KUWAIT: The Kuwait National Petroleum Company yes-terday signed contracts worth $12 billion with threeinternational consortia to upgrade two refineries andinvited bids to build a new multibillion-dollar refinery.State-owned KNPC’s chief Mohammed Al-Mutairisigned the contracts with the three consortia led byBritain’s Petrofac, US Fluor and Japan’s JGC Corporation.Most of the other companies in the consortia are SouthKorean. Mutairi said the project is due to be completedin early 2018.

The cost of the venture - called the Clean Fuel Project- is more than $13 billion if smaller preparatory con-tracts are added, lower than the previous estimatedcost of $16.4 billion, project manager Abdullah Al-Ajmitold AFP. The contracts, the first mega project in theOPEC member’s vital oil sector for 25 years, will upgradetwo of the three existing refineries by installing 37advanced processing units that will reduce sulphur andcarbon pollutants, Mutairi told reporters.

The current production capacity of the two refineriesof Mina Al-Ahmadi and Mina Abdullah is around730,000 barrels per day, while the capacity of Kuwait’sthird refinery at Shuaiba is 200,000 bpd. At the end ofthe project, the capacity of the two refineries willincrease to 800,000 bpd, while Kuwait plans to shut thethird refinery.

KNPC yesterday began inviting bids for two of the

five-package project to build a state-of-the-art refinerywith a capacity of 615,000 bpd, project manager KhaledAl-Awadhi told reporters. The two tenders are formarine works and storage tanks. Next month, the com-pany will tender the three main packages for buildingthe body of the Al-Zour refinery, said Awadhi, addingthat KNPC hopes to award all the five contracts in thefirst quarter of next year. The refinery, estimated to costaround $15 billion, is slated to come onstream inbetween the end of 2018 and the first quarter of 2019,Awadhi said. The Zour refinery, which will become thebiggest in the Middle East, will make oil products suchas diesel, kerosene and naphtha for export and low-sul-phur fuel oil for domestic power stations.

Kuwait’s refining capacity will reach over 1.4 millionbpd from the current level of 930,000 bpd, when theprojects are completed. Most of the production will befor export to Asian and European markets, Awadhisaid. The two projects have been repeatedly delayedbecause of political disputes between parliament andthe government. The project to build a new refinerywas scrapped by the government around five yearsago, after five Japanese and South Korean companieswere awarded contracts. Lawmakers had opposed theplan complaining of a lack of transparency in the ten-dering process, but they have not raised objections tothe new contracts. — AFP

By A Saleh

KUWAIT: The appeals court upheld an unprecedented courtorder that cost a woman custody of her four children due to her‘disgraceful behavior’ on social networks. The court of firstinstance had given a Kuwaiti man custody over his four childrenlast year after he contested that his ex-wife was unfit to raise thekids. The man had presented the court with images that docu-mented chat sessions containing “disgraceful remarks thatproved that she was involved in prohibited love affairs,” saidlawyer Abdulaziz Al-Banwan, who represented the man in court.

The woman, a college student, appealed the case, but theruling was upheld in a verdict considered the first of its kind bythe appeals court in Kuwait, according to Banwan. The manlearned about his ex-wife’s actions by accident while visiting hischildren, according to Banwan. “My client’s ex-wife left for col-lege one day but forgot her phone at home,” he said. “Herdaughter then handed the phone to her father to answer calls itwas receiving, and he discovered her accounts on Instagramand Keek that exposed her behavior.”

The woman’s housemaid further revealed during investiga-tions in the case that the woman would take her on trips out-side with the kids, then leave the children with her and headto undisclosed locations before returning hours later, accord-ing to Banwan.

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MP Tameemi says he mediated aid for needy, husseiniyas

2 7 36 20

conspiracy theories

Never-ending drama

badrya_d@kuwaittimes.net

By Badrya Darwish

Parliament after parliament, we’re facing the sameissues. We’re tired. We’re fatigued. It’s a never-end-ing drama. When are you going to put a stop to this

game? Our parliament is becoming like Turkish soapoperas that are loved by the Arab world.

How many parliaments are revolving around thesame issues, of grilling or accusing or threatening to grilleach other? They started during the time of SheikhNasser Al-Mohammad, and we’ve had like six parliamentsand a new grilling every day, from oil geishas in Japan,cash handouts and money transfers to the failure of theDow deal, corruption, etc. Even with a new prime minis-ter, still the same issues and the same threats.

They are starting the same game with Prime MinisterSheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak. And if he is fed up and decideshe wants to quit this game, I’m sure the coming primeminister will face the same situation.

So is this the fashion of running the country or what?How many parliaments are wasting the time of thenation? I’m watching the American Congress, I’m watch-ing the House of Commons in London and the Duma inRussia and other parliaments around the world. We neversee this issue of grilling for trivial matters and even ifthere are serious questions, it doesn’t consume the entireterm of the parliament. Are there no other serious issuesto be solved for Kuwait? All is well? All is perfect, 100 per-cent?

The parliament has become like a stereotyped groupof old ladies sitting in the morning, having their chai andknitting or crocheting and gossiping about their neigh-bors or each other. But at least these little old ladies pro-duce a jumper or a blanket at the end of all their chattingand gossip. But what is this parliament accomplishing forus, may I know?

Corruption is on the rise everywhere. No new projectsand no development. We just hear of projects costing bil-lions passing without being studied or scrutinized by theAudit Bureau. Useful projects scrapped and no oneknows why. We hear of hospitals and power plants andmetro stations and summer after summer comes and wedon’t see any improvement. Public schools suck althoughbillions are spent on them, and the majority of studentsattend private schools and pay for private tuitions.

What other projects are working? KAC for instance,which has been semi-grounded for the last 20 years? Andnow we are hearing of new planes, also bought in ques-tionable circumstances. But nevertheless, I hope it works.What about real estate and housing and the cost of asmall plot of land? My goodness!

What else can I talk about? I’ll ask the honorable gen-tlemen of the parliament, whenever they have the timeto spare, to look at what Kuwait needs.

By B Izzak

KUWAIT: MPs Riyadh Al-Adasani and Abdulkarim Al-Kandari said yesterday they will file a request next weekto grill the prime minister over alleged payments ofcash grants through lawmakers and general misman-agement. Later, MP Hussein Quwaiaan said he will jointhe two MPs in the grilling. The announcement cameafter Shiite MP Abdullah Al-Tameemi admitted that hemediated cash grants from the office of Prime MinisterHH Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah for needy peopleand husseiniyas (Shiite places of worship).

The revelation by Tameemi was a shock for severalMPs, especially after he revealed in a television inter-view that several other MPs have mediated similar cashgrants. Tameemi did not reveal the amounts he receivedand on how many occasions and whether they wereonly intended for husseiniyas or individuals too.

Later in the day, Tameemi issued a written statementexplaining that the cash grants were never received byhim and transferred directly to the beneficiaries. He saidthat he only mediated the payments on purely socialpurposes and not political ones. He explained that hehad helped arrange similar grants in the previousAssembly elected in Dec 2012 but dissolved in June thefollowing year, but insisted that he had never receivedthe payments personally.

Kandari said in a statement that revelations byTameemi reminded him of the so-called bank depositsscandal which involved at least 13 members of the 2009Assembly who allegedly received around KD 100 millionin political bribes from the government. As a result,Kandari said he and Adasani decided to submit thegrilling next week on two counts, the payment of cashgrants to MPs and the general policies of the govern-ment.

Continued on Page13

KUWAIT: MPs Riyadh Al-Adasani (left), Abdulkarim Al-Kandari and Hussein Quwaiaan (inset), who will file a requestto grill the prime minister next week, are seen at theNational Assembly yesterday. — Photos by Fouad Al-Shaikh

KNPC signs oil deals, tenders others

Social networks

make woman lose

custody of 4 kids

KUWAIT: Chief Executive Officer of KNPCMohammad Ghazi Al-Mutairi (left) and Chairmanand Representative Director of Japan’s JGC Corp-ledconsortium Keisuke Tkeushi shake hands during thesigning ceremony of the Clean Fuel Project contractyesterday. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat (See Page 5)

VALPARAÔSO, Chile: At least 16 people were con-firmed dead and more than 10,000 evacuated yesterdayafter a huge fire tore through Chile’s historic port city ofValparaiso, officials said. The blaze, which started innearby woods on Saturday, gutted 500 homes as a wallof flames advanced on the city of 270,000, famed for itsUNESCO-listed center. “It is a terrible tragedy, without

doubt the worst fire in the history of Valparaiso,”President Michelle Bachelet declared after arriving inthe city to oversee the emergency response to the dis-aster. “Families have not only lost their homes and theirpossessions but also their family memories,” she lament-ed during a tour of the worst-hit areas.

Continued on Page 13

16 dead in Chile inferno

VALPARAISO, Chile: Houses are engulfed in flames during a massive fire on Saturday. — AFP

RIYADH: Saudi Arabian police have arrested sixpeople and seized illegal drugs worth 1 billion riyals($267 million) that were being smuggled into thecountry from neighbouring Bahrain, the InteriorMinistry said yesterday. Spokesman Major GeneralMansour Turki said five Saudi citizens and oneBahraini had been detained in the operation afterpolice uncovered 22.6 million amphetamine pillshidden inside coils of barbed wire and rolls of plas-tic. Drug smuggling can be punished by death inthe conservative Islamic kingdom. All narcotics andalcohol are illegal in Saudi Arabia, which has ayoung population and applies sharia (strict Islamiclaw).

An investigation into the seizure of the drugsturned up a connection to an international drugsmuggling ring led by a Syrian national, Turki toldthe state news agency SPA. In 2010 Saudi Arabiareceived around 7 tonnes of Captagon tablets, oneof the most popular forms of amphetamine in theMiddle East, representing around a third of totalworld supply, according to the United NationsOffice on Drugs and Crime. Production of Captagonin Syria has soared over the past two years as aresult of the breakdown in order caused by thecountry’s civil war. — Reuters

Saudis seize

drugs worth

$267m, nab 6

MONDAY, APRIL 14, 2014 JAMADA ALTHANI 14, 1435 AH www.kuwaittimes.net

Amir ‘first

Arab leader’

honored

by UN

Ukraine in

bloody battle

to oust

gunmen

Kuwait Times

goes green,

awards winners

of art contest

Liverpool sink

City to close

on title, Chelsea

stay in touch

Outraged MPs to grill

PM over cash handouts

L O C A LMONDAY, APRIL 14, 2014

KUWAIT: The British ambassador Frank Baker hosted on Wednesday a reception to celebrate the birthday of Queen Elizabeth at the British embassy. It was attended by a large number of diplomats and other dignitaries.— Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah received at Seif Palace yesterday National Assembly SpeakerMarzouq Al-Ghanem and a number of MPs on the occasion of their returning home following official visits to Oman and Germany.

KUWAIT: Several Kuwaiti lawmakers would like tohave the option of contacting leaders of certaincountries and discuss ways to find a solution fortheir respective citizens locked up at the deporta-tion center in Kuwait.

Foreigners sentenced to deportation cannot besent home until all legal problems with people liv-ing in Kuwait are settled. Furthermore, there hasbeen incidents for people who stayed behind barsfor extended periods of time because their pass-ports could not be retrieve.

On that regard, Human rights committee mem-ber Adnan Abdulsamad accused some embassiesin Kuwait of being ‘uncooperative’ with localauthorities to guarantee speedy deportation oftheir nationals.

“[Embassies] are responsible for the crowding ofinmates we have witnessed during a tour to theCentral Prison last week,” Abdulsamad told Al-Raidaily. “They are not properly cooperating with theInterior Ministry to end deportation procedures fortheir citizens.”

To address this problem, Abdulsamad

announced that the committee studies the optionof contacting the Foreign Ministry and embassiesin Kuwait to discuss the issue. Furthermore, hementioned the idea of directly contacting leader-ships of states with nationals trapped at the depor-tation jail. “This option helps when embassies hin-der [deportation] procedures,” Abdulsamad said.He added that the committee is also open to theidea of visiting countries who has large numbers ofnationals stuck at the deportation jail and find asolution for their problem.

Abdulsamad suggested in the meantime thatsome of those problems are actually fabricated.“There are prisoners who agree with certain indi-viduals to fake a certain case when they discoverthat they will be deported in order to extend theirstay in Kuwait,” he said without providing detailsabout the possible motives behind those actions.

“We have to differentiate between real casesand those fabricated to justify staying in Kuwait,”Abdulsamad said. The lawmaker also suggestedthat Kuwait stops paying inmates’ deportationcosts.

‘Painful scenes’The committee members witnessed painful

sights during their tour at the women’s deportationcenter, including children jailed with their mothers.“We saw with our own eyes a female inmate stay-ing in a cell with her four children,” Abdulsamadstated. On the other hand, he expressed relief forthe fact that they discovered that there are only 16Kuwaiti women jailed, during their tour at theCentral Prison.

Members of the human rights committee planto go to Geneva next month in order to “viewtreaties pertaining with human rights and improverelations with international groups,” Abdulsamadsaid. On that regard, the lawmaker urged anyonewho accuses Kuwait of human rights violations topresent evidence that backs up their claims.

“We do not claim to be living in a utopia,” hesaid. “Anyone living in Kuwait and has a complaintrelated to human rights and lives in Kuwait,whether Kuwaiti or expatriate, they are encour-aged to present their complaint to the parliament’shuman rights committee.”

Panel suggests new contacts to speed up deportations

Call for cooperation from embassies

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir SheikhSabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah is thefirst Arab leader that has been given a cer-tificate of appreciation from the UnitedNations for his tremendous efforts in sup-porting humanitarian causes, the Ministerof Information said yesterday.

Sheikh Salman Sabah Salem Al-Humoud Al-Sabah, who is also Minister ofState for Youth Affairs, said in a statementthat the certificate is a testimony of thehuge efforts that His Highness the Amirput out in hosting two donors’ conferencesfor the Syrian people to alleviate their suf-fering.

His Highness’ support for humanitariancauses was not limited to the Syrians butalso was seen in other parts of the world,he pointed out.

“Philanthropic activities, regardless of

color, gender and religion, are well knownof His Highness the Amir who alwaysseeks to help others,” Sheikh Salman noted.

He added that Kuwait, under its wiseleadership, will continue offering help towhoever needs it out of the belief in theUnited Nations declaration of humanrights that calls for collective efforts inachieving global peace and security.Hence, Kuwait has hosted many regionaland international events that aimed atimproving social and living standards ofmany nations.

In a recent report by Oxfam, internationalconfederation of 17 organizations workingin approximately 90 countries worldwide tofind solutions to poverty, showed thatKuwait was among the leading countries ingiving financial support and honoring theirpledges to the Syrian refugees.— KUNA

Amir ‘first Arab leader’to be honored by UN

KUWAIT: Chairman of the International Islamic Charitable Organization (IICO) andthe UN Secretary-General’s humanitarian envoy for Kuwait Abdullah Al-Matouqpresents a certificate of appreciation to HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah from the United Nations Office for Coordination of HumanitarianAffairs (OCHA) for supporting humanitarian causes and for hosting two donors’conferences for Syria in 2013 and 2014 at Seif Palace yesterday. —KUNA

LO C A LMONDAY, APRIL 14, 2014

News

Molestation caseKUWAIT: A woman accused a teacher ofmolesting her daughter and allowing a studentto bring in liquor and distribute it to female stu-dents, including her daughter. A case was sentto Hawally prosecution, and investigations areunderway.

Kidnapped Kuwaitis’ families KUWAIT: Following coordination betweenKuwait’s foreign ministry and Turkish authori-ties and in compliance with the kidnappers’demand to negotiate only with them, the fami-lies of three citizens who were recently kid-napped in Syria arrived in Turkey to start directnegotiations with the kidnappers, saidinformed sources. The sources added that thekidnappers had demanded a €250,000 ransomper person and a secure way to deliver it. Thesources also stressed that negotiations were inprogress and that the crisis might be resolvedin the coming few days.

KAC financial planKUWAIT: Chairwoman and Managing Directorof Kuwait Airways Rasha Al-Roumi expected theInternational Air Transport Association (IATA) toinclude some data required for the financialplan that Ernst and Young asked to extend toseven years instead of five. Ernst and Young isexpected to submit its final report to re-evalu-ate KAC assets one month after receiving theIATA plan. Roumi said the financial data andclosing account for 2013 are ready and will bereviewed within the coming days. Roumi saidKuwait Airways is still studying how to financethe deal of renewing its fleet, adding that thereis no clear plan so far to meet the commitmentsfor the purchase and lease contracts.

Naturalization lists KUWAIT: A security source said the CentralAgency for Remedying Illegal Residents’ Statussaid 1,400 bedoons, most of them who work inthe military, have no hope to include theirnames in naturalization lists after they correct-ed their status. They then said their passportsare forged, while it was proven that the pass-ports are genuine. The source said that thosewho presented genuine passports were told tocorrect their children’s status within 90 days.

Sharia-compliant branches KUWAIT: The Central Bank is currently consid-ering how to respond to requests made bysome local banks to shift to Islamic banking,said official sources, noting that in a bid toachieve balance between conventional andIslamic banking and avoid imbalanced compe-tition in local banking, the Central Bank consid-ers activating article 87 of law 32/1968 pertain-ing currency, the Central Bank and banking,which states that “Kuwaiti banks - with theapproval of the Central Bank - may establishsubsidiary companies to conduct activities ofIslamic banks in accordance with sharia princi-ples and the provisions of this law. Each Kuwaitibank may not establish more than one compa-ny with only one premises, and the capital ofthe company shall not be less than KD 15 mil-lion.”

in brief

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KUWAIT: First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabahreceived yesterday credentials of Burkina Faso Ambassador to Kuwait. The ceremony was attended byUndersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Khaled Al-Jarallah, the Chairman of the Office of theDeputy Premier and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sheikh Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah, and the Chairman of the Protocols department, Ambassador Dhari Ajran Al-Ajran.

KUWAIT: Though proposalsmade by five MPs to amend theCapital Market Authority (CMA)law ostensibly intends to devel-op its role, the true nature ofsuch amendments wil l surelyend up declaring the death ofthe country’s first independentmonitoring apparatus, especial-ly s ince the MPs managed,through the par l iament , tochange CMA into a governmentdepar tment doing the sametasks the bourse administrationused to do before law 7/2010was issued to free governmentbodies of many restrictions andimpediments. Informed sourcesnoted that the suggested

amendments would give thegovernment more control over atechnical apparatus that wasmeant to organize capital mar-kets.

The sources added that notechnical monitoring apparatuscan function freely if all the cru-cial decisions it makes needs theapproval of a minister, who is apolitician whose work is usuallycontrolled by political balancingthat will often affect his deci-sions. They added that this wassolved by law 7/2010 which onlyentitles the minister to super-vise and grant judicial powers toa number of technocrats form-ing CMA’s commissioners’ coun-

ci l . Fol lowed by the AntiCorruption Authority law num-ber 24/2012 which grants thejust ice minister the r ight ofsupervision, the CMA law willlose much of its credibility andtransparency unless it acts inde-pendently. Therefore, i f thesupervising minister is grantedmore authorities, as suggestedby the amendments, the appara-tus will lose credibility becausemany influential VIPs includingsome lawmakers who own manycompanies themselves whileothers who are board membersin companies subjected to CMA’ssupervision will then interfere inits affairs and operations.

CMA amendments hasten death

of state monitoring apparatus

By Ben Garcia

KUWAIT: A Kuwaiti economist yesterdaypooh-poohed suggestions by MPs toeliminate subsides from expats to avoidan expected budget deficit in 2021. MPJamal Al-Omar has suggested thatremoving subsidies from goods andservices such as energy and fuel couldhelp the state save some KD 7 billion.However, economist Hajjaj Abu Khudoorsaid the proposal is weak and is floatedby some politicians to please their con-stituencies. “They do not want to antago-nize their voters, so they can only targetexpatriates because they cannot vote.The proposal is nothing but a parade ofweak propaganda arguments,” AbuKhudoor noted.

Some MPs also suggested that sincethe impending budget deficit is unavoid-able, the government has to cut subsi-dies on services sooner rather than later.“The government has always been mov-ing in the wrong direction. People whoare proposing cutting subsidies forexpats are talking nonsense. They justtarget expatriates and cannot suggestbeneficial proposals for everyone,” hesaid.

Abu Khudoor urged MPs to proposesolid proposals to address the country’sproblems. “Bills and laws should be forthe greater good of everyone, not just forsome. They cannot deliver developmentwithout focus,” he asserted. “The countryneeds to focus on the real problem, tomake a plan, strategize and come up

with the proper laws to overcome anydeficit. If they want our country to begreat economically, they should protectinvestments and invest in the country’sdevelopment and our country’s future,”he mentioned. “The government has aplan, but it never materialized becausethey have been busy politicking,” he said.

Other MPs also proposed to cut elec-tricity and water subsidies for expats,which was rubbished by Abu Khudoor.“Some expats for example are crammed15 to a room, and most of the day theyare outside for work,” he argued, recom-mending amending building specifica-tions in order to cut electricity and waterconsumption.

A Kuwaiti banker said expatriates willnot stay in Kuwait for more than a year if

subsidies are removed, especially sincemost expats make less than KD 250 amonth. “The government should reallystudy the proposal properly. Expats areworking for the betterment of their fami-lies, and if they feel they are not gettingwhat they want financially, they’ll lookfor greener pastures. The move will sure-ly have a domino effect on us Kuwaitistoo. The price of basic services andnecessities in Kuwait will increase, foodprices will rise and rents will skyrocket.Expats will no longer stay here for years -they’ll leave us, and business will bedoomed,” he warned.

MPs want to cut subsidies for expatsto provide Kuwaitis with additional finan-cial allocations, like increased childrenand rent allowances.

Proposal to cut subsidies

for expats ‘a propaganda’

Attempt to please constituencies

KUWAIT: Health Ministry Assistant Undersecretary for Medicine and Medical Equipment Omar Al-Sayyed Omar and other officials at the inaugural session of theSecond Palliative Care Center.

Kuwait has world’s largest palliative care center

KUWAIT: Minister of Health Ali Al-Obaidisaid Kuwait’s Palliative Care Center (PCC)is the largest of its kind in the world.

“The PCC was inaugurated three yearsago and has 92 beds,” Al-Obaidi said inspeech read out on his behalf by theMinistry Assistant Undersecretary forMedicine and Medical Equipment OmarAl-Sayyed Omar yesterday at the inaugu-ral session of the Second Palliative CareCenter.

He pointed out that having thebiggest palliative care center reflects thestate’s efforts to offer the best care forpeople with serious illness.

Al-Obaidi expressed hope the PCC

would turn into a regional center pallia-tive care service and education. A train-ing center was attached by the PCC totrain new local and regional cadres, headded. Palliative care is specialized med-ical care that focuses on providingpatients with relief from the symptoms,pain and stress of a serious illness. Thegoal is to improve quality of life for boththe patient and the family as they are thecentral system for care.

For his part, Head of Kuwait’s PalliativeCare Association Khalid Al-Saleh said thatabout 300 patients need palliative careevery year in Kuwait.

Al-Saleh stated that the PCC has pro-

vided care for 219 patients since its offi-cial operation in December 2010. Thecenter’s outpatient clinics have received167 patients so far.

Over 18 foreign and local experts arecontributing to the Second PalliativeCare Conference.

The three-day event, entitled“Palliative Care ... Prospective View,” isorganized by Kuwait’s Palliative CareCenter under the sponsorship of theHealth Ministry.

Head of the Palliative Team Dr KhalidAl-Saleh said that the purpose of theconference is to provide a forum forupdate information on a broad range of

topics covering palliative medicine, itstherapies, current guidelines and clinicalresearch, as well as fundamental back-ground studies.

The conference will be attended byphysicians, pharmacists, nurses, psychol-ogists, social workers, dietitians, physio-therapists, other health care profession-als and interested parties from Kuwait,World Health Organization and the ArabGroup for Palliative Care.

It will enable the exchange of ideasand knowledge between the differentdisciplines to facilitate research and clini-cal interdisciplinary collaborations onpalliative management. —KUNA

KUWAIT: Naseem Co-op’s boardchairman, Aziz AL-Enezi saidthat the item removed fromshelves from the co-op’s super-markets was paper masks man-ufactured in China by a compa-ny owned by an Israeli . Headded that the product hadbeen imported following stan-dards import procedures andthat the importing companyhad all MOH and customs paperwork properly done. “In additionto other products manufacturedby the same company, this itemis found in many co-ops andother shops and nobody knowsthat the manufacturing compa-ny owner is an Israeli”,heexplained noting that takinginto consideration that Kuwaitdoes not have normal relationswith ‘the so-called’ Israel, the

item was immediately removedfrom shelves and the employeeresponsible for receiving goodswas referred to investigation.

“How can one know thenationality of a company ownerwhen this is not mentioned incustoms documents?”, heexclaimed noting that this man-ufacturing company had beenexporting to Kuwait for years.He added that as soon as thecoop administration learntabout the matter, the companyagent was asked to remove theproducts and that, using specialconnections, it double checkedthe company profile.

Notably, commerce ministryinspectors had received a citi-zen’s complaint about selling anIsraeli product at Naseem co-opand confiscated it.

Naseem Co-op

removes

‘Israeli item’

KUWAIT: The Interior Ministry’s assistant undersecretary for trafficaffairs honored an officer and two non-commissioned officers fromthe traffic sector. He thanked them for their efforts in handling 34drugs cases, and urged them to continue their efforts to safeguard thestability and security of the country.— Photo by Hanan Al-Saadoun

L O C A LMONDAY, APRIL 14, 2014

I was small like youbefore.. But after

winning the elections, I became a bloc!!

At the center of the country, it’s difficult to find abottle of water to buy while you can effortlesslypurchase a firearm. UN aid worker Khalid Abdu

told The Media Line that during a recent visit to SawadiaDistrict of the central Province of Baydha, he found mostof the shops were closed except for those selling firearms.He later learned there were tribal feuds taking place inthe area. “Owners here usually close their shops beforesunset, because they are afraid of being an easy target oftribal violence,” he said.

Yemen is widely cited as among the most heavilyarmed societies on earth with claims of 50-60 millionsmall arms and light weapons in circulation among 23million people. A national survey of small arms ownershipin Yemen, found that 61 per cent of respondents reportedweapons in their household - roughly one weapon forevery two civilians, according to a report by YemenArmed Violence Assessment (YAVA), an independentresearch project designed with the support of theGraduate Institute of International and DevelopmentStudies in Geneva and the UK Conflict Prevention Pool inMay, 2010.

Armed violence in Yemen is shaped by a number offactors, including weapons availability, proliferation andtrade among tribesmen on top of weak governance and atenuous security situation. Speaking to The Media Line, atop Yemeni official in the Interior Ministry in the capitalSana’a expressed concerns over the proliferation ofweapons in the country. “As long as weapons are availablein several areas, armed conflicts will continue,” Colonel AliMohammed said, indicating that “the state’s grip is veryweak particularly in the tribal areas where firearms arebeing openly carried and traded.”

The law in Yemen establishes the right to own firearms(‘rifles, machine guns, revolvers, and hunting rifles’) forthe purpose of ‘legitimate defense’. Weapons license hold-ers, who must be at least 18 years old, are only permittedto carry one licensed weapon at any one time. Carrying -i.e. possessing - arms in cities is regulated by another law,which introduces a licensing system for all urban dwellersother than a list of stated exceptions.

Known as ‘the peace maker’, Abdul-Rahman Al-Maroani chief of Dar al-Salam Organization (House of

Peace) told The Media Line that arms use will never besettled unless there is a serious political leadership thatcan impose an iron grip on weapons availability and pro-liferation. According to Maroani, there are many influen-tial figures with licenses that allow them to possess armsas “they are being granted licenses due to political loyal-ties.” “Unfortunately there is no cooperation among secu-rity authorities to conduct the crackdowns effectively atthe present time,” he told The Media Line. In the capitalSanaa, security campaigns to prevent weapons carryinghave been repeatedly launched, although they havefailed to stop the practice. Back in 2008, Yemeni securityseized 204,897 weapons across the country. The followingyear 230 shops selling weapons were shut down, while270 dealers were arrested according to a security reportreleased by the Interior Ministry.

Earlier this month, a security report shows that 76,652weapons were seized (69,255 pistols, 7378 rifles and 19machine guns) in addition to 533 explosives in 2013.These weapon seizures indicate that smuggling ofweapons still occurs frequently, the Undersecretary ofInterior Ministry for security affairs Brigadier Gen. Abdul-Rahman Hanash said in a recent press statement. YasserHassan Mohammed Owdh, a firearms client, told TheMedia Line that security agencies in the capital Sana’acurrently appeared to be implementing a new approachto track down arms procurers. “Intelligence officers havebeen deployed in weaponry markets and they report thelicense plates of the procurers’ cars to nearby army posts,who can then stop them and confiscate the weapons.”

While weaponry marketplaces are still active in highlytribal areas across Yemen including the Jehana ArmsMarket, some 50 miles south of the capital, arms tradingalso seems to find its way to the ‘virtual market’. AFacebook page, called Arms Price Index in Yemen, hasalready more than 36,000 followers. Military expert SamirAl-Haj attributed arms carrying and ownership to resist-ance of some centers of power which used to use forceand escorted by armed convoys. “At present the politicalleadership is determined to end arms manifestations.Insecurity existed long ago but it cropped up againrecently due to presence of new leaders in authority,” Hajsaid. —Media Line

Weapons still rife in Yemenin my view

By Iscander Al-Mamari

According to a recent report, Kuwait Universityinformed a number of expatriate workers thatthey were relieved of their duties as per the

instructions of the Civil Service Commission. The deci-sion, whose objective is to appoint Kuwaiti employeesin their place, went into effect despite attempts fromthe Ministry of Education to postpone it.

I am not a supporter of the ‘Kuwaitization’ policy, tobe honest. But if it has to be done, the most importantthing before Kuwait University or any state departmentmakes the decision to replace expatriate employeeswith Kuwaiti workers is to first make sure that thosenationals are qualified for the jobs they are handling.

The reality says however that Kuwaitis are themajority when it comes to taking sick leaves and malin-gering, compared to hardworking expatriates. Not tomention work efficiency. It is not a secret that work atall state departments is done by expatriates with somecontributions from a few Kuwaitis! This is the truth. If

the state goes ahead with the Kuwaitization policy,then we can expect a big catastrophe as long as theKuwaiti employee continues to be ‘spoiled’ instead ofbeing prepared properly to become a productive work-er.

The government is required today to figure outwhat it needs, which is something that I doubt itknows. The government wants to solve the problem ofunemployment at the expense of work efficiency, andthat’s a disaster. The government makes decisionswithout work plans, and the result is the chaos that thestate has been going through for years.

When the government decides to replace expatriateswith Kuwaiti employees, it should first select those whoare best qualified for the job, instead of cramming themhere and there. Kuwait without expatriates will be goingthrough a dark tunnel. Not only because they are morequalified than us, but also because we are worse thanthem! —Translated by Kuwait Times from Al-Qabas

Kuwaitization, work efficiencykuwait digest

By Osama Safar

I previously wrote about this subject, hoping tofind someone who has the enthusiasm to dosomething, but there was no response. I wrote

about the capital that does not have any beauty, andis not different from the capitals of poor countries. Itis known that a capital has main landmarks and sov-ereign ministries, and if it appears beautiful, this indi-cates that the county enjoys a civilized depth and ahistoric extension that makes those who love itproud.

It is known around the world that countries carefor the beauty of their buildings and the goodarrangement of streets, coordination of colors andthe grandeur of facilities, except in Kuwait. It is closerto ugliness than beauty despite the huge budgetsallocated for these facilities. Look at the new CentralBank building, which looks that it may fall anytime. Ibelieve that the engineer who designed it was influ-enced by the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy, and want-ed to make a Kuwaiti wonder out of the bank. Even

the heritage and old buildings that remained stand-ing are being shielded, such as Al-Seif Palace, whichhas a huge concrete monument in front of it that cov-ers its historical features.

If we look at the new buildings that were built bythe private sector, they do not have beautiful andcoordinated architecture, as they have become scat-tered islands here and there without any connectionand all lack car parking. As for the rundown old build-ings, it is a different story that speaks of the tragedyof a country that does not know maintenance and didnot hear about it, and does not have laws that commitits owners to repair or demolish structures to agreewith international standards of modern capitals.

I will not talk to you about Europe and its beautifulold buildings, museums and churches, and how cor-rect planning and maintenance kept the beauty ofthose buildings, but visit nearby Gulf capitals andlearn from them planning, architecture and cleanli-ness. —Translated by Kuwait Times from Al-Qabas

Capital that was hijacked by negligence

kuwait digest

By Saleh Al-Ateeqi

Al-A

nbaa

By Labeed Abdal

local@kuwaittimes.net

Democracy in Afghanistan

The success of the presidential elections inAfghanistan to elect a successor for Hamid Karzai,which happened despite the Taleban’s threats, bad

weather and long lines of voters, reflects a positivedevelopment in the security scene and a popular suc-cess in seeking stability. Despite attacks that targetedthe election process and which left many casualties,Afghan voters insisted to move forward in order toachieve change for a better future.

Security problems and foreign ambitions should notstop Afghanistan from achieving the ambitions of itspeople for democracy after 12 years of insurgencies andwars. The fact that seven million out of 12 million voterstook part in the elections reflects the people’s determi-nation to restore their country’s freedom. It is also a truesuccess for democracy.

Afghanistan is now expecting an important posi-tive role from the United Nations and many friendlycountries in order to achieve prosperity and significantchange from the time of unrest, foreign interventionsand different shapes of the abhorred terrorism andirresponsible radicalism.

In my view

As a hot desert wind blew through a Bedouin-styletent near the West Bank town of Jericho, some 20Israelis and Palestinians sat down to try to make

peace. Among them were ex-generals, educators and evena few students, they say they hope to put pressure on theirleaders to move toward a peace agreement. “The missingcomponent in almost every peace making initiative is theinvolvement of the people. Without the people it won’twork,” Dr Sapir Handelman, one of the conference organiz-ers told The Media Line. “The mission of Minds of Peace isto create a major Israeli-Palestinian public negotiating con-gress with political power. The purpose is to involve thepeople in the process and to press the leadership to reachagreements.”

He said his organization, Minds of Peace, has sponsoredsome 25 similar meetings as this one, each time coming upwith a document calling for a “two-state solution” meaningan independent Palestinian state next to Israel based moreor less on the 1967 borders. Each group comes up with adifferent document. This conference got off to a somewhatrocky start with an argument between one of the Israeliparticipants and one of the Palestinian delegates, both for-mer senior security officers and both yelling in fluentArabic, over how the state of Israel was created. The otherIsraeli delegates kept interrupting, asking for a translationinto Hebrew.

“It was built with the sweat and blood of my father andmy grandfather,” Amos Avidov, the Israeli insisted. “Nottrue,” retorted Palestinian Issa Abu Ram, a former general inthe Palestinian security services. “If the British and the restof the world didn’t help you, you wouldn’t have had astate.”

Organizer Handelman tried to calm the men, urgingboth “not to focus on past history but to try to move for-ward.” Avidov, who would not give details about his securi-ty past, said he was not surprised by the Palestinian reac-tion. “I speak Arabic so I know they see it differently from

us,” he told The Media Line. “But I was injured in fighting (inLebanon) and many members of my family were killedhere, and so I see it differently.”

Avidov says he was attracted to Minds of Peace, whichsponsors the meetings after becoming convinced thatthere is no military solution to the Israeli-Palestinian con-flict. “For many years I tried the other solution - to keepIsrael secure and to do everything for that purpose,” hesaid. “In the last years I understood we have to look foranother way.”

Palestinian former general Issa Abu Ram seemed morefocused on the traditional Palestinian narrative that blamesthe Israeli occupation. “We think the Israeli governmentdoesn’t want peace, and that Jewish settlements in theWest Bank is the biggest obstacle,” Abu Ram told TheMedia Line. “But we hope that the Israeli public wantspeace. Right now there is no trust between the people.”

One of the most colorful delegates was Col. (Ret) Ze’evRaz, the leader of Israel’s bombing raid on the Osiraknuclear reactor in Iraq in 1981. He currently works for ELTA,a subsidiary of Israel Aircraft Industries. “We learned fromIreland and South Africa that negotiations must be notonly on the political level but on the personal level,” he toldThe Media Line. “So we meet Palestinians and we talkabout all of the issues, including borders, Jerusalem andrefugees.”

He said he is not optimistic that a solution to the con-flict will come soon. Yet he said there is a precedent. “If youhad asked many Israelis a few days before (slain EgyptianPresident) Anwar Sadat arrived in Israel in 1977 they wouldhave told you about how important the Sinai Peninsula isto Israel’s security,” he told The Media Line. “After Sadatspoke in the Knesset, many people saw it differently. I thinkthat if a breakthrough is achieved, people will change theirminds in a matter of seconds.” —Media Line

People to peoplediplomacy

in my view

By Linda Gradstein

MP Hamdan Al-Azmi, chairman of the so-called negative phenomena committee,called the government to raid apartments

that ‘shelter’ homosexuals or provide a place wherethey can ‘commit sins’, according to his statements.He further indicated that ‘men who are imitatingwomen’ must return back to their ‘senses’ and leavethe life of ‘humiliation’, or else must be punishedstrictly by law.

But at the same time, he asked the government toprovide medical and psychological treatment forthose who suffer physiological and psychologicalissues (it is clear that he just mentioned words thathe does not understand the exact meaning of ) sothat they can become ‘good individuals’ again to beintegrated with the society. Azmi also demanded thedeportation of homosexual expatriates immediately,especially since our society “which is virtuous by tra-dition”, according to his statements, finds those prac-tices unacceptable.

It seems however that the MP has forgotten thefact that our society ‘which is virtuous by tradition’contains around 10,000 families who lied in officialrecords and forged medical certificates to claim thatone of their children was handicapped, only so thatthey can obtain financial aid from the governmentfor many years. Not mentioning the thousands offugitives and thousands of others serving time in jail.

The funny part about the MP’s demands is that hefocused, or tried to encourage, the Interior Ministryto take action against ‘men who imitate women’,while failing to mention women who are imitatingmen. I am not sure whether that was intentional ornot. What the lawmaker does not know is that medi-cine has already decided that there is no easy andquick solution to end homosexuals’ suffering. On theother hand, it describes them as human beings, andthat many of them would like to live their lives nor-mally like other people, but that decision is not intheir hands.

Besides, the presence of homosexuals in any soci-ety is not something new, but has been linked withthe beginning of humanity’s existence on earth.Homosexuality is the result of hormonal imbalancesthat drives the person, whether male or female, tobecome attracted to people of the same sex. Theissue also expands beyond sexual orientation, andincludes biological features that are a natural resultof any production process that cannot be easilystopped or controlled.

Therefore, societies must accept them becausethey cannot deny their presence. Societies must pro-vide medical and psychological care for them,instead of persecuting them like many religiousinterpretations call for. It should be noted that thereligious script does not take a specific and clearstance on them, therefore denying their presence,restricting their freedom or ‘punishing’ them will notwork. —Translated by Kuwait Times from Al-Qabas

Problem of homosexuals

kuwait digest

By Ahmad Al-Sarraf

By Abdullah Buwair

local@kuwaittimes.net

A letter to the ministry

No one can deny the not-so-great efforts of theMinistry of Public Works (MPW), which can be seeneverywhere around Kuwait.

We all heard about the story of ‘flying gravel’ thatappeared a few months ago, when cars became damaged bysmall stones created by the breakdown of asphalt at severalstreets around the country.

Stones travelling at the speed of a bullet damaged wind-shields and the exterior for hundreds of cars around thecountry. The reason was clear carelessness from the MPWwhich failed to supervise the works of the company that wasawarded with tenders for road maintenance. The ministry hasclearly failed to ensure that the projects were done correctlyafter they were finished.

Some streets consisting of two lanes have suffered dam-age at only one lane. You find as you drive along the roadthat one lane is ok, while the other is almost 90 percentworn-out. Many drivers fell victim to similar roads, with dam-ages sustained to the tires, front bumpers and other parts oftheir vehicles.

How many times have you seen an exposed manhole at astreet in Kuwait? Not only does that leave an uncivilizedscene, but it also increases the risk of accidents especiallywhen sticks or other materials are placed inside them. Ofcourse, the manhole covers did not suddenly disappear, butwere stolen by thieves who take the ministry’s carelessness totheir advantage.

Unmarked road bumps is another story. Many times whileyou are driving around Kuwait, you might encounter a bumpplaced in the middle of the road without having any mark-ings or road signs to warn drivers beforehand.

Who put those bumps? Couldn’t the ministry at least havepainted some colors on them, or given any kind of indicationthat they exist?!

Another thing are garbage trucks, which are in no waysimilar to the ones that used to be seen on Kuwait’s streetsbefore 1990. Nowadays, you find cardboard boxes filled withempty soda cans, others filled with newspapers and maga-zines, in addition to empty cardboards stuffed in the back ofthe truck. Not only that, but you could sometimes noticeelectric home appliances, and God knows maybe those werestolen.

Meanwhile, it is strange to see the sight of cleaning work-ers opening garbage bags outside houses, scattering theitems they contain before dumping them in the truck. What ifthose bags contained private belongings for residents, espe-cially women, living inside the house? Is it ok to have people’sitems exposed to the public after they dispose them?

In my view

Organizer Handelmantried to calm the men,

urging both “not to focuson past history but to try

to move forward.”

L O C A LMONDAY, APRIL 14, 2014

KUWAIT: Construction of the building that will house MPs’offices will be completed in eight months, said NationalAssembly’s Secretary General Allam Al-Kanderi yesterday.Al-Kanderi said the National Assembly received the newbuilding, officially, from the Ministry of Public Works twoweeks ago, thus the Parliament would take charge of theunfinished work in six to eight months.

A committee, grouping the Secretary, MP Yaaqoub Al-Sanea, Chairman of the Financial and Economic CommitteeMP Faisal Al-Shayea and the secretary general of the engi-neering, technical and legal department, was formed to fol-low up on the remaining work.

The National Assembly has been responsible for theventure since the moment it had taken up the responsibil-

ity from the ministry, he said, indicating “some mattersrelated to the project have been referred to the courtsdue to failure to deliver as scheduled.”

On upgrading the NA Secretariat-General, Al-Kanderisaid Parliament Speaker Marzouq Ali Al-Ghanim had pro-posed a plan due to be effective in three months.

The Secretariat General has set specifications of theproject and contacted 13 local and foreign companies, hesaid, indicating that it would deal with employee’s annualassessment, job description, organization’s structure,training courses and other matters. A meeting with thesecompanies would be held later this week.

These companies will present their studies and viewsin two weeks to a special parliamentary commission to

assess the offers and take further measures with the win-ning companies.

The projects aim to enhance personnel’s performance,provide incentives, he said, noting that employees withhigh payments must put out effort that matches the highsalaries.

Al-Kanderi confirmed that the NA delegation during itsvisit to Germany agreed with the German side to aid theKuwaiti Parliament in training of personnel and someadministrative issues.

The NA Secretariat-General, since last year, has dis-patched translators to parliaments abroad to sharpen theirskills and develop their tasks.

Meanwhile, around 12,800 housing units would be dis-

tributed this year and next year, in an attempt to solve thehousing problem in the country, head of the HousingCommittee at the Parliament MP Faisal Al-Kanderiannounced yesterday.

Al-Kanderi told the press that this figure would be dou-bled once an anticipated regulation was approved.

Minister of State for Housing Affairs Yasser Abul willmeet the committee next week to present a comprehen-sive outlook on solving the persistent housing problem inthe country, he added.

On electricity, new residential areas will be sup-plied with electricity once phase one of increas-ing the capacity of Al-Zour power plant is com-pleted. —KUNA

Construction of MPs’ building to be completed this year12,800 new housing units

KUWAIT: Executive manager of Kuwait National PetroleumCorporation Mohammad Ghazi Al-Mutair said yesterdaythe environmentally friendly fuel project envisages bring-ing capacity of Mina Abdullah and Mina Al-Ahmadi refiner-ies to 800,000 barrels per day.

Al-Mutair, speaking at a news conference, the companyheld today on occasion of signing environmentally friendlyfuels’ contracts, that once the venture is exeucted, MinaAbdullah will put out some 450,000 bpd and the otherrefinery, some 350,000 bpd.

Mina Al-Ahmadi’s current output capacity execeeds400,000 bpd, but it will drop by 120,000 bpd due to closureof one of the units.

Regarding issue of chalets located close to the venture,he indicated that the matter was being debated at the gov-ernmental level.

The deputy executive chief of Mina Abdullah, AhmadAl-Jimaz, said the project revenues would reached 12.6percent, noting that noticeable interest on part of for-eign companies in the venture indicated that it wouldlead to “a positive leap in the Kuwaiti oil industries name-

ly the refining sector.”State-of-art technology will be installed as part of the

venture, he said, indicating that designing will last for ayear and a half, pending purchase of equipment.

Meanwhile, Hatem Al-Awadhi, the deputy executivemanager for projects, indicated that the local banks wouldsecure financial insurance for the venture.

Number of workers in the project is forecast at 1,245Kuwaitis, including 590 newly-graduated citizens, 300would be transferred from Al-Shuaiba refinery after clo-sure, 100 from the current project and 255 non-Kuwaitis.He put number of temporary laborers at 30,000-40,000.

Abdullah Fahad Al-Ajmi, the manager of the KNPC envi-ronmentally friendly fuel project, said six contracts worthKD 3.4 billion had been signed, in addition to previousones, valued at KD 150 million, as well as a consultancyaccord, worth KD 142 million.

He expected that the project cost would be lower thanthe earmarked sum, KD 4.6 billion, by KD 300 million.

A meeting will be held with contractors tomorrow todevise the project schedule. —KUNA

Prof Castro visitsDasman Diabetes

InstituteKUWAIT: Prof Fidel Castro Diaz-Balart, son of President ofthe Republic of Cuba, visited Dasman Diabetes Institute onTuesday, where he was received by Dr Kazem Behbehani,Director-General of the Institute.

Prof. Castro visited Dasman Diabetes Institute to discusspotential collaboration in the field of medicine, researchand sciences between Cuban universities and researchinstitutions and Dasman Diabetes Institute.

Prof Castro is serving as a scientific advisor to theCouncil of State of Cuba and his research interests includeseveral areas, such as nuclear physics, energy technologyand its relation with environmental sciences and policies ofscientific innovation and knowledge management.

Prof Castro visited digfferent sections of the Instituteand was briefed about the role, activities, research andprogress that the Institute has achieved.

Dr. Kazem Behbehani with Castro

Clean fuel project to increase refineries’ capacity

KUWAIT: Officials attending the signing of clean fuels’ contracts yesterday. —Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

KUWAIT: The Kuwait Dive Team removed a navigational buoy near the easterncoast of the Failaka island. Team leader Waleed Al-Fadhel said that the threeton buoy drift away from the Iraqi shores before it settled near the Kuwaitiisland. The team worked with the Failaka Fire Station to remove the buoy thatpoised risk on the safety of sailors around the island, Al-Fadhel said.

KUWAIT: Back up Commander of the National Security Brig Faleh Shujaa attended the graduation of the “Storing weapons andammunition for units” course at the supplies directorate. The course included scientific material on the types of weapons andammunition, their categorization and correct ways of storage.

L O C A LMONDAY, APRIL 14, 2014

KUWAIT: A man was killed in a landmine explo-sion in the desert north of the country. Policeand paramedics headed to a location in Al-Khabari near Al-Qashaniya where a man report-ed that a shepherd who worked for him wasinvolved in a landmine explosion. Criminal inves-tigators were called after it was discovered thatthe 35-year-old Sudanese man died in the blast.Preliminary investigations indicate that the manwas grazing sheep when he likely stepped acci-dently on a landline buried in the desert duringthe 1990/91 Iraqi invasion. The body was takento the forensic department, and an investigationwas opened to determine the circumstances ofthe incident.

Suicide attemptFarwaniya police are investigating a case

involving a man believed to have jumped fromhis third-floor apartment after stabbing his wifeduring a domestic dispute. Police and para-medics headed to a building in the area inresponse to an emergency call reporting that a

man fell from the window of a third-floor apart-ment. Preliminary investigations revealed thatthe Nepalese national jumped, likely in a suicideattempt, after he stabbed his wife with a kitchenknife. The couple was taken to FarwaniyaHospital where their conditions were laterdescribed as stable. Police are waiting for themto be discharged from the hospital in order to betaken for questioning.

Mental statusA domestic worker was transferred to the

Psychological Medicine Hospital to have hermental status evaluated after behaving ‘abnor-mally’ in public. Police arrested the woman on astreet in Riggae following emergency callsreporting that she was behaving erratically inpublic. They were able to identify her and heremployer. They summoned her employer aftershe resumed her weird behavior soon after sheentered the police station, as she attempted totake off her clothes according to a securitysource. The sponsor told police that he had tak-

en his maid to the Mubarak Hospital after shestopped eating. Investigations revealed that thewoman managed to escape from the hospital,and that the doctor supervising her was waitingfor a mandatory 24-hour period to end beforehe could report her missing.

Man stabs coworkerA man filed a case against his coworker who

he said attempted to murder him in a housewhere they are employed as domestic workers.The man told officers at the Shamiya police sta-tion that the suspect tried to hit him with acleaver but he used his hand to protect himself,which left him with a severed finger and severalwounds. The 44-year-old Indian man arrived atthe police station bleeding and gave his testi-mony while waiting for an ambulance to takehim to Amiri Hospital. The man works as a cookin the same house where the alleged perpetra-tor works as a driver, according to his state-ments. Police are looking to summon the sus-pect for questioning.

Sudanese shepherd killed

in landmine explosion

Couple hospitalized after fight

KUWAIT: Microsoft Kuwait, in collaborationwith the Women’s Cultural and Social Society(WCSS), has launched “Aspire Woman”, an initia-tive designed to empower women entrepre-neurs. It aims to provide women entrepreneurswith the skills and techniques that will enablethem to fully realise their economic potential,and that will allow them to benefit from net-working and mentoring relationships that fos-ter business success.

Aspire Women is based on four main pillars: l Encourage young women leaders in the

technology industry l Foster the growth of women entrepreneursl Increase the employability of young women

graduatesl Increase the participation of young women in

the communityMicrosoft and WCSS will host a women’s

empowerment event under the title ‘AspireWoman: The Power Within’, and will be attended

by women from across age groups. A number ofyoung, successful Kuwaiti women entrepre-neurs: Hassa Al-Humaidi, Sarah Al-Nafisi, MonaMkhzim, Nouf Hussain, and Bodoor Al-Qassar,from various sectors will be panellists. They willshare experiences about their entrepreneurialjourney and the obstacles they overcame, andgive advice to aspiring entrepreneurs. A presen-tation will be conducted by Fares Al-Enezi Smalland Medium Businesses Manager - Manpowerand Government Restructuring Program, whichwill include advice on how to start a business.

The Microsoft presentation will be about howIT can help a business flourish, with a session onOffice 365, and also speak about the ‘AspireWoman’ initiative and other Microsoft pro-grammes such as Bizspark, which provides tech-nology, support, visibility, and a community topromising start-ups and entrepreneurs at nocharge.

Commenting on the initiative, Charles Nahas,Microsoft Kuwait General Manager, said: “At

Microsoft, we are committed to fostering a cul-ture of Entrepreneurship and encouragingfemale talent within the IT and Business indus-try. Out technology innovation such as Cloudand Devices provides entrepreneurs with thetools they need to gain competitive edge and asa result, develop their business. We are seeing asurge in entrepreneurship in Kuwait and I amvery excited by what the Aspire Women pro-gram has to offer this growing platform, byinspiring young female entrepreneurs who canpositively impact the Kuwaiti economy.”

