 10. You guys know what happened from there: triumph, heartache, three Academy Awards, multiple marriage, superstardom.

Jodie Foster: As she said in her rambling speech at this year’s Golden Globes, she’s been in the public eye since age 3. Now at 50, the two-time Oscar winner is a great

This photo shows Elle Fanning as Ginger in a scene from the film, “Ginger and Rosa”.

example of remaining strong and vital throughout the transition from child stardom to adulthood. Foster had confidence and swagger from her earliest days - it’s evident even in something silly like a guest appearance on “The Partridge Family.” In 1976 alone, in a demonstration of her great range, she played two very different kinds of kids: Iris, the world-weary prostitute, opposite Robert De Niro in Martin Scorsese’s brilliant and disturbing “Taxi Driver,” and Annabel, the quick-witted tomboy who finds she’s magically switched bodies with her mother in the Disney comedy “Freaky Friday.”

Kirsten Dunst: She started modeling and appearing in commercials when she was only a few years old, but her breakout role at age 12 was playing the adorably creepy vampire Claudia opposite Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt in “Interview With the Vampire.” Great choices from there have included Sofia Coppola’s “The Virgin Suicides” and “Marie Antoinette,” Michel Gondry’s dreamlike “Eternal Sunshine of the

Spotless Mind” and the kitschy cheerleader comedy “Bring It On.” Playing Mary-Jane in the “Spider-Man” trilogy probably didn’t hurt. But she was excellent - and deserved an Oscar nomination - for her haunting work as a depressed bride in Lars Von Trier’s “Melancholia.” (She also has a movie opening this weekend, the sci-fi romance “Upside Down.”)

Abigail Breslin: She was one of the youngest-ever Oscar nominees at age 10 for her charming, vulnerable and ultimately inspiring performance as awkward pageant contestant Olive in the crowd-pleasing indie “Little Miss Sunshine.” But she made an impression even earlier than that when she made her film debut at just 5 in M. Night Shyamalan’s “Signs.” —AP

This file photo shows young actress Elizabeth Taylor playing a girl who wins a horse in a raffle in “National Velvet”. — AP

In this file photo, Jodie Foster portrays a 12-year-old in the 1976 movie “Taxi Driver”.

etectives have uncovered evidence that a Hollywood studio executive who mysteriously vanished 10 months ago was murdered, even though they have yet to find his body, law enforcement officials said on Thursday. Gavin Smith, a 57-year-old film distribution executive for 20th Century Fox, was last seen on the night of May 1, 2012, driving in his black Mercedes Benz away from a friend’s house in Oak Park, northwest of Los Angeles. Authorities issued a missing person bulletin for Smith, also known for playing on UCLA’s 1975 national championship basketball team under legendary coach John Wooden, and asked for the public’s help in finding him.

But the discovery of Smith’s car in a storage facility in February led to a break in the case, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s spokesman Steve Whitmore said. “This is a significant change in this case,” Whitmore said. “The fact that they found the car, the condition of the car. Preliminarily, they believe Gavin Smith was murdered. The evidence is pretty sound.” Whitmore said detectives had also established what they believe was the motive for Smith’s slaying, but he declined to discuss it further.

“They pretty much know what’s going on,” he said.

Police following a tip recovered the car in Simi Valley, about 20 miles (32 km) by freeway from the unidentified friend’s home in Oak Park. Smith’s body has not been recovered. The facility where the car was found was linked to a man currently being held at a Los Angeles County jail on an unrelated narcotics conviction, the sheriff’s department said. Whitmore said that man, John Creech, was considered a “person of interest” in the case, but has not been arrested or charged in Smith’s disappearance.

Mysterious disappearance It was not immediately clear if Smith and Creech were acquainted, but the missing man had met Creech’s wife, Chandrika Creech, in rehab in 2009, Whitmore said. “They had a relationship, but I’m not going to characterize what kind of relationship,” he said. Whitmore said detectives had spoken to Chandrika Creech and had served 25 to 30 search warrants in the sensational case. He said detectives had searched Creech’s home and car, but declined to say if anything was taken as evidence.

An attorney for the Creeches could not be reached for comment on Thursday afternoon. The sheriff’s department said investigators were seeking public assistance in identifying anyone who may have helped move the Mercedes from an upscale Porter Ranch neighborhood of Los Angeles to the storage facility about a week after Smith went missing.

The sheriff’s department did not say how they believe the Mercedes came to be in Porter Ranch - about 40 minutes by car from Oak Park, where Smith was last seen, and 20 minutes from Simi Valley, where it was ultimately found. “We believe other people were involved in the aftermath of moving the car and moving the body,” Lieutenant Dave Dolson told reporters.

When Smith drove away from his friend’s home, wearing purple athletic pants belonging to one of his sons, he left behind his cellphone charger, shaving kit and other personal items, authorities say. His disappearance made national headlines and prompted the film studio to issue a statement expressing concern.

Smith’s family posted a $20,000 reward for information and pleaded with the public to help, saying the 6foot, 6-inch former athlete with “movie star” looks should be easy to spot. His son Evan Smith, a forward for the University of Southern California basketball team, took to Twitter to get the word out, tweeting messages such as “I will not stop until I find my father.” — Reuters

SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 2013

This publicity photo provided by The Hollywood Reporter shows Zoe Saldana at The Hollywood Reporter and Jimmy Choo Celebration of the Most Powerful Stylists in Hollywood, in Los Angeles. — AP photos

D

This photo shows Jeanann Williams and Tara Swennen.

ianna Agron may be a sought-after actress, but she’ll admit to a little stalking. Not for a plum role - for a stylist. “Not outside her house like a creepy person,” the “Glee” star said of her pursuit of stylist Samantha McMillen, “but I knew some of the people that she was dressing and I said I want her.” McMillen was among those honored on the Hollywood Reporter’s list of the industry’s top 25 stylists. The trade paper doesn’t rank the most powerful directors or producers in the industry, but it does recognize the top stylists, whose ability to effect image may be on par with those other big shots.

Stylists aren’t just indispensable to stars, they’re integral to the whole Hollywood marketing machine. They’re curators of

This photo shows Abbie Cornish and Naomi Watts.

living, breathing, world-famous billboards; the key link between fashionbrands and actresses and a critical component in how both are seen. In an industry that trades on image, stylists are the most powerful image makers. This year’s style-makers were celebrated at a luncheon Wednesday with Zoe Saldana, Naomi Watts and Reese Witherspoon on the rooftop patio of the private Soho House. Most of those on the list don’t have famous names (except maybe for Rachel Zoe, who’s third), but their work is seen worldwide in the form of glamorous looks on the most admired stars.

Saldana started working with Petra Flannery while filming “Avatar.” The actress said having a stylist is “paramount to a person’s image, especially when they work in this business.”

“Not only are you respected by what you say, you’re also respected and admired and reviewed on how you look, so that said, this is my office,” Saldana said, pointing at herself.

“You have to kind of see it that way and have fun with it.”

Not only do stylists keep celebrities perfectly put together, they know the fashion world’s top designers and can get them to custom-make clothes for their big-name clients, as list-topper Leslie Fremar did with Witherspoon’s Louis Vuitton gown at last month’s Academy Awards. Stylists are catalysts for lucrative partnerships between celebrities and luxury brands, which can elevate the profile of each.

“A dress they put on an actress that becomes talked about will set a fashion trend for the next year, or it’ll drive what buyers are buying for major department stores,” said Janice Min, editorial director of The Hollywood Reporter. “The decisions made by this small group of women and men in this room amount to millions if not billions of dollars’ worth of business in the next year.”

Jimmy Choo chief executive Pierre Denis said Hollywood’s influence continues to grow globally. No ad campaign or editorial layout can match the impact of the right piece on the right person, and “the stylists, in the end, are the ones actually making style of the actresses,” he said. Though these stylists broker million-dollar looks - and deals - they still mostly operate behind the scenes, and on their own. The Hollywood Reporter luncheon, held for the first time last year, is a rare gathering.

For stylist Tara Swennen, who counts “The Big Bang Theory” star Kaley Cuoco among her clients, it was a chance to celebrate her work with her colleagues. “We don’t have a union or anything like that yet,” she said, “so it’s sort of nice to have something cohesive.” — AP

This photo shows Tara Swennen and Kaley Cuoco.

SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 2013

The Thom Browne Fall 2013 collection is modeled during Fashion Week in New York. — AP photos

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on’t overthink Thom Browne. Yes, he dressed Michelle Obama on Inauguration Day in an outfit made of fabrics usually used for men’s ties, and, yes, his most recent New York Fashion Week show seemed a fairy tale interpreted through “Fifty Shades of Grey.” But Browne says he isn’t staring at the ceiling at night thinking how to shake up fashion. He’s just not the overzealous, mercurial artiste. What he’s doing is building a business - and what he hopes is a smart, long-lasting business at that.

Fashion designer Thom Browne poses for a photograph at his Hudson Street store in New York.

In this file photo, first lady Michelle Obama waves as she walks in the Inaugural Parade wearing an outfit by fashion designer Thom Browne.

Browne has made an impeccably tailored (although slightly shrunken) suit his uniform, for goodness sakes.

He came from a nice family in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

He was a college swimmer at Notre Dame, where he studied economics. He cared about school and sports, Browne says, and he didn’t think much about his wardrobe until he landed in New York in the 1990s and got an office job at Giorgio Armani. He runs, without fail, for 70 minutes a day.

Browne, 47, says he sometimes is entertained to read the audience’s musings about the deep meanings of his runways - which also have included a futuristic funhouse, a makeshift convent and a turf tennis court. Sometimes are way off base, but that’s OK. At least they’re thinking about him and his clothes.

At a show, he has a chance to leave a lasting impression with each of the 30 to 40 looks, he explains, and “I want to make people think, or laugh, or cry. I really don’t think about whether they’ll like it or don’t like it.” Fashion is a crowded place, he says, and he wants to stand out from the masses. “I have no interest in trends. People say, ‘Really?’ to that. It’s not that I don’t care, but I don’t want to follow trends, and I don’t especially want to create them.”

He doesn’t look to obscure works of art or exotic locales for inspiration, although, he allows, there might be the subtle influence from time to time from a Turner Classic movie. “There’s a reason for everything I do. I don’t do these fantastic shows arbitrarily,” Browne adds.

“From start to finish, I know what people will see. I have to think logically.”

Ultimately, this is about men wearing his tailored and tweaked preppy styles, and women wearing dresses with carefully sculpted silhouettes and carrying their luxe, streamlined Thom Browne handbag. “I don’t design from a commercial point of view, but I would love for people to wear my clothes,” Browne says. He is flattered when he sees passers-by on the street wearing his label or even an imitation of his trademark styles.

The first lady’s navy dress-and-coat combination in January certainly helped put him in the spotlight, even if it wasn’t the first time he dressed her. The outfit came

about as he was designing his fall menswear collection, and he had access to a beautiful silk foulard fabric. He was in Paris when Mrs. Obama donned the look, and the reality of its impact is just being felt. There were A LOT more requests for invitations to his show, for example, Browne says, and he thinks pretty much anyone who didn’t know he added women’s clothes to his repertoire three years ago probably does now.

On a day-to-day basis, though, it has to be business as usual, and he is hands-on, disciplined and organized.

That means working on spring collections, developing fabrics, meeting buyers and clients, and scouting locations for his next catwalks. Publicity, too. “I never set out to be famous,” he says. “It’s awkward to talk about yourself, but I want people to see that I do interesting things, so this is part of it.”

Browne says he’s not the type to dwell on the past if he’s made a mistake - or to bask in its glory if he hasn’t.

He’s just too busy. This month, he is opening a store in Tokyo. “The travel is good travel. I don’t have time for a real vacation, so if I get a good meal in on a trip, that’s my enjoyment,” Browne says. “I don’t really need a vacation.

I love what I’m doing.”

This interview was done in his smallish, sparse and warm boutique in Tribeca. He opened this location in 2006, and he’s not rushing for bigger space. He’s not someone who craves change; he says he likes moving in methodical steps. On Wednesday, he received a nomination from the Council of Fashion Designers of America as the top menswear designer of the year, a category he previously won in 2006. Last year, he won the National Design Award from the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, an award presented to him by Mrs. Obama. “I feel like it’s all going well. Men’s is going well, women’s is going well - and the first lady looked great.” — AP

TECHNOLOGY SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 2013

‘Smart’ LED bulbs controlled by iPhones NEW YORK: LED bulbs seem to be the future of home lighting: They save electricity, they’re durable and they don’t contain mercury like compact fluorescents. But having them produce white light like any old light bulb is like using a computer as a doorstop.

That’s because each LED, or light-emitting diode, is a small chip, the product of the same sort of manufacturing process that spawned the digital revolution. The chips are backed up by more electronics in the stem of the bulb. These bulbs are smart, or at least they can be if we make them that way. Philips, the world’s largest maker of LED lighting, does make them that way. The company has produced the first kit of LED bulbs whose color and brightness can be wirelessly controlled from your iPhone. I tested the Philips bulbs and, in descending order of “smarts,” I tried out some GreenWave Reality bulbs whose brightness can be controlled by an app. I also looked at a cheap off brand color-changing bulb that comes with a remote control.

Why would you want to control your light bulbs from your phone? I haven’t really found a good answer yet. On their own, these bulbs aren’t a big deal. Few people will pony up $200 for the Philips kit with three smart bulbs. But these products are still interesting because they point the way to the future of lighting. Remember: The first Apple computer was a niche product, too -and look where that went. Each Philips bulb produces light equivalent to a 50watt incandescent bulb. Additional bulbs cost $59 each. That compares with slightly brighter, non-smart, white-light Philips LED bulbs that cost $25 each.

The Hue bulbs cost more, Philips says, because there are five unique and expensive lime-green LEDs in each bulb, balanced by four red-orange ones and two blue ones. Together, these LEDs produce a range of colors, including a nice span of “whites,” from warm to cold.

In the future, the price difference between color-mixing LEDs and regular ones will shrink, and perhaps vanish.

Adding color and wireless controls to bulbs will cost very little, so we might as well get used to it.

In fact, I found a cheaper alternative to the Hue: an $18 bulb of the TorchStar brand. Amazon.com sells a bunch of similar ones under different names. This bulb doesn’t talk to your phone. Instead, it comes with a small remote that lets you pick from 16 colors. Unfortunately, the “white” color is a nasty bluish shade, reminiscent of a bad fluorescent tube. It’s also a lot dimmer than the Hue. On the plus side, the TorchStar produces more vivid, saturated colors than the Hue. To produce a good white, the Hue sacrificed the ability to produce really deep colors. I also found the remote on the TorchStar pretty friendly. Do I really want to whip out my iPhone or iPad and fire up the Hue app every time I want to adjust the lighting? In fact, I was tempted to attach the remote to the wall like a light switch - there’s something to be said for those old wall switches.

Once you have it up, the free Hue app is entertaining.

One of the ways you can change colors is to pick a photo, then point to the hues you want the lights to replicate. The app sends your commands to your Wi-Fi router. The router, in turn, tells the Hue base station (a small box included in the $200 kit) attached to it to send signals to the bulbs using a different wireless technology, known as Zigbee. Philips says the signal can reach nearly 100 feet. But it can travel even farther if you have your bulbs strung out, because each bulb will relay the signal to others that can’t “hear” the base station directly. So these bulbs are “smart” enough to talk to each other.

The “smarts” doesn’t go all that far, though.

You can set a timer that’s supposed to fade the light down slowly - a nice touch if you’re trying to get a kid to sleep - but it didn’t work for me. The light just cut out at the designated time, with no fade. The base station is capable of connecting to the Internet, so you can control your lights away from the home. Some wags have created apps that turn the bulbs into disco lights that change color in response to music they pick up from your phone’s microphone. But this is just the beginning of what an Internet-connected light should be able to do. In theory, you could key a light to the changing colors of daylight, or to warn you if there’s likely to be rain today by changing to a green shade. The Hue doesn’t do any of that, yet. —AP

NEW YORK: People interact with the Samsung Galaxy S IV in New York City. The Galaxy S IV features a five-inch 1080p screen, a 1.9GHz quad-core processor, a 13-megapixel rear camera and ships with the latest Android version, Jelly Bean. — AFP

Samsung unveils new feature-rich Galaxy S4 Smartphone battle intensified NEW YORK: Intensifying its smartphone battle with Apple, Samsung unveiled the feature-rich Galaxy S4, with groundbreaking eye motion technology to let users control key functions at a glance. In one highlight, sensors in the S4 detect when a person looks away from a video and then pauses play until the distraction has passed and eyes are once again directed at the screen. The eye motion technology can also screen through emails. The South Korean consumer electronics giant introduced the Galaxy S4 Thursday on the stage of New York City’s Radio City Music Hall and said the smartphones would roll out in 155 countries in late April. Pricing was not disclosed.

“For each of us, life is a journey,” said Samsung mobile communications division head JK Shin. “What we want is a device that can join us on that journey; a companion that helps us experience life in the fullest.”

S4 features include a high-definition, fiveinch (12.7-centimeter) screen, enhanced picture-taking capabilities and the capacity to translate to and from nine languages.

“It is now clearly Samsung’s flagship device; jam-packed with technology,” said Gartner analyst Michael Gartenberg.

“The question is how many of these features will resonate with consumers.”

Samsung played up its online hub for music, books, and video and the ease with which the S4 can share video with televisions made by the company.

“At this point, smartphones are all about software and ecosystems; showing up with compelling hardware is the expected starting point,” Gartenberg said. “This is about a Samsung ecosystem that happens to be built on Android.” Samsung is the biggest and most successful maker of smartphones powered by Android software that Google makes available for free.

Samsung has become the top smartphone maker worldwide with a 29 percent market share, according to IDC, while in the US market Apple remains the king and sells more than one of every three mobile

phones. The Galaxy S3 has sold more than 40 million worldwide since its launch last May and has some analysts debating which of the two firms is ahead in innovation. “We are always listening to learn from people around the world about what kind of progress they really want,” Shin said.

