CAbiNEt MiNiStERS RESiGN AMid StANdOFF with MPS

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High Tide 04:03 & 14:05

Low Tide08:53 & 21:37

7Rohingyas drown off Myanmar trying to flee storm 8

Bibi meets Putin in bid to sway Russia on Syria 27

Nokia unveils new metal-body Lumia smartphone 18

Man City sack Mancini, Pellegrini mayreplace him

WEDNESDAY, MAY 15, 2013 RAJAB 5, 1434 AH www.kuwaittimes.net

Cabinet ministers resign amid standoff with MPsGovt boycotts Assembly sessions amid talk of dissolution

By B Izzak

KUWAIT: In what appears to be the first confrontationwith supposedly loyal MPs, the government boycottedthe parliamentary session yesterday as all Cabinet min-isters submitted their resignations to the prime ministera day after five MPs filed to grill the oil and interior min-isters. National Assembly Speaker Ali Al-Rashed toldreporters after a meeting with Justice Minister ShareedaAl-Maousherji that he has been informed that “Cabinetministers submitted their resignation to the prime min-ister and accordingly they will not attend the Assemblysession tomorrow (today)”.

Rashed insisted that thestep is not a Cabinet resig-nation as only ministershave submitted their resig-nations. Under Kuwaiti law,the Cabinet resigns whenthe prime minister submitshis resignation and the res-ignations of Cabinet minis-ters to HH the Amir. I tbecomes effective only afterthe Amir accepts it. Rashedsaid that as the governmenthas its measures, the Assembly also has its constitution-al methods.

Earlier in the day, Rashed could not open theAssembly session because of the absence of the gov-ernment which boycotted the session in protest againstthe two grillings against the two ministers. Rashed toldMPs present in the chamber that “due to the absence of

Continued on Page15

Ali Al-Rashed

KUWAIT: Arrested women are herded into a bus during a surprise raid in Shuwaikh Industrial area yesterday.

By Hanan Al-Saadoun

KUWAIT: Around 400 foreign workerswere rounded up in flash raids inShuwaikh Industrial area yesterday. Thearrested people were found in violation ofthe residency law, including those withoutresidency permits, those working forunauthorized employers, “free laborers”and domestic maids under Article 20.

Acting Interior Ministry Undersecretary

Gen Sulaiman Al-Fahd said in a statementthat the campaign covering ShuwaikhIndustrial area was one of several suchcampaigns carried out in coordinationwith the citizenship and passport depart-ment. Fahd said the campaign owed itssuccess to the security men and also tothe fact that the instructions given tothem were precise and they implementedthese efficiently. He said the campaignswere being carried out in coordination

and cooperation with different sectors ofthe ministry that acted in a civilized way,guaranteeing everyone’s legal rights. Hesaid the drive will continue. The cam-paigns are aimed at tracking down out-laws, residency law violators, those work-ing for others and runaways.

Fahd termed the campaign successfulas several violators and wanted personswho were trying to escape the law werearrested. He said such suspects were

under the illusion that the security menare only looking into particular cases,adding the surprise campaign will contin-ue to achieve the goals and targets set forit. Fahd also called upon all citizens andexpats to ensure that they always carrytheir identification papers in order to beidentified by security men and smartpatrols equipped with computers cantrace all details of anyone during aninspection.

400 in police net amid crackdown KUWAIT: Kuwait’s Ministry of Health made an admin-istrative decision announcing strict guidelines on howto handle acute respiratory cases, particularly thenovel coronavirus (nCoV), which it described as “adangerous communicable disease”. This came afterSaudi Arabia detected six new cases of the deadlycoronavirus, the health ministry said, raising the num-ber of people infected from the SARS-like virus in thekingdom to 30, half of them fatalities.

Continued on 5

MoH issues guidelines

on new virus6 new Saudi cases

Canada astronaut returns as a star

PAGEIndia unveils vaccine for diarrhoea virus

PAGE

MOSCOW: Russia yesterday ordered theexpulsion of an alleged American CIAagent working undercover at the USembassy who was discovered with a largestash of money trying to recruit a Russianagent. Russia’s Federal Security Service(FSB, ex-KGB) identified the man as Ryan CFogle - third secretary of the political sec-tion of Washington’s embassy in Moscow -and said he had been handed back to theembassy after his detention. The foreignministry said it was summoning USambassador Michael McFaul today for anexplanation and slammed Washington forwhat it described as “provocative acts inthe spirit of the Cold War”.

It declared Fogle to be persona nongrata who had to return to the UnitedStates “as soon as possible” - a completecontrast to the joint pledges for intelli-gence cooperation after the Bostonbombings. Photographs published bystate English language television RTshowed a baseball-capped Fogle beingpinned face down to the ground and hav-ing his hands put behind his back for thearrest. He was then shown being ques-tioned at the Federal Security Servicewhile documents such as his passport anda stack of Ä500 notes along with some let-ters were displayed. The FSB footage alsodisplayed supposed espionage equip-ment including two wigs as well as a

Continued on Page 15

Russia arrests CIA ‘spy’ US diplomat tried to recruit local agent

MOSCOW: Wigs and spying gadgets carried bya man claimed by the Russian FSB to be RyanFogle, a third secretary at the US Embassy inMoscow, when he was detained (inset), areshown at the FSB offices early yesterday. — AP

LONDON: Hollywood star Angelina Jolie has hada double mastectomy to reduce her chances ofgetting breast cancer and says she hopes her sto-ry will inspire other women fighting the life-threatening disease. Jolie wrote in the New YorkTimes yesterday the operation had made it easierfor her to reassure her six children that she will notdie young from cancer, like her own mother did at56. “We often speak of ‘Mommy’s mommy’, and Ifind myself trying to explain the illness that tookher away from us. They have asked if the samecould happen to me,” wrote Jolie, 37. “I havealways told them not to worry, but the truth is Icarry a ‘faulty’ gene.”

The Oscar-winning actress said her doctors hadestimated she had an 87 percent risk of breastcancer and 50 percent risk of ovarian cancer.“Once I knew this was my reality, I decided to beproactive and to minimize the risk as much as Icould. I made a decision to have a preventive dou-ble mastectomy,” she said. Partner and fellowHollywood star Brad Pitt was by Jolie’s sidethrough three months of treatment that endedlate in April, she said. The two became engagedlast year. “Having witnessed this decision first-hand, I find Angie’s choice, as well as so many oth-ers like her, absolutely heroic,” Pitt told London’sEvening Standard newspaper. “All I want is for herto have a long and healthy life, with myself andour children. This is a happy day for our family.”

Jolie said that even though she had kept silentabout her treatment while it was going on, shehoped her story would now help other women. “Ichoose not to keep my story private becausethere are many women who do not know thatthey might be living under the shadow of cancer.It is my hope that they, too, will be able to getgene tested.” Breast cancer alone kills about458,000 people each year, according to the WorldHealth Organization. It is estimated that one in300 to one in 500 women carry a BRCA 1 or BRCA

2 gene mutation, as Jolie does.CNN anchor Zoraida Sambolin announced yes-

terday that she had breast cancer and was alsogetting a double mastectomy. Sambolin, whoanchors CNN’s “Early Start” morning show, dis-cussed her condition on the show while talkingabout Jolie’s procedure. “I struggled for weeks try-ing to figure out how to tell you that I had beendiagnosed with breast cancer and was leaving tohave surgery,” Sambolin, 47, said on Facebook.“Then ... Angelina Jolie shares her story of a dou-ble mastectomy and gives me strength and anopening.” — Reuters (See Page 40)

Jolie tells world about her double mastectomy

Angelina Jolie

L O C A LWEDNESDAY, MAY 15, 2013

KUWAIT: Pediatric Diabetes Society(PDS) held its two-day conference underthe theme “Pediatric Diabetes - Where isit going?” in cooperation with the dia-betes clinic, pediatrics department atSabah Hospital.

PDS chairperson Dr. Nada Al-Tarkeetsaid the conference will focus on dia-betes in children in Kuwait and will dis-cuss the current situation besides the

major challenges that the treatment ofthis group faces.

Dr. Al-Tarkeet said the increasing num-ber of fast food restaurants and sodadrinks factories around the world, apartfrom the ease with which children canaccess these products, are all key causesfor the affliction. Children are becomingaddicted to these substances which arefuelling obesity and diabetes in our soci-eties. Dr. Al-Tarkeet said the societyneeds to make certain dietary changes asit lacks a culture of daily sports, a factorthat has led spread of diabetes which hasassumed epidemic proportions now.

She said that the latest statistics abouttype 2 diabetes among adults showedthat Kuwait was at sixth place worldwide,according to the IDF. She said as far aspediatric diabetes (type 1) was con-cerned, it has risen from 18 cases per100,000 children in 2005 - 2006 to almost37 cases per 100,000 as per latest statis-tics gathered by Dasman DiabetesInstitute last year.

Bone density reduction and toothdecay also increased, being related dis-eases. She said the current situationrequires more efforts and studies in diag-nosis and follow up, apart from the needto use modern technology to treat theafflicted.

Conference focuses on diabetes in children

KUWAIT: Residency violators being rounded up from Shuwaikh industrial area yesterday. The field operations were carried out with the supervision of Acting Undersecretary General SulaimanAl-Fahad in coordination with the public administration for immigration. Over 400 people were arrested in the fresh crackdown.

KUWAIT: Abu Halifa police plan to summon anarea resident for questioning after a womanpressed sexual assault charges. Identifying her-self as his wife’s friend, the Egyptian womantold the local police that the suspect, also anEgyptian, told her on the phone that his wifewas sick and needed to meet her for an urgentmatter. When she went to her friend’s apart-ment and did not find her friend there, thewoman realized she has been trapped and fellvictim to an assault by the suspect.

Fatal accidentA male driver died after he sustained a fatal

head injury in an accident reported in Al-Subbiya on Monday. Paramedics accompaniedby police reached the scene shortly after theaccident was reported. They pronounced thevictim, a 60-year-old Egyptian man, dead onthe scene. The body was taken to the forensicdepartment. An investigation was opened todetermine the circumstances behind the acci-dent.

Stamp recycling gangInvestigations are on to catch the suspects

in a case involving theft of stamps from pass-ports left in travel agencies across Kuwait.According to a news report, the scam was dis-covered after officers at the Sharq police sta-tion received reports from Arab men whofound that KD10 government stamps weremissing from their passports which they hadleft earlier with the travel agencies for obtain-ing Omra visas. Investigations revealed thatthe suspects scraped off government stampsfrom the expired work visas in the passports. Itis likely that they the stamps later at below parprices. Detectives also believe that thousandsof stamps could have been stolen in the samefashion in cases yet to be discovered by thepassport owners.

Suicide preventedA man was hospitalized in a critical condi-

tion on Monday after his attempt to commitsuicide was foiled by a woman driver whointervened in time to save his life. Police,accompanied by medical staff, rushed to astreet in Abdullah Al-Salem where a Kuwaitiwoman reported witnessing someone stab-bing himself. The Asian man was found bleed-ing as a result of several stab wounds and wasrushed to the Amiri Hospital. He is currentlyrecovering at the hospital’s intensive care unit.The police plan to question him later in a sui-cide case filed at the Abdullah Al-Salem policestation.

Businesswoman questionedHawally police arrested a businesswoman

during a patrolling operation on Monday afterdiscovering that she was wanted forKD500,000 nonpayment. She was taken toauthorities for questioning, during which sheclaimed she had fallen victim to a conman whostole her money and left her in a financial crisis

that rendered her unable to honor obligationsshe made with companies she was supposedto supply automobiles to. The Arab womanremains in custody for further action.

Man arrested A man faces multiple charges following his

arrest Monday for involvement in several trafficviolations and possessing contrabands. Patrolofficers pulled over the suspect who was driv-ing an American-made vehicle which carriedno license plate. The man failed to produce anID card, a driver’s license or the car’s registra-tion papers, but gave his name through whichpolice found out that he was a Kuwaiti wantedin a KD2000 default payment case. Whenpolice searched the man and his car, they

found an MB5 firearm with a magazine con-taining 20 rounds, a collection of daggers, 31plastic cases of crystal meth, 40 drug pills anda variety of drug related paraphernalia. He wasreferred to the proper authorities for furtheraction.

Auto theftA man stole a woman driver ’s car in an

unusual manner. In her statements to MaidanHawally police, the Italian woman explainedthat she stopped to check out her car’s tireafter a pedestrian signaled to her that it wasflat, but taking advantage of the situation, thesame person jumped into the driving seat ofthe luxur y vehicle and drove away.Investigations were on. —Al-Anbaa, Al-Rai

Egyptian wanted forraping wife’s friend

Driver killed in Subbiya crash

The Sebamed booth at the conference venue

KUWAIT: Dr Nada Al-Tarkeet addressesthe conference on pediatric diabetes

UNITED NATIONS : Kuwait ’s PermanentRepresentative at the UN Mansour Al-Otaibiheld a ceremony yesterday to mark the 50thanniversary of Kuwait ’s UN membershipobtained on May 14, 1963. Al-Oteibi wasscheduled to address the reception on thehistory of the relationship between the Stateof Kuwait and the UN. UN Secretary GeneralBan Ki-moon and President of the UN General

Assembly Vuk Jeremic was also expected todeliver speeches during the event.

The ceremony features a photographyexhibition and a documentary highlightingKuwait’s activities in the international organi-zation over the last fifty years, with bookletsto be handed out to the participants on theGulf country’s political, economic and socialachievements.—KUNA

By Hanan Al-Saadoun

KUWAIT: A total of 107 abandoned cars werelifted from the Amghara scrap yard and sent to acar detention garage in thearea as part of the secondphase of a cleanliness cam-paign carried out by the Al-Jahra municipality on theinstructions of its Director,Eng. Sami Al-Saeedan.

The Director of GeneralCleaning told reporters thatremoval of abandoned carswill continue across differentstreets and public yards atAmghara in order to clean upthe entire area of such vehi-cles.

Pointing out that a numberof real estate owners have been using their frontyards as car workshops leave the discardedparts from such cars there, he said at times theypark many of those cars outside their plots andeven encroach upon vast swathes of publicland, roads and yards for such business. Heexplained that the campaign started by affixing

warning signs on the abandoned cars, directingthat these be removed by their owners within24 hours. He said the warnings and transporta-tion of vehicles is documented in the municipal-

ity records. He said after the grace period

granted to the owners of suchcars, there will be no furtherwarning and the vehicles wouldbe removed and taken to thedetention garage. Detained vehi-cles will not be released withoutpayment of the necessary fees.

On his part, supervisor FaisalAl-Otaibi said that leaving aban-doned cars along the streets andpublic yards reflects poorly on thearea and hinders road cleaningoperations besides acting as ashelter for stray dogs and other

animals. He said the governorate’s municipalitywas keeping track of such cars and will ensurethese are removed. Necessary legal action willbe taken against the owners of these vehicles.

He explained that the campaign will contin-ue, especially in the industrial areas, publicyards and streets.

107 abandoned vehiclesremoved from Amghara

Kuwait marks 50th ’versaryof UN membership


KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah received yesterday at Seif Palace,the Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn and his accompanying delegation, on the occasion ofhis official visit to the country. The meeting was attended by Deputy Minister of Amiri Diwan Affairs SheikhAli Jarrah Al-Sabah and Head of the Mission and Advisor in HH the Premier’s Diwan Sheikh Dr Salem JaberAl-Ahmad Al-Sabah.—KUNA

KUWAIT: His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah received at SeifPalace yesterday Grand Mufti of Bosnia-Herzegovina Husein Kavazovic. The meeting was attended byMinister of Justice, Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Shareed Abdullah Al-Muosherji. — KUNA

KUWAIT: A proposal was made togrant amnesty to residency violatorsand waive the penalties imposed ontheir violations, giving them anoption to return to Kuwait after cor-recting their residency status,sources said.

Immigration detectives headedby Ghazi Auamie has made the pro-

posal to First Deputy Prime Ministerand Minister of Interior SheikhAhmad Al-Hmoud, through theAssistant Undersecretary Lt GeneralSheikh Faisal Al-Nawwaf.

The proposal suggested that theperiod given must be in summer sothat expats who have children inschools can leave without affecting

their children’s study. According tothe proposal the violators from dif-ferent nationalities have reachedmore than 100,000 and that thecampaigns carried out by the min-istry of interior have not succeededin detaining all of them.

The decision in this matter now isin the hands of minister of interior.

Amnesty for illegal residents likely

KUWAIT: The Petrochemical IndustriesCompany borrowed $194 million fromthe Kuwait Petroleum Corporation inorder to finalize a $2.2 billion paymentto Dow Chemical in penalties over acanceled joint venture, a local newspa-per reported yesterday quoting sourcesfamiliar with the issue.

The American-based company wonlast year an international court orderstipulating that the PetrochemicalIndustries Company, a wholly ownedsubsidiary of Kuwait PetroleumCorporation, pays a $2.16 billion fine forcanceling the contract to establish a$7.4 billion joint venture project. DowChemical announced last Tuesday thatthe PIC paid $2.2 billion after an agree-ment was reached which saw nearly$300 million in delay penalties writtenoff in exchange of assurances that therewould be no further fallout for its opera-tions in the region.

“The PIC had nearly $2 billion in liq-uidity by the time the payment wasmade,” said the sources who spoke to Al-Anba on the condition of anonymity.They added that the amount was lentbased on an agreement in which the PICwill have to repay the amount within

three months. “As per an earlier KPCboard decision, the PIC was to pay thefine using its current liquidity and bor-row the rest from the KPC while repay-ments are realized from the PIC’s profits,”the sources added.

The Kuwaiti government had calledoff the deal to establish what was to beknown as K-Dow Petrochemicals in late2008 under pressure from the opposi-tion in the parliament, prompting DowChemical to sue for damages as per apenalty clause in the contract.

“The decision to call off the K-Dowdeal was a political error and a case inwhich the government submitted toparliamentary demagoguery,” formerSupreme Petroleum Council memberMusa Maarafi told Al-Jarida newspaperon Monday.

According to the official who was amember of the highest oil body in thecountry at the time when Kuwait wasnegotiating the contract, the govern-ment had given assurances that thedeal would go through, regardless ofMPs’ criticism. “But everything changeduring the last moments,” he said.

“We live today in an era in which theexecutive and legislative authorities are

tampering with the country’s capabili-ties, and what is happening in the par-liament currently is the newest episodein this approach,” Maarafi said, addingthat the ongoing events are meant to“distract attention away from the mainmistake of cancelling the deal, andinstead focus on the penalty clause.”

In this regard, Maarafi indicated thatthe controversial penalty clause was notunprecedented in Kuwait’s oil-relatedpartnership deals. “Similar clauses arementioned in several previous deals butwere never activated because the proj-ects went through,” he explained. Whileindicating that Oil Minister Hani Husaincould not be involved in the cancelationdecision “because he was not a memberof the SPC or the KPC’s board at thetime,” Al-Maarafi indicated that everyparty which had a hand in canceling thedeal “knew about the penalty clause.”

Asked about skepticism concerningthe deal mainly with regards to allega-tions that Dow Chemical planned to sellout-of-date factories to Kuwait, Maarafisaid that “reviewing Dow’s financial datawhich shows the profits that these fac-tories made” proved things were other-wise. —Al-Anba & Al-Jarida

KUWAIT: Even as the ministry of edu-cation recently adopted a new policyto promote employees to higher posi-tions by first enrolling them in specialtraining courses and then puttingthem through a written exam and aninterview, a number of educationistsrecently filed complaints about thenew system. They noted that the writ-ten test was too difficult and they hadnot been taught what was asked in

the tests during the training course, asa result of which they flunked theexam.

In this regard, well-informed min-istry of education sources said thatthe assistant undersecretary for publiceducation, Mohammed Al-Kandari,met with supervisors of various sub-jects to discuss the training coursesand the questions included in theexam. The sources stressed that most

supervisors insisted that these ques-tions were taught during the trainingcourses and those who failed had notprepared well for the exams.

Further, the sources stressed thatsuccess rate was too low and thatmany of the applicants could notscore the 70 per cent minimum graderequired to qualify for the third step ofthe promotion process - the personalinterview. —Al-Jarida

Promotion tests see crisis at MOE

PIC borrowed $194m to pay fine: Report‘K-Dow deal cancellation a political error’


Arabic toilets vswestern ones!

kuwait digest

By Dr Hassan Abdullah Jouhar

A nutcountry

kuwait digest

By Mohammad Hayat

Education and Higher Education M insterNayef Al-Hajraf has said the education min-istry is going ahead with its plan to change

the national school curriculum, adding that newcurriculum will be implemented at the elementarystage, starting from the 2014-15 academic year,and then the rest of the stages will be covered. Aswe bless the reformative steps the ministry willtake, we confirm that the battle for reforming edu-cation and changing it from its roots is not an easytask, especially when it has been scientificallyproven that the ability of our students and gradu-ates is not competitive at the international level.

The United States and other Western countrieswent through various stageswhile reviewing their educa-tional content. We all remem-ber the book , “A Nat ion atRisk”, which was published in1983 and had warned theUnited States against laggingbehind in the field of educa-tion. Officials at the time hadstressed on the importance ofsc ience and mathematics.Without an advanced andrenewed educational systemthat focused on creat ivity,they said, the United Stateswould not be able to compete with other countrieseconomically.

Here are the main questions: In a backward soci-ety in the Third World, how can creativity and sci-entific thinking be developed without an ability toimagine? What is our problem with Education inKuwait? And where is the defect?

It must be emphasized that Kuwait allocates alarge percentage of i ts budget to education.Therefore, the problem does not have anything todo with financial constraints in the sector. Rather,it is the severe shortage of technically skilled work-ers and the failure of industrial, mechanical andcommercial education available in the country toprovide the skilled labour the economy needs. Thistype of education suffers due to some cultural fac-tors and citizens’ unwillingness to work in techni-cal fields, with the government making things

worse by providing them with regular office jobs.The open door policy of accepting students at

the university created another problem: the risingunemployment of university graduates, not onlythose from the fields of art and social sciences butalso those from some scientific disciplines. A diffi-cult question that the education minister will faceis, whether it is better - for the sake of humandevelopment in Kuwait - to provide specialist edu-cation for all students seeking it and continue theopen door policy due to political pressure from cit-izens and national assembly members, or shouldadmission to specialist courses be limited basedon the demand for such specialists on the market?

Despite all attempts toimprove and develop theeducation system, it is stillsuf fer ing f rom poor lytra ined teachers, lack ofproper educational strategyand updated curr iculum,high failure percentage ofstudents at the elementarylevel, and inadequate learn-ing among students. M ypractical experience at theuniversity level is enoughfor me to believe so. We findnew students weak in Arabic

and English, in addition to science and maths.Education methods are still such that studentslearn things by rote, but they cannot explain anddiscuss what they learned from their teachers,because they are not used to free dialogue anddiscussions. What we need now and for the futureis to pay more attention to modern systems andindicators in order to compare the level of educa-tional performance of our schools and studentswith those in other countries. The measure of theextent of educational improvement must not relyon visits by supervisors to schools. Finally, educa-tion in Kuwait cannot be reformed without caringfor teachers, as they are the foundation of the edu-cational process. Able and right-minded teachersdo not push themselves into a political inferno andbecome puppets of political parties and Islamicfactions.

Battle for education reform kuwait digest

By Dr Shamlan Y Al-Essa

It is not strange to see everyone, including patrioticyoung citizens or volunteering groups, jump to thedefense of Kuwait when daily theft of the country’s

wealth has become visible to all. It is not strangewhen someone makes a mistake when working, orwhile making a statement in a moment of anger, par-ticularly when speaking from the heart, with concernabout the nation. It is not strange, too, when every-one has ambitions for a prosperous country thatbefits generous people and has oil wealth throughwhich the impossible can be achieved. But let me tellyou about what is strange in my society:

It is strange when our greatest hope is to dream ofhaving a ‘state’. It is strange when we have heartsempty of love. It is strange when idols are made outof the vainest of people. It is strange when we havehospitals that lack health. It is strange when we haveschools that lack education.

It is strange when we have clubs that lack sports. Itis strange when we have creative minds that find noencouragement. It is strange when we have ideas thatlack execution.

It is strange when we have a constitution that isnot applied. It is strange when we have a cabinet butnot a government. It is strange when we have free-dom but no principles of proper dialogue. It is strangewhen we have a parliament that represents the cabi-net more than it does the people.

It is strange that despite rampant corruption, weare yet to see anyone facing trial over corruptioncharges. It is strange that there are people among us

who criticize corrupt individuals during the day butshake their hands the same night. It is strange whenMPs who are supposed to be the voice of the peopleare instead silencing the public.

It is strange that among us there are people whofeel the need for periodic events to renew their‘pledge of allegiance’ to the ruling family. It is strangethat some honorable members of the ruling familyare in support of such events.

It is strange when your patriotism becomes thereason you swim against the tide in the society.

It is strange when the Jaber Stadium ... I’d rathernot complete this sentence! It is strange that after allof this, some people criticize citizens for public move-ment and even accuse them of destabilizing securityand stability.

It is strange that only a minority of us translatesinto action the feeling of love towards Kuwait thatmost of us claim to have.

It is strange when there are people who believethat we all are politicians, while in reality it is patriot-ism that makes us work in service of this land. It isstrange that those who seek to destroy Kuwait ignorethe fact that it will always remain in the hearts of itstruly loyal patriots. It is strange when those responsi-ble for my country’s devastation are not prosecuted. Itis strange when the love you have towards your coun-try becomes your only crime. It is strange whenstrange things have become normal in my country.But what is stranger than everything above is to havethe feeling that you miss Kuwait while living in it.

Of strange thingskuwait digest

By Omar Al-Tabtabaei

Kuwait is a country that prospered, thanks toimmigrants who have been coming herefrom neighboring areas for hundreds of

years now. Its unity was solidified by the economicchallenges that these immigrants faced throughhard work both on the land as well as on the sea.The Kuwaiti society is therefore characterized asbeing multiethnic, multicultural, multidimensionaland able to adapt itself to host this multitude. Thishas enabled the Kuwaiti society to become anexample of coexistence, unity and cooperationthrough which our forefathers sought to establisha productive society that thrives to achieve decentliving standards.

The discovery of oil launched Kuwait towardseconomic prosperity, and this was followed by theformulation of constitution that our forefathersworked upon in cooperation with the late HH AmirSheikh Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah whose visionwas to transform Kuwait into a civilized statewhere the government shares wealth and adminis-trative duties with the people, in its quest forestablishing a civil state based on the basic humanvalues of equality, justice and freedom.

All these elements of success helped Kuwaitassume pioneering positions in the years that fol-lowed in international politics, economy, cultureand sports.

What a beautiful country ours is. It was builtthrough the hard work and cooperation of ourforefathers, and earned several monikers through-out its history including being known as a countryof safety, security, freedoms, institutions, charity,humanitarian work, achievements and ambitions.We hear so many terms associated with our coun-try’s name so proudly; until one of our ministerscame up with a title that we had never heard ofbefore.

To be honest, I was upset at first when I heardthat Minister of Cabinet Affairs, Sheikh MohammadAl-Abdullah Al-Sabah, had compared Kuwait with anut “which is hard to break but is worth trying.” Butwhen I thought about it, I realized that the ‘nutcountry’ title which the ‘young minister’ has cho-sen was never truer to describe the current situa-tion in Kuwait. Here are some proofs: When minis-ters are appointed on the basis of favoritisminstead of competency and vision, then we indeedare living in a nut country.

When people are rewarded with a senior gov-ernment post (undersecretary assistant for exam-ple) for defending the government’s repeateddecisions that were only examples in mismanage-ment, then we are indeed living in a nut country.

When the development plan is only found onpaper while the public remains unaware about thefate of KD37 billion allocated for it, then we indeedare living in a nut country.

When we take several steps backwards in thedomains of culture, literature, sports, theater andacademics despite record surpluses year after year,then we indeed are living in a nut country.

When ambitious young people see their aspira-tions of serving their country crash as the stateprefers to retain senior officials in their posts forover 35 years, then we indeed are living in a nutcountry.

When the health and education sectors contin-ue to deteriorate in a country credited for contri-butions that helped build many countries world-wide, then we indeed are living in a nut country.

When unemployment rate rises and Kuwaiti jobhopefuls are handed after months of waiting aposition in a field that is not in keeping with theirfield of study, then we indeed are living in a nutcountry.

When the state is unable to resolve an issue dueto which 120,000 human beings are suffering asthey are living without an identity, education,health, marriage certificates and even death certifi-cates, then we indeed are living in a nut country.

When a person is beaten and faced with teargas for expressing his opinion peacefully in the‘land of freedoms’, then we indeed are living in anut country.

When people are disrespected and we see sec-tarianism spreading in society because the state isunable to stop a bunch of xenophobic individuals,then we indeed are living in a nut country.

When a senior official violates sports laws regu-lated by the parliament and the governmentstands and watches as it happens, then we indeedare living in a nut country.

When the state pays billions of dollars to DowChemical as per a penalty clause in a joint projectthat was canceled because the government couldnot face threats from an oppositionist minority inthe parliament, then we indeed are living in a nutcountry.

When people elect their representatives on sec-tarian, racial and tribal basis while ignoring candi-dates’ legislative capabilities, then we indeed areliving in a nut country.

When political groups shape freedom of expres-sion only in accordance with their own interests,then we indeed are living in a nut country.

When we have a government that works with-out a clear plan and approach, combined with anopposition which cannot make up its mind on astrategy or approach they want to follow, then weindeed are living in a nut country.

All these and others are reasons why I could notagree more with Minister Sheikh Mohammad Al-Sabah on anything except for his comparisonbetween Kuwait and a hard-shelled nut.

Oh, and I forgot this one last reason: when adebutant minister is hired to practice at the cost ofour destiny and future because of his or her linage,then we indeed are living in a nut country. —Al-Rai

D espite all attempts toimprove and develop the edu-cation system, it is still sufferingfrom poorly trained teachers,lack of proper educationalstrategy and updated curricu-lum, high failure percentage ofstudents at the elementary lev-el, and inadequate learningamong students.

An Italian court recently indicted the formerprime minister Silvio Berlusconi for evadingtax laws. A French court earlier indicted for-

mer president Jacque Chirac on charges of corrup-tion during his tenure as the mayor of Paris. FormerUkraine premier Yulia Tymoshenko is behind barsfor his involvement in a suspected gas tender dealwith Russia. The list of senior officials, includingministers, and celebrities who were tried, convictedand punished for corruption irrespective of theirstature or fame is endless.

Such examples show that everybody is equal in astate run by law and that is why these countries fig-ure at the top of prosperous, stable and advancedworld. To err is human and a man occasionallyweakens when faced with some temptations or, atleast, turns a blind eye when ‘needed’. Senior offi-cials sometimes realize that they are committing aserious mistake and yet, take a chance leaving theconsequences to circumstances and to the odds ofwhether they will be found out.

Such a risk can sometimes be logical and worthtaking because it is a double-edged weapon. Thereal problem is when such officials are sure thatthey are above the law and that it would be impos-sible to hold them accountable. Such a notion isunfortunately deep-rooted in our country as well asin the whole Arab world. That’s why we are laggingway behind and are overburdened with loads ofcorruption everywhere. It turns everything into astate of tardiness, oppression and deprivation.

Even the Arab revolutions that took place sinceWorld War II and till the Arab Spring currently rag-ing, have shown that despite all those slogans,beautiful dreams and sincere sacrifices, betting onthe ‘New’ cannot be counted on since revolutionsquickly pass into the hands of gangsters commit-ting so many follies and crimes and becominginvolved in corruption that people start longing fortheir predecessors reign.

In this regard, I liked an idea that is beingexchanged over the social media networks compar-ing Arab and Western leaders, for two reasons. First,the allegory so well mirrors real life. Second, itshows that even Arab ideas and sayings are derivedfrom a corrupt culture surrounding us nowadays,compared to the days when Arabs used to spreadintellect, culture, civilization and philosophy world-wide.

The allegory resembles an Arab leader to anArab ‘toilet’ and the Western one to a Western ‘toi-let’, if you may excuse me. A Western toilet can beeasily replaced by simply loosening four screwswhereas the Arabic one has to be totally smashedalong with the whole bathroom floor and all theplumbing before throwing the Dupree into thestreet and installing a new one. It is a shamefulcomparison but so real when it comes to holdingArab officials or leaders accountable or replacingthem. —Al-Jarida

A little harshassessment

kuwait digest

By Abdullatif Al-Duaij

Longtime financial analyst Fakhri Shehabexplained in a recent column that the lossesarising from the K-Dow deal were primarily

caused by the first generation of Kuwaitis whoaccording to him hired inexperienced people inadministrative and government posts just whenKuwait was entering the era of modernization.

I believe that Shehab’s assessment was a littleharsh on the early generation that gained experi-ence in leadership and management skills whichqualified them for the roles to manage the country.This was exactly why the founding fathers soughtthe help of Arab and foreign experts wherever pos-sible, and without any discrimination. For example,the Kuwaiti constitution was put together largely byEgyptian experts Othman Khalil Othman andMuhsin Hafiz, while the English are credited forinfrastructure planning in Kuwait; a job thatKuwaitis entrusted them. The army and police forcewere handed to some Arab senior officials initiallyas well. Al-Shehab was accurate when he diagnosedthe problem being a result of “administrative weak-ness,” but he accused the wrong party.Administrative weakness has mainly been causedby the ‘Kuwaitization’ policy of replacing foreignersin senior government posts with locals. It was anopportunistic policy sugarcoated by claims of‘nationalism’ and of ‘serving the general interest.’

The Kuwaitization policy began in the late sixties,coinciding with the government’s move to targetreal Kuwaiti experts and ultimately eliminating the‘first generation’ from the scene, followed bysidelining of the political opposition, forging theelections and tampering with the entire electoralprocess.

Since then, Kuwait has been at the mercy of‘employees’, or people who take over cabinet postsand are planted in parliaments. This is how ‘job pro-motions’, ‘pay raises’ and ‘allowances’ became themain concern of Kuwaiti politicians in recent years.

The problem does not end by ending theKuwaitization policy, but both Kuwait and Kuwaitishave now become the victims of the ‘substitution’policy. This policy means replacing productive Arabor foreign expatriate workers with Kuwaiti employ-ees who are often unproductive. This is being doneon the pretext that it is the state’s duty to providejobs for Kuwaitis. This policy signals the end of com-petiveness in the Kuwaiti job market completely. IfKuwait has lost two billion dollars as a result of theKuwaitization policy, I wonder how big will be theloss as a result of the substitution policy. —Al-Qabas


KUWAIT: While the cabinet’s absence from theparliament’s session yesterday was expected inthe wake of grilling motions filed against the oiland interior ministers, local newspapers yester-day speculated that several scenarios aimed atdefusing the seemingly impromptu crisisbetween the executive and legislative authori-ties are being considered, including resigna-tions.

In this regard, Al-Qabas reported that all theministers submitted their resignations to HH thePrime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, quoting sources familiar with the cabi-net’s weekly meeting that took place Monday.

While resignation of the entire cabinet seemsunlikely at this point (Parliament Speaker Ali Al-Rashid is expected to meet the premier verysoon in a bid to contain the crisis), most scenar-ios seem to suggest that resignations of someministers were imminent. “Four ministers arelikely to be included in a reshuffle that could bethe last resort if the Cabinet wants to avoidresigning or facing the grillings,” said politicalinsiders who spoke to Al-Qabas on the conditionof anonymity.

MPs Dr Yousuf Al-Zalzalah and Safaa Al-Hashem filed to grill First Deputy Prime Ministerand Interior Minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-HmoudAl-Sabah on allegations of failure to cooperatewith the parliament, failure to implement courtorders, the state of security and attempting tocover up a Kuwaiti “terror” cell having links withIslamists on trial in the United Arab Emirates.

Meanwhile, MPs Saadoun Hammad, YaqoubAl-Sane’a and Nasser Al-Merri filed to grillMinister of Oil Hani Husain over the $2.2 billionpenalty payment to US-based Dow Chemical, aswell as accusations of allowing commercial dealswith Israel, not taking any action to prevent thesale of alcohol at Kuwait-owned gas stations inEurope and approving illegal staff promotions atstate-owned oil companies.

“ The accelerated pace of filing grillingmotions could be motivated by a feeling amongMPs that the highly anticipated ConstitutionalCourt ruling on the single vote system will not bein the parliament’s favor,” Al-Qabas’ report reads,quoting observers who did not wish to benamed. Others speculated in the meantime thatthe interpellations were likely aimed at puttingpressure on the government in order to force areshuffle that will ease out from the cabinet anumber of ministers who are not well-liked bythe parliament.

According to the government insiders whoattended the cabinet’s weekly meeting, minis-ters expressed disappointment at MPs’ sudden

change of heart “which seems to be an attemptto garner popularity in anticipation of theConstitutional Court’s ruling on June 16th.”

The court is expected to pronounce its ver-dict on that date in cases involving challengesmade against last December’s elections, ques-tioning the constitutionality of an emergencydecree that amended the voting mechanism pri-or to the elections. Meanwhile, a source withknowledge of the cabinet’s thinking told Al-Qabas that a decision to activate article 106 ofthe constitution which gives the state’s Amir theauthority to suspend the parliament for onemonth “could be an ideal way out of the crisis.”

If the said decision was made next Sunday,the parliament would resume session on June19th, provided that the Constitutional Court’sruling does not nullify the election results.

The opposition, which had boycotted theelections claiming that the decree reducing thenumber of votes a citizen could cast from four toone, was aimed to create a rubberstamp parlia-ment, is speculating that the current politicalunrest is nothing but a ploy to ensure that theparliament is dissolved thus rendering in vain allchallenges being looked at by the court. This

claim is mostly used to support arguments thatthe cabinet and MPs were working together tohelp ‘immunize’ the single-vote system.

But according to a constitutional expert whospoke to a local newspaper in this regard, a dis-solution prior to the court’s ruling does not nec-essarily provide protection for the new electoralsystem.

“That decision in the end depends on theassessment of the Constitutional Court whichalone can answer that question,” KuwaitUniversity Professor Dr. Mohammad Al-Feeli toldAnnahar on Monday. He added that new chal-lenges to the single-vote system can still be filedeven if the current parliament was to be dis-solved.

In other news, the Appeals Court adjourned acase involving a leading oppositionist who facesjail term over charges of offending HH the Amir,and set May 27th as the date to pronounce itsruling. The Criminal Court had sentenced formerMP Musallam Al-Barrak last month to five yearsin jail for the statements made during a publicrally last October, before the Appeals Courtreleased him on bail pending its ruling.

— Al-Qabas & Annahar

Tension rises amidresignation rumors

Reshuffle seen as possible way out

KUWAIT: His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah presides over aCabinet meeting yesterday.

KUWAIT: National Assembly Speaker Ali Fahed Al-Rashed meets with Omani mediapersonnel who cover proceedings at the Omani Shoura Council. The members arevisiting Kuwait to get a first hand look at the workings of the Kuwaiti NationalAssembly. — KUNA

KUWAIT: The Minister of Electricity andWater (MEW ), Eng Abdul Aziz Al-Ibrahim, stressed that accusations andsuspicions raised about some tenderssend a wrong message of mistrust insupervisory bodies, especially sincethese are autonomous. He also stressedthat everybody should either trust ordistrust them. “The danger lies in theimpact that merchants’ disputes mayhave upon citizens’ interests,” he under-lined.

Speaking at a special ceremony heldat the MEW to honor a number of out-standing Kuwaiti woman engineers, Al-Ibrahim reviewed the MEW’s role in uti-lizing power and water resources inmost efficient ways that match the lat-est scientific and technological meth-ods.

The minister also stressed the needto respect others’ opinions because thefreedom of expression was protected bylaw. “ The government only came toserve the people whose interests haveto have top priority regardless of mer-chants’ disputes that may affect citi-zens,” added the minister, noting thatthe government races against the clockto provide public services.

Responding to a question aboutgrilling threats he received over tendersnumber 8 and 9 concerning building500 megawatt power plants in SouthernZour and Subbiya, Al-Ibrahim pointed

out that grilling motions and interpella-tions were constitutional rights thatshould not be abused.

“We do not accept threats such as:‘We’ll grill you if you sign those tenders’,especially since both of them wentthrough normal legal channels like anyother tender,” he explained, noting thatonce the ministry recommended a ten-der, the final decision is of the CentralTenders Committee which then sends itto the auditing bureau for scrutinybefore the minister signs it.

The minister also noted that therewas only one winner in any tender andthat those who lose have every right tocomplain. “That is what happened withthese two tenders as all losing biddersfiled complaints with the ministry, tothe CTC and to the auditing bureau. Thecomplaints were discussed and the finaldecision was made. What mistake didMEW do in all this?” he wondered. whilepointing out that delaying those twotenders may lead to a real power crisisby 2014.

“This means either resorting to pro-grammed power outages or delays inconnecting power current to buildingsin new areas,” he warned, underliningthat there was an annual increase inpower consumption by 800 megawattsand such an increased demand can onlybe met by building new power plants.

— Al Jarida

Al-Ibrahim warns againstmisusing grilling rights


By Sajeev K Peter

KUWAIT: A Tourism Malaysia roadshow rolled intoKuwait yesterday with the slogan ‘Visit Malaysia Year2014’ promoting the country’s diverse and distincttourism offerings targeting Kuwait travelers. “Whenwe celebrate ‘VMY 2014’ with the theme ‘EndlessPossibilities’, Tourism Malaysia will fine-tune itstourism offerings to attract more visitors from theMiddle East to Malaysia. I’m confident that we will beable to achieve our target of turning Malaysia intothe top destination for Muslim travelers,” saidTourism Malaysia’s Deputy Director General(Planning) Azizan Noordin during a media briefingat Courtyard Marriott Hotel.

The roadshow organized as part of the ArabianTravel Market (ATM) started off in Dubai (May 6-9),travelled through Oman (May 11-12) and arrived inKuwait yesterday. Azizan, who is leading theMalaysian delegation at the Kuwait Travel Marketroadshow, said Malaysia secured the first spot as theworld’s top Muslim-friendly holiday destination,quoting a survey released in January this year byCrescent Rating, a Singapore-based Muslim travel

consultancy. “On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 as thebest score, Malaysia obtained 8.3 among 50 nationssurveyed,” he elaborated.

The year 2014 has been designated as VisitMalaysia Year (VMY 2014) during which Malaysia tar-gets to attract 28 million tourists. The MalaysiaTourism Transformation Plan (MTTP) targets to bringin 36 million tourists and 168 billion Malaysian ring-gits in tourist receipts by 2020.

Tourism Malaysia’s participation in this year’sArabian Travel Mart was conspicuous by a strongpresence of the Malaysian delegation that com-prised 120 sellers from 77 organizations. Theyincluded hotels and resorts, travel agents, tourismproduct owners, representatives from varioustourism bodies including Legoland Malaysia,Putrajaya Corporation, Tourism Selangor, LangkawiDevelopment Authority (LADA) and Visit KL (theTourism Unit of the Kuala Lumpur City Hall).

The Malaysian delegation that addressed themedia included officials from the ‘VMY 2014’ secre-tariat and two prominent figures in Malaysia’stourism industry - the President of MalaysianAssociation of Hotels (MAH) Mohd Ilyas Zainol

Abidin and the President of the MalaysianAssociation of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) MohdKhalid Harun, who are also board members ofTourism Malaysia. Malaysian Ambassador to KuwaitAdnan Haji Othman, Mohammed Taib Ibrahim,Director TM Dubai, Zulkifly Md Said, director,International Promotions and Monzer Najia, CEO,Boodai Aviation, Kuwait also addressed the mediabriefing.

Kuwait visitors“Currently we are working out with our agents

here to offer new packages and promotions toattract more Kuwaiti travellers into Malaysia becauseit is a growing market for us,” Azizan told the KuwaitTimes on the sidelines of the travel mart. “We are tar-geting around 24,000 tourists from Kuwait this year,which is 2,000 more than 2012,” he added, giving aconservative estimate. In 2012, tourist arrivals fromMiddle East to Malaysia were 370,535, which was anincrease of 3.2 percent compared to 358,994 in 2011.For the same period, tourist arrivals from Oman reg-istered a hike of 13.2 percent while tourist arrivalsfrom UAE and Kuwait recorded a drop of 24.7 per-

cent and 0.3 percent respectively. In terms of touristreceipts, Oman and Kuwait registered a growth of 14percent and 0.9 percent respectively, he informed.

“We are also looking at the possibility of increas-ing the availability of flights to Malaysia from theregion,” he said. Currently, Kuwait Airways operatesthree flights a week to Kuala Lumpur offering 816

seats. Emirates Airlines and Etihad Airways flybetween UAE and Malaysia offering 32 flights and11,169 seats per week. Oman Air operates sevenflights a week offering 1,540 seats. Egypt Air andTurkish Airlines have started flying to Kuala Lumpur.

Tourism Malaysia has just added another featherin its cap by bagging the “Best Global TourismAdvertising Campaign” award at the 4th Middle EastBusiness Leaders Awards 2013 held on 28 April inAbu Dhabi. The event was jointly organized by theFederation of GCC Chambers and The LeadersInternational.

Tourism Malaysia launched online tour packagesand the “Tourism Malaysia Dubai” app during themedia briefing in ATM Dubai 2013. The informativeand interactive app allows travellers and business-men to find information on tourist destinations inMalaysia, book flights and hotels, and get the besttravel deals and packages from Middle East toMalaysia.

Themed ‘Celebrating Malaysia’, ‘Truly Asia, VMY2014’ is all set to boost tourist arrivals and showcaseMalaysia’s colorful festivals, diverse culture and mul-tiracial community living in harmony as one nation.

Malaysia to fine-tune tourism offerings for Kuwait Roadshow promotes ‘VMY 2014’ at Kuwait Travel Mart

KUWAIT: Azizan Noordin briefs the media (center). Tourism Malaysia officials, Ambassador Adnan Haji Othman and Monzer Najia are also on the dais. (Right) Malaysian dancers welcome the guests. — Photos by Sajeev K Peter

Report on ‘Arabic for Life’ submitted

Azizan Noordin

DUBAI: The Commission for theModernization of Teaching Arabic hassubmitted to Sheikh Mohammed binRashid Al-Maktoum, Vice President andPrime Minister of the UAE and Ruler ofDubai, the Report on the Modernizationof Teaching Arabic entitled, ‘Arabic for Life’.

Calling for the report to be made avail-able across the Arab world to help localArabic teaching institutions to develop theirteaching methods and identify their weak-nesses and challenges when teachingArabic, His Highness Sheikh Mohammedsaid: “As the language of the Holy Quran andthe foundation of Arab civilization, Arabichas helped people develop their nationalidentity. It is also a symbol of unity acrossthe Arab world. For these reasons, Arabicholds tremendous value for its people.Therefore it is a national responsibility toprotect the language.”

The report highlights the challengesand potential in developing Arabic lan-guage education, and includes a widearray of recommendations to improveArabic teaching methods in line withinternational best practices. At a pressconference in Dubai yesterday, theCommission praised the unstinting sup-port of His Highness Sheikh Mohammedto its efforts, which enabled theCommission to complete the tasks relatedto the report. These included the study ofthe current state of the Arabic languageand of the teaching methodologies,reflecting the vision of His HighnessSheikh Mohammed to strengthen theposition of Arabic language among otherlanguages in the world.

The Commission announced the out-comes of the Report on theModernization of Teaching Arabic at thepress conference led by Dr. Farouk El Baz,Chairman of the Commission, in the pres-ence of a group of intellectuals,researchers, experts, academics, students,and others. The report is available onwww.arabicforlife.ae.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr El Bazsaid the report focuses on developingmodern educational tools for Arabic, byleveraging advanced technologies andmodern communication methods thatsuit the younger generations and theirinterests.

The report presents a significantopportunity to make fundamentalchanges in teaching approaches by build-ing on the crucial relevance of Arabic inthe region, and on the increased aware-ness of the necessity to build knowledgein the local language.

Arabic for life The Committee chose ‘Arabic for Life’

as the title of the report to firmly root itswork in the language’s current reality andin the technical and scientific develop-ments surrounding it, taking into accountthe growing interest among non-speakersto learn it in various academic institutionsaround the world. ‘Arabic for Life’ waschosen to declare that the most impor-tant functions of Arabic as a language ofdaily communication should be the plat-form on which to build new curricula anddesign the most appropriate teachingmaterials that would transform the teach-ing of Arabic.

“Modernization is not incompatiblewith tradition. The great Arab thinkersnever stopped the process of improve-ment and modernization which allowedmajor advances in various fields of knowl-edge, including in language teaching”said Professor Yasir Suleiman, a memberof the Commission professor of ModernArabic Studies and Fellow of King’sCollege at the University of Cambridge.

Comprehensive plan The report draws from latest scientific

research and studies in the field of lan-guage teaching and learning. Several sur-veys were conducted with experts toexplore teaching methods and the chal-lenges in modernizing Arabic teaching.

Report elementsThe report provides an overview of the

current state of Arabic teaching based onfive main themes: curriculum develop-ment, culture of reading, teachers, the roleof the media in supporting the teachingof Arabic and teaching Arabic to non-native speakers. It also offers recommen-dations and solutions that can be imple-mented within a reasonable timeframe toachieve quick success in the moderniza-tion of Arabic teaching as well as long-term strategic solutions. Curriculumdevelopment is one of the most impor-tant elements of the report, said FaroukShosha, Secretary General of the ArabicLanguage Academy in Egypt and a mem-ber of the Committee, calling for updatingArabic teaching by selecting literary textsthat are relevant to the modern era andintroducing students to texts of increasedcomplexity during their years of schoolingrather than the current approach of study-ing literature starting from old texts which

surprise students and feel alien to them.

Reading as a key knowledge development tool

The Commission stressed the impor-tance of strengthening the culture ofreading because of its decisive effect onteaching and learning standards, and itspositive impact on students’ writing skills.

According to the report, 42 percent ofthe students in the Arab world read onlyonce a week or less. 64 percent of thosewho read, do so in standard Arabic. Basedon these findings, the report offers a strat-egy to nurture the culture of reading thatinvolves the family, school and the widercommunity.

Social MediaThe Commission recommended the

active use of modern technology, espe-cially social media, in classroom activitiesand team projects that encourage stu-dents to develop their reading habits. Italso recommends the development ofelectronic libraries to reach increasednumbers of students with a variety ofbooks.

The report called for the publication ofsimplified editions of renowned Arabic lit-erary masterpieces, which could speak totoday’s generation. Versions in easy-to-understand language, targeting variouslevels of education, would introduce stu-dents to their literary heritage andencourage them to read more advancedtexts as their language skills develop.

The report also highlighted the impor-tance of leveraging digital media to reachout to young people who spend substan-tial amount of time on social media plat-forms. It said education system must fullyunderstand the new media landscape todevelop the right approaches to reachstudents. Surveys conducted during theCommission’s work have confirmed, forexample, that broadcast television isincreasingly losing ground, as an activityamong young Arabs, when compared tointernet-based media The Commissionstressed the opportunity this new medialandscape can represent: social networkscould be a tool used to motivate studentsand involve teachers and parents throughchannels of communication. In this con-text, the report highlighted the need toupgrade the skills of teachers to enablethem to effectively and creatively utilizesocial media tools and new technologies.

Teacher’s indispensable role Keeping in mind the primary role of

teachers in the education process, thereport recommended the strict selectionof highly qualified teachers capable oftranslating this modern curriculum intonew practices in the classroom. It alsocalls for a renewed effort to train anddevelop teachers, particularly along two

dimensions: efforts to enrich their knowl-edge of best practice teaching, andempowering them with skills and practi-cal training to activate this knowledge.The Committee also proposed an inte-grated system for the certification ofArabic language teachers, including selec-tion criteria, training provision..

Non-Arabic Speakers In view of the growing interest among

non-native speakers to learn Arabic andlearn about the Arab culture, theCommission recommended strengtheningthe status of Arabic language as a univer-sal language and a language of scienceand culture. This is to be achieved byestablishing specialised Arabic teachingcentres and exchange programs betweenacademic institutions with a global reputa-tion in language training. It also recom-mended establishing a programme totrain teachers specialized in the teachingof Arabic for non-native speakers as well asthe creation of a global translation centre.

Crowdsourced mapping The Commission has used crowd-

sourced mapping, an approach that wasused for the first time in Arabic languagedevelopment projects, to produce a mindmap of how students, teachers, principals,academics, curriculum experts, mediaprofessionals and parents, perceive themain factors that influence the process ofimproving the quality of the teaching ofArabic.

Modern Arabic teaching methods, tools in focus

KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) continues its annualsummer campaign offering its customers the chance to win anastonishing Azimut 40 Flybridge Yacht as well as up toKD180,000 in cash prizes.

NBK will announce the first six winners of its annual summercampaign next Month. NBK Cardholders have the chance to par-ticipate in the promotion that lasts until September 15 and earnunlimited chances in the three draws throughout the summer. Inaddition to the grand prize draw for the Azimut 40 Yacht, 18 win-ners will be reimbursed for all their spending using NBK Cards upto KD10,000. For every cumulative KD20 spent in Kuwait withNBK Credit or Prepaid Cards, Cardholders will earn a chance to

enter the draws. Cardholders will triple their chances by usingtheir NBK Credit, prepaid and debit card abroad or by shoppingon international sites. Last summer NBK gave away a McLarenMP4-12C. This year, NBK is giving away the Azimut Yacht. NBKSummer Campaign is the biggest promotion. All NBKCardholders can use their Cards during the summer to enjoy thisexclusive promotion. NBK cards are accepted worldwide and arethe safest, most convenient and rewarding way to pay. TheAzimut 40 Flybridge is one of the most luxurious yachtsdesigned by Azimut-Benetti, the world renowned yacht manu-facturers, combining elegance and comfort. Seas & DesertsGroup is the exclusive Azimut Yachts dealer in Kuwait.

Astonishing Azimut yacht, KD180,000 in cash prizes

NBK summer campaign largest in Kuwait

WEDNES DAY, MAY 15, 2013

Cameron faces leadership questions over Europe

Page 9

First Kurdish rebels reach Iraq under Turkish peace planPage 8

Rohingyas drown trying to flee stormPowerful cyclone threatens displaced people in Myanmar camps

SITTWE, Myanmar: Internally displaced Rohingya boys shiver in rain in a makeshift camp for Rohingya people in northwestern Rakhine state ahead of the arrival of Cyclone Mahasen yesterday. — AP

SITTWE, Myanmar: A boat carrying about 100Rohingya Muslims capsized off western Myanmarand many were feared drowned at the beginning ofa mass evacuation from low-lying regions ahead of apowerful storm, a United Nations official said yester-day. The tropical depression, likely to strengtheninto Cyclone Mahasen this week, threatens areas ofMyanmar where about 140,000 victims of ethnic andreligious unrest are living in camps. The UnitedNations warned last week there could be a humani-tarian catastrophe if people were not evacuated.

The boat struck rocks off Pauktaw in RakhineState and sank, said Barbara Manzi, head of theMyanmar off ice of the UN O ff ice for theCoordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). A mili-tary intelligence officer told Reuters at least 50 peo-ple drowned when the boat went down at aroundmidnight on Monday. It was one of six leavingPauktaw, the official said, declining to be identifiedbecause he was not authorised to speak to media.The evacuation from Pauktaw was part of a govern-ment evacuation plan, said Kirsten Mildren, aspokeswoman for OCHA in Bangkok. She said shehad heard five boats had set off but accounts wereconfused. She understood 42 people survived andeight bodies had been found.

“We understand that yesterday evening theywent out with the approval of government officials.This was part of an official government evacuationplan although the boats were not governmentboats. They were moving from a low-lying area to asafer area,” she said. Forecasts by the US Navy’s Joint

Warning Center show the storm making its waynorth over the Bay of Bengal. It is expected to makelandfall tomorrow near Chittagong in Bangladeshbefore moving into neighbouring Myanmar.

The United Nations said about 69,000 people,most of them Rohingya Muslims, were living inRakhine State in accommodation at risk of floodingand other damage during the rainy season, whichstarts this month and continues until September.The evacuations, a joint effort by the governmentand aid agencies, are seen as a test of Myanmar’swillingness to assist the Rohingya, an impoverishedand long-persecuted people who bore the brunt ofsectarian violence in Rakhine State last year and suf-fered before that during half a century of militaryrule.

