UAE holding 3 Qatari 'spies' for questioning - Kuwait Times

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THURSDAY, JULY 10, 2014 RAMADAN 12, 1435 AH www.kuwaittimes.net

UAE holding 3 Qatari ‘spies’ for questioning

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Bahrain grills oppn leader after expelling US diplomat

Ramadan Kareem

Emsak: 03:12Fajer: 03:22Dohr: 11:53Asr: 15:28Maghreb: 18:51Eshaa: 20:21

Ramadan is not a month of laziness, irresponsibili-ty and non-accountability, as many people per-ceive it to be. Those who fast should understand

that by depriving the body they are actually enrichingthe soul. Therefore, fasting in the month of Ramadanshould be viewed as a blessing and not a punishment.

Reading about the victories that took place duringProphet Muhammad’s (PBUH) golden era, the succeed-ing era of his rightly-guided companions, and ourrightly-guided ancestors, will give us an overview ofthe way the month of Ramadan has to be treated andthe wide range of benefits that accrue to those whofast in it according to the way Prophet Muhammad(PBUH) prescribed for Muslims. The following are someof the victories of Muslims during the time of ProphetMuhammad (PBUH), as well as the era of his rightly-guided companions and their followers. They wereable to achieve the following:

1- On the seventh of Ramadan of the second year ofHijra (Emigration of Prophet Muhammad PBUH toMadinah), the Quraishi polytheists of Makkah

Continued on 5

Victories in Ramadan

By Hassan T Bwambale

DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates is holding suspectedQatari intelligence agents for questioning on their activ-ities in the UAE, an Emirati newspaper said yesterday, ina case that could further damage ties between the twoGulf Arab allies. Relations between the UAE and Qatarhave deteriorated sharply in recent months over Doha’ssupport for Islamists, who are seen by the rest of the US-allied Gulf Arab oil exporters as a threat to their stability.

A Qatari newspaper reported earlier this week thatUAE authorities had detained and subjected to torturethree Qatari citizens who were on holiday in the Gulfstate. On its front page the Arabic-language Al-Khaleejnewspaper dismissed the assertion that those arrestedwere tourists, quoting unnamed sources as saying thatauthorities were holding “Qatari intelligence elementsoperating on UAE soil”. “They are currently undergoingquestioning,” the privately owned newspaper, one ofthe oldest in the UAE, said, without giving furtherdetails. Qatari officials declined to comment on thereport. UAE officials made no immediate comment.

In March, in the biggest public display to date of therift between Qatar and its Gulf neighbours, the UAE,Saudi Arabia and Bahrain recalled their ambassadorsfrom the country, accusing Doha of failing to abide byan accord not to interfere in each others’ internal affairs.Analysts said the dispute was over Qatar’s support forthe Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist movement whoseideology challenges the principle of conservativedynastic rule long dominant in the Gulf.

Qatar made no direct comment on the earlier reportthat its citizens had been detained, but in an apparentallusion to the case, the Foreign Ministry said

Continued on Page 15

KUWAIT: National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanem and other MPs meet HH the Amir SheikhSabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah (right) yesterday. — KUNA (See Page 5)

Speaker, MPs meet Amir

L O C A LTHURSDAY, JULY 10, 2014

KUWAIT: Zain, the leading telecom-munications company in Kuwait, con-tinues its extensive Corporate SocialResponsibility program during theHoly Month of Ramadan by organiz-ing interactive visits to hospitals toshare the blessings of Ramadan withchildren and patients. The company’svolunteers visited the hospitals duringthis blessed time of year to distributegifts and Girgeaan to children andtheir families and celebrate the occa-sion in a family atmosphere full of joyand happiness.

Zain mentioned that the annualhospital visits initiative is part of thecompany’s solid CSR campaign duringthe Holy Month, where the company

aims to share the joys and blessings ofRamadan with different segments ofthe society. Zain’s volunteers visitedthe children’s units of a number ofKuwait’s biggest and most prominenthospitals, including Zain hospital, IbnSina, Al Amiri, NBK, Al Farwaniyah, AlRazi, and Al Jahrahospitals.

The company further expressed itsheartfelt appreciation and gratitudeto all the parties involved in organiz-ing the visits including hospital staff,officials, children’s families, and thevolunteers themselves, who all helpeddraw a smile on the faces of the chil-dren.

Zain highlighted that the aim ofundertaking the annual hospital visits

during special occasions is part of thecompany’s commitment to celebrat-ing the Holy Month of Ramadanthrough ongoing social activities thatgenerate a sense of generosity andcaring. As a responsible telecommuni-cations company, Zain looks toimprove the lives of the people withinthe communities it serves.

This year, Zain’s CSR program isproviding an extensive array of pro-grams during the Holy Month,including the distribution of dailyIftar meals; the distribution of essen-tial food supplies “Machla” to needyfamilies; and the latest celebrationwith the Ministy of Social Affairs’ carecenters.

Zain shares Ramadan blessings with children in hospitals

KUWAIT: The Kuwait Fire Service Directorate (KFSD) organized its annual ghabqa which was attended by SheikhMohammad Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah, the State Minister of Cabinet Affairs and Acting Minister of Justice. GeneralDirector Maj Gen Yousuf Al-Kandari led a team of KFSD officials who welcomed the guests. During the event, thesea fire station team was honored for winning the first annual KFSD Ramadan Football Tournament.


Food ofRamadan

Quaker Oats Baked Chicken Ingredients • 3 tbsps. olive oil • 1 cup minced onions • 1 tbsp. finely minced garlic • 1/2 cup of each: celery, eggplant, peas, carrots, tomatoes andzucchini

To Cover• 1 cup Quaker Oats • 2 eggs • 2/3 cup milk • 1/2 cup cream cheese • 1/4 cup chopped parsley • 1/2 kilo chicken, boiled and diced

To Decorate • 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese • 1/2 tbsp. nigella (black sesame)

Preparation • Preheat oven to 180 degrees. • Heat oil in a pan over medium/high heat. • Add onion and garlic, stir for 2 minutes. • Add vegetables and cook for a few minutes. • Beat eggs and milk in a bowl with a whisk. • Add oats, parsley and cheese, season with salt and pepper. • Whisk until well combined. • Spread a layer of vegetable in a ceramic oven dish (ramekin). • Top with a layer of chicken pieces. • Cover with a layer of egg mixture. • Spread a layer of cheese and sprinkle nigella seeds on top. • Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. • Serve warm.

By Ben Garcia

KUWAIT: Abdul from Bangladesh andSikendra from Nepal are regular iftarvisitors in the Grand Mosque tent dur-ing Ramadan. The two are amongapproximately 1,000 people converg-ing at the Grand Mosque every sunsetto break the fast during Ramadan. Themeals are provided free of charge bythe Grand Mosque to people whowant to break the fast at the com-pound.

The meal usually comprises of rice,meat, laban, dates and a banana orsweet for dessert. They are handed outin Styrofoam boxes with soup andgravy on the side. Besides the GrandMosque, free iftar is also available inthe tents of some big banks oppositethe mosque. These are also full of peo-ple, mostly laborers, breaking the fast.

Abdul and Sikendra come 30 min-utes before iftar. “This is now my sec-

ond year taking the iftar meal at theGrand Mosque. I l ive behind theKuwait Stock Exchange, which is quitenear the Grand Mosque, so I eat here,”said Abdul. His friend Sikendra is hisflat-mate and a Buddhist from Nepal,but he goes along with Abdul to theGrand Mosque to partake the iftarmeal. “We work together in an officenearby, so we decide to eat the firstmeal here. Otherwise I cook at home,”he told Kuwait Times. Abdul andSikendra return home from their officeat 1 pm. They take a short nap, watchTV, then before sunset, they walk tothe Grand Mosque for iftar.

But just like the usual scene afterevery iftar throughout Kuwait, foodwastage is widespread. “I feel helplessseeing the food being wasted almostevery day here. I think about peoplewho are not eating because they can’tafford to buy food,” another person inthe tent noted.

Grand Mosque provides iftar meals

By Labeed Abdal

[email protected]

Moderation,tolerance

The interior Ministry announced recently that threearms dealers were arrested with possession of alarge number of unlicensed weapons. The ministry

confirmed that the weapons are not remnants from the1990/91 Iraqi Invasion, and that it had intensified effortsto identify their source. This is a very important effortespecially amid information indicating that moreweapons could appear soon.

The importance of the ministry’s investigations alsostems from the fact that we cannot ignore attempts to‘export’ terrorism or move radicalism and killing to ourcountry. Instability in Arab countries caused by extrem-ists who falsely associate their actions with Islamrequires boosting moderation, tolerance and acceptingothers regardless of religion. Humanity is the thing that

we have in common, aside with the need to live inmutual peace and security, without rigorism, animosityand hostility towards others.

The Islamic Sharia preaches peace, tolerance andsimplification. There are many verses in the Holy Quranthat calls Muslims to adopt moderation, whether in theirdealing with each other, or with people who believe inother religions. Also, the Prophet Mohammad (peace beupon him) gave several Hadiths (sayings) that talk aboutthe importance of moderation, tolerance, and goodtreatment of others. The actions committed by extrem-ists come in clear contradiction with those Quran versesand Prophet’s sayings. The basics of Islam contain thebest examples for social justice, religious tolerance,equality and openness.

In my view

The importance of theministry’s investigationsalso stems from the factthat we cannot ignore

attempts to ‘export’ terror-ism or move radicalism

and killing to our country.

One by one, the women bend down and kiss Suha Abu Kheidron both cheeks. They murmer condolences, and she claspstheir hands silently. One woman named Naileh, who Suha has

never met, says her daughter had a vision that Mohammed is on thehighest level of heaven. Suha listens politely, dark circles under hereyes. She’s barely slept since her son Mohammed was kidnapped fromthe main street in front of his house here last Wednesday. Hours later,his burned body was found in the Jerusalem forest. Six Jewish extrem-ists have been arrested for the murder - three of them have confessedand reenacted the crime.

In the men’s mourning tent next door, dozens of plastic chairs areset out for the stream of mourners. There the talk is more of politics.Here with Mohammed’s mother, there are no politics, just sadness. Shespeaks slowly, with obvious effort, describing a teenager who likedcomputer games and Facebook - and who was not involved in politicsat all. “He was always the first one at the table for iftar (the breaking ofthe Ramadan fast at dusk),” Suha said with a smile. “He was skinny anddidn’t eat much, but he really loved to eat.” His favorite foods, she said,were pizza, spaghetti, and anything that you could squeeze lemon on.

Mohammed was in 11th grade at the Amal School, a technologicalhigh school where he studied electronics. He had just finished a seriesof matriculation exams and was gearing up for his senior year. Heplanned to study electrical engineering in college. A few days ago, hefilled out an application to take the written test to get his learner’s per-mit to drive.

Suha Abu Kheidr said she had a special relationship withMohammad, her 5th child of nine, who was known as a joker. A slightboy, he looked younger than his 16 years. “If I was angry or sad, hewould always try to make me feel better,” Suha told The Media Line.“We had a game - he used to punch me - sometimes hard - and Iwould punch him back.” He used to call from school to ask what shewas cooking for lunch, and so it would be ready for him when hecame home.

As the stream of mourners continues, Suha describes a boy whospent hours every day on Facebook and playing computer games.He was an avid football player, and a fan of Real Madrid in the WorldCup. Everyone in the neighborhood knew him. Suha says proudlythat Mohammed began fasting for the holy month of Ramadan atage 5. He went every morning to the mosque across the street fromhis house to pray. That was his plan last Wednesday as well.

According to Suha and other relatives, last WednesdayMohammed had breakfast as usual for the month of Ramadan, atabout 3:30 am and went around the corner to the main street of thislarge neighborhood in east Jerusalem to wait for the call to prayer.He sat on a low stone wall in front of a block of three storefronts thatbelong to his family. In the middle is his father’s electronics store,where Mohammed often worked after school.

As he sat on the wall, his water bottle beside him for a few lastsips before the fast began, a car drove by. The car passedMohammed, stopped and backed up, according to footage from asecurity camera across the street. Two men got out of the car andspoke to Mohammed. A moment later, they forced him into the car,and sped away, driving through red lights.

Several youth in the neighborhood ran to the family’s home, andsaid a youth had been forced into a car. Suha said she asked them,“Where’s Mohammed? He was sitting right there.” She immediatelytried to call his mobile phone which had been turned off. “As soon asthat happened, I knew it was Mohammed,” she said. “He neverturned that phone off.” —Media Line

‘He was skinny but loved to eat’

in my view

By Linda Gradstein

Ageneral overview to the history of our contemporary world,we find out that there are nations that have become great,and others that vanished. The difference between the two is

that some states achieved greatness by honoring positive valuesand the sovereignty of the law, while others vanished after theyfailed to honor values or laws. I will not discuss the Soviet Union,Yugoslavia, East European countries or the Arab Spring countries.Instead, I will mention examples for countries that became great byrespecting its value and laws, and compare them with Kuwait.

In the United Kingdom, former Defense Secretary Liam Foxresigned not because of an error or violation of the law he commit-ted. He chose to bear responsibility for selecting friends who do notmeet the system values of the UK Cabinet. He was given the choiceof resigning or be removed from office after a friend presentedhimself as his consultant behind his back in order to take advan-tage of a deal. He chose to resign and stay away from public life.

A similar thing happened with former German defense ministerKarl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, who chose to resign after his doctoralthesis was revoked over plagiarism accusations, despite being apopular politician and possible replacement for Chancellor AngelaMerkel. Former French president Jacques Chirac was accused ofcreating 21 fake jobs during his tenure as Paris mayor from 1983 to1995, and that he funded them with public funds. He was recentlysentenced to two years in prison despite being 79 years of age, anddespite the fact that it was never confirmed that he knew about theissue. Former president Nicolas Sarkozy was also trialed forattempting to bribe judges.

Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert, was sentenced to 6years in prison for collecting a total of 205,000 US Dollars, or around60,000 Kuwait Dinars, in briberies.

Italy’s former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi was convicted oftax-fraud, and sentenced to do community work, including clean-ing senior citizens’ homes, because his age exceeds 70 years.

Former Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness, who helped hisclub gain European football supremacy while maintain a stablefinancial status, was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prisonfor tax evasion, after he confessed of failure to provide informationabout a secret bank account in Switzerland to German authorities.

These example set an example for how countries respect valuesand laws. Those who assume public offices should set a goodexample, otherwise they should be punished to set an example forothers. In Kuwait, it was revealed and proven that the bankaccounts of 26 percent of parliament members inflated by aroundKD 43 million. It is a blatant accusation of bribery and treasonbecause it pertains with ‘buying’ political positions, as well as anaccusation of an influential person paying the bribes. Despite that,the Public Persecution shelved the case for legislative deficiency.Not only did that set the accused individuals free, but also allowedsome of them to run again for public office following a decision bya single judge, who overruled a decision made by a committee ofnine judges who had disqualified them. Some of them were elect-ed, becoming legislators, observers and even members in the pub-lic funds protection committee.

—Translated by Kuwait Times from Al-Aan

Act fast to save our countrykuwait digest

By Jassem Al-Saadoun

Social Affairs and Labor Minister and PlanningMinister Hind Al-Subaih said the new develop-ment plan is ambitious and courageous, and

most of its projects rely on the private sector andattraction of foreign investors. Subaih said the planincludes the privatization of some health ministryservices, as well as privatization of some cooperatives,schools and universities, adding that the plan includesmany major projects such as metro, railways and amedia city.

We commend the courageous move by the plan-ning minister because, it will fulfill the Amiri wish totransform Kuwait into an open international financialand commercial center, but the long experience withthe government and its plans and projects haveaccustomed us not to be highly optimistic. No onedisagrees with the importance of privatizing somegovernment departments and cooperatives, as this isthe international direction of the economy today, andthe reason behind all countries, including the commu-nist ones and all civilized countries going for privatiza-tion and diversifying economy is the fact that corrup-tion, influence, bribes, squan-dering of public funds andbad management are all inthe government establish-ments or companies adminis-tered by the government, notonly in Kuwait but in all coun-tries of the world includingthe United States.

The government in theUnited States gave up inter-ference in private education,health and the only govern-ment hospital administeredby the government is the vet-erans’ hospital. This presti-gious government hospital isplagued by corruption, influ-ence and high cost, becausethe government is managing it and they areAmericans, so what do you think about a Third Worldcountry such as Kuwait.

We find it strange for some National Assemblymembers to reject the government’s plan to privatizesome sectors, as MPs have become economic expertswho attack businessmen day and night, accusingthem of stealing, greed, corruption and appointmentsbased on political, tribal and family consideration.MPs do not want to privatize cooperatives, becauseco-ops are the way MPs follow to reach the Assembly.It is through cooperatives that wealth is collected, rel-atives are appointed and receive payments from com-panies. As for political Islam groups, they collect mon-ey through co-ops, training is made by shareholders’money, financing youth trips to umrah and hajj andother services for sports or mosques. Here employ-ments are made and shareholders money is taken inthe name of social services. MPs are the major benefi-ciary from the spread of corruption, influence and bad

administration in government entities and coopera-tives.

What we are afraid of is for the government to backdown from the plan when some MPs scream in itsface, because the reform demands for the economy inall countries of the world are popularly not liked,because it ends the state’s control of the economy forgood and frees the human being from state slavery.We, even when we encourage the minister and wishher success in her plan, we tell her that the example isnot in preparing the plan and development projects -the real test for success or failure of the plan is bypreparing a mechanism to execute the plan. And whowill actually execute it?

We have been reading and following the govern-ment plans and ideas that did not see the day of lightsince the days of the late Ahmad Al-Duaij in the ‘60s,and we hope from Subaih to tell us who will executethe plan. And who will be responsible, if reliance willbe on the failed and corrupted government system.Then nothing will be achieved, but if reliance for exe-cution will be on private companies and seeking the

help of international compa-nies, then we will be on theright track.

The second question iswho will follow the plan?And make sure that its stepsare being executed accord-ing to the project ’stimetable? Enough talk andplans that are not executed,governments of Arabian Gulfcountries succeeded inestablishing major projectssuch as universities andinternational airports thatreceive millions of peoplesuch as Dubai airport, JebelAli, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Riyadhand others. Brotherly coun-

tries including the kingdom were able to establishmajor universities in a period that did not exceedthree years, and we have been talking about theShaddadiya university for 20 years and only Allahknows when it will be finished.

What about sports stadiums? King AbdullahStadium was completed in less than three years, andwork is underway to finish eight stadiums or a stadi-um with a capacity of more than 50,000 people in ashort period, while we are still complaining becauseof the inability to finish Jaber Al-Ahmad Stadium. Wedo not want to talk about the heritage village thatwas completed in Qatar in a short period while we arestill talking.

Finally, we say it frankly or with audacity that thegovernment is unable to collect electricity and waterbills, and the semi-free services that do not deserveour attention when we speak about major projects.Please, execute then talk, enough polemics and chat-ter.—Translated by Kuwait Times from Al-Watan

Courageous, ambitious plankuwait digest

By Dr Shamlan Y Al-Essa

Al-W

atan

What we are afraid of isfor the government to

back down from the planwhen some MPs scream inits face, because the reformdemands for the economyin all countries of the world

are popularly not liked.


Yes No

Middle EastWars

12- Who was the first to be assigned with controlover the Muslim stateís treasury?

- Abu Obaida bin Al-Jarrah

LO C A LTHURSDAY, JULY 10, 2014

By Nawara Fattahova

KUWAIT: Exercising during the holy month ofRamadan is very popular in Kuwait, especiallyjogging just before iftar. Usually people like towalk on the paths in residential areas, by the sea-side and elsewhere. But since Ramadan has beenfalling in the summer during the past few years,it’s difficult to walk outdoor in the heat, so jog-ging in malls has become very popular.

360 Mall mixes fun with healthy sports by

holding a walkathon for the fifth year during thefirst 20 days of Ramadan. To participate in thisactivity, people should register at the mall free ofcharge. The walkathon takes place between 5:00pm to 6:00 pm from Sunday to Thursday. It’s opento all ages, and ends on July 17. At the end, anaward ceremony will be held for the participants.

The participants walk on all floors divided intodifferent categories. The third floor is for ladies,second floor is for interval sports, first floor is forfree walkers and the ground floor is for men. “The

participant can choose the category that suitshim/her. There are directions of the way to walkfor each category,” Farah Berjawi, AssistingMarketing Manager at 360 Mall, told KuwaitTimes.

“This activity started five years ago with 40people from the Rijeemy Health Center of DrAbdullah Al-Mutawa, who asked us to let themjog at the mall after shops close. And since then,we have been holding this activity, and today thenumber of participants has reached about 1,400.

This big number indicates the interest of peopleto practice sports and be in good health,” sheadded.

According to her, the majority of participantsare Kuwaitis, and the number of men is larger. “It’sheld between 5 and 6 pm, as this is the best timefor the body to burn fat and it’s called the goldenhour. We are holding this activity in cooperationwith the Red Crescent Society, who attend daily.We support them and help by providing facilitiesand equipment such as chairs for children in the

waiting area and others. So we provide full spon-sorship for the event,” stressed Berjawi.

360 Mall is also holding weekly entertainmentevents during the holy month. “Every Wednesday,we hold a special program for kids including a dif-ferent activity every week. This week it’s tennis.Also, every Tuesday we hold a treasure hunt, andthis week we gave away 22 gifts. People can reg-ister for free at the mall - they should be 14 yearsold and above, only for the first 100 participants,”she concluded.

Jogging in malls ‘a popular sports’ during this Ramadan

KUWAIT: ‘World Population Day’ which willbe observed on July 11 seeks to raise aware-ness on the need to offer adequate health,education and other essential services for theswiftly-rising global population numbers.

‘World Population Day’ was created by theUN Development Programme’s governingcouncil in 1989, and is currently administeredby the United Nations Population Fund(UNPF).

An alarm bell was struck after the world-wide population hit the five-billion mark andthis number is expected to dramaticallyincrease to 8 billion by 2025.

This year, the event discusses adolescentpregnancy, where for “too many adolescentgirls pregnancy has little to do with aninformed choice,” says the UNPF website.

These pregnancies are often “a conse-quence of discrimination, rights violations(including child marriage), inadequate educa-

tion or sexual coercion.”The website adds that it aims to raise

awareness “in the hopes of delivering a worldwhere every pregnancy is wanted, everychildbirth is safe, and every young person’spotential is fulfilled.”

As for the Arab world, the 2005-2009 totalaverage population rose from 316.5 million to339.5 million in 2014, with the bulk of thesepeople found across seven nations - Algeria,Egypt, Iraq, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Sudan andYemen.

Residents of the Arab world constitutearound 7pct of the total global population,estimated at about 7 billion at the end of2013.

In Kuwait, the population was recordedby the Ministry of Health’s statistics depart-ment as being around 3.72 million - including1.18 million Kuwaitis and 2.5 million non-Kuwaitis.—KUNA

Stage set for‘WorldPopulation Day’

Scholarships registrationperiod extended

KUWAIT:The General Secretariat of theCouncil of Private Universities yesterdayannounced an extension till July 15 of theregistration period for applying for internalscholarships (Diploma Programs).

Assistant Secretary General for Academicand Students Affairs in the GeneralSecretariat of the Council of PrivateUniversities, Dr Nebal Boresly said in a press

statement yesterday that the registrationperiod for those wishing to enrol in the diplo-ma programs and students wishing to trans-fer to these programs has been extended tillJuly 15. Boresly confirmed that the extensionis intended to provide an opportunity forthose who refused or were not able to applyfor undergraduate scholarship programs toapply for Diploma scholarships. —KUNA

Study toresumeKuwaitizationKUWAIT: The Civil ServiceCouncil gave orders to theCivil Service Commission toconduct a detailed study onresuming the policy ofreplacing expatriate workersin the public sector withKuwaiti manpower.

The council also calledthe commission to carry outthe study in cooperationwith the State Audit Bureau,in order to come up with reg-ulations and measures to car-ry out the replacement plancommonly known as‘Kuwaitization.’

The bureau would pro-vide information related toemployment in the publicsector, and violations to reg-ulations pertaining with thelegal maximum age for expa-triate workers, according to asource with knowledge ofthe issue. The council previ-ously set the rate of Kuwaitimanpower that state depart-ments should commit to atleast 90 percent. The studywould identify the positionswhere expatriates workershave a majority in, and pro-pose measures to replacethem with Kuwaiti workers,said the source who spoke toAl-Qabas on the condition ofanonymity.

US requests more security measures at Kuwait airport

Lawmakers meet Amir, warn of organized plot against Kuwait

KUWAIT: The Directorate General of Civil Aviationreceived a request from the United States to takenew precautionary measures and additionalinspections at Kuwait International Airport. Therequest came amid American concerns regardingthe possibility of terrorist operations in light ofthe troubled security conditions in the region,

said Saleh Al-Fadhaghi, the Operations Managerat the DGCA. Meanwhile, Fadhaghi said that theprecautionary measures taken currently at the air-port already meet American demands, addingthat they are of high level and certified by inter-national monitoring bodies. “A team from theTransportation Security Administration (TSA) in

the US visited Kuwait International Airport a cou-ple of weeks ago and praised the security meas-ures taken here,” Fadhaghi said.

He added that the DGCA signed a two-yearcontract with the International Civil AviationOrganization (ICAO) to boost security measures atthe airport.

By B Izzak

KUWAIT: National Assembly SpeakerMarzouq Al-Ghanem and 16 MPs yester-day met with HH the Amir Sheikh SabahAl-Ahmad Al-Sabah and a number ofthem spoke about moves to call theAssembly from recess to discuss whatthey described as an “organized” conspir-acy against the country. Speaking afterthe meeting, Ghanem said that “MPs willnot remain silent toward the conspiracybeing hatched against Kuwait and itsconstitutional institutions and theattempted plot against the constitution”.

Ghanem said the lawmakers listenedto the directives of the Amir about thelatest pol it ical developments andassured him that MPs will be in the front-line to defend the country and its institu-tions. The speaker said that more law-makers will meet the Amir in the comingfew days. Ghanem did not specify thenature of the conspiracy he was referringto but other MPs gave an explanation.

MP Saadoun Hammad said he willsoon start coordinating with other MPsto collect their signatures to call theAssembly from summer recess to hold

an emergency term. To hold the emer-gency term, at least 33 MPs must sign.Hammad said that what happened inKuwait recently indicates the presenceof a conspiracy against Kuwait and MPsmust shoulder their responsibi l i tybecause the conspiracy is organized.

Hammad explained that certain quar-ters exploited groups of youth andstateless people (bedoons) to take partin unlicensed demonstrations in thecountry. The lawmaker was referring toopposition-led protests that took placein the past few days to protest the arrestof opposition leader Musallam Al-Barrakwho was detained for s ix days forallegedly insulting the judiciary.

MP Youssef Al-Zalzalah said that theAmir told them that legal measures willbe taken against unlawful actions thatcould scare people. Zalzalah said thatthe Amir told the lawmakers thatauthorities will not remain silent againstany plot against the country and willprevent all forms of violence. Zalzalahsaid MPs told the Amir that the use ofyouth in demonstrations is a proof that“there are hands trying to disrupt securi-ty in the country”.


Four-member gang held for visa forgery

19 arrested in JahraKUWAIT: Immigration detectives busted visaforging network that used citizens sponsorshipswithout their knowledge in exchange of moneyreaching KD 700 per transaction, as 25 transac-tions were processed for expats the majority ofwhom are Egyptian. Security sources said the net-work is made of an ex-convict citizen, an Egyptianmandoub and two immigration employees, asinvestigations are still on to determine theirresponsibility.

Jahra arrestsA surprise campaign by Jahra police on Artal

Road resulted in the arrest of 19 men and womenincluding an American and a Dutch girl, who wereeating publicly during the day, while behavingrecklessly on the road.

Asian robbedA man claiming to be a detective robbed an

Asian and took KD 950 and his ID. The Asian whowas in Fahaheel was stopped by the man whotold him he was a detective and showed him amilitary ID, and while the Asian was getting his IDout of the wallet, he snatched it and ran away.The victim filed a complaint, and police are inves-tigating.

Phone abuseA citizen filed a case of phone abuse and

threat to harm him against a person who sent amessage to his phone. A security source said thata citizen in his 30s went to Daiya police stationand told them that while in his house, he receivedthreatening messages from an unknown phonenumber and gave the number to police, who areinvestigating.

Road accidentA 20-year-old motorist was rushed to

Farwaniya Hospital in critical condition after col-liding with a concrete barrier on Sixth Ring Roadnear Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh. The young man was driv-ing when he lost control and hit the barrier.

Right of wayCapital police arrested two men in their twen-

ties who exchanged blows and used knives overthe right of way on Gulf Road. Police took the twoto Amiri Hospital, then they were taken to Sharqpolice station for questioning.

Hysterical fit Fahd Al-Ahmad police sent a young man to

the psychiatric hospital to make sure about hiscondition after he beat his family members insidethe house and destroyed their cars during a hys-terical fit. A security source said the family calledpolice seeking help after the suspect became hys-terical following a dispute, and beat the familymembers badly, before damaging their cars.Policemen arrested him, and following question-ing, they decided to send him to the psychologi-cal hospital for evaluation.

Domestic violenceFahd Al-Ahmad police are looking for an

Egyptian in his mid-40s for beating his wife badlybefore escaping. A security source said the wife,an Egyptian in her 30s, told police her husbandbeat her after becoming angry while they werearguing about a domestic issue. The womanbrought a medical report stating that she sus-tained various bruises and cuts. She said the hus-band fled to an unknown place.

Jewellery stolenA citizen told Fahd Al-Ahmad police that his Sri

Lankan maid stole gold jewellery worth KD 2,000besides KD 500 in cash before disappearing. Asecurity source said that criminal evidence offi-cers lifted fingerprints and detectives are workingon the case.

Meals stolenA thief stole two meals and KD 90 from a deliv-

eryman on a motorcycle in Fintas. The man wasdelivering a meal before suhoor and was stoppedby a driver who forced him to hand over the mon-ey and meals before escaping. The victim filed acase at Fintas police station. Ahmadi detectivesare investigating.

Policemen insultedTwo policemen in Rawdha accused a citizen of

insulting them and making obscene gestures byhand. The two said that they pulled over a driverfor a traffic violation, then when he was asked toshow his ID, he refused and did not lower the win-dow and began gesturing with insults, so his carwas blocked, so he got out and began screamingat them.

Violation of fasting A Lebanese expat, who was in Meidan Hawally

police station holding cell smoked during the day.A security source said that the man was scream-ing inside the cell so they went to see what wasgoing on. The Lebanese told them he wants toknow why he was held, but policemen smelledcigarette smoke, then when they asked about itthe Lebanese said that he is not fasting and takesmedicine. He was charged with public violation offasting.

KUWAIT: A child received treatment for smoke inhalation he suffered in afire that gutted a first-floor apartment in Ishbiliya. Firefighters arrived at thescene in response to an emergency call, and discovered that thick smokehad reached the third floor where the child and his family lived. Firefightersevacuated the house and freed the family. Paramedics treated the childonsite. —By Hanan Al-SaadounKUWAIT: India and Kuwait enjoy histori-

cally close, warm and friendly ties. The visitof HH Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-HamadAl-Sabah, Prime Minister of Kuwait to Indiain November 2013 has imparted a newthrust to the growing India-Kuwait rela-tionship, an Indian Embassy press releasesaid yesterday. The bilateral trade turnoverhas crossed $18 billion mark during thelast financial year (April 2013 - March 14).Kuwait is India’s leading supplier of crudeoil and LPG. Both countries have long-standing ties in the arena of energy securi-ty. The current year is witnessing award ofseveral big contracts in Kuwait to Indian

companies. Shapoorji Pallonji, Mumbaihas signed a contract in April 2014 withthe Ministry of Public Works for the Al-Sabah Hospital Project worth $ 640 millionand its execution would start soon. Thiscompany is also L1 as per the CentralTenders Committee (CTC) for one of theKuwait University Projects which is worth$ 525 million.

Kuwait Petroleum Company (KPC) hasconfirmed that one of the Gas GatheringCentres EPC project worth $840 million isbeing awarded to Larsen & Toubro,Mumbai while another Gas GatheringCentre worth $810 million would be

awarded to Dodsal. L&T, Mumbai is alsoL1 for a feed pipeline project worth $ 1 bil-lion of Kuwait Oil Company (KOC). PunjLloyd, New Delhi has bagged $ 236 mil-lion KNPC’s project of revamping theAhamadi Fuel Depot which includesdesign, detailed EPC and commissioningof 11 new floating roof product tanks witha capacity of about 228,000 cubic meters.Simplex Project Ltd, Kolkata has secured asubcontract worth $ 84 million withCombined Group of Companies of Kuwaitunder which the Indian company wouldconstruct some service centres in SabahAl-Ahmad City. The Energy Resource

Institute (TERI), New Delhi is already doinga pilot project worth US$ 39 million in thefield of soil remediation with Kuwait OilCompany (KOC).

As regards foreign direct investment(FDI) from Kuwait to India, Kuwait invest-ment Authority (KIA), which manages thesovereign wealth funds of Kuwait, hasalready made an investment of about $ 2.7billion in India. KIA has further invested $5.37 million in the Power Grid Corporationof India in December 2013. Some Indianprivate companies such as GMR and KotakMahindra are in touch with KIA for attract-ing investments into India.

Growing economic, commercial relations between India, Kuwait

KUWAIT: A fire that gutted 70 public trans-portation buses in Ardiya was deliberatelystarted, according to preliminary investiga-tions, a senior official said. The lack of safetyand security procedures at the location usedby the Kuwait Public Transportation Companywere contributing factors in the event, saidMaj Gen Yousuf Al-Ansari, General Director ofthe Kuwait Fire Services Directorate.

Meanwhile, sources with knowledge of

police investigations revealed that a teenagerloaded a jerry can with fuel from a nearby gasstation, then entered the bus garage aftercutting the wires of the fence. The youth thenpoured petrol on the busses, set them on firefor unknown reasons and escaped, said thesources who spoke to Al-Qabas on the condi-tion of anonymity. The sources added thatthe suspect is expected to be identified andarrested ‘very soon’.

Search for bus arsonist

KUWAIT: The Entertainment City hosts gir-gian parties this weekend featuring variousactivities including cultural shows and vari-ous competitions.

The parties will take place today, the12th of Ramadan and tomorrow, the 13thof Ramadan, said Saqr Al-Badr, the Public

Relations and Media Manager at theTouristic Enterprises Company.

Visitors, especially children, will behanded girgian at the main entrance, Badradded. The Entertainment City welcomesvisitors during Ramadan everyday from8:30 pm to 1:30 am.

Entertainment City celebrates girgian

Saqr Al-Badr

KHARTOUM: Kuwaiti ambassador toKhartoum Talal Al-Hajri has participatedin a celebration for children with dia-betes where he took part in distributing1,000 blood sugar testing device.

This celebration was funded byKuwaiti Zakat House with participationof Patients Helping fund Society inSudan and Sudanese DiabetesAssociation.

This support is important for the chil-dren who need care and attention, anddistribution of the devices would contin-ue from the Kuwait Zakat House andpeople of Kuwait, ambassador Al-Hajrisaid in a speech.

The ambassador praised the role ofSudan’s Patients Helping fund Societyfor overseeing the hospitals establishedby the State of Kuwait in Khartoum,Kassala and Al-Abyad, in addition to thefacilities rendered by the state of Sudan.

For his part, Chairman of the Board ofDirector of the Fund Dr Mohammad Al-Hassan Abdulrahman expressed grati-tude to the state of Kuwait for the chari-ties provided by the Kuwaiti people totheir Sudanese counterparts.

Commissioner-General of theSudanese humanitarian aid MohammedAl-Sennari praised the support of theState of Kuwait and the Fund in Sudan,especially aid they provided after thefloods that swept through a number ofareas in Khartoum last year.

The device which is distributed tochildren with diabetes will cut downtheir hospital visits by 90 present,Chairman of Sudanese DiabetesAssociation Mohammad AhmadAbdullah said.

Meanwhile, the Kuwaiti InternationalIslamic Charitable Organization islaunching a campaign to aid some 1,600families in Jordan as part of the associa-tion annual Ramadan philanthropicactivities. Dr. Khalil Al-Hamad, the associ-ation supervisor in Jordan, said that theagency would distribute food parcels tothe families in various Jordanian citiesand regions.

Each parcel, weighing 30 kgs,includes 12 basic kinds of food, suffi-cient for a family for a week.

The Kuwaiti charity has also securedaid to thousands of Syrians who havetaken up refuge in the country. —KUNA

Kuwait helps diabeticchildren in Sudan

KUWAIT: Firefighters tackled a blaze at a Hawally restaurantmoments before iftar Tuesday. No injuries were reported.

—By Hanan Al-Saadoun

THURSDAY, JULY 10, 2014

Israel pounds Gaza as Hamas targets Tel Aviv, Jerusalem

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India’s Modi tightens grip on ruling party

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BAGHDAD: Shiite Muslim volunteers from the Iraqi Ketaeb (brigade) Hezbollah, march as they join the Iraqi army to fight against jihadist militants of the Islamic State (IS), formerly known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant(ISIL) yesterday. — AFP

BAGHDAD: Iraqi officials discovered over 50 bodies, many ofthem blindfolded and with their hands bound, in an agricul-tural area outside a city south of Baghdad yesterday, raisingconcerns over a possible sectarian killing amid the battleagainst a Sunni insurgency. Military spokesman Brig GenSaad Maan Ibrahim said the bodies had gunshot woundsand were found south of the city of Hillah, a predominantlyShiite city about 95 kilometers south of Baghdad.

He said an investigation was underway to determine theidentities of the dead as well as the circumstances of thekillings. The dead were all men between the ages of 25 and40, and it appeared they had been killed a few days earlierand then dumped in the remote area, said a local police offi-cer and a medical official. They spoke on condition ofanonymity because they were not authorized to brief themedia. The area south of Hillah is predominantly Shiite, butthere is a belt of Sunni-majority towns north of the city.

While the motives remain unclear, such grisly killingsharken back to the worst days of Iraq’s sectarian bloodlettingin 2006 and 2007. At that time, with a Sunni insurgency rag-ing, Shiite militias and Sunni militant groups were notoriousfor slayings of members of the other sect, and bodies werefrequently dumped along roadsides, in empty lots, ditchesand canals. As the levels of violence dropped over time, suchdiscoveries became rare. But sectarian tensions have soaredonce more, and authorities have once again begun to findunidentified bodies since the Sunni militant offensive thatswept across much of northern and western Iraq over thepast month.

The conflict the past month has taken a sharply sectariantone. The militant surge is led by the Islamic State extremistgroup, but other Sunni insurgents have joined, feeding ofanger in their minority community against the Shiite-ledgovernment. On the other side, Shiite militias have ralliedaround the government of Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki tofight back against the militant advance. Also, Shiite-dominat-ed Iran, a close ally of Al-Maliki, has also been helping Iraq’smilitary - help that is believed to include military advisers.This week, an Iranian military adviser who was helping coor-dinate among Shiite militias was killed by a roadside bombnorth of Baghdad, two Shiite militia commanders said yester-day.

The officer was killed Sunday in Salahuddin provincewhile helping organize Shiite militias in the defense of arevered Shiite shrine in the city of Samarra, 95 kilometersnorth of Baghdad. The militia commanders spoke on condi-tion of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to briefthe media. Previously, only one Iranian has been confirmedkilled in Iraq’s recent crisis - a pilot who Iran’s state newsagency said died defending holy sites in Samarra. It was notclear how he was killed, or in what capacity in was fighting inIraq.

Ex-chemical weapons siteMeanwhile, the Islamic State extremist group has taken

control of a vast former chemical weapons facility northwestof Baghdad, where remnants of 2,500 degraded chemicalrockets filled decades ago with the deadly nerve agent sarinare stored along with other chemical warfare agents, Iraqsaid in a letter circulated Tuesday at the United Nations. TheUS government played down the threat from the takeover,saying there are no intact chemical weapons and it would bevery difficult, if not impossible, to use the material for militarypurposes.

Iraq’s UN Ambassador Mohamed Ali Alhakim told UNSecretary-General Ban Ki-moon in a letter that “armed terror-ist groups” entered the Muthanna site on June 11, detainedofficers and soldiers from the protection force guarding thefacilities and seized their weapons. The following morning,the project manager spotted the looting of some equipmentvia the camera surveillance system before the “terrorists” dis-

abled it, he said.The Islamic State group, which controls parts of Syria, sent

its fighters into neighboring Iraq last month and quickly cap-tured a vast stretch of territory straddling the borderbetween the two countries. Last week, its leader, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, declared the establishment of an Islamic state, orcaliphate, in the land the extremists control. Alhakim said as a

result of the takeover of Muthanna, Iraq is unable “to fulfil itsobligations to destroy chemical weapons” because of thedeteriorating security situation. He said it would resume itsobligations “as soon as the security situation has improvedand control of the facility has been regained.”

Alhakim singled out the capture of bunkers 13 and 41 inthe sprawling complex 35 miles northwest of Baghdad in the

notorious “Sunni Triangle.” The last major report by UN inspec-tors on the status of Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction pro-gram was released about a year after the experts left in March2003. It states that Bunker 13 contained 2,500 sarin-filled 122-mm chemical rockets produced and filled before 1991, andabout 180 tons of sodium cyanide, “a very toxic chemical anda precursor for the warfare agent tabun.” — Agencies

Over 50 bodies found south of Baghdad‘Terrorists’ seize ex-chemical weapons site

I N T E R N AT I O N A L


BEIRUT: Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad decreedan amnesty last month but for tens of thousands ofprisoners, among them high-profile dissidents, thepromise of freedom is a fraud. Yara Bader, 29, hasbeen desperately waiting for word on her husbandMazen Darwish, a journalist and activist detainedsince February 2012. Her hopes that Assad’samnesty might lead to Darwish’s release are fading,as she continues to wage an uphill struggle againstdespair. “I wouldn’t want anyone to go throughwhat we have suffered,” Bader said. “The amnestygave me real hope they would be freed withinhours, but they are still in jail a month on, and it isimpossible to know what will happen next.”

Her husband was arrested with two other promi-nent political prisoners-blogger Hussein Ghreir andactivist Hani Zeitani. They have been held since aFebruary 2012 raid on the Syrian Centre for Mediaand Freedom of Expression in Damascus. Badersays she fears new charges may be brought againstthe three to prolong their detention despite themuch publicized amnesty pledge by the president.“The wait just gets harder every day,” she said. “It’s areality we have to face that, in spite of all our hopes,they may not be freed any time soon after all.”

Human rights groups say some 100,000 peoplehave been detained since the uprising againstAssad’s rule erupted in March 2011, which escalat-ed into an armed rebellion after the regimeunleashed a brutal crackdown. Another 50,000 arebelieved to be held by the regime’s myriad of mili-tary intelligence branches. On June 9, after securinga new term in a controversial election held in gov-ernment-controlled areas only, Assad issued anamnesty that should have freed tens of thousandsof prisoners. Crucially, many of those detained

under the anti-terror legislation the regime hasused to lock up its opponents, armed or not, shouldhave been set free. But lawyers say less than 1,500people have been released, very few of them politi-cal activists or other civilians caught up in raids.

Horrific conditionsLama Fakih, researcher at Human Rights Watch,

said: “The Syrian government’s failure to releasepeople, and their continuing to hold them in horrif-ic conditions is something that should be con-demned.” She told AFP: “It appears the amnesty wasissued in a bid to gain legitimacy. Praise is not due.”Fakih added: “With some exceptions, it appearsmainly those who were released had been held fornon-political reasons. The important thing toremember is that these people should not havebeen detained to begin with.” Syrian human rightsactivist Sema Nassar said Assad’s amnesty promisewas a “fraud”. “It’s absurd that the decree got somuch attention, considering how small the num-bers have been in comparison to those still held,”she said. “Take the instance of (opposition bastion)Daraya, near Damascus. Some 3,000 people fromthat town alone are currently in jail, all over accusa-tions connected to the uprising. Only 20 of them,including one woman, have been released in thepast month.” Many of those released were rebelcommanders or soldiers who were suspected ofwanting to defect from the army. “This is not anamnesty, it’s a military operation. The amnesty wasan incentive for fighters to hand over their weaponsand to stop battling the government,” Nassar said.Of the better known dissidents in jail, only a hand-ful, including veteran regime critic Jalal Nawfal andyoung activist Hazem Waked, have been freed.

“Meanwhile, the raids and arbitrary arrest cam-paigns have by no means stopped, nor have tortureand other violations,” Nassar said. Yesterday,activists reported the death under torture in aDamascus jail of Mohammad Zreik, who was in hisearly 20s. Zreik was picked up some 18 months agofor his non-violent political and humanitarianactivism, according to his friend Fares Ahmed,

reached via the Internet. “Many people loved him.He used to help people escape when the securityforces stormed protests,” said Ahmed. Earlier thisyear, UN human rights chief Navi Pillay condemnedthe “routine” use of torture in Syrian prisons. Torturein times of conflict constitutes a “war crime”, and itssystematic use may amount to a “crime againsthumanity”, Pillay said.—AFP

For thousands still in Assad jails, amnesty a ‘fraud’

ALEPPO: A man cries as he tends to a victim of a reportedly bomb barrel attack by the Syrian air-force, in the eastern Shaar neighborhood of the city of Aleppo yesterday. — AFP

GAZA: Palestinian youths ride a donkey cart past a model of a Gaza Strip made M75 rocket displayed on a mainstreet in Gaza City yesterday. — AFP

JERUSALEM: Israel significantlybroadened its campaign against Gazayesterday after militants fired atJerusalem and Tel Aviv in their biggestconfrontation since 2012, raising fearsof a major Israeli ground offensive. Itwas the most serious flare-up in andaround the Gaza Strip sinceNovember 2012 and came as Israelstruggled to contain a wave of nation-wide unrest over the grisly murder ofa Palestinian teenager by Jewishextremists. Washington, Brussels anda growing number of Arab states havedemanded an immediate halt to theviolence which is threatening toexpand into a wider conflict in aregion already bristling with tension.

Since Operation Protective Edgebegan in the early hours of Tuesday,Israel warplanes have bombed 430targets in Gaza, and Hamas militantshave hit back with 117 rockets, someof which struck Jerusalem and Tel Avivand as far away as Hadera, 116 kilo-meters to the north. So far, 32Palestinians have been killed, amongthem militants but also women andchildren. More than 230 have beenwounded. As dawn broke, residents ofthe northern Beit Hanun pickedthrough the bloodstained rubble of ahouse struck by a missile, killing anIslamic Jihad commander and his fam-ily.

“We didn’t see the rocket thatcame down on us,” said Yunis Hamdwho lost six family members in thestrike, which left a vast crater. “It killedall of them,” he said. “ This is puredestruction by F-16 aircraft againstchildren and civilians, and the wholeworld just sits watching,” said hisneighbor Yasser Abu Awda, whosehouse was also destroyed. “No onesays anything, not even Arabs andMuslims. We are under siege and noone cares.” So far, neither side hasshown any sign of backing down, asIsrael stepped up its preparations for apossible ground assault, approvingthe call up of 40,000 reservists.

‘Broaden the assault’Overnight, Israeli warplanes

bombed 160 targets across Gaza, hit-ting concealed rocket launchers,Hamas command and control centersand many tunnels, militaryspokesman General Moti Almoz toldarmy radio. “Over the last two days we

attacked a total of about 430 targets.We are at the start of the second dayof an operation which is widening,” hesaid. Israel’s security cabinet hasordered the military to “significantbroaden” its assault on Hamas, a min-ister said yesterday. “We didn’t limitthe campaign in terms of time, in factwe ordered the IDF (army) to signifi-cantly broaden the attacks on Hamas,”Interior Minister Gideon Saar toldarmy radio.

“We’re ready for every possibility,including a ground operation if neces-sary, although it’s not going to be thefirst step. But there is a readiness forthat and that’s why we ordered thecall-up of 40,000 reserve soldiers,” hesaid. Early yesterday, another fiverockets struck southern Israel, andtwo more were shot down by the IronDome anti-missile system over the TelAviv area, the army said, correctingearlier media reports of five. There

was also an ongoing incident inKerem Shalom, location of the maingoods crossing between Israel andsouthern Gaza, the army’s officialspokesman said, but refused to givefurther details.

The current round of violencebegan on June 12 when militants inthe West Bank kidnapped and mur-dered three Israeli teenagers, prompt-ing a major crackdown on Hamas,whom Israel blamed for the killings. Inresponse, militants in Gaza, whereHamas has its stronghold, fired agrowing number of rockets over theborder, prompting Israel to launchOperation Protective Edge in the earlyhours of July 8. What started as anescalation along the Gaza frontier rap-idly expanded as night fell on Tuesdaywith a barrage of rockets on centralIsrael, where sirens sent thousandsbolting for the bomb shelters in andaround Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. —AFP

Israel pounds Gaza; Hamas targets Tel Aviv, Jerusalem

Gaza toll hits 32 as Israel keeps up air strikes

Syrian opposition elects El-Bahra as new leader

ISTANBUL: The main exiled Syrianopposition group yesterday electedSaudi-based businessman Hadi El-Bahraas its new president in a bid to endinternal divisions and breathe fresh lifeinto its flagging struggle to oustPresident Bashar Al-Assad. The SyrianNational Coalition, the main exiledopposition group seeking the over-throw of Assad, will be hoping El-Bahraenjoys greater success than his prede-cessor Ahmad Jarba in keeping up thepressure on the regime. “Hadi El-Bahrawas elected president of the coalitionwith 62 votes,” the coalition said in astatement after the early morning voteat the meeting in the Black Sea resort ofSile outside Istanbul in Turkey.