Samsung stressed innovation as it continues to defend itself against charges made

by Apple in public and in lawsuits that the South Korean rival has copied the California company’s creations. The S4 is thinner than its predecessor and weighs just 130 grams despite having a bigger screen and battery.

The smartphone also boasts a “dual camera” function that lets the front and rear-facing cameras be used simultaneously for pictures or videos that combine images of subjects with that of the photographer.

A Group Play function lets S4 handsets close to one another share music, photos, documents or games, or even work in unison as a sound system for a song. An S

Translator feature lets people speak or enter text in one tongue and have it instantly converted to another. S4 sensors combined with S Health software enable handsets to be used to track exercise, eating, heart rate and other fitness factors.

The handsets were also designed to measure temperature and humidity to help people “understand what is going on around them.” Samsung also took aim at the trend of people using their own smartphones for work with the addition of new Knox software that builds a secure wall between personal and business data on handsets. “The Samsung Galaxy S4 is very good, but looks like an evolution to the S3, not a revolution,” said technology analyst Jeff Kagan. Apple, which is known for keeping its plans private, is believed to be working on its own upgrades, including a new version of the iconic iPhone. But Apple shares have slumped some 40 percent from highs hit last year. — AFP

NEW YORK: JK Shin, President and Head of IT and mobile communication division of Samsung introduces the Samsung Galaxy S IV on Thursday in New York City. — AFP

TECHNOLOGY SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 2013

Lots of tech but few breakout hits at SXSW confab AUSTIN: For all the talk of space travel, the wearable gadgets, marketing stunts and lavish parties, something was missing at this year’s South By Southwest Interactive Festival: the next “hot app.”

The brainy tech jamboree held each year in Texas’ capital city is known as the place where Twitter soared from obscurity to the world stage in 2007. It’s where the location-sharing app Foursquare came out in 2009.

This year, though, chatter focused on hardware rather than software, and on big ideas rather than coming out parties. The most-used mobile app was the festival’s own application, which helped attendees keep track of South By Southwest’s barrage of panels, talks, meet-ups and parties. The star of the show wasn’t the next Twitter but an ever-reluctant Grumpy Cat, whose frowny face has become an Internet sensation.

Hundreds of people lined up outside the tent of tech blog Mashable to get a photo with the cat, whose actual name is Tardar Sauce.

South By Southwest appears to be experiencing a bit of Yogi Berra syndrome: “Nobody goes there anymore.

It’s too crowded.” “I don’t think it’s indicating that there is less innovation,” said David-Michel Davies, executive director of the Webby Awards. Rather, he believes there may have been fewer companies breaking out because there’s just so much noise that entrepreneurs are choosing not to launch products here. To be fair, attendance at the interactive portion of this tech, music and film fes-

Netflix’s US customers get Facebooksharing tool SAN FRANCISCO: A long-awaited coming attraction has finally arrived for Netflix’s US subscribers. They will now be able to automatically see what their Facebook friends have been watching on the Internet video service, as long as they are willing to open a peephole into their viewing habits, too. The sharing tool announced Wednesday is rolling out 18 months after Netflix Inc. introduced the feature to its international subscribers.

The expansion exposes the feature to a much wider audience because Netflix has 27 million Internet video subscribers in the US versus 6 million customers in more than 50 other countries and territories. Netflix isn’t creating an outlet for the 8.2 million subscribers to its steadily shrinking DVD-by-mail rental service to share what they’re checking out on discs.

Netflix withheld the sharing tool in the U.S.to avoid breaking a 1988 law that banned the disclosure of video rental records without a customer’s written consent. After several years of lobbying, the Lost Gatos, Calif., company persuaded Congress to revise the law so that subscribers could choose to activate a video-sharing feature.

President Obama signed the amended law in January, clearing the way for Netflix to offer US subscribers another way to find movies and TV shows that may appeal to their tastes. In the process, Netflix hopes to deepen subscriber loyalty and generate positive buzz about the $8per-month service as the company strives to reach its goal of reaching 90 million customers.

“This has been a missing link for us,” said Tom Willerer, Netflix’s vice president of product innovation. “Being able to see more recommendations from your friends can be a very powerful thing.” Investors apparently believe the new feature will increase Netflix’s popularity and, by extension, its profits. Netflix shares stock surged by $10.25, or 5.6 percent, to close at $192.36. The sharing tool could backfire if it raises privacy concerns as subscribers discover how much their Facebook friends are finding out about their viewing preferences. Netflix is trying to make sure that happens by corralling the sharing within individual subscriber accounts when the feature is first turned on. The company plans to offer all its US subscribers the option by the end of this week.—AP

tival has grown each year since it got its name in 1999.

Attendance at the interactive gathering hit 30,621 this year. Big brands from Yahoo to Amazon have an increasingly large presence, which can drown out small startups. Chevrolet, for instance, provided a fleet of cars to shuttle attendees between event venues.

Google Inc. made a splash when it showed off new apps for its Google Glass interactive, Internet-connected glasses on Monday evening. Timothy Jordan, senior developer advocate at Google, demonstrated a handful of apps for Google Glass, including a news headline app from The New York Times and ones from Gmail, Evernote and social networking startup Path.

“We are the pioneers who get to decide how this fits into our lives,” he told a packed auditorium of programmers, bloggers, Google fans and tech luminaries. Glass, he said, is about technology that’s “there when you want it and out of the way when you don’t.”

Jordan stopped short of letting attendees try out Glass for themselves. Even so, Google - hardly a scrappy startup - was among the most-talked about companies at the event, not just for Glass but for demonstrating a talking, interactive pair of Adidas sneakers that, as it turns out, are not actually going to be sold anywhere.

So is the SXSW breakout a thing of the past for hot startups? Andy Kahl, product strategist at a Web privacy startup, said his company Ghostery got a sudden, unexplained spike of downloads of its privacy tool in March

of 2010. The company didn’t attend South By Southwest that year, but someone mentioned them during a talk on Internet privacy. After that, the company resolved to go every year. While Kahl believes the festival is still worth attending, he said “it is fairly difficult to not get lost in the noise.”

The festival’s “noise” includes hundreds of panels, discussions and lectures on topics as wide-ranging as space travel, toddlers & technology and the future of grocery stores. PayPal co-founder and venture capitalist Peter Thiel spoke about the future, startups and the concept of luck. Former Vice President Al Gore talked about the future too, as did Cindy Gallop, the founder of “MakeLoveNotPorn” who’s on a mission to rethink pornography. Gallop, who champions “real-world” sex in all its funny, awkward glory, asks regular people to submit videos of their sex lives to her website. She charges $5 to view a video and shares half the revenue with those who share videos. “Gen Y in porn is like Gen Y everywhere else,” she told a giggling crowd.

“Entrepreneurial, challenging the status quo.”

Foursquare founder and CEO Dennis Crowley, meanwhile, displayed an impressive number of data-tracking bracelets during his talk and laughed about the scale that tweets his weight every week. Elon Musk of Tesla Motors, SpaceX and PayPal fame talked not just of life on Mars but said that he checks his email while spending time with his five kids.—AP

Song creation app from Down Under wows crowd 260,000 users download Jam AUSTIN, Texas: Two brothers from Australia pulled big crowds at the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival with a novel app that lets anyone create a song just by crooning into a smartphone. Jam, released eight weeks ago for Apple’s iPhone, was developed by Joe and Sam Russell, members of a musical family from Melbourne who took the concept behind social-media photography and reinvented it for music. “Basically, you sing into your phone and it creates a song around what you’ve sung,” said Joe Russell as young music fans streamed into Jam’s booth in the SXSW trade show hall Thursday to spend a minute each trying out the app. “You don’t need to play an instrument or even sing all that well,” he said. “You just have to sing into your phone and pick a (musical) style and it will create a song in that style, an original song.”

But there’s more: users can upload their recordings onto Jamjust as Instagram or Hipstamatic photographers can do with their photos-for any and all to see, and the most popular tunes can wind up on Jam’s own hit parade.

More than 260,000 users, mostly in the United States, have so far downloaded Jam from the iTunes store, the Russells said, adding that work is underway on Japanese and Chinese versions for the promising Asian market. “It’s meant for people who don’t necessarily create music in their day-to-day lives,” said Joe Russell, 33, general manager of DreamWalk Interactive, a startup founded by the techminded siblings. “It enables them to create music when they wouldn’t have otherwise. It’s cheating”-in the sense that users never need to learn an instrument or really know how to sing-”but everyone can make music now. That’s the good thing.” Jam is representative of the way technology is driving the future of music, undermining the traditional business model whereby musicians had to struggle to get the attention of taste-making record labels to build their careers.

Only in this case, the musicians can be anyone with a smartphone-even if they can’t sing very well, because Jam contains its own version of Auto-Tune, the pitch-correcting vocal software commonly used by big-name artists.

“We had a pretty clear idea going into the project (of what Jam would be like) and we had some great guys working on it,” said Sam Russell, 27, who oversaw the “difficult” six-month writing of the software. Once done, a completed Jam song can be shared with other users who can, in turn, vote for their favorites-with the songs getting the most likes finding their way into Jam’s Top 100 chart. On Thursday the number-one song was a jumped-up dubstep take on Justin Bieber’s “As Long As You Love Me” by one Ayanna Snookie Perez, which had 1,241 likes out of 86,895 listens.

Many of the songs are cover versions, and it remains to be seen if any record labels or music publishers complain about copyright

infringement-although performing and posting one’s favorite pop tunes on YouTube is commonplace now. The basic Jam app is free to download, but users can pay for extra features and music styles packs, much as Hipstamatic users can buy additional filters and virtual lenses to widen the creativity of their images.

While they’re currently looking for investors, the Russells-who previously developed a GPS treasure hunting platform-say they have no interest in selling Jam or their company for the time being.

And while they don’t know of any actual stars currently using Jam, they don’t rule out an unknown “Jammer” breaking into the big time one day. “We’re waiting for the first signing as a result of Jam,” Joe Russell said. “It’s coming.” —AFP

MELBOURNE: Josepsh and Sam Russell, brothers from Melbourne show off their Jam smartphone app yesterday at the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin, Texas. Jam enables users to sing into a smartphone, then add backing instruments and post the results for others to see and hear. — AFP

TV listings SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 2013

00:45 01:35 02:25 03:15 04:05 04:55 05:20 05:45 06:35 07:00 07:50 08:40 09:35 10:30 11:00 11:25 12:20 12:50 13:45 14:40 15:35 16:30 17:25 18:20 19:15 20:10 21:05 22:00 22:55 23:20 23:50

Monster Bug Wars Untamed & Uncut Wildest Arctic Ultimate Air Jaws Whale Wars Shamwari: A Wild Life Escape To Chimp Eden Animal Precinct The Really Wild Show Pandamonium Bad Dog Crocodile Hunter Too Cute!

Jeff Corwin Unleashed Jeff Corwin Unleashed My Cat From Hell The Really Wild Show Pit Bulls And Parolees Pit Bulls And Parolees Pit Bulls And Parolees Pit Bulls And Parolees Pit Bulls And Parolees Pit Bulls And Parolees Wild France Wild France Into The Pride Wildest Africa My Cat From Hell Ned Bruha: Skunk Whisperer Baboons With Bill Bailey Animal Cops Houston

00:00 Homes Under The Hammer 00:50 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 01:35 Come Dine With Me 02:25 The Boss Is Coming To Dinner 02:50 The Boss Is Coming To Dinner 03:15 MasterChef 04:10 Celebrity Fantasy Homes 04:55 Bargain Hunt 05:40 Bargain Hunt 06:30 Homes Under The Hammer 07:20 Homes Under The Hammer 08:15 Raymond Blanc’s Kitchen Secrets 08:40 Antiques Roadshow 09:35 Homes Under The Hammer 10:25 Homes Under The Hammer 11:15 Homes Under The Hammer 12:05 The Boss Is Coming To Dinner 12:30 The Boss Is Coming To Dinner 12:55 Come Dine With Me 13:45 Come Dine With Me: South Africa 14:40 Raymond Blanc’s Kitchen Secrets 15:10 Raymond Blanc’s Kitchen Secrets 15:35 New Scandinavian Cooking 16:00 The Hairy Bikers USA 16:25 The Hairy Bikers USA 16:50 Antiques Roadshow 17:40 Bargain Hunt 18:25 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 19:10 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 19:55 Come Dine With Me: Supersize 21:30 Come Dine With Me: South Africa 22:25 Antiques Roadshow 23:15 Bargain Hunt

00:05 00:30 00:55 01:20 01:45 02:10 02:35 03:00 03:25 03:50 04:00 04:30 04:55 05:20 05:45 06:00 06:25 06:45 07:00 07:20 07:45 08:10 08:35 09:00 09:25

05:25 Man-Made Marvels Asia 06:15 Sci-Trek 07:05 NASA’s Greatest Missions 08:00 Tech Toys 360 08:25 Tech Toys 360 08:50 Stunt Junkies 09:15 Stunt Junkies 09:40 Through The Wormhole With Morgan Freeman 10:30 Finding Bigfoot 11:25 The X-Testers 11:50 The X-Testers 12:15 The World’s Strangest UFO Stories 13:10 Return To The Bermuda Triangle 14:00 Weird Or What?

14:50 Bang Goes The Theory 15:20 Da Vinci’s Machines 16:10 Weird Or What?

17:00 Tech Toys 360 17:25 Tech Toys 360 17:55 Superships 18:45 Through The Wormhole With Morgan Freeman 19:35 Food Factory 20:00 Food Factory 20:30 Meteorite Men 21:20 Oddities 21:45 Oddities 22:10 Tech Toys 360 22:35 Tech Toys 360 23:00 Meteorite Men 23:50 Dark Matters: Twisted But True

Taz-Mania Pink Panther And Pals Moomins Tom & Jerry Kids A Pup Named Scooby-Doo Puppy In My Pocket Wacky Races Looney Tunes Duck Dodgers Dastardly And Muttley Dexter’s Laboratory Wacky Races Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries Tom & Jerry The Garfield Show Bananas In Pyjamas Gerald McBoing Boing Jelly Jamm Ha Ha Hairies Baby Looney Tunes Cartoonito Tales Gerald McBoing Boing Lazy Town Krypto The Superdog Bananas In Pyjamas

LONDON BOULEVARD ON OSN ACTION HD 09:40 09:55 10:10 10:25 10:45 11:05 11:30 11:55 12:20 12:45 13:10 13:35 14:00 14:50 15:15 15:40 16:30 17:20 18:10 19:00 19:30 19:55 20:20 20:45 21:00 21:25 21:50 22:15 22:40 23:05 23:30 23:55

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Cartoonito Tales Ha Ha Hairies Jelly Jamm Gerald McBoing Boing Lazy Town Krypto The Superdog Baby Looney Tunes Ha Ha Hairies Jelly Jamm Gerald McBoing Boing Lazy Town Krypto The Superdog Tiny Toons Pink Panther And Pals Pink Panther And Pals Tom And Jerry Tales 13 Ghosts Of Scooby-Doo Johnny Bravo Dexter’s Laboratory Looney Tunes Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries Taz-Mania The Looney Tunes Show Tom & Jerry The Garfield Show Pink Panther And Pals What’s New Scooby-Doo? Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries Puppy In My Pocket The Perils Of Penelope Pitstop The Addams Family Droopy: Master Detective

Amanpour World Sport Piers Morgan Tonight World Report World Sport Anderson Cooper 360 Piers Morgan Tonight

05:00 05:45 06:00 07:00 07:30 08:00 08:15 08:30 09:00 09:15 09:30 10:00 10:30 11:00 12:00 12:30 13:00 13:30 14:00 14:30 15:00 15:30 16:00 16:30 17:00 17:30 18:00 18:15 18:30 19:00 19:30 20:00 20:30 21:00 21:30 22:00 23:00 23:30

Quest Means Business CNN Marketplace Africa The Situation Room World Sport Cnngo World Report CNN Marketplace Africa Backstory World Report CNN Marketplace Middle East Business Traveller World Sport Mainsail The Best Of The Situation Room World Report The Brief Amanpour Inside Africa Talk Asia Eco Solutions World Report Inside The Middle East News Special Backstory International Desk African Voices CNN Marketplace Europe CNN Marketplace Africa The Brief World Sport Living Golf International Desk Inside Africa International Desk Cnngo The Best Of The Situation Room World Report News Special

00:15 Fast N’ Loud 01:10 World’s Top 5

02:05 03:00 03:55 04:20 04:50 05:15 05:40 06:05 07:00 07:50 08:45 09:40 10:30 11:25 12:20 Junior 13:15 14:10 15:05 16:00 16:55 17:50 18:45 19:40 20:35 21:30 21:55 22:25 22:50 23:20 23:45

American Chopper Mythbusters How Stuff’s Made Auction Kings Auction Hunters How Do They Do It? How Stuff’s Made Sons Of Guns Superhuman Showdown James May’s Man Lab Life On A Wire How Not To Become Shark Bait River Monsters Animal Cops South Africa American Chopper: Senior vs

00:40 01:05 01:35 02:25 03:15 03:45 04:10 04:35

Gadget Show - World Tour How Tech Works Scrapheap Challenge Weird Or What?

