12 May

ON IP TI SC R SU B

THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2011

Quakes hit Italy; None in Rome despite myth

Barcelona crowned Spanish champions

NO: 15086

150 FILS

10 40 PAGES

www.kuwaittimes.net

JAMADI ALTHANI 9, 1432 AH

20

MPs blast TV, clash over Arab uprising Shiite MP slams government over Bahrain

Max 40 Min 28 Low Tide 00:10 & 12:44 High Tide 07:22 & 18:08

By B Izzak

KUWAIT: Kuwait Prime Minister HH Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah (right), Deputy Premier and Interior Minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-Hmoud Al-Sabah (center), new Oil and Parliament Affairs Minister Mohammad Al-Busairi (left), MP Saleh Ashour (back-right) and MP Salwa Al-Jassar (back-left) seen during a parliament session yesterday.— Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat

Emirati youths question cost of political silence ‘I want my freedoms’ DUBAI: A young woman hunched in a dark university auditorium plastered with Emirati flags suddenly pipes up amid fellow students attending the first open political discussion in their lives. “Sometimes change doesn’t come from being polite and restrained,” the girl shouts to cautious applause.

“Sometimes, you have to get your hands dirty.” The United Arab Emirates, largely insulated from political dissent by its vast oil wealth and rapid growth, has so far been spared the wave of protests that has swept through the Arab world, toppling the autocratic rulers of Egypt and Tunisia.

Older Emiratis, who remember when their families lived in humble fishing villages, have long been content to remain politically silent as their rulers turned the coastal desert state into a business hub of gleaming skyscrapers. Yet for the first time, a younger generation is starting to question the cost of their parents’ genteel quiescence. “I’m well off. I don’t need a revolution because I’m hungry. I want my freedoms, my dignity,” said a 21-year old woman, wrapped in a gauzy black abaya. She gave her name as Alia, but said it was an alias for fear of pursuit by security forces.

“The Alia after the Egyptian uprising is not the same person she was before. Now we know what young people are capable of.” She is not alone. A small but increasingly active number of Emirati Continued on Page 14

Syrian soldiers shell restive city; 18 dead BEIRUT: The Syrian army shelled residential areas and unleashed security forces yesterday in an intensified push to crush the uprising against authoritarian President Bashar Assad, killing an 8-year-old boy and at least 17 others, a human rights group said. The lethal shelling evoked bitter memories of the

Rights in Syria, said 13 people were killed yesterday in tank shelling on Al-Haraa village outside Daraa, the southern city where the uprising began in mid-March. Five others were killed in the central city of Homs - most of them in shelling, he said. Several were killed by gunfire.

Continued on Page 14

MISRATA: An injured rebel fighter Mussa Mohammed Mussa seen at a public hospital in Benghazi.

— AP

Facebook ‘may have leaked your secrets’ NEW YORK: Facebook users’ personal information could have been accidentally leaked to third parties, in particular advertisers, over the past few years, Symantec Corp said in its official blog. Third-parties would have had access to personal information such as profiles, photographs and chat, and could have had the ability to post messages, the security software maker said. “We estimate that as of April 2011, close to 100,000 applications were enabling this leakage,” the blog post said. “ ... Over the years, hundreds of thousands of applications may have inadvertently leaked millions of access tokens to third parties,” posing a security threat, the blog post said.

The third-parties may not have realized their ability to access the information, it said. Facebook, the world’s largest social networking website, was notified of this issue and confirmed the leakage, the blog post said. It said

regime’s legacy of brutally suppressing dissent under Assad’s father, Hafez. In 1982, Hafez Assad crushed a Sunni uprising by shelling the town of Hama, killing 10,000 to 25,000 people, according to Amnesty International estimates.

Ammar Qurabi, head of the National Organization for Human

Facebook has taken steps to resolve the issue. “Unfortunately, their (Symantec’s) resulting report has a few inaccuracies.

Specifically, we have conducted a thorough investigation which revealed no evidence of this issue resulting in a user’s private information being shared with unauthorized third parties,” Facebook spokeswoman Malorie Lucich said in a statement.

Lucich said the report also ignores the contractual obligations of advertisers and developers which prohibit them from obtaining or sharing user information in a way that “violates our policies.” She also confirmed that the company removed the outdated API (Application Programming Interface) referred to in Symantec’s report.

Facebook has more than 500 million users and is challenging Google Inc and Yahoo Inc for users’ time online and for advertising dollars. — Reuters

Rebels reject ceasefire Libyan fighters seize Misrata airport TRIPOLI: Libyan rebels said they took control of Misrata airport in heavy fighting with forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi yesterday and rejected a United Nations call for a ceasefire. The rebels are fighting to end Gaddafi’s 41 years in power, but the war has reached stalemate with Gaddafi controlling the capital and almost all of western Libya while rebels control Benghazi and other towns in the oil-producing east.

Misrata is the only major city the rebels hold in the west and for eight weeks Gaddafi’s forces have besieged it, leading to fierce fighting in which hundreds have been killed. “The airport, with the help from great God, has been freed. The rebels have seized many weapons including tanks and, thank God, they are still functioning,” said rebel spokesman Mohamad Jaber by telephone from Misrata, a port city about 190 km east of Tripoli.

“Now what is left and what the rebels are working on is liberating the airbase,

which is close to the airport,” he said. There was no independent confirmation of his comments. UN Secretary-General Ban Kimoon called yesterday for an “immediate, verifiable ceasefire” but rebels fighting in western Libya dismissed the idea. “We don’t trust Gaddafi ... This is not the time for a ceasefire because he never respects it,” said a rebel spokesman called Abdulrahman, speaking by telephone from Zintan in the Western Mountains region.

“He bombards civilians immediately after his regime speaks of willingness to observe a ceasefire,” the spokesman said, adding that Gaddafi’s forces fired 20-25 Grad missiles at rebels yesterday, killing one and wounding three others. Gaddafi’s government has made several ceasefire declarations but continued attacks on Misrata and other rebel-held areas including the Western Mountains near the Tunisian border.

Continued on Page 14

KUWAIT: In a noisy session which was adjourned at least once for disorders, MPs tackled a large number of issues, blasted state-run Kuwait Television and clashed over Arab revolutions while discussing the reply to the Amiri address which was delivered by the prime minister at the start of the parliamentary term in October. At the start of the session, opposition MPs clashed with speaker Jassem Al-Khorafi who prevented them from commenting on a program aired on Tuesday by Kuwait Television and which reportedly criticized MPs. MPs submitted a proposal calling for a debate over the issue but the government used its constitutional right to delay the issue for two weeks and Khorafi stopped comments which caused MPs to protest. Khorafi then temporarily adjourned the session. During the brief debate, MP Mussallam Al-Barrak warned new Information and Communications Minister Sami Al-Nasef about using Kuwait TV to attack MPs, saying he will be grilled.

Nasef said he had not yet found if the program was abusive to the National Assembly and stressed that TV programs should be neutral and should not attack any party. In this regard, opposition MP Ali Al-Deqbasi asked the information minister on reports that Kuwait TV plans to host a cleric with the aim to issue a religious fatwa, or edict, that grilling ministers is forbidden in Islam. He also asked the minister if the TV authorities have asked presenters not to wear the red-chequered headcover and to stick to the “national” white headcover. Kuwaiti bedouin tribes normally wear the red headcovers and the ban was seen as targeting them.

MPs rejected a sentence in the reply draft which states that MPs have deviated from the right parliamentary path by giving priorities to grillings and head of the concerned committee MP Hassan Jowhar said the comment will be removed. During the debate, liberal MP Saleh Al-Mulla lashed out at deputy premier, state minister for housing and development Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, saying that MPs cannot have any trust in a cabinet that has retained Sheikh Ahmad although he did not face a grilling.

Mulla also claimed that Sheikh Ahmad had “seized” 18,000 square meters of state land in a prime location in Salmiya and has “formed documents” to pay a yearly lease of just KD22 for a property that is worth millions. The lawmaker criticized the government for failing to achieve any progress in implementing the development plan and in adopting the proper mechanism for funding projects under the plan.

Opposition MP Khaled Al-Tahous wondered why would the government form a committee to preserve national unity while he charged that “it is the government which has been taking actions that undermine national unity”. Islamist MP Waleed Al-Tabtabai called for the reply to include that the government has breached the constitution by disrupting national assembly sessions for several months.

Shiite MP Adnan Abdulsamad criticized the government policy toward the Shiite-led protests in Bahrain, saying that some protesters died because of torture in police custody. He also criticized MPs for not deploring crushing the protests in Bahrain. Salafi Islamist MP Mohammad Hayef called on Abdulsamad to present evidence that abuses have been committed by authorities in Bahrain against protesters, and criticized Shiites for not condemning the Syrian regime crackdown on peaceful protests. The assembly is due to meet today for a debate on non-governmental organizations.

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local Instant grillings unconstitutional: Ahmad Al-Mulaifi KUWAIT: Ahmad Al-Mulaifi, the new Minister of Education and Higher Education said that he believes that his appointment in the new Cabinet is a positive sign. He explained that inviting a member from the opposition to join the Cabinet reflects the right step towards improvement and development.

Minister Ahmad Al-Mulaifi in a television interview said that “holding a session directly after its formation and making decisions pertaining to important subjects such as fighting sectarianism and corruption is a new and positive improvement in the history of governmental work”.

Meanwhile, Al-Mulaifi said that filing a grilling motion against a Cabinet member as soon as he is sworn in “does not go in line with the legal basics”.

He urged MPs to “give Kuwait a chance since the Cabinet is coming with a new approach”. Al-Mulaifi also acknowledged the “significant challenges” that he prepares to tackle, which pertain to improving the quality of education as the basis for achieving development. — Al-Rai

Air fares to peak during summer KUWAIT: Two local air carriers are expected to be do brisk business during the summer, Kuwait Airways (KAC)’s counselor Ahmed Al-Hilal said. He also noted that due to the absence of Wataniya Airways and increasing in oil prices, ticket fares have risen by 8-12 percent when compared to previous summer peak rates. Al-Hilal predicted that, in the wake of an Arab uprising, a majority of outbound flights will head to European, Turkish and South East Asian destinations in addition to Dubai, UAE, reported Annahar. He also expected that demand for local carriers’ flights would increase by 10 percent when compared to the same period, “This will overburden national carriers during summer,” he remarked. He pointed out that Wataniya could have helped by providing more seats.

NA refers final report to panel drafting reply to Amir’s speech KUWAIT: National Assembly referred again yesterday, during its ordinary and complementary session, to the committee in charge of drafting a reply to the Amiri address the amended version to the same committee to finally formulate, and submit it to the Assembly’s speakermanship, then His Highness the Amir.

National Assembly Speaker Jassem Al-Kharafi said after finishing discussions on the draft reply to HH the Amir that, “the report will be referred to the committee again to prepare its final wording,” calling on the committee to meet as soon as possible along with taking into consideration the remarks made by members of parliament in preparation for submitting them to His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber AlSabah.

Then, MPs discussed the topics embedded in the Amiri address at the outset of the third ordinary session of the thirteenth legislative term including stressing the prevention of any degradation of Islamic symbols, and sticking to the national constants, while rejecting any wrongdoing that may arouse sedition, dissension and obnoxious sectarian tendencies.

The Kuwait MPs also pointed out that making efforts in this regard will thwart the schemes of plotters who harbor ill-will toward Kuwait, and will stress the commitment of Kuwaiti people to the national unity, and the upright rudiments of Islam.

Moreover, the MPs also said that cooperating between executive and legislative authorities is a main issue, and that national unity is a centerpiece, in a reference to the necessity of paying attention to the conditions surrounding the country along with bearing in mind the development of syllabi in what further consolidates national constants and unity.

They also stressed the role played by the official audio-visual media outlets in cementing the national unity, calling in the meantime for activating laws in this respect, particularly regarding private channels and newspapers.

Regarding the illegal residents, a number of Kuwaiti MPs called on the government to quickly solve the problem of this category, and taking serious and realistic measures toward resolving the issue.

The Kuwaiti MPs said that putting the problem on the back burner without a solution will adversely affect Kuwait’s image before the international forums, and runs counter to the principles of Islam, and human rights, particularly as this category suffers from many grievances whether on civil or human rights. — KUNA

Kuwait’s new labor law preserves workers’ rights A positive experience at ‘Shoon’

By Nisreen Zahreddine KUWAIT: Defined by Kuwait’s 2010 Labor Law, the tug-of-war between an employee and an employer is no longer a conundrum. It is defined by Kuwait’s 2010 Labor Law and is applied strictly. ‘Knowing your rights and seeking help in the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor is the key’ discovered Alexandra, a Western expat in her early forties recently.

Her story in a nutshell goes like this: Alexandra is a female employee working for a large chain of beauty salons who has been denied a release by her employer of two years and seven months on the grounds that she was employed from overseas. According to the 2010 Labor Law, however, an employee and a graduate of high school can transfer their sponsor after serving their employer for one year.

This argument was vehemently denied

by Alexandra’s sponsor who threatened her with unexpected and unpleasant circumstances if she continued to request a release. That is why she decided to seek help from the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor - an experience which she claims, has been very positive. “Not knowing the law or your rights is not an excuse,” she says explaining that criticism for Kuwait’s labor law and labor situation comes from people who either do not ask or are unsure who to ask.

Her choice to change employers was not bound merely to better job opportunities. It was tied to a progressively developing form of rheumatism. In the past six months, Alexandra had been experiencing back and limb pain after prolonged massage sessions. The remedy was to use her hands less at work - an option which was inconceivable due to her slightly vague job description. “I was employed as a beautician to do facials. However, recently I was told I should extend my portfolio into massages,” she said.

Considering her health status, she opted for another choice which would serve both - her former employer and her. She found a job that would require her to only do facials and get a better remuneration package. What Alexandra thought was a winwin situation for both sides turned out to be a prolonged two-month job insecurity in the hands of her now-former employer.

Diagnosed with a severe form of rheumatism, Alexandra was unable to perform her duties and yet she was denied a release.

The reasons, she says, were tangled to her employment from overseas. After a few queries with various human resources-inthe-know she found out that the law is in her favor. She had a legitimate reason to ask for a release and the employer, according to the law, had to give her a release after one year of service regardless of the degree or reason to leave the job.

Alexandra’s saga with her employer started when she asked to leave and presented her resignation to her manager who initially signed the form. She was asked to work three months as per the Kuwait labor

law or to pay a compensation for termination of her duties.

After her notice period of two months finished she was told that her visa will be canceled and she will need to leave the country. On the last work day, she was summoned to the head office of the company and refused a release. The human resources officer told her that the company no longer wishes to give her a release but instead would cancel her residency and she would have to then leave the country.

“This is when I decided to file a complaint at the “Shoon” (the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs)”, said Alexandra. Armed with her thick medical file and resignation letter signed by her manager, she filed a complaint at the employee’s office. The language barrier forced her to return with a translator. “The second time I took a friend with me who spoke Arabic, but I admit that I felt weird, I mean this department is made for expatriates to file complaints, and I could not find anyone who understood English there”, she explained astonished.

She explained that on the second trip to Shoon and on the day she filed her complaint, she was advised not to return to her place of work. In her words, the labor affairs officer advised her not to return to work for fear of animosity or unexpected troublemaking by her management. “She alerted me that the company might use dirty tricks to hurt me and blackmail me; I listened to her and I stopped reporting for duty,” she said arguing that this is probably the practice.

After notifying the company about the court case, Alexandra headed back to Shoon after a week. There she underwent an investigative session accompanied by her friend who assisted with the translation. At the hearing of both sides, the employer’s legal representative did not even present a copy of the work contract which was later explained as “non-existent”.

After the first investigative session, Alexandra was given an appointment to take the result of the transfer case, as she had filed another complaint to retain her passport and indemnities.

All is well that ends well, says Alexandra who was given a release by Shooun after a month and three trips to Shoon. She was told that she would be able to take her transfer papers within the period of 15 days. “I feel happy to regain my freedom as a human being who has the right to decide where to work. First I felt imprisoned and frightened by my employers who used to threaten me on the phone and blackmail me”, she said. “I believe that the labor law is very just and guarantees our rights as labor force, but the most important thing is that people should know their rights and stick to it”, she considered.

Alexandra started her training in the new place and is getting ready for the second hearing session of her second case concerning her indemnities and passport.

The investigator informed her that he will listen only to her side in the second session if the representative did not show up.

KUWAIT: The Ambassador of the Republic of South Africa Delarey Van Tonder visited Kuwait Times and discussed matters of mutual concern with Editor-in-Chief Abd Al-Rahman Alyan.

Govt believes in responsible freedom of expression KUWAIT: Minister of Information Sami AlNesf said yesterday the Ministry was keen on seeing the freedom of expression be practiced responsibly in order to preserve national unity.

The Information Ministry has a clear policy that there should be a freedom of expression but in a responsible manner, Al-Nesf, also Minister of Communications, told reporters after a parliamentary session.Asked if state-run Kuwait TV offended some MPs in one of its programs, Al-Nesf said in principle “we should not panic from the opinion and the opposite opinion because that is what democracy is about.”

But, he added, Kuwait TV “is an official body and cannot says these things (offending MPs) and this is a government policy.”

Al-Nesf said the Information Ministry

sought support to media of public and private sectors. “Everybody knows that our national unity has been severely breached recently and we were very worried on our country from what was said and written, and we should all join hands to protect the national unity.”

Kuwait is “one of beacons of freedom of opinion ... and at the same time we believe in being responsible so if I give you freedom of expression that does not mean I give you the freedom to offend others,” emphasized Al-Nesf. On the privatization of Kuwait Airways Corporation (KAC), AlNesf said the process was ongoing, but there were some issues that needed further study like compensations and future of employees. The Minister said KAC could be a leading role in regional aviation when privatized. — KUNA

Unified GCC blacklist for terrorists, suspects KUWAIT: A senior Ministry of Interiors official said that the GCC interior ministers agreed to blacklist the names of suspected terrorists on a unified GCC list in a bid to closely monitor their movements and intercept any possible contact they might make with terrorist cells in GCC, other Arab countries or in countries known to support terrorism.

The sources highlighted that a unified

blacklist had been distributed at all border exits in all GCC states to prevent the entry or travel of any of the suspects irrespective of whether they are GCC citizens or expatriates.

The sources added that Kuwait’s Interior Ministry is closely watching released suspects and others to prevent them from communicating with terrorist cells in Kuwait and abroad. — Al-Jarida

KUWAIT: Troops from Kuwait Army, Air Force, Marines, 25th brigade Guerillas, and the Ministry of Interior’s choppers’ coastguards, in association with the Ministry of Health’s ambulances and paramedical staff carried out a joint drill entitled ‘Rescue 1’ yesterday. It was aimed at boosting coordination between various troops during rescue operations.

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local kuwait digest

Ministers should start working!

By Thaar Al- Rashidi

M

y relation with Minister of Information Sami Al-Nisf dates back to more than 15 years. I know him very well, and I am aware of his mentality. I trust his judgment, based on 15 years of knowing the man. I know that he took over the most dangerous ministries that are part of the growth plan.

I cannot say that he is puzzled, but if he can manage the situation, free from external threats, the man will succeed in dismantling the two ministries. This is especially if he is able to implement his own vision, and it is not a suggestion that is imposed on him. I do not think that Bu Abdullateef will accept it.

On Abu Anas, the Minister of Education and Higher Education Ahmad Al-Malifi, my relations with him date back to 2003. I have observed him as an MP. As soon as it was announced that he is a member of the new government, he left ‘Twitter’! My advice to Abu Anas is to continue to be in touch with the public. What kills our ministers is that they depend on reports made. These reports mostly are full of half- truths and lies.

Regarding the respected MP Ali Al-Rashed, he was the only one I was not surprised to see. I was not surprised at all. He was pro-government before, and now he has officially become a part of the government. I tell the government, “this is made by you and back to you it goes.”

In fact, we do not care much about who the MP or minister is in the seventh government. It is not our concern. We want only one thing, that the government stop propagating its confusing policy.

The ministers will stop making declarations, and start working. — Al-Anba

News

in brief

MEW awards tender for transformer KUWAIT: The Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW) has awarded the tender for a main transformer plant to be built in Abu Futaira, to a local company that made a KD16 million bid. The ministry is currently waiting for approval from supervisory bodies before going ahead with the project’s execution process, sources said. Meanwhile, the same sources indicated that the ministry is still yet to announce the name of the company which was selected by a neutral committee formed by former minister Dr Badr Al-Shuraian to build the main transformation plant in Al-Zour.

KUWAIT: Khalid Al-Odah (left) Faisal Bu Sulaib and Dr Ghanim Al-Najjar during the symposium yesterday. — Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

‘everyone receives a fair trial’ Symposium on Kuwaiti Gitmo detainees held

By Nawara Fattahova

KUWAIT: The United States of America has been detaining two Kuwaitis in the Guantanamo prison since 2002. Their families are still waiting for their return.

The Kuwaiti government has been actively pursuing this case, and has been corresponding with the American government on their repatriation. Fawzi Al-Odah and Fayiz Al-Kandari have been imprisoned for about 10 years without being tried for specific crimes.

In the beginning, 12 Kuwaitis were kidnapped from Afghanistan and detained. During the previous year, 10 were already released and returned to Kuwait. They were subject to investigations. Finally, they were released and were found innocent.

The College of Social Studies (CSS) of the Kuwait University (KU) held a symposium yesterday at its premises on the issue. The families of 12 detainees were present during the event, “We formed a committee in 2002 to work toward getting our sons back. This year, international support was pledged to US in its war

against terrorism. Speaking about the Guantanamo issue was taboo. However, the situation has changed today,” said Khalid Al-Odah, Head of the Kuwait Family Committee for Detainees of Guantanamo and one of the detainees’ father.

All the detainees are subject to inhuman torture and live in inhuman conditions,” The whole world knows that they are tortured. All the detainees who were released, belonging to different nationalities, tell the same stories. Their conditions in Guantanamo are miserable. The Kuwaiti detainees are not allowed to pray together. They are not allowed to speak over the phone about their situation. Also, investigations were completed five years ago. What can they tell after 10 years. It’s sheer nonsense and we will work hard to get them out,” he pointed out.

The detainees have been incarcerated in Guantanamo for many years, “In the beginning, we demanded from the States to provide us with their right to defend themselves. Until this day, they have not received a just trial. They have

MC disputes hinder development KUWAIT: A cooperation must be achieved between members of the Municipal Council, and the Minister of Public Works and State Minister of Municipality Affairs in order to improve the quality of work in development projects. Abdulkareem Saleem, a council member said that continuous conflicts between the members and minister Dr Fadhel Safar slows down performance. “There are certain vital projects and joint challenges that the Municipal Council and Kuwait Municipality cannot overcome without cooperation”, said Saleem, hoping at the same time that a meeting between Dr Safar and the council members next Sunday would address subjects that concern the public rather than personal disputes.

Mesopotamian marshes drought KUWAIT: Kuwait is most vulnerable to being affected by environmental problems which are caused

by Mesopotamian Marshes drought. Ali Haidar, General Manager of the Environment Public Authority said that the marshes have always functioned as natural filters for the Tigris-Euphrates river water which pours into the Arabian Gulf. Al-Haidar made these statements during the inauguration of an environmental drawing exhibition held by the Regional Organization for the Protection of the Marine Environment (ROPME) at the Amr bin Al-Aas school in Al-Roudha. He explained that the Mesopotamian Marshes used to prevent pesticides and other chemicals used in agriculture from being carried by the river waters into the Gulf.

Coordination for ‘speedy’ environmental rehabilitation KUWAIT: The Minister of Public Works and Municipality Affairs Dr Fadhel Safar met yesterday with officials from the Kuwait Municipality and the Public Authority for Agricultural Affairs and Fish Resources (PAAAFR) to discuss the procedures to be taken to receive plots allocated by the Cabinet. Environmental rehabilitation projects caused by pollution as a result of the 1990/91 Iraqi invasion needs to be addressed.

In a letter referred earlier, PAAAFR Chief Jassem AlBadr told ministers that these procedures should be finalized as it is pertinent with the utilization of plots received by in accordance with United States’ compensations committee, reported Al-Qabas.

Furthermore, Al-Badr explained that the main obstacle that lies ahead of starting rehabilitation projects is to receive plots that will be turned into land and marine conservation areas.

Moreover, the PAAAFR president noted that a UN delegation will visit Kuwait early June in order to assess the progress made.

KUWAIT: The National Guards units conducted an indoor training entitled CBXVictory 9 yesterday. It will be completed today with the participation of Ministry of Interior forces and the US company MBRI.

New Awqaf minister to face ‘challenges’ KUWAIT: With six new faces announced in the Cabinet, perhaps no one faces as many complicated challenges as Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, Mohammad AlNumas.

The new minister should accord top priority to solve persistent issues, including Hajj and Umra problems, enforce the role played by worship places in fighting sectarianism, Islamists’ monopoly for job posts and official missions.

The majority of these issues were created by previous ministers, whom no one was able to tackle. One reason to be optimistic about is the new minister’s ability to solve these issues. He is the first to be assigned the portfolio completely, without the additional burden of another portfolio, reported Al-Qabas.

The public looks forward to Al-Numas, hoping that he can resolve the violations committed by pilgrimage agencies in relation to service provided. So far, the Ministry’s Hajj Affairs Department is only authorized to address subjects pertinent with Hajj trips.

not been accused of committing a certain crime. All of our requests were ignored by the American government,” he added.

Although the Kuwaiti Ministry of Foreign Affairs held negotiations with the American Ministry of Foreign Affairs, no result has been achieved, “The case is the responsibility and power of the American Defense Ministry. I’m really amazed at the negligence of Barack Obama, who promised to solve the Guantanamo issue. He did not even react to the official letter that was referred by HH the Amir in January this year.

Previously, the Amir also sent a letter to Obama in 2010, to which Hilary Clinton replied after two months, and it didn’t mention anything about releasing the detainees,” stressed Al-Odah.

The Committee has been cooperating with the NGO’s and media, “We are now in a better position than in the past. We have not achieved our goal of releasing the remaining two detainees. We are also dealing with the law firm of Abdulrahman Al-Haroun, after nine other agencies refused to deal with us. They

also came to Kuwait. In 2004, detainees were allowed to stand in front of the Military Commissions. In 2007, they were allowed to be judged in front of an American Federal court. Therefore, the United States has been ignoring this case,” he added.

The United States does release some of the detainees every time, with the aim of reducing international pressure exerted by human rights organizations. They previously announced that certain conditions have been set to release detainees such as building a rehabilitation center for detainees,” highlighted Al-Odah.

Dr Ghanim Al-Najjar, teacher at the CSS and a columnist noted that the Kuwaiti Parliament is not interested in this issue, owing to its priorities. I admit that the Parliament should work harder.

Also, the government should exert pressure on the United States because common interests are shared. Our government believes it too small and therefore cannot do anything. That is not right.

Every person has the right to receive a fair trial whatever be the charges pressed against him,” he added.

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Years

LOCAL Kuwait Digest

Sectarianism destroys Arab society

By Dr Ghanim Al-Najjar

S

ectarianism might have been the basic reason for establishing modern secular states in the middle of the 17th century when states were built on the basis of patriotism rather than religion, which ended decades of devastating wars that claimed thousands of lives in Europe.

After a century with new ideas following the industrial revolution, modern states needed wiser regimes, democracy, authorities’ integration and equality among everybody living in any state. We imported this form of national secular states and all our constitutions were designed with citizenship as the base of societies rather than religions or sects.

The problem is that we only imported the form while all our rulers and much of our political, media and social powers kept dragging states to ancient times.

The state of sectarian extremism spreading through Arab societies - including that between Muslims and Christians in Egypt - forced Egyptian human rights activists to send a message to the Egyptian PM demanding activation of a committee that would follow the implementation of citizenship and equality in constitutional securities and guarantees in order to achieve equal opportunities for all citizens regardless of their religion, belief, race or place of birth.

They also stressed that the committee should include independent figures representing all communal sects, namely those already suffering segregation or marginalization, in addition to some human rights organization representatives. A secular state should be more democratic and control political parties and NGOs while at the same time limiting the role of religious organizations in politics. They should also develop more moderate religious dialogue that would eliminate religious hatred and grudges in order to achieve more stability and moderation. In addition, the activists asked religious organizations to name one of their members to follow up all the organization publications or speeches to make sure they did not contradict with citizenship values.

It’s noteworthy to mention that the aforementioned memo had been also sent to the former Egyptian PM Ahmed Nazif in the aftermath of the church explosion in Alexandria and that all they needed now was to resend it to the current PM, Essam Sharaf. Sectarianism can only lead to complete annihilation of societies by undermining regimes, ending stability, and distracting people from growth. This can be countered once citizenship values are enhanced and prioritized. — Al-Jarida

Schoolboy rapes classmate at knifepoint in bathroom Woman sexually assaulted in Mahboula KUWAIT: Police are seeking the arrest of a schoolboy who has been accused of raping his classmate in the bathroom of a Mubarak Al-Kabeer school. The 16-yearold victim’s father filed a case with the nearest police station stating that his son was sexually assaulted at knifepoint. Based on the victim’s story, he was forced into the bathroom and threatened, reported Al-Rai. A forensic examination was performed on the youngster.

The case was referred to relevant authorities for further investigations.

Meanwhile, a woman filed a complaint with Fintas police station stating that she was raped at an apartment by an assailant who forced her out of a taxi in AlMahboula, shortly after it took off from her place of residence in Fahad Al-Ahmad. The victim told police that the suspect had followed the taxi for a while. He abducted her after forcing the taxi driver to stop the vehicle at gunpoint. She added that the suspect dropped her off at a location in Mahboula after committing the act, reported Al-Rai. Investigations are currently going on to identify the suspect and place him under arrest.

In another case, Mubarak Al-Kabeer police apprehended an Arab teacher after allegations of sexual harassment against a 14-year-old female student surfaced. The incident apparently took place in a Sabah AlSalem house, reported Al-Qabas. The suspect was arrested from his Farwaniya apartment, following investigations that were launched after the victim’s father reported the incident.

Street fight A citizen was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of Mubarak Hospital after sustaining three stab wounds to his head, chest and shoulder, during a street-fight that took place in Salmiya, reported Al-Rai. When police found him, he had been bleeding profusely.

Eyewitnesses reported that a vicious fight had taken place. A case was filed. Investigations into the case are ongoing.

caught with possession of a passport which contained forged data. The suspect raised suspicions when he told two officers who had intercepted him at a street that he does not carry a civil identification card. He handed them a passport, reported Al-Rai. The officers were able to detect that the expiration date on the suspect’s residence permit. The suspect was arrested.

Neighboring quarrel An Egyptian man was arrested in Ahmadi in connection with manslaughter and physical assault charges after attacking a pregnant woman. The suspect had reportedly pushed the Syrian woman from top of a ladder at a building where they live, while exchanging heated words, reported Al-Anba. The woman was rushed to Adan hospital.

Drunk arrested A Ministry of Information employee was arrested at the parking lot of a cafe located along Gulf Road. He entered into a fight with another driver while being under the influence of alcohol. The suspect reportedly claimed to be a police officer when he demanded that the other driver vacate a parking spot, reported Al-Rai. Police were informed, reached the scene and placed the suspect under control. They learnt that that man was under the influence of alcohol.

Official questioned A senior Ministry of Interior official created a ruckus at the Kuwait International Airport after entering into a heated dispute with a passport officer who refused to cooperate with him. The official had arrived from a nearby Gulf country and immediately headed to the passport counter, demanding that his passport be stamped first. When the female officer refused to comply with his demand, he verbally abused her, reported Al-Rai. Other officers escorted him out of the scene. The official was in an inebriated condition when the incident took place.

Beggar held An Arab man was arrested in Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh in connection with possession of an expired visit visa.

Security officers spotted the man who had been begging for alms. They learned that he had arrived in the country using a visit visa which had expired three months ago, reported Al-Rai. Police also seized KD 7,000 from the suspect’s possession. Meanwhile, officials also summoned the suspect’s cousin after he was found to be sheltering the suspect at home.

Passport forgery Farwaniya police arrested an Asian man who was

KUWAIT: Anti-drug officials arrested a Pakistani expat after catching him red-handed selling heroin. The police followed leads and confiscated 2 kg of heroin at his house in Mahboula and referred him to concerned authorities. — Photos by Hanan Al-Saadoun

Kuwait participates in Cyprus international fair NICOSIA: The 36th session of Cyprus international fair from M ay 6 to 15 was launched, under the pa trona g e of the Cypriot Pres ident Demetris Christofias, with the participation of Kuwaiti ambassador to Greece Raed Al-Rifae.

Kuwait participated in Cyprus fair with a pavilion including a number of industrial companies and institutions, besides Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI). The Kuwaiti pavilion won the title, the guest of honor, considering the distinguished

cooperation between the two countries in the economic and commercial fields.

Th e h e a d o f t h e p av i l i o n , t h e s u p e r v i s o r o f exports development in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry Moahmmad Abdullah Al-Mzayyen said that Kuwait is taking part with 13 companies and institutions, presenting their high quality industrial products.

The products include chemicals, soaps, detergents, and foods like juices and milk. — KUNA

Al-Anjari demanded Al-Saadoun’s partnership KUWAIT: The grilling motion filed against His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser AlMohammad Al-Sabah during the first parliamentary session following the Cabinet’s formation, did not ‘surprise’ the audience.

However, the identity of the two lawmakers who initiated it created speculations on the reasons behind making changes to the previously announced lineup of presenters.

The Popular Action Bloc’s(PAB) Khalid AlTahous announced that he would file a grilling motion in cooperation with MP Mubarak Al-

EQUATE launches ‘Stay Normal’ awareness campaign for diabetes KUWAIT: In cooperation with the Ministry of Health, EQUATE Petrochemical company launched its social awareness campaign “ Stay Normal “ to increase the awareness of Diabetes disease and highlight its serious affect on human body .

This campaign builds on last year’s campaign “ Stay Normal Awareness Campaign for Hypertension “ which met a notable success through increasing the awareness about Hypertension disease in Kuwait society . “ Stay Normal “ will activate its stands and road workshops all over Kuwait, through major malls and well known diwanyas in all Kuwait governorates.

EQUATE’s Vice President for Technical Services and head of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Team Mohammed Al-Benali said:” In EQUATE we insist on performing our part as one of the major economic bodies in Kuwait, through launching similar awareness campaigns

Mohammed Al-Benali and Dr Yousef Al-Nisf

every year. “ Stay Normal “ campaign this year highlights one of the major health problems in Kuwaiti society, which is “Diabetes disease” which has no obvious symptoms that encourage visiting a medical center. Diabetes seriously affects the performance of the eyes, kidneys, heart and arteries, it may lead to nonstop bleeding, and therefore, “Stay Normal” campaign emphasizes the need for blood sugar checkups and the importance of following a healthy lifestyle that involves exercising, healthy eating habits and avoiding stress.”

Al-Benali added, “Through employing an integrated media strategy “ Stay Normal” campaign aims at delivering its social and health message to all concerned individuals in cooperation with a qualified medical team from the Ministry of Health that plays a critical role in this campaign to increase awareness level regarding Diabetes, how to avoid it, and means of keeping it under control.

EQUATE’s employees will participate in all activities and engage with the target audience in its various activities.”

Al-Benali added, “ Realizing the need for sustainability; EQUATE established its own unique EQUATE CSR Program in 2005 to share its success with the community.

Previous initiatives launched by EQUATE include Breast cancer Self Examination Campaign (Keep Your Life Rosy!), EQUATE Plastic Awareness Campaign (Plastic ... Fantastic), EQUATE’s Initiative for a Healthy Society (Lighten Up), a number of agreements with a number of Kuwait University colleges, as well as annual university scholarships to EQUATE employees and Kuwaiti highschool graduates. In addition, EQUATE has been supporting and sponsoring several medical, educational and scientific organizations throughout Kuwait.

Waalan, as soon as the Cabinet swears in. It was the bloc’s leader himself, veteran anti-government parliamentarian Ahmad Al-Saadoun that presented the grilling.

On that regard, officials believe that this tactic was put forward because the stipulation was requested by the second MP who presented the grilling motion.

O fficials who spoke on condition of anonymity explained that MP Abdurrahman Al-Anjari welcomed the PAB’s request to participate in presenting the grilling motion. He

insisted that Al-Saadoun replace Al-Tahous.

This is because according to Al-Anjari, the interpellation motion’s presenters should be MPs who reached the Parliament “through legal means.”

This is to ensure that the grilling motion is 100 percent clear, from a legal standpoint, reported Al-Rai. Al-Saadoun and Al-Anjari are expected to strongly oppose the Cabinet’s projected attempt to refer the grilling motion to the constitutional court in order to prove its constitutionality.

KISR, KPC sign contracts for research projects KUWAIT: Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) yesterday signed five contracts with Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) for joint research projects on refining.

Director General of KISR Naji Al-Mutairi said that the contracts, worth KD 1.5 million, come within the framework of research-related cooperation memo between KISR and KPC, signed in April 2005.

The contracts include studies on effects of overlapping of the hydrogen sulfide and chloride ions on steel stress, as well as deep hydro-treating to remove sulfur from gas oil for producing sulfur-free diesel fuel.

KPC is fully owned by the State of Kuwait. Its diverse business interests across the spectrum encompass all aspects of the hydrocarbon industry, from onshore and offshore upstream exploration through production and refining, marketing, retailing, petrochemicals, as well as, marine transportation.

KISR, on the other hand, is promoting scientific and applied research, particularly in matters related to industry, natural and food resources and other primary constituents of national economy, in an endeavor to serve the goals of economic, technological and scientific development, and to advise the government on scientific matters and on scientific policy issues. — KUNA

KUWAIT: A cardboard factory in Sabhan caught fire and fire centers from Sabhan, Mubarak Al-Kabeer, Salmiya, Mangaf, and operations and back-up contained the fire within 100 square meters in the 6,000 square-meter factory. — Photos by Hanan Al-Saadoun

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KUWAIT: His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, National Assembly Speaker Jassem Al-Khorafi and other officials receive His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and his accompanying delegation at the airport as they return home after attending the 13th consultative summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council heads of state on Tuesday.

Kuwait Digest

Cabinet at crossroads

By Dr Abdulmuhsin Jamaal

T

he newly formed Cabinet is currently at the crossroads. They can either take the road of serious cooperation with the parliament to overcome the obstacles en route to achieving a promising future, or take an opposite road which will only lead to a deadend. But different opinions are either optimistic or pessimistic about the future of the new Cabinet. Eight of the ministers are returning to their old posts, while one was assigned with a different portfolio. The selection of six new ministers may give hope of improving the Cabinet’s chances of surviving the imminent clash with the parliament.

All in all, the changes made in the Cabinet have given hope in the political scene that cooperation with the parliament can be revived, which is important at this point to avert another parliamentary dissolution.

No one would benefit from such a situation, especially at a time when there are political struggles raging in the Arab region.

With hope that our politicians are aware of the importance of keeping the local situation from going out of control as we believe that there is a chance to look into the upcoming phase following the announcement of the new Cabinet, with optimism to achieve what is best for the country. There might be parties that seek to escalate political tension, but we think that the Cabinet can lead the political scene into a more promising future. — Al-Qabas

Kuwait real estate sector shows signs of recovery Residential segment exhibits greatest growth KUWAIT: According to several recently published repor ts, the outlook for Kuwait’s real estate sector is looking up.

After hitting a low in 2009, the real estate market has begun to show signs of recovery and following robust expansion in 2010, the sector appears poised to see further growth this year. On April 22, Kuwait Finance House (KFH), the country’s largest sharia-compliant financial institution, issued a report detailing the first-quarter performance of the domestic real estate sector. The KFH report estimated that the total value of real estate transactions - including the residential, investment and commercial segments grew by 5.3 percent over the previous quarter.

This continues a trend that was set in 2010. According to an April 2011 report, published by National Bank of Kuwait (NBK), real estate sales “have been trending higher since the middle of 2009 when the Kuwait and the world economies started recovering from the financial crisis”. Indeed, NBK found that average monthly real estate sales grew from KD108.7 million in 2009 to KD166.1 million in 2010, an increase of nearly 53 percent. In annual terms, this amounted to a total market of nearly KD2 billion in

Security media highlighted KUWAIT: Security Media is one of the important forms of media during modern times whether in public or private, a specialized academic said yesterday.

The coverage of security media stories require developed modern means of communications in addition to special media sk ills in this field, Assistant Professor at the Egyptian Halwan University Dr Mohammed Kamal Al-Qaddi said.

Al-Qaddi praised the efforts

put in by the KUNA Center For Training and Development of Media Skills in organizing training courses that cover the relationship between the media and public opinion, the meaning of specialized and security media and techniques during a security crisis. KUNA Center For Training and Development of Media Skills was established in December 1995 aimed at developing media capabilities of those who work in the media field. — KUNA

2010.

The residential segment, which accounted for about 55 percent of this total, exhibited the greatest growth, with sales expanding by 65 percent between 2009 and 2010. The government’s distribution of plots and units during the middle of 2010 may have been one of the factors that contributed to this rise. In comparison, the commercial segment increased by only 23 percent between the two years, reaching KD240 million ($842.6 million) in 2010.

Recent reports project an upward trend for the remainder of 2011.

According to KFH, liquidity in the real estate market has increased in recent months, in part thanks to a February 2011 grant of KD1,000 ($3500) to every Kuwaiti citizen and a decline in the number of investment opportunities in other Arab countries.

In addition, a recent legal decision that will allow Islamic banks to finance the purchase of private residences by individuals may provide another boost to the sector. In a statement provided to the local press on April 17, Abdulla AlShemmari, the CEO of Arkan Al Kuwait Real Estate Company, highlighted the potential positive impact of this legal

However, there have been dissenting views. Maytham Al-Shakhs, a portfolio manager at Global Investment House, told the press that the KIA’s investment is “a big mistake because it will cause a huge increase in prices. It would have been better to support other sectors like the investment and services sectors.”

A large injection of liquidity into the real estate market could indeed make profitable investments more scarce, but new residential and commercial developments are still coming to market.

Investors had a chance to review domestic and international projects at the Real Estate and Investment Exhibition, held at the Kuwait International Fairground in Mishref from April 11 to 16. According to Abdulaziz Al-Khalid, the Undersecretary of the Ministr y of Commerce and Industry, about 30 local and Gulf region companies were set to display a variety of real estate and investment projects at the fair.

While real estate prices may remain relatively low for now - at least in comparison to their historical highs - the rising demand from both individual homebuyers and institutional investors suggests that this may not be the case for long. - Oxford Business Group

MP calls on Iran to study GCC summit final statement DOHA: Kuwaiti MP Shuaib Al-Mwaizri called on Iran yesterday to study the final statements of GCC consultative summit issued on Tuesday.

He added in remarks to KUNA on the sidelines of his participation in Doha 11th forum that kicked off last Monday that the final statement came in accordance with the hopes and aspiration of Gulf people, and tackled the dangers and challenges facing Gulf security.

He added that this statement is not a “deterrent but is a warning because we disapprove of what Iran is doing to the Gulf states.” The people of Gulf countries share strong and deep-rooted ties, and are loyal to their homeland, the MP said.

Issues discussed at the summit focused on the future of the region, strategies of development apart from other matters of mutual importance, he said. He praised Qatar’s wise policy in the fields of economics and politics. — KUNA

Banks warned of ‘magic pen’

KUWAIT: Dr Abdul Razzaq Al-Nafisi, Director of Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET), yesterday signed a contract to build and maintain PAAET stadium and sport facilities at the PAAET Shuwaikh Complex.

development, noting that since the ruling corporate figures have indicated growing demand for residential properties.

Other factors may play a role too.

Earlier in April, a report issued by Emaar Al-Ahlia Real Estate Company emphasized the importance of the decision by the Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA), the country’s sovereign wealth fund, to invest in the local real estate sector. In March the KIA announced that it would launch a five-year, KD1 billion commercial real estate portfolio, to be managed

by KFH. In a statement to the state news agency, KIA said that it expected “good returns” in the medium and long term, pointing out the potential to benefit from the “steep plunge” in the prices of commercial real estate. Subsequently, on April 16, a KIA official noted that the fund expects a minimum return of 6 percent on its investment.

Positive response to the sovereign fund’s move came from the chairman of the Kuwait Real Estate Union, Tawfiq AlJarrah, who said, “Such huge liquidity in the real estate market will reflect positively on local investment and real estate firms, and the country’s bourse as well.”

KUWAIT: People who receive checks or contracts signed by customers are advised to examine the pen which they use to sign, and make sure that the pen doesn’t contain a type of ink which disappears hours or even days later, thus rendering the document useless.

Local banks have received a similar warning from the Central Bank of Kuwait, explaining in a confidential letter that a brand of Chinesemade pens have appeared in the local market.

These writing instruments look very similar to regular pens but contain a type of ‘magic ink’ which disappears after being used on paper within a few hours or days.

Rumors about this pen’s arrival in the market has been viewed with seriousness by local banks who fear that they might be misused on official documents.

So far, local authorities haven’t confirmed that the ‘magic pens’ have made their way to Kuwaiti markets but nevertheless, the Central Bank has opted to warn local banks to keep their eyes open for them. — Al-Rai

Committee formed to stop police personnel misuse KUWAIT: A special committee has been formed to stop the occurrence of cases where senior ministry officials use low-ranking officers to perform personal favors.

Sheikh Ahmad Al-Homoud Al-Sabah, Minister of Interior and Deputy Prime Minister will head the committee.

“The times during which an official had seven or eight officers to serve him and his family is over,” said an official, noting that this problem affects the quality of the police force’s performance. “No more complaints of shortages in police staff,” he said.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the ministry has not announced the subject officially.

The minister Al-Homoud was alerted to the problem after receiving letters from several departments, reported Al-Qabas.

He requested employees’ lists which uncovered incidents that policemen used outside of their official work.

Moreover, they indicated that the minister also prepares a plan to ‘restructure’ the ministry.

KUWAIT: The Ministry of Interior’s General Department of Training recently concluded its sixth Sign Language course, which took place between April 10 to May 10 at the Private Schools’ Department Theater in Hawally. It featured participation from 20 interior ministry employees whose job requires direct communication with various members of the society.

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Kuwait fights against abuse, ill-treatment UN convention against torture

Kuwait Digest

Temporary Cabinet?

By Mubarak Al-Maosharji

L

ooking into the formation of His Highness Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad’s new Cabinet doesn’t give me many reasons to be optimistic of its survival compared to its six predecessors. In my opinion, the same mistake committed in the formation of the first six Cabinets, was made in the seventh, which pertains to selecting ministers on the basis of favoritism rather than qualifications. This leads me to believe that the Cabinet’s chances of failure are higher than its chances of success - especially with the looming grilling motions.

Nevertheless, I would like to weigh in on the six new ministers who have joined the Cabinet for the first time. First, Ali Al-Rashid who was selected as the new Minister of Cabinet Affairs in place of Roudhan Al-Roudhan - who in my opinion was smart to refrain from returning to the Cabinet.

Anyway, I think that Al-Rashid’s selection was more of a ‘service reward’ than anything else.

Dr Amani Buresli is taking a huge risk by accepting the Ministry of Commerce and Industry portfolio, given her lack of political experience.

Meanwhile, Mohammad Al-Numas is assigned in Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs following two decades of work at the Savings and Credit Bank, after which he was ousted ‘diplomatically’ only to appoint him in a ministry that he isn’t familiar with.

The story is different with the newly-elected head of Ministry of Electricity and Water, Salem AlOthaina. He has the greatest chance of being successful among the other new ministers given his experience in the field of specialty. Meanwhile, Ahmad Al-Mulaifi is seen as someone who has all the required qualities of a political figure, which includes the experience and ability to deal with parliament members. It would have been better if he had been appointed as Minister of Cabinet Affairs, but nonetheless the Education and Higher Education portfolios he is assigned with comes with great challenges.

Finally, there’s the ‘aviator’ Sami Al-Nisf, the former longtime pilot and columnist. In my opinion, Al-Nisf was handed the two heaviest burdens that the government has, when he was selected to take over the information and communication ministries.

The Information Ministry requires a minister who has no other ministry in order to be able to revive the state’s official media that has been clinically dead. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Communications has numerous other burdens that include the ports, the airport, the Kuwait Airways privatization, the postal service as well as the phone services. We wish Al-Nisf best of luck in ‘piloting’ both ministries in route to success.

Either way, I don’t believe that the newcomers have enough capabilities to help HH Sheikh Nasser’s seventh Cabinet. I hope that the new Cabinet proves me wrong though, and it is actually successful in tackling all challenges ahead to restore stability in the local political scene. — Al-Rai

Red Crescent meeting KUWAIT: Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRCS) is fully geared up for the 38th consultative meeting of the Organization of Arab Red Crescent and Red Cross Societies due here on May 23.

The KRCS has taken all necessary procedures for ensuring a successful meeting and for harnessing all efforts for the purpose, the society’s public relations manager Abdelrahman Al-Oun said in news remarks here yesterday.

He listed such arrangements and preparations as forming preparatory committees that would define all relevant tasks and duties with a view to attaining the goals of the meeting. — KUNA

GENEVA: The State of Kuwait’s address before the United Nations Committee against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or degrading Treatment or Punishment in its 46th session laid emphasis on the country’s commitment to fighting all forms of harsh treatment and added that it has made great progress within a short period of time. This was reiterated in the address by the Head of the Kuwaiti Delegation to the Committee Ambassador Dharar Razzooqi during the Second Review of the periodic repor t on the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.

The ambassador said that many of the articles of Kuwaiti law state some of the principles presented in the convention, which the state signed in 1996. The Kuwaiti Constitution also includes several articles against torture and notes the Islamic Sharia’s guidelines as guiding principles. “These guidelines are in effect a translation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,” Ambassador Razzooqi remarked.

The Kuwaiti representative specifically recalled Article 31 of the Kuwaiti Constitution which

states, “No person shall be arrested, detained, searched, or compelled to reside in a specified place, nor shall the residence of any person or his liberty to choose his place of residence or his liberty of movement be restricted, except in accordance with the provisions of law.”

He also recalled Article 34, stating “An accused person is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a legal trial at which the necessary guarantees for the exercise of the right of defense are secured. The infliction of physical or moral injury on an accused person is prohibited.”

He also pointed out the amended Article 56 of the state’s penal code which states that anyone who abuses the powers of his post or position to inflict bodily or other non-bodily harm upon others is to be punished. The code stated there is to be harsher punishment in case such treatment was directed at an accused, employee, expert, or witness to dictate his statements and actions.

This policy is more than legal text and recommendation, he noted, but is cemented through many regulations guiding actual exercise of these humanitarian principles.

The state, he said, maintains highstandards training for security and

Arab Forum for the Blind concludes KUWAIT: The Second Arab Forum for the Blind, organized by the Kuwait Society for Blind(KSB) will conclude today. A ceremony to mark this occasion will be held under the patronage of His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-

Mohammad Al-Sabah. Arab delegations visited the Society’s Development Center hall in Al-Zahra where a workshop on advanced technology for the service of the blind was organized. During the workshop, CEO of Al-Nattiq Technologies

of the United Arab Emirates, Odah Huzaim, introduced the products that his company manufactures in service of the blind. The ‘Braille Sense’ device allows people with visual impairments to take notes using Braille and speech. The dele-

Gulf anti-doping meeting winds up KUWAIT: The Regional Anti-Doping Organization (RADO) in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states and Yemen concluded its ninth periodical meeting here yesterday.

The chairman of the RADO, Mohammad Al-Qambaz said the two-day gathering had come up with favorable outcomes that could lead to an effective crusade against sports doping, thus wriggling out of

the negative impacts of this scourge.

He hailed the organization’s efforts for attaining the best way to obviate the phenomenon of using performance enhancing drugs by athletes.

He added that the RADO’s director general Dr Mahmoud Khalifa would send a report to the Gulf Olympic Committee, obliging sports federations in the GCC member

states to compulsorily check athletes for doping in all upcoming sports championships.

Representatives from the GCC states partaking in the meeting submitted reports on their countries’ latest tactics on preventing athletes from using such drugs.

The chief of the RADO spoke highly of Kuwait’s efforts to ensure the organization’s successful activities. — KUNA

Dive team films documentary KUWAIT: The Kuwait Dive Team is preparing to film a documentar y about a sunken shipwreck at the seafloor near Ras Al-Zour in South Kuwait. This documentary will be the third of its kind to be prepared by the dive team, following several films on shipwrecks

legal institutions’ staff, investigates all complaints by the public regarding treatment by state representatives, clearly details guidelines for arrest and treatment of detainees, and also assigns specific teams to inspect and verify such regulations are heeded.

This tough stance against parties violating these guidelines is accompanied by care provided to victims of any such abuse, including the offer of temporary living quarters where they receive legal, psychiatric, and health counseling and care.

Stressing further on this point, he said the state has bodies specifically set up to oversee compliance with human rights and to promote awareness on all related issues.

Specific kinds of care are also guaranteed for those with special needs and the elderly so that care providers are held accountable if they inflict any kind of harm upon their charge, Razzooqi said.

The State of Kuwait takes its role as a member of the international community seriously and is active on all fronts, and will continue to assess and improve its performance and contributions, realizing it still has a long way to go, the ambassador pointed out. — KUNA

at the Uraifjan coral reef, and Al-Doha’s shore.

“The dive team is keen on the process of documentation for sunken ships in Kuwait’s waters, using aerial survey and nautical charts to locate shipwrecks precisely”, said Jassem Al-Nasrallah, documentation

super visor at the Environmental Voluntar y Foundation. The wrecked ship of Ras Al-Zoor is 50meters long, 10-meters wide and 6-meters high. It is home for various kinds of marine life including coral colonies, said Al-Nasrallah.

gations took part in several activities on Tuesday, including the two visits paid to Kuwait’s National Museum, and the Kuwait House for National Works(KHNW) in Shuwaikh. Awards were also distributed to winners of competitions.

Govt keen on facilitating matters for medical students abroad PARIS: The Health Ministry is keen on facilitating all matters affecting the stay and the study of Kuwaiti students of medicine abroad through cooperation with concerned authorities, Health Undersecretary Dr Ibrahim Al-Abdelhadi said yesterday.

Al-Abdelhadi said his current visit to France is part of a tour that also includes a stop in Germany aimed to assess the needs of scholarship students as well as to review the handling of the affairs of Kuwaiti patients in the two countries.

The undersecretary said he met a number of students here in presence of Health Office Director Abdullah Al-Wteib and they communicated certain difficulties they are facing, both legal and financial, and the latter shall be put before the Civil Service Commission for consideration. The official said he is later meeting education and health officials to discuss the agreement signed with the Kuwaiti Health Ministry concerning scholarships and to consider addition of new articles for the students’ benefit.

The Kuwaiti and French health ministries had signed an agreement four years ago stating 10 seats are allotted for Kuwaiti students each year to attain board certification. As for his meetings in Germany, Al-Abdelhadi said he and his accompanying delegation discussed the latest arrangements for the inauguration of the new Kuwaiti health office in central Frankfurt next week, which is to be closer to Kuwaiti patients’ places of residence and the health facilities.

He pointed out he took part in negotiations in Stuttgart aiming at a comprehensive deal for cooperation with Al-Razi Hospital in the field of orthopedic medicine and care.

Kuwait regularly sends patients to receive care in German health institutions for bone injuries and disease, spinal conditions and disease, and plastic and reconstructive surgery, and also sends doctors to attain higher qualifications in highly specialized areas of health care and medicine. — KUNA

THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2011

Philippines jails for life 2 Swedes over cybersex

US ‘has no right’ to kill Osama: Hamas Page 8

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Yemeni troops kill 2 protesters

SANAA: A Yemeni anti-government protester shouts slogans while being carried by fellow demonstrators demanding the resignation of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh in Sanaa yesterday.—AFP SANAA: Yemen’s security forces opened fire yesterday on anti-regime protesters in the city of Taez killing two and wounding five, medics said, as Gulf states urged Yemenis to press on with a transition plan. Yeterday’s deaths brought to seven the number of protesters killed since Sunday by security forces at Taez, 250 kilometers south of the capital, according to a tally by medics. Thousands of antiregime protesters took to the streets after the first protester was killed, marching towards several government offices in the city and forcing their closure, witnesses said.

They also marched towards the Yemen Petroleum Company and locked its gate using chains and put up a banner there saying: “Shut by the people.” In Ibb, also south of Sanaa, hundreds surrounded the governorate building plastering a similar poster on its entrance. Teachers demanding better pay and postponement of final exams have for days been staging a sit-in outside the regional ministry of education offices in Taez and were joined by hundreds of anti-regime protesters. Meanwhile, thousands also

gathered at a square in the capital Sanaa in solidarity with protesters in Taez. “We will sacrifice our souls and our blood for Taez,” chanted the protesters. Taez, the second largest city in the impoverished Arabian peninsula country, has become a focal point of protests demanding the ouster of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has been in power since 1978. In the main southern city of Aden, security forces opened fire on protesters who have blocked roads there in an attempt to carry out a strike which the organizers of the demonstrations have called for every Saturday and Wednesday.

Two protesters were wounded by live rounds, witnesses said. Shops also closed down in most of Aden’s neighborhoods, as sporadic gunfire was heard across the city, an AFP correspondent reported. A similar strike was observed in several other southern and southeastern provinces-Lahij, Shabwa and Abyan. The latest killing came as the Gulf Cooperation Council urged after a summit in Riyadh Tuesday that all parties in Yemen should sign up to a transition plan aimed at ending months of political

bloodshed in the country.

“The council urged all parties in Yemen to sign the agreement, which is the best way out of the crisis, and spare the country further political division and deterioration of security,” GCC leaders said in a statement Tuesday night. GCC heads of state had discussed the bloc’s mediation efforts in Yemen which stalled in the face of veteran Saleh’s refusal to sign up to proposals that would require him to stand down within a month.

Embattled Saleh has been insisting that any transfer of power should be in line with the constitution, which would allow him to serve out his term until 2013. The GCC plan proposes the formation of a government of national unity, Saleh transferring power to his vice president and resigning after 30 days, a day after parliament passes a law granting him and his aides immunity. GCC Secretary General Abdullatif Al-Zayani travelled to Sanaa last week to invite members of the government and the opposition to sign the transition plan in Riyadh and to obtain the president’s signature but he returned empty-handed. —AFP

Turkey to build two ‘new cities’ ISTANBUL: Turkey yesterday announced plans to build two earthquake-resistant developments in the Istanbul area to lure residents away from dangerous neighborhoods. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the first of two “new cities” would be built on abandoned quarries and coal pits at the edge of Istanbul’s European side. The second would be located on unused land on the Asian side, he said, without providing further details. The two new urban centers would have a population of about 1 million each.

Erdogan said studies for the project would begin soon after Turkey’s June 12 elections, while construction would start next year.

The main aim of the project is encourage people living in Istanbul’s earthquakeprone areas to move, he said. “We want to rescue our Istanbul from settlements that could perhaps lead to hundreds of thousands of deaths in the event of an earthquake,” Erdogan said. —AP

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Humbled Iran president faces tough final years DUBAI: Weeks of political storms in Iran came down to this moment. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad could choose to deepen his dispute with the country’s top ruler. Or here was a chance to make amends and lift Iran out of an ugly power struggle. He ended up doing a bit of both. At a Cabinet meeting Sunday, Ahmadinejad lavishly praised Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. But he added some jabs at those who sided with Khamenei in the showdown, which began over Iran’s spy chief but quickly expanded into a test of wills between the political machine of the presidency and the towering authority of the theocracy.

Ahmadinejad’s half-step contrition could say much about the tone of his final two years in office: humbled and diminished to some degree, but showing no intention of drifting quietly into a lame duck exit. The main message, experts say, is that Ahmadinejad has lost his favored-son status among the ruling clerics, and now Khamenei and the hard-line theocrats are reasserting their grip with parliament elections next year and the vote for Ahmadinejad’s successor in mid-2013. This all means Ahmadinejad may be increasingly sidelined in shaping important policies - including the nuclear standoff with the West and grooming a political heir.