Vice-President Nyun Tun visited some of thecamps yesterday to try to persuade people to relo-cate but many refused to go. One group who hadbeen displaced from Thandawli village in the statecapital of Sittwe said they would not go to a nearbyarmy barracks.

“If the storm comes, we want to die here,” saidFatima Hadu, 65, as the rain poured onto sheltersbuilt with little more than bamboo and thatch.OCHA head Manzi implored the displaced in onecamp to move to a safer area and said they couldsend representatives to look at the new site first, butthat had little effect. “We didn’t receive food assis-tance here. If we go to a new place, we won’t receivefood assistance. Whether there’s a storm or not, wewill die here,” one man told her.

At least 192 people were killed in June andOctober last year in violence between ethnicRakhine Buddhists and Rohingya, who are deniedcitizenship by the government in Myanmar and con-sidered immigrants from Bangladesh. Myanmar is apredominantly Buddhist country but about 5 per-cent of its 60 million people are Muslims. They face agrowing anti-Muslim campaign led by radicalBuddhist monks. Around Sittwe, up to 45,000 dis-placed people living in low-lying areas have beenidentified as the most vulnerable to Mahasen. Somehave begun to be moved to higher ground.Evacuations began on Monday from Pauktaw, a porttown about 27 km by sea from Sittwe. Hundreds ofRohingya homes were destroyed in Pauktaw inOctober and nearly 20,000 Rohingya have been incamps there, including about 12,000 in flood-proneareas, according to UN data.

In Bangladesh, authorities told residents of outly-ing islands to start evacuating. Fishing boats andother small boats were warned to remain near thecoast and not venture out to sea. In eastern India,authorities put 10 coastal districts on alert. Imagestaken by NASA’s Aqua satellite on May 13 showedthe storm’s centre northeast of Sri Lanka packingwinds of up to 50 knots (92 km per hour). The windsare expected to increase to 130 km per hour as thestorm goes north. The space agency forecasts thestorm will be upgraded to a Cyclone 1 level bytoday. In 2008 a cyclone swept across Myanmar’sIrrawaddy Delta, south of the old capital, Yangon,killing up to 140,000 people. — Reuters

KIGALI: Around 100 people are feared trapped after a four-storey building under construction collapsed in northeasternRwanda, the government said yesterday. “So far, the tentativeinformation we have indicates that debris fell on about 100people, we are yet to come up with the exact figures,”Rwandan Minister of Disaster Management SeraphineMukantabana told AFP. Police spokesman Theos Badege saidthat three people were confirmed dead and 21 people hadbeen taken to hospital. Those trapped are believed to includeboth construction workers on the building as well as passers-by on the street.

“Working with the Rwanda Defence Forces, the policehave secured the site and are currently undertaking an inten-sive rescue operation,” the police said in a statement. Thebuilding, on a roadside in the town of Nyagatare, some 100km northeast of the capital Kigali, collapsed yesterday after-noon at around 3:00 pm (1300GMT), police said. “At themoment we are working with the police on a quick response,”Mukantabana added. “The building that collapsed was a four-storey located in Nyagatare district by the roadside, and thatis why it affected many people.” Rwanda’s Ministry of DisasterManagement said in a statement it had “deployed equipmentto assist with the rescue operation.” —AFP

100 trapped in Rwanda bldg

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I N T E R N AT I O N A LWEDNESDAY, MAY 15, 2013

MOSCOW: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahumet Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday on anapparent mission to warn Moscow against sendingarms to Syria as alarm grows over the spiralling deathtoll in the conflict. In their concluding remarks follow-ing talks at the Russian strongman’s Black Sea resi-dence in Sochi, the two leaders were intent on givinglittle away about their closed-door meeting. Israelwants Russia to halt supplies of formidable S-300 mis-siles which would severely complicate any future airattacks against the regime of Syrian President BasharAl-Assad.

Netanyahu did not mention the sensitive weaponsissue in public but Putin warned against any destabilis-ing moves in the Middle East, days after Israeli forceslaunched air strikes against regime targets in Syria. “Inthis crucial period it is especially important to avoidany moves that can shake the situation,” Putin said intelevised remarks. Netanyahu stressed meanwhile itwas his country’s task to defend its citizens. The Israeliprime minister added: “Together we are trying to findways to strengthen stability and security, it’s importantboth for you and us.”

The West and Israel are particularly concernedabout Russia’s refusal to rule out deliveries to Syria ofadvanced S-300 missile batteries under an existingcontract amid growing concerns over a war thatactivists say has claimed at least 80,000 lives. The issueson yesterday’s agenda had some parallels to a tripNetanyahu made to Moscow in Sept 2009 for Kremlintalks deemed so sensitive that the visit was kept secretat the time. According to Israeli media, Netanyahu isbelieved on that trip to have raised fears about aRussian plan to deliver S-300s to Iran that Moscowdecided in the end not to fulfil.

Viktor Kremenyuk, deputy director of the USA andCanada Institute, suggested that Netanyahu duringthe current visit would warn Putin that Israeli air forcewould target the S-300s should the Kremlin decide todeliver the arms to Syria. “Indirectly, he is letting himknow that Israel would destroy the S-300 when theyget delivered and start being assembled,” he told AFPahead of the meeting. Russian Foreign Minister SergeiLavrov said last week that Moscow was “completing”supplies of equipment to Syria agreed under previouscontracts. According to the Wall Street Journal, citingan Israeli intelligence report, the 2010 contract withSyria includes six launchers and 144 missiles, each with

a range of 200 km. Netanyahu was just the latest worldleader to beat a path to Putin’s door for talks on Syria inrecent days, after US Secretary of State John Kerry andBritish Prime Minister David Cameron met the Russianstrongman last week. In the wake of the talks withNetanyahu at Putin’s vacation residence in the south-ern resort of Sochi, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moonis also due to travel to Russia later this week.

In an unusual move, Ban and Lavrov will hold ajoint news conference on Friday in Sochi in a sign thatBan may also discuss the Syria conflict with Putin.Cameron said on Monday after talks with US PresidentBarack Obama that London and Moscow had found“common ground” on the crisis. Obama was more cau-tious however, saying that there “remains lingeringsuspicions between Russia and other members of theG8 and or the West”. Particular hope has focussed on

the agreement between Russia and the United Statesto work to convene a peace conference on Syria. Theconference is likely to be held in early June, said a StateDepartment spokeswoman on Monday.

Jordan’s foreign ministry said yesterday Ammanwould host a meeting of the largely anti-Assad “Friendsof Syria” group of Western and Arab states that is likelyto discuss the conference. Upping the stakes, Kerrysaid in Sweden that Syria’s opposition would receiveadditional assistance if Assad refused to attend theproposed peace conference in person. The latest pushto try to find an end to the slaughter in Syria comes asthe war is taking a turn for the worse amid reports thatthe Assad regime is starting to win back territory. Agruesome video surfaced earlier in which a Syrianrebel fighter is shown cutting out the heart of a regimesoldier. — AFP

Bibi meets Putin in bid to sway Russia on Syria

Two leaders give little away about their talks

SOCHI, Russia: Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) shakes hands with Israeli PrimeMinister Benjamin Netanyahu during their meeting at the Bocharov Ruchei residence in thisBlack Sea resort yesterday. — AP

DOHUK, Iraq: Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) fighters greet their comrades as they arrivein this northern Iraqi city yesterday after leaving Turkey as part of a peace drive withAnkara. — AFP

HARUR, Iraq: A first group of Kurdish fight-ers pulling out of Turkey under a trucearrived in the autonomous Kurdish region ofIraq yesterday to handshakes and embracesafter a gruelling week-long journey. But theIraqi government slammed the movement ofKurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) fighters intoits territory as a “flagrant violation” of its sov-ereignty and said it would complain to theUN Security Council. “We are the first groupto reach the safe area in Iraq,” said Jagar,leader of the group of PKK fighters that com-prised nine men and six women.

The fighters, who arrived in the Harur areaof Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region atabout 6:00 am (0300 GMT), were armed withKalashnikov assault rifles, light machinegunsand rocket-propelled grenade launchers.They were greeted by Iraq-based PKK mem-bers who embraced them and shook theirhands. After the welcome, the apparentlyexhausted fighters put down their weaponsand warmed themselves at a fire. “Our with-drawal came in response to orders from theleader (Abdullah) Ocalan, as we want to opena way for peace through this withdrawal,”Jagar said, referring to the PKK chief held byTurkey since 1999. “We faced many difficul-ties because of rain and snow” during sevendays on the road, he said, adding that theirmovements had been monitored by Turkishaircraft.

“We were getting ready to start a big fightwith Turkey, but we responded to the call ofour leader Ocalan and withdrew,” said MidiyaAfreen, one of the group. “ This is a newphase,” she said. “This is the phase of peace.”The PKK took up arms for Kurdish self-rule insoutheastern Turkey in 1984, sparking a con-flict in which some 45,000 people have died.But it is now withdrawing its fighters as partof a push for peace with the Turkish authori-ties. The roughly 2,000 fighters in Turkey areleaving on foot, travell ing through therugged border zone to reach safe havens inIraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region, wherethey will join thousands of fighters alreadypresent in rear bases.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip

Erdogan has repeatedly vowed that retreat-ing rebels “will not be touched,” and said that“laying down weapons” should be the toppriority for the PKK. The PKK, however, isdemanding wider constitutional rights forTurkey’s Kurds, who make up around 20 per-cent of the 75 million population, before dis-arming. “We will continue to organise andtrain, and we are waiting for the Turkish gov-ernment to take the necessary steps forpeace,” said Rohat, an Iraq-based PKK com-mander, who was in Harur yesterday. Thesesteps include “making amendments to theTurkish constitution and recognising thenational rights of the Kurdish people,” hesaid.

Over the years, the PKK has scaled back itsoriginal demand for outright secession to acall for autonomy and cultural and languagerights for Turkey’s Kurdish minority. A perma-nent peace could transform Turkey’s Kurdish-majority southeast, where living standardshave lagged far behind the rest of the coun-try because of a lack of investment in theface of the violence. While the withdrawal is apositive move for the peace process, someIraqi Kurds living near the border are stillwary of a return to violence that has forcedsome to abandon their farms and also result-ed in civilian deaths.

And the Iraqi government sharply criti-cised the movement of more PKK fightersonto its soil. “The Iraqi government confirmsits rejection of the withdrawal and the pres-ence of armed men of the Kurdistan Workers’Party inside Iraqi territory, which is a flagrantviolation of Iraq’s sovereignty and independ-ence,” a statement from the cabinet said. Themove “causes severe damage to neighbourlyrelations between the two countries andtheir common interests,” it added. Iraq plansto complain to the UN Security Council, ask-ing it to “take the necessary decision to pre-vent the violation of Iraq’s sovereignty.” Butsecurity forces under the command of theautonomous Kurdish region, not the federalgovernment in Baghdad, man Iraq’s borderwith Turkey and ultimately decide whoenters the region. — AFP

First Kurd rebels reachIraq under Turkey truce

LONDON: If anyone saw last week’s US-Russian agreementto convene a peace conference on Syria as a potentialbreakthrough, Western leaders have been going out oftheir way to disabuse them. International envoy LakhdarBrahimi hailed the plan as the “first hopeful news” on Syriain a long time and deferred his own plans to resign afternine months of futile mediation. He called the proposal“only a first step”. But even its sponsors are dampeningexpectations that a civil war estimated to have killed wellover 70,000 can be doused soon, and pitfalls they cite inpublic are only a few of those lying in wait.

“I’m not promising that it’s going to be successful,” USPresident Barack Obama said on Monday. Obstacles, hesaid, include Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, both of whichsupport President Bashar Al-Assad, as well as the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Nusra Front on the rebel side. Obama didnot mention chronic disunity in the ranks of the Western-backed opposition or its almost complete lack of controlover the now mostly Islamist insurgent forces on theground. Once “the furies have been unleashed ... it’s veryhard to put things back together”, he said.

Syria has descended into a ferocious civil war, whosesectarian dimension was illustrated at the weekend by avideo showing a Sunni Muslim rebel commander cuttingout and biting into the heart of a slain Alawite soldier. TheUnited States and Russia share interests in Middle Easternstability and in curbing Islamist militancy, but remain farapart on how to pacify Syria and shape its political future.Yesterday, Russian President Vladimir Putin, who opposesforeign military intervention or arming the rebels, saidafter talks with Israeli Prime Minister BenjaminNetanyahu: “It is extremely important to avoid any actionsthat could aggravate the situation.”

Israel, pursuing a campaign against Iran andHezbollah, bombed targets near Damascus this month -part of a range of regional conflicts that are complicatingand fuelling the Syrian war; some of them have strongsectarian overtones, such as the struggle between SunniSaudi Arabia and Shiite Iran. Moscow, which has shieldedAssad diplomatically since mostly secular peacefulprotests against him erupted in March 2011, has longechoed the Syrian leader’s line that what later turned intoan armed revolt is the work of foreign-backed Islamists.

Russia says Assad’s survival in power is not its goal, butinsists his removal must not be a precondition for talks. ARussian official said at the weekend there was broadagreement that the Syrian crisis was dire, “beyond thatthere are very many differences: who can take part in thisformat, who is legitimate and who is not legitimate”.French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius questionedwhether the Geneva talks aimed at creating a transitionalgovernment that would take over Assad’s powers wouldeven happen. “I’m supporting the ‘Geneva 2’ talks, but it’sextremely difficult,” Fabius told RTL radio yesterday.

Tentative cooperation between Washington andMoscow might help - Brahimi’s predecessor Kofi Annanquit last year in frustration at the diplomatic paralysiscaused by big power divisions - but even acting in con-cert they might be impotent to staunch a conflict alreadyspilling over to Syria’s neighbours. It remains to be seen ifthey can cajole their deeply sceptical Syrian allies intojoining the Geneva negotiations, whose earliest timinghas now slipped from May to early June. The main opposi-tion coalition, backed by Western and some Arab states,meets in Istanbul on May 23 to decide its stance.Previously it has demanded Assad’s exit before any talks,

but Washington now seems ready to leave his future tonegotiations.

A French official, who asked not to be named, saidrivalry between Qatar and Saudi Arabia, the two mainArab sponsors of Assad’s enemies, was hampering theemergence of a credible new opposition leader with amandate to negotiate. “It’s vital that they get someonethat could be at the table,” the official said. “They knowthat continuing disunity among the opposition doesn’twork. It’s not just about Assad, the Free Syrian Army andthe Islamists - the Syrian people need to be representedpolitically by the opposition.” Jordan said yesterday that itwould host a meeting next week of the rebels’ allies in the“Friends of Syria”. One Jordanian official said: “The peaceconference will be the focus of the meeting.”

Assad himself, buoyed by military gains against rebelstrongholds in recent weeks, seems determined to clingto power. On the battlefield, both sides have seen gainsand reverses in recent weeks; rebels including the NusraFront counter-attacked east of Damascus to retake a townthat served as a conduit for arms from Jordan into thecapital before it was seized by government forces lastmonth, rebel sources said. The rebels’ struggle to end fourdecades of Assad family rule has been complicated in partby internal divisions along ideological and political lines,but in a rare move, brigades operating in Ghouta, a large-ly agricultural region on the eastern outskirts ofDamascus, united under one command. “With God’s willthis will be a decisive battle in rural Damascus that willstop the advance of the regime army and reopen the sup-ply route,” said one commander.

Information Minister Amran Zoabi said Assad’s leader-ship role was a decision “only for the Syrian people and the

ballot box”. He said Syria wants specifics on the Genevatalks before deciding whether to attend. US Secretary ofState John Kerry said staying away would be “another oneof President Assad’s gross miscalculations”, but added: “Idon’t believe that that is the case at this moment. TheRussians, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has already givenhim the names of people who will negotiate.”

Western powers want to step up pressure on Assad tohasten his fall, but have no appetite for the huge risksand costs of direct military intervention and havestopped short of arming fractured rebel factions, whohave struggled to make headway. Although France andBritain want the European Union to ease its weaponsembargo on Syria to allow some arms supplies to rebels,it is hard to imagine how this would swiftly swing themilitary balance against Assad, whose forces are bol-stered by Russian hardware and help from Iran andHezbollah. Nor is it clear that arms sent to those rebelsWesterners see as moderates could dent the influence ofthe Islamist militants now spearheading the struggle -and spreading alarm in neighbouring states Jordan, Iraq,Turkey, Lebanon and Israel.

Meanwhile the death toll mounts. The United Nationsput it at 70,000 three months ago. The Syrian Observatoryfor Human Rights, a British-based activist group, put out anew estimate on Tuesday of at least 94,000 deaths andadded that, with information hard to pin down, it waslikely to over 120,000. The devastating conflict, now wellinto its third year, may have prompted a new internation-al initiative. But the talks would only be a start, as theFrench official made plain, saying: “Let’s be clear, even ifwe do have this conference, it doesn’t mean there will bepeace in Syria.” — Reuters

Syria peace talks look doomed in advance

BEIRUT: A Syrian rebel who was filmed apparentlycutting out and eating the organs of a soldier hasdefended his actions as revenge for regime atrocities,Time magazine reported yesterday. The US newsweekly said it had talked by Skype with the fighter,identified as Khalid Al-Hamad, who appeared in avideo that sparked outrage and condemnation,including from the Syrian opposition. Hamad claimedhe was driven to the gruesome acts by footage on thedead soldier’s cellphone, showing him “humiliating” anaked woman and her two daughters.

The magazine said Hamad described participatingin other acts of mutilating regime forces, includingmilitiamen known as shabiha. “I have another videoclip... In the clip I am sawing another shabiha with asaw. The saw we use to cut trees. I sawed him in smallpieces and large ones,” Time quoted him as saying. The

magazine said Hamad, a Sunni like much of the oppo-sition fighting against President Bashar Al-Assad’sregime, expressed hatred of member’s of the leader’sAlawite sect. “Hopefully we will slaughter all of them,”he told the magazine, “They were the ones who killedour children in Baba Amr and raped our women,” hesaid, referring to a neighbourhood of the central cityof Homs. “We didn’t start it, they started it,” he added.“Our slogan is an eye for an eye and a tooth for atooth.”

The video, in which Hamad leans over a uniformedbody, cuts out organs and then holds one up to hismouth, has prompted an outcry around the world andthrown the mainstream rebel leadership on the defen-sive. The National Coalition, the country’s main oppo-sition grouping, issued a statement saying it “stronglycondemns” the act. “The Coalition stresses that such

an act contradicts the morals of the Syrian people, aswell as the values and principles of the Free SyrianArmy,” it said. “The Syrian Coalition reiterates its con-demnation of such an act and stresses that it is acrime, regardless of the perpetrator. The culprit willeventually be tried in court in front of an honest andfair judiciary.”

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights NaviPillay demanded rebel leaders take immediate actionto prevent such “atrocious” acts within its ranks. “Thevideo that has just emerged from Syria, apparentlyshowing a rebel leader cutting out and biting theheart of a dead soldier, depicts a truly atrocious act,”she said. “Mutilating or desecrating corpses during aconflict is a war crime. While it is not yet possible tofully authenticate the video, I urge the armed opposi-tion groups in Syria must do everything in their power

to halt such gross crimes. They must investigate thisincident along with other alleged very serious viola-tions by opposition fighters, including acts of tortureand a succession of apparent summary executionsand extra-judicial killings.”

Pillay renewed her calls for the UN Security Councilto task the International Criminal Court with investi-gating allegations of war crimes against rebel as wellas government forces.

“I have repeatedly called for the case of Syria to bereferred by the Security Council to the InternationalCriminal Court, so that legal proceedings can beginagainst people believed to be responsible for seriousinternational crimes, including war crimes and crimesagainst humanity, irrespective of whether they are onthe side of the government or are in opposition to it,”she said. — AFP

UNITED NATIONS: Iran yesterday defended itselection as the rotating chair of the world’s solemultilateral disarmament forum after the UnitedStates announced that its ambassador to the UNConference on Disarmament would boycott anymeeting led by Tehran. The UN Conference onDisarmament has been deadlocked for about 15years. While the chairmanship of the Geneva-basedbody is largely ceremonial, it is a high-profile posi-tion. “The Islamic Republic of Iran is a foundingmember of the United Nations,” said AlirezaMiryousefi, spokesman for Iran’s UN mission. “Itselection to the presidency of the Conference onDisarmament, as the most important disarmamentnegotiating body of the UN, is its right in accor-dance with the established practice and rules ofprocedure of this organ,” he said.

Erin Pelton, spokeswoman for the US mission tothe United Nations, said on Monday that the selec-

tion of Iran was “unfortunate and highly inappro-priate”. She said countries under UN sanctions forarms proliferation or human rights abuses shouldbe barred from such formal or ceremonial UNposts. Iran is under sanctions by the UnitedNations, the United States, the European Unionand other international bodies for refusing to halt anuclear enrichment program that Tehran says ispeaceful but Western nations and their allies sus-pect is aimed at giving it the capability to produceatomic weapons. The United States and Europehave also accused Iran of violating a U.N. embargoon Iranian arms exports in order to supplyweapons to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Theysay Tehran is support Assad’s efforts to defeatrebels seeking to overthrow him in the country’stwo-year civil war. Pelton said the US ambassadorto the Conference on Disarmament, LauraKennedy, would boycott any meeting chaired by

Iran. Washington broke off diplomatic ties with Iranin 1980 after Iranian students took US diplomatshostage in the aftermath of the Islamic revolution.

Rick Roth, spokesman for the Canadian ForeignMinistry, also condemned Iran’s election to the dis-armament conference. “This makes a mockery ofdisarmament issues, and the world’s sincere desireto make progress,” he said. “In Iraq, Syria, Lebanonand elsewhere, the regime is working directlyagainst global disarmament goals and subvertingthe fundamental principles of this committee.”

Miryousefi denied that Iran was in violation ofany of its treaty obligations. “Iran is a State Party toand in full compliance with all major treaties pro-hibiting the weapons of mass destruction negotiat-ed within this body,” he said. Those treaties includethe nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the ChemicalWeapons Convention and the Biological WeaponsConvention, he said. —Reuters

Syria rebel defends gruesome video as revenge

Iran defends post as chair of UN disarmament conference


NAIROBI: A Kenyan policeman beats a protestor during a demonstrationagainst members of parliament who have demanded higher wages outsideparliament yesterday. —AFP

WASHINGTON: The hordes are rising. Acicada invasion is imminent in the UnitedStates, with millions of the large cricket-like insects poised to emerge from theearth after 17 years lying in wait. The firstof the bugs that are expected to blanketthe US east coast have already been spot-ted in North Carolina and New Jersey. “TheBrood II emergence has begun!” cheeredthe site cicadamania.com on Monday,where the subculture of insect fans canrecord sightings. But the onslaught willtruly begin later this month, once theaverage ground temperature hits 17degrees Celsius. At its peak, there could beswarms with between one and two thou-sand chirping critters per square meter.

Although cicadas are common aroundthe world, this cyclical phenomenon hap-pens only in the United States. Every 17years, these “periodical cicadas” mature,mate, lay eggs and die in a deafening con-certo. Their offspring - which won’t beseen again for another 17 years - burrowinto the ground, 20 cm deep, where theywill feed on the sap from roots until theirday in the sun arrives. The broods - there

are 15 of them - are classified by Romannumeral. Most are on a 17-year cycle,though three reproduce every 13 yearsand the cycles are staggered, meaningthat at least one of the broods hatcheseach year.

But not all broods are created equaland “Brood II” is a big one. Over the nextfew weeks, they will emerge and launch areproductive orgy when the larvae splittheir skins and mature into adult form,explained University of Maryland ento-mologist Michael Raupp. “Then they’llscramble in a flight to the treetops. Themales will begin to court the females. Theywill mate,” he added. The females will “laytheir eggs, these eggs will hatch and willtumble down to the earth, and feed againfor another 17 years.”

The bugs, of the scientific orderHemiptera, are about two to three cen-timeters. They’re black and have red eyesand translucent wings with orange veins.They don’t sting and only threaten theyoung trees they will pump for sap. Andthey will be loud. The males sing to thefemales in a mating call created through

their tymbal, an abdominal membrane. Bythe thousands, the unique chirp rises to adeafening roar. Most of the cicadas will diequickly, preyed on by birds and smallmammals, including mice and even dogs.“Adult cicadas are a huge source of foodfor various animals,” said Andrew Liebhold,Agriculture Department entomologist.“They are a very good source of nutritionand enhance reproduction of severalspecies of birds and mammals.”

But Raupp noted that bigger mammals- say, homo sapiens - have also beenknown to take a taste. “They are higher inprotein and lower in fat than a steak,”Raupp said, adding he prefers them raw.For those who might be wary of eatingbugs, Biologist Jenna Jadin, who wrote ashort manual on the subject as a studentat the University of Maryland, suggeststhey be treated just like fellow arthropods,crab or lobster. After boiling them for fouror five minutes, she suggests “Marylandcicadas” with onions, potatoes and corn;“Shanghai cicadas” with soy sauce, garlicand turnips; or perhaps “pizza a la cicada,”with basil, olives and onions. —AFP

The cicadas are rising: US invasion in 5, 4, 3...

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia: A cicada rests on the grass in this May 14, 2004file photo. —AFP

Cameron faces leadership questions over Europe

PM offers party draft bill on EU referendumLONDON/WASHINGTON: British Prime Minister DavidCameron faced questions about his leadership yester-day after he buckled to pressure from within theConservative Party to bring forward draft legislationenforcing a referendum on Britain’s European Unionmembership. Just hours after US President BarackObama cautioned against rushing towards the EU exit,Cameron was forced by a rebellion in his party intopromising a bill that would pave the way for an in-outvote on Europe. But the more Cameron concedes to hisEurosceptic lawmakers, the more they want, deepeningthe 25-year battle in his party over Europe and under-mining his own chances of leading the party to victoryin a general election set for 2015.

Divisions over Europe helped bring down the lasttwo Conservative prime ministers, Margaret Thatcherand John Major, and many politicians comparedCameron’s position to that of Major whose premiershipwas riven by rows over Europe. “There is no way that he(Cameron) can give in any further because he’s under-mining his own position,” said Sheila Gunn, who servedas spokeswoman to Major. “Every time he gives in, theso-called rebels who want Britain to get out of the EUvery quickly - will just ask for something more. It’sunravelling the knitting. Every time they pull at thatknitting, they unravel a bit, they then ask for somethingmore and now it’s getting to the point where it’s affect-ing his own position.”

Cameron’s advisers hope the draft bill on an EU votewill end the bickering that has damaged the party. Butopponents said that by caving in on such a grave issue,Cameron has lost control of his own party andincreased the chances of a challenge to his leadership.A Downing Street spokesman insisted Cameron was incharge yesterday and dismissed the idea that his gov-ernment was in chaos. “David Cameron’s weakness hasturned a European issue into a leadership issue,” Labourforeign affairs spokesman Douglas Alexander said.Cameron’s offer of draft legislation marked a climb-down from a promise he made in January to renegoti-ate the terms of Britain’s EU membership and then holda referendum by the end of 2017. But some lawmakershad called for further concessions and media reportssaid Cameron’s leadership could be challenged.Potential rivals include London Mayor Boris Johnsonand Education Secretary Michael Gove.

The three eurosceptic Conservative Party leaderswho followed Major failed to get into power andCameron, in his first conference speech as party leader,warned that Conservatives had become too obsessedby Europe. “While parents worried about childcare, get-ting the kids to school, balancing work and family life -we were banging on about Europe,” he told the partyconference in Oct 2006. But since coming to power in acoalition government three years ago, theConservatives have been rattled by the popularity ofthe UK Independence Party (UKIP), which campaignsfor Britain’s withdrawal from the EU and tighter immi-gration laws.

A Guardian/ICM poll showed that UKIP’s supporthad surged to a record high of 18 percent, while sup-port for Britain’s traditional parties had fallen by 4 per-centage points each. UKIP took a quarter of the vote inlocal elections this month and unless Cameron canconvince his party that he can win the next election heis likely to face more challenges to his leadership. “Withthe story changing every day, it’s very reminiscent ofthe old John Major days where, really, the governmentappears to be being blown around by events,” said UKIPleader Nigel Farage.

The Guardian poll put Labour on 34 percent, theConservatives on 28 percent and their coalition part-

ners the Liberal Democrats on 11 percent. UKIP’s pollrating has climbed steadily since Cameron’s pledge inJanuary to renegotiate the terms of Britain’s EU mem-bership and hold a referendum by the end of 2017.

Cameron’s referendum promise then failed to satisfyConservative critics who have been pressing him tobring forward the vote to before the next national elec-tion in 2015 or to pass a law committing the party toholding a vote by the end of 2017. Many Conservativessay they want to be part of the EU’s single market butthat the closer integration of the euro zone meansBritain should renegotiate its membership or leave.About half of British voters want to leave the EuropeanUnion, which is viewed as anti-democratic and bureau-cratic by many British politicians, but for voters utility

bills, education and the economy are far more impor-tant.

Cameron’s bid to renegotiate the terms of Britain’smembership has concerned the United States whichhas warned London that it would lose influence in theworld if it did leave the world’s biggest economic bloc.Obama told Cameron on Monday that EU membershipwas an expression of British influence but delightedCameron’s advisers by appearing to endorse hisattempt to fix the relationship. Germany and France,the only EU economies bigger than Britain, havewarned that Cameron cannot “cherry pick” EU policy.Cameron’s policy has also divided his two-party coali-

tion and the EU vote bill is almost certain be opposedby their pro-EU coalition partners, the LiberalDemocrats.

Despite Cameron’s latest concession, up to 100Eurosceptic Conservative members of parliament arestill expected to back a different amendment this weekcriticising legislative plans unveiled by the govern-ment because they did not include such a bill.Conservative lawmaker John Baron, one of the two fig-ures behind the amendment, said Cameron’s promiseof a draft bill would not persuade him to back down. “Iam sticking by what I am saying. They know that thisoption could very well fail,” he told Reuters. “A far betterapproach would be to have the courage to supportour amendment on Wednesday.” —Reuters

BOSTON: British Prime Minister David Cameron (right) and Massachusetts Gov DevalPatrick visit the makeshift memorial to the Boston Marathon bombing victims inCopley Square yesterday. —AP

BRUSSELS: Mali’s president pledged yester-day that July elections, a key goal of thetroubled country’s backers, will go ahead ashe prepared for a donors conference meantto help Bamako move on from war and atwo-year political crisis. “We will do every-thing so that the elections can begin on July28,” Traore said in Brussels, adding: “Failure tohold the elections would cause even moreproblems.” The president said neither he norhis ministers would stand in the polls, seenas essential to restoring democratic ruleafter a military coup in 2012 paved the wayfor Islamist rebels to seize control of thenorth. France, Mali’s former colonial power,sent in troops in January to fight the Al-Qaeda-linked rebels who were then advanc-ing on the capital Bamako, pushing themback. Wednesday’s conference will beattended by French President FrancoisHollande, Traore, European Commissionchief Jose Manuel Barroso and heads ofstate from several west African countries,with some 100 delegations in all. “The aim isto find nearly 1.9 billion euros ($2.4 billion),”French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius saidearlier yesterday. “Security is largely inplace... now the need is for democracy, dia-logue and development, and these gotogether. And for that, we need money,”Fabius told RTL Radio.

Barroso announced yesterday aftermeeting Traore that the EU would con-tribute Ä520 million while diplomaticsources said France would offer some Ä280million. The French-led offensive has pushed

the Islamists out of the main cities and intodesert and mountain hideouts from wherethey are staging guerrilla attacks. France, inthe process of withdrawing its troops, insiststhe war is drawing to a close. “We are in theprocess of winning the war, now we mustfind peace,” Fabius said. “For that, we needeconomic development.” The internationalcommunity hopes the July elections willproduce an effective government but Mali’snational electoral commission has said it willbe difficult to hold polls so soon. The impov-

erished country is badly in need of help torepair the damage caused by the war and tooffer some hope of bringing together its dis-parate political groups. The funds targetedat the conference will cover about 45 per-cent of the costs of a reconstruction plandrawn up for this year and next by Bamako.“Mali really needs the money to re-establishbasic services such as water, electricity,health and administration, especially in thenorthern areas,” one EU official said.

EU officials say the war has resulted in

some 500,000 refugees, with three quartersof them displaced to the southern part ofthe country. Some two million people haveno secure food supply while 600,000 chil-dren are threatened by malnutrition, withconditions on the ground difficult for pro-viding aid. Besides humanitarian aid, the EUis training Mali’s ramshackle armed forces tobring them up to standard on both their mil-itary role and responsibilities to civil society.EU sources stressed the need for progress inreforming the army and bolstering thecountry’s democratic credentials, with July’splanned elections essential. The process is“about political reconstruction as much aseconomic reconstruction,” one source said.The new government will have to lead Maliout of a crisis that has crippled the countrysince Tuareg rebels launched a rebellion inJanuary 2012 for independence of thenorth. They overwhelmed governmenttroops, leading to the military coup inBamako which opened the way for hardlineIslamists to chase out their former Tuaregallies and seize key northern cities beforemoving on the south.

France meanwhile has begun withdraw-ing its 4,500 troops deployed in Mali andhanding over the reins to a 6,300-strongforce, the International Mission for Supportto Mali (MISMA). Paris has said about 1,000soldiers will remain in Mali beyond this yearto back up a UN force that is to replace MIS-MA. This UN force of 12,600 peacekeepers, tobe responsible for stabilising the north, willbe phased in gradually from July. —AFP

Mali president vows polls donors gather

BRUSSELS: European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso(right) poses with President of Mali Dioncounda Traore prior totheir working session yesterday at the EU Headquarters. —AFP

SOFIA: Bulgaria’s ethnic Turkish party MRFrejected working with a nationalist party yes-terday, scuppering chances of a broad coali-tion government and deepening the politicalstalemate in the European Union’s poorestcountry. The nationalist Attack has emerged askingmaker after an inconclusive election onSunday. But its anti-Roma and anti-Turkishpolicies and pledges of nationalisations mayalarm the EU and make it difficult for otherparties to work with. “There can’t be a coali-tion between MRF and Attack in any form,”MRF leader Lyutvi Mestan told national radiostation BNR. “This would be an absolute dis-tortion of policy and I will not participate inthis process.”

Other parties refuse to work with thelargest group, the centre-right GERB, becauseof its tarnished reputation after it resignedfrom government in February but they arestruggling to achieve a majority without it.Turnout in the election was the lowest inBulgaria’s post-communist history at 51 per-cent, reflecting deep discontent among manyvoters with a political class they view as cor-rupt and self-interested, and a lack of viablealternatives.

Businessmen fear that an unstable govern-ment or a broad coalition may pursue policiessuch as unsustainable wage increases andnationalisations to buy popularity and keepitself in power at any cost. Bulgaria strugglesto supply running water and reliable electrici-ty to some of its citizens, two million of whomhave left since the 1989 fall of communism.Many villages are dying, full of collapsingbuildings and populated only by the elderly.Options for a new government are limitedbecause of the shunning of GERB. A combina-tion of the second largest, the Socialists, andMRF - which represents ethnic Turks whomake up a tenth of the 7.3 million population -would be one seat short of a majority, almostcomplete results show.

The only other group in the 240-seat par-liament will be Attack, some of whose mem-bers style themselves as Nazis. Socialist leaderSergei Stanishev said he would seek backingfor a technocrat administration that could

also draw support from protester groups thatare not in parliament. It would provide a sta-ble government, try to create more jobs andraise salaries, he said. He may try to secureinformal backing from individual GERB andAttack MPs to edge over the finishing line andurged a quick solution as he believes theinterim administration is closely linked toGERB and unable to make long-term policy.“The situation in the country requires legiti-mate institutions and fast action. The interimgovernment’s lack of power cannot continue,”Stanishev said.

With jobless at an eight-year high and anaverage monthly wage of Ä400 ($520), manyBulgarians are deeply unhappy. Seven peo-ple set themselves on fire during protestsagainst low living standards and graft and dis-content may spill over again. The politicaluncertainty should not undermine expectedgrowth of about 1 percent this year but theinterim government will not be able to pushimportant health, judicial and educationreforms to unlock longer term economicpotential. “Extended talks for forming a gov-ernment are not so worrisome, as the interimgovernment is not doing a bad job,” saidTsvetan Simeonov, head of the BulgarianChamber of Commerce and Industry. “It willbe much worse if we end up with a govern-ment that sends us years back.” An unstablegovernment or a broad coalition - that spendstime debating ideological issues rather thanpushing policies to spur growth - would dolittle to reassure business, said GeorgiAngelov, an economist with Open SocietyInstitute, a thinktank. Foreign investment inBulgaria was only Ä1.5 billion last year andvirtually dried up in the first three months. Ifno group can secure a majority Bulgaria willhave new elections - possibly in September -until when the interim government, whichhas kept debt low in the last three months,will stay in place. But there has been little signof renewed protests since the election, withonly about 200 people rallying after pollingclosed, waving Bulgarian flags, burning torch-es and chanting “Mafia” where GERB was dueto hold a press conference. —Reuters

Bulgaria party scuppers idea of broad coalition

Kenya police fire teargas at protest over MPs’ pay

NAIROBI: Kenyan police fired teargas andwater cannon outside parliament yesterdayto disperse about 200 people demonstrat-ing against lawmakers’ demands for a salary130 times the legal minimum wage. Civilrights groups organised the protest toexpress widespread anger that politiciansare demanding a pay rise so soon after abroadly peaceful election on March 4.Protesters fed pigs’ blood to live pigs at thegates of parliament in the capital Nairobi tosymbolise a political class widely regardedas greedy and corrupt.

Uhuru Kenyatta, Kenya’s new presidentand its richest man, said last week that hold-ing down the state wage bill was key todirecting public funds into economic devel-opment. But the appeal was lost on lawmak-ers, whose pay has been set at 532,000shillings ($6,300) per month by the state’s

Salaries and Remuneration Commission(SRC). Handouts by politicians are commonin Kenya, and MPs say they need more mon-ey to help pay constituents’ school and med-ical expenses, as well as to reflect theirstature.

They are demanding basic monthly pay ofabout 850,000 shillings, excluding otherallowances - similar to what lawmakers werepaid during the last parliament. Kenyattaincreased the minimum wage by 14 percentthis month to 6,498 shillings ($77.54) a month- although many of the 80 percent of Kenyanworkers employed in the informal sector earnless than this. In January, hundreds ofdemonstrators torched coffins outside parlia-ment in protest at legislators who had votedto triple their end-of-term bonuses - anincrease that outgoing president Mwai Kibakirefused to sign into law. —Reuters


LOS ANGELES: Financial data and news service Bloomberg LP movedto repair damage to its reputation Monday as a published report saidthat more than 10,000 of its clients’ private messages containing sensi-tive pricing data had been leaked online. The report came the sameday Bloomberg News Editor-in-Chief Matthew Winkler apologized forthe news service’s practice of allowing its journalists to access dataabout how clients used the company’s financial data services.

Reporters have had access to the data, Winkler said, since the 1990sbut it was revoked last month after investment bank Goldman Sachscomplained. Bloomberg’s data services provide financial-market infor-mation and news, an instant messaging program and trading platformsto users. The services, which are mainly accessed by way of the compa-ny’s proprietary computer terminals, are widely used in the financialindustry and beyond.

More than 315,000 clients pay roughly $20,000 per year for the rightto use them. The mishaps involving Bloomberg’s handling of whattraders had thought was private information were seen as damagingbut not insurmountable for the news juggernaut founded by New YorkCity Mayor Michael Bloomberg in 1981. Bloomberg LP and its rivalThomson Reuters Corp. each have around a 30 percent share of the$25.5 billion market for financial data and investment services, accord-ing to Douglas B Taylor, founder and managing partner of Burton-Taylor International Consulting LLC, which tracks the industry.Bloomberg’s annual revenue was $7.9 billion in 2012, about 85 percentof which was generated from terminal sales.

Because both companies have different strengths - Bloomberg indebt markets and Thomson Reuters in foreign exchange - Taylor said hedoubts the latest incidents will spark mass cancellations amongBloomberg’s clients. Traders need to operate on platforms with themost active buyers and sellers in a given market. “If you aren’t a part ofit, you could potentially end up executing transactions at less favorableprices,” he said. Other observers shared the view.

“This is an embarrassment for Bloomberg, but I don’t think it’s likelyto cause any significant disruptions in market share,” said Peter Appert,an analyst for investment bank Piper Jaffray & Co. “Most large contractsare long-term and very sticky, so as long as Bloomberg goes intoappropriate damage control (ie apologies, puts in safeguards etc), wedo not see a big shift in market share,” RBC Capital Markets analystDrew McReynolds said in an email. A spokeswoman for Bloombergwould not immediately confirm the leak reported by The FinancialTimes. The newspaper said Monday that messages between traders atdozens of large banks from one day in 2009 and one in 2010 had beenput online by a former Bloomberg employee.

The Financial Times said it was possible the employee intendedthem to be uploaded to a secure site. The company told the newspaperthat the post was a “clear violation of our policies” and added that it isconsidering legal action.

Earlier Monday, Winkler apologized in an online post. He explainedthat journalists at Bloomberg News, until recently, had been able to seewhen clients last accessed their Bloomberg terminals. They were alsoable to view broad categories of functions that clients used, such as

one that looks up credit ratings.When a client enters a command such as “BANKS,” for example, the

terminal brings up a table of credit default swap prices for 30 banks.Before the recent changes, a Bloomberg journalist would be able to seethe most frequently used commands by a particular user in the pastweek. Goldman Sachs had complained to Bloomberg managementabout the practice after a Bloomberg reporter told the company thatshe had used log-in data as a clue in her investigation into whether aGoldman employee had departed. “Our client is right,” Winkler said in

the post. “Our reporters should not have access to any data consideredproprietary. I am sorry they did. The error is inexcusable.”

The Federal Reserve is looking into whether Bloomberg journaliststracked data about terminal usage by top Fed officials. In a brief state-ment Monday, the European Central Bank said it “takes the protectionof confidentiality very seriously and our experts are in close contactwith Bloomberg.” Bloomberg News is owned by Bloomberg LP, a pri-vate company controlled by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, whois reported to own about an 85 percent share. The mayor is notinvolved in day-to-day decision-making at the company but he can beinvolved in such major things as asset sales or borrowing.

He declined to comment on the matter at an event Monday aboutthe progress made cleaning up a polluted city canal. “I can’t say any-thing,” he said, invoking a longstanding city Conflict of Interest Boardruling that limits his involvement in the company. “You’d have to talk tothe company.” Although Bloomberg LP’s main business is selling termi-nals to clients in the financial industry, its news service employs morethan 2,400 journalists.

Bloomberg News reporters had also been able to see if subscribershad been looking at top news stories, or if they had been gatheringdata on stocks or bonds, but not which stories or bonds and stocksthey had looked up, according to Bloomberg LP spokesman Ty Trippet.He said reporters could also see if subscribers were using “message” or“chat” functions to send messages to each other over the terminals, butnot the recipient of the messages or their content. Reporters weremostly getting contact information for subscribers, such as telephonenumbers and email addresses, Trippet said.

Bloomberg cut journalists off from this type of access last month,after the Goldman complaint. In the posting Monday, Winkler drew adistinction between this type of data and “important” customer data,which he said has not been compromised. Several investment banksand brokerage firms that use Bloomberg data services declined tocomment Monday. Representatives for a couple of the firms voiceddoubts that the revelations would change their firms’ use of Bloombergterminals.

Ethics and privacy experts roundly criticized the practice that hadbeen in place for years. Mark Rotenberg, executive director of theElectronic Privacy Information Center, said the breach was like givingunrelated people access to an individual’s search history in Google.“When people use services like Bloomberg, or for that matter, GoogleSearch, information is retained for much longer than most peopleimagine,” he said. “That creates a privacy risk when information is dis-closed to parties that really don’t have a basis to get access to it.”

Caesar Andrews, a professor at the University of Nevada, Reno,Reynolds School of Journalism, said the accessing of client data byBloomberg reporters was an inappropriate, clear-cut violation ofbasic ethics. “It’s not hard to imagine that companies will want somesturdy form of verification or assurance that this will no longer hap-pen,” Andrews said. “I can’t imagine companies are just going to shrugtheir shoulders and say, ‘this happens every now and again, let’smove on.’” — AP

Bloomberg apologizes amid report of leaksClients’ private messages leaked online

NEW YORK: The Bloomberg LP Tower, which houses BloombergNews, is shown in New York. Bloomberg LP, a financial data andnews company, said it has corrected a ‘mistake’ in its news gather-ing policies and cut off its journalists’ special access to client log-in activity on the company’s ubiquitous trading information ter-minals after Goldman Sachs complained about the matter lastmonth. — AP

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama tried to swatdown a pair of brewing controversies that have put theWhite House on the defensive, emboldenedRepublican lawmakers and threatened to overtake hissecond-term agenda, already off to a rocky start.Republicans ramped up criticism following recent dis-closures that talking points on the attack on a USdiplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya produced by theintelligence community were later watered down todelete references to the suspected involvement Islamicmilitants.

The second scandal controversy involved disclo-sures that the US tax agency, the Internal RevenueService, had targeted conservative groups in the run-up to the 2012 election. Obama on Monday dismissedRepublican criticism of his administration’s handling ofthe Benghazi attack, calling the criticism a politicalsideshow. The president also said that he didn’t knowabout the tax controversy until he learned about itfrom news reports last week and pledged to find outwhat happened. Simultaneous investigations have putthe White House on the defensive, however, withRepublicans demanding more. During a joint newsconference with British Prime Minister David Cameron,the normally even keeled Obama appeared agitatedover the resurgent investigation into the Septemberattack at a US diplomatic compound in Benghazi. Hedismissed the Republican-driven effort as a “sideshow”that dishonors the four Americans who were killed,including Ambassador Christopher Stevens.

“There’s no there,” Obama declared in his first publiccomments since Republican lawmakers launched newhearings on the matter. “The fact that this keeps ongetting churned up, frankly, has a whole lot to do withpolitical motivations.” Seeking to keep another contro-versy from spinning out of control, the presidentrebuked the US tax collection agency for scrutinizingthe tax-exempt status of groups with conservativesounding names. Those responsible, Obama said, mustbe held “fully accountable.” “I’ve got no patience withit,” he added. “I will not tolerate it and we will find outexactly what happened.”

The president said he first learned of the matterFriday when it was reported by news organizations.Spokesman Jay Carney said later that the White Housecounsel’s office was alerted on April 22 that the taxagency’s inspector general was completing a review ofan office in Cincinnati. Neither issue appears to begoing away any time soon. On Monday, Rep Darrell

Issa, chairman of the House Oversight andGovernment Reform Committee, asked authors of anindependent government review into the Benghaziattack to meet privately with committee investigators.And the House Ways and Means Committee said itplans to hold a hearing on the tax matter on Friday.

The two controversies are the latest in a series ofunexpected challenges that have consumed the WhiteHouse since Obama began his second term in January.Among the others: the Boston Marathon bombings,Syria’s alleged use of chemical weapons and freshnuclear provocations from North Korea. It’s hardly thestart Obama’s team envisioned after he solidly won re-election in November.

The White House had hoped to achieve an earlyvictory on immigration overhaul, make another run ata sweeping deficit reduction deal, and perhaps take astab at tackling climate change.

But those plans were upended even beforeObama’s inauguration, when the horrific December

massacre of 20 school children and six adults inNewtown, Connecticut, thrust gun control to the fore-front of Obama’s domestic agenda. That legislativeeffort failed on Capitol Hill last month, leaving Obamawith a political defeat and giving critics of immigrationreform more time to organize their opposition.

Obama still has an opportunity to reverse courseand claim a big second-term victory if immigrationchanges can be approved. Draft legislation beingdebated in the Senate has bipartisan support, andRepublicans have a political incentive to back an over-haul given the growing political power of Hispanic vot-ers, who voted overwhelmingly Democratic in 2012.For the White House, the challenge will be to keepCapitol Hill focused on immigration and other legisla-tive priorities, not a persistent cycle of investigations.“The American people want Washington to focus onthe issues that matter most to them,” Carney saidMonday. “The imperative for getting things done stillexists.”—AP

Obama tries to swat down controversiesWhite House on the defensive; Republicans emboldened

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama returns after attending events including an event forthe DNC in New York City. — AP

FLORIDA: Rafael Lucas holds a sign reading ‘Obama Put a Stop to Deportation’ as heand others participate in a rally calling on President Barack Obama to immediatelysuspend deportations and for Congress to pass an immigration reform that’s inclu-sive of all 11 million undocumented people in the US. — AFP

WASHINGTON: High-tech companies looking tobring more skilled workers to the US pushedMonday for more concessions in an immigrationbill pending in the Senate. Labor unions saidthese companies had already obtained enough inthe legislation and further changes risked chip-ping away at protections for US workers. The clashis set to play out in a congressional hearing roomthis week as the Senate Judiciary Committeeresumes consideration of amendments to sweep-ing legislation remaking the nation’s immigrationsystem.

At issue are the highly sought-after H-1B visasthat allow companies like Google and Microsoft tobring workers to the US to fill job openings forengineers, computer software experts, and otherpositions where employers say there’s a shortageof US workers. The legislation increases the num-ber of these visas that are available, but also addsin a number of restrictions designed to ensure USworkers get a first shot at jobs. Those protectionswere championed by Sen. Dick Durbin, aDemocrat and a Judiciary Committee memberwho is also part of the bipartisan “Gang of Eight”senators who authored the immigration legisla-tion. But high-tech companies have their ownchampion on the Judiciary Committee:Republican Sen Orrin Hatch, who’s prepared aslew of amendments to help their cause. Hatch isseen as a potential swing vote on the immigrationbill so backers of the legislation, who are workingassiduously to ensure their bill passes the Senatewith as many votes as possible, would like to courthis support.

But Durbin opposes Hatch’s efforts and he andother Democrats are under pressure from organ-ized labor not to go along. “We deemed the cur-rent language in the bill to be the compromise.After all, high tech got an awful lot of what itwanted, including the visa limit going up nearlythreefold,” said Tom Snyder, immigration cam-paign manager for the AFL-CIO labor federation.“Now they want to compromise the compromise.”

Robert Hoffman, senior vice president for gov-ernment affairs at the Information TechnologyIndustry Council, disagreed. He said that thechanges sought by Hatch, whose state is increas-ingly becoming a major high-tech employer,mostly amount to mechanical fixes to ensure thehigh-tech provisions work to boost economicgrowth and job creation in the US. “It’s veryimportant that the H-1B be workable and I thinkthat’s what we’re trying to fix,” Hoffman said.

“Because the reality is the legislation as draftedin our view runs the risk of pushing work andinvestment that could come through temporaryvisas outside the United States.” The InformationTechnology Industry Council joined dozens ofother business groups and state and local cham-bers of commerce and technology councils insending a letter to Judiciary Committee membersMonday outlining their concerns about the high-tech language in the bill.

The bill would raise the cap on H-1B visas fromthe current 65,000 annually to 110,000, with thepotential to adjust upward to 180,000 dependingon how many visa applications are received andwhat the unemployment rate is. High-tech com-panies said the unemployment rate shouldn’t be afactor because it might not reflect actual demandfor skilled workers. Hatch has an amendment tomake that change. High-tech companies also areconcerned about a new provision requiring themto show they have tried to recruit US workersbefore hiring anyone on an H-1B visa. Hatchwould limit the requirement only to companiesthat are more heavily dependent on H-1B visas, sothat it wouldn’t apply to a number of US techcompanies. Hatch also has an amendment tochange a requirement in the bill seeking to ensurethat US workers are not displaced by the hiring offoreigners. The Judiciary Committee meetsTuesday, but the consideration of the bulk ofHatch’s amendments looked likely to be put offuntil Thursday to give senators time to see if theycould reach a resolution. —AP

High-tech companiesseeking concessions in immigration bill

OTTAWA: Canada’s Liberals regained a seat inthe House of Commons on Monday in a raceviewed as an early test of the popularity of theparty’s new leader, Justin Trudeau, son of for-mer Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. Liberal can-didate Yvonne Jones had 50.8 percent of thevote and incumbent Conservative PeterPenashue only 29.1 percent, with 86 of the 91polls reporting. The third largest party in theHouse of Commons, the Liberals have vaultedto first place in national polls since Trudeauwon the party’s leadership a month ago. Hecampaigned hard to retake the seat in theprovince of Newfoundland and Labrador, onCanada’s Atlantic coast.

“Today we have demonstrated that theLiberal message of hope and hard work is res-onating, and that Canadians are tired of theConservatives’ politics of cynicism, divisionand fear,” Trudeau, 41, said in a statement,pledging that the victory in Newfoundland

was only the beginning. Penashue, who hadserved as intergovernmental affairs minister,resigned in March after it emerged that hiscampaign accepted illegal corporate dona-tions in the 2011 general election. His cam-paign also spent more than the C$84,468($83,362) limit.

He blamed an inexperienced campaign offi-cial for the violations and said he knew noth-ing about the issues, but the scandal cost theConservatives their only seat in the province.The Liberals have held it for 58 of the 64 yearsthat Newfoundland and Labrador has beenpart of Canada. The results marked the firsttime the Conservative Party failed to defend aseat between general elections since it wasformed as a merger of two rival right-wingparties in 2003.

The Conservatives, led by Stephen Harper,have been in power since 2006. The next fed-eral election is due in October 2015. Defense

Minister Peter MacKay, campaigning onPenashue’s behalf, had said that Penashue wasguaranteed a seat in cabinet as the only mem-ber of Parliament from Newfoundland.Trudeau, a former teacher, has been inParliament for less than five years, and hisleadership victory reflected both his familyname and his personal magnetism. His fatherwas prime minister for all but nine monthsfrom 1968-84.

Past efforts by Trudeau on behalf of othercandidates before he became party leader hadproved less successful, failing to produceLiberal seats in special elections last Novemberor in a similar Toronto area election two yearsearlier. Opinion polls for April, the month whenTrudeau became party leader, put the Liberalsahead of the Conservatives nationally for thefirst time since June 2009, with an average 33.4percent support, compared to 30.2 percent forthe Conservatives. — Reuters

Canada Liberals win Newfoundland seat


News

Japan seizes Taiwan boatTOKYO: Japan yesterday seized a Taiwanesefishing boat inside its exclusive economiczone, the first incident since Tokyo and Taipeisigned a fishing rights accord for disputedwaters, the Fisheries Agency said. TheTaiwanese fishing boat was spotted in watersnear Taketomi island, part of Japan’s south-ern Okinawa chain, the agency said. One ofthe agency’s patrol ships seized the boat andarrested the captain, it said. The incidentoccurred outside the waters that are at thecentre of a three-way territorial tussle involv-ing Taipei, Tokyo and Beijing for which Japanand Taiwan have agreed fishing rights. Underthe agreement, Taiwanese trawlers are per-mitted to fish in waters off East China Seaislands controlled by Japan as the Senkakus,but also claimed by China and Taiwan as theDiaoyus.

‘Mystery substance’ sent to US Consulate in China

BEIJING: US officials say an envelope con-taining an unidentified substance was sent tothe US Consulate General in the southernChinese city of Guangzhou, disrupting opera-tions at the diplomatic building. Deputyspokesman Justin Higgins at the US Embassyin Beijing says the envelope was openedMonday in an office where visa interviews areconducted. Higgins says interviews sched-uled for yesterday have been cancelled whilean investigation is carried out. He says noone was injured and that precautionarymeasures have been taken for employeespresent when the substance was discovered.He would not describe the substance, whichhe says has yet to be identified. The websiteof Guangzhou’s Yangcheng Evening Newsreported that the substance was a powderand that it had sprinkled onto an employee’sclothes.