Bang Goes The Theory Tech Toys 360 Tech Toys 360 Finding Bigfoot

World’s Top 5 World’s Top 5 World’s Top 5 World’s Top 5 World’s Top 5 Fast N’ Loud Gold Rush Gold Divers Sons Of Guns Auction Hunters Auction Hunters Auction Hunters Auction Hunters Auction Hunters Auction Kings

00:10 00:35 01:00 01:25 01:50 02:15 02:40 03:05 03:30 03:55 04:20 04:45 05:10 05:35 06:00 06:25 06:40 07:05 07:30 07:55 08:05 08:20 08:45 09:10 09:35 10:00 10:25 10:50 11:15 12:40 12:55 13:20 13:45 14:10 14:35 15:00 15:25 15:50 16:15 16:40 17:00 18:20 18:45 19:10 19:35 20:00 20:25 20:50 21:15 21:40 22:05 22:30 22:55 Cody 23:20 Cody 23:45

Hannah Montana Brandy & Mr Whiskers Brandy & Mr Whiskers Replacements Replacements Emperor’s New School Emperor’s New School Brandy & Mr Whiskers Brandy & Mr Whiskers Replacements Replacements Emperor’s New School Emperor’s New School Brandy & Mr Whiskers Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Jake & The Neverland Pirates Suite Life On Deck A.N.T. Farm Wizards Of Waverly Place Fish Hooks Fish Hooks That’s So Raven Good Luck Charlie Shake It Up Jessie Jessie A.N.T Farm Gravity Falls Jump In! Fish Hooks Wizards Of Waverly Place Suite Life On Deck Good Luck Charlie Gravity Falls Jessie My Babysitter’s A Vampire Shake It Up Austin And Ally Jessie A.N.T Farm Thirteenth Year Gravity Falls Jessie Wizards Of Waverly Place Shake It Up Austin And Ally My Babysitter’s A Vampire A.N.T Farm Jessie Jessie Good Luck Charlie Good Luck Charlie The Suite Life Of Zack And

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Little Einsteins Special Agent Oso Special Agent Oso Lazytown Jungle Junction Jungle Junction Handy Manny Handy Manny Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

The Suite Life Of Zack And Stitch

03:00 Lazytown 03:25 Special Agent Oso 03:40 Special Agent Oso 03:50 Imagination Movers 04:20 Handy Manny 04:30 Handy Manny 04:40 Special Agent Oso 04:50 Special Agent Oso 05:00 Timmy Time 05:10 Lazytown 05:35 Little Einsteins 06:00 Jungle Junction 06:15 Jungle Junction 06:30 Little Einsteins 06:50 Special Agent Oso 07:00 Special Agent Oso 07:15 Jungle Junction 07:30 Jungle Junction 07:45 Handy Manny 08:00 Special Agent Oso 08:15 Jungle Junction 08:30 Little Einsteins 08:55 Lazytown 09:20 Imagination Movers 09:45 Timmy Time 09:55 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 10:20 The Hive 10:30 Doc McStuffins 10:45 Zou 11:00 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 11:15 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 11:30 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 11:45 Doc McStuffins 12:00 Handy Manny 12:10 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 12:25 Mouk 12:35 Lilo And Stitch 13:00 Winnie The Pooh: Tales Of Friendship 13:10 Timmy Time 13:20 The Hive 13:30 Doc McStuffins 13:45 Doc McStuffins 14:00 Zou 14:15 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 14:30 Mouk 14:45 Lilo And Stitch 15:15 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 15:35 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 16:00 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 16:25 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 16:50 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 17:05 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 17:20 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 17:35 Doc McStuffins 17:45 Art Attack 18:10 Lazytown 18:40 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 19:05 Mouk 19:20 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 19:35 New Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh 20:00 Animated Stories 20:05 Timmy Time 20:15 Pajanimals 20:25 Doc McStuffins 20:40 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 20:55 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 21:10 Winnie The Pooh: Tales Of Friendship 21:20 The Hive 21:30 Pajanimals 21:45 Handy Manny 22:00 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 22:25 Pajanimals 22:35 New Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh 23:00 Timmy Time 23:10 Animated Stories 23:15 A Poem Is...

23:20 Winnie The Pooh: Tales Of Friendship 23:30 Jungle Junction 23:45 Handy Manny 23:55 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

00:00 Dirty Soap 00:55 Style Star 01:25 E! Investigates 03:15 Style Star 03:40 Extreme Close-Up 04:10 THS 05:05 THS 06:00 THS 07:50 Style Star 08:20 E! News 09:15 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 10:15 E!es 11:10 THS 12:05 E! News 13:05 Scouted 14:05 Giuliana & Bill 15:00 Giuliana & Bill 16:00 Opening Act

TV listings SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 2013 17:00 Opening Act 18:00 E! News 19:00 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 20:00 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 21:00 Married To Jonas 21:30 Fashion Police 22:30 E! News 23:30 Chelsea Lately

00:40 01:30 02:20 03:05 03:55 04:45 05:30 06:20 07:10 08:00 08:50 09:15 09:40 10:05 10:30 Jones 11:20 12:10 13:00 13:50 14:15 14:40 15:30 Jones 16:20 16:45 17:10 18:00 18:50 19:40 Jones 20:30 21:20 22:10 23:00 23:50

I Almost Got Away With It Dr G: Medical Examiner The Haunted Scorned: Crimes Of Passion Most Evil I Almost Got Away With It Dr G: Medical Examiner The Haunted Murder Shift Mystery Diagnosis Street Patrol Street Patrol Real Emergency Calls Who On Earth Did I Marry?

True Crime With Aphrodite Murder Shift Disappeared Mystery Diagnosis Street Patrol Street Patrol Forensic Detectives True Crime With Aphrodite Real Emergency Calls Who On Earth Did I Marry?

Disappeared Murder Shift Forensic Detectives True Crime With Aphrodite Disappeared Nightmare Next Door Couples Who Kill Deadly Affairs I Was Murdered

00:15 Heat Seekers 00:40 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 01:05 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 01:30 Heat Seekers 01:55 Outrageous Food 02:20 Unwrapped 02:45 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 03:10 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 03:35 Heat Seekers 04:00 Heat Seekers 04:25 Unique Eats 04:50 Food Crafters 05:15 Charly’s Cake Angels 05:40 Chopped 06:30 Iron Chef America 07:10 Unwrapped 07:35 Unwrapped 08:00 Healthy Appetite With Ellie Krieger 08:25 Healthy Appetite With Ellie Krieger 08:50 Healthy Appetite With Ellie Krieger 09:15 Healthy Appetite With Ellie Krieger 09:40 Cooking For Real 10:05 Cooking For Real 10:30 Cooking For Real 10:55 Cooking For Real 11:20 Symon’s Suppers 11:45 Symon’s Suppers 12:10 Symon’s Suppers 12:35 Symon’s Suppers 13:00 Iron Chef America 13:50 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 14:15 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 14:40 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 15:05 Unique Sweets 15:30 Unique Sweets 15:55 Unique Sweets 16:20 Unique Sweets 16:45 Chopped 17:35 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 18:00 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 18:25 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 18:50 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 19:15 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 19:40 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives

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Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives Chopped Chopped Chef Hunter Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives

Travelled 22:00 Travel Madness 22:25 Travel Madness 22:55 Bite Me With Dr. Mike Leahy 23:50 By Any Means

00:45 Living With The Amish 01:40 Travel Madness 02:05 Travel Madness 02:35 Bondi Rescue 03:00 Bondi Rescue 03:30 David Rocco’s Amalfi Getaway 03:55 Maverick Chef 04:25 Living With The Amish 05:20 Bondi Rescue 05:45 Chasing Time 06:15 Walking The World 07:10 Lonely Planet: Roads Less Travelled 08:05 Lonely Planet: Roads Less Travelled 09:00 Long Way Down 09:55 Long Way Down 10:50 Living With The Amish 11:45 Travel Madness 12:10 Travel Madness 12:40 Bondi Rescue 13:05 Bondi Rescue 13:35 David Rocco’s Amalfi Getaway 14:00 Maverick Chef 14:30 Living With The Amish 15:25 Banged Up Abroad 16:20 Lonely Planet: Roads Less Travelled 17:15 Long Way Down 18:10 Long Way Down 19:05 Bondi Rescue 19:30 Chasing Time 20:00 Walking The World 21:00 Lonely Planet: Roads Less

00:00 Stone’s War: War Of The Dead18 02:00 London Boulevard-18 04:00 The Scorpion King 3: Battle For Redemption-PG15 06:00 Mission: Impossible II-PG15 08:15 True Justice: Violence Of ActionPG15 10:00 The Man Inside-PG15 12:00 Go Fast-PG15 14:00 True Justice: Violence Of ActionPG15 16:00 The New Daughter-PG15 18:00 Go Fast-PG15 20:00 Hide And Seek-18 22:00 Virtuosity-18

01:00 03:00 05:00 07:00 09:00 11:00 13:15 15:00 17:00 19:00 21:00 23:30

Just Crazy Enough-PG15 Twigson-PG Arrietty-FAM Call Of The Wild-PG15 Just Crazy Enough-PG15 We Bought A Zoo-PG The Wild Thornberrys Movie-PG The Artist-PG Madea’s Big Happy Family-PG15 Safe House-PG15 Hemingway & Gellhorn-18 The Devil Inside-18

00:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 01:00 The Colbert Report 01:30 The Ricky Gervais Show 02:00 Weeds

02:30 Weeds 03:00 Parks And Recreation 03:30 2 Broke Girls 04:00 Til Death 04:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 05:30 Hope & Faith 06:00 10 Items Or Less 06:30 Less Than Perfect 07:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 08:00 Til Death 08:30 Modern Family 09:00 Parks And Recreation 09:30 30 Rock 10:00 Cougar Town 10:30 Last Man Standing 11:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 12:00 10 Items Or Less 12:30 Til Death 13:00 Hope & Faith 13:30 Less Than Perfect 14:00 2 Broke Girls 14:30 Cougar Town 15:00 30 Rock 15:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 16:00 The Colbert Report 16:30 10 Items Or Less 17:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 18:00 Parks And Recreation 18:30 Happy Endings 19:00 The Neighbors 19:30 The Office 20:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 22:00 Saturday Night Live 23:00 Family Guy 23:30 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

00:00 01:00 02:00 06:00 07:00

Bones Survivor: Caramoan Smash Bones Emmerdale

07:30 08:00 12:00 12:30 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 16:30 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

Coronation Street Covert Affairs Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show Covert Affairs Bones Emmerdale Coronation Street Covert Affairs Top Gear (US) Criminal Minds The Mob Doctor Sons Of Anarchy The Tudors

00:00 Stone’s War: War Of The Dead 02:00 London Boulevard 04:00 The Scorpion King 3: Battle For Redemption 06:00 Mission: Impossible II 08:15 True Justice: Violence Of Action 10:00 The Man Inside 12:00 Go Fast 14:00 True Justice: Violence Of Action 16:00 The New Daughter 18:00 Go Fast 20:00 Hide And Seek 22:00 Virtuosity

00:00 Friday After Next-18 02:00 Loser-PG15 04:00 Summer School-PG 06:00 Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell Of Fear-PG15 08:00 Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son-PG15 10:00 3 Holiday Tails-PG15 12:00 Summer School-PG 14:00 Wild Wild West-PG15 16:00 3 Holiday Tails-PG15 18:00 Jumping The Broom-PG15 20:00 Stuck On You-PG15 22:00 Friday After Next-18

01:30 Middle Men-18 03:30 Moneyball-PG15 05:30 Yelling To The Sky-PG15 07:15 Lord Of The Dance-PG 09:00 Sunshine State-PG15 11:15 Every Jack Has A Jill-PG15 12:45 Waiting For Superman-PG15 14:45 Sunshine State-PG15 17:00 The Insider-PG15 19:30 The Man Who Came With The Snow-PG15 21:00 Offline-PG15 22:45 Nixon-18

00:00 The Fighter-PG15 02:00 War Horse-PG15 04:45 Happy Feet Two-PG 06:45 Green Lantern-PG15 09:00 Senna-PG15 10:45 Journey 2: The Mysterious Island-PG 12:30 Barnyard-PG 14:15 Kung Fu Panda 2-PG 16:00 Senna-PG15 17:45 Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close-PG 20:00 Gone-PG15 22:00 One Day-18

01:00 The Three Bears: The Amazing Adventurers 02:45 Marley & Me: The Puppy Years 04:30 Marco Macaco 06:00 Winx 08:00 Toyz Goin’ Wild 10:00 Mickey’s Twice Upon A Christmas 11:30 The Adventures Of Scooter The Penguin 13:00 Freddy Frogface 14:30 Marley & Me: The Puppy Years 16:00 Diary Of A Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules 18:00 Mickey’s Twice Upon A Christmas 20:00 Return To Halloweentown 22:00 Freddy Frogface 23:30 Toyz Goin’ Wild

SAFE HOUSE ON OSN CINEMA

01:00 Inside The PGA Tour 01:30 NRL Premiership 03:00 PGA European Tour Weekly

03:30 05:30 07:00 09:00 09:30 11:30 13:30 15:30 17:30 18:00 20:00

Live Champions Tour Super League Super Rugby ICC Cricket 360 Live Super Rugby Live Super Rugby NRL Premiership NRL Premiership Super League Live Super Rugby Live PGA Tour

01:00 02:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 09:30 13:30 14:00 16:00 18:00 19:30 20:45 22:45

UFC Countdown WWE SmackDown WWE Bottom Line WWE NXT PGA European Tour Live PGA European Tour Futbol Mundial Super Rugby Super Rugby NRL Premiership UFC Countdown Live Super League Super Rugby

02:00 03:00 04:30 05:30 06:00 07:00 08:30 09:30 11:30 13:30 14:00 15:00 15:30 20:00 20:30

Golfing World Super League Adventure Challenge Total Rugby Golfing World NRL Premiership Trans World Sport Live NRL Premiership Live NRL Premiership Total Rugby Trans World Sport PGA European Tour Weekly PGA European Tour Futbol Mundial Premier League Darts

01:00 WWE Bottom Line 02:00 UFC Countdown 03:00 Ping Pong World Championship 04:00 US Bass Fishing 05:00 NHL 07:00 WWE SmackDown 09:00 WWE Bottom Line 10:00 WWE Vintage Collection 11:00 NHL 13:00 UAE National Race Day 14:00 WWE SmackDown 16:00 WWE Bottom Line 17:00 UFC The Ultimate Fighter 18:00 UFC Countdown 19:00 NHL 21:00 WWE SmackDown 23:00 WWE Bottom Line

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

Soviet Storm: WWII In The East Pawn Stars Storage Wars Ancient Aliens Soviet Storm: WWII In The East Soviet Storm: WWII In The East Seeking Salvage Pawn Stars American Restoration Ancient Aliens Storage Wars Storage Wars Storage Wars Storage Wars Pawn Stars Pawn Stars American Restoration American Restoration American Restoration American Restoration Storage Wars Storage Wars Storage Wars Storage Wars Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Pawn Stars American Restoration American Restoration American Restoration American Restoration Storage Wars Storage Wars Texas Pawn Stars Pawn Stars American Pickers Storage Wars Storage Wars Texas

W h a t ’s o n SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 2013

Embassy Information EMBASSY OF AUSTRALIA The Australian Embassy Kuwait does not have a visa or immigration department.

All processing of visas and immigration matters in conducted by The Australian Consulate-General in Dubai. Email: info.ausdxb@vfshelpline.com (VFS) immigration.dubai@dfat.gov.au (Visa Office); Tel: +971 4 355 1958 (VFS) - +971 4 508 7200 (Visa Office); Fax: +971 4 355 0708 (Visa Office).

In Kuwait applications can be lodged at the Australian Visa Application Centre 4B 1st Floor, Al-Banwan Building Al-Qibla Area, Ali Al-Salem Street, opposite the Central Bank of Kuwait, Kuwait City, Kuwait. Working hours and days: 09:30 - 17:30; Sunday - Thursday. Or visit their website www.vfs-au-gcc-com for more information. Kuwait citizens can apply for tourist visas on-line at www.immi.gov.au/e visa/e676.htm.

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Al-Bayan Bilingual School honors high school students

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l-Bayan Bilingual School (BBS) held it sannual high school academic awards ceremony to honor more than 100 students who have excelled academically throughout the year. The ceremony held at the Dalal Al-Humaidhi Theater this week, awarded students for their academic achievements by subject as well as those qualified for honor, high honor, and high honor with distinction awards. To qualify students must reach an average grade point average of 3.5 or above during the first two marking periods of the 2012-2013 school year. “The

awards ceremony was created to recognize, encourage and inspire students throughout their academic year. There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure. BBS is dedicated to its students, and we look forward to increasing the number of students that excel at our school,” said High School Principal, Jihad Sadeddin.

For more than ten years, the awards ceremony has provided a non-traditional and personal touch to the program by having members of the faculty award the

students themselves instead of division heads and school administration. “I am proud of my students, and it is an honor to be able to experience this with them, while also awarding them on this special night,” said Head of Business Department, Nadine Souheil. To mark this special occasion, parents and friends of the school were invited to join the milestone event with students. The ceremony concluded with recognition plaques to departing staff as a token of appreciation for their years of service and dedication to the school, the students and its community.

ESF IGCSE drama impresses with ‘Great Expectations’

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he English School Fahaheel IGCSE Drama students and Upper School Drama students recently impressed a packed auditorium with the Charles Dickens’ classic “Great Expectations”.

The annual ESF Upper school production was held at the contemporary Lloyd Webber Theatre.

Directed and produced by P Clark, the play enthralled the audience in the packed theatre for almost two hours as the talented cast of 18 displayed their impressive acting skills.

Great Expectations is a classic of Victorian Literature which has been adapted into a comingof-age play in which Pip, played with commitment

by Dominick Vermilyea, pursues the beautiful but icy Estella played by Sarah Cowan. An excellent supporting cast from throughout the school included standout performances from Zainab Abbas as the chillingly evil Havisham and Sultan Mohammed as the kindly blacksmith, Joe. A big thank you goes out to all the staff who helped with the production and a group of Sixth Form students with Ashton for providing refreshments at interval. ESF offers a full Performing Arts program at IGCSE including music and drama. The staff and pupils are looking forward to another successful production next year.

EMBASSY OF CANADA he Embassyof Canada in Kuwait does not have a visa or immigration department. All processing of visa and immigration matters including enquiries is conducted by the Canadian Embassy in Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. Individuals who are interested in working, studying, visiting or immigrating to Canada should contact the Canadian Embassy in Abu Dhabi, website: www.UAE.gc.ca†or www.goingtocanada.gc.ca, E-mail: abdbi-imenquiry@international.gc.ca. The Embassy of Canada is located at Villa 24, Al-Mutawakei St, Block 4 in Da’aiyah. Please visit our website at www.Kuwait.gc.ca. The Embassy of Canada is open from 07:30 to 15:30 Sunday through Thursday. The reception is open from 07:30 to 12:30. Consular services for Canadian citizens are provided from 09:00†until 12:00, Sunday through Wednesday.

