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SU NDAY, JUNE 29, 2014 RAMADAN 1, 1435 AH www.kuwaittimes.net

Auspicious start as new dinars enter circulation

Central Bank confident introduction will be smooth

Emsak: 03:06Fajer: 03:16Dohr: 11:51Asr: 15:25Maghreb: 18:51Eshaa: 20:24

Ramadan Kareem

By Teresa Lesher

The first verses of the Holy Quran were revealed inRamadan, 1,448 lunar years ago (610 AD). Duringthe course of 23 years, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)

received Quranic verses as spoken addresses from theCreator - the Quran is considered the speech of God in theArabic language. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) then recit-ed the verses so that they could be memorized verbatim,and they were also recorded in writing. Before he died,Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) specified the order of versesand the division of chapters, according to divine instruc-tion. The original Quran is still preserved until today withprecise pronunciation, with the Arabic language develop-ing to represent it phonetically.

The Quran is addressed to all mankind. SometimesMuhammad (PBUH) is specifically addressed with instruc-tions such as “They ask you about... Say [to them]...”Muhammad (PBUH) is also encouraged and sometimesgently reproached in the Quran.

Continued on Page 15

Ramadan: Month of the Holy Quran

KUWAIT: The Central Bank of Kuwait will put into circu-lation today the sixth edition of the Kuwaiti currency,coinciding with the advent of the holy month ofRamadan. The bank has finalized its preparations for therelease of the banknotes, affirmed Governor DrMohammad Al-Hashel yesterday. “All denominations ofthe new banknotes will be available for the generalpublic through all branches of banks operating inKuwait, as well as through ATMs and the ATMs of theShared Electronic Banking Services Company (K-Net),”Hashel said in a statement to KUNA.

“The release is as per the Cabinet’s resolution passedon June 10, 2013 endorsing the recommendation of theCentral Bank’s Board of Directors for the sixth issue ofKuwait banknotes - incorporating design, colors, securi-ty and technical specifications for all denominations,” hestated.

The governor pointed out that the new issue of ban-knotes reflects the Central Bank’s ability to keep pacewith best international central banking practices, and inparticular the application of new state of art technolo-gies from the banknote printing industry. This is mani-fested in improved security features and use of highquality paper which permits an elegant yet securedesign that reflects the country’s history, culture andheritage.

Continued on Page 15

Collage shows the new Kuwaiti banknotes that enter circulation today. — KUNA

Kuwait Times Editor-in-Chief Abd Al-Rahman Al-Alyan wishes HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-AhmadAl-Sabah, HH the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, HH the Prime Minister SheikhJaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, Cabinet members,heads of states around the world, citizens, expatri-ates and our valued readers Ramadan Kareem.

L O C A LSUNDAY, JUNE 29, 2014

KUWAIT: Jazeera Airways Group inauguratedfour new gates equipped with two state-of-the-art bridges at Kuwait International Airport.The gates are exclusively operated by the air-line, and enable Jazeera Airways to offer aneven better and more efficient customer expe-rience. The new gates are part of the airline’sinvestment in on-ground facilities to capitalizeon Kuwait’s growing domestic traveling popu-lation. The gates, named Gate B1, B2, B3 andB4, lift the capacity at Kuwait InternationalAirport, the country’s only passenger airport,by 30 percent.

Jazeera Airways Group Chairman, MarwanBoodai, said, “This latest investment in dedi-cated gates compliments a series of otherinvestments in the Jazeera Airways’ valueoffering in the air, online, and now on-ground.”

The airline has invested heavily in boostingits customer offering in recent years, from

installing online and self-check-in facilities, tosecuring a flow of new aircraft deliveries, withthree brand new Airbus A320s joining its fleetin the last 12 months alone. The four gateslaunched yesterday at Kuwait InternationalAirport are an integral component of the air-line’s bolstered customer offering.

Boodai added: “Today, Jazeera Airways pas-sengers are the only passengers in Kuwait whocan book with their mobile phone, check-inonline or in person using the airport kiosk,board through an exclusive gate and state-of-the-art bridges, and fly on brand new aircraft.”

Jazeera Airways Group is a Kuwait StockExchange-listed company with a fleet of 15wholly-owned Airbus A320s, through its whol-ly-owned leasing-arm Sahaab Aircraft Leasing.Sahaab has assets placed with Virgin America,SriLankan Airlines, Flynas, TAP Portugal andJazeera Airways.

The airline operates seven Airbus A320swith a two-class cabin comprising a BusinessClass and an Economy Class. Business Classtravelers get both an upgraded experienceand exclusivity, starting with exclusive check-in lines, business lounge access, up to 60 kilo-grams in free baggage allowance, and anexclusive on-board cabin. The airline’sEconomy Class offers travelers free baggageallowance of 40 kilograms and free on-boardmeals with a changing menu every month.

Jazeera Airways is based in Kuwait andserves 20 popular destinations in the MiddleEast from Kuwait comprising high-demandbusiness, leisure, family, and weekend destina-tions such as Dubai, Bahrain, Beirut,Alexandria, Amman, Istanbul, Sharm El Sheikh,Assiut, Luxor, Mashhad, Sohag, Jeddah,Riyadh, Cairo and Najaf. Jazeera Airways is anIATA-member airline.

Marwan Boodai KUWAIT: Jazeera Airlines officials pose after the inauguration of four gates at Kuwait International Airport.

Jazeera Airways opens four exclusive gatesBetter customer experience

KUWAIT: The new Jazeera Airlines gates at Kuwait International Airport.— Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

KUWAIT: Zain, the leading telecommunicationscompany in Kuwait, announced yesterday thatit successfully celebrated the annual SocialMedia Day with social media influencers for thethird consecutive year at the newly opened‘Prestige Ballroom’ in the Avenues Mall. Theevent witnessed the wide attendance of socialmedia influencers, bloggers, media identities,and public figures who were welcomed byZain’s executive management with the pres-ence of the company’s Chief Executive OfficerOmar Al-Omar.

In a press statement, Zain mentioned thatthis year’s celebratory event came under the‘technology’ theme, where the company shedlight on the important role social media playsin influencing people’s lives nowadays. Zainalso highlighted the various young influencersand bloggers who have played a big role intoday’s Kuwaiti social media engagement. The

overall event theme and atmosphere has driv-en creativity and innovation within the crowd,which resulted in admirable feedback by thebloggers and social media figures who attend-ed. Commenting on this occasion, Omar SaudAl Omar, Chief Executive Officer of Zain said,“our celebration today correlates with the inter-national Social Media Day, in which everyoneparticipates in honoring the technological andsocietal advancements that have allowed us toengage, connect and communicate with eachother with ease. This celebration provides anexcellent opportunity for Zain to further affirmour relationship with social media influencers,who now possess one of this era’s most power-ful communications tools”.

Al Omar added “Zain is a company that man-aged to put its customers at the forefront of itspriorities, and with social media, Zain hasendorsed its leading position and successfully

played a big role, as the first telecom companyto launch social media channels in Kuwait.”

The company explained that the eventengaged attendees with entertaining perform-ances and programs that included social mediarelated activities. Those activities included the‘Hashtag’ photography competition, in additionto an activity where attendees shared their per-sonal social media success stories with eachother. The company also hosted several profes-sional speakers who highlighted the impor-tance of social media in the medical and healthfields, as well as discussing topics related tocyber-attacks and hacking.

It is worth noting that Zain is amongst thefirst companies in Kuwait to adopt social mediatools to better communicate and engage withits customers. Zain has over 200,000 followersand subscribers on various social media chan-nels in Kuwait.

Zain celebrates with

social media influencers

NBK Tent distributes Iftar

banquets during RamadanKUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait(NBK) distributes daily Iftar Banquetsduring the Holy month of Ramadanat NBK’s tent held near the GrandMosque. The Iftar banquets are partof NBK’s Ramadan program “Do

Good Deeds in the Holy month ofRamadan”. Talal Al-Turki, NBK PublicRelations Officer said: “NBK staff vol-unteers have already finalized allnecessary arrangements forRamadan tent to receive fastingpeople on the eve of the first day ofRamadan. NBK staff volunteers willmanage and supervise the fast-breaking banquets.”

“The distribution scale of AlWatani Iftar banquets this year alsoincludes hundreds of fast-breakingmeals via special convoys to numer-ous mosques, hospitals and crowd-ed locations in Kuwait,” Al-Turkiadded. NBK believes in the power ofdoing good. “Do Good Deeds in theHoly month of Ramadan” is a wellrooted tradition that has been car-ried out by NBK each year in itsefforts to continuously have anactive role in the Kuwait society.NBK hopes to encourage a greater

sense of community and charityduring Ramadan and encourages its

customers and staff to participate by‘doing good deeds’ all month long.

NBK tent ready to serve the faithful.

Talal Al-Turki

By Nawara Fattahova

KUWAIT: Training Gate International, thefirst registered non-profit company inKuwait, announced its official registrationduring a press conference on Thursday.“This registration comes after issuing exec-utive regulations adding new forms ofcompanies to the companies’ law no.25/2012. This law added one-man compa-nies, craft companies and the not-for-profitcompanies. I would like to thank the com-panies’ department at the Ministry ofCommerce for their cooperation and facili-ties,” said Kifaya Al-Albaan, Founder andGeneral Manager of Training GateInternational.

Training Gate International was found-ed in July 2009. “Since then, all our workand activities are not for profit. We have animportant humanitarian message, which isimproving the life quality of disabled indi-viduals and their families, in addition toassimilating them in society through vari-ous fields,” added Albaan.

According to law 25/2012, non-profitcompanies cannot distribute net dividend

to partners, but use it for the purpose of itsfoundation and expand its activities. “Weare applying this rule since our foundation.We are proud to be the first registeredcompany in this category in Kuwait,” shesaid.

Noora A1-Othman, Founding Partnerand Deputy GM of Training GateInternational, noted that it’s important forboth the public and private sectors tocooperate. “It’s imperative for the govern-ment to cooperate with non-profit compa-nies, a concept very popular in developedcountries, where the governments givegrants to execute projects. Our companyhas already presented various initiativesand national projects in cooperation withinternational non-profit organizations, butthey were never realized,” she explained.

Abdulaziz Al-Mutairi , a speaker atTraining Gate International, praised therole of the company in developing theskills of the youth. “I invite the youth toparticipate in developing the communityand not just complaining, especially thatyoung people make up 60 percent of thepopulation,” he pointed out.

Training Gate gets registration

KUWAIT: A man was arrested in Kuwait forselling forged passports to stateless residents.Investigations that led to the suspect’s arrestcame after Dubai airport authorities returned abedoon man to Kuwait when they grew suspi-cious of his Dominican passport. Inspectionrevealed that the passport was forged, and theman confessed that he bought it from a Syrianman for KD 1,500. Immigration GeneralDepartment detectives arrested the suspectbased on information that the passport-holderprovided. Investigations revealed that the manused to work for authorities in the DominicanRepublic years ago in order to issue passportsto stateless residents. After Dominican authori-ties stopped issuing passports in 2008, heturned to forging travel documents and sellingthem for as much as KD 1,500 each. The manwas referred to the authorities for furtheraction, while investigations are underway toarrest his clients based on information he pro-vided during questioning.

Teens rob citizenA search is on for three teenagers who

stole a senior citizen’s wallet after theyappeared to offer her help. The woman, aKuwaiti in her sixties, asked the youngsters forhelp to get directions to a friend’s house inZahra where she was going to offer condo-lences. After helping her reach her destina-tion, the suspects grabbed her wallet and ranaway, according to her statements to localpolice. Investigations are ongoing to identifythe thieves based on instructions that the vic-tim provided.

Brothers hurt Three brothers were injured after their car

flipped over on Fahaheel Highway. The threewere driving to a relative’s house when thedriver lost control over the vehicle, accordingto investigations. Ambulances arrived to thescene with police in response to an emer-gency call, and took the men to AdanHospital. A case was filed at Fahaheel policestation.

Suicide attemptA woman was hospitalized following a

suicide attempt committed in her employer’shouse in Mangaf. The Kuwaiti man rushed hisdomestic helper to Adan Hospital after hefound her bleeding heavily from her arm inher room. The woman’s condition soon stabi-lized, and preliminary investigations revealedthat she slashed her wrist in a bid to end herlife. An investigation was opened to deter-mine the maid’s motive behind attemptingsuicide. Meanwhile, a suicide case was filedin an incident involving a man who was hos-pitalized with alcohol poisoning. Officers atShuwaikh Industrial police station wereinformed by Sabah Hospital staff that aKuwaiti man was admitted with complica-tions of heavy alcohol consumption. Policecould not question the man who was admit-ted in the intensive care unit.

Work mishapA middle aged man died in an accident

at a construction site in Jaber Al-Ahmad onThursday, according to investigations.Paramedics arrived to the scene with policeshortly after the incident was reported, butdiscovered that the 55-year-old Egyptianman had already succumbed to his injuries.A preliminary probe revealed that the manlost balance and fell from a high place, whileinvestigations are still ongoing to confirmthe circumstances behind the accident.Criminal investigators transferred the bodyto the forensic department after they werecalled to examine the scene.

Search for rapistInvestigations are ongoing in a case

involving a woman who said that she wasraped by a suspected fake policeman. TheKuwaiti woman told Abu Halifa police sta-tion officers that her car stopped after run-ning out of gas, and a person came andoffered help. The man, who introduced him-self as a police detective, brought a jerrycanfrom his car and filled her vehicle with fuel.He then offered to drive her to her destina-tion in case she ran out of gas again, and sheagreed. The man took her to a desert loca-tion and raped her before escaping, accord-ing to her statements.

Passports forgery

suspect nabbed

SUNDAY, JUNE 29, 2014

L O C A L

By A. Saleh

KUWAIT: Five lawmakers who were elect-ed in Thursday’s by-elections will besworn in during tomorrow’s session thathas a busy agenda including a number ofkey laws. New MPs Ahmad Al-Qudhaibi,Ahmad Lari, Abdullah Al-Maayouf, FarisAl-Otaib, and Mohammad Al-Barrak arealso set to be named members in a num-ber of parliamentary committees bydefault.

Lari is expected to be added to the leg-

islative committee, Qudhaibi to the budg-ets committee, Otaibi to the health com-mittee, Maayouf to the foreign affairscommittee, and Rashidi to the investiga-tions committee in the multimillion-dinartransfers case. They will fill seats thatbecame vacant following the resignationof former MPs Ali Al-Rashed, Riyadh Al-Adasani, Safa Al-Hashem Abdulkareem Al-Kandari and Hussein Al-Quwaiaan.

Meanwhile, the financial committeeholds a meeting today to discuss amend-ments to the build-operate-transfer (BOT)

law. The parliament had returned the billto the committee last week for furtherstudy, then sent it back in time to be vot-ed on during tomorrow’s session. Themain point of argument centered aroundan article in the law that stipulates increas-ing the period in which the private com-pany benefits from the BOT project to 50years. Sources revealed that the panel andthe government have an agreement toavoid adding major amendments to thelaw.

Also Monday, the parliament’s investi-gation committee in the North Zour pow-er plant project meets to finalize its reportand refer it to the parliament. The step willbe followed by a request during the par-liament’s session to give priority to dis-cussing the report before the end of thecurrent term next Thursday. According tosources with knowledge of the investiga-tions, the committee will recommendreferring a large number of individuals,including senior officials and representa-tives from the contracting companies, tothe public prosecution.

The panel will not recommend filingcases at the ministers’ court againstMinister of Electricity and Water andMinister of Public Works Abdulaziz Al-Ibrahim and Finance Minister Anas Al-Saleh. Instead, it will recommend filinggrilling motions against the two unlessthe government addresses the violationsin the contract to protect public funds,said the sources who spoke to Al-Watanon the condition of anonymity. The viola-tions include failure to award the project’stender to the company with the mostqualified offer, and that the law to estab-lish the plant is not compatible with thecompanies’ law, the sources said.

In other news, the Cabinet plans to dis-cuss during its next meeting a draft law toamend the constitutional court law thatthe parliament passed last week. TheCabinet is expected to make its decisionon this law, as well as the law to establishthe transportation authority, before midJuly.

Meanwhile, sources revealed that theCabinet will resume discussing privatiza-tion of public services in the near future.The government hopes to cut spendingby privatizing state departments such asthe Ministry of Health, Ministry ofEducation, Ministry of Information,Ministry of Communication and Ministryof Electricity and Water, the sources said.

Elected MPs to be

sworn in tomorrowBusy agenda for NA session

KUWAIT: Gulf Bank has announcedits extensive program of special activ-ities that will be held throughout theholy month of Ramadan. These activi-ties aim at shedding light on the trueRamadan spirit and celebrating thisspecial time of the year with the localcommunity.

For the 8th consecutive year, GulfBank in coordination with KAACH willbe distributing Girgian bags to kidsand their families in various hospitals.These hospitals include: Ibn Sina,Jahra, Farwaniya, Zain, NBK hospital,Al-Razi and Amiri. During these visits,children will be treated to a variety ofentertainment including: cartooncharacters, face painting, hair braid-ing, henna, singing traditional songsand a magic show.

Gulf Bank will be sponsoring theAl Kharafi Activity Kids Center’s annu-al Girgian event for the 6th consecu-tive year. The event will take place atthe Center in Mishref where the bankwill participate by distributing girgianbags to the children, as well as enter-taining them throughout theevening.

The bank will also sponsor Iftar forneedy families through Mabbarat Al-Rahma Al-Khairiya, who will be pro-viding orphans across Kuwait withGirgian, Ediya and new clothes forEid.

Every year Gulf Bank shares thejoy of Ramadan with the community

through a special TV commercial,which will be shown from the firstday of the Holy Month of Ramadan.The Bank will also launch two socialmedia competitions utilizing its TVcommercials; the first will be from 1July until 6 July where Gulf Bank fol-lowers are encouraged to share theirRamadan experiences and decorativethemes for the holy month. The sec-ond competition will be from July 12until July 15, where participantsshould post a video sharing their gir-gian experiences using Gulf Bank’sTVC songs. Winners from each com-petition will receive a prize.

In addition to the external activi-ties, Gulf Bank has organized an inter-nal program for its employees, whowill enjoy a staff ghabqa and a specialRamadan gift. Gulf Bank has alwaysbeen committed to proactively giv-ing back to the community as eventhe smallest gesture can make a dif-ference therefore the bank has organ-ized the “Pay it Forward” initiative aspart of its pre-Ramadan package tostaff. This initiative will encourageeach employee to share the blessingsof the Holy Month with someone inneed by giving them an Iftar voucherfrom Gulf Bank. Gulf Bank’s Ramadaninitiatives serve to reflect the spirit ofcompassion amongst the society, andto provide moral support to variousunderprivileged segments in thecommunity.

Gulf Bank launches

Ramadan program

p3.e$S_Layout 1 6/28/14 9:46 PM Page 1

It has become clear that Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahd Al-Sabah is behind the leaks, or rather the accusationsadopted by the opposition led by Popular Action

Movement spokesman Musallam Al-Barrak. Do theseaccusations have the same integrity and power nowafter it became clear that their source is a member ofthe ruling family, and one who was accused by multi-ple political groups of political profiteering - eitherthrough alleged theft of public funds and misappropri-ation of state establishments and services?

We have to wonder whether the accusations willhave the same integrity and effect on ‘youth activists’who have already adopted them as facts and proof ofthe corruption of all state authorities, on the basis thatthey were exposed following efforts of the supposed‘protectors’ of public funds. The question is, will thepeople who believed the accusations before have a dif-ferent position today, on the basis that the accusationshave lost the integrity and ‘nationalistic’ tags thatBarrak has attached to them?

Perhaps the most important question is, what is thefate of the so-called ‘Popular Movement’ after the‘defending public funds’ slogan, its most importantweapon, has been taken away from it? Especially thatSheikh Ahmad’s complaint carries promises and hopesof retrieving $65 billion allegedly stolen from publicfunds. That amount means that not only is SheikhAhmad pulling the rug from under the PopularMovement, but also taking over the whole ground.

Many believed, or had hoped, that the alleged reve-lation of transfers and bribes would be an opportunityfor the movement to rebound and rise again. But whenSheikh Ahmad made his actions public and revealedthat he is the main person behind the public fundsprotection campaigns, he extinguished the spark thatwas hoped to reignite the Popular Movement.

I believe that activists behind the Popular ActionMovement and Barrak should start looking for a newidentity or other playgrounds to play in, becauseSheikh Ahmad has taken the entire spotlight for him-self. —Translated by Kuwait Times from Al-Qabas

Defenders of

public funds

kuwait digest

By Abdullatif Al-Duaij

One can hardly talk about reading, culture andbooks these days without talking about theInternet as an alternative to traditional books for

a considerable number of people who do so out of theirwish to look up information quickly and in view of theattractive ways this information is displayed. Franklyspeaking, despite my known love of books and addic-tion to the fragrance of their ink-saturated paper, I amnot against education in any means and I have no prob-lem no matter what this means, even if it is a capsuleone swallows to become cultured and educated. Forme, the important thing will always be how much cul-ture a ‘student’ benefits from such alternatives to books.

Yes, I know that experiences and follow-up haverepeatedly proven that nothing equals a book to conveyeducation or culture. In fact, nothing is even closeenough. Yet, I would not just stubbornly reject othermeans, especially the Internet and its contributions thatcompete with books nowadays because I know for surethat it would be a lost battle to face this rapidly devel-oping opponent.

Therefore, while I continue my usual activity, con-stantly calling for reviving traditional reading and work-ing on establishing reading groups and clubs, I also callfor, and in fact contribute to, making the Internet withits social media networks such as Facebook, Twitter,Instagram and others sources of culture, and maybe,education.

My idea is based on the fact that educated and cul-tured people, thinkers, intellectuals and artists and oth-ers have many experiences to share with the users ofthese networks and interact with them. So, with thepresence of millions of social media users, I think thiswould be a golden opportunity - if well-utilized - tospread culture, awareness and intellect, somehow,amongst those users.

Each can theoretically and practically publish hisknowledge, culture, thoughts, literature, art and experi-ences on these networks, making use of the simplicityof ‘Internet language’ and the audiovisual means avail-able. Though simple and light, the continuity of broad-casting cultural capsules, if they do continue and I willnot go as far as claiming they would replace books andtraditional serious reading, but would rather say that itwould, at least, introduce lots of cultural benefits to theusers of those networks who cannot be forced in anyway to read books the conventional way. In addition, itmay, at a certain point, tempt some of them to look upmore and more through going back to traditional book-reading.

I am personally keen on this activity. While beingpresent on various social media, I always make sure toput such thinking-motivating material in an attempt tochange the time my followers spend surfing my blogsinto something more than spending free time surfingthe Web. No matter how simple culture or education ofthe user of this vast cyberspace, he/she can contributeto keep this wheel running and maybe with a little moreeffort, we can push this wheel forward, each accordingto his powers and contributions. We will, someday, beable to spread culture considerably through thesemeans! —Translated by Kuwait Times from Al-Jarida

Easily swallowed

cultural capsules!

kuwait digest

By Dr Sajed Al-Abdali

L O C A LSUNDAY, JUNE 29, 2014

By Muna Al-Fuzai

local@kuwaittimes.net

Professing

in Ramadan

The Ministry of Interior (MoI) issued its annualwarning to the public to observe the fasting peri-od of Ramadan and avoid eating and drinking in

public until the end of the fasting day. This year the fast-ing period is expected to be around 15 hours. Law no.44/1968 clearly states the punishment as a fine notexceeding KD 100 and a term of imprisonment notexceeding one month or one of these penalties forthose who violate Ramadan rules.

Working hours are going to be lesser than usual inboth the government and private sectors. For thosewho spend the day in bed or in air-conditioned offices,six working hours are nothing. In fact, they are my leastconcern. I’m worried about the thousands of workerswho are forced to work during the daytime in this heatand not being able to eat or drink regardless of theirbeliefs and religions!

I will not go to the extreme asking to allow people toeat and drink during daytime and challenge fastingpeople. But in my opinion, all types of work in openareas must be stopped until evening. Mark this, working15 hours in this heat is not going to be easy for every-one.

Let’s ask what are the types of jobs that require expo-sure to the sun and heat, causing dehydration and sick-ness if one is not able to take enough liquids. Cleaners,construction and road workers, maybe workers at elec-tricity and power stations as well. Any job that forcespeople to be exposed to the sun during daytime inRamadan must be prevented by law. Any companyowner who tries to force his workers to do the job ignor-ing the law must be punished as well. I know there is alaw for summertime in which workers are not supposedto work from 1 pm to 4 pm. Some companies don’t evenconsider this law. This is not the same case now. BeforeRamadan, the harm was less because at least they coulddrink and eat as they wished.

I believe laws are made to bring justice by striking abalance between those who respect it and those whodon’t. I understand the Interior Ministry is sending warn-ing messages to alert all residents of this country not toeat or drink in public during the daytime in Ramadan.But other official departments like the Ministry of SocialAffairs and Labor should send a clear warning to busi-ness owners, especially cleaning and constructionscompanies, not to force their workers to do any work inthe daytime and change their working hours from 9 pmto 3 am, for instance. The holy month of Ramadan is notonly about fasting and food - it is about morality, ethics,behaviors and uplifting people’s spirituality and decen-cy.

I care less about those who fast and not do any realjob at their workplaces because they are fasting. Oryelling and shouting because they cannot have theirmorning coffee or can’t bear the long fasting hours.Fasting is something between you and God and it is notothers’ duty to bear the tension. This is another morallesson that local media should focus on.

Islam has many valuable messages to convey to thepublic all year long, but the lack of proper interpretationby the people themselves is damaging the right imageof Islam, not only as a religion but a way of life. Fastingexists among other religions too in different ways andtimings to upgrade the human soul. We are on day onein this fasting month.

Next article on the ugly phenomenon called beggars ofRamadan.

Local spotlight

By Abdullah Buwair

local@kuwaittimes.net

No solution for

health problems

The situation at the Ministry of Health continues todeteriorate, with negligence and little action toaddress countless problems at public hospitals

and polyclinics.I wrote before about the prolonged doctor’s appoint-

ments, but no solutions have since been introduced. Apatient once told me that he went to Razi Hospital aftercomplaining from swelling in his legs, and was diag-nosed with water retention.

The problem is that the doctor told him that his con-dition increased the possibility of developing a bloodclot, then asked for an MRI to determine the propertreatment. When he went to take an appointment, thepatient was asked to come after three months becausethere is only one MRI machine in the entire hospital.

Another story is of a 16-year-old boy who was hospi-talized after he passed out inside his house and in frontof his family. After tests, the doctor sent the teenager tothe neurology department; where he was given anappointment after two months.

It seems that the Kuwaiti government does not givevalue to its own citizens on that regard; not even to can-cer patients. According to a group of women I spokewith, a doctor at the Sheikha Badriya Al-Ahmed Al-JaberAl-Sabah Center for Oncology told them to stop comingregularly to the hospital because they are ‘dying any-way’.

In Mubarak Hospital, the intensive care unit wastransformed into a warehouse for unused medicalequipment.

Medical errors is another story. I was speaking with anurse at the Hawally polyclinic on this subject, when shetold me her personal experience that almost cost herher life. She said that she was complaining from neckand back pain, then diagnosed in Kuwait as having acontusion and was prescribed some ointments.

She went to an Arab country after her conditionworsened, and was diagnosed with bone cancer. Shecurrently receives treatment in France where she travelsregularly.

Medication shortages are also a problem that contin-ues to escalate without a solution. During a recent visitto the Mubarak Hospital, the pharmacist told me that amedication I was prescribed is ‘very rare’ as theyreceived only 10 tablets per week. When I asked himwhat happens if the supply runs out and a patient need-ed to get the medication, he said that the patient wouldhave to wait for two weeks.

In my view

Member of the Human resources committee at theNational Assembly Khalil Al-Saleh said the com-mittee excluded the private sector from the

indemnity law, which will include the government sectoronly, and this may lead to reverse migration to the publicsector.

I wrote about this topic onMay 3, and I told MP Yacoub Al-Sane, the chairman of the com-mittee, that thanks to him, youwill not find a single Kuwaitiworking in the private sectorafter this day, and sure enough,and as I expected, the commit-tee excluded Kuwaitis in theprivate sector from this reward,which contradicts the govern-ment’s directions, as it is sup-posed to, to support the privatesector and not the opposite.

The chaotic state the gov-ernment and Assembly are going through indicates, with-out a doubt, that what they issue is not in the interest ofthe country! Because on one hand, the country is study-ing increasing citizens’ percentage in the private sectorand forces the private sector to appoint Kuwaitis, and on

the other hand increases incentives of those working inthe public sector, so what kind of logic is this, you thegovernment and Assembly?!

If the government and Assembly really want to sup-port the private sector and increase the number of

Kuwaiti workers in it, what isrequired is to stop all incen-tives and grants to the govern-ment sector. Most importantly,the government and Assemblyshould find the suitable mech-anism to have Kuwaitis migratefrom the government to theprivate sector not the oppo-site! Salaries of the govern-ment sector “eat” the country’sbudget, and proposals such asthis increase the problem, notsolve it!

With my great respect tomost members of the human

resources committee, I do not blame you, because in ouropinion, what is the relationship of lawyers and aviationto human resources? The biggest evidence of this is thechaos that is in most of these decisions!

—Translated by Kuwait Times from Al-Qabas

Not in interest of Kuwait

kuwait digest

By Osama Safar

Al-A

nb

aa

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1- What was the first verse revealedin the Torah?

Answer: In the name of God, most merciful,most gracious.

Yes No

the Great War lasted more than 52 months and left some 10million dead and 20 million injured and maimed on its battle-fields. Millions more perished under occupation through dis-ease, hunger or deportation.

Four of the world’s most powerful empires - Russian,German, Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman - collapsed in theaftermath. The ruin of Europe cleared the way for the rise of anew superpower, the United States. World War I fanned theemergence of many of the ideologies that fashioned the 20thcentury and its conflicts, including anti-colonialism,Communism, Fascism and Nazism. — AFP

SARAJEVO: Bosnia marked 100 years since the assassinationof Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo that sparkedWorld War I, but the divisive legacy of the gunman GavriloPrincip meant Serbs were shunning the event. It was on aSarajevo street corner on June 28, 1914, that the 19-year-oldBosnian Serb nationalist shot dead the archduke and his wifewith a Browning revolver, setting off a chain of events thatsucked Europe’s great powers into four years of unprecedent-ed violence that redrew the world map.

Many of those competing powers commemorated the cen-

tenary on the sidelines of an EU summit on Thursday with alow-key ceremony at Belgium’s Ypres, where German forcesused mustard gas for the first time in 1915. But in the Balkans,the legacy of the Great War continues to stir up ethnic divi-sions between Serbs, Croats and Muslims, preventing heads ofstate from coming together to mark the event at the site ofthe assassination in Bosnia’s capital. “It would have beenimpossible to bring everyone together on June 28 in Sarajevo,”said Bosnian Serb historian and diplomat Slobodan Soja.

There are wildly differing interpretations of 20th century

history in the region where the scars of sectarian wars in the1990s are still fresh. The assassin, Gavrilo Princip, is amongthe most divisive figures in that history - either a fervent Serbnationalist who sought to liberate Slavs from the Austro-Hungarian occupier, or a terrorist who unleashed horrificbloodshed on the world, depending on who you ask. Serbianand Bosnian Serb leaders refused to take part in the maincommemorations in Sarajevo on Saturday that were set tofeature a performance by the Vienna Philharmonic in the lateafternoon - a highly symbolic envoy from the capital of aonce-loathed empire.

The Serbs instead unveiled a two-metre-high bronze stat-ue of Princip in eastern Sarajevo on Friday and held their ownceremonies on Saturday in eastern Bosnia. Top leaders,including Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic andBosnian Serb president Milorad Dodik were to join the cere-mony in the eastern town of Visegrad, where a street wasnamed after Princip’s revolutionary movement “YoungBosnia”.

“We are here to pay homage to Gavrilo Princip, a key his-toric figure of last century,” said 58-year old LjubisaSimonovic, who had traveled from Serbia for the ceremonyalong with hundreds of others. “The divisions are regrettablebut so are attempts to change the facts, particularly if theyare motivated by recent history.”

Until the Bosnia war in the 1990s, Princip was Sarajevo’sfavourite son. Two years after he died in prison in 1920 hisbones were dug up and brought to be buried in the city,where a bridge was named after him and plaques put up inhis honour. During the 1990s conflict, he was worshipped asan icon of Serb nationalism by Bosnian Serb forces as theybesieged Sarajevo in one of the war’s most brutal episodes.“For the army bombing Sarajevo, Gavrilo Princip was a cultfigure,” said Bosnian Muslim historian Husnija Kamberovic.

That ensured Princip was even more loathed by Muslimand Croat civilians trapped in the city, who wasted no time intearing down his plaques and renaming his bridge after thewar ended. Princip’s brazen attack 100 years ago draggedalmost half the world’s population into a cycle of violence ofunprecedented scale and intensity. What became known as

SUNDAY, JUNE 29, 2014

Benghazi attack ‘ringleader’ in US

Page 8

Golden Gate Bridge to get anti-suicide nettingPage 9

Sarajevo marks WW1 spark100 years have passed since shots that triggered Great War

SARAJEVO: Members of the Central-European monarchists’ delegation hold a banner representing AustrianArchduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophia yesterday on the sidelines of ceremonies commemorating the100th anniversary of their assassination on June 28, 1914. — AFP

I N T E R N AT I O N A LSUNDAY, JUNE 29, 2014

BAGHDAD: Iraqi Prime Minister’s security spokesman Lt Gen Qassem Atta speaks during a press conference aboutthe latest military developments in Iraq yesterday. — AFP

BAGHDAD: Iraqi forces pressed acampaign yesterday to retake mili-tant-held Tikrit, clashing with jihadist-led Sunni militants nearby andpounding positions inside the citywith air strikes in their biggest count-er-offensive so far. A senior officer saidsecurity forces was coordinating withthe United States, which has deployedmilitary advisers to help the govern-ment push back the militants, whohave overrun large parts of fiveprovinces north and west of Baghdad.Armed US drones were flying overBaghdad to provide protection for theadvisers and US diplomats against themilitants, led by the jihadist IslamicState of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

Top Shiite cleric Grand AyatollahAli Al-Sistani, who is revered amongIraq’s majority community, has urgedpolitical leaders to unite and form anew government within days to tacklethe crisis. International agencies haveraised alarm bells over the humanitar-ian consequences of the fighting, withup to 10,000 people having fled anorthern Christian town in recentdays and 1.2 million displaced byunrest in Iraq this year.

Thousands of soldiers, backed byair cover, tanks and bomb disposalunits, were advancing on Tikrit - now-executed dictator Saddam Hussein’shometown - which fell to insurgentson June 11. Witnesses said loyalistswere moving toward Tikrit from thewest and engaged in heavy clashes. “Alarge military operation started todayto clear Tikrit of ISIL,” Staff LieutenantGeneral Sabah Fatlawi told AFP, sayingits fighters now have two choice “fleeor be killed.”

Helicopter-borne troops swoopedinto a strategically located universitycampus in the city on Thursday, withsporadic clashes reported throughout

Friday. Taking the university is seen asan important step towards regainingcontrol of Tikrit, one of the biggestcities held by the militants. Iraqi forceswere carrying out air strikes againstinsurgents inside the city, PrimeMinister Nuri al-Maliki ’s securityspokesman said. They were also nowin full control of a key road fromBaghdad to Samarra, between thecapital and Tikrit, Lieutenant GeneralQassem Atta added. There is coordina-tion with the US over “studying impor-tant targets,” Atta said, without elabo-rating.

Drones Over Baghdad Although they initially wilted in the

face of the offensive in majority SunniArab areas that began on June 9, thesecurity forces have appeared to per-form more capably in recent days. Asenior US official, speaking on condi-tion of anonymity, said “a few” armeddrones were being used overBaghdad as a precaution to safeguardAmericans, but they will not be usedfor offensive action against the mili-tants. The Pentagon confirmed thatamong the manned and unmannedUS aircraft flying over Iraq to carry outsurveillance, some were carryingbombs and missiles.

The US flights come despiteMaliki ’s insistence on Friday that“Baghdad is safe” from militantassault. World leaders have insistedthat a political settlement be reachedamong Iraq’s Shiite Arab, Sunni Araband Kurdish communities. Sistaniurged Iraqi leaders to unite and forma government quickly after the newparliament elected on April 30 con-venes on Tuesday. Maliki, who haspublicly focused on a militaryresponse to the crisis, has acknowl-edged that political measures are also

necessary. Yesterday, Russian DeputyForeign Minister Sergei Ryabkov saidin Damascus that “Russia will notremain passive to the attempts bysome groups to spread terrorism inthe region.” “The situation is very dan-gerous in Iraq and the foundations ofthe Iraqi state are under threat,” hesaid. Iraq has agreed to purchasemore than a dozen Sukhoi warplanesfrom Russia and Belarus in a deal thatcould be worth up to $500 million(368 million euros).

US Air Strikes Wanted Iraq has appealed for US air strikes

against the militants, but Washingtonhas offered only up to 300 militaryadvisers. US official have said a pro-posed $500 million plan to arm andtrain moderate rebels in neighbouringSyria could also help Iraq’s fightagainst ISIL, which operates on bothsides of the border. But amid calls forunity, Iraqi Kurdish leader MassudBarzani said Baghdad could no longerobject to Kurdish self-rule in Kirkukand other areas from which federalforces withdrew as the insurgentsadvanced.

“Now, this (issue)... is achieved,” hesaid, referring to a constitutional arti-cle meant to address the Kurds’decades-old ambition to incorporatemore territory into their autonomousnorthern region, a move Baghdadopposes. Maliki’s security spokesmanhas said hundreds of soldiers havebeen killed since the offensive beganon June 9, while the UN puts the over-all death toll at nearly 1,100. TheInternational Organisation forMigration warned that aid workerscould not reach tens of thousands ofIraqis displaced by the violence, andcalled for humanitarian corridors tobe established. —AFP

Clashes near Tikrit as

troops launch fightback

US flying armed drones over Baghdad

ARBIL, Iraq: The onslaught by SunniArab militants in northern Iraq hasprompted the country ’s Kurds todeploy the famed peshmerga securityforces in defence of their autonomousregion. The move affects both youngand old, with regional PresidentMassud Barzani even calling onretired fighters to volunteer to take uparms again. At a peshmerga base out-side Arbil, the capital of the three-province Kurdistan region, traininghas a new urgency.

Young men dressed in greenfatigues are put through their paceson an assault course, swinging frommonkey bars, shimmying down ropesand scrambling over walls daubed incamouflage colours. They will gradu-ate as the region faces what the secre-tary general of the ministry responsi-ble for the peshmerga says is a majormilitary challenge - tackling the insur-gents, led by jihadists from the IslamicState of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), whohave seized a large chunk of neigh-bouring territory. “We’re talking aboutfacing terrorists along a piece of terri-tory that extends 1,500 kilometres,”Jabbar Yawar said. “Very nice neigh-bours we have now,” he added sarcas-tically.

The peshmerga are famed for theirdevotion to the Kurdish nationalistcause and their long-running guerillawar against now-executed dictatorSaddam Hussein’s forces, and are

regarded as well-trained, well-armedand capable. The recruits go througha 45-day training program, whichincludes physical exercise like kick-boxing and assault courses, as well asweapons instruction. When they grad-uate, they will face foes with recentbattle experience in Syria and Iraq, aswell as some former Iraqi soldiers withseveral wars under their belts. As theytrain, retired peshmerga respondingto Barzani’s call arrive at the base.

‘Biggest Peshmerga Deployment’ They trundle in, many dressed in

traditional baggy Kurdish shirts andtrousers, bound around often rotundmidsections with a patterned belt.Some 200 of them have answered thecall in recent days, a peshmergasource says, swelling the 300 men intraining. “This is the biggest deploy-ment of peshmerga in recent history,”Yawar told AFP. Previously, he said,some 13 brigades were deployedalong with regular Iraqi soldiers alonga 1,500-km line from the Syrian borderto the frontier with Iran.

But when Iraqi forces retreated inthe face of a militant onslaught thathas overrun areas of five provinces,the peshmerga moved in. “When theyleft their bases, it created a void, andwe had to send in extra forces to fillthat void,” Yawar said, declining togive exact figures for “security rea-sons”. Among those newly deployed is

a 24-year-old from the Kurdish city ofSulaimaniyah, who is facing his firstconflict. He is on summer holidaysfrom university, where he is studyingat a military school to become an offi-cer and is now on a front line outsidethe disputed city of Kirkuk, some fivekilometres from the Sunni insurgents.

He declined to give his name, asrank-and-file peshmerga have beentold not to speak to media, but waseager to practise his English. “I havestudied English, but never spoken itwith a foreigner before,” he said, hesi-tating before breaking into a smile.

Nervous Fighter He admits to some nerves about

battle as he looks at the smoke risingfrom an exchange of mortar fireacross the front line. “I try not to beafraid, but I am sometimes. But I thinkit’s bad if you aren’t afraid at all,” hesaid. Elsewhere on the front line,another fighter rattled off an invento-ry of the equipment at their disposal.“We have tanks (armoured personnelcarriers), mortars and good guns,” hesaid, gesturing at the equipmentarrayed alongside trenches and greensandbagged positions. But he alsoacknowledged that the militants canmatch much of that, having takenarms and material left behind by thewithdrawing Iraqi forces.

The peshmerga are deployedalong areas that far exceed the previ-ously accepted borders of the Kurdishregion. That includes the disputed oilhub of Kirkuk, a city Kurdistan haslong hoped to control over objectionsfrom the Iraqi federal government. OnFriday, Barzani declared that there wasno going back on Kurdish control ofKirkuk and other areas held by histroops. “Now, this (issue)... is achieved,”he said, referring to a constitutionalarticle meant to address the Kurds’ambition to incorporate disputed ter-ritory.

Yawar said the current line ofdeployment would hold, ruling outthe peshmerga either retreating tothe old borders or advancing to seizeterritory from the militants. “Our strat-egy at the moment is just to defendthis line... to prevent any terroristsfrom entering the region,” he said.“And we are not going to be involvedin any military operations beyond thatline.” —AFP

Peshmerga deploy

to defend region

CAIRO: Egyptian security forces inspect the area of a telecommunicationsbuilding, still under construction, after two bombs exploded at the site inthe October 6 suburb of the capital yesterday killing two. —AFP

WASHINGTON: The suspected ring-leader of a deadly 2012 attack on theAmerican consulate in the Libyan cityof Benghazi arrived in the UnitedStates yesterday in the custody of USauthorities. Four Americans includingUS ambassador Christopher Stevenswere killed on Sept 11, 2012 whengunmen stormed the US consulateand set it on fire and a CIA outpostwas also targeted, in an attack thatshocked Washington and has becomea highly charged political issue.“Ahmed Abu Khatallah is in lawenforcement custody,” a Departmentof Justice spokesman said in an emailto AFP, declining to give furtherdetails.

The US State Department has iden-tified Khatallah as a senior leader ofAnsar al-Sharia, a Libyan Islamistgroup it brands a “terrorist” organiza-tion responsible for a spate of attacksand assassinations. US commandoscaptured Khatallah - who could facethe death penalty - earlier this monthin a covert raid on Libyan soil and hewas transferred to the United Statesafter being interred on a US Navy ves-sel.

Special forces, working with FBIagents, carried out the stealth opera-tion to seize Khatallah - whom the UShas accused of being the attack ring-leader - under cover of darkness andwithdrew without losses. Libyaaccused Washington of violating its

sovereignty. The raid two weeks agorepresented a victory for PresidentBarack Obama, who has faced intensecriticism over his administration’s han-dling of the Benghazi assault and itsaftermath.

Khatal lah was f lown toWashington by helicopter shortly

after sunrise from the Navy warshipthe New York, where he has beenheld since his high-profile capture,The New York Times reported, quot-ing US government officials. Thesuspect was being held under tightsecurity in a federal courthouse in

the US capital, the Times said.