“This is a very important step for women, andwe thank Microsoft for their initiative aimed atsupporting and empowering young womenacross the Arab World, and helping them realisetheir full potential through training, mentoringand the creation of a women’s network toreduce the gender gap” said Lulwa Saleh AlMulla, Chairperson of the Board and Head ofSocial Programmes, from Kuwait’s Women’sCultural and Social Society.

Microsoft initiative to inspire

women entrepreneurship

KUWAIT: The 39th GSM Arab World annualevent’s sessions is taking place today inKuwait at the Sheraton Hotel. The event,which is hosted by Wataniya Telecom,member of Ooredoo group, is set to bringtogether leading representatives fromacross the telecom industry to discuss thefuture of mobile services in the Middle Eastand North Africa (MENA).

The event will witness the attendance ofmore than 20 Telecom Operators andVendors from the Arab World. The GSMAWwill provide valuable insight into how tele-coms organizations can react and adapt tothe future challenges and opportunitiesthis changing market will carry along theway.

The event is an excellent opportunity for

operators to meet with each other and withour partners from the Arab world, sheddinglight upon the new horizons, the latestdevelopments as well as the recent chal-lenges in the dynamic world of telecom-munications.

The GSMAW is one of the GSMAssociation’s six Regional Interest Groups(RIGs) in which the mobile industry canaddress issues relevant to particular geog-raphies.

Some of the key focuses at GSM ArabWorld will be the LTE Roaming, the regula-tory landscape in the Arab States as well asidentifying opportunities for social andeconomic impact and stimulate the devel-opment of scalable, life-enhancing mobileservices like mHealth and mMoney.

Kuwait hosts GSM Arab World

KUWAIT: The National Council for Culture,Arts and Letters is set to sponsor theKuwait Travel World Expo which takes placefrom April 28 to 30, General Secretary AliAl-Youha announced.

The decision reflects the NCCAL’s com-mitment to sponsoring activities thatboosts the society’s culture and give a com-prehensive image for Kuwait’s cultural her-itage, Al-Youha said in a statement yester-day.

“The Kuwait Travel World Expo is a greatopportunity to convey the Kuwaiti cultureto the world due to the large attendancethat it is expecting from embassies andcompanies worldwide,” Al-Youha said.

Various publications and brochures con-taining the yearly scheduled for culturalactivities will be available at the NCCAL’spavilion. The NCCAL also plans ‘entertain-ing, cultural activities’ during the three-dayevent, Al-Youha added.

NCCAL sponsors Kuwait

Travel World Expo

Ali Al-Youha

JEDDAH: Kuwait ’s Consul General inJeddah Saleh Al-Saqabi confirmed yester-day that no Kuwaitis were among guests ofa hotel in Makkah which caught fire lastnight.

Kuwait’s Consulate contacted the Saudiauthorities immediately after it got infor-mation about the fire incident, and theyconfirmed no Kuwaitis were among thehotel’s guests, Al-Saqabi, also Kuwait’s per-

manent representative to the Organizationof Islamic Cooperation, said.

He called on Kuwaiti citizens in Makkahto contact the consulate on: (+966) 535-5711-33.

Saudi civil defense teams rushed to the14-story hotel where one of the rooms in theseventh floor caught fire. They succeeded inevacuating 250 guests from different nation-lities and extinguished the fire. —KUNA

Kuwaitis safe in Makkah

KUWAIT: Ministry of Electricity andWater assistant undersecretary forpower and water distillation plantsoperation and maintenance engi-neer, Fuad Al-Oun said that, out of itskeenness on maintaining steadywork pace in power generation andwater production operations, theministry takes all employees’ com-plaints into full consideration.

Commenting on the demandsmade by Shuaiba plant employees,Al-Oun stressed that his doors wereopen to all and urged the protestorsfile a written complaint to the rele-

vant undersecretary who would lookinto it in accordance with laws andregulations, which is a standard pro-cedure followed in all governmentbodies. “Protestors should have beenmore committed to these regulationswithout leaving their work places.They should have taken gradualsteps instead of a complete sit in,especially since their demands aresimple and the ministry’s employeessyndicate is currently working onsolving and meeting them”, hestressed noting that undersecretary,engineer Ahmed Al-Jassar had

expressed the ministry’s keenness inmeeting protestors’ demands whenhe met them the previous week.

“In view of the crucial nature oftheir jobs in securing power andwater supplies, they should havegone on doing their work and waitedfor the results”, he added.

Further, Al-Oun said that demon-strators were not entitled to demandthe dismissal of a plant manager.“This is only subject to the ministerhimself” he underlined noting thatannual performance reports weresubject to the Civil Services

Commission’s regulations and thatthe ministry would not ignore right-ful demands.

Notably, MEW employees’ syndi-cate board had referred a complaintfiled by Shuaiba plant employeesagainst its manager to the grievancescommittee pending following it upwith ministry officials.

In this regard, the syndicate chair-man, Duaij Al-Azmi said that thecomplaint would be submitted toMEW minister Abdul Aziz Al-Ibrahimdemanding investigating it by a spe-cial investigation committee.

‘Shuaiba employees’ demands discussed

Arab officials eye

nuke-free Mideast

alternatives

CAIRO: Senior Arab officials interested in nuclear MiddleEast issues met here yesterday to find alternatives todemands for a nuclear-free region.

It is the 25th meeting of its kind, with AmbassadorJassem Al-Mubarki, the head of the Kuwaiti ForeignMinistry’s international agency department, leading hiscountry’s participating delegation.

The meeting aims to coordinate Arab positions andstances ahead of a couple of meetings due in New York andGeneva in preparation for a relevant UN conference that hasbeen put on the back burner since 2012, Al-Mubarak said.

During the meeting, the officials reflected on alternativesand proposals to be put on the table during the meeting ofthe Preparatory Committee (PrepCom) for the 2015 ReviewConference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) due in New York, hesaid.

They also discussed the possibility of informing relevantinternational parties that the non-final Arab approval of theNPT extension could be reviewed if a nuclear-free MiddleEast was not on the table, he said.

In this regard, the Arab party has fulfilled commitmentsto the NPT extension, unlike the other parties which backIsrael that has failed to meet relevant obligations, he point-ed out. —KUNA

KUWAIT: The National Bank of Kuwait organized an umrah trip for staffmembers and their families recently. The 14th annual trip came as part ofthe bank’s social activities to boost the ‘one family spirit’ among employees,said Public Relations Officer Talal Al-Turki.

KUWAIT: The new environmental draft lawrecently sent by the Environment PublicAuthority to the parliamentary legislative com-mittee for review and approval will certainlylead to the protection of environment andpublic health provided that relevant localrequirements be fully met, an environmentalistsaid here yesterday.

The bill should include legal requirementsbuilt on bases and approaches for diverse envi-ronmental conditions in order to protect envi-ronment and society, the UN DevelopmentProgram’s country integrated environment man-agement system project, Sami Al-Yaqoub said.

The first step to fulfill such legal require-ments is to oblige groups targeted by legal con-

trol, including individuals and installations, toproperly stick to such demands as part of anunequivocal administrative strategy to protectenvironmental quality and to preserve publichealth, he said.

To notch up the goals of environmental bills,a basic reference ought to be created by gettingacquainted with diverse environmental indica-

tors, he said. The expert called for relying on sci-entific and economic information to arrange pri-orities and decision-making in legal require-ments as science and technology can effectivelycontribute to diagnosing problems that pausethreats and perils to environment while eco-nomic information could lead to boosting deci-sion-making. —KUNA

Environmental bill should fulfill local requirements

SLAVIANSK: Ukrainian security forces launched an operation yes-terday to clear pro-Russian separatists from state buildings in theeastern city of Slaviansk, with dead reported on both sides as Kievcombated what it calls an act of aggression by Moscow. With East-West relations in crisis, NATO described the appearance in easternUkraine of men with specialized Russian weapons and identicaluniforms without insignia - as previously worn by Moscow’stroops when they seized Crimea - as a “grave development”.

Ukraine faces a rash of rebellions in the east that it says areinspired and directed by the Kremlin. But action to dislodge thearmed militants risks tipping the stand-off into a new, dangerousphase as Moscow has warned it will protect the region’s Russian-speakers if they come under attack. One Ukrainian state securityofficer was killed and five were wounded on the government sidein what interior minister Arsen Avakov called yesterday’s “anti-ter-rorist” operation.

“There were dead and wounded on both sides,” Avakov saidon his Facebook page, adding that about 1,000 people were sup-porting the separatists. The Russian news agency RIA reportedthat one pro-Moscow activist was killed in Slaviansk in clasheswith forces loyal to the Kiev government. “On our side, anothertwo were injured,” RIA quoted pro-Russian militant NikolaiSolntsev as adding.

Russian TV broadcast grainy footage of what it said was thebody of the militant. The images, which Reuters could not verifyindependently, showed a man in black clothes, slumped againstthe door of a car, with a pool of blood between his legs. A rifle laynext to him. The separatists are holed up in the local headquartersof the police and of the state security service, while others haveerected road blocks around Slaviansk, which lies about 150 km (90miles) from the Russian border.

However, details of the fighting remain sketchy. A statementfrom the administration of the eastern Donetsk region indicatedthe security officer may have been killed between Slaviansk andthe nearby town of Artemivsk. Putting the number of wounded atnine, it said “an armed confrontation” was going on in the area. Aneyewitness in Slaviansk said a gunman walked up to a car in thecity centre and fired four or five shots into it. Video footage fromthe scene later showed a man being pulled out of the car, eitherseriously wounded or dead. It was not clear what links the shoot-ing had with the unrest in the town.

Kiev accuses Moscow of trying to deepen violence and chaosin Ukraine, a former Soviet republic it once ruled. The Kremlin, itsays, wants to undermine the legitimacy of presidential electionson May 25 that aim to set the country back onto a normal pathafter months of turmoil. However, Russian Foreign Minister SergeiLavrov said Kiev was “demonstrating its inability to take responsi-bility for the fate of the country” and warned that any use of forceagainst Russian speakers “would undermine the potential forcooperation”, including talks due to be held on Thursday betweenRussia, Ukraine, the United States and the European Union.

Well organised attackersRelations between Russia and the West are at their worst since

the Cold War due to the crisis that began when Moscow-backedUkrainian president Viktor Yanukovich was pushed out by popularprotests in February. Moscow then annexed Crimea from Ukraine,saying the Russian population there was under threat. SomeWestern governments believe the Kremlin is preparing a similarscenario for eastern Ukraine, something Moscow has strenuouslydenied.

In Kramatorsk, about 15 km south of Slaviansk, gunmen seizedthe police headquarters after a shootout with police, a Reuterswitness said. The attackers were a well-organized unit of over 20men, wearing matching military fatigues and carrying automaticweapons, who had arrived by bus. Video footage showed the mentaking orders from a commander. Their identity was unclear.

Their level of discipline and equipment was in contrast to thegroups who have occupied buildings so far in Ukraine. They havebeen mostly civilians formed into informal militias with mis-matched uniforms. NATO Secretary-General Anders FoghRasmussen expressed concern about similarities in some of therebels’ appearance to that of the Russian troops who seized con-trol in Crimea.

Calling on Russia to pull back its large number of troops,including special forces, from the area around Ukraine’s border, hesaid in a statement: “Any further Russian military interference,under any pretext, will only deepen Russia’s international isola-tion.” NATO has effectively ruled out military action over Ukraine,which lies outside the Western alliance. However, Washington andNATO leaders have made clear they would defend all 28 memberstates, including former Soviet republics in the Baltic that are seenas the most vulnerable to Russian pressure. — Reuters

MONDAY, APRIL 14, 2014

Lebanon tackles violent spillover fromSyria war

Page 8

Ukraine battles to oust pro-Russian gunmen

Britain calls on Moscow to disown separatists’ actions

DONETSK: A pro-Russian activist wearing a Guy Fawkes mask and holding a bat guards a barricade outside the regional government building in the eastern Ukrainian city ofDonetsk yesterday. -— AFP

TRIPOLI: Libya’s prime minister Abdullah Al-Thani steppeddown yesterday, saying he and his family had been the vic-tims of a “traitorous” armed attack the previous day. Thaniquit less than a week after parliament tasked him with form-ing a new cabinet and a month after it ousted his predeces-sor for failing to rein in the lawlessness gripping the NorthAfrican country. He said in a statement that he would notaccept the premiership after a “traitorous attack” on himselfand his family, but he would stay on in a caretaker capacityuntil a new prime minister is appointed.

Amid controversy over his appointment, Thani, who wasdefense minister under ousted premier Ali Zeidan, wasnamed on Tuesday. “I will not accept Libyans killing eachother over this post,” Thani said in his statement addressedto the General National Congress (GNC). Thani said theattack on Saturday had terrorized inhabitants of a residentialdistrict and “put the lives of some of them at risk”, withoutgiving specific details.

A source close to Thani told AFP that the incident tookplace on the road from the capital to its airport and causedno casualties. As premier, Thani was faced with the dauntingtask of bringing former rebel brigades to heel following the2011 NATO-backed uprising that ended Muammar Gaddafi’sfour-decade rule.

Libya has seen near daily attacks, particularly in therestive east, as well as a challenge from rebels who blockad-ed vital oil terminals for nine months, and a growing politicalcrisis stemming from the interim parliament’s decision toextend its mandate.

Omar Hmidan, a spokesman for the GNC, the country’shighest political authority, said Thani was chosen after legis-lators failed to reach a consensus on other candidates. Hewas given one week to form a new government. The deci-sion to confirm Thani was rejected as illegal by some legisla-tors, who said it had not received the required number ofvotes. MP Suad Ganur said the decision, which wasapproved by 42 votes out of 76 members present, was “nulland void” because it required 120 votes out of the 200-mem-ber assembly. — AFP

Libya PM quits

I N T E R N AT I O N A LMONDAY, APRIL 14, 2014

NEW YORK: British hate preacher AbuHamza goes on trial in New York today,facing the rest of his life behind bars iffound guilty on kidnapping and terrorcharges that predate the 9/11 attacks. Itis the second high-profile terror trial tobe heard by a Manhattan jury sinceOsama bin Laden’s son-in-law and for-mer Al-Qaeda spokesman Suleiman AbuGhaith was convicted on March 26.Mustafa Kamel Mustafa, better known inBritain as Abu Hamza Al-Masri, is blind inone eye and lost both arms, blown offabove the elbow, in an explosion inAfghanistan years ago.

His trial will begin with jury selectiontoday and is the culmination of a 10-yearlegal battle. On its second day, tomor-row, he will celebrate his 56th birthday.Abu Hamza was first indicted in theUnited States in 2004 and served eightyears in prison in Britain before losing his

last appeal in the European Court ofHuman Rights against extradition. In theUS, authorities lost no time removing histrademark prosthetic hook that he worein the place of one hand.

He is charged on 11 counts, over the1998 kidnapping in Yemen of 16 Westerntourists, of whom four were killed, and ofconspiring to set up an Al-Qaeda-styletraining camp in Oregon in late 1999. Heis accused of providing material supportto bin Laden’s terror network, of wantingto set up a computer lab for the Talebanand sending recruits for terror training inAfghanistan.

Born in Egypt, Abu Hamza moved toLondon aged 21 to study engineeringbefore he morphed into an anti-American preacher at the Finsbury ParkMosque in north London. The mosquehas been dubbed a breeding ground forterrorism and was frequented by Richard

Reid, serving a life sentence in the US fortrying to blow up a transatlantic jetlinerin 2001. Abu Hamza, who has asked tobe addressed during the trial by his realname Mustafa, has pleaded not guilty. “Ithink I am innocent,” he told a pre-trialconference.

Terrorism Dressed in a blue prison uniform and

without prosthetic arms, his hair thickand white, a bearded Abu Hamza hasclosely followed all pre-trial debates inthe Manhattan federal court. In a recentletter to US District Judge KatherineForrest, written with a special prosthesishand, the defendant also said that hewants to testify. “I pray that the Almightythe Creator inspires you wisdom andpatience to leave no stone unturned tillthe truth,” he wrote.

Abu Hamza referred rather pompous-

ly to the “historians, researchers, inves-tigative journalists and analysts” whowould be “waiting anxiously” and follow-ing proceedings. Forrest has said the tri-al should last four weeks. The prosecu-tion is expected to bring several expertsand a large number of audio and videorecordings, particularly of Abu Hamza’shate speeches justifying terrorism in thename of God.

Prosecutors also want British terrorconvict Saajid Badat to testify by videolink from Britain. Badat alreadyappeared on screen at the trial of AbuGhaith last month. But Forrest askedBadat to come in person. He refused,given that he faces arrest on US soil forplotting to blow up a passenger jet witha shoe bomb in collusion with Reid. AbuHamza was arrested in August 2004 inBritain at Washington’s request, and sen-tenced in a British court to seven years

in jail in 2006 for inciting murder andracial hatred.

He went to the European Court ofHuman Rights to avoid extradition, butlost his final appeal in October 2012 andwas flown immediately to the UnitedStates. In the 1998 hostage-taking, he isaccused of providing the kidnapperswith a satellite phone, acting as an inter-mediary and dispensing advice by tele-phone from home. Two of the k id-napped tourists were Americans. He isalso accused of providing material sup-port to Al-Qaeda, and just days beforethe 9/11 attacks he allegedly discussedplans to open a computer lab for theTaleban in Afghanistan. He is accused ofgiving a co-conspirator 6,000 Britishpounds ($10,000 under today ’sexchange rate) to lease a building tohouse the computer lab and pay forsome of the start-up expenses.— AFP

British hate preacher goes on trial in NY

TRIPOLI: For two weeks now, the rifles have beensilent along Syria Street in Lebanon’s Tripoli, an areashot up so often that even memorial posters of menkilled just a few months ago are speckled with bulletholes. Soldiers patrol quiet streets where gunmenused to fight day and night - part of the Lebaneseauthorities’ most serious effort yet to containspillover from Syria’s civil war since the three-year-oldconflict began in its much larger neighbor. But whilemany in Tripoli, 30 km (20 miles) south of the Syrianborder, have welcomed what they see as an overdueclampdown, they also worry it could falter underrenewed political bickering and a backlash by radicalSunni militants.

“Traffic is returning, the area is coming back tolife,” said Ahmed Qashour, 57, raising his voice asarmored vehicles rumbled past the tahini sesame-paste shop where he works on Syria Street, in thenorth of the Mediterranean port city. “But what wewant, what we’re asking of the government, is thatthis security plan continues - that it doesn’t stop.”Syria’s civil war has divided Lebanon’s politicians,while gunbattles, car bombs and rocket attackslinked to Syria have killed scores of Lebanese andrevived memories of the country’s own 15-year civilwar that formally ended in 1990.

Disputes have been particularly acute over theShiite movement Hezbollah’s move to send fightersto aid Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, a fellow allyof Shiite Iran. Some Lebanese Sunnis have mean-while joined the rebels. The fact that the clampdownis happening now indicates a rare moment of agree-ment among international, regional and domesticplayers who all have an influence on Lebanese poli-tics, analysts and officials say - although there is stillplenty of scope for things to go wrong. “There is anintersection of interests between all parties to haveLebanon stable these days,” said Elias Hanna, a retiredLebanese army general and senior lecturer ongeopolitics and war studies at the AmericanUniversity of Beirut. “You cannot really afford to haveSyria, Iraq and Lebanon - this axis of instability -going into havoc.”

Divided by Syria streetTripoli is a microcosm of the ruptures that have

made Syria’s war so toxic and symbolic of how theconflict has rejuvenated decades-old rivalries inLebanon. Like Syria, Lebanon’s second city is mostlySunni with a minority of Alawites, the Shiite-derivedsect to which Assad and much of his security estab-lishment belong.

Tensions between the two communities haveerupted most spectacularly in gangland-style fight-ing between two districts on the northern edge oftown that are divided by the appropriately namedSyria Street where Qashour works. Residents fromboth neighborhoods have fought off and on sinceLebanon’s civil war ended 24 years ago, but Syria’sconflict has pushed the violence to new levels.

Until recently, the authorities have been unableor unwilling to stop the fighting, residents say, chalk-ing up the failure of previous crackdowns to disputesbetween politicians who stood to gain more thanthey lost from the conflict. “Politicians were in dis-agreement, and so when the security plan wouldcome down, the army would arrive,” Qashour said.“The journalists would come and take pictures ofthem, and then after two or three hours youwouldn’t see anyone.”

But, like other residents, he said he detected anew seriousness in the latest effort, which startedlast week after around 30 people including an army

officer and a 10-year-old girl died in the latest roundof fighting. “This is the first time I’ve been able torelax,” said Fouad Fahed, a merchant at the local mar-ket. “Apparently there’s political cover for the armynow.”

Radical backlashOne of the biggest risks of the campaign is the

threat of a backlash from hardline Lebanese andSyrian Sunnis who see double standards in a crack-down on Sunni militants while Hezbollah maintains amilitia that rivals the Lebanese army in strength.Already, there are signs some Sunni militants areturning to attacks against the army: car bombs andshootings have killed several soldiers over the pastmonth - common enough in Iraq and Syria but rarein Lebanon, where the religiously mixed army isoften portrayed as a pillar of national unity and sta-bility. On Tuesday, a hardline Sunni cleric, Dai Al-IslamAl-Shahal, denounced the army raids on live televi-sion, warning against the military becoming “a rod inthe hands of Hezbollah and Iran”. “I say with all hon-esty and clarity, that Lebanon is being held captive,”he said, his voice rising in anger. “Let’s not be indenial, Lebanon is captive. Some want our army tobe pushed into following the example of the Syrianarmy, killing its own people and being led by shabbi-ha,” he added, referring to irregular fighters in Syriawho support Assad. While few Lebanese Sunnis arelikely to put it so caustically, Shahal is not the onlyone to voice bitterness. A group calling itself theLebanese branch of the Nusra Front, Al-Qaeda’sSyrian affiliate, has branded the army a legitimatetarget because of its perceived help for Hezbollah.Firebrand cleric Ahmed Al-Assir, whose supportersfought a gunbattle with the army in June, has calledfor Sunni soldiers to desert - a nightmare scenariowhich, however unlikely, recalls Christian-Muslimfractures during the civil war.

Political coverSupporters of both Hezbollah and their political

rivals in the Sunni-led Future Movement each framethe concord on deploying the army in Tripoli and inother troubled areas near the border as evidence the

other has seen the error of its ways. “For three years,we in the Future Movement have been asking for thedeployment of the army in Tripoli and disarmamentin the city,” said Ahmed Fatfat, a Sunni lawmaker fromnorth Lebanon.

“But despite there being a security plan, unfortu-nately there was no political cover.” Hezbollah, hesaid, had now shifted its stance partly because of fall-out from its Syria intervention, which analysts say haskilled hundreds of its fighters and provoked retaliato-ry attacks by Sunni militants against Shiite areas inLebanon. A senior figure in the Hezbollah-led March8 coalition gave a mirror-image interpretation, sayingthe breakthrough came because leaders in Future’sMarch 14 coalition has realized the threat from radi-cal Sunni militants was too great to ignore.

Hanna, the retired general, pointed to advancesby the Syrian army and its Hezbollah allies in areas ofSyria along the Lebanese border over the last monthas another factor. Now much of the Syrian side of theborder was firmly held by the Syrian army, Hezbollahwas, he said, less concerned about a deployment ofLebanese troops hindering its fighters’ access toSyria: “It is a win-win for Hezbollah,” he said. “And it isa must for the Sunnis and the Future Movement.”

“Body without a head”Despite discontent among hardliners, support for

the army runs strong among Sunnis, including in thehillside villages of Akkar, a northern region of greenvalleys and terraced farms where two soldiers weregunned down on Tuesday. While the terrain andproximity to Syria pose risks for anyone trying topolice the region, residents insist the killing of thetwo soldiers was an isolated incident and that sol-diers should consider themselves safe from attack bylocals. “The army is a red line for us,” Ali Ismail, a localresident, said.

People in the area have economic as well as patri-otic motives for their support - the army offers one ofthe few chances of stable jobs in the poor, largelyagricultural region, meaning many have husbands,sons and brothers in the military. “Here in Akkar, wedepend on the state and the army for employment,”said Hussein Ammareddeen, 26.— Reuters

Lebanon tackles violent

spillover from Syria war

Car bombs, shootings target Lebanese soldiers

YABROUD: In this photo, a Syrian doctor (right) checks the injured legs of Hatem, 22, a Syrianrebel who was injured during a battle against government forces and Hezbollah fighters. —AP

ALGIERS: Algerian Ministers and representatives of the president-candidateAbdelaziz Bouteflika, Amar Ghoul (left) and Amara Benyounes (center) wave at theend of a political meeting of Bouteflika’s campaign manager ahead of the presiden-tial election yesterday. —AFP

ALGIERS: Algeria’s Islamists-once the coun-try’s leading political force-are boycottingthis month’s presidential election, chas-tened by recent poor performances at thepolls and setbacks for ideological soul-mates across North Africa. The three mainmoderate Islamist parties have forged anunlikely alliance with the fiercely secularistRally for Culture and Democracy to call onvoters to shun an election they say is a“sham”. Such considerations have not pre-vented some of them from taking part inpast elections and even backing PresidentAbdelaziz Bouteflika, the ailing 77-year-oldincumbent whose bid for a fourth termthey are now united in opposing. Analystssay the decision of all three parties to boy-cott this time reflects a common fear ofrejection at the polls as Islamist groups suf-fer reverses across the region.

The April 17 leadership contest comesjust months after the resignation of anIslamist-led government in neighboringTunisia and the Egyptian army’s ouster ofIslamist president Mohamed Morsi last yearand its blacklisting of his MuslimBrotherhood as a terrorist group. “TheAlgerian Islamist parties are losing momen-tum after the failure of political Islam in theArab Spring countries,” said analyst SaidDjabelkheir.

A resurgence of jihadist violence,brought home to Algerian voters by adeadly hostage-taking at the In Amenasgas plant in the southern desert in Januarylast year, has also revived dark memories ofthe civil war of the 1990s. A rival, more radi-cal Islamist movement, the IslamicSalvation Front (FIS), had been poised towin a parliamentary election in 1991 whenthe army stepped in to cancel it, promptingmany of its activists to take up arms. Thetraumatic experience of the “black decade”in which an estimated 200,000 people werekilled is never far from the minds ofAlgerians and has forced the moderateIslamists to negotiate a difficult balancing

act ever since.

Collaborate or boycott? Differences over whether to work with

the regime have left them fragmented andweakened, their dismal performance in a2012 general election contrasting sharplywith electoral victories for Islamists inEgypt, Tunisia and Morocco. The Movementfor the Society of Peace (MSP) — theAlgerian branch of the MuslimBrotherhood-supported Bouteflika fromwhen he first took power in 1999 right upto early 2012, backing him when he waslast re-elected in 2009, and served in suc-cessive governments.

But the MSP’s decision to break with theregime cost both it and its newfoundIslamist opposition allies in the Front forJustice and Development (FJD) andEnnahda dearly. The MSP had been thethird largest party in parliament, but theparties’ joint list took just 48 seats out of462 in the 2012 election.

Dalia Ghanem-Yazbeck, an analyst at theCarnegie Middle East Centre, said the deci-sion to boycott was probably “an excuse toavoid yet another setback.” “It fails to hidethe fragmentation, divisions, and lack ofleadership within the current Islamistmovement as a whole. Their inability to for-mulate a clear strategy, as a movement oras individual parties, has cost them supporton the ground,” she argued.

For Amel Boubekeur, a specialist in polit-ical Islam at the Jacques Berque centre inRabat, the rollercoaster of the past fewyears as the hopes of the Arab Spring upris-ings have receded has changed Islamistsacross North Africa, who no longer think interms of power as an exclusive goal. Butshe agrees that they lack a political pro-gram. Forced “to take other players in thepolitical arena into account,” Algeria’sIslamists have struggled to find commonground or to rally behind a consensus pres-idential candidate, she said. — AFP

Islamists boycott

Algeria elections

JERUSALEM: Israel has carried out a new landappropriation in the occupied West Bank, theHaaretz daily said yesterday, in a move thatcould complicate efforts to extend troubledpeace talks with the Palestinians. Haaretz saidthe Defense Ministry declared nearly 250 acres(100 hectares) of territory in the Gush Etzion set-tlement bloc just south of Jerusalem “state land”.Asked by Reuters about the report, the ministrydeclined immediate comment.

The land appropriation, the left-leaningnewspaper said, was the largest in years andcould eventually lead to the expansion of severalsettlements and authorization of a settler out-post built without Israeli government permis-sion in 2001. The measure, which falls short ofannexing the land to Israel, is based on an Israeliinterpretation of an Ottoman-era law thatallowed the confiscation of tracts that had notbeen planted or cultivated for several years in arow.

Haaretz said the heads of nearby Palestinianvillages that claimed the land as theirs wereinformed of the move last week and have 45days to appeal. It was not immediately clearwhether the reported appropriation was part ofsanctions that Israel has begun to impose inresponse to the April 1 signing by Palestinians of15 international conventions and agreements

during the current crisis in US-brokered peacenegotiations.

Hanan Ashrawi, a senior member of thePalestine Liberation Organization, accused Israelof trying to destroy chances for peace through a“frantic escalation” of settlement activity. “This isthe real face of the Israeli government,” she toldReuters. “This is a government hostile to peacemoves and it’s taking steps which have a longer-term strategy.”

Israeli optimismSpeaking before the Haaretz report

appeared, Israel’s chief peace negotiator, TzipiLivni said on the YNet news site that she is opti-mistic the statehood negotiations will beextended beyond the original April 29 deadlinefor a deal. “I believe that we are close enough toa decision on the part of both leaderships,encouraged by the Americans, to continue thenegotiations,” she said.

Livni has been meeting her Palestinian coun-terpart Saeb Erekat in an intensive push over thepast few days to try to salvage the talks. Lastweek, US Secretary of State John Kerry suggest-ed that Israel’s publication on April 1 of a tenderfor 708 homes for settlers in East Jerusalem wasthe proximate cause for the near collapse of thetalks, which began in July.

Israel’s anti-settlement Peace Now movementsaid on its website that at least 90 of the 120Jewish settlements built in the occupied WestBank since its capture in a 1967 war are on “stateland”. Most countries regard the settlements asillegal. Palestinians seek a state in the West Bankand Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital,and fear settlements will deny them a viablecountry. Israel cites historical and Biblical links tothe West Bank and Jerusalem and says GushEtzion is one of the enclaves it intends to keep inany future peace deal.

Citing Palestinian President MahmoudAbbas’s signing of UN human rights conven-tions, Israel said on Wednesday it was limiting itscontacts with Palestinian officials, although Livnicould continue to meet negotiators.Announcing another sanction a day later, anIsraeli official said Israel would deduct debt pay-ments from tax transfers which the PalestinianAuthority routinely receives, and limit the self-rule government’s deposits in Israeli banks. Forhis part, Abbas has accused Israel of violating acommitment to release two dozen prisoners atthe end of March, including Palestinians convict-ed of killing Israelis, when the negotiationsresumed. This is the last group of 104 prisonersIsrael pledged to free as a confidence-buildingmeasure. — Reuters

Israel appropriates land in West BankBISSAU: Guinea-Bissau held watershedpresidential and parliamentary electionsyesterday aimed at ushering in a new era ofstability in a country plagued by drugs andupended by a military coup. The polls capfour decades of chaos marked by a series ofmutinies since the west African nation wonindependence from Portugal, and commen-tators have called for the new regime tofinally bring the military into line. Theimpoverished country has been stagnatingfor two years under the rule of a transitionalgovernment backed by the all-powerful mil-itary, with the economy anemic and cocainetrafficking fuelling corruption.

Interim president Manuel SerifoNhamadjo, who is not a candidate, told AFPhe “hoped and wished to turn the page tostability”. “The problem of Guinea-Bissau ispolitical and military, and everyone mustwork together in mutual respect,” he said.Chronic volatility has fanned poverty in thecountry of 1.6 million with few resourcesother than cashew nuts and fish, attractingSouth American drug cartels which haveturned it into a hub of cocaine trafficking forwest Africa.

The drug trade and the money it gener-ates have corrupted all of Guinea-Bissau’s

public institutions, in particular the armedforces, whose senior officers are accused ofinvolvement in trafficking. The United Statescharged 2012 coup leader Antonio Indjai inApril last year with drug trafficking andseeking to sell arms to Colombian FARCrebels, while former navy chief Jose AmericoBubo Na Tchuto was arrested by US federalagents in waters off west Africa last year ashe was allegedly about to receive a largeshipment of cocaine.

“The new government will have to callinto question the privileges enjoyed by sen-ior military officers and carefully resume thesecurity sector reforms that prompted thearmy to stage the coup,” said VincentFoucher, a senior analyst for theInternational Crisis Group. Thirteen politi-cians have been seeking to convince thepeople of Guinea-Bissau that they can standup to the generals and reform the armedforces as the new president, while 15 partiesare fielding candidates for parliamentaryseats. Among the presidential hopefuls arepolitical heavyweights such as formerfinance minister Jose Mario Vaz, and AbelIncada, a member of the Party for SocialRenewal of former president Kumba Yala,who died last week. —AFP

Guinea-Bissau votes

in watershed polls

I N T E R N AT I O N A LMONDAY, APRIL 14, 2014

VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis, marking PalmSunday in a packed St Peter’s Square, ignoredhis prepared homily and spoke entirely off-the-cuff in a remarkable departure from prac-tice. Later, he continued to stay from thescript by hopping off his popemobile to posefor “selfies” with young people and also sip-ping tea passed to him from the crowd. In his

homily, Francis called on people, himselfincluded, to look into their own hearts to seehow they are living their lives. “Has my life fall-en asleep?” “Am I like Pontius Pilate, who,when he sees the situation is difficult, washesmy hands?” He sounded tired, frequentlypausing to catch his breath, as he spoke forabout 15 minutes in his homily during Palm

Sunday Mass, which solemnly opens HolyWeek for the Roman Catholic Church.

“Where is my heart?” the pope asked, pin-pointing that as the “question which accom-panies us” throughout Holy Week. Francisseemed to regain his wind after the 2 1/2 hourceremony. He shed his red vestments atop hisplain white cassock, chatted amiably with car-dinals dressed more formally than he at thatpoint. Then he posed for “selfies” with youngpeople from Rio de Janeiro who had carried alarge cross in the square. He had barelyclimbed aboard his open-topped popemobilewhen he spotted Polish youths, they, too,clamoring for a “selfie” with a pope, and hehopped off, not even waiting for the vehicleto fully stop, to oblige them. In anothermoment in the pope’s long tour of the square,the Vatican’s security chief poured herbalmate tea from a thermos, thrust toward thepontiff by someone in the crowd, into a matecup, also held out by an admirer, and passedthe cup to Francis for a sip.

In a crowd of around 100,000 Romans,tourists and pilgrims, people clutched olivetree branches, tall palm fronds or tiny braidedpalm leaves shaped like crosses that wereblessed by Francis at the start of the ceremo-ny. Francis used a wooden pastoral staffcarved by Italian prison inmates, who donat-ed it to him. The pope wants to put people onthe margins of life at the center of the church’sattention.

Holy Week culminates next Sunday withEaster Mass, also in St Peter’s Square. Manyfaithful will remain in Rome, while others willpour into the city for the April 27 canonizationof two popes, John Paul II and John XXIII.Francis noted that John Paul’s long-time aide,now Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz of Krakow,Poland, had come to Rome. Francis noted he’llbe making a pilgrimage to South Korea thissummer, with the key event an Asian youthgathering on Aug 15 in Daejeon. —AP

DUNEDIN: Royal watchers were scrutinising theduchess of Cambridge on her New Zealand touryesterday, after husband Prince William appearedto hint a second baby is on the way. Kate, howev-er, looked to dampen the speculation by drinkingwine and going on a jet boat ride, neither ofwhich are recommended for pregnant women.The royals’ eight-month-old son Prince George,

third in line to the British throne, has been the starof their New Zealand tour so far.

But William suggested during a walkabout inthe North Island town of Cambridge there maysoon be another royal baby to share the spotlight.During a meeting with Cynthia Read, who knittedthe merino wool shawl which was New Zealand’sofficial gift when George was born, William said

according to several reports: “You might have tomake another one soon!” Read, who emigrated toNew Zealand from England eight years ago, wasconvinced the prince was serious.

“The way William said it was like he was drop-ping a hint, letting me in on a secret,” she toldreporters, adding the duchess said they weredelighted with the first shawl “and George wore it

a lot”. Kate was also seen to be sipping water dur-ing an evening state reception for the couple onThursday, fuelling media speculation of a secondpregnancy. During a visit to a vineyard in theacclaimed wine-producing area of Queenstownyesterday there was intense interest in whetherKate would indulge in a drop or two.

Central Otago Pinot Noir Ltd chairwoman

Lucie Lawrence, who escorted the duchess atAmisfield Winery, said she had “six or seven” tastes.“She was drinking it. She really enjoyed drinkingthe Pinot Noir,” Lawrence said. There was also nokeeping Kate from accompanying William on awild jetboat ride on the Shotover River, racingthrough shallow water at speeds of up to 85 kilo-meters per hour (53mph). —AFP

William fuels ideas of second royal baby

Pope poses for ‘selfies’Sombre, tired-looking pope presides at Palm Sunday

VATICAN: A girl jumps on the popemobile to hug Pope Francis at the end of the Palm Sundaycelebrations at St Peter’s square yesterday.— AP

CHIMBOTE: One by one, the senior offi-cials from the capital took the micro-phone and apologized to an auditoriumpacked with angry people who had longbeen living in fear. The officials admittedthey had failed to prevent a political mur-der foretold by its victim. Their integritywas in doubt. Peru’s chief prosecutor,comptroller and the head of Congress’investigations committee, which wasnow holding a public hearing, had allignored evidence that Ezequiel Nolasco,now murdered, had thrust in their facesfor months.

Having survived a 2010 assassinationattempt after he denounced governmentcorruption, Nolasco had repeatedlywarned that his home state, Ancash, wasrun by a criminal syndicate that plun-dered the treasury, killed people it could-n’t buy or intimidate, wiretapped foes andused police as spies and journalists ascharacter assassins. A lone gunman fin-ished the job on March 14, pumping fivebullets into the former construction unionleader when he stopped for a beer head-

ing from Lima to this coastal city that ishome to nearly half of Ancash’s 1.1 millionpeople.

Ancash was living under the ironcladrule of a governor locals compared to USmob legend Al Capone, his pol i t icalmachine allegedly greased by tens of mil-lions in annual mining revenues that hadmade Ancash Peru’s richest state. “It’s amini-dictatorship,” said Christian Salas,the public prosecutor dispatched fromLima to clean things up. He asked to haveGov. Cesar Alvarez jailed while more than100 corruption cases involving his admin-istration are revived, adding that thelocal prosecutors’ office and courts were“taken over by criminals.” —AFP

By Matthew H TuellerUS Ambassador to Kuwait

Since last November, the people ofUkraine have been striving todefine their own future. In theprocess, they have become a sym-

bol of courage and peacefulchange for the whole world. Theinternational community remainsunited for Ukraine, respecting

Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorialintegrity, and giving its citizens thespace and the support to helpthem determine how their countrywill be run and what their choiceswill be.

Last November in Kyiv, a smallgroup gathered to tell theirPresident that they wanted theirvoices heard. He had made a politi-cal decision not to sign anAssociation Agreement with theEuropean Union. They disagreed,and they told him so publicly. Thatpublic protest swelled to the tens ofthousands. Their voices rose up toprotest more than a political deci-sion. Through the cold winter, citi-zens from the entire country stoodtogether on the Maidan to urge anend to corruption in their country,more economic participation byhard-working citizens instead ofshadowy secret business dealings,and true constitutional protections.

This is not just about Ukraine. t isabout basic principles that governrelations among nations in the 21stcentury. As President Obama statedin Belgium on March 26, this is a“moment of testing for Europe andthe United States, and for the inter-national order that we have workedfor generations to build.” This orderis based on a set of core principlesthat include respect for sovereigntyand territorial integrity. Justbecause Russia has a deep historywith Ukraine does not mean itshould be able to dictate Ukraine’sfuture. On March 27, one hundredcountries - including Kuwait —aligned in the UN General Assemblyin support of the fundamental prin-ciples of the UN Charter, in supportof Ukraine’s sovereignty and territo-rial integrity, and against Russia’sillegal actions.

Another important point:Political activism in Ukraine today,

as on the Maidan through the win-ter, includes all nationalities and allreligions that make up multi-ethnicUkraine. The people of Ukraine-Ukrainian, Russian, and Tartar speak-ers alike-have the right to determinetheir future as a sovereign and dem-ocratic nation. Social media gives usaccess to understand these opin-ions firsthand. We need only towatch their videos, view their pho-tographs or read their blogs, circu-lating the globe via a vibrant andopen social media. A free andunfettered Internet has given theseUkrainian voices a global reach, sowe can see and hear and read forourselves what the citizens ofUkraine have been striving toachieve.

The President, against whom thefirst small protest was organized,disappeared for seven days andeventually left his country. The dem-ocratically-elected representatives

of the people of Ukraine respondedto fill the leadership vacuum creat-ed by Yanukovich’s cowardice,organizing a temporary, technocrat-ic interim government and early,responsibly-organized elections. InApril that interim government willpropose economic and politicalreforms that ensure a voice to eachcitizen of Ukraine. In May, the popu-lation of Ukraine will elect a newpresident with a mandate to buildthe future Ukraine that all of its peo-ple want.

Meanwhile, in Crimea, Russia hastorn down and discarded the inter-national legal order and thrownaway the very notion of the rule oflaw. A forced, rushed, and illegal “ref-erendum,” against the backdrop of aforeign military intervention, wasused to justify a blatant land grab bya neighboring country. That prece-dent cannot stand. Crimea isUkraine. The border recognized in

the Ukrainian constitution is theborder of sovereign Ukraine. Theworld has not been fooled intobelief that a referendum engineeredby Russia somehow justifies what issimply a land grab by force.

We do so not to keep Russiadown, but because the principlesthat have meant so much to Europeand the world must be lifted up. TheUnited States, Kuwait, and thewhole world has an interest in astrong and responsible Russia, not aweak one. In the coming weeks andmonths, the world must continue tostand up for the rights of brave peo-ple everywhere who stand up to acorrupt and authoritarian leader.The citizens of Ukraine have askedfor our support as they cometogether to define their reforms andrun their elections. For the sake of aEurope whole, free and at peace, weall need to stand together, unitedfor Ukraine.

US views on the situation in Ukraine

WASHINGTON: This file photo shows President Barack Obama signing execu-tive actions, with pending Senate legislation, aimed at closing a compensa-tion gender gap that favors men, in the East Room of the White House. —AP

BOSTON: Every time Roseann Sdoiacomes home, she must climb 18 steps -six stairs into the building, 12 more toher apartment. It is an old building inBoston, with doors that are big andheavy, not an easy place for anamputee to live. When she left the hos-pital, a month after the Bostonmarathon bombing, she had a choice:She could find another place to live,one more suitable for someone whowears a prosthetic that replaces most ofher right leg. Or, she could stay.

“Early on when all this happened, somany people were telling me to moveout of the city and move out of myapartment because of the stairs and Idon’t have an elevator and parking isnot very convenient,” she recalls. “But Ihave been able to get past all of that.” Inthat, she mirrors Boston itself.

“I have to tell you, honestly, Boston isa better city now than it was before,”Thomas Menino, who was Boston’smayor during the April 15 attacks.“People learned how to deal with eachother, they had to deal with a tragedy.”Not that it’s been easy. Three peoplewere killed at last year’s BostonMarathon, and more than 260 were

injured, and the legacy of trauma andlost limbs remains - as does the shock ofhaving endured a terrorist attack on acherished “Marathon Monday.”

Getting past the hurtNor can Bostonians forget the fear

that gripped a city locked down in themidst of a manhunt, which ended inthe arrest of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, now20. Tsarnaev, of Chechen origin, faces 30federal charges in the attack he alleged-ly carried out with 26-year-old brother

Tamerlan, who died in a shootout withpolice. But Boston has been able to getpast all of that. Copley Square, wherebombs went off at the finish line, is nolonger littered with impromptu tributesto the dead and injured; they’re now ondisplay in an exhibit at the BostonPublic Library.

Roseann Sdoia is 46 years old, a vicepresident of property management fora Boston development company. She isa cheerful woman; she smiles broadlywhen she arrives at a hospital for physi-cal therapy. “It’s just my nature,” she says.“I’m not a negative person.” Still, shesays, she cries every day. “What is sink-ing in is that life has changed,” she says,

her face awash with tears.Sdoia is a runner, but she did not

take part in the marathon. She was atthe finish line, rooting for friends in therace, when the second bomb went off.Aside from her leg injury, she sufferedhearing loss. “Other than losing the bot-tom of my right leg, I’m still me,” shesays. And yet, so much has changed.She had to take more leave from thejob she loved. Winter and snow weretough to handle. She’s had to tackle dai-ly tasks - showering, vacuuming - differ-

ently. Marc Fucarile, a 35-year-old roofer,also lost his right leg from above theknee; he has shrapnel in his heart, andstill could lose his left leg.

$61 million in donation“Everything has changed,” he says.

“How I use the bathroom, how I shower,how I brush my teeth, how I get in andout of bed.” His 6-year-old son, Gavin,does not always understand. “Gavin islike, ‘Hey, you want to go out and play?’and I’m like, ‘There’s a foot of snow. Ican’t do snow. We’re not going out andplaying right now, sorry buddy.’ It breaksmy heart.” In the first three months afterthe explosions, the One Fund, formed

last year by Menino and MassachusettsGov Deval Patrick, collected nearly $61million in donations. In the next fivemonths, another $12 million in contri-butions came in. This big-heartednesswas mirrored by a sort of proud defi-ance, exemplified by the slogan “BostonStrong.” The amount of merchandisebearing it was astonishing.

“In the immediate aftermath of thebombings, it became a peaceful mantrathat people could repeat and believe in.And if they said it enough, tweeted itenough, hash-tagged it enough, itwould actually be true,” says DanSoleau, a brand development managerfor Marathon Sports. Jennifer Lawrence,a social worker at Boston MedicalCenter, says the emphasis on “BostonStrong” had had some unhappy conse-quences.

“A lot of it is portraying that peopleare so resilient and so strong. While thatis absolutely true, we are neglectingthat people still have hard days,” shesaid. In the aftermath of the bombings,more than 600 people took advantageof the medical center’s mental healthservices. And while most needed nohelp after the first few months, she hasseen an increase in demand in recentweeks, as the anniversary approached.

‘I don’t want a repeat’Still, she says a “vast majority” of

those who came through the hospital’sprograms intend to attend this year’smarathon, either as bystanders or run-ners. Nicole Lynch will be there. Herbrother, Sean Collier, was the MIT officerwho was shot to death, allegedly by thetwo suspects in the bombings. She willbe at the race with Team Collier Strong -a group of 25 friends and family mem-bers, including two of her siblings, whowill run to raise money for a scholarshipfund to put one person a year throughlaw enforcement training. William Evanswill be there, but he has little choice. Hehas run the marathon 18 times - includ-ing last year - but this time he will bethere as police commissioner, supervis-ing beefed-up security including morethan 3,500 police officers (more thantwice last year’s force), more securitycameras, more bomb-sniffing dogs,and restrictions on the kinds of bagsrunners and spectators can bring. “Itweighs heavy on my mind, that I wantthis to go off well,” he says. “I don’t wantanyone hurt. I don’t ever want a repeatof the tragedy we saw that day.” —AP

A year after bombing,

Boston tries to healBoston announces marathon public safety measures

BOSTON: In this file photo, Boston Marathon bombing survivor Roseann Sdoia uses crutches asshe leaves Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital. —AP

WASHINGTON: After months on the defensiveover his health law, a more combative PresidentBarack Obama has emerged to fight about gen-der politics, leading to an election-year competi-tion with Republicans for support from women.No single group will be more important toDemocrats’ fortunes, say White House advisers,than unmarried women, who are likely to goDemocratic - if they vote, and that’s far from cer-tain when trust in Washington is low. The presi-dent is trying to convince women thatDemocrats are more concerned about improv-ing their financial standing in difficult economictimes, and he charges Republicans with stand-ing in the way. “Republicans in Congress havebeen gumming up the works,” he said at WhiteHouse event on equal pay. “This isn’t just abouttreating women fairly. This is about Republicansseemingly opposing any efforts to even theplaying field for working families,” Obama said.

Republicans say they have learned impor-tant lessons from previous elections wherewomen helped put Obama and otherDemocrats in office. This year, the GOP is prom-ising an aggressive counterattack. TheRepublican National Committee plans to a newinitiative, “14 in ‘14,” to recruit and train womenunder age 40 to help spread the party’s mes-sage in the final 14 weeks of the campaign.Representatives from all the party committees -the RNC and those supporting GOP candidatesfor Senate, House, governors and state legisla-tors - meet regularly to plan strategy and advisecandidates.

They are encouraging candidates to includetheir wives and daughters in campaign ads,have women at their events and build aFacebook-like internal database of women will-ing to campaign on their behalf. Responding toObama’s equal pay event, Republicans criedhypocrisy and pointed out that women onaverage make less than men on the White

House staff. When the Senate voted on anequal pay measure the next day, everyRepublican voted no and said the law alreadyprotects women from being paid less thanmen.

The Republican Party committees are circu-lating figures showing that poverty amongwomen has risen during Obama’s time in office,while women’s average wages have dropped.They say they are targeting older women, whoare more likely to vote Republican thanyounger women, in part by highlighting cuts toMedicare Advantage plans that the Obamaadministration proposed and then reversedunder pressure. They say they will continue topress the case that the health law has increasedcosts for some people and affected their healthcare plans.

“It feels to us like the White House andDemocrats are making decisions on legislationand messaging priorities based on the fact thatthey have to talk about anything butObamacare to appeal to their depressed base,”said Republican National Committee spokes-woman Kirsten Kukowski. Obama cites theAffordable Care Act as an example of improvedgender equality. “Tens of millions of women arenow guaranteed free preventive care like mam-mograms and contraceptive care, and the dayswhen you could be charged more just for beinga woman are over for good,” he said in his week-ly address this weekend.

Obama has promoted women’s economicissues at White House events and in recent tripsto Florida and Michigan, tightly contestedstates. He embraced six original Rosie theRiveters - women who took on traditionallymale jobs during World War II - on a recentWhite House visit, and holds them up as anexample of equal pay for equal work. He heldthe first White House event on combating cam-pus sexual assault.—AP

Obama, Republicans compete

for support amongst women

NEW YORK: Hero or traitor? America is still polarized overEdward Snowden and whether the newspapers thatexposed the extent of NSA’s vast global spying networkshould be lauded or condemned. Ten months later, thequestion on journalists’ lips is whether America’s mostprestigious journalism prize, the Pulitzers, will honorthem when the annual awards are announced today. Formost journalists, there is no debate. In arguably the mostinfluential story of the decade, The Guardian and TheWashington Post broke sensational new ground byexposing how the US government monitors the data ofmillions.

But the leaks embarrassed the government, strainedrelations with allies angered that Americans had beentapping into the private phone calls of leaders andsparked a debate within the United States on the meritsand morality of mass surveillance. Public opinion is atworst divided. Many believe Americans have a right toknow what the government is doing. Others saySnowden is a traitor and a criminal who should be prose-cuted.

Paul Janensch, professor emeritus at QuinnipiacUniversity’s School of Communications, predicted ten-sion between journalists and more establishment mem-bers of the Pulitzer jury. “These are fabulous pieces ofjournalism on the one hand, but on the other hand thedocuments were leaked, they were classified, they were

distressing to the US government,” Janensch said. “Andthe person who provided the information took refuge inRussia, so I understand there can be serious debate.”

Journalists as ‘accomplices’ In January, Director of National Intelligence James

Clapper suggested that journalists reporting on the leakshad acted as Snowden’s “accomplices.” Glenn Greenwaldand Laura Poitras, US journalists who interviewedSnowden in Hong Kong, returned home to the UnitedStates on Friday for the first time after breaking the story.They told reporters after receving a George Polk Awardfor their coverage with The Guardian’s Ewen MacAskilland the Post’s Barton Gellman that they fear arrest andbeing subpoened.

