By B Izzak

KUWAIT: The National Assembly’s financialand economic affairs committee yesterdayapproved a proposal to raise the children’sallowance by KD 15 to KD 65 monthly for amaximum of seven children per family.

Rapporteur of the panel MP Mohammad Al-Jabri said the proposal was approved beingthe cheapest of all proposals submitted to theAssembly to raise the children’s allowance.Jabri said the annual cost of the proposal isjust KD 83 million without including the costof transfers to the Public Institution for Social

Security.The lawmaker said that by approving the

proposal, the committee members haveshown they care to fulfill the interests of thepeople and to safeguard public funds at thesame time.

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Assembly panel demands tough action against homosexuality 7

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Hamilton leads Mercedes to big win in Malaysia

MONDAY, MARCH 31, 2014 JAMADA ALAWWAL 30, 1435 AH www.kuwaittimes.net

Improving bilateral

ties top priority: GulTurkish president meets Kuwaiti media delegation

By Abd Al-Rahman Al-AlyanKuwait Times Editor-in-Chief

ANKARA: Improving bilateral relations with Kuwait is a toppriority for Turkey where the Gulf state has a special placein the Turkish people’s hearts. This was stated by TurkishPresident Abdullah Gul during a recent meeting with edi-tors-in-chief of Kuwaiti newspapers who visited Turkeyahead of Gul’s official visit to Kuwait tomorrow. “Boostingcooperation with Gulf Cooperation Council states in gener-al and Kuwait in specific has been an issue of key impor-tance since the beginning of my political career,” Gul toldthe Kuwaiti delegation. “Turkey’s relationship with GCCstates is important for both sides.”

Gul focused during his time as foreign minister onstrengthening ties with GCC states, which later resulted insigning a framework agreement of strategic cooperationbetween the two sides, he said. “Cooperation with Kuwaitunder this agreement is a top priority for Turkey,” Gul indi-cated.

In the meantime, President Gul said that he looks for-ward to his scheduled visit to Kuwait, the third since hebecame president in 2007, saying that it is an opportunityto “discuss the future of bilateral relations between Turkeyand Kuwait in light of the rapid changes in the region andthe world.” The visit will also be an opportunity to discussthe latest regional developments with HH the Amir SheikhSabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Gul said. “The region isgoing through a critical period which requires coordinationand consultation between Turkey and Kuwait,” Gul indicat-ed. In this regard, he acknowledged HH the Amir as “one ofthe most experienced world leaders on political matters,”adding that his opinions on those issues are ‘reliable’.

Continued on Page 3

ANKARA: (From left) Editor-in-Chief of Al-Rai Majed Al-Ali, Kuwait Journalists Association Treasurer Adnan Al-Rashed, Editor-in-Chief of Al-Anbaa Yousuf Al-Marzouq, Editor-in-Chief of Annahar Emad Bukhamseen, Turkish President Abdullah Gul, Kuwaiti Ambassador to Turkey Abdullah Al-Thuwaikh, Head of Arab MediaForum Madhi Al-Khamees, Director of Kuwait News Agency’s office in Ankara Mohammad Al-Mutairi, Second Secretary at the Kuwaiti Embassy Tareq Al-Khashramand Editor-in-Chief of Kuwait Times Abd Al-Rahman Al-Alyan pose for a group photo after a meeting. — Photo by Hani Al-Shemmari

Panel OKs raising children

allowance by only KD 15

MP proposes 3-year jail for fighting abroad

CAIRO: Egypt is to hold a presiden-tial election on May 26-27, 10months after the army oustedIslamist leader Mohamed Morsi fromthe presidency, the electoral com-mission announced yesterday.Retired army chief Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, who toppled Morsi, is widelyexpected to win the vote, riding on awave of popularity for havingremoved the divisive president lastJuly. The election would go into asecond round on June 16-17 if therewas no outright winner, but that out-come seems unlikely given Sisi’s pop-ularity and the absence of seriouscontenders. The only other main can-didate is leftwing politicianHamdeen Sabbahi, who came thirdin the 2012 election that Morsi won.The new president will beannounced by June 26 at the latest.

The commission said registrationof candidates would open today andrun until April 20, and campaigningfrom May 3-23. The announcement ofthe dates by electoral chief Ashraf al-Asy came after Sisi resigned asdefence minister and army com-mander last week to contest the elec-tion, pledging to eradicate “terrorism”.Egypt has been rocked by often vio-lent protests and a spate of militantattacks which have killed almost 500people, mostly policemen and sol-diers, the government says.

Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood,blacklisted as a “terrorist organisa-tion”, has said there can be no stabili-ty under Sisi as president, accusinghim of having staged a coup againstEgypt’s first freely elected and civilianpresident.

Continued on Page 13

By A Saleh

KUWAIT: During a recent meeting between theKuwaiti hajj mission and the Saudi hajj ministry,both sides agreed that expatriates will not beallowed to go for hajj from Kuwait and that theywould have to go from their own respective coun-tries. Both sides also agreed to limit the maximumnumber of expatriate workers with each convoy toonly four. In addition, both sides agreed that themaximum number of pilgrims to be received fromKuwait for the next hajj season would be limited to6,400 and that all illegal convoys and ads for cheapservices would be tracked in both countries.

No expatriate

hajj pilgrims

from Kuwait

ISTANBUL: Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan casts his ballotat a polling station yesterday. — AFP

ANKARA: Turkish Premier RecepTayyip Erdogan’s party took a strongearly lead in local elections yesterday,TV channels reported, despite turbu-lent months marked by mass protests,corruption scandals and Internetblocks. If the initial trend holds up, itwould considerably brighten the out-look for Erdogan, who had gone on aweeks-long campaign marathonahead of the vote widely seen as a ref-erendum on his 11-year-rule. Withover 18 percent of the municipalvotes nationwide counted by earlyevening, his Justice and DevelopmentParty (AKP) was at almost 50 percentof the vote, the private NTV televisionreported.

CNN-Turk said the AKP looked tohave scored around 48 percent of thevotes cast nationwide, based on morethan 10 percent of the ballots counted,and was ahead in megacity Istanbuland the capital Ankara. Erdogan hasbeen eyeing a run for the presidency inAugust - the first time voters willdirectly elect the head of state - or mayask his party to change rules and allowhim to seek a fourth term as premier.Despite much criticism at home andabroad over what critics have labelledhis increasingly authoritarian rule,Erdogan and his party, have drawnlarge crowds cheering the man some-times dubbed “the sultan”.

Continued on Page 13

Erdogan’s party takes

strong lead in election

KUWAIT: A senior government officialyesterday refuted reports in the pressand social media over the cost of host-ing the March 25-26 Arab Summit andother earlier meetings, saying actualspending was around KD 40 million($142.5 million). “All information pub-lished about this issue are inaccurate,”Sheikh Mohammad Al-Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, Minister of State forCabinet Affairs and Chairman of theHigher Coordination Committee ofConferences, told KUNA.

Kuwait, under patronage of HH theAmir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-JaberAl-Sabah, has hosted nine conferencessince November, he said. The Arab-African Economic Forum, the Arab-Africa Summit and the GCC ministerialmeeting which featured participation ofYemen, Jordan and Morocco were heldin Nov 2013. The Gulf CooperationCouncil (GCC) Summit was held in Dec2013, he said. Kuwait also hosted the2nd international donors’ conference forthe Syrian people on Jan 15. The GCC-Russia Strategic Dialogue was held inthe same month.

Sheikh Mohammad said March wit-

nessed three Arab League meetings. Thefirst was of the Economic and SocialCouncil, the second of the Arab foreignministers and then the Arab Summit,which was held last week. “The costs ofthese conferences did not even reachthe reported figures. The total spend-ing...was KD 39.7 million,” which includedequipment, furniture, accommodationand transportation among others, saidSheikh Mohammad. These expenseswere approved by the Audit Bureau, theCentral Tenders Committee, the Legaland Legislation Department and theMinistry of Finance, he said. — KUNA

Govt: Cost of

9 conferences

only KD 40m

Sheikh Mohammad

Egypt presidential election May 26-27

CAIRO: Egyptian judge Anwar Rashad Al-Assi (third left), head ofthe presidential electoral commission, announces the timetablefor the upcoming presidential election yesterday. — AFP

L O C A LMONDAY, MARCH 31, 2014

By Ben Garcia

KUWAIT: While a probation period for domestichelper will be beneficial, Philippine LaborAttache to Kuwait Cesar Chavez said the one-year period as proposed is a very long one. Ifapproved, it will affect new domestic helperrecruits from various labor-exporting countriessuch as the Philippines, Ethiopia, India,Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Indonesia. ThePhilippines has about 80,000 domestic helpers inKuwait. Yesterday, Sheikh Faisal Al-Nawaf Al-Sabah, Assistant Undersecretary for Citizenshipand Passports Affairs said the Interior Ministrymight agree to increase a housemaid’s probationperiod from 100 days to one year.

“That is too long for a two-year contract.Maybe six months would be reasonable enough,”said Chavez. Sheikh Nawaf will meet representa-tives of Kuwait’s local domestic labor offices todiscuss suggestions on how to improve the

domestic sector to regulate the contractbetween employers and domestic helpers. Theemployer has the right to return the domestichelper at any given time during one-year period.

“I think it will prolong the housemaid’s con-tract - instead of just only two years, they mightask for an additional year or two,” Chavez noted.“You are virtually allowing employers to takeadvantage of our workers. We do not wantemployers to take advantage of the proposedone-year probation and let their housemaidswork and later fire or return them to agencieswithout providing residency visas. Besides, trans-fer to another employer will also absolve the PRAin the Philippines,” he added.

The president of Filipino recruitment agenciesin Kuwait is also not in favor of the one-year pro-bation period for domestic helpers. “That is toolong, and it can be used to the advantage ofemployers. Even with the three-month proba-tionary period, a day before 100 days elapse,

employers return their housemaids (to therecruitment agency) to keep their money intact,”disclosed Maripol Abdullah, President of theFilipino Association of Secretaries of EmploymentAgencies in Kuwait (FIL-ASEAK).

“Six months is okay, but I hope after sixmonths they send the housemaid back homeinstead of returning her to the agency. The onlyproblem is what if the housemaid wants to workand transfer to a new employer. It’s really hard,but I hope they’ll study the system correctly andimplement the proper mechanism to the advan-tage of both employer and employee,” she men-tioned.

Last month an Ethiopian housemaid killed heremployer’s 19-year-old daughter. From then on,several moves to regulate hiring domestichelpers were discussed and heard in variousforums including reactivating the Barirah Projectof the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs whichwas first introduced in 2006.

KUWAIT: Philippine Labor Attache to Kuwait Atty Cesar Chavez (fifth from left) and Maripol Abdullah (fourth from right) pose here with the visi-tors of a Filipino forum in Kuwait City on Friday. —Photo by Albert Dimaculangan

One year probation period for

domestic helpers ‘very long’

Plans to improve domestic sector

By A Saleh and agencies

KUWAIT: MP Hamdan Al-Azmi announcedthat the so-called negative phenomenacommittee in the parliament will discussgambling and the spread of illegal gamesin Kuwait, as well as crimes and cases ofviolence associated with domestic helpers.The panel also plans to send invitations tothe interior and social affairs and laborministries in order to discuss the twoissues, Al-Azmi said in statements pub-lished by Al-Rai yesterday. Al-Azmi, whochairs the committee that was formed tostudy aspects considered negative or‘strange’ to the Kuwaiti society, demandedstrong action from authorities againsthomosexuality in Kuwait.

“Social institutions are required to takea stand against the so-called ‘gays’ in orderto prevent the spread of cases that areagainst religion, creation and humannature,” he said. Regarding the nature ofaction he is demanding, Al-Azmiexplained that the Interior Ministry isrequired to “raid apartments that sheltergays and where they practice prohibitedactions that cannot be accepted underany justification”.

“Men who are imitating the oppositesex are required to either return back totheir senses and leave the life of humilia-tion, or the law should be enforced firmlyagainst them,” Al-Azmi proclaimed. He alsoaccused the Interior Ministry of “not han-dling those cases as firmly as it should”,and demanded coordination with statedepartments to report any gay employees.Al-Azmi proposed physiological and psy-chological treatment for homosexual indi-viduals “in order to return back to beingnormal citizens who can be integratedwith the society,” while deporting expatri-ate gays.

In other news, Minister of HousingAffairs Yasser Abul announced that an

agreement was reached during the hous-ing committee’s meeting to allocate a par-liamentary session in the current term todiscuss the housing issue. The meetingyesterday focused on financing housingprojects, which has been a source of con-cern for the government as it struggles tomeet over 110,000 pending applicationsfor housing welfare.

Abul said in a statement following themeeting that the government is studying‘alternative visions’ to supplement theSaving and Credit Bank in financing hous-ing projects during the next few years.Abul further indicated that the Saving andCredit Bank faces the risk of falling intodeficit if it was forced to provide loans tofinance 12,000 housing units every year.

Gulf pactAl-Rai also reported yesterday that the

parliament’s foreign affairs committee isexpected to reject the Gulf security pactwhen its members vote on the controver-sial agreement this Thursday. The decisionis based on consultations with constitu-tional experts in the parliament’s headoffice who said that the pact was uncon-stitutional, said sources. The governmenthad approved the Gulf security pact lastyear, but it cannot become effective untilthe parliament ratifies it. The parliament isset to vote on the agreement in the mid-dle of April.

Kuwaiti-Qatari panel Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Khaled

Al-Jarallah considered the participation ofQatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad inthe Arab summit in Kuwait as a sign of hissupport of Arab joint actions. Speaking toQatar News Agency, Jarallah stressed thatboth countries had very distinguishedrelations and that arrangements were inprogress to hold a meeting of the jointKuwaiti-Qatari committee soon.

Panel demands tougher

action against gays

KUWAIT: Outpatient clinics, third stage, dermatology, opthalmology, ear, nose and throat (ENT) pharmacy were opened at Adan hospital in thepresence of Health Minister Ali Saad Al-Obaidi, and Ahmadi Governor Sheikh Dr Ibrhaim Al-Duaij Al-Sabah.

By Hanan Al-Saadoun

KUWAIT: An Indian expat sustained headinjuries and bruises when he was run overby a car on Fifth Ring Road near Yarmouk.Meanwhile a six-year-old girl panickedwhen the lift she was in malfunctioned. Shewas treated on site.

A 40 year old Bangladeshi expat suf-fered a head injury and wounds when hisvehicle flipped over on Sixth Ring Road. Hewas admitted in the Farwaniya ICU.

Ahmadi police sent Egyptian and

Pakistani expats to drugs control authori-ties for using drugs and alcohol. The twowere arrested following a car accident onKing Fahd Road.

A police patrol reported a person identi-fied by his initials TSM, posing as a police-man and manning a checkpoint in Nuzha.When arriving at the scene, the suspectwas seen with a flasher in his car. When tak-en to Faiha police station, another flasherwas found along with batons as well as abottle suspected to contain liquor. The sus-pect himself was in an abnormal condition.

Indian injured in accident

Kuwait gives top priority to

intellectual property protection

KUWAIT: Kuwait attaches much attentionto intellectual property protection due toits significance to the economic develop-ment process, said a senior commerce offi-cial. “Kuwait has enacted laws and pieces oflegislation aiming to protect intellectualproperty and boost consumers’ awarenessabout the perils of trademark infringe-ment,” Undersecretary of the Ministry ofCommerce and Industry Abdulaziz Al-Khaldi said at a conference held here yes-terday.

The protection of intellectual propertyand trademarks will surely contribute tothe preservation of consumers’ health andsafety as per relevant international criteria,he addressed the event entitled:“Intellectual Property and EconomicDevelopment”.

There are challenges and obstacles

haunting the protection of intellectualproperty rights in the Arab region as aresult of lack of public awareness in thisregard, he added.

The conference is co-organized by theMinistry of Commerce and Industry and theGCC Intellectual Property Center andKuwait University.

The Kuwaiti official said the gatheringrevolves around ways and means of pro-tecting intellectual property in the Arabregion by means of sharing experience andexpertise between the GCC and Arab coun-tries and international organizations.

Kuwait seeks to open up to world mar-kets in order to bring benefits to con-sumers and the society and to create acompetitive atmosphere to ensure a strongeconomy and provide more jobs, Al-Khaldipointed out. —KUNA

MANAMA: US Navy operations in the ArabianGulf will go well into the middle of the century,the commander of the 5th Fleet and the USNaval Forces Central Command has said.

Referring to the $580 million base expansionin Bahrain that includes modifications to accom-modate the US Navy’s new littoral combat ships(LCS), due to be operational in the Arabian Gulfby 2018, Vice Admiral John Miller said that itindicated “an enduring presence.”

“Some of the modifications that we are doingright now will help us get the base ready for thearrival of the littoral combat ships, which willstart right around 2018,” Miller told DefenceNews at the Doha International MaritimeDefence Exhibition (DIMDEX). “Those are shipsthat will serve in the US Navy and this area rightuntil the middle of the current century. Wewould not plan for this infrastructure if we didnot plan on staying here and the second thing isthat we plan on staying not just as the US Navy

but in a coalition environment.”According to Defence News, the LCS is a fast,

agile, focused-mission platform designed foroperation in near-shore environments yet capa-ble of open-ocean operation, according to theUS Navy. It is designed to defeat asymmetricanti-access threats, such as mines, quiet dieselsubmarines and fast surface craft. The LCS classconsists of two variants, Freedom andIndependence. The Freedom variant team is ledby Lockheed Martin. The Independence variantteam is being led by General Dynamics, BathIron Works and Austal USA.

The LCS seaframes will be outfitted withreconfigurable payloads, called mission modulesmade up of mission systems and support equip-ment, which can be changed out quickly. Thesemodules combine with crew detachments andaviation assets to become complete missionpackages, which will deploy manned andunmanned vehicles and sensors in support of

mine countermeasures, anti-submarine warfareor surface warfare missions.

The US presence in the region providesexpertise, might and leadership, added Miller,who replaced Vice Admiral Mark Fox as com-mander in May 2012.

“I see this role as growing over time and willcontinue to grow; we provide a certain amountof technical expertise; we bring a certainamount of firepower to the maritime securityforce as a sort of backbone, but the most impor-tant thing we provide is leadership,” he said. “Wehave seen the addition of the flyover that con-nects us to the waterfront side of things will becompleted in a few months, we continue tonegotiate additional leases with the Bahrainisand we continue to see some growth there andwe also have opportunities with some otherpartners to consolidate our maintenance activi-ties there to allow us to be more efficient.”

— Gulf News

US Navy to boost long-term Gulf operations

KUWAIT: Kuwait witnessed dust storm with wind speed of up to 60 kilometers per hour. Director of the Meteorological Department Mohammad Karam said the winds were accompanied with clouds and scattered rains, making visi-bility as low as 500 meters. He added that the wind will shift northwest causing dust on Sunday night and will continue today also. — Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat and Fouad Al-Shaikh

List of companies owned by

MPs, ministers on the way

KUWAIT: The Ministry of Commerce andIndustry is in the middle of carrying outa complete survey to determine compa-nies owned by members the cabinetand parliament, and then put them in alist containing detailed informationbefore sending it to the parliament.

MP Riyadh Al-Adasani had made aquestion to Deputy Prime Minister andMinister of Commerce and IndustryAbdulmohsen Al-Modej, demandinginformation about commercial proper-ties owned by MPs and ministers. Theministry sent a request later demandingthe civil ID numbers for members of theexecutive and legislative authorities inorder to be able to provide the informa-tion required.

The parliament’s office recently sentlists containing full names and civil IDsof MPs and ministers, based on which

the ministry started preparing the list ofproperties, Al-Qabas reported yester-day.

Under article 131 of the Kuwaiti con-stitution, members of the cabinet andparliament are not allowed to own pri-vate companies during their time inoffice.

In another news, Al-Qabas reportedthat minister Al-Modej accepted the res-ignation of Dr Suad Al-Tarawrah as chiefexecutive of the Protection ofCompetition Authority. Dr Al-Tarawrahreportedly resigned in the middle ofMarch in protest since the authority isyet to start functioning 18 months sinceits establishment. She also cited ‘lack ofhealthy work environment’ and theboard’s inability to employ and build atechnical structures as reasons for quit-ting.

LO C A LMONDAY, MARCH 31, 2014

Continued from Page 1

Gul said that stability of the Arabian Gulf region isthe ‘cornerstone’ for stability of the entire region andthe world. Therefore, Turkey gives top priority to coop-eration with GCC states, especially in the security fields,as well as in efforts to establish peace and stability, hesaid.

Meanwhile, Gul acknowledged Kuwait’s role withinthe Gulf Cooperation Council, especially when it comesto mediating between conflicting states. “Kuwait playsa pioneering role in several fields, and Turkey highlyappreciates the Kuwaiti role in those fields,” he said.Describing himself as a ‘friend’ of GCC states, Gulunderlined the importance of improving cooperationbetween GCC countries, and between them and otherstates, while at the same time respecting each state’sprivacy and sovereignty. “It is important to say that theinterest of GCC states lies in that aspect,” he said.

Arab Summit and SyriaOn the 25th Arab League Summit that Kuwait host-

ed last week, Gul pointed out HH the Amir’s efforts in‘clearing the atmosphere’ and pacifying relationsbetween some Arab states which have been rockedrecently. “HH the Amir is a veteran world leader withover four decades of experience in diplomatic andpolitical work that enables him to clear tensions andunite conflicting Arab states,” he said. “I am confidentthat HH the Amir’s status in the Gulf and Arab scenes aswell as his political experience will contribute in end-ing disputes between Arab and Gulf states,” he assert-ed.

On the struggle in Syria, President Gul expressed‘deep regret’ for the nonstop fighting there, and on thedeath and injury of tens of thousands of Syrian people.He further reiterated that Turkey has called since dayone for a stop to the bloodshed and a return of normallife in Syria. “The situation in Syria is ambiguous asthere are areas under the Syrian regime’s control whileothers are controlled by the Syrian opposition,” he said.“In the meantime, there are areas controlled by extrem-ist armed factions that were not present in Syria beforeand no one knows who are behind them.”

Gul also lamented the lack of development in favorof the opposition since the Syrian revolution startedthree years ago, accusing Western powers of “forcingthe opposition in the face of a barbaric regime withoutproviding it with the support they were hoped to give”.“This led to destruction in Syria as well as more than150,000 dead and millions of Syrians becoming inter-nally displaced or refugees in other countries,” he said.

Gul further indicated that Turkey shared ‘excellentrelations’ with Syria in most fields “until the genocidesthat the Syrian regime committed against its peopleforced Ankara to change its position and stand by theSyrian people”. He also denied accusations against hiscountry of having a ‘secret agenda’ in Syria.

Furthermore, Gul expressed belief that there are twoinfluential powers in the Syrian crisis - Russia and Iran.“Turkey has previously contacted those countries insearch for peaceful solutions for the bloody fighting inSyria,” he said, expressing hope for a ‘positive change’ in

Iran’s position under the leadership of President HassanRouhani that contributes to international efforts to endthe Syrian struggle.

Regarding the incident of downing a Syrian fighterjet in Turkey, Gul said that the Turkish armed forcesperformed their duty in protecting Turkey’s bordersand atmosphere from the ‘risks and threats’ of theSyrian regime. He added that the incident was deliber-ate as the plane was warned four times before it wasshot down. “Turkey is committed to keeping securityand stability on its side of the over 900-kilometer-longborder with Syria,” Gul said, adding that the Turkisharmed forces carry out their duties “without violatinginternational laws and treaties”.

Egypt and IraqPresident Gul recognized Egypt as an important

country in the Arab World and the MediterraneanBasin. He added that Turkey and Egypt are two parts ofan ‘important equation’ in that region. “It is importantfor Turkey that Egypt becomes a strong country in itsgeographical surroundings, and a strong shield againstforeign risks threatening the Arab and Islamic worlds,”he said. In the meantime, President Gul indicated thatthe recent events in Egypt have affected its position inthe region.

Gul expressed regret for the setback that Egypt’sposition in the region suffered. “We warned Egypt outof good intention from events similar to those thatTurkey experienced years ago and which had seriousconsequences on stability and security in our country,”he said, while expressing hope that calm and security isrestored in Egypt. Moreover, Gul pointed out the‘strong relations’ between the Turkish and Egyptianpeople, which he said have been strong since beforethe term of ousted President Mohamed Morsi.

On the situation in Iraq, Gul expressed concern overthe escalating sectarian violence in Iraqi cities. He alsosaid that his country’s southern neighbor lives in astate of sectarian fragmentation “unprecedented in thehistory of Iraqi”, in addition to lack of security and sta-bility in many of its regions. “It pains me to see thepresent situation in Iraq - a country that enjoys enor-mous human and natural resources which if utilized forthe benefit of the Iraqi people, the situation therewould have been different,” he said. “Failure in develop-ment led to the current situation in Iraq,” he pro-claimed.

On the upcoming general elections in Iraq, Gul saidthat the question is whether the Iraqi leaders will beable to overcome sectarian and racial distinctions thatdivide the Iraqi people. “The Iraqi people’s diversityshould be utilized by achieving national unity, insteadof being used to fuel sectarianism,” Gul said. He addedthat Turkey maintains equal relations with all Iraqi sec-tors, in addition to good relations with both the centralgovernment in Baghdad and the Kurdish administra-tion in northern Iraq.

Fighting terrorism and the Palestinian issue

President Gul reiterated that terrorism remains a real

threat that requires the entire world to stand unitedagainst. “The whole world without exception needsunit to fight terrorists and firmly thwart their evils,” hesaid, pointing out that terrorism “knows no religion orsector”. According to Gul, the Soviet occupation ofAfghanistan and the subsequent war there was theseed that bred terrorism and extremist ideology. “Ourcountries have unknowingly fed the growth of radical-ism and fundamentalism when they supported thejihadist factions in Afghanistan that fought against theSoviet troops during the 1980s,” he admitted.

Gul underlined the importance of cooperationbetween countries of the region to f irmly rejectextremism and fanaticism, “which are two ideologiesassociated with terrorism”. He also warned from theconsequences of the spread of extremist ideologies“due to the spread of corruption and injustice and thelack of democracy and justice”.

“We as Muslims are required to deal with terrorismfrom a religious standpoint, on the basis that Islam isthe religion most negatively affected by the spread ofterrorism when it is falsely associated with Islam; some-thing that is unjust towards Muslims and our efforts tospread Islam,” Gul said. He called for joint Islamic effortto “acquit the Islamic faith from these unfair accusa-tions”.

On the Palestinian issue, Gul described it as a ‘bleed-ing wound’ that continues to hurt the Arab and Muslimworlds. Furthermore, he was not optimistic about thechances of a breakthrough regarding the peaceprocess that has been on hold for years. “There are nopositive indications on the horizon that give us hopeabout resuming negotiations between the Palestiniansand Israel due to lack of seriousness from the Israelis ide,” Gul said. “Jewish sett lement activit ies inPalestinian territories are ongoing in blatant violationto the principles of international laws and agreements.”

Meanwhile, Gul expressed regret regarding the“weak Palestinian position against the Israeli intransi-gence”. “Disputes between Palestinian forces are nothelping efforts to strengthen a united Palestinian posi-tion,” he said, calling for “Palestinian unity in order toface the upcoming challenges.”

Economic tiesGul said that his upcoming visit to Kuwait carries a

special meaning since it coincides with the ‘goldenjubilee’, or 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties betweenthe two countries. He underlined the importance of theeconomic ties that his country shares with Kuwait inspecific, and the GCC countries in general.

“Kuwait is distinguished by having a long traditionof investing in Turkey, as it led the way of investment infields like the banking sector, shopping malls, realestate and industry projects,” Gul said. “Turkey remainscommitted to attract more Kuwaiti investments,” headded. Fur thermore, Gul expressed hope to seeimprovement in bilateral economic relations in thenear future, pointing out the fact that the volume oftrade between the two countries is ‘not large’ in com-parison to the volume of foreign trade between Turkeyand other countries.

Gul said that Turkey achieved ‘significant leaps’ in

foreign trade during the past decade, saying that itjumped from $36 billion to $150 billion. He added that60 percent of Turkey’s exports go to markets in theEuropean Union, “the main commercial partner ofTurkey.” Gul further indicated that Turkey managed todiversify destinations of its exports to include newmarkets in Africa and Latin America. And while he indi-cated that Turkey’s economy is expected to grow by 4percent this year, Gul rejected the possibility of a dropin his country’s economic performance or increasedbudget deficit. “The deficit is limited and under con-trol,” he said, “and it remains in accordance with eco-nomic standards followed inside the European Union.”

Furthermore, Gul pointed out that the economic sit-uation in Turkey is ‘a lot better’ compared to several EUnations, and expressed belief that Turkey ’s grossdomestic product will reach around $850 billion “inlight of increasing foreign investments in Turkey”.

At the conclusion of his meeting with editors-in-chief of Kuwaiti newspapers, Gul praised KuwaitiAmbassador to Turkey Abdullah Al-Thuwaikh, acknowl-edging his extended efforts in boosting Kuwaiti-Turkishrelations. “I know [ambassador Al-Thuwaikh] since mytime as foreign minister, and have been in contact withhim since then,” he said, before speaking about theambassador’s diplomatic efforts throughout his time inTurkey.

The Kuwaiti press delegation included Editor-in-Chief of Kuwait Times Abd Al-Rahman Al-Alyan, Editor-in-Chief of Al-Anbaa Yousuf Al-Marzouq, Editor-in-Chiefof Al-Rai Majed Al-Ali, Editor-in-Chief of Annahar EmadBukhamseen and Head of Arab Media Forum Madhi Al-Khamees, in addition to Kuwait Journalists Association’sTreasurer Adnan Al-Rashed and Director of Kuwait NewsAgency’s office in Ankara Mohammad Al-Mutairi.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Kuwait Times would like to thankAmbassador Al-Thuwaikh and his team for theirefforts and support during our visit. Special thanksto Jassem Al-Najem, advisor at the Kuwait Embassyin Ankara, for his tireless efforts and support.

W A N T E D

Editors & Reporters

to jobs@kuwaittimes.netOnly those who are shortlisted will be contacted

Full time, must be in Kuwait, have transferrable 18 visa

and writing experience

Send CV, letters of reference and 3 writing samples

Improving bilateral ties top priority: Gul

ANKARA: Kuwait Times Editor-in-Chief Abd Al-Rahman Al-Alyan pictured withTurkish President Abdullah Gul.

ANKARA: Editors-in-chief of Kuwaiti newspapers meeting President of Turkey Abdullah Gul. — Photos by Hani Al-Shemmari

President of Turkey Abdullah Gul

KUWAIT: Recent statistics about the total number of feloniesand offences committed in Kuwait in 2013 showed that thenumber had slightly increased by one percent compared to theprevious year, with a dangerous change in their nature as theyvaried between murder, attempted murder, break and entryand shooting at people. Statistics showed that 51 murderswere committed in various residential areas and Kuwait’sdeserts that mostly resulted from quarrelling and fights.Farwaniya governorate witnessed the largest number of mur-ders.

Statistics also showed that felonies and offenses filed in2013 totaled 6477 compared to 5,983 in 2012. They alsoshowed that 20 attempted murder cases, 195 armed robberies,2,252 forgeries, 41 unlicensed possession of weapons andammunition, 19 shooting, 7 kidnap, 55 suicide and attemptedsuicide and 5,060 robbery cases had been filed.

Statistics also showed that 30 arson cases were filed andthat they claimed the lives of 26 people in 2013. In addition,statistics showed that 65 assault cases were filed and that thetotal number of suspects who had their fingerprints scanned atthe criminal evidence department totaled 1,128 citizens andexpatriates.

The report also stressed that most bloody incidents usuallystarted with two sides staring at each other and blaming eachother for it. In this regard, a high-ranking security officialstressed that Farwaniya came first in the number of crimescommitted by expatriates while Jahra came first for citizens,while Hawally, Farwaniya, Mubarak Al-Kabeer and the Capitalgovernorates witnessed the highest number of juvenile crimes.

Felonies, offenses dangerously rise in 2013

KUWAIT: Director-General of theEnvironment Public Authority (EPA)Dr Salah Al-Modhi said Kuwait hassuccessfully joined other countriesof the world in celebrating theEarth Hour on Saturday.

“The annual celebrations helppromote the awareness of massivemainstream community, particular-ly among youths, about a broadrange of environmental issues,” hesaid on the sidelines of a celebra-tion held by EPA between 8:30 pmand 9:30 pm.

“Though symbolic, the annualEPA celebration has a social dimen-sion as it drew participation fromgovernment and non-governmentorganizations as well as growingnumbers of individuals,” he added.

Dr. Al-Modhi appreciated theinterest of mass media in the eventwhich aims primarily to encourageindividuals, communities, house-holds and businesses to turn offtheir non-essential lights for onehour as a symbol for their commit-ment to the planet.

He noted that the non-essentialconsumption of power has adverseimpacts on environment and it is acollective responsibility to curb theglobal warming.

Earth Hour first started as alights-off event in Sydney, Australia,in 2007, before growing to engagemore than 7,000 cities and townsworldwide; the one-hour eventcontinues to be a key driver of alarger movement. —KUNA

EPA lauds success of Earth Hour celebration

L O C A LMONDAY, MARCH 31, 2014

How do you evaluate the Arab summit that Kuwaithosted recently? I personally believe that the ArabLeague’s various failures were embodied during

the summit for several reasons: First of all, summits areorganized to approve agreements and enhance relations.On the other hand, Arab summits have proven to be noth-ing but a waste of time for the media as well as everyoneelse who got stuck in traffic caused by road closures.

In Europe, despite their bloody history, countries usesummits to have a lot of discussions and realize importantachievements in record time. Examples of this include theGreek economy crash and the situation in Ukraine onwhich European nations discussed how to act as a unifiedfront against the Russians. The Europeans work accordingto a long-term strategic system and comprehensively onthe grounds that everyone is willing to bear the conse-quences of their decisions, something that is completelyabsent here.

In addition to lacking long-term vision and confidencewith each other, Arab states also lack full independence.They do not act as per their personal interest and theinterest of their own people. The nearest example is foundin Kuwait’s summit. A group representing 22 nations andmore than 220 million people failed in the most simple ofits issues (by most simple, I mean more clear and agreedupon), which is the Palestinian issue. The conferees failedto even set a deadline or talk about a specific mechanismto lift Gaza’s blockade, and all because of American pres-sure.

And then there is the Syrian issue that divided Arabsinto two halves. Before speaking about it, I would like topoint out that many people, especially columnists andintellectuals, complain of foreign interference (Iranian,American, Russian, Turkish, etc) in Arab countries’ internalaffairs. That is correct, but have they or anyone ever askedthemselves why wouldn’t the whole world interfere inArab states’ affairs as long as we are weak and have leftour doors and borders wide open for them?

The Syrian issue is the largest door that Arabs haveever opened for foreign interventions. Terrorism whichArabs denounced in the ‘Kuwait Declaration’ is the samethat they created, sponsored and sent here and there.Furthermore, Arab states are guilty of toppling Arabregimes and brought foreigners to interfere with them. Sowhy are they complaining and denouncing terrorism andforeign interventions?

Last but not least, Syria’s seat remained vacant duringthe latest summit, which means several things - it meansthat the opposition no longer represents the Syrian peo-ple; that the opposition does not have control over land inSyria; and that the Arab states’ belief in the opposition haschanged.

The most notable thing is that the Arab states changedtheir supportive position to the Syrian opposition to thepoint that President of the National Coalition for SyrianRevolutionary and Opposition Forces Ahmad Jarba wasleft to ‘beg’ for Syria’s seat. The Arab’s change of positioncan only mean that they cannot bear the responsibility orhonor commitments that they vow or sign to do. —Al-Rai

Vacant seat of Syria

kuwait digest

By Dr Hasan Abbas

There are at least two forms of relations betweenpolitics and religion, where either politics servereligion or vice versa. The first form, however,

highly appeals to those longing for the hereafter whilethe second appeals to those who are more concernedwith worldly matters and life. The first party views reli-gion as an end while the second views it as a means.However, the common thing between both parties isthe idea calling for linking religion to all life concernsincluding those related to politics. Religious blocswould not have got so much popularity if it wasn’t forthis totalitarian concept, neither would Islamic banks.Books about scientific miracles would not have flour-ished nor would religious fatwas have interfered in poli-tics.

In ancient Egyptology, a pharaoh would consult godAmon before making any political decision and got theanswer in the form of ambiguous signs that can only beinterpreted by his priests. In fact, they were the onlyones entitled to interpret those divine signs and thus,power shifted from the pharaoh’s palace to priests’ tem-ples, and sometimes the gods had to be bribed to getthe answer they wanted.

The famous Greek historian Herodotus even men-tions Delphi Temple where, through revelation, Apolloresponded to each question. This revelation turned outto be a woman hiding behind a curtain responding with

what each inquirer wished to hear for the right price.This was actually the beginning of ruling shaikhs in ourpresent days with only one difference - coyness.Apollo’s maid had to hide to keep a lid on varioussecrets while ruling shaikhs find no harm in shamelesslyappearing on satellite TV channels!

In the aftermath of Aug 2, 1990 when Kuwaitappealed to the international community for help, weheard religious fatwas allowing seeking foreign troops’assistance to liberate Kuwait and others prohibitingseeking such help from the ‘infidel’ West. This contradic-tion was not out of different interpretations of religion,but rather in utilizing religion. Fatwas for foreign troopscame from Saudi Arabia and other GCC states whilethose against it came from countries like Iraq, Jordan,Palestine, Algeria and Tunisia, which reflects howmatching religious opinion of those countries were withtheir political attitudes.

Today, and after the Arab Spring revolutions, reli-gious fatwas are back again but with more pace. Rulingsheikhs once more appear but more bluntly this time.Each party has clergymen who follow them. Once wehear that Archangel Gabriel prayed as an imam in frontof those demonstrating at Rabea Square and on otheroccasions we heard that Allah has destined Sisi torestore Egypt’s religion. The funny thing is that he whobelieves either fatwa ridicules the other! —Al-Jarida

Relation between politics, religionkuwait digest

By Fahd Rashid Al-Mutairi

During the beginning of the 20th century, theUnited States emerged as arguably the mostpowerful nation. It speeded up the end of

WWI, and was in the driving seat during WWII.Ironically, US didn’t want to be involved in these two

wars. During WWI, many Americans were thanking theAtlantic for its separation from Europe during theadministration of President Woodrow Wilson, who wasbusy with internal affairs of his country. It wasn’t until1917 when America went to the war after the sinkingof the Motor Vessel, the Lusitania. But, after the end ofWWI, US returned its focus on the home front with lim-ited attention to the outside world. At the near end ofWilson’s presidency, the world wanted US to be part ofthe League of Nations, which US didn’t want to join,even though America’s signature was in the VersaillesTreaty (WWI Peace Treaty).

When WWII broke out in1938, US stood idle and as amatter of fact, it was so neu-tral that America was themain supplier of raw materialsto Japan during the first yearsof the war.

It was however Japan thatdragged US into the war byattacking Pearl Harbor on Dec7, 1941. At the end of WWII, theUnited Nations Organization(UN) was formed and NewYork City was chosen to behome of this newly formedorganization which was formed to end all conflicts andprevent wars. US by now had become undisputedly thesuper power. In any conflict or a dispute in the worldafter that it was required to mediate or intervene.

The world clearly saw the capability of US. The onlycountry in the world that has a presence on the SevenSeas, US became the most powerful country with astrong economy, thus adding burden on its governingadministration too. In addition, the American homefront is very demanding. One third of the world’swealth is in US.

But, is the world changing or is it the pressing needback home that US wants to do: Governing the insideand forgetting the outside? Simply put, US and thewhole world can’t afford seeing the Red, White andBlue out of any political formula.

In March 2012, I wrote an article in Arab News,“Syria - Where are the Americans?” And later on I hadto write an article, “America: Damned if you do,damned if you don’t,” which was published on Jan. 26,2013.

I ask this question again: On Syria, where are the

Americans after President Barack Obama drew a redline for Syria if it used chemical weapons against itsown people? The answer is that the Americans didn’tinterfere in Syria to end the biggest atrocities in mod-ern time. Instead, they went to Iran, the countrywhich backed Bashar Assad and even provided himand his regime with all the financial and military aid.And this is how all the political rift started betweenSaudi Arabia and US. And this rift was not too secret.The whole world noticed. This is one reason why peo-ple around the world are watching the outcome ofBarack Obama’s visit to the Kingdom when he holdstalks with Custodian of The Two Holy Mosques KingAbdullah.

President Obama’s visit is very important becausethe two countries have the capabilities to solve sever-al issues. The visit will strengthen the bond between

the two nations. The relationis based on strategic needwith mutual understandingof each other’s interests. Thevisit comes amid regionaland world turbulent times.The situation in Syria isbecoming unbearable, Iranintentions are not clear,Egypt is approaching a mile-stone in its way out of theArab Spring and Libya is inchaos and most important isthe issue of Palestinian-Israeliconflict.

Riyadh and Washington had in the past cooperat-ed on many issues of global interest. The meetingbetween the two top leaders is expected to be candidand the visit is expected to find solutions to regionaland international issues. The Saudis and Americanshave differences on many issues, but, like every timeboth countries will be able to navigate around theseissues and solve them. Saudis and Americans areknown for their ability to adjust the sails if they can’tcontrol the wind.

And finally, in the past year, the world was followingthe Obama drive to modify or change the health care sys-tem. It is an important issue for Americans and it is appar-ent that the health issue is taking a big part of theAmerican administration and may be the world eventsdidn’t get the attention it should. But, US and the worldcan’t afford seeing things going unnoticed by theAmerican administration. America can’t even afford blink-ing an eye. Actually, it did blink and look at what hap-pened in Ukraine and the Crimea. Or maybe we shouldthink about more civilian casualties in Syria and the ninemillion Syrian refugees.

Saudi, US need each otherin my view

By Abdulateef Al-Mulhim

Al-Anbaa

Just felt that I am a Kuwaiti

and wish you the same!!

Do inscriptions truly describe the things behindwhat they are written on? Does that thing neces-sarily change if the inscriptions do? There is a

folktale about a woman who often complained of find-ing ants inside the sugar jar. After several failed attemptsto try to prevent ants from crawling inside the jar, thewoman decided to follow a relative’s suggestion ofchanging the label on the bowl with one that said ‘salt’.They opened the bowl the next morning but found thatit was still filled with ants. She then realized that whileants cannot read, they can still tell the differencebetween sugar and salt!

Some dictatorships put pictures of doves outsideprison walls in order to give the impression that theyhonor freedom. But have they guaranteed freedom fortheir people? If a person uses clothes and plastic surger-ies to cover physical defects, does that automaticallyturn the person physically sound? Is expressing an oppo-site opinion considered an oppositionist view? Is this anaccurate description of the opposition? Are politicalgroups in Kuwait considered ‘parties’ from organizationalstandpoints? So many questions come to my mind as Iwonder why we do not refer to things by their correctnames.

Kuwait is home to several political groups that adoptideas or goals that do not necessarily represent nationalinterests all the time, or sometimes reflect foreign or sec-tarian objectives. If we ask the question again - are politi-cal groups in Kuwait considered ‘parties’ in all senses ofthe word?

I believe that the answer is yes. A political party isestablished through an agreement of a group of citizenswho carry specific ambitions and clear objectives, andwho are characterized by being more active and moreorganized than others. Parties are different with regardsto their economic, professional, cultural, scientific andreligious orientations. Parties are tools through whichsocial categories seek to achieve their goals, and theyalways put power as one of their objectives.

Article 43 of the Kuwaiti constitution does not specifi-cally refer to parties. It does not confirm freedom offorming political parties, nor does it ban it. But accordingto the custom, permissibility is prevalent, while the gov-ernment’s opinion is advisory, not essential.

Kuwait has many political groups that in reality areparties functioning in the dark, including the MuslimBrotherhood, Kuwait Democratic Forum, Islamic SalafAlliance, Ummah Party, etc. While the political partyexperience in the Arab World is not encouraging forKuwait to adopt, I believe that having announced politi-cal parties that function officially under the govern-ment’s eyes are better than ones that work in the dark.

NOTE: Article 43 of the constitution says: “Freedom toform associations and unions on a national basis and bypeaceful means is guaranteed in accordance with theconditions and manner specified by law. No one may becompelled to join any association or union.” —Al-Qabas

Calling things by real names

kuwait digest

By Dr Salah Al-Utaiqi

On Syria, where are theAmericans after PresidentBarack Obama drew a red

line for Syria if it used chemi-cal weapons against its ownpeople? The answer is that

the Americans didn’t interferein Syria to end the biggestatrocities in modern time.

News

Accepting children

of Kuwaiti women

at university

LO C A LMON DAY, MARCH 31, 2014

KUWAIT: Kuwait Municipality’s public services depart-ment began removing left overs from camps areas.Twenty-six truck loads were removed in the form oftents and furniture left behind by its owners in Mulaaarea. Director Ahmad Al-Shraideh said campaigns willcontinue in cooperation with concerned authorities toprotect the environment.

—Photos by Hanan Al-Saadoun

KUWAIT: Kuwait Environment Protection Societytoday marks 40 years in service of the Kuwaiti envi-ronment and public awareness and interaction onissues relating to pollution and to environment ingeneral. Society Board Chairman Dr Mohammad Al-Ahmad said, “the society enters the fifth decade ofservice priding itself on its great accomplishments,made possible by its qualified and devoted staff.”Since its establishment, he said, the society wentthrough different phases, and all the while, contin-ued effort and making sure all work is on track andin harmony with long-term strategy was “top priori-ty”. As the society celebrates the anniversary, it is tolaunch many new initiatives, he stressed.

Founded in 1974, the society organizes and takespart in seminars, programs, exhibitions, forums, andmuch more to both increase awareness andenhance its own capabilities as part of its trainingprogram.

The call for setting up the society was wellreceived from its earliest days and the society wasfounded and accredited to become a distinguishedexample of an NGO working along the lines of theUnited Nations Environment Program (UNEP).

The society’s objectives include curbing sourcesof pollution, encouraging and calling for measuresthat would protect the environment, calling for andsuggesting legislation and administrative guidelinesto help protect the environment, as well as conduct-ing and contributing to studies and research in thefield.

Training coursesThe society also considers it a priority to engage

in cultural, educational, and media activities, sinceits goal is to ultimately increase public awareness.The society sensed a need to redouble its efforts toface the aftermath of the Iraqi occupation of 1990.

In addition to an array of training courses onthemes including (sewage water treatment), (collec-

tion and management of solid waste), and (environ-mental awareness and enthusiasm among theKuwaiti public), the society also issues its own maga-zine which is the first publication in the Arab Worlddevoted to environment issues.

The society is also quick to address current con-cerns and issues, and has an array of documentariesproduced in reaction to the phenomenon of (coralbleaching), coinciding with the (bio-rock coral reefrestoration project), touching on the removal andreplacement of asbestos pipes in Farwaniyah

Governorate, and also shedding light on manyinitiatives to protect and restore endangered indige-nous fauna and flora. The society also cooperateswith local specialized bodies including KuwaitFoundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS)and the Environment Public Authority (EPA), andhad supported calls for establishing the environ-ment affairs committee at the National Assembly.

The society’s contributions relating to urgentenvironment issues also included partnership in thepanel formed by the Council of Ministers to look intothe Mishref Water Station incident, a role in theinvestigation into the Ahmadi gas leak, and the issueof a comprehensive report on the problem of dis-carded used tires in different locations across thecountry upon the request of the Municipal Council.

The Kuwaiti society’s achievements also includerecommendations to use 12 tools or systems tobring down water consumption which are nowwidely used, at Kuwait Oil Company buildings andfacilities for example.

The Kuwaiti body was a founding member of theGulf Cooperation Council environmental network, amember of the Arab waste management union,member in the International Union for Conservationof Nature (IUCN), and a partner is the InternationalCouncil for Bird Preservation.

It also has observer status at the Arab Forumfor Environment and Development (AFED), and is

officially accredited with the United Nations andwas granted right to participation in theJohannesburg Summit of 2000 on environmentand development. —KUNA

Kuwait Environment Society

enters fifth decade of service

Many new initiatives soon

KUWAIT: Educators recently rejected a pro-posal made by Minster of Education AhmadAl-Mulaifi on having co-ops run school can-teens, noting that this would be very dan-gerous and might lead to huge problems forschool administrations.

Informed sources said that various edu-cational zones had filed reports about theproposal and that over 90 percent of schooladministrations were against the idea dueto potential danger to students’ health aswell as security problems that might resultfrom the presence of non-school laborers,which violates schools’ privacy.

The sources explained that co-ops run-ning school canteens would be against theconcept school canteens had been estab-lished for in the first place - that is havingstudents practice selling and buying.

They also warned that the proposalwould deprive schools of a source of incomethat is necessary to finance many activities,especially since schools only get KD 3,000 inannual budgets and primary schools alreadysuffer because of the ministry-providedmeals.

“Educational zones still demand 100 filsper student in view of idle canteens in thepresence of free meals,” said some primaryschool sources.

Zain revamps Metro

Mall branchKUWAIT: Zain, the leading telecommunica-tions company in Kuwait, reinforced its lead-ership position in the country’s telecom sec-tor by completely revamping its Metro Mallbranch in Farwaniyah. The latest re-openingbrings the total number of branches operat-ed by Zain to over 80, the highest number inKuwait, which is in line with the company’sambition to conscientiously serve thelargest customer base in the country.

The newly revamped branch is set tomaintain Zain’s high standard of customerservice and convenience, while offering thelatest in devices, accessories, packages, pro-motions, and advice.

Ahmad Al-Kandari, Zain’s Sales Directorsaid: “Zain constantly looks at ways toimprove the retail experience for its cus-tomers, including providing them with theconvenience of finding a branch wherever

they go. The revamping of the Metro Mallbranch is further evidence of our commit-ment to giving customers what they wantright where they are. Through our widebranch network covering all of Kuwait, ourcustomers can benefit from easy access tothe variety of services and products we offerand our expansion strategy has focused ondeveloping deeper in-roads into the resi-dential and commercial areas customersmost require our services.”

Al-Kandari continued: “Zain’s customerbase is the largest in Kuwait, and we arekeen to provide them with the best servicesand promotions, which are on par withinternational standards. Zain’s successful dis-tribution channel through our own branch-es as well as authorized dealers, allows us toprocess customers’ requests and concernsquickly and efficiently.”

Co-ops’ management

of school

canteens rejected

L O C A LMONDAY, MARCH 31, 2014

KUWAIT: Three domestic helpers were hospital-ized in a critical condition after suffocating fromsmoke emitting from coal they left burning forheating inside their room before falling asleepFriday night. Paramedics and police had rushed toa house in Adan where the incident was reported,and found the Ethiopian women unconsciousinside their room located on the roof of theiremployer’s house. The housemaids had reported-ly failed to put out the coal before falling asleep,and sustained complications of carbon monoxidepoisoning. They were rushed to Adan Hospitaland admitted inside the intensive care unit. Acase was filed for investigations.

Hospital negligence Friends of a man who died at Farwaniya

Hospital recently accused medical staff of negli-gence which led to the Arab man’s death.According to a news report yesterday, the man’sfriends said that he had been diagnosed with aform of cardiomyopathy that required weeklycheckups at the hospital. The man, who was in hisforties, also complained from swelling in his feetassociated with his medical condition. Despitethat, doctors refused to grant him permission tostay at the hospital for further treatment or betransferred to see a specialist, according to his

friends. They added that his condition worsenedon Thursday when he went to the hospital com-plaining from acute chest pains. He stayed forthree hours before the doctor said that he can bedischarged, but his bad condition forced medicalstaff to keep him in the internal medicine ward,his friends said. They added that when they cameto visit him later, they discovered that he hadalready died, adding that doctors were not evenaware of his death.

Armed robberyInvestigations are ongoing to identify and

arrest two persons who committed an armed rob-bery at a supermarket in Farwaniya recently.According to the police report, two men who hadtheir faces covered with shmaghs (headdresses)stormed a co-op society branch with cleavers inhand. They stole cash and phone credit rechargecards worth KD 1,000 before escaping. Criminalinvestigators lifted fingerprints from the sceneand obtained surveillance tapes that were usedduring the investigations.

Attempted rapeA delivery man was arrested on accusations of

attempting to rape a teenager in a house in anundisclosed location, according to a news report.

A security source quoted in the report indicatedthat the suspect tried to assault the 14-year-oldgirl when she came out of her house to pick upthe delivery, but the man ran away when shescreamed for help. Police went to the restaurantwhere the man works to arrest him based on thegirl’s descriptions, but he was nowhere to befound. The Asian man was soon located andplaced under arrest after police surrounded thearea and blocked its exits. He was taken to theauthorities for further action.

Juveniles’ fightJahra police arrested a teenager hours after he

left his neighbor bleeding from a deep stabwound in their neighborhood in the area. Policeand paramedics rushed to the scene in responseto an emergency call reporting that a teenagerwas bleeding following a fight with another juve-nile. The boy was rushed to Jahra Hospital andunderwent surgery to close a deep gash in hiswaist. Investigations revealed that the victim wasstabbed by his neighbor who used a kitchen knifehe got from his house to attack him during a fightfor unknown reasons. The attacker was soonlocated hiding at his uncle’s home, and placedunder arrest. He was taken to the authorities toface attempted murder charges.