Several Charges US federal prosecutors have

charged Khatallah with murder, carry-ing a weapon and offering materialsupport to “terrorism,” according to anindictment. The first charge potential-ly carries the death penalty. Thecharges reflect accounts from Libyanofficials and witnesses who have sin-gled out Khatallah as allegedly takingpart in the assault that day. Khatallahhad been seen in public often sinceand gave an interview to The NewYork Times last year, striking a defianttone over a strawberry frappe at acafe in a luxury hotel in Benghazi. ButUS officials have dismissed sugges-tions that the suspect was “hiding inplain sight” or that the operation tocapture him could have been con-ducted much sooner.

The Benghazi attack raised ques-tions about security at US missionsworldwide and has been the subjectof fierce political debate. Former secre-tary of state Hillary Clinton faced hos-tile questioning before lawmakersover the issue. Republicans allegedthat the White House failed to responddecisively and then tried to hide somefacts in the grisly episode. The Obamaadministration, in turn, has accusedcritics of politicizing a tragic event andsays that it has divulged all the detailsof the case. —AFP

Benghazi attack

‘ringleader’ in USKhatallah could face death penalty

Ahmed Abu Khatallah

p8_Layout 1 6/28/14 10:02 PM Page 1

I N T E R N AT I O N A LSUNDAY, JUNE 29, 2014

SAUSALITO, California: The Golden Gate Bridge peeks through the fog onFriday in San Francisco. —AFP

Argentinean vice prez charged with bribery

Boudou insists he is innocent

Calif agents to help Texas over

immigrant influxSAN DIEGO: US Border Patrol officials in Southern Californiaare sending agents and other resources to Texas to helpstretched colleagues in the Rio Grande deal with a surge ofimmigrants illegally crossing the frontier, two Border Patrolunion officials said on Friday. Officials are trying to handle aninflux of new arrivals, many of them unaccompanied childrenand teens from Central America, that has crowded facilities inTexas and led to efforts to move some to other states.

“US Border Patrol San Diego Sector is sending MobileResponse Team trained agents from San Diego to enhanceprocessing and detention capabilities in the Rio GrandeValley,” said Gabe Pacheco, spokesman for the National BorderPatrol Council Local 1613, which covers San Diego. He said ina statement that additional resources would be deployedimmediately to South Texas “to facilitate increased effective-ness.”

Lombardo Amaya, president of the union’s chapter inneighboring El Centro, also in Southern California, said it toowas sending patrol agents and vehicles to the Rio Grande. Hesaid 20 to 30 agents would be sent for up to 45 days, and thatthey would be working long shifts six days a week. “Amongthem are trained EMTs (emergency medical technicians,) firstresponders and search and rescue people,” he said. “There areabout 5,000 people waiting to be processed in Texas now.

Surge of New ArrivalsMore than 47,000 unaccompanied minors are thought to

have entered the United States illegally between October andMay, nearly twice as many as the previous year, many of themfleeing poverty and gang violence in countries such as ElSalvador and Honduras. President Barack Obama has calledthe flood of illegal immigrant children an urgent humanitari-an crisis but has also warned parents not to send their chil-dren on the long journey, saying they would be sent back.

Plans to begin flying the immigrants to California fromTexas for processing were abruptly called off last weekendwithout public explanation. Border Patrol union officials saidthat was due to public pressure. On Friday, the US Customsand Border Protection agency said it was making furtherarrangements to transport adults with children from the RioGrande Valley to the Laredo and El Paso areas of Texas and toSouthern California.

“The movement will allow the US Border Patrol in less con-gested areas to assist in processing family units from SouthTexas,” it said in a statement. After processing, it said, familygroups will be handed to Immigration and CustomsEnforcement, which will decide whether to keep them in cus-tody on a case-by-case basis, “prioritizing national securityand public safety.”

The surge in new arrivals comes as a number of US groupspush for policy reform to let the roughly 11 million undocu-mented immigrants in the United States obtain a pathway tocitizenship. Many Republicans say the Obama administrationis not doing enough to secure the southern border. —Reuters

BUENOS AIRES: An Argentine judge hascharged Vice President Amado Boudou withbribery and conducting business incompatiblewith public office in the acquisition of the com-pany that prints the country’s currency and oflater benefiting from government contracts.Boudou is accused of using shell companies andsecret middlemen to gain control of the compa-ny that was given contracts to print theArgentine peso and campaign material for theticket he shared with President CristinaFernandez.

Federal judge Ariel Lijo’s decision was pub-lished Friday night on the justice department’swebsite. The judge also ordered an embargo on200,000 pesos ($25,000) of Boudou’s property.He will remain free while he waits trial in thecase along with five other defendants. Boudou isthe first sitting Argentine vice president to facesuch charges. He could be sentenced tobetween one and six years in prison, and a life-time ban from elective office.

Boudou, who was on an official trip to Cuba,says he’s innocent of the accusations despite evi-dence linking him to other defendants that wasmade public through investigative reports byArgentina’s newspapers. Many Argentines havequestioned why Fernandez has remained loyalto her No. 2 when allegations have made himArgentina’s least popular politician, opponentsare threatening to impeach him and some alliessay he should resign. His falling fortunes haveleft the government without a clear presidentialsuccessor ahead of the 2015 elections.Fernandez has yet to speak publicly about thecase.

According to the judge’s investigation,Boudou - as economy minister and then vice

president - acted to smooth the CicconeCalcografica printing company’s exit from bank-ruptcy and engineer its purchase by a shell com-pany so he and other secret partners could ben-efit from unusual tax exemptions and lucrativegovernment contracts.

The shell company, The Old Fund, was led bybusinessman Alejandro Vandenbroele, who isaccused of secretly representing Boudou in busi-ness deals. The scandal broke open afterVandenbroele’s former wife exposed the allegedarrangement, saying she had to give mediainterviews because her life was being threat-ened for what she knew.

Others who were charged Friday includelongtime Boudou friend and business partnerJose Maria Nunez Carmona; Vandenbroele; for-mer tax agency official Rafael Resnick Brenner;printing company co-founder Nicolas Ciccone,and his son-in-law Guillermo Reinwick. The

Ciccones have said Boudou was personallyinvolved in the negotiations that persuadedthem to sell 70 percent of the family company toThe Old Fund. Boudou has not denied signing adecree as economy minister that effectivelyerased the printer’s debts by enabling the newowners to pay back taxes over many years atbelow-market interest rates.

Amado Boudou

LOS ANGELES: Transportation authoritiesagreed Friday to fund anti-suicide nettingbeneath the Golden Gate Bridge to prevent peo-ple jumping to their death from the iconic land-mark, an official said. The Golden Gate’s manage-ment authority agreed to pay part of the $76 mil-lion funding for the Golden Gate Bridge PhysicalSuicide Deterrent System Project. The rest will befunded by the federal and state authorities, saidDenis Mulligan, general manager of the GoldenGate Bridge Highway and Transportation District.

Construction of the system, which will pro-vide netting extending 20 feet on either side ofthe bridge, is due to be completed by 2018, hetold AFP. The netting will be suspended 20 feetbelow the sidewalks which run along either sideof the bridge, which is 1.7 miles long - makingthe total length of netting 3.5 miles long. Morethan 1,400 people have fallen to their deathsfrom the bridge since it was opened in 1937,including a record 46 suicides in 2013, the official

said. Mulligan said various options had been con-sidered, adding: “Of all the alternatives, this hasthe least visual impact. If you drive across thebridge you will not see it. “At the two vista pointsat the two ends you will notice it, because youwill look out straight at it, along the length of thebridge,” he said, adding that: “On the sidewalkyou will not notice it, unless you’re leaning wayover the side.”

He said the world-famous bridge’s managershad been considering options for about adecade. “Several decades ago people didn’t havean understanding about suicide ... they didn’ttalk about it. Our board today reflects our society,today we talk about suicide,” he said. He added:“In the last several years, many families who havelost young children and teenagers on the bridgehave come and talked to our board about what itmeant to them and their families and their chil-dren’s friends. “I think that has had an impact,” hesaid. —AFP

Golden Gate to get anti-suicide netting

Mexico arrests vigilante leader

MEXICO CITY: Mexican officials on Friday announced thearrest Jose Manuel Mireles, the face of a powerful anti-crime vigilante group in the western state of Michoacan.Mireles was detained in the Pacific coastal port city ofLazar Cardenas after entering a nearby town with morethan 100 armed supporters, officials said. A medical doc-tor by training, the tall Mireles, who sports a thick mous-tache and usually wears a cowboy hat, co-founded thegroup and was for months it’s chief spokesman and itsmost visible personality. Mireles was arrested with“weapons of exclusive military use,” the Michoacan stategovernment said via Twitter. Along with Mireles more than100 armed men who claimed to be self-defense forcemembers were also arrested, an army source told AFP,speaking on condition of anonymity.

Michoacan, on Mexico’s Pacific coast, is a key traffickingarea in the drug trade to the United States. Farmers andother civilians in the state took up arms in Feb 2013 claim-ing that the local police was too incompetent or corruptto protect them from local criminal gangs, especially thecult-like Knights Templar drug cartel. In response to thesecurity crisis as violence escalated, the Mexican federalgovernment deployed some 10,000 federal police andtroops in the state since late 2013. The larger force hashelped clamp down on the Knights Templar, but notstamp them out. —AFP

I N T E R N AT I O N A LSUNDAY, JUNE 29, 2014

ROME: The number of babies born inItaly last year was the lowest on recordwhile twice as many people emigratedcompared with before the euro zonedebt crisis took hold, data showed.National statistics office ISTAT said fewerthan 514,000 babies were born in Italyin 2013, the smallest number since itbegan collecting data in the 1920s. Thebirth rate in the euro zone’s third largesteconomy fell to 1.39 children perwoman from 1.45 in 2008, continuing a

long-term trend. Even among immi-grants, whose birth rate has traditional-ly been higher, the level dropped to2.20 from 2.65, reflecting years of eco-nomic decline. “In line with the socialand economic changes the country hasundergone in the past five years, 2013stands out for having fundamentallyweak demographic dynamics,” ISTATsaid, presenting preliminary data for theperiod.

Italy, home to around 60 million peo-

ple, has struggled to deal with the tensof thousands of people who havearrived by boat from North Africa inrecent years. But the number of regis-tered immigrants fell last year, to307,000 from 494,000 in 2008. Suchtrends mean Italy’s population is aging.People aged 65 and over made up 21.4percent, the highest proportion in theEU. Just 13.9 percent were aged 14 orunder, the third lowest in the 28-mem-ber bloc. Italians can expect to live

longer than most in Europe: 79.8 yearson average for men and 84.6 years forwomen.

The weak economy has also reducedthe number of marriages, particularlyamong young people, with the level of3.3 per 1,000 of population among thelowest in Europe, on a par with Spainand above only Slovenia, Portugal andBulgaria. According to preliminary data,there were fewer than 200,000 civil orreligious weddings in the home of

Roman Catholicism last year - the lowestnumber since World War One. Italy,which had a long history of emigrationto North and South America in the 19thand 20th centuries, saw 82,000 of itsown citizens and 44,000 foreign resi-dents emigrate last year, double thepre -crisis level in 2008. Most weretempted by better job prospects inBritain and Germany. In Italy, 43.3 per-cent of young people are withoutwork.— Reuters

Emigration jumps, life expectancy lengthens in Italy

Births decline to record low, marriages down

IEPER: (Left to right) Greece Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, European Council President Herman Van Rompuyand former European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso hold a joint press conference, as part of aEuropean Council in Brussels. — AFP

LONDON: David Cameron’s failure toprevent Jean-Claude Juncker frombecoming the new EuropeanCommission president risks pushingBritain out of the EU unless he buildsbridges to secure reforms before a2017 referendum, experts say. TheBritish prime minister suffered a seri-ous blow to his credibility by losinghis fight against Juncker, whom hebelieves is a roadblock to change, andCameron admitted it made the job ofkeeping Britain in the European Unionharder. Many in Britain-where a longhistory of euroscepticism reachednew heights with the victory of theanti-EU UK Independence Party in lastmonth’s European Parliament elec-tions-currently support his stanceagainst Juncker, who is seen byLondon as too much of a federalist.

Some 43 percent of voters believeCameron was right to try to blockJuncker’s appointment, against 13percent who said he was wrong,according to a FinancialTimes/Populus poll released thisweek. And Cameron could stillachieve the major EU reforms hewants, including repatriation of somepowers, depending on how he reactsnow, analysts said. “ The Junckerepisode is clearly a substantial defeatfor David Cameron, and without rem-edy, increases the risk of Brexit (aBritish exit from the EU),” said MatsPersson, director of the London-basedthink-tank Open Europe.

“However, it is far from the end ofthe story for sweeping Europeanreform.” British newspapers wereunanimous on Saturday thatCameron’s defeat had increased the

risk of the country leaving the 28-nation bloc, with The Times warningon its front page, “Britain nears EUexit”. But they were divided onwhether Cameron or Brussels was toblame, with several saying he wasright to stand in “splendid isolation”on a matter of principle. Persson sug-gested that a perceived increase inthe risk of Britain leaving the EU couldprompt fellow leaders to swingbehind Cameron, who he added mustnow work harder to outline his visionof reforms in Europe.

Swedish Prime Minister FredrikReinfeldt, who initially showed sup-port for Cameron’s stance beforeeventually throwing his weightbehind Juncker’s nomination, said hewas prepared to make an additionaleffort to ensure Britain’s concernswere addressed. “I’m willing to walk anextra mile to make the argument that,okay, if you dislike this it could bedone in other ways,” he told BBC radio.Former defense minister Liam Fox,from Cameron’s Conservative Party,insisted the defeat had not “weak-ened” either the premier or Britain’srole in the 28-nation EU. “The primeminister has shown Britain will nottake a back-seat approach to reformof the European Union,” he wrote inThe Sun.

Who gets whatKey to Cameron’s future situation

will be who gets what as the rest of alarge-scale shake-up of top EU jobs ishaggled over at another summit onJuly 16. Britain could be handed a keyportfolio or one of its allies could takean important role such as the presi-

dency of the European Council, theEU’s political arm, currently filled byHerman Van Rompuy. Cameron saidFriday the key test for him of a candi-date’s suitability for a job was: “Do youget the need for reform and change inthis organization?”

Ironically, his ability to drivethrough change ahead of the 2017referendum on Britain’s EU member-ship hinges on his ability to build arelationship with Juncker. ProfessorRichard Whitman, of the ChathamHouse think-tank in London, saidCameron had no choice but to workwith Juncker. “As president of theEuropean Commission during andafter the UK’s 2015 general election,Juncker’s stance on the UK’s relation-ship with the EU, the prospects andmodalities of re-negotiating the termsof membership-and a possible refer-endum campaign-will be significant,”Whitman said.

A defiant Cameron insisted Fridayhe was fully committed to fighting forBritain to stay in a reformed EU,regardless of how hard that is. SimonHix of the London School ofEconomics said Cameron needed todeliver on two main points-areformed agenda for the single mar-ket and concessions on British opt-outs from certain parts of EU law. “Ifhe can deliver on those things, theneveyone will forget Juncker,” headded. But eurosceptics are not con-vinced. “The battle over Mr Junckerwas but the first skirmish in a longnegotiation of a new relationship forthe UK with the rest of the EU,” veteraneurosceptic MP John Redwood wroteon his blog.— AFP

UK, Cameron in

EU danger zoneBritain on edge; PM suffers a serious blow

Scottish, English fighters

face off at BannockburnSTIRLING: Scottish and English fight-ers met again on the battlefield yes-terday to mark 700 years since theirlegendary clash at Bannockburn, in ananniversary laden with symbolism justmonths before Scotland votes onwhether to leave the UK. For manyScottish nationalists, the victory ofKing Robert the Bruce’s small forceover the mighty English army of KingEdward II was a decisive moment inScotland’s fight for independencefrom its overbearing southern neigh-bor. Up to 15,000 people are expectedat the site in Stirling today to watch are-enactment of key moments fromthe 1314 Battle of Bannockburn, per-formed by the group behind the epicscenes in Hollywood movies“Gladiator” and “Robin Hood”.

The anniversary falls three monthsbefore Scotland holds a referendum in

September on whether to stay orleave the United Kingdom, and criticsof the nationalist government inEdinburgh say the timing of the votewas deeply cynical. In the event, how-ever, politicians of all hues have takena back seat from the Bannockburnevent, instead focusing on ArmedForces Day, which is also being held inStirling. Scotland’s First Minister AlexSalmond is due to attend the re-enactment but will also join BritishPrime Minister David Cameron for amilitary parade and fly-pasts celebrat-ing the contribution of troops andveterans from all over the UK.

Danus Skene, a clan chief whoseancestors fought with Bruce atBannockburn, said a nostalgic view ofthe past was good for tourism butshould have no place in discussionsabout Scotland’s future. “This image of

Scottishness is not helpful,” the 70-year-old told AFP by telephone fromhis home in the Shetland Islands.Skene is head of the Clan Skene, agrouping of Scots who can trace theirfamily name back to medieval times,and a strong supporter of independ-ence. But the former high-schoolteacher said: “The debate is aboutnational self-management, it’s about awhole range of contemporary issues.That’s what we’re talking about, notdressing up in armour.”

Scots’ emotions vs commerceThe story of how Bruce’s soldiers

faced down an invading army thatwas both much larger and betterequipped is a wonderful tale of win-ning against the odds, even if it hasbeen embellished over the centuries.About 250 performers from aroundthe world will don replica armor andpick up swords, maces and pikes todemonstrate the battle in epic style,led by a farmer from Fife as the ruth-less Bruce. He will open the re-enact-ment by thundering on his horseacross the field on which the realScottish king fought, bringing downhis axe on the skull of an unfortunateEnglish knight.

The weekend’s events kicked offwith a parade by hundreds of piperson Friday night, where many in thecrowd waved flags with a Union Jackon one side and the Scottish Saltire onthe other. A six-year-old boy,Matthew, stood on a bench andshouted “Scotland” as loud as hecould, but he and his family, support-ers of a ‘yes’ vote in September, wereoutnumbered by those who want tostay in the UK.— AFP

STIRLING: Actors take part in a re-enactment to commemorate the 700thanniversary of the Battle Of Bannockburn as part of the Bannockburn Liveevent yesterday. — AFP

Ukraine seeks steps to

back up tenuous truceKIEV: Ukraine yesterday sought con-crete steps from Russia to back up atenuous truce it extended with pro-Moscow rebels in the hope of calming adeadly insurgency sparked by its newwestward course. President PetroPoroshenko returned triumphant fromBrussels on Friday having opened theway to Ukraine’s eventual membershipin the European Union by signing thefinal chapters of a landmark free tradeand political association accord.

The 1,200-page tome spells out theminute details of the terms underwhich the splintered ex-Soviet nationwill slip from the Kremlin’s embrace andtie its future to European economicstandards and values on human rights.But Poroshenko had ordered his topsecurity chiefs to meet him at the air-port on landing in order to make a fate-ful decision about prolonging an expir-ing truce with rebels who have seizedeffective control of Ukraine’s industrialeast.

The 12-week insurgency has killedmore than 440 people and is viewed byboth Kiev and its Western all ies asRussian President Vladimir Putin’s retri-bution for the February toppling of aleader who had ditched the very EU

accord Poroshenko had signed inBrussels in favor of closer ties to theKremlin. Poroshenko ultimately decid-ed to extend the shacky ceasefire untilMonday evening under the conditionthat Russia requires the insurgents toreturn border crossings to Ukrainianforces and set up a monitoring mecha-nism for a long-term truce. TheUkrainian military yesterday reportedsporadic attacks by pro-Russian gun-men that resulted in no casualties andappeared to be on the decline in com-parison to previous days.

Pressure on PutinPoroshenko is expected to enlist the

support of German Chancellor AngelaMerkel and French President FrancoisHollande when he places a scheduledcall to Putin on the eve of the ceasefire’sexpiry. Today’s teleconference-the sec-ond in four days-is primarily meant tocheck on any visible shift in Moscowbefore the European Union andWashington consider unleashing bitingsanctions against Russia’s financial anddefense sectors the following day.

Putin has publically backed theceasefire’s extensions and promoteddirect talks between Poroshenko and

top rebel commanders. But the Westwants the Kremlin chief to call on thefighters to lay down their weapons andrelinquish control of state buildingsthey had seized across a dozen easterncities and towns. EU leaders agreed attheir Brussels summit “to reconvene atany time to adopt further significantrestrictive measures if a detailed list ofconcrete steps are not taken by Russiaand the separatists by Monday.”

The United States stressed that itwas also ready to act at any point. “Wehave never outlined a deadline forsanctions,” US State Departmentspokeswoman Marie Har f said inWashington. “We can make decisions atthe time of our choosing on sanctions,and we have done so and will continueto do so.” Russia’s economy has alreadysuffered from a massive outflow of capi-tal from investors jittery about theimpact of possible restrictions beingimposed on the country’s banks andexport sectors. Moody’s on Friday cutRussia’s rating outlook to “negative” dueto growing “geopolitical r isk”. AndRussia’s Economy Minister AlexeiUlyukayev admitted yesterday that newsanctions could “seriously ” impactalready-stalled growth.—AFP

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I N T E R N AT I O N A LSUNDAY, JUNE 29, 2014

BANNU: Pakistani troops patrol at a relief distribution point established for inter-nally displaced Pakistani civilians fleeing a military operation against Talebanmilitants in the North Waziristan tribal agency in Bannu yesterday. —AFP

LAHORE: A young couple in Pakistan were tiedup and had their throats slit with scythes afterthey married for love, police said yesterday. The17-year-old girl and 31-year-old man married onJune 18 without the consent of their families ineastern Pakistan’s Punjabi village of Satrah,police said. The girl’s mother and father lured thecouple home late on Thursday with the promisethat their marriage would receive a family bless-ing, said local police official Rana Zashid. “Whenthe couple reached there, they tied them withropes,” he said. “He (the girl’s father) cut theirthroats.” Police arrested the family, who said theyhad been embarrassed by the marriage of theirdaughter, named Muafia Hussein, to a man froma less important tribe.

Cultural traditions in many areas of Pakistanmean that killing a woman whose behavior isseen as immodest is widely accepted. Immodest

behavior that sparked recent killings includedsinging, looking out of the window or talking toa man who is not a relative. For a woman to mar-ry a man of her own choice is considered anunacceptable insult by many families. TheHuman Rights Commission of Pakistan said 869so-called “honor killings” were reported in themedia last year - several a day. But the true fig-ure is probably much higher since many casesare never reported.

The weak Pakistani government, battlingwith a troubled economy and a Taleban insur-gency, does not collect centralized statistics andhas no strategy to combat the killings. Pakistanilaw means that even if a woman’s killer is con-victed, her family is able to forgive the killer.Many families simply nominate a member to dothe killing, then formally forgive the killer. That’swhat happened earlier this week, a lawyer said,

when a tribal council in central Pakistan’sMuzaffargarh district sentenced another youngcouple to death for marrying for love.

The couple’s lawyer, Zia Kiyyani, said the twohad appealed for police protection after theirmarriage on June 21, but had not received any.The 19-year-old girl’s family came to take herfrom her husband’s family, swearing on theKoran that they would not harm her and wouldhold a proper wedding ceremony, he said.“During this the girl shouted, cried and mournedfor her life and her husband’s life because sheknew that they will kill both of them,” he said.The girl, named Mehreen Bibi, was shot by amember of her family when she returned home,police said. Her husband went into hiding andher father registered the murder complaint so hecould forgive the killer, Kiyyani said. “That willend the case,” he said. —Reuters

Pakistan family slits throats of young couple in ‘honor killing’

Couple married without consent of families

NEW DELHI: Indian rescuers dig through the rubble of a collapsed building in New Delhi. —AFP

NEW DELHI: A dilapidated building andanother under construction collapsed inIndia yesterday, killing at least 12 people asrescuers searched for dozens of othersfeared trapped, police and fire officials said.In New Delhi, a four-story 50-year-old struc-ture toppled in an area inhabited by thepoor. The collapse killed at least 11 peopleand one survivor was being treated in ahospital, said fire service officer PraveerHaldiar. Hours later, a 12-story buildingunder construction collapsed on the out-skirts of Chennai, the capital of southernTamil Nadu state, as heavy rains poundedthe area. Police said 12 construction work-ers had been rescued so far and the searchwas continuing for dozens of others.

One worker who was pulled out fromthe rubble died in the hospital, said policeofficer Dharmalingam, who uses one name.Nearly 300 policemen and fire serviceworkers were scouring the debris for sur-vivors. Most homes in the New Delhi areawhere the first building collapsed had beenbuilt without permission and using sub-standard materials, police officer MadhurVerma said. The Press Trust of India newsagency said the New Delhi collapse wastriggered by construction work on an adja-cent plot. Building collapses are commonin India, where high demand for housingand lax regulations have encouraged somebuilders to cut corners, use substandardmaterials or add unauthorized extra floors.

Floods kill 11 In another development, Indian authori-

ties rushed food and drinking water yester-day to thousands of people marooned by

monsoon rains and mudslides that left atleast 11 dead in the remote northeast.Residents waded through waist- and knee-deep water in several parts of the Assamstate capital, Gauhati, which was hit bynearly 60 millimeters of pounding rain. Theaverage four-month monsoon rainfall is 89centimeters.

“Inflatable boats and makeshift bananarafts have become a mode of transport inthe heart of Gauhati. This is something Ididn’t imagine,” said Rani Das, a researcherwho could not reach her office yesterday.Loose patches of earth rolled down thehills around Gauhati as light rain continuedon Saturday. Authorities closed schools forthe day in the city. India’s MeteorologicalDepartment said the rains were caused bya strong monsoon, while other parts of thecountry were experiencing 30 to 40 per-cent deficiency in rainfall in June. India’smonsoon season lasts from June to the endof September.

All the 11 deaths in the past two dayshave been reported from Gauhati. Police saidthey included a family of three who wereburied when a portion of a concrete housecaved in on their tin-roofed home earlyFriday. Another person died in a mudslideand five others were electrocuted. ChiefMinister Tarun Gogoi, Assam state’s top elect-ed official, waded through the deluge toreach some of the worst-hit areas, but wasbooed by residents angry over the lack offood and drinking water Elsewhere in Assamstate, monsoon rain fed the mightyBrahmaputra and other rivers, flooding atleast six of the state’s 27 districts, includingvast swathes of crop area. —Agencies

2 buildings collapse in India, killing at least 12

BANNU: Pakistani jets and artillery bom-barded militant hideouts in the country’srestive northwest yesterday as part of amassive ongoing offensive against theTaleban, killing 18 insurgents, the militarysaid. Pakistan Air Force (PAF) planes pound-ed the outskirts of Mirali town late Fridaywhile tanks targeted militant sanctuariesoutside Miranshah, the main town of NorthWaziristan where almost half a million civil-ians have fled.

“The PAF jets destroyed six confirmedterrorist hideouts killing 11 terrorists,” themilitary said in a statement. “Terrorist con-centrations were targeted yesterday morn-ing by integrated fire of artillery, tanks andheavy weapons outside Miranshah killingseven terrorists,” it added. The statementsaid a Tehreek-e-Taleban Pakistan (TTP)commander was killed while a “prominent”Al-Qaeda commander was arrested whiletrying to flee. The fresh bombardmentcame as aid agencies geared up reliefefforts for refugees fleeing the militaryoperation.

Nearly 500,000 people have fled theoffensive in North Waziristan which isaimed at wiping out longstanding militantstrongholds in the area, which bordersAfghanistan. Tens of thousands of families

have left for the town of Bannu, close toNorth Waziristan, while hundreds morehave moved further afield to the towns ofLakki Marwat, Karak and Dera Ismail Khansince the offensive began in mid-June. Afull assault by ground troops has beenexpected for some days and the intensiveshelling in several areas could indicate thatit is now imminent. Nearly 370 militantsand 12 security personnel have been killedin the offensive, dubbed “Zarb-e-Azb” aftera sword used in battle by the ProphetMohammad, although the number andidentity of the victims are impossible toverify.

Pakistan’s armed forces have used jetfighters, tanks and artillery in the operationthat began almost two weeks ago. Theassault on the militant bastion of NorthWaziristan, long urged by Washington, wasfinally launched after a dramatic attack onKarachi airport which killed dozens of peo-ple and marked the end of a falteringpeace process with the Pakistani Taleban.There was one piece of good news fromBannu yesterday when a baby boy wasborn in a camp set up for those who havefled the offensive. It was the first reportedbirth at the facility in Bakakhel where atleast 250 people have taken refuge. —AFP

Pakistani military kills 18 in anti-militant offensive

NEW DELHI: India’s Prime MinisterNarendra Modi yesterday offeredguidelines on public conduct tofirst-time MPs of his right-wing par-ty, including tips on body language,at a workshop near Delhi. During aspeech in a closed-door training ses-sion Modi advised Bharatiya JanataParty (BJP) lawmakers to cultivatetheir knowledge in an area of theirchoice and focus on the substanceof their parliamentary speeches.“Remember, people are observingyour performance in the house buteven outside,” Modi, who becamePM a month ago, told the 170 MPsattending the two-day session,according to a BJP statement. “Ourtransition from opposition to treas-ury is not limited to moving few feetto the other side,” the statementquoted him as saying.

He reminded the new parliamen-tarians that the party’s landslide vic-tory in the general election was “asignificant transition and we musttry to appreciate the meaning ofthis,” the statement added. The pro-business leader won on the promiseto reform the ailing Indian economyafter voters turned against theCongress party, which becameembroiled in a string of corruptionscandals during its decade in power.BJP leader Jagdish Mukhi toldreporters outside the venue of theworkshop that Modi touched upon a

host of issues relating to the publicconduct of lawmakers. “He (Modi)said your language should besophisticated, he talked about howone’s body language should be,” saidMukhi, who is in charge of the partyin Haryana state.

Mukhi said the prime ministeracknowledged that he too was a first-

time MP and should have stayed forthe duration of the training to beaddressed by other senior party lead-ers but bigger responsibilities awaitedhim. The 63-year-old Modi was elect-ed to parliament from the holy city ofVaranasi in Uttar Pradesh. In a recentblog on his official website, he wrotethat he had not had the luxury of a

“honeymoon period” since his gov-ernment took charge. The administra-tion has suffered a series of setbacks,including accusations of failing to acton widespread sexual violence,protests over train fare hikes, andclashes with regional parties over theofficial language of government com-munication.—AFP

Indian PM advises new MPs on body language

BEIJING: China’s Xi Jinping will visit Seoul next week,both sides said, going to the South for his first presi-dential journey to the Korean peninsula as Beijing’sfrustrations mount with the nuclear-armed Northand its confrontational young leader Kim Jong-Un.China is the North’s key ally, energy provider anddiplomatic protector, their ties sealed in the KoreanWar, and sees its neighbor as a buffer against findingUS troops stationed on its own border.

Beijing and Seoul only established diplomaticties in 1992 after decades of Cold War hostility andsuspicion, but it will be the second summitbetween Xi and South Korean President Park Geun-Hye, who visited China soon after she took officelast year. The July 3-4 visit will discuss “ways tocooperate on issues related to the situation on theKorean peninsula, including the North Koreannuclear issue”, South Korea’s presidential BlueHouse said in a statement.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gangtold reporters it would cover “issues of commonconcern”. On the other hand there has been noChinese summit with the North since the death ofits then leader Kim Jong-Il, Kim Jong-Un’s father, inDecember 2011. Ahead of the announcementSouth Korea’s Dong-A Ilbo newspaper called the

trip “a message of considerable weight” to theNorth in an editorial. “It is significant, definitely, thatXi Jinping and Park have a very public, close rela-tionship,” John Delury, an expert on China at YonseiUniversity in Seoul said.

“And the contrast with the fact that he hasn’teven had his picture taken with Kim Jong-Un isstarkly significant.”

Dynastic ruleKim inherited the North Korean leadership from

his father, becoming the third member of the Kimdynasty to rule the hermit state, and his reign hasso far largely been seen as provocative, capriciousand destabilizing. He has had his own uncle JangSong-Thaek-seen as China’s primary point of con-tact with the regime-executed in a purge, andthreatened nuclear war against the US. Pyongyangcarried out its third underground atomic test inFebruary 2013, resulting in fresh censure by theUnited Nations and a further headache for Beijing,which wants to restart stalled multilateral negotia-tions known as the six-party talks on the North’sdenuclearization. No visit by Kim Jong-Un toBeijing has ever been officially confirmed-althoughhe is widely believed to have accompanied his

father on a 2011 trip-while the last Chinese head ofstate to go to Pyongyang was Hu Jintao in 2005.

Xi himself visited the North in 2008, when hewas vice president, and the South 18 months later.But soon after becoming president last year, Xiserved the North notice that it no longer had a freepass. Two months after Pyongyang’s nuclear testsent tensions on the peninsula soaring, Xi cau-tioned against the sowing of “chaos for selfishgains”. While he did not mention North Korea byname the remarks were widely seen as a slap. Thelatest possible irritant came yesterday when theNorth’s official news agency announced Kim hadobserved the test-firing of a newly developed,high-precision tactical guided missile.

‘Baby Kim’Seoul and Washington have persistently called

on Beijing to exert more pressure on the North toabandon its nuclear weapons program. But despiteChina’s annoyance with North Korea, it fears theinstability-and floods of refugees-that a collapse ofthe regime would bring and experts generally seelittle prospect of a total rupture. Sun Zhe, whoteaches international relations at China’s TsinghuaUniversity, said Xi was confronted with a “hard

choice” on which of the Koreas to visit first. “Chinadoesn’t want to be an enemy of North Korea,” Sunsaid at a forum of scholars and experts in Beijingthis week on China-South Korea relations. “We’restill pushing baby Kim to have a dialogue,” headded. China’s two-way trade with South Koreatotaled $274.24 billion last year, more than 40times the $6.55 billion recorded with the North.

Yonsei University’s Delury says Beijing hassought for two decades to maintain good relation-ships with both sides. “North Korea is keepingChina at arm’s length to some degree,” he said. “XiJinping is basically taking the opportunity... toramp up the level of cooperation with South Korea,which is very much in line with China’s interests,economic interests and diplomatic interests.” ButChun Yung-Woo, a former South Korean nationalsecurity adviser and delegate to the six-party talks,warned bluntly that Pyongyang remains thebiggest danger to Seoul-Beijing ties. “I think it’svery important to manage risks which will comefrom North Korea in a way that does not harm ourbilateral relationship,” Chun told Chinese scholarsat the forum. “North Korea will continue to embar-rass you, will continue to harm your interests, inter-ests of regional peace and security.” —AFP

Xi heads to South Korea in a ‘message’ to North

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi

I N T E R N AT I O N A LSUNDAY, JUNE 29, 2014

SYDNEY: Refugee campaigners said yes-terday that a boat carrying 153 asylum-seekers was in trouble off a remoteAustralian island, but the governmentsaid there were no significant incidents atsea to report. The 72-foot (22-metre) boatcarrying mostly Tamil asylum-seekers,including women and children, left Indiatwo weeks ago and was 175 nauticalmiles west of Australia’s Indian Ocean ter-ritory of Christmas Island, the RefugeeAction Coalition said. “We are refugees.We come from Sri Lanka-we stayed inIndia and we are unable to live there.That’s why we are coming to Australia,” aman who claimed to be onboard told theAustralian Broadcasting Corporation.

The man, who only gave his first nameas Duke, said there were 32 women and37 children on the vessel which wouldbe, if it reaches Christmas Island, the firstasylum-seeker boat to reach Australia insix months. Immigration Minister ScottMorrison refused to confirm or deny thereports, saying the government had notchanged its policy of only commentingwhen there was a significant incident toreport. “It is our standard practice underOperation Sovereign Borders to reporton any significant events regarding mar-itime operations at sea particularlywhere there are safety of life at sea issuesassociated and I am advised I have nosuch reports to provide,” he told

reporters in Melbourne.“ There is therefore no significant

event for me to report at sea.” Australia’sconservative government has a policy ofpushing boats back towards Indonesia,where they have traditionally departedfrom, as part of a range of measuresdesigned to stop people-smuggling. Butrefugee advocates said given this boatcame from India and had sprung an oilleak, it required assistance. RefugeeAction Coalition spokesman Ian Rintoulsaid he had spoken to someone onboardyesterday who told him the boat hadmade progress towards Christmas Island.

But he said those onboard felt theywould run out of oil before making land.

“The main fear is that the boat will stopand they will be vulnerable to the ele-ments,” Rintoul told AFP, adding therewere no medical emergencies onboardthe boat. “We are quite anxious to con-firm that the navy is on the way. The truthis there simply is no time to be lost,” headded. Hundreds of asylum-seekers havedrowned making the perilous sea jour-ney to Australia in recent years. Canberrahas toughened its policy on asylum-seek-ers to deny those arriving on unautho-rized boats the ability to resettle inAustralia even if found to be genuinerefugees.

Instead, they are sent to camps in thePacific, on Papua New Guinea’s Manus

Island and the tiny state of Nauru to beresettled there. Morrison said the conser-vative government of Prime MinisterTony Abbott, which came to power lastSeptember pledging to “stop the boats”,was ready to deal with asylum-seekervessels wherever they came from. But theLabor opposition criticized a lack oftransparency on the issue. “This is a min-ister who has a woeful track record whenit comes to transparency,” spokesmanRichard Marles said. “Today, we’ve seenthat reach new lows when this ministerrefused to even confirm the existence ofan asylum-seeker vessel because it’sinconvenient to his political score-board.”—AFP

Australian activists say asylum-seeker boat in trouble

ANGELES: Mark Gilbore from the United Philippine Amerasians (UPA), who was bornto an African-American father, speak to AFP in Angeles, near Clark Air Base, twohours north of Manila. Gilbore is among the tens of thousands of ‘Amerasians’fathered by US soldiers who served in the Philippines, home to the US military’sbiggest overseas bases until they closed down in 1992. —AFP

ANGELES: When the last US ship pulled out ofthe Philippines’ Subic naval base more than twodecades ago, a desperate young woman’s hopesof finding her father sailed away with it. BeirutCalaguas, now 44, is among the tens of thou-sands of “Amerasians” fathered by US soldierswho served in the Philippines, home to the USmilitary’s biggest overseas bases until theyclosed down in 1992. Like so many others,Calaguas has endured a life of discriminationand poverty, while battling the mental trauma ofhaving been abandoned and not knowing eitherof her biological parents.

“When the Americans left, my heart broke, Iresigned my fate to never finding my father,” saidthe fair-skinned, brown-eyed Calaguas at herramshackle home in a rundown suburb close tothe former US bases. “I used to cry every night.It’s very difficult to feel so alone in the world,and long for a father whose face you’ve neverseen.” Despite one study estimating there are asmany as 250,000 Amerasians and their offspringin the Philippines, they are a largely forgottencommunity. Their plight, however, is gainingfresh attention with the United States preparingto deploy thousands of soldiers back to thePhilippines as part of its “pivot” to Asia.

Clark Air Base in Angeles city and the SubicNaval Base in nearby Olongapo about two hours’drive north of Manila-were vital Pacific theatreoperations for the American military for nearlyhalf a century. Both played crucial roles as logis-tics and repair hubs for US forces during theVietnam War in the 1960s and 1970s, with Clarkalso serving as a launch pad for bomb attacks.

Red lights lure troops Hundreds of thousands of American troops

and civilian contractors rotated through thebases for work and holidays, giving rise to infa-mous red-light districts. Go-go bars and mas-sage parlors were typically the meeting place forthe US servicemen and the women who wouldbear them unwanted or unknown children.These half-Americans were also often aban-doned by their mothers.

In a conservative Catholic country wheredivorce is illegal, some mothers gave up theirchildren to avoid the social stigma of being asingle parent and to retain hope of marriage.Others were simply unable to support them.According to a study by the PhilippineAmerasian Research Center in Angeles city, there

were believed to be at least 50,000 children bornto US fathers when the bases closed. They werebrought up by their mother’s relatives, informal-ly adopted by neighbors, taken care of by charitygroups or abandoned completely and forced tobeg. Many began adulthood as prostitutes.

Abandoned by US govtIn 1982, the US government passed the

Amerasian Immigration Act that gave preferen-tial immigration status to children born to US

service personnel in Vietnam, Thailand, Laos,Cambodia and South Korea. However the lawfocused on countries most directly involved inthe Vietnam conflict and the Korean War of1950-1953, and excluded children born in thePhilippines as well as those in Japan where therewere also huge US bases. Attempts by variousgroups to have Filipino Amerasians includedhave failed, a cause of much anger and confu-sion. Philippine Amerasian Research Center head

Peter Kutschera said the US government neverexplained why they were left out. He said it was“hypocritical” to include Thailand, where therewas no direct conflict, but exclude thePhilippines. The US embassy in Manila declinedto answer questions about government policytowards Filipino Amerasians and whether it hadtried to help them find their fathers.

The Amerasians’ problems have continued todeepen with time, according to a 2012 study byKutschera’s research unit. Their community hasgrown to up 250,000, taking into account chil-dren and grand-children, and they remain at thelowest rungs of a society in an already impover-ished country. “Many of its (Amerasian commu-nity’s) members are living in extreme poverty ofthe variety unknown, or not imagined, in theUnited States,” Kutschera said. Kutscheradescribed Filipino Amerasians as “a marginalized,at risk, highly stressed population” adding theywere particularly vulnerable to drug use andprostitution.

Cycle of despairFor the once-youthful but now visibly

exhausted Calaguas, life has been as brutal as ithas been typical of many Filipino Amerasians.Struggling to pay the rent, Calaguas’ motherentrusted her to childless landlords, hoping toone day return. She never did. Calaguas droppedout of school at 17 and, unable to find worklocally, acquired fake travel documents so shecould become an entertainer at clubs in Japanthat also catered to US servicemen. “I fell in lovewith a soldier, and got pregnant, so now, I alsohave an Amerasian son,” she said.

After the father abandoned Calaguas, shereturned to the Philippines with her son. ThePhilippine government is expected to seal thedeal late this year to welcome US soldiers backto Subic and other bases. Filipino leaders havehailed the defense pact as an important plank inits effort to fend off an increasingly assertiveChina, which is expanding its presence in con-tested South China Sea waters near thePhilippines. But on the fringes of the Filipinobases, there are fears the US soldiers will plantanother baby time bomb that will cause manymore generations of pain. “Many (newAmerasians) over time will become the aban-doned, forsaken offspring of soldiers and con-tractors,” Kutschera said. —AFP

‘Abandoned children’ fear;US troops eye PhilippinesThousands of ‘Amerasians’ fathered by US soldiers

ANGELES: Photo shows Beirut Calaguasholding a photograph of a woman she sayswas her mother, during an interview. —AFP

GERMAWA CAMP: Amsha’s family decided toleave the northern Iraqi city of Tal Afar aftershelling one night killed their neighbor as heused his outdoor toilet. The 24-year-old now livesin a tent with the other eight members of herfamily at the Germawa camp in the Kurdishprovince of Dohuk. She describes nights of terroras Sunni militants traded fire with Iraqi troopsdesperate to hold onto the town. She curses hercountry’s politicians, both Shiites like PrimeMinister Nuri Al-Maliki and Sunnis like herself, forcourting her support ahead of April 30 elections,only to abandon the city.

“We walked for four hours to leave Tal Afar.We’re now living nine to a tent, trying to breathein this heat,” she says. “Where are the politiciansfrom Tal Afar? The ones who came to ask for ourvote during the elections? “They are in Arbil,” shesays, referring to the capital of Iraq’s autonomousKurdish region. It has been insulated from theinsurgent offensive, led by jihadists from theIslamic State of Iraq and the Levant, that hasoverrun parts of five provinces north and west ofBaghdad. They are “safe with their families, oreven in the (United Arab) Emirates.” Amsha, whodeclines to give her last name, has spent eightdays in the camp, after fleeing with her familylate one night.

“We were going mad with the shelling. Thegovernment planes were overhead and wedidn’t know when they would fire or where,” shesays. “Our neighbor was killed in shelling oneevening as he went to the toilet, and none of uscould sleep because we didn’t know if we’d wakeup.” She said the army announced, as the battlefor the town stepped up, that civilians who want-ed to leave should do so. “We set out at 9:00 pm.We left the city on foot,” she says. “The Iraqi armystarted to fire in the air as we left, and some of usthrew ourselves to the ground, thinking they

were shooting at us.”