“I can’t imagine a more appropriate choice for aPulitzer Prize,” New York University media studies profes-sor Mark Miller told AFP. “Glenn Greenwald has donewhat American journalists are supposed to do, which isserve the public interest by shedding a bright light onegregious abuse of power by the government.”

There is “tremendous pressure” on journalists to toethe line, Miller said, despite America’s relaxed press free-dom laws. “The real journalistic heros in this country tendto be the mavericks, the eccentrics, those who dare toreport stories that are often dismissed derisively as ‘con-spiracy theory,’” he added.

Media experts say there is no evidence that any of thereporting endangered national security, and Greenwald,Poitras and MacAskill have emphasized how carefullythey had treated the material. Their supporters say itwould be damaging for the credibility of the PultizerBoard, which has a reputation for being conservative, notto honor the biggest scoop in a decade.

“They would have surrendered to the right-wing orthe culturally conservative on security questions inAmerican politics,” said Christopher Simpson, communi-cations professor at American University in Washington.American media is considered more conservative onquestions of US national security than foreign publica-tions. “Notwithstanding the Internet and everything else,there’s a significant gap between news coverage in theUS and Europe, most especially on international issues,”Simpson said. “I think the European coverage defers lessto what the CIA might want than the US press does, andthat includes The Washington Post and The New YorkTimes.”

But Rem Rieder, media editor for USA TODAY, said thatpublic opinion and coverage had evolved over the last 10months. Coverage that initially criticized Snowden as aslacker has increasingly focused more on what he dis-closed and what Americans should do about it.“Whatever the Pulitzer Board does, the reaction at all lev-els in our culture will be mixed,” Janensch said. —AFP

Snowden the ‘traitor’

looms over Pulitzers

I N T E R N AT I O N A LMONDAY, APRIL 14, 2014

CORRECTIONIn yesterday’s issue of the KuwaitTimes newspaper (Sunday, April 13),the headline ‘Crime breeds mob ‘jus-tice’ in Argentina’ was published witha different story. We regret the error.

Peru state a violent

‘mini-dictatorship’

I N T E R N AT I O N A LMONDAY, APRIL 14, 2014

No more pingsMH370’s black box batteries may have died

PERTH: Following four strong underwater signals inthe past week, all has gone quiet in the hunt for themissing Malaysia Airlines jet, meaning the batteriesin the plane’s all-important black boxes may finallyhave died. Despite having no new transmissionsfrom the black boxes’ locator beacons to go on, airand sea crews were continuing their search in thesouthern Indian Ocean yesterday for debris and anysounds that may still be emanating. They are desper-ately trying to pinpoint where the Boeing 777 couldbe amid an enormous patch of deep ocean.

No new electronic pings have been detectedsince Tuesday by an Australian ship dragging a USNavy device that listens for flight recorder signals.Once officials are confident that no more sounds willbe heard, a robotic submersible will be sent down toslowly scour for wreckage. “We’re now into Day 37 of

this tragedy,” said aviation expert Geoffrey Thomas.“The battery life on the beacons is supposed to last30 days. We’re hoping it might last 40 days. However,it’s been four or five days since the last strong pings.What they’re hoping for is to get one more, maybetwo more pings so they can do a triangulation of thesounds and try and narrow the (search) area.”

Recovering the plane’s flight data and cockpitvoice recorders is essential for investigators to try tofigure out what happened to Flight 370, which van-ished March 8. It was carrying 239 people, mostlyChinese, while en route from Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia, to Beijing. After analyzing satellite data,officials believe the plane flew off course for anunknown reason and went down in the southern

Indian Ocean off Australia’s west coast. Investigatorstrying to determine what happened to the plane arefocusing on four areas - hijacking, sabotage and per-sonal or psychological problems of those on board.

Two sounds heard a week ago by the Australianship Ocean Shield, which was towing the ping loca-tor, were determined to be consistent with the sig-nals emitted from the black boxes. Two more pingswere detected in the same general area Tuesday, butno new ones have been picked up since then.Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has expressedconfidence that the pings picked up by the OceanShield were coming from the plane’s two black box-es, but he cautioned that finding the actual aircraftcould take a long time.

“There’s still a lot more work to be done and Idon’t want anyone to think that we are certain of

success, or that success, should it come, is going tohappen in the next week or even month. There’s a lotof difficulty and a lot of uncertainty left in this,”Abbott said Saturday in Beijing, where he was wrap-ping up a visit to China. Searchers want to pinpointthe exact location of the source of the sounds - or asclose as they can get - before sending the Bluefin 21submersible down. It will not be deployed until offi-cials are confident that no other electronic signalswill come, and that they have narrowed the searcharea as much as possible.

The underwater search zone is currently a 1,300-square-kilometer (500-square-mile) patch of theseabed, about the size of Los Angeles. The sub takessix times longer to cover the same area as the ping

locator, and will need about six weeks to twomonths to canvass the current underwater zone. Thesignals are also coming from 4,500 meters (15,000feet) below the surface, which is the deepest the subcan dive. The surface area being searched yesterdayfor floating debris was 57,506 square kilometers(22,203 square miles) of ocean extending about2,200 kilometers (1,367 miles) northwest of Perth. Upto 12 planes and 14 ships were participating in thehunt.

Meanwhile, Malaysia on Sunday rejected claimsthat phone calls were made from missing flightMH370 before it vanished, but refused to rule outany possibility in a so far fruitless investigation overthe cause of the jet’s disappearance. The New StraitsTimes, quoting an anonymous source, had reportedSaturday that co-pilot Fariq Abdul Hamid made a callwhich ended abruptly, possibly “because the aircraftwas fast moving away from the (telecommunica-tions) tower”.

There had also been unconfirmed reports of callsby the Malaysia Airlines plane’s captain ZaharieAhmad Shah before or during the flight. MalaysianTransport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein toldreporters Sunday that authorities had no knowledgeof any calls made from the jet’s cockpit. “As far as Iknow, no,” he said when asked if any calls had beenmade. However, he added that he did not want tospeculate on “the realm of the police and other inter-national agencies” investigating the case.

“I do not want to disrupt the investigations thatare being done now not only by the Malaysianpolice but the FBI, MI6, Chinese intelligence and oth-er intelligence agencies,” he said at a press confer-ence in Kuala Lumpur. Hishammuddin also said nopassenger on the plane had been cleared in thecriminal investigation into the fate of the flight, clari-fying an earlier indication from Malaysia’s policechief.

“The Inspector-General of Police said at that par-ticular point in time there is nothing to find suspi-cion with the passenger manifesto but ... unless wefind more information, specifically the data in theblack box, I don’t think any chief of police will be in aposition to say they have been cleared.” The policechief also clarified last week that passengers had notcategorically been cleared as the investigation wasongoing.

Pilots under scrutiny Pilots Fariq and Zaharie have come under

intense scrutiny since the plane vanished en routefrom Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people onboard on March 8, with still no clue as to the causeof the disappearance. Investigators last month indi-cated that the flight was deliberately diverted andits communication systems manually switched offas it was leaving Malaysian airspace, triggering acriminal investigation by police which has revealedlittle so far. —Agencies

BENTONG: A member of Kechara Buddhist organization offers prayers for passengersonboard the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 at Kechara Forest Retreat inBentong, outside Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, yesterday. —AFP

KABUL: Former opposition leaderAbdullah Abdullah led yesterday after thefirst official results from Afghanistan’spresidential election, but recorded inci-dents of serious fraud exceed figures for2009, when over a million suspect voteswere thrown out. Initial results based on10 percent of the vote from 26 out of 34provinces showed Abdullah in the leadwith 41.9 percent, the IndependentElection Commission said, while Western-leaning academic Ashraf Ghani came sec-ond with 37.6 percent.

A third candidate, running with thebacking of two of President HamidKarzai’s brothers, trailed far behindwith 9.8 percent. “I want to make clearthat the results could change in future,as we announce the results with addi-tional percentages of the vote and thisis not the final result,” said the chair-man of the election commission,Ahmad Yousuf Nuristani.

Afghanistan’s allies praised the April5 vote as a success because of the highturnout, estimated at 60 percent of 12million eligible votes, and the failure ofTaleban militants to stage high-profileattacks on the day. But evidence ofwidespread fraud could undermine the

legitimacy of an election meant to ush-er in Afghanistan’s first democratictransfer of power, as incumbent HamidKarzai prepares to step down aftermore than 12 years in power, and asWestern forces prepare to leave.

The election complaints body hintedit might need more time than expectedto investigate all of the complaintsthough the volume would not affect theoverall schedule for electing a leader.Final results are due on May 14. “There isa possibility, in order to review the highnumber of complaints accurately, thatwe may expand the time frame forreviewing complaints in provinces forsome days,” said Nader Mohseni,spokesman for the Independent ElectionComplaints Commission (IECC).

The three front runners have allcomplained of fraud. To win, a candi-date must secure more than 50 per-cent ofvalid ballots. Failing that, thetop two candidates go into a run-off.Partial results from a sample of ballotswere expected on Saturday but theyhave been delayed. The IECC hasrecorded a total 870 incidents of fraudclassed as “Priority A”, complaints con-sidered serious enough to affect the

outcome of the election, higher thanthe 815 incidents recorded in 2009.

That said, the greater numberrecorded this year could reflect agreater willingness or capacity on thepart of observers and voters to com-plain about fraud. Video clips of pollingstation workers and other people stuff-ing ballot boxes are circulating on theInternet, but it remains unclearwhether fraudulent votes might havebenefited any one candidate overanother. In 2009, ballot-box stuffingwas the most common type of fraud.The complaints commission has yet todisclose which type of suspected fraudwas most prevalent this time.

Overall, the IECC has recorded atotal of 3,724 complaints, exceedingthe total of 3,072 in 2009. The num-ber could rise as complaints reportedin the provinces reach Kabul. Urbanparticipation in the election wasunexpectedly high, but it is unclear towhat extent rural voters weredeterred by the Taleban, who con-demned the vote, and what role stateofficials, including police, had inencouraging people to back a partic-ular candidate. —Reuters

MANILA: In this photo, Roman Catholic priest Father Robert Reyes jogs withsupporters. —AP

MANILA: As the band of protesters approached ared stoplight, a cry went up from the priest lead-ing them: “Run! Run! Run!” The Rev Robert Reyesjogged out into the clogged Manila street, raisinghis hand to the traffic - a small act of disobedi-ence in a life punctuated with them. The group ofabout 40 followed him at a brisk clip, waving ban-ners with slogans against the eviction of slumdwellers to make way for a new shopping mall.“Running has a Pied Piper affect,” said Reyes, anactivist priest with a buzz cut for whom running,either with others or alone on multi-day ultra-marathons, is a preferred form of protest. “It drawspeople in.” For more than 30 years, Reyes, dubbedthe “running priest” by the local media, has been aconstant critic of corruption in the Philippines andoften times the church itself, which he chargeshas abandoned its obligation to help the poorand sided with those in power in Asia’s largestRoman Catholic nation. He has spearheadednumerous campaigns, big and small. He’s protest-ed against the tobacco industry after his brotherdied of lung cancer, and blamed mining compa-nies for environmental degradation. He’s targetedcorporate conglomerates, especially mall devel-opers. He opposes the presence of Americantroops in the country.

Reyes, 59, says Pope Francis’ emphasis onsocial justice has given him an extra shot of moti-vation. But his activism and outspokenness hasapparently rankled church leaders. When he wasyounger, Reyes fit into the church quite wellunder Manila’s Cardinal Jaime Sin, who was aleading voice in the “people power” campaignsthat led to the ouster of the US-backed dictator,

President Ferdinand Marcos, in 1986, and laterPresident Joseph Estrada in 2001.

Reyes said his relationship soured irrevocablywith church leaders in 2005, when he led ahunger strike in a Manila park against then-President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo over allega-tions she rigged elections. Asked by a televisioncrew why the bishops were not supporting him,he answered that they had “betrayed God andbetrayed the people.” “After that, it was downhillas far as working for the church was concerned,”he said. Reyes claims church leaders refused togive him a position as a priest overseeing a parishunless he stopped protesting. So last year, he trieda different tack: After a year of silence and monas-tic life, he was ordained as a monk in theFranciscan order, which is more sympathetic to hisactivism. The bishops’ conference did not respondto requests for comment. Reyes unashamedlycourts the media, saying doing so is vital in get-ting the message of social justice to a wider audi-ence. Critics charge he is a self-promoter whojumps from issue to issue, depending on whatev-er is getting attention. His friends say his concernfor the poor continues when the cameras aren’taround. “Someone will call up and say, ‘My fatheris being taken to hospital, can you come?’ and hewill leave, right away, there is no question,” saidDennis Murphy, an American urban poor activistin Manila who has known Reyes for years. “It’ssomething that comes natural to him. He feelsthat this is something he should do.” Reyes’ fatherworked for an American shipping company in thePhilippines, giving him a comfortable childhoodbefore joining the church. —AP

‘Running priest’ campaigns for poor

Abdullah leads in first results of Afghan vote

JAKARTA: A small Indonesian polit-ical party has struck a deal with themain opposition party, clearing theway for its popular presidential can-didate to run for the top job in July,a senior official of the smaller partysaid yesterday. In a Wednesday par-liamentary election, the IndonesianDemocratic Party-Struggle (PDI-P),whose presidential candidate isthe popular governor of Jakarta,Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, fell short ofsecuring the 25 percent of votesneeded to nominate its candidateon its own for a July 9 presidentialelection.

The main opposition party’s fail-ure to secure a decisive victory inthe legislative elections led tosome concern in financial marketsthat Southeast Asia’s biggest econ-omy was in for a period of politicalhorse-trading. Both stocks and therupiah currency lost ground after

the vote. But yesterday, the smallNational Democrat (NasDem) par-ty, which is led by media tycoonSurya Paloh, said it had struck adeal with the PDI-P, clearing theway for Jokowi to run in July, whenhe is widely seen as likely to win.

“NasDem has a similar ideologyto that of PDI-P and we have beencommunicating intensively formonths,” Willy Aditya, vice secre-tary general of NasDem, toldReuters by text message. “We hopeto be able to build a platform ofrestoration for Indonesia throughour new government.” PDI-P offi-cials did not respond to telephonecalls seeking comment. The pact islikely to ease investors’ concernabout prolonged political uncer-tainty. The PDI-P secured 19 per-cent of the vote on Wednesday,according to unofficial results,while NasDem got 6 percent.

The PDI-P’s unconvincing winwas partly due to poor campaign-ing and a failure to get the mes-sage out to all voters that Jokowiwill be its candidate for president,analysts said. The deal with theparty of Paloh, the founder andowner of Indonesian news televi-sion network Metro TV and pub-lisher of the Media Group, shouldhelp with the job of getting infor-mation out.

The PDI-P is likely to be still look-ing for political allies. Although thedeal with NasDem clears the way forJokowi’s nomination, if he becomespresident he will need a broadercoalition to get legislation throughparliament. President SusiloBambang Yudhoyono and his rulingDemocratic Party suffered duringtheir second and final term after fail-ing to get parliamentary backing forvarious policies. —Reuters

Indonesian parties clear way for top presidential candidate

MONDAY, APRIL 14, 2014N E W S

Continued from Page 1

He said the announcement indicates that what hadbeen practiced in the past secretly is being done inpublic now, which shows that such MPs have no respectfor the people. Kandari called on the prime minister toaccept the grilling and answer whether the grants werepaid from his own money or from the Cabinet’s, andwhy they had been paid to lawmakers.

Adasani said he was shocked that a lawmaker comesout in public to say he has received cash from the primeminister and distributed them as aid to needy people,adding there are many charity organizations taking care

of such issues. Adasani questioned if the prime ministerwould have paid the money if Tameemi was not an MPand if the premier grants cash to common people. Healso wondered how would an MP monitor the govern-ment after accepting cash grants from the premier.

Shiite MP Khalil Abul said the planned grilling is well-deserved because what Tameemi said is very seriousand constitutes a grave harm to the legislature. He saidthat charity should be done properly through the rightchannels and not by giving the money to MPs. MP SafaAl-Hashem said what happened violates article 122 ofthe constitution, besides being a contradiction ofnorms and values.

Outraged MPs to grill PM over cash...

Continued from Page 1

The cause of the inferno remains under investigation.Bachelet has declared the area a disaster zone, allowing thearmed forces to assist in the relief efforts. The stench of smokeand charred wood shrouded Valparaiso as dawn broke, withfirefighters still working to battle the flames that so far has rav-aged just under 2,000 acres.

Residents who had been evacuated returned to their neigh-borhoods to discover their homes reduced to smoldering ruins.Mother-of-four Monica Vergara said she had lost everything butvoiced relief that her children were safe. “I heard a huge explo-sion and it felt like our house lifted up. A fireman evacuated us,”she told AFP. “I’ve lost everything but my four children are safeand that’s all that matters.”

The overnight death toll increased from four to 16 early yes-terday as rescuers began discovering bodies in destroyeddwellings. “At this time there are 16 confirmed dead,” ValparaisoPolice Chief Julio Pineda told 24 Horas television. Roughly 500people were being treated for injuries, mostly minor but someserious. Firefighters warned that extinguishing the flames wascomplicated by the area’s hilly geography, narrow streets andpersistent strong winds.

Overnight, many residents watched helpless, from distantvantage points, as the hills burned bright red. Thick smokeclouded the sky. Those caught in the path of the blaze after iterupted Saturday afternoon reported a fast-moving inferno

that roared toward town, fanned by winds and searing temper-atures. “It was as if hell encircled my family,” Miguel Ramirez toldAFP. “The fire raced down the hills and destroyed everything inits path.”

More than 200 inmates at a women’s prison were evacuateddue to “large amounts of smoke produced by the fire,” said TulioArce, regional jail guard director. With the city spread out overmore than 40 hills, emergency vehicles had trouble getting totheir destinations. “My brother’s house was entirely burnt. Wehad only finished it two weeks ago. We tried to save somethingbut it was truly an inferno,” one resident, Cristobal Perez, told theChilevision television network. “I started to become overcomeby the smoke along with my two dogs. It was terrible - impossi-ble to breathe,” another resident told the channel. The vast blazehas caused cuts to power and drinking water in many areas.

Valparaiso is one of Chile’s most important ports. It lived itsera of glory from the mid-19th century to the early 20th as astopover point for ships steaming down South America and toround its southern tip into the Atlantic Ocean. The center of thecity still features the many colored houses dating from thatperiod, built by European immigrants. Its cobbled streets andfunicular trams running up near-vertical rails supported its 2003listing as a UNESCO-protected heritage site. Fires occur fre-quently in central Chile, where summer sends temperaturessoaring. In Feb 2013, some 105 homes were destroyed inValparaiso, affecting 1,200 people, after a 27-year-old man start-ed a blaze. — AFP

16 dead in Chile inferno

DUBAI: In this Oct 9, 2013 photo, Emirati staff members of the Bluewaters Island project talk to each other in frontof a video screen to promote the project during the second day of a real estate fair called Cityscape Global. — AP

ABU DHABI: The United Arab Emirates finance ministersaid yesterday that officials are finalizing a new law toboost entrepreneurship with broad incentives, part of awider push to create jobs for a burgeoning young pop-ulation. UAE Finance Minister Sultan bin Saeed Al-Mansouri told reporters at a news conference unveilingthe new law that he expects it will go into effect withinthe next three months after Cabinet gives its approval.He said the law is aimed at encouraging job creation byhelping Emiratis start small- and medium-sized busi-nesses.

Incentives offered to citizens will include access toloans, contracts with state-owned companies, and landgrants for industrial and agricultural projects, as well asexemptions on customs tax for raw material and equip-ment. The draft law also requires government agenciesto contract at least 10 percent of their needs with thesefirms. Companies that the state owns more than a 25-percent stake in would have to contract at least 5 per-cent of their purchasing, service and consulting needswith the firms.

The law is the latest in a series of reforms the oil-richUAE has undertaken in recent years to diversify its econ-omy. The UAE’s economy is estimated to grow by 4.5percent this year, supported by its tourism, hospitalityand real estate markets. Across Gulf Arab countries, gov-ernments are backing similar efforts to create more pri-vate sector jobs in a region where government stillemploys the vast majority of citizens. The need to createjobs is urgent. The International Monetary Fund warnsthat up to 1.6 million young people will enter the work-

force in the next five years in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain,Oman, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE. But, the body saidthat only around 600,000 will find jobs in the privatesector by 2018.

While millions of private sector jobs have been creat-ed over the past decade in wealthy Gulf countries, morethan three-quarters have gone to foreign workers who,for example, outnumber the local population in the UAEseven to one. More than two-thirds of UAE nationalswork for the government, according to the IMF. The UAEfinance minister said the new law is important in pro-moting sustainable development in the country andcreating new jobs, especially for young people.

“The success of any country’s economy greatlydepends on small and medium enterprises,” AlMansouri said, adding that in the UAE, this sector con-tributed to more than 60 percent to the country’s non-oil economy. He said the government has a plan toboost that figure to 70 percent by 2020. The National,the UAE’s flagship daily English newspaper out of AbuDhabi, reported that The Emirates Development Bankwill have to ensure at least 10 percent of its loans aredirected to small- and medium-sized firms under thenew law.

Each of the seven emirates of the UAE can enhancethe new scheme with additional incentives, officialssaid. “Somehow, it’s an open budget,” Abdul Baset AlJanahi, CEO of Mohammed bin Rashid Establishmentfor Small- and Medium-Size Enterprise Development,told AP. “As long as it’s a national who has a dream,there’s no budget limits.” -— AP

UAE unveils new law in

push for job creation

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With an elected president, two-chamber par-l iament and a constitutional counci l ,Algeria certainly looks like a democracy,

even if the army has played a key political role sincethe war of independence. Former premier SidAhmed Ghozali, questioned by Algerian news web-site TSA, did not mince his words. PresidentAbdelaziz Bouteflika, who is running for a fourthterm in an April 17 election, “by law, has consider-able powers” but “in fact, absolutely not”. The role ofAlgeria’s military intelligence and security service,the DRS, has been in the spotlight since an unprece-dented charge levelled against its chief.

All-powerful General Mohamed “Toufik” Mediene,who has held the job since 1990, was asked by AmarSaadani, secretary general of the ruling NationalLiberation Front, to stop meddling in politics andresign. The affair caused a sensation in Algeria,where General Toufik is now suspected of beingopposed to another term for Boutefl ik a, eventhough the incumbent’s bid is supported by thearmed forces chief of staff, General Ahmed Gaid-Salah.

In an unexpected twist, the accusation gave riseto a wave of solidarity with the feared DRS, whichwas on the front line during Algeria’s bloody civilwar of the 1990s when Is lamist mil itanc y wascrushed. Newspapers charged that the “presidentialclan” was behind Saidani ’s attack and accusedBouteflika, who holds the title of supreme com-mander of the armed forces, of working to divide thearmy, a charge he has dismissed as “fictional”.

It was the army which called on Bouteflika to runfor the presidency back in 1999, when his six rivalspulled out complaining of electoral fraud. When hetook office 15 years ago as the military’s chosen can-didate, Bouteflika, now 77 and in frail health, vowedhe would not be “a three-quarters president”. Sinceindependence from France in 1962, the army haseither directly named the president or played thekingmaker through an “authoritarian election”,according to sociologist Mohammed Hachemaouiwho said a “praetorian college” rules Algeria using“unwritten rules”. Political scientist Karim Amellalsaid the “opaqueness” of state institutions in Algeriais rooted in the 1954-1962 independence war.

Strong Hold “The military command exercises a strong hold

over the whole of the political, economic and socialsystem” in the oil-rich North African state, accordingto Madjid Benchikh, a jurist and former dean of theAlgiers Law Faculty. “By selecting the head of state, itdominates the whole institutional and administra-tive system because the president of the republic isthe central piece,” he said. But for Ahmed Ouyahia,chief of staff in the president’s office and several-times prime minister, “the presidency has never lostits authority ... Ever since Bouteflika’s election, hehas been a 100 percent president ... To say the armydecides is a lie.”

Benchikh said the source of the DRS’s power is itsdecisive role in state appointments. “As an organ ofthe army, it has more than just its say on the nomi-nation of most officials. From that point onwards,they do not or cannot act outside the system of alle-giance to the military command and its DRS,” heexplained. Ghozali said this applied to hundreds ofthousands of people, including all state employees,“from the top of the ladder, the president of therepublic, to the head of a dairi (sub-prefecture) andeven below.” “Nobody can be named without theaccord of the services (GRS).”

Hachemaoui, the sociologist, said the army’s net-work and influence thus reaches all state organs,including the central bank as well as Algeria’s for-eign, religious affairs and information ministries. TheDRS does not only have its appointees at every levelof the state administration, it also “preempts publicpowers”, he said. For Hachemaoui, the agency evensets up opposition parties, independent newspapersand civil society groups. —AFP

By Amer Ouali

Issues

Army plays kingmaker in Algeria

A N A L Y S I SMONDAY, APRIL 14, 2014

By Karin Laub

Since graduating from a local medicalschool nine years ago, Basel Nassarhas been barred from serving his com-

munity in east Jerusalem, despite a short-age of doctors there. Like dozens of otherPalestinian doctors, Nassar has been caughtin the political battle between Israel and thePalestinians over east Jerusalem. Israel cap-tured and annexed the traditionally Arabsector in 1967, a step not recognized bymost of the world, while the Palestiniansseek it as a capital.

Palestinians long have held that Israel’sattempt to impose its sovereignty over eastJerusalem - the emotional core of theMideast conflict and home to major reli-gious shrines - has violated basic rights anddisrupted the lives of many of the city’sArab residents. Yet Israel’s policy of banningdozens of Jerusalem residents from workingin the city as doctors increasingly is beingcriticized by Israelis, including leadingphysicians who say politics must not trumpthe right to healthcare.

Earlier this month, an Israeli court over-turned the Health Ministry ’s ban afterNassar and others sued, ostensibly clearingthe way for him and 54 other doctors - whoare graduates of the Palestinians’ Al-QudsUniversity - to apply for Israeli medicallicenses. But it’s not clear if the governmenthas dropped the legal battle.

Critics say the issue is rooted in politics,not medical standards. Many of the doctorshave passed medical examination tests else-where, including the US and westernEurope. But since all graduated from Al-Quds, a university with a foothold in eastJerusalem, Israeli recognition of theirdegrees could be seen as acknowledgmentof Palestinian claims to the eastern sector ofthe city. The Health Ministry applied a similarruling several years ago to a small group ofgraduates on a onetime basis. It hasn’t ruled

out appealing the latest court decision.

‘Simple Equation’Nassar, 34, had planned to emigrate to the

US because he could no longer support hisfamily on a monthly salary of $1,300 at a WestBank clinic. He could earn about triple at Israelihospitals. Following the court decision, he sayshe will stay, seeking training as a cardiologist inIsrael and then work in east Jerusalem, whereheart specialists are scarce. “Eventually it’s asimple equation,” he said. “People in need.Good physicians and qualified physicians.These shall serve these.”

Nassar and the other doctors who took theIsraeli government to court graduated from AlQuds, named after the Arabic word forJerusalem - “the holy one”. The university’s

main campus is located in Abu Dis, a WestBank suburb that straddles Jerusalem’s munic-ipal boundary, but the university also has sev-eral satellite campuses, including three in eastJerusalem. The medical school - the firstestablished in the Palestinian territories in1994 - is in Abu Dis.

While pledging its commitment to aca-demic freedom, Al Quds also views itself as adefender of Palestinian rights in Jerusalem. Inits brochure, it describes itself as “an embodi-ment of Palestinian perseverance inJerusalem”. Because of the east Jerusalembranches, Israeli authorities have refused torecognize Al Quds as a foreign university, astatus conferred on other West Bank institu-tions of higher learning. The Council of HigherEducation in Israel, meanwhile, hasn’t ruled on

the university’s repeated requests to put theeast Jerusalem campuses of Al Quds underIsraeli oversight, university officials said.

Held Hostage As a result, the Israel Health Ministry pre-

vented the Al Quds medical school graduatesfrom taking the Israeli licensing exams that areopen to graduates of foreign universities. In2009, after legal action, the ministry permitted15 graduates to take the Israeli exam, butrefused to turn this into policy. In 2011, Nassarand other graduates went to court. Israeli attor-ney Shlomo Lecker, who represented theyoung doctors, said Israel was holding hisclients “hostage” to pressure Al Quds to close itsacademic institutions in east Jerusalem.

In early April, Jerusalem’s District Court ruledin favor of the Palestinian doctors, all residentsof the city, and said the ministry must let themtake the Israeli exams. Asked if this would nowbecome policy, the ministry said in a writtenresponse that “the ruling does not only applyto the petitioners,” but that “we cannot committo every future case.” It said it would soon“enable those among the Al Quds graduateswho are eligible” to take the exams, but “oncondition that no appeal will be filed by thestate concerning this ruling.” Governmentspokesman Mark Regev declined further com-ment.

Dr Hani Abdeen, the dean of the medicalschool, said Israel’s refusal to accredit his gradu-ates, particularly the Jerusalem residents, hasexacerbated a brain drain. About 75 medicalstudents graduate from Al Quds each year, andof those about 30 to 40 percent move to theUS, Europe and Arab countries seeking higherpay and advancement opportunities, he said.Some would likely stay if allowed to enter theIsraeli system, he said. Dr Ruth Stalnikovicz,who heads the emergency department at theHadassah University Hospital on Jerusalem’sMount Scopus, said she would welcome moreArabic-speaking doctors in the city. “Politicsshould not be involved,” she said. —AP

Doctors caught in fight over Jerusalem

In this April 10, 2014 photo, Palestinian students attend a class in the Facultyof Medicine at the Al-Quds University in the West Bank village of Abu Dis nearJerusalem. —AP

By Ben Fox

Attorney James Connell has visited his client insidethe secret Guantanamo prison complex known asCamp 7 only once, taken in a van with covered win-

dows on a circuitous trek to disguise the route on the scrubbrush-and-cactus covered military base. Connell is allowedto say virtually nothing about what he saw in the secretcamp where the most notorious terror suspects in US cus-tody are held except that it is unlike any detention facilityhe’s encountered. “It’s much more isolating than any otherfacility that I have known,” the lawyer says. “I’ve done casesfrom the Virginia death row and Texas death row and thesepretrial conditions are much more isolating.”

The Camp 7 prison unit is so shrouded in secrecy that itslocation on the US base in Cuba is classified and officialsrefuse to discuss it. Now, two separate but related eventsare forcing it into the limelight. In Washington, the SenateIntelligence Committee voted on April 3 to declassify a por-tion of a review of the US detention and interrogation pro-gram in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, Al-Qaedaattack. The report, the release of which is opposed by theCIA, is expected to be sharply critical of the treatment ofprisoners, including some now held in Camp 7.

And on Monday, a judge in Guantanamo will open ahearing into the sanity of one of those prisoners, RamziBinalshibh, whose courtroom outbursts about alleged mis-treatment in Camp 7 have halted the already bogged-downeffort to try five men in the Sept 11 attacks, all of whom areheld there. Both issues are deeply intertwined. Binalshibhhas accused the government of making noises and vibra-tions inside Camp 7 to deliberately keep him awake, remi-niscent of the intentional sleep deprivation, along with oth-er forms of abuse, that his lawyers say he endured at thehands of the CIA from the time he was captured in Pakistanin Sept 2002 to when he was brought to Guantanamo fouryears later.

Sleep Disruption Military officials deny doing anything intentional to dis-

rupt his sleep. Prosecutors say his accusations are delusions,

though they still believe he is mentally competent to standtrial. His lawyers say he is competent, but are not convincedofficials have adequately investigated his complaints. Hismental state is somewhat murky. Court records showBinalshibh has been treated while in Guantanamo withmedications that are used for bipolar disorder and schizo-phrenia, but he did not participate in a court-ordered men-tal evaluation in January.

The judge, Army Col James Pohl, could decide to severBinalshibh from the case against his co-defendants, all ofwhom are being tried by military commission on chargesthat include terrorism and murder and face the deathpenalty if convicted. Another possibility is that his inabilityto sleep and his fevered outbursts in court, which promptedthe judge to order him removed from the courtroom inDecember, are a result of post-traumatic stress from histreatment at secret CIA interrogation centers known asblack sites, said Anne Fitzgerald, director of the researchand crisis response program for Amnesty International.

“The problem is that because everything is done insecret and there is so little opportunity for even the lawyersto have access to their clients it’s difficult for anybody to fig-ure out what is actually happening,” said Fitzgerald, who isat the base to observe the sanity board proceedings. Camp7 has never been part of the scripted tours of Guantanamooffered to journalists and there are no published photos. It’snot even mentioned on a military media handout about thedetention center, which otherwise notes that the military“conducts safe, humane, legal and transparent care and cus-tody of detainees”.

Military officials, while insisting that they adhere to inter-national human rights standards, refuse to describe Camp7. “I’m not even functionally allowed to discuss the place,”said Army Lt Col Todd Breasseale, a Pentagon spokesman. Afew facts have come out through government reports andcourt testimony. It apparently holds 15 of the 152 prisonersat Guantanamo. Those held in Camp 7 include KhalidSheikh Mohammed, who has portrayed himself as the mas-termind of the Sept 11 attack and is on trial with Binalshibh.Also held there is a Saudi prisoner charged with orchestrat-ing the deadly bombing of the USS Cole in 2000.

Falling Apart The men are apparently held in solid-walled cells - as

opposed to the cage-like structures used soon after the USbegan using Guantanamo as a prison in 2002 - that areintended to limit their ability to communicate with eachother, and are allowed up to four hours per day of exercise,according to a Government Accountability Office report.The secret camp also is apparently falling apart. Marine GenJohn F Kelly, commander of Miami-based SouthernCommand, told Congress that Camp 7 has become “increas-ingly unsustainable due to drainage and foundation issues”and needs to be replaced. But officials balked at the pro-posed $49 million price tag and the military scrapped theidea for a replacement and is making repairs out of existingfunds, said Army Col Greg Julian, a spokesman for SouthernCommand, which oversees Guantanamo.

James Harrington, a lawyer for Binalshibh, said he doesnot believe problems with the foundation - which Juliandescribed as “heaving and shifting” - are responsible for thevibrations and sounds that his client says keep him awake.The judge granted all five defense teams a request to visitCamp 7 one time for up to 12 hours to inspect conditions.Because of an ongoing dispute over the rules for handlingclassified evidence however, only Connell, who representsdefendant Ammar Al-Baluchi, has been inside. He went inAugust, riding in the van with windows covered in heavy-duty paper and a makeshift interior barrier so he could notsee the driver.

It is not clear whether one visit closely monitored byprison authorities would reveal the cause of Binalshibh’sdistress. His previous military lawyers, Navy Cmdr. SuzanneLachelier and Lt Richard Federico, were allowed insideCamp 7 in November 2008 for about two hours. WithConnell, they are the only other defense lawyers known tohave ever been inside the facility. They could not determinea cause for his complaints. The secrecy and security,Lachelier recalls, seemed excessive then and she remainsskeptical. “There’s no way to explain the security measuresthat they use from the perspective of the safety of theguards or the safety of the detainees, beyond that theymust be hiding something.” —AP

Window opens on secret camp within Gitmo

S P O RT SMONDAY, APRIL 14, 2014

MUMBAI: Leading Spanish club Atletico Madrid and former cricketers SachinTendulkar and Sourav Ganguly are among the owners of eight franchises of anew Indian soccer league set to kick off later this year, organisers said yester-day. La Liga leaders Atletico and former India captain Ganguly were part of theconsortium that won the bid for the Kolkata team in the Indian Super League

(ISL), proposed to start in mid-September and run till the endof November.

The ISL is bank-rolled by India’s Reliance Industries,controlled by the country’s richest man Mukesh

Ambani, Rupert Murdoch’s Star India and sportsmanagement group IMG. “I am very excited to have

won the Kolkata Franchise of the ISL and being thefirst international team to be directly owning a club inIndia we along with our Indian Partners and IMG-Reliance aim to revolutionise football in the country,”

Miguel Angel Gil Marin, the owner of Atletico, said in astatement. Former batting great Tendulkar bagged the Kochi

team with PVP Ventures, a company which has interests in realestate, media and also finances film projects. “I will alwaysremain a sportsman at heart who is keen to positively impactthe sporting fabric of the nation,” Tendulkar, who retired from

cricket last November, said. —Reuters

New Indian soccer leagueSINGAPORE: Unseeded Indonesian Simon Santoso pulled off a majorshock when he thrashed badminton’s world number one Lee Chong Wei towin the Singapore Open for the first time yesterday. The 28-year-old, con-sidered a rank outsider against Malaysia’s imperious Lee, upset the formbook in style with an emphatic 21-15, 21-10 victory in just 48 minutes inthe Singapore final. Santoso reeled off nine straight points tostifle Lee’s second-game revival and take the match, drop-ping his racquet to the court and raising his arms in cele-bration in front of a bemused crowd.

The third Superseries tournament win for the 52nd-ranked Santoso cements a stirring comeback by the for-mer world number three, who dropped out of the top100 last year following back problems.

“I am really satisfied with my performance especiallyafter beating one of the best players, Lee Chong Wei, in thefinal. I am really happy and proud,” Santoso said.

“I am really happy (because) it’s been a whilesince I beat Chong Wei and also because I foughthard from the qualification rounds here inSingapore.” It was only Santoso’s second win in11 matches against the All-England champion,who had lost just once this year. —AFP

Santoso wins Singapore OpenARKANSAS: Danza and Dance With Fate entered the Kentucky Derby discus-sion on Saturday after winning major prep races for the first jewel ofAmerican horseracing’s Triple Crown.

Danza, a 41-1 long shot trained by Todd Pletcher, romped to a 4 3/4 lengthvictory at the grade one $1 million Arkansas Derby in Hot Springs, Arkansas,while Dance With Fate charged to a 1 3/4 length win at the Blue Grass Stakesin Keeneland. Danza, with Joe Bravo in the irons, stormed away from Ride onCurlin, making Pletcher a four-time winner of the Arkansas prep. Bob Baffert-trained favorite Bayern was third. Dance With Fate came from well off thepace, Corey Nakatani pulling away from Medal Count down the home stretchfor the win. Trainer Peter Eurton said he would wait to decide whether the coltwould run at Churchill Downs on May 3. “I just don’t know,” said Eurton onKentuckyDerby.com. “It’s three weeks and kind of quick back. “I know he lovessynthetic better, (likes) turf. I just don’t know if he likes dirt.

“I know I’m going to hear it from everybody, though.” While Eurton willtake time to consider his horse’s chances, Nakatani had no doubt DanceWith Fate belongs in the Kentucky field. “I don’t have any doubt he can(get 1 1/4 miles),” Nakatani said. “It’s just a matter of whether he’ll handlethe Churchill Downs surface at this point. “He’s done things right. Heseems to do well on the grass and at Churchill, I’ve won the (Kentucky)Oaks on a filly that won on the grass so hopefully we’ll get (Dance WithFate) there after this race.” — Reuters

First jewel of Triple Crown

BOSTON: The Boston Bruins clinched the NHL’s best recordand home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs with a 4-1win over the league-worst Buffalo Sabres on Saturday. It isthe first time the Bruins have claimed the Presidents’ Trophysince the 1989-90 season.

David Krejci scored two goals, Patrice Bergeron netted his30th of the season, one fewer than his career high set in2005-06, and Gregory Campbell got his eighth.

Cody Hodgson scored for Buffalo. Sabres goalie MattHackett was taken from the ice on a stretcher after Bostondefenseman Torey Krug fell on his right leg with 11:35 left. Hewas replaced by Connor Knapp, who allowed Krejci’s secondgoal one minute later.

It is the second time the Bruins have won the Presidents’Trophy, given to the NHL team with the most regular-seasonpoints, since the award was instituted for the 1985-86 season.

DUCKS 4, KINGS 3Devante Smith-Pelly scored his first goal in regulation

since Halloween, then got the only goal in the shootout asAnaheim secured the top seed for the Western Conferenceplayoffs.

Nick Bonino and Matt Beleskey also scored in regulationand Frederik Andersen stopped 27 shots for the Ducks, whowill face Dallas in the opening round of the postseason. AnzeKopitar had two goals, including the tying on with 3:12 left inthe third period, and Dustin Brown also scored for LosAngeles. The Kings fell short of getting their franchise-record47th win in their regular-season finale. Both local rivalsscored in the final 5 minutes of regulation, and Smith Pellythen beat Jonathan Quick in the fourth round of theshootout.

FLYERS 4, PENGUINS 3Mark Streit beat Marc-Andre Fleury 2:10 into overtime to

lift Philadelphia over Pittsburgh and set up a first-round play-off matchup with the New York Rangers.

Streit’s backhand shot from the right circle caromedbetween Fleury’s pads and into the net as the Flyers clinchedthird place in the Metropolitan Division.

Jakub Voracek scored twice for the Flyers, and ClaudeGiroux added his team-high 28th goal of the season. RayEmery made 12 saves after replacing injured starter Steve

Mason to start the third period. Jussi Jokinen, James Neal andKris Letang scored for the Penguins. Fleury stopped 17 shotsand hardly looked sharp while giving up the game-winner.Letang scored in the final minute of regulation to force over-time after Giroux gave the Flyers a 3-2 lead with 1:15 left.

CANADIENS 1, RANGERS 0Brian Gionta scored on a penalty shot at 2:04 of overtime

to allow Montreal to finish the regular season with 100points.

Gionta was awarded the shot after he poked the puckaway from Raphael Diaz and then was tripped by thedefenseman on a breakaway. He deked to the backhand tobeat Cam Talbot on the shot.

Carey Price made 41 saves as Montreal moved past TampaBay for second place in the Atlantic Division. The Lightningcan still claim home ice advantage for their first round playoffmeeting versus Montreal with a victory on their final gameSunday against Washington. The Rangers have home ice forthe first round.

BLUE JACKETS 3, PANTHERS 2Ryan Johansen scored the tiebreaking goal in the third

period to and Columbus beat Florida for the eighth straighttime.

Mark Letestu and Cam Atkinson also scored for Columbusand Sergei Bobrovsky made 33 saves. Jimmy Hayes andVincent Trocheck scored for the Panthers. Roberto Luongostopped 35 shots.

The Blue Jackets clinched the first wild-card spot and willface Pittsburgh in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.Philadelphia’s 4-3 overtime win over Pittsburgh earlierSaturday clinched third place in the Metropolitan Division forthe Flyers and forced Columbus to the wild-card spot.

Johansen’s 33rd goal of the season, a one-timer from theleft circle, got past Luongo at 5:58 of the third period to putColumbus ahead.

SENATORS 1, MAPLE LEAFS 0Jason Spezza scored the game’s only goal and Craig

Anderson stopped 27 shots for his fourth shutout of the sea-son as the Ottawa Senators beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 1-0Saturday night.

Spezza scored on the power play at 7:35 of the secondperiod as Erik Karlsson found him alone in the faceoff circleand the Senators’ captain caught the inside of the post for his23rd of the season. Spezza now has 56 points in 56 careergames against the Leafs.

The Senators tied a season high with their fourth straightwin. James Reimer had 36 saves, making a number of bigstops to keep Toronto in the game. The Leafs capped off theirseason with 12 losses in their last 15 games, leaving thembelow the Senators in the standings.

SHARKS 3, COYOTES 2Joe Pavelski had two goals to become the fourth player in

team history with 40 goals in a season and San Jose closed

Bruins thrash Sabres kings fall

out the regular season with a win.Pavelski scored his 40th goal on a power play early in the

first period and added No. 41 midway through to join OwenNolan, Jonathan Cheechoo and Patrick Marleau in San Jose’s

40-goal club.Logan Couture also scored and Dan Boyle had a pair of

assists for the Sharks, who will face the Los Angeles Kings inthe opening round of the playoffs.

Antti Niemi stopped 30 shots, including Shane Doan on abreakaway late in the third period. Mike Ribeiro and Doanscored for Phoenix, which lost its seventh straight.

PREDATORS 7, BLACKHAWKS 5Patric Hornqvist scored the go-ahead goal with 58.2 sec-

onds left and Shea Weber added an empty-netter as Nashvillerallied with five goals in the third period.

The teams combined to score seven goals in a wild andfurious final period. Chicago was up 3-2 going into the third,and Nashville finally put the Blackhawks away with the twogoals inside the final minute. Nashville had scored more thanseven goals only once in franchise history.

Hornqvist also had an assist. Craig Smith had a goal andan assist. Ryan Ellis, Matt Cullen and Colin Wilson also scoreda goal apiece as the Predators took the season series 4-1. BenSmith, Marian Hossa, Matt Carey and Jeremy Morin eachscored a goal for Chicago.

OILERS 5, CANUCKS 2Taylor Hall had three assists to reach 80 points on the sea-

son and help Edmonton beat the Vancouver in Oilers forwardRyan Smyth’s final game.

Roman Horak, Jeff Petry, Will Acton, Jordan Eberle andRyan Nugent-Hopkins scored for the Oilers, who snapped atwo-game losing skid in their season finale. The win movedthe Oilers past Florida into 28th place overall with Tuesday’sNHL draft lottery looming.

The fans, however, were more interested in seeing Smythgo out on a win after a career that saw him total 386 goals,456 assists and 842 points in 1,270 games.

Shawn Matthias and Zack Kassian scored for Vancouver,which lost for the sixth time in seven games. The Canucksclose the season Sunday at home against Calgary. — AP

EDMONTON: Ryan Smyth No. 94 of the Edmonton Oilers takes a shot on Jacob Markstrom No. 35 of the VancouverCanucks during an NHL game. — AFP

KUWAIT: VIVA, Kuwait’s fastest-growing and most devel-oped telecom operator, announced that it is extending anopen invitation to all male youths with soccer skills andbetween the ages of 12 and 16 years old, to join in theManchester United Soccer Academy try outs, which are tobe held on 17 April 2014, from 5pm at Corner Soccer fieldnext to the Kuwait Towers.

The try outs will focus on different technical areas, suchas dribbling, short passing, turning and finishing. From thesetry out, professional coaches will select the best players tojoin Manchester United Soccer Academy.

Commenting on this occasion, Abdulrazzaq Bader Al-Essa, Director of Public Relations and Social Media at VIVAsaid: “We are very pleased to support these young athletesin bringing them closer to their dream of becoming profes-

sional football players. VIVA is very committed to encourag-ing young people to develop their talents and hone theirskills, and the Manchester United program is just one of themany ways in which we are trying to do this. We look for-ward to many youths entering the try outs next week.”

In 2011, VIVA announced its sponsorship of ManchesterUnited for five years, starting with the 2011- 2012 PremierLeague season. In August 2011 VIVA started to provide foot-ball fans the chance to win VIP tickets to watch ManchesterUnited play at Old Trafford in England. To support its spon-sorship, VIVA has also developed a number of exciting pro-motional offers and distinguished gifts, entertaining pro-grams, interactive competitions, and organized a number ofactivities to provide the subscribers with chances to watchthe club stars playing matches at Old Trafford.

VIVA invites youth to join in ManUnited soccer academy try outs

Boston 4, Buffalo 1; Philadelphia 4, Pittsburgh 3 (OT);Montreal 1, NY Rangers 0 (OT ); Ottawa 1, Toronto 0;Columbus 3, Florida 2; Nashville 7, Chicago 5; San Jose 3,Phoenix 2; Edmonton 5, Vancouver 2; Anaheim 4, LosAngeles 3 (SO).

Western ConferencePacific DivisionW L OTL GF GA PTS

Anaheim 53 20 8 263 207 114 San Jose 51 22 9 249 200 111 Los Angeles 46 28 8 206 174 100 Phoenix 36 30 15 214 230 87 Vancouver 35 35 11 191 222 81 Calgary 35 39 7 208 236 77 Edmonton 29 44 9 203 270 67

Central DivisionColorado 52 22 7 248 217 111 St. Louis 52 22 7 248 188 111 Chicago 46 21 15 267 220 107 Minnesota 43 26 12 204 199 98 Dallas 40 30 11 234 226 91 Nashville 37 32 12 209 239 86 Winnipeg 37 35 10 227 237 84

Eastern ConferenceAtlantic Division

Boston 54 18 9 259 174 117 Montreal 46 28 8 215 204 100 Tampa Bay 45 27 9 239 215 99 Detroit 38 28 15 219 230 91 Ottawa 36 31 14 233 263 86 Toronto 38 36 8 231 256 84 Florida 29 45 8 196 268 66 Buffalo 21 51 9 154 244 51

Metropolitan DivisionPittsburgh 51 24 6 247 204 108 NY Rangers 45 31 6 218 193 96 Philadelphia 42 30 9 231 229 93 Columbus 43 32 7 231 216 93 Washington 38 30 13 235 239 89 New Jersey 34 29 18 194 206 86 Carolina 35 35 11 201 225 81 NY Islanders 33 37 11 221 264 77 Note: Overtime losses (OTL) are worth one point in thestandings and are not included in the loss column (L).

NHL results/standings

S P O RT SMONDAY, APRIL 14, 2014

ST. LOUIS: Matt Adams homered, MattCarpenter drove in two runs and AdamWainwright saved a tired bullpen by lastingseven innings for the St. Louis Cardinals intheir 10-4 win over the Chicago Cubs onSaturday. It was hardly a vintage performanceby Wainwright (2-1), who struck out eight andhelped his own cause with an RBI single.

He gave up Junior Lake’s homer on his firstpitch and allowed six more hits after that. Thefour runs were twice as many as Wainwrightyielded in his first two starts. St. Louis didmost of its damage off starter CarlosVillanueva (1-3), who allowed nine runs and10 hits in three innings.

BREWERS 3, PIRATES 2Carlos Gomez hit a leadoff homer,

Jonathan Lucroy drove in the tiebreaking runwith an eighth-inning single and Milwaukeebeat Pittsburgh for its eighth consecutive vic-tory. Gomez got the Brewers (9-2) startedwith a 432-foot drive to center field offEdinson Volquez, and Khris Davis scored on awild pitch to make it 2-0 in the second.

Pittsburgh tied it in the third on StarlingMarte’s groundout and Travis Snider’s single,snapping Yovani Gallardo’s scoreless streak tostart the season at 14 2-3 innings.

Lucroy singled to right off reliever MarkMelancon (0-1) to drive in Ryan Braun, whoslid in ahead of the throw to the plate. JimHenderson (1-0) pitched a scoreless inningand Francisco Rodriguez got his fourth savein four attempts.

BRAVES 6, NATIONALS 3Freddie Freeman had three hits, including

a homer, and Atlanta beat Washington tocontinue its early success against theNationals.

Washington third baseman RyanZimmerman is expected to miss four to sixweeks after breaking his right thumb whenhe was picked off second base in the fifthinning. Before the game, the Nationals placedoutfielder Denard Span on the seven-day dis-abled list with a concussion.

BJ Upton had two hits, including his firsthomer, and Dan Uggla drove in two runs withtwo hits for the Braves. Justin Upton hadthree hits, including two doubles. Evan Gattisalso had three hits.

After winning two of three at Washingtonin the opening week, the Braves have wonthe first two games of a home series againsttheir NL East rivals. Alex Wood (2-1) allowedone run and six hits in five innings. CraigKimbrel pitched the ninth for his fifth save.Washington starter Taylor Jordan (0-1)allowed five runs and 10 hits in five innings.Anthony Rendon homered leading off thegame.

DODGERS 8, DIAMONDBACKS 5Adrian Gonzalez hit a two-run homer and

Zack Greinke improved to 3-0 as Los Angelesdefeated Arizona. Gonzalez, who had a two-run homer and five RBIs in the series openerFriday, followed that up with a shot to theleft-field seats off Wade Miley (2-2) in thethird inning. Greinke (3-0) gave up a run oneight hits in 5 1-3 innings, striking out eightwith no walks.