Instead, the ruling system will likely try to keep Ahmadinejad and his allies boxed in politically and offer little change in Iran’s defiant approach to the West and its Gulf neighbors. At home, meanwhile, the clerics may apply even more pressure on Iran’s fractured opposition to keep it in line as the rest of the region is awash in pro-reform struggles, analysts say. “What we’re seeing is the ruling system showing its strength and Ahmadinejad displaying his weaknesses,” said Mehrzad Boroujerdi, who follows Iranian affairs at Syracuse University.

“That’s not to say he won’t still score some victories. But his time is already fading.” It was inevitable that attention would shift to the race to succeed Ahmadinejad as he has maxed out his time with two consecutive terms.

Ahmadinejad, however, dramatically sped up the look-ahead process with a political gambit that backfired. It started last month when he apparently forced the resignation of the influential Intelligence Minister Haidar Moslehi.

Some Iranian media speculated it was part of Ahmadinejad’s efforts to boost a possible presidential run by his close friend and chief aide, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei. Control of the Interior Ministry is considered an important tool in Iranian politics because its sensitive files have the potential to discredit rivals.

But Supreme Leader Khamenei tossed it all back, reinstating Moslehi and prompting a 10day disappearing act by Ahmadinejad, who stayed away from Cabinet meetings and other duties. The no-shows were interpreted as his most audacious challenge to Khamenei, the pinnacle of the Islamic leadership. Clerics, lawmakers and others warned Ahmadinejad to back down and return to work, which he did last week, but at a clear price. Now, the once ultra-confident Ahmadinejad appears off balance.

The ruling clerics, which vet all candidates for high office - have effectively killed any chance of Mashaei running for president as Ahmadinejad’s protege. Meanwhile, critics in Iran’s parliament sense Ahmadinejad is more vulnerable and have started another petition that could - in the most extreme scenario lead to impeachment proceedings. The chants at Friday prayers, too, have included obvious slaps at Ahmadinejad. “Death to opponents of the supreme leader,” the crowd roared at Tehran University last week.

Even Ahmadinejad’s longtime supporters, the hugely powerful Revolutionary Guard, signaled that he went too far.

Ahmadinejad got the message: stop messing with the very foundations of the Islamic system. He pulled back before he dug himself

any deeper. “ There is no doubt that Ahmadinejad’s power has been undermined,” said Abolghasem Bayyenat, a political analyst on Iranian affairs. But Bayyenat and others caution that all sides in Iran’s leadership are highly unlikely to escalate the disputes. The supreme leader is likely worried about any hints of disarray in Iran at a time of major upheavals in the Middle East.

Ahmadinejad knows he cannot win an open feud with the guardians of the Islamic Revolution and must be content with smaller steps on his main objectives: trying to further expand the independence and powers of the presidency and secure his legacy by having an ally elected in 2013. “Khamenei is extremely sensitive to giving any public impression of serious divisions among the top political leaders of the country and would thus like to keep a tap on the political situation,” said Bayyenat, who runs the website irandiplomacywatch.com. “While showing his respect for Khamenei, Ahmadinejad is also unlikely to buckle down under political pressure to dismiss ... Mashaei.” Mashaei is a hot button on both sides.

He is despised by hard-liners for his views that elevate the values of pre-Islamic Persia and statements suggesting Iran can oppose Israel’s government but can be friendly with

the Israeli people. Ahmadinejad, on the other hand, is fully vested in Mashaei as a member of his inner circle. Mashaei’s daughter is also married to Ahmadinejad’s son. Suzanne Maloney, an Iranian affairs expert at the Brookings Institution in Washington, said there was no doubt about the outcome of the political stare-down in Iran. “It didn’t tell us anything we didn’t know - that Khamenei is the top authority,” she said. But the context is crucial. It’s now about the jockeying for who will succeed Ahmadinejad.

Opposition groups claim that the Revolutionary Guard pulled the strings during the 2009 re-election of Ahmadinejad, which protesters allege was rigged. The Guard also led the fierce crackdown on demonstrators after the vote and have gradually expanded their power under Ahmadinejad. The Guard, however, has now made it clear that it will not back Ahmadinejad’s ally Mashaei and may further distance themselves from Ahmadinejad as damaged goods during his last two years in office. “The Revolutionary Guard is interested in the defense of the system rather than the defense of an individual,” said Maloney. “It would never sacrifice itself or its influence to stand by anyone seen as challenging the system. Ahmadinejad has cast himself in that role.”— AP

US ‘has no right’ to kill Osama: Hamas Meshaal says Syria needs more democracy

MISRATA: Libyan rebels patrol a street near the airport of Misrata yesterday as they celebrate after capturing the city’s strategic airport following a fierce battle with Muammar Gaddafi troops, marking their first significant advance in weeks. —AFP

UN chief calls for Libyan cease-fire GENEVA: UN chief Ban Ki-moon called for “an immediate, verifiable cease-fire” in Libya yesterday and said Muammar Gaddafi’s government had agreed to another visit by a special envoy. The secretary-general said he spoke with Libya’s prime minister by phone late Tuesday to urge a ceasefire and demand unimpeded access for UN humanitarian workers there.

He also called on Gaddafi’s forces to stop attacking civilians.

Ban said the prime minister, Baghdadi Al-Mahmoudi, agreed to receive a special UN envoy who would now travel to Tripoli to undertake “negotiations for a peaceful resolution of the conflict and unimpeded access for humanitarian workers.” The UN chief said it would be the seventh such visit to Libya by his envoy, Abdul Ilah Khatib, a Jordanian politician and economist who has twice served as foreign minister. Ban pronounced the uprisings across North Africa and the Arab world a rare but fragile opportunity to advance democracy and human rights.

He said the movements must be “nurtured and carefully handled by the people who created it.” Ban called on all nations’ patrol ships off the Libyan coast in the Mediterranean Sea to help prevent more tragedies like the apparent deaths of all 600 African migrants aboard an overcrowded ship to Europe that broke apart within sight of the Libyan capital. “I’m disturbed

by accounts of people fleeing the fighting, losing their lives at sea,” Ban said. “I ask patrol vessels in the Mediterranean not to wait for distress signals to offer help. Any boat leaving Libya should be considered a boat in need of assistance and protection.”

Ban said he approved of President Barack Obama’s decision to send Navy SEAL commandos into Pakistan to kill Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. “This operation was conducted under extremely difficult, extremely dangerous situations, and that’s why I expressed my relief that justice was done to this mastermind of crimes,” Ban said. Asked whether he believes NATO coalition forces are exceeding their UN authorization or should step their attacks to oust Gaddafi, Ban said those forces have a mandate “to take necessary military action to prevent Gaddafi forces (in their attempt) to kill those civilian population(s).”

In Brussels, NATO welcomed Ban’s call for a cease-fire. “Of course we agree with the UN Secretary-General,” NATO spokeswoman Carmen Romero said. “NATO would like to see an immediate end to the violence since our mandate is to protect civilians.”

“There can be no solely military solution to the crisis in Libya,” she said. NATO SecretaryGeneral Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who is on a visit to the United States, said last month that any cease-fire must be verifiable and credible, and that there must be a complete end to attacks against civilians. — AP

Libya war paves way for deadly boat trips TRIPOLI: Libya’s civil war, resulting security lapses and complicit security forces have paved the way for African migrants to make often-deadly boat trips to Italy, a social worker and migrant workers say.

A boat carrying up to 600 people from Libya to Italy is missing and reportedly capsized off Tripoli’s coast on Friday, the latest in a string of accidents involving overloaded boats carrying migrants hungry for a brighter future in Europe.

A Tripoli-based social worker who works with African migrants and requested anonymity for fear of retribution said that authorities had generally prevented migrants from sailing for Europe, until war between rebels and Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi’s forces broke out in February. “Before the conflict, you have no access; you can’t do that, because there was a high patrol around the shores,” she said. Now, members of Libya’s security forces “are the ones arranging all this,” she said of the dangerous voyages that can cost passengers from hundreds to thousands of dollars.

And “naval officers who have boats ... even accompany them to international waters and teach the captain how to take the boat” in exchange for money.

The boats can depart from Libya “because of the crisis,” said Mary Anne, a 35-year-old Nigerian who has lived and

worked in Libya for ten years and knows various people who have departed for Italy by boat. Libyan authorities generally blocked the boats before, but police will now help arrange passage in exchange for money, she said.

Mary Anne said she knew several people who were passengers on the boat that has been missing since Friday, which a woman whom she knows named Ada, who disembarked just before it set sail, said had sunk. Ada “said the boat is shaking, shaking, shaking” when it was still moored, so she got off along with an unknown man, Mary Anne said. The boat continued to rock after it left port, as passengers chanted, “Blood of Jesus, blood of Jesus, blood of Jesus!” before it sank beneath the waves off Tripoli’s coast, she said, citing an account from Ada, who could not be reached for comment.

Mary Anne also knew a man named Ike, his wife Aisha, their eight-month-old daughter Marian and two of their friends who were not as lucky as Adathey did not get off the boat before it went to sea. Adam, a 31-year-old Nigerian construction worker who came to Libya with his wife to work and save up enough money to open a business back home, generally blamed the conflict for the deaths of migrants trying to reach Europe by boat. — AFP

PARIS: Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal said the United States had no right to kill Osama bin Laden but said this did not mean the Palestinian Islamist group supported Al-Qaeda’s attacks on civilians. Speaking on France 24 television, the Damascus-based Meshaal also said there should be more freedom in Syria, where President Bashar Al-Assad has deployed his armed forces to crush a seven-week-old revolt against his authoritarian rule. “Concerning bin Laden everyone knows Hamas has differences from AlQaeda ... especially (its) operations targeting civilians, but all this doesn’t give the US the right to kill as they please without any regard for the law and to assassinate Arabs and Muslims, blaming everything on them and accusing them of terrorism,” Meshaal said in the France 24 interview.

During the height of a Palestinian uprising between 2000 and 2005, Hamas carried out dozens of suicide bombings in Israeli towns and it is classified by the United States and the European Union as a terrorist group. Questions about the bin Laden killing have multiplied since the White House said that he was unarmed when US commandos shot dead the Al-Qaeda leader on Monday in the walled villa where he had been hiding in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad. “The fact they disposed of his body at sea is unacceptable and has touched the dignity of Muslims,” Meshaal said, speaking through an interpreter.

Meshaal, who lives in exile in Syria’s capital while Hamas runs Gaza, took a cautious stance on events in Syria but called for more democracy. “We want to see more stability, prosperity and a stronger government that responds to the people’s aspirations,” he said. “(We want) more freedom and democracy in order to serve the interests of the people and reach a model between the regime and the people and help strengthen the country against external aggression.”

Hamas won a Palestinian parliamentary election in 2006. Meshaal was speaking in Cairo

WEST BANK: Palestinians wave their national flag during a rally to support the political unity deal between the Hamas movement, which rules in the Gaza Strip, and its West Bank rival party Fatah, yesterday.—AFP after attending a ceremony hosted by Egypt that formally ended four years of strife between Hamas and its more secular Palestinian rival Fatah, an accord aimed at advancing the Palestinians’ goal of statehood in territories occupied by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war.

He urged the United States and the European Union to support the reconciliation deal-both are wary because of Hamas’s refusal to recognize Israel or renounce violence-but warned the Jewish state that if it continued to imprison Palestinians, Hamas would not free Israeli soldiers. Israeli efforts to secure Gilad Shalit, a soldier who vanished during a Hamas raid into Israel in 2006, have stalled, Meshaal said, blaming Prime Minister Benjamin

Netanyahu. “Netanyahu is responsible for the delay in his release... we hope negotiations will start again and I hope Netanyahu will not force us to kidnap other Israeli soldiers,” he said.

Netanyahu is under growing domestic pressure to secure Shalit’s release and meet Hamas demands to swap Shalit for imprisoned Palestinian militants charged with masterminding lethal bombings inside Israel over the past decade.

“If the only way to release our prisoners is the imprisonment of more Israeli soldiers then Israeli authorities and Netanyahu will have to bear the consequences of not having released our Palestinian prisoners,” said Meshaal. — Reuters

Qaeda likely to elevate No 2 or name no one BAGHDAD: A week after the death of Osama bin Laden, his longtime deputy is considered the front-runner to succeed the iconic Al-Qaeda founder. But uprisings in the Middle East and changing dynamics within the group could point to another scenario: a decision not to appoint anyone at all to replace the world’s most-wanted terrorist.

Replacing bin Laden, who founded Al-Qaeda more than two decades ago and masterminded 9/11, may be no easy task. Analysts say the choice will likely depend on how the terror organization views its goals and priorities in the post-bin Laden age.

The revolt across the Arab world over the past few months was driven by aspirations for Western-style democracy, not the Al-Qaeda goal of a religiously led state spanning the Muslim world. And as Al-Qaeda struggles to prove its relevance, the group has become increasingly decentralized and prone to internal disputes. “You almost have to start with the question of ‘Can he be replaced?’ said Lt. Col. Reid Sawyer, the director of the West Point, NY,based Countering Terrorism Center.

Whether Al-Qaeda “even need name an ‘official’ new leader is uncertain,” wrote Rita Katz and Josh Devon in a report by SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors jihadist Web traffic. “So long as the group can continue to issue messages ... the group will remain a guiding light for the global jihadist community.” If Al-Qaeda does pick a successor, Sawyer and other analysts said Ayman Al-Zawahiri, 59, is the most likely choice because he was bin Laden’s longtime deputy and has far more experience than

younger candidates. Few may want to challenge him openly for the top spot, analysts said.

“If he is passed over for someone else, it tells me that Al-Qaeda has already splintered,” said Fawaz Gerges, an Al-Qaeda scholar at the London School of Economics. AlZawahri is an Egyptian doctor who is believed to be hiding somewhere in Pakistan. He founded the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, which was dedicated to overthrowing Hosni Mubarak’s government, before merging his group with Al-Qaeda.

But Al-Zawahiri lacks bin Laden’s personal appeal, and some members of Al-Qaeda have found him a controlling micromanager, said a senior US intelligence official who briefed reporters in Washington.

“There are strong indications that he is not popular within certain circles of the group. So I believe it’s an open question as to who will take over,” said the official, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive issues frankly. One possible challenger is Abu Yahia AlLibi, a Libyan who serves as AlQaeda’s Afghanistan commander.

Al-Libi, an Islamic scholar, escaped from the US Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan in 2005 and began appearing in videos released by the terror group. Another possibility is Saif al-Adel, an Egyptian who was indicted by the US for his role in the Aug 7, 1998 bombings of US embassies in Tanzania and Kenya that killed 224 people. But his close ties with Al-Zawahri and lack of religious credentials make him unlikely to lead the group.

Other militants better known in the West, such as Afghan Taleban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar or

American-born Adam Gadahn, known as Azzam Al-Amriki, stand no chance. Mullah Omar was never a member of Al-Qaeda, and Gadahn lacks stature within the movement. Another well-known name, US-born cleric Anwar AlAwlaki, is considered a long-shot at best. Al-Awlaki, who is based in Yemen, is one of the most prominent English-language radical clerics whose sermons have influenced militants involved in attacks or attempted attacks on American soil.

But his lack of operational experience and the fact that he’s not even the top leader in Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula argue against him.

If Al-Zawahiri is the successor, he will face sharp challenges in trying to make his severely debilitated organization a force following the Arab spring and bin Laden’s death

May 2 in a US raid on his hideout in Abbottabad, Pakistan. After the 9/11 attacks, the West feared that jihad would resonate among millions of disadvantaged and disaffected Arab youths, who saw bin Laden’s teachings as the best way to shake off the oppressive governments and the Americans who backed them. The appeal of AlQaeda’s message lost much of its luster in the savagery of the Iraq war, when the terror movement’s Iraqi franchise massacred thousands of Shiite civilians and butchered helpless hostages before television cameras.

In the popular revolts that broke out in Tunisia and spread throughout the Arab world, youthful protesters demanded democracy - a system of government despised by jihadis as against the laws of God rather than a religiously based state

DAMASCUS: In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Syrian pro-government supporters carry pictures of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad during a sit-in in front of the US Embassy in Damascus, Syria yesterday. —AFP

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Files from Colombia’s FARC rebels show ties to Chavez Think tank combed through documents captured in raid BOGOTA: Colombian leftist guerrillas may have tried to assassinate rivals of Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez and trained his supporters in urban warfare, an analysis of thousands of seized rebel documents showed on Tuesday. The study of the files seized during a 2008 raid on a rebel camp inside Ecuador also showed that the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) contributed some $400,000 to Ecuador’s President Rafael Correa’s election campaign.

MEMPHIS: Cars stand submerged in overflow water from the Wolf River on McMiller Road in Memphis, Tenn. on Tuesday. —AP

Flooded river taking aim at Mississippi Delta VICKSBURG: The Mississippi River flowed into the most poverty-stricken parts of the US yesterday, leaving some low-lying Memphis neighborhoods inundated, but the city’s high levees protected much of the rest.

Over the past week or so in the Delta, floodwaters along the rain-swollen river and its backed-up tributaries have already washed away crops, forced many to seek higher ground and closed some of the dockside casinos that are vital to the state’s economy.

But the worst is yet to come, with the crest expected over the next few days. The damage in Memphis was estimated at more than $320 million as the serious flooding began, and an official tally won’t be available until the waters recede. To the south, there were no early figures on the devastation, but with hundreds of homes already damaged, “we’re going to have a lot more when the water gets to where it’s never been before,” said Greg Flynn, a spokesman for the Mississippi emergency management agency. Across the region, federal officials anxiously checked and reinforced the levees, some of which could be put to their sternest test ever.

In northwestern Mississippi, crews have been using dirt and sand to make a levee higher at the Bolivar-Coahoma county line in the north Delta, said Charlie Tindall, attorney for the Mississippi Levee Board. Inmates also put sandbags in a part of the levee where a “sand boil” was discovered Monday night, he said Tuesday. A “sand boil” occurs when water moves under the structure of a levee, sending bubbles up on the other side that make it appear as though the sand is boiling. About 10 miles north of Vicksburg, contractors lined one side of what is known as a backwater levee with big sheets of plastic to keep it from eroding if floodwaters flow over it as feared - something that has never happened to the levee since it was built in the 1970s. In Vicksburg, which is at the southern tip of the rich alluvial soil in the central part of the state, the river was projected to peak Saturday just above the record set during the cataclysmic Great Flood of 1927. The

town is home to thousands of soldier graves.

Widespread flooding was expected along the Yazoo River, a tributary that is backed up because of the bloated Mississippi. Rolling Fork, home of the bluesman Muddy Waters, was also in danger of getting inundated. Farmers built homemade levees to protect their corn, cotton, wheat and soybean crops, but many believed the crops would be lost entirely. More than 1,500 square miles of farmland in Arkansas, which produces about half of the nation’s rice, have been swamped over the past few weeks, and the economic impact will be more than $500 million, according to the state’s Farm Bureau.

Vicksburg National Military Park, where thousands of Civil War soldiers who died in an 1863 battle are buried, was expected to remain dry. The park is the site where Maj Gen Ulysses S Grant’s troops entrapped a Confederate army under Lt Gen John Pemberton, forcing its surrender. The victory effectively split the Confederacy in half. Vicksburg was forecast to see its highest river level ever, slightly above the 56.2-feet mark set in 1927. Farther south in Natchez, forecasters said the 1937 record could be shattered by 4 feet on Saturday. The Mississippi crested in Memphis at nearly 48 feet, just short of its all-time record of 48.7 feet.

Some homes had polluted floodwaters near their first-floor ceilings, while others were completely submerged. Snakes and other creatures slithered in the foul water, and officials warned of bacteria. Nearly 500 people in Memphis were in shelters.

President Barack Obama declared Memphis’ Shelby County and surrounding counties disaster areas, making them eligible for federal aid. On the downtown Memphis riverfront, people came out to gawk at the river. High-water marks were visible on concrete posts, indicating that the level was dropping slowly. “It could have been a lot worse. Levees could have broke,” said Memphis resident Janice Harbin, 32. “I’m very fortunate to stand out here and see it and not be a victim of the flood.” —AP

Utah’s immigration law joins Arizona’s - in court SALT LAKE CITY: Utah insists its new immigration law is different than Arizona’s, but the 1-day-old statute is similarly stuck before a federal judge who will hear arguments in two months about its constitutionality. US District Judge Clark Waddoups issued his ruling Tuesday in Salt Lake City just 14 hours after the Utah law went into effect. The legislation would have allowed police to check the citizenship status of anyone they arrest, and Waddoups said there is sufficient evidence that at least some portions of the law will be found unconstitutional.

The American Civil Liberties Union and National Immigration Law Center last week sued to stop the implementation of House Bill 497, saying it could lead to racial profiling. The civil rights groups submitted hundreds of pages of evidence and affidavits to prove their claims ahead of a hearing Tuesday. Utah Assistant Attorney General Jerrold Jensen said the ruling was “not a surprise.” Jensen said after the hearing that the law is “fully constitutional” and that his office plans to “argue it vigorously.”

Utah’s law is significantly different from Arizona’s because it doesn’t allow police to check the status of every person they encounter, Jensen said in court. “They want to try the Arizona law, and they make allegations against Utah that may well have applied to Arizona,” Jensen said. “But just because the Arizona law is unconstitutional doesn’t mean the Utah law is unconstitutional.” The next hearing on is set for July 14. Waddoups could then decide whether to allow the law to go into effect or overturn it because of constitutional issues. If he overturned it, the measure’s fate could depend on the US Supreme Court’s opinion on the Arizona law. On Monday, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer announced a plan to ask the nation’s high court to overturn a ruling that keeps her state’s immigration enforcement law on

hold. The state must file its appeal by July 11. The Supreme Court has discretion on whether to hear the case. “It seems like this is a big enough national issue that it will ultimately be determined by the United States Supreme Court,” Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne said Monday.

A three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in April that the US Justice Department is likely to prove Arizona’s law is unconstitutional and succeed in its argument that Congress has given the federal government sole authority to enforce immigration laws. Brewer’s lawyers have argued the federal government hasn’t effectively enforced immigration law and that the state’s intent in passing the law was to assist federal authorities as Congress has encouraged. The federal government argued the law intrudes on its exclusive authority to regulate immigration, disrupts relations between the US and Mexico, hinders cooperation between state and federal officials, and burdens legal immigrants.

The Utah law, signed by Republican Gov Gary Herbert in March, would require police to check the citizenship status of anyone arrested on suspicion of a felony or Class A misdemeanor, while giving officers discretion to check the citizenship of those stopped for traffic infractions and other lesser offenses. Class A misdemeanors include theft, negligent homicide and criminal mischief, while felonies range from aggravated burglary to rape and murder. In a statement after the ruling, Herbert said he has told law enforcement officials the law is on hold but was confident the state would prevail. “Utah’s attorney general and state Legislature worked hard to craft a bill that would withstand constitutional scrutiny,” Herbert said in a statement after the ruling. “Utah will have ample opportunity in court to demonstrate this bill is on solid footing.” —AP

Venezuela’s embassy in London questioned the authenticity of the documents published by the British-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), calling them a “dodgy dossier ” that could be exploited to sabotage warming ties between the ideologically-opposed neighbors.

Correa dismissed the IISS findings as “absolutely false.”

Accusations have been swirling since Colombian authorities captured computer hard drives belonging to a FARC leader, Raul Reyes, after he and other rebels were killed in the air raid three years ago.

“A lot of this material has been traveling through the public domain one way or another over the last years but the utility of this dossier is it provides authentic confirmation from the FARC perspective,” IISS’ Nigel Inkster told Reuters. Colombia turned over the complete files to IISS, an independent think tank, for study after they were confirmed genuine by Interpol. The 2008 attack triggered a diplomatic dispute between Alvaro Uribe’s conservative government in Colombia and both Ecuador and Venezuela, which escalated when Uribe confronted Chavez with what he said was evidence Venezuela harbored and supported rebels.

Ties have improved dramatically since the election of Colombia’s new President Juan Manuel Santos last August.

Venezuela has always disputed the alleged contents of the files seized in the raid, and on Tuesday its embassy in London said there was “serious doubt on the authenticity and validity of the information.” “This could become part of an aggressive propaganda

CARACAS: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez gestures during a May Day rally in Caracas, Venezuela, on May 1, 2011. —AFP tool against Venezuela to undermine progress in the region, precisely at a time when relations between Venezuela and Colombia have reached a level of stable cooperation and friendly dialogue,” the embassy said in a statement.

COMPLEX TIES According to the archives, the FARC responded to requests from Venezuela’s intelligence services to provide urban warfare training to pro-Chavez groups when the socialist leader was feeling vulnerable following a brief 2002 coup.

US SEAL sleuths expose those who faked service Shipley is that they’re stealing someone else’s valor - credit due to those who put themselves in harm’s way. “The more outrageous a story is, in a lot of cases, the more it’s believed. These guys do a terrible amount of damage,” said Shipley. It’s easy to see why folks look up to the SEALs, trained to fight on sea, air and land, because they undergo some of the toughest military training in the world. Out of each group of SEAL recruits, 70 percent fail to make it through a six-month training course that’s a test of mental and physical toughness, said Lt. Cate Wallace, spokeswoman for the Naval Special Warfare Command in California. Those who become bona fide SEALs wear a gold trident.

There are just 2,500 on active duty, many serving in the world’s most dangerous places.

What’s especially frustrating about people who have been exposed as frauds, Bailey said, is when they continue lying about their service. Wallace said that those who are blatant in their deception or threaten the public safety are turned over to the US attorney’s office for investigation. In Pennsylvania, the Rev. Jim Moats from the Christian Bible Fellowship Church in Newville was called out by Shipley after he was quoted in The PatriotNews of Harrisburg talking about his life as a SEAL in Vietnam. Later, he admitted he lied. “It’s an ego-builder, and it’s just simply wrong,” Moats told the newspaper. He didn’t return a call from The Associated Press. Moats has plenty of company. These days, Bailey and several others are exposing phonies through a website, stolenvalor.com.

Steve Waterman, a retired Navy diver and a website participant, said it’s MAINE: In this Oct. 10, 2001 file photo, lob- easy to ferret out the real deal from the sterman, author and former Navy underwa- phonies. Dead giveaways are loose ter photographer Steve Waterman poses at tongues and bravado; SEALs are disthe pier in South Thomaston, Maine. creet, Waterman said. Waterman, Waterman has uncloaked more than 100 author of the book “Just a Sailor,” never had any desire to become a SEAL. “I bogus US Navy SEALs. —AP watched them train. That was scary missions. A retired Navy SEAL from Virginia who enough for me,” he said. Shipley agreed that devotes much of his time to outing the phonies SEALs don’t talk about their exploits. “It makes said he’s receiving 40 to 50 inquiries a day from us uncomfortable,” he said. “We don’t like talking people suspicious of claims by friends, neigh- about it. But these (phonies), that’s what they bors or colleagues who say they’re SEALs. Their crave. They like talking about cutting people’s doubts are usually confirmed with just a few throats.” Last weekend, several dozen SEALs checks. The Naval Special Warfare Command joined together as a Navy warship was chrisalso receives a steady stream of inquiries about tened at Maine’s Bath Iron Works in the name of possible SEALs, the vast majority of which are Lt. Michael Murphy, a SEAL officer killed in debunked, said Lt Cate Wallace, spokeswoman Afghanistan.

Murphy scrambled into a clearing, exposing for the command in California. And Larry Bailey, a retired SEAL, estimates he and friends who are himself to a hail of Taliban gunfire in order to former SEALs have exposed 35,000 phonies get a clear signal to call in reinforcements durthrough the years. “There were about 500 SEALs ing a firefight on June 28, 2005. He was shot that operated in Vietnam, and I’ve met all and later died along with two other members of 20,000 of them,” Waterman joked. Wannabes lie his SEAL team and another 16 rescuers whose to get free beers, to get women into bed, to fur- helicopter was shot down. Nathanael “Lalo” ther their civilian careers or to get military bene- Roberti, a former SEAL, was supposed to be on fits. But what really bugs retired SEAL Don the helicopter that was shot down. —AP PORTLAND: As long as there have been Navy SEALs, there have been men pumping up their resumes or thumping their chests in bars with bogus claims of being one of the Navy’s elite warriors. The latest crop includes a Pennsylvania minister who let his congregation believe he was a SEAL and repeated the lie to a newspaper, and there’s no sign of such bogus claims abating anytime soon, especially after a secretive team of Navy SEAL commandos killed Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

The US Navy’s elite Sea, Air Land Teams, or SEALs, are known for their ability to operate on any terrain as well as under water and are commonly deployed to carry out unconventional warfare, hostage rescue and counter-terrorism

“The archive offers tantalizing but ultimately unproven suggestions that FARC may have undertaken assassinations of Chavez’s political opponents,” Inkster said in a presentation.

The documents also show Ecuador’s Correa receiving campaign cash from the leftist rebels, although this did not necessarily translate into government favors after he was elected. Correa adamantly denied receiving money from the guerrillas. “I have never in my life met anyone from the FARC, and would never have accepted even 20 cents from an organization like that,” Correa told reporters on Tuesday. Colombia’s government said it would not comment on the new study. “(Relations with Venezuela) are very good and the position of the Santos government is to strengthen them even more,” Vice President Angelino Garzon told Colombian radio.

The files reveal a complex relationship between Chavez and the FARC, with the charismatic Venezuelan leader sometimes making promises to the group and then not following through.

According to the documents, Chavez also met in person several times with leading FARC members.

The FARC is at its weakest in decades following the deaths of top commanders and desertions prompted by a government crackdown aided by billions of dollars in US support. But the rebels remain powerful in some areas of Colombia, helped by their involvement in the lucrative drug trade, kidnapping for ransom and alliances with other armed groups.

References to the group’s links with local and international drug traffickers is peppered through the archive, Inkster said.—Reuters

News US may tap Interpol database for Osama VALLETTA: US agencies are likely using Interpol databases to research new information found in the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, Interpol’s secretary-general said yesterday. Ronald Noble said the huge cache of intelligence “has not been shared formally or officially with Interpol” but that does not mean it is not being actively investigated using Interpol information. “You can do a main check, a fingerprint check, a DNA check, a phone number check, an email address check, without saying it is linked to bin Laden or anti-terrorism,” Noble told reporters on the opening day of Interpol’s European Regional Conference. Noble said the United States is one of the most active users of Interpol’s databases, and that he expects they are already combing them for clues about past or planned terror activities. “It is possible, it is very likely, that those consultations are happening right now,” Noble said. Information gathered in one attack may not lead to immediate answers, but can sometimes later help resolve other crimes. He cited the 2003 Casablanca attack, when a string of suicide bombings killed at least 45 people in the Moroccan city.

CNN’s Reinhardt dies at 91 ATLANTA: Burt Reinhardt, one of CNN’s first presidents and a television pioneer who is credited with helping to build the global news network in its formative years, died at his home near Atlanta on Tuesday. He was 91. Reinhardt suffered from a series of strokes before his death in Marietta, Georgia, said his daughter, Cheryl Reinhardt.

“Without Burt Reinhardt, it is doubtful that CNN would exist today,” said Tom Johnson, who in 1990 succeeded Reinhardt as the 24-hour network’s chief. Reinhardt joined CNN in 1979 as the start-up network prepared to launch its new idea, his daughter said. Turner Broadcasting founder Ted Turner named Reinhardt as president in January 1982.

During his tenure, he oversaw the beginning of “Larry King Live,” which just ended its run late last year, and much of the network’s expansion. “Burt’s career in the news business is a long and very distinguished one, and the job he’s done for us has been tremendous,” Turner said when Reinhardt was hired. Turner could not be reached for comment Tuesday night. Though many Americans associate Ted Turner with CNN, colleagues at the station say Reinhardt played a crucial role in the network’s success.

Haitian diaspora to vote PORT-AU-PRINCE: Haitian lawmakers have granted the diaspora the right to vote for the first time, a major political shift for the Caribbean nation as it seeks to recover from a catastrophic 2010 earthquake. In an amendment to the 1987 constitution drawn up after the fall of dictator JeanClaude “Baby Doc” Duvalier, legislators voted late Monday to recognize multiple citizenship for the up to four million Haitians living abroad. Members of the diaspora must still renounce foreign nationality to campaign for president and most other elected offices, but the residency requirement for candidates was reduced from five to three years. The small print was still to be fleshed out before the measure becomes law by the weekend, but officials said dual nationals would be able to serve as mayors and local councilors as well as enjoy better property rights. In a separate development, the National Assembly rejected a controversial amendment to the constitution that would have allowed president-elect Michel Martelly to serve two consecutive five-year terms.

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22 quakes rock Italy No earthquake in Rome despite myth

MINSK: A former opposition presidential candidate Nikolai Statkevich, center, sits in a cage during a court session in Minsk, Belarus yesterday.—AP

Lukashenko’s rivals on trial MINSK: Two Belarusian activists who ran against President Alexander Lukashenko in an election last year went on trial yesterday on charges of organizing mass unrest, part of a crackdown by the authorities on the opposition. Nikolai Statkevich and Dmitry Uss face up to 15 years jail if found guilty of the charge which relates to a rally in the capital Minsk on Dec. 19 when thousands of people protested against Lukashenko’s reelection.

Altogether five out of the nine opposition candidates who stood against Lukashenko are being tried on charges relating to the December rally which riot police broke up. Andrei Sannikov, a former deputy foreign minister and co-founder of the Charter 97 rights group who also ran against Lukashenko, is on trial in a different court on a similar charge. Two others, Vladimir Neklyayev and Vitaly Rymashevsky, are being tried on lesser charges. The crack-

down has triggered renewed sanctions by the United States and the European Union against Lukashenko, who has ruled the former Soviet republic since 1994.

These include a travel ban on Lukashenko and about 150 of his close political associates. Social tension has risen in Belarus since a bomb killed 14 people in a Minsk metro station on April 11. People have also been hit by a severe currency crisis. A shortage of foreign currency has led to a run on imported goods in shops and hoarding of staples such as sugar and cooking oil. People are queuing for hours-and sometimes overnight- to snap up dollars from street foreign exchange points. Some analysts say a formal devaluation of the Belarussian rouble, which would bite into people’s savings, appears to be growing nearer and could undermine election pledges by Lukashenko to gradually raise living standards. — Reuters

LONDON: Disabled protestors demonstrate past the Houses of Parliament, in central London yesterday. Thousands of disabled people staged a protest in central London today against the government’s spending cuts on welfare benefits. —AFP

UK’s battered coalition in low-key anniversary LONDON: British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg vowed his Liberal Democrats would take a more “muscular” role in the coalition as it marked its first anniversary yesterday with little celebration. A poll showed that public confidence in the government led by Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron was at an all-time low after a year of austerity measures aimed at slashing Britain’s record deficit. The centre-right Conservatives and their centrist junior coalition partners agreed one year ago to form a government after elections produced a hung parliament.

However, the coalition has since faced violent protests against its spending cuts. A spokeswoman for Cameron’s Downing Street office said it was “business as usual” on the anniversary, adding: “What we are doing is ensuring we continue to deliver on the coalition program.” Days after the Lib Dems suffered their worst ever results in local elections and lost a referendum on changing Britain’s voting system, Clegg defended the government as a “coalition of necessity”. But he said the Lib Dems would also make their influence more visible. “We will stand together, but not so closely that we stand in each other’s shadow,” he said in a speech.

“You will see a strong liberal identity in a strong coalition government. You might even call it muscular liberalism.” Clegg sat grimly alongside Cameron in the House of Commons for the weekly prime minister’s questions session yesterday as the premier defended the coalition’s record on healthcare.

Together, they are due to address business leaders on youth employment at an event today. When Cameron and Clegg gave their first press conference last year in the rose garden of 10 Downing Street, the privately-educated pair were jokingly compared to newlyweds because of their bonhomie.

But the referendum campaign exposed deep rifts as the Lib Dems accused the Conservatives of dirty tricks by savaging Clegg for breaking promises that he made

before the 2010 election. The Lib Dems said he only broke those pledges to approve the coalition’s austerity measures, which have seen a hike in university fees and widespread cuts across government departments and in welfare. Tensions mounted after last week’s election results, with Clegg saying at the weekend that the party could block the coalition’s planned healthcare reforms. Cameron rejected Clegg’s claims that the Lib Dems could be a “moderating influence” on the Conservatives but insisted that the coalition remains a “partnership.”

“We work together as a partnership. The Lib Dems have a huge opportunity in this government,” he said in an interview with the BBC. “For the first time in 60 years, they have a chance to prove themselves as a party of government and that it is what they are doing.”

But public support for the coalition appears to be dipping. A ComRes/IT V News poll showed 53 percent of Britons say the coalition’s record is disappointing and 49 percent say the coalition is “bad for Britain”. That figure has steadily increased from 33 percent in November. The poll also reveals overwhelmingly negative opinions of Clegg, with 82 percent saying they do not or do not know whether to trust him and only 24 percent saying he is a good leader for his party.

Cameron was not trusted by 48 percent of those surveyed. Only 28 percent of people thought the coalition could see out its full five-year term to 2015, according to the poll of 2,005 adults between May 6 and 8. In Scotland, there was another potential headache for the coalition as the devolved national assembly met for the first time since the separatist Scottish National Party swept to victory in last week’s elections. First minister and SNP leader Alex Salmond has vowed to seek a referendum on independence after winning a majority in the parliament.

Cameron has vowed to keep the United Kingdom together “with every single fibre I have.” — AFP

ROME: More than 22 earthquakes struck Italy by noon yesterday, as is normal for the quakeprone country. But none was the devastating temblor purportedly predicted by a now-dead scientist to strike Rome. Despite efforts by seismologists to debunk the myth of a major Roman quake on May 11, 2011 and stress that quakes can never be predicted, some Romans left town just in case, spurred by rumor-fueled fears that ignore science.

Many storefronts were shuttered, for example, in a neighborhood of Chinese-owned shops near Rome’s central train station. And an agriculture farm lobby group said a survey of farmhotels outside the capital indicated some superstitious Romans had headed to the countryside for the day. The fears are all thanks to a purported prediction of a major Roman quake yesterday attributed to self-taught seismologist Raffaele Bendandi, who died in 1979. However, Paola Lagorio, president of the association in charge of Bendandi’s documentation, says there’s no evidence Bendandi ever made such a precise prediction.

Adam Burgess, a senior lecturer in sociology at the University of Kent said rumors like these tend to occur in “information vacuums,” such as during war when there are situations of uncertainty. In this case, he suggested, the viral rumor-mongering about a Roman quake may reflect a lack of trust Italians feel toward their government. “In the Italian context this might be exacerbated by the more typical experience of the Italian state where even laws and legislation that are passed will often mean very little in practice,” he said. In such cases, even efforts by the government to put out correct, timely information can backfire.

Italian officials have taken extraordinary measures to try to calm nerves and debunk the myth. The country’s Civil Protection department posted a dense information packet on its web-

Russia to send arms to disputed islands MOSCOW: Moscow will start sending new weapons to a chain of islands claimed by both Russia and Japan later this year and complete building two military posts there in 2012, Russia’s top general was quoted as saying yesterday. Russia’s plans to send missiles and other artillery to the windswept archipelago known as the Southern Kuriles in Russia and the Northern Territories in Japan have aggravated tensions in a territorial dispute dating back to World War Two. “ The Defense Ministry’s plan for the Kuriles has been approved,” the Interfax news agency quoted General Nikolai Makarov, armed forces chief of general staff, as saying.

“In the second half of this year we will begin erecting two military posts, the construction of which will be completed next year,” he said. Russia already maintains an artillery base on one of the islands, although analysts say its equipment is badly outdated. The new weapons will be sent to the islands starting this year. Soviet troops occupied the four islands off Japan’s Hokkaido at the end of World War Two, and they have remained in Moscow’s hands, preventing the two countries signing a peace treaty.

President Dmitry Medvedev caused a storm in November when he became the first president to visit the remote islands off Russia’s Pacific coast, promising increased federal investment. Medvedev later said Russia must deploy modern weaponry to ensure the islands’ security, and a visit in February by Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov rekindled Tokyo’s anger. Japan has said it is closely watching the plans for increased military activity. Makarov said improving weaponry on the islands would be completed within three to four years, Interfax reported. Among the weapons to be sent to the islands is the Russian Bastion anti-ship missile system, he said. — Reuters

L’AQUILA: A Monday April 6, 2009 photo from files showing an aerial photo provided by the Italian Police with the debris of a collapsed building in an area near L’Aquila, central Italy, after a powerful earthquake shook central Italy, early Monday. More than 22 earthquakes stuck Italy by noon yesterday as is normal for the quake-prone country. — AP site stressing that quakes can’t be predicted and that Rome isn’t particularly at risk. Toll-free numbers were set aside at city hall to field questions.

And the national geophysics institute opened its doors to the public to inform the curious and the concerned about seismology. Alberto Michelini, a researcher at the institute, couldn’t even get into the seismology room to check how many quakes had been registered yesterday because it was so full of student groups and others visiting for the day.

Instead, he pulled the information up on his iPhone: 22 quakes before noon, the strongest a sequence of three quakes yesterday around Mt

Etna in Sicily registering magnitudes of 2.6, 2.9 and 3.1. “We tried to take advantage of this moment of fear and psychosis to try to explain what we do,” Michelini said. That includes stressing that no one can scientifically predict an earthquake, but that preventative measures can be taken, such as constructing buildings in quake-prone areas according to anti-seismic norms. “Maybe we should thank Bendandi and all this psychosis because we can take advantage of it to talk about earthquakes,” he said.

“Normally it’s too difficult to speak about them because you only hear about them after they happen.” — AP

British boy wears skirt to school in protest LONDON: A 12-year-old British boy wore a kneelength skirt to school in protest against a school uniform policy banning boys from donning shorts during warm weather, according to a report yesterday. Chris Whitehead also addressed more than 1,350 pupils at morning assembly wearing the black skirt, which boys are permitted to wear due to a loophole in the policy, the Daily Telegraph reported.

He said that forcing boys at Impington Village College, near Cambridge in eastern England, to wear long trousers during the summer months has a detrimental effect on concentration and their ability to learn. “In the summer girl students are allowed to wear skirts but boys are not allowed to wear shorts,” the schoolboy said. “We think that this discriminates against boys. I will march in a skirt with other boys waving banners and making a lot

of noise. “I will be wearing the skirt at school all day in protest at the uniform policy and addressing the assembly with the student council, wearing a skirt.”

Chris marched to school through the village alongside half a dozen pupils waving banners. His mother Liz Whitehead, 50, has praised her son for standing up for “what he believes in”. She said: “I am really proud he is brave enough to wear a skirt to school for what he believes in and back him all the way.” Headteacher Robert Campbell said the ban on shorts was imposed two years ago following consultation with parents, pupils and teachers and was “typical” of most schools in the area. “Chris is a very bright and articulate student and we have got a very strong student council,” he said. “I know he wants to go into politics and has got strong principles,” said the headteacher, before joking: “So maybe parliament is not the best place for him.” — AFP

European countries fight violence against women ISTANBUL: Thirteen European countries yesterday vowed to fight violence against women as they signed a convention on combating abuse during a meeting of Council of Europe ministers. France, Germany, Greece, Spain and Turkey are among the signatories of the treaty, which “opens the path for creating a legal framework at pan-European level to protect women against all forms of violence.”

The convention includes general provisions such as embodying the principle of equality between women and men in the signatory countries’ constitutions and legislations, and requires action. Alongside measures to increase public awareness, the convention obliges the parties to create specialized services for women victims and open sufficient numbers of shelters. The convention also urges necessary legislation to eliminate any reasons justifying violent acts against women in judiciary processes. “Parties shall... ensure that in criminal pro-

ceedings... culture, custom, religion, tradition or socalled ‘honor’ shall not be regarded as justification for such acts,” says the convention.

In Turkey, one of the parties to the convention, “honor” killings are widespread, although under the law murders motivated by “family honor” attract a life sentence. The treaty also provides for the establishment of an expert group to ensure the effective implementation of the parties’ commitments under the convention. At a press conference yesterday, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Thorbjorn Jagland, said he wanted all member countries of the pan-European rights body to ratify the convention. “I will of course do everything I can to get all the member states sign and ratify this convention,” he said.

Turkey chaired yesterday’s meeting, attended by representatives of all 47 members, including 19 foreign ministers and 10 deputy ministers. — AFP

Lesbians targeted in rapes, slayings EKURHULENI: They found Noxolo Nogwaza’s body in a drainage ditch choked with trash and high reeds. The lesbian activist had been repeatedly stabbed with broken glass, and beaten so severely with chunks of concrete that her teeth had been knocked out. The neighborhood where the 24year-old mother of two was slain once was known as a haven for black gays and lesbians, but activists say her death here late last month highlights an alarming rise in homophobic violence in some of the country’s most impoverished areas.

“If the police and other state officials do not act swiftly, it will only be a matter of time before they have to account for their failure to the family and friends of the next lesbian who is beaten and killed in Kwa-Thema,” Human Rights Watch researcher Dipika Nath said in a statement. No arrests have been made in Nogwaza’s death, one of dozens that happen each day in a country with high rates of violent crime. Authorities are also investigating whether she had been raped.

In the days leading up to her funeral, friends, family and colleagues held several marches in her honor, traveling from the ditch where her body was found through the streets of the Kwa-Thema neighborhood in this community just east of Johannesburg. Some union leaders and politicians also have offered support, with one union noting Nogwaza’s children in particular. “We hope that they will one day manage to see beyond the horror of what has happened, and recognize and be proud of the wonderfully warm and courageous person their mother was,” it said in a statement.

South Africa’s Ministry of Justice announced last week that it wants to open special shelters for peo-

ple who fear for their lives because of their sexual orientation. But the governing party’s women’s league says the government must go further, and wants lawmakers to classify these attacks as hate crimes. Same-sex marriage is legal in South Africa and the country has among the most liberal laws on sexual orientation on a continent where many other countries punish gay sex with fines and jail terms. But cultural attitudes don’t always match the progressive constitution approved in 1996 after the end of apartheid.

“We’ve been so confident here in South Africa, thinking the law will protect us,” said Bontle Khalo, a friend of Nogwaza’s who worked with her in a group fighting for the rights of gays and lesbians in Kwa-Thema. “We’re facing the same struggles all over this continent and all over this world.” South African lesbians say they are particularly vulnerable in a society where conservative attitudes, especially among the black majority, have strong influence on how women are seen and treated. The attacks on lesbians have all taken place in townships - the communities where black South Africans were forced to live under apartheid that remain predominantly black and poor.

The assaults on lesbians have been called “corrective rapes,” and are meant to humiliate and punish women who don’t fit the norm. Some attackers have reportedly said they believed they could “cure” women of being lesbians by raping them, said Vasu Reddy, a researcher at the government’s Human Science Research Council. Victims are even believed to include a 13-year-old girl who was assaulted in Pretoria last week. Some 30 attacks have been documented since 2003, and

they have steadily increased over the years, Reddy said. But the real number is likely higher because victims can be reluctant to come forward for fear of being stigmatized or blamed, and because the motives of murders aren’t always immediately known or recorded. The drafters of South Africa’s constitution, with its clauses banning discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, wanted a document that countered the restrictions and inequities of the apartheid era. Activists have used the charter to push for more in the courts, overturning anti-sodomy laws, and securing guarantees that gay parents have equal child custody and adoption rights. But such success can lead to backlash. “There is a mismatch between the constitutional protections and the mindset of people on the ground,” Reddy said. Kwa-Thema, where Nogwaza lived and died, had long been known as being gay-friendly, drawing people from across the country.

Then in 2008, Eudy Simelane, an openly lesbian star on South Africa’s women’s national soccer team and a Kwa-Thema resident, was gangraped, beaten and stabbed. Another lesbian, Girlie Nkosi, was stabbed a dozen times in a Kwa-Thema club in 2009. Those deaths led to the founding of Ekurhuleni Pride Organizing Committee known as EPOC. One of its first events was a gay pride march through Kwa-Thema in 2009 that was endorsed by religious and traditional leaders, Khalo said. About 500 people marched in 2009, and even more turned out last year. Khalo, EPOC’s spokeswoman, thought the marches and discussions helped for a time. Then came Nogwaza’s death in late April.—AP

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Sleepy Pakistani hill town a secret militant hub?

ABBOTTABAD: Set in the foothills of Pakistan’s Himalayas, the sleepy town of Abbottabad seems an incongruous place for the hunt for the world’s most wanted man to have ended in a bloody raid

by US special forces. Nearly 10 years after orchestrating the Sept. 11 attacks, Osama bin Laden was killed on May 2 after being found in a fortified concrete building in Abbottabad, little more than a stone’s throw from Pakistan’s top military academy.

Unlike many other Pakistani cities and towns, which have been hit repeatedly by suicide bombers loyal to Al Qaeda and the Pakistani Taleban, Abbottabad seemed to have escaped the wave of violence that has swept the country in recent years.

But it was perhaps because of its reputation as a pleasant hill town that bin Laden chose Abbottabad for his lair, practically hiding out in plain sight.

“Abbottabad is a relatively quiet area and generally we believe there’s less of a possibility such a highvalue target is hiding there because it’s so close to military installations,” said security analyst Hasan Askari Rizvi.

“That’s why he remained undetected.”As well as home to Pakistan’s top military academy, Abbottabad is the base for three army regiments and is also known as a leafy retirement haven for government officials and military officers. But despite its standing as a genteel retreat from the heat of the plains, Abbottabad has cropped up before in connection with militants and bin Laden’s discovery there has raised the possibility that, actually, it had become a secret militant hub.

It recently come to light that Abu Farj Faraj AlLiby, a one-time number three man in the al Qaeda hierarchy, may have lived in Abbottabad in 2003.

Security forces conducted several raids in the town to find him and in 2004 one of his drivers was arrested there. Al-Liby was eventually arrested in the northwestern town of Mardan in 2005. Then, last January, top Indonesian militant Umar Patek was arrested in Abbottabad. He was wanted in connection with the 2002 bomb attack on the Indonesian resort island of Bali. Security officials said investigators are trying to determine if Patek had been in the town to meet bin Laden and, if not,

what he was doing there.

There’s little doubt that a US campaign of attacks with pilotless drone aircraft on militant sanctuaries along the Afghan border has driven some of them, perhaps bin laden himself, to safety deeper in Pakistan. Many civilians have also fled Pakistani offensives against militants in the northwest to Abbottabad and other such towns. Security officials say it is possible Al Qaeda members and sympathizers slipped into the town among the displaced.

At the very least, the migration into the town, named after a nineteenth century British colonial officer, would have provided bin Laden with some cover. “The influx of people from outside has changed the face of Abbottabad,” said a senior security official. “People from different ethnicities are living in the town and I think this was a great camouflage for him.” The discovery of bin Laden in the town has raised suspicions that elements of the Pakistani army or its intelligence agencies, which have had links with militants over the years, were sheltering him there.

Pakistani government and military officials reject

that as ridiculous. “We wouldn’t have arrested Patek, we wouldn’t have shared intelligence on this compound with the Americans if we were protecting them,” the security official said, referring to a phone call, intercepted by Pakistani agents and passed on to the CIA, which finally led to bin Laden.

Talat Masood, a retired general-turned-analyst, said he was convinced that top military and intelligence officials would not have given refuge to bin Laden, but low-level security agency sympathisers or “influential people” in the town must have helped him. “Why didn’t we not knock at the door of this house to find out who was living there if we knew that it was a suspicious place?” Masood asked. “That was the biggest lapse and inefficiency on our part.”

Many Abbottabad residents are upset about the possible damage to their reputation, and that of their town.

“I can say with complete conviction that no retired army officer was involved,” said Fazl-urRehman, a retired major with a white beard, relaxing outside his house with a cup of tea. “We’re moderate people, we’re not hardline.” — Reuters

Two grenades thrown at Saudi consulate in Karachi First possible violent reaction to Bin Laden killing

KOLKATA: In this photo taken April 23, 2011, Indian school students walk past a wall painted with a symbol of the Communist Party of India-Marxist, before the state elections in Kolkata, India. — AP

Populist threatens to end Bengal’s Communist era KOLKATA: A statue of Vladimir Lenin draped in rose garlands looms over West Bengal’s capital, circled by hammer-andsickle flags hanging limp in the tropical damp. But the longtime Communist state in east India may be about to get a makeover. West Bengal’s poverty-weary people, hungry for change, have been captivated during recent elections by populist firebrand Mamata Banerjee and her Trinamool Congress party is predicted to unseat the Communist Party of IndiaMarxist for the first time in 34 years when voting results are announced Friday.

The Communists have been blamed for turning West Bengal into a land of labor strikes, industrial stagnancy and agricultural malaise, where India’s cultural capital of Kolkata is crumbling and all progress but the creep of the jungle has stalled.

The Communists admit they have made some spectacular policy gaffes. For years, the party maintained a ban on computers in banks for fear they would take away jobs. And it eliminated English classes in schools , a humiliation for Kolkata, the city once called Calcutta that was home to the British Raj from 1772 to 1911, Nobel laureates Mother Teresa and poet Rabindranath Tagore, and internationally acclaimed novelists and film directors. “We are conscious of our weaknesses, the lackadaisical approach, the arrogance,” Mohammed Salim, a party leader, said. “We are learning from our mistakes.” But for many Bengalis, the time for soul-searching is over, and the

Communist contrition comes too late.

Kolkata today is a far cry from the sculptured gardens, marbled memorials and university campuses the British colonial rulers left in 1947.

Many Bengalis today feel ill-prepared for the 21st century and are fed up with a Communist-led administration beset by corruption and industrial strikes tacitly approved under the Communists’ proworker policies. In 2006, the entrenched Communists seized 235 of the 294 state assembly seats and tried to revive industry with a plan for Tata Motors to build its ultra-cheap Nano car in West Bengal.

But Banerjee stymied the plan by mounting violent protests against what she called arbitrary and forced land acquisitions by the government to secure land for the Tata factory. Once a small-time campaigner, Banerjee’s popularity soared after she was beaten up while leading one such protest. Tata took its factor y to another state. Banerjee’s simple white sari, rubber flip-flops and angry denunciations have helped make her an instant friend of the poor, who throng to her rallies in colorful campaign caps and affectionally refer to her as “Didi,” or big sister.

What she is now promising West Bengal’s 91 million people sounds otherworldly: five-star resorts along the mangrove-tangled coast, a second Switzerland at the foot of the Himalayas and development to turn decaying Kolkata into the London of the East.— AP

Pakistan toughens up on acid attacks ISLAMABAD: Pak istani lawmakers have adopted tougher penalties for acid attacks in a step towards eradicating a form of violence that can disfigure around 200 women a year, campaigners said yesterday. Those convicted of one of the most brutal gender crimes can now be jailed for between 14 years and life, and fined a minimum of one million rupees ($11,750), whereas previous sentences could be restricted to around six years.

Pakistan’s lower house of parliament passed the amendment on Tuesday, but the legislation needs to be formally rubber stamped by the Senate. It tightens the definition of disfigurement and recommends provincial assemblies crack down on the buying and selling of acid. “ This is only the first step... when the first prosecution comes in, that’s when it shows we mean business,” said Marvi Memon, who presented the bill. “In our feudal society, the culprit gets away with this crime simply because they’re connected to some feudal lord, who is connected to some parliamentarian and now we will ensure we’ll be watchdogs over this,” she added.

Valerie Khan Yusufzai, chair of the

Acid Survivors Foundation, told AFP that acid attacks were under reported in Pakistan but believes there are an average of 200 such attacks a year.

“This is a great achievement but not enough. Eradication of acid violence needs a comprehensive law and that is battle number t wo,” she told AFP. Yusufzai said acid attacks are prosecuted in categories of attempted murder, hurt or disfigurement, but that the amendment provides a clearer opportunity for victims to register the crime.

“A comprehensive law would define acid and burn crime in a far more comprehensive manner and would be a special law. Not only the crime is being addressed, but the procedure, accountability, medical care, rehabilitation.”

Pakistan is a conservative Muslim country, where women-especially in poor, rural areas-can be treated like commodities with little protection from the police and under pressure not to disgrace their families.

The nation remains without a domestic violence law. It has been drafted, but lawmakers say it is still under debate as a senator from a hardline Islamic party raised objections and sent the bill back to parliament. — AFP

KARACHI: Drive-by attackers lobbed two grenades at the Saudi consulate in Pakistan’s largest city of Karachi yesterday, in a first possible violent reaction to the US killing of Osama bin Laden. Officials reported no damage and no casualties after two men on a motorcycle threw the explosives at the heavily fortified building in Clifton, the smartest neighborhood of Karachi, nine days after bin Laden was killed in Pakistan.

“This was an attack on the Saudi consulate. Two motorcycle riders threw two grenades and fled,” provincial government official Sharfuddin Memon told AFP. “One exploded and hit the outer wall. The second landed inside and fortunately didn’t explode. It was later defused by bomb disposal,” he said. “There were no casualties. We are seeing this incident in the present context. It could be a reaction of the Osama incident.”

Pakistan has been in the grip of domestic and international crisis since US Navy SEALs flew in, seemingly undetected, from Afghanistan to identify and kill the Saudi-born Al-Qaeda terror mastermind at a suburban compound on May 2.

Pakistanis have expressed horror at the perceived impunity of the raid, furiously asking if their military was too incompetent to know he was living in a garrison city near the capital, or, even worse, conspired to protect him.

But while the killing has not ignited mass protests in the Muslim country, where more than 4,240 people have died in bomb attacks blamed on the Taliban and Al-Qaeda in the last four years, small gatherings have vowed revenge. “We fear that desperate elements are planning to launch a big attack. We are taking precautionary measures in this regard,” Memon said.

Saudi Arabia expelled bin Laden in 1991 and later revoked his nationality. The government in Riyadh, which is allied to the authorities in Islamabad, last week welcomed his killing as a boost to international anti-terror efforts. An AFP

KARACHI: Pakistani security officials gather outside the Saudi consulate in Pakistan’s port city of Karachi yesterday following a grenade attack. Drive-by attackers lobbed two grenades at the Saudi consulate in Pakistan’s largest city of Karachi yesterday.—AFP photographer said ambulances, police and paramilitary Rangers swarmed outside the Saudi consulate after the attack, where small shrapnel marks could be seen on the outer wall of the building.

Mohammed Safdar, a police official at the scene, said security guards at the diplomatic mission had opened fire on the attackers but they escaped. “Two security men at the gate opened fire on them, but they managed to flee,” he told AFP. “The security guards informed us and we

reached the spot immediately. The bomb disposal squad are here. Other police and Rangers have surrounded the area,” he added.

Pakistan is holding in protective custody three of bin Laden’s widows, who come from Saudi Arabia and Yemen, and 13 of their children. The foreign ministry says it has yet to receive a formal request from the United States for access to the relatives or requests from their home countries for their repatriation. — AFP

Indian court rejects call for harsh Bhopal penalty

NURISTAN: In this photo made available by the Press Department of the Governer’s Office, Afghan officials investigate the scene yesterday after an Afghan Defense Ministry helicopter crashed when it hit a tree about 300 yards (meters) from the building housing governor Jamalludin Badar in the northeastern province of Nuristan, Afghanistan. — AP

Afghanistan official says military helicopter crashes KABUL: About 100 Taleban yesterday fought with security forces in a northern Afghan village, and a military helicopter crashed as it ferried reinforcements to an even larger battle in the northeast. Mohammed Zareen, a spokesman for the Nuristan government, said nine people were injured when the Afghan MI-17 Defense Ministry helicopter crashed after hitting a tree. It was one of four ferrying a unit of the National Intelligence Service’s rapid reaction force. They were being escorted by two Afghan attack helicopters.