‘We are trapped’ She and her family say they walked for hours

before they were able to find someone with a carwilling to pick them up. They eventually arrivedat Germawa, just as the camp was being set up. AKurdish official overseeing the camp says nearly700 people are sheltering there-displaced fromTal Afar and nearby Mosul, a city of some twomillion that was the first to fall in the militantoffensive.

Amsha, like many at the camp, says her familyfled for fear of the government response to themilitant assault as much as to escape the fighters.“We are caught in the middle. We didn’t see themilitants, only the army’s shelling and air strikes,”she says. “We just want to be able to sleep andknow we will wake up in the morning,” she adds,tears running through the makeup lining hereyes. She dabs her face with the ends of thebrown scarf loosely tied around her hair andregains her composure, and a measure of anger.“We are trapped. We have no say in our future,everything is decided by those who are in pow-er,” she says.

She makes no secret of her contempt for theIraqi army, but also expresses no love for theSunni militants. “I don’t care who is in charge,Arab, Kurdish, Turkmen, Sunni, Shiite. We justwant a future. “I am a student at university. Mybrother and sister both have exams they stillneed to take; we don’t know what will happento them.” And she talks shyly about the indigni-ties of life at the camp, especially for its women,including her and her three sisters. “There’s noprivacy for us. Imagine what it is like to live likethis on your period,” she says quietly. “All wewant is a life, and a chance to decide what to dowith it.” —AFP

Caught between government and militants, Iraqis despair

BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping fetedneighbors India and Myanmar yesterday, dust-ing off the 60th anniversary of a now ratherobscure agreement signed in the early days ofthe Cold War to pledge a rising China’s commit-ment to peace. In 1954, China, India andMyanmar signed the Five Principles of PeacefulCoexistence, promising mutual non-aggressionand non-interference in internal affairs, idealsthen incorporated into the Non-AlignedMovement of countries who did not wish tochoose between the United States and theSoviet Union.

However, China’s ties with both India andMyanmar, then known as Burma, soured in the1960s, as China and India fought a border warand Myanmar’s military rulers oversaw torridanti-Chinese riots, events that mar relations tothis day. More recently, China’s growing diplo-matic and military clout has rattled nervesaround the region, especially with Beijing’sincreasingly strident moves to assert itself interritorial disputes in the East China Sea withJapan and in the South China Sea with coun-tries such as Vietnam and the Philippines.

Xi, speaking to some 700 people in Beijing’scavernous Great Hall of the People, includingMyanmar President Thein Sein and Indian VicePresident Mohammad Hamid Ansari, said Chinawould never try to impose its will no matter howstrong it becomes. “China does not subscribe tothe notion that a country is bound to seek hege-mony when it grows in strength. Hegemony ormilitarism is not in the genes of the Chinese.China will unswervingly pursue peaceful devel-opment because it is good for China, good forAsia and good for the world,” Xi said.

“The notion of dominating internationalaffairs belongs to a different age, and suchattempts are doomed to failure,” Xi added, in aspeech strong on broad, vague statementsabout peace though short on detail. “Flexingmilitary muscles only reveals a lack of moralground or vision, rather than reflecting one’sstrength. Security can be solid and enduring

only if it is based on moral high ground andvision,” he said.

Frontier defense

Yet comments on border defense reportedby the official Xinhua news agency late onFriday suggest that Xi will have his work cutout for him in trying to convince Asia thatChina’s intentions are really peaceful. “Talkingabout frontier defense, one cannot help think-ing about China’s modern history when thecountry was so weak and destitute that it wasfor everyone to bully,” Xinhua cited Xi as saying.“Foreign aggressors broke China’s land and seadefenses hundreds of times, plunging theChinese nation into the abysm of calamity,” Xiadded, calling on people not to forget the “his-tory of humiliation” and strengthen the bor-ders, especially at sea.

Still, Xi was warm in his praise for India,whose new Prime Minister Narendra Modi isseeking to strengthen India’s armed forces andeconomy, in part to enable him to react moredecisively in foreign relations than his prede-cessor, the mild-mannered Manmohan Singh.“In one of his poems, Rabindranath Tagore, thegreat Indian poet, wrote that if you thinkfriendship can be won through war, spring willfade away before your eyes,” he said, referringto the Bengali Nobel Literature laureate. Xi not-ed that Myanmar, whose president has irritatedChina by suspending a major Chinese-investeddam project and seeking closer ties with theUnited States, was the first country to sign aborder agreement with China, in 1960. “Thepeople of India, Myanmar and other Asiancountries also cherish the values of love, kind-ness and peace,” he said.—Reuters

China fetes India, Myanmar, says Beijing poses no threat

Xi says militarism not in China’s genes

BEIJING: Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (centre right) meets with Myanmar President UThein Sein (centre left) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing yesterday. U Thein Seinis on a visit to China from June 27 to 30. —AFP

BANNU: Pakistani health officials are rushing tovaccinate hundreds of thousands of childrenagainst polio amid fears that a civilian exodus froma tribal area where the virus is rampant couldspread the disease around the country. Nearly halfa million people have fled a military operationagainst Taleban strongholds in North Waziristan, ahotspot for the crippling disease in Pakistan.

Children in the tribal district have not beenvaccinated since Taleban and local warlordsbanned health teams from giving out drops inJune 2012. Tens of thousands of families havefled to the town of Bannu, close to NorthWaziristan, while hundreds more have moved fur-ther afield to Lakki Marwat, Karak and Dera IsmailKhan towns, since the offensive began in mid-June. Officials have begun a vaccination cam-paign in Bannu and three other districts adjacent

to North Waziristan, vaccinating both residentfamilies and newcomers fleeing the offensive.“We are vaccinating both local and displaced chil-dren, the target is to vaccinate more than 200,000children,” doctor Akbar Jan, a senior health officialin Bannu said. The campaign in areas adjoiningNorth Waziristan began-unannounced-onMonday. “Displaced persons were a threat to thehost communities, now we have the opportunityto vaccinate both host community and displacedfamilies,” Jan said. More than 50 cases of poliohave been detected so far this year in militant-infested North Waziristan, out of 82 cases acrossthe country-and 103 worldwide. A World HealthOrganization (WHO) official in Bannu told AFP thecampaign would continue one day a week duringthe fasting month of Ramadan, which begins atthe weekend. —AFP

Pakistan offensive exodus triggers polio spread fears

THE LEADING INDEPENDENTDAILY IN THE ARABIAN GULF

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All articles appearing on thesepages are the personal opinion ofthe writers. Kuwait Times takes noresponsibility for views expressedtherein. Kuwait Times invites read-ers to voice their opinions. Pleasesend submissions via email to: opin-ion@kuwaittimes.net or via snailmail to PO Box 1301 Safat, Kuwait.The editor reserves the right to editany submission as necessary.

After long-simmering sectarian tensions exploded inIraq a few weeks back, critics from the right and lefthave had field day taking their shots at the Obama

Administration’s Iraq policy, or lack thereof. Recognizingthat the situation is fraught with dangers, I appreciatethis debate, wishing only that we had the same intenseexchange of views eleven years ago when it might haveprompted more caution - when caution was needed.What I haven’t appreciated are the criticisms comingfrom those who have based their case on a fabricatedreality they have invented to suit their purposes.

A case in point is the commentary written by formerGeorge W Bush aide, Eliot Abrams which appeared earlierthis week in Politico. Criticism is one thing, but making uphistory is something quite different - and that is exactlywhat Abram’s has done. The piece is entitled “The ManWho Broke the Middle East” and begins with the trulyoutlandish claim that “The Middle East that Obama inher-ited in 2009 was largely at peace.” Iraq, Abrams continues,had been stabilized; Iran was contained; and US relationswith our regional allies “were very good.”

This near-idyllic situation, Abrams argues, was squan-dered by Obama because of the new president’s “hubris”and his failure to understand the role of American poweras the key factor that can promote stability, and “defendour allies our friends and our interests”.

In creating this fictional history Abrams ignores thefact that the stage set by his administration was in realityquite different from the one he imagines. In 2009, Iraq’speace was a faux peace. Lives had been shattered by thewar, as had the social fabric of the country. Years of eth-nic/sect cleansing had taken a toll. One-fifth of Iraq’s pop-ulation was either refugees or internally displaced. TheUS had imposed a Lebanon-like sectarian apportionmentmodel on Iraqi politics, but inter-communal relationswere too deeply strained. Iraq had been fractured, withthe US playing the roles of the agent responsible for hav-ing broken the country, as well as the party who was nowtrying, in vain, to hold it together. To Abrams, Iraq mayhave appeared calm in 2009, but the appearance wasdeceiving.

If Iraq was teetering from the damage done duringthe Bush era, so too was the position of the US. By unilat-erally engaging in two failed wars designed to projectAmerican power and secure American dominance, theBush Administration had accomplished exactly the oppo-site. They strained the capacity of our volunteer military.The costs in lives and treasure are still being tabulatedwith hundreds of thousands of returning veterans suffer-ing from both physical and psychological wounds of war.The recent scandal that rocked our Veteran’sAdministration and revelations that we are losing over 20veterans a day to suicide are testimony to the damagedone. The wars and our behaviors in them also had adevastating impact on our credibility, our values, and ourstanding in the world. Far from having “good relations”everywhere, our polls show that during the BushAdministration, attitudes toward the US were at all-timelows and foreign leaders who relied on US support did soat great risk given their public’s growing hostility toPresident Bush and the US, itself.

Instead of securing American hegemony, our wars inIraq and Afghanistan had weakened us, while embolden-ing regional powers like Iran and Turkey, and others likeRussia and China.

In making the delusional claim that the Middle Eastwas at peace in 2009, Abrams also conveniently ignoresthe December 2008/January 2009 war between Israeland Gaza. It was this devastating conflict that welcomedObama to Washington. During Bush’s tenure, whenAbrams was in charge of the Israeli-Palestinian portfolio,Washington made a miserable mess of the Israeli-Palestinian arena. They ignored the Mitchell Report andrepeatedly disregarded the efforts of their own peaceenvoys. They insisted on the elections that broughtHamas to power and then, after the Hamas victory, setout to destroy that movement. They backed ArielSharon’s every move, becoming enablers of and cheer-leaders for Israeli bad behavior: its settlement expansion;its unilateral evacuation and then blockade of Gaza; andits wars in Lebanon in 2006 and in Gaza in 2006 and2008/2009. The toll taken by eight years of BushAdministration policies had left the US reviled acrossmuch of the Arab World. And so it was in an effort to healthe deep wounds that the Bush crowd had inflicted onthe US-Arab relationship that led Obama to Cairo in 2009.Abrams calls Obama’s outreach “hubris”.

NOTE: Dr James J Zogby is the President of the ArabAmerican Institute

By Dr James J Zogby

Washington Watch

Making up history

to make your case

A N A L Y S I SSUNDAY, JUNE 29, 2014

By Simon Martelli

Morocco is promoting its moderateversion of Islam as a counterweightto the widening jihadist threat in

the Sahara, training hundreds of imamsfrom affected countries, but analysts ques-tion its motives. The initiative is well-timed.Islamist violence is plaguing Libya andNigeria, Mali is still recovering from anIslamist takeover of half the country, andTunisia is increasingly nervous about thereturn of battled-hardened nationals fight-ing for Al-Qaeda-linked groups in Syria andIraq.

Morocco has kept a tight grip on thereligious sphere, which is closely tied upwith the monarchy ’s legitimacy. KingMohamed VI, who claims descent fromProphet Muhammad (PBUH), is accordedthe title “commander of the faithful” andhas a religious TV and radio station namedafter him, has been busily burnishingMorocco’s image as a model Muslim state.

This month, he inaugurated a “religioussupport program” that will see 1,300 imamstrained in Rabat since 2006 sent out toinstruct preachers lacking formal trainingat some 50,000 mosques nationwide. “Theirtask is to help and guide imams in mosquesto preserve the fundamentals of Islam inMorocco, based on the Malikite rite, con-trary to takfirism, which is constantly invad-ing the minds of our young people,” IslamicAffairs Minister Ahmed Toufiq has said.

The moderate Malikite school of SunniIslam practised in Morocco - as in most ofNorth Africa - is often cited as a key aspectof its religious tolerance, contrasting starklywith radical “takfirist” ideology that brandsnon-practising Muslims “infidels”. Other fea-tures of Morocco’s Muslim culture includethe important social role played by the Sufibrotherhoods, which Toufiq has encour-aged since the king appointed him in 2002,and hundreds of female religious instruc-tors have been trained in recent yearsalongside the imams.

“Not many other Arab states havesought to this extent to control the reli-gious discourse. The purpose it serves, yesit has a counter-extremism element to it...Of course it has a regime legitimisationpurpose too,” the International CrisisGroup’s North Africa director Issandr ElAmrani told AFP.

Regional Recognition Whatever the reason, the Moroccan

model is attracting regional interest, withSaharan-Sahelian countries touched byjihadist violence now soliciting the king-dom’s help. Already 190 imams from Maliare being trained in Rabat, out of 500 in thecoming years, under an accord signedwhen the king visited Bamako for PresidentIbrahim Boubacar Keita’s inauguration inSept 2013. Tunisia, which the king visitedlast month, has also requested Rabat’s helpin training its preachers, having suffered a

wave of Islamist attacks since the 2011 rev-olution, with many mosques falling underthe influence of extremists. At least 2,400Tunisian jihadists are fighting in Syria, thegovernment said this week.

Libya and Nigeria have also separatelyasked for religious instruction. “I think theprimary reason Morocco is interested inpromoting its brand of Islam... which hasthe king at its centre, is to export thisnotion of greater Morocco,” says analystVish Sakthivel at the Washington Institute.A priority that has long driven Moroccandiplomacy is winning approval for itsclaims to Western Sahara, which it annexedin 1975 in a move never recognised inter-nationally.

The pro-independence Polisario Front ishosted and backed by Algeria, the region’ssecurity heavyweight, which fought adecade-long civil war against Islamist insur-gents in the 1990s and whose rivalry withMorocco prevents the North African neigh-bours from co-operating. Sakthivel callsMorocco’s religious diplomacy a “symbolic,soft power gesture” to Sahel countries,made in the knowledge that it cannot com-pete with Algeria militarily.

Ever-Present Threat Officials insist that Morocco’s Islamic

model helps to explain why radical ideolo-gies have largely failed to take hold in thekingdom, which has suffered only twomajor terrorist attacks since 2003, and why

other nations are now looking to Rabat. Butwhile hardline Salafists may enjoy only lim-ited support here - thousands were jailed ina sweeping crackdown following deadly2003 bombings in Casablanca - Morocco iscertainly not immune to the religiousrevival that has swept through the region,nor to the recruitment of jihadists.

This week, security forces in the centralcity of Fez broke up a jihadist cell whichwas allegedly sending volunteers to Iraqand Syria, where officials say there are cur-rently more than 1,000 Moroccan combat-ants. It was the latest in a wave of busts.Between 2011 and 2013, 18 such cells weredismantled, while around 200 Moroccansplanning to fight in or returning from Syriahave been jailed, according to new prisonchief Mohamed Salah Tamek.

Last week, Spanish police arrested eightpeople belonging to a recruitment networkin Madrid whose Moroccan ringleaderspent three years in Guantanamo Bay. “Weknow that many Moroccans, like many oth-er Maghreb states, are going to fight in Iraqor Syria. So it’s not that radicalism is com-pletely absent in Morocco. It’s there, it’scontrolled better,” says the ICG’s Amrani.“Has Morocco not faced terrorist attacksbecause it controls the religious discourseto a greater degree in state-run mosquesand so on? Or is it because they have moreeffective security policies, or because it isrelatively marginal to all the conflicts in theMiddle East? That’s not clear.”— AFP

Morocco eyes clout as a moderate model

Sudan’s ‘salvation’ regime marks 25 yearsBy Ian Timberlake

Aquarter-century after it took power inan Islamist-backed coup promising “sal-vation” for Sudan, critics say Field

Marshal Omar Al-Bashir’s regime has insteaddestroyed it. Bashir, 70, is accused of warcrimes in the Darfur region and has main-tained power despite internal divisions withinhis ruling National Congress Party (NCP). Hepresides over a country where the number ofpeople needing food and other aid rose 40percent over the past year and millions havebeen displaced by the wars and unrest whichhave touched about half of Sudan’s states.

The country’s image sank even lower inMay when a judge sentenced a pregnantChristian woman to hang for “apostasy”, a rul-ing later overturned but which sparked anoutcry from Western governments andhuman rights groups. Sudan is bereft of hardcurrency, internationally isolated and billionsof dollars in debt, ranking near bottom inglobal measures of human development, per-ceived corruption and press freedom. Manyof Sudan’s 34 million people live in housesmade of mud brick while workers put thefinal touches to a new presidential palacenear the banks of the Blue Nile.

Across from Khartoum’s airport, a tower isrising to house the ruling party - paid for byits members and not public money, says anNCP official. “ They ruined the country,”laments a senior opposition politician. “Theydivided the country - civil wars, sectarianism,fundamentalism. They impoverished thecountry - a lot of corruption. So many injus-tices.” Bashir took power 25 years ago on thenight of June 30, 1989, when paratroops andarmy engineers overthrew the coalition gov-ernment of Sadiq Al-Mahdi in a bloodlesscoup. Mahdi’s government was a rare demo-cratic interlude for a country that had alreadyspent years under military leaders. But sit-ins,strikes and power outages paralysed theeconomy during his “totally dysfunctional”rule, Bashir adviser Amin Hassan Omer wrotethis month in the pan-Arab newspaperAsharq Al-Awsat.

“It became normal for people to stand inline for bread, fuel and other consumergoods,” putting the country in need of “Ingaz”(salvation), Omer wrote. Initially, Ingaz offered

hope to Sudan’s people, a former high-rank-ing government official said. “This is what wehad in mind. And I think in a way we provedto them that we could do that,” the formerofficial told AFP, referring to oil and develop-ment projects which occurred despite UnitedStates sanctions that began in 1997.

Oil, Roads, Schools Roads were built, telecommunications

expanded, hospitals and health centresbecame available, while school and universityadmissions rose, Bashir ’s top assistant,Ibrahim Ghandour, told AFP in a March inter-view. “You can’t eat roads,” counters SiddigYousif, a member of the oppositionCommunist Party’s central committee, blam-ing Ingaz for the decline of Sudanese agricul-ture. “They destroyed everything,” he said, cit-ing the decay of Sudan’s rail network, thedemise of its shipping line, and the sell-off ofthe national airline in an atmosphere of “totalcorruption”.

The start of oil production in the late

1990s brought years of economic growthbefore the fiscal shock of South Sudan’s sepa-ration three years ago. The South split with 75percent of the country ’s oil production,depriving Khartoum of most of its exportearnings. As a result, the Sudanese pound haslost around 60 percent of its value since late2011, while inflation has hovered near 40 per-cent for months. Tens of thousands ofSudanese have left the country to seek betteropportunities abroad.

Austerity measures led to cuts in healthand education budgets but the oil loss “couldhave been mitigated” had the governmentdiversified the economy during the oil boom,a March report by the United NationsDevelopment Programme said. Wealth andpower have been concentrated in the coun-try’s central region, leading to complaintsamong non-Arab groups in the periphery ofneglect and discrimination. From the 11-year-old rebellion in Darfur, to South Kordofan andBlue Nile, and the 22-year civil war whichended in South Sudan’s independence, all of

Sudan’s armed conflicts have been fuelled bysimilar grievances.

Wanted for ‘War Crimes’ “There is war in Darfur. There is war in

Blue Nile, in South Kordofan. What have theydone good for the people?” asked Universityof Khartoum political scientist El ShafieMohammed El-Makki. He blames the regimefor the loss of South Sudan. Violence againstcivilians in Darfur led the Hague-basedInternational Criminal Court to issue a war-rant for Bashir’s arrest on suspicion of warcrimes, crimes against humanity and geno-cide. Many analysts suspect that fear of beingturned over to the ICC has helped prolongBashir’s stay in office. Unrest in Darfur hasbeen its worst in a decade this year, while athree-year war in South Kordofan has intensi-fied. Even the capital Khartoum has beenstained by bloodshed. After the governmentslashed petrol subsidies in September, thou-sands took to the streets calling for the gov-ernment’s overthrow. —AFP

KHARTOUM: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi (right) shakes hands with Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir before leav-ing Khartoum airport after an official visit on Friday. — AFP

N E W SSUNDAY, JUNE 29, 2014

Continued from Page 1

The new issue of banknotes reflects efforts made bythe Central Bank to maintain its responsibilities to the lawand to secure the Kuwaiti currency through the use ofthe best and most modern printing industry standards,since the last release of new currency notes was 20 yearsago. Hashel explained to KUNA some of the proceduresfor the release of the sixth issue of Kuwait currency notesinto circulation.

First: New denominations of the banknotes are thesame as existing ones, ie, quarter, half, one, five, ten andtwenty dinars. Second: The release does not affect thevalidity of the banknotes currently in circulation - whichmaintains its legitimacy as legal tender until such a timean official decision for its withdrawal from circulation isannounced. Such an announcement will be made in duecourse of time. For the time being, however, the fifth andsixth editions of banknotes will be in circulation in paral-lel.

Third: From May 19, 2014, the Central Bank launchedan awareness campaign for the new banknotes, so thatthe public was informed of its specifications - in particu-lar those relating to the new designs of the variousdenominations and how to identify the security featuresof each note. The campaign used several forms of mediaincluding TV, radio and printed publications - therebyensuring that people are fully aware of the design of the

new notes and their security features. Moreover, a professionally scripted video was pro-

duced to introduce the detailed specifications and securi-ty features of the new banknotes. The video was subse-quently shown on a number of TV channels anduploaded on the Central Bank website. The bank will con-tinue its awareness campaigns to address any other relat-ed matters that may arise.

Fourth: Local bank staff have been instructed andhave been well trained beforehand on the technical andsecurity features of the new currency notes, so as to assistin the successful launch of the new banknotes. Hashelconcluded by saying that the CBK is committed to stay-ing abreast of global developments concerning centralbanks so as to strengthen the financial and economic sta-bility of Kuwait.

The Kuwaiti flag is a main feature of the new bills, inaffirmation of national identity. The new banknotes showthe Kuwaiti desert and marine environments, along withhistoric sites, namely Failaka island, the first minted coinbearing the name of Kuwait and heritage sites such theold Kuwaiti gate and industrial potentials and zones,including an oil tanker and a refinery. The newly-releasednotes bear other features, namely dhows and pearl div-ing, along with landmark structures including Seif Palace,the National Assembly building, the Kuwait Towers, theLiberation Tower, the Grand Mosque and the CentralBank of Kuwait’s new headquarters. — KUNA

Auspicious start as new dinars enter...Continued from Page 1

Believers are addressed with specific instructions on how toachieve both temporal and eternal success. And mankind in gen-eral is addressed with invitations to believe in God and mold lifearound that belief, and they are informed of the consequences ofaccepting or rejecting God’s invitation.

The Quran’s purpose is to inform people of a reality beyondtheir five senses and their perceptions of space and time, and toteach moral lessons and develop spirituality. With the additionalperspective it offers, the Quran also invites people to adopt alifestyle that ensures ultimate happiness and success. Finally,through stories and instruction, it describes the beliefs and prac-tices that are essential to achieve that state.

The verses of the Quran were revealed to address particular sit-uations, to relate historical information and to codify Islamic law.Common subjects are descriptions of God, stories of prophets,descriptions of believers and disbelievers, promises of God’srewards, especially Paradise, warnings about consequences forrebellion toward God, including Hellfire, instructions for personalconduct, guidelines for familial and social relations, and a frame-work for international relations.

Being an oral revelation first and foremost, devout Muslimslearn how to recite the holy scripture as it was revealed. Verbatimmemorization is common. Arabic is a rich language, and words ofthe Quran have great depth and breadth; therefore, they also studythe meaning of the words, verses and chapters, and there are ency-

clopedic works of this nature. In addition, Muslims study the occa-sions of revelation, the relation of the holy text to prophetic tradi-tions, and the application of principles by renowned scholars andrulers. The study of the Quran develops moral reasoning and spiri-tuality first and foremost, as well as thought processes of logic,sequencing, deduction, intuition, assimilation andabstraction.Reciting and memorizing it develops memory, enunci-ation and self-expression.

The printed Quran is revered as a holy book and is treated withrespect. It is not considered casual reading or handled like an ordi-nary book.There is only one version of the Quran, and carefulmeasures are taken that prints and reprints of the Quran in Arabicare authenticated byauthoritative bodies for accuracy. Since theQuran is an Arabic-language literary masterpiece both technicallyand aesthetically, it is impossible to portray its rhythm, rhyme,depth of denotation and subtlety of connotation in another lan-guage. There are many translations of the Quran, but we cannotcall a translation “the Quran” but only an approximation of themeaning of the Quran. The best English translations have theaccompanying original text in Arabic so that it can be consulted.

Since Ramadan is the month of the Quran, everyone shouldhave their copy handy and complete reading it in this holy month.

Courtesy TIES Center, a leading non-political NGO promotingrelations between Westerners and Muslims through dialogue,friendship and cultural exchange. For more information, visitwww.tiescenter.net

Ramadan: Month of the Holy Quran

Brazil and Chile fans cheer prior to the Round of 16 football match between Brazil and Chile at Mineirao Stadium in Belo Horizonte during the 2014 FIFA World Cup yesterday. — AFP

SUNDAY, JUNE 29, 2014

ASSEN: Spaniard Marc Marquez won a record-equalling eighth straightrace yesterday at the Dutch motorcycle Grand Prix in changing weatherconditions, ahead of Ducati rider Andrea Dovizioso. The runaway leader anddefending champion grabbed the lead from Dovizioso with 10 laps to go,after both riders switched from wet tyres to slicks earlier in the race.Spanish veteran Dani Pedrosa and Marquez’s team-mate, also on a Honda,was third. His victory saw Marquez become the first rider to win eight

straight premier class races from the start ofthe season since Italian great GiacomoAugustini in 1971.

The Spaniard, whose younger broth-er Alex earlier won in the Moto3 class,stretched his substantial lead in theoverall standings to 200 points.Marquez now stands 72 points aheadof second-placed Valentino Rossi, who

rode a magnificent race from the back toeventually end in fifth place. Rossi, however, is

now sharing second place with Pedrosa.—AFP

Marquez bags Dutch MotoGP

EDMONTON: Center Leon Draisaitl became the highest German playerchosen in the National Hockey League draft when he was selected at num-ber three by the Edmonton Oilers on Friday.

Canadian Aaron Ekblad, of the Barrie Colts in the Ontario Hockey League(OHL), was taken number one by the Florida Panthers in a draft inPhiladelphia largely devoid of surprises.

Draisaitl said he looked forward to following in the wake of some of thegreats who have played for the Oilers. “Wearing the same jersey as (Wayne)Gretzky and (Mark) Messier and all those stars is a huge honor,” the18-year-old from Cologne told TSN television.

“It’s a great organisation (with) a lot of young talented guysand I can’t wait until training camp. I think I’m a good fit.”Edmonton general manager Craig MacTavish said Draisitl’s size at6’1” (1.85m) and 204 pounds (92kgs) had been key to whythe franchise chose him from the Prince Albert Raidersin the Western Hockey League (WHL).

“We all know how difficult big centers are toobtain,” MacTavish said. “Leon fits that bill for us.There will be a line-up of wingers ready to playwith Leon.”—Reuters

LONDON: Kevin Pietersen has said an “underlying current of unhappiness”within the England side that developed during the Ashes thrashing inAustralia was still at work had played its part in the team’s first home Testseries defeat by Sri Lanka.

England went down to a 100-run defeat by Sri Lanka in the second Test atHeadingley on Tuesday to lose the series 1-0 after the tourists clung on for adraw at Lord’s. The Sri Lanka series was the first since Pietersen, England’s all-time leading run-scorer across all formats, had his central contract cancelledby the England and Wales Cricket Board.

That decision, which the ECB didn’t explain by any reference to loss ofform or fitness, but rather a need to “support” Test captain Alastair Cook,effectively ended the international career of South Africa-born batsmanPietersen. But hopes results would improve quickly in his absence after the5-0 Ashes reverse were dashed by Sri Lanka. And Pietersen, in his latest DailyTelegraph column published Saturday, suggested there was more toEngland’s woes than on-field performance, citing the way in which last manJames Anderson broke down in tears after being dismissed off the penulti-mate ball at Headingley as an example.—AFP

England suffering

Ashes hangover

S P O RT S

Draisaitl makes NHL history

W YORK: Vidal Nuno rebounded from twoawful starts to pitch two-hit ball into thesixth inning, Kelly Johnson and Brett Gardnerhit consecutive homers, and the New YorkYankees beat the Boston Red Sox 6-0 Fridaynight in the opener of a series betweenstruggling powers.

Brian McCann added a two-run homer forNew York, which has won six of the eightmeetings with Boston this season.

In his first at-bat as a 40-year-old, DerekJeter fisted a single to right field with oneout in the first. His birthday was on Thursday,the Yankees’ final day off before playing 17straight going into the All-Star break. AfterJacoby Ellsbury doubled, Jeter scored onMark Teixeira’s sacrifice fly off BrandonWorkman (1-1) for the early lead. TheYankees captain also singled in the fourth forhit No. 3,390 and went 2 for 4 in New York’ssecond win in six games.

ASTROS 4, TIGERS 3Jason Castro hit a solo homer in the 11th

inning to send Houston to victory and snapDetroit’s seven-game winning streak. Castrolaunched a pitch from Blaine Hardy (0-1) intothe seats in right field with one out. TheTigers tied it when Eugenio Suarez scored on

an error in the eighth inning. Jake Buchanan(1-1) pitched a perfect 11th for his first majorleague win.

Jose Altuve had four hits, an RBI and twosteals, including one of home, for the Astros.It was the MLB-leading 33rd multi-hit gamethis season for Altuve, who leads baseballwith 111 hits. He also leads the AmericanLeague with 32 stolen bases.

REDS 6, GIANTS 2Billy Hamilton and Jay Bruce drove in two

runs apiece to power Cincinnati. JohnnyCueto (8-5) pitched a three-hitter over 8 1-3innings and the Reds won their third straightand sixth of seven overall.

Cueto walked two and struck out three,allowing both runs and raising his majors-leading ERA from 1.86 to 1.88. AroldisChapman got the final two outs for his 16thsave in 17 chances.

The NL West-leading Giants lost for the13th time in 17 games. Their once command-ing 9 1/2 game lead has dwindled to twoafter losing for the 10th time in 12 homegames.

CARDINALS 3, DODGERS 1Jhonny Peralta hit a tiebreaking two-run

double and Yadier Molina homered for St.Louis. Cardinals right-hander Carlos Martinezcouldn’t make it out of the fifth inningdespite the two-run lead. Manager MikeMatheny pulled him after a one-out single byDee Gordon and a walk to Yasiel Puig, butSeth Maness (3-2) retired Adrian Gonzalez ona double-play grounder. Maness allowed onehit through 2 1-3 innings with two strikeouts.

Maness got a huge assist from centerfielder Jon Jay, who robbed Juan Uribe of apotential RBI double in the sixth when hesprinted toward the warning track and madea diving backhanded grab. Pat Neshekretired Matt Kemp on a grounder with a run-ner at second in the eighth, and TrevorRosenthal got three outs for his 24th save in27 chances.

WHITE SOX 5, BLUE JAYS 4Jose Abreu hit two solo home runs, Alexei

Ramirez added a two-run blast and Chicagosurvived a shaky ninth inning to win for thesecond time in nine games.

Dayan Viciedo also went deep as theWhite Sox won for the second time in 12road games and connected four times off

Blue Jays knuckleballer R.A. Dickey (6-7).Abreu led off the fifth with his 24th home

run and began the seventh with his 25th,tying Toronto’s Edwin Encarnacion andBaltimore’s Nelson Cruz for most in themajors.

Encarnacion also homered, going back toback with Dioner Navarro in the sixth, butthat was all the Blue Jays would manageagainst left-hander John Danks (7-6), whowon for the fourth time in five starts. JakePetricka got out of a jam in the ninth inningto notch his second save.

ORIOLES 4, RAYS 1Nelson Cruz and Nick Hundley homered

to back a commanding performance bystarter Chris Tillman and Baltimore split adoubleheader with Tampa Bay.

In the opener, rookie Alex Colome gaveup two hits over 5 2-3 innings and BrandonGuyer hit three doubles to lift Tampa Bay to a5-2 victory. Tillman (7-4) gave up one run andfour hits over eight innings to earn his firstwin in seven home starts this season. He was0-4 with a 2.78 ERA.

Zach Britton got three outs for his 10thsave. Hundley connected in the sixth off JuanCarlos Oviedo (3-3) for a 2-1 lead, and Cruz

hit his 25th home run - tied for the majorleague lead - in the seventh off Joel Peraltaafter Adam Jones led off with his fourth hit ofthe game. In the first game, Baltimore mus-tered only one hit after the second inning, aseventh-inning homer by Manny Machado.Added to the roster for the doubleheader asthe 26th man, Colome (1-0) gave up one runand walked four in his second big league vic-tory. The first came against Miami in hisdebut on May 30, 2013.

BRAVES 4, PHILLIES 2Freddie Freeman homered, doubled and

drove in all four Atlanta runs to back JulioTeheran’s strong pitching. Teheran (7-5)allowed two runs - one earned - and six hitsin seven innings. He struck out nine, walkednone and retired his final seven batters forAtlanta, which had lost six of 10 beginningwith Philadelphia’s three-game sweep atTurner Field last week.

Craig Kimbrel pitched a scoreless ninth forhis 23rd save in 27 chances. Ben Revere hadthree hits, including a triple, for the Phillies,who have lost five of seven.

CUBS 7, NATIONALS 2Light-hitting catcher John Baker had three

hits, a walk and four RBIs, and Chicago starter

Jason Hammel again mastered Washington.Baker capped his big day with a bases-

loaded, three-run double off reliever JerryBlevins in the seventh inning. He entered thegame hitting .160 in 35 games. The four RBIsdoubled his season total to eight. He alsohad four RBIs against the Nationals on Sept.4, 2009, in Washington.

Chris Coghlan, Justin Ruggiano and RyanSweeney each had a pair of hits in the 13-hitattack to help the Cubs win for the 21st timein their last 38 games.

Hammel (7-5) allowed two runs on fivehits and one walk in 6 1-3 innings en route tohis seventh victory in seven decisions againstthe Nationals.

ATHLETICS 9, MARLINS 5Coco Crisp scored the go-ahead run in the

ninth inning on a replay reversal, andOakland bounced back after blowing a four-run lead.

Josh Reddick’s two-out RBI triple tied thegame in the eighth, and the Athletics scoredfour times in the ninth off Marlins closerSteve Cishek (4-3).

Crisp singled to start the ninth and tooksecond on Alberto Callaspo’s single. WhenYoenis Cespedes followed with a single, rightfielder Giancarlo Stanton made a strongthrow home, and Crisp was ruled out at theplate. After a review that took 31/2 minutes,the called was overturned, giving the A’s a 6-5 lead. Josh Donaldson hit a sacrifice fly forhis third RBI, and Stephen Vogt and Reddickfollowed with run-scoring singles.

PIRATES 3, METS 2Josh Harrison doubled home the winning

run with two outs in the bottom of the 11thinning and Pittsburgh moved two gamesabove .500 for the first time since April 10.

Jordy Mercer hit a two-run single for thePirates (41-39), who won the first two gamesof the four-game series. Pinch-hitter ClintBarmes drew a one-out walk from formerPittsburgh reliever Vic Black (1-2) in the 11th.Mercer struck out before Harrison hit a driveto the 375-foot sign in right-center, scoringBarmes without a throw.

Harrison entered as a pinch hitter in theseventh and squirmed his way out of a run-down in the 10th on a wild play that drew anargument from Mets manager Terry Collins,who thought Harrison should have beencalled out for running outside the baseline.

ROYALS 8, ANGELS 6Omar Infante capped a seven-run inning

with his first career grand slam, and KansasCity won on a rough night for starting pitch-ers. Jason Vargas and Angels counterpartMatt Shoemaker (5-2) combined to give up14 runs on 20 hits - four of them home runs.Neither got an out in the fifth inning.

Michael Mariot (1-0) picked up with hisfirst career win with 1 1-3 innings of relief,and Greg Holland earned his 23rd save bytossing a perfect ninth.

Salvador Perez had three hits whileLorenzo Cain, Billy Butler and Alex Gordoneach drove in a run for Kansas City, whichended the Angels’ six-game winning streakdespite limping into the series having lostsix of seven.

RANGERS 5, TWINS 4Adrian Beltre homered, Shin-Soo Choo

had three hits in his return to the leadoffspot and Texas snapped its longest losingstreak in nearly nine years.

Nick Tepesch (3-3) allowed only three sin-gles over 7 1-3 scoreless innings for theRangers, who entered the series opener

mired in an eight-game losing streak for thefirst time since August 2005.

Minnesota has lost its last nine roadgames, including a three-game sweep atthe Los Angeles Angels before getting toTexas.

Kevin Correia (4-9) allowed four runs andsix hits over six innings. The right-hander,who struck out three and walked two, hadgiven up only two earned runs over 18innings his previous three starts.

BREWERS 3, ROCKIES 2Ryan Braun was hit by a pitch in the sev-

enth inning that scored a run and had anRBI single in the ninth that scored thegame-winner for Milwaukee.

Mark Reynolds led off the ninth with asingle off reliever Matt Belisle (2-3) andadvanced on a sacrifice by Jean Segura.Scooter Gennett pinch hit for FranciscoRodriguez (3-2) and was intentionallywalked. The runners advanced on a passedball by catcher Michael McKenry. AfterRickie Weeks went down swinging, Braundrilled Belisle’s first pitch up the middle.Josh Rutledge tied the game when hehomered off Rodriguez with one out in theninth. Rodriguez was trying to help KyleLohse win his third straight start. Lohse hasbeen victimized by five blown saves thisseason.

MARINERS 3, INDIANS 2Endy Chavez homered for the first time

in more than a year and Chris Young andfive relievers held Cleveland in check.

Chavez singled and scored in the firstinning, then ended the night for Clevelandstarter Trevor Bauer with a solo home runinto the right-field seats with one out in theseventh. It was Chavez’s first homer sinceMay 30, 2013, at San Diego, a span of 265plate appearances.

Kyle Seager had two hits, including an RBIsingle, to continue his hot hitting at home.Brad Miller also added an RBI single asSeattle won for the sixth time in sevengames. Seager is hitting .613 in his past eighthome games.

DIAMONDBACKS 2, PADRES 1Arizona’s Brandon McCarthy went seven

innings and won for just the second time thisseason for Arizona. McCarthy (2-10) limitedSan Diego to one run and six hits. He struckout seven with no walks as he beat thePadres for the second time this season andfourth in five career decisions.

Addison Reed pitched the ninth inning forhis 18th save in 21 chances. The Padres, whowere no-hit by the Tim Lincecum of the SanFrancisco Giants in their last game, wereagain challenged offensively.

Tyson Ross (6-8) took the loss as thePadres continued a disturbing trend. In Ross’last five starts the Padres have scored onerun. —AP

Yankees blank Red Sox

NEW YORK: Brandon Workman No. 67 of the Boston Red Sox delivers a pitch against theNew York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. —AFP

American LeagueEastern Division

W L PCT GB Toronto 45 37 .549 - Baltimore 42 37 .532 1.5 NY Yankees 41 37 .526 2 Boston 36 44 .450 8 Tampa Bay 33 49 .402 12

Central DivisionDetroit 43 33 .566 - Kansas City 41 38 .519 3.5 Cleveland 38 41 .481 6.5 Minnesota 36 42 .462 8 Chicago White Sox 37 44 .457 8.5

Western DivisionOakland 49 30 .620 - LA Angels 44 34 .564 4.5 Seattle 43 37 .538 6.5 Texas 36 43 .456 13 Houston 35 46 .432 15

National League

Eastern Division

Atlanta 41 38 .519 - Washington 41 38 .519 - Miami 39 41 .488 2.5 Philadelphia 36 43 .456 5 NY Mets 36 44 .450 5.5

Central Division

Milwaukee 50 32 .610 - St. Louis 44 37 .543 5.5 Cincinnati 41 38 .519 7.5 Pittsburgh 41 39 .513 8 Chicago Cubs 34 44 .436 14

Western Division

San Francisco 46 34 .575 - LA Dodgers 45 37 .549 2 Colorado 35 45 .438 11 San Diego 34 46 .425 12 Arizona 34 48 .415 13

MLB results/standings

Tampa Bay 5, Baltimore 2; Chicago Cubs 7, Washington 2; Baltimore 4, Tampa Bay 1; NY Yankees 6, Boston 0;Atlanta 4, Philadelphia 2; Pittsburgh 3, NY Mets 2 (11 Innings); Chicago White Sox 5, Toronto 4; Oakland 9, Miami5; Texas 5, Minnesota 4; Kansas City 8, LA Angels 6; Milwaukee 3, Colorado 2; Houston 4, Detroit 3 (11 Innings);Seattle 3, Cleveland 2; St. Louis 3, LA Dodgers 1; Arizona 2, San Diego 1; Cincinnati 6, San Francisco 2.

PERTH: A stunning opening assault fromthe Auckland Blues powered them to a40-14 win over the Western Force in theirSuper 15 clash in Perth yesterday night.

The Blues produced some of theirbest rugby of the season in the opening20 minutes to shock the Force, who weredesperate to win to keep their finalshopes on track.

However, it was the visitors that madeall the play from the outset to keep theirown slim playoff hopes alive and turnaround their poor away form, stormingto a match-winning 26-0 lead on theback of four tries in the first 18 minutesof play.

The carnage started in just the fourthminute, when Ihaia West took advantageof a great bounce from a chip kick andran in the opening try.

West then backed the try with a greatconversion to give the Blues the perfectstart. The Force haven’t beaten the Bluessince 2008 and the New Zealanders dou-bled their lead in the ninth minute, whenCharlie Faumina stormed over for a tryand West again converted.

Alarm bells were sounding for theForce, who have been one of the surprisepackets of the season, and they only gotlouder when the Blues crossed again justthree minutes later, this time through thepace of Lolagi Visinia after some impres-sive ball movement.

Although West missed the conversion,it didn’t hurt the Blues as Ma’a Nonuadded a fourth try in the 18th minute.The Force, missing the impact of WallabyNick Cummins who was a late withdraw-al due to a neck injury, did create a cou-ple of opportunities of their own in thefirst half.

However, they couldn’t capitalise andthey were never going to recover from a26-0 deficit at the break. A comebackwas a forlorn hope and it became a mis-sion impossible when the Blues pushedover under the posts in the 56th minute,with skipper Luke Braid becoming theirfifth tryscorer.

Braid said the Blues were happy tonotch a rare win away from home.“Everyone knows we have struggledaway for a year and a bit,” he said.”It wasgood just to start well, we got into ourrhythm.” Force skipper Matt Hodgsonsaid his team paid for their poor open-ing. “We missed the start and you can’tgive a side like the Blues a four-try start,”he said.—AFP

LOS ANGELES: Yasiel Puig No. 66 of the Los Angeles Dodgers grounds out in the secondinning against the St Louis Cardinals at Dodger Stadium. —AFP

Blues

thrash

Force

p16 2_Layout 1 6/28/14 9:45 PM Page 1

S P O RT SSUNDAY, JUNE 29, 2014

LONDON: Maria Sharapovaremains on course for a rare FrenchOpen and Wimbledon double aftermoving into the fourth round atthe All England Club with a 6-3, 6-0victory over American Alison Riskeyesterday. Sharapova is bidding tobecome the first woman sinceSerena Williams in 2002 to followvictory at Roland Garros withWimbledon glory just weeks later.

The 27-year-old was pushedharder than the scoreline suggest-ed, but the 2004 Wimbledon win-ner eventually over-powered worldnumber 44 Riske in 69 minutesunder the roof on Centre Court.

Meanwhile, Rafael Nadal defeat-ed Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Kukushkin6-7 (4/7), 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 to reach theWimbledon last 16 yesterday, shin-ing beneath the Centre Court roofwhile torrential rain swept awayaction on outside courts.