His nearest rival, MowafaqNayrabiyeh, won 41 votes, while WalidEl-Omari won just three votes, it added.Delegates are expected to return later

to elect a vice president and a secretarygeneral while el-Bahra is also expectedto give a press conference. El-Bahra willhave the task of keeping alive the cam-paign to unseat Assad amid territorialgains by the regime and the rise of theradical jihadist group Islamic State,which the coalition vehemently oppos-es. Jarba headed the coalition from July2013 but failed in efforts to unite theopposition and obtain significantWestern military support.

El-Bahra was born in Damascus in1959 and studied industrial engineeringin the United States, according to thecoalition’s website. He speaks Englishfluently. But he has spent most of hisadult life in Saudi Arabia, where he hasmanaged several hospitals and busi-nesses and still lives. He headed theopposition negotiating team in its dele-gation to the failed Geneva 2 talks

between the opposition and the regimein Switzerland earlier this year. In aninterview with AFP at those talks, El-Bahra reaffirmed he was determined toreach a political solution, saying that theopposition was “not looking to seekpower or impose an opinion”.

El-Bahra is softly-spoken yet he hasfrequently publicly denounced humanrights violations by the Assad regime, aswell as the international community’sfailure to step up assistance to theSyrian people. The Syrian opposition hasbeen riven by internal conflicts linked todisputes between its main foreign spon-sors, notably Saudi Arabia and its influ-ential Gulf Arab neighbor Qatar. But itsmembers are now trying to reach a con-sensus and end the feuding which hasexasperated the West and anti-AssadSyrians tired of being manipulated byoutside powers. —AFP

JERUSALEM: Three Israeli teenagers who were abducted by Palestinians in theoccupied West Bank last month were shot at least 10 times with a silenced gun inwhat appeared to be premeditated killings, a US official involved in the investi-gation said. The disclosure clashed with speculation by some Israeli andPalestinian commentators that the captors intended to take hostages for a pris-oner exchange but panicked and shot them.

The killing of the three Jewish seminary students followed the collapse of US-brokered peace talks in April. One of them, 16-year-old Naftali Fraenkel, alsoheld American citizenship. Israeli police believe the killings led far-right Jews tokidnap and burn to death a Palestinian youth in revenge, and the incident alsocontributed to an eruption of three weeks of clashes between Hamas fighters inthe Gaza Strip and the Israeli military.

Missing since hitch-hiking home on June 12, their bodies were discovered onJune 30. Israel blamed Hamas for their deaths but the Palestinian Islamist grouphas neither confirmed nor denied the allegation. One of the three Israelis, Gil-AdShaer, 16, telephoned police and said “They’ve kidnapped me!” after he, Fraenkeland 19-year-old Eyal Yifrah got into a car which investigators suspect was drivenby a Hamas militant posing as a religious Jew. A second disguised gunman sat inthe front passenger seat. A US official involved in the probe said the FBI, whosemandate includes Americans abducted abroad, received a recording of the dis-tress call from Israel within days and sent it for audio analysis in the UnitedStates. Distorted, tinny reports heard on the tape after an Arabic-accented malevoice shouts “Head down!” in response to Shaer’s attempt to raise the alarm werefound to be consistent with shots from a silenced firearm, the US official said.“There were 10 gunshots,” added the official, who spoke to Reuters on conditionof anonymity. The use of a silencer led US investigators to believe the captorsplanned to kill the three teenagers from the outset, the US official said. Israeliofficials declined to respond to the American account of the investigation, sayingit was still ongoing. “We haven’t even caught the kidnappers yet, so we’re notgoing public with anything more now,” said an official with the Shin Bet securityservice, which is in charge of the case.— Reuters

Kidnapped Israelis shot 10 times with a silenced gun

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WASHINGTON: The FBI and National SecurityAgency monitored the emails of prominentMuslim-American activists, academics and apolitical candidate, according to a report co-authored by journalist Glenn Greenwald. Thereport appearing in the online news site TheIntercept said the surveillance was authorizedby a secret intelligence court under proce-dures intended to locate spies and terroristsuspects. The report, citing documents in anNSA spreadsheet leaked by former contractorEdward Snowden, showed the emails of theindividuals, but not their names. The Interceptsaid it identified at least five persons, allAmerican citizens, based on their emailaddresses.

They were Faisal Gill, a longtimeRepublican Party operative and one-time can-didate for public office; Asim Ghafoor, anattorney who has represented clients in ter-rorism-related cases; Hooshang Amirahmadi,an Iranian-American professor at Rutgers

University; Agha Saeed, a civil liberties activistand former professor at California StateUniversity; and Nihad Awad, the executivedirector of the Council on American-IslamicRelations. According to the report byGreenwald and Murtaza Hussain, the spread-sheet shows 7,485 email addresses listed asmonitored between 2002 and 2008. Many ofthe emails appeared to belong to foreignerssuspected of being linked to Al-Qaeda,including Anwar Al-Awlaki, the Yemeni-American cleric killed in a 2011 drone strike.

But the journalists’ investigation also founda number of US citizens monitored in thismanner, which requires an order from thesecret intelligence court based on evidencelinking them to espionage or terrorist activi-ties. US officials, responding to the report,said communications are only monitored witha “legitimate foreign intelligence or counterin-telligence purpose.”“It is entirely false that USintelligence agencies conduct electronic sur-

veillance of political, religious or activist fig-ures solely because they disagree with publicpolicies or criticize the government, or forexercising constitutional rights,” said a jointstatement from the Justice Department andoffice of the Director of National Intelligence.

“Unlike some other nations, the UnitedStates does not monitor anyone’s communi-cations in order to suppress criticism or to putpeople at a disadvantage based on their eth-nicity, race, gender, sexual orientation or reli-gion.” The statement added that a court orderfor any surveillance of this kind requires“probable cause, based on specific facts,”which indicate that the person “is an agent ofa foreign power, a terrorist, a spy, or someonewho takes orders from a foreign power.” “NoUS person can be the subject of surveillancebased solely on First Amendment activities,such as staging public rallies, organizing cam-paigns, writing critical essays, or expressingpersonal beliefs,” the statement added.—AFP

FBI and NSA ‘snooped’ on Muslim-American leadersSurveillance authorized by secret intelligence court

WASHINGTON: US military officers are stillunsure if the F-35 fighter will be cleared tomake its debut at a British air show nextweek, a potentially damaging setback forthe costly program. The Joint Strike Fighterhas been touted as a technical marvel butthe fleet remains grounded as authoritiesinvestigate what caused an engine fire lastmonth for one of the aircraft, the Pentagonsaid on Tuesday.

Officials had viewed the July 14-20Farnborough International Air Show as apromising opportunity to show off the newplane before a global audience in Britain-acountry that has invested heavily in theproject. But the coming-out party may becalled off over safety concerns, officials said.“There has not been a decision made onthat yet,” Pentagon spokesman RearAdmiral John Kirby told reporters whenasked whether the plane would fly at theevent as planned. “I think certainly we’d bedisappointed if we weren’t able to take it toFarnborough. “That said, safety’s got to bepriority number one, and it is. And nobodywants to rush these aircraft back into the airbefore we know exactly what happened.”

Four F-35Bs, the vertical take-off version

designed for the US Marine Corps, weresupposed to feature in the air show, includ-ing one aircraft belonging to Britain that isundergoing tests in the United States.Both the US Air Force and Navy last weekordered a halt to all F-35 flights followingthe June 23 engine fire to allow for inspec-tions of all the aircraft. The blaze broke outat the rear of the plane on the runway dur-ing takeoff at Eglin Air Force Base inFlorida, according to the Air Force. Thepilot managed to exit the jet safely and thefire was put out, but officials have yet tosay what exactly triggered the problem.

‘Fully committed’The incident raised fresh questions

about the F-35 program and whether it candeliver as a game-changing stealth fighter.The most expensive weapons project in UShistory has been plagued by repeateddelays and cost overruns. The program’scosts have swelled to nearly $400 billionfor more than 2,000 aircraft, with eachplane costing $160 million. The engine firecame just as the program appeared to begaining a more solid footing, with officialspointing to progress in keeping costs

under control and staying on schedule.Kirby said military leaders had full confi-dence in the aircraft and that DefenseSecretary Chuck Hagel was due to pay avisit on Thursday to the Eglin base wherethe engine fire took place. “The secretary’svisit particularly at this time sends a strongmessage to our international partners thatthe United States remains fully committedto the F-35 program,” he said.

Defense officials told AFP it was possiblethat three of the four planes could takepart at Farnborough toward the end of theshow, if aviation authorities conclude thereis no serious risk to safety. “There’s stillsome time to make a decision,” said an offi-cial who spoke on condition of anonymity.Officials had originally planned for the F-35B aircraft to participate this weekend in amil itar y aviation display, the RoyalInternational Air Tattoo, but it was unclearif authorities would be ready to take a deci-sion in time. British military aviation rulesare stricter than US regulations and it islooking increasingly unlikely that theBrit ish-owned F-35B-now at Eglin inFlorida-would make the trip across theAtlantic Ocean, officials said.—AFP

COLORADO: US President Barack Obama hugs Kalynne May Arrick from Tyler, Texas,after learning that her older brother Marine Sgt Kenneth May had been killed inAfghanistan, at a pub in Denver, Colorado. — AFP

WASHINGTON: Afghanistan’s capricious poli-tics and fresh claims of poll fraud Tuesdayclouded President Barack Obama’s search for a“responsible” exit from Afghanistan by year’send. The United States, which pointedlystayed mute during two rounds of voting forAfghanistan’s next president, swung intoaction as claims of mass electoral irregularitiesthreatened the country’s first democratictransfer of power-in which Washington has ahuge stake. At a perilous moment forAfghanistan, Obama made an unusual call toAbdullah Abdullah Monday, the candidatealleging he was cheated out of power by massstuffing of ballot boxes. Then Obama followedup with a call Tuesday to Abdullah’s rivalAshraf Ghani.

Secretary of State John Kerry is meanwhileexpected in Kabul soon, as Washington pushesfor an expeditious audit of the election. Fornow, the administration’s priority is makingsure that a fair and transparent result emergesfrom the messy electoral process, to avoid thepolitical and tribal meltdown that would spelldisaster for hopes of a smooth end to America’slongest war. Already beset with critiques thathis withdrawal from Iraq left a vacuum exploit-ed by jihadists, Obama’s legacy could not beara compromised departure from Afghanistan,where more than 2,300 American lives werelost.

Troop agreements keyThe United States aims to replace US com-

bat troops with a training mission and complet-ing its Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) andAfghanistan’s companion deal with NATO gov-erning the scope of the post-2014 mission iskey. NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh

Rasmussen emerged from talks with Obama atthe White House with a clear warning thatAfghanistan must not allow political turmoil todelay the already tardy closing of the deals. Ifthey are not signed before the NATO summitset for September in Wales, “we would be facedwith severe problems as regards planning for atraining mission after 2014,” he said. The WhiteHouse has repeatedly warned that if there is noBSA there will be no US troops but is content towait ... for a while.

Pentagon spokesman Colonel StevenWarren told AFP there had never been a settime line for Afghanistan to close the deal,which outgoing President Hamid Karzairefused to sign despite intense US pressure. “Ofcourse, we’re concerned ... but we still havetime,” Warren said. Most likely the political dra-ma will play itself out and allow NATO time toprepare a proper transfer of mission. “Evenassuming the process is delayed until thebeginning of September in terms of the signa-ture, I suspect that the US and the InternationalSecurity Assistance Force will manage to takethe remaining actions within the remainingmonths of the year,” said Mark Schneider, vicepresident of the International Crisis Group.

Risk of ‘dangerous times’On the political front, White House officials

privately said Afghanistan’s IndependentElection Commission had the capacity to probeirregularities and certify the election in time forthe planned August 2 inauguration. One offi-cial reiterated that both Abdullah and Ghani,who won preliminary results of the secondround of voting, have committed to signing theBSA-which will govern an initial force of nearly10,000 foreign troops.—AFP

Afghan poll feud threatens Obama’s smooth exit hopes

US F-35’s debut at British air show in doubt



REICHLING: A woman in a red raincoat is pictured through a window covered withraindrops as she rides her bike near Reichling, southern Germany yesterday. —AP

ANDRYCHOW: The Roma have never got onparticularly well with their neighbors in thisPolish town, but they cannot remember thingsbeing as bad as they are now. What has changedis that radical nationalists showed up inAndrychow last month in what may be the startof efforts to emulate allies in the Jobbik partyfrom Hungary, which has exploited anti-Romasentiment there to widen its electoral appealand become the most powerful far-right move-ment in eastern Europe.

The Polish gameplan involved RobertWinnicki, a far-right leader from Warsaw withpersonal ties to Jobbik, attending a protest inAndrychow where he said all the 100 or so eth-nic Roma living in the southern town of 20,000should be driven out. At the rally, 30 km fromwhere the Nazis killed over a million Jews, Romaand others at Auschwitz, supporters of a localsoccer club chanted “Cyganie raus!” - an echo ofthe German “Juden raus”, or Jews out, using thePolish for Gypsy.

Jobbik and Winnicki’s Ruch Narodowy, orNational Movement, deny inciting racial hatredin Andrychow. And they dismiss suggestionsthat Jobbik, which took 21 percent of the vote inApril’s parliamentary election, is pushing itsagenda in Poland. But they do call it an inspira-tion to its small Polish ally. Roman Kwiatkowski,head of the Association of Roma in Poland, saysAndrychow is the first case he has seen inPoland of far-right parties stoking anti-Romafeeling in this way: “It is very dangerous,” he toldReuters. “It does not allow us to look to thefuture with confidence.” Roma residents saidthey had kept their children from school inrecent weeks and stayed home after dark for fearof attack.

Few see Ruch Narodowy, which took 1.4 per-cent in May’s EU election, gaining the kind ofclout Jobbik has in Budapest. It tapped in toresentment of Hungary’s 6.5 percent Romaminority - part of an ethnic community of some10 million scattered across Europe and long dis-criminated against. Poland’s Roma number onlyabout 50,000, or 0.13 percent of its population.Nonetheless, events in Andrychow indicate thatJobbik - snubbed even by many west Europeanfar-right parties as anti-Semitic and racist - isspreading its ideology beyond Hungary’s bor-

ders, in this case to Poland, by far the biggestand most influential ex-Soviet bloc state in theEuropean Union.

Soccer fansJobbik, now Hungary’s second strongest par-

ty, has been using its domestic success to buildcontacts and share tactics around easternEurope, alarming rights campaigners. Yet untilnow there has been little hard evidence of theimplementation elsewhere of tactics that includ-ing seize on incidents of violence in poor townsbetween Roma and others. Jobbik’s usual tactichas been to hold rallies blaming Roma for crimeand other social grievances. And they recruitlocal youths into vigilante patrols with the statedaim of protecting citizens from the Roma.

In Andrychow, the Jobbik playbook fromHungary seems to be being implementedalmost move for move. Early in June, locals say, apregnant Roma woman was attacked as shewalked in the street. Soon after, two young eth-nic Poles were beaten up in what many residentsassumed was a Roma revenge attack. Angererupted. Supporters of the local soccer club,Beskid Andrychow, set up a page on Facebook.It published accounts of what it said were violentattacks by Roma, and photographs of ethnicPoles it said had been beaten up. The page hasnow been “liked” by 14,182 people. One postread: “We’re not going to sit quietly and pretendthat everything is OK. We are shouting long andloud: enough of Gypsy impunity!”

Gypsies out!On June 13, about 200 people, many of

them young soccer fans, held a rally in a tree-lined square in the centre of Andrychow. It wasthere that some chanted “Cyganie raus!”Winnicki of Ruch Narodowy said at the protest:“We have been dealing here for several yearswith a terror by the Gypsy minority for whichthe town authorities and the police have noanswer. “The town should expel the wholeGypsy group.” In the days that followed, groupsof men in white shirts began “civil protectionpatrols”, roaming the streets each evening. Onestudent and soccer fan who took part said theyhad been discontinued after succeeding inending violence by Roma. “They have seen that

they cannot get away with everything like itwas before,” he said. He did not want to beidentified for fear he might be penalized for hispart in the patrols.

Night-time vigilParty officials from Jobbik and Ruch

Narodowy said that the events in Andrychowwere a spontaneous, grassroots upsurge ofanger. The politicians were only there to help,they said. But they acknowledge that theexample of how Jobbik grew on the back ofanti-Roma sentiment may have been an influ-ence: “I think that the organizers may haveviewed certain successes in Hungary as aninspiration,” said Winnicki.

Andrychow holds an election for mayor laterthis year and Roma community leaders fear thefar-right may use the tensions to get their can-didate elected - as Jobbik did in Hungary.Winnicki said he could not rule out that theparty might bid for the office. Tamas Fodor, aJobbik activist who was in Warsaw this monthfor meetings with like-minded Poles, said hismovement was not giving recommendationsto anyone in Poland. “But if they see somethingthat worked in Hungary, they can use it,” hesaid. Who inspired the far-right surge inAndrychow does not matter much to the Romafamilies gathered in the backyard of their apart-ment building on Stefan Batory Street, on theoutskirts of the town. They are just scared.

They said the patrols by soccer fans were stillgoing on at weekends. They only went out atnight to get essentials from the shops and thennever alone. One man, Rafal Strauss, said thecommunity had started keeping their childrenhome from school. Two Roma woman said theyhad heard that ethnic Poles in at least local twoapartment blocks had submitted petitions tothe city authorities asking that Roma neighborsbe moved out - an assertion that could not beverified. Another Roma man, MieczyslawPankowski, said he was now too scared to takehis 7-year-old disabled daughter for treatmentin a nearby town and the family lived in fear ofattacks at night: “We take it in turns to keepwatch,” he said. “We’re frightened to go to sleepin case someone throws a bottle through thewindow.” —Reuters

Outside forces fuel anti-Roma tension Roma live in fear as vigilantes patrol Polish streets

BERNE: More immigrants from the EuropeanUnion entered Switzerland than ever before in2013, the year before Swiss voters put theircountry at odds with Brussels by backing a capon immigration from the bloc. A net 66,200 EUcitizens emigrated to Switzerland last year, thehighest number since a free movement ofpeople pact came into force in 2002, the StateSecretariat for Economics (SECO) said in itsannual report which examines the effect ofthe agreement on the Swiss economy.

The SECO figures pre-date February’s sur-prise vote in favor of imposing tighter immi-gration controls following a campaign whichtapped into fears that Swiss culture is beingeroded by foreigners, who account for nearly aquarter of the population. Switzerland said lastmonth it would introduce immigration quotasfor EU citizens from 2017, sparking a sharpreaction from the European Union which dis-missed the plans as incompatible with thepact that guarantees the free movement ofworkers.

The SECO report said limits on immigration,given Switzerland’s current economic anddemographic conditions, could have negativerepercussions on the country’s growth poten-tial and labor market, while the department’sdirector praised the impact of the free-move-ment pact. “Whatever its fate may be, the cur-rent free movement of people agreement hasstrengthened the competitiveness of busi-nesses in Switzerland and has enabled theSwiss economy to post above-average growthin recent years,” SECO Director Marie-GabrielleIneichen-Fleisch told journalists in Berne.

More than 60 percent of the Europeanimmigrants came to Switzerland to work, the

SECO said. When immigration from non-EUcountries is included the net figure stood at88,000 people, it said. Since the financial crisisin 2008 the number of workers coming fromsouthern and eastern European memberstates has increased, the report also found. Inthe early years of the free-movement pact, theimmigration balance was characterized byGermans coming into the country.

The immigration initiative, which passed byfewer than 20,000 votes, has deeply unsettledthe Swiss business establishment and theSECO report found net immigration is closelylinked to Switzerland’s economic growth.Georg Lutz, political science professor at theUniversity of Lausanne, said Switzerland’s needfor workers from abroad was nothing new andwould continue for the foreseeable future.“Switzerland has been an immigration countryfor the last 50 years roughly,” Lutz said. “If youlook at the demographics, Switzerland willneed immigrants to keep the economy going.”

The EU intake in 2013 represented around0.8 percent of Switzerland’s roughly 8.1 millionpopulation. According to figure from theFederal Department for Statistics, the numberof foreign residents has risen by just over 30percent since 2002. The increase in Swiss resi-dents over the same period is a little morethan 6 percent. Lutz said he was convinced thegovernment would find a solution to theimmigration question that would not do toomuch harm to the Swiss economy and thatwomen could be a solution to any resultingskills shortage. He said: “There is still a hugedrop-out rate, compared to other countries,for women from the work force when theyhave children.” —Reuters

EU immigration into Switzerland hit record high

DONETSK: Ukrainian President PetroPoroshenko was to face renewed Europeanpressure yesterday to talk to pro-Russianrebels on a truce as Kiev tightened its griparound jittery rebel stronghold Donetsk.French President Francois Hollande andGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel wereexpected to push the Western-backed leaderon a ceasefire in three-way telephone talksbut Kiev has until now shrugged off calls tohalt an offensive that has reclaimed a stringof key rebel towns.

Dressed in military fatigues Poroshenkoon Tuesday made a triumphant visit to thevanquished rebel bastion of Slavyansk wheregovernment troops raised the national flaglast week after pro-Moscow insurgents fledin the face of a fierce onslaught. Poroshenkotold reporters he would only speak “to thereal masters of (the eastern region of )Donbass-the steel workers and miners, peo-ple who hold the most power” in the conflictzone.

The resurgent leader promised to winback “very soon” the regional capitals ofDonetsk and Lugansk but the rebels are dig-ging in and have pledged to battle on.Ukraine’s military says it controls all routes inand out of the cities and a spokesman forKiev’s National Security and Defense Councilwarned a plan was in place that would givethe rebels an “unpleasant surprise.” InDonetsk-an industrial city of some 1 millionpeople-fears are mounting among the popu-lation that the mining hub will face clashessimilar to the ones that gutted the city’s air-port in May.

Eyewitnesses told AFP that aircraft carriedout strikes on an abandoned mine whererebels are based in the western outskirts ofthe city. Rebel military chief Igor Strelkov-whom Kiev accuses of being a Moscow intel-ligence operative-said fighters were workingto reinforce the weak defenses aroundDonetsk and bolster their numbers. “We aretaking urgent measures to prepare Donetskfor battle,” Stelkov was reported as telling theinsurgent’s TV station yesterday by Russia’sstate ITAR-TASS news agency. Poroshenko-who signed a historic political and trade dealwith the EU last month-tore up a 10-dayceasefire on July 1 because of uninterruptedrebel attacks that claimed the lives of morethan 20 Ukrainian troops.

Diplomatic tug-of-warUneasy EU leaders are hoping that a

new truce and a Kremlin promise not tomeddle can take pressure off the bloc toadopt sweeping sanctions that could dam-age their own strong energy and financialbonds with Russia. Russian PresidentVladimir Putin was to discuss the Ukrainecrisis yesterday with Italian Foreign MinisterFederica Mogherini who is visiting Moscowafter Rome took over the EU’s rotating pres-

idency. The Kremlin has been unusuallysilent since the string of military advancesby Kiev with analysts saying that Putincould be distancing himself from the rebelsdespite calls from hawks to send troopsacross the border. Washington meanwhilehas consistently backed the stepped-upcampaign being waged by Ukrainiantroops and irregular forces sincePoroshenko’s promise after his election inMay to quickly quash an uprising that hascost nearly 500 lives and inflamed East-West ties.

The United States views Ukraine’s terri-

torial integrity as vital to European securityand important to halting Putin’s seemingambition to resurrect a tsarist or post-Soviet empire. Poroshenko on Tuesday dis-missed the man who had headed Kiev’sself-proclaimed “anti-terrorist operation”since its launch on April 13 and replacedhim with Vasyl Grytsak-a career securityservice officer. The reshuffle was one of sev-eral in the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU)and appeared to represent an attempt byPoroshenko to place trusted associates intop positions rather than any change in tac-tic in the campaign. —AFP

Ukraine tightens grip on pro-Russian rebels

SLAVYANSK: The fins of a mortar shell lay on a piece of cloth infront of a destroyed house in the village of Semyonovka yesterday,during fierce battles between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russianmilitants. —AFP

Somalia’s president sacks security chiefs

MOGADISHU: Somalia’s president sacked his police and intelligence chiefs yesterday afterIslamist Shebab fighters launched a major assault against his palace for the second time thisyear. “Both the police and intelligence chiefs were replaced, and the minister for the nationalsecurity was named,” Information Minister Mustafa Duhulow said. Recent Shebab attackshave targeted key areas of Somalia’s government or the security forces, apparently to dis-credit claims the authorities are winning the war against the Islamists.

A Shebab spokesman confirmed that the group was behind the attack late on Tuesday,and claimed their commandos had managed to seize President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’soffice inside the compound known as Villa Somalia. However, government dismissed theirclaims, saying the Al-Qaeda-linked gunmen had been killed near the entrance of the com-pound. “Of the four attackers, three were killed in the car park and one was captured,”Duhulow said. A security official had told AFP earlier that at least nine attackers wereinvolved, and had all been killed. They had been dressed in government army uniforms.

Bomb disposal experts detonated several explosive devices, “including a suicide vestthat one attacker was wearing that had failed to detonate,” Duhulow added. Mohamud,who was not in the complex at the time of the attack, later delivered a defiant messageclose to the charred wreckage of the car bomb that gunmen used in their attempt to stormthe compound. “I am here to stay, with Allah’s will... I say to them, you will not kill us, and norwill you demolish our spirit,” Mohamud said, also thanking the 22,000-strong African Unionforce who helped battle the attackers and guard the president. —AFP

NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister NarendraModi tightened his grip on the reins of poweryesterday after the appointment of his mosttrusted aide, Amit Shah, as president of the rul-ing Hindu nationalist party. Shah, who hasknown Modi since the 1980s in their home stateof Gujarat, is seen as a shrewd political organizerand tactician credited with delivering Modi’shuge election victory in May. He is also contro-versial, having been censured during the elec-tion for inflammatory comments after anti-Muslim riots and he faces murder and extortioncharges dating back to his time as home minis-ter in Gujarat.

“From today and with immediate effect, AmitShah will take over as the BJP (Bharatiya JanataParty) president,” outgoing president RajnathSingh, who has been named India’s home minis-ter, told reporters. Modi and Singh congratulat-ed Shah after the announcement at BJP head-quarters in New Delhi, giving him a giantmarigold garland and feeding him sweets infront of media in a traditional gesture of celebra-tion. “Amit Bhai started his journey as an ordi-nary Karyakarta (worker) & has repeatedlyproven himself through tireless hard work &determination,” Modi tweeted, adding thatunder Shah’s leadership the party wouldbecome stronger.

Modi, who campaigned on a platform ofclean government and economic development,won the biggest mandate in 30 years in theApril-May national elections. Shah, 50, is credit-ed with clinching victory for the BJP in the elec-torally critical state of Uttar Pradesh where hewas chief strategist. Like Modi and Singh, theportly and bearded Shah rose through the ranksof the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), agrassroots organization seen as the ideologicalfountainhead of the BJP, committed to defend-

ing India’s Hindu culture. Shah, who was appointed by the party’s cen-

tral parliamentary board, has denied criminalcharges against him, including allegedly order-

ing extra-judicial killings carried out by policeand running an extortion racket with police inGujarat. Political analyst Amulya Ganguli saidModi now had “virtual control over the party andgovernment”, adding that he had successfully

removed the normally influential RSS from thedecision-making process for party president.“This is the first time that the RSS was not in thepicture, something never seen before. Modi has

established full control,” Delhi-based Gangulisaid. The appointment comes as the BJP gearsup for elections in four states, including westernMaharashtra and tense Jammu and Kashmir, thecountry’s only Muslim-majority state. —AFP

I N T E R N AT I O N A LTHURSDAY, JULY 10, 2014

SANAA: Yemeni authorities yesterdayaccused Shiite rebels of “atrocities” in thenorthern city of Amran, which theyseized in a major advance towards thecapital. In the thick of a bumpy politicaltransition, Yemen is also grappling withan Al-Qaeda threat as well as a separatistmovement in the south. Amran, 50 kilo-meters north of Sanaa, has sinceFebruary been the scene of fightingbetween troops and Huthi rebels, as well

as tribes on both sides, as the rebelsadvanced from their mountain strong-holds towards the capital. Home to anestimated 120,000 people, the city fellinto rebel hands on Tuesday after a three-day battle which has uprooted some10,000 families, according to the RedCrescent. By seizing Amran, the rebelshave made a major advance towards thecapital, posing a threat to PresidentAbdrabuh Mansur Hadi’s government.

Huthi Shiite rebels, known asAnsarullah, “stormed the headquarters ofthe 310th Armoured Brigade, lootedweapons and equipment there, and killeda number of soldiers and officers,” saidYemen’s Supreme Security Committee,quoted by state news agency Saba. It saidthey had also taken over governmentheadquarters in the town. A presidentialcommittee which has negotiated severalceasefires with the rebels said Ansarullah

had violated an agreement for the army towithdraw from the city. Under the deal,the military police was to replace soldiersof the 310th Armored Brigade as rebelswithdrew from government headquartersthey had seized.

But the rebels “did not comply with theagreement and attacked the brigade’sheadquarters and committed terrifyingatrocities,” it charged. The security commit-tee held the rebels responsible for the

safety of the armored brigade’s command-er, General Hamid al-Qushaibi, and “all sol-diers and officers” they have captured.Residents told AFP that rebels had alsoarrested supporters of the Sunni Islamistparty Al-Islah, whose gunmen foughtalongside the army.

But the city was quiet yesterday, resi-dents said, and authorities have so far notannounced any offensive to drive out therebels. —AFP

Yemen accuses Shiite rebels of ‘atrocities’

KANDAHAR: Afghan security forces stand near the bodies of insurgents after a suicide attack in Kandaharyesterday. 22 militants were shot dead after launching an attack on police headquarters and the provin-cial governor’s office in the southern city of Kandahar. Five policemen and four civilians also died. —AFP

NEW DELHI: Indian Home Minister and former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president,Rajnath Singh (left) looks on as new Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president AmitShah (center) is garlanded by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during theappointment of the party’s president yesterday. —AFP

India’s Modi tightens grip on ruling party

Most trusted aide Shah named BJP president

KABUL: Fighting in Afghanistan is spread-ing into populated areas and taking a recordtoll on civilians, the UN warned yesterday, aspresidential candidates urged supportersnot to raise tensions after the disputed elec-tion result. Political deadlock and soaringcivilian casualties have caused deep disquietamong Afghanistan’s international backers,who sent tens of thousands of NATO-led sol-diers and billions of dollars of aid to thecountry after 2001.

Claims that a functioning state hasreplaced the harsh Taleban regime look to bein jeopardy after presidential candidateAbdullah Abdullah rejected the result of theJune 14 run-off election, saying he was the vic-tim of systematic fraud. Security gains alsoappear fragile as the final 50,000 NATO troopsend their combat mission by December, after13 years of fighting that have failed decisivelyto defeat the Taleban insurgents. Underliningthe extent of the violence plaguingAfghanistan, a UN report revealed that civiliancasualties of the conflict soared by 24 percentin the first half of 2014.

Ground combat is now causing moredeaths and injuries than improvised explo-sive devices in a worrying sign of spreadingconflict. “The nature of the conflict inAfghanistan is changing in 2014 with anescalation of ground engagements in civil-ian-populated areas,” warned Jan Kubis,

chief of the UN mission chief in Afghanistanknown as UNAMA. “The impact on civilians,including the most vulnerable Afghans, isproving to be devastating.” In the first sixmonths of this year, UNAMA documented4,853 civilian casualties-up 24 percent onthe same period in 2013. The toll included1,564 deaths and 3,289 injuries, with groundengagements causing two out of every fivecivilian casualties in 2014.

Fears that Afghanistan could see a returnto the ethnic bloodshed of the 1992-1996civil war have grown during the deepeningelection crisis. Abdullah Abdullah, a formeranti-Taleban resistance fighter, came secondin preliminary results to Ashraf Ghani, butAbdullah said the election was fraudulentand he expected to become the next presi-dent. Abdullah’s vote base is among theTajiks and other northern Afghan groups,while Ghani attracts much of his supportfrom the Pashtun tribes of the south andeast-a disturbing echo of the ethnic divi-sions of the civil war.

‘Disturbing spiral’ Afghan government forces face a

demanding test in the coming years withdeclining assistance from the US-led militarycoalition that has trained and equippedthem. Recent weeks have seen fierce fight-ing in the southern province of Helmand, as

the Afghan army and police counter-attackafter an offensive by 800 Taleban fighters inan area from which US troops withdrewonly in May. Yesterday eleven militants wereshot dead after launching an attack onpolice headquarters in the southern city ofKandahar. Three policemen and a civilianwoman also died. “The fight is increasinglytaking place in communities, public placesand near the homes of ordinary Afghans,with death and injury to women and chil-dren in a continued disturbing upward spi-ral,” said Georgette Gagnon, director ofhuman rights for UNAMA.

As anger among Abdullah’s supportershas increased over alleged fraud, his cam-paign yesterday appealed for calm and saidno street demonstrations should be held.“We are calling for people not to protest andto wait for a few days to see what decisionsare made,” a press official from Abdullah’steam said. Abdullah’s poll rival Ashraf Ghani,who says he won the election fairly, calledfor the election timetable to be respected.The final result is due out around July 24after adjudication of complaints and an anti-fraud audit. US President Barack Obamawarned the two rivals against “resorting toviolent or extra-constitutional means”-aresponse to reports that Abdullah plannedto announce a parallel government to rulethe country. —AFP

Election crisis, rising death toll add to Afghan woes

JUBA: Thousands of South Sudanese waved flagsat military parades to mark three years of inde-pendence yesterday, despite having little to cele-brate in a war-torn young nation ravaged by eth-nic atrocities and threatened with famine. Thestreets of the capital were lined with banners pro-claiming “One People, One Nation”, as the govern-ment of President Salva Kiir put on a show offorce with a military parade and speeches intend-ed to celebrate the breakaway from the repres-sive government in Khartoum.

Security was heavy at the events, underscor-ing the bitter divisions in the world’s youngestnation where a nearly seven-month-old civil warrages on. “It’s a sad anniversary,” admitted Jubaresident Gideon, 23, saying he had hoped for bet-ter three years on from the fanfare and optimismthat swept the country in July 2011. At govern-ment-organized celebrations in the heart of capi-tal, dance troupes draped in the national flagsang and danced, as drummers banged out beatsto shrug off the mood of gloom. UgandanPresident Yoweri Museveni, who has sent introops to prop up Kiir’s government, was one ofthe few senior regional leaders to attend, withold enemies Sudan sending their second vice-president.

“Let’s focus on peace, reconciliation and com-ing back together... I call on all of you to exertmaximum effort to stop the bleeding in ournation,” Kiir told the crowds. South Sudan hasbeen wracked by war since mid-December, whenpresidential guards loyal to Kiir clashed withtroops supporting ousted vice-president RiekMachar, who fled to the bush and rallied a hugerebel army. The fighting has been marked bywidespread atrocities against both members ofthe Nuer people, to which Machar belongs, andKiir’s Dinka group, the single largest tribe.

‘Sick’ leadersCivilians have been massacred and dumped

in mass graves, patients murdered in hospitalsand churches, and entire towns flattened asurban centers including key oil-producing hubschanged hands several times. The most conser-vative estimates put the toll at 10,000 dead,

although aid workers say the real figure is likelyfar higher. Almost 100,000 civilians are shelteringin squalid camps inside UN bases fearingrevenge attacks if they leave. Aid group Oxfamsaid South Sudan was “currently Africa’s worstcrisis with nearly four million-a third of the coun-try’s population-at risk of severe hunger and anaid effort that has only so far reached half ofthose in need”.

“The world’s attention is elsewhere as Africa’sworst humanitarian catastrophe descends intomore misery. We will be staring into the abyssand fail to avert a famine if funds do not startarriving soon to help the people of South Sudanat risk of starvation, disease and violence,” saidWinnie Byanyima, Oxfam International chief.”Ifthe aid effort does not increase 50,000 childrencould die from malnutrition. Since the currentcrisis began in December last year fighting hasforced 1.5 million people from their homes andnumbers continue to rise.”

On the eve of the anniversary, the departingUN representative in South Sudan issued ascathing attack on the country’s leaders, callingthem a “self-serving elite” responsible for a loom-ing “man-made famine”.”Thousands and thou-sands have been killed,” said Hilde Johnson ofthe UN mission in South Sudan, lashing out atboth the government and rebels, warning thatone of world’s least developed nations has “beenset back decades”. Leaders were sick with “thecancer of corruption” with the country’s billionsof dollars worth of oil “a curse rather than ablessing”, she said.

Campaign group Global Witness said thegovernment had borrowed the “monumentalsum” of $1 billion this year from oil companies,much to “pay off last year’s debts”, and about thesame amount the United Nations is appealingfor donors to fund in terms of aid. Peace talks inluxury hotels in the Ethiopian capital AddisAbaba have made little progress and last monththey halted indefinitely, with both sides refusingto attend the discussions. “If there are furtherdelays... we can draw only one conclusion; thatthis is only about a scramble for power,” Johnsonadded. —AFP

War, hunger darken South Sudan’s third anniversary



SYDNEY: At the heart of an unprece-dented legal challenge to the return byAustralia of asylum seekers to Sri Lankais Australia’s controversial testing of theirclaims in a brief interview on the highseas. Lawyers said the “enhanced screen-ing” process involves asylum seekersbeing asked just four or five questionsvia Skype or teleconference on a boatwith no access to independent legal rep-resentation.

If the detainee does not raise a redflag by saying they want to seek asylumbecause they fear persecution, or if theinterviewing officer does not believetheir story, they are immediatelyscreened “out”. Human rights lawyershave denounced the fast-trackedprocess at sea as illegal under interna-tional law. The conservative Australiangovernment has repeatedly declined tocomment on the process in detail, leav-ing lawyers to piece it together based onreports from those who have been sub-jected to the process and returned.

“These people, potentially in fear oftheir lives, are being picked up by armednaval personnel on the high seas andbeing submitted to a quick interview,with little privacy, over Skype or telecon-ference,” said Mary Crock, a professor ofpublic law at the University of Sydney.“It’s gobsmackingly bad internationallegal practice,” she said. “You can’t possi-bly be satisfied that everybody on theboat wasn’t a refugee.” Controversially,rather than a lengthy, detailed interviewto assess a person’s claim for asylum, it iseffectively a triaging method to gaugewhether the immigration department

thinks the person may have a valid claim.The four or five questions are believed toinvolve basics on name, age, birthplaceand the reason for the asylum seeker’sattempt to travel to Australia, lawyerssaid.

Some of the people on the boat of 37Sinhalese and four Tamil asylum seekershanded over by Australia to Sri Lanka atthe weekend said they told Customs offi-cials via satellite phone that they wereattempting to reach New Zealand, notAustralia. “I don’t think they gave a prop-er opportunity to express ourselves,” oneman travelling with his wife and threesons said, on condition of anonymity.The man said he told Customs he wastrying to get to New Zealand for person-al reasons and had no problems with theSri Lankan government, an answer thatexperts said would have screened himout immediately. A second man, whoidentified himself as N A Nilantha, saidhe told them he “intended to get a goodjob and enhance our family’s economicsituation” in New Zealand.

Torture, rape, violenceThe responses potentially bear out

claims by the Australian and Sri Lankangovernment that many asylum seekersare economic migrants, although rightsgroups say Tamils seek asylum to pre-vent torture, rape and other violence atthe hands of the military. Only one per-son aboard the boat, a Sinhalesewoman, was deemed to require furtherassessment of her claim. ImmigrationMinister Scott Morrison said she wasoffered transportation to an offshore

detention centre but she elected toreturn to Sri Lanka with her travel com-panions, rather than proceed alone. “Ifthe only option is ‘we’ll send you toManus or Nauru by yourself’ then that issurely coercion,” said the University ofSydney’s Crock, referring to offshoredetention centers set up in Papua NewGuinea and the remote Pacific island ofNauru. Australia’s Tamil Refugee Councilsaid of the 153 people on board a sec-ond boat, whose fate is currently beforethe High Court, some 48 are from India’s60,000-odd strong, unregistered SriLankan Tamil refugee community. Atleast 11 of those had been tortured in Sri

Lanka, the council said. The fast-trackedmethod of gauging whether a personhas a valid claim to asylum was intro-duced by former Labor Prime MinisterJulia Gillard in 2012 for use on Sri Lankanasylum seekers. Morrison noted that“advanced screening” was simply a con-tinuation of the previous government’spolicies. “This is how you stop the boats,”Morrison said. “This is how it has to bedone because this is what works.”

Lawyers, however, say the Sri Lankancases highlight a key difference: thescreening is now taking place on a boaton the high seas, rather than at one ofthe offshore detention centers. “The

Migration Act authorizes the govern-ment to undertake offshore processing,”said Ben Saul, an international law pro-fessor at Sydney University. “The argu-ment is whether this move is circum-venting that by creating some alterna-tive process outside what’s allowed bythe Act.” The criticism is supported byAustralian Human Rights CommissionerGillian Triggs. “It sounds as though threeor four or five questions are being askedby video conference, snap judgmentsare being , and they’re simply beingreturned,” Triggs said. “There is an obliga-tion with international law to have aproper process.”— Reuters

All at sea: Is Australia’s fast-tracked asylum policy fair?‘Enhanced screening’ means asylum seekers asked 4 or 5 questions

AT SEA: This picture shows an Australian-gifted naval patrol boat in Colombo during a ceremony commissioning twoAustralian-gifted naval patrol boats that will be deployed for preventing people smuggling operations. Morrison arrivedin Colombo yesterday as a group of Sri Lankan migrants controversially turned back by Canberra at sea said they weretreated worse than dogs. — AFP

JAKARTA: Both sides claimed victoryyesterday in Indonesia’s tightest andmost divisive presidential electionsince the end of authoritarian rule, asunofficial tallies showed Jakarta gov-ernor Joko Widodo leading over ex-general Prabowo Subianto. Thestandoff in the hotly contested raceto lead the world’s third-biggestdemocracy prompted PresidentSusilo Bambang Yudhoyono to callfor restraint from both sides until offi-cial results are announced in twoweeks’ time.

The popularity of Widodo-knownas “Jokowi” and the first serious presi-dential contender without roots inthe era of dictator Suharto-was clearearlier in the day, when hundreds ofsupporters mobbed him as he votedin central Jakarta. As a series of unof-ficial tallies, which are considered reli-able, started to show him with a leadof four to five percentage points, asmiling Widodo declared victoryflanked by members of his party,extending his thanks to “all theIndonesian people”.

But shortly afterwards Prabowo,who has admitted ordering theabduction of democracy activistsbefore the Suharto’s downfall in 1998and was formerly married to one ofthe strongman’s daughters, alsoclaimed victory. The 62-year-old, whohas pushed a strongman image onthe campaign trail to win votes, saidsurvey institutes used by his cam-paign team showed that he and run-ning mate Hatta Rajasa “havereceived the support and mandatefrom the people of Indonesia”.Speaking earlier in the day, he hadpledged to “respect the people’s deci-sion”. However he added: “It must bereally their decision and not an engi-neered one. If it’s engineered, wemust take clear action.”

Behave like statesmenA spokesman for Widodo’s cam-

paign, Anies Baswedan, called onPrabowo and his running mate tobehave like “statesmen”, adding that“all credible survey institutesdeclared our victory”. The close racehas sparked fears of unrest, andYudhoyono urged both sides to“restrain themselves and not organ-ise street rallies to celebrate until theannouncement by the (election com-mission)”. The commission is notexpected to announce the officialresults until July 22, due to the com-plexity of holding elections acrossthe archipelago of more than 17,000islands that spans three time zones.

But the unofficial tallies thatWidodo’s party relied on, known as“quick counts”, are considered reliableand have accurately predicted thewinner of Indonesia’s two previouspresidential elections since Suharto’sdownfall. Tobias Basuki, an analystfrom the Jakarta-based Centre forStrategic and International Studies,described the situation as “unprece-dented”, adding: “We’ve never seensuch polarization in Indonesia.” CSIScarried out an official tally, which wasconsidered reliable. I t showedWidodo with a lead of 51.9 percent toPrabowo’s 48.1 percent, largely in linewith other credible polls.

New style of leadershipA former furniture exporter from a

humble background, Widodo is seenas likely to usher in a new style ofleadership and consolidate democra-cy should he win the election.Prabowo in contrast has faced criti-cism that he may shift Indonesia backtowards authoritarian rule. In onerecent talk, he reportedly said that aWestern-style political system, includ-ing direct elections, “doesn’t suit”Indonesia. Some 190 million voterswere eligible to cast ballots in theelection.

Polling went smoothly across thecountry, from eastern Papua to themain island of Java and jungle-cladSumatra in the west, and no majordisruptions were reported. Widodo,53, was ahead by a long way in thepolls for months leading up to theelection, but his lead shrank duringthe campaign as he was attacked bya string of smears. The most damag-ing was a claim that he is an ethnicChinese Christian and not a Muslim, aserious charge in the world’s mostpopulous Muslim-majority country.He vehemently denied the claim.Whoever eventually takes over fromYudhoyono, who steps down inOctober after a decade of stable butoften indecisive rule, faces a delicatetransition.

Growth is slowing in SoutheastAsia’s top economy, corruption isrampant, millions remain mired inpoverty, and fears are mounting thatIslamic radicals returning fromMiddle East conflicts could revive mil-itant networks. Widodo shot tonational prominence when he waselected Jakarta governor in 2012, andquickly won legions of fans with hiscommon touch and efforts to solvethe capital’s myriad problems. Hewould make regular tours of themetropolis’s sprawling slums in casu-al clothes and was often spotted atheavy metal concerts. Prabowo, nowa wealthy businessman, has playedup his military background on thecampaign trail, at a time when nostal-gia is growing in some quarters for areturn to the strong rule of theSuharto years.—AFP

Both sides claim victory in tight Indonesian election Unofficial tallies show Jakarta governor leading

JAKARTA: Indonesian presidential candidate Joko Widodo, popularly known as ‘Jokowi’ gestures afterdelivering his victory speech yesterday. — AP

JEJU: High wave hits a lighthouse as typhoon Neoguri approaches the KoreanPeninsula in Seogwipo on Jeju Island, South Korea yesterday. — AP

TOKYO: Typhoon Neoguri bore down onthe Japanese mainland yesterday after slam-ming into the southern Okinawa islandchain, killing two people in the country andleaving a trail of damage in its wake. Packinggusts of up to 162 kilometers (100 miles) perhour, the typhoon could hit the southernmain island of Kyushu today before movingeast along the Japanese archipelago, thenational weather agency said. Officials saidNeoguri would bring torrential rain andwarned of the risk of flooding and land-slides, after the storm-which has weakenedfrom a super typhoon-forced half a millionpeople to seek shelter in Okinawa onTuesday.

By yesterday afternoon, the typhoon waschurning in the East China Sea headedtoward southern Japan, as round-the-clocktelevision footage pinpointed its latest loca-tion and helmet-clad reporters surveyingthe damage left by the powerful storm. Inthe Okinawan capital Naha, traffic lightswent out and television footage showedsplit trees, signboards flying about and adestroyed restaurant, with the shatteredbuilding blocking a street.

The weather agency warned that asmuch as 300 millimeters (12 inches) of raincould fall on Kyushu in just 24 hoursthrough noon today. Kyushu, situated nextto the biggest island of Honshu where majorcities including Tokyo and Osaka are located,was already experiencing heavy rain andstrong winds. Residents in remote villagesand larger communities across the island-where the largest city Fukuoka has a popula-

tion of more than one million-were beingurged to seek shelter before nightfall. OnMonday officials issued their highesttyphoon alert for Okinawa, warning thatNeoguri-which means raccoon in Korean-could turn deadly. Two days later, theweather agency’s chief forecaster SatoshiEbihara said the situation in Okinawaremained serious even as the typhoonmoved out to sea, with the agency issuing afresh rainfall alert. He also called on resi-dents across the country of 128 million toregularly monitor the latest weather warn-ings and advisories. “Typhoon Neoguricould make a landfall in Kyushu tomorrowand approach eastern Japan on the follow-ing day,” Ebihara said. “Western and easternJapan will likely see heavy, powerful rain,particularly along the Pacific coastline. Weurge people in the affected areas to exercisethe utmost caution,” he added.

Torrential downpoursJust over 52,000 households had no pow-

er as of noon yesterday in Okinawa, whileschools were closed with air and sea traffichalted. In just 12 hours, Okinawa’s main islandwas hammered by twice the amount of rainthat usually falls in the entire month of July.Some in the village of Yomitan were shockedto see muddy water sloshing into theirhomes as heavy wind and rain pummeledthe area. “I’m 89 years old and this is the firsttime I’ve experienced something like this-nature can be overwhelming,” an elderlywoman in the village told public broadcasterNHK. —AFP

Neoguri bears down on Japan’s mainland

Newsin brief

Birds blamed for US copter crash

LONDON: Geese penetrated the windscreen of an HH-60G PaveHawk helicopter during evening training mission in January, dis-abling the pilot and co-pilot and leading to the crash that killed fourUS Air Force crewmembers, a military investigation revealed yester-day. The helicopter crashed on the eastern coast of England whilepracticing nighttime rescue mission scenario for a downed F1-6pilot. The Pave Hawk was flying over grass-covered marshland nearCley next the Sea when geese, likely startled by the noise rose inflight and hit the helicopter flying at about 110 feet above groundlevel. Investigators concluded that at least three geese hit the wind-screen, disabling the pilot, co-pilot and the aerial gunner. All threewere rendered unconscious. One goose also hit the nose of the air-craft, disabling the trim and flight path stabilization systems. Withboth pilots unconscious, and stabilization systems disabled, the hel-icopter banked left to the point it had no vertical lift. It crashedabout three seconds after being struck by the geese.