Chinese principal detained BEIJING: A school principal and a govern-ment worker in China have been detained onsuspicion of inappropriate liaisons with sixgirls under age 14 after the two men tookthem to separate hotels and spent a nightwith them, state media and a local govern-ment official said yesterday. The girls - allfriends in the city of Wanning in the southernprovince of Hainan - were first found absentfrom class on the afternoon of May 8,prompting a search by teachers, parents andpolice before they were located over the fol-lowing two days, the official Xinhua NewsAgency said. Four of the girls spent the nightof May 8 in a local hotel with a school princi-pal, who has since been fired, Xinhua said.One of the girls told police that the man -identified only by the surname Chen - hadbeen intimate with her. Xinhua did not pro-vide further details of the inappropriatebehavior, though the report cited Wanningpolice as saying medical checks had beenperformed on the girls and that no sexualintercourse had taken place.

Change in China ‘inevitable’OSLO: Chinese human rights activist ChenGuangcheng said yesterday that change inhis country was “inevitable” but should bethe work of the Chinese themselves ratherthan be imposed from the outside. “Chinawill undergo a transformation, this isinevitable and in fact this has already begun,”said Chen, a blind self-taught lawyer whodramatically escaped house arrest last year.“We cannot wait for democracy, freedom andequality to come from the outside,” he toldthe Oslo Freedom Forum, an annual gather-ing of rights activists. Chen, 41, achievedinternational prominence for his fight againstthe harsh measures used to enforce the one-child policy in his country. Sentenced to fouryears in prison and placed under housearrest, he fled his village last year and tookrefuge in the US embassy in Beijing. Afterprotracted negotiations between China andthe United States, he was finally allowed toleave for New York, where he has since livedwith his family.

in brief

OKLAHOMA CITY: A Pakistani humanrights activist who founded an all-girlsschool said the Taleban was “more afraidof the books than bombs” as he and his15-year-old daughter, who survived anassassination attempt by the Talebanlate last year, were honored Monday atthe memorial for Oklahoma City bomb-ing victims.

Ziauddin Yousafzai decried politicalviolence during a ceremony held tohonor him and his daughter, MalalaYousafzai, who has been recovering inGreat Britain since the shooting that gar-nered international attention. The annu-al Reflections of Hope Award is givenout by the Oklahoma City NationalMemorial & Museums in honor of the168 people who died in the 1995 bomb-ing of the Oklahoma City federal build-ing.

The elder Yousafzai said Pakistani citi-zens are all too familiar with the kind ofpolitical extremism that led to theOklahoma attack, as well as the Sept 11terrorist attacks and the BostonMarathon bombings last month. “Weshare the pain. We share the suffering,”he said. “We have tragedies like Bostonevery day.” He denounced the violenceinflicted by Taleban insurgents that has

taken the lives of tens of thousands ofcivilians and soldiers over the past 30years. He said the Islamic fundamental-ists advocate an “ideology of darkness”

where truth is stifled and education isdiscouraged. “My part of the world isbleeding. I’m here to bring my peopleout of terrorism,” he said.

The award began in 2005, and pastrecipients include the Rev. Alex Reid ofDublin, Ireland, for his life’s work in thepeace process in Northern Ireland, andDurga Ghimire, who co-founded a com-munity-based organization dedicated toimproving the lives of marginalized peo-ple in Nepal. President Bill Clinton, whowas president when the Oklahoma Citybombing occurred, also has been hon-ored. Yousafzai accepted the award onhis daughter’s behalf during his first tripto the United States since the Taleban’sassassination attempt on Malala. In arecorded acceptance speech, she saidthe Oklahoma memorial’s recognitionserved as encouragement to continuebeing an advocate for the right of girlsworldwide to receive an education.

“It’s more courage. It’s more strength,”said Malala, who returned to school inEngland in March. Yousafzai foundedthe all-girls Khushal Public School 17years ago to foster female leadership inan area where the Taleban has bannedgirls from attending school. His daugh-ter also was an activist who attendedthe school until Oct 9, when the Talebanshot her in the head and neck while shewas riding the school bus home. TheTaleban said it targeted her because she

promoted girls’ education and “Westernthinking.”

Prior to the shooting, Malala spoke outabout having the right to speak and to aneducation. In a video clip played duringthe ceremony, she said: “I want every girl,every child, to be educated.” The shootingsparked outrage in Pakistan and othercountries, and Malala’s story capturedglobal attention for the struggle forwomen’s rights in her homeland. Malalawas airlifted to Britain from Pakistan toreceive specialized medical care and pro-tection against further Taleban threats. Shehad surgery to reconstruct her skull inFebruary.

Ziauddin Yousafzai said he was hon-ored to be known largely as Malala’sfather in Pakistan’s male-oriented societyand dedicated the award to fathers,brothers, sons and husbands “whobelieve and who accept and who respecttheir daughters, their sisters, their moth-ers and their wives.” “They are individualsand they are equal to them,” he said. Ashe concluded, dozens of teenage girlsfrom nearly three dozen Oklahoma com-munities entered the stage behind himholding signs that read: “I am Malala.” Heencouraged them: “We should defeatbad ideas with good ideas.” —AP

Malala father honored in OklahomaTaleban ‘more afraid of the books than bombs’

OKLAHOMA: Ziauddin Yousafzai (left) reacts after receiving theReflections of Hope Award from Kari Watkins, executive director of theOklahoma City National Memorial & Museum, in Oklahoma City. —AP

Beijing tightens grip on discourse and ideologyChinese authorities shut down microblog accounts

BEIJING: Chinese authorities have shutdown or frozen the microblog accounts ofseveral prominent liberal intellectuals andharassed rights lawyers lobbying againstunofficial “black jails,” underlining the deter-mination of the country’s new leadership tocontrol dissent even as it vows to root outcorruption. The moves over the last fewdays occurred around the time officialsannounced that a senior official was beinginvestigated for graft, months after a promi-nent journalist accused him of wrongdoing.

The probe against Liu Tienan, deputychairman of China’s economic planningagency, was heralded by the Chinese pressas proof that the battle against corruptionis best fought when authorities allow pub-lic participation. “The authorities and thepeople combined their strengths in thiscase, and it is an encouragement to thepublic’s power in fighting corruption,” saida state-run daily, the Beijing News, in acommentary.

But in other instances, the authoritariangovernment has shown an unwaveringintent to clamp down on anyone who seeksto publicly pressure it into social or politicalchange. The message appears to be that ifany reform is on the agenda, theCommunist Party will push it through on itsown terms. “The controls are tighter thanever,” said Li Cheng, an expert on China’selite politics at the Washington-basedBrookings Institution. “The challenges aregreater, so the suppression is escalating.”

Small groups of activists have beendetained in Beijing and other cities for hold-ing banners calling for officials to publiclydeclare their assets - a key anti-graft meas-ure that the government has been reluctantto implement. One activist, Liu Ping, has

been accused of inciting subversion, avaguely worded charge frequently used tosuppress dissidents. Authorities are alsomaintaining a years-long effort to quashlegal activism.

On Monday, several rights lawyersattempting to visit one of China’s unofficialdetention centers - also known as “blackjails” - in the southwestern city of Ziyangwere beaten by unidentified men, saidBeijing attorney Li Heping, who was con-tacted by one of the lawyers. The efforts topolice discourse are also being ramped upin the Chinese blogosphere, where usersoften challenge the government’s versionof events and its control over information.Over the weekend, authorities apparentlyremoved all microblog accounts belongingto the writer Hao Qun, better known by hispen name Murong Xuecun, from four differ-ent sites.

His subsequent efforts to set up newaccounts have been blocked, he said. Noexplanation was provided for the shutdownof his accounts on the popular Sina Corpplatform, Weibo, and three othermicroblogging sites, Hao said. He said hisWeibo account had about 4 million follow-ers. “The ruling party is losing in the field ofpublic opinion, which is threatening itslegitimacy,” Hao said. “Now, they must exerttighter control, and that’s why they havegone on the offense in public opinion.”

The blog closure could have been relat-ed to Hao’s recent post of a two-line versecritical of the party’s authoritarian rule, orhis posts criticizing the freezing of amicroblog belonging to He Bing, an outspo-ken, liberal professor at the China Universityof Political Science and Law. In a rare move,the official China Internet Network

Information Center explained in state mediareports Friday that He’s account had beensuspended because he was “intentionallyspreading rumors.” The professor has issueda statement protesting the suspension asbeing illegal. “It is every citizen’s responsibil-ity to unswervingly promote a governmentthat rules by law,” He said.

The ratcheting up of controls on Chinesemicroblog platforms - targeting verifiedaccounts of well-known opinion leaderswith hundreds of thousands of followers -appears designed to send warnings thatChina’s leaders will not give ground to itspolitical critics, no matter how popular theymight be. President Xi Jinping has madefighting official corruption a priority, andthe investigation against Liu had suggestedthat the government was willing to allowthe public to play a role.

The investigation was foreshadowed bypublic allegations against him five monthsago by Luo Changping, deputy chief editorof Caijing magazine. The official probeagainst Liu was announced Sunday, and onTuesday state media reported that Liu hasbeen removed from his posts as part ofinvestigations into “serious disciplinary vio-lations.” At the same time, there are con-cerns that the government is crackingdown on the kind of public discourse thatcould help expose official misdeeds.

Rumors have begun to circulate onlinethat party authorities issued a directive tosome college campuses that seven topicsare now barred from class discussion,including press freedom, judicial inde-pendence, civil rights, civil society and theparty’s historic mistakes. The rumor couldnot be verified. Several law and politicsprofessors contacted by the AP said they

had not directly seen or heard about suchan instruction, nicknamed the “SevenDon’t Mentions.” Several academics said itwould be impossible to enforce. HeWeifang, a legal scholar at PekingUniversity, said no topic has been off-limitsin his classroom. “I can speak of everything.There is nothing that cannot be discussed,”he said. “If the law does not talk about civilrights, there’s no law, because the law isabout protecting one’s rights.”

Veteran journalist Gao Yu said that anedict, or the rumors of one, could be relat-ed to a broader ideological strategy laidout by the party’s new leadership in anunpublicized meeting earlier this year thatidentifies seven key “problems” propagan-da officials should tackle. She said theyinclude the concept of democracy andconstitutionalism, civil society, neoliberal-ism and the Western concept of the press.The strategy was laid out in a documentissued by the general office of the party’scentral committee, the contents of whichwere briefly leaked online, Gao said. Shesaid she verified details of the documentwith retired, high-ranking propaganda offi-cials.

Measures recommended in the docu-ment include efforts to “better broadcast”the party’s voice and “strengthen the par-ty’s leadership of the media,” Gao said. Gaoexpressed concern that the new leadershipwas veering toward the more authoritarianera of Mao Zedong that lasted into the1970s. “We can see that the party currentlyfaces a lot of problems, from environmentpollution to the income gap,” Gao said. “Butthis marks a big step backwards. Whowould have known that they are goingback to Mao Zedong’s era?” —AP

TOKYO: The Japanese government yesterday distanceditself from comments by a prominent politician that theso-called “comfort women” of WWII served a “necessary”role by keeping troops in check. Outspoken Osaka MayorToru Hashimoto said soldiers living with the daily threat ofdeath needed some way to let off steam which was pro-vided by the comfort women system. Up to 200,000women from Korea, China, the Philippines and elsewherewere forcibly drafted into brothels catering to theJapanese military in territories occupied by Japan duringWWII, according to many mainstream historians.

“When soldiers risk their lives under a hail of bullets,and you want to give them a rest somewhere, it is clearthat you need a comfort women system,” Hashimoto said.South Korea voiced “deep disappointment” over the com-ments, which risk inflaming Japan’s relationship withneighbors that were victims of brutal expansionism andwho claim Tokyo has never faced up to its warmongeringpast.

“There is worldwide recognition... that the issue ofcomfort women amounts to a wartime rape committed byJapan during its past imperial period in a serious breach ofhuman rights,” a Seoul foreign ministry spokesman said.

“Our government again urges Japan’s prominent offi-cials to show regret for atrocities committed duringJapan’s imperial period and to correct their anachronisticway of thinking and comments.” In Beijing, ForeignMinistry spokesman Hong Lei said China was “shockedand strongly infuriated” at the comments. “Forced con-scription of comfort women was a serious crime commit-ted by Japanese militarism during the Second World Warand it is also a major human rights issue concerning thedignity of victims,” he said. “How to deal with its past willdecide how Japan can embrace the future.”

Hashimoto, who is co-leader of the national JapanRestoration Party, acknowledged that some women pro-viding sexual services to Japan’s soldiers did so “againsttheir will”, something he attributed to “the tragedy of

war”. But he said there was no evidence this had beenofficially sanctioned by the state and that the use of pros-titutes by servicemen was not unique to Japan. “There aremany examples” of unacceptable and brutal behavior bysoldiers in wartime and “to contain such things, it is a cold

fact that a certain system like comfort women was neces-sary”, he said.

Japan’s top government spokesman and Chief CabinetSecretary Yoshihide Suga yesterday refused to commentdirectly on Hashimoto’s remarks. However, he said: “Thegovernment’s position on the comfort women issue isthat, as I repeatedly said here, we feel pains towards peo-ple who experienced hardships that are beyond descrip-tion and (this) administration shares the view held by pastgovernments.” In a landmark 1993 statement, theJapanese government offered “sincere apologies” for the“immeasurable pain and suffering” inflicted on comfortwomen. Two years later, Japan issued a broader apologyexpressing “deep remorse” for war suffering. The 1993statement remains passionately opposed by someJapanese conservatives who contend that the country didnot directly coerce women.

Despite a hawkish stance on history, Prime MinisterShinzo Abe indicated last week he does not intend tobacktrack on these apologies. Japan’s shared history withits Asian neighbors looms over present-day relations,which are also strained by separate territorial disputeswith Seoul and Beijing. Both capitals say Tokyo has notshown sufficient contrition for its WWII behavior. But manyin Japan feel nationalists abroad use the issue as a stick tobeat it for their own domestic ends.

Hashimoto, who was once mentioned as a possiblefuture prime minister, said Monday that Japan bearsresponsibility for the war and urged compassion for vic-tims. “(Comfort women were) a result of the tragedy of warso we have to take care with thoughtfulness of those peo-ple who became comfort women against their will,” hesaid. Shintaro Ishihara, a former Tokyo governor and theother co-leader of the Japan Restoration Party, came toHashimoto’s defense yesterday, arguing prostitutes andmilitaries have co-existed throughout history. “AlthoughMr Hashimoto’s comments are unpleasant to hear, he isnot saying anything wrong,” he said. —AFP

Japan distances itself from ‘comfort women’ comment

Wartime sex slaves were necessary: Japan’s mayor

Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto

USPresident Barack Obama learned on Mondaywhat can happen to presidents caught up inallegations of scandal: they have to address

them instead of anything else. It happened when the pres-ident had to interrupt his news conference with PrimeMinister David Cameron of Britain to answer questionsabout the widening investigation into the Benghaziattacks in Libya and the Internal Revenue Service’s target-ing of Tea Party and other conservative groups. By the endof the day he was facing a third major problem when theAssociated Press said the Department of Justice hadsecretly seized some of its reporters’ phone records lastyear.

It is all leading to comparisons with the second term ofPresident Bill Clinton, in which his agenda was severelydisrupted by the Monica Lewinsky scandal. Obama, unlikeClinton, has not been accused of personal misconduct. Buthis ability to steer the Washington “conversation” could becompromised. “I think the IRS scandal comes at a veryinopportune time for the president and the Democraticagenda,” said Sarah Binder, a George WashingtonUniversity scholar of Congress. “The challenge for Obamaand the Democrats in the coming weeks and months willbe to keep the public’s attention focused on Obama’s poli-cy goals when Republicans and the media will be focusedon scandal.”

The problems for Obama and Democrats may be wors-ened as well by the nature of the IRS behavior: targetinggroups for extra scrutiny based on their political leaningsreinforces the notion of big government pursuing citizensexercising constitutional rights. It could feed into gunrights activists’ worries about slippery slopes that lead togun confiscation or gun-owner registries, said oneRepublican Senate aide, or fears of government“takeovers” of healthcare.

Ron Bonjean, a veteran Republican aide on Capitol Hillwho is now a consultant, said even though the IRS is anindependent agency, the White House can expect to beblamed by the public for any wrongdoing by it. “The pub-lic sees the IRS as part of the federal government, whichthe White House controls,” Bonjean said. The same mightbe said of the news that broke Monday that the JusticeDepartment secretly obtained two months of telephonerecords of reporters and editors for the Associated Press.

The potential risk is high for Obama and theDemocrats. The Democratic-controlled Senate is consider-ing a comprehensive bipartisan immigration bill thatalready faces a rough road in the Republican-controlledHouse, where suspicion of the Obama administration runshighest. “The political fallout will be very damaging for theadministration,” said Bonjean. “This will be another issuethat takes the administration way off message,” he said.“There’s no way they can punch through with a positiveagenda while investigations of the IRS are going on.”

The IRS scandal could easily spill over into the 2014mid-term election year. A week ago, Obama was con-fronting a single investigative proceeding on Capitol Hillon the subject of the deadly attacks on the US mission inBenghazi, Libya, last September. It was attracting relativelylittle public attention outside conservative circles, and hecould dismiss as partisan because only Republicans werepushing it. On Monday he confronted the prospect of mul-tiple probes, with those into the IRS backed by Obama’sDemocratic allies in Congress as Democrats moved quicklyto show they were as concerned as Republicans aboutalleged IRS abuses.

On top of that, the AP is assessing options for legalaction in response to the government’s actions, said DavidSchulz, an attorney representing the AP. White Housespokesman Jay Carney said the White House was notinvolved in the decision to seize the AP records. Theadministration’s chief opponent in Congress of late -Representative Darrell Issa of California - threatened toadd the AP issue to the list of things he is already probing,which include Benghazi and the IRS scandal.

Even without charges of personal misconduct, “stayingcoherent” in pursuit of an agenda is much more challeng-ing for a president than it was in the Clinton years, saidone of his former press secretaries, Mike McCurry. “Theenvironment for communications is so much more compli-cated now because you have this voracious social mediaenvironment in which everything is magnified,” he said.“We didn’t have that. You could have congressionalinquiries and scandals but you could calibrate a little bitand keep an agenda in play.” — Reuters

Issues

Controversies give Obama

new headaches

By Fred Barbash

14A N A L Y S I SWEDNESDAY, MAY 15, 2013

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By Martin Santa

Cyprus and Malta have a lot in com-mon: Mediterranean is landsenjoying 10 months of sunshine a

year, they joined the European Union in2004, use the euro and have bankingsectors that dwarf their economies.There are so many similarit ies thatsome investors have wonderedwhether Malta might follow Cyprus inneeding a bai lout to sur vive theregion’s economic crisis. But Malta’s riskprofile is far different to that of Cyprus,which received a 10-billion-euro aidpackage last month aimed at prevent-ing its collapse and a possible exit fromthe euro zone.

On the basis of banking risk and itseconomy, it seems unlikely that it willbe the next euro member - af terCyprus, Ireland, Greece, Portugal andSpain - to need rescuing. “The businessmodel of the financial sector in Malta isnot as shady and controversial as it wasin Cyprus,” said Carsten Brzeski, econo-mist with ING bank in Brussels. “The pic-ture is also different at the macro level... Malta should be off the screens forquite some t ime.” The European

Commission expects growth on thesmall island economy of just 450,000people to pick up this year and next,driven by rising domestic demand andincreased net exports. The unemploy-ment rate, at 6.4 percent, is around halfthat of the euro zone, debt as a propor-tion of GDP is 72 percent, below theeuro zone average, and the deficit is incheck. All of Cyprus’s pre-crisis numberswere far less rosy.

Nevertheless, Malta’s banking sectoris eight times larger than its GDP, aboutthe same as it was in Cyprus before therescue. This leaves the economyexposed to financial shocks. But inCyprus the banking sector was dominat-ed by two domestic banks, both ofwhich relied heavily on foreign deposits,many from Russia, and invested thosedeposits in government bonds abroad,particularly in Greece. In Malta, the bulkof banking-sector assets belong to sub-sidiaries of foreign banks which wouldbe responsible for bailing them out incase of trouble.

The assets of domestic Maltesebanks, which would not be allowed tofail because the economy would col-lapse, add up to around 200 percent of

GDP. That is a large but not terrifyingamount and the ratio in Cyprus’s wastwice as high. Maltese domestic banksare highly capitalised, profitable and liq-uid. What is more, they fund themselveslargely from the domestic retail depositmarket, lend locally and hold securitiesissued in Malta, rather than having tak-en on board risky assets such as Greekgovernment bonds.

“I want to be very clear, there is nobanking sector in the European Unionthat is comparable to the Cypriot one.Malta, Ireland, Luxembourg, they arenot comparable to Cyprus,” EuropeanCentral Bank Executive Board memberJoerg Asmussen told a EuropeanParliament committee last week. “Onehas to look deeper at the structure ofthe assets and liabilities of the bankingsector.” In a report last month, ratingsagency Fitch said Malta would be farmore capable of handling a crisis thanCyprus was. “The contingent liabilitythat potential bank support places onthe Maltese sovereign - around 128 per-cent of GDP - is significantly lower thanin Cyprus,” Fitch said. The IMF was equal-ly reassured, saying in a report in May2012: “The sensitivity of the Maltese

banking sector to sovereign risk eventsin Europe is low given very low directexposures to vulnerable countries, aswell as domestic banks’ reliance on atraditional retail deposit-based bankingmodel.”

Some analysts say Malta is vulnerableto a sudden dip in confidence thatcould prompt investors to withdrawdeposits, something that the hit onCypriot bank customers could easilyhave triggered. “The key risk ... is that itsinternational offshore investors begin torelocate in light of the policy uncertain-ty created by the Cypriot bail-in,” MylesBradshaw, a portfolio manager at PIM-CO, said. “This would have significantnegative economic effects that could inturn create a problem with domesticbanks’ asset quality. Together with thedeep recession, this could force Malta toseek external assistance.” In a recentassessment, the European Commissionalso expressed some macroeconomicconcerns, noting Malta’s relatively highlevel of private debt, notably homemortgages. But it said that despite someovervaluation and possible oversupply,there was no immediate risk of a prop-erty market crash. — Reuters

Malta unlikely to follow Cyprus into crisis

Syria’s savagery will thwart reconciliationBy Oliver Holmes

Syrian soldiers slowly stab a man to death, punctur-ing his back dozens of times. A rebel commanderbites an organ ripped out of an enemy combatant.

A young boy hacks the head off a prisoner. A soldiermutilates the genitals of a corpse. These are the imagesof Syrian conflict, the first war in which the prevalenceof camera phones and Internet access has allowed hun-dreds of gruesome war crimes to be broadcast, spread-ing hatred and fear. They are defining the war that isspilling across Syria’s borders and making reconciliationan ever more distant prospect.

Brutality has been used as a tool since the revoltbegan two years ago, when videos emerged of govern-ment soldiers torturing pro-democracy protesters. Inresponse to the crackdown, the opposition took uparms and now fighters from both sides are filmingthemselves committing atrocities. Ghoulish footage ofviolence is not filmed surreptitiously, but with pride bythe assailants who often speak to camera.

Rebel commander Abu Sakkar, known to journalistsand revered by many rebels, was shown in a video onSunday cutting organs out of a dead soldier, addressingthe camera as he ripped the flesh: “I swear to God wewill eat your hearts and your livers,” he warned PresidentBashar Al-Assad’s forces as his men cheered. Sakkar wasa founding member of the Farouq Brigade, one of themain rebel units in Syria, but has since formed his ownbattalion as the opposition fragments. In the mosaic ofhundreds of opposition groups, Sakkar’s men are seenas neither secular nor hardline Islamists, but as some ofthe hardiest fighters. Another picture posted onlineshows a rebel holding the severed head of a man, sup-posedly an Assad loyalist, over a barbecue as if to cookit. The fighter smiles and poses confidently, gripping atuft of hair.

Reinoud Leenders, an associate professor in the warstudies department of King’s College London, says thatthese brutal displays are used as a tool of war by bothsides. “It’s the ultimate expression of disrespect anddehumanising your opponent,” he said. In the face of aninsurgency, he says, Assad’s forces have used masskillings and torture to root out rebel fighters hidingamong civilians. “The regime has difficulty in pinningdown opposition members, so they scare civilians fromthe area to get the rebels exposed. It looks irrational

and emotional but there are rational reasons,” he said. Nadim Houry, a Syria and Lebanon researcher for

Human Rights Watch, has documented abuses since thestart of the revolt and says that he is seeing more andmore brutal acts. “Both parties are acting like they arefacing an existential threat,” he said. The opposition andthe government see the war as a zero sum game, bothfighting for survival, he says. This fear of defeat silencescondemnation from supporters of both sides, he says.The main Syrian opposition group condemned thevideo of a rebel commander taking a bite from the deadsoldier but many opposition supporters dismissed thebrutality.

On some opposition Facebook pages people cele-brated the act. Others berated the media for highlight-ing one particular event, saying they should focus onindiscriminate killing of men, women and children byAssad’s war planes and militia. The Syrian governmenthas never acknowledged brutality in army ranks,instead referring to people killed by soldiers as “terror-ists” and areas captured by its forces as “cleansed”.

Syria’s war started as a popular uprising against theAssad dynasty, which has ruled for over four decadesusing secret police, intimidation and brute force. Butmajority Sunni Muslims lead the revolt, while Assad getshis core support from his Alawite sect, an offshoot ofShiism, leading to sectarian fighting and hatred.International powers have taken sides, with the Westand Gulf countries supporting the opposition, whileIran and Russia back Assad. While war crimes are con-demned in words, there has been no real deterrent forthe perpetrators, which Houry said has allowed atroci-ties to continue.

“What is particularly troubling is the silence of theinternational powers,” Houry said. He referred to arecent army and loyalist militia attack in the coastaltown of Banias in which at least 62 people, includingbabies, were killed. “We have been seeing (these mas-sacres) for over a year. What is shocking is the level ofindifference. People shrug their shoulders and lookaway,” said Houry. Since Syria never signed up to thetreaty establishing the International Criminal Court, thecourt could only investigate allegations of brutalitythere with a referral from the United Nations SecurityCouncil - something permanent members Russia andChina have so far blocked.

The United States and Russia have proposed a peace

conference to try to end the war, but savagery fromboth sides means that the unlikely event of a peaceagreement might not stop atrocities and fightingbetween increasingly disparate militias. “The ideas ofreconciliation are now unrealistic. The conflict is asmuch about the conflict itself than pro- or anti-regime,”Leenders said. “I see a total mismatch between the USand Russian narrative and what is going on in Syria.”

In its sectarian nature and big power inertia, theSyrian conflict has drawn comparisons with Bosnia,which was torn apart by Serbs, Croats and Muslims in a1992-95 war that gave the world the term ‘ethniccleansing’ and was marked by some of the worst atroci-ties in Europe since World War Two. Almost 17 yearssince that war ended, the wounds are still raw. Bodiesare still being dug up and a cycle of blame and denialweighs on efforts to reconcile communities. Bitternessruns deep and spills into politics, stifling development.

Details of the worst atrocities are coming to lighteven now. Each side clings to its own narrative of thewar. In March, an ethnic Montenegrin man was jailed for45 years for killing 31 people and raping at least 13,including a pregnant woman in front of her young child.The judge in the case said the defendant, VeselinVlahovic, nicknamed Batko, sometimes forced his vic-tims to kiss his hand as he beat them, and once ordereda man to have sex with the corpse of a woman whosethroat had been cut. In Srebrenica, 8,000 Muslim menand boys were gunned down in five summer days in1995, their bodies bulldozed into pits, buried andreburied in a bid to conceal the crime. Many Serbs stilldispute the figures, despite mountains of testimony atthe United Nations war crimes tribunal in The Hague.

The strength of feeling on all sides has made politicalcompromise in the name of peace difficult, at timesimpossible, and acts as a brake on development. InLebanon, which lies next to Syria and fought its own 15-year civil war which ended in 1990, fault lines betweenreligions remain strong and armed militias still come toblows as a weak government looks on helplessly. ManyLebanese fighters accused of war crimes are now politi-cians as people support powerful members of their sectto safeguard against the influence of their foes. “Wedon’t have real reconciliation in Lebanon right now.Reconciliation requires justice,” said rights researcherHoury, who lives in Beirut. “There is a tear at the fabric ofSyria, similar to what we saw in Lebanon.” — Reuters

WEDNESDAY, MAY 15, 2013N E W S

Continued from Page 1

the government and I wasinformed that the government is notattending, the session is adjourneduntil tomorrow”. He later said there willbe no session today.

MPs later strongly criticized thegovernment for boycotting the ses-sion, claiming that the boycott came toprevent the discussion of the grilling ofthe oil minister and prevent accounta-bility over the payment of a $2.2 billionpenalty to US giant Dow Chemical. MPSaadoun Hammad said the move is anattempt to protect some officials whohave profited from Kuwait’s scrappeddeal with Dow Chemical, known as K-Dow. MPs also charged that the gov-ernment’s boycott amounted tohumiliating the Assembly and an actof disregard to MPs.

A few months ago, the Assemblydecided to postpone debating anygrilling until the next term starting late

October in a bid to give the govern-ment ample time to perform. MP SaadAl-Bous said the government’s boycottis not justified especially that the twogrillings were not listed on the agendaof the Assembly yesterday but on theagenda of the May 28 session. He saidthe government has conveyed thewrong message to the Assembly andthe people and disappointed theKuwaiti people, especially that the ses-sion was due to approve legislationcovering material rights for pensionersand raising the housing allowance forKuwaitis.

MP Saleh Ashour said the govern-ment’s boycott and stance towardgrillings have shocked the Kuwaitipeople because no one will regret theabsence of the government thatescapes and cannot face things. “Weare not concerned if the Assembly isdissolved or the government resigns -what is more important is to have agovernment capable of managing the

country,” Ashour said.The new developments came amid

reports that the Assembly might bedissolved just a month before a June16 crucial ruling by the constitutionalcourt on the controversial amend-ment of the electoral law. But a num-ber of MPs ruled out the possibility,saying they expected the Amir toissue a decree to suspend theAssembly for one month, based on aclause in the constitution. The meas-ure will give just enough time for theruling to be issued while the Assemblyis not in session. Among many possi-bilities, the court could declare theelectoral law amendment as unconsti-tutional, which will mean forcing theAssembly’s dissolution and calling forfresh elections. A small number of MPsbelieve that the government may sub-mit a letter of non-cooperation withthe Assembly, which means that theAmir may dissolve the Assembly orsack the Cabinet or both.

Cabinet ministers resign amid standoff...

Continued from Page 1

compass and even a mundane atlas of Moscow as wellas a somewhat old-fashioned mobile phone.

The FSB warned in a statement that “recently, the USintelligence service has made repeated attempts to recruitthe staff of Russian law enforcement agencies and specialservices”. Russian state television shown footage providedby the FSB in which Fogle is seen sitting down in a checkedshirt as a man - presumably a Russian security officer - tellsthe suspect about his alleged crime. He is then accused ofoffering $100,000 for espionage to a security serviceemployee who is involved in counterinsurgency work inthe Russian North Caucasus. “We did not believe this at first,because as you know the FSB has been actively helping theinvestigation of the Boston blasts,” the officer says as Fogleand three men silently listen with arms crossed.

The incident comes amid a new downturn in Russian-US relations sparked by the Syrian crisis and concern inWashington over what it sees as President VladimirPutin’s crackdown on all dissent. The last major spy rowbetween the two former Cold War rivals involved theglamourous Anna Chapman and large group of Russianspies who were arrested on the US East Coast in June2010. That spy scandal - which ended with their swap forfour Russians convicted of spying for the West - was ahuge embarrassment for Russia’s foreign intelligence at

the time.The FSB and Russia’s tightly-controlled state media

appeared intent yesterday on showing to the public thatthe man it had caught was a real agent who posed a dan-ger to Russia’s interests. The photos published by RT alsoshowed a document entitled “printed instructions for theRussian citizen being recruited”. Parts of the recruitingdocument allegedly used by Fogle read: “Dear Friend.This is an advance from somebody who is impressed withyour professionalism, and who would value highly yourfuture cooperation with us”. As well as $100,000 outright“we offer up to $1 million per year for long-term coopera-tion, with a promise for an additional bonus for informa-tion that will help us”.

Analysts said the fact that the case received suchmedia attention means that senior Russian leaders haddecided to use the arrest to make a political point toWashington. Some such cases are often handled quietlyand tit-for-tat expulsions are sometimes only madepublic once completed. Independent analyst AlexanderGolts added that the million dollars the United Stateswas allegedly willing to pay the Russian security serviceworker seemed far too large for a regular worker. “Thesenumbers raise red flags,” Golts said in a telephone inter-view. “For that amount, they could have expected to atleast get the deputy head of Russia’s foreign intelli-gence.” — AFP

Russia arrests CIA ‘spy’ Continued from Page 1

The Kuwaiti decision urged doctors in the public andprivate sectors to inform their closest disease controland prevention centre of suspicions regarding cases ofacute respiratory illnesses such as the novel coron-avirus, in order to prevent the spread of such cases.Medical staff in emergency and critical conditiondepartments, who may have had contact with thoseinfected, have also been told to receive a checkup at thelocal disease control centre.

It ran through the steps doctors needed to abide bywhen handling such cases such as dispatching samplesin a sealed and refrigerated container accompanied bya report to various laboratories across the country,while paying close attention to the isolation of suspect-ed cases and carrying out regular assessments of theircondition, the guidelines showed. If a suspected casewere to be referred to the disease control centre, inter-action should be prohibited over a 10-day period.

Land and marine border custom officials have alsobeen informed to pay close attention to travelers arriv-ing from nations known to carry a high number of peo-ple with either of the H7N9 influenza virus, SARS-like

viruses or the coronavirus, under the directions of theWorld Health Organisation, while taking measures toprovide awareness on means to prevent being infectedwith any of these ailments.

Two of the Saudi infections were announced yester-day, a day after the ministry said four cases had beenregistered in Eastern Province, which has been grippedby panic after it was shown to be home to most of thecases in the kingdom. “Two new confirmed infectionswere registered in Eastern Province,” it said on its web-site, adding that those infected were nurses and “arereceiving needed treatment and medical care”. The min-istry had said late Monday that among the four othernew cases, “one of the people has recovered and dis-charged, while the other three are still being treated”.

Saudi health authorities are now receiving advicefrom specialists from US and Canadian universities,the ministry added. Health Minister Abdullah Al-Rabiahad said on Sunday that 24 people have contractedthe coronavirus, and that 15 of them have died. TheWorld Health Organisation had said earlier that 34cases have been reported worldwide since the viruswas first detected in Sept 2012, with 18 of the victimsdying. — Agencies

MoH issues guidelines on new virus

A US Seahawk helicopter drops a diver in the water during a drill to destroy mines by placing explosives on them in the Arabian Gulf yesterday on the second day of the biggest mine countermea-sures’ exercise. The US Navy along with other 40 nations are conducting the games. — AFP

OSLO: A Bahraini blogger and human rights activistsaid he had been granted asylum in Britain after beingin hiding for two years. A leading voice among protest-ers during anti-government demonstrations in 2011,Ali Abdulemam hid to escape a government crack-down and was smuggled out by fishermen. A militarycourt tried and sentenced him in+ absentia to 15 yearsin prison. “I have not seen my daughters since theywere six-months-old. It is hard to know that yourdaughters know you only from a picture,” saidAbdulemam, a 35-year-old former engineer with GulfAir and author of the pro-democracy Bahrain Online

blog. “I feel pain because I am not in my homeland. Idid not choose this. I did not want this,” he told Reuterson the sidelines of the Oslo Freedom Forum rights con-ference on Monday.

Sources close to Abdulemam said he was smuggledto Saudi Arabia inside a car with a secret compartment.From there, he travelled to Kuwait, where fishermensmuggled him into Iraq, from where he flew to London.Abdulemam, making his first public appearance sincedisappearing from view two years ago, said he hadbeen granted asylum in Britain. Britain’s Home Officesaid it did not comment on individual asylum applica-

tions. Abdulemam declined to discuss how he got outof Bahrain to protect those who helped him. His wife,eight-year-old son and three-year-old twin daughtersalso still live in Bahrain.

A Bahraini government statement released to CNNon Monday said Abdulemam had not been tried incourt “for exercising his right to express his opinions”.“Rather he was tried for inciting and encouraging con-tinuous violent attacks against police officers,” thestatement said, adding that his website had been used“to incite hatred, including the spreading of false andinflammatory rumours”. Abdulemam denies the gov-

ernment’s charges, and says he is campaigning fordemocracy and civil rights.

Bahrain, which hosts the US Fifth Fleet, is ruled bythe Sunni Al-Khalifa family which crushed Shiite-ledpro-democracy demonstrations that began in Feb2011. At least 35 people were killed in the unrest,though the opposition says the number is higher.Lower-level unrest has since continued. The Bahraingovernment says it has taken steps to address the bru-tality of security forces early in the uprising by dismiss-ing those responsible and introducing cameras atpolice stations to monitor abuses. — Reuters

Bahrain blogger flees to Britain

Kashmiri boatmen row their Shikara on Dal Lake in the outskirts of Srinagar yesterday. Set in the Himalayasat 1,707 m above sea level, Kashmir is a green, saucer-shaped valley full of fruit orchards and surrounded bysnowy mountain ranges. About 100 lakes dot its highlands and plains. — AP

S PORTSWEDNESDAY, MAY 15, 2013

CAPE TOWN: Opener Alviro Petersen will replace the injured Graeme Smith in theSouth Africa squad for next month’s ICC Champions Trophy, Cricket South Africaconfirmed yesterday. Petersen is a regular in the test squad but has made just 17one-day international appearances since his debut in 2006 with a modest averageof 31. CSA Selection Convener Andrew Hudson believes that Petersen’s stellar ear-ly-season form with English county side Somerset will be a major asset at the June6-23 tournament being staged in England and Wales.

“We have decided on a like-for-like replacement,”Hudson said in a statement. “Alviro is the obvious choicein this regard. He is a specialist opening batsman andalso brings some very useful experience on board fol-lowing the loss of both Smith and (all rounder)Jacques Kallis. “He is in the form of his life, havingmade almost 500 runs in three England CountyChampionship Division One matches for Somerset,including two centuries, at an average in the high 80s.

“With the tournament being played early in the Englishsummer we envisage that bowling conditions will favor theseamers and getting good partnerships going up front isgoing to be paramount to success. —Reuters

Petersen to replace SmithBERLIN: Bayern Munich winger Arjen Robben dismissed speculation that he wouldleave the German champions at the end of the season for Manchester City, saying hehad no reason to move. “I am not dealing with this speculation,” the Dutchman toldreporters. “There is so much speculation but I only want to deal with football.

“I still have two years on my deal so why should I leave? It is all about performanceon the pitch and in the past games I have shown I can contribute here at Bayern.”Robben, who has been at Champions League finalists Bayern since 2009 after spells atChelsea and Real Madrid, had an unhappy first part of the season but has won back

his starting spot in recent months, helping his team to thebrink of an unprecedented treble for a German club.

Reports have been mounting in England and Germany inthe past days linking the 29-year-old with a possiblemove to Premier League side Manchester City. “There

has been so much speculation in the past month and Iam only focused on Bayern,” said Robben, who lost the2010 and 2012 Champions League finals with theMunich side. “We want to win the title on May 25 and

that is the only thing that counts.” Bayern, who havealready won the Bundesliga this season, take on Borussia

Dortmund in the all-German Champions League final inLondon before facing VfB Stuttgart in the German Cup final

on June 1 in Berlin.—Reuters

Robben: No reason to moveITALY: FIFA president Sepp Blatter has criticised the 50,000 euro $64,850)fine handed to AS Roma for racist behavior by their fans, describing thesanction as too weak and unacceptable.

Blatter said he would call the Italian football federation, who he saidhad not been thorough enough in investigating Sunday’s incident in thematch at AC Milan.

“What is surprising and is not understandable for me, is that the disci-plinary committee of the Italian Football Federation has taken a decision,not even 24 hours after the event, by just imposing a fine,” he toldFIFA.com. “They have not made any investigation of what happened. Andjust to give a pecuniary sanction is not valid, that is not acceptable.

“You will always find money. What is 50.000 Euros for such an inci-dent? I’m not happy and I will call the Italian Federation. That’s not a wayto deal with such matters.”

Blatter added: “I think lessons have not been learned. It is incredible,that we had such incidents especially in the Italian Serie A in the San Sirobetween AC Milan and Roma, a very important match.

“The referee had to stop the match for a few minutes in order to bringback calm. This is bad.” The referee stopped the match early in the secondhalf of Sunday evening’s match after racist chanting by the visiting fans.Warnings were broadcast over the public address system and play was re-started after a two-minute delay.—Reuters

‘Racism fine not enough’

CLEVELAND: Vidal Nuno pitched fiveinnings of three-hit ball to win his firstmajor league start, and Vernon Wells andLyle Overbay had two RBIs apiece as theNew York Yankees beat the ClevelandIndians 7-0 Monday for a doubleheadersplit. Justin Masterson pitched a four-hitterfor his third career shutout as the Indianswon the opener 1-0 and stopped theYankees’ five-game winning streak.

Pitching in just his second game for theYankees, Nuno (1-1) walked three andstruck out three. The former Clevelanddraft pick became the only left-handerother than CC Sabathia or Andy Pettitte tostart for New York since 2008.

Yankees rookie Adam Warren finishedthe five-hitter for his first big league save.New York chased Trevor Bauer (1-2) duringa six-run seventh and handed the Indiansjust their third loss in 16 games.

In the opener, Masterson (6-2) gave upfour singles - only one reached the outfield- for his third career shutout and secondthis season. The right-hander also blankedthe Chicago White Sox on April 12. JasonKipnis homered in the first inning off DavidPhelps (1-2) for the Indians, outscored 25-7by the Yankees in two losses last month.Consecutive postponements back thenforced the teams back to Progressive Fieldfor a one-admission twinbill.

ATHLETICS 5, RANGERS 1In Oakland, Yoenis Cespedes and

Brandon Moss hit consecutive home runsand AJ Griffin matched his season highwith eight strikeouts to lead Oakland overTexas. It was Texas’ first trip to Oaklandsince being swept in the final three gamesof the 2012 regular season and coughingup the AL West title to the surprising A’s.The Rangers (24-14) arrived in the Bay Areahaving won seven of nine and began theday with the best record in the majors, butagain ran into their division nemesis.

Griffin (4-3) went seven innings and did-n’t walk a batter for the first time this sea-son. He improved to 3-0 in four startsagainst division opponents.

Mitch Moreland homered to give theRangers the lead in the second, then EricSogard and John Jaso hit RBI singles forthe A’s in the bottom half. Texas had itsfour-game winning streak snapped. JustinGrimm (2-3) lost his third straight.

TIGERS 7, ASTROS 2In Detroit, Andy Dirks hit his first career

grand slam, part of a six-run fourth inningfor Detroit against Houston. VictorMartinez also homered for the Tigers, whoswept four straight in Houston earlier thismonth and opened this three-game seriesat Comerica Park with another convincingvictory. Anibal Sanchez (4-3) allowed tworuns and six hits in seven innings for theTigers. He struck out eight with one walk.

Bud Norris (4-4) allowed seven runs andnine hits in five innings before leaving withlower back spasms. Houston has lost fivestraight and 15 of 18 - and the Astros alsolost standout second baseman Jose Altuvein the second with a jaw injury after he col-lided with right fielder Jimmy Paredes on apopup. Dirks finished a triple shy of thecycle - a fine performance in the leadoffspot after Austin Jackson went on the dis-abled list earlier in the day with a pulledleft hamstring.

ROYALS 11, ANGELS 4In Anaheim, Billy Butler broke out of a

severe slump with five hits and five RBIs asKansas City kept Joe Blanton winless ineight starts this season with a victory over

Los Angeles.Butler’s hit total tied his career high,

established on July 27, 2009, at Baltimore.The designated hitter has three gameswith five or more RBIs in the majors. Hebegan the day in a 4-for-35 rut with a .228average and one RBI in 23 at-bats over hisprevious six games.

Luis Mendoza (1-2) allowed three runsand six hits over six innings, striking out sixand walking none as the Royals began anine-game road trip following a three-game sweep by the Yankees. The right-hander was staked to a 10-1 lead and tooka three-hitter into the sixth before givingup a pair of runs.

Luke Hochevar pitched three inningsfor his first save in seven big league sea-sons. Blanton (0-7) threw 99 pitchesthrough 4 2-3 innings, giving up sevenruns and 12 hits with seven strikeouts andno walks.

TWINS 10, WHITE SOX 3In Minneapolis, Twins rookie Aaron

Hicks hit two home runs and made a leap-ing catch in center field to take a tyinghome run away from Adam Dunn inMinnesota’s victory over Chicago.

Justin Morneau extended his hittingstreak to nine games with three hits andfour RBIs, including a three-run doublethat capped the scoring in the eighthinning. Trevor Plouffe had a two-run dou-ble in the third.

Hicks, who missed the previous twogames with a sore right elbow, led off thefourth with a solo homer to center thatgave the Twins a 5-2 lead. He robbed Dunnof a two-run shot in the sixth and connect-ed again in the bottom half.

Dunn and Hicks entered the game tiedfor the lowest batting average in themajors (.137) among qualifiers. When thenight was over, Hicks’ average was .152 andDunn’s .133.

Twins starter Pedro Hernandez (2-0)allowed three runs and six hits in 5 1-3innings. Hector Santiago (1-2) yielded sixruns - three earned - and eight hits in 5 2-3innings. He had only allowed one earnedrun in his previous two starts.—AP

PHOENIX: Justin Upton snapped a14-game homerless drought andhad four hits to help the AtlantaBraves rout the Diamondbacks 10-1on Monday in his return to Arizona.

Upton, the first overall pick byArizona in the 2005 amateur draft,was playing his first game at ChaseField since the offseason trade thatsent him and third baseman ChrisJohnson to Atlanta in a seven-play-er deal. Upton followed his brotherB.J., who was hit on the left shoul-der by Wade Miley (3-2) to lead offthe sixth, and powered a fastballonto the porch above the centerfield fence for his 13th home runand first since April 27 at Detroit.

Johnson hit a two-run homer tocap Atlanta’s three-run fifth andBrian McCann also homered for theBraves, who ended a three-gamelosing streak. Braves starter MikeMinor (5-2) allowed one run oneight hits over 6 2-3 innings.

NATIONALS 6, DODGERS 2In Los Angeles, Jordan

Zimmermann won his NL andmajor league-leading seventhgame, Ryan Zimmerman drove inthree runs and the Nationalsdefeated the Dodgers after losingBryce Harper in a violent collisionwith the wall in right field.

Zimmermann (7-1) allowed ninehits and two runs in 7 2/3 innings,struck out five and walked none.Harper left the game in the fifthafter hitting the scoreboard wallface-first while tracking a ball hit byAJ Ellis over his left shoulder. Henever looked at the wall and whenhe finally turned, he was on top ofit. The impact sent Harper’s cap fly-ing as he bounced off the wall andcrumpled to the ground, with Ellisgetting a triple.

Harper rolled onto his back andeventually got up under his ownpower. Streaks of blood were evi-dent on his neck as he walked offthe field. There was no immediateupdate on his condition before thegame ended. He was playing justhis second game after missing two

with an ingrown toenail thatrequired surgery.

Josh Beckett (0-5) gave up fourruns - two earned - and three hits inthree innings while striking out fiveand walking two.

CUBS 9, ROCKIES 1In Chicago, Travis Wood pitched

seven scoreless innings and theCubs came within two outs of theirfirst shutout since last August in awin over the Rockies.

Alfonso Soriano homered forChicago, which has won threestraight for the second time thisseason. The Cubs’ 14 hits were oneshort of a season high.

Josh Rutledge hit a home run offCarlos Marmol with one out in theninth, ruining the Cubs’ bid for theirfirst shutout win since they beatColorado on Aug. 26. The Cubshave gone 74 games betweenshutouts, their longest streak sincegoing 75 in a row from May 15 untilAug. 6, 1999, according to STATS.Wood (4-2) allowed two hits whilestrik ing out two for his major

league-leading eighth quality start.He’s the first Cubs pitcher sinceHippo Vaughn in 1919 to start witheight quality starts.

CARDINALS 6, METS 3In St. Louis, Lance Lynn over-

came early control woes as St. Louisused a three-run seventh inning tobeat the Mets.

Lynn (6-1) allowed three runs onthree hits and four walks the firsttwo innings. He only gave up onehit and one walk in his last fiveinnings. He is 4-0 at home this sea-son. Rick Ankiel, signed by the Metsearlier in the day after clearingwaivers and playing against theteam that revived his career as aposition player, just missed a divingcatch on Ty Wigginton’s pinch-hitbloop double to shallow center offScott Rice (1-3) to open the sev-enth. Matt Carpenter followedWigginton’s hit with a sharpgrounder off Rice’s leg and the ballrolled into foul territory down thefirst-base line. Wigginton neverstopped running and his head-first

slide barely beat the tag to snap a3-3 tie.

BREWERS 5, PIRATES 1In Pittsburgh, Marco Estrada

allowed three hits over seveninnings as the Brewers beat thesloppy Pirates to snap a four-gamelosing streak. Norichika Aoki went 3for 5 with three RBIs and two stolenbases for the Brewers. Jean Seguraadded three hits and three stolenbases as Milwaukee ran wildagainst Pittsburgh backup catcherMike McKenry. The Brewers stole sixbases in all and took advantage ofthree Pittsburgh errors to win forjust the second time this month.

Estrada (3-2) bounced back froma rough start against St. Louis bystriking out five and issuing justone walk to remain unbeatenagainst the Pirates.

Burnett (3-4) allowed four runsin seven innings and pushed hisNational League-leading strikeouttotal to 72, but Pittsburgh couldn’textend its winning streak to a sea-son-high four games.—AP

PHOENIX: Paul Goldschmidt No. 44 of the Arizona Diamondbacks slides safely into second base ahead of the tag by Dan Uggla No. 26 of theAtlanta Braves at Chase Field. —AFP

Braves rout Diamondbacks

Yankees blank Indians

American LeagueEastern DivisionW L PCT GB

NY Yankees 24 14 .632 -Baltimore 23 15 .605 1Boston 22 16 .579 2Tampa Bay 19 18 .514 4.5Toronto 15 24 .385 9.5

Central DivisionDetroit 21 15 .583 -Cleveland 21 16 .568 0.5Kansas City 19 16 .543 1.5Minnesota 18 17 .514 2.5Chicago White Sox 15 21 .417 6

Western DivisionTexas 24 14 .632 -Oakland 20 20 .500 5Seattle 18 20 .474 6LA Angels 14 24 .368 10Houston 10 29 .256 14.5

National LeagueEastern Division

Atlanta 22 16 .579 -Washington 21 17 .553 1Philadelphia 18 21 .462 4.5NY Mets 14 21 .400 6.5Miami 11 27 .289 11

Central DivisionSt. Louis 24 13 .649 -Cincinnati 22 16 .579 2.5Pittsburgh 21 17 .553 3.5Milwaukee 16 20 .444 7.5Chicago Cubs 16 22 .421 8.5

Western DivisionSan Francisco 23 15 .605 -Arizona 21 18 .538 2.5Colorado 20 18 .526 3San Diego 16 21 .432 6.5LA Dodgers 15 22 .405 7.5

MLB results/standingsCleveland 1, NY Yankees 0; NY Yankees 7, Cleveland 0; Milwaukee 5, Pittsburgh 1; St. Louis 6, NY Mets 3; Detroit 7, Houston2; Chicago Cubs 9, Colorado 1; Minnesota 10, Chicago White Sox 3; Atlanta 10, Arizona 1; Kansas City 11, LA Angels 4;Oakland 5, Texas 1; Washington 6, LA Dodgers 2.

National Aviation Services (NAS) wins Agility’s 2013 cricket cupKUWAIT: Agility organized asix-week-long cricket tourna-ment for all its employees inKuwait. The tournament includ-ed employees from Agility ’slocal Infrastructure companiessuch as Metal and RecyclingCompany (MRC), Gulf CateringCompany (GCC) and NationalAviation Services (NAS). 16teams with a total of 260employee team members par-ticipated in the tournament.Qualifying and eliminationmatches were held every Fridaymorning at the Agility groundsin Mina Abdalla.

The final matches were heldin a festive atmosphere withsupporters of each team cheer-ing in the stands. The NationalAviation Services (NAS) Asian

Lions battled against the AgilityGlobal Integrated Logistics(GIL) 18K Rising Stars to takethe rolling trophy for 2013.During the presentation follow-ing the finale, Agility ’s TobySwitzer, Chief Human CapitalOfficer and Frank Clary,Director, Corporate SocialResponsibility awarded prizesand trophies to the first, secondand third place teams.

Agility’s Global IntegratedLogistics 20K Challengers wereawarded third place in the tour-nament. Thishan Vijesinghewas named Man of the Matchfor the championship game;and Thaha Cheruvalath andAmad Uddin Mallik took awaythe titles of Best Batsman andBest Bowler of the tournament.

CLEVELAND: Starting pitcher DavidPhelps No. 41 of the New York Yankeespitches against Indians during the firstinning during the first game of a double-header at Progressive Field.—AFP


Tour de France: The final frontier for kick bikersSUMAVA MOUNTAINS: A group of kick bikers train in the Sumava Mountains. An international team of six riders from the Czech Republic, Finland and the Netherlands is set to do what no one has done before: to mark the 100th edi-tion of the Tour de France, they plan to cover the entire distance on kick bikes.—AP

SUMAVA MOUNTAINS: A joke over beer couldturn into a defining moment for a new sportwhen an international team of six men attemptto mark the 100th edition of the Tour de Franceby covering the entire distance on kick bikes.

Kick bikes have no pedals but the sturdy rid-ers say that a combination of passion and greatfitness - and no doping - should suffice to com-plete the almost 3,500-kilometer (2,175-mile)course for this year’s race. Fame is not an issue.They say they’re doing it to put their sport onthe map.

“If we succeed, nobody will remember ournames anyway,” Czech team member MichalKulka said during a recent training camp insouthwestern Czech Republic. “Who cares?”

Starting each stage a day before the actualrace means they will miss some of the hype of

the June 29-July 21 race. But they have morepractical obstacles to deal with: traffic lights willslow them down, one-way roads may forcethem to look for alternate routes - and they’restill waiting for permission for their supportvehicle to enter mountainous stages.

A more mountainous route also makes thechallenge enormously tough this year. The rid-ers will have to climb the towering Alpe-d’Hueztwice in the 18th stage, just four days afteranother classic climb - Mont Ventoux - at theend of the 15th stage, the Tour’s longest thisyear.

After two years of hard training, the gruelingascents of the Tour don’t seem to bother themtoo much. “I ’m more afraid of trucks,” saidJaromir Odvarka, another Czech member. Forthe bikers, who all belong in the top echelons

of the sport, time is a constraint. “The longstages may take about 15 hours or more,”Odvarka said. “Sometimes, we won’t getenough sleep.”

The team’s budget of 600,000 koruna($30,200) means they will sleep in tents andinstead of using a plane for two long-distancetransports, they will spend hours in cars. Thateach of them will have a tent of his own is theonly luxury. Their support team includes amasseur, a physiotherapist, a driver and a trans-lator. The crucial question about how to getproper food was solved after the father of oneof the men - Dutch rider Rene Konig - offered toserve as a cook with his girlfriend.

The four Czechs, all former track and fieldathletes, got the idea several years ago whilesitting at a bar watching a report on Josef

Zimovcak, who covered the 2005 Tour on a pen-ny-farthing bicycle.

“I said that if the 50-year-old guy made it ona bicycle, I’d do it on a kick bike when I’m 30,”Vaclav Liska said. Others followed suit.

“It could be that some of us won’t make it.But we’re a team and we want to promote thisbeautiful, small sport,” Liska said. Their idealooked crazy enough for one of the biggestnames in the sport - Alpo Kussisto of Finland -to join them. “I t ’s a wonder ful idea,” saidKussisto, a two-time world champion and aworld record holder. “I hope that we can evenenjoy it. France is a beautiful country.”

The 2013 Tour offers plenty of beauty as itruns past famous sites such as the Mont Saint-Michel monastery and the palace of Versailles.But Kussisto, above all, loves the mountains and

is looking forward to “riding Alpine roads down.”Kussisto hopes the training and team spirit willhelp them overcome any obstacle.

