Tuesday, 11. 06. 2013 - Amazon S3

Tuesday, 11. 06. 2013

By Sajeev K Peter

KUWAIT: Nearly 3,000 Indian workershave been deported so far this year fol-lowing the crackdown on illegal resi-dents in Kuwait, Indian AmbassadorSatish C Mehta said yesterday.Addressing a press conference at theIndian Embassy, the ambassador said thenumber is roughly 28 percent of the totalnumber of people deported. “As of today,the embassy has issued 930 emergencycertificates this year which is double thenumber of ECs issued in 2012,” he said.According to the Kuwait governmentestimates, 11,800 people of different

nationalities have been deported overthe past two-and-a-half months. Thegovernment has made it clear that itwants to stamp out illegal residents fromthe country whose number stands ataround 100,000.

The ambassador said embassy officialsare in constant touch with Kuwaiti offi-cials. “In our regular interactions with theauthorities, the embassy has conveyedthe growing concern of the Indian com-munity to them over the ongoing cam-paign,” Mehta said. “However, the situa-tion is not as alarming as it has been por-trayed,” the ambassador said.

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High Tide 02:31 & 12:29

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3Amir urges citizens to be unified, cautious 7

Indian opposition leader resigns party posts 19

Mourinho returns to Chelsea as ‘Happy One’27

Smartphone life shakes up website world

TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2013 SHAABAN 2, 1434 AH www.kuwaittimes.net

Woman jailed 11 years for anti-Amir tweets

Assembly in semi-paralysis as it awaits rulingconspiracy theories

Open speculations

[email protected]

By Badrya Darwish

What is happening at Shaddadiya university?The university is still under construction.The skeleton of the place is erected. That is

the only part of the project so far. Already all of youheard about the fire which destroyed a large part ofthe completed construction last week. The amazingthing is that a bedoon posted online that he wasresponsible for the arson. He gave stupid reasonswhich I did not buy at all. He said that there will bemore fires in Kuwait. He said that he would continueto set places ablaze until the bedoon issue isresolved or until sharia laws are applied in the coun-try. I couldn’t see what is the connection betweenthe blaze and sharia laws? Or how could he help thebedoon issue by burning places here and there.

I brushed the bedoon’s claims out of my head. Toprove my theory, yesterday another fire occurred inthe same place. Whoever committed the arson wasnot satisfied with the results. I do not know theactual reasons for the fire, but the person who firstset the place on fire might have done it the secondtime too.

We tried last week to reach the people in chargeto provide the cause of the fire and to ask about theinvestigation. We were told that it would take timeand still the cause of the fire remains unknown. NowI think they will need even more time to get back tous because of the second fire. Of course, I am notgoing to jump into conclusions because there couldbe many reasons to set that place on fire. I leave it tothe authorities to decide for themselves. I am surethey are already doing that.

I hope they will come back to us with a convinc-ing statement even if it takes longer. I hope we willbe told who did it and why. And not leave thenation open to wide speculations.

By B Izzak

KUWAIT: The criminal court yesterdaysentenced a Kuwaiti woman tweeter for11 years in jail for insulting HH the Amir,calling to overthrow the regime and mis-using her mobile phone by writingremarks on Twitter. Huda Al-Ajmi wasaccused of committing three violationsby writing tweets to insult the Amir andundermine his status, calling for theoverthrow of the regime and finally mis-using her mobile phone. She was hand-

ed five years each for the first two offens-es and one year for the third.

HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-AhmadAl-Jaber Al-Sabah later yesterday urged“unity” from the people of Kuwait and forthem to be “cautious” in the face ofregional challenges that could affectKuwait. “The current regional circum-stances and recurring developments weare prone to require us to be cautious,wary and ready for the challenge. Thiscan only come through national unity,coordination and a united stand against

those who try to undermine this,” SheikhSabah said.

The court ruling said Ajmi, whodenied the charges, must start servingthe jail term immediately even beforethe court of appeals begins to look intothe case. Ajmi is not a well-known politi-cal activist and is not known to have par-ticipated in opposition protests, but thepublic prosecution pressed the chargesagainst her based on tweets she hadallegedly written against the regime andthe Amir.

The 11-year prison term is the harsh-est term against an online activist so farsince the government launched its crack-down against opposition online activistsin October last year. But the term is notfinal as it will still be challenged beforethe court of appeals and the cassationcourt, whose verdicts are final. Duringthe clampdown, dozens of onlineactivists and former opposition MPs havebeen handed prison terms or are still ontrial, mainly for insulting the Amir.


KUWAIT: Firemen battle a massive blaze at Kuwait University’s new campus in Shaddadiya yesterday. — Photo by Fouad Al-Shaikh (See Page 3)

Nearly 3,000 Indians deported

KUWAIT: Indian Ambassador Satish C Mehta - flanked by Deputy Chief ofMission Vidhu P Nair (right) and Consular and Chief Welfare Officer BalramKumar Upadhyay - addresses a press conference at the Indian Embassy yester-day. — Photo by Sajeev K Peter

KUWAIT/MUMBAI: The Central Bank of Kuwait(CBK) announced yesterday that it will release newcurrency notes with “modern and enhanced securityfeatures” to cope with latest counterfeiting chal-lenges in the printing industry. “The CBK has decid-ed to release new Kuwaiti banknotes of all denomi-nations to cope with the developments to improvehallmarks, security features and paper quality,”Governor Mohammad Al-Hashel said in exclusivestatements to KUNA yesterday. “The Cabinet, upon arecommendation of the CBK, endorsed today thenew issuance and the features and design of thenotes,” marking “the sixth issuance of Kuwaiti cur-rency notes since 1961”.

The unit of currency in Kuwait is the dinar, dividedinto one thousand fils, while notes are issued indenominations of quarter dinar, half dinar, one dinar,five dinars, 10 dinars and 20 dinars. Hashel pointedout that the CBK has started preparations for theprinting and circulation of the new notes, expectingthat they will be on the market within a year with thecurrent ones continuing to be circulated as they aregradually withdrawn from the market. The CBKGovernor expressed confidence that the new ban-knotes will be to the liking of bankers and the public.There have been five issues of Kuwaiti currencynotes since the introduction of a state legal tender in1961. The fifth and current issue was released in1994.


Kuwait to issue new banknotesIndian rupee in ‘freefall’

WASHINGTON: Reeling from the sensa-tional revelation of its secret globalInternet monitoring program,Washington stepped up its probe yester-day into the young private contractorwho leaked the details. Edward Snowden,a 29-year-old technology expert workingfor a private firm subcontracted to the USNational Security Agency, has become aninstant hero for transparency advocatesand libertarians around the globe. But hisexposure of the NSA’s worldwide moni-toring of private users’ web traffic and ofUS citizens’ phone records has infuriatedUS intelligence officials and embarrassedPresident Barack Obama’s White House.


SAN FRANCISCO: Apple Incyesterday unveiled iTunesRadio, a free music streamingservice that is a key part ofoverhauled mobile softwarethat the company called themost revolutionary re-designof its operating system sincethe iPhone was introduced in2007. As Apple kicked off itsannual conference in San Francisco forits developers, executives also showedoff a new line of Mac computers and

said that updated Siri voice soft-ware used on the iPhone nowincorporates Microsoft Corp’sBing search engine. iTunesRadio, which will competeagainst Pandora Media Inc,allows users to customize bygenre and personal taste. Theservice is free with ads acrossApple’s devices, including Apple

TV. It is free of ads for subscribers toiTunes’ Match, a digital content feature.


Source of US intel leak outs himself

Edward Snowden

Apple unveils radioservice, revamps iOS

L O C A LTUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2013

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-AhmadAl-Jaber Al-Sabah inaugurated the national campaign“Senyar 7” that aims at the preservation of the marine envi-ronment. His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah also attended the event which

was held at Bayan Palace yesterday. The Amir received theKuwaiti Voluntary Work Center Chairperson SheikhaAmthal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and members ofSenyar 7 diving team who presented the Amir with a com-memorative gift.

His Highness Sheikh Sabah expressed appreciation tothe efforts exerted by the team who have played majorrole in preserving local marine environment. He encour-aged them to persevere and become a role-model to befollowed by others.

The National Assembly Speaker Ali Fahad Al-Rashed,Deputy Chief of the National Guard Sheikh Mishaal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, HH the Prime Minister SheikhJaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah and senior state offi-cials attended the event. — KUNA

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah inaugurating the national campaign “Senyar 7” that aims at the preservation of the marine environment. — KUNA

Amir inaugurates ‘Senyar 7’ campaign

LONDON: The Canadian-led consortium tryingto buy Britain’s Severn Trent threatened to walkaway after its third approach was rejected,prompting two of the water utility’s major share-holders to urge a return to talks. Shares in theBritish company dropped almost 6 percent yes-terday after it rejected the consortium’s pro-posed $8.2 billion offer, ahead of a deadlinetoday for a firm bid.

Borealis Infrastructure, part of Canadian pen-sion fund OMERS, a Kuwaiti sovereign wealthfund and Britain’s Universities SuperannuationScheme want to buy Severn Trent for its steadycash flows. But the utility, which has 7.7 millioncustomers mainly in central and westernEngland and Wales, said the latest offer of 2,200pence per share failed to reflect its long-termvalue and future potential.

A source close to the consortium told Reutersthat no talks had been held since May 14. One ofSevern Trent’s 10 biggest shareholders said yes-terday the company should start engaging withthe consortium with the aim of achieving anoffer of more than 2,300 pence per share. “Wecertainly encourage them to engage and protect

the rights of shareholders,” the investor said, onthe condition of anonymity. “(But) any pricebelow 2,300 pence per share isn’t worth beingconsidered. Let them walk away, they don’tdeserve assets at this price.”

A second investor, one of the 15 largest, saidit was concerned Severn Trent was playing a“very dangerous game”. “The Severn Trent peo-ple are being a little pig-headed,” the investorsaid, also on the condition of anonymity. “I thinkwe’re pretty much at a reasonable price and thefact they are not really engaging with themseems a bit strange. It’s not an unreasonableoffer and the strength of the rebuttal doesn’tseem proportional to that.” Severn Trent, in com-mon with Britain’s other water and seweragefirms, has stable cash flows and operates in afavorable regulatory environment. MichaelRolland, President and CEO of Borealis, speakingon behalf of the consortium, said yesterday thatSevern Trent had shown no interest in discussingits latest proposal. “In the absence of any suchengagement, there will be no further proposalfrom the consortium and no offer for SevernTrent shareholders to consider,” he said.

NO NEW OFFER, NO TALKSAccording to British takeover rules, the con-

sortium has until 1600 GMT today to make a for-mal offer for Severn Trent or walk away. SevernTrent chairman Andrew Duff said the board hadacted in the best interest of shareholders inrejecting the latest offer, which it said was only3.5 percent higher than the previous approach.Shares in Severn Trent closed at 2,070 pence onFriday, after earlier hitting an all-time high of2,200 pence.

They fell further yesterday, down 5.9 percentat 1,949 pence by 1021 GMT, but still tradingwell above the level of about 1,820 before newsof an approach was made public in May. Thechief strategist at stockbroker Central Markets,Richard Perry, said the market had not com-pletely ruled out a new approach for SevernTrent. “There have now been three bids in a rowrejected,” he said.

“However, the stock is still massively higherthan the 1,830-1,840 (pence) level where it wasin May, and the market still seems to be factor-ing in some new approach.” — Reuters

UK Severn Trent bidder

threatens to walk awayKuwaiti, Canadian firms eye British water supplier

TEHRAN: Kuwaiti members of the joint Parliamentary Friendship Committee withIran meeting Iranian officials. — KUNA

TEHRAN: Kuwaiti members of the jointparliamentary friendship committee withIran held talks with Speaker of the IranianParliament Ali Larijani and Foreign MinisterAli Akbar Salehi separately on Sunday. Thetalks with Larijani dealt with ways tostrengthen the parliamentary cooperationbetween Kuwait’s National Assembly andIran’s Majles e-Shora (Islamic ConsultativeAssembly), said MP Ahmad Al-Mulaifi, headof the delegation.

“We’ve conveyed to Larijani an invitationfrom National Assembly Speaker Ali Al-Rashed to visit Kuwait and he welcomedthe invitation and promised to respond toit in the due time,” Al-Mulaifi said. TheKuwaiti law-maker urged enhancing the

political dialogue in order to resolve anyproblems in the bilateral ties or regionaltensions peacefully.

“The region is no longer able to toleratetensions and the nations in the regionexpect a lot from us in manipulating theparliamentary role in addressing theregional problems and defusing tensions,”Al-Mulaifi pointed out. He lauded as “veryfruitful” the talks with Salehi, saying theydiscussed a range of bilateral and regionalissues. Al-Mulaifi voiced hope that the twocountries will be able to play a more activerole in stabilizing the region and servingthe common interests. The meetings werealso attended by Kuwait Ambassador toIran Majdy Ahmad Al-Dhafiri. — KUNA

Parliamentary delegation

meets top Iranian officials

KUWAIT: Kuwait Petroleum Corporation(KPC) Managing Director for Government,Parliamentary, Public Relations and MediaAffairs Sheikh Talal Al-Khaled Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah announced that the state companyplans to expand partnerships with the pri-vate sector. In a speech at the Third KuwaitOil Industrial Forum, organized by KuwaitIndustries Union in cooperation with KPC,Sheikh Talal said that the KPC is planningto increase the private the sector involve-ment in the oil industry to help create jobopportunities and improve performance.

“KPC’s strategy aims to encouragenational investors to pour $6 billion indirect investments in the petroleum sec-tor,” he said, noting that the state develop-ment plan had adopted several reforms toenhance the private sector’s role in thelocal economy, especially the oil sector. Headded that the KPC plays an active role insupporting the local economy throughproviding many opportunities for the localsector to work as main contractors inmajor projects, to participate in the engi-neering and construction works and toprovide the corporation and its sub-sidiaries with materials and services.

These projects will “create 1,600 newjob openings for nationals over the com-ing few years,” said Sheikh Talal. He, fur-thermore, said that the private sector was

involved in the ownership of some leadingprojects, such as the first and secondOlefins projects and the aromatics projectsalong with the allocation of some activi-ties, such as fuel stations.

“KPC has also developed severalapproaches to increase private sector par-ticipation in the petroleum project, the lat-est of which is the public-private-partner-ship (PPP) agreements,” he said. He under-scored that the KPC looks forward to workin the future with the principle of engag-ing the private sector through more com-prehensive view aiming at developing itsrole in the oil sector through the enhance-ment of the “local content” and settling thelocal industries that support the oil sector.

“KPC has widened the scope of theactivities and participants of the council onpartnership with private sector to includeall its major subsidiaries,” he said.Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officer ofKuwait National Petroleum Company(KNPC) Mohammad Al-Mutairi said thatthere are plans to increase private sector’sshare in major petroleum project toexceed 20 percent. He went on to say that“private sector’s participation in theseprojects has certain conditions and crite-ria to be set by the executive body ofeach”. — KUNA

KUWAIT: The Proteges - the mentorship pro-gram that provides young people with opportu-nities to learn life and leadership skills - is proudto announce strategic partnership with KIPCO(Kuwait Projects Company). Registration for theprogram is now open for all young people agedbetween 16 and 24. The program will start in thesecond week of August and continue for 4weeks.

Shamlan Al-Bahar, manager of The Protegessaid, “We are honored to have KIPCO as ourstrategic partner and main sponsor forGeneration 3. It is with great appreciation toFaisal Al-Ayyar that The Proteges is now pow-ered by KIPCO and nine of its operating compa-nies. Through this partnership, we will be givenoutstanding support from some of the bestcompanies in Kuwait. Al-Bahar added, “This year,we wanted to take The Protégés to a whole newlevel, above and beyond whatwe did with gen-erations 1 &2.

With the cooperation of KIPCO and their par-ticipating companies, which include BurganBank, KAMCO, United Real Estate Co, QurainPetrochemical Industries Company, GulfInsurance Group, OSN, Kuwait Hotels Company,United Networks, and United Education Co(UEC), we have no doubt that this year’s pro-gram will be a truly life-changing experience forthe 25 young people who will be chosen.”Commenting on the strategic partnership withThe Protégés, Abeer Al-Omar, Corporate

Communications Manager at KIPCO said: “TheProteges program is an excellent way of prepar-ing the next generation of leaders and KIPCO isproud to support such an initiative. KIPCO has along-standing commitment to help the youngpeople of Kuwait full their potential. All of ourcore companies will be involved in our sponsor-ship in some way. For example, the UEC will host

the ProtÈgÈes at the American University ofKuwait, while OSN will be providing broadcastexpertise. By doing this, the KIPCO Group will beoffering invaluable support to the leaders ofKuwait’s future. We look forward to working withthe organizers to ensure a highly successful pro-gram.” The last day to submit applications for TheProteges, Generation 3 is June 20, 2013.

By Hanan Al-Saadoun

KUWAIT: Drug enforcement agents arrestedan Arab woman for being in possession of vari-ous kinds of drugs, arms and ammunition.Information was passed on to Lt GeneralAbdulhameed Al-Awadhi about an Arabwoman being involved in drugs trade. Furtherinformation was collected to verify the tip offand the woman was kept under surveillanceround the clock. After taking necessary legalprecautions, her residence was raided. Asearch of the place led to the recovery of fourgrams of Heroin, and 18 bottles of importedliquor of multiple brands. She claimed that thecontraband found belonged to her but wasmeant for personal use.

Despite intense interrogation, she avoidedgiving proper answers to the questions askedof her, but did confess to having a partner andthat she possessed a key to the place. Policeaccompanied her to the other residence andafter searching it, found four kilograms of opi-um, two kilograms of Hashish, 30,000 pills ofdrugs, 500 grams Ice drug, 20 grams of Heroin

and six pistols of different sizes, a golden auto-matic gun, and different kinds of ammunition.Her partner was identified and police wereable to nab him. Both the suspects and therecovered drugs and arms were being sent tothe concerned authorities.

Car accidentsA car accident at Al-Sabbia near the Al-

Sabbia Bridge left a 58-year-old Kuwaiti manwith multiple injuries and pain in the neck.Another 43-year-old Kuwaiti man also receivedmultiple injuries and complained of pain in thehead after being caught up in the same acci-dent. Both were taken to the Al-Jahra Hospital.

In a similar development, a car accident atthe Cairo Street near Hawally and Al-Qadsiyacrossing resulted in a head injury for a one-year-old Kuwaiti child who was rushed to theAl-Amiri Hospital. Also, a car accident at Kabdnear Ahmad Al-Jaber base roundabout left a45-year-old Indian expat with injuries to bothlegs while a 51-year-old Pakistani expat suf-fered a head injury and also one to the shoul-der. Both were taken to the Jahra Hospital.

The Proteges powered by KIPCO

KPC to expand private

sector partnerships

Arab woman arrested; Drugs,

arms and ammunition seized

Arab woman pictured with various kinds ofdrugs, arms and ammunition.

KUWAIT: The construction work will startin July for the Kuwait PetroleumInternational (Q8) major joint refinery andpetrochemical complex in Vietnam, Q8Managing Director Bakheet Al-Rashidiannounced yesterday. “We expect the workto be completed by late 2016 with thecommercial production to commence inthe second quarter of 2017,” added Al-Rashidi in press statements on the sidelinesof a ceremony for graduates of a trainingprogram for Q8 employees at RotterdamSchool of Management.

“The project execution will go as sched-uled and Kuwaiti staff will be present at theconstruction site as of next month,” hepointed out, on the project worth a total $9billion. The Nghi Son Refinery andPetrochemical Complex, a joint venture

between Q8, PetroVietnam and Japanesecompanies Idemitsu Kosan and MitsuiChemicals, will be located in Thanh HoaProvince in North Vietnam, around 200kilometers south of Hanoi.

As Vietnam’s largest oil refinery, it isexpected to contribute more than 30 per-cent of Vietnam’s demand for petroleumproducts. Although Vietnam is SoutheastAsia’s third-largest producer of crude oil, itslimited number of refineries has led to analmost total reliance on imported oil prod-ucts. The new refinery will include a petro-chemical complex, energy facilities, andpipeline and storage facilities. It will pro-duce products such as gasoline, diesel, andjet fuel for the local Vietnamese market,together with other products for sale inneighboring countries. — KUNA

Q8 refinery project in Vietnam


By Ben Garcia

KUWAIT: Overseas Filipino Workers(OFW) Party List Representative RoySeneres is set to file two highly awaitedbills for the OFWs in the PhilippineCongress once he joins the 16th nation-al congress that is scheduled to open onJuly 1. Seneres’ party-list members, whowon the recent mid-term elections, arein Kuwait to attend a pre-independenceday gathering hosted by the Filipinocommunity in Kuwait and thePhilippine Embassy. He is the first OFWparty-list member to enter thePhilippine Congress carrying the ban-ner of OFWs and the concern of approx-imately 12 million Filipino diasporaacross the world. Speaking during apress conference yesterday at theCrowne Plaza Hotel, Seneres highlight-ed the two bills that he intended to fileafter assuming his position. “There aretwo important bills that I’d want to beprioritized once I join the congress thisJuly. One of them would require ambas-sadors to prioritize the concerns of allOFWs abroad. I want them to regularlycheck on Filipinos who are incarceratedin foreign lands. I want them to pay reg-ular visits to Filipinos who are in hospi-tals abroad,” he stated.

“Filipinos who are in jail or in need ofa family visit abroad must be helped byambassadors. I will require the ambas-sador to do that because it is part oftheir mandate to protect OFWs. The firstthing I would do is to meet with the sec-retary of foreign affairs to ask for the listof Filipinos who are in dire need of ourassistance. Protection of OFWs must beour priority at all times,” Seneres added.He also pledged that within the limitedperiod of his term, he would file all the13 bills and fulfil the promises he hadmade during the campaign.

“Part of my platform during thecampaign were the 13 bills, which Iintend to file once my party is elected. Iwill see to it that within the three-yearperiod, I will be able to do that and

make a difference in the lives of Filipinosoverseas,” he said. Another importantbill that Seneres proposed involvedobligating at least one of the parents tohelp or provide for their kids when theyare divorced or separated.

In other words, the bill is about theright of children to get financial assis-tance. “We have so many cases in theOFW family club in which the children

are neglected because both parentsfound happiness with other partners.Usually the children are at the receivingend of all this and suffer as a result. Myproposal would be to oblige the fatheror the mother, whoever is abroad, toprovide for their children.

Many OFW’s families back here inManila have to fight for their survivalbecause the father or mother is nolonger helping them. Sometimes theyhave no money to buy food, they nolonger go to school because they wereabandoned, or they cannot go any-where at all because they have no mon-ey. So I want to help them by this pro-posal by making the errant side, espe-

cially the father, obliged to provide forthe family. Ambassadors can also exer-cise their right to cancel or not renewpassports of such OFWs if there arecomplaints against them,” he added.

“There is an existing law on this. Infact they (the neglected families) canfile a case in the municipal trial court.But come to think of it, how can a wifewithout money file a case at the court.

The wife will have to get a lawyer andshe will need money to do that. How isthat possible if she cannot even buyfood for her family? Therefore, the alter-native would be to authorize theambassador to summon the erring par-ties and force them to provide financialsupport to their family,” Seneres noted.“What for we are called the ambassadorextraordinary and plenipotentiary if wedo not have the power to do disciplineour people? My advocacy is to strength-en the family, so family will always bemy priority. It is in our constitution thatthe Filipino family should be solid. Wehave to protect the family, because thefamilies makes up the society. And if the

society is solid, then we’ll have a solidcountry at the end of the day,” he men-tioned.

Asked whether he would endorse orsupport the creation of a new depart-ment or ministry for OFWs, Seneres saidhe does not support the idea, since hebelieves the phenomenon of OFWs istemporary. “I don’t support it because Ibelieve the OFW phenomenon is tem-porary. How long does that mean, Idon’t know. But if we make a separatedepartment for OFWs, then we will besending a signal that the phenomenonis permanent and overseas workers willbe there forever.

I don’t want it. I want our govern-ment to do something and create newjobs for Filipinos so that Filipinos willreturn to their homeland. I am dream-ing of the day when all Filipinos will behome and would no longer considerworking abroad, and be there for theirfamilies. I am even dreaming of the daywhen the OFW Family is no longerneeded because there would no OFWsabroad anymore. The best country inthe whole world is the Philippines, sowhy spend your life away from yourfamily,” he pointed out.

The Aquino government and theprevious Arroyo government have beencriticized for spending millions of pesosfrom the OFW fund to save lives ofFilipinos in death row while usuallyoverlooking the needs of Filipinosinvolved in minor cases. “I think the gov-ernment fund is really falling short for allbut I believe there are rich companieswhich can be asked to help the govern-ment. I don’t usually ask for help, but tobeg for help for the sake of sufferingFilipinos is something I don’t reallymind. After all, these big malls, realestate developers and airlines are bene-fiting from OFWs, too. So I think it’s notbad to give something back for ourheroes,” Seneres stated. “Many business-es in the Philippines flourished becauseof OFWs. A small amount won’t hurtthem,” he added.

Seneres: Protection of OFWs ‘our top priority’

Filipino Congressman visits Kuwait

KUWAIT: Congressman Roy Seneres (second left) pictured during apress conference yesterday at the Crowne Plaza Hotel withCDA/Consul General Atty Raul Dado, Philippine Labor Attache toKuwait David Des Dicang and Welfare Officer Norlita Lugto.

—Photo by Ben Garcia

GENEVA: Kuwait rejected yesterdaySwitzerland’s interference in Kuwaitidomestic affairs before the 23rd sessionof the UN Council for Human Rights, andits criticism of Kuwaiti court death sen-tencing last April. Kuwait’s permanent

advisor to the United Nations, MalikHussein Al-Wazzan, told the council, inresponse to the Swiss criticism, “Thedeath penalty is an issue of the Islamiclaws, as it represents the state’s sover-eignty, and we forbid interference in ourpolicies or politics.”

Al-Wazzan stressed that Kuwait iscommitted to applying the provisions ofIslam. Affirming that the death penaltywas imposed after enough verifications,and not for political attraction. “The

Swiss delegation is well aware thatdeath penalties have not been imple-mented in Kuwait since 2007 and isbeing implemented after passingthrough several judicial regulations, sev-eral cases take years of revision beforeruling a death sentence,” the Kuwaitidiplomat stated.

Switzerland denounced to the coun-cil the lifting of death sentencesimposed by several states includingKuwait, with referral to three cases ofdeath penalty last April. Switzerlandcalled upon those countries to suspendthose convictions and lessen the sen-tencing. Al-Wazzan stressed that elimi-nating the death penalty is not boundby international law and its implementa-tion meets the requirements of interna-tional law as specified in the humanrights bodies.

He added, article six of theInternational Covenant, stipulates that“the death penalty may not be imposedarbitrarily and can be used for the mostserious crimes” as is the case in manydemocratic countries, and there is noobligation to stop it. It is noted that the23rd session of the UN Human RightsCouncil continues from May 27 to June14, to discuss human rights issues, andreports of experts involved, reactions ofstates and non-governmental organiza-tions. — KUNA

Kuwait rejects Swiss interference, criticism

Malik Hussein Al-Wazzan

KUWAIT: Kuwait has officially approved aproposal to establish a used tire recyclingcompany, which will have an annual pro-duction capacity of seven million tires, alocal daily reported yesterday, quotingsources familiar with the subject. Speakingto Al-Qabas on the condition of anonymity,the sources said an approval letter signedby Minister of Commerce and IndustryAnas Al-Saleh was sent to the PublicAuthority for Industry (PAI), with instruc-tions on steps to be taken for the compa-ny’s establishment. “The letter called forquick processes to be put in place to estab-lish the company, in view of the growingenvironmental risk from the rising numbersof used tires collected annually”, thesources said.

Furthermore, the sources noted that the

PAI approved the project’s feasibility study“given its environmental importance andthe potential benefit of using recycled syn-thetic rubber.” Allocation of land for recy-cling factories is currently awaiting the endof a process in which the PAI is taking backindustrial lands previously allocated to oth-er businesses. A Daily Mail report earlierthis month claimed that there are morethan seven million used tires buried undersand in what the report dubs as “theworld’s biggest tire graveyard” in Sulaibiya.Last year, a huge fire engulfed millions oftires stored at a location in the Jahradesert, where an average of between 2,000and 2,500 used tires are dumped everyday, according to official estimations basedon investigations during the time of theincident.

Govt approves setting up of tire recycling company

KUWAIT: Kuwait faces the risk of incurringa fiscal deficit of KD51 billion by 2030even with a best case scenario of import-ing 4.5 million barrels a day at a price of$185 a barrel, a local newspaper reportedyesterday quoting a government’s assess-ment repor t for the four th year(2013/2014) of the five-year DevelopmentPlan. Al-Qabas, which has been publishingdetails of the report since the beginningof this week, reported yesterday that thefourth year’s plan urges “everyone to takeresponsibility when it comes to proce-dures, decisions and sacrifices to sustainsocial welfare and protect the right offuture generations to have access to a lux-urious life.”

Among ‘cost cutting’ steps the assess-ment report recommends are reconsider-ing the public sector ’s payroll andallowances, linking pay to productivity,

limiting demands for financial increases,and cooperation between the cabinet andparliament to improve non-oil incomes.Furthermore, the report recommendsrationalization of government spending,reviewing public services’ cost and facili-ties, and increasing the private sector’scontribution in government activity.

Meanwhile, the report notes that aKuwaiti family costs the government anannual average of KD 17,000 in direct sub-sidies including electricity, gas, cookinggas, manpower allowance for private sectoremployees, social security and livingallowances. Al-Qabas also reported a planthat the Civil Service Commission demon-strated to the cabinet recently, which sug-gests pay cuts for certain professions in thepublic sector as part of a strategy to resolveaberrations in the payroll and achieveequality in distribution.—Agencies

KUWAIT: Nearly 500 complaints havebeen registered against police officersthis year, according to official statisticsas of May end, marking a 13 percentincrease compared to the same periodlast year. This was reported by Al-Qabasyesterday quoting security sourcesprivy to the statistics with the GeneralDepartment of Control and Inspection.“Forty-nine police officers of differentranks have been subjected to penaltiesafter being convicted following investi-gations,” said the sources who addedthat nine of these policemen were sen-tenced to jail. The sources spoke on thecondition of anonymity because theywere not authorized to release the sta-tistics before the same were announcedofficially.

The majority of complaints werefiled against rescue police, traffic police,police investigators and police stationofficers. The sources further indicatedthat investigations in 180 of the com-plaints concluded “with proper legalprocedures taken,” while the rest werestill pending, save a few complaints thatwere shelved due to lack of evidence.Some of the violations mentioned inthe report included keeping detaineesin jail after the expiry of their legaldetention period, as well as overcrowd-ing inmates in cells inside police sta-tions. Meanwhile, the source revealedthat at least 350 police officers weresubjected to disciplinary measures dur-ing the same period for failing to reportfor duty.— Agencies

500 complaintsagainst police

KD 51 billion budget deficit set for 2030

By Hanan Al-Saadoun

KUWAIT: Few days after a huge fire ravaged the new university build-ings under construction at Al-Shidadia, another fire broke yesterday at

Al-Shidadia site. Fire centers responded to the call and tried to put outthe fire. Five ambulances and 10 technicians were sent to the site. Onefire fighting vehicle turned upside down causing injuries to two fire-men.

Fire at Kuwait University

KUWAIT: The Supreme Court has ruledthat a well-known local private hospitalwill pay a compensation of KD 30,000 to acitizen who suffered due to a medical mis-take by one of its doctors. The citizen,through his lawyer, had f i led a caseagainst the hospital, an expat doctor, andan insurance company. He had gone tothe hospital as a patient to correct thevision in his left eye through laser surgery.A day after the operation, the patientstarted feeling continuous pain in his lefteye. The doctor told the patient that thepain was a result of the surgery and that itwas natural. However, due to the continu-ous pain in the patient’s eye, the doctor

gave him some treatment. But that did nothelp.

Thereafter, the patient got his eyeschecked at Al-Baher Hospital, where someproblems were detected in his left eye.The problem was confirmed by anotherhospital as well. Then, the patient filed acase against the doctor and the hospitalfor mistreatment.

A medical examiner issued a reportthat the patient had suffered a permanentdefect in his left eye, which made him lose15% of his vision. The court passed its ver-dict, giving due consideration to thedefects that developed in his left eye as aresult of the surgery.

Hospital to pay KD 30,000 compensation for mistake

KUWAIT: HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-AhmadAl-Jaber Al-Sabah yesterday urged “unity” fromthe people of Kuwait and for them to be “cau-tious” in the face of regional challenges thatcould affect Kuwait. “The current regional cir-cumstances and recurring developments, we areprone to, require us to be cautious, wary andready for the challenge. This can only comethrough national unity, coordination and a unit-ed stand gainst those who try to underminethis,” Sheikh Sabah, accompanied by HisHighness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, said during in aspeech at a dinner banquet held in his honor byMohammad Mefarrij Al-Musaileem. “My broth-ers and fellow citizens we have grave responsi-bilities towards our nation that require us tomaintain it and to keep it secure, ushering all inour power to improve it and usher forward thewheels of development in order to achieve ourambitious goals.

“Our democratic system we have opted forand trust, and constitution we hold on to andare proud of are things we have been entrustedwith and will keep on maintaining.” HH the Amirwent on to thank the host of the event, saying

he was “very happy at these visits and meetingsthat illustrate the scale of unity, devotion andcommitment among the people of Kuwait and

their leaders, since the nation’s inception. “Thisportrays a path taken by our forefathers and onethat our sons will no doubt inherit,” he said.

Kuwait Amir urges citizensto be unified, cautious


Al-Najjar’smistake

kuwait digest

By Abdullatif Al-Duaij

It does not need

media shows!

kuwait digest

By Hassan Al-Essa

HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber’s vis-its to the heads of various tribes in Kuwait raisedseveral questions about the real objective behind

the move. Some said that these were just courtesy visitsby the Amir to his brother members of tribes and theirheads, and that they were a routine matter and a way ofthe leader to keep in touch with an important compo-nent of Kuwaiti society.

Others associated the visits with a political dimensionand said these were to gain the loyalty of the tribes inpreparation for the new elections if the constitutionalcourt ruled to pave the way for such a development.Meanwhile, yet another party associated political andsocial dimensions with the visits, and said these werepart of an attempt to strengthen the tribal state, and thisview was in agreement with the kind of division andsplintering that dominates the Arab countries.

The Arab elite which rules the Arab world failed ininstilling the principles of the pluralistic democraticstate that relies on the constitution, state of law, justice,and equality for all. What happened in the Arab world isthat the failure to progress towards civility and moderni-ty paved the way for the return of other kinds of loyal-ties, be these tribal as in the case of the Arabian GulfCountries, or the return of sectarianism as in case ofSyria, Iraq and Lebanon.

In the case of Sudan, Egypt and Tunis, the narrow par-tisan loyalty in the name of religion (MuslimBrotherhood) is working. Initially, these groups wereactive, organized and religiously diverse and they useddemocratic slogans to attain power, but once they did,they tried to become the sole power and did away withall democratic ideas.

Even in the occupied Palestine, the occupation didnot unify the Palestinian factions. Rather the disputesbetween the Fatah and the Hamas Movements (Muslim

Brotherhood) became worse. Even in Syria, where theopposition is facing a tyrannical and strong regime, theresistance factions did not agree on a unified nationalprogram to rescue the country under the fiat that theyshould create a country based on a democratic ideologywhere Sunni and Shiites should work together with theChristians, the Jews and the rest of Syrian groups.

What happened in Syria is the emergence of extremereligious movements including the MuslimBrotherhood, Al-Nusra Jihadis and Al-Qaeda, along oth-er extreme Jihadists who have no any project for a mod-ern democratic state. It is no wonder that the world’spublic opinion is not supporting the fighters becausesome Jihadists distorted the revolution’s image by eat-ing human flesh.

The question now is how is it possible to pull out ofthe tribal, religious, sectarian and partisan loyalties andwork towards a nationalist, plural and democratic state?The experiences of people across the globe, especiallythose of the people in the democratized west, tell usabout the importance of distancing religion from thestate, which means religion is for God, and the state isfor all, because it is not in the interest of any religioussect to fight their co-religionist brothers or those whodiffer with them on the basis of sect, religion or ethnici-ty. Achieving a modern democratic state is not easy,because it requires popular agreement on civil issuesand constitution of the state without owing any loyaltyto foreign powers. The problem is that the powers ofpolitical Islam are in control of the Arab street, includingthe Arab Gulf States. Those powers neither believe indemocracy nor in the modern state, and the proof ofthat is their failure in achieving stability in the Arabspring states. What Kuwait requires is to reject the triballoyalties and concentrate on the national principles byworking towards a state of law.—Al-Watan

Amir’s visits to the tribeskuwait digest

By Dr Shamlan Y Al-Essa

Let us be honest and objective in analyzing thepresent situation that concerns every Kuwaiti. Apolitical crisis happened, sparking oppositionist

movements of different views. Some of these viewswere expressed in a calm and rational way, while othersbordered on banditry. Meanwhile, the governmentgave a mixed response, including bad decisions, awfulreactions, calls for calm and opening the door for nego-tiations.

In general, both the opposition and the governmentworked within the Kuwaiti framework, apart from oneexception that crossed the lines of principles andcovenants. Let me explain. Historically speaking, theopposition has always been an integral part of Kuwait’spolitical life. Since the ruling system was born from apact with the people instead of being forced by sword,Kuwait has enjoyed accord, freedoms, democracy and aconstitutional life.

There is a ruling system and an opposition executive,judiciary and legislative authorities; and governmentcontrol and decision, as well as partnerships. No matterhow different both parties might be, their differencesremain within the frameworks of the state and the soci-ety. The opposition is also credited for playing an essen-tial role in the development of Kuwait’s political life. Itmanaged to successfully fight for rights that someauthority figures wished to monopolize.

We always proudly remember the 1990-91 IraqiInvasion experience. Although it happened in the mid-dle of a deep political crisis in Kuwait, the invadersfailed to find any Kuwaiti figure to stand on their side.Instead, all Kuwaiti political figures renewed theirpledge of allegiance to their legitimate leaderships intheir efforts to achieve unconditional liberation ofKuwait. This opposition trusts its people, and the peo-ple trust it. They know from experience that the opposi-tion’s patriotism cannot be questioned, since it hasalways worked within the national framework. Kuwaitishave never been worried about the opposition-buttoday they are. Why? Let us be even more honest herebecause the issue goes beyond political debate orreform demands.

It is common sense that Kuwait and other countrieshave political movements whose members follow thebelief that they should not go against the nationalinterest and give it the ultimate priority - no matterwhat. Theoretically, this is correct because heavenlymissions remain a superior cause to defend comparedwith earthly loyalties. But practically, it would be incor-rect to impose religion on politics or using religion as ameans to achieve personal interests.

This movement has a broad ideology that goes

beyond national borders, and we can say that its viewsmust be affected by the position of its central interna-tional leadership. This happened during the IraqiInvasion when the movement expressed an opinionthat matched its parent organization’s, with regard tosupporting liberation through means that do notinclude international channels. In addition to that, thismovement is not shy to express that its goal as a politi-cal party is to reach power. This is OK from theoreticaland practical standpoints; and the movement is alsocredited for having the courage to say that it has anintegrated ruling project, which is based on clear princi-ples. Regarding Kuwait, however, the movement findsitself forced to adapt to certain particularities that donot go in line with the concept of alternation of power,since Al-Sabah dynasty has exclusive ruling rights asper a pact with the people.

Therefore, the movement adopts an approach thatenables it to stay focused on its unspoken goals so thatit can be ready if any changes happen, or play an activerole if the opposition stepped up its activities - in whichcase, the movement can benefit the most, given that itis the most organized and most capable of garneringpublic support.

This movement is known for its ability to penetrateinto certain social categories, as seen in other Arabcountries. That is difficult to happen in Kuwait, howev-er, because Kuwaitis are not short on wealth or demo-cratic rights, and are not deprived of things that themovement used to garner public support in other Arabsocieties. Therefore, the movement is unable to utilizepeople’s needs for political gain. Yet, the movement iscredited for having the remarkable ability to adoptalternating roles effectively, as you can find memberstalking about an Arab-Spring-like movement in Kuwaitwhile their colleagues are simultaneously renewingtheir pledge of allegiance and criticizing public uproar.

Kuwaitis, who were never deprived of their dailybread or right of expression, realize very well that suchslogans reflect the movement’s political agenda, ratherthan being a reflection of political reality. Kuwaitis wholive within the Kuwaiti framework also realize that thisvery movement is the one that benefits the most fromany turmoil or change in the country.

I pray to the Almighty God that He saves Kuwait, theKuwaiti opposition, national unity, the people whodemand true reform, and the ruling pact that noKuwaiti can accept an alternative for. Furthermore, Ipray that the political movement that has been thesubject of this column is able to protect itself andrethink its approach in order to give Kuwait ultimatepriority. — Al-Rai

The single exceptionkuwait digest

By Jassem Budai

‘Brotherhoodnetwork’

kuwait digest

By Dr Shamlan Y Al-Essa

There was nothing to cheer about as onewatched the ‘Taw Allail’ TV program aired bythe Al-Watan TV the other night as the world

saw images of people huddled together in policedungeons in a most humiliating way for havingcommitted traffic violations, though none of themwas even convicted by a court of law.

There was also no need to depict the long queueof people waiting to beg for forgiveness from thetraffic director, Major General Abdul Fattah Al-Ali,and seek exemption from paying fines or beingdeported in a most humiliating fashion. In evenmore disgusting scenes, there were even longerqueues of people waiting to hear the general’s finaldecision about their citations. It was as if GeneralAl-Ali had become a judge and an accuser at thesame time.

The right thing to do if those people really vio-lated any law was to follow the standard legalmeasures and take action as per applicable law.Any particular official’s personality should have norole to play in deciding the penalty or pardon in acountry run through institutions. No person can belarger than the office.

The state itself should not care about the per-sonal traits of this or that official and should followa set pattern and procedure which is binding whenit comes to appointing senior officials and deter-mining their duties and privileges. These ought tobe clearly set out and defined for everybody inadvance. Otherwise, it would not be rule of law oran institutional state. We would then only have trib-al communities and favoritism.

A lot is being said these days about Al-Ali and hisrole in resolving the traffic imbroglio in Kuwait inthe matrix of a state torn between the rule of lawand the chaos created by the personal idiosyn-crasies of those in certain positions. It seems thatthe traffic director is so serious in fixing the innu-merable traffic related problems because, coupledwith the performance of the interior ministry ingeneral, they reflect the state’s ability to enforce thelaw and safeguard individual’s freedoms and rights.

Al-Ali’s promise to eradicate the ‘Wasta tumor’from the traffic domain’s ‘body’ calls for respectingthe man if he manages to keep it. So far, it seemshis strategy is working. Therefore, the man does notneed all the media backed propaganda to highlighthow serious he is in enforcing the law. Someday,the people will judge for themselves the results andspeak up either in his favor or against him. Themost important thing now is to ensure the rule oflaw. This requires selecting the right people andexcluding the opportunists and lickspittles withwhom most government establishments have beenstuffed. We need not link any success or progress toa particular individual or officer who could be amere public servant doing his job.

Success should, instead, be associated with theconcerned office or establishment. Individuals willnot be in office forever. The legal establishmentslast forever, regardless of who runs them. Peoplewill eventually remember the role played by offi-cials who excel in their jobs and help ensure thatthe organizations they work in evolve. They do soby setting just and fair rules and laws to be fol-lowed long after their own tenures end. The testlies in ensuring that no injustice is meted to thepeople, and the security requirements are notunderestimated at the same time. — Al-Jarida

Even as preparations are on for the visit of UAE’s for-eign minister to Kuwait to head the UAE - Kuwaitjoint committee - with the fear that the Emirates

minister may submit a list of persons whose names fig-ured during the investigations into the “Brotherhood net-work” members arrested in the UAE and currently on trial,the Islamic Constitutional Movement (MuslimBrotherhood) has issued a press statement on what itcalled “a motivated campaign” to give it a bad name.

In the statement, it condemned the “motivated cam-paign targeting a group of symbols of charity activists inKuwait and attempting to falsely link them with whatwas being termed “the secret lists of Brotherhood ele-ments who supported the UAE cell, especially since thenames that figured in these fabricated lists affected menwho are known for their good reputation and sincerity.”We do not know until now what are the lies that theBrotherhood and the statement issued by the ICM aretalking about? Are the published names not those ofmembers of the Muslim Brotherhood? Explain to us whatthe charge is against your movement so that we cancome to know whether it was true or a lie.

What we know through our readings, academic andjournalistic follow up, of all Brotherhood activities is thatthose whose names were published are among the lead-ers of the Muslim Brotherhood and played a major role indefending the role of the Muslim Brotherhood during theinvasion, especially what late Sheikh Saud Al-Nasser, dur-ing his time as Kuwait’s Ambassador to the USA, pub-lished. Did not you, the Brotherhood, ask for $50 millionto pay for Taleban and Jihadi groups in Afghanistan toliberate Kuwait?

You, and only you, destroyed the education system,leaving it in a deplorable state due to which Kuwait is suf-fering. You did so by politicizing the education and dis-torting the image of Islam by brainwashing our childrenin schools, and the evidence lies in what was publishedacross several columns in Al-Qabas about the state ofreligious education in Kuwait.

The Brotherhood leaders, and no one else, are thepeople who allied with the government and joined sev-eral cabinets, with their leaders becoming advisors in theAmiri Diwan and to the Prime Minister. Despite that, andall the grants and gifts besides their members and stu-dents being employed in high ranking state jobs, theyadopted an anti-government, anti-ruling family, and antiAmiri wish stand when it came to changing the votingmechanism from four votes per voter to a single vote.

The Brotherhood may be able to cheat the govern-ment by claiming it was innocent and that it had nothingto do with the popular movement. They have sent clergy-men to the social reform society to convince the govern-ment or the ruling establishment that they are not con-nected with the popular movement. The truth, neverthe-less, is that the ICM through its leaders and former MPs,criticized the government and its leaders publicly. Werere you not the ones who urged the students of KuwaitNational Students Union at the university to join thedemonstrations of the so-called youth movement?

Finally, what is this talk about the role of your partisanleaders during the period of the invasion and the talkabout “Al-Morabitoon steadfast,” which is somethingknown, but the question remains about your motivationto fight the invasion. Was it a patriotic Kuwaiti duty or notas you are also citizens like other society members whoresisted the invasion? Or was your motivation an oppor-tunistic Brotherhood partisan move through which youattempted to mix true national work and cheap partisanactivity? Fear Allah for your country’s sake. We, as people,know all your moves and the fact that you have domi-nance over more than one ministry and the managementof coop societies, and you played a role in the thefts incoops’ and NGOs’ funds. The social affairs and labor min-istry published in its report the extent of corruption inthe societies and Mabbarah’s (foundations). You mayhave been able to cheat the government but do not tryto cheat the people all the time. — Al-Watan

They say that every tide has its ebb, which I think istrue. Everyone makes mistakes or takes a positionthat is different from even their own beliefs or per-

sonal interests. Fellow columnist Ghanim Al-Najjar isknown for his interest in the human rights and efforts todefend civil and political rights of individuals and groups.However, it seems that he has recently committed per-haps an unintentional error in defending a proposedsecurity agreement among the Gulf Cooperation Councilcountries.

In his recent column, Al-Najjar supported - perhapsunintentionally - the passage of the GCC agreement onthe pretext that it would not add anything of substanceto what already exists. In my opinion - and I could be theone who is wrong here - this is one of the most danger-ous and ‘smartest’ justifications for approving the agree-ment, even though I believe that Al-Najjar’s views wereprompted by good intentions when he went against hisown principles and political history.

I do not agree with Al-Najjar’s notion that restrictionson freedom were already present in the region, andtherefore the agreement would not add new ones. Thiscould be true, but the difference remains in the fact thatthese restrictions were not codified. As long as therestrictions lack legal cover, opposing them remains legit-imate, and can also motivate efforts to object to thosepractices in the Gulf region which curb freedom.

In our struggle to change many existing behaviors, noaction or call to change the state of affairs can happen ifwe provide legitimacy to the very practice we want toalter. Many erroneously informed practices and miscon-ceptions have unfortunately become a reality becausethey became some kind of a ‘tradition’ and were practicedas a virtue that ostensibly achieves public good. Theprime example is the continuous suppression of the free-dom of expression, as it has come to be accepted as stepfor ‘countering abnormal behavior’ in society. This wasallowed to happen because some of us at some pointfailed to raise our voice against this oppression, or foundit unnecessary to do so. Therefore, I believe that it is bet-ter to continue to object to what we believe are errorscommitted by governments in the region, and worktowards changing them before they become acceptedtraditions.— Al-Qabas

Public policy,the 11th view

kuwait digest

By Thaar Al-Rashidi

Public policy is an area as huge as an ocean.There are multiple dimensions, and endlessarguments happen over intricate details. On

every minor twist and turn, there are sometimes tendifferent views, if not more. None of those ten viewsare 100% correct. There is, however, one view that iscorrect, given the political realities in question, butthat is the one which normally remains unsaid. It isthe 11th view that no one talks about, no one defendsbecause those who peddle their ten different viewshave their own interests or that of their backers, seats,families, or tribes at heart.

The unexpressed view No 11 remains unclaimed.Amidst an ocean of competing interests, no one ownsup to that view except those who have no motives,who are totally independent of any sectarian, tribal orpolitical motives. Of course, there are such people butunfortunately, those proclaiming the virtues of tendifferent points of view, each with a modicum of halftruth, have a louder and shriller voice. The poor 11thview is drowned in this cacophony.

Everyone should be aware what the real truth is.Not everyone who defends the government is pro-government, and some people do defend the govern-ment and its various decisions because they believe inthose decisions and not because they have any partic-ular love lost for the government. Of course, as acorollary, not everyone who opposes the governmentis a popular person imbued with national interest andnot everyone who wears the opposition’s robes is aperson who survives on the oxygen of public interest.

They say that June 16, falling on Sunday next, willbe a key date in the history of Kuwait. Regardless ofthe results, it will not be a darker day than August 2 orworse than when the country’s constitutionally guar-anteed political life was held to ransom in the 70s andthe 80s. It is only a matter of a court verdict and thereis no need to try and second guess a court verdict orview it through a pessimistic prism in advance. At theend of the day, it is one court verdict, and it will be fol-lowed by others. Neither the political authority northe executive or anyone else can influence the courtverdict. This is a truth that should not be contested, orpoliticized.


KUWAIT: Kuwait is launching an intensemedia awareness campaign to protectconsumers from commercial fraud,monopolization and price increase exag-geration, starting from June, 22. The cam-paign’s most important goal is familiariz-ing consumers with their right to replaceor return unwanted purchased goods

according to the Ministerial Decree No 555of 2012, said the Ministry of Commerceand Industry Assistant Undersecretary forConsumer Protection Abdullah Al-Enezi.

One of these aspects will shed light onthe dangers of energy drinks on health -which could lead to death in someinstances - thus discouraging their pur-

chase. During this time, the ministry alsointends to popularize its consumer protec-tion hotline: 135, in addition to periodical-ly-updated smartphone applications thatinclude the prices of internet goods, headded. Meanwhile, a team has beenformed to follow up on the performanceof the campaign, measuring its effective-

ness and writing up reports on its resultson a regular basis according to the sched-ule prepared for it, noted the official.

“The ministry is preparing anothercampaign that is to be launched immedi-ately after the current one, which will beon the rationalization and improvement ofconsumption for both citizens and resi-

dents.” “Now that the holy month ofRamadan is coming, the ministry will set aplan to adjust the prices of goods in coor-dination with the Federation ofCooperative Societies to determine prices,provide all supplier goods and preventmonopolization and price exaggerationgrowth,” Al-Enezi concluded. —KUNA

Kuwait launches consumer awareness campaign

KUWAIT: Investigations are on toidentify and arrest six people wholeft a teenager critically injured dur-ing a robbery outside the AvenuesMall. According to the policereport, a 15-year-old was makinghis way out of the mall accompa-nied by a friend when six peoplestopped them. The suspects triedto snatch the youngster ’s cellphone at knifepoint, and stabbedhim repeatedly when he refused toyield. They ran away when the vic-tim’s friend went back into the mallto seek help. The teenager wasrushed in an ambulance to the Al-Sabah Hospital and admitted to itsintensive care unit. A case was filedat the Andalus police station.

Man commits suicideA man who was employed as a

keeper at a private property inKabad was found dead on the sameproperty. The death was classifiedas a suicide. Police and paramedicsrushed to the scene after the inci-dent was reported, and found theIndian man hanging dead inside hisroom. The body was taken to thecoroner after criminal investigatorsexamined the scene. Investigationswere on.

Investigation in keeper’s death

Investigations are on to unravelthe mystery behind the death of anAsian man whose body was found

in Al-Wafra this past weekend. Theman’s body was reportedly foundinside a manhole near a privateproperty where he worked as akeeper. A homicide investigationwas opened after detectives foundmarks of blows on the victim’s head.

Drunk driver caughtA man was arrested recently for

driving his truck at the Gulf Roadunder the influence of liquor. Policereached the site near the KuwaitTower when a big truck caught firebecause its driver continued driv-ing despite the fact that a tire hadburst. Firefighters reached thescene and brought the blaze undercontrol. The officers arrested the

driver. The Egyptian man wasreferred to the proper authoritiesfor further action.

Robbers flee after shoddy robbery bid

Search is on for two suspectswho tried to carry out a robbery inJahra recently but remained unsuc-cessful. A case was filed at the Al-Jahra police station where anEgyptian man accused two armedmen of barging into his houselocated behind the area’s park, butwho later fled when they foundnothing worth stealing. The manexplained he was unemployed andwas living with friends.Investigations are on.

KUWAIT: The Deputy Prime Minister andMinister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh SabahKhalid Al-Hamad Al-Sabah yesterdayreceived at the Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry theRomanian Ambassador to Kuwait VasileSofineti. Sofineti handed the ForeignMinister an official invitation to visitRomania to attend the 50th anniversarycelebration of commencing diplomatic tieswith Kuwait. They discussed means ofenhancing bilateral relations, especially in

the economic, commercial, investments,and tourism fields. The diplomat presentedSheikh Sabah with a memorial gift onbehalf of his government.

The meeting was attended by theDeputy Prime Minister and Minister ofForeign Affairs Office Director AmbassadorSheikh Dr Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah, and Deputy Director of EuropeDepartment in the ministry Advisor RashedHammad Al-Adwani. — KUNA

QADARIF: A grand ceremony was held inQadarif to mark the inauguration of anintegrated school funded by the Kuwait-based International Islamic CharitableOrganization (IICO). The Barbar Al-FoqaraElementary School in Al-Qadarif State, eastSudan, covers an area of 15,000 sqm andcosts up to $400,000. The funding is part ofKuwait pledges to the reconstruction proj-ects in east Sudan.

The inauguration ceremony attractedIICO representative and Kuwait’s formerminister of Awqaf and Islamic affairsMohammad Al-Humaidan, Ambassador toSudan Dr Suleiman Al-Harbi, Director of theIICO Office in Sudan Dr Ahmad Al-Sennosi,and ruler of Al-Qadarif State Al-Dhaw Al-Mahi along with dozens of federal andprovincial leaders as well as local people.

Addressing the ceremony, Al-Mahiappreciated Kuwait’s role in backing thedevelopment in Sudan’s three easternstates and hosting the international donorconference for the region under auspices ofHis Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah in late 2010. “TheKuwaiti contributions have positive impacton the development in the region. TheState of Kuwait, under the wise leadershipof HH the Amir, is a beacon of philanthropicaction,” he said. On his part, Al-Humaidanvoiced joy for “this great accomplishment”and extolled HH the Amir for his generous

pledges to Sudan. The IICO representativeexpects the inauguration of other projectsin the region soon. Meanwhile,Ambassador Al-Harbi affirmed Kuwait’scommitment to support to Sudan in itsefforts to stabilize the eastern region andrevitalize the economic growth in the threeeastern states.

“This Kuwait-funded school is unique forbeing an outreach project in Sudan’s east-ernmost part near the borders withEthiopia,” the ambassador noted. The IICOOffice director Dr Al-Sennosi said the proj-ect is one of three IICO-funded projects inthe three eastern states of Al-Qadarif,Kassala and the Red Sea.

“The IICO pledged USD ten million tothe three development projects of theregion during the international donor con-ference in Kuwait; the other two projectsare the building of a $150,000-worth waternetwork for Kassala villages and a $95,000-worth farm project in the Red Sea State,” henoted. Provincial Minister of EducationMahjoub Hassan applauded the inaugura-tion of the school, saying it materializes thedepth of the Sudanese-Kuwaiti ties. TheInternational Investors and DonorsConference on East Sudan, hosted byKuwait on 1-2 December, 2010, pledged upto $3.5 billion to the post-conflict recon-struction of the region, including $500 mil-lion from Kuwait. — KUNA

FM receives Romanian

envoy to Kuwait

Teen stabbed at AvenuesIndian man commits suicide

By Hanan Al-Saadoun

KUWAIT: A security campaign wascarried on Monday 10th June atHawally area, Al-Muthanna Street,opposite the commercial institute.The campaign resulted in thearrest of 125 persons details as fol-lows: 35 prostitutes; 15 localliquor; 47 runaway maids; 4 per-sons wanted for civil cases; 16 per-sons without identification and 8persons under arrest. This is the1st raid which lasted from 12 pmtill 3am.

Fire engulfs building A fire broke out last night in a

building in Hawally area. The oper-ations room received a report at6.35 pm about the fire in a build-ing’s yard. As the firemen arrived,they discovered that the fire was

raging in the sheds being used asa store room. The fire spread to thesecond floor, but firefighters wereable to prevent any casualties.There was some loss to property.Fire was brought under control ina short span of time.

Security men were deployed atthe site while medical personnelwere also at hand to deal with anyemergency.

In another development, a firebroke out last night in a camelbarn at Kabd. Responding to thedistress call, fire centers from Kabdand Al-Jleeb rushed their person-nel who found that the fire hadengulfed a barn that was beingused for carpentry against therules. The barn, spread over anarea of 1600 square meters, wastotally gutted.

The Sulaibikhat fire center and

the support center also backedfirefighting operations and helpedbring it under control without suf-

fering any casualties. The fire start-ed from a small room and spreadto the rest of the building.

KUWAIT: Kuwait MPs are holding their breath in antici-pation of a Constitutional Court ruling next Sundayabout the amendment effected in the electoral lawunder which last elections were held. Most of the MPscounseled about ‘respecting the judiciary ’ andexpressed faith that the new voting system, underwhich each voter was empowered to cast a single voteinstead of four, was going to be upheld.

In the meantime, Parliament Speaker Ali Al-Rashidsaid that he received a request from lawmakers to holda special session on Thursday in order to vote on fivepending draft laws. “We hope to end the topics onschedule during (today’s and tomorrow’s) sessions sothat next week, we can hold weekly sessions to discussthe state budget and the country’s fiscal condition,” hetold the reporters on Sunday. Under the law, the parlia-mentary term, which otherwise is to end at the begin-ning of July, cannot come to a close before the MPs passthe state’s budget.

Next Sunday, the Constitutional Court will determinewhether an emergency decree released by HH the Amirlast October was in keeping with the statute. If not, thecourt can rule that the elections held based on the sin-gle-vote system that the decree implemented as void. Inthat case, the parliament would ipso facto stand dis-solved and new elections would have to be held as perthe four-votes-per-voter system. “Court orders must berespected whether they turn out to be in favor of theincumbent parliament or not,” MP Adel Al-Khurafi toldAl-Rai on Sunday. Meanwhile, MP Faisal Al-Kandariassured that the issue “is in the safe hands of the impar-tial Kuwaiti judiciary.”

In the meantime, MP Hani Shams hoped that the par-liament will not be dissolved “as a result of governmen-tal mistakes,” insisting that the government had enoughtime following the dissolution of the past parliament inJune 2012 “to ensure correct procedures.” MP HeshamAl-Baghli said in the meantime that the court is likely touphold the decree based on the fact that the constitu-tion gives HH the Amir an “exclusive authority to assessthe level of emergency” when it comes to issuing adecree of emergency during the parliament’s absence.

Police raid Hawally area

Kuwait-funded school

inaugurated in E Sudan

MPs: ‘Respect

court rulings’


DOHA: Qatari Deputy Prime Ministerand Minister of State for Cabinet AffairsAhmad Al-Mahmoud has stressed on theneed to push forward the relationshipbetween the Islamic world and the US,and correct all related misconceptionsand misperceptions. Al-Mahmoud wasaddressing the inaugural session of the10th annual US-Islamic World Forum. TheForum has become a platform for con-structive dialogue and fruitful discus-sions for a solid, well-established andpositive relationship between the

Islamic world and the United Statesbased on mutual understanding, cooper-ation, mutual respect and commoninterests.

Al-Mahmoud said that the Forum hassucceeded in achieving its primar yobjective in enhancing dialogue, andpromoting opportunities for coopera-tion between the Islamic World and theUnited States of America, as well asestablishment of a positive relationshipbetween the two parties, which is fullyconsistent with the vision of Qatari Amir

Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani.He stressed that the Palestinian issue

has great impact on the course of rela-tions between the Islamic world and theUnited States, especially as it is not anissue of the Palestinian people alone, butthe issue all Arabs and Muslims whostrongly reject all policies of the Israelioccupation authorities including expan-sion of settlements, the Judaization ofEast Jerusalem, and its ongoing viola-tions of the sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Al-Mahmoud welcomed the partici-

pants and said: “we are pleased for hold-ing this Forum every year to follow dis-cussions with interest, and see its posi-tive effects, which is characterized by adeep understanding of the backgroundof the relationship between the Islamicworld and the United States of America.”

The three-day event will discuss thechanging landscape in Pakistan andAfghanistan and its effect on internaland regional security, the challenges ofdemocracy and development.

The Forum will also feature a discus-

sion on the conflict in Syria, noting thespiraling effects of the conflict on theMiddle East region and the roles playedby the United States and other outsideactors.

This year working groups will focuson advancing women’s political partici-pation, supporting economic assistanceand recovery in Egypt and Tunisia, exam-ining the role of faith based leaders inmediating conflict and fostering diplo-macy, and defining and understandingfreedom of speech. — KUNA

Qatar promotes US-Islamic world ties

KUWAIT: Kuwaiti Minister of Information andMinister of State for Youth Affairs Sheikh SalmanSabah Al-Sabah said the National Conference onE-Legislation was a step forward towards theadoption of the system which could help speedup the law-making process. “The governmentstarted preparing for leveraging the e-services inearly 1990s,” he said, noting that the govern-ment gateway offers up to 743 e-services forapplicants and visitors of the website.