Japan jets scrambled a record 340 times

TOKYO: Japan said yesterday that its military scrambled fighter jetsa record 340 times in the three months to June in response tofeared intrusions on its airspace, as tensions grow with China. TheJoint Staff of Japan Self-Defense Forces said, however, that around70 percent of the jet launches were in response to Russian planesapproaching Japanese airspace. The rest were scrambled inresponse to approaching Chinese planes, it said, adding thatJapanese airspace was not violated on any of these occasions. Thelatest figure marked a sharp increase on the same quarter last year,when Japanese jets were scrambled 110 times.

N Korea fires 2 more missiles into the sea

SEOUL: North Korea yesterday fired what appeared to be twoshort-range missiles into the sea in the latest in a series of launch-es interspersed with spurned peace overtures to South Korea. Aspokesman for the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Seoul said the two mis-siles were fired from the western province of Hwanghae into theSea of Japan (East Sea). “We suspect they were short-range ballis-tic missiles,” spokesman Um Hoy-Sik said, adding that the rangewas around 500 kilometers. It was the fourth missile test in lessthan two weeks. The previous launches had preceded a state tripto South Korea by Chinese President Xi Jinping and had been readby some analysts as a show of pique at his decision to visit Seoulbefore Pyongyang. China is North Korea’s sole major ally, but whileXi has met four times with South Korean President Park Geun-Hye-including two summits-he has yet to sit down with North Koreanleader Kim Jong-Un.

China, US vow to end old rivalries

BEIJING: China and the United States met forhigh-level talks yesterday, with ChinesePresident Xi Jinping urging the world’s twobiggest economies to break old patterns ofconfrontation. Given their different historiesand cultures “it is natural that China and the USmay have different views and even frictions oncertain issues”, Xi told the opening of the two-day annual talks in Beijing. “This is what makescommunication and cooperation even morenecessary,” he urged, speaking in the sameimposing compound where then-US presidentRichard Nixon met Mao Zedong on his ground-breaking visit to China in 1972.

The sixth Strategic and Economic Dialoguecomes as tensions have risen in recent months-racked by maritime disputes between Chinaand its neighbors as well as US fears over cyber-security and Chinese hacking. “Our interests aremore than ever interconnected,” Xi insisted, say-ing the two “stand to gain from cooperationand lose from confrontation”. “If we are in con-frontation it will surely spell disaster for both

countries and for the world,” he said, adding thePacific powers needed to “break the old patternof inevitable confrontation”. In a statement sentto the opening of the meetings, US PresidentBarack Obama agreed, saying: “The UnitedStates and China will not always see eye-to-eyeon every issue.”

That was “why we need to build our rela-tionship around common challenges, mutualresponsibilities, and shared interests, evenwhile we candidly address our differences”,Obama said. Obama, who has made the so-called pivot to Asia a focus of his administra-tion, will return to Beijing in November when ithosts a summit of Asia-Pacific leaders. Toppingthe agenda yesterday were discussions on howto tackle climate change, as the two largestemitters of the greenhouse gases blamed forglobal warming agreed to launch eight pilotprojects aimed at reducing their carbon foot-prints. “People around the world are demand-ing action,” US Secretary of State John Kerrytold a working group on the issue.—AFP

A N A L Y S I STHURSDAY, JULY 10, 2014

By Danny Kemp

Rockets capable of hitting deeper into Israel than everbefore and naval commandos launching a beach-head assault show that Hamas has increased its

capabilities with help from Iran and Syria, analysts said yes-terday. The last Israeli offensive against Gaza was meant tohave degraded the Palestinian militant group’s capabilitiesbut less than two years later, Hamas is firing new longer-range projectiles, they said. An “unprecedented” attack byfour Hamas militants who emerged from the sea to attackan Israeli military base shows the group is also trying tobreak the naval blockade of the coastal enclave.

“Hamas were very badly damaged by the Israeli defenceforces back in 2012, but since that time they have been re-equipped significantly by Iran and also by weapons fromSyria,” Colonel Richard Kemp, of the Royal United ServicesInstitute think-tank in London, told AFP. The main weaponemployed by Hamas and their armed wing, the EzzedineAl-Qassam Brigades, is an arsenal of unguided rockets.Hamas was believed to have had 10,000 rockets before the2012 confrontation, and it is unclear how many are left, butFiras Abi Ali of analysts Country Risk IHS said they still likelyhad “thousands”.

As in 2012, they include Iranian-made Fajr-5 missileswith a range of 75 km and Gaza-built M75 rockets with arange of 80 km - both of which can reach Jerusalem and TelAviv. But Hamas has since acquired Syrian M-302 rocketswhich have a range of up to 160 km. On Tuesday, one ofthese hit the town of Hadera, 116 km north of Gaza, whileon Wednesday Israeli media reported that two had crashedinto the sea near the port of Haifa, 165 km north of Gaza,which if confirmed would be the furthest a rocket fromGaza has ever travelled. Crude Qassam rockets have arange of four to 15 km.

Hamas Aiming for Ground War The rockets are all unguided but the sheer intensity of

the barrages is aimed at “overwhelming” Israel’s Iron Domemissile defence system, said Ali. “Hamas has been able to,over the last couple of years, increase not just the number

of rockets that it has, but the frequency of its rocket fire,” hetold AFP.

Most of the rockets are believed to have been smuggledthrough tunnels into Gaza but others came in by sea whilestill more were being made in the strip itself. Meanwhilethe seaborne Hamas commando attack was a further sur-prise. “This is unprecedented,” said Ali. “This suggestssophisticated training, sophisticated planning, good intelli-gence on the Israelis and the ability to maintain tacticalsurprise.” Iranian equipment or training was likely involved,added Kemp.

Figures for Hamas’s military strength are also unclear,but the International Institute of Strategic Studies think-tank’s Military Balance 2014 assessment said the Al-Qassam brigades had around 10,000 members whileHamas internal security groupings number around 12,000.Analysts said Hamas and its backers had a clear aim fortheir military build-up: to drag Israel into a ground war.“The escalation that Hamas has engaged in seems to beintended to draw Israel into a ground offensive in Gaza, inwhich Hamas hopes that it can inflict a heavy number ofcasualties,” Ali said.

Israeli forces entering Gaza would face likely attack byHamas anti-tank weapons, including Kornet missiles usedby Hezbollah in the 2006 Lebanon war, and improvisedexplosive devices, analysts said. There would also be a pos-sibility of capturing Israeli soldiers for prisoner swaps.Meanwhile the wider Middle East situation had a bearingon the Gaza build-up, analysts said. Iran and Hamas fell outover Tehran’s support for President Bashar al-Assad’sregime in Syria but there had been a recent “rapproche-ment”, especially after Hamas’s allies the MuslimBrotherhood were driven out of power in Egypt last year,said Kemp.

Syria meanwhile remains a source for the weaponryeven if some of the advice is from Iran. Israel would also beclosely watching for any potential future links betweenHamas and the Islamic State jihadist group, which has con-quered a swathe of Iraq and Syria. “There are certainlygroups linked to the Islamic State present in Gaza,” saidKemp. — AFP

Rockets and navalcommandos boost

Hamas arsenal

A Palestinian Hamas-made M75 missile flies over Gaza City after it was launched towards Israel yesterday. — AFP

By Barbara Surk

With the World Cup in faraway Brazilcoming at a time of unprecedent-ed sectarian violence and soaring

tension in the Middle East, some Arab foot-ball fans have been reduced to watchingmatches in secret or even - and this is whereit gets complicated - on a T V channelowned by Israel. Since the World Cup kickedoff three weeks ago, Sunni Muslim extrem-ists have seized territory in Iraq and Syriaand declared an Islamic state. Lebanon hasbeen hit by a spate of suicide bombings.Israelis and Palestinians were pushed to fullconflict after the murders of four teenagers.Egypt’s political divide grew wider as hun-dreds of people charged with supportingthe ousted Muslim Brotherhood groupwere convicted of terrorism-related crimes -including three journalists for Qatar-ownedAl-Jazeera network.

Many accuse the Doha-based network ofeditorial bias in favor of the now bannedIslamic group in Egypt and of Sunni insur-gents fighting Shiite-dominated govern-ments in Syria and Iraq. Qatar’s media con-glomerate owns broadcasting rights to theWorld Cup in the Middle East, chargingviewers from $110 to $320 for a three-month subscription that includes the 64World Cup matches - a tournament thatshould have been a welcome escape formillions of football fans.

Most fans can’t afford to pay for thesatellite broadcasts of the World Cup, whichwas previously shown around the region onstate free-to-air channels. Some Egyptiansrefuse to subscribe to Qatar’s channel forpolitical reasons. Watching a recent matchin a cafe in downtown Cairo, 21-year-oldstudent Mohammed Mostafa said his familyis boycotting Al-Jazeera and instead tunesin to an Israeli channel that has been broad-casting the World Cup for free, with com-mentary in Hebrew - a foreign language tomost Arabs. “My parents refuse to give mon-ey to the Brotherhood,” Mostafa explained.

That kind of attitude has outraged offi-cials in Egypt, where state media has lashedout at Israel by saying it has opportunistical-ly barged into the Arab broadcasting mar-ket. “Israeli media penetration into the Arabcommunity is more devastating than itsmissiles,” said Mohammed Shabana, thedirector of Egypt’s Sports WritersAssociation. But he also criticized Qatar, say-ing the oil-rich Gulf state should have dis-mantled Israel’s plot to win over Egyptian

fans, and offered a subsidized deal to theCairo government that would air the WorldCup to its citizens for free.

Israel “is our biggest enemy,” Shabanasaid. “If the only way (to avoid Israel’s chan-nel) is to give money to Qatar, then weshould do it.” For Raaouf Sobhy, a cafe own-er in Cairo’s upscale Heliopolis district,choosing which channel to watch was asimple decision. “I hate Qatar more thanIsrael,” Sobhy said. “I don’t think Israel isharming us as much as Qatar.”

In south Lebanon near the frontier withIsrael, some turn on the Israeli broadcast,even though Israeli TV channels have beenbanned since 2000 when Israel withdrew itstroops following 18 years of occupation.Israel’s arch enemy, the Shiite militant groupHezbollah, dominates south Lebanon andits fighters have fought on the Syrian gov-ernment side. Qatar is not popular there,though, because of its support for Sunnirebels in Syria.

In the village of Ein Ibil, a man watchingthe Israeli channel with Hebrew - a lan-guage he does not understand - commen-tary blasting away said he neither caresabout the ban nor the country broadcasting

it to him. “I just want to watch the game,” hesaid on condition of anonymity for fear ofharassment. “You don’t need subtitles towatch football.” Israel welcomed viewers inneighboring countries, saying it was part ofthe Jewish state’s diplomatic outreach tothe Arab World.

Ofir Gendelman, a spokesman for theArabic Media in the Israeli Prime Minister’soffice, posted on his official Facebook pagea dictionary of Hebrew football terms trans-lated into Arabic. “Reactions were mixed,but a lot of people appreciated the gesture,”Gendelman said. “I do find it fascinating thatmillions of Arab viewers are now watchingthe World Cup on Israeli TV while learningsoccer terminology in Hebrew.”

Few would dare tune into an Israelichannel in Syria, where Israel remains theprimary enemy despite a raging civil warwhich pits predominantly Sunni Muslimrebels against the forces of President BasharAssad, who belongs to a sect in Shiite Islam.As residents of the capital enjoyed a tempo-rary lull in mortar attacks during the WorldCup, fans seem to ignore the fact that Qatar- a country on top of Assad’s black list forsupporting the opposition - owns the tour-

nament broadcasting rights that wereobtained in Syria by two private companies.

There has been no World Cup viewing inpublic in Raqqa, a city in eastern Syria undercontrol of a Sunni extremist group that con-siders most TV stations to be heretic, anopposition activist, who goes by the nameAbu Ali, said in an interview over Skype. Athome, the activist said, some have watchedWorld Cup matches on a Turkish channel. Inthe Iraqi capital Baghdad, fans haveshunned cafes as a World Cup viewingoption. Cafes have become favorite targetsfor Sunni extremists of the armed groupthat has declared an Islamic state in north-ern Iraq and in eastern Syria as it advancesto Baghdad, the seat of the Shiite-dominat-ed government.

Back in the West Bank, Palestiniansflipped onto Hebrew-language channels towatch the World Cup, despite escalatingviolence in Gaza. Hudaifa Srour, who lives inthe West Bank village of Naalin, said mostpeople don’t care what language the com-mentators are speaking. “Our people areeager to escape the political problems, soeven those who are not interested in sports,watch the World Cup,” Srour said. —AP

By Michel Moutot, Fiachra Gibbons

Europe and the United States are drawing up a newwave of anti-terror measures to try to stop the grow-ing number of would-be jihadists from going to fight

in Syria and Iraq. France unveiled a new bill yesterday toban foreign travel for those suspected of being radicalised,after US Attorney General Eric Holder claimed that return-ing fighters pose a “grave threat”. Nine EU interior ministersmet in Milan on Tuesday to put together a plan of action toidentify young people who have signed up to fight withIslamist groups against the Syrian regime of PresidentBashar Al-Assad. “Recent developments in Iraq increase theneed to act immediately,” EU counter-terrorism coordinatorGilles de Kerchove said.

He said the declaration of a “caliphate” by the fearedSunni militants of the Islamic State in areas they control inIraq and Syria was likely to prove a potent attraction forwould-be European jihadists. But as calls grow for tougheraction, Britain’s former intelligence chief has warned thatthe clamour could backfire on the West. The United Statesand its European allies have been working on greatercooperation, with Holder using a visit to Norway onTuesday - which has one of the highest rates of nationalsper capita fighting in Syria - to call for a coordinated clamp-down. “We cannot afford to be passive,” he told journalists.“The Syrian conflict has turned that region into a cradle of

violent extremism. But the world cannot simply sit backand let it become a training ground from which our nation-als can return and launch attacks. And we will not.”

‘Problem for All’ US intelligence official estimate that of the 7,000 foreign

fighters in Syria only around a dozen are Americans. But asmany as 2,000 Europeans are thought to be engaged in thefighting, 800 alone from France, including several women.Holder said the ability of European and American citizensto travel visa-free between their two continents meant that“the problem of fighters in Syria returning to any of ourcountries is a problem for all of our countries”.

But Sir Richard Dearlove, who was head of Britain foreignintelligence during the war in Iraq, claimed that govern-ments and the media have blown the Islamist threat out ofproportion, which could prove counter-productive. In anaddress to a defence think-tank in London on Monday, hesaid the West was not the main target of radical fundamen-talism groups such as ISIL, which now calls itself the IslamicState since overrunning much of northern Iraq from itsstrongholds in Syria. The ex-MI6 chief claimed that the con-flict in Syria was “essentially one of Muslim on Muslim”.

He warned that giving the “oxygen of publicity” to jihadtourism was counter-productive. He said the media weremaking monsters of “misguided young men, rather pathet-ic figures” who were getting coverage “more than their

wildest dreams”. “It is surely better to ignore them,” headded. The French government, however, is deeply con-cerned about the radicalisation of its nationals who havegone to fight in Syria.

Those fears were heightened by the arrest ofFrenchman Medhi Nemmouche, who spent a year in Syria,after the shooting at the Brussels Jewish Museum in Maythat left four people dead. A Tunisian accused of recruitingyoung jihadists to fight in Syria has since been deported,while 26-year-old Ibrahim Ouattara was jailed for four yearsby a Paris court on Wednesday for trying to join Islamistrebels in northern Mali. The new French bill gives theauthorities the power to slap a ban on foreign travel onanyone suspected of being radicalised, and temporarilyconfiscate and invalidate their passports.

Airlines will be banned from carrying targeted passen-gers and will have to notify French authorities the momentone of them makes a reservation. A Passenger Name Record- containing the itinerary for a certain passenger or group incomputer reservation systems - will be given to Europeanauthorities to help identify such people. If the people tar-geted under the ban do manage to go abroad, they will bethe subject of an international arrest warrant. Dearloveurged caution, however, saying governments should moveaway from the “distortion” of the post-9/11 mindset to make“realistic risk assessments”, and to think rationally about thecauses of the crisis in the Middle East. —AFP

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As a Ukrainian government offensive sends separatistsretreating from their strongholds in the country’s restiveeast, there are signs that Moscow is seeking to distance

itself from the pro-Russian rebels. Facing the threat of bitingWestern sanctions that could further shake Russia’s teeteringeconomy, President Vladimir Putin has watched a string of rebeldefeats without taking any action - drawing accusations fromseparatist sympathisers at home that he is betraying theircause. Having initially vilified the government in Kiev as a“facist” junta pursuing ethnic cleansing in eastern Ukraine,Russian state television has dampened its rhetoric in recentweeks.

And analysts say overt Russian involvement in the conflictthreatening to tear apart the former Soviet state would simplybe too costly for the Kremlin. “There are rumours of a group of‘war hawks’ who are pressuring Putin,” said independent politi-cal analyst Maria Lipman. “But military intervention may lead toserious, dramatic costs,” such as deeper economic sanctionsimposed by the West and the risk of becoming embroiled in anunpredictable war, she added. Russia “is not seeking to helppeople who fight there, instead opting to leave them to theirown devices,” Lipman said.

The Russian parliament last month revoked a resolutionallowing Putin to send troops into Ukraine - a move Moscowsaid was designed to help the faltering peace process - depriv-ing him of the legal means to intervene, added VolodymyrGorbach, an analyst with the Institute for Euro-AtlanticCooperation in Kiev. And as Kiev’s anti-insurgency campaigngathers pace in Donetsk and Lugansk - the two industrialregions where separatists proclaimed independence in May -the risk of Russian intervention is diminished, Gorbach said.“That threat existed before, it was in the initial phase of the cur-rent crisis,” he said. “Nothing indicates that he will change histactic” from implicit support of the insurgency to an open inva-sion, he added.

Putin Betrayal? And there is a sense among pro-Russian separatists that

they have been abandoned by Putin - who had pledged hewould do all he could to protect Russian speakers everywhere.During a popular talk show hosted by outspoken pro-Kremlinpersonality Vladimir Solovyov on Sunday, separatist Ukrainianpoliticians Denis Pushilin and Oleg Tsarev faced Russian foreignministry official Konstantin Dolgov, demanding to know whyRussia would not send in troops to support them. Solovyovaccused Ukrainian forces of attacking Russian border posts, andasked incredulously: “I understand that we are the angels ofpeace, but... can’t we at least do something?” “The red lines arebeing drafted as we speak, they are being drafted on an inter-national level,” Dolgov said defensively, to murmurs of discon-tent from other speakers.

The idea of international mediation has not been welcomedby the more strident Russian supporters of the insurgency, whohave been given ample airtime on state media in recentmonths. “I am bewildered,” said Alexander Prokhanov, the editorof far-right newspaper Zavtra. “How can you torture Russiansfor three months with horrific images of Russians being killed inthe southeast, and at the same time assure the whole worldthat Russians will be protected across the globe by any meansnecessary?” he said Saturday on Echo of Moscow radio.

‘Containing Aggressive Groups’ Dmitry Orlov, a political consultant with the Kremlin and

majority party United Russia, said the separatist insurgencycould backfire on Russia’s national interests. “Russia is inter-ested in containing the aggressive groups that can threatenRussia’s security,” he told AFP. “The aggressive militaristic spiritof the so-called Lugansk national republic and Donetsknational republic must not form a permanent trend indomestic policy.” In Ukraine itself, the rebel fighters who wereonce sure of Russia’s support say they feel they have been leftout in the cold.

Separatist commander Igor Strelkov, who perhaps embod-ies the militaristic spirit criticised by Orlov, and who hasachieved a status of a maverick hero among nationalist circlesin Russia, said last week his men could not hold their positionsfor long without Russia’s help. At the weekend, Strelkov retreat-ed with his men from the rebel stronghold of Slavyansk, aflashpoint throughout the conflict, in what was hailed as amajor victory for Kiev’s forces. But in an interview with the LifeNews website Saturday, sitting in what looked like a rented flatwith drab furnishings out of the 1980s, he vowed to fight ondespite his “utter lack of ammunition”.

“Strelkov became a hero for some Russians,” said StanislavBelkovsky, a political analyst who heads the Moscow-basedNational Strategy Institute. But he said “Russia would like to getrid of him because he is uncontrollable”. “If he falls as a hero, somuch the better for the Kremlin,” he added. —AFP

By Maria Antonova, Olga Rotenberg

Issues

Kremlin silent as pro-Russian rebels retreat in Ukraine

A N A L Y S I STHURSDAY, JULY 10, 2014

In this June 30, 2014 photo, fans watch the World Cup match between Germany and Algeria at a cafe in Cairo. —AP

West in push to stop flow of jihadists

World Cup entangled with Mideast conflicts

N E W STHURSDAY, JULY 10, 2014

Continued from Page 1

assembled with the aim of attacking Muslims in Madinah with the malicious aim ofuprooting Islam. They numbered approximately one thousand warriors (infantry and caval-rymen). Moreover, they were armed to the teeth. They possessed all the means of victoryand were confident that they would easily vanquish the Muslim army. As for Muslims, theynumbered only three hundred and thirteen. Moreover, a few of them had never beenengaged in fighting before. The two sworn enemy armies confronted each other in thebattle of Bader (the first decisive battle between Muslims and pagans/polytheists). GodAlmighty bestowed victory upon Muslims as explained in the following verse: “God surelysuccored you (Muslims) at [the battle of] Badr when you were a contemptible little force;then fear Allah; thus you may show your gratitude.” (3: 123)

2- On the twentieth day of Ramadan of the eighth year of Hijra, Prophet Muhammad(PBUH) completed the conquest of Makkah after a prolonged struggle in Madinah. Heentered Makkah with his companions as a liberator after its inhabitants had driven himaway. The sacred Kaaba was thereof cleansed of idols.

3- In the month of Ramadan on the ninth year of Hijra, the tribe of Thaqeef (who was anenemy of Prophet Muhammad PBUH at that time) inhabited the city of Taif, which is locat-ed about 90 kilometers north of Makkah, embraced Islam in multitudes after previouslybeing obstinate and strong opponents of Islam.

4- In the month of Ramadan, the fifteenth year of Hijra, Muslims vanquished the greatarmy of Persia (modern-day Iran), which was then one of the two main superpowers in theworld - the other being the Roman Empire. The Muslims’ victory was epitomized in the bat-tle of Qadisiya, under the command of Saad bin Abi Waqqas, who was one of the greatestcompanions of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Eventually, the flag of Islam was proudly andconfidently hoisted over the palace of Chosroe (Kisra).

5- On the twenty fifth day of Ramadan in the year six hundred and fifty eight after Hijra,the Mongol and Tartar barbarians engaged in a fierce battle with a Muslim army under theleadership of Saifud-Deen Qutuz. Muslims walked away with a well-deserved victory in thebattle of Ein Jaalout. The Tartars and Mongols were finally defeated in humiliation.

6- Also in Ramadan, a Muslim army fought a decisive defensive battle under the com-mandership of Sultan Al-Naser bin Mohammed Qalawoun against the barbaric Tartars anddefeated them beyond any doubt.

Fasting, a catalyst of victoriesIt is very clear that God, the Omniscient, conditioned Muslims, since the time when fast-

ing was prescribed, by showing them that if they behaved sincerely He would grant themdecisive victories beyond imagination. If a Muslim fights against his desires and strives tocurb them then he would have the personal willpower to vanquish his enemies by the willof God. This is because fighting against our desires and whims is more difficult than engag-ing in a battle against an inveterate enemy; thus the importance of fasting duringRamadan.

It should be noted that Islam does not neglect man’s desires and instincts. GodAlmighty has prescribed licit ways of satisfying one’s desires and instincts. One has to fightagainst himself in order to avoid satisfying his instincts in a way that is contrary to theIslamic teachings. Thus Muslims are trained to be patient in all its aspects in Ramadan. Godsays: “... if there are twenty amongst you, patient and persevering, they will vanquish twohundred. If they are a hundred, they will vanquish a thousand of the unbelievers: for theseare a people without understanding.” (8:65)

God created humans for a purpose. He loves them and all the laws He has prescribed forthem are for their benefit, if they only knew. It’s sad that many of them are ignorant of thisfact. Fasting should not be viewed as punishment but rather as a blessing from God. Afterreading some of the victories that Muslims achieved in Ramadan, it becomes clear thatfasting should not be an excuse for people to be lazy, tardy, shabby, irresponsible, unpunc-tual, etc, otherwise, their fasting will be like an empty shell without a kernel. God says: “...butto fast is best for you, if you only knew.” (2: 184)

It is worth mentioning that all the battles Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) engaged in withhis companions were defensive and not offensive. God says in what can be translated as:“Fight in the way of God those who fight against you but do not transgress. Indeed, Goddoes not like transgressors.” (2: 190)

Courtesy of the TIES Center, the social and educational hub for English SpeakingMuslims in Kuwait. For more information, please call 25231015/6 or e-mail [email protected] or visit www.tiescenter.net.

Victories in Ramadan

Continued from Page 1

on its Twitter account earlier this week that thestate “did not abandon its sons and was taking allmeasures through legal and diplomatic channels”.“What happened is just a reflection of the verytense relationship between Qatar and the UAE, and(one should) expect more things like this to hap-pen in the near future,” an Arab diplomat in Dohatold Reuters. “But what Qatar is trying to do now iscontain the situation and resolve these problemsquietly because it can’t afford the fuss and morenegative repercussions.”

To the dismay of its Gulf Arab neighbours, Qatarsupported Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood-led govern-ment elected after the ousting of long-time autocratHosni Mubarak in 2011. Doha provided financial andpolitical assistance until the Islamist PresidentMohamed Mursi was ousted in an army coup lastJuly. Saudi Arabia and the UAE also particularlyresent Doha’s sheltering of prominent Islamistpreacher Youssef al-Qaradawi, a critic of the twostates’ rulers, and his regular air time on Qatar’s pan-Arab satellite channel Al Jazeera and on Qatari statetelevision.

In March, the UAE sentenced a Qatari physician toseven years in jail after he was convicted of support-ing Islah, an Islamist group banned by authorities.Since their public spat in March, the four Gulf Arabstates have agreed on steps to try to heal the rift, butso far neither Saudi Arabia, Bahrain nor the UAE havereturned their ambassadors to Doha.

Separately, Bahrain interrogated its top opposi-tion leader yesterday after expelling a senior USdiplomat for meeting him, a remarkable slap atWashington from the ally that hosts the US Navy’s

Middle East fleet. US Assistant Secretary of State forDemocracy, Human Rights and Labor TomMalinowski left Bahrain late on Tuesday, the USembassy said, after the foreign ministry ordered himout because he had “intervened flagrantly” in thecountry’s internal affairs by “holding meetings withone party”. Washington said it was “deeply con-cerned” about Malinowski’s expulsion and was con-sidering a response.

The dispute exposes the sensitivity ofWashington’s relationship with one of its mainregional allies. Bahrain hosts the headquarters of theUS Fifth Fleet responsible for all US sea power in theregion, but has bristled at American criticism over itshuman rights record since suppressing a popularuprising in 2011. The Gulf island kingdom is ruled bya Sunni Muslim royal family, but the majority of itspopulation are Shiites, whose political leaders havedemanded democratic reforms. The authorities,backed by troops sent from Saudi Arabia, put downdemonstrations during the “Arab Spring” revolts thatswept the region three years ago, and low level vio-lence is still common.

Malinowski attended a Ramadan evening meet-ing of opposition group Al-Wefaq on Sunday andmet with its leader Ali Salman and an aide again atthe US embassy on Monday. Salman was summonedby the Interior Ministry and interrogated at theCriminal Investigations Department yesterday morn-ing. He told Reuters he was questioned for about halfan hour. His lawyers were not allowed to be presentbut were permitted to observe from another room.“The subject of the interrogation was ... about thecontent of the (embassy) meeting and what was dis-cussed at it,” he told Reuters from Manama. “Theanswer was that it was a normal meeting and that

they (Americans) heard our point of view of the polit-ical and human rights situation in Bahrain, based onthe request of the US Assistant Secretary.”

He said he was asked whether Wefaq had madespecific requests of the Americans and replied thatthey had not. Malinowski’s expulsion was “a messagethat shows that there is no real intention for dialoguein Bahrain. There is no real intention for reform inBahrain”, Salman added. The Interior Ministry saidSalman and the aide had been summoned for inter-rogation because they violated a law about “the rulesof communication between political societies withforeign political organisations or parties”. It appearsto have been the first time that the law, a new meas-ure barring diplomatic meetings with politicians, hadbeen applied.

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki saidMalinowski’s visit had been coordinated with theauthorities in advance, and the Bahrain govern-ment was “well aware” visiting US officials typicallymeet different political groups. She said Bahrainhad asked to have an official present at allMalinowski’s meetings, which she described as aviolation of traditional protocol.

The tough response to Wefaq’s meeting with theAmericans suggests some jostling by hardliners with-in the ruling Al-Khalifa family versus reformers, saidSimon Henderson, director of the Gulf and EnergyPolicy Program at the Washington Institute for NearEast Policy. “Inside the royal family, Crown PrinceSalman and Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid binAhmed al-Khalifa are perceived as supporting reform,though Salman is countered by influential relatives inthe military and security services who have pressedthe king not to make any concessions to Shiites,” hewrote in online commentary. — Agencies

UAE holding 3 Qatari ‘spies’ for questioning

An Egyptian bread seller rides his bicycle as worshipers break the day-long fast during the holy month of Ramadan in Cairo’s Khan El-Khalili district yesterday. — AFP

S P O RT STHURSDAY, JULY 10, 2014

ABERDEEN: Rory McIlroy insists it would be foolish to write off the chances of TigerWoods capturing a 15th Major Championship at next week’s British Open at RoyalLiverpool. McIlroy was responding to recent comments, including those of doubleUS Open winner Curtis Strange, who suggested Woods ‘would be lying to himself’ ifhe went into next week’s championship saying he could win. Woods has contestedjust one event since undergoing back surgery and that saw him miss the halfwaycut in the recent Quicken Loans National at Congressional.

Woods is returning to Royal Liverpool at Hoylake for a first time since capturingan emotional third British Open Championship and just weeks after the death of hisfather and mentor, Earl.

But while Woods has contested only five events all seasonMcIlroy, who is contesting this week’s Scottish Open at RoyalAberdeen, would not agree with Strange.

“We have all witnessed what Tiger has been able to doover his career, whether that’s come back from injury andwin, come back from any sort of off?course stuff and win,” saidMcIlroy.

“I mean, he won the (2008) US Open on one leg, really onone leg. “So it is foolish for people to write him off? I would sayso. If he’s playing and he’s competing, he’s got as good achance as any. —AFP

Woods could win OpenBERLIN: German Chancellor Angela Merkel is to travel to Brazil to watch thenational team’s bid to win the World Cup for a fourth time, officials said yes-terday, following its crushing 7-1 defeat of the host country’s squad in thesemi-final.

President Joachim Gauck confirmed he would also join Merkel in Rio deJaneiro on Sunday for the tournament’s final match. Merkel, a keen soccerfan, watched every goal in Tuesday’s match against Brazil, her spokespersonsaid. German media have hailed the result as a sensation and a miracle.

Germany will face either Argentina or the Netherlands, who play eachother in the second semi-final yesterday. “I agree with world opinion that itwas a very good game ... I think it almost deserves to be called historic,” saidMerkel at a news conference in Berlin, adding that she wished the team “alot of strength and concentration on the task at hand”.

The game, which saw Germany score five of its goals within just 18 siz-zling minutes, broke a number of records. According to broadcaster ZDF,the game topped TV ratings with 32.57 million viewers - about 40 percentof the population, not taking into account large public viewings. On Twitter,35.6 million tweets were posted during the match, making it the mosttweeted sports game in the social media site’s history.

Merkel attended Germany’s first match in the Cup against Portugal andcheered the team on to a 4-0 win. Images of Merkel at the game went viralonline, including one of her posing with shirtless German players in theteam’s dressing room. —Reuters

Merkel to attend WCup finalKARACHI: Pakistan have dropped top order batsman Mohammad Hafeezfrom their test squad and recalled former captain Younus Khan in theone-day team for next month’s tour of Sri Lanka. Hafeez’s struggle in testsprompted his axing from the squad for the series against South Africa lastyear in the United Arab Emirates before the 36-test player was recalled forthe series against Sri Lanka, also in the UAE.

The 33-year-old has managed just one half-century in his last 14 testinnings and he quit the Twenty20 captaincy in April after the team’s exitfrom the group stage of the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh. Middle order

batsman Umar Akmal was recalled to the 15-member testsquad named on Wednesday, the 24-year-old returning

after three years out of the side, having played the lastof his 16 tests against Zimbabwe at Bulawayo in 2011.However, pace duo Umar Gul and Mohammad Irfan

missed out on the tour due to ongoing fitness concerns,chief selector Moin Khan said.

“They are not 100 percent fit and have been givenmore time to hit peak fitness,” Khan told reporters.

Gul had a knee surgery in May and the 30-year-old right-arm bowler hurt it again while play-ing in the MCC v Rest of the World celebra-tion match at the Lord’s last week. —Reuters

Hafeez axed from Test squad

American LeagueEastern Division

W L PCT GB Baltimore 49 40 .551 - Toronto 48 44 .522 2.5NY Yankees 45 44 .506 4 Tampa Bay 42 51 .452 9 Boston 39 51 .433 10.5

Central DivisionDetroit 49 37 .570 - Kansas City 46 43 .517 4.5Cleveland 44 45 .494 6.5Chicago White Sox 44 47 .484 7.5Minnesota 40 49 .449 10.5

Western DivisionOakland 57 33 .633 - LA Angels 52 37 .584 4.5Seattle 49 41 .544 8 Texas 38 52 .422 19Houston 38 54 .413 20

National LeagueEastern Division

Washington 48 40 .545 - Atlanta 49 41 .544 - Miami 44 46 .489 5 NY Mets 41 49 .456 8 Philadelphia 39 51 .433 10

Central DivisionMilwaukee 52 39 .571 - St. Louis 49 42 .538 3 Cincinnati 48 42 .533 3.5Pittsburgh 47 43 .522 4.5Chicago Cubs 38 51 .427 13

Western DivisionLA Dodgers 51 41 .554 - San Francisco 49 41 .544 1 San Diego 40 50 .444 10Colorado 38 53 .418 12.5 Arizona 38 54 .413 13

MLB results/standings

Cincinnati 4, Chicago Cubs 2; Cleveland 5, NY Yankees 3; Detroit 14, LA Dodgers 5; ChicagoWhite Sox 8, Boston 3; Cincinnati 6, Chicago Cubs 5; NY Mets 8, Atlanta 3; Tampa Bay 4,Kansas City 3; Houston 8, Texas 3; Philadelphia 9, Milwaukee 7; St. Louis 5, Pittsburgh 4;Colorado 2, San Diego 1.

TWINS 2, MARINERS 0Minnesota’s Phil Hughes pitched into the eighth

inning, Sam Fuld barely cleared the wall with hissecond home run of the season and the Twins beatSeattle.

Hughes rebounded from being knocked aroundin his previous two starts to shut down theMariners. Hughes (9-5) gave up eight hits in 7 1-3innings, struck out eight and didn’t walk a batter insilencing Seattle’s stagnant offense.

A night after Fuld could not pull back MichaelSaunders’ home run, the roles were reversed. Fuldhit a 3-2 pitch from Seattle starter Chris Young (8-5)beyond the wall in right and just out of the reach ofSaunders for the solo shot in the fifth inning. It wasthe first homer for Fuld since April 10. He finishedwith three hits and two stolen bases. Glen Perkinspitched the ninth for his 21st save.

ASTROS 8, RANGERS 3Chris Carter led off two innings with home runs,

George Springer had one inning-starting long balland Houston beat Texas.

Jose Altuve had two hits, two stolen bases and asacrifice fly. The All-Star second baseman matchedHouston’s franchise record with 28 consecutivestolen bases without being caught while pushinghis AL-leading total to 41. He leads the AmericanLeague with 126 hits and a .341 batting average.Houston went ahead to stay with two runs in thefirst inning off Phil Irwin (0-1) who was making hisRangers debut. Brad Peacock (3-5) struck out fivewhile allowing two runs and six hits over 5 2-3innings.

BLUE JAYS 4, ANGELS 0RA Dickey allowed four hits over seven innings

for his first victory in more than a month, JoseReyes homered and drove in three runs andToronto ended a season-worst five-game skid witha win.

The Blue Jays also snapped a seven-game roadlosing streak and ended the Angels’ 11-game homewinning streak, which fell one shy of the franchiserecord set in 1967.

Dickey (7-8) struck out five and walked one afterlosing his previous four starts. The 2012 NL Cyyoung Award winner got back in the win columnfor the first time since beating the Tigers on June 4.The Blue Jays climbed within 21/2 games of the ALEast-leading Baltimore Orioles, who were rainedout at Washington.

PHILLIES 9, BREWERS 7Domonic Brown homered and had a two-run

single and Philadelphia rallied from a big earlydeficit to outlast struggling Milwaukee.

After allowing five runs in the first inning, thePhillies scored five in the second off Brewers starterWily Peralta (9-6). Ben Revere drove in two runswith a ground-rule double and Chase Utley had atwo-run single as Philadelphia sent 10 men to theplate. Koyie Hill contributed a run-scoring single.

The first-place Brewers have dropped seven ofeight games. Kyle Kendrick (4-8) picked up the vic-tory for Philadelphia despite giving up 11 hits andseven earned runs over 5 2-3 innings. He walkedtwo and struck out two. Four Phillies relievers com-bined to hold the Brewers scoreless over the final 31-3 innings. Jonathan Papelbon pitched a scorelessninth inning for his 21st save in 23 attempts.

MARLINS 2, DIAMONDBACKS 1Marcell Ozuna hit a two-out, two-run home run

off Addison Reed in the ninth inning to spoil a bril-liant Arizona debut by Vidal Nuno and give Miami avictory over the Diamondbacks.

Ozuna hit Reed’s 2-2 pitch off the batter’s eye farabove the 407-foot sign in straightaway center. Itwas the fifth blown save in 25 tries for Reed (1-5)and the ninth home run the closer has allowed in38 appearances. Nuno, acquired in the deal thatsent Brandon McCarthy to the New York Yankees,gave up three hits, struck out a career-high sevenand walked one in seven innings. He scoredArizona’s only run. Mike Dunn (7-4) pitched one-third of an inning to get the victory. Steve Cishekpitched a perfect ninth for his 20th save in 22opportunities.

ROCKIES 2, PADRES 1Charlie Blackmon hit a two-run homer and

Franklin Morales pitched effectively into the sixthinning, helping Colorado beat San Diego.

Morales (5-4) turned in another solid outingsince being reinserted into the starting rotation onJuly 3. The lefty allowed four hits and one runbefore being removed for a reliever with two outsin the sixth.

Tyson Ross (7-9) was just as sharp, his only mis-take a slider up in the zone to Blackmon in thethird. Ross went six innings and allowed six hits.Ross made the All-Star team, but won’t pitch sincehe’s scheduled to start Sunday against the LosAngeles Dodgers. — AP

OAKLAND: Sonny Gray struck out eight to win histhird straight decision, and the Oakland Athletics beatthe San Francisco Giants 6-1 on Tuesday night for theirsixth consecutive victory. Coco Crisp hit an RBI singleand stole his 16th base and Nick Punto doubled in arun during a four-run third against MadisonBumgarner (9-7), handed his second three-start skid ofthe year. The lefty didn’t allow a hit until Jed Lowrie’sblooper leading off the third that landed in front of acharging right fielder Hunter Pence, who avoided acollision with second baseman Joe Panik. Oakland didall its damage that inning on the way to matching itsseason-high winning streak. The A’s (57-33) concludedtheir homestand 6-0, just the 11th undefeated homes-tand of six or more games in Oakland history. The low-budget club with baseball’s best record has won 11 ofits past 12 games at the Coliseum.

TIGERS 14, DODGERS 5Justin Verlander settled down after a terrible

first inning and Detroit rallied in emphatic fashionfor a victory over the Dodgers.

Verlander (8-7) allowed five runs in the first, butthe Dodgers managed only one more hit off theDetroit right-hander, who has had his share ofstruggles this season. The Tigers tied it with fiveruns in the second, then added two in the thirdand four in the fourth to pull away.

Miguel Cabrera was one of five Detroit playerswith three hits. Verlander allowed five runs and fivehits in six innings. He struck out four and walkedtwo. Hyun-Jin Ryu (9-5) allowed seven runs and 10hits in 2 1-3 innings. Juan Uribe hit a two-runhomer for the Dodgers in the first, but Verlanderretired 13 in a row after that. The Tigers’ 14 runs seta season high, as did their 20 hits.

CARDINALS 5, PIRATES 4Rookie Kolten Wong gave St. Louis its second

straight game-winning ninth-inning home run,

connecting off Ernesto Frieri with two outs for avictory over Pittsburgh.

Frieri (1-1) got two routine outs before Wong,batting eighth, hit his third homer on a full count.The drive over the right-field wall, which was esti-mated at 420 feet, was the first game-winninghomer of Wong’s career and it came a night afterMatt Adams hit his first winner off Justin Wilson ina 2-0 victory. The Cardinals last had consecutivegame-winning homers when Albert Pujols twicebeat the Cubs on June 4 and 5, 2011.

Wong also gave the Cardinals the early leadwith a two-run double in the second.TrevorRosenthal (1-4) struck out Starling Marte on threepitches with two on to end the ninth.

INDIANS 5, YANKEES 3Michael Brantley homered and had three RBIs,

Nick Swisher hit a go-ahead two-run shot andCleveland stopped rookie sensation MasahiroTanaka’s bid to become the major league’s first 13-game winner.

Brantley hit a leadoff homer in the seventh. Thefirst-time All-Star also had RBI doubles in the firstand fifth, raising his average to .328.

Tanaka (12-4) allowed season worsts of fiveruns and 10 hits in 6 2-3 innings. The right-hander,who lost for the third time in four starts, took a 3-2lead into the sixth before Swisher, a former Yankee,hit a two-run homer that put Cleveland on top.

Trevor Bauer (3-4) allowed three runs in seveninnings and retired 13 of the last 14 hitters hefaced. New York’s only baserunner in that stretchcame on Swisher’s fifth-inning error. Bauer struckout six and walked two in winning for the first timesince June 16. Cody Allen pitched the ninth for his10th save.

WHITE SOX 8, RED SOX 3Conor Gillaspie hit a tie-breaking, two-run

homer in the sixth inning for his third hit of thegame and Chicago beat struggling Boston. Bostonlost for the seventh time in eight games as thedefending World Series champions remained inlast place in the AL East. The White Sox are 5-1 intheir past six games. John Danks (8-6) started withfour shutout innings on Tuesday night after HectorNoesi beat Seattle 1-0 on Sunday and Scott Carrollwon 4-0 on Monday night when Boston had justtwo hits.

The White Sox squandered a 3-0 lead when theRed Sox tied it with three runs in the fifth. ButChicago went ahead to stay with two in the sixthand then added three runs in the ninth. Jose Abreuled off the sixth with a single against BrandonWorkman (1-3) and stayed at first when the nexttwo batters were retired. Then Gillaspie hit a 3 and-2 pitch just inside the pole in right field for his sec-ond homer of the season.

RAYS 4, ROYALS 3Evan Longoria drove in two runs, Jeremy

Hellickson went 4 1-3 innings in his season debut,and Tampa Bay beat Kansas City.

The Rays opened the sixth with three consecu-tive hits, including a two run single by Longoria offJason Vargas (8-4), to take a 2-1 lead. Vargas, whoallowed two runs and six hits in 5 2-3 innings, wascoming off seven innings in the Royals’ 4-0 winWednesday against Minnesota. Hellickson, comingback after arthroscopic surgery on his right elbowin January, gave up one run and six hits.

METS 8, BRAVES 3Rookie Jacob deGrom struck out 11 in seven

shutout innings and also delivered a table-settinghit from the No. 8 spot in the batting order andNew York tagged All-Star Julio Teheran and Atlanta.

Curtis Granderson kept up his resurgence witha leadoff home run and Lucas Duda doubled twice,singled and drew two walks. Daniel Murphy alsodoubled twice and third baseman David Wrightadded two of New York’s 18 hits and made a niftycatch.

The shaggy-haired deGrom (2-5) pitched theMets to their third win in a row, and the franchise’s4,000th victory since starting out as an expansionteam in 1962. Atlanta has lost three straight.DeGrom allowed seven hits, walked none andmatched a career best for strikeouts.

REDS 6, CUBS 5Jay Bruce homered in the opener, and then

helped Cincinnati pull off its biggest comeback ofthe season for a doubleheader sweep over theCubs.

The Reds overcame a 5-0 deficit in the secondgame, sending Chicago to its fifth straight loss.Bruce doubled home the tying run in the eighth.Billy Hamilton then had a broken-bat RBI single inthe ninth off Hector Rondon (1-3) for the Reds’ firstdoubleheader sweep since 2009 againstPittsburgh.

The Cubs have been swept in all three of theirdoubleheaders this season. They haven’t won agame since trading starters Jeff Samardzija andJason Hammel to Oakland for a package ofprospects.

In the opener, Bruce returned to right field andhit another two-run homer, connecting off TravisWood (7-7) during a three-run first inning. JohnnyCueto (9-6) extended his stretch of success againstthe Cubs. He is 5-0 in his last seven starts againstChicago with a 1.19 ERA. Chris Coghlan homered inboth games and helped the Cubs get in positionfor a split, but Chicago’s bullpen couldn’t hold on.

Giants fall to Athletics

KUWAIT: The fastest and most powerful everproduction Land Rover will make its publicdebut at this year’s Goodwood Festival ofSpeed (27 to 29 June). The Range Rover SportSVR will be the first model to wear the newSVR designation, which will be worn by allfuture high performance models.

A camouflaged prototype of the 550PSRange Rover Sport SVR will take a break fromits demanding development schedule to givespectators a chance to experience the sightsand sounds of the most exhilarating LandRover ever produced. It will perform a series ofruns up the famous Goodwood Hill course inthe ‘First Glance’ category.

The SVR is currently undergoing develop-ment prior to going on sale in 2015. Details ofthe vehicle’s 550PS powertrain are still underwraps, but crowds can expect a thrillingsoundtrack to match its impressive pace.Performance data for the SVR will extend the

Range Rover Sport’s established capabilities asthe fastest, most agile and most responsiveLand Rover ever built.

The Range Rover Sport SVR has been creat-ed by Jaguar Land Rover’s Special VehicleOperations team and all future SVR modelswill need to meet stringent key performancecriteria in order to wear the SVR badge. Theywill be built alongside existing models andsold through the Land Rover dealer network inthe usual way. Range Rover Sport SVR -designed, engineered and built in Britain -amplifies the engineering integrity, robustnessand attention to detail that are hallmarks oftoday’s Land Rover brand. Land Rover rede-fined the performance SUV sector with thelaunch of the original Range Rover Sport in2005, successfully combining sports perform-ance with uncompromised all-terrain capabili-ties. This is reflected in the current tally of500,000 vehicles produced.

Range Rover Sport Svr Prototype set to storm the Goodwood Hill

DUBAI: With the second spot for Sunday’sFinal still to be decided, it’s a case of nowor never for two of the top performingplayers of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil.

Today, both Leo Messi of Argentina andArjen Robben of Holland will take to thepitch having both had tournaments toremember, powered by the Adidas Adizerof50. Between them they have collected anincredible six man of the match awards.

They have also scored a combined totalof seven goals from a total of 25 shots ontarget, while both players have had oneassist each. While Robben has the edgewhen it comes to solo runs into the area

— 17 to Messi’s seven, Messi is on topwhen it comes to deliveries into the area,with 22 compared to Robben’s 17.

The Adizero f50 is the boot of choice foran incredible six of the tournament’s topnine goalscorers.

This includes 2014 FIFA World CupBrazil sensation and current AdidasGolden Boot leader, James Rodriguez ofColombia with six goals, while both LeoMessi (four) and Arjen Robben (three) arealso competing to be top goalscorer. Alsoin contention are Thomas M¸ller, Germany(four) and Robin van Persie, Netherlands(three).