“We switch the kicking leg and the standingleg all the time, like three kicks, switch, threekicks, switch,” he said. “And you need to be ableto micro relax your muscles for a tenth of a sec-ond.”

Kussisto said he considered riding the Tourin 1998 but gave it up because “I was ridingmostly alone. Now we have a really good team. Ithink it’s possible.”

While the Tour is still clouded by dopingconcerns after Lance Armstrong was stripped ofhis seven titles, the six kick bikers say they’ll beas clean as can be. “Doping makes no sense forus,” Kulka said. “We don’t race. We just want tobe the first to make it.”—AP

NEW YORK: The governments of the United Statesand Russia can sometimes be at odds. Americansand Iranians rarely see eye to eye on anything. Butthe possibility of wrestling losing its Olympic spothas given these three often-divergent nations acause to rally around.

The US, Russian and Iranian wrestling teams willmeet on Wednesday for an historic exhibition inNew York. It’s a showcase event for what the sport’sinternational governing body has dubbed “WorldWrestling Month.”

The IOC in February recommended thatwrestling be dropped from the Olympic programstarting in 2020. Wrestling now has to plead its caseto the IOC to be included as a provisional sport in St.Petersburg, Russia on May 29.

The New York exhibition, known as “The Rumbleon the Rails” and to be held at Grand CentralTerminal, is designed to highlight the sport’s inter-national appeal and popularity. The pre-meet newsconference is even being held at the United Nations,and the meet will be televised live by the NBCSports Network and Universal Sports - a rarity for asport struggling for ways to make itself more viewer-friendly. The Iranians, who will be competing in theUS for the first time in 10 years, will also competeagainst the Americans at an exhibition in LosAngeles on May 19.

“In this crisis, we all stick together. Wrestlersmaybe can do, sometimes, what politicians cannot,”said Nenad Lalovic, the acting president of FILA, thesport’s governing body. “We love our sport, and weare united to save it.” If there’s one thing that the US,Russian and Iran have in common, it’s a proud tradi-tion of wrestling success and a deep passion for thesport that’s been re-ignited by the IOC.

The Americans have won more Olympic medalsin wrestling than any other country. When put incertain context, it can be argued that the USwrestling team has been more successful than anyother American Olympic team. The Russians are nowthe world’s premier wrestling nation. They won 11medals in the recent London Olympics, includingfour gold, when no other nation claimed more thansix medals. The Russians were furious at the IOC’srecommendation, and their angst over the sport’sOlympic future stretches all the way to the top.

“The removal from the Olympic program of tradi-tional forms of sports, which were its basis from the

beginning and were in the program of the OlympicGames even in the time of ancient Greece ... is unjus-tified,” Russian president Vladimir Putin said inMarch.

But wrestling holds a place in Iranian culture thatlikely exceeds that of even the U.S. and Russia.

It’s often been said that wrestling is the nationalsport of Iran, where it doesn’t have to compete withthe likes of baseball, American football and hockey.The Iranians won three golds in London, backed bya fan section more boisterous than any other nation.Tehran also served as the first place for the interna-tional wrestling community to come together andstart formulating a plan to save its Olympic status.

The first major meet of the year, the World Cup,was held in Tehran roughly a week after the IOCdecision, and the world’s top 10 wrestling nations -including the U.S., Russia and Iran - met to discusshow to respond to the IOC. US Olympic championJordan Burroughs said the fans inside the arenawere overwhelmingly supportive of the competi-tors, regardless of what country they wrestled for.

“It was probably the best wrestling venue, interms of fan support and excitement, that I’ve ever

been a part of,” Burroughs said after the World Cup.“We’re competitors on the mat. But with the deci-sion by the IOC, now everyone is coming together.”

The New York and Los Angeles exhibitions high-light a busy week for wrestling. FILA, the sport’sinternational governing body, will meet in Moscowon Saturday to discuss major changes designed toimprove wrestling’s standing with the IOC.

The matches in New York and Los Angeles won’tcount for much more than pride. But wrestling offi-cials are hoping to show the IOC and the world thata sport which can bring three such powerful butoften clashing nations together is one worthy of aspot in the Olympic Games.

In fact, a photo of Burroughs and Iranian wrestlerSadegh Saeed Goudarzi locked arm-in-arm on themedal stand in London has become a symbolicimage on social media sites for the movement tosave Olympic wrestling. “It is an exciting opportunityfor wrestling to show the world its ability to bringtogether nations of different political, cultural andgeographic backgrounds,” USA Wrestling ExecutiveDirector Rich Bender said in announcing the NewYork meet last month.—AP

US, Russia and Iran towrestle in New York

LONDON: In this Friday, Aug. 10, 2012 file photo, from left: Silver medalist Sadegh SaeedGoudarzi, from Iran; gold medalist Jordan Ernest Burroughs, from the United States; bronzemedalist Soslan Tigiev, from Uzbekistan; and bronze medalist Denis Tsargush, from Russia,participate in the medals ceremony for men’s 74-kg freestyle wrestling competition at the2012 Summer Olympics, in London. —AP

CHICAGO: The little engine that couldfinally threw a gear. The Chicago Bullsmight have been the most heartwarmingtale going this postseason, but it’s over.Unlike the bedtime story, fumes and spareparts get you only so far in the NBA. It wasalways a matter of when - not if - they’d fallapart. Go back and take a look at what hap-pened in the third quarter of their EasternConference semifinal Monday night againstthe Miami Heat, or better yet, don’t. It wasabout as ugly as you’d imagine. The Bullsscored exactly nine points in the period, anall-time franchise low.

At various times in the final quarter,Chicago had Nazr Mohammed, DaequanCook, Malcolm Thomas, Marquis Teagueand 35-year-old Rip Hamilton on the floor.What’s scary isn’t that some NBA fans hadno idea that any or all of that group was inthe league; rather, it’s that many of thosesame fans wouldn’t recognize the guysthey were supposed to be spelling.

The Bulls wound up shooting 26 per-cent and totaled just 65 points by the endof Game 4, another team record for futility.Yet they probably had no business gettingthat many, let alone this far in the playoffs.“We’re kind of putting screws and bandag-es everywhere,” said forward Taj Gibson,another backup pressed into regular serv-ice. “It’s frustrating. Every night and everyday. “It’s rough. It’s really rough,” he added amoment later. “I wish I could explain howI’m feeling right now. How everybody inthis locker room is feeling now.”

Actually, there’s no need for a lengthyexplanation when a glance will do. Gibsonhad icepacks covering both knees as hetalked. Across the room, Joakim Noah hadhis right foot (plantar fasciitis) submergedin a bucket of ice. Next to him, NateRobinson had an icepack covering his leftshoulder. The players who hadn’t left in ahurry to lick their wounds at home werestill lined up in the trainer’s room, awaitingtheir turns.

Every team has to cope with injuries,but what happened to the Bulls and coachTom Thibodeau this season gives thephrase new meaning. His best player,Derrick Rose, the league’s MVP in 2011, wasa scratch at the start because of knee sur-gery, and despite a doctor’s note clearinghim to return in March, he never did.Somehow, the Bulls won 45 regular-season

games, then even more surprising, beatback Brooklyn in the first round.

Naturally, things only got worse.Chicago’s second-best offensive player,Luol Deng, who played all season with avariety of hurts, has missed the last six play-off games; the Bulls’ best perimeter defend-er, Kirk Heinrich, similarly battling injuriesfor months, has been out for the last seven.

Now the Bulls head to Miami down 3-1,where this series will end - officially, butmercifully, too. “They’re in a tough situa-tion,” LeBron James said - not that itstopped him from dropping 27 points onChicago’s wearied defenders. “They’ve hadsome injuries and illnesses and whatever’sgoing on. They don’t have their full roster,but that’s not for us to worry about.”

That was Thibodeau’s worry all season,and the jury could be out for a while decid-ing whether he treated the players avail-able at any given moment like a chess mas-ter or a meat grinder. The team’s unofficialmotto became “Next Man Up!” - the Bullsleft a placard with the slogan on every seatin the arena Monday night - but “Next ManDown!’ might turn out to be more accuratein the long run.

Thibodeau possesses one of theleague’s best defensive minds, and theeffort he coaxed, mostly from a bench longon second-stringers, was something tobehold. In what might have been his finalmotivational ploy for this season,Thibodeau put out a revised lineup justmoments before Game 4 with Deng listedas “active,” even though he wasn’t long outof a hospital bed. The coach also reacheddeep into his doghouse and finally tossed afew minutes to Hamilton, who likeRobinson, shoots the ball without con-science and is a defensive liability.

Neither is Thibodeau’s kind of player.Whether the pair returns remains to beseen, though you could say the same abouta few more of the youngsters and castoffsthe coach used to great effect. The moreimportant question is whether the front-liners - Rose, Deng, Heinrich and Noah,who’s played relentlessly despite the footinjury - will continue to entrust theircareers to a coach who won’t, or can’t, evertake his foot off the throttle.

Afterward, Thibodeau was askedwhether the Bulls’ performance was proofthey’d simply “run out of steam.” —AP

Afridi, Khan given Pakistan contracts and a pay rise

ISLAMABAD: All-rounder Shahid Afridi andbatsman Younis Khan were surprisinglyawarded category A contracts by the PakistanCricket Board yesterday, plus a pay rise of 15percent.

Both players, with more than 500 one-dayinternationals between them, were droppedon form for next month’s Champions Trophyin England and Wales, but will be givenmonthly retainers of around $3,600. Afridi,retired from tests, still hopes to play in the2015 World Cup, while Khan is wanted fortests. Test and ODI captain Misbah-ul-Haq,Twenty20 captain Mohammad Hafeez andoffspinner Saeed Ajmal were the only others

to receive category A contracts.Fast bowler Umar Gul, Umar Akmal and

Abdur Rehman were demoted to category B,worth $2,500 a month, along with five otherplayers.

Gul had been ruled out of the ChampionsTrophy due to injury, but it was another PCBsurprise that the paceman was demoted fromcategory A despite consistently playing in allthree formats of the game. Test openerTaufeeq Umar and fast bowler Aizaz Cheema,who were in category B previously, weredemoted to category C.

The Akmal brothers, Kamran and Adnan,were among eight players in category C for

retainers of $1,400 each. Left-handed openingbatsman Nasir Jamshed was promoted from Cto B.

The PCB also awarded stipends of $700 tonine players. All 30 contracts were only for thisyear. After the Champions Trophy, Pakistantour West Indies, and then host South Africaand Sri Lanka.

Last year, the PCB gave players a raise of 25percent after renewing their 2009 contracts.Test match fees were also increased by thePCB by about $550. Category A players willget around $4,400 per test, category B playeraround $3,850, and category C players$3,300.—AP

Bulls performanceruns out of steam


Photo of the day

Rotorwings Formation Team flies at the Zell am See Airport, Austria. www.redbullcontentpool.com

How Mancini’s Man Citydream turned sour

LONDON: Roberto Mancini’s dismissal asmanager of Manchester City, which wasconfirmed on Monday after weeks of spec-ulation, would have been almost unthink-able 12 months ago.

The Italian walked on water in parts ofManchester in May last year, after leadingthe club to a dramatic first league title in 44years, a season after success in the FA Cupended a 35-year trophy drought. Hisreward was a new five-year contract,reportedly worth £25 million ($38.4 million,29.6 million euros), and he spoke of hisdesire to “build on our recent success”.

One year on, he finds himself without aclub and with a dent in his reputation afterCity fell well short in their league titledefence, limped out of the ChampionsLeague in the group phase, and werestunned by Wigan Athletic in the FA Cupfinal. Mancini has protested throughoutthat in leading City back to the top of theEnglish game after decades in the wilder-ness, he has achieved all that could beexpected of him.

He has also lamented City ’s lack ofimpact in last year’s close-season transferwindow, having seen Robin Van Persiehead to Manchester United and EdenHazard settle on Chelsea after each playerrejected overtures from the champions.

Mancini laid the blame for these set-backs squarely at the door of the club’sboard for moving too slowly, and evenwent so far as to claim that had City signedVan Persie, they would have been champi-ons and not United.

City certainly lacked fire-power. Havingromped to the title with 93 goals last sea-son, an average of 2.45 per game, theyhave hit the net an average of just 1.72times per game this season-only the sixth-best figure in the league.

However, while Van Persie might havehelped turn some of City’s nine draws intowins, it does not explain why the match-winners Mancini did have at his disposalsuddenly appeared to lose their bearings.Sergio Aguero found the net 23 times in

2011-12, including the stoppage-time win-ner on the season’s final day that wrenchedthe title from United’s grasp. He has scoredjust 11 in the league this term. Creativemidfielders David Silva and Samir Nasrihave been deeply disappointing, whileVincent Kompany and Yaya Toure are nolonger the rocks upon which City foundedlast season’s title triumph.

Even Joe Hart’s form has dived. The bestgoalkeeper in England last season, Hart hasproduced a number of poor performances,with high-profile blunders in games atSunderland, Southampton and West HamUnited.

Mancini’s man-management has alsocome under scrutiny, despite his success inmanaging to sell the combustible MarioBalotelli to AC Milan in January.

Nasri hit out at him after Manciniclaimed he wanted to “punch” theFrenchman for his inconsistent displaysearlier this year, while Hart was rebuked bythe manager for criticising the side follow-ing a 3-2 Champions League loss at RealMadrid in September.

That brusqueness has reportedlyangered members of City’s playing staff,while Mancini’s complaints about the lackof depth in his squad-despite the massiveinvestment by the club’s Abu Dhabi-basedowners-will not have gone down well inthe boardroom.

After the FA Cup final, Mancini criticisedthe club for failing to publicly deny mediareports identifying Malaga boss ManuelPellegrini as his likely replacement.

However, with strategy at board levelnow partly in the hands of formerBarcelona directors Ferran Soriano andTxiki Begiristain, Mancini will have realisedsome time ago that too many false moveswere likely to cost him dearly.

Despite his disappointment, Manciniwill have heard the City fans chanting hisname at Wembley on Saturday, and as theman who brought the glory days back tothe blue half of Manchester, he will notwant for sympathy.—AFP

MANCHESTER: Manchester City sacked man-ager Roberto Mancini on Monday followinghis team’s feeble defence of the PremierLeague title they won exactly one year ago.

Manchester United regained the title lastmonth with four games to spare and Citywere then beaten 1-0 by Wigan Athletic inlast Saturday’s FA Cup final.

City had also failed to progress from thegroup stage of the Champions League for asecond successive season despite boastingone of the most expensively assembledsquads in the world.

“It is with regret that Manchester CityFootball Club announces that RobertoMancini has been relieved of his duties asManchester City Manager,” the club said in astatement.

“Despite everyone’s best efforts, the clubhas failed to achieve any of its stated targetsthis year, with the exception of qualificationfor next season’s UEFA Champions League.

“This, combined with an identified need todevelop a holistic approach to all aspects offootball at the club, has meant that the deci-sion has been taken to find a new managerfor the 2013/14 season and beyond.”

Media speculation has been rife thatMalaga coach Manuel Pellegrini was beinglined up as a replacement but the Chileandenied late on Sunday that he had spokenwith City and said no agreement had beenreached.

Assistant manager Brian Kidd will be incharge for City’s remaining two games of theseason and the post-season tour to theUnited States.

“This has been a difficult decision for theowner, Chairman and Board to make and it isthe outcome of a planned end of seasonreview process that has been brought for-ward in light of recent speculation and out ofrespect for Roberto and his extensive contri-butions to the Football Club,” the statementsaid.

Former Inter Milan manager Mancinijoined City in December 2009, succeeding

Mark Hughes, and that season led them to afifth-place finish which was at the time theirbest ever Premier League showing. The clubsplashed the cash before the next season,bringing in the likes of David Silva and YayaToure as they went on to finish third, qualify-

ing for the Champions League for the firsttime, and beating Stoke City 1-0 in the final towin the FA Cup.

It was the end of a 35-year wait for a tro-phy and a tangible reward for the huge fundsinvested by the club’s Abu Dhabi owners.

Having been criticised for a conservativeapproach to games under Mancini, muchchanged the following season when theItalian brought in Sergio Aguero and SamirNasri and City became a stylish goal-scoringmachine that lit up the league.

A 6-1 victory over then champions Unitedat Old Trafford proclaimed their serious titlecredentials and a fascinating battle with theirneighbours ensued with City snatching thetitle on goal difference in the dying secondsof the season.

Hoping this might be the start of manytitles to come, City’s defence of their crownnever really got off the ground this season.

Mancini placed some of the blame withthe failure to sign Robin van Persie, whoseprolific goalscoring helped United to their20th league title, but it was also clear thatmany players who had shone the year beforewere below their best.

There were also media rumors of disquietamong players unhappy with Mancini’s abra-sive management style, his tendency to criti-cise them publicly and tactical choices.

“Roberto’s record speaks for itself and hehas the respect and gratitude of SheikhMansour, myself and the Board for all of hishard work and commitment over the lastthree and a half years,” chairman Khaldoon AlMubarak said in the statement.

“He has clearly also secured the love andrespect of our fans. He has done as he prom-ised and delivered silverware and success,breaking the club’s 35-year trophy droughtand securing the title in 2012. “I would like topersonally and publicly thank him for hisdedication to the progress that he has over-seen and for his support and continuedfriendship.” —Reuters

Man City sack Mancini

Manchester City’s Italian manager RobertoMancini

RIO DE JANEIRO: Brazil line-up for nextmonth’s Confederations Cup fully con-scious that victory is paramount if they areto go on and secure a sixth World Cup infront of their fanatical home supporters in2014.

Six decades on, the kingdom of Pele stillhurts from missing out to Uruguay in Riode Janeiro’s Maracana stadium for the 1950World Cup title-an entire generation ofplayers will suffer similar heartache if theyfail to lift the Jules Rimet trophy next year.

The Confederations Cup, which runsfrom June 15-30, will prove no walk in thepark for the South American superpowerwho for once will not be lumbered withtheir habitual tag of favourites.

After living off a diet of friendlies for thepast three years, they must use this returnto official competition to restore confi-dence and to regain the trust of their fanswho booed the selecao after a lacklustre 2-2 draw against Chile on their last run-outon April 24.

To prevail next month, Brazil will firsthave to extricate themselves from a first-round group featuring Italy, Mexico andJapan, before a likely match-up with worldand double European champions Spain.

The burning question posed by fanssince Brazil’s premature exit from the 2010World Cup and their subsequent alarmingslide down FIFA’s world rankings is whichsystem of play and which players LuizFelipe Scolari will employ.

As Brazil have searched for the balancebetween the demands of modern day foot-ball and the “beautiful game” mastered byPele, Zico and Romario, they have plum-meted from sixth to a worst-ever 19thplace in world football’s pecking order.

The present crisis prompted theBrazilian Football Federation to pluck fromthe past Scolari, the man who guided theBrazil of Ronaldo and Bebeto to the 2002

World Cup title in his first stint as managerafter a chaotic qualifying campaign.

Brazil’s hopes of fresh glory also restwith Neymar, the talented 21-year-old strik-er who has shone for his club Santos, lessso for his country and who is angling for amove to either Barcelona or Real Madrid.

Yet six months after his return, Scolari’sBrazil have failed to impress, with a 2-1 lossto England, three stalemates against Italy(2-2), Russia (1-1) and Chile (2-2), and onlyone win-a 4-0 rout of modest Bolivia.According to Brazilian football commenta-tor Marcos Guterman, the omens for a sixthworld title are hardly encouraging.

“Brazil are playing way below the levelof any of the other top teams like Spain andGermany. “They lack a system of play capa-ble of getting results,” said the author of thebook “Football Explains Brazil: A Story ofthe Biggest Popular Expression of theCountry”.

“We need a miracle to win the (Confed)Cup in June,” he suggested gloomily. Incontrast, Ronaldo is convinced that Scolariwill silence sceptics from taxi drivers tolawyers who no longer believe in theirnational team.

Former Brazilian legends appear to havelost their nerve too, with Pele and Romarioreduced to exchanging insults on Twitter.

Scolari has offered only half a dozennames of players certain to be in his 2014World Cup squad-Thiago Silva, David Luiz,Daniel Alves, Julio Cesar, Fred and Neymar.

For the rest questions remain whetherhe will call up veterans like Ronaldinho,back on better terms with himself since hisreturn home after an unsatisfactory end tohis European stay at AC Milan or RealMadrid’s super-sub striker, Kaka.

Brazil open the tournament againstJapan on June 15, with Mexico next fourdays later and Italy concluding their GroupA schedule on June 22. —AFP

MADRID: Real Sociedad’s bid toqualify for the Champions Leaguefor the first time in a decade suf-fered a setback when they conced-ed a late goal and were held to a 2-2draw at home to Granada in La Ligaon Monday.

Imanol Agirretxe noddedSociedad ahead in the ninth minuteat their Anoeta stadium in SanSebastian but Granada levelled sixminutes later when Youssef El Arabi

crashed a superb volley past homegoalkeeper Claudio Bravo.

Carlos Vela raced down the leftwing and crossed for Agirretxe tochest the ball cleverly into the net torestore Sociedad’s lead momentsbefore halftime.

However, after Agirretxe and Velaboth struck shots against the frameof the goal relegation-threatenedGranada mounted a late fightbackand Recio threaded a 93rd-minute

shot through a crowded penaltyarea to snatch a point for the visi-tors.

The result left Sociedad andValencia, who won 4-0 at RayoVallecano on Sunday, level on 59points in fourth and fifth placerespectively with three games left.

Sociedad are above Valencia inthe standings as they have a betterhead-to-head record but they havea tricky run-in to the end of the sea-

son and host Real Madrid at the endof the month.

Sociedad and Valencia are fivepoints ahead of sixth-placed Malagaafter their 0-0 draw at home toSevilla on Sunday, while Granada are16th on 36 points, four above therelegation places.

“It’s a shame,” Agirretxe said in aninterview with Spanish televisionbroadcaster Cuatro. “We had thosetwo shots against the post so wedidn’t have any luck in that respect,”he added.

“Then we tried to keep the ballbut we were the ones sufferingtowards the end.” Under Frenchcoach Philippe Montanier, Sociedadhave played some of the mostentertaining football of the seasonand are the only team apart fromReal Madrid to have beaten leadersBarcelona.

Their golden period came in the1980s when they twice won La Ligaand reached the European Cupsemi-finals in 1982-83, where theyfell to eventual winners HamburgSV.

More recently, they spent threesuccessive years in the second divi-sion before winning promotion inthe 2009-10 season. Fourth placewould be their best result since theywere second and qualified for theChampions League in 2002-03.

Granada were in the fourth tier ofSpanish soccer as recently as 2006and after winning promotion to thetop flight in the 2010-11 season nar-rowly avoided relegation last termwhen they finished one place abovethe drop zone.—Reuters

Sociedad’s CL bid checked by Granada

SPAIN: Real Sociedad’s defender Carlos Martinez (center) vies with Granada’s Romanian midfielder GabrielTorje (right) and Granada’s midfielder Recio during the Spanish League football match. —AFP

Struggling Brazil needConfed Cup boost

STOCKHOLM: Ilya Kovalchuk scored agoal and made two more as Russia sur-vived an early onslaught to beat Austria8-4 at the world ice hockey champi-onships in Helsinki on Monday.

The Russians were 2-0 up and cruisingafter Kovalchuk’s ninth-minute goal, butthree quick-fire goals, including two in a15-second burst, put Austria in frontbefore Russia leveled again at the end ofthe first period.

Alexander Radulov put Russia aheadagain only for the dogged Austrians topull them back through a Florian Iberergoal. After that the Austrian resistancecrumbled and the Russians fired fourmore goals to complete the rout.

By winning their final group game infine style, defending champions Russiawill progress to the quarter-finals as noworse than third seeds. Austria are con-demned to finish bottom of their groupand drop from the elite to division one ofworld ice hockey.

In the early game in the Finnish capi-tal, Latvia beat France 3-1 in a result thatmoved them out of the relegation zoneand dented France’s hopes of making thequarter-finals.

A third-quarter Brenden Dillon strike

in Stockholm helped Canada edgeSlovenia 4-3 in their final group game tomove to the top of their group ahead ofSwitzerland. Slovenia failed to win anygames at the world championships andare relegated to division one for nextyear.

Earlier in the day, Denmark held on tobeat Belarus 3-2, despite the latter fight-ing back from 3-0 down. Second-placedSwitzerland can still win the group if theymake it seven wins out of seven by beat-ing Belarus late yesterday.

Third-placed Sweden have also madethe quarter-finals, with the final berth inthe Stockholm group going to the win-ners of the crunch game betweenNorway and the Czech Republic.

In Helsinki, the United States can toptheir group with a win over Slovakia, withRussia and Finland also already qualifiedfor the quarter-finals.

Slovakia, Latvia, France and Germanyare all in with a shout of making the finalquarter-final spot, with the latter pair dueto face one another in a must-win match.

Should Slovakia upset the UnitedStates, they will go through, while Latviawill be looking to beat Finland to haveany chance of progressing. —Reuters

Russia defeat Austria 8-4

SPORTSWEDNESDAY, MAY 15, 2013

AMSTERDAM: Benfica are moretechnically gifted than Chelsea butwill sti l l go into Wednesday ’sEuropa League final in Amsterdamas the underdogs, according to for-mer England coach Sven-GoranEriksson. The Swede knows a greatdeal about Benfica having twicebeen in charge of the doubleEuropean champions during hisglobetrotting career.

“Sure, Chelsea are the favouriteswith a very balanced squad andwith very expensive players but inmy opinion the technique ofBenfica’s players is a tad better,”Eriksson told the aBola daily news-paper. “Benfica’s technique is verysharp. They control the ball well andplay good football.” The 1961 and1962 European champions leanheavily on skilful midfieldersEduardo Salvio, Nicolas Gaitan,Pablo Aimar, Ola John and NemanjaMatic to provide the ammunitionfor Paraguayan sharpshooter OscarCardozo and attacking partnersLima and Rodrigo.

Cardozo, Lima and Rodrigo havebagged 71 of the club’s 118 goalsthis season. Eriksson, who was atthe helm when the Portugueseteam lost 1-0 to AC Milan in the1990 European Cup final in Vienna,believes Benfica will quickly forgetabout their agonising 2-1 defeat byarch-rivals Porto on Saturday.

Both sides went into the gameundefeated and Porto’s victory putthem in pole position to win thedomestic championship.

“A European final is unique,” saidEriksson. “As soon as they startpreparing for the final the Portomatch will vanish from their minds.”

Eriksson came close to landing atreble for Benfica in 1983 when theywon the domestic league and cupdouble but lost 2-1 on aggregate toAnderlecht in the two-legged finalof the UEFA Cup, the forerunner tothe Europa League.

The Swede won the Portugueseleague three times in all in his twospells at the club. Argentine mid-fielder Enzo Perez also believesBenfica will quickly shrug off themisery of losing to Porto.

“The team is beat up and sad but

we can have our pay back againstChelsea. We must believe,” saidPerez. In what has become an icon-ic image in Portugal, coach JorgeJesus sank to his knees in dispairwhen Porto scored their stoppage-time winner.

“This was a very painful loss inthe very last move of the match,”said Jesus. “We feel deep sorrow butno one can take away the workwe’ve done, nor our quality.”

Benfica have good memories ofAmsterdam where they won thelast of their European Cups againstReal Madrid in 1962.

Beating all-conquering Real,who had won the trophy five yearsin a row from 1956-60, was proba-bly the greatest moment in theclub’s proud history. Jesus, who wasin charge when Benfica were beat-en by domestic rivals Braga in the2011 Europa League semi-finals, islooking forward to taking on lastyear’s Champions League winnersChelsea. “ There won’t be many

finals like this either in my career orthe career of my players,” he said.“Motivation won’t be a problemand winning the Europa Leaguewould bring us international recog-nition.”

Chelsea can turn to their ownranks for tips on the oppositionbecause Brazilian internationalsDavid Luiz and Ramires were bothsigned from the Portuguese side.

“I am happy to meet them in thefinal because they are top players,”said Benfica captain Luisao. “Davidis having a brilliant career and I ama fan of Ramires on and off thepitch. He is a great guy.”

Ramires has been a mainstay ofChelsea’s midfield this season whilethe versatile Luiz can play alongsidehis compatriot or in the centre ofthe defence.

Captain John Terry looks like suf-fering final heartbreak for the sec-ond year in a row after he missedlast year ’s Champions Leagueshootout victory over Bayern

Munich because of suspension.The former England defender is

a doubtful starter after he was car-ried off on a stretcher when hetwisted his ankle in Saturday’s 2-1victory at Aston Villa.

Quicksilver Belgium winger EdenHazard is also unlikely to play afterhe injured his hamstring at theweekend. Playmaker Juan Matawants Chelsea to end their seasonin style by winning the EuropaLeague and then confirming a top-three finish in the Premier Leaguewith a home victory over Evertonon Sunday.

“The season is about to end andperhaps the best moment is yet tocome,” said Mata. “We may win anew European title and officially geta ticket to play in the nextChampions League. “This is the sec-ond time in my two seasons atChelsea that we will play for aEuropean trophy. It would be amaz-ing to win two European titles inconsecutive years.”—Reuters

Eriksson says Benfica are more gifted than Chelsea

AMSTERDAM: Members of the Benfica squad take part in a training session at the Amsterdam Arena.Benfica play Chelsea today in the final of the Europa League. —AFP

GERMANY: Bayern Munich’s striker Thomas Mueller (left) and Dutch midfielder ArjenRobben attend a press conference at the Allianz Arena stadium, as part of the FCBayern Munich open media day prior to their UEFA Champions League final. —AFP

MUNICH: Bayern Munich stars say the heart-breaking loss to Chelsea on penalties in lastseason’s Champions League final at homestrengthened the team’s mental frame anddetermination to win everything this season.

“For me personally, the loss last year onlyserved to give me more motivation for thisseason,” forward Thomas Mueller said. “Itwould have been great to have won last yearat home, for our fans, but for us it’s importantto win the title, not where we win it. This sea-son we seem to play better abroad anyway.”Outgoing coach Jupp Heynckes says theteam acquired key players in the offseasonthat particularly gave bulk and stability to itsdefense and helped the team dominate theseason.

Heynckes and several of his stars spoke tothe media yesterday in the build-up to theChampions League final against Bundesligarival Borussia Dortmund on May 25 atWembley.

Bayern players expect the first all-Germanfinal to produce a tense, close matchbetween two teams with no tactical secretsbetween them.

“Both teams know each other well, thereare no secrets. The coaches know each other.But a final is always an open affair with equalchances,” Heynckes said. “But every coach hassome ideas and it’s up to the players to exe-cute them. So far this season, my playershave done this very well.”

After going through two seasons withouta trophy, Bayern can complete a unique tre-ble this season. It won the Bundesliga cham-pionship with a record six games to spareand it is also in the German Cup final, oneweek after the Wembley final.

“We have a better squad this season, thenew signings integrated well and we havenot had many injuries,” said BastianSchweinsteiger, described by Heynckes as“currently the best midfielder in the world.”Bayern hopes to finally win the title in itsthird final in four years.

“It’s time,” Mueller said. “If you lose threefinals, you would get the label of a loser, andthat would not be unjustified.”

Arjen Robben will have a chance atredemption, after missing a penalty in extratime against Chelsea and becoming the tar-get of loud boos from Bayern fans.

“It’s nice to play finals, but you also needto win,” Robben said. “Last year was very dis-appointing.” Heynckes said Bayern played agreat season last year using only 14-15 play-ers.

“This season we are using 20-22. We gottop signings with character that fits into ourteam. We got better physically and our

defense is now, I won’t go so far as to say per-fect, but very good.

“That’s the priority in modern football andthat’s why we are playing such attractivefootball,” said the 68-year-old coach, whohinted strongly that he would retire after theseason. Pep Guardiola, the former Barcelonacoach, is already set to take over at Bayernnext season.

After losing to Chelsea, Bayern took ondefensive midfielder Javi Martinez in aBundesliga transfer record of ‚Ç¨40 million. Italso signed Brazilian defender Dante andCroatia striker Mario Mandzukic. All threehave become backbones of the team, withMandzukic pushing Germany striker MarioGomez to the bench.

With one match remaining in theBundesliga, Bayern is 22 points ahead ofDortmund, with a 94-15 goal difference andonly one loss in the domestic season. In theChampions League semifinals, Bayern dis-patched Barcelona 7-0 on aggregate.Bayern’s only loss away came in the earlyChampions League group stage at BATEBorisov. It has lost at home once in theBundesliga and to Arsenal in the ChampionsLeague in the round of 16.

“We are mentally very strong and wehave this clear target to win every match,”Heynckes said. “In all my years as coach, Ihave never seen players so focused, notinfluenced by outside things. After such adisappointment last year we bounced backand are playing such a great season.”

Schweinsteiger said he could see thegreat motivation in all of his teammates. “Allof us on the squad can step in and play whenneeded, we have a better squad than lastseason,” said Schweinsteiger, who missed apenalty in the shootout in last year’s final.

But he also put the final in perspective: “Iwon’t live longer if I win.” Bayern returned topractice yesterday after spending the week-end celebrating the Bundesliga title. The tro-phy was officially presented Saturday. “We’vehad too many parties the last 10 days, nowwe return to hard work,” captain PhilippLahm said.—AP

Bayern has learned lessons from last season’s defeat

UEFA Europe League

Benfica v Chelsea 21:45Al Jazeera Sport +4

Match on TV (Local Timings)

MADRID: Lionel Messi could be done forthe season after he was ruled out for upto three weeks because of his nagginghamstring injury, meaning he’s set to fallshort of breaking his own Spanishleague scoring record.

Barcelona said yesterday that thefour-time FIFA player of the year has re-aggravated the right hamstring strainthat has limited him for the last sixweeks and only a quicker-than-expectedreturn to fitness would see him playagain for the Spanish team this season.Barcelona said Messi will be sidelined fortwo to three weeks, with the team’s last -and meaningless - league game againstMalaga scheduled for June 1.

Barcelona has already clinched theleague title with three games left, butMessi is four goals short of matching hisown record of 50 goals that he set lastyear. But with 46 league goals, eight inthe Champions League and four in theCopa del Rey, his grip on the European

Golden Shoe award is likely to remainunchallenged.

The other two matches which Messi isset to miss are against Valladolid and theCatalan derby against Espanyol. Messifirst injured his hamstring on April 2 inthe first leg of the Champions Leaguequarterfinal against Paris Saint-Germain,and re-aggravated the injury in Sunday’s2-1 win at Atletico Madrid. The win overAtletico was only the fifth league gamethis season in which Messi played butfailed to score - having netted in 21 con-secutive previous appearances.

Messi, who was making his firstleague start since the injury, left thepitch in the 68th minute after Barcelonahad made all three substitutions andwas trailing 1-0. The team rallied withouthim.

Barcelona has no other trophies leftto play for, as it lost in the semifinals ofthe Copa del Rey and ChampionsLeague.—AP

Injured Messi could be done for season

Lionel MessiPARIS: Paris St Germain’s Ligue 1 title cele-brations were cut short on Monday when30 people were injured in clashes betweenspectators and police in the west of theFrench capital.

“Thirty people were injured, three ofthem members of the police forces,” Parischief of police Bernard Boucault told anews conference. “Twenty-one peoplewere also arrested for questioning afterthrowing projectiles or causing damage.”

Boucault said “hundreds, maybe thou-sands of troublemakers” spoiled the cele-brations, adding “we did not underestimatethe means needed to tackle such a situa-tion. Some 800 police officers were calledup”. He said nobody had been seriouslyhurt. Some of those involved wore PSGshirts and climbed on to temporary scaf-folding as the soccer club’s players wereshowing off the French champions’ trophy.

“The scaffolding is going to collapse. We

can’t welcome the players in these condi-tions,” the ceremony’s public announcersaid as the players were forced to leave thePlace du Trocadero earlier than expected.

Riot police fired tear gas to try to dis-perse the crowd after up to what policeestimated was 15,000 people had gatheredto celebrate PSG’s first league title since1994. Bus shelters were destroyed duringthe episode with some of the peopleinvolved covering their faces. A PSG play-ers’ cruise on the Seine river, which waspart of the scheduled celebrations, wascancelled, the club said on its website(www.psg.fr). “There will be no more cele-brations on the streets of Paris for PSG,”Boucault said. PSG should be able to prop-erly celebrate the title on Saturday whenthey host Stade Brest at the Parc desPrinces, where the players spent most ofthe evening after the celebrations wereended.—Reuters

Violence cuts shortPSG’s celebrations

PARIS: French Red Cross members evacuate a person on a stretcher during clasheswith the police as Paris Saint-Germain’s supporters celebrate the club’s champi-onship one day after Paris secured French League football championship title.—AFP

Zaha fires Palaceinto playoff final

LONDON: Manchester United-bound Wilfried Zaha scoredboth goals as Crystal Palace beat Brighton and Hove Albion2-0 on Monday to reach the Championship (second tier)playoff final where they will face Watford.

The two sides were level 0-0 after Friday’s first leg and ittook until the 69th minute of the second leg for the visitorsto break the deadlock.

Zaha, who is joining Premier League champions Unitedin July, sent Palace a step closer to joining him in the topflight with a header from close range after a superb crossfrom substitute Yannick Bolasie. The Ivory Coast-born for-ward made sure of the win with a fine left-footed strikeinto the roof of the net two minutes from time.

“I’ve got no words to express how I feel right now. Itmeans the world to me, I’ve played for Palace for 10 yearsso doing this for Palace is just perfect for when I leave,”Zaha told Sky Sports.

“I’m just happy I scored really. Getting two goals is just adream really.” Brighton’s best chances had come a few min-utes before Zaha’s opener with substitute Ashley Barneshaving one effort saved on to the bar and another clearedoff the line.

Palace, who finished fifth this season behind fourth-placed Brighton, are seeking a return to the PremierLeague for the first time since they were relegated in 2005,while manager Ian Holloway last managed in the top flightwith Blackpool in 2011.

It is the second successive year Holloway will be head-ing to the Championship final after Blackpool were beaten2-1 by West Ham United last term.

While Holloway was delighted with all his players, hewas in no doubt about how vital 20-year-old Zaha’s rolehad been in getting them to Wembley.

“I wish he was still with us next year,” he said. Watfordbooked their place in the May 27 final at Wembley onSunday when they beat Leicester City 3-1 on the day for a3-2 aggregate victory. Champions Cardiff City and runners-up Hull City won automatic promotion to the PremierLeague. —Reuters

JOHANNESBURG: Bitter Cairo rivals Al-Ahly and Zamalek were pitted againsteach other when the CAF ChampionsLeague draw was made in Cairo yester-day.

The two most successful teams in thepremier African club competition are inGroup A with AC Leopards of CongoBrazzaville and Orlando Pirates of SouthAfrica.

Al-Ahly defeated Esperance of Tunisia3-2 over two legs last November toclaim a record-extending seventhAfrican title.

However, Cairo derbies that wouldordinarily attract sell-out 80,000 crowdsare set to be played amid the eeriesilence of empty stadiums.

Spectators have been barred fromvirtually all domestic and CAF fixtures inEgypt since 72 spectators died afterpost-match rioting in Port Said last year.

Crowds limited to 3,000 were permit-ted at Ahly and Zamalek CAF games thisyear only for the ban to be reinstatedfollowing crowd trouble.

Zamalek supporters ripped seatsfrom fittings at the Borg El Arab stadiumin Alexandria and Ahly fans hurled fire-crackers on the pitch at the same venue.

Former champions Esperance are inGroup B with Coton Sport of Cameroonand newcomers Sewe San Pedro of IvoryCoast and Recreativo Libolo of Angola.

Each club plays its three rivals athome and away between July 19 andSeptember 22 with group winners andrunners-up advancing to the semi-finals.

Apart from a $1.5 million (1.160 mil-lion euros) first prize, the eight survivorsfrom three rounds of qualifiers are chas-ing a 2013 FIFA Club World Cup place.

The annual tournament bringstogether champion clubs from each FIFAregion and this year Morocco willbecome the first African hosts.

Ahly defeated and drew withZamalek in the Champions Leaguegroup phase last season and also havefirst-hand knowledge of Leopards.

The clubs clashed last February in theCAF Super Cup with Ahly edging 2012CAF Confederation Cup winnersLeopards 2-1 in Alexandria.

There will also be plenty of videomaterial on 1995 champions Pirates toscrutinise as most South African gamesare screened by Pan-African stationSuperSport.

Group A appears the tougher withAhly and five-time Champions Leaguewinners Zamalek favored to make thesemi-finals.

Esperance, winners once and run-ners-up twice in the past three editions,are the club to beat in Group B withCoton Sport slight favourites to finishrunners-up.

But Sewe San Pedro shocked Al-Hilalof Sudan in the second eliminationround and Recreativo Libolo boast thebest record of the eight title challengers.

The Angolans won five games anddrew the other when disposing ofSimba of Tanzania, El-Merreikh of Sudanand Enugu Rangers of Nigeria.—AFP

Cairo giants square off inCAF Champions League

17US, Russia and Iran to wrestle in New York

WEDNESDAY, MAY 15, 201318Man City sack Mancini

Eriksson says Benfica are more gifted than Chelsea Page 19

ROME: Novak Djokovic of Serbia returns the ball to Albert Montanes of Spain during an ATP Italian Tennis Open match in Rome. — AFP

ROME: Top-ranked Novak Djokovic quickly overcame an earlybreak to beat Spanish qualifier Albert Montanes 6-2, 6-3 yester-day and reach the third round of the Italian Open. Djokovicdropped his serve to fall behind 2-1 in the opening set but brokeback immediately and took control from there against his 32-year-old opponent.

The six-time Grand Slam champion didn’t appear to have anyproblem with his right ankle, which he twisted while represent-ing Serbia in the Davis Cup in April then appeared to hurt againin a second-round loss to Grigor Dimitrov at the Madrid Open lastweek. Djokovic has reached the final in four of the five past yearsat the Foro Italico, winning the title in 2008 and 2011.

In the first round, Julien Benneteau of France eliminated 12th-seeded Nicolas Almagro 7-6 (2), 6-4; and Mikhail Youzhny beat13th-seeded Tommy Haas 6-4, 6-3 in a matchup of tour veterans.Also, former top-10 player Fernando Verdasco of Spain defeatedHoracio Zeballos of Argentina 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.

In the women’s tournament, former No. 1 Caroline Wozniackilost to 48th-ranked Bojana Jovanovski 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5) in the firstround.

The 10th-seeded Wozniacki wasted a 5-2 lead in the third-set

tiebreaker. The Dane has struggled on clay this season, losing toYaroslava Shvedova in the first round in Madrid and to CarlaSuarez Navarro in her first match in Stuttgart, Germany, lastmonth. Also, eighth-seeded Petra Kvitova overcame a second-setlapse to beat Sabine Lisicki of Germany 6-4, 0-6, 7-5 and reach thethird round.

Also in the first round, 12th-seeded Maria Kirilenko of Russiaeliminated Spanish qualifier Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-3, 6-3and will next face 31st-ranked Varvara Lepchenko of the UnitedStates, who defeated Ukrainian qualifier Lesia Tsurenko 6-4, 6-2.

Meanwhile, when Rafa Nadal returned to action in Februaryafter seven months out with a knee injury he never thought thatjust over three months later he would have another five titles inthe bag, including two more Masters triumphs.

The Spaniard, a former number one and the French Openchampion, dropped to five in the world during his enforcedabsence before storming back to win in Sao Paulo, Acapulco,Indian Wells, Barcelona and now Madrid.

He also reached the finals at Vina del Mar and Monte Carloand Sunday’s 6-2 6-4 destruction of Swiss 15th seed StanislasWawrinka in front of his adoring home fans in the Spanish capital

was his third Madrid Open success.Nadal now has 40 titles on his beloved clay, equal second in

the Open era with Thomas Muster, and if he stays fit he could eas-ily overhaul Guillermo Vilas’s record of 45 by this time next year.

Ominously for any rival eyeing his Roland Garros crown - hewill be chasing an eighth title in Paris starting at the end of thismonth - he said after his victory in Madrid he was close to wherehe wanted to be in terms of fitness and form. Nadal told a newsconference that Sunday’s match was his most satisfactory per-formance since his return to Europe after his Indian Wells victoryin March.

“I’ve realized that my forehand is working again at its best lev-el and I am able to open up the angles and play a lot of winningpoints,” Nadal said.

“It’s true that in some moments I was lacking a little bit ofbackhand or legs. “But if I’m able to compensate for that with myaggressiveness everything changes.

“These last matches I have been able to reach that goal, youknow, that line, that place where I want to be playing, the kind ofform that I’m aiming for.” Nadal now heads to Rome, where hebeat world number one Novak Djokovic in the final last year for

his sixth title at the Masters event in the Italian capital. He said hewould be back on the practice court on Monday and was cau-tious when asked about his prospects for the coming months.“The outlook will be great if I don’t feel anything in my knee,” hesaid. “But I don’t know how the thing’s going to improve, so that’swhy I want to be very calm, stay with the feet completely on thefloor, and go day by day. “Things are going well but the injury isnot two years ago. It’s just a few months ago. “So I need to becalm, enjoy every moment, and for sure keep working hard to befit for the rest of the season.” Nadal was reluctant to look beyondRome and discuss his chances for the French Open.

“It’s the moment just to be happy with what I have achievedin Madrid, in Barcelona and Monte Carlo. “You know, I’m here andnext week I will be in Rome and I will be thinking about Rome. Iwon’t be thinking Roland Garros.

“When it comes we will think about Roland Garros, which is apretty important tournament, of course, but it’s not the only onein the world.

“If you told me four months ago all this would have happenedand I wasn’t going to do well in Roland Garros I would tell you,yes, I will sign that with my eyes closed.” — Agencies

Djokovic dumps Montanes in Rome

CHICAGO: LeBron James scored 27 points as the Miami Heatnearly matched a club record for points conceded in a playoffgame, dominating the listless and short-handed Chicago Bulls88-65 on Monday to take a 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conferencesemifinals.

At Memphis Tennessee, Tony Allen scored on a driving layupto open overtime as the Grizzlies beat the Oklahoma CityThunder 103-97 to push the defending Western Conferencechampions to the edge of elimination. The Bulls’ 65 points werejust two more than the all-time postseason low for a Miamiopponent, and it was easily the worst offensive performance by aChicago team.

Never before had the Bulls scored fewer than 69 in a playoffgame or 10 in a quarter during the postseason, but both thosemarks fell on a night when they were dominated on both ends ofthe floor.

Miami led by 11 at the half and put this one away in the thirdquarter, outscoring Chicago 17-9 in the period. “We worked for it,”said Heat forward Chris Bosh. “I never like to say that things areeasy.”

The defending champion Heat will try to wrap up the series athome today. James had his usual complete game with eightassists and seven rebounds Monday.

Bosh finished with 14 points after scoring 20 and grabbing 19rebounds in Game 3, and the Heat won again despite anotherquiet night from Dwyane Wade (six points), whose right kneewas bothering him again. He appeared to aggravate it on a fall-away jumper during the game but was able to return after get-ting re-taped.

“It’s frustrating at times, but you just try to do what you can,”Wade said. The Grizzlies shook off a first half in which they could-n’t hit shots and the Thunder seemingly couldn’t miss in buildingtheir largest lead in this series at 17 points. But the Grizzlies haveyet to lose on their home court this postseason, and they wontheir third straight and seventh in eight games to grab a 3-1 leadin the series. Game 5 is today in Oklahoma City.

The Grizzlies outscored the Thunder 9-3 in overtime. KevinDurant scored 27 points but missed all five of his shots inovertime. — AP

Heat beat BullsITALY: Olympic silver medallist RigobertoUran soloed to victory in the hilly 10th stageof the Giro d’Italia yesterday, as his Sky teamleader and race favorite Bradley Wiggins lostmore time to race leader Vincenzo Nibali.

Uran attacked on his own before the final4.4km climb to the summit finish ofAltopiano del Montasio in what appeared tobe a tactic designed to put the pressure onNibali’s Astana team.

However, Nibali and fellow victory con-tender Cadel Evans of Australia ultimatelyresponded in positive fashion, upping thepace in the final few kilometres to leaveWiggins, the Tour de France champion, trail-ing by over 30secs.

Neither won the stage but Nibali andEvans came over the finish line of the167km race, which began in Cordenons inthe extreme northeast of I taly, 31secsbehind Colombian Uran. Wiggins arrived37sec later, meaning the Englishman is nowfourth overall at 2min 05sec behind Nibali.

Evans, the 2011 Tour de France champi-on, is second overall only 41secs behindNibali and must now be considered theItalian’s only real rival in a race which, givenWiggins’ performances in the past week,seems out of reach for the 2012 Tour deFrance champion.

Nibali said afterwards: “Sky tried to iso-late me to attack me.... but I managed togain a few important seconds on Scarponiand the others.”

“It was a difficult stage coming off a restday but for me it went off well. I was expect-

ing Uran to attack. I saw Wiggins behind butI was more afraid of Scarponi in this stage.”

Uran, meanwhile, claimed afterwards hehad planned to cap a strong ride by theteam with his first stage win from a GrandTour.

“I’m very happy to have taken the wintoday. It is the first win for me in a GrandTour and it is very satisfying after getting soclose before. It nice to finally be able to fin-ish off a victory,” said the Colombian. “It isdoubly special as it came after such a strongride from the team. It was always the planfor me to attack on the climb and thingswent to plan. The team rode incredibly allday.

“The result has meant I have jumped upa few positions on the general classificationso now I am one second in front of Brad.That is a good position to be in for me andfor the team to have two riders there.”

Despite losing out to Nibali for the bonusseconds on offer for third, Evans said he waspleased to hold on to second place overallafter the race’s first major mountain stage.

“It’s probably not going to be a big dealat the end, but I would rather not concedetime,” he said. “To maintain my position atthis point is still very good. So far, so good.We still have a lot of mountain stages to go.”

Although aware of Wiggins losing time,the Australian said the only rider he wasfocusing on was Nibali. “I don’t know whatwas going on behind, of course, but Nibali isthe rider I have to focus on at this point con-sidering my place in classification.” — AFP

Uran clinches Giro stage

ITALY: Colombia’s Rigoberto Uran celebrates his victory as he crosses the finish lineof the 10th stage of the 96th Giro d’Italia (Italy Tour) cycling race. — AFP

BusinessWEDNESDAY, MAY 15, 2013

UAE markets hit multi-yearhighs, no sign of abating

Page 22

Branch banking in the digital age

Page 24

Australia govt forecasts $19.4 billion deficit

Page 23

US hedge fund calls for Sony Entertainment spin-offPage 25

NEW YORK: In this Friday, April 12, 2013. photo, specialist Allison Gamba works at her post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Financial markets remained subdued yesterday as investors assessed whether the recent optimism that hasseen many stock indexes hit historic highs will last. — AP

LONDON: Rising US shale oil production will help meet mostof the world’s new oil demand in the next five years, even ifthe global economy picks up steam, leaving little room forOPEC to lift output without risking lower prices, the West’senergy agency said. The prediction by the InternationalEnergy Agency (IEA) came in its closely watched semi-annualreport, which analyses mid-term global oil supply anddemand trends.

“North America has set off a supply shock that is sendingripples throughout the world,” IEA Executive Director Mariavan der Hoeven said yesterday. “The good news is that this ishelping to ease a market that was relatively tight for severalyears,” she added. Oil yesterday traded near $103 a barrel, wellbelow its peak of $147 in 2008.

The IEA said it expected global demand to rise 8 percenton aggregate between 2012 and 2018 to reach 96.7 millionbarrels per day (bpd) based on a fairly optimistic assumptionby the International Monetary Fund of 3 to 4.5 percent globaleconomic growth a year during the period.

That incremental demand will be met mainly by non-OPEC

production, which will rise by more than 10 percent between2012 and 2018 to 59.31 million bpd, the IEA said, increasing itsestimate of non-OPEC supply in 2017 by 1 million bpd versusits previous report in October 2012. The United States willovertake Russia as the world’s largest non-OPEC producer asearly as 2015, the IEA said. That may leave OPEC, which hadbeen long seen as the last resort for the world to meet risingdemand, with output fluctuating around the current levels of30 million bpd for the next five years.

The agency cut its estimate of the demand for OPEC crudein 2017 to 29.99 million bpd, down by 1.22 million bpd fromits previous report six months ago. It said OPEC’s spare capac-ity will rise by over a quarter to reach 6.4 million bpd or 6.6percent of global demand, giving an additional cushion topotential supply shocks, the report said. The adoption of USshale technology could help Russia and China boost produc-tion from unconventional reserves, but new projects may slowin other areas.

“Several members of the (OPEC) producer group face newhurdles, notably in North and sub-Saharan Africa. The regional

fallout from the ‘Arab Spring’ is taking a toll on investment andcapacity growth,” the IEA said. “Downward adjustments acrossthe (OPEC) group are partly offset by substantially strongergrowth in Saudi capacity than previously expected, reflectingnewly announced development projects,” it added. Iran’s sus-tainable crude production capacity is likely to fall by as muchas 1 million bpd to 2.38 million bpd by 2018, the lowest inmany decades, due to Western sanctions, the IEA said.

The IEA said the balance of global supply growth, untilrecently evenly split between OPEC and non-OPEC, was tiltingtowards the latter. “North America thus increases its share ofsupply growth both within the non-OPEC group and moreglobally,” it added. In every other aspect of the supply chain,be it demand, refining, trade or storage and transportation,the fast rise of emerging market and developing economies isstriking, it said.

These economies are projected to overtake advancedeconomies in oil product consumption from the second quar-ter of 2013. This lead will widen from 49 percent of globaldemand in 2012 to more than 54 percent by 2018.

The IEA said that beyond the well known story of growth inBrazil, China, Russia, India, Saudi Arabia and South Africa,many African nations were also on the rise on the global oilconsumption map. The IEA also predicted shifts in the globalrefining industry as countries such as India and Saudi Arabiabuild new refining capacity.

The expansion of global refining capacity will outpaceupstream supply growth as well as demand growth, bringingrefining margins under pressure. Higher-cost refineries willface stronger competition. “European refineries are at particu-larly high risk of closure over the forecast period,” the IEA said.The IEA added that another consequence of the surge in USproduction was a shift in natural gas pricing, which wouldchallenging the conventional wisdom that products producedfrom oil will continue to dominate the market for transportfuels. “Cheap and abundant natural gas has already facilitatedthe transition of the U.S. economy towards broader use of thefuel,” the agency said. Natural gas will increase its share ofroad transport fuels to 2.5 percent in 2018 from 1.4 percent in2010, it forecast. — Reuters

US oil boom leaves OPEC sidelined European refiners at risk of further closures

NEW YORK: Indian generic drugmaker RanbaxyLaboratories Ltd pleaded guilty on Monday to felonycharges related to drug safety and will pay $500 mil-lion in civil and criminal fines under the settlementagreement with the US Department of Justice. Thesettlement is its largest-ever with a generic drugmakerover drug safety, according to the US government. Itincludes $150 million in payments for a criminal fineand forfeiture and $350 million in payments for civilclaims.

The settlement has been in the works for sometime. In December 2011, Ranbaxy set aside $500 mil-lion to resolve the potential criminal and civil liabilitiesrelated to the investigation by the government into itsmanufacturing practices and falsifying data. The com-pany reached a related settlement agreement withthe US Food and Drug Administration in 2011. “Thefinancial provision Ranbaxy established in December2011 will be sufficient to cover all material financialobligations under the agreement,” the company saidin a news release announcing the conclusion of the USinvestigation.

Ranbaxy USA pleaded guilty to three felony countsrelated to the manufacture of drugs at two Indianlocations that did not meet safety standards and tofour counts of making material false statements. In thecivil settlement, Ranbaxy has agreed to pay $350 mil-lion to resolve allegations that drugs from the twoIndian plants did not meet specifications and thatfalse claims were submitted to US government health-care programs between April 1, 2003 and Sept. 16,2010.

In 2008, the FDA banned the company from sellingabout 30 drugs in the United States after it foundmanufacturing deficiencies at facilities in India. In2009, the FDA had accused the company of falsifyingdata and test results in drug applications and haltedreviews of drugs made at a plant in northern India.

