14 Jan

CR IP TI ON BS SU

TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2014

‘Acid rain’ linked to Kuwait road damage

Dubai ruler hopes Sisi does not run for president

NO: 16047

150 FILS

3 40 PAGES

RABI ALAWWAL 13, 1435 AH

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‘American Hustle’, ‘12 Years’ top Globes

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www.kuwaittimes.net

Ronaldo ends Messi run with second Ballon d’Or

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Amir appeals for aid for Syrians affected by war UN seeks $6.5bn to tackle ‘worst humanitarian crisis’ conspiracy theories

‘WHITES’ WHITEWASHED

Hard rain

By Badrya Darwish

badrya_d@kuwaittimes.net

R

ain has many blessings. It is a blessing by itself.

Imagine a country without rain. If it is a Muslim country, people will gather in a mosque and hold a rain prayer to ask Almighty Allah to bless them with rain. I do not have to mention all the other blessings of rain. In short, we cannot live without it.

Even if a country’s economy does not depend on agriculture, it still needs rain. Rain cleans the environment, streets, trees and the air. It helps sand settle down. The year in which Kuwait gets good rain is a year in which we have less dust and sand storms. It is good for plants and bushes which grow in the desert. For instance, truffles do not grow without a lot of water.

On the other hand, rain has other benefits in Kuwait. The latest rainfall exposed highway corruption. I mean it literally. Look at the streets when we, hamdullilah, have good rain. The rainfall caused many streets in Kuwait to turn into ski slaloms.

Drivers are trying to maneuver between the many potholes on Kuwait streets. What I loved about the latest rain is that a committee formed to investigate what happened to the roads. The committee is also sending samples to KISR and Kuwait University to test what went wrong with the material that covers our streets.

Pardon my ignorance, but how can the sample from the asphalt show you what went wrong in the construction process? There are many issues at hand.

I am not a construction engineer, but I am sure that there are many steps that are followed when building a road. If there is corruption, this means improper quality or a mixture of different materials of varying qualities. Apparently not enough material was used to build the roads in Kuwait, and faced with harsh weather conditions, the roads cracked up. The results are potholes on the streets.

This committee should not have waited for the little hard rain God blessed us with this month, to know that there is corruption in projects in Kuwait. I think that there is not enough transparency in awarding contracts and government accountability.

The problem in Kuwait is that favouritism, wasta and nepotism are all involved in the projects here. We didn’t have to wait for rain to raise this issue. Rain is a blessing and I hope we will get more of it. And when we do, more streets - and more corruption - will get exposed.

KUWAIT: Kuwait SC (in white) and Bayern Munich players vie for the ball during a friendly match at the Kuwait Sporting Club Stadium in Kaifan yesterday. Bayern won the match 8-0. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat (See Page 20)

Ashton plans to visit Iran

By Velina Nacheva KUWAIT: European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who played a strategic role in brokering a breakthrough nuclear deal with Iran in November, is planning a visit to Tehran in the course of the next few weeks. The European Union’s high representative for foreign affairs made this announcement during a press conference with Kuwait’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah AlKhaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah in Kuwait yesterday.

Ashton’s stopover in Kuwait, one of the legs of her visit to five Gulf countries, comes amidst growing global unease and sentiments of distrust expressed by some Catherine Ashton regional and international powers over the Iranian nuclear program. Her announcement of the upcoming Tehran visit came during a tour of the region that is divided over the very same issue.

Ashton and Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled discussed a host of regional developments including the Palestinian peace process, the crisis in Syria, the deal between Iran and P5+1 Continued on Page 13

Government agrees to attend debate on Dow

By B Izzak KUWAIT: National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanem said yesterday that the government has informed him it will attend a special parliamentary session today to debate the controversial Dow Chemical issue. Earlier, the government had hinted that it may not attend the session called by 13 lawmakers to discuss why the government rushed to pay the huge $2.2 billion fine to US firm Dow Chemical for unilaterally pulling out of a multibillion-dollar joint venture.

A number of MPs had argued that the government should have waited until a legal battle on the case was complete.

MP Faisal Al-Duwaisan called on the government to come to the session well prepared with all the facts and figures in order to inform MPs why it had taken that decision.

The Assembly had asked its public funds protection committee to investigate the issue but the panel still needs at least four months to complete its probe.

In Dec 2008, state-run Petrochemical Industries Co (PIC) inked a $17.4 billion deal with Dow to launch a joint venture. Under the deal, PIC was to pay $7.5 billion to form a petrochemicals firm known as K-Dow. But later that same month the government canceled the deal amid intense criticism from segments of the political opposition, citing the global financial crisis.

Continued on Page 13

Electronic criminal record copies soon KUWAIT: People will be able to apply for a copy of their criminal records online as soon as the Interior Ministry finishes studying the project, a local daily reported yesterday quoting a security source. The project allows Kuwaitis and expats to apply for a copy of their criminal records, which is currently obtained from the Criminal Evidence General Department. Instead of releasing a physical copy of the record that is forwarded to the concerned state department, the new system allows sending a copy electronically to the department within three days, said the source who spoke to Al-Rai on the condition of anonymity.

The step comes as part of the government’s efforts to introduce technology to government services, especially that the criminal record is considered an important document for Kuwaitis and expatriates when they apply for a job, visa, commercial license, etc. “The project depends on the spread of smartphones that allow users to access the Criminal Continued on Page 13

Max 16º Min 06º High Tide 12:12 & 22:18 Low Tide 05:48 & 16:57

KUWAIT: HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad AlSabah yesterday appealed for donations to a nationwide campaign aimed at raising funds for Syrians facing a grave humanitarian crisis due to the country’s conflict.

The Amir urged “Kuwaiti men and women, foreigners living in the country, NGOs and private companies to contribute to the national campaign for the relief of our Syrian brothers inside and outside the country,” a statement from the royal court said. The Amir added the failure of the international community to end Syrians’ suffering “will remain a stigma to be remembered through generations”.

On Sunday night, several Kuwaiti charities announced a fundraising campaign to raise $141 million to build camps for Syrian refugees. The appeal comes two days before a UN-sponsored donors conference in Kuwait City to raise an unprecedented $6.5 billion for Syrians amid UN reports of deteriorating humanitarian conditions inside the war-torn country. At the first donors conference in Jan 2013, Kuwait promised and later paid $300 million out of total pledges of $1.5 billion, of which only around 75 percent were fulfilled. The UN has described the Syria appeal as the largest ever in its history for a single humanitarian emergency.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon will chair the one-day ministerial-level Second International Pledging Conference for Syria, which will be opened by Sheikh Sabah. UN Secretar y General and Regional Humanitarian Coordinator Nigel Fisher has told Kuwait’s official KUNA news agency that the funds will be used Continued on Page 13

TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2014

LOCAL

KUWAIT: British Ambassador Frank Baker honoring Ambassador Waleed Al-Khobaizi, director of Europe department, at the British embassy yesterday. —Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

Kuwait cracks down on illicit visa trading More fraud cases uncovered KUWAIT: The government has discovered another major case of visa fraud, referring owners of more than 1,000 companies with forged business licenses to the public prosecution for investigation. The 1,000 businesses have more than 40,000 visas issued on their licenses and those visas will now be deemed illegal. As part of a larger crackdown, Kuwait’s Social Affairs and Labor Ministry has been working with the Interior Ministry and other government bodies to crack down on illicit visa trading. In June 2013, the government charged 700 Kuwaiti firms with visa trading or other illegal visa practices.

Another 1,000 employers had their files at the Shuun blocked from issuing new visas after it was discovered they carried fake employees on their books (meaning they provided or sold visas and the employee worked elsewhere).

Visas can be bought in Kuwait for around KD 800 to KD1,200 depend-

ing on the sponsor and the nationality of the employee. Visa traders exploit loopholes in Kuwait’s sponsorship system to create fake companies and nonexistent jobs and then bring staff who pay a fee for their iqama but then typically work elsewhere illegally. The Kuwait government estimated that there are close to 100,000 illegals living in Kuwait, many of them low wage workers who paid recruiters exorbitant fees to come to the country only to find no job waiting for them.

Minimum standard “The Government of Kuwait does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making sufficient efforts to do so,” said a 2013 US State Department report on human trafficking. “Although the government enacted an anti-trafficking law in March 2013, the government did not demonstrate significant efforts to

prosecute and convict trafficking offenders using previously existing laws. There was no lead national anti-trafficking coordinating body, and the government did not systematically monitor its anti-trafficking efforts. The government’s victim protection measures remained weak, particularly due to the lack of proactive victim identification and referral procedures and continued reliance on the sponsorship system, which inherently punishes, rather than protects, trafficking victims for immigration violations,” the report continued.

Social Affairs and Labor Ministry Assistant Undersecretary for Labor Sector Jamal Al-Dousary said that the ministry asked during a meeting with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry about the recent list of illicitly licensed businesses as the licenses that were issued using official papers without entering the data into the Commerce Ministry computers.

‘Visa scandal’ official referred to prosecution KUWAIT: A senior Interior Ministry official accused of issuing thousands of visas illegally was referred to the public prosecution on Sunday for questioning, a local daily reported yesterday quoting sources. The official worked at the General Depar tment of Immigration, and reportedly used his influence to issue 12,000 visas illegally out of 13,000 transactions he conducted last year, reported Al-Rai.

As part of investigations in the case, a security block was placed on files of the 12,000 expatriates to identify those who benefited from transactions issued illegally.

The officer was suspended and later forced to submit his retirement papers following investigations initiated by a committee formed by Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Mohammad Al-Khalid Al-Sabah.

The committee’s investigations report concluded that ‘serious violations’ were committed, including issuing visas to nationals of six nations banned from entering Kuwait, as well as approving transactions that do not meet the required conditions or missing key information. The minister also formed a second committee to investigate whether other officials in the General Department of Immigration were involved in the scam.

KUWAIT: Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Sheikh Khaled Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah pictured with the honored retirees.

Minister honors army retirees KUWAIT: Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Sheikh Khaled Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah yesterday honored a number of retirees from Kuwait Army who have a record of excellent service for Kuwait.

The minister, in a statement addressed at the honoring ceremony, stated that the militar y command decided to honor the former

senior personnel who contributed to the military establishment development, hoping their accomplishments would “guide those who will in the future serve “this dear homeland under the sagacious leadership.” The honorees included the former Air Force commander, Air Marshal Khamees Al-Farhan, the exassistant chief of the general chair-

manship of staff, Lt Gen Sulaiman Al-Huwayel, and the former land forces commander, Lt Gen Khaled A l - Fo d a r i . Th e ce re m o ny w a s attended by the Chief of Staff, Lt Gen Abdul-Rahman Mohammad AlOthman, Defence Undersecretary Abdul-Razzak Al-Jassar and memb e r s o f t h e M i l i t a r y D e fe n s e Council. —KUNA

Minister underscores optimum youth investment KUWAIT: Minister of Information and Minister of State for Youth Affairs Sheikh Salman Sabah Salem Al-Sabah said on Sunday the ideal investment should be directed to young people.

Speaking during a ceremony to award the supporters and organizers of a youth-directed project dubbed as “Mubaratona” or “Our Match,” he said the ministry of youth affairs has been created at the behest of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah AlAhmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah in order to pay more heed to young people.

Since the Amiri decree was issued to set up the ministry, strategic plans have been developed in order to enable young people to achieve the aspired projects and to reach the highest leading positions in society and to serve their nation, he said. The idea of “Our Match” was developed as a model for the youth ministry’s work that can be done through planning and coordination among all partners in other ministries, the private sector and civil society, he added.

The project has achieved much success in record time as 61 fields have been provided in 34 schools in line with required safety standards, he said.

Youth interaction Up to 84,000 young men have joined the project, spending around 6,000 hours on the fields, a sign of youth interaction with the project, he added.

The second stage of the project will pave the way for girls to practice their sport skills, the minister unveiled. On his part, Minister of Education and Higher Education Ahmad Al-Mulaifi said his ministry is seeking to attach more attention to young people who make up 50 percent of the Kuwaiti society.

The project aims to inculcate great values in the minds of young people, a thing which would undoubtedly contribute to creating a brighter future for the Kuwaiti society, he said.

He vowed that his ministr y would remain involved in all efforts purposed to serve Kuwaiti young people. His Highness the Amir’s directives for establishing a new center to care for talented and gifted youth really reflect his support for young people who play a significant role in society. — KUNA

Health Ministry praises firm’s reduction of salt in bread KUWAIT: Kuwait Flour Mills and Bakeries Company’s decision to cut quantity of salt to its products of bread and toast by 20 percent has been warmly welcomed by the Ministry of Health, which described it as “model for cooperation to protect public health.”

In a press statement, the Ministry Assistant Undersecretary for Public Health Dr Qais Al-Duwairi stated the initiative reflected the company’s positive cooperation with the Ministry of Health in combating causes of diseases.

He unveiled that the initiative has been also lauded by Dr Alaa Ad-Deen Al-Alwan, Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO) for the Eastern Mediterranean Region. The ministry official noted that reducing amount of salt to bread was recommended by the World Health Organization and Kuwait Ministry of Health as a part of the world and national strategy to combat non-communicable diseases.

“This initiative is considered an important measure according to the world strategy to combat non-communicable diseases and its risk factors,” he said.

He pointed out that lowering salt intake in bread and diet could help curb the risks of blood pressure, heart disease and other non-communicable diseases.

Al-Duwairi underlined the great impact of the governmental, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), civil society organizations and firms’ cooperation with the Ministry of Health to better implement disease combatting strategies and protect public health. A non-communicable disease, or NCD, is a medical condition or illness, which by definition is non-infectious and non-transmissible among people.

NCDs may be chronic diseases of long duration and slow progression, or they may result in more rapid death such as some types of sudden stroke. They include autoimmune diseases, heart disease, stroke, many cancers, asthma, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s disease, cataracts, and more. According to the World Health Organization, the NCDs kill more than 36 million people each year. — KUNA

TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2014

LOCAL

‘Acid rain’ linked to Kuwait road damage Experts blame govt for inaction

By Nawara Fattahova KUWAIT: People are blaming the Ministry of Public Works for the bad quality of the roads and flying gravel, but according to environmental experts, there are other parties that bear the responsibility too. The Green Line Environment Group Kuwait (GLEG) warned that acid rains that increased during the past two years have wracked disaster on the environment.

“These rains exposed the incorrect asphalt mix used on the roads, which then caused damages to vehicles. The Environment Public Authority (EPA) and the Civil Defense Department (CDD) are both responsible for the road damages as they were in charge of solving two problems that caused acid rains but didn’t undertake emergency procedures,” said Khalid AlHajiri, Chairman of GLEG. “The first is the explosion of the Rawdatain oil well in 2012 when huge amounts of gases leaked out,

and the second is the malfunction of the Mishref sewage plant. The government didn’t do its part in combating these two problems which resulted in acid rains,” he added.

Environment expert and Secretary General of GLEG Jasim AlShawaaf explained the phenomenon of acid rains in Kuwait in a preliminary study he recently released.

“There are many reasons for acid rains, but the great amount of gases that spread and remained for many months in the atmosphere interacted with ozone and turned into acid rain. This rain is dangerous for humans, soil, animals, agriculture and marine environment among others,” he noted.

On the reason road damage occurred this year although both problems occurred two or more years ago, he said the problem has been festering for many years. “The effects worsened with time and dramatically this winter. Last year acid rains also damaged roads between

KUWAIT: One of the street boards damaged by the acid rains.

Asphalt road raveling issue roils on

Jasim Al-Shauaaf Mutlaa and Abdali, but the media didn’t focus on it,” he told Kuwait Times. According to Shawaaf, the sewage water from the Mishref sewage plant was used in irrigating plants in various areas in addition to draining a huge amount of it into the sea. The evaporation process then caused a high concentration of acid in the rainwater. “ The acid rains also corroded street signs as well as metal pillars of bridges. In addition, exterior walls of houses and cotton fabrics were also damaged. Both the land and marine environment was badly affected by this acid rain. The Ministry of Health should have a role in investigating people that were affected by this rain or suffered diseases as a result of this rain,” Shawaaf pointed out.

“EPA is responsible to conduct tests and studies on the concentration of acids in the rain and its spread to different areas.

Furthermore, they should measure emissions in the air. Then the Disasters and Crisis Department of the CDD is responsible to provide the procedures that should be followed in such situations and how to deal with the damages caused by such disasters, so we can prevent a repeat,” he concluded.

Al-Subaih denies ICM affiliation KUWAIT: New Minister of Planning and Social Affairs and Labor Hind AlSubaih denied being a member any certain political group, and expressed willingness to cooperate with all citizens regardless of affiliation. AlSubaih made her statements to Al-Rai when asked about rumors that she represents the Islamic Constitutional Movement in the Cabinet. “I was honored to work with ICM members as well as liberals during my time at the Manpower and Government Restructuring Program,” she said during a reception at the planning ministry Sunday to welcome her to the new post.

Meanwhile, Al-Subaih announced plans to request that the development plan be suspended for 6 months, in order to allow the ministry to focus on “implementing an exe-

cutable plan on the ground”. The government is secluded to deliver the plan for 2014 to the parliament by the end of the month. Regarding the labor issue, Al-Subaih suggested unification between the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor “which handles expatriate workers’ issues” and the Manpower and Government Restructuring Program, “which deals with national labor”, in order to “focus on eliminating all labor-related problems facing Kuwaitis and expatriates alike”. Al-Subaih was not the only new minister to be welcomed with a reception on the government’s first day of work Sunday. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce Abdulmohsen Al-Mudej underlined the importance of “creating nonoil sources of income in order to push economy and development forward

for the betterment of future generations”. Oil Minister Ali Al-Omair said in the meantime that the government will show cooperation with MPs, especially with “providing information that lawmakers request to make decisions on monitory or legislative matters”.

Meanwhile, Health Minister Ali AlObaidi said that the ministry plans to finish “a number of projects” soon, including the air ambulance project “which is in its final stages”. Education Minister Ahmad Al-Mulaifi urged cooperation “in order to serve the nation by graduating generations capable of building our country”.

Minister of Justice and Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Nayef AlAjmi called for ‘teamwork’ in order to “embark on a new phase of building institutions and supporting initiatives”.

6,008 drug addicts in rehabilitation list KUWAIT: Over 6,000 addicts are officially registered for rehabilitation in Kuwait, a local daily reported yesterday quoting a senior Ministr y of Health official.

Meanwhile, Dr Adel Al-Zayed, the direc tor of Kuwait ’s Center for Mental Health, told Al-Qabas daily that in addition to of 6,008 active files registered in the center, there

are 116 addicts receiving treatment inside the facility. Furthermore, Dr Al-Zayed announced that there are plans to reevaluate the rehabilitation programs it provides to addicts, including “adding an alternative treatment for heroin addicts”.

Dr Al-Zayed also pointed out that ‘renovations works’ are ongoing at different parts in the center, includ-

ing the outpatient clinics, in addition to the Kuwait Finance House rehabilitation center “where a new ward is set to be inaugurated in March”. The Interior Ministry said in a statement earlier this week that drug-related cases increased by 49 percent during the first half of 2013 compared to the same period a year before.

KUWAIT: A Japanese parliamentary delegation yesterday visited the International Sand Festival site to review the works of Japanese artists taking part in it. —Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

KUWAIT: The issue of raveling asphalt (where the asphalt on a road chips away into small pebbles after a hard rain or use) continues to roil government bodies. The Municipal Council has set up a committee to investigate the issue and meanwhile the Kuwait Union of Asphalt workers have said it blames the KNPC for the recent problems.

Following heavy rains in Kuwait recently, asphalt on several roads and main highways raveled. This created collections of loose stones and pebbles which, when thrown up onto passing vehicles windshields, in some cases resulting in damage to vehicles. Several of the new Kuwaiti areas including Saad Al-Abdullah, Jaber Al-Ahmed and Al-Qairawan also saw roads raveled following the rains.

The Municipal Council’s asphalt committee meets today to discuss the issue and local reports indicated that a similar phenomena occurred following rains in 2009 on

some streets and at that time, samples of the asphalt at fault were sent to the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research. KISR analyzed the samples to determine the level and quality of bitumen used.

Samples were also sent to KNPC but no report was ever issued or made public.

Not upgraded Meanwhile, the Kuwait Union for Asphalt producers said that the bitumen made by KNPC and used in street asphalt contains an overly high percentage of sulfur which prevents its adhesion to the gravel.

The union said that the ministry knows that and the matter was discussed with them.

The union, in a statement to the press, said that bitumen has been available in Kuwait since the Sixties but has not been upgraded with the times. The union added that it is not allowed to import bitumen from outside, while it is the main

element in the formula of the asphalt mixture, bearing in mind that neighboring countries have higher quality bitumen factories.

The statement went further that “during our meetings with KNPC, we found out that they do not have any intention to upgrade the plant or expand it, or even construct a new one.”

Public Works Ministry Under Secretary Abdelaziz Al-Kulaib denied the accusations against his ministry by companies, as the ministry is working on the problem. He said the ministry works round the clock to serve citizens and expatriates. He said the committee investigating the problem was formed at the request of Public Works Minister Abdelaziz Al-Ibrahim. He said the committee will find solutions for the problem and will hold those responsible after the results are announced. He said the committee will take one month before it submits its report.

MP seeks meeting minutes to expose ‘Israel trade’ comments

By A Saleh and Agencies KUWAIT: MP Faisal Al-Duwaisan submitted a request to Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanem to obtain minutes of the legislative committee’s meeting on Sunday which according to him includes statements by a fellow lawmaker defending trade with Israel. AlDuwaisan made the announcement yesterday in response to statements made by MP Abdurrahman Al-Jeeran who denied giving arguments to support establishing trade relations with Israel.

Separately, MP Abdullah Al-Tamimi criticized the health and defense ministries for allegedly ‘stalling the issuance of a death certificate’ of Lt Col Abdulaziz Al-Ghannam who died two months ago in an accident between a landing helicopter and his military vehicle. According to Tamimi,

the certificate remains pending the investigations report “and resulted in depriving his family from his salary which is held pending the death certificate’s issuance”.

Meanwhile, MP Yaqoub Al-Sane released a statement in which he acknowledged Finance Minister Anas Al-Saleh’s reported decision to appoint an alternative to Public Institute for Social Security Director Fahad Al-Raj’an whose contract was not renewed.

Yesterday, local reports indicated that the parliament’s financial committee approved six amendments to the build-operate-transfer (BOT) law during its meeting on Sunday. Panel president MP Faisal Al-Shaya told AlJarida daily that the amendments were generally ‘paraphrasing’ original articles, and added that the committee needs two more meetings to fin-

ish discussing the amendments, likely on Jan 26. Also, Shaya revealed that new communications minister Dr Abdulmohsen Al-Mudej is scheduled to attend tomorrow’s meeting to discuss alternatives to the proposal to increase the housing loan which the government rejects. On that regard, Al-Rai reported yesterday that panel members are discussing a proposal to increase the housing loan from KD 70,000 to KD 80,000 (instead of the KD 100,000 proposal that the government rejects), while allocating a KD 20,000 government subsidy to construction material. Separately, Al-Qabas daily reported yesterday that MP Safa Al-Hashem proposed a draft law to eliminate the fifth paragraph from article 4 of the Kuwaiti citizenship law, which stipulates Islam as a necessary requirement for naturalization.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2014

LOCAL kuwait digest

letters to Muna

Wither merriment?

Is housing a priority?

By Dr Hassan Abbas

D

Political Bloc Al-Anbaa

I just want to vent to you about the injustice that I experienced on Christmas evening near the Evangelical and Catholic church area. I happen to actually live in the Behbehani complex that is between the two churches.

During the day, thousands of churchgoers flocked to the church area and the empty dirt parking lot to attend mass until 1 pm. In the afternoon, police came and closed all entrances to the church and parking and did not allow anyone to park, offload or enter anywhere near the church or surroundings. I know this because I was having a dinner at my house and they also refused my guests from entering, until I went out to confront the police and told them that they have to let my guests in. When I asked why they wouldn’t let the people go to church and park, they said they are creating traffic jams! Excuse me, instead of helping the traffic move smoothly, they just decided to not allow it at all! The lot of land was completely empty and people were trying to go anywhere with no avail. Wallah, shame on them. I was never so disappointed in all the years I have lived in Kuwait.

Stephanie

MP

I see your articles in Kuwait Times and the very interesting one was about your happiness when saying Merry Christmas to everyone. Nice articles. I love them. If there are more people like you in the Middle East, I am sure it will bring peace and joy to all peoples.

Michael Indonesia What a wonderful article you wrote in Kuwait Times titled Merry Christmas. Isn’t it sad that in the Middle East you are saying “Merry Christmas” and decorating - but in the United States the traditional Christmas is facing so many restrictions? (Personally, I am NOT politically correct (PC). I tell everyone Merry Christmas! The pendulum is swinging back, too. More people are saying Merry Christmas again.) Your rationale for wishing Merry Christmas, the reasons of peace, joy, and hope, is what we can all hope and pray for in this new year.

I wish more Americans could read your article and see your excellent view of the holiday. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

LindaLee USA

kuwait digest

Constitutional questions

By Khalid Ahmad Al-Tarrah

I

have an opinion about the “partial ministerial reshuffle”, and I preferred to postpone talking about it because the reshuffle brought with it more than a surprise which calls for well thought of opinion. Yet there something that grabs the attention and is also important and one has to pause for it - it is the legal and constitutional reference in the country, and I do not mean the constitutional court of course, because this court has a certain role and judicial jurisdiction, which I am not going to discuss.

The constitutional and legal reference is clearly not designated within the structure of the executive authority, as the sources of legislation, legal and constitutional opinion vary. There is a legal apparatus made of legal advisors at the council of ministers, particularly at the secretariat general, besides what is available at the justice ministry and the Amiri Diwan.

Besides, there is a legal apparatus that harbors constitutional experts and legal advisors - it is the Fatwa and Legislation Department which is supposed to be responsible, according to the decree that established it, for “all decrees, laws, contracts in addition to issues related to the relationship of the government with foreign governments”. The department gives the opinion in case of differences in opinions between state departments.

The constitutional and legal reference is clearly not designated within the structure of the executive authority, as the sources of legislation, legal and constitutional opinion vary. There is a legal apparatus made of legal advisors at the council of ministers, particularly at the secretariat general, besides what is available at the justice ministry and the Amiri Diwan.

The constitution, according to articles 170, 172, and 173 gave the judicial authority in expressing the opinion and write the proposed laws and rules to the fatwa and legislation department. The legislator, according to decree 14/1977, recognized the judicial function of the department, while the appeals court confirmed that the Fatwa and Legislation Department is part of the judicial authority.

Despite the fact that law is not my specialty, the role of this department is very clear, and any legal opinion that is issued by any area will considered as nonbinding for the executive authority. The many improvisations do not go in the interest and clarity of government policies and scatter its work and expose it to criticisms and legal protests.

Maybe the best example was the circumstances that accompanied the resignation of the government, and constitutional questions that were raised, which is something that calls for the halt of the flood of legal opinions in order to support the policies and decisions of the government. Future challenges are many and require the designation of one legal reference. —Al-Qabas

kuwait digest

What if I was different?!

By Arwa Al-Waqian

T

he girl was a human being who was not if we viewed people according to how they treat blessed with enough beauty. Yet, she had a us and on their characters rather than their feamarvelous spirit and longed for leading a tures! normal life like a normal person. Her only problem We hear about the myth of ‘The Beauty of The lied in not being beautiful. She was chased by Soul’ while only a few actually pay attention to onlookers and called ‘ugly’ for years during which your soul. We have always heard that religions call she tried to ignore such remarks, but eventually for equality while we only see discrimination and decided to live in isolation. comparisons. We have This is all happening a lot about organizaWe hear about the myth of heard because we are living in a tions founded to defend superficial and silly world ‘The Beauty of The Soul’ while others’ rights, which is that, regardless of how to have organizaonly a few actually pay atten- shameful, advanced and developed tions to call for principles it is, only judges people by we should voluntarily have tion to your soul. We have appearance, which means in the first place. always heard that religions being oppressed or Lizzie Velasquez, a 24mocked at if such appearcall for equality while we only year-old American woman ance was abnormal or did from Texas, suffers a very see discrimination and com- rare disease depriving her not match regular measurements. If only man gaining weight. The parisons. We have heard a lot from would think for a moment: disease also led to losing about organizations founded sight in her right eye. She “What if it was me who is different? What if I were suffers from the Neonatal to defend others’ rights, the ugly person? What if I Progeroid Syndrome that were the disabled?”. Would which is shameful, to have causes early ageing and you accept to be treated of fat. As a student, she organizations to call for prin- loss the way they are?! found a video on YouTube Appearance-based disciples we should voluntarily describing her as the crimination is a global world’s ugliest woman. She have in the first place. problem that exists worldexplained how her family’s wide to prove that people support had helped her tend to judge others with first impressions, which and made her a source of inspiration. is completely unfair. Nobody deserves to be I was very touched by Lizzie’s story and felt how looked down upon simply because he/she does is cruel man can be to other fellow humans. not up to your standards. Who are you to have Therefore, I will always wish we would imagine your own standards, anyway? We are all human ourselves in others’ shoes to realize the amount of and Allah, whose creation must be accepted and pain and agony we might intentionally or unintenrespected, has created us differently. Just imagine tionally give to them! —Al-Jarida

in my view

Light at end of tunnel?

By Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed

F

politically to gain public support. There are deep orget about the failed talks between the divisions among the Palestinians. As such, there Palestinians and Israelis and ignore the headwill not be enough votes to adopt the proposed lines regarding the “two-state solution”. At a solutions once posted for referendum. The idea, time when most of us had lost all hopes in this however, will stay pending for years until it’s the regard, a careful analysis of the situation will help time for peace and until all tenacious minds us see light at the end of the tunnel. US Secretary become flexible. of State John Kerry has been running from pillar to Until recently, Israel used to consider the idea of post with a proposal that has elicited negative an independent Palestinian state a distraction to response from the Palestinians. However, in my waste the time of the international community. To opinion it is this very proposal that will help shape Israel, the ideal solution to the issue would be the the final solution in the next decade or so. creation of a Palestinian state under a higher Israeli The latest proposal calls for a swapping of lands authority - much on the lines of a municipality. and people. What if Palestinians got rid of Jewish Israel believes a crisis will push millions of settlements in the occupied West Bank and Israelis Palestinians outside the West Bank borders, ie got rid of Palestinian cities and villages in Israel Jordan, a solution they call the “alternative homeestablishing two new states with new borders? land”. Since this idea, proIf crafted and imple50 years ago, has mented correctly, the idea The latest proposal calls posed failed, there’s a change in will be much better than the dead Oslo Accords. But for a swapping of lands and the way Israelis, even the conservative ones, the devil is in the details. people. What if Palestinians most think. Getting rid of three Most Palestinian citizens of got rid of Jewish settlemillion Palestinians from Israel don’t live in border West Bank and Gaza is areas near the West Bank ments in the occupied West the not enough. Two million and Gaza; therefore the Bank and Israelis got rid of Palestinians living in their people swap will mean that more than one million Palestinian cities and vil- areas (in Israel) mean that Israel won’t be solely for Palestinians living in Israel lages in Israel establishing Israelis. will be displaced from their This wish has evaporathomes. In principle, it’s not two new states with new ed. All of Palestine for a bad idea to gather all borders?

Israelis without Palestinians Palestinians in one state, as is a distant dream. This has this will boost the led them to other options. They are apparently not Palestinian state’s size and potential. Palestinians living in Israel have enjoyed a better education sys- only ready to recognize the West Bank and Gaza, but are also willing to demarcate Palestine. Nobody tem, thus will help to build a modern and strong is fully aware of the details but one can say for sure Palestinian state. that the world is witnessing a huge shift in the Nevertheless, I don’t think Kerry’s proposal will overall thought process that will have an impact on succeed for many reasons. Most importantly, the the outcome of peace talks in the days to come.

Israeli side, being the powerful side, will impose However, it would be too early to pin hopes on the its conditions. The Palestinian Authority, despite thinking it got the state they aspire with minimum ongoing peace process as the issue is complication and the conflict will take time to get resolved. rights and conditions, is not in a strong position

oes housing deserve to be addressed as a priority topic? It seems to me that the problem is more complicated than that, because the housing issue is connected to a long list of problems that we all suffer from. Focusing on the housing issue alone and resolving it without addressing the other problems is going to leave two negative effects - the first is that the issue will not be resolved radically, and the second is that the cost of the solution would be doubled compared to resolving the issue as part of a comprehensive plan that also tackles other problems. Here is how: First, look at the proposed solutions. One of them calls for increasing the housing loan from KD 70,000 to KD 100,000, while the other proposes an increase to the rent allowance. These solutions do not tackle the root cause of the problem because people’s real issue is not with the loan or the rent allowance, but with the difficulty of land allocation. People, or at least a majority of them, are capable of building a house using the KD 70,000 loan. Therefore, the proposed increase fails to provide a solution that addresses the side of the issue which indicates that the government, by the constitution, is required to provide a decent house for the Kuwaiti family. Not only do the proposals fail to provide a solution, but they also complicate the problem. While they are still being discussed, they already resulted in inflation and increase in the prices of building material as well as apartment rents.

The worst part is the second negative effect mentioned above. The housing problem is connected to a complicated network of many other problems including scarcity of land. It is also connected to other issues including monopoly of necessary material and service, legal vacuum (lack of electronic trade for example), decaying road network, lack of governmental efforts to cope with the population explosion (seen evident in the energy sector), lack of strategic planning (highways reaching their maximum capacity), administrative leniency (underemployment), theft of public funds (see Audit Bureau reports), among others.

While the housing issues are part of a complicated network of problems, there is also little hope that a solution can be made by MPs who receive bribes and ministers who take over public funds illegally. I believe that the parliament needs to put the housing issue on hold, and first address corruption in general while improving transparency levels. These should be given priority over any other topic. —Al-Rai

in my view

Homeland’s sour taste

By Ahmad Al-Sarraf

T

here is nothing more beautiful than belonging to a homeland, a place where you live in security and dignity. No one truly cherishes this feeling, and knows exactly what it means when it comes to security and peace of mind, more than those who have lost their homelands. Like health, you never know the true value of your homeland until you lose it.

There are unforgivable things that many people do to their nations in the name of religion, sectarianism, race, tribe or even for the sake of money. They do not know that one day the tables will turn on them or their children. Then, they will know that there is no value of a fortune, belief, sectarian group or tribe if the nation is lost, taking away with it dignity and security.

But even a homeland can leave a sour taste in the mouth sometimes, and patriotism can become a daily suffering. This is something I see in the eyes of many Iraqi, Lebanese and Syrian friends who see their nations struggle in front of their eyes, while they stand incapable of doing anything about it.

The forces of greed who benefit from destruction are stronger than their feelings, fiercer than their prayers and stronger than what their might and money can ever provide.

Even a homeland can leave a sour taste in the mouth sometimes, and patriotism can become a daily suffering. This is something I see in the eyes of many Iraqi, Lebanese and Syrian friends who see their nations struggle in front of their eyes, while they stand incapable of doing anything about it.

I personally felt this sour taste on multiple occasions, and on an accelerating rate in the past few years as I watched my country spiral downwards towards more sectarian struggles and political and administrative corruption.

The number of people with hate filling their hearts is increasing, so is the number of those willing to ‘sell out’ their homelands for a bunch of money. Ignorants are in the meantime creating idols, and some of those idols became representatives of the people in the parliament.

Those with sectarian and tribal approaches became top speakers in gatherings and forums, while the land of justice became the victim.

I felt that sour taste when some nationals elected Abdulhameed Dashti to represent them in the parliament. I felt it again when the same people betrayed a qualified personality in the form of Maasouma AlMubarak. I still feel that taste to see the government unable to utilize tools in its hands to stop Kuwait’s downward spiral. —Al-Qabas

TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2014

LOCAL

Injured Syrians get much needed help from Kuwait Al-Bynyan charity campaign AMMAN: Farah, an eight-year-old Syrian girl, is recovering at a ward of a Kuwaiti-funded hospital after losing her right foot in shellfire that has also killed 14 of her relatives in southern city Deraa. In a neighboring room, Assad Afandi, 17, is being treated for leg amputation and injuries on his hand.

Opposite the pair, 60-year-old Aisha Gharabawi is undergoing treatment of serious injuries she has received in the ongoing violence at home.

The hospital, located in the Amman suburb, AlShmaisani, is one of a chain of hospitals and clinics funded by the State of Kuwait.

In addition to the support for treating the injured Syrians, Kuwait is aiding the Syrian refugees and those in need for help, with financial and material assistance granted by many Kuwaiti associations, NGOs and charities.

Badria Shaikh Al-Basatneh, in charge of AlBader center for medical therapy and supervisor of injured Syrians’ admittance at Al-Jazeera Hospital in Amman, said the hospital has so far treated some 600 Syrian refugees. Kuwaiti philanthropists have covered 99 percent of their treatment costs, she explained.

Al-Basatneh praised the hefty Kuwaiti financial support for securing medical treatment to the Syrians, including many children and women.

AMMAN: Kuwaiti volunteers at the Kuwaiti-funded hospital located in the Amman suburb yesterday.

Over 200 NGOs invited to attend donors conference KUWAIT: Kuwait’s International Islamic Charity Organisation has invited 235 International and local humanitarian organisations, charities and philanthropists to attend a conference of NGOs aimed at raising donations for Syrian refugees today.

The event, scheduled to be held for the second time in Kuwait a day ahead of its equivalent for nations, will be aimed at providing a platform for these humanitarian bodies to take part interactively in easing the suffering on Syrian refugees, said Chairman Abullah Al-Matouq on Monday at a press conference announcing the event.

Since the last conference, a total of USD 190 million has been spent on Syrian refugee relief programs, he added. The IICO, alone, has provided around USD 37 million to those refugees in Jordan, Turkey, Lebanon and Armeia since the outbreak of fighting in Syria around three years ago.

The IICO also plans to construct a 2,000-

unit housing block for the refugees, equipped with adequate schooling and health services, under the directives of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.

The block will mirror the organisation’s previous experience with housing blocks in the “Kuwait model village” in Turkey and another at Zaatari camp in Jordan. Both projects included 1,000 homes, along with schools, health centres and mosques.

Yesterday, Kuwaiti state and non-government charities launched a collective appeal to their international counterparts for assistance aimed at building 10 such housing blocks, worth a total KD 40 million.

The cooperation between the Kuwaiti charities was met with the delight of the IICO chairman, who also commended the decision by His Highness the Amir to organize the huge international pledging event. —KUNA

Kuwaiti village Hussein Al-Saeed of “Al-Bynyan charity campaign” said some $5 million have been distributed to the refugees, noting that a third of the sum has

been disbursed for medical treatment.

The “campaign” has carried out 52 humanitarian operations to aid the Syrian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey, he said, noting that the relief efforts “have asserted the approach of giving, adopted by the Kuwaiti people to relieve their Syrian brothers.”

Number of Kuwaitis offering help for the Syrians is increasing, added Al-Saeed.

The delegate of the Kuwaiti Red Crescent Society in Jordan, Khaled Al-Zaid, said the society is giving assistance, including food, medical supplies and other necessities, to the Syrian refugees throughout the year.

Dr Khalil Hamad of the International Islamic Charitable Organization said the organization had given more than $8 million to the Syrians in Jordan. At Al-Zaatari refugee camp, it granted $2.5 million for construction “of the Kuwaiti village,” grouping some 2,000 pre-fabricated housing units.

Number of Syrians in Jordan is estimated at 1.2 million. Half of them came to the country after flare-up of the Syrian crisis in March 2011.

Charitable project Meanwhile, Deputy Chairman of the Kuwaiti Relief Society Ahmad Al-Jasser urged Kuwaiti charities, governmental and non-governmental organizations to join a charitable project to build 10 housing blocks for Syrian refugees in Syria’s neighboring countries.

He told at a news conference that it would be

Air pollution prevention project ‘vital’ KUWAIT: The “Integrated Environmental Management System” project to fight air pollution is ver y vital, according to Chairman of the Environment Public Authority Dr Salah Al-Mudhi.

Al-Mudhi said yesterday the project is the first of its kind in the country, adding that it is suppor ted by the UN Development Program. The project aims to purify the air for the wellbeing of people, especially in industrial zones where the air pollution is dense, he explained.

The project will oblige factories to follow legal procedures to reduce the pollution they cause in order to safeguard the environment and the public health, said Al-Mudhi.

Big parts of the project were complete, including reforming the environmental laws related to levels of air pollu-

tion, after studying international laws on the issue, said the chairman. Air pollution in Kuwait is caused mainly by gas of petroleum sources, factories, and energy generating sources, he added.

He indicated that as part of the project, assigned personnel have recorded information about emanations from 90 percent of sources in the oil sector, the western Al-Shaiba industrial zone and Subhan. Work is underway to gather information about emanation of pollutants from power stations too, he explained.

Chairman of air pollution monitoring administration in the authority, Ayman Bojabara, said the authority observes and monitors sources of air pollution through a computerized system. —KUNA

the first time for Kuwaiti charities to launch a single appeal for carrying out such a project, which is the first of its kind.

It mainly aims to ease out the pain and suffering of Syrian refugees and to fan out the culture of partnership for concerted relief efforts, he said.

The purpose of the project, which costs KD 40 million, is to build 10,000 housing units in 10 new blocks, with each city costing KD 4 million and encompassing 1,000 units, with all required infrastructure utilities, he added.

The participating Kuwaiti charities will partake in the planning, implementation, operation and management of the housing project, Al-Jasser noted.

The Kuwaiti charities include Zakat House, Kuwait Public Awqaf Foundation, Direct Aid society, Society of the Revival of Islamic Heritage, AlRahma International Charity, Abdullah Al Nouri Charity Association and several others, he said.

The fresh charitable project comes at a time when Kuwait is standing prepared to host the Second International Pledging Conference on Wednesday, he remarked.

The initiative has capped one month and a half of discussions among charity officials, he pointed out.