Standing tall in the Adidas Adizero f50

OAKLAND: Craig Gentry No. 3 of the Oakland Athletics gets caught in a rundown andtagged out by Brandon Crawford No. 35 of the San Francisco Giants in the bottom of thefifth inning. — AFP

S P O RT STHURSDAY, JULY 10, 2014

Sri Lanka:K. Perera c Amla b Philander 7T. Dilshan b Duminy 86K. Sangakkara c de Kock b Morkel 7L. Thirimanne c Amla b Tahir 36M. Jayawardene b Tahir 48A. Mathews c de Kock b McLaren 34A. Priyanjan c Duminy b McLaren 25N. Kulasekara c de Villiers b McLaren 0S. Senanayake not out 9A. Mendis c de Kock b McLaren 2L. Malinga c Morkel b Philander 0Extras: (b1, lb1, w9, nb2) 13 Total (49.2 overs) 267Fall of wickets: 1-26 (Perera), 2-63(Sangakkara), 3-125 (Thirimanne), 4-154(Dilshan), 5-225 (Jayawardene), 6-256(Mathews), 7-256 (Kulasekara), 8-256(Priyanjan), 9-266 (Mendis), 10-267(Malinga)Bowling: Steyn 2.2-0-19-0, Philander 7.2-1-49-2 (nb2, w1), Duminy 9.4-0-50-1 (w2),Morkel 10-0-58-1 (w1), McLaren 10-0-48-4(w4), Tahir 10-1-41-2 (w1)

South Africa: H. Amla c Senanayake b Malinga 101Q. de Kock b Malinga 4J. Kallis c Sangakkara b Malinga 1AB de Villiers c sub (T. Perera) b Dilshan 29J. Duminy c Sangakkara b Mendis 1D. Miller c Senanayake b Dilshan 4R. McLaren c Kulasekara b Senanayake3V. Philander c Sangakkara b Dilshan 1D. Steyn lbw b Mendis 23M. Morkel b Malinga 0I. Tahir not out 0Extras: (lb4, w9) 13Total: (all out; 38.1 overs) 180Fall of wickets: 1-9 (de Kock), 2-26 (Kallis), 3-101 (de Villiers), 4-104 (Duminy), 5-109(Miller), 6-124 (McLaren), 7-127 (Philander),8-180 (Amla), 9-180 (Morkel), 10-180 (Steyn)Bowling: Malinga 6-1-24-4 (w2), Kulasekara5-0-39-0, Senanayake 7-1-36-1 (w4),Mathews 3-1-11-0, Mendis 6.1-2-18-2,Dilshan 10-0-40-3 (w2), Priyanjan 1-0-8-0 (w1)Sri Lanka win by 87 runs

SCOREBOARD

PALLEKELE: Full scoreboard from the second one-day international between SriLanka and South Africa at the Pallekele International Stadium yesterday:

NOTTINGHAM: India’s Murali Vijay (left) plays a shot past England’s Matt Prior during play on day One of the first cricket Test match betweenEngland and India at Trent Bridge. — AFP

NOTTINGHAM: Murali Vijay’s maiden overseasTest hundred took India to 259 for four at stumpson a grinding first day of a five-match series withEngland at Trent Bridge yesterday.

Vijay was 122 not out after batting through thewhole day, with India captain Mahendra SinghDhoni unbeaten on 50 exactly. Together the pairhad put on an unbroken 81 for the fifth wicket.

India, after Dhoni won the toss on a sunny day,overcame the early loss of Shikhar Dhawan to be106 for one at lunch on a placid pitch. But Englandthen took two wickets for one run to reduce Indiato 107 for three and the run-rate slowed signifi-cantly with Stuart Broad (one for 26 in 19 overs)particularly miserly on his Nottinghamshire homeground. Vijay was into his stride right from the firstover, which saw him strike England spearheadJames Anderson for three fours in as many balls.

But Anderson, who has taken more Test wicketsat Trent Bridge than any other bowler, did claimhis 50th scalp on the ground when he foundDhawan’s outside edge and wicketkeeper MattPrior, passed fit after a minor thigh injury, took anexcellent diving left-handed catch in front ofEngland captain Alastair Cook at first slip.

Such was Vijay’s touch, his first fifty featured 44runs in boundaries. But Anderson and new-ballpartner Broad eventually checked India’s progress.

Cheteshwar Pujara fell for his lunch score of 38to a well-set trap when he chipped an Andersondelivery that ‘stopped’ to the rarely deployed posi-tion of silly mid-on, where Ian Bell took a superbone-handed catch diving full-stretch to his right.

Pujara’s dismissal was also a tactical triumph forCook, much criticised for his tactics duringEngland’s recent run of eight Tests without a win.

Rising star Virat Kohli, on one, then carelesslyopened the face against Broad and guided the balllow to Bell, now at second slip. England, gaining ameasure of reverse swing, restricted India to amere 18 runs in the first 14 overs after lunch.

But with Cook unwilling to deploy part-timeoff-spinner Moeen Ali, Vijay made the most of anyopportunities he was given by England’s seamquartet and late cut recalled all-rounder BenStokes for two fours. At tea, India were 177 forthree, with Vijay 92 not out and Ajinkya Rahane 32not out.

But Rahane, as happened to Pujara, failed toadd to his interval score when he was dismissed inthe first over after tea thanks to another smartploy from Cook.

Rahane, unsettled by an earlier short ball, triedto pull Liam Plunkett but only made contact with

the toe of the bat, the ball deflecting to Cook, whograbbed the catch at silly point - not an obviousposition for a fast bowler such as Plunkett.

Vijay spent 13 balls on 99 before a scamperedsingle off Anderson saw the 30-year-old to hisfourth hundred in 23 Tests and first outside Indiain more than four-and-a-half hours at the crease.

His first fifty had taken just 68 balls, his second146. Vijay, however, raised a stand of fifty byadvancing down the pitch to drive Ali for six overlong-off, while Dhoni upped the tempo with a 64-ball fifty of his own. Vijay had made 110 whenPlunkett appealed for lbw.

But England, with the Decision Review Systemnot in use this series because of Indian objections,had to accept Australian umpire Bruce Oxenford’snot out decision, which replays suggested wouldstill have stood even under DRS. — AFP

Vijay keeps England at bay

India 1st InningsM. Vijay not out 122S. Dhawan c Prior b Anderson 12C. Pujara c Bell b Anderson 38V. Kohli c Bell b Broad 1A. Rahane c Cook b Plunkett 32M.S. Dhoni not out 50Extras (lb4) 4Total (4 wkts, 90 overs, 373 mins) 259To bat: R Jadeja, S Binny, B Kumar, I Sharma,

Mohammed ShamiFall of wickets: 1-33 (Dhawan), 2-106 (Pujara),3-107 (Kohli), 4-178 (Rahane)Bowling: Anderson 21-6-70-2; Broad 19-8-26-1; Stokes 19-4-47-0; Plunkett 21-4-56-1; Ali 9-0-50-0; Root 1-0-6-0England: Alastair Cook (capt), Sam Robson,Gary Ballance, Ian Bell, Joe Root, Moeen Ali,Matt Prior (wkt), Ben Stokes, Stuart Broad,Liam Plunkett, James Anderson

SCOREBOARD

PALLEKELE: Tillakaratne Dilshan starred withboth the bat and the ball as Sri Lanka crushedSouth Africa by 87 runs in their second one-dayer yesterday to draw the three-matchseries level at 1-1.

Dilshan smashed 86 off 90 balls and alsotook three wickets for 40 runs to set the stagefor a Sri Lankan victory in the day-nightmatch at the Pallekele International Stadium.Fast bowler Lasith Malinga chipped in with avaluable 4-24 as South Africa were bowledout for 180 off 38.1 overs while chasing SriLanka’s 267 all out.

In-form opener Hashim Amla fought backbrilliantly, making a 102-ball 101, but failedto find support from the other batsmen, onlytwo of whom could manage scores in doublefigures. Malinga gave Sri Lanka crucial break-throughs when he sent back opener Quintonde Kock (four) and star batsman JacquesKallis (one) in his consecutive overs. Kallis,who was out for a second ball duck in thefirst game, fell to a sharp bouncer from thebowler, edging it straight to KumarSangakkara behind the stumps. At the otherend, Amla held the innings together, string-ing a 75-run stand with skipper AB de Villiers(29) and reaching his 14th ODI century in theprocess.

But de Villers’ dismissal in the 20th over byDilshan triggered a collapse that derailed theSouth African innings and put the hosts inthe driver’s seat.“Hashim (Amla) played anamazing innings but there were not enoughpartnerships around him. I got out to a softdismissal as well,” said de Villiers. Earlier,Dilshan, 37, struck nine fours in his quickfireinnings after Sri Lanka won the toss andchose to bat.

The hosts looked in line for a bigger total

but lost their last five wickets for 11 runs, withpaceman Ryan McLaren (4-48) accounting forfour of these dismissals.

“I was a bit concerned after we collapsed, Ithought we were perhaps 30-40 runs short,”said Sri Lankan skipper Angelo Mathews. “ButDilshan played a great knock. All the spinnerscontributed as well.”

The Proteas suffered an early setbackwhen pace spearhead Dale Steyn had to leavethe field after sustaining a bruise on his rightthumb while attempting a return catch in histhird over.

But with tests ruling out any fracture,Steyn came on to bat later, making 23. SriLanka were off to a flying start with Dilshangoing after the attack, but the visitors struckat regular intervals to peg back the scoring.

Opener Kusal Perera (seven) was the firstto go, lobbing the ball tamely to Amla at shortmid-wicket off fast bowler Vernon Philander(2-49). Sangakkara, who scored a fine 89 inSunday’s match, was out for seven when hetried to pull a short delivery from MorneMorkel but ended up gloving it to the wicket-keeper. Leg-spinner Imran Tahir (2-41) got ridof Lahiru Thirimanne (36) and then off-spin-ner Jean-Paul Duminy deceived Dilshan witha ball that deflected off the batsman’s gloveonto the stumps.

Jayawardene was given out lbw when hewas on six, but the decision was overturnedon review. He went on to score a patient 48off 70 balls and shared a 71-run stand withMathews (34) to steady the innings. AshanPriyanjan provided some late impetus, hittingMorkel for a six and a boundary off consecu-tive deliveries in a cameo 25-run knock. Thethird and final game will be played inHambantota on Sunday. — AFP

Sri Lanka thrashSouth Africa

SRI LANKA: South African Dale Steyn ducks to avoid a ball during the second OneDay International cricket match against Sri Lanka at the Pallekele InternationalCricket Stadium. — AFP

KUWAIT: VIVA, Kuwait’s fastest-growingand most developed telecom operator,announced that it will hold the upcomingdraw for both its postpaid and prepaid cus-tomers to win Vespa scooters with WorldCup designs at Marina Mall on Thursday 10July 2014 at 9pm.

The draw campaign started on 22 Mayand will last until 14 July 2014, where post-paid and prepaid customers will earn onepoint for every KD5 spent on their bill pay-ment or recharge usage. Each point willcount as one entry into the draw, so the

more points accumulated by a customer,the more chances they will have of win-ning. The upcoming final draw will takeplace on 14 July 2014.

VIVA invites its customers to participatein this exciting draw campaign which isapplicable for existing and new postpaid(Voice and data) and prepaid (voice only)customers who pay their bills throughVIVA’s website, VIVA’s application or by call-ing the Call Center at 102 giving customersa chance to win a brand new World CupVespa scooter.

VIVA to announce Lucky Winner ofVespa scooters draw at Marina Mall

FRANCE: Defending champion Chris Froome saidhe was “devastated” after crashing out of the Tourde France yesterday following two falls twice on awet and treacherous stage five.

“Devastated to have to withdraw from this yearsTDF. Injured wrist and tough conditions made con-trolling my bike near to impossible,” he said on hisTwitter feed. “Thanks to the team & support staff fortrying to get me through today. Wishing@richie_porte & @TeamSky the best for the rest ofTour!”

After the second crash, the 29-year-old was visi-bly injured and was seen shaking his head andholding his right arm before climbing into a Skyteam car. That signalled the end of his attempt toretain the yellow jersey he won in Paris last year.

Team manager Dave Brailsford said he had noupdates on Froome’s exact injuries but said it wasall part of racing. And he said attention will nowturn to Richie Porte, who sits eighth overall at 1min54sec from race leader Vincenzo Nibali followingyesterday’s cobbled 152.5km stage from Ypres inBelgium to Arenberg Porte du Hainaut. “I haven’theard from the doctor yet, Chris has gone back tothe hotel and will fly home tonight,” said Brailsford.“Obviously it’s devastating news for Chris and theteam but we really knew it was going to be a toughrace. We really believed in Chris and really thoughthe was going to win this race.

“It’s not to be this year but in Richie Porte we’vegot a very capable guy who will now lead the team.“I think like anything else, on a day like today whenyou have a setback, you’ve got to roll with it.

“It’s part of sport, you’ve got to recalibrate yourgoals and go again. You might take a punch butyou get up and go again. “In Richie Porte, he’scome into this team, we’veselected him to be the num-ber two, he had great abilitytoday and great couragewith Geraint ( Thomas) toride the cobbles the way hedid and given the way it’stimed at the minute, we’vegot an exciting couple ofweeks to come.”

The last time a reigningchampion was forced toabandon the Tour was in1980 when FrenchmanBernard Hinault quit due toa knee injury, although thatwasn’t from a crash. In 1983,yellow jersey wearer PascalSimon was forced out sever-al days after a crash and hewould never win the GrandBoucle.

Froome crashes out of Tour de France

FRANCE: Netherland’s Lars Boom celebrates after the 152.5 km fifth stage of the 101st editionof the Tour de France cycling race. — AFP

Froome’s withdrawal topped off a nightmaretwo days for the Kenyan-born rider, who also cameoff his bike on Tuesday’s fourth stage.

Television pictures missed his two falls on a dayin which numerous riders crashed even before thefeared cobbled sections began. After his first fall,Froome was seen with ripped jersey and shorts

down his right hand side, trying to fix a mechanicalproblem by the side of the road. Blood and grazingcould also be seen on his hip through a rip in hisshorts. His Sky teammates quickly dropped back topace him back up to the peloton. Already he hadbegun the day with a splint to protect his left wristthat was injured in Tuesday’s crash. —AFP

NOTTINGHAM: Scoreboard at stumps on the first day of the first Test between England and Indiaat Trent Bridge on Wednesday:


FAN FERVORBELO HORIZONTE: Some 14 years after their humili-ating Euro 2000 exit, Germany now stand with theworld at their feet amidst the fall-out from theirremarkable thrashing of Brazil.

Joachim Loew’s Germany capitalised on an emo-tionally fragile Selecao side, shorn of injured starNeymar and suspended captain Thiago Silva, toinflict a 7-1 mauling on the hosts in Tuesday’s WorldCup semi-final.

The battering Brazil sustained in Belo Horizonteeven had the usually reserved German ChancellorAngela Merkel describing the victory as ‘historic’.

Loew’s Germany are now on the verge of theirfirst World Cup title for 24 years with their global rep-utation for eye-catching football enhanced afterhanding Brazil their heaviest international defeat.

“The final is sure to be a different game, but thereis one thing they have done-the respect for thisteam has now become even greater,” enthused FranzBeckenbauer who captained West Germany to the1974 title and coached the 1990 World Cup winners.

It’s all a far-cry from Euro 2000, when Germanybowed out after failing to win any of their threematches. That humiliation prompted the German FA(DFB) and the German Football League (DFL) to putpolitics aside and focus on a player developmentstrategy which is now bearing fruit.

The DFB ploughed millions of euros into buildingyouth academies across the Bundesliga’s top tiers. Atactical blueprint was laid out for the DFB’s juniorteams, so a player rising through the age groups hadcontinuity while DFB coaches scouted playgroundsand sports fields for talent. The various clubs con-trolled their own academy systems, but followedDFB guidelines.

Despite reaching the 2002 World Cup final,Germany again exited in the first round of Euro 2004with two draws and a defeat as coach Rudi Voellerresigned. With increasing desperation, the DFB tooka gamble by naming inexperienced former strikerJurgen Klinsmann as head coach and he appointedLoew as his assistant.

With the academy system starting to yield talentlike Bastian Schweinsteiger, Philipp Lahm and LukasPodolski, Klinsmann and Loew promoted youth andattacking football.

Only an extra-time defeat to Italy in the semi-finals halted the Germans’ march when they hostedthe 2006 World Cup and when Klinsmann steppeddown, Loew took over.

The 54-year-old steered the Germans to the Euro2008 final where they lost the Vienna final 1-0 to aSpanish side at the start of a golden era.

The South Africa World Cup was when Loew’sGermany announced their return as a powerhouseon the global stage. With an average age of 24, themulti-national squad saw the likes of Mesut Ozil,Sami Khedira, Thomas Mueller and Manuel Neuerbreak into the side with performances which sug-gested they were there to stay.

Ozil, the Gelsenkirchen-born son of Turkish immi-grants, is a good example of a current player whorose through the system having been spotted by aDFB coach before he joined Schalke.

Both England and Argentina conceded four goalsto the Germans, who won scores of neutral fans atSouth Africa 2010 with fleet-footed, eye-catchingfootball, in the knock-out stages. Again, Germany’srun was halted by Spain, this time in the semi-finals.

Four years on in Brazil, Germany can grind outresults after a 2-2 draw with Ghana and 1-0 win overthe USA in the group stages, but also turn on thestyle in their 4-0 rout of Portugal before Tuesday’sthrashing of Brazil. “The team is a step further,”Schweinsteiger said when comparing the 2010team. “Every single player has developed further attheir clubs and the amount of good players has alsoincreased.”

Domestically, German football is in rude healthwith Bayern Munich and Dortmund both majorforces in the Champions League last season havingcontested the 2013 final.

Six Bayern players started the Belo Horizontesemi-final while Dortmund’s Mats Hummels hasestablished himself as a world-class centre-back.

And who knows how much stronger the Germanswould have been had dynamic Dortmund wingerMarco Reus not torn ankle ligaments before theWorld Cup?

In sunday’s final, Germany face the winner of lateyesterday’s second semi-final between Argentinaand the Netherlands. — AFP

Germany has the world at their feet

BELO HORIZONTE: A selection of the biggestWorld Cup shocks in history after Germany’s 7-1rout of hosts Brazil in Tuesday’s semi-final in BeloHorizonte:

United States 1 England 0 (1950)England arrived at their first World Cup finals

appearance hailed as potential winners havinglost just four times in 30 matches. Faced with ateam of part-timers, England selectors rested starplayer Stanley Matthews. It proved to be a fatalerror as with substitutes not yet permittedMatthews sat helplessly on the sidelines and agoal by Haiti-born Joe Gaetjens, who earned hiskeep as a dishwasher upper in a restaurant,secured the Americans a 1-0 win.

Uruguay 2 Brazil 1 (1950)The game that came to be known as the

‘Maracanazo’ but may be seen as less of a traumat-ic defeat now after Tuesday’s hammering. HostsBrazil were drawing 1-1 and under the old formatwere just 10 minutes from winning their firstWorld Cup in the Maracana. However, their hopesand that of a nation were dashed as AlcidesGhiggia lashed in a shot to make it 2-1. Despitethere being 200,000 fans packed into the stadiumGhiggia, who is now 87 and the only member ofthe two teams still alive, told AFP the crowd werereduced to a ‘great stunning silence’.

North Korea 1 Italy 0 (1966)Pak Do-Ik entered World Cup folklore by strik-

ing the only goal of the game to secure the hermitStalinist state a remarkable 1-0 victory over Italy ina group match in the unglamorous setting ofMiddlesbrough in north-eastern England. It didnot presage a golden era in football for NorthKorea as they had to wait till 2010 for their nextappearance at the finals. However, for Pak it

opened up a whole new world. “I learnt that play-ing football can improve diplomatic relations andpromote peace,” he said when he made an emo-tional return to Middlesbrough in 2002. NorthKorea went on to lose 5-3 to Portugal in the quar-ter-finals.

East Germany 1 West Germany 0 (1974)One of the most politically charged matches in

World Cup history, with the Cold War raging andintense rivalry between the two states reaching apeak as West Germany hosted the tournament.The two-divided since World War II-fought con-stantly for supremacy in the sporting arena butthis was the most high profile meeting. WestGermany were packed with household names butthe East Germans arrived boosted by Magdeburg’sCup Winners Cup victory. Striker JurgenSparwasser scored the only goal of the game andprovoked wild celebrations back in the communiststate. West Germany, though, were to have the lastlaugh as they went on to win the trophy while EastGermany bowed out in the next round.

Algeria 2 West Germany 1 (1982)The North Africans were appearing in their first

World Cup finals and were given little chanceagainst the reigning European champions in theclash in Spain. The German players thought it wasdone and dusted. “One player even said that hewould play against us with a cigar in his mouth,”Algeria’s full-back Chaabane Merzekane told TheGuardian later. The over confidence of theGermans came back to haunt them as theAlgerians prevailed 2-1 with Rabah Madjer open-ing the scoring nine minutes into the second-half.The Germans pulled level through Karl-HeinzRummenigge only for a stunning move by theAlgerians to culminate in the decisive goal byLakhdar Belloumi.

BELO HORIZONTE: Brazil’s World Cup dream crum-bled in spectacular fashion on Tuesday in a record 7-1semi-final defeat. Here is is a blow-by-blow account ofa Germany’s night of triumph:

* ONE (Thomas Mueller 11)Brazilians wondered how their team would cope

without the injured Neymar, but the absence of cap-tain Thiago Silva, such a reassuring presence at theback, was just as big a blow.

The Brazilian defence was hopelessly exposed atthe opening goal, as Toni Kroos floated in a cornerfrom the right and Thomas Mueller found himself com-pletely unmarked at the back post to slot home hisfifth goal of the tournament.

However, the movement by Mueller and theGerman players was intelligent as David Luiz, whoshould have been marking the goalscorer, found him-self blocked off and unable to make a challenge.

* TWO (Miroslav Klose 23)The crumble really began as Fernandinho failed to

cut out a pass from the German right, and Kroos andMueller combined to cut through the middle of theBrazil defence.

Klose collected the ball inside the area and saw hisshot from close range blocked by Julio Cesar, but hestill reacted the quickest to convert the rebound.

The veteran striker confirmed himself as the great-est poacher in the history of the competition, scoring arecord-breaking 16th World Cup goal to move oneclear of the Brazilian Ronaldo, compounding the hosts’misery.

* THREE (Toni Kroos 24)Almost immediately after the restart, Germany

scored again through a combination of poor defend-ing and marvellous finishing.

Nobody cut out Philipp Lahm’s low centre in fromthe German right, and even after Mueller mis-hit his

shot, the ball came to Kroos. The Bayern Munich man’s connection, first-time on

the half-volley with his left foot from the edge of thearea, was marvellous and Julio Cesar could do nothing.

* FOUR (Toni Kroos 26)Fernandinho was hopelessly caught in possession

just outside his own area, and Kroos and Sami Khediratook advantage to break into the area. Khedirareturned the ball to Kroos, who this time simply couldnot miss.

* FIVE (Sami Khedira 29)The culmination of an extraordinary first-half burst

that will go down in history came as Mats Hummelssliced right through the heart of the Brazilian team, rid-ing unchallenged deep into the opposition half.

Germany simply walked the ball into the net thistime, with Mesut Ozil providing the assist and Khediraapplying the finish.

* SIX (Andre Schuerrle 69)Brazil attacked after the break in a doomed attempt

to rescue some pride, but they still had six defenders intheir own area when Germany went on to add a sixthgoal midway through the second half. Schuerrle, whohad replaced Klose 11 minutes earlier, still found him-self in space in the box to convert Lahm’s cutback, asBrazil were yet again found wanting on the left-handside.

* SEVEN (Andre Schuerrle 79)Mueller turned provider this time to set up

Schuerrle to score again, and his delightful control wasfollowed by an arrowing left-foot shot on the half-vol-ley that beat Julio Cesar and went into the net off theunderside of the crossbar.

Oscar’s late reply for the hosts was irrelevant, withBrazil already having succumbed to their greatest everhumiliation. — AFP

Brazil fans shake off the blues and put on orange

SAO PAULO: Out of the World Cup and dreading the ideaof their South American archrival lifting the trophy, manyBrazilian did the only thing they could do - put on theDutch orange shirts for yesterday’s semi-final’s matchagainst Argentina.

Orange clad Brazilians joined Dutch fans who were out-numbered by a massive blue-and-white Argentine pres-ence around SaoPaulo’s arenaCorinthians.

Tiago Pinhiero, anadvertisement exec-utive from Rio deJaneiro, bought hisorange shirt at ashopping mall nearthe stadium. “NoBrazilian likes to seeArgentina win,” hesaid as he walkedtowards the arena.“We were going to support the Netherlands from thebeginning but after yesterday’s defeat even more.”

Brazil was taken out of the World Cup on Tuesday byGermany with a humiliating 7-1 defeat that sunk this soc-cer-loving nation into depression.

And the idea of Argentina beating Netherlands to reachSunday’s final at the Maracana stadium of Rio de Janeiro issimply unbearable for many Brazilians.

“Our rivalry with Argentina is historic,” explainsGuilherme Samora, a 25-year old businessman riding thesubway to the stadium with his old Ruud van Nistelrooyshirt. “If Afghanistan were playing Argentina we will bewearing Afghan shirts today.”

And that is good news for Ben Oude Kamdhuis, a tall 53year-old Dutchman clad in orange from head to toes,including his dyed beard. “I think it is going help us that allof Brazil are behind Holland winning today.” — Reuters

BELO HORIZONTE: Brazil’s defender Thiago Silva (right) comforts Brazil’s defender David Luiz after thesemi-final football match against Germany. — AFP

Blow-by-blow account

World Cup shocks


FAN FERVOR

SANTO ANDRE: Germany midfielder Toni Kroos not onlysilenced Brazil’s fans with his scintillating performance inTuesday’s astonishing 7-1 World Cup semi-final victory butalso countless critics back home as well. Annoyed by linger-ing accusations that he might have been largely to blamefor Germany’s lacklustre semi-final defeat by Italy two yearsago at Euro 2012, Kroos played arguably the best of his 50matches for Germany on Tuesday.

“I’m in a great mood and I’m feeling fit - that’s why I wasable to come up with a performance like this,” he toldreporters after helping Germany reach Sunday’s final. “Forme personally that was one of my better matches forGermany but I’ve had a lot of other good matches too,”Kroos said when asked if it was his best game for thenational side. “I’d agree that it was the team’s best perform-ance, especially in such a match like the semi-final againstBrazil. It was extraordinary.”

Kroos’s improvement epitomised Germany’s progressionas they surged into overdrive against Brazil after uninspir-ing victories over the United States, Algeria and France by aone-goal margin as well as a 2-2 draw against Ghana beforethat. Man of the match after scoring twice against Brazil -his first at the World Cup - Kroos was directly involved inGermany’s first four goals.

His corner set up Thomas Mueller’s opener before hecreated the second with a sharp pass to Mueller who foundMiroslav Klose to score his record-breaking 16th World Cupgoal. Kroos then scored the next two himself, one with hisleft foot and the other with his right. “He’s in great formright now,” said Germany coach Joachim Loew. “The thingshe does on the pitch always lead to something. He’s beenhelping the team enormously in the last two years, helpingto create a lot of chances.” The 24-year-old Kroos, the team’sonly starter born in East Germany, has been billed as themost promising talent of his generation for years and hasbeen one of the driving forces behind Bayern Munich’s suc-cess since 2012.

But there were some blemishes on his record forGermany. When their entertaining, high-scoring team side2-1 to Italy at Euro 2012, Kroos became a scapegoat forgoing missing while being outfoxed by master Italian mid-fielder Andrea Pirlo.

The criticism may have been unfairly focused on Kroosbut the tag stuck that he could not deliver in the big match-es. When Germany squandered a 4-0 lead against Swedenin a World Cup qualifier in Berlin and had to settle for a 4-4

draw four months later, Kroos was again singled out for dis-appearing during the chaotic final 20 minutes.

The normally down-to-earth Kroos was still touchyabout that criticism even after playing well in Germany’sopening 4-0 World Cup win against Portugal. He snapped ata journalist who asked about why he sometimes disap-peared in key matches for Germany. “Then you haven’t seenmany of my matches,” he said before listing several perform-ances in Champions League games for Bayern withoutmentioning any highlights for Germany.

No one would doubt Kroos’s importance to Germany atthe World Cup and the upturn in his fortunes could hardlyhave come at a better time. He has been top of Germany’spossession and successful passing statistics all through thetournament. His two goals on Tuesday brought his career

total for Germany to seven. Kroos was spotted as a teenagerand at 16 moved from Hansa Rostock to Bayern, where hemarked his Bundesliga debut at 17 with two assists. Hespent 18 months on loan at Bayer Leverkusen and has beena regular for Bayern since Pep Guardiola arrived last year.

Top European clubs such as Chelsea, Manchester Unitedand Real Madrid are reportedly eager to sign Kroos, whosecontract with Bayern runs until next July. Madrid are thefavourites to get him.

However, right now Kroos is just focusing on Sunday’sfinal against either the Netherlands or Argentina whenGermany will try to win a fourth World Cup and their firstsince 1990. “Despite the great performance against Brazilwe’re here to win the World Cup and we’re not there yet,” hesaid. “We’ve still got one more step to go.”— Reuters

Kroos missile silence critics

BELO HORIZONTE: Germany’s midfielder Toni Kroos celebrates after scoring during the semi-final foot-ball match against Brazil. — AFP

BELO HORIZONTE: Brazil’s humiliating exit from theWorld Cup is as close as it gets to a national trauma in afootball-mad nation whose identity is closely associatedwith its team.

The country of 200 million people had hoped to winthe title at home and erase memories of its 1950 WorldCup defeat to Uruguay in Rio de Janeiro, the notorious“Maracanazo” at the Maracana Stadium.

But instead Brazil suffered the worst defeat in its 100-year footballing history, falling 7-1 to Germany at theMineirao Stadium in the southeastern city of BeloHorizonte-now the infamous “Mineirazo.”

“It looked like a game between adults and children,”wrote the prominent sports analyst Juca Kfouri on hisblog. “Brazilian football has never experienced such humil-iation.” The country’s newspapers called it the biggest dis-grace in the team’s history, with globoesporte.com dub-bing it the “Shame of Shames.” But other analysts said theMineirazo could not compare to the Maracanazo.

“In 1950 we felt we had an unbeatable team and losingat the Maracana was unthinkable,” Michel Castellar, ananalyst at the sports daily Lance, told AFP.

“This time, we knew that we had a team with a lot offlaws and that maybe they would not reach the final. Wasit a national humiliation? Yes, because of the number ofgoals. But it wasn’t a new Maracanazo,” he said.

In 1950, Brazil had yet to win the World Cup and get-ting the title would have put the developing country onthe map. Since then, the Selecao has won a record fiveWorld Cup titles, gave the world the “jogo bonito” (beauti-ful game) and produced football giants as Pele, Garrincha,Zico and Ronaldo, winning over fans among the rich andthe poor, white or black.

Today’s superstar Neymar was unable to play the semi-final after suffering a broken vertebrae in the previousgame. The power of football put a lid on protests that hadmarked the run-up to the tournament. Hundreds of thou-sands of people had held protests last year during theConfederations Cup, denouncing the record $11 billionspent on the World Cup and demanding the money bespent on better hospitals and schools instead.

There were a few protests that attracted small crowdsduring the World Cup, though after Tuesday’s defeat somefans wondered whether hosting the tournament hadbeen worth the cost.

Although the Selecao lost, the tournament itself canbe considered a success, with fears of chaos never materi-alizing despite delays in the construction of stadiums,experts said. And the games were full of surprises, upsetsand goals. “This World Cup has been a real gift for Brazil,”said Pedro Trengrouse, a United Nations consultant for thetournament. While the low point for fans was seeing the

Selecao’s horrific defeat, experts say Brazilians now knowhow to cope with both triumphs and disappointments.

“There have been many cups since 1950. There werevictories and defeats. Everybody is used to this,” saidLamartine da Costa, a sports management expert at Riode Janeiro State University.

“The Maracanazo was something that was neverrepeated. It was unprecedented,” he said. Costa said thecontinent-sized country was much more isolated in 1950.“ This isolation created an inward-looking culture.Brazilians don’t understand others very well. The samething happens with other large countries like the UnitedStates, Russia or China.

“There is an unrealistic feeling of power and surprisescome when things you expect don’t happen. One of thetheories is that’s what happened in 1950,” he said.

Today, Brazil is the world’s seventh biggest economyand 40 million of its people were lifted out of poverty inthe past decade. They demand more prosperity and betterquality of life, but football is no longer their only passion.And Brazilians relate less with their millionaire stars, whoplay mostly across the world in Europe.

“Before, the players represented a football closer toamateurism,” Costa said. “Their behavior was exemplary,representing the values of the homeland and the love offootball.” — AFP

Exit: Worse than 1950 trauma?

RIO DE JANEIRO: Brazilians cried,cursed their president and coveredtheir faces in shame after theirbeloved football team’s humiliating7-1 thrashing by Germany in theWorld Cup semi-finals Tuesday. Afterthe fifth goal, well before half-time,hundreds of people left their expen-sive seats at the stadium in thesoutheastern city of Belo Horizonte.

A section of the crowd chantedobscenities against the players andPresident Dilma Rousseff, who dur-ing the cup had mostly enjoyed areprieve from protests over therecord $11 billion spent to host thetournament.

The tears began well before thefinal whistle, with the third Germangoal in the first half causing childrenand adults to start bawling in the sta-dium and in public screenings acrossthe continent-sized nation. As peo-ple streamed out, police reinforcedsecurity inside and around the stadi-um, but no incidents were reportedthere. Others around the countryshouted at their televisions andabandoned public screenings as theSelecao suffered the biggest defeatof its 100-year history.

“Neymar must be vomiting athome watching this disaster. Thehorror,” said Marina Genova, 54,watching at a popular bar district inSao Paulo, referring to Brazil’s injuredstar. Amid the deluge of goals, adownpour only added to the alreadygloomy mood of thousands of fansin Brazil’s canary-yellow jersey at theofficial “Fan Fest” on Rio de Janeiro’sCopacabana beach. Two dozen fansscuffled, forcing police to intervene.

In Sao Paulo, several buses weretorched in a parking lot but policecould not confirm whether the attackwas linked to the defeat. Brazilianswere already concerned about theteam’s chances after Neymar broke avertebra in the quarter-final victoryover Colombia.

But they never thought it wouldbe this bad. “This is a terrible matchand Brazil without Neymar are terri-ble. I hate this match. It’s embarrass-ing to lose like this,” said Beth Araujo,24, a biology student.

“The only good thing is I think itwill affect President Dilma in theelection. But all our politicians areeven worse than the team,” she said.Rousseff said she was “very sad” and“sorry” about the result.

Brazil had hoped to exorcise theghost of its defeat to Uruguay in the1950 World Cup final in Rio deJaneiro, a national trauma dubbedthe “Maracanazo” because it wasplayed in the Maracana Stadium.

This time, TV commentators weretalking of the “Mineirazo,” after theMineirao Stadium, with the sportswebsite globoesporte.com callingthe defeat the “Shame of Shames.”

But Jessica Santos, a 23-year-oldphoto student, was taking the mas-sacre in stride. “The cup is back inBrazil for the first time in 64 years soof course we’ll cheer until the end,”she said. “If Brazil wins, we party, ifBrazil loses, we still party. It wouldhave been worse to lose to Argentinain the final.”

Others turned to social mediajokes to ease the pain, posting pic-tures of Rio’s iconic Christ theRedeemer statue covering its face inshame-or even replaced by GermanChancellor Angela Merkel.

The insults against Rousseff, whois seeking re-election in October,showed that tensions remain follow-ing massive demonstrations thatrocked the country last year whenBrazilians demanded better healthcare and education.

Some Brazilians have voiced con-cerns that Brazil’s failure to win theWorld Cup could spark more protestsand clashes.

“It’s a disaster. It will be chaos.People will break everything. They’regoing to be furious,” said KarinaMarques, a 17-year-old footballerwho watched the game at a streetscreening in Rio attended by 30,000people. At a squatter camp of homesmade of wooden planks outsideBrasilia, people turned off their tele-visions in disgust before the end.

In tears, Maria Jose CostaAlmeida, 35, asked: “Why spend somuch on stadiums, bring the cup toBrazil, to win nothing?” — AFP

Brazilians cry and curse at World Cup humiliation

COSTA RICA: Costa Rican fans wait for the arrival of their national football team in San Joseon July 8, 2014, following their participation in the Brazil 2014 FIFA World Cup. — AFP

SALVADOR: Costa Rica coach Jorge Luis Pintosaid his team had proved the doubters wrongand achieved “very beautiful things” with theirhistoric run to the World Cup quarter-finals.

“Los Ticos” lost to the Netherlands on penal-ties but they were never beaten in open playdespite facing three World Cup-winners and for-mer European champions Greece.

“During this World Cup we’ve done verybeautiful things. Many people didn’t believe inus but we have seen we can achieve wonderfulthings,” Pinto said. “We’ve played great power-houses of football and we haven’t been beaten,even if we have to leave the tournament now.That’s very important for us.” The tiny CentralAmerican nation were written off after beingdrawn in arguably the tournament’s toughestgroup, but they shocked both Uruguay and Italyand drew against England. In the round of 16,they played for an hour with 10 men before beat-ing Greece on penalties, and they held off theNetherlands before being shaded on spot-kickslate Saturday. “Netherlands are a very strongteam but we were still at an even level withthem,” Pinto said. “We’ve shown we’re able toorganise ourselves, we’ve got good tactics andwe were never afraid to play big powerhouses,”added the 61-year-old Colombian. “I think we’veshown a very positive image of Costa Rican foot-ball, so we’re happy.” Costa Rica’s run to their firstWorld Cup quarter-final bears comparison with

other giant-killers like North Korea (1966),Cameroon (1990) and South Korea (2002).Organisation and solid defending were the hall-marks of a team which also featured the attack-ing talents of Arsenal’s Joel Campbell and theircaptain, Fulham’s Bryan Ruiz. “I told my playersthat I’m very proud of them and the whole coun-try is proud of them and we’re proud becausethey’ve given everything on the field,” Pinto said.

“It’s not only football, it’s attitude and the waythey’ve behaved in all these matches.” He addedthat he rated outstanding goalkeeper KeylorNavas as the best in the World Cup, despite amatch-winning double save from Dutch substi-tute stopper Tim Krul in the shoot-out. “I thinkNavas has been the best goalkeeper during thisWorld Cup,” he said. “Maybe this guy (Krul)wouldn’t have stopped two penalties.

“I think it’s a question related to luck. Whenstopping a penalty you must have luck andsometimes there are many things that can havean influence.” Navas faced down 15 shots ontarget in an onslaught by the Netherlands asCosta Rica survived 120 minutes at 0-0 to forcepenalties. Other goalkeeping heroics havecome from USA’s Tim Howard, who made arecord 16 saves against Belgium, Germany’sbrilliant Manuel Neuer and Mexican GuillermoOchoa also received rave reviews for someincredible saves against Brazil and the Dutch intheir last 16 game. — AFP

Costa Rica boss hails ‘beautiful’ campaign

16Giants fall toAthletics

THURSDAY, JULY 10, 201417Vijay keepsEngland at bay

Froome crashes out of Tour de France Page 17

Bra7 1L‘Historic disgrace’ as Germany tear Brazil to shreds

BELO HORIZONTE: Brazil’s World Cup dream wassmashed into oblivion Tuesday as majesticGermany ran riot to win an extraordinary semi-final 7-1, sending the hosts crashing to the worstdefeat in their 100-year footballing history.

Sixty-four years after Brazil was plunged intonational mourning after their loss in the 1950final, the hosts were torn apart in a defeat likelyto be every bit as traumatic as the fabled“Maracanazo.” Tearful Brazil captain David Luizimmediately apologised to the South Americannation after a rout that was swiftly christened“The Shame of Shames” by the football-madnation’s media.

“Apologies to everybody, apologies to all theBrazilian people,” sobbed Luiz. Brazil coach LuizFelipe Scolari echoed the mood of despair. “Weask for forgiveness,” Scolari said.

“To the people, please excuse us for this neg-ative mistake.” Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseffadded to the gloom. “Like every Brazilian, I am

very, very sad about this defeat. I am immenselysorry for all of us. Fans and our players,” she wroteon Twitter, where many Brazilians vented theiranger via the hashtag #vergonhabrasil (humilia-tion Brazil). Germany star Thomas Mueller, whoplundered his fifth goal of the tournament in thethrashing, admitted he was stunned by the scaleof the victory. “I don’t know what to say to behonest,” Mueller said.

“I can’t believe it. It’s something totally crazy.It just went well today,” added Mueller, whoseteam will now face either Argentina or theNetherlands in Sunday’s final at the Maracana.

Germany’s passage to Rio was booked after afirst-half blitz which included a burst of fourgoals in six devastating minutes. Mueller openedthe scoring on 11 minutes, punishing poorBrazilian marking at a corner to make it 1-0.

Brazil, badly missing suspended captainThiago Silva, tried to regroup but there was norespite. Miroslav Klose’s cool finish on 23 min-

utes-which made him the World Cup’s all-timetop-scorer with 16 goals-was the cue for thefloodgates to open.

Toni Kroos struck twice in the 24th and 26thminutes to make it 4-0 and then Sami Khedirarounded off another clinical move to make it 5-0on 29 minutes.

Dead and buried inside half an hour, thecrowd at the Mineirao Stadium was stunned intosilence. Many fans burst into tears as they strug-gled to comprehend the enormity of what hadbefallen their beloved ‘Selecao.’ After the fifthgoal hundreds of people left their expensiveseats. A section of the crowd chanted sexually-expletive obscenities against the team andBrazil’s leader Rousseff, who up to now hadenjoyed a reprieve from protests over the record$11 billion spent to host the tournament.

Across the nation, other fans shouted at theirtelevisions and abandoned public screenings.Though Brazil rallied at the start of the second

half, the torture continued on 69 minutes whenAndre Schuerrle swept in Germany’s sixth.

This time boos rang out around the Mineiraoas the Germans celebrated. Schuerrle thengrabbed his second on 79 minutes to make it 7-0, and confirm the worst defeat in Brazil’s history.

The previous record loss had been a 6-0reverse to Uruguay in 1920. Schuerrle’s secondgoal was greeted by a burst of applause asBrazilian fans saluted Germany’s wonderful exhi-bition of attacking football. A late goal fromOscar was barely applauded by Brazil’s fans.

Brazil had gone into the match riding a fer-vent wave of national emotion, determined toclinch a place in the final to honour injured strik-er Neymar. The crowd roared chants of “Neymar,Neymar” just before kick-off, following a spine-tingling rendition of the national anthem thatsaw captain David Luiz proudly holding up theinjured striker’s No.10 shirt.

But Mueller’s early strike punctured the fer-

vent mood. And when the goals started flying inafter Klose made it 2-0 there was no way back forBrazil. The result was greeted with disbelief byfans across Brazil. Brazil ’s national mediadescribed the result as the “Shame of Shames.”The sport’s daily Lance called Tuesday’s crushingloss “The Biggest Shame in History.”

Alexa Rosatti, 19, a university student watch-ing the game at a popular Sao Paulo bar districtsaid she had feared Brazil would lose.

“But I never thought it would be a massacre,”she said. “I stopped watching for a second andthey already had scored a sixth goal.” In Rio, at astreet screening that had attracted 30,000 peo-ple, Karina Marques, a 17-year-old footballer, pre-dicted a violent reaction from angry fans. “It’s adisaster. It will be chaos,” she said.

“People will break everything. “They’re goingto be furious. The government spent a lot ofmoney for this World Cup instead of investing inhealth and education.” — AFP

BELO HORIZONTE: Brazil’s coach Luiz Felipe Scolari gestures during the semi-final football match between Braziland Germany at The Mineirao Stadium, during the 2014 FIFA World Cup . — AFP

BELO HORIZONTE: A fan of Germany celebrates after their team won the semi-final football match between Braziland Germany at The Mineirao Stadium. — AFP

What they said...

BELO HORIZONTE: The following are reactions toBrazil’s 7-1 loss to Germany in the World Cup semi-final on Tuesday:

n n n“It is the biggest embarrassment in 84 years of the

Cup. It was 10 minutes of compete blackout. You can’tdo that in the semi-final of the World Cup.” GalvaoBueno, Brazilian television commentator and presen-ter.

n n n“Tragic? Don’t. It was even more pathetic. 1950 was

a tragedy, today was more like a comedy.” Braziliansoccer writer Mauricio Savarese referring to the 2-1defeat to Uruguay in the 1950 World Cup final.

n n n“It will be difficult to recover. Some players I don’t

think will be back to wear the Brazilian shirt. It iswrong now to crit icise the players. On the f ield

Germany taught us how to play football, we have tolearn from that.

“The Germans played the way we liked to play sowe need to sit back, see what is wrong with Brazilianfootball. Especially in the academies, the way we teachthem to play. A lot of change will need to come.”Juninho, former Brazil midfielder.

n n n“In nigh on half a century of watching football,

that’s the most extraordinary, staggering, bewilderinggame I’ve ever witnessed,” former England striker andBBC presenter Gary Lineker.

n n n“What was that? Hard to believe” former West

Germany World Cup winning captain and coach FranzBeckenbauer on twitter.

n n n“I don’t know what the lads from Brazil were carry-

ing on their shoulders. In these pictures you keep see-ing them crying, before the match or after the match.This team didn’t have enough experience to come toterms with the pressure of a big tournament like thisin their own country. They fell apart emotionally todaycompletely.” Oliver Kahn, former Germany goalkeeper.

n n n

“Honestly, it’s hard to explain, you can’t explain theinexplicable.” Julio Cesar, Brazil goalkeeper.

n n n

“You could see Brazil didn’t have a plan to playagainst Germany. We played a perfect 45 minutes,”Thomas Strunz, former Germany international.

n n n

“There has never been a game like this. It is utterhumiliation for Brazil, When you talk about every facet of

defending, it is about four levels below rock bottom. It isso bad it is embarrassing. David Luiz is meant to be theleader and he has abandoned ship.” Alan Hansen, formerLiverpool and Scotland defender and BBC televisionpundit.

n n n

“It’s difficult to find an explanation for this. It’s a dis-appointment for all Brazilians. It’s a difficult thing toaccept.”

Brazilian 2002 World Cup winner and former WorldPlayer of the Year Rivaldo, speaking on German televi-sion at half-time.

n n n

“Germany writing World Cup history today! Huge,huge compliments. So proud of them,” JuergenKlinsmann, former Germany striker and coach, currentUnited States coach, on twitter. — Reuters

BELO HORIZONTE: As Brazil learned to their cost on Tuesday,it is best not to give Miroslav Klose a second chance. TheGermany striker became the World Cup’s all-time leading scor-er in his side’s stunning 7-1 record thrashing of the hosts in thesemi-final in Belo Horizonte.

The 36-year-old tapped home after seeing his first effortsaved by Julio Cesar to record his 16th World Cup goal in hisfourth consecutive semi-final appearance and pass Brazilianlegend Ronaldo in the process. The first of that run came in2002 when a Ronaldo-inspired Brazil beat Germany in thefinal, but Joachim Loew’s men more than set the recordstraight by inflicting Brazil’s heaviest ever international defeatafter storming into a 5-0 lead after just half an hour at theEstadio Mineirao. — AFP

Klose claims record

BusinessTHURSDAY, JULY 10, 2014

Vatican restructures scandal-dogged bank

Page 22

India govt report urges strong steps to contain fiscal deficit

Page 23Mercedes-Benz Kuwaitannounces special savings

Page 26Qatar, Egypt lead gains; UAE consolidates

Page 23

MUMBAI: Employees of India’s largest online classifieds company Quikr work at the Quikr company headquarters in Mumbai. -— AFP

MUMBAI: An Indian answer to Craigslist is drawing millionsof monthly visitors to its website, exchanging everythingfrom used iPads to cows, in a country where second-handgoods have traditionally been sniffed at. Quikr, a start-uplaunched in 2008, has become the leading online classifiedsportal in India, where the e-retail market is explodingthanks to a vast young population with growing Internetaccess.

Like Craigslist, Quikr allows users to post ads for free andbrowse for furniture, apartments, pets and even potentialspouses, before closing the deal offline-a system that chiefexecutive and founder Pranay Chulet believes is well suitedto India. “We Indians are very price conscious. And there arepeculiarities, like we love to haggle. So I thought a platformlike Craigslist for India would make sense,” said Chulet.

Today, Chulet says, more than half of Quikr’s 3.5 to fourmillion goods listed at any one time find buyers within 90days-a feat that has helped the firm to attract investmentsfrom top private equity firms such as Warburg Pincus. Thefirm began life as Kijiji India, a subsidiary of US giant eBay. Itwas turned into the re-branded separate entity Quikr by

Chulet and co-founder Jiby Thomas.“We want to do things quickly. That is partly where the

word Quikr comes from,” said Chulet. He said that leavingcustomers to seal their deals offline keeps costs low andavoids regulatory hurdles-”I don’t have warehouses or peo-ple running around making deliveries”. Instead theMumbai-based firm, present across 900 cities, gets its cashby tapping small businesses to advertise on the site. So far,half a million have paid to be on Quikr, according to Chulet.

Missed call strategy People who want to sell their goods on Quikr but lack

Internet access can ring up the firm’s call centre-or, rather,its “missed call centre”-where employees return calls to savethe customer costs. “India loves missed calls. Especially thelow income groups like the drivers because the call fromour side does not cost them anything,” said Chulet. “And weare happy because we can handle more customers’ callswith less staff.”

Quikr’s marketing strategy has included a television andbillboard advertising blitz, asking people to sell their used

goods at their “MSP”-or maximum selling price-which theycan calculate for free on Quikr’s website. Quikr has also cap-italized on India’s cricket craze by turning sponsor of a teamin the popular Indian Premier League.

The firm is yet to turn a profit, and remains reluctant tocharge customers, but Chulet is confident of the “long run”value of the firm in a country whose online retail market isexploding. Craigslist, which started in the United States in1996 before going global, has shown that such a businesscan make money, after maintaining profit margins ataround 80 percent of its $166.5 million revenue this year.

E-merchandise retailing sales in India stood at $1.6 bil-lion in 2013, according to analysts, who believe they willreach $14 billion by 2018. The market leader is Flipkart,whose sales touched $1 billion this year, while Amazonentered India last June and is ramping up its presenceamong the 1.2 billion-strong population.

Despite this, not all investors are convinced by India’s e-commerce story, which is “about large volumes with expec-tations of profits in the long run,” said Paras Adenwala, headof Mumbai-based Capital Portfolio Advisors. “Success in this

model is more of an exception.”