Dinesh Thakur, former Ranbaxy director and global

head of research information & portfolio manage-ment, is entitled to $48.6 million as the whistleblowerin the case, the Justice Department said. It was Thakurwho uncovered the unsafe practices and violations atRanbaxy.

“Ranbaxy’s management was notified of thesewidespread problems. When they failed to correct theproblems, it left me with no choice but to alert health-care authorities,” Thakur said in a statement.

“It took us eight years to help governmentauthorities unravel a complicated trail of falsifiedrecords and dangerous manufacturing practices thatthreatened to compromise the quality and safety ofRanbaxy drugs,” he added. Ranbaxy, majority-ownedby Japan’s Daiichi Sankyo Co Ltd , stopped sellingdrugs to the U.S. markets while it fixed problemswith its manufacturing procedures in the UnitedStates and India.—Reuters

PARIS: European aerospace giant EADSreported a near doubling of first-quarter netprofit yesterday, boosted by a strong per-formance by its main subsidiary Airbus whichmakes airliners. Quarterly profits soared by 91percent from the level 12 months ago to 241million euros ($316 million) on strongdemand for commercial aircraft.

Earnings before interest, tax, deprecia-tion and amortisation jumped by 79.0 per-cent to 596 million euros, despite excep-tional charges of 145 million euros in theAirbus division which is dealing with microcracks in the wings of its superjumbo air-craft. The price of shares in the group roseby 3.01 percent to close at 42.44 euros. TheParis stock exchange’s CAC 40 index rose0.53 percent. At brokers Barclays Bourse,portfolio manager Renaud Murail com-mented: “Overall, the results do not containany bad surprises. The trend is favourable interms of activity and the group is confirm-ing the good announcements which themarket was expecting.”

He said that in addition “the group isconfirming its targets with once again agood number of orders or rumours oforders which are in the air, particularly fromcompanies in the Gulf.” The EuropeanAeronautic Defence and Space Companysaid that group orders for the first threemonths rose to 49.9 billion euros comparedto 12 billion during the same period lastyear. Orders for Airbus’ commercial aircraftshowed the highest jump, leaping 496 per-cent. Sales for the first three months of theyear were up 9.0 percent at 12.4 billioneuros, the group added. EADS noted thatthe programme for its future long-haul

A350 aircraft, due to be delivered at the endof 2014, remained “very ambitious” but thatthere had been no anouncement of delayssince the middle of 2012.

The Eurocopter division, making heli-copters, which had performed strongly lastyear, was hit by technical problems affect-ing its Super Puma model, resulting in arestriction on flying. Sales fell by 13.0 per-cent and operating profit by 69.0 percent.Orders fell by 36.0 percent in the quarter ona 12-month comparison.

EADS said that the performance ofEurocopter should recover during this yearbecause the company had identified thecause of the technical problems. Orders bythe space division Astrium fell by 30.0 per-cent on a 12-month comparison but salesrose by 3.0 percent. Against a background ofcuts in defence budgets in the West, thedefence arm Cassidian raised sales by 2.0percent and its operating profit by 40.0 per-cent. EADS stood by its targets for the fullyear, expecting EBIT earnings before non-recurrent items to be 3.5 billion euros in 2013from 3.0 billion euros in 2012. Deliveries ofAirbus aircraft should continue to increase to600-610 commercial aircraft.

The group held to a target of 700 ordersin the year, which appeared modest sincecommercial director John Leahy is countingon 750 for the year and had booked 493 bythe end of April. EADS said it expected“modest” growth for the year, mainlybecause of a slowing of orders for its super-jumbo airliner, the A380, which has beenheld back by a programme to deal withmicro cracks in some of the wing compo-nents. — AFP

EADS posts profit leap as Airbus orders soar

Ranbaxy pleads guilty, to pay $500m in US settlement

ROPAR: A view of the Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited pharmaceutical Indian factory at Toansa village inRopar about 50 Km from Chandigarh yesterday. The US subsidiary of New Delhi-based RanbaxyLaboratories pleaded guilty to seven counts of felony after it distributed several India-produced adul-terated generic drugs in the United States in 2005 and 2006. — AFP

KUWAIT: Bank credit saw a big jumpin March, it’s largest monthly gain inmore than four years. While house-h o l d c re d i t co n t i n u e d to s h owstrength, growth in March was sup-por ted by credit gains from non-financial business sectors for thesecond consecutive month. Creditgrowth also received support fromthe non-bank financial sector, whiche x p e r i e n ce d a b re a k f ro m i t sd e l e ve r a gi n g t re n d, t h o u g h i t

remained down on the year.Total bank credit rose by a solid

KD 279 million in March to KD 27.35billion, pushing year-on-year (y/y)credit growth to 5.2%. Householdcredit (personal facilities excludinglending for the purchase of securi-ties) saw another healthy gain, whileloans to the nonfinancial businesssector made a strong contribution inMarch. ersonal facilities (ex-securi-ties) rose by KD 76 million in March.

While growth remained healthy, thepace has seen some slowing. The 3-month annualized growth slowed to15% compared to 22% in November.Facilities for the purchase of securi-t ies gained KD 45 mi l l ion, whichcoincided with an active month onthe KSE.

Non-financial business activitys aw a s e co n d l a rg e co n s e c u t i vem o n t h l y i n c re a s e i n M a rc h w i t hcredit up KD 148 million. Gains dur-

ing the month were led by construc-t i o n , re a l e s t a te a n d i n d u s t r y.Meanwhile, oil & gas and trade sawdeclines in total credit. Private sec-tor depos i ts s aw a n oth er s t ron gmonthly gain. Deposits have beengrowing steadily since November.March reflected the general trend indeposit growth over the last year,with savings, site and foreign cur-rency deposits seeing solid doubledigit growth at the expense of timedeposits. The latter have been large-ly flat over the last year. In March,they rose by KD 440 mil l ion. Theincrease was mostly in foreign cur-rency deposits (up by KD 531 mil-lion) and sight deposits (up by KD149 million). Time deposits fell by KD311 million. As a result, the broadermeasure of money (M2) expanded byKD 445 million during the month,with M2 growth remaining relativelystrong at 8.7%. The narrower meas-ure (M1) increased by KD 154 million.

Deposi t rates on d inar t imedeposits remained steady at currentlow levels. Average rates fell by 1 to2 basis points across all maturities.The 1-month, 3-month, 6-month and12-month deposit rates averaged0.57%, 0 .76%, 0 .96% and 1 .17%respectively.

he d inar weakened s l ight lyagainst the USD in March, largelyrelated to a weakening of the euroagainst the USD. The USD/KWD ratedeclined to 3.52 while the EUR/KWDrose to 2.72 (up 2.2% on February).The dinar has decreased by 2.1%against the US dollar over the lastyear whi le remaining re lat ive lysteady against the euro.

B U S I N E S SWEDNESDAY, MAY 15, 2013

EXCHANGE RATES

Commercial Bank of Kuwait

US Dollar/KD .2770000 .2880000GB Pound/KD .4310000 .4470000Euro .3680000 .3760000Swiss francs .3020000 .3170000Canadian Dollar .2780000 .2920000Australian DLR .2940000 .3020000Indian rupees .0040000 .0069000Sri Lanka Rupee .0020000 .0035000UAE dirhams .0771240 .0778990Bahraini dinars .7513970 .7589480Jordanian dinar .3930000 .4110000Saudi riyals .0720000 .0770000Omani riyals .7366120 .7440150Egyptian pounds .0370000 .0440000

CUSTOMER TRANSFER RATESUS Dollar/KD .2841000 .2862000GB Pound/KD .4338920 .4370990Euro .3707360 .3734770Swiss francs .3043390 .3065880Canadian dollars .2795430 .2816100Danish Kroner .0497330 .0501010Swedish Kroner .0443660 .0446940Australian dlr .2963730 .2985640Hong Kong dlr .0365940 .0368650Singapore dlr .2291130 .2308060Japanese yen .0029600 .0028810Indian Rs/KD .0000000 .0052870Sri Lanka rupee .0000000 .0022880Pakistan rupee .0000000 .0029190Bangladesh taka .0000000 .0036810UAE dirhams .0773800 .0779520Bahraini dinars .7538810 .7594530Jordanian dinar .0000000 .4048090Saudi Riyal/KD .0757800 .0763400Omani riyals .7382100 .7436660Philippine Peso .0000000 .0069870

Bahrain Exchange Company

Al-Muzaini Exchange Co.

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd

Al Mulla Exchange

ASIAN COUNTRIESJapanese Yen 2.819Indian Rupees 5.241Pakistani Rupees 2.905Srilankan Rupees 2.261Nepali Rupees 3.274Singapore Dollar 231.820Hongkong Dollar 36.892Bangladesh Taka 3.666Philippine Peso 6.956

Currency Transfer Rate (Per 1000)Currency Transfer Rate (Per 1000)US Dollar 285.700Euro 374.550Pound Sterling 440.000Canadian Dollar 285.150Japanese Yen 2.855Indian Rupee 5.228Egyptian Pound 40.550Sri Lankan Rupee 2.257Bangladesh Taka 3.668Philippines Peso 6.933Pakistan Rupee 2.905Bahraini Dinar 760.850UAE Dirham 77.850Saudi Riyal 76.300*Rates are subject to change

COUNTRY SELL CASH SELLDRAFTEurope

British Pound 0.4311675 0.4401675Czech Korune 0.0062090 0.0182090Danish Krone 0.0459301 0.0509301Euro 0.3672796 0.3747796Norwegian Krone 0.0454118 0.0506118Scottish Pound 0.4291120 0.4366120Swedish Krona 0.0394043 0.0444043Swiss Franc 0.2953155 0.3023155

AustralasiaAustralian Dollar 0.2754572 0.2874572New Zealand Dollar 0.2290480 0.2390480Uganda Shilling 0.0001142 0.0001142

AmericaCanadian Dollar 0.2763333 0.2853333Colombian Peso 0.0001456 0.0001636US Dollars 0.2839500 0.2861000

AsiaBangladesh Taka 0.0036286 0.0036836Cape Vrde Escudo 0.0031744 0.0034044Chinese Yuan 0.0455905 0.0505905Eritrea-Nakfa 0.0165400 0.0196400

Guinea Franc 0.0000444 0.0000504Hg Kong Dollar 0.0343160 0.0374160Indian Rupee 0.0051727 0.0052367Indonesian Rupiah 0.0000244 0.0000295Jamaican Dollars 0.0028600 0.0038600Japanese Yen 0.0027338 0.0029138Kenyan Shilling 0.0033582 0.0035882Malaysian Ringgit 0.0908389 0.0978389Nepalese Rupee 0.0031166 0.0033166Pakistan Rupee 0.0028798 0.0029198Philippine Peso 0.0064905 0.0069605Sierra Leone 0.0000731 0.0000761Singapore Dollar 0.2267879 0.2327879Sri Lankan Rupee 0.0022204 0.0022624Thai Baht 0.0092650 0.0098650

ArabBahraini Dinar 0.7524592 0.7609592Egyptian Pound 0.0390086 0.0410386Ethiopeanbirr 0.0129242 0.0194242Ghanaian Cedi 0.1454715 0.1472615Iranian Riyal 0.0000796 0.0000801Iraqi Dinar 0.0001728 0.0002328Jordanian Dinar 0.3979604 0.4054604Kuwaiti Dinar 1.0000000 1.0000000Lebanese Pound 0.0001756 0.0001956Moroccan Dirhams 0.0219005 0.0450052Nigerian Naira 0.0012190 0.0018540Omani Riyal 0.7324971 0.7434971Qatar Riyal 0.0779704 0.0787534Saudi Riyal 0.0758000 0.0764400Sudanese Pounds 0.0465443 0.0470943Syrian Pound 0.0031207 0.0033407Tunisian Dinar 0.1728462 0.1788462UAE Dirhams 0.0765080 0.0779580Yemeni Riyal 0.0012916 0.0013918

UAE Exchange Centre WLL

COUNTRY SELL DRAFT SELL CASH Australian Dollar 299.45 298.000Canadian Dollar 285.97 285.000Swiss Franc 306.21 307.000Euro 376.06 374.500US Dollar 284.60 285.500Sterling Pound 444.81 449.000Japanese Yen 2.98 3.300Bangladesh Taka 3.675 3.720Indian Rupee 5.263 5.450Sri Lankan Rupee 2.245 2.430Nepali Rupee 3.313 3.400Pakistani Rupee 2.896 2.953UAE Dirhams 77.55 78.000Bahraini Dinar 757.78 756.800Egyptian Pound 40.62 40.500Jordanian Dinar 405.45 410.000

Rate for Transfer Selling RateUS Dollar 286.200Canadian Dollar 286.130Sterling Pound 441.765Euro 372.410Swiss Frank 299.070Bahrain Dinar 757.725UAE Dirhams 77.900Qatari Riyals 78.560Saudi Riyals 76.285Jordanian Dinar 403.446Egyptian Pound 40.601Sri Lankan Rupees 2.268Indian Rupees 5.215Pakistani Rupees 2.903Bangladesh Taka 3.670Philippines Pesso 6.939Cyprus pound 702.070Japanese Yen 3.815Thai Bhat 9.695Syrian Pound 4.085Nepalese Rupees 3.360Malaysian Ringgit 95.240

Thai Baht 9.669Malaysian ringgit 94.221Irani Riyal 0.271Irani Riyal 0.273

GCC COUNTRIESSaudi Riyal 76.377Qatari Riyal 78.697Omani Riyal 743.930Bahraini Dinar 760.730UAE Dirham 77.990

ARAB COUNTRIESEgyptian Pound - Cash 41.200Egyptian Pound - Transfer 40.558Yemen Riyal/for 1000 1.336Tunisian Dinar 174.570Jordanian Dinar 404.460Lebanese Lira/for 1000 1.921Syrian Lier 3.112Morocco Dirham 34.083

EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIESUS Dollar Transfer 286.300Euro 374.190Sterling Pound 439.760Canadian dollar 284.590Turkish lira 158.720Swiss Franc 301.050US Dollar Buying 285.100

GOLD20 Gram 298.00010 Gram 150.0005 Gram 77.500

Omani Riyal 740.69 743.000Qatari Riyal 78.59 78.500Saudi Riyal 76.02 76.400

UAE markets hit multi-yearhighs, no sign of abatingExpectations are strong after DIB’s merger with Tamweel

DUBAI: Markets in the United Arab Emirates hit newmulti-year highs yesterday, delaying an expected boutof profit-taking as upbeat earnings added fuel to thebullish sentiment, while Saudi Arabia and Egypt fell.

In Dubai, banks rallied. Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB)rose 5.8 percent, extending year-to-date gains to 54.7percent. The bank completed a share swap acquisitionof mortgage lender Tamweel in which it provided 10new shares in the bank for every 18 held in Tamweel, itsaid earlier this week.

“Expectations are strong for 2013 after DIB’s mergerwith Tamweel - it will reduce their lending costs andgive it the ability to be competitive in the mortgagelending segment,” said Marwan Shurrab, vice-presi-dent and chief trader at Gulfmena Investments.

“It is also cheap in terms of valuations compared toAbu Dhabi banks, which have seen a strong rally thisyear.”

Air Arabia gained 0.9 percent. The budget carrierposted a 20 percent year-on-year rise in net profit forthe first quarter, boosted by a 22 percent advance inrevenue.

The results were positive and showed the firm’sgrowth potential in the medium term, said RedaGomaa, portfolio manager at Mashreq in Dubai,adding there was still value in the stock despite its ear-ly-year rally.

Air Arabia is up 31.7 percent year-to-date. Dubai’sbenchmark climbed 2.7 percent to 2,255 points - itsbiggest one-day jump since the opening session of2013 and its highest level since October 2009. The

index is moving closer to the peak of that year at 2,408points - a major resistance.

Abu Dhabi’s measure climbed 1.8 percent to a fresh54-month high. The number of shares changing handsyesterday -424.7 million - was the second-highest for asession in 2013, aided by a 134 million single trade inEshraq Properties.

Financials lead gainers, with Abu Dhabi IslamicBank and Union National Bank rising 5.5 and 4 percentrespectively.

Elsewhere, Oman’s bourse rose 0.5 percent, aidedby gains at investment firms. Oman NationalInvestment Corporation climbed 5.4 percent andOman Investment and Finance Co advanced 4.1 per-cent.

Qatar’s measure gained 0.4 percent, and Kuwait’sindex advanced 0.2 percent to a fresh 42-month peak.In Saudi Arabia, the benchmark slipped 0.3 percent.Insurance stocks tumbled for a second session sincethe market regulator announced plans to cut down onspeculative trading through stricter rules.

The insurance sector index dropped 6.7 percent. Petrochemicals shares helped limit losses, with the

heavyweight sector’s benchmark adding 0.8 percent.Egypt’s measure retreated 0.3 percent. Large-capOrascom Construction Industries fell 1.3 percent to242.8 Egyptian pounds after Dutch-listed parent OCINV cut the tender offer price for a share swap.

OCI NV said yesterday it would offer holders ofOCI’s Egypt-listed shares the option of swapping themfor OCI NV shares or a cash alternative of 255 pounds

per share. That is down from the 280 pounds per shareoffered in January. Investment firm EFG-Hermesgained 3.6 percent and most other shares were alsoup. Non-Arab foreigners were net sellers, bourse datashowed.

HIGHLIGHTSDUBAI

The index rose 2.7 percent to 2,255 points.

ABU DHABIThe index gained 1.8 percent to 3,481 points.

OMANThe index advanced 0.5 percent to 6,319 points.

QATARThe benchmark rose 0.4 percent to 8,938 points.

KUWAITThe index advanced 0.2 percent to 7,863 points.

SAUDI ARABIAThe index declined 0.3 percent to 7,139 points.

EGYPTThe index slipped 0.3 percent to 5,401 points.

BAHRAINThe measure gained 0.5 percent to 1,148 points.

—Reuters

BONN: In this March 9, 2010 file photo the headquarters of GermanDeutsche Post DHL is pictured in Bonn, western Germany. Mail, expressdelivery and freight company Deutsche Post DHL saw its profits dip in thefirst quarter as the weak global economy saw companies ship fewer goodsby air and after a large one-time gain in the year-ago quarter. —AP

FRANKFURT: Mail, express delivery andfreight company Deutsche Post DHL sawits profits dip in the first quarter as theweak global economy saw companies shipfewer goods by air and after a large one-time gain in the year-ago quarter.

Deutsche Post DHL made a net profit of498 million euros ($647 million) in the firstthree months of the year, 5.9 percent lowerthan the year-ago equivalent of 529 millioneuros.

The year-earlier figure included a one-time gain of 186 million euros from the saleof a stake in Postbank to Deutsche Bank. Ifthe Postbank gain were excluded, net prof-it would have risen 45 percent. Revenuesrose 0.6 percent to 13.44 billion euros.

The company’s shares rose 3.3 percentto 19.44 euros in midday trading in Europe.“Even though we have yet to feel any sortof economic tailwind, we were able to getoff to a solid start in the new year,” CEOFrank Appel said in a statement. He saidthe results “demonstrated once again justhow robust our business model is.”

Deutsche Post DHL, which operates anair freight hub in Cincinnati, Ohio, said itsfreight business saw slower demand in “a

strained macroeconomic environment”that includes a stagnant European econo-my. Air freight revenue fell 8.2 percent to1.2 billion euros, with a particularly strongdecline in the technology and manufactur-ing sectors. Still, operating earnings for thefreight division showed a 1 percentincrease due to strict cost management.

Its express delivery division saw operat-ing earnings rise almost 10 percent to 254million euros. At the mail division, which isfocused on its home base in Germany, rev-enues rose for its package delivery busi-ness. It cited “booming” e-commerce, inwhich people have goods delivered fromonline retailers. That helped offset fewerworking days in the quarter due to the ear-ly Easter holiday weekend.

Deutsche Post DHL, which has 473,000employees in 220 countries and territories,emerged from the former governmentpost office through privatization, andremains Germany’s domestic mail carrier.The German government owns a 24.9 per-cent stake through its KfW bank. The com-pany maintained its full-year forecast for asmuch as 2.95 billion euros in earningsbefore interest and taxes. —AP

Economy hurts Deutsche Post DHL freight business

BRUSSELS: German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, left, talks with Finnish FinanceMinister Jutta Urpilainen, during the EU finance ministers meeting, at the European Councilbuilding in Brussels, yesterday. European Union finance ministers seek ways to cut down on taxevasion, action British Chancellor George Osborne says is particularly important in current cir-cumstances. —AP

Bank credit sees big jump in March: NBKNBK’s Economic Update

KUWAIT: Kuwaiti investment houseInvestment Dar said yesterday it hadoffered to give creditors a stake in aportfolio of assets in exchange for theirdebt as an alternative to an offer madeunder a 1 billion dinar ($3.5 billion)debt restructuring plan agreed in 2011.

Investment Dar said the offer wasoptional and voluntary and open to allof its banks and investors. It said thosewhich did not want to swap wouldretain their claims under the originalrestructuring plan, which offered credi-tors a 10 percent stake.

The company said it remained com-mitted to the repayment scheduleunder the 2011 plan.

The settlement-in-kind will raise thechances of the company being able torepay i ts debt on t ime, ChairmanAdnan al-Musallam said in a statement.

There were no details on the type orvalue of assets offered to creditorsunder the settlement.

Shares in Investment Dar, whichowns a stake in luxury British carmakerAston Martin, have been delisted fromthe Kuwait stock exchange. —Reuters

Kuwait’s Investment Dar offers new

settlement to creditors


TOKYO: In this Thursday, Feb. 7, 2013 photo, Sony signs hang from a store inTokyo. A US hedge fund has proposed that Sony Corp. selling up to 20 percentof its entertainment business to use that money to strengthen its ailing elec-tronics unit. —AP

Australia govt forecasts $19.4 billion deficit

The books would finally be balanced in 2015-16CANBERRA: The Australian government’s promise todeliver a budget surplus in the current fiscal year hasblown out to a 19.4 billion Australian dollar ($19.4 bil-lion) deficit as a fading mining boom coupled with abuoyant Aussie dollar slows the economy.

The projected deficit for the 12 months ending June30 is included in the government’s economic blueprintfor the coming year released yesterday, which includesspending increases in defense, foreign aid, care for thedisabled and education.

It is Treasurer Wayne Swan’s sixth annual budgetand is likely to be the last for his center-left Labor Partygovernment, widely expected to be defeated at elec-tions on Sept 14. The budget forecast a smaller AU$18billion deficit in the fiscal year ending June 2014 withnet debt peaking at AU$191.6 billion - 11.4 percent ofgross domestic product - in 2014-15. The books wouldfinally be balanced in 2015-16 with an AU$800 millionsurplus. The surplus would widen to $6.6 billion surplusthe following year.

A year ago, Swan declared an end to budget deficitsin the aftermath of the global financial crisis and pre-dicted an AU$1.5 billion surplus in the current fiscalyear. Swan yesteray defended his government’s deci-sion not to make deeper spending cuts to balance thegovernment’s books sooner. “Cutting to the bone putsAustralian jobs and our economy at risk, something thisLabor government will never accept,” Swan toldParliament.

“To those who would take us down the Europeanroad of savage austerity, I say the social destruction thatcomes with cutting too much, too hard, too fast is notthe Australian way,” he said.

The budget will have to be endorsed by Parliamentover the next two months if it is to be implemented.Business groups have largely reacted negatively to thebudget and questioned whether its assumptions aboutAustralia’s economic growth prospects were too opti-mistic.

“It is a missed opportunity because it keeps thenation shackled to more years of deficits and a highcost structure that erodes business competitivenessand innovation,” Australian Chamber of Commerce andIndustry chief executive Peter Anderson said in a state-ment.

Government revenue has been increasing everyyear since 2009-10. Tax receipts are forecast to rise 7.4percent in the next fiscal year to AU$376 billion. But thegovernment has struggled to rein in expenditure eversince its initial splurge of stimulus spending at the peakof the global financial crisis kept the economy out ofrecession.

Economic growth is forecast to slow from 3 percentin 2012-13 to 2.75 percent next year before gatheringpace again. nMost economists were surprised whenAustralia’s jobless rate fell from 5.6 percent in March to5.5 percent in April. The budget expects unemploy-ment will rise to 5.75 percent for the next two yearsbefore falling back to 5 percent in 2015-16.

Defense spending is set to increase despite

Australian troops withdrawing from Afghanistan, EastTimor and the Solomon Islands this calendar year. Thedefense allocation has swollen from AU$103 billionspread over four years in last year’s budget to AU$113billion over four years in the latest budget.

The latest budget includes AU$3 billion over nineyears to buy 12 new Boeing EA-18G Growler electronicwarfare fighter jets to cover deliver delays in theLockheed-Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

The cost of a new funding model for schools wouldincrease from AU$17.7 million in the current fiscal year

to AU$532 million next year.The government plans to introduce a new levy from

July 2014 that would raise AU$11.6 billion over threeyears to improve care for Australians with severe disabil-ities. The budget confirmed Foreign Minister Bob Carr’sannouncement on Monday that foreign aid wouldincrease by 9.6 percent on the current year to AU$5.7billion next year. Chinese demand for raw materialssuch as iron ore and coal helped keep Australia out ofrecession during the global economic crisis. But themining boom is expected to peak this calendar yearand businesses outside the resource sector are notgrowing fast enough to make up for the miners’ expect-ed retreat.

The government introduced a 30 percent tax oniron ore and coal miners’ profits above a set threshold in

the current fiscal year which was supposed to raiseAU$3 billion in its first year. The latest estimate is thatthat tax will raise only AU$200 million in the current fis-cal year due to a sharp fall in commodity prices andAU$700 million next year.

The government also introduced in the current fis-cal year a carbon tax of AU$23 for every metric ton ofcarbon gases emitted by Australia’s worst industrial pol-luters. Most households were compensated for thehigher living costs as a result of the tax with tax breaksand increased welfare.

The latest budget scraps plans for more tax breakspromised in 2015-16 when the carbon tax is scheduledto be replaced by a carbon permit trading scheme. TheAustralian scheme will be linked to the European emis-sions trading scheme which has experienced decliningcarbon prices due to the depressed economy.

While last year the carbon price was expected to beAU$29 a metric ton in 2015-16, the latest budget pre-dicts AU$12 a metric ton which won’t add to livingcosts. Australia’s central bank last week cut its key inter-est rate by a quarter percentage point to a record low2.75 percent in an effort to boost economic growth andto drive down the currency that has failed to track lowerwith commodity prices. International investor interestin Australian bonds as a safe haven in global market tur-moil has helped keep the currency buoyant. —AP

CANBERRA: Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard (L) watches as her Treasurer WayneSwan (R) delivers his budget speech to the House of Representatives in Canberra yes-terday. Swan vowed to keep Australia among the world’s top economies and talked uphis party’s poll hopes despite a lean budget offering little to a hostile electorate. —AFP

TOKYO: A US hedge fund has proposed thatSony Corp. sell up to 20 percent of its entertain-ment business and use the money to strengthenits ailing electronics unit. The plan drew a quickrejection from the Japanese consumer conglom-erate.

In a May 14 letter to Sony President KazuoHirai, first published in The New York Times,hedge fund Third Point suggested Sony take 15to 20 percent of the entertainment unit public.

Third Point CEO Daniel Loeb said that wouldallow the Japanese maker of PlayStation gamemachines to fund improvements to its batteredelectronics operations.

Sony replied in a statement yesterday that itsentertainment business, which includes moviesand music, is not for sale, and stressed it is tryingto strengthen both that division and its electron-ics operations. “As president and CEO Kazuo Hiraihas said repeatedly, the entertainment business-es are important contributors to Sony’s growthand are not for sale,” Sony said. “We look forwardto continuing constructive dialogue with ourshareholders as we pursue our strategy.”

The proposal highlights a common criticismof Tokyo-based Sony that it has never been ableto take advantage of having both electronics andentertainment under its wing.

Instead, one has tended to drag the otherdown. Some analysts have made suggestionssimilar to Loeb’s. Sony’s electronics business hasbeen ailing, particularly its TV division, which haslost money for nine straight years.

Sony fell behind in flat panel TVs, and has nev-er been able to compete against SamsungElectronics Co. of South Korea in TVs as well ascheaper makers. Following four straight years ofred ink, Sony reported a profit of 43 billion yen($434 million) in the fiscal year that ended in

March, helped by the recent decline of the yen.It had suffered a loss of 457 billion yen ($5.7

billion) the previous year, which was the worst inthe company’s nearly seven-decade history.Outspoken investors like Loeb are still relativelyrare in Japan. Major companies tend to have net-works of shareholders such as banks and groupcompanies. Resistance to big change is strong.

Shareholders’ meetings, including those ofSony, tend to be boring affairs in which companyagendas are rarely challenged, except in propos-als that are quickly defeated or in ramblingspeeches by shareholders seen more as a nui-sance than a real influence on policy.

But change could be in store. Japan is seeing asurge in global investment interest because of itsrecent policies of super-easy money and an infla-tion target designed to wrest its economy out ofthe doldrums.

In his letter, Loeb pointed to the “Abenomics”monetary policies of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe,who took office last year, which have buoyedTokyo stocks and brought the yen down.

Loeb said Sony should seize on the opportu-nity provided by Abenomics to shore up its elec-tronics business. “Sony stands at the crossroads ofcompelling corporate opportunity and massiveJapanese economic reform. Under Prime MinisterAbe’s leadership, Japan can regain its position asone of the world’s pre-eminent economic power-houses and manufacturing engines,” he said.

Loeb said in his letter that his fund owns 64million Sony shares, which is about a 6.5 percentstake in Sony. Sony did not have the latest num-bers on the fund’s holdings, but confirmed it is amajor shareholder. Loeb suggested the entertain-ment division be spun off in a particular way togive existing shareholders a priority in the owner-ship of Sony Entertainment. —AP

Hedge fund wants part ofSony entertainment sold

SHANGHAI: German auto giantVolkswagen (VW) will build a plant incentral China, a spokesman said yes-terday, as it battles US rival GeneralMotors to be the top foreignautomaker in the world’s biggest carmarket.

The plant in the city of Changshawill start production in early 2016with an annual output capacity of300,000 vehicles, a Beijing-basedspokesman for VW told AFP.

“We are quite close to an officialannouncement. I think it will comethis week,” the spokesman said, butdeclined to give an investment figure.

The move comes as VW battles USauto giant GM for dominance in thehuge Chinese market, despite worriesabout over-capacity. VW delivered2.81 million vehicles in the countrylast year while GM sold 2.84 million,making them its biggest foreignautomakers.

GM said this month it would builda $1.3 bill ion Cadillac plant inShanghai after the Chinese govern-

ment approved the project, as it seeksmore luxury auto sales-which at pres-ent are dominated by German brands.

“The production expansion of for-eign carmakers shows they seegrowth opportunities in China’s carmarket,” Jia Xinguang, managingdirector of industry group the ChinaAutomobile Dealers Association, toldAFP.

China’s annual auto sales rose only4.3 percent year-on-year to 19.31 mil-lion units in 2012, hit by limits onnumbers imposed by some cities toease traffic congestion and tackle pol-lution.

But management consulting firmMcKinsey last year predicted China’spassenger car market alone will growan average eight percent annually to2020. VW currently has 12 vehicle andcomponent plants in China, and theChangsha plant is a joint venture withShanghai-based SAIC Motor, one of itsexisting Chinese partners.

“The location of Changsha may bea result of Volkswagen’s strategy to

move production inland to centraland western China and its considera-tion of local policies, which mightoffer tax incentives to support theinvestment,” Jia said.

An environmental assessmentreport conducted last year by theHunan Research Academy ofEnvironmental Sciences and postedon its website put the investment at12.1 billion yuan ($2.0 billion).

VW’s head for China, JochemHeizmann, told reporters last monththe company was negotiating withChangsha authorities over the factory,part of its scheme to build seven newplants in the country, Dow JonesNewswires reported.

VW produced 2.6 million vehiclesin China last year, with the rest of salescoming from imports, according tothe group’s annual report.

It delivered nearly 770,000 vehiclesin China in the first quarter of 2013,up more than 21 percent from thesame period last year, according to anearlier statement. —AFP

Volkswagen plans new China car plant

LONDON: Gold edged lower yesterday, snapping earliergains, as the dollar steadied against the euro after mixedEuropean economic data, while investor sentimentremained cautious and physical demand slowed in somemarkets.

Gold was down 0.1 percent to $1,428.64 by 1037 GMT,having risen by one percent to a session high of $1,444.96an ounce in earlier trade. The metal has faced the pressureof a stronger dollar over the past few sessions, hitting a two-week trough on Friday. It has fallen about 14 percent thisyear. US gold futures for June delivery were down 0.4 per-cent to $1,428 an ounce. “The weaker dollar helped to givea bit of a boost to gold earlier on but at the first level ofresistance at $1,445 the metal seemed to run out of steamand now we are testing the intraday support level ataround $1,430,” Saxo Bank senior manager Ole Hansen said.

“Any sign of strength in the US data is likely to createheadwinds at the moment, that will be one of things tolook out for as this is having an impact on the dollar as well.”The dollar moved higher after initial losses against the euro,which fell after weaker-than-forecast ZEW sentiment datafrom Germany.

Meanwhile, a surprise rise in April’s US retail sales onMonday strengthened the view that the the world’s largesteconomy remains resilient, while damping speculation theFederal Reserve will extend its bullion-friendly bond-buying

programme. Accommodative monetary policies favourgold as low interest rates encourage investors to put moneyinto the non-interest-bearing asset, speculating on pricegains. Gold has recovered about $120 since a sell-off in mid-April dragged prices to more than two-year lows at$1,321.35, but it is still well below last month’s peak ofaround $1,600, as investors shifted into equities and cutexposure to bullion. Holdings of SPDR Gold Trust, theworld’s largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, stoodunchanged at 33.811 million ounces on Monday, just offtheir lowest level since March 2009.

The fall in gold prices last month spurred a surge inphysical buying in Asia and elsewhere, helping to pluckprices off lows, but physical demand for some gold prod-ucts began to subside. “While gold coin sales have beenbrisk, undoubtedly helping the recent recovery, we have tosuspect that the ‘bargain-buying’ off the lows has decelerat-ed somewhat after the initial spurt,” said Edward Meir, ametals analyst at futures brokerage INTL FCStone.

“And we suspect it will continue to do so, particularly ifprices start to wobble once again.” In other precious metals,silver fell 0.4 percent to $23.50 an ounce, platinum was up1.2 percent to $1,493.24 an ounce and palladium dropped0.3 percent to $712.72 an ounce. Platinum was boosted bya wildcat strike at the South African operations of producerLonmin. —Reuters

Gold edges lower as dollar steadies


Branch banking in the digital age

DHAKA: With its disaster-strewn garment industryin turmoil and strikes paralysing the country on anear weekly basis, Bangladesh is in danger of unrav-elling hard-won progress in a one-time “basket case”economy.

One of Asia’s standout performers of late,Bangladesh has posted average annual growth rates of6.2 percent since 2003 and its poverty rate has fallen bysome two percentage points.

But analysts say the combined fallout from a factorydisaster last month that killed 1,127 people, and thedeadliest political unrest since independence could

scare off investors and reverse much of that progress.Most shops and businesses were closed Tuesday in

the latest of a series of strikes called by opposition par-ties, furious at the push to prosecute top Islamists forwar crimes dating back more than four decades.

But the shutdown of Dhaka’s Ashulia industrial zonewhich forms the hub of the garment industry threatensto run much longer, with managers announcing onMonday that unrest among workers had prompted anindefinite closure.

In a sign of the growing apprehension, the rat-ings agency Moody’s put Bangladesh on notice last

week that “the strikes and factory disasters are creditnegative”.

Even before the collapse of the Rana Plaza factorycomplex, the IMF said last month that growth this yearwould fall below six percent.

The garment industry has long been the main driv-er of the economy but the April 24 catastrophe wasonly the latest in a series of disasters including a fire inNovember which killed 111 workers.

Bangladesh became the world’s second-largestclothes maker after China last year and the $20 billionindustry accounts for 80 percent of annual exports.

But its shocking safety record has led some fashionlabels to warn they could move their business else-where. Disney has already departed. And the growingclamour for workers to be paid more than the basic $38a month threatens one of Bangladesh’s main attrac-tions-its cheap labour costs.

“The production disruptions have already had anumber of international buyers considering sourcingproduction from other countries in the region such asVietnam or Cambodia, even at higher cost,” Ifty Islam,head of the Dhaka-based Asian Tiger Capital Partnersinvestment fund, told AFP. —AFP

Twin crises threatening Bangladesh progress

By Wissam Khoury

Those of us who have been banking fora number of years will remember theweekly visit to the local bank branch.

Deposits, withdrawals, balance checks orany other business involved a journey tothe branch and a potentially time-consum-ing wait in a queue.

What we did not consider is that branchrental costs, equipment and staffing costsall made maintaining branch a significantfinancial outlay for banks. That was whybanks, in Kuwait and beyond, tried to turntheir focus to call centres, online and mobilebanking channels. While there might havebeen questions as to whether this improvedcustomer service, there is no doubt thatbanks in Kuwait and the wider Middle Eastwere able to lower many of their transac-tion costs and get customers out of thebranch.

So, against this backdrop, why is theonce endangered bank branch now makinga comeback? One simple reason, which willbe amongst several explored at a SunGardfinance industry seminar in Kuwait City thisweek, is trust.

The global financial crisis hit many peo-ple hard and, fairly or unfairly, the bankshave shouldered a large portion of thatblame. This in turn has eroded trust in banksand reinvigorated the need for face-to-facecustomer service and consumer bankingrelationships. Recent market research car-ried out by SunGard and Celent has shownthat, in the Middle East, one of the top threefactors for people in selecting a bank wasbranch location, despite the uptake of digi-tal banking channels.

So, a majority of bank customers stillwant human interaction and as far as theirbanking and finances are concerned, theystill need that physical reassurance thattheir money is safe - especially in a worldwhere trust in banks has declined sharply.

One Middle East bank recently testedthis theory by giving customers access totellers only through a hallway that was kit-ted out with touch screen ATMs, kiosks, andother digital banking devices. There werestill queues for the teller, even though theelectronic devices could fulfill this samerole quite easily. It is clear that customersstill look to the branch as the human faceof their banking relationship.

And from a bank’s perspective, thebranch is still a vital source in driving rev-enue from customers. Online and mobile

are largely used as transactional channels,whereas face to face time is responsible forapproximately 80% of new product banksales. So despite prior claims that the bankbranch had seen its day there is now grow-ing evidence that branch networks are,once more, increasing in importance.

This leads us to the main challenge fac-ing Kuwaiti bank branch networks today;how do they upgrade their facilities tomeet the requirements of the 21st century,a proliferation of communications devicesand increasingly more tech savvy cus-tomers?

Today’s bank customers - and crucially,today’s bank employees under the age of45 - have kept pace with the astonishingtechnological advances of the 21st century,whereas the infrastructure of the bankbranch has not. Customers now self-edu-cate a lot more and this is exposing flaws inthe old branch model, as customers go intothe branch often better informed thanbranch staff themselves, thus negativelyimpacting the branch/customer experience.Banks are increasingly starting to recognizethat this channel needs to evolve with thedigital age to complement the customerexperience across all other channels. Withthat, the digitalization of the bank branch isborn.

Banks are now using innovative tech-nologies to create a unified customer expe-rience. In the Middle East, you can see thatmany banks now have walls decorated withtouch screens and their staff ‘enabled’ withtablets and other mobile devices aimed atmaking the branch experience more effi-cient and more enjoyable. For example,some banks now use new front office solu-tions to help mobilize bank staff by provid-ing them with real-time access to the bank’stransaction processing system, allowingthem to serve clients while away from phys-ical counters. This is helping enhance staffproductivity and boost branch efficiency,thus improving customer service levels,responding better to customer demandsand increasing revenue-generating oppor-tunities.

However, enhancing customer experiencethrough differentiated branch services needto be sustainable. A PricewaterhouseCoopersstudy from December 2012 shows that thecost of a branch transaction is approximately20 times higher than a mobile transactionand over 40 times higher than an onlinetransaction. Faced with this kind of discrep-ancy, it is essential that banks re-evaluatetheir branch strategy to improve cost efficien-cy. One Middle East bank has invested in newtechnology to reduce its front office systeminfrastructure from twelve applications toone, a good example of how clever IT ration-alization through new technology can gener-ate significant cost savings for the branch.

Not so long ago, the very raison d’etre ofbank branches was being debated. Nowthey are once again viewed as core to abank’s overall performance. But banks can-not simply rely on the branch of old andmust revitalize this channel in order tobring it in line with the digitalized world.Embracing new technologies is a funda-mental part of breathing new life into thebank branch. Any bank which fails in thisregard will not keep up with customerdemands in our ever-changing world andrisks getting left behind.

Wissam Khoury is the managing directorof SunGard Middle East.

MADRID/LONDON: The InternationalAirlines Group has raised 390 millioneuros ($506 million) through a convert-ible bond issue to help to fund the pur-chase of low-cost carrier Vueling.

Chief Executive Willie Walsh said in astatement yesterday that the bond issuewould also bolster liquidity and thecredit profile of IAG, home to BritishAirways and loss-making Spanish flagcarrier Iberia.

The bond deal shows how companiesare continuing to take advantage ofinvestor demand for convertibles, whichoffer the chance to profit from a surge instock markets to multi-year highs with-out the risk of buying shares outright.

As at May 9, more than $10 billionhas been raised from European convert-ibles this year, according to ThomsonReuters data, up 44 percent on the sameperiod last year.

The bonds, which mature in 2018and have a fixed interest rate of 1.75percent, can be converted into IAG ordi-nary shares.

IAG said it had set a conversion priceat 4.25 euros per ordinary share, a premi-

um of around 35 percent to the averageprice of the stock on the London StockExchange on Tuesday morning from thelaunch of the bond to its pricing.

IAG shares were down 2.3 percent at1054 GMT, at 264.6 pence. IAG saidsome of the money raised would gotowards paying off bridge loans from itsBritish arm and Banco Santander usedto acquire Vueling for 123.5 millioneuros.

The company took control of Vuelingin April, raising its stake in the companyto over 90 percent from 46 percent in adeal that valued the Barcelona-basedcarrier at 277 million euros. IAG is in thepainful process of restructuring Iberiaand has reached an agreement withunions to lay off more than 3,000 staffafter months of intermittent strikes. Theacquisition should help IAG improve itsshort-haul business and offset Iberia’slosses.

IAG appointed Banco Santander,Barclays, Deutsche Bank AG’s Londonbranch, Morgan Stanley and UBS as jointbookrunners and joint lead managersfor the bond issue. —Reuters

IAG convertible raises $506m for Vueling deal

European, US retailers split on Bangladesh reform plan

Wal-Mart asks govt to shut unsafe factory


NEW DELHI: India’s Mangalore Refineryand Petrochemicals (MRPL) plans tobegin processing oil from Iraq and LatinAmerica from next year, helping thestate-owned refiner to partly offsetIranian supplies choked off by pressurefrom western sanctions.

MRPL, Iran’s top Indian client tillabout a year ago, halted imports fromTehran in April after local insurers saidthey will not settle claims at plantsusing the oil as sanctions against Iran’sdisputed nuclear programme discour-age global reinsurers from taking onthe risk.

The refiner aims to commission a 2.2-million-tonnes-a-year (mtpa) petro-chemical fluidised catalytic cracker(PFCC) by August and a 3 mtpa unitwhich conver ts heavy residue intoproducts - called a coker - a month afterthat, MRPL Managing Director P.P.Upadhya told Reuters on Tuesday.

“Once the coker stabilizes we plan toprocess Iraq oil and Latin America oil,”Upadhya said. He said the new units willhelp MRPL’s 300,000 barrels per day(bpd) coastal refiner y in southernKarnataka state process as much as 70percent of heavy oil in 2014/15 (April-

March) from 10-15 percent now.MRPL initiated talks for importing oil

from South America in 2011 andplanned to lift 11,000 barrels per day(bpd) oil from Iraq in 2012/13 but couldnot ship it as the coker was not ready.

The refiner is also scouting for high-sulphur oil at official selling price (OSP),Upadhya said. “ I f somebody givesOmani oil or any other high-sulphur oilunder a year-long contract or so at OSP,I may consider,” he said.

Traders say MRPL, a subsidiary of topIndian oil and gas producer Oil & NaturalGas Corp, has placed an inquiry to buy a

650,000-barrel Oman oil parcel a monthin the current fiscal year. India imported26.5 percent less oil from Iran in the fis-cal year ended on March 31, 2013.

MRPL will boost middle distillate out-put after the start-up of the two unitsand may cease exports of vacuum gasoil, a feedstock for PFCC, and fuel oil,Upadhya said.

“Fuel oil production will be linked tomargins. If I get good margins on fuel oilI will produce, otherwise LPG (liquefiedpetroleum gas) production will rise,” headded.

MRPL exported an average 153,330

tonnes of fuel oil a month in 2013,according to data from ThomsonReuters Oil Analytics.

The loss of fuel oil exports from MRPLis critical to the market, traders said,because of its low-density quality.

“This is especially critical when youneed quality blending materials and youhave heavy Western arbitrage flows,” aSingapore-based trader said.

“And if there is limited Iranian fuel oilin the market, then the MRPL cargobecomes even more valuable and willhave an impact on the market,” the trad-er said. —Reuters

India MRPL to process Iraq, Latam oil next year

OSN special offer for ABK Visa cardholdersKUWAIT: Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait in cooperation withVisa International is offering its ABK Visa cardholders,special offers and discounts on OSN new subscriptions.

The offers includes exclusive deals on OSN’sPlatinum Extra HD and its Premier Plus HD packages,where ABK Visa cardholders will receive free installa-tion, free OSN box office movies and free PVR OSN PlusHD Box.

The offer is running until 30th of June 2013, is appli-cable for 12 month subscription periods and is subjectto terms and conditions.

STOCKHOLM/CHICAGO: Major US retailers,including Gap Inc, declined to endorse anaccord on Bangladesh building and fire safetybacked by Europe’s two biggest fashion chains, atrans-Atlantic divide that may dilute garmentindustry reform efforts.

Three weeks after the collapse of a buildinghousing garment factories, which killed morethan 1,100 people, Western brands that rely onBangladesh to produce clothing cheaply dis-agreed over how best to ensure worker safety.

A series of deadly incidents at factories,including a fire in November that killed 112 peo-ple, have focused global attention on safetystandards in Bangladesh’s booming garmentindustry, the world’s biggest exporter of clothingafter China. Wal-Mart Stores Inc, the world’sbiggest retailer, called on Bangladesh to shutone factory and examine another after its owninspections found safety problems.

Sweden’s H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB andSpain’s Inditex SA, the world’s two largest appar-el brands, topped a list of predominantlyEuropean companies signing an agreement ledby the International Labour Organization, tradeunions and other lobby groups.

Major brands and retailers set a May 15 dead-line to join the agreement after talks in Germanylast month. As of late Monday US time, the onlywell-known US company to announce it hadsigned on was PVH, which owns brands includ-ing Calvin Klein.

Gap said it was ready to join “today” but firstwanted a change in the way disputes areresolved in the courts. “With this single change,this global, historic agreement can move for-ward with a group of all retailers, not just those

based in Europe,” Eva Sage-Gavin, an executivein Gap’s global human resources and corporateaffairs department, said in a statement.

Europe accounts for about 60 percent ofBangladesh’s clothing exports, so even withoutparticipation from the big US retailers, theagreement may bring some change in a countrythat has seen at least three deadly garment fac-tory disasters in the span of six months.

Mohammad Atiqul Islam, president of theBangladesh Garment Manufacturers andExporters Association, said the deal was a bit ofgood news in the “worst time for us”.

“We believe this decision will motivate otherbig buyers across the West and the USA to jointheir hands with us,” he told Reuters in an inter-view. Li & Fung Ltd, which supplies dozens ofmajor retailers, including Walmart, said it was“continuing to look at” the European pact, butdeclined to give details. Bangladesh is secondonly to China in Li & Fung’s global supply chain.

“We don’t think the answer is to move awayfrom Bangladesh,” Bruce Rockowitz, Li & Fung’sgroup president and chief executive, toldreporters after a shareholder meeting in HongKong on Tuesday.

“The answer is actually to invest more and tryto make safety better and work with the govern-ment on doing a better job on monitoring build-ings.” Walmart did not say whether it planned tosign the accord.

But on Monday it released an unusually bluntand detailed public statement, asking the gov-ernment to halt production at Stitch ToneApparels in Chittagong, Bangladesh, and toinspect Nassa Group’s Liz Apparels Ltd factorycomplex in Dhaka.

The garment companies could not immedi-ately be reached for comment. Walmart said itfound “structural concerns” at a factory adjacentto Stitch Tone, Dresswell Ltd, which was not partof the retailer’s own supply chain. It said theDresswell factory “appeared unstable and couldcause a hazard” for workers at Stitch Tone, whichwas making clothes for Walmart.

Walmart said it removed its business fromStitch Tone and advised the owner not to contin-ue production. The inspections also found visi-ble cracks in the wall at Liz Apparels. Walmartsaid it notified factory owners, the garmentassociation and the government about the safe-ty concern at Liz Apparels and Stitch Tone.

“The government of Bangladesh did theresponsible thing last week by closing factoriesbelieved to be dangerous,” Rajan Kamalanathan,vice president of ethical sourcing for Walmart,said in a statement. “We call on them to showthe same leadership in the Stitch Tone Apparelsand Liz Apparels cases, and take any actions nec-essary to ensure safe conditions.”

Retailers routinely inspect suppliers, but sev-eral companies said after the Rana Plaza col-lapsed in April that they were not able to checkfor structural soundness.

Walmart said it hired Bureau Veritas toinspect for structural, fire and electrical safety,including checking building designs and per-mits as part of an expanded inspection processit launched last month.

Rana Plaza was extended to add three morefloors, in violation of city building codes, accord-ing to the chief engineer of Dhaka’s develop-ment authority. The day before the building col-lapsed, cracks were seen in the walls. —Reuters

SHANGHAI: An investor keeps a memo as he sits in front of the stock pricemonitor at a private securities company in Shanghai, China, yesterday. Asianstock markets were mixed Tuesday in a lukewarm reaction to data showingthat U.S. consumers revved up their retail spending last month. —AP

HONG KONG: Asian shares were mixed yes-terday, with the dollar’s rally against the yenstumbling despite better than expected USretail figures which highlighted a steadyrecovery in the world’s largest economy.

Tokyo slipped 0.16 percent, or 23.79points, to 14,758.42, but Seoul rose 1.03percent, or 20.13 points, to 1,968.83.

Sydney rose 0.21 percent, or 10.7 points,to 5,221 but the Australian dollar traded justbelow parity with the greenback ahead ofthe annual budget, which is expected tosketch an austere path back to surplus overthe next four years.

Hong Kong closed down 0.26 percent, or59.53 points, to 22,930.28 and Shanghai fell1.11 percent, or 24.91 points, to 2,217.01.Asian markets were barely stirred by theannouncement of a slight improvement inUS consumer spending for last month.

Retail sales in April were $419.0 billion,up from $418.7 billion the previous month,boosting the earnings outlook for Asianexporters. Analysts had predicted a declineof 0.3 percent as consumers dealt with aJanuary 1 increase in payroll and other taxes.

Consumer spending in the United Statesdrives roughly two-thirds of all US econom-ic activity. The April jobs report in early Mayalso came in stronger than expected. TheUS economy added 165,000 new positionsand February and March job growth num-bers were revised sharply higher.

Inflation data, which is due on Thursday,will be the next key release.

The dollar was at 101.54 yen in after-noon Asian trade, weakening from 101.82yen in New York late Monday but still muchhigher than the 99-yen range a week earlier.

The greenback briefly breached the 102-yen level in Monday’s Asian trade on theback of speculation that the US Federal

Reserve could be the first among majorcentral banks to roll back its quantitativeeasing policy.

The dollar’s strength has been a domi-nant theme in currency trading in recentdays as it gained against other currenciesdue to further signs of US recovery. Theeuro fetched $1.3014 and 132.16 yenagainst $1.2975 and 132.11 yen in US trade.

US stocks traded largely flat Mondayunder the shadow of lower than expectedgrowth in Chinese industrial output forApril, which suggested a sluggish recoveryin the world’s second largest economy.

The S&P 500 managed to set a new clos-ing record, but only on the back of analmost negligible 0.07 point gain from theprevious mark Friday, ending at 1,633.77.

The narrower blue-chip Dow JonesIndustrial Average slipped 0.18 percent to15,091.68. Oil rebounded in Asian trade,with New York’s main contract, light sweetcrude for delivery in June, gaining 19 centsto $95.36 a barrel. Brent North Sea crude forJune delivery rose one cent to $102.83 inafternoon trade.

Gold was at $1,438.10 at 0850 GMT com-pared with $1,428.90 on Monday.

In other markets:Taipei was flat, edging up 3.50 points to

8,251.82. Taiwan Semiconductor ManufacturingCo was 0.87 percent higher at Tw$115.5 whileHon Hai Precision fell 0.50 percent at Tw$79.2.

Wellington fell 0.55 percent, or 25.78points, to 4,645.86. Telecom Corp was down1.11 percent at NZ$2.675 while FletcherBuilding was up 0.70 percent to NZ$8.61.

Manila rose 0.70 percent, or 51.08 points,to 7,313.46. Bloomberry Resorts gained 2.79percent to 12.54 pesos while PhilippineLong Distance Telephone rose 2.62 percentto 3,210 pesos. —AFP

Asia shares mixed after US data, dollar stumbles

TOKYO: People ride escalators near Sharp advertising at a store in Tokyoyesterday. Japanese electronics giant Sharp yesterday posted a recordannual loss for the second year in a row, although it added that it expectedto return to profitability in the current fiscal year. —AFP

TOKYO: Japan’s electronics giants suffered another dreadfulearnings season with Panasonic and Sharp saying they lost acombined $12.8 billion last year as they scramble to staunchthe bleeding.

Rival Sony emerged as a bright spot, saying it had turned aprofit after four years in the red, but its jump back into theblack was largely due to fluctuations in the value of the yenand gains from a string of asset sales-including unloading itsManhattan office building for more than $1.0 billion.

Underlining the industry’s desperation, Sony chief financialofficer Masaru Kato told reporters last week that years of loss-es had left management with one mission. “We were deter-mined to report a profit no matter what,” he said.

But the one-time market leader’s television and electronicsbusiness continues to struggle, a plight shared by its domesticcompetitors as they compete against the likes of Apple andSouth Korea’s Samsung Electronics.

The sector has been hammered by credit rating down-grades and is awash with record losses as its struggles in thelow-margin TV business where foreign rivals have provedtough competition.

Sharp, which said Friday it lost 545.3 billion yen ($5.4 billionat current exchange rates) in the year to March, its worst-evershortfall, warned that television sales “fell drastically” over thelatest fiscal year.

The maker of Aquos-brand electronics blamed the down-

turn on sluggish demand at home and in key market China,where a consumer boycott of Japanese brands erupted lastyear over a territorial spat between Beijing and Tokyo.

The diplomatic dispute has weighed on a slew of otherJapanese firms, including the country’s still hugely profitableautomakers. Slowing demand in key export markets, strategicmistakes and a strong yen have also pounded the electronicssector, forcing firms to launch wide-ranging and expensiverestructuring plans to turn around their ailing businesses.

“But they could plunge back into the danger zone if theydon’t change their product portfolio or focus enough on theirstrengths over the next few years,” said Koki Shiraishi, an ana-lyst with SMBC Nikko Securities. —AFP

Japan’s electronics giants still bleeding

NEW DELHI: India’s inflation cooledlast month to a surprise 41-monthlow, official data showed yesterday,giving the central bank more roomto cut interest rates to battle theworst economic slowdown in adecade.

The Wholesale Price Index, themost closely watched inflationgauge, dropped to 4.89 percent inApril on an annual basis, more thana full percentage point below theprevious month’s reading of 5.96percent.

“Inflation is moving in the rightdirection,” HSBC’s India economistLeif Eskesen said, noting the figurewas “well below expectations” and“relatively broad-based”.