The unit was sent to bolster police who late Tuesday managed to stop a large-scale assault by about 400 Taleban against four outposts just south of Nuristan’s capital Parun. Security forces in the area remained on high alert. Afghan police were also engaged in fierce battles with about 100 Taleban fighters on motorcycles who attacked Abduraman village in northern Jawzjan province late Tuesday. In an overnight firefight that raged intensely for two hours, 17 insurgents and one villager were killed, provincial police chief Abdul Aziz Ghyrat said. He added that the fighting ended shortly before dawn. The villagers fought the attackers themselves until reinforcements arrived in the form of

Afghan police, army and NATO air support, Ghyrat said. Among the dead militants was a local Taleban commander who had planned bombings and attacks in the region, he added. The Taleban have launched a series of large-scale attacks around Afghanistan over the past five days, and they are part of the insurgents’ long-awaited spring offensive. As part of the campaign, the Taleban have also said they plan to assassinate government officials and anyone working with the US-led coalition. The effectiveness of the Taleban’s campaign could influence the size of President Barack Obama’s planned drawdown of US troops in July, the scale of which military officials have said will depend on conditions on the ground.

“Recently the enemies of peace and stability of Afghanistan have launched a number of terrorist and organized attacks,” said Latifullah Mashal, a spokesman for the Afghan intelligence service. He added that some planned attacks were thwarted. He said the service recently uncovered and stopped a plot to kill former warlord Abdul Rab Rasoul Sayyaf,a parliamentarian and member of the council set up by President Hamid Karzai to make peace with the Taleban. —AP

NEW DELHI: India’s Supreme Court rejected an appeal yesterday to reinstate stronger charges against seven people convicted of negligence in connection with the 1984 toxic gas leak in Bhopal that killed an estimated 15,000 people.

The leak at a Union Carbide plant, the world’s worst industrial accident, left thousands more with devastating deformities and other health problems.

Survivors of the tragedy say their plight has been long ignored, and nearly three decades later justice has still not been served. In recent years, they have demanded harsher punishments for those responsible, called for the extradition of the former head of Union Carbide from the United States and pushed for far more generous compensation for the victims and their families.

The seven former officials of Union Carbide’s Indian subsidiary were initially charged with culpable homicide, but a 1996 Supreme Court ruling reduced the charges. Last year, they were convicted of death by negligence and given the maximum two years in prison, a relatively light sentence that caused a public outcry and prompted the government to appeal. The officials, all Indian nationals and many in their 70s, were released on bail shortly after the verdict.

In rejecting the prosecution’s case yesterday, the Supreme Court ruled that the government never gave a sufficient explanation for why it had waited 14 years to try to reinstate the stronger charges to gain longer sentences. Activists were furious at the ruling. “Once again the Bhopal gas tragedy victims are being denied justice,” said Rachna Dhingra of the Bhopal Group for Information and Action, which works with the victims. The pesticide plant was owned and operated by Union Carbide’s Indian subsidiary at the time of the leak.

Union Carbide was bought by Dow Chemical Co. in 2001. Dow says the legal case was resolved in 1989 when Union Carbide settled with the Indian government for $470 million, and that all responsibility for the factory now rests with the government of the state of Madhya Pradesh, which now owns the site. The Supreme Court is also hearing a government petition seeking an additional payment of $1.7 billion from Union Carbide in compensation for the gas leak victims. — AP

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Korean Bible instructor held following China raid BEIJING: Chinese police are holding a South Korean Bible instructor and his wife following a raid on an underground Protestant church, a group said yesterday, as the government pressures Christians worshipping outside the Communist-controlled church.

The instructor, whose Chinese name was given as Jin Yongzhe, was detained Tuesday along with dozens of other Christians during a police assault on a three-floor church building in the central province of Henan’s Weishi county, the US-based China Aid Association said. The church building was thoroughly searched and thousands of dollars worth of property seized during the raid, which the association said targeted a religious education seminar being held there.

By yesterday, 49 Chinese citizens and two South Koreans had been released, the group said. It wasn’t clear what citizenship the pastor’s wife holds and South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said it had no information to release on the matter. South Korean church groups have long maintained close ties with Chinese believers, often operating clandestinely because of Chinese laws against proselytizing.

Earlier in the day, an official with the Weishi county religious affairs bureau confirmed the detentions but gave no details. Like many Chinese officials, he gave only his surname, Sun. Later calls to the bureau to confirm the releases rang unanswered.

China requires all religious groups to register and accept Communist Party oversight, although millions of believers continue to worship in unregistered congregations that typically have a strongly evangelistic character.

One such congregation, Beijing’s unregistered Shouwang Church, has repeatedly defied police demands and attempted to gather for banned outdoor services, leading dozens to be detained. The group, which includes numerous intellectuals, was evicted from its rented space under police pressure. Rural congregations, drawn from poorer, less-educated communities, tend to be even more vulnerable to coercion from authorities.

China’s policies toward religion have drawn widespread criticism abroad, and a US commission this month listed China as one of the worst violators of religious freedoms, citing the detention of believers and clergy, bans on religious gatherings, and controls over the distribution of religious literature. Beijing denies the charges and has accused the commission of bias. —AP

Thai opposition politician attacked ahead of election Lawmaker hospitalized after shot in the back BANGKOK: A Thai opposition politician close to fugitive ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra was shot in an attack that the government said yesterday appeared to be politically-motivated with an election looming.

Pracha Prasopdee, a lawmaker with the opposition Puea Thai party until the lower house was dissolved this week, was hospitalized after being shot in the back late Tuesday in Samut Prakan in the outskirts of Bangkok.

The attack came as Thailand gears up for what is expected to be a closely fought general election set for July 3, the first since political violence erupted in Bangkok last year, leaving about 90 people dead.

“Pracha is convinced that there is a political motive behind the attack,” Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva told reporters after visiting the wounded politician in hospital. Abhisit said he had instructed the national police chief to ensure the security of all parliamentary candidates. His deputy premier Suthep Thaugsuban said he assumed the attack was linked to politics. Police said Pracha was shot by a gunman on a motorcycle while driving his car. His injury was not thought to be lifethreatening.

Thailand’s election commission expressed concern about safety after the latest attack. “We have drawn up strict security measures and will take precautions, especially for political candidates,” its secretary-general Sutthipol Thaweechaikan said at the signing of a code of conduct by political parties.

Puea Thai spokesman Jirayu Houngsub said that Pracha had intended to run for re-election in the upcoming vote. The politician is a staunch supporter of Thaksin and has visited the telecoms tycoon-turnedpremier overseas where he lives in self-imposed exile.

The polls are expected to be a close race between Abhisit’s elite-backed Democrats and allies of Thaksin, who lives abroad to avoid a jail term for graft but is seen as the de facto opposition leader. Abhisit’s party is Thailand’s oldest with a support base in Bangkok and the south, but it has not won a general election in nearly two decades. Thai society remains deeply split a year after mass demonstrations by the opposition “Red Shirt” protest movement sparked a series of clashes between protesters and armed troops in the heart of Bangkok a

BANGKOK: Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva (C) speaks to the media after visiting Pracha Prasopdee, a lawmaker with the opposition Puea Thai party, at the Praram 9 hospital for 20 minutes in Bangkok yesterday.—AFP year ago.

It was the worst political violence in decades, and the International Crisis Group think-tank warned last month that the election could bring fresh violence. One local politician was killed and two others seriously injured in three separate attacks on March 2, 2011. Puea Thai, which is particularly strong in the rural north and northeast, has not yet announced its candidate for prime minister, although Thaksin’s sister Yingluck Shinawatra

has been considered a top contender.

Parties linked to Thaksin have won the most seats in the past four elections, but the former tycoon was toppled in a 2006 coup and court rulings reversed the results of the last two polls. Abhisit took office in a 2008 parliamentary vote after a court threw out the previous administration, and he is accused by his foes of being an unelected puppet of the military and the establishment.— AFP

Taiwan ‘prophet’ unfazed by apocalypse no-show

MINAMISANRIKU: Junior high school students and Self Defense Force soldiers offer silent prayers for earthquake and tsunami victims in Minamisanriku, Miyagi prefecture yesterday.—AFP

Japan imperial couple cheer nuclear evacuees FUKUSHIMA CITY: Two months after Japan’s quake and tsunami sparked an atomic disaster, Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko visited Fukushima yesterday to comfort hundreds of nuclear evacuees. The royal couple knelt on the hard floor of the Azuma Sports Park arena to talk with people who have not seen their homes and farms since the March 11 calamity destabilised nuclear reactors and sparked a rapid exodus.

“Are you well?” the 77-year-old Akihito-officially Japan’s living “symbol of the state and the unity of the people”-asked an elderly woman, one of more than 600 people living at the shelter. “Take good care of your health,” he told another. Nearly 100,000 Fukushima prefecture residents remain without permanent housing, and 60,000 of them live in gyms, schools and other shelters, mostly enduring cramped and trying conditions with little privacy.

Many of them are grieving for loved ones. Japan’s worst post-war calamity

killed 14,949 people and left 9,880 others officially missing. The massive ocean wave knocked out cooling systems at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, which has been releasing radioactive materials since, forcing the government to designate a 20-kilometre (12-mile) no-go area around it.

Many evacuees are haunted by fears over the long-term exposure to the radiation still wafting out of the plant some 60 kilometres (38 miles) away, and many parents ban their children from spending too much time outdoors. The imperial couple previously visited tsunami survivors in nearby prefectures, but yesterday’s trip was their first to the area directly affected by the world’s worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl 25 years ago.

As their bus drove up to the gym’s entrance, Akihito and Michiko kept their windows open to wave at some 200 evacuees waiting for them outside. The crowd sighed as Michiko, a former com-

China signals greater tact on rights disputes with US BEIJING: China’s state media yesterday sought to play down disagreements with the United States over human rights during their latest talks in Washington, signaling a more mature approach to tackling the thorny topic.

The official Xinhua news agency praised the frank nature of the talks, which mainly focused on trade and economic issues, and avoided the angry rhetoric which has come to characterize the Chinese response to rights criticism.

It also made no mention of comments by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who was quoted by The Atlantic magazine as saying in an interview that China’s current crackdown on dissent amounted to “a fool’s errand”. “The success of this round of talks embodies the candid attitude China and the United States have towards dealing with their disagreements,” Xinhua said in a commentary that would reflect Beijing’s view of the Washington meeting.

“The two days of talks showed that there is nothing scary about the bilateral disputes that exist. The key is to rationally deal with them, frankly face each other and find common ground amid the differences,” it added. The United States did not shy away from criticizing China for its ongoing crackdown on dissent and jailing of rights defenders and other activists. Yet China’s response was markedly measured, sticking to its standard defense of its rights record and not threatening to stop talks on the issue, as has happened in the past. —Reuters

moner who married into the imperial household, slowly disembarked, escorted by her husband. She is a beloved figure, especially among the elderly as her public life spans the era in which Japan rose from the ashes of World War II through years of hardship to economic success.

“Michiko-sama ( Your Majesty Michiko), are you well?” a middle-aged woman yelled out as the couple calmly smiled and waved at the well-wishers.

Another evacuee, Kikue Shoji, 77, exchanged a few words with Akihito, but said she was also eager to catch a glimpse of Michiko. When she stood up to look around, her eyes caught those of the empress. Without thinking much, Shoji walked up and tightly held the empress’ hands.

“We were born in the same year (1934),” said Shoji, who wore a purple apron over a casual pairs of pants. “Yes, the same year. There was the war,” came the gentle reply from Michiko, dressed in a pale gray jacket. “We have lived through the same generation together.”

The imperial couple later visited the coastal town of Soma north of the plant, to also visit families there and see the damage done by tsunami.

Shoji later said the imperial visit had renewed her resolve to hang tough and endure the current difficulties. “There is nothing I can do other than to stay put. I never dreamed of seeing the majesties,” she said. Fukushima Mayor Takanori Seto said the imperial visit had lifted spirits.

“In reality, evacuees are going through serious pain. They want to go home. But in front of their majesties, they said ‘Yes, we are OK.’ I was moved by that,” the mayor told reporters. “At evacuation shelters, people are worried because they don’t know what will happen to them in the future,” he said. “The nuclear plant has to be stabilised as soon as possible.” Seto called on the government to build a world-class medical institute in Fukushima to study the long-term effects of radiation on human health.—AFP

PULI: A self-styled Taiwanese “prophet” was unfazed yesterday when a 14-magnitude earthquake he had predicted failed to materialise, saying he would stay in his makeshift shelter. “I’m not leaving,” said Wang Chao-hung, better known to his followers and the public as “Teacher Wang”, seconds after the moment of the alleged quake- 10:42:37 am — passed without incident.

“The earthquake will hit before the end of today. You’ll see,” the bearded 54year-old said, standing inside a compound of converted cargo containers, which he claimed would offer the best protection. What appeared to be a small number of followers had turned up at the compound, one of two set up in central Taiwan’s Puli town in recent days, but a much larger crowd was gathered outside consisting of onlookers and journalists.

“Three, two, one!” a group of young men yelled as the last seconds of the countdown passed, and then started chanting mockingly: “Teacher Wang!

Teacher Wang!” Wang’s “prediction” had triggered a wave of interest from a mostly nonplussed Taiwanese public, and sev-

eral 24-hour news channels reported live from the scene yesterday morning. Liao Ta-yi, a garden designer, angrily accused Wang of fraud, alleging that Wang had been trying to cheat money from gullible followers. “The cement base of the shelter is unlikely to resist anything like a 14magnitude earthquake,” he said. A 14magnitude quake would be 100,000 times the size of the March 11 9.0 earthquake which unleashed a monster tsunami that devastated large swathes of Japan’s northeast, leaving 27,000 dead or missing. “I didn’t believe Wang at all,” said an elderly woman. “But then again, I’m happy his prediction didn’t come true.”

Wang later appeared to be backtracking, suggesting that his statements had been misinterpreted by journalists.

“When did I lie? I was just talking to some people here but the media exaggerated what I’d said, and I had nothing to do with it,” he told reporters. The scene remained mostly peaceful as of early afternoon yesterday, with local police deploying around 40 officers.

However, there were scattered reports of followers venting anger at journalists. A television reporter told AFP

a man had attempted to attack her when she tried to take pictures while standing outside a second compound, which Wang said had been set up without his involvement. “We urge the public to remember this lesson and not to listen, believe, spread and discuss rumors,” said Kuo Kai-wen, head of central weather bureau’s seismology centre. Even interior minister Jiang Yi-huah commented on the incident, warning Wang that “the local government will continue to keep an eye on him”.

Investigators are looking into the theory that Wang might be cooperating with businesses in the container industry, a charge he has flatly denied. The local prosecutor’s office urged the public to come forward to file formal compliant against Wang if they felt that they were conned by his false prediction. Fraud convictions carry a maximum five-year jail term while breaking the law on social order is punished by a fine of up to Tw$30,000 ($1,000), prosecutors say. A weather bureau spokesman has said that issuing unauthorised forecasts on earthquakes is punishable by a fine of up to Tw$1 million.— AFP

2 Swedes jailed over cybersex MANILA: Two Swedish men were jailed for life in the Philippines for human trafficking after they were found running a cybersex den in which nude women performed for Internet clients, authorities said yesterday. Bo Sefan Sederholm, 31, and Emil Andreas Solemo, 35, were given the unprecedented convictions on Tuesday in what the presiding judge and the government said should deliver a warning to all human traffickers.

“Disrespect for Filipino women and violations of our laws deserve the strongest condemnations from this court,” judge Jeoffre Acebido said in his ruling. “It will not shirk from its duty to impose the most severe of penalties against anybody, be he a foreign national or a citizen of this country, who tramples upon the dignity of a woman by taking advantage of her vulnerability.” The court clerk Nelison Salcedo told AFP the two Swedes were arrested when police raided a commercial building in the tiny southern Philippine town of Kauswagan in April 2009 and found 17 naked Filipinas before computer screens. The women were given 15,000 pesos ($350) a month to act at the bidding of online clients who paid by credit card. “Once the client has paid for a private show, anything goes,” said Salcedo, adding that the women used sex toys. Three Filipinos who were arrested in the raid alongside the Swedes were given 20-year prison terms, according to Salcedo. The Swedes attracted longer jail sentences because they had set up the operation and the three Filipinos worked for them, she said.

The five have 15 days to appeal the court ruling. Cybersex dens have become a growing problem in the impoverished Philippines, according to law enforcers and social workers. Police have raided dozens in recent years and made many

MINDANAO: Swedish nationals Bo Stefan Sederholm (C), and Emil Andreas Solemo (R) talk to their Philippine lawyer prior to their sentencing at a court in Cagayan de Oro City, in the southern island of Mindanao yesterday.—AFP arrests. But Salcedo said the ruling was a Philippine landmark because it was the first time a court had convicted anyone for their involvement in cybersex operations.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima hailed the ruling and said it was part of a broader campaign against human traffickers that was launched last year after the US government placed the Philippines on a watchlist. “The conviction sends a strong warning to other violators,” de Lima told AFP. “This is part of our intensified, gungho efforts versus human trafficking as we continue to aspire for delisting from (US) Tier 2 watchlist.”

The US government says being on its Tier 2 watchlist means a country is not fully complying with minimum standards

for eliminating human trafficking, and a further deterioration could attract sanctions. Remmy Rikken, head of the Philippine Commission on Women that advises President Benigno Aquino on women’s affairs, said Tuesday’s verdict owed much to de Lima’s anti-human trafficking crusade.

Rikken said de Lima last year assigned human trafficking cases to a special task force of prosecutors, doing away with the previous practice of letting provincial prosecutors handle cases. “Before that there would be a lot of arrests but there were no convictions at all,” Rikken told AFP. The task force tracks all types of human trafficking, including women and children being forced into prostitution or as subjects for pornography.—AFP

13

THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2011

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Stray Libya weapons may threaten region

By David Lewis he thought of Al-Qaeda’s Sahara wing getting its hands on Libyan surface-to-air missiles is chilling for the West. But a new flow of small arms and return of battle-hardened fighters may pose the bigger regional threat. The fall-out southwards from the civil war in the North African country has so far been mainly limited to waves of returning migrant workers. But governments in the Sahel believe fighters of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) have received convoys of weapons including SA-7 missiles looted from Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s abandoned arms caches.

Targeting airliners would take training and moving AlQaeda cells nearer cities, so experts believe any heavy weapons are more likely to be used defensively in case of airborne attacks on the Islamist militants. However the remote and often volatile corners of countries such as Mauritania, Mali and Niger, where Islamists operate alongside rebels, local criminals and smugglers, are extremely vulnerable to the spillover effects of Libya’s conflict. “The situation in Libya poses quite some problems for West African countries,” said Kwesi Aning, a senior official at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre in Ghana. “It is natural that some of the weapons would get into very bad hands ... There is no government control in the northern parts (of the Sahel fringing Libya),” Aning said.

AQIM emerged out of the Algerian Salafist movement in 2007 and, under pressure from the Algerian army to the north, has become increasingly active in the Sahara region.

The group, believed to number no more than a few hundred, has taken advantage of poor cross-border coordination to mount sporadic attacks on local armies and kidnap Westerners, earning some $50-70 million in ransoms so far, analysts say. A recent flurry of regional diplomacy has underscored pressing concerns over a spillover from Libya.

Fears of a reprisal after the killing of Osama bin Laden are also high.

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WEAPON OF CHOICE? The leaders of Mali and Chad believe looted weapons have reached AQIM bases in northern Mali, with Chad’s president warning they could become the best-equipped force in the region. An Algerian official spoke of several convoys. Others say there is no proof yet, though few think it would take much for AQIM, which is plugged into weapons smuggling networks and flush in cash from ransoms, to obtain them. “There are enough floating around that it would be extremely easy for people keen to get hold of them to do so,” said Peter Bouckaert, emergencies director at Human Rights Watch, who has spent weeks documenting the looted arsenals in Libya.

Much of the focus has been on missing SA-7 shoulderlaunched missiles, used by al Qaeda operatives who tried, but failed, to shoot down an Israeli charter plane in Kenya in 2002. “It is a top concern because this is one of the favorite weapons of Al-Qaeda groups,” Bouckaert said, noting that militants in Iraq showed how stolen weapons could also be turned into bombs. Officials are acutely aware of the threat and fears of a “spectacular” attack in retaliation for the killing of bin Laden are real, but due to their short range, SA-7s would have to be moved by militants from remote desert bases to near airports by major cities if airliners were to be targeted, experts say.

“They are probably more useful as defensive weapons,” said one diplomat who monitors the group’s activities. After mostly opportunistic kidnappings, attacks this year in Niamey and Nouakchott have proven AQIM’s ambition to hit capital cities. But another hurdle is the weapon itself, according to Nick Pratt, a terrorism expert at the George C Marshall European Center for Security Studies. “It is not a weapon you just pick up and shoot ... The big issue is that it takes a long time to train,” said Pratt, whose military experience included taking part in covert US efforts to arm Mujahideen guerrillas in Afghanistan. “Old Soviet-era (missiles) in the Sahara are less of a security concern than a truckload of AK’s (assault rifles).”

HISTORICAL PATTERNS It may not just be the weapons that flow south either.

There are widespread reports of Gaddafi recruiting fighters, especially Tuareg nomads, to swell his ranks. Some of these new recruits, as well as fighters from the region who had long been in his ranks, will return home one day, officials say. Similar flows of experienced fighters back into marginalized parts of Mali and Niger were factors in rebellions during the 1990s. These countries’ governments are still struggling to heal wounds after the most recent uprisings between 2007 and 2009. —Reuters

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Bin Laden death unlikely to weaken Taleban

By Rebecca Conway he death of Osama bin Laden is unlikely to undermine the Pakistan Taleban, despite Al-Qaeda’s links with the militants, and it may even embolden the fighters battling to bring the nuclear-armed state down. In the decade that the world’s mostwanted man was underground, Al-Qaeda established deep ties with militants in the Pashtun tribal belt bordering Afghanistan, including the Tehreek-e-Taleban Pakistan (TTP), or Pakistani Taleban, who claimed allegiance to bin Laden.

TTP spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan said this week that ties between the Taleban and Al-Qaeda in Pakistan were unshaken and revenge would be exacted for bin Laden’s death at the hand of US commandos. “We were united before, we share the same goals and we have the same enemies. Al- Qaeda, Taleban, including all mujahideen (holy warriors), will avenge the death of Osama bin Laden,” Ehsan said by telephone from an undisclosed location. While Pakistan has at times suppor ted militants fighting in Afghanistan and the Indian part of disputed Kashmir, the Taleban are the sworn enemies of the security forces. “The problem is not AlQaeda, the problem is the Taleban,” said a senior Arab diplomat in Islamabad. “The threat is that Al-Qaeda uses these local militants. They are the threat.”

The Pakistani Taleban are predominantly ethnic Pashtuns from semi-autonomous tribal lands on the Afghan border where radical Islam has for generations been a rallying cry in the fight against outsiders. The area was a staging post for Muslim guerrillas, including bin Laden, battling Soviet forces in Afghanistan during the 1980s and a string of religious schools was built with Pakistani and Saudi support to churn out recruits. It was after the Sept 11 attacks on the United States in 2001, when Pakistani was pressed to back the US campaign against militancy, that the Pakistani fighters began to see these armed forces as their enemy.

A bloody operation by the security forces to clear gunmen from a radical mosque in Islamabad in July 2007 was a watershed, enraging militants who ramped up their campaign of suicide bombs and other attacks and gradually took control of the Swat valley, nor thwest of the capital.

Pakistani security forces have launched offensives in different areas, securing places like Swat, but the estimated 30,000 to 35,000 Pakistani Taleban militants in a patchwork of factions still pose a formidable threat. The militants have killed hundreds of pro-government tribal leaders in the northwest while showing they can hit the military not only at camps and posts in the provinces, but at its very heart with attacks on the army’s headquarters and its powerful spy agency in the city of Rawalpindi.

T

IDEOLOGICAL UMBRELLA Al-Qaeda’s influence on the Pakistani Taleban has been largely ideological, with little in the way of strategic support, and they have their own sources of funding enabling them to mount attacks independently. “The over-arching ideology is provided

by Al-Qaeda. That is the trans-national global jihadist agenda ... under the umbrella of Al-Qaeda various militant outfits are operating,” said Abdul Basit, a researcher at the Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies.

“Bin Laden’s removal from the scene is not going to change the overall dynamics of the war on terror or Taleban militancy in a big way at all,” he said. US Navy SEALs shot dead bin Laden on May 2 in his hideout in the town of Abbottabad in nor thern Pakistan. One of three wives detained by Pakistani authorities after the raid said bin Laden never left the high-walled compound.

That isolation over the years means his elimination now is unlikely to have much impact.

“He may have had contact with some of his people, but the fact that he was not interacting much I think means his capacity to organize attacks was not really great,” said veteran Pakistani journalist Rahimullah Yusufzai.

While the Pakistani Taleban have largely been a domestic threat, there have been signs that they want to expand the scope of

their attacks under the Al-Qaeda banner. A suicide bombing at a US base in Afghanistan’s Khost province in 2009, carried out by a Jordanian national, killed seven Central Intelligence Agency employees. In video footage released after the attack, the bomber was shown sitting with Pakistani Taleban leader Hakimullah Mehsud, a stark illustration of growing links between the

ABBOTTABAD: A Pakistan army soldier and a police officer stand guard at a street near the house of former Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad yesterday. — AP

Pakistani insurgents and foreign militants.

The Pakistani-born American who tried to set off a car bomb in New York ’s Times Square last year told a court he got bombmaking training and funding from the Pakistani Taleban.

“The Pakistani Taleban have been acting as a surrogate for Al-Qaeda, and they’ve been carrying out a lot of the training of these foreigners - the Americans, British, Germans - on behalf of Al-Qaeda,” said Pakistani author and expert on militants Ahmed Rashid. “There’s this very close cooperation between the Pakistani Taleban and Al-Qaeda because they are the main protectors for Al-Qaeda in the tribal areas,” he said.

Pakistan’s civilian and the military have been embarrassed by the discovery of bin Laden hiding under their noses and they are facing a slide in relations with the United States as well as a barrage of domestic criticism.

The Pakistani Taleban, bent on revenge for bin Laden’s killing, could see this as the perfect time to strike at a weak government already struggling with a chronic economic mess. “The TTP will probably go on the attack, a renewed attack against Pakistan,” said Hamid Gul, a former head of Pakistan’s InterServices Intelligence agency which helped organize the Afghan war in the 1980s and later nurtured the Afghan Taleban. “We will pay the price for it, unfortunately,” Gul said, referring to bin Laden’s killing. — Reuters

Divisions, gaffes sap credibility of Libyan rebels

By Deepa Babington and Alexander Dziadosz ne day last month Wahid Bugaighis arrived at the offices of eastern Libya’s main oil company with big plans to turn it into a major source of funds for the struggling rebel movement.

But things did not go as smoothly as the freshly appointed rebel oil boss might have hoped. After he announced a management reshuffle at Agoco, the company which runs some of Libya’s most important oilfields, disaffected staff promptly held a meeting and voted to reject the changes. “It’s the wrong time, it’s the wrong guy, everything is wrong,” an Agoco manager said. “The people didn’t accept this and they kicked him out. He can’t come here now to Agoco.”

The episode was just one example of the kind of disharmony that has emerged among Libya’s rebels in the east in the three months since they threw off decades of authoritarian government under Muammar Gaddafi. Divisions among the rebel leaders are blunting their challenge to Gaddafi and could unnerve foreign powers banking on them as a credible alternative government for the war-riven country. Public relations gaffes, foot-dragging on naming officials and confusion over who controls crucial policy areas have led some observers to wonder if the rebels can stay united after their hopes for a quick overthrow of Gaddafi were dashed.

“When things are not going well, people start to quarrel,” said David Hartwell, IHS Jane’s North Africa and Middle East analyst. “It’s not surprising given the fairly disparate nature of the opposition.” The goal of overthrowing Gaddafi brought together an unlikely cabal of US-educated businessmen, a woman dentist, tribal elders, left-wing university professors and former Gaddafi apparatchiks in the rebel stronghold of Benghazi. They have proved they can manage public services and keep the rebellion afloat by lobbying for loans and foreign help selling Libyan oil, but cracks have appeared as their military campaign bogs down.

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WHO RUNS THE SHOW? Bugaighis, who was head of Gaddafi’s National Oil Corporation in the 1980s, still gives interviews as the head of the rebel national oil company, despite the challenges to his authority. “We don’t need an oil minister now,” said the Agoco manager, who requested anonymity. “If we deal directly with the national council, why do we put other guys in the middle?” Some rebel leaders are sticking by Bugaighis, citing his experience and contacts among potential buyers of Libyan oil.

Rebel attempts to turn a rabble of ill-equipped volunteer fighters into a Libyan army that can win and hold territory have been overshadowed by confusion over who is running the show.

The national council says Abdel Fattah Younes, Gaddafi’s former interior minister who defected early in the rebellion, is leading the military campaign. Younes lacks the trust of some in the rebel leadership and one rebel spokesman, Colonel Ahmed Bani, told Reuters in March that Khalifa Heftar was the true army leader. Heftar is a former military commander who supported the 1969 coup that brought Gaddafi to power and became a member of Gaddafi’s policy-making Revolutionary Command Council before breaking with him in 1987.

Heftar, who has lived for the past 20 years in the United States, has insisted that Younes is an officer serving the rebel army in a support and logistical role. Asked on May 4 to clarify the situation, Bani said: “All fighters on the ground are responsible for the liberation of Libya, without having to mention any particular names.” “I have yet to see evidence that the division in military command has been resolved,” said Shashank Joshi, an analysts at the Royal United Services Institute in London. “Politically, it is dangerous to have divided military command, since it lays the ground for warlordism,” he said.

The conflicts reflect a dilemma-where do you find competent, experienced officials who know Libya but are not so tainted by association with Gaddafi that the people reject them? “What you have is a strange mix of bona fide revolutionaries who stood up to Gaddafi in the early days mixing with defectors from Gaddafi’s regime who had their own plans for holding on to power,” said political risk consultant Geoff Porter. “That would seem to be a pretty potent brew and does not bode well for success.” At an international meeting on Libya at the end of March, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton described efforts to find out more about the rebel leadership as a “work in progress”.

PR GAFFES The confusion is compounded by chaotic and conflicting announcements by the rebel leadership. When Mahmoud Shammam, in charge of media and information affairs, told reporters in Rome that Spain, the Netherlands and Denmark had recognized the rebel national council as Libya’s legitimate representative, those countries quickly denied it. The official rebel spokesman in Libya, Abdel Hafiz Ghoga, said only he had the right to speak about such matters, then announced proudly that Italy, which has recognized the rebel council, had agreed to supply it with weapons.

Italy’s government said that was not true. The splits and mixed messages have left some Libya experts wondering how the rebels will forge a viable government with a set of policies if Gaddafi falls, achieving the one goal that united them. None say the problems are bad enough to make western states question their military and financial backing for the rebels. “If they withdraw support and leave eastern Libyan to its own devices, that would be a major policy failure,” said Hartwell. “For the credibility of the UN and all others involved, that cannot be allowed to happen.” Disagreements and false starts might be unavoidable as the rebel leadership tries to weld so many disparate forces into a legitimate future government.

For reporters in the eastern rebel stronghold of Benghazi, frustration at mixed messages from the rebels-and constant changes in the venues for press conferences-combines with admiration that the whole system stays afloat, buoyed by the euphoria of self-rule after decades of oppression by Gaddafi. A Western diplomatic source played down the divisions and said the rebels had made it clear that Younes, not Heftar, was in charge of the army. But he said that, for now, foreign governments were still relying only on verbal assurances from the rebels, not formal decrees, to know who was in charge of what. “It will be very important that the Council make formal nominations of positions in the future,” the source said.— Reuters

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TRIPOLI: Libyan youths enjoy the beach in Tripoli. The Marriott hotel is seen in the background. — AP

Qaeda warns of bloody jihad DUBAI: Al-Qaeda’s supremo in Yemen-Osama bin Laden’s ancestral homeland-has warned Americans of a bloodier jihadist struggle to come following the terror mastermind’s killing by US commandos. The head of Al-Qaeda’s Yemen-based wing vowed to fight on after the killing of Osama bin Laden saying “what is coming is greater and worse”, in a statement posted on the Internet yesterday.

“You have to fight one generation after the other, until your life is ruined, your days are disturbed and you face disgrace. The fight between us and you was not led by Osama alone,” said Nasser AlWuhayshi, addressing Al-Qaeda’s enemies. “What is coming is greater and worse, and what you will be facing is more intense and harmful,” said the leader of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), in a eulogy to Osama bin Laden posted on the Islamist militant website AsAnsar.

AQAP is seen as one of Al-

Qaeda’s most aggressive regional wings. It has staged several foiled strikes on US and Saudi targets, using novel tactics. US forces killed bin Laden in a raid on his hideout in Pakistan last week after a nearly 10-year hunt for one of the main orchestrators of the Sept 11 attacks. Nasser Al-Wuhayshi, also a top target of US forces, was a close personal aide to bin Laden in Afghanistan in the 1990s, and he has stuck closely to the leader’s ideology and operational tactics.

He wrote: “ The Americans killed the Sheikh, but have they killed the faith of the Sheikh, his methodology and his call, and the combat morale of the Ummah the Sheikh has revived?”

Analysts have said AQAP may step further into the spotlight after US forces killed Osama bin Laden, possibly by organizing revenge attacks. AQAP has claimed responsibility for a foiled 2009 attempt to blow up a Detroit-bound plane. It was also

blamed for bombs found in cargo en route to the United States in 2010. “Tell the Americans that the ember of jihad is glowing stronger and brighter than it was during the life of the Sheikh,” Wuhayshi said.

Impoverished Yemen has been rocked by nearly three months of protests against President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s 32-year rule.

Washington and Gulf states, including neighboring oil giant and AQAP target Saudi Arabia, are eager to negotiate a power transfer deal to prevent the country from collapsing-a scenario that could give AQAP more room to operate. On Saturday, a Yemeni tribal source said that Anwar Al-Awlak i, a US-born, prominent Al- Qaeda ac tivist known for encouraging attacks on the United States, was not hit by a US drone aircraft attack that killed two mid-level leaders of AlQaeda militants in Yemen last week. — Reuters

Rebels reject ceasefire Continued from Page 1 The three-month revolt against Gaddafi is linked to other uprisings this year against Arab governments. But divisions among rebel leaders are blunting their challenge to Gaddafi and could unnerve foreign powers banking on them as a credible alternative government, according to analysts.

Ban spoke in Geneva after talks with Libyan Prime Minister Al-Baghdadi Ali Al-Mahmoudi. “He (Mahmoudi) even suggested the Libyan government was willing to have an immediate ceasefire with a monitoring team to be established by the United Nations and the African Union,” Ban told a news conference. “But first and foremost there should be an end to the fighting in Misrata and elsewhere. Then we will be able to provide humanitarian assistance and in parallel we can continue our political dialogue,” Ban added.

The European Union said it planned to open an office in Benghazi to help the rebel council there with health,

education and border security. “Let us ... be clear, Gaddafi must go from power-he must end his regime,” EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said. The Libyan government may be forcibly expelling migrants in an attempt to flood Europe, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres said yesterday. Gaddafi has warned European leaders that if they undermine his government, Libya will no longer be able to hold back the tide of migrants trying to reach Europe.

The arrival of large numbers of migrants, in rickety boats that cross the Mediterranean from Libya, has already caused strains, especially in Italy. The Libyan government says the rebels are armed criminals and AlQaeda militants and that the majority of Libyans support Gaddafi. It also says NATO’s intervention aimed at protecting civilians is an act of colonial aggression by Western powers bent on stealing the country’s oil. Gaddafi has not appeared in public since April 30, when a NATO air strike on a house in the capital killed his youngest son and three of his grandchildren. — Reuters

Syrian soldiers shell restive city; 18 dead Continued from Page 1 More than 770 people have been killed in the current crackdown on anti-government unrest and thousands have been detained, with about 9,000 still in custody, Qurabi said.

Residents reported heavy tank fire and gunfire yesterday in at least three residential neighborhoods in the besieged city of Homs, which has seen some of the largest anti-government demonstrations during the seven-week-long uprising. “There were loud explosions and gunfire from automatic rifles throughout the night and until this morning,” a resident said by telephone, asking that his name not be used for fear of government reprisals. “The area is totally besieged. We are being shelled.” Few details were leaking out of the Daraa area and calls were not going through. The government has been cutting off phone and electric services to try to isolate restive areas.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon also urged Syria to allow an international aid assessment team to enter Daraa. He told reporters in Geneva he is disappointed the assessment team “has not yet been given the access it needs.”

Ban added he had been assured by Assad that the team would be allowed into the city. Witnesses have reported the shelling of neighborhoods in recent weeks, but the four-hour long siege in Homs was the most intense and signaled the government was stepping up its efforts to intimidate the population.

The massacre at Hama by the president’s father was seared into the minds of Syrians. After it, Hafez Assad ruled uncontested for the next two decades until his death. Though Bashar Assad has not done anything on

the scale of the Hama massacre in his 11 years in power, his crackdown has reminded some of his father’s tactics.

Iranian allied-Syria is one of the most hard-line, antiAmerican Arab regimes in the Middle East.

Assad has dispatched army troops backed by tanks to Homs and other communities across the country, saying soldiers and security forces are rooting out “armed terrorist groups” and thugs he says are behind the violence. He has also announced a series of reforms, widely viewed as symbolic overtures to appease protesters since the movement began in the southern city of Daraa in mid-March and quickly spread nationwide.

State-run Syrian TV said yesterday the government formed a committee to come up with a new election law that would be “up to international standards.” Before the uprising, such a declaration would have been unthinkable in a country with harsh restrictions who is allowed to run. Assad himself inherited power from his father in 2000 after an election in which he was the only candidate.

The regime has come under increasing international pressure to end its crackdown. Germany said several European countries were summoning Syrian ambassadors and threatening new sanctions targeting the country’s leadership if it doesn’t halt the repression of protesters. The European Union already has decided to impose sanctions on 13 Syrian officials, prohibiting them from traveling anywhere in the 27-nation bloc. But the first round of sanctions doesn’t target Assad himself. Foreign Ministry spokesman Andreas Peschke said European officials will make clear that “a second package that also includes the Syrian leadership” will follow if Syria does not immediately change course.— AP

Bahrain oil company fires 300 ‘protesters’ DUBAI: Bahrain’s state oil company fired nearly 300 employees for taking part in a recent pro-democracy strike and a US-based human rights group said a prominent activist appeared to have been tortured in detention.

Human Rights Watch said Bahrain should suspend prosecution of civilians in military courts and set up an impartial body to look into allegations of torture during a clampdown on those involved in protests that erupted in Bahrain in February.

Later in February, the main Shiite opposition group Wefaq’s 18 deputies resigned from the 40-seat parliament in protest at police violence against the demonstrators.

Justice Minister Sheikh Khaled bin Ali Al-Khalifa said yesterday parliamentary elections would be held on Sept 24 to fill the vacant seats, the state news agency BNA reported. Firms in Bahrain, where the Sunni king rules over a Shiite majority, have fired hundreds of mostly Shiite Muslim workers who went on strike in March to back protesters demanding greater freedom, a constitutional

monarchy and an end to discrimination.

Energy Minister Abdul-Hussain bin Ali Mirza was quoted as saying 293 Bahrain Petroleum Co (Bapco) employees had been dismissed, 50 were under investigation and 11 board members from the workers’ union had been referred to the general prosecutor. Mirza was not immediately available for comment.

Hundreds of people have been arrested and dozens put on trial in special courts since the protests were crushed in March. Others have been fired from government jobs. A state of emergency is due to be lifted on June 1. Human Rights Watch said Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, a prominent rights activist who appeared before a special military-style court on May 8, a month after he was arrested, bore visible signs of ill-treatment and perhaps torture.

“It appears that Abdulhadi AlKhawaja’s jailers tortured him during the month they held him in incommunicado detention,” said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director for the

New York-based group. Government officials were not immediately available to comment. Human Rights Watch said Khawaja was among a group of opposition activists charged with attempting to topple the government “in collaboration with a terrorist organization working for a foreign country”. Their trial resumes today.

Bahrain accuses Iran of helping instigate the protests. Neighboring Sunni-led Gulf states sent troops to back Bahrain’s forces during the crackdown, boosting regional tension. The government denies there is torture in Bahrain, a Western ally which hosts the US Navy ’s Fifth Fleet, and officials say all such accusations will be investigated. At least 29 people, all but six of them Shiites, have been killed since the protests started in February, inspired by Arab revolts against autocratic rule that toppled the rulers of Egypt and Tunisia. The six non-Shiites killed included two foreigners-an Indian and a Bangladeshi-and four policemen. — Reuters

Emirati youths question cost of political..

Continued from Page 1 students are questioning, often on social media Twitter and Facebook, why they should not seek the same democratic changes demanded by street protests elsewhere in the Arab world. They ask why the right to vote for a quasiparliament, itself toothless, does not extend to more than a fraction of nationals. They want that parliament to have legislative powers.

UAE analyst and university professor Abdulkhaleq Abdullah said change was inevitable but would not appear overnight. “I think the country, probably five years down the road, will be more democratic as well as stable,” he said. UAE officials say changes should be implemented gradually. But the young are impatient: “Times have changed, they need to change their mentality,” said Alia, slamming down a book. “They act like we’re kids. We’re conscious, educated people.”

After UAE University’s first political forum, still timid compared to similar debates elsewhere, some attendees eagerly discuss ideas for future public meetings, possibly on democratic reforms, or on how their country ’s oil wealth should be spent. Others plan to meet in secret to avoid drawing the security forces’ attention. Their murmurings have not gone unnoticed by the state, trying to improve the quality of life as Arab revolts rage in nearby countries, spurred partly by economic discontent.

The protests initially felt both politically and geographically distant from the Gulf region, but sustained unrest has reached Bahrain and Oman, while oil giant Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have seen small protests.

In the Gulf, only the UAE, with the world’s eighth highest per capi-

ta income, and Qatar have been untouched so far. The UAE recently pledged $1.6 billion for infrastructure in less developed northern emirates, seen as more prone to unrest than Dubai, the business hub, or Abu Dhabi, the federal capital. The government has raised military pensions by 70 percent and introduced bread and rice subsidies.

It plans to raise the percentage of locals businesses must hire in a tiny country where foreigners comprise around 85 percent of the population.

Fatima, a friend of Alia, suggests focusing on economic issues of more immediate concern to nationals in the world’s third biggest oil exporter, who often complain that public health and education services lag despite the UAE’s wealth.

Many complain of unemployment, at 23 percent, although official statistics say most are jobless by choice. “Young people can’t get jobs. We have bad hospitals ... and this is a wealthy country?” said Fatima, her short hair, pink t-shirt and fashionably ripped jeans poking out from under her black abaya.

UAE analyst Christopher Davidson at Durham University said an online campaign questioning how oil wealth is spent could be effective in spurring ordinary Emiratis to action. “They need to educate the population with the truth, with how the oil wealth is spent, how the budget is divided between the different emirates, and most importantly what chunk of the annual oil surplus goes directly to the royal family members.”

Observers often complain of a lack of clarity in how countries across the Gulf spend their hydrocarbon revenues- the UAE last year earned around $32.3 billion.

Student activists say the fear barrier is their biggest obstacle.

Supporters of the status quo are

also using the Internet to reinforce their views. One Facebook post has pictures of some activists’ faces and names above a noose, with the message: “Hang the traitors.” Police arrested five activists who signed a petition in April urging democratic reform. They were accused of insulting UAE leaders and threatening national security. In past years, some activists have had their passports taken and jobs revoked.

“We are trying, but I’m not optimistic,” Fatima said. “People are too scared, even if inside they are motivated.” But Davidson said that if activists continued their efforts they could succeed later on. “The arrests have intensified opposition sentiment because people who were making very straightforward demands have been silenced...

There is an opposition organizing itself and planning. We haven’t heard the last of this.” A more public figure, Dubai police chief Dahi Khalfan Tamim, recently added his voice to youth concerns in an article in Al Khaleej calling for legislative powers for the parliament.

“It’s as if the parliament represents the government, not the people,” he wrote. “National resources belong to citizens and they should decide the standards for spending them.” Fatima and Alia, who say the arrests only inspire them, are now meeting with friends to plan videos on parliament reform to post on YouTube and Facebook or circulate by mobile phone. Another student, planning a talk on women’s rights on campus, said she thought the government would eventually respond although concessions would probably be small. “It’s like wave. If the whole world is changing and this wave is coming and taking everyone with it, well, it’s somehow going to cross this place as well.” — Reuters

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Coe delighted at Thorpe’s return for London Games CANBERRA: London Olympic chief Sebastian Coe is delighted that Ian Thorpe is aiming to swim at next year’s Games and has claimed some of the credit for helping persuade the five-times gold medallist to end his retirement. Thorpe, Australia’s most successful Olympian, announced his comeback in May after four years out of competitive swimming and is back in training in Switzerland. “Ian Thorpe is arguably the greatest swimmer ever,” the chairman of the London organising committee (LOCOG) told reporters at Australia’s parliament yesterday.

“His abilities and skills have inspired a generation of young swimmers in London. Ian Thorpe competing in the Games in London is a fantastic prospect.”

The 28-year-old Thorpe said when he announced his return that a visit to the London pool had helped inspire him to return to the water after missing out on the Beijing Olympics. “I had the great pleasure of taking him around the Olympic park just a few months ago and into the aquatic centre,” Coe recalled.

“We walked onto the floor of the swimming pool and I sensed then that he was sort of looking at the facilities and looking at the aquatic centre and thinking ‘maybe this isn’t one to sit out’.” —Reuters

Blue Jays 7, Red Sox 6 At Toronto, David Cooper hit his first major league homer and drove in the winning run with a sacrifice fly in the 10th inning as Toronto beat Boston.

Jose Bautista hit his 11th home run of

Make-or-break fight

Firework danger in Sweden STOCKHOLM: Swedish soccer authorities look set to maintain a tough stance on fireworks in stadiums in the wake of an injury sustained by a female fan in the derby between Gothenburg and GAIS this week.

Pyrotechnics are regularly seen at Swedish grounds and some fans’ groups want them to be allowed in controlled conditions. However the latest in a series of incidents has highlighted the risks, according to the Swedish Football Association (SvFF).

The SvFF has cracked down on pyrotechnics inside stadiums and has instructed referees to halt play immediately if they see fireworks being used in the stands. Clubs can be heavily fined if their fans use pyrotechnics, and Mikael Santoft, general secretary of the SvFF, said that Monday’s incident was evidence that their tougher line is the correct

Indians edge Rays 5-4 CLEVELAND: Michael Brantley drew a bases-loaded walk with one out in the ninth inning to force in the winning run and give the Cleveland Indians their 14th straight win at home, 5-4 over the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday night.

The victory continued the Indians’ recent run of late-inning magic at Progressive Field. They have won their last four at home in their final at-bat. Cleveland loaded the bases against Joel Peralta (1-2) before Kyle Farnsworth came on and issued his first walk in 16 outings this season.

Brantley and Grady Sizemore homered for the Indians, who are 14-2 at home for the first time since becoming an AL charter member in 1901.

Chris Perez (2-1) pitched a scoreless ninth for the win. Matt Joyce and Evan Longoria homered for the Rays, who came in with baseball’s best road record but had their winning streak stopped at four.

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Baltimore in his first game back from the disabled list. The Orioles, who bounced back from a 4-3 deficit in the eighth, snapped a four-game losing streak and improved to 117 when trailing after seven innings.

Adam Kennedy homered for the Mariners, who took the lead in the 13th on Mike Wilson’s first major league hit.

Yankees 3, Royals 1 At New York, Freddy Garcia pitched effectively into the seventh inning, and Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter provided the offense as New York’s bullpen made it stand up in a victory over Kansas City.

Brett Gardner tripled and scored twice as the Yankees won for the eighth time in 10 games at home against the Royals. Kansas City has a major league-best 15 wins at Kauffman Stadium but dropped to just 3-9 on the road this season.

Garcia (2-2) gave up six hits and a pair of walks in six-plus innings to win for only the second time in nine decisions against the Royals. He outpitched Kyle Davies (1-5), who allowed three runs in five-plus innings for Kansas City.

Former Yankees outfielder Melky Cabrera provided the Royals with their only run, a solo homer to center field in the fourth inning that briefly tied the game. Jeter had two more hits after his four-hit, two-homer game Sunday at Texas. He drove in the Yankees’ first run with a crisp single in the third inning.

Angels 6, White Sox 2 At Anaheim, California, Alberto Callaspo drove in three runs and Maicer Izturis homered for Los Angeles in a victory over Chicago.

Joel Pineiro (2-0) allowed two runs and eight hits over 7 2-3 innings in his third star t. The right-hander, whose season was delayed because of a sore shoulder, struck five and walked one in his home debut. Fernando Rodney got the final out of the eighth inning and Scott Downs finished up with a perfect ninth.

Rangers 7, Athletics 2 At Arlington, Texas, Colby Lewis pitched neatly into the eighth inning as Texas got a tworun homer from slumping Adrian BALTIMORE: Seattle Mariners’ Ichiro Suzuki, of Beltre in a rain-delayed victory Japan, bunts for a single during the seventh over Oak land. Lewis (3-4) inning of a baseball game against the allowed one run and five hits over 7 1-3 innings. He walked Baltimore Orioles. —AP one and failed to register a the season and rookie J.P. Arencibia also strikeout for the Rangers, who had lost sevwent deep for Toronto. Adrian Gonzalez en of nine and 11 of 15. The right-hander homered twice for the Red Sox, the 11th got 16 outs on balls hit in the air and threw multihomer game of his career, and David a season-high 115 pitches.

Ortiz added a solo shot.

Tigers 10, Twins 2 Rajai Davis hit a one-out single off Matt At Minneapolis, Victor Mar tinez had Albers (0-1) in the 10th and stole second on a pitchout, sliding in just ahead of the tag. three hits and four RBIs to push Detroit past Davis stole third on the very next pitch, and Francisco Liriano and Minnesota in a rainthe Red Sox brought their infield in. Cooper delayed victory.

Jhonny Peralta’s two-run homer in the won it with a fly to center. second inning ended Liriano’s bid for backto-back no-hitters, and the left-hander’s Orioles 7, Mariners 6 At Baltimore, Matt Wieters singled home outing was over after three innings due to the winning run with two outs in the 13th an illness. Liriano fell to 2-5.

Brennan Boesch drove in two runs for inning, part of a stunning comeback that gave Baltimore a victory over Seattle. After the Tigers, who have won four straight and the Mariners got the go-ahead run in the seven of eight overall. Rick Porcello (3-2) top of the 13th, the Orioles scored twice in pitched five crisp innings, allowing one run the bottom half against Brandon League (0- and three hits. Rene Tosoni hit his first 2), who blew his first save opportunity in 10 career homer, but the stumbling Twins managed only five hits and dropped their chances this season.

JJ Hardy homered and had four hits for majors-worst record to 12-22. —AP

one to take.

“All pyrotechnics are forbidden, and this (fire) is the proof of how dangerous they are,” he told Reuters. The woman was treated for burns sustained when a banner caught fire after coming into contact with a Bengal firework.

The Gothenburg derby is the latest in a long line of matches to be disrupted because of unauthorised pyrotechnics.

In Stockholm the derby between Djurgarden and AIK was stopped several times, and a recent league game between Syrianska and AIK was abandoned after 20 minutes when a firecracker thrown from the stands hit an assistant referee.

The SvFF’s disciplinary committee will make a decision on Thursday about whether the abandoned match between Syrianska and AIK will be replayed. —Reuters

BERLIN: Super middleweight boxer Arthur Abraham of Germany admits his career hangs on Saturday’s Super Six semi-final against WBA champion Andre Ward of the United states. “It will definitely be a makeor-break fight. For me, it’s everything,” said the 31-year-old Berliner ahead of Saturday night’s fight in Los Angeles.

Having lost his last two Super Six bouts to Andre Dirrell of the USA and Great Britain’s Carl Froch, Abraham has admitted he could retire if he loses again. Abraham has been preparing since May 1 in California and is considered the underdog for the fight. “I haven’t seen anything of Los Angeles and I won’t now, my whole focus is on Andre Ward,” he said.

The WBA super-middleweight title is on the line and in the final the winner will face either Froch - who beat Abraham last November to regain his World Boxing Council super-middleweight title - or Glen Johnson, who meet on Saturday June 4. There were problems in the build up to the Abraham-Ward fight until a dispute about the referee was settled. The California Boxing Commission will now use Puerto Rican referee Luis Pabon rather than a local ref, as was first suggested. —AFP

Marlins roll over Phillies MIAMI: Josh Johnson scored the Florida Marlins’ first run and they squeezed out another in the eighth inning to beat Roy Halladay and the Philadelphia Phillies 2-1 on Tuesday.

Johnson didn’t get the win, but he kept his team in the game against the reigning National League Cy Young pitching award winner, pitching seven innings and allowing only one run — on Ryan Howard’s eighth homer leading off the second. Chris Coghlan’s single in the eighth drove home the tiebreaking run, which was unearned following an error by shortstop Jimmy Rollins.

Halladay (5-2) gave up only five hits in eight innings, but fell to 1-3 in his four matchups against Johnson. The loss ended Halladay’s streak of wins in 13 consecutive starts against NL East teams since July 5, 2010.

Nationals 7, Braves 6 At Atlanta, Jason Marquis earned his 100th career win, backed by a pair of three-run homers from Laynce Nix and Jayson Werth, as Washington held off Atlanta. The Braves scored five runs in the eighth to nearly wipe out a 7-1 deficit, capped by Dan Uggla’s three-run homer.

But Drew Storen got the final three out for his eighth save in eight chances.

Atlanta’s Tim Hudson (4-3) lasted only five innings, his shortest stint of the season, after tossing a one-hit shutout against Milwaukee in his previous start. Marquis (4-1) pitched into the eighth, giving up seven hits and three runs to improve his career mark to 100-93.

The 32-year-old beat his original team, picking up his first 14 wins with the Braves from 2000-03. Nix homered in the fourth to give the Nationals a 4-0 lead. Werth, off to a slow start after signing a $126 million contract over the winter, put it out of reach with another three-run shot in the fifth.

Giants 1, D’backs 0 At San Francisco, Cody Ross hit a game-ending RBI single in the ninth inning and Tim Lincecum pitched another gem as San Francisco beat Arizona for its fourth straight victory.

Ross’ line-drive single down the third base line off David Hernandez (2-1), scoring pinchrunner Darren Ford from second and sending the Giants pouring out of the dugout in celebration for their third last at-bat win in four games.

Lincecum struck out nine and took a no-hitter into the sixth in another dominating start for the two-time NL Cy Young a winner.

Mets 4, Rockies 3 At Denver, Mike Pelfrey hit a tiebreaking, tworun double and limited the Rockies to three solo homers, helping New York over Colorado.

The Mets had lost all five of their games to the Rockies this season but finally put together a couple of rallies against their new nemesis to counter home runs by Troy Tulowitzki, Seth Smith and Carlos Gonzalez.

Despite the trio of long balls he served up, Pelfrey (3-3) allowed six hits over 6 2-3 innings and improved to 6-2 lifetime against the Rockies, who have lost seven of nine but remain atop the NL West. Pelfrey’s outing was cut short by a nearly hour-long rain delay in the seventh inning.

Cardinals 6, Cubs 4 At Chicago, Daniel Descalso hit a two-out, bases-loaded single in the eighth off Kerry Wood and Albert Pujols had four hits to help Chris Carpenter get his first win of the season as St. Louis beat Chicago.

St. Louis pulled out the victory without manager Tony La Russa, who was undergoing tests at the Mayo Clinic in Arizona. General manager John Mozeliak said the veteran manager had been diagnosed with shingles and wasn’t sure when he’d be back. Bench coach Joe Pettini ran the team. Carpenter (1-2) allowed four runs and

MIAMI: Florida Marlins’ Emilio Bonifacio (1) is tagged out stealing second base by Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Pete Orr (5) during the baseball game. —AP

MLB results/standings Major League Baseball results and standings on Tuesday.

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

American League Eastern Division W L NY Yankees 20 13 Tampa Bay 20 15 Boston 17 19 Toronto 16 20 Baltimore 15 19 Central Division Cleveland 23 11 Kansas City 18 17 Detroit 19 18 Chicago White Sox 14 23 Minnesota 12 22 Western Division LA Angels 21 16 Texas 19 18 Oakland 19 18 Seattle 16 20

PCT .606 .571 .472 .444 .441

GB 1 4.5 5.5 5.5

.676 .514 .514 .378 .353

5.5 5.5 10.5 11

.568 .514 .514 .444

2 2 4.5

13 singles over seven innings to get his first win since last Sept. 30.

Reds 7, Astros 3 At Houston, Homer Bailey allowed five hits over seven scoreless innings, Jay Bruce had a two-run homer and Joey Votto drove in three runs as Cincinnati beat Houston. Bailey (2-0), who made his 2011 debut last week against the Astros, struck out five with no walks to get his second win of the year.

Votto had doubles in both the first and second innings to drive in his runs and Bruce connected on his homer off Houston starter Brett Myers in the first inning.

Brewers 8, Padres 6 At Milwaukee, Jonathan Lucroy equaled career highs with three hits and three RBIs and Shaun Marcum won his fourth straight decision, lifting Milwaukee over San Diego. Milwaukee built an 8-0 lead off Padres starter Clayton Richard (1-4) as every Brewers starter had at

National League Eastern Division Philadelphia 23 12 Florida 21 14 Atlanta 20 17 Washington 17 18 NY Mets 16 20 Central Division St. Louis 21 15 Cincinnati 20 16 Pittsburgh 18 18 Milwaukee 16 20 Chicago Cubs 15 19 Houston 13 23 Western Division Colorado 19 15 San Francisco 19 16 LA Dodgers 17 20 Arizona 15 19 San Diego 14 22

.657 .600 .541 .486 .444

2 4 6 7.5

.583 .556 .500 .444 .441 .361

1 3 5 5 8

.559 .543 .459 .441 .389

.5 3.5 4 6

least one hit for the night before having to hold on late.

Lucroy provided two of the biggest blows with a two-run single in the second and an RBI double in the fourth. He also singled in the eighth after fouling a ball into the dirt that ricocheted and hit him in the jaw.

Dodgers 10, Pirates 3 At Pittsburgh, Matt Kemp hit a three-run homer as Los Angeles broke out of a lengthy hitting slump in a win over Pittsburgh.

The Dodgers posted a season-high 15 hits, including three each by Jamey Carroll and Aaron Miles. Ted Lilly (3-3) had little trouble over six innings as Los Angeles won for just the second time in seven games.

Andrew McCutchen hit two home runs for the Pirates, who were hoping to give themselves some breathing room after making a rare move above .500 on Monday. Instead, they dropped to 18-18 when newfound ace Kevin Correia (5-3) ran into trouble in the sixth. —AP

Tim Wakefield cracks knuckles ahead of milestone appearance TORONTO: Tim Wakefield is a rare breed in Major League Baseball and the Boston Red Sox knuckleballer will set a new milestone the next time he takes to the mound by becoming the oldest player ever to play for the team.

On Tuesday, Wakefield turned 44 years, 281 days old but was not called on to face the Toronto Blue Jays but when he does finally get handed the ball, he will overhaul Deacon McGuire, who was 44 years, 280 days in his last game on August 24, 1908.

Watching from the bullpen, Wakefield sat out Boston’s 7-6 extra-inning loss to Toronto but the righthander admitted he was not preoccupied with the impending landmark but proud to have enjoyed a long and successful career.

“You don’t really reflect on stuff like that until it really happens,” Wakefield told

reporters. “You sit here today and go ‘Wow, it’s pretty cool but then it’s 7 o’clock and it’s, ‘OK got to go play’.

“You have to have a little bit of luck and stay away from injuries to be able to pitch as long as I have.” For nearly two decades, Wakefield has made a career out of one baffling pitch that flutters towards batters, dipping and dancing, floating and darting in enticing slow motion.