Sheikh Salman made the press remarks fol-lowing the third session of the conference. “Thetechnical efforts aiming to reach better use of e-government still need a suitable law to regulatethe access to and handling of e-services,” he not-ed. On the session of conference, he said allspeakers agreed that the country enjoys a stateof constructive cooperation between the execu-tive and legislative authorities which helpedpass several laws and approve important agree-ments. Sheikh Salman voiced hope that theadoption of these legislations will give momen-tum to the economic development, appreciatingthe efforts of the organizers of the conference.

Meanwhile, the Minister of State for CabinetAffairs Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah Al-Sabahsaid the patronage of the Amir stems from hiskeenness on innovation in all fields. “As early asin 1994, the government developed a law on thee-legislations aiming to regulate the exchangeof official data. The first law in this regard wasadopted in 2009; it’s made up of 40 articles,” theminister said.

The session is themed “cooperation amongthe three authorities to implement e-legisla-tions;” these include the executive, legislativeand judiciary authorities. “The state gateway‘Kuwait Government Online’ offers up to 700 e-services to internet users,” Sheikh Mohammadsaid, noting that e-legislation will lay a firmground for orderly e-tendering and other trans-actions with the community taking part.

“The system of e-petition, adopted by manyadvanced countries, could be used by Kuwait toinvolve the citizens to the law-making process.“Through this system the National Assemblycould specify a link for e-petition on its gatewayin order to allow citizens express their views on

any matter. If 20 percent of the electorateapproves a certain proposal, it must be put onthe agenda of the Assembly,” he added.

Meanwhile, Minister of Justice and MinisterAwqaf and Islamic Affairs Shareeda Abdullah Al-Muosherji thanked HH the Amir for his keennesson cooperation between the executive and leg-islative authorities. “The fruitful cooperation ledto the passing of 14 decrees and 25 draft

laws covering 60 percent of priorities itemson the agenda of the legislature in addition tothe endorsement of 95 agreements,” herevealed. On his part, coordinator of the confer-ence MP Yaquob Al-Sane’ said the conferencewill help collect work papers and share view-points on how to leverage the applications of e-legislation. He underlined the importance of theissuing a law to regulate e-legislation in order tocope with globalization and the revolution ofinformation and telecommunication technology.MP Nasser Al-Marri highlighted the need ofinvolving the citizens in the law-making process.He suggested that the National Assembly adoptthe e-petition system. — Agencies

‘Judaization of East Jerusalem’ slammed

KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait is train-ing its employees to use sign language toassist hearing impaired customers inKuwait. NBK’s service for the HearingImpaired customers is the first of its kind inthe banking sector.

“NBK is the first bank to offer servicesto customers with special needs. NBKstrives not only to provide the best bank-ing services but also to continuouslydevelop its services to include all seg-ments of society,” Ahmad Al Mahmeed,NBK Public Relations officer. Al Mahmeedstated that the training will enable thestaff to assist hearing impaired customersand offer them an efficient and individual-ized customer experience.

Sign language specialist at NBK NajatMokhtar said: “NBK has proven its supportto their hearing impaired customers, bystarting something no other organizationhas initiated.” “As the premier financialorganization in Kuwait, NBK takes its rolein the community very seriously and neverloses sight of the fact that it constitutes anintegral part of Kuwait society,” Mokhtaradded.

NBK aims to train staff in all its branch-es in Kuwait to use sign language toensure the service is widely available. NBKstaff members who have successfully com-pleted the training wear badges that carrythe universal sign language icon so cus-tomers can easily recognize them.

June 12 is the national day of theRussian Federation - the Day of Russia.It has been celebrated every year since1994. The First Congress of People’sDeputies of the Russian Federationadopted the Declaration on Russia’sNational Sovereignty on June 12, 1990.The National Sovereignty Declarationset the wheels in motion for the cre-ation of what is now known as theRussian Federation or more commonlyRussia.

The declaration views sovereignty asa natural and indispensable conditionof the Russian state with its centuries-long history, culture and traditions. Theadoption of the declaration paved theway for the development of Russianstatehood based on the principles ofconstitutional federalism, equality andpartnership.

Russian people choose to use Day ofRussia to celebrate the history of theirindividual communities within Russia.Representatives from various regionsshow off the distinctive dress anddance styles of their respective com-munities, highlighting Russia’s culturaland ethnic diversity.On this day, wehonor our motherland, our Russia. We

honor the country of more than thou-sand years history and unique heritage,the country which united on a hugespace many peoples, territories andcultures.

CAIRO: Kuwait is keen on the success ofthe Arab-African Summit which will be heldin Kuwait on November 18-20, a Kuwaitidiplomat said. The Gulf State’s representa-tive to the African Union (AU) AmbassadorRashed Al-Hajri told KUNA on the sidelineof the second preparatory meeting for theArab-African Summit, that the meeting waspart of several other events to be held inCairo, Addis Ababa, and Kuwait in prepara-tion for the summit.

He indicated that representatives fromKuwait, the Arab League, and the AU wouldmeet on June 22nd to set the final prepara-tions for the Summit and the meetings thatwould be held at the level of ministers andsenior officials on November 13 till the endof the summit. On his part, member of theKuwaiti delegation to the preparatorymeeting and head of African AffairsDepartment at the Kuwaiti Foreign MinistryHamad Al-Mashaan, said that the summitwould focus on economic cooperationbetween the Arab world and Africa.

He noted that future projects aimed atthe economic welfare of the African andArab citizen would be focused upon duringthe meeting, affirming that the theme“partners in development and investments”was reflective of the summit ’s goal.Meanwhile, Head of the Africa and Arab-African Cooperation Department at theArab League Ambassador Samer Hosni saidthat the June 22nd preparatory meetingwould focus on several files in investment,economic, agriculture, and food securitydomains. The establishment of Arab-African funds for relief aid and sustainabledevelopment would also be part of themeeting, said Hosni. Asked whether theArab-African summit, which began in 1977in Cairo and lastly held in Sirte Libya, everachieved its goals, Hosni said that severalprojects were achieved since the summitwas launched, noting that commercialexchange between the Arab world andAfrica had increased from one to eight per-cent in recent years. — KUNA

E-legislation to speed

up law-making process

E-petition in the pipeline

KUWAIT: The Commercial Bank of Kuwait organizes a series of training programs on the governance policies that the Central Bank of Kuwait hasrecently introduced as a system for local banks to follow. The program includes workshops and sessions organized in cooperation with leadinginternational consultation offices.

NBK teaches employees

how to use sign language

KUWAIT: The Unit of Immunologyand Innovative Cell Therapy atDasman Diabetes Institute, whichwas established by KuwaitFoundation for the Advancement ofSciences (KFAS), has recently pub-lished two research articles on therole of inflammatory markers onobesity and type 2 diabetes. Twelveabstracts have also been presentedat various international scientificmeetings.

The Unit is headed by DrRasheed Ahmad, and is composedof eight qualified members: DrNadia Zghoul, Dr Amal Hasan,Rawan Edan, Fatmah Rasheedi, SaraJasem, Cynthia Lehe, Munera Al-Ghanim and Dunia Mukhles. Theaims of the Unit are as follows: (1)Identifying immunological factorsand signaling pathways involved inthe development of obesity-associ-ated inflammation, diabetes andtheir complications; (2) Developingnovel toleragenic tools such asRegulatory T Cells, MesenchymalStem Cells and Immunomodulatoryadjuvants to prevent and treat dia-betes, obesity and their complica-tions.

The units’ ultimate aim is to movethese technologies from the labora-tory to clinical testing by conduct-ing early proof of principle in animalmodels, and eventually in patients

with obesity and diabetes. The unitis currently conducting research onthree ongoing projects: two projectsfocusing on the cellular and molecu-lar anti-inflammatory response inobese individuals subjected to adefined exercise protocol (in collab-oration with the Biochemistry Unitand the Wellness and Fitness Centerat Dasman Diabetes Institute), and

one project on the application of abreathing exercise program toimprove obesity-associated asthma(in collaboration with the Wellnessand Fitness Center at DasmanDiabetes Institute).

The Unit will also be startingthree research projects as a part of acomprehensive research programon childhood obesity (in collabora-

tion with the Biochemistry Unit) thatwill be carried out on childrenrecruited from five different centersin Kuwait (Dasman DiabetesInstitute, Mubarak Hospital, Al-Sabah Hospital, Farwaniya Hospitaland Adan Hospital). In addition, theunit is also conducting a study onthe role of obesity and diabetes inthe metastasis of breast cancer.

Kuwait keen on success

of Arab-African summit

The upcoming

Day of Russia

Russian Ambassador

Unit of Immunology and Innovative

Cell Therapy published two articles

KUWAIT: Dr Kazem Behbehani, Director-General of Dasman Diabetes Institute along with the team of theImmunology and Innovative Cell Therapy Unit at Dasman Diabetes Institute.

TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2013

Iran hardliner drops out, narrows field for allies

Page 9

Qatari leaders expected to step downPage 8

ANKARA: A beaten and shocked demonstrator is helped by other protesters late Sunday after being confronted by riot police on Kizilay square. — AFP

ISTANBUL: Turkish protesters refused to back downyesterday after Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoganwarned they would “pay a price” for their unrelentingdemonstrations against his Islamic-rooted govern-ment’s decade-long rule. As riot police doused ofthousands of protesters in the capital Ankara withtear gas and jets of water for a second straight night,Erdogan fired up supporters of his ruling Justice andDevelopment Party (AKP) with combative rhetoric inrallies across the country.

“Those who do not respect this nation’s party inpower will pay a price,” he told thousands of cheeringloyalists in Ankara, just a few kilometres from theclashes in downtown Kizilay Square, the latest vio-lence in a second week of mass civil unrest. “Weremained patient, we are still patient but there’s a lim-it to our patience,” Erdogan said. His fans relished theshow of strength, frequently interrupting his remarkswith bursts of applause and chanting: “ Turkey isproud of you.”

Tens of thousands of anti-government demonstra-tors stepped up their protests over the weekend,pouring into cities across the country includingIstanbul, Ank ara and the western city of Izmir.Istanbul’s Taksim Square, the symbolic heart of theprotest movement, attracted some of the largestcrowds yet, with people dancing and chanting“Erdogan, resign!” into the early hours in a festive

atmosphere. The unrest first erupted on May 31 with atough police crackdown on a campaign to saveIstanbul’s Gezi Park, which borders Taksim Square,from demolition. The trouble spiralled into nation-wide displays of anger against Erdogan and his party,seen as increasingly authoritarian.

Nearly 5,000 demonstrators, scores of whom areyoung and middle-class, have been injured and threepeople have died in the trouble, tarnishing Turkey’simage as a model of Islamic democracy. Taksim, whichhas seen no police presence for over a week, wasmuch quieter yesterday as demonstrators resumedtheir normal routines, though many vowed theywould return. “We are going to school now, but wewill come back later,” said 17-year-old Etem Yakin asshe crossed the square, where a clean-up operationwas in full swing. She said the premier was pouring oilon the flames with his confrontational stance. “If hekeeps talking like this, we will keep up like this too.”

Erdogan was to meet with government ministers inAnkara later yesterday, with the crisis expected to topthe agenda. “I honestly don’t know where this isgoing,” said Akif Burak Atlar, secretary of TaksimSolidarity, a group representing the original Gezi Parkcampaigners. “It was his speeches and the police bru-tality that led the protests this far in the first place. Heneeds to take a step back.” “We want life on the squareto return to normal,” said Eyup Muhcu, head of theChamber of Architects and par t of the TaksimSolidarity Platform. “We are ready for dialogue...butthe prime minister’s remarks indicate he is not opento dialogue.” Abdulkadir Selvi, a political commenta-tor close to the government, wrote in Yeni Safaknewspaper that Erdogan would stick to a tough line.“To summarise the new roadmap in short, Erdoganchose to fight. He will not reach an agreement withthose who launched this movement against him ortake a backward step,” Selvi wrote. He added a note ofmoderation. “He will distinguish between those whohave just demands, voicing their criticism without vio-lence ... from those who use violent means to try andoverthrow him.” Opponents accuse Erdogan, in powersince 2002, of repressing critics - including journalists,minority Kurds and the military - and of pushing con-servative Islamic values on the mainly Muslim butstaunchly secular nation. But the 59-year-old is alsoconsidered the most influential leader since MustafaKemal Ataturk, the father of modern Turkey, andremains the country’s most popular politician. His AKPhas won three elections in a row and took nearly halfthe vote in the 2011 elections, having presided overstrong economic growth.

On his whistle-stop tour of three cities Sunday, thepremier urged loyalists to respond to the demonstra-tors by voting for the AKP in local polls next year. “Iwant you to teach them a first lesson through demo-cratic means at the ballot box,” he said. — Agencies

Erdogan warns protesters ‘will pay’Demonstrators hold fast despite warning

Indian oppn leader resignsNEW DELHI: Veteran Indian oppositionleader Lal Krishna Advani resigned yes-terday in apparent protest at the eleva-tion of hardliner Narendra Modi to leadhis party into next year ’s elections.Advani, an 85-year-old stalwart of theBharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and a formerdeputy prime minister, resigned from allhis positions in the party which hehelped build into a national force. “Hehas submitted his resignation letter tothe party chief,” a source in his office saidon condition of anonymity.

Indian media quoted from a resigna-tion letter by Advani, the BJP’s prime min-isterial candidate for the 2009 generalelections, which made oblique referencesto Modi without naming him. Advani saidhe was “finding it difficult to reconcilewith either the functioning of the party orthe direction in which it is going,” accord-ing to the Press Trust of India. “I havedecided, therefore, to resign from the

three main fora of the party, namely, theNational Executive, the ParliamentaryBoard and the Election Committee,” hesaid. “Most BJP leaders are concerned just

with their personal agendas,” he added.Controversial right-wing politician

Narendra Modi who had willingly accept-ed the new role during the weekend, said

he had requested Advani to change hisdecision. Advani’s campaign to build aHindu temple on the site of a 16th-centu-ry mosque in the northern town ofAyodhya helped bring the party tonational attention but also led to deadlyreligious riots. Hindu zealots razed themosque in 1992 which led to unrest inwhich over 2,000 people, mainly Muslims,died. BJP spokesman Srikant Sharma toldAFP that “every leader of the party willmake every possible effort to convincehim (to stay). His resignation has not beenaccepted.”

Other leaders of the party also statedthat Advani’s resignation will never beaccepted as his political guidance wasneeded at every stage by the party.Advani did not attend the meeting ofthe BJP’s national executive at the week-end which promoted Modi to electioncommittee chairman, although the offi-cial reason given was illness. —AFP

Lal Krishna Advani

I N T E R N AT I O N A LTUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2013

DOHA: Qatar’s powerful prime ministeris preparing to step down as part of awider power transition that may also seethe country’s ruler ceding power to hisson, Crown Prince Sheikh Tamim, Araband Western diplomats said yesterday.Such a change could inject an elementof uncertainty into the foreign policies ofthe US-allied gas exporter, which is aglobal investment powerhouse and abankroller of Arab Spring revolts inalliance with the Muslim Brotherhood.“(The Emir) has had (this) in mind forquite a long time. The path has clearlybeen paved over the past year forauthority to be transferred to Tamim,” aDoha-based diplomat told Reuters, refer-ring to head of state Sheikh Hamad binKhalifa Al-Thani. “The plan has alwaysbeen for this to happen, but it’s been a

question of timing.”The diplomats said they understood

the motive for the reported reshuffle wasthe desire of the leadership to have asmooth transition to a younger genera-tion. Such a move would be relativelyunusual in Gulf Arab politics: It is cus-tomary for Gulf Arab heads of state tocontinue in office until death. Onesource said the transition was expectedto start with Prime Minister SheikhHamad bin Jassim Al-Thani, who alsoserves as the foreign minister, leaving hiscabinet posts. The diplomats mentionedvarious timetables, from some time inthe next few weeks to September. NoQatari government officials were imme-diately available to comment on thereports.

Arab and Western diplomats in Doha

and elsewhere in the region said thatcountries, including the United States,Britain, France and Saudi Arabia hadbeen briefed on the plan. They said theyexpected the reshuffle to take one of twocourses - either Sheikh Tamim wouldreplace Sheikh Hamad as the prime min-ister until he takes over as emir when hisfather eventually steps down, or the cur-rent Deputy Prime Minister, Ahmed Al-Mahmoud, would become the nextprime minister when Sheikh Hamad binJassim steps aside.

Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim, 53, hasbeen prime minister since 2007 and hasplayed a key role in positioning Qatar aspower broker in the region. He is alsochairman of the board of the QatarInvestment Authority (QIA), a position heis expected to retain. QIA has estimated

assets of $100 billion - $200 billion.Widely seen as a savvy dealmaker,Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim has personallynegotiated some of the sovereign wealthfund’s most high-profile investments,including talks with Glencore’s chief lastyear when the fund demanded betterterms for backing the firm’s acquisitionof Xstrata. The companies eventuallymerged to create Glencore Xstrata.

The Emir elevated the country’s inter-national profile in recent years throughthe launch and development of the alJazeera television network, as well as itssuccessful bid to host the 2022 soccerWorld Cup tournament. The Gulf statehas played a substantial role in promot-ing the Arab Spring, lending significantsupport to rebels who ousted formerLibyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and to

an uprising seeking to topple SyrianPresident Bashar Al-Assad from power.

A close US ally that hosts a large USmilitary base, Qatar is the world’s largestexporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG)and wealthiest nation per-capita. Thetiny country whose economy once cen-tred on pearl fishing now has a sovereignwealth fund that controls an estimated$100 billion in assets. Sheikh Hamad binKhalifa Al-Thani seized power from hisfather in a bloodless coup in 1995.Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim played a keyrole in facilitating the coup, for which hewas rewarded with influence for life.British-educated Sheikh Tamim isbelieved to be closer to the MuslimBrotherhood than many in the currentleadership, and may pursue more social-ly conservative policies. — Reuters

Qatari leaders expected to step down

JERUSALEM: Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, backed by Iran andLebanon’s Hezbollah, may prevail in the more than two-year-olduprising against him, Israel’s intelligence minister said yesterday.Though the assessment was quickly disavowed by others in PrimeMinister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government, it reflectedthe difficulties facing Israel and Western countries in predictingSyria’s destiny and weighing intervention. Yuval Steinitz, ministerfor international affairs, strategy and intelligence, was asked at abriefing with foreign journalists whether recent successes byAssad’s forces against outgunned rebels might herald victory forthe Syrian leader.

“I always thought that it might be the case that at the end ofthe day Assad, with a very strong Iranian and Hezbollah backing,might gain the upper hand,” Steinitz said. “And I think that this ispossible and I thought that this is possible already a long timeago.” Steinitz, who is not a member of Israel’s security cabinet butdoes have access to intelligence updates as well as Netanyahu’sear, said Assad’s government “might not just survive but evenregain territories” from the rebels. He declined to comment furtheron a possible Assad victory, citing Israel’s policy of not meddlingpublicly in Syria.

The defence and foreign ministries received Steinitz’s remarkscoolly. “This is Steinitz’s personal informed - or rather, misinformed- position,” said one Israeli diplomat who asked not to be named. Asenior Israeli official added: “Steinitz was giving his own assess-ment of the situation. The government of Israel is following thesituation, while not taking any sides.” Asked if Israel had a formalintelligence forecast on Syria, the official said: “The situationchanges almost daily and the assessments accordingly.”

In June 2011, only three months after the Syrian uprisingbegan with peaceful protests, then-Defence Minister Ehud Barak,the lone centrist in the previous government also led byNetanyahu, forecast Assad’s fall “within weeks”. Months later, aftera full-fledged insurgency had developed, a senior Israeli officialsaid Barak had been trying to “jump the gun” and encourageAssad’s foes to hasten his overthrow - an outcome that Israelviewed as inevitable at the time. Yet the current Netanyahu gov-ernment appears more cautious, given the four decades of stabili-ty Assad and his father before him had maintained on the Syrian-Israeli frontline.

Israel does not want chaos there, especially as it estimates thatone in 10 of the anti-Assad rebels are radical Is lamists.Government officials also say privately they have urged Westerncounterparts to consider any aid to Syrian rebels carefully, lest theweaponry end up being used against Israel. Israel has carried outat least three air strikes on Syrian sites that intelligence sourcesdescribed as advanced weaponry in transit to Hezbollah. Israeliforces on the occupied Golan Heights have occasionally fired inresponse to Syrian gunfire when troops and rebels battle near thefrontlines. Alluding to Israel’s superior military might, Steinitz said:“It is in his (Assad’s) interest not to provoke us so that we getinvolved.” — Reuters

Israel minister says

Assad may prevailStrong Iranian, Hezbollah backing bolsters Assad

CAIRO: Angry Egyptian lawmakers accusedthe country’s prime minister and govern-ment yesterday of doing nothing to preventEthiopia from completing a dam that threat-ens to leave Nile-dependent Egypt with adangerous water shortage. Prime MinisterHesham Kandil had just finished addressingparliament about how the governmentplanned to work diplomatically, legally andtechnically to negotiate with Ethiopia overthe dam when the session heated up. Hecalled the dam’s construction an ‘act of defi-ance’ and stressed that Egypt will not give ‘asingle drop of water,’ but then hurriedly leftthe chamber despite calls for clarificationover how to handle the situation if Ethiopiarejects overtures.

‘Egypt will turn to a graveyard’ if the damis completed, geologist and Egyptian law-maker Khaled Ouda shouted to parliament.‘The prime minister didn’t provide anything.We have to stop the construction of thisdam first before entering negotiations,’ hesaid. Egypt in the past has threatened to goto war over its ‘historic rights’ to the watersof the Nile River. Last week, Egyptian politi-cal leaders caused uproar after proposing toaid rebels against the Ethiopian governmentor even sabotaging the dam itself. Ethiopiademanded an official explanation.

Egypt faces the prospect of its currentwater shortage worsening when the so-called Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam iscompleted. Ethiopia’s decision challenges acolonial-era agreement that had givendownstream Egypt and Sudan rights to the

Nile water, with Egypt taking 55.5 billioncubic meters and Sudan 18.5 billion cu m of84 billion cu m, with 10 billion lost to evapo-ration. That agreement, first signed in 1929,took no account of the eight other nationsalong the 6,700-km river and its basin, whichhave been agitating for a decade for a moreequitable accord.

Ethiopia’s unilateral action seems toignore the 10-nation Nile Basin Initiative, aregional partnership formed in 1999 thatseeks to develop the river in a cooperativemanner.

Ethiopia is leading a group of five nationsthreatening to sign a new cooperationagreement without Egypt and Sudan, effec-tively taking control from Egypt of the Nile,which serves some 238 million people.Experts estimate that Egypt could lose asmuch as 20 percent of its Nile water in thethree to five years needed for Ethiopia to fill amassive planned reservoir.

Abdullah Badr, who leads the ultraconser-vative Salafi caucus in parliament, held up ablank notebook after Kandil’s speech andsaid: ‘I have been taking notes and the pagefor solutions is blank.’ ‘Where are the studies?Where are the solutions?’ He added. ‘There isnothing more dangerous than this. This isabout water security and there are enemiesoutside and inside -what is the role of thegovernment and what did it do?’ he said.Ethiopian officials have downplayed theeffect the dam will have on Egypt, saying it isneeded to provide much-needed power forthe country’s development. —AP

JEDDAH: An Indonesian woman diedSunday in a fire lit by workers outside hercountry’s consulate in western SaudiArabia, where thousands converged seek-ing to resolve their immigration status, aconsular source said. Some 8,000Indonesians gathered outside the con-sulate in Jeddah trying to sort out theirpapers as illegal foreign workers in thekingdom face a deadline to regularisetheir position or leave. “Some of them lit afire near the walls of the consulate seek-ing to enter by force, but leading to thedeath of a woman,” the source said.

Before the fire, rocks and stones werethrown at the consulate by theIndonesian workers frustrated by longwaits to get their cases dealt with. Theaction was “limited to the walls of thecompound and did not touch the offices”,said the consular source. Police confirmedonly that a fire had left some peopleinjured, without mentioning any fatality.Jeddah police spokesman Nawaf Al-Booqsaid protesters had entered the consulate,causing a stampede. He said protestershad peacefully dispersed and a fire out-side the consulate had been put out.

Some 180,000 illegal foreign workers

have left Saudi Arabia since April 1 underan amnesty that allows them to try to sortout their papers or leave without paying apenalty, a newspaper report said onSunday. This wave brings to 380,000 thenumber of foreign workers who have leftSaudi Arabia since the beginning of theyear. Workers without proper papers arebecoming increasingly concerned as vio-lators of the immigration rules in the oil-rich kingdom will face penalties when theamnesty period ends on July 3, with pun-ishment including imprisonment up totwo years, and fines up to 100,000 riyals($27,000).

According to official statistics, eightmillion expatriates work in the kingdom.Economists say there are another two mil-lion unregistered foreign workers. SaudiArabia is aiming to create job opportu-nities for its own unemployed by cut-ting the number of foreign workers,although many of those are in low-paidjobs that Saudis would not accept. Theworld’s largest oil exporter is a gold-mine for millions of people from poorAsian and Arab countries that are reel-ing under high levels of unemploy-ment. — Agencies

CAIRO: Supporters of former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak hold his portraitoutside the police academy yesterday where the retrial of Mubarak and his two sonsGamal and Alaa and six policemen included his former interior minister Habib Al-Adli is taking place. — AFP

Egypt lawmakers slam

PM over Ethiopia dam

Indonesian dies in

Saudi protest fire

IDLIB, Syria: Two Syrian men pull an unexploded rocket from a Syrian war-plane yesterday. In Aleppo, activists said that rebels advanced inside thesprawling air base of Mannagh near the border with Turkey. The base hasbeen under siege for months and rebels have been trying to capture it withno success. — AP

MOGADISHU: Fighters loyal toSomali warlord Ahmed Madobestrengthened control of the keysouthern port of Kismayo, residentssaid yesterday, after days of clashesbetween rival militia forces. Heavyfighting broke out Friday when theRas Kamboni militia of Madobe -recently self-appointed “president”of the southern Jubaland region -battled forces loyal to Iftin HassanBasto, another leader claiming tobe president. “The situation is quietnow and most parts of the town arecontrolled by Madobe’s men,” saidresident Abdulahi Mire, adding thatrival forces had been forced outsidetown, but “are not far away”.

Several rival factions claim own-ership of Kismayo, a former strong-hold of the Al-Qaeda-linkedShabab where Kenyan troops in anAfrican Union force are now based.The Kenyan troops, who invadedSomalia in 2011, back Madobe’scontrol of the strategic and eco-nomic hub, but neither the title of“president” nor the region ofJubaland is recognised by the weakcentral government in Mogadishu.“Business is slowly returning to nor-mal, we can’t hear gunfire today...we hope the situation stays calmlike this,” said Ahmed Moyale,another resident.

Jubaland lies in the far south ofSomalia, bordering both Kenya andEthiopia, and control is splitbetween multiple forces includingclan militia, the Shebab and Kenyanand Ethiopian soldiers. Jubalandjoins other semi-autonomousregions of the fractured Horn ofAfrica nation, including Puntland inthe northeast - which wants auton-omy within a federation of states -

and Somaliland in the northwest,which fiercely defends its self-declared independence.

Somali President Hassan SheikhMohamud, who holds little sway inthe port city, said all sides shouldend the fighting. “ The time forfighting is over,” he said in a state-ment. “We must unite and seek toresolve our differences peacefully,we must unite for the fight againstAl-Shebab.” The Kenyan and Somalipresidents met last week, dis-cussing among other issuesNairobi’s role in Jubaland, whichhas a lucrative charcoal industry,

fertile farmland and potential off-shore oil and gas deposits.

Many eye the economic, strate-gic and political profits of theregion. Kenya views the region as akey buffer zone to protect its bor-ders, but in Jubaland, it has endedup backing a warlord opposing thecentral government it is mandated- and funded by the UN andEuropean Union - to support. In thepast two years, AU troops havewrested town after town from theShabab, hauling down their blackIslamist banners and raisingSomalia’s flag. But asserting the

authority of the central govern-ment - which until recently con-trolled just a few blocks of the capi-tal Mogadishu - is a far harder task.

Analysts warn the rivalries riskthreatening the fragile progressmade in Somalia.

“The crisis...threatens to desta-bilise the entire country if not prop-erly dealt with,” the HeritageInstitute for Policy Studies, a Somaliresearch group, wrote in a recentreport, warning the clashes risk“creating an opening for Al-Shababto reassert control in recentlyrecovered areas.” — AFP

Somali warlord strengthens

control of port after clashes

BAQUBA, Iraq: Four car bombs and a suicide attacktargeting Iraqi markets and cafes yesterday killed atleast 23 people, the latest in a surge in violence thatauthorities have struggled to control. Thirteen peo-ple were killed and 53 wounded when two near-simultaneous car bombs and a suicide attack torethrough a wholesale market north of Baghdad, apolice officer and a medic said. The blasts went off inthe predominantly Shiite town of Judaida al-Shat,which lies just west of Baquba, capital of Diyalaprovince and one of the most violent areas in thecountry.

The attacks targeted fruit and vegetable stallowners who were crowding the market, purchasinggoods for the day’s trading. Another car bombexploded near a fish market near Taji on the north-ern edge of Baghdad, killing at least seven people,while a vehicle rigged with explosives also went offin the northern town of Tuz Khurmatu, killing threeothers. No group immediately claimed responsibilityfor the attacks, but Sunni militants linked to Al-Qaeda often target Shiites, whom they regard asapostates, in simultaneous and mass-casualtybombings. “Al-Qaeda is behind this terrorist attack,”Mohammed Al-Zaidi, a vegetable vendor wounded

in the Judaida al-Shat bombing told AFP, addingthat the extremist group was trying to “sow religioushatred in our region, as we live peacefully with theSunnis”. The unrest comes amid a surge in attacks inIraq, with violence in May pushing the month’sdeath toll to the highest such figure since 2008, rais-ing concerns of a revival of the all-out sectarian warthat blighted the country in 2006 and 2007.

There has been a heightened level of attackssince the beginning of the year, coinciding with ris-ing discontent among the Sunni Arab minority thaterupted into protests in late December. Analysts saythe failure of the Shiite-led authorities to addressunderlying frustrations among the Sunni communi-ty has given fuel and room for militants to increasetheir activities. The UN envoy to Iraq Martin Koblerhas warned the violence is “ready to explode”. In abid to ease tensions, Prime Minister Nuri Al-Malikihas in recent days met with two of his arch rivals -the Sunni speaker of parliament and the presidentof the autonomous Kurdish region. While the coun-try’s top politicians have pledged to address persist-ent political disputes, which analysts say are linkedto violence levels, no tangible moves have yet beenannounced. — AFP

Bombings kill 23 in Iraq


DUBAI: Five days from Iran’s presidentialelection, these are nervy times forAyatollah Ali Khamenei, who as only thesecond Supreme Leader in the IslamicRepublic’s 34-year history answers to Godand not voters. The Shiite cleric wasbruised by the protests that explodedafter Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s 2009 re-election and then affronted by the unrulyambitions of the man whose win he hadendorsed. Now Khamenei has said hewants a high turnout on June 14 to bol-ster the legitimacy of the vote, whilewarning the eight candidates who havesurvived a vetting process he controls toavoid promising any concessions to theUnited States.

Among the barred challengers is for-mer President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani,a political heavyweight and long-timerival of Khamenei. Rafsanjani’s influencehas waned since Khamenei succeeded theIslamic Republic’s founding father,Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, as supremeleader in 1989. Not even an ayatollah atthe time, Khamenei has since lived in theshadow of his mentor, Khomeini.Struggling to impose his religious authori-ty, he has instead built up a formidablesecurity apparatus to extend his power.

The exclusion of high-profile candi-dates has dented the poll’s relevance to amainly young and restless population of75 million. Many Iranians do not shareKhamenei’s ideological confrontation withthe West and a nuclear policy that hasincurred harsh sanctions on Iran’s vitalenergy sectors. Yet the 73-year-old leaderhas proved resilient in the four years sincethe violently suppressed post-election

unrest that was the worst in the IslamicRepublic’s history. As in 2009, Khameneican turn to his sophisticated securitystructure, the hardline IslamicRevolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and theBasij, a paramilitary-religious force of hun-dreds of thousands of volunteers, to snuffout any revival of protests.

Although Khamenei and the IRGC saythey favour no candidate, behind thescenes the security apparatus may begearing up again to sway Iran’s tightlyconstrained version of democracy andensure the election of a loyal, obedienthardliner. “In both 2005 and 2009, thetheocratic nature of the regime prevailedamidst allegations of election engineer-ing. Security will likely trump legitimacy in2013,” said US-based Iran expert YasminAlem. “By creating a colossal bureaucracyand establishing parallel institutionsKhamenei has sought to concentratepower in his office,” she said.

Khamenei’s influence on major policyand economic affairs starts with the 4,000staff, all recruited from the IRGC or secretservices, at his “Beit-e Rahbar”, or leader’shouse. According to leaked U.S. diplomat-ic cables, the Beit acts as a powerfulnerve-centre for an inner core of IRGC mil-itary, security and intelligence chiefs andhardline clerics in Qom. Yet Khameneiremains an enigma, shunning interviewsand foreign travel. His son Mojtaba con-trols access to him.

“Because Khamenei lacked Khomeini’sreligious credentials, he sought legitimacyin the barracks rather than the seminary,”said Karim Sadjadpour, an Iran analyst atthe Carnegie Endowment for International

Peace, referring to the new leader’s linkswith the IRGC as it emerged from the1980-88 war with Iraq. Khamenei’s officialwebsite portrays him as initially unwillingto take the job, quoting him as saying “Icried and supplicated to Allah earnestly”to spare him the responsibility. Ironically itwas Rafsanjani who backed him in theAssembly of Experts, the body that choseKhomeini’s successor, because Khamenei,unlike senior clerics at the time, was com-mitted to the former leader’s doctrine ofVelayet-e Faqih, or guardianship of thejurist, which underpins Iran’s politicalstructure. Scholars abroad who have stud-ied him paint a picture of a secretive ideo-logue who is deeply anti-Western, fearfulof Iran’s democratic institutions and para-noid about betrayal. One of his childhoodfriends from Mashhad sounded a similartheme. “He is a conspiracy theorist and atrue anti-American,” said Djavad Khadem,a minister under the ousted Shah.

Few Iranians had tipped Khamenei asKhomeini’s heir. He is “an accident of histo-ry” who went from being “a weak presi-dent to an initially weak supreme leaderto one of the five most powerful Iraniansof the last 100 years”, Sadjadpour said. Thesupreme leader relies on the Vali Amr, a10,000-strong personal security force, andwears a bullet-proof vest when appearingin public, said Mehdi Khalaji, a senior fel-low at the Washington Institute who isresearching a biography of Khamenei.Such heavy protection has contributed tothe isolation of a man who is enormouslypowerful, but who is afflicted by depres-sion and obsessive about personal securi-ty, Khalaji said. This concern may be

understandable for a leader who lost theuse of his right arm in a 1981 assassinationattempt. While president from 1981-89 hesuffered several political betrayals. “Hedoesn’t trust a single person,” said Khalaji.“People are connected to him but not toeach other.” Under Iran’s constitution, theleader wields supreme command of thearmed forces, has the power to declarewar and appoints and dismisses senior fig-ures including armed forces commanders,judicial heads and the head of the statemedia network. He effectively controlsthe Guardian Council - the body that over-sees elections and vets candidates. His

office nurtures clients throughout thebureaucracy and can rely on a conserva-tive parliament to support its decisions.Foreign and nuclear policy are the domainof the supreme leader, who also controlsvast funds, not least via “bonyads” or chari-table foundations with a web of businessinterests - although the poetry-lovingKhamenei is not reputed for personalgreed and visitors to his residence say helives humbly. “Khamenei crippled thedemocratic institutions like the presiden-cy. That’s how he developed his power,”said Khalaji. “It’s a conflict between thepositions of leader and president.”

Elections for president and parliamentprovide legitimacy for the state and coverfor the leader. If problems emerge, thegovernment can be blamed, or, asCarnegie’s Sadjadpour put it: “TheSupreme Leader likes being the manabove the fray. He’s been very effective atwielding power without accountability.”Khamenei sees threats by Israel and theUnited States to strike Iran’s nuclear sites ifdiplomacy fails to resolve the dispute asconfirming his belief that the West is benton overthrowing the Islamic Republic’sruling system.

As the presidential election looms, littlesuggests he has changed his views since2009 when he addressed Iranians at Fridayprayers a week after Ahmadinejad’s tri-umph and told them foreign hands laybehind the street protests shaking thenation. “You see the hands of the enemy,”Khamenei declared. “The hungry wolveswhich lurk are slowly changing the guiseof diplomacy for their real faces. See them,don’t overlook them.” — Reuters

Khamenei wants no one to jolt his power

DUBAI: A conservative former parliament speak-er dropped out of the June 14 Iranian presiden-tial election yesterday in a move to consolidatethe hardline vote and lessen the chances of anupset favouring a moderate candidate. The 12-man Guardian Council, largely under the sway ofSupreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, hadalready barred all but eight of the 686 peoplewho registered as candidates, including prag-matic ex-president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.That left four hardliners, separated only by smalldifferences on issues such as Iran’s nuclearstand-off with the West, facing a lone independ-ent outsider and two relative moderates whomay be able to generate popular support.

Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel, a close adviser toKhamenei related to him by marriage, had beenone of three so-called “Principlist” conservativecandidates alongside Tehran Mayor MohammadBaqer Qalibaf and former foreign minister AliAkbar Velayati before announcing on Mondayhe was dropping out. While he did not endorseany single candidate, Haddad-Adel urged votersto back his fellow Principlists, hinting that theywere the ones also backed by Khamenei. TheShiite clerical leader, the most powerful man inthe Islamic Republic, has not publicly endorsedany candidate and insists he has only one vote inthe election.

“With my withdrawal I ask the dear people tostrictly observe the criteria of the SupremeLeader of the Revolution (Khamenei) when theyvote for candidates,” Haddad-Adel said in a state-ment carried by the semi-official Mehr newsagency. “I advise the dear people to take a cor-rect decision so that either a Principlist wins inthe first round, or if the election runs to a secondround, the competition be between twoPrinciplists,” he said.

Friday’s presidential vote will be Iran’s firstsince 2009 when the excitement generated bylarge reformist election rallies turned to angerand protests when incumbent PresidentMahmoud Ahmadinejad was declared winner.Reformers, after two landslide presidential elec-tion wins in 1997 and 2001, said the 2009 results

were rigged. Fearing a repeat, many of their sup-porters could stay home this time. The onlyremaining moderates in the presidential raceare cleric Hassan Rowhani, Iran’s chief nuclearnegotiator under reformist presidentMohamed Khatami, and the lack lustreMohammad Reza Aref.

Despite the odds stacked against him,Rowhani has still managed to rouse thousands

of supporters in sometimes heated electionrallies at which some of the old reformist slo-gans were chanted, such as calls for politicalprisoners to be freed. Several Rowhani staffersand supporters were arrested afterwards. But,with sanctions imposed on Iran over its disput-ed nuclear program compounding problems ofeconomic mismanagement and corruption,the big issue overriding ideology for many vot-ers is which candidate can best rescue the oil-

based economy from a slow, grinding collapsethat some analysts predict.

Mehr news agency, citing an unnamedsource, said on Sunday the Guardian Councilwould consider barring Rowhani from the elec-tion for revealing what it said was classifiedinformation on Iran’s nuclear activity during atelevised debate, and for the slogans uttered byhis supporters. But the Guardian Council saidyesterday that it was not considering barringany other candidate, denying the reports. WhileRowhani only smiled when reporters asked himabout the report that his candidacy may be upfor review, he may have grasped that failure tocurb his faithful could lead to him removal fromthe race. The report might also discourage amuch-rumoured withdrawal by Aref that couldwiden a vote for Rohani.

With nuclear issue and foreign affairs andnational security all decided by Khamenei, therewill be little substantial departure from currentpolicy whoever becomes president, but theresult could usher in a change of nuance andstyle. During a televised presidential debate onFriday, candidates clashed on Iran’s nuclear poli-cy, with nuclear negotiator and potential elec-tion front-runner Saeed Jalili coming under firefrom rivals over the lack of progress in talks withworld powers.

Rowhani said hardline stances taken since histime as nuclear negotiator had resulted in sever-al rounds of UN sanctions. “All of our problemsstem from this - that we didn’t make an utmosteffort to prevent the (nuclear) dossier fromgoing to the (UN) Security Council,” saidRowhani, who in 2003 negotiated a suspensionin uranium enrichment with world powers, win-ning a relative respite in Western pressure onTehran. Enrichment activity resumed after thehardline populist Ahmadinejad became presi-dent in 2005. “It is good to have centrifugesrunning, provided people’s lives and livelihoodsare also running,” Rowhani said, referring toIran’s campaign to develop advanced nucleartechnology despite its worsening economicproblems. — Reuters

Ali Khamenei

TEHRAN: At the bustling Vali Asr inter-section in central Tehran, pro-reformcamp supporter Armin settled in for aheated showdown with supporters of aconservative frontrunner in this week’sIranian presidential election. “I don’t wanta president who lives a simple life, I don’twant a president who survives on breadand cheese and wants the same for us,”said the 30-year-old in jeans and a plaidpink-and-white shirt, pointing to a ban-ner of top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili.“I want a president who eats pizza andwants to improve the economy,” saidArmin, who did not give his first name, ashe adjusted his rimless glasses. Jalili, adevout revolutionary and wounded warveteran, is running on a ticket that boastsopposition to dÈtente with the West. Heis considered a frontrunner among theseven candidates, most of them conser-vative, vying for Iran’s highest electedoffice on Friday. His power-base stemsfrom the paramilitary volunteer forceBasij, whose young members areimpressed by Jalil i ’s calm, low-keydemeanour, as well as his uncompromis-ing stance in talks with world powersover Iran’s disputed nuclear drive.

He has managed to appeal to thesame constituency, including the Basijis,that catapulted President MahmoudAhmadinejad into power in 2005 and re-elected in 2009. Responding to Armin’srhetoric, Mehdi Sadghiani pointedlywaved a large poster of Jalili, adornedwith the slogan in bold letters: “Jalili, themost devastating response to sanctions.”Mehdi, a 22-year-old mechanical engi-neering student, said: “We don’t need torely on other countries. This is the mes-sage of the revolution that Jalili hasrevived.” “He is an independent person,and God willing he will never bow to thedemands of the enemies,” said MiladRahmani, another 22-year-old universitystudent, who joined in the conversation.Dressed in low cut, denim jeans, Miladargued that with Jalili in office, Iranwould overcome all difficulties through“resistance” against the demands of theinternational community, which hasbeen urging Iran to cut back on sensitiveaspects of its nuclear program.

The face-off on Vali Asr intersectionwas one of the livelier incidents in a calmrun-up to the polls. This year’s electioncampaign has been a far cry from the lastvote in 2009 when boisterous campaignrallies and street parties attractedcrowds, as supporters of pro-reform can-didates Mir Hossein Mousavi and MehdiKarroubi faced off with those of the con-servative-minded incumbent. The ralliesled to an upsurge of emotion when

Ahmadinejad was announced the win-ner, as his opponents challenged the offi-cial results claiming massive voter fraudand staged street protests which weresuppressed in a brutal crackdown by theregime.

This year, the election campaign hasbeen lacklustre as no heavyweight candi-dates from the moderate and reformistcamps are on the ballot. Akbar HashemiRafsanjani, a founding father of the revo-lution and two-time ex-presidentfavoured by both camps, has beenbarred from running. The reformists haveone candidate in the race, MohammadReza Aref, but their votes are expected tobe divided between him and moderatehopeful Hassan Rowhani. Authoritieshave banned open-air rallies and mostcandidates have mounted low-cost cam-paigns, highlighted by three live tele-vised debates that only managed to pro-duce a few heated exchanges betweenthe candidates.

As crowd emerged at the intersection,Ramin, 23, was setting up shop to spreadthe word of Aref, sporting a t-shirt with apicture of his favourite candidate. “Weshould vote for a reformist governmentto salvage this mess of the economy,” hesaid, refusing to give his full name. “Onlywith that government can we have free-dom of expression.” Another Aref sup-porter, Meysam, a 27-year-old electricalengineer, agreed.”Only a reformist cansave this country,” he said, while express-ing hope that Aref and Rowhani wouldunite under a single candidate toincrease his chances. As crowds gath-ered, Meysam launched into one-on-onediscussions with onlookers to persuadethem to vote. “We have to convince peo-ple to vote,” he said. “Boycotting the elec-tion will yield no result. It would onlytranslate into a repeat of the same situa-tion.”

Iran is at loggerheads with world pow-ers over its nuclear ambitions, with dra-conian sanctions against its economyimposed by the United States and theEuropean Union. Despite Iran’s insistencethat it only seeks the peaceful applica-tion of the technology, the standoff hascost Tehran many of its friends in theinternational community as well as ahefty economic price. Amir, a 36-year-oldemployee of a private company and for-mer Basij member, said regardless of whotakes office, Iran “has to be friends withthe rest of the world”. “The people wantto have nuclear energy but at what cost?”he asked the crowd, waving an emptybox of an imported breast cancer drugthat he said had become scarce becauseof the sanctions. — AFP

TEHRAN: Iranian reformists are making atentative return to mainstream politics withtwo candidates in Friday’s presidential elec-tion, despite the opposition being a shad-ow of the movement that briefly rockedthe establishment in 2009. Protests by theso-called Green Movement four years ago,over the controversial re-election ofPresident Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, wereharshly suppressed and its leaders con-demned to house arrest where they stilllanguish. Now the largely sidelined pro-reform camp is pinning its hopes on twocandidates in the June 14 presidential race,moderate Hassan Rowhani and reformistMohammad Reza Aref.

In 2009, the conservative establish-ment cracked down hard on reformistsafter they cried foul when Ahmadinejadwas returned amid allegations of electoralfraud. Main opposition leaders Mir HosseinMousavi and Mehdi Karroubi have nowbeen under house arrest for more than twoyears. But pro-reform groups, whose repre-sentation in parliament also waned after a2012 general election, are mobilising forthis week’s presidential election. Theirhopes of making a firm comeback weredealt a severe blow when moderate ex-president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, whocould count on the support of both moder-ates and reformists, was barred from stand-ing. Another reformist former president,Mohammad Khatami, did not put his nameforward following a veiled warning fromthe intelligence ministry for having backed

the 2009 protests. Rowhani, a 64-year-oldmoderate cleric, and Aref, 62, a former firstvice president under Khatami, haveemerged as the sole presidential standardbearers in the reformist camp. Despitebeing considered long shots because ofstiff competition from the five conservativecandidates, including two close aides ofsupreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei,Aref and Rowhani are urging voters to turnout on polling day. “In all my travels, I callon young voters to cast their ballotsbecause not voting is not a choice,” saidAref during campaigning.

As polling day draws closer, pressure isincreasing on the two to join forces toboost their chances. Many reformist figureshave asked Khatami and Rafsanjani toendorse one of the two. The call seemed toresonate at least with Aref, who said hewould “obey their decision”. In 2009,Mousavi and Karroubi demanded a newelection, but the regime showed no mercyas Ahmadinejad’s presidency was rein-forced. Since then the reformists have beenincreasingly sidelined. Rowhani and Arefhave inspired new hope among those peo-ple who had sworn not to vote, and whohad even lambasted Khatami for voting inthe 2012 parliamentary election.

“The presence of Rowhani and Aref intelevised debates and their criticism of lackof freedom have helped revitalise the polit-ical climate,” said one journalist close to thereformers, who asked to remain anony-mous. — AFP

TEHRAN: Iranian presidential candidate and conservative former chief of theRevolutionary Guards Mohsen Rezai speaks during his campaign rally in downtownTehran yesterday. — AFP

Campaign finally warms

up on streets of Tehran

Iran hardliner drops out,

narrows field for alliesVetting body denies plans to bar any more candidates

Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel

Iran reformers seek comeback

TEHRAN: A female supporter of Iranian former vice-president Mohammad Reza Aref holds a poster with hisimage during a campaign rally in the Iranian capital onSunday. —AFP


SOWETO, South Africa: A woman carrying a baby on her back walks behind fab-ric bearing a portrait of former president Nelson Mandela yesterday.— AP

MYKOLAYIV, Ukraine: Sasha, 17, hides herface under the brim of her baseball cap asshe recounts how a lack of food and cloth-ing in her boarding school three years agoforced her to turn to prostitution. She isone of many young women from the for-mer shipbuilding hub and now depressedsouthern Ukrainian city of Mykolayiv whoat a young age felt forced to provide sexfor money or services. But along withdozens of others she now has a glimmer ofhope and wants to get back to a normallife with the help of rehabilitation centressupported by UN Children’s Fund UNICEF.

“My mom was a single mother andwent to Russia when I was two years old.She left and never came back,” said Sasha,who declined to give her surname. Hergrandmother was left to take care of herand her stepsister, but she could not han-dle the pressure. So the social servicestook the girl first to an orphanage, andthen when she was six years old she wentto a boarding school. Sasha says that start-ing at the age of 14 she periodically ranaway from the boarding school, a tough“internat” that houses orphans and prob-

lem children. She and her friends wouldthen be brought back by the police. Thesense of utter destitution made her towork on the streets. “We needed the mon-ey. We wanted clothes, food, and we wereoften malnourished. Others had niceclothes but we had nothing to buy,” saidSasha.

The risks of such work are clear: theMykolayiv region has one of the highestlevels in Ukraine of HIV-related fatalities inthe age group of 15 to 24 years. OlenaSakovych, the adolescent developmentspecialist at the UNICEF Office in Ukraine,said that young people from disadvan-taged backgrounds and practising unsafesexual behaviour are more at risk of con-tracting diseases, including HIV. “They havea lack of knowledge, lack of information,they are left alone with themselves and donot know what to do.”

Sasha recalled how a volunteer fromthe UNICEF-backed Unitus centre came tothe boarding school to tell the young sexworkers about the chances of another life.It brought her to the centre. “I liked beinghere, the people here are so kind, they

began to tell us what is possible, what isnot, how to get out of any situation,” shesaid. Unlike Sasha, other girls at the centreare not so ready to say they were engagedin prostitution. Centre workers add thatmany are in a state of denial aboutwhether they ever been prostitutes. “Girlsdo not call what they do prostitution,”Natalia Babenko, the project coordinator atthe centre Unitus, said. She said some girlsmerely recount how men bought lipstickfor them, tights, or just took them to thecinema in exchange for sex. All of the girlsare from problem families and have littleidea about basic sexual health, the socialworker said. “By the age of 14 they havehad half-a-dozen partners.”

Babenko emphasised that the mainobjectives of the project are preventionand access to services. “We test for HIV,sexually transmitted infections, hepatitis.In parallel we conduct classes often in aplayful way, because you cannot heal thebody if you do not cure the soul.”According to Babenko, the girls areencouraged to bring friends and acquain-tances to the centre and can also learn

how to explain their experiences to others.“If every one of them brought at least fiveof their friends or acquaintances - it wouldbe very good.”

When the project started four yearsago, only a few dozen people joined theprogram. But now it covers 300-400 girls.“Now I am a student in a cultural college, Ilive in a dormitory,” Sasha said, adding thatin the future she wants to become either amusician or a film director. She also hashopes now of a fulfilling, and safe, privatelife. “I met a guy two and a half years ago.Neither he, nor I have any infections. Somaybe we get married in the future.”According to estimates by the UNICEFoffice in Ukraine, the number of underagegirls involved in commercial sex in Ukraineis as high as 15,000. Meanwhile the num-ber of young prostitutes engaging inunprotected sex is still high but fallingsharply. The Ukrainian Institute of SocialStudies said that of those teenage girlsengaged in prostitution, those practisingunprotected sexual contacts haddecreased from 62 percent in 2008 to 40percent in 2011.—AFP

Ukraine teens find way back into society

MYKOLAYIV, Ukraine: Seventeen-year-old prostitute Sasha speaks onMay 29, 2013 to a psychologist atthe UNICEF-backed Unitus rehabili-tation center in this southernUkrainian city. —AFP

JOHANNESBURG: Nelson Mandela remainsin a serious but stable condition as hereceives intensive care for a recurrent lunginfection, the South African government saidyesterday. The 94-year-old anti-apartheidhero was rushed to a Pretoria hospital in theearly hours of Saturday. “Former presidentNelson Mandela remains in hospital, and hiscondition is unchanged,” the presidency saidin a statement. The government haddescribed his condition as “serious but stable”on Saturday. “He is receiving intensive caretreatment,” presidential spokesman MacMaharaj, who served jail time with Mandela,told AFP.

It is the fourth hospital stay in sevenmonths for the man beloved as a global sym-bol of peace and forgiveness and the father ofthe “Rainbow Nation”. And with his latesthealth scare, South Africans are beginning tocome to terms with the mortality of their anti-apartheid hero and first black president. “Hehas done his part. We just pray that he recov-ers,” said Kennedy Moraga outside a privatespecialist heart clinic in Pretoria, where he isbelieved to be receiving treatment.

Two of Mandela’s daughters and somegrandchildren were spotted on Sunday enter-ing the facility, although the government hasnot confirmed it is where he is being treated.“I’ve seen my father and he’s well. He’s a fight-er,” Mandela’s daughter Zindzi told Britain’sGuardian newspaper on Sunday. Access toMandela has been restricted to close familymembers in a bid to reduce the risk of furtherinfections. In late April, President Jacob Zumaand top party officials were photographedwith an unsmiling Mandela looking exceed-ingly frail at his Johannesburg home. The visitprompted allegations that the underfire rul-ing party was exploiting Mandela for politicalgain.

The ANC - facing 2014 elections - has lostmuch of its Mandela shine amid widespreadcorruption, poverty and poor public services.The party and the government on Monday

denied local media reports that they hadbeen barred from visiting Mandela in hospitalby the former leader’s entourage. “There aregeneral restrictions that permit only relevantpeople to have access,” said ANC spokesmanJackson Mthembu.

Maharaj told AFP the authorities wanted“to create a conducive environment for hisrecovery”. “Close loved ones are going to himfor that reason, that’s all, nothing else,” hesaid. “He is receiving treatment and we wanthim to receive the treatment in the best con-dition for his family. They would like to limitthe flow of visitors. The president will visithim when it’s appropriate,” he said, addingthat Zuma does not want “to invade thatspace willy-nilly”.

Mandela, who turns 95 next month, wasback in hospital two months after being dis-charged in April following treatment forpneumonia. He has not been seen in publicsince the World Cup final in South Africa inJuly 2010. “It’s time to let him go,” was thestark front-page headline in the Sunday Timesnewspaper, reflecting the mood of many inthe country. “They expect him to live forever,but we can’t live forever. It’s impossible, wecan’t live forever,” said Maureen Lulu, a well-wisher outside the hospital.

While Twitter users expressed sadness andurged a quick recovery, they were also pre-pared for the worst. “It’s time to let NelsonMandela go. He has served his country. Lethim rest with dignity and a legacy that willnever die,” tweeted Ketha Msane. SouthAfrican pulmonologist Guy Richards told AFPthat recurring pneumonia was rare unlessthere was previous lung damage. “For exam-ple if you had tuberculosis, then often thosedamaged areas will be colonised with bacte-ria which are able to cause recurrent infec-tions,” he said.

Mandela was diagnosed with early-stagetuberculosis in 1988 and also has had treat-ment for prostate cancer and suffered stom-ach ailments. —AFP

Mandela remainsin ‘intensive care’

BERLIN: Germany battled yester-day against historic floods wreak-ing death and destruction acrosscentral Europe as a dyke burstforcing hundreds from theirhomes but the Hungarian capitalaverted devastation. Parts ofnorthern Germany continued tobe threatened by the swollenRiver Elbe where a dyke wasbreached overnight in Saxony-Anhalt state, adding hundreds tothe already thousands of Germanresidents to have been evacuat-ed. Downstream in Magdeburg,more than 23,000 residents of thecity and its surrounding areas hadstill not been given the greenlight to return to their homesafter the Elbe rose to nearly fourtimes its normal level.

Levels had dropped to 7.30 myesterday after reaching 7.48 mbut authorities remained onedge. The normal level is aroundtwo metres. “ The situation inMagdeburg is under control forthe moment... but there is still notcause yet to breathe a sigh ofrelief or to lift the alert,” a spokes-woman for the region’s emer-gency task force. The water levelin Magdeburg exceeded that ofprevious record floods of 2002,local authorities said. Magdeburglies downriver from where theRiver Saale spills into the Elbe,creating a water surge, a record40 km long.

Further downstream, townsincluding Lauenburg and the vil-lage of Hitzacker in Lower Saxonywere preparing for the peak to hitin coming days while inWittenberge, in Brandenburgstate that surrounds the capitalBerlin, officials were bracing forthe Elbe to reach new recordhighs yesterday. Overnight nearthe village of Fischbeck, the tor-rent of water forced a 10-metrebreach in the dyke which quicklygrew to 50 m, sparking the orderfor the village’s 400-500 residentsto leave, as well as those of three

neighbouring villages. The rup-ture also closed a railway bridgeforcing a diversion in train servic-es between Berlin and Cologne orFrankfurt. The torrent of floodwaters in Germany has turnedvast areas into a brown waterworld, sparked a mass mobilisa-tion of emergency workers andcaused billions of euros in dam-age in what one lawmakertermed a “national catastrophe”.

After fearing the worst,Hungary breathed a sigh of reliefyesterday after flood defencesheld firm in its capital Budapest,averting disaster and the mightyRiver Danube started to recedeafter reaching a historic high. Asthe situation in Budapest beganto normalise, the focus ofHungary’s defence efforts movedto high-risk locations in the south

of the country, Hungarian PrimeMinister Viktor Orban said yester-day. “Budapest should be out ofdanger by Wednesday, and hopesto present a faultless record - nodeaths or injuries due to theflood,” he said, after the Danubein Budapest reached a historicpeak of 8.91 m on Sundayevening but had begun to fallearly yesterday.

The deluge has also sparkedmassive emergency responses inAustria, where the death toll hasnow reached five, and Slovakia.Across central Europe, the floodshave killed at least 19 people,including 10 in the CzechRepublic. In the Czech Republicmore rain was expected yester-day after storms and heavy rainraised water levels on some riversand brooks, causing local flood-

ing Sunday and police said thenumber of missing had risen tosix. Slovakia was getting back tonormal with water levels fallingbut forecasters had predicted rainfor yesterday too.

The rains have also severelyswelled the Danube in southernGermany, especially the city ofPassau, which has moved fromalert to clean-up mode. Adding totensions was a threat to attackdykes from a group calling itselfthe “Germanophobic FloodBrigade”. Aerial and ground sur-veillance had been stepped up,said Saxony-Anhalt state interiorminister Holger Stahlknecht. Butmore rains were expected yester-day in Thuringia, Saxony andBavaria, with as much as 50 litresper square metre expected withina few hours. — AFP

Dyke bursts as Germany battles historic floods

Hungarian capital averts devastation

MEISSEN, Germany: A woman walks through a flooded street yesterday.— AFP

ROME: Italy’s battered centre-left won theelection for mayor of Rome yesterday andappeared set to do well in other cities, givinga lift to Prime Minister Enrico Letta as hestrives to control an uneasy coalition with tra-ditional rivals on the right. The centre-leftcandidate, former surgeon Ignazio Marino,took 63.8 percent of votes in a run-off balloton Sunday and Monday, defeating the outgo-ing mayor Gianni Alemanno who won 36.2percent, a partial Interior Ministry count

showed. “The fact is that Marino has won, wehave to accept that,” said Andrea Augello, aclose aide of Alemanno.

With about six million Italians eligible tovote, the elections were the first major test ofsentiment since the formation of the Lettagovernment in April. However, popular disil-lusionment with Italy’s parties was evidentfrom the dramatic slump in voter turnout inthe capital to an all-time low of 45 percent,down from 63 percent in the run-off in 2008when Alemanno became mayor. Despite thepoor turnout, the result offers a welcome suc-cess for Letta’s centre-left Democratic Party(PD), which nearly imploded after throwingaway a 10-point lead it held ahead of Italy’sinconclusive general election in February.

The party then upset more voters by form-ing a government with centre-right adversarySilvio Berlusconi and Letta has struggled toconvince many Italians that he is truly leadingthe administration and not the charismaticmedia mogul. Preliminary results yesterdayshowed some signs of voter confidence inthe centre-left elsewhere too. It was wellahead in the cities of Ancona, Viterbo andTreviso and was on track to win in everyprovincial capital in the race.

In Siena, a traditional stronghold of theleft, voting was neck-and-neck after a scandalat the Monte dei Paschi di Siena bank tar-nished the image of the centre-left city gov-ernment. The anti-establishment 5-StarMovement of comic Beppe Grillo, which rodea wave of popular discontent to take almost aquarter of the national vote in February, fared

badly in the elections, with almost all of itscandidates eliminated in the first round twoweeks ago. The movement faces an evenmore telling test in Sicily, where a separateset of local balloting was held on Sunday andMonday. Sicily was the scene of one of itsgreatest triumphs last year and a springboardfor its national success. The movement hasbeen shaken by growing concern aboutGrillo’s authoritarian style. Last week two law-makers abandoned the group, complainingabout his control over decision-making.

The low turnout reflected widespread dis-content with corruption, waste and misman-agement at national and city levels. Whilegood news for Letta, the result was a blow tothe centre-right and could weaken some ofBerlusconi’s more combative lieutenants whohave been pressing the prime minister tomake aggressive tax cuts. With constant inter-nal bickering, the left-right coalition govern-ment’s popularity has dropped and fewItalians have confidence that it can end eco-nomic stagnation or reform the country’ssclerotic and inefficient institutions.

Letta has had to reconcile competingdemands for tax cuts and job-creating meas-ures to pull I taly out of recession withpledges to shore up public finances and cutstate debt.

Official data yesterday showed Italy ’seconomy contracted by 0.6 percent in thefirst quarter of this year and industrial outputwas weaker than expected in April, falling fora third month running and offering no hopethat the slump will end soon. — Reuters

GRENOBLE, France: Police probing the mur-der of a British-Iraqi family in the French Alpslast year are looking into telephone calls toRomania made from the phone of the brotherof one of the victims, the prosecutor incharge of the investigation said yesterday.Annecy Prosecutor Eric Maillaud saidRomanian authorities had been asked to helpestablish who Zaid Al-Hilli, the brother ofSaad Al-Hilli, had apparently been calling butthey had not been able to identify the num-bers. “There were calls made from the phoneof Saad Al-Hilli ’s brother to Romania,”Maillaud told AFP. “A formal request for assis-tance was made to Romania several monthsago but so far it has not produced anything.”