AJ Pollock had a pinch-hit homer for theDiamondbacks, who scored three in the ninthoff Brandon League, two on Mark Trumbo’stwo-out double. Kenley Jansen came in toearn his third save. Juan Uribe doubled twiceand had a two-run single for Los Angeles.

PHILLIES 5, MARLINS 4Jimmy Rollins homered with two outs in

the 10th inning and Philadelphia overcametwo home runs by Giancarlo Stanton to beatMiami. Rollins drove a 2-2 pitch from DanJennings (0-1) into the seats in left. It was the201st career homer for Rollins, and the sec-ond game-ender of his career.

The first came June 23, 2010, againstCleveland. BJ Rosenberg (1-0) pitched ascoreless inning for the win. Rollins finishedwith three hits and Chase Utley had two dou-bles and an RBI for Philadelphia, which haswon 12 of 15 against the Marlins. Utley is bat-

ting .500 with five doubles and eight RBIs.Stanton finished with three hits and threeRBIs. His first homer, measured at 470 feet,cleared the seats in left-center and landed onAshburn Alley - a popular outfield conces-sions spot.

ROCKIES 1, GIANTS 0Tommy Kahnle and four relievers com-

bined for two-hit ball over six innings afterBrett Anderson was injured, leading Coloradopast Matt Cain and San Francisco.

Troy Tulowitzki had a sacrifice fly in thethird, and Kahnle (2-0) allowed one baserun-ner in two innings. Matt Belisle, AdamOttavino, Rex Brothers and LaTroy Hawkinspitched an inning apiece to complete thethree-hitter, with Hawkins earning his secondsave. Rockies relievers extended their score-less streak to 9 2-3 innings in the series.Anderson left with a bruised left index fingerafter allowing a hit in three innings. It was theRockies’ third win in their last 17 games atSan Francisco’s waterfront ballpark.

Cain (0-2) allowed four hits over seveninnings with eight strikeouts and three walks.He is winless in his last seven starts at home.

INTERLEAGUERAYS 1, REDS 0

Alex Cobb went seven innings to extendTampa Bay’s run of solid starting pitching,and James Loney homered against slumpingCincinnati.

The Rays came into the interleague series

with a 1-8 mark against Cincinnati. They’vetaken the first two games with shutdownpitching and just enough offense.

Cobb (1-1) pitched seven shutout inningsagainst Texas on Sunday but got a no-deci-sion. He kept the scoreless streak goingSaturday, limiting Cincinnati’s struggling line-up to four hits without walking a batter.Grant Balfour got three outs for his fourthsave, finishing the four-hitter.

Loney led off the second inning with hisfirst homer against Alfredo Simon (1-1), whomatched his career high with eight inningsand allowed only five hits. Cincinnati strand-ed a pair at third base and had runnersthrown out at third and home. The Reds havelost all four of their series this season, fallingto 3-8 for the first time since 1995, when theywon the NL Central.

TIGERS 6, PADRES 2Justin Verlander had the first two hits of

his career and pitched seven strong inningsto lead Detroit over San Diego. Verlander,who came in 0 for 26 with 15 strikeouts, sin-gled up the middle off Ian Kennedy (1-2) inthe second inning and had a base hit toright in the fourth, although he had to hus-tle to avoid being thrown out by ChrisDenorfia. Verlander (1-1) scored on ToriiHunter ’s two-run single in the four th.Verlander allowed two runs and eight hits,struck out eight and walked one. AustinJackson hit a two-run double and Rajai Davisscored three runs. — AP

Cardinals tame Cubs

ST. LOUIS: Jon Jay No. 19 of the St. Louis Cardinals hits a two-RBI single against the ChicagoCubs in the fourth inning at Busch Stadium. — AFP

MLB results/standings

American LeagueEastern Division

W L PCT GB Tampa Bay 7 5 .583 - NY Yankees 6 6 .500 1 Toronto 6 6 .500 1 Baltimore 5 6 .455 1.5 Boston 5 7 .417 2

Central DivisionDetroit 6 3 .667 - Chicago White Sox6 6 .500 1.5 Cleveland 6 6 .500 1.5 Minnesota 5 6 .455 2 Kansas City 4 6 .400 2.5

Western DivisionOakland 7 4 .636 - Seattle 6 4 .600 0.5 LA Angels 5 6 .455 2 Texas 5 6 .455 2 Houston 5 7 .417 2.5

National LeagueEastern Division

Atlanta 7 4 .636 - Washington 7 4 .636 - NY Mets 5 6 .455 2 Philadelphia 5 6 .455 2 Miami 5 7 .417 2.5

Central DivisionMilwaukee 9 2 .818 - Pittsburgh 6 5 .545 3 St. Louis 6 5 .545 3 Chicago Cubs 4 7 .364 5 Cincinnati 3 8 .273 6

Western DivisionLA Dodgers 8 4 .667 - San Francisco 7 5 .583 1 Colorado 6 6 .500 2 San Diego 4 7 .364 3.5 Arizona 4 10 .286 5

NY Yankees 7, Boston 4; Tampa Bay 1, Cincinnati 0; Cleveland 12, Chicago White Sox 6; Minnesota7, Kansas City 1; St. Louis 10, Chicago Cubs 4; Colorado 1, San Francisco 0; Baltimore 2, Toronto 1(12 innings); Philadelphia 5, Miami 4 (10 innings); Milwaukee 3, Pittsburgh 2; Atlanta 6,Washington 3; Houston 6, Texas 5 (10 innings); La Dodgers 8, Arizona 5; Detroit 6, San Diego 2;NY Mets 7, LA Angels 6 (13 innings); Oakland 3, Seattle 1.

NEW YORK: Shawn Kelley No. 27 of the New York Yankees pitches in the ninthinning against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of NewYork City. — AFP

NEW YORK: Brian McCann put an emphaticend to his season-opening slump, hittinghis first two home runs for the New YorkYankees to help beat John Lackey and theBoston Red Sox 7-4 Saturday.

Carlos Beltran, Alfonso Soriano and KellyJohnson also connected as the Yankeesscored all their runs on homers. Lackey (2-1)was tagged for a career-high four homeruns in 5 2-3 innings. New York has won twoof three in a series that wraps up Sundaynight. AJ Pierzynski hit his first home run forthe Red Sox. Hiroki Kuroda (2-1) pitchedinto the seventh, and reliever MattThornton gave up Mike Carp’s two-run sin-gle that made it 6-4. With runners at thecorners, Carp was caught stealing for thethird out. Shawn Kelley pitched a perfectninth for his second save.

INDIANS 12, WHITE SOX 6Ryan Raburn hit a tiebreaking, two-run

single with two outs in the seventh inningto lead Cleveland over Chicago. NickSwisher, Jason Kipnis and David Murphyhomered for Cleveland, which snapped athree-game losing streak. Murphy added abases-loaded triple in a four-run ninthagainst Donnie Veal.

The Indians improved to 18-4 againstthe White Sox since the beginning of lastseason, overcoming another shaky start byJustin Masterson. Josh Outman (2-0), BryanShaw and Cody Allen combined for 3 1-3innings of one-hit relief before closer JohnAxford finished in a non-save situation.Adam Eaton hit his first homer for the WhiteSox. Ronald Belisario (1-1) took the loss.

TWINS 7, ROYALS 1Joe Mauer hit his first home run of the

season and Ricky Nolasco earned his initialwin for Minnesota in a victory over KansasCity.

A day after getting his first RBI of theyear, Mauer hit a three-run shot againstJames Shields. Brian Dozier connected forhis fourth home run, a leadoff drive for theTwins. Nolasco (1-1) showed why the Twinssigned him to a $49 million, four year con-tract to steady their rotation. In his firsthome start for Minnesota, the right handerwent eight innings and allowed five hits.Shields (0-2) yielded seven runs - oneearned - in 5 2-3 innings.

ORIOLES 2, BLUE JAYS 1Steve Lombardozzi tripled and scored on

a single by David Lough in the 12th inningfor Baltimore. Toronto trailed 1-0 with twoouts in the ninth when Colby Rasmus hit asolo homer off Tommy Hunter on a 1-2pitch. After nearly going around on a checkswing one pitch earlier, Rasmus drove a 98mph fastball into the right-field seats.

In the 12th, Lombardozzi hit a one-outdrive to center off Todd Redmond (0-1)before Lough sliced an opposite-field liner

to left. As soon as Lombardozzi crossed theplate, the Orioles sprinted from the dugoutto embrace Lough, who scored Baltimore’sother run five innings earlier. Zach Britton(2-0) got the win with two hitless innings ofrelief.

ATHLETICS 3, MARINERS 1Sonny Gray overcame a shaky start to

allow one run in seven innings and JoshDonaldson hit a two-run homer as Oaklandwon for the fifth time in six games.

Gray (2-0) gave up his only run in thefirst when Seattle failed to capitalize whenthey had runners at first and third and noouts. Gray stymied the Mariners from there,allowing only singles to Logan Morrison inthe fourth and Robinson Cano in the sixth,and a double by Dustin Ackley in the sev-enth. It was another dominant performanceby the young right-hander who has givenup only two earned runs in three starts thisseason, and earned his second win in aweek against Seattle. Donaldson’s firstinning blow was the only offense Oaklandneeded. He lined a 2-0 pitch from Seattlestarter Erasmo Ramirez (1-2) over the hand-operated scoreboard for the early lead.

ASTROS 6, RANGERS 5Jason Castro tripled with one out in the

10th and Jose Altuve had a tiebreaking sac-rifice fly, helping the Astros beat theRangers to end a 12-game skid against theirstate rival. Marwin Gonzalez, running forCastro, scored Altuve’s fly off Rangers closerJoakim Soria (1-1). Michael Choice hit hisfirst career homer in the ninth to tie it asTexas rallied in the eighth and the ninth tosend the foes into extra innings for the sec-ond straight night.

Kevin Chapman (1-0) allowed Choice’shomer but was awarded the victory.Anthony Bass pitched the 10th for his sec-ond save.

Shin-Soo Choo came into the game hav-ing reached base 12 of his previous 16 plateappearances but struck out all five times up.

INTERLEAGUEMETS 7, ANGELS 6

Anthony Recker led off the 13th inningwith a home run against rookie MattShoemaker and also had a two-run single,leading the Mets to a victory over theAngels.

Mets new closer Jose Valverde came onin the ninth to protect a 6-3 lead forJonathon Niese, but allowed a three-runhomer to 41-year-old Raul Ibanez.Shoemaker (0-1), the eighth Angels pitcher,escaped his own bases-loaded jam in the12th by striking out Juan Lagares. ButRecker drove the right-hander’s secondpitch of the 13th into the left field bullpenfor his first homer of the season. JohnLannan (1-0) pitched two perfect inningsfor the victory. — AP

Yankees trounce Red Sox

LAS VEGAS: Manny Pacquiao scored a unanimous decisionwin over Timothy Bradley to regain the WBO welterweight titleon Saturday and avenge a highly controversial loss to theAmerican in June 2012. Two judges scored the fight 116-112for Pacquiao, while a third saw it as a 118-110 win for theFilipino. In their previous fight, Bradley was awarded a splitdecision victory that many observers felt Pacquiao had wonclearly. “He threw a lot of punches and I didn’t want to be care-less,” said Pacquiao. “In the second half of the fight, I listened tomy corner and they told me to work on the timing of mypunches.”

Pacquiao added that his trainer Freddie Roach “told me tomake adjustments and I did. Bradley was wild on the outsideso I took it to the inside.” The early rounds of the fight wereexplosive, with Pacquiao the aggressor and Bradley looking toland big counter right hands as the Filipino moved forward. Awild third round saw both men exchanging vicious shots, apair of lefts from Pacquiao being followed by an uppercut anda right hand from Bradley and a series of ripping body shots bythe American. Through five, Bradley (31-1, 12 KOs) appeared tobe on top and Pacquiao looked uncertain how to land cleanlywithout exposing himself to big counters. In the sixth, howev-er, the momentum shifted. Bradley’s output suddenly droppedand Pacquiao (56-5-2, 38 KOs) adjusted his style to throw fastcombinations and move out of the way before Bradley had thechance to load up.

The seventh may have been the Filipino’s most dominantround, as he pinned Bradley to the ropes and unleashed flur-ries. Bradley beckoned him on, daring him to attack, andPacquiao paused warily before resuming his assault and land-ing a hard left hand that stunned his foe.

Bradley continued to have his moments, notably in theninth round when he landed some hard combinations toPacquiao’s chin to stem the challenger’s assault, but his punch-es were more ragged and wild, while Pacquiao’s were shorter

and sharper.Bradley said he had been going for the knockout.“I tried. I really tried,” he said. “I wanted that knockout. Manny’sa great fighter, maybe one of the best ever. I lost to one of thebest.” It was the first defeat of Bradley’s career. — Reuters

Klitschko expects ‘pure violence’ against Leapai

BERLIN: Wladimir Klitschko says he expects ‘pure vio-lence’ when he defends his world heavyweight titlesagainst Australia’s Alex Leapai in a fortnight.

Klitschko, 38, will be defending his WBA, IBF, WBO andIBO belts in Oberhausen, Germany, on April 26 againstthe 34-year-old Leapai, who has vowed to “go to war”with the reigning champion.

“He is the underdog-but he can also bite,” Klitschkotold German daily Bild. “Leapai will try and beat me withpure violence. “ Technique and tactics aren’t hisstrengths. He’s lacking the experience and I’ll use thatagainst him.

“I’ll demonstrate that I’m the strongest boxer in theworld. My mission isn’t over yet.” Leapai, 34, has a 30-4-3career record since turning professional in 2004, whileKlitschko is 61-3 with 51 knock-outs and his last defeat isnow a decade ago.

The world-title fight takes place just before Australiaand New Zealand’s ANZAC Day, to commemorate theirsoldiers killed in battle, and Leapai has said he will provehe is a “warrior too” and will bring Klitschko’s belts home.

The Ukraine champion says he is still feeling the lossof legendary coach Emanuel ‘Manny’ Steward who diedin October 2012. “Perhaps it sounds a little crazy, butwhen I am in the gym I still hear his voice,” said Klitschko.“He whispers things in my ear when I am in the ring. “Wehad previously talked about things for hours, from whichI still benefit today.

“We still do things today exactly how Emanuel want-ed them to be done. “It starts with the small things. “I feelhis spirit, his strength and I always definitely knowwhether or not he is happy with my training.” — AFP

Pacquiao defeats Bradley to regain WBO crown

LAS VEGAS: Timothy Bradley (left) of US and Manny Pacquiao of Philippines fight during their WBO WorldWelterweight Championship title match at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas. —AFP

S P O RT SMONDAY, APRIL 14, 2014

Photo of the day

Mohammad Al Attar performs during a photoshoot in Kuwait City, Kuwait .—www.redbull.com

LOS ANGELES: Blake Griffin scored 27points, DeAndre Jordan added 21, andthe Los Angeles Clippers beat theSacramento Kings 117-101 on Saturdayto earn their franchise record-tying 56thvictory of the regular season. Chris Pauladded 17 points and 10 assists, J.J.Redick had 13 points, and Matt Barnesscored 12 in helping the playoff-boundClippers improve to 33-7 at StaplesCenter, breaking the franchise mark forhome victories in a season. Griffin hadnine assists, and Jordan had ninerebounds.

Los Angeles completed a seasonsweep of the Kings and has won sevenstraight against them at home.DeMarcus Cousins had his seventhstraight double-double with 32 pointsand 12 rebounds to lead the Kings, wholost their fifth in a row in their last roadgame of the season.

HAWKS 98, HEAT 85Jeff Teague scored 25 points, Lou

Williams had 18 of his 23 points in thefourth quarter and the Atlanta Hawksearned the Eastern Conference’s finalplayoff spot. Atlanta’s third straight vic-tory eliminated the New York Knicksfrom playoff contention. Williams scoredthe Hawks’ last 12 points.

LeBron James finished with 27 pointsand Dwyane Wade, in his first gamesince missing nine straight with a soreleft hamstring, scored 24 for the MiamiHeat. The two-time defending championHeat, who have lost three of four, gaveup the ground they gained in the stand-ings Friday by beating Indiana at homeand taking a one-half game lead overthe Pacers. Miami and Indiana are nowtied atop the Eastern Conference with54-26 records. The Heat’s 85 points weretheir third-fewest this season.

WIZARDS 194, BUCKS 91Bradley Beal scored 26 points, and

the Washington Wizards moved a stepcloser to claiming the No. 6 seed in theEastern Conference with a win over theMilwaukee Bucks, whose loss guaran-teed they will finish with at least a tie forthe worst record in the NBA.

John Wall added 15 points and eightassists for the Wizards, who also clinchedthe franchise’s first winning record since2008 - which was also the last time theymade the playoffs.

Washington leads the seventh-placeCharlotte Bobcats, who beat thePhiladelphia 76ers on Saturday, by onegame with two to play. The Bobcats holdthe tiebreaker if Washington andCharlotte finish tied. Both teams arehoping to finish higher than seventh inorder to avoid a first-round series againstMiami or Indiana. Khris Middleton andRamon Sessions scored 20 points apieceto lead the Bucks.

BOBCATS 111, 76ERS 105Al Jefferson continued his dominat-

ing play with 29 points and 12 rebounds,and the Charlotte Bobcats defeated thePhiladelphia 76ers for their sixth win inseven games.

It marked the sixth straight gameJefferson had at least 20 points and 10rebounds in a game - extending his ownfranchise record.

The Bobcats (41-39) remained onegame behind the Washington Wizards inthe race for the sixth seed in the EasternConference with two games left in theregular season. The Wizards defeatedMilwaukee 104-91 on Saturday night.Michael Carter-Williams had 23 pointsand eight assists to lead the 76ers, whohave lost 16 of their last 17 games on theroad.

CELTICS 111, CAVALIERS 99Rookie Kelly Olynyk matched a career

high with 25 points and the short-handed

Boston Celtics defeated the ClevelandCavaliers. Avery Bradley also scored 25points for the Celtics, who built a 33-pointlead early in the fourth quarter beforeCleveland’s reserves cut into the margin.Boston snapped a 13-game road losingstreak and won for the first time awayfrom home since Feb. 10. The Celtics havewon consecutive games for the first timesince early March.

Kyrie Irving scored and Dion Waiterseach scored 15 points for Cleveland, butneither played in the fourth quarter thatbegan with Boston leading 89-58.

ROCKETS 111, PELICANS 104James Harden had 33 points and 13

assists and the Houston Rockets ralliedpast the New Orleans Pelicans to main-tain their spot in the WesternConference standings with the postsea-son just days away.

The Rockets had lost two in a rowand needed the win to stay ahead ofPortland in fourth place in the West.Houston got a boost from the return ofDwight Howard and Patrick Beverley,who had both missed the last eightgames with injuries. Beverley scored 20points and Howard had 13.

Luke Babbitt, who was signed by thePelicans in February after playing 18games in Russia this season, had acareer-high 24 points as New Orleansdropped its eighth straight.

MAVERICKS 101, SUNS 98Monta Ellis matched his season high

with 37 points and Dirk Nowitzki scored21 of his 23 during a second-half rallythat carried the Dallas Mavericks back tothe playoffs. Ellis and Nowitzki broughtthe Mavericks back by hitting five 3-pointers between them in less than 4minutes of the third quarter, erasingmost of a 13-point deficit. Then, theyteamed to get the lead back in thefourth, and Dallas held on in the finalminutes. The Mavericks left the Suns andMemphis to battle for the last playoff

spot in the Western Conference. Dallas isback in the postseason after a 12-yearplayoff streak ended last season. EricBledsoe scored 29 points for the Suns.

NUGGETS 101, JAZZ 94Kenneth Faried scored 24 points and

pulled down 21 rebounds in the short-handed Denver Nuggets’ come-from-behind win over the Utah Jazz.

Randy Foye added 26 points and EvanFornier 23 for the Nuggets, who trailedmost of the night before sending Utah toits fourth straight loss and evening theseason series with their rivals at twogames each. Foye’s 3-pointer with 6:54left gave Denver its first lead of the nightat 77-76. Gordon Hayward led Utah with23 points, and Enes Kanter added 22points and 14 rebounds. — AP

ROUBAIX: Niki Terpstra of theNetherlands seized his opportunity topip the pre-race favourites and clinchthe biggest victory of his career whenhe won the Paris-Roubaix classic yes-terday.

Terpstra, one of the in-form ridersgoing into the 257-km race featuring51.1 km of cobbled sectors, attacked agroup of favourites with six kilometresleft and never looked back.

He crossed the line on the outdoorRoubaix velodrome some 20 secondsahead of German John Degenkolb.Swiss Fabian Cancellara, who was bid-ding to become the first rider toachieve three Paris-Roubaix/Tour ofFlanders doubles, came third after fail-ing to make his move earlier in therace. Belgian Tom Boonen, Terpstra’steam leader at Omega Pharma-QuickStep, was the most aggressive rider ofthe day but he crossed the line in 10thplace and failed to become the onlyman with five Roubaix titles.

“It’s the best day of my career. I hadsome nice results, especially this year,and then to take the win in thebiggest Classic of all is a dream cometrue,” Terpstra, his face covered with amix of dust and sweat, told reporters.

“It’s a race that suits me well. Myshape this year was really good so Iwas motivated for a good result. Theteam were good, we had some ridersto play with, so I attacked and it was agood attack,” added the firstDutchman since Servais Knaven in2001 to prevail in the Hell of theNorth.

The win put balm on the OmegaPharma-Quick Step team, who wereoutplayed in the Tour of Flanders lastSunday. “I don’t l ike the wordrevenge,” team boss Patrick Lefeveretold reporters.

“Terpstra won but we raced so thatthe team could win. In the end,Boonen stopped thinking like aleader, he brought back the (chasing)group so that Terpstra could comeback. “It’s not the freshest rider whowon but the smartest.” Boonenlaunched his first attack with 65 kmleft but came up just short, paying in

the finale a price for his repeatedefforts having not received a lot ofhelp from his breakaway companions.

IMPRESSIVE WIGGINSThe favorites eventually regrouped

despite Peter Sagan’s solo attempts,and the mind games started. While alleyes were on Belgian Sep Vanmarcke,Cancellara, Sagan and Boonen,Terpstra powered away and onlyGeraint Thomas, eventually a decentseventh for Team Sky, tried to bridgethe gap. It was a good day for the

British outfit although Thomasrefused to fully cooperate withBoonen and possibly missed out on abetter result.

Bradley Wiggins, the first ridersince Greg Lemond in 1992 to startthe Queen of the Classics as a formerTour de France winner, ended up animpressive ninth.

Others were eliminated by badluck-a major actor in Paris-Roubaix.Milan-San Remo winner AlexanderKristoff punctured in the Troueed’Arenberg, one of the most feared

cobbled sectors less than 100 kmfrom the finish.

He punctured again and thencrashed on the unluckiest day for theNorwegian from the Katusha team.Edvald Boasson-Hagen of Norway andFrance’s Arnaud Demarre were alsoamong the riders with outsidechances who hit the deck.

Cancellara, the defending champi-on, was briefly held back after teammate Hayden Roulston caused a pileup when he crashed at the front ofthe pack.

The Swiss, who looked slightlybelow his usual awe-inspiring best,never seemed in the mix for victory,yet he claimed a 12th consecutivepodium place on the Monument races(Milan-San Remo, Flanders, Roubaix,Liege-Bastogne-Liege, Tour ofLombardy) he finished. “I can beproud, I did my best,” Cancellara toldreporters. “In the end it was tactical. Iwanted to attack but I knew the oth-ers were waiting for me to do that.And I was fancying my chances in asprint.” — Reuters

AUGUSTA: Bubba Watson squan-dered an early five-stroke advantageand was caught by 20-year-old JordanSpieth as the youngster tied him forthe lead at the end of a pressure-packed third round of the Masters onSaturday.

Spieth, playing with patience anddiscipline belying his years, posted asolid two-under-par 70 to join Watsonon five-under 211 on a warm, sunnyday at Augusta National that bakedthe famed greens to lightning speeds.

“Patience,” Spieth said about thekey to his round. “We could tell earlyon the greens were ridiculous. Youhad to put the ball on the right spotsand not let your focus stray for onemoment.”

Spieth, who began the day fourbehind overnight leader Watson, puthimself in position to make Mastershistory yesterday as victory wouldmake him Augusta’s youngest cham-pion, putting him ahead of TigerWoods who was 21 when he tri-umphed in 1997.

Watson, the 2012 champion, need-ed to curl in a four-foot par-savingputt at the last to retain a share of the

lead on a day when he struggled onthe heavily contoured greens.

“It was the firmest I’ve seen it inyears out here,” said Watson who onlymissed one fairway but needed 33putts. “I had a couple of three-putts. Ifyou two-putt those you’re right thereand you’ve got a two-shot lead.

“All in all, a good day,” Watson said,looking on the bright side. “If some-body told me on Monday I’d have a 74and still be tied for the lead I’d havetaken it all day long.”

One stroke back were Matt Kuchar,who used some brilliant chipping toregister a 68, and Masters first-timerJonas Blixt of Sweden (71).

Another shot adrift on 213 wereAmerican Rickie Fowler (67) and 50-year-old Spaniard Miguel AngelJimenez who had seven birdies andone bogey in a tournament-low 66.

BOGEY SPELLAn eagle at the par-five second

hole helped Watson improve his 36-hole lead to a five-shot cushion butthat disappeared under a spell ofbogeys that turned the year’s firstmajor into a taut battle on a crowded

leaderboard.Watson wobbled with three

bogeys in four holes from the fourth,striking delicate chip shots and sandblasts too far while leaving somedownhill putts short in fear of rollingwell by.

The poor stretch dropped Watsoninto a tie with Blixt and Thomas Bjornof Denmark at five under with nineholes to play before the Americanmoved back in front with a birdie atthe 10th.

Ten players were bunched withintwo shots of the lead at the turn. Blixtalso reached five-under after back-to-back birdies from the 15th but abogey at 17 dropped him back andSpieth emerged as co-leader. At theother end of the age spectrum,Jimenez could put his name in theMasters record books as the oldestchampion, surpassing Jack Nicklauswho was 46 when he won in 1986.

Jimenez vaulted into contention bymatching the lowest Masters score bya player over 50 held by Ben Hogan(1967) and Fred Couples (2010).

“I feel very nice. Beautiful day outthere, just light breeze sometimes. It’sgreat,” said the pony-tailed Spaniard.Three shots behind the co-leaderswere England’s Lee Westwood (70),Bjorn (73) and American Jim Furyk(72).

Americans Couples, 54, and KevinStadler, U.S. Open champion JustinRose of England and Australian JohnSenden were tied at one under parheading into what could be a wildshootout for the year’s first major.

Another record-tying performancewas turned in by long-hittingAmerican Gary Woodland who tookadvantage of his early start on greensnot yet baked to a crisp to fire a six-under 30 on the front nine and tie theMasters record. Woodland had fourbirdies and an eagle to match therecord low for the outward half byJohnny Miller (1975), Greg Norman(1988), K J Choi (2004) and PhilMickelson (2009).

He climbed within three shots ofWatson before stumbling at AmenCorner as he ended with a 69 for 216,even par. Adam Scott, last year’s win-ner, struggled on the greens and post-ed a 76 for 217.

NEXT TESTThe next test for young Spieth will

be contending with the pressurecooker that is Masters. “He’s young,nerves are no big deal to him,” saidWatson of Spieth who seems destinedfor greatness after winning the USJunior Amateur in 2009 and 2011,joining Tiger Woods as the event’sonly multiple winners, and whobecame the youngest PGA Tour win-ner in 82 years last season at the ageof 19. Still, the final round at Augustais something special. “You know theroars, you know the history of thegame,” said Watson. “As a kid we’vealways dreamed about Sunday after-noon, having a chance on the lasthole or birdying the last four like CharlSchwartzel did in 2011.— Reuters

Terpstra down top guns

to clinch Paris-Roubaix

FRANCE: Netherland’s Niki Terpstra (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) looks athis trophy on the podium after winning the 112th edition of the Paris-Roubaix one-day classic cycling race. — AFP

Watson all set for Masters duel

AUGUSTA: Justin Rose of England reacts as he watches his putt on the sec-ond green during the final round of the Masters Golf Tournament atAugusta National Golf Club. —AFP

Clippers stop Kings march

Eastern ConferenceAtlantic Division

W L PCT GB Toronto 46 33 .582 - Brooklyn 43 36 .544 3 NY Knicks 34 45 .430 12 Boston 25 55 .313 21.5 Philadelphia 17 63 .213 29.5

Central DivisionIndiana 54 26 .675 - Chicago 47 32 .595 6.5 Cleveland 32 49 .395 22.5 Detroit 29 51 .363 25 Milwaukee 15 65 .188 39

Southeast DivisionMiami 54 26 .675 - Washington 42 38 .525 12 Charlotte 41 39 .513 13 Atlanta 37 43 .463 17 Orlando 23 56 .291 30.5

Western ConferenceNorthwest Division

Oklahoma City58 21 .734 - Portland 52 28 .650 6.5 Minnesota 40 39 .506 18 Denver 36 44 .450 22.5 Utah 24 56 .300 34.5

Pacific DivisionLA Clippers 56 24 .700 - Golden State 49 30 .620 6.5 Phoenix 47 33 .588 9 Sacramento 27 53 .338 29 LA Lakers 25 54 .316 30.5

Southwest DivisionSan Antonio 62 18 .775 - Houston 53 27 .663 9 Dallas 49 32 .605 13.5 Memphis 47 32 .595 14.5 New Orleans 32 48 .400 30

NBA results/standingsLA Clippers 117, Sacramento 101; Charlotte 111, Philadelphia 105;Washington 104, Milwaukee 91; Atlanta 98, Miami 85; Boston 111,Cleveland 99; Houston 111, New Orleans 104; Dallas 101, Phoenix 98;Denver 101, Utah 94.

LOS ANGELES: Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins (right) loses theball as he is fouled by Los Angeles Clippers forward Glen Davis (left) duringthe second half of an NBA basketball game. — AP

S P O RT SMONDAY, APRIL 14, 2014

MADRID: Atletico Madrid extended their leadat the top of La Liga with 2-0 win at Getafeyesterday, but victory came at a price asDiego Costa was stretchered off after collidingwith the goalpost as he scored his side’s sec-ond goal.

Uruguayan defender Diego Godin tookadvantage of a goalkeeping error from JordiCodina to head home the opener from Koke’scorner five minutes before half-time.

Costa then saw a second-half penaltysaved by Codina after Angel Lafita saw a redcard for pulling down Miranda, but theSpanish international redeemed himself byslotting home Adrian Lopez’s low cross sixminutes from time.

Costa was immediately stretchered off, butAtletico confirmed he has just suffered a fleshwound meaning he should be fit to face Elchein Los Rojiblancos’ next outing on Friday.

Diego Simeone’s men now lead city rivalsReal Madrid by three points with five gamesremaining, whilst reigning championsBarcelona are a further point behind in third.

Despite their exertions in knocking Barcaout of the Champions League on Wednesdayto progress to the semi-finals for the first timein 40 years, Simeone made just two changesfrom the side that started in midweek.

Top scorer Costa returned up front after ahamstring injury in place of Adrian, whilstMario Suarez also replaced Tiago in midfield.The visitors were first to threaten when Costajust failed to reach David Villa’s dangerouscross to the back post.

However, both sides struggled to createchances from open play thereafter with themajority of opportunities coming from set-pieces.

Godin came close on 27 minutes when hisheader from Koke’s corner was beaten awayby Codina. However, the keeper undid hisgood work five minutes before half-timewhen he got nowhere near the ball as hecame off his line to collect a Koke corner andleft Godin with the simple task of heading theball into an unguarded net for his sixth goal ofthe season.

It was Getafe who threatened from a cor-ner early in the second-half as Juan Rodriguezforced Thibaut Courtois into a fine save low tohis left.

Courtois then made a more comfortablesave to deny Adrian Colunga before Atleticowere given a golden chance to seal the threepoints 25 minutes from time when Lafitahauled down Miranda as the Brazilian defend-er attempted to get on the end of anothercorner from Koke.

Lafita was shown a straight red card fordenying a clear goalscoring opportunity, butCosta missed his third penalty this seasonwhen Codina dived to his left to save his spot-kick and recovered well to also block RaulGarcia’s follow-up effort.

Costa did eventually double Atletico’sadvantage when he bravely slid in to turnAdrian’s cross home for his 34th goal of theseason before colliding with the post. — AFP

Atletico top Spanish LeagueCosta hurt in goalpost collision

Atletico 33 26 4 3 72 22 82Real Madrid 33 25 4 4 94 32 79Barcelona 33 25 3 5 92 27 78Bilbao 32 17 8 7 55 35 59Sevilla 33 16 8 9 61 47 56Villarreal 33 15 7 11 52 38 52Sociedad 33 14 9 10 56 50 51Valencia 33 12 8 13 46 46 44Levante 33 10 10 13 30 41 40Espanyol 32 11 7 14 35 40 40Malaga 32 10 8 14 35 40 38Celta Vigo 33 10 7 16 36 49 37

Granada 33 11 4 18 30 46 37Vallecano 32 11 3 18 37 68 36Elche 33 8 11 14 27 44 35Osasuna 33 9 7 17 28 53 34Valladolid 33 6 14 13 32 50 32Getafe 33 8 7 18 29 51 31Almeria 33 8 6 19 34 64 30Real Betis 33 5 7 21 28 66 22Notes: Top four teams qualify for next season’sChampions League; fifth to seventh placeteams qualify for Europa League; bottomthree teams relegated to Segunda Division

Spanish League results/standings

Playing laterEspanyol v Rayo Vallecano

Playing todayAthletic Bilbao v Malaga

Spanish League table before yesterday’s late match (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goalsagainst, points):

Real Betis 0 Sevilla 2 (Gameiro 30-pen, 81); Valencia 2 (Piatti 22, Parejo 61) Elche 1 (Coro 28);Getafe 0 Atletico Madrid 2 (Godin 40, Diego Costa 84).

Juventus 32 27 3 2 69 22 84Roma 33 24 7 2 68 19 79Napoli 33 20 7 6 63 35 67Fiorentina 33 17 7 9 56 37 58Inter Milan 33 13 14 6 55 35 53Parma 33 13 12 8 53 42 51Torino 33 13 9 11 49 42 48Lazio 33 13 9 11 44 44 48Atalanta 33 14 4 15 38 44 46Verona 33 14 4 15 50 57 46AC Milan 32 12 9 11 49 44 45Sampdoria 33 11 8 14 40 49 41

Genoa 33 10 9 14 36 43 39Udinese 32 11 5 16 35 44 38Cagliari 33 7 12 14 31 45 33Chievo 33 8 6 19 30 49 30Bologna 33 5 13 15 27 51 28Livorno 33 6 7 20 36 64 25Sassuolo 33 6 7 20 32 62 25Catania 32 4 8 20 24 57 20Top three qualify for Champions League.Fourth and fifth for Europa League. Bottom three are relegated.

Italian League results/standings

Playing laterMilan v Catania

Playing todayUdinese v Juventus

Italian League table after yesterday’s early match (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for,goals against, points):

Bologna 1 (Cherubin 44) Parma 1 (Palladino 79); Verona 3 (Sala 14, Toni 73-pen, Iturbe90+1) Fiorentina 5 (Cuadrado 31, Aquilani 44, 86, Valero 63, Matri 83-pen); Livorno 2(Siligardi 6, Paulinho 33-pen) Chievo 4 (Paloschi 9, 45+2, 56-pen, Thereau 23); Napoli 4(Mertens 41, Higuain 49-pen, 67, 90+4) Lazio 2 (Lulic 21, Onzai 82); Sampdoria 0 Inter4 (Icardi 13, 63, Samuel 60, Palacio 79); Torino 2 (Immobile 90+2, Cerci 90+3 Genoa 1(Gilardino 85).

SPAIN: Atletico Madrid’s midfielder Raul Garcia (right) vies with Getafe’s midfielder PedroMosquera during the Spanish League football match. — AFP

ITALY: Inter Milan’s Brazilian midfielder Anderson Hernanes (right) fights for the ball withSampdoria’s defender Paolo Castellini during the Italian Serie A football match. — AFP

MILAN: Fiorentina dominated 10-manVerona in an eight-goal thriller while InterMilan stunned 10-man Sampdoria 4-0 inGenoa as both sides tightened their grip onSerie A’s two Europa League places yesterday.

Elsewhere Napoli resisted a fightbackfrom 10-man Lazio to prevail 4-2 thanks toan injury-time goal from Gonzalo Higuainwhich gave the Argentine striker a hat-trick. Ciro Immobile, meanwhile, launchedthe fightback for Torino after AlbertoGilardino’s 85th minute opener for Genoawith an injury-time leveller that took thestriker top of the league scoring charts with19 goals. Fellow striker Alessio Cerci addedTorino’s second less than a minute later toseal a late win which kept the ‘Granate’, likeseveral other teams, in the hunt for a placein next season’s Europa League. LeadersJuventus are not in action until today whenthey travel to Udinese looking to restoretheir eight-point lead on second-placedRoma, whose 3-1 win at home to Atalantaon Saturday reduced their arrears to fivepoints.

Napoli remain third but thanks toRoma’s win Rafael Benitez’s men are nocloser to the second automatic qualifyingspot for the Champions League.

The Azzurri are 12 points adrift of theGiallorossi and still nine points ahead offourth-placed Fiorentina in the first Europaspot.

Higuain, who had not scored sinceMarch 17 and had recently been substitut-ed several times by an unhappy Benitez,told Mediaset: “I’m happy for me and forNapoli, especially after our defeat to Parma(last week). “Luck was on our side but wemanaged to overturn the score and for thatI’m happy.”

With all three Champions League spotsvirtually tied up with five games remaining,the battle is raging in Serie A for places inEurope’s second-tier club competition.

Fiorentina suffered a blow on the quar-ter hour when Jacopo Sala sent a flyingheader past Neto after the ‘keeper hadpushed Juan Iturbe’s angled drive into thepath of the midfielder.

But that only served to awaken VincenzoMontella’s men. Juan Cuadrado levelled onthe half hour and after Alberto Aquilanigave Fiorentina the lead Borja Valero made

it 3-1 after tapping home from close range.

ICARDI LEFT LAUGHING Midfielder Marco Donadel saw red for

hauling down Cuadrado but Veronareduced arrears five minutes later througha Luca Toni spot-kick, the veteran striker’s17th goal of the campaign.

Fiorentina restored their two-goal cush-ion when Alessandro Matri beat Rafaelfrom the penalty spot and Aquilani put thematch beyond all reach when he tappedhome from close range four minutes fromtime. Iturbe, however, ran half the lengthof the pitch to beat Neto with a stunningstrike to score a late consolation for Verona.La Viola coach Montella could not havebeen happier, telling Sky Sport Italia: “Wehad a great game, above all in terms of tac-tics. “Despite conceding more goals than Iwould have liked we were always in thegame.” Inter’s visit to Sampdoria was highlyanticipated after a midweek tit-for-tat spatbetween Maxi Lopez and Inter’s MauroIcardi, who lives with the Samp striker’s for-mer girlfriend Wanda Nara and the formercouple’s two children.

Lopez had slammed his fellowArgentinian for posting pictures of his chil-dren, whom he fathered with Nara, in thepublic domain.

But after Lopez snubbed Icardi at thepre-match handshake, Icardi was leftlaughing with a brace of goals in a 4-0 routwhich saw Inter ‘keeper Samir Handanovicstop Lopez’s first-half spot-kick and Sampmidfielder Eder red-carded for a secondbookable offence.

Samp’s woes were confounded by thefact Lopez had asked Eder if he could takethe penalty. “I normally take the penalties,but Lopez asked me so I left it to him,” theBrazilian striker told Rai 2. “There are issuesbetween Maxi and Icardi, but I wish he’dscored the penalty.”

Elsewhere Alberto Paloschi celebrated ahat-trick for Chievo in a 4-2 over relegation-threatened Livorno, who are third frombottom but three points behind Bologna.

Earlier yesterday Nicolo Cherubinopened the scoring for Bologna on thecusp of half-time but Parma earned a shareof the spoils thanks to Raffaele Palladino’s79th minute strike. — AFP

Fiorentina and Inter tighten Europa grip

GLASGOW: A Stevie May double helped StJohnstone come from behind to beatAberdeen 2-1 to set pu a date with DundeeUnited in their first ever appearance in aScottish Cup final yesterday.

The Dons had taken a 16th minute leadthrough Niall McGinn who applied a cool fin-ish to a free-flowing move that cut rightthrough the St Johnstone defence.

However, Saints came out flying in the sec-ond half and grabbed a deserved equaliserthrough Scotland under-21 striker May in the61st minute. May was denied a second byLangfield before Barry Robson and NiallMcGinn missed good headed opportunitiesfor Aberdeen.

With time running out May scored asuperb solo second in the 84th minute asSaints gained revenge for their League Cupsemi-final defeat to the Dons.

It is ninth time lucky for the Saints, whohad previously appeared in eight cup semi-finals without ever making a final, and endsthe Dons hopes of making it a cup doublethis season after claiming the League Cup in

March. They now face Dundee United whobeat Rangers 3-1 on Saturday. St Johnstonemanager Tommy Wright was full of praise forhis players. “To come from a goal behindagainst a quality side like Aberdeen showsthe measure of their performance,” Wright,said. “It means a lot to the club and the sup-porters. They’ve had so many semi-finals andso many disappointments and I don’t thinkanyone could begrudge us the victory.” Donsboss Derek McInnes couldn’t hide his disap-pointment.

“We came here to win. We felt we had toplay very well to win and I don’t think we hadany real control of the game if truth be told,”McInnes said. “I need to congratulate StJohnstone. I thought they showed enoughtenacity and determination to make it theirday and they are a good side.”

Aberdeen had demolished St Johnstone 4-0 in their League Cup semi-final meeting inFebruary and started brightly at Ibrox withRobson flashing a shot just wide after hisfree-kick rebounded back to him off the StJohnstone wall. —AFP

May sends Saints to Scottish Cup final

BERLIN: Bayer Leverkusen forced their way back intothe Champions League places with yesterday’s 2-1 winat home to Hertha Berlin in their first Bundesligamatch since sacking Sami Hyypia.

The former Liverpool captain, who took charge ashead coach in August, was sacked after his side’sdefeat at Hamburg saw them slip out of the top four -the Champions League places - and was replaced byhis former assistant, Sascha Lewandowski.

“We’re delighted, our last home win was a whileago,” said Lewandowski whose side last enjoyed ahome win in February. “I know the team and the situa-tion, so I am up to speed pretty fast. We still havesome rebuilding to do, no question about that, thereis still a lot of insecurity there. “When you concede agoal, a thousand thoughts race through your mind.”Leverkusen went ahead after just 40 seconds whenstriker Stefan Kiessling headed home and doubledtheir lead on 24 minutes as 17-year-old Julian Brandtdeftly chipped home his second goal in as manymatches. Sandro Wagner headed Berlin back into con-tention just before the break, but Leverkusen held onfor the points which sees them regain fourth placefrom VfL Wolfsburg, who had romped to a 4-1 winover Nuremberg 24 hours earlier. Augsburg’s hopes ofclaiming a Europa League place suffered a set-backwhen they went down 2-0 at Hoffenheim which leftthem seven points from the top six.

On Saturday, German champions Bayern Munichsuffered their second successive league defeat as theywere beaten 3-0 at home by Borussia Dortmund at theAllianz Arena. Goals from Henrikh Mkhitaryan, MarcoReus and Jonas Hofmann condemned ten-manBayern to their first Bundesliga loss in Munich sinceOctober 2012 and their heaviest since September2008. The European champions have failed to win anyof the three league matches they have played sincewrapping up the German title last month and this wasthe first time since November 2011 they have sufferedback-to-back league defeats.

The win means second-placed Dortmund movethree points clear of rivals Schalke 04, who are third,and means they are now all but certain of returning tothe Champions League next season. Dortmundgained revenge for a 3-0 defeat in November’s reversefixture as they got the ideal boost ahead of Tuesday’sGerman Cup semi-final against Wolfsburg.

In the other tie, Bayern host second-divisionKaiserslautern in Munich 24 hours later for a place inthe May 17 final. Borussia Moenchengladbachdropped to sixth as they were held to a 1-1 draw athome to relegation-threatened VfB Stuttgart.

Daniel Didavi scored early on for Stuttgart butJuan Arango’s header with a minute remaining sal-vaged a point for Moenchengladbach.

Stuttgart are now one point clear of third-from-bottom Hamburg, who lost 2-1 at Hanover 96.Hamburg coach Mirko Slomka returned to Hanoverfor the first time since his sacking in December but hisnew team fell behind when Lars Stindl headed homeon nine minutes. Hamburg levelled through a HakanCalanoglou free-kick but Didier Ya Konan scrambledhome with four minutes left to help Hanover pull fivepoints clear of the relegation zone. —AFP

Leverkusen back into CL spots

Bayern Munich 30 25 3 2 82 20 78 Dortmund 30 19 4 7 67 32 61 Schalke 30 17 7 6 56 38 58Bayer 30 16 3 11 50 37 51Wolfsburg 30 15 5 10 53 45 50 M’gladbach 30 14 7 9 52 35 49 Mainz 30 14 5 11 44 45 47Augsburg 29 12 6 11 41 43 42 Hoffenheim 29 9 10 10 64 63 37 Hertha Berlin 30 10 7 13 38 42 37 Eintracht 30 9 8 13 37 50 35 Werder Bremen 30 8 9 13 34 58 33 Hanover 30 9 5 16 38 55 32

Freiburg 30 8 8 14 35 52 32 VfB Stuttgart 30 7 7 16 45 58 28 Hamburg 30 7 6 17 46 62 27Nuremberg 30 5 11 14 35 58 26 Braunschweig 30 6 7 17 28 52 25

Note: Top three qualify directly for theChampions League, fourth goes into the play-offs, while fourth and fifth play in the EuropaLeague. The bottom two sides are relegatedand the team finishing 16th has a two-leggedplay-off against the side which finishes third inthe second division.

German League results/standings

German League table after yesterday afternoon’s match (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for,goals against, points):

Bayer Leverkusen 2 (Kiessling 1, Bandt 24) Hertha Berlin 1 (Wagner 38); Hoffenheim 2 (Salihovic19, Vestergaard 41) Augsburg 0.

GERMANY: Leverkusen’s midfielder Lars Bender (center) Hertha’s Japanese midfielder HajimeHosogai and midfielder Peter Niemeyer vie for the ball during the German First DivisionBundesliga football match. — AFP

S P ORTSMONDAY, APRIL 14, 2014

LONDON: World record-holder Wilson Kipsangwon the men’s London Marathon in a courserecord two hours, four minutes and 29 secondsyesterday as Britain’s Mo Farah found life toughon his debut over the distance.

Kipsang’s smashed the previous Londonrecord of 2hr 04min 40sec set by fellow KenyanEmmanuel Mutai in 2011. I t was a secondLondon victory for Kipsang, the 2012 champion,who outpaced compatriot Stanley Biwatt in thefinishing straight.

Tsegaye Kebede of Ethiopia, last year’s winnerwas third, and Ayele Abshero of Ethiopia wasfourth. Kenya celebrated a race double as EdnaKiplagat, runner-up for the past two years inLondon, won the women’s event.

In the men’s race Kipsang and Biwott surgedaway from a leading group of eight after sometwo-thirds of the way round the 26.2 mile (42.2kilometre) course.

The two Kenyans were all but inseparableuntil, with just over a mile left, Kipsang broke hiscompatriot’s resolve with a finishing burst.

FARAH VOWS RETURN “It’s really great to win the London Marathon

again,” said Kipsang. “It was around 31km that Idecided to push harder as I felt very comfortableand strong. I pushed again towards the finishline and that’s when I broke away.”

Farah, reigning Olympic and world 5,000 and10,000 metres champion, finished in eighthplace having failed to break Steve Jones’s Britishrecord of 2:07:13, which has stood since 1985.

“I will be back,” Farah told the BBC. “I’m notgoing to finish it like this. I gave it my all but I’mdisappointed I didn’t go out there and give whatthe crowd deserve.” British distance greatBrendan Foster, commentating on the race,urged Farah to stick to defending his track goldmedals at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.

However, the 31-year-old Farah refused to berushed into a decision on his future, saying: “I’mdisappointed but you try things and sometimesit doesn’t work, but you have to give it a go.

“You learn-life goes on.” Farah, not helped bymissing a drink station shortly after half-way,added: “ The field was tough.. . I t was thestrongest field ever put together by the LondonMarathon. “I’ve gone straight in at the deep end,

but that’s what athletics is all about.”The two-times reigning world champion

Edna Kiplagat won in 2hr 20:21 with FlorenceKiplagat three seconds further back in secondplace. After breaking away from the field, thepair remained close together until the final bendwhen Edna Kiplagat surged ahead.

“I felt very strong so I wasn’t too worried,” saidEdna Kiplagat of the close finish. Ethiopia’sTirunesh Dibaba, the Olympic and world 10,000metres champion, marked her marathon debutby finishing in third place. She had looked set tochallenge the Kenyan duo but paid a heavy pricefor dropping a water bottle and stopping to pickit up. Dibaba finished 14 seconds adrift.

While it was a good day for the women’sworld champion, it was a tough one for themen’s as Uganda’s Stephen Kiprotich finished12th. Tiki Gelana, the women’s Olympic champi-

on, also struggled as she finished ninth a yearafter colliding with a wheelchair racer in the2013 London Marathon.

In the men’s wheelchair race, David Weir’s bidfor a record seventh London title saw the Britonjust edged out by Switzerland’s Marcel Hug, whowon in a time of 1hr 32:39.

“This is a really sweet victory and it feels greatto finally win this race,” said Hug. “It is great tocompete against David Weir and also great tobeat him.”

In the women’s wheelchair race, TatyanaMcFadden of the United States successfullydefended her title just a month after winning across-country skiing silver medal at the WinterParalympics in Sochi. The 24-year-old won in acourse record 1hr 45:11, more than a minute-and-a half clear of Swiss runner-up ManuelaSchar. — AFP

Kenyans dominate as Farah toils in London

LONDON: Wilson Kipsang of Kenya crosses the line to win the men’s race in the 2014 LondonMarathon on The Mall in central London yesterday. — AFP

KUWAIT: The KBC Football League final match is scheduled on Friday April 18, 2014between Kuwait Finance House and Gulf Bank. The match kicks off at 7:30 pm at theSadaqa wa Al-Salam (Friendship and Peace Stadium) at the Kazma Sports Club.Abdulaziz Al-Zair, head of the sports committee at the Kuwait Banks Club, urgedbanking sector employee to attend the match.

MONACO: Novak Djokovic believes hehas hit the reset button on his 2014 sea-son at exactly the right moment as theworld number two enters the MonteCarlo Masters eager to begin his titledefence.

The Serb, who is based in the princi-pality, ended Rafael Nadal’s eight-yeartitle streak a year ago although theSpaniard still went on to defend hisFrench Open crown. Djokovic said hewas bolstered by his back-to-backMasters trophies from the US last monthas he beat Roger Federer in Indian Wellsand topped Nadal for a third straightmatch to win Miami honors.

“I’m excited to be defending, but Idon’t change the way that I approachany event,” said the second seed, whonow has coach Boris Becker back in hiscorner after the German’s recent hip sur-gery.

“My state of mind right now is all that Ihad hoped for, I do have confidence,especially after a slow start to this sea-son. “Going onto the clay always feels likea new beginning, it will be very impor-tant to start well, hopefully with anotherwin. But then again, with the level ofcompetition out there, no one can pre-dict anything.”

Djokovic enters the competition atthe Monte Carlo Country Club riding a10-match win streak after completingthe Indian-Wells-Miami double for thefirst time in his career. He stands 20-6 inMonte Carlo. Djokovic is seeking tobecome the fifth player to successfullydefend his crown in Monte Carlo follow-ing Bjorn Borg (1980), Thomas Muster

(1996), Juan Carlos Ferrero (2003) andNadal (2006-2012).