Three maids in hospital aftercarbon monoxide inhalation

Hospital accused of negligence

KUWAIT: Kuwait Fire Service Directorate carried out an exercise at Awtadmall in cooperation with the medical emergencies department. The exercisewas to extinguish a fire at the mall that ‘resulted in several injuries, and werehandled by the paramedics.’ —By Hanan Al-Saadoun

BRUSSELS: Roll Back Malaria Partnership(RBMP) and the African Union are organizingin Brussels on April 3 a high-level event on“Health in the Broader Development andPost-2015 agenda” on the sidelines of an EU-Africa summit.

“Indirectly this high level event is organ-ized thanks to the financial support that HisHighness the Amir of Kuwait and the KuwaitFund have given for the external relationsactivities of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership”Herve Verhoosel, the RBMP Representative atthe United Nations, said here yesterday.

“High level advocacy and political leader-ship are important and the participation ofthe UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon andHeads of State at this event show how thework of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership isappreciated,” he said.

Verhoosel said he would convey this mes-

sage to the ambassador of the State ofKuwait in Brussels, Dharar Abdul RazzakRazzooqi, tomorrow in a meeting and givehim a report of activities of the partnershipon behalf of Princess Astrid of Belgium whois RBMP’s Special Representative.

“We hope that both the State of Kuwaitand the Kuwait fund could still support us forthe coming years, as we need to finish thejob and we still have a lot of work to do andchildren to save” said Verhoosel, who will co-moderate this high level event.

Besides Ban Ki-moon, Dr NkosazanaDlamini Zuma, Chairperson of the AUCommission, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Presidentof Liberia, John Dramani Mahama, Presidentof Ghana, and Dr Fatoumata Nafo-Traoré,Executive Director of the RBM Partnership,are also expected to attend the breakfastevent.

RBMP lauds Kuwaitfor its support

KUWAIT: Deputy Chairman andChief Executive Officer of KuwaitPetroleum Corporation Nizar Al-Adsani confirmed that KPC, as partof its responsibility, is keen on sup-porting the national economy,enhancing effectively the develop-ment plan and initiating sturdilyprogressive steps to achieve KPC2030 strategic directions.

In a press statement on KPC par-ticipation in the second GulfPetroleum Forum which is organ-ized by IG Events, Al-Adsani said,“KPC pays special concern to thescientific research; therefore, it iskeen on patronizing its activities;thereof, it tends to establish aninternational research center spe-cialized in oil industry to develop itand underpin its status territoriallyand internationally.”

He clarified that petrochemicalindustry is one of KPC prioritiesinside and outside Kuwait; accord-ingly, it seeks diligently to achieveintegration between petrochemi-cal industry and refining industryto create an added value and opti-mize such goal which is one of thekey pivots of KPC strategy.Consequently, the corporation

seeks to bolster collaboration withinternational partners in this fieldto develop incessantly such impor-tant industry, enhance the statusthe Kuwaiti oil industry interna-

tionally and penetrate new inter-national promising markets.

With reference to the Kuwaitipersonnel in KPC and its sub-sidiaries, Al-Adsani said the humanresource is considered one of thekey elements of KPC strategic plans,adding the percentage of the

Kuwaiti personnel recruited in KPCand its subsidiaries has ostensiblyincreased through providing youthwith job vacancies and rehabilitat-ing them to join and perform thevarious phases of oil industry inKuwait.

He went on to say that humanresource is the key pivot for fulfill-ing successful investment. It is thesafety valve which helps achievethe forward-looking desires andplans, as it enables KPC to enternew promising markets particularlyin Asia; in addition to underpinningits strategic partnerships with inter-national distinguished institutionsof scientific research and training.

Al-Adsani emphasized that KPCis keen on implementing huge oilprojects inside and outside Kuwaitamong which the fourth refineryproject, the clean environment fuelproject, and the refinery and petro-chemical complex in Vietnam; thematter will enhance the status ofKuwait internationally, as such proj-ects will help produce petroleumproducts in liaison with the interna-tional environment criteria andstipulations allotted in this domain;moreover, this helps create and

added value for the Kuwaiti oilindustry among other industries.

He added, “KPC participation insponsoring the 2nd Gulf PetroleumForum is among its keenness toavail of such significant forumswhich serve its goals and ambitionswhich are aimed at accomplishingmore progress and devotion in theKuwaiti oil sector.”

“As we live in a world whoseincidents are moving very fast, it isnecessary to optimize the opportu-nity of building constructive collab-oration among the internationaland national companies to be ableto confront and surmount thefuture challenges and provide bet-ter future for energy,” noted Al-Adasni.

He further depicted the 2ndGulf Petroleum Forum, in whichseveral governmental and non-governmental authorities, Gulfand Arab private and public oilcompanies along with Gulf andinternational oil experts take part,as a distinguished and lucrativeactivity which highlights the roleof the Gulf oil sector and coopera-tion in promoting such substantialindustry.

KPC keen on implementinghuge oil projects

Nizar Al-Adsani

KUWAIT: “Wataniya Telecom”, a member ofOoredoo Group, is always looking for ways toencourage and inspire individuals in our com-munity in spite of their circumstances. Wataniyacooperated with the Ministry of Social Affairsand “The Art of Living Foundation” to give apilot program to the Juveniles Home. The pro-gram is to help the inmates to lead to a healthi-er, socially responsible life with help of tech-niques which would eliminate stress, create asense of belongingness and restore human val-ues.

The pilot program was successfully deliveredto 326 boys and 6 girls from the Juveniles Homefor 3 executive days, starting from March 15. The

program also included courses to 80 employeesof the Ministry of Social Affairs who are workingclosely with the Juveniles.

The program included courses like “The YouthEmpowerment Seminar (YES)” involving Yogaand Meditation to offer powerful breathingtechniques, relaxation processes that helpyoung minds to effectively handle emotions andrealize their potential. It was scientifically proventhat this process eliminates stress from the body.The program also enhances confidence, concen-tration, creativity and enthusiasm which leads toimproved academic performance, better interpersonal relations and good health.

“At Wataniya, we have always embraced ini-

tiatives and activities which help our communityand add value for people. It gives us great prideto take part in inspiring individuals and enlight-ening their lives. As a progressive organizationwe will continue to find new vistas whichenhances the quality of life as part of ourCorporate Social Responsibility” Wataniya stated.

Wataniya has developed many new initiativeswhich support members of society in theirendeavors to succeed. Wataniya will be sponsor-ing several more events in the following monthswhich will empower different segments withservices, benefits and opportunities to grow andbecome prominent contributors in the overallsocial welfare.

‘Wataniya Telecom’ sponsors Juveniles pilot program

Kuwait hails relations with Qatar

DOHA: A senior Kuwaiti official yesterday lauded Kuwaiti-Qatari relations as being “distinguished and based on frater-nity, understanding and interdependence”.

Speaking to Qatar News Agency (QNA), Undersecretaryof the Kuwaiti Ministry of Foreign Affairs Khaled Al-Jarallahsaid arrangements are underway for holding a Kuwaiti-Qatari joint committee meeting soon.

He said Qatari Amir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani’sparticipation in the recent Arab Summit in Kuwait reflectedhis keenness to further promote and cement inter-Arabrelations. Al-Jarallah highly commended Qatar as a keyplayer in ongoing efforts to ensure the promotion anddevelopment of cooperation and coordination among allArab countries.

He voiced his country’s willingness to bolster and con-solidate relations with Qatar and to beef up the experimentof the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) under such criticalcircumstances. —KUNA

DOHA: Qatar announced contractsworth about $23 billion over the week-end to buy attack helicopters, guidedmissiles, tankers and other weapons fromBoeing Co, Airbus and other arms makersas the Gulf state accelerates its militarybuild-up.

The world’s top liquefied natural gas(LNG) exporter announced deals withabout 20 global companies, includingfirms from the United States which wereawarded deals worth $7.6 billion, said aspokeswoman for a Doha defense con-ference where the announcements weremade.

The weapons purchases include largedeals with Lockheed Martin, Raytheonand others.

Qatar, and other Gulf Arab and MiddleEastern countries are looking to acquirenew high-tech military equipment toprotect themselves from neighboringIran and internal threats after the ArabSpring uprising.

Boeing confirmed that the announce-ment included a contract to buy 24 AH-64E Apache attack helicopters and threeBoeing 737 Airborne early warning andcontrol aircraft.

The deal for the helicopters was val-ued at 8.9 billion riyal , said the spokes-woman for the conference.

In Paris, France’s Defense Ministry saidQatar had agreed to buy 22 NH90 mili-tary helicopters from a unit of Europeanaerospace group Airbus worth 2 billioneuros ($2.76 billion) and two Airbus-made refueling tankers.

NHIndustries is 62.5 per cent ownedby Airbus’ Eurocopter helicopter unit, 32per cent owned by AgustaWestland, a

unit of Italy Finmeccanica’s and 5.5 percent by Stork Fokker.

Qatar also committed to buy a Patriotmissile defense system built by Raytheonequipped with PAC-3 missiles made byLockheed; advanced daytime, high-defi-nition sensors and radars for Apache heli-copters; and Javelin missiles built by aLockheed-Raytheon joint venture,according to sources familiar with thematter.

Raytheon had told analysts in Januarythat it expected to finalize an order withQatar in the first half of 2014 for over $2billion in Patriot missile defense systemequipment.

The Pentagon approved the sale toQatar of $9.9 billion worth of Patriot fireunits, radars, and various Raytheon andLockheed missiles in November 2012.

The Defense Security CooperationAgency, the US body which oversees for-eign arms sales, had notified lawmakersin July 2012 of a possible sale of Apachehelicopters to Qatar.

A spokeswoman for the US agencyhad no immediate comment.

Washington has been keen to deepenits cooperation with Gulf nations, whichhave been long-standing allies, on missiledefense and increase pressure on Iranover its nuclear program.

The Apache helicopters are built byBoeing and used by the US Army, Egypt,Greece, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, Netherlands,Saudi Arabia, Singapore, the United ArabEmirates, and United Kingdom.

They will be fitted with Longbowradar equipment made by a joint ventureof Lockheed and Northrop GrummanCorp. —Gulf Business

Qatar buys copters, missiles in $23billion arms deals

GCC industrialists conferencekicks off in Oman

MUSCAT: Kuwaiti Minister of Commerce andIndustry Abdulmohsen Al-Madaj said he was hap-py to be in Oman as part of the 14th GCCIndustrialists Conference which discusses the con-ditions of export industries in the GCC and Yemen.The minister said in a press statement yesterdaythat the conference which kicked off yesterdayunder the slogan “Export Industries, Opportunitiesand Challenges” will also discuss the developmentof export industries and the challenges facingthem, including legal terms and their effects onthe subject both regionally and internationally.

The two-day conference is organized by theMinistry of Commerce and Industry, GulfOrganization for Industrial Consulting (GOIC),Public Establishment for Industrial Estates (PEIE),the Public Authority for Investment Promotion andExport Development (PAIPED) and OmanChamber of Commerce and Industry, in coordina-

tion with the GCC General Secretariat, and theFederation of GCC Chambers (FGCCC).

The opening ceremony was inaugurated byRepresentative of Sultan Qaboos, Asaad Bin TariqAl-Saeed with the participation of GCC and YemeniMinisters of Commerce and Industry, GCC industri-alists, and international experts.

It’s of great importance to develop the industri-al sector since it plays a huge role in developingthe countries’ economies and create job opportu-nities, said Omani Minister of Commerce andIndustry Ali Bin Masoud Al-Senaidi in the openingspeech. The conference aims to allow the coun-tries and individual industrialists to share theirexperiences in exporting, exchange deals for theirfactories, and increase production rates, said Al-Senaidi, noting that the event is also a chance todevelop export projects and attract foreigninvestors. —KUNA

ABUJA: Nigeria’s secret police said yesterday that21 detainees died during an attempted escapefrom custody at its headquarters, with uncon-firmed reports that Boko Haram militants wereinvolved.

A security breach at the facility in Abuja, partic-ularly by the feared Islamists, would be an embar-rassment for the government and raise fresh ques-tions about its ability to tackle the extremists.

But there was no official confirmation of theinvolvement of the group, which has been wagingan increasingly violent insurgency in Nigeria’snortheast this year.

Marilyn Ogar, spokeswoman for theDepartment of State Services (DSS) — Nigeria’sdomestic intelligence agency-said only thatdetainees had died during the attempt.

“It has been established that 18 casualties wererecorded, while two service personnel sustainedserious injuries,” she said in an emailed statement.“Three other detainees who sustained gunshotinjuries during the incident have also died.Meanwhile, (an) investigation is still ongoing toascertain the immediate and remote causes.”

Fears of outside help Ogar had said earlier that the incident hap-

pened at 7:15 am (0615 GMT) when one of its offi-cers went to give the detainees food.

“One of the suspects attempted to disarm himby hitting him at the back of his head with hishandcuff,” she said. “His attempt to escape drewthe attention of other guards at the facility whofired some shots to warn and deter others.”

No details were provided on the number ofinmates involved nor the reason for their deten-tion. There was no explanation either about howexactly the 21 died. But Ogar indicated they actedin case the detainees had outside help, as roads

leading to the compound were cordoned off “toprevent possible assistance from external collabo-rators”.

The DSS headquarters are near the presidentialvilla and nearby residents reported hearing gun-fire on Sunday morning. President GoodluckJonathan’s spokesman, Reuben Abati, had down-played the incident, writing on Twitter that thehead of state’s residence was not affected andthere was “no cause for alarm”.

“What happened at the SSS HQs hasnothing to do with the (Presidential)Villa. President Jonathan is safe & well.Thank you for your concern & support,”he added.

The attempted break-out, especiallyif Boko Haram suspects were involved,will do little to instil confidence in thegovernment’s security operations.

The government has previously beencriticised for relying too heavily on con-ventional military means to tackling anenemy fighting a guerrilla war.

Many users of social media initiallybelieved the presidency was underattack, given its proximity to the intelli-gence agency.

Nigeria’s military was brought in tosecure the area surrounding the head-quarters, which is known locally asYellow House, and conduct searches.“Normalcy has returned to the area asthe roads have been opened for freemovement of persons and vehicles,” saidOgar.

Boko Haram link? A security source told AFP the officer

involved was shot with his own rifle

after the inmates seized the weapon. A number of Nigerian newspaper websites and

users of social media claimed that the detaineeswere Boko Haram suspects but did not quotesources.

The DSS had on March 3 paraded seven sus-pected Boko Haram members arrested on suspi-cion of killing a prominent Muslim cleric who hadcriticised the group before the media at theirheadquarters. — AFP

RIO DE JANEIRO: More than 1,000 policebacked by the military and armored vehiclesoccupied a vast favela near Rio de Janeiro’sinternational airport at dawn yesterday, just74 days before the World Cup.

A squadron belonging to the fearedSpecial Police Operations Battalion, alongwith a dozen armored vehicles, swarmedthrough the notorious Mare shanty townwithout facing resistance, while helicoptersbuzzed overhead.

The slum is just a few kilometers from theairport and a potential through route for tensof thousands of football fans flying in and outof the city, which will stage seven World Cupmatches, including the July 13 final.

Brazilian authorities have stepped upefforts to quell violence in Rio as the footballextravaganza looms closer, carrying out a

huge slum “pacification” program since 2008aimed at making the city-which also hosts the2016 Olympics-safer.

Prior to yesterday, Police Pacification Units(UPPs) had been installed in 174 Rio favelashome to around 600,000 people. On Sundaythey took the initiative to enter Mare, a drug-trafficking stronghold and haven for organ-ized crime considered one of the most dan-gerous places in the city.

Police had their weapons trained on therooftops, but apart from a few bars close tothe entrance of Mare that remained open, thelabyrinth of narrow streets was empty anddark.

Unwanted presence Rio’s security secretariat said 1,180 officers

were involved in the operation, backed by at

least 14 armored vehicles and four helicop-ters.

In the operation, police seized “large quan-tities of drugs and weapons” that were hiddennear the Olympic Village and a public school,said the GloboNews chain.

According to the intelligence services,drug traffickers who left Mare -home toaround 130,000 people from 16 clusteredneighborhoods-after the announcementMonday of the imminent occupation couldcome back later, meaning authorities face along-term battle to keep the volatile areaunder control.

Later in the morning shops slowly beganto open, but many residents in the favelawere visibly irritated by the presence of secu-rity forces and journalists, an AFP reporter atthe scene said.

Few living there wanted to talk to themedia. “Me, I think it’s fine, the state must bepresent everywhere in Rio,” a trucker calledJorge-he declined to give his full name-toldAFP.

“Now it will depend on the police whomove here because there are those amongthem who commit abuses.”

Trafficker territory After decades battling organized crime in

the favelas, the poor communities surround-ing the city, authorities had hoped the slum“pacification” program had begun paying off,driving down crime.

But this year, renewed violence has claimedthe lives of eight police officers-four of them in“pacified” districts.

Keeping a lid on crime has become key to

Rio’s bid to turn the city into an internationalshowcase for the World Cup and the Olympicsin 2016, the first Olympiad in South America.

The occupation of Mare by security forceswill be similar to that carried out in 2010 in theAlemao network of favelas, home to about300,000 people. Alemao was occupied a weekafter 35 people had died in bloody clashesbetween police and drug dealers.

Rio state secretary for security affairs JoseMariano Beltrame insisted last Monday thatauthorities “are not thinking about the WorldCup so much as the citizens of Rio, of policegunned down in cowardly fashion” on thestreets.

“Our response to the traffickers is to occupymore territory, to make them lose more terri-tory” and show the state is stronger than thedealers. —AFP

MONDAY, MARCH 31, 2014

Two Spanish journalists freed in Syria: Employer

Page 8

Plane search stepped up, relatives demand answersPage 9

RIO DE JANEIRO: A young man poses for a picture in front of an armoured personnel carrier on patrol at the Favela da Mare shantytown complex in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, yesterday early morning. More than 1,000 police backed bythe military and armored vehicles occupied the vast Mare favela near Rio’s international airport at dawn yesterday, just 74 days before the World Cup. — AFP

Rio police storm vast favela in dawn operation

21 Nigerians dead in attempted jail break

I N T E R N AT I O N A LMONDAY, MARCH 31, 2014

TRIPOLI: When a militia holding Libya’seastern ports loaded a North Korean-flagged tanker with oil earlier this month,the Libyan parliament sacked its ownprime minister and turned to US comman-dos to bring its cargo back.

For days the government had threat-ened to blow up the tanker, calledMorning Glory, if it left port. When it sailedoff, pro-government militiamen even gavechase on boats carrying jeeps mountedwith anti-aircraft and cannons.

But that failed, and when the tankerreached international waters Libya’s parlia-ment fired Prime Minister Ali Zeidan, whofled to Europe. A few days later, US NavySEALS boarded the tanker to end thedebacle.

The Morning Glory affair is one of thestarkest symbols yet of how weak Libya’scentral authority is. Three years after aNATO-supported revolt toppled MuammarGadhafi, Libya is at the mercy of rivalbrigades of heavily armed former rebelfighters who openly and regularly defy thenew state.

Libya’s parliament agrees on little, itsinterim government has no army toenforce security let alone impose its will,and a new constitution meant to forge asense of nation remains undrafted.

In the vacuum, ex-fighters have brieflyabducted Zeidan from his Tripoli hotelroom, stormed the foreign ministry, andtaken over the interior ministry, evenbefore the renegades made their failedattempt to export oil.

Lawmakers joke that they may need touse the secret tunnels Gadhafi built under

the capital so they can escape the maraud-ing gunmen.

“Really there is no army, I thought therewas one, but then I realized there reallyisn’t any,” ousted premier Zeidan said fromGermany where he fled.

For many Libyans, the joy of freedomafter decades under Gadhafi has givenway to confusion. Libya has descendedinto a scramble over the future shape ofthe nation, with ex-rebel commanders, for-mer exiles, Islamists, tribal leaders, andfederalists all jostling for position.

At stake is the stability and integrity ofthis vast North African territory, rich inboth oil and gas.

Neighbouring Tunisia, where the ArabSpring began, has made its uprising work.A new constitution was adopted inJanuary, Islamist and secular parties havecompromised, and elections are due thisyear.

Libya, by contrast, is floundering.“There was a euphoria that accompa-

nied the overthrow of the dictator that didnot take into account some of the starkrealities ... What is the unifying idea here?”one Libya-based Western diplomat asked.

“It’s not as though removing Gaddafiwas going to mean the ... box would openand out pops Dubai. All the problems thatwere covered over, papered over or bribedover or suppressed, they are emergingagain.”

Pulling teethWorking his phone to resolve another

Tripoli blackout, Libyan Electricity Minister

Ali Mihirig knows better than most howhard it will be to get the country workingtogether. Back in Libya after three decadesliving in Canada, Mihirig is not only incharge of electricity but has spent the pastyear as a mediator and negotiator amongthe country’s myriad factions.

“It is like pulling teeth,” he said of con-vincing former fighters to put down theirguns and abandon their bases.

“It is painful, it is hard, sometimes youneed anesthesia ... We have strong armedgroups ... Fortunately or unfortunately,they don’t agree with each other, whichkeeps this process going.”

The government has negotiated withmilitia chieftains to give up commandposts they seized when they liberatedTripoli. The army is recruiting more andthe government co-opted former fightersby putting thousands of them on the statepayroll.

But that has often empowered rivalmilitias and created a mishmash of securi-ty forces and quasi-official military units.Even on a casual drive outside Tripoli, visi-tors pass checkpoints manned by guardswhose ragtag uniforms are no clue to affili-ation. The former rebel groups, politicalfactions and tribes are proving more loyalto their vision of Libya than to the compro-mises required in a unified state.

In Benghazi, in the country’s east, threekey ports have been seized by a group offormer oil security forces who defectedwith their leader Ibrahim Jathran, a formerGadhafi fighter, last summer. They wantmore autonomy for the region.

Ethnic Amazigh, the berber people

who have long felt oppressed by Libya’sArab majority, have also targeted thecountry ’s oil infrastructure. ArmedAmazigh shut down the vital El Sharara oil-field for two months last year to demandmore rights in the new constitution.

An Islamist militia, the OperationsRoom for Libya’s Revolutionaries, has beenaccused of kidnapping Zeidan and brieflysnatching five Egyptian diplomats inTripoli to secure the freedom of their com-mander who was arrested in Egypt. Itscommander, Shaban Hadia, denied all kid-napping allegations.

Rival militias are also lined up on com-peting sides of Libya’s divided parliamentwhere Islamists, represented by the Justiceand Construction Party, a branch of Egypt’sMuslim Brotherhood, are deadlocked withthe National Forces Alliance, a group ofnationalist and liberal parties led by a for-mer Gadhafi official.

But the two most powerful groups inthe country are the militias west of thecapital, one in the mountain town ofZintan and the other in the port city ofMisrata. Bristling with weaponry and asense of entitlement, the rivals both claimthe mantle of champions of the revolution.Each brigade is loosely allied to competingpolitical factions, and neither shows anysign of disarming or falling in behind thegovernment in Tripoli.

“We are keeping our weapons, notbecause we want to end the state, but weare waiting for a real organisation toappear,” said Khalid Imohammed, a formermilitary commander in Zintan.

The view from ZintanImohammed was a supermarket man-

ager during the Gadhafi years. He took uparms early in the uprising, at first to defendhis town, and then to oust the Libyanleader.

These days he feels a new sense of out-rage. Like many in Zintan, an impoverishedtown of around 35,000 people some 140km (90 miles) west of Tripoli, he complainsthat he has seen little of the oil riches ordevelopment he believes the capital andother cities enjoy, and laments the lack ofbasic services, new schools, hospitals, evena basic water supply.

“Winning this war was a gift from Godand made with the courage of the Zintanpeople,” Imohammed, dressed in tradition-al brown robes, said. “And what did weget? We didn’t see any change. Now weare in a different war, a political war. Butthey are just fighting for private gain, notlike our sacrifices.”

Zintan city council leader Mohammedal Waqwaq puts it more succinctly :“Zintanis felt it was a duty to fight. Andthat duty was not rewarded.”

That’s one reason the group has notgiven up their greatest prize: Saif al-Islam,Gadhafi’s son, who was captured by theZintanis, and is still held by them despiterequests by both Tripoli and theInternational Criminal Court in the Hagueto hand him over.

City council leaders say Saif will be heldand tried in Zintan because it is the onlyplace that can guarantee his security.Tripoli cannot even protect its own primeminister, they say. — Reuters

Libya struggling with progress after Gadhafi ouster

BAGHDAD: Attacks in Sunni-majority areas ofIraq killed nine people yesterday, exactly amonth ahead of parliamentary polls that remainin disarray after the mass resignations of elec-tion commissioners last week.

The violence came hours after seven soldierswere shot dead at a checkpoint in a late-nightattack by militants in the north, the latest in amonths-long surge in bloodshed that has killednearly 500 people so far this month.

The unrest has been driven principally byanger in the Sunni Arab minority over allegedmistreatment at the hands of the Shiite-ledauthorities, as well as by the civil war raging inneighbouring Syria.

A suicide bomber detonated a vehicle packedwith explosives on a major bridge in Ramadi, acity west of Baghdad where security forces arestill grappling to retain full control after militantstook over several neighbourhoods two monthsago. The blast killed seven people and wounded10 more, and also badly damaged the HauzBridge, a key crossing used by civilians connect-ing the north and south of the city. Ramadi origi-nally had five bridges across the Euphrates Riverbefore a militant surge earlier this year.

But two are used exclusively by securityforces, and two others-including the HauzBridge-have now been damaged to the pointthey can no longer be used. Civilians in Ramadiare now able to use only the Albu Faraj bridge inthe north of the city.

Ramadi is the capital of Anbar province, apredominantly Sunni desert region in west Iraqthat shares a border with Syria. In early January,anti-government fighters seized control of partsof the city and all of nearby Fallujah, also inAnbar. But while security forces have managedto take back most of Ramadi, a stalemate per-sists in Fallujah, which remains in militant con-trol. Elsewhere yesterday, two police officerswere killed by a roadside bomb that explodednear their car in Tikrit north of Baghdad. LikeRamadi, Tikrit’s population is made up mostly ofSunni Arabs.

Seven soldiers killedThe attacks came just hours after militants

opened fire on an army checkpoint near therestive northern city of Mosul, killing seven sol-diers in a late-night shooting.

In Mosul city itself, gunmen also killed a doc-

tor. Violence has surged in Iraq in the past year,with nearly 500 people killed so far this month,and upwards of 2,200 this year, according to anAFP tally.

Analysts and diplomats have urged theShiite-led authorities to do more to reach out tothe Sunni community to undermine support formilitancy, but with the elections looming onApril 30, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and otherShiite leaders have taken a hard line.

The polls, however, have been thrown intodisarray by the mass resignation last week ofIraq’s nine election commissioners, citing parlia-mentary and judicial interference.

Though lawmakers say their resignations areunlikely to be accepted, and the commissionershave not left their posts, the sudden decisionhas raised the possibility of Iraq’s first electionssince 2010 being delayed.

“If IHEC stays this way, that means... the elec-

tion will be delayed,” Maliki warned last week,referring to the Independent High ElectoralCommission. “We will enter a tunnel we mightnot be able to get out of,” the premier said.“Troubles will come, one after another, againstthe state.”

The IHEC board has been frustrated withwhat it says is a vague provision in the electorallaw that requires parliamentary hopefuls to be“of good reputation”.

Based on that article, a judicial panel hasbarred several prospective lawmakers, includingMaliki opponents such as former finance minis-ter Rafa al-Essawi, with no obvious avenue ofappeal.

Parliament has meanwhile reportedly ruledthat the IHEC must not bar any candidatesunless they have criminal convictions, a decisionan electoral official said was at odds with that ofthe judicial panel. —AFP

Iraq attacks kill nine, one

month before elections

Two police officers killed by roadside bomb

BAGHDAD: Al-Qaeda fighters wave Al-Qaeda flags as they patrol in a commandeered Iraqi mil-itary vehicle in Fallujah, 40 miles (65 kilometers) west of Baghdad, Iraq, yesterday. Al-Qaeda-linked fighters and their allies seized the city of Fallujah and parts of the Anbar provincial cap-ital Ramadi in late December after authorities dismantled a protest camp. — AP

JERUSALEM: Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, center, poses for a photowith members of Masa, a program which provides educational trips for young Jewishadults, before attending the weekly cabinet meeting at his office in Jerusalem, yes-terday. — AP

JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu said yesterday itwould be clear within “days” whether thecrisis-hit peace talks would be extendedbeyond an April 29 deadline, local mediareported.

His remarks, reported by several Israelinews websites, come as US officials workaround the clock to prevent a collapse ofthe negotiations over a dispute aboutPalestinian prisoners.

“It could be a matter of just days,”Netanyahu reportedly told ministers fromhis rightwing Likud party who met justbefore the weekly cabinet meeting. “Eitherthe matter will be resolved or it will blowup. And in any case, there won’t be anydeal without Israel knowing clearly what itwill get in exchange,” he said.

“And if there is a deal, it will be put tothe cabinet for approval.” With the talks tee-tering on the brink of collapse, Washingtonhas been fighting an uphill battle to coaxthe two sides into accepting a frameworkproposal which would extend the negotia-tions beyond April to the end of the year.

But the matter has become tied up withthe fate of 26 veteran Palestinian prisonerswho Israel was to have freed this weekendunder terms of an agreement whichbrought about a resumption of talks.

Israel on Friday informed thePalestinians they would not free thedetainees, with US State Department con-firming it was working “intensively” toresolve the dispute.

The Palestinians say they will not evenconsider extending the talks without theprisoners being freed, but Israel has refusedto release them without a Palestinian com-mitment to continue the talks, prompting afresh crisis of confidence.

“We agreed to the fourth batch,”Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinitz told

reporters on Sunday, while stressing itwould not happen as long as Palestinianpresident Mahmud Abbas was preparing to“blow up the negotiations” the very nextday. But Zehava Galon who heads the left-wing Meretz party urged Netanyahu “totake brave decisions, even if they are diffi-cult.”

“The Israeli government cannot unilater-ally break promises that we made underthe auspices of the Americans,” she said,adding that despite the difficulty in releas-ing such prisoners “the government mustimplement the fourth phase.”

‘Ball in Israel court’ “ The ball is now in Israel’s court,”

Palestinian prisoners minister Issa Qaraqaatold Voice of Palestine radio on Sunday,saying the leadership was expecting ananswer from the Israeli government within24 hours. Aside from the release of the 26veteran detainees, Abbas reportedly wantsan Israeli commitment to free even moreprisoners as one of his conditions for agree-ing to extend the talks. Late on Saturday,an official in Ramallah told AFP thatNetanyahu had expressed willingness tofree another 400 detainees and reduce itsmilitary presence in the West Bank inexchange for Palestinian agreement toextend the talks.

Israeli officials refused to comment.Under a deal that relaunched peace talkslast July, Israel agreed to release 104 prison-ers held since before the 1993 Oslo peaceaccords in exchange for the Palestiniansfreezing all efforts to seek further interna-tional recognition.

So far, Israel has freed 78 of them inthree batches, and the last group which thePalestinians insist includes 14 Arab Israelisjailed for nationalist attacks-was to havebeen released on March 29. — AFP

Fate of Israel-Palestinian

talks to be clear within days

MADRID: Two Spanish journaliststaken hostage in Syria by an Al-Qaeda-linked group were freed aftersix months in captivity and wereheading back to Spain yesterday, oneof their employers said. El Mundocorrespondent Javier Espinosa, 49,and freelance photographer RicardoGarcia Vilanova, 42, were “freed and

handed over to the Turkish military”,the Spanish newspaper said on itswebsite. Espinosa called El Mundo’soffices on Saturday evening and saidthey were in good health, it added.The paper said the two journalistswould fly back to Madrid on Sunday,without specifying the time.

“Pure happiness,” wrote Espinosa’s

girlfriend, the journalist MonicaGarcia Prieto, on Twitter early Sunday,without giving further details.

“It has been a hard few months.We knew the wait would be long butyou never get used to it,” said thedirector of El Mundo’s internationalpages, Ana Alonso Montes.

“You never know when themoment of l iberation will come,although we never doubted it would,”she told national radio. Espinosa andVilanova were seized on September16 at Syria’s border with Turkey, thelatest of scores of journalists cap-tured while covering Syria’s civil war.

There was no immediate word onSunday on whether any demandswere made by their kidnappers or anyransom paid. El Mundo identified thecaptors as members of the IslamicState of Iraq and the Levant, a jihadistfaction in Syria with roots in Al-Qaeda’sIraqi affiliate. The newspaper had keptthe kidnapping quiet until Decemberwhile it contacted the captors via inter-mediaries. It said at that time that thekidnappers had made no demands.Espinosa has been a Middle East corre-spondent for El Mundo since 2002 andis based in Beirut.

Dangerous pointsLike Vilanova, he has covered

some of the most dangerous pointsin the Syrian conflict, including thesiege of Homs in February 2012. OnFebruary 22 he escaped that blood-bath in which human rights groupssaid 700 people were killed and thou-sands injured, and made it back toLebanon a week later.

Among those killed in Homs weretwo other Western journalists: USreporter Marie Colvin and Frenchphotographer Remi Ochlik.

Espinosa wrote of his escape fromthe city, under fire among a crowd ofwounded refugees, in a compellingreportage published in March 2013.“We believe the Syrian people needour work, and that we must live up toour responsibility,” said Prieto, who isalso a prize-winning journalist, inDecember.

An online forum that frequentlyfeatures statements from jihadistshad also called on the militants tofree the two. The Honein jihadistforum said the two journalists were a“good hand for advocating our issuesin Iraq and Syria, and carrying thesilenced truth”. Garcia Vilanova hascontributed to Agence France-Presseand other world media such as theNew York Times and the WashingtonPost.— AFP

Two Spanish journalists freed in Syria: Employer

TORREJON DE ARDOZ: El Mundo correspondent Javier Espinosa (R)and freelance photographer Ricardo Garcia Vilanova arrive at the mili-tary airbase in Torrejon de Ardoz, near Madrid, yesterday. Two Spanishjournalists taken hostage in Syria by an Al-Qaeda-linked groupwalked free after six months in captivity and were heading back toSpain today, their friends and colleagues said. — AFP

Lebanon army vows to fight

terror after troops killed

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s army vowed to battle“terrorism” hours after a suicide bomberkilled three soldiers at a checkpoint in theeast near the border with war-torn Syria.

“The army knows that it is now morethan ever targeted by terrorists who wantto prevent the establishment of the author-ity of the state and its attempts to eliminatediscord,” the military said in a statementissued late on Saturday.

It came as a new security plan came intoeffect on Sunday aimed at quellingspillover violence from the conflict in Syria.

Lebanon’s north and east have seenclashes between those who support therebellion against Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad and those who back Damascus.

The army command “will continue tofight and pursue terrorists, and is deter-

mined to implement the security plan...whatever the sacrifices”, the statement said.

Late on Saturday the three soldiers werekilled when a suicide bomber detonatedhis vehicle at a checkpoint at Aqabet al-Jurd in the Arsal region. Arsal, near the bor-der with Syria, is a Sunni town where resi-dents support the rebels fighting Assad’sforces. The town also hosts tens of thou-sands of Syrian refugees.

Saturday’s attack was claimed on Twitterby a shadowy group calling itself LiwaAhrar al-Sunna-Arabic for the Brigades ofthe free Sunni Muslims-which also vowedmore attacks. “The next few days will seeseveral jihadist and blessed attacks like thisone. This is only the beginning,” the groupsaid, adding that the army would beamong its targets.—AFP

I N T E R N AT ION A LMONDAY, MARCH 31, 2014

ARLINGTON: Churches held services yesterday tooffer prayers for the victims of last week’s devastat-ing mudslide in Washington state as the death tollfrom the disaster kept rising but the number ofmissing fell sharply.

The presumed body count rose to 28 onSaturday from the March 22 catastrophe northeastof Seattle, with the official tally of those killed now18 based on bodies extricated and identified bymedical examiners. But despite the grim toll, newsalso came that the number of missing fell to 30from 90 as officials were able to account for dozensof people as “safe and well.”

Rescue and recovery workers pushed throughwind and rain on Saturday to comb through debrisa week after a rain-soaked hillside above the northfork of the Stillaguamish River gave way withoutwarning and sent a wall of mud cascading overdozens of homes near the rural Washington townof Oso. Churches lead prayers yesterday for victimsand their families as well as rescue workers whohave been searching through a debris field thatcovers a square mile (2.6 square km).

Gordy Beil, a 63-year-old photographer andpainter in Darrington, about 10 miles (16 km) fromOso, said he attended the painful service at theEpiscopal church.

Don Little, 66, a Redmond, Washington, residentin town to visit his son, said he attended theChurch of God of Prophecy in Darrington, whereone of the congregants has a husband among themissing and is having a hard time grasping that he

is gone. Those at the service prayed both for themiracle of his safety and for the woman’s coming toaccept her loss with a measure of peace, Little said.

“She’s still hoping beyond hope that they find himalive, and everybody’s wishing for that,” he said.“Sometimes we don’t get what we really want but

we’ve got to learn to accept things.”

Funerals plannedFuneral preparations are also beginning for

those lost in the tragedy. At the Weller FuneralHome in the town of Arlington, only a few milesfrom the site of the mudslide, staff members whotypically plan two to three funerals weekly arepreparing for 12 this week.

“Some people who have come here, they’veonly found one family member, and they’re nowsearching for the fourth or fifth or sixth member ofthe family,” said Diane Wilson-simon, who helpsfamilies plan services at the funeral home.

No one has been pulled alive from the rubblesince the day the landslide hit, when at least eightpeople were injured but survived. Rescuers havefound no signs of life since then.

Ron Brown, a Snohomish County officialinvolved in search-and-rescue operations, said thedebris field may end up being the final restingplace for some victims, who may be buried so thor-oughly they cannot be found. “That’s going to behallowed ground out there,” he said. In addition toprayers, many are offering donations of money,food, clothing and other items. At the WellerFuneral Home, Wilson-simon said she had beenoverwhelmed by the generosity of people who haddonated to help pay for victims’ funerals. “It’s justoverwhelming to see so much loss of life, butheartwarming to see so much outpouring of com-munity support,” she said.” — Reuters

Washington mudslide death toll up, churches honor victims

DARRINGTON: Rescue workers use chainsaws and other tools to dig through a tangle of trees andmud marked as having a possible victim of the Oso mudslide along State Route 530 near Darrington,Washington. Rescue and recovery workers slogged through thick mud and debris as rain poureddown on the area one week after the devastating disaster. — AP

SEOUL: North Korea vowed not to rule out a “newform” of nuclear test yesterday after the UN SecurityCouncil condemned its latest ballistic missile launchamid simmering tensions over Seoul’s joint militarydrills with Washington.

Pyongyang has carried out a series of rocket andshort-range missile launches in recent weeks whichhave prompted stern reactions from South Korea andthe United States. On Wednesday it upped the anteby test-firing two mid-range ballistic missiles capableof striking Japan, sparking condemnation from theUnited Nations Security Council (UNSC).

“(We) would not rule out a new form of a nucleartest for bolstering up (our) nuclear deterrence,”Pyongyang’s foreign ministry said in a statement car-ried by the North’s state-run KCNA news agency.

The UNSC said the North’s missile launchWednesday was a violation of UN resolutions barringPyongyang from any nuclear or ballistic activity,agreeing to consult on an “appropriate response”.

Pyongyang slammed the UNSC criticism as“absolutely intolerable”, defending the launch as a“self-defensive” act in protest against the ongoingSeoul-Washington drills being held in South Korea.

The North has habitually lashed out at the annualKey Resolve and Foal Eagle exercises between the twoallies-held this year from February to April-labellingthem as practice for war. “The UN Security Council,

shutting its eyes to the US madcap nuclear exercises,‘denounced’ (our) self-defensive rocket launchingdrills to cope with them as a ‘violation of resolutions’...It is absolutely intolerable,” said the ministry.

Pyongyang also warned the US to “stop actingrashly”, saying it was ready to take “next-stage stepswhich the enemy can hardly imagine”.

“If a catastrophic development which no onewants occurs on the peninsula, the US will be whollyresponsible for it,” the ministry said. Wednesday’stests-believed to be the first mid-range missile launchsince 2009 — coincided with a summit attended bythe South, the US and Japan aimed at uniting thethree nations against Pyongyang’s nuclear threat.

The impoverished but nuclear-armed state hasstaged three atomic tests in 2006, 2009 and last year.Pyongyang’s powerful National Defense Commission,chaired by the North’s leader Kim Jong-Un, threat-ened on March 15 to demonstrate its nuclear deter-rence. But the country has shown no signs of launch-ing an imminent atomic test, Seoul’s military said lastweek. The North’s third atomic test in February 2013— its most powerful to date drew widespread inter-national condemnation as well as new UN sanctions.

The North responded angrily, putting its “strategic”rocket units on a war footing and threatening to striketargets on the US mainland, Hawaii and Guam, as wellas in South Korea. —AFP

PERTH: Family members of Chinesepassengers on board a missingMalaysian airliner arrived Sunday inKuala Lumpur-some angrily seekinganswers and others seeking closure-asthe search for the plane intensified.

Eight ships-the largest number sofar-and 10 planes from six countrieswere sweeping a vast expanse of thesouthern Indian Ocean off Australiafor wreckage from the MalaysiaAirlines Boeing 777, as the huntentered its fourth week.

Nothing has been seen of theplane or its 239 passengers and crewsince it vanished off radar screens dur-ing a flight from Kuala Lumpur toBeijing on March 8.

Officials believe it went down inthe sea thousands of miles off course.Hopes of finding physical evidence ofa crash have been repeatedly raisedby debris sightings, then crushed asthe items turned out to be randomsea junk such as fishing gear.

As the hunt resumed 1,850 kilome-tres (1,150 miles) west of Perth,Australia said its former military chiefAngus Houston would head a newunit to help in the search, whichinvolves the militaries of sevennations-Australia, China, Malaysia,Japan, New Zealand, South Korea andthe United States.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott saidHouston would coordinate diplomaticcontacts between search participants,and ensure families get all the infor-mation and help they need.

About two-thirds of those onboard were Chinese and their lovedones have complained bitterly aboutwhat they see as Malaysia’s secretiveand incompetent handling of thesearch. Kuala Lumpur has officialresponsibility for the operation.

Twenty-nine family membersarrived yesterday in Malaysia to pushfor more answers, according to an offi-cial of the Malaysian ChineseAssociation which is providing sup-port for them.

An airline official earlier put the fig-ure at 39. Many passengers are partic-ularly incensed at the announcementon March 24 by Prime Minister NajibRazak that-based on detailed Britishanalysis of satellite and other data-theplane had been lost at sea.

Clinging to shreds of hope, severaldesperate relatives refuse to acceptthis until wreckage is found.

“Tell us the truth. Give us our rela-tives back,” read one poster displayedSunday by the Chinese relatives whotraveled to Malaysia.

But not all were in militant mood.At a regular briefing by Malaysian offi-cials for family members in Beijing, awoman said not all the group mem-bers took the trip to put pressure onthe Malaysian government.

“Some of the next of kin want tosee for themselves the last placewhere their loved ones ever set foot,”she added, breaking down in tears.

‘Difficult and demanding’ search Abbott said the Australian govern-

ment “won’t rest until we’ve doneeverything we reasonably can to getthose families and to get the widercommunity of the world a little morepeace and a little more insight intoexactly what happened”.

Authorities continued to pourresources into the operation, which isscouring an area about the size ofNorway. An Australian ship with US-supplied equipment on board tolocate the “black box” flight recorderwas due to depart from Perth lateryesterday. Two Malaysian C-130Hercules aircraft were to join the oper-ation for the first time. “Until items arepicked up by a ship and assessed byexpert investigators, no conclusionsas to their origin can be made,” saidNew Zealand’s Air Vice-Marshal KevinShort. “It’s difficult and demandingwork, scanning the ocean for smallitems, even flying low over the waterat comparatively slow speeds. I trequires total concentration.”

The search had moved Friday to anew sea zone after fresh data indicat-ed the plane was flying faster than

first thought before it is presumed tohave run out of fuel and plunged intothe sea.

Families frustrated But debris sightings by Chinese,

Australian and New Zealand planes onSaturday did not yield any solid clues,compounding the frustration of fami-lies. Malaysia believes the flight wasdeliberately redirected by someoneon board, but nothing else is known.A wreckage sighting could bringmuch-needed closure for relatives.And it might also help searchers findthe main body of the plane and theflight recorder before its battery-pow-ered “pinger” locator stops working.

The battery normally lasts onemonth. But Captain Mark Matthews—- the US Navy supervisor of salvageand diving-said that while the pingeris certified for 30 days, it could last upto 15 days longer than that.

Aviation expert David Learmountsaid the disappearance of the plane-which he called a deliberate action byeither the crew or the crew undercoercion-may remain a mystery forev-er. “I don’t think we’ll ever see eitherthe black boxes or anything else,” hetold Australia’s 60 Minutes TV pro-gramme. “We will only recover whatfloats.” Fifty Malaysians were on theplane and signs of mourning such aswalls for leaving tributes are every-where.

Teams and spectators at theMalaysian Grand Prix Sunday after-noon observed a minute’s silence forthe victims. — AFP

Plane search stepped up as relatives demand answersTwenty-nine family members arrive in Malaysia

SUBANG JAYA: Chinese relatives of passengers from missing MalaysiaAirlines flight MH370 display banners and the Chinese flag (far R) at a hotelin Subang Jaya yesterday. Thirty-nine Chinese relatives of passengers onboard missing flight MH370 arrived in Malaysia earlier in the day to pressfor answers about the fate of their loved ones. —AFP

OZD: With elections looming on April 6, a new party is tryingto win over Hungary’s largest ethnic minority, the Roma, acommunity scarred by deep poverty and racism and disillu-sioned by traditional politics.

“Until now, the Roma have never had credible leaders,” saidAladar Horvath, a prominent rights campaigner and leader ofthe new Hungarian Gypsy Party (MCP), at a recent party event.

“If we stick together, we can fix our problems. No one elsewill,” the soft-spoken 49-year-old told AFP in Ozd, a rusting for-mer industrial town right on the Slovakian border.

Vast steelworks once employed thousands of Roma in Ozd,a town of about 34,000 inhabitants, but today, they liederelict. Widespread unemployment and poverty has fuelledmistrust against the Roma, and far-right party Jobbik-thecountry’s third biggest party-is building on that anger.

Its posters are plastered across the town, while in its mani-festo, it vows to stop “Gypsy crime”, create ghettoes for Roma“deviants” and place “difficult” Roma children in special live-inschools. But Horvath is pledging to fight that. Campaigning ina ramshackle community hall, he told a crowd of about 100: “Ihave brought good news, you have something and someoneto vote for!”

“We will defend ourselves from Jobbik, prevent our chil-dren from starving and guarantee free education in unsegre-gated schools, and normal jobs,” he said.

Mistrust Sometimes called Gypsies, the Roma account for around 8-

9 percent of Hungary’s 10-million population. But only fourRoma MPs are in the outgoing 386-seat parliament, and threeof them are from Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s Fidesz Party.

The fourth, Agnes Osztolykan, of the green LMP party,often complained of being a lone voice battling againstJobbik’s anti-Roma rhetoric. Battered by poverty and discrimi-nation, many Roma harbour deep mistrust of politicians.“Always empty promises, then they just stuff their pocketsonce elected,” said Galambacz Peterne, a 40-year-old Romamother of two, who lives on the outskirts of Ozd.

“If they swapped places with us for one week, they’d seewhat it’s like without even enough bread for the children,” shetold AFP in her tidy but sparsely-furnished house.

“I’ve sold most of my furniture to pay bills, and buyChristmas presents for the kids.” There is widespread apathyabout elections in dirt-poor Roma neighbourhoods wheremost people have other things on their minds.

“Politicians have done nothing for us for the last 25 years, Idon’t see any point in voting,” said one of a group of menhanging around on a dusty potholed street in a Roma neigh-bourhood. “We don’t have access to proper jobs,” said unem-ployed Peter Galambacz, complaining of discrimination oftenfaced by Roma on the labour market. —AFP

New party tries towoo Hungary’s Roma

N Korea vows not to rule out a new nuclear test

I N T E R N AT I O N A LMONDAY, MARCH 31, 2014

PARIS: Russia yesterday set out demands for adiplomatic resolution to the crisis in Ukraine, say-ing the former Soviet republic should be unified ina federation allowing wide autonomy to its variousregions as US Secretary of State John Kerry andRussian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov prepared tomeet in Paris in another bid to calm tensions andresolve the crisis over Ukraine.

After a brief call on French Foreign MinisterLaurent Fabius, Kerry was to sit down with Lavrovat the residence of the Russian ambassador toFrance to go over Moscow’s response to a US planto de-escalate the situation as Russian troops con-tinue to mass along the Ukrainian border.

Appearing on Russian television ahead of histalks with Kerry, Lavrov rejected suspicions that thedeployment of tens of thousands of Russian troopsnear Ukraine is a sign Moscow plans to invade thecountry following its annexation of the strategicCrimean peninsula.

“We have absolutely no intention of, or interestin, crossing Ukraine’s borders,” Lavrov said. Russiasays the troops near the border are there for mili-tary exercises and that they have no plans toinvade, but US and European officials say the num-bers and locations of the troops suggest some-thing more than exercises.

And, despite the Russian assurances, US,European and Ukrainian officials are deeply con-cerned about the buildup, which they fear could bea prelude to an invasion or intimidation to compelKiev to accept Moscow’s demands.

In his interview, Lavrov made clear that Moscowbelieves a federation is the only way to guaranteeUkraine’s stability and neutrality. “We can’t see anyother way to ensure the stable development ofUkraine but to sign a federal agreement”, Lavrovsaid, adding that he understood the United Stateswas open to the idea.

US officials have been coy about their positionon a federation and insist that any changes toUkraine’s governing structure must be acceptableto the Ukrainians. Ukrainian officials are wary ofdecentralizing power but are now exploring politi-cal reforms that could grant more authority to localgovernments. The plan that Kerry and Lavrov are todiscuss covers Ukrainian political and constitution-al reforms, as well as the disarmament of irregularforces, international monitors to protect minorityrights and direct dialogue between Russia andUkraine, according to US officials, who say it hasbacking of Ukraine’s government.

Kerry and Lavrov have met several times in per-son and spoken by phone almost daily since the

crisis began but have not yet been able to agree ona way forward. The pair met last week in TheHague, where Kerry presented Lavrov with the pro-posal, which was a response to ideas Lavrov gavehim at a March 10 meeting in London.

Yesterday’s meeting follows an hourlong phonecall Friday between U.S. President Barack Obamaand Russian President Vladimir Putin in whichObama urged Putin to withdraw his troops fromthe border with Ukraine. The Russian leader, whoinitiated the call, asserted that Ukraine’s govern-ment is allowing extremists to intimidate ethnicRussians and Russian-speaking civilians withimpunity - something Ukraine insists is not hap-pening. That call did little to reassure US officialsthat Russia is not planning to invade Ukraine afterits annexation of Crimea that the west has con-demned as illegal and a violation of Ukraine’s sov-ereignty and territorial integrity. The United Statesand Europe have imposed sanctions on seniorRussian officials in response, sparking reciprocalmoves from Moscow.

Dead-end strategyIn the interview with Russian television, Lavrov

called the sanctions a “dead-end” strategy thatwould not achieve results and accused the west of

hypocrisy. He said it was inconsistent for the westto refuse to recognize Crimea’s annexation, whichfollowed a referendum on joining Russia that wasoverwhelmingly approved, while at the same timeaccepting the new government in Kiev, which wasformed after the pro-Moscow president fled thecountry. “If they are willing to accept the first eventas legitimate, then surely they are obliged toacknowledge the second,” Lavrov told Russia’sChannel One television. The two sides remain farapart, a situation underscored by the fact that theWhite House and the Kremlin offered starkly differ-ent summaries of the Obama-Putin call, whichoccurred while Obama was traveling in SaudiArabia. White House officials described the call as“frank and direct” and said Obama had urged Putinto offer a written response to a diplomatic resolu-tion to the Ukraine crisis that the U.S. has present-ed. He urged Moscow to scale back its troopbuildup on the border with Ukraine, which hasprompted concerns in Kiev and Washington abouta possible Russian invasion in eastern Ukraine.

The Kremlin, on the other hand, said Putin haddrawn Obama’s attention to a “rampage of extrem-ists” in Ukraine and suggested “possible steps bythe international community to help stabilize thesituation” in Ukraine. — AP

Kerry, Russian counterpart set to talk on Ukraine

PARIS: France’s ruling Socialist Partysuffered heavy losses in nationwidelocal elections yesterday and the far-right National Front claimed control ofat least two mid-sized towns, the firstexit polls indicated.

As ballots closed, the National front(FN) said it was on track to claim 1,200municipal council seats nationwide inwhat one prominent activist describedas the biggest electoral success in theparty’s history.