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EMBASSY OF KENYA The Embassy of the Republic of Kenya wishes to inform the Kenyan community residents throughout Kuwait and the general public that the Embassy has acquired new office telephone numbers as follows: 25353982, 25353985 - Consular’s enquiries 25353987 - Fax Our Email address: info@kenyaembkuwait.com.

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EMBASSY OF MYANMAR Embassy of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar would like to inform the general public that the Embassy has moved its office to new location at Villa 35, Road 203, Block 2, Al-Salaam Area in South Surra. The Embassy wishes to advice Myanmar citizens and travellers to Myanmar to contact Myanmar Embassy at its new location. Tel. 25240736, 25240290, Fax: 25240749, email:myankuwait11@gmai1.com.

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EMBASSY OF NIGERIA The Nigerian embassy has its new office in Mishref. Block 3, Street 7, House 4. For enquires please call 25379541. Fax25387719. Email- nigeriakuwait@yahoo.com or nigeriankuwait@yahoo.co.uk.

W h a t ’s o n SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 2013

KNES hosts Primary Department Annual Sports Day

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he Primary Department of Kuwait National English School celebrated its annual Sports Day on Thursday, March 7, 2013. The focus was on skills stations which tested the pupils’ motor control, vision, awareness, speed, dynamic balance etc. Overall, the Sports Day was designed to get all pupils active whilst enjoying the challenge of competing against their peers.

All Primary pupils did themselves proud with every pupil demonstrating determination, commitment and enthusiasm, even when performing in the more challenging activities; including gymnastic stations, skills tests and more lighthearted ‘fun’ games. The values of success and failure are an invaluable lesson experienced by all and the ability to deal with this is invaluable in all aspects of school and outside life. The winning House this year was Saturn (Blue).

KNES hosts successful choral verse competitions

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uring the month of February, the Primary Department of Kuwait National English School hosted a series of Choral Verse Competitions for all pupils from Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. Pupils showed off their talents by reciting poetry in groups coupled with drama. This competition is one of the initiatives of the Primary Department in its bid to improve pupil’s confidence levels, fluency, team spirit and speaking and listening skills. The winning teams were awarded medals and all other participants received certificates for their participation and effort.

KNES and KSPATH beach clean-up As a follow-up to a presentation by KSPATH on Recycling and our quest of ‘Going Green’, pupils from KNES joined volunteers from KSPATH at Sulaibhikat Beach on Friday, February 15, 2013, in order to clean-up the beach. The children really enjoyed the day and got stuck in to the job using a variety of tools to help them. They raked, dug and sieved all of the collected rubbish into numerous refuse sacks ready to be taken away. The children and staff had a great time and managed to clean a large area of the beach so that the native wildlife and plant life can grow and flourish.

Health SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 2013

Radiation for breast cancer can harm hearts WASHINGTON: Women treated with radiation for breast cancer are more likely to develop heart problems later, even with the lower doses used today, troubling new research suggests. The risk comes from any amount of radiation, starts five years after treatment and lasts for decades, doctors found.

Patients shouldn’t panic - radiation has improved cancer survival, and that is the top priority, doctors say. The chance of suffering a radiationinduced heart problem is fairly small.

For example, 4 to 5 of every 100 women who are 50 years old and free of heart risks will develop a major cardiac problem by age 80, and radiation treatment would add one more case, the research suggests.

Women also can do a lot to cut their risk by keeping weight, cholesterol and blood pressure under control. Still, the study reveals that the potential harm from radiation runs deeper than many medical experts may have realized,

especially for women who already have cardiac risk factors such as diabetes. And it comes amid greater awareness of overtreatment - that many women are being treated for cancers that would never prove fatal, leading to trouble down the road such as heart disease.

Some chemotherapy drugs are known to harm the heart muscle, but the new study shows radiation can hurt arteries, making them prone to harden and clog and cause a heart attack. Women who receive both treatments have both types of risk.

The study “will raise the antenna” about the need to do more to prevent this, said Dr. David Slosky, a cardiologist at Vanderbilt University, one of the growing number of medical centers with special “cardio-oncology” programs for cancer survivors.

With today’s lower radiation doses, “it is less of a problem, but it is not going away,” he said. The artery-relat-

ed problems that the study tracked may be just the most visible of many risks because radiation also can cause valve, rhythm and other heart troubles, said Dr. Javid Moslehi. He is co-director of the cardio-oncology program at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.

Like cancer, heart disease develops after “a number of strikes that go against you,” such as high cholesterol, he said. “The radiation is just another hit.” He wrote in an editorial that appears with the study in Thursday’s New England Journal of Medicine.

British government agencies and private foundations paid for the research.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women - more than a million cases are diagnosed each year worldwide. When it’s confined to the breast, most women get surgery to remove the lump, followed by several weeks of radiation to kill any lingering cancer cells and sometimes hormone or

chemotherapy.

What heart disease risks come from what specific doses isn’t known. The new study, led by Dr. Sarah Darby of the University of Oxford in England, sought to measure that.

It involved 2,168 breast cancer patients from Sweden and Denmark diagnosed between 1958 and 2001 and treated with radiation. They included 963 women who suffered a heart attack, needed an artery-opening procedure or died of heart artery-related causes in the years after their radiation treatment. The other 1,205 were similar patients who did not develop these heart problems. Researchers compared the women’s radiation exposures using gray units, a measure of how much is absorbed by the body.

They used hospital records and treatment plans to figure how many gray units actually reached each woman’s heart and one artery often involved in heart attacks. —AP

Many poor heterosexuals in US cities at risk for HIV Nearly half of those infected never been tested WASHINGTON: Roughly 2 percent of 8,500 poor heterosexuals living in US cities with high rates of HIV infection tested positive for the virus that causes AIDS, and nearly half of those who were infected said they had never been tested before the study, health officials said on Thursday.

The findings by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention underscored the links between poverty and HIV infection in the United States, where up to 44 percent of new infections are clustered in 12 major cities, including Chicago, Washington, D.C., New York and Los Angeles.

“I think the main finding is that place matters,” Dr. Jonathan Mermin said in an interview. Mermin is director of the CDC’s Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention.

Mermin said for many people living in urban areas where HIV is commonplace, their chance of being exposed to HIV with a new sexual partner is much higher than it would be if they were living in another part of the

United States. “Even with equivalent sexual risk behavior, their actual risk of acquiring HIV is greater,” he said.

The study, published in the CDC’s Mortality and Morbidity Weekly Report, involved a sampling of nearly 8,500 heterosexuals in 21 cities. Researchers analyzed 2010 data on heterosexuals in neighborhoods with high concentrations of AIDS patients.

They focused on people with low socioeconomic status, which they defined as having an income below the federal poverty level or no more than a high school education. For an individual, the 2013 poverty level is $11.490.

More than 70 percent of participants were African American. Of those tested, 197, or 2.3 percent, were infected with HIV, with highest rates of infection occurring among blacks, those who reported using crack cocaine and those who exchanged sex for money or drugs.

Education and income also made a difference, with higher infection rates reported among people who did not have a high

JIAXING: This photo taken on Thursday shows 57 year-old pig farmer Pan Juying holding disease vaccine for her pigs on her farm in Jiaxing in China’s eastern Zhejiang province. Thousands of dead pigs in a Shanghai river have cast a spotlight on China’s poorly regulated farm production, with the country’s favourite meat joining a long list of food scares. —AFP

school diploma or those with annual household incomes of less than $10,000. Infection rates were highest among study participants in the Northeast and South.

Overall, 25.8 percent of the study participants had never been tested for HIV. Of those surveyed who were diagnosed with HIV, 45 percent did not know they had it.

“That is much higher than the 18 percent that we estimate for the nation as a whole,” he said.Mermin said the findings clearly showed the need for HIV prevention efforts directed at this population, as well as efforts that link infected individuals with care.

Prior studies have shown that certain groups of HIV patients the poor, minorities, women and drug users - tended to have worse outcomes and to die earlier. Programs that help address barriers to care, such as transportation to clinics or providing housing for homeless individuals, can help people live longer and reduce HIV transmission.

Currently, the CDC recommends that doctors who treat patients in high risk communities do regular testing, but often patients report not being tested. In this survey, about two-thirds of the people with HIV who did not know they were infected had seen a healthcare provider in the prior year.

“Certainly, a proportion of those people had HIV at the time they visited the provider, but the provider did not conduct an HIV test,” Mermin said.

That may change in the next few months when the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, an influential panel of doctors and scientists advising the government, is expected to release new guidelines calling for routine HIV screening for all Americans aged 15 to 65.

The panel released draft recommendations in November that are expected to affect the reimbursement of HIV testing, removing one of the barriers to the tests. Under the Affordable Care Act, insurers are required to cover preventive services that are recommended by the panel. —Reuters

HONG KONG: This picture taken on March 11, 2013 shows infection diseases expert Yuen Kwok-yung (C) at a laboratory of Hong Kong University’s Department of Microbiology at Queen Mary Hospital in Hong Kong. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak killed 299 people in 2003 in the southern Chinese city. —AFP

Ten years on, the SARS outbreak that changed HK HONG KONG: With its bustling streets, shops and busy restaurants, little suggests that ten years ago Amoy Gardens was on the front line of Hong Kong’s battle with a virus that caused a global health crisis. The estate became a beleaguered symbol of the city’s struggle to contain an outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), named and declared a “worldwide health threat” by the World Health Organization on March 15, 2003.

Hong Kong eventually lost 299 of its citizens to SARS, part of a global death toll of nearly 800. The virus also infected around 1,800 in the city. As panic spread as fast as the virus seemed to, Hong Kong’s usually busy bars and restaurants emptied and its property market took a dive. The daily infection rate climbed globally as carriers travelled between countries. Amoy Gardens became a ghost town cordoned off by police, with blaring ambulances and a swarm of health officials wearing full-body hazardous material suits, searching for the source of the outbreak.

By the end, 42 people from the estate died and a total of 329 residents had been infected.

Block E accounted for 41 percent of the cases. Authorities sealed it off on March 31 for 10 days and around 250 residents were quarantined in country parks away from densely-populated areas. “No one would come to Amoy Gardens. Even taxi drivers refused to take people here,” Wilson Yip, the chairman of Amoy Gardens owners’ joint committee, told AFP. —AFP

health & science SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 2013

SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 2013

Al-Madena Al-Shohada’a Al-Shuwaikh Al-Nuzha Sabhan Al-Helaly Al-Fayhaa Al-Farwaniya Al-Sulaibikhat Al-Fahaheel Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh Ahmadi Al-Mangaf Al-Shuaiba Al-Jahra Al-Salmiya

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24840300

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24846000

Physiotherapy Hospital

24874330/9

CHANGE OF NAME

SITUATION WANTED Female, MBA with over 11 years experience in all functions of HR/Admin.

Transferable visa 18. Can join immediately. Knowledge of English, Hindi & Arabic.

Please contact: 94062123.

(C 4345) 16-3-2013

Bhupinder Singh, S/o Darshan Singh, Dhaiiwai R/o Ramnagar Sibia (Sanrur) changed my name to Bhupinder Singh Dhaiiwai.

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Kuwait

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SHARQIA-1 THE BAY (DIG) SIDE EFFECTS (DIG) PARKER (DIG) THE BAY (DIG) SIDE EFFECTS (DIG) PARKER (DIG) THE BAY (DIG)

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Prayer timings Fajr:

04:38

Shorook

05:57

Duhr:

11:57

Asr:

15:22

Maghrib:

17:57

Isha:

19:13

KNCC PROGRAMME FROM THURSDAY TO WEDNESDAY (14/03/2013 TO 20/03/2013) JACK THE GIANT SLAYER (DIG-3D) 3:30 PM OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL (DIG-3D) 5:45 PM JACK THE GIANT SLAYER (DIG-3D) JACK THE GIANT SLAYER (DIG-3D) JACK THE GIANT SLAYER (DIG-3D)

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SHARQIA-2 OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL (DIG-3D) 2:15 PM OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL (DIG-3D) 4:45 PM COTTAGE COUNTRY (DIG) 7:30 PM JACK THE GIANT SLAYER (DIG-3D) 9:45 PM JACK THE GIANT SLAYER (DIG-3D) 12:05 AM

FANAR-1 COTTAGE COUNTRY (DIG) COTTAGE COUNTRY (DIG) PARKER (DIG) COTTAGE COUNTRY (DIG) PARKER (DIG) COTTAGE COUNTRY (DIG) PARKER (DIG)

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SHARQIA-3 SNITCH (DIG) AL HAFLA (DIG) HABIBATI (DIG)(Turkish) AL HAFLA (DIG) HABIBATI (DIG)(Turkish) AL HAFLA (DIG)

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FANAR-2 SIDE EFFECTS (DIG) SIDE EFFECTS (DIG) SIDE EFFECTS (DIG) HABIBATI (DIG)(Turkish) HABIBATI (DIG)(Turkish) SIDE EFFECTS (DIG)

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MUHALAB-1 THE BAY (DIG) COTTAGE COUNTRY (DIG) PARKER (DIG) THE BAY (DIG) COTTAGE COUNTRY (DIG) PARKER (DIG) THE BAY (DIG)

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FANAR-3 SNITCH (DIG) SNITCH (DIG) AL HAFLA (DIG) SNITCH (DIG) AL HAFLA (DIG) AL HAFLA (DIG)

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MUHALAB-2 AL HAFLA (DIG) HABIBATI (DIG)(Turkish) AL HAFLA (DIG) HABIBATI (DIG)(Turkish) AL HAFLA (DIG) HABIBATI (DIG)(Turkish) NO SUN+ TUE+WED

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MUHALAB-3 OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL (DIG-3D) 1:00 PM

FANAR-4 OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL (DIG-3D) 2:00 PM THE BAY (DIG) 4:30 PM OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL (DIG-3D) 6:15 PM OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL (DIG-3D) 8:45 PM THE BAY (DIG) 11:15 PM THE BAY (DIG) 1:00 AM FANAR-5 JACK THE GIANT SLAYER JACK THE GIANT SLAYER JACK THE GIANT SLAYER

12:30 PM 3:15 PM 5:30 PM

JACK THE GIANT SLAYER JACK THE GIANT SLAYER JACK THE GIANT SLAYER

7:45 PM 10:00 PM 12:15 AM

MARINA-1 COTTAGE COUNTRY (DIG) PLAYBACK (DIG) PARKER (DIG) THE BAY (DIG) COTTAGE COUNTRY (DIG) PARKER (DIG) THE BAY (DIG)

1:00 PM 3:00 PM 5:00 PM 7:15 PM 9:00 PM 10:45 PM 1:00 AM

MARINA-2 AL HAFLA (DIG) HABIBATI (DIG)(Turkish) AL HAFLA (DIG) HABIBATI (DIG)(Turkish) AL HAFLA (DIG) HABIBATI (DIG)(Turkish)

12:30 PM 2:45 PM 5:30 PM 7:30 PM 10:15 PM 12:15 AM

MARINA-3 JACK THE GIANT SLAYER (DIG-3D) 12:45 PM OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL (DIG-3D) 3:00 PM OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL (DIG-3D) 5:30 PM JACK THE GIANT SLAYER (DIG-3D) 8:00 PM JACK THE GIANT SLAYER (DIG-3D) 10:30 PM JACK THE GIANT SLAYER (DIG-3D) 12:45 AM AVENUES-1 THE BAY (DIG) THE BAY (DIG) THE BAY (DIG) THE BAY (DIG) THE BAY (DIG) THE BAY (DIG) THE BAY (DIG) NO SUN+ TUE+WED AVENUES-2 SNITCH (DIG) COTTAGE COUNTRY (DIG) SNITCH (DIG) SNITCH (DIG)

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information SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 2013

DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION In case you are not travelling, your proper cancellation of bookings will help other passengers use seats Airlines JAI KLM THY JZR JZR QTR SAI ETH GFA UAE ETD OMA FDB PIA MSR RBG QTR DHX THY JZR KAC JZR BAW KAC KAC FDB KAC KAC KAC UAE KAC KAC ABY QTR FDB ETD GFA IAW JZR MSC IZG KNE MSR UAE IRM KAC JZR FDB KNE KAC SVA QTR JZR KAC KAC KNE QTR IRC JZR JZR KAC UAE JZR ETD RJA UAL GFA SVA JZR QTR ABY KAC SYR KAC NIA JZR

Arrival Flights on Saturday 16/3/2013 Flt Route 574 MUMBAI 413 AMSTERDAM 772 ISTANBUL 267 BEIRUT 539 CAIRO 148 DOHA 441 LAHORE 620 ADDIS ABABA 211 BAHRAIN 853 DUBAI 305 ABU DHABI 643 MUSCAT 67 DUBAI 239 ISLAMABAD 612 CAIRO 3555 ALEXANDRIA 138 DOHA 170 BAHRAIN 770 ISTANBUL 503 LUXOR 416 JAKARTA 529 ASSIUT 157 LONDON 412 MANILA 206 ISLAMABAD 53 DUBAI 382 DELHI 302 MUMBAI 352 COCHIN 855 DUBAI 344 CHENNAI 362 COLOMBO 121 SHARJAH 132 DOHA 55 DUBAI 301 ABU DHABI 213 BAHRAIN 157 BAGHDAD 165 DUBAI 401 ALEXANDRIA 4161 MASHAD 482 TAIF 610 CAIRO 871 DUBAI 1190 MASHAD 284 DHAKA 325 NAJAF 57 DUBAI 472 JEDDAH 672 DUBAI 500 JEDDAH 140 DOHA 257 BEIRUT 788 JEDDAH 790 MEDINAH 470 JEDDAH 134 DOHA 6692 MASHAD 787 RIYADH 535 CAIRO 118 NEW YORK 857 DUBAI 357 MASHAD 303 ABU DHABI 640 AMMAN 982 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 215 BAHRAIN 510 RIYADH 777 JEDDAH 144 DOHA 127 SHARJAH 538 SOHAG 341 DAMASCUS 542 CAIRO 251 ALEXANDRIA 177 DUBAI