Maillaud stressed that the Romania linkwas not being treated as a major new lead. “Itis simply that we can leave no stoneunturned,” he said. “This is part of the massesof data we are gathering month after month.“We know calls were made to Romania butwe do not know who was at the other end ofthe line or why the calls were made.” Maillaudhas in the past mooted the possibility of theshooting having been the work of a “low-costkiller” from eastern Europe, although he hasalways stressed the lack of any firm evidence

to back up that theory.Maillaud’s team believe that Saad Al-Hilli

was embroiled in a dispute with his brotherover a family inheritance which could haveprovided a motive for the murder. Accordingto Maillaud, Saad and Zaid’s father wrote twodraft wills, one of which left Saad with noth-ing and one which envisaged a fair split ofassets worth several million euros. Zaid Al-Hilli denies any feud with his brother. Britishpolice have spoken to him as part of theirinquiries but have given no indication thatthey consider him a suspect.

Maillaud said that, for that reason, Zaid Al-Hilli had not been asked to explain the callsfrom his phone to Romania. “Those are thetype of questions that cannot be asked of awitness in Britain,” the prosecutor said. “Hewould have to be considered a suspect.” SaadAl-Hilli, his wife Iqbal and her mother SuhailaAl-Allaf were shot dead in the family estatecar at a beauty spot near Lake Annecy onSept 5. Their two young daughters survivedthe shooting, in which a French cyclist wasalso slain. Police believe the cyclist, SylvainMoller, was not a target and was shot becausehe was “in the wrong place at the wrongtime”.— AFP

Romania link inFrench shooting

Italy local elections give boost to Letta

Ignazio Marino


SANTA MONICA: Santa Monica College reopenedunder extra security Monday except for the library,where police shot and killed a heavily armed gun-man after a rampage that left five people dead.Students who fled Friday would be able to resumefinal examinations and retrieve backpacks, car andother belongings, according to the college web-site. Counselors were on hand and a candlelightvigil was planned for Monday evening in front ofthe library. Investigators, meanwhile, were tryingto determine why John Zawahri, 23, killed hisfather and older brother in a home near campusFriday, leaving the house in flames. He fired at acar, wounding the driver, took another motoristhostage and forced her to drive as he shot at peo-ple and a bus in the neighborhood. He shot awoman in the head on campus and was shot andkilled by police in the college library after gunningdown a total of five people in fewer than 15 min-utes.

Debra Fine was wounded when Zawahriopened fire on her car. She said the attacker hadspiky hair, wore black clothing and a ballistics vest,and a cold, intense stare. There was “no hesitation,no flick of a muscle, nothing. Just absolutely star-ing and going onto the next step,” Fine recalled. “Ijust simply got in his way. And he needed to killme. That was it.” She recognized the eyes in a 2006high school yearbook photo of Zawahri shown toher by The Associated Press. Investigators weretrying to determine whether Zawahri had mentalhealth problems that may have sparked the ram-page.

Authorities hoped his mother, who returnedearly from a trip abroad and was interviewedSunday by police, could help provide clues aboutwhat triggered the violence. “A big piece of thepuzzle just came home,” Sgt Richard Lewis said.The killing began as a domestic violence attackwhen Zawahri killed his father, Samir, 55, andbrother, Christopher, 24, in their home nearInterstate 10 in a working-class part of town a fewmiles from the beachside attractions that drawtourists year-round.

The gunman, carrying a duffel bag with 1,300rounds of ammo, fired shots in the neighborhoodand took his rampage on the road. Fine was thefirst stranger shot by Zawahri. She was using sidestreets after her singing lesson to avoid trafficfrom President Barack Obama’s visit three milesaway when the gunman motioned at the car ofthe woman in front of her with his rifle, telling herto pull over. Fine thought the man was providingsecurity for the president’s visit. Then he pointedthe rifle at the woman and started to yell. Upsetthat he would yell at someone who cooperated,Fine accelerated. “He looked right at me,” Fine said.“Stared right at me and then shot. No hesitation.”Zawahri then walked toward her, shooting again.Fine was hit in the shoulder, arm and ear, and shelay on the passenger seat, pretending to be dead.Zawahri, meanwhile, carjacked the woman he’d

stopped and directed her to Santa MonicaCollege, firing at bystanders along the way andshooting up a city bus.

At the college, he blasted a Ford Explorer driv-en by Carlos Navarro Franco, 68, killing the driverand his daughter, Marcela Franco, 26, who diedSunday. The father was a longtime groundskeeperat the college and was taking his daughter to buytextbooks for summer classes. On foot, Zawahriheaded for the library, spraying gunfire aroundcampus as students, who were in the middle offinal exams, took cover in classrooms or bolted fortheir lives. He fatally shot one woman in the headand then casually strolled past a cart of books intothe library where he fired 70 shots without strikinganyone.

In a shootout with three police officers,Zawahri was struck multiple times. His body wastaken outside, where he was pronounced dead.Asmall cache of ammunition was found in a roomof the burnt house. The elder Zawahri brought hisfamily to the neighborhood of small homes andapartment buildings tucked up against Interstate10 in the mid-1990s, according to propertyrecords. Not long after arriving on YorkshireAvenue, Samir Zawahri and his wife Randa Abdou,54, went through a difficult divorce and split cus-tody of their two boys, said Thomas O’Rourke, aneighbor. When the sons got older, one went to

live with his mother while the other stayed withthe father.

Public records show Abdou, who lives in anapartment a couple miles away, was the ex-wife ofSamir Zawahri and former co-owner of the housewhere the first shooting took place. John Zawahrihad a run-in with police seven years ago, butPolice Chief Jacqueline Seabrooks wouldn’t offermore details because he was a juvenile at thetime. She said the gunman was enrolled at SantaMonica College in 2010. Home from the hospitalon Sunday, Fine recalled the moments after shewas shot. Neighbors had come to help her, oneholding towels to her wounds. Fifteen minutes lat-er paramedics arrived. Her husband Russell Finesaid he rushed to her side by using the family GPStracking feature on his phone to pinpoint her loca-tion. “When I got ... into the trauma room and Iheard one of the doctors say, ‘Two more havearrived but they’re DOA,’ that’s when I realized thatthis was part of something bigger, and that hisintent had been to kill people,” Fine said. “I’m just, Ifeel very, very lucky to be here.”“I’ve always beenright in the middle on the gun control issue, andI’m not anymore,” she added. “When are we goingto get the guns out of the hands of the peoplewho are mentally ill, or when is there enoughproof that it’s very dangerous to have those typesof weapons out there?” — AP

Police identify gunmanin Santa Monica rampage

Santa Monica College reopens

SANTA MONICA: Margaret Quinonez-Perez (left) speaks to reporters during a news conference,Sunday, June 9, 2013, about victims Marcela Franco and father Carlos Navarro Franco whowere both killed in Friday’s deadly rampage shooting in Santa Monica, Calif. — AP

LAS VEGAS: Environmental activist ErinBrockovich, portrayed by Julia Roberts in a2000 movie about her fight over the pollu-tion of a California town, was arrested onsuspicion of boating while intoxicated atLake Mead near Las Vegas, authorities said.Brockovich was arrested late Friday afterbreath tests showed her blood-alcohol lev-el was just over twice the legal limit of .08,Edwin Lyngar, spokesman for the NevadaDepartment of Wildlife, said Sunday.Brockovich, 52, was released from the ClarkCounty Detention Center after posting$1,000 bail.

In a statement issued Sunday, she apol-ogized for her actions but stressed that shedid not operate the boat in open waters.She only moved the boat within its ownslip, she said. “At no time was the boat awayfrom the dock and there was no publicsafety risk,” Brockovich said. “That beingsaid, I take drunk driving very seriously, thiswas clearly a big mistake, I know better andI am very sorry. “After a day in the sun and

with nothing to eat it appears that a coupleof drinks had a greater impact than I hadrealized,” she added. Authorities wereunsure whether it was Brockovich’s firstarrest on the charge. — AP

NEW YORK: In this file photo, two ceiling-mounted video surveillance cameras are seenas a man awaits the arrival of a No. 1 subway train at the 34th Street station. —AP

NEW YORK: For more than a decade now,Americans have made peace with theuneasy knowledge that someone - govern-ment, business or both - might be watch-ing. We knew that the technology wasthere. We knew that the law might allow it.As we stood under a security camera at astreet corner, connected with friends onlineor talked on a smartphone equipped withGPS, we knew, too, it was conceivable thatwe might be monitored. Now, though,paranoid fantasies have come face to facewith modern reality: The government IScollecting our phone records. The techno-logical marvels of our age have opened thedoor to the National Security Agency’ssweeping surveillance of Americans’ calls.

Torn between our desires for privacyand protection, we’re now forced to decidewhat we really want. “We are living in anage of surveillance,” said Neil Richards, aprofessor at Washington University’s Schoolof Law in St Louis who studies privacy lawand civil liberties. “There’s much morewatching and much more monitoring, and Ithink we have a series of important choicesto make as a society - about how muchwatching we want.” But the only way tomake those choices meaningful, he andothers said, is to lift the secrecy shroudingthe watchers.

“I don’t think that people routinelyaccept the idea that government should beable to do what it wants to do,” said MarcRotenberg, president of the ElectronicPrivacy Information Center. “It’s not justabout privacy. It’s about responsibility ...and you only get to evaluate that whengovernment is more public about its con-duct.” The NSA, officials acknowledged thisweek, has been collecting phone records ofhundreds of millions of US phone cus-tomers. In another program, it collectsaudio, video, email, photographic andInternet search usage of foreign nationalsoverseas who use any of the nine majorInternet providers, including Microsoft,Google, Apple and Yahoo.

In interviews across the country inrecent days, Americans said they were star-tled by the NSA’s actions. Abraham Ismail, a25-year-old software designer takingadvantage of the free Wi-Fi outside aStarbucks in Raleigh, NC, said in retrospect,fears had prompted Americans to give up

too much privacy. “It shouldn’t be so justeffortless,” he said, snapping his fingers foremphasis, “to pull people’s information andget court orders to be able to databaseevery single call, email. I mean, it’s crazy.”

The clash between security and privacyis far from new. In 1878, it played out in acourt battle over whether government offi-cials could open letters sent through themail. In 1967, lines were drawn over gov-ernment wiretapping. Government usedsurveillance to ferret out Communists dur-ing the 1950s and to spy on Martin LutherKing and other civil rights leaders duringthe 1960s. But in earlier times, courts, law-makers and the public eventually demand-ed curbs on such watching. Those effortsdidn’t stop improper government monitor-ing, but they restrained it, said ChristianParenti, author of “The Soft Cage:

Surveillance in America from Slavery tothe War on Terror.” The difference now, heand other experts say, is that enormousadvances in personal technology and thepublic’s broad tolerance of monitoringbecause of shifting attitudes about terror-ism and online privacy have given govern-ment and private companies significantlymore power - and leeway - to monitor indi-vidual behavior.

The tolerance of government monitor-ing stems in large part from the wave offear that swept the country after the 2001attacks, when Americans granted officialsbroad new powers under the PATRIOT Act.But those attitudes are nuanced and shift-ing. In a 2011 poll by The Associated Pressand the NORC Center for Public AffairsResearch, 54 percent of those surveyed feltprotecting citizens’ rights and freedomsshould be a higher priority for the govern-ment than keeping people safe from terror-ists. At the same time, 64 percent said itwas sometimes necessary to sacrifice somerights and freedoms to fight terrorism.

“Whenever something like 9/11 hap-pens, it does tend to cause people tochange their minds,” Richards said. “But Ithink what’s interesting is it has to be along-term conversation. We can’t, whenev-er we’re scared, change the rules forever.”But up until now, there’s been only limiteddebate about where and how to redrawthe lines on surveillance. — AP

NSA forces the question: What do we really want?

SANFORD: Jury selection in the case ofTrayvon Martin’s fatal shooting beginsMonday in the Orlando suburb of Sanford,Florida, the scene of massive protests bypeople who were angered that police wait-ed 44 days before charging neighborhoodwatch volunteer George Zimmerman withsecond-degree murder. Other demonstra-tions were held around the United States,and the case drew worldwide attention as itfanned a debate about race, equal justiceunder the law and gun control.

There is no dispute Zimmerman shot anunarmed Martin, 17, during a fight on arainy night in February 2012. Prosecutorswill try to show the neighborhood watchvolunteer racially profiled the black teenag-er, while Zimmerman’s attorney must con-vince jurors Zimmerman pulled his 9 mmhandgun and fired a bullet into the highschool student’s chest because he feared forhis life. Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder. He says he shot Martin inself-defense. If convicted, Zimmerman, whoidentifies himself as Hispanic, could get a life

sentence. Under Florida law, Zimmerman,29, could shoot Martin in self-defense if itwas necessary to prevent death or greatbodily harm. His lead attorney, Mark O’Mara,has to be careful how he characterizesMartin, said Randy McClean, an Orlando-area defense attorney. “Mr. O’Mara’s chal-lenge is to show Trayvon wasn’t profiled,that Zimmerman either saw something thatlooked suspicious or something else thatcaused him to make contact with Trayvon,”he said.

McClean and another Orlando defenseattorney, David Hill, predicted prosecutorswill attack Zimmerman as a frustrated,would-be police officer who had a chip onhis shoulder. Zimmerman was employed ata mortgage risk management firm. He hadstudied criminal justice at a community col-lege and had volunteered to run his com-munity’s neighborhood watch program. TheFeb. 26, 2012, confrontation began whenZimmerman spotted Martin, whom he didnot recognize, walking in the Retreat at TwinLakes, the gated townhome community

where Zimmerman lived and the fiancee ofMartin’s father also resided. There had beena rash of recent break-ins at the Retreat, andZimmerman was wary of strangers walkingthrough the complex. He was well-known topolice dispatchers for his regular callsreporting suspicious people and events.

Martin was walking back from a conven-ience store after buying ice tea and Skittles.It was raining, and he was wearing a hoodie.Zimmerman called police, got out of hisvehicle and followed Martin behind thetownhomes despite being told not to by apolice dispatcher. “These a———s, theyalways get away,” Zimmerman said on thecall. Zimmerman, who had a concealedweapons permit, was armed.

The two then got into a struggle.Zimmerman told police he had lost sight ofMartin, and that Martin circled back andattacked him as he walked back to his truck.Prosecutors say he tracked down Martin andstarted the fight.

Zimmerman told police Martin punchedhim in the nose, knocking him down, and

then got on top of him and began bangingZimmerman’s head on the sidewalk. Photostaken after the fight show Zimmerman witha broken nose, bruises and bloody cuts onthe back of his head. He said that whenMartin spotted his gun holstered around hiswaist under his clothes, he said, “You aregoing to die tonight.” Zimmerman said hegrabbed the gun first and fired. Martin diedat the scene.

Given the low visibility on the dark, rainynight of the shooting, few residents of theRetreat at Twin Lakes were able to giveinvestigators a good description of whathappened, and several offered conflictingaccounts of who was on top of whom dur-ing the struggle. But police calls made byneighbors captured cries for help during thefight and then the gunshot. Martin’s parentssay the cries for help were from their son,while Zimmerman’s father has testified theywere from his son. Voice-recognition expertscould play an important role in helpingjurors decide who was screaming, providedthey are allowed to testify. O’Mara had

raised questions about whether such prose-cution experts would mislead jurors andCircuit Judge Debra Nelson has yet to rule.

The shooting received little initial atten-tion, but that changed after Martin’s parentshired Benjamin Crump, a prominent civilrights attorney. He began complaining tothe news media, accusing the police andprosecutors of letting the murderer of ablack child go free, and contacting other civ-il rights leaders, including the Revs.

Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, to gettheir support. Gov. Rick Scott appointedState Attorney Angela B. Corey from thenearby Jacksonville district to re-examinethe case. She decided to chargeZimmerman. For the past year, Zimmermanhas been free on $1 million bond and livingin seclusion. O’Mara earlier decided not toinvoke a “stand your ground” hearing inwhich a judge alone would decide whetherto dismiss the case or allow it to proceed totrial. It’s not clear whether Zimmerman willtake the stand, but he has already testifiedin pretrial hearings. — AP

Jury to be picked for Zimmerman’s trial

SAN FRANCISCO: Recent revelationsabout the US National SecurityAgency’s expansive data-collectionefforts have underscored the powerof electronic surveillance in theInternet era and renewed an historicdebate over how far the governmentshould go in spying on its own peo-ple. A disillusioned former CIA com-puter technician named EdwardSnowden, who had worked as a con-tactor at the NSA, identified himselfon Sunday as the source of multipledisclosures on the government’s sur-veillance that were published by theGuardian and the Washington Postlast week.

The information included a secretcourt order directing VerizonCommunications Inc to turn over allits calling records for a three-monthperiod, and details about an NSAprogram code-named PRISM, whichcollected emails, chat logs and othertypes of data from Internet compa-nies. These included Google Inc,Facebook Inc, Microsoft Corp, YahooInc, AOL Inc and Apple Inc.

Snowden cast himself as awhistleblower alarmed about over-reaching by the US intelligenceestablishment, which was givenbroad powers after the Sept 11

attacks in 2001 and can take nowtake advantage of the huge growthin digital data. President BarackObama and congressional leadershave vigorously defended the NSA’sefforts as both legal and necessary.US Director of National IntelligenceJames Clapper took the rare step ofresponding in detail to stories aboutPRISM.

US Attorney General Eric Holder’sJustice Department has launched anew round of investigations intomedia leaks, the very issue that con-sumed his department for the lastmonth and led to renewed calls forHolder’s resignation. Intelligence offi-cials and the technology companiessay PRISM is much less invasive thaninitially suggested by stories in theGuardian and the Post. Several peo-ple familiar with negotiationsbetween the Silicon Valley giants andintelligence officials said the NSAcould not rummage at will throughcompany servers and that requestsfor data had to be about specificaccounts believed to be overseas.Still, the revelations alarmed civil lib-erties advocates and some lawmak-ers who had supported the PatriotAct, which gave intelligence agenciesnew powers after 9/11, and another

law granting telecommunication car-riers immunity for evesdropping atthe request of the government. “Thisis the law, but the way the law isbeing interpreted has really con-cerned me,” Democratic SenatorMark Udall said on ABC on Sunday.“It’s just to me a violation of our pri-vacy, particularly if it’s done in waysthat we don’t know about.”

Of primary concern for Udall andothers was that millions of Americanshave had their phone habits and oth-er records perused by computer pro-grams and analysts hunting for con-nections to terrorists or foreign gov-ernments - even though the NSA isgenerally barred from spying on UScitizens. One former high-rankingNSA official told Reuters that suchbroad assembly of records wasessential to investigations.

If “a known terrorist in Yemen callssomeone in the US, why did he callthem and what happened when theperson in US starts making calls else-where in the US?” he asked. “On thesurface it looks like the emergence ofa terrorism cell.” Data-mining pro-grams map such connections andprovide grounds for further inquiry,potentially including the contents ofcalls, according to former operatives

and Justice Department officials.Among the remaining unknowns,even after four days of media cover-age, is how much data beyondphone numbers is collected from USresidents, how that data is “mini-mized” to prevent excess scrutiny,how it is analyzed and how long it iskept. The NSA “keeps the emailsessentially forever.

I don’t think there is any questionabout it,” said Mark Rossini, a formerFBI supervisor who was assigned to aCIA counter-terrorism unit and whosaid he was briefed on PRISM. “Theyare not reading our data, they arestoring it in bits and bytes that can besearched,” Rossini said. The same islikely true of the mass of phone callscopied from AT&T Inc offices to facili-ties controlled by the NSA, as dis-closed by an AT&T whistleblower in2006, he added.

The revelations began onWednesday with a Guardian reporton a secret court order demandingall Verizon phone records over athree-month period. The scope of therequest appeared to undermine thegovernment’s contention that its sur-veillance efforts are highly targetedand do not involve large numbers ofUS citizens. — Reuters

Activist Brockovich arrested

AGOURA HILLS: In this file photo, envi-ronmental activist Erin Brockovich sitsin her home in Agoura Hills, Calif. — AP

Disclosures on NSA spying alarmUS lawmakers, tech companies


KABUL: Afghanistan’s human rights com-mission has accused the police of a sig-nificant amount of violence againstwomen, saying it threatened to under-mine public trust in the security forces asthey prepare to take full charge of thecountry. Though Afghan women havemade gains since the collapse of the aus-tere Taleban regime in 2001, violenceagainst them remains widespread. Thereare fears the gains made could be lostwhen most foreign forces leave by theend of next year.

Nearly 15 percent of so-called honourkillings and sexual assaults were commit-

ted by police, the AfghanistanIndependent Human Rights Commissionsaid in a report, citing findings gatheredfrom more than two years of data. “Thisissue can harm public confidence andtrust (in our) national police,” the commis-sion said.

Honour killings are attacks by a mem-ber of a family or a tribe, usually carriedout by a man, against another member,usually a women, because of a percep-tion that the victim brought dishonour tothe group. The commission said it haddocumented 163 cases of sexual assaultand 243 honour killings throughout the

country from the beginning of 2011 tothe end of May 2013. It said that giventhe high rate of under-reporting, the realnumber of cases was probably muchhigher. “Due to severe traditional sensitiv-ities and cultural obstacles, a large num-ber of such cases are kept secret.” TheInterior Ministry, which is responsible forthe police, rejected the report and saidthe force had made significant progresstowards safeguarding human rights.

The Afghan parliament last monthfailed to pass a controversial law banningviolence against women, dealing anotherblow to fragile progress made on women

rights. President Hamid Karzai approvedthe Elimination of Violence AgainstWomen Law by decree in 2009 but itrequired parliamentary approval before itcould be enshrined. The decree bannedforced and underage marriage, beatingsand rape.

Last month, the law was put beforeparliament but a rift between conserva-tive and progressive members resulted init being deferred, with conservativeswarning of “blood on the streets” if it wereever passed.

“The cultural impunity and the lack offollow up of these cases by different

organisations and authorities is some-thing we’re very concerned about,” saidrights commission chairwoman SimaSamar. Despite billions of dollars in for-eign aid poured into the country Overmore than a decade, Afghanistan is regu-larly declared to be one of the most dan-gerous places to be a woman.

As the international presence shrinks,many women fear a return to the condi-tions they faced under the Taleban.Afghanistan’s 152,000 police are routinelyaccused of abuses and critics say theirbehaviour has pushed many villagers intothe ranks of the insurgency. — Reuters

Afghan group accuses police of violence against women

KABUL: Seven heavily armed Talebanfighters launched a pre-dawn attacknear Afghanistan’s main airport yes-terday, apparently targeting NATO’sairport headquarters with rocket-pro-pelled grenades, heavy machineguns and at least one large bomb.Two Afghan civilians were woundedand all the attackers were killed aftera four hours’ long battle. It was one ofthree attacks on state facilities in themorning by insurgents around thecountry, the third time in a monththat insurgents have launched amajor attack seeking high-profile tar-gets in and around Kabul. It appearsto be part of an effort to rattle publicconfidence as Afghan security forcestake over most responsibility for pro-tecting the country ahead of thewithdrawal of foreign troops nextyear.

In addition to the airport attack,six militants wearing suicide bombvests tried to storm the provincialcouncil building in the capital ofsouthern Zabul province, while threeattempted to attack a district policeheadquarters near the capital.Elsewhere, a roadside bomb killed aPolish soldier in the NATO force.Interior Ministry spokesman SediqSediqi said that in Zabul, attackerswounded 18 people, including threepolice officers, when they detonateda car bomb outside the building inthe city of Qalat, but security forcesshot and killed them before theymanaged to enter. On the outskirts ofKabul, police killed one attacker andarrested two others who tried tostorm the headquarters building inthe Surobi district.

The attack against the capital’s air-port appeared aimed at creating asense of insecurity among residentsof the capital and sow panic in thepopulation. The insurgents did notget close enough to attack aircraftand were not near the runway’s flightpath. Even if they had managed todamage the airport, it would haveaffected civilian flights but not hadan impact on military operations,which are carried out from a militaryairfield at Bagram about 50 kilome-ters (30 miles) north of the capital.

Afghan President Hamid Karzaisaid his government would not bedeterred. “These cowardly terroristattacks on the Afghan people cannotchange the chosen path of theAfghan people toward progress,development, peace and elections,”Karzai said, referring to next spring’spoll to elect a new head of state.Karzai was not in Kabul during theattack. He was visiting the Gulf stateof Qatar, where he was discussing hiscountry’s stalled peace process andthe possible opening of a Talebanoffice in Doha.

Both Afghanistan and the United

States support the opening of aTaleban political office in Qatar aspart of an effort to rekindle talks withthe insurgent group, which has beenwaging war against the governmentand US-led military coalition for near-ly 12 years. But first, Kabul andWashington say, the Taleban mustrenounce all ties to al-Qaida and oth-er terrorist groups and acceptAfghanistan’s constitution.

Sediqi said the attacks are moti-vated by the upcoming handover ofthe lead for security from the U.S.-ledcoalition to the Afghan army andpolice. Afghan forces are now leading90 percent of the military operationsagainst the insurgents and have thelead for security in areas where 80percent of the country’s populationlives. After the handover sometimelater this month, the coalition willassist, train and mentor and providemilitary support only in emergencies.“Of course, in the coming days, therewill be a transition, and security isgoing to be handed over to Afghanforces,” Sediqi said. “They are trying tosabotage that process and trying tobring the ability of the Afghan securi-ty forces into question, which theycannot because today’s incidents inthree different parts of the countrywere all foiled without significantcasualties.”

He added that in the Kabul attackthere was no need to “call coalitionsupport because, you know, todaythe Afghan forces, especially policeand special units, foiled the attack.”The Kabul airport itself was not dam-aged and reopened shortly after thefighting was over, said airport chiefYaqub Rassuli. “There was no damageto the runway. Some shrapnel fellnearby, but we have cleared it away,”Rassuli said.

Police said that attackers wearingsuicide vests occupied one or twobuildings under construction on the

west side of the airport and began fir-ing at the NATO facility, which wasquite a distance away. It was unclearwhether they hit anything inside thatfacility. Kabul police chief AyoubSalangi said a minivan full of explo-sives parked outside the building inan effort to kill security forces did notblow up and was later safely detonat-ed.

Two Afghan civilians were wound-ed, but there were no deaths amongeither security forces or civilians,Sediqi said. Taleban spokesmanZabiullah Mujahid claimed responsi-bility for the attack, saying the insur-gents were targeting NATO head-quarters. The international militarycoalition said it was assessing the sit-uation and had no immediate reportsof casualties or damage. The US-ledNATO coalition’s Joint Commandheadquarters at the airport runs theday-to-day operations of the waragainst insurgents. The airport’s mili-tary side is also used for NATO trans-port and other aircraft.

The attack began with a loud blastat around 4:30 am. “It started justafter dawn prayers and I countedabout a dozen explosions, mostlyRPG fire, coming from (near) the air-port,” said Emayatullah, who livesnext to the airport. Like manyAfghans, he uses only one name.Kabul police spokesman HashmatStanikzai said that after the initialblast, at least five insurgents thenoccupied two buildings in a singlecompound and started firing rocket-propelled grenades and automaticweapons.

“Sometimes they are shootingfrom one building, sometimes fromother,” he said during the fighting. “Itis a residential area and the com-pound has been surrounded byAfghan security forces. The securityforces surrounded the buildings andare being careful because it is a resi-

dential area.” Deputy Kabul policechief Dawood Amin said there wereseven attackers. Two blew them-selves up with suicide vests at thestart of the assault, and five wereshot and killed by police during thebattle.

The Taleban have launchedintense attacks across the country,testing Afghan security forces as for-eign combat troops pull back. In onesuch attack, Poland’s DefenseMinistry said a Polish soldier died ofwounds suffered in the explosion of aroadside bomb yesterday in the east-ern province of Ghazni. He is the 18thinternational service member to bekilled in Afghanistan this month. Thelast big attack in Kabul was May 24,when six suicide bombers attacked aguest house belonging to the UnitedNations-affiliated InternationalOrganization for Migration, killingthree people - a police officer, aguard and a civilian. On May 16, a sui-cide bomber had rammed a car into aNATO convoy, k ill ing 15 people,including two American soldiers andfour civilian contractors.

Also yesterday, Afghan govern-ment officials said they found theheadless body of a 10-year-old boywho lived by collecting trash near agovernment checkpoint. Theybelieve he was killed by militantswho suspected he was a spy.Kandahar provincial spokesmanJawed Faisal said yesterday that thechild used to pick up leftovers frompolice and soldiers in the Kandahar’sZhari district. Provincial police chiefAbdul Razaq said the boy’s body wasfound decapitated on Sunday. Hecondemned the “shameful act of theTaliban” but did not say how he knewthe militants were responsible. TheTaleban have not claimed responsi-bility for the killing, and it was notpossible to independently confirmthe incident. —AP

Taleban attack near Kabul main airport

7 attackers killed during 4-hour fight

KABUL: Afghan policemen stand guard in a building which was used for attack on Kabul airport yesterday. — AFP

KHYBER: Pakistani security personnel move the dead body of a driver of a NATO sup-ply truck after an attack by armed militants in Khyber district yesterday. — AFP

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s president, in whatwill likely be his last major speech to parlia-ment, urged the new government yesterdayto keep up the fight against militancy, one ofthe many problems facing the country. AsifAli Zardari spoke hours after militants dressedas policemen and armed with assault riflesand rockets attacked trucks in Pakistan carry-ing supplies to US-led NATO troops in neigh-boring Afghanistan, killing four people. Theattack and the speech both drew attention tothe continuing threat militants pose to thestability of Pakistan.

The May 11 elections marked the first timein Pakistan’s 65-year history that a civiliangovernment completed its full term andhanded over power in democratic elections.Previous governments have been toppled bymilitary coups or sacked by presidents alliedwith the army. Zardari’s Pakistan People’sParty was badly beaten in the elections. Thevictorious Pakistan Muslim League-N party ofnew Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif campaignedprimarily on fixing the country’s economy,while pushing for peace talks with thePakistani Taleban and other militant groups.

In a wide-ranging speech, Zardari, now alargely powerless figure who has already saidhe won’t run again for the ceremonial presi-dency, bid Sharif’s crew well on the economicfront, but also urged them to clamp down onextremists who have killed thousands inPakistan in the last decade. “Militancy,extremism and terrorism pose the greatestthreat to our national security,” Zardari said.As he has done many times, he carried to thepodium with him a picture of his late wifeBenazir Bhutto, the former Pakistani primeminister who was killed in a gun-and-suicidebomb attack in late 2007.

“The nation is united against militants,” thepresident said. “We need strong leadership toovercome the threat. We are ready to makepeace with those willing to give up violence,but should be ready to use force againstthose who challenge the writ of the state.” Inyesterday’s attack, the militants emergedfrom the mountains and fired rockets at theNATO trucks, burning two vehicles, local offi-cial Iqbal Khan said. The militants wore localpolice uniforms, and the four dead includedtruck drivers and their assistants, he said.

The attack took place in the Jamrud areaof the Khyber tribal region, along the mainroute into Afghanistan for the supply trucks.

Government official Jehangir Azam toldDunyaNews TV that around 15 heavily armedmilitants were involved. “It was a very organ-ized attack,” he said, adding that the truckscarried a NATO jeep, an ambulance and othermaterials. US-led coalition forces say suchhired trucks transport only non-lethal sup-plies overland through Pakistan.

The route through Khyber is one of twomain entry points into Afghanistan used bythe Western forces. Militant attacks on theroad have frustrated NATO, and Pakistan hasat times closed the route to vent its angerover NATO actions, including airstrikes thatkilled Pakistani soldiers. As a result, the US hasincreased its use of more costly routesthrough Central Asia to get supplies intoAfghanistan.

Relations with the US figured in Zardari’sspeech yesterday. He condemned US dronestrikes in Pakistan’s tribal regions, sayingPakistan could not allow violations of its sov-ereignty, a stance shared by Sharif. Zardari’sspeech was punctuated by applause, includ-ing some from Sharif. Zardari urged Sharifand his team to safeguard democracy in thisnation of 180 million, where the army stillretains vast power. He declared that “the sub-version, abrogation and the suspension of theconstitution is an act of high treason.”

That appeared aimed at Pervez Musharraf,the one-time army chief who ousted an earli-er Sharif government in a military coup in1999. Both Sharif and Zardari despise him.Musharraf is currently under house arrest inPakistan as authorities try to determine hisfate, and it’s not yet clear if Sharif ’s govern-ment will push for treason charges againstthe retired general, who led Pakistan forroughly nine years.

Zardari further urged the new govern-ment to pay special attention to the poor andto the rights of women and minorities. Healso called on it to stop the misuse ofPakistan’s anti-blasphemy laws. The laws callfor death for those convicted of blasphemy,but have often been used to persecute reli-gious minorities in this Muslim-majoritycountry as well as to settle personal scores.“We need to further strengthen interfaith har-mony,” Zardari said. Past government figureswho have called for reforming the laws toprevent their abuse have been accused ofblasphemy themselves and in two prominentcases have been assassinated. —AP

Pakistan president to new leaders: Stop militancy

NEW DELHI: Narendra Modi’s elevation as opposi-tion chief for India’s elections sets up a contestbetween a Hindu nationalist who must shed thetaint of religious riots and the reluctant prince ofthe Gandhi dynasty. Modi, the chief minister ofGujarat state known popularly as “NaMo”, wasnamed election committee chairman for theBharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday ahead ofpolls scheduled for the first half of 2014. The choicemarked a new era for the leadership of the BJP,which came of age in the 1990s, and lays the stagefor what is expected to be a bitter and intenselypersonal rivalry.

Rahul Gandhi, 20 years younger than Modi at 42and with a vastly different background and person-ality, will be the BJP man’s opposite number aselection coordinator for the ruling Congress party.While neither man is guaranteed to become primeminister even if their party wins the right to formthe next coalition, they will front the campaigningin the world’s biggest democracy. “Our aim shouldbe a Congress-free India,” Modi told cheering sup-porters after his appointment. “If we can free thiscountry of the Congress, all our problems will besolved.”

Beneath the display of unity at the BJP meetingin Goa, Modi’s elevation has divided his party andcoalition allies-an effect likely to be repeated onthe electorate. BJP patriarch LK Advani, who builtthe party into the only national opposition toCongress, snubbed the conclave and then issued ashock resignation letter yesterday. “Most BJP lead-ers are concerned just with their personal agendas,”Advani wrote in the letter in an apparent referenceto his one-time protegee. The Indian Express notedyesterday how “the BJP has pledged to unite

behind its most divisive leader” in an editorial thatanalysed the “spectacular” rise of the son of a tea-stall owner.

Modi’s immediate challenge will be to avoid amessy internal power struggle and keep his partytogether. He must then persuade voters he is fit tolead a secular nation which was born amid reli-gious violence. Modi remains tarnished by 2002riots in Gujarat in which as many as 2,000 people,mostly Muslims, died in an orgy of killing shortly

after he came to power in the state. While he has never been convicted of any

offence, one of his former ministers was jailed lastyear for directing some of the violence and India’stop court once compared him to Nero, the emper-or who fiddled while Rome burned. Boycotted for amore than a decade by European powers, he was

denied a US visa in 2005 because of “severe viola-tions of religious freedom” in Gujarat, and has notvisited since. India’s 177-million-strong Muslimpopulation-about 15 percent of the electorate-remains fearful and overwhelmingly opposed tohim, as are many influential regional political par-ties who depend on Muslim votes. “We will thinkabout it and present our stand on these new cir-cumstances,” Nitish Kumar, a BJP coalition ally fromthe state of Bihar known to oppose Modi, toldreporters yesterday.

No Indian party has had an absolute majority inparliament since 1989 and Modi could be more of ahindrance than a help in trying to form a rulingnational alliance, analysts say. In an editorial yes-terday, The Times of India stressed Modi’s appealamong the young and his promise of strong lead-ership. “To take the BJP to victory in 2014 he willhowever need to unveil a hitherto hidden side: theability to build coalitions,” it said.

Under diffuse leadership and with an ill-definedpolicy agenda, the BJP has made little headway inrecent years, losing its only toehold in the south ofthe country in state elections in Karnataka lastmonth. But Modi can hope to exploit voter dissatis-faction over the economy which is at its weakestlevel in a decade, multiple corruption scandals andan uncertain election opponent.

Rahul Gandhi, whose great-grandfather, grand-mother and father were prime ministers, strugglesto fire up his party’s grassroots supporters. Modiinspires feverish devotion from his followers.Gandhi declared recently he was not “a hard-nosedpolitician” and he is still seen as a reluctant leaderdespite being named Congress vice president andchief election strategist earlier this year.—AFP

India’s election battle lines drawn as Modi rises

AHMEDABAD: In this file photograph, ChiefMinister of the western Indian state ofGujarat, Narendra Modi speaks during a pressconference on forthcoming state assemblyelections in Ahmedabad. — AFP

Bangladesh says 7 failed to check doomed factories

DHAKA: Bangladesh has suspended seveninspectors it accuses of negligence forrenewing the licenses of garment factoriesin a building that collapsed in April, killingmore than 1,100 people, a top LaborMinistry official said yesterday. The official,Mikail Shipar, said a ministry investigationfound that the inspectors never even visit-ed the five factories housed in the shabbilybuilt eight-story Rana Plaza building. Hesaid one of the factories, EtherTex, hadbeen operating without any license fromthe factory inspection department since2008, while the others were licensedthrough 2013.

At least 1,129 people died when thebuilding in the Dhaka suburb of Savar col-lapsed April 24, a day after cracks in thebuilding prompted authorities to issue anevacuation order. Shipar said the ministry’sreport was preliminary, and that if the accu-sations are proven the inspectors, all mid-level officials, will lose their jobs.

Inspectors are required to visit factoriesbefore issuing licenses, but “in the cases ofthese five factories, the inspectors renewedthe licenses sitting at their desks,” Shiparsaid. The number of factories in Bangladeshhas soared in recent years to more than240,000, while their safety is checked byonly 50 government inspectors who issueoperating licenses, said Obaidul Islam, a

senior official at the office of the ChiefInspector of Factories. Islam said the facto-ries include 3,500 garment factories thatemploy more than 3 million workers, most-ly women from impoverished villages.

“There are too few inspectors for toomany factories,” Islam said. Shipar saidthree of the suspended inspectors werealso involved in renewing the license of agarment factory where 112 people werekilled in a fire in November. He gave nodetails about whether the inspectors areaccused of wrongdoing in that licenserenewal.

Another government probe, formed bythe Home Ministry, blamed the use of poorconstruction materials and unauthorizedgenerators for the collapse of the RanaPlaza building. Sohel Rana, the owner ofRana Plaza, and five executives and ownersof the factories it housed have been arrest-ed and face possible charges of negligenceand violation of factory and building codes.

After weeks of questioning by policethey have been jailed pending formalcharges and a trial. It is still unclear whatcharges will be brought against the sixsuspects. If they are accused of causingdeaths through negligence they could besentenced to l ife imprisonment, saidKhandker Mainuddin, a senior HomeMinistry official. — AP


BANGKOK: A lioness bares its teeth inside an enclosure after a raid at a zoo-like house on the outskirts yesterday. — AP

Visit to Ski Resort on Masik Pass.

SEOUL: North and South Korea agreed yesterday tohold senior-level talks this week in Seoul, a break-through of sorts to ease tensions after Pyongyang’srecent threats of nuclear war and Seoul’s vows ofcounterstrikes. The two-day meeting starting tomor-row will focus on stalled cooperation projects, includ-ing the resumption of operations at a jointly-run fac-tory park near the border in North Korea that was thelast remaining symbol of inter-Korean rapproche-ment until Pyongyang pulled out its workers in Aprilduring heightened tensions that followed itsFebruary nuclear test.

The details of the upcoming talks were ironed outin a nearly 17-hour negotiating session by lower-lev-el officials. Those discussions began Sunday in thecountries’ first government-level meeting on theKorean Peninsula in more than two years and tookplace at the village of Panmunjom on their heavilyarmed border, near where the armistice ending thethree-year Korean War was signed 60 years ago nextmonth. That truce has never been replaced with apeace treaty, leaving the Korean Peninsula technical-ly at war. The agreement to hold the talks wasannounced in a statement early yesterday by SouthKorea’s Unification Ministry, which is responsible forNorth Korea matters. North Korea’s official newsagency, KCNA, also reported the agreement. It’s stillunclear who will represent each side in what will like-ly be the highest-level talks between the Koreas inyears. But dialogue at any level marks an improve-ment in the countries’ abysmal ties. The last severalyears have seen North Korean nuclear tests, long-range rocket launches and attacks blamed on theNorth that killed 50 South Koreans in 2010.

The meeting that starts tomorrow will alsoinclude discussions on resuming South Korean toursto a North Korean mountain resort, the reunion ofseparated families and other humanitarian issues,officials said. The issue most crucial to Washington,however - a push to persuade North Korea to give upits nuclear weapons - isn’t on the official agenda.

While there was broad agreement, Seoul’sUnification Ministry said in a statement, stickingpoints arose over the delegation heads and theagenda. Seoul said it will send a senior-level officialresponsible for North Korea-related issues whilePyongyang said it would send a senior-level govern-ment official, without elaborating.

North Korea said that in addition to the rap-prochement projects, the two sides would also dis-cuss how to jointly commemorate past inter-Koreanstatements, including one settled during a landmark2000 summit between the countries’ leaders, civilianexchanges and other joint collaboration matters.

South Korea’s Unification Minister Ryoo Kihl-jaeproposed a minister-level meeting with the Northlast week. But Unification Policy Officer Chun Hae-sung, who led the South’s delegation at Sunday’stalks, told reporters it is not clear if Ryoo will repre-sent South Korea. A minister-level summit betweenthe Koreas has not happened since 2007.

Neither Korea mentioned Pyongyang’s nuclearweapons. When asked yesterday by reporters if

South Korean delegates raised the issue duringSunday’s negotiations, Chun said it wasn’t appropri-ate do discuss issues that weren’t part of the agenda.Analysts express wariness about North Korea’s inten-tions, with some seeing the interest in dialogue aspart of a pattern where Pyongyang follows aggres-sive rhetoric and provocations with diplomaticefforts to trade an easing of tension for outside con-cessions.

Pyongyang is trying to improve ties with Seoulbecause it very much wants dialogue with theUnited States, which could give the North aid, easeinternational sanctions and improve its economy inreturn for concessions, said Kim Yong-hyun, a profes-sor of North Korea studies at Dongguk University inSeoul. Nuclear matters won’t be on the table, Kimsaid, because Pyongyang wants issues related to itspursuit of atomic weapons resolved through talks

with Washington or in broader, now-stalled interna-tional disarmament negotiations.

After UN sanctions were strengthened followingNorth Korea’s third nuclear test in February,Pyongyang threatened nuclear war and missilestrikes against Seoul and Washington, pulled itsworkers from the jointly run factory park at the NorthKorean border town of Kaesong and vowed to rampup production of nuclear bomb fuel. Seoul withdrewits last personnel from Kaesong in May.

The summit marks a political and diplomatic vic-tory for South Korean President Park Geun-hye, whotook office in February and has maintained throughthe heightened tensions a policy that combinesvows of strong counter-action to any North Korea

provocation with efforts to build trust and re-estab-lish dialogue. Representatives of the rival Koreas meton the peninsula in February 2011 and their nuclearenvoys met in Beijing later that year, but governmentofficials from both sides have not met since.

Sunday’s meeting follows a summit by USPresident Barack Obama and Chinese President XiJinping in California in which the White House said“quite a bit of alignment” was found on North Korea,including an agreement that Pyongyang has toabandon its nuclear weapons aspirations.

China provides a lifeline for a North Korea strug-gling with energy and other economic needs, andviews stability in Pyongyang as crucial for its owneconomy and border security. But after Pyongyang’snuclear test in February, China tightened its cross-border trade inspections and banned its state banksfrom dealing with North Korea’s Foreign Trade Bank.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un late last monthsent to China his special envoy, who reportedly toldXi that Pyongyang was willing to return to dialogue.President Park will travel to Beijing to meet Xi laterthis month.

North Korea was probably motivated to hold talkswith Seoul because it wants to ease a sense of crisisover its deepening isolation from the rest of theworld, including ally China, said Chang Yong-seok, asenior researcher at Seoul National University’sInstitute for Peace and Unification Studies. “Normally,China has been on North Korea’s side, but now theUnited States and China have joined hands to urgeNorth Korea to denuclearize, which is a very toughsituation for North Korea,” Chang said. — AP

2 Koreas to hold senior level meeting in SeoulBoth Koreas mum on Pyongyang’s nuke weapons

Marshal Kim Jong Un, First Secretary of theWorkers’ Party of Korea, First Chairman of theDPRK National Defence Commission andSupreme Commander of the Korean People’sArmy, provided field guidance to a ski resorton Masik Pass under construction by the KPA.He mounted an observation platform wherehe received a detailed report on its construc-tion.

He was greatly satisfied to see that soldier-builders have built ski slopes covering hun-dreds of thousands of square metres, includ-ing primary, intermediate and advanced skislopes with almost 110,000 metres in totallength and 40-120 metres in width. He saidthat the ski resort is located in the best placeas it has a long skiing season and easy accessis ensured with the Pyongyang-Wonsantourist motorway nearby.

After learning about the progress of suchprojects as the construction of a gatepost ofthe ski resort, hotel, skiing apparatuses store-house and heliport and installation of cablecars, he climbed up the summit of the skiresort over 1,360 metres above sea level. Heset forth tasks and ways for stepping up thebuilding of the ski resort.

Supreme Commander of the KoreanPeople’s Army Kim Jong Un, first secretary ofthe Workers’ Party of Korea and first chairmanof the National Defence Commission of theDPRK, on June 4 sent an appeal “Let Us Createthe ‘Masikryong Speed’ and Usher in NewHeyday on All Fronts for SocialistConstruction” to all service personnel andpeople of the DPRK.

Kim Jong Un said the construction of theMasik Pass Skiing Ground is a gigantic patriot-ic work initiated by the Workers’ Party ofKorea to provide the people with better cul-tural conditions by translating into realityPresident Kim Il Sung and leader Kim Jong Il’snoble idea of loving the people.

The soldier-builders have achievedremarkable successes by cutting off naturalrocks and steep mountain ranges and build-ing skiing courses covering hundreds of thou-sands of square meters with more than a hun-dred thousand meters in a total length in amatter of less than one year since they had aground-breaking ceremony, he said, and con-tinued:

The construction of the skiing ground issuch a huge project that it is hard for othersto complete the project even in ten years. Butthe WPK remains unchanged in its resolutionto build a world-class skiing ground withinthis year and provide the people and schoolyouth and children with a highly civilized andhappy living conditions to enable them enjoyall blessings.

He expressed belief that the soldier-builders would wind up the construction ofthe skiing ground within this year by creatingthe “Masikryong Speed” by dint ofindomitable mental power and perseveringcharge and that all the service personnel andpeople across the country would bring abouta great leap forward and signal innovationson all fronts for socialist construction in thatspirit.

The secret to completing the constructionof the Masik Pass Skiing Ground ahead ofschedule lies in giving fullest play to the men-tal power of the service personnel, he noted,adding Kim Jong Il’s patriotism is the core ofthe mental power to be cherished by the sol-dier-builders.

He underscored the need to dynamicallypush ahead with the construction of the ski-ing ground by dint of great army-people uni-ty, the mainstay of the Songun revolution andgroundwork of society.

It is the intention and resolution of theWPK to raise a hot-wind of great innovationsand upswing throughout the country by let-ting all people learn from the indomitablefighting spirit and work style being displayedby the soldiers in the construction of the ski-ing ground, he stressed.

He also underlined the need for thePeople’s Army to make thorough-goingpreparations for combat and bring aboutuninterrupted innovations in all major con-struction projects and in the work for spruc-ing up the provinces, cities and counties.

He called on all the people includingworkers, farmers and intellectuals to furtherreenergize all the economic sectors of thecountry and positively contribute to imple-menting national economy plan by fullyimplementing the WPK’s line on simultane-ously pushing forward economic construc-tion and the building of nuclear force.

Kim Jong Un sends appeal to service personnel, people

CANBERRA: On a tropical island in PapuaNew Guinea where most people live inhuts, a mob armed with guns, machetesand axes stormed a wooden house bynight. They seized Helen Rumbali and threefemale relatives, set the building on fireand took the women away to be tortured.Their alleged crime: Witchcraft. After beingrepeatedly slashed with knives, Rumbali’solder sister and two teenage nieces werereleased following negotiations with police.Rumbali, a 40-something former school-teacher, was beheaded.

Her assailants claimed they had clearproof that Rumbali had used sorcery to killanother villager who recently died of sick-ness: The victim’s grave bore the marks ofblack magic, and a swarm of fire flies appar-ently led witch hunters to Rumbali’s home.Violence linked to witch hunts is an increas-ingly visible problem in Papua New Guinea- a diverse tribal society of more than 800languages and 7 million people who aremostly subsistence farmers. Experts saywitch hunting appears to be spreading toparts of the country where the ruthlesspractices never took place before.

There is no clear explanation for theapparent uptick in killings in parts of theSouth Pacific nation, and even governmentofficials seem at a loss to say why this ishappening. Some are arguing the recentviolence is fueled not by the nation’s wide-spread belief in black magic but instead by

economic jealousy born of a mining boomthat has widened the country’s economicdivide and pitted the haves against thehave-nots.

“Jealousy is causing a lot of hatred,” saidHelen Hakena, chairwoman of the NorthBougainville Human Rights Committee,which is based in the area Rumbali waskilled. “People who are so jealous of thosewho are doing well in life, they resort towhat our people believe in, sorcery, to killthem, to stop them continuing their owndevelopment.” She said the witchcraft accu-sation against Rumbali was just an excuse.

“That was definitely a case of jealousybecause her family is really quite well off,”Hakena said. She said villagers were envi-ous because Rumbali’s husband and sonhad government jobs, they had a “perma-nent house” made of wood, and the familyhad tertiary educations and high socialstanding. The United Nations has docu-mented hundreds of cases of sorcery-relat-ed violence in Papua New Guinea in recentyears and many more cases in remote areasare thought to have gone unreported. Itfound the attacks are often carried out withimpunity. Until last month, the country’s42-year-old Sorcery Act allowed for a beliefin black magic to be used as a partial legaldefense for killing someone suspected ofinflicting harm through sorcery. The gov-ernment repealed the law in response tothe recent violence.— AP

Brutal witch hunts in PNG being linked to jealousy

MOUNT HAGEN: In this file photo, hundreds of bystanders watch KepariLeniata, a woman accused of witchcraft, being burned alive in theWestern Highlands provincial capital of Mount Hagen in Papua NewGuinea.— AP

PANMUNJOM: North Korean chief delegate Kim Song-Hye (right) shakes hands withher South Korean counterpart Chun Hae-Sung (left) at the end of the working-leveltalks at the truce village of Panmunjom in the demilitarized zone dividing the twoKoreas yesterday. — AFP

BANGKOK: A pet shop owner was arrested after Thai policefound hundreds of protected animals, including rare lions, inhis warehouse near Bangkok, authorities said yesterday. PoliceCol Ek Ekasart said police found 14 albino lions from Africa,hundreds of birds, meerkats, tortoises, peafowls, capuchinmonkeys and other species from overseas and Thailand. Theysaid Montri Boonprom-on, 41, faces charges of possessingwildlife and carcasses and could face up to four years in jailand a fine of 40,000 baht ($1,300).

Ek said Montri owns an exotic pet shop at Bangkok’srenowned Chatuchak weekend market and was previouslyconvicted of wildlife trade. Thailand is a hub of the interna-tional black market in protected animals. While the country isa member of a convention regulating international trade inendangered species, Thai law does not extend protection tomany alien species.

Police also found a hornbill and a leopard, both protectedby Thai law, which were packed in a box and were scheduledto be delivered to clients yesterday. “We have been monitor-ing the location for a few days after the neighbors complainedabout the noise from the animals,” Ek told reporters during theraid in a residential area of Bangkok’s Klong Sam Wa district.“And if you looked through the gate, you could spot lions inthe cage.” Montri told reporters the lions were shipped legallyto Bangkok from Africa and were waiting to be moved to azoo in Thailand’s northeast. He did not explain why only 14lions remained at his warehouse, while the documentsshowed he had imported 16. The animals were confiscatedand will be under the care of the Department of Natural Parks,Wildlife and Plant Conservation. —AP

HANOI: Vietnam’s leaders faced afirst-ever confidence vote in thecommunist-controlled parliamentyesterday as the authoritarianregime seeks to allay growing pub-lic anger at corruption and a lack ofpolitical accountability. The vote-tobe held every year-was approvedby the one-party state’s rubber-stamp legislature last Novemberand requires most senior politi-cians, including the prime ministerand the president, to win supportfrom lawmakers. The process hasbeen hailed in the official press aspart of a new commitment totransparency and accountability.But observers saw little threat tothe communist hierarchy andexpected the results to be decidedin advance behind closed doors.

It will not be “a proper vote”,said Nguyen Minh Thuyet, an out-spoken former deputy who calledfor a confidence vote on PrimeMinister Nguyen Tan Dung in 2010.Even so, coupled with a recent gov-ernment call for public consulta-tion over proposed constitutionalamendments, the vote indicates

that the party is trying to respondto rising public dissatisfaction,experts said.

“This does represent an effortby the party and state to shore upits faltering legitimacy,” saidProfessor Jonathan London atHong Kong’s City University. Whileit is highly unlikely that the votewill result in any change to the sta-tus quo, “even symbolically it is animportant event, in Vietnam’s evo-lution and in the evolution of theNational Assembly in particular”, headded.

The results of the voting-whichcovers 47 top officials who yester-day submitted reports to lawmak-ers of their work performance-areexpected to be announced today.According to state media, officialswho win support from fewer thanhalf of lawmakers for two consecu-tive years may be forced to resign-but this is a “complicated”, slow andeffectively meaningless process,Thuyet said.

“Everyone will win the vote,” hetold AFP, describing widespreadconcerns that top officials would

close ranks behind the scenes tosupport each other regardless ofperformance. The most closelywatched vote will be for PrimeMinister Dung, who was handed asecond five-year term by the partyin 2011 despite his widespreadunpopularity among the public.

Critics blame the 63-year-oldpremier’s policies and governingstyle for Vietnam’s economicmalaise, endemic corruption andbanking system riddled with toxicdebt, mostly held by state-runenterprises. Top officials runningstate-owned companies frequentlyflaunt lifestyles incompatible withtheir official remuneration, fuellingpublic anger at corruption, ineffi-ciency and waste in the sprawlingsector. While the Communist Partytightly controls public debate androutinely imprisons dissidents whoquestion the political system or callfor change, Vietnamese are increas-ingly turning to the Internet tovent their frustrations. Dung hasbeen the target of much publicanger and has faced down repeat-ed threats to his premiership,

including rare public criticism fromsenior party figures and even anunprecedented call from one law-maker to resign.

In May the Politburo-composedof the 14 most senior regime mem-bers-once again called for discipli-nary action against him, accordingto party sources. But Dung sur-vived thanks to strong supportfrom the Central Committee-most-ly from ministers, army officers, andprovincial officials whom heappointed. “I t was basically anunprecedented coup d’etat by theCentral Committee over thePolitburo,” Nguyen Van Hieu, 76, aformer top party member turnedpolitical commentator, told AFP.After months of political wranglingbehind the scenes, “the balance ofpower is clearly in favour of theprime minister”, Hieu said, addingthat Dung himself is now “untouch-able”. With the backstage battleapparently already won, manyobservers suspect the vote of con-fidence will simply be used to sealthe party’s decision on this internalpolitical dispute. —AFP

Vietnam leaders face first confidence vote

Thailand pet shop owner caught with rare lions

The foray into Syria’s civil war by Lebanon’s Hezbollahhas fuelled a Sunni-Shiite polarisation that threatensto feed extremism on both sides and export the con-

flict to the wider region, analysts warn. The Iran-backedShiite movement has openly said it is fighting alongsidePresident Bashar Al-Assad’s forces, while Shiite Iraqi fightersare also reported to be in Syria, supporting the regimeagainst the mostly-Sunni rebels. These interventions haveprompted calls for a united Sunni stance against the Shiitegroups involved, particularly Hezbollah.

Sunni-dominated Saudi Arabia’s top cleric Abdulaziz Al-Shaikh has urged governments to punish the “repulsive sec-tarian group” while Qatar-based Sunni cleric Yusuf Al-Qaradawi called on Sunnis to join the rebels. George Sabra,interim head of the opposition Syrian National Coalition,charged Hezbollah, along with majority-Shiite Iraq and Iran,of pushing the situation towards a “sectarian conflict”. “Whatwe are fearing now is that the whole region could drown ina sectarian-fuelled conflict which in effect is a series of civilwars including Lebanon, Iraq, and of course Syria itself,” saysSalman Shaikh, director of the Brookings Doha Centre.

Fighters from Shiite Hezbollah openly spearheaded a 17-day assault on the Syrian town of Qusayr near the Lebaneseborder which culminated on Wednesday with its recapturefrom the rebels by pro-government forces. The battle forQusayr further stoked the already-simmering sectarian ten-sion across the region, the analysts say. Assad’s regime isdominated by members of the Alawite minority, an offshootof Shiite Islam, while Sunnis make up the majority in Syriaand the Muslim world. Hezbollah’s “association with theconflict on sectarian lines is creating tensions in Lebanonand in the wider Arab world,” says Shaikh.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki, whose Shiite gov-ernment is facing a wide Sunni-led opposition, warnedSunday of “a storm passing through the region. It is a brutalsectarian storm.” Funerals were held in Iraq last month formen killed in Syria fighting alongside Assad’s forces. Emiratipolitical science professor Abdulkhaleq Abdulla says that“the sectarian line-up has recently reached worrying levels.”Although a historical conflict, the Sunni-Shiite divide is “nowdifferent... because it has become based more on a politicalbackground than a religious one,” says Abdulla.

Saudi Arabia, home to Islam’s holiest sites, is seen theregional power protecting Sunnis while Iran has become areference for all Shiites, he says. Lebanese columnist HazemSagheye sees that the Syrian crisis “has morphed into across-border Sunni-Shiite line-up.” He argues that Damascuscan stir trouble in surrounding countries through “holdingcards” - groups loyal to Assad’s regime. Lebanon officiallyadopted a position of neutrality towards Syria’s conflict butits people are sharply divided with Shiites mostly backingAssad while most of the Sunnis support the rebellion.

Fighters from both sects have joined the battle on oppo-site sides. This division is clearly reflected in frequent deadlyclashes in Lebanon’s second-largest city, Tripoli, betweenSunni and Alawite gunmen. The army warned on Friday of aplot to embroil Lebanon in the 26-month Syrian conflict.And while Sunni figures roundly condemned Hezbollah’sinvolvement, news of the fall of Qusair sparked celebrationsin Lebanon’s Shiite districts. Reaction also came from theGulf kingdom of Bahrain - the scene of unrest between aShiite opposition and the Sunni monarchy - with the ShiiteUnitary National Democratic Assembly issuing a congratula-tory statement.

“What is scary is that the rise in sectarianism could oncemore ignite Al-Qaeda and extremism, posing a danger tothe region,” says prominent Saudi columnist TariqAlhomayed. And a decades-long standoff between Iran andSaudi Arabia appears now to be playing out by proxy inSyria, Yemen, Bahrain and Lebanon, where the rivals aresupporting opposing political strands.

The Syrian opposition recently charged that the battle intheir country has even attracted Shiite Zaidi rebels fromYemen to join the fight alongside Assad’s troops. Zaidishave denied the claims. But while Shiite armed groupsfighting in Syria are openly backed by Iran, Sunni Islamistfighters trickle into Syria as individuals and mostly againstthe wish of their own states. Saudi Arabia has repeatedlywarned its citizens against taking part in the conflict.

Damascus’ brutal repression of protests, in addition toIran’s full support to Assad and Hezbollah’s intervention,have “emphasised the Sunni character of the other side,”says Sagheye. With the stirring of sectarian sentiment acrossthe region and the mushrooming of armed extremist Sunniand Shiite groups, the region risks “a collapse of the conceptof the state, with every group having its own media outletsand militias,” warns Alhomayed. “We are moving closertowards chaos in the Arab world.” — AFP

Issues

Sunni-Shiite rift on Syria risks

regional chaosBy Lynne Al-Nahhas

14A N A L Y S I STUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2013

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Brash Ahmadinejad presidency isolated Iran

Building America’s secret surveillance stateBy James Bamford

“God we trust,” goes an old NationalSecurity Agency joke. “All otherswe monitor. First, the Guardian

reported details on a domestic telephonedragnet in which Verizon was forced to givethe NSA details about all domestic, and evenlocal, telephone calls. Then the Guardian andthe Washington Post revealed another mas-sive NSA surveillance program, called Prism,that required the country’s major Internetcompanies to secretly pass along data includ-ing email, photos, videos, chat services, filetransfers, stored data, log-ins and video con-ferencing.

While the Obama administration andSenate intelligence committee membersdefend the spying as crucial in its fight againstterrorism, this is only the latest chapter innearly a century of pressure on telecommuni-cations companies to secretly cooperate withNSA and its predecessors. But as stunningtechnology advances allow more and morepersonal information to pass across thoselinks, the dangers of the United States turninginto a secret surveillance state increase expo-nentially. The NSA was so flooded with billionsof dollars from post-Sept 11, 2001 budgetincreases that it went on a building spree andalso expanded its eavesdropping capabilitiesenormously. Secret rooms were built in gianttelecom facilities, such as AT&T’s 10-story“switch” in San Francisco. There, mirror copiesof incoming data and telephone cables arerouted into rooms filled with special hardwareand software to filter out email and phonecalls for transmission to NSA for analysis. Newspy satellites were launched and new listeningposts were built - such as the recently openedoperations center near Augusta, Georgia.Designed to hold more than 4,000 earphone-clad eavesdroppers, it is the largest electronicspy base in the world.

Meanwhile, at Oak Ridge NationalLaboratory in Tennessee, where top-secretwork was done on the atomic bomb duringWorld War II, the NSA is secretly building theworld’s fastest and most powerful computer.Designed to run at exaflop speed, executing amillion trillion operations per second, it will beable to sift through enormous quantities ofdata - for example, all the phone numbersdialed in the United States every day. Todaythe NSA is the world’s largest spy organiza-

tion, encompassing tens of thousands ofemployees and occupying a city-size head-quarters complex on Fort Meade in Maryland.But in 1920, its earliest predecessor, known asthe Black Chamber, fit into a slim townhouseon Manhattan’s East 37th Street.