The second seeded Spaniard,the 2008 and 2010 champion,dropped the opening set for thethird time in three matches beforeblitzing the world number 63.

Nadal, the 28-year-old winner of14 Grand Slam titles won 17 of thelast 19 games and goes on to faceeither Australia’s Nick Kyrgios or JiriVesely of the Czech Republic for aplace in the quarter-final.

Sharapova, the world numberfive, is yet to drop a set in thisyear’s tournament and will playGerman ninth seed AngeliqueKerber or Belgium’s KirstenFlipkens, a 2013 semi-finalist, for aplace in the quarter-finals.

“I had a little bit of a slow startbut otherwise I’m thankful to getthrough,” Sharapova said. “Alison isa great grasscourt player and hadsome of her best results on the sur-face, but I felt better as the matchwent on.” With heavy rain causinglong delays and cancellations onthe outside courts, including fortop seed Serena-Sharapova’sscheduled quarter-final opponent-

the Russian admitted she wasrelieved to get her match finishedwhile her rivals could be made toplay a hectic programme nextweek. “I don’t look at the forecastso I didn’t know it was going torain. You don’t know how theschedule will go but I’m happy toget my match finished,” she said.

Sharapova has struggled atWimbledon for the past two years,with a shock second round loss toMichelle Larcher de Brito in 2013an especially painful experience.

Making amends for that exitseems to be Sharapova’s drivingforce this year and she said: “Afterlast year’s result I wasn’t satisfied.

“I was looking forward to com-ing back and here I am givingmyself another chance.” Most

French Open champions find it dif-ficult to succeed at the grasscourtGrand Slam so soon after winningon clay in Paris. But Sharapova, bid-ding to win Wimbledon for the firsttime since her famous final victoryagainst Serena as a teenager 10years ago, has swept through thefirst three rounds in dominantstyle. She lost just one game in herfirst round victory againstSamantha Murray and was almostas dominant in her second outingagainst Timea Bacsinszky.

For one set at least she got atougher examination from Riske,who has enjoyed more success ongrass than any other surface.

Her first 11 Tour-level wins allcame on grass in Birmingham andshe has 17 wins on the surface and

only 14 on clay and hardcourtscombined. She also thrashed for-mer Wimbledon champion PetraKvitova at the US Open andshowed some of that form as shebroke Sharapova in the openinggame.

Riske was giving a goodaccount of herself, but Sharapovagradually found her range andbroke back for 3-3. HammeringRiske’s defences with some blister-ing forehands, Sharapova brokeagain for a 5-3 lead and made itfive games in a row to serve outthe set.

Sharapova had the scent ofblood now and Riske was sweptaside as the Russian stormedthrough the second set in emphat-ic fashion. —AFP

Sharapova powers into last 16Nadal shines in the rain

WIMBLEDON: Russia’s Maria Sharapova serves to US player Alison Riske during their women’s singles thirdround match on day six of the 2014 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Tennis Club. —AFP

SACRAMENTO: Trey Hardee competes in the Pole Vault in the Decathlon on day 3 ofthe USATF Outdoor Championships at Hornet Stadium. —AFP

SACRAMENTO: Olympic silver medallistTrey Hardee scored a runaway victory inthe decathlon but headwinds slowedtimes for 100 metres winners MikeRodgers and Tianna Bartoletta at the USchampionships on Friday.

Hardee pi led up 8,599 points, theyear’s best score, for an overwhelming792-point victory in the 10-event, two-day competit ion at Sacramento,California.

“ There weren’t real ly many goodthings that happened,” the 2009 and 2011world champion told reporters despite hisdominance.

“Like golf, I felt like I had a lot of pars. Iwas very consistent. That’s what you wantin the decathlon.” Veteran sprinterRodgers romped to victory in the men’s100, but a headwind wiped out anychance for a super time after officialschanged the direction of the race follow-ing the semi-finals, forcing the runners torun into the wind instead of with it.

“I was kind of mad that they turned itaround, but it was a good time into aheadwind,” said Rodgers, who clocked10.09 seconds after a sizzling but wind-assisted 9.80 seconds in the semi-finals.

Olympian Ryan Bailey was second in10.23 seconds as world silver medallistJustin Gatlin, among others, chose to skipthe competition since there are no worldchampionship or Olympic berths at stakethis year.

The turnaround also hamperedwomen’s winner Bartoletta, who won overBarbara Pierre in 11.15 seconds afterclocking 10.92 seconds in the semi-finals.

“I had two great races today. I’ve got toget ready for the long jump (Saturday),”

said the former world champion jumper.Tori Bowie, the surprise of the

Diamond League season with her sprintvictories, pulled out of the final after feel-ing a twinge in her leg in the semi-finalwhere she ran 10.91 seconds.

Olympic champion Sanya Richards-Ross set the stage for what should be aspeedy women’s 400 metres f inal onSaturday as she equalled the year’s fastesttime of 50.03 seconds in the semi-finals.

World indoor gold medallist FrancenaMcCorory was a mere two-hundredthsbehind. But world champion LaShawnMerritt , saving himself for DiamondLeague races in Europe, pulled out themen’s semi-finals after running the pre-liminaries on Thursday.

London Olympic champion Jenn Suhrcleared 4.60 metres (15 feet, 1 inch) towin the women’s pole vault final, but 2012Olympic silver medallist Will Claye turnedthe tables on gold medallist ChristianTaylor in a world-class triple jump final.

Claye bounded 17.75 metres (58 feet, 3inches) to narrowly miss the year’s bestjump with Taylor leaping 17.37 (57-0) forsecond. Age remained no barrier to 39-year-old former world champion BernardLagat, who won the men’s 5,000 in13:31.41.

The women’s race went to MollyHuddle who edged Shannon Rowbury bya mere 15 hundreds of a second, winningin 15:01.56 to Rowbury’s 15:01.71.

Former collegiate champion QueenHarrison, hurdler-bobsledder Lolo Jones,Beijing Olympic champion Dawn HarperNelson and world champion BriannaRollins all qualified in the women’s 100metres hurdles.—Reuters

Hardee has year’sbest decathlon

SACRAMENTO: Brianna Rollins clears a hurdle in the opening round of the Women’s100 Meter Hurdles on Day 3 of the USATF Outdoor Championships. —AP

MARYLAND: Australian Oliver Goss surged into afour-way tie for the lead as Tiger Woods missedthe cut after the second round of the QuickenLoans National in Maryland on Friday.

Competing in only his second PGA Tour eventas a professional, the 20-year-old scrambledsuperbly as he piled up five birdies to card a flaw-less five-under-par 66 on a difficult CongressionalCountry Club layout bristling with thick rough.

Goss was runner-up at last year’s US AmateurChampionship, before finishing low amateur atthis year’s Masters. He missed the cut at lastweek’s Travelers Championship in his pro debut,but brought much better form to storiedCongressional in leafy Bethesda just outsideWashington DC.

Goss posted a six-under total of 136 to end theround level with fellow Australian Marc Leishman(66) and Americans Patrick Reed (68) and RickyBarnes (69).

Goss hit only four of 14 fairways on Friday butused his recovery skills to the full as he reached 14of 18 greens in regulation. “I don’t think I hit onefairway until the 11th ... but I scrambled my waypretty good today,” he told PGA Tour Radio.

“I was able to get it up and down (for par)every time I missed the green. “It’s only my secondweek as a pro and being on the top of the leader-board, it just gives you a boost of confidence.

“I didn’t really have too many expectations.After last week, I was a little bit disappointed but Icame here pretty fresh and open-minded. And I’mon top of the leaderboard. I couldn’t be morepleased.” Reed, who has been quiet since winningthe WGC Cadillac Championship in Miami inMarch, finished strongly with three birdies in hisfinal five holes.

“Yesterday I hit a lot of fairways which allowedme to attack the greens but today the tee shotsweren’t there so I was playing a lot out of therough (and) I had to make some smart decisionson key holes,” said Reed.

He made headlines after his WGC victory whenhe said he belonged among the top five players inthe world. He said he was subsequently distract-ed, not by the reaction to his comments, but bythe May birth of his first child with wife Justine.Several big names, including Woods, Jason Dayand Jason Dufner, missed the cut. Woods, playinghis first tournament since back surgery in March,was predictably rusty, especially with his shortgame. Over two rounds, he got up-and-downonly three times out of 16 attempts when hemissed a green. —Reuters

Goss shares four-way lead

BETHESDA: Patrick Rodgers of the United States watches his tee shot on the fourth hole dur-ing the third round of the Quicken Loans National at Congressional Country Club. —AFP

Langer charges ahead to control Senior Players Championship

PITTSBURGH: Bernhard Langer, making themost of low-scoring conditions, eagled the par-four seventh on the way to a six-under-par 64 totake control of the Senior Players Championshipin Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Friday.

The 56-year-old German, seeking his thirdmajor title on the over-50s Champions Tour, alsorecorded five birdies and a lone bogey in thesecond round at Fox Chapel Golf Club as heposted an 11-under total of 129.

That left Langer two ahead of Americans BillGlasson (64) and Doug Garwood (67), withIreland’s Mark McNulty (66) and Americans JoeDurant (68), John Riegger (64) and MichaelAllen (64) a further stroke back at eight under.

Langer, however, dominated a mainly sunnyday at Fox Chapel where his only cause of con-cern was a broken driver after he had teed off atthe par-five last. “I hit a good tee shot and as I

picked up my tee, I heard it rattle in my driverhead,” Langer, a twice former Masters champion,told reporters. “And I’m going, ‘Wow, what’s thatrattling for?’

“Then I grabbed the head, and it was loose.Something broke inside the screw that holdsthe shaft in. I have to go and see the tour repdown there or the guy that repairs the clubsand see if he can fix that one or I have to go tomy backup driver.”

Overall, though, Langer was delighted withhis form on a day when his playing partner,reigning champion Kenny Perry, piled up sevenbirdies in a flawless 63 to surge into a tie foreighth at seven under. “I saw Kenny Perry golow so I figured if him and I go low, there’sgoing to be others that could go low too,”smiled Langer, whose previous major wins onthe Champions Tour came at the 2010 Senior

Open Championship and the 2010 U.S. SeniorOpen. “So I am trying to keep making the bestshots I can and make more birdies.” Perry, whoclinched his first over-50s major title with aclosing 64 in last year ’s Senior PlayersChampionship, accepts Langer will be difficultto beat over the weekend at Fox Chapel.

“I don’t know if they’re going to be able tofix that driver so it may give us a shot,” Perryjested. “(Langer’s) playing flawless golf. Theonly reason he made bogey on that 14th hole,he had a mud ball that shot it way left of thegreen.

“He’s hitting it perfect, so he’s going to be ahard man to catch. I’m going to have to keepshooting 63s to catch him.” Briton ColinMontgomerie, who won the Senior PGAChampionship by four strokes in May, carded a69 and was nine strokes off the pace. —Reuters

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SUNDAY, JUNE 29, 2014

FAN FERVOR

RECIFE: Costa Rica are determined toscore first when they tackle Greece inthe World Cup last 16 in Recife today.Greece have developed a reputationover the years of being extremely hardto break down, particularly if they takethe lead.

They have almost perfected theclassic Italian system of catenaccio(bolt-lock) in which teams would playin an ultra defensive way and hope toscore a single goal on the counter-attack to take a lead they would thendefend.

And Los Ticos technical assistantLuis Marin said his team need to scoreearly to prevent Greece from takingthe lead and then shutting up shop.

“It’s crucial for us to score early inthe game, especially as Greece areknown to tighten up at the back oncethey score,” said Marin.

“But we know it ’s going to be atough game all round. Although theylost to Colombia (3-0), the goals theyconceded were down to simple mis-takes. Greece are also potent on thecounter-attack.”

He added: “Penalties could play arole at some point. They are a part ofthe game and although we hope itdoesn’t happen, we have to prepare forevery scenario.

“We’ve been practising shootingfrom the penalty spot.” Costa Ricaemerged as one of the form teams ofthe group stages, stunning Uruguayand then Italy before drawing withEngland to finish top of Group D.

Greece only just squeezed into theknockout round by the skin of theirteeth, Giorgios Samaras converting alate penalty to hand Fernando Santos’smen a decisive 2-1 win over IvoryCoast to book their first ever last 16appearance. It was only Greece’s sec-ond goal in three matches.

Having steered Greece to their first

ever appearance in the knockoutstages, Santos said unfancied CostaRica would be a force to be reckonedwith.

“We have to pay a lot of attention tothis game, they came out top in the‘Group of Death’. As a result we can’tafford to underestimate them,” said thePortuguese.

As well as their potent attack ,Costa Rica can boast a tight defence-

having conceded just once, to anEdinson Cavani penalty during their 3-1 defeat of Uruguay, in the tourna-ment so far.

“If we have a good point, it’s ourdefensive system, which isn’t just thefour or five defenders,” said coachJorge Luis Pinto. “Our defence is bal-anced, tough and very efficient.”

Given the flair with which CostaRica sailed through Group D, they

should start as favorites at the ArenaPernambuco-where they stunned alifeless Italy 1-0 last week.

But if Greece progress, the country’sfederation bosses will need to look fora quick-fix solution to keep Santos onboard for a few extra days. Santos’scontract runs out the day after the last16 clash, and the trained electricalengineer has no intention of having itrenewed come what may. —AFP

Costa Rica wary ofGreek catenaccio

BUCHAREST: A combination of file images created on June 27, 2014 shows Konstantinos Mitroglou (left) of Greececontroling the ball and Costa Rica’s forward and captain Bryan Ruiz controlling the ball. —AFP

MOGI DAS CRUZES: Vincent Kompany has hadto wait until his fourth decade to grace a WorldCup pitch and now that he is in Brazil, he riskshaving his greatest moment taken away.

Should that be the case, it will be a case ofsame old, same old for the Belgium centre-back,who has been blighted by injuries throughouthis career. Aged 30, the Manchester Citydefender, who captains club and country, hasmissed around two full seasons of his career intotal due to various physical problems.

And now, just three days away from the RedDevils’ last 16 clash with the United States,Kompany once again missed training onSaturday due to a groin strain that has kept himoff the training ground since Wednesday. It hasled to concern from both Belgium coach MarcWilmots and the country’s fans that their bestplayer might not be fit for the second roundencounter in Salvador. For Kompany to miss hisfinest hour in an international jersey would be atravesty for such an important player.

“Alongside Axel (Witsel), he’s my messengeron the pitch,” said Wilmots. For his team-mates,he is indispensable. “Vincent knows how tomake sacrifices. He’s always been there for theteam when he needed to be. He knows how toovercome physical pain. I’m sure he’ll be withus,” said left-back Jan Vertonghen. He missed afew games during Belgium’s qualification cam-paign for the World Cup yet they still remainedunbeaten.

“Maybe but in the friendlies againstColombia and Japan, Vincent’s absence wasobvious,” said Thomas Vermaelen recently, refer-ring to two defeats in November last year.

“The defence was leaking water by makingpositional mistakes that he wouldn’t havemade.” It’s not just at international level that histalent and influence has been noted, in the clubgame City’s rivals have also come to notice amarked difference. “A team with Kompany is notthe same without him,” said Arsenal managerArsene Wenger in the spring.

“Manchester City without Kompany arenowhere near as good.” Wenger’s assertion isborne out by the statistics. With Kompany, Citywin two thirds of their matches but without himthat drops to less than one in two.

The problem is, though, that Kompany isregularly on the sidelines. He puts that down tohis all-action, full-blooded style. “It’s difficult totalk about that. Since the start of my career I’vealways done everything in my power to avoidinjuries,” he said around a month ago.

“If I can be spared (from injury) during theWorld Cup, I would be the happiest of all.” Buthe insists he has no fear of injuries. “I never thinkabout it, I always give my all.”

According to Belgium’s team doctor, ChrisVan Crombrugge, it is Kompany’s physicalstrengths that contribute to his problems.“Vincent is no more fragile than any other inter-national player,” he told the Saturday edition ofBelgian Le Soir newspaper.

“But his musculature is above average, whichgrants him an explosiveness and speed ofmovement that increases the risk factor due tothe demands of the Premier League where thematches build up with hellish regularity andwhere there is no winter break.”—AFP

InjurythreatensKompany

FORTALEZA: Mexico’s forward Javier Hernandez (left) and Mexico’s defender Miguel Layun warm up dur-ing a training session.—AFP

FORTALEZA: After ending an 11-game international goal drought,Manchester United’s JavierHernandez is aiming to oust hisnew club boss Louis van Gaalwhen Mexico meet Netherlands inthe World Cup last 16.

“This whole year has been verytough. Players need confidencemore than anything else and I’vebeen very short of it. Very few peo-ple have shown faith in me overthis past year,” said the 26-year-oldspeaking of his more than a yearwithout a goal for Mexico.

Hernandez, who is known as‘Chicharito’ (Little Pea), was left intears after heading his side’s thirdgoal in a 3-1 win over Croatia onMonday which sealed their placein the knockout stages for a sixthstraight World Cup. The tough yearhas seen several reports thatHernandez could leave his Englishclub side Manchester Unitedwhere Dutch coach van Gaal willtake over after the World Cup.

Hernandez’s return to scoringform is another boost for a Mexicoside that has gone from strengthto strength since the appointmentof coach Miguel Herrera last year.

The team shrugged off a farfrom impressive qualifying cam-paign to progress with ease from

Group A, also beating Cameroonin their opening game and hold-ing hosts Brazil 0-0.

“We have to stay very calm,very humble and not get carriedaway,” said Hernandez. “This is justone more step forward, a veryimportant one, but just one morestep. If we want to make historywe have to beat the Netherlandsand keep moving along the pathwe’ve set out for ourselves.”

Victory over the Dutch wouldmatch Mexico’s best ever showingat a World Cup when they reachedthe last eight on home soil in 1970and 1986.

However, to do so they willhave to stop the tournament’s topscorers in the group stage with 10goals in wins over world champi-ons Spain, Australia and Chile.

Midfielder Wesley Sneijder,though, insists memories of a simi-lar flying start to the 2008European Championship before ashock defeat to Russia will ensurethey do not get carried away.

“ The older players have thememory of the Euro 2008,” said theGalatasaray playmaker.

“It is true that at the time wegot a bit too excited, perhaps ouroverconfidence precipitated ourloss. Sneijder said that he Arjen

Robben and Robin Van Persie“have been sure this week to warnour young teammates.”

Van Gaal rounded on critics ofhis side’s counter-attack style afterthe 2-0 win over Chile, but couldbe forced to switch from the 5-3-2formation that he started the tour-nament with due to injuries.

Bruno Martins Indi has not fea-tured since suffering a concussionin his side’s second match againstAustralia, whilst Leroy Fer, whoopened the scoring against Chile,is ruled out by a hamstring injury.

The absence of Martins Indimeant Dirk Kuyt started in anunfamiliar left wing-back roleagainst Chile and the formerLiverpool forward is prepared todo so again to keep his place inthe team.

“I was surprised that the coachplayed me at left-back againstChile, but I bel ieve I did well .“Defensively I worked hard andgot forward when I could to cre-ate danger. It’s not a problem forme. I play for the team, not forme.” The big boost for the Dutch isthe return of captain van Persie,who has scored three times in justtwo appearances. He sat out thewin over Chile due to suspen-sion.—AFP

Hernandez targets new boss

SUNDAY, JUNE 29, 2014

FAN FERVORMueller focussed on

Cup not Golden BootSANTO ANDRE: Four years afterbeing mistaken for a ball-boy byDiego Maradona, Germany’s ThomasMueller insists he would rather be aWorld Cup winner than claim anotherGolden Boot award.

Algeria stand in Germany’s pathfor Monday’s last 16 clash in PortoAlegre before a possible quarter-finalat Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana Stadiumagainst France or Nigeria.

“We have big plans, with our teamspirit and a bit of luck, we can go far,”said Mueller after Germany finishedtop of Group G.

With nine World Cup goals in ninematches to his credit, the baby-faced24-year-old has come far sinceMaradona’s blunder in a 2010 pressconference in Munich.

Mueller had the last laugh a fewmonths later with the opening goalas Germany destroyed Maradona-coached Argentina 4-0 in the WorldCup quarter-finals in South Africa.

The Bayern Munich star finishedthe 2010 World Cup as the GoldenBoot winner with five goals, plusthree assists, and also picked up thebest young player award. Four yearslater, he is on course to retain theGolden Boot with four goals in Brazilleaving a no-longer ignorantMaradona to hail the form of ‘El Flaco’the Skinny One.

The attacking midfielder ’s tallyincludes the winning goal inThursday’s 1-0 victory over the UnitedStates, plus a hat-trick in the 4-0 routof Portugal.

Mueller tops the list for the 2014Golden Boot-ahead of Brazil’s Neymarand Argentina’s Lionel Messi who also

have four goals each-by virtue of hisassist for Mario Goetze’s goal in the 2-2 draw against Ghana. Just do not callhim Germany’s Maradona.

“Please, no,” was Mueller’s reply toreporters’ suggestions as his ninthgoal put him one ahead of theArgentinian’s eight in the list of all-time goal-scorers at World Cup finals.

Despite his thunder-bolt of a shotagainst the Stars and Stripes, Muellerwould swap any personal awards forthe chance to see Germany claim afourth World Cup.

“I actually managed to score a nicegoal for once, it was good to hit oneoff the front of my foot,” he said afterhis winner against Jurgen Klinsmann’sUSA.

“The goal record doesn’t interestme at the moment, I have already gotone Golden Boot. “I want to be aworld champion, that’s something Ihaven’t won yet.”

Mueller, with his slight build andhappy-go-lucky demeanour, haspotentially another two World Cupfinals ahead of him. He could welleventually eclipse teammate MiroslavKlose and Brazil legend Ronaldo’sjoint record of 15 World Cup goals,but says he does not care who scoresfor Germany at Porto Alegre’s Beira-Rio Stadium tomorrow.

Klose could become the sole top-scorer at World Cup finals with a 16thgoal after equalling Ronaldo’s recordin the Ghana draw.

“He runs a lot and has played verywell, I hope he scores lots of goals forus and takes the Golden Boot home,”Mueller said of Klose, the 2006 WorldCup’s Golden Boot winner. –AFPGermany’s forward Thomas Mueller

RIO DE JANEIRO: It was another party inCopacabana, the bars packed, the sambaturned up-and, in the middle of it all, hundredsof World Cup fans lining up to be bitten by LuisSuarez.

Or at least that was what it looked like inthe photos snapped in front of an Adidas bill-board of the disgraced Uruguayan star givingan open-mouthed war cry above the suddenlyironic slogan “All or nothing.” As a warm breezeblew over the iconic Rio de Janeiro beach, fansfrom around the world queued Thursday nightto put an exposed shoulder, arm or head

between the 27-year-old striker’s giantteeth after FIFA banned him from football forfour months for biting Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini.

By Friday morning, Adidas-which hasdropped Suarez from all World Cup advertisingover the incident-had taken down the ad andreplaced it with one featuring Brazil’s non-bit-ing Dani Alves.

But not before hundreds of people had tak-en versions of the instantly viral picture. Life-long Liverpool fan Godfrey Branch, one ofthose who beat the German sportswear giantto the scene, described his complicated feel-ings on Suarez, who scored 31 league goals forhis club last season but is now serving his thirdban for biting opponents.

“Suarez is my favorite player. I’m a Liverpoolsupporter, I love Suarez,” the 44-year-oldEngland fan told AFP. “But I don’t agree withwhat he’s done. I think he does it when he getsfrustrated,” he said.

“Something triggers it off, it’s insane. At aheavy price-it affects his country, his club.People have paid millions to see him and hedisappoints everybody. And he’s not a verygood role model for kids. Kids love this guy.And he’s a kid himself.”

Draped in the flag of Colombia-the teamUruguay face Saturday in Rio as they try tokeep their World Cup hopes alive without theirhero-Reynel Ramirez said he would have pre-ferred to see Suarez play the match. “I’m aSuarez fan, but it’s irresponsible of a player likehim to do this,” said the 29-year-old engineer.“It seems comical to me.”

Spotting a marketing opportunity of hisown, Facundo Nahuel, a 23-year-old Argentinecovered in tattoos and earrings, arrived with atray of fresh caipirinhas and started selling thefamed Brazilian cocktails to the crowd for $2each. “I like Suarez a lot because he’s a warrior,because he drenches his shirt in sweat,because he gives everything for his team, forhis country. The punishment they gave him isunfair,” he said between sales. As the laughingmasses from Colombia, England, Germany andbeyond stood in line for a photo, irate fans inUruguay’s sky-blue jersey unleashed a flurry ofinsults.

“Hang in there Suarez!” shouted some.“We’re going to win without Suarez and we’regoing to shut these people up. FIFA can goshove it you know where. Suarez was just oneman on the team, there are 22 predators left,”said Martin de Leon, a 25-year-old Uruguayanwho works as a tour guide in Rio. To fellowUruguayan Marcelo Garcia, there is more toSuarez’s ban than meets the eye (or the teeth).“It makes me angry and hurt to see these peo-ple taking their pictures. It’s not funny,” said the37-year-old construction manager, who lives inthe United States.—AFP

PORTO ALEGRE: If revenge is a plate best served cold,Algeria will hope to dish it out to Germany in their WorldCup Round of 16 match on Monday 32 years after one ofthe most shameful games in the tournament’s history.

In all likelihood, however, a powerful Germany side willbring the Desert Foxes’ run to an end and deprive them ofretribution and further glory. But it might not be easy.

The Germans, champions in 1954, 1974 and 1990,arrived in Brazil as one of the favourites. They showed theircredentials by demolishing Portugal 4-0 in their openinggame but stumbled slightly against Ghana, drawing 2-2.

They then dismissed the United States with a strongperformance that still left some room for improvement,although Thomas Mueller showed again what a lethal strik-er he is.

Algeria, masterminded by the wily French Bosniancoach Vahid Halilhodzic and carrying the hopes of the Arabworld with them, have impressed with their tenacity andball skills.

After losing their opening match to Belgium, they over-whelmed South Korea 4-2 in an epic match in Porto Alegre.In their crucial final group game, a headed goal by IslamSlimani brought them back from 1-0 down against Russiato secure a draw, sending them through to the last 16 andtheir fans — possibly the most devout in the tournament— into ecstasy.

Algeria have beaten Germany in the World Cup before,defeating the then-West Germany 2-1 in Spain in 1982. Butwhat followed was a travesty.

After also defeating Chile, Algeria were on the cusp ofqualifying for the knockouts. West Germany met Austria inthe final group game with a narrow German victoryenough for both teams to go through and see Algeriaeliminated.

After an early German goal, the two kicked the ballaround aimlessly without trying to score again. The cynicaldisplay caused worldwide outrage and has gone down inthe annals of soccer infamy as “the Shame of Gijon”.

So the stage is set for a grand show in Porto Alegre’sBeira Rio stadium on Monday, with the winner’s reward aquarter-final against France or Nigeria.

Germany can expect a warm welcome in the RioGrande do Sul capital - the state has a significant popula-tion of German descent from immigration in the 19thCentury.

While satisfied with Germany’s performance against theUnited States, coach Joachim Loew signalled they neededto tighten up in several aspects of their play.

He criticised the finishing and said they were also care-less in the match’s later stages, squandering possession inmidfield.

“We lost the ball at the end of the match unnecessarily

and that’s really dangerous - other teams take advantageof that,” Loew said. “We could have had two or three moregoals if we had played with a bit more finishing concentra-tion.”

Still, with four goals, Mueller is the tournament’s jointtop scorer with Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Brazil’sNeymar. The German machine must be favoured toaccomplish their mission.

Algeria will hope Porto Alegre will be propitious forthem after their historic battle here against South Korea,when their four goals made then the highest-scoringAfrican side in a single World Cup game. This is also thefirst time two African sides have reached the last 16 -African champions Nigeria being the other.

Halilhodzic had complained after the loss to Belgiumthat his team lacked the fitness to press to the end andneeded to be psychologically stronger. That seems to havebeen rectified.

Algeria - whose team is built around French-born play-ers from the former colonial power’s immigrant communi-ty - were on the back foot against the Russians for much ofthe first half but they rallied magnificently in the second.

Slimani is also proving to be one the tournament’s play-ers to watch and after his 60th minute goal, Algeria hadthe discipline to hold firm against surging Russian attacks.“I love it as a coach to see my team fighting like this,”Halilhodzic said after the match. “(Germany) are a hugeteam. It’s going to be very complicated for us. We are smallAlgeria against big Germany.”—Reuters

Algeria in fight for glory

BRAZIL: Algeria’s defender Djamel Mesbah takes part a training session in Sorocaba during the 2014 FIFAWorld Cup football tournament. —AFP

FIFA World Cup

Netherlands v Mexico 19:00beIN SPORTS 1 HDbeIN SPORTS 2 HDbeIN SPORTS 11 HDbeIN SPORTS 13 HDbeIN SPORTS 1 HD FR

Costa Rica v Greece 23:00beIN SPORTS 1 HDbeIN SPORTS 2 HDbeIN SPORTS 11 HDbeIN SPORTS 13 HDbeIN SPORTS 1 HD FR

Matches on TV (Local Timings)

Photo op

and fury at

Suarez ‘bite’

billboard

17Sharapova, Nadalreach last 16 at soggy Wimbledon

SUNDAY, JUNE 29, 201418Costa Rica wary of Greek catenaccio

Algeria in fight for glory Page 19

BELO HORIZONTE: Brazil’s forward Jo (right) tries to score a goal as Chile’s goalkeeper and captain Claudio Bravo saves the ball during extra-time of the Round of 16 football match between Brazil and Chile yesterday. — AFP

BELO HORIZONTE: Nervous Brazil beat Chile 3-2 on penalties toreach the World Cup quarter-finals yesterday after an epic battlethat left Neymar and his teammates in tears. Two first half-goalsand were all the teams managed in a fast-paced and tense 90minutes and extra time in the Mineirao Stadium. Gonzalo Jaramissed the decisive penalty for Chile, crashing his shot againstthe post and across the face of the goal, to continue his coun-try’s record of World Cup misery against Brazil. Willian and Hulkboth missed from the spot for Brazil. But David Luiz, Marcelo andNeymar all kept their cool to score while Julio Cesar made crucialsaves from Mauricio Pinilla and Alexis Sanchez.

Neymar sank to his knees in disbelief afterwards amid wide-spread tears of joy. Some of the Chilean players hid their weep-ing under their shirts as they left the field. Earlier on a hot after-noon in Belo Horizonte, Sanchez pounced on poor Braziliandefending to equalize for Chile in the 32nd minute, cancellingout an 18th-minute opener for the hosts that appeared to be anown-goal by Jara but was awarded by FIFA to David Luiz. Brazil

had the majority of the chances, but were overcome by nervesin the second half and were hugely lucky to survive at the end ofextra time when substitute Pinilla lashed a shot against the barfrom the edge of the area.

Luiz Felipe Scolari’s side now look forward to a quarter-finalagainst either Uruguay or Colombia in Fortaleza, while Chilecontemplate a last-16 exit at the hands of Brazil, just as they suf-fered in 1998 and 2010. As in all of their group games, Brazilstarted frantically amid a backdrop of deafening noise from thecrowd of almost 60,000. Chile were subjected to the sort of highand energetic pressing game they normally inflict upon othersand Marcelo shot narrowly wide before English referee HowardWebb rejected loud appeals for a penalty when Hulk wentdown in the area after coming together with Mauricio Isla.

Brazil and their fans celebrated in the 18th minute, howev-er. Neymar swung in a corner from the left and Thiago Silvaheaded the ball on towards the back post, went into the net offJara who was under pressure from David Luiz. Chile, who also

lost to Brazil in the 1962 semi-finals, faced a huge challenge tocome from behind, but Brazil allowed them to control posses-sion and gifted them an equalizer.Hulk made a carelessly pass,allowing Eduardo Vargas topounce and set up Sanchez,who had hardly beeninvolved in the game butcame alive to coolly beatJulio Cesar in goal.

Handball denies HulkJorge Sampaoli’s side were then forced to weather a storm

into half-time that saw a Neymar header deflected past thepost and Claudio Bravo tip a powerful 30-yard drive fromDaniel Alves over the bar. Chilelooked more comfortable afterthe restart, even if they had a let-

off 10 minutes into the second half when Hulk succeeded inturning the ball into the net with his knee and wheeled awayin celebration. Hulk thought he had redeemed himself for hiserror in Chile’s equalizer, but the referee ruled that he had con-trolled the ball with his arm and brandished a yellow card tothe burly forward.

As nerves took hold, Brazil needed Cesar to come to therescue with a fine reaction save from an Aranguiz shot, whileNeymar, so often the hosts’ source of genuine inspiration, fad-ed from the game. Instead Hulk came to the forefront. Hedelivered a glorious cross from the left that Jo, on in place ofFred, could not convert and then stung the palms of Bravoafter accelerating into the box. In the first period of extra time,Hulk produced another trademark thunderbolt from 30 yardsthat was blocked by Bravo. Chile, meanwhile, seemed happyto take their chances in the lottery of a penalty shoot-out.Pinilla almost won it right at the last, only for the woodwork torescue Brazil, as it did again from Jara’s crucial penalty. — AFP

Brazil beat Chile in penalty epic

BRASILIA: “First comes God, then family and then Neymar,” says RayellenAndrade, 17, wearing the yellow Brazil team jersey with her idol’s name acrossthe back. She’s among the tens of thousands of groupies known as“Neymarzetes,” who worship the Brazil and Barcelona forward on both sides ofthe Atlantic as if he were a Justin Bieber in football cleats. “Neymarmania” issweeping across Brazil.

The face of Neymar, who changed haircuts and hair color during the tour-nament before sporting a blond top, is everywhere: On advertising billboards,television commercials and in the hearts of his admirers. His female fansscream when they see him, collect any Neymar souvenir, scan the Internet forthe latest details of his life and talk about him in web chatrooms. With longreddish hair and nails painted in green, Andrade comes from a middle-classfamily living in Brasilia.

She has covered her bedroom with posters of the striker. She collects fold-ers filled with newspaper articles about him. Unable to score tickets for Brazil-Cameroon in Brasilia this week, she went to the pre-game practice hoping toget his attention. “He knows I exist. My biggest dream is to kiss him and tellhim I love him, that if he has a problem I will always be by his side,” she says.Watching the game at home, she welled up after Neymar, the World Cup’sjoint top scorer, netted in the 4-1 victory.

Her passion for Neymar began five years ago after an epileptic crisis. “I was-n’t interested in any particular player but when I turned 12, I became very sick,”she says. She was unable to walk or go school and risked being paralysed.Spending hours at home on the Internet, Andrade found comfort in Neymar,who played for Brazilian club Santos at the time. “I didn’t see anybody. I had nofriends. I became passionate about him,” she says. “I started reading books,doing searches about him and his family. I bought everything about him. Hisjoy of life took away my sadness of having no contacts,” Andrade says.

Crushed by his departure She has overcome her illness but the passion has remained. “We

Neymarzetes must know everything about him to hit back at critics,” she says.She follows the star on Twitter and sends him several messages. “Sometimeswe think that he could spend more time with us but he has to work, he has ason and his family,” the fan says. Neymar knows about the Neymarzete move-ment and regularly addresses them. “He responded to one of my messagesonce during the London Olympic Games. I had written ‘good luck, ready to

score a goal?’ and he replied: ‘Not just one, but two.’ That night, he scored twogoals,” Andrade says.

Brazil lost to Mexico in the Olympic final, taking home the silvermedal. But Neymarzetes believe he can lead Brazil to a record-extending sixth World Cup. “He will become the best playerin the world back in his homeland,” Andrade says. Histransfer to Barcelona last year broke the hearts ofmany fans who wanted him to keep playingcloser to them in Brazil. “We hoped thathe would stay. We were crushedwhen he announced his depar-ture,” Andrade says. “But thenhe did an interview inwhich he said ‘I willnever abandon myNeymarzetes.’”

Andrade has aboyfriend butshe insists he’s notjealous of her crush. When it comes toNeymar’s model-girlfriend, BrunaMarquezine, Andrade tries to be gra-cious. “I respect her because shemakes my idol happy. I’m not a fanof her but I respect her.” Andrade’smother supports her daughter’sobsession. “I like her happy. Whenwe have to take her somewhere forNeymar, I go with her,” MarleneAndrade says. But she has setground rules. “At school, duringbreaks, I look at Neymar stuff but Ihave to work during classes,”Rayellen says. “My mother said,‘If you don’t have a passinggrade, Neymar is over.’ So Istudy hard.” — AFP

Neymar has his groupies ‘Neymarzetes’

Neymar

LONDON: Top seed Serena Williams’ challenge for a sixthWimbledon singles title fizzled out with a shock 1-6 6-3 6-4defeat by France’s Alize Cornet yesterday. The 32-year-oldAmerican seemed in a hurry to make up for lost time fol-lowing a long rain delay when she raced through the firstset but when Cornet began to dig in her powerful gamebegan to crumble in front of a stunned crowd on CourtOne. Persistent rain at the All England Club meant only twogames were possible before the players were running forcover from the showers. When they returned four hourslater Williams took charge.

The 24-year-old Cornet, who had already beatenWilliams this year, refused to fade away though and withher opponent looking uncomfortable moving on the grassshe took the second set with some accurate shot-making.A desperate-looking Williams fought off break points in theopening game of the decider but Cornet turned the screwsat 2-2 to move ahead and then broke serve again to lead 5-2. World number one Williams looked set to launch a lateescape as she clawed back to 4-5 but Cornet held hernerve when she served for the match for a second time,moving to match point when Williams bundled an easyvolley into the net.

Williams suffered her earliest exit from the All EnglandClub since 2005 when she chased down a Cornet dropshotbut smacked an attempted backhand pass into the net. “Ijust cannot believe it,” Cornet, who has reached the last 16of a grand slam for only the second time in 34 attempts,said in a courtside interview. “After the break because ofthe rain I couldn’t move my legs, I was so slow. After 6-1 in15 minutes I was like this will be tough. But I finally made itthrough, I don’t know how just with my heart and the helpof the crowd.” Serena’s defeat follows that of sister Venus toPetra Kvitova in the third round on Friday. Cornet, the 25thseed, will face Canada’s rising force Eugenie Bouchard for aplace in the quarter-finals. — Reuters

Serena knocked out of

Wimbledon by Cornet

BusinessSUNDAY, JUNE 29, 2014

N Korea’s economy rises slightly - thanks to China

Page 22

Leaders signal shift from austerity of Europe crisis

Page 25

Venezuelan commuters scrambleamid blackout

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UK acts to cool booming property market Page 25

TOKYO: Pedestrians cross a road in Tokyo. Inflation hit a three-decade high and unemployment dipped further in Japan, data showed, as the government’s bid to jumpstart the economy takes hold, even as analysts warned it was too early for cel-ebrations. — AFP

NEW YORK: Each month, 42-year-old Abdirizak Alibos showsup at a money transfer business in the heart of Minneapolis tosend $500 to his three children in war-torn Somalia. “I sendthem money that they can pay for ... groceries, school fees,that they can buy health insurance, medication,” said Alibos,who escaped to the United States seven years ago and nowhas a business driving people to medical appointments. “I cansay that 50 or 60 percent of my children’s lifeline is remittance,”he said.

But he and other Somali expatriates fear that they soonmight not be able to give their families any more financialhelp. It is not money that they are about to run out of but thelegal options for sending it home. About 40 percent of allSomali families rely on remittances from another country, andthe estimated annual total of $1.3 billion is more than all for-eign aid and investment in Somalia combined, according to astudy published last year by human aid organizations Adeso,Oxfam and the Inter-American Dialogue.

For more than two decades, the African nation of 10 mil-lion people has been a land of chaos because of divisive clanfights during its civil war and more-recent Islamist militantinsurgents with links to Al- Qaeda. Commercial banking disap-peared in the early 1990s, and Western money transfer com-panies such as Western Union Co and MoneyGramInternational Inc do not serve most parts of Somalia. Thisleaves the significantly cheaper and more informal moneyservice businesses, or MSBs, to serve as intermediariesbetween the foreign banks that make the wire transfers and

the intended recipients of the money.As these transmitters attracted attention from US regulato-

ry agencies that fear money launderers or militant groupswould exploit them, banks around the world have been rapid-ly closing their accounts. These “de-risking” moves affect alltransmitters, including the most numerous ones for LatinAmerican countries, but are most devastating for Somalia,where people have no alternative, affordable channel to getremittances. A decade ago, money transfer business ownerscould choose from several large banks to do international wiretransfers. Today most no longer do so, even in the largestSomali expatriate hubs of Britain, the United States andCanada.

The fewer the banks, the fewer locations get served inSomalia and in the cities of the expatriates, money transfercompanies said. Less competition could also mean highercharges to send money to Africa, which are already twice asmuch as to South Asia and well above the 7.8 percent globalaverage. Merchants Bank of California, the last large US bankspecializing in check cashing and money transmission, hasalerted a dozen of its money transmitter clients that it willclose their accounts by July 31 “due to the ever-changing reg-ulatory requirements and expenses.”

The news prompted Alibos and a few dozen Somali immi-grants to protest at the US Treasury building of St Paul,Minnesota, on Friday. This is the eve of the monthlongRamadan holiday, when Muslims traditionally give extra mon-ey to the needy. Minnesota Congressman Keith Ellison, a

Democrat and long-time supporter of money transfer compa-nies, joined the rally. Ellison’s Money Remittance Act, aimed atlimiting regulatory barriers for MSBs, was approved by the USHouse of Representatives and is now with the Senate. Ellisonsaid at the protest that the US war on terrorism is hinderingpeople from sending money home. “Treasury has been soaggressive at that that they’ve stopped good people fromsending money to good people,” he said.

Compliance questionsWhile US regulators do not prohibit banks from doing busi-

ness with money transfer companies, they require them tohave an adequate compliance program, said a spokesman forthe Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, which supervis-es banks. The challenge, bankers say, is that no one knowswhat an adequate compliance program is. “From a businessstandpoint, it was cost-prohibitive to continue to monitorthese types of high-risk accounts,” said Matt Stenehjem, fraudand security officer of North Dakota’s Bell State Bank, whichrecently closed all of its MSB accounts.

The largest money transfer business in Somalia, Dahabshiilwill continue banking with Merchants. It was less fortunate inBritain, one of its most important jurisdictions. Dahabshiil hasarrangements with banks all over the world except in Britain,said interim manager Mike Aynsley, a former chief executiveofficer of Anglo Irish Bank. The UK is the second-biggest remit-tance source for Somalia at about $163 million a year, accord-ing to data cited in the human aid groups’ study. Barclays Plc,

one of the last large banks handling MSB accounts there,announced in April that it would no longer do so. Dahabshiil istalking to other major British banks about opening accountswith them, Aynsley said.

In Canada, the number of MSBs serving Somalia fell tothree from 11 during the last decade, said Abdirizak Omar-Godane, an anti-money laundering specialist based inToronto. One bank that still offers wire transfer for them is theRoyal Bank of Canada. The bank does not disclose specificinformation about its approach to MSBs, a spokesman said,adding that it complies with the laws and regulations in themarkets where it operates. The situation is about as serious asit can get, said Jorge Guerrero, co-founder of the Great Neck,New York-based National Money Transmitters Association andCEO of the Compass anti-money laundering compliance con-sultancy.

Closing MSB accounts actually exacerbates the risk of mon-ey laundering, Guerrero said, because expatriates may thentry to send money to relatives through illegal channels, whichare much more difficult to control. “That money is a lifeline,and if it’s lost, the ramifications are tremendous,” Guerrerosaid. “(It is) not just one company going down and its employ-ees have to look ultimately for work, but it is what people arewilling to do when desperation hits.” Alibos said his biggestfear was that without his support, his children might getrecruited by militant groups. “If the lifeline is closed, therecould be more violence,” he said. “There could be a lot of moralproblems.” — Reuters

Somali expats fear bank curbs on sending money

40% of families rely on remittances from abroad

MUMBAI: New Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s promis-es to revive the economy face a gathering threat from infla-tion, which is creeping up again due to oil prices, weak mon-soon rains and hoarding, analysts say. Food inflation, one ofthe reasons voters resoundingly ejected the previousCongress government in elections in April and May, is gather-ing pace with troublesome onion prices in the spotlight. Thenew government announced measures last week to tackle theproblem after winning the general election on a platform ofgood governance and jump-starting the economy, which isgrowing at its slowest pace in a decade.