It reflects the fact that both Kuwaiti government and people are interested in the Syrian crisis, and are seeking to alleviate the sufferings of Syrian refugees in neighboring countries, he boasted. —KUNA

KFH to suspend ATM cards if data not updated KUWAIT: Kuwait Finance House has stated that it will suspend ATM cards in Kuwait of clients who have not updated their data. This step will come into effect as of Sunday, Jan 19, 2014 in response to the requirements of regulators. ATM cards will be automatically re- activated when clients update their data in any of KFH’s branches.

Clients can update their data to ensure the continuity of their banking services of which; withdrawal, POS, electronic payment via K-Net in Kuwait only.

The bank urged its clients to update their data through the 61 branches distributed all over Kuwait. Branches in residential areas open from 8:30-3 pm, while the branch at the Ministries Complex works from 8:30-2:30 pm, Liberation Tower KFH’s branch opens from 8:30- 2 pm. Clients can also visit branches in commercial areas and malls in the evening from 5-7 pm, in addition to the Airport branch that operates 24\7. Clients who are abroad can update their data through printing the form found at www.kfh.com, filling it, and sending it along with a copy of the civil ID to Kuwait, Al-Safat, Zip Code 13110, PO Box 24989, Kuwait Finance House, Branches Department. Clients in Kuwait can also print the form and fill it before heading to the branch, which saves time and effort.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2014

LOCAL

Two held for mugging disabled Kuwaiti man Airport officials arrest man with gun KUWAIT: Sabah Al-Salem detectives arrested two people who reportedly kidnapped a disabled man and stole his money in the area. In his statements to police, the 30-year-old Kuwaiti man said that the suspects approached him while he was outside his house and forced him in their pickup truck at knifepoint. They then drove to a bank branch and ordered him to withdraw all money in his bank account while they waited in the car to avoid being caught by surveillance cameras. The man returned to the car after withdrawing KD250, after which the suspects drove to a remote location where they kicked him out, physically assaulted him, snatched his wallet and then drove away.

Detectives were able to locate the pickup truck at a garage on Saturday, then summoned its owner who said that his son used the vehicle.

The young man was summoned to the police station, and taken for questioning after the victim was able to identify him. The man confessed of committing the crime, and gave information

of his accomplice who was soon placed under arrest. The two, aged 20 and 21, said that they spent the money on massage sessions and illegal activities. They were taken to the proper authorities to face charges.

Airport arrest Officers at the Saad Al-Abdullah Airport arrested a man before he could catch his flight with a handgun in his luggage. The officers reportedly decided to search the man after growing suspicious in his activity, and found a pistol hidden in his handbag which he planned to carry to the plane that was scheduled for a flight to a Gulf nation. The Kuwaiti man was taken to the Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh police station for legal action.

Human smuggling Search is on for a Kuwait International Airport employee who disappeared after police identified him as a suspect in a passenger’s illegal

entry case. Detectives had first detained a Syrian woman based on information they received, and which indicated that she accessed Kuwait without having a valid visa. The woman gave information of an airport employee who she said had helped her enter illegally after receiving a bribe from one of her relatives. The man was not found at his office, and was also not at home where police later headed with an arrest warrant. Investigations are ongoing.

Body found A man was found dead inside his apartment on Saturday night and preliminary investigations indicate that he likely died of natural causes. Paramedics and police arrived to the scene, located at the Amayer district in Jahra, in response to an emergency call. They pronounced the 54-year-old Egyptian national dead before crime scene investigators were called.

The body was taken for an autopsy to determine the cause and time of death.

Harvard School to present educational program KUWAIT: Mohammad Yousef Al-Hashel, Governor of the Central Bank of Kuwait, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Institute of Banking Studies (IBS), announced that the IBS will work with Harvard Business School for the fifth year in a row to present an executive education program for banking and finance executives in the GCC region. The Governor pointed out that the program is one of the strategic developmental projects organized by the IBS. The program, said the Governor, aims to upgrade the skills of the Kuwait and GCC national workforce, of which executives comprise the key component. He mentioned that the program was conducted for the first time in 2010 as an exclusive event for the Central Bank of Kuwait and the Kuwaiti banks.

After the tremendous success of that first program and with the Harvard Business School showing interest in taking the program to the GCC level, the second program was conducted in 2011 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, addressing the GCC banking and financial sectors. Organizing the program at the GCC level has continued with participation from the Central Bank of Kuwait and Kuwaiti banks.

Doha, Qatar was the location for the third program that was held in 2012. The fourth program was conducted last year in Muscat, Oman.

This year the program will be held in Dubai.

that the Harvard Business School is very selective in conducting custom programs, especially those beyond its campus in Boston, USA. The School’s desire to continue to work with IBS, Kuwait on these projects is an indication of the success of this collaboration.

Very selective The Governor pointed out that communication with Harvard Business School started in 2009 to organize the school’s first custom program in the GCC region. The Governor affirmed

The Governor explained that the title of the program “Managing Strategically, Leading for Results” captures the program two integrated themes: ‘Strategic Management’ and ‘Leadership’. The program will be held during

Mohammad Yousef Al-Hashel

January 25th - 30th, 2014 for six consecutive days. It is aimed at upper middle executives of levels such as department heads.

Dr Al-Hashel affirmed that executive education programs held by Harvard Business School in the GCC region adhere to the School’s high standards thus ensuring that participants and their banks will be provided with the same quality of learning experience for which the school is so well known. At the end of the program, participants will receive a Harvard Business School certificate, verifying that they have completed the program.

The Governor elaborated that the worldfamous Harvard Business School case studies will be the main learning tool in the program; these case studies are written by the school’s faculty and are used in numerous universities and executive development centers. Besides selecting banking and finance cases, the faculty have also chosen some that focus on other industries to diversify participants’ learning experience.

In conclusion, the Governor stressed that executive development in the Central Bank of Kuwait, the Kuwaiti and GCC banks will remain a strategic priority considering the role of executives in developing their organizations. He went on to explain that collaboration amongst the GCC countries in areas of common interest such as training and development has always been and will remain an item of top priority. He expressed his gratitude for members of the Kuwait and GCC Banking communities who have continued to support the Harvard Business School programs.

KUWAIT: A fire suddenly broke aut in ready-mix cement truck in Qadisiya yesterday, said security sources noting that a number of workers who were having a nap during a break in the truck narrowly escaped death when a passerby woke them up on seeing the flames. No casualties were reported. —Photos by Hanan Al-Saadoun

Drug trio in police net

By Hanan Al_Saadoun KUWAIT: A gang comprising of three Arab expats was recently arrested for possessing and trading in drugs, said security sources yesterday. Case papers indicate that narcotics detectives had been tipped off concerning the activity of an Arab expat in selling drugs. The suspect was arrested with the possession of some ICE and led

the police to his two accomplices who were also caught with the possession of 250 grams of pure heroin and 150 grams of ICE. • A 4X4 vehicle yesterday collided with a truck on the Sixth Ring Road and hit a cement barrier injuring its passengers, said security sources. Firefighters reached the scene in record time, and managed to rescue the vehicle passengers.

Winner - Zahra Khashouei’s name appearing on stage with Hussain Al-Jassmi, Hadeel Al-Fadhli and Ali Dashti.

Khashouei becomes Al-Danah Millionaire KUWAIT: Gulf Bank has announced Zahra Khashouei as the 2013 Al-Danah Millionaire in an evening of festivity, marked with excitement and anticipation. Aysha Al-Dehani and Mohammed Nawaf Al-Mutairat were the respective KD 50,000 and KD 250,000 Al-Danah winners. The announcement of the winners was made at the Grand Avenue - The Avenues Mall on Jan 9 in the presence of the Ministry of Commerce.

The Al-Danah Millionaire Draw celebration, which was hosted by world-renowned singer and UN Goodwill Ambassador, Hussain Al-Jassmi and Hadeel Al-Fadhli, Senior Manager - Corporate Communications at Gulf Bank, began with music from well-known traditional Kuwaiti band - ‘Alfirqa Al-Shaabiya Lilfunoon’.

The 2014 Al Danah draw line up was also announced during the same evening.

Huge crowds gathered to witness the Al Danah Draw

Better late than never: Al-Anjeri KUWAIT: The general manager of Leaders Group Company for Consultancy and Development (Leaders Group) Nabila Al-Anjeri hailed the steps the government has taken towards establishing an independent authority for tourism.

“Better late than never,” she remarked, noting that other GCC states have independent tourism authorities.

The group’s monthly report stressed the need to launch the new authority as soon as possible in view of the growing need to find alternative income resources other than oil, especially since international studies showed the state budget would suffer deficits by 2017 unless national income resources were diversified. The report added that the establishment of 12 new authorities had been approved in 2012 including the tourism authority which is expected to play a major role in turning Kuwait into a regional touristic destination.

The report urged all relevant bodies entrusted with studying the establishment of a tourism authority to work

faster to avoid losing millions that should be added to state treasury as well avoid lagging behind other GCC states in touristic development. “GCC touristic authorities have special annual budgets and all the liabilities needed to coordinate with various relevant government bodies,” explained the report, noting that those authorities also provide statistical data needed for investors in the field of tourism as well as for the government so that it could build new roads and facilities, expand airports and build new hotels.

Furthermore, the report pointed that the small and medium projects fund, recently approved by the parliament and founded with a capital of KD 2 billion, should start financing small and medium touristic projects even if they initially targeted local visitors alone.

Statistically, the report saw minor growth in GCC nationals visiting Kuwait since 2008 despite the deterioration of Kuwait’s touristic and recreational facilities. “There is a one percent growth in

Nabila Al-Anjeri demand for Kuwait as a destination for GCC tourists - 88 percent of the visitors came from Saudi Arabia followed by 8 percent from Bahrain,” explained the report, noting that two million GCC visitors annually come to Kuwait while Americans topped Western visitors to Kuwait followed by the British and then Canadians.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2014

Oppositions launch Bangkok ‘shutdown’

Hariri killing trial to open against bloody backdrop Page 8

Page 12

Sharon funeral highlights conflicting views Hero at home but seen as criminal in the Arab world JERUSALEM: Israel paid homage to former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon at the first of two funeral services being held yesterday for a man celebrated as a war hero at home but seen by many in the Arab world as a war criminal. US Vice President Joe Biden and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair joined the somber ceremony in front of the Israeli parliament, Sharon’s coffin draped in Israel’s blue and white flag, bathed in winter sunshine.

“We are accompanying to his final resting place today, a soldier, an exceptional soldier, a commander who k new how to win,” said Israeli President Shimon Peres. Sharon, 85, died on Saturday after spending the last eight years of his life motionless in a hospital bed, pitched into a coma by a stroke and far from the public gaze. His death has reopened debate into his legacy, with foes denouncing his ruthless conduct in military operations while friends praised him as a strategic genius who had stunned the world in 2005 by pulling Israeli troops and settlers out of the Gaza Strip - a Palestinian territory in the south.

“The security of his people was always Arik’s unwavering mission - a non-breakable commitment to the future of Jews, whether 30 years or 300 years from now,” Biden said, using Sharon’s nickname. There was no direct mention of some of the controversies that have clung to Sharon’s name through the years, although in his eulogy, Blair said a man widely known at home as “the bulldozer” had left “considerable debris in his wake”.

Biden referred simply to his “mistakes”, saying: “History will judge that he also lived in complex times, in a very complex neighborhood.” The Israeli foreign ministry said dignitaries had come from 21 countries, mainly in Europe, but did not list any delegations from the Middle East, Africa or Latin America. After the memorial service at parliament, Sharon’s body was loaded into a military van for the drive to the family’s farm in southern Israel, some 10 km from Gaza, for burial.

SECURITY CONCERNS Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, noting he had not always seen eye-to-eye with Sharon on policy matters, hailed the former leader’s commitment to Israel’s security. “Arik understood that in matters of our existence and security, we must stand firm,” Netanyahu said. “Israel will continue to fight terror. Israel will continue to strive for peace, while protecting our security. Israel will act in every way to deny Iran the capability of arming itself with nuclear weapons.”

Famously beefy and brusque, Sharon was widely hated by Arabs, particularly for Israel’s 1982 invasion of Lebanon, when hundreds of Palestinian civilians in the refugee camps of Sabra and Shatila were killed by Israeli-allied Christian militiamen.

Sharon was forced to stand down as defense minister in 1983 after an Israeli investigation said he bore “personal responsibility” for not preventing the massacre. Written off at the time, he soon bounced back and served as prime minister from 2001 until he was felled by a stroke.

Neither Netanyahu nor Peres mentioned the Lebanon war or disengagement from Gaza, which showed that Israel could roll back its occupation of the Palestinian territories given determined leadership. Both Biden and Blair hailed the pullout.

However, one of Sharon’s friends, settler leader Zeev Hever, made clear the sense of hurt felt by some Israelis. “Your disengagement in the final two years of your term from the path we had walked together was particularly difficult and painful,” he told mourners.

ELUSIVE PEACE Two years after Israel quit Gaza, the Islamist group Hamas seized control, calling for the destruction of the Jewish state. Israel has beefed up security for Sharon’s burial and warned Hamas not to allow rocket fire during the ceremony. “It was made clear to them that ... it would be a very bad day for anyone there to test Israel’s patience,” said an Israeli security source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

A Reuters correspondent heard two explosions in northern Gaza yesterday which sounded like rocket impacts. An Israeli military spokeswoman said there had been no launches across the border.

Israeli media said the blasts appeared to have resulted from Palestinian militants testing their weapons. How to handle Gaza is among the sticking points in Israel’s US-sponsored peace negotiations with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Hamas’s rival based in the occupied West Bank.

During his brief visit to Israel, Biden will discuss the so far fruitless diplomatic efforts with Netanyahu and Peres, US officials said.

The vice president will also seek to ease Netanyahu’s concerns about world powers’ interim nuclear deal with Israel’s arch-foe Iran, which takes effect on Jan 20. Sharon and Peres are the last of the so-called 1948-generation of leaders who played a prominent role in Israeli public life right from the foundation of the nation. “He left us too soon. But the work of trying to reach peace continues,” said Biden, hinting that had Sharon stayed healthy, he might have ended the decades-old Middle East conflict.— Reuters

JERUSALEM: Israeli honor guards carry the coffin of late prime minister Ariel Sharon during a state memorial service at the Knesset (Israeli Parliament) in Jerusalem yesterday. — AFP

TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2014

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

Qaeda unit executes dozens of rivals in Raqqa AMMAN: The Al-Qaeda-linked Islamist State of Iraq and the Levant executed dozens of rival Islamists over the last two days as the group recaptured most territory it had lost in the northeastern Syrian province of Raqqa, activists said yesterday.

One of the activists, who spoke from the province on condition of anonymity, said up to 100 fighters from the Nusra Front, another Al-Qaeda affiliate, and the Ahrar Al-Sham brigade, captured by ISIL in the town of Tel Abyad on the border with Turkey, the nearby area of Qantari and the provincial capital city of Raqqa, were shot dead.

There was no independent confirmation of the report. “About 70 bodies, most shot in the head, were collected and sent to the Raqqa National hospital,” the activist said. “Many of those executed had been wounded in the fighting. The fact that Nusra Front and Ahrar Al-Sham are ideologically similar to the ISIL did not matter,” he added. ISIL’s growth has alarmed Western nations, who are pushing the opposition to attend peace talks in Switzerland in 10 days’ time, and has

helped President Bashar Al-Assad to portray himself as the only secular alternative to Islamist extremism.

Fighting between the ISIL and rival Islamists and more moderate rebels have killed hundreds of people over the last 10 days and shaken the hardline militant group led by foreign jihadists. But the ISIL regrouped and recaptured much of its stronghold in Raqqa city on Sunday, activists said, dealing a blow to rival rebel groups backed by Gulf Arab and Western states. Among those reportedly executed on the weekend was Abu Saad al-Hadram, Nusra Front’s commander for Raqqa province who was captured several months ago as tension mounted between the foreign-led ISIL and the more homegrown Nusra, opposition sources said.

In Raqqa, the only provincial capital under rebel control, activists said ISIL fighters battled remnants of rival Islamist units including the Nusra Front in several neighborhoods. To the north, ISIL recaptured the town of Tel Abyad on the border with Turkey over the weekend. As a result, Turkish authorities closed a border cross-

ing near the town and pulled out the facility’s staff, according to the Syrian Revolution Coordinating Union, an opposition monitoring group.

There was no immediate comment from Turkish officials. Abdallah Farraj, a member of the opposition Syrian National Coalition from Raqqa, said rebels had been able to expel ISIL from par ts of the neighboring Aleppo province, but it would be hard to shake ISIL’s hold on Raqqa and rural areas along key supply lines across the north.

“The rebels lack the organisation and the firepower to win. It will be difficult to defeat ISIL without military strikes from someone like Turkey,” he said.

Abu Khaled al-Walid, an activist speaking from the border area, said many fighters from Ahrar Al-Sham, one of the most powerful Islamist groups, chose not to confront ISIL because the combatants were local people with little enmity for each other. “Many did not see a point in fighting their own relatives. ISIL is now in control of 95 percent of Raqqa and its rural environs. Tel

Hariri killing trial to open against bloody backdrop LEIDSCHENDAM: Four Hezbollah members go on trial in absentia this week at a UN-backed tribunal for the 2005 killing of Lebanese former premier Rafiq Hariri in a case increasingly overshadowed by sectarian bloodshed at home. Nine years after a massive Beirut car bombing killed billionaire Hariri, leading to the exit of Syrian troops from Lebanon, and three years into Syria’s own bloody civil war, prosecutors are finally to open their case on Thursday in a suburb of The Hague. The seafront bombing killed 22 people besides Damascus opponent Hariri and wounded 226, leading to the establishment by the UN Security Council of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) in 2007.

Although the attack was initially blamed on pro-Syrian Lebanese generals, the court in 2011 issued arrest warrants against Mustafa Badreddine, 52, Salim Ayyash, 50, Hussein Oneissi, 39, and Assad Sabra, 37, all members of Syrian-backed Shiite movement Hezbollah. A fifth suspect, Hassan Habib Merhi, 48, was indicted last year and his case may yet be joined to the current trial. The STL is unique in inter-

national justice as it was set up to try the perpetrators of a terrorist attack and because it can try the suspects in absentia. The four suspects have been charged with nine counts, ranging from conspiracy to commit a terrorist act to homicide and attempted homicide.

Chief prosecutor Norman Farrell said in his indictment that Badreddine and Ayyash “kept Hariri under surveillance” before the Valentine’s Day suicide bombing, while Oneissi and Sabra allegedly issued a false claim of responsibility to mislead investigators. Hariri, Lebanon’s Sunni prime minister until his resignation in October 2004, was on his way home for lunch when a suicide bomber detonated a van full of 2.5 tons of TNT as his armored convoy passed. A video was then delivered to the Beirut office of pan-Arab satellite broadcaster Al-Jazeera in which a man “falsely claimed to be a suicide bomber on behalf of a fictional fundamentalist group called ‘Victory and Jihad in Greater Syria’,” prosecutors said.

They will aim to prove the four men’s involvement through tracking their alleged use of mobile phones before, during and after the attack. The

STL initially sparked fierce debate in Lebanon, sharply divided into the camp led by Hezbollah and its rivals in the March 14 movement, set up in the wake of Hariri’s assassination and led by his son Saad, also a former prime minister, who may attend the trial’s opening.

His movement is united by its opposition to larger neighbor Syria, which was forced to end an almost 30-year occupation of Lebanon in the wake of the bombing.

The powerful Hezbollah has denied responsibility for the attack, and its leader Hassan Nasrallah has dismissed the tribunal as a US-Israeli conspiracy, vowing that none of the suspects will be arrested. Hezbollah brought down a Western-backed Lebanese government led by Saad Hariri in January 2011 because of its support for the tribunal.

“We have always said that the STL has been set up illegally in the first place,” Badreddine’s court-appointed lawyer Antoine Korkmaz said. “The (UN) Security Council has been manipulated for political reasons,” he said ahead of the trial. Hariri’s assassination was “not an act of terrorism, it was a political attack,” Korkmaz said. —AFP

Abyad is also back with it,” he said.

Nucleus of caliphate Raqqa, on the Euphrates River 385 km northeast of Damascus, is the most significant city to have fallen completely to Assad’s opponents since the revolt against his family’s four-decade rule broke out in March 2011. An ISIL statement called on Raqqa tribes to pull out their members from anti-ISIL rebel units and said the attacks against the group were designed to “destroy the nucleus of the caliphate” and promote a “heathen” alternative.

ISIL pulled out of Raqqa and other towns in northern Syria this month after an Islamist rebel alliance attacked its strongholds, taking advantage of growing popular resentment of the group’s foreign commanders, their killing of other rebels and a drive to impose a strict interpretation of Islamic law. But ISIL has regrouped in the last few days, using snipers, truckmounted commando units and suicide bombers.

Opposition sources said the expertise of its foreign commanders, including a

senior figure known as Omar Al-Shishani, had been crucial to its advance. In the province of Aleppo west of Raqqa, activists said ISIL had regained several rural towns, including Hreitan and Basraton, where ISIL killed a senior commander in the Nour Al-Din Zanki brigades, a key unit in the newly-formed Mujahideen Army, which has been fighting ISIL in Aleppo.

Fighting also raged on Sunday between Western-backed Free Syrian Army units around the town of Retayan near Aleppo and in Urum to the east, as rebel infighting made the city vulnerable to advances by Assad’s forces, the sources said. Abdallah Al-Sheikh, an activist in northern Syria, said Assad’s forces had began bombarding areas from which ISIL had withdrawn, such as the town of Maarat Misreen and parts of Aleppo city.

“ISIL have been doing Assad a huge favor by killing many of the formidable rebel commanders and the regime has chosen to help it by not touching many of the areas it had taken. As soon as it withdrew, the bombing resumed,” he said. —Reuters

Deal curbing Iran’s nuclear drive to take effect Jan 20 Iran to get first $550m of blocked funds in Feb TEHRAN: A landmark deal that curbs parts of Iran’s disputed nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief will take effect from January 20, Tehran and Western powers said Sunday. US President Barack Obama welcomed the news, but warned there was still a rough road ahead to clinch a comprehensive deal. Western nations and Israel have long suspected Iran of pursuing a nuclear weapons capability alongside its civilian program, charges the Islamic republic fiercely denies.

Tehran agreed in November to roll back parts of its nuclear work and halt further advances in exchange for the release of billions of dollars in frozen assets and limited relief from sanctions that have choked its economy. The deal was a major achievement for President Hassan Rouhani, who won a first-round electoral victory over a pool of conservatives last year by vowing a more diplomatic approach with the West after eight years of stalled talks and escalating sanctions under his hardline predecessor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

“Both sides reached the same interpretation on how to implement the agreement and the first step will be executed from January 20,” Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator Abbas Araqchi said, quoted by IRNA news agency. The White House confirmed the news.

“Beginning January 20th, Iran will for the first time start eliminating its stockpile of higher levels of enriched uranium and dismantling some of the infrastructure that makes such enrichment possible,” it said. $4.2 billion unblocked A senior US administration official said that the first $550-million installment of $4.2 billion in frozen assets would be released early next month.

“The installment schedule starts on Feb 1 and the payments are evenly distributed” across 180 days, a senior US administration official said.

February 1 is a Saturday and the first payment might not be made until the following Monday. Similar amounts will be unblocked roughly every month for six months, with the last payment due around July 20.

Araqchi said Tehran would keep to its part of the bargain, with half of its 20 percent enriched uranium diluted or oxidized. A US official warned the sanctions relief would be terminated if Tehran did not comply. Obama said the move by both sides was an “important step forward” and stressed the focus was now “on the critical work of pursuing a comprehensive resolution

TEHRAN: An Iranian woman walks past a Rolls-Royce during a classic car show in Tehran. Unblocking billions of dollars in funds to Iran under a landmark six-month nuclear deal with the West, that will take effect from January 20, 2014 will have a significant economic and psychological impact on the Islamic republic, experts said yesterday. —AFP that addresses our concerns over Iran’s nuclear program”.

“I have no illusions about how hard it will be to achieve this objective, but for the sake of our national security and the peace and security of the world, now is the time to give diplomacy a chance to succeed,” said Obama. The US president said he would veto any attempt by Congress to impose new sanctions on Iran during the next phase of negotiations.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague and US Secretary of State John Kerry also welcomed the setting of the implementation date.

“The entry into force of this agreement on 20 January is an important step towards peacefully resolving the Iranian nuclear issue, on which comprehensive negotiations will now start,” said Hague. Kerry said the development was a “critical, significant step forward”. After two days of exhaustive talks, Iran and the European Unionwhich represents the P5+1 of Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States plus Germany-agreed Friday on how to implement the deal. EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said the agreement lays “the foundations for a coherent, robust and smooth implementation” of the November deal for the next six months.

New nuke centrifuges Iran and world powers have held several sessions of talks in Vienna and

Geneva to fine-tune the deal in the past weeks, and the date of January 20 was reached at the last round in the Swiss city. Diplomats said there were three main hurdles at the last session of negotiations, namely over a new generation of Iranian nuclear centrifuges which could potentially enable Tehran to purify uranium to a weapons-grade level. In August, Iran said it has about 19,000 centrifuges, including 1,000 of new P-2 generation, confirming figures from the UN watchdog overseeing its nuclear drive.

Analysts also welcomed the implementation date but said problems could still arise to block further negotiations. “There of course are going to be hurdles along the way, disagreements between Iran and the P5+1, actions by the US Congress, opposition to the Rouhani government approach by Iranian hardliners, so this is just really the first step, but it’s a positive first step,” said Alireza Nader of the Rand Corporation. Under the November deal, Iran agreed it will not enrich uranium over five percent for six months while neutralizing its stockpile of uranium enriched to 20 percent. It also agreed to allow daily site inspections of its Fordo and Natanz enrichment facilities by experts from the UN nuclear watchdog IAEA, as well as hand over information about the design of the Arak reactor. —AFP

210 dead in Yemen after Houthis and Salafis battle SANAA: At least 210 people have been killed in two months of fighting between Shiite Muslim Houthis and ultra-conservative Sunni Salafis in northern Yemen, a Salafi spokesman said yesterday. The violence erupted on Oct 30 when the Houthi rebels who control much of the northern Saada province accused Salafis in the town of Damaj of recruiting thousands of foreign fighters to prepare to attack them.

The Salafis, who follow a strict interpretation of Sunni Islam, say the foreigners are students seeking to deepen their knowledge of Islam in the town’s Dar Al-Hadith seminary. Surour AlWadi’i, a Salafi spokesman, said the death toll among Salafis had risen to 210, with 620 wounded. A spokesman for the Houthis, Ali Al-Bakhity, said no casualty figures were available for the Houthis. Sectarian rivalry in Damaj has cast a shadow over reconciliation efforts in Yemen, a neighbor of top oil exporter Saudi Arabia and home to one of Al-Qaeda’s most active wings.

Fighting between the two sides in Saada and adjacent provinces stopped

SANAA: Muslim Yemenis sit on the grass during a rally marking the birth anniversary of Islam’s Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) at a football stadium yesterday in the Yemeni capital. —AFP as a ceasefire deal took hold on Saturday.

Several previous ceasefires have failed. The latest deal includes an agreement by the Salafis to leave Damaj and move to the town of Hadida and stipulates that the foreign students should go home, according to the ceasefire document seen by Reuters. It gives

Yehia Al-Hagouri, the Salafi leader and a signatory to the ceasefire, four days to leave along with his followers. Wadi’i, the Salafi spokesman, criticized the deal saying it would strengthen the hand of the Houthis, who belong to the Zaydi branch of Shiite Islam, on all of Saada and eradicate any Sunni presence in the province. —Reuters

TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2014

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

Myth-busting librarians debunk rumors about Wild West laws AUSTIN: Legend has it that the long arm of Texas law once extended to hotel balconies where the men with star badges would take into custody anyone who violated a state statute forbidding people to hunt buffalo from such a perch. The legend ends at the Legislative Reference Library of Texas, where a small team of well-referenced librarians has gone through the records and sorted out fact from fiction when it comes to the laws of the Lone Star State.

“The ideas of the history of Texas capture the imagination with those stories of cattle drives and the old West. People want to still think it is like that and those laws are on the

books,” said Catherine Wusterhausen, the library’s assistant director. There was never any state law forbidding buffalo hunting from the second floor of a hotel. But a person who fired a weapon in those circumstances would probably face other violations of criminal law. The library has received a steady stream of requests from the public and lawmakers to see if a certain statute is still on the books or whether it existed at all. It recently sorted through claims for an exhibit at its home in the state capitol building. One claim is that a couple can be married in Texas by publicly introducing a person as one’s husband or wife three times. This seems to have

grown out of common law marriages that were common about a century and a half ago, when a trip to a county seat in the state’s wide open spaces was too long a journey for many couples. Texas law does allow for “marriage without formalities” and recognizes those that are registered or from couples who agree to live together as husband and wife and represent to others that they are married. Introducing yourself as a married couple three times is not a requirement.

“There is usually a kernel of truth to many of these myths,” said reference librarian Becky Johnson, who helped put together the exhibit. The state laws of Texas have been

well preserved, codified and computerized.

Some of the myths of Texas laws could have come from local rules that were lost over the years. Many of the frontier laws faded into history or were folded into other laws during major revisions to the criminal code, the last one being in 1973. Removed was the law that made it illegal to milk another person’s cow, which carried a maximum fine of $10.

The law on the books from at least 1856 making it illegal to publish that another person is a coward also has perished. Current libel law can handle cases like this. Also gone is the law that made it illegal to introduce Johnson grass - a noxious weed - onto

another person’s property, because it would destroy crops.

A few myths, such as the claim that Texas once had a law requiring criminals to inform their victims at least 24 hours ahead of any crime, stem from relatively recent actions. A lawmaker proposed such a measure in 1973, but the bill did not pass. There are also some antiquated laws that may be worth revisiting, such as a part of the education code from the early 20th century. It required that “suitable instruction shall be given in the primary grades once each week regarding kindness to animals and the protection of birds and their nests and eggs.”— Reuters

Emotional Rodman ‘sorry’ after controversial North Korea trip

PORT-AU-PRINCE: Residents take a break in the middle of charred remains of a camp for displaced people by the 2010 earthquake, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The camp caught fire Saturday, killing four people, including three children. —AP

Haiti marks 4th anniversary of devastating earthquake 2010 tragedy leaves 250,000 dead PORT-AU-PRINCE: Haiti marked four years on Sunday since a violent earthquake shattered the impoverished nation, which is still struggling to recover from the widespread devastation that killed 250,000 people.

Haitians, many dressed in white, flocked to church services for somber remembrances for those who perished in the tragedy on January 12, 2010, which left about a million people homeless. But four years on, nearly 200,000 people are still living in dire conditions in temporary shelters, and residents complain of having received little help since NGOs left. President Michel Martelly, who has faced protests over the slow pace of rebuilding, declared the anniversary a “day of reflection and commemoration.”

He lay flowers early in the day at the site of a mass grave where many of the quake’s victims were buried. And he attended a ceremony at 4:53 pm (2153 GMT), the moment the quake struck four years ago. “35 seconds ... That’s the all time that was needed, on January 12, 2010, to spread darkness over Haiti.

We were all in tears, plunged into despair that day,” Martelly said.

Wearing white as he addressed thousands of Haitians gathered for a minute of silence in memory of the catastrophe’s victims, Martelly also thanked “the friends of Haiti who came from all over to help.”

He called for Haiti’s 10 million people to unite for reconstruction, saying

the Caribbean nation would “move forward with our resources in rebuilding.”

“Haiti is like the reed; it bends but does not break,” he said. Flags were to be lowered throughout the country and businesses closed to mark the anniversary, while radio and television stations were encouraged to broadcast programming suitable to the emotional occasion. The devastation is still keenly felt in Port-au-Prince, the teeming capital of the Americas’ poorest country.

Faced with criticism over the slow pace of rebuilding, especially of administrative buildings-including the legislative palace-Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe had pledged last week to step on “the accelerator to advance the main projects.” But church ministers on Sunday railed against the time it was taking to reconstruct buildings that were largely leveled throughout the capital. “We are still waiting for reconstruction of the country that has been promised by authorities, but we are certain of getting the reconstruction promised by God,” one pastor told his congregation. Opposition critics have attacked the government for failing to make better progress on rebuilding.

“We find ourselves again this January 12, 2014 with sentiments of strong concern ... over our true engagement in the politics of reconstructing the country,” senate president Dieuseul Simon Desras said in a statement questioning the government’s “ability to respond to social needs.” The govern-

ment says a large portion of millions donated by governments and organizations the world over was spent on the post-earthquake emergency and not for reconstruction.

“We were lucky to have help from Venezuela. Most of our projects were accomplished with Venezuelan money.

With slim means, we accomplished a lot of things,” Lamothe said, expressing hope that the international community would make good on its aid pledges.

He also criticized the international community for failing to provide promised aid of nearly $9 billion. “If the international community had fulfilled its commitment, we would have accomplished 10 times more,” Lamothe said.

“But Haiti is better off four years after the earthquake even if there remains much to be done.”

Haiti has recently seen an increase in anti-government protests, some breaking out into violent clashes.

Protesters have called for the resignation of Martelly, who has been in office since 2011, and are also demanding better living conditions. Plans to rebuild Port-au-Prince have been presented to the public, but the construction never happened.

“Rebuilding the capital will require the creation of a new downtown and the creation of an administrative center,” Lamothe said. Some 42 public buildings were among those flattened during the earthquake, and most are still lying wrecked. — AFP

Mexico vigilantes seize a new town from cartel NUEVA ITALIA: Vigilantes seized a drug cartel’s bastion in western Mexico on Sunday, sparking a shootout as civilian militias gained new ground in their struggle against the gang in a violence-plagued region. Hundreds of armed civilians riding in more than 100 pickup trucks rolled into the Michoacan

state town of Nueva Italia and were met by gunfire from presumed Knights Templar cartel members when they reached the municipal office. “They shot at us from two locations and the clash lasted around an hour and a half,” Jaime Ortiz, a 47year-old farmer and vigilante leader from the town of La Ruana said. Two members of the self-defense unit were wounded, he said, standing in the 40,000-population town’s main square, surrounded by hundreds of men armed with AK-47 assault rifles, bulletproof vests and radios. Some sidewalks were soaked in blood in the town’s empty streets.

Later, on a highway leading to the town, authorities found two men hanging from a bridge, though it was not immediately know if the killings were related to the vigilantes’ advance. Mexican cartels have hanged many victims in recent years.

Michoacan’s growing civilian militia movement, which first emerged nearly a year ago, has seized more communities in recent weeks in its bid to rout the Templars. The turmoil in Michoacan has become the biggest security challenge of President Enrique Pena Nieto’s 13month-old administration, which inherited a drug war that has killed more than 77,000 people in the past seven years.— AFP

BEIJING: An emotional Dennis Rodman appeared to break down yesterday as he apologized on his return from a controversial trip to North Korea, where he sang “Happy Birthday” to regime leader Kim Jong-Un. The former NBA star was widely criticized for refusing to bring up human rights abuses or the plight of a US missionary detained in North Korea during his week-long visit.

The former Chicago Bulls player was also accused of pandering to North Korean authorities during the trip, which featured an exhibition basketball match involving other NBA stars to mark Kim’s birthday. “I love my country, America, I love it and I will never trade it for nothing in the world,” the pierced and heavily tattooed Rodman told reporters at Beijing airport. Former world heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson has described Rodman’s actions as “treason”.

Rodman said he wanted to “show people that no matter what is going on in the world, for one day... not politics, not all this stuff...” before launching into an apology. “I am sorry. I am not the president. I am not an ambassador. I am Dennis Rodman. Just an individual, just showing the world the fact that we can actually get along and be happy for one day,” Rodman said, before his voice broke and he put his hands to his face.

He was ushered through a heavy media presence by security and his entourage, which includes Joseph Terwilliger, a bearded tuba-playing neuroscience professor from Columbia University in New York. Rodman has developed an unlikely relationship with the young North Korean leader since making his first trip there in February, when he declared Kim a “friend for life”.

BEIJING: Former US basketball player Dennis Rodman responds to the media as he arrives at Beijing International Airport from North Korea yesterday. An emotional Dennis Rodman appeared to break down yesterday as he apologized on his return from a controversial trip to North Korea, where he sang “Happy Birthday” to regime leader Kim Jong-Un. — AFP The former power forward, who was wearing dark glasses, a blue tracksuit top and orange scarf, was asked whether he raised the issue of Kenneth Bae, who was detained by North Korean authorities. In an interview with CNN last week, Rodman delivered an angry tirade in which he appeared to suggest that the missionary merited his 15-year prison sentence. “I’m sorry I couldn’t do anything,” Rodman said, in comments echoing those of his publicist last week.

“I’m sorry, it’s not my fault. I’m sorry... I just want to do some good stuff, that’s all I want to do, basketball, that’s all,” he added. Rodman was returning from his fourth visit to the reclusive state in 12 months. “It is amazing that I had the

opportunity just to go to North Korea, and for the Marshal (Kim) just to give me an opportunity just to be in his presence and in his city,” he said, adding that he would visit the North again next month for “another game”. Kim, who was educated in Switzerland, is reported to be a huge fan of basketball and especially of the Chicago Bulls, with whom Rodman won three NBA titles alongside Michael Jordan in the 1990s. Bae was arrested in November 2012 as he entered Rason, a port in the northeast of the hardline Communist state. North Korea, which bans religious proselytizing, says that Bae was a Christian evangelist who brought in “inflammatory” material.—AFP

TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2014

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

News

in brief

Saudi Arabia sentences Qaeda militant to death RIYADH: A Saudi court has sentenced to death an Al-Qaeda militant and jailed 10 others over a May 2004 attack that killed six Westerners and a policeman, state media reported. The defendants, seven of whom are brothers, were convicted of aiding assailants who attacked a US company in the northwestern port town of Yanbu, killing two Americans, two Britons, an Australian and a Canadian, as well as a Saudi, SPA news agency said late Sunday. The defendant who was sentenced to death was convicted of making explosives used in the attack and receiving training by a member of the group who was killed in the assault, SPA reported. The others were sentenced to between 3 and 12 years in prison. SPA did not name any of the defendants who were also charged with sheltering one of the assailants, possessing weapons, and financing the attack, among other charges. The trial opened in May 2011 and involved four other militants who had been killed in the operation.

More than 20 Belgian Islamists killed in Syria BRUSSELS: More than 20 of the 200 or so Belgian Islamists who have left for Syria to fight President Bashar Al-Assad’s regime have been killed, Foreign Minister Didier Reynders said yesterday. “More than 200 people have been clearly identified or are being identified... Most have joined the most extremist groups, including the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL),” an Al-Qaeda-linked group, Reynders said in a newspaper interview.

“More than 20 have already died in Syria,” he told the daily La Libre Belgique newspaper. Reynders also reiterated growing concerns among governments across Europe over “how to keep track of these jihadists to see whether they are dangerous once they return here or elsewhere”.

Kalashnikov ‘repented’ in the letter to Church MOSCOW: Mikhail Kalashnikov, designer of the legendary AK-47 assault rifle, turned to the head of the Russian Orthodox Church shortly before his death to express fears he was personally guilty for those it killed. Kalashnikov, who died in December at the age of 94, in April wrote a lengthy emotional letter to Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill, Izvestia, a pro-Kremlin daily, reported yesterday.

“My spiritual pain is unbearable. I keep having the same unsolved question: if my rifle took away people’s lives, then can it be that I... am guilty for people’s deaths, even if they were enemies?” he asked.

The typed letter on Kalashnikov’s personal writing paper, reproduced by Izvestia, is signed with a wavering hand by the man who describes himself as “a slave of God, the designer Mikhail Kalashnikov.” Kalashnikov, whose funeral was attended by President Vladimir Putin, came up with the durable and simple rifle design after experiencing the Red Army’s dire lack of weapons during World War II.

Ruler of Dubai urges lifting Iran sanctions Sheikh Mohammed ‘hopes’ Sisi does not run for presidency DUBAI: The ruler of Dubai, a Gulf trade and investment hub with strong links to Iran, said in remarks broadcast yesterday that the international community should ease sanctions on the Islamic Republic. Under a deal struck in November, Iran is expected to curb its nuclear activity in exchange for a limited easing of the international sanctions. The pact will come into force Jan 20, Iran and world powers agreed on Sunday.

Asked whether he thought it was time to lift the sanctions, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who is also the Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, told British broadcaster the BBC: “I think so and give Iran a space... Iran is our neighbour and we don’t want any problem, he said, adding that “everybody will benefit”.

Despite a decade of sanctions, Iran has managed to get most of the commodities and goods it needs via Dubai’s flourishing re-export market, although new embargoes imposed by the United States and its allies in late 2011 and early 2012 have hit it hard. The vast majority of trade between Iran and its Gulf Arab neighbours is routed through Dubai, home to tens of thousands of ethnic Iranians and one of seven emirates making up the United Arab Emirates. Iran says its atomic energy program is aimed purely at electricity generation and other civilian purposes, although past Iranian attempts to hide sensitive nuclear activity from UN non-proliferation inspectors raised concerns. “I think they’re telling the truth when they say just for civilian power,” Sheikh Mohammed said in the interview.

Sisi should stay in army Shortly after the Nov 24 deal, Iran’s foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif went to the UAE to try and improve relations with the US ally. Across the Gulf from Iran, the UAE stands to benefit directly from any easing of sanctions under the nuclear deal that have dampened regional trade. Zarif met Sheikh Mohammed during his December visit and the UAE was the first Gulf Arab state to cautiously welcome November’s nuclear deal. The UAE foreign minister flew to Iran days after the agreement was signed, on a trip planned before the deal, calling for a partnership with the Islamic Republic.

The six Sunni Muslim-ruled members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) are wary of Iranian power in the

Middle East, fearing the Shiite Muslim-led country is seeking regional dominance and stirring sectarian tension. Tehran denies this. But they have also welcomed Iran’s “new direction” under President Hassan Rouhani and said Tehran should do more to promote stability in the region.