Exit polls indicated that candidatesbacked by Marine Le Pen’s party hadsecured the mayor’s seat in the south-

ern towns of Beziers and Frejus, butmissed out on key targets elsewhere.

“We have moved onto a new level,”Le Pen said. “There is now a third majorpolitical force in our country.” The his-toric city of Avignon, where the FN hadheaded the first round vote, remainedunder left-wing control and Le Pen’sparty also failed to win the northeast-ern town of Forbach, which had beenone of its top objectives.

The centre-right UMP also claimedto have had a successful night, describ-ing itself as the principal victor in thefirst electoral test for President Francois

Hollande’s government since his 2012election. “We have had a very severewarning,” acknowledged SegoleneRoyal, Hollande’s former partner who istipped for a return to government inthe reshuffle that is expected to followin the wake of Sunday’s electoral deba-cle. The party run by Marine Le Pen hadalready made a breakthrough in lastweek’s first round of voting by winningpower in the northern town of Henin-Beaumont. Its previous record was thethree towns it won in 1995 local elec-tions. “Clearly we are entering a newphase, the duopoly of French politics

has been broken and we must reckonwith a third force,” Le Pen said. Socialistsand mainstream conservatives havelong dominated French politics.

Yesterday’s runoff round of votingcame after a week that saw Frenchunemployment surge to a new record,making a reverse of first-round lossesby the Socialists unlikely and a cabinetreshuffle by Hollande possible as soonas today.

Some 80 percent of the French wanthim to dismiss Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, according to a HarrisInteractive poll this week, and ambi-

tious and tough-talk ing InteriorMinister Manuel Valls is their favouriteto replace him. Veteran Foreign MinisterLaurent Fabius is also seen a contender.

Final turnout last Sunday was 63.5percent - a record low for local electionsin a country with a strong attachmentto its mayors, who wield considerablepower.

Dissatisfaction with Hollande’stenure and a string of legal intriguesinvolving opposition conservativeswere expected to dampen turnout.Next presidential and parliamentaryelections are scheduled for 2017. A highabstention rate was expected to helpthe anti-immigrant FN win in thedepressed post-industrial north and insouthern towns such as Beziers orFrejus.

Striking break throughPollsters identify half a dozen FN-run

towns emerging after the vote, givingthe party a chance to try exercisingpower once more. Its attempts to runfour southern towns it won in 1995 and1997 were criticised as revealing a lackof competence.

The FN made a strik ing break-through last Sunday by winning poweroutright in the northern town of Henin-Beaumont, a former coal-mining centrewith unemployment now around 18percent. The new FN mayor, 41-year-oldSteeve Briois, was officially given themayor’s traditional tricolour sash duringthe first town council yesterday, toapplause from his supporters.

“Change was necessary,” he said inthe town council chamber, packed withjournalists. The outgoing Socialist may-or, Eugene Binaisse, said: “We are offi-cially entering the resistance. Henin-Beaumont is not a lab, its people arenot guinea pigs.”

Despite the election losses,Hollande’s government has said it willstick with economic reforms andspending cuts, including a plan tophase out 30 billion euros ($41 billion)in payroll tax on companies inexchange for hiring more workers.

A government source said Paris waspreparing tax breaks for households,which would raise questions overwhether France can fulfil a promise ofbringing its public deficit down belowthe European Union target of 3 percentof gross domestic product. — Agencies

Ruling Socialist Partyhammered in French vote

Far-right wins key towns

HENIN-BEAUMONT: Steeve Briois (L), newly elected French far-right FrontNational (FN) party mayor of Henin-Beaumont, poses with French far-rightFront National party’s president Marine le Pen (R) in the City Hall duringthe municipal council yesterday in Henin-Beaumont, northern France.Briois was elected in the first round with 50,26 of votes. — AFP

BRATISLAVA: Philanthropist Andrej Kiska swooped in outof the blue to clinch Slovakia’s presidency by a landslide,dealing a heavy blow to the credibility of veteran leftistPrime Minister Robert Fico ahead of general elections in2016. A non-aligned centrist who made his fortune in theconsumer-credit business, the 51-year-old Kiska will beSlovakia’s first president since independence in 1993 with-out a past in the Communist Party.

The millionaire-turned-philanthropist who has givenaway most of his fortune to charity has vowed to “re-estab-lish the people’s trust in the office of president” and “makepolitics more human”.

Kiska scored 59.4 percent of the vote against 20.6 per-cent for Fico, the election commission said, peggingturnout at 50.48 percent. Kiska capitalised on his untaintedimage and touted himself as a bulwark against a Fico powergrab. Analysts had warned that as president Fico couldshepherd a constitutional amendment through a compliantparliament to broaden his powers or even transformSlovakia’s parliamentary system into a presidential one.

Slovaks have become increasingly leery of their politicalclass since high-profile corruption allegations in 2011severely eroded trust in right-wing politicians. The scandalpaved the way for a landslide for Fico’s Smer-SocialDemocrats in the 2012 general elections, enabling him toform a one-party government backed by a strong 83-seatindependent majority in the 150-member parliament.

But the prospect of Fico and Smer winning control ofboth parliament and the presidency in Saturday’s run-offgalvanised opponents in the former communist country of5.4 million, which joined the European Union in 2004 andthe eurozone in 2009. Now, Kiska’s triumph clouds thefuture for the leftist Fico, who previously enjoyed ironcladpopularity, as he gears up for the 2016 general election.

“This election was a referendum on Fico and his govern-ment, and he clearly lost it,” analyst Grigorij Meseznikov toldAFP. “Fico won’t resign, he will try to finish his term until2016, although his authority will be weakened-authoritari-an politicians like Fico don’t resign willingly.”

But others like Pavol Haulik, an analyst with the inde-pendent Bratislava-based MVK pollsters, believe Fico mightconsider quitting following the crushing defeat. “The pres-sure on him will be great.” For his part, Dag Danis, a punditwith the daily Hospodarske Noviny: “For the first time, thepopulist Fico did not notice that the growing trend in pub-lic opinion isn’t specifically against right-wingers or leftists,but rather against politics in general, him included.”

No immediate risks Fico’s defeat even featured in a YouTube video captioned

“Bye Bye Fico” and offering parodied version of PharrellWilliam’s global pop music hit “Happy” on Sunday. In it,youths are pictured in various vacation locales jiving to thetune while holding up posters of the premier.

While Kiska has no political track record, analysts believehis election signals continuity for Slovakia’s staunchly pro-European course. Outgoing leftist President IvanGasparovic, who will hand over to Kiska on June 15, was alow-key head of state during his two five-year terms.

Though the office is largely ceremonial, the presidentratifies international treaties, appoints top judges includingthe supreme court chief justice and is the commander inchief of the armed forces.

The head of state can also veto laws passed by parlia-ment. “Kiska is less experienced, but is a mainstream demo-cratic politician,” said analyst Mesezenikov, noting that themillionaire has “free-market values and his foreign policyoutlook is pro-Western.” —AFP

Failed presidential bid deals heavy blow to Slovak PM

HARRISBURG: A woman dubbed the so-calledCraigslist killer suspect, who is accused of luring aman to his death through the classified ad website,claims two other men responded to her onlinepost but failed to show up to their planned meet-ings, according to a jailhouse interview publishedyester day.

The accused killer, Miranda Barbour, 19, who in anearlier interview said she had killed at least 22 peo-ple, named Big Lake, Alaska; Mexico Beach, Florida;and Raleigh, North Carolina as places where authori-ties might find evidence, according to the articlepublished by the Sunbury, Pennsylvania Daily Item.

“They are looking for full bodies,” Barbour toldreporter Francis Scarcella in the jailhouse interview.“They won’t find any. But they will find body parts.”

Barbour and her husband, 22-year-old ElytteBarbour, have pleaded not guilty to the stabbing andstrangling in November of Troy LaFerrara, 42, whosebody was found dumped in an alley in Sunbury.

If convicted, they face the possibility of the deathpenalty.

Prosecutors say the couple used Craigslist to lurehim to a meeting, offering sex, in a shopping mallparking lot. In an interview with the Daily Item inFebruary, Barbour said she was a member of asatanic cult.

Authorities have expressed skepticism about herclaims of being a serial killer, noting her petite size

and a lack of corroborating evidence.In the interview published on Sunday, Barbour

said she was supposed to meet up with two othermen who responded to her Craigslist ad, but they didnot arrive for their dates and escaped being mur-dered.

“I tried it a few times but it never worked out,”Barbour was quoted as saying in the interview at thestate’s maximum-security women’s prison in Muncyearlier this week.

“I knew we were going to do this since the day wemet, and we tried, but the others just didn’t show up,”she said.

Barbour said she dumped body parts of one vic-tim in Big Lake in southern Alaska, about 13 milesfrom Wasilla where she once lived.

Pieces of another body were left in Mexico Beach,Florida, while another body, apparently intact, wasdumped along Interstate 95 near Raleigh, NorthCarolina, she said.

According to the Daily Item, police in all threelocations said they were investigating but knew of nounsolved murders from the times Barbour described.

The three police departments could not bereached for comment yesterday.

The Northumberland County, Pennsylvania districtattorney’s office and the public defender represent-ing Barbour could not immediately be reached forcomment. — Reuters

‘Craigslist killer’ says 2 victims escaped death

I N T E R N AT ION A LMONDAY, MARCH 31, 2014

NEW DELHI: India will get tougher on territorial dis-putes with China and in its old rivalry with Pakistan ifopposition leader Narendra Modi becomes theprime minister in May after a general election, twoof his aides said.

Modi, a Hindu nationalist who is the front-runnerto win the five-week election starting on April 7, hastaken an aggressive tone against the two neigh-bouring nations. On the campaign trail, he haswarned Beijing to shed its “mindset of expansionism”and in the past he has railed against Pakistan, anIslamic state, for attacks by Muslim militants in India.

“I swear in the name of the soil that I will protectthis country,” Modi said at a rally in the northeasternstate of Arunachal Pradesh last month, a regionclaimed by China.

India, China and Pakistan are all nuclear powers.They are also jockeying to take positions inAfghanistan as Western troops start to withdrawfrom the war-torn nation after a 12-year insurgency.

India has fought three wars with Pakistan andhad a 1962 border skirmish with China. It came closeto a fourth war with Pakistan in 2001 but since then,its foreign policy has been mostly benign. Modi haspainted the ruling Congress party, which has been inpower for more than 50 of the 67 years since India

became independent, as weak on national security.However, the country is one of the top buyers world-wide of military hardware, purchasing about $12.7billion in arms during 2007-2011, according to theStockholm International Peace Research Institute,everything from basic military goods to an aircraftcarrier. Modi’s two advisers said that while his for-eign policy would be muscular, it would also aim tokeep a lid on regional tensions to allow a focus onreviving the economy.

“Ours will be an economy-driven foreign policyand the whole idea is to build India’s economy sosolidly that you can deal with other countries on ourown terms,” said a strategist involved in formulatingthe manifesto of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

As leader of the economic-powerhouse state ofGujarat for more than a decade, Modi has courtedinvestment from China. As prime minister, the advis-ers say, he would seek to steer a course betweendefending India’s security interests and growingbusiness links with the world’s second-biggest econ-omy. Modi has never clearly spelled out his foreignpolicy vision, but he has praised former BJP primeminister Atal Behari Vajpayee - who ordered a seriesof nuclear tests in 1998 - for adopting a strategybased on both ‘Shakti’ and ‘Shanti’, Sanskrit for power

and peace.“The Chinese will understand the new PM is not a

wimp and they won’t do anything adventurous,” theBJP strategist said.

Hundreds of intrusionsAccording to India, China has made hundreds of

intrusions along their disputed border in recentyears. China denies crossing into Indian territory.Adding to disquiet in India are China’s forays into theIndian Ocean and its involvement in building astring of ports stretching from Pakistan’s Gwadar toChittagong in Bangladesh.

The BJP wants a rapid naval build-up and a firmerresponse to border violations. It also plans to speedup construction of roads and communication linesalong the land border to narrow the gap withChina’s infrastructure on the Tibetan plateau.

The advisers, who spoke on condition ofanonymity because the BJP’s manifesto is still underwraps, said Modi would move quickly to lay outIndia’s core security interests in its neighbourhood,replacing what they dismissed as a reactive policyunder the Congress party.

Topping the list will be an early settlement of theborder dispute with China, an assertion of India’s pri-

macy in the Indian Ocean, and a low tolerance ofMuslim militancy that India believes is often backedby Pakistan.

“You will see a more nationalistic approach onissues relating to terrorism in our neighbourhood. Itis a much more hard view of these things,” said oneof the advisers.

Outgoing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh haspushed for peace with Pakistan, and had hoped tovisit his birthplace in Pakistan’s Punjab province in afinal gesture of reconciliation before leaving office.

But his efforts were stymied by opposition athome over Islamabad’s failure to act against thoseIndia holds responsible for masterminding a 2008attack on the city of Mumbai in which 166 peoplewere killed by 10 gunmen from Pakistan.

Rajiv Dogra, a former Indian ambassador toPakistan, expects a more forceful policy under a BJPgovernment, both because of domestic pressureand an uncertain regional environment as theUnited States pulls out troops from Afghanistan.

“So far there has been a consensus in India - irre-spective of the complexion and change in govern-ment - on the broad foreign policy contours,” he said.“But this time, if there is a change in government, Ido expect a break from that tradition.” — Reuters

If Modi wins, neighbours can expect more a muscular India

KABUL: Crowds queued up outside voter regis-tration centres in Afghanistan yesterday andpresidential candidates held large campaign ral-lies, six days ahead of elections that have beenshaken by Taleban attacks.

The vote, which will choose a successor toPresident Hamid Karzai, comes as US-led foreigntroops withdraw after 13 years of fighting thefierce Islamist insurgency raging across thesouth and east of the country.

One Romanian soldier was killed yesterday byan improvised explosive device (IED) in thesouthern province of Zabul, taking the US-ledcoalition death toll to 3,429 since operationsbegan in 2001. On Saturday, the Kabul head-quarters of the Independent ElectionCommission (IEC) was attacked when fiveTaleban militants occupied a nearby buildingand unleashed rockets and gunfire towards thefortified compound.

All five attackers were killed by Afghan securi-ty forces six hours after the attack began, andthere were no other casualties. “Our vote is ourresponsibility, people want change and we willbring that change through voting,” said AbdulWaris Sadat, a 21-year-old student waiting withseveral hundred people for hours outside a voterregistration centre in Kabul.

“The attacks by the Taleban have motivatedpeople to come to this centre, register and vote,”he said. “This is only answer that they give to theTaleban.” Rassoul Khurami, a 60 year-old shop-keeper, added: “I know my vote counts, and thistime even if I get killed I will go and vote, I’m notscared of Taleban threats.”

According to the latest IEC figures, nearly 3.7million new voters have registered for Saturday’spresidential and provincial council elections.Afghan officials, the United Nations and foreigndonor nations have struck a defiant note aheadof the vote after recent attacks on IEC centres,Kabul’s most prestigious hotel and a guesthouserun by a US-based anti-landmine charity.

“Thousands of people are queuing every daybehind IEC offices to get voter cards, showingstrength and determination that nothing willstop us,” said interior ministry spokesman SediqSediqqi.

Candidates hit campaign trail Former World Bank economist Ashraf Ghani

and Karzai loyalist Zalmai Rassoul held rallies inthe northwestern province of Herat on Sunday,

while Abdullah Abdullah, who came second inthe 2009 vote, campaigned in the southernprovince of Kandahar.

“We will be victorious in this election-notthrough fraud, but based on the votes of thepeople,” Abdullah told thousands of flag-wavingsupporters. “These attacks cannot stop the peo-ple of Afghanistan, who want to have the elec-tion.” Rassoul is widely seen as Karzai’s favouredcandidate, and Ghani has drawn big crowds tohis rallies, but the two could split the Pashtunethnic vote while Abdullah retains strong sup-port from non-Pashtun communities.

Eight candidates are running in the April 5presidential election, with a second round run-off between the two leading contenders expect-ed in late May. The IEC announced on Sundaythat 748 polling stations would stay closed asthey were in dangerous insurgent strongholds,leaving a total of 6,757 stations to open onSaturday.

“The sites that will remain closed are in placeswhere the observers cannot go, or there are

landmines,” said Ziaulhaq Amarkhil, head of theIEC secretariat. “We want to the people to go topolling... we want the candidates to respect thepeople’s votes and we want the candidates toavoid fraud.”

A repeat of the violence and corruption seenin previous elections would undermine interna-tional donors’ claims that the expensive 13-yearUS-led intervention has made progress in estab-lishing a functioning Afghan state.

A small European Union monitoring team willassess the election, and will issue a preliminaryreport two days after voting.

The Romanian government confirmed thatone of its soldiers was killed and five injured onSunday on a patrol with Afghan forces along themain highway from Kabul and Kandahar.

On March 20, four Taliban gunmen smuggledpistols into Kabul’s high-security Serena hoteland shot dead nine people including four for-eigners. The victims included Agence France-Presse journalist Sardar Ahmad, his wife and twoof their three children. — AFP

Voters rush to register for Afghan poll despite attacks

Romanian soldier killed by explosive device

HERAT: Afghan presidential candidate and former foreign minister Zalmai Rassoul (C), his firstvice presidential candidate, Ahmad Zia Massoud (L) and his second vice presidential candidateHabiba Sarabi (R) greet their supporters during a campaign rally at a stadium in the north-western city of Herat yesterday. — AFP

SOUTH CHINA SEA: A dilapidated Philippine Navy ship LT 57 (Sierra Madre) withPhilippine troops deployed on board is anchored off Second Thomas Shoal, locallyknown as Ayungin Shoal, yesterday off South China Sea. On Saturday, China CoastGuard attempted to block the Philippine government vessel AM700 carrying freshtroops and supplies, but the latter successfully managed to docked beside the shipto replace troops who were deployed for five months. — AP

MANILA: The Philippines yesterday filed aformal plea to the United Nations challeng-ing Beijing’s claim to most of the SouthChina Sea, defying Chinese warnings, a dayafter a dramatic maritime stand-off with theAsian giant.

Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert delRosario said Manila has filed the plea beforea UN arbitration tribunal to declare China’sclaims over the strategic and resource-richwaters as a violation of international law.

“It is about defending what is legitimate-ly ours. It is about securing our children’sfuture. It is about guaranteeing freedom ofnavigation for all nations,” he told a newsconference. China’s claims over the SouthChina Sea, believed to harbour vast oil andgas reserves, overlap those of thePhilippines as well as Brunei, Malaysia,Vietnam and Taiwan.

The Philippines announced last year thatit will ask the United Nations to declareChina’s claims over the area illegal underthe UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.The tribunal had given Manila until Sundayto submit its legal brief.

Chief Philippine government lawyerFrancis Jardeleza said he expects theInternational Tribunal for the Law of theSea, based in the German city of Hamburg,to advise both parties on the next steps. Hedid not know when a ruling will be made.

Both officials declined to disclose thespecifics of around 4,000 pages of docu-ments that were submitted to the tribunal.China has refused to take part in the arbitra-tion with its foreign ministry spokesmanHong Lei last week warning that bilateralrelations will suffer if the Philippines pur-sues the appeal.

Hong also said China was “committed to

managing and resolving relevant issues (inthe South China Sea) through dialogue andconsultation”.

Manila has argued that China’s claimscover areas as far as 870 nautical miles(1,611 kilometres) from the nearest Chinesecoast and interfere with the Philippines’exercise of its rights to its continental shelf.

Dramatic stand-off The Philippine filing came a day after a

Filipino supply vessel slipped past a block-ade of Chinese coastguard vessels to deliversupplies to, and rotate troops from, aremote and disputed South China Sea reef.

The dramatic confrontation took place atSecond Thomas Shoal, where a small num-ber of Filipino soldiers are stationed on aNavy vessel that was grounded there in1999 to assert the Philippines’ sovereignty.

China had said its coastguard successful-ly turned away a similar Filipino attempt onMarch 9, forcing the Philippine military toair-drop supplies to the marines.

The Philippine foreign departmentargues the disputed areas, including theSecond Thomas Shoal, are part of thePhilippines’ exclusive economic zone andcontinental shelf over which Manila has solesovereign rights under the UN sea treaty.

Both China and the Philippines are sig-natories to the 1982 treaty, but Beijing hasrepeatedly said it has sovereign rights overthe entire Spratlys as well as waters andother islets approaching its neighbours.

It has also accused the Philippines of ille-gally “occupying” Second Thomas Shoal,which is around 200 kilometres from thewestern Philippine island of Palawan andabout 1,100 kilometres from the nearestmajor Chinese land mass. —AFP

Philippines presses UN case over China sea row

BANGKOK: Thais voted yesterday to elect theupper house of parliament in a poll that couldhold the key to the fate of the prime minister,who faces possible impeachment for negligenceafter months of street protests.

While the Senate is officially non-partisan, inreality the two main political camps are vying forcontrol of the chamber in the absence of a func-tioning lower house following incompleteFebruary polls.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has resis-ted massive pressure to step down despitemonths of street protests and a slew of legalmoves against her-including over her allegedrole in a rice subsidy scheme that could lead toan impeachment vote in the Senate.

Polls closed yesterday afternoon, accordingto an election official, who said there was norepeat of the widespread disruption caused byanti-government protesters to a February 2 gen-eral election, which was also boycotted by themain opposition party.

That vote was voided by the ConstitutionalCourt earlier this month. “Today’s (Sunday’s)election went smoothly... if the parties con-cerned create a stable political situation then anelection can be successful,” ElectionCommissioner Somchai Srisutthiyakorn toldreporters.

With Thailand’s political crisis lurchingtowards its sixth month, the Senate polls havetaken on fresh importance. Experts say the elect-ed portion-a narrow majority of the 150-seatchamber-could install many pro-governmentsenators to help bolster the administration inthe face of looming legal challenges.

The other, unelected senators are appointedby institutions seen as allied to the anti-govern-ment establishment, such as the ConstitutionalCourt and the Election Commission.

Preliminary results are due late Sunday butthe official list of newly elected senators could

take days to approve. At a central Bangkokpolling station a steady streams of voters casttheir vote, according to AFP reporters.

“Elections are best for democracy. Whateverwe do, we must have elections,” said 65-year-oldvoter Amnuay Aransri.

Negligence charges Thailand has seen years of political conflict

and rival street protests by opponents and sup-porters of Yingluck’s brother, fugitive former pre-mier Thaksin Shinawatra who was ousted in acoup in 2006.

The billionaire tycoon-turned-politician, who

clashed with the royalist establishment, fledoverseas in 2008 to avoid jail for a corruptionconviction, but he is seen as the de facto leaderof his sister’s Puea Thai party.

Yingluck has faced months of mass ralliesdemanding she step down to make way for anunelected interim government to overseereforms.

Political violence, often targeting protesters,has left 23 people dead and hundreds woundedin grenade attacks and shootings in recentmonths, although the bloodshed has abatedsince the demonstrations were scaled back atthe start of March. —AFP

Thais vote for Senate as PM showdown looms

BANGKOK: A Thai woman (L) casts her vote in the senate elections at a polling station inBangkok yesterday. Polls opened in Thailand yesterday to elect the upper house of parliamentin a vote that could hold the key to the fate of the prime minister, who faces possible impeach-ment for negligence after months of street protests. — AFP

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s ruling party wonlocal elections, but with smaller thanexpected margins in a crucial mid-termtest for President Mahinda Rajapakse,official results showed yesterday.

The president campaigned for pollsheld Saturday for southern and westernprovincial councils, both in the ethnicmajority Sinhalese heartland, whichaccount for more than a third of thecountry’s electorate.

Rajapakse’s Freedom Alliance partysecured 33 of the 55 seats in the south-ern province, down from 38 at the 2009poll, with three opposition parties win-ning the rest, final results from the elec-tion office showed.

The president’s party suffered a big-ger erosion of support in the westernprovince where it won 56 of the 104seats up for grabs, down from 68, withthe smaller opposition parties makinginroads.

Elections for the councils, the highestlevel of local government, are seen as agauge of popularity for Rajapakse-whohas maintained an iron grip on powersince 2009 — and his party ahead of par-liamentary and presidential polls due in

2016. Rajapakse’s party won comfortablyin his home constituency of Hambantota,with 57.42 percent of the vote, but downfrom 66.95 won in 2009 in that district,one of three that make up the southernprovince. There was no immediate com-ment from the ruling party or the mainopposition United National Party whosevote remained steady.

Two smaller opposition parties-theMarxist JVP or People’s Liberation Front,and the Democratic Party of former armychief Sarath Fonseka-made significantgains. The department of elections isexpected to announce more detailedresults in the coming days, including out-comes for individual candidates.

The ruling party had tried to turnSaturday’s vote into a referendum on aUN Human Rights Council’s resolutionlast week to set up a war crimes probeinto the island, a move that angered theRajapakse government.

The party asked voters to send astrong message to the UN that ordinarySri Lankans were against an internationalprobe into allegations up to 40,000 civil-ians were killed in the final months of theisland’s war.

Sri Lanka ruling party wins vote test with lower margin

MONDAY, MARCH 31, 2014N E W S

Continued from Page 1

The Islamists have vowed to continue protests, whichalong with persistent militancy, threaten to further dam-age the country’s already battered economy. At least1,400 people, mostly Islamists, have been killed in a policecrackdown on street protests, according to AmnestyInternational.

Yesterday, a student was killed at Al-Azhar university inCairo, a prestigious seat of Sunni Islamic learning, in clash-es between protesters and security forces, official daily Al-Ahram reported on its website. The student’s death comestwo days after five people, including an Egyptian journal-

ist, were killed in clashes between Islamists and police inCairo. In Sinai, militants killed a soldier yesterday, securityofficials said.

Sisi has vowed to restore law and order and addressthe teetering economy, in turmoil since a popular uprisingoverthrew veteran strongman Hosni Mubarak in 2011. Heis supported by a broad range of liberal and nationalistparties. But some dissidents who supported his ouster ofMorsi, after millions demonstrated demanding theIslamist’s overthrow, now say he is reviving undemocraticpractices. The retired field marshal has said there will beno return to the corruption and human rights violationsof the Mubarak era.— AFP

Egypt presidential election May 26-27

Continued from Page 1

Anticipating a poll triumph, a boisterous crowd of hisflag-waving followers were watching TV coverage on alarge screen outside AKP headquarters in Ankara, waitingfor Erdogan to give a “balcony speech”. “Once the ballotboxes are opened, the rest is only footnotes to history,”Erdogan earlier said as he voted in Istanbul. “Today it iswhat the people say which matters rather than what wassaid in the city squares,” he told reporters, as supporterschanted “Turkey is proud of you” outside.

Months of political turmoil - fought out in fierce streetclashes and explosive Internet leaks - have left Turkeypolarised between Erdogan’s Muslim conservative sup-porters and a secular political camp. The premier’s heavy-handed response to being challenged on the streets andonline has included a deadly police crackdown on pro-testers in Istanbul and blocks on Twitter and YouTube. Theclampdown has alienated NATO allies and detracted fromErdogan’s much lauded record of driving an economicboom and transforming the country spanning Europeand Asia into an emerging global player.

“Our democracy must be strengthened and cleansed,”said Kemal Kilicdaroglu, head of the main oppositionRepublican People’s Party as he cast his vote yesterday,vowing to build “a pleasant society”. Two activists of thegroup Femen, which has backed the Gezi movement andprotested the Twitter ban, were arrested after staging abare-breasted protest with the words “Ban Erdogan”across their chests.

Erdogan’s government has been hit by damagingonline leaks that started in December, with wide-rangingbribery and sleaze claims against Erdogan’s inner circlegoing viral in the youthful country. Erdogan has accusedFethullah Gulen, an influential US-based Muslim cleric,and his loyalists in the Turkish police and justice system, ofbeing behind the leaks and plotting his downfall. The spi-ralling crisis has sent down the Turkish lira and stock mar-ket and rattled investors’ faith in the Muslim democracythat has often been described as a model for post-ArabSpring countries. If Erdogan’s party manages to sustain itsearly lead as the ballot count continues, it would suggestsuch troubles have been largely shrugged off by many ofTurkey’s over 50 million eligible voters. — Agencies

Erdogan’s party takes strong lead...

Continued from Page 1

The issue has been in the National Assembly for sev-eral months after a large number of MPs submitted avariety of proposals calling for the raise, but almost allwere rejected by the government citing their cost. SomeMPs had called for doubling the allowance and makebeneficiaries unlimited, while others called for increas-ing the allowance to KD 75 and the number of childrenopen and a number of other MPs sought the allowanceto become KD 75, capping the number of children atseven.

The government had told the Assembly that all theproposals were costly and would overburden the budg-et already inflated by huge salary and subsidy increasesduring the past few years. But MPs insisted that theincrease was necessary to help parents cope with anever-rising cost of living, but chose the least expensiveproposal of all. The Assembly is expected to debate theissue tomorrow even if the government rejects the draftlaw.

MP Safa Al-Hashem insisted that Kuwaiti citizens havethe right to enjoy a state of welfare in line with the coun-try’s wealthy status. Hashem argued that the govern-ment was not honest regarding the concerns itexpressed, and is instead trying to avoid fulfilling theduty of guaranteeing welfare to Kuwaitis. “If the govern-ment wants welfare for Kuwaiti citizens, they arerequired to provide them with allowances and decentservices,” she said in a statement yesterday.

Hashem questioned the government’s argumentsincluding one that indicated that raising the children’s

allowance to KD 75 will costs an additional KD 270 mil-lion to the state’s budget. “Kuwait hosted 4 summitswithin a year which cost at least KD 480 million,” Hashemsaid, insisting at the same time that citizens “must begiven the right of an allowance for their children”.

Shiite MP Faisal Al-Duwaisan meanwhile yesterdaysubmitted a draft law calling to jail for three years peo-ple who fight abroad. The bill targets those who takepart in fighting in an Arab country or in a member of theOrganization of Islamic Conference. Last month, law-maker Nabil Al-Fadhl submitted a similar proposal call-ing for a jail sentence of up to 30 years for those whofight outside the country or send militants.

MP Yacoub Al-Sane said yesterday that he has notwithdrawn a proposal to amend the constitution in a bidto raise the Assembly membership from the current 50to 70 members. The lawmaker said that the number ofMPs who signed the motion has dropped to 17 after oneMP withdrew his name, “but this will not make himabandon the idea”. Sane said he still needs the signa-tures of five more MPs in order to officially submit theproposal to the Assembly. Under Kuwaiti law, the priorapproval of HH the Amir is essential for starting thelengthy and complicated procedures to amend the con-stitution, which has remained without change since itwas issued in 1962.

The legal and legislative committee in the meantimeapproved the amendment of the unemployment bene-fits law for nationals, rapporteur of the committee MPAbdulkareem Al-Kandari said. But the panel delayed adecision on a draft law concerning arms until the gov-ernment sends its opinion on the issue, he said.

Panel OKs raising children allowance...

ARRABE: Arab Israelis wave Palestinian flags during a rally commemorating Land Day yesterday in this northern Arab-Israeli town. — AFP

ARRABA: Palestinians and Arab Israelis commemoratedyesterday Land Day with rallies remembering six of theirnumber who were shot dead during a 1976 demonstrationagainst land seizure. In the northern Israeli town of Arraba,thousands of people turned out for the main demonstra-tion, many waving Palestinian flags, an AFP correspondentsaid. A smaller gathering also took place in Sawawil, aBedouin village in the southern Negev desert which is notrecognised by Israel, with police saying hundreds partici-pated.

The annual Land Day demonstrations are held toremember six Arab Israeli protesters who were shot deadby Israeli police and troops during mass demonstrations in1976 against plans to confiscate Arab land in Galilee. Inannexed east Jerusalem, some 70 demonstrators gatheredoutside the walls of the Old City by Damascus Gate, throw-ing stones and chanting slogans, a police spokeswomansaid, adding that the rally was quickly broken up and one

person arrested. Spokeswoman Luba Samri told AFP that Land Day

demonstrations were “over or nearly over” by the eveningand that nothing out of the ordinary took place. There werealso several gatherings in the Gaza Strip, with scores of peo-ple attending a demonstration near the northern town ofJabaliya organised by the ruling Hamas movement. Amongthe crowd were youngsters wearing green baseball capsand makeshift tunics fashioned out of the Palestinian flag.They changed slogans and held up banners reading: “Wewill return to our land, no matter how long it takes.”

A demonstration near the southern city of Khan Yunisdrew similar numbers, among them dozens of childrenholding balloons bearing the Palestinian flag or scrawledwith the word “Gaza”. Scattered demonstrations and sit-ins also took place in the West Bank, including in thesouthern city of Hebron where foreign peace activistsalso attended. — AFP

Palestinians rally

to mark Land Day

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Saudi Arabia’s appointment of Prince Muqrin as deputycrown prince is a first step towards addressing its biggestdynastic challenge for 50 years and forestalling a possible

succession crisis in the world’s top oil exporter. The ruling Al-Saud family is fast approaching the moment when it mustdecide how to jump down a generation from a line of brothersborn to the country’s founder King Abdulaziz to their sons andnephews, a process fraught with difficulty.

For a dynasty that now sees itself as governing a rare islandof stability in a region aflame with conflict and political discord,and facing looming demographic challenges, that decision isgrowing increasingly urgent. “There is no alternative. You haveno choice. There should be clarity and there should be a correctapproach to succession,” said Khaled Al-Maeena, editor at largeof Saudi Gazette, an English-language daily.

Although any jostling for power among the 40-odd branch-es of King Abdulaziz’s descendents is kept carefully hiddenbehind the ornate doors of royal palaces, Saudis with royal con-nections say some members of the family worry about beingsidelined. But they are keen to avoid a full-blown internal powerstruggle of the kind that brought down two previous Saudidynasties in the 18th and 19th centuries, and to prevent arepeat of the administrative paralysis 18 years ago when KingFahd was incapacitated by a stroke without formally passing onhis powers.

“It’s putting the house in order because the king and theheir apparent are advanced in age and not in the best of health.Therefore it is a precautionary step to ensure that in case ofneed there is no vaccum and I think that is significant in and ofitself,” said Joseph Kechichian, a historian of Gulf Arab monar-chies. Abdullah looked well and sustained a vigorous two-hourdiscussion with Obama on Friday evening despite wearing anoxygen tube attached to his nose, US officials said, but he rarelyappears in public or conducts high level meetings with foreignleaders.

As princes lined up on Sunday to pay allegiance toMuqrin, kissing him on the cheek under the chandeliers ofRiyadh’s government palace in images broadcast by statemedia, Saudi social media feeds were abuzz with rumours offurther moves. His appointment bypassed Crown PrinceSalman’s prerogative to choose his own heir upon takingpower, and has prompted speculation of a wider dealbetween different wings of the family.

Generational TransitionOver the past two years Abdullah has made a succession of

appointments, promoting many younger princes, including hissons, to positions previously occupied by older members of theal-Saud in an apparent effort to put in place a new ruling team.Two of those men, his son Prince Miteb bin Abdullah, whoheads the Saudi Arabian National Guard, and his nephewPrince Mohammed bin Nayef, the Interior Minister, are seen asthe strongest two candidates for future rule of their generation.

What some Saudis now hope is that the decision to appointPrince Muqrin is the opening gambit in a conversation abouthow to transition to a suitable candidate in the next generation,putting to bed potentially divisive debates over the succession.“It would give greater peace of mind. If there is a clear-cut direc-tion, I think the people would welcome this,” said Maeena,adding that managing the generational shift would requiregreat political acumen.

For the first time since the 1960s, most Saudis are unable topredict with any degree of certainty the names of the nextthree or four princes in the unofficial line to rule. King Abdullahand Crown Prince Salman are the last active members of agroup of princes who in 1964 deposed King Saud in favour ofKing Faisal, establishing the principle that power would movefrom one brother to the next. A similar unifying moment hasnot yet occurred for the next crop of princes, and some fear thatthe eventual move to the next generation will destabilise thebalance of power between different branches of the al-Saud.

Allegiance CouncilIf the ruling family can cut an internal deal now, it may help

to present a united front at a moment when the kingdom facesbigger external challenges than at any time in recent history, aswar and political chaos reign across the Arab world. It may alsobe a good idea to resolve any dynastic squabbles now, whilethe country benefits from high oil prices, successive budget sur-pluses and foreign currency reserves of $717 billion, allowing itto maintain high social spending.

A future government will likely have to make unpopulardecisions about subsidies and high public sector employmentto make the kingdom’s economy more sustainable, economistsbelieve. Analysts have pointed to the announcement thatMuqrin’s appointment was approved by the Allegiance Council,a family committee set up by King Abdullah in 2006 to help for-malise the succession process. “Although it has had severalmeetings they have not really been at the vanguard of the suc-cession matter,” said Kechichian. —Reuters

By Angus McDowall

Issues

Move to forestall

succession crisis

A N A L Y S I SMONDAY, MARCH 31, 2014

By William Maclean and Angus McDowall

Saudi Arabia’s leaders hope US PresidentBarack Obama and their King Abdullahunderstand each other better after talks

and can stabilise a close regional securityalliance after months of rockiness overMiddle East policy, diplomats said. Friday’stwo-hour exchange at Abdullah’s desertcamp did not yield a shared statement or anyevidence of policy changes, leading someSaudis to question whether differences overSyria’s war or Iran’s nuclear program werecloser to being resolved.

But diplomats said the mere fact Obamamade the effort to visit and discuss issues“frankly” - in a US official’s words - with theking should reduce the margin for publicspats and counter an impression that bothsides value the alliance less. Obama visitedthe world’s top oil-exporter and birthplace ofIslam aiming to soothe Saudi fears that theUnited States was retreating from its commit-ment to the security of Middle East allies andallowing Riyadh’s rival Iran more influence.

Those concerns, revolving particularlyaround the cautious US approach to the warin Syria where Riyadh and Tehran backopposing sides, had led top Saudis to warn ofa “major shift” from Washington and that theymight “go it alone” in future. Deputy National

Security Adviser Ben Rhodes said beforeObama and Abdullah met late on Fridaynight that the relationship had improvedsince the autumn thanks to better coordina-tion on assisting Syria’s insurgents.

But the comments made by a senioradministration official later on Friday did notindicate any shift in areas where the twosides have disagreed. “It’s too early to judgewhether the meeting is successful. Judgeand jury on this is if the American policy onSyria changes quickly enough,” said MustafaAlani, a security analyst with close ties to thekingdom’s Interior Ministry. That point wasechoed by Abdullah Al-Askar, chairman ofthe foreign affairs committee in SaudiArabia’s Shoura Council, a body appointedby King Abdullah to discuss policy issues andadvise the government.

“As you know, before the visit the relation-ship was a cold one, but not to a degreewhere it was in danger,” he said, adding thathe was speaking in a personal capacity anddid not have direct knowledge of whatObama and Abdullah discussed. But Askaradded that although the meeting hadappeared to go smoothly, it was not yet pos-sible to judge its success. “We can figure outon the ground...if there is a change (in USpolicy), it means the Americans now under-stand the real story.”

Saudi faith in Obama was shaken by hisapproach to the Arab uprisings in 2011,when they wanted him to do more to pro-tect shared allies who were unseated bypopular protests, and by his failure to pressIsrael into ending settlement construction inoccupied territory that Palestinians want fora state. Last year their anger boiled overwhen Obama backed away from air strikesagainst the forces of Syrian President BasharAl-Assad after a poison gas attack in thecountry’s civil war, and when Washingtonand five other world powers agreed a prelim-inary deal with Iran over its disputed nuclearprogram.

They have been pressing for US involve-ment of some kind, whether air strikes ormore help in turning the Syrian rebels into acompetent military force, since early in theconflict but feel Obama has vacillated overhow far to commit. Saudi Arabia believes it isfacing a life-and-death struggle with Iran forthe future of the Middle East, including inSyria, and abhors the prospect of sanctionsand other pressure on the Islamic Republicbeing lifted. Washington’s early reassurancesthat it would not allow Iran more scope to beinvolved in Arab issues in exchange for anuclear deal were met with suspicion inRiyadh. But as the interim nuclear accord hasshown little sign of being broadened into a

permanent settlement, their concerns havediminished.

Nevertheless, Riyadh had hoped for con-crete developments on improving theweapons flow to Syria’s rebels, especiallyafter US media reported last week that theWhite House was considering a new planthat involved providing more arms and step-ping up training efforts. But a senior adminis-tration official said after the meeting that USreluctance to provide anti-aircraft missiles,seen by backers of the rebels as indispensa-ble if they are to start turning the tables ofthe stalemated conflict against Assad, hadnot changed.

Robert Jordan, US ambassador to Riyadhfrom 2001-03, said that normally such sum-mits produced action on concrete meas-ures. In this case, he said, “it’s not clear tome that either side got very much otherthan words and reassurances”. A Saudisource said the lack of tangible action was“expected” and that the kingdom’s rulershad lost their trust in Obama when hebacked away from military action againstAssad. Alani said: “The question is how fasthe (Obama) is going to deliver on his prom-ises. This is a major issue now. Especially onSyria. They will give it a month or two to seeif there’s a shift. If it isn’t happening, we’ll go(back) to square one.” —Reuters

No breakthrough in Obama-Abdullah talks

By Kathy Gannon

Afghans go to the polls nextweekend to choose a new pres-ident, and that in itself may one

day be considered Hamid Karzai’s great-est achievement. There has been noshortage of criticism of Karzai in recentyears. His mercurial behavior and inabil-ity or unwillingness to tackle corruptionin his government have been well doc-umented. But in a nation hardened bydecades of war, the fact that he is step-ping down as president in the first dem-ocratic transfer of power ever is no smallmatter. It is made possible by a constitu-tion that Karzai helped draft and thatprohibits him from serving a third five-year term.

The April 5 election “is a historicalmarker that will in many ways deter-mine I think not only how he’s seen inhistory if he achieves that but will alsobe a very important indicator about thefuture of this country,” US AmbassadorJames Cunningham said last week.Cunningham said the differencesbetween Karzai and his formerAmerican backers will most likely be rel-egated to a mere historical footnote.Karzai has refused to sign a securitypact with the U.S. that would allowthousands of foreign forces to remainhere after the end of 2014. Despiteoverwhelming public support for thedeal, he left the decision to his succes-sor. Many believe Karzai simply did notwant to be remembered as the presi-dent who permitted foreign troops tostay in Afghanistan.

Karzai inherited a broken countrywhen the Americans and their allieschose him more than 12 years ago as aleader they hoped could cross ethniclines, embrace former enemies andbring Afghans together. As he preparesto leave office, Afghanistan has madegreat strides yet remains hobbled by aresilient Taleban insurgency and fears ofa return to civil war. In many parts of thecountry, women have more opportuni-ties, schools have opened and nascentgovernmental institutions are function-ing. After five years of oppressiveTaleban rule, people are allowed toexpress their views in public. “This is one

of his greatest legacies. We are here andwe can say whatever we want and wecan say it to him,” said Saima Khogyani,one of 69 women lawmakers in parlia-ment. “Whether he does what we ask issomething else, but he listens.”

But widespread corruption, poorgovernance and stubborn poverty fos-ter support for the Taleban, who controlvast rural sections of southern and east-ern Afghanistan. The militants have notonly shown little interest in peace buthave stepped up attacks aimed at dis-rupting the elections. Critics fault Karzaifor employing former warlords linked tomassive abuses. Karzai’s defenders sayhe was hamstrung because the US-ledcoalition enlisted those warlords tofight the Taleban, empowering them.

Many remember the Karzai of the1980s, when he lived in Pakistan as theformer Soviet Union bombed hishomeland, napalm laying waste to thecountryside. He would talk of theAfghanistan of his childhood - rubyred pomegranate orchards as faras the eye could see, tribalelders passing through hisfamily home outsidethe southern city ofKandahar, his father, aPopalzai tribal elder,dispensing wisdomand making deci-sions with a singlesweep of his hand.

“What heunderstood asdemocracy waswhat his father prac-ticed in Kandahar,traditional (ethnic)Pashtun back andforth, (use of) jirgas,”as a tool of gover-nance, said Afghanjournalist AhmadRashid. “I think it ishis memories of hisfather and his pastand how ruling andgoverning was donein the 60s when he wasa child that has had justa huge impact on him.”

Matchmaker Shortly after the Taleban seized

power in Kabul in 1996, Karzaibecame a matchmaker of sorts, shut-tling between Afghanistan’s disparateanti-Taleban groups trying to unitethem under a single umbrella. Afterthe US-led invasion in late 2001, Karzailed a small band of men into southernAfghanistan to take on the Talebanregime. The Taleban eventually sur-rendered not to the Americans but toKarzai, seeking his guarantees of safepassage.

Karzai was still in the mountains inUruzgan province when he wasreached by satellite telephone andtold that his lifelong dream wouldcome true: He would be the presidentof Afghanistan. He was to head a gov-ernment cobbled together in Bonn,Germany, a collection of warlords-turned-politicians who brought with

them their weaponsand their mili-

tias. Afghanistan, which was a monar-chy until 1973, has had other heads ofstate but none has been democrati-cally elected. “There were other possi-ble leaders, but Karzai’s role in oppos-ing the Taleban, his personal and fami-ly sacrifices, and his role in the war sethim apart,” said Zalmay Khalilzad, whoserved as President George W. Bush’sspecial representative to Afghanistan.

To many Afghan officials and for-eign observers, Khalilzad wasAfghanistan’s de-facto ruler in thoseinitial months after the Taleban’s col-lapse. He lived at the palace, craftedalliances and took center stage organ-izing the traditional grand councils orloya jirgas that would eventuallyapprove Afghanistan’s constitution. “Inthe early days he (Karzai) was verymuch obligated to the Americans, intheir lap as it were,” said Rashid.“Khalilzad was almost running thecountry. It took some time for him toemerge.”

Khalilzad and Rashid agreed thatKarzai’s greatest contribution was hisability to cross ethnic lines, make dealswith former enemies and hold thecountry together. “Karzai helped com-munities overcome past divisions,uniting the minority groups with thenon-Taleban Pashtuns,” said Khalilzad.

“He enabled all communities tocome together and overcome, to alarge extent, the conflicts of thepast. He has not put people in jail

because they oppose him. Heallowed freedom of expression. Statestructures have been restored, thoughunevenly.”

Leadership His leadership was affirmed in a

2004 election, although his re-electionin 2009 was tainted by allegations ofmassive ballot box stuffing. With thatin mind, some candidates have raisedfears about fraud and governmentinterference in the upcoming elec-tions. Relentless insurgent violencealso could keep jittery voters from the

polling stations. Time and distancehave caused memories to fade,occasionally shining an unfairlyharsh light on Karzai’s performance,

said Paula Newberg, a former specialadviser to the United States inAfghanistan.

“It’s sometimes hard to rememberhow isolated Afghanistan was in2001,” said Newberg, a governmentprofessor at University of Texas.“Afghanistan from 1996 to mid-2001was a place where free speech wasabsent, women were hidden, foodwas scarce, and healthcare almostnon-existent. Afghans themselves hadlittle opportunity to improve theirlives in Afghanistan, and large num-bers were leaving the country for anyplace that would have them.” The listof challenges Karzai faced over theyears was daunting, said Newberg.“President Karzai’s tenure in officecould not have been anything butchallenging,” she said. “He came tooffice with the high expectations ofothers and great optimism amongmany Afghans and foreigners alike.”

He wowed the West with hisimpeccable English. Even the creativeforce behind Gucci, Tom Ford, anoint-ed Karzai, resplendent in his longgreen and purple striped coat and sig-nature karakul hat, “the choicest manon the planet”. But the presence ofmore than 130,000 US and NATOtroops in Afghanistan, a spike indeaths of civilians by errant bombingsand a coterie of “yes” men by Karzai’sside caused the relationship to sour.He began angering Washington withbelligerent statements, sometimesaccusing the US of being in cahootswith the Taleban and more recentlycalling the Taleban “our brothers” as hesought to bring them into a peaceprocess.

Karzai resented the United Statesfor not taking the fight to Pakistan,where he believed the war shouldhave been fought instead of inAfghanistan. And his friends say henever forgave many world leaders forwhat he felt was their deeply insultingcriticism of the disputed 2009 elec-tion. “He disagreed with the UnitedStates about the source of the war,”Khalilzad said in an email. “Also, he wastreated personally in a way that violat-ed his sense of honor.” —AP

Mixed legacy for Karzai as Afghan president

NEW JERSEY: Sergey Kovalev (left) of Russia, punches Cedric Agnew, of theUnited States, during the sixth round of WBO light heavyweight boxing title inAtlantic City. Kovalev won by knockout in the seventh round. —AP

ATLANTIC CITY: Sergey Kovalev successfullydefended his WBO light-heavyweight titleSaturday night, stopping Cedric Agnew inthe seventh round at Boardwalk Hall’s AdrianPhillips Ballroom.

Kovalev improved to 24-0-1 with his 24thknockout, ending the bout with a powerfulleft jab to Agnew’s liver. Agnew (26-1)dropped to one knee in pain and remainedthere for several minutes after refereeSamuel Viruet completed his 10-count at 58seconds of the seventh.

Kovalev had two other knockdowns inthe scheduled 12-round fight. He sentAgnew to the canvas with a left hook to thejaw in the second and dropped him againwith a body shot in the sixth.

Kovalev did have to overcome someadversity, suffering cuts above both eyesfrom a head butt in the fourth and an elbowin the sixth.

“I tried boxing because he has gooddefense,” Kovalev said. “Then I went to thebody. I saw how hurt he was.” Agnew spentmost of the fight on the ropes, content toabsorb Kovalev’s punches before launching acounter attack.

Occasionally, he was successful, catchingKovalev with some left hooks and bodyshots, but eventually was overwhelmed.

“He had an uncomfortable style,” Kovalevsaid. “He has an uncomfortable style. He’s notstupid. He kept a good distance. He waspatient and I understood he was trying totire me out, but I was ready.”

Kovalev, a native of Russia now living inFort Lauderdale, Florida, was making his sec-ond defense of the championship he won

with a fourth-round TKO over NathanCleverly in Wales on Aug. 17, 2013. In hismost recent outing, Kovalev stopped IsmaylSillah in the second round in Canada on Nov.30, 2013.

Saturday’s victory was his 11th straightwin via knockout or TKO. Because of his pow-er, the 30-year-old is regarded as one of box-ing rising stars. Kovalev entered the fightwith the second-highest knockout percent-age among current world champions,behind only middleweight champ GennadyGolovkin. Skeptics wondered how focusedhe would be for the Agnew fight after apotential unification bout against WBC light-heavyweight champ Adonis Stevenson fellapart last week when Stevenson signed withHBO rival Showtime. Kovalev is under con-tract to HBO.

“I don’t want to speak on AdonisStevenson,” Kovalev said. Agnew, 27, enteredthe fight as a considerable underdog.Despite his impressive record, he had notfought anyone near Kovalev’s level in his first13 fights. He earned his biggest win in hislast fight, a 12-round decision over formermiddleweight contender Yusaf Mack 11months ago.

A terrific co-feature saw Puerto Rico’sThomas Dulorme win the NABF junior-wel-terweight title with a 10-round, unanimousdecision over San Francisco’s Karim Mayfield(18-1-1, 11 KOs). Judges Waleska Roldan (98-92), Ron McNair (97-93) and Joe Pasquale(96-94) all scored the bout for Dulorme. “I’ma lot stronger and a lot faster,” Dulormesaid through a translator. “I was able totake his punches and come back.” —AP

Kovalev successfully defends title

WASHINGTON: Carl Soderberg andJarome Iginla scored 41 secondsapart in the second period to breakopen a close game as the BostonBruins clinched the Atlantic Divisiontitle Saturday with a 4-2 win over theWashington Capitals.

Iginla scored twice to reach the30-goal mark, and Patrice Bergeronadded a goal as the Bruins won forthe 14th time in 15 games. ChadJohnson made 31 saves, and he andTuukka Rask have combined to allowonly 13 goals over 11 games.

Jason Chimera and EvgenyKuznetsov scored, and Braden Holtbystopped 32 shots for the Capitals,who were down 3-0 before theycould find any traction against thepossession-minded Bruins.

AVALANCHE 3, SHARKS 2Semyon Varlamov had a season-

high 47 saves as Colorado clinched itsfirst playoff berth in four years bybeating San Jose.

Center John Mitchell had a goaland an assist for the Avalanche, whomoved past Chicago into secondplace in the Central Division with 100points in what might have been acostly victory.

Center Matt Duchene injured hisknee injury on the opening shiftSaturday when he collided withteammate Jamie McGinn near theSharks’ blue line. He fell to the ice andthen gingerly skated to the bench.Mitchell moved up to centerColorado’s top line, and camethrough with a big power-play goalto give Colorado a 3-1 lead at 6:32 ofthe second period.

DUCKS 5, CANUCKS 1Corey Perry and Saku Koivu each

had a goal and an assist, and FrederikAndersen made 31 saves to helpAnaheim defeat Vancouver.

Luca Sbisa, Matt Beleskey andMathieu Perreault also scored forAnaheim, while Andrew Coglianoand Daniel Winnik added two assistsas the Ducks moved into first place inthe Pacific Division.

Brad Richardson scored forVancouver, which remained fivepoints behind the Phoenix Coyotesfor the final wild-card berth in theWestern Conference. Eddie Lackmade 16 saves.