Knuckleballers do not always know where the pitch is going and often the catcher can only make a wild guess while batters close their eyes, swing and hope for the best.

Bob Uecker, a former major league catcher and broadcaster famously described the best way to catch a knuckleball was to: “Wait until it stops rolling, then go pick it up.”

In his autobiography “Knuckler, My Life With Baseball’s Most Confounding Pitch”,

Wakefield breaks down the mechanics of the befuddling delivery that seems to have a mind of its own.

Wakefield spent his first two seasons in the major leagues with Pittsburgh but ended up in the minors and in 1995 was released by the Pirates and signed as free agent by Boston.

He would spend the next 17 seasons in Boston helping his team to two World Series titles, piling up 193 career wins, all but 14 coming with the Red Sox. “My first couple of years Charlie Hough was in his 40s, Nolan Ryan was in his 40s and it was pretty amazing that those guys were still pitching,” said Wakefield, the oldest active player in the major leagues. “I knew how hard they worked.

“You get up in age you have to take care of yourself. “It means I’ve persevered through

a lot and have been able to last this long.”

Approaching his 45th birthday, Wakefield feels he still has more to offer.

Early into his 19th season, he is just seven wins shy of 200 and with four more victories at Fenway, can eclipse Roger Clemens record of 95 at the iconic ballpark.

Working with a pitch that relies more on technique than arm strength, knuckleballers are built for long careers with Phil Niekro teasing batters until he was 48.

Wakefield made it clear he would like to finish his career as a Red Sox but if unwanted in Boston, would consider offers from other teams.

“Until they tell me I stink or they don’t want me anymore,” said Wakefield about his future in Boston. “It depends on the situation but I wouldn’t rule out playing elsewhere.” —Reuters

Tim Wakefield, oldest player ever to play for the Boston Red Sox.

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THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2011

S P ORT S

Rose leads Bulls charge

DETROIT: San Jose Sharks right wing Dany Heatley (15), of Germany, and San Jose Sharks center Torrey Mitchell (17) celebrate San Jose Sharks center Logan Couture’s goal against the Detroit Red Wings in the third period of Game 6 of a second-round NHL Stanley Cup playoff. —AP

Red Wings soar over Sharks DETROIT: Henrik Zetterberg and Valtteri Filppula scored less than two minutes apart in the third period as the Detroit Red Wings rallied again for a 3-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday to force a decisive seventh game in their second-round series.

San Jose must defend home ice Thursday night to avoid becoming the fourth NHL team to lose a best-of-seven series after leading 3-0. San Jose’s Logan Couture scored early in the third period, but Zetterberg tied it with 9:22 remaining, and Filppula scored the winner with 7:28 left. Darren Helm added an empty-net goal.

Every other game in the series was decided by one goal.

Detroit scored the last three goals of Game 5 to win 4-3. The Red Wings are the second team this season to erase a 3-0 series hole. Chicago did it in the first round before losing Game 7 at Vancouver. Philadelphia came all the way back last year in the second round, winning the final four games against Boston.

Those recent successes make the task now seem much less daunting. Sk ating with confidence and desperation, the Red Wings outshot San Jose 45-25, but they were on the verge of elimination after Couture batted a rebound out of midair and the puck trickled past goalie Jimmy Howard with 16:06 remaining. The puck barely crossed the goal line before Howard covered it with his glove, but the goal stood after a review.

Zetterberg tied it by deflecting a wrist shot by Niklas Kronwall past goalie Antti Niemi, and the Sharks never regained momentum. Filppula put Detroit ahead, converting a nice cross-ice pass

by Pavel Datsyuk.

Meanwhile, Ryan Kesler would never admit that he and the Vancouver Canucks need a few days off before the NHL Western Conference finals. Kesler is the player who asked doctors to cut off a badly broken finger in his first playoff game four years ago, and he is the guy who returned on Saturday against the Nashville

Predators in the same period in which he was hit so hard by a deflected puck that the cut went right through his lower lip and knocked out a tooth.

So even with his swollen face turning shades of yellow and purple around the jagged stitches below his lip, Kesler wouldn’t say he wanted time to recover. That doesn’t mean he isn’t happy to have the well-timed break.

The Canucks will be well-rested when they face the San Jose Sharks or the Detroit Red Wings in the opening game of the West finals at home on Sunday.

Vancouver is in the NHL’s final four for the first time since 1994, and the Canucks will have had six days off before hitting the ice again.

“If we had to play tomorrow I would be fine,” Kesler said on Tuesday, one day after the Canucks eliminated Nashville in six games. “But going forward, these next couple of days are important for us to recharge the batteries and get the fuel tank back up to full.” And while it might have been hard to tell during his often dominant second-round performance against Nashville, Kesler probably needs the time off as much as anyone. Kesler scored five times, and contributed to 11 of the 14 goals Vancouver scored against Nashville. He had the primary assist on both goals in the series-clinching 2-1 road win on Monday.

“Ryan who?” goalie Roberto Luongo joked. “He’s been unbelievable. He’s taken his game to a level I have never seen before in the second round.” Even the Predators took note.

After criticizing a call in which Kesler held the stick of Predators defenseman Shea Weber to draw an overtime penalty — Kesler scored the winner on the ensuing power play — in Game 3, Nashville coach Barry Trotz compared Kesler to Mark Messier before the series ended.

With two game-winning goals against the Predators and a playoff-leading 15 points, Kesler has earned a lot of praise, even if he came into this postseason sur-

rounded by questions. His five goals and 15 points are more than he managed in 23 playoff games over his other three years combined (three goals, 14 points).

He credits the improvement to increasing desire as much as improved sk ill. “As you play longer in this league and realize you don’t have that many opportunities to win a Stanley Cup, your will and your drive ... I think that evolves over time,” Kesler said.

Kesler’s playoff performance is evolving at both ends of the rink.

Named a finalist for the Selke Trophy as the NHL’s best defensive forward for a third straight season, Kesler held Chicago captain Jonathan Toews in check in the first round. He then was a key factor in the Canucks’ penaltykilling unit that allowed only one power-play goal to Nashville in 21 chances. Vancouver killed 28 of 29 penalties in the past seven games.

“He was driving our bus,” said coach Alain Vigneault, who planned another full day off for the Canucks on Wednesday. “He took charge both offensively and defensively.” I t ’s a level few thought Kesler would reach in his first few seasons after he was drafted in the first round, 23rd overall, in 2003.

Pegged by many as a checking center with limited offensive upside, many even suggested the Canucks walk away when Philadelphia tendered a $1.9 million offer sheet to Kesler as a restricted free agent in 2006. The Canucks matched the deal.

Since then he has blossomed into an elite — and agitating — shutdown center, scoring 75 points last season. He cut the trash talking and penalty minutes this season at management ’s request and, after shooting hundreds of pucks over the summer, scored a career-high 41 goals.

“I wasn’t the most liked guy four or five years ago, and people probably hated me,” Kesler said.

“But to prove all those people wrong and just to prove my dad right — because he always knew I had it and I’ve always known - is satisfying.”—AP

Preview

Canada to renew rivalry with Russia at worlds BRATISLAVA: The ice hockey rivalry between Canada and Russia will play out another chapter this week at the world ice hockey championship in a door-die game Canadian captain Rick Nash said will be filled with emotion.

Russia will play Canada in the quarter-finals today in the Slovak capital of Bratislava to extend a rivalry that was born in the Cold War. “We get special emotions any time you play Russia, whether it is your first time or if you have had history with them,” Nash, who plays for the National Hockey League’s Columbus Blue Jackets, told reporters on Tuesday. “There’s so much history behind Canada-Russia that any time you play, and no matter what happened in the past, it’s going to be big.”

Nash is no stranger to the rivalry as he was in the lineup and scored when Canada crushed the Russians 7-3 at last year’s Vancouver Olympics before going on to capture the gold medal.

“You just got to be smart and make sure you’re going to use that energy in a right way,” said John Tavares, who leads Canada with six goals at this

year’s tournament. “They are a highly-skilled team, a lot of firepower, and we have to make sure that we will be prepared for that energy and score goals.”

The Russians will be led by Washington Capitals sniper Alexander Ovechkin, New Jersey Devils Ilya Kovalchuk as well as a handful of players form the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).

“I think that after you play against them, you learn to respect the KHL players,” said Canada coach Ken Hitchcock. “You really respect those guys, because they care deeply about success of their team and you can see it in their play.”

When asked about Ovechkin’s and Kovalchuk’s scoreless performance in Slovakia so far, he just brushed that off.

“I don’t care. Now it starts, they are playing at half speed, they will play on full speed today don’t worry about that,” said Hitchcock.

The elimination games will begin late yesterday with title defending Czech Republic facing the United States, while Sweden will face Germany.

Finland plays Norway in today’s other quarterfinal. —Reuters

CHICAGO: Derrick Rose scored 33 points and Luol Deng added 23 as the Chicago Bulls beat the Atlanta Hawks 95-83 in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals Tuesday to take a 3-2 lead.

Taj Gibson had 11 points — all in the fourth quarter. Rose also scored 11 in the fourth, and the Bulls pounded the Hawks 26-15 in the quarter.

Game 6 is today in Atlanta, and Chicago is one win from its first conference finals appearance since 1998, when Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen wrapped up their second championship three-peat.

Rose showed why he is the league’s youngest MVP, hitting 11 of 24 shots and finishing with nine assists. It was a big improvement over Game 4 when he needed 32 shots to score 34 points.

That was enough to offset another strong performance by Atlanta’s Jeff Teague. Filling in for the injured Kirk Hinrich, he delivered his third 21-point game of the series.

Josh Smith scored 16 points for the Hawks, while Joe Johnson had 15 and Al Horford added 12 points and 10 rebounds. It hasn’t been an easy postseason for the Bulls after they stormed to a league-leading 62 wins. They got pushed by Indiana in the first round and are getting all they can handle from the Hawks, yet they are in a good position thanks to a strong fourth quarter.

They led by as many as 15 points in the first quarter but were trailing 70-69 early in the fourth when they went on a 9-0 run.

Meanwhile, Andrew Bynum was suspended for five games next season for his flagrant foul on Dallas Mavericks guard JJ Barea in the Los Angeles Lakers’ final NBA playoff game. The NBA announced the suspension on Tuesday, two days after Bynum was ejected for the foul late in the two-time defending champions’ 36-point loss to the Mavericks in Game 4. The league also fined Bynum $25,000 for ripping off his jersey while leaving the court, which means the suspension will cost Bynum more than $700,000.

Bynum expressed contrition for the episode earlier Tuesday before he was suspended, saying the foul was “terrible” and “unacceptable.” He also apologized to Barea and was relieved he wasn’t hurt.

Bynum wished he could take back the cheap-shot foul, and teammate Pau Gasol wished they could restart the entire postseason after his veteran team finally ran out of steam. Gasol likely had the most questions to answer after the Spaniard’s scoring and rebounding averages and shooting percentage all declined precipitously in the playoffs.

“Our execution was inconsistent throughout the series,” Gasol said.

“We just got away from the keys and elements of our offense and our game. They were adding up to the point where it seemed like we barely knew each other at the last game.

It’s an experience we all should

CHICAGO: Bullsí Taj Gibson (left) goes up for a shot against Atlanta Hawksí Al Horford during the fourth quarter in Game 5 of a secondround NBA playoffs basketball series. —AP learn from.” Gasol averaged just 13.1 points and 7.8 rebounds in Los Angeles’ 10 playoff games, taking much of the heat for the Lakers’ struggles from incensed fans.

They’ve flooded talk-radio stations and websites calling for his departure in the past 48 hours, causing Gasol to roll his eyes when told about it. The 7-foot (2.14-meter) AllStar didn’t directly address widespread rumors that trouble in his personal life contributed to his poor play, but said his girlfriend “has been taking hits which are absolutely false, all those stories.”

“The thing that makes me the angriest is me not playing at my best, and me not being able to help my team accomplish its goals,” Gasol said. “That’s what makes me the angriest. The rest of the stuff, you can brush it off. It’s not really that big of a deal.”

Most players recognized the signs of their decline in hindsight, notably the draining toll of playing 77 postseason games in the past four years. The Lakers’ lengthy losing streaks, unimpressive home play and general lack of passion all caught up to them in the postseason when they couldn’t immediately raise their intensity to match hungrier opponents.

“This wasn’t an overnight thing,” Derek Fisher said. “It happened over time. Some of it is just a part of making the run that we’ve made for the last three or four seasons, the number of games we’ve played over the last four or five years. In a sense, we were set up to have a fall at some point, but I don’t think any of us imagined falling in this way.”

Bynum echoed Fisher’s thoughts about the cumulative effect of their success, but from another angle: He thinks Los Angeles had trouble connecting on the court because the players rarely were all together in practice.

Kobe Bryant, Bynum, Fisher and other veterans routinely skipped practice to rest their worn-down bodies. Bryant rarely practiced while playing through numerous injuries all season, including a sprained ankle in the first round of the playoffs.

“We have to practice,” Bynum said. “I can’t address anyone’s health.

I haven’t been the most healthy person, but I do know that in order to win, we need to practice. We need to be out there going through things together. That’s the main thing that I see that was different from the last two years. Our practice just wasn’t the same.”

The Lakers generally endorse assistant coach Brian Shaw as their choice to replace retiring coach Phil Jackson, but realize their mistakes may have hurt his candidacy in the eyes of owner Jerry Buss. Fisher said he’s “hopeful that Brian will get the opportunity, even if it isn’t here.”

The Lakers were noncommittal about the need for big changes in the offseason, realizing it wasn’t up to them. Ron Artest was among the players who believe that with a little rest and a renewed attitude, this core could contend for a title again.

“This year was unfortunate, but I’d be more than happy to go to battle with these guys again,” Artest said. “I don’t think you’ve seen the last of the Lakers.”—AP

Gold Coast Games can fix Delhi hangover — bid chief KUALA LUMPUR: Awarding Australia’s Gold Coast the right to host the 2018 Commonwealth Games would help the event recover the ground lost after last year’s chaotic Delhi event, bid CEO Mark Peters told Reuters yesterday.

Peters was speaking after the Gold Coast handed over its bid book to Commonwealth Games officials in Kuala Lumpur and delivered a presentation focusing on the region’s existing facilities and popularity as a tourism destination.

Gold Coast is competing against an ambitious bid from the Sri Lankan port-city of Hambantota, which is banking on its huge redevelopment work being enough to convince officials to give the south Asian island the event for the first time [ID:nL3E7GB20M].

“Australians love the Games and for us it is a very important part of our sports system,” Peters told Reuters in the Malaysian capital.

“It’s not about who deserves to get them, it’s about who can run a good Games, who can actually recover a little bit of the lost ground from Delhi.”

Pictures of dirty rooms in the athletes’ village and a collapsed bridge by the main stadium remain the overriding images of October ’s Delhi Games despite a late push by organisers to ensure the events ran smoothly. Many top athletes such as Jamaica’s multiple Olympic sprint champion Usain Bolt skipped the Games because the timing did not fit their schedules, while other athletes stayed away because of security concerns which proved unfounded. “They (the athletes) want a bit of

excitement about where they come and if we are truly about the friendly games that’s what the destination should be up to,” Peters said after announcing they would stage the Games in April.

“If your home country knows your athletes are going to be successful then there is a certain enthusiasm for the Games and we want to make sure that territories and Commonwealth nations do actually send their best athletes and do have a great time.” Peters was confident the region had strong backing from private Australian companies to host the event-held every four years for more than 70 countries mostly of the former British Empire.

“Just as our Australian population loves the Games, our compa-

nies have supported the Games as well,” he said. “(2006 hosts) Melbourne ran at a profit, it’s a welllearned fact, and we have learnt so much from Melbourne and there is a lot of that expertise available in Australia that we will be utilising if we win the Games.

“We are confident that the corporate sector will also rally and a lot of our big companies like (mining firm) Rio Tinto will be in a lot of the Commonwealth countries so we see a lot of benefits and we think there will be a good revenue generated to go with the costs of running the Games.” Peters explained that the region, which welcomes more than 11 million tourists a year, was keen to use the Games to help develop the area further. — Reuters

BRAZIL: Dusty Payne, of Hawaii, rides a wave ahead of the Billabong Rio Pro surfing championship in Rio de Janeiro yesterday. The start of the Billabong Rio Pro was postponed to today due to to six foot (2 meters) closeout waves. —AP

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17

THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2011

S P ORT S

A rusty Woods is feeling better as Players awaits

SPAIN: A musician (front) plays the bagpipes as Seve Ballesteros’ oldest son, Javier, carries the urn holding the Spanish golfer’s ashes, flanked by his sister, Carmen (left) holding flowers and their brother, Miguel (right) in honor of Spanish professional golfer Seve Ballesteros, during his funeral service. —AP

Fans and golf greats gather to mourn Seve PEDRENA: Thousands of fans joined by golfing greats paid final respects to golf legend Seve Ballesteros yesterday in a simple, moving funeral in his home village in northern Spain.

To the sound of a kilted piper, a cortege of Ballesteros’ close family and friends walked from his family home, perched over the sea in Predena, to the little nearby church of San Pedro. Other big golfing names including his close friend Jose Maria Olazabal, Bernard Gallacher, Sam Torrance, Nick Faldo and Colin Montgomerie-all five Ryder Cup captainsjoined the ceremony. At the head of the procession, one of Ballesteros’ sons, Javier, carried the urn containing his father’s ashes, which were to be scattered in his garden besides a magnolia he had chosen himself.

Thousands of people gathered around the church to follow the funeral on three giant screens. ‘Seve’, who won five majors in a pioneering career, died aged 54 in the early hours of Saturday following respiratory failure.

His death came three years after he was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor after losing consciousness at Madrid airport on October 6, 2008. He underwent four operations to remove the tumor and reduce swelling in his skull, as well as chemotherapy. He called his battle against the tumor the “hardest challenge of my life”.

At the entrance to the village of Pedrena, nestled in the bay of Santander, hung a Spanish flag with the words “Gracias Seve (Thank you Seve). A little further another flag

hung from a balcony with two golf clubs and a cap adorned with black ribbon. Flags in the harbour flew at half-mast. The funeral had been planned to be a simple village affair, “just like any other neighbour’s”, said one of Ballesteros’ brothers, Baldomero. Paying hommage to his father, Baldomero told the assembled mourners: “Papa, as you can see, Javier, Carmen and me are are strong just like you asked us...for us it’s not a day to say goodbye, we know you are by our sides and we will always be by yours.” In his father’s memory the Spanish flag will fly at the Players Championship in Florida this week.

Traditionally, the national flag of the reigning champion flies over the Circle of Champions, but the South African flag that marked the victory of Tim Clark has been replaced. Tributes have been flooding in since the Spanish golfing legend’s death, with one former Ryder Cup captain, Tony Jacklin, saying: “He was Tiger Woods before Tiger Woods. He had it all. “He was a one-man army and he was just as good off the course as he was on it....I’ve only met two people in my life with such charisma. One was Arnold (Palmer), the other was Seve.” Jack Nicklaus, who retired with a record 18 major titles, said the world of golf had lost “a great entertainer and ambassador”.

The American added: “I have always had wonderful respect for Seve’s ability, how he played the game, and the flare he brought to the sport while achieving the success he did. —AFP

FLORIDA: Tiger Woods heard a series of shutters from a spectator ’s camera and stopped his swing at the last minute, knees flexed, club shaft parallel to the ground, holding his pose until he could regain his balance.

“Oh, no,” said the caddie for Mark O’Meara. “You’re starting to swing like Charles Barkley.” Woods doubled over in laughter Tuesday on the eighth tee on the TPC Sawgrass, a light moment during his first time playing golf since disclosing minor knee and Achilles’ injuries from the Masters.

Woods said the left knee — which has gone through four surgeries — and his left Achilles’ are better. “Good enough to play,” he said.

How much better remains to be seen, and Woods still has to make it to the first tee Thursday morning for the start of The Players Championship, where he hasn’t finished better than eighth since winning 10 years ago.

Woods said he tweaked his left knee from an awkward swing in the pine straw on the 17th hole of the Masters in the third round, and he played through the discomfort in the final round when he closed with a 67 after making a brief charge.

“It didn’t feel good on Sunday.

That was tough,” Woods said. “I played through it, but ... I was in the midst of playing and competing and had to power through it, so I did it. I was able to shut it down for a little bit and was able to care of it.”

Woods said he practiced Monday for the first time since the Masters. He played golf Tuesday _ the front nine at Sawgrass — for the first time since that last day at Augusta. He is treating the injuries with anti-inflammatories, ice, elevating his legs and some soft tissue work. Still to be determined, since he hasn’t spent any time playing, is whether it swells.

“We’ll see how this week progresses,” he said. “If it flares up like it did at Augusta, then it flares up.

But hopefully, it won’t.”

FLORIDA: Tiger Woods blasts from a sand trap on the seventh hole during a practice round for The Players Championship. —AP Woods’ swing coach, Sean Foley, said he had been walking in a protective boot as a precaution.

Woods chose not to play the Wells Fargo Championship last week, giving himself a week to see if the knee and Achilles’ improved. He said he would have played last week had it been a major, smiling as if to remind that he won a US Open on a shattered left leg three years ago.

That was his 14th major, and the last time he won the tournaments that mean the most. And he made it clear, even at a tournament debated as the “fifth major,” that it remains his priority.

“The whole idea is that I peak four times a year, and I’m trying to get ready for Congressional, and I need some playing time,” Woods said. “I missed playing last week at a golf course I truly love playing, but I really want to get out there and compete. This is a big event, and I want to be here and play.”

The TPC Sawgrass is not among his favorites, and the record reflects that.

He was runner-up to Hal Sutton in 2000, then won The

Players Championship the following year, when he went on to win the Masters to hold all four major titles. Since then, he has only one top 10 — eighth place, after starting the last round in the final group, five shots out of the lead.

Beyond not winning majors, Woods hasn’t won anything in 18 months, dating to the Australian Masters in November 2009. He is rebuilding his swing, and taking his share of criticism along the way, similar to previous swing changes. Now, even the players are piling on.

Bubba Watson, who used to show up early at majors with hopes of playing practice rounds with Woods, said last week that Woods was “going the wrong way.” “He’s so mental right now with his swing,” Watson said, a two-time winner this year.

Watson said he hasn’t spoken to Woods, only his agent and another person in Woods’ camp to explain that he “didn’t say anything wrong” and that the media blew it out of proportion.

“I just told him, ‘Look, you know me. I’m friends with you. I’ve

been a supporter of you the whole time I’ve been a pro and have known you. So I’m here for you, but I didn’t do anything wrong,”‘ Watson said. “The camp says I’m OK, but I haven’t talked to the boss yet.” Woods said he found the comments to be “interesting.” Asked if he had an issue, Woods smiled and said, “We’ll talk.”

US Open champion Graeme McDowell rallied from four shots behind to beat Woods in a playoff at the Chevron World Challenge, and was paired with him in early rounds twice this year, at Doral and the Masters.

“I see determination,” McDowell said. “I see a hunger, which are two key components to any player. ... He’s displaying a lot of patience, as well. We all have our frustrating outbursts from time to time, but I think he’s been very patient considering what I’m sure he expects of himself. I think he’s a very determined man right now, though.” As for that tee shot on the eighth? Once the laughter subsided, Woods hit a 5-wood to 5 feet.—AP

ICC calls for review system

IPOH: Dancer Brent of Australia (right) stops the ball while Yoon Sung Hoon of Korea (left) looks on during the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup men’s field hockey tournament. —AFP

Australia see off South Korea IPOH: World champions Australia took a step closer yesterday to their target of winning the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup after a well-crafted 4-2 victory over joint holders South Korea.

The Australians lead the standings with 10 points, with Great Britain on nine. Australia coach Ric Charlesworth said his team’s performance was still rusty despite the win.

“There are moments where they played very well. This was in the first half where we took our chances well. The second-half performance was very poor. But we have sealed the points, and the real test will be on Thursday,” Charlesworth said.

Australia will meet Great Britain, who are on two rest days, today. The Australians dominated the first half against South Korea, taking a 3-1 lead. Timothy Deavin scored just after eight minutes from a field effort, followed by Mark Paterson in the 12th minute and Glenn Turner in the 34th minute.

The Koreans, who still sit on four points after four matches, reduced the deficit in the 15th minute through You Hyo-sik but rarely raised their game in the first half.

In the second half, they pulled a goal back in the 39th minute through Hyun Hyasung, also from a field attempt. But despite the Koreans pushing hard for the equaliser, the Australians slotted another goal in the 63rd minute through Paterson for a convincing win. The result leaves South Korea with

only a slim chance of repeating last year’s feat of making the final unless Australia and Great Britain show a dramatic collapse in form.

In the earlier game, New Zealand bagged a last-minute 3-2 win over hapless hosts Malaysia to give the Kiwis their first victory at the tournament.

The hard-earned win puts New Zealand on four points and coach Shane McLeod said he hoped it would give his side vital impetus for tough games against India and old rivals Australia in the final two matches.

“We have turned the corner with this win and now will try and win more matches. It is the only way to finish high up. Overall we played better and I feel we earned the win,” he said. The Kiwis took the lead twice, but fellow tournament strugglers Malaysia equalised each time.

However, a last counterattack earned New Zealand a penalty corner and Steven Edwards scored with 30 seconds left on the clock to give his team full points.

Before that, New Zealand scored goals through Nicholas Wilson in the 16th minute and Stephen Jenness in the 57th minute.

Malaysia’s first-half goal in the 30th minute came from Mohamed Izzat Rahim.

Their second was in the 68th minute through Faizal Saari. Malaysia are yet to score a single point. —AFP

LONDON: The controversial Decision Review System (DRS) should be used in all international matches, the cricket committee of the International Cricket Council recommended yesterday.

“The committee, while recognising the need to take acccount of existing (television) contracts, unanimously recommended the system be used in all Test matches, one-day internationals and Twenty20s,” committee chairman Clive Lloyd, the former West Indies captain, told a news conference here at Lord’s following the conclusion of a two-day meeting.

He added teams should be restricted to one unsuccessful challenge per innings in one-day and Twenty20 games, rather than the current two to stop what Dave Richardson, the ICC’s general manager for cricket, called the ‘tactical’ use of reviews.

“What we are trying to eradicate is the bad decision, not the fifty-fifty one,” former South Africa wicketkeeper Richardson said.

The system, whereby players can challenge on-field decisions, was used in all matches throughout the recent World Cup in the subcontinent.

But for all other major international matches the agreement, in practice, of both sides is required although responsibility technically rests with the home board.

However, world champions India, have been opposed to the system almost from its inception and a controversial lbw decision during their World Cup tied match with England, where England’s Ian Bell was given not out even though replays suggested he was in fact lbw, would not have softened their stance. —AFP

Cheerleader fired from IPL as blog irks cricketers JOHANNESBURG: A South African cheerleader has been fired from her Indian Premier League gig after writing a behind-the-scenes blog about cricketers misbehaving at post-match parties, media reported yesterday. Gabriella Pasqualotto said she is considering taking legal action after the Mumbai Indians sent her home following a complaint from an unnamed cricketer about her blog, “The Secret Diary of an IPL Cheerleader”, South Africa’s New Age newspaper said.

“I wrote what I experienced as a cheerleader. But I am considering taking legal action because I feel that I was fired over something small and silly,” Pasqualotto told The New Age. “I also think that the situation was handled unprofessionally.” In her blog for the web site thealternativecricketalmanack.com, Pasqualotto wrote about her experiences in India and the post-match naughtiness of cricketers, “the most loose and mischievous sportsmen I have come across”. —AFP

PARIS: French rugby team coach Marc Lievremont answers a reporter during a press conference in Paris. —AP

Chabal, Jauzion left out of France WCup squad PARIS: Sebastien Chabal, Yannick Jauzion and Clement Poitrenaud will not play in a third successive Rugby World Cup for France.

The trio — who share 179 caps during the past decade — were left out of France’s preliminary 32-man squad yesterday.

Also missing were center Mathieu Bastareaud, who hasn’t played for France since the 2010 Six Nations Grand Slam, and flyhalf Lionel Beauxis, a star in the 2007 World Cup but unwanted for two years.

Instead, coach Marc Lievremont named uncapped Biarritz No. 8 Raphael Lakafia and 4-cap Brive center Fabrice Estebanez as possibles to make the trip to New Zealand in September. “It was not easy (to leave Chabal out) because Sebastien has always had an important role within the squad,” Lievremont said. “But I’ve seen for a year a young No. 8, whose name is Lakafia, and who is extremely competitive and consistent, to the extent that he forced Imanol Harinordoquy to play on the flank of the back row (of Biarritz).

“A few months ago, Sebastien was part of the World Cup squad. But the rise of Lakafia and good performances from (Louis) Picamoles pushed him out of the squad.”

Jauzion was one of the best centers in the world until he began to show his 32 years this season.

“Because of his credentials, it was the topic of a heated debate,” Lievremont said of Jauzion. “We preferred Maxime Mermoz and Fabrice Estebanez to him. I like what Fabrice does, especially his punch.” Bastareaud’s absence did not come as a real surprise since the Stade Francais center has struggled this season to be fit.

“In my eyes, he didn’t take the necessary

step so that we could rely on him,” Lievremont said. “It’s a disappointment.”

Beauxis replaced David Skrela after the latter’s poor performance in the opening match of the 2007 World Cup against Argentina. But Skrela will get a second chance and could start if Montpellier flyhalf Francois Trinh-Duc fails to live up to expectations.

Lievremont did not pick the top two scorers in the French league this season, Racing Metro flyhalf Jonathan Wisniewski and Castres fullback Romain Teulet. The France coach picked Skrela over Wisniewski because of “maturity and experience.”

“We’re talking here about consistency,” Lievremont said. “David Skrela offers more guarantees in that area. Even though I like a lot the way Wisniewski is building himself with high-level performances as well as not so good ones.”

The France coach also explained the necessity of a provisional list because of injuries to Thomas Domingo, Fabien Barcella, and Aurelien Rougerie. “We hope to see them back in training and be competitive on Sept. 10,” Lievremont said of the team’s opening World Cup game against Japan.

France will play two warmup matches against Ireland in August, after which it will choose its World Cup squad of 30.

Rugby greats Philippe Sella and JeanClaude Skrela, the father of David Skrela, backed Lievremont’s choices. “Fabrice (Estebanez) is an explosive player who takes the initiative and challenges the defense,” Sella told The Associated Press. “He usually plays as an inside center but he’s versatile, too. He can play as an outside center. He’s also able to play at No. 10.” —AP

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Brazil under fire for World Cup slum evictions RIO DE JANEIRO: Like his house, Jose Santos de Oliveira is an island of resistance. The middle-aged gardener and his home stand amid the sea of rubble that remains of the slum community of Vila Recreio 2 in the west of Rio de Janeiro.

The mistake of the around 200 families who used to live here? They were in the way of Brazil’s make-over to host the world’s biggest sports events in the coming years-in this case, one of three new bus routes aimed at easing congestion.

The 2014 soccer World Cup and the Olympic Games in Rio two years later are spurring a multi-billion dollar drive to upgrade Brazil’s creaking infrastructure.

But as work gets under way it has run up against a barrier-Brazil’s unequal society and chaotic urban planning that has seen hundreds of slums spring up throughout cities like Rio in recent decades.

Rights groups say poor residents appear to be losing out, raising early questions over whether the double-header of sporting “mega-events” will help heal Brazil’s deep social divisions or worsen them.

Both Amnesty International and a United Nations rapporteur have condemned Brazil over evictions related to World Cup and Olympic building work, a

potential embarrassment for center-left President Dilma Rousseff who has vowed to eliminate dire poverty in Latin America’s largest economy.

Rio is not alone. U.N. rapporteur Raquel Rolnik said last month that she had received allegations of evictions and possible rights abuses in eight of the 12 cities that will host World Cup games, including financial capital Sao Paulo. She cited a pattern of a lack of consultation with affected communities as well as insufficient compensation at a time when real estate prices are booming in many Brazilian cities.

Oliveira, whose house is still standing because he filed a legal complaint against the evictions, said no residents were invited to city planning meetings before bulldozers and trucks arrived to begin demolition work late last year.

Aggrieved residents like him say they are suffering because they have no political clout and their messy shack-like houses don’t fit the image the city wants to project.

“We aren’t garbage, we are people,” said Oliveira, as municipal trucks carried mounds of debris away behind him. “We are being trampled by the economic powers.” Rio city authorities have said they will

seize about 3,000 houses to make way for one of the three new bus routes, the 39 km (24 mile) Transcarioca.

They say they are following legal requirements to give notice of evictions, offer alternative housing, and pay fair rates for properties, although the illegal nature of most slum houses means they cannot pay for the land. “ The city is absolutely not trying to gentrify and push the poor away,” said Jorge Bittar, Rio’s housing secretar y and a member of Rousseff ’s leftist Workers’ Party. “These new routes are meeting a demand that’s been there for decades in Rio ... the people who will use the buses are the poor, not the rich.” The number of families facing upheaval from the works is small compared to the many low-income citizens who will benefit from better transport and a wave of public investments in slums that has been stimulated by the Olympics, he said.

But critics see signs that Brazil is heading down a familiar path trodden by hosts of big sports events-spending huge amounts of public money without much debate over whether the projects are in the long-term interests of the population.

About 1.5 million people were evicted

by Chinese authorities as Beijing prepared

for the 2008 Olympics. Beijing and other recent Olympic hosts Sydney and Athens built expensive stadiums that have been used little since the Games.

“This is very authoritarian, top-down, with no public audiences, no democratic participation-and it’s going to change the city for ever,” said Chris Gaffney, a visiting professor of urbanism at Rio’s Fluminense Federal University.

“Everywhere mega-events go, this is the model.” Another example Gaffney cites is the more than $600 million overhaul of Rio’s iconic Maracana soccer stadium for the World Cup that forced it to close last year through 2013. The stadium will be bid out to the private sector, a move that local fans fear will result in higher ticket prices.

“When you look at what the projects are actually doing, they are fragmenting and dividing the city,” Gaffney said.

Forests of newly built condominiums for Brazil’s emerging middle class and billboards advertising real estate opportunities line the route from downtown Rio to the western beach area where most Olympic events will be held.

Work has been underway for months here on the bus routes that officials say should ease congestion for the events

and beyond, but which pass directly through poor communities. “I didn’t have much choice. My four children would have been on the street,” said 43-year-old Tania Maria Alves, who accepted 40,000 reais ($24,700) in compensation for her three-bedroom house and used it to buy a home nearby.

Amnesty head Salil Shetty, who visited affected communities on a visit to Brazil last month, told Reuters some residents have been offered new homes up to 60 km (37 miles) away and the compensation offers were often a “pittance.” “There’s a sense that these issues of human rights are coming in the way of development,” he said. Like most Brazilians, Sueli Afonso da Costa is passionate about soccer and swelled with pride when her country won the right to host the World Cup. Now, though, the event will always be tainted by the loss of her home in the Vila Harmonia slum, which was also in the way of the new bus route.

“The city never came in here to help us, to check on our health, our sanitation.

But when it was time to destroy, they came in and robbed us,” said the smartly dressed nurse. “We are all for progress and the culture of sports, but in this case they came and destroyed our lives.”—Reuters

Gamba in ACL knockouts

ROME: Serbia’s Novak Djokovic returns the ball to Poland’s Lukasz Kobut during their Italian Open tennis tournament.—AP

Nadal survives scare as Djokovic cruises ROME: World number one and undisputed clay king Rafael Nadal survived a scare on Wednesday at the clay Rome Masters as he overcame a sloppy start to beat Italian qualifier Paolo Lorenzi 6-7, 6-4, 6-0. But there were no such difficulties for man of the moment Novak Djokovic who took his winning streak this year to 33 matches with an embarrassingly one-sided 6-0, 6-3 destruction of Pole Lukasz Kubot.

Following his defeat to Djokovic in the Madrid final last week, the 24-year-old Nadal came close to losing a second successive match on clay for the first time in his career before eventually romping home in the deciding set.

“I’s difficult for me to talk about the match today,” admitted Nadal. “I played very badly, that’s what I can say. “I had tough moments in the match where I felt slow, I wasn’t hitting the ball very deep, it was very short all the time.

“It’s a long time since (I’ve played so badly) on clay but it’s not the moment to make comparisons I have to look forward.

“He played his match with good serve and volleying, good movement. I played badly but the positive thing is that tomorrow I will play better because it’s not possible to play worse.”

Everything seemed to be going to plan for Nadal when he broke the world number 148 in the sixth game of the opening set but four forehand errors saw him give up a break-back to love. The first set went to a tie break where Nadal netted a forehand to give Lorenzi a setpoint, which he converted when the Spaniard missed with a wild smash.

Nadal was struggling again in the second set when trailing 4-3 but he stepped on the accelerator and reeled off nine games in a row. Djokovic’s victory edged him closer to American John McEnroe’s 27-year-old record of a 42-match winning start to a season. This tie was never in any doubt and Kubot never looked like improving on his two previous straight set defeats to the Serbian 23-year-old.

Having played, and won, in the previous two weeks in Belgrade and Madrid, Djokovic said he was happy to have got through a match without expending too much energy.

“I played quite well, well enough to win but I was playing an opponent who made a lot of mistakes, especially in the first set,” he said.

“After that he played a bit better but we didn’t have many baseline exchanges. “I have to be happy because I spent just one hour on court and that’s important for me to save energy for the next games.”

Djokovic will play Stanislas Wawrinka next after the Swiss 14th seed beat Italian wild card Filippo Volandri 6-1, 3-6, 6-2.

“He’s a great player, he’s been around for many years, he has great ground strokes and he’s a player who likes to play on clay,” said Djokovic of his next foe.

“We played the final here in 2008 (which Djokovic won) and likes these courts and these conditions, it will definitely be a tough match.” The world number two has won all six tournaments he has entered this year, including the Australian Open.

He won in Belgrade two weeks ago and Madrid last week and proved he is not about to let up that hot streak with a ruthless display against an opponent ranked 141 in the world. Kubot came through qualifying to reach this stage of the competition and the gulf in class between the pair was evident from the off. In the women’s event former world number one and twice champion here Jelena Jankovic, seeded fifth, beat Czech Lucie Safarova 6-0, 6-3. China’s fourth seed Li Na also had a straight sets win, 6-4, 6-2 against Spain’s Lourdes Dominguez Lino while sixth-seeded Australian Samantha Stosur beat Iveta Benesova 6-1, 7-5.

Slovenian qualifier Polona Hercog continued her remarkable progress as she defeated German 12th seed Andrea Petkovic 6-4, 6-3.—AFP

OSAKA: A trademark free kick by Yasuhito Endo delivered Gamba Osaka a 2-0 win over Tianjin Teda and a place in the knockout stages of the Asian Champions League yesterday.

Frustrated by a sodden pitch and an opponent that defended in numbers, Gamba looked like making a shock early exit from the competition until Japan playmaker Endo curled a free kick around the wall and into the top right corner in the 73rd minute to make it 1-0. Tianjin had been intent on securing a draw that would have delivered home advantage in the one-leg round of 16, and Arie Haan’s side showed its attacking hand only after falling behind.

The Chinese side had good shouts for a penalty in injury time but the referee waved play on.

With Tianjin committing men forward, Gamba substitute Shoki Hirai broke clear in the dying seconds and was brought down by Tianjin goalkeeper Yang Qipeng, who was sent off. Highly regarded youngster Takashi Usami converted the penalty.

The win moved Gamba to the top of Group E, ahead of Tianjin on goal difference, meaning Gamba will host crosstown rival Cerezo Osaka in the round of 16. Tianjin will travel to South Korea’s Jeonbuk Motors. The result rendered as meaningless the outcome of the other Group E game between Jeju United and Melbourne Victory, which ended 1-1. Captain Kim Eun-jung put Jeju ahead in the 25th minute and midfielder Diogo Ferreira equalized for the visitors in the 61st. Meanwhile in Group F, Hangzhou Greentown scored an injury-time equalizer to snatch a 1-1 draw at home against Seoul, denting the Korean club’s hopes of taking top spot in the group.

The point was enough to move Seoul temporarily into top spot, but Japan’s Nagoya Grampus can take it back providing it avoids defeat at Al-Ain late yesterday. The team that finishes top will host Kashima Antlers in the round of 16, while the runner-up will travel to Suwon Bluewings.

Bang Seung-hwan’s 67th-minute goal looked to have given Seoul victory but Hangzhou striker Zeng Yue scored in stoppage time to make it 1-1.—Reuters

City given Tevez boost before FA Cup final MANCHESTER: Manchester City captain Carlos Tevez is likely to play some part in this weekend’s FA Cup final against Stoke City after coming on towards the end of Tuesday’s 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur.

The Argentine, the club’s top scorer this season with 19 league goals and often their most influential player, had not featured since the loss at Liverpool on April 11 when he tore a hamstring and his return is a big boost before Saturday’s final.

Manager Roberto Mancini had said before Tuesday’s game at Eastlands that if he did not play some part against Spurs it would be “impossible” for him to make the Wembley final, where City will be chasing their first silverware for 35 years.

Having teased the excited crowd by getting Tevez to warm up a few times during the game, Mancini finally sent on the fans’ favorite to a standing ovation in the 83rd minute. How much of a part Tevez will play against Stoke remains to be seen as Mancini hinted he might not start him. “It was important that he played 15 minutes. We have four days, I want to take all the time to decide,” the Italian told a news conference.

“I don’t think he can be ready 100 percent because he played only 15 minutes, he did only one week’s training with the team but we have four days (before the game).”

City clinched a top-four finish and a Champions League qualifying berth for the first time with the win over Tottenham which came courtesy of an own goal from Peter Crouch.—Reuters

Pieter Weening wins Giro stage

ITALY: Dutch cyclist Tom Jelte Slagter lies on the asphalt after crashing during the fifth stage of the Giro d’Italia, Tour of Italy cycling race, from Piombino to Orvieto yesterday. —AP

ORVIETO: Dutchman Pieter Weening capped a brave solo attack with victory in the fifth stage of the Giro d’Italia yesterday to take the race leader’s pink jersey from Britain’s David Millar.

A day after the peloton held a 216 km procession to honour Belgian Wouter Weylandt, who died in a crash on Monday, there was drama aplenty on the dusty strade bianche (white roads) that peppered the last 19km of the 191 km ride under the Tuscan sun from Piombino to Orvieto. It was on one of the few paved sections in the finale, around 15km from the finish, that Weening’s teammate, TomJelle Slagter, caused brief anxiety when he fell hard and lay prone as his physios called for the medical car. Still conscious, Slagter was given medical attention at the scene before being taken to hospital. It was a tough day for Millar who finished down the field 2min 50sec behind Weening.

“A very difficult day!” said Millar. “I still suffer from allergies in this part of Italy, so it’s not going too well. I’m not very successful in the Giro, but it’s already good to have

worn the pink jersey.”

An earlier solo breakaway by BMC’s Martin Kohler came to an end around 10 km from the finish after Weening and Frenchman John Gadret of AG2R had pulled away from a reduced peloton.

Weening then left both riders in the white dust to go on and build the foundations of a deserved victory. Eight seconds in his wake Colombia’s Fabio Duarte dominated the sprint for second place with compatriot Jose Serpa in third and Frenchman Christophe Le Mevel in fourth.

Weening now has a two-second overall lead on Italian Marco Pinotti of HTCHighroad, who wore the pink jersey into stage two following his team’s domination of the opening stage team time trial.

The 30-year-old last won a stage on a Grand Tour at the 2005 Tour de France when he was given the benefit of a photo finish ahead of German Andreas Kloden.

The sixth stage today is a 216 km ride from Orvieto to Fiuggi on mainly flat roads, giving the sprinters a rare chance to shine.—AFP

TEHRAN: Esmaeil Sharifat of Iran’s Esteghlal (right) plays the ball, followed by Aldosari Ahmed Fahd of Saudi’s Al Nassr, during their soccer match, in AFC Champions League.—AP

Lille on brink of title PARIS: Lille were on the brink of their first Ligue 1 title since 1954 as they opened a seven-point gap with a 2-1 win at St Etienne on Tuesday.

The northerners recovered from a shaky start to prevail with goals by Tulio de Melo and Rio Mavuba and now have 69 points with three games left.

Second-placed and champions Olympique Marseille will play their game in hand at home against Stade Brest late yesterday.

Paris St Germain’s hopes of securing a qualifying spot for the Champions League third qualifying round took a knock when they were held to a 2-2 home draw by relegation-threatened Nancy that left them in fourth place, one point adrift of Olympique Lyon.

At St Etienne’s Geoffroy Guichard stadium, the Lille defence were caught snoozing early on as Laurent Battles collected a through ball, stumbled on Mickael Landreau but Emmanuel Riviere, who had followed, poked the ball into an empty net to make it 1-0 after six minutes.

The visitors reacted swiftly and Tulio de Melo levelled with a delicate volley from the spot from an Eden Hazard cross in the 14th minute.

St Etienne were awarded a penalty after the referee harshly ruled that Riviere had been fouled by two Lille defenders but Landreau parried away Bakar y Sako’s attempt on 18 minutes.

Lille increased the pressure after the

break and were rewarded in the 66th minute when midfielder Rio Mavuba unleashed a fierce 30-metre shot that beat Jeremy Janot after taking a sllight deflection off Sylvain Monsoreau.

“We have a goal and we’re trying to do everything we can to reach it,” Mavuba told French TV channel Canal Plus as he was congratulated by his team mates. “(After St Etienne opened the scoring) we kept our cool, we just tried to play some good football and did what we had to do.”

PSG, who will face Lille in the French Cup final on Saturday at the Stade de France, got off to a brilliant start as they opened the scoring thanks to a Mevlut Erding header in the fourth minute.

Midfielder Christophe Jallet, however, was then sent off in the 20th minute after fouling Julien Feret in the box. Landry Nguemo converted the resulting penalty to make it 1-1 but PSG did not give up.

On the stroke of halftime, defender Zoumana Camara put the hosts ahead with a brilliant strike on the turn, only for Youssouf Hadji to equalise with a header in the 69th minute.

Nancy were also reduced to 10 men two minutes later after Reynald Lemaitre was shown the exit for picking a second yellow card.

PSG pushed harder with Nene hitting the woodwork with a curled free kick but the visitors held on. Nancy are still in the relegation zone on 39 points, one point from safety.—Reuters

FRANCE: Lille’s Yohan Cabaye (right) challenges for the ball with SaintEtienne’s Faouzi Ghoulam, during their French Division One soccer match. —AP

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New FIFA corruption claims too little, too late PARIS: For argument’s sake, let’s pretend that FIFA picked England, not Russia, last December to host the 2018 World Cup. Would we now be hearing the allegations aired in the English parliament that the selection process was riddled with impropriety? Of course not.

Best bet is that no one — at least no one English — would have breathed a word or given a damn. British Prime Minister David Cameron, Prince William and other upstanding Englishmen were happy to glad-hand and schmooze FIFA honchos when they were hungrily eyeing the lucre and prestige of a World Cup. Firsthand evidence that some FIFA voters seemed receptive to inducements and might be less than squeaky clean was, we now learn too late, conveniently kept under wraps. Shush, old chap, don’t rock the boat.

Not unless we lose, that is.

That doesn’t mean the allegations themselves shouldn’t be taken seriously just because they’re coming after the event. But the claims that some FIFA voters angled for money, a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II and other favors surely would have had greater impact and power to do good in the murky and back-scratching world of football governance had they been voiced loud-

ly and sooner.

Corruption — anywhere, not just in football — thrives when those who know about it don’t blow the whistle when they should.

By failing to unmask those who seek bribes, even clean people become complicit.

If some FIFA voters and the World Cup selection process are as rotten as we are now being asked to believe, then that must in part be because, for too long, too many bidding countries have been prepared to play in a game that they know, or at least suspect, may be rigged or, at best, is not adequately open and democratic.

Or, to put it another way: “The point was not pressed.” Those were the dismaying words of David Triesman this week as the former chairman of England’s Football Association and 2018 bid explained to lawmakers why England hadn’t kicked up an almighty stink, when it really would have mattered, about FIFA executives who appeared ready to swap their votes for favors.

Triesman claimed that FIFA executive committee member Nicolas Leoz “didn’t need money, he already was personally a very wealthy man ... He believed that a knighthood from the United Kingdom would be appropriate.” Told that was impos-

sible, “Mr. Leoz shrugged his shoulders and turned and walked away,” Triesman recalled.

This, he added, happened at a meeting in November 2009, but we’re only learning about these events now. On Jack Warner’s wish-list was “some sort of school ... which would be his legacy to the Trinidad and Tobago football authority” or a “donation” so World Cup games could be shown in quakeravaged Haiti, Triesman alleged.

“He believed that if he had a sum of about half a million pounds (§570,000; US$800,000) sent to him, he could secure those (television) rights,” Triesman told a House of Commons committee looking into England’s failed bid.

Triesman quoted another FIFA executive, Ricardo Teixeira of Brazil, as saying “you come and tell me what you have for me.” He also claimed that Worawi Makudi of Thailand wanted TV money from a possible match between the English and Thai national teams.

Then, from one English lawmaker on the panel, came the obvious question: “What did you do about it? Did you express your concerns to FIFA?” Triesman’s response was as shocking as his allegations. In short, he explained that to avoid torpedoing England’s bid, little or nothing was done.

England decided that it wouldn’t engage in dishonesty but nor, it seems, was it determined to expose it.

Of course, England would have killed its faint chances of landing the World Cup had it dared voice impropriety claims before the December ballot. FIFA executives would have closed ranks (which they did anyway, giving just two votes to England). So it could be argued that England was guilty of nothing more than having engaged in realpolitik. But what about putting honor before self-interest, openness and doing the right thing?

“What we did, and I’m not sure that it was the right thing to do, and I’ll acknowledge that, but what we did was we decided inevitably that we would not engage in any of those kinds of activities, whatever the suggestions were,” Triesman said.

He added: “There was a huge amount of pressure to try and secure these games for England, a huge desire not to burn off any prospect of doing so. And although there have from time to time been some discussions with people at FIFA, the point was not pressed. I think in retrospect we would have burned off our chances of the games very much earlier.” So what now?

Well, of course, FIFA should investigate.

The World Cup selection process should, of course, be taken out of the hands of two dozen men who meet behind closed doors and be decided more openly by a larger electorate.

Any FIFA member guilty of impropriety should, of course, be kicked out and Qatar should, of course, be stripped of the 2022 World Cup if claims are proven that Issa Hayatou and Jacques Anouma got $1.5 million to vote for the Gulf nation.

Will any of this happen? I, for one, am not banking on it — at least not on Sepp Blatter’s watch. The FIFA president, up for re-election on June 1, isn’t willing to put his hand in the fire to vouch for his executive committee colleagues. “I cannot say they are all angels or they are all devils,” he says.

That’s hardly a ringing endorsement of them or his own determination to make sure that football has the scrupulously honest governance it deserves. One crumb of comfort from Triesman’s testimony was his assertion that Michel Platini is among FIFA executives widely thought to be “completely incorruptible.”

Perhaps the UEFA president will take the reins at FIFA in four years time. Until then, football’s corridors of power seem like very dark places indeed. —AP

Qatar World Cup team denies allegations of buying votes

MADRID: Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo from Portugal celebrates after scoring his side fourth goal during his Spanish La Liga soccer match against Getafe. —AP

Real rally round Ronaldo in quest for goals records MADRID: With the La Liga title effectively in Barcelona’s hands, Real Madrid are doing their best to help Cristiano Ronaldo set new goalscoring records as their campaign draws to a close.

The Portugal forward bagged his second hat-trick in as many matches in the 4-0 demolition of Getafe at the Bernabeu on Tuesday, making it seven scored in the last four days and taking his league tally to 36.

He set a new club record of 49 goals scored in all competitions for a season, passing the previous best of 47 set by Ferenc Puskas in 1959/60.

Ronaldo is also just two short of matching the league record of 38 achieved by Real’s Hugo Sanchez in the 1989/90 campaign, and Athletic Bilbao’s Telmo Zarra in 1950/51.

“Our objective now is to help Cristiano to be league top scorer,” Real striker Gonzalo Higuain told reporters. Ronaldo moved five ahead of his great rival Lionel Messi of Barcelona, who has 31 league goals so far, but he is still three short

of the World Player of the Year’s season tally in all competitions of 52.

Real’s players were clearly looking to set up Ronaldo at ever y opportunity against Getafe as the 26-year-old scored with a header and a goal off each foot. “ We still have one objective which is to ensure Ronaldo finishes as league top scorer,” Real assistant coach Aitor Karanka said. “It’s logical that some of his team mates look for him.

“The goals record is down to the unity of the team and the enormous potential that he has. We don’t know where Cristiano’s limits are.”

Real and Ronaldo have two league matches left this season, away to Villarreal and at home to Almeria. Barca and Messi only need a point at Levante on Wednesday to wrap up their third consecutive La Liga title, and then have two more league matches and the Champions League final against Manchester United on May 28.

Real coach Jose Mourinho was conspicuous by his absence in front

of the media again, as a new rift appeared in the strained relationship between him and the club’s director general Jorge Valdano.

The Portuguese has not spoken in public since UEFA gave him a fivematch touchline ban in European competition last week for his sending off and verbal outburst against Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final first leg.

“Mourinho decides when he wants to speak and when the opportunity is right,” Argentine Valdano told Spanish television.

“There has been a lot of noise connected with him and it was important he stepped to the side for the decibels that surround him to go down.” Mourinho’s spokesman countered soon after wards: “Valdano is the spokesman for Real but not for Mourinho,” Eladio Parames told Spanish radio.

“When Valdano says Mourinho took a step to the side he is deluding himself. Jose will make noise when he wants to and he will without ambiguity.” —Reuters

Hooliganism threatens Euro 2012 WARSAW: Poland ratcheted up the pressure over football hooliganism yesterday, with Prime Minister Donald Tusk warning it posed a threat to Euro 2012, after crisis talks with the nation’s clubs.

“If we can’t settle this within months, the European Championships will be endangered,” said Tusk, himself an ardent fan and Sunday league player. After meeting with the 16 clubs in Poland’s topflight Ekstraklasa, Tusk said he had raised the spectre of widening empty-stadium penalties imposed on Lech Poznan and Legia Warsaw, whose fans marred last week’s cup final.

He pledged to take “resolute action” to stem the problem. “We understand how annoying a state reaction can be for some people, but we’re not going to give up on this one. Nobody has relieved us of the responsibility to provide people with a sense of security,” he added.

Even before the latest outburst of fan violence upped the ante for Tusk, his centre-right government had vowed to get tough ahead of the showcase tournament, which Poland will host with neighbouring Ukraine.

It has promised measures such as fast-track trials inside stadiums, with judges hearing cases by videolink. In addition, hooligans who have already been banned from Poland’s stadiums face electronic tagging and immediate jail if they breach their conditions. Around 1,800 people are currently serving hooliganism-related stadium bans in Poland, a nation of 38 million. Poland’s headlines have been dominat-

ed by hooliganism in the wake of the May 3 cup final fracas in the northern city of Bydgoszcz.

After a 1-1 draw, Legia won 5-4 on penalties and supporters of both sides invaded the pitch. Besides assaulting police, stewards and reporters, they also smashed up seats.

The brawl underlined longstanding concerns about hooliganism in Poland, with only 13 months to go until the 16-nation championships kick off in Warsaw.

On Tuesday, Polish police announced they had detained 26 people involved in the Bydgoszcz trouble. They warned that more arrests were on the cards because they had identified a total of 70 individuals involved. They have faced criticism from Polish media however for failing to make arrests at the match itself, in stark contrast with the tougher approach of police in many other European nations.

The number arrested was split equally between supporters of Lech and Legia. Among them was Piotr Staruchowicz, or “Staruch”, leader of a fan club that rules the roost at Legia. He also made headlines last month for assaulting Legia defender Jakub Rzezniczak after a defeat.

Legia had said he would “never” be allowed back into its ground after trouble in 2009, but climbed down in the face of a fan boycott, Polish media noted, pouring scorn on the club’s anti-hooligan efforts.

Staruchowicz ’s Lech counterpart, Krzysztof Markowicz, was also arrested this week for an assault at a previous game. — AFP

DOHA: The Qatar 2022 World Cup bid team has denied allegations it paid two FIFA executive committee members to vote for the tiny Gulf nation in last December’s hosting decision.

On Tuesday, a British parliamentary inquiry into why England failed to secure the 2018 finals was told by member of parliament Damian Collins there was evidence from the Sunday Times newspaper that Issa Hayatou of Cameroon and Jacques Anouma of the Ivory Coast were paid by Qatar. Both men have not commented.

“We categorically deny these allegations,” Qatar, which defied the odds to win the vote to host the 2022 finals, said in a statement.

“We have nothing to hide and are prepared to support and cooperate with any further investigations and will be happy to counter any allegations from whistleblowers with real evidence.”

Two other executive committee members, Nigerian Amos Adamu and Reynauld Temarii of Tahiti, were banned by FIFA’s Ethics Committee last year after a previous Sunday Times investigation into the World Cup bidding process.

“The Qatar 2022 bid team ran an historic campaign that changed football. We were beset by rumours and allegations from the outset,” the Qatar statement added.

“Bidding, like football, is a rough sport. Happily, our promise of bringing football to new lands and expanding its legacies across the

PORT OF SPAIN: Mohamed bin Hammam (right) of Qatar, chief of the Asian Football Confederation, accompanied by FIFA Vice President Austin Jack Warner, of Trinidad & Tobago, smiles during a meeting. —AP developing world compelled FIFA.” At the same UK parliamentary inquiry, former English Football Association chairman David Triesman accused FIFA executive committee members Jack Warner, Ricardo Teixeira, Nicolas Leoz and Worawi Makudi of asking for favours in return for their votes for England’s 2018 World Cup bid.

UK Sports Minister Hugh Robertson hinted to BBC radio on Wednesday that national associations may consider breaking away from FIFA if the world governing

body does not act on the stream of allegations. “I have taken the temperature from other football associations around the world. At the moment... there is a desire to try and work to change FIFA from the inside,” he said. “If FIFA proves unable to do that I would say that all options are possible.”

Robertson said he hoped FIFA would look to root out possible corruption like the International Olympic Committee had after the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games vote scandal. —Reuters

IOC’s Rogge calls for clean sports GENEVA: Sports leaders must fight against corruption to prevent the type of bribery scandal shaking football’s governing body FIFA, IOC President Jacques Rogge said yesterday.

Rogge told The Associated Press that English allegations about six senior FIFA officials — a quarter of the 24-man executive committee — receiving or demanding bribes for their World Cup votes are bad for the image of world sport. The International Olympic Committee leader called on sports bodies to work “on both fronts” to tackle corruption on and off the field of play.

“We have to fight against that.

We have absolutely to make sure that sport on the management level is clean and also sport on the athletic level is clean,” Rogge said on the sidelines of a United Nations conference on achieving peace through sports.

“In terms of the champions, there is always the threat of doping. In

terms of management of sport, there is the threat of unethical practices.” Rogge stressed that claims the 2018 and 2022 World Cup votes last December were marred by ethical misconduct must be backed “by solid proof.” The IOC has asked for its ethics commission to receive any evidence of wrongdoing by FIFA vice president and IOC member Issa Hayatou.

Hayatou of Cameroon and Jacques Anouma of the Ivory Coast were allegedly paid $1.5 million to vote for 2022 candidate Qatar, according to evidence submitted to the British Parliament by the Sunday Times newspaper. Qatar won the vote, beating the United States in the final round.

The Qatar football federation denied the allegations, calling them “wholly unreliable.” Hayatou, the president of the Confederation of African Football, “categorically denies” the claims, the African body said yesterday.