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

RBG FDB IZG MSC KAC KAC KAC KAC IRA KAC KAC OMA FDB JAI AXB MSR JZR ABY KNE QTR ALK KNE MEA QTR GFA ETD UAE JZR FDB KLM KAC UAL AIC JZR GFA KAC JZR KAC DHX BBC DLH

3553 63 4167 405 176 618 104 674 607 774 562 647 61 572 389 618 189 129 462 146 229 474 402 136 221 307 859 135 59 415 786 981 975 239 217 502 185 614 370 43 636

ALEXANDRIA DUBAI MASHAD SOHAG GENEVA DOHA LONDON DUBAI MASHAD RIYADH AMMAN MUSCAT DUBAI MUMBAI MANGALORE ALEXANDRIA DUBAI SHARJAH MEDINAH DOHA COLOMBO JEDDAH BEIRUT DOHA BAHRAIN ABU DHABI DUBAI BAHRAIN DUBAI AMSTERDAM JEDDAH BAHRAIN CHENNAI AMMAN BAHRAIN BEIRUT DUBAI BAHRAIN BAHRAIN DHAKA FRANKFURT

Airlines AIC UAL KAC JAI DLH KLM SAI ETH THY FDB UAE OMA ETD RBG MSR PIA QTR QTR JZR GFA THY FDB BAW JZR JZR KAC KAC JZR KAC ABY KAC UAE FDB ETD

Departure Flights on Saturday 16/3/2013 Flt Route 976 GOA 981 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 283 DHAKA 573 MUMBAI 637 FRANKFURT 413 AMSTERDAM 442 LAHORE 621 ADDIS ABABA 773 ISTANBUL 68 DUBAI 854 DUBAI 644 MUSCAT 306 ABU DHABI 3556 ALEXANDRIA 613 CAIRO 240 SIALKOT 139 DOHA 149 DOHA 164 DUBAI 212 BAHRAIN 771 ISTANBUL 54 DUBAI 156 LONDON 256 BEIRUT 534 CAIRO 101 LONDON 787 JEDDAH 324 AL NAJAF 671 DUBAI 122 SHARJAH 537 SOHAG 856 DUBAI 56 DUBAI 302 ABU DHABI

18:20 18:45 18:50 19:00 19:15 19:20 19:35 19:35 19:50 19:50 19:55 19:55 20:00 20:10 20:15 20:25 20:30 20:35 20:40 20:45 20:55 21:00 21:20 21:25 21:30 21:35 21:40 21:50 22:00 22:05 22:25 22:25 22:30 22:45 22:50 23:00 23:05 23:15 23:40 23:45 23:55 Time 0:05 0:10 0:10 1:05 1:20 1:45 2:30 2:45 2:55 3:45 3:50 3:55 4:00 4:05 4:10 4:20 4:50 6:05 6:55 7:00 7:35 8:25 8:45 8:50 9:15 9:20 9:25 9:35 9:40 9:45 9:50 9:55 10:00 10:05

QTR KAC GFA JZR KAC KAC IAW JZR MSC JZR IZG KNE MSR JZR UAE IRM FDB KAC KAC KNE KAC SVA KNE JZR QTR KAC IRC KAC KAC JZR ETD JZR QTR UAE RJA GFA UAL JZR SVA ABY JZR QTR SYR RBG JZR NIA FDB MSC IZG KAC FDB IRA OMA KAC JAI ABY MSR KAC KAC KNE DHX ALK KNE ETD MEA QTR GFA KAC KAC FDB JZR UAE KAC KLM QTR GFA KAC

133 789 214 356 541 165 158 776 406 786 4162 483 611 176 872 1191 58 561 673 473 617 505 461 188 141 773 6693 785 501 238 304 538 135 858 641 216 982 184 511 128 266 145 342 3554 134 252 64 402 4168 613 62 604 648 331 571 120 607 351 543 475 171 230 475 308 403 137 222 301 381 60 554 860 205 415 147 218 411

DOHA MADINAH BAHRAIN MASHHAD CAIRO ROME AL NAJAF JEDDAH SOHAG RIYADH MASHHAD TAIF CAIRO DUBAI DUBAI MASHHAD DUBAI AMMAN DUBAI JEDDAH DOHA JEDDAH MADINAH DUBAI DOHA RIYADH MASHHAD JEDDAH BEIRUT AMMAN ABU DHABI CAIRO DOHA DUBAI AMMAN BAHRAIN BAHRAIN DUBAI RIYADH SHARJAH BEIRUT DOHA DAMASCUS ALEXANDRIA BAHRAIN ALEXANDRIA DUBAI ALEXANDRIA MASHHAD BAHRAIN DUBAI ISFAHAN MUSCAT TRIVANDRUM MUMBAI SHARJAH LUXOR KOCHI CAIRO JEDDAH BAHRAIN COLOMBO JEDDAH ABU DHABI BEIRUT DOHA BAHRAIN MUMBAI DELHI DUBAI ALEXANDRIA DUBAI ISLAMABAD DAMMAM DOHA BAHRAIN BANGKOK

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

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

SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 2013

Word Search

Yesterdayʼs Solution

C R O S S W O R D 1 3 0

ACROSS 1. A form of entertainment that enacts a story by a sequence of images giving the illusion of continuous movement.

4. A nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (trade name Feldene) used to treat arthritis and other inflammatory conditions.

11. Any of numerous relatively small elongated soft-bodied animals especially of the phyla Annelida and Chaetognatha and Nematoda and Nemertea and Platyhelminthes.

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

16. A wheeled vehicle adapted to the rails of railroad.

17. Type genus of the Aceraceae.

18. Spiritual leader of a Jewish congregation.

20. The chief source of beryllium.

21. The act of scanning.

22. Characterized by iniquity.

24. A member of the Semitic speaking people of northern Ethiopia.

26. Submerged aquatic plant having narrow leaves and small flowers.

29. Full of news.

32. Small beads made from polished shells and formerly used as money by native Americans.

36. English essayist (1775-1834).

40. Chiefly deciduous shrubs or small trees of Mediterranean area and western Asia.

43. Any loose flowing garment.

45. One of the five major classes of immunoglobulins.

46. A graphical record of electric currents associated with muscle contractions.

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

50. Gregarious burrowing rodent larger than the chinchillas.

53. The capital and largest city of Zimbabwe.

55. American novelist noted for children's books (1832-1888).

57. Any of various spiny trees or shrubs of the genus Acacia.

58. The 11th letter of the Greek alphabet.

61. A community of people smaller than a village.

63. A translucent mineral consisting of hydrated silica of variable color.

65. Toward the mouth or oral region.

69. Infections of the skin or nails caused by fungi and appearing as itching circular patches.

71. Edible starchy tuberous root of taro plants.

72. (Babylonian) God of wisdom and agriculture and patron of scribes and schools.

73. A slight amount or degree of difference.

74. A cut of pork ribs with much of the meat trimmed off.

78. Large brownish-green New Zealand parrot.

79. The compass point midway between northeast and east.

80. Low stingless nettle of Central and South America having velvety brownish-green toothed leaves and clusters of small green flowers.

81. A doctor's degree in education.

is grafted from the aorta to the coronary artery to bypass the blocked section of the coronary artery and improve the blood supply to the heart.

4. The sixth day of the week.

5. (Akkadian) God of wisdom.

6. A military dictatorship in North Africa on the Mediterranean.

7. A chronic skin disease occurring primarily in women between the ages of 20 and 40.

8. A very light brown.

9. A negative.

10. A unit of traffic intensity in a telephone system.

11. The act of washing yourself (or another person).

12. English scholastic philosopher and assumed author of Occam's Razor (1285-1349).

13. Located in or toward the back or rear.

14. The template for protein synthesis.

19. A dwarfed ornamental tree or shrub grown in a tray or shallow pot.

23. Being one more than fifty.

25. Destruction of heart tissue resulting from obstruction of the blood supply to the heart muscle.

27. A doctor's degree in preventive medicine.

28. The mansion of the lord of the manor.

30. Fragrant resin obtain from trees of the family Burseraceae and used as incense.

31. A means of flight or ascent.

33. A genus of Mustelidae.

34. Sudanese sorghums having white seeds.

35. American and Asiatic trees having edible one-seeded fruit.

37. A hard gray lustrous metallic element that is highly corrosion-resistant.

38. A light strong brittle gray toxic bivalent metallic element.

39. Of a pale purple color.

41. A burn cause by hot liquid or steam.

42. Genus of tropical plants with creeping rootstocks and small umbellate flowers.

44. As the agent of or on someone's part.

48. A throne that is the official chair of a bishop.

49. The part of a continent that is stable and forms the central mass of the continent.

51. A telegram sent abroad.

52. A trivalent metallic element of the rare earth group.

54. (informal) Of the highest quality.

56. A bicycle with two sets of pedals and two seats.

59. Relating to or having the characteristics of bees.

60. A group of African languages in the Niger-Congo group spoken from Senegal east as far as the Ivory Coast.

62. The Oceanic language spoken by the Maori people in New Zealand.

64. English actor noted for his portrayals of Shakespeare's great tragic characters (1789-1833).

66. A dissolute man in fashionable society.

67. In bed.

68. Two items of the same kind.

70. Of southern Europe.

75. An informal term for a father.

76. Being nine more than ninety.

77. A soft silvery metallic element of the alkali earth group.

Yesterdayʼs Solution

DOWN 1. A republic in western South America.

2. A theocratic republic in the Middle East in western Asia.

3. Open-heart surgery in which the rib cage is opened and a section of a blood vessel

Daily SuDoku

Yesterday’s Solution

SPORTS SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 2013

Chapchai, Liang share halfway lead in India NEW DELHI: Chapchai Nirat of Thailand and China’s Liang Wenchong both carded second successive rounds of six-underpar to share a two-shot lead after the second round of the Avantha Masters yesterday. Chapchai and Liang, both chasing their first wins since 2007 that came a week apart, were level at 12-under 132 ahead of four players on 10-under. “This is a very long course and I managed to hit the balls long the last two days,” a satis-

fied Chapchai said after a sparkling round that included seven birdies and a single bogey.

“I also managed to hole several long putts as well and luck did play a part in getting me to my position today,” said the three-times Asian Tour winner.

Former Asia number one Liang’s putting was no less impressive as he sank a 25foot birdie putt at the 17th, one of his eight. “I have played some of my best golf

this week and I managed to hole several long putts,” said the world number 201.

“I’ve learnt to be patient and my playing experience from all over the world has taught me well. There are two more rounds to go and, hopefully, I can be atop the leaderboard like today.”

Chinnarat Phadungsil, who reeled off eight birdies in nine holes for an inward 28 and a five-shot first round lead, took 40 on the back nine on Friday before join-

Vettel dominates day one of the new season Lotus impress, McLarens disappoint; Red Bulls on top in Melbourne MELBOURNE: World champion Sebastian Vettel put his rivals firmly in their place by dominating both practice sessions on the opening day of the Formula One season at the Australian Grand Prix yesterday. The German, embarking on his quest for a fourth successive world title, steered the car he has nicknamed ‘Hungry Heidi’ around the Melbourne street circuit in one minute 25.908 seconds half an hour before the end of the second session.

That lap topped the time sheets for the day, edging his Australian team mate Mark Webber (1.26.172) into second place as the Red Bull team scattered a few seeds of doubt over the consensus that the gap to the rest of the grid was narrowing. “Overall it was a good day for us, it was pretty seamless and there was no trouble with the car,” the 25-year-old Vettel told reporters. “After all the mileage of testing, it was fun to be out there - this circuit doesn’t get easier, it’s a good challenge.”

Nico Rosberg (1.26.322) was the best of the rest on what would have been an encouraging day for Mercedes had he not later ground to a halt with a gearbox problem moments after team mate Lewis Hamilton had driven over the gravel and into a wall. Former world champion Kimi Raikkonen, third in the championship last year, and Romain Grosjean grabbed the fourth and fifth best times to confirm some impressive showings for Lotus in pre-season testing.

Twice world champion Fernando Alonso and his team mate Felipe Massa had more competitive first than second sessions for Ferrari, finishing sixth and eighth fastest overall to sandwich the unfortunate Hamilton. “We already knew we were not the quickest and that was confirmed today,” said Spaniard Alonso, runner-up in the championship last year. “The weather is expected to change completely from tomorrow, with wind, rain and a significant drop in temperature, which could influence Sunday’s race.”

LONELY WALK Hamilton had started brightly on a warm and sunny day at Albert Park and finished fourth quickest in his first practice session for Mercedes after his switch from McLaren.

The 2008 world champion faced the lonely walk back to the paddock seven minutes from the end of the second session, however, after a crash the team said had been caused by a bodywork problem which caused him to understeer.

MELBOURNE: Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel of Germany powers through a corner during the first practice session of the Formula One Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne yesterday. — AFP “Overall it was a good day, if perhaps not the smoothest,” said the Briton. “I’m happy with where we are and to see Nico in third place on the timesheets shows that we’re pretty competitive. “The Red Bull is massively quick as it always is,” he added. “They’ve obviously been sand-bagging it the whole time in winter as expected and all of a sudden they’ve pulled out (that) time.” German Adrian Sutil made an excellent start on his return to Force India after a year out of the sport by setting the ninth quickest time overall, outperforming not only his team mate Paul Di Resta but also both McLarens.

Jenson Button, who has won three of the last four Australian Grands Prix, managed

only the 11th fastest time - 2.386 seconds off the pace - with his new team mate, Mexican Sergio Perez, lapping 13th quickest. “It was one of the most difficult days I can remember,” said team principal Martin Whitmarsh. “We’ve made a lot of changes to the car for this season and we don’t fully understand how to get the best out of it yet.” None of the five rookie drivers set the world alight but Dutchman Giedo van der Garde had the worst of it, banking his Caterham on the trackside gravel after miscalculating the same turn six that later ended Hamilton’s day. A third practice session takes place today before qualifying for tomorrow’s race. — Reuters

ing five others at nine-under. The 2010 Ryder Cup-winning captain and eighttimes European Tour number one Colin Montgomerie made a forgettable India debut, missing the cut after a second successive 76. Defending champion Jbe Krugar of South Africa was another one to miss the weekend while former Ryder Cup player Edoardo Molinari and twice PGA Tour winner Daniel Chopra also had early exits. — Reuters

McLaren face an uphill task MELBOURNE: McLaren’s gamble on overhauling their car for the 2013 season looked to have backfired yesterday when they had a miserable day in the first two practice sessions at the Australian Grand Prix. The British-based team won the last two races of last season but their cars were well off the pace at Albert Park with Jenson Button finishing 11th fastest in the second session - 2.386 seconds behind Red Bull’s triple world champion Sebastian Vettel. “We’re 2.4 seconds off the pace, I’ll be surprised, I’ll be very happy if we’re in the top 10,” said Briton Button, the 2009 champion who has won three of the last four races in Melbourne and also won last year’s season-ender in Brazil.

“It’s definitely not the place where we wanted to start the season but all is not lost yet. We’re very good at turning it round. “I didn’t think we were that competitive at the last test in Barcelona and I think I made that clear ... I still think we can improve the car a lot here.” Most teams were satisfied to bring out an evolution of their 2012 challengers in the final year of the V8 engines before sweeping changes to the technical regulations come into force for next season.

The British-based outfit, however, went down a different design route and produced a chassis with significant changes. Team principal Martin Whitmarsh admitted they had contributed to a difficult day. “It was one of the hardest days I can recall,” he said. “We were lacking overall grip, consistency, understeer, poor ride. Very difficult day when we didn’t go forward during the day, which is bit of a worry. “We made quite a conscious decision to make a lot of changes to the car for this season and we don’t fully understand how to get the best out of it yet.

“But it’s a long season, it’s a choice we’ve made, it’s a season that lasts from now to the end of November and we’ll be developing the car throughout that period.” “It would be a lot more comfortable to start this season competitively and fight from there - we’ve done both in the past. It looks tough now but we’re a tough team and we’ll battle through.” McLaren lost 2008 world champion Lewis Hamilton to Mercedes at the end of last year and replaced him with Mexican Sergio Perez, who was 13th fastest yesterday.

Former technical director Paddy Lowe is also expected to join Hamilton when he leaves at the end of the season after 19 years at McLaren but Whitmarsh did not think his departure had an impact on the day’s poor performance.

Whitmarsh stood by the decision to change the car, even if he admitted that last year’s challenger would have been quicker yesterday. “We felt that if we wanted to develop the car between now and the end of the season, we needed to make some changes,” he said. “There’s a degree of risk in that but it was a judgment that we made. We still believe that we have a platform we can develop. “We’ll see later whether we’re right or wrong.” — Reuters

SPORTS SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 2013

Pretorius engineers Cheetahs’ victory SYDNEY: Sarel Pretorius came back to haunt the NSW Waratahs as South Africa’s Central Cheetahs stretched their winning streak over the struggling Australian side to three games in Sydney yesterday. The Cheetahs edged out the Waratahs 27-26, scoring three tries to two to follow up their win over the Otago Highlanders in New Zealand last weekend. Scrum-half Pretorius was the architect behind the Cheetahs’ triumph, putting winger Raymond Rule over for the match-winning try 10 minutes from fulltime.

Pretorius was recruited by the Waratahs as their marquee player last year only to be dropped to the bench after a few rounds and then omitted from

the 22-man squad altogether. He later reached a settlement with the Waratahs to be released from the final year of his contract and returned home to play for the Cheetahs.

The Bloemfontein-based Cheetahs had a spectacular start scoring a try in the opening 54 seconds to put the Waratahs back on their heels.

Pretorius dummied and broke clear in the opening seconds and centre Robert Ebersohn benefited from a chip and regather from winger Willie Le Roux to score the shock try. The Cheetahs were in again in the 17th minute when Rhule stepped his way over for the first of his two tries and fly-half Johan Goosen again

converted. Two penalty goals from scrum-half Brendan McKibbin kept the Waratahs in touch at 14-6 before winger Peter Betham scored off a lineout win when he beat two defenders to score under the crossbar.