Sheikh Mohammed also said Egypt, which is due to vote on a constitutional referendum this week, was better off without Islamist President Mohamed Morsi who was deposed by the army in July after mass protests against his rule. The UAE is deeply mistrustful of the Muslim Brotherhood and relations soured when Morsi became Egypt’s first freely elected president after the downfall of autocrat Hosni Mubarak in 2011. The UAE, along with Sunni powerhouse Saudi Arabia, have championed army chief General Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi who deposed Morsi, and have poured billions of dollars to shore up the country’s beleaguered economy since Morsi’s downfall.

There has been widespread speculation about whether Sisi, who is depicted by his supporters as a saviour who will restore stability to the shaken country, would run for presidential elections slated for later this year. Sheikh Mohammed said Sisi was better off in the army, saying: “I hope he stays in the army. And someone else (stands) for the presidency.” But a UAE government spokesperson tried to soften Sheikh Mohammed’s remarks, stressing the “UAE’s respect for will of the Egyptian people and support for their political choices.” “The brotherly advice was for General Sisi not to stand as a military man for the presidency. But if he runs as a civilian, answering the call of his people, that would be a personal choice for” Sisi, the official said in a statement carried by WAM state news agency. On Syria, Sheikh Mohammed said the UAE was only comfortable supporting displaced Syrians in Jordan and Turkey, as opposed to providing support to rebel groups, some of whom are extremist in nature.

‘Unsatisfactory’ treatment Sheikh Mohammed also said that the treatment of a US citizen who spent nine months in jail for posting a parody video on YouTube was unsatisfactory, and suggested it was a mistake the UAE would learn from. Shezanne Cassim was detained in April and sentenced to a year in prison in the

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Gulf Arab state in December on cybercrime charges for his video, a 20-minute “mockumentary” that pokes fun at young Emirati men who imitate US hip-hop culture. Asked by BBC whether Cassim’s case had been handled in a satisfactory way, Sheikh Mohammed said: “No ... We are not perfect and we try to change it. Any mistakes, we go in and try to change it. We’re not perfect, but we are doing our best.”

Cassim, who was also fined 10,000 UAE dirhams ($2,700), was released last week and returned home to the United States, saying he had done nothing wrong. He said he had been held with limited information in a prison with few facilities, and not told what crime he was accused of until about five months after he was apprehended.— Agencies

Southwest flight lands at wrong Missouri airport MISSOURI: A Southwest Airlines flight bound for the main airport in Branson, Mo, instead touched down at a much smaller nearby airfield that gave the pilots only half as much room to stop. After passengers were let off the jet Sunday evening, they noticed that the airliner had come dangerously close to the end of the runway, where it could have tumbled down a steep embankment if it had left the pavement.

“As soon as we touched down, the pilot applied the brake very hard and very forcibly,” said passenger Scott Schieffer, a Dallas attorney who was among the 124 passengers aboard

Southwest Flight 4013 from Chicago’s Midway Airport to the Branson airport. “I was wearing a seatbelt, but I was lurched forward because of the heavy pressure of the brake. You could smell burnt rubber, a very distinct smell of burnt rubber as we were stopping.” Branson Airport has a runway that is more than 7,100 feet long - a typical size for commercial traffic. The longest runway at Taney County Airport is only slightly more than 3,700 feet because it is designed for small private planes. After the jet stopped, a flight attendant welcomed passengers to Branson, Schieffer said. Then, after a few moments, “the pilot came on and

said, ‘Ladies and gentlemen, I’m sorry to tell you we landed at the wrong airport.”

At first, Schieffer said, he considered it only an inconvenience.

But once he got off the plane, someone pointed to the edge of the runway, which he estimated as about 100 feet away. “It was surreal when I realized we could have been in real danger and instead of an inconvenience, it could have been a real tragedy,” he said. Mark Parent, manager of the smaller airport also known as M. Graham Clark Downtown Airport, described the distance as closer to 300 feet. He said the runway is built partly on landfill. —AP

‘Party over’, CAR troops return to the barracks BANGUI: The interim president of the violence -wracked Central African Republic declared yesterday that “the party is over” after weeks of deadly sectarian violence as deserting troops and police returned to duty.

Alexandre -Ferdinand Nguendet, speaker of the country’s provisional parliament and interim president, vowed that the “anarchy” that has gripped the country would be swiftly brought to an end.

And he issued a stern warning to warring militiamen from the mostly Muslim Seleka group and the antibalaka Christian fighters set up to oppose them. Speaking at a police headquarters in the capital Bangui, he said: “To the ex-Seleka, to the anti-balaka and the lovers of looting, I’m giving you a severe warning: The party is over.” Nguendet, whose parliament has been charged with finding a new transitional president within two weeks, declared: “The chaos is over, the pillaging is over, the revenge attacks are over.”

The return of soldiers and police to duty was another encouraging sign for the Central African Republic after weeks of horrific sectarian violence including reports of cannibalism. Sunday night was “particularly calm” with no reports of looting, according to residents contacted by AFP. The troops, many of whom had fled their units for fear of being killed, heeded a call from chief of staff General Ferdinand Bomboyeke to return to barracks yesterday.

“They came in very large numbers and they ’re still coming,” Colonel Desire Bakossa, who supervised the registration sid. “ They answered the general’s call. It’s a relief. It’s a very good sign.” Similar centers have opened in Bangui for police to register after many of them deserted too. Nguendet said the police, completely absent from the streets of Bangui in recent weeks, would be “redeployed within 72 hours and would take part in the disarmament process” underway in the city. “I’m very happy to see again my brothers in arms,” said adjutant Jacky-Morel Gbabja, who fled his unit in December to take shelter with his family.

‘A shame for the nation’ Nguendet’s speech came the day after scenes of reconciliation in the southern Bangui neighborhood of

BANGUI: Interim Central African President Alexandre-Ferdinand Nguendet waves at the Isamo gendarmerie camp in Bangui yesterday. —AFP

Bimbo as rival fighters struck a truce and embraced. The interim president also went to the airport where some 100,000 people were sheltering to urge them to return home.

Ten months of violence have displaced a fifth of the country’s population, and the sectarian flare-up has killed more than 1,000 people in the past month alone, despite a French military intervention and the presence of an African peacekeeping force, MISCA. France has deployed 1,600 troops in the country to support MISCA, which is meant to have up to 6,000 troops but has not yet reached 3,500. “It is a shame for the nation to see the security of the people of Central Africa entrusted to regional and international organizations,” said Nguendet.

The provisional parliament was due to begin consultations on Tuesday with politicians and civil society members in a bid to elect a successor to former president Michel Djotodia, who resigned last week under international pressure.

Djotodia, the first Muslim leader in the majority-Christian nation, had come under fire for failing to rein in the rebels who brought him to power in March 2013 and whose abuses triggered retaliatory violence by

Christian militias.

The council’s deputy speaker Lea Koyassoum Doumta sketched out to AFP on Sunday the criteria the new president must meet. “He must be someone who can unite Central Africans, restore security, ease tensions, put everybody back to work and pave the way for free, democratic and transparent elections,” she said. The new president will inherit a country in turmoil with a climate of sectarian hatred, nearly a million people displaced in a country of 4.6 million, an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, a paralysed government administration and an economy in chaos. He will have little time to perform miracles even if he benefits from the political, militar y and financial support of the international community; the timetable for the transition calls for general elections to be held no later than the first half of 2015. But France, the former colonial power which is spearheading international efforts to end the crisis, wants elections to be held as early as the end of 2014. According to political sources on the ground, there were likely to be 10 or so candidates with Nguendet himself possibly featuring as one of the favorites.— AFP

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2014

Indian maid, 11, tortured with chillies MUMBAI: Indian police have arrested a trader for allegedly torturing a 11-year-old maid who was forced to eat chillies which were also rubbed on her body, an official said yesterday, in the latest abuse of domestic servants. Sarjil Ansari, a 38-year-old napkin seller, was arrested at the weekend and his wife Farhat was being questioned, said an investigating police officer in Thane district neighboring Mumbai.

The couple bought the girl in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh for 15,000 rupees ($240) from her parents about a year ago on the pretext that she

would be well looked after and given a better education, the officer said, declining to be named.

“They used to regularly torture and beat up the girl.

The girl complained that she was forced to eat chillies, which were also applied on her body,” he said.

This would happen when she urinated out of stress or fear, he added. “Often the family would turn up the volume on their home music system to muffle her cries for help.”

Local media reported that the couple rubbed chillies on the girl’s genitals as punishment, but the

officer said he was not aware of the claim. He said police were alerted when neighbors notified them about possible mistreatment of the girl, whose tasks included cleaning and looking after the couple’s baby, despite her own young age. The girl is now in the care of a local non-governmental organization, and a case will be registered against the couple once the investigations are completed, the officer said.

The case is the latest of alleged abuse of domestic servants in India, where thousands of workers,

often children trafficked from remote and povertystricken states, toil for long hours in homes with almost no legal protection. In October last year, a teenage girl working as a maid in New Delhi was hospitalized after being rescued from a home where campaigners said she was slashed with knives and mauled by dogs. In 2006 India passed legislation banning employment of children under 14 in households, roadside eateries and hotels, but the law is widely flouted in the country of 1.2 billion people. — AFP

Pakistan’s MP arrested for running a private dungeon Pakistan to name school, stadium after teenage ‘bomb hero’

KASHMIR: Kashmiri Muslim villagers carry the body of slain and alleged militant during his funeral procession in Dogripora village, some 53 kms south of Srinagar. — AFP

Three suspected rebels killed in Indian Kashmir SRINAGAR: Indian security forces killed three suspected rebels in restive Kashmir yesterday during an ongoing gun battle, police said. Soldiers and police Special Forces cordoned off a village northwest of the main city of Srinagar on suspicion that rebels were hiding inside, sparking the mid-afternoon gunbattle, a police officer said. The battle at Dangerpora village just outside the town of Sopore, 45 kilometers from Srinagar, was still going on, police superintendent Abdul Qayoom said. “We have seen three bodies so far. Two more (rebels) could still be engaged in fighting,” Qayoom said. The firefight comes one week after militants killed a senior counter-insurgency police officer and wounded three others in the same area.

About a dozen rebel groups have been fighting Indian forces since 1989 for independence of merger of the disputed territory with Pakistan. Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan since the two

countries won independence from Britain in 1947 but the Himalayan territory in claimed in full by both. The violence, which has left tens of thousands, mostly civilians, dead has been on a steady decline since the 2000s, but police say militants inflicted a heavy toll on security forces in 2013.

Sixty one government security officers were killed last year in the fighting, compared to 47 officers for all of 2011 and 2012 put together, according to figures released recently by authorities. A total of 63 militants were killed in Indian Kashmir last year.

Indian police and army officials have voiced fears that Pakistan may divert battle-hardened fighters from Afghanistan to Kashmir after the US forces drawdown this year.

Many Afghan fighters were killed fighting Indian forces alongside Kashmiri militants after the armed rebellion against Indian rule erupted in the disputed territory.

Police say only about 200-300 militants are still fighting now. — AFP

QUETTA: A Pakistani legislator has been arrested for running a private dungeon at his home in which five people were found chained up, two of them for several years, police said yesterday. The dungeon only came to light after private guards working for the lawmaker, Abdul Rehman Khetran, attacked police at a checkpoint on Sunday, beat them up and stole their weapons. The police then raided the lawmaker’s fortified home in lawless Baluchistan province, freed the prisoners, including one woman, and arrested Khetran, his son and six private guards, said Barkhan district police chief Abdul Ghafoor Marri.

The prisoners had been mistreated, Marri said, adding that police had also seized a truck filled with ammunition and weapons at the premises. Khetran told local reporters the arrests were politically motivated and that it was illegal for police to enter his house.

Khetran is a legislator for Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, a conservative, religious party, and a former provincial minister for special education. His wife is also a lawmaker. The mineral-rich western region of Baluchistan is deeply impoverished and a haven for smugglers, drug lords, Taleban insurgents and separatist rebels.

Teenage ‘bomb hero’ In another development, a Pakistani schoolboy who sacrificed his own life to save hundreds of his classmates by tackling a suicide bomber will have his school and a stadium named after him, officials said yesterday. Aitzaz Hassan, a 15year-old from the mainly Shiite Ibrahimzai village in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province become a national hero after intercepting the bomber before he was able to enter Hassan’s school last week. The teen died in hospital after the bomber blew himself up some 150 meters from the main gate of the school of 1,000 students, though no one else was wounded or killed in the incident.

Amjad Afridi, a senior adviser to

ISLAMABAD: Members of Pakistani Tehreek-e-Insaf party hold a placard reading “We are proud of Aitzaz” and display candles during a gathering to pay tribute to schoolboy Aitzaz Hassan in Islamabad yesterday.

Aitzaz Hassan, a 15-year-old from the mainly Shiite Ibrahimzai village in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province became a national hero after intercepting the bomber before he was able to enter Hassan’s school last week. — AFP the provincial government, told bereaved parents. The award utes from across Pakistan.

AFP: “We have decided to name comes after the office of Prime Newspapers, T V channels and Aitzaz Hassan’s school after him. We Minister Nawaz Sharif last week blogs have demanded that he be will also construct a sports stadium said it would seek “to approve the commemorated. Pakistani schoolin Hangu and will name it after conferment of a top national brav- girl Malala Yousafzai, who survived Hassan.” Afridi, who along with ery award Sitara-e-Shujjat (star of being shot in the head by the Taleban for championing girls’ another senior official went to pay bravery)” on the teen.

Hassan’s act of bravery, which right to education, also paid tribtheir personal respects to the family of Hassan, added the provincial prevented the bomber from strik- ute to the teenager last week, government would also donate five ing the morning school assembly, describing him as “brave and million rupees (US$47,000) to the has received an outpouring of trib- courageous”. — Agencies

Snowden worked at US embassy in Delhi NEW DELHI: Fugitive intelligence contractor Edward Snowden worked briefly at the US embassy in India almost three years before revealing the scale of his country’s surveillance programs, according to a report yesterday. The former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor arrived in New Delhi in Sept 2010 “to assist as a technical expert” at the US embassy, according to Foreign Policy magazine. The American magazine, citing an unnamed source, did not say what Snowden was working on at the embassy during his short stay in the Indian capital. The embassy in New Delhi did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment or confirmation.

Snowden sent shockwaves around the world last year by revealing the extent of Washington’s electronic eavesdropping. The 30-year-old former contractor leaked explosive details of the secret surveillance schemes to media including the Washington Post and Britain’s Guardian, and has fled the United States to avoid prosecution.

While in Delhi, Snowden undertook a six-day “ethical hacker and security analyst” course, according to a spokesman for the company that ran the course.

Snowden had contacted Koenig Solutions in 2009, wishing to take a course during his business visit the next year, spokesman Somit Biswas told AFP. Snowden paid some $2,000 for tuition, food and lodging from his personal account, which he said would be reimbursed, Biswas said.

He started another course in JAVA before cutting halting midway through, saying he had to leave the country for medical reasons, Biswas added.

LOS ANGELES: Women use their cellphones in Los Angeles, California. Former NSA contractor Edward Snowden sent shockwaves around the world last year by revealing the extent of Washington’s electronic eavesdropping on millions of private calls and in late December, a US judge in New York ruled the National Security Agency’s mass surveillance of telephone calls lawful, igniting a legal conflict that the Supreme Court may ultimately have to resolve. This ruling came ten days after a federal judge in Washington declared that this “almost Orwellian” surveillance is probably unconstitutional, laying the groundwork for a protracted legal fight. — AFP Snowden’s leaks have deeply embarrassed in a Moscow airport before being granted a President Barack Obama’s administration by year’s asylum. US federal prosecutors have filed a revealing the massive scale of America’s spying criminal complaint against him, charging him efforts. He arrived in Russia in June last year as a with espionage and felony theft of government fugitive and spent more than a month holed up property. — AFP

Anti-Obama mood hurts Democrats in Arkansas GILLETT: It’s voters like Jammy Turner who give Republicans hope of ending an Arkansas political dynasty and taking control of the US Senate this fall. Turner, among the hundreds who attended the annual “Coon Supper” on Saturday in this town about 100 miles southeast of Little Rock, said he respects Democratic Sen Mark Pryor, who want a third term. But Turner supports Republican Tom Cotton, a freshman congressman who says Pryor’s ties to President Barack Obama make him the wrong senator for Arkansas.

“I think Pryor is a good advocate for Arkansas,” said Turner, 34, a salesman for Monsanto crop products who wears a neatly cropped beard and

denim jacket. “But I don’t think the Democratic Party, in general, makes decisions for the better good.” That good, he said, includes personal freedom and self-reliance. If Republicans are to gain the six seats they need to take control of the Senate, they almost surely must win in Arkansas this year, which would add to their big victories in the past two elections in Arkansas.

If anyone can stop the GOP streak, Democrats say, it’s Pryor, who has spent his life politicking in a state where many voters still want to know their candidates personally. Pryor’s popular father, David, long represented the state in Washington, in the House and Senate, and also was governor. Faced with a deeply unpopular

president, Mark Pryor sidesteps Obama rather than criticizes him, and asks voters to see him more as an Arkansan than a national Democrat.

At Saturday’s no-alcohol event, where etiquette calls for participants to take a few bites of boiled-and-baked raccoon, pretending to like it, before switching to ribs and brisket, Pryor tried to make the best of his two political worlds. He has attended Gillett’s annual suppers since the mid1970s “with my dad,” Pryor, 51, told the crowd. He then introduced his three guests from Washington: Democratic Sens. Dick Durbin of Illinois and Joe Donnelly of Indiana, and independent Sen. Angus King of Maine, who joined Pryor for a duck hunt Sunday. — AP

TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2014

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

Syria’s war spreading sectarianism around region Fuelled by Syria war, Qaeda bursts back to life in Iraq BAGHDAD: Al-Qaeda gunmen seeking to form a radical Islamic state out of the chaos of Syria’s civil war are fighting hard to reconquer the province they once controlled in neighboring Iraq, stirring fears the conflict is exporting ever more instability.

Exploiting local grievances against Baghdad’s rule and buoyed by Al-Qaeda gains in Syria, the fighters have taken effective control of Anbar’s two main cities for the first time since US occupation troops defeated them in 2006-07.

Their advance is ringing alarm bells in Washington: The United States has pledged to help Baghdad quell the militant surge in Anbar-although not with troops-to stabilize a province that saw the heaviest fighting of the US occupation. Washington announced it was speeding up deliveries of military equipment to help Baghdad fight the gunmen. This would include missiles, surveillance drones and helicopters.

Al-Qaeda’s Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has a tough potential foe in Anbar’s wellarmed tribes, fellow Sunnis ill-disposed to ceding power to al Qaeda even if they share ISIL’s hostility to the Shiite-led central government. And the group’s goal of creating a hardline Islamic state reaching into Syria is still seen by many as far-fetched.

But its high-profile push into Ramadi and Falluja illustrates the dangers of conflict spreading from Syria’s three-year-old conflict, which is in part a proxy war between Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia and Shiite rival Iran, analysts say. ISIL fighters operate in Syria as well, and recent setbacks for the group in the war there mean its Iraqi members may be all the more determined to secure gains in Anbar, analysts say. “Both the Syrian and the Iraqi conflict are feeding upon one

another,” said Fawaz Gerges, a Middle East expert at the London School of Economics.

RAGING FIRE “ There is already a fierce geostrategic struggle unfolding in the Arab arena between Saudi Arabia and Iran. There is a real danger that all-out war in Iraq could pour more gasoline on this raging fire and destabilize fragile Arab countries.” The ISIL fighters are exploiting simmering Sunni anger against the Shiite-led government of Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki in Baghdad, seen by many Sunnis as a high-handed autocrat beholden to Iran.

They are also making the most of rising sectarian sentiment around the region and a weakening of government control in those Arab countries most affected by the popular uprisings since 2011. Gerges said a “governance vacuum” in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon has helped Al-Qaeda to gain strength in recent years, risking a spillover into other countries in the region. “Al-Qaeda in Iraq, Syria and even in Lebanon basically appeals to a certain segment within Sunni public opinion that feels alienated, marginalized or persecuted,” he said.

Lebanon, Syria’s small neighbor, has suffered a wave of bombings since last summer with the latest suicide bombing that killed at least five people in the Hezbollah stronghold of southern Beirut last week claimed by ISIL. In a move reminiscent of the graphic Al-Qaeda propaganda in the most violent years of US occupation, a video appeared online in August purporting to show ISIL fighter Shaker Wahib Al-Fahdawi questioning three Syrian truck drivers at an Iraqi desert checkpoint and then shooting them dead.

EXECUTIONS Deeming them to

be

Alawites, a minority to which President Bashar Al-Assad belongs and that is an offshoot of Shiite Islam, Fahdawi strung up the bodies by the roadside in a graphic warning to non-Sunni Syrians not to venture into Iraq.

Iraq became a battlefield for Al-

militants have been regrouping and plotting underground and slowly increasing their presence in the vast desert of Anbar, the heart of Iraq’s Sunni insurgency after the US-led invasion.

Tension has been running especially high across Anbar

the cities battled Al- Qaeda fighters in Ramadi and shelled Falluja. ISIL’s Fahdawi was pictured in social media walking through a government office where his men had taken control, although there was no independent confirmation of

DARAYA: Men try to put out a fire in a building in the city of Daraya, southwest of the capital Damascus, as fighting between opposition forces and troops loyal to the government of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad continues. Syria’s civil war has killed more than 130,000 people, and forced millions more to flee their homes. —AFP Qaeda after the 2003 invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein, but its numbers and the territor y in which it operates have shrunk since 2006-07, when Sunni tribal chiefs joined forces with the US military.

Al-Qaeda alienated much of the Anbar population during its period of control: Its fighters set up courts, imposing harsh punishments, including public executions, on those failing to implement its severe interpretation of Islam. But for years the

since Iraqi police broke up a Sunni protest camp last week, a move that triggered clashes between Sunni armed groups and security forces. Islamist militants stormed police stations in several cities in Anbar, seizing weapon caches and freeing prisoners. In Falluja, the masked men took control of large parts of the city. They waved al Qaeda flags, set up checkpoints and called on residents to support them through loudspeakers.

Iraqi troops trying to retake

the date of the photo. Working in Al-Qaeda’s favor has been rising Sunni resentment against Maliki’s rule: Sunnis, a minority whose political dominance came to end with the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, accuse Maliki of marginalizing them.

I t is also much the best organized and disciplined Sunni force in the country, according to Iraq expert Kirk Sowell, who runs the Uticensis political risk consultancy. Al-Qaeda will have to tread carefully with the tribes,

whose far more numerous fighters are in every town. “So far, ISIL has essentially ridden this wave of popular Sunni anger,” said Charles Lister, visiting fellow, Brookings Doha Center. But if ISIL wants to retain influence in Anbar’s urban centers, it needs to keep the local tribes on board.

MALIKI A “BETTER OPTION” Ayham Kamel, of Eurasia consultancy, said a significant portion of the Sunni community would prefer to play a role in central government politics rather than involve themselves with Al-Qaeda. “I do not expect confrontations in Anbar to trigger a country-wide civil war,” he said. The authorities’ counterstrike against Al- Qaeda’s advance in Anbar, as well as divisions among Sunni politicians, are likely to solidify Maliki’s national authority, Iraqi analyst Hashim Al-Habobi said.

“Many Sunnis see Maliki as a much better option when compared to Al- Qaeda,” he said.

Despite being allied to Al-Qaeda in Falluja, in Ramadi tribesmen are fighting with government security forces against the militants, and those who are reluctant to join in are doing so out of a fear of Al-Qaeda retaliation, tribal sources say.

M alik i urged people in Falluja yesterday to drive out the Al-Qaeda-linked insurgents to pre-empt a military offensive that officials said could come within days. He will have to be careful about how he responds to US help, which would be viewed with suspicion by potential Sunni allies. Lister of Brook ings said increased US military aid would be seen by Sunnis as a proof of a perceived shif t in US polic y towards regional Shiite powers since an interim nuclear deal with Iran in November. —Reuters

Thai opposition protesters launch Bangkok ‘shutdown’ Opposition escalates campaign to unseat embattled PM BANGKOK: Tens of thousands of Thai opposition protesters occupied major streets in central Bangkok yesterday in an attempted “shutdown” of the capital, escalating a campaign to unseat the embattled premier. The demonstrators want Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to resign to make way for an unelected “people’s council” that would oversee reforms to curb the political dominance of her billionaire family and tackle a wider culture of money politics. Thousands of flag-waving protesters massed at key intersections in the city, setting up rally stages along with tents for sleeping

ing supporters through the capital.

A hardcore faction of the movement has threatened to besiege the stock exchange and even air traffic control if Yingluck does not quit within days. “It’s going to be very volatile,” warned Pavin Chachavalpongpun, a former Thai diplomat and associate professor at Japan’s Kyoto University. “In a way there is no turning back for the protesters-they have come too far,” he added. The government said it would invite all sides to a meeting on Wednesday to discuss the election commission’s proposal to postpone the February 2 election, although it looks unlike-

BANGKOK: Thai anti-government protesters wave national flags, dance and sing songs at Ratchaprasong intersection during a rally in Bangkok yesterday. —AFP and stalls offering free food.

The well-organized protest movement has vowed to occupy parts of the capital until Yingluck quits, threatening to disrupt a February election which it fears will only return the Shinawatra clan to power. “This is a people’s revolution,” said firebrand protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban, an opposition party heavyweight who faces a murder charge over a deadly crackdown on political rallies in 2010 when he was deputy premier. In the eyes of the protesters, Yingluck is “no longer prime minister”, he told reporters while leading a huge crowd of march-

ly to agree to the demonstrators’ demand for a delay of at least a year.

Disruption but not total shutdown Within hours of launching the shutdown, the movement succeeded in bringing widespread disruption to Bangkok’s central retail and hotel districts, large swathes of which were taken over by whistle -blowing demonstrators. Many schools were closed and some residents stockpiled food and water, but the city of roughly 12 million people-which has grown accustomed to large political rallies in recent years-did not grind

to a complete halt. The city’s subway and skytrains were running as usual, shops and restaurants were open and demonstrators promised to leave a lane unblocked at each major intersection to allow ambulances and buses to pass.

While there was the usual Thai carnival atmosphere, protests in the kingdom have a history of suddenly turning bloody, often at night and sometimes involving unidentified gunmen seeking to incite violence. Eight people, including a policeman, have been killed and dozens injured in street violence since the protests began over two months ago. Fanning tensions, several shots were fired in a drive-by shooting at the headquarters of the opposition Democrat Party yesterday, while elsewhere a protest security guard was shot and wounded in a quarrel, police said.

Ongoing political crisis The protests are the latest chapter in a yearsold political crisis that has gripped Thailand since Yingluck’s older brother, fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, was ousted by royalist generals in 2006. The recent rallies were triggered by a failed amnesty bill that could have allowed Thaksin to return without going to jail for a past corruption conviction.

The billionaire tycoon-turned-politician has strong electoral support in northern Thailand, but he is reviled by many southerners, Bangkok’s middle class and members of the royalist establishment. Roughly 20,000 police and soldiers were due to be deployed for the shutdown, although there was little sign of them on the streets. The government has not tried to stop the protests, despite warnings that they could take a heavy toll on the economy and local businesses if they drag on. “Of course it affects meI’m very stressed,” said hair salon owner Tong, 69.

“No customers are coming now as my regular customers cannot drive here.”

Smaller rallies have been held in the capital to back the February election and oppose the shutdown, while government supporters gathered in various cities in northern Thailand. The civil strife is the worst since 2010, when more than 90 people were killed in street clashes between pro-Thaksin protesters and armed soldiers. The military-traditionally a staunch supporter of the anti-Thaksin royalist establishmenthas said it will not crack down on the latest protests, which come as the country quietly braces for the end of ailing King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s more than six-decade reign. —AFP

Cambodian frees ‘wanted’ Russian tycoon PHNOM PENH: A Cambodian court yesterday freed a Russian tycoon wanted by Moscow over allegations he embezzled tens of millions of dollars in a real estate scam, and suspended extradition proceedings against him, his lawyer said.

Sergei Polonsky was detained in Cambodia in November on an island off the southwestern city of Sihanoukville after a request by the Russian government, which also sought his extradition.

In August, a Russian court ordered Polonsky’s detention after he was charged in absentia for his alleged role in a 5.7 billion rouble ($174 million) swindle which defrauded more than 80 investors. Investigators have accused the businessman of orchestrating the scam linked to the construction of a housing complex in 2007-2008.

But Cambodia’s Appeals Court on Monday said authorities could not cur-

rently extradite Polonsky because he faces a separate trial in Cambodia over allegations he attacked the crew of a boat, according to his Cambodian lawyer. The court ordered the property tycoon’s immediate release, Benson Samay said, adding the allegations against his client in Russia were based on a “turf war” over his business interests.

A jubilant Polonsky spoke to reporters outside the court. “I am happy...

I win, we win,” he said. “I am not guilty. I am a businessman,” he continued, adding that he would stay in Cambodia and start a “big project” to develop a number of islands. Polonsky, who is believed to have business interests in Cambodia, was previously detained on New Year’s Eve in 2012 in Sihanoukville over accusations he and two other Russians threatened a Cambodian boat crew at knifepoint. —AFP

BANGKOK: Thai anti-government protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban raises clenched fists during a march with his supporters in Bangkok yesterday. —AP

Thai political crisis BANGKOK: Here are key facts about Thailand’s political crisis, which entered a chaotic new phase yesterday as protesters paralyzed parts of central Bangkok demanding Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra resign.

What are protests about?

Thailand has been rocked by years of often-violent demonstrations by rival protest movements. The latest protests, led by senior opposition figures, seek to curb the political dominance of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, Yingluck’s older brother, who was ousted by royalist generals in a coup in 2006.

The protesters say Yingluck is a puppet for her brother who controls her two-year-old government from overseas, where he fled in 2008 to avoid going to jail for a corruption conviction. The rallies were triggered by a controversial but ultimately unsuccessful amnesty bill introduced by the ruling party which could have allowed Thaksin to return to Thailand without going to prison. The protesters want an unelected “people’s council” to run the country and oversee vaguely defined electoral reforms, such as an end to alleged vote buying and profligate policies that benefit Thaksin’s supporters, before new elections are held in around a year to 18 months.

Competing protest groups The rival movements are the “Red Shirts”, loyal to Thaksin, and their arch rivals the royalist “Yellow Shirts” who were once a major political force but are no longer active. Yellow rallies have helped to eject Thaksin or his allies from power three times, while support from the Reds swept Yingluck to power in 2011 in the wake of a deadly military crackdown on their pro-Thaksin street protests. The opposition protesters currently on the streets are a mixture of former Yellow Shirts, Democrat supporters, royalists, southerners, urban middle class and other Thaksin opponents. The Red Shirts have staged rival protests, mostly in northern Thailand, in recent weeks in support of the government, accusing the opposition demonstrators of seeking to overthrow a democratically elected adminstration.

The possible scenarios The government appears reluctant to use force to break up the protests. A military crackdown on the Red Shirt rallies by the previous government in 2010 left more than 90 civilians dead and nearly 1,900 wounded. The army also has ruled out sending soldiers onto the streets to suppress the current rallies.

Yingluck has called early elections for February 2 in a bit to defuse the crisis but the opposition is boycotting the vote, saying it will only return Thaksin’s allies to power, leaving the two sides deadlocked. Protesters have prevented election candidates registering in several provinces, which could mean there are not enough MPs to select a new prime minister even if the polls go ahead. Yingluck could postpone the election, but it seems unlikely that she would agree to a delay of more than a few months. The Red Shirts could also decide to step up their pro-government protests, raising the risk of clashes between rival political factions.

Could the army or courts intervene?

The possibility of military intervention constantly looms over Thailand, which has seen 18 actual or attempted coups since 1932. The head of the army-a staunch supporter of the anti-Thaksin royalist establishment-has repeatedly refused to rule out seizing power. But many observers see a coup as a last resort for the military given the risk that it could provoke an uprising by the proThaksin Red Shirts. The courts also have a record of intervening in politics, dissolving parties and banning their executives, and some experts believe another “judicial coup” is the most likely scenario. Roughly 220 politicians from Yingluck’s party face impeachment by an anti-corruption panel in connection with a bid-rejected by the Constitutional Court-to make the upper house fully elected.

If found guilty they could be banned from politics for five years, severely undermining Yingluck’s prospects of forming a new government. The government also faces allegations of corruption in its rice subsidy scheme which could potentially be used to impeach the premier. —AFP

NEWS Amir appeals for aid for Syrians affected...

Government agrees to attend debate...

Continued from Page 1

Continued from Page 1 to aid some 13.4 million Syrians whom the United Nations estimates will be affected by the Syrian civil war by the end of 2014. The figure is higher than the original 10 million people announced by the United Nations seven months ago.

The United Nations will need $2.3 billion to support 9.3 million people inside Syria and $4.2 billion for Syrian refugees, expected to nearly double to 4.1 million by year ’s end, the UN official said. The World Food Programme said it was stepping up food aid and would also provide supplements to around 240,000 toddlers aged 6-23 months, to ensure they do not suffer from malnutrition.

Ahead of his arrival in Kuwait City, Ban warned that the humanitarian situation in Syria has been deteriorat-

ing and called on donor nations to help meet the target. The situation has reached a “very serious... and critical” level, Ban said in an interview with KUNA. “Almost half the population has been affected... 40 percent of the hospitals have been destroyed and another 20 percent not functioning properly. This is a very sad situation.

UN humanitarian operations chief Valerie Amos said in a statement ahead of the conference that the money would be used to assist civilians affected by the civil war. “In mid-December we launched the largest ever appeal for a single humanitarian emergency,” Amos said. “We requested $6.5 billion. We are doing our utmost to support the children, women and men affected by this bloody conflict. The funding that we need is unprecedented,” she said. Ban has affirmed to KUNA that the UN is experiencing “serious funding gaps”.

Ashton plans to visit Iran Continued from Page 1 on Tehran’s nuclear program as well as the preparations for the Geneva II conference on the Syrian crisis to be held later this month. Sheikh Sabah said that another topic of mutual interest between the two sides was finding ways to extend the cooperation and partnership between Kuwait and the GCC states, especially at a time when Kuwait is holding the rotating GCC presidency.

Ashton called for the implementation of the November agreement reached between world powers and Iran. “The way that we have set up the implementation is that we will verify the actions on those sites. It is extremely important that now the political agreement translates into practical things that need to be done,” she stressed.

Iran and the six world powers (Russia, China, France, Britain, the US and Germany) reached an agreement over the row of Iran’s nuclear program on Sunday. As per the deal, the six countries agreed to relieve sanctions in exchange for limiting Iran’s uranium enrichment during a six-month period taking effect on Jan 20. According to the terms of the agreement, Iran is expected to allow access to its nuclear sites for daily inspections by international experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Ashton lauded Kuwait’s role in helping the Syrian people by hosting the second UN donors conference tomorrow. “I pay tribute to Kuwait for its continuing efforts in support of the people of Syria. The European Union will be here ready and willing to continue to play the strongest possible role in support of the people of Syria,” she added.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2014

The Supreme Petroleum Council, at a meeting headed by Prime M inister Sheik h Nasser AlMohammad Al-Sabah, “arrived at the decision to cancel the contract”, state news agency KUNA reported at the time.

In a leaked US Embassy cable published by Wikileaks and dated March 25, 2009, caretaker Oil Minister Sheikh Ahmed Al-Sabah told the US ambassador at the time that the K-Dow joint venture was “dead”. In June 2012, PIC was fined $2.16 billion by the International Cour t of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). “The ICC award holds that PIC was liable and awards damages to Dow of $2.16 billion, not including interest and costs,” Dow said in a statement on its website.

In another development, the assembly foreign relations committee yesterday approved a number of treaties for fighting terrorism. The panel unanimously approved the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s agreement for combating international terrorism and the Arab agreement for fighting terror. The committee however decided to postpone approving the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)

agreement for fighting terrorism for further studies at the request of the foreign ministry. The panel also decided to hold a meeting on Jan 28 to debate the GCC security pact that was repeatedly rejected by the Assembly before it was amended. Around 88 youth opposition activists called in a communique yesterday for carrying out deep democratic and constitutional reforms to turn Kuwait into a true democratic parliamentary system as a precondition to resolve the country’s chronic political dilemma. The communique said that Kuwait has experienced a series of political crises in the past few years mainly because it does not have a true democratic system which is neither completely presidential nor fully parliamentary.

The activists called on the Kuwaiti people to support a national political program that envisages wide-ranging constitutional amendments and legislative reforms to create a full parliamentary system that effectively tackles the country’s political problems. They said that the new system should allow the establishment of political parties and ensure the separation of powers and should be based on a new electoral system that makes Kuwait a single constituency.

Electronic criminal record copies soon Continued from Page 1 Evidence General Department’s website and enter the civil ID number and the state department that is requesting

the document,” the source explained. He added the project will “ease pressure” on the Criminal Evidence General Department, “which receives an average of 100,000 applications for a criminal record copy annually”. — Al-Rai

TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2014

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Issues

US ‘superweeds’ epidemic shines spotlight on GMOs

By Veronique Dupont

T

he United States is facing an epidemic of herbicideresistant “superweeds” that some activists and researchers are blaming on GMOs, an accusation rejected by industry giants. According to a recent study, the situation is such that American farmers are “heading for a crisis.” Many scientists blame overuse of herbicides, prompted by seeds genetically modified to resist them. “In parts of the country, weeds resistant to the world’s most popular herbicide, glyphosate, now grow in the vast majority of soybean, cotton, and corn fields,” many of which were planted with seeds resistant to the weedkiller, said the study published in the journal Science in September.

Earlier this month, the US Depar tment of Agriculture (USDA) announced it was considering the release of new genetically-engineered seeds that are resistant to multiple herbicides. But “weeds that can shrug off multiple other herbicides are also on the rise,” the study said. Nearly half (49 percent) of all US farmers said they had “glyphosate resistant weeds” on their farms in 2012, according to the most recent review from agri-business market research firm Stratus.

That ’s up from 34 percent of farmers in 2011.

Glyphosate is the name of the most frequently used herbicide in the United States and was created by agricultural biotechnology giant Monsanto in the 1970s.

Today, the US company markets it as Roundup while, among other versions, competitor Dow Chemical sells a similar product under the name Durango. Monsanto also launched the first genetically modified seeds that tolerate glyphosate in 1996 and, in its earnings call this past week, mentioned the issue of weed resistance. Still, the industry refuses to accept any responsibility for the “superweed” phenomenon.

“Herbicide-resistant weeds began well before GM crops,” said a Monsanto spokeswoman.

A USDA spokesman told AFP the phenomenon has “been going on for decades, and has happened subsequent to the development of herbicides”. “It happens naturally with all herbicide modes of action. The plants select for resistance over time,” he said. But Bill Freese of the Center for Food Safety, an anti-GMO non-profit, said “GE crops greatly speeded up” the issue. That’s a view shared by researchers such as Charles Benbrook of the Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources at Washington State University. Heavier doses of herbicides were used on fields that now harbor glyphosate-resistant weed, he noted.

A study published on the website of Pioneer, DuPont’s GE seed unit, found that “glyphosate had been used for over 20 years prior to the introduction of glyphosate-resistant crops without any resistance issues.” But eventually, resistant weeds developed “first in areas where glyphosate had been applied multiple times per season for many years,” the study said.

Vicious Circle The USDA, backed up by researchers, emphasizes that genetically modified organisms as such are not the source of “superweeds”. Instead, they blame “weed management tactics chosen by farmers” who have in large numbers adopted genetically modified seeds alongside glyphosate marketed by Monsanto and its competitors. A spokesman for Dow Chemical said “the problem is that past herbicide-tolerant cropping systems led to overuse of glyphosate, because growers saw no other strategy offering them comparable value.”

Benbrook described a vicious cycle, saying “resistant weeds have become a major problem for many farmers reliant on genetically-engineered crops, and are now driving up the volume of herbicide needed each year by about 25 percent”. “Many experts in the US are projecting that the approval of new multiple herbicide tolerant crops will lead to at least a 50 percent increase to the average application of herbicide,” he added.

Earlier this month, the USDA announced that, at the request of Dow Chemical, it would study allowing genetically engineered seeds on the market that can tolerate several herbicides at once - including a controversial weed killer 2,4-D that several scientific studies have blamed for cancer and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, ALS, sometimes called Lou Gehrig’s disease. —AFP

All articles appearing on these pages are the personal opinion of the writers. Kuwait Times takes no responsibility for views expressed therein. Kuwait Times invites readers to voice their opinions. Please send submissions via email to: opinion@kuwaittimes.net or via snail mail to PO Box 1301 Safat, Kuwait.

The editor reserves the right to edit any submission as necessary.

US court could tip against president

By Joan Biskupic

W

hen a prominent US appeals court last year slashed President Obama’s power to appoint government officials, many legal experts said the Supreme Court would be unlikely to let that surprising decision stand. But that view may underestimate the allure of the lower court’s reasoning to the dominant, conservative wing of the high court, which took up the case yesterday. In its Jan 2013 ruling involving “recess appointments” to a key regulatory agency, the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit repeatedly invoked the nation’s early history and a literal reading of key constitutional terms.

Such an “originalist” approach in the past persuaded the court under Chief Justice John Roberts to take bold action. In 2008, for example, the court for the first time endorsed an individual right to own guns, based on the early history of the Second Amendment. Conservatives controlled that 5-4 decision. The new case, National Labor Relations Board v Noel Canning, revolves around the president’s power to appoint top officials with the “advice and consent” of the Senate. A “recess appointments” clause in the Constitution supplements that power by letting the president make temporary appointments when the Senate is not in session.

Judge David Sentelle, who wrote the DC Circuit opinion, said the recess-appointment power can be exercised only between defined sessions of Congress, not during breaks within a session, as commonly occurs, and that a president could fill only those vacancies that arise after Congress has recessed. That interpretation conflicts with the practices of most presidents and Senates Democrat and Republican - over the past century.

In its appeal, the Obama administration warned that the DC Circuit opinion “would eviscerate” the president’s appointment

power and “dramatically upset” the equilibrium between political branches. While that remains to be seen, the outcome of the case would affect the president’s ability to make certain recess appointments, whether for urgent vacancies or to seat long-stalled nominees. The disputed labor-board vacancies had been caught up in partisan wrangling, and Obama’s action was a move around Senate inaction.