GENEVA: Belgian Jacques Rogge (left) president of the International Olympic Committee, IOC, presents the IOC trophy to United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon (right) during the second International Forum on Sport for Peace and Development. —AP

The IOC dealt with its own bribery scandal in 1999, with 10 members expelled or forced to resign over allegations of vote-buying during Salt Lake City’s winning bid for the 2002 Winter Olympics.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter, who’s also an IOC member, was not accused of corruption in the British Parliamentary inquiry hearing on Tuesday when new allegations surfaced. Blatter asked for evidence to be sent to the FIFA ethics committee and promised immediate action if wrongdoing could be proved.

Blatter has made zero tolerance of corruption a central theme of his June 1 re-election contest against Qatar’s Mohamed bin Hammam, and put distance between himself and those under suspicion.

“I cannot say they are all angels or they are all devils,” Blatter said. “It is my government but my government is not designated by the president. They are coming from the (confederations).” Bin Hammam played a key role in delivering the 2022 World Cup to his homeland of Qatar.

“FIFA is not corrupted,” the Asian Football Confederation President said. “We are victims of the popularity of the game.” The conduct of Jack Warner, Nicolas Leoz, Ricardo Teixeira and Worawi Makudi in the 2018 contest won by Russia was described as “improper and unethical” by the former head of England’s bid, David Triesman.

Warner, a FIFA vice president from Trinidad and Tobago, dismissed Triesman’s allegations, saying he “laughed like hell” when he heard them on Tuesday. “I never asked anybody for anything,” Warner told Trinidad newspaper Newsday.

“When these guys (England) came here, we promised to help. I showed them a place where they can put a playground. — AP

Australia see off South Korea

Nadal survives scare as Djokovic cruises

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SPAIN: Barcelona’s Seydou Keita from Mali (left) duels for the ball with Levante’s Xavi Torres (right) during their Spanish La Liga soccer match. —AP

Barcelona crowned Spanish champions MADRID: Barcelona were crowned Spanish champions for the third successive season with a 1-1 draw at Levante yesterday clinching a 21st domestic title with two games to spare.

Barcelona needed just a point to retain the title and they duly obliged to become the first side to win three consecutive league titles since 1993 when Johan Cruyff’s Barcelona ‘Dream Team’ won the third of their four straight league crowns.

Mali midfielder Seydo Keita headed in a 27th minute opener for Barcelona only for Ecuadorian striker Felipe Caicedo to equalise on 40 minutes, but it didn’t matter as a draw gave the Catalan side the title.

Barcelona stand six points ahead of secondplaced Real Madrid and they lift the title courtesy of their superior head to head record over their rivals. Coach Pep Guardiola has won the league title in each of his three seasons in charge and can now concentrate on going for the double with the Champions League final against Manchester United at Wembley Stadium on May 28. “Winning the title is always difficult and this one was tough just like the others were before,” said Guardiola. “Now we can enjoy this win.”Real Madrid’s 4-0 win over Getafe at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday meant Barcelona had to finish the title job themselves. Guardiola vowed not to rest his stars and was true to his word as the likes of Lionel Messi, David Villa and Xavi started

although Andres Iniesta began on the bench.

French international Eric Abidal also started at left back in his first league start since midMarch having successfully undergone surgery on a liver tumour. Levante sounded an early warning with Valdo firing just wide but the visitors drew first blood through Keita on 27 minutes.Xavi picked out midfielder Keita as he made a late run into the box and the Mali midfielder produced a terrific header.

Barcelona had one hand on the trophy but got complacent with Spanish international Gerard Pique making a schoolboy defensive mistake to confuse goalkeeper Victor Valdes and Caicedo was on hand to equalise.

Argentine Messi went close with a free-kick before the interval but at the break the title was in their hands despite a below-par display.

The champions came out with more urgency in the second half and Dutch winger Ibrahim Afellay saw a fierce shot whistle wide.

Messi then took centre stage on 57 minutes with a neat turn and dribble past three men with his quick feet but his shot crashed against the left hand post to safety. The Ballon D’Or holder then went on another mazy run but his shot crept wide as Barcelona waited for a goal to ease their nerves.

Both teams appeared happy with the draw, with Levante moving four points above the relegation zone, as the game petered out and Barcelona popped the champagne corks.

Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona side drew more comparisons with Johan Cruyff ’s great Barcelona ‘Dream Team’ of the 1990s as they won a third consecutive league crown and reached a second Champions League final in three seasons. Barcelona had a remarkable five Clasicos against rivals Real Madrid in the 2010/11 campaign and Guardiola outfoxed counterpart Jose Mourinho as Barca coasted to the league title and beat their foes over two legs in the Champions League semi-finals.

Barcelona became the first side to win three back-to-back league titles since Cruyff ’s Barcelona team, when Guardiola played as a defensive midfielder, won the third of four league titles back in 1993.

Argentine Lionel Messi, still only 23, was the inspiration once again for Barcelona scoring over 50 goals with 31 coming in the league as he retained the Ballon D’Or award for the world’s best player.

Messi scored three times against Real, including a wonder goal in the 2-0 Champions League semi-final first leg win at the Santiago Bernabeu when he ran half the pitch and dribbled past four defenders before finishing with aplomb. Barcelona suffered an early setback in the league with a home defeat to promoted Hercules but thereafter they were the model of consistency with a 32-game unbeaten run in the league as they led from the front.

New signing David Villa, a 40-million-euro

capture from Valencia, adapted well with the Spanish World Cup winner scoring 18 league goals in his debut campaign.

Villa was on target twice as Barcelona thumped Real 5-0 at Camp Nou in November a match that will be long remembered by Barca fans as the Catalans gave Mourinho the heaviest defeat of his career.

The only disappointment was the Kings Cup final when they lost 1-0 to Real in extra-time but Barcelona had the ultimate revenge with a 3-1 aggregate victory in the Champions League semi-finals. The animosity between the two sides cranked up a notch as the two bitter rivals met four times in a crucial 18 days that would define their respective seasons. — AFP

Spanish League results/standings Levante 1 Barcelona 1; Real Sociedad 2 Real Zaragoza 1; Almeria 0 Villarreal 0.

Played on Tuesday Deportivo Coruna 2 Athletic Bilbao 1; Malaga 2 Sporting Gijon 0; Racing Santander 2 Atletico Madrid 1; Real Madrid 4 Getafe 0.

Spanish League table after yesterday’s early matches (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points): Levante 36 12 8 16 40 50 44 Barcelona 36 9 5 2 92 20 92 Sociedad 36 14 2 20 47 62 44 — champions Sporting 36 10 13 13 33 41 43 Real Madrid 36 27 5 4 91 31 86 Mallorca 35 12 7 16 35 47 43 Valencia 35 20 6 9 60 42 66 Deportivo 36 10 12 14 31 45 42 Villarreal 36 18 8 10 53 40 62 Osasuna 35 11 8 16 41 42 41 Bilbao 36 17 3 16 56 53 54 Getafe 36 11 7 18 46 59 40 Sevilla 35 15 7 13 54 55 52 Zaragoza 36 10 9 17 37 52 39 Atletico 36 15 7 14 56 49 52 Hercules 35 9 6 20 33 56 33 Espanyol 35 15 3 17 42 49 48 Almeria 36 5 12 19 32 61 27 Racing 36 12 10 14 39 52 46 — relegated Malaga 36 13 6 17 52 64 45

Mourinho’s title promises and mind games fall flat

Real Madrid’s coach Jose Mourinho

MADRID: Jose Mourinho arrived at Real Madrid amid a media frenzy as Real hailed their ‘Galactico’ coach as the man to end the supremacy of bitter rivals Barcelona.

The outspoken Portuguese as ever ruffled feathers off the pitch with his controversial comments, criticising referees, kick-off times and accusing Barcelona of favouritism, however, on the pitch Real were again second best to their arch rivals. Mourinho landed his first trophy as Madrid boss with the Kings Cup, all the sweeter given that the final win was over Barcelona.

But the more prestigious pieces of silverware escaped Real as Barcelona won a third successive league crown and ousted their foes in the semifinals of the Champions League.

Real and their expensive collection of ‘Galacticos’ were widely criticised for their negative tactics against Barca, while Mourinho had to endure a 5-0 mauling in his first Clasico and the end of his nine-year unbeaten home league run.

After two years without a trophy, the Kings Cup was welcome for Madrid fans but it could not compensate for painful losses to Barca, as the two teams met four times in 18 days, in Europe and a failure to keep pace in the league. Mourinho came

with a proven track record for success after winning league titles with Porto, Chelsea and Inter Milan along with two Champions League titles, with the most recent being in Madrid when his Inter side lifted the coveted trophy.

He splashed out money on Ricardo Carvalho, Sami Khedira, Angel di Maria and Mesut Ozil and immediately talked of an unprecedented ‘Grand Slam’ of winning league titles in Italy, England and Spain.

Real had not won the Champions League since 2002 and Mourinho also vowed to try and bring a 10th European Cup and in the process become the first coach to win the trophy with three different clubs, having achieved it with Porto and Inter Milan. The Portuguese had a forgettable debut as his Real Madrid started with a drab 0-0 league draw at Real Mallorca, but things improved and 32 points from a possible 36 made Mourinho the most successful managerial debutant in La Liga.

On the pitch Real were building a reputation as a lethal counter attacking team, using the fleetfooted wingers Cristiano Ronaldo and di Maria to cut through teams.

Heading into the first ‘El Clasico’ at Nou Camp in late November, Real were a point above

Barcelona and looking to go four points clear.

It was a first taste of the fixture for Mourinho and it turned into a nightmare as Barcelona thrashed Real 5-0 - a fifth successive defeat for the ‘meringues’.

“They played well and we played very poorly,” said Mourinho. “It is a defeat — not a humiliation.”

The loss was Mourinho’s heaviest of his glittering managerial career as Real paid the price for coming out to attack and it had an impact on Mourinho’s future tactics for the four subsequent Clasicos. In the league Madrid were chasing, as they had done for the previous two seasons, trailing Barcelona by two points and only the goals of Cristiano Ronaldo, who has 36 in the league so far, kept them in touch.

In 2011 Real’s erratic away form proved their undoing as a 1-0 loss at Osasuna and draws against Almeria and Deportivo La Coruna allowed Barca to go five clear at the summit. In the league match before the second league Clasico, Real fell to a surprise 1-0 home loss to unfashionable Sporting Gijon as Mourinho’s 150 game unbeaten league home record, stretching back nine years to February 2002, came to an end.

Barcelona were eight points clear and a 1-1

draw at the Santiago Bernabeu in the second league Clasico ended Madrid’s comeback hopes.

Real had something to cheer four days later when a Ronaldo goal in extra time downed Barcelona 1-0 in the Kings Cup final.

It lifted spirits ahead of the semi-final duels but despite home advantage in the first leg Mourinho instructed his team to play deep and a brace from Lionel Messi punished 10-man Real who had Pepe sent off on the hour mark.

Mourinho ranted after the match about Pepe’s red card, criticised referees and claimed Barcelona received special treatment.

“I don’t know if it is the Unicef sponsorship or if it is because they are nice guys. I don’t understand,” said Mourinho. “They (Barcelona) have power and we have no chance.”

The return leg of the Champions League semi saw Barcelona draw 1-1 and progress 3-1 on aggregate to the Wembley final, while Mourinho and his players continued their conspiracy claims, with a disallowed Gonzalo Higuain goal their latest complaint.

As expected Barcelona clinched the league title and for Madrid the season was over with their Kings Cup win little consolation. — AFP

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ATHENS: A double-decker tour bus passes Greece’s parliament building as riot police form a cordon in front of protesters, during a demonstration in central Athens yesterday. Clashes broke out at downtown rally yesterday as Unions staged a general strike to protest harsh austerity measures intended to keep the debtridden country solvent. —AP (See Page 23)

US trade gap widens on oil $48.2bn deficit highest since 2010 WASHINGTON: US companies sold the most goods and services overseas in nearly two decades. But a big jump in oil prices pushed the nation’s trade deficit higher in March.

The trade deficit rose 6 percent to $48.2 billion, the Commerce Department said yesterday. That’s the highest level since June 2010 and up from $45.4 billion in February.

Exports increased to $172.7 billion, the most on records dating back to 1993. A weaker dollar has made US goods cheaper overseas. Exports

have also risen because of rapid growth in developing countries. US companies exported more autos, chemicals, and agricultural goods in March. However, oil imports soared to $39.3 billion, an 18 percent rise from the previous month. It was the highest level since August 2008 and reflects steep price increases, as well as greater demand. Excluding oil imports, the deficit narrowed.

The average price for a barrel of imported crude oil was $93.76 in March, up nearly 7.6 percent from February. Oil prices have risen even

further since then, despite declines in recent weeks. Oil closed at about $104 per barrel on Tuesday.

The trade deficit is currently running at a $562.8 billion annual pace.

That’s above last year’s total of $495.7 billion. Economic growth generally slows when imports outpace exports because more jobs go to foreign workers. Economists expect the fast rise in exports to boost growth in the April-June quarter, even with high oil prices widening the deficit. That’s because the government adjusts for inflation

Merkel raises Draghi’s chances as ECB chief FRANKFURT: Chancellor Angela Merkel ty and a solid economy.”

The German chancellor had previsupport for Italian Mario Draghi to become the next head of the European ously remained silent on the question, Central Bank cements his chances of though French President Nicolas getting one of the world’s toughest Sarkozy expressed his support for the Italian in late April. banking jobs, analysts said yesterday.

“You had Sarkozy stealing the show “Germany could back his candidacy for the position of ECB president,” actually by indirectly crowning Draghi a Merkel told Die Zeit in an interview. couple of weeks ago, so what alternaBarclays Capital managing director tive was left for Merkel,” Brzeski noted.

Julian Callow told AFP that Merkel’s Natixis economist Sylvain Broyer combacking was “the last box to check” and mented that by following Sarkozy and added: “it’s the thing that we’ve been Schaeuble, Merkel demonstrated that “the German govwaiting for.” ernment has some German Finance enormous commuMinister Wolfgang nications problems.”

Schaeuble had Berlin had no already suggested he viable candidate of would also like to see its own after former Draghi take over at Bundesbank presithe ECB when JeanClaude Trichet of Italy’s Mario Draghi is tipped dent Axel Weber France steps down in as the next president of the announced his resOctober.

European Central Bank. —AP ignation in February.

Draghi, currently The ECB is battling a series of crises that erupted with the head of the Italian central bank, has global financial meltdown before emerged as the most qualified candiengulfing debt-laden Greece, Ireland date though it would mean the ECB has and Portugal. Euro-zone finance minis- both a president and vice president ters are expected to formally recom- from southern European countries. A mend Draghi next week ahead of a former Goldman Sachs executive, decision by European Union heads of Draghi is already a member of the ECB governing council and has key experistate and government in June.

“If there were any doubts that the ence in international finance as head of deal was not done yet, this should rule the Financial Stability Board, a post he them out,” ING senior economist has held since 2009. “He has the intelCarsten Brzeski told AFP in reference to lect, the experience, the leadership, the Merkel’s comment. She also told Die judgment, the communication skills Zeit that Draghi was “a very interesting that (would) collectively make him an and experienced figure. He is very close exceptional president of the ECB,” to our conception of a culture of stabili- Callow said. —AFP

when calculating the nation’s gross domestic product. “ The details in the report are encouraging for economic momentum,” said Joseph LaVorgna, an economist at Deutsche Bank, in a note to clients. “Strong external demand fueled by a near-record low ... dollar is lifting exports, while the rise in imports is evidence of burgeoning domestic demand.” The trade deficit with China, meanwhile, decreased to $18.1 billion. That’s down slightly from February. But it is expected to rise in the coming

Dubai keeps FDI forecast despite regional unrest DUBAI: Dubai is sticking to its forecast that foreign direct investment will jump by up to 30 percent this year despite widening unrest across the Middle East, an official said. Fahad Al-Gergawi, chief executive of Dubai’s Foreign Investment Office, said the Gulf Arab emirate is seen as a safe haven as it has been insulated from political uprisings in North Africa this year and most recently in Bahrain and Syria as well.

“We have seen interest of foreign companies double in the first quarter compared to the same period last year. We are seeing more interest coming from Latin America altogether, led by Brazil,” Gergawi told Reuters.

“We are also seeing a good increase in interest from China and East Asia,” he said on the sidelines of an investment meeting in the emirate on Tuesday.

Dubai, a business hub which accounts for nearly a third of the United Arab Emirate’s gross domestic product and 80 percent of its non-oil trade, has seen foreign direct investment (FDI) pick up as it has recovered from the global downturn and its own debt crisis. —Reuters

Saudi, Kuwait May fuel oil offers jump 50% SINGAPORE: May-loading fuel oil volumes from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, two of the top exporters from the Middle East, have risen to 750,000-800,000 tons, more than 50 percent higher than April, with another two offers seen, traders said yesterday. ExxonMobil has offered a third May-lifting parcel of high-viscosity fuel oil from its Yanbu refinery, up from the usual two, while Kuwait Petroleum Co (KPC) has offered its fourth, up from an average of two.

“The volumes are higher than expected as May arbitrage flows are also relatively heavy. There are also the Iranian barrels, which are hard to keep tabs of as most of their sales are under the radar,” a Singapore-based Western trader said. “But there are not enough on-specification cargoes among the Western flows, and that is probably drawing the heavier-thanusual Middle East volumes, despite the looming peak summer demand season in Saudi Arabia.” —Reuters

months. On Tuesday, China reported a big increase in its April trade surplus. Its imports fell while exports jumped 30 percent. That’s likely to raise pressure on China to let its currency rise.

The trade gap between the two countries was a top issue in highlevel meetings between US and Chinese officials earlier this week, though little progress was made on the currency issue.

The devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan on March 11 didn’t impact US trade figures. Imports

from Japan rose by $1.3 billion and US exports to that country also increased. But disruptions to Japan’s auto production are likely to reduce US imports in coming months, economists say. That could narrow the trade gap. US companies sold more autos, industrial materials, and food and consumer goods in March.

Auto and auto part exports rose to $11.6 billion from just below $10 billion in February. In addition to oil, imports of computers, autos and auto parts, and aircraft rose in March. —AP

DP World sees London listing by end May DUBAI: DP World, the world’s third-largest port operator, is on track for a dual listing on the London Stock Exchange as early as the end of May, its chief executive said yesterday.

DP World also said its consolidated terminals handled 6.8 million twenty-foot equivalent container unit (TEU) in the first quarter, up 8.5 percent from the prior year.

“We remain on track to list on the London

Stock Exchange around the end of May or early June,” Mohammed Sharaf said in a statement to Nasdaq Dubai.

He said the listing was subject to completion of the admission process by the UK Listing Authority (UKLA). The port operator’s consolidated volume growth in the first quar ter was 7.5 percent, adding that its gross volumes were up by 12 percent. —Reuters

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BMW takes the joy of driving to another level Ali Alghanim & Sons offers industry’s first Arabic iDrive system KUWAIT: Adding to its range of driver assistance technologies that bring unmatched driver engagement, handling and safety features to the luxury performance segment, BMW offers customers the industry’s first Arabic-language iDrive control system. The new system is available through Al Alghanim & Sons Automotive, the official BMW Group importer in Kuwait, as a standard feature for most BMW models fitted with navigation.

The BMW iDrive control system has an up to 10.2 inch Control Display with standardized menu guidance that grants easy access to the radio/CD, telecommunication functions and satellite navigation. The interface for the satellite navigation system comprising maps, menus, directions, data entry and voice guidance. All these functions are provided in Arabic with a male Arabic voice, and with an option to switch to English and other languages.

The BMW onboard navigation system is easy to operate and guides you quickly to your destination. Your current location is established automatically by the navigator with the help of the Global Positioning System (GPS), down to an accuracy of 10 metres. Using this information, the system calculates the best route to your destination, and guides you step by step to your goal. Instructions are given visually as easy-to-follow arrows, and/or as clear verbal instructions over the sound system.

Yousef Al Qatami, General Manager of Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive says: “We are very excited to offer this feature to our Arabic-speaking customers in Kuwait. This project proves our ongoing commitment to servicing our Arabic-language customers with an added driver-assist benefit.” BMW’s iDrive system is one of the numerous BMW ConnectedDrive optional driver assistance technology features for enhanced comfort and safety. Some of these include: rear-view camera; Surround View; BMW Night Vision with pedestrian recognition; and BMW Park Assistant.

Dubai’s Drake Q1 net profit rises 21% DUBAI: Drake & Scull International’s first quarter net profit rose 21 percent, the Dubai contractor said yesterday, beating analyst forecasts, as revenues soared.

Drake, which specializes in mechanical, engineering and plumbing operations (MEP), reported net profit of 51 million dirhams ($13.88 million), up from profit of 42.2 million dirhams in the prior-year period.

Four analysts had forecast average profit of 43.35 million dirhams, in a Reuters poll.

Revenues for the quarter jumped 67 percent to 645 million dirhams, it said in a statement.

Drake’s backlog stood at 7.5 billion dirhams at the end of March, having won MEP projects worth a total 2.8 billion dirhams since the beginning of the year in Oman, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, it said, adding it remains bullish on expectations for the second half of the year.

Earlier this month, Shuaa Capital upgraded Drake to buy citing its rising backlog and

Kuwait Energy’s working interest share of production and the revenue for the first quarter of 2011 compared to the first quarter of 2010 is shown in the table below: Asset

Daily Average Production (boepd) Q1 2011

295

326

Area A

4,305

4,526

ERQ

3,210

3,218

Egypt Total

7,810

8,070

Oman

2,756

2,839

Yemen

695

867

1,181

1,123

543

522

12,985

13,421

Ukraine Russia Total

HP launches early access program for upcoming EVA KUWAIT: HP yesterday announced a worldwide early access program for the upcoming HP P6000 Enterprise Virtual Array (EVA) targeted for general availability this summer. With an installed base of nearly 100,000 EVA units deployed worldwide, this program represents a significant opportunity for clients to accelerate storage consolidation projects and reduce datacenter costs without retraining administrative staff.

Part of HP’s Converged Infrastructure portfolio, the HP P6000 EVA represents the company’s fifth generation EVA and features increased capacity and performance improvements. The HP P6000 EVA, one of the easiest to manage storage arrays available today,(1) is typically deployed for core enterprise applications from messaging to enterprise resource planning (ERP). With the HP P6000 EVA, clients have the opportunity to modernize legacy infrastructure and increase return on investment.

“We looked at what other storage vendors had on the market, and the HP EVA’s expandability, ease of administration, and resiliency features fit our needs perfectly,” said Bill Haggard, director of enterprise infrastructure, the Dallas Cowboys. “With the introduction of the HP P6000 EVA, we are excited to see the increased efficiency and integration into the rest of the Converged Infrastructure while continuing to deliver industry leading simplicity.”

The HP P6000 EVA delivers greater flexibility and performance with a 6Gb/second

Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) back-end, support for standard SAS hard disk drives, and eight gigabit Fibre Channel connectivity.

Further details on management enhancements and advanced software features will be disclosed at the HP DISCOVER event in Las Vegas, NV, taking place June 6 - 10.

“Due to our clients’ need for ease-of-use and reliability, the EVA has become an essential storage building block of their most important applications,” said Walid Gomaa, StorageWorks Business Unit Manager and Sales Manager, HP Middle East. “The HP P6000 EVA offers our clients a holistic approach to storage infrastructure, from general-purpose storage to messaging to data applications, which enables them to efficiently run their businesses.”

Clients interested in the early access program can contact their local HP reseller or account representative; more information is also available online at www.hp.com/storage/newera.

HP Converged Infrastructure is a core component of an Instant-On Enterprise. In a world of continuous connectivity, the Instant-On Enterprise embeds technology in everything it does to serve clients, employees, partners and citizens with whatever they need, instantly.

HP’s premier client event, HP DISCOVER, takes place June 6 - 10 in Las Vegas and Nov. 29 - Dec. 1 in Vienna, Austria. The event showcases how organizations can get started on their Instant-On Enterprise journeys.

Kuwait Energy reports Q1 2011 activities Q1 operating cash flow of $22.2m

Q1 2010

Egypt BEA

expectations that the contractor’s acquisition of a Riyadh-based civil construction firm will allow it to grow further in Saudi Arabia.

In April, Drake bought International Centre for Contracting Co (ICC), which has offices in Jeddah and Damman, for 128 million riyals.

In March the firm said it got approval from the board to set up a new unit in India. Drake’s shares closed 2.9 percent higher. Its results were released after markets closed. — Reuters

Walid Gomaa, Storage Works Business Unit, Manager, HP Middle East

KUWAIT: Kuwait Energy Company (“Kuwait Energy”), one of the fastest growing independent oil and gas exploration and production companies in the Middle East, yesterday issued its 2011 first quarter activities report announcing unaudited operating cash flow of $22.2 million. Kuwait Energy produced a daily average working interest production of 12,985 barrels of oil equivalent for Q1 2011, a 2.9% decrease from the previous quarter primarily due to wells shut-in for workover maintenance in East Ras Qattara (ERQ) in Egypt.

Kuwait Energy’s year end 2010 reserves were audited by Gaffney, Cline and Associates and recorded proven and probable working interest reserves of 48.8 million barrels of oil equivalent (mmboe). The reserves exclude Karim Small fields (Oman)

which is covered by a Service Agreement.

Kuwait Energy’s working interest share of production and the revenue for the first quarter of 2011 compared to the first quarter of 2010 is shown in the table below: In Egypt, the unrest during Q1 2011 led to a brief, precautionary pause that lasted ten days in exploration activities in the Abu Sennan Concession in the Western Desert to allow employees to return home safely to their families. Abu Sennan is a non-producing field and there was no disruption to production or other operations in Kuwait Energy’s three producing fields in Egypt namely Area A, Burg El Arab and ERQ. In Yemen, the assessment of Yemen’s gas resources and feasibility study were completed as per the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between

Kuwait Energy and the Yemen Ministry of Oil and Minerals in October 2010. A date is yet to be set to present the study to the Petroleum Exploration and Production Authority of Yemen.

Kuwait Energy, as the operator of the Siba gas field, has finalized the 2011 work program and budget for the submission and approval of the Iraqi Government once the contracts are signed. Kuwait Energy was awarded 20-year term gas development contracts for the Siba and Mansuriya gas fields. Contracts were initialled on 14 November 2010.

Exploration Four exploration wells were carried over from 2010 and three wells spud during Q1 2011. From these seven wells, two were discoveries, oil in ERQ, Egypt and gas in Jherruck, Pakistan, and commerciality is

being investigated. Three wells were dry holes and two wells (ZZ-4 in Abu Sennan and Shebyl East -1 in ERQ) were drilling at the end of the first quarter.

Development Eight development wells were drilled during the quarter in the Karim Small Fields (KSF), Oman. Four wells are producers, three are under completion and one is still drilling at the end of the quarter. In April 2011, Kuwait Energy completed the partial divestment of 22% working interest in Abu Sennan concession in Egypt to Beach Energy. The partial divestment of a 15% working interest in the Mesaha concession in Egypt to Beach Energy and the partial divestment of a 20% working interest in Burg El Arab, Egypt to East West Petroleum are still awaiting final regulatory and governmental approvals.

EXCHANGE RATES Commercial Bank of Kuwait US Dollar/KD GB Pound/KD Euro Swiss francs Canadian Dollar Australian DLR Indian rupees Sri Lanka Rupee UAE dirhams Bahraini dinars Jordanian dinar Saudi riyals Omani riyals Philippine peso Egyptian pounds

.2700000 .4480000 .3910000 .3110000 .2820000 .2930000 .0040000 .0020000 .0745370 .7261920 .3810000 .0700000 .7118990 .0040000 .0430000

.2790000 .4570000 .3990000 .3210000 .2920000 .3000000 .0072500 .0035000 .0752860 .7334900 .4010000 .0770000 .7190530 .0072000 .0540000

US Dollar/KD GB Pound/KD Euro Swiss francs Canadian dollars Danish Kroner Swedish Kroner Australian dlr Hong Kong dlr Singapore dlr Japanese yen Indian Rs/KD Sri Lanka rupee Pakistan rupee Bangladesh taka UAE dirhams Bahraini dinars Jordanian dinar Saudi Riyal/KD Omani riyals Philippine Peso

CUSTOMER TRANSFER RATES .2745500 .4500560 .3933070 .3139510 .2849060 .0527490 .0437880 .2956350 .0353230 .2226140 .0034150 .0000000 .0000000 .0000000 .0000000 .0747790 .7284430 .0000000 .0732330 .7133020 .0000000

.2766500 .4534990 .3963150 .3163520 .2870860 .0531530 .0441230 .2978970 .0355930 .2243170 .0034410 .0062170 .0025260 .0032700 .0038030 .0753510 .7340140 .3913030 .0737930 .7187580 .0064790

Al-Muzaini Exchange Co. Japanese Yen Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Srilankan Rupees Nepali Rupees Singapore Dollar Hongkong Dollar Bangladesh Taka

ASIAN COUNTRIES 3.440 6.169 3.250 2.509 3.872 224.260 35.515 3.763

Philippine Peso Thai Baht Irani Riyal - Transfer Irani Riyal - Cash

6.408 9.146 0.271 0.273 GCC COUNTRIES 73.616 75.852 717.030 733.030 75.155

Saudi Riyal Qatari Riyal Omani Riyal Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham

ARAB COUNTRIES Egyptian Pound - Cash 47.500 Egyptian Pound - Transfer 46.445 Yemen Riyal 1.263 Tunisian Dinar 202.010 Jordanian Dinar 389.840 Lebanese Lira 183.100 Syrian Lier 5.960 Morocco Dirham 35.606 EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES US Dollar Transfer 275.950 Euro 397.640 Sterling Pound 453.390 Canadian dollar 287.900 Turkish lire 177.570 Swiss Franc 316.280 Australian dollar 297.340 US Dollar Buying 274.750

Indonesia Iranian tuman Iraqi dinar Japanese yen Jordanian dinar Lebanese pound Malaysian ringgit Morocco dirham Nepalese Rupees New Zealand dollar Nigeria Norwegian krone Omani Riyal Pakistani rupees Philippine peso Qatari riyal Saudi riyal Singapore dollar South Africa Sri Lankan rupees Sterling pound Swedish krona Swiss franc Syrian pound Thai bhat Tunisian dollar UAE dirham U.S. dollars Yemeni Riyal

GOLD 20 Gram 10 Gram 5 Gram

10 Tola

389.680 0.186 94.640 3.880 221.600

715.950 3.260 6.440 75.840 73.610 225.470 43.380 2.508 453.500 315.700 5.800 9.340 75.130 275.700

1,576.440

Sterling Pound US Dollar

Bahrain Exchange Company SELL CASH 302.600 733.240 3.990 291.900 541.500 14.100 54.700 167.800 47.390 401.000 36.160 6.430

0.033

GOLD

280.000 140.000 72.000

COUNTRY Australian dollar Bahraini dinar Bangladeshi taka Canadian dollar Cyprus pound Czek koruna Danish krone Deutsche Mark Egyptian pound Euro Cash Hongkong dollar Indian rupees

0.033 0.244 0.243 3.510 391.150 0.187 94.640 48.200 4.330 223.100 1.869 51.700 716.130 3.340 6.600 76.270 73.610 225.470 43.380 2.676 455.500 45.500 317.200 5.800 9.550 198.263 75.230 276.100 1.260

SELL DRAFT 301.100 733.240 3.766 290.400

225.500 46.498 399.500 36.010 6.170

TRAVELLER’S CHEQUE 453.500 275.700

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd Rate for Transfer US Dollar Canadian Dollar Sterling Pound Euro Swiss Frank Bahrain Dinar UAE Dirhams Qatari Riyals Saudi Riyals Jordanian Dinar Egyptian Pound Sri Lankan Rupees

Selling Rate 275.850 290.585 454.452 397.440 314.004 730.088 75.080 75.747 73.530 389.664 46.395 2.509

Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Pesso Cyprus pound Japanese Yen Thai Bhat Syrian Pound Nepalese Rupees Malaysian Ringgit

6.172 3.261 3.787 6.397 676.638 3.519 9.113 6.017 3.935 90.720

Kuwait Bahrain Intl Exchange Co. Currency US Dollar Pak Rupees Indian Rupees Sri Lankan Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Peso UAE Dirhams Saudi Riyals Bahraini Dinars Egyptian Pounds Pound Sterling Indonesian Rupiah Nepali rupee Yemeni Riyal Jordanian Dinars Syrian Pounds Euro Canadian Dollars

Rate per 1000 (Tran) 275.600 3.260 6.170 2.525 3.775 6.465 75.195 73.695 732.700 46.450 457.300 0.00003280 3.910 1.550 391.600 5.750 402.200 295.100

Al Mulla Exchange Currency US Dollar Euro Pound Sterling Canadian Dollar Japanese Yen Indian Rupee Egyptian Pound Sri Lankan Rupee Bangladesh Taka Philippines Peso Pakistan Rupee Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham Saudi Riyal *Rates are subject to change

Transfer Rate (Per 1000) 275.250 399.300 453.300 290.200 3.435 6.167 46.410 2.507 3.742 6.420 3.240 733.200 75.100 73.500

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BUSINESS

KAMCO reports KD 0.21m net profit in Q1 FY2011 Results reflect growth potential: Abdullah Ali

MINSK: An elderly man reads a board listing foreign currency rates against the Belarus ruble outside an exchange office in Minsk yesterday. Belarus on May 11 cancelled the trading band limits on its ruble in retail trading to ease a growing economic crisis which has seen people besiege exchange points in search of hard currency. —AFP

EU goes slow on new aid, Greeks strike over cuts Euro weakens on doubts over Greek ATHENS/BRUSSELS: EU finance ministers will discuss Greece’s debt crisis next week but will not decide on new emergency aid until a mission to strike-hit Athens that began yesterday gives its verdict on progress on reforms.

While Greek newspapers reported that a deal was in the works for extra European Union and International Monetary Fund loans in exchange for deeper privatizations, euro-zone officials have played down expectations of imminent news on a new rescue deal.

Euro zone finance ministers meeting next Monday are likely to tell Greece it must deliver on savings and privatization targets already agreed if it wants new emergency financing next year, a euro zone source said.

The euro fell 0.3 percent to $1.4358, near a three-week low, on doubts that Europe would give Greece and Portugal timely aid. It had risen on Tuesday on a report, later denied, that a new 60 billion euro rescue for Greece was on the cards.

German Deputy Finance Minister Joerg Asmussen said no decision could be made before the inspection by senior EU and IMF officials reports on Greece’s progress on the conditions for its current 110 billion euro bailout.

“There will be debate on Greece next week. No decision will be taken,” Asmussen said.

The mission will focus on a 2011-2015 fiscal plan and on Greek progress on raising 50 billion euros from privatizations. A year after a bailout saved debt-choked Greece from bankruptcy it already looks clear it will need more help and may have to impose losses on private bondholders.

Markets are braced for some form of restructuring in the long-run as Greece labors with a 327 billion euros debt mountain. Ten-year Greek bonds currently change hands at around 55 percent of their face value, carrying a secondary market yield of 15.7 percent-little changed on the day, but up more than 3 percent since the start of the year.

Greeks are already tired of sharp spending cuts and tax rises that threaten their way of life. Police fired teargas at protesters in Athens in large-scale strikes

at the Socialist government’s cuts in pay and pensions and tax hikes as part of its austerity drive.

“People feel they can’t make ends meet and at the same time believe that these policies are not effective. This is an explosive mix,” said Costas Panagopoulos at ALCO pollsters.

Germany, which as Europe’s largest economy sees itself as the paymaster of loans for Greece, Ireland and now Portugal, has made it clear there can be no further aid or easing of the terms of credit without fiscal commitments in return.

Chancellor Angela Merkel acknowledged that this stance does not always make her popular. “In the debate about solidarity in the euro zone and the stability of our currency I ask questions at the European level that otherwise hardly anyone else asks and some probably find them difficult. They then say ‘once again that’s a Merkel idea’,” she told German newspaper Die Zeit in an interview.

French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde sought to reassure investors that, while extra aid for Greece was not yet decided, a debt restructuring was out of the question.

In the end, further support for Greeceand maybe fellow bailed-out euro-zone nations Ireland and Portugal too-is likely to be more palatable to EU leaders than a full-on restructuring which would hit Europe’s banks hard. “Nobody wants to keep funding countries in difficulty like this. But we absolutely must do it because a sovereign debt restructuring would send such a negative message to investors that the whole zone would suffer, the cost of refinancing for all its members would soar,” Lagarde told Le Figaro.

The monthly meeting of finance ministers on Monday is also unlikely to decide on lowering the interest rate on the bailout for Ireland, which like Greece is keen to lower funding costs.

Dublin is clinging tight to its ultra-low corporation tax despite demands from its EU partners that it should be raised. It is also wary of enacting speedier austerity measures in return for better terms on its 85 billion euros loans. — Reuters

ATHENS: Protestors try to avoid tear gas during a protest march marking the 24hours general strike yesterday. —AFP

KUWAIT: KAMCO (KIPCO Asset Management Company KSC), amongst Kuwait’s premier asset management and financial services company, yesterday reported its financial results for the first quarter ended 31st March 2011. The Company recorded a net profit of KD 0.21 million with earnings-per-share (EPS) of 0.907 fils in Q1 FY11.

In the first quarter, KAMCO realized a net income of KD 0.21 million and total revenues of KD 3.26 million, with strong contributions from investment/trading income. “ These financial indicators reflect our potential for continued and sustainable growth despite a distressed financial and economic environment. Our first quarter results reiterate our reputation for solidity,” says KAMCO Managing Director and CEO Sadoun Abdullah Ali. “We will continue to maintain a cautious approach towards local, regional and global capital markets, thereby endeavoring to optimize profitable returns for our shareholders.”

Having successfully secured the goodwill of shareholders and clientele alike over the past ten years of operations in Kuwait, KAMCO expanded its footprint into the Abu Dhabi market in 2008 despite the onslaught of the

KAMCO Managing Director and CEO Sadoun Abdullah Ali global financial turmoil. Going ahead, the Company aims to further increase its present portfolio of 873 institutional and individual investors, both locally and well as exploring opportunities in Saudi Arabia.

Established in 1998 with the mission to significantly alter the local and regional investment landscape, KAMCO is a premier investment company based in Kuwait. A subsidiary of United Gulf Bank (UGB) - the investment banking subsidiary of Kuwait Projects

Yemen eyeing crude imports from Saudi DUBAI/KHOBAR: Yemen is in talks to import crude oil from Saudi Arabia, a senior official said yesterday as the poorest Arab nation struggles to tackle its fuel crisis with nearly half of its oil production shut.

A blast in March on Yemen’s major oil pipeline, suspected to have been launched by angry tribesmen, has stopped the flow of light Marib crude, forcing its 130,000 barrels-per-day Aden refinery to shut and triggering a nation-wide fuel shortage.

“By importing crude oil, we would keep the Aden refinery going,” a senior official, who declined to be named told Reuters. “The economics of it makes sense.

It’s being discussed within the government,” he said.

The Yemeni government was in talks with Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest oil exporter, to import around 2 million barrels of crude, Gulf-based traders said, adding the deal was not finalized.

“The only choice for Yemen is to buy crude because at this point Saudi is not ready to export products because they need products themselves,” another trader said. Saudi Arabia has been a regular importer of gasoline to meet its buoyant demand but it has increased its purchases since late April, when a maintenance shutdown in its PetroRabigh refinery has reduced supplies.

Yemen produced a total of around 260,000 barrels per day of crude oil in 2010. Around 110,000 barrels of that is light crude, which is in short supply globally after the loss of Libyan output in February.

The output of light crude from the Ras Isa terminal was still shut, shipping sources told Reuters yesterday.

The Arabian Peninsula state has been rocked by months of protests, demanding the immediate departure of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has been in power for over three decades. In a bid to overcome the fuel shortage, Yemen has had to increase its imports of oil products. It imported 15,000 tons of diesel from Saudi last week, followed by a further seven cargoes of diesel and gasoline from unspecified suppliers, shipping sources said.

“They’ve been receiving supplies of gasoline, diesel into Hudaida and Aden. At least seven vessels have come to Hudaida since the middle of last week,” the source said.

The cargo sizes were around 15,000 to 20,000 tons as the coastal terminal of Hudaida handles smaller tankers.

Yemen normally imports around 30,000 tons of oil products per month, but Aden refinery opened a spot tender last week to buy 105,000 tons of jet fuel, gasoline and gas oil. Two traders said the tender was not awarded as traders were reluctant to supply due to Yemen’s credit issues. “I heard there are at least 4-5 ships offshore, which can’t discharge because of credit problems,” one Gulf based gasoline trader said.

The credit problems are unlikely to go away, another Gulf-based trader said, with nearly half of impoverished Yemen’s oil output remaining shut and depriving it of vital oil incomes.

Austria’s OMV is among companies which stopped producing out of Yemen following the pipeline blast.

The company was exporting its light crude out of Ras Isa. Separately, Canadian oil producer Nexen halted its oil output in Yemen on Sunday night due to a labor disruption. — Reuters

UPS, TNT, Maersk and Agility help deliver much needed relief supplies Private sector logistics teams support relief efforts in Japan TOKYO: Logistics leaders UPS, TNT, Maersk and Agility are supporting the work of the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) in Japan by boosting vital warehousing, transport and logistics capacity for the Japanese authorities to ensure that critical relief supplies reach those affected by the devastating earthquake and tsunami. The four companies make up the Logistics Emergency Teams (LETs), a cross-company partnership that supports humanitarian relief efforts during natural disasters.

The LETs are working with the UN Global Logistics Cluster, which coordinates the logistical response of the entire humanitarian community in times of disaster. The Logistics cluster is led by WFP, which is the UN’s frontline agency fighting hunger worldwide.

The earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan on March 11 left millions without access to water, food and basic necessities at the initial

stage. In the first four weeks after this natural catastrophe, the LETs handled and delivered, at the request of the Japanese government, food supplies, blankets and other relief goods donated to Japan from foreign countries.

“The LETs play an important role in supporting WFP’s work in the catastrophe in Japan and we greatly value their contributions of logistics services and employees that help us supporting operations on the ground,” said Martin Ohlsen, WFP Logistics Director. * TNT has to date delivered 50,000 blankets to Red Cross locations and shelters. * TNT has deployed volunteer logisticians to assist WFP in supporting the local disaster response, UPS has assigned volunteers to provide communications and coordination support, and Agility has a volunteer on standby should additional resources be required * UPS is providing customs and brokerage services as well as warehousing and trans-

portation services, to date helping to deliver 200 metric tons of relief supplies for WFP part of UPS’s pledge of $1 million in cash and in-kind services to relief effort. * Maersk committed 125 twenty-foot containers for aid cargo and manages their delivery to logistics hubs in the affected areas. * TNT, Agility and Maersk have also launched employee fundraising campaigns with employee donations to be matched by the companies.

The LETs initiative is the first multi-company commitment to the humanitarian sector and was launched in 2008 at the World Economic Forum Meeting in Davos, Switzerland. Central to the LETs model is the partnership of otherwise competing companies to utilize their corporate expertise, local resources and relationships in support of humanitarian relief efforts in response to natural disasters.

(Holding) Company (KIPCO) - KAMCO was listed on the Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) in 2003.

After more than twelve years of conducting business in Kuwait’s dynamic investment industry, KAMCO has successfully established a robust reputation for solidity, characterized by its prudent, conservative investment philosophy which has consistently commanded the goodwill of a wide patron-base.

KAMCO’s Asset Management Division specializes in customized portfolio management, forward trading, access to IPOs, and local and international fund management. The Investment Advisory and Research Division tracks the latest directions and trends across regional and local economies as well as equity markets and offers a range of customized services that focus on maximizing returns, mitigating risks, and maintaining capital appreciation for individual and institutional clients.

The Company’s Financial Services and Investment Division offers a full range of advisory services on mergers and acquisitions, underwriting, private placements, debt issuance and restructuring, and private equity management.

Abu Dhabi’s TAQA Q1 profit falls 47% ABU DHABI: Abu Dhabi National Energy Co posted a bigger-thanexpected 47 percent drop in firstquarter net profit, hit by increased taxes in the United Kingdom, where it drills for heavy crude in the North Sea. The state-owned utility made a net profit of 152 million dirhams ($41.38 million) for the quarter, compared with 287 million dirhams for the yearago period, it said in a statement.

Analysts polled by Reuters forecast an average net profit of 313 million dirhams for the quarter.

In mid-March the U.K. government announced changes to the tax regime for the UK North Sea which was backdated to January 1, 2011, the company said in the statement. “This contributed to a 53 percent year-on-year increase in tax, negatively impacting

net profit,” TAQA said.

TAQA’s profit rose 11 percent before the tax impact, the statement said. Quarterly revenues rose 15 percent to 5.5 billion dirhams ($1.50 billion) compared with 4.8 billion dirhams in the same period last year.

The firm sold its stake in its Caribbean power assets in January for $320 million, partly to pay off debt. In December, TAQA secured a $3 billion revolving credit facility to be used to refinance an existing $3.15 billion facility.

The company was hit by a lawsuit in September, after its former chief executive sued IT in a US court, alleging he was forced out for trying to stop “kickbacks, bribery, accounting fraud and corruption” at the energy firm. TAQA is owned 75 percent by the Abu Dhabi government. — Reuters

Egypt’s OCI Q1 profit up, upbeat on demand CAIRO: Egypt’s Orascom Construction (OCI) reported a 77 percent jump in first-quarter net profit yesterday and said it was confident infrastructure spending would accelerate despite political turmoil in the Middle East.

The firm, Egypt ’s biggest listed builder and fertilizer maker, made a net profit of $206.1 million, up from $116.6 million a year earlier. The earnings beat the average forecast from seven analysts polled by Reuters of $182 million.

Estimates ranged from $159 million to $200 million.

OCI said its consolidated backlog was $5.1 billion at the end of the quarter and new awards totaled $0.3 billion, with infrastructure work making up 54 percent of the construction group’s backlog as of end-March.

The group’s operations in Egypt have slowed since President Hosni Mubarak

was ousted from power in February.

OCI’s construction business makes 81 percent of its revenue outside Egypt.

“Despite political unrest in our key regional markets during the quarter, we feel confident that infrastructure spending will continue to accelerate in order to stimulate these markets’ economies and create immediate employment,” Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Nassef Sawiris said in a statement.

OCI said first-quarter consolidated revenue increased 28 percent to $1.3 billion and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) rose by 43 percent to $334.7 million.

OCI’s fertilizer group sold over 1.1 million tons of nitrogen-based fertilizers during the quarter compared with 0.47 million during the same period last year. — Reuters

News Corp boosts stake in Saudi Rotana to 14.5% RIYADH: News Corp increased its stake in Saudi Arabian media group Rotana to 14.5 percent for $35 million as it seeks to boost its presence in the fast-growing regional media market, Rotana Group said yesterday.

News Corp, which first took a 9.09 percent stake in Rotana in May 2010 for $70 million, exercised half of its option to double the stake to 18.2 percent and is retaining the right to exercise the rest before November 2012, the Rotana Group said in a statement.

Rotana is majority-owned by Saudi billionaire investor Prince Alwaleed, and

said last year that Rotana would benefit from News Corp’s experience in television, movie production and new media, such as MySpace. Alwaleed, through his Kingdom Holding Co investment vehicle, also holds a stake of about 7 percent in News Corp.

Rotana’s biggest rivals are Saudibased and privately-owned Middle East Broadcasting Center and two pay-television networks-Arab Radio Television, also Saudi-based, and Orbit Showtime Network in Dubai. Shares in Kingdom Holding were unchanged on Wednesday, at 8.75 riyals by 1200 GMT. — Reuters

UAE gold sales down 10% DUBAI: Retail gold sale volumes in Dubai and Abu Dhabi dropped by around 10 percent in April year-on-year as high prices deterred consumers and turned their interest to silver, retailers said yesterday.

Retail gold sales in Dubai, branded as the city of gold, may have lost their lustre as high prices of the precious metal kept buyers at bay. “People only buy gold on a need-to basis these days, for weddings or special occasions when they really have to,” said one gold salesman in Dubai’s old gold souk.

“Otherwise now the demand is stronger for retail silver,” he added. April sales volumes were also down around 10 percent in Abu Dhabi, capital of the UAE, retailers said. “Sales volumes are a little lower in April compared to last year, but the value is sales is higher because of the price,” said Tushar Patni, director of Ajanta Jewelrs, one of the largest retailers in the emirate. On Wednesday spot gold rose half a percent to $1,521.96 an ounce in a fourth day of gains after falling more than 4 percent last week. — Reuters

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business

KSE stocks end down GLOBAL DAILY MARKET REPORT K U WAI T: Ku wait Stock Exchange closed on a negative note, as it was weighed down

by Zain’s price drop. For the first time since 2005, National Bank of Kuwait (NBK), came in the lead as Kuwait’s biggest listed company, replacing Zain after its drop.

Global General Index (GGI), market weighted, ended the day down by 0.75 percent, at 2 0 2 .6 5 p oi n t .

M arket Capitalization was down for the day at KD33.23bn. On the other hand, KSE Price Index closed at 6,511.2 point, shedding 11.70 points (0.18 percent) to its previous close.

During the session, 117 comp ani es we re t ra d e d. M arket breadth was even as 42 equities re treated ve rsus 35 that advanced.

Yesterday’s performance was accompanied by growing trading activity. The trades conducted in the Services sector. Total volume traded was up by 15.37 percent with 290.84mn shares changing hands at a total value of KD41.28mn (87.40 percent higher compared to the day before). The services sector was the volume leader yesterday, accounting for 47.52 percent of total shares.

The same sector was the value leader, with 39.95 percent of total traded value. Al Safwa Holding Group was the most a c t i ve i n te r m s of v al u es o f shares traded during yesterday ’s session, with 54.48mn shares exchanged.

Sector-wise Sector-wise, six out of the eight sec tors ended the day with daily loss; while two mana g ed to c l os e on a p o sit ive note. Global Services index was the biggest loser yesterday,

Kuwait crude price hits $108.59 KUWAIT: The Kuwaiti crude oil price i nc re a s e d $3. 41 p e r b a r re l i n Tuesday’s trading, hitting the level of $108.59pb compared to $105.18 pb the day before, said the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) yesterday.

The rise in oil prices was due to a report on the labor market in US, which showed 224,000 jobs were

ava i l a b l e for l a s t m ont h, t hus a c hi e v i ng t he hi ghe s t s i nce 11 m ont hs a go com p a re d to t he expected 185,000 jobs.

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Organization declared, yesterday, that the price of its basket of crudes increased $3.68 to stabilize at $108.08pb, from $104.40pb on Friday. — KUNA

Oil slips as cooling China economy comes to focus

down by 3.01 percent, due to the big price drop posted by heav y-weight Zain, as mentioned earlier. Elsewhere, Share price of Kuwait Cable Vision Company closed down by 11.63 percent compared with its reference price. It’s worth mentioning that, on April 25, 2011 the company’s EGM approved to reduce its capital to KD3mn.

I n t he meantime, Global Insurance index lost 2.90 percent, on the back of a drop in its sole traded component, Gulf Insurance Company. The scrip closed down by 8.47 percent at KD0.540.

Meanwhile on the positive side, Global Food Index posted the highest advance, appreciating by 0.91 percent. Share price of Kuwait Foodstuff Company (Americana) rose by 1.30 percent and closed at KD1.560.

Americana realized a 14.96 percent growth in its 1Q2011 earnings figures compared to the corresponding period of 2010, at KD15.95mn. This translates to an EPS of 41 fils.

Oil news The Kuwaiti crude oil price increased $3.41 per barrel in Tuesday’s trading, hitting the

level of $108.59 pb compared to $105.18 pb the day before, said th e Kuw a i t Pe t rol e um Corporation (KPC) yesterday.

The rise in oil prices was due to a report on the labor market in US, which showed 224,000 jobs were available for last month, th us ach i e v i ng t he hi ghe s t since 11 months ago compared to the expected 185,000 jobs.

The Organization of Petroleum E xpor ting O rga ni za t i on declared, yesterday, that the price of its basket of crudes increased $3.68 to stabilize at $108.08 pb, from $104.40 pb on Friday.

LONDON: Oil prices fell, turning negative after earlier highs as the focus shifted from robust demand from China to signs that the world’s second-largest economy might be cooling.

ICE Brent crude futures were 39 cents lower at $117.24 a barrel by 1058 GMT, having earlier risen to as high as $118.43. US crude dropped by 63 cents to $103.25. China’s implied oil demand, a combination of crude oil throughput and net imports of refined oil products, was at 9.32 million barrels per day (bpd) in April, Reuters calculations showed, up 8.8 percent from a year earlier and the third highest ever.

But China’s inflation eased in April to 5.3 percent, and other data including industrial output and loans suggested the world’s secondbiggest economy might be cooling, with less need for further aggressive monetary tightening.

“Inflation has cooled slightly,” Thorbjorn Bak Jensen with Global Risk Management in Denmark said.

“But there is still heavy growth in retail sales and production.”

Some analysts said the dip was driven by short-term profit-taking and technical indications to sell.

M ike Witter with Societe

Generale expected volatility would remain in the oil market. “Macro data from the US, Europe and China has been decidedly mixed in the last two weeks, helping to trigger fear and extreme volatility,” he said in a research note.

With the summer US driving season soon to star t, investors are focusing on the flood along the Mississippi River, which threatened to disrupt oil refineries amid falling inventories of gasoline in the world’s top gas market.

“US gasoline inventories have been coming off, so we still see healthy demand despite concerns of higher commodity prices slowing consumption,” said Serene Lim, an ANZ Bank oil analyst based in Singapore.

US gasoline stocks fell by 1.8 million barrels in the week to May 6, the American Petroleum Institute said late on Tuesday, versus an expected drop of 200,000 barrels.

Inventories are now nearly 11 million barrels below levels this time last year.

Later yesterday, the US government will release its own oil figures.

Analysts expect the official date to show a fall in gasoline stocks for the 12th consecutive week. — Reuters

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Macy’s Q 1 earnings soar; retailer boosts outlook NEW YORK: Macy’s Inc’s first-quarter earnings soared and handily beat Wall Street predictions on rising revenue, tight expense controls and its efforts to tailor merchandise by region. The department store chain, which also operates Bloomingdale’s, also said yesterday that it is doubling its quarterly dividend and raising its full-year earnings and sales outlook.

Macy ’s reported net income of $131 million, or 30 cents per share, in the three months ended April 30. That compares with $23 million, or 5 cents per share, in the same quarter last year.

Revenue reached $5.88 billion, up 5.7 percent. Analysts expected earnings of 18 cents on revenue of $5.89 billion, according to FactSet, Revenue at stores open at least a year rose 5.4 percent. The measure is a key indica-

tor of a retailer’s health because it excludes stores that opened or closed during the year.

Online revenue for Macy ’s and Bloomingdale’s combined surged 38.3 percent in the first quarter. The increase helped boost revenue at stores open at least a year by 1.3 percentage points. “ We are building a culture of growth at Macy’s,” Terry J. Lundgren, chairman, president and CEO, said in a statement. “Our performance cannot be attributed to a single factor, but rather to the coordinated execution of a series of complementary ... strategies.”

Macy’s has taken business from competitors in part by tailoring stock in each store to its region and by placing more emphasis on exclusive brands such as Material Girl from

AIB junior bondholders hit with 75-90% discount DUBLIN: Ireland offered junior bondholders in Allied Irish Banks 10-25 percent of the value of their investment, in the first of a series of moves to force investors to share the burden of bailing out local banks.

The government is pushing on with a plan to generate around 5 billion euros ($7 billion) by imposing losses on subordinated bondholders in Irish banks despite a legal challenge by investors in state-owned AIB. If the AIB offer were fully subscribed it would generate around 2 billion euros, the bank said yesterday.

Finance minister Michael Noonan said holders of the AIB securities, which have a nominal value of 2.6 billion euros, were getting a reasonable deal.

“The offer prices and the terms of this liability management exercise are fair and balanced relative to the capital requirements of the bank and the level of financial support, which the Irish state has so far provided to AIB,” Noonan said.

AIB has also said it will not pay any interest on the securities. If bondholders do not accept the offer they will get 1 cent for every 1,000 euros of debt they hold. “ There is no great shock here,” Dolmen Securities bond trader Gavin Curran said. “They had been talking about trying to get about 2 billion euros from AIB from this and, looking at this, it looks like they are going to come in somewhere around that.”

Junior Irish bank debt is trading at a heavy discount in the secondary market, with lower tier two bonds in Bank of Ireland trading in the mid-60s per-

centage points amid speculation the lender will offer a debt for equity swap.

Bank of Ireland is battling to remain outside majority state control and there has been speculation that, in addition to a debt for equity swap, it is also considering a rights issue and a private placement.

Dealers said the market did not expect Bank of Ireland subordinated bondholders to be treated as harshly as other lenders. “Bank of Ireland is the only one hanging in there. They have come off about 1 or 2 points on this news,” said Curran. “It seems unlikely that they are going to give them a haircut that low (around 80 percent).”

The High Court will hear a challenge to the government’s moves against AIB’s junior bondholders on June 2 by two investors who hold three of the 18 liabilities covered by the state’s order.

Noonan said the legal action was unfounded and would not deter the government seeking contributions from private investors in AIB as well as Bank of Ireland, EBS and Irish Life & Permanent.

Reckless property lending hit the Irish banking sector, forcing the government into an 85 billion euro EU-IMF bailout. Ireland has until the end of July to pour another 24 billion euros into the banking sector on top of 46 billion already swallowed by the lenders.

Irish Life & Permanent said yesterday it had hired Deutsche Bank to advise on the sale of its life business as part of efforts to reduce its own capital bill of 4 billion euros. — Reuters

South Korea’s GS turns focus to Saudi after UAE KHOBAR: South Korea’s GS Engineering and Construction aims to focus more on the Saudi Arabian market after carrying out projects worth $7 billion in neighboring Abu Dhabi, a senior executive said.

“We want to move from Abu Dhabi to Saudi,” Mike Choi, senior vice president of global sales and marketing told Reuters in an interview on the sidelines of a MEED conference yesterday.

South Korean companies have been competitive in bidding for projects across the Gulf region. Since 2008, GS has won $7 billion worth of projects from the United Arab Emirates, the world’s thirdlargest crude exporter.

GS has submitted a proposal for a mixed-feed cracker that oil giant Saudi Aramco and US Dow Chemical want to build as part of a giant petrochemical complex in Jubail, on the Gulf coast of the world’s top oil exporter.

“Other South Korean companies have

a huge work load now (in Saudi Arabia) ... so we think we have more chances,” Choi said.

Aramco has awarded 39 contracts to South Korean companies worth $11.5 billion in the last five years, its chief executive, Khalid Al-Falih, said recently.

GS has also received an invitation to bid for five construction packages in the expansion of the Rabigh petrochemicals complex, Rabigh II project. The company plans to bid as well for the onshore and offshore parts of the Kuwait-Saudi Hout oilfield and is in talks with several firms to partner for the offshore portion of the project. Choi also said Iraq “has a very good potential” and the company was still evaluating how to enter the market.

GS will complete work on a green diesel project built by the UAE’s Takreer in July, with first production due to start in June, Choi said, while it is on schedule to finish work on the Saudi Manifa gas facilities project by October. — Reuters

Madonna and her daughter Lourdes.

The company gets about 43 percent of its revenue from private, exclusive and limited-distribution brands.

Macy’s now expects revenue at stores open at least a year to be in the range of about 4 percent for the rest of fiscal 2011. Combined with actual first-quarter figures, that would calculate to growth of about 4.3 percent for the fiscal year.