Practical shopping While Indians have typically looked down on second-

hand goods, Chulet believes attitudes are shifting as theirpurchases become more practical rather than status sym-bols. “I have had friends who have bought used treadmillswhen they could have easily brought expensive new ones.But they bought used ones saying the aim was staying fit,”Chulet explained.

Pragya Singh, retail special ist at consultancyTechnopak Advisors, says firms such as Quikr are capitalis-ing on a gap in the “consumer to consumer” market andthe “failure of organized retail to take-off in India”, as wellas increased digital penetration. Chulet adds that hisfirm’s popularity also lies in its personalized listings.“Quikr is about quirkiness. Like the guy who wanted tosell Radha, his cow. All he wanted was to find a goodhome for her,” he said. “He posted beautiful pictures and adescription of Radha, and waited till he found the personwho satisfied his criteria.” — AFP

Want to sell your cow? Try Quikr India’s Craigslist aspirant is leading online classifieds portal

SHANGHAI: This photo shows a logo of the Commercial Aircraft Corp of China(COMAC) in a model of the C919 at the research center of Comac. — AFP

SHANGHAI: The cavernous building that willhouse the final assembly line of China’s ownpassenger plane is virtually empty, except foran enormous Chinese flag and slogans to rallythe workers who will one day produce theC919. It is a huge engineering challenge but,if the project proceeds on schedule, a proto-type of the single-aisle plane will take to theskies by the end of next year.

Its mission is to compete with US aircraftmaker Boeing’s 737 and the A320 of Europeanconsortium Airbus. The vast 300-metre (330-yard) long hangar where it will be put togeth-er, next to Shanghai’s Pudong airport, canhold six planes at a time. But, despite theambitious goal, the first major parts have yetto arrive, AFP journalists saw on an exclusivetour of the new production facility-the first forforeign media.

The plane’s builders, the CommercialAircraft Corp. of China (COMAC), said they rec-ognize the issues, but they have the full finan-cial and political backing of the Communiststate and believe they will ultimately be suc-cessful. “We will try (for the first flight) at theend of next year,” said Zhang Zhengguo, ofCOMAC’s publicity team.

Total spending on the project is unknown.Chinese airlines will need nearly 6,000 newplanes valued at $780 billion over the next 20years, according to Boeing, and the govern-ment wants some of the huge market to go toits own passenger plane. China has dreamedof building its own civil aircraft since the1970s when Jiang Qing, leader Mao Zedong’swife and a member of the notorious “Gang ofFour”, personally backed an attempt to do so.

But the Y-10’s heavy weight made it impracti-cal and only three were ever built.

Now China is the world’s second largesteconomy. It has built an auto industry byleveraging joint ventures with foreign compa-nies for technology, developed the world’slargest high-speed rail network, and senthumans into orbit. A patriotic song speciallycommissioned for COMAC compares the C919to a “Great Wall in the sky”.

‘We may fall down’ The roar of jet engines from Boeing and

Airbus planes flying over the sprawling facto-ry serve as a reminder of the technologicalcomplexities involved.”We are like a child,Boeing and Airbus are adults,” said anotherCOMAC official, who declined to be named.“We may fall down, or walk unsteadily.”Although China claims the C919 is self-devel-oped and manufactured, foreign companiesare playing key roles in the project by supply-ing systems as well as newly developedengines made by French-American ventureCFM International. The narrow body plane,with a range of up to 5,555 kilometers (3,444miles), can seat a maximum of 174 passen-gers, according to COMAC. The first majorC919 part to be completed, a single forwardfuselage piece, came off the assembly line at afactory in the central province of Jiangxi inMay, state media reported.

At a separate sub-assembly line inShanghai, there are signs of life as workers puttogether the Spanish machinery which willmake the central wing box which secures thewing in the body-and the horizontal part of

the tail. Banners on the wall speak of “storm-ing the gate” and “eating bitterness”, echoingpolitical slogans from China’s past.

Iron bird At a development centre for the project,

the C919 exists only as a model of the cockpitand the “iron bird”, a flightless testing platformfor control, landing gear and other systems.The project received a boost in May whenChinese President Xi Jinping visited the com-pany and sat in the model’s pilot seat.”Wemust, and will, make our own large jetliner,” hesaid, according to state-run media.

COMAC already claims 400 orders for theC919, most from domestic leasing companiesand only one from a foreign customer, GECapital Aviation Services-a subsidiary ofGeneral Electric, the US firm that co-ownsengine provider CFM. A smaller regional jetalso under development, the ARJ21, has 253orders but first deliveries have been delayedby years.

Airlines remain reluctant to order the C919while it has not been certified by the USFederal Aviation Administration, a crucial stepwhich would enable it to fly in US skies andassure passengers about its safety. ButMarwan Lahoud, director of strategy forAirbus, warned: “The Chinese threat shouldnot be taken lightly.” “The Chinese will makegood aircraft and will sell them,” he toldFrance’s Tribune newspaper this week. “Wewill not be able to compete with the financialpackages they will be able to offer airlines.Only our technological lead will preserve ouradvantage.” — AFP

China’s own dreamliner ready for takeoff


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AsiaBangladesh Taka 0.003296 0.003896Chinese Yuan 0.044163 0.047663Hong Kong Dollar 0.034412 0.037162Indian Rupee 0.004469 0.004870Indonesian Rupiah 0.000019 0.000025Japanese Yen 0.002698 0.002878Kenyan Shilling 0.003212 0.003212Korean Won 0.000269 0.000284Malaysian Ringgit 0.085092 0.091092Nepalese Rupee 0.002967 0.003137Pakistan Rupee 0.002663 0.002943Philippine Peso 0.006389 0.006669

Sierra Leone 0.000069 0.000075Singapore Dollar 0.224342 0.230342South African Rand 0.020438 0.028938Sri Lankan Rupee 0.001871 0.002451Taiwan 0.009338 0.009518Thai Baht 0.008405 0.008955

ArabBahraini Dinar 0.743942 0.751942Egyptian Pound 0.036594 0.039694Iranian Riyal 0.000078 0.000080Iraqi Dinar 0.000179 0.000239Jordanian Dinar 0.394793 0.402293Kuwaiti Dinar 1.0000000 1.0000000Lebanese Pound 0.000137 0.000237Moroccan Dirhams 0.022206 0.046206Nigerian Naira 0.001137 0.001772Omani Riyal 0.728773 0.734453Qatar Riyal 0.076996 0.078209Saudi Riyal 0.074803 0.075503Syrian Pound 0.001754 0.001974Tunisian Dinar 0.163478 0.171476Turkish Lira 0.133829 0.140829UAE Dirhams 0.076041 0.077190Yemeni Riyal 0.001276 0.001356

UAE Exchange Centre WLL

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

Rate for Transfer Selling RateUS Dollar 282.650Canadian Dollar 267.935Sterling Pound 485.030Euro 386.635Swiss Frank 317.255Bahrain Dinar 752.300UAE Dirhams 76.930Qatari Riyals 78.515Saudi Riyals 75.645Jordanian Dinar 398.340Egyptian Pound 39.477Sri Lankan Rupees 2.171Indian Rupees 4.731Pakistani Rupees 2.862Bangladesh Taka 3.639Philippines Pesso 6.514Cyprus pound 694.245Japanese Yen 3.775

Syrian Pound 2.885Nepalese Rupees 3.935Malaysian Ringgit 90.060Chinese Yuan Renminbi 46.030Thai Bhat 9.740Turkish Lira 133.415

British fraud investigators have questioned defenseofficials and former and current employees of anAirbus subsidiary in connection with allegations ofcorruption in Saudi Arabia, the aerospace anddefense company said yesterday. The Serious FraudOffice (SFO), which confirmed that unnamed indi-viduals had been arrested over the weekend,launched a criminal investigation into allegationssurrounding Airbus unit GPT Special ProjectManagement in Saudi Arabia in August 2012.

The investigation hinges on allegations ofbribery in connection with a $3.3 billion GPT con-tract to provide communications and intranet serv-ices for the Saudi National Guard, which protectsthe kingdom’s royal family. “Airbus Group under-stands that four former and current employees wererecently interviewed - along with MOD (Britain’sMinistry of Defense) officials - as part of a wide-ranging SFO investigation into subsidiary GPT,” aspokesman said.

A spokesman for the SFO confirmed there hadbeen arrests over the weekend but declined tocomment on the number of people held for ques-tioning or whether they were part of the investiga-tion into the Airbus unit. The Ministry of Defensedeclined to comment. Allegations of corruption arenot new to the defense industry, where companiestend to use individuals or third-parties to help tobroker deals to win lucrative contracts.

British and US prosecutors are investigating

allegations of bribery and corruption at Rolls-Royce Holdings in Asia. The aerospace and defensecompany has said it is cooperating with theinquiries. While all serious fraud investigations arecomplex, they can also be highly political. Underformer SFO head Richard Wardle, the agencydropped an investigation into alleged corruptionin a BAE Systems arms deal with Saudi Arabia in2006 after an intervention by former British PrimeMinister Tony Blair. —Reuters

UK questions Airbus staff in Saudi corruption probe

Al Mulla Exchange

Currency Transfer Rate (Per 1000)US Dollar 282.250Euro 386.850Pound Sterlng 487.750Canadian Dollar 267.550Indian Rupee 4.729Egyptian Pound 39.470Sri Lankan Rupee 2.165Bangladesh Taka 3.633Philippines Peso 6.480Pakistan Rupee 2.860Bahraini Dinar 751.550UAE Dirham 76.950Saudi Riyal 75.425

*Rates are subject to change

B U S I N E S S

VATICAN CITY: The Vatican yesterday named a Frenchbusinessman to head up its scandal-plagued bank aspart of a radical overhaul of the Holy See’s economicframework ordered by Pope Francis. Jean-Baptiste deFranssu, former chief executive of Investco Europe, willlead a newly streamlined bank following a year of inter-nal investigations which resulted in the closure or sus-pension of thousands of suspicious, ineligible or inac-tive accounts.

“Our ambition is to become something of a modelfor financial management rather than cause for occa-sional scandal,” Vatican finance minister CardinalGeorge Pell told journalists. Franssu himself said he was

“looking forward to continuing the efforts of trans-parency.” The appointment comes just a day after thebank said profits last year had been all but wiped out inits efforts to clean up its accounts.

A team of financial experts-including Franssu andan American consultancy firm-have been preparingthe ground for the reforms since last summer, whenFrancis vowed to make the Vatican’s public finances ful-ly transparent following decades of scandal andintrigue. The reforms also affect the Administration of

the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (APSA) — thedepartment in charge of real estate and sovereignbonds investments-as well as the Vatican’s pensionfund and the media department, a statement said.

Reforms ‘stage two’ “We are working so that international financial

standards will be followed in all the dicasteries and sec-tions of the Holy See,” Pell said, though he admittedthat “at the moment we are not quite at that stage”.Changes at the Institute for Religious Works (IOR) — asthe bank is known will include shifting assets to a newcentral Vatican Asset Management (VAM), while APSA

will be absorbed into the finance ministry. A newmedia committee-headed by British politician andchancellor of Oxford University Chris Patten-will lookinto adapting the Vatican to new trends, prioritisingTwitter and digital channels over radio.

Outgoing bank head Ernst von Freyberg had spo-ken Tuesday of the “painful but very necessary process”of cleaning up the murky IOR, but the bank was nowready for “stage two” of the reforms. Franssu, 51, is thedirector of Carmignac Gestion asset management and

the founder and chairman of mergers and acquisitionsfirm Incipit. The father of four is a board member ofvarious charities in the United States and Europeincluding the World Youth Alliance, and has caught theeye of allies of the pope by working for free for thecommission advising on the bank.

Troubled history The IOR has a reputation for secrecy and intrigue

and a history of troubled relationships between man-agement and the Vatican’s top clerics. In 2012, its thenhead Ettore Gotti Tedeschi was sacked after a majorfalling out with Vatican Secretary of State TarcisioBertone-the pope’s number two.

And according to Italy’s investigative weeklyL’Espresso, von Freyberg is being replaced after clash-ing with the pope’s personal intermediary to the bank,reportedly over access to information. In a bid to tight-en control over its activities, Francis announced asweeping study of the bank last June, insisting that thespecial commission’s findings would be reporteddirectly to him.

The IOR said it had paid a colossal price for tidyingup its accounts, with last year’s profit plunging to 2.9million euros ($3.9 million) from 86.6 million euros in2012. But scandal has continued to plague the institu-tion, with the Vatican admitting earlier this year that itwas investigating Italian media reports accusingBertone of embezzling 15 million euros from the bank.

The IOR’s 2013 financial statement listed anunspecified loss of 15.1 million euros, though it wasnot clear whether this was a reference to the Bertoneaffair. Allegations of money laundering have doggedthe bank for decades. It was the main shareholder ofthe Banco Ambrosiano, which collapsed in 1982 amidaccusations of laundering money for the Sicilian Mafia.

The chairman of Banco Ambrosiano, Roberto Calvi-dubbed “God’s Banker”-was found hanging fromBlackfriars Bridge in London that year in a suspectedmurder by mobsters. More recently the bank has beeninvestigated for money laundering by Italian authori-ties, with its director general and his deputy placedunder investigation and forced to resign last year. Anda former top Vatican accountant, Monsignor NunzioScarano-who worked for the department in charge ofreal estate and sovereign bonds investments-wascharged by Italian prosecutors in January with launder-ing fake donations from offshore accounts through theIOR. —AFP

Vatican restructures scandal-dogged bank

French financier is new head

VATICAN: New president of the Institute of Religious Works, or IOR, Jean-Baptiste de Franssu(left) smiles as he arrives for a press conference in the Vatican’s press room yesterday. —AP

KUWAIT: The 298th meeting of the Board ofExecutive Directors of the bank that convened onSunday at the IDB headquarters in concurrencewith the 39th Annual Meeting of the Board ofGovernors of the Islamic Development Bank (IDB),approved $447.6 million towards financing severalnew development projects in a number of membercountries as well as three grants under the IDB Waqffund for educational projects for Muslim communi-ties in Kenya, Lesotho, and Trinidad and Tobago.

The major part of the financing, $304 million,went to the energy sector - $220 million for a PowerGrid Extension Project in Bangladesh, and $83.75million for 132 KV Mirama-Kable Transmission Lineand Distribution Project in Uganda.

Other approvals of the board included: $87.5million for Improvement of WastewaterManagement and Sanitary Services in Al-GhadirDrainage Basin, Lebanon; an additional $25 millionfor the second phase of Queen Alia AirportExpansion Project, Jordan raising the IDB financingfor the Queen Alia airport expansion to $125 mil-lion; $15 million for Primary Healthcare ServicesExpansion Project - Chad; and $15 million forSupport to the Development of Technical andVocational Schools Project in Guinea.

Also, a $450,000 technical assistant grant wasprovided under the IDB Waqf fund towards capacitydevelopment of Laboratory Technicians (micro biol-ogy) in seven West African countries - Burkina Faso,Benin, Guinea, Malli, Niger, Senegal and Togo. It isexpected that such capacity building measureswould help fight TB, AIDS, Malaria, etc and supporteducational and vocational programs aimed attackling poverty and unemployment.

The members of the board further approved ofIDB’s continued contribution to the InternationalCenter for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA), Dubai, UAE,as the center represents a successful example ofmutual cooperation between the bank and theUAE. ICBA has developed into a world class researchcenter with an international team of scientists andresearchers working on innovative solutions toimprove the status of poor farmers and to imple-ment development programs aimed at upgradingproductivity in agricultural regions. ICBA waslaunched at the initiative of the IDB, in recognitionof the important role by the Gulf states in line withsupporting the bank. IDB and UAE’s Ministry ofAgriculture and Fisheries in June 1996. The bankcooperated with the UAE in management andoperating of ICBA until April 2010 when the respon-

sibility was transferred to UAE’s Ministry ofEnvironment and Water.

The board took note of two grants previouslyapproved by the IDB President, $100,000 grant forCote d’Ivoire to contribute to organizing the 56thConference of African Ministers of Education and$300,000 for Guinea to support the fight againstEbola, respectively.

The board members reviewed the latestarrangements underway for the bank’s 40thanniversary celebration as well as the 39th AnnualMeeting of the IDB Board of Governors in Jeddah,which is to take place in the presence and under thepatronage of The Custodian of the Two HolyMosques at the level of Ministers of Finance,Economy and Planning of the 56 member coun-tries. The board commended the extensive facilitiesbeing provided by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia forthe success of the meeting of the IDB Board ofGovernors.

IDB approves more than $447m for financing newdevelopment projects

DUBAI: Dubai’s Nakheel real estate giant, hitbadly during the global debt crisis, said yes-terday its profits surged 54 percent in the firsthalf of 2014 to reach $502.7 million. The gov-ernment-owned entity, which built Dubai’spalm-shaped island and a cluster of isles inthe form of a world map, said its net profits hit1.85 billion dirham ($502.7 million), comparedto 1.2 billion dirham in the first six months of2013. It said strong revenues from propertydevelopment as well as improving perform-ance in retail, leasing and leisure businessescontributed to the results.

“These robust financial results reflect the

growth witnessed in the real estate sector inDubai,” said Nakheel’s chairman Ali RashidLootah. The company that was fully acquiredby the government over its debt woes saidlast month it will repay all remaining bankdebts of $2.15 billion in August, ahead ofschedule.

Nakheel had piled up a mountain of debtduring five years of rapid growth in Dubai’sproperty sector, before the global financialcrisis hit the Gulf emirate in 2009. The compa-ny was part of the government-linked DubaiWorld group, which sent jitters in global mar-kets when it signaled in autumn 2009 that it

was facing difficulties paying off debts total-ing around $24.9 billion.

The government intervened to buoy thegroup, bolstered by $20 billion in aid fromneighboring oil-rich Abu Dhabi. As part of therestructuring of Nakheel, the governmentinjected $9.5 billion converted into equity, sep-arating the company from Dubai World andbecoming fully owned by the government.Economic growth in Dubai has been steadythanks to the trade, transport and tourism sec-tors after contracting 2.9 percent in 2009. Theproperty sector is also recovering after taking anosedive during the crisis. —AFP

Lufthansa confirms targets

FRANKFURT: German airline Lufthansasaid yesterday it is sticking to recentlyrevised full-year profit targets and plan-ning to boost its operations in the low-cost sector. Lufthansa said in a state-ment that despite the investment need-ed for a raft of new strategic measures,it “remains confident of its revised busi-ness projections for 2014 and 2015.“The executive board expects to reportan operating profit of around 1.0 billioneuros ($1.3 billion) for the current year.”

Just last month, Lufthansa cut itsearnings targets for this year and nextyear in the face of disappointing devel-opments in passenger and freight busi-ness, and financial fallout from strikes.But to meet the targets, the airlinewould scale back the planned expan-sion of its passenger traffic capacity,withdraw a number of aircraft and cutits freight capacity, the statementexplained. —AFP

Dubai real estate giant Nakheel posts profits

B U S I N E S S


DUBAI: Qatar’s bourse outperformedthe region yesterday after the country’stop bank reported strong second-quar-ter results, while United Arab Emiratesmarkets continued to consolidate ondeclining volumes after a sharprebound. The Doha index rose 1.3 per-cent as most stocks gained. IndustriesQatar was the main support, adding 2.3percent. Shares in mobile phone opera-tor Ooredoo, which dropped 23 percentlast month on profit-taking and concernabout the conflict in Iraq, where thecompany earns a fifth of its revenue,continued to rebound and jumped 3.9percent. Qatar National Bank (QNB), thelargest lender in the Gulf state, pub-lished its second-quarter results onTuesday, becoming the first local compa-ny to do so. Net profit rose 1.5 percent,coming slightly ahead of the expecta-

tions of analysts, who had forecast a 2.7percent decrease.

However, shares in QNB, which hadrisen 1.7 percent ahead of Tuesday’searnings report, slipped 0.1 percent yes-terday. Investors’ expectations for otherstocks are also positive, even thoughQatar’s profit growth is expected to lagthat of the UAE. Some of the reasons forthat are traditionally higher dividendpayouts and lower leverage, said AmerKhan, senior executive at Shuaa AssetManagement in Dubai. “There is a levelof certainty in cash flows in Qatar thatyou don’t necessarily find in the UAEbecause of Qatari companies’ lowerleverage,” he said. “The story in Qatar islong-term government spending.”

UAEShares in builder Arabtec fell 2.1 per-

cent, after soaring 62 percent in the pre-vious six sessions on what traders saidwas a flurry of short-covering that hasnow ended. The main Dubai indexclosed flat, however, as lenders EmiratesNBD and Dubai Islamic Bank added 2.4and 1.9 percent respectively.

Shares in port operator DP World fellas much as 3.2 percent in early tradeafter Djibouti said it had started legalaction against the company, seeking torescind its concession in Africa’s largestcontainer terminal. The company ownsone-third of the Doraleh ContainerTerminal, its annual report says.However, the stock then recovered andclosed flat in thin trade. The Djiboutiissue by itself is not expected to havemuch impact on DP World, which has aportfolio of about 65 terminals across sixcontinents. Bahrain-based Islamic invest-

ment bank Gulf Finance House jumped3.5 percent after announcing the pur-chase of 1.2 million square feet of land inthe Dubailand district of Dubai. GulfFinance House did not say how much ithad paid for the land plot, where it plansto establish a new mixed use residentialdevelopment. Shares in Gulf Navigationslumped 7.9 percent after the UAE ship-per said it had cut its capital by two-thirds and written off accumulated loss-es worth 1.1 billion dirhams ($300 mil-lion), key parts of a turnaround plandesigned to solve its debt problems.

Abu Dhabi’s bourse slipped 0.2 per-cent on the low volumes commonlyseen during the holy month ofRamadan, when many retail investorsstay away from the market. “I think thenext key market driver (in the UAE) willbe second-quarter earnings,” said Khan

from Shuaa Capital. Most UAE compa-nies are expected to report their earn-ings in late July or early August.

EgyptThe Cairo bourse edged up 0.8 per-

cent, continuing a leg-up initiated byproperty stocks in the last session.Investors are betting that Egyptians willbuy real estate as a hedge against infla-tion, which is set to accelerate after thegovernment decided to cut fuel subsi-dies. Shares in Palm Hills Developmentsrose 0.5 percent while Medinet Nasr forHousing and Development was up 3.0percent. Eastern Tobacco jumped 3.5percent to 162.00 pounds after localbrokerage CI Capital raised its targetprice for the stock by 16 percent to255.00 pounds with an “overweight”rating. —Reuters

Qatar, Egypt lead gains; UAE consolidates

AMRISTAR: Indian laborers plant rice paddy cuttings in a field on the outskirts of Amritsar. — AFP

NEW DELHI: India’s fiscal situation is worse thanit appears, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s gov-ernment said in an economic report yesterdaythat called for tough measures to shore up pub-lic finances and reduce inflation. The report’stone will increase speculation that FinanceMinister Arun Jaitley, in presenting his firstbudget to parliament today, will give a higher,more realistic fiscal deficit target for this fiscalyear than the 4.1 percent of gross domesticproduct the previous government set.

India risks losing its investment-grade sover-eign rating if it fails to get its finances into shape.Many economists believe the last government’saccounting understated the size of the deficit,and Jaitley will need to present a credible recov-ery plan to keep the ratings agencies onside. Thenewly-released Economic Survey “shows thegravity of the economic situation that needs cor-rection,” Jaitley told reporters after ceremoniallyplacing the report on a table in parliament.

“Inflation needs to be moderated further. Thefiscal deficit needs downward correction overthe next two years,” the former corporate lawyerand career politician said. An annual exercise,the Economic Survey is drawn up by financeministry advisers and delivered the day beforethe federal budget. Seen as a blueprint for thegovernment’s medium-term economic planning,

the report forecast GDP growth of between 5.4and 5.9 percent in 2014/15. It warned that weakmonsoon rains, which are essential for farming,could keep growth closer to 5.4 percent.

In June, India’s central bank forecast growthof 5.5 percent in the financial year that ends inMarch 2015. Jaitley’s predecessor set the 4.1 per-cent fiscal deficit target in an interim budgetbefore the new government took office. Thatmay already be unrealistic, because the previousgovernment left a stack of unpaid bills to stateoil companies that have eaten into this year’sfinances. A Reuters poll of economists this weekpredicted the government would set a newdeficit target of 4.4 percent. D K Joshi, the princi-pal economist at the Indian arm of Standard &Poor’s, CRISIL Ratings, said he would welcome ahigher deficit goal, as the number set by the lastgovernment was always under a cloud of doubt.

“If 4.5 percent is credible and arrived in a cor-rect manner, then it shouldn’t be a problem. Itshould be a feasible target,” he said. “But if thefiscal deficit target is aggressive, it would againbe a question mark.” In May, S&P affirmed a neg-ative outlook for India’s credit rating. Last year, itwarned there was a one-third chance of a down-grade to “junk” without a big improvement inthe fiscal deficit and in implementing reforms.

Yesterday’s report recommended tackling

food and fertilizer subsidies to lower spendingwhile broadening the tax base. India’s tax collec-tion is less than 9 percent of GDP, a quarter ofthe average in the OECD group of developednations. “It is better to achieve fiscal consolida-tion partly through a higher tax-GDP ratio thanmerely through reduction in the expenditure-to-GDP ratio, in view of the large unmet develop-ment needs,” the report said.

To balance the books, Jaitley is expected toset a high target in the budget for the sale ofgovernment-held assets in state-run and privatecompanies. Indian markets seemed reassured bythe stern tone on fiscal consolidation. Stocksreversed earlier losses, while the 10-year bondyield eased to around 8.69 percent from 8.73percent before the report.

Asia’s third-largest economy has been stuckin its longest rut in a quarter of a century - withgrowth below 5 percent - while Modi’s govern-ment has been dogged by a food-price spike inits early weeks. Modi, 63, won a landslide gener-al election victory in May with a pledge to boostgrowth and create jobs for the 1 million peoplewho enter India’s workforce every month. Thebudget for the current fiscal year was delayed bythe election, which handed Modi’s BharatiyaJanata Party (BJP) the strongest electoral man-date in India in three decades. — Reuters

India govt report urges strong steps to contain fiscal deficit

Report calls for broadening tax base

LONDON: Britain’s financial watchdog islaunching a broad “exploratory” review ofcompetition in wholesale financial marketsto check if they operate effectively to aidthe economy and give their institutional,corporate and government customers agood deal. The Financial Conduct Authority(FCA) was set up just over a year ago aspart of Britain’s post-financial crisis shakeup of supervision to protect consumersbetter and increase competition in markets.Mary Starks, director of competition at theFCA, said yesterday the watchdog hadlaunched a review of competition in themarket for banking services that are pro-vided between banks and other types offinancial institutions, known as wholesalebanking.

Starks said it was an exploratory exerciseto determine where competition may beweak. “And why is it important? Becausewholesale financial markets play a crucialrole in the economy, and the UK plays a keyrole in the international markets,” Starkstold a meeting of the Chartered Institute ofSecurities yesterday.

The review will cover markets, theirinfrastructure, asset management, and cor-porate and investment banking, but notcredit rating agencies, payment systemsand insurance, she said. While wholesalemarket players are typically more sophisti-cated that those in the retail sector, finesfor banks that rigged the Libor interest ratebenchmark showed that the impact ofpoor conduct in wholesale markets can besignificant, she said. The review will be sep-arate and wider that the study of tradingpractices and conduct being conductedjointly by the Bank of England, FCA and thefinance ministry following allegations thatcurrency markets have been rigged.

Proactive not reactiveStarks said that the FCA’s remit to pro-

mote effective competition meant beingproactive in rooting out competition issuesrather than waiting for problems to occur.One area it will look at is cross-selling andbundling of products and services, she said.“The review describes various areas wherethis market feature might exist; from invest-ment banking, to asset management, totrading venues and clearing houses thatare vertically integrated,” Starks said.

Some big investors have complainedabout not having choice of clearing housefor their derivatives transactions when theytrade on a particular exchange, especiallyas new rules mean that more trades willhave to be cleared. The review will also lookat potential conflicts of interest in provid-ing investors with the best share price inthe market, and the underwriting of equityand debt.

Barriers to entering or expanding a mar-ket will also feature in the review, whichcould include the availability of co-location,or a broker being able to place its serversnext to an exchange in order to benefitfrom the fastest trading speeds. Incentivesfor asset managers to pay the correct pricefor the correct level of service, such as inrelation to dealing commissions, will belooked at. The FCA is first asking for com-ment on potential competition issues fromindustry and the public until Oct 9 andbegin work on any detailed market study inearly 2015.

Any studies would coincide with theeven stronger competition powers theFCA will get next April to enforce domes-tic and European competition law andimpose fines. It will also be able to referany competition issue to UK’s main com-petition regulator, the Competition andMarkets Authority, which has sweepingpowers to make extensive changes tomarkets. —Reuters

UK launches ‘broad’ review into institutional banking

ATHENS: Greek doctors, prison staff andother state workers went on strike yester-day to protest against public sector firingsimposed as part of the country’s 240 billioneuro international bailout. The 24-hourstrike, which is expected to culminate witha midday rally before parliament, coincidedwith the start of a visit to Athens by inspec-tors from the International Monetary Fund,the European Union and European CentralBank - the so-called ‘troika’ of lendersdemanding austerity.

“At a time when the government stepsup its attack against workers, our responsewill be strong,” said public sector unionADEDY in a statement on the strike, whichhas led to hospitals having to draft in emer-gency staff. Greek labor unions have fierce-ly resisted government plans to shrink the600,000-strong civil service through layoffsor transfers of workers. They fear the meas-ures will further worsen the plight ofGreeks struggling through a six-year reces-sion.

The finance and administrative reformministries filed a lawsuit against the strikeand a court ruling was expected later yes-terday. While Greece is beginning toemerge from its protracted recession, anti-austerity sentiment remains high in thecountry, where repeated rounds of spend-ing cuts and tax hikes since its rescue frombankruptcy in 2010 have driven up unem-

ployment and homelessness and erodedliving standards.

Privatization worriesLast week, Greece suffered brief power

outages due to a strike by electricity work-ers protesting against plans to sell off partof its biggest power producer, Public PowerCorp (PPC) , to a private competitor in2015. The government took legal actionand forced the strikers back to work onSaturday. It is eager to avoid major disrup-tion during the summer holiday season astourism is central to Greece’s hopes for eco-nomic recovery.

PPC’s biggest trade union GENOP-DEH,Greece’s private sector union GSEE and theCommunist-affiliated trade union PAMEwill stage a demonstration outside parlia-ment later yesterday as lawmakers insidedebate a draft bill on the PPC privatization.“Electricity is a public good, not a com-modity to be sold off cheap, and thosewho do so must be held accountable tosociety,” GSEE said in a statement yester-day. “The fight against the privatization ofPPC is a long one and it will not end evenafter the bill in question is passed.” The‘troika’ inspectors, who are in Athens tocheck on Greece’s progress under thebailout program, are due to meet newly-appointed Finance Minister GikasHardouvelis today. —Reuters

Greek state workers strike against job cuts

ATHENS: Public sector workers chant slogans while participating in a protest marchin Athens marking the 24-hour civil servants strike yesterday. — AFP

BEIJING: Chinese inflation slowed to2.3 percent in June from a four-month high of 2.5 percent in May,official data showed yesterday, givingauthorities further room to stimulategrowth in the world’s second-largesteconomy. The country’s consumerprice index-a main gauge of inflation-also rose 2.3 percent in the first sixmonths of the year from the sameperiod in 2013, the National Bureauof Statistics said in a statement.

The result compared with themedian forecast of a 2.4 percent gainin a survey of 21 economists by TheWall Street Journal, but is well belowthe 3.5 percent annual target set byBeijing in March. It comes as con-cerns earlier this year over economicprospects for China-a key driver ofworld growth-have eased owing to apick-up in key indicators in the sec-ond quarter and some limited stepsby authorities to boost the economy.China’s gross domestic product (GDP)grew 7.4 percent in January-March,weaker than the 7.7 percent recordedin the final three months of last yearand the worst result since a 7.4 per-cent expansion in the third quarter of2012. But growth in industrial outputand retail sales accelerated in May,with consumption increasing at itsfastest pace since December, officialdata showed last month, in signs ofrenewed strength.

China announces second-quarterGDP results on July 16. Authoritieshave since April introduced measuresto boost growth, including tax breaksfor small enterprises, targeted infra-structure outlays and incentives toencourage lending in rural areas andto small companies. Economists havedubbed the steps a “mini-stimulus”, incontrast to the massive pump-prim-ing that took place in the aftermathof the 2008-2009 global financial cri-sis, something leaders say is not onthe cards now.

Room for more But analysts said the tame price

situation meant further steps couldbe taken. “The subdued inflation out-look provides room for the authori-ties to launch more targeted stimuluspolicies in the second half of thisyear,” ANZ Bank economists Liu Li-Gang and Zhou Hao wrote in ananalysis of the June data. They sug-gested that “further monetary policyeasing across the board will still beneeded to help lift the confidence inChina’s economy”. Chinese Premier LiKeqiang, in remarks on Monday at ajoint news conference with visitingGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel,said China’s growth improved in thesecond quarter but that more will bedone to underpin it in the face of“downward pressure”.

China will “not adopt strong stim-ulus” but rather “will increase thestrength of targeted measures”, Lisaid. “We will further push forwardreforms and opening-up and makemore efforts to reform (the) govern-ment approval system and lowermarket access thresholds.” Food wasthe main driver of inflation in June,rising 3.7 percent year-on-year,according to the NBS data, with fruitprices up 19.8 percent. Still, food costincreases slowed from the 4.1 per-

cent recorded in May.The producer price index (PPI) —

a measure of costs for goods at thefactory gate and a leading indicatorof the trend for CPI-improved to adecline of 1.1 percent in June, theNBS said in a separate statement, itshighest showing in more than twoyears. The result compared with adecrease of 1.4 percent in May andwas the highest since a 0.7 percentdecline in April 2012, according toofficial data. — AFP

China inflation slows down to 2.3% in June

CHANGSHA: People inspect a vehicle made by four students to imitatea red Ferrari yesterday. The car made on the chassis of a VolkswagenSantana in a schoolyard over two months cost some ten thousandyuan ($1,600) to make, local media reported. — AFP

B U S I N E S STHURSDAY, JULY 10, 2014

KUWAIT: Performance Inc Kuwait consult-ing now provides the training for FRMCertification. The Financial Risk Manager(FRM) is the certification recognized amongfinancial risk professionals worldwide, with17,673 FRM holders in 90 countries acrossthe globe.

Hussain A Jowhar the Managing Directorof Performance Inc Kuwait Consulting WLLhas confirmed that such FRM Program is aprofessional credential offered by GlobalAssociation of Risk Professionals (GARP,USA) to risk management professionals. Acandidate who successfully completes theprograms and meets the professionalrequirements is awarded a “FRM Charter”.The FRM Program Certification has two dif-

ferent Levels and the minimum timerequired to clear both is around 1 year.

FRM charter holder membership require-ments are 24 months of acceptable profes-sional work experience and passing the PartI and Part II exams and an active member-ship of GARP.

Benefit of FRM certification:Jowhar explained the lucrative career

options in Risk Management, Trading,Structuring, Modeling, etc. FRM holdershave positions such as Chief Risk Officer,Senior Risk Analyst, Head of OperationalRisk, and Director, Investment RiskManagement, to name a few like strong val-ue addition to your skills, credentials and

resume, complete coverage of risk manage-ment concepts and you will be recognizedacross the globe as a leader in financial riskmanagement.

You will be more desirable to executiverecruiters and hiring managers since theyare now seeking FRM holders for senior riskmanagement jobs more than ever before.Studying the board concepts underlyingthe risk management in today’s dynamicmarket environment will give you a holisticview and appreciation for the role risk man-agement plays in an enterprises.

Who might need FRM(r) Certification? This program is suitable for bankers, IT

professionals, analytics and finance profes-

sionals with an interest in risk management.It is also beneficial for B-tech, MBA, Financegraduates who are interested in financial riskmanagement career.

Financial Risk Manager (FRM) exam:There are mainly two parts for FRM Exam:

The FRM Part I curriculum covers the toolsused to assess financial risk: quantitativeanalysis, fundamental risk management con-cepts, financial markets and products, andvaluation and risk models. The FRM ExamPart II focuses on the application of the toolsacquired in Part I through a deeper dive intomarket, credit, operational and integratedrisk management, investment managementas well as current market issues.

Be a certified FRM (Financial Risk Manager)

Hussain A Jowhar

NEW YORK: Four years into the shale rev-olution, the US is on track to pass Russiaand Saudi Arabia as the world’s largestproducer of crude oil, most analysts agree.When that happens and by how much,though, has produced disparate estimatesthat depend on uncertain factors rangingfrom progress in drilling technology tothe availability of financing and the priceof oil itself.

Forecasts for US shale oil productionvary from an increase of 7.5 million barrelsper day by 2020 - almost doubling currentdomestic output of 8.5 bpd-to a gain of1.5 million bpd, or less than half of whatIraq now produces. The disparities are afunction of the novelty of the shale boom,which has consistently confounded fore-casts. In 2012, the US Energy InformationAdministration (EIA) estimated that pro-duction from eight selected shale oilfields would range from 700,000 bpd ofso-called tight oil to 2.8 million bpd by2035. A year later, those predictions hadbeen surpassed.

“The key issue is not whether produc-tion grows, it’s by how much,” said EdMorse, global head of commoditiesresearch at Citigroup in New York. “We’reonly at the beginning of the first inningand this is a nine-inning game.” The stakescouldn’t be bigger, ranging from themultibillion-dollar investments needed toexplore and drill to oil supply issues thatgo to the heart of US foreign policy.Relations with countries ranging from Iraqand Iran to Russia, Ukraine, Libya andVenezuela are colored to one degree oranother by the question of energy.

The US, a nation transformed by the1973 Arab oil embargo, could becomeenergy independent by 2035, accordingto bullish forecasts from BP Plc and theInternational Energy Agency. Coupledwith growing output from oil-rich neigh-bors, the continent has a growing shieldfrom supply shocks. “Looking at NorthAmerica, including Canada and Mexico,we’re much more politically stable,” saidLisa Viscidi, program director of the Inter-American Dialogue in Washington. Still,many drillers have found that healthyforecasts of oil in the ground don’t guar-antee it can be economically extracted.

For example, based on the promise offree-flowing oil, Chesapeake Energy’sthen-top executive Aubrey McClendonbought up land in Ohio’s Utica shale oilfield and touted it in 2011 as a $500-bil-lion opportunity. State geologists estimat-ed the shale play could hold as much as5.5 billion barrels of reserves. But last year,after months of drilling, Chesapeake’saverage output per well per day was just80 barrels. Competitor BP wrote off $521million and exited the Utica just two yearsafter leasing 85,000 acres.

Six estimatesShale production from the oldest shale

patch, the Bakken of Montana and NorthDakota, alone may rise to as much as 1.74million barrels per day in the second halfof this decade, according to the highest ofsix estimates compiled by Reuters. The

lowest was 1 million bpd. Even that rangebelies disagreement over just how fastoutput will grow-and when it may peak.The EIA, the US agency responsible forenergy forecasts, predicts that tight oiloutput will rise 37 percent from about 3.5million bpd in 2013 to 4.79 million barrelsper day by 2020. The forecast includes theBakken, Three Forks and Sanish, EagleFord, Woodford, Austin Chalk, Spraberry,Niobrara, Avalon/Bone Springs andMonterey.

“There are other forecasts that aremuch more optimistic than this one,” saidagency administrator Adam Sieminski,speaking at a conference in New York.“We’re still a little concerned about whatthe geology looks like for crude oil pro-duction. As technology moves, thesenumbers could grow.” The agency hasalready made some big adjustments toprevious estimates. It recently slashed itsforecast recoverable reserves forCalifornia’s Monterey shale to just 600 mil-lion barrels, 96 percent less than the totalamount of oil in place, citing the difficultyin pumping it out economically.

IHS Energy’s projections are higher,with an estimated 6 million bpd from theBakken, Eagle Ford and sections of thePermian and Niobrara by the end of 2020.At the low end, Energy Aspects Ltd seesproduction of 3.5 million barrels a dayfrom shale by 2017, a 1.5-million bpdincrease from its current output estimateof 2 million bpd.

“In order to keep production going,you have to maintain your drilling andtherefore, capex investments need to bein a continuous cycle,” said VirendraChauhan, an oil analyst at Energy Aspectsin London. McKinsey & Co’s forecasts illus-trate the uncertainty. While the consultingfirm uses a reference case that puts tightoil production at the equivalent of 7.1 mil-lion bpd by 2020, it said the numbercould range from 5 million to 9 millionbpd. In its annual outlook released lastmonth, BP estimated that US tight oil pro-duction will increase to 4.5 million bpd in2035. Exxon Mobil Corp says global tightoil production, driven by North America,will rise 11-fold from 2010 to 2040, whenit will account for 5 percent of global liq-uids output. Exxon added that in 2015,North American tight oil supply in 2015will likely surpass any other OPEC nation’scurrent oil production, with the exceptionof Saudi Arabia. Iran is the second largestOPEC producer, with about 4.2 millionbpd.

Tricky forecastsProduction forecasts are inherently

problematic, especially years in the future,as they fail to anticipate major new dis-coveries or abrupt depletion rates. Evenso, the industry’s reliance on multi-yearmega-projects such as those off the coastof Angola or in Brazil’s sub-salt region-which progress along generally pre-dictable time frames and produce stablevolumes of oil for years afterward-made itrelatively simpler to anticipate new oilcoming onto the market. — Reuters

Shale boomconfoundsforecasts US set to pass Russia, Saudi

TOKYO: A man looks at an electronic stock board of a securities firm yesterday. Asianstock markets fell for a third day yesterday as caution spread ahead of corporateearnings and after record highs on Wall Street. — AP


LONDON: World stocks fell yesterday asa decline in Chinese inflation and weakerEuropean industrial data combined tosuggest global growth may be slowing,eclipsing a positive start to the US earn-ings season. The mining company AlcoaInc reported results after Wall Streetclosed that beat analysts’ expectations,but that was not enough to helpEuropean equities recover after they fellthe most in three months on Tuesday.

Major currencies and bond marketswere steady before a speech byEuropean Central Bank President MarioDraghi and the release of the US FederalReserve’s minutes of its latest meeting.“Growth continues to be a concern in thedeveloped world,” said Mark Burgess,chief investment officer at ThreadneedleInvestments in London. “I don’t think thedeveloped world can handle short,aggressive interest rate rises. The lastthing anyone wants to do is stiflegrowth.”

Overnight, China’s consumer priceindex rose 2.3 percent in June from ayear earlier, shy of the consensus fore-cast of 2.4 percent, and a sign economicactivity may be cooling. At midday inLondon, the FTSEuroFirst 300 index of

leading European shares was down 0.3percent at 1,359 points. Germany’s DAXwas down 0.1 percent at at 9,766 pointsand France’s CAC 40 was down 0.2 per-cent at 4,333 points. Britain’s FTSE 100was down 0.5 percent at 6,703 points, hithard by the insurance sector. AdmiralGroup fell 6 percent after issuing a trad-ing statement update, and Aviva wasdown 3.7 percent Portuguese stockslagged their European peers, falling 2.2percent on concerns about the financialhealth of one of the country’s largestfinancial groups, Espirito Santo FinancialGroup. ESFG is the main shareholder ofPortugal’s largest listed bank, BancoEspirito Santo. The Group’s shares weredown 11 percent.

Draghi returns to LondonPortuguese bonds also underper-

formed, with the 10-year yield spiking toa six-week high just shy of 3.9 percent,while Greek yields ticked up to a one-month high of 6.17 percent as the coun-try prepared to issue a new three-yearbond. Major bond markets werestronger, however, before the Fed min-utes and Draghi’s appearance in London,where he delivered his famous speech

almost exactly two years ago pledging todo “whatever it takes” to save the euro.

The benchmark 10-year Treasury yieldwas unchanged at 2.565 percent. Theyield on Germany’s Bund slipped to afresh one-year low of 1.21 percent. Incurrency markets, the euro wasunchanged at $1.3607, while the dollarinched up against the yen to 101.66 yen.

The dollar has fallen back below a keylong-term technical indicator against theyen this week. That’s the 200-day movingaverage, which yesterday was 101.83yen, suggesting it may not strengthenmuch - if at all - in the coming days andweeks.

Upbeat June US employment datalast week prompted some Wall Streeteconomists to predict the Fed wouldraise interest rates earlier than previouslythought. But yields have fallen sincethen, with investors cautious about thestrength of the recovery. DisappointingGerman economic data on Tuesday keptthe benchmark Bund yield anchored,and later investors will look to Draghi forsigns the ECB could ease policy furtherto support the euro-zone economy.

“If the ECB embarks on a round ofassets purchases, it could push periph-

eral yields down another notch asinvestors view these assets as beingbackstopped by the central bank ,”Rabobank said in a note to clients. Incommodities trading, Brent oil fell 0.2

percent to $108.73 per barrel. It haslost 3.5 percent so far this month. Goldwas up 0.4 percent at $1,324.00 anounce as markets waited for the Fedminutes. —Reuters

Growth fears hit stocks, investors eye Fed and Draghi

NEW YORK: Trader Kevin Lodewick works on the floor of the New YorkStock Exchange. —AP

LISBON: A demonstrator holds a balloon reading “SNS” (national healthcare) in Lisbon on July 8, 2014, as hundreds of doctors in white smocksprotest in front of the Portuguese Ministry of Health on the first day of atwo-day nationwide strike to demand better conditions on the nationalhealth care. —AFP

Putin to counter Russia’s growing economic isolation

Ambitious Latin America tour starts todayMOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin willbegin an ambitious Latin America tour todaythat will take him to Cuba, Argentina and Brazilas he seeks to shore up support for his policiesamid a showdown with the West. During a six-day tour Putin will meet with the father of theCuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, take part in asummit of the BRICS group of emergingeconomies and attend the World Cup final in Riode Janeiro.

The Kremlin strongman’s trip will take placeagainst the backdrop of an unrelenting crisis inties with the West over Ukraine where clashesbetween government forces and separatistshave claimed nearly 500 lives. Analysts say Putinwill use his talks in Latin America to thumb hisnose at Brussels and Washington which haveslapped sanctions on some of his closest alliesover Moscow’s takeover of Crimea and supportfor Ukrainian separatists.

But it will also be in line with the Kremlindrive to promote a multi-polar world order afterPutin dismantled a “reset” in ties withWashington after returning to the Kremlin for athird term in 2012. He has tasked his diplomatswith ramping up ties with developing nationsand sought to play Europe against the UnitedStates.

“The tour is aimed at strengthening a pivotfrom North America to Latin America,” saidVladimir Orlov, head of the PIR centre, a Moscowthink-tank, stressing that Russia was being side-

lined in global politics. It was only logical, headded, that now “we are turning to our naturalpartners, who are not biased against Russia, witheven more attention and deference.”

Putin will begin his tour by visiting Cubawhere he will discuss cooperation in energy,transport, aviation and space with PresidentRaul Castro, the Kremlin said. Over the past yearsMoscow has sought to revive ties with theCommunist-run island, whose economy hasbeen saddled with a US economic embargosince 1962.

Ahead of the visit, Russia wrote off 90 percentof Cuba’s Soviet-era debt of more than $35 bil-lion (26 billion euros) and said the rest would beearmarked for investment projects in Cuba.Vladimir Davydov, director of the Latin AmericaInstitute of the Russian Academy of Sciences,said the two countries may sign energy dealsinvolving state oil firm Rosneft.

Castro’s sympathetic ear Putin is also set to meet Fidel Castro, an

encounter that will be rich in symbolism. Havanahas sided with its old ally Russia in the Ukraineconflict, and the Russian strongman, whosecountry faces the threat of new Western sanc-tions, is expected to get a sympathetic ear fromthe 87-year-old comandante. “Fidel is the last ofthe Mohicans with whom Putin can discuss theglobal order of the present and the future,” saidOrlov.

From Cuba, Putin will travel tomorrow toBuenos Aires for trade and energy talks withArgentine President Cristina Kirchner, beforemoving on to Brazil for a four-day visit. He willmeet local businessmen as he seeks investmentfor his country’s embattled economy and takepart in a meeting of leaders of Brazil, India,China and South Africa on Tuesday andWednesday.

“The leaders of BRICS countries will discusspolitical coordination and issues of global man-agement,” the Kremlin said, noting that thesummit will establish a development bank.Davydov of the Latin America Institute said themeeting will be instrumental in facilitating sta-bility in international relations.

“The BRICS are five key civilizations thataccount for 43 percent of the population,” hesaid. The highlight of the trip’s final leg will be ahandover ceremony at the end of the World Cupfinal, when Brazilian President Dilma Rousseffwill pass on responsibility for the tournament toPutin. Russia will host the football extravaganzain 2018 and has pledged to spend billions ofdollars on stadiums and infrastructure for thetournament. Over the past years, both Putin andhis Kremlin predecessor Dmitry Medvedevrepeatedly visited Latin America in a bid toexpand Moscow’s influence there. The lateVenezuelan president Hugo Chavez, who wasknown for his virulent anti-US tirades, was awelcome guest in Russia. —AFP

LISBON: Joana Miranda is barely able toscrape a living working as a nurse in Lisbon,where she earns five euros ($7) an hour pick-ing up odd jobs in retirement homes. Nowshe is joining the growing queue of educat-ed young Portuguese-equivalent to oneevery five minutes-who are leaving in searchof a brighter future in another country.