World War One had recently ended, alongwith official censorship, and the RadioCommunication Act of 1912 was again ineffect. This legislation guaranteed the secrecyof electronic communications and meted outharsh penalties for any telegraph companyemployee who divulged the contents of amessage. To the Black Chamber, however, thebill represented a large obstacle to be over-come-illegally, if necessary. So the BlackChamber chief, Herbert O Yardley, and hisboss in Washington, General MarlboroughChurchill, head of the Military IntelligenceDivision, paid a visit to 195 Broadway in down-town Manhattan, headquarters of WesternUnion. This was the nation’s largest telegramcompany - the email of that day.

The two government officials took the ele-vator to the 24th floor for a secret meetingwith Western Union’s president, NewcombCarlton. Their object was to convince him togrant them secret access to the private com-munications zapping through his company’swires. It was easier achieved than Yardley hadever imagined. “After the men had put all ourcards on the table,” Yardley later described,“President Carlton seemed anxious to doeverything he could for us.’”

Time and again over the decades, this pat-tern has been repeated. The NSA, or a prede-cessor, secretly entered into agreements withthe country’s major telecommunications com-panies and illegally gained access toAmericans’ private communications. In amuch-cited story, the influential Republicanstatesman, Henry L Stimson, was described asdeeply offended by the very notion of snoop-ing into people’s private communications. Asthe new secretary of state in 1929, Stimsonshut down the Black Chamber with the nowimmortal phrase, “Gentlemen do not readeach other’s mail.”

But when President Franklin D. Rooseveltlater appointed Stimson secretary of war dur-ing World War Two, Stimson changed hismind. He wanted to eavesdrop on every possi-ble communication, especially on theGermans and Japanese. Once the guns ofWorld War Two began falling silent, however,

the communications privacy laws again tookeffect. Thus, Brigadier General W PrestonCorderman, the chief of the SignalsIntelligence Service - another pre-NSA itera-tion - faced the same dilemma Yardley con-fronted after World War One: a lack of accessto the cables flowing into, out of and throughthe country.

So, once again, deals were made with themajor telegraph companies - the Internetproviders of the day - to grant the SIS (and lat-er the NSA) secret access to their communica-tions. Codenamed “Operation Shamrock,”agents would arrive at the back door at eachtelecom headquarters in New York aroundmidnight; pick up all that days telegraph traf-fic, and bring it to an office masquerading as atelevision tape processing company. Therethey would use a machine to duplicate all thecomputer tapes containing the telegrams,and, hours later, return the original tapes tothe company.

The secret agreement lasted for 30 years. Itonly ended in 1975, when the nation wasshocked by a series of stunning intelligencerevelations uncovered by a congressionalinvestigation led by Senator Frank Church. Theillegality and vast breadth of this one opera-tion stunned both the left and the right,Republicans as well as Democrats. The partiescame together to create a new law to makesure nothing like it could ever happen again.Known as the Foreign IntelligenceSurveillance Act, the legislation created asecret court, the Foreign IntelligenceSurveillance Court, to ensure that the NSAonly eavesdropped on Americans when therewas probable cause to suspect they wereinvolved in serious national security crimes -such as espionage or terrorism.

For more than a quarter-century, the NSAobeyed this law. The intelligence agencyturned its giant ears outward - away from theeveryday lives of Americans. But that allchanged soon after Sept 11, 2001, when theBush administration began its warrantlesswiretapping program. Once again, an NSAdirector sought the secret cooperation of thenation’s telecom industry to gain access to itscommunications channels and links. Again,the companies agreed - despite violating thelaws and the privacy of their tens of millions ofcustomers. Eventually, when the operationwas discovered, a number of groups broughtsuit against the companies, Congress passed

legislation granting them immunity.Thus, for roughly 100 years, whenever the

government knocked on the telecommunica-tions industry’s door and asked them to breakthe law and turn over millions upon millionsof private communications, the telecomscomplied. Why not, since they knew thatnothing would ever happen to them if theybroke the law. Now, as a result of these newrevelations, it appears that the NSA has againgone to Verizon and other telephone compa-nies, as well as many of the giant Internetcompanies, and obtained secret access to mil-lions, if not billions, of private communica-tions. There are still many questions as towhat, if any, legal justification was used.

But unlike with Yardley and the BlackChamber, the dangers today of secret cooper-ation between the telecom and Internetindustry and the NSA are incomparable.Because of technology back then, the onlydata the government was able to obtain weretelegrams - which few average people sent orreceived. Today, however, access to someone’stelephone records and Internet activity canprovide an incredibly intimate window ontheir life.

Phone data reveals whom they call, wherethey call, how often they call someone, wherethey are calling from and how long they speakto each person. Internet data provides e-mailcontent, Google searches, pictures, and per-sonal and financial details. We now live in anera when access to someone’s email accountand web searches can paint a more detailedpicture of their life then most personal diaries.Secret agreements between intelligenceagencies and communications companiesshould not be allowed in a democracy. Thereis too much at risk.

In a dusty corner of Utah, NSA is now com-pleting construction of a mammoth newbuilding, a one-million-square foot data ware-house for storing the billions of communica-tions it is intercepting. If the century-old cus-tom of secret back-room deals between NSAand the telecoms is permitted to continue, allof us may digitally end up there. Contrary towhat Simpson may have asserted, gentlemen(and women) do read each other’s mail - atleast if they work for the National SecurityAgency. And in the future, given NSA’s unre-strained push into advanced technologies, theagency may also be able to read yourthoughts as well as your mail. — Reuters

By Farhad Pouldi

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s eight years in power have iso-lated Iran internationally because of deep suspicionsover its secretive nuclear program and unwavering sup-

port for Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, its closest regional ally, analystssay. After two consecutive four-year terms since first takingoffice in 2005, Ahmadinejad is now constitutionally barred fromstanding in Friday’s presidential election. His disputed re-elec-tion in 2009 plunged Iran into domestic turmoil, as the regimeused force to quell street protests. The suppression led only toincreased international pressure on Tehran.

All-powerful supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has thefinal say on all policy in the Islamic republic, including on itsatomic ambitions and support for Assad’s regime. And mostanalysts agree that this left Ahmadinejad with no choice but toimplement those policies. “Iran’s foreign policy is not the prerog-ative of the president,” Ali Vaez, the Brussels-based InternationalCrisis Group’s senior analyst on Iran, told AFP.

But Shiite Iran is also paying the price for Ahmadinejad’s fieryrhetoric, including his Holocaust denials and conspiracy theoriesabout the Sept 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States.Tehran’s friends in the region have dwindled as tensions mountwith Sunni-ruled Arab monarchies over issues including pro-democracy protests in Bahrain and the Syria uprising.“Ahmadinejad was unable to achieve foreign policy goalsbecause of the way he carried out policies,” Mohammad SalehSedghian, head of the Arabic Centre for Iranian Studies inTehran, told AFP.

Already strained relations with the West have worsened,mostly over Tehran’s defiant expansion of its nuclear programagainst the backdrop of international demands and pressure tocurb its activities. Years of talks with world powers to defuse thenuclear stand-off - which has led to a raft of Western economicsanctions coupled with others adopted by the United Nations

Security Council - have failed. It is not clear how muchAhmadinejad is himself involved in the nuclear decision-makingprocess, but he has repeatedly dismissed the international sanc-tions as “scrap paper”. Only in mid-2012 did he admit to econom-ic “problems” caused by the sanctions.

Sedghian said Ahmadinejad’s reliance “on slogansinstead of clear-cut stances” to defuse tensions has onlymade things worse. He holds a record of eight appear-ances at the annual UN General Assembly during histenure as president. His speeches there have out-raged the international community, and hisHolocaust denial also revived enmities with Israel,whose existence Tehran does not recognise.“Ahmadinejad got Iran into trouble. He couldhave not talked about the Holocaust - it did notconcern Iran,” Sedghian said. “His interventionhad a negative effect on dealings with the worldcommunity.” Reformist analyst MohammadSadeq Javadihesar agreed, arguing thatAhmadinejad’s public rants “only brought sanc-tions” for Iran. “He lacks expertise in foreign policyand diplomacy,” Javadihesar said of Ahmadinejad’sconduct at home and abroad. “His abilities wereequivalent to those of a university graduate,” he said,criticising Ahmadinejad’s controversial decision to firethen foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki while on anofficial visit to Senegal in 2010.

A major bone of contention between Tehran and Westernand Arab countries, as well as Turkey, is Syria. The conflict hascost more than 94,000 lives since the civil war erupted inMarch 2011 after Assad cracked down on pro-democracyprotests. Tehran, a traditional ally of Damascus, is accused byWestern and Arab governments of supplying weapons andmilitary advisers to the Syrian regime. It has repeatedlydenied there are Iranian troops on the ground in Syria

where Ahmadinejad has insisted that a rebel victory wouldthreaten the entire region. Analysts say that Ahmadinejad hasno choice - he had to support Assad. “Ahmadinejad has merely

been carrying out the regime’s policyto consolidate the axis of resistance”

against Israel, Sedghian said ofthe stance in Tehran,

Damascus, and in theLebanese Shiite movementHezbollah towards theJewish state. Despite hisrecord, Ahmadinejad hasbecome a popular icon athome for his firebrandoratory. It is a differentstory in the internationalarena, where he is seen asa pariah, except by somecountries such asVenezuela. “His rhetoricturned him into a radioac-

tive statesman. From thatpoint on, all Western politi-

cians were loath to deal withhim, independent of his inten-

tions,” Vaez said. Most of theeight candidates vying to replace

Ahmadinejad have identifiedmending ties with the world outsideas a priority. “Iran is left with fewer

friends in the West and in theregion,” Sedghian said.

“Ahmadinejad’s foreign policywas not a strategic one, but a

political show.” — AFP

TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2013N E W S

Continued from Page 1

In another development, the National Assemblyappears to be in semi-paralysis as it awaits a crucial rul-ing by the constitutional court next Sunday whichcould include dissolving the Assembly itself. Almost allcommittees did not hold meetings, especially the finan-cial and economic affairs committee which could notmeet for the second day in a row for a lack of quorum.Head of the panel MP Youssef Al-Zalzalah told reportersthe committee decided to meet next week “unless theAssembly is dissolved”.

The only committee that held its meeting was theforeign relations panel which discussed the controver-sial Gulf security pact with representatives of the interi-or ministry. Head of the committee MP Saleh Ashour

said it was decided to invite the foreign minister for ameeting on June 23 to discuss the pact in detail. Hehowever added that it will be very difficult for theAssembly to debate and pass the pact in the presentterm.

The liberal National Democratic Alliance and KuwaitDemocratic Forum called in a joint statement on thegovernment to pull out of the Gulf security pact imme-diately and withdraw it from the Assembly in order “topreserve Kuwait’s identity and in respect of the consti-tution”. The two groups reiterated their rejection of thesecurity agreement for fear of undermining the coun-try’s sovereignty directly or indirectly and in defense ofliberties against local or regional attempts to reducethem, besides safeguarding the 1962 constitution fromany obligations or commitments under the Gulf pact.

Woman jailed 11 years for anti-Amir tweets


Called iOS 7, the smartphone and tablet platformredesigned by resident creative honcho Jonny Ive comeswith a new edge-to-edge look that uses translucency tohighlight underlying content, new typefaces, and newicons. Apple plans to make iOS 7 available in the fall.Kleiner Perkins venture capitalist Matt Murphy, who runsthe firm’s iFund, tweeted that the new iOS platform“Looks livelier, happier, approachable.” It will also sup-port multitasking for all apps, executives said. “It’s thebiggest change to iOS since the iPhone,” said CEO TimCook.

Apple also said that Siri, the voice-activated personaldigital assistant, comes with all new male and femalevoices, a new look, and is now directly integrated withBing. Some industry experts have criticized Apple’smobile operating software, which has retained its gener-al look and feel since its inception, for looking somewhatdated. Marketing chief Phil Schiller offered the audiencea sneak peek at Apple’s upcoming new Mac Pro - its top-of-the-line computer with a sleek cylindrical chassis thathe said will feature several times the processing andmemory speed and power of the previous generation. Itwill be released later this year and be assembled in theUnited States, Schiller said.

Apple’s stock has fallen 37 percent after touching ahigh of $705 in September as competition in the keysmartphone market escalated. Some investors believethe company that invented the iPhone is struggling to

come up with original new products after cofounder andformer CEO Steve Jobs died in 2011. “Can’t innovate anymore, my ass,” Schiller said as he showed off the newMac Pro. “This is a machine unlike anything we’ve evermade.” Apple also announced a new operating systemfor the Mac PC called “Mavericks,” moving away from itspenchant for naming its computer software after bigcats. The new OS can handle multiple display and “tag-ging” of documents, among other new features.

In an unusual move, Apple also shared the stage withlittle-known startup Anki, which was given the opportu-nity to show off a game. The conference, whose ticketssold out in just over a minute when it opened up inApril, comes as South Korean rival Samsung ElectronicsCo Ltd has solidified its lead in the smartphone marketwith a 33 percent share followed by Apple with 18 per-cent during the first quarter, according to marketresearch firm IDC. Cook is under pressure to show thatthe company that created the smartphone and tabletmarkets is not slowing down as deep-pocketed com-petitors such as Samsung and Google Inc encroach onits share.

Investor concerns center around whether Apple willbe able to come up with more groundbreaking productsas smartphone and tablet market gets more crowded. InApril, Apple reported its first quarterly profit decline inover a decade. Cook told the audience of developers atthe Moscone Center in San Francisco that Apple’s AppStore now has 900,000 apps, which have been down-loaded a total of 50 billion times. — Reuters

Apple unveils radio service, revamps iOS


Obama’s spy chief, Director of National IntelligenceJames Clapper, has described the leak as gravely dam-aging to US security, and referred the matter to theJustice Department, which has launched an investiga-tion. Snowden is reportedly holed up in Hong Kong,which has an extradition treaty with the United States,and he is cooperating with the British-based Guardiannewspaper, which revealed his identity at his ownrequest. The whistleblower told the Guardian he hopesto win asylum in Iceland, but the head of Iceland’sDirectorate of Immigration said it had received no for-mal request and said Snowden would have to be onIcelandic soil to make one.

There was much speculation yesterday about HongKong’s likely stance in the event Washington asks forSnowden’s extradition, and analysts divided on whetherthe territory’s ultimate rulers in Beijing would intervene.The case has also turned the spotlight on the UnitedStates’ widespread use of outside contractors for sensi-tive intelligence work; Snowden is a former low levelCIA employee now employed by private outfit BoozAllen Hamilton. Companies like Booz employ tens ofthousands of technicians and analysts with top secretsecurity clearances to work on lucrative contracts withUS intelligence agencies, and some are asking if theypose a security risk.

In a statement, Booz Allen Hamilton confirmedSnowden had been an employee for “less than threemonths” and promised to help US authorities investi-gate the “shocking” claim that he had leaked classifiedinformation. Booz, which employs many former seniorWashington intelligence officials and relies on govern-ment contracts, saw its shares fall sharply yesterday.

Snowden and his many supporters, who have takento the Internet to condemn the US government and theprivate web giants which cooperated with its secret sur-veillance, defended his actions as a blow for freedom.“My sole motive is to inform the public as to that whichis done in their name and that which is done againstthem,” Snowden said, in a Guardian video. He said hehad gone public because he could not “allow the USgovernment to destroy privacy, Internet freedom andbasic liberties for people around the world with thismassive surveillance machine they’re secretly building.”

The Washington Post, the second newspaper to pub-lish leaked information, also revealed details from itscorrespondence with Snowden, including his bleakassessment of his future, once the information was out.“I understand that I will be made to suffer for myactions, and that the return of this information to thepublic marks my end,” he wrote in early May, warning

the Post reporter he was in danger too.In naming Snowden on Sunday, the newspapers said

he had sought to be identified. “The NSA has built aninfrastructure that allows it to intercept almost every-thing,” Snowden said in explaining his actions. “With thiscapability, the vast majority of human communicationsare automatically ingested without targeting. If I want-ed to see your emails or your wife’s phone, all I have todo is use intercepts. I can get your emails, passwords,phone records, credit cards,” he said.

The Guardian said Snowden had been working at theNSA for four years as a contractor for outside compa-nies. Snowden flew to Hong Kong on May 20 after copy-ing at the NSA’s office in Hawaii the documents heintended to disclose, the Guardian said. The USConsulate in Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Securitybureau refused to comment on the case, but a seniorpro-Beijing lawmaker in Hong Kong told reportersSnowden should probably leave the city. Hong Kong, aspecial administrative region of China, is “obliged tocomply with the terms of agreements” with the US gov-ernment, Regina Ip said.

In a statement responding to Snowden’s decision togo public on Sunday, Clapper said the matter had beenreferred to the Department of Justice. “The intelligencecommunity is currently reviewing the damage that hasbeen done by these recent disclosures,” Clapper said.The Justice Department confirmed that it was investi-gating the matter. Under the PRISM program, revealedby Snowden, the NSA can issue directives to Internetfirms like Google or Facebook demanding access toemails, online chats, pictures, files, videos and more,uploaded by foreign users. The service providers denythey have given the government backdoor access tocustomer data, insisting they did so only when com-pelled by law. Clapper says the NSA applies to a secretcourt for permission to target individuals or entities andthen issues a request to the service provider.

Snowden, who said he had left his girlfriend inHawaii without telling her where he was going, said heknew the risk he was taking, but thought the publicityhis revelations had garnered in the past few days hadmade it worth it. “My primary fear is that they willcome after my family, my friends, my partner. Anyone Ihave a relationship with,” he said. “I will have to livewith that for the rest of my life. I am not going to beable to communicate with them. They (the authorities)will act aggressively against anyone who has knownme. That keeps me up at night.” In the video interview,the bespectacled, lightly bearded Snowden lookedrelaxed. He said he was ultimately hoping that Iceland,which values internet freedom, might grant him asy-lum. — Agencies

Source of US intel leak outs himself


He said the authorities have conveyed to him thatthe Indians are not specifically targeted in the crack-down. “The campaign is across the board and Indiansare not specifically targeted. And there is no reason forus to doubt that,” he added. “The fact is that there are alarge number of illegal residents from India here whoare in violation of visa stipulations.”

The ambassador said many Indians who arrived inKuwait under Article No 20 later moved to work outside,a practice that is illegal as per the Kuwaiti law. “It isimportant that we have to respect the law of the land. Itis completely legal on the part of the Kuwaiti authoritiesto take action against residency violators in the coun-try,” Mehta said. According to rough estimates made bythe embassy, there are more than 20,000 Indian illegalresidents currently in Kuwait. Around 288,000 Indiandomestic workers were in Kuwait as of the beginning of2013.

“By and large, the Indian community abides by therules and regulations of the country. They are largelypeace-loving, law-abiding and hardworking. The Kuwaitgovernment recognizes this,” he mentioned. “In view ofthe close bilateral relations between Kuwait and Indiaand considering the presence of a large number ofIndians here, we have also conveyed our concerns tothe authorities over the handling of the arrestees. Wehave requested the authorities that the issue may behandled in a more dignified manner,” Mehta said.

The ambassador said the Kuwaiti officials have con-veyed to the embassy that the instructions regardingarrests and deportations are very clear. There have beenmedia reports that many people - even with valid resi-dencies - were being harassed and ill-treated during thecourse of the campaign. The authorities have assuredthe embassy that they would look into such complaintsif they were brought to their notice with specific details,he said.

The embassy has made certain proposals before theauthorities in order to find a solution to the issue. “Wehave communicated to them that many of the domesticworkers are engaged in economically useful work in thecountry. It will be better if many of them were givensome time to regularize their status instead of beingdeported, which is humiliating,” the ambassador said.

Balram Kumar Upadhyay, Consular and Chief WelfareOfficer at the embassy, who was also present during thepress conference, said that embassy officials are regular-ly visiting deportation and detentions centers. “Theauthorities are providing all necessary amenities to thedetainees. A doctor is available there 24 hours. Theironly concern is that they have to go home at the earli-est,” he said. Regarding the concern over the destinationof the deportees, he said the embassy has arrived atagreements with some travel agents to provide ticketsto people so that they can travel to their final pointsfrom where they are deported. Deputy Chief of Missionat the Indian Embassy Vidhu P Nair was also presentduring the press conference.

Nearly 3,000 Indians deportedContinued from Page 1

Separately, India’s rupee slid to a record low against thedollar yesterday as dealers moved into the US currency fol-lowing robust US jobs data and growing concern about theSouth Asian nation’s struggling economy. The partially con-vertible Indian currency ended the day at a new low of58.15 to the dollar yesterday afternoon, sweeping past itsprevious low of 57.32 rupees hit on June 28. “This is afreefall,” Abhishek Goenka, chief executive of consultancyfirm India Forex Advisors, told AFP.

The rupee’s fall is the latest blow to the stutteringgrowth story of Asia’s third largest economy, which hasbeen beset by sharply slower growth, worsening publicfinances and political turmoil. A scramble by oil and otherimporters to buy dollars to pay for imports in the US cur-rency also weakened the rupee, which depreciated sevenpercent against the dollar in May alone. Analysts say thatwhile other emerging market currencies have been affect-ed by the dollar’s increasing strength, the rupee is particu-larly hard hit due to the country’s troubled public financesand string of corruption scandals.

The widening of India’s current account deficit - thebroadest trade measure - to almost five percent of grossdomestic product in the last financial year has alsoweighed on the rupee. Foreign exchange traders reportedno signs the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) was intervening inthe currency market to support the beleaguered rupee.“Large-scale intervention from the RBI to buck the trend isunlikely. They cannot stop the tide immediately,” saidSiddhartha Sanyal, chief India economist with BarclaysCapital.

Analysts say the central bank cannot intervene heavilyto buttress the currency as it must retain enough foreign

reserves for imports. Right now, it only has sufficientreserves for seven months of imports - the lowest cover in13 years. The RBI has a policy of not commenting on move-ments in the foreign exchange market and of interveningonly to curb volatility. New Delhi attempted to ease corpo-rate concerns, saying it will take measures to curb thewidening current account deficit as imports outpaceexports.

India’s chief economic adviser at the finance ministry,Raghuram Rajan, said in televised remarks that “medium-term” steps will be taken to ease rupee volatility. The weak-er currency makes imports costlier, especially of foreign oilon which India heavily relies, and will fuel already highconsumer inflation. “The dollar strengthening is hurtingthe rupee,” said Naveen Mathur, commodities and curren-cies associate director with Angel Broking, who added thelocal currency was showing “continuous weakness”.

With the US economy improving, there is mountingspeculation that the US Federal Reserve could “reverse” itsmonetary stimulus program sooner than expected, Mathursaid, prompting the exit of funds from emergingeconomies in search of better US returns. Analysts believethe rupee will fall further, with Goenka forecasting that thecurrency will reach a 59-60 level against the greenback bythe end of 2013. They say the currency’s slide puts a ques-tion mark over whether the central bank will cut interestrates further at its June 17 meeting, since lower rates usual-ly translate into a weaker exchange rate. There have beenloud calls from business for an interest rate cut to spur theeconomy, which has been growing at five percent - itsweakest pace in a decade. The RBI has already cut ratesthree times in 2013 to boost growth. Shares closed virtuallyflat at 19,441.07 points amid worries that the bank wouldkeep interest rates on hold. — Agencies

Kuwait to issue new banknotes

Turkish soldiers march during a changing of the guards ceremony at the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey, in Ankara yesterday. — AP

S P O RT STUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2013

ASUNCION: Paraguay coach Gerardo Pelusso has left his job with the teamvirtually out of the running for the 2014 finals in Brazil, the ParaguayanFootball Association (APF) said yesterday. The APF has yet to name areplacement for Uruguayan Pelusso, Paraguay’s second coach in the quali-fying campaign in which the team are bottom of the South American groupwith eight points from 12 matches and a goal difference of minus 14. “(The

APF) informs that coach Gerrardo Pelusso has officially leftthe APF as trainer of the Paraguay football team at a

meeting he held with the national teams director,” theAPF said in a statement. Paraguay, beaten 2-1 at homeby Chile on Friday in a match Pelusso had called “the lasttrain to Brazil”, have a bye on Tuesday, their next qualifiercoming against Bolivia in Asuncion on Sept. 6.

Mathematically, the 2010 quarter-finalists could sneakinto the Brazil tournament with four matches still to

play. Pelusso took charge last July after FranciscoArce was sacked but he failed to improve ateam whose South Africa 2010 veterans werepast their best. He managed one win and onedraw in seven matches.—Reuters

Paraguay coach quitsLONDON: West Indies wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin has been banned for twoone-day internationals for “conduct that is contrary to the spirit of the game”,the International Cricket Council (ICC) said yesterday.

Ramdin was also fined 100 percent of his match fee after claiming a catchoff Pakistan’s Misbah-ul-Haq in the West Indies’ two-wicketvictory in a Champions Trophy Group B match at TheOval on Friday. Umpire Steve Davis initially gaveMisbah out caught behind. But, after consultingwith fellow umpire Nigel Llong, the decision wasreversed because the pair decided the keeper didnot have effective control of the ball after makingthe catch.

Ramdin pleaded not guilty to the offence butwas sanctioned following a hearing on Monday for aLevel two breach of the ICC Code of Conduct.

“This is regarded as a serious offence as it is theresponsibility of all players to act in the spirit of thegame,” said former England batsmanChris Broad, who adjudicated on thematter for the Elite Panel of ICC MatchReferees. —Reuters

Ramdin banned for 2 ODI’s

LONDON: Mercedes and Formula One tyre supplier Pirelli will appearbefore an international tribunal in Paris on June 20 to answer charges ofbreaking the rules by testing in Spain last month, the sport’s governingbody said yesterday.

The International Automobile Federation (FIA) said in a statement thata notification of charges against both parties had been sent to the presi-dent of the tribunal.

“Pirelli and Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team have been convened bythe President of the International Tribunal to appear before a judging pan-el of the International Tribunal,” it added.

The verdict will be published ‘as soon as possible’ after the hearing.Mercedes, who finished third in Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix with 2008world champion Lewis Hamilton, risk stiff sanctions ranging from a fine topoints deduction or even exclusion if found guilty.

The rules bar teams from testing during the season with a current car.Champions Red Bull and Ferrari, the sport’s most successful team, madeformal protests at last month’s Monaco Grand Prix when news of the testleaked out.

Mercedes used their 2013 car at the ‘secret’ test in Barcelona, whichcame just before Germany’s Nico Rosberg won in Monaco for the team,but have said the move was approved by the governing body.—Reuters

FIA to hear Mercedes

LOS ANGELES: Dan Uggla had two homers andfour RBIs and Freddie Freeman drove in threemore runs with a double to help lead the AtlantaBraves to an 8-1 victory over the Los AngelesDodgers on Sunday. Mike Minor (8-2) allowed arun and six hits, struck out six and walked threewhile helping the National League East divisionleaders gain a split of the four-game series.

Atlanta’s rotation has yielded four runs in 371/3 innings spanning the team’s last six games.Los Angeles rookie Matt Magill (0-2) wascharged with seven runs and four hits over 3 2/3innings in his sixth MLB start, none of which theDodgers have won.

ROCKIES 8, PADRES 7In Denver, Dexter Fowler’s single with two

outs in the 10th inning scored DJ LeMahieu fromthird base as the Rockies rallied for a win overthe Padres. Fowler finished with four hits andTroy Tulowitzki had two, including his 16thhome run. Rockies starter Juan Nicasio retiredhis first 16 batters. Nick Hundley, CameronMaybin and Mark Kotsay homered for thePadres, who missed an opportunity to take threeof four in the series after blowing a three-runlead in the ninth. Rex Brothers (2-0) pitched the10th for the win. Tyson Ross (0-3) took the loss.

MARLINS 8, METS 4In New York, the Miami Marlins needed extras

to beat the New York Mets again, but only 10innings instead of 20.

Derek Dietrich hit a tying home run in theeighth and second baseman Daniel Murphy’s10th-inning error allowed Logan Morrison toscore the go-ahead run in his first game in 11months, boosting the Marlins to a victory.

Greg Dobbs added a sacrifice fly off RobCarson and Miguel Olivo followed with a two-run homer in the four-run 10th, eliminating theneed for a repeat of Saturday’s 6-hour, 25-minute marathon, won by the Marlins 2-1.Bobby Parnell (4-3) was the loser.

Chad Qualls (1-0) got his first win since lastJuly, striking out Justin Turner and AnthonyRecker with the potential winning run on base inthe ninth.

CUBS 4, PIRATES 1In Chicago, Cody Ransom hit a tiebreaking,

three-run homer in the seventh inning andEdwin Jackson pitched the Cubs to a victoryover the Pirates. Ransom connected off relieverJustin Wilson (5-1) for his sixth home run of theseason. Darwin Barney and Julio Borbon were onbase after the Cubs were held hitless for 5 2/3innings by Pirates starter Jeff Locke. Jackson (2-8) had his best and longest outing of the season,striking out eight in seven innings. He allowedfour hits and a walk as the Cubs salvaged thefinale of a three-game series.

GIANTS 6, DIAMONDBACKS 2In Phoenix, Chad Gaudin pitched six strong

innings and Marco Scutaro and Brandon Belthomered as the Giants beat the Diamondbacks.

Gaudin (2-1) had his second good start inplace of the injured Ryan Vogelsong, allowingtwo runs on five hits in six innings. The Giantsright-hander, normally a long-relief specialist,struck out seven and walked one intentionally.

Scutaro and Belt each had a solo shot offTyler Skaggs (1-1), who gave up five runs oneight this in five innings. The Giants won two ofthree in Arizona to move within 1 1/2 games ofthe first-place Diamondbacks in the NL Westdivision.

BREWERS 9, PHILLIES 1In Milwaukee, Carlos Gomez hit a two-run

homer, Scooter Gennett had a two-run tripleand Kyle Lohse pitched eight strong innings for

his first win in eight starts to help the Brewersbeat Philadelphia to take the final three gamesof the four-game series.

Gennett’s triple highlighted a four-run sec-ond inning, and Gomez’s homer in the sixth offstarter Jonathan Pettibone (3-2) was plenty ofinsurance for Lohse’s first victory since beatingSan Diego on April 22. Lohse (2-6) struck out sixand gave up four hits, his only hiccup beingHumberto Quintero’s first home run of the sea-son.

CARDINALS 11, REDS 4In Cincinnati, Matt Holliday’s grand slam

capped a seven-run 10th inning to help theCardinals beat the Reds. JJ Hoover (0-5) walkedAllen Craig to lead off the 10th. One out later,David Freese singled Craig to second, extendinghis career-best hitting streak to 19 games, tiedwith San Francisco’s Marco Scutaro for thelongest in the National League this season.

Daniel Descalso followed with his RBI doubleoff the left field wall. Matt Carpenter added twoinsurance runs with a bases-loaded single beforeHolliday hit his homer, his 10th of the season.Trevor Rosenthal (1-0) had four strikeouts in two

perfect innings to get the win.

INTERLEAGUENATIONALS 5, TWINS 4

In Washington, Ian Desmond doubled homethe go-ahead run in the seventh inning asWashington rallied past Minnesota to sweep aday-night doubleheader.

Desmond’s drive completed a comebackfrom a three-run deficit - making it the Nationals’biggest come-from-behind victory of the season- and pulled Washington back to .500.

Jordan Zimmermann dominated the firstgame, allowing two hits over seven innings. Inthe nightcap, Adam LaRoche doubled off reliev-er Anthony Swarzak (1-2) ahead of Desmond,who then extended his hitting streak to a career-high 12 games. Tyler Clippard (5-1) pitched theseventh to get the win, Drew Storen handled theeighth and Rafael Soriano the ninth for his 16thsave. In the opener, Zimmermann (9-3) struckout eight with a season-high 111 pitches whiledropping his ERA to 2.00. He is tied for mostwins in the majors. The Nationals scored a pair inthe fourth and had a five-run fifth to chasestarter Scott Diamond (4-5).—AP

Braves thrash Dodgers

American LeagueEastern Division

W L PCT GBBoston 39 25 .609 -NY Yankees 37 26 .587 1.5Baltimore 35 28 .556 3.5Tampa Bay 34 28 .548 4Toronto 27 35 .435 11

Central DivisionDetroit 35 26 .574 -Cleveland 30 32 .484 5.5Kansas City 28 32 .467 6.5Minnesota 27 33 .450 7.5Chicago White Sox 27 34 .443 8

Western DivisionTexas 37 25 .597 -Oakland 38 27 .585 0.5LA Angels 27 36 .429 10.5Seattle 27 37 .422 11Houston 22 42 .344 16

National LeagueEastern Division

Atlanta 39 24 .619 -Washington 31 31 .500 7.5Philadelphia 31 33 .484 8.5NY Mets 23 35 .397 13.5Miami 18 44 .290 20.5

Central DivisionSt. Louis 41 22 .651 -Cincinnati 37 26 .587 4Pittsburgh 37 26 .587 4Chicago Cubs 25 35 .417 14.5Milwaukee 25 37 .403 15.5

Western DivisionArizona 35 28 .556 -San Francisco 33 29 .532 1.5Colorado 34 30 .531 1.5San Diego 29 34 .460 6LA Dodgers 27 35 .435 7.5

MLB results/standingsTexas 6, Toronto 4; Detroit 4, Cleveland 1; Miami 8, NY Mets 4 (10 innings); Boston 10, La Angels 5;Washington 7, Minnesota 0; Baltimore 10, Tampa Bay 7; Chicago White Sox 4, Oakland 2; Kansas City 2,Houston 0; Milwaukee 9, Philadelphia 1; Chicago Cubs 4, Pittsburgh 1; NY Yankees 2, Seattle 1; Colorado 8,San Diego 7 (10 innings); San Francisco 6, Arizona 2; Atlanta 8, LA Dodgers 1.

DETROIT: Jose Alvarez pitched six impressiveinnings in his Major League Baseball debutand Don Kelly hit a tiebreaking, three-runhomer in the sixth to help the Detroit Tigersfinish a three-game sweep of the skiddingCleveland Indians with a 4-1 victory Sunday.

Alvarez (1-0) was starting because ofAnibal Sanchez’s shoulder tightness, and heheld Cleveland hitless until Ryan Raburn’sfifth-inning homer. The 24-year-old left-han-der allowed three hits and a walk and struckout seven. Drew Smyly pitched two innings ofrelief and Joaquin Benoit finished for his thirdsave. Cleveland has lost seven straight.

Justin Masterson (8-5) allowed four runs inseven innings. He gave up a walk to MiguelCabrera and a single to Prince Fielder to startthe Detroit sixth. One out later, Kelly lifted adrive over the wall in right. The first-placeTigers lead Cleveland by 51/2 games in theAmerican League Central division.

RED SOX 10, ANGELS 5In Boston, David Ortiz hit a three-run

homer and Jarrod Saltalamacchia connectedtwice to power Boston past Los Angeles.

Saltalamacchia and Mike Carp went deepon consecutive pitches from Joe Blanton (1-10) in the sixth inning, moments after RyanDempster (4-6) got his 2,000th career strike-out. The Red Sox took two of three in theseries and have won six of eight.

Los Angeles entered the weekend havingwon eight straight against the Red Sox aftergoing 6-0 last season, but dropped the finaltwo games after winning the opener of a day-night doubleheader Saturday. Albert Pujolsand Alberto Callaspo each hit a solo homerfor the Angels. Dempster gave up three runsin six innings. Ortiz has five homers and 14RBIs in his last 10 games.

YANKEES 2, MARINERS 1In Seattle, Chris Stewart hit a tiebreaking

single in the ninth inning and David Phelpsmatched Felix Hernandez for six innings tohelp New York beat Seattle.

Ichiro Suzuki drew a walk from YoervisMedina (1-2) to open the ninth and JaysonNix sacrificed. With two outs, Stewartbounced a grounder through the left sideand Suzuki scored easily against his formerteam to help the Yankees take three of four atSafeco Field. Mariano Rivera allowed two hitsand a walk in the ninth but earned his 23rdsave in 24 opportunities, extending his careerrecord to 631. David Robertson (4-1) workedout of an eighth-inning jam and BrettGardner had four hits and an RBI.

ORIOLES 10, RAYS 7In St. Petersburg, JJ Hardy, Adam Jones,

Alexi Casilla and Nick Markakis had two RBIsapiece as Baltimore battered eight-game win-ner Matt Moore in beating Tampa Bay.

The Orioles, held to one run and six hits inlosing the first two games of the series, fin-ished with 16 hits in this one. Moore (8-2)

allowed career highs of nine runs and 12 hitsover five innings in his second consecutiveloss. In his previous start, the left-hander gaveup six runs over two-plus innings in a 10-1loss at Detroit. Chris Tillman (6-2) yieldedthree runs and four hits in six innings toimprove to 5-0 on the road. Jim Johnson gothis 21st save, handing the Rays their fourthloss in 14 games.

RANGERS 6, BLUE JAYS 4In Toronto, Adrian Beltre hit a tiebreaking

home run in the seventh inning as Texas ral-lied from a four-run deficit to beat Toronto.

A day after the Blue Jays beat Texas in 18innings, Beltre hit an opposite-field shot toright off Neil Wagner for his 14th homer ofthe season. That helped the Rangers avoid athree-game sweep and their first four-gamelosing streak of the season. Nelson Cruz andDavid Murphy also homered for the Rangers,while Neal Cotts (2-0) worked one inning forthe win. Joe Nathan escaped a ninth-inningjam for his 19th save in 20 chances. AdamLind hit a three-run homer for the Blue Jays,who had won three straight.

WHITE SOX 4, ATHLETICS 2In Chicago, Alex Rios and Tyler Flowers

homered and Hector Santiago pitched intothe seventh inning as Chicago beat Oaklandto split their four-game series.

The White Sox appear to be waking upafter dropping 10 of 11 and falling into lastplace in the AL Central division. They’ve wontwo in a row behind strong starts fromSantiago (2-4) and John Danks.

Flowers tied it 1-all in the third after CocoCrisp homered in the top half. The White Soxgrabbed a 3-1 lead in the fourth on a sacrificefly by Conor Gillaspie and an RBI double byGordon Beckham. Rios chased AJ Griffin (5-5)with a solo homer in the eighth to make it 4-2. Jesse Crain retired the side in the eighth,giving him 24 straight scoreless innings and25 appearances in a row without allowing arun. Reed worked the ninth for his 19th savein 20 chances.

ROYALS 2, ASTROS 0In Kansas City, Alex Gordon and Eric

Hosmer each had a run-scoring single in theeighth and Luis Mendoza pitched seveninnings of four-hit ball as Kansas City beatHouston for its fifth straight win.

Aaron Crow (2-1) worked a scorelesseighth to earn a victory that gave the Royalstheir longest winning streak since taking sev-en in a row form Sept. 10-17, 2011.

With one out in the eighth, Chris Getz sin-gled and stole second off reliever HectorAmrbiz (1-3). Gordon, who was 1 for 18 on thehomestand, singled for the first run. Gordonmoved to third on center fielder TrevorCrowe’s errant throw home and scored onHosmer’s single. Astros starter Lucas Harrellheld the Royals to two singles by SalvadorPerez in seven scoreless innings.—AP

Tigers sweep Indians

DETROIT: Michael Bourn No. 24 of the Cleveland Indians beats the tag from short-stop Ramon Santiago No. 39 of the Detroit Tigers to steal second base in the eighthinning. —AFP

LOS ANGELES: Mark Ellis No. 14 of the Los Angeles Dodgers attempts a throw in front of NickPunto No. 7 off a groundball by Andrelton Simmons No. 19 of the Atlanta Braves during thesixth inning. —AFP

Six Gulf Bank employees return

from UEFA Champions League finalKUWAIT: Gulf Bank announced the return of six employ-ees who were nominated to attend the UEFA ChampionsLeague Final match between Bayern Munich andBorussia Dortmund, which took place in WembleyStadium, London on 25 May 2013.

The Bank’s employees who travelled to attend theUEFA Champions League Final were nominated by theirdepartment heads for their outstanding performance.The trip was fully sponsored by the bank in appreciationof the hard work the nominees have put in to achieveoutstanding results for the bank despite the challengingtargets.

The Bank continuously seeks to reward its outstand-ing employees to encourage further excellence. As aleading bank in Kuwait, Gulf Bank’s philosophy for talentdevelopment advocates meritocracy and recognizing tal-ent in firm belief that the Bank’s biggest asset is it’s peo-ple. The UEFA Champions League is the world’s mostanticipated sporting event and Gulf Bank was keen torecognize and treat employees of outstanding perform-ances to a fully paid package to watch the final UEFAChampions League final match.

ST. PETERSBURG: Outfielder Desmond Jennings No. 8 of the Tampa Bay Rays breakshis bat against the Baltimore Orioles during the game at Tropicana Field. —AFP

LONDON: London’s Olympic Park will hosttop-level professional boxing bouts fromSeptember, boosting efforts to ensure thatGames venues remain a lasting part of theBritish sporting scene.

Boxing promoter Frank Warren hassigned an agreement to stage six fights inthe 7,000-seater Copper Box Arena whichwas used for handball and modern pen-tathlon fencing during last year’s Games.British middleweight champion Billy JoeSaunders will meet challenger John Ryderon Sept. 21 in the first of the fights plannedfor the venue.

Britain spent around nine billion pounds($14 billion) of public money to put on theGames. Politicians and sports administra-tors are keen to show that the money was asound investment that will prove of lastingbenefit. “The Copper Box is what all the

investment in the Olympics was about —legacy and giving London a fantastic are-na,” Warren said yesterday.

Proceeds from putting on the fights willbe used to subsidise other sports such asswimming in the Olympic pool, officialsfrom the London Legacy DevelopmentCorporation said.

The Park, currently closed for conversionwork, will host a series of rock concerts thisyear. Sprint champion Usain Bolt is sched-uled to appear in a Diamond League athlet-ics meeting in a sold-out Olympic Stadiumat the end of July, one year on from theGames.

Longer-term, the Olympic Stadium willstage World Cup rugby matches in 2015before becoming the home of PremierLeague soccer club West Ham United thefollowing year.—Reuters

London Olympic Park to

stage British title fight

McLaren endure a

weekend to forgetMONTREAL: The Canadian Grand Prix hasbeen a happy hunting ground for McLarenbut Sunday’s race marked a low for theBritish Formula One team. At the sameMontreal street circuit where McLaren hadproduced four of the last five winners,there was only disappointment.

For the first time in 65 races, a span dat-ing back to November 2009, the once-invincible team failed to claim a singlepoint after both drivers finished outsidethe top 10. “It was a weekend that I thinkwe will try and quickly forget,” said McLarenteam principal Martin Whitmarsh.“Qualifying was poor and then in the race,looking back at it with the data we’ve got,we made mistakes. We weren’t quickenough, that’s the starting point. But Ithink we should have been able to get intothe points.” The surprise was not so muchthe team missed out on the points in analready difficult season for them, but themanner in which they did. Neither car wasinvolved in a crash as both finished, justway behind. Mexican Sergio Perez finished11th and 2009 champion Jenson Buttonwas 12th, both a lap down on Red Bull’srace winner Sebastian Vettel. Even in quali-

fying, the team were unusually slow, failingto advance to the last session for the 10fastest cars. “We’ve won the last three here.This weekend nothing’s really gone right,”said Whitmarsh. “The car isn’t quick enoughbut we could have done a better job thanwe’ve done.

“Both drivers are driving well, but we’renot giving them quite the car that theyneed to go out and get the job done.”

To try and save time after the disap-pointment of qualifying, Button gambledon a one-stop pit strategy but theEnglishman said it made no differencebecause the car was just not up to speed.

The Briton hoped the car would be bet-ter for his home race, the next up atSilverstone, but conceded that there wereunlikely to be any quick fixes.

“We got lapped today and easily. So(there’s) a lot of work to do and it’s verydifficult to know where to look,” he said.“It’s a big gap. We do have some thingsfor Silverstone which are positive. Wetried them here and they didn’t work forthis type of circuit. But they should helpus set the car up a bit easier inSilverstone.”—Reuters


PARIS: Right now, French Open champi-ons Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams areas good as it gets in tennis. The nexttime we see them competing, atWimbledon in two weeks, Nadal will bemerely a serious contender, whileWilliams will be the unquestionedfavorite.

Both have a won-loss record of 43-2in 2013. Nadal has won 22 matches in arow. Williams has won 31 straight, thelongest single-season run on thewomen’s tour in 13 years.

Nadal’s Grand Slam title total nowstands at 12, tied with Roy Emerson forthe third-most in the history of the men’sgame, behind only Roger Federer’s 17and Pete Sampras’ 14.

Williams is up to 16 major singles tro-phies, sixth-best among women, withChris Evert and Martina Navratilova rightabove her on the list at 18.

Now comes the shift from the clay ofRoland Garros to the grass ofWimbledon, and that is where the simi-larities end. Williams is a five-time cham-pion at the All England Club, including ayear ago, and the way she’s playing at

the moment, there is little reason toanticipate anyone beating her there thistime. Nadal, despite his recent form, isonly one of a group of men who canthink of themselves as possible champi-ons, along with No. 1-ranked NovakDjokovic, No. 2 Andy Murrray and No. 3Federer.

“The objective now is to celebratetonight,” Toni Nadal, Rafael’s uncle andcoach, said Sunday, when his nephewwon his eighth French Open champi-onship by easily beating David Ferrer 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 in the final, two days after out-lasting Djokovic 9-7 in the fifth set of awonderful semifinal, “and then we willsee if he plays well at Wimbledon.”

Even the Nadals acknowledge thatRafa is not quite as superb on grass as heis on clay. How could he be? He is 59-1 inthe French Open, with four titles in a rowfrom 2005-08 and another four in a rowfrom 2010-13, and the only man to claimeight titles at the same major tourna-ment. That said, he’s done well atWimbledon, winning it in 2008 and2010, and losing in the final to Federer in2006-07 and to Djokovic in 2011.

A year ago, though, Nadal fell in thesecond round against Lukas Rosol, whowas ranked 100th at the time. Thatwould be the last match Nadal playedfor about seven months because of apainful left knee, an absence that sawhim skip the London Olympics, the U.S.Open and the Australian Open and is thereason he’s ranked No. 5 this week.

“Some weeks I didn’t feel well, but thelast couple of weeks I start to feel ... bet-ter,” Nadal said Sunday. “I am still goingweek by week, day by day.”

He usually likes to prepare forWimbledon by playing in a grass-courttournament during the week right afterthe French Open. But this time, Nadalwithdrew from the field in Halle,Germany, and opted for rest, instead.

“That’s not the ideal situation beforea Grand Slam like Wimbledon that is ongrass,” Nadal said. “The conditions arevery different.”

What he will do is head to the prac-tice court, to keep on getting better, justas he’s done for years. His serve used tobe a real weakness, for example, soNadal and Uncle Toni studied ways to

speed it up and add variety.At first, he found grass to be prob-

lematic, but his accomplishments atWimbledon are ample proof that he fig-ured out a way to overcome that, too.“You can improve always, in every way,”Nadal said. “And in tennis, for sure, youcan keep improving.”

Williams expressed a similar senti-ment after her 6-4, 6-4 victory overdefending champion Maria Sharapova inthe women’s final Saturday in Paris.

Unlike Nadal, she’s had her issueswith red clay: After winning the FrenchOpen in 2002, it took Williams 11 yearsto get her hands on a second trophy.And unlike Nadal, she’s excelled more onother sur faces, with those fiveWimbledon championships, plus five onhard courts at the Australian Open, andfour on hard courts at the US Open.

Tough as her serve was to handle atthe French Open these last two weeks -she hit 10 aces against Sharapova, forexample, including three in the lastgame - it should only be more effectiveon grass, where balls skid instead ofclay’s higher bounces.

After her own stunning early exit at aGrand Slam tournament last year - atRoland Garros, in the first round, to awoman ranked 111th - Williams immedi-ately went about fixing things. She stuckaround Paris to practice for Wimbledonat coach Patrick Mouratoglou’s tennisacademy and has gone 74-3 since, win-ning three of the last four major titles,plus gold at the Olympics.

“It really was a shock for her. She real-ly worked on rebuilding herself tobecome perhaps stronger than ever,”Mouratoglou said.

And Williams insists that she is willingto find new areas to work on, whichmight not be comforting to otherwomen hoping to knock her from No. 1.

“The day I feel that I cannot improve,it’s going to be a problem for me. I’mgoing to have to really debate whether Ishould keep playing,” said Williams, whoalmost always skips Wimbledon tuneuptournaments. “But I feel like, as of now, Ican do a lot of things better. I can bebetter. I feel like I can be more fit. There’sstill a level of improvement that I canreach.”—AP

Will Nadal, Serena be unbeatable at Wimbledon?

NEW YORK: Park Inbee of SouthKorea won the LPGA Championshipin a marathon Sunday finish, win-ning a three-hole sudden deathplayoff over Briton CatrionaMatthew with a birdie on her 39thhole of play. It was the 24-year-oldPark’s second major title of the sea-son following her triumph in theKraft Nabisco Championship andunderlined her status as thewomen’s world number one.

“It was one of the toughest daysout there,” Park said after sinking an18-foot birdie putt at the par-four18th at Locust Hill outsideRochester, New York, to defeatMatthew after they both parred thefirst two holes of sudden death. “I’mso tired.”

The entire third and fourthrounds were played on Sundayafter Thursday’s opening round waswiped out by heavy rains and light-ning.

Tied for third place on four-under-par 284 were AmericanMorgan Pressel, who shot a final-round 75, and Norway’s SuzannPettersen, who fired a seven-under65 in the final round, the best scoreof the tournament.

Park took a one-shot lead over36-hole leader Pressel into the finalround and led by as many as threestrokes before losing her way offthe tee en route to a 75.

Matthew, 43, made up sevenshots on Park in the final round,posting a bogey-free, four-under 68to take a five-under-par total intothe clubhouse and force a playoffafter the Korean made threebogeys over the last five holes to tieher on 283.

“I didn’t hit many fairways outthere and I was scrambling really

well out there,” said Park. “I think Iwas actually really lucky to get inthe playoff.

“The amount of fairways I wasmissing it’s almost a miracle that Iwon today. I think I got a little luckythere, too. And I really tried to fightand tried not to give up. That reallypaid off.”

In contrast to the final round, inwhich Matthew played impeccablyand Park struggled finding the fair-ways, the Korean had the steadierhand in the playoff.

Park, who missed eight fairwaysin the final round and struggled out

of the deep rough, regained herswing off the tee in sudden-death.

On the decisive playoff hole,Park split the fairway, whileMatthew landed in the roughbehind a large tree right of the fair-way.

After the Korean put herapproach safely on the green, theScot punched out through the fair-way and into rough short of thegreen. Her next shot also failed toreach the putting surface and thenshe chipped up weakly below thehole.

“When I started the last round I

probably didn’t realize I could win,”said Matthew, winner of the 2009Women’s British Open. “So to playwell and get into the playoffs wasobviously pretty good.

“She’s not the kind of playeryou’d expect to fall back.” After Parkrolled in her birdie putt for her thirdcareer major and fourth victory ofthe year, she was doused withwater by compatriot Chella Choi,who finished at three-under 285and joined the celebration as Parkextended a streak of nine succes-sive women’s majors won by Asian-born players.—Reuters

Park clinches playoff to

win LPGA Championship

PITTSFORD: Inbee Park of South Korea kisses the trophy after winning the Wegmans LPGA Championshipat Locust Hill Country Club. —AFP

David Frost

BIRMINGHAM: South African David Frostclinched his first major title on the over-50sChampions Tour with a one-shot victory atthe Regions Tradition in Birmingham,Alabama on Sunday.

A stroke in front going into a weather-disrupted final round at Shoal Creek, the53-year-old closed with a four-under-par 68to hold off American playing partner FredCouples, who also carded a 68.

Frost, who began the season with fiveconsecutive top-10 finishes on theChampions Tour, including a win at theToshiba Classic, birdied three of the lasteight holes to post a 16-under total of 272.Play was suspended for just over an hour

due to the threat of lightning with the lead-ers having completed 15 holes. Afterresuming, both Frost and Couples birdiedthe 16th before finishing par-par.

United States Presidents Cup captainCouples briefly caught Frost in a tie for thelead after seven holes but had to settle forsecond place after the South African pulledaway with three birdies in five holes aroundthe turn.

American John Cook signed off with a66 to share third place at 13 under withMexican Esteban Toledo (67), withGermany’s Bernhard Langer a further threeshots back in a tie for 10th after firing a blis-tering, best-of-the-week 63.—Reuters

Frost bags first major title

MEMPHIS: Harris English overcame ashaky start, then took advantage of alate collapse by fellow American ScottStallings to clinch his maiden PGA Tourtitle with a two-shot victory at the StJude Classic in Memphis, Tennessee onSunday.

The 23-year-old English birdied twoof the last three holes at the TPCSouthwind to close with a one-under-par 69, ending a roller-coaster finalround where he and Stall ings hadduelled back and forth for the lead.

Stallings and four-times major cham-pion Phil Mickelson tied for second, twostrokes back. A curling 17-foot birdieputt at the 17th put English two strokesclear and he safely parred the trickyfinal hole to post a 12-under total of 268in the final PGA Tour event before nextweek’s U.S. Open.

“I was feeling very good with my ball-striking all week,” a beaming Englishtold CBS Sports greenside after two-putting for par on the 18th green, thenpumping his right fist in delight.

“I just had to get those putts to fall. Ikept it together, had bad bogeys oneight and nine, but stuck with it andmade some good birdies coming in.”

Stallings had been two ahead whenhe hit his wedge approach into water atthe 15th en route to a damaging dou-ble-bogey six and had to settle for ashare of second place after bogeyingthe 18th for a 68. Level with Stallings at10 under was Mickelson, who thrilledthe crowd when he nearly holed out hisapproach at the par-four last for a tap-inbirdie and a 67.

“I hit some good wedges coming inand I thought that one on 18 mighteven go (in),” Mickelson said after a five-birdie display on Sunday. “I hit a lot ofgood iron shots.”

English, whose previous best finishon the PGA Tour was a tie for fifth at last

year’s Crowne Plaza Invitational, mixedsix birdies with f ive bogeys as theleaderboard fluctuated wildly in thefinal round.

PGA Tour rookie Shawn Stefanibegan the day with a one-stroke advan-tage but bogeyed the opening hole andhe never recovered on the way to a clos-ing 76 and a tie for seventh at six under.

Though English faltered at the par-four second where he missed the greenwith his approach, he immediatelyrebounded with birdies at the third andfourth to edge a stroke front.

However, he then slid backwardswith bogeys at the fifth, eighth andninth to hand Stallings a two-strokeadvantage.

Stallings had charged up the leader-board with four birdies on the frontnine, a 25-footer at the ninth giving himthe outright lead for the first time.

English briefly cut the lead to oneafter making birdies at the 10th and11th before surprisingly stumbling witha three-putt bogey at the par-four 13th.

Stallings appeared to be in cruisecontrol as he started the back nine withfive consecutive pars but stunninglydouble-bogeyed the 15th after hittinghis second shot into water to drop backinto a t ie with English. Stal l ingsbounced back with a birdie at the par-five 16th, getting up and down from agreenside bunker, to regain a one -stroke cushion before being caught in atie at the top.

English, playing in the group behind,also birdied the 16th after reaching thegreen in two and two-putting to joinStallings at 11 under. Stallings thenbogeyed the last after missing thegreen to the right with his approachand hitting his chip shot fat for his ballto get no further than the fringe. Nowone ahead, English effectively securedthe title with his birdie at 17.—Reuters

English triumphs in Memphis

MEMPHIS: Harris English holds the winner’s trophyafter winning the FedEx St. Jude Classic at the TPCSouthwind. —AFP


Photo of the day

Kotaro Tokuda performs during Wanna Panna at Marina Crescent, Kuwait City. www.redbullcontentpool.com

LONDON: West Indies captain DwayneBravo is confident of containing India’sbatting firepower when the two sidesmeet in a key Champions Trophy matchat the Oval today.

The winner is almost certain to takeone of the two semi-final berths fromgroup B after both teams won theiropening games, albeit in contrastingfashion. India, the reigning World Cupchampions, brushed aside injury-hitSouth Africa by 26 runs in Cardiff afteran impressive batting display saw thempost a commanding 331-7.

The West Indies shot Pakistan out for170 at the Oval on Friday, but thenshowed their vulnerability while battingas they lost eight wickets while chasingthe modest target.

All-rounder Bravo, who replacedDarren Sammy as one-day captainahead of the tournament, said the closeresult did not worry him as his side pre-pared to face the in-form Indians.

“We came out on top and that’s moreimportant,” said Bravo. “It does not mat-ter if you lose eight or nine wickets, wegot the two points that we wanted.”

Bravo, whose side beat Sri Lanka by17 runs in a practice match inEdgbaston last week, said winning twogames in a row was the right morale-booster ahead of tougher encounters.

Bravo, who plays for Indian captainMahendra Singh Dhoni’s Chennai SuperKings in the Indian Premier League, saidthe West Indies had the resources totake the world champions in their stride.

“It’s another tough game against ateam whose strength lies is their bat-ting,” he said. “But we have the right

bowlers to control their batting.“Cricket is played on the day. India

could turn up on Tuesday and beknocked over, or score a big total againas they normally do. “I have the rightattack if I want to go with someone withraw pace. I have the reserve bench thatis strong enough to actually come upwith the 11 that I think will do wellagainst the Indians.”

Bravo said the opening win againstPakistan added to the joy of captainingthe West Indies. “It is a great personalachievement for me,” he said. “But it isnot all about me as a captain. It’s howwe all come together and try to makethe best decision for the team.

“The West Indies normally do notstart well in tournaments like this, so itwas important that we get our first winout of the way and look forward to therest of the games ahead.”

India, who have won eight of theirlast 11 one-dayers against the WestIndies over the past three years, will lookto continue their fine batting form overthe past week.

They chased down Sri Lanka’s mas-sive 333-5 with an over to spare in awarm-up game in Birmingham, withDinesh Karthik making an unbeaten 106and Virat Kohli slamming 144.

India then rode on opener ShikharDhawan’s 114 off 94 balls to pile upanother 300-plus total against a deplet-ed South African attack missing injuredstrike bowler Dale Steyn.

But the bowlers will have to deliveragainst a line-up that has match-win-ning batsmen like Chris Gayle, MarlonSamuels and Kieron Pollard.—AFP

Preview

Bravo: Bring on India

MEIRINGEN: Swiss rider MathiasFrank claimed the overallleader ’s yellow jersey asSlovakian Peter Sagan took stagethree honors at the Tour ofSwitzerland yesterday.

The pair were part of a four-man breakaway who movedclear of a larger 12-man groupon the f inal descent intoMeiringen after a 203.3km runfrom Montreux. Cannondale’sSagan proved too strong for hisbreakaway companions in thesprint for the l ine, f inishingahead of last year’s overall win-ner Rui Da Costa of Portugal andCzech Roman Kreuziger, withFrank fourth.

An elite group formed on thefinal categor y one Haslibergclimb as American Tejay vanGarderen pushed the pace forhis BMC teammate Frank.

That burst decimated thepeloton until around a dozen rid-ers were left but the next splithappened on the descent whenItaly’s 2011 Giro d’Italia winnerMichele Scarponi crashed into agrass verge, holding up thosebehind him.

Da Costa made an immediatedash to join the three ahead ofhim, but no-one else couldbridge the gap and the stagewin came down to the frontfour.

With three of that group eye-ing overall victory more than astage success, Sagan was neverin any danger of being chal-lenge and he won the sprint at acanter. It was the 23-year-old’s50th UCI win and seventh stage

victory in this event although itlef t him a l i t t le surprised.“Honestly I’m surprised to beable to take this win,” he said.

“In the morning meeting wethought that this finale was toohard to try a move. The stagelooked good when I stayed withthe leaders on the final climb.

“On the descent, the groupgot smaller and with the otherthree riders I pushed to go tothe f inish. “ The f inal sprintwasn’t so easy. I knew I was thefaster rider of the group but my

legs felt tired due to the lastclimb. I preferred a two-up sprintwith Rui Costa to not run anyrisks.” Sagan said that he washeartened that his form wasstarting to improve with the Tourde France beginning at the endof the month. “I’m really happyfor this win and to have foundthe first positive sign of my form.

“Every day is a useful test toprepare for the Tour de France.There is only one target: be at thetop to fight for the green jersey. IfI find other chances here I’ll be

ready, but for me it’s importantto see my form improving.”

Previous leader CameronMeyer of Australia was distancedon the final climb and finished1min 47sec down, not only los-ing the yellow jersey but drop-ping out of the top 10 overall.

Kreuziger moved up to secondoverall at 25sec with Da Costathird a further 10sec back. It wasa terrible day for another GC con-tender as 2012 Giro d’Italia win-ner Ryder Hesjedal of Canadacrashed out of the race.—AFP

Frank takes yellow

as Sagan wins stage

Peter Sagan

Blackhawks, Bruins offer intriguing finals matchupCHICAGO: Two NHL franchises, richin history, talent and star power.Two winning teams that know whatit takes to bring home a title.Intrigue in the form of a schedulethat kept them away from each oth-er for an entire season.

Oh, there’s plenty to love aboutthese Stanley Cup finals. The serieskicks off tomorrow when theChicago Blackhawks host theBoston Bruins in the first finalsmatchup of “Original Six” teams thatmade up the league from 1942-1967 since Montreal beat the NewYork Rangers way back in 1979.

The mighty Blackhawks, winnersof seven of the last eight games,have a deep roster that really foundits identity when pushed to the limitby the Detroit Red Wings in the sec-ond round of the playoffs. Thenthere are the playoff-tested Bruins,who rolled over favored Pittsburghduring an impressive sweep thatgave them a chance for a secondNHL title in three seasons.

The matchup couldn’t be moreperfect for a league still trying torecover from a bitter lockout thatwiped out 510 games and pushedthe start of the season back to Jan.19.

“The tradition of the Bruins andthe Hawks is special,” Blackhawkscoach Joel Quenneville said. “I’msure, you know, the rivalry couldreturn instantly come Game 1. Ithink it’s good for the league. It’s

good for hockey. Two great hockeymarkets. We’re very excited to be apart of it.”

Chicago advanced with a 4-3double-overtime victory over LosAngeles on Saturday, using a hattrick from Patrick Kane to eliminatethe defending champion Kings in

five games in the WesternConference finals. Back in theStanley Cup series for the first timesince 2010, the Blackhawks are insearch of another title to pair withtheir six-game victory over thePhiladelphia Flyers three years ago.