McKibbin’s conversion left NSW trailing by a point but, after Goosen added a penalty to nudge the Cheetahs four points ahead, but the Waratahs snatched the halftime lead when Adam AshleyCooper touched down on the stroke of halftime. Goosen and McKibbin traded second-half penalty goals before Goosen’s conversion of Rule’s second five-pointer restored the Cheetahs’ advantage. Another McKibbin penalty in

the 73rd minute reduced the deficit to one point but the Waratahs were unable to bridge the gap.

The Waratahs’ woes were compounded when they lost Wallabies playmaker Berrick Barnes with a suspected broken wrist early in the first half. Making his first appearance of the season after missing the opening month of the competition with a knee injury, Barnes took a knock while making a try-saving tackle on giant Cheetahs lock Lodewyk de Jager in the 17th minute. The Waratahs have to regroup and face the Auckland Blues next weekend in Sydney, with the Cheetahs flying to Perth for their final leg of the Australasian tour against Western Force. — AFP

Penguins win 7th NHL straight game Islanders overcome Lightning 2-0 TORONTO: Pascal Dupuis scored two of Pittsburgh’s three goals in the third period as the Penguins stormed back to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-1 on Thursday, winning their seventh NHL game in a row. Marc-Andre Fleury made 28 saves for Pittsburgh, which defeated the Maple Leafs in a shootout in Toronto five days earlier. Craig Adams sealed this win by scoring into an empty net with 10 seconds left. Tyler Bozak had the lone goal for Toronto, which has dropped four in a row. Ben Scrivens made 25 saves.

Tied 1-1 in the third, Chris Kunitz fed Dupuis in the slot for a shot that beat Scrivens and found the top corner with 2:10 left in regulation.

SHARKS 4, KINGS 3 Antti Niemi made 34 saves and Logan Couture scored two goals to help San Jose end a four-game losing streak. Matt Irwin scored on a power play and Brent Burns added another goal for the Sharks, who earned just their third regulation win in 21 games. The victory was the 207th for coach Todd McLellan, breaking the franchise record set by Ron Wilson. Dustin Brown scored twice and Dwight King added a goal for Los Angeles. Jonathan Quick was lifted after allowing three goals on 12 shots as the defending Stanley Cup-champion Kings lost consecutive games for the first time in more than a month.

BRUINS 4, PANTHERS 1 Tuukka Rask made 29 saves and Patrice Bergeron scored two goals to help Boston beat Florida. Boston won for the 10th time in 13 games. The Bruins haven’t lost consecutive games in regulation since March 2012. Florida has lost five straight and eight of nine. Boston scored twice in the first period to take a 2-0 lead.

Zdeno Chara scored at 3:55, and Bergeron connected for his seventh goal at 14:56. Shawn Thornton scored at 12:43 of the third period, and Bergeron added an empty-net goal with 58 seconds remaining. Rask improved to 14-2-3 on the season and 6-1 in his career against Florida with a 0.99 goals-against average.

BLUES 3, COYOTES 0 Rookie Jake Allen earned his first NHL shutout, and Chris Stewart scored twice and added an assist to lead St Louis over Phoenix. Allen stopped all 28 shots he faced to win his fourth straight game. He is 7-1 since being recalled from the minor leagues last month. St Louis has back-to-back wins in regulation for the first time since Jan 24-25. The Blues have won four of five overall. Alexander Steen celebrated his return to the lineup for St Louis with a goal and two assists. Steen, who had missed eight games with a shoulder injury, scored his first goal since Feb 15.

The Coyotes, shut out for the third time this season, had their two-game winning streak broken.

BLACKHAWKS 2, BLUE JACKETS 1, SO Patrick Kane set up Johnny Oduya’s goal late in the second period and then netted the decisive score in the shootout, leading Chicago over Columbus. Corey Crawford stopped 29 shots to help the Blackhawks end a two-game losing streak after they set an NHL record by getting at least a point in each of their first 24 games. Jack Johnson scored the tying goal for Columbus 52 seconds after Oduya put Chicago ahead. Sergei Bobrovsky finished with 39 saves for the Blue Jackets, who set a franchise record by earning a point in their ninth game in a row (5-0-4). Columbus has reached overtime in eight of the nine games.

ISLANDERS 2, LIGHTNING 0 Evgeni Nabokov made 18 saves for second shutout this season and 54th overall in the NHL as the New York Islanders beat Tampa Bay. Nabokov made an in-close save on Victor Hedman in the second period, and John Tavares had a power-play goal midway through the frame to help the Islanders improve to 4-1-2 in their last seven games. Brad Boyes added an empty-net goal in the final minute of play. Anders Lindback stopped 27 shots for Tampa Bay, which has lost eight of 10. Lightning captain Vincent Lecavalier didn’t play and is out indefinitely because of an undisclosed lower body injury.

JETS 3, RANGERS 1 Ondrej Pavelec made 28 saves as Winnipeg held on to beat the New York Rangers. Nik Antropov scored the game’s first goal, Antti Miettinen had his first goal of the season, and Andrew Ladd added an empty-netter with 39 seconds left for Winnipeg. Ryan Callahan was the lone scorer for the Rangers, who have dropped two straight in the middle of a four-game road trip. Hendrik Lundqvist stopped 30 shots. Eighth-place Winnipeg has a twopoint lead over the Rangers in the NHL Eastern Conference playoff race, but the Jets have played one more game than New York.

WILD 5, AVALANCHE 3 Rookie defenseman Jonas Brodin’s first NHL score highlighted a three-goal second period by Minnesota in a victory against Colorado. Devin Setoguchi and Mikko Koivu also scored in the decisive middle frame. Ryan Suter had a season-high three assists, and Matt Cullen and Zach Parise each had two assists to help the Wild improve to 10-3-1 at home. Koivu added an empty-net goal with 33 seconds remaining. P A Parenteau had two goals and Gabe Landeskog also scored for the Avalanche.

BOSTON: Boston Bruins right wing Shawn Thornton celebrates after his goal against the Florida Panthers during the third period of an NHL hockey game in Boston on Thursday, March 14, 2013. — AP

DUCKS 2, STARS 1, SO Ryan Getzlaf scored in the third round of the shootout and Jonas Hiller made 33 saves to lead Anaheim past Dallas. Andrew Cogliano scored in regulation for Anaheim, which has won five in a row and gone nine games without a regulation loss (7-0-2).

Despite missing star Corey Perry, who was serving the first of a four-game suspension for his hit on Minnesota’s Jason Zucker on Tuesday, Anaheim improved to 9-2-3 on the road. Bobby Ryan also scored in the shootout, and Hiller denied both Dallas shooters he faced. Ray Whitney, in his second game back after missing 16 due to a broken foot, scored the only goal for the Stars. Kari Lehtonen, making his sixth straight start, had 29 saves.

CAPITALS 3, HURRICANES 2 Mike Ribeiro scored with 2:16 remaining as Washington rallied to beat Carolina. Alex Ovechkin and Joey Crabb also scored for the Capitals, who ended a three-game losing streak and moved within eight points of the Southeast Division-leading Hurricanes.

Michael Neuvirth made 36 saves to help Washington come back from an early two-goal deficit. Alexander Semin and Patrick Dwyer scored for the Hurricanes, who had won six of seven and outscored opponents 29-15 during that stretch. Carolina fell to 11-1 when leading after two periods.

CANUCKS 7, PREDATORS 4 Andrew Ebbett and Jannik Hansen both had a goal and two assists as Vancouver beat Nashville. Alex Edler, Mason Raymond, Max Lapierre and Henrik Sedin scored on penalty shots and David Booth added an empty netter for the Canucks, who won their second straight. Roberto Luongo finished with 29 saves. Matt Halischuk, Nick Spaling, Mike Fisher and Gabriel Bourque scored for the Predators, who outshot the Canucks 33-22. Vancouver led 3-1 after the first period and 5-2 after the second.— AP

Sports SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 2013

Kerber, Wozniacki gifted semi-final spots Azarenka, Stosur out with injuries INDIAN WELLS: In a bizarre coincidence, top seed Victoria Azarenka and seventh-seeded Australian Samantha Stosur withdrew from their quarter-final matches at the BNP Paribas Open on Thursday due to leg injuries.

Australian Open champion Azarenka of Belarus pulled out with an inflamed right ankle after Stosur had exited earlier in the day with a calf injury, handing walkovers for fourth seed Angelique Kerber and Caroline Wozniacki into the semi-finals.

Azarenka, who demolished Russian Maria Sharapova 6-2 6-3 in last year’s final, had complained about her ankle earlier in the week and she limped as she made her way toward the players’ dining area after her warm-up for the match. The Belarusian’s premature departure gifted eighth-seeded Dane Wozniacki, the 2011 champion here, a place in the last four for a third time at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

“I tested it out as much as possible,” a visi-

bly distressed Azarenka told reporters. “I tried absolutely everything I could to do, but I have been advised by the doctor, by my own team, that it’s just a very, very high risk already.

“There is a big inflammation which keeps bothering one part or another,” said the Belarusian, who had an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) on her ankle on Wednesday. “It cannot get better with me playing on it, especially playing the last three matches on it. I’m still looking forward to next week (the WTA event in Miami) to see if I can recover and take it from there.”

ESPECIALLY FRUSTRATED Azarenka was especially frustrated after making a fast start to the year, successfully defending her Australian Open crown in January before going on to win last month’s Qatar Open by outclassing Serena Williams 76 2-6 6-3 in the final. “I’m extremely disappointed because I feel I’m playing really well

right now,” said the 23-year-old who is unbeaten after 17 matches this season, though she also conceded a walkover to Williams in Brisbane.

“I was so excited to be playing here. I love this tournament. But I have to think a little bit in the long-term. I’m going to be back here next year to play, and I’ll be as excited again.”

Earlier in the day, Stosur pulled out after injuring her right calf on Tuesday while serving for the match during her 4-6 6-2 6-3 victory over Germany’s Mona Barthel in the fourth round.

“I don’t know if you can get any more unlucky than that,” Stosur said in a statement. “I think we only played another four points in that match. I felt something go in my calf and it was hurting a fair bit.

“Yesterday I took the day off practice and only did treatment, probably iced it about 10 times. This morning I thought I would give it a shot and tried to go out and warm up. “After about five minutes, I knew that there was no

chance I could play unfortunately. I think this is only the second time I’ve ever pulled out of a match in my career.” Kerber, who won her first WTA singles title in Paris last year, said she would make the most of an extra rest day to prepare for semi-final match against Wozniacki.

“For sure it’s better when you play and win the match and go to the semis,” the 25year-old German said. “My rhythm now it’s a little bit different than after a match. But I have another day off to get ready and try to be fit tomorrow.” The other semi-final in the elite WTA event at Indian Wells will be contested between second-seeded Russian Maria Sharapova and her compatriot Maria Kirilenko. Sharapova, the 2006 champion here, advanced with a 7-6 6-2 victory over sixth-seeded Italian Sara Errani on Wednesday while Kirilenko booked her place in the last four by upsetting fifth-seeded Czech Petra Kvitova 4-6 6-4 6-3. —Reuters

Nadal outmuscles Federer INDIAN WELLS: Rafa Nadal might reflect fondly on days when post-match chatter was of shot-making and title-runs. These days it consists mainly of arthroscopes and surgeons. The Spaniard, then, must be mightily satisfied his left knee the most scrutinized body part in men’s tennis-passed a high profile examination on Thursday when he swept aside great rival Roger Federer to reach the semifinals in Indian Wells.

The attention foisted on Nadal at the BNP Paribas Open this year, his first hardcourt tournament in almost a year, has been extraordinary, even for a man who has been one of the biggest names in the game for almost a decade. Though the left-hander has made a noteworthy return to his favored clay courts in recent weeks, the hard courts of Indian Wells were always likely to provide his toughest test on a surface where his counterpunching style has often been least effective.

Following a second-round exit at Wimbledon last year, Nadal was sidelined for seven months by an injury to that knee. The tennis world has closely monitored his recovery and progress ever since. The 26-year-old has progressed smoothly at Indian Wells, though, winning his first two matches with one walkover before thumping long-time rival Federer 6-2 6-4 in the quarters. He has shown no visible signs of discomfort, with the knee taped throughout his matches, and said he was especially pleased with his movement while taking advantage of Federer who was struggling with his own back niggle.

“My movement tonight was much better than yesterday,” 11-times grand slam singles champion Nadal told reporters. “I played longer than yesterday. I played a fantastic first set, in my opinion.

“Sometimes I am not able to play all the shots with my forehand that I used to because I am not that fast yet to do it.

That’s why the backhand today is very important for my game.

BIG SURPRISE “But it is a big surprise for me to have these results, that’s the truth ... because I really was not able to practice a lot. I was able to practice just a little before the comeback.” While world number five Nadal has eclipsed his own modest expectations at Indian Wells, his fans and some of his peers remain worried about the prognosis going forward. Serbian world number one Novak Djokovic, a long-time rival and friend of Nadal, is well

aware of the toll paid by the Spaniard because of his ultra-physical playing style. “He really suffers on the hard courts,” the Australian Open champion told Reuters. “He loves to run around the court and do a lot of dynamic strong movements that eventually can hurt him, as they did in the last seven months.

“But being so long off the tour, I’m sure that he has taken his time and has been very patient ... and now it has resulted with a great comeback.” Ross Smith, a

INDIAN WELLS: Rafael Nadal of Spain serves against Roger Federer of Switzerland in Indian Wells, California, where Nadal defeated Federer in their quarterfinal match at the BNP Paribas Open. —AFP

keen tennis fan and perennial visitor to the Indian Wells event, encapsulated what many Nadal fans fear.

“It does concern me, especially what we have heard about his knee injury and how long he has been off,” he told Reuters. “You kind of think, ‘How long can this guy last playing this kind of tennis?’ I don’t think he’s going to be able to keep it up personally. He’s 26 and it’s just that impact on his knee with all his rigorous tennis. “It’s just insane for these athletes to continue performing at that top level during a long tennis season, and especially the way that Rafa plays.” It certainly made sense for Nadal to return to the circuit last month on clay. He flourished in South America, competing in three smaller claycourt events-winning two of them having reached all three finals.

COMPLETELY RECOVERED Perhaps no player understands better than Juan Martin Del Potro what Nadal is going through, the towering Argentine having missed eight months in 2010 due to wrist surgery. While Del Potro has been hugely impressed by the smooth nature of the Spaniard’s ATP comeback so far, he believes the mental aspect of Nadal’s recovery will be crucial. “It’s very important to be strong mentally,” 2009 US Open champion Del Potro said. “For me, in the end, I was completely recovered from my wrist injury but in my mind it was still there and I couldn’t play because when I hit some balls my mind is saying to me, ‘You are still injured.’ “And then I would get an MRI or see the doctor and be told that my injury is gone. I don’t have anything more in my wrist. But I think Rafa is working very well mentally, he is so strong as he shows in every match.” Del Potro, who played just three tournaments in 2010 because of a lingering injury to his right wrist, said a norisk strategy would be vital for Nadal to follow closely. “He has really to be safe with his new problem, and on the hard courts here at Indian Wells that’s a matter of how far he is going in this tournament,” the 24year-old from Tandil said. —Reuters

Spurs edge Mavericks to sweep season series SAN ANTONIO: Tim Duncan had 28 points and 19 rebounds to lead the San Antonio Spurs past the Dallas Mavericks 92-91 on Thursday, giving them a season series sweep over their Texas rivals for the first time in 15 years. Gary Neal added 16 points and Kawhi Leonard had 12 for San Antonio, which has the Western Conference’s top record at 50-16.

Dirk Nowitzki had 21 points and 11 rebounds for Dallas, which had a four-game winning streak broken.

San Antonio last swept Dallas during the regular season in 1998, Duncan’s rookie season. The Mavericks pulled within 92-91 on a 7-0 run capped by Nowitzki’s fall-away jumper with 28.2 seconds left. After the Spurs’ Manu Ginobili missed a jumper, Vince Carter missed a long, fall-away 3-pointer at the buzzer that would have won the game.

TRAIL BLAZERS 105, KNICKS 90 Damian Lillard had 26 points and 10 assists and LaMarcus Aldridge chipped in 22 points and 10 rebounds as Portland handed New York its third straight defeat. Nicolas Batum added 18 points for the Trail Blazers. J R Smith had 33 points and Kenyon Martin added 12 to lead New York, which shot just 33 percent in the second half. The Knicks still lead the Atlantic Division but have struggled on their recent West Coast road trip with a rash of injuries that has decimated their starting five. Tyson Chandler suffered a bruised knee in a collision Wednesday at Denver and was unavailable, joining Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire on the sidelines. —AP

Sports SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 2013

Zimbabwe’s woes highlight widening test gap BRIDGETOWN: Zimbabwe’s three-day thrashing at the hands of West Indies has once again highlighted the widening disparity between the top and bottom halves of the international cricket test rankings. The Africans only made it to halfway through the third day of five scheduled in the first of two tests on Thursday. At first glance, the one-sided contest at the Kensington Oval here suggested the Zimbabweans are out of their depth at this level and therefore undeserving of test status.

However, a broader examination of the structure of test cricket reveals a format that limits the opportunities for struggling nations to improve standards and seriously challenge the higher-ranked countries. Since ending a self-imposed six-year exile from test cricket in August 2011 caused by the domestic political situation that resulted in a mass exodus of the country’s

top players-Zimbabwe had played only five test matches and none in the preceding 14 months to this one.

Despite marking their return with a victory over Bangladesh, they lost the next four, one each to Bangladesh and Pakistan and two to New Zealand, the final encounter by the massive margin of an innings and 301 runs in Napier in January 2012. While Zimbabwe were much more competitive prior to exile, they had nonetheless never reached the upper echelons of test cricket, even when at their very strongest. So to expect them to hold their own immediately after their return, even among the weaker opponents, would seem unrealistic.