Like many of Portugal’s nurses, Miranda ismoving to Germany, where she has found ajob at a specialist clinic in Munich that willpay four times her current salary and evencover the cost of language lessons. “Here Iearn five euros a hour, with no fixed con-tract, and just about make 500 euros ($680)a month. In Germany I will have a steady job,and make 2,000 euros ($2,700),” said the 27-year-old.

Emigration from Portugal is acceleratingdespite hopes for a turnaround in its econo-my, which emerged from years of painfulrecession in 2013. Lisbon formally exited athree-year international bailout program inMay, but is still struggling with the impact ofstringent austerity measures brought in tocut its huge debt pile.

Last year some 128,000 people left thecountry of 10 million to escape the econom-ic crisis, adding to the 300,000 that had emi-grated between 2011 and 2013. The lasttime Portugal saw an exodus on this scalewas in the 1960s, when the country’s youthfled in droves from poverty and the dictator-ship of Antonio De Oliveira Salazar. But thistime the queues at the airports are filledwith skilled workers such as nurses, doctors,teachers and engineers.

‘Worrying exodus’ “This exodus is worrying because it

shows there is a complete lack of confidencein the future of the country,” Maria ManuelaAguiar, a former minister for emigration, toldAFP. “I do not see any improvement. In fact, Isuspect this hemorrhage of people will con-tinue in 2014 and 2015.” Portugal’s economyis slowly starting to pick up momentum

after it emerged in mid-2013 from two-and-a-half years of recession sparked by theglobal financial crisis.

But unemployment remains stubbornlyhigh, particularly among the young. Some37.5 percent of under 25s are unable to finda job-more than double the national rate.Already around six percent of the country’sworkforce has left in search of jobs, of whicha fifth are estimated to be the skilled work-ers Portugal so desperately needs.

“Compared to the 60s, Portugal is facingsomething of a brain drain,” said JoaoThixotrope, a sociology professor at theUniversity of Lisbon. “It is worrying, we arelosing the very people we need to help kick-start the economy,” he said, adding thatPortugal needs to work on encouraginggraduates to “come home as soon as possi-ble”.

Portugal’s health system has come underparticular strain from the effect of fundingcuts implemented as part of its 78-billion-euro ($106 billion) international aid pro-gram. Of the 3,500 nurses who qualify in thecountry each year, about a third will emi-grate, according to their professional body.Many go to Germany, but a large numberalso go to Britain. “They are always asking formore, the pressure has become too much,”said Dina Lopes, a 31-year-old nurse whoworks 55 hours a week juggling two jobsand is among those hoping to leave.Although the language can be a barrier,Germany has welcomed 12,000 migrantsfrom Portugal since 2011. Miranda is amonga dozen people taking an intensive lan-guage course at the Goethe Institute inLisbon, where student numbers have shotup since the start of the crisis. All of those inthe class already have a work contract with aspecialist cardiology clinic in Munich, wherethey will start work on July 15. “I am goingthere to stay,” said Maria Chaves, 29, whosehusband has already left his job in the mili-tary to follow her. “Germany is a great coun-try.” —AFP

Portugal grapples with brain drain despite economic hopes

WASHINGTON: By its own estimate, thegovernment made about $100 billion inpayments last year to people who may nothave been entitled to receive them - taxcredits to families that didn’t qualify, unem-ployment benefits to people who had jobsand medical payments for treatments thatmight not have been necessary.Congressional investigators say the figurecould be even higher. The Obama adminis-tration has reduced the amount of improp-er payments since they peaked in 2010.Still, estimates from federal agencies showthat some are wasting big money at a timewhen Congress is squeezing agency budg-ets and looking to save more. “Nobodyknows exactly how much taxpayer moneyis wasted through improper payments, butthe federal government’s own astoundingestimate is more than half a trillion dollarsover the past five years,” said Rep. JohnMica, R-Fla. “The fact is, improper paymentsare staggeringly high in programsdesigned to help those most in need - chil-dren, seniors and low-income families.”Mica chairs the House Oversight subcom-mittee on government operations. The sub-committee is holding a hearing on improp-er payments Wednesday afternoon. Eachyear, federal agencies are required to esti-mate the amount of improper paymentsthey issue. They include overpayments,underpayments, payments to the wrongrecipient and payments that were madewithout proper documentation.

Some improper payments are theresult of fraud, while others are uninten-tional, caused by clerical errors or mistakesin awarding benefits without proper verifi-cation. In 2013, federal agencies made $97billion in overpayments, according toagency estimates. Underpayments totaled$9 billion. The amount of improper pay-ments has steadily dropped since 2010,when it peaked at $121 billion.

Accountability and transparencyThe Obama administration has stepped

up efforts to measure improper payments,identify the cause and develop plans toreduce them, said Beth Cobert, deputydirector of the White House budget office.Agencies recovered more than $22 billionin overpayments last year. “We havestrengthened accountability and trans-parency, saving the American people mon-ey while improving the fiscal responsibility

of federal programs,” Cobert said in a state-ment ahead of Wednesday’s hearing. “Weare pleased with this progress, but knowthat we have more work to do in this area.”

However, a new report by theGovernment Accountability Office ques-tions the accuracy of agency estimates,suggesting that the real tally could behigher. The GAO is the investigative arm ofCongress. “The federal government isunable to determine the full extent towhich improper payments occur and rea-sonably assure that appropriate actions aretaken to reduce them,” Beryl H. Davis, direc-tor of financial management at the GAO,said in prepared testimony forWednesday’s hearing. Davis said someagencies don’t develop estimates for pro-grams that could be susceptible toimproper payments. For example, theHealth and Human Services Departmentsays it cannot force states to help it devel-op estimates for the cash welfare programknown as Temporary Assistance for Needy

Families. The program is administered bythe states. The largest sources of improperpayments are government health care pro-grams, according to agency estimates.Medicare’s various health insurance pro-grams for older Americans accounted for$50 billion in improper payments in the2013 budget year, far exceeding any otherprogram. Most of the payments weredeemed improper because they wereissued without proper documentation,said Shantanu Agrawal, a deputy adminis-trator for the Centers for Medicare &Medicaid Services. In some cases, thepaperwork didn’t verify that services weremedically necessary.

Improper payments“Payments deemed ‘improper’ under

these circumstances tend to be the resultof documentation and coding errors madeby the provider as opposed to paymentsmade for inappropriate claims,” Agrawalsaid in prepared testimony for

Wednesday’s hearing. Among other pro-grams with large amounts of improperpayments: The earned income tax credit,which provides payments to the workingpoor in the form of tax refunds. Last year,improper payments totaled $14.5 billion.That’s 24 percent of all payments under theprogram. The EITC is one of the largestanti-poverty programs in the US, providing$60.3 billion in payments last year.Eligibility depends on income and familysize, making it complicated to apply for thecredit - and difficult to enforce, said IRSCommissioner John Koskinen.

“EITC eligibility depends on items thatthe IRS cannot readily verify through third-party information reporting, includingmarital status and the relationship and resi-dency of children,” Koskinen told a Housecommittee in May. “In addition, the eligiblepopulation for the EITC shifts by approxi-mately one-third each year, making it diffi-cult for the IRS to use prior-year data toassist in validating compliance.” —AP

Government made $100bn in improper payments

DENVER: President Barack Obama plays pool at Wynkoop Brewing Co with Colorado Gov JohnHickenlooper (rear) on Tuesday, July 8, 2014, in Denver. —AP

KUWAIT: As part of an amicable settle-ment reached between the parties, Al-Homaizi and Al-Rifai have settled their dif-ferences and all litigations have been with-drawn. Al-Rifai Nuts and ConfectioneryLimited (ARNC), a wholly owned Al-Homaizi company, is involved in and ownsall rights to manufacture, produce and sellvarious products (including, nuts, driedfruit, confectioneries, deserts and coffee)in 14 different countries across the MENAregion, including Egypt and all the GCCmember states, using a proprietary Al-Rifaisystem owned by ARNC. Other countrieswill be serviced and managed separatelyincluding Syria and Algeria by Al-RifaiInternational Holding (ARIH) from the new

plant that has been recently constructed inFidar area in Lebanon and which will havea capacity of around 30,000 tons.

“I am excited about the future of theRifai brand and I am confident that wehave geared the business for the future”,says Mohamed Rifai, CEO of ARIH. Al-Homaizi, co-vice chairman of Al-Homaizi, alarge conglomerate in the region based inKuwait which owns ARNC said: “This is aculmination of almost 20 years of coopera-tion between the parties and we look for-ward to further developing the Al-Rifainuts and confectionary business of ARNCand to successfully continue to serve theneeds of our customers for high qualityproducts in the region.”

Amicable settlement concluded between Al-Rifai and Al-Homaizi


KUWAIT: AR Albisher and Z Alkazemi Co- the exclusive general distributor forMercedes-Benz in Kuwait - is offering cus-tomers unique savings on Mercedes-Benz 2014 models during the holy monthof Ramadan. The Ramadan promotionoffers buyers up to KD 3,000 in savingsdepending on the model of Mercedes-Benz car selected. The promotion whichstarted from June 22 till July 31 is validacross all vehicles, including saloons,coupes, Roadsters and SUV’s from modelyear 2014.

“Our Ramadan promotion this yearonce again brings great value to our cus-

tomers who want to own their dreamMercedes-Benz car,” said Michael Ruehle,CEO of Abdul Rahman Albisher & ZaidAlkazemi Company. “There are plenty ofcaptivating cars in our showroom that allfeature the very latest technologies andcutting edge designs from the leadingGerman car manufacturer. Our customersnow have the chance to drive away withone of these magnificent vehicles withour special Ramadan savings.”

During the promotion, customers canselect the latest Mercedes-Benz modelsincluding the M-Class, GL-500, and GLK-Class from the popular SUV range, as well

as saloon cars like the E-Class and its vari-ants and the 2014 C-Class. Mercedes-Benz Dream cars, which include the SL-Class, SLK-Class, CLS-Class and C- Coupe,are also included in the exclusiveRamadan promotion.

“We always try to give our customersaccess to special promotions duringRamadan, and this year’s offers are toogood to pass up, especially within theSUV and Dream Car range,” addedRuehle. “Kuwait is a leading market forSUV sales and most drivers opt to pur-chase these incredible vehicles for theirdurability, safety and amazing perform-

ance on and off the tarmac. The GL-Classis particularly a favorite because of its lux-ury, power, interior space for families andremarkable off-road specifications.”

Another vehicle that stands out fromthe other models is the latest E-Class andits variants. Mercedes-Benz has compre-hensively modernized the E-Class toextend its leading position in the luxurysegment even further by introducingmore efficient engines, new assistancesystems and a new design idiom, all ofwhich make it very attractive to Kuwaiticustomers.

“Ramadan is a time of giving back,

and through our annual promotions, weshow appreciation and reward our cus-tomers with the very best that we canoffer. Our offers are not only limited tosales, we also have special after salesoffers running, and this year we’re focus-ing on brake safety which is very signifi-cant for the overall maintenance of aMercedes-Benz vehicle,” concludedRuehle. The Ramadan sales offers areavailable at Albisher & Alkazemi Co show-room in Shuwaikh. Ramadan timings inthe showroom are from 10 am to 1 pmand from 8:30 pm to 11:30 pm Saturdayto Thursday.

Mercedes-Benz Kuwait announces special savings during Ramadan

Ooredoo’s focus on customer experience hasenjoyed strong industry recognition this year,winning a string of awards for its operations in

the Middle East, North Africa and Southeast Asia. Withthe global launch of the Ooredoo brand in February2013, Ooredoo made differentiation through the cus-tomer experience a central pillar of its strategy - toensure that each of its operating companies was theleader in delivering best in class experience across allcustomer touch-points.

Since then, Ooredoo companies have worked hardto enhance the ways they communicate with and sup-

port customers - an effort that has resulted in positivefeedback and awards from a host of major industrybodies. Dr. Nasser Marafih, Group CEO, Ooredoo, said:“When we launched Ooredoo, we made a promise toour customers that we would strive to enrich theirlives as a global communications company. Teamsacross our footprint are working hard to examine thecustomer experience and come up with new ideas toenhance every touch-point in our interaction withthem and deliver on our brand value of caring. I amvery pleased to see the strong market response this

step-change in our approach has delivered, withawards across our major markets.”

Over the past year, every Ooredoo operation hascarried out qualitative and quantitative research tounderstand what customers are looking for and whattheir expectations of Ooredoo services are. And eachoperation has carried out a series of focus groups andcustomer surveys to help shape their respective“Customer Promise” - the commitments that cus-tomers can expect from Ooredoo.

The Customer Promise has been used as the basis toenhance existing services, as well as launch new innova-

tions and tools aimed at improving the overall experi-ence in particular for customers when using data.Demonstrating the impact of this exercise, Indosat inIndonesia won the “Most advanced approach toCustomer Experience Management” award at theTelecom Asia awards in Jakarta in May this year.

The award was received for Indosat’s iCITY forum,an online community that supports existing cus-tomers while enabling prospective customers to askquestions about products and services. Within thefirst six months of operations, iCITY received 3.1 mil-

lion page views. The website makes it possible forpeople to crowd-source solutions to everyday com-munication issues on a real-time basis, which hashelped Indosat become more customer-centric.

In Qatar, Ooredoo’s focus on customer experiencewas recognized with three awards at the AnnualMiddle East Call Centre Awards 2014in June 2014.Ooredoo received awards for “Best CustomerExperience Management Implementation,” followingthe development of a full customer care initiative thathas delivered faster response times and offered moreaccurate information for customers, and for “BestVoice of the Customer” and “Best Customer Care andBig Data Initiative”.

In line with this award-winning trend, OoredooTunisia and Indosat won awards in the ConsumerService Innovation category of the Global TelecomsBusiness Innovation Awards 2014. The honors includ-ed one for Ooredoo Tunisia’s Customer Self-Care por-tal, which enables customers to buy credit, bundlesand upgrades, as well as access new services andmonitor their spending. Customers can activate andbuy credit packages in a couple of clicks through aweb browser, gadget, widget or app. Since the portalwas launched the uptake of 3G data packagesthrough the self-care portal has grown to more than50 percent, as customers find it easier to select a pack-age that best suits their needs. Across all its markets,Ooredoo is continuing to push forward with newinnovations designed to enhance the customer expe-rience, as the company strives to be a market leader inthis area.

Ooredoo companies win string of awards for customer experience Etihad Airways, the national airline of

the United Arab Emirates, hasappointed Wuraola Oduntan as its

new General Manager for Nigeria. Theappointment takes effect from July 1, 2014.Based in Lagos, Wuraola Oduntan will haveoverall responsibility for Etihad Airways’operations in Nigeria, taking over fromMaurice Phohleli who was recently appoint-ed Vice President, Africa Sub-Sahara andIndian Ocean for Etihad Airways.

Oduntan brings a wealth of industryexperience to the airline, having previouslyworked at Virgin Atlantic Nigeria, where sheheld a number of positions, including Headof Sales and Marketing.

Commenting on the appointment,Maurice Phohleli, said: “We welcomeWuraola to our global commercial team.Her experience in the Nigerian market isinvaluable and I am confident she will makea significant contribution in continuing tobuild our presence in Nigeria and across theWest Africa region.”

Oduntan has a BSc in Accounting fromthe Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria,and also holds an MBA from the Universityof Leicester in the United Kingdom. EtihadAirways launched its service between Lagos

and Abu Dhabi on July 1, 2012 with sixflights a week enhancing the links betweenNigeria, Africa’s largest economy and theUnited Arab Emirates.

The airline recognises the importance ofthe West African region and in March 2013expanded its flights to Lagos to a daily serv-ice to meet growing demand from passen-gers travelling to and from Nigeria.

Etihad Airways appoints new general manager for Nigeria

Wuraola Oduntan

KUWAIT: Gulf Bank has announced the launch ofthe new World MasterCard credit card in collabo-ration with MasterCard, which is now available tothe bank’s premium customers. The new creditcard has multiple benefits for cardholders,

including: the Gulf Rewards Program whichoffers cardholders two points for every KD 1spent; frequent special discounts provided byMasterCard and Gulf Bank; a higher spending

limit; complimentary travel insurance; travel acci-dent and health coverage up to $2 millionincluding benefits for travel accidents, travelmedical benefits, trip inconvenience, and lug-gage protection. The newly launched ‘WorldMasterCard Privileged Access Program’ providescardholders that are ‘members only’ to a world ofprivileges including: leading restaurants, spa’s,luxury products and services from leading inter-national brands; global concierge service; com-plimentary airport lounge access across theMiddle East; Hertz car rental service; fraud pro-tection; purchase protection and extended war-ranty.

Commenting on the new card, Meshari AShehab, AGM, Priority Banking at Gulf Bank said:“We are very pleased to introduce the new WorldMasterCard credit card to our premium cus-tomers. This new card allows us to present avariety of real benefits which are specificallydesigned for customers’ convenience, bothwhen using the card locally and when they travelabroad. At Gulf Bank, we will continue to seeknew ways to enhance our services for customers,be it offering the latest banking products andservices, or the widest range of special discountsand offers.” Gulf Bank continuously seeks to iden-tify new ways in which it can differentiate itsproducts and services to provide exciting offersto its customers.

Gulf Bank launchesWorld MasterCard

Meshari A Shehab

KUWAIT: Bahrain Airport Company (BAC) announcedthat it will host the first ever Routes MENA in theKingdom of Bahrain in November 2015. This inauguralevent will see route development professionals fromacross the MENA region gather to discuss air servicedevelopment to, from, and within the region in a three-day forum.

“It is with great anticipation that we welcome theRoutes MENA 2015 to the Kingdom of Bahrain,” saidMohamed Yousif Al-Binfalah, Chief Executive Officer,Bahrain Airport Company. “We are delighted to be bring-ing this prestigious event to Bahrain where we can showour visitors, first-hand the warm and welcoming cultureof our people while experience the efficient and friendlyairport which makes this country proud. Securing thisprestigious inaugural event is the result of the collectiveefforts of our partners and stakeholders and we are con-fident that this world-class forum will reiterate Bahrain’srole as an aviation hub in the MENA region and highlightour deep-seeded aviation heritage.”

The Kingdom of Bahrain is a small island located inthe Arabian Gulf with a history of aviation that datesback to the early 1920’s. Historically it has acted as a

gateway between the East and West providing a naturaltransit destination for early trade routes and a strategichub for the Northern Gulf. In addition to benefiting froma significant strategic location, The Kingdom of Bahrain isalso rich in history and culture with some historical sites

dating back more than 4,000 years.“The MENA region has become very important from

an aviation perspective. It represents nearly 11 percentof global aviation - about double its share from a decadeago - driven by global hub strategies in the Gulf and lib-eral aviation access policies,” said Katie Bland, DirectorRoutes for UBM Live.

“We are delighted that Bahrain Airport Company ishosting our very first Routes MENA event dedicated toair service development to, from and within the MENAregion and look forward to working with their team,” shefurther commented.

The Bahrain Airport Company is currently in thedesign phase of a significant modernization program forBahrain International Airport with construction due tocommence during Q2 of 2015. The Kingdom of Bahrainenjoys an open skies policy and offers unrestrictedaccess to a catchment area of more than 3.2 million thatextends to the eastern province of Saudi Arabia. RoutesMENA will become part of the global Routes portfolioorganized by UBM Live, which includes World Routes;Routes Asia; Routes Europe; Routes Americas; RoutesCIS/Silk Road; Routes Africa and Routesonline.

Bahrain Airport Company to host first-ever Routes MENA

Mohamed Yousif Al-Binfalah

The Institute for Near East and Gulf MilitaryAnalysis (INEGMA), a strategy and security con-sultancy, research house, and leading confer-ence organizer in defense, security, and riskindustries; and Orient Planet, one of the MiddleEast’s fastest growing integrated marketingand communications companies, recentlyentered into a joint venture to establish a newunit called Orient PlanetINEGMA. The special-ized unit aims to effectively deliver PublicRelations (PR) and strategic communicationcampaigns targeting the defense, security, andrisk domains.

Orient PlanetINEGMA’s well-developed PRand marketing solutions will be infused withinsights and analyses to ensure focused andcomprehensive strategies. It will leverage onits expertise, resources, and extensive knowl-edge of the Middle East region to providethorough approach to the communicationn e e d s o f i t s re gi o n a l a n d i n te r n a t i o n a lclients. The new unit offers a range of servic-es including media relations, publicity, mar-keting communications, crisis management,event management, research, brand market-ing, community relations, Corporate Social

Responsibility (CSR) programs, media train-ing and monitoring.

Riad Kahwaji, CEO, INEGMA, said: “At INEG-MA, we recognize the importance of havingfocused and powerful communication strate-gies that are tailored to fit the needs of securi-ty and defense industries. These strategiesmust be consistent and properly deliveredthrough most effective means. This is why ourpartnership with Orient Planet is a welcomedevelopment. Its outstanding track record ofproviding relevant communications and PRstrategies fully complements our commitmentto excel lence and high qual i t y ser v ice.Through Orient PlanetINEGMA, we will offercommunication solutions for the very dynam-ic and complex defense, security, and riskindustries, and there create relevant PR andmarketing strategies. Clients in the defenseand security sectors will be assured of sophis-ticated, timely, and significant solutions totheir PR and marketing needs.”

Nidal Abou Zaki, Managing Director, OrientPlanet, said: “Orient PlanetINEGMA is the first ofits kind PR unit in the region to offer a diverserange of communication-based services in

highly specialized industries of defense, securi-ty, and risks. We are pleased that we are bridg-ing this gap in the market with INEGMA whose

expertise in these three areas are widely recog-nized. Orient Planet INEGMA will help compa-nies in these domains to further establish their

brand and identity and effectively reach theirtarget audience.”

With off ices in Dubai (Headquar ters) ,Washington DC, Brussels, and Beirut, INEGMAhas built a reputation for supporting the flow ofspecialist insight, knowledge, and informationinto the region from the outside, and from with-in the region to partners as far as WashingtonDC and Tokyo. INEGMA brings together thereach of a strong international network withspecialist expertise and proven competenceacross a spectrum of advisory areas. Theseinclude, but not exclusive to, risk mitigation,strategic communication, and defense trade.

Orient Planet, on the other hand, is recog-nized for its expertise to craft creative and com-prehensive communications and marketingstrategies across any platform - whether tradi-tional or digital media. Its end goal is to formempowered and lasting relationships betweenits clients and their target market audience. Thecompany provides wide-range of services, whileits client portfolio includes some of the fore-most corporate brands in the Arab world. Todate, it has a network of offices, branches andaffiliates in most Middle Eastern countries.

INEGMA, Orient Planet join forces to deliver effective PR strategies

Riad Kahwaji, CEO, INEGMA and Nidal Abou Zaki, Managing Director, Orient Planetare seen.

t e c h n o l o g y


SAN FRANCISCO: Advocates for the blind aredebating whether to use a carrot or a stick topersuade one of their oldest allies, Apple Inc, toclose an emerging digital divide in mobile tech-nology. As digital life increasingly moves to theworld of smartphones and tablets, some dis-abled people with visual, hearing and otherimpairments are feeling more left out than ever.

As baby boomers retire and age, the numberof people needing help is multiplying. Many dis-abled advocates believe federal law requires thatapps be accessible, but courts have not ruled onthe issue. Few disabled want to risk alienatingApple, considered a friend, by fighting it.

Mobile apps that work well can transform ablind person’s life, reading email on the go orspeaking directions to a new restaurant. Someyoung blind people no longer feel the need tolearn Braille to read with their fingers, when Siriand other computer voices can do the readinginstead. Captions on videos and special hearingaids bring hearing impaired into the digital fold.

But when apps don’t work, life can grind to astop. Jonathan Lyens, a San Francisco cityemployee, who is legally blind, has a hard timebrowsing jobs on professional networking siteLinkedIn.

“The app is insane. Buttons aren’t labeled. It’sdifficult to navigate,” said Lyens. When it comesto social media apps, new problems arise withevery release, he said. “I get nervous every time Ihit the update button.”

LinkedIn has hired an accessibility chief,Jennison Asuncion, who himself is blind, andsays it is working to improve the app.

Still, advocates of the disabled want the prob-lem solved by the company at the center of theapp world-Apple. Rival Google Inc, whoseAndroid operating system drives more phonesthan Apple, is also under pressure, but as thecreator of the modern smartphone and a long-time champion for the blind, Apple is feeling themost heat.

Developer guidelines Apple hasn’t been a steady champion: the

National Federation of the Blind sued it in 2008over accessibility of iTunes. Apple settled, agree-ing to pay $250,000 and adding captions andother accessibility improvements to iTunes.Since then it has added more such features to itsiPhone, iPod, iPad and Apple TV products.

Now, Apple and Google both have developer

guidelines on how to make features accessible,such as labeling buttons that can be read byApple’s VoiceOver software.

But they don’t require accessibility, in con-trast to other strictly enforced rules, such as aban on apps that present crude or objectionablecontent. Nor do they offer an accessibility ratingsystem, which some disabled advocates saywould be a big help.

That is where the new debate starts: shouldthe blind return to court for protection theybelieve is guaranteed by law, or nudge their oldally to work harder? Should they pursue appmakers, as some lawyers have, or Apple andGoogle?

Attorney Daniel Goldstein, who brought thesuit against Apple in 2008 as counsel for theNational Federation of the Blind, said the 2008action could provide a model for a suit focusedon apps, but the Federation says no lawsuit isbeing considered.

At last week’s National Federation of the Blindconvention, members approved a resolution topress Apple to create and enforce accessibilitystandards. In the halls there was some debateabout whether or when to play hard ball overrequirements that apps be accessible.

“It’s time for Apple to step up or we will takethe next step,” said Michael Hingson, boardmember for the National Association of theBlind’s California chapter, describing litigation as“the only resort” if Apple did not bring accessi-bility requirements to the app store.

To be sure, Apple, Google, Twitter and othertechnology companies have increasingly accom-modated users with impairments in recent years.

Many developers are ready to help when theylearn there is a problem, said Chris Maury, whoseConversant Labs builds apps for the visuallyimpaired.

“I try to lead with the carrot and not the stick.It’s better to inform developers that accessibilityis the right thing to do and an opportunity toreach a whole new base of users. It shouldn’t justbe about compliance or avoiding legal risks,” hesaid. There is a worldwide market of 1.1 billionpeople with disabilities, according to researchfirm Fifth Quadrant Analytics. Nearly 21 millionU.S. adults experience vision loss, according tothe 2012 National Health Interview Survey, andapproximately 28 million have a hearing impair-ment, according to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook in a 2013speech at Auburn University described peoplewith disabilities “in a struggle to have theirhuman dignity acknowledged.” He said, “They’refrequently left in the shadows of technologicaladvancements that are a source of empower-ment and attainment for others.”

The company declined to comment on itsaccessibility strategy or whether developersshould be required to make apps accessible.

Unlabeled buttons Problems on apps begin with unlabeled but-

tons, which can’t be read by the machine. Newfeatures and graphics can be particularly chal-lenging, and many companies upgrade an app,before bringing their accessibility features up todate in a follow-up release. The result is unex-pected, dramatic changes in usability.

Several members of the National Associationof the Blind told Reuters they struggle with appsfrom Bank of America, TuneIn, Southwest, Mintand Netflix, among others. Bank of Americadeclined to comment. Netflix said it had madebig strides on captioning and the others saidthey were working to improve accessibility.

By contrast, ride service Uber and Twitter, fre-quently win kudos for their apps.

Google Accessibility Engineering ManagerEve Andersson told Reuters that product teamsare increasingly encouraged to consider userswith special needs at the outset.

“We can’t stick on accessibility band aids,” shesaid. The company now offers training on acces-sibility implementation and design in Zurich,Mountain View and New York, she added. Shedeclined to comment on whether Google wouldrequire apps be accessible.

Apple also is encouraging developers toinclude accessibility, bringing executives fromFleksy, which designed an oversize virtual key-board, to describe their experience at the Junedevelopers conference, for instance.

Apple’s next version of its phone operatingsystem, iOS 8, will have a “speak screen” featuresthat reads whatever is on the screen, improvedzoom, and support for hearing aids for hearingimpaired made by companies includingReSound. Apple helped develop the hearing aid.

Howard Rosenblum, chief executive officer ofthe National Association of the Deaf, wantsmore. “Any app should be accessible to every-one,” he said. — Reuters

Advocates for blind, deaf want more from AppleNumber of people needing help multiplying

OAKLAND: Bay Area city officials look at new electric vehicles during a press conference at the AlcoPark Garage Plaza in Oakland. A group ofSan Francisco Bay Area cities, counties and water agencies has joined forces for what is being billed as one of the largest single governmentpurchases of all-electric vehicles in the country. —AP

SAN FRANCISCO: A group of San Francisco BayArea cities, counties and water agencies hasjoined forces for what is being billed as one ofthe largest single government purchases of all-electric vehicles in the country.

The six cities, two counties and two wateragencies have united to buy 90 electric vehicleswith the help of a $2.8 million grant from theMetropolitan Transportation Commission, aregional transportation agency, officials with theBay Area Climate Collaborative said yesterday.

The vehicles will save more than $500,000 infuel costs and about 2 million pounds of carbon

dioxide emissions over five years, Bay AreaClimate Collaborative Executive Director RafaelReyes said.

The collaborative - a public-private initiativeof the Silicon Valley Leadership Group that wasstarted by three Bay Area mayors - developedthe proposal for funding that was submitted tothe Metropolitan Transportation Commission.

“The Bay Area is clearly in a leadership rolehere,” Reyes said.

The vehicles include Ford Motor Co.’s Focusand Nissan Motor Co.’s Leaf. The total cost was $5million, with the rest of the money coming from

funds set aside by the governments and agen-cies to buy new vehicles.

The 10 governments and agencies are: SanFrancisco, San Jose, Oakland, Santa Rosa,Fremont, Concord, the Sonoma County WaterAgency, the Marin Municipal Water District, andAlameda and Sonoma counties. San Jose andthree other Bay Area cities bought 50 all-electricvehicles last year, Reyes said. The electric vehi-cles are a small part of the cities, counties andwater agencies’ overall fleets, but Reyes said thepurchases shows what can be done. “We’re justscratching the surface,” he said. —AP

Bay Area govts make big electric-vehicle buy

KANSAS: Kansas State Board of Education Chairwoman Jana Shaver, left, anIndependence Republican, and interim Education Commissioner BradNeuenswander, follow a discussion about problems with standardized reading andmath tests in public schools yesterday. —AP

Kansas won’t release datafrom reading, math tests

TOPEKA, Kansas: Kansas won’t be issuingany report cards this year on how well itspublic school students performed on stan-dardized reading and math tests aftercyberattacks and other problems thisspring, the state Board of Education decid-ed yesterday.

The board’s decision means there won’tbe a report on how students scored overallstatewide or how students in each schooldistrict or individual schools scored. Thestate typically releases such reports eachfall to help the public judge how wellKansas’ schools are performing.

The University of Kansas center thatdesigned the tests told the board lastmonth that it should not release data forindividual schools and districts because ofproblems administering the tests fromMarch 10 to April 10. About two-thirds ofthe reading tests and one-third of the mathtests were completed during the period,and state Department of Education officialsconcluded data wouldn’t be consistentacross the state.

The U.S. Department of Education mustsign off on Kansas’ decision because federallaw requires states to administer annualtests and improve students’ results. Butinterim state Education Commissioner BradNeuenswander said he’s confident federalofficials will accept Kansas’ reasons for notreporting scores.

The board’s vote was 9-0. However,board member John Bacon, an OlatheRepublican, expressed frustration with theproblems and suggested the board reviewits contract with the Center for EducationalTesting and Evaluation, which received $4.6million during the 2013-14 school year.

“We need accountability, and we need away to measure students’ progress,” he said.“I think it’s one of our keys that we use tomeasure how well we’re doing.”

The center designed this year’s Internet-based tests to follow multistate, CommonCore academic standards that were

approved by the board in 2010. The testsmoved away from multiple-choice ques-tions and toward open-ended problems.

The National Association of State Boardsof Education said it doesn’t know of anysimilar cyberattacks on other states’ testingsystems but added that most don’t havelaws requiring vendors to disclose whenattacks or breaches occur.

Several Kansas board members said thisyear’s tests were pilots, so their value inassessing schools and helping teacherswould be limited anyway.

“You’ve done a really good job of turn-ing this disaster into a great learningopportunity,” board member Jim McNiece,a Wichita Republican, told KU centerDirector Marianne Perie.

The center doesn’t know the exactsource of the cyberattacks. Perie said theincidents involved attempts to push hugeamounts of data into the testing system tocrash it. Some appear to have originatedoutside the U.S, she said. Schools also sawtechnical problems such as students notseeing complete questions or being unableto finish tests.

“We chose to use a test that used theInternet, that ’s susceptible to attack.Everybody knows that,” Bacon said. “Nextyear, if we get attacked again, then what?”

The state still plans to release generalinformation other than scores. For example,it may make general assessments aboutareas in which students appear to be per-forming well and topics where they strug-gle. Perie said she understands the board’sfrustrations over the problems with thecomputerized testing system and toldreporters they’re being addressed. But shealso noted that earlier this year, two boxesof papers from an English proficiency testadministered to Kansas City, Kansas, stu-dents fell from a delivery truck and mostwere destroyed.

“There is no error-free or risk-free testingthese days,” she said. — AP

NEW YORK: The Air Force’s nuclear missileshave stood ready for war on short noticefor more than 50 years. Americans tend toassume the missiles are safe, if they evenremember they exist. But safety cannot betaken for granted. President John F.Kennedy said the missiles represent “themost awesome destructive power that anynation or any man has ever conceived.”

A look, in brief, at the missiles and theirmission:

THE MISSILES: The Air Force operatesjust one type of land-based nuclear missile,the Minuteman 3. It’s a class of weaponknown as an intercontinental ballistic mis-sile, or ICBM. The term refers to the fact thatit has global reach. It is ballistic because itstrajectory consists of three parts: poweredflight from the ground through the Earth’satmosphere; free-flight through space; andre-entry until it hits its target.

The U.S. has 450 of the missiles, eachwith a single nuclear warhead attached.The missiles are guided to a target by a self-contained navigation system that usesmotion and rotation sensors to track andupdate the missile’s position and orienta-tion. Each Minuteman 3 missile is based inits own underground silo “hardened” withconcrete to withstand an enemy nuclearstrike. The silo is linked via communicationscables to a launch control center, alsounderground.

THE MISSILEERS: At the heart of theICBM force are the men and women whocommand the missiles. They are calledMissileers and are junior officers - lieu-tenants and captains, typically ages 22 to27. Two Missileers operate an undergroundlaunch control center, which is responsiblefor 10 missiles. The Missileers do 24-hour“alert” shifts, then hand off to a replace-ment crew. Because the missiles are meantto be ready for combat on short notice, thelaunch capsules are manned without inter-ruption, 365 days a year.

THE BASES: The ICBM force is dividedbetween three Air Force bases - Malmstromin Montana, F.E. Warren in Wyoming andMinot in North Dakota. Each base operates150 missiles, divided into three squadronsof 50 missiles each.

The launch silos are located no less than3 miles from each other and from theirlaunch control center to make the forcemore survivable in a nuclear attack.

The force is commanded by a two-stargeneral who heads the 20th Air Force. He

answers to a three-star general at Air ForceGlobal Strike Command at Barksdale AirForce Base in Louisiana who is responsiblenot only for the ICBMs but also for the B-2and B-52 bombers that have a nuclear mis-sion as well.

THE HISTORY: The current fleet ofMinuteman 3 missiles was first deployed in1970, making them older than any of theofficers entrusted with the keys to launchthem. They are the third generation ofMinuteman missiles. The first generationwent into service in October 1962 duringthe Cuban missile crisis. The Minuteman 2became operational in 1966, and the cur-rent version was declared operational atMinot in December 1970, according to anofficial Air Force history of the ICBM.

No ICBM has ever been launched otherthan for testing. The only time a nuclearweapon has been used in war was inAugust 1945 when the U.S. dropped onebomb on Hiroshima, Japan, and another onNagasaki, compelling Japan’s surrender.

THE FUTURE: The Obama administrationhas decided to take 50 of the 450Minuteman missiles off active duty byFebruary 2018, but it is committed to pre-serving their role as part of the “triad” ofstrategic nuclear forces, along withbombers and nuclear-armed sub-marines.—AP

A look at the Minuteman missile, mission, future

NEW YORK: The warhead-containingnose cone of an inert Minuteman 3 mis-sile is seen in a training launch tube atMinot Air Force Base. —AP

BEIJING: US technology giant Apple has lost alawsuit against a Chinese state regulator overpatent rights to voice recognition software suchas the iPhone’s “Siri”, a Beijing court said. The legalbattle begun in 2012 when Shanghai-basedZhizhen Network Technology pursued Apple forallegedly infringing its Chinese patent with Siri, its“intelligent personal assistant”.

Apple asked China’s patent review board,which operates under the State IntellectualProperty Office, to declare Zhizhen’s originalpatent ineffective but the request was rejected.

Late last year Apple appealed to Beijing’sNumber One Intermediate People’s Court to over-turn that decision.

“The court did not support the cause of actionstated by Apple,” the court said in a statement onTuesday, referring to the case in which Apple“brought a lawsuit” against the governmentagency.

“The patent for the invention of the ‘type ofchatbot system’ involved remains effective,” thecourt said, referring to Zhizhen’s patent.

Apple had decided to appeal to the BeijingHigher People’s Court, it added.

Apple’s Siri, which responds to a user’s com-mands through voice recognition software, madeits formal debut with the release of the iPhone 4Sin 2011, while Zhizhen claims its earlier “Xiao iRobot” product works in a similar way. A Beijing-

based spokeswoman for the US firm saidP: “Applebelieves deeply in protecting innovation and wetake intellectual property rights very seriously.“Unfortunately, we were not aware of Zhizhen’spatent before we introduced Siri and we do notbelieve we are using this patent.” Another courtwould consider the issue, she said, but held openthe door to a settlement, adding: “We remainopen to reasonable discussions with Zhizhen.”

The dispute is not the first time that Apple hasbeen embroiled in intellectual property rightsinfringement and controversy in China, where itsproducts are popular. Apple in 2012 paid $60 mil-lion to settle a dispute with another Chinese firmover the iPad trademark.— AFP

Court rules against Apple in patent case

CHICAGO/ATLANTA: Stray vials of thedeadly smallpox virus from the 1950s havebeen discovered at a federal lab nearWashington, US health officials said onTuesday, the second lapse discovered in amonth involving a deadly pathogen at agovernment facility. The US Centers forDisease Control and Prevention said thatworkers discovered the vials in a cardboardbox on July 1 while clearing out an old labon the National Institutes of Health campusin Bethesda, Maryland.

The six glass vials contained freeze-driedsmallpox virus and were sealed with meltedglass. The vials appeared intact and there isno evidence that lab workers or the generalpublic are at risk, said CDC spokesman TomSkinner. The mishandling of smallpox followsthe CDC’s recent mishap in which the agencybelieved it may have transferred live anthraxsamples to a CDC lab that was not equippedto handle them, potentially exposing dozensof employees to the pathogen.

The CDC is testing the vials to see if thesmallpox is viable and could make someonesick, said Skinner. After those tests, whichcould take up to two weeks, the samples willbe destroyed, Skinner said. Smallpox waseradicated worldwide in 1977, but samplesof the pathogen are kept in two repositoriesfor research purposes: the CDC’s facility inAtlanta and the State Research Centre ofVirology and Biotechnology in Novosibirsk,Russia. The two repositories are monitoredby the World Health Organization.

The CDC said it has notified WHO aboutthe discovery. If the specimens turn out to beviable, the CDC said it will invite the WHO towitness the destruction of the smallpox sam-ples. Skinner said the CDC is working withthe Federal Bureau of Investigation to deter-

mine how and when the samples were pre-pared and how they came to be stored andforgotten in the FDA lab.

Infectious disease expert Dr MichaelOsterholm said the discovery of abandonedvials of smallpox is a reminder to labs global-ly to take stock of what is in their freezers.

Although there have been concernssmallpox could be used in bioterrorism, theCDC says the chances of that occurring arevery low. Currently, the government has astockpile containing enough vaccine forevery US citizen. The bigger threat,Osterholm said, is that these vials could havefallen into the hands of someone who wouldconvert them into an aerosolized form anduse them as a bioterror weapon. “That couldbe a disaster,” he said. — Reuters

H E A LT H & S C I E N C ETHURSDAY, JULY 10, 2014

PARIS: Twenty-five percent more children arefalling ill with TB than the UN had thought, withmore than 650,000 hit by the disease each year inthe 22 worst affected countries, specialists saidyesterday. Reporting in The Lancet, they said thatabout 53 million children under 15 are living withlatent TB infection, a condition that can developinto active TB at any time.

A contagious disease of the lungs, TB is causedby a microbe called Mycobacterium tuberculosis.Millions of people are latent cases, meaning they

are infected with the germ yet have yet to devel-op any symptoms. Last year the World HealthOrganisation ( WHO) estimated there were530,000 cases of active TB among childrenyounger than 15 years in 2012. But this estimatewas based on reporting by paediatric doctors-atechnique faulted by many experts as its meth-ods and reliability vary hugely from country tocountry.

The new estimate is based on a mathematicalmodel based on each of 22 countries where TB

falls into the category of a “high burden” forhealth. It factored in the national prevalence of TBin adults, the likely risk of household exposurefrom infected relatives and the effectiveness ofvaccination against the disease. The findings sug-gested that about 7.6 million children youngerthan 15 in these 22 countries became infected in2010. Of these nearly 651,000 developed the dis-ease, more than a quarter of them in India alone.

Lead author Peter Dodd of the University ofSheffield in northern England said the figures

pointed to the urgent need to focus help on chil-dren, using the drug ionized. “Children are anoften ignored but important part of TB controlefforts,” Dodd said.

“Quantifying the burden of TB in children isimportant because without good numbers, therecan be no targets for improvement, no monitor-ing of trends and there is a lack of evidence toencourage industry to invest in developing medi-cines or diagnostics that are more appropriate forchildren than those available today.” — AFP

Child TB problem far greater than thought

THE HAGUE: Dutch student Boyan Slat is only 19years old, but he already has 100 people workingon his revolutionary plan to scoop thousands oftons of damaging plastics from the oceans. Theworld’s “plastic soup”, much of it swirling aroundin five main gyres or rotating oceanic currents,costs billions of euros (dollars) to the fishing andtourism sectors every year. Estimates differ as tohow much of the waste is in our oceans, rangingfrom half a million to millions of tons. Thescourge kills marine life, entering the food chainwhen sea creatures ingest it, as well as ensnaringdolphins and whales.

While most ideas for attacking the plasticplague involve boats criss-crossing the oceans toscoop up the waste, Slat came up with a remark-ably practical way to help solve the problem: har-nessing the power of sea currents to trap the“soup”. “Why go after the plastic if the plastic cancome to you?” the aeronautical engineering stu-dent told AFP.

‘Soup trap’ His design calls for two vast floating arms, 50

kilometers (35 miles) long each, in the form of a“V”, anchored to the ocean floor. Curtains, ironi-cally made from super-strong plastic, hang fromthe arms, dangling around three meters (10 feet)below the surface. Ocean currents will force thewaste into the “V” and to a cylindrical platform 11meters in diameter floating at the end which canstore up to 3,000 cubic meters of plastic (106,000cubic feet - or more than an Olympic swimmingpool ) for eventual collection by a ship.

A solar-powered conveyor belt will take the

largest chunks of plastic to and from a shredderso that it will fit in the cylinder. The blue-eyed,shaggy-haired Slat, who still lives at home withhis parents, says he got his idea while scuba-div-ing in Greece. “I saw more plastics than fish underthe water,” he recalled. He publicly presented itfor the first time at the end of 2012, hardly daringto dream it would become reality. Today, he hasput his studies on hold and 100 people aroundthe world are working for him, several of themfull time.

‘Faster, cheaper’ Following a year of feasibility studies and a

certain amount of criticism from a skeptical sci-entific community, Slat wants to set up a pilotproject to run for the next three or four yearsbefore installing the first operational “OceanCleanup Array” in the north Pacific Ocean. He hasset up a crowd funding website to collect $2.0million (1.5 million euros) in 100 days, reachingthe first million after 32 days.

Over a 10-year period, he hopes his inventionwill collect nearly half of the plastic swirlingaround in the north Pacific Ocean. Slat claims hismethod would be thousands of times faster thansending ships to fish the plastic out of the water.“It’s not only faster, it’s also cheaper,” he said.Around 70 people, including oceanographers,engineers and legal advisers, took part in the fea-sibility study, looking at legal and material ques-tions, as well as the project’s weather-resistanceand cost.

“The ocean cleanup team has addressed con-cerns that the ocean community has voiced, but

there are still issues that need to be addressed,”Kim Martini, an oceanographer at WashingtonState University in Seattle, told AFP by email.Some say the feasibility study underestimatesthe proportion of micro-plastics, which are justmillimeters in size and extremely difficult to trapand remove.

Others say the project itself will become adangerous obstacle for marine life and sea traffic.“Boyan is a terrific engineer, and we appreciate alot what he does for the plastic soup issue,” saidAnna Cummins of the 5 Gyres environmentalcharity and lobby group in a telephone inter-view. “But what we do not understand, is why hewants to use his device so far from the coast-lines,” she told AFP.

“Collecting waste from the middle of theocean is like collecting water from a tap that isalways on,” said Daniel Poolen of the Plastic SoupFoundation. “You have to go to river mouths, tothe source” of the pollution, he said. Slat insiststhat the feasibility study, which concluded thatthe project was “likely feasible”, dealt with all thetechnical problems. Nevertheless, he is aware ofthe limitations.

“Thankfully, I’m surrounded by people whohave more knowledge than me, they bring theirexperience on board,” Slat said, adding: “I’m only19!” “Even if I think that my project is more effi-cient and cheaper, I know it won’t remove allplastic waste,” he admits. “And most importantly, Iknow full well that the source of plastic in theoceans won’t disappear tomorrow, people willunfortunately continue to put plastic waste intothe environment.”- — AFP

Dutch teen targets Pacific Ocean ‘plastic soup’ menace

THE HAGUE: Handout computer generated images released by the Dutch Organization “The Ocean Cleanup” on July 2, 2014 show an oceancleanup project developed by a 19 year-old Dutch student. — AFP photos

IOWA: An AIDS research team at IowaState University will not get the final$1.38 million payment of a NationalInstitutes of Health five-year grantafter a team member admitted lastyear to faking research results, the NIHsaid Tuesday. One of the members ofthe research team, Dong-Pyou Han,has pleaded not guilty in federal courtto four counts of making false state-ments in research reports. He is free onbond awaiting trial scheduled for Sept2.

The research team, led by biomed-ical sciences professor Michael Cho,was awarded $6.8 million to be paidover five years by the NIH, but it won’tsee the last payment. The team previ-ously received grants totaling $7.6 mil-lion. The university has agreed to repaythe government $496,000 for Han’ssalary and other costs tied to hisemployment at ISU during theresearch. Han may not apply for orreceive grants from the US govern-ment for three years, the NIH said, butCho’s team and other researchers atISU can.

“NIH makes funding decisionsbased on scientific merit of the pro-posed research to eligible organiza-tions/institutions. The researchers areeligible to apply for future NIH grantfunding through their institutions justas other researchers may apply,” theagency said in an emailed statementUniversity spokesman John McCarrollsaid the team, which consists of 10researchers, has sufficient funding tocontinue its work. McCarroll saidexperts at federal agencies have toldhim it can take two to five years torecover from the negative perceptionscreated by a misconduct incident.

He said Cho continues to be arespected researcher and people seemto understand he was not aware offaked lab work. “ This has receivednational and international attentionand I know he has been somewhatembarrassed by that and he doesn’twant to go through that again,”McCarroll said. Cho did not immediate-ly respond to messages for comment.

According to the indictment filedlast month in US District Court in DesMoines, Han’s misconduct dates towhen he worked at Case WesternReserve University in Cleveland underCho, who was leading a team testingan experimental HIV vaccine on rab-bits. Starting in 2008, Cho’s teamreceived initial NIH funding. Choreported soon that his vaccine wascausing rabbits to develop antibodiesto HIV, which was considered a majorbreakthrough in HIV/AIDS vaccineresearch by NIH officials and theresearch community.

Iowa State recruited Cho in 2009,and his team - including Han - soonreceived a five-year grant to continuethe research. The team reportedprogress until a group of researchers atHarvard University found in January2013 the promising results had beenachieved with rabbit blood spiked withhuman antibodies. An ISU investiga-tion pinpointed Han leading him towrite in a Sept 30, 2013, confession let-ter that he started the fraud in 2009“because he wanted (results) to lookbetter” and that he acted alone. “I wasfoolish, coward, and not frank,” hewrote. Han, 57, a native of South Korea,has been allowed by the court to livein Ohio near his family and travel toIowa for court appearances. — AP

AIDS research team in Iowa loses $1.38M grant

WASHINGTON: This 1975 file electronmi-crograph from the Centers for DiseaseControl shows the smallpox virus. — AP

Smallpox vials from 1950sfound in US lab storage room

GENEVA: Fifty new cases of Ebola and 25 deaths havebeen reported in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guineasince July 3, as the deadly virus spreads in families,the World Health Organization ( WHO) said onTuesday. In a statement, the United Nations agencysaid that the latest figures from health ministries inthe three countries showed a total of 844 casesincluding 518 deaths in the epidemic that began inFebruary. Guinea’s ministry reported two deaths sinceJuly 3, but no new cases in the past week, the WHOsaid, calling the situation in the affected region ofWest Africa a “mixed picture”.