“Everyone has that drive to win

the Cup,” Chicago forward AndrewShaw said. “It’s going to be a longroad ahead here. It’s surreal. I’vewanted this since I was a kid. I’mexcited to get started.”

Boston is rolling again after los-ing its spot atop the NHL’s NortheastDivision in the final days of the reg-

ular season. The Bruins have wonfive in a row and nine of 10, boostedby a familiar group of stars who ledthe way when they won the cham-pionship in 2011. David Krejciscored four times in the Pittsburghsweep and leads Boston with ninegoals and 12 assists in the playoffs.

“The excitement is there,” Bruinscoach Claude Julien said Sunday.“You’ve heard people say, ‘Onceyou’ve been there, you want to goback.’ It’s true, we really want to goback; we made it happen. We’reexcited about it and we also knowwhat kind of challenge lies aheadfor us. It ’s about acknowledgingthat and being ready for it.”

While Boston and Chicago havekept an eye on each other for awhile now, there’s no way for eitherteam to know what to expect at thestart of the series. That’s becausethe lockout-shortened scheduleincluded no games between teamsfrom opposing conferences.

That ’s right, the Bruins andBlackhawks haven’t played sinceOct. 15, 2011, when Boston won 3-2in a shootout in Chicago. There areno mutual opponents this year, noteven an All-Star game to comparethe players from each conference.

“I think all the information is outthere for both teams to understandhow we both play,” Julien said.“There’s no secrets there. Again, likeI said, it’s only the head to head,how the two teams are kind of

going to clash, what’s going to hap-pen when we do. It’s as simple asthat. “It’s about having confidencein what you plan on doing andgoing out there and executing it,that’s all you can do.”

The Bruins were on the brink ofelimination when they trailedToronto 4-1 with less than 11 min-utes left in the third period of Game7 in the first round of the playoffs.But they managed to beat theMaple Leafs 5-4 in overtime.

The Blackhawks had their owngreat escape in the second round,coming back from a 3-1 deficit toeliminate the rival Red Wings in sev-en games. The comeback included athree-goal flurry in Game 6 thaterased a 2-1 deficit heading into thefinal period.

The twin comebacks for Bostonand Chicago increase the potentialfor a compelling series for the title.Now mix in a couple of the NHL’sbest all-around forwards in PatriceBergeron of the Bruins andJonathan Toews of the Blackhawks,plus a slew of talented players oneach side, and there are convincingarguments to be made for eitherteam to win the Stanley Cup. “Herewe are again,” Toews said. “We got agreat chance to go back to wherewe want to be. We know there’sgoing to be some more toughmoments that we’ll have to battlethrough. We’re confident we can dothat as a team.”—AP

Rajasthan Royals’

Kundra suspended

CHICAGO: The Chicago Blackhawks pose for a team photo with the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl in this file photo. —AFP

NE W DELHI: The Board of Control forCricket in India has suspended RajasthanRoyals co-owner Raj Kundra for betting onIndian Premier League games.

“Raj Kundra has been suspended pend-ing enquiry from participation in cricketactivit ies under the aegis of BCCI,” theboard said yesterday after an emergencymeeting in which other aspects of an ongo-ing spot-fixing scandal were also discussed.

The decision came after Delhi Police,which is investigating spot-fixing allega-tions during the IPL, claimed Kundra con-ceded that he gambled on IPL games dur-ing questioning last week.

According to IPL rules, a team officialcan be suspended if he brings the tourna-ment into disrepute. Kundra said he wasbeing “made a scapegoat” and put undertr ial by the media based on unprovenclaims. “I am shocked and upset at the uni-lateral decision taken today by the BCCIand will fight the grounds of suspension,”Kundra said in a statement. “All sorts ofaccusations were made against me withoutproof, by people in powerful positions.”Kundra is the second team official to besuspended after Chennai Super Kings teamprincipal Gurunath Meiyappan, who is theson-in-law of BCCI President NarainswamySrinivasan.

Srinivasan, who is also the managingdirector of the India Cements company thatowns the Chennai franchise, was forced tostep aside pending the probe intoMeiyappan, who was granted bai l lastweek. Former ICC and BCCI chief JagmohanDalmiya is the interim president of theBCCI. Though Kundra was never arrested,his name came up in the scandal after along-winding chain that started with thearrest of three Rajasthan Royals cricketers -

test player Shantakumaran Sreesanth,Ankeet Chavan and Aj it Chandila - forallegedly conceding more than a minimumnumber of runs agreed upon in exchangefor money from illegal bookmakers.

However, all three players were grantedbail by a Delhi court yesterday. The threehad been arrested from Mumbai on May 16and initially faced charges of cheating,criminal conspiracy and criminal breach oftrust.

They were later also booked under thestringent Maharashtra Control of OrganizedCrime Act for allegedly being part of anunderworld syndicate, but the court reject-ed the police’s plea and said there is notenough evidence to book them under theact. Delhi Pol ice Commissioner NeerajKumar said the police was yet to study thecourt order. “We’ll examine the order andconsult legal experts before deciding onthe future course of action,” he was quotedas saying by the Press Trust of India.

Another R ajasthan player, S idhar thTr ivedi , has also been quest ioned bypolice.—AP

Rajasthan Royals IPL cricket team co-ownerand British based entrepreneur Raj Kundra.

19S P O R T STUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2013

LONDON: If ‘Jose Mourinho, TheChelsea Sequel’ had been aLondon West End theatre pro-duction yesterday, some of theaudience may have left theirseats by the intermission as the‘Special One’ turned into the‘Cautious One’.

The outspoken Portuguesemanager arrived at StamfordBridge in 2004 amid a blaze ofpublicity, describing himself as ‘Achampion, not one of the bottle’and arrogantly forecasting theclub’s first top-flight title for 50years.

Nine years on there was nocontroversy, no brashness and noheadline statements as Mourinhoaddressed the media for the firsttime since leaving Real Madrid tosign a four-year contract to returnto Chelsea. The 50-year-old’snews conference attracted 250reporters from around the world,dozens of television crews andhis arrival on stage was greetedby a hail of flashing camera bulbs.

Mourinho normally revels inthe spotlight but on this occasionhe was low-key, giving measuredresponses to questions and evensuggesting the whole parapher-nalia surrounding news confer-ences was something he had lit-tle time for.

“I don’t love this but it’s part ofmy job,” he told reporters. “I try togive you what you want but Icannot always give you a goodline. “I try to be honest and giveyou what you’re expecting fromme but at this moment what Iwant to do is work. I’m humble,sometimes it doesn’t look like Iam, but I am.”

When Mourinho arrived atChelsea the first time, his missionwas to transform a bunch of near-ly men into winners and he didprecisely that.

The Londoners lifted back-to-back Premier League titles in2005 and 2006 and although thePortuguese left under a cloud in2007, they continued collectingtrophy after trophy until finallyreaching the ‘Holy Grail ’ 13months ago by winning theChampions League for the firsttime.

Mourinho did not make any

bold predictions about theChampions League or PremierLeague on Monday, preferring toset his sights on more modesttargets.

“In 2004 Arsenal were thepower,” said Mourinho who worea light blue shirt and light grey tieunder a charcoal grey suit. “Theyhad won the league without los-ing a game and were anabsolutely fantastic team - nowthe picture is different.

“Manchester United are thechampions, Manchester City werethe champions in 2012 ... youhave Arsenal and Tottenhamcoming up and Liverpool withBrendan Rodgers will be up therefor sure.

“This competition starts witheveryone trying to finish in thetop four, then the top three ...then to try and win it. We go stepby step.” Mourinho smiledthroughout, clearly delighted tobe back at the club he said hehad always loved.

“If I have to choose a nicknamefor this period I would choose‘the Happy One’,” he declared.“Time flies, it seems like it was acouple of days but it was nine

years ago when I first becamemanager.

“I have the same nature, I amthe same person,” said the title-winning former Real and InterMilan manager before adding hehad the same heart and emo-tions.

“It is the first time I arrive at aclub where I already love the club- before I had to build an emo-tional relationship and I onlycame to love the club a little lat-er.”

It was widely reported his rela-tionship with billionaire Chelseaowner Roman Abramovich brokedown in 2007, a claim Mourinhorejected.

“I read and I kept listening Iwas fired, I was sacked,” he said.“That was not true. Many peopledidn’t believe it but it was bymutual agreement. “At the timewe thought it was best for bothof us. Of course it was a sadmoment but I don’t regret thatdecision.”

Since leaving Chelsea,Mourinho spent two years atInter where he won two Serie Atitles, the domestic cup and theChampions League before mov-

ing to Real where he won a LaLiga title and a King’s Cup.

The Portuguese has neverstayed more than three years atone club but he hopes to at leastsee out his new deal withChelsea.

“I’m prepared for that,” he saidwhen asked if he wanted morestability in his career. “Before Iwasn’t. “I have a contract for fouryears. I hope to go to the last dayof that. If the club then wants meto stay, I’ll be more than happy.”

Mourinho inherits a side thatagain qualified for theChampions League, after finish-ing third in the Premier League.They also won the Europa Leaguebut may need some restructuringif they are to overhaul United andsecond-placed City.

“I didn’t choose for my career acomfortable position because I’mreturning to a house where I washappy and successful and wherethe fans love me,” he said.

“No. I’m coming with exactlythe opposite perspective. I havemore responsibility because ofthat. The expectations are higherbecause people know what I candeliver.” —Reuters

‘Cautious One’ Mourinho

makes a low-key return

LONDON: Chelsea football club’s new manager Jose Mourinho poses for pictures as he addresses apress conference at Stamford Bridge. —AFP

PORTO ALEGRE: Brazil’s defender Fernando Martins (left) vies with France’s for-ward Bafetimbi Gomis during the friendly football match at the Arena GremioStadium.—AFP

PORTO ALEGRE: Brazil scrapped their wayto a flattering 3-0 friendly win over Franceon Sunday in an ugly, disjointed matchagainst opponents who are even worse offthan themselves.

Second-half goals from Oscar, Hernanesand Lucas gave the under-fireConfederations Cup hosts a timely pre-tournament tonic in the city where coachLuiz Felipe Scolari built his reputation.

Brazil, who ended a six-match, 21-yearwinless run against France, had gone intothe game under enormous pressure afteronly one win in six outings since Scolarireturned for a second stint in the job lastNovember.

While the result, if not the performance,will give Brazil some relief, France were leftto face the long flight back from their briefSouth American tour reflecting on theirfourth defeat in five matches this year andtheir fifth in 11 outings under DidierDeschamps.

Having rested Bayern Munich’s FranckRibery, the toothless French, beaten 1-0 byUruguay on Wednesday, barely tested JulioCesar as they completed their trip withoutscoring.

“We didn’t have the head nor the legs,”Deschamps told TF1 television. “We playedwell for 20 minutes against Uruguay andfor a short period against Brazil. Even inadversity, against superior teams, weshould be able to do better.”

Brazil’s win placated a restless 51,000crowd at the Arena Gremio, which is notamong the 2014 World Cup stadiums, afterthey had jeered forwards Neymar and Hulkduring the game.

But, with only Oscar showing any realinvention and Neymar once again strug-gling against a European defence, it wasstill a far from memorable display

“The team is still being put together,”Scolari, fondly remembered at Gremiowhere he won several trophies during themid-1990s, told reporters. “We are workingto have a competitive team that will winmatches.”

The teams belied their reputations astwo of international soccer’s most gracefulexponents, instead setting out to concen-trate on nullifying each other, producing asoporific and undignified first half. Braziloften had four players - two central defend-ers plus two defensive midfielders - behindthe halfway line even when they wereattacking, severely limiting their creativeoptions.

The 2014 World Cup hosts’ chancesmainly came from crosses into the area,which the French defence dealt with com-fortably, and the occasional long-rangeshot which invariably went high and wide.France occasionally looked threateningwhen they came forward, yet never reallytested Julio Cesar. Brazil defender DavidLuiz showed his wild side as he escaped ayellow card for hacking at Karim Benzema’s

leg near the halfway line, and was bookedshortly afterwards for a needless high chal-lenge in midfield.

The five-times world champions, whohad not scored in their last three meetingsagainst France, finally broke the deadlockin the 54th minute when Oscar produced avirtuoso finish after Fred’s low cross foundhim in the middle of the penalty area.

France had their best chance shortlyafterwards though it came from a Brazilianplayer when David Luiz diverted a MathieuValbuena cross towards his own goal, forc-ing an excellent save from Julio Cesar.Scolari was jeered by the crowd when hetook off Oscar in the 65th minute, yet twoof his substitutes ended up on the score-sheet.

Hernanes made it 2-0 in the 85th minutewith a left-foot shot from outside thepenalty area which went in off the postafter the ball had been teed up to him byNeymar, who was generally disappointing.

Lucas, who replaced Oscar, converted apenalty in stoppage time after a foul onMarcelo as he burst into the penalty area,completing Brazil’s first win over Francesince 1992. —Reuters

Brazil defeat France 3-0

DOHA: Japan booked their spot at the2014 World Cup finals with a drawagainst Australia last week but the Asianchampions have a score to settle in theirfinal qualifier today and have no inten-tion of going easy on Iraq in Doha.

Iraq held Japan to a 2-2 draw in theQatari capital 20 years ago in a gamethat denied the Japanese a place at the1994 World Cup and was dubbed the“Agony of Doha” by the country’s media.

Two decades on, it is Group B base-ment dwellers Iraq who must beat Japanin Doha to give themselves any realisticchance of qualifying for Brazil next year.

Japan are unlikely to show any sym-pathy, however, particularly with theConfederations Cup on the horizon. “InJapanese football history, this is a placewe can’t ever forget,” Kyodo News quot-ed Shinji Kagawa as saying. “But we aretaking the necessary steps to move ontoward the future.”

Keisuke Honda, whose injury-timepenalty sealed Japan’s World Cup finalsspot, has been unable to train due to athigh injury and Manchester United’sKagawa could take over the playmakerrole.

“Wherever I play, I will be ready,”added Kagawa. “It’s really important forus to win and I hope we can finish thequalifying campaign on a high notebefore going to the Confederations

Cup.”Honda has been a vital cog in the

Japan midfield and manager AlbertoZaccheroni was non-committal aboutthe CSKA Moscow player’s chances offeaturing in Tuesday’s match.

“He hasn’t played a whole lot recentlyso he is in need of some fine-tuning,”Zaccheroni said. “Whatever playing timehe can give me, I need to use it wisely.

“I don’t think we’ve played as poorlyas some say without Honda. Honda is animportant player to us, but we do havepeople who can step up and fill in.”

Japan took one of Group B’s two auto-matic qualification spots but all fourremaining teams - Iraq, Australia, Jordanand Oman - are in the running for thesecond berth.

Oman are second on nine points fromseven games, while Australia and Jordanare on seven having played a game less.Iraq have five points with two games toplay.

Bottom side Iraq have to win onTuesday to keep alive their hopes beforethey travel to Australia for their finalmatch on June 18.

“This is the last chance for Iraq toqualify for the World Cup and we willgive it whatever we have,” Iraq coachVladimir Petrovic said. “We respectJapan as the best side in Asia but we stillplan on beating them.” —Reuters

Japan plan to make Iraq

suffer for ‘Agony of Doha’

DOHA: Iraq’s forwards Yunes Mahmud (center) andHammadi Ahmed (left) pose for a picture with goal-keeper Jalal Hassan during a training session at theAl-Arabi Club Stadium on the eve of their 2014 FIFAWorld Cup Asian zone Group B qualifying footballmatch against Japan.—AFP

WC2014 Qualifying - AsiaAustralia v Jordan 12:00

Al Jazeera Sport +1South Korea v Uzbekistan 14:00

Al Jazeera Sport +2Iraq v Japan 17:30

Al Jazeera Sport +1Iran v Lebanon 18:30

Al Jazeera Sport +2

World Cup EuropeanQualifiers

Sweden v Faroe Islands 20:15

Al Jazeera Sport +4Denmark v Armenia 21:15

Al Jazeera Sport +10

WC2010 S. AmericanQualifiers

Colombia v Peru 23:00

Al Jazeera Sport +7Wednesday 12, June 2013

Ecuador v Argentina 0:00

Al Jazeera Sport +2Venezuela v Uruguay 3:00

Al Jazeera Sport +10Chile v Bolivia 3:30

Al Jazeera Sport +1

N. American World CupQualifiers

Mexico v Costa Rica 3:00

Al Jazeera Sport +4Honduras v Jamaica 4:00

Al Jazeera Sport +9United States v Panama 5:08

Al Jazeera Sport +5

Matches on TV (Local Timings)

MELBOURNE: Jordan deserves respect andAustralia needs to raise their tempo against theiropponents to get a positive result in today’s WorldCup qualifier, Socceroos captain Lucas Neill saidyesterday. Australia host Jordan with both teamson seven points in Asian qualifying Group B andneeding wins in their final two matches to beassured of securing the second automatic berth tonext year’s finals.

Japan have already booked their ticket to Brazilby sealing the first automatic spot with a 1-1 homedraw against Australia last week.

Jordan stunned Australia 2-1 at home and the35-year-old defender said their opponents haddone enough in their World Cup qualifying cam-paign to command respect.

“We’re all very excited, very focused and allunderstand what is required now. The Japan gamehas filled us with confidence, the priority and onlyfocus is Jordan,” Neill told reporters.

“Jordan are no mugs, they are a very goodteam, I don’t think you (media) are giving themenough credit. “They have beaten Japan and

Australia at home, they are a team that deserveyour respect and they certainly have our respect,and we know if we don’t play our best there is achance we won’t win the game.”

While Jordan is also expected to play an attack-ing game to give themselves an opportunity tobag three points, Neill felt a high-tempo gamemight be the best way to break down their oppo-nents at Melbourne’s Docklands stadium.

“I have got experience enough in the region toknow a quicker game will be the one to upset theirrhythm but also get us into a good rhythm,” Neillsaid. “They don’t want tempo, they don’t wantquick passing and that is sometimes the only wayto break down a team.”

Coach Holger Osieck was not prepared to dwellon last week’s qualifier, where Japan’s KeisukeHonda converted an injury-time penalty to earn histeam a 1-1 draw against Australia, complicatingmatters for the Socceroos.

“In football, you should never look back - theonly thing you get is a sore neck,” the Germancoach said. “I look ahead. Jordan is a different

game (to Japan).“Everyone in our squad is ready to play, so it’s a

good situation but a tough one for me as well tomake the decisions.” Osieck expected a competi-tive outing on Tuesday but was happy that qualifi-cation was still in Australia’s hands.

“It was very clear I think from minute one thatthis qualifying campaign would be a very toughone,” he added. “We are still in a positive space thatwe can manage the situation based on our ownstrength. “We focus on tomorrow and that is whatcounts, not what could have been or should havebeen.” Jordan coach Adnan Hamad said his team,who also beat Japan at home in Amman duringtheir qualifying campaign, would settle for nothingless than a victory.

“We know the Australian team is a strong teamand we respect them, but we came here for a win,”he said. “We’re here for the win. Our aim is to earnthree points in tomorrow’s match.

“It’s the biggest match in the history ofJordanian football... (we) have all the intention ofgetting the best result from this match.”—Reuters

Australia demands respect for Jordan

Dominant Spain, Netherlands

advance to Under-21 semis

JERUSALEM: Spain and the Netherlandsadvanced to the semi-finals of the EuroUnder-21 championships in Israel on Sundaywith two convincing performances that elimi-nated Germany and Russia. Spain relied on asolitary goal from Real Madrid’s AlvaroMorata to beat Germany in Netanya, whilethe Dutch were far more expansive in a 5-1drubbing of Russia, who played most of thesecond half of their match in Jerusalem with10 men.

With one game still to play, Netherlandsand Spain are now tied on six points at thetop of Group B after two wins from theiropening two matches while Germany andRussia are both out of contention with nopoints. Germany defended well for much ofthe match but did little to threaten theSpanish goal and eventually conceded in the86th minute.

Morata, who also headed the winneragainst Russia on Thursday, cut in from theleft and found the net with a shot thatdeflected in off the leg of German goalkeeperBernd Leno.

“The team played a fantastic matchagainst a great side and showed character,

ambition and personality. I am very proud ofthe lads,” Spain coach Julen Lopetegui told anews conference.

“I did not expect to qualify so soon. All ourenergy is focused on the Netherlands gamenow. We will prepare with a great deal ofcare.”

Netherlands, who scored a 90th-minutewinner to beat Germany 3-2 on Thursday,again showed their quality and discipline asthey crushed Russia, who looked threateningearly on.

The breakthrough came in the 38thminute when talented right-sided midfielderGeorginio Wijnaldum blasted a shot from 22metres that beat Russian goalkeeper NikolaiZabolotni.

The Russians stayed in the encounter buttheir hopes of finding an equaliser were dealta blow when Nikita Chicherin was shown ared card for a tackle from behind on AdamMaher in the 49th minute. The Dutch lookedto have the match wrapped up when theyscored again in the 61st minute as Luuk DeJong of Borussia Moenchengladbach headedin easily from a Wijnaldum cross from theright.—Reuters

MIAMI: Mario Chalmers marched toward midcourt with a mes-sage. “I felt like we had them on the ropes at the time. I told him,‘Let’s go for the kill,’” Chalmers said. “He said, ‘I’m with you.’”

And once LeBron James joined in, the Miami Heat were backwith a blowout in Game 2 of the NBA Finals. Chalmers led thecharge, James broke out to finish it with a flurry and the Heatused a 33-5 run to rout the San Antonio Spurs 103-84 on Sundaynight and even the series at one game apiece.

James missed 10 of 13 shots through three quarters and theHeat trailed by a point late in the period before unleashing thelethal brand of basketball that led them to a franchise-record 66wins this season. Chalmers finished with 19 points, and Jameshad 17 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and three blocks —the best on Tiago Splitter’s dunk attempt — while shooting only7 of 17 from the field.

For two days following Game 1, the thought was that Jamesneeded to do more for his teammates. Turns out, it wasChalmers and the supporting cast who did something for James.

“Honestly, for me, when I was struggling offensively, myteammates continued to keep it in range,” James said. “ And weeven had a lead at one point, especially late in the second quar-ter when we made that run and I was struggling a little bit.

“So I think Rio more than anybody kept us aggressive, himgetting into the paint, him getting those and-ones and making acouple of 3s. It allowed me to sit back and wait for my time.”

The Heat made 10 of 19 3-pointers and got 13 points fromRay Allen, and 12 points and 10 rebounds from the previouslyslumping Chris Bosh.

Danny Green made all six shots, including five 3-pointers, andscored 17 points for the Spurs. They host Game 3 on Tuesdaynight.

Tony Parker had 13 points on 5-of-14 shooting for the Spurs,who were so precise in their 92-88 victory in Game 1 but threwthe ball all over the white-surrounded court Sunday, committing17 turnovers that led to 19 Miami points.

“In the second half they just run us over,” the Spurs’ Manu

Ginobili said. “We didn’t move the ball at all. Their pressure reallygot us on our heels.”

Tim Duncan shot 3 of 13 and finished with nine points and 11rebounds.

“We didn’t play well. We didn’t shoot well. I know I playedawfully,” Duncan said. “Whatever it may be, they responded bet-

ter than us. So hopefully we can look forward to this Game 3 andregain some of our composure.”

James insisted he wouldn’t force himself to do more after hehad a triple-double in Game 1 but never seized the opportunityto take control of the scoring as the game was slipping awayfrom the Heat.

He didn’t need to. Not with Chalmers making big shots, theHeat’s defense forcing the Spurs to look shaky all over the floor,and a barrage of second-half 3-pointers.

James finally got some openings late, hanging from the riman extra second not long after a sensational blocked shot freedhim up for a fast break.

The often-maligned Chalmers is frequently found in Heathighlights being yelled at by James or another Miami veteran.But he’s as cocky as any of the superstars in Miami, and he hasthe big-moment plays to back up his bravado, from a tying shotfor Kansas in the 2008 NCAA championship game to his 25points in Game 4 of last year’s finals.

“You have to have guts to play with our guys. If you don’t, youget swallowed up,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “The goodthing about it is the other guys were fine with him making plays.”

The point guard sparked the Heat late in the third, after SanAntonio had taken a 62-61 lead. He converted two three-pointplays, Allen and Mike Miller nailed 3-pointers, and James madeonly his third field goal of the game during a 14-3 finishing spurtthat sent Miami to the fourth with a 75-65 advantage. Theyopened the fourth with nine straight points to make it 84-65,and capped the run at 94-67 when James made a 3-pointer,erasing any chance of their first two-game losing streak in fivemonths. “We were just a little bit more active today,” Bosh said.“We really just made an emphasis to continue to try to corralthem.”

The Spurs had only four turnovers in Game 1, tying an NBAFinals record low. But they surpassed that total in the first quar-ter, Parker committing two of their five after not coughing it uponce in the opener, and the Spurs looked more like the sloppyIndiana Pacers from Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finalsthan the Spurs of Game 1.

The unrecognizable play continued, Parker firing passes onthe pick-and-roll right into a Heat player’s leg on multiple occa-sions and even getting yanked barely three minutes into thethird quarter after his struggles continued. — AP

BIRMINGHAM: Chris Morris took two wickets onhis one-day international debut and RyanMcLaren a career-best four for 19 as South Africareturned to winning ways in the ChampionsTrophy with a 67-run success over Pakistan atEdgbaston yesterday.

Pakistan, set 235 to win, finished on 167 allout as South Africa made light of the absence ofpremier fast bowlers Dale Steyn and MorneMorkel in winning with five overs to spare.

McLaren’s return, which included a spell offour for five in 11 balls, saw him enjoy fresh suc-cess at an Edgbaston ground he’d once helpedlook after while with Warwickshire 2nd XI.

In 2007, the seamer took a hat-trick atEdgbaston for Kent as they won English countycricket’s Twenty20 Cup.

Both Pakistan and South Africa needed towin this day/night fixture after losing their open-ing Group B matches to the West Indies andIndia respectively. But while this victory revivedSouth Africa’s chances of a semi-final spot,defeat left Pakistan’s hopes hanging by a thread.

Pakistan did well to restrict South Africa to

234 for nine after man-of-the-match HashimAmla, dropped before he reached double fig-ures, made 81.

But the question was whether Pakistan,who’d been bowled out for just 170 by the WestIndies, could make a winning score against aSouth Africa attack missing Steyn, still to featurein this tournament because of a knee injury, andMorkel, whose Champions Trophy ended afterhe suffered a leg injury against India.

Pakistan’s chase stalled from the outset whenMorris, a late call-up to the squad after Morkelwas ruled out, produced a new-ball burst of twowickets for 10 runs in 19 balls.

The 26-year-old Highveld Lions seamer,struck with his fifth ball when he knocked overleft-hander Imran Farhat’s off stump.

Morris, who’d previously played twoTwenty20 internationals, then saw MohammadHafeez fail to get over the top of a bouncer andhole out to square leg.

By the time McLaren took two wickets in fiveballs, with the aid of fine catches by ColinIngram and Faf du Plessis, Pakistan were 134 for

six off 39 overs.But Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq, who

made a career-best 96 not out against the WestIndies, completed a 69-ball fifty with a straightsix off left-arm spinner Robin Peterson.

It was a shot greeted by huge cheers fromthe overwhelmingly pro-Pakistan 25,000 capaci-ty crowd in Birmingham, which boasts one ofthe largest Asian populations of any English city.

But the crowd was silenced when Misbah, on55, pulled a Lonwabo Tsotsobe slower ball toAmla at mid-wicket and the skipper was booedat the post-match presentation ceremony.

McLaren ended the match by bowling JunaidKhan. Amla was missed on seven when a cut offMohammad Irfan flew to backward point whereUmar Amin dropped the tough chance.

He made Pakistan pay with a typically stylishinnings before he reverse-swept off-spinnerSaeed Ajmal to Hafeez at short third man.

South Africa conclude their group campaignagainst the West Indies in Cardiff on Friday, withPakistan facing arch-rivals India at Edgbaston onSaturday. — AFP

17Park clinchesplayoff towin LPGAChampionship


Japan plan to make Iraq sufferfor ‘Agonyof Doha’

Will Nadal, Serena be unbeatable at Wimbledon? Page 17

EDGBASTON: Pakistan’s Misbah-ul-Haq (left) bats during the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy cricket match between Pakistan and South Africa at Edgbaston in Birmingham, central England. — AFP

South AfricaC. Ingram lbw b Hafeez 20H. Amla c Hafeez b Ajmal 81F. du Plessis c Malik b Irfan 28AB de Villiers run out (Misbah) 31JP Duminy run out (Misbah) 24D. Miller c Misbah b Khan 19R. McLaren lbw b Malik 4R. Peterson not out 16C. Morris run out (Riaz) 1A. Phangiso run out (Akmal) 0Extras (lb5, w4, nb1) 10Total (9 wkts, 50 overs) 234Fall of wickets: 1-53 (Ingram), 2-122 (DuPlessis), 3-145 (Amla), 4-186 (De Villiers), 5-195(Duminy), 6-203 (McLaren), 7-231 (Miller), 8-234 (Morris)m 9-234 (Phangiso)Did not bat: L TsotsobeBowling: Irfan 7-1-27-1 (1nb); Khan 8-0-45-1(2w); Hafeez 10-0-38-1 (1w); Riaz 9-0-50-0(1w); Ajmal 10-0-42-1; Malik 6-0-27-1.

PakistanImran Farhat b Morris 2Nasir Jamshed c and b Tsotsobe 42Mohammad Hafeez c Miller b Morris 7Shoaib Malik b Duminy 8Misbah-ul-Haq c Amla b Tsotsobe 55

Umar Amin c Ingram b McLaren 16Kamran Akmal c du Plessis b McLaren 0Wahab Riaz b Phangiso 13Saeed Ajmal c Ingram b McLaren 5Junaid Khan b McLaren 4Mohammad Irfan not out 0Extras (lb7, w8) 15Total (all out, 45 overs) 167Fall of wickets: 1-4 (Farhat), 2-18 (Hafeez), 3-48(Malik), 4-86 (Jamshed), 5-129 (Amin), 6-134(Akmal), 7-148 (Misbah), 8-162 (Riaz), 9-167(Ajmal), 10-167 (Khan)Bowling: Tsotsobe 9-1-23-2; Morris 7-0-25-2(1w); McLaren 8-3-19-4; Phangiso 10-0-50-1(7w); Duminy 7-0-26-1; Peterson 4-0-17-0.Result: South Africa won by 67 runsMan-of-the-match: Hashim Amla (RSA)

SCOREBOARDBIRMINGHAM, United Kingdom: Final scoreboard in the Champions Trophy Group Bday/night match between Pakistan and South Africa at Edgbaston yesterday:

S Africa defeat Pakistan

Champions Trophy Group B standings afterSouth Africa beat Pakistan by 67 runs yester-day (tabulate under played, won, lost, points,net run rate):

West Indies 1 1 0 2 +0.830India 1 1 0 2 +0.520South Africa 2 1 1 2 +0.410Pakistan 2 0 2 0 -1.108

Group B standings

Heat scorch Spurs to tie NBA Finals

MIAMI: Tony Parker (left) of the San Antonio Spurs goes to the basket against Chris Bosh of the Miami Heat duringthe second half in Game 2 of the NBA Finals against the Miami Heat. — AFP

BusinessTUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2013

Yemen bank exceeds legal cap on govt loans by $1.6bn

Page 22

Britain should hand over RBS, Lloyds Bank shares to public

Page 23Toyota Land Cruiser leadswith off-road heritage, on-road comfort

Page 23ECB paying off staff who are stuck in a rut

Page 23

Dubai loans lean on local banksLiquid local banks help drive fiscal recovery

DUBAI: An arial view taken on Dec 12, 2012 shows part of Dubai’s Marina. — AFP

LONDON: Dubai’s loan market has entered anew phase in its post crisis recovery, under-pinned by a liquid local bank market, which ishelping to fill the void left by Europeanlenders still reeling from the emirate’s finan-cial meltdown in 2008. Island resort Atlantis,The Palm is in the market with an $800 millionrefinancing, and luxury hotel chain JumeirahGroup is out with a six-year $1.4 billion loan,while fund Investment Corporation of Dubaihas closed a $2 billion deal.

The Arab Spring has resulted in an inflowof money into the region, which is now seenas a relative safe haven, and Dubai’s borrow-ers - many of whom were previously mired inthe restructuring of their large conglomerateparent companies - are making the first cau-tious steps for new money and new investors.Pushed out at the height of the bubble in2007-2008 by the inflow of cheaper interna-tional money into the region from the so-called ‘suitcase bankers’, liquid local banks are

now helping to drive the recovery. “Regional banks have been well capitalised

since the 2009 crisis. Now they are not justparticipating in big tickets but becoming animportant part of the deal structure,” saidSimon Meldrum, director, CEEMEA loan syndi-cate at RBS. According to Thomson ReutersLPC’s UAE bookrunner league tables, localbanks did not feature in the top ten in 2007,which consisted of eight European banks andtwo US banks.

The switch to local banks is illustrated byAbu Dhabi Commercial Bank, which rankednumber 22 in the table that year, having ledjust one deal, but which is a lead bank on allthree new Dubai loans. ADCB is leading theJumeirah deal, alongside HSBC and StandardChartered Bank, and is also a mandated leadarranger on ICD alongside Citigroup,Commercial Bank of Dubai, Emirates NBD andHSBC on the conventional part of the deal.Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, Dubai Islamic Bank

and Standard Chartered are lead arrangers onan Islamic facility. ADCB is leading the Atlantisdeal with National Bank of Abu Dhabi,Commercial Bank of Dubai and UnionNational Bank, alongside Barclays and HSBC.

Still stung While local banks, long-term regional stal-

warts such as HSBC and Standard CharteredBank, and US lenders are enthusiastic lendersto Dubai’s borrowers, European banks thatwere caught up in the emirate’s crisis aremore cautious. “If you take the slope to noactivity, European banks are near the bottomof that,” said a London-based Europeanbanker. “There is absolutely no chance someof these banks will be looking to do deals inthe region. They all piled into the market in2007 and it is quite common to see Europeanbanks still stuck with a $500 million -$1 billionexposure to a single counterparty.”

Another European banker said: “A number

of deals we did at the height of the markethave had to be restructured or are beingrestructured: this is still a painful exposure forus; we will not be doing deals there in thenear future.” US banks have fared better, tak-ing a more measured and long-termapproach to the region, according tobankers. Only two US banks - Citigroup andMorgan Stanley - appeared in the top 10bookrunners for 2007, but are expected tohelp to fill the void left by the retrenchedEuropeans. “Many of the US banks havebeen long-term players in the region,” saidthe London-based European banker. “Preand now post crisis they have regularly beentouted as lead banks.” The appeal of bankbalance sheets supported by the locallybased wealth management units of these USbanks is attractive for wealthy families andlocal businesses looking for dollar funding.“Dollar funding is key to financing and thesebanks are willing and able to step up and

give large commitments to these deals,” saida second London-based banker.

Local attraction As part of Dubai Holding, which is still in

the process of a long-term restructuring,Jumeirah remains potentially sticky for inter-national lenders. However, there is plenty ofappetite from local banks and as a result theborrower has managed to secure an aggres-sive margin of 275bp over Libor. In compari-son, Atlantis, The Palm’s refinancing, which islooking to attract international as well as localbanks, is priced at 500 bps over Libor. “TheAtlantis deal is priced to attract some new-money investors to the financing, and alsoreflects in part the risk of the single assetlending,” said the first London-based loansbanker. “Jumeirah is a punchier price. It ismuch more of a corporate relationship playon pricing: it is not priced to attract much, ifany, new money or investors.” — Reuters

LONDON: The dollar bounced higheragainst the yen and Japanese stocks led arise in world shares yesterday as signs ofeconomic momentum in the United Statesand Japan outweighed worries about aslowdown in China. A central bank forecastthat France’s economy will grow slightly inthe second quarter and a rise in French fac-tory output helped underline the sense ofrecovery, as did better euro zone investorsentiment for June. “The story is one ofslow but steady growth, moving in theright direction but with headwinds still visi-ble for the United States, euro area andChina,” said Sarah Hewin, senior economistat Standard Chartered Bank.

The improving outlook for major devel-oped economies lifted MSCI’s world equityindex by 0.25 percent, its third straight dayof gains, with US stock futures pointing tofurther rises when Wall St opens. Butinvestors are ultra-sensitive to the timing ofany slowdown in the Federal Reserve’shuge bond-buying programme and mar-kets are expected to remain volatile as eachnew data report is closely scrutinised forhints of when it may begin.

Last Friday’s monthly jobs report, seenas the main gauge of future Fed action,offered little in the way of new clues, andthe spotlight has shifted to this week’sretail sales and factory activity numbersand next week’s Fed policy meeting. “(Thejobs data) hasn’t changed the market’sview much on the timing of Fed tapering,”said Kasper Kirkegaard, currency strategistat Danske Bank. The solid growth impliedby the 175,000 new jobs created in May inthe face of ongoing government cutbackshas helped the dollar recover some of itsrecent losses.

The greenback gained 1.4 percent to98.90 yen, extending a recovery from two-month lows hit on Friday. Against a basket

of major currencies, the dollar rose 0.25percent to 81.87 after suffering its biggestweekly fall since January 2012 last week.The yen’s fall, which improves the outlookfor the country’s exporters, and data show-ing the economy growing at a quicker pacethan previously estimated, lifted the Nikkeiindex by 4.9 percent for its biggest one-daygain since March 2011.

The Nikkei has now swung by morethan 3 percent in all but two of the last 11sessions, five of those by more than 4 per-cent, making it one of the most volatileperiods in Japanese stocks since the heightof the financial crisis in 2008. Japanese datayesterday showed the world’s third-biggesteconomy grew at an annualised 4.1 percentrate in the first quarter, better than the ini-tial estimate of 3.5 percent. That will helpreassure nervous investors that PrimeMinister Shinzo Abe’s bold stimulus policiesare having an impact.

China stumblesA batch of Chinese data at the weekend

suggesting the world’s No. 2 economyweakened slightly in May underminedsome of the positive sentiment by raisingquestions around Beijing’s 7.5 percentgrowth forecast for this year. Chineseimports fell 0.3 percent against expecta-tions for a 6 percent rise, and exports post-ed their lowest annual growth rate inalmost a year in May, at 1 percent. Importsof major metals such as copper and alu-minium fell at double-digit rates.

MSCI’s broad index of Asia-Pacific sharesended down 0.35 percent after the dataalthough China’s markets were closed for aholiday and Hong Kong shares ended high-er. European shares were flat by middayhaving first fallen when mining stocks tooka hit from the weak Chinese data. “China isthe elephant in the room.—Reuters

NEW YORK: A better outlook for the US govern-ment’s credit rating did little to impress investorsyesterday. The US stock market edged higher inearly trading yesterday after the Standard &Poor’s ratings agency raised its outlook for USgovernment debt and predicted an improvingeconomy. Stocks rose in the first 15 minutesafter trading opened at 9:30 am (1330 GMT),then moved between small gains and losses. By10 am, all the major US indexes were down.

The S&P Ratings Service had downgraded theUS government’s long-term credit rating in 2011because of a contentious fight in Congress overraising government spending limits. The down-grade, an embarrassment to the US, also sentthe stock market into a tailspin. The Dow Jonesindustrial average plunged 634 points, or morethan 5 percent, on the first trading day after thedowngrade. The market suffered through bigtriple-digit swings for the rest of the fall.

Yesterday, S&P upgraded its outlook on theUS debt rating to “Stable” from “Negative.” It saidthat the US economy has started to improve. Theagency cited the budget deal that Congress bro-kered late last year, which is meant to raise taxrevenue and cut government spending. TheDow Jones industrial average was down 36points at 15,211, a loss of 0.1 percent, as of 10:15am The S&P 500 index was down four to 1,639.The Nasdaq composite index was down three to3,466.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose to2.20 percent from 2.18 percent late Friday. Incommodities trading, the price of crude oil fell28 cents to $95.75 and gold edged up 30 centsto $1,383 an ounce. On a day short on US eco-nomic news, the S&P upgrade was the center oftraders’ attention. There were no major govern-ment reports on the U.S. economy, and no bigcompanies announced earnings.

Outside the US, Japan’s Nikkei stock indexsoared 5 percent after a report that the world’sNo. 3 economy is growing faster than expected.But there were also reminders that the global

economy is far from cured. In the Netherlands,the central bank warned that the governmentneeds to cut spending. Courts in Germany arepoised to consider whether Germany is legallyallowed to bail out struggling European coun-tries as it’s been doing.

Among companies making big moves:Information company IHS Inc. rose after

announcing it would buy R.L. Polk & Co, theowner of the Carfax service that compiles historyreports on vehicles. IHS rose $1.90, or 2 percent,

to $108.84. McDonald’s rose after reporting thatsales were up at stores open at least a year,helped by the company’s focus on the DollarMenu and other low-cost menu items.McDonald’s rose $1.32, or 1.6 percent to $99.60.B&G Foods, which makes foods under brandsincluding Cream of Wheat and Mrs. Dash,jumped after announcing it would buy Robert’sAmerican Gourmet Food, whose brands includeSmart Puffs. B&G Foods jumped $1.65, or 5.7 per-cent, to $30.83.— AP

S&P upgrades US outlook

NEW YORK: In this file photo, Trader Gregory Rowe works on the floor of the New York StockExchange. — AP

Solid growth lifts shares, dollar, China disappoints

B U S I N E S STUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2013

EXCHANGE RATESCommercial Bank of Kuwait

US Dollar/KD .2770000 .2880000GB Pound/KD .4310000 .4470000Euro .3680000 .3760000Swiss francs .3020000 .3170000Canadian Dollar .2780000 .2920000Australian DLR .2940000 .3020000Indian rupees .0040000 .0069000Sri Lanka Rupee .0020000 .0035000UAE dirhams .0771240 .0778990Bahraini dinars .7513970 .7589480Jordanian dinar .3930000 .4110000Saudi riyals .0720000 .0770000Omani riyals .7366120 .7440150Egyptian pounds .0370000 .0440000

CUSTOMER TRANSFER RATESUS Dollar/KD .2841000 .2862000GB Pound/KD .4338920 .4370990Euro .3707360 .3734770Swiss francs .3043390 .3065880Canadian dollars .2795430 .2816100Danish Kroner .0497330 .0501010Swedish Kroner .0443660 .0446940Australian dlr .2963730 .2985640Hong Kong dlr .0365940 .0368650Singapore dlr .2291130 .2308060Japanese yen .0029600 .0028810Indian Rs/KD .0000000 .0052870Sri Lanka rupee .0000000 .0022880Pakistan rupee .0000000 .0029190Bangladesh taka .0000000 .0036810UAE dirhams .0773800 .0779520Bahraini dinars .7538810 .7594530Jordanian dinar .0000000 .4048090Saudi Riyal/KD .0757800 .0763400Omani riyals .7382100 .7436660Philippine Peso .0000000 .0069870

Bahrain Exchange Company

Al-Muzaini Exchange Co.

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd

Al Mulla Exchange

ASIAN COUNTRIESJapanese Yen 2.888Indian Rupees 4.934Pakistani Rupees 2.891Srilankan Rupees 2.246Nepali Rupees 3.104Singapore Dollar 227.850Hongkong Dollar 36.730Bangladesh Taka 3.563Philippine Peso 6.683

Currency Transfer Rate (Per 1000)US Dollar 285.400Euro 377.050Pound Sterling 442.350Canadian Dollar 277.550Japanese Yen 2.925Indian Rupee 5.030Egyptian Pound 40.245Sri Lankan Rupee 2.256Bangladesh Taka 3.677Philippines Peso 6.768Pakistan Rupee 2.902Bahraini Dinar 760.050UAE Dirham 77.800Saudi Riyal 76.250

CURRENCY BUY SELLEurope

British Pound 0.4357464 0.4447464Czech Korune 0.0064025 0.0184025Danish Krone 0.0465240 0.0515420Euro 0.3714696 0.3786996Norwegian Krone 0.0452981 0.0504981Scottish Pound 0.4202528 0.4277528Swedish Krona 0.0393613 0.0443613Swiss Franc 0.2993874 0.3063874

AustralasiaAustralian Dollar 0.2583786 0.2703786New Zealand Dollar 0.2154355 0.2254355Uganda Shilling 0.0001131 0.0001131

AmericaCanadian Dollar 0.2724204 0.2814204Colombian Peso 0.0001450 0.0001630US Dollars 0.2828000 0.2849500

AsiaBangladesh Taka 0.0036113 0.0036688Cape Vrde Escudo 0.0031587 0.0033910

Chinese Yuan 0.0454461 0.0504788Eritrea-Nakfa 0.0164500 0.0195633Guinea Franc 0.0000442 0.0000502Hg Kong Dollar 0.0341420 0.0372677Indian Rupee 0.0049330 0.0049544Indonesian Rupiah 0.0000241 0.0000292Jamaican Dollars 0.0028441 0.0038465Japanese Yen 0.0028429 0.0030055Kenyan Shilling 0.0033194 0.0035519Malaysian Ringgit 0.0872890 0.0931699Nepalese Rupee 0.0029864 0.0031476Pakistan Rupee 0.0028631 0.0029037Philippine Peso 0.0062778 0.0067208Sierra Leone 0.0000727 0.0000758Singapore Dollar 0.2242216 0.2291965Sri Lankan Rupee 0.0022088 0.0022497Thai Baht 0.0089197 0.0094867

ArabBahraini Dinar 0.7494092 0.7579092Egyptian Pound 0.0381058 0.0401358Ethiopeanbirr 0.0127995 0.0192995Ghanaian Cedi 0.1448818 0.1466718Iranian Riyal 0.0000793 0.0000798Iraqi Dinar 0.0001733 0.0002333Jordanian Dinar 0.3963338 0.4038338Kuwaiti Dinar 1.0000000 1.0000000Lebanese Pound 0.0001748 0.0001948Moroccan Dirhams 0.0221776 0.0461776Nigerian Naira 0.0012108 0.0018458Omani Riyal 0.7291191 0.7401191Qatar Riyal 0.0776134 0.0783964Saudi Riyal 0.0754533 0.0760933Sudanese Pounds 0.0463312 0.0468812Syrian Pound 0.0027545 0.0029745Tunisian Dinar 0.1736770 0.1796770UAE Dirhams 0.07615411 0.0776041Yemeni Riyal 0.0012855 0.0013855

UAE Exchange Centre WLL

COUNTRY SELL DRAFT SELL CASH Australian Dollar 275.96 283.000Canadian Dollar 283.06 283.000Swiss Franc 313.19 299.000Euro 382.40 372.000US Dollar 285.40 288.000Sterling Pound 448.60 438.500Japanese Yen 3.04 3.300Bangladesh Taka 3.676 3.740Indian Rupee 4.990 5.400Sri Lankan Rupee 2.240 2.460Nepali Rupee 3.132 3.420Pakistani Rupee 2.890 2.985UAE Dirhams 77.77 78.800Bahraini Dinar 759.61 763.500Egyptian Pound 40.24 40.500Jordanian Dinar 406.18 415.000

Rate for Transfer Selling RateUS Dollar 284.900Canadian Dollar 282.585Sterling Pound 444.595Euro 377.550Swiss Frank 304.360Bahrain Dinar 754.280UAE Dirhams 77.545Qatari Riyals 78.200Saudi Riyals 75.935Jordanian Dinar 401.615Egyptian Pound 40.120Sri Lankan Rupees 2.247Indian Rupees 4.943Pakistani Rupees 2.888Bangladesh Taka 3.658Philippines Pesso 6.793Cyprus pound 698.875Japanese Yen 3.895Thai Bhat 9.385Syrian Pound 4.070Nepalese Rupees 3.195Malaysian Ringgit 91.110

Thai Baht 9.297Malaysian ringgit 94.271Irani Riyal 0.271Irani Riyal 0.273

GCC COUNTRIESSaudi Riyal 76.070Qatari Riyal 78.381Omani Riyal 740.940Bahraini Dinar 757.670UAE Dirham 77.687

ARAB COUNTRIESEgyptian Pound - Cash 39.950Egyptian Pound - Transfer 40.118Yemen Riyal/for 1000 1.331Tunisian Dinar 176.130Jordanian Dinar 402.840Lebanese Lira/for 1000 1.914Syrian Lier 3.099Morocco Dirham 34.273

EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIESUS Dollar Transfer 285.150Euro 378.250Sterling Pound 443.840Canadian dollar 280.940Turkish lira 151.550Swiss Franc 305.300Australian Dollar 269.320US Dollar Buying 283.950

GOLD20 Gram 265.00010 Gram 134.0005 Gram 70.000

Omani Riyal 742.22 748.000Qatari Riyal 78.81 79.500Saudi Riyal 76.24 77.000

DUBAI: Yemen’s central bank exceeded the legallimit on how much it may lend to the govern-ment by 347.9 billion rials ($1.6 billion) last year,its annual financial statement showed. The dis-closure underlines the severe financial pressuresfaced by Yemen as it struggles to rebuild itseconomy after years of war and political unrest.The central bank did not reply to a Reutersrequest for comment, and its officials were notavailable for comment. It was not clear whetherthe central bank would be penalised for exceed-ing its limit or whether it would change its lend-ing policy this year.

Under the law governing the central bank, itmay provide temporary emergency financing tothe government in exceptional circumstances ifthat is consistent with its monetary policy. Suchloans may be granted if the total outstandingamount does not exceed 25 percent of the bud-get’s average ordinary revenue in the three previ-ous financial years, the law says. Maturities ofloans should not exceed six months.

However, the central bank’s total financing tothe government, including loans to state compa-nies, stood at 937.9 billion rials in 2012, above the

authorised limit of approximately 590 billion, audi-tors Deloitte & Touche (ME) with Dr Hajar said. “Inaddition, the maturities of such loans andadvances have exceeded six months, beingextended from time to time,” the auditors said inthe central bank’s financial statement for 2012,posted on its website (www.centralbank.gov.ye).Its board of directors discussed and approved thestatement on May 7, the website said.

FinancesThe government’s finances have struggled

since protests against former president AliAbdullah Saleh brought the economy to the brinkof collapse in 2011, with attacks on oil pipelinessqueezing vital budget revenues. The InternationalMonetary Fund expects Yemen’s budget deficit towiden to 5.8 percent of gross domestic product, orabout $2.3 billion, from 5.5 percent in 2012.

Last year wealthy Gulf Arab states, Western gov-ernments and other donors pledged $7.9 billion inaid over several years to Yemen, the second-poor-est Arab state after Mauritania, but only a smallfraction of the money has so far arrived. SaudiArabia boosted the central bank’s reserves with a

12-year, $1 billion loan last September. The repay-ment is to start after four years.

The central bank’s outstanding emergencyloans to the central government amounted to679.0 billion rials last year, down from 691.6 billionin 2011, the auditors said. Emergency loans andadvances to state corporations stood at 258.9 bil-lion rials in 2012, up from 156.5 billion.

“We noted that all loans provided to the PublicSector Corporations... were denominated andmade payable in United States dollars,” the audi-tors said. The central bank law stipulates that emer-gency loans granted to the government and actu-ally utilised shall be denominated and payableonly in rials.

The loans to state-owned firms included $36.6million to Yemen Economic Corp and a $385 mil-lion facility to the country’s Aden refinery for dieselimports. Both originated in 2008 and have beenextended since then, the report said. Other facili-ties include $800 million to Yemen Petroleum Cofor imports of unleaded gasoline, expanded from$200 million since 2011, and credit to Yemen GasCo, which has been raised and extended since2009 to total $121 million. — Reuters

Yemen bank exceeds legalcap on govt loans by $1.6bn

Intense pressure on state finances from unrest

NEW DELHI: Top oil exporter Saudi Arabia is sellingmore crude to India in July as two refiners haveasked for additional cargoes, industry and companysources familiar with the plan said, in part to makeup for a loss of supplies from Iran. HindustanPetroleum Corp and Mangalore Refinery andPetrochemicals Ltd stopped buying Iranian crudefrom April because local insurers said they cannotcover refineries that process oil from Iran as globalreinsurers, mostly based in the West, may not hon-our claims.

US and European sanctions aimed at pressur-ing Tehran over its suspected pursuit of nuclearweapons have already more than halved Iran’sshipments, costing it billions of dollars in rev-enue since the start of 2012. Washington is nowseeking to cut shipments further through tightersanctions. India’s purchases from Iran could aver-age about 190,000 barrels per day (bpd) spreadover April and May, based on industry and pre-liminary tanker arrival data. That is about a quar-ter less than the 250,600 bpd imported on aver-

age in the first three months of the year. Thecompany and industry sources did not want to benamed due to the sensitivity of the matter. ForJuly, HPCL will take 84,000 bpd from Saudi Arabia,more than double the 40,000 bpd it normallybuys under annual contracts, the sources said.MRPL will take in 86,000 bpd in July versus itscommitment to lift 55,000 bpd, a company sourcesaid.

HPCL’s imports from Saudi Arabia will also risein July as the company did not buy full volumes it

is committed to take from the kingdom for Junebecause a crude processing unit at its Vizag refin-ery was shut following a fire. The unit may restartby the end of this month. Other Indian buyers ofcrude from Saudi Arabia - which include Indian OilCorp and Reliance Industries will lift the same vol-umes committed under annual contracts, sourcessaid. India’s total imports from Saudi Arabia aver-age a little over 700,000 bpd. Two refineries inSouth Korea will also take in full contracted vol-umes, two separate sources said. — Reuters

Saudi set to sell more crude to India in July

GENEVA: The model of an adjustable plane,with wings that can be attached to for instancetrain compartments, will be shown at the ParisAir Show next week, the Swiss inventors saidyesterday. The “Clip-Air” project is fresh off thedrawing board and features a single flyingwing that could be clipped onto for instancetrain “capsules” carrying passengers or cargo,the EPFL technical university in Lausanne saidin a statement.

“More than a new type of flying device, itsinnovative concept could revolutionise the air-ports of the future,” it said. In a future of Clip-Air planes, people would be able to “go to thetrain station to take the plane. Board on a cap-sule to reach the airport by rail, and then -without leaving (their) seat - fly to another city,”it said.

EPFL acknowledged that the project it hadbeen working on since 2009 remained “veryfuturistic,” but stressed that its scientists wereconvinced it was technically feasible. “We stillhave to break down several barriers but we dobelieve that it is worth (working on) such aconcept, at odds with current aircraft technol-ogy and which can have a huge impact onsociety,” project chief Claudio Leonardi said in

the statement. The model to be showed for thefirst time at the Paris Air Show next week willrepresent a flying wing which can hold up tothree capsules, each with the capacity to carry150 passengers. In addition to allowing “moreefficient and flexible fleet management,” andallowing airlines to kiss the days of emptyflights goodby, the engineers have also calcu-lated that Clip-Air planes would be far morefuel efficient.

“Clip-Air aircrafts’ conventional fuel con-sumption would be reduced since they cancarry as many passengers as three A320 withhalf the engines,” EPFL said, adding that thescientists were also looking into alternative,less polluting fuels for the planes. Perhapsthe most exciting aspect of the project wasthe potential to “revolutionise airport config-uration,” the Lausanne school said. The cap-sules, measuring around 30 metres andweighing about 30 tonnes, would fit in air-ports the way they are built today, but wouldalso be compatible with rail tracks, it said,meaning “the boarding of either cargo orpassengers in the capsule could be done notonly at airports but also directly in rail sta-tions or production sites.” — AFP

Cyprus toilet protest over economy despair

NICOSIA: An artist put 20 plaster toilets on display out-side the Cyprus Central Bank in Nicosia yesterday, in anunusual protest to signal the island’s bailout economyis going down the pan. Cypriot ar tist AndreasEfstathiou called it a “symbolic protest” to highlight thepain Cypriots have suffered since Cyprus secured 10billion euros ($13 billion) in European Union rescue aidin return for an unprecedented bail-in from bankdepositors.

“Through this art installation I’m making a visualprotest about the bad things that happened to Cyprus,”the 49-year-old artist told the Cyprus News Agency. “Ithink those people walking past the central bank seeingan array of toilets outside get the message and under-stand what has happened for the country to havereached this point,” he added.

From the front, the installation looks like toilets butfrom behind it also resembles tombstones, Efstathiousaid. Cyprus was forced to wind up failed lender Laikiand impose a massive levy on larger deposits in theBank of Cyprus, the island’s largest. The unprecedentedeuro-zone “haircut” on deposits forced the governmentto close all the island’s banks for nearly two weeks inMarch and impose draconian controls when theyreopened. International lenders don’t expect Cyprus-suffering record 15 percent unemployment and a creditsqueeze-to exit recession until 2015. — AFP

BRATISLAVA: Slovak industrial pro-duction-mainly German, French andKorean-brand auto exports to theeuro-zone-picked up in April with 2.2-percent growth on an annual basisafter a 1.3-percent rise in March, offi-cial data showed yesterday. But on anadjusted basis, industrial output in theeuro-zone member contracted by 1.9percent in April after adding 0.3 per-cent in March, the Slovak StatisticsOffice said. “Slovakia’s economy isdriven by exports of cars and spareparts to Germany, which has seen amoderate growth in the past months,”Slovenska Sporitelna analyst MartinBalaz told AFP.

“But we don’t expect this year’soutput to catch up with last year thatsaw a one-off boost as foreign-ownedcar plants in Slovakia launched newproduction lines,” he added. Aprilindustrial growth was driven by a 4.7-percent expansion in car productionat plants operated by the German

group Volkswagen, France’s PSAPeugeot Citroen and Kia of SouthKorea, which pumped out a record900,000 vehicles last year.

Analysts say that even i f autoplants continue to operate at fullcapacity this year, it would not signif-icantly boost growth of overal lindustrial output. Electronics pro-duction, primarily by South Koreancompany Samsung and theTaiwanese group Foxconn, struggledmeanwhile with 1.5-percent growthin April. Slovakia, which registered2.0 percent growth last year, is one ofthe euro-zone’s most dynamiceconomies largely thanks to sizeableforeign investment in the export-ori-entated auto sector. But flaggingexports to its recession-struck euro-zone trade partners and weak domes-tic demand have seen 2013 growthforecasts sink as low as 0.6 percent.Slovakia joined the EU in 2004 andthe euro-zone in 2009. — AFP

Slovak euro-zone-focused industry picks up in April

NICOSIA: Cypriot artist Andreas Efstathiou poses next to his artwork of plaster toi-lets displayed outside the Cyprus Central Bank yesterday. — AFP

It’s a train! It’s a plane! Wing kit for Paris Air Show

LONDON: Britain should hand most of its shares inRoyal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds Banking Groupto the public, an influential think tank said, in whatwould be the country’s biggest ever privatisation.The government, which pumped a combined 66billion pounds ($102 billion) into the banks to keepthem afloat during the 2008 financial crisis, wantsto remove them from state control before the nextparliamentary election in 2015.

Prime Minister David Cameron last month saidhe was “open to all ideas” for returning the banks toprivate ownership, an apparent shift in govern-ment thinking. The Finance Ministry and UKFinancial Investments (UKFI), which manages thegovernment’s shareholdings, have been expectedto favour selling the shares in blocks to financialinstitutions, such as pension funds.

Think tank Policy Exchange said the govern-ment should sell a minority of the shares to institu-tions and hand the rest to the public via a mass dis-tribution that could give individuals shares worthup to 1,650 pounds. “We urge the Chancellor totake this method and apply it to both RBS andLloyds giving the taxpayer an opportunity to profitfrom both and get the banks back into the privatesector, where they belong,” Policy Exchange said ina report yesterday, refering to finance ministerGeorge Osborne.

Lloyds is currently valued at 44 billion pounds,while RBS is worth around 19 billion. The sale ofboth banks would dwarf that of Britain’s Royal Mailwhich, with a value of 2-3 billion pounds, is expect-ed to become the country’s biggest privatisationfor two decades later this year. Policy Exchange isknown to have the ear of senior government fig-ures, adding weight to the chances of its proposalbeing given serious consideration. Osborne hiredNeil O’Brien, a former director of the PolicyExchange, as a special adviser last year.

Osborne could address the issue in his annualMansion House speech to financiers on June 19. Heis also waiting for the publication later in June of areport from the Parliamentary Commission onBanking Standards, before he decides on what todo with the RBS and Lloyds shares. PolicyExchange’s proposal would enable 48 million tax-payers to apply for shares at no cost and with norisk attached, the think tank said. A ‘floor price’would be set and taxpayers would make a profit onany rise in the shares above that level.

The Policy Exchange report didn’t indicate whatthe floor price for each bank should be. But, forexample, the government could set it at 400 penceon RBS shares, and, if a taxpayer takes the sharesand later sells them at 500p, they would get 100pper share and the Treasury would automatically get400p back. Taxpayers would not lose money as theshares would be returned to government owner-ship after ten years should they not rise above thefloor price. The think tank estimates only 20 to 30million people would apply for the shares withmany thinking it would require too much time andeffort, despite applicants only needing to supplytheir name, address and national insurance num-ber.

Taxpayers would receive shares worth between1,100 pounds and 1,650 pounds depending onhow many people take up the offer. The govern-ment holds an 81 percent stake in RBS and 39 per-cent in Lloyds. Around 70 percent of the shares,currently worth 48 billion pounds, would be givento taxpayers under the proposal.

Policy Exchange said the option of selling all theshares to institutions would take years to complete.The think tank said it had spoken to institutionswho had indicated the government would not beable to sell shares worth more than 5 billionpounds at a time and would have to wait for a yearbetween sales, so as to avoid flooding the market.

A mass share distribution, by contrast, wouldenable both RBS and Lloyds to be fully nationalisedin 2014. The report, written by James Barty, formerhead of global equity strategy at Deutsche Bank,

dismissed the idea of giving away shares to thepublic without the government claw-back, sayingthat would increase national debt by around 50 bil-lion pounds. Shares in Lloyds are currently trading

marginally above the price which the governmentregards as break-even. However, the government issitting on a loss of 9 billion pounds on its invest-ment in RBS at current prices. — Reuters

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian long-haul carrierAirAsia X said yesterday it plans to use fundsof up to $418 million from a public listing tomore than triple its Airbus fleet and expandroutes to meet demand in Asia-Pacific. Thebudget carrier founded by aviation tycoonTony Fernandes hopes to raise the proceeds inan initial public offering (IPO) ahead of its July10 debut on the Malaysian bourse. “The esti-mated amount based on the 1.45 ringgit($0.47) per issue share is between 1.1 billionringgit and 1.3 billion ringgit,” Nazir Razak,head of banking group CIMB which is runningthe IPO, told reporters after the prospectuslaunch.