Top seed Nadal, meanwhile, is tryingto keep the pressure on himself as low asreasonably possible. Spain’s world num-ber one said that he goes into his mostpotent period of the year unsure of any-thing except the fact that nothing will beeasy. The 27-year-old admitted onSunday that the last time he played trulywell on the surface he loves was the2013 Roland Garros final, when he wonthe grand slam title for an eighth time.

“This is an important part of the sea-son for everyone, not just me,” said theSpaniard. “I don’t automatically switchfrom hardcourt to clay, I need time tomake the adjustment. I only play on clayfor five-maximum six-tournaments peryear, I need time to adapt.”

Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka takes thethird seeding, with the Australian Openwinner over Nadal eager to show that hecan hang with the elite and live up to hisranking of third. Roger Federer, thefourth seed and a late wild card entry,was arriving yesterday as he competes inMonte Carlo for the first time since 2011where he lost in the quarter-finals toJurgen Melzer.

First-round play got underway onSunday, with 17th seed AlexandrDolgopolov beating Latvian ErnestsGulbis, 6-2, 6-4. Jeremy Chardy earned aFrench win, beating Igor Sijsling of theNetherlands, 1-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7/5). RussianDmitry Tursunov defeated Holland’sRobin Haase 6-1, 5-7, 6-3 while Austrianyoungster Dominic Thiem went down toNicolas Mahut, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2. — AFP

ROUBAIX: Shortly after crossing the lineon the Roubaix velodrome, BradleyWiggins lay on the grass, his face reflect-ing his efforts on the bone-crushing cob-bles of the Hell of the North — and hewished he could do it all over again nextweekend.

The Briton, the first rider since GregLemond in 1992 to start the Queen ofthe Classics as a former Tour de Francewinner, took an impressive ninth placeafter 257 kilometres, 51.1 of them oncobbled sections. He was one of the firstof a peloton of 199 starters to emergefrom the cloud of dust, a dozen bikestravelling at neck-breaking speed on thefeared Carrefour de l’Arbre. “You reallyhave to commit going into these sectorsand close your eyes,” Wiggins toldreporters.

“I had the legs, even in the final I feltstrong,” added the 33-year-old, whotakes pride in “not being a one-trickpony” as he has won not just the Tour butalso Olympic gold medals on the trackand the road. A man with deep knowl-edge of his sport’s history and culture,Wiggins finally realised what he was

achieving - being in the mix with nameswho will be remembered as Classicsgreats.

“I was pinching myself a little it, I don’tmind admitting it,” he said. “To be in thefinal there going past (quadruple cham-pion Tom) Boonen on the Carrefour (del’Arbre), that was something special andthen to come into the velodrome in agroup with (triple winner Fabian)Cancellara...

“It gives confidence that I can matchthose guys and to go top 10 in hindsightis a good result.” Wiggins, who made hisprofessional debut under the wing ofdouble Paris-Roubaix winner MarcMadiot at French team Francaise desJeux, hopes he will have the chance totake part again in Paris-Roubaix. “I’d loveto come back in the next few years anddo it,” he said, although it will have towait a bit as he is set to make his returnto the track next year.

Wiggins also enjoyed spending timewith the Team Sky classics squad. “It hasbeen fantastic to be with this group,” hesaid. “It’s a shame there’s not another onenext week.” — Reuters

Djokovic aims to defendMonte Carlo Masters

Wiggins keen for another tilt on fearsome cobbles

FRANCE: A file photo taken on July 21, 2012 shows overall leader’s yellow jersey,British Bradley Wiggins, celebrating. — AFP

MONDAY, APRIL 14, 2014

1918Kenyans dominateas Farah toils in London

Pacquiao defeats Bradley to regain WBO crown Page 16

Atletico topSpanishLeague

LONDON: Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho (center) celebrates with teammate Steven Gerrard (left) after he scored the third goal of the game for his side during their English Premier League soccer match against Manchester City. — AP

LIVERPOOL: Philippe Coutinho’s 78th-minute winner gave Liverpool a crucial 3-2victory over Premier League title rivalsManchester City on a day of raw emotion atAnfield yesterday.

City fought back from 2-0 down to levelthe scores, but a mistake by captainVincent Kompany let Coutinho slam homea first-time shot that leaves Liverpool with-in sight of their first league title since 1990.An afternoon that began with tributes tomark the 25th anniversary of theHillsborough disaster ended with Liverpoolseven points clear of City at the top of thetable, albeit having played two moregames.

It was a 10th successive win for BrendanRodgers’s side, who scored first-half goals

through Raheem Sterling and MartinSkrtel, and means that they will becrowned champions if they win theirremaining four games.

City responded impressively in the sec-ond half to draw level. David Silva scoredand then forced an own goal by GlenJohnson, but their destiny is no longer intheir hands.

It was to prove a costly encounter forboth teams, however, with City midfielderYaya Toure and Liverpool striker DanielSturridge limping off, while Liverpool’sJordan Henderson was shown a straightred card for an injury-time lunge on SamirNasri.

A solemnly observed minute’s silence inmemory of the 96 Liverpool fans who diedafter a crush at Sheffield’s Hillsborough sta-dium in an FA Cup semi-final in April 1989made for a fervent atmosphere at a sun-drenched Anfield, and the home sidequickly clicked into gear.

Kompany was declared fit to play afteran injury scare in training on Saturday, butthe City defence was immediately made tolook vulnerable as Liverpool took a sixth-minute lead. Luis Suarez freed Sterling with

a fine, incisive pass and the 19-year-oldexhibited superb composure to sendKompany and goalkeeper Joe Hart oneway and then the other before shootinginto an unguarded net.

In reply, Toure ballooned a shot over thebar but seemed to injure himself in theprocess. Javi Garcia entered the fray in hisplace moments later.

FIGHTBACKLiverpool have made storming starts

their calling card at Anfield this season-theywent 4-0 up against Arsenal in only 20 min-utes-and after Sturridge had poked widefrom a Sterling cross, they doubled theirlead in the 26th minute.

Hart brilliantly tipped a header fromSteven Gerrard over the bar after theLiverpool captain was left unmarked at acorner, but within a minute he was pickingthe ball out of his net.

Gerrard swept the resulting cornertowards the near post and Skrtel outmus-cled Kompany before glancing a headerpast Hart to claim his fifth goal in 10 games.

City finished the first half stronglythough, with Sterling and Johnson combin-

ing to clear a Kompany header off the lineand Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignoletblocking a volley from Fernandinho.

City manager Manuel Pellegrini intro-duced James Milner for Jesus Navas early inthe second half and in the 57th minute hecreated the goal that gave City a foothold inthe game, swapping passes withFernandinho and crossing for Silva to tuckthe ball home.

Suddenly the visitors had their tails up,with Silva to the fore, and after drilling in across that narrowly eluded Dzeko, he forcedthe equaliser with a centre that was divert-ed into the net by Johnson.

To make matters worse for Liverpool,Sturridge limped off injured in the after-math of the goal, with Joe Allen coming on.

Pellegrini sent on the fit-again SergioAguero and he almost laid on the winnerfor Silva with a low cross from the left, butthe stretching Spaniard managed only tobrush the ball with his studs.

It was to prove a telling moment.Minutes later, Kompany’s sliced clearancefell straight to Coutinho and the Brazilianslammed home a first-time shot to leaveAnfield dreaming of glory again. — AFP

Liverpool win crunch title clash

Liverpool 34 24 5 5 93 42 77 Chelsea 34 23 6 5 66 24 75 Man City 32 22 4 6 86 32 70 Everton 33 19 9 5 53 31 66Arsenal 33 19 7 7 56 40 64Spurs 34 18 6 10 48 48 60 Man Utd 33 17 6 10 56 38 57 Southampton 34 13 9 12 50 45 48 Newcastle 34 14 4 16 38 52 46 Stoke 34 11 10 13 38 48 43 West Ham 33 10 7 16 37 44 37 Crystal Palace 33 11 4 18 24 39 37 Hull 33 10 6 17 34 40 36 Aston Villa 33 9 7 17 35 49 34 Swansea 34 8 9 17 45 50 33 West Brom 33 6 15 12 40 51 33 Norwich 34 8 8 18 26 53 32 Fulham 34 9 3 22 34 74 30 Cardiff 34 7 8 19 30 64 29 Sunderland 32 6 7 19 29 54 25

Notes: Top four teams qualify for next season’s ChampionsLeague; fifth-place team qualifies for Europa League; bottomthree teams relegated to Championship.

Liverpool 3 (Sterling 6, Skrtel 26, Coutinho 78) Manchester City2 (Silva 57, Johnson 62-og); Swansea 0 Chelsea 1 (Ba 68).

English Premier League table after yesterday’s matches (played,won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points):

EPL results/standingsLiverpool 3

Man City 2

LONDON: Hull City staged a stirring second half fightbackto book their first FA Cup final appearance with a thrilling5-3 win over Sheffield United at Wembley yesterday.

Steve Bruce’s side survived a stern test from the LeagueOne underdogs in a sensational semi-final and will faceArsenal on May 17 in the first major Cup final in Hull’s 110year history.

United led through Jose Baxter and although YannickSagbo equalised Stefan Scougall restored their advantagebefore half-time.

The Premier League team finally made their extra quali-ty tell after the interval and goals from Matty Fryatt, TomHuddlestone, Stephen Quinn and David Meyler securedvictory in Hull’s first FA Cup semi-final for 84 years despiteJamie Murphy’s late reply for United.

“We are absolutely delighted. We needed one hell of aturn-around but the one thing you can’t do with this teamis write them off,” Bruce said.

“There are always going to be nerves and it is how youhandle it. We certainly found it difficult in the first half, butwe won OK in the end.”

United boss Nigel Clough added: “We are proud of theplayers’ efforts, but we are a bit disappointed because wewere so close.”

Clough’s men, the first third tier team to reach this stageof the competition since 2001, had already defeatedPremier League opposition in Aston Villa and Fulham enroute to the last four and they snapped tigerishly into theirtackles in the opening moments. — AFP

Hull moor into FA Cupfinal after 110 years

SWANSEA: Demba Ba’s fourth league goal ofthe Premier League season kept Chelsea intouch with leaders Liverpool as they won 1-0away to 10-man Swansea yesterday.

Having seen Liverpool kick off the day witha significant 3-2 victory over Manchester Cityat Anfield, Chelsea knew that nothing less thanthree points at the Liberty Stadium would suf-fice.

They fired blanks for much of the game, butin the end garnered another valuable winthanks to Ba’s clinical strike 22 minutes fromtime against a Swansea side who’d long sincebeen a man down following Chico Flores’s ear-ly dismissal for two yellow cards.

Chelsea made five changes from the sidethat defeated Paris Saint-Germain in the clos-ing moments of Wednesday’s Champions

League quarter final second leg at StamfordBridge. Amongst those to earn a place in JoseMourinho’s XI was Ba, in only his third start ofthe season after scoring against PSG. Swansea,again without Michu, left Jonathan de Guzmanon the bench but went with an attacking lineup that included Nathan Dyer, WayneRoutledge and Pablo Hernandez.

Chelsea should have been a goal to thegood inside six muinytes when MohamedSalah somehow shot wide after a wonderfulcross from the overlapping full back BranislavIvanovic.

At the other end, Swansea’s best chance tobreak the deadlock came in the 14th minutewhen Wilfried Bony latched on to AngelRangel’s cross and duly brought out the best inleaping Chelsea keeper Petr Cech. The game,however, turned on two yellow cards forFlores. Referee Phil Dowd dished out the firstfor a foul on Willian and the second was bran-dished for a clinical trip on Andre Schurrle.

It took Dowd an age to make his decisionwith Swansea clearly concerned that the offi-cial had come under intense pressure from theChelsea players.

Caretaker manager Garry Monk was alsoupset by the ferocity of Blues boss Jose

Mourinho’s appeals to the fourth official.

INFLUENTIAL WILLIAN As you would expect, Chelsea dominated the

ball thereafter with Willian becoming increasing-ly influential. However, Swansea defended withgreat strength and desire and the visitors wererestricted to one or two chances. Willian mis-cued from distance and Salah, inexplicably firedover from a dozen yards. Mourinho swappedSchurrle and Ramires for Eto’o and Oscar at half-time and Chelsea immediately looked more of apotent force.

Eto’o was close to converting a cross fromWillian, four minutes into the second halfbefore Oscar’s ambitious strike was blocked byAshley Williams.

Needing to gamble, Mourinho changed hisformation dramatically with Eto’o and Ba lead-ing a four-man front line that, by now, includ-ed Willian and Salah.

Swansea were just about starved of posses-sion and though Bony worked tirelessly to pro-vide an outlet, the hosts were unable to keepthe ball long enough to service the Ivorianstriker. — AFP

Ba keeps Chelsea title charge going

Swansea 0

Chelsea 1

SWANSEA: Chelsea’s French-born Senegalese striker Demba Ba watches his shot as hescores during the English Premier League football match against Swansea City. —AFP

BusinessMONDAY, APRIL 14, 2014

Kuwaiti family business at key transitional stage

Page 22

Dubai airport to cut 26% flights for runway work

Page 23Reviving India’s investment key, says Jaitley

Page 25Wataniya Telecom launches Samsung Galaxy S5 today

Page 26

KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait (NBK), thelargest Kuwaiti bank, reported net profits of$298 million (KD 83.9 million) in 1Q2014 com-pared with $289 million (KD 81.3 million) in1Q2013, up 3.2 percent year-on-year.

As of end 1Q2014, NBK Group’s total assetsreached $72.8 billion (KD 20.5 billion) up 13.1percent compared to March 2013, whilst totalshareholders’ equity increased by 4.5 percentyear on year to $8.8 billion (KD 2.47 billion).Loans and advances reached $38.9 billion (KD10.95 billion) at end 1Q2014 up 9.6 percentcompared to same period last year, while cus-tomer deposits reached $39.5 billion (KD 11.12billion), up 12.9 percent compared to last year.

Asset quality ratios continued to improvewith non-performing loans (NPL) to gross loansratio dropping to 1.93 percent at end 1Q2014down from 2.72 percent a year earlier and NPLcoverage ratio increased to 203 percent as at

end 1Q2014 up from 156.1 percent last year.Isam Al-Sager, NBK’s Group Chief Executive

Officer said, “NBK’s profits for the quarter are afurther confirmation of NBK’s capacity to deliv-er growth, thanks to its strong financial posi-tion, exceptional asset quality levels and con-servative approach to management.”

Al-Sager also highlighted that NBK’s 1Q2014profits are mostly driven by the growth in corebanking business “We continued to focus oncore banking business across our locations. In1Q2014 NBK’s net operating income grew by7.6 percent year on year to $563 million (KD158.4 million),” Al-Sager added.

Al-Sager also pointed out the overallimprovement in the operating environment in

Kuwait and how this is reflecting on NBK’sgrowth outlook and business sentiment. “Wehave recently been witnessing an improve-ment in the business environment in Kuwait.More of the larger infrastructure projects arebeing awarded and work is being done at afaster pace. This all will reflect on the businesssentiment and improve the outlook for the pri-vate sector. We hope this trend will continuegoing forward with more government spend-ing on projects and infrastructure develop-ment”. Al-Sager added.

On the strategy side, Al-Sager confirmedNBK’s strategic direction focusing on incomediversification. “The implementation of ourregional and international strategy remains on

track. We continue to focus on the GCC mar-kets to leverage NBK’s strong franchise there.On that front, NBK has recently opened its newUAE head office in Dubai following the inaugu-ration of business in Abu Dhabi branch in 2013.In 1Q2014 NBK Group’s international bankingprofits grew by 15.5 percent year on year con-firming the strength of NBK’s internationaloperations. Moreover, expansion into Islamicbanking through the acquisition of 58.4 per-cent of Boubyan Bank continues to pay off asBoubyan’s contribution to the group’s prof-itability and balance sheet increases over time,”Al-Sager commented .

NBK continues to enjoy collectively thehighest ratings among all banks in the Middle

East from the three international rating agen-cies Moody’s, Fitch Ratings and Standard andPoor’s. The Bank’s ratings are supported by itshigh capitalization, prudent lending policies,and its disciplined approach to risk manage-ment, in addition to its highly recognized andvery stable management team. NBK was alsonamed among Global Finance’s list of the 50safest banks in the world for the eighth consec-utive time.

NBK enjoys the widest banking presencewith an international network reaching 170branches worldwide. NBK’s international pres-ence spans many of the world’s leading finan-cial centers including London, Paris, Geneva,New York and Singapore, as well as China(Shanghai). Meanwhile, regional coverageextends to Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Egypt,Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, andTurkey.

NBK reports net profit of $298m in Q1 2014

Bank’s strategy remains focused on diversifying income sources

Isam Al-Sager Nasser Al-Sayer

Net profits grew at 3.2% year on year

MONDAY, APRIL 14, 2014

EXCHANGE RATES

Bahrain Exchange Company

Al-Muzaini Exchange Co.

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd

ASIAN COUNTRIESJapanese Yen 2.774Indian Rupees 4.687Pakistani Rupees 2.923Srilankan Rupees 2.155Nepali Rupees 2.930Singapore Dollar 227.760Hongkong Dollar 36.356Bangladesh Taka 3.625Philippine Peso 6.369Thai Baht 8.740Irani Riyal transfer 0.271Irani Riyal cash 0.273

GCC COUNTRIESSaudi Riyal 75.190Qatari Riyal 77.474Omani Riyal 732.460Bahraini Dinar 748.900UAE Dirham 76.788

ARAB COUNTRIESEgyptian Pound - Cash 39.595Egyptian Pound - Transfer 39.780Yemen Riyal/for 1000 1.316Tunisian Dinar 179.410Jordanian Dinar 398.180Lebanese Lira/for 1000 1.892Syrian Lira 2.010Morocco Dirham 35.768

EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIESUS Dollar Transfer 281.850Euro 394.870Sterling Pound 475.060Canadian dollar 259.050Turkish lira 133.510Swiss Franc 325.840Australian Dollar 267.190US Dollar Buying 282.400

GOLD20 Gram 240.00010 Gram 121.0005 Gram 62.500

COUNTRY SELL CASH SELLDRAFTEurope

Belgian Franc 0.007324 0.008324British Pound 0.465348 0.474348Czech Korune 0.006000 0.018000Danish Krone 0.048377 0.053377Euro 0.386080 0.394080Norwegian Krone 0.043527 0.048727Romanian Leu 0.081326 0.81326Slovakia 0.008052 0.018052Swedish Krona 0.039143 0.044143Swiss Franc 0.315498 0.325698Turkish Lira 0.133321 0.140321

AustralasiaAustralian Dollar 0.256843 0.268343New Zealand Dollar 0.238882 0.248382

AmericaCanadian Dollar 0.251641 0.280141US Dollars 0.277750 0.282100US Dollars Mint 0.278250 0.282100

AsiaBangladesh Taka 0.003239 0.003839Chinese Yuan 0.044215 0.047715Hong Kong Dollar 0.034254 0.037004Indian Rupee 0.004522 0.004923Indonesian Rupiah 0.000020 0.000026Japanese Yen 0.002695 0.002875Kenyan Shilling 0.003338 0.003338Korean Won 0.000262 0.000277Malaysian Ringgit 0.083043 0.089043Nepalese Rupee 0.002998 0.003168Pakistan Rupee 0.002638 0.002818

Philippine Peso 0.006365 0.006645Sierra Leone 0.000069 0.000075Singapore Dollar 0.222642 0.228642South African Rand 0.021078 0.029578Sri Lankan Rupee 0.001843 0.002423Taiwan 0.009265 0.009445Thai Baht 0.008386 0.008936

ArabBahraini Dinar 0.741457 0.749157Egyptian Pound 0.036730 0.039830Iranian Riyal 0.000078 0.000079Iraqi Dinar 0.000181 0.000241Jordanian Dinar 0.393305 0.400805Kuwaiti Dinar 1.0000000 1.0000000Lebanese Pound 0.000138 0.000238Moroccan Dirhams 0.024277 0.048277Nigerian Naira 0.001190 0.001825Omani Riyal 0.726044 0.731724Qatar Riyal 0.076707 0.077920Saudi Riyal 0.074523 0.075223Syrian Pound 0.001748 0.001968Tunisian Dinar 0.174362 0.182362Turkish Lira 0.133321 0.140321UAE Dirhams 0.075755 0.076904Yemeni Riyal 0.001280 0.001360

UAE Exchange Centre WLL

COUNTRY SELL DRAFT SELL CASH Australian Dollar 264.56 265.56Canadian Dollar 262.50 263.50Swiss Franc 324.01 322.01Euro 392.51 393.51US Dollar 281.55 284.55Sterling Pound 475.69 478.69Japanese Yen 2.82 2.84Bangladesh Taka 3.627 3.897Indian Rupee 4.690 4.990Sri Lankan Rupee 2.156 2.591Nepali Rupee 2.944 3.479Pakistani Rupee 2.880 2.790UAE Dirhams 76.72 77.19Bahraini Dinar 749.37 751.44Egyptian Pound 39.76 40.36Jordanian Dinar 400.72 406.37Omani Riyal 732.21 739.51Qatari Riyal 77.75 78.30Saudi Riyal 75.21 75.61

Rate for Transfer Selling RateUS Dollar 281.900Canadian Dollar 261.315Sterling Pound 473.050Euro 389.975Swiss Frank 319.400Bahrain Dinar 750.300UAE Dirhams 76.730Qatari Riyals 78.310Saudi Riyals 75.445Jordanian Dinar 397.280Egyptian Pound 40.360Sri Lankan Rupees 2.156Indian Rupees 4.697Pakistani Rupees 2.883Bangladesh Taka 3.624Philippines Pesso 6.283Cyprus pound 692.400Japanese Yen 3.760

Syrian Pound 2.915Nepalese Rupees 3.930Malaysian Ringgit 88.045Chinese Yuan Renminbi 45.925Thai Bhat 9.730Turkish Lira 134.510

Al Mulla Exchange

Currency Transfer Rate (Per 1000)US Dollar 281.500Euro 390.750Pound Sterling 473.000Canadian Dollar 259.000Indian Rupee 4.695Egyptian Pound 39.825Sri Lankan Rupee 2.155Bangladesh Taka 3.625Philippines Peso 6.288Pakistan Rupee 2.878Bahraini Dinar 749.800UAE Dirham 76.675Saudi Riyal 75.200*Rates are subject to change

B U S I N E S S

Kuwaiti family business

at key transitional stageExpert addresses dual challenges of family businesses in GCC

By Sajeev K Peter

KUWAIT: The Kuwaiti family business is playinga critical role in the future of the country andits innovation and continuity is at a key transi-tional stage today, said Amin Nasser, PwC,Partner - Middle East Entrepreneurial & PrivateClients Leader. Talking to Kuwait Times, he saidfamily businesses have been the very founda-tion of the GCC economies and explained howentrepreneurs diversified their business inter-ests over the years in the region and especiallyKuwait. Nasser also spoke about the dual chal-lenges family businesses face today. Excerpts:

KT: Can you briefly tell me about the family-owned businesses in Kuwait and the region?

Answer: Family owned businesses haveplayed a pioneering and pivotal role through-out Kuwait’s history. Key businesses and indus-tries throughout all sectors of the economyhave been the brainchild and continue to berun by families. The employment and futuredevelopment of human capital in Kuwait isbased on the success and support of familyowned businesses. Innovation and continuityof the Kuwaiti family business is at a key transi-tional stage given the rapid development fromall angles and hence such businesses will playa corner stone in the future of the country.

ChallengesKT: What are the key challenges family busi-

nesses face today? How do you propose toaddress them?

A: Family Businesses face dual challengeswhich include operating in a difficult globaleconomic environment as well as managingthe transition into the 3rd generation.Transitioning of the current generation toincoming generation (succession) is a hugeissue. Significant number of families will under-go generational change in the next 5-10 years.If this is not properly structured, it could easilyfragment family businesses.

As family numbers increase, decision mak-ing becomes more difficult. Also business for-merly controlled by siblings with the samemother is now controlled by cousins with dif-ferent mothers and weaker family ties. Alsodue to the average size of the Middle Easternfamilies, certain studies indicate that a typicalfamily business needs to grow at 18 percenteach year to maintain same level of wealthacross generations.

Family conflicts are also increasing and anumber of Mideast families are going throughsome family feuds and family conflicts.Conflicts always exist in families and will existin family businesses. Managing conflicts is keynot just to the survival of businesses but to thesurvival of the family itself. Conflicts arisemainly because there is a perception in a fami-ly members mind that he/she is not beingfamily treated. Conflicts also arise when situa-tions are unclear - lack of transparency.However the culture of respect for the eldergeneration has to some extent protectedthese families.

Access to finance is also an issue. Namelending is no longer favored by the financialinstitutions. Family Businesses however have astrong aversion to debt and leveraging theirbalance sheet.

Many families fail to retain top executivesbecause they have been unable or unwillingto accommodate their development, empow-er and delegate responsibility to them andcreate the right incentives, remunerations.

The family businesses in the region canstart addressing these issues in a number ofways including:

l Creating formal governance structures forboth the owners of the business as well asthe business activities. 53 percent of familybusinesses surveyed recently do not havefamily constitution or a formal family gov-ernance structure. If the family genera-tional change is handled well, the continu-ity and passing of the business to the nextgeneration will promote growth, employ-ment and stability in the GCC. If it is han-dled badly, this could well result in frag-mentation of the family businesses, theeconomic consequences of which could becatastrophic.

l Separate family and business activities. Inthe GCC, the line between family and busi-

ness activities is often blurred. It increasesthe potential for conflict among familymembers.

l GCC families should push forward withmore comprehensive governance meas-ures. They are often reluctant because theyfeel it might threaten their control of thefirm. This view is particularly commonamong the 1st generation founders whohave their own strong management style.2nd and 3rd generation family would nor-mally look at ways to improve corporategovernance practices.

l It is important that each family has a visionfor the future and is fully committed to thesuccess of the business. Families need toplan for the future and need to address thefollowing:

l Their philosophy for continuityl How will decisions be madel What are the needs of the next generation l Will the next generation have the skills and

enthusiasm to continuel How will the next generation be transited

into the businessl How will family members exit the business

in a structured way?l How will conflicts be resolvedl How do we engage the passive members

of the family etcl Family Businesses also need to profession-

alize their boards - Discussions at the boardlevel should address global challenges,growth, strategy, profitability etc ratherthan family issues. Families have reached astage where it is necessary to have a morestructured governance process - one whichis less dependent on a charismatic founder.

l These businesses also need to carry out astringent non-emotional evaluation of theirexisting portfolio of business - This exercisemay result in divestment of certain busi-

nesses set up a long time ago and nolonger fit into long term strategy. Thisshould be done without retaining an emo-tional attachment!

Sharia systemKT: How useful is the Sharia system in

advancing the family business?A: Sharia is a system of distr ibuting

wealth and the estate of the deceasedamongst the heirs. The continuity andadvancement of Family Businesses dependsmore on the vision and the willingness ofthe next generation family members to stayin business together. It is important thatthe family shareholders have a commonvision and philosophy for the future of thefamily business and are fully committed toits success.

KT: There is a growing demand for aproper succession plan for the family busi-ness. What is your opinion on that?

A: It is evident that family businesses withproper succession planning and ownershipstructures are more viable than others.However, in practice, a number of the GCCfamilies rely more on traditional word ofmouth arrangements with each other ratherthat formal written agreements. Families thatcan decouple ownership issues from man-agement issues and draw clear lines of sepa-ration between their contractual relationshipas business owners and as family membershave a more vibrant family business.

FoundationKT: How do you envision the future of

family businesses to be in this region? A: Family businesses have been the very

foundation of the GCC economies. In fact,more than 80 percent of the GCC businessesare either family run or controlled indicatingthat they are the basic fabric of the societyand the regional economies. A large percent-

age of the commercial activity in the GCC iscontrolled by family business groups whoare involved in several sectors and constitutethe majority of the gross domestic product(GDP) not related to oil.

The family businesses in the GCC alsoemploy a substantial percentage of theregional workforce and therefore the trans-formation of the family business will have asignificant impact on the region’s economy.Family Businesses in the GCC began as entre-preneurs and over the years diversified theirbusiness interests. A significant number ofthese businesses started in the early 1960sand are accordingly considered relativelyyoung. GCC family businesses are mostlymanaged by family members of the first orsecond generation, and only few are in thethird generation. Some of these familieshave created a number of successful con-glomerates which play a significant role inemployment in the region.

In addition, many family businesses in theGCC have multi-location / multi-businessactivities, including retail, automotive con-struction, importing, shipping and travel,insurance, agriculture, financial services, realestate, and manufacturing. Some have syn-ergistic operations which have enabled themto participate in the development projectsshaping the region over the past few years.Family Businesses in the ME have performedwell and are bullish about growth in the nextfive years (83 percent have grown over thelast 12 months compared to 12 percentglobally) although economic environmentremains a key external challenge, familybusinesses in the Middle East are less fazedby the general economic situation.

In general, GCC families have been lessvulnerable to the economic downturn sincethey have over time built considerablereserves and also due to their conservativeapproach on business strategies.

Amin Nasser, PwC, Partner - Middle East Entrepreneurial & Private Clients Leader

Al-Rajhi Bank’s Q1

earnings plunge DUBAI: Al-Rajhi Bank reported a slump in net profit for the first three months of 2014 yes-terday, marking the second quarter in a row that Saudi Arabia’s largest listed lender hasposted a big decline in earnings. The bank made 1.71 billion riyals ($456 million) in thethree months to March 31, down 16.9 percent from 2.05 billion riyals in the same period ayear earlier, it said in a bourse filing.

Analysts surveyed by Reuters had expected the bank to post an average net profit of2.05 billion riyals for the quarter. Al-Rajhi said in yesterday’s statement that the profit dropwas due to an increase in operating expenses; it did not elaborate. Saudi companies issuebrief earnings statements early in the reporting period before publishing more detailedresults later.

An increase in operating expenses is usually interpreted by analysts to mean higher pro-visioning for bad loans. Naveed Ahmed, senior manager at Global Investment House, esti-mated Al Rajhi had posted a roughly 50 percent year-on-year increase in provisions.

“We believe that the results were disappointing and that the bank’s asset qualityrequires more reading into,” he said in a research note. Labor market reforms in SaudiArabia, making it more expensive to hire foreign workers and therefore pushing up compa-nies’ costs, have hurt the profits of construction firms and prompted some banks toincrease their provisions for exposure to the construction sector. It was not clear whetherthis was a factor in Al-Rajhi’s latest earnings decline.

Al-Rajhi’s fourth-quarter net profit dropped 19.1 percent, which was also due toincreased impairment allowances. The bank reported a drop in profits for the third quarterof last year, albeit a marginal one. The decline in first-quarter earnings at Al Rajhi contrastswith positive results reported by some other Saudi banks.

Riyad Bank and Saudi British Bank posted profit growth of 13.5 and 14 percent respec-tively, while Banque Saudi Fransi’s first-quarter profit jumped 25 percent after a big drop infourth-quarter earnings. Al Rajhi’s earnings decline in the opening three months camedespite modest year-on-year increases in operating income and profit from special com-missions. —Reuters

B U S I N E S SMONDAY, APRIL 14, 2014

LONDON: Europe’s largest banks cuttheir staff by another 3.5 percent lastyear and the prospect of a return topre-crisis employment levels seemsfar off, despite the region’s fledglingeconomic recovery.

Spurred into action by falling rev-enue, mounting losses and the needto convince regulators they are nolonger “too big to fail”, banks acrossthe globe have shrunk radically sincethe 2008 collapse of US bank LehmanBrothers sparked the financial crisis.

Last year, the tide of bad newsbegan to turn for European banks,which are among the region’s largestemployers. Helped by recoveringeconomies and receding fears for theeuro zone’s future, the benchmarkStoxx Europe 600 Banks index rose 19percent, outpacing the 17.4 percentincrease in multi-sector stocks.

But despite the improved outlook,Europe’s 30 largest banks by marketvalue cut staff by 80,000 in 2013, cal-culations by Reuters based on theiryear-end statements showed.Recruitment consultants warn work-ers’ hopes for a turnaround this yearcould be misplaced, bad news forcountries like Spain where tens ofthousands of bank layoffs havehelped drive unemployment to 26percent.

However, while painful for the peo-ple who have lost their jobs, thereduction of large banks’ workforcesthrough a combination of asset salesand redundancies means banks won’thave as big an impact on overallemployment in future crises. AntoineMorgaut, chief executive for Europeand South America at recruiter RobertWalters does not expect the industry’semployment to ever return to what itwas in its heyday of 2008. Then, the 25of the top 30 banks with comparablefigures employed about 252,000 morethan the 1.7 million they do today. “It’s

been a bubble for 20 years,” saidMorgaut.

“In speciality areas we are seeing abit of an upside but it is quite margin-al and it will stay like that for the nextsix to nine months,” he added.

RestructuringThe most dramatic of last year’s job

cuts came from major restructurings,such as Spain’s Bankia which shed 23percent of its workforce to help meetthe conditions of its 41 billion euro($56.9 billion) European rescue. Italy’sUnicredit, which reduced the highestnumber of staff, 8,490, said in itsannual report that some of the reduc-tions were the result of a project tooutsource IT functions to joint ven-tures. Belgium’s KBC cited asset salesas a major reason for its 7,938 reduc-tion in headcount, 22 percent of itsworkforce. The bailed-out bank soldRussian offshoot Absolut Bank andSerbian business KBC Banka. Staff fig-ures for Absolut Bank were not avail-able, while KBC Banka’s most recentfigures show 501 staff at the end of2012. Spain’s BBVA also cited assetsales as the driver of its 6,547 reduc-tion in staff, or 23 percent of head-count, which came in a year when thebank sold operations in Latin America.

At Bank of Ireland, where a 6.3 per-cent fall in headcount was the fifth-largest in the region, a redundancyprogram was the main reason. Thepace of staff reductions approximatelyhalved last year and most banks arenow coming to the end of disposalsand cutbacks agreed during the crisis.

However, upcoming EuropeanUnion-wide tests on whether banksneed to hold bigger capital cushionscould trigger another wave of assetsales and cuts.

Routine streamlining continuedlast year. HSBC the biggest employerin the pack, cut headcount by 6,525,

or 2.5 percent of its global total. Thebank came through the crisis withouta bailout, but has slimmed down overthe last three years by closing or sell-ing dozens of businesses.

Only three of the banks - Barclays,Handelsbanken and Deutsche Bank -added jobs last year, and thosetotalled less than 770.

Pockets of growth Banks are hiring in a few areas,

however, with some recruiters citingrises in specialist compliance rolessuch as anti-money laundering, cybersecurity and internal audit as lendershave to deal with increasing demandsfrom regulators determined to avoid arepeat of the crisis. “The regulatorypressure is a cost drag on the banksbut if a role is required by the regula-tors, then all senior management canget out of the way, and you can pullthe trigger and hire that person,” saidHugo Gordon Lennox, a managingdirector at Webber Fox, a UK quantita-tive and risk management recruit-ment specialist.

Others said banks were beginningto address problems created by previ-ous cutbacks, particularly amongstthe sparse ranks of more junioremployees.

“As business picks up, firms oftenfind themselves with quite specificand definable skills gaps in certainareas and banks have definitely start-ed to try to address that,” said DavidLeithead, managing director for bank-ing and financial services at recruit-ment firm Michael Page. Even so, bigjumps in the numbers employed bybanks could take a while to come. “It’sthe whole oil tanker analogy - it’s slowto stop and slower to speed up,” saidMiles Stribbling, director of strategicpartnerships and head of PhaidonConsulting Services UK at recruiterPhaidon International. — Reuters

Europe’s top banks cut 80,000 more employees

‘Too big to fail’ banks in post-crisis overhaul

Abu Dhabi ports expect

year-end spike in traffic

Container traffic to hit 1.1 million TEU in 2014ABU DHABI: State-owned Abu DhabiPorts Co (ADPC) expects a surge in ship-ping traffic towards the end of this year aswork on major infrastructure projects inthe United Arab Emirates capital gatherspace, the company’s chief executive said.

Container traffic at Khalifa Port isexpected to climb to around 1.1 milliontwenty foot equivalent units (TEUs) in2014, up 22 percent from 905,000 TEUs in2013, when traffic rose 17 percent,Mohamed Juma Al-Shamisi said in aninterview. Meanwhile, general and bulkcargo traffic at the emirate’s Khalifa andZayed ports combined is expected to top12 million tons this year, up from 9.3 mil-lion tons in 2013 and roughly the samevolume in 2012. “It is going to be a bigjump but all the givens that we have atthe moment are pointing towards it,”Shamisi said.

“We expect a big rise in the last quar-ter of this year in general and project car-go, because most of the vital projects inthe emirate of Abu Dhabi will be in thematuring stage. We expect fromSeptember and into next year there willbe a spike.” Khalifa Port, built on a man-made island roughly half-way betweenAbu Dhabi and Dubai, came on stream in2012 after Zayed Port, which had been

serving Abu Dhabi for over 40 years,reached full capacity. The new port facescompetition from other rapidly growingfacilities in the region including Dubai’shuge Jebel Ali port, which is only about40 kilometres (25 miles) north along theGulf coast. Shamisi’s projections, howev-er, suggest demand related to AbuDhabi’s construction projects will keepactivity at Khalifa growing for a while.Abu Dhabi is investing billions of dollarsin infrastructure, real estate and tourismto diversify its economy beyond oil.Strategic projects underway or in thepipeline include the expansion of AbuDhabi International Airport, the AbuDhabi Louvre museum, and constructionof a nuclear power station, where the firstreactor is expected to start operations in2017 and others are planned to follow in2020. ADPC is owner, operator and devel-oper of Abu Dhabi’s civilian non-oil ports,and also its industrial zones. It is thereforeexpected to benefit from expansion plansscheduled for industries located in theadjacent Khalifa Industrial Zone AbuDhabi (KIZAD), which is projected to pro-vide 15 percent of Abu Dhabi’s non-oilgross domestic product by 2030.

“Through Khalifa Port, EmiratesAluminum (Emal) for example receives all

of its raw materials and exports its alu-minum to all over the world, and nowthat they are increasing their capacity,this will increase the traffic as well,”Shamisi said.

Manufacturers Emal’s $4 billion project to boost its

aluminum production capacity fromaround 800,000 tons a year to 1.3 millionis ahead of schedule and expected tonear completion in mid-2014. Other man-ufacturers using Abu Dhabi ports includeEmirates Steel, which is projected toimport around 5 million tons of rawmaterial in 2014, and plastics and poly-mers maker Borouge.

Khalifa Port now has an annual capaci-ty of 2.5 million TEUs, which could beraised to 5 million TEUs in the first phase ofthe port’s development depending ondemand. Abu Dhabi’s long-term goal is toincrease capacity to 15 million TEUs of con-tainers and 35 million tons of bulk cargo by2030. All container traffic was transferredfrom Zayed Port, in Abu Dhabi’s city centre,to the new Khalifa Port when it opened in2012. Zayed still handles some general car-go; “Port Zayed will continue to serve AbuDhabi but we want it now to focus oncruise vessels,” Shamisi said.—Reuters

DUBAI: Airlines flying into Dubai arepreparing for diversions and sched-ule changes as the emirate’s mainairport, a hub for tourism and tradein the region, plans to reduce thenumber of flights it handles duringconstruction work on its runways.Dubai International, which handled66.4 million passengers in 2013,making it the world’s second busiestairport for international passengertraffic after London’s Heathrow, willcut flights by 26 percent for an 80-day period, Dubai’s airports authoritysaid yesterday.

The cut-back will occur between

May 1 and July 20 as first one runwayand then the other is closed for resur-facing and other construction work,Dubai Airports said.

During that period eight airlineswhich now fly into DubaiInternational will divert to the emi-rate’s new Al-Maktoum InternationalAirport, which opened to passengertraffic last October. Flights handledby Al-Maktoum will increase to over600 a week from more than 80 cur-rently. Some flights into DubaiInternational are expected to be can-celled rather than diverted to Al-Maktoum, however; this could tem-

porarily slow growth of Dubai’s econ-omy, which depends heavily on inter-national tourism and travel. Tim Clark,president of Dubai’s flagship airlineEmirates, said in February that hiscompany planned to ground about10 percent of its fleet from Maybecause of the runway work, whichwould affect the carrier’s revenue.Emirates and local budget airline fly-dubai will contribute 53 percent ofthe total traffic reduction required atDubai International, Dubai Airportssaid. In May 2013, Dubai Internationalhandled a total of 31,121 aircraftmovements. — Reuters

Dubai airport to cut 26%

flights for runway work

Airlines gear for diversions

ATHENS: Greece wil l issue morebonds after last week’s successfulfive-year debt sale that ended a four-year drought, the head of the debtagency said yesterday. “The bondsale was just the first step,” SteliosPapadopoulos, head of the publicdebt management agency (PDMA)told Kathimerini daily. Greece onThursday raised 3.0 bill ion euros($4.2 billion) at under 5.0 percentinterest, a move welcomed by its EU-IMF creditors.

A day later, visit ing GermanChancellor Angela Merkel saidGreece’s return to the internationalbond markets showed “renewed con-fidence” in the crisis-hit country. The

PDMA chief on Sunday said Greecewanted to “pique the interest of for-eign investors, so they can focus onthe real reform carried out in thecountry”.

The aim was also “to permit com-parison with the five-year bonds ofother states, as this is the most com-mon midterm maturity period forpublic debt,” he said. Athens alsobelieves that the successful sale willlower the cost of treasury bills, whichhave been Greece’s staple choice ofdebt issue for the past four years.

“It was done to lower the averageborrowing cost of the Greek state bysqueezing the excessive cost of treas-ury bills,” Papadopoulos said. Greece

has lately sold three-month and six-month treasury bills at between 3.0and 4.0-percent interest.

The newspaper said that Greececould next issue three-year, seven-year of 10-year bonds, depending onmarket demand. Athens found itselffrozen out of debt markets in 2010after it revealed its public accountshad been falsified, and was forced toseek a bailout from the EU and IMF toavoid defaulting.

Four years of fiscal reform underEU-IMF tutelage has broughtupgrades to Greece’s debt standingby ratings agencies in recentmonths-but Greek bonds still carryjunk status. — AFP

Greece to issue more bonds

after sale success: Official

ATHENS: Riot police clash with demonstrators protesting against the opening of shops yesterday and the exten-sion of their working hours at Athens’ central shopping district. —AFP

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s stock exchange introduced yester-day a new method for calculating the closing prices oftraded shares, to limit excessive speculation and manipula-tion in the Gulf Arab region’s largest stock market. TheSaudi government has been considering opening itsbourse to direct investment by foreigners for years. Notimetable has been announced, but market participantshope a series of slow changes to the regulatory framework,bringing it closer to international standards, will pave theway for the opening. The closing price of a stock has in thepast been the price of the last trade with a value exceeding

15,000 riyals ($4,000). In future, the closing price will be theaverage of all trades in the final 15 minutes, weighted bythe volume traded at each price.

“The new method is part of efforts to increase marketefficiency and limit the possibility of closing prices of listedstocks being influenced,” the exchange said in a statement.

Last year Mohammed bin Abdulmajid Al Al-Sheikh,head of the Capital Market Authority, said the regulatorwas trying to limit “high levels of speculation” in the stockmarket, where nearly 93 percent of daily trading was con-ducted by retail investors. —Reuters

Saudi bourse changes closing price calculation

DUBAI: An Emirates airline passenger jet taxis on the tarmac at Dubai International airport in Dubai yesterday. —AP

B U S I N E S SMONDAY, APRIL 14, 2014

BANGUI: People prepare large bags of cassava to be sold at Sao’s market, a few kilometers from Bangui, in Central Africa. — AFP

LAGOS: Can investors get rich by backingNigerian agriculture? An increasingly loudchorus of voices say that answering thisquestion may be the most pressing chal-lenge facing Africa’s most populous coun-try, ahead of defeating Boko HaramIslamists or curbing rampant corruption.

Nigeria last week jumped ahead ofSouth Africa as the continent’s biggesteconomy after the re-calculated results ofnational output were announced. But interms of per capita income, Nigeria’s globalranking is still a grim 121, with 84 percentof its 170 million people living on less than$2 per day, according to 2010 World Bankestimates.

Experts agree that agriculture offers thebest chance to generate millions of newjobs quickly. But, while job creation andimproving food security are national priori-ties, the best way to spark an agricultureboom is to focus on profit, said agricultureminister Akinwumi Adesina.

“It is not about bread,” he told a confer-ence of business and government leaderslast month. “It is about making money.”

The bomb has gone off Armed with degrees from elite US uni-

versities, including Harvard BusinessSchool, Nigerian Kola Masha returnedhome in 2007 looking to launch a businesswith a positive social impact. Youth unem-ployment was the greatest threat facingNigeria but few people realized how direthe situation had become, he said.

From 2007 to 2010, Nigeria had one ofthe world’s fastest growing economies.However the number of people unem-ployed also rose by 16 percent each year.Youths were especially hard hit, with 56percent out of work in 2010, according toofficial data. The trend was in part a resultof the so-called oil curse: Nigeria, Africa’stop crude producer, has given excessiveattention to the oil industry which gener-ates very few jobs, while ignoring job-cre-ating sectors.

“Most people I shared that with said, ‘Ohmy God, it’s a time bomb’ and I said ‘no myfriend, it’s a bomb that has already goneoff’,” Masha said. A long-running sectarianconflict in central Nigeria has killed morethan 10,000 people this century, while thegruesome Boko Haram Islamist insurgencyin north has claimed thousands more livessince 2009.

High net worth individuals “If you talk to anybody in the armed

forces they will tell you that it is men aged16-24 that are driving this whole thing,”Masha said. “They are angry and hungry.”

In 2010 he launched Doreo Partners, afirm committed to creating 10 million jobsby 2030 through private investment in

small-scale agriculture. Doreo’s pilot project in northern Kaduna

state provides 1,800 farmers with a “com-plete end-to-end” assistance package,including training, credit to buy equipmentand access to high quality seeds, saidMasha.The firm brokers the sale of produce,taking a commission, and earns interest onthe loans, of which 99.7 percent have beenrepaid so far, according to Masha. The keyis creating farm organizations, or franchis-es, which can produce a reliable, high-qual-ity yield that buyers can count on, headded.

Halliru Saleh, a franchise leader, told AFPin a phone interview that with Doreo’s part-nership he has boosted his per-harvest out-put to 400 bags of maize from 35. His work-force, meanwhile, has shot up from five to100. Perhaps most crucial is a guaranteednine percent return that Doreo has prom-ised his “high net worth” investors because,like the agriculture minister, Mashabelieves the best way to ignite a revolutionin the sector is to offer wealthy people achance to get wealthier.

“If I said (to investors), ‘Hey guys, it’s theright thing to do, please help my farmers’... Icreate 100 jobs,” he said. Creating millionsof jobs requires “a value proposition thatbrings together the right group of part-ners,” he added.

Cutting out the ‘crap’ Because decades of weak governance

has left Nigerian agriculture in disarray,Masha argued that it was now time for theprivate sector to lead. Adesina, namedAfrican of the Year by Forbes magazine in2013, largely agreed. Policies he inheritedthat were nominally designed to help farm-ers had in fact become money launderingschemes, he said, specifically pointing to asubsidized fertilizer program which was“terribly corrupt” and “terribly inefficient”.

Among his top priorities as minister, hesaid, was “to cut out all the crap within thesystem” and forge policies that allowed pri-vate investors to get rich. A signatureexample is the government-backed cre-ation of so-called processing hubs toaddress Nigeria’s massive infrastructuregaps, especially poor power supply. At thehubs, the government aims to provide full-time electricity so firms can set up process-ing plants without the burden of running agenerator, a prohibitive cost that keepsmany foreign companies away fromNigeria.

At the conference, he boasted thatAfrica’s richest man, Nigerian industrialistAliko Dangote, had invested $2.5 billion inagriculture and urged smart investors tofollow his lead. “When you see cassava,” hesaid, referring to one of Nigeria’s staplecrops, “just think money.” —AFP

Nigeria eyes privatefunds to spark

agriculture boom

PUNGESTI, Romania: US energy majorChevron, shielded by barbed wire, underpolice protection and under fire from eggthrowers, is in trouble in Romania with vil-lagers angry at its drive to drill for shale gas.Opposition is fierce in the tiny remote villageof Pungesti near the border with Moldovawhich has become a symbol of hostility tothe environmentally controversial tech-niques of extracting shale gas.

“In other countries, I have not experi-enced this type of protest”, said grim-faceddrill site-manager for Chevron, Greg Murphy.His words were almost drowned out by criesof “stop Chevron”, “thieves”, and “please leave”from dozens of demonstrators at the wirebarriers as he showed journalists the site inthe northeast of the country.

Various new techniques for extracting oiland gas, notably “fracking” involving theinjection of water and chemicals deep intorock to release reserves, has lead to boomingproduction in North America.

The flows of this cheap energy are caus-ing upheaval on world markets in what theInternational Energy Agency describes as anenergy revolution.

Demonstrators disrupt project Chevron has broadened its attention to

potential reserves in eastern Europe, espe-cially in Poland and Romania. But the compa-ny’s attempts to establish its first explorationwell in Romania were suspended twice atthe end of 2013 owing to demonstrations byvillagers. Now the site is a “special securityzone”, and people in the area have to showidentity papers. Chevron has gone on acharm offensive with an “open day” bussingthe media pack directly into the site incoaches to avoid contact with the local peo-ple. But villagers outmanoeuvered the min-ders, made their way across fields and turnedup uninvited to vent their anger as theChevron executives showed journalistsaround.

One of the coaches came under fire fromeggs. “We thought Chevron executives wereinside,” a demonstrator said. Chevron’s coun-try manager in Romania, Tom Holst, held thatthe objectors did not represent feeling inPungesti, which includes several hamletsnestling in hills. “I would say that people ofPungesti are very anxious for this project.There are benefits to be had and those bene-fits are jobs. There are approximately 60locals who are working here on the project.About 30 from Pungesti,” he said.

“Given the recent events in the Ukraine,countries are very, very concerned that they

have energy security and that they are notdependent on imports,” he said referring toRussian intervention in Crimea and a bigincrease in the price of Russian gas forUkraine.

Romania, unlike many countries in east-ern and western Europe, is not heavilydependent on Russian gas since it producesgas itself, and last year imported from Russiaonly about 10 percent of its supplies, accord-ing to financial newspaper Ziarul Financiar.

But the main concern which drives oppo-sition to the drilling is that fracking technolo-gy could seriously damage the environmentbelow and above ground. On this, too, Holstwas reassuring. “This is an exploration well,”he said. “Hydraulic fracturing will not beused.”

But many local people object that if thedrilling finds gas, it will be only a matter oftime until fracking techniques are used. Theirhomes bear banners saying “I don’t wantfracking” or “Stop Chevron”.

Cows, goats and water Mariana Morosanu, a 33-year-old local

farmer who has cows, goats and chickens,referring to a common concern that under-ground water reserves could be contami-nated, asks: “If it’s not dangerous why didFrance ban fracking?”

She said: “My child passes through thegarden and asks me: will I still be able topick fruits, will the grass still grow? He looksat the hills and he asks me if they willremain this beautiful if Chevron startsdrilling. I don’t know what to answer ...People protest but Chevron goes on with itsplans.”

Catalin Scantei, a carpenter had thesame concerns, and pointed to cracks in hishouse which he alleged had been causedby heavy traffic of lorries carrying drillinggear. “Before people were calm, they livedtheir lives,” he said. “Here in the village wework the fields and grow animals. But nowif they poison our water and everything,what will we do?”

But the objecting villagers target the rootof their wrath at Romanian officials, accus-ing them of “betrayal”. The Social DemocratParty of Prime Minister Victor Ponta, when inopposition, opposed exploration for shalegas but is now fervently in favor.