Grounded in History Judge Sentelle’s reliance on originalist interpretations could particularly influence Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas, who among the nine justices search most for the original understanding of the Constitution’s drafters. To back up his view that only vacancies arising during a recess are covered, Sentelle cited a leading dictionary from the 18th Century and said George Washington understood the recess appointments power to extend only to such vacancies. Sentelle also repeatedly cited the Roberts’ Court’s seminal 2008 Second Amendment ruling, District of Columbia v. Heller. In that decision, the other conservatives, Roberts and Justices Anthony Kennedy and Samuel Alito joined with Scalia and Thomas.

The notion that the DC Circuit judgment was grounded in history and tradition was advanced forcefully in briefs submitted to the justices by lawyers for Noel Canning, the soda-bottling company challenging the labor-relations board appointees, and by two groups of leading conservative law professors. A group of professors led by Stanford Law Professor Michael McConnell takes issue, for example, with an administration claim that President Washington made at least two recess appointments to fill vacancies that had first arisen before recesses began.

McConnell, a former US appeals court judge, counters with documents from President Washington to the Senate that the

brief says demonstrate that the two vacancies actually arose during the recesses. McConnell also argues that only in recent decades has it become commonplace for presidents to make “recess appointments” to vacancies occurring earlier during a session - as opposed to during the formal recess break.

As the dueling parties argue over artifacts of history, administration lawyers highlight an opinion written by Attorney General William Wirt in 1823 that would support filling vacancies that arose before a recess. The challengers contend subsequent attorneys general opinions are at odds with that. Such contradictory interpretations of history and constitutional text arise regularly in Supreme Court cases, and it will fall to the justices to resolve the conflict.

Washington lawyer John Elwood, a former Bush Justice Department official who has focused on recess-appointment powers, said supporters of upholding the D.C . Circuit have “assembled significant evidence” that the drafters of the Constitution and early presidents believed an office must fall vacant during the recess to be subject to a recess appointment. “The originalist case ... is more powerful than I thought beforehand,” Elwood said. Yet, Elwood, like other legal analysts, is still hedging his bets on how the justices will rule - particularly because while the Roberts Court has shifted to the right, it is also known for incremental moves.

One narrow way to resolve the case would be tied to a secondary issue: whether a president’s recess-appointment power extends to when the Senate is convening in “pro forma” sessions every three days. In such sessions, no business is conducted and often only a single senator is present. The Senate, in fact, has used such recurring short meetings to try to avert presidential appointments. When President Obama made the disputed appointments on Jan 4, 2012, the Senate was holding a series of pro forma sessions with intervening three-day recesses. —Reuters

Vote on charter defines Egypt future

By Hamza Hendawi

W

ith a presidential run by Egypt’s powerful military chief seeming more likely by the day, this week’s constitution referendum, to be held amid a massive security force deployment, is widely seen as a vote of confidence in the regime he installed last summer. The charter is an overhaul of an Islamist-backed constitution adopted in Dec 2012 during the rule of Mohammed Morsi, the ousted president, and his Muslim Brotherhood.

Drafted by a 50-member panel of mostly secular-leaning politicians, it criminalizes discrimination, enshrines gender equality and guarantees a raft of freedoms and rights.

And crucially, the Jan 14-15 vote provides the country’s increasingly popular military chief, Gen AbdelFattah Al-Sisi, with a first electoral test since he ousted Morsi in a military coup on July 3. A comfortable “yes” vote and a respectable turnout would be seen as bestowing legitimacy, while undermining the Islamists’ argument that Morsi remains the nation’s elected president. “It is not just a referendum on the constitution. It is on many things, including Sisi and the fight against violence by militants,” said analyst and columnist Makram Mohammed Ahmed, who is close to the military. “I cannot imagine that a big ‘yes’ majority will automatically usher in a new legitimacy that will be swiftly recognized by the West, but it is a good constitution that must be given its due.”

With the stakes so high, authorities are undertaking a massive security operation to protect polling stations and voters. The deployment involves 160,000 soldiers, including elite paratroopers and commandos backed by armored vehicles and helicopters, according to military and security officials. An even larger number of police - over 200,000 officers - will also participate. Fearing

militant attacks, troops are being stationed at airports around the country to be flown to sites of possible attacks at short notice. And military aircraft will be used to monitor rarely used desert routes to major cities, a tactic designed to stop the infiltration of militants, said the officials, who agreed to discuss the details of the operation only on condition of anonymity.

Snipers will be deployed at secret

locations close to polling stations, they said. Provinces that witness major outbreaks of violence will be sealed off from the rest of the country while the police and army move to contain it. The charter adopted under Morsi won some 64 percent of the vote on a low turnout of about 30 percent - partly caused by the then-opposition calling for a boycott of the vote. This week, it is the Muslim Brotherhood and its backers

An Egyptian worker carries boxes of ballots in preparation for a vote on Egypt’s new constitution at the Giza courthouse in Cairo yesterday. —AP

who are urging a boycott.

Mass Demonstrations Their argument is that the entire process, beginning with the coup, is illegitimate, and they are planning mass demonstrations on voting days.

The group has honed its mobilization tactics in the 85 years since its inception, winning more than 40 percent of the vote in parliamentary elections held in late 2011 and early 2012. Still, it’s difficult to predict how effective the boycott will be, given that most of the Brotherhood’s top and midlevel leaders are either in jail or on the run. The government’s recent move to label the group a terrorist organization has in effect meant that mere membership can bring a lengthy jail sentence.

“The arrests have left entire provinces without a local leadership to organize and execute,” said a Brotherhood activist in southern Egypt, a stronghold of Islamists, who asked to be identified only by his first name, Mohammed, because he feared arrest. “We are heavily relying on sympathetic students, sisters and workers to lobby for a ‘no’ vote.”

To help ensure strong turnout, wealthy businessmen have been asked by local officials to fund the transport of poor voters to polling stations. The government has also decreed that voters can cast their ballots wherever they happen to be on Tuesday and Wednesday, rather than at polling centers in the districts where they are registered. While sure to boost turnout, the move also raises the specter of fraud. The government says anyone caught voting more than once will be swiftly put on trial and that a conviction will mean a jail sentence.

Since Morsi’s removal, Sisi has remained silent on whether he would run for president, though he told a newspaper interviewer late last year he could not rule it out. On Saturday, he moved closer to announcing his candidacy. Addressing a crowd of

military officers, police commanders, politicians, artists and writers, Sisi said he would run if he received a popular mandate to do so. “I cannot turn my back on Egypt,” he said.

Close aides have said that Sisi would view a big “yes” majority of some 70 percent and a respectable turnout as a popular mandate for him to run. The vote will also show how much influence supporters of ousted autocrat Hosni Mubarak retain after throwing their weight behind Morsi’s removal and the roadmap announced by Sisi in July, which includes presidential and parliamentary elections later this year. It will also test whether the ultraconservative Islamic Al-Nour party, the military-backed regime’s unlikely ally, can succeed in rallying its skeptical supporters to a “yes” vote.

The referendum is Egypt’s sixth nationwide vote since Mubarak’s ouster nearly three years ago in a popular uprising triggered by deeply rooted grievances over suppression of freedoms, police brutality, and social and economic injustice. The five previous votes were probably the freest in Egypt’s history, though they were held amid a growing sense of polarization. By contrast, this week’s vote will be held in a climate that, in many ways, is a throwback to Mubarak’s days.

Many of the freedoms won by the 2011 uprising have been rolled back since the military coup, the brutal police tactics of Mubarak’s 29year rule are making a comeback and a climate of intolerance for dissent is growing. Liberal youth leaders have been thrown in jail and a new law places draconian conditions on allowing street protests. A massive crackdown against Morsi’s Brotherhood continues, with thousands of mostly Brotherhood members thought to be in detention.

They include Morsi and almost every top Brotherhood leader. The former president faces three separate trials that carry the death penalty. —AP

TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2014

S P ORTS

Marussia play down F1 entry list concern

Newcastle boss sorry for rant LONDON: India’s growing importance to the English Premier League was emphasised when leading club Liverpool announced yesterday their first marketing deal with an Indian company. The Reds have signed a three-year agreement with smart mobile firm XOLO which will allow supporters in India to enjoy tailored content on their phones, buy merchandise and have the chance to meet leading Liverpool players. Although India is best-known in sporting terms for its mass enthusiasm for cricket, the globally popular football Premier League has started to make inroads in recent years into the lucrative Indian market.

Liverpool, currently fourth in the table, have also set up an ‘International Academy’ in the western Indian town of Pune. “Through this partnership we will deliver exclusive LFC content and exciting opportunities for fans to visit our home, Anfield,” said Liverpool chief commercial officer Billy Hogan yesterday. “We have millions of fans in India and we are committed to bringing the Club closer to them.

Teaming up with XOLO and launching our very first International Academy in Pune represent the start of our journey in India to make fans feel like their club is right on their doorstep.” Liverpool’s aim is for the academy to be a “world class purpose-built residential complex”, featuring full-size pitches, practice areas, classrooms, changing rooms, a gym, canteen, lecture theatre, residential and medical facilities. —AFP

LONDON: Marussia plan to attend the first pre-season Formula One test in Spain this month and have no concerns about their championship entry being listed as provisional, sporting director Graeme Lowdon said yesterday.

The governing International Automobile Federation (FIA) issued an entry list on Friday with asterisks against Lotus and back-markers Marussia denoting that they were subject to confirmation.

No further information was given, and the FIA declined to provide details, although the usual reason would be because entry fees have yet to be paid. Lowdon, whose team finished 10th of 11 last season and have the smallest budget of all, indicated the matter would be resolved shortly. “We’re just finalising administrative details with the FIA and we have absolutely no concerns at all that the entry won’t be confirmed,” he told Reuters. The basic entry fee for 2014, as laid out in the sporting regulations, is $508,000 which was supposed to have been paid by November last year. Teams must also pay $5,080 per point scored in the 2013 constructors’ championship - none in Marussia’s case but an additional $1.6 million for fourth-placed Lotus who scored 315 points.

The rules say applications at other times will be considered if a place is available and on payment of a late entry fee to be fixed by the governing body. The season starts in Australia on March 16. —Reuters

Nasri out for 8 weeks MANCHESTER: Manchester City midfielder Samir Nasri will be out for eight weeks with a left knee injury, robbing the team of one of its most consistent performers for a crucial period of the season.

Nasri wrote on his Twitter page on Monday that he partially ruptured ligaments in his knee when he was fouled by Newcastle defender Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa in the second half of City’s 2-0 win in the Premier League on Sunday. He added that there was also excess swelling on the knee. “Thank you everyone for your kind words and overwhelming support,” Nasri wrote, “i suppose its kind of good news that i will be out around 8 weeks.” Nasri’s prognosis allays fears that the France international could miss the World Cup in Brazil.

The City games he is likely to miss include both legs of the last-16 match with Barcelona in the Champions League as well as the League Cup final at Wembley Stadium on March 2, provided that City comes through its semifinal against West Ham. City is ahead 6-0 after the first leg. The Manchester derby, currently scheduled for March 1, would have to be moved should one or either of the teams reach the League Cup final.

Nasri has been one of City’s best players this season, finding his top form under new manager Manuel Pellegrini after struggling at times under previous coach Roberto Mancini last year. — AP

Kings rout Cavaliers SACRAMENTO: Isaiah Thomas scored 26 points to lead the Sacramento Kings to their third straight victory, a 124-80 rout of the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday.

The Kings scored 16 straight points in the third quarter and led by 28 points heading into the fourth. The three-game winning streak is Sacramento’s first since December 2012. The 45point margin was the largest this season for the Kings. CJ Miles had 14 points and Luol Deng added 12 for the Cavaliers, who had won two straight.

Cleveland went just over five minutes without a basket in the third quarter, when it shot 4 of 20 and was outscored 30-11. The Cavaliers were outscored 65-30 in the second half. Kyrie Irving, the Cavaliers’ leading scorer, missed 11 of 14 shots, 3 of 4 free throws, and finished with seven points.

HONOLULU: Jimmy Walker poses with the trophy after winning the Sony Open in Hawaii at Waialae Country Club. — AFP

Walker sizzles in Hawaii HONOLULU: American Jimmy Walker birdied four of the last six holes to storm clear of a crowded leaderboard and win his second PGA Tour title by one shot at the Sony Open in Hawaii on Sunday.

The 34-year-old, who had trailed by two strokes overnight, produced ice-cool composure and superb play over the closing stretch as he fired a flawless seven-underpar 63 at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu.

Six players held at least a share of the lead during a wildly fluctuating final round but the long-hitting Walker made his timely charge with birdies at the 13th, 15th, 16th and 17th to post a 17-under total of 263.

Overnight leader Chris Kirk recovered from a slow start to close with a five-birdie 66 and secure outright second place, finishing a stroke in front of fellow American Jerry Kelly (65), the 2002 champion at Waialae. Kirk, playing in the final group, had a chance to force a playoff with an eagle at the par-five last but his chip from in front of the green ran eight feet past the cup and Walker was able to celebrate his second victory on the US circuit. “ Today was awesome,” a beaming Walker told Golf Channel after earning the winner’s cheque for just over $1 million. “I felt in control all day with my emotions.

“I made a key par putt (from 12 feet) on 14, which was really big, and then the string of birdies (to finish) there was pretty awesome.”

Walker, who needed 188 career starts on the PGA Tour to clinch his first title at the Frys.com Open in October, felt that maiden victory had been instrumental in helping him add another just five starts later. “You learn so much out here and it took me a long time to do it,” he said of his longawaited breakthrough win. “I feel like I did learn a lot that week.

“I felt very calm and in control and that’s what everybody has kind of been saying.

That’s what you’ve got to feel and do when it’s time to win. Today I stayed patient.”

Sunday was always likely to end up as a birdie slugfest at Waialae where 12 players were separated by just three shots at the top of the leaderboard going into the final round. Kirk, one ahead overnight, bogeyed the par-three fourth after missing the

green to the right off the tee to slip back into a three-way tie for the lead with Harris English and Walker.

English edged a stroke in front when he sank a seven-footer to birdie the par-four fifth, then briefly doubled his advantage by rolling in a 10-foot birdie putt at the seventh. A bogey at the par-four eighth, where he missed the green with his approach, dropped English back into a share of the lead with Brian Stuard, and soon after they were joined at the top by Jeff Overton, Kelly and Walker.

English again edged ahead, with a twoputt birdie at the par-five ninth, before being caught at 13 under by Overton, Kelly, Walker and Stuard.

That back-and-forth pattern continued on the back nine, English getting to 14 under with a seven-footer for birdie at the 10th before Kelly, and then Walker, made it a three-way tie at the top.

A perfect drive and accurate approach to nine feet at the 14th set up another birdie for English as he regained a onestroke cushion, but Walker drew level by sinking a 14-footer at the par-four 15th.

English was unfortunate to bogey the 15th after his iron shot off the tee kicked badly to the right before ending up in a bad lie in the rough.

One group ahead, Walker immediately took advantage with a birdie at the 16th, hitting a pinpoint approach to seven feet and sinking the putt to move two ahead at 16 under.

Walker tightened his grip on the title by hitting a stunning tee shot to six feet at the par-three 17th and coolly knocking in the putt, then signed off with a par at the last after narrowly missing another birdie attempt from 10 feet.

English carded a 67 to finish fourth at 14 under, four strokes better than fellow American Zach Johnson (69), who won his 11th PGA Tour title at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in Kapalua late yesterday. Masters champion Adam Scott surged to just one shot off the lead with a blistering run of five birdies in his first nine holes before losing momentum after the turn on the way to a 66 and a tie for eighth at 10 under. — Reuters

GRIZZLIES 108, HAWKS 101 Mike Conley had 21 points and 13 assists, and Zach Randolph added 18 points and 12 rebounds to lead Memphis over Atlanta.

Paul Millsap scored 21 points to lead the Hawks, who had won two straight. It was only the Hawks’ third loss to the Grizzlies in the past 15 games.

Memphis pulled away in the fourth quarter behind Conley, who tied a career best with 31 points in a victory over the Phoenix Suns on Friday. Conley had eight points in the final quarter, including two free throws that gave the Grizzlies a 102-92 lead with 2:46 left.

Mike Miller also had eight points in the fourth quarter for the Grizzlies, including two 3-pointers. He finished with 15 points.

SPURS 104, TIMBERWOLVES 86 Kawhi Leonard scored 13 of his 17 points in the second half as San Antonio held off Minnesota for its fourth straight win. Tim Duncan had 15 points and Tony Parker added 14 points and 10 assists for Western Conferenceleading San Antonio. Matt Bonner also scored 14 points - including 4-for-5 shooting on 3-pointers - and Marco Belinelli had 13 points and Patty Mills added 10.

Nikola Pekovic scored 22 points to lead Minnesota. Kevin Love had 14 points and Alexey Shved added 11. Already without Manu Ginobili and Tiago Splitter, the Spurs lost Danny Green early in the second quarter to a sprained finger.

Minus two of their top wings, Leonard took over in the second half. — AP

Isaiah Thomas

NBA results/standings Sacramento 124, Cleveland 80; Memphis 108, Atlanta 101; San Antonio 104, Minnesota 86.

Eastern Conference Atlantic Division W L PCT Toronto 18 17 .514 Brooklyn 15 22 .405 NY Knicks 14 22 .389 Boston 13 25 .342 Philadelphia 12 25 .324 Central Division Indiana 29 7 .806 Chicago 17 18 .486 Detroit 16 22 .421 Cleveland 13 24 .351 Milwaukee 7 29 .194 Southeast Division Miami 27 10 .730 Atlanta 20 18 .526 Washington 16 19 .457 Charlotte 15 23 .395 Orlando 10 27 .270

GB 4 4.5 6.5 7 11.5 14 16.5 22 7.5 10 12.5 17

Western Conference Northwest Division Portland 28 9 .757 Oklahoma City 28 9 .757 Denver 19 17 .528 Minnesota 18 19 .486 Utah 12 26 .316 Pacific Division LA Clippers 26 13 .667 Golden State 25 14 .641 Phoenix 21 15 .583 LA Lakers 14 23 .378 Sacramento 13 22 .371 Southwest Division San Antonio 29 8 .784 Houston 24 14 .632 Dallas 22 16 .579 Memphis 17 19 .472 New Orleans 15 21 .417

8.5 10 16.5 1 3.5 11 11 5.5 7.5 11.5 13.5

Wagner gifted spot on US squad for Sochi NEW YORK: Ashley Wagner was gifted a spot on the US Olympic figure skating squad for the Sochi Winter Games on Sunday after finishing fourth at the national championships.

Wagner, a two-time national champion, bungled her free skate at the US championships on Saturday, dropping into fourth with only three Olympic berths on offer. But a nine-member panel still selected her for Sochi, based on past performances.

Gracie Gold earned her Olympic ticket after capturing her first national title while 15-year-old sensation Polina Edmunds took second, locking up two of the three spots.

Mirai Nagasu, who was fourth at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, placed third and had looked set to grab the final position only to see it awarded to Wagner.

“I’m disappointed in the decision,” said Nagasu in a statement. “Though I may not agree with it, I have to respect the decision the federation made. “And I’m grateful to everyone who has supported me and look forward to what comes next in my skating career.” While the US Olympic squad is selected largely on the results of the national championships, a nine-member selection panel has the final say and has the power to consider past results and other factors in

making a decision. The nominations still must be approved by the United States Olympic Committee before becoming official. “I’m at a loss for words right now,” said Wagner on Sunday after learning she had made the team. “It’s been a really rough four years and I’ve been working really hard. “It wasn’t my night last night but I’m so extremely pleased. “I’m happy that my federation was able to see beyond one bad skate, and I can’t believe that I’m going to be able to represent the United States in Sochi.” The other nominations were more straight-forward. Ice dance world champions and Vancouver Olympic silver medallists Meryl Davis and Charlie White claimed their sixth U.S. title and head to Russia as the United States’ best chance for a figure skating gold.

They will be joined in Sochi by two-time reigning US silver medalists Madison Chock and Evan Bates and the brother/sister partnership of Maia and Alex Shibutani.

“This is a dream come true for us,” said White. “Obviously we’re going into these Games with very high expectations. “We’ve had a lot of great momentum over the last four years since the 2010 Olympics and we think we’ve put ourselves in a great position to bring home a gold medal.” —Reuters

ARGENTINA: SMG’s driver Carlos Sainz of Spain and Timo Gottschalk of Germany compete during the Dakar Rally. — AFP

Sainz wins Dakar Rally stage UYUNI: Carlos Sainz of Spain won the seventh stage of the Dakar Rally on Sunday, while countryman Nani Roma maintained a large lead in the overall standings for cars.

The car division drove a 500-kilometer loop near Salta, Argentina, and Sainz took advantage of a speedy special suited to his buggy to lead for the entire day and win his second stage of the race and 27th in his Dakar history.

He was followed in rapid succession by Nasser Al-Attiyah of Qatar, defending champion Stephane Peterhansel of France, and Roma.

Roma took the overall lead Thursday and aims to become only the third man to win the

Dakar both on a motorbike (2004) and in a car.

Peterhansel, second overall, had to slow for herds of llama and could only cut his deficit to Roma by two minutes to be 32 minutes behind.

Third-place Giniel de Villiers, the 2009 champ and runner-up last year, suffered a puncture and finished eighth on the stage and dropped 48 minutes off the pace.

Unlike the cars, the motorbikes took the Dakar into Bolivia for the first time, but heavy rain on Saturday forced organizers to lop 300 kilometers of muddy track off the special, leaving only a 100-kilometer race to the edge of the Salar de Uyuni, the world’s largest and highest

salt flats at 3,600 meters (11,800 feet).

Bolivia President Evo Morales was on hand to greet stage winner Joan Barreda Bort of Spain, his third win of the race and eighth in his career.

Barreda’s compatriot Marc Coma was second, and remained the overall leader, 38 minutes ahead of Barreda, the only rider within an hour of Coma. The biggest loser was Alain Duclos of France, the sixth-stage winner, who got lost early and took 20 minutes to find his way. He fell more than an hour behind Coma overall and dropped from third to fourth. Late yesterday , cars and motorbikes face another speedy leg into Calama, Chile. —AP

TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2014

S P ORTS

The NFL sets up a Sunday to remember NEW YORK: Peyton Manning and Tom Brady one more time with the Super Bowl on the line would have been good enough all by itself. But in the embarrassment of riches that is the NFL this season, we get more. Much more.

Two young superstar quarterbacks in the making squaring off in Seattle. Wes Welker against the team that wanted him no longer, and Anquan Boldin taking his new team on another championship run. A sideshow with Pete Carroll and Jim Harbaugh that might be worth the price of admission by itself.

And a Super Bowl that will be a winner even if it’s played on a sheet of ice. If this was the NBA, David Stern would have been accused of having the fix in.

But it’s just more of the same for the NFL, where the story lines and matchups are so good that it’s almost a foregone conclusion next Sunday’s TV ratings will blow past anything seen before for conference title games that are always big.

About the only thing missing is a scrappy team of underdogs fighting for a berth in the Super Bowl, but there’s no reason to quibble. Not with the brawny quartet of teams that all went into the weekend as

favorites and all survived to play another day.

The bookies in Vegas are laying odds — as they have all season long — that the Seattle Seahawks will play the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl. But even they wouldn’t be terribly surprised if it was New England against the San Francisco 49ers or any combination in between.

“It’s a lot like playground basketball,” Harbaugh said. “Winners stay and play, losers go home. And we want to keep playing.”

That the 49ers are still playing is little surprise, even if they had to beat a team on the road they had lost to at home during the season. But beat the Carolina Panthers they did, winning their second straight playoff game away from home and seeming to take great delight in doing so.

If any team is a reflection of their coach it’s the 49ers, who will play a third straight NFC title game under Harbaugh. Colin Kaepernick even got into the act, mocking Cam Newton’s Superman pose after scoring a third-quarter touchdown, then adding his own signature bicep kiss to top things off. “Just a little shoutout,” Kaepernick said.

Forget that the 49ers were outclassed their last two trips to Seattle, losing by a combined margin of 71-16. It’s doubtful they’ll be intimidated by the rain or a raucous crowd that sends tremors through the earth (Saturday’s foot stomping win over New Orleans was recorded as a small earthquake) in a game that figures to be both bruising and bitterly contested.

John Fox won’t be intimidated either, despite having to go up against Bill Belichick and memories of a tough November loss to the Patriots to get to the title game. Fox seems the odd man out against the outsized coaching personalities left in the playoffs, but don’t forget that he’s the only coach who has won a playoff game with Tim Tebow under center.

Now he’s got Manning, who made up for the Broncos’ early exit last postseason against Baltimore with a couple of clutch third-down throws late in the fourth quarter just as Denver seemed to be once again in full meltdown mode. Manning also had the quote of the game when asked if it was weighing on his mind that he is nearing the end of his career and may not have many playoff chances left. “What

weighed on my mind is how soon I can get a Bud Light in my mouth after this win. Priority No. 1,” a visibly relieved Manning said. “That was an intense game.”

The game was barely over when Manning was asked for the first of what will be at least 562 times this week about his matchup with Brady, who has won 10 of the 14 games they’ve played against each other.

Manning gave his usual our team against theirs answer, but this time he wasn’t just blowing smoke.

Not after the Patriots scored 42 points to whip Indianapolis without Brady throwing even one touchdown pass as the Patriots took their all too familiar place in the AFC title game, and not when the Broncos are doing some running of their own.

Still, it figures to be all Manning against Brady, even if the best story of the postseason may be the one no one outside of the Boston area wants to hear.

If there was ever a coach you love to hate it’s Belichick, but the ever grumpy guy under the hoodie has done a remarkable job in a year most expected New England to struggle. —AP

Broncos survive Chargers rally as 49ers advance to NFC title game

Shani Davis

American Davis eyeing 2018 not retirement NEW YORK: Reigning 1,000 metre Olympic speed skating champion Shani Davis has dismissed reports he is set to retire after next month’s Sochi Games and hinted at competing in Pyeongchang, South Korea in 2018.

The 31-year-old American, the first black athlete to win an individual Winter Olympics gold medal, will try to claim his third straight 1,000m title in Russia and said his love of competition suggested he had more years left in the sport.

“I’m as hungry to compete and win now as I’ve ever been, maybe even more so,” Davis told Reuters via email.

“There are still many records and milestones I’d like to achieve, in Sochi and beyond, and I’ll keep competing so long as the desire is there.

“Training for speed skating is exhausting, mentally and physically, but the wisdom of age and experience enables me to adapt my training to my circumstances. “Funny, I keep reading in the media that Sochi is my last Olympics.

That might be more dramatic for storylines, but I wouldn’t say that at all. Maybe Sochi will be my last Olympics and maybe it won’t.”

The Chicago-born Davis heads to Russia also attempting to add to his two 1500m silver medals that he won at the Turin and Vancouver Games.

He is in strong form having won three of the four 1000m World Cup races this season and was victorious at the U.S. Trials in Salt Lake City last month, winning both the 1,000 and 1,500 titles and also qualifying for the 500m. While his focus is on Feb. 8 - the start date of the speed skating competition at the Adler Arena in the Black Sea resort - the lure of competing in one of the sport’s hotbeds might be hard to resist.

“As a speedskater, Pyeongchang will be a special Olympics, since our sport is revered so much there,” he said. “Bottom line, my desire and body will be the determining factors, and right now those are as strong as ever.” — Reuters

COLORADO: he Denver Broncos survived a fourth-quarter fightback by the San Diego Chargers to claim a 24-17 win on Sunday and advance to the AFC Championship game for the first time in eight years. The victory for Peyton Manning’s Broncos sets up a tantalizing showdown next Sunday when Tom Brady and the New England Patriots visit the Mile High city with a spot in the Super Bowl on the line.

Manning, who passed for a record 55 touchdowns during a record-smashing regular season, was more clinical than spectacular on a blustery, cool day in Colorado.

He completed 25 passes for a modest 230 yards, including two short touchdown strikes to Wes Welker and Demaryius Thomas in the first half. The red-hot Chargers arrived in Denver riding the momentum from a five-game winning streak and had looked poised to keep their season alive with a fourth quarter rally that cut Denver’s 17-point advantage to seven with about six minutes to play.

But Manning would not give the Chargers another chance, running out the clock with ball control offense to clinch the victory.

Meanwhile, the red-hot San Francisco 49ers beat the NFC South champion Carolina Panthers 23-10 in a bruising battle on Sunday to advance to the NFC Championship game for the third year in a row.

The victory, the eighth in a row for the 49ers, sends San Francisco to top-seeded Seattle, their NFC West rivals, for the title game next Sunday with the winner advancing to the Super Bowl.

The wild card 49ers overcame a 10-6 deficit in the hard-hitting contest with a one-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Colin Kaepernick to tight end Vernon Davis 14 seconds before intermission for a 13-10 lead. Davis was initially ruled out of bounds before the on-field call was reversed after a video review. San Francisco scored again after a 77-yard drive on their first possession of the second half to build a 10-point cushion as Kaepernick ran in from four yards out after setting up the score with a 45-yard strike to Anquan Boldin.

The fierce San Francisco defense kept Carolina out of the end zone four times from the one-yard line in the first half, at the end of two separate drives, with the home -standing Panthers only able to score three points from those TD opportunities.

“It was a great football game,” said Niners coach Jim Harbaugh, who steered his team into the Super Bowl last year. “It was a physical struggle. I’m proud of our team for prevailing.”

The game was marked by big hits and confrontational jawing between the players. Four

DENVER: Broncos running back Knowshon Moreno (27) is tackled by San Diego Chargers free safety Eric Weddle (32)and outside linebacker Jarret Johnson (96) in the second quarter of an NFL AFC division playoff football game. — AP times in the first half the 49ers earned first downs on Carolina penalties.

Following the first 30 minutes, San Francisco took charge and shut down the Panthers. “When you go on the road in a playoff game and beat another good team in their stadium, it makes you feel like a strong, mighty man,” said Harbaugh, the first coach in the Super Bowl era to reach the conference finals in his first three seasons. Kaepernick completed 15 of 28 passes for 196 yards, hitting Boldin eight times for 136 yards. Carolina quarterback Cam Newton connected on 16 of 25 throws for 267 yards, including a 31-yard, second-quarter touchdown pass to Steve Smith, and two interceptions.

Newton, who also rushed for 54 yards on 10 carries, was sharp in the opening half but after the break was harassed by a furious 49ers pass rush, which totaled five sacks in the game.

Carolina had seized control after falling behind 6-0 on a pair of first-quarter field goals

by Phil Dawson, but Kaepernick began finding the range with his throws as he directed San Francisco on a 12-play, 80-yard drive to end the half. “It was a big momentum swing,” Kaepernick said. “When we came out in the second half, we

were confident we could run the ball and make plays.” Niners running back Frank Gore, who was held to 17 yards in the first half, rushed for 67 yards in the second half for 84 yards on 17 carries. A big defensive turning point came late in the third quarter when Carolina responded to Kaepernick’s TD run by driving to a first-and-10 at the San Francisco 29.

With the Panthers threatening to claw their way back, back-to-back sacks by linebackers NaVorro Bowman and Ahmad Brooks pushed Carolina out of field goal range.

“They executed. They played great,” said Newton, who was playing in his first postseason game. “Playoffs is a different speed than the regular season. I learned that today.

“You have to seize the moment when the moment allows. We had too many opportunities that we let slip through our hands and that was the story of the day.”

The victory set up a third meeting this season between the 49ers and Seahawks, who at 13-3 finished one game better than San Francisco in the West. They split two regular season meetings, with the Seahawks crushing the Niners 293 in Seattle. —Reuters

Godolphin door shut for tainted trainer DUBAI: Godolphin’s former trainer Mahmood al-Zarooni, banned last year following a doping scandal, will not handle the horses again, Dubai’s ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum has said. The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) banned Zarooni for eight years after finding him guilty of administering anabolic steroids at his stables in Newmarket last year.

“I was shocked, really,” Godolphin owner Sheikh Mohammed, who is also Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, told the BBC on Sunday.

“I have many trainers and if one of them does the wrong things, you know they gave him eight years, and I gave him lifetime. Finished,” he said. “He comes and sees some other friends but he will never come near horses.” The BHA said in July the scandal, which caused serious embarrassment to Sheikh Mohammed, was a result of Zarooni acting alone without knowledge of his senior staff.

Zarooni, who won the Dubai World Cup - the world’s richest horse race for Godolphin in 2012 - with Monterosso, as well as English Classics the St Leger and 1,000 Guineas, admitted administering prohibited substances to horses at the Moulton Paddocks stable.

Sheikh Mohammed closed the stable and ordered internal investigations.

Assistant trainer Charlie Appleby was later put in charge of some 200 horses that were in Zarooni’s care.

In September, Princess Haya, who is also a president of the International Equestrian Federation (FEI), appointed former London police chief Lord Stevens to oversee an internal inquiry into the sheikh’s global equine interests.

Asked how horses could have been doped without the his knowledge when he is famed for his attention to details, Sheikh Mohammed said: “He (Zarooni) doped them not for racing, but for treatment long term.” “Now Lord Stevens will find out the whole story and we will all know what happened. He hasn’t finished yet but I hope good luck for him. The truth will come out because of independent Lord Stevens,” he said.

In May, Sheikh Mohammed said imports, sale, purchase and giving anabolic steroids to horses will become a criminal offence in the UAE, which has seen a number of doping cases in popular long-distance horse endurance races.

Godolphin, which takes its name from The Godolphin Arabian, one of the three foundation stallions imported into England nearly 300 years ago, have won 209 Group One races in different countries since Sheikh Mohammed established training operations in Dubai and England in 1992. — Reuters

Ahli United

Ahli Bank

KBC Bowling League KUWAIT: The 15th KBC Bowling League is set to begin next Saturday at the Cozmo bowling hall in Salmiya, featuring seven teams representing the Gulf Bank, Ahli United Bank, Burgan Bank, Ahli Bank, Kuawit

Kuwait Finance House

Burgan Bank

Finance House, Boubyan Bank and Commercial Bank of Kuwait. The Kuwait Banks Club announced yesterday that matches take place every Saturday starting from 4:00 pm.

Gulf Bank

TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2014

S P ORTS

Islanders dump Stars DALLAS: John Tavares scored with 1:24 to go and Brock Nelson added an empty-netter, leading the streaking New York Islanders to a 4-2 victory over the slumping Dallas Stars on Sunday.

Kyle Okposo had two goals in New York’s fourth consecutive victory. The Islanders (18-22-7) also have won seven straight road games.

The Islanders rallied past the Stars after trailing 2-0 after one period for the second time in a week. This time, New York scored three goals in the final 4:16. Dallas (20-18-7) has lost six in a row for the first time since March 2011. Ray Whitney and Sergei Gonchar scored first-period goals for the Stars against goalie Kevin Poulin, who finished with 29 saves. Dallas goaltender Dan Ellis stopped 27 shots.

SABRES 2, CAPITALS 1 Cody Hodgson decided a lackluster game with the only goal in the shootout as Buffalo avoided matching the longest road losing streak in club history.

Hodgson, returning after missing eight games with a hand injury, beat Philipp Grubauer in a skills contest that mirrored the rest of the game - not many quality chances, hardly any pucks in the net.

Tyler Ennis scored in the first period, and Ryan Miller made 28 saves for the Sabres, whose 11-game road skid was the secondlongest in club history, behind a 12-game streak in the 2011-12 season.

Jason Chimera also scored in the opening period, and Grubauer made 30 saves for the Capitals, who have lost five of seven.

MAPLE LEAFS 3, DEVILS 2 James van Riemsdyk scored in the shootout to lift the Toronto over New Jersey. Bozak and van Riemsdyk scored in regulation for Toronto, which had lost four straight since winning the Winter Classic on Jan. 1.

Toronto goalie Jonathan Bernier stopped 36 of the 38 shots he faced through overtime. He then denied Jaromir Jagr, Ryane Clowe and Reid Boucher in the shootout to get his 14th win.

Adam Henrique and Clowe had New Jersey’s goals. Cory Schneider, who narrowly missed out on making the US Olympic team as the third goalie, made 23 saves.

RANGERS 4, FLYERS 1 Daniel Carcillo, Rick Nash and Derick Brassard scored less than 10 minutes into the game, and Henrik Lundqvist made 37 saves as New York routed Philadelphia.

Chris Kreider netted his team-leading 12th goal in the second period to help the Rangers win their third straight and fourth in five (4-0-1). New York, 8-2-1 in its last 11,

is tied in points with Washington for second place in the Metropolitan Division one ahead of Philadelphia.

The Rangers have won seven straight against the Flyers at home, outscoring them 28-8. Ray Emery rebounded after the rough first period and finished with 31 saves for the Flyers. Lundqvist lost his shutout bid when Mark Streit scored a power-play goal 6:49 into the third.

BLACKHAWKS 5, OILERS 3 Marian Hossa had a power-play goal and an assist as Chicago beat Edmonton to end a three-game losing streak.

Ben Smith, Andrew Shaw, Jonathan Toews and Brent Seabrook also scored for Chicago, which had 15 goals against Edmonton in a three-game sweep of the season series.

Ales Hemsky and Taylor Hall scored for Edmonton. The Oilers’ Boyd Gordon was credited with a fluke short-handed goal in the second period when Chicago’s Patrick Kane inadvertently bounced a pass off the boards and into an empty net during a delayed penalty call.

MINNESOTA 4, NASHVILLE 0 Tennessee, Dany Heatley had a goal and an assist and Darcy Kuemper made 23 saves for his first career shutout as Minnesota beat Nashville.

Jason Zucker and Matt Cooke also scored for Minnesota, which has won five of six. Kuemper made five saves in the first, nine in the second, and nine in the third.

The rookie’s best save came with 2:17 left in the third period when he denied former Wild forward Matt Cullen from just outside of the crease on the right side. The Predators have lost three in a row and six of their last seven.

ANAHEIM 1, DETROIT 0 Jonas Hiller made 22 saves in his 14th consecutive victory as the steamrolling Anaheim Ducks beat Detroit for their 17th victory in 18 games.

Andrew Cogliano scored in the second period for the NHL-leading Ducks, who improved to 19-0-2 at home this season despite playing without injured scoring leader Ryan Getzlaf.

Hiller was outstanding in the second game of back-to-back starts, earning his third shutout of the year and the 19th of his career. The Swiss Olympic team selection hasn’t lost since Dec. 3, matching four other goalies for the second-longest winning streak in a single season in NHL history.

Petr Mrazek stopped 22 shots for the Red Wings in a rematch of last season’s first-round matchup in the Western Conference playoffs. —AP

DENVER: Islanders celebrate their winning goal in this file photo.

NHL results/standings Buffalo 2, Washington 1 (SO); NY Islanders 4, Dallas 2; Toronto 3, New Jersey 2 (SO); NY Rangers 4, Philadelphia 1; Chicago 5, Edmonton 3; Minnesota 4, Nashville 0; Anaheim 1, Detroit 0.

Western Conference Tampa Bay 27 14 4 132 109 58 Pacific Division Montreal 26 15 5 117 107 57 W L OTL GF GA PTS Detroit 20 16 10 118 127 50 Anaheim 35 8 5 161 119 75 Toronto 22 20 5 128 143 49 San Jose 28 12 6 148 116 62 Ottawa 20 18 8 131 146 48 Los Angeles 27 14 5 119 96 59 Florida 17 21 7 105 139 41 Vancouver 24 13 9 123 114 57 Buffalo 13 26 5 77 121 31 Phoenix 21 14 9 133 136 51 Metropolitan Division Calgary 15 24 6 101 144 36 Pittsburgh 33 12 2 152 112 68 Edmonton 15 28 5 126 169 35 Central Division Washington 22 16 7 136 135 51 Chicago 30 8 10 175 132 70 NY Rangers 24 20 3 118 124 51 St. Louis 31 8 5 161 99 67 Philadelphia 23 19 4 121 129 50 Colorado 28 12 5 132 115 61 New Jersey 19 18 10 108 117 48 Minnesota 25 18 5 118 119 55 Carolina 19 17 9 111 128 47 Dallas 20 18 7 127 139 47 Columbus 21 20 4 126 129 46 Nashville 19 21 7 109 141 45 NY Islanders 18 22 7 130 152 43 Winnipeg 19 23 5 128 145 43 Note: Overtime losses (OTL) are worth one point Eastern Conference in the standings and are not included in the loss Atlantic Division column (L).

Boston 29 14 2 129 98 60

Chan aims to outfox rivals in Sochi OTTAWA: Three-time reigning men’s world champion Patrick Chan was fine-tuning his routines for the Sochi Winter Olympics even as he won his seventh title at the Canadian Figure Skating Championships.

“I’m learning from this, not just going out and having a blast,” Chan said Sunday.

“It’s also a lot of last minute tweaks because my plan is to go to the Olympics and win.”

Chan was named to the Canadian Olympic squad Sunday, a day after defending his national title. He intends to become the first Canadian male figure skater to take Olympic gold, an accomplishment that eluded his fellow world champions of years past including Brian Orser, Kurt Browning and Elvis Stojko.

“It’s all about maintaining and staying healthy and keeping my head together for another couple of weeks until the Olympics,” Chan said.

“I’m going to my second Olympics, taking the experience from Vancouver with me. It’s different. I’ll be staying at the (ath-

letes) village the whole time. I’ll be more comfortable as opposed to being a deer in the headlights like I was in Vancouver.”

At the 2010 Winter Olympics on home ice, a 19-year-old Chan finished fifth. After landing a superb quad-triple jump combo in Friday’s short program, Chan attributed doubling two planned triple jumps to getting too far head of himself, rather than focusing on the execution of each element as it came.

His finale went more smoothly with only one major error, turning one quad into a double. Chan described his Vivaldi Four Seasons program as “good” but “a little bit shaky here and there.” His total score 277.42 was well off his best.

The miscues, he said, enable him to identify “the last missing pieces I need to slot in before Olympics.”