The previous outlook called for 3 percent. The company now expects earnings per share between $2.40 and $2.45, compared with $2.25 to $2.30 previously. Analysts had expected $2.34, according to Factset. Macy’s said that based on “the strength, momentum and confidence in our business,” it’s doubling its quarterly dividend to 10 cents payable July 1 to shareholders of record June 14. —AP

NEW YORK: People carrying Macy’s shopping bags walk past the Macy’s flagship store on Tuesday in New York. Macyís, Inc reported yesterday strong sales, earnings and cash flow for the first quarter of 2011. — AP

In Libya’s once gilded economy, a pause Gaddafi may run into trouble by sanctions TRIPOLI: Towering above the Libyan capital’s coastline, the sleek silver Marriott Hotel opened three months ago as the latest symbol of the North African nation’s oil-fueled investment boom. Ten days after its Feb 15 opening, however, it shut its doors as mass unrest engulfed the country and quickly turned violent. The 36-floor tower, built to host European, Asian and Arab investors in a time when hope abounded in Libya, sits empty. Almost overnight, what had come to represent a new Libya, replete with opportunities even under the oppressive rule of Muammar Gaddafi, morphed into a symbol of the country’s uncertain future.

“It is going to be a long time” before the Libyan economy can start recovering, said Parag Khanna, a senior fellow at the New America Foundation, a Washington-based think tank. He said any hopes to “turn the place into a new, sunny south of France” are now a long way off. The popular uprising that began in February, and the subsequent battles between rebels and forces loyal to Gaddafi, brought to the fore the frustrations of ordinary Libyans demanding a better life.

Those fighting Gaddafi said they want freedom, but also economic opportunities long elusive because of rampant patronage and nepotism in the country.

After three months of fighting, Libya is roughly split into a rebel-controlled east and a Gaddafi-run west, with shifting frontlines and pockets of resistance against the regime in western Libya.

In the areas where Gaddafi remains in control, the economy has virtually come to a halt because of a toxic mix of sanctions and war.

Hundreds of thousands of foreign workers, once the backbone of the economy, have fled.

International sanctions have dried up oil export revenues, or 80 percent of the Libyan government’s income, according to a CIA estimate. Libya, a nation that once produced about 1.6 million barrels per day of crude, is now pumping out a trickle of that volume.

Meanwhile, a NATO-enforced no-fly zone and partial naval blockade have curtailed imports.

Even the few perks that Libyans enjoyed under Gaddafi’s regime are fizzling.

Gas stations have become battle grounds, with the country’s heavily-subsidized gasoline in such short supply that soldiers guard the pumps and motorists can wait for days for their turn to fill their gas tanks. The shortages stem from both the sanctions and Libya’s earlier policy of having configured refineries to produce more of the more profitable export products, like jet fuel, rather than gasoline, said Christopher Boucek of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. But the troubles are equally visible throughout the economy.

Retail sales have dropped amid the uncertainty, and some shop owners in battlescarred towns don’t even bother to roll up their metal store shutters in the morning. The Libyan dinar is depreciating, with one dollar

TRIPOLI: In this photo taken on a government organized tour, near-empty shelves are seen in a supermarket in Tripoli. It is going to be a long time before the Libyan economy can start recovering, says Parag Khanna, a senior fellow at the New America Foundation, a Washington-based think tank. — AP trading at 1.85 dinars on the black market, compared to the official 1.2 dinar per dollar exchange rate. Prices for staples like noodles, tea and milk are up, and the cost of a pack of Marlboro cigarettes has doubled, a major irritant in a nation where smoking is commonplace. Inventories in shops have thinned, and those who live within driving distance to the Tunisian border stock up there.

Only few ships with clearly nonmilitary cargo, such as rice, have docked in the port since March, while NATO vessels turn back those carrying dual-use goods such four-wheeldrive vehicles, said the head of the Libyan coast guard.

The exodus of foreign workers has brought construction to a standstill. In Tripoli, idle cranes dot the skyline and deserted building sites stretch over several city blocks, while posters on the perimeter walls still advertise planned glass-fronted shopping malls and apartment towers. The unraveling of the economy is perhaps as much a product of its shaky foundations as of the fighting. There are no official unemployment figures, but the CIA estimates it ran as high as 30 percent in 2004.

Some 75 percent of food has to be imported.

A politicized education system has failed to produce a skilled labor force, analysts say.

Gaddafi “spent so much oil money on Third World causes, on protecting himself,” said Sullivan. “He wasn’t taking care of his people.”

The scenes are a stark contrast to the sense of optimism, at least among privileged Libyans and foreign investors, that had prevailed after Libya began five years ago to claw its way

Canada’s trade surplus doubles

WASHINGTON: Senate Finance Committee Chairman Sen Max Baucus talks to reporters outside the Blair House in Washington Tuesday as he departs a meeting on the legislative framework for deficit reduction. — AP

OTTAWA: Canada’s trade surplus nearly doubled to $627 million ($657 million) in March as trading with the United States and the EU accelerated, a government agency said yesterday.

Exports increased 3.5 percent to $37.4 billion led by energy products and industrial goods, while imports grew 2.8 percent to $36.7 billion, Statistics Canada said. Exports and imports have generally been trending upwards since 2009, it said.

In March, Canada exported more crude petroleum to the United States, and sent more overall goods to the European Union.

Imports were led by automotive products.

Increases were also recorded in imports of industrial goods and materials as well as machinery and equipment.

Canada exported more diesel fuel and light oils and preparations, newsprint, nickel ores and iron ores, chemicals, plastics and fertilizers-reflecting growing demand for organic chemicals.

Wood pulp and other wood products sales to China increased. Exports of machinery and equipment saw a turn-

around after two months of decline. The rise was led by exports of aircraft, other equipment and tools and industrial machinery.

However, exports of metals and alloys, in particular copper and nickel, recorded declines for a second consecutive month.

Exports of fishing and agricultural products also fell.

Canada imported more full size pickups, construction and maintenance machinery, hoisting machinery as well as compressors. Imports of metals and metal ores reached a record high in March, led by a 30.4-percent increase in imports of precious metals.

Imports of crude petroleum rose 10.0 to $2.4 billion, the highest level since October 2008. Imports of agricultural and fishing products also reached a record high of $2.7 billion, and imports of sugar and sugar preparations grew to unprecedented levels. However, imports of consumer goods fell for a fifth consecutive month.

Widespread declines were led by lower imports of apparel and footwear. — AFP

back from nearly two decades of international isolation and sanctions.

And, while they may sound a death knell for Gaddafi’s 42-year rule of the country, it’s unclear how soon the sanctions could erode his ability to stay in power. Gaddafi has weathered such sanctions before and he is not without resources.

Libya’s assets abroad — about $120 billion, according to Libyan Finance Minister Abdulhafi Zlitni — have been frozen, but the country has almost 144 tons of gold reserves, much of which is believed to be inside the country. Contingency reserves “are going to last for quite some time,” Zlitni said last month. Unless Gaddafi has major stockpiles of hard currency, he will eventually run into trouble, experts say. The Libyan leader is said to have hired African mercenaries to bolster militias loyal to his sons and the regular armed forces. Libyans, themselves, are loath to speak openly to foreign reporters in the western part of the country. Journalists there are routinely accompanied by government escorts and the prevailing fear of reprisals is enough to silence open criticism. But fitful glances speak louder than proclamations that everything is fine. A 20-year-old trader from the Libyan coastal town of Sabratha said he used to import wares from Turkey and Syria for his clothing shop, but hasn’t done so since February because the difficulties of travel and delivery. He crossed into neighboring Tunisia with his 26-year-old travel companion, who said sales at his perfume and cosmetics shop have dropped 40 percent. —AP

Hedge fund RAB plunges as it considers delisting LONDON: RAB Capital said its days as a listed group might be numbered as clients continued to pull money, raising the prospect that one of the most high-profile hedge fund victims of the financial crisis could be shut down.

Shares in the company plunged by almost a third when the market opened, as investors took in another round of bad news after years of disappointing performance.

“The board intends to review the options for the company, including the appropriateness of maintaining an AIM listing,” RAB said in a trading update. Shares in RAB-infamous for buying into Northern Rock just before the UK lender collapsed-were 24 percent lower at 0929 GMT, changing hands for 7.97 pence each, wiping some $25 million off of its total market value. RAB said in

March losses last year almost trebled to 20.2 million pounds.

“This is the point where they have got to pursue closing down the entire business. You can’t manage funds with this cost base,” Singer Capital Markets analyst Sarah Ing said. But the company said it intended “to continue to support its core strategies”, including a number of new funds it had recently launched.

RAB said it managed $1.06 billion worth of client assets at the end of last year. That compares to about $7 billion at the end of 2007, before the crisis started hurting the hedge fund sector in earnest. The company said investors had sought to pull out of several of its funds including the RAB Cross Europe Fund, which would result in RAB’s overall assets falling to a level below the company’s previous expectations. —Reuters

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HSBC in $3.5bn cost-cutting overhaul HONG KONG/LONDON: HSBC’s new boss is to cut back on wealth management and retail banking and may sell the bank’s US credit card arm in a bid to cut $3.5 billion in costs and revive flagging profits.

Europe’s biggest bank said the retreat from high street services in some countries and other savings would help it cut costs as a share of revenue to 48-52 percent by 2013 from 61 percent in the first quarter. Many banks, including HSBC, have seen this ratio rise sharply as they compete for staff in Asia.

By comparison, rival Standard Chartered’s cost/income ratio was 56 percent last year. But others have done more to keep costs below 50 percent, such as Spain’s Santander, where it was 43 percent last year. “We clearly have a cost problem,” Chief Executive Stuart Gulliver said during a presentation to explain his strategic overhaul yesterday. The extent of Gulliver’s task

was laid bare on Monday this week, when the bank’s results showed a jump in costs dragging quarterly profits down some 14 percent.

“We’re a very large firm that delivers significant profits but we’re complex, and historically we’ve struggled to tell a coherent story about why our shareholders should own us,” said the CEO, who took the job on at the start of the year.

Investors and analysts were unimpressed, and HSBC shares dipped 0.7 percent to 651 pence at 0816 GMT. “Half of the statement stated things they should be doing anyway,” said Brown Shipley fund manager John Smith, who has HSBC shares in his portfolio.

What is radical for HSBC is just not that radical for outsiders looking in,” said Simon Maughan, analyst at MF Global in London.

HSBC will focus its wealth management

business on 18 of the most relevant economies, and limit retail banking to markets where it can achieve profitable scale, it said. “They’re having to cut costs because they ’re operating in an environment where revenue growth will be hard to come by,” Brown Shipley ’s Smith said.

Currently, the bank has operations in 87 markets. It has 95 million customers and employs 307,000 staff.

In retail banking it will focus on core markets such as Hong Kong and Britain, high growth markets like Mexico, Singapore, Turkey and Brazil, and smaller countries where it has a strong position.

It has already said it will exit retail banking in Russia and review its U.S. operation, where it has 475 branches. Gulliver reckons he can get $4 billion a year in additional revenues from winning business from wealthy customers in fast growing markets, and get

an extra $1 billion from making commercial and investment banking work more closely together.

Selling the US card business could free up as much as $25 billion of capital, analysts at Barclays Capital have estimated. The United States has been seen by many analysts as a low-return area for the bank, following HSBC’s disastrous purchase of the Household mortgage business there before the global financial crisis.

“We will increase capital deployment discipline, directing investment to faster growing markets and businesses as we scale back elsewhere,” Gulliver said.

The 51-year-old was named CEO in September after a damaging boardroom power struggle, and had been expected to put most immediate attention on the retail arm, especially in the United States.

He expects to be able to limit the impact

of tougher regulations on its capital ratios to about 120 basis points through mitigating action. The bank had previously warned Basel III regulations could hurt capital by 250-300 basis points.

The bank will also target a dividend payout ratio of 40-60 percent. Gulliver needs to act to lift return on equity to his 12-15 percent target, from 9.5 percent last year and around 5 percent in the previous two years. It could take two to three years to achieve that goal, he said, and some analysts see it as an uninspiring target anyway that could call into question the bank’s premium rating.

“They are sending a pretty damning message for achievable returns for banks in general on a worst-case interpretation of regulations. It’s a negative message about what (returns) banks can generate,” MF Global’s Maughan said. — Reuters

China’s inflation eases as food prices fall marginally Analysts warn Beijing still under pressure to rein in rising costs

MINSK: An elderly man reads a board listing foreign currency rates against the Belarus ruble outside an exchange office in Minsk yesterday. Belarus on May 11 cancelled the trading band limits on its ruble in retail trading to ease a growing economic crisis which has seen people besiege exchange points in search of hard currency. —AFP

Embattled Belarus removes currency limits: Central Bank MINSK: Belarus cancelled the retail trading limits for its ruble yesterday to ease a growing economic crisis which has driven people to besiege exchange points in search of hard currency.

“The national bank from May 11, 2011 has cancelled the recommended limits on the exchange rates established by banks in buy-sell transactions of foreign currency with the population,” the central bank said in a statement. It said that fixing the price of the Belarus ruble according to the market rate would satisfy the demand for foreign currency and also stop people buying up dollars and euros in anticipation of a devaluation of the local currency.

Belarus is currently battling an unprecedented economic crisis triggered by a colossal currency account deficit which has seen people queuing for hours at exchange points in a desperate bid to buy hard currency.

The move by the central bank should bring the rate of the Belarus ruble closer to to actual trading value which has been up to almost twice that of the official rate against the dollar.

Until now, it was illegal for banks and exchange points to sell people currency with a deviation of any more than 2 percent from the official rate.

The central bank said that surging demand for foreign currency as the population looked for funds to pay for foreign holidays had created a deficit of currency on the market. It also said the growing problems had also been caused by the “diffusion of different rumors that provoked panicked behavior by the population.”

The currency crisis has struck at a hugely sensitive time in Belarus with its autocratic President Alexander Lukashenko effectively ostracized by the West since a massive post-election crackdown on the opposition.

It also suffered its first fatal attack since the collapse of the USSR when 14 people were killed in a bombing on the Minsk metro in April.

Belarus is pinning its hopes on receiving a $3 billion (2.0-billion-euro) rescue loan from Russia and a Moscow-led economic union to ease the economic problems.

But reports have said Russia wanted Belarus to remove all currency restrictions because it does not want to see its money spent on efforts to preserve an artificial exchange rate.

Belarus already announced on Friday it would broaden the band within which the ruble was allowed to depreciate over the course of 2011 from eight to 12 percent. This measure is due to enter force on May 12. On April 19 Belarus had removed currency restrictions in interbank trading but Wednesday’s move is the first time that ordinary citizens will be able to benefit from the looser policy.

The Interfax news agency said that the latest switch means that Belarus now has three official exchange rates.

There is the official rate set by the central bank of 3,061 Belarussian rubles to the dollar, the rate at exchange points which is now 4,000 rubles to the dollar and the interbank rate which is 5,000 rubles to the dollar. —AFP

BEIJING: China said yesterday consumer inflation eased slightly in April as food prices fell, but analysts warned Beijing is still under pressure to rein in rising costs.

China’s consumer price index rose 5.3 percent year on year in April-a slight easing from March but well above Beijing’s official four percent target for 2011.

The politically-sensitive inflation reading had widely been expected to slow from a 32-month high of 5.4 percent in March, mainly on the back of falling vegetable prices caused by increased supply.

But economists say they nevertheless expect prices to remain high and peak around mid-year, even as anxious leaders in Beijing try to rein in rising costs of food, housing and other essentials.

The CPI was higher than the median forecast of 5.2 percent in a Dow Jones Newswires poll of 14 economists.

“The general rising trend of CPI has been initially contained and government measures to control prices had initial positive effects,” Sheng Laiyun, spokesman for the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), told reporters. But he warned: “Even though the trend has been initially contained, CPI is still under rather big pressure due to the situation in the country and abroad.”

Hong Kong and Shanghai shares fell as the data raised the prospect of further monetary tightening. The benchmark Hang Seng Index dropped 0.19 percent, while the Shanghai Composite Index closed down 0.25 percent.

Sheng said the fall in consumer inflation was mainly due to an 11.2 percent drop in vegetable prices from March, thanks to a surge in supply that nudged overall food prices down 0.4 percent

BEIJING: Bottles of Unilever shampoo are displayed at a supermarket in Beijing yesterday. China’s decision to fine consumer products giant Unilever over planned price hikes sends a warning to other companies and highlights the growing anxiety in Beijing about soaring costs, analysts say. —AFP from the previous month.

“The micro-tuning of the economy has kicked in but it has yet to achieve its goal,” Li Huiyong, an analyst at Shenyin Wanguo Securities, told AFP. Inflation had hit 5.0 percent for the first quarter. “Inflation has taken a measured step back, retreating from March’s 32-month peak, sending out a strong signal that inflation is, or near, peaking,” said Beijing-based IHS Global Insight economist Alistair Thornton.

“The broad message is this slight pullback far from signals the end of China’s inflationary concerns. It’s clear this is still

ArcelorMittal profits recover to $1 billion PARIS: Top global steelmaker ArcelorMittal said yesterday its first quarter net profit rebounded to $1.07 billion (744 million euros) following a setback at the end of last year due to exceptional items.

The company, by far the biggest steelmaker by volume, said it expected profitability to improve further in the second quarter due to increased seasonal factors and increased underlying demand.

The group reported a loss for the last quarter of 2010 because of costs arising from the sale of its stainless steel division. In the comparable first quarter of last year it made a net profit of $640 million. “As anticipated, we have seen a stronger start to the year, with an increase in both shipments and selling prices,” chief executive Lakshmi Mittal said in a statement. First quarter sales rose by 27.3 percent on a 12-month basis to $22.2 billion. It made a gross operating profit of $2.6 billion, marking an increase of 52 percent. This was slightly higher than its forecast range of $2.0-

$2.5 billion. The outcome included the recovery of $300 million in the form of unused provisions. Net debt rose by $2.9 billion to $22.6 billion in the first quarter due to investment in working capital, mergers and acquisition and foreign currency operations. Sales and prices are “expected to further improve in the second quarter as the underlying demand recovery continues,” added Mittal.

The company now expects gross operating profit to come in at between $3.0 and $3.5 billion in the quarter.

Capacity utilization is expected to rise to approximately 80 percent from 75 percent.

High commodity prices affecting the costs of its inputs have so far been more than offset by higher increases to its sales prices.

ArcelorMittal said however that certain markets such as Japan and North Africa had begun to slow, which might weigh second quarter results, and that a rise in interest rates in China could also dent growth. — AFP

HEFEI: A Chinese investor checks share prices at a security firm in Hefei, east China’s Anhui province yesterday. Shanghai shares fell as Chinese data showed inflation on the mainland eased only slightly last month, raising the prospect of further monetary easing. —AFP

a key policy priority,” Thornton told AFP. The International Monetary Fund has forecast China’s inflation should fall to just above four percent by the end of the year on the back of Beijing’s tough tightening policies.

Interest rates have been hiked four times since October and the central bank has increased on numerous occasions lenders’ reserve requirement ratio, which effectively limits the amount of money they can loan out. “The most pressing problem we are facing right now is the problem of inflation,” Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan said in a US televi-

sion interview broadcast earlier this week during high-level Sino-US talks in Washington.

Wang pledged that Beijing would use monetary policy, fiscal policy and economic restructuring to fight soaring prices. “A combination of yuan a p p re c i a t i on, b a nk re s e r ve rat i o increases and rate hikes will all be required to tame inflation and money supply growth,” Moody’s Analytics economist Matthew Circosta said in a research note. In April, Premier Wen Jiabao made a rare pledge to increase the flexibility of the yuan’s exchange rate to ease price pressures, suggesting top leaders were willing to accept a stronger currency to bring down domestic prices.

The potential for spiralling inflation to spark unrest was highlighted last month when hundreds of truckers went on strike at port facilities in Shanghai over rising fuel costs, prompting a heavy police response to restore calm.

Output from the country’s millions of factories and workshops expanded by 13.4 percent on-year in April, the NBS said. Retail sales, the main gauge of consumer spending in the world’s secondlargest economy, rose 17.1 percent in April from a year ago. New loans issued

by China’s banks went up slightly in April from the previous month, the central bank said yesterday, as banks made 739.6 billion yuan ($113.8 billion) in new loans in April, the People’s Bank of China said. Fixed asset investment, a measure of government spending on infrastructure, rose 25.4 percent in the first four months of 2011, compared with the same period a year earlier. — AFP

BOE forecasts hint at rate rise before year-end LONDON: The Bank of England raised its inflation forecast yesterday, paving the way for a rate rise towards the end of the year despite its view that the economy was recovering more slowly than hoped.

Sterling jumped to a session high near $1.65 and gilts tumbled as investors bet UK rates would rise before the end of the year, rather than at the start of 2012 as they had recently assumed.

“Bank rate will need to rise at some point. It cannot stay at this level indefinitely,” BoE Governor Mervyn King told a news conference following the publication of the Bank’s quarterly inflation and growth projections. “That doesn’t tell you, I’m afraid, when Bank Rate will rise,” he added, noting the unusually high level of risks surrounding the outlook for the British economy.

The BoE has held borrowing costs at a record low 0.5 percent since March 2009, but the nine-member Monetary Policy Committee has been split for months about whether to raise rates. Three members voted for a rise in April.

The central bank said the nearterm outlook for inflation had worsened due to higher energy costs.

Inflation was likely to hit 5 percent this year and was “more likely than not” to remain above the 2 percent target throughout 2012, it said.

It forecast consumer price inflation would be just below 2 percent in two years’ time, up from a forecast of 1.6 percent in February’s inflation report.

Money market rates swung to imply around a 90 percent chance of a rate hike by November, and a more than 50 percent chance of one by September.

“The Bank of England’s inflation report suggests that, in the Bank’s

view, the market has perhaps gone a little too far in not expecting an interest rate rise this year,” said James Knightley at ING. The report highlighted a “wider than usual” range of views on the Monetary Policy Committee.

The BOE said that the chances of inflation either exceeding or undershooting its 2 percent target on a two year horizon were judged to be roughly balanced-though a chart showed that the odds had moved slightly in favor of an overshoot. “At first sight the inflation report suggests a rate rise at the end of this year is consistent with meeting the inflation target in the medium term,” said Philip Shaw, an economist at Investec.

While the report was more hawkish than some in the market expected, King noted that oil prices had fallen by 10 percent after the central bank finalized its projections.

The BoE said the near-term outlook for growth had worsened since Februar y and that first- quar ter growth had been slower than it had predicted-even if though it was likely that official GDP data was underestimating the strength of the economy.

It also said that the extra public holiday in April to mark the royal wedding and disruption to supply chains due to Japan’s March earthquake and tsunami were likely to make quarterly GDP growth rates more volatile than normal.

On the two-year horizon, it saw annual growth of just under 2.9 percent, lower than the 3.1 percent it predicted in February. “ We are facing a difficult time ahead with a slow and prolonged adjustment to the consequences of the banking and financial crisis,” King said. — Reuters

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TECHNOLOGY

EMC Isilon delivers world’s largest file system for big data KUWAIT: EMC Corporation announced yesterday the world’s largest single file system with the introduction of EMC Isilon’s new IQ 108NL scale-out NAS hardware product. Leveraging three terabyte (TB) enterprise-class Hitachi Ultrastar drives in a 4U node, the 108NL scales to more than 15 petabytes (PB) in a single file system and single volume, providing the storage foundation for maximizing the big data opportunity.

EMC also yesterday announced Isilon’s new SmartLock data retention software application, delivering immutable protection for big data to ensure the integrity and continuity of big data assets from initial creation to archival.

By combining Isilon’s new NL-Series product with the recently announced OneFS 6.5 operating system, and S200 and X200 scale -out NAS hardware products, enterprise businesses can create a complete, end-to-end storage platform for big data workflows, simplifying management and achieving maximum IT efficiency and flexibility.

“Enterprises are dealing with large and fast growing sources of data or information, but their real challenge will be finding ways to better analyze and capitalize on all this information.

Successful exploitation of ‘Big Data’ depends upon the deployment of a simple, scalable, and highly flexible storage foundation at the core of the data center,” said Richard Villars, vice president, Storage and IT Executive Strategies at IDC. “Solutions like Isilon’s new scale-out NAS products deliver the per formance, scale, and simplicity required to support big data workloads and enable real-time analysis.”

“Making the most of big data isn’t

just about capacity, or performance, or enterprise functionality, it’s about combining all three elements in a flexible architecture tailored to the customers unique workflow needs,” said Sam Grocott, vice president of marketing, Isilon. “With our new products Isilon continues to set the standard in scaleout NAS, delivering a storage architecture designed specifically for the unique demands of big data. Now, enterprise organizations can create a complete, end-to-end platform for big data that scales in-step with everything from the large-scale enterprise applications to the most intense vertical workflows.”

Isilon’s new IQ 108NL leverages Isilon’s OneFS operating system and Hitachi Ultrastar 3TB drives to deliver more than 15PB in a single file system and single volume, providing optimal efficiency for big data storage to maximize return on investment. Zoic Studios, an Emmy Award-winning visual effects (VFX) studio, is currently using the IQ 108NL as part of its end-to-end Isilon storage platform powering leading-edge post-production operations.

“We’ve been using Isilon for some time now, with multiple Isilon performance tiers providing the platform for our leading-edge visual effects and animation workflow,” said Saker Klippsten, head of engineering and IT, Zoic.

“However, with our operations producing more content than ever, our need for highly efficient, massively scalable, archive storage has become increasingly more impor tant. Isilon’s new IQ 108NL has the density and scalability we need to scale -out our big data archive over the long term. Plus, with Isilon’s SmartPools, we’ve integrated

the new NL into a single, multi-tiered file system, completely eliminating manual data migrations.”

“While high performance is critical in big data workflows, it is just as important, if not more so, to provide tremendous scaling of capacity to ensure storage resources can efficiently keep pace with data growth,” said Brendan Collins, vice president of product marketing, Hitachi Global Storage Technologies.

“As one of the first enterprise stor-

age vendors to implement our three terabyte Ultrastar 7K3000 drives, EMC Isilon is continuing to push the innovation curve for scale-out NAS. The overall efficiency of our latest drive generation and the intelligence of Isilon’s OneFS operating system create a compelling combination of capacity and cost savings to help businesses transform big data into real value.”

Isilon’s new SmartLock data retention software application seamlessly

integrates with integrates with OneFS to deliver immutable data protection for file-based data, ensuring that once locked, a file cannot be moved or changed in any manner. With SmartLock, each protected file is given a unique, verifiable signature validating its integrity and status within the file system. When combined with Isilon’s IQ 108NL, SmartLock provides the highest levels of protection for nearline big data archives.

EMC announce new EMC VPLEX Geo technology EMC Corporation yesterday announced new EMC VPLEX Geo technology, an industry first that stretches data center walls across continents, enabling the resources of disparate storage systems in geographically dispersed data centers to be federated together and utilized as a single pool of virtual storage.

When combined with virtual servers it is a key enabler of private and hybrid cloud computing and fundamentally changes the way data centers are designed and information technology is delivered. Since the first generation of VPLEX technology was introduced last May - with the ability to aggregate resources within a single data center or between data centers less than 100km apart - the technology has been deployed as the foundation of cloud computing by organizations worldwide. VPLEX Geo enables data mobility, availability and collaboration through active/active data over distance - the ability to nondisruptively move thousands of virtual machines and petabytes of information thousands of miles, allowing customers to dynamically balance workloads and easily shift IT operations out of the way of regional disasters.

Additionally, EMC announced several new capabilities for all versions of VPLEX today including: The latest version of the VPLEX operating system improves storage efficiency by enabling VPLEX to non-disruptively move or copy virtually provisioned or thinly provisioned devices

across EMC and non-EMC arrays, allowing storage to be allocated and consumed only as it is needed.

Added support for some of the most common midrange storage systems, including those from NetApp and HP, enables more data center resources to be federated.

New software capabilities that take the time and complexity out of failovers by constantly monitoring two VPLEX clusters and acting as an independent third-party safeguard and arbitrator that keeps applications online in the event of a failure. * VPLEX hardware improvements save space and speed performance. New, smaller rack-mounted clusters include more powerful Intel multi-core processors, PCI Gen 2 cards for faster throughput, and new 10 Gigabit Ethernet WAN interfaces for faster communications between clusters. * The addition of VPLEX products into the EMC Velocity(tm) Solution Provider Program, enabling EMC resellers to build solutions and offer leading storage federation technology to their customers. * New EMC Proven Solutions assist customers in effectively leveraging EMC VPLEX Geo with business critical applications, such as Microsoft SQL, SharePoint and SAP in a Hyper-V environment. EMC offers a range of EMC Proven Solutions for VPLEX, providing best-practices for implementations in both VMware and Microsoft environments.

Microsoft deal should expand reach of Skype Partnership to bring Skype to Xbox video game console

SAN FRANCISCO: Attendees crowd the convention floor at the Google IO Developers Conference in San Francisco, yesterday. — AP

Google to appeal in Swiss Street View privacy battle ZURICH: Google said yesterday it would appeal to Switzerland’s highest court against a ruling ordering the Internet giant to ensure that all people and cars pictured on Street View were unrecognisable. The official Swiss data protection watchdog took Google to court in November 2009 after complaining on several occasions that the service’s coverage of Switzerland flouted privacy rules, following similar complaints elsewhere in Europe.

“In the interest of Internet users and Swiss companies, Google will lodge an appeal ...before the Federal Tribunal so that Street View can still be offered in Switzerland,” the firm said in a statement.

Google warned that it might be forced to shut down the facility for Switzerland even though it was used by what it said was “half of the Swiss population.”

Google’s global privacy counsel, Peter Fleischer said: “Ninety-nine percent of people are not identifiable.” “ The decision of the Federal Administrative Tribunal requires us to guarantee that 100 percent of faces and licence plate are not identifiable. We simply cannot comply with that.

Street View allows users to take a ground level panoramic view of some locations on Google Maps, based on still photographs taken by specially equipped vehicles.

Data protection commissioner Hanspeter Thuer has accused the Internet firm of refusing to apply most of his recommendations, while Google claims it must rely on an automatic blurring system for faces and vehicle registration plates.

The Federal Administrative Court ruled last month that all faces and number plates must be made unrecognisable before they can be published on the Internet. Google argued on Wednesday that about 1,000 Swiss companies had already integrated Street View into their websites, including property agents,the post office and city councils.

In its ruling published on April 4, the administrative court concluded that the public interest in having a visual record and Google’s commercial interests could not outweigh an individual’s right over their own image.

It said “the pictures can be made more or totally unrecognisable, and this is a proportionate measure.” —AFP

JAKARTA: Vendors sell mobile phones at a market in Jakarta yesterday. A report said the smart phone market continues to see impressive growth especially in the Asia-Pacific. Shipments in the region grew 53 percent year-on-year in 2010 to reach 76.7 million units and are projected surpass 100 million units in 2011. — AFP

SAN FRANCISCO: Imagine using your Xbox and switching from a game to a video chat with a faraway friend holding an iPad. Or going into your office email to invite Grandma to a virtual family reunion beamed on TV sets to relatives across the country.

Microsoft’s $8.5 billion purchase of Skype is supposed to make using the Internet for video phone calls as common as logging on to Facebook or instant messaging is today. If it wins regulatory approval, the deal announced Tuesday provides Microsoft, the world’s largest software maker, with the means to sell more digital advertising and offer more popular conferencing tools to help businesses save money.

Skype’s services also span hot markets — online socializing, mobile phones and digital video — where Microsoft has been struggling to catch up with Facebook, Apple and Google.

Analysts and investors couldn’t seem to agree whether Microsoft is wasting its money on an unprofitable service or has pulled off a coup that will help it restore clout. Microsoft stock was virtually unchanged, falling 0.6 percent.

About 170 million people worldwide who use Skype regularly for calls and chats.

Microsoft believes it can attract hundreds of millions more by weaving Skype into its products. Not just Windows, which runs on eight of every 10 computers and servers on the planet, but also its Outlook email program, software for phones and the Xbox video game console.

Microsoft already has a Skype-like service called Windows Live. But the real Skype is far

more popular and bridges different computers and phones. Already, someone using the Skype application on an iPhone can talk to someone who has it installed on a Dell laptop.

For businesses, Microsoft has separate communications software. Building Skype into it would make it easier for corporate users to conduct video chats with people at other companies, or from home, said Bern Elliott, an analyst at the research firm Gartner Inc. Skype allows users to make voice and video calls for free or pennies. Calls from one Skype account to another are free. Those to a landline or cellphone using the regular phone network cost money, but much less than going through the phone company.

It has become a popular way to avoid large phone bills. Skype is the largest provider of international calling services in the world, surpassing any single phone company, according to research firm TeleGeography. Skype users made 207 billion minutes of voice and video calls last year _ almost 400,000 years’ worth.

Most of that was free, which has made it difficult for Skype to make money. Only about 5 percent of active Skype users pay for it.

Microsoft pledged to keep Skype in all the places it is currently available, including mobile devices that run of the software of two major rivals, Apple and Google. Skype users don’t have to pay to install the software on Apple’s iPhone, iPad computer tablet or devices running on Google’s Android system.

The new ownership probably means more advertising in Skype’s video services along with

potentially compelling new uses. Skype only recently began experimenting with ads.

Microsoft, which has a much larger sales team, intends to expand them.

The partnership would also bring Skype to the Xbox video game console and has sold 50 million copies, making it the world’s No. 2 video game system behind the Nintendo Wii. Already, players using the Kinect motion-sensing controllers can videoconference with each other. The Microsoft-Skype partnership means a player could one day put a game aside and use the Xbox to call anyone else who has registered for a Skype account — a grandmother on her landline phone, a friend holding an Android phone, a coworker using Outlook email at work. It’s also conceivable that Microsoft could expand Skype’s video chatting services into Facebook, the social networking site that has more than 500 million users of its own. Microsoft owns a 1.6 percent stake in Facebook, and both have an interest in cutting into Google’s power. Microsoft’s pursuit of Skype may have even been motivated by a desire to make sure Google didn’t buy it first, said technology analyst Rob Enderle. He believes Microsoft will plug Skype into Facebook. “Either Microsoft or Google could turn Skype into an international standard,” Enderle said. “Microsoft didn’t want to be at the other end of that — that’s why it got as pricey as it did.” The purchase is the most expensive in Microsoft’s 36-year history, eclipsing its $6 billion acquisition of online ad service aQuantive in 2007. —AP

US in new push to break China Internet firewall WASHINGTON: The United States plans to pump millions of dollars into new technology to break through Internet censorship overseas amid a heightened crackdown on dissent in China, officials said Tuesday.

State Depar tment officials said they would give $19 million to efforts to evade Internet controls in China, Iran and other authoritarian states which block online access to politically sensitive material.

Michael Posner, the assistant secretary of state in charge of human rights, said funding would support cutting-edge technology that acts as a “slingshot” — identifying material that countries are censoring and throwing it back at them.

“We’re responding with new tools. This is a cat-and-mouse game. We’re trying to stay one step ahead of the cat,” Posner said.

The announcement came shortly after the United States and China wrapped up wideranging annual talks in which Secretary of State Hillary Clinton showed exasperation at Beijing’s intensifying clampdown on domestic critics.

China routinely blocks sites that present non-official viewpoints on topics such as Tibet’s exiled leader the Dalai Lama, the banned Falungong spiritual movement and the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown on prodemocracy protesters.

More recently, Chinese authorities blocked search results for “Hillary Clinton” after she gave a speech championing

Internet freedom and for “Jasmine,” an allusion to pro-democracy uprisings sweeping the Arab world.

“In effect, we’re going to be redirecting information back in that governments have initially blocked,” Posner said.

“This can be done through email or posting it on blogs or RSS feeds or websites that the government hasn’t figured out how to

block,” he said. The funding comes out of $30 million which the US Congress allocated in the current fiscal year for Internet freedom.

The failure until now to spend the money led lawmakers to accuse the State Department of kowtowing to China. A recent Senate committee report called for another government body to be put in charge of the funds. —AFP

SEOUL: Models wearing 3-D glasses for the 3-D TV monitors wait for the reception at World IT Show in Seoul, South Korea, yesterday. — AP

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health & science

Letter reveals EU fight over toxic chemicals BRUSSELS: European chemical companies have warned the watchdog that oversees them that it could face legal action if it publishes the names of manufacturers of the most toxic substances in a growing environmental dispute.

The warning was contained in a letter from chemical industry group Cefic to the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) in Helsinki, released after Reuters invoked freedom-ofinformation laws.

“Going beyond its remits exposes unnecessarily the ECHA Management Board and its individual members to tremendous and unprecedented liability risks,” said the letter, seen by Reuters on Wednesday.

Buonsante.

Chemicals companies argue publishing the names will endanger their commercial confidentiality and was not intended when the control laws were agreed in 2007.

Cefic denies it is threatening the agency or using unreasonable pressure and says it is merely stating a fact.

“It is calling an authority on its responsibilities,” Cefic’s legal chief Jean Claude Lahaut told Reuters. “If a company suffered damage...we could indeed have people complaining to the court of justice.”

Cefic says the publishing of company names might help overseas rivals compile a detailed picture of

ECHA is charged with evaluating and restricting over 30,000 substances that currently face little regulator y oversight, many of them a potential risk to human health.

Companies that want to sell chemicals must register them with ECHA, including details on toxicity, which the agency will publish on its website.

Activist lawyers ClientEarth and chemicals campaigners ChemSec this week said they had sued ECHA for refusing to disclose the names of facilities producing 356 potentially dangerous chemicals.

“The public knows too little about them, because chemicals companies use the shield of commercial interests,” said ClientEarth lawyer Vito

the European chemicals market, and reveal changes of company strategy or innovation of new products.

ECHA told Reuters it had decided to publish company names only in the case of firms that are suppliers of hazardous substances, but that they could request confidentiality. “We had two years of discussions,” said ECHA’s Christel Musset. “The industry was totally part of our discussions. We also took legal advice from the European Commission.”

Anti-toxics campaigners say company details help them hold companies to account for the quality of the toxics data they submit-a serious issue for the health of factory workers. Cefic says there are better legal

tools for the job.

“There are permitting systems... you have occupational health legislation,” said Lahaut.

ClientEarth’s Buonsante said more transparency would encourage companies to replace toxics with safer alternatives.

“Companies would not have this incentive if nobody knew who is responsible for marketing them,” he said.

Cefic counters that naming facilities carries other risks.

“We should underline the increase of risks for potential activist and terrorist actions,” it said in an explanatory document sent with the letter to ECHA. —Reuters

Fifteen eggs optimum for in-vitro success: Study Infertility affects around one in seven couples globally LONDON: A study of more than 400,000 IVF cycles has found that doctors should aim to retrieve around 15 eggs from a woman’s ovaries in a single cycle for the best chance of achieving a live birth. The study, published in the Human Reproduction journal, found a strong link between live birth rates and the number of eggs retrieved in one cycle of in-vitro fertilisation (IVF).

AHMEDABAD: Chief District Health Officer, Doctor N J Patel (L) and senior member of Manav Sewa Education Charitable Trust, Manubhai Barot (R) hold a string of firecrackers as they interact with mothers and daughters during the launch of the ‘Greet the Girl Child’ campaign at the village Goraj, Sanand Taluka of Ahmedabad district, some 35 kms from Ahmedabad yesterday. The ‘Greet the Girl Child’ campaign is a joint venture between the Ahmedabad District Health Department and the Manav Sewa Education Charitable Trust in which any girl child born in Sanand Taluka will be greeted with the bursting of crackers by the villagers in an attempt to equally balance the ratio of both baby boys and baby girls. —AFP

The live birth rate rose with an increasing number of eggs up to about 15, researchers found, but it levelled off between 15 and 20 eggs, and then steadily declined beyond 20 eggs.

Arri Coomarasamy of Britain’s Birmingham University, who led the study, said the findings suggest that aiming for around 15 eggs per cycle would maximise the chances of a live birth while minimising the risk of overstimulating the ovaries, risking a condition known as ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS).

Infertility is a problem that affects around one in seven couples globally, experts say.

Hundreds of thousands of IVF cycles are conducted each year around the world for people wanting a baby.

The process involves surgically removing eggs from the ovaries and combining them with sperm in the lab. Doctors pick the best embryos and implant them in the uterus.

Drugs often are prescribed beforehand to stimulate the ovaries to produce more eggs.

“A standard stimulation should aim for 1015 eggs, and we believe this is what is associated with the best IVF outcomes,” Coomarasamy said in a statement about his findings. “When the egg number exceeds 20, the risk of OHSS becomes high.”

OHSS is an excessive response by the ovaries in response to hormone drugs administered to stimulate the production of eggs for collection for IVF cycles. It can cause abdominal pain, swelling and sometimes nausea and vomiting, and in very rare severe cases it is a life-threatening medical emergency.

Coomarasamy’s team analysed data from Britain’s Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority on 400,135 IVF cycles in the UK between April 1991 and June 2008.

Because live birth rates have improved during this time, the researchers used data

from 2006 to 2007 to create a predictive model they reckoned would best reflect current practice. Using the model, they plotted a mathematical graph, called a nomogram, which shows the relationship between women’s age, the numbers of eggs retrieved and the predicted live birth rate.

Coomarasamy said doctors and patients could now use the nomogram, combined with other measures, called anti-mullerian hormone (AMH) and antral follicle count (AFC) tests, when making decisions about how much ovarian stimulation is needed to get the optimum number of eggs.

“If clinicians use AMH or AFC to estimate the egg yield, they can then use our nomogram to convert this estimated number of eggs into a predicted live birth rate, thus completing the prognostic chain to estimate the chances of what both they and the women want: a live born baby,” he said. —Reuters

Asthma risk may rise with preterm birth NEW YORK: Preterm birth, and even early term birth, may put babies at higher risk for needing asthma medication during childhood and adolescence, according to a Swedish study.

“Every week in the womb is important for the fetus in order to reduce the risk of childhood asthma,” said Hartmut Vogt from Linkoping University in Sweden, who worked on the study, published in “Pediatrics.”

“The induction of delivery before term, e.g. by cesarean section, should be avoided whenever possible,” he told Reuters Health by email.

Vogt and his colleagues used data from national health and prescription registries to examine the potential effect of gestational age on the need for inhaled corticosteroids (ICS), as a symbol of asthma, in children aged 6 to 19 years.

In 2006, 4.9 percent of boys and 3.8 percent of girls had filled prescriptions for corticosteroids, whose use declined with increasing age in boys but increased slightly for females born at term.

A pregnancy is considered “at term” after 37 complete weeks.

The likelihood of using the drugs was higher in all categories of gestational age below 39 weeks compared with term infants, and it increased with the degree of immaturity. This was true of both boys and girls.

Although cesarean delivery and hospitalization for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) contributed to the increased rate of corticosteroid use, the association between gestational age and steroid use persisted even after adjusting for these factors.

“We were quite surprised when we found

that even children born in week 37-38 had a slightly increased risk of asthma medication when compared with children born at term,” Vogt said.

“On the other hand, it seems quite reasonable to believe that the gradual development of the lungs might influence the risk for asthma in a similar way.”

Vogt added that the effects of an early birth appeared to be relieved by increasing age, indicating perhaps that asthma symptoms related to early preterm birth wane in older children.

A different Swedish study earlier this year found a relationship between very premature birth-between weeks 23 and 27 — and asthma in young adulthood, but no increased risk for babies with at least 27 weeks of gestation. —Reuters

Cholera oyster outbreak sickens 11 in Florida

BEIJING: Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Timothy Yang holds evidence during an impromptu press conference to denounce Beijing’s move in pressuring the World Health Organization (WHO) to recognize Taiwan as part of China, Tuesday, in Taipei, Taiwan. —AP

New drugs entering Europe at ‘unprecedented pace’ LISBON: New drugs are flooding the European market at an “unprecedented pace”, the European drug monitoring centre and Europol warned in a joint report released in Portugal yesterday.

“New psychoactive substances are becoming widely available at an unprecedented pace,” The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) and the EU’s law enforcement agency said.

They noted that last year they were officially notified of 49 new drugs, a record number for a single year, via the EU earlywarning system (EWS) on new psychoac-

tive substances, up from 24 in 2009 and 13 the previous year.

The new substances include synthetic cannabinoids, synthetic cathinones, synthetic derivatives of well-established drugs, as well as one plant-based substance.

Under the so-called ‘Spice’ phenomenon, 11 new synthetic cannabinoids were picked up in 2010, bringing the total number of these substances monitored by the EWS up to 27.

As a result, at least 16 European countries have taken legal action to ban or otherwise control ‘Spice’ products and related compounds. —AFP

MIAMI: As many as 11 people have reported getting sick from eating raw oysters contaminated with cholera bacteria in northern Florida, officials said.

The oysters came from Apalachicola Bay, near Panama City in northern Florida, about 300 miles (482 kilometers) from New Orleans along the Gulf of Mexico coast, and the US Food and Drug Administration issued a warning not to eat them.

State officials said 11 cases of illness were reported, while the FDA said eight of those have so far been confirmed as “caused by toxigenic Vibrio cholerae O75... No one was hospitalized or died.”

The high number of cases is unusual, given that the Centers for Disease Control typically logs one to two cases per year, an FDA spokesman told AFP. “From 2000-2010, a total of 17 persons with toxigenic V. cholerae O75 infection were reported to CDC, the numbers are greatest when the water is warm,” spokesman Douglas Karas said in an email.

The FDA said the affected oysters were harvested from Area 1642 in Apalachicola Bay between March 21 and April 6. The Florida Department of Agriculture said it closed the area to oyster harvesting on April 29 and was investigating the cause of the outbreak.

“To date, we have learned of two events that may be the cause of the cholera related illnesses. First, there was a dredging operation near the 1642 harvesting area that may have stirred up organisms on the floor of the ocean,” it said. “We have also learned there was a sewer break in East Point and we are investigating whether it had any impact on oysters in 1642.”

Oyster samples collected this week in the area were sent to the FDA for analysis and cholera was not found, so the harvesting area will re-open on Wednesday, the agriculture department said.

Area 1642 is home to about 10 percent of the state’s oyster harvest, and oysters taken from there are mainly consumed in Florida, Georgia and Alabama.

The cholera strain is different from the one that has killed more than 4,850 people in Haiti-identified as toxigenic Vibrio cholerae serogroup O1. —AFP

OAK FOREST: In this April, 7, 2011 file photo, Michael Yanul, 58, one of the last seven long-term patients at Oak Forest Hospital, a charity hospital in Oak Forest, Ill., lays in the bed where he has lived for the past 17 years with muscular dystrophy hooked up to a ventilator. In a bid to cut costs, Cook County plans to close Oak Forest in Chicago’s south suburbs later this year. —AP

Lower education linked to faster ageing: Study LONDON: People who leave education with fewer qualifications are prone to age more quickly, scientists said yesterday.

Researchers from Britain and the United States examined the length of sections of DNA known as telomeres from around 450 people taking part in a long-term health study and found that people who did less well at school had shorter telomeres, suggesting they may age faster.

Telomeres are sections of DNA that cap the ends of chromosomes, protecting them from damage and the loss of cell functions associated with ageing. Shorter telomeres are thought to be an indicator of faster ageing.

“The key implication of this study backs up one of the main messages to have come out of long-term studies..that your experiences early in life can have important influences on your health,” said Stephen Holgate, of Britain’s Medical Research Council, which part-funded the research.

He said that as with all observational research, it was difficult to establish the root causes of these findings, but said the study provided evidence “that being educated to a higher level can benefit you more than in the job market alone.”

The study participants were separated into four education groups: those who had no qualifications at all, those who left formal education after exams at around 16 years of age, those who left after exams at around 18 years, and those who earned a degree from a university or other higher education institution.

The research was published in the journal Brain, Behavior and Immunity yesterday.

The results showed that people with lower educational achievements had shorter telomeres, indicating that they may age faster, and the study also offered strong evidence that this is not affected by people’s social and economic status later in life, as was previously thought, the researchers said.

“We already know from previous research that people with poor backgrounds are prone to age more quickly,” said Andrew Steptoe, a professor of psychology at the British Heart Foundation which part-funded the study.

“Education is a marker of social class that people acquire early in life, and our research suggests that it is long term exposure to the conditions of lower status that promotes accelerated cellular ageing.” —Reuters

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THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2011

H E A LT H

‘Embedding’ a severe form of self-harm among teens NEW YORK: “Embedding” is a severe form of selfinjury among teenagers that involves inserting objects into the skin or muscle and appears to be linked to thoughts of suicide and major psychiatric disorders, according to a US study.

The behavior, while rare, is on the spectrum of selfharming behaviors as a much more severe form, added the study, which appeared in “Pediatrics.” It noted that all the patients involved had bipolar disorder.

“There’s clearly a more severe intent to hurt themselves than cutting,” said William Shiels, a radiologist at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, and one of the authors of the study.

“Inserting a 16 cm paperclip-not just to do that on one arm, but both arms-the intent that’s required to cause that much self harm is significant.”

Self-injury, which often takes the form of cutting or burning, is a fairly common behavior, with estimates ranging between 4 percent and 30 percent of youth who have hurt themselves in some way.

The pain involved in self-harm is thought to provide a sense of psychological relief, and is generally not considered part of a suicide attempt.

Shiels and his colleagues had noticed that several patients at his hospital required objects to be removed from their bodies-objects that were intentionally put there.

To see if there were similar cases, they looked

through 600 medical records of children who had material removed from their tissue, and found 21 instances of intentional embedding among 11 patients between the years 2005 and 2008.

All of the patients were teenagers between 14 and 18 years old, most of them girls, and had come to the hospital because they had admitted embedding an object or because they ended up with an infection at the site.

Staples, pencil lead, and paper clips were the most common objects, often inserted into the arm.

All the patients had bipolar disorder and most suffered additionally from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Others also had depression, borderline personality disorder, or attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder.

The study also found out that 90 percent of those who embedded had suicidal thoughts.

Ten of the patients lived in a group psychiatric home, though not the same one.

Shiels told Reuters Health that the multiplicity of disorders among the teens was one of the differences between embedding and other forms of self-injury.

“With self-embedding behavior we see more severe behavioral health abnormalities,” he added.

Shiels could not estimate how common selfembedding is and said he’d like to set up a national registry to get a better idea of how many people do it.

Nancy Heath, a professor at McGill University who

Say bye to obesity

was not involved in the study, said that self-injury among children is usually tied to a sense of relief or feeling better. “Self-embedding behavior does not

appear to have that. It’s much more about self-harm,” she said. “I think it is definitely a phenomenon that is out there.” — Reuters

Bayer faces US lawsuit over contraceptive WASHINGTON: The German chemical and pharmaceutical company Bayer faces a US lawsuit on behalf of a teenager who died from a blood clot allegedly linked to its YAZ contraceptive.

Michelle Pfleger, an 18-year-old college student in North Carolina, died of cardiac arrest last September after taking YAZ, also known as Yasmin or Ocella, to treat acne, according to the complaint filed Tuesday. “One day she was a freshman at college so full of hope and promise and the next she was gone,” Pfleger’s mother, Joan Cummins said.

“I can only hope that by publicizing what happened to Michelle, I can keep another family from having to go through this.” The family’s attorney, Wendy Fleishman called YAZ a “a dangerous prescription drug sold without adequate warnings about the risks of serious and fatal injuries.”

“Bayer failed to warn doctors and patients that YAZ poses a greater risk of serious side effects than previous generations of oral contraceptives,” she added.

Last month two studies in the British Medical Journal found that drugs like YAZ and Yasmin-which contain the hormone drospirenone-increase the risk of serious blood clots three-fold or two-fold compared to earlier-generation oral contraceptives. Bayer criticized the results of the studies at the time, insisting that side effects were rare.

The official YAZ website says the drug is associated with “increased risks of several serious side effects, including blood clots, stroke, and heart attack.” — AFP

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AUK holds first high school football tournament

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he Office of Admissions at the American University of Kuwait held its First High school Football Tournament where New English School was crowned inaugural Champions edging out Gulf English School in the final with a score of 5-2. Six other schools partook in this tournament including Universal American School (UAS) who placed third, as well as Bayan Bilingual School (BBS), Kuwait National English School (KNES), Arab American Bilingual Academy (AABA), Lycee Francais du Kuwait (LFK) and Kuwait International English School (KIES).

AUK Admissions Counselor and event coordinator Ahmed Lotfy said, “The tournament was a good experience for students to touch base with the environment inside AUK. The participating teams competed in a professional manner proving every aspect of sportsmanship & leadership. We’re motivated to continue hosting the tournament, and hopefully it’ll grow into a major league between international high schools here in Kuwait.”

The level of participation and the success of the event prompted

the Office of Admissions at AUK to consider making this an annual tournament for high schools. Each year teams will be awarded points according to how they placed in the tournament. Each school will

then accumulate points that carry over to the following year’s tournament creating a ranking system.

Following the conclusion of this year’s tournament below is how each school ranked: 1- New English School (NES) = 30 points 2- Gulf English School (GES) = 20 points

3- Universal American School (UAS) = 15 points 4- Bayan Bilingual School (BBS) = 12 points 5- Kuwait National English School (KNES)= 10 points

6- Arab American Bilingual Academy (AABA) = 8 points 7- Lycee Francais du Kuwait (LFK) = 7 points 8- Kuwait International English School (KIES) = 5 points Head of PE at GES Chris Ratcliffe said, “It’s been a privilege to enter the inaugural International Schools Football

competition. It has been well organized by AUK and it has allowed us to play against Schools who we wouldn’t normally participate against. The boys have enjoyed the experience and we would like to see it grow and maybe become a regular event played as a League so we get to play all the Schools.”

The tournament also awarded individual and team awards as follows: Best Player Award: Mohammed Abdullah (NES).

Best Goalkeeper Award: Ali Kazemi (NES).

Top Scorers (6 goals): Mohammed Abdulla (NES), Salman Abdulritha (AABA) and Abdullah Al-Rashidi (KIES) Fairest Team (0 cards): Universal American School (UAS) & Lycee Francais du Koweit (LFK).

Strongest Offense (12 goals scored): New English School Strongest Defense (4 goals conceded): New English School Yassine Ayad, Coach of LFK said, “We’ll start practicing from now for the next HSFT Tournament; It’s a great opportunity to engage our students with games against American & British Schools.”

Future Eye Theatre holds workshop

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uture Eye Theatre, Kuwait held a democum-workshop on ‘Kathakali and Dance’ at the Successlines, Abbassiya led by renowned Kathakali exponent from Kerala Kalamandalam E. Vasudevan and his wife and Mohiniyattom exponent Kalamandalam Mallika.

In the first segment, Kalamandalam Vasudevan demonstrated all the ‘navrasas’ (nine expressions) in the context of different theatrical situations. He also delineated some of the popular Kathakali mudras (hand gestures) that are used to communicate with the

audience. His presentation added a new dimension to the theory that Kathakali is ‘total theatre’. He also engaged the participants in a demo that helped them to understand the art form better.

In the second segment, Kalamandalam Mallika demonstrated how ‘Mohiniyattom’, the original classical dance form of Kerala, is different from other dance genres. Her practical session gave an insight into the art form and its usefulness in theatrical productions.

Percussion support was provided by Chandramohan Kannur on ‘chenda’ and

Crowne Plaza Kuwait visits children’s home

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n line with its corporate social responsibility, Crowne Plaza Kuwait visited the Children’s Home. The Marketing and Public Relations team took with them goodie bags and snack boxes for the children, spreading cheer and joy from the moment of their entry into the place.

The visit began on an enthusiastic note with some simple rhymes for the children, followed by simple magic tricks that were performed by a happy clown who accompanied the team.

There were also games and fun activities that was conducted by the team, lighting up the faces of the children with smiles, in an ambience of sunshine

and excitement. Children’s music continuously played in the background, and the short visit wound up with the distribution of delicious snack boxes, prepared with love and care, to all the children present. All the little ones left carrying precious goodie bags that were loaded with treasures for them to enjoy and cherish.

This visit was carried out in an effort to involve the orphans in activities that reflect their needs and integrate them in society from an early age through a variety of programs take into consideration their actual needs and encourage the community to understand the rights of this category that are an integral part of it.

BSK student wins royal wedding competition

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o commemorate the wedding between HRH Prince William of Wales and Ms Catherine Middleton (the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge) on 29 April the British Council and the British Embassy organized a painting competition for students from schools around Kuwait.

This event gave the students a direct link with the Royal wedding and generated much excitement. The theme for the competition was ‘A contemporary Royal Wedding ‘The competition was aimed at two age groups 9-11 years of age and 12 -14 years of age. All winners were invited to the British Embassy where the Ambassador Frank Baker congratulated the winners and distributed the prizes.

Fatimah Dashti from The British

School of Kuwait was the overall winner of the competition for her age group.

She was awarded a certificate and memorabilia that had been delivered specially from the UK to commemorate the wedding and this gave Fatimah her own special link with the wedding much to the envy of her peers.

Jithesh Marar on ‘elathalam.’

The workshop was presided over by Future Eye Theatre President Sajeev K. Peter. General Secretary K.V. Pradeshkumar welcomed the participants while Treasurer Biju Samuel introduced the guests. Vice-President K K Shemejkumar honored the guests. Executive member P. D. Poulose spoke briefly about ‘Theatre and Kathakali. Joint Secretary Praveen Aduthila moved a condolence motion paying tribute to the departed theatre personality Vasu Pratheep. General Convener John Mathews proposed a vote of thanks.

Jatiya Party bids farewell to Mamtaz Uddin

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Andhra Vaibhavam in Kuwait

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n the auspicious day of Akshaya Trithiya, Kothuru Eshwar Babu - founder of Rak Dance Academy conducted a Samoohika Satyanarayana Pooja , on Friday 6th May at Carmel School in a well organized way.

Families were greeted and received by Suma Bhat, Reeta Shetty & Sudha Prasad who decorated the reception counter with Ganapathi idol & Tulsi plant. Around 130 families gathered in this congregational Pooja which lasted for three hours under the supervi-

sion of Pandits from India Lakshmi Ganapati Sharma and Ramakrishna Sharma from Kuwait.

After the pooja, the prasadam was distributed and lunch served to all. It was followed by an excellent cultural programme put up by Farwaniya and Abu Halifa students of Rak Dance Academy, choreographed by Eshwar and Lakshmeesh. The cultural programme started with devotional classical dance by Jolitha. There was also an upanyasam by Sadguru Sri Chaitanya Bharati Swamy and

Birthday Greetings Happy 5th birthday to our son Rob. Greetings from mum, dad, Lolo, Lola, Shiekha, Shiana, friends and relatives.

Bhajan by Krishna Chaitanya Bhajana BrindamRajampet. The stage had a beautiful Mantapam decorated by artist Madhuri Prasad and Bala Narasimhachari. Programme was anchored by Darla Srinivasalu Achari and Purandara Manchi. Academy thanked Munikumar, volunteers from “Dhoom Boys” headed by Lakshmeesh and Pradeep, volunteers from Farwaniya students, all the sponsors and all the families in making this function a grand success.

Konni Nivasi Sangamam Annual Day

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onni Nivasi Sangamam, Kuwait will celebrate 6th Annual Day tomorrow 13th May 2011 at United Indian School, Abbassiya from 10.00 am to 2.00 pm. The annual general body meeting and election of new office bearers for 2011-2012 year will also be conducted during the part of annual day. Variety of cultural programs, “GANAMELA” and lunch to all attendees will be the part of the program. All Konni

atiya party Kuwait bode farewell to its founding President Hajee SM. Mamtaz uddin Miah with profound gratitude and best wishes on 5th May. The aforesaid program comprising farewell to the homebound, outgoing president and public exposure of the newly elected executive committee (2011-2013) members of the party.

Mahmud Ali Hajee the newly elected President of Jatiya Party Kuwait presided over the program and it was thoroughly presented by the re-elected General Secretary Mohammed Ismael.

The program begun with recitation of verses from the Holy Quran, recited by Moulana Abdul Ahad. Along with Hajee S.M.Mamtaz uddin Miah. Special guests in the event were Bangladesh Embassy officials Nurul Islam the honorable counselor, K.M. Ali Reza the honorable first secretary (Labor), renowned educationalist Dr

Nivasi Sangamam members may kindly contact 66252930, 97277804, 67762857 for further details.