The figure vastly undershot the5.50 percent projected by analystsand brought inflation to its lowestpoint since November 2009. Thedrop, fuelled by lower increases inprices of food, fuel and manufac-tured goods, gave the central bankgreater scope to ease rates to prodthe stuttering economy, analystssaid.

It also brought cheer to the cor-ruption-tainted Congress govern-ment which is anxious to tame infla-tion, a sensitive voter issue, beforegeneral elections due in May 2014.

At the same time, analysts saidthe weaker inflation number wasalso a less welcome reflection ofslackening demand in Asia’s thirdlargest economy which has beenexpanding at a decade-low of fivepercent.

While some analysts saw a Junerate cut to stimulate growth, otherssaid the central bank would waituntil at least July for figures showinga continued decline in inflation.

The bank may also hold out forbetter news on the ballooning cur-rent account deficit, the broadesttrade measure, which policymakers

have called the worst threat by far tothe economy.

Even with inflation declining towithin the bank’s “comfort level” forthe first time in over three years, thedrop was not sufficient to warrantany swift move to cut rates, said

Credit Suisse economist RobertPrior-Wandesforde.

Taking the shine off the inflationdrop is India’s worsening merchan-dise trade deficit, driven by a mas-sive rise in gold imports.

The trade deficit soared to $17.8

billion in April from $10.3 billion inMarch, driven by a 138 percent year-on-year jump in gold and silverimports in value terms, figuresshowed Monday.

Indians, traditionally heavy buy-ers of gold for weddings, religious

festivals and as a store of value, havebeen flooding stores to purchasebullion following a drop in the glob-al price.

The bank has made it clear itneeds to see a sustained drop ininflation “and perhaps most impor-

tantly a run of better external deficitnumbers” to cut rates, said Prior-Wandesforde.

The trade deficit swells India’scurrent account shortfall which isrunning at a record 6.7 percent ofgross domestic product.

The bank has cut rates threetimes by 25 basis point cuts sincethe start of 2013. But the benchmarklending rate is still at a relatively ele-vated 7.25 percent while borrowingcosts are 10 percent and higher,curbing consumer demand. —AFP

India inflation cools to below5% for first time since 2009

KADI: In this photograph taken on May 6, 2013, an Indian factory employee wheels a trolleyloaded with air conditioners for dispatch at the Hitachi Home and Life Solutions’ air conditionermanufacturing facility near Kadi, some 50 kms from Ahmedabad. India’s inflation yesterday,unexpectedly plunged to below five percent in April — its lowest rate in 41 months — fanninghopes of further interest rate cuts to spur a sharply slowing economy. —AFP


KUWAIT: Burgan Bank announcedyesterday that the Kuwaitization ofits workforce has reached 67%. Thisis a significant accomplishment forthe bank, as it achieves its long-termstrategic objectives of nurturinglocal talent, while also investing incommunity initiatives that aim toencourage young people to join thebanking sector.

Over 80 new Kuwaiti employeeshave been hired by Burgan Bank sincethe beginning of 2012. The recruits

work across the bank’s operationsincluding the Retail Department,Operations Department, and RiskDepartment.

Hala El Shirbini, Chief HumanResources and Development Officer atBurgan Bank said: “Burgan Bank iscommitted to helping young Kuwaitipeople achieve their full potential bygiving them the opportunity to devel-op a rewarding and interesting career.By joining Burgan Bank, our recruitsreceive the all the expertise they need

to become future leaders in the coun-try’s banking sector. By doing this theyare also helping to build the nation’sfuture.” Burgan Bank has designedcomprehensive education and indi-vidual development programs tohelp steer young and ambitiousKuwaitis towards a successful careerin financial services. The bank’s com-mitment to raising the level of pro-fessional experience of the country’syoung people is part its role as amajor player in Kuwait’s economy.Hala El Shirbini

Burgan Bank Kuwaitization reaches 67%

KUWAIT: EQUATE Petrochemical Companysaid that Gulf countries export over 80% oftheir petrochemical production.

On the sideline of the Fifth GulfPetrochemicals & Chemicals Association(GPCA) Supply Chain Conference, EQUATEPresident & CEO Mohammad Husain said,“These exports have included over 30 millionmetric tons (MT) of petrochemicals during2012, while they were only 10 million MT in1999 which is an increase of over 250% injust 13 years with an average annual growthof exports by 5%.”

Husain noted a number of challenges fac-ing Gulf exports, such as port congestions,inadequate infrastructure and instability ofmarket conditions, explaining that despite allthese challenges, the Gulf ’s internationalexports continue to increase.

Husain said that EQUATE’s total exports,from plants owned and operated by it,exceed 3 million tons of products, includingsolid material such as polyethylene andpolypropylene, as well as the main liquidsthat include ethylene glycol, styrenemonomer and paraxylene.

In addition to leading EQUATE, Husain is amember of GPCA Board and heads it SupplyChain Committee. EQUATE is one of GPCA’smain founders. Sponsored by EQUATE, theGPCA Supply Chain Fourth Conference is tak-ing place in Dubai, the UAE, from May 13-15,with the attendance of over 350 delegatesrepresenting petrochemical and shippingcompanies from around the world.

Established in 1995, EQUATE is an interna-tional joint venture between PetrochemicalIndustries Company (PIC), The Dow Chemical

Company (Dow), Boubyan PetrochemicalCompany (BPC) and Qurain PetrochemicalIndustries Company (QPIC). Commencingproduction in 1997, EQUATE is the single

operator of a fully integrated world-scalemanufacturing facility producing over 5 mil-lion tons annually of high-quality petro-chemical products which are marketedthroughout the Middle East, Asia, Africa andEurope.

EQUATE President & CEOMohammad Husain

Gulf exports over 80% of petrochemical production

KUWAIT: Kuwait Financial Centre “Markaz”announced a net profit of KD 2.56 millionfor the first quarter ending 31st March2013, a net profit of 5 fils per share as com-pared with a net profit of KD 2.82 duringthe same period in 2012.

Markaz Chairman, Diraar Y. Alghanim,said “Markaz profit during the first quarterof 2013 has come on the back of its highquality assets and strong financial stand-ing. These positive results reflect its diversebase of assets and controlled solvency. Inaddition, available credit channels provideMarkaz with the required flexibility tochange its assets distribution, enabling thecompany to capitalize on the volatileinvestment environment. Global marketshave also shown positive economic indica-tions, which led to better performance andhelped in achieving higher returns.”

Alghanim added, “We are optimisticregarding the recently enacted Companies’Law (25/2012) and its amendments by law(97/2013). These laws facilitate businessformation, and allow for new sophisticatedfinancial instruments such as convertibledebt, preferred shares, and derivatives.This will provide companies with more flex-ibility in deleveraging and restructuringtheir balance sheets, and will result ininvestment banking opportunities.”

Manaf Alhajeri, Chief Executive Officer atMarkaz said “We hope that more new lawswill be legislated in 2013 to improve thebusiness environment. The private sectoranticipates the legislation of the bankrupt-

cy law to provide an effective and organ-ized framework for dealing with insolvencyand illiquidity of companies. The govern-ment has already started working on draft-

ing this law. Once enacted, the bankruptcylaw would hasten solving the debt crisis bypaving the way for new and promisingopportunities that include sale of dis-tressed real estate at fair prices.

Diraar Y. Alghanim

Markaz profits reach KD 2.56m in Q1-2013

DUBAI: Pilots might call it the Focuswith afterburners. Everyone else willcall it really fast.

The new Ford Focus ST features afour-cylinder, direct-injected tur-

bocharged engine with an “over-boost” feature that extends peaktorque for up to 15 seconds at atime. The gains extend the peaktorque from 3,000 rpm to 4,500 rpm,

whereas other EcoBoost(r) engineswould hit peak torque and begin todrop off at these higher enginespeeds.

Ford engineers made sure the

overclocked EcoBoost 2.0-literwould have a very robust coolingsystem. “The turbo itself is specifiedfor sustained, high-output perform-ance, but they’ve programmed thecar’s computer to dial in more boostpast 3,000 rpm to give it that extrasomething,” says engineer LisaSchoder, who is Marketing managerfor Focus ST.

“We limit peak turbo boost tomaintain a wide margin of safetyand durability over the life of thecar,” Schoder adds. “But overboost iscool in that it tweaks more accelera-tion through the turbo for briefperiods for performance-hungrydrivers.”

Among the more visible optionswill be the Tangerine Scream metal-lic color that will be offered exclu-sively on Focus ST, as well as race-inspired Recaro(r) seats with match-ing color accents.

The Focus ST is Ford’s first trulyglobal performance car, building onthe heritage of previous Focus STmodels and giving drivers aroundthe world the opportunity to sharethe exhilarating performance, unri-valed handling, addictive sound andsporty design that Ford’s ST badgerepresents.

Shortly after arriving in theMiddle East, the Focus ST is becom-ing popular with strong demand formore units to be available and vehi-cles getting sold out as soon as theyreach dealerships. The Focus name-plate overall has seen great successaround the world and beat the com-petition by clinching “the world’sbest-selling nameplate for 2012”title. In the Middle East, the momen-tum continues in 2013 with Focusrecording a 50 per cent growth inthe first four months of the year.

Ford Focus ST features factory ‘Overboost’ turbo engine

DUBAI: It’s the kind of road trip that perform-ance car enthusiasts dream of: A week-long,3,000 mile (5,000km) driving adventure through13 countries in one of the most hotly-anticipatednew cars of 2013.

Nissan is teaming up with French publishinghouse L’Ecurie and INTERSECTION Magazine to

participate in the 2013 Gumball 3000 Rally - anon-competitive, pan-European parade of theworld’s most exciting and desirable cars - startingin Copenhagen on 18th May 2013.

The entry will be giving the millions of specta-tors expected to line the route a first glimpse ofthe exciting new Nissan 370Z Nismo in action.Gumball has a great heritage, providing a great

platform to bring Nismo’s digital age perform-ance to the streets of Europe.

The team has been entered as car 56, a numberthat has great significance for Nissan which occu-pied ‘Garage 56’ at the Le Mans 24hr race in 2012with the Nissan DeltaWing. The company will bereturning to Garage 56, the spot reserved for inno-

vative experimental cars, in 2014 with an all-newrace car incorporating electric technology.

Previewed in Barcelona in January 2013, theNissan 370Z Nismo made its debut at the GenevaMotor Show in March and is set to hit show-rooms later this year. Powered by a modified344PS six-cylinder engine, the Nissan 370ZNismo features a bespoke chassis tuned to deliv-

er a sharper and even more engaging drivingexperience. Capable of accelerating from 0-100kp/h in just 5.2 seconds, the new Z follows inthe tracks of the first Nismo model to arrive inEurope, the Juke Nismo.

Set to be driven by Gumball 3000 regularsPatrice Meignan and Jeremy ‘Jey’ Taltaud, theNissan 370Z Nismo features a special camouflagelivery designed specifically for the event. Bothare contributors to INTERSECTION Magazine andwill be reporting on the rally via all major socialmedia channels. In addition, fans can follow theaction on Nismo.tv where a daily video post con-taining highlights of the previous day’s actionwill be available.

The Gumball 3000 has become a major drawfor performance car enthusiasts from all over theworld since the first event was held in 1999.Named after the 1976 cult film starring MichaelSarrazin, the Gumball 3000 Rally has attracted ahost of celebrity entrants over the years, includ-ing musician Jay Kay, Former F1 championDamon Hill and fashion designer Donna Karan.

Gareth Dunsmore, Nissan in Europe GeneralManager explains: “Gumball is a great fit for the370Z Nismo: it’s a road rally which allows thou-sands of fans to get up close to their dream cars.Making exciting cars accessible is at the heart ofthe Nissan brand, and with our innovativeNismo.tv platform on Youtube our customerswill be able to keep up to date with its progress,so we can’t wait to take part in this historicparade.” Kicking off in Copenhagen on the 18thMay the rally will run until the 25th May, conclud-ing in Monaco at the Formula 1 Grand Prix DeMonaco 2013.

Nissan 370Z Nismo set to star in 2013 gumball 3000 rally

KUWAIT: Oula Fuel Marketing Companyheld its postponed Extraordinary GeneralMeeting (EGM) on May 14th at KuwaitBusiness Town Tower in presence ofChairman Mr. Abdul Hussein Al Sultanwith a number of shareholders, auditorsand representatives of the Ministry ofCommerce. Under which, it has beenapproved to increase the company’s capi-tal to reach KD 36.3 million as per therecommendation of AGM held on April25th, 2013 and the distribution of 5%share dividend (5 shares for each 100shares) to shareholders registered as ofthe date of AGM.

During the Extraordinary GeneralMeeting, it has been approved to modifythe text of Article (7) of the Memorandumof Association, and Article (6) of theStatute related to the capital, in addition tomodifying other materials.

In this occasion, Chairman AbdulHussein Al Sultan said: “The adoption of

the capital increase will provide a greatermargin to develop the stations and theirservices in order to meet the clients’ expec-tations in terms of provision of sophisticat-ed services. Once the capital is raised, wewill be able to increase our investments inorder to achieve this goal”. Chairman AlSultan thanked the shareholders for theirongoing and consistent support to thecompany and its strategic developmentplan, promising them that Oula FuelMarketing Company will always remain atthe level of their expectations in apprecia-tion for the shareholders’ ongoing andconsistent support to the company whichcomplements its growth and success.

It’s worth mentioning that Oula has pre-viously declared that the company hasachieved a net profit of KD 3.8 million andits AGM had recommended the distribu-tion of 5% share dividend (5 shares foreach 100 shares) to shareholders regis-tered as of the date of AGM.

Oula increases its capital to KD 36.3m

WARSAW: Central European leaderPoland got off to a weaker than expect-ed start this year, quarterly data showedyesterday, amid expectations that cen-tral banks in the region will further cutinterest rates to boost demand and spura sluggish recovery.

The only EU member to have growneach year over the last two decades,Poland mustered just 0.1 percent growthin the first quarter, initial official datashowed, after zero growth in the lastquarter of 2012.

Analysts pointed to a sharp decline inconstruction as contributing factor tothe doldrums, highlighting trade as apositive driver and room for furtherinterest rate cuts to bolster consump-tion. “The weak state of domesticdemand in Poland means that the eco-nomic recovery is likely to be sluggish,”London-based Capital Economics ana-lysts said in a Tuesday statement.

“As such, we expect interest rates tofall further,” they added. Poland’s centralbank (NBP) cut its key interest rate by aquarter-point to a historic low of 3.0 per-cent last week, amid forecasts of slowerthan expected growth. AlthoughWarsaw is in no rush to join the crisis-struck eurozone, the move echoed theEuropean Central Bank’s May 2 decisionto slash its key rate to a new historicallow of 0.50 percent.

With inflation in Poland under con-trol at 1.0 percent, analysts insist thestring of rate cuts since November isintended to perk up demand in this mar-ket of 38 million people, central Europe’slargest. While the official preliminaryestimate was short of details on the rea-sons behind the Q1 slowdown, CapitalEconomics noted “investment is infreefall.”

“Output from the construction sectorfell at an even faster pace in quarter one

than in quarter four,” Capital Economicsanalyst William Jackson said, noting a15.4-percent year-on-year decline com-pared to a 11.3-percent drop.

Large-scale construction and infra-structure investments, which werestrong economic drivers in Poland as itgeared up for the Euro 2012 footballchampionships last June, have sincewaned.

“We think net trade probably provid-ed the greatest positive contribution tothe annual growth rate,” Jackson said,adding that for now they were “sticking”to their forecast of 1.0-percent growth inoutput this year.

The economy expanded by 0.4 per-cent in the first quarter on an annualcomparison after an uptick of 0.7 per-cent in the fourth quarter of 2012,Poland’s Central Statistical Office (GUS)also reported Tuesday.

In 2012, the gross domestic product

(GDP) expanded by 1.9 percent, downfrom 4.5 percent in 2011 primarily due toa drag from the eurozone crisis in itsmain trade partners, including EU pow-erhouse and western neighbourGermany.

Inflation, which stood at 3.7 percentin 2012, was expected to decline to 1.6percent in 2013 and 2014 before drop-ping to 1.5 percent in 2015, according tothe NBP central bank forecast.

To the south, the Czech Republic hasbeen locked in recession for more than ayear, having posted a 1.2-percent con-traction for 2012. The slowdown in euro-zone heavyweight Germany, Prague’smain trading partner, is largely to blame.

The crisis prompted the Czech cen-tral bank to slash rates to a record-low0.05 percent in November 2012, withPrague-based Patria Finance analystTomas Vlk predicting “stable rates at alow level” in the coming months. —AFP

Poland posts weaker than expected start

t e c hnolo g yWEDNESDAY, MAY 15, 2013

LONDON: Nokia unveiled a lighter, metal model inits Lumia smartphone range, as it tries to catch theeye of buyers to close the huge market lead of rivalsSamsung and Apple Inc in the lucrative handsetmarket. The Lumia 925 is the latest in Nokia’s rangeusing Microsoft’s Windows Phone software and willbe sold for 469 euros ($610) before taxes and subsi-dies through carriers such as Vodafone and ChinaMobile.

Nokia Chief Executive Stephen Elop has pinnedthe future of the loss-making company on WindowsPhone, hoping to reverse a dramatic drop in rev-enue over the last two years. The phone weighs 139grams, compared with 185 grams for the earlier 920model, which some critics had said was too heavy. Italso utilizes a new smart camera mode, a photoediting function which Nokia intends to introduceto all Lumia devices.

“Lumia 925 looks like a solid product and shouldbe able to attract new customers who have consid-ered 920 too bulky for their taste,” said Nordea ana-lyst Sami Sarkamies. “One can think of Lumia 925 asa new version of Lumia 920 that has been put on adiet to fit inside an iPhone-like frame.” Nokia hasrecently launched new products in the lower and

mid-tier range to protect its position in emergingmarkets, but its success in the high-margin smart-phone market will be crucial to its long-term sur-vival.

The company unveiled the slightly heavier Lumia928 for the US market last Friday. It was priced at$99 after a rebate and a two-year deal with VerizonWireless. Both the Lumia 925 and 928 are targetedat the high-end, flagship segment, which accountsfor 35 to 40 percent of the total global market, saidJo Harlow, Nokia’s executive vice president for smartdevices. “Our goal is to have a complete portfolioacross the price range,” she told Reuters, addingthat Nokia expects to see accelerated growth insales of Lumia phones.

Sales of Lumia phones have grown in recent quar-ters, but at 5.6 million in first quarter, they stillaccount for only around 5 percent of the market.Research company Gartner said yesterday that Nokialost 5 percentage points of market share in the firstquarter, falling to 14.8 percent compared to numberone Samsung’s 23.6 percent share. Nokia held a 19.7percent share just a year ago. Shares in Nokia weredown 3.6 percent to 2.84 euros by 1310 GMT, valuingthe company at 11 billion euros. — Reuters

Nokia unveils new metal-body Lumia smartphone

LONDON: The New Nokia mobile phone, the Lumia 925 is displayed during its launch in London yes-terday. Nokia launched a new version of its flagship smartphone, featuring an upgraded camera inthe more streamlined and lighter handset. — AFP

SAN FRANCISCO: The battle over the future ofDell Inc. heated up Friday after the companyreceived an alternative proposal from Carl Icahnand Southeastern Asset Management that maycompete with a privatization offer by founder andCEO Michael Dell. The Round Rock, Texas-basedtechnology giant said its board was studying theproposal from Icahn and Southeastern, but someexperts quickly expressed skepticism about theplan from the billionaire investor. One comparedIcahn’s proposal to “extortion.”

In a filing with the Securities & ExchangeCommission, Dell shared a letter sent by Icahnand Southeastern in which they propose thatshareholders would retain their shares andreceive a choice of either $12 per share in cash or$12 worth of additional Dell stock. They said thiswould be superior to the $13.65 per share buyoutoffer from Michael Dell and Silver Lake, as itwould allow shareholders to retain an equity“stub” in the business and participate in Dell’srecovery. The pair also threatened a proxy battle ifthe Dell board does not approve their offer.

“This company has suffered long enough fromvery wrong-headed decisions made by the boardand its management,” the letter read. “Do notmake another by putting the company through

an unnecessary debilitating proxy fight. Allow theshareholders to decide for themselves which offerthey choose.” Dell responded to the Icahn propos-al by saying its board was reviewing the plan.“Consistent with the special committee’s goal ofachieving the best possible outcome for all share-holders, we and our advisors are carefully review-ing the potential transaction to assess the poten-tial risks and rewards to the public shareholders,”the board special committee said in a statement.

But the counterbid was quickly met with skep-ticism by a couple of experts who said the lettersounded more like a threat to sue. “The tone ofthe letter seems to be focusing more on frighten-ing directors with litigation threats than on sellingeither the board or investors on the value of hisproposal,” Gary Lutin, chairman of theShareholder Forum, told MarketWatch.

Ray Wang, chief executive of ConstellationResearch, echoed a similar view. “Icahn’s proposalis basically a modern-day extortion hidden behinda veil of legal threats,” he told MarketWatch.Meanwhile, Icahn appeared to take special aim atMichael Dell in his latest move, saying in an inter-view with CNBC, “If our board is elected, MichaelDell will not be running the company.” Dell has notyet set a date for its annual shareholders meeting,

where it is expected to put Michael Dell’s proposalup to a vote, and possibly any competing offer.Last year’s shareholders’ meeting took place onJuly 13.

Michael Dell and Silver Lake formallyannounced their offer on Feb. 5 after weeks ofspeculation. The offer almost immediately drewthe ire of some large shareholders such asSoutheastern, who argued that the company wasworth more and publicly pushed for offers above$20 per share. Carl Icahn bought up a large blockof Dell shares after the first offer was announcedand has been pushing for an alternative deal.Icahn and Southeastern claimed in their letter onFriday to represent about 13 percent of Dell’s totalshares outstanding.

“We have great respect for Michael Dell for cre-ating and building Dell and also for the “negotiat-ing’ ability he has shown in getting his Board togrant to him this almost absurd bargain,” the let-ter read. “However, we believe all shareholders (attheir discretion) should have the opportunity toparticipate in the upside potential we believe ispresent, not solely Michael Dell and an oppor-tunistic buyout group leveraging to the hilt thecompany’s own assets with very little of their ownequity.” — MCT

Dell gets Icahn bidExpert calls it ‘extortion’

SACRAMENTO: Joseph Boardman, Amtrak President and CEO (left) Rep JohnGaramendi (center) and Michael Cahill, president of Siemens Rail Systems leave oneof the new Amtrak Cities Sprinter Locomotive after a demonstration run at theSiemens factory in Sacramento, Calif. — AP

NEWARK: Amtrak has unveiled at a plantin California the first of 70 new locomo-tives, marking what the national passen-ger railroad service said it hopes will be anew era of better reliability, streamlinedmaintenance and more energy efficiency.On a broader scale, the new engines dis-played Monday could well be viewed asemblematic of the improving financialhealth of Amtrak, which has long beendependent on subsidies from an oftenreluctant Congress.

More than 31 million passengers rodeAmtrak in the 2012 fiscal year, generatinga record $2.02 billion in ticket revenue.Amtrak said it will be able to pay back a$466 million federal loan for the locomo-tives over 25 years using net profits fromthe Northeast Corridor line, where rider-ship hit a record high last year for theninth time in 10 years. “The new Amtraklocomotives will help power the econom-ic future of the Northeast region, providemore reliable and efficient service for pas-sengers and support the rebirth of railmanufacturing in America,” AmtrakPresident Joseph Boardman said in astatement.

“Built on the West Coast for service inthe Northeast with suppliers from manystates, businesses and workers fromacross the country are helping to mod-ernize the locomotive fleet of America’sRailroad.” Robert Puentes, a senior fellowin the Brooking Institution’s metropolitanpolicy program, said Amtrak isn’t thesame organization it was a few years ago,relying on federal handouts. “Even thoughWashington is mired in debt and dysfunc-tion, Amtrak is reinventing itself,” Puentessaid.

The new engines will be used on theNortheast Corridor between Washington,DC, and Boston and on Keystone Corridortrains that run between Philadelphia andHarrisburg, Pa. Three were unveiledMonday before being sent out for testing.The first is due to go into service by thisfall, and all 70 are expected to be in serv-ice by 2016. Amtrak awarded the contractin 2010 to Munich-based Siemens AG,which has made a big investment in theAmerican rail industry over the lastdecade.

The company makes about one ofevery three light-rail vehicles in NorthAmerica and is building light-rail vehiclesfor Minneapolis, Houston and San Diegoat the Sacramento plant where Amtrak’slocomotives are being produced. Amongthe improvements in the new locomo-tives are computers that can diagnoseproblems in real time and take correctiveaction and a braking system capable of

generating 100 percent of the energy ituses back to the electric grid, similar tothe way a hybrid automobile’s motor actsas a generator when braking, according toMichael Cahill, CEO for Siemens RailSystems.

That could produce energy savings ofup to $300 million over 20 years, the com-pany estimates. The locomotives also fea-ture crumple zones, which are basicallycages built onto the front end of the trainthat can absorb impact from a collision.The new models will be the first in NorthAmerica to use them, in compliance withnew federal safety guidelines, Cahill said.The locomotives, called Amtrak CitiesSprinters, are based on Siemens’ latestEuropean electric locomotive and willreplace Amtrak equipment that has beenin service for 20 to 30 years and haslogged an average of 3.5 million miles.

Simply having the same type of loco-motive in operation should cut costs,Amtrak spokesman Steve Kulm said.Amtrak now uses three locomotive mod-els, requiring slightly different mainte-nance, parts and training.

“Now, we will have one model, oneinventory and one training program, andall that will help efficiency,” Kulm said.About 750 people are employed atSiemens’ Sacramento plant. The locomo-tive project also involves Siemens plantsin Columbus, Ohio, Richland, Miss., andAlpharetta, Ga.

The ripple effect spreads farther. As acondition of the Department ofTransportation loan, the majority of theproducts and materials used to build thelocomotives must be made in the U.S. Asa result, some lighting parts are comingfrom Connecticut, the driver’s seat fromWisconsin, insulation from Indiana, elec-tronics from Texas and hydraulic partsfrom California. In all, 70 suppliers in 23states are providing components,Siemens said.

Amtrak must still seek federal fundingfor a long list of planned and ongoingimprovements, including replacing sec-tions of pre-World War II electrical sys-tems on the Northeast Corridor that causeregular disruptions.

The fact that Amtrak has reduced itsdebt by 60 percent over the last 10 yearsand its federal operating subsidy to 12percent could make it an easier sell. “Tenyears ago we were in a tougher spot,”Boardman, the Amtrak president, said lastweek. “Now Amtrak on the NortheastCorridor is in a much healthier position.We’re trying to maximize that, to theextent we can, to pay for what we shouldpay for on the Northeast Corridor.” — AP

Amtrak replaces aging fleet with locomotives

Web users reclaim anonymity through

privacy programsWASHINGTON: Dozens of silent watchers, working for corpo-rations that want to learn about you so they can sell youthings, track you when you go online. Why does America tol-erate all that spying? “Consumers are concerned about theirprivacy and about being tracked online. But the commissionrecognizes that a lot of content is advertising-supported, andadvertising is tracking-supported,” said Peder Magee, a seniorstaff attorney at the Federal Trade Commission who special-izes in “behavioral advertising” policy. “So what we’ve said allalong is, ‘If you’re going to do this, be open and transparent,and give consumers control.’ “

Sophisticated Web users know they’re being tracked, andthat tracking-based ads help pay to make Web sites available -much as ads pay for other media like newspapers and TV, saysDavid Morgan, a former newspaper lawyer for Philadelphia’sDuane Morris LLP who later led pioneering online ad-and-tracking agencies like Tacoda Inc. He’s now a New York mediainvestor and head of T V ad-buying software-makerSimulmedia.

Tracker-identification programs like Evidon Inc.’s Ghosteryprogram and browser-sponsored tracking systems fromApple, Microsoft, and Mozilla make the hidden watchers morevisible to curious Web users, and make blocking them easier.“We’re trying to reveal the invisible Web,” said Scott Meyer,chief executive of Evidon, the New York digital advertisingcompany that bought Ghostery from founder David Cancelthree years ago.

The son of a former Sunoco marketing chief, Meyer was aWall Street investment banker and the New York Times Co’sdigital media chief before joining investment firm WarburgPincus and using the firm’s capital to set up Evidon three yearsago. Ghostery claims 18 million users, almost half of whomshare their browsing data - anonymously - with the service.Owner Evidon then sells the aggregated data to retail and adclients. They also pay the firm for guidance on complying withWeb privacy guidelines.

Evidon also services the Digital Advertising Alliance’sAdChoices program, which makes it easier for consumers toblock unwanted online ads. “People will say they don’t likeadvertising. But people do like the right kind of advertising,”said Crystal Gurin, Philadelphia publisher of eMarketer, anonline media research and reporting service that usesGhostery data. Gurin means advertising that announces itselfand tells users about things they want. “The kind of serviceEvidon provides is absolutely essential in the world of big con-sumer advertising,” she added. “Especially if this industrystrives to be self-regulated.”

Advertisers and ad agencies that track Internet users acrossmany websites are making a lot more information publicabout their tracking activities than the corporations that runpopular search, retail, and news sites tell their Web visitors,said Alan Chappell, a New York Internet privacy lawyer.“(Retailers) have already been collecting information on youfor 100 years,” including store spending habits and creditrecords, he noted.

Evidon its San Francisco rival TRUSTe.com, and trade asso-ciations like the Digital Advertising Alliance and their lawyershave successfully prodded advertisers to participate in thesetracking-disclosure programs. That has helped ease calls forfederal regulation, while also helping advertisers competewith Google and other powerful Web advertising providers,Chappell said.

“(Meyer) has done a fantastic job of leading a very difficultconversation in our industry and putting customers first, witha technology that gives people meaningful transparency andmeaningful choice,” said Mario Diez, chief executive of WestConshohocken, Pa-based PointRoll, an online ad agencyowned by newspaper publisher Gannett. “Look, this is stillvery new. Everyone is learning,” Diez added. “I’d like to believethat making this information available to consumers has had apositive effect on (US Internet) policy.” — MCT

NEW YORK: The country’s four biggestcellphone companies are set to launchtheir first joint advertising campaignagainst texting while driving, unitingbehind AT&T’s “It Can Wait” slogan toblanket TV and radio this summer. Themulti-million dollar ad campaign isunusual not just because it unites rivals,but because it represents companieswarning against the dangers of their ownproducts.

After initially fighting laws against

cellphone use while driving, cellphonecompanies have begun to embrace thelanguage of the federal government’scampaign against cellphone use by driv-ers. Beyond TV and radio ads, the newcampaign will stretch into the skiesthrough displays on Goodyear’s threeblimps. It will also include store displays,community events, social-media out-reach and national tour of a driving simu-lator. The campaign targets teens in par-ticular. — AP

Big 4 cellphone carriers unite on anti-texting ads

MOSCOW: Canadian spaceman ChrisHadfield yesterday returned to Earth alongwith two other astronauts after a half-yearmission to the International Space Stationthat saw him shoot to global stardom by cap-tivating people worldwide with his Twittermicroblog. Hadfield landed safely in theKazakh steppe along with American TomMarshburn and Russian Roman Romanenkoaboard a Russian Soyuz-TMA capsule that hadleft the space station yesterday morning,Moscow mission control said. “Safely home-back on Earth, happily readapting to theheavy pull of gravity. Wonderful to smell andfeel Spring,” the 53-year-old Hadfield wrote inhis first earth-bound tweet a few hours afterlanding.

Russian state television pictures hadshowed the giant white parachute of theSoyuz capsule unfurling successfully after re-entry and the capsule then touching down inthe Kazakh steppe, sending a plume of dustupwards into the sky. The Soyuz toucheddown at 0231 GMT in the steppe south of thecentral Kazakh city of Karaganda. The Soyuzlanded on its side rather than vertically, butthis is a relatively common occurrence. On asunny spring morning, all three astronautswere then successfully extracted from thecapsule by recovery teams who rushed to thescene in helicopters.

They were then placed in special chairsamid the long steppe grasses, covered in spe-cial thermal blankets and offered tea by theground crews. All three appeared in goodhealth. After medical checks, Romanenko willthen fly on to Moscow while Hadfield andMarshburn will be taken by NASA to Houston.Hadfield captured the public imaginationwith regular updates on Twitter that gave anunprecedented insight into daily life in spaceand access to spectacular images taken fromthe ISS.

In a fitting climax to his mission, Hadfieldposted a cover version of the David Bowieclassic “Space Oddity” that showed himsinging and even playing the guitar as hefloated in zero gravity aboard the station. The

impressively-performed video became animmediate hit on YouTube and yesterdaymorning barely two days after it was firstposted had garnered over 5.5 million views.Using the power of social networks moreeffectively than anyone in the history ofmanned space flight, Hadfield has nowarguably become the world’s most prominentastronaut since the days of Neil Armstrongand Buzz Aldrin.

He has also blazed a new trail for howastronauts can inspire the public at a timewhen some scientists question the need formanned space flight to the ISS amid constantbudget pressures. Tweeting under the StarTrek-like name Cmdr - Hadfield, the astronautposted spectacular pictures of the Earth seenfrom the sky and also insights on the mun-dane aspects of eating and washing in space.“Hadfield captured the world’s attention,” theCanadian space agency said in a statementafter the landing.

It said his outreach work has “remindedthe world that space exploration is not onlyabout looking beyond but also about learn-ing about Earth.” Hadfield’s final tweet fromspace was a spectacular image of the sunglinting over the Earth as it rose. “Spaceflightfinale: To some this may look like a sunset. Butit’s a new dawn,” Hadfield wrote. Raised on acorn farm in southern Ontario, Hadfieldbecome a top fighter pilot for the Canadianair force before being selected from over5,000 people in 1992 to be one of four newCanadian astronauts.

This was his third space mission, after fly-ing with the US shuttle to the now defunctRussian Mir station in 1995 and to the ISS inApril 2001. Hadfield’s official biography pub-lished by the Canadian Space Agency lists aseemingly endless range of earth-boundinterests including “skiing, playing guitar,singing, riding, writing, running, and playingvolleyball and squash.” Hadfield, who wascommander of the station, also oversaw adramatic spacewalk at the weekend per-formed by Americans Marshburn and ChrisCassidy to halt an ammonia leak. — AFP

Three spacemen return after 5 months in orbit

ZHEZKAZGAN: (Front right to left) US astronaut Thomas Marshburn, Russian cosmo-naut Roman Romanenko, and Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield join their hands asthey rest shortly after the landing aboard the Russian Soyuz space capsule some 150km southeast of the town of Zhezkazgan in central Kazakhstan yesterday. — AFP

KUWAIT: In the presence of AmbassadorMatthew H Tueller, ambassador of theUnited States of America, Al-Maidan Clinicheld the first Invisalign certification pro-gram. The event was held at the conferenceroom KBT Tower- Sharq.

Mahdi Haider, chairman of the UnitedMedical Services Company and MansourHaider, Deputy Chairman of the UnitedHealthcare Company and Chairman of Al-Seef Hospital were present on this occasionand received the chief guest Ambassador

Tueller. Dr Parveen Chandra, senior dentistand coordinator of the workshop wel-comed the gathering and briefed the audi-ence about the activities of UHC which isthe holding company of Maidan Clinic andthe biggest private healthcare provider inKuwait which includes Al-Seef Hospital,International Clinic, United Laboratories,United Medical Technologies and a host ofother group of companies.

The workshop comes to complimentthe business strategy of Maidan Clinic, the

eldest and the biggest chain providingdental care since its establishment in 1987;the workshop was attended by 25 doctorsin addition to nurses and other administra-tive staff.

A video presentation was made onInvisalign. The ambassador in his remarkssaid that he was pleased to watch the cut-ting edge technology adopted in dentistryand was highly appreciative of Al-Maidanfor bringing this technology to the Kuwaitipopulation, in association with Align tech-

nology. Mahdi Haider thanked the ambas-sador for gracing the occasion. The famousItalian orthodontist, Dr Francesco Carino anauthority in Invisalign technique conduct-ed a day long intensive workshop.Dr.Garino highlighted the advantages ofthis advanced life-style invisible braceswhich are wireless/ no-metal wires orbrackets. He mentioned that they are lesspainful pleasant in appearance removableand comfortable. Al-Maidan was the first tolaunch it officially in Kuwait in association

with Invisalign GCC in April 2013. The align-ers are planned by using cutting edge tech-nology where 3D software allows the doc-tor to forecast the result and can be viewedby the patient on a video before startingthe treatment. PR and Marketing Manager,Rawya Yaqoub noted that there are similarproducts available in the market butInvisalign is original and apparently thissystem is very popular in Europe andAmerica used by more than 70.000 dentistsand 2 million cases completed already.

H E A LT H & S C I E N C EWEDNESDAY, MAY 15, 2013

Al-Maidan hosts first Invisalign certification in Kuwait

NEW DELHI: Scientists unveiled yes-terday an affordable vaccine against adeadly diarrhea-causing virus thatkills some 100,000 children in Indiaevery year. Rotavirus, which causesdehydration and severe diarrhea, isglobally responsible for some 453,000deaths annually and is particularlythreatening in Africa and Asia, whereaccess to urgent healthcare is oftenout of reach.

K. Vijaraghavan, secretary of India’sDepartment of Biotechnology whichsteered the hunt for an affordablerotavirus vaccine, said it was a prod-uct of international cooperation,although it has yet to be approved byNew Delhi. “The result is a world-classvaccine for India’s children,” he told apress conference in New Delhi. “Forthe first time we have taken a vaccinefrom the earliest discovery to everystage of development and that is avery remarkable thing for India,” hesaid, adding that the dollar-a-doseoral vaccine was ready for production.

The vaccine named Rotavac will bemanufactured by Hyderabad-basedBharat Biotech pharmaceutical firmwhich has said it has the capacity tomass produce 60 million doses afterclearance is given. Each vaccinationconsists of three doses. Rotavirus isblamed for causing up to 884,000 hos-

pitalizations in India a year, at a costto the country of 3.4 billion rupees($72 million), scientists say.

“ We have (now) added to ourknow-how and capacity in ways whichwill pay dividends for development offuture solutions,” said Vijaraghavan.

Each dose of l icensed vaccinesfrom GlaxoSmithKline and Merc costaround 1,000 rupees ($18), saidSushmita Malaviya of PATH, an inter-national healthcare organizationwhich is also part of the Rotavac pro-gram. M.K. Bhan, who pioneered theproject after local scientists discov-ered a localized rotavirus 23 years agoin a New Delhi hospital, said thedevelopment was a boon for India’screaky public health service. “Total 25percent of all diarrheal admissionswould be prevented by this and thatmeans you will have 25 percent lessdiarrheal illnesses of severe nature inIndia which is a very substantial pub-lic health gain,” he said. “We have agood vaccine which will be useful andwe will do post-marketing surveil-lance and keep accumulating moreexperience.” More than 300,000 babiesdie within 24 hours of being born inIndia each year from infections andother preventable causes, accordingto a report last week by Save theChildren. — AFP

India unveils vaccine fordeadly diarrhea virus

By Nawara Fattahova

KUWAIT: The Invisalign workshop held herecompliments the business strategy of Al-MaidanClinic in achieving excellence and professional-ism by constantly updating and training its doc-tors through workshops and seminars.

Many people especially adults have little ideaabout the comfortable transparent braces beingavailable in the market. Invisalign is the originaland the first to come up with this technology 12years ago. Recently, some other competitors arepresenting similar products but with differentmaterials.

Rawya Yaqoub from the PR and Marketingnoted that Maidan always believed in the bestpractices and therefore associated with aligningtechnologies to bring Invisalign to the Kuwaitipopulation as it is the original, superior and themost popular aligner in America, Europe and allover the world.

On the sidelines of the workshop, DrFrancesco Garino, Chief Speaker of Invisalignexplained to Nawara in a brief interview whereinhe talked about Invisalign.

Q. Is this your first visit to Kuwait?A. Yes, and I thank the organizers Maidan

Dental Clinic and Dr Praveen Chandra for havingorganized such a good scientific event. I alsothank His Excellency the Ambassador of theUnited Sates for taking part in the event.

Q. What is Invisalign?A. Invisalign is a way of treating crooked

teeth using transparent appliances (aligners),without using conventional braces.

Q. So, are you sure no wires are used?A. Yes, there is no use of metal wires or braces

which may look unpleasant and also cause dis-comfort and pain to the patient.

Q. How does it work?A. Clear aligners are made using cutting edge

3D technology in a facility abroad and the move-ment of teeth is replicated by computerized sim-ulation.

Q. This is suitable for which age group?A. There is no specific age group. It is suitable

for teenagers, adults and, these days, evenbecoming popular among the older age groups

as this is almost invisible.

Q. What are the advantages of Invisalign?A. They are clear, almost invisible, removable,

comfortable and they cause less strain to theteeth. The patient can brush and floss comfort-ably and avoid gum disease during the course oforthodontic treatment.

Q. How does it differ from other alignersystems?

A. Invisalign is the oldest of the aligner sys-

tems and is well researched. The company hasmore than 350 patients and the kit is beingtaught in more than 180 universities.

Q. How popular is it in the western coun-tries?

A. Invisalign is evolved in terms of technolo-gies and its applications in difficult cases overthe years. It is very popular in America, Europeand Japan. Only in late 2012, it was introducedto the GCC and now in Maidan where it waslaunched officially in Kuwait.

Q. Is it a life-style treatment procedure?A. Yes and no. It caters to all types of popula-

tion but it is also very popular with celebrities asthe metal does not show and does not causeembarrassment while smiling.

Q. How long have you been practicing thistechnique?

A. Since 2003, I have been watching theproduct evolve, and with the new innovations,even complex cases can be treated.

Q. What is the nature of your work - privatepractice or academics?

A. I have been involved with both. I main-tained a private practice and also teach at theUniversity of Turin, Italy apart from lecturingand conducting workshops internationally atleast once a month. These lectures are heldinternationally, in America, Europe, Russia andnow in the Middle East.

Q. When is your next visit to Kuwait?A. Very soon. Since I am involved with the

technical support, I will be advising and guidingthe doctors of Al-Maidan on the use of thisproduct.

Invisalign program underlinesexcellence of Al-Maidan Clinic

Nawara in an interview with Dr FrancescoGarino.

WASHINGTON: Liberal-minded Vermonthas become the third US state to allowdoctor-assisted suicide, letting terminallyill patients request lethal medicationfrom physicians.

Governor Peter Shumlin, a Democrat,stated he will sign the End of Life ChoiceBill, approved Monday by the House ofRepresentatives in the state capitalMontpelier by a 75-65 vote.

Oregon and Washington already allowdoctor-assisted suicide. But Vermont, asmall rural state in New England, is thefirst to do so by a legislative processrather than through a voter-initiated ref-erendum.

“Legislators are now embracing thehigh margin of public support for end-of-life choices nationwide,” said BarbaraCoombs Lee of Compassion and Choices,a national group that campaigns for

assisted suicide.“The bill’s passage should enable leg-

islatures in Massachusetts, New Jerseyand other states that are considering aid-in-dying bills to approve them,” she saidin a statement.

Under the Vermont bill, terminally illpatients who are given no more than sixmonths to live can ask their doctors toprescribe a lethal dose of drugs to hastentheir death.

Several safeguards are built into thelaw. These include a requirement for twomedical opinions, the option of a psychi-atric examination and a 17-day waitingperiod before a life-ending prescriptioncan be filled. “The family is encouragedto be involved, but it’s not mandated,”lobbyist Michael Sirotkin of PatientChoices Vermont, which has campaigned

for 10 years for a death-with-dignity law,told AFP.

In the lead-up to Monday’s vote, theVermont Alliance for Ethical Healthcare,which spearheaded opposition to theEnd of Life Choice Bill, called the initia-tive “ill-conceived and misguided publicpolicy.”

Its president Edward Mahoney said it“does not safeguard patients from abuse(and) makes it impossible to determinewhether physician-assisted suicide isbeing practiced outside the frameworkof the law.”

Coombs Lee cited a 2010 Harris pollfor BBC World News America that indicat-ed that 70 percent of Americans believepeople who are terminally ill, in greatpain or with no chance of recoveryshould have the right to end their lives.

But Mahoney noted that sinceNovember last year, in New Englandalone, efforts towards legalizing physi-cian-assisted suicide have failed inMassachusetts, Connecticut and, lastweek, Maine.

Vermont has a reputation in theUnited States as an early adopter of pro-gressive social policies. In 2009, forinstance, it was the first state to adopt asame-sex marriage law; in 2004 itapproved the medical use of marijuana.

But it also has one of the fastest-agingpopulations in the United States. By2030, one in four Vermonters will be 65years of age or older, according toUniversity of Vermont economist ArtWoolf.

The End of Life Choice Bill is “very, verybig for terminally ill Vermonters who,despite the best medical and palliativecare, still suffer greatly in their final days,”said Sirotkin by telephone fromMontpelier.

“People die different kinds of deathsthan they did 30 or 40 years ago. Nowpeople’s lives can be prolonged wellbeyond the time of their initial illness oracute incident,” he added. “Some peopleget to the point where they lose theirautonomy, they lose their dignity, andthey suffer physically or existentially, andfeel they want a better death than theone offered to them now.” —AFP

WASHINGTON: New research is rais-ing fresh concern that an age-oldtreatment for troubled pregnancies -bed rest - doesn’t seem to preventpremature birth, and might evenincrease that risk.

Doctors have known for yearsthat there’s no good evidence thatbed rest offers any benefit for certainpregnancy complications, and it cancause side effects in the mother, notto mention emotional and financialstrain. Yet estimates suggest nearly 1in 5 mothers-to-be is told to cut heractivity - ranging from quitting workto actually staying in bed all day - atsome point during pregnancy.

Now, spurred by the latest study,some specialists are issuing a call forstrict studies to finally settle the con-

troversy - and until then, for doctorsnot to assume that a prescription totake it easy can’t hurt.

“Bed rest is misperceived as aninexpensive, innocuous, logical rec-ommendation,” Dr. Joseph Biggio Jr.of the University of Alabama atBirmingham wrote in the latest issueof Obstetrics & Gynecology, a journalread by thousands of practitioners.

In a separate review of past stud-ies that failed to support bed rest, atrio of obstetricians and ethicists atthe University of North Carolina,Chapel Hill, went a step further. Theysaid it’s not ethical to keep prescrib-ing bed rest unless the women areenrolled in a research study, as theyare for other unproven treatments.

So why is rest prescribed so

often? There aren’t a lot of goodtreatments to prevent prematurityand other problems.

“Patients want you to do some-thing, and physicians want to dosomething,” explained Dr. CatherineSpong, a maternal-fetal medicinespecialist at the National Institutes ofHealth who co-authored the latestresearch.

Spong and colleagues took acloser look at a study of treatmentsfor women at risk of premature birthbecause of an increasingly diagnosedcomplication called a short cervix.

Bed rest is a broad term thatdoesn’t just mean staying in bed allthe time - and during that treatmentstudy, doctors were free to decide ifthe participants also should restrict

their activities, essentially offering areal-world test of the effects. The pre-scriptions ranged from no sexualactivity, to partial or complete workrestrictions, to complete restriction ofnon-work activity as well.

Nearly 40 percent of the 646pregnant women enrolled in thestudy were prescribed some type ofactivity restriction in the second orthird trimester. Most were told torestrict all three types of activity -sexual, work and non-work.

The surprise: Some 37 percent ofwomen who took the precautionshad a premature baby, comparedwith just 17 percent of the womenwho didn’t scale back, theresearchers report in Obstetrics &Gynecology.—AP

Study questions if bed rest prevents prematurity

Vermont legislators approve‘death-with-dignity’ bill

Peter Shumlin

H E A LT H & S C I E N C EWEDNESDAY, MAY 15, 2013

In 2012, Technology ServicesTrading Company, Kuwait inassociation with Life Like

Laboratory Texas USA were award-ed a contract by the Ministry ofHealth to supply silicon prosthesisto 45 patients. Casts and measure-ments were taken in September2012. In late April 2013, patientswere fixed with their prostheticlimbs at the Artificial Limb Centre inthe Physical Medical RehabilitationHospital to their enormous satisfac-tion and thanks. 45 patients to fixsilicon prosthesis from Fingers,Partial Hands, Full Hands PartialFoot and Complete Foot by theArtificial Limb Center under PMRHospital Ministry of Health.

Procedures included the fixingof prosthetic fingers, partial andcomplete hands and partial andcomplete feet. We at TechnologyServices and Trading Company withour partner, Life-Like Laboratories,are very pleased with the outcomeof the procedures and especiallygrateful to the Minister of Health,Dr. Mohammed Barrak Al-Haifi, forhis personal interest.

Please find below from right:1. Nicole: Technician from Life

Like Laboratory - Texas USA2. Dr. Mohammed Al Haify :

Minister of Health - Kuwait3. Dr. Ammar Al Baroon:

Director of PMR Hospital & Art.

Limb. Center4. Mr. Zaid Al Hadi: Head of Art.

Limb Center5. Mr. Motlaq Al Horajy: Asst.

Director of PMR Hospital6. Mr. Mustafa Buftain: Senior

Official of art. Limb Center

7. Jennifer Billings: Technicianfrom Life Like Laboratory Texas USA.

8. Roshan: Staff of TechnologyServices Trading Company

9. Anup Kuwait: Staff ofTechnology Services TradingCompay

KUWAIT: Dar Al-Shifa Hospital announcedyesterday the arrival of Dr Tarek Darwish,Specialist Neurosurgery in its Neurosurgicaldepartment. This new appointment is in linewith Dar Al Shifa’s strategy in providing opti-mum healthcare services to its patients andenhancing patients’ experienceand standards to meet theirutmost needs.

Neurosurgery, also called neu-rological surgery, brain surgery orspine surgery, is mainly con-cerned with the central andperipheral nervous system andspinal columns and is of the mostcomplicated form of surgeries.Armed with a doctorate degreein Neurosurgery from AlexandriaUniversity, Dr Darwish has alsoreceived a Master’s degree in Surgery, and abachelor of medicine and surgery fromAlexandria University. He has also undergonetraining in spine surgery and has a specialinterest in back and vertebrae pain manage-ment.

Dr Darwish is specialized at back pain,spinal tumors, peripheral nerves -the nervesoutside the brain and spinal cord; brain tumor,and vertebroplasty - a medical spinal proce-

dure in which bone cement is injectedthrough a small hole in the skin into a frac-tured vertebra with the goal of relieving backpain caused by vertebral compression frac-tures. In addition to that, Dr. Darwish is anexpert at non-surgical management of back

pain and endoscopic and micro-scopic spine surgeries. Through thepast two years, Dr. Darwish has per-formed 310 operations includingcranial surgeries, spinal surgeries,intradural and extradural spinaltumors and intramedullary spinaltumors along with peripheral nervedecompression and repair and cran-iofacial repair and cranioplasty(which involves a surgical repair of adefect or deformity of a skull).

Commenting on his appoint-ment, Dr Darwish expressed his utmost pleas-ure to become part of a well-established andreputable medical institution such as Dar AlShifa Hospital. “I look forward to contribute tothe success of the neurosurgical departmentat Dar Al Shifa hospital especially with thenew technologies being incorporated into thediagnosis, evaluation, and surgical and non-surgical treatment of patients available at thehospital.”

Technology Services & Trad CoDar Al-Shifa Hospital welcomes Dr Darwish

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W H AT ’ S ONWEDNESDAY, MAY 15, 2013

Greetings

AnnouncementsSpeech competition

S t Berchmans 17th Extempore SpeechCompetition for Indian School students fromclass VII to XII will be conducted on Friday,

17th May 2013 at United Indian School, Jaleeb AlShuyoukh. Competition will be conducted in 3 cate-gories separately. Sub-Juniors (7th & 8th Stds.)Juniors (9th & 10th Stds.) and Seniors (11th & 12thStds). Trophies and Certificates will be awarded tothe I, II, and III prize winners of each category.Championship and Runner up Trophies will beawarded to the respective schools based on pointsearned by it’s students.

AIP shaam-e ghazal

The Association of Indian Professionals (AIP),Kuwait, forthcoming event has been sched-uled for the evening of May 25, 2013 at 6 pm

at the auditorium of Indian Community SeniorSchool, Salmiya and is titled as AIP Shaam-e-Ghazal.We have invited Raghuram Krishnan, a Ghazal singerfrom Cochin, India to make this evening more melo-dious and vibrant. He will be supported by few localmusicians also. Ambassador of India, Satish C.Mehta will be the Chief Guest. Admission is by invi-tation and children below 10 years of age will not beallowed.

Many happyreturns ofthe day to

Nelson Fernandesfrom Benaulim, Goawho celebrates hisbirthday today. MayGod shower Hischoicest blessingson you and may allyour dreams cometrue. Best wishescome from parents,relatives andfriends.

Marina Hotel Kuwait recentlyrolled out its much awaited forsummer package which comes

along with lots of benefits to make thissummer relaxed, luxurious and memo-rable. You are invited to enjoy this sum-mer in style in the midst of absolutepampering and leisure with a resort-feelambience through its wonderful facilitiesaway from the hustle and bustle of thecity.

The all-inclusive Marina Hotel pack-age promises real joy under the sun withits secluded private beach and threepools: lap pool, kids’ pool and family poolwith the Marina Waves pool bar. Guestscan relax in their rooms, all overlookingthe beautiful Gulf Sea, at a rate startingfrom KD 77 for a double room per night,buffet breakfast included. The packageprovides free access to the hotel’s manyfacilities: the Coral Reef Health Club, thesquash court, beach and pool area.

Complete your idyllic stay at any ofthe hotel’s two fabulous restaurants well-

known for its delicious international cui-sine: ‘The Six Palms’ and the ‘Atlantis.’ Formouth-watering delicacies, indulge ininternational, Mediterranean and MiddleEastern dishes from a scrumptious arrayof menu choices in a tranquil music set-ting.

In close proximity to the Marina Malland Marina Crescent, one can enjoy acomplete holiday with easy access totheir favorite shopping and hang outdestinations making it ideal for familyleisure. The hotel’s philosophy is dedicat-ed to focus on individual guest’s needsand offer the highest standard of service.

Marina offers the pleasures of gracefulliving and indulgent amenities includinga fitness centre and excellent choice ofrestaurants. Rooms and suites at theHotel combine intimacy, comfort, exclu-sivity with personalized service andattention to detail. Head towards MarinaHotel and benefit from all the enticingoffers.

Great value and deals at Marina Hotel this summer

In presence of the Greek, Tunisian,Thailand, Japanese, and CanadianAmbassadors, the “Chaine des

Rotisseurs” Kuwait Chapter membersand guest had a “Gold and Caviar”evening on the 20th of April 2013, atAl Dana Ballroom, Holiday Inn KuwaitSalmiya Hotel. All the invitees werewelcomed by the Hotel management

led by Monjed Salha , the GeneralManager of the hotel , who addressedthe invitees and warmly welcomedtheir presence on this occasion.

Beautifully executed by the Hotelteam a luxury and resourceful dinnerthat satisfied the eye by golden andartistic presentations and taste, weredifferent kinds of caviar were tasted in

harmony with the flavors of the dish-es.

The night overflowed with ele-gance from every aspect. And whatelse translates culinary elegance thanprecious Caviar, which Holiday Inn’sdinner revolved around And To makethe dishes even more precious andlavish, the resourceful dinner were

stunningly gold plated. To accompanythe beauty guests experienced at theirtaste buds, they enjoyed gracefulpiano music that completed the luxu-rious ambiance.

A uniquely, valuable and very gold-en experience for the gourmets of theChaine des Rotisseurs.

The Gulf University forScience and Technology(GUST) Math Foundation

students of IntermediateAlgebra participated in an off-campus activity at the 360 MallBowl Room. This activity wasorganized for hands-on practiceof basic Math application fromtheir textbook to their daily life.

It was an enthusiastic learn-ing experience; the first of itskind to be held for a Math class

commented the students. Theyurged for more such activities tobe conducted as it helped themunderstand and apply the con-cepts better. Combining offcampus activities to learningtasks enhances the understand-ing of the subject as well as helpthe students have an all-rounddevelopment during their uni-versity life.