“Unfortunately, our politicians do notcare about the population,” Mariana assert-ed. For Chevron, Holst was confident: “Weexpect that within the next two to threeweeks, the drilling operation will com-mence here in Pungesti,” he said. — AFP

Romanian villagerstake on Chevron

over shale gas

DUBAI: Most stock markets in the Gulffell yesterday as investors booked profitsafter a particularly strong week andSaudi Arabia’s Al-Rajhi Bank publishedfirst-quarter earnings that missed ana-lysts’ estimates. Dubai’s bourse retreated1.7 percent to 4,759 points after gaining4.8 percent last week on a relatively lightnews flow and with most first-quarterresults yet to come.

Heavyweight Emaar Properties con-tributed most to the decline, sliding 2.9percent to 10.20 dirhams. Shares in mostproperty and construction companiesalso dropped. “I think basically it is prof-it-taking,” said Sanyalak Manibhandu,manager of research at NBAD Securities.“DFM made four new 12-month highslast week - it was really pushed up onnot much news.”

A negative global environment mightalso have contributed to Sunday’s weak-ness, he said, as equity markets acrossthe world declined yesterday ’s andUkraine reported deaths after its securi-ty forces clashed with pro-Russian sepa-ratists yesterday.

Dubai, along with Abu Dhabi and

Qatar, will enter MSCI’s emerging marketindex at the end of May from the fron-tier benchmark. This has helped drivestocks up: Dubai’s index has gained 41percent this year and the two other mar-kets have added about 20 percent each,making them the three top performersin the Gulf. But exchange data showslarge inflows of foreign money intosome of the biggest stocks to beupgraded have already happened, and itis not clear how much more money willcome. Some active foreign investorsmay have been buying stocks merely tosell them to the passive investors whoare expected to enter on the eve of theMSCI upgrade, and who are expected toproduce only small volumes of funds.

“People are now looking ahead, say-ing: after the MSCI upgrade, what hap-pens next? And what is going to happennext is profit-taking,” Manibhandu said.Some investors “are waiting for positiveresults to come through before they doanything else,” he added. Most compa-nies in the Gulf will report their first-quarter results in coming weeks,although a handful have already pub-

lished them.Shares in Dubai investment bank

Shuaa Capital rose as much as 5.3 per-cent on Sunday after the firm reported afirst-quarter net profit of 8.2 milliondirhams ($2.2 million), a big swing froma loss of 5.9 million dirhams in the samequarter last year. But the shares thenpulled back sharply to close at 1.72dirhams, up just 0.6 percent. AbuDhabi’s bourse edged down only 0.2percent as some of the bigger namesdodged the profit-taking bout. At 5,163points, it remained just above its 2008peak of 5,159 points, which it surpassedlast week. Aldar Properties rose 3.9 per-cent to 4.26 dirhams and Abu DhabiCommercial Bank added 0.6 percent to8.20 dirhams.

Qatar, SaudiQatar’s bourse, on the other hand, slid

1.4 percent to 12,225 points with lossesacross the board after it hit a six-yearhigh on Thursday. Trading volume fellsignificantly compared to the previoustwo sessions. Saudi Arabia’s main indexalso declined, continuing last week’s

downtrend, and closed down 1.1 percentat 9,425 points.

Al-Rajhi Bank was the main drag, tum-bling to a five-week low after the king-dom’s largest listed lender posted anoth-er sharp drop in quarterly profit.

Al-Rajhi said yesterday it made a prof-it of 1.71 billion riyals ($456 million) inthe three months to March 31, down16.9 percent from 2.05 billion riyals inthe same period a year earlier. Analystshad expected roughly flat earnings; thedrop, which contrasted with solid first-quarter earnings by several other Saudibanks, was apparently due to higher badloan provisions. The bank’s shares fell 3.0percent, slumping to their lowest levelsince March 6. Saudi Arabia’s bourse,which remains largely closed to foreign-ers and will not be upgraded along withQatar and the United Arab Emirates, haslagged them this year, adding 10 per-cent.

The planned initial public offer ofNational Commercial Bank (NCB), thekingdom’s largest lender, later this yearmay also have contributed to the weakerperformance, said Manibhandu from

NBAD Securities.Bankers estimate a deal size of

between 15 billion and 20 billion riyals($4 bill ion-5.33 bill ion) and someinvestors may be anticipating a sell-off inother shares to raise money for the IPO.

“There will be a drain,” Manibhandusaid. “Everybody will have to buy NCB.”

HIGHLIGHTSDUBAI

* The index fell 1.7 percent to 4,759points.

ABU DHABI* The index edged down 0.2 percent

to 5,163 points.QATAR

* The index slid 1.4 percent to 12,225points.

SAUDI ARABIA* The index eased 1.1 percent to 9,425

points.EGYPT

* The index fell 0.3 percent to 7,875points.

KUWAIT* The index slipped 0.2 percent to

7,560 points. —Reuters

B U S I N E S SMONDAY, APRIL 14, 2014

Gulf markets succumb to profit-taking

MIDEAST STOCKS

BOHARU, India: Massaging his swollen feet aftercampaigning in the villages of Punjab, the mantipped to be India’s next finance minister says hewants the government that takes office nextmonth to approve five big-ticket investmentsquickly to signal it means business.

Arun Jaitley is a senior leader of the opposi-tion Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), hot favorite toform a government after the election that beganlast week and will be staggered over the nextmonth. A former commerce minister and askilled courtroom lawyer, he is a key lieutenant ofHindu nationalist leader Narendra Modi, the BJP’scandidate for prime minister.

Jaitley has dismissed as premature talk that hewill take a senior position in government, but inan interview with Reuters he gave what he saidwere personal views on the economy.

“You will have to re-start the investmentcycle,” he said, speaking after a day on the stumpin the parliamentary constituency he is contest-ing, Amritsar, in the northern state of Punjab.“You will have to, both in terms of policies andprocedure, give an impression that it’s now easyto do business in India. You make five big clear-ances, some big-ticket clearances.”

Jaitley did not disclose what projects mightbe fast-tracked, but said one proposal was toinvolve state chief ministers in such clearancesinstead of leaving it to the central government.

Capital investment contributes nearly 35 per-cent to India’s $1.8 trillion economy, but it barelygrew in the fiscal year that ended in March asdelays in clearances from various ministries andfunding issues grounded many major projects.Growth in Asia’s third-largest economy hasalmost halved to below 5 percent in the past twoyears on weak investment and consumerdemand, the worst slowdown since the 1980s.

The BJP blames the slide on poor economicmanagement by the outgoing government ledby the left-leaning Congress party. Modi, whohas presided over rapid economic growth duringmore than 12 years as chief minister of Gujaratstate, has been wooing voters by pointing to histrack record as a leader who cuts red tape andattracts investment.

“I think a political change itself will restoreconfidence in the first instance,” said Jaitley,when asked how the economic climate could bechanged. The new government should givedirection in five broad areas, he said: infrastruc-

ture, building suburban and new urban town-ships, massive skill development programs, pro-moting tourism, and lowering costs for business.

He said the government should take at leasttwo measures that “indicate you are willing tomake India a low-cost manufacturing centre”.Asked if this could include reform of India’s laborlaws, which investors complain discriminateagainst employers, he said: “A reform is the art ofthe possible, you don’t start with something thatis likely to get politically stuck.”

BJP insiders are cautious about laying out spe-cific plans because the party may need to adjustits policies after the election to win over alliesand form a coalition government if it falls shortof the parliamentary majority required to rule.

On the stump, Jaitley sheds his wealthy, cor-porate lawyer image and speaks in the rusticdialect of Punjab’s heartland, attacking theCongress party as he seeks to dispel the percep-tion that he is an outsider from New Delhi.

Corruption“They sold the waves in the air and they sold

the coal under our land,” he told a gathering ofturban-clad Sikh farmers set in fields of ripeningwheat in Boharu, a village close to the borderwith Pakistan. “Everywhere people are angry,they will throw this government out.”

Jaitley was referring to corruption scandals inthe auction of telecommunications spectrumlicenses and coal mining contracts, which hesaid had cost the state billions of dollars.

Although locals say Jaitley has the edge inhis constituency, he has a fight on his hands -his main opponent is the Congress party ’sAmarinder Singh, scion of a Punjabi royal familyand a former chief minister of the state.

Jaitley, 61, was born and brought up in NewDelhi and cut his political teeth in the ferventanti-Congress sentiment of the mid-1970s. Astudent-union leader of Delhi University, he wasjailed by then-prime minister Indira Gandhi dur-ing a 1975-77 crackdown on political opposi-tion.

“In one sense it troubled me because I waslosing out on studies, I was a law student,” hesaid of his 19-month incarceration. “In anothersense, it hardened my political convictions, itincreased my commitment, it made me rubshoulders with the top national leaders.”

He met Modi briefly in the 1970s, nationalparty politics brought them together in the1980s, and later they bonded when Jaitley’scourt cases took him to Gujarat, Modi’s homestate.

Jaitley rejects suggestions that he is thebrains behind Modi or that he is the chief strate-gist of the BJP campaign. “He makes up his ownmind, but he is a reasonable man,” Jaitley said.“He is open to suggestions, it is reasonably pos-sible to persuade him to a viewpoint.”

Leader of the BJP in the upper house of par-liament, Jaitley is not identified with the hard-line Hindu side of his party. Critics see Modi inthis light, however. He has been accused ofencouraging or failing to prevent anti-Muslimriots in Gujarat in 2002, though he has deniedthe charges and the Supreme Court has notfound enough evidence to prosecute him.

Jaitley said it was the Congress party andothers that were trying to “inject communal poi-son” into the election, and BJP manifestopledges to the Hindu faithful were “unexcep-tional”. “We are contesting on the issue of gover-nance only,” he said. —Reuters

Reviving investment key, says

man tipped to be India’s FM

New govt to okay 5 big-ticket investments: Jaitley

Arun Jaitley

WASHINGTON: IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde (left), Poland’sFinance Minister Marek Beka (center) , and World Bank President Jim YongKim (right) conduct a press conference at the 2014 Spring Meeting of theInternational Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group yesterday inWashington, DC. —AFP

WASHINGTON: The world’s top financeofficials expressed confidence that theglobal economy finally has turned thecorner to stronger growth. This time, theymay be right.

Despite challenges that include mar-ket jitters about the US Federal Reserve’sbond-buying slowdown and global ten-sions over Ukraine, policymakers saidthey believe there is a foundation for sus-tained growth that can provide jobs forthe millions of people still looking forwork five years after the worst recessionsince the Great Depression of the 1930s.

“Creating a more dynamic, sustain-able, balanced and job-rich global econo-my remains our paramount collectivegoal,” the policy-setting panel of the 188-nation International Monetary Fund saidin a concluding communique. IMFManaging Director Christine Lagarde andthe finance ministers who sit on the IMF’spolicy panel said they believed the worldhad entered a new phase with strongergrowth that will begin to make inroadsinto unemployment that remains painful-ly high in many nations. At a closing newsconference, Lagarde referred to the years2008 through 2010 as an economic “dis-aster” and she said now “we are movinginto a strengthening phase.”

The IMF in its latest economic forecastpredicted global growth would strength-en to 3.6 percent this year and an evenbetter 3.9 percent in 2015.

That growth is being supported by astronger recovery in the United States,which private economists believe couldgrow this year at the fastest pace in fiveyears. This strength in the world’s largesteconomy is helping to offset some slow-ing in major emerging markets such asChina although emerging economies arestill powering ahead at rates well aheadof developed nations.

The finance officials acknowledged anumber of threats to their forecast, rang-ing from periodic stock market jitters asinvestors worry that the Fed may mishan-dle its effort to gradually end the bondbuying it has used to lower long-terminterest rates to concerns that the politi-cal standoff over Russia’s annexation ofCrimea could undermine market confi-dence. On Ukraine, the finance ministersendorsed the IMF package of $14 billionto $18 billion in loans to help the countryavoid a financial meltdown but urged ago-slow approach to imposing additionaleconomic sanctions on Russia. TheUnited States had hoped for more resolvein this area to discourage Russia from try-ing to annex more of Ukraine, butEuropean nations, with closer economicties to Russia, said diplomatic effortsshould be given more time to work.

The conclusion of Saturday’s discus-sions ended three days of talks thatbegan with meetings by finance minis-ters and central bank presidents of theGroup of 20 nations, the mix of tradition-al economic powers such as the United

States, Japan and Germany and emergingeconomies such as Russia, China andIndia.

US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew andFederal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen repre-sented the United States in the discus-sions. The United States came in for criti-cism at the meetings. The IMF statementsaid officials were “deeply disappointed”with the continued delay in congression-al approval of the legislation to provideexpanded loan resources to the IMF tohelp countries in trouble.

The IMF said that if the US Congressfailed to pass the measure by year’s end,it would explore other options. Officialssaid those options could weakenAmerica’s ability to influence the globaleconomy and lead to a more fragmentedworld.

Such a development would produce “aworld that will be less safe,” saidSingapore’s finance minister, TharmanShanmugaratnam, chairman of the IMFpolicy committee.

The IMF panel endorsed the target setby the Group of 20 nations to boost glob-al growth by $2 trillion in the next fiveyears. But the IMF said achieving thisresult will require putting the proper gov-ernment policies in place, including acareful scaling back of low-interest ratepolicies pursued over the past five yearsby the Fed and other central banks.

The IMF communique said the Fedneeded to clearly communicate its futuremoves to avoid taking markets by sur-prise and it urged the European CentralBank, which conducts monetary policyfor the 17 nations that use the euro cur-rency, to consider further moves to pro-vide economic stimulus if “low inflationbecomes persistent” in Europe. Ahead ofthe meetings, Mario Draghi, head of theECB, had criticized Lagarde for beingoverzealous in her policy recommenda-tions and suggested that she would nothave dared to lecture the Fed in the sameway. On Saturday, Draghi was morerestrained in his comments, saying theECB intended to maintain its accom-modative monetary policies while cau-tioning that those policies cannot solveall the problems facing Europe. Thefinance ministers concluded their meet-ings with a pledge to come up with con-crete proposals that each country willpursue to boost growth by the 2 percenttarget adopted by the G-20. Those planswill be reviewed by the G-20 at its nextmeeting in September in Australia, aheadof a summit to be attended by PresidentBarack Obama and other G-20 leaders inBrisbane on Nov 15-16.

The G20 group, which represents 85percent of the global economy, includesRussia, but wealthy nations have saidthey will boycott a Group of Eight summitthat was to be hosted later this year byRussia in Sochi, the Winter Olympics hostcity, because of Moscow’s actions inUkraine. —AP

Global economy has turned

the corner: Finance chiefs

WASHINGTON: “Economic recov-ery in high-income countriesshows signs of strengthening andgrowth continues in many emerg-ing market economies,” noted theDevelopment Committee met atthe International Monetary Fund(IMF) here.

The statement, according to thecommunique of the meeting withMarek Belka, DevelopmentCommittee Chair, World BankPresident Jim Yong Kim and ChristineLagarde, IMF Managing Director,stressed that “risks remain” andaffirmed that “fostering strong, inclu-sive and sustainable growth intoday’s interconnected global econo-my will require policy adjustmentsand appropriate coordination andcommunication.”

The committee encouraged theWorld Bank Group (WBG) and theIMF to “work jointly and with allmember countries in pursuingsound and responsive economicpolicies; addressing underlyingmacroeconomic vulnerabilities;rebuilding macroeconomic buffers;and strengthening prudentialmanagement of the financial sys-tem.”

The group pushed for the WBGto “build on its country engage-ment model as a platform forselectivity based on client demand

and the new corporate goals, todeliver better, faster and evidencebased solutions that result in trans-formative outcomes for the benefitof low and middle income coun-tries alike.”

They expect the new structureof the WBG to “lead to better glob-al knowledge sharing to benefit allclient countries, and to strengthen-ing its role in support of south-south and regional cooperation.”The committee welcomed the

WBG’s “scorecard and look forwardto regular updates on the imple-mentation of the WBG strategy.”

The communique affirmed“Social inclusion and policies thatbroaden income opportunities andthe full participation of all groups,including women and the margin-alized and vulnerable, are essen-tial.”

“An open business climate thatfosters competition, more inclusivehuman capital development and

well-targeted social protection pro-grams are good both for growth andfor shared prosperity. Private invest-ment flows complement develop-ment finance and are a vital factor inachieving our goals.”On the ambi-tion of the WBG Strategy, the teamindicated it “demands better utiliza-tion of existing resources as well asstrengthening the WBG’s financialcapacity.”

In addition to the strategy, thecommittee urged “the WBG and theIMF to continue to strengthen theirengagement with Sub-SaharanAfrica and ensure that their finan-cial, analytical, and capacity-build-ing support is geared toward foster-ing country-driven structural trans-formation, reducing extreme pover-ty, boosting job creation, and mak-ing economic growth more inclu-sive and resilient.”

They “remain deeply concernedabout the continuously deteriorat-ing humanitarian situation in theCentral African Republic, SouthSudan and Syria” and “commend thegenerosity of governments andfamilies in neighboring countries.”To this point it urged “the WBG andthe IMF to remain closely engagedin these as well as other FCS andcountries in transition, in coordina-tion with other development part-ners.” —KUNA

Economic growth continues

in high-income countries: IMF

WASHINGTON: Members of various delegations pose for thegroup photo during the 2014 Spring Meeting of the InternationalMonetary Fund and the World Bank Group yesterday. —AFP

B U S I N E S SMONDAY, APRIL 14, 2014

KUWAIT: Yusuf A Alghanim & SonsAutomotive, the exclusive distribu-tor of Chevrolet vehicles in Kuwait,is proud to present an attractivepromotional offer on the 2014Camaro providing every customerwho wants to own a Camaro thebest trade-in value for their carand KD 1,000 on top.

Apart from having a long andrich history, the Camaro has beenthe ultimate drive that won overthe hearts of thrill-seeking youthever since it was introduced in theworld. From deep-set eyes tosculpted rear shoulders, the shapeof Camaro is pure emotion. This isthe Camaro New 2014 in cool, clas-sic form with a refined look thatenhances this iconic shape. Aredesigned front fascia with awider, lower opening offersimproved cooling and reducedaerodynamic lift. The new 2014revamped Camaro models featurea revised exterior design that inte-grates high-performance aerody-namics. The Exterior AppearancePackage takes Camaro temptationto an even hotter level. High inten-sity discharge headlamps with LEDhalo rings and the new chrome-accented grille add a mysteriousallure while restyled LED tail lampsare a brilliant tribute to the 1969Camaro.

With exact instrumentation andcarefully tailored bolstered seatsmade with sports cloth or leather,the Camaro is designed to makeever y drive as rewarding andinstinctive as possible. 3.6L,323HP,LT, 6.2L, 426 HP SS and the6.2L,580 HP ZL1 models include a6-way power driver and front pas-senger seats. The 2014 Camaro isavailable with Chevrolet MyLink, 7-

inch diagonal color touch-screendisplay that is compatible forsmartphone connections. Withstandard Bluetooth wireless tech-nology, the 2014 Camaro allowsthe driver to access information

while keeping his/her eyes stay onthe road. The Camaro’s perform-ance and precision continues toreign supreme with Magnetic RideControl, world-class braking and a4-wheel independent suspension.

With supercar levels of perform-ance and technology, the 580-horsepower Camaro ZL1 is thefastest Camaro to ever be built.Once you get over the rush of theall-aluminum 6.2L superchargedV8 engine and its 580 horsepower

and 556 lb.-ft. of torque, you willrealize that this Camaro goesbeyond raw power. The Camaro’sperformance and precision contin-ues with Magnetic Ride Control,world-class braking and 4-wheel

independent suspension. TheCamaro ZL1 is the kind of vehiclethat engineers dream of designingand speed lovers crave to drivebehind its wheel. The new CamaroZL1 steals the spotlight with itsrevolutionizing design that exudesa powerful and sleek exterior, anelement that decreases friction soas to augment the level of intensepressure that firmly and solidly fix-es the car’s wheels to the ground,amplifying the driver’s experience

at top speeds. Although theCamaro ZL1 is one of the fastestrides on earth, it is equipped witha fuel-efficient engine that bringsthe comfort of convenience toevery driver. Unlike many of itscompetitors, ZL1 comes fullyequipped with factory-integratedauxiliary fluid coolers including aliquid-to-liquid engine cooler typi-cally found on high-end sportscars. Both the manual and auto-matic transmissions are equippedwith high-capacity oil coolers, con-sisting of a liquid-to-liquid and air-to-oil heat exchanger plumbed inseries. The Camaro ZL1’s stunningfeatures makes it more of a pieceof art that thrills the youth andallows them to explore the infiniterealm of enticing freedom.

Yusuf A Alghanim & SonsAutomotive is committed to offer-ing an exceptional shopping andownership experience, a factorthat is furthered by the company’sexcellent products and servicesthat cater to customers’ ever yneed and want. Chevrolet Care is ahigh level customer service experi-ence based on four pillars: To pro-vide customers with the best inservice pricing and cost trans-parency ; booking ser vice withsame day delivery; quality serviceby certified technicians as well as aregional 3 year/100,000 km war-ranty and 24x7 regional roadsideassistance.

For all speed and adrenalinelovers, visit now any of Yusuf AAlghanim & Sons Automotiveshowroom to take advantage ofthis great opportunity and bookan appointment to test drive thecar of your dreams: the 2014Chevrolet Camaro.

Alghanim Chevrolet launches

giant offer on 2014 Camaro

Get the best trade-in value for your car, KD 1,000 on top

Wataniya Telecom launches

Samsung Galaxy S5 today

With revolutionary Samsung Gear Fit and Gear WatchKUWAIT: Today, Wataniya Telecom, member ofOoredoo Group, launches the long-awaited flag-ship smartphone from Samsung, (Galaxy S5).Now, customers of Wataniya have the chance toexperience the new smartphone’s innovativefeatures on the most advanced network inKuwait.

Wataniya is pleased to carry the latest smartphones in the market to deliver the best prod-ucts and services. Customers of Wataniya cannow get the new Samsung Galaxy S5 whichcomes in different vivid colors, features a biggerscreen, an improved rear camera and biometricfunctions such as iris recognition or a fingerprintscanner, and Samsung Gear Fit and Gear Watchat competitive prices starting at KD 12/month.

Samsung Galaxy S5 is the first smart phonewith a built-in heart rate sensor which enablesusers to measure their heart rate directly on thephone. It also comes with a feature called “SHealth” which acts as a personal fitness tracker.

The enhanced S Health leads users throughtheir fitness routines daily and consistently. Theycan set their goals and achieve them with thehelp of Galaxy S5’s pedometer and S Health’sconstant tracking of their condition, walking dis-tance, calories, speed, duration, and so on. It isalso worth mentioning that the S5 is made tolast longer and stronger as it is resistant tosweat, rain, liquids, sand and dust, so the phoneis protected from any activity and situation.

For better photos, the S5 comes with anHDR(Rich Tone) feature which allows for brighterand vivid captures when there is a strong count-er light or when the subject is shaded. In addi-tion to HDR, the Selective Focus allows users tofocus on what’s important by blurring the back-ground and accentuating the main subject indefined detail.

With the new phone, users will get doubledconnection and faster speed. The DownloadBooster technology utilizes the LTE and Wi-Fisimultaneously to give users an unrivaled net-work experience. They will experience approxi-mately 80 -90 percent of the added networkspeed of LTE and Wi-Fi when this feature isturned on.

Wataniya is pleased to offer its customers the

latest Samsung Galaxy S5and assured the con-tinuous efforts to raise the bar by offering exclu-sive services and latest products at competitiveprices.

Wataniya continues to bring the latest andmost exciting mobile products to Kuwaitthrough its wide range of premium partners, toensure that latest telecom innovations are up-to-the-minute for all its customers.

KUWAIT: Kuwait Business Town RealEstate Company (KBT) is a well-knownreal estate development company estab-lished in 1999 and became a publicallytraded company at the Kuwait StockExchange on the 16th December 2008.With a paid up capital of KD78 millionequivalents to $ 280 million, this compa-ny provides various comprehensive realestate products and services in the localand international market.

KBT announced a net profit of KD 0.5million for the first quarter of 2014, agrowth of 164 percent compared to thesame period in 2013, with earnings pershares 0.64 fils compared to (0.99) fils in2013.

Eng Yousef Ghazi Al-Saqabi, Vice-Chairman & CEO of KBT said; “ Theincrease of 164 percent in net profit is agood beginning for the this year andmake us optimistic that 2014 will be anexcellent year that will reap benefits forthe shareholders, clients and employees.”

“The company will stick to its newmotto of - Setting New Standards - byproviding clients with state of art facili-ties. By settling major debts with a localbank and a financial institution during2013, the company is positioned for afresh start. The new branch officeacquired during this year at Business Bayin Dubai will used as a hub for interna-tional markets. The announcement of Q1results at such fast pace, being the num-ber one in the real estate sector andnumber two in Kuwait Stock Exchangeshows the financial strength of the com-

pany, “ added Al Saqabi.Positive indicators: Al-Saqabi high-

lighted a number of key positive indica-tors for KBT emphasizing that the mostsignificant achievement is the reductionin total liabilities to KD 7.4 million by endof 1st quarter of 2014, a reduction 88percent compared to same period during2013. The net profits is KWD 499,567/-,earnings of 0.64 fils per share, whereasduring the same period in 2013, the loss-es were KWD (799,660/-), a loss of (0.99)fils per share. The book value is 66 filscompared to 64 fils per share for thesame period in 2013.

KBT announces

KD 0.5m profit for Q1

Eng Yousef Ghazi Al-Saqabi

KUWAIT: Gulf Bank held its Al-Danah dailydraws on April 6, 2014, announcing thenames of its winners for the week of March30 to April 3. The Al-Danah daily drawsinclude draws each working day for twoprizes of KD1000 per winner. The winners are: (Sunday 23/03): Hatem HeremeesMohammed Al-Otaibi, HussainMohammed Abdullah Atash(Monday 24/03): Ali Mula AhmadAbdulla Almula Ali, Battol Redha Najar(Tuesday 25/03): Saqer Abdullah Yousef,Samir Mal Humad(Wednesday 26/03): Zainab AhmadMohammed, Taiba Abdulaziz SulaimanAl-Randi(Thursday 27/03): Hmoud Soud HamadAl-Sbaiei, Jamal Abdulmohsen AbdullahAl-Thuwene

Gulf Bank’s Al Danah 2014 draw lineupincludes daily draws (2 winners per work-ing day each receive KD1000), as well astwo additional prizes per quarter. Al-

Danah’s 2nd Quarterly draw for 2014 will beheld on 26 June (KD250,000, KD125,000,and KD25,000), 3rd Quarter - 25 September(KD500,000, KD125,000, and KD25,000) andthe final draw held on 8 January, 2015announcing winners of KD50,000,KD250,000 and the Al-Danah millionaire.

Gulf Bank’s Al-Danah allows customersto win cash prizes and simultaneouslyencourages them to save money. Chancesincrease the more money is deposited andthe longer it is kept in the account.

Al-Danah also offers a number of uniqueservices including the Al-Danah DepositOnly ATM card which helps account hold-ers deposit their money at their conven-ience; as well as the Al-Danah calculator tohelp customers calculate their chances ofbecoming an Al-Danah winner.

To be part of the Al-Danah draws, cus-tomers can visit one of Gulf Bank’s 58branches, transfer on line, or call theCustomer Contact Center on 1805805 forassistance and guidance.

Gulf Bank announces winners

of Al-Danah Daily draws

KUWAIT: Burgan Bank announced yester-day the names of the lucky winners of itsYawmi account draw, each taking home aprize of KD 5,000.The winners for the daily draws tookhome a cash-prize of KD 5000 each, andthey are:

1. Latifah Ahmad Sarkhouh2. Zeinab Abdullah Hadadian3. Reham Abdulkareem Nasr4. Thamer Emad Almutawaa5. Hamad Mohammad DarbiWith its new and enhanced features, the

Yawmi Account has become more conven-ient, easier, and faster for customers tobenefit from. Now, customers will be eligi-ble to enter the draw after 48 hours onlyfrom opening the account. Customers arealso required to deposit KD 100 or equiva-lent only to enter the daily draw, and thecoupon value to enter the draw stands atKD 10.

The newly designed Yawmi account has

been launched to provide a highly innova-tive offering along with a higher frequencyand incentive of winning for everyone.Today, the Yawmi account is a well under-stood product, where its popularity can beseen from the number of increasingaccount holders.

Burgan Bank encourages everyone toopen a Yawmi account and/or increasetheir deposit to maximize their chances tobecoming a daily winner. The more cus-tomers deposit, the higher the chancesthey receive of winning the draw.

Opening a Yawmi account is simple, cus-tomers are urged to visit their nearestBurgan Bank branch and receive all thedetails, or simply call the bank’s Call Centerat 1804080 where customer service repre-sentatives will be delighted to assist withany questions on the Yawmi account or anyof the bank’s products and services.Customers can also log on to Burgan Bank’swww.burgan.com for further information.

Burgan Bank announces

winners of Yawmi account

EBBSFLEET, England: Where Britain’s first new townin over 40 years is due to be built there is little morethan a gaping hole - a symbol of the huge housingshortage successive governments have failed to fill.For almost 10 years the project has languished, firstas developers worried about its scale and then asthe financial crisis hammered the constructionindustry.

Now, under a new government-backed plan,more than 20,000 new homes will be built inEbbsfleet, 20 miles east of London and just 17 min-utes from the centre of the capital on a high-speedrail line. But that is just a drop in the ocean, accord-ing to a report by a former Bank of England policy-maker published in March which said Britain wasshort of 1 million homes.

The dearth has helped fuel a jump of nearly 10percent in British house prices over the past year,and much more in London, bringing with it echoesof past booms and busts. “We’ve had to reshapecolossal, almost biblical, amounts of land,” saidJeremy Kite, leader of the local council in Dartford,the nearest main town, who has been working withthe site’s owner, Land Securities, to get buildingstarted amid disused chalk quarries. Construction inEngland slumped after the 2007-2009 financial crisiswhen banks, alarmed by a 20 percent tumble inproperty prices, stopped lending.

In 2013, 110,000 homes were built, the second-lowest reading since records began in 1978 and

down from 177,000 in 2007. A rebound is likely.Work has started on almost 25 percent more homesthan a year ago, but even if house-building getsback to pre-crisis levels, Britain is still likely to face ahousing shortage that could unbalance its econom-ic recovery. The central bank is watching closely as itconsiders when to start raising interest rates fromrecord lows. Bank of England Governor Mark Carneyhas warned that Britain’s housing market can moverapidly “from stall speed to warp speed”, a majorconcern given the country’s high level of home-ownership. The International Monetary Fund lastweek pointed to the risks presented by the country’s“surging” house prices. There is alarm even in thereal estate sector. The Royal Institution for CharteredSurveyors said last week the lack of property for salewas now a major concern. There was a “desperateneed for more”, it said.

Shortages of skill and landLast month’s report for the Home Builders

Federation, drawn up by former BoE policymakerKate Barker, estimated that the number of new pri-vately built homes would need to almost treble to260,000 a year to bring down Britain’s rate of houseprice inflation nearer to that in the rest of Europe.Reaching that level is likely to be many years offbecause the industry has been so ravaged and alsobecause of a shortage of land which can be built on.John Stewart, the HBF’s director of economic affairs,

said building 200,000 homes a year by 2020 wasmore realistic. “The industry’s capacity has beenseverely hit by the crash of 2007-08,” he added.

Stocks of bricks are down to two months’ supply,their “lowest level in living memory”, said MartinWarner, chief executive of brick manufacturerMichelmersh. The Federation of Master Builders,which represents small and medium-sized construc-tion firms, said bricklayers were pushing for pay risesof between 10 and 15 percent.

Keith Adey, the chief financial officer of home-builder Bellway, said he expects his company tocomplete 20 percent more homes in the currentfinancial year, but that annual growth thereafter waslikely to slow to 10 percent. For both Adey andStewart, the bigger long-term constraint is the sup-ply of land. Since the 1980s local authorities havegained increasing powers to determine what type ofhousing is built on what land, and to demand pay-ments from developers for infrastructure such asschools and clinics. “We have moved away from asystem where private house builders were market-responsive - if demand picked up, you found moreland, built more houses and away you went - to asystem that is virtually managed by the state,”Stewart said. Stewart was hopeful that local authori-ties would show more flexibility, citing planningreforms introduced in 2012 that place a greater onuson local authorities to make sure they have suffi-cient housing in their areas.— Reuters

KUWAIT: Wataniya Telecom, a memberof Ooredoo Group, announced the win-ners of the sixth and final draw whichwas part of the exciting draw campaignthat gave every customer of Wataniya achance to win a Samsung Galaxy Note3 weekly. Wataniya aimed at grantingcustomers additional value for everyKD1 spent on recharging their prepaidlines, paying their bills or activatingnew lines.

The draw campaign was designedfor a single purpose of delighting, excit-ing and rewarding customers for theirloyalty. Customers had the chance towin in the weekly draws as well as toenter the final draw on the Audi R8 V10,model of 2015. Wataniya will beannouncing the winner of the car verysoon before the end of this week.

Wataniya expressed its gratitude toall the subscribers for participating inthe draws and is looking forward toprovide future opportunities for morewinners.

Winners of the 6th and final draw are: Ahmed Hamad Shabeeb, Khaled

Yusuf Al-Soori, Sareera Asadanal, Eeisa

Ahmed Boland, Amsha Soud Al-Sabaee,Mohammad Majed Al-Ajmi, MohamedFayez Al-Zayath, Suresh Morgan Morgan,Mesad Salamah Abdulrahman, Aadel KhaledHamad Al-Hadlaq, Mohammad AliAbdulaziz Bahlool, Nabi Saheb Mali, GhadeerAbbas Mohammad, Hussein Ali Al-Blushi,Mohammad Mansour Aseeri, NawafMubarak Fahad Alhab Al-Mutairi, NahedahAbdulrazaq Al-Mahboob, Abdullah Al-Aazmi, Khulud Abeeth Al-Ajmi,Mohammad Ahmed Ali Sadeq,Abdulhaq Abdulbari, Hamad RashedJaber Al-Hajri, Jiban Kal, Khaled HamadSaad Al-Hajri, Jassem Hamdy AhmedAli, Jaser Saeed Abdullah Al-Fadli, AzizMohammad, Alzeebith Borjaa, FatemahNajem Ali Al-Senafi, May Taher AhmedAl-Ebrahim, Mariam Fahaad, LeenaBassam Al-Ouri, Yarfeez Hasan Saeed,Nahed Saad Farhan, Abdullah Al-Rashidi, Hussein Ahmed Al-Maqreebi,Osama Abdullah Al-Owaisi, MerlyVarghese, Hoor Khaled HusseinGholoom, Ghaneemah Sultan Ghanem,Jasmeen Dawan, Suzan Jayed Saloonja,Novar Mira Sahibo, Ala’ AhmedOughlee.

Long-delayed new town an

emblem of UK housing hole

Wataniya Telecom winners

of 6th and final weekly draw

Winners received Galaxy Note 3

t e c hnolo g yMONDAY, APRIL 14, 2014

NEW YORK: It now appears that the “Heartbleed”security problem affects not just websites, but alsothe networking equipment that connects homesand businesses to the Internet.

A defect in the security technology used by manywebsites and equipment makers have put millions ofpasswords, credit card numbers and other personalinformation at risk. The extent of the damage causedby Heartbleed isn’t known. The threat went unde-tected for more than two years, and it’s difficult totell if any attacks resulted from it because they don’tleave behind distinct footprints.

But now that the threat is public, there’s a goodchance hackers will try to exploit it before fixes are inplace, says Mike Weber, vice president of the infor-mation-technology audit and compliance firmCoalfire.

Two of the biggest makers of networking equip-ment, Cisco and Juniper, have acknowledged thatsome of their products contain the bug, but expertswarn that the problem may extend to other compa-

nies as well as a range of Internet-connected devicessuch as Blu-ray players.

“I think this is very concerning for many people,”says Darren Hayes, professor of security and comput-er forensics at Pace University. “It’s going to keepsecurity professionals very busy over the comingweeks and months. Customers need to make surethey’re getting the answers they need.”

Here’s a look at what consumers and businessesshould know about Heartbleed and its effects onnetworking devices.

How is networking equipment affected?Just like websites, the software used to run some

networking equipment - such as routers, switchesand firewalls - also uses the variant of SSL/TLS knownas OpenSSL. OpenSSL is the set of tools that has theHeartbleed vulnerability.

As with a website, hackers could potentially usethe bug as a way to breach a system and gather andsteal passwords and other sensitive information.

What can you do?Security experts continue to advise people and

businesses to change their passwords, but thatwon’t be enough unless the company that createdthe software in question has put the needed fixes inplace.

When it comes to devices, this could take a while.Although websites can be fixed relatively quickly byinstalling a software update, device makers will haveto check each product to see if it needs to be fixed.

Both Cisco Systems Inc. and Juniper NetworksInc. continue to advise customers through theirwebsites on which product is still vulnerable, fixedand unaffected. Owners may need to install soft-ware updates for products that are “fixed.”

Hayes praises Cisco and Juniper for being upfrontwith customers. He cautions, though, that manyother companies make similar products that likelyhave the bug, too, but haven’t come forward to sayso.

As a result, businesses and consumers need to

check the websites for devices that they think couldhave problems. They must be diligent aboutinstalling any software updates they receive.

Weber says that while there are some checkscompanies can do to see if their networking equip-ment is safe, they’re largely beholden to the devicemakers to let them know what’s going on.

Companies also need to make sure that businesspartners with access to their systems aren’t compro-mised as well.

Are other devices at risk?Hayes says the bug could potentially affect any

home device that’s connected to the Internet,including something as simple as a Wi-Fi-enabledBlu-ray player. He also points to recent advances inhome automation, such as smart thermostats, secu-rity and lighting systems.

“We simply don’t know the extent of this and itcould affect those kinds of devices in the home,” hesays. — AP

Heartbleed could harm a variety of systems

HANOVER: An often-ignored aspect ofGermany’s green energy transition is the one thathas most helped its export industry; energy effi-ciency, the new hallmark of the country’s high-tech sector.

Chancellor Angela Merkel has said that if the“Energiewende” - the ambitious switch fromnuclear and carbon-based energy toward renew-ables -goes as planned, “I am sure it will be anoth-er export hit”.

So far Europe’s biggest economy has not beenwidely emulated on its radical path to a clean-energy future, but for businesses in the energy-efficiency sector, Merkel’s prophecy is already areality.

Energy efficiency was a key theme atHanover’s industrial fair, one of the world’sbiggest, which ended Friday. When it comes tomachines, tools and systems that consume theleast energy, German companies from world-famous Siemens and Bosch down to the country’shighly specialised small- and medium-sizedenterprises often have the answer.

Martin Lack can explain in great detail how hiscompany, the Luetze family group, has developeda system that circulates air efficiently in powerdistribution systems to lower temperatures andavoid energy loss.

The system is based on a study by Luetze,

automaker Volkswagen and another Germantechnology group, Rittal, which found ways toreduce energy consumption in such systems by15 percent.

“It is energy-saving technology that offers thegreatest potential” for German companies, saidCarola Kantz, who is in charge of the issue at theVDMA, the German Engineering Federation.

Savings key to success Germany launched its energy shift in the late

1990s and, after Japan’s 2011 Fukushima nucleardisaster, set itself even more ambitious goals,including to halve primary energy consumptionby 2050 through savings in homes, industry andtransport.

Less visible and less publicised than wind andsolar farms, energy efficiency is the aspect that isthe “most misunderstood of the energy transition,and yet the one that works best,” said StephanKohler, president of German energy agency Dena.

“The success of the German economy owesmuch to the fact that its products help achieveenergy savings,” he said. Germany, in turn, hasstrongly promoted the sector with the govern-ment’s so-called Energy Efficiency ExportInitiative.

Its website, “efficiency-from-germany.info”,highlights that Germany, which has traditionally

had to import most of its energy, has achievedreductions in energy usage despite growing eco-nomic output.

It says that in the early 2000s, Germanresearchers and companies submitted between30 and 40 percent of global patent applications inthe areas of energy-efficient building services andindustrial processes and technologies.

“In Germany there has been this expertise, thistradition of technologies related to environmen-tal protection,” said Rafael Piechota, at the standof Paul Wurth Umwelttechnik.

The Paul Wurth Group, a steelmaker based inLuxembourg, chose Germany as the hub for its“green” technologies subsidiary, which providesturn-key systems to optimise energy efficiency iniron and steel mills.

The system, which has been exported to 72countries, uses aerial emissions in factories to pro-duce additional energy, said Piechota. A little fur-ther along the fair’s aisles, Michael Punz wasshowcasing the LED lamps of Berlin-based com-pany i-save, which promise to use “at least 40 per-cent less” than old fashioned fluorescent tubesand other light systems. The eco-friendly lightingsystem has been used by customers includingSharp Corp, Toyota and Qantas Airways, and thecompany also provided the lighting in the halls ofthe Hanover fair. — AFP

Energy efficiency a trump card for German tech exports

DUBAI: EMC Corporation announced results of the sev-enth EMC Digital Universe study, the only study to quantifyand forecast the amount of data produced annually. Thisyear’s study titled “The Digital Universe of Opportunities:Rich Data and the Increasing Value of the Internet ofThings,” with research and analysis by IDC, reveals how theemergence of wireless technologies, smart products andsoftware-defined businesses are playing a central role incatapulting the volume of the world’s data. Due, in part, tothis Internet of Things, the digital universe is doubling insize every two years and will multiply 10-fold between2013 and 2020 - from 4.4 trillion gigabytes to 44 trilliongigabytes.

For perspective • The amount of information in the digital universe

would fill a stack• of iPad Air tablets reaching 2/3 of theway to the moon (157,674 miles/253,704 kilometers). By2020, there will be 6.6 stacks.

• Today, the average household creates enough data to

fill 65 iPhones (32gb) per year. In 2020, this will grow to 318iPhones.

• Today, if a byte of data were a gallon of water, in only10 seconds there would be enough data to fill an averagehouse. In 2020, it will only take 2 seconds.

The Internet of Things comprises billions of everydayobjects that are equipped with unique identifiers and theability to automatically record, report and receive data - asensor in your shoe tracking how fast you run or a bridgetracking traffic patterns. According to IDC the number ofdevices or things that can be connected to the Internet isapproaching 200 billion today, with 7% (or 14 billion)already connected to and communicating over theInternet. The data from these connected devices repre-sents 2% of the world’s data today. IDC now forecasts that,by 2020, the number of connected devices will grow to 32billion - representing 10% of the world’s data.

The Internet of Things will also influence the massiveamounts of “useful data” - data that could be analyzed - inthe digital universe. In 2013, only 22% of the information in

the digital universe was considered useful data, but lessthan 5% of the useful data was actually analyzed - leaving amassive amount of data lost as dark matter in the digitaluniverse. By 2020, more than 35% of all data could be con-sidered useful data, thanks to the growth of data from theInternet of Things, but it will be up to businesses to put thisdata to use.

This phenomenon will present radical new ways ofinteracting with customers, streamlining business cycles,and reducing operational costs, stimulating trillions of dol-lars in opportunity for businesses. Conversely, it presentssignificant challenges as businesses look manage, storeand protect the sheer volume and diversity of this data. Forexample, IDC estimates that 40% of the data in the digitaluniverse require some level of protection, from heightenedprivacy measures to fully-encrypted data. That said, onlyhalf of that data - just 20% - is actually protected.

Key findings• Emerging markets are producing more data: Currently,

60% of data in the digital universe is attributed to maturemarkets such as Germany, Japan, and the United States,but by 2020, the percentage will flip, and emerging mar-kets including Brazil, China, India, Mexico and Russia willaccount for the majority of data.

• Data is outpacing storage: The world’s amount of avail-able storage capacity (i.e., unused bytes) across all mediatypes is growing slower than the digital universe. In 2013,the available storage capacity could hold just 33% of thedigital universe. By 2020, it will be able to store less than15%. Fortunately, most of the world’s data is transient (e.g.Netflix or Hulu stream, Xbox ONE game interactions, DigitalTV.) and requires no storage.

• Data touched by the cloud will double: In 2013, lessthan 20% of the data in the digital universe was “touched”by the cloud. By 2020, that percentage will double to 40%.

• Consumers create data but enterprises are responsiblefor it: Two-thirds of the digital universe bits are created orcaptured by consumers and workers, yet enterprises haveliability or responsibility for 85% of the digital universe.

Digital universe invaded by sensors

OBERPFAFFENHOFEN: This picture taken on December 3, 2008 shows the logo ofGermany’s aeronautics and space research centre (DLR) in Oberpfaffenhofen, south-ern Germany. Germany’s aeronautics and space research centre has for months beenthe target of a suspected cyber attack by a foreign intelligence service, a Germannews weekly reported yesterday. — AFP

BERLIN: Germany’s aeronautics and spaceresearch centre has for months been the targetof a suspected cyber attack by a foreign intelli-gence service, a German news weekly reportedyesterday.

Der Spiegel said that several computers usedby scientists and systems administrators at theCologne-based DLR centre had been infiltratedby spy programmes.

“The government classes the attack asextremely serious because it, among otherthings, is aimed at armament and rocket tech-nolgies,” Spiegel said. In some computers ITexperts found traces of spy programmes thatwere set up to destroy themselves on discovery,while others only activated themselves aftermonths of lying in wait.

Spiegel said the attacks were “coordinatedand systematic” and all the centre’s operationsystems were affected. IT forensic experts prob-ing who could be behind the assault haveturned up clues that seem to point to China, butSpiegel quoted an unidentifed “insider” as sayingthey could also simply be “camouflage”.

Government sources said the case was beinginvestigated but declined to confirm any details.The German aeronautics and space researchcentre is active in the fields of aeronautics, space,energy, transport and security and is involved ininternational cooperative ventures, according toits website.

Computer outage may force spacewalkMeanwhile, a computer outage at the

International Space Station may require a space-walk by astronauts and threatens to delay nextweek’s launch of a commercial supply ship forNASA.

NASA said Friday night that a backup com-puter on the outside of the orbiting lab is notresponding to commands. The main computer,called an MDM or multiplexer-demultiplexer, isworking fine, and the six man crew is in no dan-ger, officials said. But these computers controlsome robotic functions that would be neededfor the upcoming supply run by SpaceX, one oftwo US companies contracted by NASA to keepthe space station well stocked. A backup com-puter would need to be operating for redundan-cy of those robotic systems.

SpaceX is supposed to launch theunmanned Dragon capsule on Monday fromCape Canaveral. It contains nearly 5,000 poundsof supplies and science experiments.

The mission is already a month late becauseof extra prep time needed by the California com-pany and unrelated damage to an Air Forceradar-tracking device needed for rocket launch-es.Late Friday, Mission Control was trying todetermine whether the computer can berepaired or must be replaced. A replacementwould have to be accomplished by spacewalk-ing astronauts. NASA is still aiming for a Mondaylaunch by SpaceX. But that could change,depending on the status of the bad computer.

Astronauts use the space station’s big robotarm to grab onto the Dragon capsule and attachit to the outpost. The space station is currentlyhome to two Americans, one Japanese andthree Russians.

NASA is paying Space ExplorationTechnologies Corp. - or SpaceX - and theVirginia-based Orbital Sciences Corp. tomake space station deliveries. Russia, Japanand Europe also conduct occasional supplyruns. — Agencies

German space research centre under espionage attack: Report

SAN FRANCISCO: The stock market’s laws of gravi-ty are ravaging its highest fliers. Just look at the listof technology trailblazers whose values have plum-meted from record highs during the past fewweeks. Investors have re-focused on safer sectorssuch as utilities, health care and consumer staplesinstead of companies that promise potentialgrowth from online services that are building hugeaudiences.

Stung by the abrupt change in sentiment, thestocks of recent stars such as Netflix, Facebook,Twitter and LinkedIn are 20 percent to 45 percentbelow their recent peaks. The steep downfall is rais-ing questions about whether this is just a fleetingfit of fickleness or the foreshadowing of anothermarket bubble about to burst.

Stocks across all sectors dropped Friday. Thetech-driven Nasdaq composite index fell 54.37points, or 1.3 percent to 3,999.73 to punctuate apunishing week, and is down 8 percent since earlyMarch, when it hit a 14-year closing high of 4,358.Last year, the Nasdaq soared 38 percent.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 index fell 17.39points, or 0.95 percent, to 1,815.69 Friday. The S&P500 is 4 percent off its recent high on April 2.

Optimists expect a rebound. They point outthat technology remains a bright spot in an other-wise dreary economy as software, computers,mobile devices and the Internet fill increasinglyinstrumental roles in work, entertainment andcommunications.

“Tech is where the action is,” says longtimeindustry analyst Roger Kay. Pessimists view thetech sector as Ground Zero for a long-overduereckoning. They say the stock market has beenpumped up by the flood of money that theFederal Reserve has funneled into the long-termbond market since the financial meltdown of2008 decimated the economy. Now that thosegovernment-backed bond purchases are taperingoff, people are starting to realize “the only thingholding this balloon up is the Fed blowing air init,” said Fred Hickey, editor of The High-TechStrategist newsletter.

That’s why he believes investors are parachut-ing from stocks that had soared to dizzying heightsin a short period of time. Internet video subscrip-tion service Netflix Inc., for instance, nearly quadru-pled in value last year to top the charts of the bell-wether Standard & Poor’s 500 index. The companywas worth $27 billion by the time its stock peakedat $458 early last month. At that price, investorswere paying the equivalent of $117 for every $1 ofNetflix’s projected earnings. Investors were bettingNetflix will become increasingly prosperous as thenumber of U.S. subscribers to its $8-per-monthvideo steaming services swells from 33 million atthe end of last year to management’s long-termhopes for 90 million.

Even Netflix CEO Reed Hastings cited the“euphoria” surrounding the stock as he discussedthe company’s quarterly earnings last October. “Wehave a sense of momentum, investors driving thestock price more than we might normally,” Hastingssaid in a video presentation. “There’s not a lot wecan do about it.” — AP

Investor sentiment on tech goes from giddy to glum

H E A LT H & S C I E N C EMONDAY, APRIL 14, 2014

MIAMI: Diabetics beware. Your insurance com-pany is looking for you. As hundreds of thou-sands of diabetics get health coverage under thefederal law, insurance companies are aggressive-ly targeting this glut of new patients, who areexpensive to treat and often lax in taking med-ications and following their diet.

Insurers are calling diabetics when they don’tpick up prescriptions or miss appointments.They are arranging transportation to get them tothe doctor’s office and some are even sendingnurses on house calls in an effort to avoid costlycomplications that will have big impact on theirbottom lines.

Before the Affordable Care Act, some diabet-ics struggled to find insurance because of theirpre-existing condition. But the new law nolonger allows companies to refuse them orcharge more, making early intervention evenmore critical.

About 60 percent or so people with Type 2diabetes can keep side effects at bay by simplymanaging sugar levels, exercising and watchingtheir weight, said Dr. Sam Nussbaum, a formerendocrinologist at Harvard’s MassachusettsGeneral Hospital and an executive vice presidentfor the insurer WellPoint.

On the flip side, if the disease is ignored, itcan lead to multiple, severe complications. It’sthe leading cause of heart disease, strokes, kid-ney failure and vision loss. A relatively healthyperson with diabetes can cost insurers around$5,000 a year. “But if you let any of those long-term, difficult complications develop, thenyou’re talking $100,000 dollars plus,” Nussbaumsaid.

About 26 million Americans have diabetes,and two-thirds of them are overweight or obese.Approximately 8 percent of Americans are esti-mated to have the disease, and insurers antici-pate at least that percentage of the 7.5 million

people now insured under the federal law willhave diabetes.