BASNIUM 2: Melodious Nite today

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asnium 2’ a melodious nite with variety of stunning and amazing items, will be conducted on Thursday, 12th May 2011 at 6.00 PM at Al-Jeel Al-Jadeed Arabic School Auditorium, Hawally. Madhu Balakrishnan; versatile South Indian playback singer, Durga

Shahjahan, Faiz Kamal vice president of Bangladesh Awami league Kuwait branch, Shoeb Ahmed President in charge of Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Dal B.N.P. Kuwait branch.

Social-political and cultural organization leaders, electronic and news media journalists community activists and organizers attended the program. In his concluding speech Mahmud Ali Hajee extended hearty thanks to all dignitaries, invitees and subsequently hosted a lavish dinner party.

Viswanath; winner of Idea Star Singer 2007, youth heart throb singer Rehman and well known musicians in Kuwait will take part in the event which is being organized in the auspices of The Basil Arts, an Indian Embassy registered cultural organization in Kuwait, as part of its Charity. Prominent Indian personalities and invited guests will attend the musical extravaganza. Entry will be restricted through passes - Organizers informed in a press release. For more details please contact 99594221 / 66131488 / 97253083.

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Embassy Information EMBASSY OF AUSTRALIA The Embassy encourages all Australians to register their presence in Kuwait through Smartraveller Online (see link below).

Australians who are registered are asked to update their details. The information provided will assist us in contacting you in an emergency. www.smartraveller.gov.au Kuwait citizens can apply for and receive visit visas to Australia online at www.immi.gov.au. This usually takes two working days. All others visa applications are handled by the Australian Visa Application Centre Tel. 22971110.

Witnessing and certifying documents are by appointment only, please contact the Embassy on 2232 2422.

The Australian Embassy is open from 8.00am to 4.00pm, Sunday to Thursday.

Three-day golden jubilee celebrations of ICSK

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he three-day golden jubilee celebrations of the Indian Community School Kuwait (ICSK) concluded at the ICSK campus with splendor and grandeur on 7th May. The events jointly organized by the parent community, staff and management of ICSK was interspersed with flamboyant cultural shows, much to the delight of hundreds of people who flocked to the ICSK auditorium.

The Indian School Kuwait, as the school was formerly known, began its pioneering journey in the year 1959 with a sole aim of rendering quality education to the children of expatriate Indian community in the state of Kuwait. The vision of the nine founding fathers materialized into a reality and blossomed as the premier educational institution in Kuwait having established itself as the school of excellence. In its blessed journey of over 50 years, the school has produced thousands of great alumni placed all over the world.

A galaxy of guests and eminent personalities of society attended the celebrations. Fahad Abdul Rehman Al Ghais Asst Undersecretary, Kuwait Ministry of Education attended the grand finale as chief guest. In his speech, he highlighted the strong and cordial relations between India and Kuwait. He stressed on the importance of education in forming children and society at large and appreciated the role of ICSK being the pioneer expatriate school in Kuwait.

Vidhu Nair, ChargÈ d’Affaires of the Embassy of India inaugurated the event by unveiling the ICSK logo specially designed for the Golden Jubilee

celebrations.

Among the dignitaries, Mohammed Abdulla Al-Dahes (Director of Private Education), Hazen Al Essa (sponsor of the school), Ashok Kalra (Hon. Chairman), Archie Menezes (Hon. V. Chairman), Rajan Daniel (Hon. Secretary), Dinesh Kamath (Hon. Treasurer) Vijayan Karayil and Francis Machado (Hon. Jt. Secretaries), Kuldeep Singh Lamba (Council of Elders) Rajpal Tyagi were also present along with the Members of Board Trustees and Parent Advisory Council members, principals of Indian schools in Kuwait, ICSK Branch Principals, Vice Principals, staff members and eminent members of the community .

Rajan Daniel welcomed the gathering and stated that the second stage of development after the Golden Jubilee is underway to maximize facilities for our younger generation studying in our institution.

Ashok Kalra, in his presidential address highlighted the achievements of the school in academics and other areas

of education. The endowment scheme is being expanded to benefit more students, he added. The guest of honor, Mohammad Abdulla Al Dahes, released the commemorative magazine.

The Chief Guest, Fahad Al Ghais, released a special documentary film ‘Mahayana’ presented by the ICSK Khaitan branch. It was an exquisite blend of the past and present, replaying the milestones of the school in its golden saga.

The dance number presented by the tiny tots of the Junior Branch filled the air with awe and wonder. They stole the hearts of the audience with intricate steps, innovative props and lively patterns.

The classical medley presented by the senior girls was a visual treat to everyone. The spirit of patriotism was interwoven with a touch of devotion and mysticism as the senior girls danced with grace and effortless ease. The beautiful rendition inspirational songs by the Amman Branch mesmerized everyone

present. The songs were centered on the glory of our motherland which enkindled the fervor of love for the motherland.

The Board also took the opportunity to recognize Rajan Daniel, Hon. Secretary of Board of Trustees and Kuldeep Singh Lamba, Council of Elders, for their long and peerless service to the cause of Indian community.

Archie Menezes, Hon. V. Chairman announced one gold medal in the name of Late Abhay Mehta, Former Hon. Vice Chairman & Hon. Treasurer and one in the name of ICSK founders to be awarded every year. This will be given to the outgoing academic topper and to the outstanding sports student of Class 12.

The celebrations culminated with a vote of thanks by Principal Fatima.

Earlier in the day, the band of Senior School accorded the honored guests a ceremonial welcome. At the end of the celebrations, the guests and the family of ICSK joined at the dinner table and shared the golden jubilee banquet.

GUST short story competition winners

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he Gulf University for Science and Technology (GUST) Cultural Committee of the “Department of Humanities and Social Sciences”, held an award ceremony celebrating the winners of the Short Story competition with Dhiya’ Hisham Al-Bader, renowned educator and writer as guest of honor.

Razan Ali; a student of “Reading in modern Kuwaiti literature” introduced Al-Bader who known to be the first Kuwaiti woman to publish a short story (1952) in Cairo; Al-Bader in her speech encouraged the students not only to write but to read and encourage those generations younger than them to start reading as well.

The winners were handed gifts by Dr. Robert Cook, Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dr. Ali Ansari, the Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences. The win-

ners of the Arabic Short Story were Jamelah Al-Enezi in 1st place for her story (2+2=0), Fatma Al-Kharraz in 2nd place for her story (Illusions of Love) and in 3rd

Jumbo Travel expands its leisure portfolio

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umbo Tour & Travel one of the most progressive Travel Management Company in Kuwait with offices strategically located across the country has joined hands with The Globus Family of brands to represent the world’s largest escorted coach tour company which markets vacations under the Cosmos, Globus, Monograms and Avalon Waterways brands in The State of Kuwait.

Marie-Anne Benedetti, Managing Director of Jumbo Travels said, “We are proud to be associated with Globus family of brands and bring such a large selection of high quality vacations to the travel enthusiasts in Kuwait.”

Globus family of brands is the second leisure product to be added within a span of 2 months time since our newly appointed Business Development Manager for Holidays and Retail, Mansoor Pasha. This is another step for Jumbo Travel to reinforce its leisure travel division in Kuwait offering professional leisure consultancy service coupled with unmatched customer service.

(From left) Kunal Shah - Business Development Manager International Globus family of brands and on the right side is Mansoor Pasha - Business Development Manager - Holidays & Retail - Jumbo Travel.

Globus Family of Brands, the world’s largest escorted coach tour company which markets vacations under the Cosmos, Globus, Monograms and Avalon Waterways

brands, has a strong presence in the Middle East including the UAE, the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Sultanate of Oman, Saudi Arabia and have consolidated their market share in the region by partnering with Jumbo Tour & Travel in Kuwait to focus on the outbound leisure travel segment.

The Globus family of brands office in India is responsible for the Middle East region and will provide support to Jumbo Tour & Travel Co. WLL, Kuwait to help garner sales of Globus family vacations worldwide. This move marks the first time the company has provided local support for marketing and selling its vacation products in Kuwait.

“By establishing this relationship, our goal is to strengthen the Globus family of brands’ presence in Kuwait and increase outbound traffic on our various brands that offers numerous worldwide destinations and makes it easy for the travelers in Kuwait to book and pay for their vacations locally,” said Gauri Jayaram, Regional Director - South Asia & Middle East markets for the Globus family of brands

place was Abduallah Al-Hendyani for his story (Ahmed). The winner of the English Short Story was Yousef Mustafa for his story (The Boy from the Asylum).

“First of all, I’d like to thank the cultural committee members for their encouragement and support which is dedicated to our programs including the short story competition and a special thank you to Dr. Wajeeh Yaqouband Margaret Combs for their caring and effort in selecting the short stories which meet our criteria,” said Dr. Salah Eddine Arkadan, the cultural committee chair, during his welcome speech.

GUST could not be more proud of its students for their skills at writing and wished them the best of luck in their perusal of a possible writing career in the future.

Palakkad association conducts medical camp

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alakkad Pravasi Association (PALPAK) conducted Free Medical Camp at Indian Central school premises on Friday, 6th May in association with Indian Doctors Forum and Kuwait Medical Association.

The medical camp was inaugurated by Indian Embassy Charge D’ Affairs Vidhu Nair. He appreciated the organizers for providing medical facilities for the needy. He also suggested that the public can approach the embassy for any consular support, Palpak president P.N Kumar presided over the function. Medical Camp convener C Rajendran welcomed the gathering. IDF president Dr. Nampoothiri gave felicitation speech. Palpak General Secretary Aravindakshan conveyed vote of thanks. Over 1000 men, women and children from different parts of Indian sub-continent benefited from this camp. More than 40 doctors in different fields such as Cardiology, ENT, Nephrology, Neurology, Diabetics, Gynecology, Ophthalmology, Dermatology, Pediatric and General medicine and 50 Para Medical Staff participated and offered their consultations to this camp. Various screening facilities were arranged for scanning and testing cholesterol, ECG, diabetics, blood pressure, eye, etc.

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EMBASSY OF BRITAIN The Visa Application Centre (VAC) will be closed on the same dates above. The opening hours of the Visa Application Centre are 0930 - 1630 Application forms remain available online from the UKBAs’ website: www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk or from the Visa Application Centre’s website: www.vfsuk-kw.com. And also, from the UK Visa Application Centre located at: 4B, First Floor, Al Banwan Building (Burgan Bank Branch Office Building), Al Qibla area, opposite Central Bank of Kuwait, Kuwait City. For any further inquiries, please contact the Visa Application Centre: Website: www.vfs-uk-kw.com E-mail:info@vfs-uk-kw.com Telephone:22971170. The Consular Section will also be closed on the same dates.

For information on the British Embassy services, visit the British Embassy website: www.ukinkuwait.fco.gov.uk ■■■■■■■

EMBASSY OF GERMANY The Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Kuwait wishes to announce that as of 1 May 2011, the external service provider Al Qabas Assurex is operating a Visa Application Centre in support of the German Embassy. Short-term visa applications for travels to Germany (e.g. for tourism, visits, business) are to be submitted to the service provider Al Qabas who for your convenience will ensure that all relevant documents are included in your application. Your personal appearance at the Application Centre is not required. Address of the Visa Application Centre: Al Qabas Assurex Sanabel Tower (Al-Babtain) Mezzanine (M3) opposite Sharq Mall Kuwait 22924444 Fax: 22924442 Further information are available on the following websites: www.kuwait.diplo.de www.qavisa.com ■■■■■■■

EMBASSY OF CANADA The Embassy of Canada is located at Villa 24, Al-Mutawakel St., Block 4 in Da’aiyah. Please visit our website at www.Kuwait.gc.ca.

Canada offers a registration service for all Canadians travelling or living abroad. This service is provided so that Consular Officials can contact and assist Canadians in an emergency in a foreign country, such as a natural disaster or civil unrest, or inform Canadians of a family emergency at home. The Embassy of Canada encourages all Canadian Citizens to register online through the Government of Canada Travel Website at www.voyage.gc.ca. The Canadian Embassy in Abu Dhabi provides visa and immigration services to residents of Kuwait.

Individuals who are interested in visiting, working or immigrating to Canada are invited to visit the website of the Canadian Embassy to the UAE at www.UAE.gc.ca.

Effective January 15, 2011, the only Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) application form that will be accepted by CIC is the Application for Temporary Resident Visa Made Outside of Canada [IMM 5257] form. All previous Temporary Resident Visa application forms will no longer be accepted by CIC and instead will be returned to applicants. Should old applications be submitted prior to January 15, 2011 they will continue to be processed. To ensure that the most recent version of the Temporary Resident Visa application form is being utilized, applicants should refer to the CIC website. As of January 15, 2011, forms are to be filled in electronically. The Embassy of Canada is open from 07:30 to 15:30 Sunday through Thursday. Consular Services for Canadian Citizens are provided from 09:00 until 12:00 on Sunday through Wednesday.

The forms are available on the internet at: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/kits/forms/IMM52 57E.PDF. A guide explaining the process can be found here: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/kits/guides/5256E .PDF. ■■■■■■■

EMBASSY OF GUYANA The Embassy of Guyana, recently established in Kuwait, announces that it is located at Block 3, Street 321, Villa 3, Mubarak Abdullah al Jabar, West Misrhef. The Embassy’s telephone numbers are 2539-7939 and 2539-4336; the fax number is 2539-3448. The Embassy can also be contacted by e-mail at Guyanaembassy.kuwait@gmail.com; its website address is www.guyana.org.

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EMBASSY OF KENYA The Embassy of the Republic of Kenya wishes to request all Kenyans resident in or training through Kuwait to register with the Embassy.

We are updating our database. This information is necessary in order to facilitate quick assistance and advise in times of emergency. Kindly visit in person or register through our website www.kenyaembkuwait.com. The Embassy is located in: Surra Area - Block 6 - Street 9 - Villa 3 Tel: 25353362 25353314; Fax: 25353316.

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EMBASSY OF NIGERIA The Nigerian embassy has moved its office to Mishref. Block 3, Street 7, House 4. For enquires please call 25379541. Fax25387719. Email- nigeriakuwait@yahoo.com or nigeriankuwait@yahoo.co.uk ■■■■■■■

EMBASSY OF SRI LANKA The Embassy of Sri Lanka will be closed for the public on Tuesday 17th May 2001, in lieu of “Vesak festival of Sri Lanka.

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00:45 01:40 02:35 03:30 04:25 05:20 06:10 07:00 07:25 07:50 08:40 09:10 09:35 10:05 11:00 11:55 12:50 13:45 14:10 14:40 15:30 16:00 16:30 17:25 18:20 19:15 20:10 21:05 22:00 22:55 23:50

Untamed And Uncut Cats 101 Wildest Africa Mutant Planet Buggin’ With Ruud Last Chance Highway Must Love Cats Meerkat Manor The Really Wild Show Baby Planet Breed All About It Extraordinary Dogs Project Puppy Michaela’s Animal Road Trip Animal ER Wildlife SOS Animal Cops Houston SSPCA: On The Wildside E-Vets: The Interns Lions And Giants Planet Wild The Really Wild Show Crocodile Hunter Dogs 101 Wildest Africa Michaela’s Animal Road Trip Cats 101 Cheetah Kingdom Max’s Big Tracks Crime Scene Wild Lions Of Crocodile River

00:00 00:30 01:15 02:10 03:00 03:30 04:00 04:30 04:50 05:10 05:35 05:45 06:05 06:25 06:50 07:05 07:25 07:45 08:10 08:20 08:40 09:00 09:25 09:40 10:40 11:25 12:15 12:45 13:15 14:05 15:35 16:20 16:30 17:15 17:45 18:15 19:05 19:50 20:00 20:45 21:15 21:45 22:40 23:30

My Family The Weakest Link Casualty Desperate Romantics Eastenders Doctors My Family Me Too Tweenies Teletubbies Charlie And Lola Me Too Tweenies Teletubbies Charlie And Lola Me Too Tweenies Teletubbies Charlie And Lola Me Too Tweenies Teletubbies Charlie And Lola My Family The Weakest Link Doctor Who Doctors Eastenders Casualty My Family Doctor Who Doctor Who Confidential The Weakest Link Doctors Eastenders Casualty Doctor Who Doctor Who Confidential The Weakest Link Doctors Eastenders Casualty Around The World In 20 Years My Family

00:30 01:15 02:05 03:35 04:25 06:25 07:15 07:45 08:30 09:20 09:45 10:35 12:05 12:35

Come Dine With Me The Home Show Holmes On Homes Indian Food Made Easy Daily Cooks Challenge Cash In The Attic Cooked Holmes On Homes Cash In The Attic Indian Food Made Easy Antiques Roadshow Holmes On Homes Indian Food Made Easy Antiques Roadshow

13:25 14:10 14:55 15:45 17:15 18:10 19:00 19:50 20:35 21:20 22:10 23:00

Cash In The Attic Bargain Hunt Come Dine With Me Holmes On Homes Indian Food Made Easy How Not To Decorate Antiques Roadshow Cash In The Attic Bargain Hunt Come Dine With Me The Home Show Great British Menu

00:00 BBC World News 00:30 World Business Report 00:45 Sport Today 01:00 BBC World News America 01:30 Asia Business Report 01:45 Asia Today 02:00 BBC World News 02:30 Asia Business Report 02:45 Asia Today 03:00 BBC World News 03:30 Asia Business Report 03:45 Asia Today 04:00 BBC World News 04:30 Asia Business Report 04:45 Asia Today 05:00 BBC World News 05:30 Asia Business Report 05:45 Asia Today 06:00 BBC World News 06:30 Hardtalk 07:00 BBC World News 07:30 World Business Report 07:45 BBC World News 08:00 BBC World News 08:30 World Business Report 08:45 BBC World News 09:30 World Business Report 09:45 Sport Today 10:00 BBC World News 10:30 World Business Report 10:45 Sport Today 11:00 BBC World News 11:30 Hardtalk 12:00 BBC World News 12:30 World Business Report 12:45 Sport Today 13:00 BBC World News 13:30 World Business Report 13:45 Sport Today 14:00 GMT With George Alagiah 15:00 BBC World News 15:30 World Business Report 15:45 Sport Today 16:00 Impact With Mishal Husain 17:30 World Business Report 17:45 Sport Today 18:00 BBC World News 18:30 Hardtalk 19:00 The Hub With Nik Gowing 20:30 World Business Report 20:45 Sport Today 21:00 World News Today With Zeinab Badawi 22:30 World Business Report 22:45 Sport Today 23:00 BBC World News America 23:30 Hardtalk

00:05 Cow And Chicken 00:30 Cramp Twins 00:55 George Of The Jungle 01:20 Adrenalini Brothers 01:45 Eliot Kid 02:10 Ed, Edd N Eddy 02:35 Ben 10: Alien Force 03:00 The Powerpuff Girls 03:15 Chowder 03:40 The Secret Saturdays 04:05 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey 04:30 Ben 10: Alien Force 04:55 Best Ed 05:20 Skunk Fu! 05:45 Cramp Twins 06:10 Eliot Kid 06:35 The Marvelous Misadventures Of Flapjack 07:00 Codename: Kids Next Door 07:25 Cow And Chicken 07:50 Angelo Rules 08:05 Cartoon Network Dance Club 08:15 Foster’s Home For Imaginary

THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2011

TV PROGRAMS Friends 08:40 Ben 10: Alien Force 09:05 The Secret Saturdays 09:30 Batman: The Brave And The Bold 09:55 The Powerpuff Girls 10:20 Robotboy 10:30 Hero 108 10:55 Ben 10 11:20 Chowder 11:45 The Marvelous Misadventures Of Flapjack 12:10 Camp Lazlo 12:35 George Of The Jungle 13:00 Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends 13:25 Codename: Kids Next Door 13:50 Ben 10 14:15 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey 14:40 Squirrel Boy 15:05 Eliot Kid 15:35 Ed, Edd N Eddy 16:00 Cow And Chicken 16:25 Chop Socky Chooks 16:50 Skunk Fu! 17:15 Chowder 17:40 Best Ed 17:50 Cartoon Network Dance Club 18:05 Hero 108 18:30 The Marvelous Misadventures Of Flapjack 18:55 Star Wars: The Clone Wars 19:20 Ben 10: Alien Force 19:45 The Secret Saturdays 20:10 Bakugan Battle Brawlers 20:35 Fantastic Four: World’s Greatest Heroes 21:00 Cartoon Network Dance Club 21:15 The Powerpuff Girls 21:25 Ed, Edd N Eddy 21:50 Robotboy 22:00 Camp Lazlo 22:50 Ben 10 23:15 Bakugan Battle Brawlers 23:40 Chowder

00:40 01:35 02:30 03:25 04:20 05:15 05:40 06:05 07:00 07:50 08:45 09:10 09:40 10:30 10:55 11:25 12:20 13:15 14:10 15:05 16:00 16:55 17:50 19:10 19:40 20:05 20:35 21:00 21:55 22:50 23:45

Dirty Jobs Deconstruction Ultimate Survival Mega Builders Mythbusters How Do They Do It? How Stuff’s Made Dirty Jobs Mega Builders American Chopper How Stuff’s Made How Do They Do It? Mythbusters Cake Boss Border Security Street Customs 2008 Ultimate Survival Mythbusters LA Ink Dirty Jobs Street Customs Berlin Mythbusters Extreme Fishing Border Security I Could Do That How Stuff’s Made How Do They Do It? Worst-Case Scenario Get Out Alive Surviving Disaster Extreme Fishing

00:30 00:55 01:45 02:35 03:25 03:50 04:45 05:40 06:10 07:00 07:55 07:58 08:25 08:55 09:45 10:35 11:25

The Gadget Show Kings Of Construction How It’s Made How Stuff Works How Does That Work?

Junkyard Mega-Wars What’s That About?

Patent Bending Engineered Da Vinci’s Machines Head Rush Sci-Fi Science Weird Connections Space Pioneer The Gadget Show What’s That About?

Savage Planet

11:50 Da Vinci’s Machines 12:40 Patent Bending 13:05 How Stuff Works 13:55 Human Body: Ultimate Machine 14:45 Kings Of Construction 15:35 The Gadget Show 16:00 Head Rush 16:03 Sci-Fi Science 16:30 Weird Connections 17:00 Brainiac 17:50 The World’s Strangest UFO Stories 18:40 Bang Goes The Theory 19:30 The Future Of...

20:20 Weird Connections 20:45 How Stuff’s Made 21:10 The Gadget Show 22:00 Bang Goes The Theory 22:50 The Future Of...

23:40 The Colony

00:00 00:25 01:15 02:00 02:50 03:35 04:25 05:15 06:00 06:20 07:05 07:30 07:55 08:20 08:35 09:00 09:25 09:50 10:10 10:35 10:50 11:15 11:35 12:00 12:25 12:45 13:10 13:30 13:55 14:20 14:40 14:55 15:20 15:40 16:25 16:45 17:10 17:35 18:00 18:25 18:45 19:10 19:35 20:00 20:25 20:50 21:12 21:15 21:35 22:00 22:25 22:50 23:15 23:35

Kim Possible Fairly Odd Parents Stitch Replacements Emperors New School Stitch Replacements Fairly Odd Parents Emperors New School Phineas And Ferb Suite Life On Deck Shake It Up Good Luck Charlie Fairly Odd Parents Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Handy Manny Special Agent Oso Jungle Junction Imagination Movers Phineas And Ferb Suite Life On Deck Wizards Of Waverly Place Good Luck Charlie Fish Hooks Fairly Odd Parents Phineas And Ferb Hannah Montana Sonny With A Chance Wizards Of Waverly Place Suite Life On Deck Have A Laugh Suite Life On Deck Jonas LA Good Luck Charlie Wizards Of Waverly Place Good Luck Charlie Jonas LA Wizards Of Waverly Place Hannah Montana Suite Life On Deck Phineas And Ferb Good Luck Charlie Wizards Of Waverly Place Sonny With A Chance Jake And Blake Good Luck Charlie Have A Laugh Phineas And Ferb Fairly Odd Parents Replacements Hannah Montana Sonny With A Chance Wizards Of Waverly Place Jonas

06:00 06:40 07:30 07:50 08:05 08:50 09:00 09:50 10:40 11:30 12:20 13:10 13:50 14:40 15:25 16:00 17:15 18:05 19:30 20:05 20:15 20:40 21:30

Kid Vs Kat Kick Buttowski Zeke & Luther Zeke & Luther Pair Of Kings Cars Toons Suite Life On Deck The Super Hero Squad Show Pair Of Kings Phineas & Ferb Zeke & Luther I’m In The Band Kid Vs Kat Suite Life On Deck Kick Buttowski Pair Of Kings Zeke & Luther Monsters Inc. (Cema) Phineas And Ferb Cars Toons Phineas & Ferb I’m In The Band The Super Hero Squad Show

00:25 Kendra 00:55 Then And Now 01:25 E!es 03:15 25 Most Stylish 04:10 Sexiest 05:05 Extreme Hollywood 06:00 30 Most Outrageous Celebrity Feuds 07:50 Behind The Scenes 08:20 E! News 09:15 Kimora: Life In The Fab Lane 10:15 THS 12:05 E! News 13:05 Fashion Police 13:35 Extreme Close-Up 14:05 Kourtney And Khloe Take Miami 14:35 THS 16:25 Behind The Scenes 16:55 Holly’s World 17:55 E! News 18:55 Kimora: Life In The Fab Lane 19:55 THS 20:55 Chelsea Lately 21:25 Kourtney And Kim Take New York 21:55 Kourtney And Kim Take New York 22:25 E! News 23:25 Chelsea Lately 23:55 Keeping Up With The Kardashians

HOLLYWOOD HOMICIDE ON OSN ACTION HD

00:15 00:40 01:30 02:20 03:10 04:00 04:50 05:40 06:30 08:00 08:25 09:15 10:05

Fantasy Factory Mantracker World Combat League Fantasy Factory Aiya TV Fight Girls Mantracker World Combat League iEX 2009 Quattro Events 2009 Summer Dew Tour 2010 BMX Megatour Taig Jumping The Tower

10:55 11:20 11:45 12:35 13:25 14:15 15:05 15:30 15:55 16:45 17:10 18:00 18:50 19:40 20:30 21:20 22:10 23:00 23:50

Glutton For Punishment Dr Danger X-Traordinary Fantasy Factory Mantracker World Combat League Glutton For Punishment Dr Danger X-Traordinary Quattro Events 2009 Summer Dew Tour 2010 BMX Megatour Taig Jumping The Tower X-Traordinary Fantasy Factory IFMXF 2010 World Combat League Aiya TV Fantasy Factory

00:30 01:20 02:10 03:50 04:45 05:15 06:10 07:00 07:50 08:40 09:30 10:20 11:10 12:00 13:40 14:30 15:20 16:10 17:00 17:50 18:40 19:30 20:20 22:50 23:40

The Haunted A Haunting I Almost Got Away With It Dr G: Medical Examiner Ghosthunters The Haunted Mystery Diagnosis Forensic Detectives Undercover Mystery Diagnosis Real Emergency Calls Solved FBI Files On The Case With Paula Zahn Mystery Diagnosis Real Emergency Calls Solved Forensic Detectives Undercover FBI Files Mystery Diagnosis Real Emergency Calls On The Case With Paula Zahn True Crime Scene Dr G: Medical Examiner

00:00 Market Values 01:00 Departures 02:00 Don’t Tell My Mother 03:00 By Any Means 04:00 Pressure Cook 04:30 David Rocco’s Dolce Vita 05:00 Food Lovers Guide To Planet 05:30 Exploring The Vine 06:00 Market Values 07:00 Departures 08:00 Don’t Tell My Mother 09:00 By Any Means 10:00 Pressure Cook 10:30 David Rocco’s Dolce Vita 11:00 Food Lovers Guide To Planet 11:30 Exploring The Vine 12:00 Market Values 13:00 Departures 14:00 Don’t Tell My Mother 15:00 By Any Means 16:00 Pressure Cook 16:30 David Rocco’s Dolce Vita 17:00 Food Lovers Guide To Planet 17:30 Exploring The Vine 18:00 Market Values 19:00 Departures 20:00 Don’t Tell My Mother 21:00 By Any Means 22:00 Pressure Cook 22:30 David Rocco’s Dolce Vita 23:00 Food Lovers Guide To Planet 23:30 Exploring The Vine

GROWING OP ON OSN CINEMA

The

The

The

The

00:00 Green Street 2: Stand Your Ground-18 02:00 Ninja Assassin-18 04:00 Saw VI-R 06:00 Face Off-PG15 08:15 The Truth About Charlie-PG15 10:00 Inkheart-PG 12:00 Hollywood Homicide-PG15 14:00 The Truth About Charlie-PG15 16:00 Along Came A Spider-PG15 18:00 Hollywood Homicide-PG15 20:00 XXX-PG15 22:00 Outpost-18

01:15 03:00 05:00 07:00 09:00 PG15 11:00 13:00 15:00 17:00 19:00 21:00 23:00

Growing Op-PG15 Messengers-PG15 Harold-PG15 Preacher’s Kid-PG The Sorcerer’s ApprenticeFlying By-PG15 Delgo-FAM The Cake Eaters-PG15 The Wronged Man-PG15 The Informant!-PG15 Furry Vengeance-PG15 Precious-18

00:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 01:00 The Colbert Report 01:30 South Park 02:00 The Big C 02:30 Entourage 03:00 Just Shoot Me 03:30 30 Rock 04:00 South Park 04:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 05:30 Malcolm In The Middle 06:00 Yes Dear 06:30 The Drew Carey Show 07:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 08:00 Tyler Perry’s House Of Payne 08:30 Dharma And Greg 09:00 Just Shoot Me 09:30 Malcolm In The Middle 10:00 Yes Dear 10:30 Melissa And Joey 11:00 The Drew Carey Show 11:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 12:30 Dharma And Greg 13:00 Tyler Perry’s House Of Payne 13:30 Malcolm In The Middle 14:00 Yes Dear 14:30 30 Rock 15:00 Melissa And Joey 15:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 16:00 The Colbert Report 16:30 The Drew Carey Show 17:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 18:00 Just Shoot Me 18:30 Tyler Perry’s House Of Payne 19:00 Melissa And Joey 19:30 Community 20:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno

21:00 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 21:30 The Colbert Report 22:00 The Ricky Gervais Show 22:30 Entourage 23:00 South Park 23:30 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 07:00 08:00 08:30 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 18:30 19:00 20:00 22:00 23:00

Any Human Heart Game Of Thrones The Ellen DeGeneres Show Glee The View Good Morning America C.S.I. New York Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show The Martha Stewart Show The View What’s Good For You Glee Live Good Morning America C.S.I. New York The Ellen DeGeneres Show Emmerdale Look-A-Like The Cape American Idol The Gates C.S.I. New York

00:00 Cold Case 01:00 C.S.I. 02:00 Game Of Thrones 03:00 Any Human Heart 04:00 Glee 05:00 The Closer 06:00 Cold Case 07:00 The New Adventures Of Old Christine 07:30 Coronation Street 08:00 Smallville 09:00 The Closer 10:00 C.S.I. 11:00 Glee 12:00 The New Adventures Of Old Christine 12:30 Coronation Street 13:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show 14:00 Smallville 15:00 Cold Case 16:00 The New Adventures Of Old Christine 16:30 The New Adventures Of Old Christine 17:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show 18:00 Smallville 19:00 The Cape 20:00 American Idol 22:00 The Gates 23:00 The Philanthropist

01:00 Surrogates-PG15 03:00 The Boondock Saints 2: All Saints Day-18 05:00 Basic Instinct 2-R 07:00 Journey To The Center Of The Earth-PG 09:00 Timeline-PG15 11:00 Armageddon-PG15 13:30 Ghost Town (TV Movie)-18 15:00 Timeline-PG15 17:00 Gone In Sixty Seconds-PG15 19:00 Angels And Demons-PG15 21:15 Blood And Bone-18 23:00 Casualties Of War-18

00:00 Mr. Magoo-PG 02:00 Mafia!-PG15 04:00 Martha Meet Frank, Daniel And Lawrence-PG15 06:00 Everything’s Gone GreenPG15 08:00 The Perfect Score-PG15 10:00 17 Again-PG15 12:00 Saved!-PG15 14:00 Leaving Normal-PG15 16:00 Mr. Magoo-PG 18:00 Sweet Liberty-PG15 20:00 Return To Sleepaway CampPG15 22:00 Fired Up!-18

01:00 Topsy Turvy-PG15 03:45 Karma: Crime, Passion, Reincarnation-PG15 05:45 In The Electric Mist-PG15

07:45 09:15 11:00 13:00 15:00 17:00 19:00 21:00 23:00

Witness To Waco-PG15 Georgia O’Keeffe-PG15 Bran Nue Dae-PG15 Einstein And Eddington-PG15 Mama I Want To Sing-PG Drumline-PG15 Whip It-PG15 The Sisters-18 Wild At Heart-18

13:30 14:00 15:00 15:30 19:30 20:00 20:30 21:00

Spirit of Yachting Golfing World European Tour Weekly Live European PGA Tour Total Rugby Mobil 1 The Grid European Tour Weekly European PGA Tour

01:30 Sleuth-18 03:00 Love Happens-PG15 05:00 Cars-PG 07:00 The Invention Of Lying-PG15 09:00 Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time-PG15 11:00 The Last Song-PG15 13:00 Girl, Positive-PG15 15:00 Adventures Of A Teenage Dragonslayer-PG 17:00 Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time-PG15 19:00 Couples Retreat-PG15 21:00 Furry Vengeance-PG15 23:00 Youth In Revolt-18

00:00 01:00 05:00 07:00 09:00 10:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 16:00 16:30 17:30 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

UFC Unleashed UFC 129 UFC Unleashed WWE SmackDown WWE Bottom Line V8 Supercars Championship WWE Vintage Collection WWE Bottom Line WWE SmackDown Full Throttle UAE National Race Day Series Iron Man WWE Vintage Collection WWE NXT UFC The Ultimate Fighter UFC Unleashed UFC Unleashed WWE NXT

00:00 Columbus III: The New WorldPG 02:00 Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home-FAM 04:00 Kung Fu Magoo-FAM 06:00 G-Force-PG 08:00 Scruff In Halloween-FAM 10:00 Columbus III: The New WorldPG 12:00 The Amazing Zorro-PG15 14:00 G-Force-PG 16:00 The Archies In Jugman-FAM 18:00 Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs-PG 20:00 Hotel For Dogs-FAM 22:00 The Amazing Zorro-PG15

00:30 Long Weekend-PG15 02:00 American Teen-PG15 04:00 Little Nicholas-PG 05:30 Passing Strange-PG 08:00 Dean Spanley-PG 10:00 Secret Origin: The Story Of DC Comics-PG 12:00 Percy Jackson And The Lightning Thief-PG15 14:00 Adventures Of A Teenage Dragonslayer-PG 16:00 Dean Spanley-PG 18:00 Toy Story 3-FAM 20:00 Up In The Air-PG15 22:00 Fragments-18

00:00 Premier League Darts 03:30 Scottish Premier League 05:30 AFL Highlights 06:30 FEI Equestrian World 07:00 Scottish Premier League 09:00 FEI Equestrian World 09:30 Spirit of Yachting 10:00 Scottish Premier League Highlights 10:30 NRL Full Time 11:00 AFL Highlights 12:00 Total Rugby 12:30 Scottish Premier League 14:30 Trans World Sport 15:30 Weber Cup Bowling 16:30 FEI Equestrian World 17:00 Spirit of Yachting 17:30 Golfing World 18:30 Scottish Premier League 20:30 Scottish Premier League Highlights 21:00 Live Premier League Darts

00:00 European Tour Weekly 00:30 Scottish Premier League Highlights 01:00 Scottish Premier League 03:00 Futbol Mundial 03:30 FEI Equestrain World 04:00 Golfing World 05:00 AFL Highlights 06:00 Trans World Sport 07:00 Golfing World 08:00 European PGA Tour Highlights 09:00 International Rugby League 11:00 Trans World Sport 12:00 FEI Equestrain World 12:30 Weber Cup Bowling

00:00 The Big Fish 00:30 Word Travels 01:00 Hollywood and Vines 01:30 Distant Shores 02:00 Inside Luxury Travel-Varun Sharma 03:00 Globe Trekker 04:00 Globe Trekker 05:00 The Big Fish 05:30 Word Travels 06:00 First Class South Africa 06:30 Cruise Today 07:00 Globe Trekker 08:00 Inside Luxury Travel-Varun Sharma 09:00 Travel Notebook 10:00 Grannies On Safari 10:30 The Seasoned Traveler 11:00 The Big Fish 11:30 Word Travels 12:00 Globe Trekker 13:00 Distant Shores 13:30 The Thirsty Traveler 14:00 First Class South Africa 14:30 Inside Luxury Travel-Varun Sharma 15:30 Chef Abroad 16:00 Globe Trekker 17:00 The Big Fish 17:30 Grannies On Safari 18:00 Distant Shores 18:30 The Thirsty Traveler 19:00 Globe Trekker 20:00 Cruise Today 20:30 Travel Today 21:00 Australia’s Great Wildlife Islands 22:00 Glutton For Punishment 22:30 Angry Planet 23:00 Globe Trekker

00:30 01:20 02:10 03:00 03:55 04:50 05:40 06:30 07:20 08:10 09:00 09:55 10:50 11:40 12:30 13:20 14:10 15:00 15:55 16:50 17:40 18:30 19:20 20:10 21:00 21:55 22:50 23:40

Investigating History Conspiracy?

Modern Marvels Patton 360 Battles B.C. The Korean War Last Voices Of World War I Investigating History Conspiracy?

Modern Marvels Patton 360 Battles B.C. The Korean War Last Voices Of World War I Investigating History Conspiracy?

Modern Marvels Patton 360 Battles B.C. The Korean War Last Voices Of World War I Investigating History Conspiracy?

Modern Marvels Ax Men 3 Tunnellers Secret Superpowered Aircraft Ancient Discoveries

Classifieds THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2011

Contact: 99509436.

(C3338)

ACCOMMODATION Sharing accommodation available in Abbassiya in a two bedroom apartment for a couple or an executive bachelor with all facilities.

Please call 66699841.

(C 3339) Sharing accommodation available in Abbassiya near Highway center with Keralite Christian family, two bedroom 2 separate bathroom available, family or working ladies preferred.

able Indians.

99566462. (C 3322)

Call:

Sharing accommodation available for Indian Hindu or Catholic 2 bachelors or small family with Mangalorean Catholic family in a window A/C bldg opp Appolo hospital, Shara Amman, Salmiya. Contact: 55995437. (C 3334)

Big furnished room with attached bathroom C-A/C, available in Fintas, near to London hospital, close to Fahaheel Highway, for executive bachelor or decent couple, rent KD 90. Contact: 60020168. (C 3335) 12-5-2011

Sharing accommodation for one executive bachelor with one Indian bachelor in Omariya area, near bus stop, beside zoo, kitchen, bathroom separate, prefer-

Sharing accommodation available for a single executive Indian bachelor, near Al Rashid hospital, Salmiya.

Central A/C, new building, separate room. Rent KD 70.

Contact: 66251716, 99550578. (C 3238) 11-5-2011 A big furnished room available in Salmiya Al Thugaira street for decent couple or a lady. Contact: 66373409, 75618576.

Available room for rent with sharing accommodation for Manglorean or Goan family. Opp Jabriya Bridge, near Al Bahar Comp.

Hawally.

Contact: 99247271. (C 3325) 10-5-2011

Healthy Living

Toyota-Bus-HiAce model 2010, white color, excellent condition, price KD 5,750, negotiable.

Contact: 66507741. (C 3336)

PC Compaq Pentium 4, intel original HD 20 GB, Ram 128 MB (expandable), Windows XP pro with 15â&#x20AC;?

LCD Neovo, price KD 400 & Laptop Acer Aspire 4315 price KD 75, all in excellent condition. Call 99322585.

(C 3337) 12-5-2011 Nissan PathďŹ nder, model 2003, well maintained, good condition, serious buyers please call 66457115. (C 3329) 11-5-2011

Japanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;chicken soupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Nutritious and comforting, miso soup is a staple of the Japanese diet, traditionally eaten at breakfast.

Toyota Prado 2005, white color, 6 Clr, full option, without sunroof, km 101,000, KD 4750. Mob: 65085629.

(C 3234) 9-5-2011

Veganâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s delight ... Â&#x2021; 0LVR WKH VRXSŇ&#x2039;V EDVH LV IHUPHQWHG VR\EHDQ SDVWH ZKRVH EDFWHULD V\QWKHVL]H YLWDPLQ % D QXWULHQW GLIILFXOW WR JHW IURP IRRG IRU WKRVH ZKR HDW QR DQLPDO SURGXFWV

LOST Policy No. 633000388 issued by the State Life Insurance Gulf Zone on the Life of Mr Tahir Mahmood is reported to have been lost.

Anyone ďŹ nding the same or claiming any interest in it should communicate with the State Life Kuwait OďŹ&#x192;ce Phone No. 22452208 within one month of this date.

12-5-2011

... and nourishing for all Â&#x2021; 0LVR VRXS LV ORZ LQ FDORULHV DQG IDW KLJK LQ IDWW\ DFLGV DQG DQWLR[LGDQWV VXFK DV YLWDPLQ ( Â&#x2021; 7U\ DGGLQJ VOLFHG FDUURWV FKRSSHG FDEEDJH JLQJHU RQLRQ DQG FHOHU\ IRU D WDVW\ ILEHU ULFK VRXS

MISCELLANEOUS Sri Lankan Engineer in Maidan Hawally needs home cooked Sri Lankan food. Please call 97263962 for details.

12-5-2011

SITUATION WANTED An Indian male, bachelors degree in Petroleum Engineering, subject of specializations: well drilling and completion, production technology, logging, geophysics, reservoir engineering, is looking for a suitable job. Please contact: 66204579, email: sonyjohnk@gmail.com (C 3327) 10-5-2011

CHANGE OF NAME The new name changed for Haneef Abdul Khaleel, holder of Indian Passport No. E9556818 issued in Kuwait on 28-09-2004. Name change from Haneef Abdul Khaleel to Abdul Khaleel.

12-5-2011

No: 15086

SITUATION VACANT

Â&#x2021; 7RS ZLWK VOLFHG VFDOOLRQV IRU DGGHG IODYRU 6RXUFH GUZHLO FRP 0&7 3KRWR 6HUYLFH *UDSKLF 3DW &DUU

FOR SALE

A part time or a full time female house maid is needed to work for a small family of two. Contact: 97247999, 99367793.

(C 3330) 12-5-2011

Š 2011 MCT

DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION In case you are not travelling, your proper cancellation of bookings will help other passengers to use seats Airlines RJA JZR THY UAE DHX ETD FDB GFA QTR JZR FCX JZR KAC BAW KAC KAC IRA KAC KAC FDB KAC KAC KAC UAE QTR ABY ETD GFA MEA JZR JZR KNE JZR KAC MSR UAL RJA MSR FDB OMA SYR JZR SVA KAC KNE KAC JZR QTR

Flt 642 267 772 853 370 305 67 211 138 503 201 555 412 157 206 382 605 302 332 53 352 284 362 855 132 125 301 213 404 165 121 789 561 672 610 982 640 621 57 645 341 357 500 552 745 788 257 134

Arrival Flights on Thursday 12/5/2011 Route AMMAN BEIRUT ISTANBUL DUBAI BAHRAIN ABU DHABI DUBAI BAHRAIN DOHA LUXOR DUBAI ALEXANDRIA MANILA / BANGKOK LONDON ISLAMABAD DELHI ISFAHAN MUMBAI TRIVANDRUM DUBAI COCHIN DHAKA COLOMBO DUBAI DOHA SHARJAH ABU DHABI BAHRAIN BEIRUT DUBAI BAHRAIN JEDDAH SOHAG DUBAI CAIRO WASHINGTON DC DULLES AMMAN ASSIUT DUBAI MUSCAT DAMASCUS MASHAD JEDDAH DAMASCUS JEDDAH JEDDAH BEIRUT DOHA

Time 0:05 0:35 1:15 2:25 2:55 2:55 3:10 3:15 3:20 5:15 5:25 6:10 6:15 6:30 7:15 7:20 7:40 7:50 7:55 7:55 8:05 8:10 8:20 8:25 9:00 9:10 9:30 9:35 10:55 11:10 11:15 11:40 12:30 13:15 13:20 13:30 13:35 13:40 13:50 14:00 14:00 14:10 14:30 14:35 14:45 14:50 15:10 15:15

LMU KAC KAC MLR ETD UAE GFA SVA JZR TAR JZR ABY ALK JZR KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC SIA JAI IRA KAC FDB VOS OMA JZR MEA KAC MSR DHX KLM UAE GFA JZR QTR UAL AIC JZR LMU JZR MSR DLH AXB BBC PIA

407 546 118 403 303 857 215 510 777 327 239 127 227 177 104 502 542 618 786 614 774 674 458 572 617 562 61 93 647 179 402 104 618 372 445 859 217 203 136 981 981 135 409 185 612 636 389 43 205

ALEXANDRIA ALEXANDRIA NEW YORK COLOMBO / DUBAI ABU DHABI DUBAI BAHRAIN RIYADH JEDDAH TUNIS / DUBAI AMMAN SHARJAH COLOMBO / DUBAI DUBAI LONDON BEIRUT CAIRO DOHA JEDDAH BAHRAIN RIYADH DUBAI SINGAPORE / ABU DHABI MUMBAI AHWAZ AMMAN DUBAI KANDAHAR / DUBAI MUSCAT DUBAI BEIRUT GENEVA / FRANKFURT ALEXANDRIA BAHRAIN AMSTERDAM DUBAI BAHRAIN DAMASCUS DOHA BAHRAIN CHENNAI / AHMEDABAD BAHRAIN ASSIUT DUBAI CAIRO FRANKFURT KOZHIKODE / MANGALORE DHAKA LAHORE

15:25 15:30 16:15 16:40 16:50 16:55 17:15 17:20 17:25 17:30 17:35 17:40 18:00 18:00 18:35 18:45 18:50 18:55 19:00 19:20 19:25 19:25 19:35 19:35 19:45 19:50 20:00 20:00 20:10 20:10 20:15 20:45 20:55 21:00 21:05 21:15 21:25 21:30 21:35 22:00 22:05 22:10 22:20 22:35 22:50 23:00 23:10 23:45 23:55

Departur AXB DLH AIC KLM PIA THY UAE FDB DHX ETD QTR JZR JZR RJA GFA JZR JZR BAW KAC IRA FDB KAC KAC KAC JZR KAC UAE ABY QTR ETD GFA KAC MEA KAC JZR JZR KNE KAC KAC JZR MSR RJA FDB MSR UAL KAC OMA SYR

Flt 394 637 976 447 216 773 854 68 371 306 139 560 164 643 212 120 356 156 545 606 54 787 671 551 256 101 856 126 133 302 214 165 405 541 776 238 790 501 785 176 611 641 58 622 982 561 646 342

Depurture Flights on Thursday 12/5/2011 Route COCHIN / KOZHIKODE FRANKFURT GOA / CHENNAI AMSTERDAM KARACHI ISTANBUL DUBAI DUBAI BAHRAIN ABU DHABI DOHA SOHAG DUBAI AMMAN BAHRAIN BAHRAIN MASHAD LONDON ALEXANDRIA MASHAD DUBAI JEDDAH DUBAI DAMASCUS BEIRUT LONDON / NEW YORK DUBAI SHARJAH DOHA ABU DHABI BAHRAIN ROME / PARIS BEIRUT CAIRO JEDDAH AMMAN JEDDAH BEIRUT JEDDAH DUBAI CAIRO AMMAN DUBAI ASSIUT BAHRAIN AMMAN MUSCAT DAMASCUS

Time 0:15 0:40 0:50 0:55 1:10 2:15 3:45 3:50 3:55 4:05 5:00 5:55 6:55 7:00 7:10 8:20 8:20 8:25 8:35 8:40 8:40 8:55 9:00 9:10 9:10 9:30 9:40 9:50 10:00 10:15 10:20 11:45 11:55 12:00 12:00 12:10 12:25 13:00 13:30 13:40 14:20 14:30 14:35 14:40 14:45 14:45 15:00 15:00

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

KAC KNE KAC JZR SVA JZR KAC QTR KAC LMU VOS ETD MLR UAE GFA TAR ABY JZR JZR SVA ALK JZR KAC KAC JAI FDB IRA KAC KAC OMA MEA SIA MSR DHX KLM KAC UAE GFA FCX QTR KAC KAC JZR JZR LMU JZR KAC UAL MSR KAC

673 746 617 178 505 202 773 135 613 408 82 304 404 858 216 328 128 184 266 511 228 134 283 361 571 62 616 331 351 648 403 457 619 373 445 677 860 218 102 137 301 205 502 554 410 222 411 981 613 415

DUBAI JEDDAH DOHA DUBAI JEDDAH DAMASCUS RIYADH DOHA BAHRAIN ASSIUT BAGHDAD ABU DHABI DUBAI / COLOMBO DUBAI BAHRAIN TUNIS SHARJAH DUBAI BEIRUT RIYADH DUBAI / COLOMBO BAHRAIN DHAKA COLOMBO MUMBAI DUBAI AHWAZ TRIVANDRUM COCHIN MUSCAT BEIRUT ABU DHABI / SINGAPORE ALEXANDRIA BAHRAIN BAHRAIN / AMSTERDAM DUBAI / MUSCAT DUBAI BAHRAIN BAHRAIN DOHA MUMBAI ISLAMABAD LUXOR ALEXANDRIA ALEXANDRIA ALEPPO BANGKOK / MANILA WASHINGTON DC DULLES CAIRO KUALA LUMPUR / JAKARTA

15:10 15:30 15:35 16:00 16:00 16:05 16:05 16:15 16:20 16:25 17:00 17:35 17:40 18:05 18:15 18:20 18:20 18:25 18:30 18:35 19:10 19:10 20:00 20:20 20:35 20:40 20:45 21:00 21:05 21:10 21:15 21:20 21:55 22:00 22:05 22:10 22:25 22:30 22:30 22:35 22:45 22:55 23:05 23:10 23:20 23:25 23:40 23:40 23:50 23:50

34

star CROSSWORD 315

THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2011

s

STAR TRACK

CALVIN & HOBBES

Aries (March 21-April 19) Your career can end up at right angles to your own need for growth and change. Emotional material welling up from within you may challenge and threaten the current path, causing you to stop and consider it with care. You will be successfully examining ideas, thoughts and concepts—with an eye to getting rid of those unwanted debts. There is much searching, research, detective work and such. You are in a planning mood and are very clearheaded and able to view the alternate paths. Move forward now. You can see the road ahead and will make the right choices. You may find yourself serving to guide someone younger than you in matters of importance tonight. Perhaps you will be able to encourage them to move forward with a special talent.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) Careful; you may be very forceful in what you say today. With all of this emotional energy, you could speak or communicate very well but perhaps a little abruptly. Proud, you have an inner need to express feelings and emotions to others. You are driven to leadership positions by a sense of your own inner worth. You have learned to listen carefully and when you see someone needs a listening ear; this makes you popular and loved. You have the mental drive to get much accomplished. Heed a warning you may hear today from an older person—do not take roads that go nowhere just for the ride. Pay attention to your dreams and enjoy sharing them. If there is not a lesson to learn, there will be some fun just-suppose types of conversations.

POOCH CAFE ACROSS 1. The seventh and last day of the week.

4. (of complexion) Blemished by imperfections of the skin.

9. The basic unit of money in Thailand.

13. System of measurement based on centimeters and grams and seconds.

14. A region of Malaysia in northeastern Borneo.

15. An elaborate song for solo voice.

16. According to the Old Testament he was a pagan king of Israel and husband of Jezebel (9th century BC).

18. The 2nd letter of the Greek alphabet.

19. Any small compartment.

20. United States writer of poems and plays about racial conflict (born in 1934).

22. Leave voluntarily.

24. A Russian river.

26. A loose sleeveless outer garment made from aba cloth.

27. A bag used for carrying money and small personal items or accessories (especially by women).

33. A drama set to music.

36. A flat wing-shaped process or winglike part of an organism.

37. (computer science) A coding system that incorporates extra parity bits in order to detect errors.

39. A light touch or stroke.

41. Capital and largest city of Iraq.

43. Round object that is hit or thrown or kicked in games.

47. Being the one previously mentioned or spoken of.

50. Type genus of the Amiidae.

51. An agency of the United Nations affiliated with the World Bank.

53. A rare polyvalent metallic element of the platinum group.

54. In the Arabian Nights a hero who tells of the fantastic adventures he had in his voyages.

58. A condition (mostly in boys) characterized by behavioral and learning disorders.

59. A condensed but memorable saying embodying some important fact of experience that is taken as true by many people.

62. A tiny or scarcely detectable amount.

63. A field covered with grass or herbage and suitable for grazing by livestock.

64. A switch made from the stems of the rattan palms.

65. 100 lwei equal 1 kwanza.

DOWN 1. Someone who works (or provides workers) during a strike.

2. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in Turkey).

3. A male monarch or emperor (especially of Russia prior to 1917).

4. A very poisonous metallic element that has three allotropic forms.

5. A small tent used as a dressing room beside the sea or a swimming pool.

6. The compass point that is one point east (clockwise) of due north.

7. Take in solid food.

8. An Indian tree of the family Combretaceae that is a source of timber and gum.

9. An indehiscent fruit derived from a single ovary having one or many seeds within a fleshy wall or pericarp.

10. A particular geographical region of indefinite boundary (usually serving some special purpose or distinguished by its people or culture or geography).

11. The handle of a sword or dagger.

12. An account describing incidents or events.

17. (Norse mythology) God of light and peace and noted for his beauty and sweet nature.

21. Cubes of meat marinated and cooked on a skewer usually with vegetables.

23. On a ship, train, plane or other vehicle.

25. A soft white precious univalent metallic element having the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal.

28. A drug combination found in some over-the-counter headache remedies (Aspirin and Phenacetin and Caffeine).

29. An acute inflammatory disease occurring in the intestines of premature infants.

30. A genus of Ploceidae.

31. Leaf or strip from a leaf of the talipot palm used in India for writing paper.

32. A workplace for the conduct of scientific research.

34. A city in southern Turkey on the Seyhan River.

35. Mentally or physically infirm with age.

38. In bed.

40. Loose or flaccid body fat.

42. Absolve or pardon.

44. Any organic compound containing the group -CONH2.

45. An energetic American dance that was popular in the 1930s (probably named for the aviator Charles Lindbergh).

46. Port city in western Saudi Arabia on the Red Sea. 48. Feeling or showing extreme anger.

49. Port city in the United Arab Emirates on the Persian Gulf.

52. A soft silvery metallic element of the alkali earth group.

55. A river in north central Switzerland that runs northeast into the Rhine.

56. (in Scotland or Ireland) A mountain or tall hill.

57. Pertaining to the forward part of a vessel.

60. A highly unstable radioactive element (the heaviest of the halogen series).

61. A rare silvery (usually trivalent) metallic element.

Gemini (May 21-June 20) This is the perfect time to take risks and dare to be a little eccentric. You will prosper through new insights, inventions and an independent point of view. You have good ideas and co-workers and higherups will often stop what they are doing to hear your input. You will be wise to know your subject matter before approaching higher-ups. Challenging authority and striving for success are on your agenda; you tread softly. Ambition is a powerful motivation and can lead you into conflict if you let it get out of control.

Properly channeled, it results in great achievements and brings recognition.

Events may make it easy for you to be original, have breakthroughs and find new solutions to old problems. This evening is good for friendships.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

NON SEQUITUR

Keep up your pace in the business world—attention to detail may keep you in demand. Competition is high and your energies match any challenges you come across now. Put your visions and dreams to work. You can be intense, passionate and very personal. You may rush past superficialities and right to the heart of any matter. Your imagination drives you to make your inner vision a reality. Careful—there is aggressiveness to your emotions that may cause you to be prone to emotional outburst. Do not misapply your aggression. This, again, is a period of hard work, both in salvaging some endeavors that appear to be failing and in branching out in new directions. A relaxed atmosphere this evening will put you in the mood for romance.

Leo (July 23-August 22) Career choices, decisions that should be made, may appear to go against or challenge your current sense of security and home environment. The easy way out may not be beneficial to your health and general wellbeing. Weigh alternatives with care. Your career and path to success seems to be running counter to your need for change and self-growth. Job requirements may stifle your sensitivity—hold you back from growing. Tread this one with care—stay focused.

Look for work in science, medicine or a nursery group—plants or children. Being a tour guide may be another consideration. You are thankful for the passion and depth of your nature as it takes you into some of the most interesting places and with the most interesting people.

ZITS

Virgo (August 23-September 22) You should take advantage of furthering your professional aims now. You are at your most appealing and can have the greatest impact on the ones at work who pass out the raises and promotions. If you have been out of work, try particularly hard during this time to find the kind of job you really want. You have fluency in communication and your intellect is sharp. You will be curious, talkative and adapt at problem-solving conversations most days. You could come up with new solutions or inventions. You may not however, value something extraordinary or unusual. Instead, you find yourself appreciating what is quite normal or ordinary. There is much passion that manifests itself in art this evening.

Libra (September 23-October 22)

MOTHER GOOSE AND GRIMM

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) Good eye-hand coordination and sustained effort makes almost any task run well. By mid-afternoon you will be pleased at your progress. A problem at work that has gone on for a long time is finally nearing the end. It will soon be time for new conquests. Now, understandably, you may feel more like ignoring responsibilities and doing some social visiting. Practice common sense and seek a balance. This is the time you and your co-workers will be given recognition for this hard work. You may be encouraged by an older member of the family to move forward with some special plan—research would be beneficial. You will enjoy waiting on your loved one(s) this evening. Heal the thought that you are separate from others.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) You are at your most practical today. Your own common sense will tell you everything you need to know when it comes to dealing and working with others. You can act without haste. You are called on to make decisions pertaining to money matters this morning. You make good use of your common sense. A need to be respected is important to you and you look for ways to help others and to step in when your company may need help. You will soon be asked to communicate with powerful people in order to have better working situations. You develop a sense of ambition and practicality and strive for high achievement. A bookstore is an enjoyable place this evening. Special prices for beautiful books bring facts, figures and fantasy your way.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19)

To

Yesterday’s Solution

You have a natural sense of what the public wants and can easily sell items that most people find hard to sell. The business world is lucky to have you. Sales, lectures, presentations of all sorts can be successfully experienced. Clear decisions affecting others could be made now. This afternoon calms a bit as there are opportunities to relax and enjoy some quiet time. Perhaps this is a good time to think and study—you have a real appreciation for ideas and thoughts. You may find yourself enjoying a long telephone conversation, writing a letter or reading a book. You are especially witty this evening as you dine out with loved ones. Others value you for your independence and unique qualities. This is a time when you can expect a little boost and support.

Pleasant attitudes are created today in the home and in the workplace. A need for emotional security is accented; you should not pressure a partner or co-worker into doing things just to please you. You have an increased tendency to partake in working partnerships or group activities today.

Mental stimulation is the key for you right now and it is a good idea to make every effort to join in and work with others. Any project begun today should be successful.

This evening is a time where you might find a deepening of a love relationship. If you have no love relationship, this could be a time in which you will meet that special person. If you have a special love in your life, now is the time to find ways to nurture and deepen the relationship.

Yesterday’s Solution Yester

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) You are happiest when the goals for each day are understood. Honest, straightforward people have a special place in your heart. It is easiest to work under a boss that has clear expectations. Revising or reassessing your work responsibilities and scheduling may take up most of this day. You could be helping to change several methods of operation. In-depth discussions and probing conversations find you at your mental best. Your analytical abilities are at a high point. Social gatherings are fun and much more interesting than you expected. Take an opportunity to network at this social event . . . you will be pleased with the outcome. You are able to keep ideas and stories in focus that all could learn or enjoy.