Chan believes his greatest challenger in Sochi will be Japanese champion Yuzuru Hanyu, who outskated him at the Grand Prix Final in December in Japan.—AFP

MELBOURNE: Serbia’s Novak Djokovic plays a shot during his men’s singles match against Slovakia’s Lukas Lacko on day one of the 2014 Australian Open tennis tournament. —AFP

Rusty Djokovic, slick Serena through to second round MELBOURNE: Novak Djokovic showed some early season rustiness but Serena Williams roared into the second round like a well-oiled machine as the tournament favorites took centre stage on the first evening of the Australian Open yesterday.

Williams, looking for her sixth title, closed the evening on Rod Laver Arena with a 6-2 6-1 demolition of local hope Ashleigh Barty after fourtimes champion Djokovic had overcome Lukas Lacko 6-3 7-6(2) 6-1.

Earlier, there were shocks aplenty in the women’s draw with the biggest coming when sixth seed Petra Kvitova fell victim to Thai world number 88 Luksika Kumkhum in front of a rapturous crowd on Margaret Court Arena.

There were upsets for two Italian seeds as well, Sara Errani beaten 6-3 6-2 by German Julia Goerges and her doubles partner Roberta Vinci going down 6-4 6-3 to China’s Zheng Jie. Serena’s sister Venus Williams also bid an early farewell to the tournament when she blew a 3-0 lead in the deciding set to lose 2-6 6-4 6-4 to Russian Ekaterina Makarova.

Djokovic’s new co-coach Boris Becker will have raised an eyebrow with the 30 unforced errors the second seed served up as he opened his quest for a fourth straight title in Melbourne.

The Serbian always looked like cantering to victory in three sets, however, and 23 minutes after taking a tight second stanza by dominating the tiebreak, he was firing down his 10th ace for the win.

“I know that I didn’t play my best, especially in the second set,” said Djokovic, who has now won his last 22 matches at Melbourne Park and 25 contests in a row in all tournaments since his loss to Rafa Nadal in the US Open final.

“I was a little bit too passive in some stages of the match and was trying to find the proper setting and proper balance and footing in the court.” With temperatures forecast to soar well above 40 degrees Celsius from Tuesday onwards, there was good reason for the players to keep their time on court to a minimum and rest up for challenges to come.

Even in the cool of the evening, Serena Williams showed no signs of wanting to hang around and 17-year-old Barty looked like a lamb heading for the slaughter.

Williams, who hit 31 winners, feasted on the teenager’s second serve and even dominated at the net, suggested that she herself was the biggest obstacle to her title ambitions.

“I just don’t want to get in my way. I just have to stay out of my way and I’ll be fine,” she said.

MELBOURNE: Serena Williams of the US serves during her women’s singles match against Australia’s Ashleigh Barty on Day One of the 2014 Australian Open tennis tournament. —AFP “As long as I’m able to stay relaxed, I’ll be okay.”

Thai Luksika was far from relaxed as she looked to close out her victory over Kvitova but was soon bowing to all corners of the stadium having sealed the biggest win of her career 6-2 1-6 6-4. “I was really excited to be here, feeling good,” said former Wimbledon champion Kvitova. “I think that probably I wanted (it) too much, and then everything just fell down.”

Fourth seeded Chinese Li Na never came anyhwere near being upset as she dispatched teenager Ana Konjuh 6-2 6-0 to set up a meeting with another 16-year-old, Swiss Belinda Bencic.

Bencic beat 43-year-old Kimiko Date-Krumm 6-4 4-6 6-3 in a battle of generations - the 27year age gap between the two the widest at a grand slam since a 47-year-old Martina Navratilova was beaten by 19-year-old Gisela Dulko at Wimbledon in 2004.

Local hopes in the women’s draw rest largely with Sam Stosur and the 2011 US Open champion made a reasonable start yesterday, gaining revenge for a semi-final defeat in Sydney last week with a 6-3 6-4 win over Czech Klara Zakopalova.

Men’s top 10 seeds David Ferrer, Tomas Berdych, Stan Wawrinka and Richard Gasquet

earlier raced into the second round with three set victories, eager to make the most of relatively mild conditions at Melbourne Park.

Ferrer sprinted to a 5-0 lead in the first set before being drawn into a scrap with Colombian Alejandro Gonzalez but still ground out a 6-3 6-4 6-4 victory.

“The most important thing is to win. Today maybe I didn’t play my best tennis, but I won,” said Ferrer, the least favoured third seed at Melbourne Park for several years.

Swiss Wawrinka, Djokovic’s potential quarterfinal opponent, had the easiest passage when Kazakh Andrey Golubev retired while trailing 6-4 4-1. German Tommy Haas, seeded 12th, also retired with a shoulder injury while losing to Spain’s Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in his first round match. Berdych and Gasquet both went through in less than two hours, however, the seventh seeded Czech beating Aleksandr Nedovyesov 63 6-4 6-3 and ninth seed Gasquet downing fellow Frenchman David Guez 7-5 6-4 6-1. Spanish top seed Nadal gets his campaign underway on Tuesday along with two of the other “big four” of men’s tennis, Wimbledon champion Andy Murray and 17-times grand slam champion Roger Federer.—Reuters

Tina amazes in so many ways LONDON: Tina Maze knows how to make an impression on and off the snow. The record-breaking Slovenian skier’s past exploits include flashing her bra in a finish-area protest and singing her way into her country’s hit parade with a catchy “My Way is My Decision”.

More importantly, the woman who could be competing for medals in all five Alpine events at Sochi has commanded attention by winning races and becoming the 2013 overall World Cup champion in record style. The 30-year-old, who set up her own “Team to a Maze” training squad in 2008 after falling out with the national setup, won the overall World Cup as the first skier of either sex to surpass 2,000 points in a single season.

Maze also notched up a record 24 podium appearances in a single season, beating Austrian Hermann Maier’s mark of 22, and celebrated 11 victories in all disciplines - downhill, Super-G, giant slalom, slalom and Super-combined.

One of only six women to have won in all five events, and only three ever to have done so in a single season, Maze has 22 World Cup victories to her name so far.

At the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, she won silver in super-G and giant slalom on the slopes in Whistler and later described on her website (www.tinamaze.com) what that had felt like.

“You lose words, you stare, you smile, tears are coming down, it is pure pleasure, you feel the top, you are shaking,” she wrote. “I did something extraordinary and ‘this is it’ is going through your mind.” The aim is to go one step better in Sochi but this season has been an unexpected struggle, with changes to her close-knit team and technical problems. A second place at the Val d’Isere downhill just before Christmas is her highest finish to date.

This month, as part of an increasingly urgent attempt to turn things around, she hired former Swiss women’s team head coach Mauro Pini to replace Walter Ronconi after less than a year with the Italian. “I think it’s always good to change every few years, it’s never good if you work with the same people for too long time,” she had told Reuters earlier in the season.

“It’s time to say goodbye and go forward, and to make new challenges. I think changes are always

difficult, especially for me, I like the routine more than the changes.” Maze wrapped up last season with a win in the giant slalom in Lenzerheide, Switzerland. In the opening slalom of the 2013/14 season at Soelden in Austria, she finished only 18th.

“I had too many things in mind, I couldn’t concentrate,” she said. “I wouldn’t say that the problem was the pressure. It was more the lack of energy for what I needed.”

Maze’s form has fluctuated, on the podium one race and out of the top 10 the next. After the Val d’Isere downhill, she was 11th in a giant slalom in the French resort and then 14th and 15th in a giant and slalom in Lienz. “It’s a different feeling from last year, which doesn’t mean that I’m not skiing fast, or good,” said the Slovenian.

Spirited and determined, a requirement in a sport where downhillers reach speeds of more than 125 kph, Maze has always been her own person. When, in 2012, the governing FIS confiscated her racing underwear following complaints from Swiss rivals who suspected her of gaining an aerodynamic advantage from plastic components, she made her thoughts known in her own fashion.

Maze unzipped her ski suit in the finish area at the Italian resort of Cortina d’Ampezzo to reveal a white sports bra with the words “Not your business” written across the front.

The gesture put her image on magazine front covers as well as the sports pages. An accomplished pianist, Maze likes to entertain her fellow racers whenever she can on the five-month tour that makes up the World Cup season from October to March. Fluent in four languages, she sang in English on her song that became a hit in Slovenia with the official video racking up more than half a million You Tube viewings since December 2012.

“I want to be a tale they tell over the years, to inspire the world. So I’ve got to be stronger, I’ve got to prove I’m a winner,” Maze sang. “My way is my decision, my power is my vision.”

Maze, who comes from the town of Crna na Koroskem near the Austrian border, started skiing at the age of three. She made her World Cup debut on home snow in Maribor in January 1999 where she finished 32nd in a Super-G a few months

before her 16th birthday, Since then she has made Slovenia proud, with former Prime Minister Janez Jansa last winter hailing her as “an inspiration to all Slovenians and living proof that all obstacles can be overcome with hard work”. In her early career, Maze watched Croatia’s four times Olympic gold medallist Janica Kostelic dominate women’s ski racing in the early 2000s and hoped one day to do the same.

Her wish came true in 2011 when she became giant slalom world champion and she added another gold in 2013 with the Super-G title.

“Now my time has come and I hope this fairy tale will last,” she declared after possibly the best ever season by a woman skier, and one comparable to Jean-Claude Killy’s remarkable 1967 campaign during which the Frenchman won 12 of the 16 World Cup races he entered.—Reuters

Tina Maze

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France’s ‘next Zidane’ Gourcuff chasing past glory PARIS: Once hailed as France’s next Zinedine Zidane, Yoann Gourcuff should be peaking. Instead, the elegant but fragile midfielder is still trying to become the player he once was. How someone so promising fell so far, so quickly is one of French football’s great mysteries. The 27-year-old with 31 international appearances hit rock bottom when a handful of fans watched him play for Lyon’s reserves in early November. It was Gourcuff’s latest comeback from injury, yet his improved recent form suggests the playmaker whose shoulders were crushed by the weight of expectation could now be turning the corner. After scoring twice in August, Gourcuff again dropped off the radar before returning to Lyon’s first team on Nov. 7. Last weekend’s clinical, curling strike against Sochaux was only his third league goal of another difficult season.

In the final game before December’s winter break,

his clever back-heel set up Clement Grenier for a goal in a 2-2 draw at Lorient. Gourcuff’s ratio of assists to time played is the best in the league.

There have been other glimpses of his natural talent, too. He scored with a splendid 30-meter strike in a League Cup win against Reims in December. The week before, his neat turn inside the area earned a penalty in a 2-1 win at Vitoria Guimaraes. His brilliant timing to wrong-foot the defender had also been a Gourcuff hallmark when he helped Bordeaux win the title in 2008-09. “When he’s in perfect shape, he’s a great teammate and a great player,” Lyon striker Bafetimbi Gomis said. However, he has shone only sporadically for Lyon since he joined from Bordeaux in 2010 in a transfer worth up to 26 million euros and on wages of 400,000 euros ($545,000) per month - a draining outlay for the club. To the annoyance of Lyon fans, the slightest muscle twinge seems to side-

line Gourcuff. He has started 54 of a possible 131 games since his move. “At certain times I felt that (Lyon) didn’t show enormous faith in me,” Gourcuff said recently. “It doesn’t upset me but I’ve taken note.” Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas responded last week that he is willing to sell the player who has 18 months left on his contract.

With Lyon financing a new stadium, Aulas is limited in the transfer market unless he can offload top earners. That no team took Gourcuff on loan this season shows how far his stock has fallen.

Five years ago, the over-used “next Zidane” label seemed to fit Gourcuff. His solo goal for Bordeaux against Paris Saint-Germain in January 2009 - controlling the ball and turning into space in one fluid movement and then finishing powerfully - bore the class of France’s World Cup-winning maestro.

Gourcuff’s 35-meter strike in a World Cup qualifier

in Romania a few months earlier also was magnificent. But France’s awful 2010 World Cup campaign sapped his confidence. Gourcuff was heavily criticized after starting the first game, a dull 0-0 draw against Uruguay. That Nicolas Anelka and Franck Ribery hardly ever passed to Gourcuff seemed to lend credence to whispers that he was unpopular in Raymond Domenech’s team bent on self-destruction, which alienated all of France by going on strike during training in South Africa.

Domenech’s replacement, Laurent Blanc, gave Gourcuff several chances. But Blanc didn’t take Gourcuff to the 2012 European Championship.

Current France coach Didier Deschamps has twice selected Gourcuff. But his midfield is taking shape around Yohan Cabaye, Blaise Matuidi and Paul Pogba. Gourcuff may well have peaked when he was 22. —AP

Preview

Struggling Santander seek King’s Cup solace MADRID: Racing Santander are seeking a much-needed boost when the financially troubled club, the only third-tier side left in the King’s Cup, play their last 16 second leg at top-flight Almeria today.

Last week’s first leg in Santander, which ended 1-1, was disrupted when a group of disgruntled fans tried to storm the VIP tribune, and Spanish police have launched an investigation after a security guard needed stitches in a head wound.

The home team also staged a brief protest over unpaid wages by standing still for around 10 seconds after kickoff and only began playing when their opponents obligingly put the ball into touch.

Santander have fallen on desperately hard times since they were taken over in Januar y 2011 by Indian businessman Ahsan Ali Syed, who set out his vision of a bright future for the north coast club.

Founder and chairman of investment company Western Gulf Advisory, Ali Syed said Santander could become a “third force” in Spain to challenge Real Madrid and Barcelona.

However, they were relegated from La Liga at the end of the 2011-12 season after finishing 10 points adrift at the bottom of the table. Ali Syed disappeared from view and the club’s crisis deepened as they dropped down to the third tier at the end of last term.

The future looked bleak after a capital increase in October designed to save them from ruin flopped and had to be abandoned and they remain mired in bankruptcy proceedings.

Current president Angel Lavin, the tar-

get of last week’s protests, has pledged to do all he can to rebuild a team like the one that qualified for Europe when they finished sixth in La Liga in 2007-08.

“I have the soul of a sailor and I have to be the last person to abandon ship,” Lavin said last week as he condemned those behind the attack on club officials.

If they manage to get past Almeria, Santander will play Real Sociedad or Villarreal, who drew their first leg in San Sebastian 0-0 and meet at the Madrigal on Thursday (1900), in the quarter-finals.

On their side of the draw they also have Barcelona, who have a 4-0 cushion when they play at Getafe on Thursday (2100).

Barca have Lionel Messi back after a two-month injury absence although the Argentina forward was unable to break the deadlock when he played the second half of Saturday’s 0-0 draw in the top-of-thetable La Liga clash at Atletico Madrid.

Barca’s Spain playmaker Andres Iniesta is a doubt after he took a knock to his left knee in the Atletico game and had to be replaced by Messi.

Cup holders Atletico have work to do when they host Valencia on Tuesday (2030) after last week’s first leg at the Mestalla ended 1-1.

Atletico have a potential meeting with local rivals Real Madrid, whom they beat 21 in last year’s final at Real’s Bernabeu stadium, in the last four. Real beat Osasuna 2-0 at home last week and play the return in Pamplona tomorrow. Second-division Alcorcon surprised Espanyol 1-0 in their first leg and the pair clash in Barcelona tomorrow). — Reuters

Chivas win, Queretaro undefeated in Mexico MEXICO CITY: Aldo de Nigris scored the lone goal in the second half as Chivas defeated Chiapas 1-0 on Sunday, while Queretaro is the only team to have won its opening two matches of Mexico’s Clausura tournament after it overcame Pumas 1-0 on Friday.

Rodolfo Vilchis volleyed in Queretaro’s winner four minutes from the final whistle. Toluca drew 2-2 Morelia and Puebla and Monterrey drew 1-1 in Sunday’s other games.

A Carlos Morales shot beat Toluca ‘keeper Alfredo Talavera at the near post in the 4th, but Edgar Benitez struck back for Toluca two minutes later.

Christian Valdez curled an effort into the far corner in the 39th to once again hand Morelia the lead, before Pablo Velazquez equalized from the penalty spot in the 55th.

Monterrey went ahead in the 3rd with Marlon de Jesus converting after a defensive mistake, but Puebla leveled when Matias Alustiza sent a looping head over goalkeeper Jonathan Orozco. In other weekend matches, Leon overcame Atlas 3-1, Cruz Azul won 2-1 against Santos Laguna, Veracruz defeated Atlante 2-1, Tijuana secured a 1-0 victory over America and Tigres drew 0-0 with Pachuca. — AP

ITALY: AC Milan’s Japanese midfielder Keisuke Honda (right) vies for the ball with Sassuolo’s Alessandro Longhi during the Serie A football match. — AFP

Berardi scores four as Sassuolo stun Milan ITALY: Nineteen-year-old forward Domenico Berardi scored four quickfire goals to give Sassuolo a 4-3 win over AC Milan on Sunday after they overturned an early two-goal deficit against the seven-times European champions.

Berardi became the first player in Serie A’s 85year history to score four goals against Milan in a league match as he wrote another chapter in their miserable season.

Milan’s defeat, against a team who had not scored in their previous five league games, left them languishing in 12th place in Serie A and renewed the speculation over coach Massimiliano Allegri’s future. Allegri announced over Christmas that he would leave at the end of the season but Italian media were speculating on Sunday that he might not even last that long.

“I’ve no intention of resigning,” he told television reporters. “If I had, I would have done it a while back. The club can make its judgment, I

accept responsibility for this defeat.”

Speculation mounted when club director Barbara Berlusconi, the daughter of club president Silvio Berlusconi, told Italian media that the performance was unacceptable.

“It was a disappointing evening, which confirms that it’s necessary to change,” she said. “It’s not tolerable for our fans to watch unacceptable performances such as this.”

Berardi, a lanky striker with a fiery temper, had not even played organised football until he was 16. His fortunes changed when he visited his brother at university, took part in a match and was pointed out to a Sassuolo youth-team coach.

Having turned professional in 2012, he helped Sassuolo out of Serie B last season as they reached the top flight for the first time, and was bought by Juventus who then loaned him back.Milan, who have won only five league

games all season, looked to be cruising after Robinho and Mario Balotelli put them two goals ahead after 13 minutes.

Berardi began Sassuolo’s fightback in the 15th minute when he rounded Christian Abbiati to score from a narrow angle. He levelled with a clever half-volley in the 28th minute and completed his hat-trick just before the break when he got between two defenders to fire past Straight after the re-start, Berardi struck again with a deflected shot to become the first player to score four goals against Milan in Serie A. Milan dominated the final half hour and Japan midfielder Keisuke Honda hit the crossbar after coming on in the second half for his debut. They hit the woodwork three times, repeatedly appealed for penalties and pulled one goal back through Riccardo Montolivo, but they could not force an equaliser despite five minutes of stoppage time. — Reuters

Milan sack coach Allegri ITALY: AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri was fired yesterday following a series of dismal results from the seventimes European champions.

“AC Milan wish to communicate that Massimiliano Allegri and his staff have been relieved of their duties with immediate effect”, the Serie A club said in a statement.

Massimiliano Allegri

“AC Milan would like to thank Mr Allegri and his staff for their time with the club and wish them the best for the future. Coach Mauro Tassotti will take charge of the team in the meantime.”

Allegri was dismissed less than 24 hours after his team squandered a twogoal lead to lose 4-3 at promoted Sassuolo, conceding four times in just

over half an hour.

The defeat left Milan languishing in 11th place in Serie A with 22 points from 19 games, 20 adrift of Napoli who occupy the Champions League playoff spot in third position. Allegri’s side have won only five league games all season. The phlegmatic 46-year-old, in his fourth year at the club, has faced constant media speculation over his future in the last few weeks and said during the Christmas break that he would be leaving the club at the end of the season.

The writing was on the wall for Allegri when club director Barbara Berlusconi, daughter of club president Silvio, told the ANSA news agency that Sunday’s performance was unacceptable.

“It was a disappointing evening that confirms it’s necessary to change,” she said. “It’s not tolerable for our fans to watch unacceptable performances such as this.”

Former Milan and Netherlands midfielder Clarence Seedor f, now with Brazilians Botafogo, is among the favourites to take over although he has no coaching experience.

Allegri took charge in 2010 and led Milan to the Serie A title in his first season and second place the year after. His fortunes changed dramatically when the club sold several top players in the middle of 2012 to balance the books, saying they were putting the emphasis on youth.

Milan finished third last season but, plagued by injuries, have struggled domestically this term. Despite their poor Serie A form, they are the only Italian survivors in this season’s Champions League and face Atletico Madrid in the last 16 next month. —Reuters

LISBON: FC Porto s Brazilian midfielder Carlos Eduardo (left) vies with Benfica’s Argentine midfielder Nicolas Gaitan (right) during the Portuguese League football match. — AFP

Benfica win emotional Classico PORTUGAL: Benfica won a league match against arch-rivals Porto for the first time in more than four years on Sunday, beating them 2-0 on an emotional afternoon marked by tributes to their former forward Eusebio.

Goals in each half from Rodrigo and Ezequiel Garay took Benfica top of the table with 36 points, two ahead of Sporting with champions Porto a further point behind in third.

Benfica’s players all wore the name of Eusebio rather than their own on the back of their shirts

and synchronised placards produced a huge image in the stands of the player nicknamed the ‘Black Panther’, who died on Jan. 5 aged 71.

There was also a minute’s silence before the game for the Mozambique-born player who was the top-scorer at the 1966 World Cup with nine goals that helped Portugal reach the semi-finals and inspired Benfica to 11 domestic titles.

The Eagles went ahead in the 13th minute when they won possession in midfield, Lazar Markovic burst forward and fed Rodrigo who

fired his shot past Helton. Jackson Martinez nearly levelled for Porto in first-half stoppage time but the result was never in doubt after Ezequiel Garay headed Benfica’s second following a corner in the 53rd minute. Porto’s frustration boiled over when Brazilian right back Danilo was sent off after being given a second yellow card for diving in the penalty area in what seemed a harsh decision.

Benfica last beat Porto in the league in December 2009 with five wins for Porto and two draws in the seven meetings since then. — Reuters

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Ballon d’Or winners List of Ballon d’Or winners since its inception in 1956 after Cristiano Ronaldo was named the 2013 winner in Zurich yesterday: 1956: Stanley Matthews (ENG) 1957: Alfredo Di Stefano (ESP) 1958: Raymond Kopa (FRA) 1959: Alfredo Di Stefano (ESP) 1960: Luis Suarez (ESP) 1961: Omar Sivori (ITA) 1962: Josef Masopust (CZE) 1963: Lev Yachine (USSR) 1964: Denis Law (SCO) 1965: Eusebio (POR) 1966: Bobby Charlton (ENG) 1967: Florian Albert (HUN) 1968: George Best (NIR) 1969: Gianni Rivera (ITA) 1970: Gerd Mueller (GER) 1971: Johan Cruyff (NED) 1972: Franz Beckenbauer (GER) 1973: Johan Cruyff (NED) 1974: Johan Cruyff (NED) 1975: Oleg Blokhine (USSR) 1976: Franz Beckenbauer (GER) 1977: Alan Simonsen (DEN) 1978: Kevin Keegan (ENG) 1979: Kevin Keegan (ENG) 1980: Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (GER) 1981: Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (GER) 1982: Paolo Rossi (ITA) 1983: Michel Platini (FRA) 1984: Michel Platini (FRA) 1985: Michel Platini (FRA) 1986: Igor Belanov (USSR) 1987: Ruud Gullit (NED) 1988: Marco van Basten (NED) 1989: Marco van Basten (NED) 1990: Lothar Matthaeus (GER) 1991: Jean-Pierre Papin (FRA) 1992: Marco van Basten (NED) 1993: Roberto Baggio (ITA) 1994: Hristo Stoichkov (BUL) 1995: George Weah (LBR) 1996: Matthias Sammer (GER) 1997: Ronaldo (BRA) 1998: Zinedine Zidane (FRA) 1999: Rivaldo (BRA) 2000: Luis Figo (POR) 2001: Michael Owen (ENG) 2002: Ronaldo (BRA) 2003: Pavel Nedved (CZE) 2004: Andrei Shevchenko (UKR) 2005: Ronaldinho (BRA) 2006: Fabio Cannavaro (ITA) 2007: Kaka (BRA) 2008: Cristiano Ronaldo (POR) 2009: Lionel Messi (ARG) 2010: Lionel Messi (ARG) 2011: Lionel Messi (ARG) 2012: Lionel Messi (ARG) 2013: Cristiano Ronaldo (POR). —AFP

ZURICH: Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal is awarded the prize for the FIFA Men’s soccer Player of the Year 2013 at the FIFA Ballon d’Or 2013 gala at the Kongresshaus in Zurich, Switzerland. —AP photos

Ronaldo ends Messi’s run with second Ballon d’Or

Brazil’s soccer legend Pele displays the honorary prize he received at the FIFA Ballon d’Or 2013 Gala in Zurich, Switzerland. Right FIFA President Sepp Blatter.

Sweden’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic displays the Puskas award for the best goal at the FIFA Ballon d’Or 2013 Gala.

ZURICH: Cristiano Ronaldo ended the four-year dominance of Lionel Messi when he was awarded the 2013 FIFA Ballon d’Or in Zurich yesterday.

The tearful 28-year-old Real Madrid and Portugal star, who won the award in 2008, had been the overwhelming favourite to pip Barcelona and Argentina wonder Messi, winner the previous four years, and France’s Franck Ribery, who claimed the treble with Bayern Munich in 2013.

Ronaldo won with 27.99% of the votes ahead of Messi (24.72%) while Ribery was third (23.36%) according to France Football, coorganisers of the award with FIFA. “There are no words to describe how I feel,” said Ronaldo. I’m delighted, I want to thank all my team-mates, all my family in the room. “Those who know me know how many sacrifices I made to win this reward.

“I want to thank all those who had faith in me and I want to speak again about (recently deceased Portugal legend) Eusebio and (recently deceased former South Afrca president) Madiba (Nelson Mandela) and to pay tribute to them one last time.”

News of Ronaldo’s success filtered through from France Football just moments before the official announcement in Zurich.

Ronaldo, who was widely expected to win after news spread on social media earlier in the day that seven members of his family were joining him in Zurich and his club Real were transmitting the award ceremony live on their official television channel in a change to the programmed schedule, broke down in tears on stage during his victory speech.

Ribery, who won the Champions League, Bundesliga and German Cup with Bayern last season, before adding the European Supercup and Club World Cup before the turn of the year, had been the early front-runner. But a controversial two-week extension to the voting deadline for international coaches, captains and media meant those casting their ballots could take into consideration Ronaldo’s remarkable hat-trick to beat Sweden in the World Cup play-offs in November.

That was widely believed to have been enough to tip the scales in his favor. However, with 66 goals in his 56 matches this year-more than Messi and Ribery’s combined 65 — no-one could deny Ronaldo was a worthy winner.

It is the second time he has picked up the award and comes in a season in which he won nothing with either club or country, an unusual situation for a Ballon d’Or winner.

In 1982 Italy’s World Cup hero Paolo Rossi won despite a nondescript year away from his heroics in Spain. And in 2001 England and Liverpool’s Michael Owen was a controversial winner after enjoying a great season in the cups with the Reds, winning the UEFA Cup, FA Cup and League Cup. As expected, Bayern’s Jupp Heynckes, who retired following their historic treble in May, won the coach’s award.

German goalkeeper Nadine Angerer was named women’s Ballon d’Or winner while Germany coach Silvia Neid won the

ZURICH: The FIFA “dream team” with the best goalkeeper, defenders, midfielders and forwards stands on the stage at the FIFA Ballon d’Or 2013 Gala yesterday. (Front row from left) Daniel Alves, Barcelona and Brazil, Thiago Silva, Paris Saint-Germain and Brazil, Sergio Ramos, Real Madrid and Spain, Philipp Lahm, Bayern Munich and Germany, Manuel Neuer, Bayern Munich and Germany (back row from left) Lionel Messi, Barcelona and Argentina, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Paris Saint-Germain, Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid and Portugal, Franck Ribery, Bayern Munich and Germany and Xavi Hernandez, Barcelona and Spain. —AP women’s coach award.

A special honorary Ballon d’Or was given to Brazilian legend Pele, who never qualified for the award during his playing career as he never plied his trade in European club football.

From its inception in 1956 until 2010, the Ballon d’Or was awarded to the best player in Europe and the FIFA World Player of the Year award was only inaugurated in 1991, before ending in 2009 when it was assimilated into the Ballon d’Or. Zlatan Ibrahimovic won the Ferenc Puskas best goal award for his

ZURICH: Former coach of Bayern Munich Jupp German national coach Silvia Neid holds the Nadine Angerer of Germany is awarded the prize Heynckes holds the trophy for best world coach. trophy for best coach in women’s soccer. for the FIFA Women’s soccer Player of the Year.

stunning, acrobatic overhead kick from 40 yards for Sweden in a friendly against England.

Former IOC president Jacques Rogge was given the president’s prize for a “remarkable personality in sport”. In the team of the year, Bayern’s goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, full-back and captain Philipp Lahm and Ribery were joined by Barcelona’s right-back Dani Alves, midfielders Andres Iniesta and Xavi and Messi, as well as Ronaldo and his Real team-mate centre-back Sergio Ramos, and Paris SaintGermain pair Ibrahimovic and centre-back Thiago Silva. —AFP

Brazilian super model Adriana Lima (right) and Jerome Valcke FIFA General Secretary, participate in the FIFA Ballon d’Or 2013 Gala.

Rusty Djokovic, slick Serena through to second round

TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2014

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Milan sack coach Allegri

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France’s ‘next Zidane’ Gourcuff chasing past glory

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KUWAIT: Kuwait Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Sabah and Information and Youth Affairs Minister Sheikh Salman Hmoud Al-Sabah and other Kuwaiti officials with the visiting Bayern Munich team. — KUNA

Bayern thrash Kuwait SC 8-0

By Chidi Emmanuel KUWAIT: FIFA World Club Cup champions and German champions FC Bayern Munich yesterday crushed AFC Cup champions Kuwait Sporting Club at the Al-Kuwait Sports Club stadium in a high-profile friendly game.

Bayern comfortably recorded an overwhelming victory of the mid-season training period with an emphatic 80 victory over Kuwait SC, the reigning domestic champions and winners of the AFC Cup (Asian equivalent of the Europa League).

The stadium was filled to capacity as Kuwaiti youths, fans and families struggled to catch a glimpse of their favorite German team. An overexcited and enthusiastic crowd cheered as the German club ran riot during the second half. Bayern’s Claudio Pizarro, Julian Green, Mario Gotze (2), Thomas Muller (2) and Thiago (2) scored the goals. With Arjen Robben and Daniel van Buyten not yet match fit, Bayern coach Pep Guardiola started the game with an unfamiliar line-up which was captained for the first time by Jerome Boateng.

Thousands of boisterous fans saw Bayern struggle slightly for a rhythm in the opening exchanges, with Kuwait SC making some promising moves. During the second half of the game, the Bavarians wrested control of the game and made their breakthrough. Bayern strikers pushed on and created chances although Mario Mandzukic, Xherdan Shaqiri and Pizarro failed to find the target. There was work for the defense too as the swift home team sporadically threatened.

Guardiola brought on all eight of his outfield substi-

tutes for the second half and with the Kuwaiti team finally tiring, the club world champions smoothly shifted up gears. The 18-year-old Green needed just three minutes on the field before adding his name to the score sheet with a fine individual effort. Gotze scored in the 58th minute while Muller headed the fourth goal four minutes later, both assisted by young Mitch Weiser.

With the home side’s resistance well and totally broken, Muller completed his brace in the 65th minute.

There was a brief lull in the scoring until the last ten minutes. Thiago tapped in from Green’s thrust on 83th minute and Gotze added the seventh goal with a skimmer from a Thiago pass straight from the kick-off.

Finally, the Spaniard volleyed the eighth after latching onto a loose ball 12 yards out in the 90th minute.

Starke made another good save at the end as the home fans and the travelling Bayern supporters joined forces to celebrate an entertaining and action-packed warm-up encounter. In his remarks after the game, the Bayern coach said he was ‘OK and happy’ with the team’s performance.

Bayern had a mid-season training camp in Qatar from 5 January to 14 January. During the mid-season training camp, The German champions had two friendly matches. The first match was against Al-Merrikh SC, who lost 2-0 on the 9th of January, and the second match against Kuwait SC yesterday. Bayern returns to start the second half of the season on 24 January against Borussia Monchengladbach. But prior to the restart, Bayern will play another friendly match against Red Bull Salzburg on 18 January.

KUWAIT: Kuwait Sporting Club’s Hussain Hakem (second right) goes for the ball as his teammates duel with the Bayern Munich players during the game yesterday.

Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Sabah greets Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola. — KUNA

KUWAIT: Jarrah Al-Atiqi of Kuwait Sporting Club (left) vies for the ball with Claudio Pizzaro of Bayern Munich (right) during their friendly soccer match yesterday.

KUWAIT: National Assembly Speaker Marzouk Al-Ghanem, Kuwait Football Association President Talal Al-Fahad and other officials with Kuwait Sporting Club players and visiting Bayern Munich team. — Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

UAE sees keen interest for largest oilfields

Business

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Solid growth in GCC as MENA transition countries struggle

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Airbus logs record 2013, but still behind Boeing

Fantastic New Year offers from Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive Page 25 Page 26

DETROIT: The Audi exhibit is shown at media previews at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit yesterday. — AP (See Page 25)

Veolia to build desalination plant in Kuwait Plant at Az Zour to produce 486,400 cubic meters of water KUWAIT/PARIS: Veolia Environement said yesterday it had won a contract worth 320 million euros to build a desalination plant at the Az Zour North complex in Kuwait by the end of 2016.

The plant will have a daily production capacity of 486,400 cubic meters of water. The contract was won in partnership with Hyundai Heavy Industries, which will build a 1,500 megawatt power station to fuel the desalination plant.

“All the electricity generated and the water produced will be purchased by the Kuwaiti government for 40 years,” said Veolia.

Under this Engineering, Purchasing and Construction contract won in partnership with Hyundai Heavy Industries, Veolia, through its subsidiary Sidem, will build the plant.

Work is scheduled for completion by the end of 2016. The Az Zour desalination plant will account for approximately 20 percent of Kuwait’s installed capacity.

The construction of this desalination plant is part of the Az Zour North electricity generation and water production project located 100 kilometers south of the Kuwaiti capital.

Awarded a year ago to the consortium of GDF Suez Energy International (France), Sumitomo Corporation (Japan) and Abdullah Hamad Al-Sager and Brothers (Kuwait), this is the country’s first public-private partnership for an independent water and power project

(IWPP). This project is part of the long-term plan to develop Kuwait’s installed electricity generation and water production capacity.

Sidem is one of the few companies in the world with complete command of thermal desalination technologies. The technology chosen for Az Zour North, Multieffect distillation (MED), is able to adapt to fluctuations in water demand over time. Additionally, it is one of the lowest energy consuming and most robust desalination techniques available on the market, and so the most economically efficient as well. With a portfolio of more than 250 projects, representing more than 80 percent of the global market share, Veolia is the undeniable leader for this desalination process.

In 2010, Veolia had already been selected to build the Az Zour South water desalination plant, for which it opted for reverse osmosis membrane technology. With a daily capacity of 136,000 cubic meters of water, this plant is currently in the start-up phase.

“Veolia’s high-tech solutions for water services, as for environmental services and energy, are what differentiates the company from the international competition in this region of the Middle East that requires innovative solutions”, says Antoine Frerot, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Veolia Environement. “We are honored to be working with Kuwait on its infrastructure policy to underpin its development and serve its growing population,” he added. —Agencies

UAE stocks surge; Kuwait retreats MIDEAST STOCK MARKETS DUBAI: United Arab Emirates stock markets surged yesterday because of optimism towards fourth-quarter earnings, while Qatar booked its longest winning streak in over three years as it rose above 11,000 points for the first time since 2008. Property shares led gains in Dubai, pushing the main index up 1.3 percent to a new five-year high. Union Properties surged 9.6 percent.

Shares in Shuaa Capital climbed 4.0 percent after the investment bank swung to a profit in the fourth quarter of 2013 and for the full year. It made a full-year net profit of 2.8 million dirhams ($769,000), compared to a loss of 59 million dirhams in 2012. “People are actively looking at Q4 numbers and dividends; Shuaa came out with a profit for the first time in years and that’s being seen as a positive,” said Sanyalaksna Manibhandu, senior analyst at NBAD Securities.

Qatar is the best-performing regional

market so far this year with a gain of 5.2 percent. Foreign institutional investors have been net buyers, according to bourse data.

Investors are positioning for earnings growth and dividends, which are among the highest in the region, and also ahead of MSCI’s upgrade of Qatar to emerging market status, which will be implemented in May. Qatar is expected to see an inflow of about $500 million from funds benchmarked against MSCI’s emerging market index.

Kuwait index retreated 0.2 percent to 7,629 points.

In Saudi Arabia, losses in the petrochemical sector overshadowed gains in some banks. Riyad Bank surged 4.7 percent to its highest since September 2008, continuing a rise that began on Wednesday when it posted a 27.2 percent jump in fourth-quarter net profit, beating forecasts. — Reuters

ECB unveils 10-euro notes featuring mythic Europa FRANKFURT: The European Central Bank unveiled its new 10-euro banknotes yesterday, sturdier and less susceptible to counterfeiting, that will come into circulation from late September.

The ECB is gradually phasing in a brand new series of banknotes, all featuring the Greek mythological figure of Europa, to replace the original design in use since the euro became a physical currency in 2002.

The new five-euro notes were already launched last May and the 10-euro notes will follow in September.

The other denomination notes — 20-euro, 50-euro, 100-euro, 200-euro and 500-euro-will follow later.

“The new 10-euro banknote of the Europa series will start circulating on September 23,” the ECB said in a statement. Conversely, the current euro banknotes issued in January 2002 are gradually being pulled from circulation. Like the new five-euro notes, the 10euro notes will benefit from advances in banknote technology. Its security features have been enhanced, making them “even more resistant to counterfeiting,” the ECB said. The figure of Europafrom which Europe takes its name-will be featured in the hologram and watermark of the new notes.

In Greek mythology, Europa was a Phoenician princess abducted to Crete by the god Zeus. Other security features include a security thread and an emerald number in the bottom left hand corner. The

FRANKFURT: Yves Mersch from European Central Bank (ECB) board reveals the new 10-euro banknotes yesterday at the ECB headquarters in Frankfurt / Main. — AFP ECB is responsible for printing the euro banknotes, from July to December, up 11.4 percent over the period from January to June. However, the number of while euro coins are minted by the national mints.

According to new data compiled by the ECB, the counterfeits “remains very low in comparison with the number of counterfeit euro banknotes seized in the number of genuine banknotes in circulation during second half of last year was up over the preceding six that period (over 15 billion),” the ECB insisted. In addimonths. A total of 353,000 counterfeit euro ban- tion to the enhanced security, the new banknotes will knotes were withdrawn from circulation in the period be sturdier, thanks to a protective coating. — AFP

TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2014

BUSINESS

UAE sees keen interest for largest oilfields Asian buyers likely to get ADCO concession NEW DELHI: Abu Dhabi has received strong interest from international firms for participating in its largest oilfields, the UAE oil minister said, as it weighs continuing previous partnerships with Western oil giants or letting big Asian buyers take stakes.

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) took full control of the biggest oilfields in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) when its decades-old venture with four of the world’s largest oil companies ended on Januar y 11. Under the concession arrangement, ADNOC held a 60 percent controlling stake in the Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Oil Operations (ADCO) oilfields, while ExxonMobil, Royal Dutch Shell, Total and BP, each held 9.5 percent stakes. Several companies, including those whose participation in the concession have expired are interested in joining the project with revised terms, UAE’s

oil minister Suhail bin Mohammed AlMazroui told reporters. “Most of the existing partners are involved and expressed keen interest to participate,” he said. “There was a criteria that ADNOC announced. This was based on technology because the challenges moving forward are different than the challenges we had when we started,” the minister, who is in New Delhi to attend industry event Petrotech 2014, said.

Abu Dhabi is the capital of the UAE, which is a member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

UAE’s concession system allows oil and gas producers to acquire equity in hydrocarbon resources. ADCO’s output is about 1.6 million barrels per day (bpd). The western oil majors have partnered Abu Dhabi since decades but several Asian energy companies are keen to take stakes in fields that mostly supply oil to the Asian market. These would offer a chance for UAE to strengthen

country aims for a 3.5 million bpd export capacity by 2017, he said.

ADNOC has a term contract to supply 230,000 bpd to Indian refiners but actual purchases go up to as high as 280,000 bpd as these companies also purchase from the spot market.

“As some members of OPEC like Libya and Iraq are experiencing difficulties, so we are producing as much as we can to ensure that markets are well-supplied,” he added.

The minister also said that the expansion of Ruwais refinery of Abu Dhabi Oil Refining Co (Takreer) will be completed by end-2014.

The expansion was earlier planned to be completed in the first quarter of 2014. The minister did not specify the reasons for the delay. The Ruwais refinery has a capacity of 415,000 bpd and expansion work is underway to more than double it. The new refinery would process Abu Dhabi’s Murban crude oil grade. —Reuters

political ties with its biggest oil buyers such as China, Korea and Japan.

The minister, however, said that western companies have agreed to continue working with ADNOC until new contracts are finalized. “There is an arrangement between us and those companies to continue until we finalize the contract. Now, ADNOC is responsible for sale of all of the crude,” he said.

Well-supplied markets The Gulf nation has the capacity to produce 3 million barrels per day (bpd) and is currently producing 2.8 million bpd. “Our production goes up and down depending on the market demand. Priority is market should be well supplied of the OPEC crude and UAE is doing its role in that context,” AlMazroui said. ADNOC aims to raise output from its largest onshore oilfields to 1.8 million barrels per day (bpd) in two years as the

Etihad won’t rush on Alitalia decision BERLIN: Etihad will not be rushed into making a decision over an investment in struggling Italian airline Alitalia, the chief executive of the Abu Dhabi-based airline said yesterday. “There are no plans to make any announcement at the end of this month,” James Hogan told journalists at an event with Air Berlin in the German capital.