It was a fun and educationalenvironment as the students

bowledwhilesolving a pre-designed assignment with theirpeers supervised by facultymembers: Shiny Moncy, KhalidAl-Hulaibi and Khalaf Alenezi.Hussain B Hussain, Dhari Al-Mobarak, and Sulaiman Al-Mansour were the student rep-resentatives who assisted theinstructors in coordinating withthe management of the 360Mall and guiding their classesduring the session.

GUST students strengthen Math skills with bowling

Chaine Des Rotisseurs at Holiday Inn Salmiya Hotel

PAUL’s new menu invites you to savour a slice of France

PAUL Bakery & Restaurant has put a fresh spin on itspopular selection with new dishes complementingits extensive list of classic French favourites.

Bountiful BreakfastsWake up to a mouth-watering new breakfast selection

including sweet and savoury viennoiseries and breadswarm out of the oven, crÍpes and galettes stuffed with deli-cious fillings, hearty classics like Eggs Benedict andOmelette Marseillaise and aromatic coffees and teas. Youcan also pick your favourite combinations of freshly bakedbread and croissants, a selection of jams, an omelette, freshorange juice, coffee or tea for a complete breakfast spread -the perfect way to ease into a day at work or to linger overon the weekend.

More to TryThe new all-day menu abounds with French flavours,

with well selected new dishes to try such as Salade decrevettes a la mangue - a fresh green salad tossed withplump poached shrimp and a tangy lemon mayonnaisedressing. Those looking for something more robust cantuck into the Poulet roti aux amandes - a tender almond-flavoured chicken breast with runny camembert cheese,served with hearty sides of potato puree, carrots and beansand a fruity raspberry sauce.

Fans of fish have plenty to look forward to with dishessuch as the Tartine au Saumon, one of PAUL’s famed opensandwiches served on rustic toasted farmhouse bread. Thistasty sandwich makes the perfect light lunch for the sum-mer, layered with slices of smoked salmon, tomato, cucum-ber and soft white cheese.

For a quick pick-me-up, browse through our lusciousselection of fine desserts, sweets and confectionary, withnew additions such as CafÈ Surprise - a steamy cuppaserved with a mini pot of crËme brulÈe, mini moelleux auchocolat and two melt-in-your mouth mini macaroons, orour Pain Perdu - French toast like you’ve never tried beforemade from thick chunks of eggy bread, served with a driz-zle of sweet caramel sauce and a scoop of ice cream.

With so many new dishes to try, we look forward to wel-come you at PAUL!

The new menu is available at the below shopping malls.Marina Mall, Rotunda, Marina Mall, Al-Mubarak Street,

Al-Kout Mall.

Dancing Divas show

The Dancing Divas is organizing its 5th AnnualJubilation on the 7th of June 2013 at CambridgeSchool, Mangaf, between 6:30 pm and 9:30 pm. The

program will be attended by Raghav Juyal (Dance IndiaDance Fame) who will be judging the show as well asentertaining the audience with his dance performances.Another highlight of the show is the presence of RajaSagoo (Comedy Circus Fame) who will be compere for theevent. Raghav will also be conducting a dance workshopon the 8th of June at the Salmiya Model School.

Workshop will be for participants within the age groupof 8 and 30 and will be open for registration till the 30th ofMay.

The Dancing Divas is a reputed dance academy run bychoreographer and dance teacher Jyoti Patel with over 100children from different schools in Kuwait. Raghav Juyal(Crockroaxz) is a dancer and choreographer and isrenowned as the King of Slow Motion for his surreal dancemoves in slow motion style. He rose to fame after being afinalist in Zee TV dance reality shows like Dance IndiaDance (Season 3), as a skipper for the team Raghav KeRockstars in DID Li’l Masters 2 and Dance KeSuperkids.Raghav has become a youth icon inspiringdancers, who imitate his trademark moves and dancestyle, popularly known as Crock-style. The dance enthusi-asts of Kuwait are certain to benefit under his tutelage.Raja Sagoo, will be the compere for the event.

Information

Embassy

EMBASSY OF AUSTRALIAThe Australian Embassy Kuwait does nothave a visa or immigration department.All processing of visas and immigrationmatters in conducted by The AustralianConsulate-General in Dubai. Email: [email protected] (VFS)[email protected] (Visa Office); Tel:+971 4 355 1958 (VFS) - +971 4 508 7200 (VisaOffice); Fax: +971 4 355 0708 (Visa Office). InKuwait applications can be lodged at theAustralian Visa Application Centre 4B 1st Floor,Al-Banwan Building Al-Qibla Area, Ali Al-SalemStreet, opposite the Central Bank of Kuwait,Kuwait City, Kuwait. Working hours and days:09:30 - 17:30; Sunday - Thursday. Or visit theirwebsite www.vfs-au-gcc-com for more informa-tion. Kuwait citizens can apply for tourist visason-line at www.immi.gov.au/e visa/e676.htm.

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EMBASSY OF CANADAThe Embassy of Canada in Kuwait doesnot have a visa or immigration depart-ment. All processing of visa and immi-gration matters including enquiries is conduct-ed by the Canadian Embassy in Abu Dhabi,UAE. Individuals who are interested in working,studying, visiting or immigrating to Canadashould contact the Canadian Embassy in AbuDhabi, website: www.UAE.gc.ca or www.going-tocanada.gc.ca, E-mail: [email protected]. The Embassy ofCanada is located at Villa 24, Al-Mutawakei St,Block 4 in Da’aiyah. Please visit our website atwww.Kuwait.gc.ca. The Embassy of Canada isopen from 07:30 to 15:30 Sunday throughThursday. The reception is open from 07:30 to12:30. Consular services for Canadian citizensare provided from 09:00 until 12:00, Sundaythrough Wednesday.

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EMBASSY OF CYPRUS In its capacity as EU Local Presidency inthe State of Kuwait, the Embassy of theRepublic of Cyprus, on behalf of theMember States of the EU and associatedStates participating in the Schengen cooper-ation, would like to announce that as from2nd October 2012 all Schengen States’Consulates in Kuwait will use the VisaInformation System (VIS). The VIS is a centraldatabase for the exchange of data on short-stay (up to three months) visas betweenSchengen States. The main objectives of theVIS are to facilitate visa application proce-dures and checks at external border as wellas to enhance security. The VIS will contain allthe Schengen visa applications lodged by anapplicant over five years and the decisionstaken by any Schengen State’s consulate. Thiswill allow applicants to establish more easilythe lawful use of previous visas and theirbona fide status. For the purpose of the VIS,applicants will be required to provide theirbiometric data (fingerprints and digital pho-tos) when applying for a Schengen visa. It is asimple and discreet procedure that only takesa few minutes. Biometric data, along with thedata provided in the Schengen visa applica-tion form, will be recorded in the VIS centraldatabase. Therefore, as from 2nd October2012, first-time applicants will have to appearin person when lodging the application, inorder to provide their fingerprints. For subse-quent applications within 5 years the finger-prints can be copied from the previous appli-cation file in the VIS. The Cypriot Presidencywould like to assure the people of Kuwait andall its permanent citizens that the MemberStates and associated States participating inthe Schengen cooperation, have taken allnecessary technical measures to facilitate therapid examination and the efficient process-ing of visa applications and to ensure a quickand discreet procedure for the implementa-tion of the new VIS.

EMBASSY OF SOUTH KOREAThe Embassy of the Republic of Korea inKuwait will organize 2013 K-POP Contest onThursday, June 6, 2013 at 6:00 pm. The aimof the contest is to provide an opportunity to theparticipants to showcase their exciting talents to theaudience. Everyone is encouraged to participate inthe contest. Application forms can be downloadedfrom the Embassy’s website: http://kwt.mofa.go.kr(Select English from the menu at the top of thepage then Bilateral Relations) or visit the “KoreanCulture Diwaniya” Facebook Group. Interested appli-cants must send their application forms [email protected] by 24 May 2013.

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EMBASSY GREECE The Embassy of Greece in Kuwait has thepleasure to announce that visa applica-tions must be submitted to Schengen VisaApplication Centre (VFS office) located at 12thfloor, Al-Naser Tower, Fahad Al-Salem Street, Al-Qibla area, Kuwait City, (Parking at Souk Watia). Forinformation please call 22281046 from 08:30 to17:00 (Sunday to Thursday). Working hours:Submission from 08:30 to 15:30. Passport collec-tion from 16:00 to 17:00. For visa applicationsplease visit the following websitewww.mfa.gr/kuwait.

W H AT ’ S ONWEDNESDAY, MAY 15, 2013

We are glad to inform you that we launched our site on instagram.Follow us on @sebamedkuwait and (hashtag)#sebamedkuwait andsend us your shots involving all family members and be the lucky

winner of a valuable prize from Sebamed products.

Sebamed onInstagram

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EMBASSY OF SOUTH AFRICAThe Embassy of the Republic of SouthAfrica will be closed on Tuesday, 28 May2013, for an official event. The Embassy willresume it’s normal working hours on Wednesday,29 May 2013, from Sunday to Thursday. Pleasenote that the Working hours will be from 8h00 to16h00 & the Consular Section operation hours willbe from 8h30 to 12h30, for any emergenciesplease contact: 94924895.

JW Marriott Kuwait City has beenrecognized as the ‘Best BusinessHotel in Kuwait City’ at the recent-

ly-held Business Traveler Middle EastAwards 2013, which acknowledgeexcellence in the region’s travel andhospitality industry. This represents thesixth year that the Hotel has receivedthis distinction - following similar winsin 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007 and 2004.

“This acknowledgment reflects ourcommitment to consistently upholdsuperlative levels of service and quali-ty,” says George Aoun, GeneralManager, Marriott hotels in Kuwait. “Italso speaks of the goodwill and patron-age that we have successfully securedover the years, given that the Awardeesare voted by readers of the Business

Traveler magazine.” The Hotel’s man-agement commends Business Travelerfor institutionalizing an Award that rec-ognizes initiatives which advance thebar of business travel and hospitality inthe region, he adds.

Considered amongst Kuwait’s lead-ing business hotels, the JW MarriottKuwait City is located in the heart ofKuwait’s business district. With over1,850 square meters of meeting space,comprising seven meeting rooms, 12breakout meeting rooms and the spa-cious Al Jahra & Al Thuraya Ballrooms,the Hotel is a business venue of choicefor conventions, seminars and confer-ences, as well as social and weddingevents in Kuwait.

JW Marriott declared ‘Best’ Business Hotel in Kuwait

British International, the exclusivedistributer for TOEFL tests inKuwait, launches a new TOEFL test

for the Primary stage students of TheBritish School of Kuwait (BSK); morespecifically students aged 8-11 years. It isworth mentioning in this respect that(BSK) has been one of only two schoolsthroughout the Middle East that havebeen chosen to run the test for the firsttime.

Educational Testing Service (ETS),which designs, develops and administersTOEFL tests worldwide, launched a TOE-

FL test for Middle and UpperDepartment students aged 11-15 lastyear. One hundred and eighty six stu-dents from The British School of Kuwait(BSK) took the test for the first time lastyear in October 2012. Other ninety sevenstudents took the TOEFL test in April2013 with 100% passing result. Mostnoticeable, though, was the fact that 7students achieved full mark passingscore which was considered an unprece-dented event worldwide.

Toefl for primary stage

The American University of Kuwaitheld its semiannual President’sHonor Roll / Dean’s Honor List cere-

mony to award its top student academicachievers for the 2012 Fall Semester. Theceremony, which was held at the AUKLiberal Arts Auditorium, drew a largeaudience of students, parents, AUK facul-ty and staff, who took pleasure in seeingthe students’ hard work being recog-nized and rewarded.

During the event, AUK Interim

President Dr. Nizar Hamzeh recognizedthe 24 students on the President’s HonorRoll, a high distinction exclusively award-ed to those few students who main-tained a 4.0 GPA for the term. The Dean’sHonor List, a distinction awarded by thecollege Deans to students who main-tained a minimum GPA of 3.7, featured134 recipients, 75 of whom belonged theCollege of Arts & Sciences, while 59belonged to the College of Business &Economics.

AUK celebrates achievements of its top students for 2012

The Primary Department of KuwaitNational English School success-fully hosted its final round of the

Annual Maths Relay Competition forpupils from Key Stage 2. The mainfocus of the competition is on ProblemSolving in Maths and we have seen amarked improvement in this area inthe final round. Teamwork and build-ing team spirit amongst pupils is alsoof paramount importance at KNES andhaving pupils participate in mixed abil-ity teams in this competition addressesboth. All pupils received certificates fortheir participation and the winningteams received medals.

KNES hosts round two of annual KS2 maths relay competitions

T V PR O G R A M SWEDNESDAY, MAY 15, 2013

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00:00 WWE Bottom Line01:00 NRL Full Time 01:30 ICC Cricket 36002:00 Premier League Darts05:30 Futbol Mundial06:00 Super Rugby 07:00 AFL Premiership Highlights 08:00 PGA Tour Highlights09:00 NRL Full Time 09:30 ICC Cricket 36010:00 Super Rugby 12:00 AFL Premiership Highlights 13:00 Super Rugby 14:00 Rugby League Challenge Cup15:30 NHL17:30 Futbol Mundial18:00 AFL Premiership Highlights 19:00 Super Rugby 20:00 HSBC Sevens World Series23:00 PGA Tour Highlights

01:00 Seeking Justice-PG1503:00 The Pirates! Band Of Misfits-PG05:00 Once Brothers-PG1506:30 John Carter-PG1509:00 The Vow-PG1510:45 Footloose-PG1512:45 Moneyball-PG1515:00 Something Borrowed-PG1517:00 The Vow-PG1518:45 Battleship-PG1521:00 Werewolf: The Beast AmongUs-1823:00 The Debt-18

00:45 Monsters Inside Me01:35 I’m Alive02:25 Safari Vet School02:50 Safari Vet School03:15 Gator Boys04:05 World Wild Vet04:55 Shamwari: A Wild Life05:20 Cheetah Kingdom05:45 Dolphin Days06:10 Dolphin Days06:35 Wildlife SOS07:00 The Really Wild Show07:25 Karina: Wild On Safari07:50 Karina: Wild On Safari08:15 Dogs 10109:10 Chris Humfrey’s Wildlife09:35 Chris Humfrey’s Wildlife10:05 Safari Vet School10:30 Safari Vet School11:00 Animal Cops Houston11:55 Shamwari: A Wild Life12:20 Wildlife SOS12:50 SSPCA: On The Wildside13:15 SSPCA: On The Wildside13:45 Animal Precinct14:40 Safari Vet School15:05 Safari Vet School15:30 Cheetah Kingdom16:00 The Really Wild Show16:30 Dogs 10117:25 Weird Creatures With NickBaker18:20 Groomer Has It19:15 Monkey Life19:40 Bondi Vet20:10 Shamwari: A Wild Life20:35 Cheetah Kingdom21:05 Safari Vet School21:30 Safari Vet School22:00 Wildest Africa22:55 Galapagos23:50 Animal Cops Houston

00:40 Come Dine With Me01:30 Masterchef: The Professionals02:15 Gok’s Fashion Fix03:05 Coastal Kitchen03:30 Cash In The Attic04:15 Bargain Hunt05:00 Holmes On Homes05:45 Gok’s Fashion Fix06:35 New Scandinavian Cooking07:00 The Roux Legacy07:40 New Scandinavian Cooking08:05 Homes Under The Hammer09:05 Bargain Hunt09:50 Antiques Roadshow10:40 Extreme Makeover: HomeEdition11:25 Masterchef: The Professionals12:10 Come Dine With Me13:00 The Roux Legacy13:30 New Scandinavian Cooking13:55 Bargain Hunt14:40 Cash In The Attic15:30 Antiques Roadshow16:20 Extreme Makeover: HomeEdition17:00 Homes Under The Hammer17:55 Baking Mad With Eric Lanlard18:20 Food And Drink18:50 The Hairy Bikers USA19:20 New Scandinavian Cooking19:45 Come Dine With Me20:35 Extreme Makeover: HomeEdition21:20 Antiques Roadshow22:15 Bargain Hunt23:00 Homes Under The Hammer23:55 Cash In The Attic

02:00 The Odd Life Of TimothyGreen-PG04:00 One Angry Juror-PG1506:00 A View From Here-PG1508:00 According To Greta-PG1510:00 Dead Lines-PG1512:00 The Odd Life Of TimothyGreen-PG14:00 Flower Girl-PG1516:00 According To Greta-PG15

00:45 Wacky Races01:35 Duck Dodgers02:00 Duck Dodgers02:25 Dastardly And Muttley02:50 Dastardly And Muttley03:00 Dexter’s Laboratory03:30 Wacky Races03:55 Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries04:20 Tom & Jerry04:45 The Garfield Show05:00 Bananas In Pyjamas05:25 Gerald McBoing Boing05:45 Jelly Jamm06:00 Ha Ha Hairies06:25 Bananas In Pyjamas06:50 Lazytown07:15 Krypto: The Super Dog07:40 Baby Looney Tunes08:05 Gerald McBoing Boing08:30 Cartoonito Tales08:55 Ha Ha Hairies09:20 Lazytown09:45 Baby Looney Tunes10:10 Krypto: The Super Dog10:35 Cartoonito Tales11:00 Jelly Jamm11:25 Gerald McBoing Boing11:50 Lazytown12:15 Baby Looney Tunes12:40 Jelly Jamm13:00 Tom & Jerry Kids13:25 A Pup Named Scooby-Doo13:50 Moomins14:20 Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries14:45 The Looney Tunes Show15:10 The 13 Ghosts Of Scooby-Doo15:35 Taz-Mania16:00 Tiny Toon Adventures16:25 Moomins16:50 Tom And Jerry Tales17:15 What’s New Scooby Doo17:40 The Looney Tunes Show18:05 The Garfield Show18:30 Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries

00:15 Dual Survival01:10 Yukon Men02:05 Bear’s Mission Everest03:00 Mythbusters03:55 Border Security04:20 Auction Hunters04:50 Storage Hunters05:15 How Machines Work05:40 How Stuff’s Made06:05 Sons Of Guns07:00 Mythbusters07:50 Ultimate Survival08:45 Gold Rush09:40 Border Security10:05 Auction Hunters10:30 Auction Kings10:55 How Machines Work11:25 How It’s Made11:50 Dual Survival12:45 Yukon Men13:40 Bear’s Mission Everest14:35 Border Security15:05 Auction Hunters15:30 Auction Kings16:00 Futurecar16:55 Gold Rush - Season 3 Specials17:50 Mythbusters18:45 Sons Of Guns19:40 How Machines Work20:05 How It’s Made20:35 Auction Hunters21:00 Storage Hunters21:30 You Have Been Warned22:25 James May’s Man Lab23:20 Mythbusters

00:00 Eureka01:00 American Horror Story02:00 The Americans04:00 House Of Cards05:00 Grey’s Anatomy06:00 Eureka07:00 Emmerdale07:30 Coronation Street08:00 C.S.I. New York09:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show10:00 Grey’s Anatomy11:00 The Americans12:00 Emmerdale

00:00 Amanpour00:30 World Sport01:00 Piers Morgan Live02:00 CNN Newsroom Live FromHong Kong03:00 Anderson Cooper 36004:00 Piers Morgan Live05:00 Quest Means Business06:00 The Situation Room07:00 World Sport07:30 News Special08:00 World Report09:00 World Report10:00 World Sport10:30 Inside Africa11:00 World Business Today12:00 World One12:30 On China13:00 Amanpour13:30 CNN Newscenter14:00 Piers Morgan Live15:00 News Stream16:00 World Business Today17:00 International Desk18:00 Global Exchange19:00 World Sport19:30 On China20:00 International Desk21:00 Quest Means Business

00:05 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives00:30 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives00:55 Unwrapped01:20 Unwrapped01:45 Food Wars02:10 Food Wars02:35 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives03:00 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives03:25 Food Wars03:50 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives04:15 Unique Eats04:40 Chopped05:30 Iron Chef America06:10 Food Network Challenge07:00 Guy’s Big Bite07:25 Guy’s Big Bite07:50 Reza’s African Kitchen08:15 Kid In A Candy Store08:40 Unique Sweets09:05 Barefoot Contessa - Back ToBasics09:30 The Next Food Network Star10:20 Extra Virgin10:45 Extra Virgin11:10 Cooking For Real11:35 Food Crafters12:00 Ultimate Recipe Showdown12:50 Grill It! With Bobby Flay13:15 Barefoot Contessa - Back ToBasics13:40 Barefoot Contessa - Back ToBasics14:05 Food Wars14:30 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives14:55 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives15:20 Guy’s Big Bite15:45 Chopped16:35 Barefoot Contessa - Back ToBasics17:00 Barefoot Contessa - Back ToBasics17:25 Food Wars17:50 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives18:15 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives18:40 Guy’s Big Bite19:05 Reza’s African Kitchen19:30 Chopped20:20 Chopped21:10 Amazing Wedding Cakes22:00 Charly’s Cake Angels22:25 Charly’s Cake Angels22:50 Unique Sweets23:15 Unique Sweets23:40 Food Wars

01:00 A Very Fairy Christmas02:45 Snow Day04:30 Wheelers06:00 The Proud Family Movie08:00 Olentzero And The Magic Log10:00 Winx11:30 A Very Fairy Christmas13:00 Barnyard14:30 Snow Day16:00 Return To Halloweentown18:00 Winx20:00 Battle For Terra22:00 Barnyard23:30 Return To Halloweentown

01:25 Heaven With A Gun-U03:10 Westworld04:40 A Patch Of Blue-PG07:00 Little Caesar-PG08:20 Where Eagles Dare-PG10:50 Anna Karenina-FAM12:25 Hearts Of The West-PG14:05 Logan’s Run-PG16:00 Dial M For Murder-PG17:45 North By Northwest-PG20:00 The Hook-PG22:00 Shaft23:45 Eye Of The Devil

00:30 Dr G: Medical Examiner01:20 A Haunting02:05 Couples Who Kill02:55 Deadly Women03:45 I Almost Got Away With It04:30 Dr G: Medical Examiner05:20 A Haunting06:10 Nightmare Next Door07:00 Mystery Diagnosis07:50 Street Patrol08:15 Street Patrol08:40 Real Emergency Calls09:05 Who On Earth Did I Marry?09:30 On The Case With Paula Zahn10:20 Murder Shift11:10 Disappeared12:00 Mystery Diagnosis12:50 Street Patrol13:15 Street Patrol13:40 Forensic Detectives14:30 On The Case With Paula Zahn15:20 Real Emergency Calls15:45 Who On Earth Did I Marry?16:10 Disappeared17:00 Murder Shift17:50 Forensic Detectives18:40 On The Case With Paula Zahn19:30 Disappeared20:20 Nightmare Next Door21:10 Couples Who Kill22:00 Nightmare Next Door22:50 Nightmare Next Door23:40 I Almost Got Away With It

01:00 Hidden Crimes-PG1503:00 The Tourist-PG1505:00 The National Tree-PG1507:00 Hidden Crimes-PG1509:00 The Tourist-PG1511:00 Wrath Of The Titans-PG1512:45 We Bought A Zoo-PG15:00 Madea’s Big Happy Family-PG1517:00 The Decoy Bride-PG1519:00 The Descendants-PG1521:00 A Little Bit Of Heaven-1823:00 Final Destination 5-18

00:00 BBC World News America00:30 BBC World News America01:00 Newsday01:30 Asia Business Report01:45 Sport Today02:00 Newsday02:30 Asia Business Report02:45 Sport Today03:00 Newsday03:30 Asia Business Report03:45 Sport Today

04:00 BBC World News04:30 Asia Business Report04:45 Sport Today05:00 BBC World News05:30 Asia Business Report05:45 Sport Today06:00 BBC World News06:30 Hardtalk07:00 BBC World News07:30 World Business Report07:45 BBC World News08:00 BBC World News08:30 World Business Report08:45 BBC World News09:00 BBC World News09:30 World Business Report09:45 BBC World News10:00 BBC World News10:30 World Business Report10:45 BBC World News11:00 BBC World News11:30 Hardtalk12:00 BBC World News12:30 World Business Report12:45 Sport Today13:00 BBC World News13:30 BBC World News14:00 GMT With George Alagiah14:30 GMT With George Alagiah15:00 BBC World News15:30 World Business Report15:45 Sport Today16:00 Impact With Mishal Husain16:30 Impact With Mishal Husain17:00 Impact With Mishal Husain17:30 Hardtalk18:00 Global With John Sopel18:30 Global With John Sopel19:00 Global With John Sopel19:30 World Business Report19:45 Sport Today20:00 BBC World News20:30 BBC Focus On Africa21:00 World News Today WithZeinab Badawi21:30 World News Today WithZeinab Badawi22:00 World News Today WithZeinab Badawi22:30 World Business Report22:45 Sport Today23:00 Business Edition With TanyaBeckett23:30 Hardtalk

00:30 Grim Adventures Of...01:20 Johnny Test02:10 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien02:35 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien03:00 The Amazing World OfGumball03:25 Regular Show03:50 Ben 10: Omniverse04:15 Scooby-Doo! MysteryIncorporated04:40 Powerpuff Girls05:05 Evil Con Carne05:30 Cow & Chicken06:00 Casper’s Scare School06:30 Angelo Rules07:00 Dreamworks Dragons RidersOf Berk07:25 Johnny Test07:45 Scooby-Doo! MysteryIncorporated08:10 Evil Con Carne08:55 Adventure Time09:45 Regular Show10:35 Angelo Rules11:25 Ben 10: Alien Force11:50 Ben 10: Alien Force12:15 Hero 10812:40 Hero 10813:05 Mucha Lucha !13:30 Angelo Rules14:20 Evil Con Carne15:10 The Amazing World OfGumball15:35 Adventure Time16:00 Regular Show16:30 Johnny Test17:00 Ben 10: Omniverse17:25 Dreamworks Dragons RidersOf Berk17:50 Gormiti New18:15 Young Justice18:40 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien19:05 Total Drama Island19:30 Total Drama Island19:55 Mucha Lucha !20:20 Ben 10: Omniverse20:45 The Amazing World OfGumball21:10 Adventure Time21:35 Regular Show22:00 Ben 1022:25 Ben 1022:50 Mucha Lucha !23:15 Mucha Lucha !23:40 Powerpuff Girls

22:00 Amanpour22:30 CNN Newscenter23:00 Connect The World WithBecky Anderson

00:00 Hannah Montana00:20 Hannah Montana00:45 Brandy & Mr Whiskers01:05 Brandy & Mr Whiskers01:30 Emperor’s New School01:50 Emperor’s New School02:15 Replacements02:35 Replacements03:00 Brandy & Mr Whiskers03:20 Brandy & Mr Whiskers03:45 Emperor’s New School04:05 Emperor’s New School04:30 Replacements04:50 Replacements05:15 Brandy & Mr Whiskers05:35 Brandy & Mr Whiskers06:00 Prankstars06:25 Suite Life On Deck06:45 Cory In The House07:10 A.N.T Farm07:35 Austin And Ally07:55 Jessie08:20 Good Luck Charlie08:45 Doc McStuffins09:05 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse09:30 A.N.T Farm09:55 Jonas10:15 So Random10:40 Hannah Montana11:05 Sonny With A Chance11:25 Kim Possible11:50 Shake It Up12:15 Shake It Up12:35 Wizards Of Waverly Place13:00 Wizards Of Waverly Place13:25 Austin And Ally13:45 Jessie14:10 A.N.T Farm14:35 So Random14:55 The Adventures Of DisneyFairies15:20 Good Luck Charlie15:45 Jessie16:10 Shake It Up16:35 A.N.T. Farm17:00 Austin And Ally17:20 Suite Life On Deck17:45 Suite Life On Deck18:10 Cory In The House18:30 Wizards Of Waverly Place18:55 That’s So Raven19:20 A.N.T Farm19:40 Good Luck Charlie20:05 Jessie20:30 Wizards Of Waverly Place20:50 Wizards Of Waverly Place21:15 So Random21:40 Hannah Montana22:00 Jonas22:25 Sonny With A Chance22:50 Sonny With A Chance23:10 Wizards Of Waverly Place23:35 Wizards Of Waverly Place

00:00 Scouted00:55 Style Star01:25 E!es02:20 THS03:15 Style Star03:40 Extreme Close-Up04:10 E!es05:05 E!es06:00 THS07:50 Style Star

18:55 The 13 Ghosts Of Scooby-Doo19:20 Tom And Jerry Tales19:45 What’s New Scooby Doo20:10 Tiny Toon Adventures20:35 Puppy In My Pocket21:00 What’s New Scooby-Doo?21:25 Looney Tunes21:50 Dexter’s Laboratory22:15 Tom & Jerry Tales

08:20 E! News09:15 Fashion Police10:15 30 Best & Worst Beach Bodies12:05 E! News13:05 Ice Loves Coco13:35 Ice Loves Coco14:05 Kourtney & Kim Take NewYork15:00 Style Star15:30 E!es16:30 Extreme Close-Up17:00 Keeping Up With TheKardashians18:00 Keeping Up With TheKardashians19:00 THS20:00 Married To Jonas20:30 Playing With Fire21:30 Playing With Fire22:30 Fashion Police23:30 Chelsea Lately

Kuruvita22:00 Departures22:55 Food Lover ’s Guide To ThePlanet23:20 Earth Tripping23:50 Delinquent Gourmet

12:30 Coronation Street13:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show14:00 C.S.I. New York15:00 Eureka16:00 Emmerdale16:30 Coronation Street17:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show18:00 C.S.I. New York19:00 Touch20:00 Bones21:00 Castle22:00 The Client List

18:00 Diary Of A Wimpy Kid: RodrickRules-PG19:45 Sherlock Holmes: A Game OfShadows-PG1522:00 The Girl-PG15

ClassifiedsWEDNESDAY, MAY 15, 2013

SHARQIA-1JAVA HEAT (DIG) 1:00 PMJAVA HEAT (DIG) 3:00 PMNO TELL MOTEL (DIG) 5:00 PMJAVA HEAT (DIG) 6:45 PMRISE OF THE ZOMBIES (DIG) 8:45 PMJAVA HEAT (DIG) 10:45 PMRISE OF THE ZOMBIES (DIG) 12:45 AM

SHARQIA-2WELCOME TO THE PUNCH (DIG) 12:30 PMIRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D) 2:30 PMWELCOME TO THE PUNCH (DIG) 5:00 PMIRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D) 7:00 PMIRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D) 9:30 PMIRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D) 12:05 AM

SHARQIA-3SAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) 1:00 PMTHE CALL (DIG) 3:30 PMSAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) 5:30 PMSAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) 7:45 PMSAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) 10:00 PMSAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) 12:15 AM

MUHALAB-1JAVA HEAT (DIG) 1:15 PMJAVA HEAT (DIG) 3:15 PMJAVA HEAT (DIG) 5:15 PMRISE OF THE ZOMBIES (DIG) 7:15 PMJAVA HEAT (DIG) 9:00 PMRISE OF THE ZOMBIES (DIG) 11:00 PM

MUHALAB-2SAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) 1:45 PMSAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) 4:00 PMTHE CALL (DIG) 6:15 PMSAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) 8:15 PMSAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) 10:30 PM

MUHALAB-3SAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) 12:30 PMIRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D) 2:45 PMIRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D) 5:15 PMIRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D) 7:45 PMIRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D) 10:15 PM

FANAR-1SAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) 1:30 PMSAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) 3:45 PMTHE CALL (DIG) 6:00 PMSAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) 8:15 PMSAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) 10:30 PMSAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) 12:45 AMNO SUN+ TUE+WED

FANAR-2WELCOME TO THE PUNCH (DIG) 1:00 PMRISE OF THE ZOMBIES (DIG) 3:00 PMWELCOME TO THE PUNCH (DIG) 5:00 PMRISE OF THE ZOMBIES (DIG) 7:00 PMWELCOME TO THE PUNCH (DIG) 9:00 PMRISE OF THE ZOMBIES (DIG) 11:00 PMWELCOME TO THE PUNCH (DIG) 1:00 AM

FANAR-3JAVA HEAT (DIG) 1:30 PMJAVA HEAT (DIG) 3:30 PMJAVA HEAT (DIG) 5:45 PMGO GOA GONE (DIG) (HINDI) 7:45 PMJAVA HEAT (DIG) 10:15 PMJAVA HEAT (DIG) 12:15 AM

MARINA-1JAVA HEAT (DIG) 12:45 PMWELCOME TO THE PUNCH (DIG) 2:45 PMJAVA HEAT (DIG) 4:45 PMWELCOME TO THE PUNCH (DIG) 6:45 PM

JAVA HEAT (DIG) 8:45 PMWELCOME TO THE PUNCH (DIG) 10:45 PMJAVA HEAT (DIG) 12:45 AM

MARINA-2SAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) 1:30 PMTHE CALL (DIG) 3:45 PMSAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) 5:45 PMSAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) 8:00 PMSAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) 10:15 PMSAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) 12:30 AM

MARINA-3IRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D) 1:30 PMIRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D) 4:00 PMIRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D) 6:30 PMIRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D) 9:00 PMIRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D) 11:45 PM

AVENUES-1NO TELL MOTEL (DIG) 1:00 PMNO TELL MOTEL (DIG) 3:00 PMNO TELL MOTEL (DIG) 5:00 PMNO TELL MOTEL (DIG) 7:00 PMNO TELL MOTEL (DIG) 9:00 PMNO TELL MOTEL (DIG) 11:00 PMNO TELL MOTEL (DIG) 1:00 AM

AVENUES-2THE CALL (DIG) 1:30 PMTHE CALL (DIG) 3:45 PMTHE CALL (DIG) 6:00 PMTHE CALL (DIG) 8:15 PMTHE CALL (DIG) 10:30 PMTHE CALL (DIG)

12:45 AMAVENUES-3JAVA HEAT (DIG) 1:15 PMJAVA HEAT (DIG) 3:30 PMJAVA HEAT (DIG) 5:45 PMJAVA HEAT (DIG) 8:00 PMJAVA HEAT (DIG) 10:15 PMJAVA HEAT (DIG) 12:30 AM

360º 1SAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) 12:30 PMSAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) 2:45 PMSAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) 5:00 PMSAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) 7:15 PMSAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) 9:30 PMSAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) 11:45 PM

360º 2WELCOME TO THE PUNCH (DIG) 1:30 PMWELCOME TO THE PUNCH (DIG) 3:45 PMWELCOME TO THE PUNCH (DIG) 6:00 PMWELCOME TO THE PUNCH (DIG) 8:15 PMWELCOME TO THE PUNCH (DIG) 10:30 PMWELCOME TO THE PUNCH (DIG) 12:45 AM

360º 3THE CALL (DIG) 2:30 PMTHE CALL (DIG) 4:45 PMTHE CALL (DIG) 7:00 PMTHE CALL (DIG) 9:15 PMTHE CALL (DIG) 11:30 PM

AL-KOUT.1IRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D) 2:15 PMIRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D) 4:45 PMIRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D) 7:15 PMIRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D) 9:45 PMIRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D) 12:15 AM

AL-KOUT.2SAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) 1:30 PMSAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) 3:45 PMSAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) 6:00 PM

SAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) 8:15 PMSAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) 10:30 PMSAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) 12:45 AM

AL-KOUT.3JAVA HEAT (DIG) 2:00 PMTHE CALL (DIG) 4:00 PMJAVA HEAT (DIG) 6:00 PMTHE CALL (DIG) 8:00 PMJAVA HEAT (DIG) 10:00 PMJAVA HEAT (DIG) 12:05 AM

BAIRAQ-1IRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D) 1:30 PMIRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D) 4:00 PMIRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D) 6:45 PMIRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D) 9:15 PMIRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D) 12:05 AM

BAIRAQ-2JAVA HEAT (DIG) 12:30 PMWELCOME TO THE PUNCH (DIG) 2:30 PMJAVA HEAT (DIG) 4:30 PMWELCOME TO THE PUNCH (DIG) 6:30 PMJAVA HEAT (DIG) 8:30 PMRISE OF THE ZOMBIES (DIG) 10:30 PMJAVA HEAT (DIG) 12:30 AM

BAIRAQ-3SAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) 12:45 PMSAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) 3:00 PMTHE CALL (DIG) 5:15 PMSAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) 7:15 PMSAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) 9:30 PMSAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) 11:45 PM

PLAZASAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) 5:30 PMSAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) 7:45 PMSAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) 10:00 PM

LAILAIRON MAN 3 (DIG) 5:45 PMNO THU+FRIIRON MAN 3 (DIG) 8:15 PMNO THU+FRIIRON MAN 3 (DIG) 10:45 PMNO THU+FRI

AJIAL.1EMMANUEL (DIG) (MALAYALAM) 6:30 PMEMMANUEL (DIG) (MALAYALAM) 9:30 PM

AJIAL.2SAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) 5:30 PMSAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) 7:45 PMSAMEER ABOO ELNEEL (DIG) 10:00 PM

AJIAL.3NAGARAJA CHOLAN, MA, MLA (DIG) (TAMIL) 7:00 PMNAGARAJA CHOLAN, MA, MLA (DIG) (TAMIL) 10:00 PM

AJIAL.4GO GOA GONE (DIG) (HINDI) 5:30 PMGIPPY (DIG) (HINDI) 7:45 PMGO GOA GONE (DIG) (HINDI) 9:45 PM

METRO-1EMMANUEL (DIG) (MALAYALAM) 6:30 PMEMMANUEL (DIG) (MALAYALAM) 9:30 PM

METRO-2GREEKU VEERUDU (DIG) (TELUGU) 6:45 PMTHU+FRI+SATNAGARAJA CHOLAN, MA, MLA (DIG) (TAMIL) 6:45 PMNO THU+FRI+SATNAGARAJA CHOLAN, MA, MLA (DIG) (TAMIL) 9:45 PM

Kuwait KNCC PROGRAMME FROM THURSDAY TO WEDNESDAY (09/05/2013 TO 15/05/2013)

Fajr: 03:27

Shorook 04:56

Duhr: 11:44

Asr: 15:20

Maghrib: 18:33

Isha: 20:00

Prayer timings

112

FOR SALE

MATRIMONIAL

SITUATION WANTEDNissan Infiniti G37 2009model, 3.7 liter, excellentcondition, automatic, origi-nal paint, 6 cylinder, 6 CDchanger, mobile connectivi-ty, rear view camera andscanner, sunroof, sand col-or, cruise control, GPS, asgood as new. Has run60,000 kms, Price KD6,500/-. Contact: 99742340.

(C 4414)13-5-2013

Two Mitsubishi L300 longpanel delivery vehicles whitecolor, 2004 model, 225,000km, price KD 1,300/- and2007 model, 201,000 km,price KD 2,300/, fully main-tained by Al-Mulla, ready forchecking any time. Contact:99852361 (C 4415)

Looking for brides workingin Kuwait for Hindu Ezhavabrothers 32 and 27 year oldMulam Chittra (stars) fromKottayam, Kerala. If interest-ed please contact. Email:[email protected]

(C 4412)11-5-2013

9 years Kuwait experiencedIndian house driver avail-able from 9th of Juneonwards. Sponsor releasemoney no need, preferredto work for a small family.Contact: 90049716.

(C 4413)13-5-2013

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

Arrival Flights on Wednesday 15/5/2013Airlines Flt Route TimeQTR 148 DOHA 00:15JZR 267 BEIRUT 00:20JZR 539 CAIRO 00:40ETH 620 ADDIS ABABA 01:45GFA 211 BAHRAIN 01:55UAE 853 DUBAI 02:25ETD 305 ABU DHABI 02:30FDB 67 DUBAI 03:10MSR 612 CAIRO 03:15OMA 643 MUSCAT 03:20QTR 138 DOHA 03:30THY 770 ISTANBUL 04:35DHX 170 BAHRAIN 05:10KAC 302 MUMBAI 07:50KAC 344 CHENNAI 08:20KAC 206 ISLAMABAD 07:25KAC 412 MANILA 06:15KAC 352 COCHIN 08:05KAC 382 DELHI 07:30JZR 529 ASSIUT 06:40FDB 69 DUBAI 05:50FDB 53 DUBAI 07:45UAE 855 DUBAI 08:25ETD 933 ABU DHABI 08:30ABY 125 SHARJAH 08:50KAC 790 MEDINAH 13:55KAC 672 DUBAI 13:40KAC 284 DHAKA 12:05JZR 165 DUBAI 11:35JZR 561 SOHAG 12:00QTR 132 DOHA 9:00IRM 1186 TEHRAN 9:10FDB 55 DUBAI 9:15IRA 603 SHIRAZ 9:25ETD 301 ABU DHABI 9:30GFA 213 BAHRAIN 10:40MEA 404 BEIRUT 10:55IAW 157 BAGHDAD 11:00MSC 403 ASSIUT 11:20IRM 1188 MASHAD 11:45TMA 213 BEIRUT 12:00KNE 470 JEDDAH 12:15UAE 871 DUBAI 12:45MSR 610 CAIRO 13:00THY 766 ISTANBUL 13:10CLX 792 LUXEMBOURG 13:15KNE 480 TAIF 13:20QTR 140 DOHA 13:45FDB 57 DUBAI 13:50AXB 489 COCHIN 20:35KLM 417 AMSTERDAM 21:05

ALK 229 COLOMBO 21:10UAE 859 DUBAI 21:15ETD 307 ABU DHABI 21:30QTR 136 DOHA 21:35GFA 217 BAHRAIN 21:45QTR 146 DOHA 22:00FDB 59 DUBAI 22:20AIC 975 CHENNAI 22:25UAL 981 BAHRAIN 22:40KAC 102 NEW YORK 19:35KAC 542 CAIRO 18:15KAC 786 JEDDAH 18:30KAC 788 JEDDAH 15:00KAC 166 PARIS 18:40KAC 674 DUBAI 19:25KAC 774 RIYADH 19:25KAC 538 SHARM EL SHEIKH 15:50KAC 618 DOHA 19:10JZR 531 ASSIUT 15:20JZR 777 JEDDAH 17:50JZR 535 CAIRO 16:10JZR 787 RIYADH 16:15JZR 135 BAHRAIN 23:00JZR 357 MASHAD 16:50JZR 177 DUBAI 17:30JZR 185 DUBAI 22:40JZR 239 AMMAN 22:30IRC 6692 MASHAD 14:00MSR 575 SHARM EL SHEIKH 14:15SVA 500 JEDDAH 14:30QTR 134 DOHA 15:45RJA 640 AMMAN 15:55IYE 824 SANAA 16:30ETD 303 ABU DHABI 16:35UAE 857 DUBAI 16:55ABY 127 SHARJAH 17:10GFA 215 BAHRAIN 17:20SVA 510 RIYADH 17:20UAL 982 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 17:25KNE 462 MEDINAH 17:45QTR 144 DOHA 18:25FDB 63 DUBAI 18:55GFA 219 BAHRAIN 19:05MSC 405 SOHAG 19:20MSR 606 LUXOR 19:30JAI 572 MUMBAI 19:35OMA 647 MUSCAT 20:00FDB 61 DUBAI 20:00ABY 129 SHARJAH 20:05MEA 402 BEIRUT 20:15DLH 636 FRANKFURT 23:10JAI 574 MUMBAI 23:20THY 772 ISTANBUL 23:45

Departure Flights on Wednesday 15/5/2013Airlines Flt Route TimeAIC 982 AHMEDABAD 00:05JAI 573 MUMBAI 00:20UAL 981 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 00:25DLH 637 FRANKFURT 00:30THY 773 ISTANBUL 02:20ETH 621 ADDIS ABABA 02:45UAE 854 DUBAI 03:45FDB 68 DUBAI 03:50MSR 613 CAIRO 04:15OMA 644 MUSCAT 04:20ETD 306 ABU DHABI 04:20QTR 139 DOHA 04:25QTR 149 DOHA 05:15JZR 560 SOHAG 05:35FDB 70 DUBAI 06:30GFA 212 BAHRAIN 07:00THY 771 ISTANBUL 07:10JZR 164 DUBAI 07:25KAC 411 BANGKOK 07:30KAC 537 SHARM EL SHEIKH 08:00FDB 54 DUBAI 08:25JZR 530 ASSIUT 09:00KAC 117 NEW YORK 09:05JZR 534 CAIRO 09:10KAC 789 MADINAH 09:15KAC 671 DUBAI 09:25ABY 126 SHARJAH 09:30KAC 787 JEDDAH 09:35UAE 856 DUBAI 09:50FDB 56 DUBAI 09:55ETD 302 ABU DHABI 10:15IRA 602 SHIRAZ 10:25QTR 133 DOHA 10:25IRM 1187 IMAM KHOMEINI 10:30ETD 934 ABU DHABI 10:30JZR 356 MASHHAD 11:00GFA 214 BAHRAIN 11:25KAC 541 CAIRO 11:30MEA 405 BEIRUT 11:55IAW 158 AL NAJAF 12:00KAC 175 FRANKFURT 12:10MSC 406 SOHAG 12:20JZR 776 JEDDAH 12:25KAC 103 LONDON 12:30JZR 786 RIYADH 12:50KAC 785 JEDDAH 13:00IRM 1189 MASHHAD 13:10KNE 461 MADINAH 13:10JZR 176 DUBAI 13:20TMA 223 DUBAI 13:45MSR 611 CAIRO 14:00THY 767 ISTANBUL 14:10

KNE 481 TAIF 14:10UAE 872 DUBAI 14:15FDB 58 DUBAI 14:30CLX 792 GIALAM 14:45QTR 141 DOHA 14:55IRC 6693 MASHHAD 15:00MSR 576 SHARM EL SHEIKH 15:00KAC 673 DUBAI 15:05KAC 617 DOHA 15:45SVA 503 MADINAH 15:45KAC 773 RIYADH 16:00RJA 641 AMMAN 16:55JZR 238 AMMAN 17:05QTR 135 DOHA 17:15ETD 304 ABU DHABI 17:20IYE 824 SANAA 17:30JZR 538 CAIRO 17:40ABY 128 SHARJAH 17:50UAE 858 DUBAI 18:15GFA 216 BAHRAIN 18:20SVA 511 RIYADH 18:20JZR 184 DUBAI 18:30JZR 266 BEIRUT 18:40UAL 982 BAHRAIN 18:40KNE 471 JEDDAH 18:40QTR 145 DOHA 19:25FDB 64 DUBAI 19:35GFA 220 BAHRAIN 19:50JZR 134 BAHRAIN 20:05MSC 404 ASSIUT 20:20MSR 619 ALEXANDRIA 20:30JAI 571 MUMBAI 20:35FDB 62 DUBAI 20:40ABY 120 SHARJAH 20:45KAC 331 TRIVANDRUM 20:50KAC 361 COLOMBO 20:50OMA 648 MUSCAT 20:55KAC 351 KOCHI 21:05MEA 403 BEIRUT 21:15DHX 171 BAHRAIN 21:50KLM 417 DAMMAM 22:05ETD 308 ABU DHABI 22:15ALK 230 COLOMBO 22:20UAE 860 DUBAI 22:25KAC 381 DELHI 22:30QTR 137 DOHA 22:35KAC 301 MUMBAI 22:40GFA 218 BAHRAIN 22:45FDB 60 DUBAI 23:00KAC 205 ISLAMABAD 23:00QTR 147 DOHA 23:15JZR 554 ALEXANDRIA 23:20KAC 283 DHAKA 23:45KAC 415 KUALA LUMPUR 23:50JZR 528 ASSIUT 23:55

SITUATION VACANT

Cook required for Kuwaitihome, knows local andinternational food, transfer-able residence, live-in fulltime, male only. Contact:94088822. (C 4416)

14-5-2013

WEDNESDAY, MAY 15, 2013

You will not have to work quite as hard to move forward in your career now.You have powerful energies spilling into your life helping you make a positive

difference and guiding you in ways that you can help others. Independence, as well as any-thing unusual or different, is valued. You may enjoy getting away from routine and doing somethings really, really different this afternoon. Step out of your own character and consider tryingout for a part in the next community play. If you are not a member of a club or organization,think about joining one now. The social contacts you make this year will benefit you spirituallyand professionally. Physical activities, like sports, among friends or family can be enjoyed thisevening, perhaps evening basketball, tennis, etc.

Aries (March 21-April 19)

STAR TRACK

This is a very lucky day for making plans or decisions and finding your waythrough just about any problem you may discover. Positive energies are available with respectto love and money today. You feel successful and able to handle difficult situations. Goodadvice from a guide or older person may be forthcoming. There is a growing sense of self-confi-dence and even a pride of ownership. You could do well in politics, if that is your choice. Yoursocial life is active at this time. New social contacts will boost career prospects now. Social andcommunity endeavors are also open to you where the need for basic fairness and evenhand-edness is helpful. You can be direct, candid and to the point. This passion is about truth. Thereare positive results today.

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

This is an excellent time to plan a trip or take a vacation. You are likely tohear some good news regarding something of importance to you. Your sensitiv-

ity to others is increased but there are possibilities of being deluded—pay close attention.There is great achievement now through your profession. Being in the spotlight is common toyou just now. It may be a good idea to be humble and see where your work can best help oth-ers. You may look to the social setting to improve your professional standing. Interactions withthe opposite sex on the professional level may occur a great deal during this time. There isinner harmony and a deepening of a love relationship. This romantic partner may want yourundivided attention.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

This is a period of personal growth. This attitude is contagious and you may findothers have questions and inquiries as to the latest self-help book or mentor that you

have been gaining information from lately. This mindset is carried over into the workplace so thatwhatever you do, you do it with enthusiasm and look for ways to improve the workplace. You want toreshape the world and help others. You may expend a great deal of effort to secure finances at thistime. This may come about through associations you have with people in important positions. Thesimple things in life bring you much pleasure. Besides being creative, you are very sociable and mag-netic to the opposite sex. This feeling will extend to a love interest later.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

Someone could challenge your sense of identity today, but you will remaincalm and clear in your reporting of the details that are needed. There is someone watching youthat appreciates your struggle. Now is the time to initiate any changes that will create the mostpositive results, whether it is regarding some project or some goal of yours. Financial gainthrough speculation looks positive—you will eventually need to take care in how you allocatethe benefits or money received. Study and mental self-control are hard to achieve today, butnot impossible! The time is ripe for family changes and this may be in a marriage, birth orreunion. This is a great evening for socializing with friends or just enjoying some quality timewith a loved one.

Leo (July 23-August 22)

You have good choices from a career standpoint. Your work is progress-ing well and you will probably complete projects way ahead of time. The knowledge youhave regarding some hobby or some recent home project will come in handy when yousolve problems in the workplace this afternoon. It is good that you pull on all yourresources when you or those around you are in a quandary. You may feel like socializingthis evening. This is an excellent time to socialize and enjoy life. If you are single, go out toall those gatherings where you might really find that dream partner. At the very least, youwill meet compatible people who share your love of life. Enjoy some time with friendswho tend to make many appealing invitations.

Virgo (August 23-September 22)

Your work could come under the scrutiny of people in authority. This is agood thing for now because you can show off how much you have learned either recentlyor from your past experiences. Those that doubted your talents will no longer be doubtful.Now you will need to be ready to respond when the requests come in for you to contributeyour very own expertise. There are indications that this is a good time to finish up anyunresolved business. You are filled with an urge to work hard and get things done. Do notpush yourself beyond what is comfortable with regard to time limitations. Go easy onyourself and enjoy a few breaks each day. This evening there is an opportunity to enjoyand relax with loved ones.

Libra (September 23-October 22)

There may be a return of some old mechanical problems so take yourtime and make sure all mechanical defects are serviced properly. All forms of communica-tion are possible today. A family member that lives some distance from you may enjoycommunication by telephone. There is a strong emphasis on community participation—perhaps a block party is being planned, etc. You, a friend and a loved one or a few familymembers will enjoy a group get-together soon . . . Plans are in the making. There is lots oflaughter and interaction between neighbors. You feel most comfortable in these surround-ings and may find yourself in a storytelling mood. Your dreams are worth exploring thisevening—consider keeping a dream diary.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21)

This time is perfect for focused and detailed mental work, though youmay resist some of those dull routine tasks. Complete unfinished business

today. You have a sharp mind and your awareness in the overview of a situation is strong.Your ambition is strong and you have the right amount of discipline to get you where youwant to go. You develop a keen appreciation for the value of things, including the money ittakes to buy them. Take the social opportunities that are open to you now and networkwith people that share your same job interests or talents. A love of music and an apprecia-tion for sensual pleasures is strong. You may find the right romantic interest for you, or youmay find an existing romance will deepen.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21)

CAPRICORNConsciously take and plan for extra time to stay organized with projects

the rest of this month. A strong instinct to be powerful and in control maylead to a greater interest in investing. There are all sorts of interaction through some formof lecturing, teaching or learning a new technique. You could resist someone’s ideas and itmight be a good idea to look at your reasoning. This is an artistic time when you are moreaware of the beauty that surrounds you; it is also a practical and materialistic time. You maydecide to keep a sketch pad handy for those times you are in repose with a cup of tea orchatting on the phone. You will have a grasp for abstract and spiritual ideas and the ability

to present or convey these things to others.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19)

Circumstances may help to create some negative moods—careful. Itwould be easy to find an argument if you are looking. Keep your sense of humor and donot push your point of view too strongly. There may be some serious decisions madeabout the future of a project, investment or term of employment with your business atthis time. You are in the mood to conquer just about anything you set out to do. Stayaway from the negative verbiage to calm others and find some inside point of view. Youmay perceive how to proceed with plans and decisions regarding your own life situation.This evening you will have the opportunity to enjoy new music; perhaps a concert or anew group of songs has your attention.

Pisces (February 19-March 20)

Interactions with co-workers may create a desire to plan a get-together atthe noon meal. Be careful to arrange an additional day for those that need to stay behind. Thisis a great time to be with others and to work together as a team. You may be sought after asjust the person for a particular job. Your management abilities are in high focus. There has beena lot of overtime lately and it probably will not be the last of the overtime for a while. You willenjoy a relaxing evening. There is a sense of support and harmony around you, making this aproductive and happy time. Place a notepad, flashlight and pen next to the bed and put yourworries on paper so you don’t fidget all night . . . They will be waiting tomorrow; you will havebetter insight.

Aquarius (January 20- February 18)

CROSSWORD 190

ACROSS1. Type genus of the family Myacidae.4. A professional dancer.11. A heavy open wagon usually havingtwo wheels and drawn by an animal.15. A former agency (from 1946 to 1974)that was responsible for research intoatomic energy and its peacetime uses inthe United States.16. Freshwater fish of Central America hav-ing a long swordlike tail.17. Large elliptical brightly colored deep-sea fish of Atlantic and Pacific andMediterranean.18. The syllable naming the sixth (submedi-ant) note of a major or minor scale insolmization.19. A large fleet.21. A member of the Himalayan people liv-ing in Nepal and Tibet who are famous fortheir skill as mountaineers.23. A light strong gray lustrous corrosion-resistant metallic element used in stronglight-weight alloys (as for airplane parts).25. Being nine more than forty.28. A name for the Old Testament God astransliterated from the Hebrew YHVH.31. (botany) Of or relating to the axil.32. The 10th and last incarnation of Vishnu.36. Take back what one has said.37. Cubes of meat marinated and cookedon a skewer usually with vegetables.38. United States educator who introducedreforms that significantly altered the sys-tem of public education (1796-1859).39. A hardy cabbage with coarse curlyleaves that do not form a head.42. Water soaked soil.43. (Irish) Mother of the ancient Irish gods.49. An ambitious and aspiring young per-son.51. A process of using up or consumingagain.52. A very poisonous metallic element thathas three allotropic forms.53. A loose sleeveless outer garment madefrom aba cloth.55. A state in north central United States.57. Not hard-surfaced.59. Type genus of the Lycaenidae.63. Considerate and solicitous care.64. Kamarupan languages spoken in north-eastern India and western Burma.67. A yearning for something or to dosomething.68. Photographic equipment consisting ofa lightproof box with a lens at one end andlight-sensitive film at the other.71. A lyric poem with complex stanzaforms.72. Be iridescent.74. Used of a single unit or thing.75. A sign of assent or salutation or com-mand.76. The academic world.77. A fixed charge for a privilege or for pro-fessional services.