Fundamental to the challenges faced by nations like Zimbabwe is the International Cricket Council’s Future Tours Program. Rather than offering a fixed schedule of test, one-day interna-

tional and T20 series involving all ten full-member nations on a regular basis, it is in practice a flexible guideline, adjusted and amended bi-laterally to facilitate the priorities of the higherranked and financially more powerful members. Ironically, it is the same inequitable structure that has given the West Indies the opportunity to enjoy a winning streak that harkens back to their halcyon era of the 1980s, if only statistically.

The team led by Darren Sammy has now won five test matches in a row with every prospect of extending that run to six with the second and final test against Zimbabwe starting in Dominica next Wednesday. Such continuous success has not been enjoyed by the Caribbean side since the all-conquering squad led by Vivian Richards won seven test matches in a row in 1988. Yet the differences between the two achieve-

ments could not be more pronounced.

Back then the West Indies won the last four matches in England and the first three in Australia against experienced, battle-hardened opponents who possessed a number of quality players in their line-ups.

In contrast, the current team, which is still ranked only seventh of the ten test nations, have beaten eight-ranked New Zealand twice at home, ninthranked Bangladesh twice away and now the unranked Zimbabwe. Add to that the fact that the West Indies, since defeating England by an innings in Kingston in February, 2009, have played 37 tests with only one victory over a team ranked higher than themselves (Pakistan in Guyana in May, 2011), and it becomes clear that while the team is clearly improving, they are undoubtedly flattered by their present run of success. —AFP

Dominant England put N Zealand on the ropes WELLINGTON: England dominated with bat and ball to leave New Zealand struggling on 66 for three after setting an imposing first innings total of 465 on day two of the second Test in Wellington yesterday. Despite a mid-innings wobble, Matt Prior (82) and Kevin Pietersen (73) delivered with the bat for the tourists and Stuart Broad then took two for 18 in the final session to leave New Zealand trailing by 399 runs.

Kane Williamson was unbeaten on 32 and Dean Brownlie eight not out at stumps on a wicket that came to life in blustery, overcast conditions and served up 11 wickets in the second day after yielding just two on the first. The highlight of the day was a defiant 82 off 99 balls from Matt Prior, who went on the attack after England looked in danger of squandering the foundation built by centurions Jonathan Trott and Nick Compton on the first day.

England started the day at the Basin

Reserve on 267 for two and were reduced to 374-7 after lunch before Prior snuffed out a New Zealand fightback led by spinner Bruce Martin, who ended with figures of 4-130. Prior racked up an 83-run partnership with Steve Finn (24), who cemented his reputation as a stubborn lower-order performer after a half century in the first Test in Dunedin. Pietersen also contributed after two failures in the opening Test, bringing up the 30th half-century of his Test career.

New Zealand’s bowlers, who toiled for little reward on an unresponsive first-day wicket, made the perfect start when Trott departed without adding to his overnight score of 121. Trott carelessly prodded at the first ball he faced, edging Trent Boult’s delivery to keeper BJ Watling. Martin, bowling into the wind, then dismissed Ian Bell and Joe Root cheaply to offer the Black Caps some hope of containing England’s lead. Bell (11) charged down the wicket to Martin and smashed the ball

SCOREBOARD WELLINGTON: Scoreboard at stumps on day two of the second Test between New Zealand and England at the Basin Reserve in Wellington yesterday.

England, first innings (267 for 2 overnight) A. Cook c Fulton b Wagner 17 N. Compton c Taylor b Martin 100 J. Trott c Watling b Boult 121 K. Pietersen c Fulton b Martin 73 I. Bell c Fulton b Martin 11 J. Root c Watling b Martin 10 M. Prior c Wagner b Williamson 82 S. Broad c Watling b Boult 6 S. Finn c McCullum b Wagner 24 J. Anderson not out 8 M. Panesar c Taylor b Williamson 0 Extras (w7, lb3, nb3) 13 Total (all out, 146.5 overs) 465 Fall of wickets: 1-26 (Cook), 2-236 (Compton), 3-267 (Trott), 4-302 (Bell), 5325 (Root), 6-366 (Pietersen), 7-374

(Broad), 8-457 (Finn), 9-465 (Prior), 10-465 (Panesar) Bowling: Southee 32-9-77-0, Boult 30-4117-2, Wagner 33-5-122-2, Martin 48-11130-4, Williamson 3.5-0-16-2 New Zealand, first innings P. Fulton c Cook b Anderson 1 H. Rutherford c Cook b Broad 23 K. Williamson not out 32 R. Taylor b Broad 0 D. Brownlie not out 8 Extras (nb2) 2 Total (3 wkts, 33 overs) 66 Fall of wickets: 1-6 (Fulton), 2-48 (Rutherford), 3-48 (Taylor) Bowling: Anderson 10-3-17-1, Finn 7-111-0, Broad 7-0-18-2, Panesar 9-3-20-0.

skywards to Peter Fulton at cover, while Root (10) was deceived by a fuller ball which nicked the bat and was sharply taken by Watling behind the stumps.

After Pietersen’s departure, Stuart Broad narrowly avoided playing the second ball he faced onto his stumps but faced only three more, with Boult coaxing an edge to Watling Finn was out trying to drive Wagner and Prior found himself running out of partners, falling after attempting a reverse sweep to keep the runs ticking over, with Monty Panesar out for a duck to end the innings. New Zealand made slow progress in reply after losing opener Fulton for one when he edged to Alastair Cook in the slips after trying to drive James Anderson.

Broad sent Hamish Rutherford on his way for 23 after another nick to Cook then clean-bowled Ross Taylor for a golden duck with his next ball, a straight delivery that slipped straight past the batsman’s guard. —AFP

WELLINGTON: New Zealand’s Ross Taylor is bowled out for a duck during day two of the second international cricket Test match between New Zealand and England at the Basin Reserve in Wellington yesterday. —AFP

Sri Lanka facing pressure from buoyant Bangladesh COLOMBO: Favorites Sri Lanka will be desperate to deliver when they clash with a buoyant Bangladesh in the second and final Test starting in Colombo yesterday. Bangladesh exceeded expectations in the drawn first Test in Galle, posting their highest total of 638 in 76 matches since gaining Test status in 2000. The draw was their first after 12 successive defeats against Sri Lanka. Skipper Mushfiqur Rahim led from the front with a solid 200, the first double-century by a Bangladeshi batsman in Tests. Mohammad Ashraful and Nasir Hossain also scored hundreds, dominating the Sri Lankan attack.

The home team’s batsmen also caught the eye in Galle, with Kumar Sangakkara scoring a century in each innings of the Test. Tillakaratne Dilshan, Lahiru Thirimanne and Dinesh Chandimal also made hundreds. Sri Lanka skipper Angelo Mathews, captaining in his first Test series, will hope the pitch at the R. Premadasa stadium in Colombo offers help to his bowlers, who struggled for success on the flat Galle track.

Spinners Rangana Herath and Ajantha Mendis and paceman Shaminda Eranga each conceded more than 100 runs in the first innings. While another draw will be a moral victory for Bangladesh, it would severely dent Sri Lanka’s bowling reputation. “It looks like a sporting wicket. To win a Test match we need to take 20 wickets,” said Mathews. “We try to be as positive as we can. Bangladesh are a very dangerous team, so we cannot underestimate them. They performed extremely well in Galle, so we got to be careful,” he said.

The Bangladesh captain, who described the draw as a “huge achievement”, said he hoped his team would be able to repeat their Galle performance. “They (Sri Lanka) are a pretty strong side and I am sure they will come hard at us.

We want to be consistent. That’s our main target,” said Rahim. “The last Test is history. Probably there will be couple of changes in our side. Tamim Iqbal is fit and ready to play.”

Hard-hitting opener Tamim missed the first Test due to injury, while left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak may also make it to the playing XI.—AFP

SPORTS

SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 2013

Inter Milan face more racism accusations LONDON: There were renewed calls for action against rampant racism in Italian football yesterday after Inter Milan fans were accused of abusing Tottenham Hotspur striker Emmanuel Adebayor in a Europa League last 16 clash at the San Siro. Adebayor, who scored his side’s away goal in a 4-1 defeat in the second leg that saw them scrape through to the quarter-finals, was allegedly subjected to monkey chants and plastic bananas were waved in one section of the half-empty stadium.

“It’s very easy to hear the chanting so I’m sure UEFA will act on it,” Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas told reporters after Thursday’s match, when the London side went through after a 4-4 aggregrate scoreline. British newspapers lambasted Inter and the Italian game yesterday. The latest racism incident follows last month’s Milan derby in which former Inter striker Mario Balotelli was racially abused by fans, leading to Inter being fined 50,000 euros ($64,900).

Lazio, who have a long-standing right wing element among their support, were ordered by UEFA last month to play two matches behind closed doors after racism by their fans in Europa League matches against Tottenham, Maribor and Borussia Moenchengladbach. The Rome club have reached the last eight of the Europa League having beaten VfB Stuttgart on Thursday, with the home leg played in an empty stadium. Their quarter-final home leg with Fenerbahce will also be without fans.

Juventus coach Antonio Conte has spoken out about the racist abuse afflicting Italian stadiums, saying that fans should get behind their own teams and not risk their side having to play matches behind closed doors. “Songs against other teams don’t get us going. Fans should concentrate on their own team, that’s the best and gives us something extra,” Conte told a news conference ahead of the Serie A leaders’ match at Bologna on Saturday (1945 GMT).—Reuters

EPL Preview

Serial winners Man United ‘won’t falter’

MILAN: Inter Milan’s Romenian defender Cristian Chivu (left) fights for the ball with Tottenham Hotspur’s Togolese striker Emmanuel Adebayor during the European Cup football match between Inter Milan and Tottenham, on March 14, 2013 at the San Siro stadium in Milan. — AFP

Arsenal on shaky ground LONDON: Assured of being without silverware for an eighth straight year, Arsenal may not even have its usual top-four finish in the Premier League to fall back on this season if it loses to Swansea today. An improbable 2-0 win at Bayern Munich on Wednesday still couldn’t prevent Arsenal from exiting the Champions League, and the club’s main focus now is getting back into Europe’s top competition for the 16th straight year. However, Arsene Wenger’s side is outside the Champions League positions in fifth place with 10 games left, trailing fourth-place Chelsea by five points and third-place Tottenham by seven.

Arsenal has had problems this season against Swansea, losing at home in the league on Dec. 1 and needing 180 minutes to get past the Welsh club in the FA Cup, while Tottenham and Chelsea are expected to win home games against Fulham and West Ham, respectively, on Sunday. “We won a big game (against Bayern), let’s be inspired by that for the rest of the season,” Wenger said yesterday. Tottenham and Chelsea both came through tough examinations in the Europa League to reach the quarterfinals on Thursday, which may play into Arsenal’s hands as tiredness could come into play in the remaining two months of the season.

Spurs have become known for their end-of-season collapses, while Chelsea’s fixture schedule after the upcoming international break looks severe, with the European champions having to play six matches in 16 days across three competitions. “I prefer to have this problem because it means we’re carrying on and competing,” Chelsea manager Rafa Benitez said Thursday after the 3-1 win over Steaua Bucharest, the team’s 52nd game of an already grueling season.—AP

Roma abandon plans for petrol dollars investment ROME: Roma officially announced yesterday the termination of plans to have a Gulf multi-millionaire invest in the club. The Serie A club announced last month that it was set to receive two cash injections of up to 50 million euros ($65 million) by Sheikh Adnan Adel Aref Al Qaddumi Al Shtewi, allowing him to become an official stakeholder before the end of March.

Reports had suggested the investment would prompt a board shake-up that would see American James Pallotta-part owner with Thomas Di Benedetto and Richard D’Amore-become the outright owner with a stake of 50-60 percent.

However Roma announced on their website the transaction would now not go through, after the money failed to materialize. A statement on asroma.it said: “While it is unfortunate that this transaction did not close, it will not impact the health of the team. “As always, ownership and management are 100% committed to strengthening the AS Roma franchise in order to deliver a great team to our loyal fans and to the people of Rome.”

It is believed the investment was primarily sought to help build a new stadium for the team, who currently play out of the Olympic Stadium, alongside Serie A rivals Lazio. Roma said they would now focus on working alongside current partner, Italian bank Unicredit, as well as on a new deal with sports manufacturing giant Nike. “We will continue to work closely with UniCredit to meet the club’s capital needs,” added the statement. “We look forward to building on our initiatives to enhance the team’s brand, including the construction of a world-class stadium in Rome and the team’s exciting new partnership with Nike.”— AFP

LONDON: Manchester United winger Ashley Young has warned title rivals Manchester City there is no chance his team of serial winners will falter with the Premier League crown within touching distance.

Young and his United team-mates return to league action against managerless Reading at Old Trafford on Saturday determined to get back on track after a pair of frustrating setbacks. After being dumped out of the Champions League by Real Madrid, United blew a twogoal lead in a 2-2 draw with Chelsea in the FA Cup quarter-finals. But Alex Ferguson’s side remain firmly on course to regain the English title from champions City after surging 12 points clear at the top.

And England international Young is convinced the experience of the likes of Ryan Giggs, Patrice Evra, Rio Ferdinand and Wayne Rooney, who have all won countless trophies with United, will ensure they don’t throw away their lead. “When you move to a club like United, you look at the trophy cabinet and what they have won,” Young said. “In the dressing room everybody is a born winner. The manager gives you that belief to win every game and win trophies. “At a club like Manchester United winning is a habit. You go into every game wanting to win and there is a disappointment when you don’t do it, and that includes during training.

“Even there it is the same winning mentality you take that on to the pitch in games.” While even City manager Roberto Mancini has conceded his team have only a slim chance of catching United, the club’s French left-back Gael Clichy has a more positive outlook. City have only beaten Everton once in seven games during Mancini’s reign and David Moyes’ men will be desperate to defeat the champions at Goodison Park as they look to erase the bitter taste of last weekend’s FA Cup exit against Wigan.

But Clichy believes City’s epic fightback in the title race last season, when they came from eight points bhind to overhaul United on the final day, should provide more than enough motivation to keep chasing Ferguson’s team. “If you look at the scenario, it is actually not that much different from last season-eight points behind with six games to go last year, 12 behind with 10 to play this time around,” Clichy said. “If United don’t make mistakes, they win the title, but everyone is saying United have to lose four games. “That’s not true, if they draw a few matches we can make up points in that way. “What we want to do is keep taking three points every week and really keep the pressure on United.”

While the fate of the title race remains in United’s hands, the battle to qualify for the Champions League is much harder to predict. Third placed Tottenham host Fulham knowing they must win to stay ahead of Chelsea, who are two points behind their London rivals in fourth place. The Blues face West Ham at Stamford Bridge looking to build on that impressive Cup recovery against United. Arsenal made a valiant effort to avoid elimination from the Champions League on Wednesday, winning 2-0 at Bayern Munich but losing the last 16 tie on away goals.

But there is no time for Arsene Wenger’s fifth placed team to feel sorry for themselves as they travel to Swansea looking to close the gap on Chelsea, who are five points ahead of the Gunners. “Overall we had a good reaction against Bayern and it’s good for the future,” Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud said. “We have to focus because we have a big game in three days against Swansea. It will be a hard game but we need the win to reach Tottenham and Chelsea.” At the other end of the table, QPR travel to Aston Villa for a crunch relegation clash with confidence high after successive victories. — AFP

SPORTS

SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 2013

Madrid hope for injury-free internationals Benzema hit with driving ban, fine for speeding MADRID: Real Madrid assistant manager Aitor Karanka yesterday said he hoped that the upcoming international break will not disrupt their rhythm heading into the final stage of the season. The Spanish champions have won their last six games, including victories over Barcelona and Manchester United to take them into the Copa del Rey final and quarter-finals of the Champions League respectively.

Karanka said he hoped that none of his side’s internationals will return injured when they head away with their respective national sides for World Cup qualification duty after this weekend’s game with Mallorca. “The team is in good form, we are playing very well and we are confident,” he told a news conference. “The end of the season when everything is to play for is a good time and we are working so that everything continues like this. “We hope that what has happened before with the internationals won’t happen again but the clubs that let their players go away are used to this. We hope that when they return they are fit to play.”

Despite their recent run, Madrid remain 13 points off

Barcelona at the top of La Liga. But Karanka insisted that even with an important Champions League quarter-final double-header against Galatasaray to come, they will not take their eye off the ball in the league and will send out their strongest side against Mallorca today. “Mallorca have won their two previous games and they are closer to moving out of the bottom three. “We will play the best team that we have but without taking risks. We would be committing an error if we think that after eliminating Barcelona and Manchester United we already have the match won.

“We will not leave La Liga to one side. Last season we did the same when we had to play Barcelona between the two legs of the semi-final and we will work as we do every year.” Angel di Maria returned to training yesterday after missing last weekend’s 2-1 win at Celta Vigo but the winger is not expected to be involved against Mallorca.

Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas will also miss out as he continues his recovery from a hand injury but Fabio Coentrao, Raphael Varane and Sergio Ramos are expected to return after being rested against Celta.

In another development, Real Madrid forward Karim

Benzema has been banned from driving for eight months and fined 18,000 euros ($23,400) after he was clocked at almost twice the speed limit last month, court authorities said yesterday. The France international was caught driving at 194.4 kph in a 100 kph zone, authorities said after a hearing at a court in Pozuelo de Alarcon just outside the Spanish capital. The hearing was originally set for March 26 but was brought forward as France are hosting Spain in a World Cup 2014 qualifier in Paris that day.

Benzema is not the only Real player to fall foul of Spain’s traffic laws in recent weeks. Their Brazilian fullback Marcelo was fined 6,000 euros this month after he was caught driving without a valid licence. The two incidents, as well as recent transgressions by other high-profile players including former Germany captain Michael Ballack, have drawn criticism from a Spanish association which supports victims of traffic accidents. The group criticized Real captain Iker Casillas for driving with a cast on his injured hand and Barcelona defender Gerard Pique for carrying his infant son in the front seat without the proper safety equipment.— Agencies

Spain call up De Gea for WCup qualifiers MADRID: Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea has been included in Spain’s squad for this month’s World Cup qualifiers against Finland and France, coach Vicente del Bosque said yesterday. De Gea, 22, who has been called up before but has yet to make an appearance for the world and European champions, has been brought in as cover for injured captain Iker Casillas and will compete for the keeper’s spot with Liverpool’s Pepe Reina and Victor Valdes of Barcelona.