WILD 3, COYOTES 1Zach Parise scored two of

Minnesota’s three third-period goalsas the Wild rallied to beat Phoenix in agame with playoff implications.

Phoenix nursed a 1-0 through twoperiods on Mikkel Boedker’s earlypower-play goal, but the Coyoteswent 24:28 without a shot.

Parise tied it from the top of thecircle off a face off 8:03 into the finalperiod, then Jared Spurgeon scoredon a slap shot from the top of theright circle with 7:03 to play andParise added an empty-net goal inthe final minute.

The Wild pulled three pointsahead of Phoenix for the No. 7 spot inthe Western Conference. The Coyotesare just a point ahead of Dallas for theNo. 8 spot.

RED WINGS 4, MAPLE LEAFS 2Darren Helm had a hat trick as

Detroit sent Toronto to its eighth con-secutive regulation loss, the MapleLeafs’ first such streak since 1985.

The Maple Leafs have 80 pointswith just six games remaining andmight have to run the table to givethemselves a legitimate shot at a sec-ond straight playoff appearance.

They have two fewer games leftthan the Red Wings (82 points), theColumbus Blue Jackets (82 points)and the Washington Capitals (80points) in the Eastern Conference.

Cody Franson and Joffrey Lupulscored for Toronto. Gustav Nyquistalso had a goal for Detroit. JonathanBernier, playing his third game backfrom a groin injury, stopped 24 of the28 shots. Red Wings goaltenderJimmy Howard finished with 25saves.

KINGS 4, JETS 2Anze Kopitar scored two goals in

the first period, Jonathan Quick made24 saves, and Los Angeles kept rollingtoward the playoffs, beatingWinnipeg for its sixth straight victory.

Trevor Lewis and Tyler Toffoli also

scored for the Kings, who haven’t lostsince March 17. Marian Gaborik andWillie Mitchell had two assists apieceas Los Angeles took a 3-0 lead in thefirst period and cruised to its 14th winin 17 games.

Matt Halischuk and Blake Wheelerscored in the third period for the Jets,who hadn’t visited Los Angeles sinceJan. 3, 1996.

Ondrej Pavelec gave up threegoals in the first period before gettingpulled, and Al Montoya stopped 12shots in the final 40 minutes.

BLUE JACKETS 3, HURRICANES 2Ryan Johansen scored a power-

play goal at 2:40 of overtime asColumbus beat Carolina to earn twopoints in its push for the second play-off berth in club history and first since2009.

Artem Anisimov had a goal and anassist and Matt Calvert also scored forthe Blue Jackets. Jeff Skinner andAndrei Loktionov scored and RileyNash had two assists for theHurricanes, who fell to 6-11 since theOlympic break.

Curtis McElhinney made 25 savesfor Columbus in his second straightstart in place of flu-stricken starterSergei Bobrovsky.

Brandon Dubinsky rang the leftpost midway through the extra ses-sion for the Blue Jackets. Goalie AntonKhudobin couldn’t cover the puck,but forward Jiri Tlusty did - drawingthe Hurricanes’ first penalty of thenight at 1:54. Johansen then ended it

with a snap shot that trickled pastKhudobin.

STARS 4, BLUES 2Colton Sceviour got the first two

goals for Dallas and Antoine Rousselscored on a breakaway in the thirdperiod to secure the victory over St.Louis.

Cody Eakin had a goal and assistand Kari Lehtonen was strong in netfor the Stars, who have won four offive in pursuit of a WesternConference playoff spot.

Dallas entered the day threepoints out of a playoff spot beforewinning for the second straight nightand saddling the Blues with just theirsixth regulation home loss.

Alex Steen had a pair of power-play goals for the Blues, who hadbeen 8-0-2 in their previous 10 athome including an overtime loss toDallas earlier this month. St. Louis fellone point behind Boston for firstplace overall in the NHL.

ISLANDERS 2, DEVILS 1Frans Nielsen scored in the second

period and then added a goal in theshootout to lift New York over playoff-hopeful New Jersey.

Nielsen scored in the first round,and Brock Nelson added a goal in thesecond against New Jersey’s CorySchneider to hand the Devils their14th straight shootout loss - 0-10 thisseason. Anders Nilsson turned asideAdam Henrique, who scored in regu-lation, and Patrik Elias to win it.

The Devils earned one point, butare still behind several teams in theEastern Conference playoff race witheight games left. Nielsen gave theIslanders a 1-0 lead early in the sec-ond before Henrique tied it.

CANADIENS 4, PANTHERS 1Max Pacioretty had two goals and

an assist to help Montreal extend itswinning streak to five games with thewin over Florida.

Thomas Vanek added a goal andan assist for Montreal and Carey Pricemade 36 saves. David Desharnais hadan empty-net goal.

Pacioretty’s second goal put theCanadiens ahead 3-0 in the secondperiod. Pacioretty camped at edge ofthe crease and tipped in a pass fromDesharnais at 14:00 for his 35th of theseason, a career high. Pacioretty has11 points in his past 10 games.

Brad Boyes scored for Florida andDan Ellis stopped 15 shots for thePanthers, who have lost five of theirpast six games.

LIGHTNING 4, SABRES 3Steven Stamkos scored two goals,

including the winner in overtime, andTampa Bay beat Buffalo to remaintwo points behind Montreal for sec-ond place in the Atlantic Division.

Alex Killorn and Ryan Callahanalso scored for the Lightning, whohave earned at least a point in 11 con-secutive games. Matt D’Agostini,Cody Hodgson and Cory Conacherscored for Buffalo. —AP

Bruins get past Capitals

S P O RT SMONDAY, MARCH 31, 2014

Western Conference

Pacific Division

W L OTL GF GA PTS

Anaheim 48 18 8 239 187 104 San Jose 47 20 9 232 184 103 Los Angeles 44 25 6 189 159 94 Phoenix 36 27 12 206 212 84 Vancouver 34 31 11 184 206 79 Calgary 31 36 7 189 217 69 Edmonton 26 39 9 184 244 61

Central Division

St. Louis 50 17 7 240 168 107 Colorado 47 21 6 227 202 100 Chicago 42 18 15 247 196 99 Minnesota 38 26 11 186 189 87 Dallas 36 27 11 214 212 83 Nashville 32 32 11 186 226 75 Winnipeg 33 33 9 208 220 75

Eastern ConferenceAtlantic Division

Boston 51 17 6 237 155 108 Montreal 43 26 7 199 189 93 Tampa Bay 41 24 9 221 198 91 Detroit 34 26 14 199 211 82 Toronto 36 32 8 220 239 80 Ottawa 30 29 14 210 246 74 Florida 27 40 8 179 244 62 Buffalo 20 45 9 142 222 49

Metropolitan DivisionPittsburgh 47 22 5 228 184 99 NY Rangers 41 30 4 200 183 86 Philadelphia 39 27 7 210 206 85 Columbus 38 30 6 208 200 82 Washington 34 28 12 214 222 80 New Jersey 31 28 15 178 192 77 Carolina 32 32 10 186 208 74 NY Islanders 29 35 10 206 247 68 Note: Overtime losses (OTL) are worth one point in the stand-ings and are not included in the loss column (L).

NHL results/standings

Boston 4, Washington 2; Colorado 3, San Jose 2; Tampa Bay 4, Buffalo 3 (OT); Detroit 4, Toronto 2; Montreal 4,Florida 1; NY Islanders 2, New Jersey 1 (SO); Columbus 3, Carolina 2 (OT); Anaheim 5, Vancouver 1; Los Angeles 4,Winnipeg 2; Dallas 4, St. Louis 2; Minnesota 3, Phoenix 1.

DHAKA: Australia wicketkeeper Brad Haddin would be disappointed with his form at the WorldT20 in Bangladesh after outstanding test series against England and South Africa, according tocoach Darren Lehmann. Haddin missed a regulation stumping chance to dismiss hard-hittingChris Gayle when on 26 and the batsman went on to score 53 in the defending champions’ six-wicket victory on Friday that all but dumped Australia from the tournament.

“His keeping has been poor. That’s okay, he won’t mind me saying that,” Lehmann toldreporters. “He’s honest enough for that. He’s been fantastic over a long period

of time for us. “He took a great catch (to dismiss Samuels) and missed acouple of opportunities. “At the end of the day he’s been exceptional for

us. He’d be disappointed in his own form in these two games. That’snot hiding away from the truth.” Haddin was hardly alone in strug-gling, though, Lehmann suggested.

“The simple fact is (he’s) one of our better performers and acouple of our experienced blokes - Shane Watson, David Warner

for example - they didn’t have the impact, those three, thatwe would’ve liked,” Lehmann added.

“He’s had a lot of cricket ... But at the end of the daywe all have jobs, we all have a lot of cricket to play. “Buthe’s been fantastic around our group and we’ll stick withhim because he’s a brilliant person and he will get a restnow and obviously freshen up and come back a betterplayer.”—Reuters

Haddin ready for a breakITALY: Italian World Cup referee Nicola Rizzoli was involved in an extraordinary incident whenhe awarded a penalty and then changed his mind after five minutes of angry protests duringsecond-placed AS Roma’s 2-0 win at Sassuolo yesterday.

Rizzoli initially awarded Sassuolo a penalty when their forward Nicola Sansone went downunder a seemingly innocuous challenge by Roma defender Mehdi Benatia in the 36th minuteof the Serie A match. Both teams protested the decision, with Roma angry over the penaltyand Sassuolo claiming that Benatia should have been sent off. Sassuolohad already put the ball on the spot and were preparing to take thekick when Rizzoli, after consulting his assistants, changed his mindand awarded a drop ball. There were more protests at halftime asSassuolo players again surrounded Rizzoli to protest the deci-sion. Serie A uses the additional assistant referees system pre-ferred by UEFA with extra match officials on each goal line.

Roma had taken the lead in the 16th minute with MattiaDestro’s 10th goal of the season. Sassuolo’s Simone Missiroliwas caught in possession by Radja Nainggolan and he thenslipped the ball through for Destro to lift the ball overGianluca Pegolo with a neat finish. Roma’s secondcame at the end of a leisurely second half whenSassuolo again lost possession in their own halfand Brazilian Michel Bastos was sent clear to placehis ball wide of Pergolo. —Reuters

Ref in penalty confusionJOHANNESBURG: A couple of stunning goals helped Al-Ahly Benghazieliminate title-holders Al-Ahly from the CAF Champions League thisweekend. Farag Abdel Hafiz and Moataz El-Mahdy scored within sevensecond-half minutes to earn the Libyans a shock 3-2 triumph over theirEgyptian namesakes in Cairo. Benghazi took a one-goal lead into the sec-ond leg of the last-16 tie and qualified 4-2 on aggregate for the lucrativegroup stage.

Democratic Republic of Congo clubs TP Mazembe and Vita andTunisians CS Sfaxien also secured places in the April 29 mini-league draw.Ahly entered the second leg at a spectator-less Air Defence Stadium inthe Egyptian capital hoping to keep alive dreams of a record third con-secutive title. And they were on course to succeed 38 minutes into thefirst half in an eerie atmosphere created by the authorities banning sup-porters because of previous clashes with police.

Mohamed Naguib side-footed a cut-back across Benghazi goalkeep-er Wissem El-Boudi into the corner of the net for the opening goal.

But disaster struck three minutes later as Egyptian captain HossamAshour fouled Zimbabwean Edward Sadomba and Abdulrahman Fetoriconverted the penalty.

Ahly had to score at least twice more under the away-goals rule toavoid a first exit at the qualifying stage since losing to Nigerians KanoPillars five years ago. —AFP

Benghazi topple Ahly

WASHINGTON: Jason Chimera No. 25 of the Washington Capitals and Kevan Miller No. 86 of theBoston Bruins go after the puck during the second period at Verizon Center. —AFP

BEAVER CREEK: Lindsey Vonn knows it wasjust some youthful exuberance when teenagerMikaela Shiffrin playfully announced she wasdreaming of winning five gold medals at thenext Winter Olympics. Vonn certainly appreci-ates such a lofty goal by Shiffrin, who capturedthe slalom title at the Sochi Games last month.A light-hearted warning, though.

“I’m going to compete in the 2018Olympics,” Vonn said with a laugh. “So she’sgoing to have tough competition in the speedevents.” With four years down the road in mind,Vonn is taking it slow with her surgicallyrepaired right knee. She said she doesn’t antici-pate a return to racing until early December.

The four-time overall World Cup championhad her ACL fixed for a second time in January,sidelining her for Sochi. As it turned out, therewas “quite a bit of meniscus damage” in theknee and that’s caused her to push back hertime frame. Vonn hopes to train on snow byOctober and be racing in Lake Louise, Alberta,two months later, on a hill where she’s alwaysdone well. But that’s all tentative.

No sense rushing back to racing, no matterhow antsy she’s growing to step back into thestarting gate. “If I have to push the date backwhen I start, so be it,” Vonn told TheAssociated Press on Saturday. “To ensure thenext four years go smoothly, I have to give thismeniscus some time to heal.”

In between rehabilitation sessions, the 29-year-old Vonn is finding plenty of other thingsto occupy her time. She’s sneaking in some flyfishing with her dog, Leo, starting a new foun-dation and having coffee with skiing greatAnnemarie Moser-Proell, whose record Vonnis chasing. Vonn remains three wins frommatching the World Cup record of 62 race vic-tories by Moser-Proell.

“She wants me to break her record,” Vonnsaid. “You don’t see that. I think she’s a really,

really nice person and I really enjoyed spend-ing time with her.”

Vonn ventured around Beaver Creek onSaturday to support “Ski Girls Rock,” a programthat focuses on empowering girls through ski-ing. She met with the kids, signed autographs,posed for pictures and then called a brieftimeout to sit on an outdoor couch near a firepit to rest her knee and film a video. She putan ice bag on the knee as she settled into thecouch. “The knee is coming along nicely,” shesaid. “It’s obviously a slow process, but I’mmaking progress every day, so that’s good.”

Vonn has already decided she’s not evengoing to try to walk every hole as she trailsboyfriend Tiger Woods around at the Mastersnext month - provided, of course, Woods evenplays, given his ailing back. “We’ll see how far Imake it,” Vonn said. “With my meniscus theway it is, it’s not great to be on my feet all thetime.” Vonn tore two ligaments in her rightknee during a high-speed crash at the worldchampionships in February 2013. She thenre-injured her surgically repaired ACL in acrash during training last November. Vonntried to rehab the knee in time for Sochi, butsprained her MCL racing a downhill in Franceon Dec. 21.

Even though it was difficult not competingin Sochi, Vonn said she caught nearly all of theraces. However, her computer crashed justbefore the second run of the women’s slalom.She missed quite a recovery from Shiffrin,who overcame a major mistake to win gold.

“Mikaela is skiing incredible,” Vonn said.“With her slalom, she’s in a league of her ownright now.” Very soon, Shiffrin will be steppinginto Vonn’s domain - the speed events. Shiffrinrecently squeezed in some super-G training atBeaver Creek on Raptor, the race hill for theworld championships next February. She mayjust ski a few speed events next season. —AP

Vonn hopes to return to racing in early December

S P O RT SMONDAY, MARCH 31, 2014

KUWAIT: In cooperation with SouqSharq’s administration represented byDina Maaraf and chairman of KuwaitClub for Mind Games Hassan Jumaa,the seventh Souq Sharq chess tourna-ment was launched under the patron-age of the National Real Estate

Company and organized by the KCMGon March 27. The championship washeld under the supervision of organiz-ing committee chairman Faisal Al-Qallaf, who emphasized the support ofyouth skills in various fields and mentalactivities. He said this was the first fast

play tournament in Kuwait, adding thatthere are cash prices for the first 10places to encourage them.

Meanwhile, chairman of the refereescommittee Khalaf Al-Azmi said thetournament that was held with the par-ticipation of 63 players from various

countries including Kuwait, Egypt,India, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon,Pakistan, Philippines, Syria andUzbekistan. He said the tournament fol-lowed the Swiss system with sevenrounds - the third and fourth roundswere held on March 29. Azmi said com-

petition was very strong as 12 playershad two points following the secondround. Tournament official Zaina Al-Fayyadh thanked Souq Sharq adminis-tration for patronizing the seventhtournament, which achieved tangiblesuccess.

Seventh Souq Sharq chess tourney launched

PHILADELPHIA: The Philadelphia76ers broke their NBA record-equal-ing, 26-game losing streak, routingthe Detroit Pistons 123-98 onSaturday to avoid establishing thelongest losing streak in US major prosports history. Michael Carter-Williams and Thaddeus Young eachscored 21 points for the 76ers, whowon for the first time in exactly twomonths and did it with surprisingease, leading by as much as 32points. They also ended an 18-gamehome losing streak, which was oneshy of another NBA record.

Beaten badly a number of timesduring their skid, the 76ers got toexperience life on the other side,ringing up a season-high 70 points inthe first half.

Their 26 straight losses equaledthe 2010-11 Cleveland Cavaliers and

also the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers,who dropped 26 straight from Sept.12, 1976-Dec. 4, 1977.

Henry Sims added 16 points forthe Sixers, who hadn’t won beforetheir home crowd since beatingCharlotte on Jan. 15. Fans were into itfrom the start and grew louderthroughout, standing and cheeringfor the final 45 seconds. Greg Monroehad 20 points and 10 rebounds forthe Pistons, who lost for the 11thtime in 13 games.

CLIPPERS 118, ROCKETS 107Chris Paul had 30 points and 12

assists, Jamal Crawford added 22points as Los Angeles clinched itsfranchise-record third straight playoffappearance by stopping Houston’sfive game winning streak. Houstonwas without injured starters Dwight

Howard and Pat Beverley.It wasn’t all good for Los Angeles.

Blake Griffin left in the first quarterwith back spasms and didn’t return,and Glen Davis missed the secondhalf for disciplinary reasons afterthrowing a temper tantrum in thesecond quarter.

James Harden led the Rocketswith 32 points, and Chandler Parsonshad 28. DeAndre Jordan added 20points with 12 rebounds for theClippers, who are third in the WesternConference.

SPURS 96, PELICANS 80Marco Belinelli scored 18 points

and San Antonio never trailed afterits opening possession to extend itswinning streak to 17 games with thewin over New Orleans.

Kawhi Leonard and Manu Ginobili

scored 15 points each, Patty Millsadded 13 and Tim Duncan had 12points and eight rebounds. SanAntonio (57-16) extended its lead to31/2 games over Oklahoma City (53-19) for the league’s best record.

Reserve guard Brian Roberts had18 points to lead New Orleans (32-41), which had its five-game winningstreak snapped. Austin Rivers added16 points, Tyreke Evans had 11 pointsand Al-Farouq Aminu had eightpoints and 10 rebounds.

New Orleans was withoutAnthony Davis, its leading scorer andrebounder. Davis is day to day afterinjuring his left ankle 4 minutes intothe Pelicans’ victory over Utah onFriday night.

WIZARDS 101, HAWKS 97John Wall scored 25 points, Drew

Gooden had 16 as Washingtoninched closer to its first playoff spotsince 2008 with a win over free-falling Atlanta.

Washington entered the gameneeding a win and a loss by the NewYork Knicks on Sunday to make theplayoffs. Wall scored 13 points in thelast 7:16 of the third quarter and theWizards finally escaped the peskyHawks, who have lost six straight and20 of 26.

Jeff Teague scored 19 points andPaul Millsap 17 for Atlanta.Washington followed up a 13-pointwin over Eastern Conference leaderIndiana on Friday with a win over theHawks, who lead the Knicks by 11/2games for the final playoff berth inthe East.

MAVERICKS 103, KINGS 100Dirk Nowitzki scored 19 points

and Dallas avoided a potentially seri-ous blow to its playoff hopes by rally-ing in the fourth quarter to beatSacramento.

The Mavericks blew a 17-pointlead and trailed by five in the fourthquarter before recovering for their20th straight regular-season win athome against Sacramento, thelongest against any opponent infranchise history.

Dallas (44-30) is in a virtual tiewith Memphis (43-29) for eighthplace in the Western Conference, ahalf-game behind Phoenix. TheMavericks have eight games left andfinish the regular season at theGrizzlies. Rudy Gay scored 30 for theKings. Monta Ellis had 17 points andsix assists, and Sam Dalembert added15 as Dallas avoided a second loss toa West also-ran on a franchise-recordeight-game home stand that endsTuesday night against Golden State.

HEAT 88, BUCKS 67Chris Bosh scored 14 points,

LeBron James had 13 as short-hand-ed Miami wrapped up its three-gametrip through the Midwest with a vic-tory over Milwaukee.

James Jones added 10 for Miamiin place of star guard Dwyane Wade,sidelined a second straight gamewith a sore hamstring. The Heat alsoplayed without Ray Allen and MarioChalmers.

It didn’t matter against the teamwith the NBA’s worst record. The Heatled 46-29 at halftime and held theBucks to a season low for points in ahalf and in a game. John Henson had12 points and 10 rebounds forMilwaukee. —AP

76ers snap losing streak

HOUSTON: Darren Collison No. 2 of the Los Angeles Clippers blocks a shot by Jeremy Lin No. 7 ofthe Houston Rockets during the game at the Toyota Center. —AFP

Eastern ConferenceAtlantic DivisionW L PCT GB

Toronto 41 31 .569 - Brooklyn 38 33 .535 2.5 NY Knicks 30 43 .411 11.5 Boston 23 49 .319 18 Philadelphia 16 57 .219 25.5

Central DivisionIndiana 52 21 .712 - Chicago 40 32 .556 11.5 Cleveland 29 45 .392 23.5 Detroit 26 47 .356 26 Milwaukee 14 59 .192 38

Southeast DivisionMiami 50 22 .694 - Washington 38 35 .521 12.5 Charlotte 35 38 .479 15.5 Atlanta 31 41 .431 19 Orlando 21 52 .288 29.5

Western ConferenceNorthwest Division

Oklahoma City 53 19 .736 - Portland 47 27 .635 7 Minnesota 36 35 .507 16.5 Denver 32 41 .438 21.5 Utah 23 50 .315 30.5

Pacific DivisionLA Clippers 52 22 .703 - Golden State 45 27 .625 6 Phoenix 44 29 .603 7.5 Sacramento 25 48 .342 26.5 LA Lakers 24 48 .333 27

Southwest DivisionSan Antonio 57 16 .781 - Houston 49 23 .681 7.5 Memphis 43 29 .597 13.5 Dallas 44 30 .595 13.5 New Orleans 32 41 .438 25

NBA results/standingsPhiladelphia 123, Detroit 98; Dallas 103, Sacramento 100; LA Clippers 118, Houston 107; Washington 101,Atlanta 97; Miami 88, Milwaukee 67; San Antonio 96, New Orleans 80.

MEMPHIS: Dayton forward Kendall Pollard (22) shoots against Florida centerPatric Young (4) during the second half in a regional final game at the NCAAcollege basketball tournament. —AP

MEMPHIS: First yet again this season, the FloridaGators want more. Much more. Try a nationalchampionship. Scottie Wilbekin scored 23 pointsand Florida became the first team to advance tothe Final Four with a 62-52 win Saturday nightover the 11th-seeded Dayton Flyers in the SouthRegion final. The Gators reached their fifth FinalFour after losing at this point in each of the pastthree NCAA tournaments. This time, they came inas the country’s top-ranked team and the overallNo. 1 seed.

Florida won its 30th straight game andimproved to 36-2, topping the 35 wins by the2007 national championship squad.

“I couldn’t be prouder and happier,” Floridacoach Billy Donovan said after being drenchedwith water in the Gators’ locker room.

“In a lot of ways, outside the Michigan game,we were close to being in three out of four FinalFours right now, and that says a lot about theseguys. But I think those experiences maybe helpedus be a better team this year than maybe wewould have if we’d have gotten to a couple ofones earlier.”

Patric Young scored 12 points, and MichaelFrazier II added 10 for Florida. The Gators will playeither UConn or Michigan State in Arlington,Texas, in the national semifinal.

The celebration was a bit muted because aregional title isn’t the Gators’ end goal. “There’smore hunger within us, within this whole teamto keep going,” Young said.

Dyshawn Pierre led the Flyers with 18 points,including the final 11 for Dayton (26-11). DevinOliver added 12 points.

Dayton came in trying to become only thefourth 11 seed to advance to the Final Four. TheFlyers had upset Ohio State and Syracuse inreaching their first regional final since 1984. Theymissed their second Final Four and first since1967 as Florida held them to their lowest scoringgame this season.

Coach Archie Miller complimented theGators, saying that just being on the floor with

Florida gave Dayton a “big-time feeling.”“It’s always hard to lose the last game of the

season, but in the back of my mind, I’m not surea team in the nation captured more people’shearts than these guys did, and they did it theright way,” Miller said. The Flyers hit one morefield goal than Florida (19-18), but the Gatorsoutrebounded them 37-26. They also had amassive edge at the free throw line (21 of 28) to(6 of 8).

Florida finished the first half on a 15-1 run totake the lead for good, going up 38-24. TheFlyers opened the second half with two quick 3sto pull within eight, only to watch the Gatorspush their lead to 17 with 11:35 left on a layupby Young.

The Flyers kept coming but couldn’t get clos-er than eight in the second half, the last at 58-50.The Gators went cold down the stretch, oncemissing five shots on one possession with fiveoffensive rebounds. Dayton missed chances tocut the lead as Oliver missed a 3-pointer with2:07 left, then Scoochie Smith threw it away try-ing to pass out to Matt Kavanaugh.

Miller said Pierre was completely exhaustedlate. “You can’t go to a guy eight times in a rowand expect him to score every time, but he gaveus a fighting chance,” Miller said.

Then Wilbekin ended the Gators’ scoringdrought at 4:39 with a pair of free throws, andhe hit four of six at the line to finish the game.

Dayton took over the FedExForum so thor-oughly that the Gators were booed when theycame out for warm-ups and pre-game introduc-tions. Miller tried to use his deep bench, using11 Flyers at least 5 minutes trying to wear outthe Gators with sheer numbers. Donovan nearlymatched Dayton by going 10 deep himself.

The Gators went cold for nearly 6 minutesbetween a dunk by Casey Prather with 11:55left in the half and a baseline drive by Frazierwith 6:00 to go. The Flyers scored eight straightwhen Smith’s 3 gave them their first lead of thegame at 21-19 with 6:58 remaining. —AP

Florida first in Final Four

KUWAIT: VIVA, Kuwait’s fastest-growingand most developed telecom operator,announced the launch of a ManchesterUnited Draw for both, prepaid and post-paid customers, presenting customerswith the opportunity to attend theManchester United Match at the ‘Theatreof Dreams’; Old Trafford - UK.

The lucky draw winners will receive apackage, which covers a roundtrip flight,accommodation and the ultimate prize;tickets to attend the Manchester Unitedmatch.

To enter the draw, voice customerssimply need to send ‘98’ to ‘567’ to sub-scribe. Postpaid customers are granted 2chances to enter the draw for every 5KD

of their bill paid through direct debit,and one chance for every KD 5 paidthrough direct payment. Prepaid cus-tomers are granted one chance to enterthe draw for every KD 5 equivalentrecharges.

In July 2011, VIVA announced it officialfive season sponsorship agreement withthe Manchester United Football Club,bringing the team closer to its fans inKuwait through ongoing promotions,activities and surprises.

VIVA invites all customers and espe-cially Manchester United fans to enterthe draw, and win the chance of a lifetime with premier access to attend thebiggest game of the season.

VIVA offers customers chance to attend Man United match

Right to left: Faisal Al-Qallaf, Hassan Ramadhan Jumaa (center) and Jumaa Ramadhan. Group photo of Mind Games Club Board.

S P O RT SMONDAY, MARCH 31, 2014

KUWAIT: A Petanque contest has beenorganized at Al Jahra Copthorne Hotel &Resort on March 21st 2014 by the UFE(Union des Francais de l’Etranger), “Union ofthe French abroad- Kuwait Section”, in thepresence of the President of the InternationalPétanque Fédération — member of theFrench National Olympic Committee —Claude Azema, and Christian Nakhlé FrenchAmbassador, Matthew Tueller, the USAmbassador, and Douglas George theCanadian Ambassador, Michael J Adler,Deputy Chief of Mission US Embassy.

Claude Azema expressed his happinessto visit Kuwait, and his satisfaction from thewell organized contest by the UFE held at theAl Jahra Copthorne. “Petanque is beingplayed by above 17 million people in France

only and it is a simple game and does nothave the complications of other sports andcan be played by everyone at any age andanywhere, it provides lots of fun and a per-fect way to make new friends from every-where, It is simple and relaxing and it candevelop hand and eye coordination, thinkingprocesses, problem-solving skill and team-work”

And he added “I’ve seen good move-ment and efforts to promote Petanque inKuwait and have sensed interest about thethe game at the gulf area as well. It’s our aimto spread Petanque at this part of the world,I had the pleasure of meeting with theFrench Ambassador in Kuwait along withthe President of the UFE “Union des Francaisde l’Etranger” in Kuwait during my visit, we

also have discussed ways to promote thegame with representatives from the PublicAuthority for Youth & Sports in Kuwait. Andhe concluded “We are ready to come backto Kuwait again in the near future to organ-ize training courses for Kuwaiti Petanquecoaches under the supervision of theInternational Federation of Petanque , andwe are willing to arrange these courses inFrance as well”.

Madame Frédérique Asfar the presidentof the UFE “the union of the French abroad-Kuwait Section expressed her happinessabout the arrangements of this competi-tion at Copthorne Al-Jahra, and she said “We arrange this competition in this beauti-ful resort twice a year for the members ofthe UFE as well as the Petanque lovers in

Kuwait, we aim to encourage people ofKuwait to know about this game since it is anon-gender sport in which men andwomen compete on an equal basis with oragainst each other.

It can be played outdoors or indoors in acovered terrain, without the need for a spe-cial skill or high level fitness on the part ofthe player, she adds “The game originatedin 1907 in France and is now gaining popu-larity all over the world, it now has an inter-national Federation and one day we wishthat we can see a Kuwait Federation for thegame”

Alaa Selim the Hotel Manager of Al JahraCopthorne Hotel & Resort said “ This annualevent has become a popular social gather-ing and it’s our pleasure to host the

Petanque contest and the UFE open dayevery year in our resort in Jahra with thepresence of their excellencies the ambassa-dors of France, United States and Canada”He added “ We are thrilled to recreate theambiance and atmosphere of southernFrance here in Kuwait and set the pace for awonderful family day in our resort, we wantto take place in promoting this beneficialcultural activity. “We had more than 60 con-testants formed into 20 teams during thisbeautiful family day, followed by a BBQlunch by the pool and concluded by themedal awarding ceremony. The winnerswere awarded by the French Ambassador,President of the Pétanque InternationalFédération Azema Claude and President ofthe UFE Madame Frédérique Asfar.

Petanque contest brings back ambiance of southern France

Competition held at Al Jahra Copthorne Hotel

HONG KONG: New Zealand’s Sherwin Stowers (top) is tackled by England’sDan Bibby (bottom) during the final of the Hong Kong Sevens rugby tourna-ment. —AP

ST. PETERSBURG: Takuma Sato ofJapan won pole position at St.Petersburg for yesterday’s season-opening IndyCar Series race.

Sato circled the street course in 1minute, 0.01 seconds in Saturday’srain-delayed qualifying session to puthis AJ Foyt Racing entry out front. Itwas a stellar debut for Honda and itsnew twin turbo engine.

“It’s a fantastic day. I can’t really askany more for the start of the season,”Sato said. “A.J. said ‘Very well done,’and he was very happy, and makinghim happy is a very difficult thing. SoI’m pleased.”

Sato also praised Honda PerformanceDevelopment, which struggled mightilyin this race a year ago. He said having theengine ready early in the offseasonallowed his team to do needed testing inadvance of the opener.

“Last year, my first test was the endof February with the team,” he said.“It’s a very short time to prepare. Butthis year, really the winter testing start-ed from December, so effectivelymore than two months ahead of whatwe were last year.”

Tony Kanaan qualified second,0.2951 seconds behind the Japanesedriver. Kanaan, the defendingIndianapolis 500 winner, replacedDario Franchitti during the offseasonfollowing Franchitti’s forced retire-ment from injuries suffered in anOctober crash.

His first qualifying session with hisnew team led to Kanaan’s best start-ing spot at St. Pete since 2010. It’s thefirst time he advanced to the final FastSix round of qualifying at this coursein three years.

It could bode well for Kanaan, whoimproved seven spots to finish fourtha year ago when he drove for KVSHRacing.

“It’s just qualifying. You’ve still gotto make it to turn one (Sunday),”Kanaan shrugged. “I think it has beenlike three years since I have been inthe top six. It feels really good, I can’tthank the Target Chip Ganassi Racingguys enough. A lot of people made a

lot of comments over the yearsbecause we struggled so much inqualifying in street and road coursesand nobody was counting on that. Ilike to be the element of surprise.”

Ryan Hunter-Reay was third andfollowed by Will Power, who had wonthe pole the last four years. DefendingIndyCar Series champion Scott Dixonwas fifth and Marco Andretti roundedout the Fast Six.

Juan Pablo Montoya failed toadvance out of his group in his firstqualifying session in IndyCar. Hereturned to open wheel this year todrive for Roger Penske after sevenseasons in NASCAR with ChipGanassi. He’ll start 18th in the 22-car field.

The qualifying session wasdelayed more than three hoursbecause a heavy rainstorm drenchedthe course and forced the race pro-moter to clear the grandstands andask fans to seek shelter in variouslocations around the temporarystreet circuit.

Fans huddled inside the parkinggarage that serves as the garage formany teams, and at least 12 driverspassed the time by posing for a “self-ie” photo similar to the star-studdedone Ellen DeGeneres took at theOscars.

When the qualifying session didbegin, the first group was slowed byseveral red flags. It infuriatedSebestien Bourdais, who replaced

Kanaan at KVSH Racing and is hopingfor a strong debut in his hometownrace. But Bourdais waited late into thesession to go out onto the course,and the red flags limited him to justone qualifying lap. He’ll start 13th.

“This is a joke,” he grumbled. “If weare going to qualify, we at least haveto have a fair shot, and we didn’t. Itwasn’t much of a qualifying session.Because of the track conditions wewaited to go out to make sure thatwe had room in case something hap-pened, so everyone else got in a lapbefore the first red flag. “When wewent back out I got one lap at speedbefore the second red flag. We weretoo conservative and I feel bad for thecrew.” —AP

Sato wins pole for

IndyCar season-opener

ST PETERSBURG: (Left) Team owner AJ Foyt and (right) Takuma Sato of Japan driver of the No. 14ABC Supply AJ Foyt Racing Honda pose with Verizon P1 Pole Award. —AFP

HONG KONG: New Zealand brushed asideEngland 26-7 to win the Hong KongSevens and reclaim top spot in the overallstandings in the IRB Sevens World Series,yesterday.

The All Blacks Sevens, the defendingWorld Series champions, won its third tour-nament this season in fine style, runningfour tries past a hapless England to claimtheir 11th Cup Championship in Hong Kongand first since 2011.

First-half tries from Ben Lam and TimMikkelson gave New Zealand a 12-0 leadbut England hit back just before the breakwhen Tom Powell burst through to touchdown from a quickly taken tap penalty toreduce the deficit to just five points.

But evergreen captain DJ Forbes whohad a huge impact on the final day with hisbustling play at the breakdown, quickly putNew Zealand back in command, stretchingthe lead after receiving a huge cut-out passfrom Sherwin Stowers to score uncontest-ed.

“We were given a lesson by England lastweek (in Tokyo) but here we are on thepodium. It feels good to win in Hong Kongagain,” said an elated Forbes.

Despite a second try by Lam being over-turned, and the winger being sin-binned for

an off-the-ball offence, the men in blackhad too much firepower and sub SamDickson sealed victory with his side’s fourthtry. The victory allowed New Zealand toregain the lead from South Africa who hadentered the Hong Kong Sevens holding atwo point lead. With two more legs remain-ing in Scotland and England in May, NewZealand top the standings with 136 points,seven points ahead of South Africa whostumbled badly after losing in the Cupquarterfinals to England, 14-7.

Fiji are third on 112 while England fourthon 105. England had booked their berth inthe Cup final with a 17-7 victory over Fiji inthe semi-final. Fiji had looked impressive inthe run-up and seemed on course for back-to-back title as after winning in Tokyo lastweek but came unstuck against a disci-plined English side. New Zealand’s path tothe final was a 28-5 win over Wales in thequarterfinals followed by a 19-7 victory overtrans-Tasman rivals Australia.

Japan became the first Asian team towin a core team spot on the World Serieswhen it won the qualifying tournamentdefeating Italy 26-5. Japan will play in theremaining two legs this season in Scotlandand England, and all nine legs in the WorldSeries next season. —AP

NZ win Hong Kong Sevens

KUWAIT: Group picture of Christian Nakhlé the French Ambassador, Matthew Tueller, the USAmbassador, Douglas George the Canadian Ambassador, Mrs. Frédérique Asfar the President ofthe UFE, Michael J Adler, Deputy Chief of Mission US Embassy, Alaa Selim, Al Jahra CopthorneHotel Manager, and Hussain Gaber from the Sales Department of Al Jahra Copthorne Hotel.

KUWAIT: Gold medalists Stéphane Perves, Jean-Jacques Balcerzak, Nour-EddineChaouki awarded by the French Ambassador Christian Nakhlé, President of thePetanque International Federation Claude Azema and the president of the UFE MadameFrédérique Asfar.

KUWAIT : Silver medalists second overall: Sébastien Dupas, Philippe Bayle and Philippe Gray KUWAIT: Bronze medalists third overall: Fabien Richard, Odile Darras and Yves Gabarre

S P O RT SMONDAY, MARCH 31, 2014

India:R. Sharma c Muirhead b Hodge 5A. Rahane c Haddin b Bollinger 19V. Kohli c White b Muirhead 23Y. Singh c Maxwell b Watson 60S. Raina c Finch b Maxwell 6M. Dhoni b Starc 24R. Jadeja run out 3R. Ashwin not out 2 B. Kumar not out 0Extras: (lb6, w10, nb1) 17 Total (for seven wickets, 20 overs) 159Fall of wickets: 1-6 (Sharma), 2-46 (Kohli), 3-53(Rahane), 4-66 (Raina), 5-150 (Dhoni), 6-152(Yuvraj), 7-158 (Jadeja).Bowling: Hodge 2-0-13-1 (w2), Maxwell 4-0-20-1 (w1), Starc 4-0-36-1 (w4), Watson 4-0-36-1 (w3,nb1), Bollinger 4-0-24-1, Muirhead 2-0-24-1

Australia:A. Finch c Kohli b Ashwin 6D. Warner c R. Sharma b Ashwin 19C. White c Jadeja b Kumar 0S. Watson b M. Sharma 1G. Maxwell b Ashwin 23 G. Bailey c Kohli b Jadeja 8B. Hodge c Jadeja b Mishra 13B. Haddin c Rahane b Mishra 6M. Starc run out 2J. Muirhead c Dhoni b Ashwin 3D. Bollinger not out 1Extras: (lb3, w1) 4Total (all out, 16.2 overs) 86Fall of wickets: 1-13 (Finch), 2-19 (White), 3-21(Watson), 4-44 (Warner), 5-55 (Maxwell), 6-63(Bailey), 7-75 (Haddin), 8-79 (Starc), 9-83(Hodge), 10-86 (Muirhead) Bowling: Kumar 3-0-7-1, M. Sharma 2-0-11-1,Ashwin 3.2-0-11-4 (w1), Raina 1-0-16-0, Jadeja 4-0-25-1, Mishra 3-0-13-2.India won by 73 runs.

SCOREBOARDDHAKA: Scoreboard from the World Twenty20 Super-10 group two match between Australiaand India in Dhaka yesterday:

Group OneSouth Africa 4 3 1 0 0 6 +0.075Sri Lanka 3 2 1 0 0 4 +2.199New Zealand 3 2 1 0 0 4 +0.362England 3 1 2 0 0 2 -0.102Netherlands 3 0 3 0 0 0 -2.176

Group TwoIndia 4 4 0 0 0 8 +1.280West Indies 3 2 1 0 0 4 +1.223Pakistan 3 2 1 0 0 4 +0.893Australia 3 0 3 0 0 0 -1.549Bangladesh 3 0 3 0 0 0 -2.315Note: Top two teams in each group qualifyfor semi-finals.

World Twenty20 standingsDHAKA: World Twenty20 Super-10 round standings after yesterday’s matches (played,won, lost, tied, N/R, points, run-rate):

DHAKA: Yuvraj Singh roared back to form with a pugnacious half-century and Ravichandran Ashwin grabbed 4-11 as India ham-mered listless Australia by 73 runs in the World Twenty20 in Dhakayesterday.

Yuvraj hit 60 off 43 balls to steer India to 159-7 after they weresent in to bat, before Australia collapsed in spectacular fashion tobe bowled out for a paltry 86 in 16.2 overs.

India, who had already qualified for the semi-finals, toppedgroup two of the Super-10s with four successive wins. They willmeet the number two team from the other group next Friday fora place in the final. It was Australia’s third loss in a row, leavingthem at the bottom of the table along with Bangladesh. Pakistan,who beat Bangladesh by 50 runs earlier on Sunday, will clash withthe West Indies tomorrow to decide the second semi-finalist fromthe group.

South Africa have made it to the knock-out round from groupone, while Sri Lanka will face New Zealand in Chittagong onMonday to determine the other semi-finalist.

Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said he was not sur-prised at the ease with which Yuvraj batted after a poor run earlierin the tournament.

“We all know what kind of a player Yuvi is and this T20 formatis ideal for someone to get back into form,” Dhoni said. “He gavehimself time to get set at the start and then he opened out.

“There was no dew at all which helped the bowlers grip theball well. It was a really good effort in the field. We now need agood rest before the semi-final.”

India, whose previous three wins came while batting second,were given first strike by Australian captain George Bailey andfound themselves in immediate trouble.

India’s top order faltered after opener Rohit Sharma fell to part-timer Brad Hodge off the fourth ball of the innings and slipped to66-4 by the 12th over.

Left-handed Yuvraj, who made one and 10 in the two inningshe got to bat in the tournament, launched a spectacular counter-attack that included five boundaries and four sixes.

Dhoni made 24 during a fifth-wicket stand of 84 off 42 ballswith Yuvraj before he was bowled by Mitchell Starc in the penulti-mate over.

Australia’s batting caved in under lights at the Sher-e-Banglastadium with Glenn Maxwell emerging the top scorer with 23.

Eight batsmen failed to reach double figures against thesteady Indian spin attack in which leg-spinner Amit Mishra sup-ported Ashwin with two wickets for 13 runs.

Bailey said he was disappointed at the way this tournamentwas going for his Australian team. “I don’t think we have been fansof the way we have been playing,” he said. “There was a lack ofgame sense on a number of occasions. I just hope we can playwell against the hoststomorow.” —AFP

Yuvraj, Ashwin destroy AustraliaDHAKA: India’s batsman Yuvraj Singh (center) plays a shot during their ICC Twenty20 Cricket World Cup match against Australia. —AP

DHAKA: India’s bowler Ravichandran Ashwin celebrates victory over Australiain the ICC Twenty20 Cricket World Cup match. —AP

Pakistan:Ahmed Shehzad not out 111Kamran Akmal c Ziaur b Razzak 9Mohammad Hafeez st Rahim b Razzak 8Umar Akmal c Tamim b Mahmudullah 0Shoaib Malik st Rahim b Shakib 26Shahid Afridi c Ziaur b Al Amin 22Sohaib Maqsood not out 1Extras: (b3, w9, nb1) 13Total (for five wickets, 20 overs) 190Fall of wickets: 1-43 (Kamran), 2-70 (Hafeez),3-71 (Umar Akmal), 4-154 (Malik), 5-188(Afridi).Bowling: Mortaza 4-0-63-0 (nb1, w5), AlAmin 4-0-37-1, Shakib 4-0-21-1 (w1), Razzak4-0-20-2 (w3), Mahmudullah 3-0-24-1, Ziaur1-0-22-0.

Bangladesh:Tamim Iqbal b Gul 16Anamul Haque c and b Ajmal 18Shakib Al Hasan c Umar Akmal b Gul 38Shamsur Rahman c Kamran b Afridi 4 Mushfiqur Rahim lbw b Babar 2Nasir Hossain st Kamran b Ajmal 23Mohammad Mahmudullah not out 17Ziaur Rahman c Kamran b Gul 0Mashrafe Mortaza not out 17Extras: (lb3, w2) 5 Total (for seven wickets, 20 overs) 140Fall of wickets: 1-30 (Tamim), 2-36 (Anamul),3-44 (Shamsur), 4-47 (Rahim), 5-91 (Shakib),6-112 (Nasir), 7-116 (Ziaur). Bowling: Hafeez 3-0-16-0, Tanvir 3-0-26-0, Gul4-0-30-3 (w1), Ajmal 3-0-20-2, Babar 3-0-24-1(w1), Afridi 4-0-21-1.Pakistan won by 50 runs.

SCOREBOARD

DHAKA: Scoreboard from the World Twenty20 Super-10 group two match betweenBangladesh and Pakistan at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium in Dhaka yesterday:

DHAKA: Opener Ahmed Shehzad smashed an unbeaten111 off 62 balls as Pakistan thrashed hosts Bangladesh by 50runs to stay on course for the semi-finals of the WorldTwenty20 in Dhaka yesterday. The 22-year-old from Lahorehit 10 boundaries and five sixes in his first T20 internationalcentury to lift Pakistan to a commanding 190-5 after theyelected to bat.

Bangladesh managed only 140-7 in reply in front of a sell-out home crowd of 25,000 at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium tosuffer their third successive defeat in group two of theSuper-10s.

With both Bangladesh and Australia out of the race, thewinner of Tuesday’s last league match between Pakistan andthe West Indies will join India in the semi-finals from thegroup.

“This was a great effort from the boys,” said Pakistan cap-tain Mohammad Hafeez. “Everyone knew how importantthis game was. It was a special knock from Shehzad. “Heshowed today that he has all the shots in the book. We nowconfidently look forward to playing the West Indies.”Shehzad, who reached his century off 58 balls in the 18thover, was caught off a Mashrafe Mortaza no-ball in the 19thafter hitting the previous ball for a six.

The error proved expensive as Pakistan scored 44 runs inthe last two overs, with Mortaza conceding 24 in the penulti-mate over. Shehzad hammered 31 in an opening stand of 43with Kamran Akmal (nine) that came off just 27 deliveries.Bangladesh fought back by taking three quick wickets, twoof them by left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak, as Pakistanslipped to 71-3 by the 10th over.

Umar Akmal, Pakistan’s hero against Australia when hemade 94 off 54 balls, was dismissed by MohammadMahmudullah for no score.

Shehzad gave the innings a boost by smashing two sixesand as many boundaries in the 13th over bowled by seamerZiaur Rahman, which cost 22 runs.

Shehzad put on 83 for the fourth wicket with ShoaibMalik (26) in the only substantial partnership of the innings,a lesson that escaped the Bangladesh batsmen.

The hosts, looking for a bright start, lost four top-orderwickets in 9.1 overs with just 47 runs on the board. Shakib AlHasan delighted the crowd with a 32-ball 38 that includedtwo sixes and two fours, before he top-edged a catch offseamer Umar Gul in the 15th over to effectively endBangladesh’s challenge. Gul finished with three for 30 in fourovers, while off-spinner Saeed Ajmal took two for 20.

Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim blamed a battingfailure for the loss. “When you are chasing a big target, youneed someone from the top four to bat all the way through,but that did not happen today,” he said. —AFP

Shehzad ton powers Pakistanto victory over Bangladesh

DHAKA: Pakistan batsman Ahmed Shehzad (left) leaps in the air to celebratescoring a century during their ICC Twenty20 Cricket World Cup match againstBangladesh. —AP

SEPANG: Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain holds up his trophy afterwinning the Malaysian Formula One Grand Prix at Sepang InternationalCircuit. —AP

SEPANG: Briton’s Lewis Hamilton won theMalaysian Grand Prix with a pole-to-flag vic-tory ahead of Nico Rosberg yesterday in a firstMercedes one-two since they returned toFormula One as a works team in 2010. The2008 Formula One world champion easilypulled away from his rivals on a dry track witha three-stop strategy to win the race by 17.3seconds, his 23rd career victory and first inMalaysia at the eighth attempt.

“Incredibly happy, it’s my eighth year here(at Sepang) and finally I got that win,” theBriton told reporters after taking the che-quered flag for his second win for Mercedessince he joined them last year and first pointsof the season.

“Its quite special to get a one-two, Ihaven’t had many in my career, so that makesit even more special. A great day,” added theformer McLaren driver.

Rosberg, who won the season opener inAustralia two weeks ago, started in thirdplace but squeezed past quadruple worldchampion Sebastian Vettel into the first cor-ner and was able to keep the Red Bull at bayand stay top of the driver standings.

It was Mercedes’ first one-two since 1955,their last year as a works team before 2010.Rosberg almost touched the wall as he tookVettel at the start and struggled to managehis rear tyres in the early stages as the twoGermans remained close before theMercedes driver pulled away over the closinglaps. The second place finish moved him onto 43 points in the standings, 18 clear ofHamilton with Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso thirdon 24 points after his second fourth of theseason.

Mercedes took the lead from McLaren inthe constructors’ standings. “I had a reallygood start.. got away well and I thoughtSebastian was going to put me into the wallbut he stopped just before so thank-you forthat,” Rosberg said. “My heart skipped a beat alittle bit but it was OK. I was trying to chaseLewis but he was a bit too quick today.”

VETTEL THIRDVettel finished third, 7.2 seconds behind

Rosberg, for his first points of the season fol-lowing an early retirement in Australia as hestruggled to make an impact on theMercedes pair without the rain that helped

his qualifying bid on Saturday. Havingendured a tricky time during off season test-ing, Vettel was delighted to make the podi-um. “Congratulations to them, they arebloody quick, the package they have is very,very strong,” Vettel told reporters.

“For us there is mostly positives. It’s muchbetter than what we expected during thewinter.” Alonso was involved in a tight battlewith Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg in theclosing stages before finally overtaking theGerman although he will be disappointedthat once again the Ferrari looked well shortof challenging the Mercedes duo.

McLaren’s Jenson Button was sixth withFelipe Massa of Williams seventh just aheadof team mate Valtteri Bottas after the Brazilianrefused to yield to his Finnish team matedespite team orders to do so. The row, at a cir-cuit where team orders blew up into a majorcontroversy last season at both Red Bull andMercedes, threatened to cause friction for thecoming races between the new team mates.

McLaren’s Danish rookie Kevin Magnussenand Toro Rosso’s Russian newcomer DaniilKvyat rounded out the top 10 of a race thatsuffered just a couple of light drops of raindespite concerns about possible thunder-storms.

Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo, who was dis-qualified in Australia pending an appeal,missed out on points for the second race in arow after a disastrous third pit stop when hewas in fourth. The Australian pulled awaybefore his front left wheel was fully attachedwith engineers sprinting down the pitlane topush him back and fix the issue.

Ricciardo was then given a 10 secondpenalty for the unsafe release but his chancesof points were already over after he shreddeda tyre and damaged a wing shortly before thestewards’ decision and he retired before theend.

“Deep down I’m really disappointed but atthe same time there’s a little bit in me whichis happy because I think I’ve come out how Iwanted to,” the Australian said of his start tothe season.

“I still want to improve but we’ve startedoff on the right foot. So for that I’m pleased. Iknow a little bit of luck will turn around soonand I’ll get my revenge and get somepoints.” —Reuters

Hamilton wins Malaysia GP

S P O RT SMONDAY, MARCH 31, 2014

TEXAS: Australian Steven Bowditchchipped in at the first two holes on his wayto a three-shot lead after the third round atthe $6.2 million Texas Open on Saturday.

Boosted by the hot start, Bowditch con-tinued to display an exquisite short game,recovering from some poor long shots tonotch just one bogey on his way to a four-under-par 68 at the TPC San Antonio. “I did-n’t hit the ball real well today at all,”Bowditch told reporters after posting a 12-under 204 total with one round left.

Matt Kuchar (65) carded the lowestround of the week to storm into a tie forsecond on nine-under with fellowAmerican Andrew Loupe (70), whobogeyed the par-five 18th.

The event lost its biggest attractionwhen five-time major champion PhilMickelson withdrew on his 11th hole, citing

a pulled abdominal muscle. His decisionseemed purely precautionary, only twoweeks before he shoots for a fourth greenjacket at the Masters.

Bowditch had never held an end-of-round lead in 110 starts on the PGA Tourbefore Friday, so his start to the third roundwas a perfect tonic to calm the nerves.

He chipped in for birdie from 25 feet atthe par-four first and then holed out fromnearly 30 yards for eagle at the par-five sec-ond, leading comfortably for the rest of theday.

“The chip on the first was pretty simplebut the one on the second I was just tryingto get around the hole and luckily itdropped in,” said the 30-year-old, who hitonly eight greens in regulation.

“I don’t even want to know how manygreens I hit but I know it wasn’t many.

Hopefully tomorrow I will hit a few morefairways and a few more greens.”