Pisces (February 19-March 20)

Word Sleuth Solution

You are apt to spend a great deal of time communicating with co-workers today. This is a good time to take stock of your work in order to find and make any changes that are necessary to create and ensure more productive outcomes. You have lots of energy to maintain or complete a successful end to a difficult day. It may be that certain people are in town that had not been easy to locate before now. You will find an improvement in finances through work that is completed now. A loved one is willing to help you make some changes that will deepen your relationship with him or her. Everything works together to bring out your unique qualities. You may find that someone close to you understands and is supportive of your eccentricities.

A

y

e niv rsar n

Years

THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2011

i n f o r m at i o n

FIRE BRIGADE STATE ST TAT TE OF KUWAIT K KUW WAIT A

112

Tel.: T el.: e 161

DIRECTORA DIRECTORATE ATE T GENERAL GEN NERAL OF CIVIL A AVIATION V VIA ATION T METEOROLOGICAL L DEPARTMENT DEP PARTMENT A

Ext.: 26 2627 627 - 2630

Fax: 24348714 WWW .MET.GOV V..KW W WWW.MET.GOV.KW

BY Y NIGHT NIGHT::

For labor-related inquiries and complaints: Call MSAL hotline 128

BY Y DA AY: DAY:

Sabah Hospital

24810598

Sabhan

24742838

Expected W Weather eeather for the Next 24 2 Hours

Al-Helaly

22434853

Fair with w light to moderate north easterly to light variable wind, win nd, with speed of 06 - 26 km/h km m/h

Al-Fayhaa

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

Hot with w light to moderate northerly northeerly to north easterly wind, with w speed of 08 - 30 km/h

No Current W Warnings aarnin ngs

MAX. REC.

MIN MIN. N. EXP. EXP P.

KUWAIT KUW WAIT A CITY

39 °C

3 °C 31

KUWAIT KUW WAIT A AIRPORT AIRPOR RT

43 °C

28 2 °C

NUWAISEEB NUW WA AISEEB

47 °C

25 2 °C

Amiri Hospital

22450005

Maternity Hospital

24843100

Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital

25312700

W AFRA A WAFRA

47 °C

2 °C 25

Chest Hospital

24849400

SALMI

42 °C

26 2 °C

Farwaniya Hospital

24892010

ABDAL LY ABDALY

45 °C

2 °C 28

Adan Hospital

23940620

ALIYAH JAL ALIY YA AH

44 °C

26 2 °C

Ibn Sina Hospital

24840300

F A AILAKA FAILAKA

38 °C

28 2 °C

Al-Razi Hospital

24846000

AHMADI POR RT PORT

32 °C

29 2 °C

Physiotherapy Hospital

24874330/9

UMM AL-MARAD DEM AL-MARADEM

30 °C

27 2 °C

WARBA BUBYAN W ARBA A A - BUBY YA AN

31 °C

27 2 °C

Clinics Rabiya

4732263

Roudha

22517733

Adhaliya

22517144

Khaldiya

24848075

Keifan

24849807

Shamiya

24848913

Shuwaikh

24814507

Abdullah Salim

22549134

Al-Nuzha

22526804

Industrial Shuwaikh

24814764

Al-Khadissiya

22515088

Dasmah

22532265

Bneid Al-Ghar

22531908

Al-Shaab

22518752

Al-Kibla

22459381

Ayoun Al-Kibla

22451082

Al-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

Al-Ardhiya

24884079

Firdous

24892674

Al-Omariya

24719048

N.Kheitan

24710044

Fintas

3900322

22545171 22545171

STATION ST TAT TION

24812000

Al-Shohada’a Al-Nuzha

WARNING W A ARNING

Hospitals

22418714

Al-Shuwaikh

Ministry of Interior website: www.moi.gov.kw

Al-Madena

SFC. CHAR CHART RT

1 11/05/2011 1/05/2011 120 1200 0 UTC

POLICE STATION Al-Madena Police Station Al-Murqab Police Station Al-Daiya Police Station Al-Fayha’a Police Station Al-Qadissiya Police Station Al-Nugra Police Station Al-Salmiya Police Station Al-Dasma Police Station

4 DAYS DA AYS Y FORECAST

22434064 22435865 22544200 22547133 22515277 22616662 25714406 22530801

Temperatures Temperatures DAY DA AY

DATE DA ATE T

WEATHER WEA ATHER T R

Thursday

12/05

Friday

Wind Wind Speed

Wind Wind Direction Direction

MAX.

MIN.

hot

40 °C

28 °C

N-NE

08 - 30 km/h

13/05

hot + blowing dust

41 °C

28 °C

NE-NW

15 - 38 km/h

Saturday

14/05

sccattered rain clouds to increase + scattered

40 °C

29 °C

NE-SE

15 - 40 km/h

Sunday

15/05

dusty + scattered clouds

38 °C

30 °C

NW

20 - 45 km/h

PRAYER P PRA AYER Y TIMES

RECORDED RECORDE ED YESTERDAY YESTERDA AY AT AT KUWAIT KUW WAIT A AIRPORT AIRPOR RT

Fajr

03:30

MAX. Temp.

M Temp.

38 °C

Sunrise

04:59

MIN. Temp.

M Temp.

27 °C

Zuhr

11:44 11:44

MAX. RH M

42 %

Asr

15:20

MIN. RH

06 %

Sunset

18:30

MAX. Wind M W ind

E 43 km/h

Isha

19:56

T OT TAL AL RAINFALL RA AINF FALL A L IN 24 HR. TOTAL

THE PUBLIC AUTHORITY FOR CIVIL INFORMATION Automated enquiry about the Civil ID card is 1889988

00 mm

PHARMACIES

AIRLINES

ON 24 HRS DUTY GOVERNORATE

PHARMACY

ADDRESS

PHONE

Ahmadi

Sama Safwan Abu Halaifa Danat Al-Sultan

Fahaeel Makka St Abu Halaifa-Coastal Rd Mahboula Block 1, Coastal Rd

23915883 23715414 23726558

Jahra

Modern Jahra Madina Munawara

Jahra-Block 3 Lot 1 Jahra-Block 92

24575518 24566622

Capital

Ahlam Khaldiya Coop

Fahad Al-Salem St Khaldiya Coop

22436184 24833967

Farwaniya

New Shifa Ferdous Coop Modern Safwan

Farwaniya Block 40 Ferdous Coop Old Kheitan Block 11

24734000 24881201 24726638

Hawally

Tariq Hana Ikhlas Hawally & Rawdha Ghadeer Kindy Ibn Al-Nafis Mishrif Coop Salwa Coop

Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St Salmiya-Amman St Hawally-Beirut St Hawally & Rawdha Coop Jabriya-Block 1A Jabriya-Block 3B Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St Mishrif Coop Salwa Coop

25726265 25647075 22625999 22564549 25340559 25326554 25721264 25380581 25628241

Kuwait Airways Jazeera Airways Jet Airways FlyDubai Qatar Airways KLM Air Slovakia Olympic Airways Royal Jordanian Reservation British Airways Air France Emirates Air India Sri Lanka Airlines Egypt Air Swiss Air Saudia Middle East Airlines Lufthansa PIA Alitalia Balkan Airlines Bangladesh Airlines Czech Airlines Indian Airlines Oman Air Turkish Airlines Aeroflot

22433377 177 22924455 22414400 22423888 22425747 22434940 22420002/9 22418064/5/6 22433388 22425635 22430224 22425566 22438184 22424444 22421578 22421516 22426306 22423073 22422493 22421044 22414427 22416474 22452977/8 22417901/ 2433141 22456700 22958787 22453820/1 22404838/9

PRIVATE CLINICS Ophthalmologists Dr. Abidallah Al-Mansoor 25622444 Dr. Samy Al-Rabeea 25752222 Dr. Masoma Habeeb 25321171 Dr. Mubarak Al-Ajmy 25739999 Dr. Mohsen Abel 25757700 Dr Adnan Hasan Alwayl 25732223 Dr. Abdallah Al-Baghly 25732223 Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) Dr. Ahmed Fouad Mouner 24555050 Ext 510 Dr. Abdallah Al-Ali 25644660 Dr. Abd Al-Hameed Al-Taweel 25646478 Dr. Sanad Al-Fathalah 25311996 Dr. Mohammad Al-Daaory 25731988 Dr. Ismail Al-Fodary 22620166 Dr. Mahmoud Al-Booz 25651426 General Practitioners Dr. Mohamme Y Majidi 24555050 Ext 123 Dr. Yousef Al-Omar 24719312 Dr. Tarek Al-Mikhazeem 23926920 Dr. Kathem Maarafi 25730465 Dr. Abdallah Ahmad Eyadah 25655528 Dr. Nabeel Al-Ayoobi 24577781 Dr. Dina Abidallah Al-Refae 25333501 Urologists Dr. Ali Naser Al-Serfy 22641534 Dr. Fawzi Taher Abul 22639955 Dr. Khaleel Abidallah Al-Awadi 22616660 Dr. Adel Al-Hunayan FRCS (C) 25313120 Dr. Leons Joseph 66703427 Psychologists /Psychotherapists

Paediatricians

Plastic Surgeons Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalaf

22547272

Dr. Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rashed

Dr. Abdal-Redha Lari

22617700

Dr. Zahra Qabazard

Dr. Abdel Quttainah

25625030/60

Family Doctor Dr Divya Damodar

23729596/23729581

Psychiatrists Dr. Esam Al-Ansari

22635047

Dr Eisa M. Al-Balhan

INTERNATIONAL CALLS

22613623/0

Gynaecologists & Obstetricians DrAdrian arbe

23729596/23729581

Dr. Verginia s.Marin

2572-6666 ext 8321

Endocrinologist 25340300

25710444

Dr. Sohail Qamar

22621099

Dr. Snaa Maaroof

25713514

Dr. Pradip Gujare

23713100

Dr. Zacharias Mathew

24334282

(1) Ear, Nose and Throat (2) Plastic Surgeon Dr. Abdul Mohsin Jafar, FRCS (Canada)

Dr Anil Thomas

3729596/3729581 22641071/2

22655539

Dr. Majeda Khalefa Aliytami

25343406

Dr. Anesah Al-Rasheed

22562226

Dr. Ahmad Al-Khooly

25739272

Dr. Abidallah Al-Amer

22561444

Dr. Salem soso

22618787

Dr. Faysal Al-Fozan

22619557

Dr. Abdallateef Al-Katrash

22525888

Dr. Amer Zawaz Al-Amer

22610044

Dr. Abidallah Al-Duweisan

25653755

Dr. Mohammad Yousef Basher

25327148

Dr. Bader Al-Ansari

25620111

Neurologists

Dr. Adnan Ebil

22639939

Dr. Sohal Najem Al-Shemeri

25633324

Dr. Mousa Khadada

22666300

Dr. Jasem Mola Hassan

25345875

Gastrologists

25728004

Dr. Nadem Al-Ghabra

25355515

Dr. Sami Aman

22636464

Dr. Mobarak Aldoub

24726446

Dr. Mohammad Al-Shamaly

25322030

Dr Nasser Behbehani

25654300/3

Dr. Foad Abidallah Al-Ali

22633135

Soor Center Tel: 2290-1677 Fax: 2290 1688

info@soorcenter.com www.soorcenter.com

Dr. Kamal Al-Shomr 25329924 Physiotherapists & VD Dr. Deyaa Shehab

25722291 22666288

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lifestyle

Lopez and Anthony want

more kids

ennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony want to have more children.

The couple - who have been married for almost seven years and have three-year-old twins Max and Emme together - are unsure whether they will go on to expand their family further, though the ‘American Idol’ judge admits they have discussed having another baby.

Asked if they are planning more children, she said: “I don’t know, we’ll see. We’d like to but you never know. We talk about it but we’ll see.”

Jennifer - who was named Most Beautiful Woman in the World by People magazine last month - also spoke of how much she had enjoyed a lazy day with her family on Sunday , which was Mother’s Day in the US. She told TV talk show host Jay Leno: “I did nothing and I loved it. I stayed in bed, Marc stayed in bed with me. It was so cute, the

kids let me sleep in a bit and then about 9.30, there was a knock and they came in shouting ‘Happy Mother’s Day!’ and they both were holding a rose. It was the best moment of the whole day. “Marc just wrote World’s Most Beautiful Mom in my mother’s day card, that was all.

There were tears.” Jennifer’s decision to pursue a career as a dancer when she was 17 caused tensions between her and her mother and the 41-year-old beauty admits she would expect Max and Emme to “prove” they were serious if they have similar ambitions when they get older. She explained: “If they really want to do it then I can’t stop them and I’ll have to support them, but if they’re experimenting, I’ll have to be more cautious and be real ‘mom’ about it - like my mom was with me, I had to prove it to her.”

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Knightley struggled as bridesmaid eira Knightley was the “worst bridesmaid in the world” at her brother’s wedding. The British actress took on the role at her 32-year-old sibling Caleb’s wedding to Kerry Nixon in Scotland last month, and although she is usually very careful when she is wearing great clothes, Keira clumsily spilt food on her bridesmaid’s dress and accidentally ripped it. She said: “I don’t normally spill things down myself but every single drink went down that dress. “Then they had a curry buffet at this wedding and the curry went all the way down the dress as well, and then I went to the toilet and I got it stuck in the door and it ripped it all the way down the back. “So I was the worst bridesmaid in the entire world.” Despite her numerous wardrobe malfunctions, the 26-year-old screen beauty had a “great” day and loved wearing the plum colored dress - although she is doubtful she will be asked to perform the role again. Speaking on TV show ‘Live! With Regis and Kelly’, Keira - who took her new boyfriend, Klaxons star James Righton, to the nuptials - said: “I’m never going to be asked again. It was a great dress and I had a great night.”

Depp

writing

songs with Tyler ohnny Depp is writing music with Steven Tyler. The ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides’ actor - who has previously played guitar on tracks by Oasis and Shane McGowan - has struck up a friendship with the Aerosmith rocker and says their collaboration is a “dream come true”. He told US TV show ‘Extra’: “We’ve been hanging out here and there. He’s someone I’ve admired greatly for such a long time. The idea of writing songs with him is a dream come true.” Steven recently admitted he would love to see Johnny play him in a movie of his life and the 47-year-old actor would jump at the chance to portray the rocker. He said: “I would give it a shot, why not.” Meanwhile, Johnny - who reprises his role as Captain Jack Sparrow in ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides’ - has admitted he was pleased Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards agreed to return to the franchise as Captain Teague - because spending time with the legendary musician makes him feel like he is in a rock band. He said: “To be able to bring him back into the ‘Pirates’ fold, where he most certainly belongs, was a gas. “Just spending a couple days sharing a trailer, it was as close, I suppose, as being in a rock ‘n’ roll band with him as you can get.”

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Reese

Witherspoon has t wisted her ankle he ‘ Water for Elephants’ actress was sporting a soft cast on her left foot as she attended a Los Angeles church on Sunday with her children Ava, 11, and seven-year-old Deacon, and new husband Jim Toth, but her representative insists the injury is nothing to be worried about. The spokesperson said: “She twisted her ankle and is in a walking cast temporarily. Nothing serious.”

Thankfully for Reese her injury happened after her recent wedding to Hollywood agent Jim as she spent most of the nuptials on her feet dancing. During the actual ceremony - which took place in March at her ranch in Ojai, California - Reese wore a pair of skyscraper Jimmy Choo heels but she was quick to kick them off in favour of some cowboy boots at the reception as she wanted something more comfortable to dance in. She said: “I danced for four hours until I had to put cowboy boots on. I changed into cowboy boots. From those awful uncomfortable shoes.”

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Newton has a ‘low maintenance’

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Moss organizes pre-wedding

G O S S I P

ate Moss is organizing a pre-wedding meal for her and her fiance Jamie Hince’s families. The supermodel - who will tie the knot with The Kills guitarist in Oxfordshire, South East England, on July 2 - has lined up celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal’s latest London restaurant Dinner as the venue for their families to get to know each other better before the big day.

A source told the Daily Mirror newspaper: “She and Jamie don’t want anything to go wrong on the day and they thought this would help break the ice and make everyone a lot more easygoing.” The guest list for the meal includes Kate’s ex-boyfriend Jefferson Hack, her mother Linda and father Peter - who divorced when Kate was still at school - as well as Jamie’s dad William, mum Carole and older sister Sarah. And the 37-year-old catwalk star - who was originally going to fly her guests to Paris for a meal at the Ritz, but had to change her plans after some guests couldn’t make it - is hoping there is no “awkwardness” between her and 42-year-old Jamie’s families. The insider added: “Kate wants it to be light-hearted and not a ‘Meet The Fockers’style grilling from either side. “It’s the bringing together of two families so it’s a big deal for her. Kate wants them to all get merry, eat fantastic food and just relax with each other before the wedding day and the party. She doesn’t want any awkwardness on the day.”

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handie Newton has a “low maintenance” beauty routine. The stunning actress has minimal time to get ready in the mornings because she takes her two daughters Ripley, 10 and Nico, six, to school every day so Thandie insists the few products she does use are effective. She said: “If you’re low-maintenance, it’s really important that the stuff you do use really works. It’s all about multi-tasking. The kids have to be at school by 8.30 every day and I don’t want to look like I’ve just got out of bed so I wash my face and I put on Olay’s Total E f f e c t s Touch of Foundation.”

Although Thandie is famed for her gorgeous complexion, she admitted her skin dries out very easily so she has used moisturizer every day for as long as she can remember.

She said: “There’s a truth in that old ‘black don’t crack’ thing. But dark skin like mine gets very dry - you get these ashy deposits on your legs, so I’ve used moisturizer since the day I could walk.” Thandie also has a laid back approach to food and revealed she doesn’t waste her time on fad diets.

She told Britain’s InStyle magazine: “If I go away for Christmas and eat too much, I don’t get stressed about it. If I need to lose weight, I eat less pasta.”

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Holmes hires cruise’s

older daughter

om Cruise’s daughter is working for Katie Holmes. The ‘Mission Impossible’ actor thinks it is “wonderful” that 18-year-old Isabella - his adopted child with ex-wife Nicole Kidman - has been given an apprenticeship at Holmes & Yang, the fashion label owned by his actress wife. He said: “It’s wonderful. Kate’s designing and Bella is just working her way up. “She’s an artist, Bella, so it’s really great that she gets to work with it. She’s loving it.” However, the 48-year-old actor - who also has 16-year-old adopted son Connor with Nicole and five-year-old daughter Suri with Katie admitted he is not an expert on knowing how his wife’s company operates. He said: “This is my wife’s company, so you talk about movie sets with me, I can tell you about that.” Asked about Isabella’s role, he added to People: “You’ve got to go to all these different factories and verify and make sure you get the correct clothes.” Katie established Holmes & Yang with her stylist Jeanne Yang, with the air of creating pieces working mothers can “depend on”.

Jeanne said recently: “Sometimes when life gets really busy you don’t want to have to think about what it is you’re going to wear and you just want to have certain pieces that you know you can just depend on - what are those pieces? - and so that was kind of our challenge. —Bang Showbiz

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lifestyle Features

tips

Making the most of light in t is a request that designers hear constantly: Bring more sunshine into my home. Whatever a person’s taste, “I think almost everybody wants to maximize the light in their living space,” says HGTV host Genevieve Gorder. Natural light can bring out the beauty of fabrics and furniture, and seems to have an intangible impact. The conventional wisdom is that “if you have a room that’s very sunny and packed with natural light, people use it more, and they’re happier in it,” says designer and decordemon.com founder Brian Patrick Flynn. It can be challenging to increase the daylight in rooms with small windows. But with the right mix of paint colors, fabrics, furniture and mirrors, homeowners can maximize the sunlight in even the darkest rooms. Gorder, Flynn and Betsy Burnham of Los Angeles’ Burnham Design share some tips and tricks for helping the sun to shine brightly in any home:

I

Reflections All three designers recommend mirrors. “It makes a space feel bigger,” Flynn says, “and if the space has a view and you put a mirror on the wall opposite the window with that beautiful view, you’ve doubled the light, doubled the view.” The idea of mirrors can make clients nervous. “People can think it sounds a little ‘70s or dated, but not if it’s an antiqued mirror and if it’s just a small part of your room,” Burnham says. If you would prefer a mirror that is not antique, Burnham suggests having a large one expertly framed. It can be hung on a wall or, if it’s quite tall, propped up against a wall and anchored at the top. Smaller mirrors can be used anywhere. Line the backs of bookshelves with mirrors or arrange several on one wall.

“Ikea has bunches of mirrors, 8 inches by 8, that come in packs of 10 with stickies on the back,” Flynn says. “If you stick them on your wall, left to right in a diamond pattern, it’s so beautiful and really affordable. You can go across an entire wall.” Also consider furniture with glass, chrome or mirrored accents.

your home

Cool colors Many people try to maximize light by painting a room in a pale color. But the choice of shade is important. Yellow-based shades, even if fairly pale, can warm up a space. “I see newly built homes where the developer has chosen a yellow throughout and it’s such a mistake. Somehow it closes it in or warms it up too much,” Burnham says. “You want cool tones,” she says, like “blue-grays and taupes that are shades of offwhite with a little blue in them. It can really chill things out.”

Metallic paint colors also work well. Gorder likes to use paint with a reflective, metallic finish on ceilings, especially in dining rooms. She prefers shades that look like brass or pewter. It is a trick many hotels use, she says, to softly amplify light.

Minimizing dark pieces “Instead of big, dark wood pieces of furniture,” Burnham says, “try something lighter and airier, like a glass-topped piece with a metal base.” That allows you to see the floor, drawing attention to a light-colored rug or pale wood flooring. In decorating a wood-paneled living room in a Tudor house, Burnham “kept all of the antique pieces and old sofas, but we recovered everything in different fabrics that were all white to off-white. It completely changed the room,” she says.

“It was friendlier, modern and lighter.” Gorder recommends doing the biggest pieces in a room, such as sofas and love seats, in light colors. Then she advises bringing in brighter or deeper shades for smaller pieces of furniture.

Using illusion Some design choices do not increase the actual light in a room, but they make the space feel sunnier. Cotton and linen fabrics in soft colors evoke cool summer breezes and sunny days at the beach, while “heavier fabrics, like velvets or bro-

cades or even chenilles, sort of weigh a room down,” Burnham says. Gorder agrees: Using sheer and cottony fabrics in pale shades, such as “light smoky purples that are barely there,” she says, “lightens and brings a sense of joy, and with that emotion comes a sense of lightness.” Another trick Gorder uses: “Flank your windows with window treatments that go way beyond the top of the window, all the way up to the ceiling,” she says. That makes the window look larger, making it seem as though the room has more access to sunlight.

Windows and skylights Some window treatments, such as Roman shades, block sunlight even when they’re technically open. Burnham suggests using “really tailored, simple draperies on rings on an iron rod, and maybe have a wand to push them back.”

Draperies hung that way are easy to open fully, so “you can clear the windows during the day, and it can still be private at night.” Even sheer curtains hung behind draperies can limit sunlight. So try hanging a single drapery, rather than a double set. Also consider adding a skylight or two. “Don’t think it’s not appropriate just because you don’t have a super-modern house,” Burnham says. “I worked on a 1920s house in LA, and put in a skylight in keeping with the period and the other windows in the house.” “It doesn’t cost anything,” she points out, “to have an expert come and give you an estimate” on adding skylights. If all else fails, Flynn says, you can embrace a lack of light. Choose a dark paint for the walls and dark furnishings, he says, and then accessorize with lamps, ceiling fixtures and “tons of metallic pieces that will bounce all of the artificial light around the room.”—AP

Chihuahua Barnes wears her myfavoritecouture.com lightweight wool Burberry-inspired vest with matching Banana Republic herring bone patterned wool and ribbon pillbox hat created by Anastasia Torres-Gil. — MCT

Entrepreneur launches online fashion line for dogs hen Anastasia Torres-Gil, high fashion designer for dogs, cuts into a Louis Vuitton handbag to make it into a Chihuahua pillbox hat, there is, occasionally, a pang of regret. “I have to shut my eyes and cut into something I used to love,” Torres-Gil says. “But, it’s just fabric. My motto is: ‘If I wouldn’t wear it myself, I wouldn’t put it on a dog.’” In fact, repurposing lightly used designer fashions has evolved into an almost chic and often hilarious line of unique dog outfits on sale at Torres-Gil’s new online company, My Favorite Couture (www.myfavoritecouture.com).

The quickly expanding line of canine couture includes a variety of outfits still sporting original labels such as Ralph Lauren, Vera Wang, Channel and Burberry. Everything is created from items that TorresGil finds in local, used clothes stores and her own closet. She accents outfits with accessories like decoupage buttons, rhinestones, baubles and used table cloths. “Santa Cruz has amazing thrift stores,” she said. “The quality of things people throw out.” Her eclectic collection includes a rainbow Pride Day outfit, a Harley-Davidson vest and cap and, occasionally, a matching outfit for a dog’s human counterpart.

Most recently she created a last-minute outfit for her husband, Rafael, and their gray “plus-sized” dog Coco, a pug/yorkie mix that resembles Yoda from Star Wars. Last week the pair won third place in a dog/owner look-alike contest on the television show “Sabado Gigante.” Torres-Gil said the competition was “formidable.” The first time Torres-Gil, a former prosecutor and labor lawyer, made a doggy hoodie from an old designer purse and put it on Coco, she broke into laughter.

“I like to play it straight. I’ll have Coco snorting but looking very fashionable; the contradiction of something really fancy on her is really funny for me.” TorresGil currently recruits and works to retain foster parents for Santa Cruz County children. She spends much of her time sewing, painting and collecting odds and ends for her artwork. Her Santa Cruz backyard studio is next to a mini duck pool for her two rescued ducks and the sleeping area of an 18-year-old potbelly pig, also rescued. Cats and four dogs — all rescued — live there as well.

Twenty-five percent of sales are earmarked for the Santa Cruz SPCA to help with a capital campaign for a new facility. Torres-Gil outfits are part of a monthly photo shoot with SPCA canine models by Santa Cruz photographer Portia Shao of Positive Vista studio.

Greeting cards from the photo sessions will be available for sale at the SPCA on Chanticleer Avenue and at the SPCA website. “She’s turning the homeless orphans into stars,” said Lisa Carter, executive director of the local SPCA. “They’re hysterical. The dogs love the attention and they pose. The Chihuahuas cross their legs. I’m not some crazy dog person, or, maybe I am, but they really pose like they’re on a runway.”

Torres-Gil also sells her painting skills to support the SPCA. She charges a $50 donation to the organization from people who want their dog’s portrait painted on a pair of shoes. “There’s no one with a business plan putting out as much money as Anastasia has to make this a profitable business for the SPCA,” Carter said. “More importantly she’s getting our dogs adopted in record numbers.” People are sharing the pictures online through Facebook and Twitter. “She’s just a gift to the shelter.”

Requests are streaming in for new designs which are priced starting at $50. “First on my list, is the matching bridal gown for a Bichon Frise,” she said this week. “I’ve also had a request to do a ‘Hairspray’inspired pug outfit for Baltimore’s Honfest. So, I’ve got my work cut out for me.” Torres-Gil said she’s also eager to begin “a Miami-inspired Carmen Miranda/Tropicalismo” line of couture for dogs. There have also been requests for cuffs for a pig’s feet that match a wedding dress, scarves for cats and larger items such as a dog at the local horse rescue ranch, Pregnant Mare Rescue.

“I’m really trying to create a business that is green, unique and supports animals — not to mention, a business that’s a lot more fun than being a lawyer,” Torres-Gil said. “The pet industry is booming and it seems to be recession proof.”

Recently Torres Gil brought Coco, who has now had some brush with fame in the entertainment industry, to Carmel, Calif. for an open casting call.

“There were all sorts of beautiful dogs and one guy was admiring them and then took one look at Coco and burst out laughing,” Torres-Gil said. Perhaps, it was the fez-styled hat made from Chloe tiger print pants or the matching gold-embossed pleather vest.

Designs can be seen at www.myfavoritecouture.com, www.santacruzspca.org and at www.positivevista.com.—MCT

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Mark Sudermann, of M Sudermann Interior Designs in Kansas City, provided the pillows for this sofa .

Pillows provided by Hilary Brown, a Park University Interior Design student, are displayed on a sofa at Crate and Barrel in Leawood, Kansas. — MCT photos

Pillows give one white sofa six distinctive looks N eutral certainly doesn’t mean boring.

Especially when it comes to sofas. In fact, most designers say a neutral sofa is your best bet. As seasons change and your home decor evolves, you can update a room simply through throw pillows. We thought we’d put that theory to the test with one white sofa, six designers and their pillow selections and styling. The results: A sofa can be a blank canvas and easily evoke your personality.

Sew inspired Costume designer Hilary Brown of Kansas City, Mo., discovered a multicolored placemat she loved (“Andre,” $9.99, Crate & Barrel), so she turned it into a pillow that informed the rest of her design scheme.

“It’s so easy to turn a cloth placemat into a pillow,” says Brown, who’s also an interior design student at Park University. “You rip a side seam, stuff it and sew it together.” She added two 22-inch charcoal Belgian linen squares ($60 each, Restoration Hardware) and a two-pack of plum “Wesley” pillows ($19.99, Bed, Bath and Beyond). Brown sewed the white pillows herself from a Calvin Klein apparel fabric (half a yard, $16, Kaplan’s Fabrics) and appliqued black stripes on them, using silver thread. “Instead of hanging a piece of art behind a sofa, the art can be one pillow.”

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Hilary Brown, Kansas City costume designer and Park University interior design student

chic. This is a contemporary version of that classic look.” Dransfield & Ross Herringbone Linen pillows ($245 each, Black Bamboo) build the backdrop for Japanese head-rest pillows made of 100 percent cane, the skin of a rattan plant ($25 for small, $30 for large, Shop at Studio Dan Meiners). “The cane pillows aren’t just head rests. You could use them to relax your arms.”“Don’t just think of pillows as beauty and decoration. Consider their comfort level and how they feel.”

Alejandro Lopez, designer/owner of Runway Interior Decor in Kansas City To a’T’ Julie Comer Granstaff, owner of the Monogram Shop in downtown Overland Park, Kan., believes in personalizing pillows. She created a preppy, nautical-inspired look by mixing traditional and modern monogram styles. “The single initials with periods are on the contemporary side,” she says. A similar design costs $30 each for already-made pillows (these coral ones made from outdoor fabrics were two for $34, Costco). The coral design costs about $30. The large traditional monogram _ Granstaff’s initials combined with her husband, Mike’s, would cost about $90. Granstaff sewed the navy-striped pillows herself (Nautica indoor-outdoor fabric, JoAnn Fabric and Craft Stores). “Indoor-outdoor fabrics are a great way to go with pillows, especially when you’ve got kids and pets.”

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Julie Comer Granstaff, of the Monogram Shop in Overland Park provided the pillows for this sofa.

Julie Comer Granstaff, owner of the Monogram Shop in Overland Park, Kan. Western comfort Fancy Smith owns Cactus Creek, a bohemian Western store in Weston, Mo. She blogs about her discoveries at antique shows, like Round Top in her home state of Texas. “Pillows allow you to change a whole look without spending much money,” Smith says. She loves a rustic mix that makes you want to put on your boots as you kick back on the sofa: cowhide pillows ($52 to $98) and a pair of Turkishrug pillows ($54). The pillows in front of the groupings are remnants from crazy quilts, holes and all ($48 and $78; all pillows from Cactus Creek). “Buy the pillows that define your style. Don’t be afraid.

They’re just pillows.”

Organically chic Pillows usher in new seasons, says interior designer Mark Sudermann, based at Kansas City’s Country Club Plaza. No matter the time of year, he admires the pillows of Aviva Stanoff.

The Brooklyn textile artist lays real flowers, leaves, stalks of wheat, fish nets, sea fans, as well as custom pieces on fabric, and then etches forms into the surfaces of silks and velvets , hand dyeing them around silhouettes. No two handcrafted pillows, backed in silk dupioni, are alike (starting at $185 for the orange-red rectangle, M. Sudermann Interior Design). “Tempo” velvet pillows in pumice and ivory are $39.95 each at Crate & Barrel. “Pillows are an easy way to change the look of a room, adding a pop of color. They finish a room as well.”

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Fancy Smith, owner of Cactus Creek in Weston, Mo. An invitation Adrienne Molstad of Twigs Interiors in downtown Overland Park, Kan., thinks pillows are an easy way to infuse trends. “We saw lots of smokes, mustards and purples at market (High Point, NC) this year,” Molstad says. “They are refined, luxurious and feminine, which we’re also seeing.” The lingerie pillow is by Aviva Stanoff (starting at $240), mustard pillows by Asia Minor (starting at $225), and the rest are by Bliss Studio ($398 each); fabric throw ($210, all from the Design Boutique). To give the pillows a relaxed look, Molstad-and lots of designers-”chop” the tops of pillows with their hands. “I keep a stack of pillows on the floor near my sofa or on top of it.

It’s laid-back and inviting.”

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Mark Sudermann, interior designer of M. Sudermann Interior Design in Kansas City Summer fete Alejandro Lopez is a Spanish-born designer who recently located to Kansas City from Miami. He chose a neutral-on-neutral look he finds reminiscent of 1940s garden parties. “You see photos of people dressed in whites and tans,” he says. “It’s very

white for a calming, serene look. “White is timeless and clean,” says Erin Strowig, a furniture saleswoman at Crate & Barrel in Leawood, Kan. Lots of snowcolored sofas are on the store’s showroom floor.

White is also good for making small spaces seem bigger and has a crisp appearance when paired with wood and metal. But keeping white and its vanilla counterparts clean can be trickier.

Adrienne Molstad, designer at Twigs Interiors in Overland Park, Kan. Is a white sofa right for you?

White upholstery is popular this year, as evidenced in stores this spring and at the recent High Point Home Furnishings Market in North Carolina.

The absence of color makes a good backdrop for bright hues, and you’re also seeing lots of white on Interior designer Alexjandro Lopez, of Kansas City, provided these pillows on a sofa.

Pillows provided by Hilary Brown, a Park University Interior Design student, are displayed on a sofa.

Consider slipcovers Brush or vacuum slipcovers once a month. For machine-washable ones, use a triple-load washer or divide slipcovers into manageable wash loads.

Always wash the entire slipcover for uniform results.

Close all zippers and fabric tab fasteners prior to washing. Use cold water and mild detergent.

Tumble dry on low until slightly damp; remove promptly to reduce wrinkling. Do not line-dry slipcovers because it might stretch the fabric. Hemp is becoming a more popular slipcover material. It should be dry-cleaned because machine washing can stretch out fibers and cause wrinkling.

Clean regularly Rotate cushions and pillows weekly to distribute wear. Vacuum upholstery on a regular basis with the upholstery attachment and crevice tool of your vacuum to remove loose particles. Annual cleaning by a professional upholstery cleaning service is recommended, including the furniture base beneath slipcovers. Don’t apply fabric fresheners or fabric protectors.

Spills and spot cleaning Always blot (don’t rub) spills immediately with a clean, absorbent white cloth. Blot from the outside of the affected area to prevent rings. Pile fabrics may require brushing with a nonmetallic, stiff bristle brush to restore appearance. Follow industry-standard cleaning codes (they say what types of detergents-if any-can be used). — MCT

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lifestyle Music

Bieber vomits at Philippines show J

ustin Bieber vomited during a live performance in the Philippines on Tuesday. The ‘Baby’ singer was diagnosed with a bad chest infection ahead of his show in capital city Manila but refused to cancel or cut his performance short, leading to him being sick backstage between songs. A source told website Perezhilton.com: “Justin was advised to either cancel the show or do an abbreviated set, but he insisted on going on. So they cut down the show, but once the show started he kept going.”

The 17-year-old pop sensation had been greet-

ed by hundreds of screaming fans outside the city’s SM Mall of Asia, and despite his illness he enjoyed the show. He wrote on his twitter page afterwards: “The streets of Manila are filled ... this is crazy. great energy.

Sick or not, that show went hard! That show was great but tough. real sick. time to rest. (sic)” Justin later thanked fans for coming to see him, tweeting: “Thank You for always supporting me and helping me live my dream. “Thank You for being the most loyal amazing fans in the world.

Even when im sick feels good to come on here

and see the love. gonna rest up and hope to get better. ITHANKYOU (sic).” Justin has two days off before his next concert, and left the Philippines for Hong Kong at 10am local time yesterday.

Despite still being sick, he signed autographs for fans at the exit of presidential lounge at the airport arrival area and was the last to board his flight, which was almost delayed after passengers and airline personnel mobbed him to get his signature and photos.—Bang Showbiz

US singer Lady Gaga poses for photographers in a press conference in Mexico City, on May 6, 2011.— AFP

Lady Gaga hits online game

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nline social game star Zynga on Tuesday said pop queen Lady Gaga will be hitting “Farmville.” Cuts from Gaga’s upcoming “Born This Way” album will make their world debuts at her in-game “GagaVille” farm beginning May 17. “I want to celebrate and share ‘Born This Way’ with my little monsters in a special way that’s never been done before,” Lady Gaga said in a release.

“Zynga has created a magical place in ‘FarmVille’ where my fans can come play, and be the first to listen to the album.” Unicorns, crystals, and sheep on motorcycles were among the promised features in Gagaville, which was

‘Farmville’ only slated to last until the end of the day on May 26.

A download of “Born This Way” will be bundled as a free download with the purchase of special $25 Zynga cards for ingame transactions. Zynga will also feature contests to win concert tickets and other Gaga-related goodies. “We’re focused on creating cool new ways to entertain and surprise our players,” said Owen Van Natta, executive vice president of business at San Francisco-based Zynga. “We want to thank Lady Gaga for working with us on this truly great surprise.” — AFP

Canadian popstar Justin Bieber performs during his “My World Tour” concert in Manila.—AP

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US singer Miley Cyrus performs on stage during the concert held at the Jockey Club, in Asuncion, Paraguay, on May 10, 2011, as part of her “Gypsy Heart” Tour. — AFP

ritney Spears is no stranger to music buyers and concert-goers.

Now, her star power will be on display with web-slingers, shape shifters and superheroes. The pop music star is the subject of a new one-shot comic book courtesy of Bluewater Productions Inc.’s ongoing “Fame” series that has seen it profile other celebrities, including Lady Gaga and actors Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, among others. The publisher has also done comic book bios of Sarah Palin, Hilary Rodham Clinton and President Barack Obama, and plans one about Donald Trump, too.

The Spears comic will focus on her rise to stardom, her documented private life and her efforts to be understood, said Patrick McCray, who wrote the issue. “She is far more complicated than most people realize. No matter what preconcep-

tions you have about her, there will always be more layers and surprises,” he said in a statement. “Beyond the performer, there is a real human being there, struggling for a real life, struggling to connect with her art, and struggling to be understood.”

Bluewater publisher Darren G. Davis said Spears’ life reflected the core of the company’s “Fame” line of biography titles has tried to achieve. “She was created in the Internet Age to be put on a pedestal, but no one can stand the glaring lights of celebrity that intensely,” he said. “The title seeks to find the person within.” The 32-page issue, illustrated by Ricardo Jaime, comes out Wednesday in comic book stores and online retailers. — AP

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t’s easy to forget, but Rod Stewart used to be a big songwriter. In the 1970s, the British rocker wrote, or co-wrote, such hits as “Maggie May,” “You’re in My Heart” and “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?” His last big original tune was 1988’s “Forever Young,” for which Bob Dylan received a credit.

Stewart moved even further away from his rock roots in the past decade by successfully reworking standards by the likes of Cole Porter and Hoagy Carmichael. So some eyebrows were raised when Stewart recently received a lifetime award from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), which collects royalties on behalf of songwriters and music publishers. Recent recipients have included Joni Mitchell, Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney. `Q. Few people describe you as a singer/songwriter. They’re more likely to consider you an interpreter of songs or simply a pop star.

A. “I agree with you. I never saw myself a songwriter either. Then I look back on the catalog and there’s been some big songs in there. But it was always a struggle for me, writing songs, almost like being at school. I’d be locked in a room. ‘Don’t make any noise, Daddy is writing a song.’ But this is lovely to get recognized and maybe it’ll give me a push up the bum to start writing again.”

Q. I realize that the songs you wrote are like your babies and none is more special than the other. But is there a song that maybe right now catches your fancy?

A. “If I was to say one song I was really proud of it would be “The Killing of Georgie” because it dealt with a very difficult subject (homophobia) in 1976, which is a long time ago.”

Q. What is the songwriting process? Are you locked up in a room and forced to write lyrics on a piece of paper?

A. “It usually goes the other way round. The guitar player will start strumming and I’ll go (makes babbling sound) and words will appear. It’s very unorthodox. I don’t know if everybody writes like this. I never sit down with a pad and try and write something before I go in the studio. Invariably the song is finished and I’ll put the bits and pieces in the jigsaw.”

Q. When you do get inspired, do you have a notebook to write stuff down?

A. “If I was in that mode, yeah. I usually keep a little tape machine by the side of my bed. But usually the titles come first. Good title, and you think, that’s the hook.”

Q. You’re an heir of sorts to Sam Cooke. But you never covered any of his gospel stuff from the Soul Stirrers. Is that something you’d be interested in?

A. “I always find when I do a Sam Cooke song, I’m a poor imitation of him. I just hear myself trying to sound like Sam Cooke. It’s a waste of time. I’ll never do a Sam Cooke song again. There’s honesty for you!”

Q. You’ve also covered a lot of Bob Dylan tunes (“Girl from the North Country,” “If Not For You”). Has he ever phoned or written to say, thanks a lot?

A. “Nah, it don’t work like that in the business! I wish it did. It would be lovely.” — Reuters

Beastie Boys return older and sillier

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n a wind-swept balcony at the posh Chateau Marmont hotel in West Hollywood, California, Michael “Mike D” Diamond, one-third of the legendary hip-hop trio the Beastie Boys, is recounting to Adam “Ad-Rock” Horowitz what happened at a party that he departed early the night before. Among the recollections is that the DJ spun “Jolene.” “He killed it,” Diamond recalls. “That’s a great song though. Dolly Partner is a great songwriter.” “Yeah,” Horowitz replies without missing a beat. “Dolly Partner’s penned like over 1,000 songs.” When asked if the pair are intentionally flubbing the country icon’s name, Horowitz reveals that the mispronunciation is actually an inside joke stretching back to the 1980s when the group would study musician-filmmaker Don Letts’ mixtapes of dancehall music from the United Kingdom. On one edition, a deep-voiced DJ incorrectly bellowed the name “Dolly Partner.” “From that point on, she was no longer Dolly Parton but etched forever in our minds as Dolly Partner,” Diamond explains.

“And that’s no disrespect to Dolly Partner because she’s an incredible musician,” Horowitz deadpans. It’s been 25 years since the Beastie Boys released “Licensed to Ill” and proved three bratty Jewish guys from New York could deliver hip-hop as deliciously as Run-D.M.C. Despite gray hair for Horowitz, fatherhood for Diamond and cancer for Adam “MCA” Yauch, the group is as goofy as ever, as evidenced by the oldschool flavor on their new album, “Hot Sauce Committee Part Two.” —AP

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THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2011

Years

lifestyle Movies

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oody Allen delighted the crowds at the start of the Cannes film festival yesterday with “Midnight In Paris,” in which Owen Wilson travels back in time and meets the likes of Ernest Hemingway and Pablo Picasso. There was laughter and applause from famously fussy Cannes critics at a screening of this year’s opening film, kicking off 11 days of red carpets, press interviews, lounging on luxury yachts and late night partying in the glamorous Riviera resort. In “Midnight in Paris,” Allen, a Cannes favorite, explores the notion that bygone ages are better than the present, so Owen’s character Gil pines for 1920s Paris while painter Paul Gauguin wants to return to the Renaissance.

The Oscar-winning 75-year-old director played for laughs by transporting Owen, a Hollywood scriptwriter called Gil, into a Paris populated by Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, Luis Bunuel, Salvador Dali and other artistic greats he had long admired.

At one point he runs into Bunuel’s character and suggests he make a movie about a dinner party from which the guests cannot escape, which clearly refers to his 1962 picture “The Exterminating Angel.”

The dramatic change of scene casts a shadow over Gil’s 21st century existence, where his fiancee, played by Rachel McAdams, becomes exasperated by his increasingly idiosyncratic behavior and has an affair with the odious intellectual Paul. “You know it’s a big trap that thinking living in another time would be better,” Allen told reporters.

“Everyone wants to get out of living in the current time because life is a lot of opposition. But when you think back ... you think of the nice things ... I wouldn’t go back to any time other than now.”

French First Lady Carla Bruni has a cameo role

as a present-day museum guide in three scenes, although she cancelled her planned appearance in Cannes because of “personal reasons,” feeding rumors in the French press that she may be pregnant. Allen said he met Bruni when he was invited to have breakfast with French President Nicolas Sarkozy and asked her on the spot to join his cast in a minor role. “She said I would like to be in one of your movies because I would like to tell my grandchildren some day that I was in the movie,” Allen said. “She came in and did her part very gracefully ... and she played that character perfectly.”

Hollywood out in force Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Sean Penn, Penelope Cruz, Robert De Niro, Mel Gibson and Johnny Depp are all set to walk the Cannes red carpet, ensuring huge media interest and large crowds of fans keen to catch a glimpse of their screen idols.

Blockbusters “Kung Fu Panda 2” starring Jolie and “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” with Depp and Cruz both launch in Cannes, as studios return en masse after avoiding the notoriously costly trip to France due to the financial crisis over the past couple of years.

De Niro heads this year’s jury, which also includes Uma Thurman and Jude Law, and underlining the pulling power of the festival, pop diva Lady Gaga is widely reported to be putting in a “surprise” appearance on the waterfront yesterday.

Gleaming luxury yachts packed the harbor around the giant cinema complex, the rich and famous have been filling up the five-star hotels and organizers hope the 2011 festival lives up to this year’s unusually high expectations.

The darlings of Europe’s festival circuit-Pedro

Almodovar, Nanni Moretti, the Dardenne brothers, Aki Kaurismaki and Lars Von Trier-are all vying for the coveted Palme d’Or prize for best picture. So is US veteran Terrence Malick, back in the limelight with only his fifth feature, the eagerly anticipated “The Tree of Life” in which Pitt and Penn star in a family saga set in the American Midwest during the 1950s.

Women directors feature more prominently in the main competition than usual, although they still only account for four of 20 entries. Scotland’s Lynne Ramsay presents “We Need To Talk About Kevin” and Australian Julia Leigh directs “Sleeping

Beauty,” described as a “haunting erotic fairy tale.”

French actress Maiwenn Le Besco brings “Polisse,” about a photographer who has an affair with a policeman, and Japan’s Naomi Kawase presents “Hanezu No Tsuki.” Belgium’s Dardenne brothers have a chance to become the first directors to scoop the Palme d’Or three times with “The Kid With A Bike” and festival favourite Almodovar will aim to lift his first Golden Palm with “The Skin I Live In.” — Reuters

(From left) Actors Owen Wilson, Lea Seydoux, director Woody Allen, actors Rachel McAdams, Michael Sheen and Adrien Brody pose during a photo call for Midnight in Paris yesterday. — AP

In this May 1, 2011 photo, director Kenneth Branagh, from the film “Thor”, poses for a portrait in Beverly Hills, Calif.—AP

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washbuckling “Puss in Boots” strutted into Cannes yesterday when the creators of the DreamWorks animated feature screened about 40 minutes of their 3D work in progress. Spanish film star Antonio Banderas voices the green-eyed feline, alongside Salma Hayek as love interest Kitty Softpaws, in the first spinoff from the wildly successful “Shrek” franchise.

“I’ve had the privilege

to have worked on all the Shrek movies and Puss in Boots has been my favorite character,” said director Chris Miller as the Cannes film festival got under way. “He has a big heart and just enough of the devil in him.

He’s a great character with many contrastslittle, but larger than life.”

“Puss in Boots” is Hayek’s first foray in animation; in Cannes she confided that her young daughter is already bugging her to see it. The final product is due out in cinemas in

November. Another DreamWorks cartoon, “Kung Fu Panda 2,” featuring the voice of Jack Black, is being promoted on the sidelines of the festival, where the original was screened out of competition three years ago.—AFP

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Antonio Banderas, and Salma Hayek pose during a photo call for Puss in Boots, at the 64th international film festival, in Cannes, southern France, yesterday. — AP

Allen’s ‘Midnight,’

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targazers already were catching sight of some of Hollywood’s biggest stars at the Cannes Film Festival well before “Midnight in Paris,” the Woody Allen romance that opens the glamorous event with an evening premiere yesterday. On hand to meet reporters and festival-goers earlier in the day were Robert De Niro, Uma Thurman, Jude Law, Angelina Jolie, Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek, along with director Allen and some of his cast, which includes Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams and Adrien Brody.

Capitalizing on the horde of international press at Cannes, DreamWorks Animation and Paramount Pictures brought in Banderas and Hayek for a photo event and interviews before the festival opened to promote their upcoming animated adventure “Puss in Boots,” a spinoff of the “Shrek” franchise.

Banderas and Hayek posed on a pier along the Mediterranean atop a giant pair of boots bearing the movie’s title and discussed the film after DreamWorks showed off 15 minutes of footage. The 3-D movie prompted Banderas to put on his special glasses and give Hayek the once-over as she sat behind him.

“Now we are in three dimensions. ... If Salma was beautiful in two dimensions, imag-

ine her in three dimensions,” Banderas said, sizing her up through the 3-D glasses. “Look at this. She is amazing. You should see what I am seeing. It is unbelievable. Wow, Salma, you are like good wine. Time goes by, you get better,

he 9,000-pound (4,100 kg) co-star of the new Reese Witherspoon drama “Water for Elephants” was abused by its trainers, according to a group that is urging a boycott of the movie. Animal Defenders International has released an undercover video from 2005 showing an elephant it identifies as the same one that appeared in the movie apparently being beaten with hooks and shocked with stun guns. The heavily edited videoclip contains a sequence of brief scenes backed by mournful music. In one scene, an elephant make a loud noise while performing a headstand as a trainer appears to deliver an electric shock.

Coincidentally, “Water for Elephants” deals in part with animal abuse at a Depression-era circus. Its filmmakers and stars went to great lengths during their publicity efforts to proclaim that the ani-

mals were treated well, likely unaware of any mistreatment that may have taken place behind the scenes.

Animal Defenders said it released the footage to set the record straight. It was allegedly filmed at a California ranch as part of the group’s wider investigation into animal mistreatment. The ranch is owned by a firm that hires out elephants to movie and video productions. Have Trunk Will Travel strongly defended itself in an emailed statement, describing Animal Defenders as an “extremist group” with “a history of using less than honest means to achieve their goals.” “If there was truly any abuse going on why wait six minutes, much less six years?,” owners Gary and Kari Johnson said.—Reuters

De Niro’s jury open Cannes

baby.” Also outside of the festival proper, Black, Jolie and Hoffman came to Cannes for interviews on opening day, along with a news conference a day later, for their DreamWorks animated sequel “Kung Fu Panda 2.” Allen’s

President of the Jury Robert De Niro, centre, poses with jury members Linn Ullmann, left, Martina Gusman, second from left, Nansun Shi, second from right and Uma Thurman, right, during a photo call for members of the jury yesterday. — AP

romantic fantasy “Midnight in Paris” stars Wilson as a Hollywood screenwriter and wannabe novelist who pines nostalgically for the 1920s Paris of Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein and F. Scott Fitzgerald. On a series of midnight strolls, he’s transported back to the city in the time of his dreams, where he learns lessons from his idols about finding your place — and time — in life.

It was the first film shot in France by Allen, a frequent Cannes guest. Allen said he aimed to show the city with the sort of glow he recalled from past big-screen takes on Paris. “I wanted to show the city emotionally, the way I felt about it,” Allen said. “It didn’t matter to me how real it was or what it reflected. I just wanted it to be the way I saw Paris. Paris through my eyes.” “Midnight in Paris” also features France’s first lady, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, who has a small role as a guide at the Rodin museum who helps Wilson’s character translate a French diary that is key to his journeys into the past.

Opening day of the 12-day cinema showcase also features an honorary award for Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci, whose films include 1988 Academy Award best-picture recipient “The Last Emperor.” De Niro, fresh from his own Tribeca Film Festival that

wrapped up May 1 in New York City, heads the jury that will award prizes among the 20 films in the Cannes main competition. Thurman and Law join him on the nine-member jury, which also includes Argentine actress Martina Gusman, French filmmaker Olivier Assayas and Hong Kong filmmaker Johnnie To. Other stars on hand before the festival closes May 22 include Brad Pitt and Sean Penn for Terrence Malick’s “The Tree of Life”; Kirsten Dunst and Charlotte Gainsbourg for Lars von Trier’s “Melancholia”; Ryan Gosling for Nicolas Winding Refn’s “Drive”; and Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz for “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.” “It’s in Cannes’ DNA to attract stars. It’s important that our red carpet be ‘scarlet,”‘ said festival managing director Thierry Fremaux. “It’s wonderful that we’re going to have Woody Allen and Owen Wilson, Sean Penn and Kirsten Dunst, Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz. And to have Asian stars, too. And a lovely jury, led by Bob De Niro. What’s more, all these people are film lovers and are going to turn Cannes into a wonderful party for the cinema.”—AP

Woody Allen comedy delights at Cannes opening

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THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2011

Actors perform in a scene from African Adventure, a family musical aimed at educating children on rhino poaching, in Johannesburg, on May 4, 2011. —AFP

Singing rhinos the evils of poaching teach S Africans

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icky and Rachel, rhinos in love, are torn apart by poachers in a new South African musical, “African Adventure”, which aims to dramatize the rising toll of illegal hunting on the endangered species. The children’s play, showing at Johannesburg’s Joburg Theatre, has a simple plot: evil poachers capture Rachel and use her as bait to lure Ricky so they can take both animals’ horns.

But with the help of his friends Lynette the snobby giraffe, Olivia the cheeky ostrich and Malcolm the naughty monkey, the young rhino manages to save his love.

“I believe that not just adults but kids as well need to be aware of what is happening” to Africa’s rhinos, said Tracey Christelis, the

playwright, who originally envisioned the story as a children’s book. The statistics on rhino poaching are increasingly grim, as demand for rhino horn is booming in Asia. In South Africa, poaching has risen year by year, from 13 cases in 2007, to 33 in 2008, to 122 in 2009, to 333 last year. And the pace has continued to accelerate. The country has lost one rhino a day to poaching so far this year.

There are around 21,000 rhinos, both black and white, left in South Africa, home to 70 percent of the world’s remaining population.

Across Africa, there are some 25,000 rhinos remaining, a fraction of the hundreds of thousands thought to have roamed the continent in 1900, according to the International Union

for Conservation of Nature. Maureen Schuil, an honorary ranger with South African National Parks (SANParks), drives home the message to kids before the show.

‘We need to catch guys who buy the horns’ “We are losing our rhinos! They are really cruelly trapped. We do not want our animals to disappear,” she said. But Frik the poacher tells his audience why the problem persists.

“Our friends in China believe that the horns can cure incurable sickness,” he says. In Asia, rhino horn is believed to have medicinal properties from reducing fever to curing cancer. A horn can fetch tens of thousands of dollars on the black market.

Conservationists have tried various plans to stop the carnage: removing the horns preemptively, implanting them with microchips and infiltrating poaching syndicates.

SANParks has created a special anti-poaching unit, reinforced since April by South African army patrols. “They are doing the best they can but there is a serious shortage of funds and equipment,” said Kevin Bewick, head of the Anti-Poaching Intelligence Group Southern Africa.

Bewick said South Africa’s ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC), has cut funding for environmental protection programs since coming to power in the first democratic elections in 1994. “The ANC is people-

Warhol ‘Sixteen Jackies’ nets $20.4 million

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n Andy Warhol canvas depicting Jacqueline Kennedy, titled “Sixteen Jackies,” sold for $20.4 million Tuesday at Sotheby’s in New York. The acrylic and silkscreen ink on canvas work repeatedly showing the wife of assassinated president John F Kennedy led a solid, but unspectacular auction in a packed-tooverflowing room at Sotheby’s. The price reached was at the low end of the pre-sale estimate.

Jeff Koons’ “Pink Panther,” a porcelain sculpture of a topless blonde hugging the famous cartoon character, sold for $16.8 million. That was below the estimate of $20-30 million. Warhols dominated the top sales, with “Shadow - Red” selling for 4.8 million, far above the estimate of $700-900,000 and “Round Jackie” fetching $3.7 million, compared to the presale estimate of $3-4 million. Total sales for the evening of contemporary art were $128 million. Rival Christie’s holds its own contemporary art auction yesterday in New York. — AFP

Lohan case returns to court with plea deal likely Italian archaeologists hunt for Mona Lisa model

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A woman views Andy Warhol’s “Sixteen Jackies” at Sotheby’s May 6, 2011 in New York. —AFP

oriented, they are not conservation-oriented,” he said. “Their concern is people-fighting inequalities, housing, jobs, etc.” The problem has been exacerbated by other factors, he added. A growing number of Chinese nationals are living in Africa. Some private game reserve owners have cut deals with poaching syndicates. Officials have torn down a border fence between South Africa’s renowned Kruger park and its Mozambican neighborgiving free range to animals but also to poachers. But Schuil, the honorary ranger, said the problem needs to be tackled on the demand side, too. “It’s the guys who buy horns that we need to catch, maybe more than the poachers themselves,” she said. — AFP

rchaeologists yesterday began digging for the remains of a 16th-century woman believed to be the model for Leonardo Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa in a bid to unlock an art world mystery.

The team of historians say they will try to find the remains using georadar equipment and then try to recreate a likeness of what the woman, Lisa Gherardini, would have looked like to compare her to the painting.

“We want to find the skull and make a portrait of the Mona Lisa,” said Stefania Romano, a spokeswoman for the group behind the excavation under way in the halls of a former mediaeval convent in the heart of Florence.

Romano said the team’s radar had shown there could be burials dating back to Gherardini’s time as little as two meters (6.5 feet) below the surface in what had been part of a cloister of the Sant’Orsola convent. DNA experts on the team will test any remains that are found and compare

the results with the DNA of Gherardini’s descendants, she said.

The excavation has already sparked controversy, with a local princess who claims kinship with Gherardini saying the remains should be left in peace.

“It’s not possible” Let her rest in peace! What would finding the remains change compared to the fascination of Leonardo’s painting,” Natalia Strozzi, who is also an actress and a local vintner, told reporters ahead of the dig.

“Wanting to find the bones seems sacrilegious and inopportune,” she said. Gherardini (1479-1542), also known by her married name as Lisa del Giocondo was the wife of a Florentine silk merchant and is widely believed to have been the model for the famous portrait that now hangs in the Louvre in Paris. But the issue has never been settled definitively and mystery still shrouds the model’s enigmatic expression and other details of the portrait. —AFP

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or the first time in months, Lindsay Lohan has a court date and she isn’t required to appear. The starlet, who has been a constant fixture at Los Angeles courthouses for nearly a year, is not expected to attend a hearing yesterday n which her attorney may enter a plea that ends a necklace theft case before trial. Despite being sentenced to serve 120 days in jail at her last appearance, a judge’s decision to downgrade Lohan’s felony grand theft case to a misdemeanor means the actress won’t have to walk the divided sea of cameras that have given her court appearances a movie premiere feel. It is Lohan’s desire to get back to being filmed as an actress, not a suspect, that has fueled Lohan’s desire to end the case with a no contest plea, a person close to Lohan and familiar with her thinking told The Associated Press last month. The person was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. The “Mean Girls” star has been cast to play the wife of John Gotti Jr. in a biopic of the infamous mob family titled “Gotti: Three Generations.” The film is scheduled to film later this year in New York, and several factors may keep the case from interfering with her shooting the film.

Misdemeanor defendants in criminal matters can generally have their attorneys handle all aspects of their case without appearing in court. Lohan’s lack of a serious criminal record, and the misdemeanor status of her cases, have resulted in three jails stints that ranged from 84 minutes to a few hours. —AP