DOWN1. A master's degree in library science.2. Not only so, but.3. A dull persistent (usually moderately

intense) pain.4. United States astronomer (1885-1972).5. A three-tone Chadic language.6. Any of various trees of the genus Ulmus.7. Type genus of the Plataleidae.8. A tricycle (usually propelled by ped-alling).9. A period marked by distinctive characteror reckoned from a fixed point or event.10. A state in New England.11. Edible starchy tuberous root of taroplants.12. South American armadillo with threebands of bony plates.13. A rapid series of short loud sounds (asmight be heard with a stethoscope in sometypes of respiratory disorders).14. (Greek mythology) The Titaness whowas mother of Helios and Selene and Eos inancient mythology.20. The clock time given by a clock carriedon board a spacecraft.22. Being in competition.24. A highly unstable radioactive element(the heaviest of the halogen series).26. Flightless New Zealand birds similar togallinules.27. A self-funded retirement plan thatallows you to contribute a limited yearlysum toward your retirement.29. A genus of tropical American plantshave sword-shaped leaves and a fleshycompound fruits composed of the fruits ofseveral flowers (such as pineapples).30. A city of central China.33. A genus of Lamnidae.34. A small metal weapon.35. In truth (often tends to intensify).40. A small cake leavened with yeast.41. (computer science) Protocol that allowsusers to copy files between their local sys-tem and any system they can reach on thenetwork.44. A dicotyledonous genus of the familyEricaceae.45. A small slow-growing deciduous tree ofnorthern Iran having a low domed shape.46. An abnormal new mass of tissue thatserves no purpose.47. Wood of a sumac.48. (Greek mythology) Goddess of wisdomand useful arts and prudent warfare.50. A quantity of no importance.54. A trivalent metallic element of the rareearth group.56. (of complexion) Blemished by imperfec-tions of the skin.58. A unit of elastance equal to the recipro-cal of a farad.60. The capital and largest city of Japan.61. A lawman concerned with narcotics vio-lations.62. Type genus of the Amiidae.65. Not present.66. Widely cultivated in tropical and sub-tropical regions for its fragrant flowers andcolorful fruits.69. A doctor's degree in education.70. Large brownish-green New Zealandparrot.73. Being one more than one hundred.

Yesterday’s Solution



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34s ta r s

Daily SuDoku

informat ionWEDNESDAY, MAY 15, 2013

Ahmadi Sama Safwan Fahaeel Makka St 23915883Abu Halaifa Abu Halaifa-Coastal Rd 23715414Danat Al-Sultan Mahboula Block 1, Coastal Rd 23726558

Jahra Modern Jahra Jahra-Block 3 Lot 1 24575518Madina Munawara Jahra-Block 92 24566622

Capital Ahlam Fahad Al-Salem St 22436184Khaldiya Coop Khaldiya Coop 24833967

Farwaniya New Shifa Farwaniya Block 40 24734000Ferdous Coop Ferdous Coop 24881201Modern Safwan Old Kheitan Block 11 24726638

Hawally Tariq Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St 25726265Hana Salmiya-Amman St 25647075Ikhlas Hawally-Beirut St 22625999Hawally & Rawdha Hawally & Rawdha Coop 22564549Ghadeer Jabriya-Block 1A 25340559Kindy Jabriya-Block 3B 25326554Ibn Al-Nafis Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St 25721264Mishrif Coop Mishrif Coop 25380581Salwa Coop Salwa Coop 25628241

OphthalmologistsDr. Abidallah Al-Mansoor 25622444Dr. Samy Al-Rabeea 25752222Dr. Masoma Habeeb 25321171Dr. Mubarak Al-Ajmy 25739999Dr. Mohsen Abel 25757700Dr Adnan Hasan Alwayl 25732223Dr. Abdallah Al-Baghly 25732223

Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT)Dr. Ahmed Fouad Mouner 24555050 Ext 510Dr. Abdallah Al-Ali 25644660Dr. Abd Al-Hameed Al-Taweel 25646478Dr. Sanad Al-Fathalah 25311996Dr. Mohammad Al-Daaory 25731988Dr. Ismail Al-Fodary 22620166Dr. Mahmoud Al-Booz 25651426

General PractitionersDr. Mohamme Y Majidi 24555050 Ext 123Dr. Yousef Al-Omar 24719312Dr. Tarek Al-Mikhazeem 23926920Dr. Kathem Maarafi 25730465Dr. Abdallah Ahmad Eyadah 25655528Dr. Nabeel Al-Ayoobi 24577781Dr. Dina Abidallah Al-Refae 25333501

UrologistsDr. Ali Naser Al-Serfy 22641534Dr. Fawzi Taher Abul 22639955Dr. Khaleel Abidallah Al-Awadi 22616660Dr. Adel Al-Hunayan FRCS (C) 25313120Dr. Leons Joseph 66703427

For labor-related inquiries and complaints:

Call MSAL hotline 128

Sabah Hospital 24812000

Amiri Hospital 22450005

Maternity Hospital 24843100

Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital 25312700

Chest Hospital 24849400

Farwaniya Hospital 24892010

Adan Hospital 23940620

Ibn Sina Hospital 24840300

Al-Razi Hospital 24846000

Physiotherapy Hospital 24874330/9

Kaizen center 25716707

Rawda 22517733

Adaliya 22517144

Khaldiya 24848075

Kaifan 24849807

Shamiya 24848913

Shuwaikh 24814507

Abdullah Salem 22549134

Nuzha 22526804

Industrial Shuwaikh 24814764

Qadsiya 22515088

Dasmah 22532265

Bneid Al-Gar 22531908

Shaab 22518752

Qibla 22459381

Ayoun Al-Qibla 22451082

Mirqab 22456536

Sharq 22465401

Salmiya 25746401

Jabriya 25316254

Maidan Hawally 25623444

Bayan 25388462

Mishref 25381200

W Hawally 22630786

Sabah 24810221

Jahra 24770319

New Jahra 24575755

West Jahra 24772608

South Jahra 24775066

North Jahra 24775992

North Jleeb 24311795

Ardhiya 24884079

Firdous 24892674

Omariya 24719048

N Khaitan 24710044

Fintas 23900322

Al-Madeena 22418714

Al-Shuhada 22545171

Al-Shuwaikh 24810598

Al-Nuzha 22545171

Sabhan 24742838

Al-Helaly 22434853

Al-Faiha 22545051

Al-Farwaniya 24711433

Al-Sulaibikhat 24316983

Al-Fahaheel 23927002

Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh 24316983

Ahmadi 23980088

Al-Mangaf 23711183

Al-Shuaiba 23262845

Al-Jahra 25610011

Al-Salmiya 25616368

GOVERNORATE PHARMACY ADDRESS PHONE

Plastic Surgeons

Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalaf 22547272

Dr. Abdal-Redha Lari 22617700

Dr. Abdel Quttainah 25625030/60

Family Doctor

Dr Divya Damodar 23729596/23729581

Psychiatrists

Dr. Esam Al-Ansari 22635047

Dr Eisa M. Al-Balhan 22613623/0

Gynaecologists & Obstetricians

DrAdrian arbe 23729596/23729581

Dr. Verginia s.Marin 2572-6666 ext 8321

Dr. Fozeya Ali Al-Qatan 22655539

Dr. Majeda Khalefa Aliytami 25343406

Dr. Ahmad Al-Khooly 25739272

Dr. Salem soso 22618787

General Surgeons

Dr. Amer Zawaz Al-Amer 22610044

Dr. Mohammad Yousef Basher 25327148

Internists, Chest & Heart

Dr. Adnan Ebil 22639939

Dr. Mousa Khadada 22666300

Dr. Latefa Al-Duweisan 25728004

Dr. Nadem Al-Ghabra 25355515

Dr. Mobarak Aldoub 24726446

Dr Nasser Behbehani 25654300/3

Paediatricians

Dr. Khaled Hamadi 25665898

Dr. Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rashed 25340300

Dr. Zahra Qabazard 25710444

Dr. Sohail Qamar 22621099

Dr. Snaa Maaroof 25713514

Dr. Pradip Gujare 23713100

Dr. Zacharias Mathew 24334282

(1) Ear, Nose and Throat (2) Plastic Surgeon

Dr. Abdul Mohsin Jafar, FRCS (Canada) 25655535

Dentists

Dr Anil Thomas 3729596/3729581

Dr. Shamah Al-Matar 22641071/2

Dr. Anesah Al-Rasheed 22562226

Dr. Abidallah Al-Amer 22561444

Dr. Faysal Al-Fozan 22619557

Dr. Abdallateef Al-Katrash 22525888

Dr. Abidallah Al-Duweisan 25653755

Dr. Bader Al-Ansari 25620111

Neurologists

Dr. Sohal Najem Al-Shemeri 25633324

Dr. Jasem Mola Hassan 25345875

Gastrologists

Dr. Sami Aman 22636464

Dr. Mohammad Al-Shamaly 25322030

Dr. Foad Abidallah Al-Ali 22633135

Endocrinologist

Dr. Abd Al-Naser Al-Othman 25339330

Dr. Ahmad Al-Ansari 25658888

Dr. Kamal Al-Shomr 25329924

Physiotherapists & VD

Dr. Deyaa Shehab 25722291

Dr. Musaed Faraj Khamees 22666288

Rheumatologists:

Dr. Adel Al-Awadi 25330060

Dr. Khaled Al-Jarallah 25722290

Internist, Chest & Heart

DR.Mohammes Akkad 24555050 Ext 210

Dr. Mohammad Zubaid MB, ChB, FRCPC, PACC Assistant Professor Of Medicine Head, Division of Cardiology Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital

Consultant Cardiologist

Dr. Farida Al-Habib 2611555-2622555 MD, PH.D, FACC Inaya German Medical Center Te: 2575077 Fax: 25723123

Soor CenterTel: 2290-1677Fax: 2290 1688

[email protected]

Psychologists/Psychotherapists

PRIVATE CLINICS

William Schuilenberg, RPC 2290-1677Zaina Al Zabin, M.Sc. 2290-1677

Kaizen center25716707

Afghanistan 0093Albania 00355Algeria 00213Andorra 00376Angola 00244Anguilla 001264Antiga 001268Argentina 0054Armenia 00374Australia 0061Austria 0043Bahamas 001242Bahrain 00973Bangladesh 00880Barbados 001246Belarus 00375Belgium 0032Belize 00501Benin 00229Bermuda 001441Bhutan 00975Bolivia 00591Bosnia 00387Botswana 00267Brazil 0055Brunei 00673Bulgaria 00359Burkina 00226Burundi 00257Cambodia 00855Cameroon 00237Canada 001Cape Verde 00238Cayman Islands 001345Central African 00236Chad 00235Chile 0056China 0086Colombia 0057Comoros 00269Congo 00242Cook Islands 00682Costa Rica 00506Croatia 00385Cuba 0053Cyprus 00357Cyprus (Northern) 0090392Czech Republic 00420Denmark 0045Diego Garcia 00246Djibouti 00253Dominica 001767Dominican Republic 001809Ecuador 00593Egypt 0020El Salvador 00503England (UK) 0044Equatorial Guinea 00240Eritrea 00291Estonia 00372Ethiopia 00251Falkland Islands 00500Faroe Islands 00298Fiji 00679Finland 00358France 0033French Guiana 00594French Polynesia 00689Gabon 00241Gambia 00220Georgia 00995Germany 0049Ghana 00233Gibraltar 00350Greece 0030Greenland 00299Grenada 001473Guadeloupe 00590Guam 001671Guatemala 00502Guinea 00224Guyana 00592Haiti 00509Holland (Netherlands) 0031Honduras 00504Hong Kong 00852Hungary 0036Ibiza (Spain) 0034Iceland 00354India 0091Indian Ocean 00873Indonesia 0062

Iran 0098Iraq 00964Ireland 00353Italy 0039Ivory Coast 00225Jamaica 001876Japan 0081Jordan 00962Kazakhstan 007Kenya 00254Kiribati 00686Kuwait 00965Kyrgyzstan 00996Laos 00856Latvia 00371Lebanon 00961Liberia 00231Libya 00218Lithuania 00370Luxembourg 00352Macau 00853Macedonia 00389Madagascar 00261Majorca 0034Malawi 00265Malaysia 0060Maldives 00960Mali 00223Malta 00356Marshall Islands 00692Martinique 00596Mauritania 00222Mauritius 00230Mayotte 00269Mexico 0052Micronesia 00691Moldova 00373Monaco 00377Mongolia 00976Montserrat 001664Morocco 00212Mozambique 00258Myanmar (Burma) 0095Namibia 00264Nepal 00977Netherlands (Holland)0031Netherlands Antilles 00599New Caledonia 00687New Zealand 0064Nicaragua 00505Nigar 00227Nigeria 00234Niue 00683Norfolk Island 00672Northern Ireland (UK)0044North Korea 00850Norway 0047Oman 00968Pakistan 0092Palau 00680Panama 00507Papua New Guinea 00675Paraguay 00595Peru 0051Philippines 0063Poland 0048Portugal 00351Puerto Rico 001787Qatar 00974Romania 0040Russian Federation 007Rwanda 00250Saint Helena 00290Saint Kitts 001869Saint Lucia 001758Saint Pierre 00508Saint Vincent 001784Samoa US 00684Samoa West 00685San Marino 00378Sao Tone 00239Saudi Arabia 00966Scotland (UK) 0044Senegal 00221Seychelles 00284Sierra Leone 00232Singapore 0065Slovakia 00421Slovenia 00386Solomon Islands 00677

INTERNATIONALCALLS


l if e s t y l eG o s s i p

The ‘Stay’ hitmaker is set to launch a summer line for the high street store later thismonth and has designed the pieces with her loyal followers in mind, aiming to caterto their various needs. Speaking in a behind the scenes video during a model fitting,

in which she is joined by her co-designer Adam Selman, the singer said: “I made a piece foreverybody in my crew, we all have different body types and different tastes - some arebraver than others. “I think like that because that’s how women in the world are. We’re alldifferent, we like different things, we have different occasions and differentmoods.”Rihanna, 25, also made sure the range reflects her own personal taste in clothesand what she would purchase if shopping for new ensembles, with items including floraland tie-dye jumpsuits, simple dresses in black and pink and elegant crop tops.

The superstar was rewarded for her sex appeal for the third year in arow by the world’s most desirable group of models as part of their8th annual ‘What is Sexy List.’ The catwalk divas have released a

new video which sees some the lingerie brand’s most famous faces -including Karlie Kloss, Erin Heatherton, Candice Swanepoel andAlessandro Ambrosio - give their experienced judgement on some ofHollywood’s leading ladies. The list saw several other repeat entriesincluding Jessica Chastain, who went from 2012’s Sexiest Smile to thisyear’s Sexiest Actress, and Rihanna, who took home Sexiest Bikini Body.As well as more conventional beauty categories like Sexiest Legs (BlakeLively), Sexiest Eyes (Zooey Deschanel) and Sexiest Smile (Zoe Saldana),the Angels placed emphasis on other attractive qualities. Oscar-winnerJennifer Lawrence made the list for the first time for Sexiest Sense ofHumour after becoming a firm favourite on the red carpet with hertongue-in-cheek jokes.

The 32-year-old reality star, who is expecting her first child with boyfriendKanye West in July, has been ordered by doctors to keep her feet elevated ina bid to combat the swelling but while she waits for it to go down, she has

been forced to splash out on new footwear. She said: “My doctor has told me toelevate my feet. Can you see how wide and swollen they are? I’ve just ordered apair of pointy-toed flats. “[My Louboutins] hardly fit me any more. When I flew inthem the other day, I landed with one strap unbuckled, as I couldn’t get it aroundmy ankle.” Kim’s maternity choices have sparked debate, and while many have dis-missed her tight-fitting choices as fashion disasters, her younger sister Khloe isproud of her for flaunting her curvaceous figure, which she believes should be onshow more often.

The pop diva will reclaim herjudge’s chair on the next sea-son of the singing contest,

ousting current mentor Shakira. Amole told The Wrap that former pan-elist Christina - who left the show in2012 after three seasons to promoteher latest album ‘LOTUS’ - is expectedto return this autumn after signing adeal worth a rumored $17 million. Itis as yet unclear whether Cee LoGreen, who also departed last year,will be returning alongside Christinaor whether his popular replacement,Usher, will stay on. The current line-up of NBC’s singing competition,which also features Adam Levine andBlake Shelton, has proved a hit withaudiences and ratings are at an all-time high. Producer Matt Burnettconfirmed Shakira’s departure andexplained change was a naturalprogress when working with success-ful recording artists. He toldDeadline: “Everybody can’t coach forlife because when you have peoplewith current recording in the game,this is not their job.

Usher sued by former nanny Cecilia Duncan - who was hired to look

after the ‘Yeah!’ hitmaker’s two sons,Usher V, five, and four-year-old Naviyd

between December 2010 and September2012 - has filed a lawsuit against the singer,alleging she was “overworked” and was notpaid overtime, according to TMZ. The ex-nan-ny claims she often worked over 40 hours aweek, but wasn’t being compensated for theextra hours and when she brought up hergrievance to the 34-year-old star in 2011, heignored her claims for more than a year andsubsequently fired her last year. Cecilia isthought to have filed a six-figure lawsuitagainst the ‘Scream’ singer for wrongful ter-mination, failure to pay wages and is alsoseeking other unspecified damages.However, Usher’s camp denies any wrongdo-ing, branding the nanny’s claims “completelyfalse” and the lawsuit “frivolous”.

The Italian fashion mogul sees a youngerversion of himself in his son Daniele,who helms the label’s menswear line,

and believes he was always destined to makehis mark in the industry. Roberto told TheHunger magazine: “Daniele and I have alwaysbeen very close, and I knew that he would fol-low me one day. He is extremely talented. Ican see how much he tries to invent some-thing special. “It’s fantastic to listen to himbecause when I speak to him I feel that he’slike me when I was younger. He has lived andbreathed and grown up in my studio, so hisapprenticeship started at a very young age!”The pair share a love of traditional craftsman-ship and both take inspiration from theirItalian heritage and their hometown ofFlorence for their designs. Daniele explained:“My father and I do not have the usual con-cepts that other designers or brands have; it’smore about other things.

Thieves allegedly spent at least three days burrowingthrough walls at Johannesburg’s FNB Stadium beforeswiping around three million rand just hours after the

‘Beauty and a Beat’ hitmaker had walked off stage. The cashcame from merchandise and refreshments sold at the 19-year-old star’s show - part of his worldwide ‘Believe Tour’ - aswell as takings from a gig by Bon Jovi the previous evening,but officials only realized the money was missing onMonday morning. A police officer from nearby Booysenspolice station in Soweto said: “The money was taken fromthe building and they only realized today. “We don’t knowhow many people were involved as we are still gatheringevidence.” The crooks - who are said to have been armedwith chisels, hammers and ropes are believed to havegained access to a room, where cash was stored, throughthe roof before lowering themselves down using a rope.Speaking yesterday, South African police spokeswomanKatlego Mogale said: “The suspect had gained entry throughthe roof.”They broke the tile of the bathroom between lastnight after the concert and this morning.”

Thieves mar JustinBieber concert in

South Africa


l if e s t y l eM u s i c & M o v i e s

This guitar may not quite gently weep, but it could atleast make a well-heeled Beatles fan cry with happi-ness. The VOX guitar played both by John Lennon

and George Harrison is expected to sell for between$200,000 and $300,000 at auction in New York’s Hard RockCafe on Saturday. The custom-made instrument is the mainlot in the Julien’s Auctions sale. Harrison used it while prac-ticing “I am the Walrus” and Lennon while recording a video

session for “Hello, Goodbye.” It was given by Lennon toApple Records electronics engineer Yanni “Magic Alex”Mardas in 1967, Julien’s said. It’s a “once-in-a-lifetime oppor-tunity to own one of the rarest pieces of Beatles memorabil-ia ever to be offered,” the auction house said. — AFP

Among the swords, the wrenching letters home and thehaunting photographs in the Museum of theConfederacy’s new exhibit on Gettysburg, few artifacts

embody the ferocious battle more than the eight battle flagsrecovered from the bloodied fields where Pickett’s Charge wasfought. The men who carried them were first in the line of fire,and the flag was coveted by the enemy. If the color bearer fell,it was expected another soldier would pick it up. For the 7thVirginia Infantry alone, nine men were lost at Gettysburg hold-ing the St Andrew’s Cross.

“Capturing the flag was a pretty big deal, or losing your flagwas a bigger deal,” said Robert Hancock, senior curator at theRichmond museum. “Color bearers made a nice target becausethey were bearing the big red flag. You did not want to let thatflag go.” The flags, among more than 500 in the museum’sextensive collection, are the centerpiece of “Gettysburg: Theywalked through blood,” which just opened and runs throughSeptember to mark the 150th year since the Battle ofGettysburg. The exhibit focuses on Gen. George Pickett’s

Virginia Division and the doomed charge on Union Maj. GeorgeG. Meade’s union positions on Cemetery Ridge on July 3, 1863.

While the battle forever will be known as Pickett’s Charge, itwas ordered by Confederate Gen Robert E Lee. Pickett was oneof three generals who led the assault under Lt Gen JamesLongstreet, the charge’s commander. All eight battle flags arefrom Pickett’s Division and the swords of his three brigade com-manders - Gens. Lewis Armistead, James Kemper and RichardGarnett - are part of the exhibit.

The battle involved more than 12,000 Confederate soldierswho attempted to advance over fields for three quarters of amile amid unrelenting fire from Union forces. More than half ofthe South’s soldiers were killed or injured in a battle that foreverbruised the psyche of the South. The exhibit offers Civil Warbuffs plenty to see, including a large map detailing the battle,but Hancock said the show is also intended to humanize thischapter of history.

“We try to get the audience to connect a little bit more withthe individuals and what happened to them later on,” he said.

“That’s one reason we put the photographs in, so you can see aface, attach a face to an object.” There is a photo of EdwardEstes, along with a letter addressed “Dear Sis.” He wrote of thecarnage: “God forbid that I should ever see another such bloodyfield.” Of Pickett, the Pittsylvania County man wrote to his sisterin Maryland, “When he came out and saw how few of us wereleft he wept like a child, & said he wished they of killed him too.”

Soldier C Robey’s Bible took a bullet during the battle, andthe hole through its pages is proof of his good fortune. He tooktwo other shots, in his arm and leg, and survived. A letter from aUnion surgeon written to the family of a Confederate soldiersaid he had “suffered considerable pain, but wore it with forti-tude and patience I have never seen equaled.” He also told thesoldier’s family where he was buried.

The exhibit also features a photograph of Thomas Owens,who died nine days after the battle, a watercolor, revolvers andArmistead’s book, which included casualty figures. The muse-um, which is located next to the former Confederate WhiteHouse in the city’s medical district, prides itself on knowing the

origin of its collections. Much of it is from family members,handed down through generations. The flags followed a differ-ent path to the museum.

Any flag captured during the war was to be returned to theUS War Department. They were so coveted, Hancock said, a sol-dier who turned one in was up for a Congressional Medal ofHonor and a furlough. In 1905, Congress decreed that all theflags be returned to the states. All the Virginia Flags went to themuseum. The flags, which are made of wool, will be framed forthe exhibit. They are, Hancock said, “the biggest and most color-ful objects of the show,” which is fitting. “During the battle, theywere figuratively and literally the centerpiece there too,” he said.“The flag was important as a rallying point.”_ AP

Museum of the Confederacy opening Gettysburgshow

Next year’s Grammys show will be heldon January 26, 2014, earlier than usualbecause of the Winter Olympics in

February, organizers of the music industryawards said Monday. The move is in line withother awards shows which have shifted datesto avoid clashing with the Feb 6-23 Games inSochi, Russia.

Organizers are keen to avoid competingfor TV viewers. Grammy show ratings haveconsistently grown in recent years, with some28.3 million viewers tuning in last year, the

second largest since 1993. In 2015, music’sbiggest night will return to the more typicalFebruary 8 timeframe, Grammys organizersthe Recording Academy noted. Oscars organ-izers announced in March that the 2014 showwill be held on March 2. The Academy Awardsare typically held the last week in February. In2015 the Oscars will be held on February 22,back in its more traditional slot. — AFP

Dr Joyce Brothers This undated file photo shows Dr Joyce Brothers in the stu-dio of her direct line radio show. Brothers saved a would-besuicide in 1968. The popular psychologist, columnist, andtelevision and film personality has died in New York City onMonday, May 13, 2013. She was 85. — AP

Before Dr Phil and Dr Drew and Dr Oz, therewas Joyce Brothers. The popular psycholo-gist pioneered the television advice show

in the 1950s, opening the airwaves to discus-sions of love, marriage and parenting, as well assuch taboo subjects as menopause, frigidity,impotence and sexual enjoyment. She went onto become an author, syndicated advice colum-nist and TV and film personality, setting thestage for today ’s one-named T V doctors.Brothers died Monday of respiratory failure inNew York City, according to her longtime publi-cist, Sanford Brokaw. She was 85. Phil McGrawcalled Brothers “a pioneer in the field of mentalhealth.”

“Decades before I came along, Dr. Joyce wasable to get people talking about their emotionalissues and problems. In her own gentle and car-ing way she let people know it was OK to discusstheir feelings and emotions,” he said in a state-ment Monday. “She had a great sense of humorand gave very sound advice in her column andwhenever she appeared on TV. I owe her a greatdeal for what she did for the mental health pro-fession and society owes her a big thank you.”Brothers first gained fame on the game show“The $64,000 Question” and said her multimediacareer came about “because we were hungry.”

It was 1955. Her husband, Milton Brothers,was still in medical school and Brothers had justgiven up her teaching positions at HunterCollege and Columbia University to be homewith her newborn, firmly believing a child’sdevelopment depended on it. But the youngfamily found itself struggling on her husband’sresidency income. So Brothers came up with theidea of entering a television game show as acontestant. “The $64,000 Question” quizzed con-testants in their chosen area of expertise. Shememorized 20 volumes of a boxing encyclope-dia - and, with that as her subject, became theonly woman and the second person to ever winthe show’s top prize.

Brothers tried her luck again on the super-seding “$64,000 Challenge,” answering eachquestion correctly and earning the dubious dis-tinction as one of the biggest winners in the his-tory of television quiz shows. She later denied

any knowledge of cheating, and during a 1959hearing in the quiz show scandal, a producerexonerated her of involvement. Her celebrityopened up doors. In 1956, she became co-hostof “Sports Showcast” and frequently appearedon talk shows.

Two years later, NBC offered her a trial on anafternoon television program in which sheadvised on love, marriage, sex and child-rearing.Its success led to a nationally telecast program,and subsequent late-night shows thataddressed even racier topics. She also dispensedadvice on several phone-in radio programs,sometimes going live. She was criticized bysome for giving out advice without knowing hercallers’ histories. But Brothers responded thatshe was not practicing therapy on the air andthat she advised callers to seek professional helpwhen needed.

Despite criticism of the format, the call-inshow took off, and by 1985, the Association ofMedia Psychologists was created to monitor forabuses. Dr Drew Pinsky, who has offered hismedical expertise in radio and television formatsfirst pioneered by Brothers, saluted her impacton the industry. “Knew nothing about her histo-ry on the $64,000 question, but I did know JoyceBrothers,” he wrote on Twitter. “She was a pio-neer and very knowledgeable.”

Other celebrities, including Paris Hilton, rap-per Common and motivational guru TonyRobbins, posted bits of Brothers’ advice onTwitter, such as: “The best proof of love is trust.”For almost four decades, Brothers was a colum-nist for Good Housekeeping. She also wrote adaily syndicated advice column that appeared inmore than 350 newspapers. Briefly, in 1961, shewas host of her own television program. Later,Brothers branched out into film, playing herselfin more than a dozen movies, including “AnalyzeThat” (2002), “Beethoven’s 4th” (2001), “Lover’sKnot” (1996) and “Dear God” (1996).

She was also an advocate for women. In the1970s, Brothers called for changing textbooks toremove sexist bias, noting that nonsexist cul-tures tend to be less warlike. The quiz showscandal of 1958-59 was one of the biggest scan-dals in the history of television. It erupted in

1958 when it was revealed that quiz show pro-ducers had been rigging the outcome of someshows, including “The $64,000 Question,” by giv-ing favored contestants the answers in advance.

Brothers was one of a number of big winnerswho told an Associated Press survey inNovember 1959 that they knew nothing of anycheating. At a House hearing that month, associ-ate producer Mort Koplin also said Brothers wasamong those not involved in cheating. But healso described how contestants, who were care-fully interviewed in advance, could be affectedunknowingly as producers tried to manipulatethe outcome of shows by tailoring questions tobenefit favored ones and oust less-favored ones.

According to the testimony, Brothers appliedto be a “64,000 Question” contestant as anexpert in home economics and psychology. Theproducers, looking for an audience-pleasingoddity, suggested the pretty young woman tryboxing as her specialty. She learned the subjectso well, Koplin said, she kept on winning evenafter the producers “threw the book” at her withtough questions aimed at eliminating her.

Born Joyce Diane Bauer in New York, Brothersearned her bachelor ’s degree from CornellUniversity and a PhD in psychology fromColumbia. She wrote numerous advice books,including “Ten Days To A Successful Memory”(1964), “Positive Plus: The Practical Plan forLiking Yourself Better” (1995) and “Widowed”(1992), a guide to dealing with grief written afterthe death of her husband in 1990. Brothers issurvived by sister Elaine Goldsmith, daughterLisa Brothers Arbisser, four grandchildren andtwo great-grandchildren. — AP

Hollywood star Toni Collette is beingsued for loss and damage afterallegedly failing to complete the

purchase of a Sydney house for Aus$6.35million (US$6.35 million), reports said yes-terday. Industrie clothing brand foundersNick and Susan Kelly launched the actionin the Supreme Court in Sydney againstthe Oscar-nominated Australian actress,known for her roles in “The Sixth Sense”and TV show “United States of Tara”. TheSydney Morning Herald said Collette andher husband David Galafassi claimedthey were unable to sell another proper-ty and did not have the funds to com-plete the deal.

In a statement of claim, the Kellysalleged Collette put down a Aus$317,500deposit on September 30, 2011 for thetrendy Paddington terrace house andagreed to complete the sale on December30.But on the day it was due to sell,Colette’s solicitor told the Kellys that “ourclients will not be able to proceed” due tonot being able to sell another house they

owned, the Kellys’ barrister Bernard Colestold the court. Coles submitted that oneof the reasons they did not settle wasbecause they had decided to buy anotherproperty, the report said.

The Kellys ultimately sold the house toanother party last year for Aus$5.5 mil-lion, with the couple seeking damagesmostly made up of the fall in value of theproperty as well as the costs of resale andinterest. Collette and Galafassi havedenied a number of the Kellys’ claims,including that they had to complete thesale by December 30 and pleaded withthem to settle the dispute out of thespotlight. “For the sake of both our fami-lies I implore you to find a way to settlethis less publicly,” the actress wrote toNick Kelly, according to an email submit-ted to the court, the Herald reported. Thehearing continues.— AFP


l if e s t y l eF e a t u r e s

When Leonardo DiCaprio, the star of the latest bigscreen adaptation of “The Great Gatsby”, arrives atthe Cannes Film Festival this week, he will be fol-

lowing in the footsteps of author F Scott Fitzgerald. TheJazz Age writer spent a number of years in France includ-ing a spell on the Cote d’Azur where he led a gilded life sur-rounded by other luminaries such as artist Pablo Picassoand fellow writer Ernest Hemingway.

The American composer and song writer Cole Porterpopularized the cap d’Antibes by renting a house thereduring the summers of 1921 and 1922. The area was thenalmost totally undiscovered. But all that changed with thearrival of a young American couple, Gerald and SaraMurphy, and their children who were among those to staywith Porter.

Before the couple’s arrival, the fashionable and well-heeled tended to spend only the winter on the Cote d’Azurbefore heading north in April.

But in 1923 the couple persuaded the Hotel du Cap tokeep its doors open during the summer months, trans-forming the area into a year-round playground for literaryand artistic types. The Murphys inspired Fitzgerald to write

“Tender is the Night” chronicling the privileged but compli-cated lives of Dick and Nicole Diver. The novel was pub-lished in 1934. During their time on the Cote d’Azur, theFitzgeralds led a hedonistic and sometimes volatilelifestyle. Zelda is on one occasion said to have thrown her-self over a restaurant’s railings after seeing her husbandspeak to the dancer Isadora Duncan.

On another occasion the inebriated couple bombardedother guests with tomatoes. Earlier this year, villa Picolette,which Fitzgerald and Zelda rented between 1922 and 1924went on the market priced at an eye-watering $35.5 mil-lion. The seven-bedroom property near Juan-les-Pinsbetween Cannes and Nice, boasts panoramic sea views, aswimming pool, manicured gardens and a private beach.The Fitzgeralds held lavish parties there for guests includ-ing Hemingway. The sea view from the property’s tower isthe same one featured on the cover of some editions of“Tender is the Night”.

The couple also lived at the former villa Saint- Louis atJuan-les-Pins from 1925-26. It later became the Hotel BellesRives. The art deco “Fitzgerald” bar of the five-star hotel isso suffused with the Fitzgerald era one almost expects to

bump into the writer or his wife. Lining the walls are blackand white photos showing the young couple smiling onthe villa’s terrace. How Fitzgerald felt about the place isclear from a plaque in the corner of the hotel’s foyerinscribed with an extract from one of his letters home.

“With our being back in a nice villa on my belovedRiviera... I’m happier than I’ve been for years. It’s one ofthose strange, precious and all too transitory momentswhen everything in one’s life seems to be going well,” hewrote. Today, the area plays host to another generation ofcelebrities with stars such as Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt andthe US rapper P Diddy all favoring hideaways not so faraway from Fitzgerald’s old haunts. The Cannes Film Festivalopens today with the European premiere of Australiandirector Baz Luhrmann’s “The Great Gatsby”.

— AFP

Europe’s top film festival opens in Cannes todayto its annual show of glitz and popping cham-pagne corks, but for many in the continent’s

movie business, times are tough and likely to gettougher still. The financial crisis that erupted in 2008is now biting hard into state and regional subsidiesand TV programming budgets that are a key sup-port for film-making. Added to that in some coun-tries is the problem of rampant piracy, as peoplesnub a trip to the cinema and instead downloadtheir films off the Internet.

“There are many clouds over movie funding,” saidEric Garandeau, head of France’s National CinemaCentre (CNC), which helps the French film industry,the biggest in Europe. “In some countries, the crisisis widespread-in some places, long-standing policiesare being scrapped.” The 12-day Cannes Film Festivalwill feature six French, one Italian and one Dutchfilm in competition. But Spain-one of the most pro-lific and quirky producer countries-will literally beout of the picture.

Laurent Creton, head of the Paris-based Institutefor Cinema and Audiovisual Research (IRCAV), saysthe mood of belt tightening has played an impor-tant if indirect role in reducing output. He is espe-cially worried for the long-term impacts. “You can’tmake an automatic association between austerityand movie-making capacity,” he said in an interview.“But in today’s tough economic climate, companiesstart to go out of business, which is a threat to theskills base.”

In debt-wracked Spain, aid to the movie industryslumped from 123 million euros ($160 million) in2010 to 55 million euros this year-and cinema

admissions have been whacked by a rise in value-added tax from eight percent to 21 percent. “If wedon’t find new sources of income, many movie proj-ects will be shelved, and it will be a great loss for cul-tural creativity in Europe,” said the president of theSpanish cinemas federation, Juan Ramon GomezFabra.

A leading independent distributor, Alta Films,recently filed for bankruptcy, a development thatthe French Association of Film Exporters (Adef ),which sells French movies to its neighbour, said wasa tragedy. Adef took aim at two perceived causes:what it described as a “lack of Spanish political sup-port” for the cinema, and decisions by state and pri-vate TV channels to stop buying “auteur” films,meaning movies that are made by marginal orprovocative directors.

Italy is another big film maker where austerity isstarting to bite: state aid this year has been cut byfour million euros to 72.4 million, unleashing a howlof pain from the national association of cinemato-graphic and audiovisual industries, ANICA. InGermany, 13 professional groups in the movieindustry last month issued a joint appeal to the statechannels ARD and ZDF to allocate 3.5 percent oftheir combined income from TV licences of sevenbillion euros to making feature-length movies. Thetrend in financing “points to fewer films being sup-ported, not more,” said Bettina Reitz, in charge ofprogramming with the Bavarian network BR.

France, according to Garandeau, “still has theprivilege” of strong financing, although the cash-strapped state required CNC to repay 50 millioneuros last year, followed by 150 million in the 2013

fiscal year. French TV financing in movie-making fellby 5.4 percent last year; the state-run FranceTelevisions, which runs a group of national TV net-works, will reduce its movie investment by three mil-lion euros this year to 57 million euros. The bigexception is Britain, which last year had a huge suc-cess with the James Bond movie “Skyfall,” whichnotched up world box office of more than a billiondollars.

The industry contributes 4.6 billion pounds ($7billion) to the national economy, employing 117,000people today, compared with 100,000 in 2009. But itis also an industry that is heavily supported by thestate-and royalty, too, for the Queen hosted a bashfor it at Windsor Castle in April, which helpedsmooth the way to a deal for Pinewood Studios inthe making of the seventh episode of “Star Wars.”Despite this success, Britain fails as a nurturingground of films that are socially or artistically chal-lenging, said leftwing British director Ken Loach.

“American commercial films dominate andmonopolize the market so it’s very hard, and peoplestruggle as best they can and they try to get this taxrelief or that tax break... but it’s very meager and thecritical thing is we don’t have access to our screens,”he said in an interview. “The screens are dominatedby the American industry commercial films and thecartels operate... if you make an independent Britishfilm it’s very hard to get a screen presence.”— AFP

Broadcast networks Fox and NBC are turning toproven favorites to lure new viewers next season,with Fox rebooting the defunct Kiefer Sutherland

action series “24” and NBC bringing back Michael J. Fox ina comedy loosely based on his life. The two networkspitched their TV schedules to advertisers on Monday atthe start of the “upfront” selling season, an annual ritewhen broadcasters try to persuade advertisers to shellout billions of dollars in advance for their new shows.

Fox is suffering from a 20 percent decline in the audi-ence for once-unbeatable singing contest “AmericanIdol,” while NBC has been trying to climb out of the rat-ings cellar for years. Prime time ratings at News Corp-owned Fox slumped 16.7 percent this year, according toNielsen data provided by Horizon Media and based onviewing the day the show airs. Viewership at Comcast-owned NBC remained flat this season while that of itsrivals declined. NBC is so far in third place this yearamong total viewers based on same-day viewing.

At a presentation at New York’s Radio City Music Hall,NBC Entertainment Chairman Bob Greenblatt highlight-ed “The Michael J Fox Show,” a new semi-autobiographi-cal comedy about a father with Parkinson’s disease. Foxstarred on NBC in 1980s sitcom “Family Ties.” The networkalso announced “Will & Grace” star Sean Hayes will returnin “Sean Saves the World,” a sitcom about a divorced gaydad, and trumpeted its Winter Olympics broadcast inFebruary. It plans 17 new shows throughout next season.

Bringing back former stars is no sure thing. Fox hasnot starred in a lead role since “Spin City” went off the air12 years ago. Hayes’ “Will & Grace” ended its run in 2006.Greenblatt said NBC’s performance needs to improve.“We have no illusions about how much work is ahead ofus in order to grow our business,” Greenblatt told adver-tisers at the presentation, where the network’s own starspoked fun at NBC’s shortcomings. Jay Leno, who will bereplaced by comedian Jimmy Fallon on “The TonightShow” in early 2014, joked in a video duet with Fallon.“Who knows? We may beat Univision,” Leno sang. NBClost the February sweeps ratings period this year toSpanish-language network Univision.

JACK IS BACKOn Fox, the network is turning to one of its former

heavyweights, Sutherland, for a limited run in May of itspopular thriller “24,” with 12 episodes that represent 24hours. The original show ran on Fox for eight seasonsending in 2010, when its average audience had declinedfrom a high of more than 13 million to roughly 9 million.Fox unveiled five new comedies and four dramas. Theyinclude “Dads,” the first live-action comedy from “FamilyGuy” creator Seth MacFarlane, and drama “AlmostHuman,” from J.J. Abrams, creator of “Lost.” FoxEntertainment Chairman Kevin Reilly told reporters thenetwork was making its “biggest investment” to date inprogramming but declined to comment on the amount.

Reilly said it was likely “American Idol” would featurethree judges next year rather than four. Last week, veter-an judge Randy Jackson said he would be leaving theshow after 12 years. During the Fox presentation at NewYork’s Beacon Theater, Emmy winner Greg Kinnear tookto the stage to promote his new legal drama “Rake.” Reillypitched upcoming miniseries “Wayward Pines” starringMatt Dillon and directed by filmmaker M NightShyamalan. Wall Street analysts expect broadcast net-works to have to settle for lower ad rate increases thanthey have enjoyed in recent years. —Reuters

Workers add the finishing touches outside the Carlton Hotel in Cannes on the eve of the 66th edition of the Cannes FilmFestival. — AFP photos

Workers set up a hoarding advertising a film ahead of the 66th international film festival, in Cannes, southern Franceyesterday.

French actress and mistressof ceremonies at theCannes Film Festival,Audrey Tautou poses yes-terday during a photocallin Cannes on the eve of the66th edition of the CannesFilm Festival. — AFP

View a giant installation (back R) being set up of the film ‘The Great Gatsby’ ahead of the 66th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes yesterday. — AFP


l if e s t y l eF e a t u r e s

By Sahar Moussa

DUBAI: When Sir Thomas Lipton opened his first shop in 1870creating the Lipton tea brand, nobody knew that his modernvision would keep his name alive even after 100 years. A self-made man from Scotland who was known for his persistencefor challenging the American holders of the America’s Cupthrough the Royal Ulster Yacht Club five times with his yachts,he earned for himself a specially designed cup which madehis tea brand famous in the US.

Today, Lipton’s dream has come true as it has become thenumber one tea brand in the world, and as consumers’ firstchoice, it is many times bigger than its nearest competitor.Lipton, thanks to his aspiration, became a legend sourcing histea from 35 countries.

Lipton Yellow Label has understood the importance of teain the Middle East, especially the Gulf and mainly in Dubai. Itset up a factory to cater to the customers’ high expectations.The Lipton Jebel Ali Factory is Unilever’s second largest teamanufacturing plant in the world, producing an astonishing1.2 million tea bags per hour, amounting to a gigantic six bil-lion teabags per year.

“With 170 employees locally, Lipton has built a deepunderstanding for the Middle East, and notwithstanding theArab Spring, Lipton has grown. Even the economic recessioncouldn’t stop Lipton from expanding”, said Sanjiv Mehta,Chairman of Unilever, North Africa and Middle East, at a re-launch event for Lipton Yellow Label, Unilever ’s new,improved blend designed to appeal to the next generation oftea drinkers.

With the newly-introduced blend, the iconic brand will usea groundbreaking innovation in tea production. In a newprocess unique to Lipton, fresh, high-quality tea leaves arepressed during production. This releases a ‘natural tea essence’full of fresh tea flavor. The essence is added back to the teablend; thus Lipton Yellow Label delivers a fully rounded, satis-fying flavor that Yellow Label lovers demand, with a rich body,but without bitterness or astringency.

The new tea essence process was developed by the LiptonInstitute of Tea - Lipton’s dedicated tea research facility. Theteam was inspired to experiment with the concept of teaessence using the same techniques involved in pressing olivesand grapes. From this inspiration came the new process nowoperational at the Lipton Tea Gardens in Kericho, Kenya, oneof the finest tea growing regions in the world. Only freshlypicked, high-quality tea leaves are pressed as part of the newYellow Label process.

Lipton has updated its high quality blend to continue togive consumers the rich tasting tea they love. “Yellow Label isprobably the world’s most famous tea,” said Mehta. “It isdesigned to be enjoyed not only by the millions of peoplearound the world who currently drink it every day, but by anew generation of drinkers looking for a tea that can deliver agreat taste, without dryness or bitterness, cup after cup.”

Mehta continues: “Creating brands that our customerswant and love is at the heart of our business and we’re hugelyexcited about this new use of tea essence. Not only it is aworld first, but also it means we’re now able to develop prod-ucts in ways that have never been seen before.” The newLipton Yellow Label is on major supermarket shelves acrossthe region.

State-of-the-art facility• Lipton Jebel Ali Factory (LJA) is the company’s lead-

ing tea production facility in the region and it is oneof Unilever’s flagship tea factories worldwide.

• The Lipton Jebel Ali Factory in Jebel Ali is Unilever’ssecond largest tea manufacturing plant in theworld, producing an astonishing 1.2 million teabags per hour, amounting to a gigantic 6 billionteabags per year.

Background• Until 1998, tea bags for the Arabian regional mar-

kets were sourced from the United Kingdom. Whilstpacket tea was sourced from India up to 2005. WithDubai’s optimal location, the city is strategicallylocated - within close proximity of the world’sbiggest black tea growing countries (e.g. India, SriLanka, East Africa) on the one hand, while alsobeing at the heart of the large Middle East tea mar-kets, on the other. Hence, Unilever decided to investonshore in the UAE, and establish a Lipton Jebel AliFactory in 1998, located in the Jebel Ali Free Zone.

• While the factory was originally conceived to supplyinto the local markets in and around the Arabianregion, the site has since grown enormously in size,scale, and reach. With annualised production vol-umes increasing from 5000 Tons to 25,000 Tons in10 years, the site today is a global tea sourcing hub,exporting to 47 countries worldwide.

Factory expansionDespite the turbulent economic and business condi-

tions, Unilever continues to invest in one of its biggestand globally renowned brands, Lipton. The expansionwhich was completed in March 2013 will enable theLipton Jebel Ali Factory to increase its productioncapacity of both black and green tea, to cope with therapidly growing consumer demand for many years tocome.

Manufacturing excellenceOver the years, the Lipton Jebel Ali Factory has

developed tremendously, not only in terms of the vol-umes it generates but also with regards to its manufac-turing excellence. Quality and consistency remains thecornerstone of the site’s manufacturing strategy whichensures that loyal Lipton consumers receive a greatproduct every time.

Sanjiv Mehta, Chairman of Unilever

39Lipton Yellow Label ‘richer and natural’

WEDNESESDAY, MAY 15, 2013

US movie actors Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie pose in this file photo during a photo session prior to the Japan pre-miere of Pitt’s latest film ‘Moneyball’ in Tokyo. (Right) actress Angelina Jolie poses for a portrait to promote herdirectorial debut of the film ‘In the Land of Blood and Honey’ in New York. Jolie authored an op-ed for yesterday’sNew York Times where she wrote that in April she finished three months of surgical procedures to remove bothbreasts as a preventive measure. — AP

Angelina Jolie revealed yesterday that she has under-gone a preventive double mastectomy to reduce herrisk of contracting breast cancer. Jolie said she was

speaking out to encourage other women with a family historyof cancer-her mother died of it age 56 - to seek out informa-tion from doctors and make informed choices about theirbodies. She said she managed to keep the issue quiet andkeep working. “But I am writing about it now because I hopethat other women can benefit from my experience,” she said.

The 37-year-old American actress wrote in an opinionpiece entitled “My Medical Choice” in The New York Times thatshe had chosen the procedure because she carries a faultygene that increases her risk of both breast and ovarian cancer.Jolie, one of Hollywood’s best-known faces and the partner ofactor Brad Pitt, said that because of this gene, known asBRCA1, her doctors estimated she had an 87 percent risk ofbreast cancer and 50 percent risk of ovarian cancer.

“Once I knew that this was my reality, I decided to beproactive and to minimize the risk as much I could. I made a

decision to have a preventive double mastectomy,” she wrote.“I started with the breasts, as my risk of breast cancer is higherthan my risk of ovarian cancer, and the surgery is more com-plex,” Jolie wrote. She said that on April 27 she completed thethree months of medical procedures that the mastectomiesinvolved.

Jolie said her chances of developing breast cancer are nowdown to five percent. Jolie and Pitt have three adopted andthree biological children. “I can tell my children they don’tneed to fear they will lose me to breast cancer,” Jolie said. Joliedescribed a two-stage surgical process, the second of which isan operation that can take up to eight hours as the breast tis-sue is removed and temporary fillers are put in place.

“You wake up with drain tubes and expanders in yourbreasts. It does feel like a scene out of a science fiction film.But days after surgery you can be back to a normal life,” Joliewrote. Jolie said Pitt has been a huge source of support. “Bradwas at the Pink Lotus Breast Center, where I was treated, forevery minute of the surgeries,” she said, adding that “we man-

aged to find moments to laugh together.” Jolie said she hasonly small scars after the ordeal, with nothing alarming for herchildren to see.

“On a personal note, I do not feel any less of a woman. I feelempowered that I made a strong choice that in no way dimin-ishes my femininity.” Jolie, one of the world’s highest paid per-formers, said the cost of getting tested for BRCA1 and anotherfaulty gene, called BRCA2, is more than $3,000 in the UnitedStates and that this “remains an obstacle for many women”.She said she hopes women living under the threat of cancerwill be able to get tested. “Life comes with many challenges.The ones that should not scare us are the ones we can take onand take control of,” Jolie wrote.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague, who has beenworking with Jolie in the past few months in her role as UNspecial envoy for refugee issues to highlight the problem ofsexual violence in conflict, said she was a “brave lady and willbe an inspiration to many”. Hague and Jolie visited Rwandaand Democratic Republic of Congo in March and successfully

joined forces at a meeting of G8 finance ministers last monthto win a pledge to act against the use of rape as a weapon ofwar.

“She’s a courageous lady, a very professional lady. She’sdone a lot of work with me in recent months and travelledwith me through some difficult places in the Congo,” Haguetold Sky News television. “She gave no sign that she wasundergoing such treatment. She’s a very brave lady not onlyto carry on with her work so well during such treatment, alsoto write about it now and talk about it. She’s a brave lady andwill be an inspiration to many.”— AFP

Here is a look at some female celebrities who havesuffered breast cancer after Oscar-winningactress Angelina Jolie revealed yesterday she

underwent a preventive double mastectomy to reducethe risk of breast cancer:

SHERYL CROWGrammy-winning rock star Sheryl Crow, 51, was

diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer in February2006 after a routine mammogram. She has campaignedfor women aged over 35 to have annual mammograms.“I can safely say my life has changed in every way. I feelkeenly aware of how precious and fleeting life is,” shewrote on her website.

KYLIE MINOGUEAustralian pop star Kylie Minogue, 44, was diag-

nosed with breast cancer in 2005 and went through sur-gery and chemotherapy. Her 2006 “ShowgirlHomecoming Tour” represented her comeback fromcancer.

OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN Australian singer Olivia Newton-John, 64, was diag-

nosed in 1992 and underwent a partial mastectomy andchemotherapy. Her 2005 album, “Stronger than Before”promoted breast cancer awareness. She also introducedthe “Olivia Breast Self-Exam Kit” and helped build theOlivia Newton-John Cancer Centre in her nativeMelbourne, Australia.

ROBIN ROBERTSGood Morning America anchor Robin Roberts, 52,

made a name for herself interviewing athletes, actors,and other newsworthy personalities, but in 2007, sheturned the camera on herself to announce she’d beendiagnosed with breast cancer. In 2012, she developedthe rare MDS or myelodysplastic syndrome.

JACLYN SMITHFormer “Charlie’s Angels” star and fashion business

woman, Smith, 67, discovered a lump and underwent alumpectomy and radiation. She has become active withgroups such as Susan G Komen for the Cure. Smith alsospeaks publicly about the recognizing breast cancer riskfactors as part of the Strength in Knowing program.

SHARON OSBOURNEFamed as a TV presenter of “America’s Got Talent

and Sharon, 60, wife of heavy metal singer OzzyOsbourne, developed colon cancer in 2002. She start-ed the Sharon Osbourne Colon Cancer Foundation inassociation with Cedars Sinai Medical Center. As a pre-caution in 2012 she underwent a double mastectomyafter she carried genes which made her a likely risk forbreast cancer. — Reuters

Ahot cup of Ceylon tea is better known as being sooth-ing and relaxing, but Sri Lanka is now marketing itsmost profitable export as a luxury boost for the libido.

The tea industry is increasingly plugging Ceylon’s supposedaphrodisiac qualities in a bid to radically change perceptionsof the brew, which manufacturers say can sell for less thanwater in some markets.”We are highlighting the properties oftea that can give you an edge in the bedroom,” said RohanFernando, whose firm HVA Foods sells a small 60-gram jar ofpremium Ceylon for $350.

“Tea has traditionally been the poor man’s drink. We wantto be at the top-end of the supply chain,” he said.The industrymay not yet have hard medical proof of Ceylon’s performance-enhancing powers, but they have long been the stuff of leg-end among Sri Lankan tea lovers. The brews known for theirpotency are the top-quality white teas, known as Silver Tipsand Golden Tips, which are gaining popularity among well-heeled Chinese businessmen along with rich Saudis andJapanese, Fernando said. Unlike orthodox teas, the white vari-eties are made with just the tender tea buds, which are sun-dried and carefully tended until they turn gold or silver incolour.

At his tea factory in Kandana town, north of the capitalColombo, Fernando held up a ceramic urn wrapped in blackvelvet and sealed with a gold ribbon, explaining that a cuppais not only good for sexual health. The tea contains polyphe-

nols, flavonoids and anti-oxidants-known to improve theimmune system and blood circulation. Leading tea makerHerman Gunaratne is also keen to promote such qualities inhis rare “virgin white” tea, so called because it is untouched byhuman hands in production, unlike orthodox types hand-plucked from the tea bush. The product retails at the MariageFreres tea emporium in Paris for $88 for a 20-gram box, theequivalent of $4,400 per kilo.

“My virgin white tea contains 10.11 percent anti-oxidants...This could be the highest level of anti-oxidants in any tea,”Gunaratne said. “When your overall health improves, yoursexual performance automatically increases.” Tea is not indige-nous to Sri Lanka, but after Scotsman James Taylor plantedthe first tea bush, Camellia Sinensis, in 1849, it became a pri-mary export. Last year, tea brought in nearly $1.5 billion tothe country’s coffers. Sri Lanka also conducts the world’slargest weekly tea auction where five to six million kilos (10 to13 million pounds) change hands.

But the island may soon be reaching its maximum produc-tion capacity after exporting nearly 320 million kilos last year.Gunaratne is among the tea purists who want to guard SriLanka’s reputation as a maker of clean tea-product that is freeof pesticide residue and other contaminants-and he is keen tosee more high-end varieties rather than the traditional exportof cheap bulk products. “We need to re-brand tea,” he said.“We have the potential to increase our tea income four-fold.”

The Sri Lanka Tea Board is about to embark on a majorinternational marketing campaign for the first time indecades, which will promote the health benefits of a high-endcup. Currently only 42 to 43 percent of Ceylon is exported inpackets of less than three kilos each, but the target is to raisethis to 60 percent in the next five years, board director Hasithade Alwis said. Anil Cooke, head of Sri Lankan tea broking firmAsia Siyaka Commodities, agreed that Ceylon-known by thecountry’s colonial name-should be “re-positioned globally”with a focus on increasing its value.”It is being done in a smallway by a few companies, but it can be given a bigger boost,”Cooke said.

Leading the way is Gunaratne’s tea plantation in the southof the island, which has become a key tourist attraction with atea museum, tours and tasting sessions. Despite cutting dailytea leaf production from 20,000 to just 2,000 kilos a day, hisgourmet products now sell at 10 times the average retail priceof loose tea in the local market. “Since shifting to highly spe-cialised teas... I earn double what I did before,” said Gunaratne.Cooke said he was not sure if the aphrodisiac properties or thebig bucks from his Ceylon had put a permanent smile on the69-year-old tea maker’s face.— AFP

A Sri Lankan laboratory assistant works at a factory in Kandana on the outskirts of Colombo. (Right) Sri Lanka’s exotic Golden Tips and Silver Tips and a Japanese Sencha teabrewed on display at a factory in Kandana on the outskirts of Colombo. A hot cup of Ceylon tea is better known as being soothing and relaxing, but Sri Lanka is now market-ing its most profitable export as a luxury boost for the libido. — AFP photos

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