ExpensiveShelley Dayman, who lives in an Orlando sub-

urb, has struggled for years to manage her dis-ease, in part because loves to bake and eat hersweet creations. A few years ago, the 62-year-oldwoman lost her foot in a car accident. Doctorsreattached it, but she uses a wheelchair andcan’t exercise. She lost her job, her health insur-ance and started stretching her insulin becauseshe couldn’t afford it.

Last year, she was rushed to the hospital aftershe started talking gibberish while on the phonewith her sister. Dayman’s blood sugar was offand she spent an expensive two days in the hos-pital. “My insulin was the last thing I was think-ing about,” said Dayman, describing the strugglemany diabetics have managing their disease andlife events.

She recently gained insurance under theAffordable Care Act, finding a Humana plan thatcosts less than $2 a month thanks to a $574 taxcredit. While her new insurer hasn’t come callingyet, she can probably expect it if she gets out ofline. Insurers already have a bevy of programstailored to diabetics and they are starting newones.

WellPoint started recruiting diabetics last fall,when the health care law took effect, to a six-week program. The workshops in Atlanta,Indianapolis and St. Louis cover everything frommonitoring sugar levels to finding emotionalsupport. Early results have been positive.

“You’re talking about an improved quality oflife, but a lot less expenses related to chronicconditions that develop later .... hypertension ,end stage renal disease, lots of different condi-tions,” said Kathy English, a former nurse who isspearheading the program.

WorkshopsSarah Luke, 73, said she struggled to manage

her weight and sugar levels after being diag-nosed with diabetes six years ago, with eachfailed attempt leaving her more discouraged.

The Kennesaw, Ga., woman saw a flier anddecided to give it a try. The workshops focus ona single goal each week, making it easier byteaming up with a fellow diabetic known as an“accountability” partner. By week two, she wasdrinking more water and had cut diet-Coke andartificial sweeteners from her diet. By the end ofthe program, Luke had lost 11 pounds and wasexercising four times a week. Her blood pressureis actually lower now than it was when she wastaking medication.

“I owe a lot to this workshop. It’s changing mylife,” said a teary Luke. “Every single week I felt asense of accomplishment that gave me courageto go to the next level.” Insurers have gottensavvy figuring out patients who skip appoint-ments or aren’t taking their medicine, and manyhave customized plans for diabetics that offereverything from pharmacy home delivery servic-es to home health aides.

In Cigna’s current program, where the majori-ty of consumers are new to insurance, a nursemight go to a patient’s house for a head-to-toeassessment, even checking toenails for infec-tions. That might seem small, but an infectioncan make havoc on blood sugars, said ChristineCrowe, a nurse who oversees the program.

Managing insulin pumps, periodic eye examsand other care can be overwhelming forpatients. But Cigna’s program boasts a 42 per-cent lower hospital admission rate and a 24 per-cent lower short-term complication rate. “We’reusing every opportunity to cast the net wide ...because we know there may be gaps or lapses,”said Crowe. —AP

With new federal law,

insurers target diabetics

Leading cause of heart disease, kidney failure

MAINE: In this photo made Friday, March 21, 2014, Leah Moffitt connects tubing to atap on a maple tree on Passamaquoody land near Jackman, Maine. A tribal move-ment nationwide hopes to get Indians beyond government contracts and casinos inself-sustaining operations that can create spinoff jobs.—AP

WASHINGTON: The Obama administra-tion’s timeline for having ready the newhealth care law’s online sign-up system“was just flat out wrong,” outgoingHealth and Human Services SecretaryKathleen Sebelius said in an interviewthat aired yesterday.

The departing health chief also saidthe two months when healthcare.govwas plagued with technical problemswere “a pretty dismal time” and the lowpoint of her five-year tenure. But shedefended the law’s impact and said mil-lions of Americans now have access tohealth care because of it.

“People have competitive choices andreal information for the first time ever inthis insurance market,” said Sebelius, wholast week announced her resignation. Butshe acknowledged the rocky rollout forthe online sign-up system fraught withtechnical problems that left Americansfrustrated.

“Clearly, the estimate that it was readyto go Oct. 1 was just flat out wrong,”Sebelius said. HealthCare.gov was envi-sioned as the principal place for peopleto buy insurance under

Obama’s health care law. But its firstfew weeks were an embarrassment for

the administration and its allies. “Well, Ithink there’s no question - and I’ve saidthis many times - that the launch of thewebsite was terribly flawed and terriblydifficult,” Sebelius said.

Obama set a Dec. 1 deadline to havethe website repaired, a move that leftSebelius nervous, she said.”Having failedonce at the front of October, the first ofDecember became a critical juncture,”she said. “That was a pretty scary date.”

Sebelius’ resignation comes just aweek after sign-ups for insurance cover-age ended, enrolling 7.1 million peopleand exceeding initial expectations.Enrollment has since increased to 7.5 mil-lion as people were given extra time tocomplete applications.

The departing secretary said shedecided after the 2012 presidential elec-tion that she wanted to leave the admin-istration but decided to stay through thesign-up period. Sebelius said Obama didnot try to convince her to stay throughthe end of his term.

“I thought it was fair to either committill January of 2017 or leave with enoughtime that he would get a strong, compe-tent leader,” Sebelius said. Sebelius spoketo NBC’s “Meet the Press.” — AP

Sebelius: Health care

launch ‘terribly flawed’

BRUSSELS: European Climate CommissionerConnie Hedegaard yesterday threw down thegauntlet to major carbon emitters after a UNpanel pointed to options to brake surginggreenhouse gases in line with global ambitions.

“The report is clear: there really is no plan Bfor climate change. There is only plan A: collec-tive action to reduce emissions now,” Hedegaardsaid on her website.

“And since we need first movers to set a planinto motion, we in Europe will adopt an ambi-tious 2030 target later this year,” Hedegaard said.

“Now the question is: when will YOU, the bigemitters, do the same? The more you wait, themore it will cost. The more you wait, the moredifficult it will become.”

The report, issued in Berlin by theIntergovernmental Panel on Climate Change(IPCC), said the UN goal of limiting global warm-ing to two degrees Celsius (3.6 degreesFahrenheit) over pre-industrial levels was attain-able. But it would require a major switch in ener-gy sourcing and consumption. Negotiations toforge a global pact on greenhouse gases thatdrive warming are due to climax in Paris at theend of 2015, but have made little progress. Bigemitters are being cautious about showing theirhands. In its new report, the IPCC said there wasa “likely” chance of meeting the

2 C target if the world cuts annual green-house gas emissions 40-70 percent by 2050 from2010. This would entail a “tripling to nearly aquadrupling” in the share of energy from renew-able and nuclear sources and from traditionalfossil or new biofuel sources whose emissionsare captured rather than spewed into the atmos-phere.

The European Union (EU) accounted for justover 11 percent of global emissions of green-house gases in 2010, according to the US think-

tank the World Resources Institute (WRI). TheUnited States contributed 15.6 percent andChina 23.6 percent. Other big emitters areRussia, India, Brazil and Indonesia.

Under its current plan, EU emissions will fallby 2020 compared by 1990 levels and renew-ables will account for a 20-percent share of theEuropean energy market.

By the end of 2012, the EU had cut emissionsby 18 percent over the 1990 benchmark, while

renewables had a share of 12.4 percent in 2010,according to the latest official figures.

In January, the European Commission, the 28-nation bloc’s executive, proposed a bindingreduction in greenhouse gases of 40 percent by2030 over 1990 levels. Renewables shouldaccount for at least 27 percent of the total ener-gy mix by 2030, the Commission said. This over-all goal would be binding on the EU but notnational governments. — AFP

Climate: EU throws down

gauntlet to big emitters

BERLIN: (L-R)Youba Sakona, Coordinator of the African Climate Policy Centre (ACPC), Cuban cli-mate expert Ramon Pichs Madruga, Ottmar Edenhofer, Co-Chair of the IPCC Working Group IIIand Rajendra Pachauri, Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)pose with a copy of the IPCC report “Climate Change 2014, Mitigation of Climate Change” dur-ing a press conference in Berlin yesterday. — AFP

SANAA: Yemen reported its first case ofthe deadly MERS coronavirus yesterday in afurther spread of the deadly strain in theMiddle East two years after its outbreak inneighbouring Saudi Arabia.

“Medical personnel have recorded onecase of the coronavirus in Sanaa and thevictim is a Yemeni man who works as anaeronautics engineer,” the semi-official al-Thawra newspaper quoted Public HealthMinister Ahmed al-Ansi as saying.

“The ministry is working in effectivecooperation with the World HealthOrganisation to confront this virus and is indirect and constant communication withall hospitals to receive information on anyother suspected cases,” Ansi said. MERS,which emerged in the Middle East in 2012,is from the same family as the SARS virusand can cause coughing, fever and pneu-monia.

Although the worldwide number ofMERS infections is fairly small, the morethan 40 percent death rate among con-firmed cases and the spread of the virusbeyond the Middle East is keeping scien-tists and public health officials on alert.

Cases have been reported in SaudiArabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan, the UnitedArab Emirates (UAE), Oman and Tunisia aswell as in several countries in Europe.Scientists are increasingly focused on a linkbetween human infections and camels as apossible “animal reservoir” of the virus.

The UAE news agency WAM said onFriday an expatriate health worker haddied from the virus and five others hadbeen infected in the Gulf state. This fol-lowed Saudi reports last week of twodeaths and nine other cases of infectionin the kingdom, including among hospitalstaff.— Reuters

Yemen reports first

case of deadly MERS

HODENHAGEN: A rhinoceros plays with a football in his enclosure at the Serengeti Park in Hodenhagen, central Germany yesterday. — AFP

Studies: Lab-grown

nostrils working wellLONDON: Two new studies describe the lat-est achievements in growing body parts in alab and transplanting them into people, thistime with nostrils and vaginas.

Windpipes, bladders, blood vessels andother structures have previously been createdin part from a patient’s own cells and thenimplanted. Eventually, scientists hope to tack-le more complicated things like lungs andkidneys with this strategy, which is aimed atavoiding rejection of transplanted organs.

The latest experiments were publishedonline Friday in the journal Lancet. “Theyboth show that by using fairly simple tissueengineering techniques, you can get real tis-sue forming where it’s supposed to,” said Dr.Martin Birchall, of The Ear Institute atUniversity College London, who co-authoredan accompanying commentary. He said thesimple methods could be useful for makingother body parts, including joint cartilage,bowels and the esophagus.

One experiment involved four teenagegirls in Mexico who were born without vagi-nas because of a rare disorder. Currently, sur-geons use tissue grafts to create vaginas forsuch patients, but that method carries a riskof complications.

The experimental results were reported byDr. Anthony Atala of the Wake ForestUniversity School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, with researchers thereand at the Metropolitan AutonomousUniversity in Mexico City. Atala said the pro-cedure might also prove useful for replacingvaginas removed because of cancer, andrepairing or replacing the organ after aninjury.

Tissue sampleFor the experiment, researchers took a tis-

sue sample less than half the size of a postagestamp from the patients’ genitals. They multi-

plied cells from this tissue in the lab, seededthem onto a biodegradable scaffold andmolded it into the right size and shape foreach patient before implantation.

The first surgery was done in 2005, andthe Lancet report provides a follow-up of thepatients for an average of nearly seven years.The women report normal levels of sexualfunctioning, without any long-term complica-tions. It is not known whether the womencould get pregnant; only two have wombs,Atala said.

One of the women, in a video provided bythe Mexican university, said she felt fortunate“because I have a normal life.” The universitydidn’t identify the woman. In the other exper-iment, Swiss scientists built new outer nostrilsfor five patients who had skin cancer on theirnoses. When surgeons removed the tumor,they also took a tiny bit of nose cartilage.They grew the cells for four weeks in the labto make a small flap. That was then implantedonto their nose and covered with skin fromtheir foreheads. Normally, cartilage is takenfrom the patient’s ear or ribs to recreate thenostril.

Ivan Martin of University Hospital Basel,the study’s senior author, said none of thepatients reported any side effects by one yearafter surgery, and all were satisfied with theirnew nostrils.

“Now that we have demonstrated this issafe and feasible, we can use (this technique)for more complicated clinical needs,” he said,adding that the same approach is being test-ed in people to supply knee cartilage. He saidscientists were slowly gaining more expertisein making body parts, but predicted it couldtake another couple of decades before theprocess becomes mainstream.

“It’s not a trivial thing to engineer a func-tional tissue,” he said. Malcolm Ritter reportedfrom New York. — AP

H E A LT H & S C I E N C EMONDAY, APRIL 14, 2014

W H AT ’ S ONMONDAY, APRIL 14, 2014

Send to What’s On upcoming events, birthdays or celebrations by email: local@kuwaittimes.net Fax: 24835619 / 20

Write to us

Super hit play

Fankaar Arts super play will be staged after 5years by public demand ‘Biwi Jawaan MiyaPareshan’ on April 19, Saturday from 6 -9 pm

at the Indian Embassy.

Urdu workshop

Hyderabad Muslim Welfare Association(HMWA) in association with Federation ofIndian Muslim Associations (FIMA) presents

Learn Tajweed - the easy way - workshop in Urduon Friday and Saturday, April 18, 19, 2014 at 3:30pm at Jamiat Al-Islah auditorium - Roudha, Kuwait.The program will be presented by eminent schol-ars Dr Abdulazeez Abdulraheem and Qari ImranKhan. Dr Abdulazeez is the founder of UnderstandQuran Academy. He also performs on Peace TV,Guides Us TV and Paigham TV etc. Qari ImranKhan is a world renounced orator and Peace TVfame. Study material will be provided at the eventvenue. Separate arrangements are made for ladies.All are welcome to the program.

Announcements

TEC host Nuzha residents at Khairan Resort

The Touristic Enterprises Company hosted Nuzha residents at the Khairan Resort during the weekend. Nuzha Co-op Society’s management coordinated with management of the Khairan resort to reserve100 chalets for area residents, their families and guests. The residents also enjoyed an entertaining program organized by the resort’s management and featured competitions, a boat cruise, and otheractivities.

Congratulations for the fantastic careeryou choose. Hope you have brilliantfuture a successful life. Best wishes

from Sherif Ismail.

Greetings

The British School of Kuwait opened it’sannual Art, Design and Technology exhi-bition, Kaleidoscope, for parents and

invited guests. The VIP opening night of theexhibition was patronized by, the wife of HEthe Ambassador of Palestine, Madame ReemaAlKhaldi and The Founder of The British Schoolof Kuwait Mme. Vera AlMutawa . The exhibi-tion, Kaleidoscope, is a showcase of the

Artistic talents of students at BSK fromReception to Year 13. The work on displaybeautifully illustrates the schemes of work thatstudents follow. Their developing creativityand burgeoning talent on show highlights theinherent value of study in the Creative Arts.

The exhibition is also an opportunity totour the four floors of the BSK Euston Art &Ceramic Studios and Gallery. The Sixth Form

(Y12 and Y13) students, studying for A-levelsin Fine Art, Graphic Design and Photographyhave their own dedicated floor of studioswhere they can work on their pieces through-out the week. This year, the Art team showedoff their new Photography studio where stu-dents at IGCSE or A-level can work hands-onwith professional studio lighting in the courseof their studies. Secondary Art students at BSK

follow a mixed curriculum of Ceramics andFine Art until Year 8, when, in Year 9, theybegin to focus skills in preparation for theirIGCSE studies. At IGCSE and A-level studentscan opt to take combinations of Fine Art,Graphic Design, Photography and Design &Technology. D&T is taught from Receptionuntil Year 11. The exhibition is open, weekdaysuntil the end of April.

Kaleidoscope Art Exhibition opens at BSK

Embassy of Cuba

The visa to the Republic of Cuba is only for pur-poses of tourism (Tourist visa) issued forKuwaiti citizens and foreign residents in

Kuwait. It is valid for one single entrance into nation-al territory for a 30-days tripand can be extend it for anadditional 30 days at the officein the hotel where you haveaccommodations or at theimmigration authority.

Children must have their own Tourist Visa even ifthey are travelling under their parents’ passport(s).

To obtain this visa in person at the Consulate,these documents are needed: Valid passport, returnair ticket, accommodation in Cuba, paymentrequired, travel insurance, one photo. Fill applicationform. The Embassy is located in Rawda, Block 3, AbuHayan Al-Tawhedy St., House No. 74, opening hoursfrom 8:30 am to 2 pm from Sunday till Thursday.

Embassy of India

It has come to our notice that a fake website(www.indiavisa.co.in) was in circulation forapplying the Indian Visa for online visa seekers.

Following points may be noted down:1. It is compulsory to fill the visa application

online. The proper websiteaddress is www.indianvisaon-line.gov.in Once the onlineapplication is filled, the print-out is taken for submitting tothe outsource visa centre at

BLS International Sharq and Fahaheel. In case ofSpecial and diplomatic passports, the applica-tion has to be submitted to Embassy of India,Kuwait.

2. There is no provision of online payment of visafee. So any website asking for visa fee by cred-it/debit card is fake website. The visa fee is actu-ally deposited as cash in the outsourcing centreat BLS International Sharq and Fahaheel with thecopy of online filled application.

3. Any such instances of fake website should bebrought to the immediate notice of the Embassyof India by email (ssinfo@indembkwt.org) ormobile to A.K. Srivastava (mob number97229914).

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W H AT ’ S ONMONDAY, APRIL 14, 2014

The French Department of FAIPS organ-ized an educational trip to Paris for theFrench students of Classes VIII, IX and X.

The tour was organized to make students tohave firsthand experience of the French cul-ture. 63 students along with 6 teachers startedtheir journey on 19th of March toward thisbeautiful city of Paris. The students were soexcited to embark on this trip. They bid adieuto their parents at Kuwait Airport on 19th

morning. They landed in Paris on the same daymorning. They went to the hotel and freshenedup. They went on a cruise on the river Seinewhere they got to see the lovely city in lights asthey enjoyed this one hour ride on the boat.What a beautiful way to start their trip!

The following day, they went to the Orsaymuseum to see the beautiful impressionisticpaintings of great French painters and afterlunch, had a wonderful time at Versailles

Palace. They spent the whole afternoon admir-ing and appreciating the architecture of thepalace and its beautiful garden. The studentsthen visited the Louvre museum where theyenjoyed the nice paintings and sculptures ofgreat artists. They were so overwhelmed to seethe Mona Lisa and the Last Supper of Da Vinci.They had one full day for shopping.

They shopped at Galerie Lafayette andPrintemps etc. They had an opportunity to visit

a cheese factory and got to taste one of thebest French cheeses available in the Frenchmarket. The next stop was Disneyland, Pariswhere they had a lot of fun. A trip to Paris willnot be complete without a visit to the EiffelTower. It was a lovely experience for each oneof them to get to the top of the tower to have apanoramic view of the city of Paris. It was adream come true for many of them and a won-derful learning experience.

Every place that the students visited issteeped in rich history and each place has itshistory. It was exhilarating to feel being a partof such wonderful history. With a heavy heart,they left the beautiful city and returned toKuwait on 25th of March with fond memoriesclose to their heart. Thanks to the principal andthe management of FAIPS for giving them alifetime experience which they will cherish for-ever in their lives.

FAIPS students’ Paris trip - A lifetime experience

McDonald’s continues tastes of world promotion

Lu&Lu Hypermarket, the lifestyleshopping destination of choicefor discerning customers in

Kuwait, is set to launch a distinctiveexperience for food lovers in thecountry, with their ‘Taste of the World’promotion from 23 April till 3 May.

The 11-day festival of good food,which will be inaugurated byrenowned Indian Master ChefRipudaman Handa, on 23 April at theHypermarket’s Al-Rai outlet, will fea-ture cuisines and ingredients fromaround the world.

Ripudaman Handa’s passion andlove for cooking helped him win the‘Master Chef’ title in the third seasonof ‘Master Chef - Kitchen Ke Superstar’on Star plus channel. He was theyoungest contestant on the show andwon Rs 10 million prize, along with a

chance to publish his own cookerybook; a desire he had been harboringfor long.

The promotion period will witnessseveral competitions that will be heldon different days at all outlets ofLu&Lu Hypermarket, including juniorand senior chef contest, wow theMaster Chef contest, chit-chat withMaster Chef and a taste-and-win con-test. In addition to a live-cookingdemo that will be held every day at allthree branches, the Al-Rai outlet willwitness a special cookery competitionthat will start on 19 April.

During the Taste of the World festi-val, celebrity chefs in other cuisines,such as Arabic, Chinese, Continental,Filipino, Japanese, Indian, Italian andThai, will demonstrate their cookingdexterity and the scrumptious magic

they can conjure up using ingredientsthat range from the ordinary to theexotic.

The Taste of the World promotionperiod will also witness the creation,in association with Pizza Inn, of‘Longest Pizza in Kuwait’ at 101meters, as well as the making of arecord, 20 meter long pasta. Shopperswill also have the opportunity to meetwith Master Chef Handa and to haveautographs signed by the chef.

Taste of the World promotion ispart of Lu&Lu Hypermarket’s initiativeto continuously bring the best of theworld to their customers. In addition,the Hypermarket provides customerswith the largest selection of high-quality products at very affordableprices, while displaying a wide rangeof international and regional brands.

Taste of the world at Lu&Lu Hypermarket

Kuwait National English Schoolin Hawally is a member of theUNESCO Associated Schools

and is fully accredited by the Councilof International Schools (CIS), the NewEngland Association of Schools &Colleges (NEASC), The British Schoolsin the Middle East (BSME) and withthe British Schools Overseas (BSO)which we are expecting the successfulreport as mention by the inspectionteam. One of our aims is to give theopportunity to the most able anddedicated students regardless of theirfinancial means. In this connection,every year Kuwait National EnglishSchool offers the Omar Al GharaballyScholarship to the best and brighteststudents. The Scholarship is in thememory of Omar Al Gharabally, the

son of Madame Chantal Al Gharabally,the School Director, who was killed bya criminal driver a few years ago. AsOmar would have said: “to be educat-ed doesn’t mean only knowledge butto be able to demonstrate the intelli-gence of the mind and also the intelli-gence of the heart”.

All of the previous holders of thisscholarship are now studying inUniversities around the world andmany have successfully joined thework force.

This year’s Scholarship took placeon Saturday 15th of March, 2014.Applicants from schools across Kuwaitsat the examination in a variety ofsubjects in the hope of gaining aplace. The Omar Al GharaballyScholarship is awarded every year to

students of exceptionally high aca-demic ability.

The Holders for the PrestigiousOmar Al Gharabally Scholarship forthe Academic Year 2014 - 2015 are:Mariam ElSafty, HalvorTonsberg,Yousef WaleedGalaf, Pamela Nassar,AbdelrahmanEl Safty, MalakChamkha,Yousef M. Mekawy, Omar M. O.Burghul, Raghda Ashraf Zaher, AdamTonsberg, LouzanAl Laham, QassimAli,KenanAl Alaham, Zeinab A. Chamkhaand Farah AbuShanab.

We would like to thank all appli-cants for participating and we lookforward to the successful candidatesmaking a positive contribution tothe future of Kuwait NationalEnglish School and reaching theirfull potential.

KNES awards Omar Al Gharabally

scholarship to students

McDonald’s tour around the world-continues today with the launch ofthe second sandwich in its Tastes

of the World promotion - The French, backdue to popular demand. Featuring a 100%pure Halal beef patty dipped in black peppersauce, garnished with slivered onions, andEmmental cheese, on a sourdough bun. TheFrench will be available in all McDonald’srestaurants across Kuwait until April 25 2014.

Sherif Coutry, Marketing Director atMcDonald’s Kuwait said:”While McDonald’score menu items, like our Big Mac andMcChicken sell exceptionally well,McDonald’s devotes a significant amount of

time and effort to product development andinnovation. We are dedicated to giving ourcustomers complete satisfaction with thetaste that they love, which is why we’ve lis-tened to their requests and brought TheFrench back for them. The French is also per-fectly in line with the FIFA World Cup(tm)theme of this year’s range of sandwiches,inspired by famous football destinationsaround the world.

“We recently launched The Brazilianwhich was a huge success, and we areexpecting similar results from The French - areturning favourite from last year’s Tastes ofthe World promotion.”

On the sweeter side of the menu, the lim-ited time Red Berry Sundae is also available-for those who want to end their meal with acool treat.

McDonald’s is committed to serving thevery best, and never compromises on foodquality. All products served at all McDonald’srestaurants in the Middle East are Halal,inspected and approved by local authoritiesand Halal officers at the countries of export,and customs officials at the port of entry. Allmeat used in McDonald’s restaurants can betraced back to a trusted supplier that sharesits dedication to the highest quality stan-dards.

T V PR O G R A M SMONDAY, APRIL 14, 2014

PARENTAL GUIDANCE ON OSN MOVIES PREMIERE

VANISHING ON 7TH STREET ON OSN MOVIES HD ACTION

00:10 Absolutely Fabulous00:35 Doctor Who01:20 Upstairs Downstairs02:15 Silk03:10 Waking The Dead04:00 Me & Mrs Jones04:30 Absolutely Fabulous05:00 Tweenies05:20 Teletubbies05:45 Bobinogs05:55 Show Me Show Me06:15 Tweenies06:35 Teletubbies07:00 Bobinogs07:10 Show Me Show Me07:30 Me & Mrs Jones08:00 Saxondale08:30 Friday Night Dinner09:00 Walk On The Wild Side09:30 Doctors10:00 Casualty10:50 Incredible Journeys WithSteve Leonard11:40 Me & Mrs Jones12:10 Saxondale12:45 Friday Night Dinner13:10 Walk On The Wild Side13:40 Doctors14:10 Casualty15:00 Incredible Journeys WithSteve Leonard15:50 Saxondale16:20 New Tricks17:10 Eastenders17:40 Doctors18:10 The Weakest Link19:00 Only Fools And Horses19:30 Rev.20:00 Waking The Dead20:50 Spooks21:40 Me & Mrs Jones22:10 Upstairs Downstairs23:05 The Weakest Link23:50 Eastenders 01:00 Bobby Fischer Against The

World-PG1503:00 Pitch Perfect-PG1505:00 Mud-PG1507:15 All In Good Time-PG1509:00 Steel Magnolias-PG1511:00 Cirque Du Soleil : WorldsAway-PG13:00 Ice Age: Continental Drift-PG15:00 The Iron Lady-PG1517:00 Steel Magnolias-PG1519:00 Clear History-PG1521:00 Limitless-PG1523:00 This Is 40-18

00:00 Bad Karma-1801:30 Kandahar Break: Fortress OfWar-PG1503:30 Memoirs Of A Geisha-1806:00 Fat Man And Little Boy-PG1508:15 Wild Card-PG1509:45 Planet Ocean-PG1511:30 The Intouchables-PG1513:30 Prosecuting Casey Anthony15:15 Katy Perry The Movie: Part Of 17:00 The Intouchables-PG1519:00 Wind Chill-PG1520:45 A Dangerous Woman-1822:30 American Gangster-18

00:45 Knuckle-PG1502:30 Three Investigators And TheSecret Of Terror...-PG04:15 3 Times A Charm-PG1506:00 Super Buddies-FAM08:00 The Call-PG1510:00 The Arrangement-PG1512:00 Parental Guidance-PG14:00 Meteor Storm-PG1516:00 The Call-PG1518:00 Madea’s Witness Protection-PG1520:00 2 Days In New York-1822:00 Insidious-PG15

00:00 BBC World01:00 BBC World

00:00 Party On00:30 The Spin Crowd00:55 The Spin Crowd01:25 Style Star01:50 Style Star02:20 E!ES03:15 Extreme Close-Up03:40 Extreme Close-Up04:10 E! Entertainment Special05:05 E!ES06:00 THS07:50 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 The E! True Hollywood Story14:30 Style Star15:00 Keeping Up With TheKardashians16:00 Keeping Up With TheKardashians17:00 The Drama Queen18:00 E! News19:00 E!ES20:00 Keeping Up With TheKardashians21:00 #RichKids Of Beverly Hills21:30 #RichKids Of Beverly Hills22:00 Hello Ross22:30 Party On23:00 E!ES

00:00 Beverly Hills Cop 2-1802:00 15 Minutes-PG1504:00 Vanishing On 7th Street-PG1506:00 Swamp Shark-PG1508:00 Iron Sky-PG1510:00 Virtuosity-PG1512:00 Rewind-PG1514:00 Iron Sky-PG1516:00 Broken Path-PG1518:00 Rewind-PG1520:00 Graystone-PG1522:00 The Thing-18

01:00 C.S.I. New York02:00 Good Morning America04:00 Rescue Me06:00 Good Morning America14:00 Live Good Morning America19:00 2420:00 Covert Affairs21:00 The Glades22:00 Rescue Me23:00 Hannibal

Lewis: Women are funny, but

not when crude

Jerry Lewis says women are funny, but not ascrude standup comics. The 88-year-old enter-tainer was criticized for expressing his distaste

for female comedians a few years ago, but in clarify-ing his comments, he called Lucille Ball “brilliant”and said Carol Burnett is “the greatest female entre-preneur of comedy.” Ball “went to the lowest level ofthe barrel, and she was brilliant because of it,” Lewissaid Saturday after leaving his hand and footprintsin cement outside Hollywood’s Chinese Theatre.

“Seeing a woman project the kind of aggressionthat you have to project as a comic just rubs mewrong. And they’re funny - I mean you got somevery, very funny people that do beautiful work - butI have a problem with the lady up there that’s goingto give birth to a child - which is a miracle,” Lewissaid. “But when you have women like Carol Burnett,that’s the greatest female entrepreneur of comedy.I just saw Carol at the Smith Center at home inVegas, and I was stunned by how brilliant she is andhow brilliantly she brings the audience right up toher.” Lewis was accompanied by his wife anddaughter at the cement ceremony, during which he

asked his daughter to take a bow. “This is an incred-ible time for me,” he said. “I have never, ever had anexperience like this and had my daughter present.And this is the first time I’ve ever asked her to joinme.” Danielle Sara Lewis is Jerry Lewis’ only daugh-ter and the youngest of his seven children. DirectorQuentin Tarantino introduced Lewis Saturday.Comedians Richard Belzer and Dane Cook wereamong the guests. Lewis planned to attend a 50thanniversary screening of his film “ The NuttyProfessor” later that evening as part of the TCMClassic Film Festival. — AP

00:30 Born To Kill01:30 Born To Kill02:30 The Terminator: AnatolyOnoprienko03:30 When Life Means Life04:30 Serial Killer Profile05:30 Born To Kill06:30 Curious & Unusual Deaths07:00 Snapped: Women Who Kill07:30 Snapped: Women Who Kill08:00 Snapped: Women Who Kill08:30 Snapped: Women Who Kill09:00 Snapped: Women Who Kill09:30 Snapped: Women Who Kill10:00 When Life Means Life11:00 Beyond Scared Straight12:00 Born To Kill13:00 Fatal Vows14:00 When Life Means Life15:00 Fred Dinenage: MurderCasebook16:00 Curious & Unusual Deaths16:30 Private Crimes17:00 Homicide Hunter18:00 The First 4819:00 The Devil You Know20:00 Beyond Scared Straight21:00 Private Crimes21:30 Born To Kill22:30 Killers: Behind The Myth23:30 Charles Sobraj: The Serpent

00:05 Gold Divers00:55 Classic Car Rescue06:00 Head Games07:00 You Have Been Warned07:50 Robson’s New ExtremeFishing Challenge08:40 Fast N’ Loud09:30 Border Security - Series 6Specials09:55 Storage Hunters10:20 Auction Hunters10:45 How Do They Do It? TurboSpecials11:35 Fast N’ Loud12:25 Classic Car Rescue13:15 Overhaulin’ 201214:05 Border Security - Series 6Specials14:30 Storage Hunters14:55 Auction Hunters15:20 Flying Wild Alaska16:10 Fast N’ Loud17:00 Ultimate Survival17:50 Wheeler Dealers18:40 You Have Been Warned19:30 Surviving The Cut20:20 How Stuff Works20:45 How Stuff’s Made21:10 Auction Hunters: Pawn ShopEdition21:35 Auction Hunters22:00 Gold Rush22:50 Klondike23:40 Gold Divers

00:30 Deadly Sins01:20 Desperate Measures02:10 Swamp Murders03:00 Double Cross03:45 Fatal Encounters04:30 Deadly Sins05:20 I Was Murdered05:45 I Was Murdered06:10 I Was Murdered06:35 I Was Murdered07:00 Murder Shift07:50 Extreme Forensics08:40 I Was Murdered09:05 Stalked: Someone’s Watching09:30 Dr G: Medical Examiner10:20 On The Case With Paula Zahn11:10 Disappeared12:00 Murder Shift12:50 I Was Murdered13:15 Stalked: Someone’s Watching13:40 Extreme Forensics14:30 Disappeared15:20 Dr G: Medical Examiner16:10 On The Case With Paula Zahn17:00 Murder Shift17:50 Extreme Forensics18:40 I Was Murdered19:05 Stalked: Someone’s Watching19:30 Dr G: Medical Examiner20:20 Disappeared21:10 On The Case With Paula Zahn22:00 Disappeared22:50 Fatal Encounters23:40 Deadly Women

00:00 Mystery Files00:30 Mystery Files01:00 Predator CSI02:00 One Ocean03:00 Adventure Wanted04:00 World’s Toughest Fixes05:00 The Known Universe06:00 Alaska Wing Men07:00 Shark Men08:00 Mystery Files08:30 Mystery Files09:00 Predator CSI10:00 One Ocean11:00 Alaska Wing Men12:00 World’s Toughest Fixes13:00 The Known Universe14:00 Alaska Wing Men15:00 Brave New World 16:00 Mystery Files16:30 Mystery Files17:00 In The Womb19:00 Helicopter Wars20:00 Big, Bigger, Biggest21:00 Animal Intervention22:00 Helicopter Wars23:00 My Dog Ate What?

00:20 Predators In Peril01:10 Monster Fish02:00 Built For The Kill02:50 Bizarre Dinos03:45 Man Hunt04:40 Built For The Kill05:35 Built For The Kill06:30 Bizarre Dinos07:25 Man Hunt08:20 Dangerous Encounters09:15 Kenny And Zoltan’s VenomQuest10:10 World’s Deadliest AnimalApocalypse11:05 Wild Case Files12:00 Shark Men12:55 World’s Deadliest Killers13:50 Dino Autopsy14:45 Man Hunt15:40 Africa’s Blood River16:35 Shear Madness17:30 Freaks & Creeps18:25 Wild Case Files19:20 World’s Deadliest Killers20:10 Dino Autopsy21:00 Man Hunt21:50 Africa’s Blood River22:40 Shear Madness23:30 Freaks & Creeps

00:00 Parks And Recreation00:30 The Daily Show With JonStewart01:00 The Colbert Report01:30 Saturday Night Live02:30 Hello Ladies03:00 Dads03:30 The Neighbors04:00 All Of Us04:30 The Tonight Show StarringJimmy Fallon05:30 My Boys06:00 The War At Home06:30 My Name Is Earl07:00 Late Night With Seth Meyers08:00 All Of Us08:30 My Boys09:00 Dads09:30 2 Broke Girls10:00 Two And A Half Men10:30 My Name Is Earl11:00 The Tonight Show StarringJimmy Fallon12:00 The War At Home12:30 All Of Us13:00 My Boys

13:30 My Name Is Earl14:00 The Neighbors14:30 2 Broke Girls15:00 Two And A Half Men15:30 The Daily Show With JonStewart16:00 The Colbert Report16:30 The War At Home17:00 Late Night With Seth Meyers19:00 2 Broke Girls19:30 Trophy Wife20:00 The Goldbergs20:30 Parks And Recreation21:00 The Daily Show GlobalEdition21:30 The Colbert Report GlobalEdition22:00 Girls22:30 Getting On23:00 Ja’mie: Private School Girl23:30 The Goldbergs

00:45 Great White Invasion01:35 Animal Cops South Africa02:25 Great White Invasion03:15 Cheetah: Race To Rule04:05 Shamwari: A Wild Life04:55 Animal Cops South Africa05:45 Untamed China With NigelMarven06:35 Wildlife SOS07:00 Escape To Chimp Eden07:25 Bad Dog08:15 Living With Wolves09:10 Too Cute!10:05 Animal Kingdom10:35 Animal Kingdom11:00 Animal Precinct11:55 Escape To Chimp Eden12:20 Steve Irwin’s Wildlife Warriors12:50 Animal Maternity Ward13:45 Biggest And Baddest14:40 Animal Kingdom15:05 Animal Kingdom15:30 My Cat From Hell16:30 Mekong: Soul Of A River17:25 Nature’s Newborns17:50 Nature’s Newborns18:20 Panda Adventures With NigelMarven19:15 Too Cute!20:10 My Pet’s Gone Viral20:40 My Pet’s Gone Viral21:05 Safari Vet School21:35 Safari Vet School22:00 Too Cute!22:55 My Pet’s Gone Viral23:25 My Pet’s Gone Viral23:50 Animal Cops Philadelphia

00:00 Psych01:00 Top Gear (US)02:00 Supernatural03:00 True Blood12:00 Emmerdale12:30 Coronation Street16:00 Emmerdale16:30 Coronation Street19:00 Drop Dead Diva20:00 Revenge21:00 The Blacklist22:00 Game Of Thrones23:00 True Blood

02:00 Trans World Sport03:00 Premier League Darts06:30 ICC Cricket 36007:00 NRL Premiership09:00 NRL Premiership11:00 ICC Cricket 36011:30 TOP 1412:00 Live NRL Premiership14:00 Trans World Sport15:00 Super Rugby17:00 Top 14 Highlights17:30 This is PGA Tour18:00 Golfing World19:00 The Masters Highlights 20:00 PGA European TourHighlights21:00 NRL Premiership23:00 Indy Car Serier

00:20 Sci-Trek01:10 You Have Been Warned02:00 Penn & Teller Tell A Lie02:45 Mega World03:35 Mighty Ships04:30 Mighty Ships05:20 Mighty Ships06:10 Mighty Ships07:00 Storm Chasers07:55 Freaks Of Nature08:20 Freaks Of Nature08:45 Sci-Trek09:40 Strangest Weather On Earth10:05 Strangest Weather On Earth10:30 Mighty Ships11:20 Through The Wormhole WithMorgan Freeman12:10 Scrapheap Challenge

13:00 How Do They Do It?13:30 Sci-Trek14:20 Mythbusters15:10 Scrapheap Challenge16:00 Mighty Ships16:50 Strangest Weather On Earth17:15 Strangest Weather On Earth17:40 Penn & Teller Tell A Lie18:30 You Have Been Warned19:20 The Gadget Show19:45 How Do They Do It?20:10 Mythbusters21:00 Mega Builders21:50 Kings Of Construction22:40 Sci-Trek23:30 Through The Wormhole WithMorgan Freeman

00:15 Timer-PG1502:00 Office Space-PG1504:00 Bernie-PG1506:00 Paranorman-PG08:00 My Dog’s Christmas Miracle-PG1510:00 Surf’s Up-PG12:00 Bernie-PG1514:00 Tin Men-PG1516:00 Surf’s Up-PG18:00 Coneheads-PG20:00 Knocked Up-1822:15 Flypaper-PG15

01:15 Red Lights-PG1503:15 Hold Fast-PG1505:00 Class-PG15

07:00 Courage-PG1509:00 Red Lights-PG1511:00 Oh Christmas Tree-PG13:00 Arctic Blast-PG1515:00 Good Day For It-PG1517:00 Dark Horse-PG1519:00 Down The Shore-PG1521:00 Faces In The Crowd-PG1523:00 Passion-18

02:00 Sevens World SeriesHighlights02:30 NRL Premiership 04:00 NRL Premiership 06:30 Sevens World SeriesHighlights

Actor and comedian Jerry Lewis is honored witha hand and footprint ceremony at TCL ChineseTheatre on Saturday, April 12, 2014 in LosAngeles. — AP

Journey’s Pineda plansto launch own music

American rock band Journey’s lead vocalist Arnel Pinedasaid he’s been putting together an album of his owncompositions in his own voice which he plans to release

this year. But he quashed rumors that he is gearing to leaveJourney. The Filipino singer said he will stay as long as theband needs him.

Pineda also dismissed talk of the band’s possible reunionwith former lead singer Steve Perry. The singer spoke in aninterview Tuesday during the launch of his version of the song“Charity” in the animated children’s music video Cha-Ching onCartoon Network. The song about donating money or time tothose in need can be purchased in iTunes Store to benefitTyphoon Haiyan victims in the Philippines. The singer, 46, hasbeen involved in charity projects in the Philippines. Havingrisen from poverty, he said it was his obligation to help thosewho struggle with difficulties he experienced.

Pineda was once a homeless teenager in Manila who at 15started singing professionally with small bands. He found suc-cess after Journey guitarist Neal Schon discovered him in 2007on YouTube singing hits of Perry and sounding strikingly likehim. “Even though I am still with (Journey) and we are touring,I am also working on my original materials and I am alsorecording them,” Pineda said, adding he aims to launch thealbum this year.

This year, Journey is touring the United States and Canada,and next year will tour South America. On rumors of a Journeyreunion with Perry, he said he has not heard any talk of that. Ifthat happens, he said “I’d be more than happy to give way,”saying it would allow him more time with his family. ButPineda said: “As long as they need me I will be there, I’m nevergonna quit on them.”— Reuters

Hilary Swank’s ALS drama ‘You’re Not You’ acquired by eOne films

Entertainment One Films US has acquired NorthAmerican distribution rights to director George CWolfe’s drama “You’re Not You,” which stars two-time

Oscar winner Hilary Swank, Golden Globe nominee EmmyRossum and Josh Duhamel. The film is slated for theatricalrelease later this year and is produced by DPP in associationwith Di Novi Pictures (Alison Greenspan) and 2S Films (MollySmith and Swank). Jordan Roberts and Shana Feste wrote thescript, which is based on the novel of the same name byMichelle Wildgen.

“You’re Not You” centers on the relationship betweenKate (Swank), a woman who has been immobilized by ALS(aka Lou Gehrig’s disease) and Bec (Rossum), the aimlessand self-absorbed college student she hires to be her care-giver in spite of her husband’s (Duhamel) objections. Whatwas supposed to be a part-time job instead becomes a life-changing experience for Bec as her relationship with Katetransforms her into a young woman with newly-found con-fidence and ambition. The film co-stars Loretta Devine,Ernie Hudson, Frances Fisher, Marcia Gay Harden, Ali Larter,Jason Ritter, Julian McMahon and Andrea Savage. MyriadPictures is handling international sales and introduced thefilm to buyers at EFM in Berlin. The deal was negotiated byCAA and Sejin Croninger, VP of worldwide acquisitions forOne Films US. —Reuters

KNCC PROGRAMME FROM THURSDAY TO WEDNESDAY (10/04/2014 TO 16/04/2014)

SHARQIA-1NEED FOR SPEED (DIG) 1:30 PMSABOTAGE (DIG) 4:00 PMNEED FOR SPEED (DIG) 6:00 PMTOKAREV (DIG) 8:30 PMSABOTAGE (DIG) 10:30 PMTOKAREV (DIG) 12:30 AM

SHARQIA-2CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (DIG-3D) 1:45 PMCAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (DIG) 4:30 PMCAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (DIG) 7:15 PMCAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (DIG-3D) 10:00 PMCAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (DIG) 12:45 AM

SHARQIA-3 Seats-225BLOOD TIES (DIG) 1:15 PMONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE (DIG) 3:30 PMAL MAHARJAN (DIG) (Arabic) 5:45 PMAL MAHARJAN (DIG) (Arabic) 7:45 PMONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE (DIG) 9:45 PMBLOOD TIES (DIG) 12:15 AM

MUHALAB-1TOKAREV (DIG) 1:45 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 3:45 PMTOKAREV (DIG) 6:00 PMBLOOD TIES (DIG) 8:00 PMTOKAREV (DIG) 10:15 PMTOKAREV (DIG) 12:15 AM

MUHALAB-2AL MAHARJAN (DIG) (Arabic) 12:30 PMONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE (DIG) 2:30 PMLEGEND (DIG) (Telugu) 4:45 PMTHU+FRI+SATNEED FOR SPEED (DIG) 5:00 PMNO THU+FRI+SATONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE (DIG) 7:45 PMAL MAHARJAN (DIG) (Arabic) 10:00 PMNEED FOR SPEED (DIG) 12:05 AM

MUHALAB-3CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (DIG) 1:30 PMCAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (DIG) 4:15 PMCAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (DIG-3D) 7:00 PMCAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (DIG) 9:45 PMCAPTAIN AMERICA:THE WINTER SOLDIER (DIG) 12:30 AM

FANAR-1AL MAHARJAN (DIG) (Arabic) 2:00 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 4:00 PMAL MAHARJAN (DIG) (Arabic) 6:15 PMAL MAHARJAN (DIG) (Arabic) 8:15 PMAL MAHARJAN (DIG) (Arabic) 10:15 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 12:15 AM

FANAR-2TOKAREV (DIG) 1:30 PMNEED FOR SPEED (DIG) 3:30 PMTOKAREV (DIG) 6:00 PMNEED FOR SPEED (DIG) 8:00 PMTOKAREV (DIG) 10:30 PMTOKAREV (DIG) 12:30 AM

FANAR-3MR. PEABODY & SHERMAN (DIG) 12:30 PM

SABOTAGE (DIG) 2:30 PMMR. PEABODY & SHERMAN (DIG) 4:30 PMTHE RAILWAY MAN (DIG) 6:30 PMTHE RAILWAY MAN (DIG) 8:45 PMSABOTAGE (DIG) 11:00 PMSABOTAGE (DIG) 1:00 AM

FANAR-4CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (DIG-3D) 1:45 PMCAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (DIG-3D) 4:30 PMCAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (DIG-3D) 7:15 PMCAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (DIG-3D) 10:00 PMCAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (DIG-3D) 12:45 AM

FANAR-5ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE (DIG) 12:45 PMONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE (DIG) 3:00 PMBLOOD TIES (DIG) 5:15 PMONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE (DIG) 7:30 PMONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE (DIG) 9:45 PMBLOOD TIES (DIG) 12:05 AM

MARINA-1NON-STOP (DIG) 12:45 PMBLOOD TIES (DIG) 3:15 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 5:30 PMONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE (DIG) 7:45 PMONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE (DIG) 10:00 PMONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE (DIG) 12:15 AM

MARINA-2CAPTAIN AMERICA:THE WINTER SOLDIER (DIG) 1:00 PMCAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (DIG) 3:45 PMCAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (DIG) 6:30 PMCAPTAIN AMERICA:THE WINTER SOLDIER (DIG) 9:15 PMCAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (DIG) 12:05 AM

MARINA-3NEED FOR SPEED (DIG-3D) 1:30 PMSABOTAGE (DIG) 4:00 PMNEED FOR SPEED (DIG-3D) 6:00 PMTOKAREV (DIG) 8:30 PMTOKAREV (DIG) 10:30 PMSABOTAGE (DIG) 12:30 AM

AVENUES-1DIVERGENT (DIG) 1:15 PMDIVERGENT (DIG) 4:00 PMLEGEND (DIG) (Telugu) 7:00 PMDIVERGENT (DIG) 10:00 PMCAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (DIG) 12:45 AM

AVENUES-2ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE (DIG) 1:00 PMONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE (DIG) 3:30 PMONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE (DIG) 5:45 PMONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE (DIG) 8:30 PMONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE (DIG) 11:00 PM

AVENUES-3NEED FOR SPEED (DIG-3D) 1:45 PMNEED FOR SPEED (DIG) 4:30 PM

NEED FOR SPEED (DIG-3D) 7:15 PMNEED FOR SPEED (DIG) 10:00 PMNEED FOR SPEED (DIG) 12:45 AM

360º- 1TOKAREV (DIG) 1:30 PMTOKAREV (DIG) 3:45 PMTOKAREV (DIG) 5:45 PMTOKAREV (DIG) 8:15 PMTOKAREV (DIG) 10:30 PMTOKAREV (DIG) 12:45 AM

360º- 2AL MAHARJAN (DIG) (Arabic) 2:00 PMAL MAHARJAN (DIG) (Arabic) 4:15 PMAL MAHARJAN (DIG) (Arabic) 6:30 PMAL MAHARJAN (DIG) (Arabic) 8:45 PMAL MAHARJAN (DIG) (Arabic) 11:00 PMAL MAHARJAN (DIG) (Arabic) 1:15 AM

360º- 3BLOOD TIES (DIG) 2:30 PMBLOOD TIES (DIG) 4:45 PMBLOOD TIES (DIG) 7:00 PMBLOOD TIES (DIG) 9:15 PMBLOOD TIES (DIG) 11:30 PM

AL-KOUT.1CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (DIG) 1:45 PMCAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (DIG) 4:30 PMCAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (DIG) 7:15 PMCAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (DIG) 10:00 PMCAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (DIG) 12:45 AM

AL-KOUT.2TOKAREV (DIG) 12:30 PMTOKAREV (DIG) 2:30 PMAL MAHARJAN (DIG) (Arabic) 4:30 PMTOKAREV (DIG) 6:30 PMAL MAHARJAN (DIG) (Arabic) 8:30 PMAL MAHARJAN (DIG) (Arabic) 10:30 PMTOKAREV (DIG) 12:30 AMNO SUN+TUE+WED

AL-KOUT.3SABOTAGE (DIG) 1:00 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 3:00 PMNEED FOR SPEED (DIG) 5:15 PMSABOTAGE (DIG) 7:45 PMNEED FOR SPEED (DIG) 9:45 PMSABOTAGE (DIG) 12:15 AMNO SUN+TUE+WED

AL-KOUT.4ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE (DIG) 12:30 PMBLOOD TIES (DIG) 2:45 PMONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE (DIG) 5:00 PMONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE (DIG) 7:15 PMONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE (DIG) 9:30 PMBLOOD TIES (DIG) 11:45 PMNO SUN+TUE+WED

BAIRAQ-1CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (DIG-3D) 1:00 PMCAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (DIG-3D) 4:00 PM

Kuwait

ClassifiedsMONDAY, APRIL 14, 2014

Prayer timings

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

DIAL161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

Arrival Flights on Monday 14/4/2014Airlines Flt Route TimeQTR 1084 Doha 00:05JZR 239 Amman 00:20JZR 267 Beirut 00:25JZR 539 Cairo 00:30DLH 637 Dammam 00:35MSC 403 Asyut 01:30THY 764 Istanbul 01:40RJA 642 Amman 01:45GFA 211 Bahrain 01:55UAE 853 Dubai 02:25ETD 305 Abu Dhabi 02:30JAI 576 Kochi/Abu Dhabi 02:35FDB 067 Dubai 03:05MSR 612 Cairo 03:15QTR 1076 Doha 03:25MSC 401 Alexandria 04:00THY 770 Istanbul 04:35DHX 170 Bahrain 05:10FDB 069 Dubai 05:50KAC 412 Manila/Bangkok 06:15BAW 157 Heathrow, 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 10:05GFA 213 Bahrain 10:40IRC 6521 Lamerd 10:50MEA 404 Beirut 10:55MSC 405 Sohag 11:20JZR 165 Dubai 11:50JZR 561 Sohag 12:00UAE 871 Dubai 12:45MSR 610 Cairo 13:00THY 766 Istanbul 13:10KAC 672 Dubai 13:40KAC 538 Sohag 13:40QTR 1078 Doha 13:45

FDB 057 Dubai 13:55GFA 221 Bahrain 14:20SVA 500 Jeddah 14:30KNE 472 Jeddah 14:40KAC 788 Jeddah 15:00KAC 562 Amman 15:30ABY 127 Sharjah 15:35OMA 645 Muscat 15:50RJA 640 Amman 15:55KNE 460 Riyadh 15:55FDB 051 Dubai 15:55KAC 118 New York 16:00QTR 1072 Doha 16:15ETD 303 Abu Dhabi 16:45UAE 857 Dubai 16:55SVA 510 Riyadh 17:15GFA 215 Bahrain 17:30JZR 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 18:45ABY 129 Sharjah 19:00KAC 618 Doha 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 20:35ALK 229 Colombo 21:10UAE 859 Dubai 21:15ETD 307 Abu Dhabi 21:30QTR 1074 Doha 21:30GFA 219 Bahrain 21:45JZR 135 Bahrain 21:45KNE 480 Taif 22:00FDB 059 Dubai 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 23:40THY 772 Istanbul 23:45

Departure Flights on Monday 14/4/2014Airlines 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 01:30DLH 637 Frankfurt 01:35THY 773 Istanbul 02:20MSC 404 Asyut 02:30UAE 854 Dubai 03:45FDB 068 Dubai 03:45MSR 613 Cairo 04:15ETD 306 Abu Dhabi 04:20QTR 1077 Doha 04:25MSC 406 Sohag 05:00QTR 1085 Doha 05:20JZR 560 Sohag 05:35THY 765 Istanbul 06:00JAI 575 Abu Dhabi/Kochi 06:30FDB 070 Dubai 06:30RJA 643 Amman 06:35THY 771 Istanbul 06:50GFA 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 09:20KAC 671 Dubai 09:25ABY 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 11:05KAC 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 12:30KAC 785 Jeddah 13:00JZR 176 Dubai 13:10MSR 611 Cairo 14:00

THY 767 Istanbul 14:10UAE 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 15:35SVA 501 Jeddah 15:45KAC 773 Riyadh 15:50ABY 128 Sharjah 16:15FDB 052 Dubai 16:35KNE 481 Taif 16:40OMA 646 Muscat 16:50RJA 641 Amman 16:55JZR 266 Beirut 17:05QTR 1073 Doha 17:20JZR 538 Cairo 17:40ETD 304 Abu Dhabi 17:45UAE 858 Dubai 18:15SVA 511 Riyadh 18:15GFA 216 Bahrain 18:20JZR 184 Dubai 18:20JZR 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 21:50ETD 308 Abu Dhabi 22:15ALK 230 Colombo 22:20UAE 860 Dubai 22:25QTR 1075 Doha 22:40FDB 060 Dubai 22:40KAC 301 Mumbai 22:40GFA 220 Bahrain 22:45KNE 461 Riyadh 22:50KAC 205 Islamabad 23:35KAC 411 Bangkok/Manila 23:40TAR 327 Dubai/Tunis 23:45

Fajr: 04:01Shorook 05:24Duhr: 11:48Asr: 15:23Maghrib: 18:14 Isha: 19:34

CHANGE OF NAME

FOR SALE

SITUATION VACANT

SITUATION WANTED

I, Yeenapati Subramanyam(old name) Passport No.G6678230, S/O E. GuravaiahR/O D.No. 13/316, GandhiNagar, Chennur (Mandal),YSR Kadpa district, changedmy name as EnapatiSubramanyam (new name)10-4-2013

I, Mohammed AbbasaliSaifuddin, holder of IndianPassport No. J3969815hereby change my name to

Lady IndianPhysiotherapist, having

Doctor leaving Kuwait,excellent condition 32”Sony LED, 42” Plasma TVand two sofas. Contact:99598324. (C 4700)

2012 Chevrolet Traverse LT,white color, remote controlengine start, CD, rims, backcamera, sensors, steeringwheel controls, mileage45,000 km, price KD 6150.Contact: 99821134 (C 4698)

2013 Toyota Innova, whiteexterior, sensors, USB port,steering wheel controls,rims, mileage 32,000 km,Price KD 5450. Contact:99821134. (C 4699)14-4-2014

Half lorry 2012, HinoJapan, white color 5 meterlength. KD 6,000. Phone:66052331. (C 4695)

Bus Coaster 2012 model,long chassis, 93,000 km,white color, good condi-tion. Phone: 50111978. (C 4696)

Printing press needs ñ di -cutting operator + cutter

operator + lamination oper-ator. Call: 99560035.14-3-2014

A Pilipino lady is needed towork for two days a week inan apartment located inSalmiya. Salary/month is KD60. Tel: 66417504. (C 4697)13-4-2014

Mohammed SaifuddinMerchant. C-204, AshwiniPalace, near Kedari petrolpump, Wanowarie, Pune,India, Pin code: 411040.(C 4691)9-4-2014

transferable visa with BPTand MSc (UK) need job inhomecare, or clinic or com-pany. Please call 96932675.10-4-2013

Senior accountant with fiveyears of work experience inKuwait seeking suitableposition in reputed compa-ny. Contact: 97528519.(C 4690)

MONDAY, APRIL 14, 2014

You guide others in gentle ways and you leave positive impressions everyplace you go. You also never seem to be too busy to shake hands and ask

people how they are. You may find yourself doing spiritual or intuitive things today. A timeat the library this afternoon may help you understand more about your intuitive insights.Learn to fine-tune these insights; this will help you and others. While you are at the library,look up books that might help you connect with a spirit-animal guide, which does notmean a dead animal that comes back to haunt you but a spirit-animal guide with whichyou can relate in energy. Ask yourself which animal might represent your life style andpower-smile. Happy birthday!