De Gea has come in for some criticism since moving to Old Trafford from Atletico Madrid for around 20 million euros ($26 million) in 2011, with his slight build cited as a weakness. Manager Alex Ferguson has stood by him, however, and praised the Spaniard after a fine performance in United’s Champions League last 16, first leg at Real Madrid last month. There was no place in Del Bosque’s 24-man squad for misfiring Chelsea striker Fernando Torres or Bayern Munich midfielder Javi Martinez.

Torres’s Chelsea team mate Cesar Azpilicueta, Manchester City midfielder Javi Garcia and Malaga playmaker Isco were included as Del Bosque continues his policy of promoting younger players while maintaining an experienced base. “We are bringing the players who deserve to be here,” Del Bosque told a news conference at the Spanish football federation (RFEF) headquarters outside Madrid. “It’s our goal to continually inject new blood into the team,” he added. “We will have time to see in what condition the three keepers are when they arrive, three great keepers.”

Spain and France, who meet in Paris on March 26, are level on seven points at the top of Group I after three matches. Spain host winless Finland, who are bottom, in Gijon next Friday. Del Bosque said Martinez and Torres had been left out because they had not been on top form in recent months.

Barca playmaker Xavi has been included despite a series of recent muscle injuries but is likely to miss the Finland game, the coach added. —Reuters

French League Preview

French race enters home stretch with PSG on pole

BARCELONA: Barcelona’s forward Alexis Sanchez, from Chile (left) goes to score his offside goal past Milan’s goalkeeper Christian Abbiati during the Champions League round of 16 second leg soccer match between FC Barcelona and AC Milan at Camp Nou stadium. — AP

Rayo ‘not afraid of Barca’ MADRID: Rayo Vallecano midfielder Roberto Trashorras has said that Barcelona’s 4-0 demolition of AC Milan on Tuesday won’t have any impact on how his low-profile side try to play when they travel to the Camp Nou tomorrow. Barca’s return to form came at exactly the right time as they progressed to the quarter-finals of the Champions League for a sixth consecutive season after a disappointing couple of weeks in which they lost to Real Madrid twice and only just sneaked past Sevilla and Deportivo La Coruna at home in the league.

However, Trashorras believes the Catalans’ league form this season has been imperious throughout, as their 13-point lead at the top of the table demonstrates.

“To play against Barca in their stadium is always difficult no matter the results they have had recently. The victory in the Champions League will give them a lift, but their numbers this season are there to be seen,” he told Rayo’s website. “We won’t have more respect for them due to what happened in midweek. We are facing one of the best teams in the world, but our intention is to go there and win, without

having any fear or any inferiority complex.”

Despite having the lowest budget in the league, Rayo are remarkably in the fight for the final Champions League place as they lie just three points off Real Sociedad in fourth.

But it is for their passing style that they have attracted so many plaudits this season and Trashorras insists they will not simply let Barca have possession as most sides that visit the Camp Nou do.

“It is going to be very difficult but we have to try and make Barca suffer, we are going to try and take the ball from them. It is our way of playing, it is our idea and we are not going to change. We didn’t change at the Bernabeu and we are not going to do so in Barcelona.” The hosts could make a few changes after the demands of Tuesday and will certainly be without Xavi who has been ruled out with a thigh strain, whilst Victor Valdes serves the second of his four-game league ban for abusing a referee. Real Madrid meanwhile will try to apply some pressure to Barca on Saturday by cutting the gap to 10 points when they host in-form Mallorca at the Santiago Bernabeu.—AFP

PARIS: The Ligue 1 battle for supremacy enters the final 10 games of the season with Paris Saint-Germain in pole position but with a fragile four-point lead over Lyon and Marseille a further three adrift. Carlo Ancelotti’s PSG took advantage of the Lyon-Marseille 0-0 stalemate last weekend to overturn a 1-0 deficit against Nancy and ride Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s 23rd and 24th goals of the season to victory, one week after an embarrassing defeat at Reims. There will be late fitness tests for Thiago Motta, Lucas and Christophe Jallet for a treacherous trip to in-form Saint-Etienne while David Beckham, who came on as a substitute against Nancy, is also in the squad.

Lyon can pile the pressure on PSG if they can master Bastia in Corsica on Saturday afternoon and close within one point of the lead ahead of PSG’s Sunday date. Elie Baup’s inconsistent Marseille outfit kick off a full weekend slate yesterday with what is a must-win tie at home to Corsican club Ajaccio. The 2011 champions held Lyon to a 0-0 draw last weekend at the Stade Gerland but it is their home form that has been a recent problem with a shock defeat against bottom of the table Nancy and only a injury time winner against Valenciennes that rescued maximum points.

“Of course, our target is the top three and that remains our ambition,” said Baup who also reflected on the team’s recent run of results that included back-to-back defeats (league and French Cup) in Paris. “Despite everything, we have put together a pretty good run. We played well at Paris and deserved better and we took a point at Lyon.” Nice have quietly crept up to fifth, level on points with SaintEtienne and just two behind Marseille, and a win away to Nancy would inject fresh enthusiasm into their bid to qualify for the Champions League for the first time. — AFP

SPORTS SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 2013

English trio kept apart in Europa League draw NYON: English trio Chelsea, Tottenham and Newcastle all managed to avoid one another as the Europa League quarter-final draw was held at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland yesterday.

Dethroned Champions League winners Chelsea host Russian club Rubin Kazan in their first leg on April 4 while Tottenham are at home the same night against Swiss outsiders Basel and Newcastle travel to former European champions Benfica. Tottenham, who won the inaugural competition in 1972 when it was known as the UEFA Cup and added their last European trophy in the same tournament in 1984, will fancy their chances against Swiss champions Basel.

However Spurs manager Andre VillaBoas will be fully aware of the threat posed by Basel after they ousted 2008 champions Zenit Saint-Petersburg 2-1 to set up an intriguing tie against the North Londoners. Newcastle head to Lisbon after scoring with the last kick of the match on Thursday to defeat Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala and face a Benfica side who are two points clear of Porto and unbeaten in 22 domestic matches this season.

“It’s a great draw for us,” Newcastle

Today’s matches on TV ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE Everton v Manchester City Abu Dhabi Sports HD Swansea v Arsenal Abu Dhabi Sports HD Stoke v West Bromwich Abu Dhabi Sports HD Aston Villa v QPR Abu Dhabi Sports HD Southampton v Liverpool Abu Dhabi Sports HD Man United v Reading Abu Dhabi Sports HD

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ITALIAN LEAGUE Catania v Udinese Aljazeera Sport +1 Bologna v Juventus Aljazeera Sport +1

20:00 22:45

GERMAN BUNDESLIGA Hamburger v Augsburg Dubai Sports Bremen v SpVgg Greuther Dubai Sports Nuremberg v Schalke Dubai Sports TSG Hoffenheim v FSV Mainz 17:30 Dubai Sports Borussia Dortmund v Freiburg Dubai Sports Bayer 04 Leverkusen v Bayern Dubai Sports

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FRENCH LEAGUE Bastia v Olympique Lyonnais Aljazeera Sport +4 Lille v Evian Thonon Aljazeera Sport +4 Stade Reims v Stade Rennes Aljazeera Sport +8 Montpellier v ES Troyes Aljazeera Sport +7 Lorient v Brest Aljazeera Sport +5

between Chelsea and Rubin Kazan in Russia has yet to be decided with freezing conditions in Kazan potentially being a factor in moving the tie to Moscow.

There are no Spanish clubs in the

NYON: The group formations are shown on an electronic panel after the drawing of the Europa League quarterfinal matches at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon yesterday. — AP

quarter finals while defending champions Atletico Madrid who thrashed Athletic Bilbao 3-0 in last year’s final went out in the last-32 this season against Rubin Kazan.

Liverpool were the last English winners of the competition in 2001, when under Gerard Houllier, they defeated Alaves 5-4 in Dortmund although Fulham reached the 2010 final under current England manager Roy Hodgson, only to lose 2-1 against Atletico Madrid.

Middlesbrough were also beaten finalists in 2006 when they were defeated 40 by Sevilla before their coach Steve McClaren left the club for a doomed spell as England manager.

The final last-eight tie features 1999 Cup Winners’ Cup champions’ Lazio against Fenerbache with the first leg to be played in Istanbul. Fenerbache are trying to reach the semi-finals of a European competition for the first time after reaching the last eight on three occasions while Vladimir Petkovic leads a Lazio side currently sixth in Serie A and four points adrift of the final Champions League spot in Italy. The final is set to be played at the Amsterdam Arena on Wednesday, May 15. — AFP

Chelsea lead English trio into Europa last 8 Rubin Kazan progress but fellow Russians Zenit, Anzhi out

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SPANISH LEAGUE Real Sociedad v Real Valladolid Aljazeera Sport +2 Getafe v Athletic de Bilbao Aljazeera Sport +7 Real Madrid v Real Mallorca Aljazeera Sport +2 Valencia v Real Betis Aljazeera Sport +2

manager Alan Pardew said. “The Estadio da Luz is a great venue. I’ve been there and it’s a fantastic stadium. Importantly, we are at home in the second leg and that will give us an advantage.” he added. The venue for the second-leg

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LONDON: Chelsea led a trio of English clubs into the Europa League quarter-finals on Thursday after Tottenham Hotspur survived a thrilling Inter Milan fightback to advance on away goals and Newcastle United got a late winner. Goals from Juan Mata, John Terry and Fernando Torres, who also missed a penalty, put European champions Chelsea through 31 on the night and 3-2 on aggregate after visiting Steaua Bucharest’s Vlad Chiriches equalized on the stroke of halftime.

Spurs striker Emmanuel Adebayor pounced in extra time to score a vital away goal in their 4-1 second-leg defeat at the San Siro as they scraped past three-times European champions Inter after the nail-biting tie ended 4-4 on aggregate. Newcastle United joined their Premier League rivals when Papiss Cisse headed the winning goal against big-spending Anzhi Mackhachkala with the last action of the game to take them through 1-0 after a goalless first leg.

Another wealthy Russian side, 2008 UEFA Cup winners Zenit St Petersburg, also went out to Basel 2-1 on aggregate despite a 1-0 win on the night after they had a late penalty saved against the Swiss team, who played the second half with 10 men. Rubin Kazan fared better than their compatriots as they saw off Levante 2-0 in extra time to end Spanish interest in this season’s competition. Lazio’s Libor Kozak scored a hat-trick in a 3-1 win over VfB Stuttgart for a 5-1 aggregate victory as they kept Italian hopes alive with a place in Friday’s quarter-final draw.

Fenerbahce drew 1-1 with Viktoria Plzen to go through 2-1 on aggregate after a narrow first-leg victory in the Czech Republic and former Europan champions Benfica are also in the last eight thanks to a 3-2 win at Bordeaux

for a 4-2 aggregate success.

But it was Inter’s stirring comeback, spoiled by lacklustre Tottenham’s vital away goal, and Chelsea’s second-half display to see off spirited former European champions Steaua that lit up a fascinating night of Europa League action. Spain striker Torres led the way for Chelsea in a rousing second half by scoring a sublime goal, his second in 19 games, and then having to deal with a bloody nose before playing on and striking a late penalty against the bar. The way Torres and his team mates battled was typical of Chelsea at present said keeper Petr Cech in the wake of their recovery in an FA Cup sixth round tie at Manchester United.

“We are at the stage where every game is a final,” Cech told ITV. “When it went to 1-1 (against Steaua) we had to score twice but at the weekend we managed to get (back from) a 2-0 deficit at Old Trafford so we believed we would get the goals. “Fernando was working hard and he took his chance well. It’s a pity the penalty didn’t go in for him but we scored the three goals we needed and we’re through.” Tottenham were lucky to continue their European quest after they let Inter come back at them following in-form Gareth Bale’s masterclass in the first leg when he scored in a 3-0 win.

EASY WAY “We don’t do it the easy way... well done lads,” Bale, who was suspended for the Italian trip, wrote on Twitter after Spurs secured a last eight berth by the skin of their teeth. Inter went into the match after being outplayed in last week’s first leg in London but strikes from Antonio Cassano, Rodrigo Palacio and a William Gallas own goal brought them level on aggregate against a shell-shocked

Tottenham side.

However, Adebayor, subjected to racist abuse by Inter fans including monkey chants and the waving of plastic bananas, got a vital goal when he slid the ball past Samir Handanovic in the 96th after Mousa Dembele’s shot was parried by the keeper.

Inter leveled the aggregate score with 10 minutes of extra time remaining when Ricardo Alvarez headed in a Cassano cross but twice UEFA Cup winners Spurs held on to progress.

“We have learned massively in these two ties, against Lyon and Inter, and it’s a great experience for me, the players and the club,” said Spurs manager Andre-Villas Boas. Asked about the racist abuse directed at Adebayor, he added: “It’s a very sensitive situation. “It was very easy to hear the chanting so I’m sure UEFA will act on it. It’s very difficult for Inter Milan because it has happened before.”

Newcastle’s progress was equally nervy and, despite a numerical advantage when Mehdi Carcela-Gonzalez was sent off after 55 minutes, his fellow Moroccan Mbark Boussoufa hit the bar with a late free kick.

The miss proved costly as Cisse’s headed finish from an inch-perfect Sylvain Marveaux cross sparked wild scenes of celebration at St James’ Park. “I think we’ve put out one of the best teams in the competition,” said Newcastle manager Alan Pardew. The English teams’ Europa League success contrasts with their failure in the Champions League which will not feature any when the draw is made for both competitions. Zenit’s Roman Shirokov saw his 86th minute spot kick saved

by Basel keeper Yann Sommer as they failed to level the aggregate score at 2-2 after Basel had Marcelo Diaz sent off at the end of the first period for a second yellow. —Reuters

SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 2013

Sports

English trio kept apart in Europa League draw

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NYON: The group formations are shown on an electronic panel after the draw of the games of the Champions League 2012/13 quarterfinal round at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon yesterday. — AFP

Barca, PSG face off in CL last 8 Real meet Galatasaray; Bayern take on Juve NYON: Four-times winners Bayern Munich will face resurgent Juventus in the pick of the Champions League (CL) quarter-finals while favorites Barcelona were paired with Paris St Germain, who declared themselves outsiders despite their huge financial backing. Champions League debutants Malaga, who have overcome pre-season financial turmoil to reach the last eight, take on German champions Borussia Dortmund while Real Madrid will face Galatasaray.

Nine-times winners Real’s tie pits their coach Jose Mourinho against his former Chelsea player Didier Drogba and brings back memories of an epic clash between the two sides 12 years ago. For the first time since the 1995-96 season, the last eight line-up was devoid of English Premier League teams after Manchester United and Arsenal went out in the last 16 and Chelsea and Manchester City failed to progress beyond the group stage.

Although there was no seeding, the draw failed to produce any dream clashes such as BarcelonaReal Madrid or Bayern Munich-Borussia Dortmund.

Bayern, beaten finalists last season when Chelsea lifted the trophy, and Serie A champions Juventus, back in the quarter-finals after a seven-year

absence, both have commanding leads at the top of their respective leagues.

The Bavarians, at home in the first leg, hammered Juventus 4-1 won away when the teams last met three seasons ago, but Bayern chief executive Karl-Heirz Rummenigge was still cautious. “That is certainly not a dream draw for us,” he told reporters. “Statistically we have not had good experiences with Juventus. It will be difficult and we will need to have two good days against them to reach the semis.”

Juve director Pavel Nedved said: “Bayern are one of the hardest teams that we could have faced.

We have to approach the tie positively. I’m proud that Juve are among the top eight sides in Europe and the only Italian side in the draw.” Paris St Germain’s sports director Leonardo immediately declared his side as underdogs after they were drawn with Barcelona. “It couldn’t have been worse for us in a purely sporting sense,” the Brazilian, whose side are home in the first leg, told reporters.

“Barcelona are almost the perfect team.”

FOOTBALL FESTIVAL “We are starting a new project and it’s our

first year in the Champions League after a long time. We have to look on this as a football festival, an opportunity to measure ourselves against the best team in the world.” The Qatari-backed Ligue 1 leaders are set to be without former Barcelona striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the first leg as he completes a two-match suspension.

Barcelona sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta said his team cannot afford to slip up like they did in the last round, when they lost the first leg against AC Milan 2-0 before storming through with a 4-0 second leg win. “We have just had an experience in the last round that should make us cautious,” Zubizarreta told Spanish television.

“PSG ... are an experienced team who know how to play these kinds of matches, very competitive.” Galatasaray’s clash with Real with will revive memories of their meeting in the 2000-01 season, also in the quarter-finals, when the Turks overturned a two-goal deficit at home to win 32. Real, who will play at home first this time, won the return 3-0. “We need to get a very good result at home because we know that their fans will make it very difficult there,” Real director

Emilio Butragueno told Sky Sports.

Galatasaray assistant coach Umit Davala, who converted a penalty in that game, said he would have preferred a Bundesliga side because of Turkish support in Germany. “I had been thinking of Borussia Dortmund,” Davala, whose side beat Schalke 04 in the last round with a 3-2 win in the away leg in Germany said. “It’s an advantage for us to play in Germany, there were around 18,000 Turks at the Schalke match.”

“Both teams play attacking football and score lots of goals,” added the former Turkey international. “Drogba and Wesley Sneijder have integrated well into our team and we are a team with a lot of character.

Dortmund sports director Michael Zorc, whose team are at home in the first leg, seemed relieved to get Malaga. “We can live with this draw,” he said. “At least it is better than playing Barcelona, Real or Bayern.” Malaga’s achievement is even more remarkable after a turbulent summer which included reports that the clubs Qatari owner wanted to exit after only two years.

The first legs will be played on April 2 and 3 and the second legs one week later.— Reuters