“All efforts will be made to ensure there is no shortage ofonion, potato and tomato anywhere in the country,” said FoodMinister Ram Vilas Paswan on Thursday, blaming hoarders forthe problems. He called on onion producer states such asMaharashtra, of which Mumbai is the capital, to ensure unin-terrupted supplies of the staple vegetables to keep pricessteady. The day before, the government announced a mini-mum export price for onions of $300 per ton in a bid to pre-vent overseas sales and reduce prices in the local market.

Tackling hoarders-large traders who keep food in stockwhile waiting for prices to rise-has long been a priority forIndian governments, but with few results. Analysts say thenew attempts to slam a lid on prices are a good first step bythe Modi government-although there are limits to how muchthe central government can do without state cooperation.“Cartels are unfair business practices. So cracking down onsuch won’t make the PM anti-business. Such steps are neededto control inflation expectations,” said Rupa Rege Nitsure, chiefeconomist at Bank of Baroda. The Wholesale Price Index, themost closely watched cost-of-living indicator, rose to 6.01 per-cent in May driven by food and fuel prices-the highest figuresince December and compared with 5.20 percent in April.

Deficient monsoonOther inflationary factors are beyond Modi’s control.

Global oil prices have been rising as worsening strife in Iraqtriggers fears of supply disruptions-a key concern in India,

which imports more than 80 percent of its crude oil needs.India is one of the world’s top producers of rice, wheat andsugar but relies heavily on the southwest monsoon, whichsweeps the subcontinent from June to September to water itscrops. This year the annual downpour looks threatened by theEl Nino phenomenon, a warming of waters in the Pacific thathas in the past-but not always-led to a weaker monsoon inIndia. The India Meteorology Department says rains havebeen deficient over 80 percent of the country so far. Furtherprice rises threaten to hit tens of millions of India’s poor wholive on less than one dollar a day, and who have already strug-

gled with high levels of inflation for years. The Reserve Bank ofIndia chief Raghuram Rajan, who has raised interest rates threetimes to tame consumer prices since coming to the helm inSeptember, told reporters last week that combating inflationwould continue to be the priority in the next few quarters.Without the government’s help to tackle inflation, Rajan isunlikely to cut interest rates any time soon, despite the clamorfrom businesses for lower borrowing costs to spur the economy.“One lever which is key to reviving growth goes missing if infla-tion is not tamed,” said DK Joshi, chief economist with ratingagency Crisil. —AFP

Moody’s cuts

Russia rating WASHINGTON: Moody’s cut Russia’s credit rating out-look to “negative” yesterday, a sign of a possible com-ing downgrade, citing the threat to the Russian econo-my from its involvement in the Ukraine conflict.Moody’s held Russia’s overall rating at Baa1, in the lowrange for investment-grade bonds. But it warned thatthe spread of the Ukraine conflict from Crimea to thecountry’s eastern border with Russia has raised thedangers of “geo-political event risk” for Moscow,including from western sanctions. It said that the lackof a strong plan and reforms in Moscow to address thecountry’s weak economy also underpin the outlookcut. It said Russia’s annual growth outlook has fallen to1.7 percent for the next five years from previous fore-casts of three percent. Moody’s said it did not cut thecountry’s sovereign rating because it does not see thecurrent level of conflict in Ukraine further pressingRussian growth lower.

But if the conflict worsens, Moody’s said, Russiacould be vulnerable from toughened western sanc-tions, capital flight and a loss of market access byRussian banks and companies. “Moody’s considers thesituation in Eastern Ukraine compared to Crimea asmore difficult, given the complicated background ofseparatist forces and the outbreak of violence,” it said.“Sanctions against Russia so far have been mainly tar-geted against individuals, but the G7-countries havereiterated the possibility of further sanctions targetingspecific sectors of the economy.” Moody’s said it wouldalso consider downgrading Russia’s rating “if thedomestic growth outlook were to deteriorate furtherand, in particular, if lower growth were to negativelyaffect Russia’s fiscal and external accounts.” — AFP

Inflation strains mount for Modi’s government

MUMBAI: Indian laborers weigh sacks of onions at a wholesale market in Vashi on the outskirts of Mumbai. As fearsgrow in India over spiraling inflation, onion traders in the bustling markets of Mumbai say new premier Narendra Modiwill have to take on the middlemen hoarding vegetables for profit. — AFP

SUNDAY, JUNE 29, 2014

EXCHANGE RATES

Bahrain Exchange Company

Al-Muzaini Exchange Co.

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd

ASIAN COUNTRIESJapanese Yen 2.774Indian Rupees 4.702Pakistani Rupees 2.863Srilankan Rupees 2.167Nepali Rupees 2.954Singapore Dollar 226.840Hongkong Dollar 36.477Bangladesh Taka 3.636Philippine Peso 6.452Thai Baht 8.726Irani Riyal transfer 0.271Irani Riyal cash 0.273

GCC COUNTRIESSaudi Riyal 75.430Qatari Riyal 77.721Omani Riyal 734.800Bahraini Dinar 751.300UAE Dirham 77.033

ARAB COUNTRIESEgyptian Pound - Cash 38.936Egyptian Pound - Transfer 39.465Yemen Riyal/for 1000 1.320Tunisian Dinar 169.570Jordanian Dinar 399.450Lebanese Lira/for 1000 1.898Syrian Lira 2.016Morocco Dirham 35.0344

EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIESUS Dollar Transfer 282.750Euro 385.570Sterling Pound 482.510Canadian dollar 264.620Turkish lira 132.390Swiss Franc 316.980Australian Dollar 267.480US Dollar Buying 281.550

GOLD20 Gram 245.00010 Gram 124.0005 Gram 64.000

CURRENCY BUY SELLEurope

Belgian Franc 0.007349 0.008349British Pound 0.474190 0.483190Czech Korune 0.005967 0.017967Danish Krone 0.047442 0.052442Euro 0.378503 0.386503Norwegian Krone 0.042153 0.047359Romanian Leu 0.087260 0.87260Slovakia 0.008094 0.018094Swedish Krona 0.038095 0.043095Swiss Franc 0.309104 0.319304Turkish Lira 0.134086 0.141086

AustralasiaAustralian Dollar 0.257945 0.269445New Zealand Dollar 0.239976 0.249476AmericaCanadian Dollar 0.258082 0.266582US Dollars 0.278650 0.283000US Dollars Mint 0.279150 0.283000

AsiaBangladesh Taka 0.003294 0.003894Chinese Yuan 0.044102 0.047602Hong Kong Dollar 0.034385 0.037135Indian Rupee 0.004509 0.004910Indonesian Rupiah 0.000019 0.000025Japanese Yen 0.002687 0.002867Kenyan Shilling 0.003229 0.003229Korean Won 0.000267 0.000282Malaysian Ringgit 0.084003 0.090003Nepalese Rupee 0.002986 0.003156Pakistan Rupee 0.002675 0.002955Philippine Peso 0.006358 0.0066338

Sierra Leone 0.000069 0.000075Singapore Dollar 0.222766 0.22766South African Rand 0.020606 0.029106Sri Lankan Rupee 0.001870 0.002450Taiwan 0.009309 0.009489Thai Baht 0.008372 0.008922

ArabBahraini Dinar 0.743544 0.751544Egyptian Pound 0.036714 0.039814Iranian Riyal 0.000078 0.000079Iraqi Dinar 0.000181 0.000241Jordanian Dinar 0.394580 0.402080Kuwaiti Dinar 1.0000000 1.0000000Lebanese Pound 0.000137 0.000237Moroccan Dirhams 0.024394 0.048394Nigerian Naira 0.001135 0.001770Omani Riyal 0.728383 0.734063Qatar Riyal 0.076954 0.078167Saudi Riyal 0.074763 0.075463Syrian Pound 0.001753 0.001973Tunisian Dinar 0.166199 0.174199Turkish Lira 0.134086 0.141086UAE Dirhams 0.076001 0.077150Yemeni Riyal 0.001275 0.001355

UAE Exchange Centre WLL

COUNTRY SELL DRAFT SELL CASH Australian Dollar 269.69 266.69Canadian Dollar 263.32 264.32Swiss Franc 320.22 318.22Euro 386.63 387.63US Dollar 282.15 285.15Sterling Pound 483.92 486.92Japanese Yen 2.91 2.93Bangladesh Taka 3.632 3.902Indian Rupee 4.693 4.993Sri Lankan Rupee 2.166 2.601Nepali Rupee 2.935 3.470Pakistani Rupee 2.871 2.790UAE Dirhams 76.89 77.35Bahraini Dinar 750.97 753.04Egyptian Pound 39.45 40.05Jordanian Dinar 401.57 407.22Omani Riyal 733.77 741.07Qatari Riyal 77.91 78.46Saudi Riyal 75.37 75.77

Rate for Transfer Selling RateUS Dollar 282.500Canadian Dollar 265.630Sterling Pound 481.955Euro 382.905Swiss Frank 315.995Bahrain Dinar 751.900UAE Dirhams 76.890Qatari Riyals 78.475Saudi Riyals 75.605Jordanian Dinar 398.125Egyptian Pound 39.456Sri Lankan Rupees 2.169Indian Rupees 4.698Pakistani Rupees 2.869Bangladesh Taka 3.637Philippines Pesso 6.457Cyprus pound 693.875Japanese Yen 3.767

Syrian Pound 2.895Nepalese Rupees 3.910Malaysian Ringgit 88.485Chinese Yuan Renminbi 45.785Thai Bhat 9.690Turkish Lira 131.890

Myanmar to grant licenses to foreign banks

Al Mulla Exchange

Currency Transfer Rate (Per 1000)US Dollar 282.150Euro 385.450Pound Sterlng 481.650Canadian Dollar 264.450Indian Rupee 4.696Egyptian Pound 39.450Sri Lankan Rupee 2.165Bangladesh Taka 3.631Philippines Peso 6.443Pakistan Rupee 2.863Bahraini Dinar 751.400UAE Dirham 76.850Saudi Riyal 75.400*Rates are subject to change

B U S I N E S S

NAYPYIDAW: Myanmar’s central bank has said it plansto grant licenses to foreign banks by September as itseeks to boost the flow of money to local businesses inthe once tightly controlled economy. The nation’sreformist regime wants to modernize the country’s anti-quated banking sector, which was left in tatters bydecades of military rule and economic mismanagement.

Foreign banks hunting new markets have beenhungrily eying the nation’s already rapidly growingfinancial sector. Speaking to lawmakers in Naypyidawon Wednesday central bank vice-governor Set Aung

said overseas lenders will be issued licenses bySeptember although some restrictions will still apply.They will not be allowed into the retail banking sectorand will have to hold at least $75 million in capital.They will also only be allowed to operate a singlebranch. The controls have been considered “for theinterests of local bankers, local businessmen,” Set Aungtold parliament.

Lawmaker Phyo Min Thein confirmed theSeptember target date for the licenses to be issued,adding the move will “help local banks too”. According

to the Central Bank website 35 foreign banks alreadyrun offices in the once-junta ruled nation but so far donot conduct banking operations. They are mainly fromthe Asia region. Nationalized by the military regimewhich came to power in 1962, banking disintegratedwith the economy during the bungled implementationof socialist-style policies which were laced with super-stition-the kyat currency was at one point issued indenominations of nine, an auspicious number.

That demise was deepened by US financial sanc-tions, which have been partly lifted in response to

sweeping changes since the end of junta rule in2011. But Myanmar’s banking system is yet to recov-er. It suffered a hammer blow in 2003 when threebanks collapsed in a crisis exacerbated by CentralBank policies, such as recalling loans from borrowers.The International Monetar y Fund has praisedMyanmar ’s economic reforms, including givingautonomy to the central bank and adopting a float-ing rate for the kyat. In January it forecast growth infiscal 2013-2014 to rise to 7.5 percent and near 7.8percent the following year.— AFP

SEOUL: North Korea’s closed economy rose lastyear at a slightly slower pace, South Korea’s cen-tral bank data showed yesterday, even as theUnited Nations toughened sanctions overPyongyang’s nuclear and missile programs. Tradein the impoverished country, under the iron ruleof the Kim family for more than 60 years, stood atan all-time high since records were first kept in1990. China, the North’s main benefactor, contin-ued to prop up the moribund economy, absorb-ing nearly 90 percent of all North Korean trade,the Bank of Korea estimated.

Beijing has been a reluctant player at best inthe international sanctions regime supplyingvirtually all of the North’s energy needs - muchof it off the books - and being a willing buyer ofthe North’s mineral resources. Reclusive NorthKorea does not release economic data. The Bankof Korea across the border is the only officialgovernment entity that provides estimatesabout the economic performance of the North.The slower pace of growth flew in the face ofyoung leader Kim Jong Un’s promise to bringprosperity and a higher standard of living to hispeople through a massive construction drive.

The authoritarian state is heavily sanctionedunder UN resolutions dating back to 2006 for itsnuclear and missile tests, and its ties with South

Korea have been cut back sharply after Seoulsuspended most commercial projects and aidesince 2010. The Security Council’s sanctions onPyongyang target the country’s missile andnuclear programs and attempt to punish NorthKorea’s reclusive leadership through a ban onthe export of luxury goods to the country. NorthKorea has conducted several nuclear and longrange missile tests.

Food shortage concernsSouth Korea’s central bank compiles the esti-

mates from raw economic data gathered unoffi-cially through the country’s intelligence networkand works with experts outside the governmentto arrive at the conclusion. The bank said in astatement that the North’s gross domestic prod-uct rose 1.1 percent in 2013, compared to anannual 1.3 percent incline in 2012, led by agri-cultural growth thanks to favorable weatherconditions last year. In broad terms, all majorsectors posted positive growth in North Korea in2013 on-year with the exception of construction.Residential construction grew but it was offsetby the fall in road pavement projects, the Bankof Korea said.

The industrial production sector, which hasthe heaviest share in North Korea’s GDP index

grew 1.5 percent, slightly faster than a 1.3 per-cent growth posted in 2012. Farm productiongrew 1.9 percent on an annual basis last year,slowing down for a second consecutive year. Aseparate study released on Friday said secretiveNorth faced a sharp fall in food production in2014, aggravating the country’s chronic foodshortages. Food production could fall by asmuch as 740,000 tons this year, resulting in ashortfall of up to 2.1 million tons from the mini-mum requirement of 6.6 million tons, a study bythe Hyundai Research Institute based in Seoulsaid.

North Korea’s state media has reported thatthe country is facing the worst drought in over adecade, with some areas experiencing their low-est rainfall since 1961. Trade in North Korea lastyear stood at a record high of $7.3 billion, withexports amounting $3.2 billion and importcounting for $4.1 billion. A central bank officialsaid 89.1 percent of trade in North Korea lastyear was with China. The numbers pale in com-parison to those of its southern rival, one ofAsia’s export powerhouses. South Korea’s tradestood at $1.1 trillion last year, with exportsamounting to $559.6 billion. On an annual basis,North Korean trade was up 7.8 percent in 2013,while exports jumped 11.7 percent.— Reuters

N Korea’s economy risesslightly - thanks to China

Trade stands at an all-time high

KAESONG: Members of South Korea’s Unification Ministry (left) shake hands with their North Korean counterparts during talks at the jointKaesong industrial park. North and South Korea resumed talks on managing their Kaesong joint industrial zone, after a six-month hiatuscaused by rising tensions between Pyongyang and Seoul. — AFP

CARACAS: A blackout cut power to muchof Venezuela on Friday, snarling traffic inthe capital Caracas and other major citiesas authorities scrambled to restore elec-tricity after the outage, which twice inter-rupted a presidential broadcast.Pedestrians streamed into the streets ofCaracas as the blackout shuttered theunderground metro trains and left frus-trated drivers honking in the chaos with-out stoplights. Government ministers inthe late afternoon said they expectedpower would be restored shortly. It wasthe second nationwide major electricityoutage in less than a year.

“How am I going to get to my house?By the grace of God,” said Pedro Mayora,58, an accountant who was waiting out-side the Metro to see how he wouldreach his home on the poor west end ofthe city. Workers stood in groups outsideevacuated buildings, some complainingof difficulty in communicating over con-gested cellular phone lines. An outage ata power station in the center of thecountry led to other generation centersgoing offline, halting service in thatregion and in the Andes region in thewest, Electricity Minister Jesse Chacontold state television. The problemsextended to Maracaibo, Venezuela’s sec-ond city, and the industrial center ofValencia.

The OPEC nation has suffered anincreasing number of power outages in

recent years, which critics have attrib-uted to low electricity tariffs and limitedstate investment following the 2007nationalization of the power sector.Television screens froze for several sec-onds as Maduro was speaking during abroadcast of the awards ceremony for anational journalism prize. The words “Itlooks like the power went out” wereaudible in the background. “Traffic nor-mally flows fine, but with the power outit’s complete chaos,” said Carlos Pena, 58,a fuel station worker. A representative ofstate oil company PDVSA said there wereno reports of the oil industry beingaffected.

President Nicolas Maduro inDecember blamed a similar power out-age on opposition saboteurs whoattacked a transmission line with afirearm. Critics call the power problems asymptom of 15 years of socialist policiesthat have left the country without asteady supply of energy despite havingthe world’s largest oil reserves. Latesocialist leader Hugo Chavez in 2007nationalized the country’s power sectoras part of a broad wave of statetakeovers. Maduro this year weatheredthree months of often violent oppositiondemonstrations demanding his resigna-tion that were in part motivated by com-plaints over shoddy public services. Hesaid the protests were a US-backedattempt to overthrow him.— Reuters

Venezuelan commuters scramble amid blackout

CARACAS: A hairdressing salon in the dark during a power cut in Caracas. Anextensive power cut affected large sectors of eastern Caracas and other cities inthe states of Miranda, Carabobo, Falcon and from the Andean region. — AFP

B U S I N E S SSUNDAY, JUNE 29, 2014

LONDON: BP Plc has asked a US judge todirect what it called a “vast number” ofbusinesses to repay hundreds of millionsof dollars it says were wrongly awardedas compensation on claims stemmingfrom the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. In aFriday court filing, BP asked US DistrictJudge Carl Barbier in New Orleans torequire businesses to make restitutionplus interest of excess payments, which itcalled “windfalls.” It also requested aninjunction to stop the businesses fromspending these excess sums.

BP said letting the overpaymentsstand would create discrepancies thatreward some businesses whose awardswere made sooner. It also said “there isno public interest in permitting dissipa-tion of assets to which claimants had noright.” Friday’s request escalates BP’slegal battle over how to interpret its2012 settlement to resolve claims bybusinesses who said they suffered eco-nomic losses because of the spill. BP haslong said the businesses’ lawyers andclaims administrator Patrick Juneau havemisinterpreted the settlement, allowingrecoveries without proof that the spillcaused losses.

The London-based oil company hassaid the uncapped settlement could cost$9.2 billion, higher than its original $7.8billion estimate, and that this amountcould grow. On June 9, the US Supreme

Court said BP must continue to payclaims as it pursues legal challenges tothe payouts. Friday’s filing came sixmonths Barbier directed Juneau tochange his policy in reviewing claimsapplications, and ensure that claimantsbe able to “match” revenues with costsfor the purpose of calculating financiallosses. BP said Juneau’s new policy,which won court approval on May 5, willlead to “dramatically different calcula-tions of lost profits,” and justifies recoup-ing earlier, inflated awards.

To illustrate the potential changes, BPsaid a seller of animal skins would haveunder the new policy been paid $14 mil-lion less than it was awarded, while aconstruction company located hundredsof miles from the Gulf would have beenpaid $8.4 million less. Juneau’s earlierinterpretation “resulted in claimantsreceiving awards well in excess of whatthey are entitled to under the settlementagreement - in some cases by millions ofdollars - or awards that weren’t warrant-ed at all,” BP spokesman Geoff Morrellsaid. “Letting these erroneous awardsstand uncorrected would violate basicprinciples of fairness and equity.”

Steve Herman and Jim Roy, the leadlawyers for business claimants, said in astatement: “This is just another attemptby BP to back out of the commitment itmade to the Gulf.” A spokesman for

Juneau did not immediately respond toa request for comment. The April 20,2010 explosion of the DeepwaterHorizon drilling rig and rupture of BP’s

Macondo oil well led to 11 deaths andthe largest US offshore oil spill. BP hassaid it has taken $42.7 billion of pretaxcharges for the spill. The case is In re: Oil

Spill by the Oil Rig “Deepwater Horizon”in the Gulf of Mexico, on April 20, 2010,US District Court, Eastern District ofLouisiana, No 10-md-02179.—Reuters

BP seeks to recoup ‘windfall’ Gulf spill payments

BASRA: Photo shows engineers at the Naher Al-Umran gas refinery, in the El-Dir district, some 40 kms north of the south-ern city of Basra. Western majors including BP, ExxonMobil and Shell, along with state-backed Chinese giants CNOOC andCNPC, have ploughed billions of dollars into the country’s oil fields since 2008. — AFP

NANTES: Tourists hop on and off a mechanical elephant made of wood and steel as part of the artistic project “Les Machines de L’ile” (TheMachines of the Isle) on the site of the former shipyards in Nantes, western France. — AFP

French economy stagnated

German inflation edges higherPARIS: The French economy stagnated in thefirst quarter and investment continued todecline but purchasing power saw a bump, thestate statistics agency said. Confirming an earlierestimate, INSEE said the French economy sawzero growth in the first quarter, with paltry 0.7percent growth expected for the whole of 2014.Purchasing power was up by 1.3 percent, it said,but consumers appeared to be setting moneyaside instead of putting it back into the econo-my. Consumer spending was down by 0.5 per-cent and the household savings rate rose to 15.9percent.

Corporate profit margins were up by 0.5points to 30 percent, it said, “the biggestincrease since the start of 2010”. But companiesalso seemed unwilling to spend, with corporateinvestment down 0.6 percent in the first quarter.President Francois Hollande’s deeply unpopularSocialist government is struggling to turnaround France’s sluggish economy and stem ris-ing joblessness. It received more bad news onThursday when the labor ministry said the num-ber of registered unemployed in France suffereda big jump in May, rising by 24,800 to a newrecord of 3.388 million.

Europe’s biggest economyIn another development, inflation in

Germany, Europe’s biggest economy, edged

fractionally higher in June after reaching its low-est rate in four years the previous month, prelim-inary data showed on Friday. According to aflash estimate calculated by the federal statisticsoffice Destatis, German inflation rose to 1.0 per-cent this month from 0.9 percent in May, its low-est level since February 2010.

Inflation is currently unusually low across the18-nation euro-zone, fuelling concerns theregion could be on the brink of deflation-a sus-tained and widespread drop in prices. Whilefalling prices may sound good for consumers,deflation is actually dangerous for the economybecause it can trigger a vicious spiral wherebusinesses and households delay purchases,thus throttling demand and causing companiesto lay off workers.

Such concerns persuaded the EuropeanCentral Bank to cut interest rates at its monthlypolicy meeting earlier this month and launch aseries of other measures to ease monetary con-ditions in the single currency area. Using theHarmonized Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) —the yardstick used by the ECB-inflation inGermany picked up to 1.0 percent in June fromjust 0.6 percent in May. The ECB defines pricestability as annual inflation of just below 2.0 per-cent. Preliminary German inflation data are cal-culated on the basis of cost-of-living statistics ofsix out of Germany’s total 16 regional states.

Final data based on all 16 states are scheduledfor publication on July 11.

Spain zero-percent inflationSpain reported Friday a zero-percent annual

inflation rate in June, even as the EuropeanCentral Bank fights off a deflationary threathanging over the region. Consumer prices wereunchanged in the year to June, held down bythe low cost of food, soft drinks and electricity,the National Statistics Institute said in a prelimi-nary estimate calculated in line with EuropeanUnion-agreed norms. Weak domestic demand iskeeping a lid on prices in Spain, still strugglingwith a 26-percent jobless rate despite the econ-omy emerging gingerly in mid-2013 from a dou-ble-dip recession sparked by a 2008 propertycrash. On June 5, the ECB rolled out an unprece-dented package of measures, including negativeinterest rates for banks that want to depositexcess reserves with the central bank, in its fightto head off the threat of deflation in the euroarea. When consumer prices fall broadly over asustained period, people tend to postpone pur-chases in the hope of future price declines, areaction that brakes economic activity. The phe-nomenon can degenerate into a vicious down-ward spiral of falling prices and declining eco-nomic activity that is notoriously difficult toreverse. — Agencies

KINGSTON: The head of the InternationalMonetary Fund started a two-day visit toJamaica on Friday, praising the Caribbeanisland for progress in implementing a lend-ing agreement to improve its fiscal health,but insisted more needed to be done. “Theagreement is off to a very strong start,” IMFManaging Director Christine Lagarde saidin a statement after meeting with JamaicanPrime Minister Portia Simpson Miller.

“All reviews have been completed withall performance criteria met. This is anexceptionally strong record by IMFStandards,” Lagarde added, citing a reviewby the IMF Executive Board on June 20.Jamaica is in the first year of a four-yearExtended Fund Facility agreement with theIMF, under which US$930 million will beloaned for economic reform aimed atreversing the country ’s history of lowgrowth and high debt.

“The economic outlook is improving.Compared to a year ago, growth has pickedup, unemployment has declined, inflationhas been brought under control, the cur-rent account deficit has shown an ongoingimprovement, and reserves are starting torecover,” Lagarde said. She said more need-ed to be done. Despite a tax incentive law

approved by parliament in December and aMarch fiscal law, Jamaica stil l had toimprove tax collection, modernize the pub-lic sector, and take other measures to boostinvestor confidence and growth, she said.“The program has benefited from broadpublic support, and this will need to bemaintained to ensure continued strongperformance,” Lagarde added, noting thatthe adjustments were painful in the shortterm.

“Many Jamaicans have seen their wagesfrozen, and are facing higher prices for foodand other essentials. But with fundamentalreform, the foundation for a better eco-nomic future can be put in place,” she said,while calling for the most vulnerable to beprotected through social spending. In asimultaneous statement, Simpson Millersaid that achieving growth and creatingmore employment were her administra-tion’s priorities. “We are conscious of thedifficulties our people are experiencing inthe current circumstances,” the prime min-ister said. She welcomed the latest reviewwhich enabled the disbursement of anadditional $71 million dollars, bringing dis-bursements under the program to date to$414 million.—Reuters

IMF praises Jamaica

for fiscal progress

WASHINGTON: Developing economiesare increasingly hurt by the way globalcorporations exploit taxation differencesand move profits to low-tax locations,according to an International MonetaryFund report. But few countries can pro-tect themselves in a competition fordirect investment that increasinglyappears like a “race to the bottom” in set-ting corporate tax rates, the IMF said.

Moreover, companies are increasinglyable to shift and relocate more intangibleassets-like intellectual property-to avoidtaxes. The IMF said that the more coun-tries give in to investors’ requirements ontaxes, the more they are hurting the glob-al community. In addition, tax-cutting andlegal tax avoidance by corporations arehaving an impact on countries’ fiscalstrength, undermining their ability tofund government just at a time whenmany are fighting deficits.

Incentives are “significantly undermin-ing revenue in developing countries,” theIMF said, noting that “overall fiscal per-formance is more vulnerable to pressureson these receipts.” “The amounts at stakein a single tax-planning case now quiteroutinely run into tens or hundreds ofmillions of dollars. These sums may besmall relative to total tax revenue in siz-able advanced economies, but are largefor the developing countries,” the reportsaid. That is especially the case in coun-tries reliant on extractive industries likemining. Mining companies frequentlyload up on debt to reduce the tax they

pay to the host country.As important in denying countries tax

receipts are corporate schemes like trans-fer pricing. “Identifying the country that isthe ‘source’ of income... is increasinglyproblematic,” the report said. “It has beenmade more difficult, conceptually andpractically, by the increased importanceof intra-firm transactions.” It also said thatcompanies increasingly exploit intangibleassets like patents, trademarks, and otherintellectual property “which can be muchmore easily relocated than can the bricks-and-mortar facilities of the world.” Thereport showed how foreign direct invest-ment is handled through low-tax loca-tions as a strategy. Half of outgoing directinvestment from Brazil goes to havenslike Austria, the Cayman Islands, and theBritish Virgin Islands, before it goes to thefinal destination. Two-thirds of outgoingdirect investment from Russia goes firstto havens l ike Cyprus and theNetherlands. The IMF spelled out theneed for a “global architecture” for taxa-tion in the way that trade is increasinglygoverned by international treaties. But itwarned that fixes can bring their own dif-ficulties in how taxable income might beapportioned. The IMF report comes at atime when the issue of tax avoidance isstrong even in the most advanced coun-tries. Some of the largest US companies,including Apple, Google, and IBM, havecome under attack for stashing globalprofits in havens like Ireland to avoidhigher taxes elsewhere. — AFP

IMF: Corporate tax schemes

hurting developing nations

MEXICO CITY: International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director ChristineLagarde (center) waves to photographers accompanied by Mexico Secretary ofFinance Luis Videgaray after taking part in the inauguration of an economicforum at the National Palace in Mexico City, on Thursday, June 26, 2014. — AP

HANOI: Vietnam’s economic growth picked upin the first half of the year, official figuresshowed yesterday, indicating the effects of anti-Chinese riots were not as bad as feared. Grossdomestic product (GDP) expanded 5.18 percentin January-June from the same period last year,according to General Statistics Office estimates,up from 4.9 percent in the same period last year.The central bank last week devalued theVietnamese dong by one percent to help boostexports following unrest in May triggered bythe protests. The country was hit by deadlyriots in May after China moved an oil rig intowaters claimed by Vietnam, inflaming alreadytetchy relations between the neighbors.

However, Taiwanese and Korean businesseswere hit hardest by the violence, which saw fac-tories vandalized and set ablaze in parts ofsouth and central Vietnam. Hanoi has offered

compensation to affected businesses by cuttingtariffs and fast-tracking insurance settlements.“The quickness with which they responded wasstriking,” Sudhir Shetty, a World Bank East Asiaexpert, told AFP, adding authorities had man-aged “to insulate the economic from the politi-cal”. While the riots damaged the authoritariancountry’s reputation as a solid bet for foreigninvestors, Shetty said “in relative terms Vietnamis still pretty stable”.

But he warned there were longer term chal-lenges to address. Among those are sluggishdomestic demand, a banking sector weigheddown with high levels of toxic debt and recordnumbers of bankruptcies. “ The crisis inVietnam’s banking sector is continuing to holdback the economy,” according to a briefing noteissued by analysts Capital Economics. “With theauthorities making slow progress in cleaning up

the banks, we expect the woes of the financialsector to continue to weigh heavily on theeconomy for the next couple of years.”

Other agencies are more bullish on Vietnam’sfuture. On Thursday, Standard & Poor’s affirmedits ‘BB-’ long-term and ‘B’ short-term sovereigncredit ratings on Vietnam, saying the long-termoutlook was “stable”. “Vietnam’s growth poten-tial is robust, given an export manufacturingsector that is well-diversified and increasinglyoriented toward higher value-added goods, arising share of services and manufacturing ineconomic output, and the growth of the privatesector,” S&P said in a statement. Prime MinisterNguyen Tan Dung said this month the countrywas targeting GDP growth of around 5.8 per-cent this year, followed by 6.0 percent in 2015and 6.5 percent a year for the following fouryears.— AFP

Vietnam economy expands by 5.18%

B U S I N E S SSUNDAY, JUNE 29, 2014

BAYAN WEEKLY MARKET REPORT

KUWAIT: Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) ended last week withmixed performance. The Price Index closed at 6,981.85points, up by 0.60% from the week before closing, theWeighted Index decreased by 0.11% after closing at 471.05points, whereas the KSX-15 Index closed at 1,143.07 pointsdown by 0.85%. Furthermore, last week’s average dailyturnover decreased by 25.72%, compared to the precedingweek, reaching KD 15.73 million, whereas trading volumeaverage was 139.65 million shares, recording increase of7.54%.

Last week, the Price Index was the only indicator that wasable to realize some gains, benefiting from the purchasingpower that included many small-cap stocks in the financialservices and the real estate sectors, especially that suchstocks’ prices dropped noticeably during the last few weeksand reached tempting purchasing levels; whilst the sellingoperations continued to be in control over some leading list-ed stocks, which affected the performance of the Weightedand KSX-15 indices, that recorded various losses b6 the endof the week.

In addition, the stock market initiated its weekly tradingwith a good increase to its three indices, especially the PriceIndex that was able to regain the 7,000 points level after itlost it during the preceding week trading, however did notlast for long, as the market declined in a later sessions affect-ed by the random selling operations to drop below the samelevel once again as a result to the price decline of manylarge-cap and small-cap stocks.

Moreover, the market liquidity declined noticeably duringlast week’s trading, due to the traders’ refrain from tradingduring this unstable market period, until a motivating factorsappear to push the market for stability once again. Also, thestock market is expected to remain performing the sameduring the upcoming weeks, especially during the holymonth of Ramadan, which usually the market slows down,plus that the end of the second quarter period is approach-

ing, and the listed companies are going to announce it’sfinancial results, which is expected to be disclosed during thefew upcoming weeks. For the annual performance, the priceindex ended last week recording 7.52% annual loss com-pared to its closing in 2013, while the weighted indexincreased by 4.02%, and the KSX-15 recorded 6.99% growth.

Sectors’ IndicesEight of KSE’s sectors ended last week in the green zone,

while the other Four recorded declines. Last week’s highestgainer was the Technology sector, achieving 6.66% growthrate as its index closed at 958.74 points. Whereas, in the sec-ond place, the Financial Services sector’s index closed at950.34 points recording 1.39% increase. The Real Estate sec-tor came in third as its index achieved 0.79% growth, endingthe week at 1,191.14 points. On the other hand, theConsumer Goods sector headed the losers list as its indexdeclined by 2.80% to end the week’s activity at 1,244.51points. The Health Care sector was second on the losers’ list,which index declined by 2.73%, closing at 1,008.98 points,followed by the Oil & Gas sector, as its index closed at1,147.22 points at a loss of 0.45%.

Sectors’ ActivityThe Financial services sector dominated total trade vol-

ume during last week with 392.26 million shares changinghands, representing 56.18% of the total market trading vol-ume. The Real Estate sector was second in terms of tradingvolume as the sector’s traded shares were 23.84% of lastweek’s total trading volume, with a total of 166.49 millionshares. On the other hand, the Financial Services sector’sstocks were the highest traded in terms of value; with aturnover of KD21.61 million or 27.47% of last week’s totalmarket trading value. The Banking sector took the secondplace as the sector’s last week turnover was KD26.38 millionrepresented 20.75% of the total market trading value.

KSE Price Index closes at 6,981.85 points, up 0.60%

DUBAI: Malabar Gold & Diamonds, one ofthe largest jewelry retailers in the world,launched a brand new showroom in LuluHypermarket, located at Qusais in Dubai,on 21 June 2014. This is the jewelry retail-er’s second showroom in the LuluHypermarket’s Qusais branch and theireighteenth outlet in the UAE. The show-room was inaugurated by Dr MohammedNasser Abdulrazaq Al Razzooqi, Brigadierof Gen Dept of Criminal Investigation,Dubai, in the presence of Dr P A IbrahimHaji, Co Chairman - Malabar Group,Shamlal Ahamed M P, Managing Director -International Operations, K P Abdul Salam -Group Executive Director, other Directors,media personalities and well-wishers ofMalabar Gold & Diamonds.

To make this occasion extra special, thecompany unveiled a rare and exclusive col-lection of gold and diamond jewelry fromaround the world. The outlet, which willcomplement their existing showroom inLulu Hypermarket, Qusais, showcases abreathtaking collection of jewelry in stylishand classy designs with special focus ondiamonds to suit the specific budget ofevery customer. Their wide range of mes-merizing collections will enable them toexpand their brand reach to the highlyfashionable and traditional jewelry cus-tomers in Dubai.

The astounding creation of MalabarGold & Diamonds’ branded jewelry seg-ment: Mine-Diamonds Unlimited, Era-Uncut Diamond Jewelry, Ethnix- HandCrafted Designer Jewelry, Divine- IndianHeritage Jewelry, Precia- Precious Gem

Jewelry, and Starlet- Kids Jewelry, will beavailable in the showroom.

Like all their other outlets in GCC, thisshowroom will also take part in theirunique ‘Sparkling Summer’ promotion,where customers get a chance to in giftvouchers worth a total of AED 2 Million. Forevery AED 2,000 spent on gold and dia-mond jewelry, the customer is entitled toget a scratch and win coupon for diamondgift vouchers. Zero Deduction exchangefacility is also available where any 22ct goldornament can be exchanged with MalabarGold & Diamonds designs by paying onlymakingcharges, thus ensuring they do notlose any value on the gold rate. Theseoffers are valid until 6 July, 2014.

Malabar Gold & Diamonds started itsinternational operations in the year 2008with the opening of their outlet in Sharjah.Due to the exponential growth of its cus-tomers in UAE, the company is on track tocome up with 11 more showrooms in UAEthis year. The showrooms in Fujairah, LuluVillage-Dubai and Al Barsha-Dubai will beopened in the next three months. MalabarGold & Diamonds has a strong retail net-work of 116 outlets spread across eightcountries. The group operates 40 stores inthe GCC and 2 in Singapore. Recognizingthe potential for expansion in GCC, thejewelry chain is all set to add more show-rooms in the region. Also, apart from therapid expansion of Malabar Gold andDiamonds in the Middle East market, thegroup is looking for expanding into FarEast markets such as Indonesia andMalaysia in the near future.

Malabar Gold & Diamonds opens new UAE showroom

B U S I N E S SSUNDAY, JUNE 29, 2014

LONDON: The Bank of England yesterday launchedmeasures aimed at cooling Britain’s booming housingmarket, including a cap on lending for home loans. Thebank’s Financial Policy Committee (FPC) recommendedthat property loans of 4.5 times a borrower’s income orhigher should comprise no more than 15 percent of newmortgages, with effect from October. The news pushedup sterling, since markets took it as a signal that the Bankof England might soon begin to tighten its key interestrates. The FPC added in a key report that banks shouldapply a “stress test” to determine that borrowers can affordmortgage repayments, should the Bank of England’s mainlending rate climb by 3.0 percentage points.

The BoE has held its key interest rate at a record-lowlevel of 0.50 percent since March 2009, as it sought tostimulate and strengthen Britain’s economic recovery. Itsbenchmark rate meanwhile influences what retail bankscharge customers for home loans. With Britain’s economypowering ahead in the first quarter with gross domesticproduct growth of 0.8 percent, there are stubborn con-

cerns over its recovering housing market amid mountingfears of a bubble in London. “The legacy of high indebt-edness and structural imbalances mean that there arefinancial stability risks that if left unchecked could under-mine the durability of that expansion,” BoE governorMark Carney told journalists at a press conference. “Andthe biggest risks relate to the housing market.”

The FPC added that “the recovery in the UK housingmarket has been associated with a marked rise in theshare of mortgages extended at high loan-to-incomemultiples”. It added: “At high levels of indebtedness,households are more likely to encounter payment diffi-culties in the face of shocks to income and interestrates. “This could pose direct risks to the resilience ofthe UK banking system and indirect risks via its impacton economic stability.” The regulator stressed thathousehold indebtedness did not pose an “immediatethreat” to the economy-but it wanted to preventagainst a “significant” rise in the number of highlyindebted households.

Cost of monarchyMeanwhile, the public cost of the British monarchy

rose by £2.4 million last year to £35.7 million ($60.6 mil-lion, 44.5 million euros), equivalent to 56 pence per per-son, palace accounts revealed yesterday. Property main-tenance accounted for £13.3 million of the sovereigngrant-the part of the public purse used to fund the offi-cial duties of the monarchy including £3.4 million to“completely re-service” Kensington Palace, the familyhome of Prince William, Kate and their son George. The20-room apartment, number 1A, reportedly required a“complete refit” to make it habitable, including theremoval of asbestos and the installation of running waterin some parts. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, asWilliam and Kate are formally known, paid for furnitureand fittings. “Some of the fit-out we felt should be paidfor privately. The Cambridges have been extremely sensi-tive to the fact that public funds were paying for a lot ofthis work,” an aide said. The accounts revealed that about£1.1 million was also spent on the apartment last year,

bringing the total to £4.5 million. In battling a “backlog” ofrestoration works, the royal family carried out a total of133 projects across the estate, according to BuckinghamPalace accounts. Meanwhile, royal travel cost the Britishpublic £4.2 million in 2012/13, down from £4.5 million ayear earlier. Prince Charles, the heir to the throne, wasresponsible for £1 million of this, including £255,000 toattend Nelson Mandela’s funeral in December.

The prince, the eldest son of 88-year-old QueenElizabeth II, received a record total of £21.7 million fromhis private Duchy of Cornwall income and taxpayer fund-ing. The Duchy income accounted for the vast majority ofthe sum, netting £19.5 million, a rise of 2.4 percent on lastyear. Under a new funding arrangement agreed in 2011,the sovereign grant is set at 15 percent of the profits ofthe royal estate from two years previously. The rest of theprofits go into the public coffers. Counting London’sfamous Regent Street and Windsor Park among its prop-erties, as well as almost the entire seabed around Britain,the estate is now worth more than £8 billion. —Agencies

Britain acts to cool booming property marketRoyal family costs Britons 56 pence each

LONDON: Governor of the Bank of England Mark Carney delivers the Bank of EnglandFinancial Stability Report to reporters in London. —AFP

LONDON: Estate agents’ boards on display outside properties, in south London. Concerns aremounting that Britain’s housing market is overheated after London house prices rose almost 19percent in the past 12 months. Bank of England Governor Mark Carney recently described thesituation as the greatest risk to the domestic economy. —AP

MARSEILLE: French arts workers, known in French as ‘intermittents du spectacle’ carry fake coffins reading (from left) ‘culturalbudget’, “no to austerity”, ‘SNCF’ as they attend a rally with Marseille’s harbor dockers, employees of the Societe nationale CorseMediterrannee (SNCM) during a protest against the government’s measures in Marseille, southern France. —AFP

BRUSSELS: In the latest shift away from the aus-terity of the euro zone crisis, European Union lead-ers signaled at a summit that they were ready togive member states extra time to consolidate theirbudgets as long as they pressed ahead with eco-nomic reforms. Under pressure from Italian PrimeMinister Matteo Renzi, the leaders adopted a textwhich pledged to make “best use” of the flexibilitybuilt into the bloc’s fiscal rule book - the so-calledStability and Growth Pact.

Renzi, whose country has the second biggestdebt in Europe at more than 135 percent of grossdomestic product (GDP), has been pushing for amore growth-friendly interpretation of the fiscalrules since taking office in February, because with-out faster growth Rome won’t be able to paydown its debts. “If a country enacts serious struc-tural reforms, it has the right to flexibility, which isthe most important political point,” Renzi toldreporters at the end of the two-day summit. Hecalled the new language a “turning point” forEurope.

In reality, Europe has been shifting towards asofter fiscal stance since last year in an effort torevive growth in struggling southern states, andcombat high unemployment, particularly amongyoung people. Countries like France and Spainhave already been given extra time to reach theEU’s deficit target of 3 percent of gross domestic

product (GDP). In parallel, the European CentralBank (ECB) has cut interest rates to record lows toward off the threat of Japanese-style deflation inthe 18-member euro-zone Germany, the mostardent defender of tough budget policies, hasbeen worried that fiscal leniency could lead to anew spending spree by governments takingadvantage of low borrowing costs and open theway for a new crisis.

Italian-German dealBut Renzi and German Chancellor Angela

Merkel reached a deal late on Thursday whichstresses the need for a flexible interpretation of fis-cal rules, while stopping short of any change tothe EU pact. Merkel stressed at a news conferencethat it would be up to the European Commission,not member states themselves, to decide whetherextra time was granted. “The best use of flexibilitymeans the best use, not the fullest use but thebest, the most appropriate for the situation,”Merkel said. Under EU rules, governments have tostrive towards a budget close to balance or in sur-plus, excluding one-off revenue and spending andthe effects of the business cycle. They also have toreduce public debt.