Bowditch was a champion junior in hishomeland but it has taken him a while tofind his feet on tour. He is ranked 339th inthe world and while he will start the finalround the man to beat, world number 11Kuchar is brimming with confidence.

Kuchar, the only player among the tour-nament’s top seven with more than onetour victory, had eight birdies in his round.He sank a bunker shot at the first hole forbirdie and also closed in style with a tap-inbirdie at the last.

“It’s an exciting position to be in,” saidKuchar, who has won five times on tour.“My game’s in really good shape. The firsttwo days I left a number of shots out there(but) today was a much better perform-ance as far as scoring.” —Reuters

Bowditch takes three-shot lead at Texas Open

BERLIN: Hamburg have just sixgames left to avoid a historic firstrelegation from the Bundesliga asthey dropped to second from bot-tom after yesterday’s 3-1 defeat atBorussia Moenchengladbach.

As the only Bundesliga side tohave never been relegated,Hamburg took a step closer to thesecond division at Gladbach afterlosing ten of their last 15 leaguematches.

Cameroon right-wing JacquesZoua gave Hamburg a first-half leadbefore Borussia equalised whencaptain Filip Daems tapped home apenalty after goalkeeper ReneAdler saved his initial poorly-hiteffort. Gladbach made sure of thethree points with two goals in thefinal five minutes when Brazil for-ward Raffael fired home a deft chipthrough from striker Max Kruse,then Spanish centre-back AlvaroDominguez scored from a corner.

The defeat saw Hamburgreplace VfB Stuttgart, who lost 3-2at home to Borussia Dortmund onSaturday, in 17th of the league’s 18teams on goal difference whileGladbach are sixth.

Hamburg are on their thirdcoach this season after MirkoSlomka took charge last month fol-lowing Bert van Marwijk’s dismissalin February while Thorsten Fink wassacked in September.

Elsewhere, Werder Bremen’sAustria defender Sebastian Proedlheaded home a 90th-minute win-ner to seal their 2-1 victory atHanover 96 to keep his side 12thand eight points from the relega-tion places while hosts Hanoverdrop to 13th.

On Saturday, champions BayernMunich dropped points for only thethird time in the Bundesliga thisseason as they were held 3-3 athome by Hoffenheim.

Hoffenheim ended Bayern’srecord run of 19 consecutiveBundesliga wins, giving the Munichgiants a wake-up call ahead of theirChampions League quarter-finalfirst leg at Manchester Unitedtomorrow. Spain midfielder ThiagoAlcantara has been ruled out ofboth quarter-final legs againstUnited with a knee injury and isexpected to miss the next six toeight weeks.

Bayern leaked three goals in aBundesliga match for the first timethis season after throwing away a3-1 first-half lead following goals byveteran striker Claudio Pizarro andSwiss winger Xherdan Shaqiri.

Bosnia midfielder SejadSalihovic curled in a 44th-minutefree kick to make it 3-2 at the breakafter striker Anthony Modeste gavethe guests an early lead.

Hoffenheim equalised on 75minutes when Brazilian left wingerRoberto Firmino darted on to athrough ball and his shot beat bothBayern centre-back Dante andgoalkeeper Tom Starke.

Despite the draw, Bayern stillremain 23 points clear at the top ofthe table and extended their recordunbeaten Bundesliga run to 53matches.

Germany winger Marco Reusnetted a hat-trick as second-placedBorussia Dortmund fought backfrom two goals down to win 3-2 atten-man Stuttgart.

Dortmund, who face RealMadrid away on Wednesday in theChampions League quarter-finals,found themselves 2-0 down afterjust 20 minutes. Christian Gentnerand Martin Harnik took advantageof poor defending to net for thehosts before Reus scored all of the

guests’ goals.Bayer Leverkusen hold on to

fourth place despite drawing 1-1 athome to bottom side EintrachtBraunschweig as Sami Hyypia’s sidestruggle for form with one win intheir last 11 games.

Braunschweig took a shock leadthrough defender Ken Reichel justafter the break before StefanKiessling slotted home a 53rd-minute penalty to spare Bayer’sblushes.

Fifth-placed VfL Wolfsburg arejust a point behind Leverkusenafter their 2-1 win at home toEintracht Frankfurt with Brazildefender Naldo scoring their 89th-

minute winner.Freiburg are unbeaten in their

last four games as they enjoyed a 3-2 win at home to Nuremberg tomove five points clear of the rele-gation zone.

Mainz remain seventh but in thehunt for a European place with a 3-0 win at home to Augsburg whileon Friday Schalke 04 were 2-0 win-ners against Hertha Berlin.

Nigerian Chinedu Obasi putSchalke in front after 16 minuteswith Dutch star Klaas-Jan Huntelaaradding the second goal just afterthe interval. It was Huntelaar’s 11thgoal in 13 matches in a campaigndisrupted by knee surgery. —AFP

Hamburg braced

for historic drop

GERMANY: Moenchengladbach’s Norwegian midfielder Havard Nordtveit (center) andHamburg’s Turkish midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu (right) vie for the ball during the German FirstDivision Bundesliga football match. —AFP

Bayern Munich 28 25 3 0 82 16 78Borussia 28 17 4 7 62 31 55 Schalke 28 16 6 6 53 37 54Bayer 28 15 3 10 47 34 48Wolfsburg 28 14 5 9 48 42 47 Borussia 28 13 6 9 49 34 45Mainz 28 13 5 10 41 43 44 Augsburg 28 11 6 11 40 43 39 Hoffenheim 28 9 9 10 63 62 36 Hertha Berlin 28 10 6 12 36 39 36 Eintracht 28 8 8 12 35 48 32 Werder Bremen 28 8 8 12 33 54 32

Hanover 28 8 5 15 36 51 29 Freiburg 28 7 8 13 33 50 29 Nuremberg 28 5 11 12 34 52 26Stuttgart 28 6 6 16 42 57 24 Hamburg 28 6 6 16 43 59 24 Eintracht 28 5 7 16 25 50 22Note: Top three qualify directly for the Champions League,fourth goes into the play-offs, while fourth and fifth play in theEuropa League. The bottom two sides are relegated and theteam finishing 16th has a two-legged play-off against the sidewhich finishes third in the second division.

German League results/standings

Borussia Moenchengladbach 3 (Daems 37-pen, Raffael 75, Dominguez 78) Hamburg 1 (Zoua 28); Hanover 96 1 (Huszti 43) WerderBremen 2 (di Santo 57, Proedl 90).

Played SaturdayBayern Munich 3 (Pizarro 31, 40, Shaqiri 34) Hoffenheim 3 (Modeste 23, Salihovic 44, Firmino 75); Bayer Leverkusen 1 (Kiessling 53-pen) Eintracht Braunschweig 1 (Reichel 47); VfB Stuttgart 2 (Gentner 9, Harnik 19) Borussia Dortmund 3 (Reus 30, 68-pen, 83); VfLWolfsburg 2 (Olic 69, Naldo 89) Eintracht Frankfurt 1 (Aigner 11); Mainz 05 3 (Bungart 23, Hitz 38-og, Geis 83) FC Augsburg 0;Freiburg 3 (Krmas 23, Mehmedi 53-pen, Klaus 65) Nuremberg 2 (Pogatetz 7, Drmic 45-pen).

German Bundesliga table after all yesterday evening’s match (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points):

ITALY: Parma’s forward Raffaele Palladino (left) tries to score against Lazio’sgoalkeeper Federico Marchetti (center) and Lazio’s French defenderAbdoulay Konko during the Italian Serie A football match. —AFP

MILAN: Lazio defender Antonio Candrevastruck late to secure a 3-2 win over Parma andmaintain their Europa League hopes asFiorentina’s Champions League bid was dent-ed in a scoreless draw away to Sampdoria yes-terday.

Earlier, goals in either half from MattiaDestro and Michel Bastos helped Roma to acagey 2-0 win away to Serie A strugglersSassuolo to close the gap on leaders Juventusto 11 points.

Juve are at third-placed Napoli later yester-day when they will be looking to restore their14-point lead as they stride towards a likelythird consecutive scudetto.

At the Olympic Stadium Senad Lulic gaveLazio a 15th minute lead and after JonathanBiabiany had levelled barely 10 minutes laterMiroslav Klose put the hosts within sight of aprecious win with a 67th minute strike.

Lazio suffered a blow when a defensivemix-up saw Michael Ciani intercept a crossintended for Antonio Cassano with the ballspinning away from the defender and out ofreach of ‘keeper Federico Marchetti and intothe Lazio net.

Parma looked to be heading for a share ofthe spoils but when Spanish striker Keitadrove a daisycutter into the area Candreva ranin to volley beyond Antonio Mirante and intothe net for a welcome injury-time winner.

Parma remain sixth with a game in handbut are only one point behind fifth-placedInter who occupy the first Europa Leaguequalifying spot ahead of their visit to Livornotoday.

Lazio’s 12th win of the campaign keptthem in eighth although Edy Reja’s men arenow only two points off Parma and threebehind Inter.

Lazio’s win was tempered by a fans’ boycottin protest at current president Claudio Lotito,meaning the club’s home games have beensparsely attended.

Reja played down Lazio’s Europa Leaguehopes and admitted his side are sufferingfrom the boycott. “It would be a minor miracleif we qualified for Europa,” he told Sky SportItalia.

“We’re still suffering from the absence offans, although we did hear the fans who didturn up. Thanks to them, it gave us the extraspur for the win.”

Fiorentina’s bid for a top three finish andChampions League qualification, meanwhile,suffered a blow in a scoreless draw away inGenoa which saw Juan Vargas smash a free-kick off the crossbar and Samp coach SinisaMihajlovic red-carded at the end of the gamefor dissent.

Fiorentina remain fourth but are now ninepoints behind Napoli in third and only fourahead of Inter.

Coach Vincenzo Montella appeared com-

posed, but said: “A draw was a fair resultalthough we’re disappointed not to take moregiven the chances we had, especially fromVargas’s effort.”

Mihajlovic’s expulsion came after heprotested a late decision vociferously into theface of the linesman. But he, too, was satisfiedwith a draw: “We were up against a side whichplays the best football in the league. “Credit toFiorentina, they played well but we also hadour chances in the second half.”

Elsewhere, 10-man Verona kept in the huntfor Europe’s second-tier club competition witha 3-0 home win over Genoa, with veteran strik-er Luca Toni grabbing a late brace.

Marco Donadel opened the scoring with alow strike from outside the area and thenVerona were reduced to 10 men whenMichelangelo Albertazzi picked up a secondbooking on the cusp of half time.

Genoa did little to capitalise on the advan-tage and Toni made the visitors pay with twolate goals inside the space of six minutes totake his tally for the season to 15, just threeshy of leader Carlos Tevez.

Verona sit in ninth, only two points behindLazio and one ahead of Torino who secured a2-1 win over Cagliari, but Toni said the EuropaLeague is now only a distant dream.

“We’re trying not to think about it. We’recoming off a really bad period and a lot ofpeople thought we were already on holiday,”said Toni. “But despite being a man down weknuckled down today and got the win.” —AFP

Lazio stun Parma

as Fiorentina slip

English Premier League

Sunderland v West Ham 22:00beIN SPORTS 4beIN SPORTS 4 HD

Italian Calcio League

Udinese v Catania 20:00beIN SPORTS 7beIN SPORTS 7 HDLivorno v Inter 22:00beIN SPORTS 3beIN SPORTS 3 HD

Spanish League

Granada v Levante 21:00 beIN SPORTS 2beIN SPORTS 2 HD

Matches on TV (Local Timings)

PARIS: Lille tightened their grip on third place inLigue 1 with a dramatic 1-0 injury time victoryover Guingamp yesterday.

Ivory Coast international Salomon Kaloucame off the bench to prod the ball home in the92nd minute to snatch three desperately need-ed points for Rene Girard’s side.

The match appeared to be heading for agoalless draw before Kalou popped up insidethe six yard box to knee the ball home followinga corner from the right that led to a scramble.

The win extends Lille’s advantage to sixpoints over fourth placed Saint-Etienne who areinvolved in the Rhone derby at Lyon in theweekend’s final match later on Sunday.

Lyon are alone in fifth spot and nine pointsadrift of Lille and the all important finalChampions League berth for next season.

Earlier, Rennes made it back-to-back leaguewins with a confident 3-0 home success againstBastia that moved them eight points clear of thedrop zone.

It was the first time this season that the

Brittany outfit had picked up three straight vic-tories following their French Cup quarter-finalsuccess over Lille on Thursday.

They will now play second division Angers fora place in the Stade de France final againsteither Monaco or Guingamp.

“It’s been a beautiful week, with three wins inthree matches without conceding a goal,” saidRennes coach Philippe Montanier.

“It boosts morale after the many difficultweeks. “It’s a week which has put us on the righttrack. We took another step towards staying inthe top flight, and the perspective of a FrenchCup semi-final has spiced up our season.”

The hosts dominated from the outset withRomain Alessandrini opening the scoring after14 minutes and Swedish striker Ola Toivonendoubling their advantage on 28 minutes.

Cameroonian midfielder Jean Makoun round-ed off the scoring after 59 minutes. The victorylifts Rennes up to 12th position and eight pointsabove the relegation zone with seven matchesto play.

The Corsican outfit remain in 10th position.Monaco suffered a surprise 1-0 defeat away toEvian on Saturday to leave Paris Saint-Germain13 points clear at the top of the Ligue 1 tablewith just seven games left.

Toulouse missed the opportunity to leapfrogMarseille into the top six as they were held to a2-2 draw by Ajaccio in Corsica.

The visitors had fallen two goals behind asRicardo Faty and Gadji Tallo netted for Ajaccio,but Issiaga Sylla pulled one back before ClementChantome, the on-loan PSG midfielder,equalised.

But Toulouse missed a great chance to winthe game when Jonathan Zebina saw a stop-page-time penalty saved by Guillermo Ochoa inthe home goal.

Elsewhere on Saturday, Odair Fortes scored toearn Reims a 1-1 draw at home to Lorient, forwhom Vincent Aboubakar netted a first-halfpenalty, while there were goalless stalematesbetween Montpellier and Valenciennes andNantes and Bordeaux.—AFP

Kalou late goal rescues Lille

GLASGOW: Hearts staved off relegation with a2-0 win in the Edinburgh derby at Tynecastleyesterday to deny rivals Hibernian the chanceto condemn them to the Championship.

Cash-strapped Hearts, who were docked 15points at the beginning of the season forentering administration, went into the matchknowing their 33-year stay in the Scottish topflight could be ended with defeat at the handsof their fiercest rivals.

However, Gary Locke’s youthful sideshowed they will not be going down without afight as Dale Carrick finished off a good moveto fire Hearts in front in the seventh minute.

There was controversy in the 83rd minute

when Jordon Forster headed past JamieMacDonald for what looked like a levellerbut his effort was ruled out for offside, withtelevision replays showing it was the wrongdecision.

Alan Maybury was then sent off for a sec-ond bookable offence before Billy King scoredin stoppage time to compound the misery forthe Easter Road side.

It ended a run of four consecutive defeatsfor the Jambos but the win only delays theinevitable for Hearts, who are 19 points adrift atthe bottom with seven games remaining, andthey could be condemned to the drop if theyfail to beat Aberdeen on Wednesday. —AFP

Hearts stave off relegation

SAN ANTONIO: Steven Bowditch tees off during the Valero Texas Openat TPC San Antonio AT&T Oaks Course. —AFP

MONDAY, MARCH 31, 2014

1816Yuvraj, Ashwindestroy Australia

Hamburg braced for historic drop Page 19

76ers snap losing streak

LONDON: Liverpool’s Luis Suarez (right) and Daniel Agger (center) and Tottenham’s Michael Dawson (center left) lunge for the ball as Jordan Henderson, out of frame, scores from a free kick during their English Premier League soc-cer match. — AP

LIVERPOOL: Liverpool returned to thetop of the Premier League table for thefirst time since Christmas with anemphatic 4-0 win at home to TottenhamHotspur yesterday.

With title rivals Chelsea, ManchesterCity and Arsenal all dropping points onSaturday, Liverpool took full advantageto enhance their prospects of a firstchampionship win since 1990.

An own goal from Tottenham captainYounes Kaboul set Liverpool on their wayinside the opening two minutes andBrendan Rodgers’s side never lookedback as they kept the destiny of the titlein their own hands with City and Chelseastill to visit Anfield.

Top scorer Luis Suarez doubled the

lead with his 29th goal of the seasonafter 25 minutes, before PhilippeCoutinho added a third 10 minutes intothe second half.

Jordan Henderson completed the rout15 minutes from the end, sealing aneighth consecutive league victory. Noteam in the top flight has betteredTottenham’s nine away wins this season,but Tim Sherwood’s side have now losttheir last three away from White HartLane, as their season threatens to peterout.

But while Spurs are beginning to looka spent force, Liverpool are going fromstrength to strength as they close in onmatching a run of nine successive winsfrom the 2005-06 campaign, when theyfinished third.

Liverpool manager Rodgers made onechange to the side that had beatenSunderland 2-1 in mid-week, withRaheem Sterling replacing Joe Allen. AndSterling immediately made his presencefelt as Liverpool took barely 90 secondsto go in front.

The winger combined with Englandcolleague Glen Johnson, whose overlap-

ping run took him into the box andenabled him to put a low cross into thegoalmouth.

DAWSON ERROR Suarez and Daniel Sturridge were

both lurking, but following a deflectionoff defender Jan Vertonghen, it wasKaboul who inadvertently got the finaltouch to nudge the ball over the line.

It was not totally one-sided asTottenham looked to respond on thecounter-attack, but with little more thana quarter of the game gone, theLondoners-still missing injured top scor-er Emmanuel Adebayor-left themselveswith a near impossible task.

Michael Dawson’s replacement of theinjured Vertonghen should not havecaused a major problem, with the long-serving defender slotting back intoTottenham’s defence alongside Kaboul.

But his rustiness following an injurylay-off was apparent as his misdirectedpass allowed Suarez a run on goal thathe exploited to the full. Getting awayfrom Kaboul, the striker beat Hugo Lloriswith a left-foot shot across the goalkeep-

er into the far corner to claim his sixthgoal in four games.

Kaboul’s afternoon then almost took afurther turn for the worse four minutesbefore half-time as he almost giftedLivepool a third goal.

Dallying in possession, the Spurs skip-per was dispossessed by Sterling, whosecross was met by a powerful header fromSuarez, which was superbly touched ontothe post by Lloris.

Sterling was a source of constant wor-ry for the Londoners and eight minutesinto the second half he should have putthe game beyond doubt, but rather thanshooting he passed to Henderson, whoshot over. The end was not long in com-ing, though, as just a couple of minuteslater Jon Flanagan carried the ball out ofdefence and picked out Coutinho, whoselow shot from 22 yards found the bot-tom-left corner. When Henderson thencurled a free-kick through a crowd ofbodies and directly past Lloris, a repeat ofLiverpool’s 5-0 win at Tottenham earlier inthe season was on the cards. This timethere was not a fifth goal, but Liverpoolhad already done enough. — AFP

Reds beat Spurs to fire title dreamsLiverpool 4

Tottenham 0

Liverpool 32 22 5 5 88 39 71Chelsea 32 21 6 5 62 24 69Man City 30 21 4 5 80 28 67Arsenal 32 19 7 6 56 37 64Everton 31 17 9 5 49 31 60Tottenham 32 17 5 10 40 44 56Man Utd 32 16 6 10 52 38 54Southampton 32 13 9 10 49 40 48Newcastle 32 14 4 14 38 47 46Stoke 32 10 10 12 37 45 40West Ham 31 9 7 15 34 41 34Aston Villa 31 9 7 15 34 46 34Swansea 32 8 9 15 45 48 33Hull 32 9 6 17 33 40 33Norwich 32 8 8 16 26 51 32Crystal Palace 31 9 4 18 20 39 31West Brom 31 5 14 12 36 48 29Cardiff 32 6 8 18 29 61 26Sunderland 29 6 7 16 27 46 25Fulham 32 7 3 22 31 73 24Notes: top four teams qualify for next season’s UEFAChampions League; fifth-place team qualifies for UEFA EuropaLeague; bottom three teams relegated to Championship.

Fulham 1 (Dejagah 71) Everton 3 (Stockdale 50-og, Mirallas 79,Naismith 87); Liverpool 4 (Kaboul 2-og, Suarez 25, Coutinho 55,Henderson 75) Tottenham Hotspur 0.

Playing todaySunderland v West Ham United

EPL results/standings

LONDON: Steven Naismith came off thebench to inspire Everton to a 3-1 success atFulham yesterday that further enhancedtheir chances of qualifying for next season’sChampions League.

After weathering sustained first-halfpressure, Everton took a 50th-minute leadat Craven Cottage when Naismith’s deflect-ed volley ricocheted off Fulham goalkeeperDavid Stockdale and into the net for anown goal. Fulham substitute AshkanDejagah equalised with a blistering strike21 minutes later, only for another substi-tute, Kevin Mirallas, to restore Everton’slead with 11 minutes remaining.

Naismith applied the coup de grace inthe 87th minute to complete a win that

took Roberto Martinez’s side to within fourpoints of fourth-place Arsenal, who visitGoodison Park next weekend.

Everton also have a game in hand, butwhile their fans begin to dream ofBarcelona and Bayern Munich, it isBournemouth and Blackpool who beckonfor Fulham after a defeat that left them fivepoints adrift of safety at the foot of thePremier League table.

Everton were unchanged from theirmid-week 3-0 win at Newcastle United,while Fulham manager Felix Magath madethree changes, surprisingly handing a firststart to 17-year-old French striker MoussaDembele.

Arsenal’s 1-1 draw with Manchester Cityon Saturday had opened the door forEverton, but it was Fulham who took theinitiative in the first half on a warm springday in west London.

After Lewis Holtby had sliced an earlywarning shot off target, a right-wing cornerwas flicked on by Brede Hangeland toPajtim Kasami, who could only head wideat the back post.

Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard was

then obliged to save with his feet fromKieran Richardson, who had been played inby Dembele, before Stockdale produced asimilar save at the other end to thwartGerard Deulofeu.

It was Fulham who were creating thebetter chances, though, and Howard wascalled upon to tip over a header fromHoltby and gather a header from Dembele

before the interval.Everton lost Ross Barkley to a calf injury

at half-time, but Naismith’s entrance in hisplace proved the catalyst for an immediateupturn in their fortunes.

The Scottish forward claimed the creditfor Everton’s opener, although the decisivetouch came from the unfortunateStockdale. — AFP

Everton inchtowards top four

Fulham 1

Everton 3

LONDON: Fulham’s French striker Moussa Dembele (left) vies with Everton’s Englishdefender John Stones (right) during the English Premier League football match. — AFP

MIAMI: Miami is one of the favourite stops on the WTA Tourbecause of the city’s hip, youthful vibe but the final of SonyOpen on Saturday was more about the golden oldies as SerenaWilliams and Li Na took centre stage.

As the downtown core was rocking to a techno music festi-val, out on Key Biscayne at the Tennis Center they were savoringsome old time hits as two 32-year-olds slugged it out for theMiami hardcourt title.

Williams musical tastes may run more toward Mariah Careybut her play on a sweltering south Florida afternoon was moreheavy metal as the world number one pounded out a 7-5 6-1win over Li to claim a record seventh title on the Miami hard-courts.

“I don’t know,” shrugged Williams, when asked to explainhow two 32-year-olds have come to dominate the women’sgame.

“I just feel that both she (Li) and I, we just have this nevergive up fight and it just goes to show that you can still shine atany age.”

Number one Williams and number two Li have both wontwo titles each this season and sit atop the world rankings asthe circuit’s young guns scramble behind them.

Li’s two wins include an Australian Open title and she hasreached the final in Miami and semi-final in Indian Wells. Herloss to Williams was just her third of the season.

With wins in Miami and Brisbane, Williams pushed her careertotal to 59 titles (50 more than Li) and looks poised for anotherseason of domination with just two losses on her record.

“We’re playing great tennis and we’re both one and two andwe’re both the same age,” said Williams. “For me, it was just anhonor to be there with her. — Reuters

Miami swings to thehits of golden oldies

BusinessMONDAY, MARCH 31, 2014

Six steps to a successful hire

Page 22

Japan shoppers brace for tax hike after years of deflation

Page 23Gulf Insurance wins ‘Best Insurance Provider ME 2014’ Award

Page 23Hunt on for new tigers: MINT, PPICS and CIVETS

Page 24

BASEL: View of the Emporio Armani booth at Baselworld in Basel, Switzerland. — AP

BASEL: Watches that connect to your smart-phone or even a satellite to ensure perfect time,regardless of where you are in the world, oralert you if you leave your phone behind?Although not on prominent display they were ahot topic of discussion this past week atBaselworld, the world’s largest watch and jewel-ry fair. The show in the northern Swiss city wasyet again dominated by intricate mechanicalwatches, symbolizing centuries of tradition, andjewel-covered timepieces showcasing the luxu-ry and glamour that never seem to go out offashion.

But there were a few new offerings for thetech-hungry crowd still waiting eagerly for theirwristband to catch up with their phone ortablet. Japan’s Casio had two new high-techmodels on display both set for release later thisyear. Its new Bluetooth controlled Edifice watchconnects to smartphones, allowing it to adjust

to time changes as smoothly as the device inyour back pocket, while its new G-Shock modelcan synchronize with precise time signalsbroadcasted by radio stations or satellites.

“We expect huge demand, because peoplenowadays look for this technology more andmore, so we are very confident,” HaraldSchroeder, head of marketing at Casio Europe,told AFP. He stressed the popularity of a rangeof brightly-colored plastic G-Shock watchesalready available, which can control your smart-phone’s alarm and music functions, let youknow when your phone is ringing in silentmode and vibrate if you leave your phonebehind.

Several other Asian tech giants, includingSouth Korean Samsung, Japan’s Sony andChina’s Huawei, have also unveiled new con-nected timepieces in recent months. Swisswatchmakers are following the developments

closely, but appear reluctant to move down thesame route, sticking instead to the traditionand skilled craftsmanship that have won themcustomers for centuries.

“Technically, there are lots of things that arepossible,” pointed out Marc Hayek, who headsSwatch Group’s luxury watch brands Breguet,Blancpain and Jaquet Droz. “But it’s not justbecause something is possible that the marketwill automatically be there,” he said, insistingthat a watch should not seek to simply emulatethe functions already available in phones andother wireless devices.

‘Don’t see big market’ “If it’s less comfortable to use ... (and) if it’s

the same function, I think it will only mean dis-advantages, and I really don’t see a big marketfor that,” he told AFP, stressing that watchmak-ers should instead reflect on “useful” and “intelli-

gent” new functions. Stephane Linder, head ofTag Heuer, the top watch brand in French luxu-ry group LVMH’s stable, agreed, pointing outthat a connected watch would necessarily bemore difficult to use than existing devices.“With a telephone, I have a large screen, butwith a watch, it’s tiny,” he pointed out.

Linder insisted though on the need to keepa close eye on developments, pointing out thattechnology has the power to suddenly reshuf-fle the deck, as Apple did when it dethronedthe reining mobile phone companies with itsiPhone. Watchmakers must remain ready tojump into the “smart watch” fray once they seethe potential to bring true benefits to users.

If that happens “you will see developmentsin the luxury segment as well,” he predicted.Patek Philippe chief Thierry Stern said he wasnot worried by the smart watch hype.”We sawthe same thing when the iPhone was launched.

People said it would spell the end of watches,but today watch sales are doing very well,” hetold AFP.

Connected watches were not a threat to themarket for prestige timepieces, he insisted,pointing out that such tech objects “generallyare obsolete after a year, because there isalways a new version available.” “These are notobjects that you keep as a watch,” he said.

In fact, Martijn van Willegen, a Dutch jewel-er who each year places around 80 percent ofhis annual watch orders at Baselworld, said hesaw watches moving in the opposite directionof the phone tech drive. Fifteen years ago,people mainly wanted super precise quartzwatches that you could simply replace if itstopped working, he said. “Today, we’re backto old school 16th and 17th century mechan-ics that really make your heart beat faster... Ilove that.” — AFP

Connected watches create buzz at Baselworld

Jewel-covered timepieces showcase luxury, glamour

AHMEDABAD: To supporters in his thriving west coast fief-dom, Narendra Modi is the inspiration behind an economicsuccess story that India has a chance to emulate if as expect-ed he becomes prime minister. But ahead of elections begin-ning on April 7, skeptics accuse Modi of claiming credit foran “illusion” in Gujarat that has mainly benefited big businessand will be hard to replicate on a national scale. Governed byModi since 2001, Gujarat recorded average annual growthrates of 10.13 percent between 2005 and 2012, according tolatest figures, the second-highest pace among large or medi-um-sized states.

And according to businesswoman Bhagyesh Soneji, itwould be churlish not to acknowledge the leading role ofthe state’s chief minister who polls say is set to lead his right-wing Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party to a generalelection victory. After arriving in Gujarat in 1992 from theimpoverished eastern state of Orissa with just 20 rupees (30cents) to her name, Soneji has built up a pharmaceuticalgroup that exports to some 28 countries, has an annualturnover of around $5 million and employs 23 people.

Soneji said since becoming chief minister, Modi hasmade Gujarat one of the few states not to be suffocated byIndia’s infamous red tape and has ensured that businesseswhich encounter obstacles get a friendly hearing. The 45-year-old founder and chief executive of Ameda Pharma saidModi’s administration was characterized by a “proactivedynamism”.

“We can meet principal secretaries and ministers easily todiscuss issues related to industry,” she told AFP in her officein Ahmedabad, Gujarat’s commercial capital. “The bureau-cracy here is businesslike, they understand the timedemands of the business fraternity and corruption is alsomuch less in comparison to other states,” said Soneji, whoalso serves as president of Gujarat’s chamber of commerce.

Entrepreneurial spirit “Gujaratis have entrepreneurship in their DNA,” she

added, referring to the famed business talents of those who

come from the state. “The entrepreneurship spirit in Gujaratis so demanding bureaucrats cannot be lethargic.” Modi sup-porters point to Gujarat’s infrastructure as another sign ofgood governance. Downtown Ahmedabad has managed toescape the gridlock common to most Indian cities and thecity has bus lanes. Power cuts are rare.

But it’s a different tale a short distance away in the run-down neighborhood of Juhapura where Nadeem Jafri runs asupermarket business. Modi first came to national promi-nence in 2002 when communal riots erupted in Gujarat,soon after he took over as the state’s chief minister. The riotsleft more than 1,000 dead, most of them Muslims.

While Modi himself has never been found guilty of play-ing any role in the bloodshed, one of his ministers was sen-tenced for inciting violence. When the violence broke out,thousands of Muslims took refuge in Juhapura. Two yearslater, Jafri quit his job in advertising to open his first super-market in a district largely abandoned by retailers.

Ten years on, Jafri now runs a chain of 12 supermarketsand supplies hotels and restaurants with his branded riceand tea products. “At a personal level, I had no help from theadministration,” said Jafri. “Gujarat has been marketed wellfor the last five years. It has always been a progressive statewith good electricity and water supply. “But giving credit forthis success to just one person is not fair. Credit must go toall people.”

Modi rarely passes up the chance to trumpet hisstate’s track record, promising at rallies to replicate itssuccess nationwide. Every other year, Modi has hosted a“Vibrant Gujarat Summit”, inviting business leaders andpoliticians to celebrate its achievements. Some econo-mists are unconvinced, saying only big businesses havereally thrived.

‘Larger the company, larger the subsidy’ “This model is an illusion. Growth in Gujarat is highly

unequal in the sense that certain regions, certain sectorsand certain parts of population are left out,” said Indira

Hirway, director of Gujarat’s Centre for DevelopmentAlternatives. The larger the company, the higher the rateof subsidy, in terms of capital subsidies, credit, VAT sub-sidy, she said. Hirway said bigger companies were oftengranted favors in accessing land, water and naturalresources.

“They give very cheap water for big industries. Theland is given at a very cheap rate, highly subsidized,because the state wants to be the best in terms ofgrowth,” Hirway told AFP. Not only has the environmentsuffered as a result, but there has also been a knock-oneffect on health while Gujarat’s education sector has beenneglected, Hirway said.

Literacy rates are at 79 percent, still above the nationalaverage of 74 percent, but seen as disappointing for athriving state. In Kerala for example, run by theCommunists or centre-left Congress for the last threedecades, the level is 94 percent. Furthermore, there isskepticism over whether Gujarat’s successes can berepeated elsewhere given some of its unique advantages.

Sebastian Morris, an economics professor at the IndianInstitute of Management in Ahmedabad, said Gujarat wasblessed with large amounts of real estate as well as accessto the Arabian Sea. “Land essentially has emerged as aconstraint all over the country and Gujarat is lucky to havea lot of land available which can ideally be used for indus-try” such as oil firms, Morris told AFP.

Morris also warned that the style of government thatthe strongman leadership Modi has championed inGujarat, bulldozing his way past critics and scythingthrough red tape, won’t work at a national level. “It is acorporatist model where the chief minister takes chargefully and... bypasses all intermediate political levels,” saidMorris. “That is not too bad a model if you’re talking ofhard infrastructure like ports, roads, electricity. But whenit comes to health care, education, this model no longerworks because you need a greater involvement of thesociety which may be lagging in Gujarat.” — AFP

Modi: Economic inspiration or illusion?

Narendra Modi

MONDAY, MARCH 31, 2014

EXCHANGE RATES

Bahrain Exchange Company

Al-Muzaini Exchange Co.

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd

ASIAN COUNTRIESJapanese Yen 2.748Indian Rupees 4.727Pakistani Rupees 2.883Srilankan Rupees 2.158Nepali Rupees 2.945Singapore Dollar 226.000Hongkong Dollar 36.415Bangladesh Taka 3.633Philippine Peso 6.284Thai Baht 8.704Irani Riyal transfer 0.271Irani Riyal cash 0.273

GCC COUNTRIESSaudi Riyal 75.363Qatari Riyal 77.653Omani Riyal 734.150Bahraini Dinar 750.630UAE Dirham 76.965ARAB COUNTRIESEgyptian Pound - Cash 39.695Egyptian Pound - Transfer 39.922Yemen Riyal/for 1000 1.313Tunisian Dinar 179.370Jordanian Dinar 399.100Lebanese Lira/for 1000 1.896Syrian Lira 2.014Morocco Dirham 35.535

EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIESUS Dollar Transfer 282.500Euro 391.700Sterling Pound 473.470Canadian dollar 258.110Turkish lira 129.110Swiss Franc 322.120Australian Dollar 263.570US Dollar Buying 281.300

GOLD20 Gram 240.00010 Gram 121.0005 Gram 62.500

CURRENCY BUY SELLEurope

Belgian Franc 0.007338 0.008338British Pound 0.463511 0.472511Czech Korune 0.006025 0.018025Danish Krone 0.047971 0.052971Euro 0.383198 0.391198Norwegian Krone 0.043088 0.048288Romanian Leu 0.081470 0.81470Slovakia 0.008076 0.018076Swedish Krona 0.039555 0.044555Swiss Franc 0.312249 0.322449Turkish Lira 0.126402 0.133408

AustralasiaAustralian Dollar 0.252949 0.264449New Zealand Dollar 0.238331 0.247831

AmericaCanadian Dollar 0.250233 0.258733US Dollars 0.278250 0.282600US Dollars Mint 0.278750 0.282600

AsiaBangladesh Taka 0.003246 0.003846Chinese Yuan 0.044297 0.047797Hong Kong Dollar 0.034319 0.037069Indian Rupee 0.004375 0.004776Indonesian Rupiah 0.000020 0.000026Japanese Yen 0.002668 0.002848Kenyan Shilling 0.003247 0.003347Korean Won 0.000254 0.000269Malaysian Ringgit 0.082132 0.08132Nepalese Rupee 0.002940 0.003110Pakistan Rupee 0.002629 0.002909Philippine Peso 0.006391 0.006671

Sierra Leone 0.000069 0.000075Singapore Dollar 0.220941 0.226941South African Rand 0.020773 0.029273Sri Lankan Rupee 0.001867 0.002447Taiwan 0.009134 0.009314Thai Baht 0.008345 0.008895

ArabBahraini Dinar 0.742483 0.750483Egyptian Pound 0.036799 0.039899Iranian Riyal 0.000078 0.000079Iraqi Dinar 0.000181 0.000241Jordanian Dinar 0.394014 0.401514Kuwaiti Dinar 1.0000000 1.0000000Lebanese Pound 0.000138 0.000238Moroccan Dirhams 0.023421 0.047421Nigerian Naira 0.001193 0.001828Omani Riyal 0.727344 0.733024Qatar Riyal 0.076845 0.078058Saudi Riyal 0.074657 0.075357Syrian Pound 0.001751 0.001971Tunisian Dinar 0.174395 0.182395Turkish Lira 0.126402 0.133402UAE Dirhams 0.075892 0.077041Yemeni Riyal 0.001282 0.001362

UAE Exchange Centre WLL

COUNTRY SELL DRAFT SELL CASH Australian Dollar 259.98 256.98Canadian Dollar 258.85 258.85Swiss Franc 327.41 325.41Euro 395.49 396.49US Dollar 281.25 284.25Sterling Pound 471.17 474.17Japanese Yen 2.83 2.85Bangladesh Taka 3.620 3.890Indian Rupee 4.608 4.908Sri Lankan Rupee 2.155 2.590Nepali Rupee 2.888 3.423Pakistani Rupee 2.758 2.790UAE Dirhams 76.64 77.11Bahraini Dinar 748.57 750.64Egyptian Pound 40.40 41.00Jordanian Dinar 400.29 405.94Omani Riyal 731.43 738.73Qatari Riyal 77.67 78.22Saudi Riyal 75.13 75.53

Rate for Transfer Selling RateUS Dollar 282.100Canadian Dollar 259.115Sterling Pound 469.305Euro 389.690Swiss Frank 318.405Bahrain Dinar 750.835UAE Dirhams 76.780Qatari Riyals 78.365Saudi Riyals 75.700Jordanian Dinar 397.560Egyptian Pound 40.430Sri Lankan Rupees 2.156Indian Rupees 4.702Pakistani Rupees 2.875Bangladesh Taka 3.626Philippines Pesso 6.200Cyprus pound 692.895Japanese Yen 3.760

Syrian Pound 2.945Nepalese Rupees 3.920Malaysian Ringgit 86.530Chinese Yuan Renminbi 45.815Thai Bhat 9.645Turkish Lira 128.980

Al Mulla Exchange

Currency Transfer Rate (Per 1000)US Dollar 281.950Euro 390.650Pound Sterling 471.550Canadian Dollar 257.150Indian Rupee 4.712Egyptian Pound 39.985Sri Lankan Rupee 2.155Bangladesh Taka 3.628Philippines Peso 6.267Pakistan Rupee 2.878Bahraini Dinar 750.650UAE Dirham 76.750Saudi Riyal 75.300*Rates are subject to change

B U S I N E S S

DUBAI: Property stocks helped Dubai’s bourselead regional gains yesterday, while Egypt fellfor a second session since former army chiefAbdel Fattah Al-Sisi said he would run for pres-ident. Dubai’s index rose 1.3 percent to 4,438points, its highest close since September 2008.Shares in heavyweight Emaar rose 1.3 percentto 9.95 dirhams, a level last seen in August2008. The developer’s stock has rallied for thepast two weeks after it hiked its annual divi-dend and said it would list its shopping mallsunit.

Other real estate and construction compa-nies, such as Union Properties, Deyaar, Drakeand Scull and Atabtec Holding, were also inthe black. Emirates NBD rose 0.9 percent to8.32 dirhams after EFG Hermes raised its fairvalue estimate on the Dubai bank to 10.00dirhams per share from 8.10 dirhams andupgraded its rating for ENBD to buy from neu-tral.

EFG Hermes said it expected ENBD to reclas-sify its 9.4 billion dirhams ($2.56 billion) expo-sure to Dubai World to a performing loan,which would reduce provisioning. “We believethat it is now just a matter of time before thisexposure is reclassified as a performing loan.Strong improvement in asset values andprogress on asset sales has eased concerns onDubai World’s ability to repay its liabilities, inour view,” EFG Hermes said in a note.

EgyptThe Cairo bourse, which dropped 2.7 per-

cent last Thursday after Sisi said he would runfor president, fell a further 1.9 percent yester-day to trim 2014 gains to 19 percent. But therewere signs the correction was slowing and themarket closed above the intraday low.“Towards the end of today we saw a bit ofrecovery and obviously some profit-taking wasto be expected after a strong performanceyear-to-date,” said Simon Kitchen, a strategistat EFG Hermes in Cairo.

“From the valuations perspective, Egypt isnot particularly expensive relative to the restof Middle East and North Africa and has poten-tial for a decent economic recovery, particular-ly in the second half of this year.” Sisi is expect-ed to win the forthcoming election easily asmany Egyptians consider him a strong leaderthat can stabilize a country in crisis. He alsohas the backing of most oil-exporting GulfArab states, which have provided Cairo withbillions of dollars in financial aid.

Saudi Arabia’s index added 0.4 percent asmost stocks rose following the naming ofPrince Muqrin bin Abdulaziz as deputy crownprince. This makes him second in line to suc-ceed King Abdullah in the world’s top oilexporting nation after his half-brother CrownPrince Salman. The appointment reducesuncertainty regarding the succession, whichhas long clouded the local market . K ingAbdullah turned 90 last year and CrownPrince Salman is 78. Muqrin was born in 1945according to the Saudi embassy inWashington.— Reuters

Emaar leads Dubai gains

By Ole Sloth HansenHead of Commodity Strategy at Saxo Bank

Following a mid-month wobble, com-modities approached the end of thequarter on a strong note with individual

positive performances coming from all sec-tors apart from precious metals which con-tinued to adjust to easing safe-havendemand and the recent hawkish signal fromthe US central bank. Attention next week willcontinue to focus on developments betweenRussia and the West together with themonthly release of US payroll data on Friday.

The energy sector was supported by thecontinued drop in inventories at the US stor-age hub in Cushing, Oklahoma together theongoing supply disruptions in Libya andNigeria to mention a couple. Geopoliticaluncertainty arising from the crisis in Ukraineleaves little appetite for selling at this stage.Industrial metals received a boost fromChinese-stimulus hopes with copper makinga tentative recover from a 3.5-year low alsoon signs that demand may slowly begin toimprove.

Agriculture commodities recoveredstrongly, not least soft commodities wheretalk about the potential impact of a new ElNino weather event later this year supportedsugar and coffee. Crop markets are gearing

up for two very important governmentreports on Monday which historically havecreated a great deal of volatility.

Precious metals accounted for most of thenegative performance over the past weekand what was initially driven by gold weak-ness on reduced safe-haven demand and ahawkish US central bank later spread to palla-dium which after failing to penetrate$800/oz. ran into long liquidation from fundswho had been betting on reduced suppliesfrom Russia, due to sanctions, and SouthAfrica, due to strikes. Both these factorsremain supportive for palladium consideringthe importance of these two producers butlimited liquidity in this metal can oftenbecome its biggest adversary, especially dur-ing corrections.

Natural gas recovered as total inventoriesin underground storage facilities slumped tothe lowest since 2003 below 900 billion cubicfeet. Inventory levels have slumped followingrecord heating demand this winter and it hasleft current inventories some 50 percentbelow the five-year average. Natural gas isnormally stockpiled from April to Octoberand then withdrawn from November toMarch to help meet peak winter heatingdemand.

Sugar supported by El NinoSugar recovered strongly from a mid

month sell-off which was driven by long liq-uidation after rain returned to the drought-stricken production regions of Brazil. Theturnaround this week was driven by renewedconcerns that the weather phenomenon ElNino may return later this year and create dif-ficult growing conditions among severalmajor producing nations across the southernhemisphere. Reports of increased Indiandemand and drier-than-normal conditions inThailand also lend support to the price. The ElNino creates abnormal warming of thePacific Ocean that causes droughts in someareas and flooding in others and it couldreturn at a time where global agriculture

prices have already rallied strongly this yearbecause of existing droughts in large com-modity growing regions from Brazil andCalifornia to Southeast Asia.

Grain reports to set Q2 toneTwo key US government reports from the

Department of Agriculture - covering esti-mates for prospective planting and quarterlystocks - will be released March 31 and, ifrecent history is anything to go by, some fire-works in soybeans, corn and wheat can beexpected. The March quarterly grains stocksfigures will indicate the current pace ofdemand for the 2013/14 season, while thePlanting Intentions Report will offer the firstsurveyed look at which acreage US farmerswill allocate to the different crops during the2014/15 season.

In corn, the previous three reports haveyielded daily price moves on the May futurescontract well above 5 percent. Staying withcorn, the current estimates from a Reuterssurvey are pointing towards a plantedacreage range between 90 and 94 millionacres while stocks range between 7 and 7.5billion bushels. With expectations ranging sowidely, we could once again see volatilityspike higher. The downside probably posesthe biggest risk considering the current ele-vated speculative net-long positions, espe-cially in corn and soybeans. However, so far,we have not seen any major signs of long-liq-uidation, with hedge funds and money man-agers happily maintaining a bullish strategy,especially in corn and soybeans where thenet-long is either at or near the highest inmore than a year.

Crude supported by Cushing, geo-politicsWTI crude oil made it through technical

resistance at 100.30 and reached the highestlevel in more than two weeks. The main driv-er behind this positive performance can befound at the delivery hub for WTI crude oilfutures in Cushing, Oklahoma. Improvedpipeline infrastructure from the hub to the

refineries along the Mexican Gulf has result-ed in supplies falling to a two-year low there-by reducing the bottleneck which at severalstages over the past couple of years, droveWTI crude to trade at a double-digit discountto Brent crude. As a result of this currentfocus on Cushing inventories, WTI crude per-formed stronger than Brent crude despitethe North Sea variety and current globalbenchmark receiving support from supplydisruptions and geopolitical uncertainty. Thestrong buildup in inventories in the MexicanGulf area which currently stands at a recordof 200 million barrels and the planned Aprilrelease of US oil from Strategic PetroleumReserves (SPR) should however help limit thecurrent upside potential in both crude oils.

Copper climbing on stimulus speculation - gold bulls rattled

Speculation that China may step in withanother round of stimulus to boost econom-ic growth may help stabilize the price of HGCopper which slumped to a 3.5-year low dur-

ing March as news and economic data fromthe world’s biggest consumer of industrialmetals continued to deteriorate. Silver fol-lowed gold lower but benefited relativelyagainst the yellow metal from this boost tocopper with the XAUXAG ratio dropping to65.4 after recovering from a seven- monthhigh earlier in the week.

Gold’s 100 dollar drop in less than twoweeks has rattled the bullish sentiment thatprevailed since the beginning of the year.Safe-haven demand and momentum buyingabove 1,300 USD/oz drove gold to an 18-month high on March 17 but the subsequenthawkish tone from the US Federal Reserve atits most recent Federal Open MarketCommittee meeting together with a lack ofphysical demand has left many speculativetraders nursing losses and in need of reduc-ing their exposure. Having dropped backbelow the technically important 200-daymoving average, gold is back looking for sup-port, something we believe will now befound in the area between 1,280 and 1,262.

Commodities fight back from mid-month wobbles

SAXO BANK WEEKLY COMMODITY REPORT

The costs of a bad hire are enormous asany Human Resources department canwell attest. A bad hire is costly in terms

of the time and resources entailed in sourcing,orientation, administration, relocation, train-ing and upfront bonuses. Here the careerexperts at Bayt.com, the Middle East’s #1 jobsite, offer six steps to help streamline therecruiting process and avoid common pitfalls:

1. Widen your candidate poolAccording to the Bayt.com ‘Workplace

Dynamics in the MENA’ poll, June 2013, 54percent of jobseekers in the region are activelysearching for jobs compared to 46 percentwho say they are ‘passive’ in their job search,i.e. they have an online CV but do not applyfor jobs. While newspapers, online and jobfairs are good sources of CVs from ‘active’ job-seekers, they limit the efficacy of the hiringprocess by eliminating the vast pool of quali-fied, but passive, professionals. To augmentyour sourcing activities, broaden your talentpool through targeted online job sites such asBayt.com. Bayt.com provides a rich, currentand easily searchable CV database to help youcapture both passive and active jobseekers.You can also use the power of your internalreferrals. According to the Bayt.com ‘WhatMakes a Company an Attractive Place toWork?’ poll, February 2014, seven in 10 profes-sionals don’t mind recommending their cur-rent company to their friends and relatives.

2. Be very specific about the nature of the position

It is critical before embarking on a candi-date search to gain an understanding of theunique requirements of the job. Managersmust familiarize themselves with the objec-tives of the position, the roles and responsibili-ties entailed, and the skills, competencies andabilities required to optimize performance onthe job.

3. Make the hiring decision a team effortIt is very critical that the hiring decision is a

team effort involving multiple decision mak-ers, including the direct manager. Have theentire team meet with the candidate if possi-ble. Direct managers, with the support of theirteams, must take an active role in the sourc-ing, screening and hiring process of a poten-tial candidate.

4. Focus the job interview on the jobJob interviews must be tailored to the job

at hand. Too many traditional interviews failbecause jobseekers have learnt to master thistype of interview and can prepare for all thecorrect responses. The key to a successfulinterview is to determine the problems andgaps a candidate will be facing on the job, andassess during the interview how they willsolve the problems and fill the gaps efficiently,effectively and profitably. A candidate’s prob-lem solving abilities and acumen in approach-ing a problem, thinking it through and deliver-

ing a response that is adherent to the compa-ny’s vision, mission and goals should be key towhether the candidate gets hired or not.Often the interview process is broken into twostages; the first stage is to determine the can-didate’s “technical” skills, i.e. whether they cando the job effectively, and the second stage isto test “soft” skills, i.e. emotional intelligence,rapport with the team and other intangiblessuch as character, style and personality.

5. Allow the candidate to come to the interview prepared

Since the goal is to determine whether thecandidate is willing and able to do the job,allowing them to come to the interview fullyprepared may be a very wise step. Givingthem a full job description and the option ofresearching the company beforehand leavesfertile ground to test their proactivity andthoroughness at the interview. Failure toresearch the company and industry may wellindicate laziness, sloppiness and a certain lackof willingness to adapt to the job.

6. Check referencesThere is no substitute for a sound reference

check to determine whether the candidate hasindeed accomplished all that is stated on theirCV. Reference checks are used by the directmanager to ask questions about the candidatethat were left unanswered during the interviewstage, and to ensure that the candidate has notmisrepresented information in their CV.

Six steps to a successful hire

Copper may finally be coming out of its descent to a 3.5-year low.

BAYT.COM POLL

B U S I N E S SMONDAY, MARCH 31, 2014

DIMAH INVESTMENT WEEKLY

KUWAIT: Gulf Insurance Group (GIG), the leading companyin providing insurance services in Kuwait and the MiddleEast, announced yesterday that it has won the “BestInsurance Provider Middle East 2014 award” from GlobalBanking and Finance Review. The award recognizes thecompany’s innovative and comprehensive insurance solu-tions that are offered since its establishment in 1962. Theaward honors companies that stand out in particular areasof expertise in the banking and finance industry.

Corporate Communication & Investor RelationsManager Khaled Al-Sanousi said, “Gulf InsuranceCompany’s successful achievements and sound track inproviding an array of life and non-life insurance solutionswas the main driver to receive this coveted award. Theselection process recognized the company for its innova-tive and comprehensive insurance solutions, distinguishedquality of products and superior customer service,advanced technology system that links its operations tothe mainframe as well as a great moral approach to socialresponsibility.”

GIG wins ‘Best Insurance Provider Middle East 2014’ Award

TOKYO: Japan is bracing for its first sales tax rise in years,with last minute shoppers buying up a host of goodsfrom gold to ice cream, as the government tries to tackleits crushing national debt. Millions of shoppers are mak-ing a mad dash to stores ahead of tomorrow’s tax rise to8.0 percent from the current 5.0 percent amid fears theincrease could spark the return of a protracted economicslump. The last time Japan brought in a higher levy in1997, it was followed by years of deflation and tepid eco-nomic growth.

The upcoming hike has created a tricky balancing actfor Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as he tries to nudge theworld’s number-three economy out of the cycle of fallingprices and lackluster growth with a growth blitz dubbedAbenomics. On Friday, fresh data showed Japanese con-sumer prices rose again in February, suggesting Tokyo’sefforts to slay 15 years of deflation was gathering steam.But the increase was largely driven by rising post-Fukushima energy import costs, rather prices going upon the back of strong, across-the-board consumerdemand-dubbed “good” inflation by some economists. Akey worry is that Japan’s last tax rise deterred consumersand foreshadowed the drop into a cycle of falling prices-although other factors, including the Asian financial cri-sis, were also blamed. The slowdown saw Japan’s power-house economy descend into a protracted slump.

Opinion is mixed over whether history will repeatitself. Tokyo’s special budget to counter a tax-linked slow-down and the Bank of Japan’s unprecedented monetaryeasing were likely to offset a drop in spending, accordingto some analysts. “Daily necessities may not be affectedvery much by the tax hike, but demand for cars, furnitureand houses is likely to drop temporarily,” said KenjiYumoto, vice chairman of the Japan Research Institute.