Alitalia is in talks with Etihad, which sources close to the matter have told Reuters is willing to take a large stake. An Italian newspaper reported last week that Etihad could present an offer as early as this week. “What is important in any transaction is that you undertake your due diligence and ensure if you are going to invest, there is a clear plan to move to profitability.

We will not be rushed into making a decision,” Hogan said.

After buying a 29 percent stake in Air Berlin, Germany’s second-largest airline, in 2011, Etihad has taken stakes in airlines across the world and Hogan said Etihad would continue this strategy.

“Global reach is beyond the capacity of any single airline,” Hogan said. Along with Air Berlin, Etihad also owns stakes in Air

Serbia, Aer Lingus, Darwin Airlines, Virgin Australia, Jet Airways and Air Seychelles.

Hogan said, though, that Etihad was not looking at investing in Poland’s LOT or Latvia’s Air Baltic, as recently suggested by analysts. Nor was Etihad planning to take a stake in Rome’s Fiumicino airport, he added. He also Etihad was happy with Air Berlin’s financial position. The German airline is undergoing a restructuring as it tries to shrink its way back to profit and CEO Wolfgang Prock-Schauer said yesterday he had no plans to extend the airline’s costsaving program, which runs through 2014.

At the event yesterday, Etihad and Air Berlin said they would launch a joint advertising campaign this week as they unveiled a plane painted in a joint livery, combining the two companies’ colors.

Etihad also announced over the weekend a deal to use German golfer Martin Kaymer in its adverts as part of its strategy to woo travellers from Germany, Europe’s largest outbound travel market. “Etihad in their own right in Germany doesn’t have weight, with Air Berlin we have weight,” Hogan said yesterday. —Reuters

Qatar CB to issue bonds, sukuk worth 24bn riyals DUBAI: Qatar’s central bank plans to issue on Thursday conventional and Islamic government bonds worth a combined 24 billion riyals ($6.6 billion), it said yesterday, a much larger amount than it has offered in past quarterly debt auctions.

This week’s local currency debt will be sold in three-and five-year tranches. The conventional bonds will be worth 13 billion riyals, while the rest of the issuance will be in the form of sukuk, the central bank said on its website. The large issue is designed to replace part of an even bigger issue of 50 billion riyals worth of three-year government bonds that were issued in January 2011, as part of the central bank’s efforts to manage loose money market liquidity.

Last March, the central bank launched quarterly bond sales worth a total of 4 billion riyals, allocated directly to banks. It has also conducted monthly auctions of 91-,

182- and 273-day T-bills since 2011, consistently draining 4 billion riyals despite occasional build-ups of excess liquidity as well as a recent fall in demand for the bills linked to geopolitical tensions over the civil war in Syria.

Qatar’s new finance minister Ali Sherif AlEmadi told Reuters in December that volumes drained from the market through local currency debt issues might be changed flexibly in coming months. The world’s top liquefied natural gas exporter may need more active management of money market liquidity in coming years as it plans to spend some $140 billion on infrastructure building, partly in preparation to host the 2022 World Cup soccer tournament. The International Monetary Fund has said Qatar’s central bank needs to start managing liquidity fluctuations more finely through more flexible open market operations. —Reuters

MUMBAI: Indian visitors inspect the new Nano Twist motor-car after the launch in Mumbai yesterday. India’s struggling Tata Nano, billed as the world’s cheapest car, launched a new variant as the company Tata Motors looks to give the hatchback a new start. —AFP

Tata launches new Nano with power steering MUMBAI: India’s struggling Tata Nano, launched in 2009 as the world’s cheapest car, unveiled a new, pricier variant of the jelly-bean shaped car yesterday featuring power-steering in a bid to boost flagging sales. The latest model, called Nano Twist, targets young people. It has power steering along with remote keyless entry, a four-speaker music system with bluetooth and a higher ground clearance for rough terrain.

Ranjit Yadav, president, passenger vehicles business, Tata Motors, said the car was “loaded with trendy features” to make it a “smart city car to hang out with”.

When Tata Motors-part of India’s giant Tata group-launched the Nano in 2009, analysts said it would revolutionize how millions in India travelled.

But after poor sales in recent years, it become clear the car’s unique selling point-its price-had backfired as aspirational Indians shied away from buying a vehicle tagged the world’s cheapest. Tata Motors-part of the tea-to-steel Tata con-

glomerate-has been seeking to reposition the car in the market by adding features and making it trendier. In December, Tata Motors sold just 554 Nano cars, down 75 percent from 2,202 cars a year earlier. Tata Motors officials yesterday said some 45 percent of Nano drivers are between 18 and 34. The Tata group’s former chairman Ratan Tata said shortly before his retirement in December 2012 it had been a mistake to market the Nano merely on its low-price, saying “various stigmas have been attached to it”. He said the Nano had a “strong future” with an upmarket image and did not want it to be branded as the “world’s cheapest car”. The purple-colored Nano Twist will be sold at a price of 236,000 rupees ($3,800) while the base model costs around 150,000 rupees ($2,400).

Since its launch for just 100,000 rupees for the base model, the Nano has had several small makeovers-including upgrades to its interior and a doubling of its warranty to four years. —AFP

News

in brief

Dollar unchanged against Kuwaiti dinar KUWAIT: Exchange rate of the US dollar against the Kuwaiti dinar was unchanged at KD 0.282 yesterday, a similar level of the euro which stood at 0.386 against the Kuwait dinar compared to Sunday ’s exchange rate. The Central Bank of Kuwait said in its daily bulletin exchange rate of the pound sterling also stabilized at KD 0.465 while the Japanese yen remained at KD 0.002, but the Swiss franc rose to KD 0.313. On international markets, the US dollar dropped this week after rising vis a vis the other major currencies. Bearish trend of the greenback rate is attributed to negative reports about employment in the United States, which prompted traders to engage in hefty sales of the US currency in a bid to generate profits. Meanwhile, central banks of Europe and Britain opted to maintain the interest rate, amid signs economic recovery was ruled out.

Dubai Shuaa Capital swings to Q4 profit DUBAI: Shuaa Capital, the Dubai-based investment bank, swung to a profit in the fourth-quarter of 2013, aided by cost cuts and growth in its core businesses. Shuaa made a quarterly net profit of 3.8 million dirhams ($1.03 million), compared with a loss of 21 million dirhams in the corresponding period in 2012, it said in a bourse statement yesterday. Revenue for the quarter surged to 63 million dirhams from 25 million dirhams in the year-ago quarter. Net profit for 2013 also jumped, hitting 2.8 million dirhams compared to a loss of 59 million dirhams in 2012, the filing added. In December, Shuaa said its Chief Executive Officer, Colin Macdonald, was leaving the firm, the fourth CEO to depart in as many years.

Saudi’s Yansab Q4 profit drops 31% DUBAI: Saudi Arabia’s Yanbu National Petrochemical Co (Yansab) posted a 31 percent slump in fourth-quarter net profit yesterday, citing a shutdown at its plant for the decline. The firm made a net profit of 442.2 million riyals ($117.9 million) in the threemonth period to Dec. 31, it said in a bourse filing, down from 640.8 million riyals during the same period of 2012. The earnings were well below the average forecast of seven analysts polled by Reuters, who expected a net profit of 619.3 million riyals for the quarter. Yansab attributed the fall to the shutdown of its complex and an increase in its Zakat payment. Zakat is a charitable donation which firms in Saudi Arabia are obligated to pay. Yansab, a subsidiary of Saudi Basic Industries Corp, was forced to shut its petrochemicals complex for three weeks for maintenance at the end of October due to a problem with a water cooling network. It estimated the financial loss from the shutdown, at the time, as 160 million riyals. Full-year profit for 2013 was higher year-on-year. Yansab reported a net profit of 2.64 billion riyals, versus 2.45 billion riyals in 2012, citing higher prices for its products and lower financing costs.

EXCHANGE RATES Al-Muzaini Exchange Co. Japanese Yen Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Srilankan Rupees Nepali Rupees Singapore Dollar Hongkong Dollar Bangladesh Taka Philippine Peso Thai Baht Irani Riyal transfer Irani Riyal cash Saudi Riyal Qatari Riyal Omani Riyal Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham

ASIAN COUNTRIES 2.701 4.552 2.684 2.166 2.847 223.970 36.568 3.641 6.335 8.598 0.271 0.273 GCC COUNTRIES 75.644 77.941 736.880 753.420 77.251

ARAB COUNTRIES Egyptian Pound - Cash 41.000 Egyptian Pound - Transfer 40.357 Yemen Riyal/for 1000 1.323 Tunisian Dinar 172.110 Jordanian Dinar 400.580 Lebanese Lira/for 1000 1.903 Syrian Lira 2.022 Morocco Dirham 35.006 EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES US Dollar Transfer 283.550 Euro 388.040 Sterling Pound 466.580 Canadian dollar 263.770 Turkish lira 131.030 Swiss Franc 313.660 Australian Dollar 254.340 US Dollar Buying 282.350 20 Gram 10 Gram 5 Gram

GOLD 230.000 118.000 60.000

UAE Exchange Centre WLL COUNTRY Australian Dollar Canadian Dollar Swiss Franc Euro US Dollar Sterling Pound Japanese Yen Bangladesh Taka Indian Rupee Sri Lankan Rupee Nepali Rupee Pakistani Rupee UAE Dirhams Bahraini Dinar Egyptian Pound Jordanian Dinar Omani Riyal Qatari Riyal Saudi Riyal

SELL DRAFT 259.13 264.09 318.91 390.71 282.70 470.13 2.78 3.636 4.580 2.165 2.865 2.684 77.04 752.43 40.60 402.35 735.20 78.07 75.52

SELL CASH 256.13 265.09 316.91 391.71 285.700 473.130 2.80 3.906 4.880 2.600 3.400 2.790 77.50 754.50 41.20 408.00 742.50 78.62 75.92

09.980 3.855 3.855 87.450 47.185 9.665 131.060

Philippine Peso Sierra Leone Singapore Dollar South African Rand Sri Lankan Rupee Taiwan Thai Baht

0.006406 0.000069 0.220877 0.020670 0.001875 0.009399 0.008389

0.006686 0.000075 0.226877 0.029170 0.002455 0.009579 0.008939

Bahrain Exchange Company

Bahraini Dinar Egyptian Pound Iranian Riyal Iraqi Dinar Jordanian Dinar Kuwaiti Dinar Lebanese Pound Moroccan Dirhams Nigerian Naira Omani Riyal Qatar Riyal Saudi Riyal Syrian Pound Tunisian Dinar Turkish Lira UAE Dirhams Yemeni Riyal

Arab 0.745003 0.037497 0.000078 0.000185 0.395359 1.0000000 0.000139 0.022675 0.001199 0.729812 0.077105 0.074910 0.002171 0.168908 0.132071 0.076150 0.001287

0.753003 0.040597 0.000080 0.000245 0.402859 1.0000000 0.000239 0.046675 0.001834 0.735492 0.078318 0.075610 0.002391 0.176908 0.139071 0.077299 0.001367

Thai Bhat Syrian Pound Nepalese Rupees Malaysian Ringgit Chinese Yuan Renminbi Thai Bhat Turkish Lira

COUNTRY Belgian Franc British Pound Czech Korune Danish Krone Euro Norwegian Krone Romanian Leu Slovakia Swedish Krona Swiss Franc Turkish Lira

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 Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Pesso Cyprus pound Japanese Yen

Selling Rate 283.050 262.865 466.785 388.170 313.990 747.390 77.040 78.595 76.350 398.900 40.598 2.164 4.571 2.681 3.635 6.322 695.230 3.715

Australian Dollar New Zealand Dollar

SELL CASH Europe 0.007364 0.460488 0.006138 0.047853 0.381851 0.042026 0.081745 0.008120 0.039611 0.307547 0.132071 Australasia 0.246623 0.228869

SELLDRAFT 0.008364 0.469488 0.018138 0.052853 0.389351 0.047226 0.81745 0.018120 0.044611 0.317747 0.139071 0.258123 0.238369

Al Mulla Exchange Canadian Dollar US Dollars US Dollars Mint

America 0.254647 0.279200 0.279700

0.263147 0.283550 0.283550

Bangladesh Taka Chinese Yuan Hong Kong Dollar Indian Rupee Indonesian Rupiah Japanese Yen Kenyan Shilling Korean Won Malaysian Ringgit Nepalese Rupee Pakistan Rupee

Asia 0.003562 0.045134 0.034448 0.004278 0.000018 0.002640 0.003348 0.000257 0.083088 0.002978 0.002490

0.004162 0.048634 0.037198 0.004679 0.000024 0.002820 0.003348 0.000272 0.089088 0.003148 0.002770

Currency US Dollar Euro Pound Sterling Canadian Dollar 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) 283.000 387.250 466.150 263.400 4.555 40.630 2.163 3.640 6.330 2.682 753.553 77.050 75.550

TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2014

BUSINESS

Solid growth in GCC as MENA transition countries struggle NBK ECONOMIC REPORT KUWAIT: Challenges in countries undergoing transition - including Egypt, Jordan, Libya, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia and Yemen will continue to affect economic performance in the MENA region.

Although growth could rise to 4 percent in 2014 from 3 percent in 2013, growth in most transition countries will remain below

par, averaging closer to 3 percent. While regional and international aid has helped to stabilize transition economies and reduce short-term external funding pressures, better medium-term prospects depend upon achieving the political consensus needed to bolster economic reforms and the return of foreign capital.

For many countries, this still seems some way off. Dubai’s real non-oil growth rate is currently around 5 percent on the back of a rapid expansion in its real estate, tourism, trade and financial sectors.

In the resource-rich GCC region, by contrast, growth prospects remain favorable, supported by high oil prices, a steady flow of government development spending and - in some cases - an increasingly buoyant private sector. Real GCC non-oil GDP growth is forecast at around 5.5 percent per year in 2014 and 2015, 0.5 percent points higher than in 2013. Qatar will remain the best performer, but the UAE economy - boosted by returning confidence and renewed impetus from infrastructure investment - appears to be improving the quickest.

We maintain our forecast for oil prices at $100 per barrel (pb), on average, for 2014, a fall of 8 percent from 2013. Although oil prices held up well last year, continued strong growth in non-OPEC supplies and a potential rise in output from OPEC members Iran, Iraq and Libya are expected to loosen oil market fundamentals in 1H 2014.

Key GCC OPEC members - led by Saudi Arabia - are forecast to cut oil output from current elevated levels early in 2014 in order to balance the market. Real oil sector GDP is therefore seen declining 2 percent in 2014, pushing overall GDP growth down to 3 percent.

Inflation across the GCC region could be pushed higher by a combination of solid growth and rising pressures on housing rents. But at around 3 percent on a weighted basis, it is unlikely to concern policymakers very much. Meanwhile, the decline in oil revenues will reduce the GCC’s aggregate fiscal surplus to 7 percent of GDP, from 10 percent in 2013. Although this is still very strong by international standards, we expect GCC countries to pay growing attention to the sustainability of their fiscal positions going forward. This could translate into slower growth in overall spending than before, and tighter curbs on current spending in particular. This, in turn, will have implications for macroeconomic performance in the years ahead.

In Egypt - a pivotal economy for the MENA region - a combination of capital controls, a managed depreciation of the pound and financial support from the GCC helped ease pressures on the external position in 2013. Along with a slight improvement in the political climate, this has set the stage for a modest acceleration in growth to 3 percent in FY14/15. But major challenges remain. As well as sustaining progress with the political transition, the government must navigate the need to protect living standards and social stability on the one hand, and enact major deficitreducing fiscal reforms (particularly on subsidies) on the other.

In US, a retirement time-bomb is ticking

MANCHESTER: An Anti-fracking protestor displays a placard at a site where energy company IGas has permission to carry out exploratory drilling for shale gas at Barton Moss in Manchester yesterday.—AFP

Total speeds up UK shale gas race LONDON: France’s Total yesterday became the first oil and gas major to enter Britain’s shale gas market by acquiring a 40 percent interest in two licenses in northern England for up to $48 million.

Total’s involvement, which follows shale gas acquisitions by utilities Centrica and GDF Suez, is a major boost to Britain’s growing but controversial shale gas industry, seen as one of Europe’s strongest prospects for unconventional oil and gas development. The investment is tiny in oil industry terms, and especially small in the context of the tens of billions of dollars spent every year by Total, one of the world’s top five investor-controlled oil and gas groups.

However, having such a large player as a partner will be a feather in the cap of industry minnows Dart Energy, Egdon Resources, IGas and eCORP Oil

& Gas UK Ltd, with which Total will partner. Britain’s IGas will be the operator of the initial exploration program and Total will take over ownership of the projects as they reach the development phase, the companies said.

The news confirms a Reuters report over the weekend. Shares in the smallcap firms rallied yesterday morning, with Egdon Resources up 45 percent, IGas 13 percent higher and Dart Energy also up 13 percent. Britain’s shale gas resources are estimated to be large enough to reverse the country’s rising dependency on imports, but few wells have so far been drilled to see how much gas is extractable.

The British government also sees the prospect of shale gas exploration as an attractive way to boost revenues and has allowed handsome tax breaks for companies involved in the nascent industry.

Strong position Environmental groups strongly oppose shale gas fracking, a method whereby chemicals and water are injected underground at high pressure to break rock formations. “It’s ironic that a French-owned company is seeking to drill the UK for shale gas when it’s banned from fracking in France due to environmental concerns,” said Jane Thomas, senior campaigner at environmental group Friends of the Earth.

France’s constitutional court in October upheld a ban on hydraulic fracturing for shale oil and gas.

Britain has promised benefits to communities affected by shale gas exploration, with 100,000 pounds ($164,800) in compensation to be available to local councils once exploration has begun. — Reuters

Sanctions relief to breathe new life into Iran economy TEHRAN: Unblocking billions of dollars in funds to Iran under a landmark sixmonth nuclear deal with the West will have a significant economic and psychological impact on the Islamic republic, experts said yesterday.

Iran and Western powers announced on Sunday that the deal will take will take effect from January 20. Tehran had agreed in November to roll back parts of its nuclear program and halt further advances in exchange for the release of billions of dollars in frozen assets and limited relief from crippling sanctions.

A senior US administration official told AFP that the first $550-million (400million-euro) instalment of $4.2 billion in frozen assets would be released early next month. “The instalment schedule starts on February 1 and the payments are evenly distributed” across 180 days, a senior US administration official told AFP. Analysts say unblocking the funds will breathe new life into the economy and provide much-needed relief across Iran. “The political and psychological

effect will be (more) considerable,” than the amount of funds involved, economic expert Saeed Leylaz said.

“It will be easier to sell our oil, our petrochemical products and recover our petrodollars. And all the products we buy abroad will cost 10 percent less,” Leylaz said. The international community has slapped Tehran with punitive measures that strangled its economy, with the United States leading the way since Iran’s Islamic revolution in 1979.

Washington tightened the noose over the years by imposing sanctions targeting Iran’s banking and oil sectors, as well as goods, services and technologies needed for its petrochemical industry.

The European Union has taken similar steps since 2010 and the UN Security Council has also approved four sets of sanctions since 2006. The deal between Iran and the six world powers known as P5+1 foresees the six-month suspension of “certain sanctions on gold and precious metals, Iran’s auto sector, and Iran’s petrochemical exports”. It will

also “license safety-related repairs and inspections inside Iran for certain Iranian airlines” and unblock the $4.2 billion from sanctioned Iranian oil sales, according to an official statement released in November.

Oil, inflation and the auto sector Leylaz says sanctions relief could bolster state coffers in the long run, and estimates that annual revenues will rise by $20-25 billion.

The increase will help the government control inflation, which officials put at 40 percent, and meet the demands of a population hungry for more consumer goods, he said. The head of international relations at Iran’s national oil company, Mohsen Ghamsari, expects oil exports will grow if sanctions relief becomes a long-term exercise. Ghamsari, in comments published by Iranian newspapers, said oil exports had already increased in recent months to 1.3-1.4 million barrels per day compared to 1.2 mbpd.— AFP

NEW YORK: Ask self-employed workers about retirement savings, and a shocking number give exactly the same answer: “What retirement savings?” The potential consequences are scary not only for them - the nation’s growing ranks of entrepreneurs, freelancers, consultants and contractors - but also for the United States as a whole. With more and more people without regular jobs and the benefits that come with them, the nation faces a retirement time bomb.

New data from TD Ameritrade Holding Corp reveals the worrisome state of the retirement savings of independent workers. The brokerage company’s Self-Employment and Retirement Survey found that 28 percent of the selfemployed were not savings anything at all, and another 40 percent were only saving occasionally, when they said they were able. At the same time, the ranks of US freelancers, contractors and temp workers are growing every year - to an estimated 40 percent of the workforce by 2020, according to a study by software company Intuit, and up from 30 percent in 2006, according to the Government Accountability Office.

“This is going to be a huge problem,” says Jonathan Medows, a Manhattan certified public accountant who specializes in helping freelancers with their finances. “They are already struggling to pay their bills, and then there are all the additional costs like overhead, like quarterly estimated taxes, like medical care. And cash flow can be so inconsistent that it is very challenging to budget.”

Until a few years ago, saving was not on the agenda of New York City disc jockey Herbert Holler (real name Ken Hyman). Early in his career, he says, “I was single, living on the Lower East Side, going out every night and living day-today.” But now Hyman is 37, with a wife and a young daughter.

Despite intermittent paychecks, lack of company-sponsored 401(k) plans and matching contributions - plus additional cost burdens like health insurance - he and his wife are maxing out their annual Roth individual retirement account (IRA) contributions. “Freelancers have to find a way to save,” Hyman says, “or we’re all going to be in a lot of trouble.”

Save more Even though the US retirement system has not really been designed for them, freelancers must take responsibility and drastically up their retirement saving using the investment vehicles most appropriate for them. If you are that rare freelancer with a big profit margin at the end of each month, then a Simplified Employee Pension Individual Retirement Account (SEP-IRA) is a golden tool, advises Denise Kiernan, co-author of “The Money Book for Freelancers, Part-Timers, and the Self-Employed.”

The self-employed can set up this version of a traditional IRA themselves. You will reduce your taxable income for your efforts, and the contribution limits are much higher than for traditional IRAs - 20 percent of income, or $52,000 (whichever is less) in 2014. Consult IRS Publication 560 for more details. If money is tight, a traditional IRA or a Roth IRA will probably give you enough room to save, and might be easier if you already have accounts set up. Each currently offers annual contribution limits of $5,500 (plus an extra $1,000 for people over 50). The choice becomes whether you want to get a tax break now, with a traditional IRA, or have tax-free earnings with a Roth. You cannot fully fund both at the same time; CPA Medows suggests using a Roth whenever possible.

Contribute differently But with freelance cash so inherently erratic, how can you contribute enough retirement money? Brooklyn magician Evan Paquette is a fan of personal-finance expert Ramit Sethi’s “envelope” system of apportioning percentages of whatever money comes in to different goals, like basic expenses, entertainment, or retirement saving.

Most financial institutions allow you to set up an automatic withdrawal into a retirement account, or they can send you a digital reminder to make a contribution each month or at certain times of the year. “That way, whether you’re making $100 a month or $10,000 a month, money is still getting put towards the retirement goal,” says Paquette, 30, who uses a SEP-IRA to house his retirement assets. “Even if it’s only $5, at least it’s something.”

Retirement experts are looking for ways to make this automation easier for non-workplace savers. One idea before Congress now is an “automatic IRA” that citizens would have to opt out of, rather than figure out for themselves. This has worked well in the United Kingdom, says Shlomo Benartzi, a professor at the UCLA Anderson School of Management and chief behavioral economist for Allianz Global Investors.

California has passed such legislation at the state level, although it has not yet taken effect.

Whatever happens to help freelancers start saving, Benartzi says time is of the essence. Since only roughly a third of all Americans are contributing to 401(k)s right now, society has to get freelancers on board, or the retirement-savings system will become even more broken than it already is.

“We don’t have to wait to see a retirement-savings crisis develop,” he says. “We already have one.” —Reuters

TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2014

BUSINESS

Fake CVs flood Indian job market Liar for hire?

HYDERABAD: Job-seekers wait in line to register at a career fair held at a school in Hyderabad. Low business confidence and high interest rates have led economic growth to plunge to the lowest in a decade, making private sector job opportunities harder to come by. Desperate candidates are forging qualifications, faking experience, inventing companies and resorting to all sorts of fraud to land jobs in a tough Indian employment market. —AFP

NEW DELHI: Managers of an IT company in New Delhi were puzzled as they sifted through a pile of CVs-as many as 30 job seekers claimed to have worked previously for the same employer. Unwilling to take any chances, the managers approached a firm of professional sleuths who specialize in screening background information given by prospective employees.

What emerged left them stunned. The “employer” turned out to be an owner of a dingy one-room mobile repair shop who was pretending to be an HR manager of a fake IT firm. In return for money, he answered verification calls and described how the candidates had worked for him previously doing data entry. “Our investigation revealed the conspiracy to show previous experience of three to four months for the candidates,” said Preeta Pradhan, a vice president at background screening firm AuthBridge.

Forging qualifications, faking experience and inventing companies-desperate candidates are resorting to all sorts of fraud to land jobs in a tough Indian employment market. Low business confidence and high interest rates have led economic growth to plunge to the lowest in a decade, making private sector job opportunities harder to come by. A survey by AuthBridge, which has screened millions of candidates, showed that nearly one in five had fudged some information on their CV in 2012-13.

As many as 51 percent submitted fake education documents.

Employee screening Background screening was hardly heard of in India until the turn of the millennium, and has been largely driven by the outsourcing and IT industry, one of India’s biggest economic success stories.

Foreign companies taking their back office operations to India wanted assurances that employees were reliable, while intense competition led to high staff turnover and huge recruitment needs. The Indian Association of Professional Background Screeners pegs the size of the industry at about $32 million annually and

growing fast.

“With many people competing for the same opening, the temptation to fudge is quite strong,” M. Aswathi, an HR manager in a leading IT company, said. “They know that extra years of experience or a diploma from a top college could make it easier for them to grab a job or help them get a better pay package,” she said.

Figures from the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) show the number of qualified workers in the IT sector has risen 17 percent year on year, more than double the rate of growth in new jobs. Those faking their CVs are mainly looking for lower entry-level jobs, although those seeking top positions have also been found resorting to fraudulent tactics, said Aswathi. According to the AuthBridge survey, about eight percent of offers made for leadership positions across industry in the last year were withdrawn because candidates provided false information.

On-site verification But catching the fraud has become more difficult, opening up a new market for companies such as Authbridge, USbased Rezource that also operates in India, and Supersoft Consultants. They send officers to meet the references given by candidates and check the existence of companies at which applicants claim to have worked in the past.

“The need for background verifications will continue to grow as entities continue to fudge data and make false claims,” said Tejas Sanghvi from Supersoft, adding he expected the industry to grow by 15 percent per year. Rezource meanwhile has compiled a list of 1,500 Indian companies that do not exist but give out employment letters to candidates for a price.

“One bad hire who gets through the system because the firm does not have a background check process in place will attract more entities with false and exaggerated claims,” said Sanghvi. “On average, between 10 to 15 percent of bad hires are identified by a standard background check process,” Sanghvi said. — AFP

Asian shares mostly firmer, gold gains SYDNEY: Asian shares and currencies were mostly firmer yesterday in the wake of surprisingly weak US jobs numbers that added to the case for the Federal Reserve to keep rates low for longer.

Friday’s disappointing data pulled down bond yields and the dollar, while lifting prices for gold and many commodities.

It was also seen as beneficial for some emerging market countries which had been pressured by funds flocking to western assets. While activity was curbed by a Japanese holiday, South Korea managed a rise of 0.7 percent and MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan added 0.6 percent. Emerging markets fared well with the Philippines up 1.7 percent and Indonesia more than 2 percent.

But Shanghai went flat after China set its yuan at a record high for a second straight session, extending the gradual appreciation of the currency. Most other currencies in the region gained on the US dollar which skidded to 103.33 yen, having shed a full yen on Friday to end at 104.08 in New York.

The euro firmed to $1.3682, compared to $1.3590 before the job figures hit dealing screens on Friday. The Australian dollar also got a leg up to $0.9038, its best level in over a month. Dealers said the market had been very long of dollars in anticipation of a strong US jobs number, in part due to a healthy reading from private payroll operator ADT. Instead, payrolls rose just 74,000 in December, the smallest increase in nearly three years and far below the 196,000 forecast.

The jobless rate fell sharply to 6.7 percent though largely because of a fall in the

participation rate as people dropped out of the labor force. Still, the unemployment rate is now very close to the 6.5 percent threshold the Fed had nominated as a level where it might start considering raising interest rates. More recently the central bank has watered down that threshold, saying it would keep rates near zero well past the time when the jobless rate slips under 6.5 percent.

Markets took the weakness of payrolls growth as adding to the case for keeping rates low for longer and pushed out the expected timing of the first hike. A move to 0.5 percent is now fully priced-in by August 2015. Yields on 10-year Treasury paper were down at 2.85 percent after diving 10 basis points on Friday. Yet the general assumption among economists was that the jobs report would not sway the Fed from winding down its bond buying campaign.

“Optimism that employment growth was beginning to take off has been dashed, at least for now, but we do not think the data suggest the economy is much weaker than we had thought,” said RBS chief economist Michelle Girard.

“Thus, we do not think the Fed will alter the pace of tapering. We still expect the Fed to announce another $10 billion reduction in the monthly purchase pace at the January meeting.” There will be plenty of opportunity this week to hear from the Fed itself with seven separate appearances in the diary for officials, including Chairman Ben Bernanke on Thursday. Fed Bank of Atlanta President Dennis Lockhart gets the ball rolling with a speech later on Monday. — Reuters

Oil falls below $107 on Iran nuclear deal LONDON: Oil fell below $107 a barrel yesterday after six major powers struck a fresh six-month deal with Iran to curb its nuclear program. Brent crude for February delivery was down 59 cents at $106.66 per barrel at 1047 GMT. The contract had settled 86 cents higher on Friday. US crude slipped 62 cents to $92.10 per barrel, after closing $1.06 higher on Friday.

Analysts said the move lower on the Iran developments was relatively muted because any increase in exports would be slow. “It adds some bearish sentiment, but there won’t be a big increase in exports this year, and this is only the signing of an intermediate deal,” said Bjarne Schieldrop, analyst at SEB in Oslo. The deal between Iran and six major powers intended to pave the way to a solution to a long standoff over Tehran’s nuclear ambitions will come into force on Jan. 20, the Iranian Foreign Ministry and the European Union said on Sunday.

Sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program have kept about 1 million barrels per day of oil off global markets, but an agreement reached Nov 24 last year raised hopes of a long-term deal that could see

Iran resuming full exports.

US President Barack Obama urged the Congress not to impose additional sanctions on Iran, saying that doing so risked undermining the November agreement, which aims to give the two sides six months to reach a comprehensive deal.

Brent oil extended losses after industry sources said the North Sea’s Buzzard oilfield was ramping back up to its full production rate yesterday after production problems last week. Operator Nexen declined to comment. Buzzard is the largest of the fields that contribute to the Forties crude blend, the most important of the North Sea crudes underpinning the Brent crude benchmark.

Crude oil prices could soften by mid2014 due to some weakness in demand, Nizar Al-Adsani, chief executive of stateowned Kuwait Petroleum Corp (KPC), told reporters yesterday.

By contrast, fellow OPEC member Iran was more upbeat about the outlook for prices. Iranian oil minister Bijan Zanganeh told his ministry’s news service Shana that crude oil prices are not likely to change dramatically this year. — Reuters

TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2014

BUSINESS

DETROIT: Mercedes-Benz executives (left to right) Andreas Renschler, Head of Passenger Car Production; Dr Dieiter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board; Thomas Weber, Head of Research; and Ola Kaellnius, Head of Sales and Marketing, pose with the new Mercedes C Class after its introduction at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit. —AFP

DETROIT: Chevrolet Corvette Stingray chief engineer Tadge Juechter holds up the North American Car of the Year award at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit yesterday. —AP

Confidence and canapes ahead of Detroit auto show 50 new models being unveiled in Motor City DETROIT: Confident carmakers gave journalists a taste of fresh new vehicles along with canapes and cocktails on the eve of the Detroit auto show, which opened yesterday amid strong sales.

At least 50 new models from more than a dozen carmakers will be unveiled in the Motor City during two days of press previews. Capturing the attention of the 5,000 journalists flying in from around the world could be a struggle amidst the back-to-back reveals and automakers have poured more than $200 million into dazzling displays.

Mercedes hired R&B songstress Kelly Rowland of Destiny’s Child to serenade its sleek new C class sedan as it rolled onto stage at an elegant invite-only event at the luxurious Westin hotel Sunday night.

“In developing the new C-Class, we

aimed for a car that simply lives up to our mantra: ‘The best or nothing,’” Mercedes chief Dieter Zetsche said in unveiling the German automaker’s top-selling vehicle. General Motors chose a former industrial complex which has been revitalized into a center for artists and small businesses as the venue to reveal its GMC Canyon, a mid-sized pickup truck.

But all eyes were on incoming chief executive officer Mary Barra, the first woman to be tapped to lead a major automaker. Barrawho was previously in charge of global product development and has been hailed within the industry as a ‘car guy’-signaled that the accountants will not be allowed to dominate business plans.

“At today’s GM, our products are the result of putting the customer at the center of

everything we do. That has fostered a bold new culture at our company, a culture that promotes innovation and encourages risk taking,” she said.

“If we can delight our customers with something unexpected, we go for it.” The North American International Auto Show formally gets under way yesterday morning at a newly renovated convention center in downtown Detroit, which is currently struggling through the largest municipal bankruptcy in US history. The Motor City is hoping to echo the success of GM and Chrysler, which emerged from government-backed bankruptcies in 2009 as stronger, leaner and far more successful companies.

After years of painful restructuring and mass layoffs, the Detroit Three automakers are racking in massive profits as major prod-

uct revamps allowed them to take advantage of resurgent demand.

US auto sales have finally returned to the levels seen in the 14 years prior to the devastating 2008 crash, growing 7.6 percent to 15.6 million vehicles in 2013. They are forecast to keep growing this year, but at a slower pace.

And nearly every automaker in the highly competitive market-which offers consumers a choice between 340 different models-has been able to profit from the growing sales.

“This year we believe the industry will start entering a ‘leveling-off’ period and continued sales growth will be more a result of economic gains rather than pent-up demand,” Toyota Motor North America chief Jim Lentz said Sunday. “That’s good, because pent-up demand can carry you just so far.”

Toyota’s planning forecast of 16 million vehicles is more conservative than some analysts, who see the market heading as high as 16.4 million in 2014, Lentz told the Society for Automotive Analysts. Volkswagen also expressed confidence in the US market, announcing a $7 billion investment in North America over the next five years as it reaffirmed plans to boost US sales to 1 million Volkswagen and Audi vehicles a year by 2018. The group has nearly doubled its US sales since 2008 and set a new record of over 600,000 deliveries in 2013.

“We want many more American drivers to feel at home with our group brands and are working to achieve that with one hundred percent commitment and plenty of passion,” VW chief Martin Winterkorn said at a reception Sunday. —AFP

Airbus logs record 2013, but still behind Boeing 626 planes delivered in 2013

THESSALONIKI: Consumers check out a storefront on Egnatia Street, Thessaloniki’s main shopping strip during the first day of the annual winter sales yesterday. Greece’s retail sector has been hammered by the country’s financial crisis and successive austerity measures, helping push the country’s unemployment above 27 percent. —AP

Gold mine stirs hope and anger in shattered Greece OURANOUPOLI, Greece: A Canadian quest to mine for gold in the lush forests of northern Greece is testing the government’s resolve to prove Europe’s most ravaged economy is open again for business. The Skouries mine on Halkidiki peninsula - a landscape of pristine beaches and rolling hills dotted with olive groves - is among the biggest investments in Greece since it sank into a debt crisis four years ago.

But it has set Greece’s desperate need for finance to rebuild the economy against the interests of its vital tourism industry, and aroused anger on the peninsula - site of the famed Mount Athos monasteries - over the environmental cost. Vancouver-based Eldorado Gold Corp took over the project in 2012, promising to invest $1 billion over the next five years as part of a plan to mine eventually source up to 30 percent of its global gold production in Greece. Yet preliminary work on the mine, which is supposed to open in 2016, has set off months of politicking and protests.

The row has overshadowed what was supposed to be the flagship project of the government’s foreign investment drive. It also highlights Greeks’ ambivalence about attempts by Prime Minister Antonis Samaras to kindle industrial growth in an economy that has traditionally relied on tourism and services. Last year, intruders barged into the mine with hunting rifles, set equipment on fire and doused security guards with fuel, threatening to burn them alive.

Local protesters, who say they reject violence and have the backing of some opposition politicians in parliament, fear the mine will destroy Halkidiki’s tourist riches.

Samaras, however, has warned that foreign investments would be protected at “any cost”.

“Rightly or wrongly, God endowed the region with ores, and we must first decide whether we (Greeks) want to exploit it or not,” said Petros Stratoudakis, CEO of the company developing the mine, Hellas Gold.

Eldorado owns 95 percent of Hellas Gold,

which also has other mining projects in Halkidiki, with the rest held by Ellaktor, Greece’s biggest construction company.

Money spinner Halkidiki has a rich history. The Eastern Orthodox monasteries nestled in the hills of Mount Athos are an artistic treasure and UNESCO World Heritage site. But northern Greece has also long been fertile territory for explorers. Macedonian King Alexander the Great mined for gold in the hilly forests to finance his conquests into Asia 2,300 years ago, according to local authorities.

Eldorado executives say gold mining could become a significant money-spinner for modern-day Greece, bringing in foreign currency and helping to diversify an economy that is struggling with 27 percent unemployment. “The conditions that exist particularly in northeast Greece are unique in my mind,” Eldorado CEO Paul Wright said in an interview. “I’ve been in the industry for 35 years and I’ve yet to see a situation where there is such a mineral endowment that is being recognized - in many cases quantified but remains unutilized.” Under its five-year plan, Eldorado gives the authorities a minimum 3 million euros ($4 million) a year, laid down in a new royalty scheme. Local people make up 90 percent of 1,600 workers the company and its contractors employ now. At its peak, Eldorado says they will employ over 2,000 workers at their mines in Halkidiki. The Canadian company has the strong backing of the conservative -led government of Samaras, who has tried to drum up foreign investment to inject life into the economy since coming to power in June 2012.

“Growth means investments. Those who drive investments away do not want growth.

When they occupy factories they do not want growth,” Samaras said last month.

“When they try to cancel legitimate investments and keep fighting against them although they have been fully approved - as they did at Skouries in Halkidiki - they do not want investments.” —Reuters

TOULOUSE, France: After tallying a record number of airplane orders and deliveries last year, Airbus is admittedly facing a high bar in 2014.

The European aerospace conglomerate said yesterday it delivered 626 planes last year, a company record but still 22 fewer than US rival Boeing Co. The companies, which split the global market for commercial planes, enjoyed a banner year as airlines gobbled up their offerings to renew or build their fleets, cut fuel costs and plan for continued growth in travel. Airbus’ orders last year rose to 1,619, more than twice its expectations, leading some executives to caution against any precise predictions about how many they’ll tally this year. The order backlog - jets it plans to deliver in coming years - sits at a record 5,559.

“The market was extremely bullish,” said Airbus’ top executive Fabrice Bregier, meeting with journalists along with commercial director John Leahy. “More bullish than John or me would have thought, and probably Boeing.”

Some of the biggest demand came from once-struggling US airlines as well as from emerging markets, particularly Asia. “The real story for some of you is, where does it go from here?” said Leahy. “The fact is, we cannot as an industry continue at this level. But what we are doing is we’re continuing to increase production.”

“The point is, we are in a growth industry,” he added. Airbus will increase the average list prices of its aircraft by 2.6 percent this year.

Losing out to Boeing in the number of deliveries “doesn’t matter to us at all,” Leahy said. “I don’t really care if they have two more airplanes or we have two more.”

Single-aisle aircraft, which are easier to contour to the demands of airline customers than

TOULOUSE: (From left) Airbus Executive Vice-President Tom Williams, Chief Operating Officer Customers of Airbus John Leahy, Airbus CEO Fabrice Bregier, and Airbus Chief Operating Officer Gunter Butschek pose for photographers after the annual news conference in Toulouse, southwestern France yesterday. —AP are wide-body jets, make up the bulk of orders these days. The backlog for A320s - including the more fuel-efficient A320 neo in coming years sits at nearly 4,300 planes.

But Airbus says its superjumbo, the A380, is also answering a key demand for air travelers: More space and wider seats for those long-haul flights where passenger comfort is more prized.

And tight seating could even partially explain the flared passenger tempers that have made headlines in recent months. “You guys should start looking at some of the in-flight distur-

VW to launch midsize SUV in US DETROIT: Volkswagen plans to fill a big hole in its US portfolio by launching a midsized sport utility vehicle in 2016 and will expand its manufacturing presence in the region, the German automaker said Sunday. The new seven-seater is part of a $7 billion investment in North American operations over the next five years, VW chief Martin Winterkorn said at a reception held on the eve of the Detroit auto show.

“The US is a cornerstone of our 2018 strategy,” Winterkorn told reporters. “We have set our goal: Volkswagen group of America aims to sell one million Volkswagen and Audi cars per year in the US by 2018,” he added. “We are taking up the challenge with confidence, total commitment and the necessary staying power.” The largest European automaker had previously announced plans to invest $5 billion by 2015. Winterkorn did not specify how the additional funds will be spent. The VW groupwhich also includes the Audi, Porsche, Bentley, Bugatti and Lamborghini brands-has managed to nearly double its US sales since 2008, setting a new record of 611,700 delivers in 2013.

But sales of the Volkswagen brand fell 6.9 percent in 2013 even as the market as a whole grew 7.6 percent. That led the overall automotive group’s sales to trail the market, growing just 2.6 percent. Analysts have cited the lack of a midsize sport utility as one of the reasons for the brand’s failure to compete.