AirAsia X had earlier cited a conservativeamount saying the IPO could raise RM859 mil-lion (US$277 million) from the sale of 592.6million new shares for between 1.15 to 1.45ringgit each. Analysts have said with lastmonth’s general election over, investors arelooking for a wide range of stocks inSoutheast Asia’s third largest economy, spark-ing a fundraising fever in Malaysia. AirAsia Xchief executive Azran Osman Rani said theproceeds from the IPO would finance fleetand route expansion to cement its position inits core markets in Australia and Asia.

The carrier will take delivery of 23 AirbusA330-300 planes over the next four yearsbeginning in July, while it has also placed afirm order for 10 A350-900s. Detailing the air-line’s strategy, Azran said it will bolster itsposition in lucrative markets like Australia,China, Taiwan, Korea and Japan. It would befollowed by adding frequencies to currentroutes, opening new destinations including toAdelaide in Australia, Nagoya and Fukuoka inJapan and Busan in South Korea.

AirAsia X previously scrapped London

flights because of the European debt crisisand focused on serving routes within Asia-Pacific, where sustained economic growth hasswelled the middle class. AirAsia X currentlyhas 10 Airbus A330-300 planes and serves 14routes across the region, including destina-tions in Australia, China, Japan and SaudiArabia. Azran also said with the arrival of moreaircraft it would allow the airline to set uphubs in Thailand and Indonesia. A hub inThailand will allow AirAsia X to operate regu-lar services from Bangkok to lucrative marketssuch as Australia, Japan and South Korea.

A third of the funds raised in the listing willbe used to repay debt while another third isslated for capital expenditure, with the bal-ance going to working capital and listingexpenses. Shukor Yusof, an aviation analystwith Standard & Poor’s Equity Research inSingapore, has predicted the AirAsia X listingwill be a success and the cash raised was “agood start to fund their fleet expansion”. TheInternational Air Transport Association (IATA)has described Asia-Pacific as the world’sfastest growing market, with passenger trafficmore than doubling since 1998, despite fuelcosts surging 55 percent since 2006.

Meanwhile Fernandes dismissed the threatposed by Malindo Airways, an affiliate ofIndonesia’s budget carrier Lion Air, citingAirAsia’s position as Asia’s largest budget carri-er with a strong balance sheet. “We are in avery strong position. It will be tough for newairlines or future entrants into the market,” hesaid. Malindo Airways, however, has alreadysparked a price war by offering competitivefares with free snacks and luggage allowance.It currently serves domestic routes. Profit-making AirAsia was Asia’s first low-cost carrierto complete an IPO in 2004. — AFP


KUWAIT: Toyota yesterday announced a steadygrowth in sales of its iconic Land Cruiser model inthe first quarter of 2013 across the Gulf region tomaintain its leadership status in the large SUV seg-ment with a 40.4 percent market share. In terms ofunit sales in the Gulf region, Toyota sold 18,592units to grow by 15 percent in Q1 2013 while theoverall growth of the large SUV segment was only7 percent. In the Levant and Yemen, the LandCruiser saw significant growth to record a 140 per-cent increase in sales in the same period. Thisreflects the broad appeal of the Land Cruiser acrossthe region thanks to its legendary on-road as wellas off-road capabilities.

The Land Cruiser was the first model to be intro-duced in the Gulf region by Toyota back in the1950s. Since then, over 2 million vehicles have

been sold in the region. Currently over 50 percentof Land Cruisers sold worldwide are in the MiddleEast. Nobuyuki Negishi, Chief Representative ofMiddle East & North Africa Representative Office,Toyota Motor Corporation said, “The Land Cruiserrepresents over 60 years of unmatched perform-ance with its sophisticated blend of off-roadprowess with uncompromising go-anywhere capa-bility, on-road comfort and unparalleled refine-ment. With its rugged nature and powerful per-formance across the most challenging terrain, theLand Cruiser continues to delight our customers inthe region and has become an integral part of theirlives.”

The Land Cruiser is equipped with a multi-terrain select system offering 5 modes, whichallows the vehicle to adapt to various road con-

ditions for excellent off-road ground coveringperformance, which also controls Wheel Spinand Wheel Lockup. This revolutionary systemalso supports the optimum traction needed tohandle slippery surfaces like mud, sand andloose rock, or non-slippery surfaces like mogulsand rock.

The Land Cruiser also comes with other intelli-gent off-roading technologies such as a CrawlControl system which offers five speeds to maintaina constant low speed for a secure drive across dif-ferent terrain by providing optimal throttle andbrake control. The Turn Assist System is anotherunprecedented feature which enhances turningability and minimizes the driver’s effort in tight U-turns.

Through its multi-terrain monitor, four cameras

mounted on the front, rear, and sides of the vehi-cles enable the driver to have six different views ofthe terrain outside. This system supports the driverby enabling him to see the surrounding conditionseven when cresting a hill or driving on extremelyuneven ground that makes it difficult to see the ter-rain directly.

The Land Cruiser is available across the regionwith a newly developed 6-speed automatic trans-mission with a Super ECT sequential shift controlwhich allows the driver to choose the shift range inorder to deliver the driving control of a manualtransmission. It comes with a 5.7L V8 Engine, anewly developed 4.6L V8 Engine, an improved 4.0V6 Engine and a V8 4.5L Diesel Engine, options thatdemonstrate the high power and performance ofthe Land Cruiser.

Toyota Land Cruiser leads with off-road heritage, on-road comfort

18,592 Land Cruisers sold in Q1 2013 in the Gulf

Britain should hand over RBS, Lloyds Bank shares to public

Proposal includes sale of remaining shares to institutions

DUBAI: Canon Middle East, leader in imagingsolutions, yesterday announced two new part-nership agreements in Libya with Al-Mutawasatand Al-Watania Companies. A move which isintended to further reinforce the company’s‘closer to customer’ strategy in the region andenhance its presence by having on ground sup-port across markets.

The introduction of our two new partners isa testament to Canon Middle East’s intent onbuilding a robust position within the Libyanimaging solutions market; a market which thecompany believes has the potential to grow inline with the wider Libyan economy. As recentlyas April 2013, The International Monetary Fund(IMF) published forecasts showing that theLibyan economy, as measured by GDP growth,would grow by over 20 percent in 2013 andover 10 percent in 2014 which follows a sharprebound in Libyan GDP in 2011 and 2012. Othereconomic commentators, notably AfricanEconomic Outlook, have highlighted fallingrates of CPI and rising levels of consumerspending.

To accomplish this strategy, high standardsof support and product knowledge must be putin place. Canon Middle East is committed totrain its sales channels to be the most skilled inthe industry by providing extensive productand solutions training to its partners and chan-nels in Libya

By combining Canon Middle East’s undoubt-ed product and marketing knowledge with theon-the-ground experience of its new partners,the company believes that it can bring anunparalleled solution to the Libyan market’simaging needs.

As one of Libya’s most important office sup-pliers, Al-Mutawasat Company extensivelyserves the corporate market. Canon Middle Eastpartners with Al-Mutawasat Company toextend the Canon portfolio of production sys-tems and meet growing demand for profession-al print technologies from the commercial aswell as corporate sectors in the country.

Canon Middle East will also extend its con-sumer imaging solutions offering to the Libyanmarket through Al-Watania Company, special-ized in the field of photography in both retailand whole sale categories for more than fifteenyears. The new partnerships will be further sup-ported by Canon Middle East’s existing relation-ship with Avantech, who has been providingCanon products and services to clients acrossthe Libyan market for 10 years

Anurag Agrawal, Canon Middle East manag-ing director said: “The new partnerships are inline with our strategy for 2013 to drive furthergrowth through expansion. Canon views Libyaas an important emerging market holdingtremendous potential”. Through our new part-ners, the company is optimistic about buildinga strong image in the country and achieving itsstrategy to enter and develop future valuethrough new business, particularly in emergingcountries.

“As a major global brand, Canon is keen tomaintain positive relationships with key stake-holders in Libya, including its customers. We arekeen to provide a host of new value added solu-tions to both existing and new customers inLibya and offer more comprehensive support tohelp them address their unique business needs,”added Agrawal.

LONDON: The European Central Bank is offeringpayoffs that could go beyond 100,000 euros tostaff whose careers have stalled, paid for bycheaper salaries for replacements. A “CareerTransition Support” programme is allowing offi-cials to leave the bank with up to fifteen monthssalary and additional help if they have been inthe same salary band for between eight and 12years. The ECB says the departure scheme wascreated to address “the specific demographicstructures of the ECB” - an implication that itwants to lower its age profile - and to help staffwho had failed to get promotions and “may wantto pursue external career steps”. The average ageat the ECB is now 43, up from an average of 36 adecade ago. Half the ECB’s staff are now in the40-49 age bracket and the average length ofservice across the workforce is 9.8 years. The vol-untary departure package also comes as theeuro zone’s central bank prepares to add up to800 supervisors to work as banking regulator, anew remit for the institution. These new officialswill largely need different skill sets than the ECB’scurrent workforce, which is focused on econom-ics and monetary policy. An ECB spokeswomansaid it is expected to be “self-financing due to thedifference in salaries between leavers and new-

comers” with full pay back over five to sevenyears. The scheme was launched in January 2013to run for two years and fund a maximum of 50departures.In its first five months, 19 have suc-cessfully applied, the spokeswoman said. All eli-gible applicants have been accepted.

Careers on holdAs well as one months’ pay for every year

they’ve worked to a maximum of fifteenmonths, staff who take up the scheme alsoget unpaid leave equal to the probationaryperiod of the new job, 10 days leave for“preparatory activities outside the ECB” and inhouse training that covers areas like applica-tion and interview skills. Staffers with thehighest level of service could get well over100,000 euros, based on the ECB’s averagestaff costs of just over 92,000 euros across its1,600 strong work-force in 2012. The staff costaverage excludes pensions, includesallowances, and exclude the salaries of theECB’s six-member executive board, whichwould distort the figure upwards. There areno restrictions on the who can apply, provid-ed they have remained in their salary band forthe requisite eight to 12 years. —Reuters

KUALA LUMPUR: Chief executive officer of AirAsia X, Azran Osman-Rani (fifth right), holdsa copy of the prospectus launch booklets as he poses for pictures together with AirAsiagroup chief Tony Fernandes (sixth left) during AirAsiaX’s prospectus launch yesterday. —AFP

ECB paying off staff who are stuck in a rut

Canon ME signs two new partners in Libya

AirAsia X plans fleet, and route expansion with IPO


ASTANA: Kazakhstan has launched a new transitrailway linking China to Europe, aiming to beatrival routes for journey time in the competitionto handle a growing flow of goods along theancient Silk Road trade route. “Kazakhstan is avirtual bridge linking the East and the West,”Yerkin Meirbekov, deputy railway departmentchief at Kazakhstan’s Transport Ministry, said inan interview. “You can actually say this is therevival of the Silk Road.” Centuries ago, it wouldtake months for caravans of camels and horsesfrom China to reach Europe across the sun-scorched steppes and deserts of Central Asia to

exchange silk for medicines, perfumes and pre-cious stones.

Now it takes just 15 days for trains carryingcontainers with electronic goods, constructionmaterials and other cargo to cover the 10,800km (6,750 miles) route from Chongqing in south-west China to Duisburg in Germany’s industrialRuhr region. Late last year, Kazakhstan complet-ed construction of a 293-km (183-mile) stretchfrom Zhetygen to Korgas at the Chinese border,looping it in to the existing national railway net-work and opening the second China-Europe linkacross its territory.

Meirbekov said that the annual volume offreight turnover along the new route, guaran-teed by China, was set to total 2 million tonnesthis year and would rise eventually to 15 milliontonnes. “The Chinese side, as well as the Kazakhside and European partners - everyone is ready(to handle these volumes) already tomorrow,”Meirbekov said. “All railways, as well as customsand border guards, are ready to assist fast pas-sage of cargo across their territories.” Europe-bound trains from China cross from Kazakhstaninto Russia. Then they go via Belarus and Polandbefore reaching Duisburg in Germany.

Kazakhs launch ‘Silk Road’ China-Europe rail routeLucrative business

Transit routes are a major earner forKazakhstan’s fast-growing economy,already established as a route for pipelinesto pump Central Asian oil and gas to China,reducing the region’s dependency on for-mer colonial master Russia. “In railways,transit cargo is considered to be net profit,because there are no costs involved - youtake in cargo at one border and hand itover at the other. This is a tasty morsel, andall nations are vying for transits,” Meirbekovsaid.

Kazakhstan, the world’s ninth-largestnation by area which is populated by just17 million, inherited another railway routeto China from the Soviet Union. This rail-way, with the Dostyk-Alashankou crossingat China’s border, handled a record 16.5million tonnes of cargo to and from Chinain 2012, Meirbekov said, predicting that itwould reach it maximum annual capacityof 25 million tonnes soon.

“If you look at China’s prospects, large-

scale and intensive development of west-ern China is under way, and output pro-duced there should be exported else-where,” he said. “This is why the second(transit) route was built.” “Sending goods bysea is very cheap - of course, if the clientagrees to wait for 45 days,” he said. “Butmarkets are fickle, and you have to movefast.”

Goods to be delivered to Europe fromChina via Russia’s Trans-Siberian railwaywould cover 12,000 km and transit timewould take between 18 and 20 days, theKazakh government says, touting its ownroute. Oil-rich Kazakhstan, Central Asia’slargest economy, forecasts its gross domes-tic product to expand by 6 percent this yearafter a 5-percent rise in 2012. Kazakh staterailway company Kazakhstan Temir Zholy(KTZ) has estimated that cargo transit viaits network would reach 35 million tonnesby 2020 and eventually rise to 50 milliontonnes. KTZ handles 90-95 percent of allKazakh transit cargo.—- Reuters

NEW YORK: Soon, the black-uniformedwaiters wheeling trolleys of food will dis-appear from the halls of the HiltonMidtown. Will visitors to New York City’slargest hotel mind having to leave theirrooms for sustenance? For some, a hotelwithout room service made no sense.“You’re on holiday, you’re away, you likebeing waited on,” said Claire Avery, aprison clerk from New South Wales,Australia, who was staying at the Hiltonwith her boyfriend. “Sometimes youdon’t even have to move.”

If she returns later in the summer, shewill have to move at least as far as thelobby, where the hotel is building a self-service food market to replace roomservice. The New York Hilton Midtown, a2,000-room hotel in Manhattan’s com-mercial district filled with business trav-elers, tourists and conference-goers,confirmed this week that it would endroom service. A Hilton spokesman, MarkRicci, said up to 55 employees could losetheir jobs.

Hilton officials said the move - whichis highly unusual for a full-service hotel -was prompted by cutbacks in spendingby business travelers, many of whomface tight expense-account rules, andthe changing tastes of leisure travelers,who already pay rates at the Hilton thatstart at about $240 per night before tax-es, going up to more than twice that.

The change appealed to AakritiGupta, a recent college graduate fromNew Delhi visiting New York with hermother, who pointed out that the ideaof room service doesn’t always matchthe reality. “The existing room serviceisn’t great,” she said. “If you ordered itonce, I don’t think you would order itagain. We ordered a pizza that was $55.”She added, unhappily, that it was deliv-ered in a box. Ricci said pizza was listedon the Hilton’s room-service menu for$24, with $3 for each topping, but couldnot give the final cost once servicecharges, an in-room dining charge andtaxes were added.

Walking out the doorBeth Scott, vice president of restau-

rant concepts at Hilton Worldwide Inc,conceded that room-service prices werehigh, as they tend to be at most hotels,in part because providing the service 24hours a day is labor-intensive. The cost ismagnified in New York City, where astrong union has secured higher wagesfor hotel employees compared to otherhospitality industry workers and build-ing cleaners. As a result, Scott said in aninterview, guests have been heading outto diners and food carts in the neighbor-hood. “We were watching guests walkout the door to get those things at amuch more reasonable price,” she said.“I’m sure we got more complaints aboutthe price of bringing the hamburger up

to the room than we will for not bringingit up to the room at all.” The new lobbyfood outlet, called Herb n’ Kitchen, willbe cheaper and will allow guests to gettheir food more quickly, she said.

The decline in room service is notconfined to the Hilton. Revenue fromroom service declined from 1.3 percentof total hotel revenue in 2011 to 1.2 per-cent last year, according to an annualsurvey of US hotels by PKF Hospitality.As hotel occupancy rates have returnedto pre-recession levels, hotels have beenable to charge more for rooms, forcingbusiness travelers to save elsewhere,which can include skipping room serv-ice, said Robert Mandelbaum, a PKF ana-lyst. The reasons are not only economic,he added. Guests are more inclined toroam beyond their rooms, with execu-tives increasingly taking their laptops tocoffee shops to work rather than spread-ing out papers on their hotel room desk.“Being caged in your room waiting anhour for a tray to arrive, it’s just not whatpeople do,” Mandelbaum said.

Paper bags and a knockIan Schrager, who helped pioneer the

idea of boutique hotels, said people’sidea of luxury had changed, with agreater emphasis on value than onappearances. “They don’t care about get-ting coffee served in the finest bone chi-na and sterling silver with waiters withwhite gloves on,” he said, describing theclassic idea of room service as “dysfunc-tional and antiquated.” At the PUBLIChotel in Chicago, which Schrageropened in 2011, food by the French chefJean-Georges Vongerichten is deliveredunceremoniously in brown paper bags,left outside guests’ doors with a knock.

The waiters, trolleys and silver clochesare not likely to disappear entirely, how-ever, even from the Hilton-ownedWaldorf Astoria hotel in New York.Luxury hotels say their guests expectsuch service and are willing to pay a pre-mium for fine food, flowers, candles andtablecloths in their room. It would be vir-tually impossible for a hotel to hang onto a high rating in the influential AAAhotel guide if it ditched room service,said AAA spokeswoman Heather Hunter.

Fairmont Hotels and Resorts (whichruns the Plaza in New York), MarriottInternational Inc and the MandarinOriental Hotel Group all said they had noplans to discontinue room service attheir full-service hotels. But Scott, theHilton vice president, said the companymay expand the idea elsewhere if itworks in New York, and believes com-petitors were studying the move. “It’snot a secret guest habits have changedthese days, it’s not like we’ve figuredout something that nobody elseknows,” she said. “We’ve just decided totake action.” — Reuters

As guest habits change, NY hotel clears room service

Decades-old laws barring foreignownership of farmland in Iowa,Missouri and at least three other

Midwest states may complicate ShuanghuiInternational’s $4.7 billion planned pur-chase of US meat powerhouse SmithfieldFoods. The deal, which would be thebiggest purchase in the United States by aChinese company, will face scrutiny from afederal government panel that assessesnational security risks, but that is notexpected to block the sale.

A few politicians have raised concernsabout food safety, and farmers groups haveexpressed worries about consolidation andpotential damage to small farmers. Theland laws could be invoked by thoseopposed to the deal, and at the very leastmay require some complex legal maneu-vering by the companies. The statutes inquestion, some first adopted during the1970s in response to fast-paced Japaneseinvestment in US real estate, restrict foreignbusinesses or governments from owning orcontrolling US land used for livestock orcrop production. The laws could provideMidwestern states legal recourse againstthe Smithfield deal.

At least eight states - Iowa, Nebraska,Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota,Oklahoma, South Dakota and Wisconsin -have laws that prohibit foreign ownershipof agricultural land. If the Shuanghui acqui-sition goes through, any poultry farms,

crop fields, manure lagoons or other landused for agricultural production and nowowned by Smithfield in these states couldinvite legal challenges. Smithfield’s 11slaughterhouses and meat factories in theeight states likely are exempt, legal expertssaid. However, some of those operationsmay rely on farm, feed or waste facilitiesthat could be subject to legal challenge.

Smithfield does not disclose specifics ofits property holdings, and the companydeclined to comment for this story. But asource close to the deal told Reuters thatdealmakers and lawyers were aware of theissues, and the foreign ownership laws indifferent U.S. states had been discussedleading up to the May 29 deal announce-ment.

They believe the laws will not jeopardizeShuanghui’s ability to close its purchase asplanned in the second half of this year.However, the restrictions could affect howSmithfield and its subsidiaries operatepost-merger, the source added. The morn-ing the deal was announced, Smithfield’sattorneys sent a letter to Iowa AttorneyGeneral Tom Miller’s office, alerting theagency to the takeover. Since then, in Iowaand elsewhere, state officials, legal expertsand industry critics are raising questionsabout whether Smithfield underShuanghui ownership will comply withthese little-known and rarely tested laws,Reuters has learned. — Reuters

What could stall theChina-Smithfield deal?


MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putinwarned yesterday that Russia’s economicgrowth would slow down this year toless than the world average and orderedhis government to act to reverse thetrend. The Kremlin chief ’s commentscame moments after the central bankwas forced to hold its main interest rateunchanged at 8.25 percent for the ninthmonth running in the face of inflationthat has jumped to the highest rate for21 months.

Putin confirmed at a cabinet meetingthat Russia’s growth would slow to 2.4percent this year from its downwardlyrevised forecast of 3.6 percent. The gov-ernment had initially pencilled in 2013growth of 5.0 percent. “This is lower than

the range necessary for sustainabledevelopment, for resolving social andother problems,” said Putin. “And second,this is lower than the IMF (InternationalMonetary Fund) world growth forecastof 3.3 percent,” Putin stressed in tele-vised remarks.

Russia’s economy has suffered fromlower domestic consumption anddeclining industrial production rates.Investment has also lagged as a partialconsequence of Europe’s economic trou-bles and concern about corruptionalong with the state’s dominant eco-nomic role. Russia’s economy expanded4.3 percent in 2011 and 3.4 percent lastyear-a radical cut from rates thatapproached 9 percent prior to the 2008-

2009 global financial crisis.The government’s inability to stimu-

late growth to earlier levels has frustrat-ed Putin at a time when Russia is prepar-ing to present its advances to the worldat the 2014 Winter Olympic Games inSochi. The Russian leader suggested yet-serday that investments could be stimu-lated by reaching into the pension fundand using those assets to lay thegroundwork for select state projects.

The central bank has also been underintense pressure from ministers to lowerrates in order to stimulate growth in apractice broadly adopted by the world’sdeveloped nations. But the bank hasbeen stymied by unexpectedly highinflation that in annualised terms

reached 7.4 percent in May-well aheadof the government’s target of 5.0 to 6.0percent. “The maintenance of inflationabove the target range over the courseof an extended period may affect theexpectation of the market, which is asource of inflation risk,” the central bankcautioned. It further noted that the over-all economy “was indicating low growthrates.” The bank decided to leave the dis-count rate at which it repurchases gov-ernment securities from the commercialinstitution steady at 5.5 percent whilelowering some medium- and long-termborrowing rates.

Market analysts immediately read thisas a sign of a probable easing of mone-tary policy in the months to come. “The

turn towards the coming easing is clear,”BNP Paribas said in a research note. “Wereiterate our call that the first cut is likelyalready in July.” Renaissance Capital alsopredicting a July cut and noted that thebank had issued “worrying signals oneconomic growth.”

The change in rate policy is expectedto come just as outgoing central bankgovernor Sergei Ignatyev is replaced byPutin’s new pick Elvira Nabiullina.“Outgoing Governor Ignatyev has beenconsistently arguing against loweringrates in the past six months or so, butthe arrival of Nabiullina should changethe policy bias at the central bank to amore accommodating position,”Renaissance Capital said. — AFP

Putin issues Russian economic warning

TOKYO: Japan’s economy grew faster than previ-ously thought in the first quarter, offeringrenewed hope for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’sgrowth-boosting plan after two weeks of stockmarket tumbles. Japan’s Nikkei 225 index hadsoared about 80 percent in the months sinceAbe campaigned for the nation’s top job inNovember, pledging to drag the world’s third-largest economy out of years of growth-sappingdeflation. But the Tokyo bourse stumbled inrecent weeks, plunging about 18 percent to nearbear market territory as doubts emerged overthe premier’s policy prescription of big govern-ment spending and aggressive central bank eas-ing.

Markets were unimpressed with the so-called“third arrow” of his sweeping fix for the econo-my-structural reforms-which Abe unveiled lastweek as part of a blueprint dubbed “Abenomics”.But the 58-year-old leader vowed to press onbefore mid-term elections next month that arelikely to solidify his Liberal Democratic Party’slegislative power. “The upward revision (for eco-nomic growth) confirmed that the Japaneseeconomy remains on a firm recovery track,” saidHideki Matsumura, senior economist with theJapan Research Institute.

Earlier yesterday, the Cabinet Office saidrevised data showed annualised growth came inat 4.1 percent in January-March, up from a pre-liminary reading of 3.5 percent and well aheadof many other industrialised nations who arestruggling to stoke their economies. The annu-alised figures, which show the level of growth ifquarterly data were stretched over an entireyear, comes as economists sift through recentfigures for signs that Abenomics is taking hold.

The IMF has said it expects Japan’s economyto grow 1.6 percent in 2013. The Cabinet Officealso said revised figures for real GDP showedJapan’s economy grew 1.0 percent in the firstthree months of the year, slightly better than thepreliminary 0.9 percent growth reading. Theimprovement was partly due to an upward revi-sion in capital spending, a key measure of confi-dence among the nation’s producers.

In other upbeat data, consumer confidenceimproved in May over the previous month withthe number of Japanese who expect prices torise sitting at a near five-year high, as Tokyoworks to reverse years of falling prices whichhave crimped private spending and businessinvestment. “We expect the economy will con-tinue to grow for now but consumer spendingmay be dampened in the current quarter after asizeable adjustment in the Nikkei index,”Matsumura said, referring the recent drop in theTokyo stock market.

However, the Nikkei bounced back yesterdaywith a 4.94 percent jump, the biggest one-dayboost since March 2011 when Japan was pound-

ed by a quake-tsunami disaster and subsequentnuclear crisis.

Also yesterday, official figures showed Japanposted a surplus on its current account for thethird straight month in April, as the weaker yenhelped boost the value of income from overseasinvestments. Japan’s surplus doubled year-on-year to 750 billion yen ($7.6 billion) in its currentaccount, the broadest measure of trade with therest of the world, helping offset a widening tradedeficit. Japan’s import bills have soared in thewake of the Fukushima atomic crisis two yearsago, which saw Tokyo turn to pricey fossil-fuelalternatives after switching off the disaster-struck country’s nuclear reactors. — AFP

Japan economy heats up in the first quarter

IMF expects economy to grow 1.6% in 2013

TOKYO: People walk by an electronic stock board of a securities firm yesterday. — AP

KANSAS CITY: Tim Middleton lives andbreathes now, but the mind of the 42-year-old Eudora, Kan., man often floats to thefuture, to what one might call the printablelife. It is a time - with tangible signs pop-ping up with increasing frequency aroundthe globe - when nearly any product oneneeds is created by simply pushing a but-ton and printing it out in usable threedimensions.

A pair of glasses? Print it. A knee joint?Print it. Red taillight lens for a ‘65 Mustang?Print it. A birthday cake, a prom dress, afull-size house for a family of four? Printaway. “I have attempted printing my ownshoes,” Middleton said, laughing. He is agraphic designer who in the past two yearshas instructed more than 60 people on theart and science of 3-D printing in Saturdayclasses at Hammerspace, a communityworkshop in Kansas City for builders, hob-byists and inventors.

“They’re kind of hard,” Middleton said ofhis shoes. “The material is a little uncom-fortable. But it is absolutely a possibility.”More than possible: Such specialty 3-D-printed shoes already exist, produced andsold along with 3-D-printed nylon bathingsuits, jewelry and dresses by ContinuumFashion of New York.

Cakes, cookies, sailboats, toys, architec-tural models, musical instruments,weapons, prosthetic hands and legs: All areitems in recent years proved to be pro-ducible by 3-D printers. Interest is highenough that the federal government lastyear earmarked $30 million to help supporta new public-private institute inYoungstown, Ohio, dedicated to promotingand funding 3-D printing research. It is atechnology - although already consideredoverhyped in some circles - that manymanufacturing experts say is even nowonly in its infancy, at a place similar towhere personal and business computingwas in the 1970s.

Like computing, they said, 3-D printingnot only is likely to change the things wemake and how we make and sell them, butalso change how we live in good, bad andinconceivable ways. “It is a bit tricky to pre-dict,” said Hod Lipson, a professor ofmechanical engineering at CornellUniversity and co-author with MelbaKurman of “Fabricated: The New World of3D Printing,” a 2013 book on the promisesand perils of an emerging technology.

“It is a little like trying to sit down in the1970s and predict how computers weregoing to be used. Everyone could predict itwould automate payrolls, but no one everpredicted social media.” Given that caveat,Lipson predicted of 3-D printing: “It isgoing to change everything.” Exactly when,how and how much, of course, is hard tosay. A May article in The New EnglandJournal of Medicine described how twoMichigan doctors used a 3-D printer to savean infant’s life by printing a custom trachealsplint to support the baby’s airway.

In the last year, meanwhile, one youngman’s mission to use a 3-D printer to pro-duce a workable handgun sparked imme-diate outcry from the public and concernedgovernment officials who envision thetechnology being used to put caches ofcheap and untraceable guns into the handsof criminals or terrorists.

In May, Cody Rutledge Wilson, a Texaslaw student who describes himself as acrypto-anarchist, test-fired a rudimentaryhandgun he created on a 3-D printer hebought on eBay. He released his gundesign online, prompting the US StateDepartment to demand that he remove it.Business ethicist Kirk O. Hanson of SantaClara University said that improved tech-nologies frequently usher in fresh fears.Better 2-D printing fostered high-gradecounterfeiting. The Internet’s role in money

laundering continues to reveal itself.Hanson said of 3-D printing: “This is simplythe latest technological breakthrough thathas great potential for good and greatpotential for harm.”

Understanding 3-D printing and thefuture requires understanding how mostproducts are made now. The range isbroad, from printing to stamping, castingto injection molding. Many manufacturingprocesses involve tooling or machiningparts - a subtractive process that producesa part by cutting or chipping or shavingaway. “You start with a block of materialand subtract things until you get what youwant,” said Robert Landers, a professor ofmechanical engineering at MissouriUniversity of Science and Technology inRolla. But the first word in 3-D printing’salternative name, additive manufacturing,tells how it is different.

Instead of chipping or cutting away atsome material, a 3-D printer’s nozzle runsback and forth, over and over again, oozingout layer after layer of whatever material isinside. It could be spools of plastic, metal,ceramic or cookie dough. These printershave already been used to create a heartvalve. Some predict the printers will usebiological tissue to create entire replace-ment organs.

Instructions for what to build are guidedby software, much of which is free online.The 3-D printer builds a whole object inplace, as if it were growing from the bot-tom up. Or it creates parts of an object thatcan be assembled. Printers can be smallenough to fit on a desk, using spools ofthermoplastic filament that looks like weedtrimmer line. Or they can be huge, withnozzles pouring out stone-like material tocreate walls or 10-foot-tall sculptures.

In Kansas City last year, Hammerspacefounder Dave Dalton and others toyed withthe idea of building a printer large enoughto create a couch out of foam, until theyrealized it might be too squishy to holdanyone. A few quick clicks online reveal therange - from military drones to crazymotorcycle frames to specialty cookies to,in Canada, a three-wheeled, egg-shapedhybrid car prototype called Urbee. AYouTube video from the MIT Media Labshows a quick-motion video of a 3-D print-er creating a playable flute. In New Zealand,engineer Olaf Diegel’s experiments with 3-D printing spurred for him a new market inintricate electric guitars with hollow, lace-like bodies. — MCT

MEXICO CITY: As Mexico gets readyto unleash a battery of regulations tocurb the power of telecoms mogulCarlos Slim, the government is send-ing clear signals that it will not shyaway from breaking up his business ifnecessary. Ever since PresidentEnrique Pena Nieto’s governmentunveiled a landmark antitrust bill inMarch allowing regulators to makedominant phone and television com-panies sell off assets, many Mexicanshave questioned whether it would gothat far. Increasingly, though, officialssay that option is no idle threatagainst Slim, who has held sway overthe Mexican telecommunicationsindustry for the best part of a genera-tion.

By 2010, that domination hadmade him the world’s richest man.The 73-year-old Slim kept that titleuntil last month, when a sell-off inshares of his giant phone companyAmerica Movil helped cut his wealthto about $70 billion and put himbehind Microsoft’s Bill Gates in thetop spot. The dumping of AmericaMovil stock was fed in part by uncer-tainty about Slim’s companies underPena Nieto, who took office inDecember vowing to break the holdthat a few families have maintainedover key areas of Mexico’s economy.

America Movil’s local fixed-lineand mobile phone units, Telmex andTelcel, have for years used legalinjunctions and appeals to thwartattempts by the state to cut themdown to size. The reform, approved inCongress and due to be signed intolaw by Pena Nieto on Monday, aimsto strip away much of that legal cover,create a stronger regulator and setnew, tougher rules to help competi-tors catch up. To do that, a new regu-latory body known as Ifetel is likely tomake Slim’s companies share infra-structure and create a tariff regimethat makes the billionaire chargerivals less to access the vast phonenetwork he operates.

Whether that will be enoughremains to be seen, said Jose IgnacioPeralta, deputy minister for commu-

nications and transport, one of thearchitects of the reform. He stressedthat the legislation gives authoritiesthe power to totally reshape theindustry, from ordering the sale ofassets to possibly breaking up com-panies completely.

“Even if it’s true that asymmetricregulation will help improve competi-tion, it’s probably going to do so in agradual way that needs to be acceler-ated. The possibility of asset divest-ment is in the constitutional text,”Peralta told Reuters. Through AmericaMovil, which has more than 260 mil-lion wireless subscribers across theAmericas, Slim controls around 80percent of Mexico’s fixed-line market,and some 70 percent of mobilephone traffic. Meanwhile Televisa, thebroadcaster run by Emilio Azcarraga,has over 60 percent of the TV market.Like Slim, it has used all legal meansto keep the competition at bay, butcould also soon feel the bite of amore testing regime.

Balancing actAfter years of domination by the

few, Peralta likened Mexico’s telecom-munications industry to a buildingthat needed to be “demolished” andrebuilt “brick by brick”. Ifetel is due tobe created in the next three monthsand will then have another 180 daysto rule which companies are “domi-nant.” America Movil and Televisa arethe prime candidates. If the regulatorthen decided such firms had abusedtheir power to stay on top, theirMexican operations could be brokenup.

When asked how that could work,Peralta said he had recently discussedthe carve-up of phone giant AT&Tand oil colossus Standard Oil with aUS government official. “When talk-ing about divesting assets, it meansvery similar things to what the UnitedStates did in these two cases, which, Iinsist, would depend on the regula-tor’s decision,” he added. John D.Rockefeller’s Standard Oil was dividedinto 34 firms in 1911, while the U.S.government split AT&T, which grew

LONDON: Private equity group Doughty Hanson has sold cinema oper-ator Vue Entertainment to two Canadian investors for 935 millionpounds ($1.5 billion), cashing in on an industry where new technolo-gies like 3D movies have helped it to thrive in recession. The sale, toOMERS Private Equity and Alberta Investment ManagementCorporation, will more than double Doughty’s original investment andis expected to close by late July, Doughty said in a statement onMonday.

The buyout firm paid 450 million pounds to buy Vue in December2010, and then embarked on an expansion drive beyond the chain’s UKhome market, including acquisitions of rivals in Britain, Germany andPoland. Cinema ticket sales have remained strong in recent years,despite the recession sapping consumer spending power, with big boxoffice hits such as James Bond film “Skyfall” and Batman flick “The DarkKnight Rises” boosting sales last year.

This, combined with a shift to new digital technologies, has helpedcinema operators to improve their profit margins. “As a leisure activitycinema going is very resilient, and it’s always proved itself to be veryresilient,” Wayne Brown, an analyst at Canaccord Genuity, said. “The boxoffice is doing very well and has benefited a lot from 3D technology.” Asa rough estimate, Brown says Doughty is selling Vue at over 9 timesearnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation - morethan the 8 times at which listed rival Cineworld is currently trading. At1050 GMT, Cineworld shares were up 1.9 percent at 324 pence. Togetherwith Odeon & UCI - set to be put up for sale or readied for an initial pub-lic offering by its private equity owner Terra Firma - Vue and Cineworldrun around 70 percent of UK cinema screens between them. Accordingto the Cinema Exhibitors’ Association, UK box office revenues rose 5.9percent to 1.1 billion pounds in 2012. The purchase of Vue by two deep-pocketed Canadian funds suggests the cinema chain will continue tobuild market share by acquisitions across Europe, Brown said. TimRichards, founder and CEO of Vue, said in a statement he would grow“the Vue business through our continuing plan for organic growth sup-plemented by strategic acquisitions.” In a separate statement, MarkRedman, Senior Managing Director and Head of Europe for OMERSPrivate Equity, said the new ownership gave Vue “the distinct advantageof patient capital and deep pockets for organic and acquisitive growth.”For Doughty, the sale marks its second realisation from its fund V, whichhas now returned more than half of commitments to investors and has afurther six investments still to realise. — Reuters

With a computer tethered to his printing device, Tim Middleton watches intently as adimmer switch he designed begins to build from the ground up, in Kansas City.

3-D printing predicted to mold our tomorrows

One of the 3-D printed guitar bodiesmade by Olaf Diegel. — MCT photos

Threat of break-up looms over Mexican tycoon Slim

Doughty Hanson sells Vue cinema chain for $1.5bn

out of the company AlexanderGraham Bell created in 1877, into along distance provider and sevenregional “Baby Bells” in 1984. Bothcompanies had become bywords formonopolistic power when they weretaken apart, with US authorities argu-ing they were impeding the emer-

gence of new players. Most expertsagree competition increased after thestate intervention, though subse-quent consolidation of the market-place means that much of the originalcompanies’ power now resides intheir largest successors, Exxon MobilCorp and AT&T Inc. —Reuters


KUWAIT: Al-Mazaya Holding Company yester-day morning held its Ordinar y GeneralAssembly meeting for the year 2012 at Al-Mazaya Tower 1, part of its complex of threetowers at the heart of the Kuwaiti capital.Attendance was 81.14 percent and the meet-ing was inaugurated by Rashid Yaqoub Al-Nafis i , chairman of Al-Mazaya HoldingCompany, in the presence of Board Members,CEO Ibrahim Al-Saqaabi, representatives fromthe Ministry of Trade and Industry, a represen-tative from the auditing office , as well as exec-utives from the company and a number ofshareholders, investors, and media.

Al-Nafisi opened the agenda of the meetingby reading the report of the board for thefinancial year 2012, stressing that the 2012 wasa year of setting the rules and establishing anew phase of achievements that the companyis strongly anticipating in the coming years,after the transition from loss to profitability. Hestressed that Al-Mazaya is deeply embedded inthe local and Gulf real estate sector, in themedia, on the ground, in the analysis of themarket, and in various other reports across thebroader economy.

He added that stability within the Gulf realestate market was not easy, especially sincethis medium has seen the highest levels ofboom and bust over the year, so embarking onbuilding the company internally and sustain-ably was an integral part of its long term estab-lishment, not least the importance of projectsalready implemented, or in the process ofimplementation in the near future.Maintenance of the status quo in fact mightneed decisive action and careful decisions, andso it is considered that the internal building ofthe house, and ensuring everything is “inorder”, is of the utmost importance. This is, hesaid, the company’s first permanent projectupon which all other projects will be built.

RestructuringAl-Nafisi added that Al-Mazaya Holding is

pursuing a plan of action based on financialand administrative restructuring, and in doingso the company has also sought to untanglesome of its investments and to exit from oth-ers, while completing others, paying a largepor tion of its obligations, and collectingarrears, to fulfill its obligations toward officialauthorities and investors, such as businessavenue projects, the Villa project in Dubai, realestate portfolios such as “Dubai land portfolio”,the Lake Jumeira portfolio, the exit from Al-Madar fund, and the acquisition of a stake inOman Real Estate Development, all of whicheffected the positive outcomes at the conclu-sion of the last fiscal year.

Financial resultsIn a quick review of the financial statements

for the fiscal year, Al-Nafisi said that the totalassets of the company by the end of the yearamounted to 221.1 million dinar, comparedwith a total value of 252.1 million for the previ-ous year 2011, while shareholders’ equitystood at 83.3 million dinar in the year 2012compared to a total value of 81.6 million in2011.

The financial year yielded total revenue of35.7 million dinars, compared to 88.2 million in2011. This was accompanied by the decline inthe volume of the amount owed to creditorsby more than half, from 36.3 million dinars to17.4 million dinars. With regard to the compa-ny’s profits, it made 291,000 dinars in net profitin the year 2012 compared to a loss of 15.84million dinars in the year 2011, which pavedthe way to the turning point from loss to prof-itability, due to the development of income-generating projects which raised the generaloperating profits of the company, including a77 percent increase in rental revenue of 2.8million dinars for the year 2012, comparedwith 1.6 million the year before. The company’stotal indebtedness to banks reached 49.41 mil-lion dinars in the year 2012, compared to 53.97million the previous year, which does notexceed 24.4 percent of the total assets of thecompany.

Al-Nafisi noted that real estate is the engineof growth of civilization in the modern world.Real estate drives transportation, energy, con-struction, contracting, employment, engineer-ing represented in engineering consultancy,banks and financial institutions, tourism, infra-structure and many other areas.

He assured the General Assembly that Al-Mazaya Holding will continue through the year2013 through its strong foundations which arebased on internal and external pillars, especial-ly the Board and the qualified executive man-agement, and talented and experienced engi-neers, and technical, professional and engi-neering capabilities, and all the staff of thecompany, not to mention the vital role of theshareholders who gave the company strongsupport necessary for the company to be the

most prominent and the most influential in theregion: to achieve success after success.

Assembly agenda Al-Nafisi then went through the rest of the

Assembly agenda for the year 2012, where theaudience l istened to and approved theAuditor’s Report and financial statements forthe fiscal year. They also approved the recom-mendations of the Board not to distribute divi-dends for the financial year 2012.

The assembly also approved the waiver ofdirectors of their remunerations for the fiscalyear, and authorized the Board to purchase orsell shares of the company, but not to exceed10 percent of the number of shares in accor-dance with article 175 of the law 25, allowingthe company to deal with the relevant parties.

The election of new Board of DirectorsAl-Mazaya Holding elected a new board of

directors for the next three years. The mem-bers of the board were discharged related totheir legal actions for the financial year 2012,the Assembly appointed or re-appointed audi-tors of the company, and authorized the boardof directors to determine their remuneration.After the ratification of the Agenda, Al-Nafisiconcluded the work of the Assembly andclosed it upon the acceptance of the atten-dees.

For his part, the CEO of Al-Mazaya Holding,Engineer Ibrahim Al-Saqaabi, said that his

vision in the development and growth of thecompany focuses on the ability of the compa-ny in engaging in numerous projects and innew markets in leveraging its launch from sol-id ground and a solid financial position.

He pointed out that the advancement of thecompany’s future requires putting the basicbuilding blocks in place according to solidfoundations, starting from developing thestaff, and the renewal of the internal rules andregulations, which Al-Mazaya is currently work-ing on in accordance with the competentauthorities. The company contracted with HAYInternational Group in order to study theadministrative structure of the company anddevelop it in line with present and futurehuman recourses, in addition to a study of thesalary and incentive system and to lay thefoundations such that the company operatesin accordance with international standards andspecifications.

In addition, Al-Saqaabi said that Al-Mazayacontracted with Protiviti to look at the currentinternal regulations and systems of the compa-ny in order to develop it in line with the nextstage and future objectives of the company.The company has come a long way in thisregard, and is expected to complete this stepwithin the next few weeks.

Al-Saqaabi introduced to the audience apresentation about the current status of thecompany, stressing that Al-Mazaya has a solidfinancial balance sheet containing consider-able real estate assets, and a strong base ofshareholders, as well as assets worth 221 mil-lion dinars, including real estate assets worth168 million across four sectors inside and out-side Kuwait, adding that the company’s totalassets increased by 26 percent from 2004 to2012, while operating income rose by 93 per-cent from the beginning of the work of thecompany until today.

Income generating projects equivalent to KD 65 million

Al-Saqaabi said that the first of these sec-

tors are income-generating projects, whichhave successfully achieved high occupancylevels, such as the GLOVER medical projectlocated inside Kuwait, with 100 percent occu-pancy, and the Al-Mazaya tower project thatservices the office sector in the heart of KuwaitCity, with 95 percent occupancy in one of itstowers, and a 20 percent occupancy level inthe other two. Al-Mazaya has succeeded inattracting government agencies to rent in theirtowers alongside private sector companies.

Al-Mazaya achieved an occupancy level of100 percent in the Al-Meather towers locatedin Saudi Arabia, and occupancy level of 80 per-cent in the Sky Gardens tower in Dubai, and anoccupancy level of 100 percent in the Indigobuilding in Dubai, alongside other projectsthat has been rented out in the past.

Real estate assets for the purpose of selling:value KD 25.6 million.

The second of these sectors are the realestate assets for sale, represented in officesspace in Business Avenue project in Dubai, andvillas in the Dubai Land projects (currentlyunder construction), and apartments in thePalm Island in Dubai.

A bank of distinct plots (under study for thepurpose of sale or development) of value equalto KD 20 million.

With regard to the third sector, Al-Saqaabidescribed it as a bank of distinct plots, aboutwhich Al-Mazaya is currently reviewing its visi-bility study in order to sell it or develop it with

local or regional investors. These plots are dis-tributed in Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, Lebanon,Oman, Sharjah and Dubai.

Real estate projects under developmentworth KD 57.2 million

The four th categor y is “projects underdevelopment and execution”, such as thatwhich Al-Mazaya owns for projects under con-struction in the emirate of Dubai, including theAlliwan project - 22 buildings for the middleclass, currently underway, and expected to bedelivered to the customers by the end of 2013.

He added that the balance sheet of thecompany has now become clean, after it hadtaken provisions and impairment lossesexceeded KD 137 million in the past four years.With regard to the future projects of the com-pany, Al-Saqaabi said that the company is cur-rently work ing on a study with a view toinvesting in several real estate projects inKuwait and outside, which will strengthen theeconomic cycle of the company and add to itsreal estate assets and operating revenue in thefuture.

Al-Saqaabi concluded by saying that thereal estate market is currently witnessing anacceptable revival which will lay the ground-work for real estate companies to invest in,especially those companies that have theexperience and excellence in the real estatesector, like Al-Mazaya which and can distancethemselves from risk factors, adding that thecurrent era is an era “of solidarity amonginvestors and those who are interested indiversifying their investment basket andengaging in the largest number of projects”,noting that the main strength of Al-Mazaya isthe company’s track record of achievements inmore than one market and more than one sec-tor, alongside the support of the major ownersand the experience of the executive manage-ment and employees, the confidence of theinvestors, contractors, and many other pointsthat add to the balance of power in the com-pany.

KUWAIT: Mohammad Saleh & Reza YousufBehbehani Company, the authorized dis-tributors of ISUZU vehicles in Kuwait haveoutperformed other dealers from theregion by winning a number of prestigiousawards at the Middle East After SalesConference organized by ISUZU MotorsLtd. in Dubai last week. The awards won byMSRY Behbehani include:

1. Gold Award - Middle East IsuzuService Dealer of the Year 2013

2. Silver Award - Middle East IsuzuDealer Grand Prix Competition

3. Top Rank for the Practical Test (SoleRecipient)

4. Good Team Work Award (SoleRecipient)

5. Best Per formance Award (SoleRecipient)

The triumph of Behbehani at this eventcoincides with the 50th Anniversary of thecompany which was established in the year1963 by the two brothers, MohammadSaleh Yousuf Behbehani and Mohammad

Reza Yousuf Behbehani who have takenthis company from its modest beginningsinto being one of the leading companies inthe country with diverse business interests.

“As a company, every award we receivemakes us more humble and determined inour quest to achieving the highest level ofcustomer satisfaction through our servicesin all quarters. We at Behbehani believethat the customers are the sole of our busi-ness and the fulfillment of their needs isthe key to our success. We are grateful toour partners at ISUZU, as without their sup-port this achievement would not havebeen possible. It gives us great pleasure toreceive this recognition which comes to usas we celebrate 50 years of our establish-ment.” said, Talal Behbehani, Director.

Mohammed Saleh & Reza YousufBehbehani Co have been the sole distribu-tors of ISUZU in Kuwait since 1973 andhave established a full-fledged service cen-ter in Al-Rai equipped with the latest tech-nologies and factory trained staff to pro-vide the best services to its customersround the year.

KUWAIT: Bob Hirth, a senior managing director withProtiviti (www.protiviti.com), a global consulting firm,has been named chairman of the Committee ofSponsoring Organizations of the TreadwayCommission (COSO), the organization that providesthought leadership and guidance on internal control,enterprise risk management, and fraud deterrence.

“I am thrilled to become the chairman of COSOand look forward to communicating with manyorganizations and individuals on the key enhance-ments to and benefits of the recently revised COSOInternal Control Framework,”said Hirth.”I also look for-ward to working with all of COSO’s sponsoring organ-izations and the many other firms and professionalswho have contributed to COSO in developing anddisseminating additional thought leadership materi-als on topics relevant to and aligned with our mission.My last eleven years at Protiviti have been a critical

part of preparing me for this leadership role and fordelivering on COSO’s mission and focus on risk man-agement, internal control and fraud deterrence.”

“We congratulate Bobfor being selected to leadCOSO, and I know he will do an outstanding job tohelp fulfill its mission,” said Joseph Tarantino, Protivitipresident and CEO. “Bob’s extensive experience andknowledge of internal audit,plus his tireless work eth-ic, ensure that COSO is in good hands.”

A founding member of Protiviti and leading industryvoice on issues surrounding risk management andinternal controls, Hirth’s selection was driven in part byhis professional prowess, adept public speaking andleadership skills, and commitment to organizationalsuccess achieved through effective governance prac-tices.

Hirth was chosen by the committee following anextensive four-month search process. He will succeed

current COSO chair David Landsittel, who has servedsince 2009. Hirth will serve a three-year term, whichbegan June 1, and will remain located in SanFrancisco.

Hirth has more than 25 years of professional serv-ices experience working with a broad range of global,public and local private organizations in a variety ofindustries, helping them manage their most signifi-cant business risks and issues. During his career, hehas served as executive vice president for globalinternal audit for Protiviti and is currently serving atwo-year term(2012-2013) on the Standing AdvisoryGroup of the Public Company Accounting OversightBoard (PCAOB). He is a member of FinancialExecutives International (FEI) and The Institute forInternal Auditors (IIA). In March 2013, Hirth wasinducted into The Institute of Internal Auditors’ Hall ofDistinguished Audit Practitioners.

Protiviti’s Bob Hirth Named Chairman of Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of Treadway Commission (COSO)

Bob Hirth

Al-Mazaya general assembly agrees against distribution of dividends

MSRY Behbehani shines at Isuzu Service Awards 2013

KUWAIT: TRACCS, one of the region’s lead-ing and largest public relations networks,has diversified its offering with the intro-duction of a dedicated communicationstraining division, Enrich powered byTRACCS. The new regional division pro-vides a wide range of interactive trainingintensives in Arabic, English and Frenchconducted by seasoned, accredited train-ing specialists, all of whom are professionalpublic relations practitioners. The new divi-sion was set up in response to a rise inclient demand for training across theregion.

“With the launch of ENRICH we are tak-ing the training services we have devel-oped over a decade to another level,” saidTRACCS CEO Mohamed Al-Ayed. “When welaunched TRACCS 15 years ago the publicrelations profession in the region was in itsinfancy. PR was seen as a promotional tooland an adjunct to advertising. As a result,we found it necessary to educate ourclients on what PR is and what it can do fora business or government agency. Over theyears we have evolved a wide range oftraining courses that have become increas-ingly sophisticated and effective. Today,our markets have matured to the pointwhere public and private sector organiza-tions are demanding extensive training fortheir people on a wide range of disciplines.We have trained hundreds of CEOs, compa-ny directors and spokespeople from acrossthe region in Arabic, English and French.Enrich is an expansion of our trainingcapacities.”

In setting up Enrich, TRACCS has formedan alliance with the UK-based PublicRelations Consultants Association (PRCA), aleading training provider in the field. All

Enrich trainers have PRCA accreditation.Earlier in the year TRACCS and PRCA signeda Memorandum of Understanding to coop-erate on a series of projects to promoteexcellence and understanding of publicrelations in the MENA region.

“The alliance with PRCA will keep Enrichat the leading edge of communicationstraining in the region,” said Al-Ayed. “Inaddition, we are designing orientationcourses for multi-national companiesentering new Middle East and NorthAfrican markets for the first time.”

PRCA Director General Francis Inghamsaid, “Professional development is the keyto the growth of our industry. So the PRCAis delighted to be linking up with TRACCSto offer cutting-edge training throughoutthe Middle East and North Africa. Ouralliance will give thousands of PR practi-tioners the opportunity to maximise theirskills in a modern manner. It is a greatdevelopment for all of us.”

Course titles offered include, AnIntroduction to Public Relations, Meeting thePress (giving interviews), Communicating inthe Middle East and North Africa, Facing thePublic (speech writing and delivery),Preparing for the Worst (crisis communica-tions), Communicating and ImplementingCSR and Building CommunicationsStrategies. Other courses on offer includePublic Relations Best Practice, How to Getthe Best out of Your PR Agency, and HighImpact Business Presentations. Bespoketraining courses are also available on a rangeof disciplines, including Inter-OfficeCommunications, Communicating withCallers, Internal Communications and settingup in-house PR and CorporateCommunications departments.

TRACCS launches ‘Enrich’ communications training

t e c h n o l o g yTUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2013

NEW YORK: AT&T is extending from 20months to 24 months the time it takes forcustomers on contract-based plans to earna fully subsidized upgrade to a new phone.

The move announced Sunday followsan identical one by Verizon Wireless inApril. AT&T Inc.’s new policy applies to anycustomer whose contract expires in March2014 or later.

Extending the time between phoneupgrades saves the phone companiesmoney, since they subsidize each newphone by hundreds of dollars to make itavailable to customers for $199 or less.AT&T executives had said they planned torein in spending on phone upgrades thisyear.

The change reflects the growing popu-larity of expensive smartphones. Verizon

subsidized upgrades after just 13 monthsuntil January 2011, just before it introducedthe iPhone, one of the most expensivephones on a wholesale basis. Carriers payApple over $600 for it.

Dallas-based AT&T is the country’s sec-ond-largest cellphone carrier. It activated 6million smartphones in the first threemonths of this year.

AT&T shares rose 55 cents, or 1.5 per-cent, to $36 in morning trading. The shareshit a five-year high of $39 in April.

Breaking with industry practices, No. 4wireless carrier T-Mobile USA ditched itsservice contracts and phone-upgrade wait-ing periods in March. It now sells phoneson installment plans, giving customersmore flexibility on the timing of theirphone upgrades.—AP

AT&T extends wait for new phone to 2 years

SAN FRANCISCO: Internet giants from Google andFacebook to Yahoo and Zynga are scrambling toadapt to an online world where people reach forsmartphones or tablets instead of traditional com-puters. Social games pioneer Zynga, which rose tostardom making titles played at Facebook’s web-site, is cutting nearly a fifth of its staff as part of amove to focus on titles for mobile gadgets. Aftertaking over as chief executive at Yahoo last year,former Google executive Marissa Mayer laid out aturn-around strategy that made a priority of tailor-ing offerings to smartphones and tablets.

The dismal performance of Facebook’s freshly-launched stock last year was blamed in large parton fears that it lacked tools to cash in on memberswho are increasingly accessing the social networkfrom mobile devices. Google has proved prescientby creating and giving away an Android mobileoperating system that showcases its software andservices on smartphones and tablets. Even theMountain View, California-based technology titan’sseemingly offbeat “big bets” on Internet-linkedGlass eyewear and Web-connected self-driving carsare seen by some analysts as shrewd moves toremain anchored in lifestyles.

“The head-mounted display makes the mobileuser much more valuable because you can serveads as they are walking and make them location-based,” independent Silicon Valley analyst RobEnderle said of Glass.

“With self-driving cars, the dashboard is a hugetablet; if the car is driving and someone is bored,

you can serve up whatever you want.” Companiesthat staked claims with websites visited by peopleusing desktop or laptop computers risk obsoles-cence if they don’t adapt to Internet users switch-ing to apps on smartphones or tablets. Industrydata shows that people are moving “aggressively”to apps and away from traditional websites,according to Gartner analyst Van Baker. “It is impor-tant to cater to that mobile user,” Baker told AFP.“That is the driving force in the market right now;the one device a person carries everywhere - thesmartphone.”

Not only are the devices preferred by Internetusers changing, so is their behavior. Gartnerresearch shows that people using smartphonesaccess the Internet an average of 20 times a daywith sessions lasting about a minute, comparedwith four times daily for about 35 minutes a pop ontraditional computers. “It is a big challenge,because the behavior associated with a smart-phone is dramatically different from a notebookcomputer,” Baker said. “Your experience needs to betwo clicks deep and be done in a minute,” he con-tinued. “If it takes any longer, they are gone.”

Smartphones in particular have small screens,raising the risk of people being annoyed by adver-tising. Mobile devices also allow location, calendarinformation and other contextual data to be woveninto services to win people over with desirableinformation at just the right moments and places.“The opportunity to be relevant or helpful is muchgreater because of the contextual information,”

said Forrester analyst Charles Golvin. “If you inter-rupt me and adopt the old get-in-your-faceapproach of many marketers, you are much morelikely to sour any potential relationship.”

Internet companies don’t have the luxury offocusing on either mobile devices or traditionalcomputers; they must tailor offerings for both,according to analysts. “Mobile first is correct, but itis not mobile only,” Golvin said. “You need to enableyour customers to reach you where and when theychoose to and on the device that happens to be intheir hand at that moment.” Established Internetcompanies tend to be well-positioned to adapt toengaging people on mobile devices. “The funda-mentals of delivering your experience digitally arestill there at the core whether it is going to a PC ora browser or to a mobile device,” Golvin said, refer-ring to established operations such as Facebookand Yahoo. “It is less of a disruption than it is a tran-sition.”

However, the ability to bypass running websitesmakes it easier for startups to blaze into the marketwith mobile apps. Zynga faces the added challengeof being in a hits-drive business in a world whereloyalty to apps is fleeting. Most of the people whodownload a mobile app at launch abandon it with-in three months, according to Gartner. “The life of‘Draw Something’ or ‘Farmville’ can be even morecompressed in the mobile world,” Golvin said, refer-ring to Zynga titles. “A game is a hit, people engageand then the next hit comes along and takes uptheir time.” — AFP

Smartphone life shakesup world of websites

WASHINGTON: After years of making moneyproviding Internet service, cable TV compa-nies are now tapping the power of theInternet to improve clunky program guidesthat are a relic of the 1990s.

Over the past year or so, Comcast Corp.,Cablevision Systems Corp. and other cableproviders have introduced new programguides on television set-top boxes. Theseimproved guides act more like websites,making it easier to find movies, live TV showsand on-demand video.

It’s important progress for cable TV com-panies, which are often criticized for provid-ing hundreds of channels that customersdon’t watch. Making shows easier to findhelps them justify all those channels. Andthat could help stave off defections to satel-lite and telephone companies, which havelured cable customers away with cut-rate TVservices that use fancier interfaces.

Retaining and winning back those sub-scribers - while defending against a newbatch of Web video challengers such asNetflix and Hulu - will be the focus of theindustry’s annual gathering, The Cable Show,which started in Washington on Monday andruns through Wednesday.

Although using the Internet might seemlike a no-brainer to the billions who use itworldwide, cable TV operators have beenslow to adapt. For years, guides used the oldX-Y axis, with channels on the left and timesacross the top. These were installed directlyonto the set-top box. There was no way tochange the format without replacing thebox, which could take a year or more for allcustomers.

By using Internet programming languageand other tools common to the Web, newerboxes are far more flexible.

These guides can now access softwarerunning on more powerful machines locatedelsewhere. They can make recommendationsrather than simply show reams of show titles.Faster keyword searches are possible, andcover art brings life to what once were text-only program listings. The use of Internetprogramming language means smartphonesand tablets can also be used to control thebox. As important, updates can be done fromafar and redesigns are as easy as changing awebsite. That means new features can be cre-ated and popular ones given more promi-nence. Comcast says it has already updatedits guide 1,200 times since introducing its X1set-top box in May 2012.

Marcien Jenckes, general manager forComcast’s cable TV services, says the differ-ence between the old box and the new oneis like the difference between an old IBMcomputer that ran on a text-based DOS sys-tem and today’s Google Chromebook, a lap-top computer that gains most of its function-ality from being able to access servicesonline.

“The prior boxes were limited by whatthey could carry on them,” he says. “The cur-rent boxes are essentially limitless in terms ofwhat they can access remotely.”

Since the X1 came out, Comcast saysviewing time for video on demand hasincreased nearly 20 percent among userswho have it, partly because it’s easier to findthings to watch. Comcast says customers arewatching more channels and discoveringmore shows. Comcast isn’t saying how manysubscribers now have the new X1 boxes, butit did say that half of its 21.9 million TV sub-scribers are eligible, with the rest expectedby the end of the year.

Although the company still lost a net359,000 TV subscribers in the 12 monthsthrough March, according to the latest fig-ures, Jenckes says that when more customersare more engaged with their TV service, theyshould stick around longer.

“It’s still early but every indication is posi-

tive,” he says. Time Warner Cable Inc., the sec-ond-largest cable T V provider behindComcast with 12.1 million subscribers, is alsoplanning to unveil an improved guide thisyear through new set-top boxes that also useInternet tools to make them more versatileand adaptable. “Traditionally each box gener-ates its own guide and navigation,” says MikeAngus, Time Warner Cable’s senior vice presi-dent for video. “That’s been one of the short-comings of the native guide technology.”

In November, Cox Communications Inc.updated its Internet-enabled Trio guide toinclude personalized recommendations forup to eight members of a household. Theservice adds diamonds to programs in thechannel guide that individual users mightlike, based on which movies and showsthey’ve watched in the past and whetherthey clicked to “l ike” or “dislike” them.Another screen shows recommended videos,whether they are offered on demand or live.Some past episodes can be viewed rightaway, while viewers can choose to recordfuture ones when they air.

The company says that more than half ofthe 400,000-plus subscribers now using theguide say they became aware of contentthey didn’t realize was there before. Nearly athird of users say they enjoy watching TVmore. Cox plans to offer the improved guideto more of its subscribers, estimated ataround 4.5 million.

“They’re asking for the experience to bemuch more personalized,” says Len Barlik,executive vice president of product develop-ment at Cox Cable. “ This is focused onattracting new customers but also retainingthe base.”