But the rules also say that governments can begiven more time to reach budget balance if theyundertake reforms that have a verifiable positive

impact on economic growth-an option that has sofar never been used. “Structural reforms thatenhance growth and improve fiscal sustainabilityshould be given particular attention, includingthrough an appropriate assessment of fiscal meas-ures and structural reforms, while making best useof the flexibility that is built into the existingStability and Growth Pact rules,” the text agreed byleaders read. The structural reform option, howev-er, will be of little use to France, which has beenbacking Renzi’s push for more flexibility, because itonly applies to countries that have a budget deficitsmaller than 3 percent of GDP.

Paris, which has a deadline of 2015 to cut itsbudget shortfall below that level, will have to waituntil then to take advantage of that option. SomeEU policymakers worry that using the structuralreform clause opens the way for a more politicalapproach to the rules. This is because it is very diffi-cult to quantify with any degree of accuracy whateffect a structural reform will have on growth,especially in the longer-term. The amount of lee-way granted in structural deficit reduction cantherefore be politically influenced. “The rules arefine. The way in which they are policed andenforced is not. The challenge is to improve theprocess in a way that minimizes the inevitablepolitical strains,” Berenberg Bank chief economistHolger Schmieding said. —Reuters

Leaders signal shift from

austerity of Europe crisisItaly, Germany reach deal on flexible use of fiscal rules

KUWAIT: In celebration of the arrival ofthe Holy Month of Ramadan, VIVA,Kuwait’s fastest-growing and most devel-oped telecom operator, announced yester-day the launch of a special promotion forboth postpaid and prepaid customers,whereby customers will enjoy an automat-ic 50% discount on all their internationalcalls and SMS to their families and friends.This International promotion covers alldestinations except satellite calls and isvalid for four days only, from 27 June until30 June 2014.

This promotion was designed by VIVA

for this special occasion, to grant its post-paid and prepaid customers with theopportunity to speak to their loved ones athalf price and share the joys of the HolyMonth. Through this promotion, VIVA reaf-firms its commitment towards offering allthat is pioneering and advanced in the tele-com industry, and to continue presentingits customers with an exceptional experi-ence. To find out more about VIVA’s numer-ous competitive promotions, products andpackages visit any of the 54 VIVA branchesor visit our website at www.viva.com.kw , orcontact its 24 hour call center at 102.

VIVA offers 50% discount

in Ramadan celebration

PARIS: BNP Paribas Chief Executive OfficerJean-Laurent Bonnafe in a message toemployees has warned that the French bankis facing heavy penalties following a USprobe into breaking sanctions which shouldend “very soon”, a French TV channel report-ed yesterday. BNP Paribas declined to com-ment but sources this week said the Frenchbank is expected to plead guilty to a federalcriminal charge and pay nearly $9 billion aspart of a larger settlement with multipleenforcement authorities that could beannounced as early as next week. “I want tosay it clearly, we are going to be heavily sanc-tioned,” broadcaster iTele quoted Bonnafe assaying in an internal message posted onJune 27. “Malfunctions have occurred andmistakes were made. But this difficulty we

are experiencing should not impact ourroadmap.”

US authorities are examining whether BNPParibas evaded US sanctions relating primarilyto Sudan between 2002 and 2009 andwhether it stripped identifying informationfrom wire transfers so they could pass throughthe US financial system without raising redflags, sources have said. “This is good news forall teams and for our customers,” iTele quotedBonnafe as saying regarding the imminent set-tlement. “This will help remove current uncer-tainties in our group. This will allow us to turnthe page on these events.” BNP Paribas is likelyto be suspended from converting foreign cur-rencies to dollars on behalf of clients in somebusinesses for as long as a year, sources famil-iar with the matter said this week. —Reuters

BNP Paribas CEO says bank

‘facing heavy US penalties’

KUWAIT: The Gulf Investment Corporation(GIC) announced yesterday that Fitch CreditRating Agency upgraded its Long Term IDRratings by 2 notches to A-, from the previ-ous BBB rating. Fitch also upgraded GIC’sShort Term ratings by 2 notches to F1. The

viability ratings were reaffirmed at bb. Allratings carry a Stable outlook. The positiveaction by Fitch was, to a large extent, basedon Fitch’s reassessment of shareholder sup-port in light of GIC’s strategic importanceto the GCC. This resulted in an upgrade ofthe Support rating factor to ‘1’ from ‘2’. This

upgrade reflects Fitch’s recognition of GIC’sstrong ownership structure and strategicrelevance. It also indicates the corpora-tion’s strong financial condition, prudentstrategic initiatives and favorable futureprospects.

Commenting on the recent action byFitch, Ibrahim Al Qadhi, CEO, said “This rat-ing action by Fitch is especially gratifying,given that it is on the back of a multi-notchupgrade by Moody’s earlier this year.” Headded “the upgrades also reflect the corpo-ration’s strong financial condition, prudentstrategic initiatives and favorable futureprospects. I am hopeful that the corpora-tion will continue on its path of good per-formance and growth.”

GIC posted a profit of US$ 165 millionfor the financial year ending 31stDecember 2013, up 25% compared to theUS$ 131 million earned in the 2012. From afinancial strength perspective, the Tier 1capital adequacy ratio reached 36%, com-fortably exceeding the international andregional requirements while its leverage, interms of debt to equity, stood at a conser-vative 1.1 times. Furthermore, GIC’s liquidi-ty and liability profiles are quite robust.Established in 1983, GIC is a regional finan-cial institution owned entirely and equallyby the six GCC states of Bahrain, Kuwait,Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Itis headquartered in the State of Kuwait.

Fitch upgrades GIC’s

ratings by 2 notches

Ibrahim Al Qadhi, CEO

B U S I N E S SSUNDAY, JUNE 29, 2014

JUBA: Zain Group, the pioneer in mobiletelecommunications across the MiddleEast and Africa, announces the expansionof the Youth Peacemaker Network (YPN)to South Sudan’s Equatorias region, inassociation with UNESCO Special Envoy,humanist and artist Forest Whitaker, andIrina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO.

The peace-building program has beendeveloped by The Whitaker Peace andDevelopment Initiative (WPDI) in partner-ship with UNESCO, Zain and Ericsson.Whitaker is currently on a visit to SouthSudan together with Bokova, and LeilaZerrougui, Special Representatives of theUN Secretary-General for Children andArmed Conflict. Also joining the distin-guished UN representatives during theirvisit are Mr Basel Manasrah, CEO of ZainSouth Sudan and Jennifer Suleiman, Headof Corporate Social Responsibility for ZainGroup.

Despite a recent escalation of conflictin the world’s newest nation, Mr. Whitakerremained optimistic that peace is possi-ble. “I have always believed that when giv-en the right tools, youth have the powerto create ripples of change through theircommunities that will ultimately lead tolasting peace,” said Mr. Whitaker. “Thisbelief was reinforced during this trip toSouth Sudan, where the youth I met withare determined to build a better future.”

The expansion to the Equatoriasregion is a continuation of WPDI’s five-year commitment to the region. In 2012,WPDI initiated a peace-building and life-

skills training program for young womenand men from 11 counties and multipleethnic tribes in the Jonglei state. After anoutbreak of violence in South Sudan,and following an assessment on theground, the next deployment of the YPNwill initially focus on Eastern Equatoria,where Torit is the main city. The programwill directly impact hundreds of youth inthe region, and indirectly impact thou-sands in their local communities througha series of programs including peace-building, conflict resolution, life-skills,technology and vocational skills train-ings.

Zain South Sudan CEO BaselManasrah said, “Our partnership with‘The Whitaker Peace and DevelopmentInitiative’, UNESCO and Ericsson aims toenhance the prospects of young peoplein the country by bringing them togeth-er and motivating them to becomeagents of positive change. Throughtelecommunications, we are all jointlyfocused on narrowing the digital divide,capacity building and empowering theSouth Sudanese youth with the neces-sary skills to develop a more productivefuture.”

Manasrah continued, “It is one of Zain

South Sudan’s core values to invest in thecommunities in which we operate andwe are of the strong belief that the workbeing undertaken by WPDI and the YPNis well aligned to this goal. We remaindetermined to raise the capacity-buildingabilities of people in South Sudan at thegrass roots, and investing in youth isinvesting in the future of a country.”

Because WPDI believes that commu-nication and interaction are centralrequirements for peace, reconciliationand solidarity, the YPN will seek innova-tive opportunities to connect the youthinvolved in the project. WPDI views

knowledge, information, learning, learn-ing-by-doing, and communication as keyto peace and prosperity. Modern com-munication technologies supplied byZain and Ericsson offer unprecedentedtools to boost human potential and helpfulfill aspirations. The YPN will focus onconnectivity, through ICT trainings, com-puter centers, and mobile technologies.Whitaker is a frequent visitor to SouthSudan, having visited Zain South Sudan’soffices last October to discuss theprogress of peace and development ini-tiatives, which fall under the PeaceEarthFoundation.

Zain expands ‘Youth Peacemaker Network’ in South SudanEmpowering youth through mobile connectivity

Zain South Sudan CEO Basel Manasrah with Forest Whittaker

NEW YORK: Wall Street may kick off the secondhalf of the year with an uptick in volatility,thanks to the June jobs report and plenty ofother market-moving data in a short tradingweek. Financial markets will be closed on Fridayfor Independence Day. So Thursday will bring ablitz of numbers: the nonfarm payroll figuresfor June, the May trade deficit and the Juneindex on the services sector from the Institutefor Supply Management. On Wednesday, USFederal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen is scheduledto speak on f inancial stabil ity at anInternational Monetary Fund conference inWashington.

The elevated volatility would shake sometraders out of a stupor. They have been limitedin their betting by this market, which has beenresilient but boring: The S&P 500 has not had aweekly swing of more than 2 percent since mid-

April. “It has been a very frustrating few monthsin the market for both long-term and short-termtraders. It is very tough to outperform in thisenvironment,” said Sam Ginzburg, head of trad-ing at First New York Securities in New York.

The S&P 500 has scored 22 record closinghighs for the first half of 2014, feeding concernsabout a technical pullback. Yet the CBOEVolatility Index, Wall Street’s fear gauge, hashovered near multi-year lows, reflecting a mar-ket that seemed to grind higher no matterwhat was thrown at it. “Markets will probablytrade sideways or lower until the VIX gets to ahigher level, where it can support some kind of(a meaningful) advance,” said Donald Selkin,chief market strategist at National Securities inNew York, which has about $3 billion in assetsunder management. The VIX is trading around11, or about half of its long-term average of

about 20. While no one would want to relivethe financial crisis when the VIX jumped to89.53 on Oct 24, 2008, a modest amount ofvolatility is welcome on Wall Street.

A higher VIX creates valuation imbalancesthat drive stock picks and boost trading volume,which has collapsed from more than 8 billionshares a day in 2007 to an average of about 5 bil-lion now. For long-term investors, though, WallStreet is wrapping up a good first half of theyear. The S&P 500 has climbed 6.1 percent thisyear, following a jump of 30 percent in 2013. Arecent Reuters poll showed market participantsexpect the benchmark index to hit 2,000 for thefirst time before the year ends, which is a gain ofabout 8.2 percent from 2013. If the marketclosed the year at current levels, it would markthe best three-year run for US stocks since the1997-1999 period. —Reuters

Wall St Week Ahead

Short week, jobs data may bring back swings

ABU DHABI: Prominent businessman andhead of Lulu group, Middle East’s retailmajor, Yusuff Ali M A, has won prestigiousAbu Dhabi Chamber election held yester-day with a thumbing majority. Yusuff Aliwho had won previous two elections,retained his seat with 1,721 votes, highestamong expatriate candidates. The electionsduring which 14,555 votes were cast alsoelected 13 local citizens to the board ofdirectors for a four-year term. Four panels -the Abu Dhabi Initiative, Abu DhabiExcellence, Abu Dhabi Future and AbuDhabi First - representing 70 Emiratis,including five women and eight expatriatecandidates, participated in the elections.Huge turnout was witnessed during theelection which was held at three differentcenters.

Abu Dhabi Chamber is the only govern-ment organization in the world whereexpatriates can get elected to the directorboard through a democratic electionprocess. Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak AlNahyam, UAE minister for Culture, Youthand Community Development on behalf ofAbu Dhabi Government and ruling familymembers congratulated Yusuffali on his

hat-trick victory and urged him to continuehis work and contribute to the growth ofUAE in general and Abu Dhabi in particular.

“I am pleased with faith reposed on meby the business community of Abu Dhabiand I thank them wholeheartedly for help-ing me to come out victorious once again. Iam fully aware of the responsibilities and Iwill strive to further enhance the businessand investment relationship between Indiaand UAE and work closely with all stakeholders for mutual benefit”, said Yusuff Aliafter winning.

Abu Dhabi Chamber is an autonomousentity under government supervisionwhich works towards streamlining and reg-ulating business and industrial affairs in theEmirate of Abu Dhabi. Chamber is alsoplaying its role as a supporter of and con-tributor to the economic developmentprocess and as an economic partner inmaking contributions to Abu Dhabi’s eco-nomic growth. Oil rich emirate of AbuDhabi’s sovereign wealth fund, the AbuDhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), cur-rently estimated at $775 billion is one ofthe world’s wealthiest sovereign fund interms of total asset value.

Hat-trick victory for Yusuff Ali in Abu Dhabi Chamber election

KUWAIT: Owing to public demandthe flagship outlet of Al SayerToyota Certified cars showroom hasnow started operations at Al-Tilal,Shuwaikh Area. The new showroomoffers improved visit experience forcustomers through ease of accessi-bility, convenient parking facilities,efficient store design and layout aswell as enhanced services and facil-ities.

Since the inception, ToyotaCertified cars has successfully

become a top value brand and alsocapitalized on the strong positionin the pre-owned cars market seg-ment through delivering excep-tional quality of vehicles and servic-es besides consistently exceedingcustomer expectations. For over adecade the attractive promotionaloffers on top of additional compli-mentary benefits have alwaysreceived high appreciation fromcustomers in Kuwait.

Every Certified Vehicle at Al say-

er is put through comprehensive120 points check by our highlyskilled and trained technicians. Allvehicles must pass the stringentinspection and reconditioning pro-cedure in order to match the Dealerstandards in terms of overall qualityand appearance of interior andexterior. Relatively newer and low-mileage models in excellent overallcondition will finally qualify to be acertified vehicle.

Toyota Certified pre-owned

vehicle ensures total peace of mindfor customers together with yearsof satisfaction. Some of benefitsand added advantages customersreceive are comprehensive 12month warranty covering practical-ly all major mechanical and electri-cal components, 12 month roadside assistance and free inspectionafter 1500 km. Apart from Al-Tilalshwroom, Al Sayer also operates asecond Certified pre-owned carshowroom at Al Ahmadi.

Toyota Certified cars showroom opens at Al-Tilal, Shuwaikh Area

KUWAIT: Gulf Bank held its Al Danah daily draws onJune 22nd, 2014, announcing the names of its win-ners for the week of June 15th to June 19th. The AlDanah daily draws include draws each working dayfor two prizes of KD1000 per winner. The winnerswere: (Sunday 15/06): Ali Hamdan Khamis Ibrahim,Nazem Abdulmonaam Abduljalil ; (Monday 16/06):Abdullah Hailan Al-Enezi, Sattam Fahad Al-Marzouq;(Tuesday 17/06): Yacoub Yousef Abdulrahman Al-Kweran, Dawoud Ahmad Husain Qabazard;(Wednesday 18/06): Salwa Ali Ali Al-ShohdiI, AdelAbdou Khlouf; (Thursday 19/06): Zahra AbdulrasoulAl-Sayegh, Nada Hassan Salah Al-Sadeq.

Gulf Bank’s Al Danah 2014 draw lineup includesdaily draws (2 winners per working day each receive

KD1000). Al Danah’s 3rd Quarterly draw’s closingdate for 2014 is on June 30th (KD500,000,KD125,000, and KD25,000). Gulf Bank advises all itsAl Danah customers to save more in their accountsto enhance their chances of winning one of themajor cash prizes of KD25,000, KD125,000 andKD500,000 in the third Al Danah quarterly prizedraw for 2014. Al Danah allows customers to wincash prizes and simultaneously encourages them tosave. Each KD100 gives the customer 1 chance dailywhich accumulates day by day. The more moneysaved and the longer it is in the account, the morechances individuals stand to win. Every Al Danahprize draws will automatically be deposited into thewinner’s account within two working days.

Al Danah also offers a number of unique servicesincluding the Al Danah Deposit Only ATM cardwhich helps account holders deposit their money attheir convenience; as well as the Al Danah calculatorto help customers calculate their chances of becom-ing an Al Danah winner. Gulf Bank’s Al Danahaccount is open to Kuwaitis and all residents ofKuwait. Customers who open an account and/ ordeposit more will enter the draw within two days. Tobe part of the Al Danah draws, customers can visitone of Gulf Bank’s 58 branches, transfer on line, orcall the Customer Contact Center on 1805805 forassistance and guidance. Customers can also log onto www.e-gulfbank.com/aldanahwinners, to findout more about Al Danah and who the winners are.

KUWAIT: Qalaa Holdings (CCAP.CA on theEgyptian Exchange, formerly Citadel Capital), anAfrican leader in infrastructure and industry, andSaudi Arabia’s Construction Products HoldingCompany (CPC), through its subsidiary CPCEmirates, announced that they have signed asale and purchase agreement for the sale to CPCof 100% of Sphinx Glass. The size of the transac-tion will imply an enterprise value of around$180 million (EGP 1,280 million), which trans-lates into a cash consideration of $114.2 million(EGP 815 million) for 100% of the shares afterdeducting debt and liabilities to be assumed byCPC. The transfer of cash and shares is expectedto conclude in July.

Qalaa Holdings’ 73.3% stake in Sphinx Glasswill result in cash proceeds of around US$ 73million (EGP 521 million) to Qalaa Holdings afterthe estimated capital gains tax. Sphinx Glass is a200,000-ton-per-annum, state-of-the-art floatglass production facility that began full opera-tions in April 2010 and is today one of thelargest independently operated float glass pro-ducers in the MENA region. In addition to beinga key player in the Egyptian market, SphinxGlass is also a significant regional and interna-tional exporter.

The company specializes in the productionof clear and tinted float glass and online coatedglass in varying thicknesses. The companyrecorded EGP 393 million in sales in 2013 and iscurrently on target to exceed its budget for thesecond consecutive year. “Sphinx Glass was anidea born on the eve of a global recession andcommissioned mere months before the start ofthe 25 January 2011 Revolution,” said QalaaHoldings Co-Founder and Managing DirectorHisham El-Khazindar.

“Despite these headwinds, we have workedclosely with management and our co-investorsto create over 375 new jobs and catapult

Sphinx Glass into the ranks of both key nationalplayers in Egypt and leading regional and glob-al exporters. “We wish CPC great success in capi-talizing on Sphinx Glass’s potential,” he said.“Sphinx Glass is one of the most technologicallyadvanced plants in Egypt with a strong man-agement team complementing CPC’s existingportfolio of building materials and is a perfectfit with our existing industrial presence inEgypt,” said CPC Chief Operating Officer RiadKiwan.

“This acquisition is an important step in linewith our group’s international expansion strate-gy, enabling us to capitalize on increasingdemand for building materials and glass inEgypt and Africa, where the construction indus-try is booming with economic progress andincreasing urbanization,” he added. Under CPCownership, Sphinx Glass will remain committedto supporting its valued customers in Egypt andin export markets, Kiwan concluded. CPC is aleading construction products company provid-ing “Complete Building Solutions” for all con-struction needs.

Its product offering ranges from precast,glass & aluminum, steel, ready mix concrete,electric cables, wood & gypsum works, marble &granite, adhesive, construction equipmentrental, finishing, steel structures, transportation,electromechanical, renewable energy, alongwith logistic support to serve the building indus-try all under one umbrella. From proceeds of thetransaction, Qalaa Holdings and its co-investorswill distribute a significant one-time exit bonusto employees of Sphinx Glass, from line staff tosenior management. Qalaa Holdings wasadvised on the transaction by Arab LegalConsultants acting as the Seller’s Legal Counseland Pharos Investment Banking SAE acting asthe Sell Side Advisor. CPC was advised by Helmy,Hamza & Partners and Credit Suisse.

Qalaa Holdings, CPC Holding seal Sphinx Glass agreement

Gulf Bank announces winners of the Al Danah daily draws

t e c hnolo g ySUNDAY, JUNE 29, 2014

KUWAIT: The global energy sector is one of thetop five most at-risk industries for malware, Ciscoannounced today in the buildup to GISEC 2014.

As the Internet of Everything connects morepeople, processes, data, and things to networks,the energy, oil, and gas sector is facing unprece-dented benefits in using technology to connectglobal operations, drive efficiency, automate dan-gerous tasks, and manage complex supply chains.

But as connectivity increases, the energy sectorfaces a malware encounter rate of more than 400percent, or more than 300 percent higher at riskthan the median industry, according to the 2014Cisco Annual Security Report. Global securitythreats reached their highest-ever level in 2013.“The Middle East’s energy sector is rapidly adopt-ing smar t devices and cloud computing toenhance business, but this is also creating a largerlandscape for cybersecurity threats. Malware cancripple an energy company’s IT infrastructure and

halt business operations, and potentially disruptthe world’s energy supplies,” said Tarek Ghoul,General Manager, Cisco Gulf, Levant, and Pakistan.

Global demand for energy is projected toincrease by 41 percent by 2035, according to BP’sEnergy Outlook 2035. The UAE, the Kingdom ofSaudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Iraq are seeing strongoil demand growth, according to OPEC. TheMiddle East is also set to post strong growth innatural gas production, according to the USEnergy Information Administration.

At the same time, the Middle East and Africa’ssmart devices will grow from 133 million in 2013to 598 million in 2018, according to Cisco. Theregion is set to post the world’s strongest cloudtraffic growth, increasing from 16 exabytes in2012 to 157 exabytes in 2017. Advanced MalwareProtection and Data Center Solutions Protect‘Everywhere’ To mitigate growing cybersecuritythreats, Cisco has announced that it is expanding

its industry-leading Advanced Malware Protection(AMP) and Data Center solutions.

“Cisco has extensive experience in providingthe connectivity platform for the energy sector’soperators and suppliers to improve planning andsafety, support ICT deployment, and enhancedowntime,” added Ghoul. “Delivering vital cyber-security solutions to the energy sector enhancesour support to ensure that global energy suppliesremain in safe hands.”

Already protecting more than 60 million cus-tomers, and recently named as a top solution byIT security company NSS Labs, Cisco’s AMP andData Center Solutions are the first fully-integratedsecurity solution across Web, email, and cloud.AMP is also the f irst solution to correlateIndications of Compromise data between networkand endpoint.

AMP and Data Center security solutions effec-tively combat “zero-day” attacks on previously

unknown vulnerabilities, stealth hacking attemptscalled “advanced persistent threats”, and “wateringhole” attacks that infect websites that targetemployees visit.

In 2013, Cisco noted “watering hole” attacks onenergy exploration firms, power stations, industri-al suppliers, and investment and capital firmsaround the world.

“With advanced threats infiltrating the energysector’s environments at the endpoint, in the datacenter, and through the cloud, Cisco’s mission isto provide solutions that move beyond point-in-time to an anytime, all-the-time threat-centricsecurity model that works continuously across theextended network and the full attack continuum,”concluded Ghoul.

Cisco is also enhancing its ASA firewall familyfor Software-Defined Networking and ApplicationCentric Infrastructure, and its Secure Data CenterCisco Validated Design.

Energy Sector in top five for malware vulnerability

DUBAI: With ultra-high definition taking the televisionviewing market by storm, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. hasintroduced its 4K technology to its latest monitor, allowingusers to enjoy the same quality on their work machine.

“The UHD590 brings the ultimate in picture quality tomonitors. Ultra-high definition viewing will enable every-thing to be easier on the eye and more true to life thanever before. Combined with the features of the monitorsuch as multi-tasking, this monitor will be a dream for any-one consuming a large amount of multi-media content.”ManojGhai, Head of IT Sales Group at Samsung GulfElectronics.

With its ultra-high definition offering, the UHD590 mon-itor offers 64 times the color of a conventional monitor,allowing you to enjoy content at its best. From pictures tovideos, the quality of this screen will mesmerize. Thanks to

the UHD up-scaler, even low resolution content will bevastly improved to provide a crisper image.

The UHD590 monitor will also enable you to take inmore detailed information at a glance, saving you fromtirelessly scrolling up and down - perfect for the individualdealing with content heavy documents such as yourresearcher or financial services provider.

Samsung’s latest monitor also boasts a super-fastresponse time of only one millisecond - perfect for thegamers amongst you. Now you can enjoy content withoutany delay, making ghosting and blurring a thing of thepast. Gamers will also be delighted with the connectivityoptions on the monitor, which allows users to connect eas-ily to PCs and various AV devices. The Samsung UUHD590monitor is currently available across leading retail outletsin the region.

Microsoft, Zainannounce direct operator billing

for KuwaitKUWAIT: Microsoft Devices and Zain, the leadingtelecommunications company in Kuwait, haveannounced the introduction of a direct operator billingfacility for Zain customers in Kuwait.

Zain customers with Microsoft Devices will have theoption to purchase all the latest applications includinggames and premium content from the Nokia app storeand pay directly with their mobile account, offering cus-tomers a quick, convenient and secure form of pay-ment.

The purchased applications can either be charged aspart of the customer’s monthly bill for post-paidaccounts, or through their prepaid credit balance.

Commenting on the introduction of the direct billingfacility, Vithesh Reddy General Manager Lower Gulf,Microsoft Devices said: “Today’s smartphone usersdemand handsets and services that can respond totheir everyday lifestyle requirements and keep with uptheir social and entertainment needs. Consequently,mobile applications are essential for mobile userswhose handsets are more than just a phone, they are alifestyle accessory.

The new direct operator billing service with Zainmakes it even easier and safer for our consumers to stayconnected and enjoy all the latest applications, provid-ing a valuable and convenient smartphone experience.”“With the announcement of this direct payment chan-nel, we are giving customers a safe and simple way ofperforming any online or in-store transaction in thepalm of their hands. Customers can simply pay for theirpurchases at various selected merchants, including theNokia store directly through their phone with ease andpeace of mind,”said Nadia al Saif, Value Added ServicesDirector, Zain

“Through the direct payment channel, customerswho prefer not to use their bank cards can select Zain asthe preferred payment channel as a safe alternative.Zain will soon expand the list of partnering merchantsfurther, and the company will also be diversifying pro-grams and services to the benefit of all customer seg-ments, including daily, weekly, monthly, and yearlysmartphone mobile subscriptions,” added Nadia.

Hawk-Eye goesblind in dark

LONDON: Former Wimbledon runner-up TomasBerdych believes his third round match againstMarin Cilic on Friday should have been haltedwhen it became so dark that the Hawk-Eye reviewsystem stopped functioning.

Berdych, the 2010 finalist and sixth seed, wentdown to a 7-6 (7/5), 6-4, 7-6 (8/6) defeat on Court3 in a match which ended at 21:40 local time(22:40GMT), the latest finish for a tie on an outsidecourt in the tournament’s history.

But the sophisticated Hawk-Eye technologycannot function when it gets too dark andBerdych fumed over the decision to play ondespite the unavailability of the system used byplayers to challenge calls.

“If I start the match on a court where we don’thave Hawk-Eye, it’s how it is since the beginning.But if somebody tells me that some machinedoesn’t work just because of the light, and that wedon’t have enough, so why we have to play?,” heasked.

“Everybody is saying that the machine is alwayscorrect, it’s always the best way and we cannotargue with that. “We can try to tell to the footballguys that after 90 minutes they don’t have thevideo of the goal line technology because it (lastsjust for) 90 minutes.”

Berdych believes he was on the wrong end of aseries of calls which, had there been the access toa challenge, would have been over-turned.

The big Czech found some sympathy fromdefending champion Andy Murray who is in thesame half of the draw as Berdych and Cilic.

“I’m not sure exactly what time Hawk-Eye stops.From a player’s perspective, when the light startsto go, it’s tough to play good tennis, to play prop-erly,” said Murray.

“I don’t think you want matches to be decid-ed on someone shanking a ball because theycan’t see it. You want players to be able to playtheir best tennis for as long as possible. If it wastoo dark to see, then they should havestopped.” — AFP

RIYADH: Zain Saudi Arabia (Zain KSA)announced the signing of network expansionand upgrade agreements worth 4.5 billion SAR(US $1.2 billion) with five leading global tech-nology companies at a press conference heldin Riyadh. The agreements aim to enhanceZain KSA’s customer experience and toimprove and expand Zain’s network capacity,coverage and speed.

The agreements were signed with fivemajor international technology companies:Huawei, Nokia, NEC, Cisco, and Alcatel Lucent.

Mr. Hassan Kabbani, CEO of Zain KSA said,“Today, we are pleased to announce a four anda half billion Saudi Riyal investment into ourcustomers. Saudi Arabia is ranked among the

top 5 countries in world for a digitally engagedsociety. We are proud that each and every day,more people chose to join Zain, having heardabout the superior customer experience thatwe offer. Of course, more customers meansthat we need more capacity. This was achievedthanks to the support Zain Group and the con-fidence of our shareholders.”

Furthermore, “Today’s announcement is allabout building for the future to anticipate theneed for more capacity. We are also expand-ing our 4G LTE network, making it available tomore people, in more places across theKingdom.”

Mr. Kabbani added “I invite everyone to tryZain and discover our innovative packages,

leading customer experience and the qualityand speed of our network”.

Eng. Sultan Abdulaziz Al-Deghaither, actingChief Technical Officer, said “We aim to provide4G LTE coverage to over 90% of the popula-tion, providing existing and new customerswith real high-speed mobile internet connec-tivity. Since its launch, Zain KSA has alwaysoperated a very modern telecommunicationsnetwork, today we are announcing the expan-sion of our state of the art network to accom-modate the exponential growth of data trafficthat we see.”

It is worth noting that Zain KSA was the firstoperator in the Middle East region to launch4G network in September 2011.

Samsung brings ultra-high definition to its latest monitor

Now consumers can enjoy 4K viewing atwork with Samsung’s UD590 monitor

Zain KSA to invest 4.5 billion SAR in serving its customers• CEO Kabbani: putting our customers first and building for the future to enhance our customer experience

• CTO Al-Deghaither: significant investment to expand the coverage and capacity of our network with 4G LTE

H E A LT H & S C I E NC ESUNDAY, JUNE 29, 2014

WASHINGTON: The Supreme Court is poised to deliver its verdict in acase that weighs the religious rights of employers and the right ofwomen to the birth control of their choice.

The court meets for a final time Monday to release decisions in itstwo remaining cases before the justices take off for the summer. Thecases involve birth control coverage under President Barack Obama’shealth law and fees paid to labor unions representing governmentemployees by workers who object to being affiliated with a union.

Two years after Chief Justice John Roberts cast the pivotal vote thatsaved the health care law in the midst of Obama’s campaign for re-election, the justices are considering a sliver of the law.

Employers must cover contraception for women at no extra chargeamong a range of preventive benefits in employee health plans.Dozens of companies, including the arts and crafts chain HobbyLobby, claim religious objections to covering some or all contracep-tives. The methods and devices at issue before the Supreme Court arethose that Hobby Lobby and furniture maker Conestoga WoodSpecialties Corp. say can work after conception, the emergency con-traceptives Plan B and ella, as well as intrauterine devices, which cancost up to $1,000. The Obama administration says insurance coveragefor birth control is important to women’s health and reduces the num-ber of unwanted pregnancies, as well as abortions.

The court has never recognized a for-profit corporation’s religiousrights under federal law or the Constitution. But even some supportersof the administration’s position said they would not be surprised if thecourt were to do so on Monday, perhaps limiting the right to corpora-tions that are under tight family control. Several justices worried at theargument in March that such a decision would lead to religious objec-tions to covering blood transfusions or vaccinations.

No surpriseProminent Washington lawyer Paul Smith said another important

question is how the decision would apply to “laws that protect peoplefrom discrimination, particularly LGBT people.”

In the Hobby Lobby case, even if the court finds such a right exists,it still has to weigh whether the government’s decision to haveemployee health plans pay for birth control is important enough toovercome the companies’ religious objections. It is no surprise that thishigh-profile case, argued three months ago, is among the last released.The other unresolved case has been hanging around since lateJanuary, often a sign that the outcome is especially contentious.

Home health care workers in Illinois want the court to rule thatpublic sector unions cannot collect fees from workers who aren’tunion members. The idea behind compulsory fees for nonmembers isthat the union negotiates the contract for all workers, so they all

should share in the cost of that work. The court has been hostile tolabor unions in recent years. If that trend continues Monday, the jus-tices could confine their ruling to home health workers or they couldstrike a big blow against unions more generally. — AP

TAHOUA, Niger: With the world’s highest birth rate in a countrywhere first-time mothers are often barely past puberty, having ababy in impoverished Niger can be tantamount to a death sen-tence. The West African state and humanitarian groups haveworked to slash both birth and maternal mortality rates, butdespite strides results are not good enough, the UN warned thisweek. “Every two hours, a Niger woman dies from complicationslinked to pregnancy or childbirth,” deplored Monique Clesca, theUN Population Fund (UNFPA) representative in the country.

Some 3,000 people, mainly women, gathered in the westerncity of Tahoua as part of a new push to rein in the birth rate andreduce maternal mortality.

“Dying while giving life is a social injustice,” railed MalikaIssoufou, wife of Niger’s President Mahamadou Issoufou, while vis-iting women suffering from gynaecological complications in theTahoua hospital. The trend has not been easy to buck in a culturethat encourages early marriage, big families and pregnancies inquick succession, and where some clerics in mainly Muslim Nigerhave blasted contraception as against Islam and “dictated by whitepeople from the West”.

“The more kids you have, the more you’re worth,” said Clesca,describing traditional views. “When girls marry, they’re under pres-sure to prove they’re fertile within the first year.”

This has left landlocked Niger, where more than 60 percent livebelow the poverty line, with the highest birth rate in the world, anaverage of 7.6 children per woman, official figures show.

In 2006, Niger made all pre-natal care free of charge, as well asbirth by Caesarian, which up to then was prohibitively expensive.Contraceptive products are also distributed at no charge.

“Ten years ago, no one dared broach demographic questions.Now, everyone is talking about them, starting with the govern-ment, the president,” said Isselmou Boukhary, Niger’s deputy repre-sentative for the UN children’s fund, UNICEF.

Early marriageEven if the situation remains “quite worrisome”, it’s slowly

improving, Boukhary said. With 535 mothers dying for every100,000 live births-meaning one woman for every 186 viablebirths, Niger is among the world’s top 15 countries with the worstmaternal mortality. Yet the situation has improved since 2006,

when 648 women died for every 100,000 births, according toNiger’s health ministry.

During the same period, contraceptive use has gone from fiveto 12 percent, the ministry said.

A tradition of early marriage has not helped. Nearly 80 percentof Niger women are wed by the time they reach 18 and 40 percentbefore the age of 15, making complications frequent.

“At this age, the body is still fragile and not ready for maternity,”said Yahaya Mani, a doctor working in the Niger countryside.

Official records bear this out, according to the UN which said athird of maternal deaths are among girls 15 to 19.

“The parents know the risks. But they prefer to marry their girlsoff early rather than risking a pregnancy outside marriage, whichwould damage the family’s honour,” said Clesca.

After the first baby others follow quickly, giving Niger one ofthe world’s top population growth rates at 3.9 percent per year,according to official figures. Young mothers often have “one babyon the breast, one on their back and another at their feet,” whichcan leave them weak, said a humanitarian source.

High-risk pregnancies among older women are also abundant,along with a shortage of proper birthing facilities.

Home births“The closest centre is often five kilometres (three miles) away.

And by the time they find a cart to get there, it’s often too late,”said Doctor Mani. Health ministry official Gali Asma said 80 percentof Niger’s maternal deaths occur outside proper health facilities,and yet 70 percent of Niger women give birth at home with tradi-tional midwives.

Some men still oppose their wives receiving prenatal care, andnational family planning campaigns have particularly annoyedIslamic radicals and fundamentalists, whose numbers have grownin this country bordering Mali and Nigeria where Islamic militantactivity has intensified. They say it goes against the teachings ofAllah and is part of a “Western attempt to stop births” in Niger. Thegovernment, however, defends the drive as critical for Niger’sfuture. From three million in 1980, the population has hit morethan 17 million today and, if nothing is done, could soar to 40 mil-lion by 2050, officials say, a level a country subject to drought, foodshortages and malnutrition could never sustain. — AFP

High-birth Niger strives to lower maternal mortality

Results not good enough

DENVER: Customers enter and exit a Hobby Lobby store in Denver. The Supreme Court is poised to deliver its verdict in acase that weighs the religious rights of employers and the right of women to the birth control of their choice. —- AP

CAPE CANAVERAL: This undated product image made from a video provided by Lavazza, shows aprototype of Lavazza’s and Argotec’s “ISSpresso” machine. The final version of the coffee machinewill be the first real Italian espresso machine on The International Space Station, and will coincidewith a six-month mission by Italy’s first Italian female astronaut, Samantha Cristoforetti. — AP

CAPE CANAVERAL: Talk about a cosmic caffeine jolt.The International Space Station is getting a realItalian espresso machine. Astronauts of all nationali-ties - but especially the Italians - have long grumbledabout the tepid instant coffee served in pouches anddrunk with straws 418.41 km above Earth. Thepouches and straws aren’t going away, but at leastthe brew will pack some zero-gravity punch.

The specially-designed-for-space espressomachine is dubbed ISSpresso - ISS for InternationalSpace Station. Its launch early next year fromWallops Island, Virginia, is timed to coincide with thesix-month mission of Italy’s first female astronaut,Samantha Cristoforetti. The 37-year-old fighter pilotand Italian Air Force captain will fly to the space sta-tion in November aboard a Russian capsule.

She’ll be the first out-of-this-world barista.“How cool is that?” she said in a tweet earlier this

month. “I’ll get to operate the first space espressomachine!” Italy’s century-old coffee maestro Lavazzateamed up with a Turin-based engineering company,Argotec, and the Italian Space Agency to improvecoffee conditions aboard the orbiting outpost.Besides espresso, ISSpresso is capable of whippingup tea and consomme.

What more could an astronaut want?

Zero-gravity cupDuring his 51/2-month stay on the space station

last year, Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano repeatedlytalked about missing espresso. (This is the cool-as-icetest pilot who nearly drowned during a spacewalklast July when his helmet filled with water from hissuit’s cooling system.)

Argotec already was working on a space espressomachine. Orbital Sciences Corp. of Virginia will makethe delivery on its Cygnus cargo ship; the launch istargeted for January. NASA’s coffee-loving astronaut

Donald Pettit actually offered some ideas forISSpresso during its design phase. He’s a two-timespace station resident who invented and evenpatented a zero-gravity cup for sipping his orbital joeversus sucking it with a straw.

No question, an espresso machine will be “a wel-come addition” to space station life, Pettit saidWednesday from Johnson Space Center in Houston.The pre-measured bags of freeze-dried coffee servedin orbit taste good - when you’re up there on thefrontier, he said. On Earth, any coffee lover would go“Yeeck.” Argotec spokesman Antonio Pilello has sam-pled the ISSpresso espresso and gives it a thumbs-up. The space machine is designed to operate at thesame temperature and pressure as Earthly espressomakers, according to the company, to guaranteetaste and flavor.

Coffee capsules “You know, coffee is very important for Italian

people. We are really hard to please about it!” Pilellowrote in an email.

Certified for safety and approved by NASA,ISSpresso initially will fly with 20 coffee capsules.Extra packets will follow for the six-member crew, ifthe trial run goes well. The 44-pound machine - acompact 14 inches by 17 inches - will be housed inthe US laboratory, Destiny. It resembles a microwaveoven, with all the action occurring inside. Engineersreplaced the typical plastic tubing in an espressomachine with steel for robustness. They also usedbuttons and switches similar to those already on thespace station, so the astronauts would be familiarwith the design. Astronaut Pettit points out that thelack of gravity will prevent the bubbly foam from ris-ing to the top. Yet even if the space espresso fallsshort by connoisseur standards, “it would be the bestcoffee that we’ve ever had in space.” —- AP

Cosmic caffeine: Astronauts getting espresso maker

WASHINGTON: Many employees who already havehealth insurance worry they’ll pay a price for PresidentBarack Obama’s overhaul. But for workers at one majorcompany those fears appear to be easing. Food servicegiant Sodexo unexpectedly reversed course Thursdayafter bumping thousands of college cafeteria workersfrom its health plan earlier this year and casting blame onthe health care law.

Julie Peterson, Sodexo’s vice president for benefits,said the company will make changes for next year torestore eligibility for many of those affected. AlthoughSodexo says the reversal was part of a standard review ofmajor policy decisions, the company also faced a unionorganizing drive and campus protests.

Economists say it may be getting harder for employ-ers to cut benefits. “We are in an environment now withfalling unemployment rates,” said Paul Fronstin of thenonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute. “Insome cases employers will be able to do that without los-ing benefits, but in others not.”

Among those who lost their coverage throughSodexo this year - and may now get it back - was JuliePemberton. She’s a cashier at Curry College, a liberal artsinstitution near Boston.

Initial cutbackPemberton puts in more than 40 hours a week during

the academic year. She’s paying more than $200 a monthmore in premiums since she switched to a plan from theMassachusetts health insurance exchange. “I’m actuallylooking for a new apartment because this is just drainingany savings I have,” said Pemberton. “I can’t just keep pay-ing and paying and paying.”

Unite Here, a labor union trying to organize Sodexoworkers, said the company’s initial cutback was facilitatedby what it calls a loophole in federal regulations carryingout the health law’s employer coverage requirement.

The Obama administration says any fault is with theemployer, not the health care law.

French-owned Sodexo is a multinational service com-pany with U.S. headquarters in Maryland. It operatesmany college cafeterias and also provides other campusservices. In January, Sodexo reclassified some of its work-ers as part-time by averaging their hours over a 52-weekcalendar year. That affected about 5,000 of its 133,000U.S. employees.

Sodexo said it was acting to align itself with thehealth care law, which requires that employers with 50 ormore workers offer coverage to those averaging at least30 hours a week, or face fines.

Peterson said Thursday that for benefits purposes, thecompany will now credit campus employees during thesummer break with the hours they would have workedduring the academic year. “We’ve realized we can changethe way we are determining eligibility and still remaincompetitive in the market,” Peterson said.

Complicated partThe Unite Here union says federal rules require col-

leges and universities to essentially do the same thing fortheir faculty employees. But those rules don’t apply tocontractor employees in cafeterias.

“There is nothing in there that says contract workersare protected,” said union spokesman Ethan Snow. Atleast one college that examined the issue agreed withthe cafeteria workers. Earlham College in Richmond,Indiana, recently amended its contract with Sodexo torequire that the employees be offered coverage.

“Sodexo’s classification system was not consistentwith the practices of other vendors, or with Earlham’spolicies,” said Sena Landey, vice president for finance atthe Quaker-founded liberal arts institution. Landey said itlooks like a slip-up on the part of federal regulators.

“I just don’t understand why you would benefit facul-ty and not those on the lower end of the pay scale,”Landey said. “I don’t see the logic in it.”

The mandate that larger employers provide healthcoverage is one of the most complicated parts of thehealth care law. Lawmakers intended it mainly as a safe-guard against companies shifting their traditionalresponsibility for health insurance to taxpayers. Butemployers across a range of industries have cited themandate as justification for everything from limitingworkers’ hours to scaling back coverage for spouses.Supporters of the law say the requirement will have anegligible impact since more than 90 percent of largeremployers already provide coverage.