“We’ll see whether the inflation is good or bad onlyafter we see the impact of the tax hike. If demand laterrecovers, that could lead to good inflation.” Few shop-pers seemed inclined to wait for prices to go up in acountry where consumers have become used to pay-ing pretty much the same, year after year, for their tel-evisions, beer and sushi. Falling or static prices maysound great for household budgets, but Japanesewages have barely moved over the years and the cyclehas meant shoppers tended to hold off buying in thehope of getting goods cheaper down the road. That, in

turn, hurt producers and slowed economic growth.

Shoppers go for gold The tax rise-a seemingly modest increase compared

with many countries’ consumption levies-has ushered insome less-than-typical shopping habits. Staff at jewelrychain Tanaka Kikinzoku watched wide-eyed as gold salessurged five-fold this month from a year ago with customersconverging on a shop in Tokyo’s glitzy Ginza district so theycould buy 500 gram (1.1 pound) bars for 2.3 million yen($22,500) apiece. “We’ve seen unusual demand for gold,”Tomoko Ishibashi, a spokeswoman for parent companyTanaka Holdings, told AFP.

“Some customers bought now to avoid the extra tax levyfrom April 1, but that’s not the only factor.” With prices onthe rise across the nation of 128 million, some gold-hungrycustomers may be betting on the perceived safety of theyellow metal, she said. “Gold is known for its price stability

and people in general aim to hold it for a long period time,”the spokeswoman added. While some firms are absorbingthe higher tax fearing a drop in customer traffic, many oth-ers are raising prices as a sharply weaker yen has jacked uptheir own import costs. Beverage giants Asahi and Suntoryare raising the price of vending machine bottled drinks,while QB House, a 1,000 yen-a-head haircut chain, saidprices will go up a full 8.0 percent to 1,080 yen. The compa-ny reasoned that it kept its thrifty rates capped despite thelast tax rise, when the levy rose to 5.0 percent from 3.0 per-cent. The kids-and adults-who depend on Japan’s ubiqui-tous vending machines for their ice cream fix are sure to bedisappointed as some of the sweet treats’ prices rise by 10yen to 160 yen at 20,000 locations operated by Ezaki Glico.But the confectioner insisted customers will not be short-changed. “This is not just a price hike,” a company spokes-woman said. “We will update our products with higherquality or more volume.” — AFP

Japan shoppers brace for tax hike Demand for cars, furniture, houses likely to drop

TOKYO: People are seen shopping at a department store. — AFP

By Hayder Tawfik

Will growth stocks continue to out-perform value stocks in the com-ing years and keep their edge?

We strongly believe they will do so. Also,we believe that small and mid-size growthstocks will outperform big capitalizationstocks. This may not apply when it comesto big technology stocks as they are nowdominating the entire sector. We thinkthat small to mid-cap companies shouldbe able to generate better than averagegains in the next couple of years. Smallcap companies have been deliveringgood performances over large cap onesover the past several years. We believethat the economic and the monetaryenvironment are near perfect for smallcap companies to challenge the largerones that have too many factors to dealwith.

Growth stocks are most likely delivermuch better results over the next coupleof years. We expect them to be able tohold on or increase profit margins and tobe able to increase capital spending. Thisfor sure will benefit some big cap technol-ogy stocks. Also, we believe that with eco-nomic activities accelerating that maylead to the normalization of interest ratecurve, financial stocks should benefit too.Another area that we should expect togrow strongly is the shale gas industry.We have already seen big increase in capi-tal spending in the shale gas industry inthe US. This should benefit companiesthat have the right technology and theexpertise in this field and not the bigupstream oil companies. Investors shouldexpect sustain demand for onshore oil-field equipment and oil service compa-nies.

One of the main reasons why thesecompanies have been growing above themarket average is the very low interestrates throughout the yield curve. Forexample the yield on 10 year Spanishgovernment bonds have fallen to 3.2 per-cent that is an 8 years low. We can seesimilar low yields on most governmentbonds in the developed world. The lowyields on 10 year bonds has been helpingcountries with high debt so far and at onepoint this low level of rates will stabilizegovernment debt to GDP and unemploy-ment as it has been happening in the US.There is a strong historic correlationbetween growth stocks and long durationassets.

In the last couple of years growthstocks have outperformed the market bya substantial amount. Growth stocks tendto outperform till the time when the mainleading economic indicators rise sharply,because this makes the yield on the longbond rise too which changes the valua-tion model completely.

We at Dimah Capital do not subscribeto the view that long term yields will riseas the economy starts the recoveryprocess because inflation is no longer athreat. Let’s not forget that throughoutthe developed economies unemploymentis still very high and this should put a capon wage push inflation threat. Even if

long term interest rates rises we cannotsee them going back to where they werefew years ago. At present, quality growthstocks offer an attractive earnings yieldthat is much higher than interests on cashand savings. Growth stocks alwaysdemand a higher valuation and in time oflack of growth, they demand even higherP/E multiples. Also, the quality and thesustainability of the growth push the val-uation even higher.

Equity investors can find growth stocksin all sectors. The perception that growthstocks always related to start ups or tech-nology stocks has been misplaced.Growth stocks have some common char-acteristics. Their products are distin-guished around the world and consumershave established some sense of belong-ing to those trademarks. This is the great-est successful marketing strategy for anycompany which produces consumers’goods. Also, these companies not onlycome up with new products more oftenbut they improve on them and at thesame time do not abandon the olderproducts so their fan club increasing allthe time, an example here is technologycompanies. I always believe that success-ful growth companies are the ones thatcreate demands for their products ratherthan create products and hope fordemand to pick up and those kinds ofcompanies are very difficult to identify inthe early days of growth.

My advice to investors for the comingyear is to stick to the winners of the pastfew years and look to invest in somestocks that are extremely undervaluedand allocate small portion to them.Countries that have seen their govern-ment bond yields fallen to record lowsshould start outperforming nicely.Investors should target small and mid-capcompanies in those countries. We thinksome companies in Spain, France, Italyand Greece are showing good value atcurrent levels. International investorsshould start looking into those economiesand start building small investment expo-sure and wait for improvements in thefundamentals then increase the exposuregradually.

International investors should pick growth stocks

B U S I N E S SMONDAY, MARCH 31, 2014

PARIS: For more than 10 years the rise of bigemerging markets has re-shaped the globaleconomy but these are now slowing with matu-rity, and the hunt is on to identify which upstartswill be tomorrow’s tigers. The big five, whichrecently helped the world through financial cri-sis but are now experiencing marked growingpains, are Brazil, Russia, India, China and SouthAfrica, the BRICS. On their heels come the MINT,PPICS and CIVETS: acronyms created by econo-mists and investors to describe groups of coun-tries of similar type which could lead the nextwave of emerging energy.

Last week more signs of economic tensions

became evident in China and Brazil, just as theFrench trade insurance group Coface producedits l ist of what it called “neo-emerging”economies: the PPICS. This creature comprisesPeru, the Philippines, Indonesia, Colombia, andSri Lanka. All of them have strong growth poten-tial exceeding 4.0 percent, diversifiedeconomies, are not unduly dependent onexporting raw materials and have financial sys-tems capable of supporting growth and ofabsorbing a degree of external shocks.

Coface came up with a second list of coun-tries, making 10 in all, comprising Kenya,Tanzania, Zambia, Bangladesh and Ethiopia.

These countries also offer growth potential butcarry higher intrinsic risks. Coface said thatanalysis of which countries, albeit smaller thanthe big five, could take over as leading emergingeconomies was needed because the big fivewere losing their competitive edge and had notyet become competitive in producing high val-ued-added goods and services.

For nearly a year many emerging markets,and notably the BRICS, have been underminednotably by the winding down of easy-moneypolicies in the United States, which has raisedrisk and caused large amounts of investmentfunding to flow out of emerging markets back to

advanced economies. In Russia, a sharpslowing of growth is now being exacerbat-ed by the back-draft of the Ukraine crisisand an outflow of capital. Brazil has justbeen downgraded by the Standard & Poor’srating agency.

China is experiencing incidents in itscredit system. At the beginning of Marchthere was a payment default on somebonds, and the beginning of a minor runon a small bank, highlighting concernsabout obscure parts of the banking system.The monitoring of the landscape of emerg-ing markets has been underway for manyyears. In 1988 a barometer called the MSCIEmerging Markets Index was launched tofollow 10 countries, and today it tracks 21economies. The MSCI investment group hasalso created the MSCI Frontier MarketsIndex covering 26 economies expected tobecome dynamic, ranging from Argentinato Nigeria and Sri Lanka.

Economist Jim O’Neill put the term BRICon the map when he was an economist atUS investment bank Goldman Sachs. Hehas now identified a new group, calledMINT, comprising Mexico, Indonesia,Nigeria and Turkey. The EconomistIntelligence Unit has let loose another ani-mal, going by the name of CIVETS, forColombia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Egypt,Turkey and South Africa.

The limits of labels At ING IM bank, economist Maarten-Jan

Bakkum said: “The thing with these fancynames is that they only last a few years”.He also observed: “There is a de-leverag-

ing process going on in the big emergingmarkets, and this is something the frontiermarkets do not have because they did nothave these excessive capital inflows”. Healso noted that regulatory constraintswere a problem in many new emergingeconomies and that “liquidity really is anissue, look at Kenya or Tanzania, there sim-ply is not much that you can buy”.

He offered another perspective. “Forme the big risk is China so I would distin-guish between countries very sensitive toChina, or less sensitive” Coface economistYves Zlotowski said that Mexico had beendescribed as an emerging economy in the1980s because it was able to borrow oninternational debt markets, and thedescription had been a financial conceptas were the new acronyms. For Zlotowski,the big emerging economies had not yetlost their emerging roar. “Yes, theirexchange rates are attacked but withoutcatastrophic consequences,” he said.

At Saxo Banque in Paris, analystChristopher Dembik did not need anacronym to spot “among the leaders, Peru,Colombia and Indonesia” and two othersexposed to a high level of political risk,“Turkey and Nigeria”. But none of themhas a huge population and explosivegrowth on the scale which put the BRICSin a class of their own. “For example,Indonesia has had growth of about 5.0percent in recent years”, far behind thegrowth rates of 10.0 percent or morewhich China achieved. “But maybe this willlead to more sustainable growth,” Dembiksaid. — AFP

Hunt on for new tigers: MINT, PPICS and CIVETSCountries offer growth potential but carry intrinsic risks

†VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK: A file photo shows a chain of volcanoes bordering theVirunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo. — AFP

GOMA: The quest for oil may be the latestthreat to Africa’s most venerable wildlifereser ve, located in the DemocraticRepublic of Congo, and already hard hit bydeforestation, poaching and armed con-fl ict . Early in March, EuropeanDevelopment Commissioner AndrisPiebalgs warned that “with oil productionthere would be a major risk of pollution atthis site, located near the sources of theNile.” The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) andother environmental bodies, includinglocal ones, have also voiced concernabout the planned joint operation bysmall British firm SOCO International PLCand the Kinshasa government in part ofthe Virunga National Park.

The whole protected territory on theborder with Uganda and Rwanda covers800,000 hectares (two million acres) andhas attained worldwide renown, notablyfor its rare and endangered mountaingorillas. SOCO has stated that in July lastyear, its chairman Rui de Sousa met withWWF chief David Nusbaum, and proposedthat they “work together to find the bestway forward”. The firm also expressed acommitment to “improving our dialogue”with all parties “about how (its) activitiesin eastern DRC could affect the flora andfauna of the Virunga National Park and thelivelihoods of the regional population.”

Created in 1925 in the far east of whatwas then the Belgian Congo, the wholepark was declared an “endangered” part ofthe global heritage by the UN Educational,Scientif ic and Cultural Organization(UNESCO) in 1994. The area is exceptional-ly rich in biodiversity, but is located inscarred North Kivu province, tracts ofwhich have been ravaged by successiveconflicts for more than 20 years.

Poachers and logging teams have dam-aged the reserve, as elsewhere in Africa,but the park is also criss-crossed by rivalarmed groups and soldiers, while localpeople have taken up illegal residence. Aglobal protest campaign erupted afterSOCO in 2010 won a contract from theCongolese government to jointly prospectfor oil on a concession overlapping thepark’s territory.

International resistance proved strongenough to make Kinshasa suspend SOCO’spermit the next year, until a “strategicenvironmental evaluation” had been con-ducted. The launch of the study failed tosatisfy the WWF and local organizations,which argue that such contracts and per-mits handed out by the state violate bothCongolese law on conservation and theUNESCO convention protecting WorldHeritage Sites.

The WWF filed a complaint againstSOCO and on February 14 welcomed aBritish government announcement of anindependent probe into the oil company’sactivities in the DRC, including alleged“threats against local activists.” Opponents

denounce the fact that SOCO has func-tioned inside the park for several monthssince the government directly associatedthe company with its own evaluation, thuspotentially biasing the outcome.

‘The curse of oil’ “No drilling has been planned or is war-

ranted at this stage,” SOCO announced inits outlook for 2014, but it said activitywould include “scientific studies involvinga seismic survey of Lake Edward, environ-mental baseline studies and social proj-ects.” Sceptics argue that the seismic sur-vey is a cover for hidden oil prospectionthat could have serious consequences forthe environment. For Kinshasa, the bot-tom line is the need to find oil for the eco-nomic development of the country, whichmisrule and conflict have rendered one ofthe poorest nations in the world, despitevast mineral wealth. Bantu Lukambo,director general of a non-governmentalorganisation named Initiative forDevelopment and the Protection of theEnvironment, believes the government’sstance is a conceit.

Based in North Kivu’s capital Goma,Lukambo cites damage done at Muanda,on the Atlantic coast far across the vastnation, where black gold has beenpumped for about three decades. Herejects “the curse of oil”. A recent report bya French NGO, the Catholic Committeeagainst Hunger and for Development, saidthat “far from constituting a manna fordevelopment”, oil production at Muandahad instead led to pollution and thedegradation of the environment.

Conservation offers more gains For Thierr y Vircoulon, the central

African project director of theInternational Crisis Group, “the confirma-tion of oil reserves in the east would exac-erbate the dynamic of conflicts” there.Disavowed by the British government,SOCO has declined to take the same posi-tion as French oil giant Total, which signeda similar deal with Kinshasa but undertooknever to operate in the Virunga NationalPark.

SOCO has pointed out that it plans tooperate only within a small geographicalarea of “lowland savannah around LakeEdward and the lake itself”, and that it “willnever seek” to enter the gorilla habitat.This is insufficent for UNESCO, which hasdeclared that oil prospecting and produc-tion are “not compatible” with world her-itage statutes. The organisation warnedthat part of the park may be unlisted, aprospect that horrifies wildlife activists.The WWF argues that the DRC has more togain in economic terms by protecting thepark and developing sustainable tourism,fishing and hydroelectric projects, ratherthan undertaking a search for oil thatmight not even be there. — AFP

Oil quest hurts Africa’soldest wildlife reserve

B U S I N E S SMON DAY, MARCH 31, 2014

KUWAIT: Kuwait Economic Society (KES)released a commentary on the discussion ofCapital Markets Authority’s (CMA) decision toapply corporate governance controls to CMAregulated companies, calling for the necessity ofexploiting this discussion to enrich CMA’s roleand add a further strategic dimension to its rolethrough balancing between its regulatory man-date and the functions related to its role in thedevelopment and deepening the capital marketthrough the adoption of innovative investmentand financing instruments.

At the outset, it must be emphasized that KEShas always been and is still in the forefront call-ing for the adoption of various practices that arecapable of enhancing transparency in all sectors,and the deployment of state of the art manage-ment concepts. We therefore renew our empha-sis on the importance of implementing gover-nance rules as they represent the first steps to betaken to develop the economic environmentand enhance corporate transparency. We findthat CMA’s Resolution No. (25) of 2013 on theimplementation of corporate governance rules,is truly an example to be followed, and we arecalling for its adoption and implementation inthe other sectors of the State of Kuwait, not onlyto CMA regulated joint stock companies.

Regulatory vs market development rolesAs much as these concepts and articles,

including governance, gain particular impor-tance and contribute to the consolidation ofCMA’s regulatory role, we at the same time, callon CMA to add a further strategic dimension toits role by balancing between the fulfillment ofits regulatory role and the necessary endeavorto take critical steps towards the developmentand deepening of the local capital market byintroducing investment instruments and prod-ucts similar to those used in international mar-kets, and cater to the requirements of investorsand companies in the local market. Thus it canalso benefit from the accumulated expertiseamassed by these companies.

In the same context, the implementation ofthese rules must be flexible enough to enablefinancial institutions to create investment andfinancing products and solutions, instead of sub-jecting them to a form of strict regulation caus-ing them to refrain from performing their natu-ral role and functions in this field. Therefore, wepropose to adopt the concept of regulation ofcompanies with flexible rules, not by adoptingstrict rules which adversely affect the spirit ofinnovation.

The development of capital market perform-ance as part of CMA’s mandate, giving its activitya further strategic dimension, must take intoaccount that it is necessary to reformulate indi-cators to measure performance related to theimplementation of CMA’s strategic vision for thequantitative and qualitative development ofcapital markets in the State of Kuwait, whether astock market or a market for other instruments,such as bonds, sukuk and investment funds.

It is unanimously accepted that the adoption

of the governance rules is an inevitable courseof action to develop the performance of jointstock companies and underscore the impor-tance of their role from a technical and financialperspective, not the least of which is, for exam-ple, reducing the cost of capital in the long termand consolidating investor confidence. However,this must be accompanied by a roadmap guidedby some of the experiences of the world mar-kets, including regional markets such as SaudiArabia, and thus adopting the concept of grad-ual implementation.

Procedural stepsOn the other hand, we call for the reassess-

ment of certain procedural steps based on theexperience gained during the implementationof these procedures, to allow for overcoming

some of the obstacles which were encounteredduring implementation. This prompts us topause at the following points:

Firstly, and in an aspect related to governancerules, we find that the important and essentialrole of the boards of directors of companies maylose some of its luster, and decline in importanceparticularly due to a certain exaggeration of thetechnical role of the independent directors.Although we totally believe in the importanceand necessity of such members of the board,however, assigning to them expanded rolestranscends the purpose of their appointment,and at the same time yields adverse effects.

Of the other procedures steps we are callingfor, timelines or time periods allowed for disclos-ing material information should be more flexi-ble, particularly because some joint stock com-panies are actively involved with institutions inthe public sector. Those institutions are knownto be bureaucratic and slow to act in someinstances. This is a reality which may entail theimposition of fines on companies as penalty fordelayed disclosure, while they in fact are not

responsible for such delay.We also find that the CMA is required to pre-

pare ongoing follow up reviews to assess theeffects of regulatory requirements on the effi-ciency of companies, and the impact of theimplementation of those requirements on theperformance of companies. The follow up stud-ies should allow for reassessment of thoserequirements and to what extent they should bemaintained or amended in the future, to pro-mote the spirit of renovation and creativity.

On the other hand, we call for reconsidera-tion of the high compliance costs. This call isbased on the fact that family companies, as isknown, whether in Kuwait or the GCC as awhole, form the largest segment of various cate-gories of companies. We believe that the recon-sideration of this item will encourage those com-panies to move towards listing their shares inthe stock market. This would contribute to theenhancement of transparency and providesmore added value, whether for the companyitself, or to the stock market and investors.

As for cases which may require companies tooutsource, and given the high costs of audit andcompliance incurred by companies, we proposethe adoption of a mechanism taking the form ofa dedicated fund providing for cost sharingbetween regulators and companies, similar tothe fund used by the Securities and ExchangeCommission (SEC) in the United States.

Past experience has confirmed the impor-tance of achieving integration between policiesissued by regulatory authorities. Although sever-al committees were created in certain areas forthis purpose, however, we propose to create amechanism for coordinating the formulation ofpolicies between various agencies concerned,including the CMA, Ministry of Commerce andIndustry and Kuwait Stock Exchange, to avoidduplication or conflict of resolution, which mayadversely affect companies themselves.

Communication with other stakeholdersFinally, it must be emphasized that, given the

exact and profound nature of CMA’s functions,and the extent to which its decisions affect awide variety of economic sectors, we call for thedeepening of the culture of communication withspecialized and relevant agencies. We thereforepropose as follows:

It is necessary to adopt an institutional pro-gram launched by the CMA in collaboration witheconomy-oriented professional associations todevelop human competencies in all regulatoryauthorities concerned with corporate interestsunder the umbrella of the CMA.

In compliance with best international prac-tices, to develop clear and transparent mecha-nism for consulting with entities concerned,technical experts and professional associationsand federations when drafting laws and regula-tions. To ensure the flow of information betweencompanies and regulators, we propose that thegovernance rules incorporate a well-definedmechanism for communication with regulatoryauthorities.

Balancing between regulatory,

developmental roles of CMA

Kuwait Economic Society Report

Tareq Al-Saleh

LISBON: Protestors carry posters with the words “Government Out” during a demon-stration in Lisbon. The demonstration against the government’s austerity measureswas called by the youth section of Portugal’s main workers union CGTP, GeneralConfederation of Portuguese Workers. — AP

Burgan Bank to hold

Annual General Assembly

and Shafafiyah Forum

KUWAIT: Burgan Bank announced yester-day that its Annual General Assemblymeeting for shareholders will be held todayat 12:00 pm at the Chairman’s Club -Burgan Bank Tower. As part of its corporatephilosophy of advocating transparencywith its investors, Burgan Bank will hold its

annual Shafafiyah forum following theAGM. The forum will serve as a platform tohighlight the main events of the year 2013and an overall look into what 2014 has instore for its shareholders, partners, institu-tional investors and other members of thefinancial community.

KUWAIT: Kuwait-based conglomerateRosette Group and GOExport, a Swiss exportand import company, recently announcedtheir partnership agreement at an event heldin Dubai in conjunction with Gulfood 2014,the world’s biggest food and hospitalityshow. The agreement encompasses a closealliance whereby the two reputable compa-nies will exchange international experienceto achieve high level of Fast MovingConsumer Goods business services in theregion. The agreement was announced atArmani Hotel in Burj Khalifa on Tuesday with

the presence of Rosette Group CEO AbdulazizAl-Anjeri and GOExport Directors RossanoCabrino and Paolo Tossi. Present at theannouncement luncheon were distinguishedguests and business executives from aroundthe globe. Among the prominent attendeeswere Gregg Stevens, Chairman for AmericanBusiness Council; Anne Jafery, US TradeRepresentative; Abdulla Almulla, KuwaitChamber of Commerce and Industry BoardMember; Dr Mustafa Behbehani, Chairman ofKuwaiti Gulf Group; Rosanna Croft, SeniorExecutive for Wagonhut International Travel;

and Ibrahim Alarifi, CEO of Beitak Real EstateDevelopment, KSA.

Rosette Group CEO Abdulaziz Al-Anjeriexpressed his optimism of this partnership.He said, “We had looked forward to this glob-al partnership with GoExport. There’s much togain in terms of access to international stan-dards of quality, techniques and expertise inFMCG.” Rosette Group is reputed for its flour-ishing portfolio of independent yet inter-con-nected businesses. It aims to develop busi-nesses that deliver satisfying results to cus-tomers in selective world markets. To date,

Rosette Group has partnered with severalinnovative and ethical companies and indi-viduals in a range of industries such as finan-cial services, export/import, media and mar-keting, and others. Equally distinguished,GOExport is a global name with over 30 yearsof FMCG industry experience.

GOExport sources products that shouldbe exported to the world, with emphasis onEurope, Asia and the Middle East. From itsoffices in Lugano, Switzerland and Beijing,China, GOExport provides consultation,product assessment, rebranding, private

labeling, and all the required tasks forimporting/exporting goods.

Rossano Cabrino, GOExport Director andan FMCG expert, was visionary in his assess-ment of the potential of their new partner-ship with Rosette Group. He said, “We arelooking forward to working with RosetteGroup. They are bringing in their financialexpertise and Middle East distribution knowl-edge. We shall be breaking new grounds inthe Middle East soon. Working closelytogether and integrating our core competen-cies, we can reach great profits.”

Rosette Group to reach greater heights with GOExport alliance

KUWAIT: Gulf Bank announced AdelAbbass Abdullah Hassan Abul as the Al-Danah KD 200,000 draw winner of 2014.Manal Mobarik Ali Al-Hoti was the winnerof KD 125,000 and Yousef Ali Hussain Al-Luqman won KD 25,000. The drawannouncing the winners was the highlightof a special Al-Danah event that took placeat the Bank’s Nuzha branch on March 27,held under the supervision of a Ministry ofCommerce representative and hosted liveby Zeyad Al-Rasheed, Executive Manager atGulf Bank. About 9 winners from the cus-tomers who opened an Al-Danah accountor those that have an existing Al-Danahaccount in the Bank’s Nuzha branch anddeposited KD 200 into their account, wereannounced in an exclusive raffle draw forprizes up to KD 400. The event also provid-ed attendees with instant gifts and prizes.Gulf Bank would like to congratulate AdelAbbass Abdullah Hassan Abul (KD200,000winner), Manal Mobarik Ali Al-Hoti (KD125,000 winner) and Yousef Ali Hussain Al-Luqman (KD25,000 winner). Gulf Bank alsoannounced the names of its winners for theweek of March 16 to March 20. The Al-Danah daily draws include draws eachworking day for two prizes of KD 1,000 perwinner. The winners were: (Sunday 16/03):

Bader Matouq Awad Matouq, FareedaHussain Sakez; (Monday 17/03):Mohammad Amthad Allah Abdulkareem,Mohammed Ibrahim Khalil Al-Hamar;(Tuesday 18/03): Ali Saleh Ali Abdullah, AliAhmad Sayyed Yousef; (Wednesday 19/03):Hadeyah Muhsen Mutar MohammedMarzuq, Sakina Bounoir; (Thursday 20/03):Abdullah Ali Taleb Bakhsh, Sheikh/ KhalidNaser Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah.

The next Al-Danah Quarterly draw willbe held on June 26 for draw prizes of KD250,000, KD 125,000, and KD 25,000. GulfBank’s Al-Danah 2014 draw lineup includesdaily draws (2 winners per working dayeach receive KD 1,000), as well as two addi-tional prizes per quarter. Al-Danah’s 3rdquarterly draw will be held on September25 (KD 500,000, KD 125,000, and KD 25,000)and the final draw held on January 8, 2015announcing winners of KD 50,000, KD250,000 and the Al-Danah Millionaire. To bepart of the Al-Danah draws, customers canvisit one of Gulf Bank’s 57 branches, trans-fer online, or call the Customer ContactCenter on 1805805 for assistance and guid-ance. Customers can also log on to www.e-gulfbank.com/alda-nahwinners, to find outmore about Al-Danah and who the winnersare.

KUWAIT: Zeyad Al-Rasheed, Executive Manager, Gulf Bank and the Ministry ofCommerce representative seen during the Al-Danah draw event.

Adel Abbass Abdullah Hassan Abul wins KD 200,000 in Gulf Bank’s Al-Danah draw

KUWAIT: Zeyad Al-Rasheed, Executive Manager, Gulf Bank interacts with the crowdduring the first Al-Danah quarterly draw for 2014 held at the bank’s Nuzha branch.

HAVANA: Cuban lawmakers on Saturday approved alaw aimed at making Cuba more attractive to foreigninvestors, a measure seen as vital for the island’sstruggling economy. Meeting in an extraordinarysession, parliament replaced a 1995 foreign invest-ment law that has lured less overseas capital than theisland’s Communist leaders had hoped. Cuba’s GDPexpanded 2.7 percent last year, below targets andweak for a developing nation. Government officialssay the economy needs 5 to 7 percent annual growthto develop properly.

“Cuba needs from $2 billion to $2.5 billion a yearin direct foreign investment to advance its socialistsocio-economic model, prosperous and sustainable,”said Marino Murillo, a vice president and the czar ofPresident Raul Castro’s economic reforms. “Not usingthose sources would retard national development,”Murillo told lawmakers in comments broadcast onstate television, where news of the approval wasannounced. Murillo said Cuba will especially look foragricultural investment. Foreign media were not giv-en access to the closed-door meeting. Some detailsof the legislation emerged in official media in recentdays. Among other things, it would cut taxes on prof-its by about half, to 15 percent, and make companiesexempt from paying taxes for the first eight years ofoperation. An exception would affect companiesthat exploit natural resources, such as nickel or fossilfuels. They could pay taxes as high as 50 percent.Meanwhile, many foreigners doing business with theisland would be exempt from paying personalincome tax. Cuban-born economist and University ofPittsburgh professor emeritus Carmelo Mesa-Lagosaid elements such as lower taxes, a shorter timelinefor approvals and the ability to invest in propertysend encouraging signals, but it’s too early to tell.

Economic embargo“The test of the law is how it will be implemented

in practice,” Mesa-Lago said. Investment projectswholly funded by foreign capital would be explicitlyallowed in all sectors except health care and educa-tion, something that is essentially unheard of today.

But Murillo’s remarks suggested the governmentintends to continue in at least a watchdog role “sothat there is no concentration of property.”

“What the new law establishes is that the statemust always be there,” he said. It’s also not clear thatwholly foreign-owned ventures would enjoy thesame tax benefits. Washington’s 52-year-old eco-nomic embargo on Cuba prevents most US tradewith the island and includes sanctions to discourageforeign outfits from doing business with Havana.

Cuban officials promise there will be no national-izations of property, as happened after the 1959Cuban Revolution, except in cases of national inter-est and only with compensation. The investment lawis a fundamental part of Castro’s package of reforms,begun in 2008 with the stated goal of “updating”Cuba’s economic model. Hundreds of thousands ofCubans are now legally working independently of

the state in a nascent private sector, though authori-ties say they are not abandoning socialism.

Analysts say Cuba must demonstrate that it is tru-ly open to foreign private investment after nearly fivedecades of government control of the economy.Meanwhile a recent corruption crackdown led to theimprisonment of a number of foreigners, as well asdozens of Cuban officials and executives, sending achill through the foreign business community.Former Cuban Central Bank economist Pavel Vidalsaid foreign investment has averaged 20 percent lessthan forecast in the years since Castro’s reformsbegan. In a recent report, he wrote that the invest-ment law represents “the last opportunity for thereform to come close to the growth goals plannedthrough 2016.” Cuba’s parliament usually meets twicea year, in July and December. Castro announced theextraordinary session late last year. —AP

Cuban lawmakers okay foreign investment law

HAVANA: Members of the National Assembly raise their hands to vote during an extraordinarysession overhauling their foreign investment law at the National Assembly. — AP

B U S I N E S S

MONDAY, MARCH 31, 2014

FRANKFURT: The European Central Bank is notexpected to cut its key interest rates this week, eventhough inflation in the euro area continues to slow,analysts said. The ECB has held euro-zone borrow-ing costs at their current all-time lows sinceNovember. But no further monetary easing appearsto be on the cards at the banks next meeting onThursday just yet, given recent data suggesting theregions economy is in a tentative recovery, centralbank watchers said.

At the moment, deflation is perceived to be thebiggest threat to that recovery. Last month, area-wide consumer prices edged up by just 0.8 percent,way below the ECBs target of just below 2.0 per-cent, with some observers warning of a destructivespiral of deflation. Deflation is a general decline inprices and can be highly damaging if consumers,expecting prices to fall further, hold off purchases.

March inflation data for the entire euro-zone arenot scheduled to be released until today. But dataon Friday showed that inflation in Germany, theregions biggest economy, slowed to just 1.0 percent

this month, the lowest level in nearly four years. ECBofficials have repeatedly said they see no threat ofdeflation, but president Mario Draghi reiterated lastweek that the central bank stood ready to act if nec-essary.

Many measures on handIf any downside risks to (our inflation) scenario

appear, we stand ready to take additional monetarypolicy measures that ensure our mandate is ful-filled, Draghi told a conference in Paris. In otherwords, we will do what is needed to maintain pricestability, Draghi insisted. Elsewhere, Slovak centralbank chief and ECB governing council memberJosef Makuch also said the bank was ready to adoptnon-standard measures to prevent slipping into adeflationary environment. The ECB has many meas-ures on hand.

In addition to cutting its interest rates, the ECBcould ease monetary conditions by pumping mon-ey into the system or buy up government bonds tobring down borrowing costs. Nevertheless, analysts

believe the ECBs hand will not be forced just yet.ING DiBa economist Carsten Brzeski acknowledgedthat the drop in German inflation was a headachefor the ECB. But he suggested the trough in Germanheadline inflation might now have been reachedthis year. Key will be the new inflation data for theeuro-zone as a whole, he said.We dont think thatthe ECB will react to a single data release but todayseuro-zone inflation data could tip the balance in agoverning council which does not seem to havemade up its mind yet, Brzeski said. At the currentjuncture, we still think that the ECBs preferred nextpolicy option is to do nothing. The most likely out-come of next weeks ECB meeting is that the ECBwill continue talking the talk in order not to have towalk the walk, Brzeski said.

Outside chance of action UniCredit economist Marco Valli agreed. We

expect policy settings to remain unchanged, as the(anticipated) slowdown in March inflation is likely tobe largely driven by temporary factors, he said.

Nevertheless, Capital Economics economistJonathan Loynes there could be an outside chanceof concrete action as early as this week.

Developments over the last month have notclearly met either of the ECBs two contingencies forfurther policy action, he said. Nonetheless, theongoing danger of deflation and dovish signalsfrom several governing council membersnot leastBundesbank President Jens Weidmannsuggest thatfurther stimulus is still in prospect. And given theECBs recent apparent predilection for surprise, anApril move cannot be entirely ruled out, Loynessaid. For UniCredit economist Marco Valli, the mostimportant issue for ECB chief Draghi on Thursdaywould be if and how it will decide to become morevocal about the currency. A strong euro adds to thedeflationary pressures. But Valli suggested Draghicould take a softer approach here, dealing with theexchange rate only in the question and answer ses-sion and stressing that the ECB stands ready to act ifcurrency appreciation were to endanger price sta-bility. — AFP

ECB to hold fire on rates despite slow inflation

KUWAIT: Al-Mazaya Holding Company onSaturday, March 29, 2014 celebrated the globalevent “Earth Hour”, as part of its participation inthe global campaign which is celebratedworldwide for one hour on the last Saturday ofMarch each year, in order to raise awareness ofthe dangers of climate change.

Al-Mazaya participated by turning off alllights and non vital electrical equipment in allthe company’s offices and projects in Kuwaitand the UAE for one hour starting from 8:30pm until 9:30 pm, thereby joining millions ofpeople and thousands of establishments inmore than 100 countries in turning off lightson this day as a contribution to reduce the con-sumption of energy sources and the emissionsresulting from them in order to protect theenvironment.

In this occasion, Abdullah Al-Sultan, Chiefproperty management Officer, said: “Mazaya’sparticipation in this global day comes in linewith the company’s plan to raise awarenessaround the dangers of excessive consumptionof energy sources as part of its strong belief inthe important and significant role of all societyestablishments and in public and private sec-tors, in addition to enhancing the awareness ofthe members of the community that work inMazaya or its subsidiaries in all of its projects inboth Kuwait and the UAE.”

Al-Sultan added: “As it is well known,according to global reports, the energy con-sumption per capita in the various countries in

GCC, is among the highest in the world. It istherefore clear that great efforts are needed inorder to change the behaviours and practicesof the individual citizen with regards the com-munity’s responsibility. We also want to high-light the efforts made by the governments ofGCC countries in order to establish a strongelectrical infrastructure the keeps pace withthe highest standards of efficiency and qualityin the region and that meets the requirementsof citizens and residents and in order to access

sustainable energy sources.” Al-Sultan con-firmed that GCC cash savings that havestrengthened thanks to oil and gas revenuesmust not be a motivator to increase consump-tion or to reach a profligacy level in the con-sumption of energy sources, as according toglobal reports, the consumption per capita ofelectricity in the US is expected to increase by0.8 percent per year until 2035, while the ratein the GCC countries is projected to reach 2.5percent in the same period.

Al Mazaya seeks within its future plans toprovide the market with real estate productsamong special residential and commercial sec-tors that rationalises energy consumption,thereby providing one of the main supportsand achieving the principles of green environ-ment-friendly real estate, in order to achieve asustainable environment and to protect natu-ral resources and preserve them for future gen-erations.

Al-Sultan furthermore confirmed that thenumber of projects involved under Al-Mazaya’sumbrella that participated in the rationaliza-tion campaign for this year reached 14 proj-ects, including a number of projects in Kuwait,such as the medical Clover Center which islocated in Al-Jabriya and consists 19 floors inaddition to Mazaya Towers in the heart of thecapital of Kuwait which contains three towerswith 28 floors, while some projects participat-ed in Dubai, in addition to Mazaya projects invarious countries.

14 projects partake in ‘Earth Hour’

Al-Mazaya turns off projects’ lights for 1 hour in Kuwait, UAE

Abdullah Al-Sultan

SHARJAH: LuLu Hypermarket’s new branch in Maysaloon area in Sharjah was inaugurat-ed yesterday by Sheikh Salem Abdulrahman Al-Qassimi, Director General of Rulers Courtand Member of Sharjah Ruling Family in the presence of Sheikh Mohamed Bin AbdullaAl-Qassimi and Yusuff Ali MA, Managing Director of Lulu group.

SHARJAH: The much anticipated newbranch of LuLu hypermarket inMaysaloon area in Sharjah was inaugu-rated yesterday by Sheikh SalemAbdulrahman Al-Qassimi, DirectorGeneral of Rulers Court and Member ofSharjah Ruling Family in the presence ofSheikh Mohamed Bin Abdulla Al-Qassimiand Yusuff Ali MA, Managing Director ofLulu group.

The opening ceremony was alsoattended by number of officials from var-ious government departments, represen-tatives from business community apartfrom Saifee T Rupawala, CEO, Ashraf AliMA, Executive Director, Salim MA,Director of the group.

The new 100,000 sq ft hypermarketwhich is located near the Kuwait hospitalroad is spread across two levels with thefood and grocery section on the groundfloor and department and lifestyle prod-ucts on the first floor.

After the inauguration Sheikh SalemAbdulrahman Al-Qassimi and other dig-nitaries were led on a guided tour of thehypermarket by Yusuffali MA and othersenior management team members ofLuLu and briefed them about the varioussections, unique features and amenities.

Commenting on the new store launchYusuffali MA, Managing Director of LuLu

Group said, “This is our fourth branch inSharjah alone and we are extremely hap-py with the support and patronage wehave been receiving from the residentsof this great nation.”

“It has been our policy to bring worldclass shopping as close as possible to theshoppers rather than make them drivelong distance. Now with more than 37sourcing offices worldwide including UK,Africa and Far East, we are fully equippedto serve the diverse population of thiscosmopolitan country.

Other highlight includes special sec-tion to promote local grown vegetablesand fruits which will not only give shop-pers a chance to buy fresh produce butalso help the local farming community”added Yusuffali.

Shoppers can look forward to the bestrange of not just grocery and food prod-ucts but also the biggest range oflifestyle and fashion brands at mostaffordable prices. Another highlightwould be the huge collection of latestelectronics and IT gadgets which is sureto be a big hit with tech savvy shoppers.On the first day itself huge rush of shop-pers was witnessed as many attractivepromotions have been launched inalmost all categories as part of the inau-gural offer.

Lulu opens new hypermarket in

Sharjah; store count reaches 110

SHARJAH: The guests are taken on a tour of the new hypermarket.

KUWAIT: Commercial Bank of Kuwaitheld the Al-Najma Account Daily drawon March 30, 2014. The draw was heldunder the supervision of the Ministryof Commerce & Industry representedby Saquer Al-Manaie. The winners ofthe Najma Daily Draw who get KD7,000 are: Ilaf Fadhel Abbas, NoureyahYaqoub Al-Abdouh, Ali Hussain Al-Enezi, Mahmoud Ali Mohammed, andAbdul Rahman Ahmed Hassan.

The Commercial Bank of Kuwaitannounces the biggest daily draw inKuwait with the launch of the newNajma account. Customers of the bankcan now enjoy a KD 7,000 daily prizewhich is the highest in the country andanother 4 mega prizes during the yearworth KD 100,000 each on different

occasions: The National Day, Eid Al-Fitr,Eid Al-Adha and on June 19 which isthe date of the bank’s establishment.

With a minimum balance of KD 500,customers will be eligible for the dailydraw provided that the money is in theaccount one week prior to the dailydraw or two months prior to the megadraw. In addition, for each KD 25 a cus-tomer can get one chance for winninginstead of KD 50.

Commercial Bank of Kuwait takesthis opportunity to congratulate alllucky winners and also extends appre-ciation to the Ministry of Commerceand Industry for their effective super-vision of the draws which were con-ducted in an orderly and organizedmanner.

Al-Tijari announces Najma

account daily draw winners

KUWAIT: Wataniya Telecom recognizes thediverse needs of the wide variety of peoplewho live here. Therefore it has developedspecial community packs that enable peopleto form deeper connections and easily com-municate at extremely low rates with otherswho belong to their social circle.

Wataniya’s Community Packsare speciallytailored for prepaid customers. It offers themdiscounted rates of just 10 fils/minute on call-swithin the community joined, which is thelowest rate in the country.

Additionally, customers will enjoy freelocal and international SMS not only tomem-bers within their communitybut also to any-one else; plus a 25 percent discount on inter-national calls to their selected home countryor 25 percent discount on all local calls for

the Kuwaiti community pack. To join anycommunity, customers should dial *414#.

Customers can join this special pack forjust KD 1/month or 300 fils/week. Once theysubscribe they can pick any one of the sevencommunities which are Kuwaiti, Indian,Egyptian, Filipino, Syrian, Bangladeshi andPakistani as well. The more people there arein a community the more benefits customerscan enjoy. By encouraging friends and familymembers to join the community offer, thecustomer can enjoy staying in touch withtheir close friends at the lowest call rates intown.

The Indian, Egyptian, Filipino, Syrian,Bangladeshi and Pakistani communities willget 25 percent off on calls to these countriesrespectively. This type of pack does not limit

customers to enjoy discounted call rates to ahandful of mobile numbers but completelytransfers control to the members of the com-munity. The more members’ customers inviteto their preferred community, the more callsthey will be able to make at the special rate ofjust 10 fils/minute.

Wataniya understands the pulse of themarket and believes in creating experiencesthat answer the distinct need of each com-munity.

The Community packs are the first of itskind. As the communities grow more andmore people will be able to avail theseincredibly discounted rates. This new packwill give budget conscious users an opportu-nity to optimize their usage without increas-ing their expenses.

Wataniya Telecom tailors exclusive packs

for different communities in Kuwait

KUWAIT: The globally renowned jewelry retailchain, Joyalukkas, has opened their muchawaited, largest jewelry showroom inMalaysia. The mega showroom located inJalan Masjid India, Kuala Lumpur was inaugu-rated in the presence of Minister Dato HasanBin Malek, the Minister of Domestic Trade, Co-operative and Consumerism, by popularIndian celebrity and filmstar R Madhavan.Many local dignitaries and VIP’s also attendedthe grand opening ceremony organized byJoyalukkas for its foray into Malaysia.

“Firstly, a big thank you to the esteemedMinister Dato Hasan Bin Malek for taking timeoff from his precious schedule to attend ouropening ceremony. I would also like to thankthe residents of Kuala Lumpur for a very warmwelcome. We have built the biggest jewelryshowroom in Malaysia to offer the best experi-ence in jewelry shopping to residents here.Our promise is the best in choice, designs, val-ue, service and convenience for jewelry lovershere at all times,” said Joy Alukkas, Chairmanand MD, Joyalukkas Group.

Conveniently located in Jalan Masjid India,the large-sized showroom offers ample park-ing space and features the widest range andmost exquisite collection of jewelry in all pre-cious forms, from gold, diamond, preciousStone and pearls, to platinum and silver.Joyalukkas jewelry, Malaysia offers a choice ofover one million designs from around theworld to meet all the dreams and expectationsof jewelry lovers in Malaysia. The sales teamhave also been extensively trained by retailspecialists to ensure a delightful experience toshoppers here..

“Thank you Malaysia for a warm welcome. Iassure you with Joyalukkas you are sure of thebest experience in jewelery shopping,” saidMadhavan. Joyalukkas is the only jewelrybrand that is spread across 10 countries

around the world with 94 showrooms and hasa following of over 10 million loyal customersworld-wide. “We are delighted to open ourfirst jewelry showroom in Malaysia and areextremely grateful to the country and its resi-dents for the warm welcome they have givenus. Our team is eager to serve jewelry shop-pers here with the best and widest range injewelry,” said John Paul Joy Alukkas, ExecutiveDirector, Joyalukkas Group. The MalaysiaJoyalukkas jewellery showroom has beendesigned in signature Joyalukkas format withstylish and convenient interiors to offer thewidest choice of jewelry under one roof.

Joyalukkas is the only ISO 14001-2006 and

ISO 9001-2008 certified jewelry retail chainand has been recognized with many awardsand accolades for its exceptional standards injewelry retailing. Its popular Chennai show-room in India has been recognized by theLimca Book of records for being the largestjewelry showroom in the world. Joyalukkashas been recognized with the ‘Superbrand’ sta-tus five years in a row and in-addition to thishas also been recognized by the Dubai gov-ernment with its Dubai Quality AwardsProgram, for their strict adherences to qualityand procedures in all aspects of jewelry retail-ing. The brand has also won the ‘Middle-EastRetailer of the Year’ award from Retail ME.

Joyalukkas, the world’s favorite

jeweler, now open in Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR: Joyalukkas officials are pictured with filmstar R Madhavan.

t e c h n o l o g yMONDAY, MARCH 31, 2014

Bangalore: Other than just adevice to meet the communica-tion requirements, mobile

phones have become status icons.Plated with gold and embedded withprecious jewels these devices comewith hefty price tags reaching up toseven digits. Here is a list of 7 mostexpensive mobile phones in theworld.

7- GoldVish ‘Le Million’ Piece Unique

Price $1.3 millionA handcrafted cell phone made of

18-carat white gold, mounted with120-carat VVS-1 graded diamonds;that was what the Swedish designerEmmanuel Gueit had to offer the richworld. ‘Le million’ Piece Unique wasfirst introduced in September 2006 inEurope at the Millionaire Fair.

The product was purchased by aRussian businessman and the pur-chase was marked in the GuinnessBook of World Records as the saledeclared as the most expensive andmost exclusive mobile phone eversold. GoldVish “Le Million” PieceUnique will be produced upon specialrequest and only limited editions ofhundred numbers are manufacturedin a lifetime.

6- iPhone 5 Black DiamondPrice: $8 million

Hughes, known for crafting incredi-bly priced tech products, created thedesign for the latest Apple phone,iPhone 5, codenamed as BlackDiamond iPhone 5. It includes an inlayof 600 white diamonds, a solid goldApple logo surrounded by 53 whitediamonds, 135 grams of 24-carat goldand sapphire glass for the screen. Inthe case of black diamond, the stonereplaced the iPhone’s home button.Apart from the design, Black Diamondhas similar specifications as iPhone 5.It features a 4-inch display with cus-tom designed ARMv7 processor calledthe Apple A6, an update to Apple’smobile operating system known asiOS 6. In terms of storage, it has 16, 32or 64 GB but doesn’t support plug-inmemory cards and has an 8MP cam-era along with various features likegeo-tagging, face detection, touchfocus and the like.

5 -Vertu FerrariPrice: $ 374, 000

Vertu Constellation Quest Ferrari isa mobile phone produced by Vertu,the well-known company that is spe-cialized in designing luxurious phonesequipped with unique elements. Thephone boasts a sapphire crystal key-pad, a titanium battery cover, and atachometer-inspired clock. As thephone is codenamed as Ferrari, it’spretty obvious that the phone hassomething related to the famous carcompany. And it is a Ferrari enginecoating finish and a Ferrari leathertrim embossed with the Ferrari logo.The titanium battery cover has thetrademark Cavallino Rampante(prancing horse) symbol in stainlesssteel. The phone runs on Nokia’sSymbian operating system and has aninternal memory of 8GB which isexpandable to 32GB via microSD. Itcomes with a camera of 5MP whichoffers dual LED flash and autofocuswith a resolution of 2592 x 1944 pix-els.

4- Porsche Design BlackBerryPrice: $139, 000

Porsche and BlackBerry appearedto put a large amount of work espe-cially in the craftsmanship of thephone, Porsche Design Blackberry,which made the device eye-catching.Instead of a plastic bottom, the entirebody is forged out of stainless steel.The battery cover is wrapped in realleather as well as each key on theQWERTY keyboard is made of metaland the navigation buttons placedbelow the screen are designed of indi-vidual pieces of glass.

Powered by 1.2GHz QualcommMSM8655 Snapdragon processor, thephone runs on BlackBerry 7.0 operat-ing system. Along with 768MB RAM,ithas an internal memory of 8GB whichcan be further expanded to 32GB viamicroSD card. The device is equippedwith a primary camera of 5MP whichoffers various features like geo-tag-ging, face detection and image stabi-lization. The specifications are similarto those of any other BB phone, aminor difference being you get a “pre-mium” Blackberry Messenger PINcompared to the regular PIN of otherBB phones.

3- Tag Heuer RacerPrice: $ 350, 000

Tag Heuer, known for its luxurybrand watches has come up with anexpensive phone, Tag Heuer Racer,made from premium materials,including stainless steel, carbon fiberand aeronautic-grade titanium. Thecasing is shockproof and certainlyfeels heavy and sturdy even though itisn’t waterproof. The phone is said topack a 3D user interface and a high

speed processor of 1GHz. It comeswith a camera of 5MP with auto-focusand VGA front-facing features.

2 -Gresso Luxor Las Vegas JackpotPrice: $1 million

With only 3 models sold so far themobile makes the name of the modelworthwhile. One has to win the LasVegas Jackpot to purchase one ofthese most coveted pieces. The phoneis decorated with black diamondsfound in Egypt and is coated with

pure gold. The entire panel of GressoLuxor Las Vegas Jackpot, is made ofAfrican black wood, the most expen-sive wood in the world.

1- Ulysse Nardin ChairmanPrice: $7 million

Ulysse Nardin, the Swiss watchmanufacturer has come up with itsChairman Smartphone, and GuinnessWorld Records has already awarded itthe title of “Most Expensive MobilePhone Series”. It features a capacitive

touch screen and a number pad onthe front, a mechanical watch rotor onthe back and is quite expensive. The3.2-inch touch screen display, made ofsapphire crystal runs on speciallydesigned version of AndroidGingerbread and has an 8-megapixelrear-facing camera with flash. It isintegrated with GPS 3G, with 32 GBinternal memory and comes pre-loaded with Android apps for Gmail,Facebook, YouTube and GoogleMaps.-www.siliconindia.com

iPhone 5 Black Diamond GoldVish ‘Le Million’ Piece Unique Tag Heuer Racer

Seven most expensive mobile phones in the world

Vertu FerrariUlysse Nardin Chairman

Porsche Design BlackBerryGresso Luxor Las Vegas Jackpot

KUWAIT: ITS - International Turnkey Systemsannounced the successful completion of anICT project with KIB to upgrade its bankingsystems offering integrated and state-of-the-art shariah compliant financial services. Withinthe first day of the banking system going live,Kuwait International Bank (KIB), which wasawarded Best Islamic Bank in 2014, receivedthousands of successful financial transactionsand already reported a notable performancelevel improvement.

ITS, a specialist in developing IslamicBanking technology, led the project to deployITS shariah compliant ETHIX financial solutionswith KIB. This plan has been applied and is cur-rently operating in all 26 branches of the bankacross the country.

ETHIX will reduce operational expenditureby consolidating the Bank’s original servicesunder one unified system which will improvecustomer services and experience, speed upproduct development and achieve greater lev-els of efficiency through increased control andautomation. By deploying its secure, flexibleand reliable ETHIX suite of financial technolo-gy solutions within the Bank, ITS will supportKuwait International Bank by leveraging theircompetitive edge in the market.

Lamya Al-Tabtebai, Deputy GeneralManager Corporate Support from KIB

explained why KIB chose ITS to be associatedon this project: “We deployed ETHIX becauseall the benefits serve the bank and our cus-tomers and ETHIX’s overall competence toboost the Bank’s growth. This announcementrepresents a new step on the continuousefforts from KIB to deploy the best global tech-nology systems to serve KIB’s programs andactivities which will aid in accomplishing ouraims of improving the quality of customerservices.”

Centralized systems The ITS ETHIX suite of financial services

form the core banking technology for financialinstitutions boosts operational and growthcapabilities enabling banks to offer new cus-tomer centric solutions in the spirit of shariah-compliance. The added value from ETHIX isthe fact it provides banks with an award win-ning comprehensive banking solution broadlyrecognized as one of the most flexible andscalable technology solutions worldwide.

This was reinforced by Lamya Al-Tabtabai:“ETHIX provides solutions specifically designedto meet the bank’s requirements in severalaspects, including managing processes ofcompletion and executing transactions, theintegration of various departments, divisionsand units to ensure streamlined access to

information and swift transactions. Lastly, itconnects all of KIB’s core systems together andthis is vital for us. With ETHIX all our systemswill be centralized and thus enable us toreduce potential risk and errors and increasethe efficiency and productivity of the bank.Additionally the system helps to develop com-mercial finance as well as retail finance servicesfor our clients and customers.”