Customer retention is seen as increasinglyimportant for the cable TV industry, whichhas lost about 10 million TV subscribers overthe last decade - down to 56.4 million in2012, from 66.9 million in 2001, according toresearch firm SNL Kagan. Most of them haveswitched to satellite companies such asDirecTV or Dish, or gone with TV servicesfrom phone companies including Verizonand AT&T. Overall, the number of pay TV sub-scribers across all providers is unchanged atabout 100 million homes.

A small proportion have “cut the cord,” ordropped pay TV service entirely, thoughabout 50 million homes rely on cable compa-nies for high-speed Internet service, a figurethat is growing.The Nielsen Co. says about 5million U.S. households had a TV but didn’thook it up with a traditional pay TV provideror even an antenna last year. Those house-holds are opting instead for Web video fromNetflix and other providers. Nielsen callsthese homes “Zero TV” households. Althoughonline viewing generates advertising rev-enue on services such as Hulu, cable TVproviders will lose TV subscription revenuesif this group grows in size.

In a saturated market that’s not expand-ing, the best strategy for cable TV providers isto hold onto its paying customers for as longas possible, says Bruce Leichtman, a TV con-sultant and head of Leichtman ResearchGroup.

“Retention becomes very important,”Leichtman says. “That’s really what Comcastand the other operators are looking at -adding value to subscribers in order to retainthem.”

Many cable TV companies also offer hun-dreds of live TV signals and on-demand pro-grams over mobile devices using Internettechnology. These apps - such as TimeWarner Cable’s TWC TV, Comcast’s Xfinity,and Cablevision’s Optimum - turn mobiledevices connected to home networks intovirtual TV sets on smaller screens. But cus-tomers have to be home to use these most ofthese services, and many aren’t aware ofthem.—AP

SAN FRANCISCO: To get a sense ofhow investors view the promise ofmobile gaming, one need look nofurther than Japan’s GungHo OnlineEntertainment. With just one gameunder its belt, its stock has risentenfold since October and its mar-ket cap almost equals that ofdecades-old Nintendo.

From veterans like Electronic Artsto r is ing stars such as “Clash ofClans” maker Supercell, the $66 bil-lion video game industry is scram-bling to devise games and experi-menting with ways to appeal to ageneration of players that spendsmore time on mobile devices thanon computers or consoles.

Most are having scant success inan industry peppered with one-hitwonders like OMGPOP and whereeven established players like Zyngaare faltering, industry sources say.

“ I t ’s sor t of l ike al l the chesspieces have been thrown in the air,and the industry has not yet landedon what the chess board looks like,”said Owen Mahoney, CFO ofJapanese online gaming giantNexon Co Ltd, which has in the pastyear bought two companies toaccelerate its mobile foray.

In recent years, the model hasbeen to offer games for free, thenencourage players to spend realmoney on in-game purchases - asystem perfected by Zynga in itsonline games. But its rapid declinein just the past year illustrates thechallenge of hooking new players,and loosening gamers’ pursestrings.

The company that shot to fameon the back of Facebook games like“Farmville” bought OMGPOP, devel-opers of the mobile sensation “DrawSomething” - for $180 million. Aftermonths of losing users that oncepeaked to 14.5 million players overa year ago, Zynga last week shut itsNew York-based studio, effectivelylaying off the OMGPOP team.Industr y executives say mobilegamers today are spoiled for choiceas the industry has exploded. In2007, when Apple Inc launched theiPhone, there were but a handful ofdevelopers. Today, there are hun-dreds, whose apps sell across theglobe on Apple and Google Inc’sAndroid devices.

“You see these rocket ships inthe industry that explode on the

scene with a casual game that’s easyto develop with not much moneyand they gain users quickly. Butusers get bored or angry becausethey can’t progress without payingmore money,” Nexon’s Mahoney toldReuters in an interview. Nexon hashad some success boosting itsmobile por tfol io, a l ikely factorbehind revenue growth of 24 per-cent in 2012 to 108 million yen ($1.1million).

To stand out from the crowd,developers big and small are seek-ing ways to build a sustainable busi-ness. EA, as one of the best-fundedcompetitors, is turning to data ana-lytics to keep track of its players’gaming patterns and behavior.

Japanese gaming giant DeNA is

experimenting with on-the-spottweaks to its games by employees,who adjust conditions dependingon what players do, CEO of DeNAWest Clive Downie said.

Canadian indie studioNoodlecake, known for games like“Zombie Road Trip”, is employingloyalty programs similar to airlineswith daily virtual currency rewardsfor first-time and frequent players.

Others resort to tricks like sea-sonal deals and holiday-themedcontent to boost their rankings onapp-download charts during thecrucial holiday period.

Up-and-coming GungHo, whichhas seen its shares rise tenfold sinceOctober as investors bet on its abili-ty to rise above the fray with its sole

title “Puzzle & Dragons,” is turning tocostly TV advertising to place itsbrand front-and-center.

Japanese telecoms giantSoftbank Corp owns a majoritystake in GungHo. Even Rovio - back-ers of pop-culture phenomenon“Angry Birds” has reported that itnow leans on stuffed toys, mugsand other merchandise for 45 per-cent of its revenue.

“Ever ybody wants a manual”with the best user acquisition tech-niques, said Doug Smith, an inde-pendent developer who launchedhis kids game “Chugga Bugga” onthe Apple App Store in early Aprilbut has had only about 3,500 down-loads. He is disappointed that it’sbecoming “harder and harder fornew entrants to come in without abig budget.” As E3, the industry’slargest annual convention, kicks offin Los Angeles next week, consolegames going up against mobilegames will be an underlying theme.

Revenue from games on mobileand portable devices is expected togrow about 38 percent to $8 billionin 2013 and touch $20 billion in2018, according to David Cole, ananalyst at research group DFCIntel l igence. That ’s why mobiledevelopers won’t give up.

Game publishers are now rush-ing to hire people with data scienceand analytics skills dedicated toacquiring users and analyzing theirbehavior, said Ville Heijari, Europeangeneral manager for PlayHaven,which helps developers monetizeand market games.

EA has made investments in dataanalytics to build a suite of back-end proprietary software to breakdown its players by region and pref-erences, to help development offuture games, said EA’s President ofLabels Frank Gibeau.

For now, consumer spendingremains concentrated on thedecades-old console gaming indus-try. But the situation is fast chang-ing: in just a few years, mobile gam-ing has grown to account for about9 percent of overall revenue. Mobileis “an absolutely critical, if not ‘the’growth driver for the industry forthe next several years,” Gibeau said.Despite the success of a number ofcompanies, “a lot of the industry isstill in a learning phase,” PlayHaven’sHeijari said.—Reuters

Mobile gaming still eludes industry

Cable operators buff up guides for Internet age

NEW YORK: This image provided by Cox Communications shows a programguide for television set-top boxes to make it easier to find programs avail-able live or on demand. It is an important development for cable TV compa-nies, as they face criticisms for providing hundreds of channels that cus-tomers don’t watch.—AP

NEW YORK: This combination photo shows (clockwise from top left) Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer at the Bill Graham Auditorium inan October 29, 2012 file photo in San Francisco; Google’s headquarters on 8th Avenue in New York in a January 11, 2013, file pho-to; people walking past the Apple Store at Grand Central Terminal in New York in a January 25, 2013 file photo; the “Like” icon atthe Facebook main campus in Menlo Park, California, in a May 15, 2012, file photo. —AFP

H E A LT H & S C I E N C ETUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2013

Middle East climate wreaking your skin?

BEIJING: Only 14 patients from China’sH7N9 bird flu outbreak are still in hos-pital, national health authorities said intheir latest update on the disease. Atotal of 131 confirmed human infec-tions of the virus have been recordedon the Chinese mainland, the NationalHealth and Family PlanningCommission said. Of those, 39 died and78 had been released from hospital,with 14 still being treated, it said in astatement late Sunday, adding it wouldno longer report figures weekly,switching instead to monthly updates.

One other case was recorded inTaiwan. Experts fear the possibility ofthe virus mutating into a form easilytransmissible between humans, withthe potential to trigger a pandemic.Laboratory tests showed that in somepatients the H7N9 virus was resistantto treatment drugs, researchers inChina wrote in the medical journal TheLancet last month, adding that theirfindings were “concerning”. But fluviruses are often seasonal and much ofChina has experienced warmer weath-er following the end of winter.—AFP

Only 14 China H7N9 patients left in hospital

KUWAIT: Are you struggling to keep upwith the changing weather - air condition-ing, sand storms, blazing sun, humidityand even the odd rain shower!

Your skin is your body’s largest organand faces these weather changes and attimes it can be an upward battle to keep itlooking beautiful. With your skin makingup around fifteen per cent of your bodyweight1, NIVEA is encouraging women tolook after their skin and remember that itis as individual as they are. Tried and test-ed tips to make your skin shine will neverchange, such as drinking at least two litresof water a day and cutting down on salt tohelp your skin feel soft and supple. Protectyour skin from premature aging and wrin-kles by staying out of the sun between11am and 3pm and get plenty of beautysleep. NIVEA has a few words of wisdom toadd to help women in the Middle East.

Jennifer Bell, Brand Manager for NIVEABody & Sun Care in the Middle East says,“The basis of good skin comes from theinside out. The traditional diet in theMiddle East includes the fabulous, skin-friendly tabouleh. The main ingredientparsley is a great source of vitamin C and Ahelps your skin produce collagen andrepairs itself. Fattoush with its raw mixedgreens and vegetables is another dish thatcan benefit your skin - if you go easy onthe fried pita bread!”

Jennifer adds that it is important toremember everyone’s skin is different. “Ifyou suffer from dry skin you should beusing a lotion that nourishes your skin toleave it smooth and supple, for exampleNIVEA’s Repair & Care. If you are looking to

fight the signs of aging, use the NIVEAfirming lotion with Q10, which is a naturalcomponent of the skin and actively worksto keep it firm. It’s a myth that there is onelotion that will suit everyone and becauseof this, we have developed a range ofbody lotions so for every skin there’s aNIVEA.”

The NIVEA body lotion range availablein the GCC contains 15 different bodylotion ranges specially formulated byBeiersdorf ’s research team in Hamburg,NIVEA’s parent company, and includes thefollowing:

NIVEA Creme - the beauty classic for allmoisturizing needs, available from KWD0.360.

Like the feeling of a rich, caring creamon your skin? The world’s No.1 skin carecream, NIVEA Creme, provides the skinwith all it needs to stay pure, fresh andsmooth. It’s the best cream for rich nour-ishing care.

NIVEA Soft - a light, fast absorbing gen-eral purpose cream, available from KWD0.720 Do you want a caring cream thatfeels light and refreshing? A non-greasy,intensive moisturizing care for soft andbeautiful skin that’s specially formulatedwith jojoba oil, vitamin E and is pH neutral.The lightest, freshest feeling moisturizingcream.

NIVEA Nourishing Body Lotion - for dryto very dry skin, available from KWD 0.625Is your skin thirsty for deep nourishingcare? The rich formula of the NIVEA BodyLotion nourishes your skin with essentialvitamins of Almond Oil and Vitamin Eleaves the skin smooth and supple. Your

first choice for deeply moisturized skin.NIVEA Natural Fairness Body Lotion -

developed to enhance the skin’s naturalradiance, available from KWD 0.625.

Do you want your skin to have naturalradiance? NIVEA’s innovative formula withliquorice and berry extracts gives the skineven-toned fairness and is left silkysmooth. Your favorite lotion for fairer skinin 4 weeks.

NIVEA Q10 Plus Firming Body Lotion -for noticeably firmer and tighter lookingskin, available from KWD 1.605.

Skin looks visibly tighter and firmerwith Firming Body Lotion Q10 Plus in justtwo weeks.

NIVEA Repair & Care Body Lotion - forlong-lasting relief from roughness andtightness, available from KWD 1.09.

The first product by NIVEA to provide48-hour relief from dry skin symptoms.The innovative formula withDexpanthenol strengthens your skin’s bar-rier and supports the skin’s own hydrationsystem to relieve dry, tight skin.

NIVEA Smooth Body Lotion - for dryskin, available from KWD 1.09.

Enriched with Shea Butter, GingkoExtract and Vitamin E, the NIVEA SmoothBody Lotion protects the skin from dryingout.

NIVEA Express Hydration Body Lotion -provides skin with non-stop moisture,available from KWD 0.625.

The ultra-light formula with SeaMinerals of the NIVEA Express HydrationBody Lotion leaves the skin immediatelysoft and supple and delicately enwrappedin a blue lotus scent.

NIVEA skincare experts offer ways to help your skin glow

MALLE: Under an eco-friendly, flowering turfroof in an industrial park, the world’s largest-maker of green cleaning products is trying tofigure out how to stay on top of a market thathas big growth potential but also increasinglyfierce competition. With big-name detergentand household cleaner manufacturers andretailers moving into the ecological market andconsumers growing more savvy, Belgium’sEcover must compete on price and prove it isgreener than the rest.

Global spending on green cleaning productsis expected to rise to $9.3 billion in 2017 froman estimated $2.7 billion in 2012, according toGlobal Industry Analysts Inc - albeit still a frac-tion of the relatively stable $150 billion marketfor all household cleaning products. Founded in1979 by a Belgian who left his job at a soapcompany to make a phosphate-free washingpowder, Ecover became the world’s largest eco-logical cleaning firm last year when it acquiredSan Francisco-based Method, leapfroggingBurlington, Vermont-based Seventh Generationto the top spot.

It plans to make and market Ecover in theUnited States and do the same in Europe forMethod’s distinctive line of colourful liquids incolourless bottles. “We never really cracked theU.S. market and concluded a takeover was thebest way forward,” said Ecover chief executivePhilip Malmberg. “We wanted a company withthe same principles, but one that targeted aslightly different group of consumers.” Ecoverhas been owned since 1992 by private invest-ment vehicle Skagen, which manages the familyassets of Jorgen-Philip Sorensen, the latefounder of what is now the multinational securi-ty services company G4S.

With last year’s takeover, sales doubled tosome $200 million. But analysts say Ecover hasgained more than scale. Combining Ecover’s sci-entific savvy with Method’s U.S. presence andinnovation, such as pump-action laundry deter-gent, Malmberg sees sales doubling again inthe next five years. Method outsourced produc-tion, so the combined company plans to build athird green-roofed plant in Chicago by 2015.

“Ecover definitely punches above its weightin terms of brand awareness. Method is moredesign-focused,” said Ian Bell, analyst atEuromonitor. “It (the new company) has marriedinnovative design with a green message.” Asia

could be the next frontier, although demandhas yet to take off, partly due to price. In China,a half-litre bottle of green detergent can cost$15, some 10 times more than in Europe.

Market explosion, financial crashThe industry has struggled since the start of

the financial crisis in 2008, which also markedthe arrival of several new players: SC Johnsonbrought out Nature’s Source, Clorox its GreenWorks range and German Persil maker Henkelits Terra brand. Dozens of retailers like Tesco andUS pharmacy chain Duane Reade have alsosince launched their own labels.

Nature’s Source was discontinued in 2010under the pressure. Green Works survived buthas lost market share, according to researchfirm Packaged Facts, and plans to cut prices thissummer. “While our research showed that con-sumers wanted to buy products made with nat-ural ingredients, they largely went back tobasics - price and efficacy - when money gottight,” said Kelly Semrau, SC Johnson’s chief sus-tainability officer.

While Ecover’s sales also suffered, down 5-6percent per year from 2007 to 2010, it believesit is ahead of the pack with products that reallyclean at a price aimed at no more than 10 per-cent above standard equivalents. “In terms ofperformance we are at the same level as the tra-ditional brands and for some ... we are better,”Malmberg said in an interview at the company’sheadquarters. Sales, flat in 2011, shot up 17 per-cent in 2012 and are now approaching peak2007 levels.

Which green product?One sector-wide problem is that although

consumers may care about the environment,they aren’t really sure what it means to clean“green” and are overwhelmed by competingclaims. It’s partly about what’s in the product.The first ecological cleaners did not containphosphates, now banned in many countriesbecause they promote the growth of algae,which starves fish of oxygen. Many now alsoshun bleach or ammonia, again largely due totheir impact on wildlife.

Green producers are also increasingly stress-ing the health risks consumers face by wearingclothes or using crockery washed with harshchemicals, from scents to brighteners. But these

days it’s also about the way the producer runsits business. Ecover argues its customers arebuying into an entirely green process. The roofson its plants in Belgium and northern Franceallow them to use no heating or air condition-ing. Next year, its bottles will contain plasticrecovered from the sea.

In recent years, major producers have alsofocused on cutting their carbon footprint, usingless or more recycled packaging and sellingcold-wash formulas, a big plus for consumers inan era of high energy bills. Ecover is among anumber of producers that are developing sur-factants - the compounds that act as the clean-ing agent in most products by lowering the sur-face tension of a liquid - derived from plantsrather than petroleum to sever their relation-ship with what is considered a polluting indus-try.

Fragmented standards The industry also suffers from a lack of global

standards and low consumer awareness ofthose that do exist. Directory Ecolabel Indexlists more than 60 different eco labels from dif-ferent organisations around the world.Certification in the European Union assuresconsumers that a product has been tested inde-pendently and shown to work and to containfew hazardous chemicals. But the label is notwell known among consumers and there is nograding system like Europe’s energy consump-tion labelling for light bulbs, cars and otherproducts, from least efficient G to best in class,A+++. Ecover is among critics that say the EU’seco label, which says cleaners must be “largelybio-degradable”, is not strict enough. Ecoveritself has not escaped criticism, however. TheVegan Society withdrew its vegan trademarkover Ecover’s use of water fleas for testing.

British consumer association Which in 2010questioned whether “green” products in generalwere really more environmentally friendly thanstandard equivalents, as well as whether theyactually worked. Environmentally aware con-sumers may be best off simply cleaning less,some experts say. “Really you can clean a wholehouse with two or three cleaners and you cando a lot with water, lemon, juice, vinegar andsalt,” said Silvia Maurer, safety and environmen-tal specialist at European consumer bodyBEUC.—Reuters

Eco rivals battle to showwho is cleaner, greener

BEIJING: Authorities are reportedly prob-ing a pig farm in central China for dissolv-ing dead pigs in a chemical solution andpumping the resulting remains down itsdrains, which empty into a river. HuashengOnline, a news website published by theHunan Daily Press Group, said environ-mental protection and animal hygieneauthorities in Changsha, Hunan province,were investigating the allegations. Thefarm claimed that using strong alkali tobreak down carcasses before flushingthem away was a non-harmful method ofdisposal for pigs that died of disease, thereport said.

But users of China’s Twitter-l ikemicroblogs were disgusted. “It’s absolutelyillegal and absolutely harmful,” wrote oneusing the name Quxiaolijie. “The only non-harmful way to dispose of dead pigs is to

burn them or bury them. They absolutelycan’t be discharged into the river. Strictlyinvestigate and strictly punish!” Food safe-ty is a major issue in China following astring of scandals, including the discoveryin March of thousands of dead pigs float-ing down a Shanghai river.

No official explanation has been provid-ed for the incident, which lasted for severaldays and was a major embarrassment forChina’s commercial hub. Last month thepublic security ministry announced that900 people had been detained for meat-related crimes including selling rat and foxmeat as beef and mutton. In anotherrecent incident, US fast food giant KFC washit by controversy after revealing someChinese suppliers provided chicken withhigh levels of antibiotics, in what appearedto be an industry-wide practice.—AFP

BETHESDA: Atomic medicine has“fantastic potential” for fightingdeadly, difficult to treat cancers, thehead of French nuclear giant Areva’smedical arm told AFP in an inter-view. “We are interested in tumorsagainst which the current therapeu-tic arsenal is very limited-like ovari-an, gastric and pancreatic cancers-where the needs are huge andpatients are waiting,” explainedAreva Med chief Patrick Bourdet.Based in a Maryland suburb of theUS capital, not far from the NationalInstitutes of Health, Areva Med ispitting its hopes on a rare radioac-tive isotope that may be capable ofselectively annihilating cancer cells.

This new weapon against theseaggressive cancers is a variety oflead: the isotope Pb 212. It isextremely rare, extracted from anequally rare metal called thorium.Only the few major nuclear powershave stocks of the radioactive met-al-France, being one of them, with aconsiderable cache, Bourdet toldAFP. France’s stock can be traced

back half a decade to its nuclearsubsidiary.

At that time, the Commissary ofAtomic Energy, or CEA, a govern-ment-funded research group,decided to hold on to thorium afterit extracted uranium-which hasbecome the principal material usedin nuclear power plants. In 2003,researchers had the idea of extract-ing the isotope Pb 212 from thethorium, with Areva’s scientistsamong them, looking in part forpossible applications against can-cer. Convinced of the great medicalpotential of this isotope, Areva cre-ated its medical affiliate in 2009 inthe United States, which, since then,hasn’t stopped growing.

Extremely targeted cancer- treatment

In 2011, Areva Med, workingwith researchers from the Universityof Alabama, got the green lightfrom the US Food and DrugAdministration to start a phase oneclinical trial with Pb 212, using

radioimmunotherapy. The firstpatient, of 18 slated in the trial, wastreated in April 2012.

“The trials are advancing in a sat-isfactory way,” Bourdet said, addingthat he couldn’t be more optimisticat this point. Backing up that opti-mism, Areva Med has gone intooverdrive, putting in place the nec-essary components for the develop-ment and production of this newcancer-fighting tool, including in2012 Areva Med inking an agree-ment with Swiss pharmaceuticalgiant Roche, the world leader inoncology.

At the same time, Arevalaunched the construction of a Pb212 production laboratory, theworld’s first, in Bessines-sur-Gartempe, in the central Frenchregion of Limousin. The lab, set toopen at the end of 2013, will extractnanograms-billionths of a gram-ofthe isotope from tonnes of thorium.In the regime currently under inpreliminary trials, each patientneeds just four nanograms of Pb

212 in a single day of treatment,explained Bourdet. The radioactiveisotope is aimed at the cancer cellsby chemically attaching it to anantibody crafted to recognize thetumor by it’s specific antigens, orchemical signals.

“It’s truly an extremely targetedanti-cancer therapy” that couldfight many forms of cancer, evenmetastasized, emphasized Bourdet.In addition, thanks to its precision,“there are no side effects,” he said.“Everything’s going well so far, weare confident and optimistic, butlet’s wait the results of the science,”he cautioned, while adding: “I thinkour drug will be ready in 2016.”Martin Brechbiel, head of radioim-munotherapy research at theNational Cancer Institute, is more“cautiously optimistic.”

“The potential is very great” withPb 212, he told AFP. “If this therapycan improve survival significantlythis would be extremely important,”he said, but it’s “far too early totell.”—AFP

China pig farm ‘pumped dissolved

carcasses into river’

radioactive lead could beat cancer

H E A LT H & S C I E N C ETUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2013

MADRID: Despite ramming through austerity meas-ures that sparked popular protest in the streets,Spain’s right-leaning government seems to be hesi-tating on a potentially more divisive reform: tighten-ing the abortion law. Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’sPopular Party promised, in a manifesto ahead of its2011 election victory, “to reinforce protection of theright to life”. That was a nod to opponents of a land-mark 2010 reform by the former Socialist govern-ment, which brought Spain into line with much ofEurope by letting women freely opt for abortion inthe first 14 weeks of pregnancy.

But nearly 18 months after the Popular Party tookpower, the justice ministry, which is in charge of thereform, has still not drawn up any concrete propos-als amid signs of internal dissent. “There is a lot ofspeculation that it is being slowed down by differ-ences of opinion in the party itself and in the gov-ernment,” said Ferran Requejo, a political scientist atPompeu Fabra University in Barcelona. “There isresistance in the party because they can’t agree onthe criteria for aborting and there is no agreement inthe government because of the image it gives ofSpain in Europe.”

Before 2010, abortion was a crime in Spain exceptin cases of rape, risk to the mother’s health or defor-mation of the foetus. Justice Minister AlbertoGallardon has indicated in press interviews and inparliament that he wants to return to a law similar tothat one, but also to go further, curbing abortions incases of deformation. A study by pollsterMetroscopia published last month in centre-leftnewspaper El Pais indicated that 46 percent ofSpaniards favoured keeping the law in its currentform while 41 percent wanted a stricter system suchas that planned by Gallardon.

Pressure from the ChurchLast month, the head of the Roman Catholic

Church in Spain, Cardinal Antonio Maria RoucoVarela, called for an “urgent reform” of the 2010 law,which he said had “led to a rise in the number ofabortions to terrifying levels”. Within hours,Gallardon announced that the government wouldpass the reform “promptly”, sparking speculationthat he was under pressure from the Church, consid-ered a powerful lobby in the party. “Gallardon at onetime was the leader of the most liberal section of theparty. He has made a U-turn since he has been in thegovernment, and has become the leader of the mosthardline section, those closest to the CatholicChurch when it comes to abortion,” said Requejo.

“Some people speculate that he is going to puthimself forward as an alternative to Rajoy in the nextelection, when the most right-wing section of the PPwants to replace Rajoy.” The justice ministry and thePopular Party told AFP they would not comment onthe reform since it was still being discussed. Rajoy aswell as Health Minister Ana Mato and other mem-bers of the government have avoided commentingon details of the reform. Mato has defendedGallardon in parliament, however, and said thefuture law would have the backing of the wholegovernment.

The spokeswoman for the Spanish anti-abortioncampaign group Right to Life, Gador Joya, saidGallardon “must know that Spanish society is back-ing him to carry out this reform”. “What we want isfor no woman in Spain to have to go through thisordeal,” Joya said in a statement. Spain’sConstitutional Court has yet to rule on an appealbrought against the law by the Popular Party. “Wecannot make the right to life subject to the decisionsof one political party or another,” Joya said. “Theright to life must be protected by the constitution.”

On the other side, a platform of pro-choicewomen’s rights groups has launched a joint cam-paign to keep the abortion law as it is. “I am con-

vinced that Spanish society no longer agrees thatjudges, doctors, ministers and lawyers should makewomen’s decisions for them,” said the deputy leaderof the opposition Socialist party, Elena Valenciano, atthe launch of the campaign. “It is clear there is divi-

sion” in the Popular Party on the issue, she told AFPafterwards. “It is also clear there is pressure from themost conservative sections of the party. There mustbe tension in the government but we still don’tknow where everyone stands.”—AFP

Spain hesitates on contentious abortion reform

INDIA: Indian yoga practitioners participate in a session organized by the Bharatiya YogSansthan association on the outskirts of Amritsar yesterday. Yoga, which means union inSanskrit, is a family of ancient spiritual practices and also a school of spiritual thought from theSouth East Asian continent, where it remains a vibrant living tradition and is seen as a means ofenlightenment.—AFP

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W H AT ’ S ONTUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2013

Greetings

Happy birthday to Abubaker Nisharpampraas you celebrates his 10th birthday today.Greetings from dear and near ones.

Announcement

The Meat Co Kuwait launchesweekly Jazz Nights

The Meat Co Kuwait will be bringing morethan outstanding steak to the table with thelaunch of their new weekly jazz nights.

Starting Wednesday 12 June, The Meat Co JazzNights will be treating its customers to thesmooth sounds of the Kuwait Jazz Trio, who willbe entertaining the crowd with their extensiverepertoire of tunes, including the works of ColePorter, Duke Ellington, Hoagy Carmichael, BillyStrayhorn and George Gershwin. Kuwaitís premierjazz band will be performing every Wednesdayfrom 8pm at The Meat Co, Kuwait - using the tradi-tional jazz trio instruments of piano, bass anddrums -thrilling the audience with the best ofinternational jazz late into the evening.

IMAX film program

Thursday:** 9:30am Showtime Available for GroupsFlight of Butterflies 3D 10:30am, 5:30pm, 8:30pmBorn to be Wild 3D 11:30am Tornado Alley 3D 12:30pm, 7:30pm, 9:30pmTo The Arctic 3D 6:30pm

Friday: Fires of Kuwait 2:30pmTornado Alley 3D3:30pm, 5:30pm, 8:30pmTo The Arctic 3D 4:30pm, 7:30pmFlight of Butterflies 3D 6:30pmBorn to be Wild 3D 9:30pm

Saturday:** 9:30am Showtime Available for Groups Flight of Butterflies 3D 10:30am, 1:30pm, 8:30pmTornado Alley 3D11:30am, 2:30pm, 5:30pm, 7:30pm,9:30pmTo The Arctic 3D 12:30pm, 6:30pmBorn to be Wild 3D 3:30pmJourney to Mecca 4:30pm

Notes:All films are in Arabic. For English, headsets are availableupon request. “Fires of Kuwait” is in English. Arabic headsets are availableupon request.Film schedule is subject to changes without notice.

IMAX

Kuwait National English School officially celebrat-ed the graduation of the students class 2013 whohave completed their secondary education and

will be moving into the next step of tertiary educationin the next academic year. The School Director MadameChantal Al Gharabally and guests of honor ProfessorBasil Al Nakib, Vice President of Health and Science

Center, Kuwait University and Dr. Husain Al Khayat,Dean of the College of Engineering and Petroleum,Kuwait University, addressed the audience and Class2013.

The Head Boy, Osama Al Shatti, Head Girl IsraaAbdulsalam, School Prefects, Tala Muassess and DimaKheir and long school students, Abdullah Al Najem and

Shahad Shweikeh delivered speeches before theirawards. The ceremony of graduating class 2013 endedup by cutting of traditional cake by the Guests ofHonour, School Chairman, School Director and graduat-ed students from Kuwait National English SchoolStudent Council. Congratulations to Kuwait NationalEnglish School Class 2013!!!

Kuwait National English School Secondary Graduation

The International and Private Patients Service atGreat Ormond Street Hospital London recentlylaunched a monthly tea party for mothers of chil-

dren who are currently inpatients at GOSH. Many moth-ers of Kuwaiti children and those from across the worldgather at the monthly tea party to share their experi-ences and help each other. Having a child in hospital isa very worrying time for families especially so if you arevisiting GOSH from overseas, and English is not yourfirst language.

The monthly tea parties have had a resounding posi-tive effect on the mothers, many from Kuwait. Themeetings aim at creating a sense of strong communityspirit amongst the mothers and GOSH staff. Mothers are

more supportive to each other, helping each otherthrough the difficult times, sharing their experiencesand helping each other to settle into ward life. The teaparties provide an opportunity to GOSH clinical staff toeducate and train mothers around simple medical pro-cedures that enable them to develop their own skills sothat they can provide better care for their child.

Al Marri, the mother of Ali Hamad from Kuwait whois 5 years old and is at GOSH for surgical procedurescommented: “The tea parties are really good for us; weget the opportunity to properly socialize and createconnections with other mothers on the wards. We cansupport each other and talk about our experiences, ourchild’s condition and treatment. It gives us a chance to

bring a bit of home spirit into the hospital and make mefeel reassured that my child is getting the best treat-ment available.”

“The nurses here try and make sure our stay at GOSHis as comfortable and pleasant as possible and theyensure that we are a valued member of our child’shealth care team. The tea parties are not only aboutdrinking tea, eating cakes and socializing, we gettrained in certain medical procedures which helps us tolook after our child better. We also have the opportunityto talk as a group about the ideas we may have toimprove our stay at GOSH and to go over any concernswe may have.”

Mother’s Tea Party brings a sense of community during time of need

Information

Embassy

EMBASSY OF AUSTRALIAThe Australian Embassy Kuwait does nothave a visa or immigration department. Allprocessing of visas and immigration mattersin conducted by The Australian Consulate-Generalin Dubai. Email: [email protected] (VFS)[email protected] (Visa Office); Tel:+971 4 355 1958 (VFS) - +971 4 508 7200 (VisaOffice); Fax: +971 4 355 0708 (Visa Office). In Kuwaitapplications can be lodged at the Australian VisaApplication Centre 4B 1st Floor, Al-BanwanBuilding Al-Qibla Area, Ali Al-Salem Street, oppositethe 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 canapply for tourist visas on-line atwww.immi.gov.au/e visa/e676.htm.

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EMBASSY OF CANADAThe Embassy of Canada in Kuwait does nothave a visa or immigration department. Allprocessing of visa and immigration mat-ters including enquiries is conducted by theCanadian Embassy in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Individualswho are interested in working, studying, visitingor immigrating to Canada should contact theCanadian Embassy in Abu Dhabi, website:www.UAE.gc.ca or www.goingtocanada.gc.ca, E-mail: [email protected]. TheEmbassy of Canada is located at Villa 24, Al-Mutawakei St, Block 4 in Da’aiyah. Please visit ourwebsite at www.Kuwait.gc.ca. The Embassy ofCanada is open from 07:30 to 15:30 Sundaythrough Thursday. The reception is open from07:30 to 12:30. Consular services for Canadian cit-izens are provided from 09:00 until 12:00, Sundaythrough Wednesday.

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EMBASSY OF US Parents of Kuwaiti citizen children maydrop off their sons’ and daughters’ visaapplications - completely free of aninterview or a trip inside the Embassy. The chil-dren must be under 14 years of age, and addi-tional requirements do apply, but the servicemeans parents will no longer have to scheduleindividual appointments for their children, norcome inside the Embassy (unless they areapplying for themselves). The service is onlyavailable for children holding Kuwaiti pass-ports. To take advantage, parents must drop offthe following documents: Child Visa Drop-offcover sheet, available on the Embassy website(http://kuwait.usembassy.gov/child_visas.htm)- Child’s passport; The Child’s previous pass-port, if it contains a valid US visa; 5x5cm photoof child with eyes open (if uploaded into DS-160, photos must be a .jpg between 600x600and 1200x1200 pixels, less than 240kb, andcannot be digitally altered); A completed DS-160 form; Visa Fee Receipt from Burgan Bank; Acopy of the valid visa of at least one parent. Ifone parent will not travel, provide a visa copyfor the traveling parent, and a passport copyfrom the non-traveling parent with a letterstating no objection to the child’s travel. - Forchildren of students (F2): a copy of the child’s I-20.

Children born in the US (with very fewexceptions) are US citizens and would not beeligible for a visa. Parents may drop off theapplication packet at Window 2 at the Embassyfrom 1:00 to 3:00 PM, Monday to Wednesday,excluding holidays. More information is avail-able on the U.S. Embassy website:kuwait.usembassy.gov/child_visas.html

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EMBASSY OF TURKEYThe Embassy of the Republic of Turkeyannounces that a new classes of Turkish lan-guage for beginners will start at theEmbassy’s Tourism, Culture and Information Officeon 17 February 2013. The lessons will be two timesin a week for six weeks, for further details and regis-tration please contact. Or fill the application formon http://kuveyt.bemfa.gov.tr and send it to the e-mail: [email protected]

EMBASSY GREECE The Embassy of Greece in Kuwait has thepleasure to announce that visa applica-tions must be submitted to Schengen VisaApplication Centre (VFS office) located at 12thfloor, Al-Naser Tower, Fahad Al-Salem Street, Al-Qibla area, Kuwait City, (Parking at Souk Watia). Forinformation please call 22281046 from 08:30 to17:00 (Sunday to Thursday). Working hours:Submission from 08:30 to 15:30. Passport collec-tion from 16:00 to 17:00. For visa applicationsplease visit the following websitewww.mfa.gr/kuwait.

W H AT ’ S ONTUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2013

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EMBASSY OF VATICANThe Apostolic Nunciature Embassy ofthe Holy See, Vatican in Kuwait presentsits compliments to Kuwait TimesNewspaper, and has the honor to inform thesame that the Apostolic Nunciature has movedto a new location in Kuwait City. Please findbelow the new address: Yarmouk, Block 1,Street 2, Villa No: 1. P.O.Box 29724, Safat 13158,Kuwait. Tel: 965 25337767, Fax: 965 25342066.Email: [email protected]

Loyac launched its twelfth annualsummer program in the presenceof Loyac’s Board of Directors, and

the managers and representatives ofthe companies that contribute toLoyac. Representatives from the vol-unteer centers and the student’s par-ticipating in the summer programwere also present. Mohammed Ajraan,Supervisor of the Committee ofPrograms and Activities, presented theopening ceremony with a uniqueshow prepared by Loyac Academy ofthe Performing Arts. Fadia Al MarzouqVice Chairman of the Board ofDirectors delivered a speech welcom-ing the guests.

Loyac also modified its awarenesscommittees and those committees

were given the name “StudentsHumanitarian Initiatives.” Each com-mittee will be named after a partici-pating company that accepted a mini-mum of 30 students. These commit-tees will be led by the youths them-selves and their initiatives will be eval-uated at the end of the program so asto chose the best initiatives accordingto their goals and how they wereimplemented.

Every year at the end of the sum-mer program, some of the studentsget a full-time employment at thecompany where they have been train-ing. However, this year a studentreceived an offer for a permanent jobfrom one of the participating compa-nies after his interview and before the

start of the summer program. Star comedian Faisal Al Basri pre-

sented a funny skit that engaged thestudents and volunteers. The skit wasfollowed by a unique video displayed

by the Committee of Programs andActivities about the activities, tripsand entertainment that await t Loyac’sachievements.

Loyac launches its 12th annual summer program

Agrand celebration of Marriott’s global AnnualAssociate Week was recently organized at the JWMarriott Kuwait City Hotel, the Courtyard by Marriott

Kuwait Hotel, and Arraya Ballroom to express appreciationto their staff for their efforts throughout the past year. Incelebration of its founding anniversary, Marriott hotelsaround the world set aside a week of fun-filled activities tocommend its 700 associates for the ongoing dedication,commitment and outstanding service.

“Celebrations this year were special, as 2013 marks the86th anniversary of the founding of Marriott, now a trulyglobal company,” said George Aoun, General Manager forKuwait Marriott Hotels. “We do hope this week marked as aremarkable memory to each and every associate at thehotel with the exciting interactive program prepared for

them, which provided the opportunity to thank them forthe continuing efforts .Their reliable service and hard workis the reason our operations run seamlessly with a loyalguest base and the communities we serve, are a betterplace.”

During the week, the hotel also celebrated CulturalAppreciation Day, in honor of Marriott’s global workforce.This day builds on the hotels’ existing efforts to constantlypromote and celebrate diversity and inclusion. At Marriottproperties globally and in Kuwait, each day was eventfulwith a different theme and in true style; beginning with the‘Mark your Fingerprints’ day that included a special themedlunch and games such as dinar race and basketball with tis-sue, moving onto ‘Cultural Day’ where the associates partic-ipated in the ‘Pingpong bounce’ game and ‘paper clown’.

To add to the excitement each associate was given theopportunity to win daily raffle draws at JW Marriott andCourtyard by Marriott. ‘Spirit to Serve our Associates’ day,followed with cleaning of guest rooms along with “Get WellSoon” wishes displayed and cake cutting.

Moreover, during the “Thank you for all you do” day,appreciation notes were provided to all associates whilegames such as balloon blowing race, were also enjoyed,along with cleaning of the cafeteria’s stewarding section.“The 86th anniversary provided the ideal platform to cele-brate Marriott’s core values that have been the drivers ofour success, setting us apart: Pursue Excellence, Put PeopleFirst, Serve our World, Embrace Change, and Act withIntegrity,” added George Aoun.

Annual Associate Week celebrated at Marriott Hotels

Ernakulam District Association new office bearers

Ernakulam District Association, Kuwait(EDA) conducted its Annual GeneralBody Meeting on 26th April 2013, at

Pravasi Auditorium, in Abbassiya. The meet-ing was presided over by EDA President RoyYoyaki. The EDA General Secretary, MadhuWarrier, welcomed the distinguishedguests, members and their families to themeeting. He also presented a detailedReport of the EDAís performance for thelast 2 years term from 2011-2013. Abdul

Rahim, the Chairman of the Advisory Board,addressed the audience.† New OfficeBearers for EDA Central ExecutiveCommittee and The EDA Mahila Vedhi wereelected in the General Body Meeting. Theelected new Office Bearers for EDA CentralExecutive Committee are Madhu Warrier(President), Varghese Paul (GeneralSecretary), AD Gopinadhan (Treasurer) andBiju MY (General Coordinator).

Johnson (Chairman of Advisory Board),

Sunil Kumar (Vice President), Santhosh A.C(Executive Secretary), Balakrishnan Mallya(Joint Coordinator), Kishorekumar P V (JointTreasurer), Anilkumar P K (Website-in-Charge), Tajuddin (Arts & CulturalCommittee Secretary), Maxi Joseph (Arts &Cultural Committee Joint Secretary) Stanly(Social Welfare Committee Convener),Bipin Madhavan (Social Welfare CommitteeSecretary), Samson (Sports CommitteeSecretary), Sudish (Sports Committee Joint

Secretary). EDA Mahila Vedhi elected LissaVarghese as its Convener, RadhaGopinadhan (secretary) and Sobha Nair(Treasurer) for the new term. EDA familymembers performed various cultural pro-grams during this meeting. Balakrishnan(Chief Returning Officer), Johnson andThajudeen (Returning Officers ) controlledthe entire Election process.† The GeneralCoordinator Geo Mathai expressed the voteof thanks.

T V PR O G R A M STUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2013

THE ARTIST ON OSN MOVIES HD

MORNING ON OSN CINEMA

14:35 Border Security15:05 Auction Hunters15:30 Auction Kings16:00 Ultimate Survival16:55 Yukon Men17:50 Mythbusters18:45 Sons Of Guns19:40 How Stuff Works20:05 How It’s Made20:35 Auction Hunters21:00 Storage Hunters21:30 Off The Hook: ExtremeCatches21:55 Off The Hook: ExtremeCatches22:25 Extreme Fishing23:20 Moonshiners00:15 Off The Hook: ExtremeCatches00:40 Off The Hook: ExtremeCatches01:10 Extreme Fishing

14:50 Reign Of The Dinosaurs15:45 Animal Armageddon16:40 HMS Ark Royal17:35 Mystery Cars18:00 Mystery Cars18:25 Hero Factor18:50 Hero Factor19:20 The Real Sherlock Holmes20:10 Tattoo Hunter21:05 Out Of Egypt22:00 The Real Sherlock Holmes22:55 Death Machines23:50 LA: City Of Demons00:45 Mystery Cars01:10 Mystery Cars01:35 The Real Sherlock Holmes

14:20 Food Factory14:45 Food Factory15:10 Scrapheap Challenge16:00 Nextworld16:55 Robotica17:45 Race To Mars18:35 The Gadget Show19:00 The Tech Show19:30 Unchained Reaction20:20 Prototype This21:10 Food Factory21:35 Food Factory22:00 Unchained Reaction22:50 Colony23:40 Food Factory00:05 Food Factory00:30 How Do They Do It?01:00 Prototype This01:50 Colony

14:00 American Pickers15:00 American Pickers16:00 American Pickers17:00 American Pickers18:00 American Pickers19:00 WWII: Secret Army20:00 Pawn Stars20:30 Storage Wars21:00 Ancient Aliens22:00 Storage Wars22:30 Storage Wars23:00 American Pickers00:00 Pawn Stars00:30 Storage Wars01:00 Ancient Aliens02:00 Storage Wars

14:00 C.S.I.15:00 Kyle XY16:00 Emmerdale16:30 Coronation Street17:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show18:00 C.S.I.19:00 Royal Pains20:00 House Of Cards

21:00 The Americans22:00 Banshee23:00 Greek00:00 Kyle XY01:00 Banshee02:00 The Americans

03:00 Samantha Who?03:30 Malibu Country04:00 Seinfeld04:30 The Tonight Show With JayLeno05:30 Hope & Faith06:00 All Of Us06:30 Til Death07:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon08:00 Seinfeld08:30 Hope & Faith09:00 Samantha Who?09:30 Hot In Cleveland10:00 Parks And Recreation10:30 Til Death11:00 The Tonight Show With JayLeno12:00 All Of Us12:30 Seinfeld13:00 Hope & Faith13:30 Til Death14:00 Malibu Country14:30 Parks And Recreation15:00 Hot In Cleveland15:30 The Daily Show Global Edition16:00 The Colbert Report GlobalEdition16:30 All Of Us17:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon18:00 Last Man Standing18:30 Raising Hope19:00 Hot In Cleveland19:30 Men At Work20:00 The Tonight Show With JayLeno21:00 The Daily Show With JonStewart21:30 The Colbert Report22:00 The New Normal22:30 Out There23:00 Brickleberry23:30 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon00:30 The Daily Show With JonStewart01:00 The Colbert Report01:30 The New Normal02:00 Out There02:30 Brickleberry

05:15 Brandy & Mr Whiskers05:35 Brandy & Mr Whiskers06:00 Prankstars06:25 Suite Life On Deck06:45 Shake It Up07:10 A.N.T Farm07:35 Jessie07:55 Good Luck Charlie08:20 Good Luck Charlie08:45 Doc McStuffins09:05 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse09:30 A.N.T. Farm09:55 A.N.T. Farm10:15 Jessie10:40 Jessie11:05 Good Luck Charlie11:25 Good Luck Charlie11:50 Good Luck Charlie12:15 Shake It Up12:35 Shake It Up13:00 Austin And Ally13:25 A.N.T. Farm13:45 Jessie14:10 Shake It Up14:35 Suite Life On Deck15:00 Gravity Falls15:25 Good Luck Charlie15:50 Jessie16:10 Shake It Up16:35 A.N.T. Farm17:00 Austin And Ally17:20 Gravity Falls17:45 Suite Life On Deck18:10 Good Luck Charlie18:30 That’s So Raven18:55 Austin And Ally19:20 Jessie19:40 Gravity Falls20:05 A.N.T. Farm20:30 Good Luck Charlie

20:50 Suite Life On Deck21:15 Austin And Ally21:40 That’s So Raven22:00 Shake It Up22:25 A.N.T. Farm22:50 Austin And Ally23:10 Wizards Of Waverly Place23:35 Wizards Of Waverly Place00:00 Hannah Montana00:20 Hannah Montana00:45 Brandy & Mr Whiskers01:05 Brandy & Mr Whiskers01:30 Emperor’s New School01:50 Emperor’s New School02:15 Replacements02:35 Replacements

14:30 Style Star15:00 Keeping Up With TheKardashians16:00 Keeping Up With TheKardashians17:00 Ice Loves Coco17:30 Ice Loves Coco18:00 Married To Jonas18:30 Married To Jonas19:00 E!es20:00 E! News Special: CountryMusic Festival20:30 Kourtney And Kim Take Miami21:30 Playing With Fire22:30 Fashion Police23:30 Chelsea Lately00:00 Dirty Soap00:55 Style Star01:25 E!es

03:05 Mitch And Matt’s Big Fish03:30 Food Poker04:15 Bargain Hunt05:00 House Swap05:45 Cash In The Attic06:30 Mitch And Matt’s Big Fish07:00 Food Poker07:45 Food & Drink08:15 Phil Spencer - Secret Agent09:05 Bargain Hunt09:50 Antiques Roadshow10:45 Extreme Makeover: HomeEdition11:30 MasterChef Australia11:55 Come Dine With Me12:45 Food & Drink13:15 Food Poker14:00 Bargain Hunt14:40 Cash In The Attic15:25 Antiques Roadshow16:15 Extreme Makeover: HomeEdition17:00 Phil Spencer - Secret Agent17:55 The Roux Legacy18:30 Home Cooking Made Easy18:55 Baking Mad With Eric Lanlard19:20 New Scandinavian CookingWith Andreas Viestad19:45 Come Dine With Me20:35 Extreme Makeover: HomeEdition21:20 Antiques Roadshow22:15 Bargain Hunt23:00 Phil Spencer - Secret Agent23:55 Food Poker00:40 Come Dine With Me01:30 MasterChef Australia01:55 New Scandinavian CookingWith Andreas Viestad02:20 Cash In The Attic

03:00 Andy Bates Street Feasts03:25 Food Wars03:50 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives04:15 Unique Eats04:40 Chopped05:30 Iron Chef America06:10 Food Network Challenge07:00 Guy’s Big Bite07:25 Guy’s Big Bite07:50 Andy Bates Street Feasts08:15 Unique Sweets08:40 United Tastes Of America

09:05 Barefoot Contessa09:30 The Next Food Network Star10:20 Extra Virgin10:45 Kid In A Candy Store11:10 Charly’s Cake Angels11:35 Unique Sweets12:00 Amazing Wedding Cakes12:50 Have Cake, Will Travel13:15 Barefoot Contessa - Back ToBasics13:40 Barefoot Contessa - Back ToBasics14:05 Food Wars14:30 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives14:55 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives15:20 Guy’s Big Bite15:45 Chopped16:35 Barefoot Contessa17:00 Barefoot Contessa17:25 Food Wars17:50 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives18:15 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives18:40 Charly’s Cake Angels19:05 Unique Sweets19:30 Amazing Wedding Cakes20:20 Chopped21:10 Chopped22:00 Food Wars22:25 Food Wars22:50 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives23:15 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives23:40 Food Wars00:05 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives00:30 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives00:55 Unwrapped01:20 Unwrapped01:45 Food Wars

03:00 Something Borrowed-PG1505:00 A Dog Named Duke-PG1507:00 The Tourist-PG1509:00 The Artist-PG10:45 Battleship-PG1513:00 A Fall From Grace-PG1515:00 Page Eight-PG1517:00 The Artist-PG19:00 In Time-PG1521:00 Young Adult-PG1523:00 Horrible Bosses-1801:00 How I Spent My SummerVacation-PG15

07:00 The National Tree-PG1509:00 Enter The Phoenix-PG1510:45 The Way-PG1513:00 Golden Christmas 3-PG1515:00 Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2-PG17:00 Dangerous Flowers-PG1519:00 Leaves Of Grass-PG1521:00 Morning-PG1523:00 Arbitrage-PG1501:00 Dangerous Flowers-PG15

00:00 ICC Cricket 36000:30 ATP Tennis02:00 ATP Tennis

02:00 Super Rugby04:00 World Pool Masters05:00 World Cup Of Pool06:00 Trans World Sport07:00 Golfing World08:00 International Rugby Union10:00 Top 14 Highlights10:30 World Pool Masters11:30 World Cup Of Pool12:30 Trans World Sport13:30 Futbol Mundial14:00 Golfing World15:00 AFL Highlights16:00 Super League18:00 Futbol Mundial18:30 ICC Cricket 36019:00 Golfing World20:00 Champions Tour22:00 International Rugby Union

04:00 Tomorrow, When The WarBegan-PG1506:00 Brake-PG1508:00 Blackthorn-PG1510:00 Transformers: Dark Of TheMoon-PG1513:00 Green Lantern-PG1515:00 Transformers: Dark Of TheMoon-PG1518:00 Blackthorn-PG1520:00 Striking Distance-PG1522:00 Breaking Point-PG1500:00 Hostel: Part III-1802:00 Striking Distance-PG15

08:00 House Arrest-FAM10:00 Snow Day-PG12:00 Good Boy!-PG14:00 I Think I Do-PG1516:00 Snow Day-PG18:00 Just Crazy Enough-PG1520:00 Stripes-1822:00 Slums Of Beverly Hills-1800:00 A Few Best Men-1802:00 Stripes-18

09:00 The Perfect Man-PG11:00 Frozen-PG1513:00 Would Be Kings-PG1515:00 The Perfect Man-PG17:00 TT: Closer To The Edge-PG1518:45 Dog Day Afternoon-PG1521:00 Across The Universe-PG1523:15 John Rabe-18

00:30 PGA European TourHighlights01:30 AFL Highlights02:30 Super League04:30 NRL Premiership06:30 ICC Cricket 36007:00 ATP Tennis08:30 ATP Tennis10:00 ATP Tennis11:30 ICC Cricket 36012:00 Live British & Irish Lions15:00 Super Rugby Highlights16:00 PGA Tour Highlights17:00 PGA European TourHighlights18:00 AFL Highlights19:00 British & Irish Lions22:00 NRL Full Time22:30 Futbol Mundial23:00 Trans World Sport

04:00 Perfect Plan-PG1506:00 Flicka 3-FAM08:00 The Pirates! Band Of Misfits-PG10:00 The Hairy Tooth Fairy 2-PG12:00 New Year’s Eve-PG1514:00 Outlaw Country-PG1516:00 The Pirates! Band Of Misfits-PG18:00 Big Miracle-PG20:00 The Woman In Black-PG1522:00 Ted-1800:00 Outlaw Country-PG1502:00 Big Miracle-PG

03:30 ATP Tennis05:00 ATP Tennis06:30 Futbol Mundial07:00 Super League09:00 NRL Premiership11:00 Futbol Mundial11:30 ATP Tennis13:00 PGA Tour Highlights14:00 ICC Cricket 36014:30 Live ATP Tennis16:30 Live ATP Tennis18:30 Live ATP Tennis20:30 Live ATP Tennis22:30 UFC The Ultimate Fighter23:30 WWE Bottom Line

01:00 NHL03:00 UFC Countdown04:00 UIM Powerboat Champs05:00 NHL07:00 WWE NXT08:00 WWE Bottom Line09:00 Ping Pong World10:00 US Bass Fishing11:00 NHL13:00 UIM Powerboat Champs13:30 UIM Aquabike Champs14:00 Mass Participation14:30 Motor Sports 201315:30 WWE Experience16:30 Ping Pong World17:30 US Bass Fishing18:30 NHL20:30 Mobil 1 The Grid21:00 UFC Countdown22:00 Prizefighter

What a thrill it must have been to be presentduring artistic collaborations between per-forming arts legends like George Balanchine

and Igor Stravinsky. Richard Nelson’s intimate, bitter-sweet new drama, “Nikolai and the Others,” about theimmortality of art, showcases a purely imaginary coun-try weekend in the lives of a group of famous Russianemigres in America that depicts those two great talentsworking together, surrounded by supportive friends.

The richly detailed drama, which opened Mondaynight at Lincoln Center, is set in the spring of 1948,when the Cold War between former World War II alliesAmerica and the Soviet Union is under way. While theU.S. government is generously funding cultural activi-ties of the group’s members, the menacing shadow ofCIA agents with confusing agendas haunts everyone’sactivities, public and private.

Nelson skillfully encapsulates the complexities ofthese emigres’ lives as they struggle with artistic ambi-tions, memories of past loves, yearning for their long-lost homeland, and current-day political issues thatrequire strategic approaches to even minor activities.

In all, 18 actors are deployed with assurance bydirector David Cromer on the compact thrust stage ofthe Mitzi E Newhouse Theater, which is beautifullydesigned with sophisticated period touches by MarshaGinsberg. Cromer successfully creates a Chekhovianatmosphere with Nelson’s script, with some charactersreminiscing out loud while others experience quiet,sometimes rueful epiphanies.

The Russians are gathering at the comfortable,bohemian farmhouse of Lucia Davidova, (HavilandMorris, quietly resonant), in rural Westport, Conn. Theyplan to celebrate the name day of a beloved butextremely ill old friend, renowned set designer SergeySudeikin (Alvin Epstein, masterfully hamming it up.)

The central figure in the play is composer Nikolai(“Nicky”) Nabokov, who now works with the StateDepartment doing favors for his Russian friends regard-ing documents, permissions, and the like. StephenKunken emanates a slightly melancholy helpfulness asNicky, whose time-consuming diplomatic role has dis-tanced him from his art. As he watches the creativeprocess of his friends Stravinsky and Balanchine, hebecomes inspired to begin composing again.

The group is privileged to enjoy a private rehearsalof the Stravinsky-Balanchine’s gestating avant-gardeballet “Orpheus,” which would soon premiere and be

hailed as a masterpiece. John Glover is an energetic,thoughtful Stravinsky. Feisty yet practical, Igor curriesfavor with the mistrusted CIA operative who turns upunexpectedly, while reminding Nicky it’s just what theyhave to do.

Michael Cerveris is smooth and calmly imperious asBalanchine, whose impracticality and devotion to hisartistic vision are subtly presented by Nelson throughthe “Orpheus” rehearsal process, as well as via anec-dotes, called “George stories,” shared by his amusedand admiring friends.

The entire cast is excellent. Blair Brown radiatesmagnetism and warm authority as Stravinsky’s wifeVera, a former actress who is also Sudeikin’s ex-wife anda leader within the group. Kathryn Erbe gives a spiritedportrayal of Natasha Nabokov, Nikolai’s cheerful, prag-matic ex-wife.

Gareth Saxe is appropriately boorish as Chip Bohlen,the American CIA agent who intrudes upon theRussians’ gathering with clumsy bonhomie, his not-so-subtle threats putting a face to the general feeling ofUS government dominance.

Illustrating the alienation immigrants feel in theiradopted country is that the audience hears the castspeaking flawless English whenever the characters areactually meant to be speaking Russian among them-selves. The actors then switch into heavily Russian-accented English when speaking to the few Americansin their midst. Rosemary Dunleavy staged the balletselections from “Orpheus,” which are gracefully per-formed by Natalia Alonso as Maria Tallchief, NativeAmerican ballerina and wife to Balanchine, and a pup-pyish Michael Rosen as her young American co-star.

Nelson has created a beautifully moving look at adark time in America, when government suspicion ofeven its most lustrous citizens could escalate intothreats against their personal freedom and livelihoods.“We do what we have to do,” is a cautionary refrainamong these emigres, weary of government manipula-tion yet determined to carry on with their artistic work.Sudeikin gives a lyrical summation in the text of aspeech to his friends, “Art: our record that we havelived, the breath that gives us life.”— AP

ClassifiedsTUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2013

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AL-KOUT.1AFTER EARTH (DIG) 1:30 PMEPIC (DIG-3D) 3:45 PMAFTER EARTH (DIG) 6:00 PMTHE HANGOVER PART III (DIG) 8:00 PMAFTER EARTH (DIG) 10:15 PMAFTER EARTH (DIG) 12:30 AM

AL-KOUT.2TATTAH (DIG) 12:30 PMTATTAH (DIG) 2:45 PMTATTAH (DIG) 5:00 PMTATTAH (DIG) 7:30 PMTATTAH (DIG) 10:00 PMTATTAH (DIG) 12:45 AM

AL-KOUT.3FAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG) 1:00 PMNOW YOU SEE ME (DIG) 3:30 PMFAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG) 5:45 PMNOW YOU SEE ME (DIG) 8:15 PMFAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG) 10:30 PMNOW YOU SEE ME (DIG) 1:00 AM

BAIRAQ-1EPIC (DIG-3D) 1:30 PMEPIC (DIG-3D) 3:45 PMFAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG) 6:00 PMFAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG) 8:45 PMFAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG) 11:30 PM

BAIRAQ-2TATTAH (DIG) 12:30 PMTATTAH (DIG) 3:00 PMTATTAH (DIG) 5:30 PMTATTAH (DIG) 8:00 PMTATTAH (DIG) 10:30 PMTATTAH (DIG) 1:00 AM

BAIRAQ-3AFTER EARTH (DIG) 12:45 PMAFTER EARTH (DIG) 3:00 PMAFTER EARTH (DIG) 5:15 PMDISCONNECT (DIG) 7:30 PMAFTER EARTH (DIG) 9:45 PMAFTER EARTH (DIG) 12:05 AM

PLAZATATTAH (DIG) 5:45 PMTATTAH (DIG) 8:00 PMTATTAH (DIG) 10:30 PM

LAILAFAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG) 6:00 PMTATTAH (DIG) 8:30 PMAFTER EARTH (DIG) 10:45 PM

AJIAL.1IDDARAMMAYILATHO (DIG) 6:45 PMIDDARAMMAYILATHO (DIG) 9:45 PM

KuwaitKNCC PROGRAMME FROM THURSDAY TO WEDNESDAY

(06/06/2013 TO 12/06/2013)

CHANGE OF NAME

FOR SALE

MATRIMONIAL

ACCOMMODATION

I, Pallath Halid, PassportNo. F8706312, P.O. Vakkad,Malappuram (dt.) Tirur,Kerala, India have changedmy name from Pallath Halidto Khalid Pallath. (C 4437)

10-6-2013

Mitsubishi Lancer GT 2012,red color, sunroof, Camera,CD, (full option), 7,500km,Price KD 3,250/-. Contact:50994848. (C 4438)

10-6-2013

Toyota Yaris model 2008,red color, alloy rim foglamp, R bumper sensor, CD,very excellent original con-dition, installment possible,cash price KD 1,950/-, nego-tiable. Contact: 99105286.