Originally scheduled to take effect this year, the man-date has been delayed twice. Companies with 100 ormore workers must comply starting next year, while busi-nesses with 50 to 99 employees have until 2016. Smallercompanies are exempt. The law also requires individualsto carry insurance or risk fines, and that provision tookeffect this year. On another issue, Sodexo and the WhiteHouse are allies. This spring, the company earned officialrecognition by pledging to add more nutritious optionsto its vending and K-12 lunchroom programs in supportof first lady Michelle Obama’s campaign to reduce child-hood obesity. —- AP

Sodexo cafeteria workers to regain health benefits

WEYMOUTH: Julie Pemberton leans against acounter top between the living room andkitchen of her apartment IN Weymouth.Pemberton works more than 40 hours a weekduring the academic year. That gave heraccess to health care on the job until heremployer changed the rules ahead of newcoverage requirements under PresidentBarack Obama’s health care law. — AP

US supreme court poised to issue birth-control verdict

VA a strugglingagency beset

with ills WASHINGTON: Citing “significant and chronic system fail-ures” in the nation’s health system for veterans, a review orderedby President Barack Obama portrays the Department ofVeterans Affairs as a struggling agency battling a corrosive cul-ture of distrust, lacking in resources and ill-prepared to dealwith an influx of new and older veterans with a range of medicaland mental health care needs.

The scathing report by deputy White House chief of staff RobNabors says the Veterans Health Administration, the VA subagency that provides health care to about 8.8 million veterans ayear, has systematically ignored warnings about its deficienciesand must be fundamentally restructured.

Obama ordered the review last month in a response to wide-spread reports of long delays for treatment and medicalappointments and of veterans dying while on waiting lists. ButNabors’ report goes far beyond the lengthy waits and manipu-lated schedules raised by whistleblowers and chronicled in pastinternal and congressional investigations.

The review offers a series of recommendations, including aneed for more doctors, nurses and trained administrative staff -proposals that are likely to face skepticism among some con-gressional Republicans who have blamed the VA’s problems onmismanagement, not lack of resources.

“We know that unacceptable, systemic problems and cultur-al issues within our health system prevent veterans from receiv-ing timely care,” Acting VA Secretary Sloan Gibson said in a state-ment following an Oval Office meeting Friday with Obama andNabors. “We can and must solve these problems as we work toearn back the trust of veterans.”—AP

H E A LT H & S C I E NC ESUNDAY, JUNE 29, 2014

W H AT ’ S ONSUNDAY, JUNE 29, 2014

Mohammad Ayman Al-Sharaa celebrated his graduation from IkhlasHigh School with his family and friends. Congratulations.

Greetings

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Amir of the Ajman Tribe

Sheikh Sultan Salman bin

Hethleen congratulated

His Highness the Amir Sheikh

Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, His

Highness the Crown Prince

Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-

Sabah, the Kuwaiti people and

the Arab and Islamic nations on

the occasion of Ramadan. Bin

Hethleen announced that he

receives well-wishers on the

fifth and sixth days of the holy

month at his dewaniya in

Agailah, and that after the

Taraweeh prayer.Sultan Salman bin Hethleen

National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) hosted aspecial buffet for all staff on the occasionof the Egraish in appreciation for their

commitment, initiative and unremitting efforts inserving the bank.

Egraish buffet were held in NBK Head Offices

and was attended by NBK staff members. NBKExecutive Management congratulated theemployees on the occasion of the Holy month ofRamadan and thanked them for their efforts andexcellence. The holding of the Egraish buffet,helps strengthen the NBK family and serve as a

token of appreciation for the staff’s professional-ism, dedication and hard work.

Egraish is a Kuwaiti tradition celebratedbefore Ramadan where families gather and bringthe previous night’s dinner leftover to sharetogether.

NBK hosts lunch for staff to mark Egraish

Celebrate Iftar at THEOne Restaurant in itsMarina Mall Theatre,

Kuwait City, with a buffetof traditional Arabic andinternational dishes. Tuckinto culinary creations likeMoroccan Hummus Soup,Courgette and HalloumiSalad, Salmon andArtichoke Tart, MiddleEastern Lamb Stew and ofcourse, Umm Ali, whileenjoying all you can drinkLaban and Jellab (addi-tional drinks extra). Thescrumptious spreadchanges daily to keep theselection exciting and isavailable every daythroughout Ramadan fromsunset to 9pm. Booking isrecommended, especiallyfor parties of four or more.

Organizers of the Kuwait Song Festival held a press conference recently to announce the rewards to be given to the firstthree finalists in the talent competition. The winners will receive KD 5,000, KD 3,000 and KD 2,000 respectively, in additionto financial support for one year and a mini album produced for them. —Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat

Burgan Bank announced yester-day its new branch timingswhich will be applicable all

throughout the holy month ofRamadan. All Burgan Bank brancheswill commence work in one shift from10 am to 1:30 pm. Additionally, theAirport branch will be open in themornings from 10:00 am to 3:30 pm

and in the evenings from 9:30 pm to11:30pm.

For more information on any prod-ucts or services, customers arerequired to contact Burgan Bank’s callcenter 1804080 during the holiday. Onthis occasion, Burgan Bank extends itsbest wishes to everyone during theHoly month of Ramadan.

Burgan Bank Ramadan timing

Iftar buffet at THE

One restaurant

W H AT ’ S ONSUNDAY, JUNE 29, 2014

The British School of Kuwait (BSK) was delighted towelcome Eugen Wollfarth, the Ambassador of theFederal Republic of Germany, who visited the school

to get an update on the year’s events. BSK is privileged to be a Partner School of the German

Government, and students are involved in a wide range oflanguage and cultural activities with other Partner Schoolsin Germany, North Africa and the Middle East.

Ambassador Wollfarth presented certificates to studentswho had achieved success in recent Goethe-InstituteGerman examinations and those who had won summerscholarships to Germany. He also presented certificates to21 students who, in November, had produced a documen-tary film on water conservation in Kuwait as part of the

international Aquanauten Project organised by theGoethe-Institut.

During his tour of the school the ambassador visited aGerman lesson, where students discussed their recentGoethe-Institut scholarship visits to Germany. He was alsobriefed on BSK’s success in an international podcast com-petition on the Kuwaiti family, and in a competition whereschools submitted questions to the European Parliamentabout the structure and policies of the European Union.The ambassador also experienced BSK’s up-to-date laptopbased teaching methods, and enjoyed a performance ofthe Bach Double Concerto by the string ensemble ‘LaCamerata’. A lively morning of cultural and educationalevents was enjoyed by everyone.

BSK welcomes German ambassador

Nissan today lifts the virtualcovers off the Nissan Concept2020 VisionGran Turismo, a

vision of what a high performanceNissan could look like in the future. Itwas created through close collabora-tion with the creators of GranTurismo, Polyphony Digital Inc., thelegendary PlayStation driving fran-chise.

Nissan Concept 2020 Vision GranTurismo began life as dream projectfor Nissan designers who were givenfree rein to create their dream super-car for their own Gran Turismo fanta-sy garage.

Created by a team of youngdesigners at Nissan Design Europe, inLondon, England, the model was con-sidered to have so much potentialthat it has benefited from input froman advanced engineering team basedat Nissan Technical Centre in Atsugi,Japan.

As a result, Nissan Concept 2020Vision Gran Turismo gives hints as tohow a supercar of the future mightlook. In July, automotive enthusiasts

will be able to discover that perform-ance first-hand when it becomesavailable to download in GranTurismo6, just as they did with theNISSAN GT-R and Skylines from earlierepisodes of the historic franchise.That performance heritage and com-mitment to delivering excitement forenthusiasts is why there are Nissanvehicles in the franchise.

But as a specialist in automotivedesign in three-dimensions, Nissanbelieves that the real-world is readyfor the Nissan Concept 2020VisionGran Turismo. Watch thisspace... “PlayStation” and “GranTurismo” are registered trademarks ofSony Computer Entertainment Inc.

Nissan and Playstation

reveal future vision

Gulf Bank would like to informits clients that during theupcoming Holy Month of

Ramadan its Branches will be oper-ating from 10:00 am until 1:30 pm asper the approved guidelines set bythe Kuwait Banking Association(KBA). During the Holy Month ofRamadan, Gulf Bank through itsbranch network will be conductingall banking transactions. The HeadOffice and the supporting adminis-trative departments working hourswill be from 9:30am until 2:00pm.The Bank will resume its regularworking hours on the first businessday following the Eid Al- Fitr holiday.

The Bank will continue to serveclients through its dedicated CallCenter that will be operatinground-the-clock, and is reachableby dialing 1805805. Clients can alsoaccess the Bank’s Online portal,(www.e-gulfbank.com) to find outmore about the latest products

and services; and to download theMobile Banking App’s (Appstore/Android) to monitor accountsand conduct self-service bankingtransactions.

On this blessed occasion, GulfBank would like to convey its sin-cere congratulations and best wish-es to the Amir of the State ofKuwait, His Highness Sheikh Sabah

Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, HisHighness the Crown Prince, SheikhNawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah,and His Highness the PrimeMinister, Sheikh Jaber Al-MubarakAl-Hamad Al-Sabah . May AllahAlmighty safeguard and preservethem for their nation, as well as tothe government and people ofKuwait.

IMA Youth Wing

public iftar

IMA Youth Wing in association with Ministry of Awqaf & Islamic Affairsand Masjid Al Kabeer, cordially invites you to attend a Public Iftar atMasjid Al Kabeer, Grand Tent at 6 pm on Thursday 3rd July 2014.Prominent visiting scholar from India, Maulana Tahir Madani, Director,

Jamait-al-Falah, will deliver a speech on the theme Ramadan & Taqwa. Details are as below: Venue : Masjid Al Kabeer, Grand Tent near Main

Gate. There will be separate arrangement for ladies. For further details,please visit www.imayouthwing.org, www.imakuwait.org or Call @99037240, 66218674, and 97575215.

Gulf Bank Ramadan working hours

Touristic Enterprises Company employees took part in a blood donation campaign organized recentlyat its head office in Shuwaikh in cooperation with the Central Blood Bank.

T V PR O G R A M SSUNDAY, JUNE 29, 2014

ARMAGEDDON ON OSN MOVIES HD ACTION

PARANORMAN ON OSN MOVIES COMEDY HD

00:55 Doctor Who: Best Of TheDoctor01:40 Bedlam02:20 Threesome02:45 Being Erica03:30 Alan Carr: Chatty Man04:15 Doctor Who: Best Of TheDoctor05:00 Balamory05:20 Me Too!05:40 Bobinogs05:50 Teletubbies06:15 Balamory06:35 Me Too!06:55 Bobinogs07:05 Teletubbies07:30 The Old Guys08:00 Doctor Who: Best Of TheDoctor08:45 Outcasts09:40 Outcasts10:35 Hustle11:30 Hustle12:25 Last Man Standing13:15 Doctor Who: Best Of TheDoctor14:00 Doctors14:30 Doctors15:00 Doctors15:30 Doctors16:00 Doctors16:30 Peckham Finishing SchoolFor Girls17:25 Doctor Who: Best Of TheDoctor18:10 Great Expectations19:00 Hunderby19:25 The Job Lot19:50 Zen21:20 Silent Witness23:00 The Cafe23:25 Hunderby23:55 Being Erica

00:00 The Hot Potato-PG1501:45 Midnight Run-PG1504:00 Paranorman-PG06:00 Daddy Day Camp-FAM08:00 Dr Seuss’ Cat In The Hat-PG10:00 Surf’s Up-PG12:00 Paranorman-PG14:00 The Impostors-PG1516:00 Surf’s Up-PG18:00 Here Comes The Boom-PG1520:00 The Do-Deca Pentathlon-PG1522:00 The Hot Potato-PG15

00:00 Knuckle-PG1502:00 Bernie-PG1504:00 The Cold Light Of Day-PG1506:00 The Expatriate-PG1508:00 Midnight In Paris-PG1510:00 4 Wedding Planners-PG1512:00 Bernie-PG1514:00 Asterix And Obelix-PG1516:00 Midnight In Paris-PG1518:00 The Incredible BurtWonderstone-PG15

01:00 Super Rugby01:30 ICC Cricket 36002:00 Super Rugby

00:00 Chelsea Lately00:30 Party On00:55 Party On01:25 Style Star01:50 Style Star02:20 Keeping Up With TheKardashians03:15 Extreme Close-Up03:40 Extreme Close-Up04:10 E!ES05:05 THS06:00 THS07:50 Style Star08:20 E! News09:15 The Drama Queen10:15 The Drama Queen11:10 Eric And Jessie: Game On11:35 Eric And Jessie: Game On12:05 E! News13:05 THS14:05 Keeping Up With TheKardashians15:00 Keeping Up With TheKardashians16:00 Giuliana & Bill17:00 Giuliana & Bill18:00 E! News19:00 Fashion Police19:30 Eric And Jessie: Game On20:00 Keeping Up With TheKardashians21:00 Keeping Up With TheKardashians22:00 The Escape Club23:00 E!ES23:30 Chelsea Lately

01:00 Total Rugby 01:30 PGA European Tour 06:00 Trans World Sport07:00 Futbol Mundial07:30 ICC Cricket 36008:00 Live NRL Premiership 10:00 NRL Premiership 12:00 ICC Cricket 36012:30 Super Rugby14:30 Super Rugby16:30 Futbol Mundial17:00 NRL Premiership 19:00 ITU World Triathlon Series21:30 Trans World Sport22:30 Live IndyCar Series

00:00 The Last Stand-PG1502:00 Miami Vice-1804:15 Battlestar Galactica: Blood& Chrome-PG1506:00 Pizza Man-PG07:30 XXX: The Next Level-PG1509:15 Armageddon-PG1511:45 The Amazing Spider-Man-PG1514:00 XXX: The Next Level-PG1516:00 Grosse Pointe Blank-PG1517:45 The Amazing Spider-Man-PG15

02:00 Good Morning America06:00 Good Morning America07:00 Emmerdale10:00 Emmerdale15:00 Live Good Morning America

00:00 ICC Cricket 36000:30 IPL Highlights01:30 IPL Highlights02:30 ICC World T20I Highlights 03:30 ICC Cricket 36004:00 ICC World T20I Highlights 05:00 ICC World T20I Highlights 06:00 ICC World T20I Highlights 07:00 ICC Cricket 36007:30 IPL Highlights08:30 IPL Highlights09:30 ICC Cricket 36010:00 IPL Highlights11:00 IPL Highlights12:00 ICC Cricket 36012:30 Best of ICC World T20I13:00 IPL Highlights14:00 IPL Highlights15:00 ICC World T20I Highlights

00:20 Deadliest Space Weather01:10 Joe Rogan QuestionsEverything02:00 Alien Mummies02:45 Thunder Races03:35 Thunder Races04:30 Thunder Races05:20 Unchained Reaction06:10 Unchained Reaction07:00 Alien Encounters07:55 The Future Of...08:45 Mythbusters09:40 Mythbusters10:30 Mythbusters11:20 Mythbusters12:10 Mythbusters13:00 How Does That Work?13:30 Deadliest Space Weather14:20 Deadliest Space Weather15:10 Prototype This16:00 Alien Planet16:50 Close Encounters17:15 Close Encounters17:40 Alien Mummies18:30 Uncovering Aliens19:20 Close Encounters19:45 Close Encounters20:10 Stephen Hawking’s GrandDesign21:00 How The Earth Works21:50 Uncovering Aliens22:40 What’s That About?23:30 Sci-Trek

01:15 Take On The Twisters02:00 Seven Dwarves02:55 Emmerdale05:00 Breathless05:55 The Hungry Sailors06:45 Big Star’s Little Star07:35 Murdoch Mysteries11:35 Seven Dwarves12:30 Lewis14:05 Take On The Twisters15:00 Big Star’s Little Star15:55 Breathless16:45 Take On The Twisters17:35 Blandings18:05 Shetland19:00 Big Star’s Little Star19:55 The Hungry Sailors20:50 Breathless21:45 The Syndicate22:35 Lewis

04:30 The Tonight Show StarringJimmy Fallon07:00 Late Night With Seth Meyers09:30 Last Man Standing10:00 Melissa & Joey11:00 The Tonight Show StarringJimmy Fallon14:30 Last Man Standing15:00 Melissa & Joey17:00 Late Night With Seth Meyers19:00 Last Man Standing19:30 Melissa & Joey20:00 The Goodwin Games20:30 The Crazy Ones23:30 The Goodwin Games

00:45 Summer Of The Shark 201:35 Animal Cops Houston02:25 Summer Of The Shark 203:15 Preposterous Pets04:05 Too Cute!04:55 Animal Cops Houston05:45 Treehouse Masters06:35 Wildlife SOS07:00 Steve Irwin’s Wildlife Warriors07:25 My Cat From Hell08:15 Too Cute!09:10 Gator Boys10:05 Call Of The Wildman10:30 Swamp Brothers11:00 Tanked11:55 Treehouse Masters12:50 Gangland Killers13:45 Gangland Killers14:40 Gangland Killers15:35 Gangland Killers16:30 Gangland Killers17:25 Gangland Killers18:20 Treehouse Masters19:15 The Real Lion Queen20:10 Shamwari: A Wild Life20:35 Shamwari: A Wild Life21:05 Shark Feeding Frenzy22:00 The Real Lion Queen22:55 Shamwari: A Wild Life23:20 Shamwari: A Wild Life23:50 Untamed & Uncut

01:00 Castle02:00 Treme03:00 Nip/Tuck04:00 Bones05:00 Criminal Minds09:00 Criminal Minds10:00 Castle11:00 Bones12:00 Emmerdale12:30 Coronation Street16:00 Emmerdale16:30 Coronation Street19:00 Rake20:00 Sleepy Hollow21:00 Witches Of East End22:00 Grimm23:00 Nip/Tuck

01:00 Dark Tide-PG1503:00 The Company You Keep-PG1505:00 Red Lights-PG1507:00 Cheerful Weather For TheWedding-PG1509:00 Dark Tide-PG1511:00 Neverland-PG13:45 Carnage-PG1515:15 Beautiful Creatures-PG1517:15 The Music Never Stopped-PG1519:00 Hyde Park On Hudson-PG1521:00 Flying Lessons-PG1523:00 Straight A’s-PG15

00:10 Secretly Pregnant01:00 Here Comes Honey Boo Boo01:25 Here Comes Honey Boo Boo01:50 My Strange Addiction02:15 My Strange Addiction02:40 Long Island Medium03:05 Long Island Medium03:30 Long Island Medium03:55 Long Island Medium04:20 What Not To Wear05:10 What Not To Wear06:00 Super Soul Sunday07:00 What Not To Wear07:50 Secret Eaters08:40 Iyanla, Fix My Life09:30 Toddlers & Tiaras10:20 Say Yes To The Dress10:45 Say Yes To The Dress11:10 Cake Boss11:35 Jon & Kate Plus 812:00 Little People, Big World12:25 Super Soul Sunday13:15 Brides Of Beverly Hills13:40 Brides Of Beverly Hills14:05 World’s Worst Mum14:55 Extreme Couponing15:20 Cake Boss15:45 What Not To Wear16:35 Toddlers & Tiaras17:25 Say Yes To The Dress17:50 Say Yes To The Dress18:15 Jon & Kate Plus 818:40 Little People, Big World19:10 Super Soul Sunday20:05 Extreme Couponing20:30 Cake Boss21:00 Extreme Cheapskates21:30 Extreme Cheapskates21:55 Craft Wars22:50 Long Island Medium23:15 Obese And Pregnant

00:30 Celebrity MasterChef01:25 Bargain Hunt: Famous Finds02:10 Antiques Roadshow03:05 Antiques Roadshow04:00 Antiques Roadshow

00:00 Violetta00:45 The Hive00:50 Art Attack01:15 Art Attack01:40 Wolfblood02:05 Wolfblood02:30 Violetta

00:00 Wild Untamed Brazil01:00 Inside IPL02:00 Inside IPL

01:30 Margot At The Wedding03:30 Amour06:00 Treasure Island09:00 Alfie Boe: The Bring HimHome Tour10:45 Stardust13:00 Hoosiers15:00 Remember Sunday16:45 Stardust19:00 The Iron Lady21:00 Emperor23:00 Night Falls On Manhattan

16:00 ICC Cricket 36016:30 Live Natwest T20 Blast20:00 ICC World T20I Highlights 21:00 ICC World T20I Highlights 22:00 ICC World T20I Highlights 23:00 ICC World T20I Highlights

04:55 Lorraine’s Fast, Fresh AndEasy Food05:20 Lorraine’s Fast, Fresh AndEasy Food05:45 Lorraine’s Fast, Fresh AndEasy Food06:10 Lorraine’s Fast, Fresh AndEasy Food06:35 Lorraine’s Fast, Fresh AndEasy Food07:00 Bargain Hunt: Famous Finds07:45 Bargain Hunt: Famous Finds08:30 Bargain Hunt: Famous Finds09:15 Bargain Hunt: Famous Finds10:00 Bargain Hunt: Famous Finds10:45 Homes Under The Hammer11:40 Homes Under The Hammer12:30 Lorraine’s Fast, Fresh AndEasy Food12:55 Lorraine’s Fast, Fresh AndEasy Food13:25 Lorraine’s Fast, Fresh AndEasy Food13:50 Lorraine’s Fast, Fresh AndEasy Food14:15 Lorraine’s Fast, Fresh AndEasy Food14:40 Lorraine’s Fast, Fresh AndEasy Food15:10 Rachel Khoo’s KitchenNotebook: Cosmo Cook15:35 Antiques Roadshow16:30 Antiques Roadshow17:20 Antiques Roadshow18:15 Bargain Hunt: Famous Finds19:00 Bargain Hunt: Famous Finds19:45 Bargain Hunt: Famous Finds20:30 Bargain Hunt: Famous Finds21:15 Bargain Hunt: Famous Finds22:00 Homes Under The Hammer22:55 Homes Under The Hammer23:50 Bargain Hunt: Famous Finds

03:15 The Hive03:20 Art Attack03:45 Art Attack04:10 Jungle Junction04:25 Jungle Junction04:35 Jungle Junction04:45 Jungle Junction05:00 Art Attack05:25 Art Attack05:50 Mouk06:00 Austin & Ally06:25 A.N.T. Farm06:45 Mako Mermaids07:10 Suite Life On Deck07:35 Good Luck Charlie07:55 Jessie08:20 Mako Mermaids08:45 Liv And Maddie09:05 I Didn’t Do It09:30 Dog With A Blog09:55 Austin & Ally10:15 Cloud 911:50 Jessie12:15 Gravity Falls12:35 Dog With A Blog13:00 A.N.T. Farm13:25 Jessie13:45 I Didn’t Do It14:10 Good Luck Charlie14:35 Mako Mermaids15:00 Pocahontas 2: Journey To ANew World16:10 Austin & Ally16:35 A.N.T. Farm17:00 Good Luck Charlie17:20 Jessie17:45 Dog With A Blog18:10 Liv And Maddie18:30 I Didn’t Do It18:55 Mako Mermaids19:20 Violetta20:05 Austin & Ally20:30 Good Luck Charlie20:50 Dog With A Blog21:15 Jessie21:40 Shake It Up22:00 Austin & Ally22:25 A.N.T. Farm22:50 Good Luck Charlie23:10 Wolfblood23:35 Wolfblood

00:05 Barefoot Contessa - Back ToBasics00:30 Aarti Party00:55 Siba’s Table01:20 Hungry Girl01:45 Fast Food Gone Global -Special02:35 Barefoot In London03:25 Andy Bates American StreetFeasts03:50 Iron Chef America04:40 Chopped05:30 Unwrapped05:50 Tastiest Places To Chowdown06:10 Chopped07:00 Tastiest Places To Chowdown07:25 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives07:50 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives08:15 Food Network Challenge09:05 Siba’s Table09:30 Have Cake, Will Travel09:55 Have Cake, Will Travel10:20 Barefoot Contessa - Back ToBasics10:45 Extra Virgin11:10 Siba’s Table11:35 Cooking For Real12:00 Andy Bates Street Feasts12:25 Unique Sweets12:50 Barefoot Contessa - Back ToBasics13:15 Hungry Girl13:40 Hungry Girl14:05 The Next Food Network Star14:55 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives15:20 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives15:45 Chopped16:35 Siba’s Table17:00 Siba’s Table17:25 Guy’s Big Bite17:50 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives18:15 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives18:40 Barefoot Contessa - Back ToBasics19:05 Extra Virgin19:30 Siba’s Table19:55 Cooking For Real20:20 Chopped21:10 Chopped22:00 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives22:25 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives22:50 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives23:15 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives23:40 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives

03:00 Hard Time04:00 Family Guns 05:00 The Border06:00 Somewhere In China07:00 Hunter Hunted08:00 Wild Untamed Brazil09:00 Inside IPL10:00 Inside IPL11:00 Best of Hard Time12:00 Family Guns 13:00 The Border14:00 Somewhere In China15:00 Hunter Hunted16:00 Wild Untamed Brazil17:00 Rescue Ink18:00 Banged Up Abroad19:00 Wild Untamed Brazil20:00 World’s Toughest Fixes21:00 The Known Universe22:00 Alaska Wing Men23:00 My Dog Ate What?

01:00 The Impossible-PG1503:00 Grown Ups 2-PG1505:00 Monsters University-PG07:00 The Great Ghost Rescue-PG09:00 Gnomeo & Juliet-PG11:00 Drew Peterson:Untouchable-PG1513:00 Chimpanzee-PG15:00 Arthur 3: And The War OfTwo Worlds-PG17:00 Gnomeo & Juliet-PG19:00 Mirror Mirror-PG1521:00 Red 2-PG1523:00 The Twilight Saga: BreakingDawn Pt. 2-PG15

Archery ranges

hit bull’s eye

with eager

New Yorkers

Bows and arrows may not be the most like-ly accessories for modern New Yorkers butlocal archery ranges are hitting the bull’s

eye with armies of new fans.With pop culture rife with arrow-shooting

heroines, much of the fervor is coming fromyoung women unleashing their inner Ygrittesand Katniss Everdeens.

“It was always more of a hobby or a passionfor us but in the last three years, it’s becoming abusiness,” said Al Lizzio, manager of QueensArchery, which has entertained the bowmen ofFlushing for 55 years.

“I would say it’s the best years we’ve ever had,”Lizzio said. Pop culture is awash with archers -from Ygritte on HBO’s “Game of Thrones” toDisney-Pixar’s Princess Merida from “Brave,” com-ic book hero Green Arrow of the CW televisionshow “Arrow,” and actor Norman Reedus’ cross-bow-wielding zombie killer in “The WalkingDead.

And then, of course, there’s “The HungerGames,” the blockbuster book and movie fran-chise set in a dystopian future in which feisty,bow-wielding Katniss Everdeen sees off all com-ers. Gotham Archery in Brooklyn has not evenofficially had its grand opening. But in barelymore than a week, its owners say they have beenso flooded with wanna-be Robin Hoods thatthey had to cancel entire days worth of classes inorder to safely get any work done on the not-yet-finished 30-lane indoor site.

For first-time archer Lauren Kane, 25, a graph-ic designer in Brooklyn, it was her status as a sci-fi geek and videogame player that destined herfor a recent class.

Kane is a fan of two recent video games inwhich female protagonists survive arrow byarrow - “Tomb Raider” and “The Last of Us.”

But the primary reason she and her girlfriendare already planning a second trip to the range?

“My love I mostly cultivated from Ygritte on‘Game of Thrones,’” she said, referring to the war-rior woman from the North in the popular fanta-sy book series adapted for HBO television. “Oh,and Katniss, of course.”

“‘Hunger Games,’ ‘Hunger Games,’ ‘HungerGames,’” said Gotham Archery partner Ken Hsu.“It’s the most quoted thing they come in saying.We’re too busy. But good busy.”

Hsu said his clientele is skewing decidedlyfemale, making up about 60 percent of cus-tomers.

“When men come, they’re usually bringingtheir wives or girlfriends as a date,” he said.

Back at Queens Archery, which has seen sev-eral surges and declines in interest through thedecades - especially Olympics years - Lizzio saidthat many of the new people putting nock tobowstring are women.

This time, Lizzio said, the interest definitelyseems to be sustained. The only problem, hesaid, is that although more people are coming infor that first lesson, the majority of them stilldon’t return.

“But if they come back twice, three times?” hesaid. “Bam!

They’re hooked.” — Reuters

20:00 Apartment 1303-PG1522:00 Nothing Left To Fear-1823:45 Inside Man-PG15

20:00 Madea’s Witness Protection-PG1522:00 The Call-PG15

SHARQIA-1

BORN TO RACE: FAST TRACK (DIG) 9:15 PMEDGE OF TOMORROW (DIG) 11:30 PM

SHARQIA-2

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2 (DIG) 9:00 PMMALEFICENT (DIG) 11:15 PM

SHARQIA-3

BLENDED (DIG) 9:30 PMTHE FAULT IN OUR STARS (DIG) 11:45 PM

MUHALAB-1

THE WIND RISES (DIG) 9:00 PMNO MONBLENDED (DIG) 11:30 PMNO MONAUTONAGAR SURYA (DIG) (TELUGU) 9:00 PMMONBLENDED (DIG) 12:05 AMMON

MUHALAB-2

MALEFICENT (DIG) 9:15 PMMALEFICENT (DIG) 11:15 PM

MUHALAB-3

EDGE OF TOMORROW (DIG) 9:30 PMBORN TO RACE: FAST TRACK (DIG) 11:45 PM

FANAR-1

ELISA KHATAFHA JAMEEL (DIG) (Kuwaiti Film)9:00 PMEDGE OF TOMORROW (DIG) 11:45 PM

FANAR-2

THE WIND RISES (DIG) 9:15 PMCUBAN FURY (DIG) 12:05 AM

FANAR-3

BORN TO RACE: FAST TRACK (DIG) 9:45 PMBORN TO RACE: FAST TRACK (DIG) 11:45 PM

FANAR-4

MALEFICENT (DIG-3D) 9:00 PMBLENDED (DIG) 11:00 PM

FANAR-5

AUTONAGAR SURYA (DIG) (TELUGU) 9:00 PMNINJA: SHADOW OF A TEAR (DIG) 12:05 AM

MARINA-1

BLENDED (DIG) 9:45 PMBORN TO RACE: FAST TRACK (DIG) 12:05 AM

MARINA-2EDGE OF TOMORROW (DIG) 9:15 PM

THE FAULT IN OUR STARS (DIG) 11:45 PM

MARINA-3

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2 (DIG) 9:00 PMMALEFICENT (DIG) 11:15 PM

AVENUES-1

ELISA KHATAFHA JAMEEL (DIG) (Kuwaiti Film)9:15 PMCUBAN FURY (DIG) 12:05 AM

AVENUES-2

NINJA: SHADOW OF A TEAR (DIG) 9:30 PMELISA KHATAFHA JAMEEL (DIG) (Kuwaiti Film)11:30 PM

AVENUES-3

THE FAULT IN OUR STARS (DIG) 9:15 PMTHE FAULT IN OUR STARS (DIG) 11:45 PM

AVENUES-4

BLENDED (DIG) 10:45 PM

AVENUES-5

MALEFICENT (DIG) 9:15 PMMALEFICENT (DIG-3D) 11:15 PM

AVENUES-6

BORN TO RACE: FAST TRACK (DIG) 9:30 PMBORN TO RACE: FAST TRACK (DIG) 11:30 PM

AVENUES-7

THE WIND RISES (DIG) 9:00 PM7500 (DIG) 12:30 AM

AVENUES-8

EDGE OF TOMORROW (DIG) 10:30 PM

AVENUES-9

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2 (DIG) 9:45 PMONE CHANCE (DIG) 12:05 AM

AVENUES-10

BLENDED (DIG) 9:00 PMBLENDED (DIG) 11:15 PM

AVENUES-11

MALEFICENT (DIG) 10:15 PMMALEFICENT (DIG) 12:15 AM

360º 1

BORN TO RACE: FAST TRACK (DIG) 10:00 PMBORN TO RACE: FAST TRACK (DIG) 12:05 AM

360º- 2

EDGE OF TOMORROW (DIG) 9:00 PM

EDGE OF TOMORROW (DIG) 11:15 PM

360º- 3

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2 (DIG) 9:15 PMX-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST (DIG) 11:30 PM

AL-KOUT.1

MALEFICENT (DIG) 9:00 PMMALEFICENT (DIG) 11:00 PM

AL-KOUT.2

BORN TO RACE: FAST TRACK (DIG) 9:30 PMELISA KHATAFHA JAMEEL (DIG) (Kuwaiti Film)11:30 PM

AL-KOUT.3

THE WIND RISES (DIG) 9:15 PMEDGE OF TOMORROW (DIG) 11:45 PM

AL-KOUT.4

BLENDED (DIG) 9:45 PMNINJA: SHADOW OF A TEAR (DIG) 12:05 AM

BAIRAQ-1

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2 (DIG-3D) 9:15 PMMALEFICENT (DIG-3D) 11:30 PM

BAIRAQ-2

THE FAULT IN OUR STARS (DIG) 9:00 PMBLENDED (DIG) 11:45 PM

BAIRAQ-3

MALEFICENT (DIG) 9:30 PMBORN TO RACE: FAST TRACK (DIG) 12:05 AM

PLAZA

MALEFICENT (DIG) 9:30 PMBORN TO RACE: FAST TRACK (DIG) 11:30 PM

LAILA

MALEFICENT (DIG) 9:45 PMBLENDED (DIG) 11:45 PM

AJIAL.1

HUMSHAKALS (DIG) (HINDI) 9:00 PMMALEFICENT (DIG) 12:05 AM

AJIAL.2

MALEFICENT (DIG) 9:15 PMBORN TO RACE: FAST TRACK (DIG) 11:15 PM

AJIAL.3

EK VILLAIN (DIG) (HINDI) 10:00 PM

AJIAL.4

AUTONAGAR SURYA (DIG) (TELUGU) 9:30 PM

Kuwait

ClassifiedsSUNDAY, JUNE 29, 2014

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

DIAL161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

Arrival Flights on Sunday 29/6/2014Airlines Flt Route TimeQTR 1084 Doha 00:05JZR 239 Amman 00:20JZR 267 Beirut 00:25JZR 539 Cairo 00:30PGT 858 Istanbul 01:25THY 764 Istanbul 01:40RJA 642 Amman 01:45ETH 620 Addis Ababa 01:45GFA 211 Bahrain 01:55UAE 853 Dubai 02:25ETD 305 Abu Dhabi 02:30MSC 403 Asyut 02:30JAI 576 Kochi/Abu Dhabi 02:35THY 768 Istanbul 02:50FDB 5067 Dubai 03:05RJA 644 Amman 03:10MSR 1612 Cairo 03:15QTR 1076 Doha 03:25MSC 401 Alexandria 04:00JZR 555 Alexandria 04:10KAC 544 Cairo 04:10THY 770 Istanbul 04:35DHX 170 Bahrain 05:10RBG 551 Alexandria 05:30FDB 055 Dubai 05:50QTR 8632 Doha 05:55KAC 412 Manila/Bangkok 06:15BAW 157 London 06:35JZR 562 Sohag 06:35FDB 053 Dubai 07:00KAC 382 Delhi 07:30KAC 288 Dhaka 07:45KAC 302 Mumbai 07:50KAC 206 Islamabad 07:50QTR 1086 Doha 07:55SVA 512 Riyadh 07:55KAC 364 Colombo 08:00KAC 332 Trivandrum 08:00KAC 352 Kochi 08:05UAE 855 Dubai 08:25ABY 125 Sharjah 08:50IRA 665 Shiraz 09:25ETD 301 Abu Dhabi 09:30FDB 5055 Dubai 09:35MEA 406 Beirut 09:40QTR 1070 Doha 10:00GFA 213 Bahrain 10:40MEA 404 Beirut 10:55MSC 405 Sohag 11:20JZR 561 Sohag 12:00SYR 341 Latakia 12:20FDB 071 Dubai 12:35IRC 528 Ahwaz 12:50MSR 610 Cairo 13:00THY 766 Istanbul 13:10KAC 742 Dammam 13:30KAC 672 Dubai 13:40

QTR 1078 Doha 13:45GFA 221 Bahrain 14:20SVA 500 Jeddah 14:30KNE 472 Jeddah 14:40UAE 857 Dubai 14:55KAC 788 Jeddah 15:00ABY 127 Sharjah 15:35JZR 535 Cairo 15:50RJA 640 Amman 15:55QTR 1072 Doha 16:15JZR 787 Riyadh 16:15ETD 303 Abu Dhabi 16:45NIA 251 Alexandria 16:50IRC 6507 Shiraz 16:55KAC 1782 Jeddah 17:10SVA 510 Riyadh 17:15UAL 982 IAD 17:25GFA 215 Bahrain 17:30JZR 153 Dubai 17:45JZR 777 Jeddah 17:50KAC 542 Cairo 18:15QTR 1080 Doha 18:25KAC 786 Jeddah 18:30KAC 166 Paris/Rome 18:40RBG 553 Alexandria 18:55AXB 393 Kozhikode 18:55ABY 129 Sharjah 19:00KAC 618 Doha 19:00GFA 217 Bahrain 19:05SYR 1199 Damascus 19:10KAC 774 Riyadh 19:15KAC 502 Beirut 19:20MSR 606 Luxor 19:30KAC 102 New York/London 19:35JAI 572 Mumbai 19:35KAC 674 Dubai 19:40OMA 647 Muscat 19:55KAC 562 Amman 20:00FDB 5061 Dubai 20:05AFG 415 Kabul 20:10MEA 402 Beirut 20:15DLH 636 Frankfurt 20:15FDB 063 Dubai 20:15KAC 514 Tehran 20:50KLM 417 Amsterdam 21:05ALK 229 Colombo 21:10SYR 441 Damascus 21:15UAE 859 Dubai 21:15KAC 172 Frankfurt 21:15QTR 1074 Doha 21:30ETD 307 Abu Dhabi 21:30GFA 219 Bahrain 21:45AIC 981 Chennai/Hyderabad/Ahmedabad 22:25UAL 981 Bahrain 22:40JZR 505 Luxor 23:05BBC 043 Dhaka 23:10JAI 574 Mumbai 23:20MSR 614 Cairo 23:30THY 772 Istanbul 23:45PIA 205 Lahore 23:50

Departure Flights on Sunday 29/6/2014Airlines Flt Route TimeAIC 976 Goa/Chennai 00:05JZR 561 Sohag 00:10JAI 573 Mumbai 00:20UAL 981 IAD 00:25MSR 615 Cairo 00:30DLH 635 Frankfurt 01:35THY 773 Istanbul 02:20ETH 621 Addis Ababa 02:45PGT 859 Istanbul 02:55MSC 404 Asyut 03:30THY 769 Istanbul 03:40UAE 854 Dubai 03:45FDB 5068 Dubai 03:45RJA 645 Amman 03:55MSR 613 Cairo 04:15ETD 306 Abu Dhabi 04:20QTR 1077 Doha 04:25MSC 406 Sohag 05:00QTR 1085 Doha 05:20JZR 560 Sohag 05:35THY 765 Istanbul 06:00RJA 643 Amman 06:05RBG 552 Alexandria 06:10FDB 056 Dubai 06:25JAI 575 Abu Dhabi/Kochi 06:30THY 771 Istanbul 06:50GFA 212 Bahrain 07:00QTR 8632 Lahore 07:25FDB 054 Dubai 07:50BAW 156 London 08:25SVA 513 Riyadh 08:55QTR 1087 Doha 08:55KAC 171 Frankfurt 08:55JZR 534 Cairo 09:00KAC 117 New York 09:05KAC 671 Dubai 09:25ABY 126 Sharjah 09:30KAC 787 Jeddah 09:35UAE 856 Dubai 09:50ETD 302 Abu Dhabi 10:15FDB 5056 Dubai 10:15IRA 664 Shiraz 10:25KAC 741 Dammam 10:30MEA 407 Beirut 10:40QTR 1071 Doha 11:00KAC 541 Cairo 11:30GFA 214 Bahrain 11:35KAC 501 Beirut 11:40MEA 405 Beirut 11:55KAC 1781 Jeddah 12:00JZR 776 Jeddah 12:15MSC 402 Alexandria 12:20KAC 103 London 12:30JZR 786 Riyadh 12:50KAC 785 Jeddah 13:00JZR 152 Dubai 13:10FDB 072 Dubai 13:15

SYR 342 Latakia 13:20IRC 529 Ahwaz 13:50MSR 611 Cairo 14:00THY 767 Istanbul 14:10KAC 561 Amman 14:45QTR 1079 Doha 14:55GFA 222 Bahrain 15:05KAC 617 Doha 15:15KAC 673 Dubai 15:20KNE 473 Jeddah 15:35SVA 503 Madinah/Jeddah 15:45KAC 773 Riyadh 15:50ABY 128 Sharjah 16:15KAC 513 Tehran 16:20JZR 504 Luxor 16:55RJA 641 Amman 16:55JZR 266 Beirut 17:05QTR 1073 Doha 17:20JZR 538 Cairo 17:40ETD 304 Abu Dhabi 17:45NIA 252 Alexandria 17:50IRC 6508 Shiraz 17:55UAE 858 Dubai 18:15SVA 511 Riyadh 18:15GFA 216 Bahrain 18:20UAL 982 Bahrain 18:40JZR 238 Amman 18:45QTR 1081 Doha 19:25RBG 554 Alexandria 19:35ABY 120 Sharjah 19:40GFA 218 Bahrain 19:50AXB 394 Kozhikode 19:55SYR 1100 Latakia/Damascus 20:10MSR 619 Alexandria 20:30KAC 283 Dhaka 20:30JAI 571 Mumbai 20:35FDB 5062 Dubai 20:50KAC 361 Colombo 20:50OMA 648 Muscat 20:55DLH 636 Dammam 21:00AFG 415 Jeddah 21:10JZR 554 Alexandria 21:15FDB 064 Dubai 21:15MEA 403 Beirut 21:15DHX 171 Bahrain 21:50KLM 417 Dammam/Amsterdam 22:05SYR 442 MOW/Damascus 22:15ETD 308 Abu Dhabi 22:15ALK 230 Colombo 22:20UAE 860 Dubai 22:25KAC 343 Chennai 22:30KAC 301 Mumbai 22:40QTR 1075 Doha 22:40GFA 220 Bahrain 22:45KAC 351 Kochi 23:00KAC 205 Islamabad 23:35KAC 411 Bangkok/Manila 23:40KAC 415 Kuala Lumpur/Jakarta 23:50

112

Automated enquiryaboutthe Civil ID

card is

1889988

Fajr: 03:16

Shorook 04:51

Duhr: 11:51

Asr: 15:25

Maghrib: 18:51

Isha: 20:24

KNCC PROGRAMME FROM 1ST DAY OF RAMADAN TO

WEDNESDAY (02/07/2014)

SITUATION WANTED

TUITION

MATRIMONIAL

Arabic Teacher for non-native speakers beginners &advanced - All levels of theArabic language - IGCSE &GCSE, language training syl-labus foreign and common-wealth office. Only KD 10 foran hour & free books.Contact: Mr Khalid:99619998. (C 4740)22-6-2014

Prayer timings

A room available inSalmiya, in good locationfor single European or Arabbachelor. Tel: 69637796,66334748. (C 4750)19-6-2014

ACCOMMODATION

Indian female (MBA in HR),10 years experience inHR/Administration. Capableof managing all functions inHR/Admin. Proficient in MSOffice. Good communica-tion skills. Please contact60636328. (C 4749)22-6-2014

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Toyota Camry 2004 Grandy,6 clr, white color, very goodcondition. KD 1450. Tel:66729295. (C 4803)

Nissan Altima 2008, silvercolor, full options, 4 clr,excellent condition. KD1800. Tel: 50994848. (C 4804)

24-6-2014

Mitsubishi Magna 2003model in very good condi-tion. Please contact94422739 or 24319673before 12 noon.22-6-2014

Marthomite parents inviteproposals for their son26/180 BE civil, from par-ents of professionally quali-fied girls, working in

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Kuwait. PreferenceMarthoma, Orthodox,Jacobite and Evangelics. E-mail: johnm@utc.com.kw (C 4802)

22-6-2014

You could be most persuasive with others today. Your own partiality forroutine and the traditional may result in your feeling challenged by anything new. Youcould find yourself struggling against change but pat yourself on the back . . . You willeventually work through any necessary changes with a good attitude. You may find youare happy when changes happen as you feel energized and mentally able. You leantoward partners and friends who are themselves unconventional and offbeat. Careermoves would benefit from your special attention. Tension happens when you ignoreyour own desires-the things you need and want. A plan or course of action is necessary inyour professional life, as well as your personal life now.