Aries (March 21-April 19)

STAR TRACK

You have been thinking serious thoughts this morning and soon it will betime to see those thoughts turned into a reality. A neighborhood beautification project isin the works. You create incentives so others will become involved; planting of flowersalong an entranceway or perhaps a protective cover near a bus stop could be the appealfor now. Whatever the case, you may be involved in interesting others in this quest forbeauty. Some resentment between family members comes to your attention this after-noon. With your ability to understand people, you may be able to put an end to a coldemotional atmosphere. There is a real opportunity now to complete and work out difficul-ties and projects that require discipline.

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

You will easily adapt to any environment or social group today. You are nat-urally attracted to agreeable people who can satisfy your craving for contin-

uous mental stimulation. You will need to choose your activities so that you are not scat-tering your energies in too many different directions. You could spread yourself too thinand find yourself spent of energy by this evening. You may find yourself feeling blockedand unable to express yourself, particularly in a group situation. Listening and learninginstead of teaching and action may be the mode of this day-going with the flow, so tospeak. Dreams and illusions, forgiveness and understanding human frailties-these thingsarouse deep feelings. This is a good day.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

You love to move about and exercise your mental abilities as well as yourphysical abilities. You rarely study one subject intensely, but have a vast array of knowl-edge at your ready and can communicate to many different levels of intellect. You couldfind yourself in many different activities this afternoon, particularly with young people.There is a strong tie to relatives just now. This may be a good day for a picnic in the park orin making future plans to play together other than weddings, baby showers or funerals.This is a vital day with much energy and lots of action. You may feel focused and even a bitradiant. You could find you are quite popular and able to really converse and get your

message across to others.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

You tend to enjoy making a difference for people with a common cause ora universal ideal instead of seeking power. However, today you may find others could giveyou much encouragement along the lines of obtaining a power position, perhaps in yourcommunity. If you desire this, support is available. You may perceive how to proceed withyour plans regarding your current life situation. This positive result is in part because ofyour responsibilities and additional life experiences that come with having such a widescope of friends. This afternoon you may find yourself helping one of your friends move, orpaint. Your unique and unusual qualities stand out and you are able to help others. Keep alittle time for yourself.

Leo (July 23-August 22)

In your religious group, there may be an opportunity to develop new fieldsof interest for the young teenagers around you today. You are happy to be

included in some groundbreaking territory. A teacher or religious person could have aprofound effect on your thinking, creating a whole new attitude for you, along with sensi-tivity to the world around you. You may enjoy participating in a leadership position.Problems are valued for the lessons they represent, rather than perceived as obstacles.Keep a notebook or a diary and make it a habit to make notes about the progress of thisendeavor. A short trip today, by yourself or with someone, can be a great deal of fun. Anadventure awaits you. This evening there is a great new restaurant to enjoy.

Virgo (August 23-September 22)

Your friends and family will notice that your vagueness and discontent havebeen replaced with a happy countenance and a satisfaction that comes from discoveringnew parts of you. You may be moved to appreciate and discover the beauty in your lifeand in those around you. Recognition as well as monetary rewards will be coming yourway today. Passion is rampant and may take focus in creative writing or art of some sort.There are many answers you have received but have not yet heard. Focus your energy ondiscovery. In-depth discussions and probing conversations find you at your mental best.Purchase fresh fruit and vegetables while grocery shopping today. A romantic dinner canbe planned and enjoyed. Romance is quite possible this evening.

Libra (September 23-October 22)

Today is a great time to be with others. You may be asked to help with fami-ly matters. Your willingness to help or find help for others does not go unnoticed. Peoplecome into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. You may be thinking about thosemany friends you have in your life. You may lay out a plan to show those friends and lovedones your appreciation. Keep tabs on the funny stories and prophetic or funny antidotesyou have been witness to-you could write a book or publish short stories for magazines-without the secrets. This is a very congenial time. Dinner with friends charge your socialbattery. Reading, seeing a film, even walking through a natural setting can go a long waytoward completing this perfect day.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21)

Your moods can fluctuate as much as the weather. This may not be the bestof times to make any concrete decisions. You are energetic and your focus

on exercise is great. Romantic feelings toward a special loved one are felt today and youmay glean profound insights. Lady luck may increase your finances through speculation orcontest. If you find you have obtained a good amount of money, you might seek the helpof a financial counselor. Later today you may find some heated conversations betweenyou and a family member but all ends well when both sides listen. There are times that it isperfectly appropriate to agree to disagree. Relations with a spouse are on solid ground.There is much positive energy now.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21)

You may find that you enjoy some responsibility you have taken on today,more than you thought you would. You may be especially dynamic and

assertive at this time. There is a lot of energy and drive available to you that will encourageyou to push forward with some special plan or goal. You will find that your communicationskills are high as well. Teaching or guiding someone younger than you in matters of impor-tance takes priority this afternoon. Teaching is important but it would be good to remem-ber that sometimes-young people also have their way at teaching. There is a chance tounderstand those around you and to have a special time with someone you love. A senseof support and harmony make this a happy time.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19)

Today is a good day for tending to errands, shopping and perhaps a littlevisiting. Over the fence conversations can be quite enjoyable as well as giving you theopportunity to introduce ideas or suggestions for neighborhood improvement. Perhapsyou and a neighbor will decide to plant a few flowers along a walkway. The afternoon maybe the best time to check out a bookstore, library or park and mentally regroup. If youhave a young person with you, a library may be the best resting place. As your concentra-tion and focus returns, you may become enthusiastic about some idea or information thatyou glean from this excursion. A phone call this afternoon will thrill you. You are support-ive of others and may find that someone close to you appreciates you.

Pisces (February 19-March 20)

You have certainly earned a vacation and if you are not taking one now youmight consider making the plans. Through the end of the month you will find the days area little easier to maneuver through and people seem most happy. You are attentive tothose who need your help but should show restraint in your exuberance to volunteer. Asyou relax in your quiet time you express talents that you may have only suspected youhave. Do not hesitate to take a course in any subject you might want to develop for self-enjoyment. This could encompass anything from a french cooking class to an auto-mechanics course. All sorts of discoveries about you can be realized and there is plenty oftime to enjoy the quest. Tonight is good for family time.

Aquarius (January 20- February 18)

CROSSWORD 517

ACROSS1. Kidney disease characterized by enlarged kid-neys containing many cysts.4. A star with 5 points.12. Noisy talk.15. An overwhelming feeling of wonder oradmiration.16. Type genus of the Schizaeaceae cosmopoli-tan especially in tropics.17. American prizefighter who won the worldheavyweight championship three times (bornin 1942).18. Small often spiny insectivorous mammal ofMadagascar.20. The capital of Morocco.21. An honorary degree in science.22. A metal or leather projection (as from thesole of a shoe).25. An established custom.26. Special design or visual object representinga quality, type, group, etc..28. A hard gray lustrous metallic element that ishighly corrosion-resistant.29. Jordan's port.31. The work of caring for or attending to some-one or something.34. Large genus of tropical subshrubs or herbssome of which yield fibers of mucilaginous sub-stances.37. One of the five major classes ofimmunoglobulins.38. The blood group whose red cells carry boththe A and B antigens.39. Harsh or corrosive in tone.40. A transuranic element.42. The bureau of the Treasury Departmentresponsible for tax collections.44. A federation of North American laborunions that merged with the Congress ofIndustrial Organizations in 1955.45. A light strong brittle gray toxic bivalentmetallic element.46. (usually in the plural) Pants for casual wear.49. A reptile genus of Iguanidae.52. A state in the United States in the centralPacific on the Hawaiian Islands.53. An association of criminals.56. The eighth month of the civil year.57. A race between candidates for electiveoffice.60. A rare heavy polyvalent metallic elementthat resembles manganese chemically and isused in some alloys.61. A woman hired to suckle a child of someoneelse.62. Set down according to a plan.64. A warning against certain acts.71. Title for a civil or military leader (especially inTurkey).72. The small projection of a mammary gland.76. An indehiscent fruit derived from a singleovary having one or many seeds within a fleshywall or pericarp.77. The sixth day of the week.78. Reprehensible acquisitiveness.80. A rotating disk shaped to convert circularinto linear motion.81. A device for creating a current of air bymovement of a surface or surfaces.82. Sottish sailor who was put ashore on adeserted island off the coast of Chile for fiveyears (providing the basis for Daniel Defoe'snovel about Robinson Crusoe) (1676-1721).83. A loose sleeveless outer garment madefrom aba cloth.

DOWN1. A small contrasting part of something.2. A kind of danceable music popular amongblack South Africans.3. The brightest star in Cygnus.4. A genus of Bothidae.5. (computer science) A coding system thatincorporates extra parity bits in order to detecterrors.6. A state in New England.7. Someone new to a field or activity.8. Any of numerous ornamental shrubs grownfor their showy flowers of various colors.9. Alternatively, a member of the familyNymphaeaceae.10. A unit of length of thread or yarn.11. Take in solid food.12. The face veil worn by Muslim women.13. Type genus of the Alcidae comprising solelythe razorbill.14. Scottish sea captain who was hired to pro-tect British shipping in the Indian Ocean andthen was accused of piracy and hanged (1645-1701).19. An Indian side dish of yogurt and choppedcucumbers and spices.23. (Norse mythology) God of poetry and music.24. Of or like a cecum.27. A small cake leavened with yeast.30. Preaching the gospel of Christ in the man-ner of the early church.32. Dark reddish-purple table grape ofCalifornia.33. United States swimmer who in 1926became the first woman to swim the EnglishChannel (1903- ).35. (dentistry) A filling consisting of a solid sub-stance (as gold or porcelain) fitted to a cavity ina tooth and cemented into place.36. An Indian tree of the family Combretaceaethat is a source of timber and gum.41. Narrow wood or metal or plastic runnersused for gliding over snow.43. Spherical gram-positive parasitic bacteriathat tend to form irregular colonies.47. A list of dishes available at a restaurant.48. A substance that promotes drying (e.g., cal-cium oxide absorbs water and is used toremove moisture).50. (Irish) Mother of the ancient Irish gods.51. A metallic element having four allotropicforms.54. A river that rises in western New Mexico andflows westward through southern Arizona tobecome a tributary of the Colorado River.55. (Jungian psychology) The inner self (not theexternal persona) that is in touch with theunconscious.58. Before noon.59. Talks a great deal about uninteresting topics.63. The capital and largest city of Bangladesh.65. A city in northern India.66. Characteristic of false pride.67. Type genus of the Anatidae.68. Footwear usually with wooden soles.69. Someone who works (or provides workers)during a strike.70. God of love and erotic desire.73. A close friend who accompanies his buddiesin their activities.74. A communist nation that covers a vast terri-tory in eastern Asia.75. (Irish) The sea personified.79. Being one more than one.

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inf or m at ionMONDAY, APRIL 14, 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

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Al-Mangaf 23711183

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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

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General Surgeons

Dr. Amer Zawaz Al-Amer 22610044

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Internists, Chest & Heart

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(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

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Dr. Sohal Najem Al-Shemeri 25633324

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Gastrologists

Dr. Sami Aman 22636464

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Dr. Abd Al-Naser Al-Othman 25339330

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Dr. Kamal Al-Shomr 25329924

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Dr. Deyaa Shehab 25722291

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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

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William Schuilenberg, RPC 2290-1677Zaina Al Zabin, M.Sc. 2290-1677

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INTERNATIONALCALLS

MONDAY, APRIL 14, 2014

l if e s t y l e

Minister of Information and Minister of Youth Affairs Sheikh Salman Sabah Al-Salem Al-Hamoud Al-Sabah, Kuwait Times Deputy Editor-in-Chief Dr Ziyad Al-Alyan, Kuwait Times Marketing Director AdnanSaad pose with the members of the jury at Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel and Spa.—Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

A group photo shows Sheikh Salman Sabah Al-Salem Al-Hamoud Al-Sabah, Dr Ziyad Al-Alyan, Kuwait TimesMarketing Director Adnan Saad at Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel and Spa.

Participants attending the event. Sheikh Salman is seen with Dr Ziyad during the event.

Sheikh Salman, Dr Ziyad (second right)and Saleh Al-Alyan(right) are pictured during the national anthem.

Sheikh Salman (center) greets Dr Ziyad at JumeirahMessilah Beach Hotel and Spa.

By Nawara Fattahova

Kuwait Times held the award ceremony of its annualstudents’ art competition ‘Kuwait Beautiful andGreen’ on Saturday at the Jumeirah Messilah Beach

Hotel and Spa. It was held under the patronage of SheikhSalman Al-Hamoud Al-Sabah, Minister of Informationand State Minister for Youth Affairs. This year, over 8,000students aged 6 to 18 from over 80 public, private, Arab,foreign and special needs schools took part in the com-petition.

The minister viewed the exhibited artworks andpraised the creativity of the participating children. “Theartworks presented here today are great and reflect theKuwaiti society and its environment expressed throughthe eyes of these young artists. It shows their interest toprotect the environment to preserve the rights of thefuture generations. This event also highlights the role ofvarious institutions who are partners with the family insocial responsibility towards the young generations,” hestated.

“This competition is an evidence of environmentalawareness as the environment is the base for develop-ment of any community. Also, this competition encour-ages the creativity of children and teaches them to pre-serve the wealth of future generations. It strengthens thevalues of preserving the culture of planting instead ofdesertification,” added Sheikh Salman.

Waleed Al-Khashti, General Manager of Zain, one ofthe main sponsors of this event, stressed the importanceof environment for the company. “We are glad to sponsorthis event, as we have a complex strategy related to theenvironment. Zain is always present in environmentalevents and activities, and next week we will be partici-pating in the Earth Week. Being present with the creativestudents tonight makes us proud and we always cooper-ate with the Ministry of Education to support variousevents,” he pointed out. “Our partnership with KuwaitTimes in sponsoring this event isn’t the only one, and wehave many other joint events coming in the future. Wewish success to all the participants,” Khashti added.

Spreading environmental culture Adnan Saad, Marketing Director of Kuwait Times,

thanked the sponsors for their support. “This event willhave a great impact on the participating students andmotivate them to work harder for a brighter future. Iwould also like to thank Chevron for always taking thelead in generously sponsoring this competition since itsinception in 1994, and Zain and Jumeirah Messilah BeachHotel & Spa for sponsoring and hosting this ceremonythat is held to honor the winners and participants in the‘Kuwait Beautiful & Green’ painting competition organ-ized by Kuwait Times to spread environmental cultureand awareness amongst participating students as well asthe whole community,” he stated.

“In view of the significance of creating the sense ofbelonging to this nation through promoting school stu-dents’ positive behavior and conduct, the competitionhas always focused on promoting the motto of ‘KuwaitBeautiful & Green’ amongst students who are the basicelement in any society. It also focuses on promoting stu-dents’ positive attitudes towards the environment sur-rounding them as they are the pillars of any country’spresent and hopes for a brighter future,” said Saad.

“Besides promoting environmental awareness, thecompetition seeks to encourage students to effectivelytake part in various environment-oriented activities withan ultimate goal of acquiring more knowledge and skills,a sense of responsibility as well as positive attitudes. Thecompetition also aims at encouraging students to takesustainability-related initiatives that help protect the envi-ronment. It is the first competition in Kuwait that helpsschools explore and address various applicable, improv-able, developable or even upgradable environmentalconcepts within school premises. Environmental educa-tion has a major role, be it in school or at home, and hereis the role of teachers in promoting environmental aware-ness inside and outside schools,” he noted.

“Participating students have really excelled in display-ing their artistic talents through fascinating paintings.

‘No wasta’They are really promising young, creative artists fully

capable of using their colors and creativity to expresstheir minds, culture, style and love of Kuwait under themotto of ‘Kuwait Beautiful & Green’. So well done every-one and thanks for the wonderful ideas you provided usin order to keep Kuwait beautiful and green. You are allwinners in this competition. Thanks for your efforts andfascinating paintings that really amazed the jury and gavethem a hard time selecting the best in a record time,” con-cluded Saad.

The winners in each age category were selected byprofessional judges. Abdul Karim Al-Enezi, was the judgefor the 6-8 age category. He is an artist and formerteacher. “It was hard to select 10 winners in this categoryout of about 2,000 participants. There is no wasta or per-sonal connections affecting the judging process. In fact,we don’t know the participants in this competition,” hetold Kuwait Times.

“Teachers supervising the participants’ works must befully aware of the competition’s rules and conditions start-ing with its three-word motto ‘Kuwait Beautiful & Green’to realize how to protect the environment, which is verysignificant to get participants familiar with what they aregoing to paint. Miscommunication of such information isnegatively reflected in the paintings. So a teacher has asignificant role in guiding students on using their own artknowledge, skills as well as techniques,” explained Enezi.

Some paintings were disqualified. “Participants have toread the instructions in English and Arabic on the rightand left margins of the entry form that revolve around thecompetition’s motto, that is Kuwait’s environment andlandmarks. The paintings must include an artistic view ofa landmark of Kuwait that should be brightly and aesthet-ically portrayed, because lacking any of these three ele-ments would disqualify the entry. We have found paint-ings including non-Kuwaiti landmarks,” he added. “Thewords ‘Beautiful and Green’ in the motto means that thepainting has to include green colors to paint fascinatingnature and landscapes using bright colors to reflect opti-mism and joy rather than dull, dim and dark ones thatreflect pessimism, which is unlike the beautiful andhealthy Kuwaiti environment, be it marine or desert-relat-ed,” he said.

“Some teachers, parents or others have barefacedlyinterfered in the paintings or even made them on behalfof the students, which was noticeable last year because

Kuwait Times

goes greenWinners of ‘Kuwait Beautiful & Green’ art competition awarded

MONDAY, APRIL 14, 2014

l if e s t y l e

KUWAIT: Minister of Information and Minister of Youth Affairs Sheikh Salman Sabah Al-Salem Al-Hamoud Al-Sabah (second left), Kuwait Times Marketing Director Adnan Saad (left), Kuwait Times DeputyEditor-in-Chief Dr Ziyad Al-Alyan (third left), Zain’s Corporate Communications and Relations Manager Waleed Al-Khashti, Saleh Al-Alyan and Ahmad Sharkas from Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel and Spapose for a photo.

Sheikh Salman and Dr Ziyad present a memento to one of the jury members AbdulKarim Al-Anezi.

Sheikh Salman and Dr Ziyad present a memento to one of the jury members ThurayaAl-Baqsami.

Sheikh Salman and Dr Ziyad present a memento to Ahmad Shrkas. Sheikh Salman and Dr Ziyad present a memento to Motive Advertising Agency’sGeneral Manager Ehab Sadeq.

A group photo shows Sheikh Salman, Dr Ziyad, Kuwait Times Marketing Director Adnan Saad at JumeirahMessilah Beach Hotel and Spa.

Sheikh Salman Sabah Al-Salem Al-Hamoud Al-Sabah and Dr Ziyad Al-Alyan present a memento to one of the jurymembers Artist Abdulaziz Arti.

we know that each age category has special skills andpotentials taking into consideration how talented andgifted a participant might be. So, please urge students tobe more credible and make them value self-achieved sat-isfaction by doing 100 percent of their entries, while youonly settle with guiding and helping them think of thebest topics and techniques to be used,” highlighted Enezi.

Passion and real love of KuwaitArtist Abdulaziz Arti judged the 9-11 age category. He

also complained of the interference of parents or teach-ers in the artworks of the students. “We understand thelevel of drawing, so we know if a professional adulthelped or draw on behalf of the student. I suggestedcooperating with the National Council for Culture, Arts,and Letters to make the children draw their paintings in ahall under our supervision, and in this way nobody willbe disqualified unjustly,” he pointed out.

Svetlana Arndt was the judge for the age category of12-14 years. “It is an honor to be a judge of such a majorcompetition. The category of 12-14 years was represent-ed by more than 2,800 drawings, and I noticed that mostof the work was done with passion and real love ofKuwait. I would like to emphasize the importance of thisevent in students’ educational process. Drawing the pic-tures of the country they are living in helps children toexpress the love and respect of the Kuwaiti nation.Kuwait is a unique place of freedom and tolerance with ahighly spiritual population,” she said.

Thuraya Al-Baqsami judged the 15-18 age categoryand the category of special needs students. “Thousandsof students representing various schools in Kuwait par-ticipated in the contest. Officiating and selecting thewinners was not easy, though entertaining. My selectionwas influenced by the creative aspect, outstanding art-work, the feeling that the contestant did indeed draw thepiece and was not helped by others,” she stated.

She had more criteria. “The lack of a sermonizing feel-ing in the work, personification of the contest idea“Kuwait Beautiful and Green”, the expressing by the con-testant of the environmental beauty around him andpresenting it in an innovative and smart way, accuracy ofartistic execution and color harmony and quality drawingwith a touch of spontaneity which characterizes theyoung. A drawing I looked at and said “wow, this is great”,and the person who drew it will for sure become arenowned artist. This drawing deserves the title of “win-ner”, and I hope that he has the making of a true artist,develops his skill and remembers the prize that motivat-ed him to become a true artist,” she added.

“As for the students of special needs, their works wereselected according to their motor and comprehensionabilities. The selected works are characterized with spon-taneity and non-interference by adults, as well as creativ-ity influenced by feeling and free expression,” stressedBaqsami.

MONDAY, APRIL 14, 2014

l if e s t y l eT R A V E L

You can just barely see them through thewindow of the No. 7 subway as it rattlesinto the elevated station in Corona,

Queens: a gigantic steel sphere, two rocketships, and towers that appear to be capped byflying saucers.

These unusual landmarks are among anumber of attractions still standing from the1964 World’s Fair, which opened in FlushingMeadows Corona Park 50 years ago, with mar-vels ranging from microwave ovens toDisney’s “it’s a small world” ride to Belgian waf-fles with strawberries and whipped cream.

But visiting the area today is as much about21st century Queens as it is a walk downmemory lane. Many of Queens’ contemporarycultural institutions - like the Queens Museumand the New York Hall of Science - grew out offair attractions and incorporate original fairexhibits. Other relics are stupendous in theirown right, like the Unisphere, a 12-story steelglobe so glorious to behold, you almost feellike you’re seeing Earth from outer space.There’s also a modern zoo, an antique carouseland outdoor sculptures.

Here’s a guide to celebrating the 50thanniversary of the 1964 World’s Fair on a visitto Queens.

The neighborhoodOn weekends, Flushing Meadows Corona

Park is packed with people from the dozens ofethnic groups that populate Queens, speakingmany languages, eating food from around theworld and playing soccer with a seriousness ofpurpose often found among those who grewup with the sport. That makes for “a wonderful

unique experience,” said Janice Melnick,Flushing Meadows Corona Park administrator.

And yet, as you walk out of the 111th Streettrain station, there’s something about Coronathat also brings to mind an older, simpler NewYork. No hipsters here; no luxury condo sky-scrapers. Instead, you’ll find modest brickapartment buildings and single-family homes,pizzerias and diners, barber shops and varietystores. That throwback sensibility adds a layerof nostalgia to the experience of revisiting fairsites, especially for boomers who attended theevent as kids.

“I think for many people, the fair representsthis last moment of true optimism,” saidMelnick. “We were looking into the future, andthe future was going to be bright. That reallystruck a chord with a lot of people.”

The unisphereThe fair’s best-known symbol, an elegant

steel globe, has appeared in movies like “Menin Black” and “Iron Man 2.” Visitors enjoy set-ting up photos so that they appear to be hold-ing the world in their hands. Located in thepark, outside the Queens Museum of Art.

New York State PavilionYou can’t miss the towers topped by flying

saucers, surrounded by 100-foot-high (30-meter-high) concrete pillars. This was the NewYork State Pavilion, where visitors rode eleva-tors to an observation deck above an enor-mous suspended roof of translucent coloredtiles. Today the structure is padlocked, rustedand cracked, with preservationists and criticsfighting over its future.

Queens museumThe museum is housed in a building that

dates to the 1939 World’s Fair, which marks its75th anniversary this year. It also briefly housedthe United Nations General Assembly afterWorld War II. Exhibits include posters from both

fairs and a replica of Michelangelo’s “Pieta,”which was shown in the Vatican Pavilion duringthe ‘64 fair. The museum’s most famous display,the “Panorama of the City of New York,” is ascale model of the city that debuted at the ‘64fair. The panorama includes models of each ofthe city’s 895,000 buildings built before 1992,along with every street, park and bridge, on ascale of 1 to 1,200. The island of Manhattan is70 feet long (21 meters), the Empire Statebuilding 15 inches tall (38 centimeters).

Opening April 27 is an exhibit of posters

that pop artist Andy Warhol did for the ‘64World’s Fair, inspired by mug shots of the city’s13 most-wanted criminals from 1962. Theposters were too controversial for the fair andwere never shown. Located in the park, nearthe Willets Point stop on the No. 7 train.

Rockets and New York Hall of ScienceTwo NASA rockets stand 100 feet high (30

meters) outside the New York Hall of Science,a museum that opened a few years after the‘64 fair, replacing a temporary pavilion. Therockets were part of a space park at the fairthat captured the excitement of the era’squest to get a man on the moon.

Towering over the Hall of Sciences is anundulating concrete building called the GreatHall, an architectural marvel that was an origi-nal fair site. Undergoing renovation now, it’sdue to reopen in October, when visitors willbe able to experience the other-worldly interi-or covered in blue stained glass.

The Hall of Science has undergone a seriesof renovations over the years and today hous-es exhibits exploring everything frommicrobes to the science of basketball. It alsohas a small but worthwhile display in a sec-ond-floor hallway of brochures, tickets andother memorabilia from the fair, along with afirst-floor display of photos of World’s Fairsgoing back to the 19th century.

Wildlife conservation society’s queens zoo

A geodesic dome from the ‘64 fair serves asthe zoo’s walk-through aviary. The zoo special-izes in North and South American animals,ranging from bears to pumas.

CarouselThe carousel dates to the early 1900s and

was brought to Queens for the ‘64 fair fromConey Island, Brooklyn. Located outside thezoo, near 111th Street and 55th Avenue.

Revisiting NYC’s1964 World’s Fair, 50 years later

This April 9, 2014 photo shows a section of the “Panorama of the City of New York,” a scalemodel of the city on display at the Queens Museum of Art in Flushing Meadows Park inCorona in the Queens borough of New York.

This April 9, 2014 photo shows two NASArockets on display outside the New YorkHall of Science in Corona in the Queensborough of New York.

This April 1, 2014 file photo shows arestored statue and a giant metal globecalled the Unisphere, the remaining sym-bols from the 1964 World’s Fair in theQueens borough of New York.

This undated photo provided by the New York City Parks Department shows children riding a carousel in Flushing Meadows CoronaPark. —AP photos

They were designed for the 1964 World’sFair as sleek, space-age visions of thefuture: three towers topped by flying-

saucer-like platforms, and a pavilion of pillarswith a suspended, shimmering roof that wasbilled as the “Tent of Tomorrow.” That imag-ined tomorrow has come and gone. Now thestructures are abandoned relics, with rustedbeams, faded paint and cracked concrete. Asthe fair’s 50th anniversary approaches, theremains of the New York State Pavilion aregetting renewed attention, from preserva-tionists who believe they should be restored,and from critics who see them as hulking

eyesores that should be torn down. Neitheroption would come cheap: an estimated $14million for demolition and $32 million to $72million for renovation.

“It is the Eiffel Tower of Queens,” saysMatthew Silva, who’s making a documentaryabout the pavil ion in Queens’ FlushingMeadows Corona Park, comparing it to aremnant of the 1889 Paris Exposition thatwas also threatened with demolition beforeit was saved. Designed by famed architectPhilip Johnson, the New York structures

debuted with the rest of the World’s Fair onApril 22, 1964, and quickly became among itsmost popular attractions. Visitors rode glass“Sky Streak” elevators to the observationdeck of a 226-foot tower - the highest pointin the fair. The two shorter towers, at 150 and60 feet, held a cafeteria and a VIP lounge. Thepavilion’s 16, 100-foot-tall concrete columnssupported what was then the largest sus-pended roof in the world, a 50,000 square-foot expanse of translucent, multicoloredtiles. On the floor below was a $1 million,

9,000-square-foot terrazzo tile map of thestate, with details of cities, towns and high-ways. In the years after the fair, the pavilionwas used as a music venue for such acts asLed Zeppelin, the Grateful Dead andFleetwood Mac. In the ‘70s, it became a rollerskating rink until the collapse of the ceilingtiles, leaving only bare cables behind.

The towers, while still structurally sound,were abandoned as observation decks longago for safety reasons. Their retro-futuristiclook has been most widely known from its

use in such movies as “Men in Black” and“Iron Man 2.”

What’s so special? Although occasionally opened for tours,

the towers and pavilion - the last major struc-tures still standing from the World’s Fair thathave not been preserved - have largely servedas a stoic landmark for travelers on the VanWyck Expressway. Two pad-locked gates - onechain-link, one metal - keep the Tent ofTomorrow shuttered. “It should be called the‘Tent of Yesterday,’” says Ben Haber, who livesnear the park. “This is not the Parthenon, it’snot the Sphinx, it’s not the pyramids. ... Sowhat’s so special that we should keep it?”

At the heart of the debate is the cost. Whilethe city’s Parks Department commissionedstudies on the cost of scrapping or renovatingthe complex, it is still unclear where that mon-ey would come from and, if restored, how thestructures would be used. If the money comesthrough, work on the city-owned pavilioncould begin as early as next year once officialsmake a decision. Queens Borough PresidentMelinda Katz has formed a task force dedicat-ed to preserving the pavilion, noting that oth-er structures from the World’s Fair have beensaved, most notably the 12-story-tall metalglobe called the Unisphere, the Hall of Scienceand the Queens Museum.

Repainting the pavilionAmong the ideas are to convert the towers

once again into observation decks or an ele-vated garden or even a platform for bungeejumping, with the open-air pavilion turnedinto a performance space with a removablestage and bleachers.

While that debate plays out, a smallgroup of World’s Fair buffs has formed torepaint the pavilion so it can be open to thepublic briefly for an April 22 anniversaryevent. The towers will still be off limits. “Ijust loved this pavilion,” says 63-year-old vol-unteer painter John Piro. “And as the yearswent on I saw it decay and it just like toremy heart.” —AP

Relics of NYC World’s Fair

Eyesores or icons?

This April 1, 2014 file photo shows the space-age towers, topped by flying-saucer-like platforms, and a ring of pillars that once housed theNew York State Pavilion at the 1964 World’s Fair in the Queens borough of New York. — AP photos

Space-age towers, topped by flying-saucer-like platforms, and a pavilion of pillars oncecalled the “Tent of Tomorrow,” looms as relicsremaining from the 1964 World’s Fair in theQueens borough of New York.

People listen - sometimes really carefully- to music, and Fabrizio Moretti, drum-mer of rock band The Strokes, certainly

appreciates that. But, he says, it’s a one-wayconversation. Moretti yearned to have moreof an artistic dialogue with the public, so hestarted one outside the Rag & Bone retailstore in Soho, where he’s staged a sort ofinteractive pop-up art installation. He put upa large display of removable half-religioussaint-half-astronaut statuettes on a wallresembling a shrine and invited passers-by totake them. Some did, some didn’t. It was hisversion of a social experiment, he explained.

“I thought it was an interesting thing tosee this struggle inside the viewer: Shouldthey do something that’s - in a sense - wrong,but if they chose to do it, they’d be involvedin this dialogue and exchange with me, andthey could do it,” he said.

Sculpture isn’t new for Moretti, 33, whostudied the subject at the State University ofNew York at New Paltz before he started tour-ing. “I went to school for this,” he said, “but I’mnew at sharing it with the public.”

The statues have been taken more quicklythan he expected. He displayed them in agroup of 24, and the plan was to keep the

installation filled until Friday. Demand hassurpassed output. “Everything else has allcome to a halt during this. You should see myapartment now,” he said. “I’m making them athome, and it’s an absolute mess.” There’s stillmusic to be made, and Moretti says he and

his bandmates, who released the album“Comedown Machine” earlier this year, areworking on new material. He says, though,that he may become one of those hyphenat-ed types - an artist-slash-musician.

“I hate to sound jaded, but everything else

has become routine and a business - that’swhat the music industry has become to me -and I have to remind myself that creating is aprivilege. Art has fueled creativity with anewfound fervor,” he said. But his perch in

front of Rag & Bone isn’t a sign that he’s tak-ing on fashion, too.

Designers Marcus Wainwright and DavidNeville have no competition to fear, Morettisaid with a laugh. “They’re cool, rad. But fash-ion design? I think I’d be terrible at that.” — AP

MONDAY, APRIL 14, 2014

l if e s t y l eF E A T U R E S

Strokes’ Morettiengages in interactive art

Photos show The Strokes’ drummer Fabrizio Moretti in frontof his installation on the exterior wall of the SoHo Rag &Bone store in New York. — AP photos

The timeless Disney tune “It ’s a SmallWorld” that wafts through our memoriesfrom past theme park vacations turns 50

this year, and on Thursday, Disney parks world-wide hosted a global sing-along. At WaltDisney World Resort in Florida, a huge chorusof the song was per formed in front ofCinderella Castle at Magic Kingdom by castmembers and a children’s choir from CentralFlorida Performing Arts.

The kids - who didn’t seem to mind beltingout several takes of what some consider anearworm - sang for a live broadcast on “GoodMorning America.” Tributes to the song willalso be held throughout the park all day, andother parks around the world also held sing-alongs.

Not that the parks are in short supply of thesong on any regular day. Disney officials esti-mate that during a 16-hour operating day, thesong is played, on average, 1,200 times.

It was written by Richard and RobertSherman at the request of Walt Disney himself.The brothers won Academy Awards in 1965 for

the music for “Mary Poppins.”The “It’s a Small World” song and anima-

tronic attraction debuted at the 1964 NewYork World’s Fair. It was shipped to Disneylandin California then recreated at the otherDisney parks. The attraction opened at theFlorida park in 1971. While some adults may

complain about the infectious nature of thesong, the gentle boat ride is a calm and air-conditioned respite from the crowds and heat- and little kids love it.

With its hundreds of costumed dolls, theattraction was considered high-tech back inthe 1970s. It’s definitely different than many ofthe other new theme park offerings thesedays. There’s no 3D, no complicated storyline.“I think ‘It’s a Small World,’ because of the mes-sage that it brings, really does resonate withthe audience,” said Gary Landrum, a WaltDisney World Imagineer and archivist fromCalifornia. “It was really one of the first of whatbecame the classic Disney theme park attrac-tions. It’s a beautiful story, it’s a simple storythat I think the public really connects with.” OnThursday morning, Chris Pini, his wife andtheir two children raced to the Small Worldride first thing. “I came down here as a kid androde this with my parents, and now I’m gettingthe chance to take my kids on it,” he said. “It’sawesome, I know it’s been around here for 50years and it’s an amazing ride.”— AP

‘It’s a Small World’ turns 50 with sing-along

People take part inwater battles as

they celebrateSongkran, thewater festival

which marksThailand’s new

year in Bangkokyesterday. New

Year is celebratedyesterday in the

four south-easternAsian nations of

Thailand,Myanmar,Cambodia

and Laos. — AFP

In this April 10, 2014 photo made available by Walt Disney World shows a children’s chorussinging “It’s a small world” at the Magic Kingdom in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. — AP

This 1964 photo released by Disney showsWalt Disney with a model of the “it’s a smallworld” attraction from the 1964 World’s Fair.

‘El Komander” struts on stage, pours expensive drinks into afan’s mouth and sings about grenade launchers-just anoth-er wild night for a Mexican singer who has faced bans for

eulogizing drug lords. Wearing a black leather jacket and militaryfatigue pants, Alfredo Rios took his show to 5,500 people inTexcoco, in the state of Mexico, a region of 15 million people endur-ing a spike in murders this year. The man with the short-croppedhair and beard is among the most popular performers of “narco-corridos”-musical histories of the life and death of drug kingpinssung to a polka-like beat, driven by an accordion, guitar, drums andtuba.

The genre has gained many fans among Hispanics who liveacross the border in the United States. Rios appeared in the US doc-umentary “Narco Cultura,” which describes the cross-border fascina-

tion with Mexico’s drug culture. Lately, though, the thirty-some-thing star has been less than popular with the authorities, especial-ly in states that have struggled to tame violence. With songs like“100 Gunshots to the Armor,” “The Executioner” and “New Mafia,”Rios was slapped with a record 100,000-peso ($7,700) fine last yearfollowing a concert in the northern state of Chihuahua, an epicen-ter of deadly cartel turf wars. More recently, he was banned fromperforming on Friday in another region beset by a surge in vio-lence, the central state of Morelos south of Mexico City. Authoritiesaccused him of promoting violence. Concert organizers canceledhis May 1 show in the neighboring state of Puebla at the request ofauthorities. In an interview with AFP, Rios said his songs merelyreflect the reality of drug violence in Mexico. “I sing party and fiestasongs. I’m not going to break the law. If they decide that I can’t give

a concert, I won’t do it,” he said. “I don’t promote anybody. My musicsimply is music. My words don’t come from space or Mars. It is whatwe Mexicans talk about,” he told reporters.

AK-47 rhythm On a recent Friday night at a Texcoco equestrian arena, El

Komander’s set list included a song about armored cars, AK-47 riflesand grenade launchers. His band wore red charro (Mexican cowboy)suits emblazoned with his stage name, with the letter K in the shapeof an AK-47 assault rifle, known in Mexico as “cuerno de chivo,” orram’s horn. “We are fans of corridos and I don’t understand becausethey canceled El Komander’s show. His lyrics are not threats. Thethreat is already in the streets,” said Ivan Pimentel, a 31-year-oldshopkeeper who attended the show with his 10-year-old son. As

Rios performed, more than a dozen bodyguards watched the stage.Two stayed very close to him when fans approached the star. It canbe a dangerous lifestyle. Some 50 narco-corrido performers havebeen murdered in Mexico since drug violence surged in 2006.

No more Chapo Rios is part of the Movimiento Alterado, or Agitated Movement,

which appeared in 2009 in the northern state of Sinaloa, home ofjailed Sinaloa cartel boss Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman. The move-ment is known for singing the most graphic lyrics about the cartellife. One of the movement’s most famous bands, Los Tigres delNorte, has had shows cancelled as well. In the music video for “NewMafia,” Rios mimics a scene from the mob movie “Scarface,” snortingfrom a mountain of cocaine on a desk with a pistol in hand. —AFP

For Mexico’s hottest drug balladeer, music has a cost

36Kuwait Times goes green

MONDAY, APRIL 14, 2014

Art works from Ukraine are presented at the ‘I am drop in the ocean’ exhibition at the Kuenstlerhaus in Vienna. The exhibition ‘I am drop in the ocean’ is dedicated to the artistic and visual expressions of theprotests that shaked the Ukraine from November 2013 until February 2014. — AFP

Cannes film festival prepares to unveil its A-listCannes film festival organizers will on Thursday

fire the starting gun for this year’s Riviera movieextravaganza when they unveil the films chosen

to compete for its top Palme d’Or prize. Always aheady mix of traditional A-list glamour and quirkyfilmmaking spiced up with a dash of controversy, thefestival selects only around 20 of the 1,800 or so filmssubmitted each year.

Ryan Gosling, Catherine Deneuve, Ken Loach,Meryl Streep, Gerard Depardieu, Woody Allen, RobertPattinson and Jean-Luc Godard are just a few of thenames being touted to tread the red carpet this year.Loach, one of cinema’s most celebrated directors, wonthe Palme d’Or in 2006 and is widely tipped to returnto Cannes with “Jimmy’s Hall”, especially if, as expect-ed, it turns out to be his last feature film. RyanGosling’s directorial debut “How to Catch a Monster” isalso much fancied after his two previous Cannesappearances as an actor in the hyper-violent “Drive”and last year’s “Only God Forgives”. With a reputationfor launching careers-such as those of StevenSoderbergh and Quentin Tarantino-a spot in the offi-cial competition line-up is always much-prized.Organizers spend months sifting through entries look-ing for new “auteurs” they hope will be the film stars oftomorrow, alongside offerings from more establishedplayers. Amid the glitzy red carpet photo calls, yachtsand parties, the festival is also a huge market placewhere producers wheel and deal in search of the nextbig thing.

‘Two versions of the film’ Already confirmed for the May 14-25 festival is

opening film “Grace of Monaco” starring NicoleKidman as the former Hollywood star Grace Kellywhose 1956 marriage to Prince Rainier was labeledthe “wedding of the centur y ”. Even before itsrelease, the film-which will not be in the competi-tion for the Palme d’Or-has generated two separatecontroversies and looks likely to be boycotted bythe Monaco royal family. Revolving around the lateRainier, played by British actor Tim Roth, and Grace,who died in a car crash in 1982, it tracks events at a

time when France was threatening to annex thetiny principality on its southern coast.

Grace’s children-Prince Albert and PrincessesCaroline and Stephanie-have criticized the film as“pure fiction”. At the same time, a dispute betweenthe f i lm’s French director Olivier Dahan and

American producer Harvey Weinstein over the edit-ing of the movie has resulted in rival versions beingmade.

“There are two versions of the film-mine and his-which I find catastrophic,” the director has said. Otherfilms tipped for competition slots by French and filmmedia include Tommy Lee Jones’ western “ The

Homesman” in which he also stars alongside MerylStreep, and David Cronenberg’s “Maps to the Stars”starring John Cusack, Julianne Moore and RobertPattinson. Belgian brothers Jean-Pierre and LucDardenne could also be included for their film “TwoDays, One Night” with Marion Cotillard, while fromFrance the drama “Clouds of Sils Maria” by OlivierAssayas, and featuring Juliette Binoche and KristenStewart, is widely predicted to be in the running.

Cannes favorite Woody Allen Representing Scandinavia could be Sweden’s Roy

Andersson with “A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflectingon Existence”, or from Denmark, Kristian Levring with“The Salvation” or Suzanne Bier with “Serena” starringBradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence. AndreTechine’s “L’Homme que l ’on Aimait Trop” withCatherine Deneuve, meanwhile, could see the film-maker who won best director in 1985 for “Rendez-Vous” return to the main competition for the first timesince 2003. Other possible contenders includeAbderrahmane Sissako from Mauritania (“Le Chagrindes Oiseaux”), Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu fromMexico (“Birdman”) and Fatih Akin from Germany(“The Cut”).

From Asia, nominations could go to Japanesedirectors Tetsuya Nakashima (“Kawaki”), Sono Sion(“Tokyo Tribe”), Naomi Kawase (“Still the Water”) andIsao Takahata (“The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter”). Alsoin the running could be Singapore’s Eric Khoo (“TheCharming Rose”), China’s Zhang Yimou (“ComingHome”), Taiwan’s Hou Hsiao-Hsien (“The Assassin”)and Thailand’s Apichatpong Weerasethakul(“Cemetery of Kings”). Big names who could make thetrip to the Riviera with films outside of the competi-tion include Cannes favorite Woody Allen. The veteranfilmmaker’s latest film “Magic in the Moonlight” withEmma Stone, Colin Firth and Marcia Gay Harden wasshot just down the road in Nice. And American direc-tor Abel Ferrara’s “Welcome to New York”, which starsGerard Depardieu as the disgraced former IMF chiefDominique Strauss-Kahn, could well supply anotherdose of controversy if selected. — AFP

At only 33, Jason Njoku is already consid-ered one of Africa’s most promisingentrepreneurs thanks to an online film

distribution service that has tapped highdemand for Nigerian movies. But the British-born Nigerian entrepreneur, whose firm iROKOhas been compared to the US Internet movieand TV streaming giant Netflix, is cautiousabout reading too much into the accolade.

“On paper, I’m a millionaire, absolutely,” hetold AFP at his office in Nigeria’s financial capi-tal, Lagos. “But it’s on paper. It’s not cash in thebank. I think we are not successful, we are notprofitable, we have a long way to go.” Njoku’scaution is understandable given his back-ground. Soon after he was born, his father left,leaving his mother struggling to make endsmeet while Njoku grew up in southeastLondon. Yet he managed to become the firstfrom his family to go to university. With achemistry degree from the University ofManchester under his belt, Njoku decided toset up his own business. But it was not all plainsailing.

“I graduated in 2005 and spent a good five-and-a-half years just failing in everything Itried,” he admitted. Though Njoku was broke,unable to open a bank account and slept onfriends’ sofas, his best friend and university flat-mate Bastian Gotter was still persuaded toinvest in his latest venture.

‘Nollywood Netflix’ That enterprise-iROKO Partners-was his

11th attempt at starting a company and bornof the fact that cinema is increasingly big busi-ness in Nigeria. Some 1,500 to 2,000Nollywood films are made every year andmany are wildly popular both at home andabroad. Most films, including poor qualitypirated copies, are sold for a dollar or two onDVD in markets or by hawkers at traffic junc-tions, making them difficult to come by for thelegions of fans overseas. Njoku bought a ticketfor Nigeria, where he had previously only beenon a few childhood visits, and set out to meetfilm producers in the hope of creating a slick,

modern distribution network. “Our idea was really simple: we just wanted

to take Nollywood movies and put themonline. It’s as simple as that,” he said. With pro-ducers on board, the first step in 2010 was thecreation of “Nollywoodlove”, a dedicated chan-nel on the video-sharing site YouTube, fol-lowed a year later by the iROKOtv platform.Gotter sank money he had made as a trader forBritish oil giant BP into the venture and a US-based investment fund also provided financialbacking, Njoku said.

Today, iROKOtv gets nearly a million hits amonth and almost 90 percent of the content-more than 5,000 films-is free, with revenuegenerated in part by online advertising. Thereis also a subscription service, where users candownload the latest releases for $7.99 (5.7euros) a month.

Growth and investment Notwithstanding comparisons with Netflix

and the company’s expansion beyond Lagosto Johannesburg, London and New York,Njoku believes they still have a way to go.Profitability, he said, will only start to come intwo or three years. “I’m actually always warynot to celebrate success before you know whatit actually is. And at the moment, we’re stillgrowing, we’re still scrappy, we’re still scared,”he explained. “And in as much as money isimportant, it’s not the yardstick that we shoulduse to determine your life and your values andhow you try to build a company...

“We’re basically still growing and investingfor growth.” Up to now, most users of the sitehave been in the diaspora-first and second-gen-eration African families who want to stay intouch with their roots. But Njoku is eyeing thevast potential of the African online market forexpansion and has tasked engineers to figureout the best way to compress films so quality isnot lost on poor Internet lines. Njoku and Gotterhave also set up the music download siteiroking.com, dubbed the “African Deezer”, featur-ing 35,000 tracks from Nigeria and other coun-tries on the continent in MP3 format. —AFP

Tenacity pays off for founder of

‘Nollywood Netflix’

Video editors David Adeoti and Jolaosho Oladimeji preview a work at the head-quaters of Iroko tv in Lagos on March 27, 2014. — AFP

A man poses for friendsin front of the giantmoving inflated astronaut art piece,Escape Velocity, at theCoachella Valley Music& Arts Festival at theEmpire Polo Club inIndio, California. Theannual music festival,which runs for two consecutive three-dayweekends, has grown toone of the largest musicfestival in the US since it was founded in 1999. —AFP