Sierra Leone accounted for 34 of the new cases and14 deaths, while Liberia reported 16 new cases and 9deaths. “These numbers indicate that active viraltransmission continues in the community,” it said.WHO spokeswoman Fadela Chaib, speaking to aGeneva news briefing earlier on Tuesday, said: “This

means that the two main modes of transmission arehome care, people who care for their relative at home,and during funerals, are still ongoing.”

“If we don’t stop the transmission in the severalhotspots in the three countries we will not be able tosay that we control the outbreak,” she said. A US citi-zen who was suspected of having Ebola because hefell ill after travelling to the region affected by Eboladied on Monday in Ghana. The man, who has notbeen identified, was in quarantine at a clinic in thecapital Accra.

Four tests on the man have all proved negative forEbola, Ghana’s health ministry said in a statement late onTuesday. West African countries and international healthorganisations adopted a fresh strategy last Thursday tofight the world’s deadliest Ebola epidemic to date.Measures include better surveillance to detect the virusand enhancing cross-border cooperation. — Reuters

Fifty new Ebola cases, 25 deaths in West Africa LONDON: Bowel cancer patients with high levels of vitamin D

in their blood are more likely to survive the disease, accordingto research published yesterday. Scientists who studiedalmost 1,600 patients after surgery for bowel cancer foundthose with the highest levels of vitamin D have half the risk ofdying of the disease compared with those with the lowest lev-els. The study is the first to correlate the long-term survivalprospects of bowel cancer patients after diagnosis with totalblood levels of vitamin D.

Vitamin D, sometimes known as the “sunshine vitamin”, ismade in the body when the skin is exposed to sunlight and isfound in foods such as fish liver oil, eggs and fatty fish such assalmon, herring and mackerel. It is known to boost the uptakeof calcium and bone formation. Some observational studieshave also suggested a link between low levels of vitamin Dand greater risks of many acute and chronic diseases.

Malcolm Dunlop of the Medical Research Council HumanGenetics Unit at the University of Edinburgh who led thisstudy, said it suggested vitamin D supplements may be worthexploring for bowel cancer patients. “Our findings are promis-

ing but it is important to note that this is an observationalstudy (and) we need carefully designed randomized clinicaltrials before we can confirm whether taking vitamin D supple-ments offers any survival benefit,” he said.

Bowel cancer, also known as colon or colorectal cancer, isthe second most common cancer in Europe with around447,000 new cases diagnosed in 2012, said the charity CancerResearch UK which funded this study. Dunlop’s team testedblood samples from almost 1,600 patients after surgery forbowel cancer. They found the greatest benefit of vitamin D inpatients with stage 2 cancers, when the tumour may be quitelarge but the disease has not yet spread.

Three quarters of the patients with the highest vitaminD levels were still alive after five years, compared with few-er than two thirds of those with the lowest levels, theyfound. The team, whose work was published in the Journalof Clinical Oncology, said they now plan to set up a clinicaltrial to test whether taking vitamin D tablets in combina-tion with chemotherapy can improve bowel cancer sur-vival rates. — Reuters

Sunshine vitamin D boosts survival chances in bowel cancer

H E A LT H & S C I E N C ETHURSDAY, JULY 10, 2014

BELLINGHAM: Marijuana plants at Sea of Green Farms, a recreational pot grower inSeattle, grow in the foliage room, where ‘clone’ plants that have developed roots aregrown under special lights. —AP photos

Bob Leeds, owner of Sea of Green Farms, a recreational pot grower and processor inSeattle, smiles as he examines lab test results for one of his strains of marijuana in aroom illuminated by yellow grow lights.

How marijuana goes from garden to storeBELLINGHAM: Top Shelf Cannabis wasable to open its doors to sell marijuanawhen Washington state’s recreational potindustr y f ina l ly opened for bus inessbecause of growers l ike S ea of GreenFarms. For months leading up to the grand

opening Tuesday, when Washingtonbecame the second state in the US to allowrecreat ional sa les a f ter Colorado, theemployees at Sea of Green Farms havemethodically nurtured the plants in a growhouse in Seattle.

Associated Press photographer TedWarren visited the facility over the past fewweeks to document how the crew bar-cod-ed each plant, enlisted ladybugs to keeppests away and harvested the plant’s high-quality flowers. —AP

Bob Leeds, owner of Sea of Green Farms, a recreational pot grower and processor in Seattle, inspects small “clone” plants growing under lightsin Seattle.

W H AT ’ S ONTHURSDAY, JULY 10, 2014

Sarah Baker Al-Nazer celebrated with FajerAl-Sabah School who graduated with98.85 GPA. Sarah owed her success to God

and her family’s support, as well as her sched-ule that includes studying for an average of 9hours a day. Sarah plans to study dentistry at

University of Jordan in Amman.

Greetings

The ScientificCenter to organize

gergian party

The Scientific Center announced hosting its annualgergian party on Saturday, the 14th of Ramadan (July12th). The event will take place between 9:00 pm and

11:30 pm, and includes various cultural activities such ashenna and gergian bags’ embroidery. The Scientific Centerwill also offer its visitors the traditional Kuwaiti coffee, aswell as traditional Kuwaiti sweets and foods. A culturalcompetition for opportunities to win valuable prizes willalso be held.

Gergian will be distributed to children at the end of theparty. Mejbel Al-Mutawa’a, CEO and Managing Director,announced meanwhile that the Scientific Center antici-pates its eight millionth visitor during the holy month,adding that gifts are prepared to be presented to the luckyvisitor. Mejbel also announced that the Discovery Hall willbe closed starting from Friday, July 11th, and will beopened on the first day of Eid Al-Fitr with an exhibitiontitled ‘mathematics is our life.’ The Scientific Center wel-comes visitors everyday from 9:00 pm to 1:00 am, with aspecial morning period on Saturday from 10:00 am to 1:00pm. Tickets will be available for a reduced prices, at KD1,750 for the Aquarium and IMAX theater, starting fromSunday, July 13th.

MP Jamal Al-Omar hosted a reception recently on the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan. The event attracted lot of dignitaries. - Photos by Fouad Al-Shaikh

W H AT ’ S ONTHURSDAY, JULY 10, 2014

The Ministry of Youth Affairs organized a ghabqa on the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan. Senior government officials including Sheikh Salman Al-Hmoud Al-Sabah, the Minister ofInformation and Minister of Youth Affairs, and Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah, the First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, attended the event, as well as youth ministry officials and oth-er dignitaries. —Photos by Fouad Al-Shaikh

T V PR O G R A M STHURSDAY, JULY 10, 2014

LEGENDARY AMAZONS ON OSN MOVIES HD ACTION

SHADOW DANCER ON OSN MOVIES HD

00:10 How To Cook Like Heston00:35 Extreme Makeover: HomeEdition2:50 Bargain Hunt03:35 Marbella Mansions04:20 Nordic Cookery With TareqTaylor04:45 How To Cook Like Heston05:10 A Taste Of My Life05:35 Extreme Makeover: HomeEdition06:20 Extreme Makeover: HomeEdition07:40 Bargain Hunt08:25 Marbella Mansions09:10 Nordic Cookery With TareqTaylor09:40 How To Cook Like Heston10:05 The Restaurant UK10:55 Extreme Makeover: HomeEdition11:40 Extreme Makeover: HomeEdition13:05 Bargain Hunt13:50 Marbella Mansions14:35 Nordic Cookery With TareqTaylor15:00 How To Cook Like Heston15:25 Extreme Makeover: HomeEdition16:10 Extreme Makeover: HomeEdition16:50 Extreme Makeover: HomeEdition17:35 Bargain Hunt18:20 Phil Spencer: Secret Agent19:10 Simply Italian19:35 Nordic Cookery With TareqTaylor20:00 Cash In The Attic22:15 Bargain Hunt23:00 Phil Spencer: Secret Agent23:50 Simply Italian

00:00 Britain’s Greatest Machines01:00 Best Of Hard Time02:00 Hunter Hunted03:00 Situation Critical04:00 Mad Scientists04:30 Mad Scientists05:00 Naked Science 2.506:00 Megastructures07:00 World’s Toughest Fixes08:00 Britain’s Greatest Machines09:00 Best Of Hard Time10:00 Hunter Hunted11:00 Situation Critical12:00 Mad Scientists12:30 Mad Scientists13:00 Naked Science 2.514:00 Megastructures15:00 World’s Toughest Fixes16:00 Britain’s Greatest Machines17:00 Helicopter Wars18:00 Hunter Hunted19:00 Predator CSI20:00 A Traveler ’s Guide To ThePlanets21:00 Air Crash Investigation

00:45 Human Prey01:35 Untamed & Uncut02:25 Safari Sisters02:50 Safari Sisters03:15 World’s Wildest Cities:Manaus04:05 Galapagos04:55 Animal Cops Miami05:45 Outback Rangers06:35 Breed All About It07:00 Animal Airport07:25 Dick ‘n’ Dom Go Wild08:15 Dogs/Cats/Pets 10109:10 Pandamonium10:05 Penguin Safari11:00 Animal Precinct11:55 Animal Airport12:20 Breed All About It12:50 Clinically Wild: Alaska13:45 Rogue Nature With DaveSalmoni14:40 Safari Sisters15:30 Dick ‘n’ Dom Go Wild16:30 Dogs/Cats/Pets 10117:25 Animal Planet ’s MostOutrageous18:20 Mutant Planet19:15 Gator Boys20:10 Deadly Islands21:05 Safari Sisters22:00 Gator Boys22:55 Deadly Islands23:50 Animal Cops Miami

00:00 Knuckle-PG1502:00 Red 2-PG15

00:20 The Gadget Show00:45 How Stuff’s Made01:10 Stephen Hawking’s GrandDesign02:00 Alien Mysteries02:45 Mythbusters03:35 What’s That About?04:30 How The Universe Works05:20 Scrapheap Challenge06:10 Science Of The Movies07:00 Prototype This07:55 Alien Mysteries08:45 What’s That About?09:40 Science Of The Movies10:30 Mega Builders11:20 How The Universe Works12:10 Scrapheap Challenge13:00 How Stuff’s Made13:30 What’s That About?14:20 Mythbusters15:10 Scrapheap Challenge16:00 Mega Builders16:50 Science Of The Movies17:40 Stephen Hawking’s GrandDesign18:30 Alien Mysteries19:20 The Gadget Show19:45 How Stuff’s Made20:10 Mythbusters21:00 Sci-Fi Science21:25 Sci-Fi Science21:50 Alien Mysteries22:40 Invisible Worlds23:30 How The Universe Works

00:30 The Daily Show With JonStewart01:00 The Colbert Report01:30 Seinfeld02:00 Seinfeld02:30 The Mindy Project03:00 Cougar Town03:30 Parks And Recreation04:00 My Boys04:30 The Tonight Show StarringJimmy Fallon05:30 My Name Is Earl06:00 The War At Home06:30 Seinfeld07:00 Late Night With Seth Meyers08:00 My Boys08:30 My Name Is Earl09:00 Cougar Town09:30 Trophy Wife10:00 Modern Family10:30 Seinfeld11:00 The Tonight Show StarringJimmy Fallon12:00 The War At Home12:30 My Boys13:00 My Name Is Earl13:30 The Mindy Project14:00 Parks And Recreation14:30 Trophy Wife15:00 Modern Family15:30 The Daily Show With JonStewart16:00 The Colbert Report16:30 The War At Home17:00 Late Night With Seth Meyers18:00 The Simpsons18:30 Parks And Recreation19:00 Trophy Wife19:30 Brooklyn Nine-Nine20:00 The Tonight Show StarringJimmy Fallon21:00 The Daily Show With JonStewart21:30 The Colbert Report22:00 Family Guy22:30 2 Broke Girls23:00 The Mindy Project23:30 Late Night With Seth Meyers

00:00 Father Of The Bride-PG1502:00 Midnight Run-PG1504:15 10 Things I Hate About You-PG1506:00 Barbershop-PG1508:00 Over The Hedge-FAM09:45 Beethoven-FAM11:45 Father Of The Bride Part II-PG1514:00 10 Things I Hate About You-PG1516:00 Delirious-PG1518:00 Beethoven’s Second-PG20:00 Hot Rod-PG1522:00 The Longest Yard-PG15

01:00 Hold Fast-PG1503:00 Chasing Mavericks-PG1505:00 The Intouchables-PG1507:00 Beautiful Creatures-PG1509:00 Emperor-PG1511:00 The Intouchables-PG1513:00 Snow Flower And The SecretFan-PG1515:00 Someday This Pain Will BeUseful To You-PG1517:00 Emperor-PG1518:45 Mud-PG1521:00 Nobody Walks-PG1523:00 The Impossible-PG15

01:00 Kandahar Break: Fortress OfWar-PG1503:00 Crazy / Beautiful-PG1505:00 The White Countess-PG1507:15 Drew Peterson:Untouchable-PG1509:00 Bobby Fischer Against TheWorld-PG1511:00 Saving Grace B. Jones-PG1513:00 Mad Love-PG1514:45 Stardust-PG17:00 Saving Grace B. Jones-PG1519:00 Margot At The Wedding20:45 Amour-PG1523:00 Great Expectations-PG15

00:30 Inside the PGA Tour01:00 Super Rugby03:00 Super Rugby05:00 WEB.COM Tour Highlights06:00 PGA Tour Highlights07:00 Golfing World 08:00 Rugby League State of Origin10:30 Trans World11:30 Total Rugby12:00 European Tour weekly12:30 Live PGA European Tour20:30 Golfing World 21:30 Inside the PGA Tour22:00 Live PGA Tour

01:00 Trans World Sport02:00 ITU World Triathlon Series04:00 ITU World Triathlon Series07:00 Total Rugby 07:30 V8 Supercars Highlights08:30 V8 Supercars Highlights09:30 Futbol Mundial10:00 Golfing World 11:00 PGA Tour Highlights 12:00 Rugby League State of Origin14:30 Inside The PGA Tour 15:00 Live Ricoh Women’s BritishOpen 19:00 WWE NXT20:00 Rugby League State of Origin22:00 Live Super League

00:00 Violetta00:45 The Hive00:50 Art Attack01:15 Art Attack01:40 Wolfblood02:05 Wolfblood02:30 Violetta03:10 The Hive03:20 Art Attack03:45 Art Attack04:10 Jungle Junction05:00 Art Attack05:25 Art Attack05:50 Mouk06:00 Austin & Ally06:25 Austin & Ally06:45 Mako Mermaids07:10 Mako Mermaids07:35 Jessie07:55 Jessie08:20 Win, Lose Or Draw08:45 Good Luck Charlie09:05 Dog With A Blog09:30 Phineas And Ferb09:55 Phineas And Ferb10:15 Liv And Maddie10:40 Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam12:15 Jessie

00:00 Storage Wars00:30 Pawn Stars01:00 The Legend Of Shelby TheSwamp Man02:00 Ax Men03:00 Storage Wars03:30 Storage Wars04:00 Pawn Stars04:30 Pawn Stars05:00 Mountain Men06:00 Storage Wars Texas06:30 Counting Cars

00:30 Treehouse Masters01:20 Futurescape With JamesWoods02:10 Mythbusters03:00 Fast N’ Loud03:50 Storage Hunters04:15 Container Wars05:05 How It’s Made

05:30 How Stuff’s Made06:00 Gold Rush - Season 2Specials07:00 Dual Survival07:50 Yukon Men08:40 Fast N’ Loud09:30 Storage Hunters09:55 Container Wars10:45 How It’s Made11:10 How Stuff’s Made11:35 Treehouse Masters12:25 Futurescape With JamesWoods13:15 Mythbusters14:05 Storage Hunters14:30 Container Wars15:20 Dual Survival16:10 Yukon Men17:00 Fast N’ Loud17:50 Sons Of Guns19:30 Gold Rush - Season 2Specials20:20 How It’s Made20:45 How Stuff’s Made21:10 Container Wars21:35 Container Wars22:00 Street Outlaws22:50 The Fighters

00:30 Natwest T20 Blast Highlights01:30 Bangladesh v India ODIHighlights02:30 Bangladesh v India ODIHighlights03:30 Bangladesh v India ODIHighlights04:30 ICC Cricket 36005:00 Natwest T20 Blast Highlights06:00 Natwest T20 Blast Highlights07:00 IPL Highlights08:00 IPL Highlights09:00 ICC Cricket 36009:30 IPL Highlights10:30 IPL Highlights11:30 IPL Highlights12:30 ICC Cricket 36013:00 Live England v IndiaInternational Test Series21:00 ICC Cricket 36021:30 IPL Highlights22:30 IPL Highlights23:30 IPL Highlights

00:10 My Strange Addiction00:35 My Strange Addiction01:00 Mob Wives01:50 Hoarding: Buried Alive02:40 I Didn’t Know I Was Pregnant03:05 Mob Wives03:55 Long Island Medium04:20 Say Yes To The Dress04:45 Say Yes To The Dress05:10 Toddlers & Tiaras06:00 Oprah: Behind The Scenes07:00 What Not To Wear07:50 Brides Of Beverly Hills08:15 Brides Of Beverly Hills08:40 Something Borrowed,Something New09:05 Something Borrowed,Something New09:30 Toddlers & Tiaras10:20 Say Yes To The Dress10:45 Say Yes To The Dress11:10 Cake Boss11:35 Jon & Kate Plus 812:00 Little People, Big World12:25 Oprah: Behind The Scenes13:15 World’s Worst Mum14:05 Six Little Mcghees14:30 Six Little Mcghees14:55 Extreme Couponing15:20 Cake Boss15:45 What Not To Wear16:35 Toddlers & Tiaras17:25 Say Yes To The Dress17:50 Say Yes To The Dress18:15 Jon & Kate Plus 818:40 Little People, Big World19:10 Oprah: Behind The Scenes20:05 Extreme Couponing20:30 Cake Boss21:00 Happily Ever Laughter21:25 Happily Ever Laughter21:55 Something Borrowed,Something New22:20 Something Borrowed,Something New22:50 Long Island Medium23:15 Oprah Presents: Master Class

01:00 The Letter-PG1503:00 Limitless-PG1505:00 The Great Ghost Rescue-PG07:00 Zambezia-PG09:00 Shadow Dancer-PG1511:00 Planes-PG13:00 Beastly-PG1515:00 Life Of Pi-PG17:15 Shadow Dancer-PG1519:00 Olympus Has Fallen-PG1521:00 Knife Fight-PG1523:00 Oblivion-PG15

12:35 Jessie13:00 Austin & Ally13:25 Phineas And Ferb13:45 Phineas And Ferb14:10 Good Luck Charlie14:35 Dog With A Blog15:00 Dog With A Blog15:25 Liv And Maddie15:50 Liv And Maddie16:10 Mako Mermaids16:35 Win, Lose Or Draw17:00 Austin & Ally17:20 Austin & Ally17:45 Jessie18:10 Jessie18:30 Mako Mermaids18:55 Mako Mermaids19:20 Violetta20:05 Liv And Maddie20:30 Jessie20:50 Dog With A Blog21:15 Mako Mermaids21:40 Austin & Ally22:00 Good Luck Charlie22:25 A.N.T. Farm22:50 Shake It Up23:10 Wolfblood23:35 Wolfblood

00:00 2 Fast 2 Furious-PG1502:00 Hellboy: Sword Of Storms-PG04:00 Sins Expiation-PG1506:00 Flight Of The Intruder-PG1508:00 The Last Stand-PG1510:00 Legendary Amazons-PG1512:00 Shadow Conspiracy-PG1514:00 2 Fast 2 Furious-PG1516:00 The Last Stand-PG1518:00 Flight Of The Intruder-PG1520:00 Ultraviolet-PG1521:45 The Amazing Spider-Man

22:00 Battleground Brothers23:00 Brain Games23:30 Brain Games

00:20 Mudcats01:10 Fish Warrior02:00 Shocking Sharks02:50 World’s Deadliest Animals03:45 Ultimate Animal Countdown04:40 Wild Wild West05:35 Shocking Sharks06:30 World’s Deadliest Animals07:25 Ultimate Animal Countdown08:20 Monster Fish09:15 Mudcats10:10 Python Hunters11:05 Hippo vs Croc12:00 Shark Eden12:55 World’s Deadliest Killers13:50 World’s Deadliest Animals14:45 Ultimate Animal Countdown15:40 Monster Fish16:35 Mudcats17:30 Python Hunters18:25 Africa’s Deadliest19:20 World’s Deadliest Killers20:10 World’s Deadliest Animals21:00 Ultimate Animal Countdown21:50 Monster Fish22:40 Mudcats23:30 Python Hunters

00:00 The Blacklist01:00 Good Morning America03:00 Rescue Me04:00 House Of Cards05:00 Good Morning America07:00 Emmerdale07:30 Coronation Street08:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show09:00 Almost Human10:00 Emmerdale10:30 Coronation Street11:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show12:00 Grey’s Anatomy13:00 The Blacklist14:00 Live Good Morning America16:00 Almost Human17:00 Grey’s Anatomy18:00 The Blacklist19:00 Almost Human20:00 Grey’s Anatomy21:00 The Blacklist22:00 House Of Cards23:00 Rescue Me

00:00 Beyond Candid With Giuliana00:55 Chelsea Lately01:25 Style Star01:50 Style Star02:20 Keeping Up With TheKardashians03:15 Extreme Close-Up03:40 Extreme Close-Up04:10 E!ES05:05 THS06:00 THS07:50 Style Star08:20 E! News09:15 Giuliana & Bill10:15 Giuliana & Bill11:10 Eric And Jessie: Game On11:35 Eric And Jessie: Game On12:05 E! News13:05 Extreme Close-Up13:35 Ryan Seacrest With TheKardashians: An E!...14:30 Style Star15:00 Keeping Up With TheKardashians16:00 Keeping Up With TheKardashians17:00 Giuliana & Bill18:00 E! News19:00 THS20:00 #RichKids Of Beverly Hills20:30 #RichKids Of Beverly Hills21:00 Fashion Police21:30 Escape Club22:30 E! News23:30 Chelsea Lately

00:00 The Carrie Diaries01:00 Chicago Fire02:00 Bates Motel03:00 C.S.I.04:00 Unforgettable

05:00 Once Upon A Time06:00 The Carrie Diaries07:00 Once Upon A Time InWonderland08:00 Scandal09:00 Chicago Fire10:00 Once Upon A Time11:00 Unforgettable12:00 Emmerdale12:30 Coronation Street13:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show14:00 Scandal15:00 The Carrie Diaries16:00 Emmerdale16:30 Coronation Street17:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show18:00 Scandal19:00 Switched At Birth20:00 Covert Affairs21:00 Chicago Fire22:00 Intelligence23:00 C.S.I.

01:30 Princess Sydney: The ThreeGold Coins02:45 Open Season04:30 Wheelers06:00 Speed Racer08:15 Krazzy Planet09:45 Tristan And Isolde11:15 The Water Horse: Legend OfThe Deep13:15 Open Season14:45 Arthur’s Missing Pal16:00 Luke And Lucy: The TexasRangers18:00 Tristan And Isolde20:00 Santa’s Magic Crystal22:00 Arthur’s Missing Pal23:30 Luke And Lucy: The TexasRangers

07:00 The Legend Of Shelby TheSwamp Man07:30 The Legend Of Shelby TheSwamp Man08:00 American Restoration08:30 Cajun Pawn Stars09:00 Storage Wars Texas09:30 Counting Cars10:00 Pawn Stars10:30 Pawn Stars11:00 Storage Wars11:30 Storage Wars12:00 The Legend Of Shelby TheSwamp Man12:30 The Legend Of Shelby TheSwamp Man13:00 Mountain Men14:00 Ax Men15:00 The Legend Of Shelby TheSwamp Man15:30 The Legend Of Shelby TheSwamp Man16:00 The Legend Of Shelby TheSwamp Man17:00 Pawn Stars17:30 Pawn Stars18:00 Storage Wars18:30 Storage Wars19:00 The Legend Of Shelby TheSwamp Man20:00 Ax Men21:00 Pawn Stars21:30 Storage Wars22:00 American Restoration22:30 American Restoration23:00 American Daredevils23:30 American Daredevils

00:05 Fast Food Gone Global00:55 Grill It! With Bobby Flay01:20 Roadtrip With G. Garvin01:45 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives02:10 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives02:35 Roadtrip With G. Garvin03:00 Roadtrip With G. Garvin03:25 Guy’s Big Bite03:50 Iron Chef America04:40 Chopped05:30 Unwrapped05:50 Tastiest Places To Chowdown06:10 Chopped07:00 Luke Nguyen’s Vietnam07:25 Roadtrip With G. Garvin07:50 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives08:15 Iron Chef America09:05 Barefoot Contessa09:30 Amazing Wedding Cakes10:20 Easy Chinese10:45 Chopped11:35 Grill It! With Bobby Flay12:00 Reza, Spice Prince Of India12:25 Charly’s Cake Angels12:50 Siba’s Table13:15 Jenny Morris Cooks Morocco13:40 Guy’s Big Bite14:05 The Next Food Network Star14:55 Roadtrip With G. Garvin15:20 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives15:45 Chopped16:35 Fast Food Gone Global17:25 Jenny Morris Cooks Morocco17:50 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives18:15 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives18:40 Siba’s Table19:05 Reza’s African Kitchen19:30 Guy’s Big Bite19:55 Roadtrip With G. Garvin20:20 Chopped21:10 Chopped22:00 Mexican Made Easy22:25 Mexican Made Easy22:50 Siba’s Table23:15 Siba’s Table23:40 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives

04:00 Madea’s Witness Protection-PG1506:00 Absolute Fear-PG1508:00 Cloudy With A Chance OfMeatballs 2-PG09:45 Lincoln-PG1512:15 Madea’s Witness Protection-PG1514:15 Snowflake , The WhiteGorilla-PG15:45 Cloudy With A Chance OfMeatballs 2-PG17:30 The Lone Ranger-PG1520:00 Fast & Furious 6-PG1522:15 The Call-PG15

Rooster teeth beats abortion film for

Indiegogo Film record

Rooster Teeth, producer of the popular web series“Red vs. Blue,” has mounted the most successfulcampaign for a film in the history of Indiegogo,

the crowdfunding platform announced Monday. LazerTeam has raised more than $2.4 million, surpassing theprevious record holder, “Gosnell,” a film about abortiondoctor Kermit Gosnell. “Lazer Team” surpassed its goalof $650,000 within 10 hours of launching, and has gen-erated a steady stream of contributions ever since. Afew film campaigns on Kickstarter have raised morethan “Lazer Team,” including the “Veronica Mars” movieand the campaign to resurrect “Reading Rainbow,” butno other film has raised more on Indiegogo.

“Our audience has once again amazed us with theiroverwhelming, record-breaking support,” Rooster Teethco-founder Burnie Burns told TheWrap. “We are proud tobe the No. 1 most funded film on Indiegogo ... and witha totally new property. In a world filled with sequels andreboots, Lazer Team is a brand-new IP being made pos-sible by the people who want to see it.” Rooster Teethwill begin production on the film in August, and hopesto release it spring of next year. Set in the late 1970s, thefilm is about a team of warriors tried by the US govern-ment in collaboration with alien allies.

Burns told TheWrap shortly after the campaignlaunched that he hoped to score a theatrical release,and that he would use any extra money to increase thequality of the film. “Historically we are movie guys,”Burns said. “I was a computer science student whowanted to learn about making films at the Universityof Texas. It was right after Robert Rodriguez made ‘ElMariachi,’ proving you could go make a movie andlight the indie film world on fire.” — Reuters

SHARQIA-1DRAFT DAY (DIG) 9:30 PMNINJA: SHADOW OF A TEAR (DIG) 11:45 PM

SHARQIA-2MALEFICENT (DIG) 9:15 PMBLENDED (DIG) 11:15 PM

SHARQIA-3IN FEAR (DIG) 10:00 PMIN FEAR (DIG) 12:05 AM

MUHALAB-1NINJA: SHADOW OF A TEAR (DIG) 9:30 PMIN FEAR (DIG) 11:30 PM

MUHALAB-2IN FEAR (DIG) 10:00 PMMALEFICENT (DIG) 11:45 PM

MUHALAB-3DRAFT DAY (DIG) 9:00 PMBORN TO RACE: FAST TRACK (DIG) 11:15 PM

FANAR-1EDGE OF TOMORROW (DIG) 9:15 PMELISA KHATAFHA JAMEEL (DIG) 11:30 PM

FANAR-2IN FEAR (DIG) 10:00 PMIN FEAR (DIG) 12:05 AM

FANAR-3DRAFT DAY (DIG) 9:30 PMDRAFT DAY (DIG) 11:45 PM

FANAR-4MALEFICENT (DIG-3D) 9:00 PMBORN TO RACE: FAST TRACK (DIG) 11:00 PM

FANAR-5HUMPTY SHARMA KI DULHANIA (DIG) 9:00 PMHUMPTY SHARMA KI DULHANIA (DIG) 11:30 PM

MARINA-1BLENDED (DIG) 9:15 PMMALEFICENT (DIG) 11:30 PM

MARINA-2IN FEAR (DIG) 9:30 PMIN FEAR (DIG) 11:45 PM

MARINA-3DRAFT DAY (DIG) 9:00 PM

DRAFT DAY (DIG) 11:15 PM

AVENUES-1IN FEAR (DIG) 9:45 PMIN FEAR (DIG) 11:45 PM

AVENUES-2NINJA: SHADOW OF A TEAR (DIG) 9:30 PMELISA KHATAFHA JAMEEL (DIG) 11:30 PM

AVENUES-3BANGALORE DAYS (DIG) (Malayalam) 9:00 PMBORN TO RACE: FAST TRACK (DIG) 12:15 AM

AVENUES-4DRAFT DAY (DIG) 9:45 PMDRAFT DAY (DIG) 12:05 AM

AVENUES-5IN FEAR (DIG) 9:15 PMMALEFICENT (DIG) 11:15 PM

AVENUES-6DRAFT DAY (DIG) 9:15 PMDRAFT DAY (DIG) 11:30 PM

AVENUES-7BLENDED (DIG) 9:00 PMHUMPTY SHARMA KI DULHANIA (DIG) 11:15 PM

AVENUES-8EDGE OF TOMORROW (DIG) 10:30 PM

AVENUES-9HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2 (DIG) 9:45 PMNINJA: SHADOW OF A TEAR (DIG) 12:05 AM

AVENUES-10HUMPTY SHARMA KI DULHANIA (DIG) 9:30 PM

AVENUES-11MALEFICENT (DIG) 10:15 PMMALEFICENT (DIG) 12:15 AM

360º- 1BORN TO RACE: FAST TRACK (DIG) 10:00 PMBORN TO RACE: FAST TRACK (DIG) 12:05 AM

360º- 2NINJA: SHADOW OF A TEAR (DIG) 9:00 PMEDGE OF TOMORROW (DIG) 11:00 PM

360º 3HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2 (DIG) 9:15 PM

X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST (DIG) 11:30 PM

AL-KOUT.1MALEFICENT (DIG) 9:30 PMNINJA: SHADOW OF A TEAR (DIG) 11:45 PM

AL-KOUT.2BLENDED (DIG) 9:15 PMELISA KHATAFHA JAMEEL (DIG) 11:30 PM

AL-KOUT.3IN FEAR (DIG) 10:00 PMIN FEAR (DIG) 12:05 AM

AL-KOUT.4DRAFT DAY (DIG) 9:00 PMDRAFT DAY (DIG) 11:15 PM

BAIRAQ-1HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2 (DIG-3D) 9:30 PMNINJA: SHADOW OF A TEAR (DIG) 11:45 PM

BAIRAQ-2IN FEAR (DIG) 9:45 PMIN FEAR (DIG) 11:30 PM

BAIRAQ-3MALEFICENT (DIG) 9:00 PMDRAFT DAY (DIG) 11:00 PM

PLAZABANGALORE DAYS (DIG) (Malayalam) 9:00 PMIN FEAR (DIG) 12:05 AM

LAILAMALEFICENT (DIG) 9:30 PMDRAFT DAY (DIG) 11:30 PM

AJIAL.1BANGALORE DAYS (DIG) (Malayalam) 9:45 PM

AJIAL.2EK VILLAIN (DIG) (HINDI) 9:30 PMIN FEAR (DIG) 12:05 AM

AJIAL.3HUMPTY SHARMA KI DULHANIA (DIG) 9:00 PMHUMPTY SHARMA KI DULHANIA (DIG) 11:30 PM

AJIAL.4BANGALORE DAYS (DIG) (Malayalam) 9:00 PMNINJA: SHADOW OF A TEAR (DIG) 12:05 AM

Kuwait

ClassifiedsTHURSDAY, JULY 10, 2014

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

DIAL161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

KNCC PROGRAMME FROM THURSDAY TO THURSDAY (10/07/2014 TO 17/07/2014)

MATRIMONIAL

Marthomite parents inviteproposals for their son26/180 BE civil, from par-ents of professionally quali-fied girls, working inKuwait. PreferenceMarthoma, Orthodox,Jacobite and Evangelics. E-mail: [email protected] (C 4802)

MATRIMONIAL

ACCOMMODATION

Sharing accommodationavailable for bachelor inAbbassiya near HolySweets. Phone: 65129145,call after 3 pm. (C 4809)7-7-2014

Well settled (Catholic SyroMalabar) parents fromBaroda, Gujarat seekingproposals for their daugh-ter 26 yrs, B.Com, MBA, MS(UK) currently working inDubai from parents of pro-fessionally qualified andemployed boys (preferablyborn and brought up out-side Kerala). Email: [email protected] (C 4808) 6-7-2014

FOR SALE

2006 GMC Yukon(Behbehani) black exterior.Price KD 3,500. Contact:66728911. (C 4810)10-7-2014

Mercedes Benz Jeep ML500, model 2009, goldencolor, beige leather inside,full options, mileage km76,000, excellent condition(no accidents) price KD8,900 (firm). Note: carincludes rear screens.Contact: 94461551. (C 4806)

BMW 740Li model 2006,one owner since new,metallic grey color, beigeleather inside, full specifica-tions, very low mileage, km36,000, car in excellent con-dition, (no accidents). PriceKD 7,500 (firm). Contact:94461551.(C 4807) 5-7-2014

Arrival Flights on Thursday 10/7/2014Airlines Flt Route TimeQTR 1084 Doha 00:05JZR 239 Amman 00:20JZR 267 Beirut 00:25JZR 539 Cairo 00:30DLH 637 Dammam 00:35JZR 565 Sohag 00:45PGT 858 Istanbul 01:25MSC 403 Sohag 01:30SAI 441 Lahore 01:35THY 764 Istanbul 01:40RJA 642 Amman 01:45GFA 211 Bahrain 01:55UAE 853 Dubai 02:25JAI 576 Kochi/Abu Dhabi 02:35ETD 305 Abu Dhabi 02:45FDB 5067 Dubai 03:05RJA 644 Amman 03:10MSR 612 Cairo 03:15QTR 1076 Doha 03:25MSC 401 Alexandria 04:00JZR 555 Alexandria 04:10THY 770 Istanbul 04:35DHX 170 Bahrain 05:10KAC 412 Manila/Bangkok 06:15IRA 673 Ahwaz 06:20BAW 157 London 06:35FDB 053 Dubai 07:00KAC 382 Delhi 07:30JZR 503 Luxor 07:40KAC 302 Mumbai 07:50KAC 206 Islamabad 07:50QTR 1086 Doha 07:55SVA 512 Riyadh 07:55KAC 332 Trivandrum 08:00KAC 352 Kochi 08:05UAE 855 Dubai 08:25KAC 362 Colombo 08:45ABY 125 Sharjah 08:50IRA 667 Esfahan 09:00ETD 301 Abu Dhabi 09:30KAC 284 Dhaka 09:35FDB 5055 Dubai 09:35QTR 1070 Doha 10:00GFA 213 Bahrain 10:40MEA 404 Beirut 10:55TBZ 5483 Mashhad 11:00MSC 405 Sohag 11:20FDB 8059 Dubai 11:55JZR 561 Sohag 12:00SYR 341 Damascus 12:05FDB 071 Dubai 12:35UAE 871 Dubai 12:45MSR 610 Cairo 13:00MSR 579 Sohag 13:05KAC 538 Sohag 13:40QTR 1078 Doha 13:45FDB 057 Dubai 13:50QTR 8646 Doha 13:55

JZR 779 Jeddah 14:20SVA 500 Jeddah 14:30KNE 472 Jeddah 14:40KAC 788 Jeddah 15:00KNE 460 Riyadh 15:05KAC 562 Amman 15:30ABY 127 Sharjah 15:35KNE 470 Jeddah 15:35MPH 093 Amsterdam 15:40OMA 645 Muscat 15:50KAC 672 Dubai 16:00KAC 118 New York 16:00JZR 535 Cairo 16:05QTR 1072 Doha 16:15NIA 251 Alexandria 16:20RJA 640 Amman 16:20JZR 125 Bahrain 16:25ETD 303 Abu Dhabi 16:45UAE 857 Dubai 16:55SVA 510 Riyadh 17:15UAL 982 IAD 17:25GFA 215 Bahrain 17:30KAC 742 Dammam 17:35KAC 176 Geneva/Frankfurt 17:45JZR 177 Dubai 17:45JZR 777 Jeddah 17:50TAR 328 Tunis/Dubai 18:05KAC 542 Cairo 18:15QTR 1080 Doha 18:25KAC 786 Jeddah 18:30FDB 063 Dubai 18:35KAC 104 London 18:45AXB 393 Kozhikode 18:55KAC 618 Doha 19:00ABY 129 Sharjah 19:00GFA 217 Bahrain 19:05FDB 051 Dubai 19:10KAC 774 Riyadh 19:15KAC 502 Beirut 19:20KAC 674 Dubai 19:25JAI 572 Mumbai 19:35OMA 647 Muscat 19:55FDB 5061 Dubai 20:05DLH 634 Frankfurt 20:15MEA 402 Beirut 20:15MSR 618 Alexandria 20:30KLM 417 Amsterdam 20:55KNE 480 Taif 21:00ALK 229 Colombo 21:10UAE 859 Dubai 21:15QTR 1074 Doha 21:30ETD 307 Abu Dhabi 21:30GFA 219 Bahrain 21:45AIC 981 Chennai/Hyderabad/Ahmedabad 22:25UAL 981 Bahrain 22:40MEA 408 Beirut 22:50JZR 157 Dubai 22:55BBC 043 Dhaka 23:10JAI 574 Mumbai 23:20MSR 614 Cairo 23:30THY 772 Istanbul 23:45

Departure Flights on Thursday 10/7/2014Airlines Flt Route TimeAIC 976 Goa/Chennai 00:05NIA 264 Alexandria 00:20JAI 573 Mumbai 00:20MSR 615 Cairo 00:30BBC 044 Dhaka 00:35KLM 411 Amsterdam 00:55JZR 502 Luxor 01:30DLH 637 Frankfurt 01:35THY 773 Istanbul 02:20MSC 404 Sohag 02:30SAI 442 Lahore 02:35PGT 859 Istanbul 02:55UAE 854 Dubai 03:45FDB 5068 Dubai 03:45RJA 645 Amman 03:55ETD 306 Abu Dhabi 04:10MSR 613 Cairo 04:15QTR 1077 Doha 04:25MSC 406 Sohag 05:00QTR 1085 Doha 05:20JZR 560 Sohag 05:35THY 765 Istanbul 06:00JAI 575 Abu Dhabi/Kochi 06:30RJA 643 Amman 06:35THY 771 Istanbul 06:50GFA 212 Bahrain 07:00IRA 672 Ahwaz 07:20FDB 054 Dubai 07:50KAC 537 Sohag 08:00BAW 156 London 08:25JZR 778 Jeddah 08:45SVA 513 Riyadh 08:55QTR 1087 Doha 08:55JZR 534 Cairo 09:15ABY 126 Sharjah 09:30KAC 787 Jeddah 09:35UAE 856 Dubai 09:50IRA 668 Mashhad 10:00ETD 302 Abu Dhabi 10:15FDB 5056 Dubai 10:15KAC 561 Amman 10:15KAC 101 London/New York 10:25QTR 1071 Doha 11:00KAC 671 Dubai 11:20KAC 541 Cairo 11:30GFA 214 Bahrain 11:35KAC 501 Beirut 11:40KAC 165 Rome/Paris 11:45MEA 405 Beirut 11:55TBZ 5484 Mashhad 12:10JZR 776 Jeddah 12:15MSC 402 Alexandria 12:20KAC 785 Jeddah 13:00SYR 342 Damascus 13:05JZR 176 Dubai 13:10FDB 072 Dubai 13:15JZR 124 Bahrain 13:30FDB 8060 Dubai 13:35MSR 580 Sohag 13:50

MSR 611 Cairo 14:00UAE 872 Dubai 14:15KAC 741 Dammam 14:35FDB 058 Dubai 14:50QTR 1079 Doha 14:55QTR 8646 Dhaka 14:55KAC 673 Dubai 15:05KAC 617 Doha 15:30KNE 473 Jeddah 15:35KNE 481 Taif 15:50KAC 773 Riyadh 15:50SVA 505 Jeddah 16:00ABY 128 Sharjah 16:15KNE 471 Jeddah 16:30OMA 646 Muscat 16:50JZR 266 Beirut 17:05MPH 093 Dubai/SIN 17:10QTR 1073 Doha 17:20RJA 641 Amman 17:20JZR 538 Cairo 17:40ETD 304 Abu Dhabi 17:45UAE 858 Dubai 18:15SVA 511 Riyadh 18:15GFA 216 Bahrain 18:20JZR 156 Dubai 18:35UAL 982 Bahrain 18:40JZR 238 Amman 18:45TAR 328 Tunis 18:55FDB 064 Dubai 19:20QTR 1081 Doha 19:25ABY 120 Sharjah 19:40GFA 218 Bahrain 19:50AXB 394 Kozhikode 19:55KAC 363 Colombo 20:05FDB 052 Dubai 20:10JAI 571 Mumbai 20:35FDB 5062 Dubai 20:50KAC 331 Trivandrum 20:50OMA 648 Muscat 20:55KAC 343 Chennai 20:55KAC 351 Kochi 21:05JZR 554 Alexandria 21:15MEA 403 Beirut 21:15MSR 619 Alexandria 21:30KAC 543 Cairo 21:30KAC 283 Dhaka 21:45DHX 171 Bahrain 21:50KLM 417 Dammam/Amsterdam 21:55KNE 461 Riyadh 21:55ETD 308 Abu Dhabi 22:15ALK 230 Colombo 22:20UAE 860 Dubai 22:25KAC 381 Delhi 22:30KAC 301 Mumbai 22:40QTR 1075 Doha 22:40GFA 220 Bahrain 22:45KAC 203 Lahore 23:10KAC 205 Islamabad 23:35KAC 411 Bangkok/Manila 23:40KAC 415 Kuala Lumpur/Jakarta 23:50MEA 409 Beirut 23:50


Circumstances today can throw you into positions where you must useyour mind and deal with communications, service or enclosed hidden

interests. You may begin to think about work that deals with education, psychologyor teaching principles and techniques. The fact is that you like attention and have areal need to be at the center of any group. Your more sensitive style hides a strong,aggressive and quite confident nature. Your needs will be met today. You are athome in a crowd and enjoy the attention of others. Your mild-mannered smoke-screen hides a real tiger. Refinement and relationships are the keys to emotional sat-isfaction. Harmony and beauty are deeply satisfying-marriage and other partner-

ships could be a key arena for this.

Aries (March 21-April 19)

STAR TRACK

You are very skilled at working with psychology and the hidden recess-es of the mind. This is a time for imagination and creativity when it comes to ideasand thinking. This, coupled with the ability to put your thoughts into words, allowsyou to enthrall and entrance others. You would make an excellent psychologist orperhaps a teacher of this subject. These same skills make it possible for you to workwith the public, in politics or wherever handling sensitive or hot issues are routine.You value change and transformation and have an almost reckless faith in the lifeprocess. You love to be touched at the most personal and vulnerable levels. Yourlove of job and practical skills makes you a fine businessperson. You bring a great

deal of love to your work.

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

You may find yourself making a speech today. You may want to savetime after your speech for questions. You will discover which areas are

easy to understand and which areas need better explanation. This keeps you fromgetting too technical. The circumstances lend itself to your particular way of think-ing. Working with groups in a spirit of cooperation and communion is a natural. Thisafternoon you may feel like being different, trying something new and unusual.Enough stress-on with the fun is the general idea. Being appreciated is important,but after today’s work, there is a need for a break. You enjoy being in a career thataccents your own personal dreams and ideals. A new project is worthy of your atten-

tion this evening.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

A new way to multiply or secure your money has come to your atten-tion today. You are already looking forward to the day you can surprise

others with your cleverness. Teaching, sharing information, guiding those that areafraid to ask for help seem to dominate your day. Enveloping yourself in life and lifeactivities, you progress in your work and you move forward with your personalgoals. Loosing touch with friends or some family members, you may decide to setaside some time this evening for phone calls and research to find new communica-tion. Antique shopping at a new shop may be in order later this afternoon. Dinneraway from home with friends and an enjoyable celebration of your birth is in order.Happy birthday!

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

Leo (July 23-August 22)

You may have to sit in judgment over some situation today, but you willcome across as stable and even gentle-your response to most situations is evenhandedand supportive. You will probably take your time with decision making in order to reactto a situation fully. You are enthusiastic and have a definite sense of mission. Above all,you are a progressive and enjoy putting into practice that which is good for all. Yourprofessional life moves along at full speed ahead. Opportunities are available forchange. Expressing yourself and your relation with others may not always be smoothand may tend to get explosive-careful. You could be preoccupied with job and familyfor now. Your attention this evening is mostly on an animal-new perhaps.

Virgo (August 23-September 22)

There is a yearning to broaden horizons and reach for the ultimate, akind of spiritual wanderlust-that’s the sort of thing that takes center

stage in your life. Law, politics, education, travel and religion are some of the areaswhere emotionally charged drama could be played. You will have many opportuni-ties to show off some of your talents today. You are a good worker, always thinkingand caring for things. You are naturally service-oriented, very discriminating andcan sort out the good apples from the bad. You love to communicate and discussideas with other people. Your ideas are always fair and impartial, especially when itcomes to other people-the social scene. You are at your mental best when calledupon to solve problems this day.

Libra (September 23-October 22)

Communication, particularly with superiors or influential people,could prove troublesome. You may not think as they do or may find

that your thoughts run opposite to theirs. Your thoughts may be more on homeand family just now. Keep notes-write down instructions or things you see thatmight benefit those in a higher position from you. This way you will not forget andthen, when you have time, those little extra touches will benefit you at job-reviewtime. At home you may be especially witty. Real-estate investments and familyplanning take on greater importance for you. This is a time of nostalgia, of thinkingabout security and permanence. Refinement and relationships are the keys toemotional satisfaction this day.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21)

Your communication skills are fine-tuned today. You are the eter-nal patron of just about all who will let you look after them-the

original mother hen. You need to feel useful and wanted and are never happierthan when you are active and involved. Always the host, you find yourself caringfor and taking care of others. In fact, you may tend to worry about others toomuch. You may not be content to let others judge you on appearance alone-youwould rather be judged by your actions-by what you have done or can do. Avolunteer service should be considered now. Look into some activity where youcould serve others. You can become a success at anything you attempt.Talented people are attracted to you.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21)

Capricorn (December 22-January 19)

You have a lot of energy to pour into practical and career decisionsnow. You may appear unnecessarily commanding and assertive to

some, but to others this may be what is needed in order to make yourself under-stood. You have a basic self-esteem that is plain to all who meet you. Your sense ofdiscrimination and innate good taste means that you know good items from badand are a connoisseur of all that is fine and beautiful. You are learning not to settlefor a lesser quality of merchandise, even if it means you need time to save. A love ofwell-organized, intelligent people, plus an appreciation for your elders in general,make you welcome at any social scene. You excel as a social being and should makea career out of helping people.

Pisces (February 19-March 20)

You can see new ways to make use of a difficult situation today. Anunconventional approach to working for or with others may require spe-

cial work requirements. You are unconventional, independent and drawn to whateveris different and original in life. You hate being tied down with the drudgery of routine,preferring instead to keep your options open. You may find yourself involved in causesthat go against tradition, revolutions of one kind or another-social or political. Yourfriends are probably also eccentric, in particular those in authority, older persons andindividuals who are nonconformist. Communication, computers, electronics andeverything new wave are the subjects in which you excel. Now is a good time to makeyourself known.