VW recently appointed Michael Horn as its new head of Volkswagen Group of America and Winterkorn expressed confidence in his ability to get the region back on track. —AFP

bances that are starting to happen in airplanes: fights that require people to call the police,” Leahy said.

Squeezed seats might be tolerable for a twoor three-hour flight, but “do it for 15 hours - then you do end up with black eyes,” said Leahy, pulling in his elbows to mimic his own experience with economy-class travel. Airbus is set this year to transfer its military aircraft business to another segment of the new Airbus Group - its parent, formerly known as aerospace and defense giant EADS. —AP

BMW sets sales record, tops German rivals FRANKFURT: Luxury carmaker BMW AG has posted record sales for 2013, keeping its No. 1 spot in the market for highpriced cars against its German competitors Audi and Mercedes.

The Munich-based company said yesterday it sold 1.66 million vehicles under the BMW brand, 7.5 percent more than last year. The figure was boosted by strong sales of the brand’s mainstay 3series sedan and X1 small SUV as well as by rising demand in China and the United States. Sales of the 3-series rose 23 percent. Volkswagen AG’s Audi division last week reported sales of 1.57 million last year and Daimler AG’s MercedesBenz brand came in at 1.46 million. The three carmakers are pillars of Germany’s export-focused economy and have reaped fat earnings selling luxury cars and SUVs - which earn higher profits per vehicle than mass-market vehicles - in the United States and in emerging markets, led by China.

The competition among the three heats up yesterday at the start of the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, where Mercedes is introducing a new version of its C-Class that will compete with the BMW 3-series. BMW is showing off its new 2-series small sports coupe.

BMW sales chief Ian Robertson credited the company’s model lineup and “balanced sales distribution across all continents.” He forecast that “despite difficult conditions in many markets,” the company would increase sales yet again in 2014. BMW also increased sales including its other brands, the compact car line MINI and superluxury Rolls-Royce, by 6.4 percent to 1.96 million vehicles. RollsRoyce increased its unit sales by 1.5 percent to 3,630 as the new Wraith model - a so-called “fastback” with sloping roofline and striking two-tone paint options - saw its first deliveries to customers in the fourth quarter. —AP

TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2014

BUSINESS

Fantastic New Year offers from Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive Five-year warranty, four-year free service and free registration await new buyers KUWAIT: Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive has made owning a BMW even better than ever with unmatched ownership packages celebrating 2014 New Year.

As the official impor ter for BMW Group vehicles in Kuwait, Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive will give customers a free warranty for up to five years, a four-year free servicing package, and free registration. Among the vehicles available under the promotion are the BMW 3 and 5 Series.

The BMW 3 Series is the world’s bestselling premium car. A large part of its success can be attributed to the blend of sporty design and the constant evolution of its features ranging from powerful design elements to advanced drive and chassis technology. The four distinctive models line up, BMW 335i, BMW 328i, BMW 320i, and BMW 316i maintaining the traditional design features of the BMW brand and seamlessly combine sporting elegance with iconic styling.

On the other hand, the BMW 5 series is much more than a straightforward executive vehicle. It is the worlds’ bestselling vehicle in the executive saloon segment. Exuding composure and strength of character, its design, handling, interior comfort or functionality is perfect for anyone who expects more than a stylish appearance from their saloon. Its attributes: sportiness, elegance, commanding poise - and, of course, a pioneering outlook are convincingly demonstrated by a host of technological innovations including

BMW ConnectedDrive Services, a host of apps and the optional Driving Assistant Plus.

Available in a range of different engine variants: BMW 520i, BMW 528i and BMW 535i, the multi-award-winning straight-six engine delivers 225 kW/306 hp to the BMW 535i. The engine powering the BMW 520i develops 135 kW/184 hp, while the unit offered for the BMW 528i from the launch of the new BMW 5 Series boasts revisions to various details and delivers 180 kW/245 hp.

Commenting on the special offer, Yousef Al-Qatami, General Manager, Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive, said: “The BMW brand has been and always will be a symbol of elegant design and superior engineering technology. To perfectly complement such luxury and privilege,

Honda Alghanim launches its exclusive January offer KUWAIT: Honda Alghanim has always been committed to offering its customers with the best products, services, and rewarding promotions while ensuring the highest level of customer satisfaction. To drive off into the New Year with a Honda, the first offer of the year includes the entire range of 2013 Honda cars as well as the 2014 Odyssey at attractive prices and exceptional discounts, in addition to an instant gift of choice - Samsung Galaxy Note 3; iPhone 5s; or a 46” Philips LED TV. Customers are encouraged to take advantage from this limited-time offer, throughout the entire month of January 2014, by visiting the Honda showroom in Safat Alghanim. The showroom is open from 8:30 AM until 10:00 PM from Saturday to Thursday and from 9:30 AM until 10:00 PM on Fridays.

Alghanim Motors, the sole distributor of Honda automobiles, power products, marine and motorcycles in Kuwait is committed to providing customers with flexible payment solutions, as well as offering comfortable amenities in its new service center located in Shuwaikh.

The Alghanim Motors Service Center provides efficient and cost-effective services at all times. The waiting lounge offers customers a wide array of amenities such as an electronic gaming area,

customer’s mobile phone or the car’s integrated SIM card. Emails, appointments, contacts, calendar entries and notes are displayed on the cockpit’s central screen.

Meanwhile BMW Apps guide the user through the large and ever increasing number of services, which can be accessed using the customer’s phone or internet connection. BMW Apps include features such as a web radio function, access to your personalized music library and in-car use of Facebook and Twitter. This ser vice is constantly expanding to include new apps, which can be uploaded into the car via the SIM card or a smartphone.

Customers who purchase will also benefit from BMW Remote App. Compatible with both iPhone and Android platforms, this new technology

puts the user in complete control of a number of key features in the car.

Regardless of where the driver is, the vehicle can be contacted via the Remote App and instructed to perform a number of functions; from preconditioning the vehicle by switching on an independent ventilation system and identifying the location of the car in a crowded parking lot, to locking and unlocking your vehicle and sounding the horn, it ensures that no matter where your vehicle might be, the user is connected to the vehicle remotely.

In addition to an unparalleled level of convenience, the BMW Remote App also offers security. The registration procedure through BMW ConnectedDrive asks two owner-specific questions while the Remote App itself is protected by a unique user-defined PIN code.

Etihad Airways celebrates record-breaking 2013 Double-digit passenger and cargo growth

digital satellite channels, free wireless Internet access as well as relaxing massage chairs. Honda Alghanim’s customers will also enjoy excellent customer service, quality maintenance options and competitive prices on genuine spare parts, all of which are provided by a team of professional and highly skilled technicians. For more information call 1822777.

flydubai takes off on Facebook Airline launches social networking page KUWAIT: Innovative Dubai-based flydubai has announced the launch of its official Facebook page. The airline plans to use the popular social media channel to engage with fans through news updates, product and network information, promotions and competitions.

With more than 25,000 people having already liked its Facebook page before the first post, flydubai plans to build a community of fans across the 35 countries it flies to. The page will be in English but some geo-targeted posts will be made in Arabic and Russian. flydubai’s Facebook page can be found at www.facebook.com/flydubai.

our commitment of providing the bestin-class service enables customers to enjoy a worry-free ownership of their BMW vehicle.

“Indeed, owning one of the finest vehicles ever built deserves an equally superior service. With Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive long-standing trusted capability for service excellence, this package will surely make owning a BMW vehicle more enjoyable,” AlQatami added.

In the cockpit, the range of on-board BMW ConnectedDrive technology in these models expands on an already impressive network of driver assistance systems and mobility services designed to enhance safety, convenience and incar infotainment. A suite of office functions turns the model into a mobile workplace - underpinned by either the

“We are very excited to be launching Facebook, the cornerstone of our social media presence, which we will continue to develop going forward,” said Ghaith Al Ghaith, CEO of flydubai. “We place great value on listening to our customers, as the recent introduction of our Business Class shows. Giving our customers a platform such as Facebook to communicate with us will help us reflect their feedback and better meet their needs.” flydubai is already present on YouTube with nearly half a million views, became active on LinkedIn last year with more than 13,000 followers and more recently launched Instagram, which has over 1,300 fans.

ABU DHABI: Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, is celebrating a year of record-breaking success after achieving its highest ever passenger and cargo volumes in 2013.

Nearly 12 million people flew with Etihad Airways last year, marking a significant increase of nearly 16per cent in comparison to 2012’s figure of 10.3 million.

Bangkok was once again the airline’s busiest route, with a total of 742,759 passengers flying to Thailand’s capital city in 2013, a year-on-year increase of seven per cent. Manila was the second busiest route (547,068 passengers), followed by London (544,564passengers), Jeddah (373,651 passengers) and Paris (338,969 passengers).

Etihad Airways carried 73 per cent of the more than 16.4million passengers who travelled through Abu Dhabi airport in 2013. With the addition of the airline’s equity alliance partners that operate flights into Abu Dhabi, the combined total rises to 79per cent of passenger traffic at Abu Dhabi airport. James Hogan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Airways, said: “Our record-breaking numbers in 2013 reflect the continued success of our strategic master plan, which focuses on three fundamental pillars; organic network growth, the forging of codeshare partnerships, and minority equity investments in other airlines.

“As the national carrier of the United Arab Emirates, we also continued to support Abu Dhabi’s growth as a leading international travel hub, while facilitating trade to and from the country.”

Six destinations were introduced to Etihad Airways’ network in 2013, with new ser vices launched to Washington DC in March, Amsterdam in May, Sao Paulo and Belgrade in June,

Sana’a in September, and Ho Chi Minh City in October.

Frequencies were also increased on 18 existing routes last year and new codeshare agreements were signed with Kenya Airways, Air Serbia, South African Airways, Belavia, Korean Airlines, Air Canada and airBaltic.

During 2013, building on its organic growth, Etihad Airways also expanded its codeshare and equity partnerships, which delivered more than 1.8 million passengers onto Etihad Airways flights, 38 per cent higher than the 1.3 million in 2012 In addition to its four existing equity partners - airberlin, Air Seychelles, Virgin Australia and Aer Lingus - Etihad Airways announced investments in three additional carriers in 2013.

In August, the airline formalized a five-year contract to manage Serbia’s national carrier, Air Serbia (formerly Jat Airways), with a 49 per cent equity stake. This was followed in November, when the airline obtained regulatory

approval from the Indian government to finalize a 24 per cent investment in Jet Airways, and announced its intention to acquire 33.3 per cent of the Swiss regional carrier Darwin Airline, which will become the first airline to operate under the new brand of Etihad Regional.

Impressive cargo growth was also reported, with 486,753 tons of freight and mail flown by Etihad Airways last year, a staggering increase of 32 percent compared to 2012 volumes. The airline accounted for 89 per cent of cargo imports, exports and transfers at Abu Dhabi airport last year.

Volumes were boosted by enhancements to the freighter fleet capability and more cargo in the bellyhold of passenger aircraft. Established markets such as China, Hong Kong and India were top performers, in addition to expanding markets such as the Netherlands and the United States.

Last year, Etihad Airways took

delivery of eight Airbus aircraft (four A320s, one A321, two A330200s and one A330 freighter), eight Boeing aircraft (six 777300ERs and two 777 freighters), and added further leased capacity which included the airline’s inaugural 747-8 freighter. Its fleet now comprises 89 aircraft, with an average age of only 5.2 years.

Hogan added: “ This has been another game-changing year and once again, the customer was placed at the heart of everything we did. Our service enhancements in 2013, from the launch of our Flying Nanny service to the continued rollout of Wi-Fi internet and live television across our fleet, highlight a commitment to delivering best-in-class products and services. “I am excited about what the future holds and look forward to working with all our partners to maximize the return for our shareholder, enable the continued growth and the evolution of Abu Dhabi as an aviation hub, and create a remarkable experience for our passengers.”

TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2014

technology

Sony to sell waterproof phone through T-Mobile NEW YORK: Sony has unveiled a waterproof smartphone that sports a 21 megapixel camera and expands what users can do with it underwater. Sony Corp. said the new Xperia Z1s can be submerged as much as 4.5 feet deep for up to 30 minutes, compared with just 3 feet for last summer’s Xperia Z. The Z was water resistant rather than waterproof.

Another limitation with the Z was an inability to snap shots underwater. It was possible to start a video and jump in a pool, but the touch-screen controls made it impossible to take photos or

start video when wet. The Z1s has a physical button that can trigger underwater shots.

Meanwhile, the resolution of the camera has increased to 20.7 megapixels, from 13 megapixels in the Z. Ravi Nookala, president of Sony Mobile Communications’ US division, said the phone is ideal for “active users who take a lot of pictures and who go outside to the pool or in the rain.” The new phone is also packed with a variety of camera-related apps that let you: Get more information by taking a photo of a book, wine bottle or a landmark such as the Eiffel

Tower.

Snap 61 shots in two seconds. You then pick the ones with the right smiles and expressions.

Broadcast video of weddings and other events in real time. Links are shared through Facebook.

With a companion app for Sony’s PlayStation game console, players will be able to buy new games for automatic download and watch footage of their friends’ game play.

The Z1s is based on Sony’s Xperia Z1 phone, whose distribution has been largely limited to overseas markets. Both models along with last

summer’s Z have screens measuring 5 inches diagonally.

The phone will cost $528 through T-Mobile, paid through 24 monthly installments of $22. It’s a departure from a recent trend of making phones available through multiple carriers.

Online orders will begin on Jan. 13, with availability in stores to start on Jan. 22. T-Mobile’s senior vice president for marketing, Jason Young, said the PlayStation companion app will appeal to TMobile’s customer base, which he said is younger than rivals’. — AP

The hottest gadgets of CES LAS VEGAS: The biggest gadget trade show in the Americas wrapped up last week in Las Vegas after swamping the city with 150,000 attendees.

This year, “wearable” computing was big, along with various 3-D technologies, especially 3-D printing.

Wearable devices in the shape of smartwatches and head-mounted displays have been a staple of the show for a long time, but manufacturers were excited this year because the field is finally gaining traction with consumers.

Fitness bands were a breakout hit last year. The 3-D printing section bustled with activity, and it was clear that even though most people won’t be buying a printer any time soon, they may be enjoying 3-D printed products, such as jewelry, wedding cakes and dental braces, in the near future. Meanwhile, TV makers were heartened by the support they received for their new ultrahigh-definition TV sets.

Here are some of the most notable products and services revealed at the show:

This file picture taken on November 28, 2009 shows a masked worker in a lab coat sorting silicon wafers at the manufacturing centre of solar cell maker Trina Solar in Changzhou. China and Japan should put aside their diplomatic differences and find common ground in protecting the environment, the Asian Development Bank said yesterday. —AFP

Video game players can check out Toyota concept DETROIT: Video game players will get a chance to try out a virtual version of Toyota’s new concept sports car that was unveiled in Detroit as a symbol of the automaker’s design future, the company said yesterday.

The Japanese automaker took the wraps off the FT-1 during press previews at the North American International Auto Show.

The company said the “FT” in the red, rearwheel-drive FT-1 stands for “Future Toyota” and the number represents “the ultimate.”

Technical details of the vehicle aren’t being released, but it’s billed as a powerhouse. The prototype’s engine is in the front, with a window in the hood to showcase what’s underneath.

“This provocative concept truly captures the passion, excitement and energy of the Toyota we are evolving into,” said Kevin Hunter, president of Toyota’s Calty Design Research facility in Newport Beach, California, “and embodies elements of the

emotion and performance.”

The vehicle’s development started two years ago, and the car was devised first in the Sony PlayStation Gran Turismo game environment. Starting Tuesday, the automaker says FT-1 will be available as a downloadable vehicle for PlayStation 3 Gran Turismo 6.

With a free online update, an event featuring the FT-1 will be made available to players. With a bronze or better in the FT-1 challenge at Laguna Seca, players get the virtual car. Drivers also will be able to purchase the virtual vehicle without completing the event.

The physical car, meanwhile, represents a change in Toyota’s product development strategy from heavy reliance on consumer studies with an aim at pleasing everyone and taking fewer risks. Hunter said. The car is designed to stir emotions and push limits with Toyota design. — AP

DRIVERLESS CARS The state of the art in car electronics is in systems that eliminate or ease the task of driving.

French company Induct demonstrated its Navia driverless shuttle, which putts along at 12.5 miles (20 kilometers) per hour on a pre-programmed route. It’s intended for university campuses, airports and other locales with enclosed roads.

What about road safety? When a staffer walked slowly in front of the Navia, the vehicle slowed down, rather than coming to a full stop, because it recognized that the pedestrian ahead was moving, too.

Then there was Audi’s automated parking demonstration. With a press of a button on a smartphone app, the German automaker’s computer-equipped car squeezed into a tight space between two other cars, a situation that would give many drivers pause. The car has multiple cameras and ultrasonic sensors, giving it a 360degree view. It puts rubber-necking and looking through the side-view mirror to shame. The car executed a three-point turn flawlessly -and the driver didn’t have to worry about dinging other cars’ doors, because he had already exited the car.

UV-SENSING WRISTBAND The wearable computing trend has unleashed a lot of creativity. One example is a wristband with a “gemstone” that measures exposure to ultraviolet light, the kind that causes tanning and skin cancers. Using Bluetooth wireless technology, the Netatmo June sends readings to the owners’ smartphones, warning, for instance, when they’re approaching their daily limit of UV exposure. The battery lasts for six weeks. Netatmo, a French company, hopes to sell the device in the U.S. for $99, starting in the second quarter of this year.

ULTRA-HIGH-DEF NETFLIX Netflix demonstrated ultra-high-definition, or 4K, video streaming. The company will offer relatively easy access to shows that take full advantage of the 4K TVs set to go on sale later this year. (The 4K TVs on the market today don’t have the chips necessary to decode the picture.)

Netflix’s 4K content will stream at 15.6 megabits

LAS VEGAS: Trade show attendees examine centerpiece confections made with a ChefJet Pro 3D food printer on display at the International Consumer Electronics Show, in Las Vegas. The candies are made with sugar, food coloring and a single flavor. — AP per second, so viewers will need a relatively fast Internet connection.

ENVELOPING PHOTO BOOTH At the Nikon exhibit, Los Angeles-based photographer Alexx Henry set up a small tent with 68 inward-facing, off-the-shelf Nikon cameras.

When a subject steps inside the xxArray photo booth, an operator triggers the cameras simultaneously, yielding an image of the subject from all angles. Computers then process the images and create a 3-D rendition of the subject, which can then be posed in the computer as if it were an action figure. The 3-D model can also be imported into a game. So instead of playing with a generic game avatar, you may someday see yourself running around, blasting bad guys.

Industry-watchers expect setups like the xxArray to become more common and coupled to 3 D printers. In a few years, when you go to a photo studio, you might come home with a statue of yourself.

SUGAR PRINTER A company called 3D Systems showed off the ChefJet, the first restaurant-approved food printer. The device uses water to melt sugar into shapes as complicated as the mind can imagine.

The company’s booth featured a wedding cake held up by an edible lattice-work tower that would have been nearly impossible to create by other means. The ChefJet can print complex works in chocolate, too. Unfortunately, the samples the company handed out didn’t taste very good, but party planners and restaurateurs will likely be excited about the possibilities culinary 3-D printing opens up.

SONY’S HEAD-MOUNTED DISPLAY Sony’s head-mounted display looks like an enormous pair of glasses. When you strap it on, you take on the perspective of a motorcycle driver racing through the English countryside.

Looking down shows the pavement speeding

by, looking up shows the clouds. When you swivel your head to the right or left, you may feel like waving to the crowds along the road.

All this is enabled by a sensor attached to a strap that tracks your head movements and adjusts the wide-angle picture accordingly.

Although there were a few kinks that marred the illusion, the demonstration gave a taste of what’s possible when “wearable” displays and computers combine with movement sensors.

HEAT SENSING IPHONE FLIR Systems Inc., the leading maker of professional imagers that “see” heat, is bringing out its first consumer-level product: a jacket for the iPhone that contains a heat camera.

Temperature differences show up in different colors on the screen of the phone. For instance, you can set it to show hotter things in yellow, medium-hot in red and cold in purple. It can discern temperature differences as small as one tenth of a degree. The FLIR One will cost $349, which compares with $995 and up for FLIR’s professional thermal imagers. Practical applications for the camera include identifying leaky insulation and moisture. Fun applications include spotting wildlife, high-tech hide-andseek, and crazy party pictures. (“Everyone was so hot!”)

ANKI DRIVE RACING GAME In this very high-tech update to Scalextric slot racers, your iPhone doubles as a controller for cars that zip around on a track painted with an infrared pattern the cars see with small cameras on their undersides.

Somehow, the cars fly around without rails, unless you do something really crazy. You can shoot imaginary weapons with rapid-fire tapping on your screen, disabling cars in front of you so you can race ahead. For kids, the game is a mind-blower that could inspire them to create their own gadgets, the way Erector Sets once did.— AP

PayPal testing easier checkout for online shoppers LAS VEGAS: Toyota vice president and general manager Bob Carter talks about Toyota’s FCV hydrogen electric concept car during the International Consumer Electronics Show, in Las Vegas. — AP

NEW YORK: EBay’s payments service PayPal has redesigned its online checkout process to let shoppers complete their payment on merchants’ websites, rather than go to a separate PayPal site. Simplifying the checkout process - and having shoppers stay on an e-commerce site rather

than click over to a separate PayPal page means they are more likely to complete the transaction. That could also mean more people will use PayPal. PayPal said Monday that it is testing out the new checkout process with a few merchants and will make it available to large

businesses in the first half of this year. Medium and small businesses will also be able to use it down the line.

PayPal says it’s a payment option at 1.9 million physical stores and other sellers in the US. — AP

Want to quit your job? New app does it for you via text message TORONTO: Thinking about quitting your job?

A humorous new app aims to relieve the stress and anxiety of confronting the boss with the news by sending a text message instead. Although the new iPhone app is meant to be funny, its creators are hoping it will take off and people will use it to leave jobs.

The Quit Your Job app takes users through a series of steps to determine why they are leaving and then crafts a text message that is sent directly to their boss.

“Despite all the advances in technology we still quit our jobs the same way we did hundreds of year ago,” said Alex Douzet, chief executive officer of TheLadders, a New Yorkbased employment company that produces the app. “There’s a lot of anxiety around the resignation process, so we used technology to ease the pain in that moment and make it seamless to breakup with your boss,” he added. About 2.3 million Americans left their jobs last October, citing reasons such as dissatisfaction with career growth, compensation or simply feeling unrecognized, according to the most recent figures from the US Department of Labor.

Douzet said the first few months of a new

year are the busiest time for job searches.

Many people wait for their end-of-year bonuses before making a move to a new position. “It always correlates with New Year’s resolutions.

People think ‘I’m not happy and want to make a move’” he said.

Quit Your Job was inspired by another app called BreakupText. Its designers teamed up with the TheLadders to create the new app.

BreakupText, which lets users leave their significant others via a text message, costs 99 cents and is available for the iPhone.

With Quit Your Job, after sending their resignation users can browse open positions on another app called, Job Search by TheLadders, which targets positions based on the user’s job profile and career goals. The free app was launched as an iPhone app in July and released on Android last week.

“This is unchartered territory,” he said of the Quit Your Job app. “It’s an experiment to see if people will actually use it seriously. If thousands of people download the app and only one ends up using it seriously, that’s interesting because it’s changing behaviors,” he said. Douzet added that before leaving a job people should have another one lined up. — Reuters

LAS VEGAS: In this photo shot, a model stands next to a a Samsung 105-inch curved UHD TV during a preview event at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Samsung Electronics Co., the world’s largest maker of TVs, said that it is tackling the problem of getting ultra-highdefinition content to its new TV sets by teaming up with the Internet streaming services of Comcast, Netflix and Amazon. — AP

TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2014

H E A LT H & S C I E N C E

Brain training helped older adults stay sharp for years CHICAGO: A brief course of brain exercises helped older adults hold on to improvements in reasoning skills and processing speed for 10 years after the course ended, according to results from the largest study ever done on cognitive training.

Older adults who underwent a brief course of brain exercises saw improvements in reasoning skills and processing speed that could be detected as long as 10 years after the course ended, according to results from the largest study ever on cognitive training.

The findings, published yesterday in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, offer welcome news in the search for ways to keep the mind sharp as 76 million baby boomers in the United States advance into old age.

The federally sponsored trial of almost 3,000 older adults, called the Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly study, or ACTIVE, looked at how three brain training programs - focusing on processing speed, memory and reasoning ability affected cognitively normal adults as they aged.

People in the study had an average age of 74 when they started the training, which involved 10 to 12 sessions lasting 60 to 75 minutes each. After five years, researchers found, those with the training per formed better than their

untrained counterparts in all three measures.

Although gains in memory seen at the study’s five-year mark appeared to drop off over the next five years, gains in reasoning ability and processing speed persisted 10 years after the training.

“What we found was pretty astounding. Ten years after the training, there was evidence the effects were durable for the reasoning and the speed training,” said George Rebok, an expert on aging and a professor at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, who led the study.

Participants in all three training groups also reported that they had an easier time with daily activities such as managing their medications, cooking meals or handling their finances than did participants who did not get the training. But standard tests of these activities showed no differences between the groups.

“The speed-of-processing results are very encouraging,” said study co-author Jonathan King, program director for cognitive aging in the Division of Behavioral and Social Research at the National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health, which helped fund the research.

King said the self-reported improvements in daily function were interesting, but added, “We do not yet know whether

they would truly allow older people to live independently longer.”

Prevent slips However, researchers said even a small gain would be likely to ease the burden on caregivers and healthcare providers.

“If we delay the onset of difficulties in daily activities even by a small amount, that can have major public health implications in terms of helping to curb healthcare costs, delaying entry into institutions and hospitals,” Rebok said.

The training course was designed to bolster specific cognitive abilities that begin to slip as people age. It does not aim to prevent dementia caused by underlying disease such as Alzheimer’s.

At the start of the study, all 2,832 participants were cognitively normal. The study included four groups: three training groups plus a control group of volunteers who came in for regular testing to see how they were faring with age.

People were trained in small groups over a period of several weeks and then were tested immediately after the training and again one, two, three, five and 10 years later.

About 60 percent of the volunteers who underwent training also got booster training sessions, which enhanced the initial benefits.

At the end of the trial, all groups

showed declines compared with their initial baseline tests in memory, reasoning and processing speed, but those who got training in reasoning and processing speed experienced less decline.

Among those given training in reasoning strategies, 73.6 percent were still performing above their pre-trial baseline level, compared with 61.7 percent of those who received no training and were only benefiting from practice on the test.

The effect was even greater in processing speed. Among the training group, 70.7 percent of participants were performing at or above their baseline level, compared with 48.8 percent of those in the control group. There was no difference in memor y per formance between the memory group and the control group after 10 years.

Training programs Two of the three training programs the memory and the reasoning strategies - were done with paper and pencil, while the processing speed training was done on a computer.

The programs, developed by the researchers, were focused largely on teaching strategies to improve cognitive performance. For example, the memory training taught people how to remember word lists, sequences and main ideas, while the reasoning training focused on things like recognizing number patterns.

In the processing speed training, people were asked to focus on the main object in a computer screen while also trying to quickly recognize and identify objects on the periphery of the screen.

Such training can help older drivers with things like recognizing road signs while driving.

A version of the speed training program developed for this trial is now commercially available through the brain fitness company Posit Science, but the researchers are working on making other types of training available as well.

Rebok’s team just got a grant from the National Institute on Aging to make a computerized version of the memory test, with the hope that repeated training can improve the results.

The study was not designed to explain why cognitive training can have such a lasting effect. Rebok said it may be that people take the strategies they learn and practice them over time. As they age, trained individuals can rely on these strategies to compensate for their declines.

Whether this training actually strengthened the brain in the way that exercising builds muscle is not clear, but the government intends to study this, too. Last week, NIA put out a request for proposals that would study whether cognitive training causes physical changes in the brain. — Reuters

Swedish doctors transplant wombs into nine women ‘This is a new kind of surgery’

KOLKATA: In this photograph taken on January 9, 2014, the last polio patient registered in India, three year-old Rukhshar Khatoon (C) looks on as others work on a traditional Indian sari outside her home in Shapara village at the Panchla block, about 40 kms west of Kolkata. India marks three years since its last reported polio case yesterday meaning it will soon be certified as having defeated the ancient scourge in a huge advance for global eradication efforts. — AFP

India defeats polio, global eradication efforts advance NEW DELHI: India marks three years since its last reported polio case yesterday, meaning it will soon be certified as having defeated the ancient scourge in a huge advance for global eradication efforts.

The milestone confirms one of India’s biggest public health success stories, achieving something once thought impossible, thanks to a massive and sustained vaccination programme. With the number of cases in decline in Nigeria and Afghanistan, two of only three countries where polio is still endemic, world efforts to consign the crippling virus to history are making steady progress.

“In 2012, there were the fewest numbers of cases in endemic countries as ever before. So far in 2013 (records are still being checked), there were even less,” Hamid Jafari, global polio expert at the World Health Organisation told AFP. “If the current trends of progress continue we could very easily see the end of polio in Afghanistan and Nigeria in 2014,” added Jafari, hailed as having played a crucial role in India’s victory. Despite the success, isolated polio outbreaks in the Horn of Africa and war-wracked Syria emerged as new causes for concern in 2013. Nicole Deutsch, head of polio operations for UN children’s arm UNICEF in India, called three years without polio in the country “a monumental milestone”.

Success and caution Despite its population density and sanitation problems, “India proved to the world how to conquer this disease,” she told AFP. The Rotary International charity, which has been a key donor, will illuminate the India Gate and Red Fort monuments in New Delhi with a message celebrating the achievement. Countries are certified by the WHO as being polio-free if they go 12 months without a case, and are then said to have eradicated it after a period of three years without new infections.

India will likely receive this endorsement only in March, which will trigger more exuberant celebrations than yesterday.

There also remain reasons for caution, with the virus still considered endemic in neighbouring Pakistan, where vaccinators are being killed by the Taliban which views them as possible spies. A fake vaccination programme was used by the CIA to provide cover for operatives tracking Al Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden, who was killed in Pakistan by US special forces in May 2011.

Hopes of progress were given a boost

last month when cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan pledged to personally spearhead vaccination efforts in the troubled northwest of the country.

In India, the wretched sight of crippled street hawkers or beggars on wheeled trolleys will also remain as a legacy of the country’s time as an epicentre of the disease.

In the absence of any official data, most experts agree there are several million survivors left with withered legs or twisted spines who face discrimination and often live on the very margins of Indian society.

Million of vaccinators The country’s success was built on a huge vaccination programme that began in the mid-1990s with the backing of the central government and a coalition of charities, private donors, and UN agencies.

An army of more than two million vaccinators, backed by local religious and community leaders, canvassed villages, slums, train stations and public gatherings in even the most remote parts of the country.

The country reported 150,000 cases of paralytic polio in 1985, and it still accounted for half of all cases globally in 2009, with 741 infections that led to paralysis. In 2010, the number of victims fell to double figures before the last case on January 13, 2011, when an 18-month-old girl in a Kolkata slum was found to have contracted it.

The girl, Rukshar Khatoon, is now attending school and leads a “normal life”, although she still suffers pain in her right leg from the disease, doctors and her parents told AFP. “She can now stand on her feet and walk, but can’t run,” her father Abdul Saha said. “When her friends play, she remains a spectator.”

Saha, a father of four, conceded he had taken his son to get immunised but not two of his daughters. “It was a grave mistake,” he said. Jafari from the WHO highlighted the immense knock-on benefits for India, which is still afflicted by other preventable diseases, widespread malnutrition and poor sanitation.

“India has now set other important public health goals as a result of the confidence that the country has got from the successful eradication of polio,” he said, citing a new measles eradication goal.

Ruling party MP and businessman Naveen Jindal underlined this with a message on Twitter yesterday which read: “Imagine what we can do when we come 2gether.” —AFP

STOCKHOLM: Nine women in Sweden have successfully received transplanted wombs donated from relatives and will soon try to become pregnant, the doctor in charge of the pioneering project has revealed.

The women were born without a uterus or had it removed because of cervical cancer. Most are in their 30s and are part of the first major experiment to test whether it’s possible to transplant wombs into women so they can give birth to their own children.

Life-saving transplants of organs such as hearts, livers and kidneys have been done for decades and doctors are increasingly transplanting hands, faces and other body parts to improve patients’ quality of life. Womb transplants - the first ones intended to be temporary, just to allow childbearing - push that frontier even farther and raise some new concerns.

There have been two previous attempts to transplant a womb - in Turkey and Saudi Arabia - but both failed to produce babies. Scientists in Britain, Hungary, the US and elsewhere are also planning similar operations but the efforts in Sweden are the most advanced.

First-ever workshop “This is a new kind of surgery,” Dr. Mats Brannstrom told The Associated Press in an interview from Goteborg. “We have no textbook to look at.” Brannstrom, chair of the obstetrics and gynecology department at the University of Gothenburg, is leading the initiative. Next month, he and colleagues will run the first-ever workshop on how to perform womb transplants and they plan to publish a scientific report on their efforts soon.

He said the nine womb recipients were doing well. Many already had their periods six weeks after the transplants, an early sign that the wombs are healthy and functioning. One woman had an infection in her newly received uterus and others had some minor rejection episodes, but none of the recipients or donors needed intensive care after the surger y, Brannstrom said. All left the hospital within days.

None of the women who donated or received wombs have been identified. The transplants began in September 2012 and the donors include mothers and other female relatives of the recipients. The team had initially planned to do 10 transplants, but one woman couldn’t proceed due to medical reasons, university spokesman Krister Svahn said. The transplant operations did not connect the women’s uteruses to their fallopian tubes, so they are unable to get pregnant naturally.

But all who received a womb have their own ovaries and can make eggs. Before the operation, they had some removed to create embryos through in-vitro fertilization. The embryos were then frozen and doctors plan to transfer them into the new wombs, allowing the women to carry their own biologi-

That was also the case in Turkey.

Last year, Turkish doctors announced their patient got pregnant but the pregnancy failed after two months.

“Mats has done something amazing and we understand completely why he has taken this route, but we are wary of that approach,”

GOTEBORG: In this April 4, 2012 photo made available by the University of Goteborg in Sweden, the Swedish research team practices before the operations to transplant wombs at the Sahlgrenska Hospital in Goteborg, Sweden. Nine women in Sweden have successfully received transplanted wombs donated from relatives and will soon try to become pregnant, the doctor in charge of the pioneering project has revealed. “This is a new kind of surgery,” Dr. Mats Brannstrom told The Associated Press. —AP cal children.

The transplants have ignited hope among women unable to have children because they lost a uterus to cancer or were born without one. About one in 4,500 girls are born with a syndrome, known as MRKH, where they don’t have a womb.

Experts hail project Fertility experts have hailed the project as significant but stress it’s unknown whether the transplants will result in healthy babies.

The technique used in Sweden, using live donors, is somewhat controversial. In Britain, doctors are also planning to perform uterus transplants, but will only use wombs from dying or dead people.

said Dr. Richard Smith, head of the UK charity Womb Transplant UK, which is trying to raise 500,000 pounds ($823,000) to carry out five operations in Britain.

He said a womb transplant was like a radical hysterectomy but it requires taking a bigger chunk of the surrounding blood vessels to ensure adequate blood flow, raising the risk of complications for the donor. Smith said British officials don’t consider it ethical to let donors take such chances for an operation that isn’t considered lifesaving.

Smith said the biggest question is how any pregnancies will proceed. “The principal concern for me is if the baby will get enough nourishment from the placenta and if

the blood flow is good enough,” he said.

All of the women who received womb transplants will need to take anti-rejection medicines, but Smith said data from women who have received kidney transplants doesn’t suggest their babies are at any increased risk from the drugs.

Brannstrom said using live donors allowed them to ensure the donated wombs were functional and didn’t have any problems like an HPV infection. Doctors in Saudi Arabia performed the first womb transplant in 2000, using a live donor, but that uterus had to be removed after three months because of a blood clot.

Brannstrom said he and his colleagues hope to start transferring embryos into some of their patients soon, possibly within months. The Swedish researchers and others have previously reported successful uterus transplants in animals including mice, sheep and baboons, but no offspring from the primates were produced.

Wombs will be removed After a maximum of two pregnancies, the wombs will be removed so the women can stop taking the anti-rejection drugs, which can cause high blood pressure, swelling and diabetes and may also raise the risk of some types of cancer.

Other experts said if the operations are successful, womb transplants could be an alternative for women who have few choices. “ What remains to be seen is whether this is a viable option or if this is going to be confined to research and limited experimentation,” said Dr. Yacoub Khalaf, director of the Assisted Conception unit at Guy’s and St. Thomas’ hospital in London, who was unconnected to any of the womb transplant projects. Lise Gimre, 35, who was born without a womb, said she thought many women with the MRKH syndrome would be interested if the operation proves to be safe and effective. Gimre runs an organization for women with the syndrome in Norway.

“If this had been possible when I was younger, no doubt I would have been interested,” she said.

Gimre, who has two foster children, said the only option for women like her to have biological children is via surrogacy, which is illegal in many European countries, including Norway and Sweden.

Brannstrom warned the transplants might not result in children but remained optimistic. “This is a research study,” he said. “It could lead to (the women) having children, but there are no guarantees ... what is certain is that they are making a contribution to science.” —AP

Fitness experts differ on benefits of stretching NEW YORK: Stretching relieves stiff muscles and can boost flexibility in the elderly and inactive but experts are divided on how vital it is for general fitness and preventing injury.

For older adults who lose flexibility through ageing, stretching can improve a range of motion and can make it easier to do everyday tasks such as reaching for items on high shelves.

Flexibility activities can also help reverse the chronically rounded shoulders and hands-on-keyboard posture of office workers tied to their desks.

But Dr. Mike Bracko, an exercise physiologist with the American College of Sports Medicine, said research indicates that static stretching, which

involves holding a stretch for 30 to 60 seconds, does not reduce injury and actually makes the muscle weaker. “I would say that flexibility in and of itself is not that important a component of general fitness,” he said. Bracko, a hockey skating coach based in Calgary, Alberta, notes that while activities such as gymnastics and rock climbing require flexibility, others, such as boot camp or cycling, do not.

“A lot of people just doing normal fitness activities don’t need a lot of flexibility. It depends on the person,” he said, adding that muscles tend to get injured within the normal range of motion. “The classic example is how sprinters strain hamstrings: the leg reaches forward, at some point hamstrings

have to contract fast. That’s when the muscle fails,” Bracko explained. “(Stretching) can’t deal with that.”

But he said some studies show that dynamic stretching, which unlike static stretching is not sustained and which mimics the activity to be performed, decreases the risk of injury by preparing the body for the movement to follow. Stretch Zone Inc, which was founded in 2004 and has studios in New York, Florida and the Caribbean, specializes in practitioner-assisted stretches that are activity-specific and dynamic. “Nothing is held for more than two seconds,” said Miami-based founder Jorden Gold. “All the studies show little correlation between static, longheld stretches and sports performance.”—Reuters

TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2014

H E A LT H & S C I E N C E

Dar Al Shifa Hospital launches cervical cancer early detection campaign KUWAIT: Dar Al Shifa Hospital announced yesterday the launch of its cervical cancer early detection campaign, which sheds light on the causes and factors leading to this disease and ways to prevent it. The campaign will run across one week, January 19-25, 2014, in which the hospital will provide special discount on the cancer screening using the pap smear & Colposcopy, that identifies precancerous and potentially precancerous changes in cervical cells and tissue.

Dr Hossam Kamel, Head of Obstetrics and Gynecology Department at Dar Al Shifa Hospital said: “It is crucial to highlight Cervical Cancer at an early stage and to understand the signs, symptoms and methods of treatment. New technologies have been developed that help in detecting the disease earlier in the process.”

Cervical cancer, caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV), is a malignant neoplasm arising from cells originating in the cervix uteri. One of the most common symptoms of cervical cancer is abnormal vaginal bleeding, but in some cases there may be no obvious symptoms until the cancer has progressed to an advanced stage. Treatment usually consists of surgery (including local excision) in early stages, and chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy in more advanced stages of the disease.

“Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women worldwide and over 500, 000 new cases are diagnosed every year. Through this campaign, Dar Al Shifa Hospital aims at showcasing its overall commitment towards

Dr Hossam Kamel raising more awareness while also becoming a primary healthcare information source across the community,” added Dr Kamel.

The cervical cancer early detection awareness campaign is part of the continued development of Dar Al Shifa Hospital’s successful contributions to raising awareness on the disease, while encouraging women to undergo preventive checks. The hospital utilizes its stateof-the-art technology, and renowned doctors and consultants to deliver optimal levels of healthcare to its patients.

Give yourself a natural lift KUWAIT: The Body Shop is known for taking a positive approach to ageing, with a belief that we can all look and feel beautiful at any age.

With women over 40 having concerns about their skin’s appearance, fine lines and wrinkles, Pomegranate skincare products help them look their best naturally. Including the benefits of pomegranate, the products don’t just give a firmer skin, but with regular use,

the appearance of wrinkles is softened within 4 weeks! All products in the Pomegranate range (facial wash, toner, day cream, cleanser, serum, night cream, eye roll on and day lotion) feature organic pomegranate seed oil, pomegranate peel and pulp. These ingredients diminish the appearance of lines, improve skin’s suppleness and boost the retention of water; in addition to the won-

derful fragrance. “The pomegranate is categorised as a ‘superfruit’ because of its nutritional properties. Its whole is harnessed in our Pomegranate skincare products with no chemicals used at any stage in the production process. The result is firmer-feeling skin with softer-looking fine lines and wrinkles,” said Brett Lilley, business manager at The Body Shop.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2014

W H AT ’ S O N

AUK hosts Gallery Talk with Iranian Artist, Reza Doust

SEND US YOUR INSTAGRAM PICS

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he Department of Art and Graphic Design at the American University of Kuwait is hosting a gallery talk with Iranian artist, Reza Doust. Last month the artist provided a lecture and workshop for the art and design students and his visit will now conclude with a Gallery Talk. The talk and demonstration will provide students with technical and creative ideas, as well as a studio experience with a working artist. After three decades of being an artist, Doust firmly believes in the importance of the right medium to express oneself. He will discuss his art and share his knowledge of technique, style and some of the mediums he has employed in his own work. Please join us for this exciting event on Tuesday, January 14, 2014, AUK Multipurpose Room - Salmiya Campus 10am-6pm. This event is open to the public.