You could find yourself lecturing or teaching young people this day. A well-trained salesperson could do well to learn your techniques. You tend to rush in whereothers fear to tread. Your energy is attention-getting much of the time. Today you mayprovoke a response from your surroundings and from others-this could mean big busi-ness. You are able to make another person or group of people put on their thinking hats.There is something essential that starts or causes something else to happen-a reaction orresponse when you promote a product, instruct or lecture. The planets in your birth signindicate the sign of a leader and there will be many that will benefit from your leadership.Find ways to have a relaxing evening

You are gifted and even lucky when it comes to decision making. Thingsalmost always manage to work out for you; today is no different. There are

some important facts to acquire before expressing your viewpoints. This could meanpolitical decisions, consulting with religious authorities or meeting and helping out agroup. Your theories and mental activities are good; you will find projects ending with theresults you want. Good plans and a willingness to be flexible will bring about successfulresults for whatever you want to accomplish. You have plenty of enthusiasm and warm upto things and people quickly. Enjoy music with your loved ones tonight. There is a pleas-ant surprise with a new talent this evening

You may deal with education, psychology, spiritual enlightenment or teach-ing principles and techniques. This time marks a change of direction for

you, away from the material and glitter, toward inner needs and security. You will findyourself more concerned with maintaining and strengthening your position, rather thanpushing outward. This may be a day you will want to read and update your information soyou are more up-to-date with your special skills. The rest of this year should be easy andfilled with opportunities and friendships. More demanding years will be a little further onin the future. If you are looking for a job, this is the time to update your resume and writesome type of presentation for yourself. If you are an artist, you will succeed.

This is a time when support and recognition should be available from pub-lic, family and friends. You feel at home in the world and it more than takes care of you.You could have deep insights into your own feelings and inner, spiritual nature. Your sur-roundings, circumstances and support system are the crucial spots, key links or what haveyou in the chain of your life. When things get hectic, it is in these areas that you can expectpressure and the greatest activity. You may find yourself being put to good use by yourfriends this afternoon. This is a great time to be with others and to work together. You mayhave to work at listening to a special someone today but eventually, you will come tounderstand, perhaps not agree but understand. Gratitude happens.

Your viewpoint is very important to a special friend this morning. You willbe helpful as you penetrate and get to the very heart of most problems. Guard againstdoing for this person what he or she can do unaided. Continual discovery, persistentsearch and continual change and transformation keep you on the move. There is anemphasis on the expression of ideas. What goes on in your mind is the all-important moti-vation in your life. You tend toward mental pursuits and admire intelligence. This is agood time to reap the benefits of your past efforts. This afternoon, you are feeling goodand have the ability for sustained work that allows you to be accomplished like neverbefore. You will want to bring projects to an end very soon.

You could be most persuasive with others today. Your own partiality forroutine and the traditional may result in your feeling challenged by anything new. Youcould find yourself struggling against change but pat yourself on the back . . . You willeventually work through any necessary changes with a good attitude. You may find youare happy when changes happen as you feel energized and mentally able. You leantoward partners and friends who are themselves unconventional and offbeat. Careermoves would benefit from your special attention. Tension happens when you ignoreyour own desires-the things you need and want. A plan or course of action is necessary inyour professional life, as well as your personal life now.

You may want to avoid the trivialities today-you hate small talk anyway.Exercise the talents you have to quietly investigate and explore possibilities for new tech-niques in business. Uncomplicated explanations of your ideas may find others listening toyou intently. Your communication skills have improved and others are listening. You are,perhaps, a genius-at least others may think so. Computers, radical methods of thoughtand communication are for you. Perhaps a computer repair shop is in order. Inventions,electronics and computers are all fantastic voyages for you now. Perhaps some others willgo into business with you. Self-confidence and self-discipline will help you succeed. Soupis a good low calorie way to fill up your tummy.

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

public, in politics or wherever handling sensitive or hot issues is routine. You may findyourself representing your company in matters of importance. Communicating with oth-ers is positive. You know just when to introduce your ideas or comments. As a naturalsocialite, you love decorum and etiquette, but relationships are the big thing-friends. Youhave an urge to be free, to be challenged and tested and would rather travel far than bestuck in routine. You have a strong drive to be seen and known-to communicate yourselfto others. Personal appearance is a motivation.

Because you are an advanced spirit, your responsibility is to help others tomove from an emotionally stuck position. You may enjoy visiting ancient

sites and bringing back information that helps people see the importance of moving for-ward. New inventions, new information and new technology are all indications that weneed to move forward. We had the opportunity to learn about history and now we mustgather up what we have learned and add to the package with our minds and all the pos-sibilities. You might make plans to make a movie or publish a technical paper for a teach-ing aid. One step at a time and you can accomplish and understand anything.

SUNDAY, JUNE 29, 2014

Aries (March 21-April 19)

STAR TRACK

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

Leo (July 23-August 22)

Virgo (August 23-September 22)

Libra (September 23-October 22)

Scorpio (October 23-November 21)

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21)

Capricorn (December 22-January 19)

Pisces (February 19-March 20)

Aquarius (January 20- February 18)

CROSSWORD 593

ACROSS1. The rate at which heat is produced by anindividual in a resting state.4. (botany) Of or relating to the developmentof an embryo in the absence of fertilization.12. A doctor's degree in dental surgery.15. The residue that remains when some-thing is burned.16. Widespread genus or herbs or soft-wood-ed arborescent shrubs cultivated for theirshowy flowers.17. An accidental happening.18. The seat within a bishop's diocese wherehis cathedral is located adv.19. Soviet statesman who became presidentof the Soviet Union (1906-1982).20. Fermented alcoholic beverage similar tobut heavier than beer.21. Any of a number of fishes of the familyCarangidae.23. Tall woody perennial grasses with hollowslender stems especially of the generaArundo and Phragmites.24. The dialect of Ancient Greek spoken inThessaly and Boeotia and Aeolis.27. Duplicator that transmits the copy bywire or radio.28. A capacity unit used for measuring freshherring.31. A yellow quartz.34. The time of life between the ages of 12and 20.38. A member of the Siouan people formerlyliving in the western Dakotas.39. Before noon.41. Not only so, but.42. Title for a civil or military leader (especial-ly in Turkey).43. A harsh noise made by scraping.45. A state in midwestern United States.46. Hawaiian dish of taro root pounded to apaste and often allowed to ferment.49. A federal agency established to regulatethe release of new foods and health-relatedproducts.51. Intravenous beta blocker (trade nameBrevibloc) that acts for only a short time.54. Submit or yield to another's wish or opin-ion.56. (of panes of glass) Fixed in place bymeans of thin strips of lead.59. A flat-bottomed volcanic crater that wasformed by an explosion.60. An informal term for a father.61. European cave-dwelling aquatic sala-mander with permanent external gills.63. South American shrub or small tree hav-ing long shining evergreen leaves and pani-cles of green or yellow flowers.66. Norwegian mathematician (1802-1829).69. Regret strongly.71. An organization of countries formed in1961 to agree on a common policy for thesale of petroleum.72. Goddess of love and fecundity.74. (botany) Especially of leaves.76. The elementary stages of any subject(usually plural).77. A port in southwestern Scotland.78. Relatively small tuna with choice whiteflesh.80. A vessel (usually cylindrical) with a widemouth and without handles.81. A column of light (as from a beacon).82. The property of being both obvious andoffensive.83. A loose sleeveless outer garment madefrom aba cloth.

DOWN1. Having or denoting a low vocal or instru-

mental range.2. One thousandth of a second.3. Fertility goddess in ancient Greek mythol-ogy.4. A white linen liturgical vestment withsleeves.5. (in golf) The standard number of strokesset for each hole on a golf course, or for theentire course.6. Look down on.7. A long fixed look.8. (Greek mythology) Goddess of wisdomand useful arts and prudent warfare.9. Sewing that repairs a worn or torn place ina garment.10. A strong emotion.11. A warning against certain acts.12. Tropical woody herb with showy yellowflowers and flat pods.13. Surrealist Spanish painter (1904-1989).14. A detailed description of design criteriafor a piece of work.22. A Nilotic language.25. Any North American shrubby perennialherb of the genus Heliopsis having large yel-low daisylike flowers.26. Essential oil or perfume obtained fromflowers.29. (botany) Of leaves.30. Type genus of the Anhimidae.32. (football) Of advancing the ball by throw-ing it.33. (Middle East) An ornamental metal cup-shaped holder for a hot coffee cup.35. The branch of engineering science thatstudies the uses of electricity and the equip-ment for power generation and distributionand the control of machines and communi-cation.36. Submerged aquatic plant having narrowleaves and small flowers.37. Building material used as siding or roof-ing.40. A woman of refinement.44. Large burrowing rodent of South andCentral America.47. Evergreen trees and shrubs having oilyone-seeded fruits.48. A silvery ductile metallic element foundprimarily in bauxite.50. A mountain peak in the Andes in Peru(21,709 feet high).52. In a manner differing from the usual orexpected.53. A person with an unusual or odd person-ality.55. The head of a branch of an organizedcrime syndicate.57. An engagement fought between twomilitary forces.58. A waste pipe that carries away sewage orsurface water.62. American Revolutionary leader fromVirginia whose objections led to the draftingof the Bill of Rights (1725-1792).64. Cubes of meat marinated and cooked ona skewer usually with vegetables.65. The capital and largest city of Ghana witha deep-water port.67. Genus of prickly shrubs and small trees ofthe Caribbean region.68. Suggestive of the supernatural.70. A lawman concerned with narcotics vio-lations.73. A sharp hand gesture (resembling ablow).75. A field covered with grass or herbage andsuitable for grazing by livestock.79. A soft silvery metallic element of the alka-li earth group.

Yesterday’s Solution

Yesterday’s Solution

Yesterday’s Solution

WORD SEARCH PUZZLE

34s t a r s

Daily SuDoku

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 arealso important. Opportunities abound and you may find yourself wanting and able to doalmost everything. Things are working with rather than against you-do not hold back.However, do not overdo and try to go too far, too fast. Circumstances may stimulateappreciation of your life situation. Your mind may be very clear now and your thoughtsare brought into a sharp focus. It is easy to organize your thoughts and communicationsof all kinds are furthered. Write that book or take that course, etc. Your friends and familysupport you in just about anything you want to achieve

Your career is smooth just now. A career in communications of one kind oranother is indicated-you are a kind of living link or channel. You love investi-

gations, reporting, writing, speaking, broadcasting, advertising-any and all networking-and will carry your work into the wee hours of your personal life . . . Careful. Forever curi-ous, you enjoy searching for answers and following leads. The good life and all that is fineand luxurious are available, but you need to be available to enjoy these afternoons withyour wonderful friends and family members. This is a great time to be with others. Stay infor the evening meal tonight-perhaps a takeout dinner would be fun. Maybe you couldshow off your cooking and invite a friend. Relax in the hot tub this evening.

inf or m at ionSUNDAY, JUNE 29, 2014

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

Ophthalmologists

Dr. Abidallah Al-Mansoor 25622444

Dr. Samy Al-Rabeea 25752222

Dr. Masoma Habeeb 25321171

Dr. Mubarak Al-Ajmy 25739999

Dr. Mohsen Abel 25757700

Dr Adnan Hasan Alwayl 25732223

Dr. Abdallah Al-Baghly 25732223

Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT)

Dr. Ahmed Fouad Mouner 24555050 Ext 510

Dr. Abdallah Al-Ali 25644660

Dr. Abd Al-Hameed Al-Taweel 25646478

Dr. Sanad Al-Fathalah 25311996

Dr. Mohammad Al-Daaory 25731988

Dr. Ismail Al-Fodary 22620166

Dr. Mahmoud Al-Booz 25651426

General Practitioners

Dr. Mohamme Y Majidi 24555050 Ext 123

Dr. Yousef Al-Omar 24719312

Dr. Tarek Al-Mikhazeem 23926920

Dr. Kathem Maarafi 25730465

Dr. Abdallah Ahmad Eyadah 25655528

Dr. Nabeel Al-Ayoobi 24577781

Dr. Dina Abidallah Al-Refae 25333501

Urologists

Dr. Ali Naser Al-Serfy 22641534

Dr. Fawzi Taher Abul 22639955

Dr. Khaleel Abidallah Al-Awadi 22616660

Dr. Adel Al-Hunayan FRCS (C) 25313120

Dr. Leons Joseph 66703427

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

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INTERNATIONAL

CALLS

SUNDAY, JUNE 29, 2014

G o s s i p

l if e s t y l e

The 70-year-old soul music star - who was inductedinto the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009 andenjoyed a career spanning seven decades passed

away in his sleep on Friday. The Rolling Stones rocker tookto Twitter to express his grief and recalled how the singer’svoice often reduced him to tears. He wrote on the socialnetworking site this morning: “I’m so sad to hear about myfriend Bobby Womack ~ the man who could make you crywhen he sang has brought tears to my eyes with his pass-ing.” The late singer, who was in the process of recording anew album tentatively titled ‘The Best Is Yet to Come,’ withrumoured contributions by Stevie Wonder, Rod Stewartand Snoop Dogg, began his career as a member of CurtisWomack and the Womack Brothers with his brothers Curtis,Harry, Cecil and Friendly, Jr., but they changed their nameto the Valentinos shortly after they scored their first recorddeal in 1960. The Rolling Stones’ cover of their track ‘It’s AllOver Now’ topped the UK charts in 1964, just one month

after the original version was released. The ‘If You ThinkYou’re Lonely Now’ hitmaker sought treatment in rehab inthe 1980s for drug addiction, and later battled a series ofhealth problems, including colon cancer, diabetes, pneu-monia and showed early signs of Alzheimer’s disease. His2012 release ‘The Bravest Man in the Universe’ was votedone of the 50 Best Albums of the year and he admitted hethought his songs were getting better with age. He said atthe time: “You know more at 65 than you did at 25. I under-stand the songs much better now. It’s not about 14 RollsRoyces and two Bentleys. Even if this album never sells anickel, I know I put my best foot forward.” A spokespersonfor the ‘Across 110th Street’ hitmaker’s record label XLRecordings told RollingStone.com that his cause of death iscurrently unknown.

Ronnie Wood pays tribute to soul singer Bobby Womack

Footage of

Michael Jacksontriggers lawsuit

The production company behind the upcoming film‘Michael Jackson: The Last Photo shoot’ is taking legalaction against the late singer’s estate over a video of

him at the Brooklyn Museum of Art in New York. The movie- which is set to be released later this year - also featuresinterviews with the Michael’s friends, photographers andstylists. Director Craig Williams insists he has a right toinclude the footage in the documentary while theJackson’s estate attorney Howard Weitzman claims theimages should remain private and are being “exploited” byfilm makers. He told The Hollywood Reporter: “The makersof the documentary are attempting to exploit footage andphotographs of Michael Jackson, which we believe areowned by his Estate. “The documentary contains footageof Michael during private moments that he never agreedcould be publicly and commercially exploited without hisconsent and/or involvement. Michael never authorised orapproved the use of this material in the film.” However, themovies’ production company Noval Williams Films main-tains that it has validly obtained the rights to the footageAccording to a complaint filed in New York’s federal court,it is believed the Jackson family were offered the chance topurchase the rights to the video but passed up the oppor-tunity before the director decided to buy the footage inMay last year. The documentary makers are now seekingdeclaratory relief that it use of the video isn’t infringingcopyrights.

The ‘Harry Potter’ star hired the maid to work in her New York apartment at thebeginning of last year but Border Agency staff have since launched a probefollowing a complaint that the woman was travelling to London on and off to

help Emma, 24, in her Islington home. It is believed that the housekeeper spent atotal of three months in Britain between September last year until early Februaryand was quizzed on arrival by immigration staff about her ability to pay for her stay.Although the home office can’t comment on individual cases a source from thedepartment told The Mirror newspaper: “An allegation has been received andprocessed and has been allocated for further action.” Meanwhile, Emma recentlygraduated from the prestigious Brown University in the United States. The ‘BlingRing’ actress, who enrolled at the Ivy League school in 2009, received her English lit-erature degree at a commencement ceremony on the main campus in Providence,Rhode Island, last month. She has previously praised her classmates for giving heran opportunity to experience life away from the spotlight. She said: “I’ve never evenbeen asked for an autograph on campus. I threw a party for nearly 100 students andnot a single person put a photo on Facebook.”

Emma Watson employed an illegal housekeeper

The former Spice Girl moved back tothe UK from Australia earlier thisyear when it was announced she

would appear as a judge on the latestseries of ‘The X Factor’ but is yet to makeup with her estranged mother Andreaand her sister Danielle. Mel grew apartfrom her family six years ago after theylabelled Mel’s film producer husbandStephen Belafonte “controlling” and hashad little contact with the pair as well asher father Martin ever since. A sourcetold Britain’s Star magazine: “Mel’s familyis keen to put past rows behind them -this rift has gone on too long and they

used to be so close. Andrea would like tomake amends, but Mel’s not sure thatshe is ready.” Andrea, 58, even tried toreach out to the star on Twitter to wishher a happy birthday when she turned39 last month. She wrote on the socialnetworking site: “After 16hrs 59minlabour a special little girl arrived still spe-cial to me 39yrs on happy birthdayMelanie Luv MUM X.” However Mel’s fam-ily don’t think a reunion will be takingplace in the near future. A family mem-ber explained: “A reconciliation is highlyunlikely anytime soon.”

Katherine Heiglsneaks new animals

in her house

The former ‘Grey Anatomy’ star - who runs her ownfoundation to help get dogs out of shelters andinto loving homes - claims she adopted dozens of

pets, including eight dogs, 11 horses, two donkeys and10 chickens, behind Josh Kelley’s back as she knows hecan’t refuse once the creatures are in their home. Shejoked: “It’s better to ask forgiveness than permission,you know?” Luckily, the blonde beauty has the full sup-port of her daughters, Naleigh, five, and Adelaide, two.She said: “Naleigh is into the dogs. But Adelaide isobsessed.” Katherine originally set up the Jason DebusHeigl Foundation in 2008 in memory of her older broth-er, Jason, who was killed in a car accident when she wasseven and is proud to have been able to give him a“legacy”. She told People magazine: “It’s a way of givinghim a legacy. The one he didn’t live long enough to givehimself.”

Mel B isn’t ready to

end her family feud

Ed Sheeran fell in

love with beanbag

after taking MDMA

The 23-year-old singer once developed an obsession with thestuffed cushions after he decided to rebel against his “good boy”personality and take ecstasy with his friends at a wedding he

attended in Ibiza, Spain. He explained during an interview with musicstreaming service Spotify: “It was weird, because I haven’t taken it[MDMA] since, it was literally just a one-time thing. It was a wedding,and I was having a mojito, and my mate was like, ‘Do you want to try it,it tastes really bad if you put it in your mouth but I’ll just put it in yourdrink and it’ll be fine.’ It was MDMA and I fell in love with a beanbag. “Iliterally got home and bought six beanbags! During it all I felt a lot ofthings: I felt anxiety, I felt love, I felt warm, I felt a bit weird. And after-wards, you spend all day just thinking about what you’ve beenthrough.” The ‘Lego House’ hitmaker admits he went through a stagewhere he tried a number of drugs, but soon realised that he preferreddrinking alcohol instead of illegal substances. He explained: “I foundout I’m not missing much - that experience [taking MDMA] was proba-bly the best out of all of them. I think alcohol’s a lot more fun.”

Ozzy Osbourne wants a knighthood

The 65-year-old rocker is delighted by anonline campaign to have him recog-nised in Queen Elizabeth’s honours list,

and thinks it would be “pretty cool” for hiswife Sharon to be given the title ‘Lady’. Hesaid: “I’ve heard about that campaign. Gettingknighted? I can’t imagine anything better.And my wife would become a Lady, whichwould be pretty cool. “But I’m not gonna getupset if it doesn’t happen. I never thought I’dget further than [hometown] Aston.” The BlackSabbath frontman also admitted he is sur-prised his career has lasted so long as he onlyimagined he would be successful for a “couple

of years”. He added in an interview with TimeOut magazine: “I don’t [look back], but I guessI should a bit more. Because I know when Ihad my first successful album with Sabbath Ithought, ‘Oh this is great, this will last a cou-ple of years. I’ll just get drunk every night andhave a few chicks in my room.’ “And here I am,45 years down the road and I’m doing betterthan ever. I haven’t always been on top of theworld, there have been bad times as well, butyou don’t just give up at the first sign of chop-py waters, you carry on rowing.”

SUNDAY, JUNE 29, 2014

l if e s t y l eG o s s i p

The ‘Keeping Up with the Kardashians’ star, whomarried rapper Kanye West in Italy in May,wanted to do something special to commem-

orate their little girl North’s milestone on June 15, soshe decided to get her ears pierced beforehand. Asource told UsMagazine.com that the 33-year-oldbeauty invited an experienced piercer to her moth-er Kris Jenner’s house in Calabasas, California to per-form the procedure on North’s ears in private just aweek-and-a-half before the special occasion. Kimimmediately purchased a small diamond pair ofstuds for the tot, who was first spotted wearingthem on her actual birthday in New York City, andalso wore them at her star-studded music festival-themed “Kidchella” bash last weekend. The realityTV star previously admitted she loves “dressing up”

her daughter and even borrows designer itemsfrom Kanye’s wardrobe to create costumes for her.Earlier this year, she said: “I take pictures of her allthe time and dress her up. I put Kanye’s big chainsaround her, and I put a little Louis bag and someJordans, and I was like, ‘What up, Daddy?’ “Meanwhile, a source told PEOPLE magazine that thecouple spent thousands of dollars on North’sCoachella-inspired party, which featured a carnival-size Ferris wheel, bouncy castle, stage, tepees andfood trucks. An insider said: “Kim and Kanye madesure it was very special. It was amazing, and all thekids had the best time.”

Kim Kardashianbuys diamond earrings for daughter

The TV presenter - who joined the popular USpanel show in September 2013 - is said tohave been cut from the programme after

bosses thought the hosts lacked chemistry.According to gossip website TMZ, she was told shehad been fired - along with co-star SherriShepherd. Jenny took to Twitter on Thursday tobreak the news to her fans. She wrote: “My Viewwill be changing too. As will with many hard work-ing folks. “Thanks to everyone at the show for yourdedication and an amazing year.” Meanwhile, Sherriconfirmed the news in a statement toDeadline.com. She said: “It’s been seven wonderfulyears on ‘The View’ and after careful considerationit is time for me to move on. “I am extremely grate-ful to Barbara Walters and Bill Gedde for giving methe opportunity.”I look forward to the businessopportunities that lay ahead for me and I amincredibly grateful to my View family and my fansfor supporting me on this journey.”

Jenn

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The V

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’

The ‘Taken 2’ star, who was left devastated after hisactress wife Natasha Richardson died from a braininjury following a skiing accident in Montreal, Canada

in March 2009, has been in contact with his family sincelearning his sister Bernadette Sexton’s son, Ronan Sexton, isin a “critical condition” in hospital. A source told theMailOnline that Mr. Sexton fell from the top of a telephonebox in Brighton in East Sussex, England during a night outfor a friend’s 30th birthday and was rushed to HurstwoodPark Hospital in Haywards Heath, West Sussex. Bernadette’spartner Harry Shannon confirmed she was “in hospital withher son” today. He added: “Bernadette is not in at themoment because she has been at the hospital all day inHaywards Heath visiting Ronan. I do not want to comment

further.” Earlier this year, Liam, who lives in New York Citywith his sons, Miche?l, 19, and Daniel, 18, admitted he is stillgrieving for their late mother. The 62-year-old star said:“[Her death] was never real. It still kind of isn’t. There’s peri-ods now in our New York residence when I hear the dooropening, especially the first couple of years . . . anytime Ihear that door opening, I still think I’m going to hear her.”He added: “It (grief ) hits you. It’s like a wave. You just getthis profound feeling of instability . . . the Earth isn’t stableanymore and then it passes and it becomes more infre-quent, but I still get it sometimes.”

Liam Neeson’s nephew suffers ‘serious head injury’

The ‘Dancing With the Stars’ performer, who enjoyed a“very flirty” night out with the ‘Booty’ hitmaker inConnecticut last Saturday after denying rumours they

are dating on Twitter earlier this month, reportedly wantsthem to be more than friends, but is trying to respect herspace so she can get over her recent split from Casper Smart.A source told PEOPLE magazine: “[They] are just friends, butI’m sure he’d love it if they were more. “He really likes her. Hethinks she’s beautiful, really cool and down-to-earth.” The duowere first introduced by Jennifer’s close friend Leah Remini,who bonded with the professional dancer, 34, while appear-ing on the US dancing series last year. The ‘First Love’ singer

danced with Maksim - who previously dated Kate Upton - atthe American Music Awards in November and they were“inseparable” at his brother Val’s birthday party in Los Angelesin March. The 44-year-old singer, who has six-year-old twins,Max and Emme, with ex-husband Marc Anthony, recentlyrevealed wasn’t looking for a new romance. She said: “I’mgood right now. Let’s just say we just got out of a relationship.There needs to be time for reflection and alone time.” But the‘On The Floor’ star previously admitted that she’s “one of thosepeople who doesn’t like to be alone.”

The 21-year-old singer unveiled the video for her duetwith Cher Lloyd, ‘Really Don’t Care,’ today, which fea-tures a number of other celebrities, including Travis

Barker, Kat Graham and her on-again, off-again beauWilmer Valderrama. The brunette beauty can been seencosying up to the former ‘That 70s Show’ star as he wrapshis arms around her with a huge smile on his face in thebrief scene. The 34-year-old actor quietly rekindled his rela-tionship with the former ‘X Factor’ USA judge in February2013, but they rarely discuss their romance. They first start-ed dating in 2010 shortly after Demi’s split from Joe Jonas.They split up after a few months but were linked again in2011 before they split again. Wilmer, who previously dateda string of other famous women, including Lindsay Lohanand Ashlee Simpson, sparked rumours he was planning topropose to the singer in December after he was spottedbuying a diamond ring from Tiffany & Co., which he hadengraved with a special message reading, “With you and byyou always.” His appearance in the video indicates theirrelationship is still going strong, but Demi admitted thather new song was originally a “breakup song.” She told E!News: “When I originally wrote it, it was a breakup song.But now I have sung it so many times that it kind of nolonger has a significance in that sort of way. When I sing it, Ialways want to inspire and empower.”

Demi Lovato’s boyfriend makes

a cameo in new music video

Maksim Chmerkovskiy thinks Jennifer Lopez is the perfect woman

SUNDAY, JUNE 29, 2014

l if e s t y l eF a s h i o n

Last season, he used Rihanna and Kanye West tograb attention. This season, he exploded a plane.Givenchy’s rebel designer Riccardo Tisci certainly

knows how to grab the limelight at Paris Fashion Week.Here are the highlights of Friday’s spring-summer 2015menswear displays, including show reports fromMaison Martin Margiela, Cerutti, Juun J. and Berluti.

GIVENCHY’S EXPLODED PLANEDecked out in head-to-toe Givenchy, American foot-

ball player Victor Cruz and Oklahoma City Thunder bas-ketball player Russell Westbrook looked in awe at thespectacle before them. A huge French plane from 1964,exploded into bits and painted in black, was suspendedby steel cables across the circular catwalk.Deconstructed engineering parts hung in the air.Givenchy commissioned the arresting work from Dutchartist Paul Veroude. The piece took over a month tomake. Who needs A-list pop stars when you can blowup a near-one ton machine?

GIVENCHYIf the plane represented deconstruction, the collec-

tion didn’t take heed. Instead, Tisci’s rather aggressiveshow sent out a series of rather conventional sartorialstyles that went back in time to his earlier sharpGivenchy menswear. The sharp-suitedness mixed withthe more street black-and-white looks: models sportingskull caps, dark earrings and sometimes knee-lengthboots with thick white lacing. The looks were contrast-ing, but perhaps lacked the subtlety with which one ofParis’ most lauded designers is associated.

WILL MARGIELA’S ONE-LEGGEDFASHION CATCH ON?Maison Martin Margiela’s restrained, and rather

strange, collection tried to set a new fashion trend: one-legged pants. The show, which mixed baggy sportspants and flowing coats in sanitized white with moresartorial elements, was notable for its uni-leg silhou-ette.A black business-like pant leg was twinned with alight gray boucle shorts-leg and thick hiker’s woolysocks. Elsewhere, the staple black pant leg was twinnedwith a patchwork blue denim drainpipe. At one point,an otherwise fully clothed model walked out with nopants on at all. Will it catch on?

BERLUTI’S GARDEN PARTYBerluti has been world renowned for making leather

shows since 1895. Now, for a few seasons, they’ve beenmaking clothes. In the front row sat the luxury world’sequivalent of the Bourbon monarchy, LVMH’s chiefBernard Arnault, and his heirs Antoine and Delphine. Ifthat’s anything to go by, there’s a lot of money beingbet on this venture. The collection did not disappoint,with clothes fit for a modern dandy.

Loose-fitting jackets were in enviable shades ofbeige, cream and mustard. And the rare inclusion ofmodels in their 50s will appeal to the up-and-comingheritage brand’s clientele. The after-party celebratedthe roots of the house founder Italian AlessandroBerluti, with guests treated to Italian-inspired delicacieslike champagne risotto in a beautiful garden.

Givenchy explodes plane for Paris menswear show

JUUN J STUDIES FORMFashion angels graced the catwalk at Juun J. In daz-

zling white, the South Korean designer used billowingmonochrome looks to explore pure form andflatness.Wide-sleeved white tops stretched the torsoexaggeratedly from left to right, and uber-baggy pantsgave the clothes an ethereal silhouette independentfrom the bodies wearing them. It was a neat trick.

The study in form recurred again toward the end ofthe dizzying 54 looks, with white oversize T-shirts fea-turing black text or sketches. Beautifully, the large tubu-lar sleeves stretched out the T-shirt optically to lookalmost like a piece of flat paper on which the designerhad written.

CERUTTI MIXES SUITS WITH LOS ANGELES ATTITUDEAldo Maria Camillo subverted the sartorial elegance

of Cerutti 1881 Paris with flashes of the color of LosAngeles. A sporty black singlet was infused with abright flash of fashion, in the form of a bright red or yel-low stripe, and twinned with pants from a suit.

Elsewhere, a loose-fitting suit jacket was twinnedelegantly with a silk undergarment shimmering withorange stripes and paisley patterns.And a beautiful butsober palette in the suits - sand, sage, tobacco andwood - met with highly contrasting and youthful huesof lemon, red, electric blue and orange. It was a highlystyled collection, but will this younger direction appealto the brand’s older clientele? — AP

Songzio

SUNDAY, JUNE 29, 2014

l if e s t y l e

Dutch King Willem-Alexander on Fridayofficially reopens the renovatedMauritshuis museum, home to Vermeer’s

iconic ‘Girl with the Pearl Earring” and a treasuretrove of other Golden Age masterpieces.

The elegant 17th-century mansion in TheHague has undergone a 30-million-euro ($40-million) revamp and more than doubled its floorspace thanks to an art deco extension accessedthrough a light-filled underground atrium.

The king will be welcomed by a real-life ‘Girlwith the Pearl Earring”, who will hand him a keyto officially declare the museum open to thepublic again after more than two years. Museumdirector Emilie Gordenker will give the king aguided tour of the Hague city centre museum,which will be broadcast live on giant televisionscreens outside.

Queen Maxima will not be attending, thepalace said. Entry on Friday evening is free untilmidnight, with city centre shops offering a rangeof activities to mark the occasion.

During the renovation, which began in 2012,

many of the museum’s best-known pieces,including “Girl with the Pearl Earring”, have beentouring the world, drawing millions from NewYork to Tokyo.

“‘The Girl with the Pearl Earring’ has becomean icon, she’s become the ‘Mona Lisa’ of thenorth, and she does belong here,” Gordenkertold AFP last week.

“There’s something very special about thepainting which maybe in a way is a bit like theMauritshuis: we’re small, we’re intimate,” she saidof the museum that is also known as “the jewelbox”.

A show at the Frick in New York drew recordcrowds to see the painting, which inspired a2003 film starring Scarlett Johannson, but alsoCarel Fabritius’ “The Goldfinch”, the title of USauthor Donna Tartt’s Pulitzer prize-winning 2013novel.

Given its new-found fame, “The Goldfinch”has been moved to another room in the renovat-ed Mauritshuis. The museum’s collection is small,around 800 paintings with just 250 on display,

but of very high quality, including Rembrandt’s“The Anatomy Lesson of Dr Nicolaes Tulp” andthe Golden Age’s best-known landscape,Vermeer’s “View of Delft”.

The original building dates from the height ofthe Dutch Golden Age, which roughly spannedthe 17th century, when the Dutch dominatedmuch of world trade and, as a result, art.

Whereas previously visitors went in throughthe service entrance, they now walk through themansion’s main gates and down a modern spiralstaircase past the adjacent Dutch parliamentand prime minister’s office into the minimalist21st-century atrium.

The new wing, which houses a library andeducation centre, was acquired on long-termlease from neighbouring gentleman’s club DeWitte, one of The Hague’s oldest social institu-tions. — AFP

Dutch king to reopen ‘Girl withPearl Earring’ museum

Emilie Gordenker poses next to the “Girl with a Pearl” artwork by painter JohannesVermeer during a press preview at the renovated Mauritshuis museum in The Hague, theNetherlands. — AFP

Powerfully pushing through thick jungle, the moun-tain gorilla is fearless in the face of strangers on histerritory, but the endangered ape is unaware the

family group he guards survives by the thinnest of threads.The gorillas here in Uganda’s lush forests are protected

by the economic lifeline they create for remote communi-ties from the tourist dollars they generate, providing a keyincentive for humans to protect the giant animals.

The forest in Uganda’s far southwest is home to an esti-mated 400 mountain gorillas-roughly half of the world’spopulation-including several families which have beenhabituated to human presence.

But it is the income from tourism that is helping protectthe animals, which in the past were regularly hunted fortheir meat, and by farmers to protect their crops.

“In order to protect this endangered specie we neededto show the economic benefit of these gorillas,” saidCharles Tumwesigye, deputy head of conservation for thegovernment’s Ugandan Wildlife Authority.

“Tourism started as a way of showing the people thatgorillas can be economically important, that we can earnrevenue which can improve your livelihood”. Uganda,Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo are the onlycountries in the world where you can see the giant pri-mates. But the privilege comes at a high price , costingsome $600 (450 euros) for a single, brief visit.

No silver bullet Knowing the cash supports the gorillas “helps to swal-

low the pill”, said Blaise Peccia-Galleto, a French tourist. “Weare willing to pay that kind of money because we knowthat a big part of those resources are reinvested in thepreservation of the species,” he said. “We also feel likewe’ve experienced something very exclusive.”

Threats to the mountain gorilla-including war, habitatdestruction and disease-were once thought to be sosevere that the species could become extinct by the end ofthe 20th century, but the population has increased signifi-cantly in the last 30 years, largely due to improved conser-vation efforts.

“People were stopped from entering into the forest,where they used to get all their free wild game meat,” SeithByarugaba said, a tourist operator organising gorilla tripsand running a lodge.

“People are now happy because there is some revenuethat comes from gorilla tracking.” Conflict remains, such asthe destruction of crops and property, and competition fornatural resources.

Habitat destruction and human population growthincreasingly bring locals into contact with the gorillas,resulting in the transmission of human diseases and occa-sional animal attacks.

Ape experts this week warned that accelerated andunsustainable exploitation of the earth’s primary natural

resources has become a major threat to apes in Africa andAsia, with extraction of natural resources-including timber,minerals, oil and gas-devastating their prime habitat.

Experts at major United Nations environment confer-ence in Kenya predicted that at the current rate, humandevelopment will have impacted 90 percent of the apes’habitat in Africa and 99 percent in Asia by 2030.

A joint UN and Interpol report released this weekwarned that while the greatest threat to apes is habitatloss, the illegal trade in the animals is “widespread”, withover 22,000 great apes estimated to have been takenbetween 2005-2011.

Gorillas were reportedly sold to a zoo in Malaysia for400,000 dollars (295,000 euros) each, the report added. But

here in Uganda, income from tourists provides an incentiveto protect the gorillas.

‘Improved my life’ “Communities have been living with these gorillas for

ages before conservation started, some of them still look atthose forest as places where they use to access resources,like firewood, medicine,” Tumwesigye added.

“So we thought it was very important that we workedwith these communities, show them that this is still theirresource, these gorillas are still for your benefit.”

Armed rangers patrol the park: both to protect touristsafter Rwandan rebels murdered eight tourists in 1999, aswell as to guard the animals themselves. But getting thelocal communities onside to support the gorillas is alsokey.

Tourism dollars have boosted the local economy. Inaddition to spin-offs like hotels, souvenir shops and jobs inthe park, communities receive 20 percent entry fees to thepark.

“This business has improved my life,” said MichaelKasule, who owns a small shop selling gorilla carvings. “Inthe beginning I didn’t have anything.” It can be difficult tobalance species survival against the needs of an incrediblypoor area.

Despite is protected status, the jungles of Bwindi areunder constant pressure from local communities. Effortsare being made to mitigate these conflicts-the creation ofbuffer zones, income generating activities for the commu-nity, and community health programmes-but there is stillfar to go.

But many argue benefits for the communities is still lim-ited. “The tourism industry is still outward looking, basicallyrelying on foreign visitors, and the benefits mostly go tooutside owners,” said Samuel Nsingwire from The GorillaOrganisation, a conservation group. While tourism is farfrom a silver bullet against poverty-the search for sustain-able conservation practices maybe be the only way toensure that these communities and their gorilla neigh-bours continue to share this remote jungle. — AFP

Ugandan gorillas under threat but tourist dollars protect

A baby moutain gorilla is seen during a gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, in Uganda, on May24, 2014. The gorillas in Uganda’s lush forests are protected by the economic lifeline they create for remote com-munities from the tourist dollars they generate, providing a key incentive for humans to protect the giant ani-mals. — AFP photos

Signs indicate lodges and hotels near Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, in Uganda, as the area is popular for tourists wishing to go on a gorilla trekking.

A ranger guides agroup of touriststhrough BwindiImpenetrable NationalPark, in Uganda.

39Dutch king to reopen‘Girl with Pearl Earring’ museum

SUNDAY, JUNE 29, 2014

Katy Perry performs in concert at Bridgestone Arena on Friday, in Nashville Tenn. — AP

Katy Perry used to come to Music City as a youngteen, flying across country from California to seekher dream of a music career. She returned Friday

night, all grown up, and what a sugar-spun spectacleshe was during the opening week of the NorthAmerican leg of her Prismatic World Tour. Perry waseverything you’d want in a pop princess during hersold-out show at Bridgestone Arena, offering fans agrowing catalog of hits, a neon menagerie of visualeffects, props and aerobatics, and just the right amountof earnestness.

“This is the city that taught me how to write all thesecool songs,” Perry said. As a teen, Perry initially tried tofind her way as a Christian artist. Now, the 29-year-oldsinger uses anthemic songs with empowerment mes-sages to mine the wide middle ground betweenBeyonce and Rihanna’s adults-only cabaret and theirpopposites like Taylor Swift and One Direction, who

make mom-friendly music that’s not the least bit threat-ening.

Perry struck a balance between sexy and sweet inher two-hour set, which included nearly 20 songs and10 wardrobe changes. There was the hero to KatyCatseverywhere, the legion of young fans who follow thepop star breathlessly (the most kid-friendly moment ofthe night was a video interlude featuring anthropomor-phized LOL cats doing adorable things).

ShowmanshipAnd then there was the performer who’s showing a

more mature, diverse side as she grows up and growsinto her own persona. That side appealed to the surpris-ingly large number of non-parental adults in the crowd,who appeared to outnumber the youngsters as theypaired off on date night or roamed the arena in packs ofthree and four. These are the fans who will get the more

adult moments of Perry’s show - like the inflatable“floating suggestive emojis” whose adult content literal-ly was over the heads of most kids in the crowd.

Along the way Perry showed a depth of variety andshowmanship that was missing from previous tours.She rode a mechanical horse during “Dark Horse,”danced with apple-bottomed mummies during “I Kisseda Girl,” tipped her cap to Madonna with a “Vogue” inter-lude, floated above the crowd on a balloon swing dur-ing first encore “Birthday” and wore a swirling dressaflame with fireworks during show-stopper “Firework” -a moment that included three-dimensional projectionsand a fireworks display (What else?).

And then there were the costumes. Nine completechanges in all with a few minor changes on stage - frommini-dresses made of silver, yellow vinyl, lavenderleather and plastic palm fronds predominated with awig for every mood.

The elements might feel familiar to fans who regular-ly attend shows by today’s top pop stars. Who doesn’tfly over the crowd these days? And everyone’s taking acue from country music and playing to the back of thecrowd - as Perry did sweetly during a sunflower-themedacoustic interlude midway through her set.

She keeps it fresh with her accessibility, though. Sheremains identifiable where others aim for aloof, some-thing she reminded fans of when she unceremoniouslysmacked herself with her microphone during a quietmoment in the show.

“I just hit myself in the face with my own micro-phone,” Perry said with a giggle. “If that’s not a humblingmove, I don’t know what is.” — AP

Legendary US soul artist Bobby Womack, whoinfluenced and wrote for generations of musi-cians, died Friday aged 70, a spokeswoman said,

triggering a surge of tributes. Womack penned astring of R&B staples including “It’s all Over Now”-which went to number one for British rockers TheRolling Stones and “Lookin’ for A Love.”

Rolling Stones star Ronnie Wood was among thefirst to pay tribute to Womack, tweeting: “The manwho could make you cry when he sang has broughttears to my eyes with his passing.”

“RIP to the ‘Soul Legnd’ who sang from his Soul !!!”added US rapper MC Hammer. Womack started outperforming with his brothers in the 1950s and later aband called the Valentinos. He also wrote songs andplayed guitar for artists including Aretha Franklin andWilson Pickett.

Sonya Kolowrat, a spokeswoman for his label XLRecordings, confirmed his death to AFP, but said shehad no further details. Womack’s main home is listedas Los Angeles. Womack, who was credited with influ-encing generations of acts, was inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009.

He struggled with drugs and health problems fordecades, but released a comeback album, “ TheBravest Man in the Universe,” in 2012, his first record inover a decade.

Although he had long had health woes, he wasdue to go on tour in Europe next month-his websitelisted shows in the Netherlands, France, Belgium andBritain in the second half of July and start of August.

From family band to solo star Womack was born in Cleveland, Ohio to a musical

family, forming The Womack Brothers gospel groupwith his siblings, managed by their father. But theircareer took off when they were signed by Cooke tohis label Sar Records and renamed The Valentinos in1962, producing their first hit single, “Lookin’ for ALove.”

Womack still played with his brothers, but alsobegan playing guitar in Cooke’s own band. AfterCooke died in 1964, the Valentinos floundered, andWomack launched his solo career. Some of his biggesthits were songs written for other stars, includingPickett, Franklin, Joe Tex and Dusty Springfield.

In the early 1970s he recorded hits of his own,including “That’s The Way I Feel About Cha” and“Woman’s Gotta Have It,” but his fortunes waned laterin the decade, according to the IMDb show businessdatabase website.

His health problems included drug addiction, dia-betes, pneumonia, colon cancer and the early signs ofAlzheimer’s disease, according to media reports.

But he made an appearance on “Plastic Beach,” a2010 album by British Blur veteran Damon Albarn’s“virtual band” Gorillaz. That fueled his comeback:Albarn co-produced “ The Bravest Man in theUniverse,” which was widely critically praised.

When he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hallof Fame, he said: “My very first thought was I wish Icould call Sam Cooke and share this moment withhim.”

“This is just about as exciting to me as being ableto see Barack Obama become the first black Presidentof the United States of America!” he said, according toRolling Stone, which first broke the news of Womack’sdeath. — AFP

Katy Perry’s live show as sweet as cotton candy

Tributes to soul legend Bobby Womack, dead at 70

In this file photo dated April 4, 2009 showsUS singer Bobby Womack performing

onstage during the 24th Annual Rock andRoll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at

Public Hall in Cleveland, Ohio. LegendaryUS soul artist Bobby Womack, who influ-

enced and wrote for generations of musi-cians, died June 27 aged 70. — AFP