Hany Ramadan, Director - Global FinancialSolutions noted: “This is yet another successfuldeployment with a leading finance institutionin Kuwait and an outstanding example of ourexpertise in the Islamic Banking sector. In factour flexible technology solution will empowerthe technology processes within KuwaitInternational Bank, facilitating greater controlof service and the adoption of quick changesas a result from policy, regulation and compe-tition in the market.”

In reality, all of these additional benefits willallow well-timed execution of customer bank-ing services at Kuwait International Bank, refin-ing its customer experience and increasingmanagement efficiency across the bank’sprocesses. Hany Ramadan added: “We have astrong track record of working with leadingfinancial institutions and specifically integrat-ing our award winning ETHIX platform withexisting core banking software infrastructure”.

‘Best Technology Vendor’ITS recently received further accreditation

for its ETHIX suite of products by winning boththe ‘Best Islamic Finance Technology’ conferredat the World Islamic Retail Banking Conference2013 and ‘Best Technology Vendor’ at the CPIFinancial Islamic Business and Finance Awards2013.

The shariah-compliant ETHIX solution isdesigned to support financial institutions toreach operational excellence, accommodategrowth and achieve cost leadership in thefinancial services sector. ETHIX provides multi-channeled corporate and retail products andservices in Islamic finance and investmentincluding core banking, trade finance, branchautomation, online banking, dashboards andreports in addition to other products and serv-ices that represent an answer to the challengesencountered by the financial institutionswhich can only serve to enhance their compet-itive edge.

Understanding better than any other shari-ah-compliant features and specificities ITS cre-ated a full suite of ETHIX solutions includingETHIX-Core, ETHIX-Branch, ETHIX-Finance,ETHIX-Trade, ETHIX-360∞, ETHIX-Connect (IFX),ETHIX-Switch Connection, ETHIX-Treasury,ETHIX (SMS), ETHIX-PCD, ETHIX-Launch Pad.

ITS launches a new shariah compliantfinancial services for regional customer

LOS ANGELES: A week after saying it was justifiedin snooping through a blogger’s Hotmail account totrack down a leaker of company software, Microsofthas changed course, saying it will refer such mattersto law enforcement starting immediately. The rever-sal, explained by general counsel Brad Smithin ablog post Friday, follows last week’s revelation thatit searched through emails and instant messages ofa blogger who Microsoft believed had received pro-prietary code illegally.

The search, in September 2012, led to AlexKibkalo, a Russian native who worked for Microsoftas a software architect in Lebanon. Microsoft turnedover the case to the FBI in July 2013.

Smith now says the company “will not inspect acustomer’s private content ourselves” and will referthe matter to law enforcement if it believes its serv-ices are being used to facilitate theft of Microsoftproperty. Microsoft Corp owns Hotmail and thecloud storage service formerly known as SkyDrive. Italleged that the services were used so Kibkalocould transfer software files to the blogger, includ-ing a fix for the Windows 8 RT operating system thathadn’t been released publicly.

The case spawned a wave of criticism, andMicrosoft initially responded to it by saying that itwould consult with an outside attorney who is a for-mer judge to determine if a court order would beissued in similar searches in the future. Many saw itsinitial response as inadequate. “Last week’sresponse was trying to create a mimic of dueprocess with a shadow court that was run byMicrosoft,” said Kurt Opsahl, senior staff attorney forthe Electronic Frontier Foundation, a privacy advo-cate. “It was good to see Microsoft reconsidered.”Smith said the company would also change itsterms of service to make it clear what customerscan expect, and consult with privacy advocates tocome up with industry best practices going for-ward. Shares of the Redmond, Wash., company rose94 cents, or 2.4 percent, to $40.30.—AP

Microsoftreverses, vows not to snoop

on emails

H E A LT H & S C I E NC EMONDAY, MARCH 31, 2014

YOKOHAMA: In an authoritative report due outtoday a United Nations climate panel for the firsttime is connecting hotter global temperatures tohotter global tempers. Top scientists are saying thatclimate change will complicate and worsen existingglobal security problems, such as civil wars, strifebetween nations and refugees.

They’re not saying it will cause violence, but willbe an added factor making things even more dan-gerous. Fights over resources, like water and energy,hunger and extreme weather will all go into the mixto destabilize the world a bit more, says the reportby the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Inter-governmen-tal Panel on Climate Change. The summary of thereport is being finalized this weekend by the panelin Yokohama.

That’s a big change from seven years ago, thelast time the IPCC addressed how warming affectedEarth, said report lead author Chris Field of theCarnegie Institution of Science in California. Thesummary that political leaders read in early 2007didn’t mention security issues will, he said, becauseof advances in research.

“There’s enough smoke there that we really needto pay attention to this,” said Ohio University securi-ty and environment professor Geoff Dabelko, one ofthe lead authors of the report’s chapter on securityand climate change.

For the past seven years, research in social sci-ence has found more links between climate andconflict, study authors say, with the full report refer-encing hundreds of studies on climate change and

conflict. The U.S. Defense Department earlier thismonth in its once-every-four-years strategic review,called climate change a “threat multiplier” to gowith poverty, political instability and social tensionsworldwide. Warming will trigger new problems butalso provide countries new opportunities forresources and shipping routes in places such as themelting Arctic, the Pentagon report says.

Common concernAfter the climate panel’s 2007 report, UN

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon wrote that alongwith other causes, the conflict in the Darfur regionof western Sudan “began as an ecological crisis, aris-ing at least in part from climate change. “ While theIPCC report this year downplays global warming’srole in that particular strife, saying other issues werefar more influential, the report’s drafts do add thatthere is “justifiable common concern” that climatechange increases the risk of fighting in similar cir-cumstances.

“Climate change will not directly cause conflict -but it will exacerbate issues of poor governance,resource inequality and social unrest,” retired U.S.Navy Adm. David Titley, now a Pennsylvania StateUniversity professor of meteorology, wrote in anemail. “The Arab Spring and Syria are two recentexamples.”

But Titley, who wasn’t part of the IPCC report,says “if you are already living in a place affected byviolent conflict - I suspect climate change becomesthe least of your worries.”

That illustrates the tricky calculus of climate andconflict, experts say. It’s hard to point at violenceand draw a direct climate link - to say how muchblame goes to warming and how much is frommore traditional factors like poverty and ethnic dif-ferences. Then looking into future is even more diffi-cult. “If you think it’s hard to predict rainfall in onespot 100 years from now, it’s even harder to predictsocial stability,” said Jeff Severinghaus, a climate sci-entist at the Scripps Institution for Oceanographywho isn’t part of this climate panel. “Obviously that’sgoing to be controversial. The most important thingis that it’s going to be talked about.”

Security problemsSeveringhaus and other scientists say this will be

one of the more contentious issues as the panelrepresenting more than 100 nations meets here andedits word-by-word a 30-page summary of the mul-ti-volume report for political leaders. Observers saidthe closed door meeting went through the securityand climate section Sunday, in the hurried lasthours of editing.

There’s an entire 63-page chapter on securityproblems, but most leaders will read the handful ofparagraphs summarizing that and that’s wherethere may be some issues, he says.

The chapter on national security says there is“robust evidence” that “human security will be pro-gressively threatened as climate changes.” It says itcan destabilize the world in multiple ways by mak-ing it harder for people to make a living, increasing

mass migrations, and making it harder for countriesto keep control of their populations.

The migration issue is big because as refugeesflee storms and other climate problems, that addsto security issues, the report and scientists say Whilesome climate scientists, environmental groups andpoliticians see the conflict-climate link as logicaland clear, others emphasize nuances in research.

The social science literature has shown an indi-rect link, especially with making poverty worse,which will add to destabilization, but it is not thesame as saying there would be climate wars, saidUniversity of Exeter’s Neil Adger, one of the study’slead authors. It’s not exactly the four horsemen ofthe apocalypse, he adds.

Joshua Goldstein, an international relations pro-fessor and expert on conflict at the University ofMassachusetts, sees that link, but says it is probablyweaker than people think. It’s not as a big a prob-lem as other impacts from climate change, likethose on ecosystems, weather disasters and eco-nomic costs, he says.

Poverty is the issue when it comes to securityproblems - and policies to fight climate changeincrease poverty, says David Kreutzer at the conser-vative Heritage Foundation in Washington.

But environmental groups such as theEnvironmental Justice Foundation are issuingreports that dovetail with what the IPCC is saying.

Titley, the retired admiral, holds out hope that ifnations deal with climate change jointly, it can bringpeace instead of war to battling regions. — AP

Global warming worsens security woes

WASHINGTON: A new study gives a big boost tofixing a bad aortic valve, the heart’s main gate,without open-heart surgery. Survival rates werebetter one year later for people who had a newvalve placed through a tube into an arteryinstead. The results were reported Saturday at anAmerican College of Cardiology conference inWashington and prompted some doctors to pre-dict that in the near future, far fewer people willbe having the traditional operation.

“It’s going to be very hard to tell a patientthat if they need an aortic valve, surgery is goingto be their best option,” said one of the confer-ence leaders, Dr. Prediman K. Shah of CedarsSinai Heart Institute in Los Angeles.

A bad aortic valve can stiffen and narrow withage, keeping blood from passing through as itshould. Until a few years ago, the only solutionwas a major operation to open the chest, cut outthe bad valve and sew in a new one.

That changed in 2011, when EdwardsLifesciences Inc. won federal approval for anexpandable valve that could fit in a catheter intoa leg artery, be guided to the heart and beplaced inside the old valve. Studies showed sur-vival was comparable to or a little better with itthan with surgery, but strokes were more com-mon after the catheter approach, making someleery of it.

Earlier this year, a rival device - MedtronicInc.’s CoreValve - was approved for treating peo-ple at too high risk to have surgery. The newstudy tested it in nearly 800 people less sick - eli-gible for the operation but still with elevatedrisks. One year after treatment, 19 percent of thesurgery patients but only 14 percent of thosegiven a CoreValve had died.

Great leap forward Stroke rates also seemed lower, though this

was not one of the main results researchers weretracking. After one year, 13 percent of surgerypatients and 9 percent of the others had had a

stroke. Two-year follow-up is not complete, but“we are certainly encouraged” that trendsappear to be continuing, said one of the study’sleaders, Dr. David Adams of New York’s MountSinai Hospital.

There were drawbacks to the CoreValve,though - twice as many patients needed pace-makers afterward. Other complications were atradeoff - more vascular problems with theCoreValve but more problems with a flutteringheartbeat called atrial fibrillation among thosewho had surgery.

Still, several independent experts praised the

results. “It’s a great leap forward” for fixing valvesthrough blood vessels, said Dr. David Kandzari ofPiedmont Heart Institute in Atlanta.

The study was paid for by Medtronic, andmany study leaders consult for Medtronic,Edwards or other heart device makers. Resultsalso were published online by the New EnglandJournal of Medicine.

Doctors say both companies’ artificial valvesneed more long-term study to see if they holdup as well as the ones implanted surgically,which typically last 20 years. Other firms are alsotesting catheter-placed valves. — AP

Study backs nonsurgical way to fix heart valves

Survival rates better

WASHINGTON: Medtronic Inc.’s CoreValve is photographed at an American College ofCardiology Conference in Washington on Saturday. A new study gives a big boost to fixing abad aortic valve, the heart’s main gate, without open-heart surgery. — AP

CONAKRY: Workers build a tent in zone where people suspected of suffering of Ebolafever are isolated at the Donka hospital where several cases were reported. — AFP

CONAKRY: Guinea raced Saturday to containa deadly Ebola epidemic spreading from itssouthern forests to the capital Conakry, asneighbouring Senegal closed its border.

The European Union pledged 500,000euros ($690,000) to fight the contagion, whilethe Senegalese interior ministry said bordercrossings to Guinea would be closed “untilfurther notice”.

The order affects crossings at Kolda andKedougou in the south of Senegal which areheavily used by traders, particularly during aweekly market attended by thousands fromneighbouring countries.

Eight cases of Ebola have been confirmedin Conakry, the Guinean health ministry saidlate Friday, including one fatality.

Across the country, “the total number ofsuspected cases recorded from January to 28March 2014 is 111 cases of haemorrhagicfever including 70 deaths ... or a fatality rateof 63 percent,” the ministry said in a state-ment. Samples taken from 45 of the suspectcases included 19 which tested positive forEbola. Most of the cases were recorded insouthern Guinea, but the disease has spreadto the capital since Wednesday.

Those infected have been put in isolationto prevent the virus from spreading, while aidorganisations have sent dozens of workers tohelp the poor west African country combatthe outbreak of haemorrhagic fever.

* ‘Deeply concerned’ The EU’s aid offer came after a plea for

assistance from the Economic Community OfWest African States (ECOWAS). The regionalbloc said it was “deeply concerned” about theepidemic which presented a “serious threat tothe region”. The tropical virus-described in

some health publications as a “molecularshark”-leads to haemorrhagic fever, causingmuscle pain, weakness, vomiting, diarrhoeaand, in severe cases, organ failure andunstoppable bleeding. No treatment or vac-cine is available, and the Zaire strain detectedin Guinea-first observed 38 years ago in whatis today called the Democratic Republic ofCongo-has a 90 percent death rate.

Sakoba Keita, who heads the Guineanhealth ministry’s prevention division said itremains unclear how Ebola had arrived inGuinea. Tests on the other cases of haemor-rhagic fever are still ongoing to determinetheir origin. “We hope to get (the results)quickly as these cases should be treated likeEbola as they are also deadly,” he said.

Guinea is one of the world’s poorestnations despite vast untapped mineralwealth, with a stagnating economy, youthunemployment at 60 percent and a rank of178th out of 187 countries on the UN’sHuman Development Index.

The World Health Organisation said Liberiahad reported eight suspected cases of Ebolafever, including six deaths, while Sierra Leonehad reported six suspected cases, five ofthem fatal.

Ebola can be transmitted to humans fromwild animals, and between humans throughdirect contact with another’s blood, faeces orsweat, as well as sexual contact or the unpro-tected handling of contaminated corpses.

MSF said the spread of the disease wasbeing exacerbated by people travelling tofunerals in which mourners touch the bodiesof the dead. Guinea has banned the con-sumption of bat soup, a popular delicacy inthe country, as the fruit bat is believed to bethe host species. — AFP

Guinea battles to contain Ebola

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama’sembattled US healthcare law, having sur-vived a rollout marred by technology fail-ures, reaches a milestone on Monday withthe end of its first enrollment wave, andwith the administration likely to come closeto its goal of signing up 7 million people inprivate health insurance.

But as the White House and its alliesdeclare victory, major hurdles remain. Andit will take years to determine whether thelaw will accomplish its mission of creatingstable insurance markets that can help asignificant number of America’s nearly 50million uninsured gain health coverage,experts say.

Republicans are counting on that uncer-tainty to play into their strategy for themidterm congressional elections inNovember. Their plan: Draw on public dis-satisfaction with the Patient Protection andAffordable Care Act to help the GOP wincontrol of the US Senate and retain the par-ty ’s dominance in the House ofRepresentatives. “We’re not really going toknow whether it worked or not until thethird or fourth year. And of course, that’stwo elections down the road,” said TimothyJost, a professor at the Washington and Lee

University School of Law in Lexington,Virginia. “What I worry about is that wewon’t be able to figure out whether it’sworked or not until it’s too late,” he said.

Even before the first enrollment periodcomes to a close, Republicans and someDemocrats have separately proposed elec-tion year changes that could appeal to vot-er concerns-and would leave the law sub-stantially altered.

Republican proposals would undermineObamacare by making health insuranceoptional and returning sick people to high-risk pools. A handful of Senate Democratslast week also proposed some Republican-sounding ideas that would allow insuranceto be sold across state lines, discontinuethe employer mandate for many small busi-nesses and allow low-premium, high-deductible plans to be sold in the market-places.

Families USA, an administration ally onhealthcare reform, plans to make its ownpublic recommendations this week on howthe enrollment drive for 2015 might beimproved. “Our recommendations willbuild� on the laudatory success of the firstenrollment period,” said Ron Pollack, thegroup’s executive director. — Reuters

LONDON: You can learn a lot from a tooth. Molarstaken from skeletons unearthed by work on a newLondon railway line are revealing secrets of themedieval Black Death - and of its victims. This week,Don Walker, an osteologist with the Museum ofLondon, outlined the biography of one man whoseancient bones were found by construction workersunder London’s Charterhouse Square: He was breast-fed as a baby, moved to London from another part ofEngland, had bad tooth decay in childhood, grew upto work as a laborer, and died in early adulthood fromthe bubonic plague that ravaged Europe in the 14thcentury. The poor man’s life was nasty, brutish andshort, but his afterlife is long and illuminating. “It’s fan-tastic we can look in such detail at an individual whodied 600 years ago,” Walker said. “It’s incredible, really.”

The 25 skeletons were uncovered last year duringwork on Crossrail, a new rail line that’s boring 21km oftunnels under the heart of the city. Archaeologistsimmediately suspected the bones came from a ceme-tery for plague victims. The location, outside the wallsof the medieval city, chimes with historical accounts.The square, once home to a monastery, is one of thefew spots in the city to stay undisturbed for centuries.To test their theory, scientists took one tooth fromeach of 12 skeletons, then extracted DNA from theteeth. They announced Sunday that tests had foundthe presence of the plague bacterium, Yersinia pestis,in several of the teeth, meaning the individuals hadbeen exposed to - and likely died from - the BlackDeath. The findings didn’t stop there. Archaeologists,historians, microbiologists and physicists workedtogether to apply techniques from several scientificdisciplines to the discovery.

Radiocarbon dating and analysis of pottery shardshelped determine when the burials took place.Forensic geophysics - more commonly used in murderand war-crimes investigations - helped locate moregraves under the square. Studying oxygen and stron-tium isotopes in the bones revealed details of diet andhealth. These were, by and large, poor people. Manyof the skeletons showed signs of malnutrition consis-tent with the “Great Famine” that struck Europe 30years before the Black Death. Many had back injuriessuggesting lives of hard labor. One man became a

vegetarian late in life, indicating he may have enteredan order of monks. Archaeologists were surprised todiscover that the skeletons lay in layers and appearedto come from three different periods: the originalBlack Death epidemic in 1348-1350, and later out-breaks in 1361 and the early 15th century. “It suggeststhat the burial ground was used again and again forthe burial of plague victims,” said Jay Carver, Crossrail’slead archaeologist.

The Black Death is thought to have killed at least75 million people, including more than half of Britain’spopulation, yet the burials suggest a surprisingly highdegree of social order - at first. As the plague ravagedcontinental Europe - borne westward by fleas on rats -city fathers leased land for an emergency burial

ground. The burials were simple but orderly, the bod-ies wrapped in shrouds and laid out in neat rows,sealed with a layer of clay.

The later skeletons, however, show more signs ofupper-body injuries, consistent with a period of law-lessness and social breakdown.

Archaeologists are planning a new dig this sum-mer to learn how many bodies lie under the square.Carver says the number appears to be in the “lowthousands.” And the teeth may not have yielded alltheir secrets. Experts in ancient DNA at McMasterUniversity in Canada are working to sequence theplague genome found in the teeth, in order to learnmore about a disease that still infects several thou-sand people a year around the world. —AP

London skeletons reveal secrets of the Black Death

LONDON: One of the skeletons found by construction workers under central London’sCharterhouse Square. Twenty-five skeletons were uncovered last year during work onCrossrail, a new rail line that’s boring 21km of tunnels under the heart of the city. — AP

Obamacare detours ahead for US health law

H E A LT H & S C I E NC EMONDAY, MARCH 31, 2014

WASHINGTON: A new class of experimentalmedicines can dramatically lower cholesterol,raising hopes of a fresh option for people whocan’t tolerate or don’t get enough help fromLipitor and other statin drugs that have beenused for this for decades.

The first large studies of these drugs werepresented Saturday at an American College ofCardiology conference in Washington, and morewill follow soon.

Several companies are developing thesedrugs, which are aimed at 70 million Americansand millions more worldwide who have high LDLor “bad” cholesterol, a major risk for heart dis-ease. Three studies of Amgen Inc.’s version ofthese drugs, called evolocumab (ev-oh-LOKE-you-mab), found it lowered LDL or “bad” choles-terol by 55 to 66 percent from baseline levelscompared to others who took a fake drug, andby nearly that much when compared to Merck’sZetia, another cholesterol medication.

Decades old As impressive as that is, it’s still just part of the

picture. Doctors want evidence that the waythese drugs lower cholesterol also will lead tofewer heart attacks and deaths, because thatproof already exists for statins. New studies areunderway to test this, but Amgen said it will seekapproval for its drug this year based on choles-terol-lowering alone.

That was enough to win approval for statins

and Zetia, but use of Zetia has declined since2008, when research showed it failed to helpprevent heart attacks even though it cut choles-terol. Hopes are high that the new Amgen drugand others like it will do better.

“I would be happy to see it approved” on thecholesterol results alone, said Dr. Hadley Wilson,a cardiologist at Carolinas HealthCare System.“We need additional agents other than statins” tohelp patients, he said.

Nearly all current cholesterol medicines -fibrates, niacin and top-selling statins - aredecades old. Statins such as Lipitor, Zocor andCrestor curb cholesterol production. Zetia, whichcame out about a decade ago, helps block theabsorption of cholesterol from the intestine.

The new drugs block PCSK9, a substance thatinterferes with the liver’s ability to remove cho-lesterol from the blood.

They have big drawbacks, though. Statins arepills sold as generics for as little as a dime a day.The new drugs are proteins rather than chemi-cals, and those tend to be very expensive tomake. They also must be given as shots everytwo weeks or once a month. People can give theshots to themselves with a pen-like device. Thecompanies developing the new medicines havenot said what they might cost.

“We were very, very pleased” about how wellpatients accepted the shots, and if they offer bet-ter results, especially for those with inheritedconditions, “people will accept it,” said Dr.

Michael Koren of Jacksonville Center for ClinicalResearch in Florida, who helped lead two of thestudies. The three Amgen studies involved about2,000 patients in all. Doctors tested the drug inpeople with high cholesterol not taking othermedicines, as a long-term (one-year) treatmentin people already taking various medicationsand in combination with statins and other drugs

in people with an inherited cholesterol disorder.

Very encouragingIn general, side-effect rates were about the

same for evolocumab vs. placebo or Zetia. Insome studies, muscle aches, nausea and a fewother problems were a little higher with theexperimental drug.

Overall safety “is very, very encouraging,” saidDr. Scott Wasserman, Amgen’s executive medicaldirector. Researchers also said:

* Alirocumab, a similar drug being developedby Sanofi SA and Regeneron PharmaceuticalsInc., lowered LDL cholesterol by 47 percent vs. 16percent for Zetia in a study of about 100 peoplenot taking any other drugs for high cholesterol.

* Bococizumab, from Pfizer Inc., lowered LDL45 percent to 67 percent, depending on dose,compared to placebo in 354 people with highcholesterol also taking a statin.

“There’s great interest” in all of these drugs,but doctors will wait for evidence that they lowerheart risks, said Dr. Neil Stone, a NorthwesternUniversity cardiologist and spokesman for theAmerican Heart Association.

It may be easier to justify their use in patientswith genes that cause high cholesterol at an ear-ly age, he said. A spokeswoman for the federalFood and Drug Administration, Sandy Walsh,suggested that might be the case.

“Although we cannot comment on the likeli-hood of approval based solely on specific indica-tions or populations,” two drugs recently wereapproved based on cholesterol-lowering for peo-ple with inherited conditions, she noted.

A decision on approval also will be influencedby how much the drug lowers cholesterol, itseffects on other fats in the blood and other heartsigns such as inflammation and blood pressure,and its safety, she said. — AP

New drugs greatly lower cholesterol

WASHINGTON: People arrive to attend the American College of Cardiology’s conference inWashington on Saturday. —AP

W H AT ’ S ONMONDAY, MARCH 31, 2014

Continuing its support to global environmental issuesand in line with its social responsibility towards notjust the people and community, but also towards

planet Earth, Crowne Plaza Kuwait participated in the ‘EarthHour’ Global Movement on 29th March.

With minimum amount of lights switched on, the hotelmanagement, guests and staff met at the lobby with can-dles symbolizing the hope for a brighter tomorrow.

The idea behind earth hour global campaign is to createawareness on the effect of electricity consumption on globalwarming, and it aims to inspire the governmental institu-

tions, businesses and individuals to take an action to reduceclimate changes. This year, the ‘Earth Hour’ took place onSaturday 29th March, 2014 and for one hour only. Switchingoff the lights voiced the thoughts of the people and themanagement of the Crowne Plaza Kuwait as they stoodtogether in the soft glow of the candlelight towards workingbetter for the creation of a brighter future for our planet.

Taking part in the world’s largest global climate changeinitiative, people from all walks of life came together in cele-bration and contemplation of the one thing they have incommon - Planet Earth.

Crowne Plaza Kuwait participatesin ‘Earth Hour’ global movement

Jumeirah MessilahBeach Hotel & Spa,Kuwait’s idyllic resort,

joined forces with the restof the world and markedthe annual Earth Hour bydimming and switching offlights across its property foran hour.

On Saturday, March 29,at 8:30pm local time hotelcolleagues gathered andformed the shape of theEarth holding lit candles tomark Earth Hour.

Together with JumeirahGroup’s luxurious proper-ties around the world,Jumeirah Messilah BeachHotel & Spa turned off itsfacade lights, signage andthose on its tress along thegarden and the hotel waterfountains. This resulted insaved energy of approxi-mately 1200 kwh.

Elsewhere, lightsthroughout the lobby, foodand beverage outlets, TaliseSpa and colleagues’ accom-modation were all dimmed.Candles were also placedaround the fountain andstaircases to provide lightand save power.

Earth Hour originallystarted in Sydney on March31, 2007, when 2.2 millionpeople and 2,100 business-es turned off their lights forone hour. Many majorcities, inspired by the col-lective effort, have sincejoined Earth Hour, whichhas turned into a globalmovement.

Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel & Spa dims lights for Earth Hour

Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive - theexclusive importer and distributor forBMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce, Land Rover

and McLaren in Kuwait - has announced afirst-of-its-kind partnership with DwaliyaTechnical Inspection.

Dwaliya is a company commited to pro-viding the Kuwaiti market with all-new serv-ices in the technical inspection of cars. Itsmission is to offer the latest technologiesand procedures for automotive technical

inspection, as well as innovative services thatprovide customers with the ultimate com-fort.

Dwaliya’s service delivery is characterizedby providing a variety of options in oneplace that enable customers to undergotechnical examination of their cars andrenew their vehcle’s licence, being a certifiedcenter from the General Directorate ofTraffic in Kuwait.

Moreover, customers can also acquire

insurance documents on their vehicles andpay traffic fines, in addition to comprehen-sive examination and instant maintanancewhich takes less than 15 minutes.

As part of its mission, the company alsooffers VIP service wherein it can take the cus-tomer’s vehicle from home or work and bringit to the service center for the required serv-ices for the car. Afterwards, the vehicle willbe delivered back to the customer within theshortest possible time. These distinctive

services sets Dwaliya Technical Inspectionapart from all other technical inspectioncompanies in Kuwait.

For its part, Ali Alghanim & SonsAutomotive provides customers with a VIPservice through a special discount that isaimed at further enhancing its after salesservice and in providing the ultimate com-fort to customers.

“We believe that our services should notbe limited to our existing customers,” com-

mented Yousef Al Qatami, General Managerof Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive on thisunique partnership. “Providing technicalinspection and comprehensive examinationservices would fulfill the package of servicesprovided by Ali Alghanim & SonsAutomotive.”

Dwaliya Technical Inspection is located atAl Rai district - Hassan Ben Ali Al Roumi St.behind Al Shawaf Company. It is open dailyfrom 8 am to 1 pm & from 4 - 8 pm.

Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive enters partnership with Dwaliya Technical Inspection

Indian Learners Own Academy studentsparticipated in the ACER IBT (InternationalBenchmark Tests for improved learning).

Students from grades three to ten participat-ed in the English, Mathematics and Sciencetests conducted in the school on (date).

The students have achieved such mar-velous results thus bringing the school togreater heights of honor and glory. Principal

Mrs Asha Sharma and all the teachersexpressed their delight on the gloriousachievements of their students. The principalstated that it was a proud moment for her tosee her students keep up the motto of theschool with pride.

The results of the IBT were announced inthe school on Monday, 3March 2014.

Sehen Dilush Gamehawa topped the IBT in

English in the whole of Middle East. He hasbeen presented with a plaque, a certificate ofhonour and a cash award of KD 40/- Hesecured high distinction in Mathematics anddistinction in Science.

The following students secured high dis-tinction

Anaf Elamkulam (X), Muhammed Waleed(III), Sanjay M.S. (V), Arjun Biju (VI), Fadil

Abdulla (IV), Hamiya Nejeeb (IV), Diya SanjanaP. (III), Sarah I. Khot (VI), Shahzaib Tariq (III),Aparna S. Nair (IV), Gabriel A. D’Souza( IV),Samyuktha M.S (VII), M. Nawfal (VI), B. Srihari(III), M.Vishnu, V. Reddy (IX), Pooja Rajan (IX),Aparna S. Nair (IV), Faizan Wagpurawala(III),Ishaan Nejeeb (VIII), Nikhil John Jose (VI),Nameera Nasir(III), Sarah Elsa Thomas (VI)

The following students secured distinction.

Shahzaib Tariq (III), Gabriel A. D’Souza(IV), Ishaan Nejeeb (VIII), Nikhil John Jose(VI), Abu(IV), Karan Sanal (VIII), Maha I.Khot(IX), Sandra Anna(VI), Sarah I. Khot(VI), Faizan Wagpurawala(III), IshaanNejeeb (VIII), Abu(IV), Maha I. Khot(IX),Nikitha Rajesh(VI), Samyuktha M.S (VII),Abu(IV), Nikitha Rajesh(VI), Assim(IV),Naethen Luke (V).

ILOA shimmers in resplendent glory

W H AT ’ S ONMONDAY, MARCH 31, 2014

By Sherif Ismail

Sebamed’s section at the Perfumes & Cosmetics Exhibition recently wit-nessed a flow of visiting kids and their families who came to purchasemore of the products they had been brought up with.

Represented by its exclusive agent in Kuwait; Al-Sanabel Al-Thahabiya,Sebamed distributed lots of giveaway gifts and memorial photos.

As the world’s premier skin and body care manufacturers, Sebamedprovides a unique skin care system that has been developed to act as aprotection as well as skin repair system that provides utmost care for

sensitive skin said Ayman Al-Sharra, Sebamed Kuwait Sales Manager. Sebamed products ensure elegant looking and soft skin with nice fra-

grances. Sebamed is one of the skin care trademarks and all its productscomprise high quality and effective ingredients to revive skin without harm-ing its amino acids.

Sebamed rewards kids at the Perfumes & Cosmetics Exhibition

McDonald’s Kuwait announcedthat 60,000 free EggMcMuffins were offered to

customers on the morning of March17th, 2014 during National BreakfastDay. Dubbed the World’s BiggestBreakfast, National Breakfast Day saw

more than 800 crew members in 54McDonald’s Breakfast serving restau-rants across the country serving tensof thousands of customers in just fivehours.

National Breakfast Day marks thesecond time McDonald’s has initiated

an international celebration of thisscale. In the GCC alone, 230,000 EggMcMuffins were redeemed on March17th. Dozens of other markets acrossAsia, the Middle East and Africa alsoparticipated in what is considered thebrand’s most successful internationalbreakfast event.

Adel Fahmy, Marketing Manager atMcDonald’s Kuwait commented: “Weare absolutely thrilled by the positiveresponse to National Breakfast Dayacross Kuwait. The goal of the celebra-tion was to demonstrate to our busyconsumers that a packed scheduleshouldn’t compromise a nourishingstart to the day; the volume of partici-pation we observed during this year’sevent tells us we were successful innot only meeting, but exceeding thisgoal.”

Egg McMuffins are an iconic hand-held breakfast consisting of a freshGrade A egg, Halal chicken roll and aslice of melted cheese, held togetherby a freshly toasted English muffin.First introduced in the US in 1971, theMcMuffin range is now the brand’ssignature breakfast offering, withmore than 1.2 billion sold per annumworldwide.

McDonald’s Kuwait offered 60,000 free Egg McMuffins on National Day Pakistan Academy

School Ahmadiobserved Pakistan

National Day on 23d March2014 “Work, work andwork” is a call to wake usfrom slumber and workhard to achieve nationalgoals. It is the earnestdesire of every Pakistani tosee Pakistani attaining thestature visualized by ourgreat leader “Quaid-e-Azam”.

Each one of us shouldtry and act up the goldenprinciple the Quaid gave tothe nation and follow himin his foot steps and thusobtain for Pakistan arespectable and dignifiedplace in the comity ifnations, emphasized Prof.Syed Zakir Ali, the Principalboth to the teachers andthe students in his speechdelivered on

Pakistan Day ceremonyheld at school premises. Heurged the students andadvised to develop asound sense of discipline,character, initiative and sol-id academic background.

You must devote your-self wholeheartedly tostudies for that is your firstobligation to yourselfwholeheartedly to studiesfor that is your first obliga-tion to yourself, your par-ents and to the state andthe ambition ofMuhammad Ali Jinnah.

The students afterrecitation of verses fromHoly Quran, sang miliNaghma, made speeches,present tableau and high-lighted the differentaspects of the day. The stu-dents focused on the per-sonality of Jinnah whosefirm determination andsolid resolution made ableto carve out Pakistan onthe map of the world.

Nothing could keepback the Quaid-e-Azam totransform the thought ofIqbal into the reality, foreverybody knew that theQuaid always ,meant whathe said, expressed one ofthe students.

Pakistan National Day celebration

Kuwait Tamilosai Poets Association (KTPA) grandly cel-ebrated Global Women’s day and alternatively abledpeople’s day in their 95th monthly meeting held on

March 7. The function was organized at Kohinoor partyhall, Souk Sabah area, Fahaheel. The meet commencedwith the recitation of Tamil Anthem at 10 am in the audito-rium named as “Aruntharnizh Pulavar AvvaiyarPukazharankam” to commemorate the ancient Tamil ladyscholar-”Avvaiyar”. Mrs Amutha Gopal presided over themeeting keeping Mrs Chellamma Vidhyasagar as frontstager in the dais. KTPA’s president Dr Kumar delivered thewelcome address, Thameem-un-Ansari, general secretaryof Tamilnadu Manithaneya Makkal Katchi (MMK) alongwith Jainulabudeen, the organizing secretary of MMKgraced the occasion as the chief guests. Special poems onalternatively abled people were offered by poets Mrs RaniMohan and Anandaravi. Singers Kalibulla, Ganesh, Pandian,Hidayatullah, baby Mahalaxmi and many more enthralledthe audience by their sweet melodies.

Impressive brief notes on ancient and contemporaryTamil literature were delivered by the chief guests. Eminent

Tamil peoples of March month were remembered by theKTPA’s deputy secretary Pattukkottai Sathya. A court ofpoetry entitled as “Penkal nam Kankal” enacted during themeet, was the pinnacle of the event. This was perfectlypresided over by poetess Jhansirani and poets Vidhyasagar,Balraj and Yaqoob Ali recited poems on the topics ofWomen’s Educational achievements, social services andArts & Literature respectively. Prof. Paul Manuvel, Er.Somasundaram, Gangai Gopal, Kavisaysekar and JanabHasan Mohammed expressed well wishing notes. E.Hameed won the prize for Tamil quiz conducted by thevice president Anbazhakan. All the ladies were honored bythe gents on account of World Women’s day. KTPA’sGeneral Secretary Vittukatti Masthan was felicitated by HonPresident Sadhiq Batcha and all of the members for hiswedding anniversary. Masthan, delivered the vote ofthanks. KTPA’s Treasurer Ajizuddin, his deputy Mannai Raja,Ashok and Master Thalib neatly made all the arrangementsfor the gathering. Plenty of new member families joined inKTPA. The function concluded with a delicious lunchserved to all of the attendees.

KTPA celebrates Global Women’s day

Ayman Al-Sharra Sebamed Kuwait sales manager

T V PR O G R A M SMONDAY, MARCH 31, 2014

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01:00 House At The End Of TheStreet-PG1503:00 Shadow Dancer-PG1505:00 Zambezia-PG07:00 What To Expect When You’reExpecting-PG1509:00 Bernie-PG1511:00 The Guilt Trip-PG1513:00 Sky Force-FAM15:00 Class-PG1517:00 Bernie-PG1519:00 The Impossible-PG1521:00 Django Unchained-1823:45 The Possession-PG15

00:00 The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody00:20 The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody00:45 Jonas01:05 Jonas01:30 Suite Life On Deck01:50 Suite Life On Deck02:15 Wizards Of Waverly Place02:35 Wizards Of Waverly Place03:00 The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody03:20 The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody03:45 Jonas04:05 Jonas04:30 Suite Life On Deck04:50 Suite Life On Deck05:15 Wizards Of Waverly Place05:35 Wizards Of Waverly Place06:00 Austin & Ally06:25 Dog With A Blog06:45 Suite Life On Deck07:10 A.N.T. Farm07:35 Wolfblood07:55 Gravity Falls08:20 That’s So Raven08:45 Suite Life On Deck09:05 Violetta09:55 Austin & Ally10:15 Austin & Ally10:40 Camp Rock12:15 Hannah Montana12:35 Hannah Montana13:00 Wizards Of Waverly Place13:25 Wizards Of Waverly Place13:45 A.N.T. Farm14:10 Jessie14:35 Dog With A Blog

01:30 Cleanskin-1803:15 Sparkle-PG1505:15 Shadow Dancer-PG1507:00 The Field-PG1509:00 Drew Peterson:Untouchable-PG1511:00 No Surrender-PG1513:00 Flower Girl-PG1515:00 Hold Fast-PG1517:00 No Surrender-PG1519:00 96 Minutes-PG1521:00 Things We Lost In The Fire23:00 Idlewild-18

00:30 The Daily Show With JonStewart01:00 The Colbert Report01:30 Saturday Night Live03:00 How I Met Your Mother04:00 All Of Us04:30 The Tonight Show StarringJimmy Fallon05:30 Better Off Ted06:30 Arrested Development07:00 Late Night With Seth Meyers08:00 All Of Us08:30 Better Off Ted09:00 How I Met Your Mother09:30 2 Broke Girls10:30 Arrested Development11:00 The Tonight Show StarringJimmy Fallon12:30 All Of Us13:00 Better Off Ted13:30 Arrested Development14:00 How I Met Your Mother14:30 2 Broke Girls15:30 The Daily Show With JonStewart16:00 The Colbert Report17:00 Late Night With Seth Meyers18:00 How I Met Your Mother19:00 2 Broke Girls19:30 Trophy Wife20:00 The Goldbergs20:30 Parks And Recreation21:00 The Daily Show GlobalEdition22:00 Girls22:30 Getting On23:00 Ja’mie: Private School Girl23:30 The Goldbergs

01:00 Matching Jack-PG1502:45 Les Miserables-PG1505:30 Good Day For It-PG1507:15 A Kiss At Midnight-PG1509:00 Matching Jack-PG1510:45 Les Miserables-PG1513:30 Dark Horse-PG1515:00 Muhammad Ali’s GreatestFight-PG1517:00 Carnage-PG1519:00 The Twilight Saga: BreakingDawn Pt. 2-PG1521:00 The Bling Ring-1823:00 Neds-PG15

15:00 Good Luck Charlie15:25 Austin & Ally15:50 Austin & Ally16:10 Violetta17:00 Dog With A Blog17:20 Austin & Ally17:40 Gravity Falls18:10 Jessie18:30 Good Luck Charlie18:55 A.N.T. Farm19:20 Violetta20:05 Jessie20:30 Good Luck Charlie20:50 Dog With A Blog21:15 Gravity Falls21:40 Shake It Up22:00 Austin & Ally22:25 A.N.T. Farm22:50 Good Luck Charlie23:10 Wizards Of Waverly Place23:35 Wizards Of Waverly Place

00:00 Party On00:30 The Spin Crowd00:55 The Dance Scene01:25 Style Star01:50 Style Star02:20 The E! True Hollywood Story03:15 Extreme Close-Up03:40 Extreme Close-Up04:10 THS05:05 E!ES06:00 E!ES07:50 Style Star08:20 E! News09:15 Opening Act10:15 Married To Jonas10:40 Chasing The Saturdays11:10 Giuliana & Bill12:05 E! News13:05 Extreme Close-Up13:35 E!ES14:30 Style Star15:00 Keeping Up With TheKardashians16:00 Keeping Up With TheKardashians17:00 The Drama Queen18:00 E! News19:00 THS20:00 Keeping Up With TheKardashians21:00 #RichKids Of Beverly Hills21:30 #RichKids Of Beverly Hills22:00 Hello Ross22:30 Party On23:00 E!ES

01:00 Top Gear (US)02:00 Supernatural03:00 Game Of Thrones04:00 Burn Notice05:00 Suits07:00 Last Resort08:00 Necessary Roughness09:00 Top Gear (US)10:00 Suits11:00 Burn Notice12:00 Emmerdale12:30 Coronation Street14:00 Necessary Roughness16:00 Emmerdale16:30 Coronation Street19:00 Betrayal20:00 Revenge21:00 The Blacklist23:00 Game Of Thrones

00:00 Primal-1802:00 Graystone-PG1503:45 The Bourne Legacy-PG1506:00 Swamp Shark-PG1508:00 Grosse Pointe Blank-PG1510:00 The Marine-PG1512:00 Dangerous Attraction-PG1514:00 Grosse Pointe Blank-PG1516:00 Red Eye-PG1518:00 Dangerous Attraction-PG1520:00 Blown Away-PG1522:15 Abraham Lincoln: VampireHunter-18

00:00 Tough Guys-PG1502:00 Ted-18

01:15 Angel’s Friends02:45 Blue Elephant 204:30 Cher Ami06:00 Angel’s Friends08:00 Pacific Pirates10:00 Wreck-It Ralph11:45 Tom & Jerry : Robin HoodAnd His Merry Mouse13:00 Angel’s Friends14:30 The Ugly Duckling And Me16:00 The Great Bear18:00 Wreck-It Ralph20:00 Fly Away Home22:00 The Ugly Duckling And Me23:30 The Great Bear

02:00 Futbol Mundial02:30 LPGA Tour 06:00 Trans World Sport07:00 NRL Premiership 09:00 NRL Premiership 11:00 Live NRL Premiership 13:00 ICC Cricket 36013:30 Futbol Mundial14:00 HSBC Sevens World Series 17:00 Trans World Sport18:00 Golfing World19:00 PGA Tour Highlights20:00 AFL Premiership Highlights 21:00 Dubai World Cup Carnival

10:45 How Do They Do It?11:10 How Stuff’s Made11:35 Fast N’ Loud12:25 Classic Car Rescue13:15 Overhaulin’ 201314:05 Border Security14:30 Storage Hunters14:55 Container Wars15:20 Flying Wild Alaska16:10 Fast N’ Loud17:00 Ultimate Survival17:50 Wheeler Dealers18:40 You Have Been Warned19:30 One Man Army20:20 How Do They Do It? TurboSpecials21:10 Storage Hunters21:35 Container Wars22:00 Gold Rush22:50 Alaska Gold Diggers23:40 Gold Divers

00:30 Bang Goes The Theory01:00 Food Factory01:25 How Tech Works01:50 How The Universe Works02:45 How The Universe Works03:35 How The Universe Works04:25 Alien Planet05:15 Food Factory05:40 How Tech Works06:05 Bang Goes The Theory06:30 Bang Goes The Theory07:00 Sci-Fi Saved My Life07:55 Storm Chasers08:45 The Ipod Revolution09:40 What’s That About?10:30 Mega World11:20 Alien Planet12:10 Scrapheap Challenge13:00 How Tech Works13:30 The Ipod Revolution14:20 Food Factory14:45 How Tech Works15:10 Scrapheap Challenge16:00 Mega World16:50 What’s That About?17:40 Sci-Fi Saved My Life18:30 Joe Rogan QuestionsEverything19:20 The Gadget Show19:45 How Tech Works20:10 Mythbusters21:00 Mega Builders21:50 Kings Of Construction22:40 Sci-Trek23:30 Space Pioneer

01:00 Bellator MMA 201402:00 HSBC Sevens World Series05:00 Top 1407:00 Inside The PGA Tour 07:30 PGA Tour 13:00 Golfing World 14:00 NRL Premiership 16:00 NHL18:00 HSBC Sevens World Series21:00 WWE SmackDown23:00 AFL Premiership Highlights

Rosario Dawson wants a Dolores

Huerta moviePlaying renowned civil rights activist Dolores Huerta in

the new biopic “Cesar Chavez” doesn’t seem to beenough for Rosario Dawson. The actress, who knows

and has worked with Huerta, would now like to bring herfriend’s life to the screen. “I hope with the success of thisfilm that there’s an opportunity to tell her story, ‘cause she’sstill writing it, she’s still out there on the front lines doingthe stuff,” Dawson said in a recent interview. After appearingin “Chavez,” which opens Friday, Dawson said she was “verymuch encouraged” to produce a story about Huerta. “I didso much research about her and it was just impossible - alot of the stuff that we filmeddidn’t even make it into thecut,” she said.

Starring Michael Pena inthe title role and AmericaFerrera as his wife, Helen,“Cesar Chavez” follows theChicano activist as he buildsthe United Farm Workersunion and eventually forcesgrowers to sign contracts tobetter the working condi-tions of mostly Latino fieldlaborers. “What’s reallyremarkable about this movieis that it really shows howwomen, specially his wife,were such a big part of(Chavez’s) life and how broadthe community was of peo-ple that made this move-ment possible,” Dawson said.“He was a very sort of reluc-tant hero, he wasn’t the bestorator, speaker, speechwriteror any of these differentthings, but his message wasreally clear - he was speakingfor himself, for his family andfor the greater community.”

Huerta is just the oppo-site, Dawson said: “She is veryforthright, she is very in yourface, she would have noproblem jumping into thismeeting (saying) ‘I’ve neverhad any experience writing a contract before but I’m goingin.’” “I think they really balance each other out and I thinkhaving women be such a huge part of the movement iswhat helped it to stay non-violent and I just really credit(director Diego Luna) for making a film that really showshow many people were part of it and specially thosewomen.” Dawson first met Huerta a few years ago whenthey collaborated about the organization Voto Latino,which was co-founded by the actress to promote the Latinovote in the United States. Since then, they’ve kept in touch.Dawson has also worked with the Dolores HuertaFoundation. When Luna met Dawson to offer her the role,the actress wanted to know exactly what his intentionswere. “I knew her and I loved her, so I was (like), ‘Why areyou doing this film?’” she said, laughing. Then Huerta gavethe casting her blessing and the deal was done. Dawsonsaid the hardest part about playing Huerta was portrayingsomeone who is still alive but also who she knows andadmires deeply. “I have a tendency to gravitate toward sto-ries like that ... (portraying) particularly strong women. I likeplaying women who make their presence known in theircommunity,” said the star of films like “Sin City,” “DeathProof” and “Grindhouse.” “But it’s also been really fun overthe years playing, you know, sick, soft, nervous and anxious.I find being vulnerable much more difficult to do for myselfas a role.” — AP

00:00 Ancient Aliens01:00 Pawn Stars UK02:00 Storage Wars: New York02:30 Storage Wars: New York03:00 Haunted History04:00 Swamp People05:00 Pawn Stars UK06:00 Ancient Aliens07:00 Storage Wars: New York07:30 Storage Wars: New York08:00 Ancient Aliens09:00 Storage Wars Texas09:30 Counting Cars10:00 Pawn Stars10:30 Pawn Stars11:00 Storage Wars11:30 Storage Wars12:00 Storage Wars: New York12:30 Storage Wars: New York13:00 Ancient Aliens14:00 Storage Wars14:30 Storage Wars15:00 Storage Wars: New York15:30 Storage Wars: New York16:00 Storage Wars: New York16:30 Storage Wars: New York17:00 Pawn Stars17:30 Pawn Stars18:00 Storage Wars18:30 Storage Wars19:00 Storage Wars: New York19:30 Storage Wars: New York20:00 Storage Wars Texas20:30 Storage Wars Texas21:00 Pawn Stars21:30 Storage Wars22:00 Pawn Stars22:30 Pawn Stars23:00 Pawn Stars UK

00:30 ICC Cricket 36001:00 ICC T20I World Cup04:30 ICC Cricket 36005:00 ICC World T20 Highlights06:00 ICC World T20 Highlights07:00 ICC Cricket 36007:30 ICC Under 19 World Cup2014 Highlights08:30 Big Bash League Highlights09:30 ICC Cricket 36010:00 ICC World T20 Highlights11:00 ICC World T20 Highlights12:00 Live OSN Studio12:30 Live ICC T20I World Cup16:00 Live OSN Studio16:30 Live ICC T20I World Cup20:00 Live OSN Studio Post Match20:30 ICC Cricket 36021:00 ICC T20I World Cup

00:00 The Runway-PG1501:45 Jack Reacher-PG1504:00 Now Is Good-PG1506:00 Chimpanzee-PG08:00 Asterix And Obelix-PG1510:00 3 Holiday Tails-PG11:45 Jack Reacher-PG1514:00 The Wishing Well-PG1516:00 Asterix And Obelix-PG1518:00 Red Dawn-PG1520:00 Alex Cross-PG1522:00 Scary Movie 5-PG15

00:05 Miranda00:35 The Jonathan Ross Show01:30 Emmerdale02:25 Coronation Street02:55 The Adventurer’s Guide ToBritain03:25 Ant And Decs Saturday NightTakeaway04:45 Holiday: Heaven On Earth05:15 House Guest In The Sun06:10 The Jonathan Ross Show07:05 The Adventurer’s Guide ToBritain07:30 Foyle’s War09:20 House Guest In The Sun10:15 May The Best House Win11:10 Emmerdale12:00 Coronation Street12:55 Miranda13:25 House Guest In The Sun14:20 May The Best House Win15:10 The Adventurer’s Guide ToBritain15:35 The Chase16:30 Please Marry My Boy17:25 Miranda17:50 Miranda18:20 May The Best House Win19:10 Coronation Street20:00 Holiday: Heaven On Earth20:30 Please Marry My Boy21:25 Miranda21:50 Miranda22:20 Coronation Street23:15 Emmerdale

04:00 The Brothers Solomon-PG1506:00 I Think I Do-PG1508:00 The Big Year-PG10:00 Hit List-PG1512:00 The Brothers Solomon-PG1514:00 The Producers-PG1516:15 Hit List-PG1518:00 Ghostbusters II-PG20:00 Freeloaders-PG1522:00 Tough Guys-PG15

Lady Gaga performs at closing Roseland Ballroom

Lady Gaga celebrated her 28th birthday with an energeticbut short concert at the Roseland Ballroom in her first ofseven concerts at the closing venue. Gaga performed for

an hour Friday night in front of a feverish crowd. She startedwith a slow version of “Born This Way” on piano, with the audi-ence joining in. She followed that with the jams “Monster” and“Bad Romance.” She danced and sang on the side of the stagein a red tight leotard.

“Thank you so much for spending my birthday with me,”she yelled to the audience, which included her actor-boyfriendTaylor Kinney and Nate Ruess, lead singer for the band Fun.

Gaga was in top form as she sang nearly a dozen of hersongs, including “Just Dance,” an acoustic version of “PokerFace,” and the recent hit “Applause.” The concert’s main surprise:It was too short. After she ended, fans waited for the pop starto hit the stage again. She never did. She performed sometracks from her recent album, “ARTPOP,” which has struggled tomatch the success of her other releases. But onstage, sheshowed no signs of slowing down.

Gaga closed with the new single, “G.U.Y.,” now wearing anall-white ensemble (her sixth costume change for the night).“Thanks for making this the best birthday ever,” she said. TheNew York-born singer will perform six more shows at theRoseland Ballroom, helping close the famed venue thatopened eight decades ago. Performers in the past have includ-ed The Rolling Stones, Madonna and Beyonce, who famouslyperformed four shows in 2011 when she was pregnant.