Aquarius (January 20- February 18)

CROSSWORD 604

ACROSS1. A republic in central Europe.4. A great raja.12. (Scotland) A small loaf or roll of softbread.15. A statement that deviates from or per-verts the truth.16. A corticosteroid drug (trade namesDecadron or Dexamethasone Intensol orDexone or Hexadrol or Oradexon) used totreat allergies or inflammation.17. A federal agency established to coordi-nate programs aimed at reducing pollutionand protecting the environment.18. Title for a civil or military leader (espe-cially in Turkey).19. A member of the extinct Algonquianpeople formerly living between LakeMichigan and Lake Superior.20. A river in north central Switzerland thatruns northeast into the Rhine.21. A woman's lover.23. French naturalist who proposed thatevolution resulted from the inheritance ofacquired characteristics (1744-1829).25. (biology) Having or growing on or from apeduncle or stalk.26. Ground snakes.27. A public promotion of some product orservice.29. A state in northwestern North America.31. A white soft metallic element that tar-nishes readily.32. Molten rock in the earth's crust.35. (of complexion) Blemished by imperfec-tions of the skin.39. Occurring widely (as to many people).43. A hospital unit staffed and equipped toprovide intensive care.44. Leafless East Indian vine.45. Predatory black-and-white toothedwhale with large dorsal fin.46. (Judaism) A period of seven days ofmourning after the death of close relative.48. Being seven more than fifty.49. The ball-shaped capsule containing thevertebrate eye.50. A region of Malaysia in northeasternBorneo.51. The branch of computer science thatdeal with writing computer programs thatcan solve problems creatively.52. Of or relating to the lips of the mouth.57. A projecting ridge on a mountain or sub-merged under water.58. Of or relating to or characteristic ofThailand of its people.61. (archaic or Scottish) Faithful and true.63. Grass of the eastern United States andtropical America having spikelets enclosedin prickly burs.69. The United Nations agency concernedwith international maritime activities.70. Small depression under the shoulderjoint where the arm joins the shoulder.73. The large trunk artery that carries bloodfrom the left ventricle of the heart to brancharteries.74. A coenzyme derived from the B vitaminnicotinic acid.75. Set free as from prison or duty.77. An electrically charged particle.78. The compass point midway betweennortheast and east.79. A family of acrocarpous mosses.80. A member of a people living in southernBenin and Togo and southeastern Ghana.

DOWN1. Any broad thin and limber coveringattached at one edge.2. Port city that is the capital and largest cityof Latvia.3. Wheelwork consisting of a connected setof rotating gears by which force is transmit-ted or motion or torque is changed.4. Informal terms for a mother.5. Small space in a tissue or part such as thearea between veins on a leaf or an insect'swing.6. (Judaism) An eight-day Jewish holidaycommemorating the rededication of theTemple of Jerusalem.7. Love intensely.8. A recurring sleep state during whichdreaming occurs.9. The upper angle between an axis and anoffshoot such as a branch or leafstalk.10. (Old Testament) Jonah did not wish tobecome a prophet so God caused a greatstorm to throw him overboard from a ship.11. Of the appetites and passions of thebody.12. The hair growing on the lower part of aman's face.13. With rapid movements.14. A kind of heavy jacket (`windcheater' is aBritish term).22. (physics and chemistry) The smallestcomponent of an element having the chem-ical properties of the element.24. The mission in San Antonio where in1836 Mexican forces under Santa Annabesieged and massacred American rebelswho were fighting to make Texas independ-ent of Mexico.28. Russian country house.30. (prefix) Half or partial.33. Antelope with white markings like a har-ness and twisted horns.34. A woman hired to suckle a child of some-one else.36. West Indian tree having racemes of fra-grant white flowers and yielding a durabletimber and resinous juice.37. An artificial language.38. The lower house of the parliament of theRepublic of Ireland.40. (botany) Relating to a plant of the familyAraceae.41. Lean end of the neck.42. Dark somewhat brownish black n 1.47. Well grounded in logic or truth or havinglegal force.53. Surveying instrument consisting of theupper movable part of a theodolite includ-ing the telescope and its attachments.54. A game in which numbered balls aredrawn and random and players cover thecorresponding numbers on their cards.55. A member of the Ku Klux Klan.56. In an unnatural eery manner.59. (Old Testament) The minister of thePersian emperor who hated the Jews andwas hanged for plotting to massacre them.60. A positively charged electrode by whichelectrons leave an electrical device.62. A white metallic element that burns witha brilliant light.64. An aggressive remark directed at a per-son like a missile and intended to have atelling effect.65. Serving as or forming a base.66. A member of an Iroquoian people for-merly living on the south shore of Lake Eriein northern Ohio and northwestPennsylvania and western New York.67. Fill by packing tightly.68. Mentally healthy.71. A unit of length of thread or yarn.72. Resinlike substance secreted by certainlac insects.76. (Akkadian) God of wisdom.

Yesterday’s Solution


34s t a r s

Daily SuDoku

Wordsearch Puzzle

Hectic emotional energy means that things around you may be a littleunorganized. Outwardly, you are intense and passionate and this quality

is so essential to your character that all else revolves around it. Your ability to cutthrough the external and get to the heart of things comes through loud and clear. Thereare no secrets with you-you get right down to the basics. Friends, group projects andcommunity concerns could play a key role that molds your career direction. You may gothrough a lot of changes now because of your life style. Friends, loved ones and thehome base may be due for some attention this afternoon. Goodwill and humanitarianefforts can affect your life in very good ways at this time. Create a romantic atmospherethis evening.

This is a good day for practical ideas and planning about your work orvocation. You may receive some recognition or special attention regarding

your particular skills and abilities. Your inner resources and emotions are accented.Expect a sense of support and goodwill from those around you. Perhaps you feel this isreally you-how you feel and are. You have a quick temper when it comes to questions ofindependence and autonomy. You may decide it is easier to become involved in politicsand work toward changing the laws, instead of bucking them. You will be concernedwith issues of freedom and independence far beyond the average person. A passion forinventions, electronics and the like can also be expected.


inf or m at ionTHURSDAY, JULY 10, 2014

Ahmadi Sama Safwan Fahaeel Makka St 23915883Abu Halaifa Abu Halaifa-Coastal Rd 23715414Danat Al-Sultan Mahboula Block 1, Coastal Rd 23726558

Jahra Modern Jahra Jahra-Block 3 Lot 1 24575518Madina Munawara Jahra-Block 92 24566622

Capital Ahlam Fahad Al-Salem St 22436184Khaldiya Coop Khaldiya Coop 24833967

Farwaniya New Shifa Farwaniya Block 40 24734000Ferdous Coop Ferdous Coop 24881201Modern Safwan Old Kheitan Block 11 24726638

Hawally Tariq Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St 25726265Hana Salmiya-Amman St 25647075Ikhlas Hawally-Beirut St 22625999Hawally & Rawdha Hawally & Rawdha Coop 22564549Ghadeer Jabriya-Block 1A 25340559Kindy Jabriya-Block 3B 25326554Ibn Al-Nafis Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St 25721264Mishrif Coop Mishrif Coop 25380581Salwa Coop Salwa Coop 25628241

OphthalmologistsDr. Abidallah Al-Mansoor 25622444Dr. Samy Al-Rabeea 25752222Dr. Masoma Habeeb 25321171Dr. Mubarak Al-Ajmy 25739999Dr. Mohsen Abel 25757700Dr Adnan Hasan Alwayl 25732223Dr. Abdallah Al-Baghly 25732223

Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT)Dr. Ahmed Fouad Mouner 24555050 Ext 510Dr. Abdallah Al-Ali 25644660Dr. Abd Al-Hameed Al-Taweel 25646478Dr. Sanad Al-Fathalah 25311996Dr. Mohammad Al-Daaory 25731988Dr. Ismail Al-Fodary 22620166Dr. Mahmoud Al-Booz 25651426

General PractitionersDr. Mohamme Y Majidi 24555050 Ext 123Dr. Yousef Al-Omar 24719312Dr. Tarek Al-Mikhazeem 23926920Dr. Kathem Maarafi 25730465Dr. Abdallah Ahmad Eyadah 25655528Dr. Nabeel Al-Ayoobi 24577781Dr. Dina Abidallah Al-Refae 25333501

UrologistsDr. Ali Naser Al-Serfy 22641534Dr. Fawzi Taher Abul 22639955Dr. Khaleel Abidallah Al-Awadi 22616660Dr. Adel Al-Hunayan FRCS (C) 25313120Dr. Leons Joseph 66703427

For labor-related inquiries and complaints:

Call MSAL hotline 128

Sabah Hospital 24812000

Amiri Hospital 22450005

Maternity Hospital 24843100

Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital 25312700

Chest Hospital 24849400

Farwaniya Hospital 24892010

Adan Hospital 23940620

Ibn Sina Hospital 24840300

Al-Razi Hospital 24846000

Physiotherapy Hospital 24874330/9

Kaizen center 25716707

Rawda 22517733

Adaliya 22517144

Khaldiya 24848075

Kaifan 24849807

Shamiya 24848913

Shuwaikh 24814507

Abdullah Salem 22549134

Nuzha 22526804

Industrial Shuwaikh 24814764

Qadsiya 22515088

Dasmah 22532265

Bneid Al-Gar 22531908

Shaab 22518752

Qibla 22459381

Ayoun Al-Qibla 22451082

Mirqab 22456536

Sharq 22465401

Salmiya 25746401

Jabriya 25316254

Maidan Hawally 25623444

Bayan 25388462

Mishref 25381200

W Hawally 22630786

Sabah 24810221

Jahra 24770319

New Jahra 24575755

West Jahra 24772608

South Jahra 24775066

North Jahra 24775992

North Jleeb 24311795

Ardhiya 24884079

Firdous 24892674

Omariya 24719048

N Khaitan 24710044

Fintas 23900322

Al-Madeena 22418714

Al-Shuhada 22545171

Al-Shuwaikh 24810598

Al-Nuzha 22545171

Sabhan 24742838

Al-Helaly 22434853

Al-Faiha 22545051

Al-Farwaniya 24711433

Al-Sulaibikhat 24316983

Al-Fahaheel 23927002

Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh 24316983

Ahmadi 23980088

Al-Mangaf 23711183

Al-Shuaiba 23262845

Al-Jahra 25610011

Al-Salmiya 25616368

GOVERNORATE PHARMACY ADDRESS PHONE

Plastic Surgeons

Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalaf 22547272

Dr. Abdal-Redha Lari 22617700

Dr. Abdel Quttainah 25625030/60

Family Doctor

Dr Divya Damodar 23729596/23729581

Psychiatrists

Dr. Esam Al-Ansari 22635047

Dr Eisa M. Al-Balhan 22613623/0

Gynaecologists & Obstetricians

DrAdrian arbe 23729596/23729581

Dr. Verginia s.Marin 2572-6666 ext 8321

Dr. Fozeya Ali Al-Qatan 22655539

Dr. Majeda Khalefa Aliytami 25343406

Dr. Ahmad Al-Khooly 25739272

Dr. Salem soso 22618787

General Surgeons

Dr. Amer Zawaz Al-Amer 22610044

Dr. Mohammad Yousef Basher 25327148

Internists, Chest & Heart

Dr. Adnan Ebil 22639939

Dr. Mousa Khadada 22666300

Dr. Latefa Al-Duweisan 25728004

Dr. Nadem Al-Ghabra 25355515

Dr. Mobarak Aldoub 24726446

Dr Nasser Behbehani 25654300/3

Paediatricians

Dr. Khaled Hamadi 25665898

Dr. Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rashed 25340300

Dr. Zahra Qabazard 25710444

Dr. Sohail Qamar 22621099

Dr. Snaa Maaroof 25713514

Dr. Pradip Gujare 23713100

Dr. Zacharias Mathew 24334282

Dermatology

Dr. Mohammed Salam Bern University 23845955

Dentists

Dr Anil Thomas 3729596/3729581

Dr. Shamah Al-Matar 22641071/2

Dr. Anesah Al-Rasheed 22562226

Dr. Abidallah Al-Amer 22561444

Dr. Faysal Al-Fozan 22619557

Dr. Abdallateef Al-Katrash 22525888

Dr. Abidallah Al-Duweisan 25653755

Dr. Bader Al-Ansari 25620111

Neurologists

Dr. Sohal Najem Al-Shemeri 25633324

Dr. Jasem Mola Hassan 25345875

Gastrologists

Dr. Sami Aman 22636464

Dr. Mohammad Al-Shamaly 25322030

Dr. Foad Abidallah Al-Ali 22633135

Endocrinologist

Dr. Abd Al-Naser Al-Othman 25339330

Dr. Ahmad Al-Ansari 25658888

Dr. Kamal Al-Shomr 25329924

Physiotherapists & VD

Dr. Deyaa Shehab 25722291

Dr. Musaed Faraj Khamees 22666288

Rheumatologists:

Dr. Adel Al-Awadi 25330060

Dr. Khaled Al-Jarallah 25722290

Internist, Chest & Heart

DR.Mohammes Akkad 24555050 Ext 210

Dr. Mohammad Zubaid MB, ChB, FRCPC, PACC Assistant Professor Of Medicine Head, Division of Cardiology Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital 25339667

Consultant Cardiologist

Dr. Farida Al-Habib 2611555-2622555 MD, PH.D, FACC Inaya German Medical Center Te: 2575077 Fax: 25723123

Soor CenterTel: 2290-1677Fax: 2290 1688

[email protected]

Psychologists/Psychotherapists

PRIVATE CLINICS

William Schuilenberg, RPC 2290-1677Zaina Al Zabin, M.Sc. 2290-1677

Kaizen center25716707

Noor Clinic23845955

Afghanistan 0093Albania 00355Algeria 00213Andorra 00376Angola 00244Anguilla 001264Antiga 001268Argentina 0054Armenia 00374Australia 0061Austria 0043Bahamas 001242Bahrain 00973Bangladesh 00880Barbados 001246Belarus 00375Belgium 0032Belize 00501Benin 00229Bermuda 001441Bhutan 00975Bolivia 00591Bosnia 00387Botswana 00267Brazil 0055Brunei 00673Bulgaria 00359Burkina 00226Burundi 00257Cambodia 00855Cameroon 00237Canada 001Cape Verde 00238Cayman Islands 001345Central African 00236Chad 00235Chile 0056China 0086Colombia 0057Comoros 00269Congo 00242Cook Islands 00682Costa Rica 00506Croatia 00385Cuba 0053Cyprus 00357Cyprus (Northern) 0090392Czech Republic 00420Denmark 0045Diego Garcia 00246Djibouti 00253Dominica 001767Dominican Republic 001809Ecuador 00593Egypt 0020El Salvador 00503England (UK) 0044Equatorial Guinea 00240Eritrea 00291Estonia 00372Ethiopia 00251Falkland Islands 00500Faroe Islands 00298Fiji 00679Finland 00358France 0033French Guiana 00594French Polynesia 00689Gabon 00241Gambia 00220Georgia 00995Germany 0049Ghana 00233Gibraltar 00350Greece 0030Greenland 00299Grenada 001473Guadeloupe 00590Guam 001671Guatemala 00502Guinea 00224Guyana 00592Haiti 00509Holland (Netherlands) 0031Honduras 00504Hong Kong 00852Hungary 0036Ibiza (Spain) 0034Iceland 00354India 0091Indian Ocean 00873Indonesia 0062

Iran 0098Iraq 00964Ireland 00353Italy 0039Ivory Coast 00225Jamaica 001876Japan 0081Jordan 00962Kazakhstan 007Kenya 00254Kiribati 00686Kuwait 00965Kyrgyzstan 00996Laos 00856Latvia 00371Lebanon 00961Liberia 00231Libya 00218Lithuania 00370Luxembourg 00352Macau 00853Macedonia 00389Madagascar 00261Majorca 0034Malawi 00265Malaysia 0060Maldives 00960Mali 00223Malta 00356Marshall Islands 00692Martinique 00596Mauritania 00222Mauritius 00230Mayotte 00269Mexico 0052Micronesia 00691Moldova 00373Monaco 00377Mongolia 00976Montserrat 001664Morocco 00212Mozambique 00258Myanmar (Burma) 0095Namibia 00264Nepal 00977Netherlands (Holland)0031Netherlands Antilles 00599New Caledonia 00687New Zealand 0064Nicaragua 00505Nigar 00227Nigeria 00234Niue 00683Norfolk Island 00672Northern Ireland (UK)0044North Korea 00850Norway 0047Oman 00968Pakistan 0092Palau 00680Panama 00507Papua New Guinea 00675Paraguay 00595Peru 0051Philippines 0063Poland 0048Portugal 00351Puerto Rico 001787Qatar 00974Romania 0040Russian Federation 007Rwanda 00250Saint Helena 00290Saint Kitts 001869Saint Lucia 001758Saint Pierre 00508Saint Vincent 001784Samoa US 00684Samoa West 00685San Marino 00378Sao Tone 00239Saudi Arabia 00966Scotland (UK) 0044Senegal 00221Seychelles 00284Sierra Leone 00232Singapore 0065Slovakia 00421Slovenia 00386Solomon Islands 00677

INTERNATIONALCALLS


l if e s t y l e

G O S S I P

Jay Z to headline

Global Citizen

Festival in Sept

Jay Z will headline the Global Citizen Festival on Sept 27 in New York’sCentral Park. Organizers announced yesterday that fun, CarrieUnderwood, The Roots, No Doubt and Tiesto also will perform. Tickets are

free for the event, but must be earned through acts meant to help endextreme poverty around the world. VIP tickets are being sold throughTicketmaster. The festival is designed to coincide with the United NationsGeneral Assembly meeting and put pressure on world leaders to address theneeds of the world’s poor. This year’s concert will air live on NBC and MSNBC.Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys and John Mayer headlined the festival last year.Neil Young, Foo Fighters and the Black Keys performed in 2012, when the fes-tival debuted.

Radcliffe rules out new

Harry Potter movie

Daniel Radcliffe has ruled out a ‘HarryPotter’ film based on J.K. Rowling’s newshort story. The 24-year-old star - who

played the boy wizard in all eight blockbusterfilms - says the author’s 1,500-word story, whichfeatures a 34 year old Harry attending the 2014Quidditch World Cup, is unlikely to be adaptedfor the big screen. Speaking to reporters yester-day, he’s quoted by The Hollywood Reporter assaying: “My inclination is to say ‘no’ because Idon’t think it ’s even a hypothetical at themoment. What she’s written-and I haven’t readyet but I will-I understand it’s a very short piece.And he’s 12 years older than I am now.” Rowling’sstory offers an update into the lives of Harry andhis magical pals Ron Weasley and HermioneGranger, seven years after the final book wasreleased. Harry is described as showing “threadsof silver” in his famous black hair and he has alsodeveloped a “nasty cut over his right cheekbone”to go along with the famous lightning bolt scaron his forehead. The piece is written as a dis-patch from journalist Rita Skeeter - who featuresin the books as a writer for the Daily Prophet -and even alludes to marital troubles betweenHarry and his wife Ginny Potter, nee Weasley.

Insane Clown Posse seekto lift gang label for fans

Hip hop duo Insane Clown Posse and theACLU filed legal papers on Tuesday seekingto stop federal law enforcement authorities

from categorizing their face-painted fan baseknown as the “Juggalos” as a criminal gang. Theduo and the American Civil Liberties Union intendto ask the 6th US Circuit Court of Appeals to over-turn the decision of a lower court in late June thatblocked them from challenging the FBI’s designa-tion of the Juggalos as a gang with criminal intent.“The only way to remedy this injustice for all inno-cent Juggalos is to start with the root of the prob-lem - the FBI’s arbitrary and erroneous branding ofhundreds of thousands of music fans as gangmembers,” said Michael Steinberg, an ACLU lawyer.

The Justice Department was not immediatelyavailable for comment. The Michigan-basedInsane Clown Posse paint their faces to look likeclowns and are known for rebellious and provoca-tive music that includes songs such “My Axe” and“Night of the Chainsaw” that often use harshthemes and language. The Juggalos, who thegroup says are about a million strong, paint theirfaces to look like clowns and display a logo of ahatchet man on their clothes and jewelry. A feder-al National Gang Threat Assessment in 2011 said asmall number of Juggalos were forming moreorganized subsets and engaging in gang-likecriminal activity, such as felony assaults, thefts,robberies and drug sales.

Kim Kardashian is playing Jersey shore tourist.Kardashian and her friend, Jonathan Cheban,went on rides on the Casino Pier in Seaside

Heights and stopped for frozen custard on Tuesday.Her rep told the Asbury Park Press they were tapingsegments for the series “Kourtney & Khloe Take theHamptons.” Her sisters have been spending the sum-mer in the exclusive Long Island enclave. Seaside

Heights community improvements director MichaelGraichen tells the newspaper he got a call from theproducer and they want to tape Kardashian’s sistersin August. Police were called as more than 2,000people gathered on the Seaside Heights boardwalkto catch a glimpse of Kardashian after she had din-ner on Monday. Seaside Heights was the setting forMTV’s “Jersey Shore.” — Agencies

Kim Kardashianvisits Jersey shore

Sigourney Weaver and the cast of “Alien” arereturning to the starship Nostromo. The actresswho portrayed unflappable officer Ellen Ripley in

the “Alien” film franchise is reprising her role in anupcoming video game set after the events of the origi-nal 1979 film. Weaver and several cast members fromfilmmaker Ridley Scott’s sci-fi horror film recorded newdialogue and will have their likeness appear in bonuslevels of “Alien: Isolation.” Other cast members return-ing to their roles as Nostromo crew members includeTom Skerritt, Yaphet Kotto and Veronica Cartwright.The central story of “Isolation” centers on Ripley’sdaughter Amanda. She was briefly mentioned in ascene from the 1986 sequel “Aliens.” The game marksthe first time Weaver has reprised the role since the1997 sequel “Alien Resurrection.”

Weaver, ‘Alien’ cast reprising roles in new game

Apollo Nida, husband of “Real Housewives of Atlanta” per-sonality Phaedra Parks, was sentenced to eight years inprison Tuesday in US District Court, Northern District of

Georgia, on charges of conspiring to commit mail, wire andbank fraud, a representative from the US Attorney’s office toldTheWrap. The 35-year-old Nida, who was arrested in January,had faced up to 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $1 million.His eight-year prison sentence will be followed by five years ofsupervised release. The reality TV personality pleaded guilty inMay. According to United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates,beginning in August 2009, Nida and others obtained stolenchecks by stealing them or buying them from other criminalassociates. The stolen checks involved in the scheme includedUnited States Treasury checks, as well as checks stolen from thepension fund of Delta Airlines. They also obtained funds by fil-ing fraudulent tax returns with the Internal Revenue Serviceand making fraudulent claims against the US Department ofHousing and Urban Development, and at least eleven states, allin the names of victims whose identities had been stolen. Nida’sfraud scheme harmed more than 50 victims, the US Attorney’soffice said in a statement. “Today’s sentencing exemplifiesimpartial justice regardless of economic class or perceivedcelebrity status,” said Reginald G Moore, special agent in charge

of the United States Secret Service, Atlanta Field Office. “Nida’ssentence should be an eye opener for other like-minded crimi-nals who scheme to steal victims’ identities, defraud them andignore the consequences of their actions.” US District CourtJudge Charles A. Pannell, Jr. also ordered Nida to pay restitutionto the victims of his offenses. A separate hearing to calculatethe restitution amount is scheduled for July 17.

Apollo Nida sentenced toeight years in fraud case

Grande slams Cyrus comparisons

Ariana Grande says she is nothing like Miley Cyrus.The two girls followed a similar path - the

‘Problem’ singer starting on Nickelodeon show‘Victorious’ while the ‘Wrecking Ball’ hitmaker starredin ‘Hannah Montana’ before turning to music - but theformer has insisted the “comparisons” should endthere. She told the Daily Star newspaper: “There are somany comparisons for girls in this industry it’s annoy-ing.”I’m not thinking: ‘Miley Cyrus is doing this so Iought to do this too.’ “We are all trying to do our ownthings and be successful in our own right.” HoweverAriana, 21, is still keen to shed her baby image and“showcase” her maturity and growth in a live environ-ment, while she also admitted fame meant she wasmore restricted than she was in the past. She added:“I’m always excited by people evolving, changing andgrowing up.”I just get to showcase it on stage ... In thepast month things have changed drastically in my life.I can’t go out with a little bun on my head and nomake-up anymore.”

Douglas disappointed byEdgar Wright’s Ant-Man exit

Michael Douglas is dis-appointed that EdgarWright has quit ‘Ant-

Man’. The actor, who is to star inthe superhero movie as mentorfigure Dr Hank Pym, wasstunned to discover that thefilmmaker had pulled out ofdirecting the long-awaitedMarvel comic book adaptationafter championing the projectfor so many years and investingso much effort into bringing thestory to the big screen. Douglastold Collider.com: “Yeah, he’s awonderful talent. It was verydisappointing, yeah. It was a bigdisappointment, and more sofor him because he had a lot ofyears invested. “He was reallythe one initially who got themto even consider it, you know,

the screenplay that he wrote. [But] I’m not the producer on it and I’m anactor for hire.” Following his abrupt exit, ‘Shaun of the Dead’ maker Wrighthas been replaced by ‘Bring It On’ helmer Peyton Reed, who will direct PaulRudd in the titular superhero role. Douglas also addressed rumors of a riftbetween Marvel bosses and Wright after the studio issued a statement say-ing they had parted ways “due to differences in their visions of the film”. The69-year-old actor added: “Marvel certainly has a pretty amazing track record,rightly or wrongly, so I think it just was that kind of combination wherealthough they like the idea of somebody with Edgar’s individual spirit,maybe it just collided with an operation. I think they’re all on relativelydecent terms.” ‘Ant-Man’, which will also feature ‘LOST’ actress EvangelineLilly, is set for release on July 17, 2015.


l if e s t y l e

M u s i c & M o v i e s

This February 11, 2014 file photo shows US actorGeorge Clooney on the red carpet as he arrives for theUK premiere of the film ‘The Monuments Men’ in centralLondon.—AFP

Clooney slams‘fabricated’ Daily

Mail story onfiancee’s mom

Hollywood actor George Clooney yesterday blastedwhat he called a “completely fabricated” report inBritain’s Daily Mail that his fiancee’s mother opposes

their upcoming marriage. The Oscar-winning movie star, in anopinion piece written for the USA Today newspaper, upbraid-ed the tabloid for its “irresponsibility” in reporting that hissoon-to-be mother-in-law opposes the marriage because ofher supposed Druze faith.

The actor said the daily got many key facts wrong in itsreporting about the mother of his Lebanon-born bride-to be,Amal Alamuddin. “The Daily Mail has printed a completelyfabricated story about my fiancee’s mother opposing our mar-riage for religious reasons. It says Amal’s mother has beentelling ‘half of Beirut’ that she’s against the wedding,” Clooneywrote. “Amal’s mother is not Druze. She has not been to Beirutsince Amal and I have been dating, and she is in no wayagainst the marriage,” the actor said.

“The irresponsibility, in this day and age, to exploit reli-gious differences where none exist, is at the very least negli-gent and more appropriately dangerous,” Clooney continuedabout the July 7 online article. “We have family members allover the world, and the idea that someone would inflame anypart of that world for the sole reason of selling papers shouldbe criminal.”

Amal Alamuddin, 36, fled Lebanon for Britain with her fam-ily during Lebanon’s 1975-1990 civil war, when she was a veryyoung child. She now holds British citizenship and is an attor-ney specializing in international law and human rights. Thenews that Alamuddin had conquered the heart of Clooney,one of Hollywood’s most celebrated bachelors, caused aninternational media frenzy when their engagement wasannounced last April.—AFP

Kevin Smith has been to the set of “Star Wars: Episode VII”at Pinewood Studios in England, and what he saw hasblown him away. The “Clerks” director, whose next film

is a horror called “Tusk,” opened up about a set visit - thatresulted in a teary-eyed Instagram picture last week - whilespeaking at the Neuchatel International Film Festival inSwitzerland. Smith described the visit as a “Simply magical”experience that delighted his inner child because the produc-tion wasn’t reliant on CGI and had plenty of familiar facesroaming around.

“What I saw, I absolutely loved. It was tactile - it was real. Itwasn’t a series of green screens and blue screens in which lat-er a bunch of digital characters would be added. IT was there,it was happening,” Smith said. “I saw old friends who I haven’tseen since my childhood, who aren’t really friends, but I lovethem more than some of my relatives. I saw uniforms, I sawartillery I haven’t seen since I was a kid. I saw them shootingan actual sequence in a set that was real. I walked across theset, there were explosions. And it looked like a shot right outof a ‘Star Wars’ movie.”

The real magic - that Smith says was “missing” from GeorgeLucas’ prequels - flowed through Smith’s body when hestepped foot on the Millennium Falcon. “As I walked up thatramp I realized that the something that was missing fromthose other movies, and it’s now in these movies,” Smith con-tinued. “He’s building a tactile world, a world you can touch.And he’s replicating with all the love of someone who has theworld’s greatest collection of ‘Star Wars’ figures.

“It’s like the field of dreams, the Kevin Costner movie,”Smith added. “And if J.J. builds it, we’re all going to come hard,because it’s amazing. It looks fantastic. So anyone out therewondering if he’s going to pull it off, he’s pulling it off. Heshowed me cut scenes, he showed me sequences, images,pictures. I cried and I hugged that guy. And I’m sure as I wascrying and hugging on him that he was thinking, ‘time is mon-ey’ because they’re making a movie.

Kevin Smith

Smith gushes over‘Star Wars: Episode VII’ set visit: ‘What Isaw blew me away’

(From left) American actor Stanley Tucci, Chinese actress Li Bingbing, American actors Kelsey Grammer, Mark Wahlberg, director Michael Bay, actress Nicola Peltz, producerLorenzo di Bonaventura and actor Jack Reynor pose for the photographers before their news conference for their movie ìTransformers 4: Age of Extinctionî in Hong KongFriday, June 20, 2014.—AP

Acompany that operates a scenic landscape area insouthwest China which features in the latest“Transformers” movie says it will sue its producers

for breach of contract. It is the second Chinese company tomake public a dispute with Paramount Pictures over“Transformers: Age of Extinction,” which heavily courts theChinese audience with Chinese locations, actors and prod-ucts and is on track to become China’s biggest-ever gross-ing movie.

The Chongqing Wulong Karst Tourism Co Ltd said in astatement sent to The Associated Press yesterday that theproducers had failed to show its logo prominently in themovie as promised. As a result, it is not clear to viewersthat the shots of the scenic spot in the movie are ofWulong, because they are interspersed with scenes fromHong Kong, and other tourist spots are claiming the karstpeaks are theirs, it added.

It said it would file a suit at a court in Chongqing citydemanding unspecified damages against ParamountPictures and Beijing-based 1905 Internet Technology

Company, one of the movie’s Chinese partners. Wulongsaid it wanted measures taken to mitigate the damage andcompensation for direct and indirect economic losses.Paramount didn’t immediately respond to a request forcomment. 1905 said in a statement on its website thatWulong had not paid them on time.

Last month, a Beijing property developer said it hadfiled a lawsuit alleging that Paramount and two of itsChinese associates had failed to deliver on pledges to holdthe movie premiere at its hotel and feature images of itsproperty in trailers and movie posters. Soon after thedeveloper and Paramount said they had smoothed out thedispute.

Interesting storyThe latest dispute comes as China overtook the US in

“Transformers” box office earnings. According to the boxoffice tracking website Box Office Mojo, the movie hadearned $213 million in China and $175 million in the US asof Sunday. It was released on the same day in both mar-

kets. The movie is expected to become China’s highest-grossing movie early this week. Currently, the 2010 movie“Avatar” holds that accolade, having made $218 million inChina. “Transformers” has been helped by a favorablescreening in China, with over half of all screens showingthe film at the beginning of its release.

While the first three “Transformers” movies were alreadygood earners in China, director Michael Bay heavily court-ed the Chinese audience in his latest by employingChinese stars and basing part of the action in Chinesecities. While this interested many local movie goers, somecriticized its numerous product placements, includingChinese milk. A commentary in the Beijing Times onMonday said Hollywood movies do not have to “flatter”Chinese viewers and audiences would rather watch an“interesting story than various sorts of product place-ments.”—AP

Chinese scenic spot plansto sue over Transformers

In this April 7, 2012 file photo, Bleu, a French bulldog owned by Maria Catania, watches DogTV in her apartment inSan Diego, Calif.—AP

Score one for the dogs. DogTV, the 2-year-old televi-sion network for dogs, asked Grammy-winning musi-cian Andrew Dost of the pop-rock band fun. to write

some psychoacoustic music for the network. The unnamedresult, nearly four minutes of harp, piano and repetitiveelectronic undertones, debuted Monday during a relax-ation segment. “I approached this composition project dif-ferently than I would for human ears. I made sure the rangeof frequencies and instrumentation were tailored to a dog’sunique sense of hearing and kept things musically morelevel and linear,” Dost said in a statement.

The music accompanies video recorded in Yosemite andtogether are designed to reduce the stress and anxietydogs experience when they are home alone. Dost is donatehis pay to A Rejoyceful Animal Rescue, a shelter in hishometown of Detroit. Members of fun. are singer NateRuess, guitarist Jack Antonoff and the multi-instrumentalistDost. The group had a breakthrough year in 2012, toppingcharts with “We Are Young” and “Some Nights.” Last year,they won Grammys for song of the year and best newartist.

DogTV debuted in April of 2012 with three kinds of pro-gramming: relaxation, stimulation and exposure.Relaxation segments, like the Yosemite video with Dost’smusic, are for canines that might be home alone and a lit-tle too zealous and overactive. At times dogs might lackstimulation, so they will need segments showing actionand animation to add pep. And through the exposure seg-ments, dogs will be taught to feel more comfortable intheir environment when they are exposed to everydaysights and sounds they might find on the street. DogTV is apay channel. Prices vary depending on the provider.DirecTV charges $4.99 a month and online streaming serv-ice is $9.99.—AP

Pop-rocker scores song to soothe anxious canines

Actor Mark Ruffalo has played charac-ters ranging from a gay AIDS activistand a sperm donor to a recovering

sex-addict and an FBI agent and will reprisehis role as the Incredible Hulk in next year’s“The Avengers: Age of Ultron.” An AcademyAward nominee for 2010’s “The Kids Are AllRight,” Ruffalo, 46, is appearing in US the-aters in the musical film “Begin Again” andwill be seen later this year as an Olympicwrestling champion in “Foxcatcher.” Theversatile actor has also worked behind thecamera on the award-winning film“Sympathy for Delicious” and is the founderof the non-profit group Water Defense,which works to keep water clean.

Ruffalo, whose brother was murdered inhis California home in 2008, spoke toReuters about his aversion to violent roles,his washed up record producer in “BeginAgain” and a desire to return to Broadway.

Q: In “Begin Again” you play Dan, whoreassesses his life. Did you identify withyour character at all?

A: Only in the most minute way. A lot oftimes I think as people, as actors, we havepretty much a universal understanding of

probably every aspect of what it is to be ahuman being at some point in your life.

As an actor you are turning up the vol-ume on different aspects and qualities. Alot of Dan I understand but I am not asextreme as him and it hasn’t happened tome as extremely as him. But I ... understandwhat it is to have shifting priorities and feelyour fallibilities and your sense of mortality.

Q: The film is very musical. Have youever played an instrument?

A: I was a bass player in a punk rockband in the 80s, like a garage band, so Iknew how to play the bass in a rudimenta-ry way. I’m not saying I am talented in anyway.

Q: You’ve done a lot of indie as well asbig studio films.Which do you prefer?

A: They each have their drawbacks andthey each have their strong qualities. Butessentially you are still doing the samething in each one. You are listening andresponding in a place as a character.

The power of a small movie is the con-centration of energy over a specified peri-od of time and the relationship that youhave with the people you are working with

is much more intimate. In a bigger movieyou have the luxury of more time, a bit bet-ter toys, more preparation, more comfortbut you lose a little bit of the intimacy andthe immediacy. I find myself trying to find away to do both.

Q: Several years ago you moved yourfamily from Los Angeles to New York. Whydo prefer New York?

A: Part of it is I grew up in a place thathad water and seasons and trees and a lotof greenery. Part of it is the open nature ofthe culture here. It is a much more diverseculture. It is not so film centric. It is not aone-industry town like Los Angeles can be.

Q: You have played vulnerable, sensitivecharacters. Are there other types of rolesyou would like to do?

A: I just want to keep going further andfurther beyond myself ... The gun-play stuffjust doesn’t interest me. It is a fantasy in areally destructive way that is very sexistand macho and so I never really foundmyself being interested in that. I have beena witness to what guns do to people in reallife.

Q: Your career started on the stage. Do

you want to go back to the theater andBroadway?

A: I’m dying to go back to the stage andhave an idea to take this (“Begin Again”) tothe stage ... I think it is a character thatwould be great fun to play on the stage.

There’s a lot I want to do. I want to getback into directing. I love that. I’m movingmore into producing and I’m doing a lot ofwork with the environment and renewableenergy with Water Defense solutions proj-ect.—Reuters

A Minute With: Mark Ruffalo on mixing it up in acting and film

Mark Ruffalo

Fashion is the playground for the richand famous. But Tuesday saw GiorgioArmani outdo even this old maxim in

his celebrity-circus of a couture show. Onthe front row, a shimmying Kate Hudsonmingled with Jared Leto, Sophia Lorenpouted sultrily, Pink tapped her foot andJuliette Binoche caught up with fellowactress Chloe Grace Moretz.

Ushers even had to link arms in a humanwall when the show ended to protect themyriad stars from the masses and deliverthem to the safety of backstage. It’s notoften that Karl Lagerfeld is outdone in the

Hollywood stakes - but his front-row showsthat he’s focusing his attention on couture-hungry Asia. Here are the highlights fromDay 3 of the haute couture fall-winter 2014-15 collections, with show reports forGiorgio Armani Prive, Chanel, StephaneRolland and Bouchra Jarrar.

Armani prive plays with dotsOverlays through a palette of red, white

and black defined Armani’s fall-winter aes-thetic. And the result was a rare intellectualshow from the Italian master of safe classi-cism. Quilted-effect ruffled capes mixedwith (rather unseasonal) shorts alongsidecurved-shouldered pant suits with exag-gerated tubular sleeves. This began a playin proportion. Armani segmented theclothes, producing jacket sleeves that wenthigh and appeared separate from the torso.This silhouette then fluffed out into somevoluminous net clouds dresses fit for LadyGaga.

But the crescendo came at the end, inoverlays of polka dots, chenille embroideryand billowing tulle veils that played clever-ly with differing depths. Models with blacktulle dresses sported meters of netted veil,

pockmarked with red dots - creating theillusion of a galactic constellation of vary-ing density. The body became blurred asthe dress took over.

Giorgio Armani is proving quite the Pariscouture hot-ticket. One Japanese fashion-ista who had badly sprained her anklemade the show thanks only to herresourcefulness: She was seen with her footbandaged with an astronomically-pricedHermes silk scarf.

Chanel’s baroque mirror on the wall“Mirror mirror on the wall, who is the

fairest of them all?” seemed to be the mes-sage at Chanel’s icy-cold fall-winter show.Models with glacial, spiky fringes walkedslowly up to a gilded, baroque mirrorbeneath a burning fire showcasing 70 pale,often white, creations. Glimmeringbaroque embroideries in silver and goldgave a wintry sparkle to the models, whoseemed consumed by frosted vanity in animaginary palace. The palace in question,said Karl Lagerfeld, was Versailles.

And though the mirror on the wall con-jured up images of Snow White, the design-er said it was in fact based on reality: adesign by famed French architect LeCorbusier, who mixed Baroque styles with

Modernism. “ The show’s called ‘LeCorbusier goes to Versailles.’ I liked the ideaof baroque elements and modern touches,”said Lagerfeld.

Embroideries that mirrored the squaregeometry of Modernism and the density ofLe Corbusier’s concrete architecture mixedwith ornate baroque patterns, strongshoulders, cycling shorts and flat sandals.Unsurprisingly, the collection was hard topin down and perhaps overly eclectic. Butthere were some great sections, like thefinal series of clean white cone dresses inneoprene mixed the expansive volumes of18th century crinoline with futuristic fabric.

Lagerfeld knows which side his bread isbuttered: Asia

There’s been a growth of haute coutureclients from Asia in recent years - creditedwith the craft’s recent renaissance. Forproof, look no further than the Chanelshow’s front row. It celebrated the world’slargest continent, lined left to right withmyriad Asian celebrities and clients.

From Korea, singer CL and actress Ryeo-Won Jung. From Taiwan actress Gwei Lun-Mei. And from China, actress Zhou Xun.Bewildered ushers held tightly onto cheat-sheets complete with the VIPs’ photos, outof fear they wouldn’t recognize a majorAsian star. And who says fashion doesn’tmirror global politics?

Fashion as filmFashion and cinema often go hand in

hand. “Great Gatsby” director BazLuhrmann - whose films are famed for theirburlesque use of costume - attended theChanel show. Tuesday also saw designerStephane Rolland forgo a catwalk display infavor of a 10-minute “fashion film,” project-ed in a cinema to showcase his latestdesigns. Rolland’s movie, in which a hand-some suited man chases after an elusivefashion victim in myriad satin dresses andan occasionally exposed bust, was well put-together.

But some critics complained that theycould neither get a sense of the collectionas a whole nor properly see the clothes.Fashion film is a new genre of movie mak-ing that follows from design houses mak-ing longer-length adverts for their prod-ucts - like Nicole Kidman’s three-minutefilm for Chanel No. 5 perfume, or Charlize

Theron’s “J’Adore” Dior perfume advert.Several fashion film festivals have

sprouted up in recent years, includingAmerican fashion blogger Diane Pernet’sASVOFF festival and the Berlin Fashion FilmFestival that takes place this month.

Bouchra Jarrar’s ready-to-coutureLauded Moroccan-born designer

Bouchra Jarrar’s show was unlike other cou-ture show seen so far: The asymmetricalcreations were ready to wear on the street.Sporty loose striped gray-green pants andjackets helped make couture features suchas atelier Lesage embroidery, billowingfeathers and luxuriant satin silks wearable.

It’s a style you could call ready-to-cou-ture. The first zippered tweed jacketsplayed interestingly with form - a sleevelessasymmetrical one in bespoke Aurora

Borealis tweed had rounded long frontpanels of contrasting lengths, and was cutshort at the back.

And there was a beautiful simplicity in aslim, bustier top that that was made entire-ly of ivory and black feathers. Some mayhowever lament the loss of her fluidlyarchitectural, and more ostensibly couture,gowns. — AP


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F A S H I O N

It’s time to get your Eid wardrobeready - and New Look has the perfectcollection to complete your closet.

Eye-catching prints lead the way. Bringout the animal in you with leopard printjumpsuits, maxi dresses, pencil skirts andpeplum dresses. Or if stars are your stylelust, you will love New Look’s range ofdresses, shirts, maxi skirts and leggings.

Ladylike colors and patterns aredesigned to fit and flatter, with coral andlace mixes on shift dresses, pastel pinktextured skater dresses, delicate pinkand white floral printed blazers and lacedetailing on key pieces. For those wholike bold colors, the Eid collectionincludes cobalt and fuchsia on skater

dresses, pencil skirts and waterfall frontblazers.

If you’re looking for an evening style,New Look’s black lace jumpsuit or full-length fuchsia evening dress are ideal,and embellished necklines are sprinkledthroughout the collection to add someextra sparkle. The bejeweled croppedblazer, in black or pale pink, adds a glam-orous finishing touch. The collectionincludes pieces from Inspire, available upto size 28. Whether you’re celebratingEid at home or holidaying abroad, NewLook is the only place you need to shop.Head soon to the New Look stores locat-ed at The Avenues and Al Bairaq Mall,Fintas.

Celebrate Eid with NEW LOOK

Pink, Hudson, Leto make Armani a celebrity circus


l if e s t y l e

F A S H I O N

Egypt is challenging a British museum’s plannedsale of a 4,000-year-old Egyptian statue that isexpected to fetch up to 6 million pounds ($10

million) at a London auction. Former antiquities minis-ter Zahi Hawass told the BBC yesterday that theNorthampton Museum and Art Gallery, 106 kilometers(66 miles) north of London, has no right to sell the stat-ue. “We are not asking for the statue to come back toEgypt but we are asking to stop the sale of the statue,”he said. The position is endorsed by Mamdouh El-Damaty, the current antiquities minister.

The Northampton Borough Council owns the stat-ue and says it wants to sell the work to fund an expan-sion of the museum, which claims to hold the world’slargest historic shoe collection. The plan is drawingsome criticism at home as well. Alice Stevenson, cura-tor at London’s Petrie Museum of EgyptianArchaeology, said selling such a rare and unique statueundermines the purpose of a museum.

“It should not be used to plug a hole in a localcouncil budget,” she said. Auction house Christie’s,which is putting the statue up for sale Thursday, said ina statement that there are no grounds to postpone thesale. Northampton Council said it will share 45 percentof proceeds with Lord Northampton, whose familyacquired the item in Egypt in 1849 or 1850, and donat-ed it to the Northampton museum in 1880. TheEgyptian collection is small and is not central to themuseum’s purpose, a council spokeswoman said. The75 centimeter (30 inches) high limestone statuedepicts an official named Sekhema with his wife, and isbelieved to come from the Royal Cemeteries atSaqqara, south of Giza. — AP

Egypt challenges sale of valuable ancientstatue

Models present creations for Chanelduring the 2014/2015Haute Couture Fall-Winter collectionfashion show on July8, 2014 at the GrandPalais in Paris.

Bouchra Jarrar

37Clooney slams‘fabricated’ Daily Mail story onfiancee’s mom


Egyptians sit at the Khan el-Khalili Bazar as Muslims break the day-long fast during the holy month of Ramadan in Cairo. During the holy month of Ramadan, Muslims are supposed to go without food, drink, smoking and sex and torefrain from impure thoughts from sunrise to sunset.—AFP

Prayer rooms, hijabs made from local silk and evenhalal-certified whale meat are appearing in Japan astourism bosses wake up to the demand from Muslim

travelers. For a largely homogeneous country with onlyaround 100,000 practicing Muslims, that means groping itsway through unfamiliar customs as it looks to tap a grow-ing market to help it double the number of overseas visi-tors by 2020. “Muslim travelers still do not feel comfortablehere,” Datuk Ibrahim Haji Ahmad Badawi, head ofMalaysian food company Brahim’s told AFP at a recentseminar on halal tourism in Tokyo. “The government seemsto have understood this.”

Last year, seminars like this one were held in 20 differentregions in Japan, where hoteliers and restaurateurs wereinvited to learn how to cater to Muslims. The OsakaChamber of Commerce handed out 5,000 leaflets as aguide to what can and cannot be eaten-the idea of forbid-ding consumption of things like alcohol or pork is anathe-ma to omnivorous and foodie Japan. With the Islamicworld currently observing the holy month of Ramadan,tourism to Japan is being heavily promoted in mainly-Muslim Southeast Asia, where visa requirements wererelaxed in 2013 for Malaysia and Thailand.

Indonesia-the largest Muslim-majority country in theworld-is slated to follow shortly. According to the JapaneseTourist Office, the number of Indonesians visiting the archi-

pelago in 2013 was up 37 percent on the previous year,while 21 percent more Malaysians came. Chinese touristnumbers have recovered from their plunge following the2012 eruption of the spat between Beijing and Tokyo overislands in the East China Sea. But broadening the appeal ofJapan as a destination is key if the industry is to meet the

20 million visitors target set for 2020 when the OlympicGames come to Tokyo.

Catering for the world The influx of athletes and spectators from all over the

world that the sporting jamboree will bring is also playinginto the drive to make the country more Muslim-friendly.“Can you imagine the number of Muslim athletes who willthen come to Tokyo? We’ll have to feed them,” said Badawi.

Brahim as a company has already signed a deal with AllNippon Airways (ANA), one of Japan’s biggest carriers, tosupply inflight halal meals, Badawi said. A number of largehotels have also approached him looking for advice onhow they can cater for Muslim guests. For Badawi, despiteJapan’s slow start, the direction of travel is clear: Muslimslooking for holiday destinations will come, and in biggernumbers, giving Tokyo an ever-larger slice of a $600 billionglobal pie.

Slowly, various regions across Japan are catching on.Major airports have dedicated prayer rooms, and touristslooking for the perfect present can pick up hijabs madefrom Japanese silk as they pass through KansaiInternational Airport, near Osaka, a recent television reportshowed.

Longer term visitors are also being catered for, with 19universities offering halal menus in their cafeterias in a bidto boost the number of Muslim students. Customers look-ing for an authentic-but halal-Japanese dish already have achoice in Tokyo, including a yakiniku barbecue restaurantrun by Roger Bernard Diaz, a Sri Lankan Catholic who con-verted his business, but not his religion.

He has no qualms about making the change to offeringa range of halal meats and says it has helped him garnerreservations from customers from Southeast Asia, andeven the Gulf. But sourcing produce can be difficult. “It’shard to find all the ingredients,” he admits while pulling aBrazilian-raised halal chicken from a dedicated freezer.

Whale meat Muslims who want to sample whale meat are also

catered for after Japan’s whaling mothership, whichslaughters the animals on their controversial hunt, was cer-tified halal-compliant last year. The Japan Halal Association,which was founded in 2010, is one of only two bodies thatcan grant this status in the country.

Its chairwoman Hind Hitomi Remon told AFP that busi-ness is brisk. “We are an associate member of the WorldHalal Council,” she said. “Since 2012, we have issued certifi-cates to 40 companies, and that number is set to rise a lotthis year,” a fact she says is directly attributable to Tokyobeing awarded the Olympic Games for 2020. And even ifthe tourists don’t want to eat in Japan, producers arereadying to send produce to them, with exports such ashalal-certified soy sauce and even rice, grown in northernAkita prefecture.

But until the numbers swell a little bit more, businessescatering to Muslims still have to keep an eye on what theirother customers want. Yakiniku restaurant owner Diaz saysaround half of his customers now are Muslims yet he stillhas to cater for his other patrons. “It’s hard to do businesshere without selling alcohol,” he said.—AFP

This picture taken on June 24, 2014 shows Thai Muslim tourists enjoying Halal cer-tified foods at a barbecue restaurant in Tokyo.—AFP photos

Thai Muslim tourists enjoying Halal certified foods at a barbecue restaurant inTokyo.

Thai Muslim tourists checking a menu of Halal certifiedfoods.

A barbecue restaurant which serves Halal certified foods in Tokyo, while restaurant owner Roger Bernard Diazsmiles.

A chicken dish of Halal certified food.

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