Fajr: 03:13Shorook 04:48Duhr: 11:47Asr: 15:21Maghrib: 18:45Isha: 20:19

Prayer timings

112

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

Arrival Flights on Tuesday 11/6/2013Airlines Flt Route TimeBBC 43 DHAKA 00:05QTR 148 DOHA 00:05JZR 267 BEIRUT 00:20JZR 539 CAIRO 00:40PIA 239 SIALKOT 01:05THY 764 SABIHA 01:40ETH 620 ADDIS ABABA 01:45GFA 211 BAHRAIN 01:55UAE 853 DUBAI 02:25ETD 305 ABU DHABI 02:30FDB 67 DUBAI 03:10RJA 642 AMMAN 03:10RBG 555 ALEXANDRIA 03:15KAC 416 JAKARTA 06:35KAC 206 ISLAMABAD 07:25KAC 412 MANILA 06:15JZR 503 LUXOR 07:40JZR 555 ALEXANDRIA 06:20JZR 1541 CAIRO 06:25MSR 612 CAIRO 03:15OMA 643 MUSCAT 03:20QTR 138 DOHA 03:30THY 770 ISTANBUL 04:35DHX 170 BAHRAIN 05:10FDB 69 DUBAI 05:50BAW 157 LONDON 06:30FDB 53 DUBAI 07:45KAC 284 DHAKA 08:15KAC 514 TEHRAN 13:40KAC 546 ALEXANDRIA 14:15KAC 332 TRIVANDRUM 07:55KAC 302 MUMBAI 07:50KAC 352 COCHIN 08:05JZR 561 SOHAG 12:00JZR 165 DUBAI 11:35UAE 855 DUBAI 08:25ABY 125 SHARJAH 08:50QTR 132 DOHA 09:00FDB 55 DUBAI 09:15IRA 605 ISFAHAN 09:20ETD 301 ABU DHABI 09:30GFA 213 BAHRAIN 10:40MEA 404 BEIRUT 10:55TMA 213 BEIRUT 12:00UAE 871 DUBAI 12:45MSR 610 CAIRO 13:00THY 766 ISTANBUL 13:10QTR 140 DOHA 13:45FDB 57 DUBAI 13:50SVA 500 JEDDAH 14:30UAE 859 DUBAI 21:15ETD 307 ABU DHABI 21:30QTR 136 DOHA 21:35GFA 217 BAHRAIN 21:45QTR 146 DOHA 22:00JAI 576 COCHIN 22:05FDB 59 DUBAI 22:20AIC 981 AHMEDABAD 22:25UAL 981 BAHRAIN 22:40DLH 636 FRANKFURT 23:10JAI 574 MUMBAI 23:20KAC 678 MUSCAT 19:35KAC 562 AMMAN 14:40KAC 774 RIYADH 19:25KAC 786 JEDDAH 18:30KAC 166 PARIS 18:40KAC 542 CAIRO 18:15KAC 104 LONDON 18:45KAC 742 DAMMAM 19:30KAC 674 DUBAI 19:25KAC 618 DOHA 19:10JZR 177 DUBAI 17:30JZR 557 ALEXANDRIA 19:10JZR 535 CAIRO 16:10JZR 239 AMMAN 22:30JZR 325 NAJAF 16:15JZR 777 JEDDAH 17:50JZR 135 BAHRAIN 23:00JZR 189 DUBAI 20:10JZR 185 DUBAI 22:40KNE 472 JEDDAH 14:35SYR 341 DAMASCUS 15:50RJA 640 AMMAN 15:55QTR 134 DOHA 16:15ETD 303 ABU DHABI 16:35UAE 857 DUBAI 16:55ABY 127 SHARJAH 17:10UAL 982 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 17:15SVA 510 RIYADH 17:20GFA 215 BAHRAIN 17:20QTR 144 DOHA 18:25FDB 63 DUBAI 18:55GFA 219 BAHRAIN 19:05AXB 393 KOZHIKODE 19:15JAI 572 MUMBAI 19:35RBG 553 ALEXANDRIA 19:40OMA 647 MUSCAT 20:00FDB 61 DUBAI 20:00ABY 129 SHARJAH 20:05MEA 402 BEIRUT 20:15IRA 619 LAR 20:20MSR 618 ALEXANDRIA 20:30KLM 415 AMSTERDAM 21:05ALK 229 COLOMBO 21:10MSR 614 CAIRO 23:30THY 772 ISTANBUL 23:45JZR 513 SHARM EL SHEIKH 23:20

Departure Flights on Tuesday 11/6/2013Airlines Flt Route TimeAIC 976 GOA/CHENNAI 00:05AXB 490 MANGALORE 00:15PIA 206 LAHORE 00:15JAI 573 MUMBAI 00:20UAL 981 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 00:25DLH 637 FRANKFURT 00:30MSR 615 CAIRO 00:30KLM 411 AMSTERDAM 00:55KAC 283 DHAKA 01:30JZR 502 LUXOR 01:30BBC 44 DHAKA 01:30PIA 240 SIALKOT 02:20THY 773 ISTANBUL 02:20THY 765 ISTANBUL 02:40ETH 621 ADDIS ABABA 02:45UAE 854 DUBAI 03:45FDB 68 DUBAI 03:50RBG 556 ALEXANDRIA 03:55MSR 613 CAIRO 04:15OMA 644 MUSCAT 04:20ETD 306 ABU DHABI 04:20QTR 139 DOHA 04:25QTR 149 DOHA 05:15JZR 560 SOHAG 05:35FDB 70 DUBAI 06:30RJA 643 AMMAN 06:35GFA 212 BAHRAIN 07:00THY 771 ISTANBUL 07:10KAC 545 ALEXANDRIA 07:20JZR 164 DUBAI 07:25BAW 156 LONDON 08:25FDB 54 DUBAI 08:25JZR 534 CAIRO 09:10KAC 513 IMAM KHOMEINI 09:15KAC 561 AMMAN 09:25ABY 126 SHARJAH 09:30UAE 856 DUBAI 09:50FDB 56 DUBAI 09:55QTR 133 DOHA 10:00ETD 302 ABU DHABI 10:15IRA 604 ISFAHAN 10:20KAC 101 LONDON 10:25GFA 214 BAHRAIN 11:25KAC 541 CAIRO 11:30KAC 165 ROME 11:45MEA 405 BEIRUT 11:55JZR 556 ALEXANDRIA 12:10JZR 776 JEDDAH 12:25JZR 324 AL NAJAF 13:00KAC 785 JEDDAH 13:00KAC 677 MUSCAT 13:00JZR 176 DUBAI 13:20TMA 223 DUBAI 13:45MSR 611 CAIRO 14:00THY 767 ISTANBUL 14:10UAE 872 DUBAI 14:15FDB 58 DUBAI 14:30QTR 141 DOHA 14:55KAC 673 DUBAI 15:05KNE 473 JEDDAH 15:30SVA 501 JEDDAH 15:45KAC 617 DOHA 15:45KAC 773 RIYADH 16:00JZR 188 DUBAI 16:00KAC 741 DAMMAM 16:30SYR 342 DAMASCUS 16:50RJA 641 AMMAN 16:55JZR 238 AMMAN 17:05JZR 512 SHARM EL SHEIKH 17:15QTR 135 DOHA 17:20ETD 304 ABU DHABI 17:20JZR 538 CAIRO 17:40ABY 128 SHARJAH 17:50UAE 858 DUBAI 18:15SVA 511 RIYADH 18:20GFA 216 BAHRAIN 18:20UAL 982 BAHRAIN 18:30JZR 184 DUBAI 18:30JZR 266 BEIRUT 18:40QTR 145 DOHA 19:25FDB 64 DUBAI 19:35GFA 220 BAHRAIN 19:50JZR 134 BAHRAIN 20:05KAC 283 DHAKA 20:15AXB 394 KOZHIKODE 20:15RBG 554 ALEXANDRIA 20:20JAI 571 MUMBAI 20:35FDB 62 DUBAI 20:40ABY 120 SHARJAH 20:45OMA 648 MUSCAT 20:55KAC 343 CHENNAI 20:55KAC 351 KOCHI 21:05MEA 403 BEIRUT 21:15IRA 618 LAR 21:20MSR 607 LUXOR 21:30DHX 171 BAHRAIN 21:50KLM 415 DAMMAM 22:05ETD 308 ABU DHABI 22:15ALK 230 COLOMBO 22:20UAE 860 DUBAI 22:25KAC 381 DELHI 22:30QTR 137 DOHA 22:35KAC 301 MUMBAI 22:40GFA 218 BAHRAIN 22:45FDB 60 DUBAI 23:00KAC 205 ISLAMABAD 23:00QTR 147 DOHA 23:05JAI 575 ABU DHABI 23:05JZR 554 ALEXANDRIA 23:20JZR 1540 CAIRO 23:25KAC 411 BANGKOK 23:40JZR 528 ASSIUT 23:55

Sharing accommodationavailable in Farwaniya nearGarden for a Filipina lady ina C-A/C building. Rent KD55/-. Contact: 99076372.

(C 4439)10-6-2013

Sharing accommodationnow available near bigJamiya, Bahrain Street,Salmiya (Gadeer Clinic build-ing). Contact: 66792392/69664598. (C 4436)

9-6-2013

Inviting marriage proposalfor Kerala Christian boy, age29/ ht - 176cm, from Trichurdistrict working as anAccountant in a reputedcompany in Kuwait.Contact: Email: [email protected]

(C 4440)11-6-2013


You are very skilled at working with people and you would make an excel-lent negotiator. These same skills make it possible for you to work with the pub-

lic, in politics or wherever handling sensitive or hot issues are routine. You may find yourselfrepresenting your company in matters of importance. Communicating with others is in highdemand—there are peaceful negotiations. Your timing should be perfect for whatever projector idea you want to present. As a natural socialite, you love decorum and etiquette, but friend-ships are the best. You have an urge to be free and you also love a challenge. You would rathertravel far than be stuck in a routine. You have a strong drive to be known—to communicateyourself to others.

Aries (March 21-April 19)

STAR TRACK

You are born to love and care for others and may tend to worry overmuch. Your fear of being left out or not being fully used up in this life can be alleviated bymuch hard work. Jumping in with both feet and putting your thoughts into action arecalled for today. You have a natural insight and understanding as to what the publicwants. Your career gets plenty of support from other people now and you feel at homemaking practical and management decisions. Your career may be built around the wayyou appear or present yourself. Your spontaneous personality and ability to fascinate oth-ers are key elements in being successful. You have a good mind for business as well as anability to understand the spiritual. Peace.

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

Right now, the key to career moves involves attending to nagging details—whatever you have neglected or delayed. Attention to matters of health and

efficiency are important. Opportunities are plentiful and you may find yourself wanting to doalmost everything. Things are working with rather than against you so, do not hold back.However, do not overdo and try to go too far too fast. Let things take their natural course; thisshould be an easy path now. Prosperous things result from new insights, inventions and anindependent point of view. Circumstances may augment and stimulate appreciation andenjoyment of your life situation. Your mind may be very clear now and your thoughts broughtto a sharp focus. Communication is productive.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

Your input and advice today seems very important to a special friend. You will behelpful as you penetrate and get to the very heart of a problem. Guard against doing

for this person what this person can do unaided. Continual discovery, persistent search and continualchange and transformation keep you on the move. There may also be many interruptions today.There is an emphasis on communication, expression of ideas and the connections between things,places and people. What goes on in your mind is the all-important motivation in your life. You tendtoward mental pursuits and admire intelligence. This is a good time to reap the benefit of your pastefforts. Life seems to run smoothly this afternoon. You are feeling good and enjoy your work.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

You could be most persuasive with others. Career moves must be givenspecial attention. Your own partiality for routine and the traditional may result in your feel-ing challenged by anything new or different. You could find yourself struggling againstchange and progress—clinging onto the status quo. Although a conformist, you may sur-round yourself with partners and friends who are themselves unconventional and offbeat.There is a love/hate relationship here with all that is unusual. Your tendency to compro-mise and settle for less than you dreamed can be a problem. Given the opportunity, youmay choose the path of least resistance, willing to bypass some of the things you alwayswanted in favor of expediency.

Leo (July 23-August 22)

Because you may often be impulsive and spontaneous, you could findyourself representing your company, lecturing or teaching. You may even find yourself ona plane, traveling to some foreign country, ready to teach new technical skills. Today youmay provoke a response from others and this could mean big business. You are able tomake another person or group of people put on their thinking hat. There is somethingessential that starts or causes something else to happen—a reaction or response whenyou promote a product, instruct or lecture: enthusiasm! Your birth sign is in a good placeto gain positive energy from the result of your actions that work to increase the income orfinances. Keep up the good work.

Virgo (August 23-September 22)

You are gifted and lucky when it comes to career decisions. The dayunfolds in a positive manner. There are some important facts to obtain before expressingyour viewpoints; a little research is in order. Pace yourself—this is not the time to becomeinvolved in conversations with higher-ups. Your theories and mental activities may be fine,but you may lack the necessary patience to let things develop on their own—take a walkor climb stairs, your invigorated self will encourage clear thoughts. You will not forget whatyou want to say if you keep a logbook and write your ideas. You have plenty of enthusiasmtoday. You have an inner self-confidence that burns with its own light. A little extra pam-pering is healing this evening.

Libra (September 23-October 22)

Your career is smooth these days. A career in communications of one kindor another is indicated—you are a kind of living channel. You love investiga-

tions, reporting, writing, speaking, broadcasting, advertising—networking. Forever curious,you love searching for answers and following leads. The good life and all that is fine and luxuri-ous may be what you value just now. You could enjoy making your own way through whateverproblems you have. This is a great time to be with others and to work together. Feel goodabout yourself this afternoon! This is a great day to partake in self-improvement activities. Startwith a new hairstyle or outfit. Tonight you could get in touch with a friend or family memberyou have not talked with in a while.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21)

Circumstances can throw you into positions where you must use your mindand deal with communications, service or secretive people. You may deal with

education, psychology, spiritual enlightenment or teaching principles and techniques. You willfind yourself more concerned with maintaining and strengthening your position, rather thanpushing outward. Work on a request for a raise or job change, if that is what you want—a jobreview is coming up soon. There are new business opportunities opening up for you at thistime. A feeling that anything characterizes the cycle you have just begun. There is optimism,faith and a tendency to take chances. Help your mind and physical well-being enjoy someleisure activity tonight.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21)

CAPRICORNThis is a time when support and recognition should be available from public,

family and friends. You feel at home in the world and it more than takes care ofyou. You could have deep insights into your own feelings and inner spiritual nature. Your sur-roundings, circumstances and support system are the crucial spot or what-have-you in thechain of your life. When things get hectic, it is in these areas that you can expect pressure andgreat activity. You may find yourself being put to good use by your friends today. This is a greattime to be with others and to work together. Creative endeavors and friendships make up mostof your day. There is a chance to understand those around you and to have a special time with

someone you love this evening.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19)

You may want to avoid the superficial people today—you hate small talkanyway. Exercise the talents you have to quietly investigate, search out answers and explorepossibilities for new techniques in business. Uncomplicated explanations of your ideas mayfind better results than the technical explanation. Basic communication skills may be the onlything required now in order to get others to listen more attentively. You are, perhaps, agenius—at least others may think so. Computers and new methods of communication are foryou. Improvements of existing circumstances into new possibilities are available. Inventions,electronics and computers are all fantastic voyages for you now. Self-confidence and self-disci-pline will help you succeed.

Pisces (February 19-March 20)

Your sense of responsibility is clear and requires no training or education.However, you have an appreciation for education and are interested in becoming involved insome sort of continuing education. You have clarity and competence in practical and businessmatters today and others pay attention to what you have to say. There is a passion for inven-tions and electronics as some new equipment is available for your inspection. You will be con-cerned with issues of freedom and independence. Your privacy and the opportunities to carryout your work without too many restrictions are uppermost important today afternoon—somuch so, you may find yourself doing research in a library during, and perhaps after, workhours.

Aquarius (January 20- February 18)

CROSSWORD 217

ACROSS1. The local time at the 0 meridian passingthrough Greenwich, England.4. A quick reply to a question or remark (especial-ly a witty or critical one).12. (computer science) A computer that is run-ning software that allows users to leave mes-sages and access information of general interest.15. (used especially of commodities) In the natu-ral unprocessed condition.16. The wife or widow of a czar.17. A constellation in the southern hemispherenear Telescopium and Norma.18. Any division of quantity accepted as a stan-dard of measurement or exchange.20. A cigar made with light-colored tobacco.21. A member of the North American Indian peo-ple of Oregon.23. Any of various tropical shrubs widely cultivat-ed for their showy drooping purplish or reddishor white flowers.25. A tract of land with few or no trees in themiddle of a wooded area.27. Running away from (or as if from) danger.28. Marked by intense agitation or emotion.29. Food made from dough of flour or meal andusually raised with yeast or baking powder andthen baked.31. Mythical bird of prey having enormous sizeand strength.34. A horse used to set the pace in racing.37. An important question that is in dispute andmust be settled.41. A flat wing-shaped process or winglike partof an organism.42. Remote city of Kazakhstan that (ostensibly forsecurity reasons) was made the capital in 1998.45. Antibacterial consisting of any of several syn-thetic organic compounds capable of inhibitingthe growth of bacteria that require PABA.47. (the feminine of raja) A Hindu princess or thewife of a raja.49. The capital of Western Samoa.50. Soil that is plastic when moist but hard whenfired.51. A large elongated exocrine gland locatedbehind the stomach.52. A bag used for carrying money and small per-sonal items or accessories (especially by women).55. A highly unstable radioactive element (theheaviest of the halogen series).56. Type genus of the Alcidae comprising solelythe razorbill.57. Sole genus of the family Naiadaceae.59. A mature blood cell that contains hemoglo-bin to carry oxygen to the bodily tissues.60. A region of Malaysia in northeastern Borneo.63. A disreputable vagrant.66. Title for a civil or military leader (especially inTurkey).70. Title for a civil or military leader (especially inTurkey).71. A fatty deposit in the intima (inner lining) ofan artery.75. A river in north central Switzerland that runsnortheast into the Rhine.76. A self-funded retirement plan that allows youto contribute a limited yearly sum toward yourretirement.77. A cut of pork ribs with much of the meattrimmed off.78. Any of various coarse shrubby plants of thegenus Iva with small greenish flowers.79. A metric unit of volume or capacity equal to10 liters.80. Thin-shelled freshwater mussels.

81. A long projecting or anterior elongation of ananimal's head.

DOWN1. Brusque and surly and forbidding.2. Small wildcat of the mountains of Siberia Tibetand Mongolia.3. Two times.4. A New England state.5. Of or relating to the songbirds n.6. A port city and resort in Andalusia in southernSpain on the Mediterranean.7. A period marked by distinctive character orreckoned from a fixed point or event.8. Consisting of or made of wood of the birchtree.9. Eaten as mush or as a thin gruel.10. A soft silver-white ductile metallic element(liquid at normal temperatures).11. A genus of Psittacidae.12. Pertaining to or constituting a base or basis.13. Broken husks of the seeds of cereal grainsthat are separated from the flour by sifting.14. North American woodland herb similar toand used as substitute for the Chinese ginseng.19. 100 thebe equal 1 pula.22. In or relating to or obtained from urine.24. Formerly a contemptuous term of address toan inferior man or boy.26. A very light brown.30. French couturier whose first collection in1947 created a style (tight bodice and narrowwaist and flowing pleated skirt) that becameknown as the New Look (1905-1957).32. Wildly disordered.33. Ruffed grouse.35. Scale-like structure between the base of thewing and the halter of a two-winged fly.36. A drug (trade names Calan and Isoptin) usedas an oral or parenteral calcium blocker in casesof hypertension or congestive heart failure orangina or migraine.38. A blow from a flat object (as an open hand).39. The capital and largest city of Yemen.40. Lap at the front of a coat.43. A family of Sino-Tibetan languages spoken insoutheastern Asia.44. A percussion instrument consisting of a pairof hollow pieces of wood or bone (usually heldbetween the thumb and fingers) that are madeto click together (as by Spanish dancers) inrhythm with the dance.46. A major victory by the Romans over theMacedonians in 168 BC.48. Allow to enter.53. The dialect of Malay used as the national lan-guage of the Republic of Indonesia or ofMalaysia.54. A rare silvery (usually trivalent) metallic ele-ment.58. A broken piece of a brittle artifact.61. A city in northern India.62. Any of numerous local fertility and naturedeities worshipped by ancient Semitic peoples.64. Chocolate cookie with white cream filling.65. Brought into existence.67. A quantity that is added.68. A person who possesses great materialwealth.69. An Arabic speaking person who lives inArabia or North Africa.72. Administration of a nutritionally adequatesolution through a catheter into the vena cava.73. 10 hao equal 1 dong.74. A loose sleeveless outer garment made fromaba cloth.

Yesterday’s Solution



Word Search

34s ta r s

Daily SuDoku

inf or m at ionTUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2013

Ahmadi Sama Safwan Fahaeel Makka St 23915883Abu Halaifa Abu Halaifa-Coastal Rd 23715414Danat Al-Sultan Mahboula Block 1, Coastal Rd 23726558

Jahra Modern Jahra Jahra-Block 3 Lot 1 24575518Madina Munawara Jahra-Block 92 24566622

Capital Ahlam Fahad Al-Salem St 22436184Khaldiya Coop Khaldiya Coop 24833967

Farwaniya New Shifa Farwaniya Block 40 24734000Ferdous Coop Ferdous Coop 24881201Modern Safwan Old Kheitan Block 11 24726638

Hawally Tariq Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St 25726265Hana Salmiya-Amman St 25647075Ikhlas Hawally-Beirut St 22625999Hawally & Rawdha Hawally & Rawdha Coop 22564549Ghadeer Jabriya-Block 1A 25340559Kindy Jabriya-Block 3B 25326554Ibn Al-Nafis Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St 25721264Mishrif Coop Mishrif Coop 25380581Salwa Coop Salwa Coop 25628241

OphthalmologistsDr. Abidallah Al-Mansoor 25622444Dr. Samy Al-Rabeea 25752222Dr. Masoma Habeeb 25321171Dr. Mubarak Al-Ajmy 25739999Dr. Mohsen Abel 25757700Dr Adnan Hasan Alwayl 25732223Dr. Abdallah Al-Baghly 25732223

Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT)Dr. Ahmed Fouad Mouner 24555050 Ext 510Dr. Abdallah Al-Ali 25644660Dr. Abd Al-Hameed Al-Taweel 25646478Dr. Sanad Al-Fathalah 25311996Dr. Mohammad Al-Daaory 25731988Dr. Ismail Al-Fodary 22620166Dr. Mahmoud Al-Booz 25651426

General PractitionersDr. Mohamme Y Majidi 24555050 Ext 123Dr. Yousef Al-Omar 24719312Dr. Tarek Al-Mikhazeem 23926920Dr. Kathem Maarafi 25730465Dr. Abdallah Ahmad Eyadah 25655528Dr. Nabeel Al-Ayoobi 24577781Dr. Dina Abidallah Al-Refae 25333501

UrologistsDr. Ali Naser Al-Serfy 22641534Dr. Fawzi Taher Abul 22639955Dr. Khaleel Abidallah Al-Awadi 22616660Dr. Adel Al-Hunayan FRCS (C) 25313120Dr. Leons Joseph 66703427

For labor-related inquiries and complaints:

Call MSAL hotline 128

Sabah Hospital 24812000

Amiri Hospital 22450005

Maternity Hospital 24843100

Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital 25312700

Chest Hospital 24849400

Farwaniya Hospital 24892010

Adan Hospital 23940620

Ibn Sina Hospital 24840300

Al-Razi Hospital 24846000

Physiotherapy Hospital 24874330/9

Kaizen center 25716707

Rawda 22517733

Adaliya 22517144

Khaldiya 24848075

Kaifan 24849807

Shamiya 24848913

Shuwaikh 24814507

Abdullah Salem 22549134

Nuzha 22526804

Industrial Shuwaikh 24814764

Qadsiya 22515088

Dasmah 22532265

Bneid Al-Gar 22531908

Shaab 22518752

Qibla 22459381

Ayoun Al-Qibla 22451082

Mirqab 22456536

Sharq 22465401

Salmiya 25746401

Jabriya 25316254

Maidan Hawally 25623444

Bayan 25388462

Mishref 25381200

W Hawally 22630786

Sabah 24810221

Jahra 24770319

New Jahra 24575755

West Jahra 24772608

South Jahra 24775066

North Jahra 24775992

North Jleeb 24311795

Ardhiya 24884079

Firdous 24892674

Omariya 24719048

N Khaitan 24710044

Fintas 23900322

Al-Madeena 22418714

Al-Shuhada 22545171

Al-Shuwaikh 24810598

Al-Nuzha 22545171

Sabhan 24742838

Al-Helaly 22434853

Al-Faiha 22545051

Al-Farwaniya 24711433

Al-Sulaibikhat 24316983

Al-Fahaheel 23927002

Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh 24316983

Ahmadi 23980088

Al-Mangaf 23711183

Al-Shuaiba 23262845

Al-Jahra 25610011

Al-Salmiya 25616368

GOVERNORATE PHARMACY ADDRESS PHONE

Plastic Surgeons

Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalaf 22547272

Dr. Abdal-Redha Lari 22617700

Dr. Abdel Quttainah 25625030/60

Family Doctor

Dr Divya Damodar 23729596/23729581

Psychiatrists

Dr. Esam Al-Ansari 22635047

Dr Eisa M. Al-Balhan 22613623/0

Gynaecologists & Obstetricians

DrAdrian arbe 23729596/23729581

Dr. Verginia s.Marin 2572-6666 ext 8321

Dr. Fozeya Ali Al-Qatan 22655539

Dr. Majeda Khalefa Aliytami 25343406

Dr. Ahmad Al-Khooly 25739272

Dr. Salem soso 22618787

General Surgeons

Dr. Amer Zawaz Al-Amer 22610044

Dr. Mohammad Yousef Basher 25327148

Internists, Chest & Heart

Dr. Adnan Ebil 22639939

Dr. Mousa Khadada 22666300

Dr. Latefa Al-Duweisan 25728004

Dr. Nadem Al-Ghabra 25355515

Dr. Mobarak Aldoub 24726446

Dr Nasser Behbehani 25654300/3

Paediatricians

Dr. Khaled Hamadi 25665898

Dr. Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rashed 25340300

Dr. Zahra Qabazard 25710444

Dr. Sohail Qamar 22621099

Dr. Snaa Maaroof 25713514

Dr. Pradip Gujare 23713100

Dr. Zacharias Mathew 24334282

(1) Ear, Nose and Throat (2) Plastic Surgeon

Dr. Abdul Mohsin Jafar, FRCS (Canada) 25655535

Dentists

Dr Anil Thomas 3729596/3729581

Dr. Shamah Al-Matar 22641071/2

Dr. Anesah Al-Rasheed 22562226

Dr. Abidallah Al-Amer 22561444

Dr. Faysal Al-Fozan 22619557

Dr. Abdallateef Al-Katrash 22525888

Dr. Abidallah Al-Duweisan 25653755

Dr. Bader Al-Ansari 25620111

Neurologists

Dr. Sohal Najem Al-Shemeri 25633324

Dr. Jasem Mola Hassan 25345875

Gastrologists

Dr. Sami Aman 22636464

Dr. Mohammad Al-Shamaly 25322030

Dr. Foad Abidallah Al-Ali 22633135

Endocrinologist

Dr. Abd Al-Naser Al-Othman 25339330

Dr. Ahmad Al-Ansari 25658888

Dr. Kamal Al-Shomr 25329924

Physiotherapists & VD

Dr. Deyaa Shehab 25722291

Dr. Musaed Faraj Khamees 22666288

Rheumatologists:

Dr. Adel Al-Awadi 25330060

Dr. Khaled Al-Jarallah 25722290

Internist, Chest & Heart

DR.Mohammes Akkad 24555050 Ext 210

Dr. Mohammad Zubaid MB, ChB, FRCPC, PACC Assistant Professor Of Medicine Head, Division of Cardiology Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital

Consultant Cardiologist

Dr. Farida Al-Habib 2611555-2622555 MD, PH.D, FACC Inaya German Medical Center Te: 2575077 Fax: 25723123

Soor CenterTel: 2290-1677Fax: 2290 1688

[email protected]

Psychologists/Psychotherapists

PRIVATE CLINICS

William Schuilenberg, RPC 2290-1677Zaina Al Zabin, M.Sc. 2290-1677

Kaizen center25716707

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INTERNATIONALCALLS


A w a r d s

l if e s t y l e

1. Neil Patrick Harris opening the show withan insane amount of dancers, glitter andsilliness. He joked about kiddie stars,ended up hanging high from a prop andmade even Mike Tyson dance.

2. When Harris joined “Smash” star MeganHilty, “Go On” star Laura Benanti (swig-ging a bottle) and former “The Book ofMormon” star Andrew Rannells to skewertheater stars who seek fame and fortune- on TV. Harris’ guests all recently triedtheir hands at TV, but only his “How I MetYour Mother” is still on the air.

3. That amazing kid tap-dancing in the “AChristmas Story, the Musical” segment.He’s 10- year-old Luke Spring and in hisgangster’s pinstripe suit and lightning-fast feet, he mowed people down.

4. Cyndi Lauper performing her song “TrueColors” during the segment when deadmembers of the theater community arehonored. It was moving, natural and fit-ting that Lauper, a first-time Broadwaycomposer, make the nod to her predeces-sors.

5. The final song, when Harris teamed upwith five-time Tony winner AudraMcDonald to rework Jay-Z’s “Empire Stateof Mind” - “In New York, singing all thelyrics we made up/There’s nothing wecan’t do.” Harris rules again. — AP

Actor Neil Patrick Harris, left, and Mike Tyson perform on stage.

On a feel-good night for Broadway, it was only natu-ral that the Tony Award go to its most feel-goodmusical, the joyous “Kinky Boots.” But most every-

thing about Sunday’s Tony telecast was warmhearted,from inspiring speeches about the theatrical community tothe inspired antics of Neil Patrick Harris, who should offi-cially be awarded the host job on a permanent basis. It wasan especially happy night for female theater artists: In arare feat, women took home both directing prizes, for amusical (Diane Paulus for the high-energy “Pippin” revival)and for a play (Pam MacKinnon for the searing revival of“Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”).

And Cyndi Lauper won best original score for “KinkyBoots,” a result that had many in the audience whoopingwith delight. “Girl, you’re gonna have fun tonight!” shoutedpresenter Jesse Tyler Ferguson, the “Modern Family” actor -a reference, of course, to Lauper’s iconic “Girls Just Want toHave Fun.” In winning best musical, “Kinky” scored some-thing of an upset over the terrific but decidedly darker“Matilda the Musical.” And underscoring the sunny natureof this year’s ceremony, a comedy - Christopher Durang’sdysfunctional-family satire “Vanya and Sonia and Mashaand Spike” - won for best play over the more typical dra-matic fare.

It wasn’t a great night for movie stars. In a season wherea number of Hollywood personalities were snubbed forTony nominations - Scarlett Johansson, Bette Midler andJessica Chastain among them - best-actor nominee TomHanks (“Lucky Guy”) lost out to Tracy Letts, previously aTony-winning playwright, for his wrenching performancein “Virginia Woolf.” As it was for women, it was a big nightfor African-American actors, with wins for best actor andactress in a musical, best actress in a play and featuredactor in a play. The ebullient Billy Porter won best actor in amusical for playing a drag queen with a heart of gold and ataste for, well, kinky boots, in “Kinky Boots.” He graciouslysaluted his co-star and co-nominee, Stark Sands. “”You aremy rock, my sword, my shield,” he said, adding: “I share thisaward with you. I’m gonna keep it at my house - but I shareit with you.”

And the effervescent Patina Miller won best actress in amusical for “Pippin,” in a role - the Leading Player - that alsowon Ben Vereen a Tony in 1973. Like Vereen, Miller singsand dances expertly in the role, but unlike Vereen, she alsosoars on a trapeze and sings while hula-hooping. CicelyTyson, 88, had perhaps the evening’s most emotional win -and not one but two standing ovations - for best actress ina play, in “The Trip to Bountiful.” She told the audience thatat her age, she had “this burning desire to do just one more- one more great role. I didn’t want to be greedy. I justwanted one more.”

And Courtney B. Vance won best featured actor in“Lucky Guy,” his first win in three nominations. “It’s a richerexperience now,” he said at the Tony after-party. “Beingnominated is a whirlwind. Now I know how to pace myself.”He was snapping photos of his wife, actress Angela Bassett,as fellow guests at the Tony after-party at the Plaza Hotelcrowded around them. “Besides,” he said, “we’re the toast ofBroadway now! That doesn’t happen very often.” Wins orlosses, the guests at the Tony gala seemed intent on havinga wonderful time. One of them was Billy Magnussen, whoplays a studly young boyfriend to Sigourney Weaver’s char-acter in “Vanya and Sonia.” He had lost out to Vance butcouldn’t stop dancing (if you wanted to interview him, youhad to twirl along.) “Who gets to dance at the Tonys?” heasked joyfully and rather rhetorically. “This guy!” He said itwas “amazing to be honored for something that I would dofor free anyway.”

Shalita Grant, his colleague in “Vanya and Sonia,” wasboogying on the dance floor, too. “Hey, it’s a great night,”she said. “Two months on Broadway and then a nomina-tion? I can’t complain.” The winner in Grant’s category wasJudith Light of “The Assembled Parties,” her second Tony inthe category in two years. The former star of TV’s “Who’sthe Boss?” gave one of the most poignant and admiredspeeches of the night, along with Letts, who made similarremarks about the Tonys being not about competition, butabout collaboration.

At the after-party, Light elaborated on her thoughts.“We are here to celebrate each other,” she said in an inter-view. “That is the magic. We root for each other. If we didn’t,our work would simply be too arduous.” “This is my family,”Light added, pointing to a ballroom filled with theater folk.“I’m so happy to be at a party with my family.” Light’s coun-

terpart on the musical side was Andrea Martin, 66, whowon best featured actress in a musical for “Pippin,” in whichshe plays the title character’s grandmother, Berthe, andstops the show every night by performing high-flyingstunts that thrill the audience.

Her co-star, Matthew James Thomas, who plays Pippin,said at the party that he was backstage watching Martin’semotional speech, and found it so moving that he burstinto tears. “She’s usually so together, so it was amazing tosee her like that,” he said. “I’m so happy for her, and Diane,and the whole company.” Also accepting congratulations atthe party was someone who never appeared onstage: theTony-winning composer, actor, lyricist and rapper Lin-Manuel Miranda, who co-wrote with Tom Kitt the terrificopening number performed by host Harris. Miranda, whowrote and starred in “In the Heights,” also wrote the rapnumber that Harris performed with Audra McDonald at theend of the show, with lyrics that referred to events that hadhappened only minutes earlier.

Harris showed no sign of wear on his fourth go as Tonyhost, earning as many laughs as ever with routines like arunning reference to boxer Mike Tyson, or a number abouttheater actors (like him) who move on to glory and wealthon TV shows - some of which then get canceled. Harrisopened the show as the Irish “Guy” in the musical “Once,”holding a guitar in a pub and singing soulfully, but thenquickly jumped into a flashy production number thatshowcased performers from almost a dozen musicals.Among other things, Harris jumped through a hoop, a la“Pippin,” vanished from a box and somehow appeared atthe back of the theater, and promised a “truly legendaryshow” before glitter guns went off. Legendary or not, it cer-tainly made its audience very happy; by the end of thenumber, the entire Radio City Music Hall crowd was on itsfeet. — AP

This theater image released by The O+M Company shows the cast during a performance of the musical ‘Kinky Boots.’ —AP /AFP photos (Second right) Writer Christopher Durang winner of Best Play for ‘Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike’.

Cyndi Lauper accepts the Tony award for best score for her work on music and lyricsin “Kinky Boots.”

The cast and producers from ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?’ accept the award forbest revival of a play.

This theater imagereleased by Philip Rinaldi

Publicity showsSigourney Weaver, right,during a performance of

‘Vanya and Sonia andMasha and Spike.’

Musician Cyndi Lauper, winner of the Tony Award for Best Original Scorefor ‘Kinky Boots.’

The cast of ‘Matilda The Musical’ performs. (From left) ’Pippin’ producers, from left, Barry Weissler, Fran Weissler, JanetKagan and Howard Kagan accept the Tony award for best revival of a musical.


l if e s t y l eA w a r d s

“Iwant to thank Harvey Fierstein for calling me up.I’m so glad I was done with the dishes andanswered the phone.”-Cyndi Lauper, who

teamed up with Tony-winning Fierstein, to create thebest musical “Kinky Boots.”

“Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it’s the portion of theevening where two actors who are not nominated fortheir performances on Broadway this season very gra-ciously give a Tony to someone who was.”-AlanCumming, presenting with Scarlett Johansson.

“You are my rock, my sword, my shield. Your gracegives me presence. I share this award with you. I’mgonna keep it at my house! But I share it with you.”-BillyPorter to his “Kinky Boots” co-star Stark Sands, whom hebeat for best leading man in a musical.

“‘Please wrap it up,’ it says. Well, that’s exactly whatyou did with me: You wrapped me up in your arms after

30 years.”-Cicely Tyson, who returned to Broadway afterthree decades and won for best actress in a play but ranafoul of the stage managers on Tony night.

“I want to thank every woman that I am in this cate-gory nominated with: you have made this a celebration,not a competition.”-Judith Light after winning for bestfeatured actress in a play, beating Judith Ivey, CondolaRashad, Shalita Grant and Carrie Coon.

“It’s not bad for someone who can’t sing, can’t dance,and can’t act. Actually I’m a triple threat literally.”-NewYork City Mayor Michael Bloomberg in response toSigourney Weaver’s praise for his support of theBroadway community. — AP

Gabriel Ebert poses with his award for bestperformance by an actor in a featured rolein a musical, for ‘ Matilda the Musical’.

Billy Porter accepts the Tony Award for BestPerformance by an Actor in a Leading Rolein a Musical for his role in ìKinky Bootsî.

Jerry Mitchell poses with his Tony Awardfor best choreography for “Kinky Boots”.

John Shivers accepts award for best sounddesign for “Kinky Boots”.

Scarlett Johansson, left, and Alan Cumming present an award at the 67th Annual Tony Awards.

Best Play: “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike.”Best Musical: “Kinky Boots.”Best Book of a Musical: “Matilda the Musical.”Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theater: “Kinky Boots.”Best Revival of a Play: “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”Best Revival of a Musical: “Pippin.”Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play: Tracy Letts, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”Best Performance by an Actress in Leading Role in a Play: Cicely Tyson, “The Trip to Bountiful.”Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical: Billy Porter, “Kinky Boots.”Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical: Patina Miller, “Pippin.”Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play: Courtney B. Vance, “Lucky Guy.”Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play: Judith Light, “The Assembled Parties.”Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical: Gabriel Ebert, “Matilda the Musical.”Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical: Andrea Martin, “Pippin.”— AP

Rob Howell receives an award for best sce-nic design for a musical for his work in“Matilda The Musical”.

Diane Paulus accepts a Tony award for bestdirection in a musical for “Pippin.”

Reeve Carney, center, and the cast of ‘Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark’.Actress Judith Light accepts the award forBest Performance by an actress in a fea-tured role in a play for her role in ‘TheAssembled Parties’.

Actress Andrea Martin, winner of BestPerformance by a Featured Actress in aMusical for her role in ‘Pippin ‘.

Courtney B. Vance accepts the award forbest featured actor in a play for ‘Lucky Guy’.

Patina Miller accepts the Tony Award forBest Performance by an Actress in a LeadingRole in a Musical for ‘Pippin’.

Actor Tracy Letts, winner of Best Performanceby a Leading Actor in a Play for his role in‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?’

Presenters Jesse Tyler Ferguson, left, and Jane Krakowski present the Tony award for best origi-nal score to Cyndi Lauper, right, for “Kinky Boots”.

Actor Tom Hanks speaks onstage.

(From left) )Patina Miller, winner of the award for Best Performance by a LeadingActress in a Musical for ‘Pippin’, Cicely Tyson, winner of the award for BestPerformance by a Leading Actress in a Play for ‘The Trip to Bountiful’ and BillyPorter, winner of the award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musicalfor ‘ Kinky Boots’.


l if e s t y l eF e a t u r e s

Giordano, the fashion retailer for everydayessential wardrobe, clinched the “2013 RLIEmerging Market Retailer of the Year” award

in the recently concluded Global RLI Awards heldin the National History of Museum in London. Therecognition adds to a long list of accoladesreceived by Giordano from prestigious award-giv-ing bodies internationally.

The leading apparel retailer was nominated forrepresenting the essential retail qualities of entre-preneurship, originality and flexibility. Giordanobested three other international nominees short-listed from many entries across the globe, as it hasdemonstrated a robust and growing retail formatand essayed its role in the development of emerg-ing economies where it operates.

Receiving the award from Jayne Rafter,Publisher of RLI (Retail and Leisure International)were Dominic Irwin, Giordano International’s CFOand Ishwar Chugani, Managing Director ofGiordano Middle East FZE and Executive Directorof Giordano International.

The Global RLI Award boasts a strong andprominent panel of judges including Theo Papthis,owner of Boux Avenue, Chairman of RymanStationery and star of BBC’s Dragons’ Den; HamishDodds, President and CEO of Hard RockInternational; Peter Sharp, President of WalmartAsia Realty; and, Steve Sadove, Chairman and CEOof Saks Incorporated, among others. According toRafter, the awards celebrate and reward the suc-cess and creativity of the industry’s most impres-sive developments, leading retailers, leisure opera-tors and affiliated business partners, through con-cepts, initiatives and design excellence.

Other winners from different categories were:Yongsan International Business District from Seoul,South Korea; Kidzania; Boux Avenue, Asics,McDonald’s and Burberry Flagship store from theUK. “ This award means a lot to GiordanoInternational and Giordano Middle East FZE as itrecognises our efforts in delivering not just qualityproducts but innovative and creative retail entre-preneurship. Our business has expanded expo-nentially since 1981. Around the world, Giordanonow boasts of 2,800 stores in 40 countries withcontinued focus on expansion into emerging mar-

kets such as Africa, Central Asia, Eastern Europeand Latin America,” commented Chugani.

Chugani added that Giordano’s passion is tocontinuously reinvent itself to offer customersessential and relevant collections as well as offerthe best customer experience while shopping ineach of its stores.

Just in May 2013, Giordano was also ranked

19th in Forbes Middle East magazine’s Top 100Making an Impact in the Arab World, for compa-nies which are leading an industry, contributing tosocietal development, or pouring finances intocharity work or economic growth across the Arabworld.

In an exciting finale that brought the most tal-ented Filipinos in the GCC region to Dubai to viefor the top spot of Kapatid TV5’s ‘Talentadong

Pinoy Middle East,’ Haina Uddin was adjudgedMiddle East Grand Champion. All the buzz from theexciting contest will be showcased exclusively onOSN’s Kapatid TV5 channel. Hailing from Laguna,Philippines and a student of the Philippine Schoolof Doha, 16-year old Haina will go on to representthe Middle East at the global Battle of theChampions in Kapatid TV5’s leading reality talentshow. She also received a cash prize of US$10,000for winning the Middle East contest.

“I am totally surprised, I did not expect this!”said Haina. “I was just a wildcard entry and I amthrilled to have had this fantastic opportunity.”When asked with what she will do with her prizemoney, she said: “I intend to donate part of theprize to charity and the rest will be used to open asmall business for my family in the Philippines.”

Mesmerising judges with her powerful rendi-tion of Jessie J’s song Mamma Knows Best, Hainahad the audience on their feet, in a closely contest-ed event that also saw Kesiah Ariteo, a studentfrom Saudi Arabia, and the Dubai-based 5-memberall-male dance group Watawat, emerging as first

and second runners-up who received US$5,000and US$3,000, respectively. Award-winning hostRyan Agoncillo, and celebrity talent scouts Gelli deBelen, Arnell Ignacio and Marvin Agustin, were inDubai for the inaugural Middle East regional talentsearch for Talentadong Pinoy.

The Dubai event followed the first round ofauditions and qualifying rounds held in SaudiArabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar.The celebrity talent scouts and host unanimouslypraised Haina. “We have seen a lot of talentedFilipinos here in the Middle East and all over theworld,” said Arnel Ignacio. “But aside from talent, weare also looking for the x-factor, which Haina defi-nitely has,” he added.

“I think it was her fate to win this contest,”celebrity talent scout Gelli de Belen said. “I can’thelp but think that maybe she is really fated to winTalentadong Pinoy Middle East,” added De Belen.

Several lucky OSN Pinoy subscribers had theexclusive opportunity to meet Ryan Agoncillo,Marvin Agustin, Arnel Ignacio and Gelli de Belen inperson after the grand finale.

Chuck Silva of OSN added: “We are extremelypleased with the positive response we had fromthe auditions and qualifying rounds including the

fully-packed finale. Events such as this give our val-ued OSN Pinoy subscribers the opportunity to con-nect with what they watch on TV and experience itlive and in person. We are happy to provide theseopportunities as it enriches our customers’ experi-ence with OSN.”

Talentadong Pinoy Middle East will be broad-cast exclusively on OSN’s Kapatid TV5 channelevery Sunday from June 23. OSN offers premiumFilipino entertainment through its dedicated Pinoypackages offering over 40 TV channels includingKapatid TV5 and Aksyon TV (the official and exclu-sive worldwide broadcaster of the games of thePhilippine Basketball Association).

OSN recently added four premium and leadingABS-CBN channels including TFC (The FilipinoChannel), Bro, Cinema One Global and ANC (ABS-CBN News Channel) further strengthening its Pinoyoffering for Middle East viewers.

Splash announces grand winners of its 20th

anniversary celebrations

Splash the region’s most popular high-street retailer announced recentlythe names of winners of its 20th Anniversary celebrations. Kicking offthe celebrations in glamour, the brand partnered with BMW to offer an

eye catching Kuwait , other countries in the GCC, Jordan and Egypt wide pro-motion which came loaded with 20, 520i Executive 2013 model BMWs.

The BMW promotion started from 1st April till 10 May and the Raffledraw took place on 30th May at the Splash Store in the Avenues where thetwo winners from Kuwait were announced. Osama Al-Sayed and AhmedMohd Mohamoud drove away the two BMW’s while Fathen Fayez Al-Sageh, Tamer Mohd Ahmed, Khadeja Abed Salem, Fathma Jassim, MariamAdel, Gaurav Kumar, Alaa Makawi, Maaly Betal Al-Merjah, Mohd HindiMohd and Dalal Ali Mohammed won Iphone5, Ipad3, Samsung 32 inchLED TV , Samsung Galaxy Note II and Mac book Air.

The promotion entitled customers who shop for 15 Kuwaiti dinarsworth of trendy purchases from Splash, to participate in a raffle draw.Twenty lucky winners from GCC, Jordan & Egypt became proud owners ofthe cars. Born in the UAE with a single store, the brand’s journey hasspanned 12 countries with over 200 stores and is all set to celebrate thesetwo stylish decades. In Kuwait, Splash is available at all Centrepoint Storesin Al Rai, Salmiya, Kuwait City, Hawally, Fahaheel, Jahra, Fintas , Sulaibikhatand at The Avenues - Phase II.

The leading apparel retailer bested many retailers from across the globe

Hobbits, elves and dragons appear to beluring tourists to New Zealand as fansawait their first glimpse of the second

movie in “The Hobbit” trilogy. Figures releasedthis month by government agency TourismNew Zealand show that international vacationsto New Zealand rose 10 percent from Januarythrough April when compared to the sameperiod last year. The agency said a survey indi-cated that 8.5 percent of visitors cited “TheHobbit” as one reason for coming and that 13percent took part in some kind of hobbit-themed tourism like visiting a film set.

Warner Bros announced yesterday it willrelease the first teaser-trailer of “The Hobbit:The Desolation of Smaug” at 1 pm EDT Tuesday.The second film will premiere Dec 13 in LosAngeles. The trilogy is directed by New Zealand

filmmaker Peter Jackson and shot in his homecountry. The opener “The Hobbit: AnUnexpected Journey,” was released December2012. It received mixed reviews but provedextraordinarily popular with audiences, earninga little over $1 billion at the box office. In anemail, Jackson’s spokesman Matt Dravitzki saidfans can expect “a surprise or two” in this week’strailer, “but I can’t say anything more than that!”A little over 500,000 tourists visited NewZealand for vacations in the first four months ofthe year. About the same number again visitedfor other reasons, such as for work or to visit rel-atives. — AP

Scottish author Iain Banks, best known forhis novels “The Wasp Factory” and “TheCrow Road”, has died aged 59, two months

after revealing that he had terminal cancer, hispublisher said. Banks died less than a fortnightbefore the scheduled publication of his finalbook, “The Quarry”, which focuses on the finalweeks in the life of its cancer-ridden protagonist.

He was one of Britain’s most prolific writers andunusual in his talent for both mainstream novelsand science fiction, which he wrote under thename Iain M Banks.

“On behalf of Iain’s wife, Adele, it is with enor-mous sadness that Little, Brown announces thedeath of Iain Banks,” said a statement released byhis publisher on Sunday. “Iain Banks’ ability to

combine the most fertile of imaginations withhis own highly distinctive brand of gothichumor made him unique,” it added. “He is anirreplaceable part of the literary world.” Bankswas presented with a finished copy of “TheQuarry” three weeks ago, the publisher revealed.

Born in Fife in Scotland in 1954, where hecontinued to live up until his death, Banks wasregarded as one of the most innovative writersof his generation. He rose to prominence in 1984with his first novel “The Wasp Factory”, the dis-turbing tale of a Scottish teenager who hadmurdered three children in his family before hewas ten. He was known for his frenetic writingpace, often completing a novel in less than threemonths, and leaves behind a collection of morethan two dozen novels. These include the“Culture” series, tales from a futuristic utopia ofwhich he was particularly proud.

In his last blog posting on April 20, theEnglish literature graduate rejected suggestionsthat the sci-fi was a sideline intended to pay forhis other, more literary ambitions afloat. “The SFnovels have always mattered deeply to me-theCulture series in particular-and while it mightnot be what people want to hear (academicsespecially), the mainstream subsidized the SF,not the other way round,” he wrote. Publishershad worked to bring publication of his newbook forward following his announcement onhis website in April that he had only months tolive.

“I am officially Very Poorly,” Banks announcedwith trademark black humor, explaining that thecancer had started in his gall bladder and spreadto his liver, pancreas and lymph nodes. Withnews that his time was nearly up, the previouslydivorced Banks asked his girlfriend Adele Hartleyif she would “do me the honor of becoming mywidow”. Hartley, who runs a horror film festival,shares his dark humor, signing one blog post

“Chief Widow-in-Waiting”. They had a honey-moon in Venice and Paris, but Banks was admit-ted to hospital in Edinburgh immediately ontheir return to Scotland. Banks was also knownfor his political views. He famously ripped up hispassport and send it to prime minister Tony Blairin an act of protest against the 2003 invasion ofIraq.

Before he died, Banks thanked his fans andsupporters for all their kind words following hisdiagnosis, saying he was “knocked out by thelove and depth of feeling”. “I want to say thankyou to all of you for your messages, your memo-ries, your wit, your sympathy and your kind, sup-portive thoughts,” he wrote, during a holiday onthe Scottish island of Barra. Fellow author IanRankin said Banks had been “fascinating, curiousand full of life”.

“He didn’t take things too seriously, and in away I’m happy that he refused to take death tooseriously-he could still joke about it,” he told theBBC. “What made him a great writer was that hewas childlike; he had a curiosity about theworld.” Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmondpaid tribute to an “incredibly talented writer”whose work “brought pleasure to readers forover 30 years. “I have been in correspondencewith him in the last few weeks and can testify tothe extraordinary vitality with which he contin-ued to approach life,” he added. — AFP

Ian Banks


l if e s t y l eT r a v e l

With its church and main street,Gravelbourg seems like just anotherCanadian prairie town. But it has a little

known claim to fame-as prime producer of theworld’s mustard seeds. And growing beneath itsplacid exterior is a movement to depose France’sDijon as the globe’s condiment king.

A two-hour drive through farm country fromthe Saskatchewan provincial capital Regina, thetown of 1,200 established in 1906 by four brothersfrom Quebec “is now at the heart of mustard pro-duction,” boasts its mayor, Real Forest. Canada pro-duces 35 to 40 percent of the world’s mustardseeds, with Gravelbourg at the core of this output.

The mustard seed was only introduced in theCanadian province in the 1940s, five centuriesafter Dijon in eastern France, which made itfamous. But France’s Burgundy region no longermass-produces the seeds and the last big mustardmanufacturing plant in Dijon was shuttered in2008 after being taken over by Anglo-Dutch multi-

national Unilever. So Gravelbourg now has thechance to step up and seize mustard glory. Theproblem is “we sell the raw materials which goelsewhere... and the benefits also go elsewhere,”laments Forest, who is searching for investors tohelp locals kick-start their dreams.

‘Made in Saskatchewan’More and more Canadian resource sectors-

such as forestry and diamond mining-are seekingto process raw materials into finished products forexport to reap greater economic benefits.Acknowledging past failures to help farmers turntheir crops into value-added products and strug-gles ahead, Saskatchewan Agriculture MinisterLyle Stewart is adamant: his government wants“more agriculture products to be processed herewith brand names.” “We need to sell not only mus-tard but also to add value to more of our agricul-ture products,” he said.

Some have already started getting

Gravelbourg’s name out. One local family, forexample, started Gravelbourg Gourmet Mustardtwo years ago, offering a line of condiments madefrom local harvests. “Our objective was to use localresources,” says owner Val Michaud, who startedthe company with her husband. It is currently theonly mustard maker in the province, but its waresare sold in specialty stores throughout WesternCanada, and it is soon slated to expand nation-wide and beyond.

At present, however, it does not even own itskitchen. Instead, the mustards are prepared atfacilities at the local school. “I’d really like to haveour own kitchen next year,” said Michaud, offeringtastes of her traditional wholegrain mustard, hot(Dijon) mustard, and a unique garlic and berriesblend. “With our company, I hope to putGravelbourg on the map.” — AFP

By Anne Z Cooke and Steve Haggerty

The atmosphere in the Plaza de Toros, hotin the afternoon sun, crackled like pop-corn, leaving visitors wondering just how

long the crowd, growing larger by the minute,would sit patiently and wait. But as late arrivalssearched for the last free seats, their concernsmelted away. Suntanned cowboys in big-brimmed hats spotted distant friends andwaved. Vendors selling drinks worked theaisles and ladies spread sunscreen on theirchildren. Clean-shaven men, eyes hiddenbehind black Ray-bans, shook hands andstrangers compared notes on the afternoon’sevent, the Carnaval Week bull fight.

Weekly bull fights, a winter sport here inMazatlan, on Mexico’s Pacific Coast, run fromChristmas through April. But the bull fight heldduring Carnaval, featuring world-famous“rejoneador,” Pablo Hermosa de Mendoza, isthe spectacle that packs the arena.Challenging the bull, the charismatic Hermosaand his horse he travels with six trainedLusitanos are super stars, leaping, dancing, andspinning, melding the crowd into a cheering,gasping, groaning, clapping, handkerchief-waving mass.

While we waited for the first bull to enterthe ring, I overhead a conversation behind me,a couple discussing their new house on the hilloverlooking the beach. Another family movingto Mexico, I wondered? Immigrants headingsouth, instead of Mexicans coming north?

A favored beach retreat since the 1940s,Mazatlan has been shunned lately, tarred bythe same brush that paints the country ascrime-ridden and unsafe. But this coupleseemed to be ignoring conventional wisdom.Why? I wondered. “Are you living here perma-nently?” I asked, turning around to introducemyself. “Maybe you’ve met my friends. Theylive in that neighborhood, too, up on the hill.”

“Vacation for now, but permanently soon,”said Edward Klop, a company owner from

British Columbia, smiling and leaning over toshake hands. “Why? Because people here areso decent. Look at this crowd.

“Mexicans are family people,” addedYvonne Klop. “They take their kids when theygo out to eat or to a concert. The kind ofrestaurants we’d like to eat at in Vancouver, orSan Francisco or New York, don’t allow kids. Ifthere’s a bar or they serve alcohol, it’s illegal.”

Right about then, the crowd broke intocheers and Hermosa cantered into the ringmounted on a white Lusitano stallion. Whetheryou condone bullfighting, it’s impossible notto watch Hermosa as he gets down to busi-ness, teasing the bull until it charges, thenwheeling away, leaning and turning, whirlingand circling the ring with the bull in hot pur-suit, staying just inches away from the bull’shorns. At the conclusion, Hermosa took a vic-tory lap and the ladies tossed red roses. Thefight committee awarded prizes and the crowdcollected their things and filed peaceably awayto the parking lot.

The Klops, when they do move, won’t beoutliers, but part of a settled expat community,people that bring time, energy and expertiseto the town. “There are more than 10,000Americans and Canadians in Mazatlan,” saidFrancisco (Frank) Cordova, secretary of tourismfor Sinaloa, speaking by phone from a meetingin Miami. “They rent apartments and someeven own houses. Now, if it wasn’t safe, whywould they be here?”

Drug cartel murders are a fact, he conced-ed. They are, he said, the federal government’smost pressing internal security issue. But mostviolence occurs far beyond the Golden Zone(the town’s designated tourism area), in themountains or along the US border. “There isn’tany crime in the Golden Zone, not that we’veheard about,” agreed Paul Petty, a 12-year resi-dent. “Nothing violent, no drive-bys, no schoolshootings like we had at home. We feel a lotsafer than we did when we lived in LosAngeles.”

It could be the bounce-back effect, but2013 is shaping up as the town’s best year in adecade. According to Carlos Berdegue,President and CEO of Mazatlan’s four El Cid

hotels, $6 million has been allocated fortourism from the US and Canada, a promotionthat’s already filling the town’s 12,000 beds.“Our group and convention programs havebeen very successful, the cruise lines arereturning and the airlines are looking at creat-ing more capacity,” he said.

The cruise industry, often the first to fold upand run when bad news hits the wires, agrees.After pulling out abruptly 18 months ago,Holland America and Norwegian Cruise Linesare returning to Mazatlan, adding 10 portstops to their Mexican Riviera route this year(in November and December) and 35 moreduring the 2014 season.

“We’ll be ready for them,” said Cordova. “I’vegot a tourism budget of 400 million pesos (US$32,541,000), half for the new cruise port andthe rest for restoration and improvements inthe historic city center.”

The cruise port and passenger terminal, acontemporary stunner designed for comfortand for passenger security has docking roomfor eight large passenger ships at once.Adjacent tour bus parking will allow passen-gers taking shore tours to board the buseswithout much walking. Travelers who’d ratherstay on the ship or at the port will have shops,a restaurant, a tourist information center, andgift stores to explore.

Shore tours in Third World ports, often thebete noir of cruise passengers, haven’t beenforgotten. “Funds are set aside to train tourguides to make sure every tour is unforget-table,” said Cordova. Cognizant of first impres-sions matter, the adjoining neighborhood hasalso gotten a facelift. Seedy shacks are gone,cracked stucco was painted and vacant lotsturned into gardens. “They’ve spent $3 millionrestoring the colonial buildings on the corridorbetween the port and the historic district,” saidBerdegue.

Shore tours will visit several nearby 16thand 17th century-era villages, and the ancientpictographs on the shoreline. But visitors who

opt for a stroll through the historic center’snarrow streets and shaded plazas, dating to1837, won’t be sorry. It was these plazas wherethe first colonists gathered and where much ofthe time’s social and civic life played out. Stillpopular gathering places, this is where peoplemeet to walk, talk, work, eat out or sit andwatch the world go by. Wander around andyou’ll find the Plaza Machado, the Cathedral,the elegantly restored Angel Peralta OperaHouse and the art museum.

The Central Market, humming from earlymorning to late afternoon, is where house-wives shop for food, teenagers for cheap purs-es and jewelry and travelers take photos.

Covering a city block, the two-story iron struc-ture (think late Victorian), houses hundreds ofstalls selling fruits of every color and shape,vegetables, nuts, bread, tortillas, cheeses,woven hats, souvenirs, fish, shrimp, chickens(whole and butchered), beef ribs, cakes, pies,cookies, puddings and candy, not to mentionsoap, brooms, buckets and dish towels.

If the past is prologue, the outcome isalready written. Some cruise passengers willmake a beeline for the beach; sample realMexican cuisine at Pancho’s and take the sight-seeing boat to Deer Island. On the second tripthey’ll dine by candlelight at Pedro & Lola’s, siton the Plaza Machado, meet expats fromhome and play golf. On the third visit, they’llcheck out the bullfights. After that, whoknows?—MCT

Taking the kayaks for spin, on the beach on Deer Island, in Mazatlan.— MCT photosMazatlan’s own cliff divers, a tradition begun in 1961, perform for visitors.

Music and al frescodining, at Pedro andLola’s, on the PlazaMachado inMazatlan.

The matador useshis cape to lead the

bull in a uselesscharge, Plaza deToros, Mazatlan.

A dance group, in alien-movie look-alike costumes, march in theCarnaval parade in Mazatlan.

38At Tonys, ‘KinkyBoots’ races out toearly lead


At the farthest end of the Great Wall, Yang Yongfu limpsalong the section he arduously restored, in effect “pri-vatizing” it and putting himself on a collision course

with the authorities. The farmer spent five million yuan($800,000) and years of backbreaking work renovating severalhundred meters of the national symbol deep in northwesternChina, turning it into a tourist site. “At the beginning peopledidn’t understand why I took on this project. They called mecrazy,” said the 52-year-old. The Great Wall is not a singleunbroken structure-nor is it visible from space-but stretchesfor thousands of kilometers, from Shanhaiguan on the eastcoast to Jiayuguan in the windswept sands on the edge of theGobi desert.

In places it is so dilapidated that estimates of its totallength vary from 9,000 to 21,000 kilometers (5,600 to 13,000miles), depending on whether missing sectors are included.Construction first begun in the third century BC, but partswere still being built in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), amongthem Yang’s section. It was little more than a ruin when hestarted work in 2000, but now 790 meters of ochre wall run

out from a small fort across a stony plain, snaking upwardsover a bare hillside via several watchtowers. Built of bricks andrendered with earth, his wall averages around 4.5 meters highand is topped with battlements.

“People were skeptical, because they thought renovatingthe wall was the job of the government,” said Yang. “I was sur-prised at the success I had. But this could also be consideredan act of patriotism.” He set up an entrance area for tourists,complete with a car park and fishpond, and his wife TaoHuiping collects the 25 yuan admittance fee at the ticketbooth-a table in the open air. “Today about 30 people came,”she said, holding up the ticket stubs, beaming proudly andpraising her husband’s “phenomenal” work. “People call himEmperor Yang,” she said laughing.

Their opportunity came about in 1999, Yang said, whenlocal authorities called on residents to renovate the Wallthemselves, and officials gave him authorization to do so. Themoney came from savings and loans from relatives. In recentdecades the Wall has suffered the depredations of farmersstealing its stones for building, and construction crews cutting

through it with roads and railways. Some of the greatest dam-age came during the turmoil of the 1966-76 CulturalRevolution. But as China has become wealthier the govern-ment can better afford to take on the burden of restoration.

At the same time the Communist Party uses nationalism tobolster its claim to a right to rule, and in recent years authori-ties have become keener custodians of symbols of China, fromhistoric monuments to giant pandas. A 2006 law gave thegovernment the exclusive right to manage national relics-making Yang’s project illegal. His business continues to oper-ate but he and the local authorities have been through severalrounds of negotiations over transferring the rights to the wall.They have so far failed to reach an agreement.

“I never received any support from the government andthey accused me of constructing a fake wall. That’s whatmakes me angry,” Yang said. One of the Wall’s most popularsections, at Badaling just north of Beijing, can see tens ofthousands of Chinese tourists during public holidays. But evenwith 20,000 visitors a year, Yang’s site is a long way from beinga viable business-and just across the valley an official attrac-

tion listed as a World Heritage Site offers 7.5 kilometers ofwall. Yang admits still owing one million yuan. “I have criedtears of despair,” he said, but insisted he “regretted nothing”.Jiayuguan city’s head of cultural heritage Ye Yong explainedthat Yang’s work was approved in a particular context. “It was aunique time in which the government did not have enoughmoney to renovate or protect its heritage,” he said.

“But going forward, with the new laws and regulationsabout the protection of cultural relics in place, individuals willno longer be able to do renovations themselves.” Even so, thefarmer could yet reap a windfall from his investment if thegovernment decides to “renationalize” it by including it in anofficial preservation project, Ye signaled. “We will considerbuying it,” he said.—AFP

Tourists posing for photos atthe entrance to a section of the

Great Wall restored by farmerYang Yongfu.

A general view of asection of the GreatWall restored byfarmer Yang Yongfu.

Performers present the Bodies in Urban Spaces project from Austrian artist Willi Dorner, not seen, at the Serralves Museum in Porto, Portugal, Sunday. ‘Party at Serralves’ it is a contemporary art festival that hosts over 200 eventssimultaneously on a non-stop 40-hour period, in the Gardens and in the Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art. — AP photos

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