“How many New Yorkers are in here tonight?” Gaga askedearly in the show. “Do you believe in love? Do you?” TheGrammy winner kept the concert tame compared to her show-case at the South by Southwest festival this month, which fea-tured a performance artist vomiting paint on her. She thankedher fans a number of times in between songs. “When I woke upthis morning I was so happy,” she said. “I couldn’t wait to gethere tonight. I have so many friends here ... so many fans I’vegrown up with for six whole years, seven whole years.” Beforesinging the song “Dope,” she added: “Thanks for keeping mealive.”Gaga’s final Roseland show is April 7. — AP

01:00 C.S.I. New York02:00 Good Morning America04:00 Rescue Me05:00 C.S.I. New York06:00 Good Morning America07:00 Emmerdale07:30 Coronation Street10:00 Emmerdale10:30 Coronation Street12:00 Royal Pains14:00 Live Good Morning America17:00 Royal Pains

Actress Rosario Dawsonattends the premiere ofPantelion Films andParticipant Media’s‘Cesar Chavez’ at TCLChinese Theatre onMarch 20, 2014 in LosAngeles. — AP

File photo shows Lady Gaga, center, and R Kelly per-form at the American Music Awards held at the NokiaTheatre LA Live, in Los Angeles. — AP

KNCC PROGRAMME FROM THURSDAY TO WEDNESDAY (27/03/2014 TO 02/04/2014)

SHARQIA-1SABOTAGE (DIG) 12:45 PMSABOTAGE (DIG) 2:45 PMDIVERGENT (DIG) 4:45 PMSABOTAGE (DIG) 7:45 PMDIVERGENT (DIG) 9:45 PMSABOTAGE (DIG) 12:30 AM

SHARQIA-2MINUSCULE: VALLEY OF THE LOST ANTS (DIG) 12:30 PMNEED FOR SPEED (DIG-3D) 2:30 PM300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE (DIG-3D) 5:00 PMNEED FOR SPEED (DIG-3D) 7:00 PMNEED FOR SPEED (DIG-3D) 9:30 PMCAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (DIG-3D) 9:45 PMNEED FOR SPEED (DIG-3D) 12:05 AM

SHARQIA-3NON-STOP (DIG) 1:30 PMBLOOD TIES (DIG) 3:45 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 6:00 PMBLOOD TIES (DIG) 8:15 PMBLOOD TIES (DIG) 10:30 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 12:45 AM

MUHALAB-1300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE (DIG) 12:30 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 2:30 PMBLOOD TIES (DIG) 4:45 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 7:00 PMBLOOD TIES (DIG) 9:30 PMCAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (DIG) 9:30 PM

MUHALAB-2NEED FOR SPEED (DIG) 2:00 PMNEED FOR SPEED (DIG) 4:30 PMLEGEND (DIG) (Telugu) 4:30 PMLAMO AKHZA (DIG) (Arabic) 7:45 PMNEED FOR SPEED (DIG) 9:45 PM

MUHALAB-3SABOTAGE (DIG) 12:30 PMDIVERGENT (DIG) 2:30 PMSABOTAGE (DIG) 5:15 PMDIVERGENT (DIG) 7:15 PMSABOTAGE (DIG) 10:00 PM

FANAR-1NON-STOP (DIG) 1:30 PMMR. PEABODY & SHERMAN (DIG) 4:00 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 6:00 PMFACTORY GIRL (DIG) (Arabic) 8:15 PMFACTORY GIRL (DIG) (Arabic) 10:15 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 12:15 AM

FANAR-3SABOTAGE (DIG) 1:00 PMSABOTAGE (DIG) 3:00 PMDIVERGENT (DIG) 5:00 PMSABOTAGE (DIG) 7:45 PMDIVERGENT (DIG) 9:45 PMSABOTAGE (DIG) 12:30 AM

FANAR-4NEED FOR SPEED (DIG) 2:15 PM300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE (DIG) 4:45 PMNEED FOR SPEED (DIG) 6:45 PMNEED FOR SPEED (DIG) 9:15 PMCAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (DIG-3D) 9:15 PMNEED FOR SPEED (DIG) 11:45 PM

FANAR-5BLOOD TIES (DIG) 1:45 PMHAUNT (DIG) 4:00 PMTHE DOUBLE (DIG) 6:00 PMBLOOD TIES (DIG) 8:00 PMNO WEDBLOOD TIES (DIG) 10:30 PMNO WEDBLOOD TIES (DIG) 12:45 AMNO SUN+TUE+WEDCAPTAIN AMERICA:THE WINTER SOLDIER (DIG) 8:00 PMCAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (DIG) 10:45 PM

MARINA-1NON-STOP (DIG) 12:30 PMBLOOD TIES (DIG) 2:45 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 5:00 PMBLOOD TIES (DIG) 7:15 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 9:30 PMBLOOD TIES (DIG) 11:45 PMNO SUN+TUE+WED

MARINA-2SABOTAGE (DIG) 12:45 PMDIVERGENT (DIG) 2:45 PMSABOTAGE (DIG) 5:45 PMDIVERGENT (DIG) 7:45 PMSABOTAGE (DIG) 10:30 PMCAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (DIG) 10:30 PMDIVERGENT (DIG) 12:30 AMNO SUN+TUE+WED

MARINA-3NEED FOR SPEED (DIG-3D) 12:30 PMNEED FOR SPEED (DIG-3D) 3:00 PMFACTORY GIRL (DIG) (Arabic) 5:30 PMNEED FOR SPEED (DIG-3D) 7:30 PMNEED FOR SPEED (DIG-3D) 10:00 PMCAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (DIG-3D) 10:00 PMNEED FOR SPEED (DIG-3D) 12:45 AM

AVENUES-1MINUSCULE: VALLEY OF THE LOST ANTS (DIG) 2:00 PM300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE (DIG) 4:00 PMLEGEND (DIG) (Telugu) 4:00 PM300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE (DIG) 7:00 PMLEGEND (DIG) (Telugu) 7:00 PMLEGEND (DIG) (Telugu) 10:00 PM300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE (DIG) 1:00 AM

AVENUES-2FACTORY GIRL (DIG) (Arabic) 2:15 PMFACTORY GIRL (DIG) (Arabic) 4:30 PMFACTORY GIRL (DIG) (Arabic) 6:45 PMFACTORY GIRL (DIG) (Arabic) 9:00 PMFACTORY GIRL (DIG) (Arabic) 11:15 PMFACTORY GIRL (DIG) (Arabic) 1:15 AMNO SUN+TUE+WED

AVENUES-3NON-STOP (DIG) 1:15 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 3:30 PM300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE (DIG) 5:45 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 8:00 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 10:15 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 12:30 AMNO SUN+TUE+WED

AVENUES-4DIVERGENT (DIG) 2:15 PM

DIVERGENT (DIG) 5:15 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 8:15 PMDIVERGENT (DIG) 10:30 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 1:15 AMCAPTAIN AMERICA:THE WINTER SOLDIER (DIG) 8:00 PMWEDCAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (DIG) 10:45 PM

360º- 1DIVERGENT (DIG) 2:00 PMDIVERGENT (DIG) 5:00 PMDIVERGENT (DIG) 8:00 PMNO WEDDIVERGENT (DIG) 11:00 PMNO SUN+TUE+WEDCAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (DIG) 8:00 PMCAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (DIG) 10:45 PM

360º- 2FACTORY GIRL (DIG) (Arabic) 1:00 PMFACTORY GIRL (DIG) (Arabic) 3:15 PMFACTORY GIRL (DIG) (Arabic) 5:30 PMFACTORY GIRL (DIG) (Arabic) 7:45 PMFACTORY GIRL (DIG) (Arabic) 10:00 PMFACTORY GIRL (DIG) (Arabic) 12:15 AM

360º- 3BLOOD TIES (DIG) 2:15 PMBLOOD TIES (DIG) 4:30 PMBLOOD TIES (DIG) 6:45 PMBLOOD TIES (DIG) 9:00 PMBLOOD TIES (DIG) 11:15 PMAL-KOUT.1300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE (DIG) 12:30 PMNEED FOR SPEED (DIG) 2:30 PMNEED FOR SPEED (DIG) 5:00 PM300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE (DIG) 7:30 PMNEED FOR SPEED (DIG) 9:30 PMCAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (DIG) 9:30 PMNEED FOR SPEED (DIG) 12:05 AM

AL-KOUT.2DIVERGENT (DIG) 2:00 PMFACTORY GIRL (DIG) (Arabic) 4:45 PMDIVERGENT (DIG) 7:00 PMFACTORY GIRL (DIG) (Arabic) 9:45 PMDIVERGENT (DIG) 11:45 PM

AL-KOUT.3NON-STOP (DIG) 1:45 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 4:00 PMSABOTAGE (DIG) 6:15 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 8:15 PMSABOTAGE (DIG) 10:30 PMSABOTAGE (DIG) 12:30 AM

AL-KOUT.4BLOOD TIES (DIG) 1:00 PMBLOOD TIES (DIG) 3:30 PMHAUNT (DIG) 5:45 PMBLOOD TIES (DIG) 7:45 PMBLOOD TIES (DIG) 10:00 PMHAUNT (DIG) 12:15 AM

BAIRAQ-1SABOTAGE (DIG) 1:15 PMNEED FOR SPEED (DIG-3D) 3:15 PMSABOTAGE (DIG) 5:45 PMNEED FOR SPEED (DIG-3D) 7:45 PM

Kuwait

ClassifiedsMONDAY, MARCH 31, 2014

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

DIAL161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

Arrival Flights on Monday 31/3/2014Airlines Flt Route TimeQTR 1084 Doha 00:05JZR 239 Amman 00:20JZR 267 Beirut 00:25JZR 539 Cairo 00:30MSC 403 Asyut 01:30ETH 422 Addis Ababa 01:45RJA 642 Amman 01:45GFA 211 Bahrain 01:55UAE 853 Dubai 02:25ETD 305 Abu Dhabi 02:30JAI 576 Kochi/Abu Dhabi 02:35THY 764 Istanbul 02:40FDB 067 Dubai 03:05CEB 7694 Manila 03:10MSR 612 Cairo 03:15QTR 1076 Doha 03:25MSC 401 Alexandria 04:00FDB 077 Dubai 04:15DHX 170 Bahrain 05:10FDB 069 Dubai 05:50KAC 412 Manila/Bangkok 06:15BAW 157 London 06:35JZR 503 Luxor 07:40FDB 053 Dubai 07:45KAC 206 Islamabad 07:50KAC 302 Mumbai 07:50QTR 1086 Doha 07:55IRA 667 Esfahan 08:20UAE 855 Dubai 08:25KAC 362 Colombo 08:45ABY 125 Sharjah 08:50KAC 284 Dhaka 08:55ETD 301 Abu Dhabi 09:30KAC 344 Chennai 09:35FDB 055 Dubai 09:35KAC 352 Kochi 09:55QTR 1070 Doha 10:00SYR 341 Damascus 10:05THY 772 Istanbul 10:20GFA 213 Bahrain 10:40IRC 6521 Lamerd 10:50MEA 404 Beirut 10:55MSC 405 Sohag 11:20JZR 165 Dubai 11:50FDB 065 Dubai 11:55JZR 561 Sohag 12:00THY 770 Istanbul 12:25FDB 071 Dubai 12:35UAE 871 Dubai 12:45MSR 610 Cairo 13:00THY 766 Istanbul 13:10KAC 538 Sohag 13:40QTR 1078 Doha 13:45

FDB 057 Dubai 13:55GFA 221 Bahrain 14:20SVA 500 Jeddah 14:30KNE 472 Jeddah 14:40FDB 081 Dubai 14:55KAC 788 Jeddah 15:00KAC 562 Amman 15:30ABY 127 Sharjah 15:35OMA 645 Muscat 15:50KNE 460 Jeddah 15:55FDB 051 Dubai 15:55KAC 118 New York 16:00QTR 1072 Doha 16:15RJA 640 Amman 16:20ETD 303 Abu Dhabi 16:45NIA 251 Alexandria 16:50UAE 857 Dubai 16:55FDB 073 Dubai 16:55SVA 510 Riyadh 17:15GFA 215 Bahrain 17:30FDB 075 Dubai 17:45JZR 177 Dubai 17:45JZR 777 Jeddah 17:50KAC 542 Cairo 18:15QTR 1080 Doha 18:25KAC 786 Jeddah 18:30KAC 104 London 18:45FDB 063 Dubai 18:45KAC 618 Doha 18:55ABY 129 Sharjah 19:00GFA 217 Bahrain 19:05KAC 774 Riyadh 19:15KAC 674 Dubai 19:25JAI 572 Mumbai 19:35OMA 647 Muscat 19:55FDB 061 Dubai 20:05DLH 634 Frankfurt 20:15MEA 402 Beirut 20:15MSR 618 Alexandria 20:30AXB 489 Kochi/Mangalore 20:35FDB 079 Dubai 21:05ALK 229 Colombo 21:10UAE 859 Dubai 21:15ETD 307 Abu Dhabi 21:30QTR 1074 Doha 21:30GFA 219 Bahrain 21:45JZR 135 Bahrain 21:45FDB 059 Dubai 22:00KNE 480 Taif 22:00AIC 975 Chennai/Goa 22:25TAR 327 Tunis 22:55JZR 185 Dubai 22:55BBC 043 Dhaka 23:10PIA 205 Lahore/Peshawar 23:15JAI 574 Mumbai 23:20KLM 411 Amsterdam/Dammam 23:40

Departure Flights on Monday 31/3/2014Airlines Flt Route TimeAIC 982 Ahmedabad/Hyderabad/Chennai 00:05JAI 573 Mumbai 00:20UAL 981 IAD 00:25BBC 044 Chittagong/Dhaka 00:35PIA 206 Peshawar/Lahore 01:00JZR 502 Luxor 01:30MSC 404 Asyut 02:30ETH 422 Dammam/Addis Ababa 02:35UAE 854 Dubai 03:45FDB 068 Dubai 03:45MSR 613 Cairo 04:15ETD 306 Abu Dhabi 04:20QTR 1077 Doha 04:25CEB 7695 Manila 04:40MSC 406 Sohag 05:00FDB 078 Dubai 05:00QTR 1085 Doha 05:20JZR 560 Sohag 05:35THY 765 Istanbul 06:00JAI 575 Abu Dhabi/Kochi 06:30FDB 070 Dubai 06:30RJA 643 Amman 06:35GFA 212 Bahrain 07:00JZR 164 Dubai 07:15KAC 537 Sohag 08:00BAW 156 London 08:25FDB 054 Dubai 08:25QTR 1087 Doha 08:55IRA 666 Esfahan 09:20ABY 126 Sharjah 09:30KAC 787 Jeddah 09:35UAE 856 Dubai 09:50ETD 302 Abu Dhabi 10:15FDB 056 Dubai 10:15KAC 561 Amman 10:15QTR 1071 Doha 11:00SYR 342 Damascus 11:05THY 773 Istanbul 11:20KAC 541 Cairo 11:30GFA 214 Bahrain 11:35IRC 6522 Lamerd 11:40KAC 165 Rome/Paris 11:45MEA 405 Beirut 11:55JZR 776 Jeddah 12:15MSC 402 Alexandria 12:20KAC 103 London 12:30FDB 066 Dubai 12:40KAC 785 Jeddah 13:00JZR 176 Dubai 13:10FDB 072 Dubai 13:15THY 771 Istanbul 13:25MSR 611 Cairo 14:00THY 767 Istanbul 14:10

UAE 872 Dubai 14:15FDB 058 Dubai 14:35QTR 1079 Doha 14:55GFA 222 Bahrain 15:05KAC 673 Dubai 15:05KAC 617 Doha 15:30KNE 473 Jeddah 15:35FDB 082 Dubai 15:35SVA 501 Jeddah 15:45KAC 773 Riyadh 15:50ABY 128 Sharjah 16:15FDB 052 Dubai 16:35KNE 481 Jeddah 16:40OMA 646 Muscat 16:50JZR 266 Beirut 17:05RJA 641 Amman 17:20QTR 1073 Doha 17:20FDB 074 Dubai 17:35JZR 538 Cairo 17:40ETD 304 Abu Dhabi 17:45NIA 252 Alexandria 17:50UAE 858 Dubai 18:15SVA 511 Riyadh 18:15JZR 184 Dubai 18:20GFA 216 Bahrain 18:20FDB 076 Dubai 18:25JZR 238 Amman 18:45JZR 134 Bahrain 18:50QTR 1081 Doha 19:25FDB 064 Dubai 19:25ABY 120 Sharjah 19:40GFA 218 Bahrain 19:50KAC 283 Dhaka 20:30JAI 571 Mumbai 20:35FDB 062 Dubai 20:50KAC 331 Trivandrum 20:50OMA 648 Muscat 20:55KAC 351 Kochi 21:05MEA 403 Beirut 21:15MSR 619 Alexandria 21:30AXB 490 Mangalore/Kochi 21:35DHX 171 Bahrain 21:50FDB 080 Dubai 21:50ETD 308 Abu Dhabi 22:15ALK 230 Colombo 22:20UAE 860 Dubai 22:25KNE 461 Riyadh 22:30QTR 1075 Doha 22:40FDB 060 Dubai 22:40KAC 301 Mumbai 22:40GFA 220 Bahrain 22:45KAC 205 Islamabad 23:35KAC 411 Bangkok/Manila 23:40TAR 327 Dubai/Tunis 23:45

No: 16121

FOR SALE

ACCOMMODATION

Accommodation availablein Kuwait city (Maliya) bedspace/sharing room avail-able for decent Goan bach-elor from 1st April withkitchen facility. Contact:50195621.31-3-2014

Abraq-Khaitan bedspace/sharing room avail-able for decentGoan/Indian bachelor intwo bedroom flat, besidethe main road and bus stop.Near police station round-about, from 1st May with

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MONDAY, MARCH 31, 2014

It is difficult to stay inside today. This may mean chores inside keep youfrom the beauty of the out-of-doors but more than likely it is just that the

responsibilities of this day seem to multiply and you would rather be somewhere else; jointhe club. When you stop to take a break, walk away from your project and chat a whilewith friends or family. You may find that a card game has developed or some of yourfriends are up for a little ball game after you finish your project or work. Whatever thecase, these friends keep you enthusiastic about completing whatever task is at hand; theymay even help you. A great adventure may be in the works for later this year. Meanwhile,smile at the camera-there are a lot of worthwhile memories. Happy birthday!

Aries (March 21-April 19)

STAR TRACK

This can be one of your better days for communication and understanding.Out-of-town friends or distant family may want to visit with you and your new family. Ifyour home or family is not equipped to handle company, perhaps a meeting placebetween cities can make available a get-together. Another way to handle out-of-townguests might be to pay for half the cost of a motel room. You may be of tremendous helpto a stranger or neighbor today. Get outside, weather permitting, and take a walk. This willhelp to give your thoughts a good focus. Taking care of personal business is a majortheme this afternoon. Good news comes to you from a long-distance call. You may reflectsweet romantic interests today.

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

Changes are in the air and you are looking forward to positive results. This isone of your better days for money. You will be successful-do not push too

hard. Throughout today you will receive the best results for your efforts if you practicepatience and perseverance. If you are thinking about a job in your home, think about theservice industry. Consider doing business and research for people and agencies that donot have the time to do this work for themselves. This is one of your best business-devel-opment times. If you are artistic, allow your dreams and imagination to reach into areasthat you have not explored. Regardless of your special talents, music and imagination cantake you into levels of consciousness you have never reached before.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

Taking care of business is a major theme where your emotional orientationis concerned. You crave organization and practicality and you want to get

things accomplished. Outer circumstances tend to work in your favor. You may find thatyou are more organized than before, able to reach new levels of self-discipline. This can bea smooth time during which events seem to arrange themselves to your advantage.Lunchtime spent with old friends may put you in a new light with co-workers. Your senseof humor is obvious this afternoon. Others may find you especially witty. People value youfor your independence and unique qualities. This evening is a good time to socialize orenjoy the company of a loved one.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

Leo (July 23-August 22)

As you help someone today with advice as well as your sympathy, you willbe helping yourself. Rewards are for the taking at this time. You may, however, need tothink things over before you sign on a dotted line. Someone will pay back a debt they oweyou, or some positive monetary results are realized from a past financial investment. Also,recent improvement within the company that you own or for which you work creates anopportunity for travel. Discussions of where, when and how you might travel will becomethe topic of conversation with family and friends. It is time now to tend to the family. Thisevening is excellent for taking part in family activities. When you walk your dog thisevening, try a different path. Count your blessings.

Virgo (August 23-September 22)

Your psychic senses are in focus today. Your creative side is active and youcould come up with some wonderful ideas that will bring monetary

rewards. You may perceive how to proceed with plans and decisions regarding your lifesituation. The romantic side in you is in full bloom. This is not the best time to engage instrenuous activity, however. Your mind is quickened, making you receptive to all externalstimuli. Be practical and diplomatic in your discussions with loved ones. Take care wheninteracting with friends-you could be overly critical-as a critic rates a movie. You may findyourself serving to guide someone younger than you in matters of importance thisevening. When you are determined to listen, you make a very good counselor.

Libra (September 23-October 22)

This is a productive day. You could be most persuasive with others and canstrategize to everyone’s benefit. You may have difficulty concentrating on

mundane things-but, your psychic awareness is enhanced and you will intuitively knowwhat is being asked of you. You may find yourself relating to new people around you asthough you have known them for a very long time. This is also a good time to help or justbe with your friends. You draw emotional sustenance and a sense of security from ideals,friends and social involvement at this time. You will probably be happy to know that yourlove relationship is improving and developing nicely.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21)

Today is a great time to be with others and to work together. Work, health,diet and the other things that take care of us if we take care of them can

provide a lot of satisfaction. These things can lead to love and a new self-image, if you stickwith them. This is a time to consolidate your friendships-strengthen them before theywither away. You may find a good opportunity to help someone today that gave you somehelp in the past. Spending some time with close or old friends is advisable this afternoon-step outside the usual routine. A neighbor or sibling could undergo some kind of transfor-mation, or your neighborhood may be in a redevelopment phase. Relaxation techniquesare most important throughout this next week.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21)

Capricorn (December 22-January 19)

At home today, you have quick answers, great wit and a surplus of insightsand solutions for whatever problem may exist. Today is a good time to write

and communicate with real originality. All sorts of inventions, poetry, short stories, creativeideas and breakthroughs are possible. You have a knack for dealing with the public andmay find yourself called upon to stop what you are doing and help a neighbor with a diffi-culty. You could easily reach an important political status this year . . . Keep good notes ofthe complaints citizens make and the needs they have. The work you have done towardreducing your debts has been successful and will continue to be successful-don’t give up,you are almost there.

Pisces (February 19-March 20)

Your personal life calls for the solving of challenges. It takes little time foryour analytical mind to move through the problems. You will be able to

tackle tasks that require real discipline. You could find that you are appreciated or valuedfor your ability to respond where you are needed. This is a good day for building confi-dences! Changes in the neighborhood may get on your nerves this evening. This maymean a new music group is beginning to set up practice periods or someone has a newpuppy in their backyard. These things have a way of ironing out and you try to pay atten-tion to whatever is going on in your own home. Others may want to fill your free time withwhat they think you should do. Consider a movie for this evening.

Aquarius (January 20- February 18)

CROSSWORD 503

ACROSS1. Tag the base runner to get him out.4. Grass of the eastern United States andtropical America having spikelets enclosedin prickly burs.12. Being nine more than eighty.15. A self-funded retirement plan thatallows you to contribute a limited yearlysum toward your retirement.16. A flat rectangular paper container forpapers.17. Being ten more than one hundred thir-ty.18. Having three dimensions.19. North American yellow-breasted song-birds.21. A loose sleeveless outer garment madefrom aba cloth.22. A genus of Psittacidae.25. Harsh or corrosive in tone.26. An official prosecutor for a judicial dis-trict.28. (music) A notation written at the begin-ning or end of a passage that is to berepeated.31. An ancient Hebrew unit of dry measureequal to about a bushel.34. Goddess of spring and wife of Bragi.39. A member of the Siouan people former-ly living in the Missouri river valley in NENebraska.41. The right to take another's property ifan obligation is not discharged.42. Capital and largest city of the CzechRepublic.44. A unit of acoustic absorption equivalentto the absorption by a square foot of a sur-face that absorbs all incident sound.45. An Asian river.47. A kiln for drying hops.49. (computer science) A coding systemthat incorporates extra parity bits in orderto detect errors.50. A radioactive element of the actinideseries.51. Queen of the Olympian gods in ancientGreek mythology.53. (British slang) Cafe.58. Gum resin used especially in treatingskin irritation.60. Primitive chlorophyll-containing mainlyaquatic eukaryotic organisms lacking truestems and roots and leaves.61. The month following July and preced-ing September.62. A French abbot.64. The branch of computer science thatdeal with writing computer programs thatcan solve problems creatively.70. English theoretical physicist whoapplied relativity theory to quantummechanics and predicted the existence ofantimatter and the positron (1902-1984).72. Rock that in its molten form (as magma)issues from volcanos.74. Sour or bitter in taste.75. American prizefighter who won theworld heavyweight championship threetimes (born in 1942).76. Be earlier in time.79. A zodiacal constellation in northernhemisphere between Cancer and Virgo.80. The last (12th) month of the year.81. A great raja.82. A device for creating a current of air bymovement of a surface or surfaces.

DOWN1. A rechargeable battery with a nickel

cathode and a cadmium anode.2. A popular island resort in theNetherlands Antilles.3. A small cake leavened with yeast.4. Small yellowish- to reddish-brown pear.5. An associate degree in nursing.6. A state in the western United States.7. 1 species.8. A thin strip (wood or metal).9. Forming a continuous series of pores.10. Activity involved in maintaining some-thing in good working order.11. A rare heavy polyvalent metallic ele-ment that resembles manganese chemical-ly and is used in some alloys.12. Small tropical American tree bearingedible plumlike fruit.13. Being two more than twenty.14. Wearing or provided with clothing.20. The capital of Bahrain.23. A colorless and odorless inert gas.24. A metric unit of length equal to 1000meters (or 0.621371 miles).27. The fleshy part of the human body thatyou sit on.29. A mental representation of some haunt-ing experience.30. Two items of the same kind.32. Affectedly trendy.33. A high-kicking dance of French originperformed by a female chorus line.35. Deciduous shrub of North America.36. Enlarged prostate.37. A trivalent metallic element of the rareearth group.38. The cardinal number that is the sum offour and one.40. At right angles to the length of a ship orairplane.43. A river in north central Switzerland thatruns northeast into the Rhine.46. A metallic element having four allotrop-ic forms.48. The capital and largest city of Yemen.52. Possessing or using or characteristic ofor appropriate to supernatural powers.54. Artifact made by weaving or felting orknitting or crocheting natural or syntheticfibers.55. Any wingless blood-sucking parasiticinsect noted for ability to leap.56. A white soft metallic element that tar-nishes readily.57. A healthy state of wellbeing free fromdisease.59. The southern part of the ancientPalestine succeeding the kingdom ofJudah.63. A digestive juice secreted by the liverand stored in the gallbladder.65. The United Nations agency concernedwith atomic energy.66. (Greek mythology) Goddess of the earthand mother of Cronus and the Titans inancient mythology.67. (British colloquialism) An excavation.68. A particular geographical region ofindefinite boundary (usually serving somespecial purpose or distinguished by its peo-ple or culture or geography).69. Very dark black.71. A rotating disk shaped to convert circu-lar into linear motion.73. A magnetic tape recorder for recording(and playing back) TV programs.77. A silvery soft waxy metallic element ofthe alkali metal group.78. A person who announces and playspopular recorded music.

Yesterday’s Solution

Yesterday’s Solution

34s t a r s

Daily SuDoku

Your organizational skills come into play this morning and help you to com-plete a difficult project. Your intuition will lead you into important directions. A co-workermay come to visit or perhaps this person goes to the same religious setting that youattend. Listening and sharing can be most beneficial. Time spent in a restaurant is a funtime later today. Influential people are around you and will help you-if you need it. Now isthe time to believe in yourself and move forward with your ideas. Your birth sign showsthat advancement in the workplace will happen soon but you must be on the watch. Thebeginning of next week is a good time to take notes and make your professional desiresknown. If you miss this opportunity, there will be another one.

Taking care of some personal business is a major theme where your emo-tional orientation is concerned. You crave organization and practicality and

you want to get things accomplished. Sometime today you may be looking for intellectualstimulation in your reading material. This could mean you get a library card or go to abookstore. You feel healthy and natural and have the opportunity to accomplish a greatdeal at this time. You may be redesigning or rescheduling some of your activities. You arethe one others depend on and trust. Taking responsibility in helping to accomplish someof your family goals is an important act now. There could be a new home or new propertynear a lake in the near future.

inf or m at ionMONDAY, MARCH 31, 2014

Ahmadi Sama Safwan Fahaeel Makka St 23915883Abu Halaifa Abu Halaifa-Coastal Rd 23715414Danat Al-Sultan Mahboula Block 1, Coastal Rd 23726558

Jahra Modern Jahra Jahra-Block 3 Lot 1 24575518Madina Munawara Jahra-Block 92 24566622

Capital Ahlam Fahad Al-Salem St 22436184Khaldiya Coop Khaldiya Coop 24833967

Farwaniya New Shifa Farwaniya Block 40 24734000Ferdous Coop Ferdous Coop 24881201Modern Safwan Old Kheitan Block 11 24726638

Hawally Tariq Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St 25726265Hana Salmiya-Amman St 25647075Ikhlas Hawally-Beirut St 22625999Hawally & Rawdha Hawally & Rawdha Coop 22564549Ghadeer Jabriya-Block 1A 25340559Kindy Jabriya-Block 3B 25326554Ibn Al-Nafis Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St 25721264Mishrif Coop Mishrif Coop 25380581Salwa Coop Salwa Coop 25628241

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

info@soorcenter.comwww.soorcenter.com

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

MONDAY, MARCH 31, 2014

l if e s t y l eG o s s i p

The ‘The Other Woman’ star admits she has to remind herself not to focus on how she looks, butclaims she doesn’t care if her fans see unflattering photographs of her. The 41-year-old actress toldthe May issue of Glamour magazine: “I have very little vanity - but at the same time I’m incredibly

vain. If I see a bad picture of myself in a magazine, I don’t care. I’m, like, whatever. But it’s a funny thingbeing out in the world in the way that I am. You really have to keep yourself in check because it’s easy tolose your head.” The blonde beauty doesn’t mind getting older and is excited about taking on differentroles in Hollywood. She said: “Now that I’m getting older, people have stopped asking me about provingmyself and started asking me whether I’m worried that I won’t get any interesting roles any more - when,actually, older roles are the best they weren’t really ever. They were just being objectified.”

Cameron Diaz can be ‘incredibly vain’

Kristin Cavallari still has the first pair of ChristianLouboutin heels she bought when she was a teenag-er. The 27-year-old former ‘Hills’ star - who is expect-

ing her second child with husband Jay Cutler - cherishesher first pair of the designer’s shoes as they bring backhappy memories for her. She said: “The oldest thing in mycloset is the first pair of Louboutins that I bought when Iwas 18. I remember being so excited. They are simple,black open toe pumps.” While she’s nostalgic for somethings she had as a teenager, blonde Kristin - who isalready mother to son Camden, 19 months - would ratherforget the time she dyed her hair dark. She added to Lifeand Style magazine: “A moment I’d like to forget is when Idyed my hair black in high school. It looked awful andruined my hair. I had to strip my hair and then have it darkbrown and slowly work my way back to blonde.” When itcomes to style, the fashion designer looks to British modelKate Moss for inspiration because “she always looks soeffortless and chic.”

Kristin Cavallarikept old shoes

Longoria doesn’t need a baby

Rihanna and Drake aren’t officially girlfriend and boyfriend. The duo have beendating exclusively for a number of weeks and were photographed holding handsin London earlier this week, but reportedly haven’t put a label on their relation-

ship yet. A source close to the 26-year-old beauty told HollywoodLife.com that she isvery “happy” that the ‘Hold On, We’re Going Home’ hitmaker, 27, “belongs to her” butthey are in no rush to discuss their romance. The insider explained: “She’s just happy tobe in his presence and wanted by him. “Nothing is official in terms of their relationshipbut they’re still dating and sleeping with each other exclusively. You’ll see them out andabout, holding hands and being all lovey dovey these days. It’s no secret that he belongsto her and she to him but as far as them coming out and being like, ‘Oh hey, look at us,it’s official,’ who knows when that’s going to happen?” A source previously claimed the‘Stay’ hitmaker is besotted with the Canadian star because he treats her so much betterthan her ex-boyfriend Chris Brown, and they have been headed towards a relationshipfor a long while following their brief fling in 2009. The friend said: “Rihanna and Drakereally have this chemistry and vibe with one another and that’s something they can’texplain. They’re both kind of infatuated with each other.”

Rihanna and Drakearen’t official

Taylor Swift has reportedly snapped up two new pent-houses in New York City for $20 million. The 24-year-oldsinger sparked rumors she quietly purchased ‘Lord of the

Rings’ director Peter Jackson’s lavish apartments in the TriBeCaarea, after being spotted going in and out of the upscale build-ing regularly in recent days. A source told Celebuzz that the‘Red’ hitmaker began hunting for a house in the city in Januaryand removal men were seen moving furniture into the build-ing, in which Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen also reside, thisweek. New Zealand-native Peter put his apartments in the 11-unit building on the market last May for $20 million and,according to official property records, he finally sold them to amystery buyer last month. The filmmaker bought both topfloor residences in 2008 for $17.35 million. He knocked downthe walls to create one huge home, with 10 bedrooms andnine bathrooms, and originally listed it as one unit last year.However after failing to attract a buyer, he separated the spaceinto two properties again and put them on the market for$14.85 million and $5.1 million. The records show that bothhomes were sold on the same day for $19.95 million to onemystery buyer, rumored to be the young country singer.Another listing in the building sold for $6 million recently butan insider insisted Taylor was not the buyer. The blonde beauty,who is said to be worth over $220 million, paid $11 million incash for her mansion in Rhode Island, New England, in 2012.

Chris Martin hopes he and Gwyneth Paltrow can “rediscover” their love for one another. The Coldplay singer - whosesplit from the actress was announced on Tuesday is said to be keen to work on their relationship in an attempt tosave their 10-year marriage. A source told the Sunday Mirror newspaper: “Chris still loves Gwyneth and would still

like the marriage to survive. “He hopes they might be able to rediscover what they had years ago and would love torebuild their relationship back to what it once was.” It has also emerged that the two former lovers plan to live in theirMiami home, but in separate wings. Meanwhile, the pair were spotted having dinner with friends just days after announc-ing their split. Speaking to The Sun on Sunday newspaper, an insider said: “You would never have guessed they had justsplit up. They looked like they were getting on OK, but perhaps it was a little strained. “Chris seemed in good form andwas telling lots of jokes. Gwyneth pulled a few faces but it was all in good spirits.”

Martin hopes he and Paltrow can ‘rediscover’ love

The ‘I Should Be So Lucky’ singer - who broke up withher boyfriend of five years, Andres Velencoso, lastyear - has admitted she doesn’t like the idea of

“being boxed into anything”, preferring to have her free-dom. She is quoted in The Sun on Sunday newspaper assaying: “I am not the greatest with commitment. “I don’tlike being boxed into anything - thoughts, clothes, beingtold what you are meant to do. I’m not the most naturallycommitted person.” Kylie revealed she broke off herromance with Andres after having an “epiphany”. Sheexplained: “I had a true epiphany. I had a vision of a hori-zon with nothing on it. “Our lives never have nothing onthe horizon, there is always something you are looking for-ward to or dreading, but there was nothing there. “I feltvery calm and knew in that moment that I needed a newlandscape.” Kylie also admitted she still finds it tough totalk about breast cancer - after getting the disease in 2005and then undergoing successful treatment - and describedit as “the complete unknown”. Speaking on Norwegian TV,she said: “I find it difficult. I can’t talk about it for fives min-utes and then it is done. “It’s a huge experience that doesgo on ... You don’t want to have that experience but yourlife is richer because your body has gone through terror.“I’d never experienced that - the complete unknown.”

Kylie Minogue struggles with ‘commitment’

Swiftbuys $20 million

penthouse

Eva Longoria isn’t sure if she will havechildren. Latin America’s Televisa mediacompany, since the end of last year, has

always wanted to have a family but admitsshe would only consider having a baby withthe right man. She told Parade magazine: “I’vealways wanted a family. I believe in family. Butchildren are a product of love. So I don’t thinkI’ll go off and have a baby by myself. I do nothave that need to procreate.” The ‘DeviousMaids’ producer is “attracted to humor andintellect in a man” and hinted her new rela-tionship is going very well. She said: “Let metell you, I’m very lucky in my life.” The former‘Desperate Housewives’ star is set to turn 40next March and isn’t upset about reaching themilestone. She said: “Age is something youcan’t control, so why worry about it?” Sheadded: “I would never want to repeat my 20s. Iwelcome age with open arms because I wantto evolve as a human being, gain more wis-dom. I have so much more to do! And theonly way you do that is with age.”

—Bang Showbiz

MONDAY, MARCH 31, 2014

l if e s t y l eF e a t u r e s

Models parade creations of “Korean Fashion Designer Joint Collection” by South Korean designers during the bi-annual China Fashion Week in Beijing on March 29, 2014. The biannualChina Fashion Week is being held in Beijing from March 25 to 31.—AFP photos

Tens of thousands of people gathered Saturday at a SriSri Radha Krishna Temple in Utah for the start of anannual two-day festival of colors. The large majority

of participants in the event at Spanish Fork are not Hindus,but Mormons, The Salt Lake Tribune reported. Thousandsof students from nearby Brigham Young University takepart in the festival, which is expected to draw 70,000 peo-ple. Revelers danced to music, practiced yoga and threwcolored corn starch in the air once every hour during theall-day Holi Festival of Colors.

The large majority of participants are not Hindus, butMormons, The Salt Lake Tribune reported. Thousands ofstudents from nearby Brigham Young University take partin the festival, which is expected to draw 70,000 people.The event stems from a Hindu tradition celebrating theend of winter and the triumph of good over evil. “It’s anopportunity for young LDS (Mormon) kids to come andcelebrate their spirituality without alcohol or drugs,” saidCaru Das, the temple’s priest. Das said the event feels morelike a rock concert than a religious ceremony, particularly

with live music.Indra Neelameggham, a Hindu, said she doesn’t mind if

young Mormons partake in the festival. “This festival has noreligious significance. There are no prayers or no specialservices connected with it,” she said. “It has evolved in India- particularly in the south - over the years and now is most-ly about tourism and marketing - like Christmas orHalloween.” Das said the event is spiritual and many atten-dees feel moved, but the heavy presence of youngMormons doesn’t dampen the event. The festival unitesstrangers in a common experience, he said. He appearedfrequently on stage, exhorting crowd members to givehugs to strangers and not to think of themselves as ordi-nary.

“Each and every one of you is lovely and brilliant. Noexceptions,” he said. “This festival is to remind you who youare.” The festival gives participants a chance to gain expo-sure to Hindu chants and beliefs while plastering otherswith dust of many vibrant colors that costs $3 per bag or$12 for five bags. The hourly throwing of rainbow-hued

corn starch leaves participants drenched in color. “It’s aplace for your inner child to come out,” Robynn Kirkham, anaccountant who runs a construction company, told TheTribune.

Ranjan Khurana and his wife, Anu, came from Boise,Idaho, because friends in the Spanish Fork Hindu congre-gation raved about how electrifying the event has become.“It’s vibrant and everybody is just so cheerful,” Anu Khuranasaid. “It’s a blessing that so many people are here celebrat-ing the colors.” Haylee Buchanan, a BYU student, said shehas attended the event with friends and likened it to a bigparty. “I wish that I could have read information on whyand what they are celebrating,” she said, “because it wasfascinating.” Buchanan said it was enjoyable to immerseherself in a cultural event very different from her ownMormon faith.—AP

Tens of thousands attend Utah Holi color festival

Revelers with colored corn starched hands celebrate during the 2014 Festival of Colors, Holi Celebration at the Krishna Temple Saturday in Spanish Fork, Utah.—AP photos

MONDAY, MARCH 31, 2014

l if e s t y l eA W A R D S

The green slime flowed freely at theKids’ Choice Awards on Saturday,where boy band One Direction and

actress-singer Ariana Grande took homeorange blimps handed out by youthcable channel Nickelodeon. Shot fromcanons, bursting forth from geysers andbabbling in a river across the stage,everything and everyone, even “un-slimable” host Mark Wahlberg, weresoaked by the green stuff. The British-Irish vocal group, who won favorite musicgroup and favorite song for “Story of MyLife,” avoided the slime, accepting theawards from London where they arepreparing for an upcoming tour.

Grande, a 20-year-old pop singer andstar of Nickelodeon series “Sam & Cat”won for favorite TV actress and “Sam &Cat” was voted favorite TV show. Viewerswere able to cast votes online in morethan 20 categories, spanning film, televi-sion, books, music and sport for thestunt-filled annual award show on theViacom Inc-owned network.

The show, in its 27th year, is an annualstop for Hollywood stars who are popularamong teenage and young viewers. Itfeatured performances by singer AloeBlacc and indie rock band AmericanAuthors, who closed with the hit “BestDay of My Life.” Singer-actress SelenaGomez won an orange blimp for the sixthconsecutive year. The 21-year-old formerDisney actress was voted favorite femalesinger. She had won favorite TV actressfrom 2009 to 2013. “I just have to say thatyou guys have been the most loyal, dedi-cated people in my life because you con-tinuously every year bless me with theopportunity to do what I love,” Gomezsaid accepting the award. A running gagthroughout the stunt-filled show washow “Transformers” star Wahlberg couldnot be doused in slime.

Buttkickers, books, blimpsAt the show’s end, the actor was dis-

tracted by his kids and comedian KevinHart until the slime rained down

Wahlberg, who crossed himself and hud-dled to withstand the deluge. “Iron Man”film series star Robert Downey Jr. wonthe favorite male “buttkicker” award forlast year’s blockbuster “Iron Man 3.” “Iwasn’t always a buttkicker. In fact, life haskicked my proverbial butt countlesstimes in many ways through many yearsuntil I decided one day to start kickingback,” the 48-year-old actor who strug-gled with addiction early in his career.

“To all the kids around this wonderfulblue planet, thank you for this awesomestatue, and remember: when life is kick-ing your butt, never forget to kick it backright in the face,” Downey added. Actor-comedian Adam Sandler, 47, made it rainorange balls on the crowd with a garbledmagic spell while accepting his blimp forfavorite movie actor. Other winnersincluded sci-fi adventure film “TheHunger Games: Catching Fire” as favorite

movie, and its star, Jennifer Lawrence,won for favorite movie actress andfavorite female buttkicker, but was noton hand to accept the awards.

Disney’s Oscar-winning film “Frozen”won for favorite animated movie, whilecomedian Hart won for favorite funnystar and the youth fiction series “Diary ofa Wimpy Kid” won favorite book. DanSchneider, an executive producer of pop-ular Nickelodeon shows over the pasttwo decades such as “Kenan & Kel,”“iCarly” and “Sam & Cat,” won a lifetimeachievement award. — AP

One Direction, Ariana Grande win at Kids’ Choice Awards

Mark Wahlberg gets slimed on stage at the 27th annual Kids’ Choice Awards at the Galen Center on Saturday in Los Angeles. — AFP photos

Mark Wahlberg gets slimed on stage.

Adam Sandler accepts the award for favorite movie actor.

Dan Schneider accepts the lifetime achievement award.

Actor Robert Downey Jr accepts theaward for Favorite Male Butt Kicker.

Ross Lynch acceptsthe award for

favorite TV actor.Ariana Grande accepts the award forfavorite TV actress.

(From left) Cameron Ocasio, Ariana Grande, and Zoran Korachaccept the award for favorite TV show for ‘Sam & Cat’.

Selena Gomez accepts the award for favorite female singer.

(From left) Lea Michele, LL Cool J and Kevin Hart .

Singers Austin Mahone and Cody Simpson get slimed onstage.

MONDAY, MARCH 31, 2014

l if e s t y l eA W A R D S

FAVORITE MOVIEThe Hunger Games: Catching FireFAVORITE ANIMATED MOVIEFrozenFAVORITE VOICE FROM AN ANIMATED ANIMATEDMOVIEMiranda Cosgrove in Despicable Me 2FAVORITE MOVIE ACTORAdam Sandler in Grown Ups 2FAVORITE MOVIE ACTRESSJennifer Lawrence in The Hunger Games: Catching FireFAVORITE MALE BUTTKICKERRobert Downey Jr. in Iron Man 3FAVORITE FEMALE BUTTKICKERJennifer Lawrence in The Hunger Games: Catching FireFAVORITE TV SHOWSam & Kat Ross Lynch in Austin & AllyFAVORITE TV ACTRESSAriana Grande in Sam & KatFAVORITE REALITY SHOWWipeoutFAVORITE CARTOONSpongeBob SquarePantsFAVORITE ANIMATED ANIMAL SIDEKICKPatrick Star in SpongeBob SquarePantsFAVORITE MUSIC GROUPOne DirectionFAVORITE MALE SINGERJustin TimberlakeFAVORITE FEMALE SINGERSelena GomezFAVORITE SONGStory Of My Life by One DirectionFAVORITE APP GAMEDespicable Me: Minion RushFAVORITE BOOKDiary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff KinneyFAVORITE FUNNY STARKevin HartFAVORITE VIDEO GAMEJust Dance 2014MOST ENTHUSIASTIC ATHLETEDwight HowardLIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARDDan Schneider-www.perezhilton.com

Winners:

Ariana Grande Actress Alexa Vega

Actress Kira KosarinSinger Acacia Brinley

(From Left) Actors Azim Rizk, Ciara Hanna, Christina Masterson,Cameron Jebo, Andrew Gray, and John Mark Loudermilk of MightyMorphin Power Rangers. The band American Authors performs onstage.

Jim Parsons, left, presents the award for favorite animated movieto Kristen Bell.

TV personality Willie Robertson and wife Korie Robertson with family on the red carpet.

Kristen Bell accepts the award for favoriteanimated movie.

Kevin Hart accepts the award for favorite funnystar.

Singer Aloe Blacc performs onstage.

David Blaine gets slimed.

Will Arnett, left, and Jayma Mays presentthe award for favorite TV show.

Actors Jack Reynor and NicolaPeltz speak onstage.

Actress America Ferrera speaksonstage.

Singer Todrick Hall performsonstage.

38One Direction,Ariana Grandewin at Kids’Choice Awards

MONDAY, MARCH 31, 2014

Clowns pose for pictures as they take a break from the World Clowning Association annual convention in Northbrook, Illinois, north of Chicago on March 28, 2014. — AFP photos

Recession no laughing matter for clown industryIn a global recession, being a clown is no

laughing matter. That was the sombre verdictas the World Clown Association wrapped up

its annual convention on Saturday after adecade which has seen their numbers dwindle.More than 230 clowns from the around theworld attended the event outside Chicago, gath-ering to share skills and hopefully encourage anew generation to don a red nose, make-up anda pair of oversized shoes. But it’s an art pursuedmore as a labor of love of laughs these days thanfor a living.

“There are very few clowns who do it full timeanymore,” says Deanna Hartmier of Winnipeg,the president of the World Clown Associationand a clown for 18 years. “When big companiesthat, for 10 years, hired 12 clowns for theirChristmas party suddenly has budget cutbacks,well guess what? They are hiring less clowns.”Her organization touts 2,500 members world-wide, a nearly 30 percent decline since 2004.Most are over 40.

That includes Arthur Pedlar, 81, of Southport,England, who started clowning in 1938, when hewas a child. Unlike many on the circuit, Pedlar-a“tramp” clown who goes by the stage nameVercoe-does not perform at children’s parties,but mainly presents his silent comedy, ofteninvolving a unicycle and musical instruments, foraudiences comprised of the deaf, handicapped,and elderly.

Modern-day vaudeville While cruise ships have become the modern-

day equivalent of the vaudeville circuit, manyyoung performers drawn to clowning opt forhigher wages by becoming aerial performers,

which are more in demand, he says. “There is ashortage in Europe of first-rate clowns,” he says.At the convention, Pedlar shows DVDs of clown-ing icons of the past like Emmett Kelly or Buster

Keaton to a new generation of clowns, aged 6-15. He said he wants “to expand their thinkingthat clowning is not just blowing up balloons orthrowing a pie in somebody’s face.”

It’s an art form requiring skill and concentra-tion, he says. “The thing we can’t teach is clown-ing. We can teach skills but unless they know

how to feel an audience and to respond to them,they will not be accomplished,” he says. “Youcan’t just put on a ping pong ball-sized nose anddraw a big clown face and you’re a clown.”

Generation of clowns One of his protÈgÈs is Allie Alvarez, 12, from

Orlando, Florida, who started clowning this yearbecause she “thought it would be fun to makepeople laugh.” Clowning isn’t new in her family -both her mother and grandmother perform.Alvarez learned new tricks through the work-shops, but performed before public for the firsttime Thursday night. “They all laughed,” she said.Despite the early attraction, however, sheexpects to be only a part-time clown. “I woulddo it on the weekends,” she says. “It would be

too much work for me.” The convention helpskeep clowns in touch at a time when many can-not practice their craft full-time.

Many are volunteers or use the clown skillsthey’ve accrued for other professions, such aspublic speaking or standup comedy. Hartmier,48, a full-time clown who has performed all overthe world, says it often means traveling long dis-tances for paid work. At the convention, thereare seminars on a wide variety of clowning skillsface painting, magic, juggling, balloon making,handling props, and developing skits. “Peopletend to think, ‘if I put on a clown costume, I’m aclown,’” she says. “It’s the untrained clowns thathave scary makeup, that don’t know how toapproach people, they’re the ones scaring thekids.” Clowning is best, she says, when it’s thera-peutic. “Laughter really is the best medicine,” shesays. “That being the case, clowns can reallytouch some people in ways that sometimes canbe miraculous.” — AFP

The fruit of the shea tree has long beenconsidered sacred by many in WesternAfrica because of its myriad health ben-

efits. But now growing demand amongWestern consumers for the fruit, known as“women’s gold” by those who harvest it, ishelping improve lives in some of the world’spoorest communities. Sweet-lovers aroundthe globe already consume the nut as sheabutter, which is used to make chocolate, aswell as in products like margarine and as acooking oil.Western companies such asL’Oreal, The Body Shop and L’Occitane arealso using more and more of the product as anatural moisturizer and anti-ageingingredient in their cosmetics. Around600,000 tons of shea are producedeach year in Africa. Of that aroundtwo thirds are exported to Europe,more than double the amountshipped 10 years ago, while the rest isconsumed locally. Cosmetics compa-nies, which purchase around a tenthof Africa’s shea exports, have beenbuying more to please increasinglysocially-conscious consumers.

And now that change is starting tohelp women at the other end of thesupply chain. Around 16 million peo-ple in Africa-particularly women liv-ing in rural areas-are supported bythe shea industry, according to theGlobal Shea Alliance (AGK), whichheld its annual congress in Abidjanlast week. In many of the countrieswhere it grows, from Ethiopia toSenegal and down to the DemocraticRepublic of Congo, it is a lifeline forsome of the world’s poorest people.Shea provides a “substantial source ofincome” and an important tool forfighting poverty, said MamadouCoulibaly Sangafowa, Ivory Coast’sagriculture minister.

In northern Ghana, it “helpsimprove the financial independenceof women a lot”, observed StephanieGreen, marketing manager for theGhanaian company SeKaf, which pro-duces shea butter for cosmetics. Withthe money generated, local womencan “create small businesses” in the villages,which help to “eradicate” poverty their com-munities, she said. Shea is central to botheconomic and social development in ruralcommunities because it can “pull up the ruraleconomy”, said Christophe Godard, whoworks in Burkina Faso on behalf of the Frenchoilseed group Olvea.

A ‘priority’ crop The shea tree grows wild and untamed

across almost 4 million square kilometers (1.5million square miles) of the African savanna,and cannot be planted. Considered sacred bymany Africans, it can survive fires anddroughts and live hundreds of years. But itonly bears fruit after 25 years, and even thenonly once every three seasons, according toAGK. Extracting the shea butter from inside

the fruit, which looks like a large green plum,is also a long and arduous process. It can takeseveral hours of processing, using over 22steps, to produce a single kilogram of thebutter.

Demand for shea is growing “both domes-tically and internationally”, said SangafowaCoulibaly, who wants to make the industry a“priority” because of its good prospects. IvoryCoast is already the fifth-largest producer ofshea in the world, harvesting around 40,000tons a year, but the government wants tomore than triple that to 150,000 tons.

Two factors, however, are holding the

industry back. One is the quality of the crop,“which is key for market access”, said AminataCoulibaly Barry, who runs a group of womenshea butter producers in Mali. KonteDiarratouma, who oversees the national sheaproject in Mali, agreed. She urged the cre-ation of a central body representing produc-ing countries to impose quality standardsand improve logistics for transporting crops.Addressing the “low level of organization ofthe stakeholders” would help Mali create a“shea (industry) that could compete in theinternational market”, she said.

Another is poor levels of organization inthe industry. Stephanie Green, who works forSeKaf, argued that the “domestication of theshea tree and improving the conversion rateshould be priorities”, particularly as the exist-ing stock of trees becomes older.

Booming demand for shea, African‘women’s gold’, helps reduce poverty

Photo shows Nununa soaps, made from sheabutter in Leo, Burkina Faso.

A photo taken on January 24, 2014 showsshea nuts on a shea butter production line inLeo, south-central Burkina Faso, on January24, 2014 in Leo, Burkina Faso. — AFP photos

Taylor Moss, 10, of Indiana, spins hula hoopsas part of the ‘Joey’ competition for childclowns at the World Clowning Associationannual convention.

Noted clown Barry Lubin gives advice to hun-dreds of clowns after headlining the WorldClowning Association annual convention.

Keenan Chalmers, 9, of Minnesota sings ananthem holding his underwear to the tuneof the US National Anthem during a chil-dren’s competition.

Clown Yurie Hioki of Osaka, Japan gives aflute performance of “Somewhere Over theRainbow” during the World ClowningAssociation annual convention inNorthbrook.