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hat’s more fun than clicking a beautiful picture? Sharing it with others! Let other people see the way you see Kuwait - through your lens. Friday Times will feature snapshots of Kuwait through Instagram feeds. If you want to share your Instagram photos, email us at instagram@kuwaittimes.net

Maha Quizzer Middle East

Greetings

Graphic novel by Kuwait Bilingual School students

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uwait Bilingual School, Jahra 6th grade students Maryam Aladin and Tamara Mubarak made a graphic novel based on the Roald Dahl book James and the Giant Peach. Their 10-page graphic novel of a famous book is the first of its kind in the history of the school. “I gave them 2 months to read, summarize, plan, draw and color the graphic novel but they finished the work ahead of the time,” Ms Sue Jenkins, their Language Arts teacher said.

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ITCAA-Kuwait announces the second edition of Maha Quizzer ME - Kuwait, extension of Maha Quizzer, the annual solo quiz conducted by Karnataka Quiz Association (KQA) simultaneously across several Indian cities.

This is a solo open general written quiz contest for participants, irrespective of age, nationality or affiliation.

The quiz is on 31st January 2014, from 2 to 3.30 pm with centers in Salmiya, Ahmadi & J’leeb Shyoukh. Special prizes for ladies and students.

For further details & free online registration log on to http://www.nitcaakuwait.org/mahaquizzer Hurry!!! Registration open from 20th Dec 2013 to 23rd January 2014

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irthday greetings to Abdul Jabbar Abdullah. May Allah shower all His blessing on him and give him happiness, long life and prosperity. Blessings come from his wife Mumtaz Begum, daughters Shamsath Begum, Safah Begum, Nishath Begum, son-inlaw Barkath Ali and Elahi.

Advisory to Indian nationals in Kuwait

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he Embassy of India has been receiving often reports from the members of Indian community residing in Kuwait regarding thefts, robberies assaults and damages to their property etc. All such incidents should be immediately reported to the local police station. In order to extend help the members of our community, please contact us with the following information so that the matter could also be taken up by the Embassy with Kuwaiti authorities:(a) Brief details of the incident; (b) Civil ID of the affected member(s) and their passport details; (c) Contact telephone number and the proof of residence of the person(s) affected; (d) Copy of FIR along with address of the Police station.

2. Please contact either Ms Hend, Ambassador’s office at Telephone No. 22561276, Fax No. 22546958 (E-mail: amb.kuwait@mea.gov.in OR ambss@indembkwt.org) or Balram Kumar Upadhyay, Counsellor (Consular and Chief Welfare Officer) on Telephone No. 22533125, Fax No.22573910 (E-mail: counsellor@indembkwt.org).

Embassy of India holiday notice

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he Embassy of India will be closed on the following dates during the month of January 2014.

14 January 2014, Tuesday - Eid - E - Milad 26 January 2014, Sunday - Republic Day

Announcement TIES Center - Where cultures meet he TIES Center is glad to announce that its Winter 2 Arabic language courses will begin on Sunday January 19 until Wednesday March 5, 2014. We offer classes for all levels, from beginner to advanced. Our classes are specially tailored to meet the needs and requirements of expats living in Kuwait. You still have the chance to join if you are interested. The TIES Arabic classes are intended for all expats who wish to learn Arabic. Whether you want to Learn Arabic for business or basic communication or simply as a hobby, the TIES Center welcomes you. Throughout the course, the students will learn how to read, write and speak Arabic in a friendly, relaxed and welcoming environment.

TIES Arabic program highlights: Lessons are step by step - ranging from basic to advanced level; Lessons build confidence for speaking, reading, and writing Arabic; Lessons combine language learning with cultural insights; Lessons are specially tailored for expats living in Kuwait. It is an opportunity to interact with other Westerners, who are taking the courses. For more information, please e-mail: Hassan@tiescenter.net .”

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Write to us Send to What’s On upcoming events, birthdays or celebrations by email: local@kuwaittimes.net Fax: 24835619 / 20

Bhavan holds GCC Spell Bee PIES, IES, and IIS bag championship B

havan Middle East conducted the grand finale of the GCC level Spelling Bee Contest simultaneously and that too for the first time in the history of inter school competitions in the Middle East, in three different countries on video conferencing mode last Saturday. Indian Educational School, Kuwait was the main host. Private International School, Abu Dhabi, and Modern Indian School, Oman co-hosted this mega event. Dr Rosalind Buckton -Tucker, the assistant professor of English, American University of Kuwait was the chief guest. Dr Lewis R Tucker, adjunct faculty member teaching online for Capella University was the guest of honour.

In the 5 hour long spelling bee pageant which started at 4.30 in the evening, 25 students representing different schools in Kuwait, 17 in UAE, and another 17 contestants from Oman had reiterated their partici-

pation. The first three rounds of questions were held in all the three venues concurrently, and the tally of points was timely shared with the organizers in Kuwait on video conferencing mode. The mind boggling competition gave a really tough time for the contestants, and a lot of time had to be spent in breaking the tie in different categories.

Questions to break the tie were asked from Kuwait.

More than one thousand students from various schools in the Middle East had registered for the preliminary round, and the best 5 representing each category were selected for the nationals. More than 100 students had appeared for the national level contest held in November, and the best 5 in each category got qualified for the Championship. After the elimination round, there were ten contestants, two from each category to prizefight for the championship.

Students from Private International School, Abu Dhabi, Modern Indian School, Oman, India International School, and Indian English Academy School, Kuwait confirmed their participation in the championship round. After a nerve-racking round of questions, Sian Shinjo of category one of Private International School, Abu Dhabi, Nida Adeel of category two of India International School, Mangaf won the championship.

Elizabeth Jiji, Sumaiya Asif and Arun George of Indian Educational School, Kuwait were declared champions in categories three, four and five respectively.

Champions were conferred on a cash prize of Rs 50000/ each, a trophy and a certificate for their exuberant expression of spelling skills. Dr Rosalind in her speech after the prize distribution ceremony quoted Mark Twain and said “anyone who can only think of one way to spell a word obviously

lacks imagination.” She admired the enthusiasm showed by each participant in making the show exciting. Ms Rosalind appreciated Indian Educational School for organizing such educational programmes for the growing generation. Lewis Tucker, the guest of honour, Ramachandran Menon, the Chairman, Bhavan Group of Schools in the Middle East, Ms Rathi Raveedran, Principal, Jack & Jill School, Mangaf, Ms Anita Sadanand, Vice Principal, Senior Wing, and Ms Lalitha Premkumar, Vice Principal the Junior Wing also joined the chief guest in felicitating the winners. Mr Suresh, Mr Prasad and MsJaemi were the pronouncers.

Vanshika and Anuvinda the two vibrant Bhavanites took the audience through the programme. Ms Anita Sadanand, gave the welcome speech, and Ms Fathima Jyothi, Kuwait Coordinator, GCC Spell Bee proposed the vote of thanks.

Indian Overseas Congress Fest competitions on March 6-7 Indian Overseas Congress, Kuwait is conducting 7th Arts Competitions-IOC fest 2014 on 6th and 7th March 2014 at United Indian School. IOC, once again welcome the growing buds of Indian expatriate community in Kuwait from various disciplines to test their talents and competency in the field of arts. The winners of this prestigious competition will be awarded with Trophies and Medals.

Kalaprathiba and Kalathilakam prizes will be awarded for

the top scorers in the fest.

The competitions are for Elocution, Solo, Poetry Recitation(Mal), Classical Dance (single), Folk Dance(single), Group Dance(Cinematic), Indian Patriotic Song, Mono act, Drawing/Painting and Poster Poetry writing.

Although the competitions are meant for children from various disciplines, Elocution, Solo, Poetry Recitation and Indian Patriotic Song Competitions will be held for con-

testants above 18 years also. A committee under the leadership of Raju Zacharias as General Convenor, Sunil Rapuzha and Jacob Kavalam as joint conveners has started functioning. The entry forms, are available at the following places: Abbassiya - Hidine Super Market, Sakina Book Stall. Hidine Restaurant; Riggae - Al Dallah Super Market; Fahaheel - Royal Mobile Services and Sales.

Enquiry can be send to Email : iocfest2014@gmail.com

W H AT ’ S O N

TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2014

Embassy Information

Scattered, gathered - artist books

“T

he efforts must be made to speak of friendship as of a pure topic: this releases me from the level of affectivity-which could not be spoken without embarrassment since it belongs to the order of the imaginary...”

Roland Barthes.

With these sentences which Roland Barthes wrote in his own unconventional autobiography, “Roland Barthes by Roland Barthes” (1977), the two artists, Nizar Sabour and Issam Kourbaj, bind their own biographies in this exhibition. The result is a collection of splendid artists’ books, and then, a collection of scattered memories between the two lifelong friends. The artists assemble an autobiography of their thirty years old friendship apart, displayed and re-gathered in “Scattered, Gathered” at CAP. Being both Syrian however immediately releases the eruptions and inexpressible sorrow caused by the current events in Syria into the exhibition space. Yet this, perhaps, also takes us back to Barthes and his own “Mourning Diary” where he preserved his brief daily jottings of his personal grief and suffering over his mother’s own death.

Syria is Sabour’s and Kourbaj’s mother so as to speak, and their diaries mediate into a continuous process of mourning over their diseased and frail country.

The exhibition “Scattered, Gathered” strikes viewers with a sense of being suspended between pages of affectivity. While the relationship with books is both a public and private one, similarly, the relationship with grief is one that is at the verge of expressing to the outside and keeping to one’s self. On the one hand, Issam Kourbaj’s

visual diaries are superimposed on 10,232 pages of Twelve Volumes of The Encyclopedia Britannica of 1890, and on

the other hand, Nizar Sabour’s visual essays are created on eighteen handmade wooden books. Still, both diaries reside between the tensions of the imaginary; those of

space and time. While Sabour records the date by the hour of his own diary entries experienced in the folds of the daily life in

Syria, Kourbaj inscribes his images onto pages of ready-made collections of alphabetical knowledge, as if the artist is re-writing this knowledge from his own perspec-

tive as a Syrian in the UK and recreating a different collective memory.

Both artists present a minimalistic style in their art works. Sabour’s diaries convey panoramic scenes of people, walls, cityscapes and landscapes. His visual elements are portrayed in a childish manner using bright colours as well as different shades of black and white. The written words in his work offer viewers keywords and clues to complete the words of the titles further imagining a narrative of nostalgia. On the other hand, Kourbaj’s books present no inscribed words but rather a nonlinear narrative. However, the primitive and raw nature of the lines on each page of The Encyclopedia Britannica compile into a story of repetitive shapes, as if creating their own letters and language taking us earlier than the period of 1890 and perhaps into the walls of caves.

The imagery in the diaries by both artists further resembles moments of development and evolution of the life of the two friends who took on their separate ways in different directions. However their diaries kept track of their own perceptions of the events around them. Even themselves as artists, Sabour and Kourbaj, are presented as a work-in process throughout the pages of their own diaries.

In “Roland Barthes by Roland Barthes” the text itself is playful and the author inverts his text to become himself its very subject of enquiry. In a similar vein, Sabour and Kourbaj in their own diaries are their own subjects exploring the creation of their own knowledge according to their surroundings.

EMBASSY OF AUSTRALIA The Embassy of Australia has announced that Kuwait citizens can apply for and receive visit visas in 10 working days through www.immi.gov.au. All other processing of visas and Immigration matters are handled by the Australian Visa Application Centre located in Al Banwan Building, 4B, 1st Floor, Al Qibla Area, Ali Al Salem Street, Kuwait City. Visit. www.vfs-augcc.com for more info. The Embassy of Australia does not have a visa or immigration department. All processing of visas and immigration matters is conducted by the Australian Consulate-General in Dubai.

Email: Info.ausdxb@vfshelpline.com (VIS), immigration.dubai@ dfat.gov.au (Visa Office), Tel: +971 4 205 5900 (VFS), Fax: + 971 4 355 0708 (Visa Office).

Notary and passport services are available by appointment. Appointments can be made by calling the Embassy on 22322422. nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF INDIA India and Kuwait have enjoyed historically close, warm and friendly ties. The visit of His Highness Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, Prime Minister of Kuwait to India in November 2013 has imparted a new thrust to the strengthening further of the bilateral ties. To facilitate travel of Kuwaiti nationals to India for business, tourism, medical and study purposes, the embassy has adopted the following visa structure for Kuwaiti nationals with immediate effect:

Please apply Indian visa online at www.bls-international.com and deposit visa application, with applicable visa fee and service charge, at either M/s.

BLS International Services, Emad Commercial Centre, Basement floor Ahmed Al-Jaber Street, Sharq, Kuwait city (Telephone: 22986607 - Fax: 22470006) or M/s. BLS International Services, Mujamma Unood, 4th floor, Office No.25-26 Makka Street, Entrance 5, Fahaheel, Kuwait (Telephone: 22986607 - Fax: 22470006). For additional information, please contact Second Secretary (Consular) in the Embassy at sscons@indembkwt.org.

In addition, a service charge of KD 5 will also apply for each visa service provided. nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF SOUTH AFRICA

Night of Style and Rhythm for Marina Hotel’s annual staff party

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mployees from Marina Hotel Kuwait gathered recently at Salwa Sabah Al Ahmed Theater and Hall to celebrate their annual staff party themed “The Retro Night”. The event was filled with fun, excitement and individuality which gave everyone the opportunity to celebrate and enjoy.

Gracing the event Nabil Hammoud, General Manager, appreciated the team

spirit that prevailed between the hotel’s management and employees. He thanked the employees for their great efforts and dedication throughout the year of 2013 emphasizing to keep on the good work. He reiterated the hotel’s vision of exceptional care of guests by focusing on offering superior services and to aim higher and work better together through constant commitment

while striving for excellence. Employees and team members were recognized for their outstanding efforts and great accomplishments attained throughout the years.

The interesting program lined up included prizes for the best dressed Retro outfit in addition to special recognition awards which were distributed by Nabil Hammoud in various categories for

Employee of the year, Best Supervisor of the year and Best Performer of the year.

The most awaited part was revealing of Mr. & Ms. Marina 2013 based on professionalism, team player and peer relationship fairly done by means of ballot by the hotel employees.

The event concluded with a lavish dinner buffet, employees and management were glad to be part of the celebration.

Kuwait Tamilosai poets celebrate Ponkal festival

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uwait Tamilosai Poets Association grandly celebrated a trilateral carnival during their 93rd monthly special meeting, including the Gregorian New year, Forthcoming Tamils ‘Harvest festival-”Ponkal”& Indian Republic day in their own majestic style on January 3, Friday at Sangeetha Auditorium, Mangaf, Kuwait.

The function commenced at 10 am with the recitation of Tamil anthem by the members. The program hall was named as Ayyan Thiruvalluvar Arivar Nammazhvar Ninaivarankam to honour the ancient Tamil poet and recently deceased Natural-Agro scientist for their noble contributions. The meet was presided over by Anbarasan, anchored the happenings well keeping Balraj as front

stager. Association’s President Dr Kumar delivered the welcome address. Special poems were presented by Poets Yaqoob Ali, Eezham Ganesan, Anandaravi, Viruthaipaari, Sivasankaran, Mrs Rani Mohan and Jhansi Rani during the event. Singers Gangesh, Kalibullah, “Therruiiangu” Senthilkumar, Pandian, Nelson & Mrs Lalitha Mani entertained the audience with their sweet melodies.

Natarajan, MD of Hotel Saravana Bhavan, Fahaheel graced the function as the chief guest. He wished Tamilosai, a perennial success in its activities. An amazing folk musical-dance concert - “Mannisai Makizhsolai”, performed by the kids, was the highlight of the program.

Association’s honorary president Sadhiq Batcha was felicitated by all of the members on his wedding anniversary.

Year-2014 calendar was released and complemented to the dignitaries. Makizhan offered a scintillating note on significance of Indian Democracy. Prizes were distributed for the child performers and puzzle winners. The events were well-organized by the General Secretary Vittukatti Masthan, his deputy Pattukkottai Sathya, Vice-President Aribazhagan and Asst. Treasurer Mannai Raja and Dancer Ashok. The vote of thanks was delivered by the popular writer Vidhyasagar. The program came to an exciting end at 3 pm with delicious lunch served to the attendees in traditional touch.

South African Citizens who are out of the country, are not already registered and wish to apply for registration to vote in the upcoming General Elections, are hereby offered the opportunity to apply for registration.

Registrations will take place at the South African Embassy on 26 and 27 January 2014 from 08h30 to 15h30 at Villa No 3, House No 91, Street 1, Block 10, Salwa.

To be eligible to register at the SA Embassy, a person must : l Be a South African Citizen and be 16 years of age and older; l Submit a valid green bar-coded Identity Document, a valid Temporary Identity Certificate (valid for 2 months) or a Smart Card; l Submit a valid South African Passport; and l Submit in person the application form, the identity document and a valid passport.

NOTE : If persons are already registered to vote in SA but are now living abroad, they are NOT required to re-register - best for such persons to check their registration status on www.elections.org.za. If they discover that they are not registered to vote, then they are advised to register.

For any further enquiries, phone : Tel : 25617988 during office hours or visit the IEC Website at www.elections.org.za nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF US The US Embassy in Kuwait has new procedures for obtaining appointments and picking up passports after visa issuance. We now provide an online visa appointment system, live call center, and in-person pick-up facilities in Kuwait. Please monitor our website and social media for additional information. This new system offers more flexibility for travelers to the US and to meet the increase in demand for visa appointments.

The general application steps on the new visa appointment system are: 1. Go to www.ustraveldocs.com/kw (if this is the first time on ustraveldocs.com, you will need to create a profile to login).

2. Please complete your DS-160 Online Visa Application which is available at ceac.state.gov/genNIV. 3. Please print and take your deposit slip to any Burgan Bank location to pay your visa application fee.

4. Schedule an appointment for your visa interview online at www.ustraveldocs.com/kw or by phone through the Call Center (at +965-2227-1673).

5. If you need to change or cancel your appointment, please do so 24 hours beforehand, as a courtesy to other applicants. For more information, please visit the US Embassy website - kuwait.usembassy.gov - as it is the best source of information regarding these changes. nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF VATICAN The Apostolic Nunciature Embassy of the Holy See, Vatican in Kuwait has moved to a new location in Kuwait City. Please find below the new address: Yarmouk, Block 1, Street 2, Villa No: 1. P.O.Box 29724, Safat 13158, Kuwait. Tel: 965 25337767, Fax: 965 25342066. Email: nuntiuskuwait@gmail.com.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2014

TV PROGRAMS

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Animal Cops Houston Crime Scene Wild Untamed & Uncut Wildest Africa Meet The Sloths Meet The Sloths America’s Cutest Pets Animal Cops Houston Steve Irwin’s Wildlife Warriors Steve Irwin’s Wildlife Warriors Swamp Brothers Monkey Life Journey Of Life Wildest Arctic Meet The Sloths Meet The Sloths Wildest Africa Animal Cops Phoenix Monkey Life Swamp Brothers Roaring With Pride Biggest And Baddest Wildest Africa My Cat From Hell Wildest India Growing Up...

Natural Born Hunters Natural Born Hunters Meet The Sloths Meet The Sloths America’s Cutest Pets Wildest Africa Bondi Vet Steve Irwin’s Wildlife Warriors

00:15 00:45 01:35 2005 02:05 02:35 03:25 04:15 05:00 05:20 05:35 06:00 06:10 06:15 06:35 06:50 07:15 07:25 07:30 08:15 2005 08:45 09:15 09:45 10:20 11:10 12:00 12:45 2005 13:15 13:45 14:15 14:45 15:35 16:25 17:10 17:40 18:10 19:00 19:30 20:00 20:55 21:45

Doctors The Weakest Link My Family: Christmas Special

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Walk On The Wild Side Alone In The Wild Spooks The Weakest Link Balamory Charlie And Lola The Green Balloon Club 3rd & Bird Poetry Pie Balamory Charlie And Lola The Green Balloon Club 3rd & Bird Poetry Pie The Weakest Link My Family: Christmas Special Only Fools And Horses Eastenders Doctors Tess Of The D’urbervilles Alone In The Wild The Weakest Link My Family: Christmas Special Only Fools And Horses Eastenders Doctors Tess Of The D’urbervilles Alone In The Wild The Weakest Link Eastenders Doctors Alone In The Wild Last Of The Summer Wine Moone Boy Tess Of The D’urbervilles Life On Mars Absolutely Fabulous

DIY SOS: The Big Build Cash In The Attic Come Dine With Me MasterChef Australia MasterChef Australia Food & Drink Fantasy Homes By The Sea Cash In The Attic Bargain Hunt DIY SOS: The Big Build Fantasy Homes By The Sea

08:00 Bargain Hunt 08:45 DIY SOS: The Big Build 09:40 Masterchef: The Professionals 10:25 Food & Drink 10:55 Come Dine With Me 11:45 Come Dine With Me 12:35 Gok’s Fashion Fix 13:25 Fantasy Homes By The Sea 14:10 Antiques Roadshow 15:05 Design Star 15:55 Design Star 16:40 Bargain Hunt 17:30 Cash In The Attic 18:20 Antiques Roadshow 19:15 Homes Under The Hammer 20:10 Rachel Khoo’s Kitchen Notebook: London 20:35 A Taste Of Greenland 21:30 Come Dine With Me 22:20 Antiques Roadshow 23:15 Bargain Hunt

00:30 01:20 02:10 03:00 03:50 04:15 04:40 05:05 05:30 06:00 07:00 07:50 08:40 09:30 09:55 10:20 10:45 11:10 11:35 12:25 13:15 14:05 14:30 14:55 15:20 16:10 17:00 17:50 18:40 19:30 20:20 20:45 21:10 21:35 22:00 22:50 23:40

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Gold Rush - South America Ice Cold Gold Gold Fever Bush Pilots Border Security Auction Kings American Digger How Do They Do It? How It’s Made Sons Of Guns Bush Pilots Flying Wild Alaska Fast N’ Loud Border Security Auction Kings American Digger How Do They Do It? How It’s Made Gold Rush - South America Gold Fever Ice Cold Gold Border Security Auction Kings American Digger Alaska: The Last Frontier Fast N’ Loud Ultimate Survival Dirty Jobs Bush Pilots Sons Of Guns How Do They Do It? How It’s Made Auction Kings American Digger Bear Grylls: A Day In...

Driven To Extremes River Monsters

The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody Sonny With A Chance Sonny With A Chance Suite Life On Deck Suite Life On Deck Wizards Of Waverly Place Wizards Of Waverly Place The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody Sonny With A Chance Sonny With A Chance Suite Life On Deck Suite Life On Deck Wizards Of Waverly Place Wizards Of Waverly Place Austin And Ally Austin And Ally A.N.T. Farm A.N.T. Farm Gravity Falls My Babysitter’s A Vampire Jessie Good Luck Charlie Dog With A Blog Shake It Up Austin And Ally A.N.T. Farm Dog With A Blog Jessie Wolfblood Suite Life On Deck A.N.T. Farm

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Austin And Ally Shake It Up That’s So Raven Jessie Good Luck Charlie Dog With A Blog Wolfblood Gravity Falls Jessie Violetta A.N.T. Farm Austin And Ally Gravity Falls Shake It Up Good Luck Charlie Dog With A Blog Violetta Jessie My Babysitter’s A Vampire Wolfblood Gravity Falls Shake It Up Austin And Ally A.N.T. Farm Good Luck Charlie Wizards Of Waverly Place Wizards Of Waverly Place

00:00 Chelsea Lately 00:30 The Spin Crowd 00:55 The Spin Crowd 01:25 Style Star 01:50 Style Star 02:20 E!ES 03:15 Extreme Close-Up 03:40 Extreme Close-Up 04:10 E!ES 05:05 THS 06:00 THS 07:50 Style Star 08:20 E! News 09:15 Scouted 10:15 Live From The Red Carpet 12:05 E! News 13:05 Extreme Close-Up 13:35 E! Entertainment Special 14:30 Style Star 15:00 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 16:00 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 17:00 Live From The Red Carpet 19:00 The Drama Queen 20:00 Married To Jonas 20:30 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 21:30 E! News 22:30 Fashion Police 23:30 Chelsea Lately

00:15 Sandwich King 00:40 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 01:05 Tastiest Places To Chowdown 01:30 Easy Chinese: San Francisco 01:55 Charly’s Cake Angels 02:20 Unwrapped 02:45 Reza, Spice Prince Of India 03:10 Reza, Spice Prince Of India 03:35 Sandwich King 04:00 Sandwich King 04:25 Andy Bates American Street Feasts 04:50 Iron Chef America 05:40 Chopped 06:30 Unwrapped 06:50 Tastiest Places To Chowdown 07:10 Food Network Challenge 08:00 Luke Nguyen’s Vietnam 08:25 Roadtrip With G. Garvin 08:50 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 09:15 Iron Chef America 10:05 Barefoot Contessa 10:30 Amazing Wedding Cakes 11:20 Easy Chinese: San Francisco 11:45 Andy Bates American Street Feasts 12:10 Tastiest Places To Chowdown 12:35 Grill It! With Bobby Flay 13:00 Reza, Spice Prince Of India 13:25 Charly’s Cake Angels 13:50 Siba’s Table 14:15 Barefoot Contessa 14:40 Healthy Appetite With Ellie Krieger

Cirque du Soleil at 30: ‘The show is the star’

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man whose female partner balances the nape of her neck on the nape of his neck with her body sticking straight into the air sums up the amazing human feats Cirque du Soleil presents in a London show kicking off the troupe’s 30th year. Also on display during a month-long run of Cirque’s evergreen 1996 production “Quidam” is a woman who drops herself from the heights of the Royal Albert Hall tangled up in a weave of scarlet silk that stops her just short of hitting the stage floor.

A bit later, rope artists spin around at dizzying speeds and a juggler shows up who doesn’t seem to know that keeping a half dozen or more medium-sized red balls in the air at the same time must be impossible. Millions of people have seen “Quidam” globally, but even some younger members of Tuesday’s official opening night audience were back for a second or third viewing of the acts staged by 46 performers from 19 countries. “It’s incredible what they’re doing up there, how they fight their fears,” said Hugo Max, 11, of London, one of the many “Quidam” repeaters.

“I was totally shocked by all of them ... They’re really good,” said Maud Rutherford, 8, also of London.

Founded by street performers in the French Canadian province of Quebec in 1984, Cirque has become one of Canada’s most famous exports. Touring shows play all over the world, and stage versions perform nightly in Las Vegas and other resorts.

“I think it is a wonderful card to give to everybody around the world. Cirque du Soleil for Quebec is a huge success,” Luc Ouellette, the artistic director for “Quidam”, told Reuters in an interview. Here’s what else he had to say about why he thinks the Cirque formula has been so successful, what his background as a dancer brings to the show and why, despite a few performers on stage flapping their arms in a jokey way to mimic seals, there are no animal acts:

AMERICAN REUNION ON OSN MOVIES COMEDY HD 15:05 15:55 16:20 16:45 17:35 Basics 18:00 Basics 18:25 18:50 19:15 19:40 20:05 20:30 20:55 21:20 22:10 23:00 23:50

Chrome-PG15 15:30 The Da Vinci Code-PG15 18:00 True Justice: Angel Of DeathPG15 20:00 Seconds Apart-PG15 22:00 The Philly Kid-PG15

Barefoot Contessa - Back To Symon’s Suppers Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives Siba’s Table Reza’s African Kitchen Tastiest Places To Chowdown Roadtrip With G. Garvin Chopped Food Network Challenge Unwrapped Unique Eats

00:00 Web Therapy 00:30 The Daily Show Global Edition 01:00 The Colbert Report Global Edition 01:30 Hello Ladies 02:00 Eastbound & Down 02:30 The League 03:00 Breaking In 03:30 Go On 04:00 Arrested Development 04:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 05:30 Arrested Development 06:00 Two And A Half Men 06:30 Friends 07:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 08:00 Arrested Development 08:30 Arrested Development 09:00 Breaking In 09:30 2 Broke Girls 10:00 Trophy Wife 10:30 Friends 11:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 12:00 Two And A Half Men 12:30 Arrested Development 13:00 Arrested Development 13:30 Friends 14:00 Go On 14:30 2 Broke Girls 15:00 Trophy Wife 15:30 The Daily Show Global Edition 16:00 The Colbert Report Global Edition 16:30 Two And A Half Men 17:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 18:00 Raising Hope 18:30 Melissa & Joey 19:00 The Crazy Ones 19:30 Trophy Wife 20:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 21:00 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 21:30 The Colbert Report 22:00 It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia 22:30 Family Guy 23:00 The League 23:30 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

03:00 15:00 17:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

A MONSTER IN PARIS ON OSN MOVIES HD

Food Network Challenge Roadtrip With G. Garvin Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives Chopped Barefoot Contessa - Back To

Rescue Me Defiance The Ellen DeGeneres Show The Fosters Grey’s Anatomy Mistresses The Killing Rescue Me

00:00 The Task-18 02:00 Starship Troopers: Invasion18 04:00 Blackthorn-PG15 06:00 The Speed Of Thought-PG15 08:00 Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome-PG15 10:00 Big Trouble In Little ChinaPG15 12:00 True Justice: Angel Of DeathPG15 13:45 Battlestar Galactica: Blood &

00:00 02:00 04:00 06:00 08:00 10:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00

American Reunion-18 The New Guy-PG15 3 Times A Charm-PG15 Scrooged-PG15 Snow Day-PG Summer School-PG15 3 Times A Charm-PG15 This Means War-PG15 Summer School-PG15 The Big Bus-PG Flypaper-PG15 American Reunion-18

01:00 Seeking Justice-PG15 03:00 Limitless-PG15 05:00 The Chorus-PG15 07:00 The Trial-PG15 09:00 Seeking Justice-PG15 11:00 Taken Back: Finding HaleyPG15 13:00 Oh Christmas Tree-PG 14:30 Too Late To Say GoodbyePG15 16:15 Neverland-PG 19:00 You Got Served: Beat The World-PG15 21:00 Another Happy Day-18 23:00 This Must Be The Place-18

01:00 03:00 05:00 07:00 09:00 11:00 13:00 15:30 PG15 17:00 19:00 21:00 23:00

Once Fallen-18 Little Birds-18 The Lady-PG15 Mutum-PG15 Bird On A Wire-PG15 Footloose-PG15 Tora! Tora! Tora!-PG15 Love Will Keep Us TogetherFootloose-PG15 Strictly Sinatra-PG15 Nobody Walks-PG15 Trishna-18

01:15 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey-PG 04:15 Barnyard-PG 06:00 Stealing Paradise-PG15 08:00 Super Buddies-FAM 09:30 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey-PG 12:15 Dark Shadows-PG15 14:15 Interview With A HitmanPG15 16:00 Super Buddies-FAM 18:00 Trouble With The Curve-PG15 20:00 House At The End Of The Street-PG15 22:00 Ruby Sparks-18

02:00 PGA Tour Highlights 03:00 PGA European Tour Highlights 04:00 Amlin Challenge Cup 06:00 Cricket ODI Series Highlights 07:00 Snooker Masters 11:00 Futbol Mundial 11:30 NHL 13:30 Amlin Challenge Cup 15:30 ICC Cricket 360 16:00 Live Snooker Masters 20:00 Trans World Sport 21:00 Futbol Mundial 21:30 Top 14 Highlights 22:00 Live Snooker Masters

01:30 Trans World Sports 02:30 Futbol Mundial 03:00 This Week In WWE 03:30 Live NHL 06:30 Futbol Mundial 07:00 Cricket ODI Series Highlights 08:00 PGA Tour Highlights 09:00 PGA European Tour Highlights 10:00 ICC Cricket 360 10:30 Trans World Sports 11:30 Snooker 15:30 Cricket ODI Series Highlights 16:30 PGA European Tour Highlights 17:30 Top 14 Highlights 18:00 NHL 20:00 PGA Tour Highlights 21:00 NFL 23:30 NHL

01:00 A Dark Truth-18 03:00 A Monster In Paris-PG 05:00 Remember Sunday-PG15 07:00 Cirque Du Soleil: Worlds Away-PG 09:00 The Big Year-PG 11:00 Prosecuting Casey AnthonyPG15 13:00 Dating Coach-PG15 15:00 The Lucky One-PG15 17:00 The Big Year-PG 18:45 Oz The Great And Powerful 21:00 2 Days In New York-18 23:00 Argo-PG15

00:00 PDC Worlds Darts Championship 03:00 PRO 12 05:00 Trans World Sport 06:00 Golfing World 07:00 Golfing World 08:00 FEI Equestrian World 08:30 FEI Equestrian World 09:00 Top 14 Highlights 09:30 HSBC Sevens World Series 13:30 PGA Tour Highlights 14:30 PGA European Tour Weekly 15:30 Golfing World 16:30 Trans World Sport 17:30 Amlin Challenge Cup 19:30 Dubai World Cup Carnival 23:30 Golfing World

01:00 02:30 04:15 06:00 08:00 10:00 11:45 13:15 14:45 Log 16:15 18:00 20:00 22:00 Log 23:30

00:00 02:00 03:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 09:30 11:30 14:30 15:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 21:00 22:00

Alex & Alexis Free Birds Santa Paws 2: The Santa Pups Alex & Alexis Rainbow Valley Heroes Rise Of The Guardians Problem Child Santa Paws 2: The Santa Pups Olentzero And The Magic The Apple & The Worm Rise Of The Guardians The Missing Lynx Olentzero And The Magic The Apple & The Worm

Taming The Apex World Snowboarding Bellator MMA US Bass Fishing Ping Pong World WWE NXT WWE Bottom Line Porsche GT 3 Cup Challenge NHL Monster Energy Supercross World Snowboarding NHL WWE NXT WWE Bottom Line WWE SmackDown World Snowboarding Bellator MMA

Q: There are many circuses, but only one Cirque du Soleil. What makes it tick?

A: I think Cirque arrived with a different approach, without animals, but also we went through looking at makeup, costumes, lighting. The entire shows are crafted with attention to those details. I think Cirque is a detailed circus show and very different from one (show) to the other so each time it’s a real surprise when people see a different show of Cirque. It’s all about details. What makes Cirque so big is that we put all the attention into every aspect.

Q: Speaking of not having animals, one young spectator said he would have liked to have seen at least “an” animal. Why absolutely none (except the humans imitating seals)?

A: Well, I think it’s easier to travel and a different lifestyle, not having animals. I don’t come from a circus background so I don’t know a lot about traditional circuses with animals and those caravans, but I think Cirque wanted to really concentrate on the show and not on having stars. The show is the star.

Q: Your background is in contemporary dance.

How does that fit with circus life?

A: I danced for 15 years but I also roller-skated for 15 years at a very high professional level so there’s knowledge that I can bring...Most of these artists are coming from sports so in a way I am finding a vocabulary for some of them. Also, I’m not young anymore (53) and I’ve lived through a few things and those kids often need a father figure because we’re on tour and it’s not easy. They are away from their families and sometimes they need a confidant, someone they can talk to. So I help them to grow as artists and also as human beings. — Reuters

A body-painted model poses for photographers while promoting the latest wallpapers at the international furnishings fair in Cologne yesterday. — AP

Hollywood actors in Nepal to shoot Everest film KATHMANDU: Hollywood actors Jake Gyllenhaal and Josh Brolin have arrived in Nepal to shoot a new film based on the Everest bestseller “Into Thin Air”, a government official said yesterday. Brolin and Gyllenhaal, who are staying at a five-star hotel in Kathmandu, will play the lead roles in the film, named “Everest”, which will focus on an ill-fated attempt to scale the world’s tallest mountain in 1996.

Iceland’s Baltasar Kormakur is directing the film, which tells the story of how eight climbers lost their lives when a rogue storm struck the mountain.

“A local agent applied for permission on behalf of Baltasar Kormakur to shoot ‘Everest’ and received the permission three days ago,” communications ministry official Umakant Parajuli told AFP. Parajuli said the team was permitted to shoot in the Himalayan nation for two weeks. He declined to comment on whether the shoot would include a stint on the famed peak this month, when temperatures are expected to be at their lowest level annually.

British newspaper The Guardian reported last week that Gyllenhaal would play Scott Fisher, a US expedition leader who died in the disaster while Brolin will play Beck Weathers, an American doctor who survived the storm. US mountaineering journalist Jon Krakauer, who accompanied the Everest climbers on their ascent, wrote about the tragedy in his 1997 bestseller. Hundreds of climbers scale the peak every spring, while thousands more go trekking from Lukla, the nearest airport, to Everest base camp. Last year, a brawl between three European climbers and Nepalese guides on Everest hit global headlines, raising concerns that the mountain had become too crowded in recent years with climbers eager to set new records. — AFP

Classifieds TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2014

CHANGE OF NAME My old name was Fakhruddin Khamusi now I want to change my name Shabbir Husain Lukmani. In future I know from new name Shabbir Husain Lukmani M Mohammad Husain Khamusi Nichlipol Banswara Rajasthan, India.

(C 4615) 13-1-2014 ACCOMMODATION Sharing accommodation available for a single working lady with another lady in Mangaf in a three bed spacious flat in good location from March 1. Contact: 66395004. (C 4618) 14-1-2014

Kuwait

Prayer timings

Fajr: Shorook Duhr: Asr: Maghrib: Isha:

05:20 06:44 11:57 14:51 17:11 18:32

KNCC PROGRAMME FROM THURSDAY TO WEDNESDAY (09/01/2014 TO 15/01/2014)

Sharing accommodation available near United Indian School, Abbassiya.

Contact: 97612248.

(C 4614) 12-1-2014

SHARQIA-1 MR.GO (DIG) MR.GO (DIG) 12 YEARS A SLAVE (DIG) MR.GO (DIG) 12 YEARS A SLAVE (DIG)

1:15 PM 4:00 PM 6:45 PM 9:15 PM 12:05 AM

MUHALAB-3 JUSTIN AND THE KNIGHTS OF VALOUR (DIG-3D) FROZEN (DIG-3D) JUSTIN AND THE KNIGHTS OF VALOUR (DIG-3D) THE WOLF OF WALL STREET (DIG) THE WOLF OF WALL STREET (DIG)

12:45 PM 2:45 PM 5:00 PM 7:15 PM 9:45 PM

SHARQIA-2 THE WOLF OF WALL STREET (DIG) NIKO 2: LITTLE BROTHER, BIG TROUBLE (DIG-3D) FROZEN (DIG-3D) THE WOLF OF WALL STREET (DIG) THE WOLF OF WALL STREET (DIG) THE WOLF OF WALL STREET (DIG)

1:00 PM 3:30 PM 5:15 PM 7:30 PM 10:00 PM 12:30 AM

FANAR-1 JUSTIN AND THE KNIGHTS OF VALOUR (DIG) JUSTIN AND THE KNIGHTS OF VALOUR (DIG) JUSTIN AND THE KNIGHTS OF VALOUR (DIG) 12 YEARS A SLAVE (DIG) 12 YEARS A SLAVE (DIG) 12 YEARS A SLAVE (DIG)

1:00 PM 3:15 PM 5:15 PM 7:15 PM 9:45 PM 12:15 AM

SHARQIA-3 JUSTIN AND THE KNIGHTS OF VALOUR (DIG) POLICE STORY 2014 (DIG) JUSTIN AND THE KNIGHTS OF VALOUR (DIG) HOMEFRONT (DIG) HOMEFRONT (DIG) POLICE STORY 2014 (DIG)

2:00 PM 4:15 PM 6:30 PM 8:30 PM 10:45 PM 12:45 AM

FANAR-2 NIKO 2: LITTLE BROTHER, BIG TROUBLE (DIG) FROZEN (DIG) NIKO 2: LITTLE BROTHER, BIG TROUBLE (DIG) FROZEN (DIG) HOMEFRONT (DIG) HOMEFRONT (DIG) HOMEFRONT (DIG)

12:30 PM 2:15 PM 4:30 PM 6:15 PM 8:30 PM 10:30 PM 12:30 AM

Required live-in housemaid (Filipino or Srilankan) who knows cleaning and can speak English. Call 66473343. (C 4613) 12-1-2014

12:45 PM 3:00 PM 5:15 PM 7:30 PM

FOR SALE

MUHALAB-1 NIKO 2: LITTLE BROTHER, BIG TROUBLE (DIG) NIKO 2: LITTLE BROTHER, BIG TROUBLE (DIG) HOMEFRONT (DIG) NENOKKADINE (DIG) (TELUGU) THU+FRI YEVADU (DIG) (TELUGU) NO THU+FRI HOMEFRONT (DIG) MUHALAB-2 MR.GO (DIG) 12 YEARS A SLAVE (DIG) MR.GO (DIG) 12 YEARS A SLAVE (DIG)

12:30 PM 2:15 PM 4:00 PM 6:00 PM 6:00 PM 9:30 PM 1:15 PM 4:00 PM 6:30 PM 9:15 PM

SITUATION VACANT

FANAR-3 GRUDGE MATCH (DIG) POLICE STORY 2014 (DIG) GRUDGE MATCH (DIG) JILLA (DIG) (TAMIL) THU+FRI YEVADU (DIG) (TELUGU) NO THU+FRI POLICE STORY 2014 (DIG) POLICE STORY 2014 (DIG)

11:00 PM 1:15 AM

FANAR-4 THE WOLF OF WALL STREET (DIG)

2:00 PM

7:30 PM

Driver needed for Kuwaiti family, full-time or parttime. Mobile: 60623330.

(C 4617) 14-1-2014 Required a full time live-in housekeeper for a family with a 7yr old child in Shaab. KD. 150/- per month. Call 97243777

Toyota Camry model 2013, GLX full options, sunroof, alloy rim, fog lamp, sensor + camera etc, installment possible. Cash price KD 4,950. Tel 99589094.

(C 4616) 13-1-2014

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

Airlines BBC JAI KLM THY JZR JZR QTR PIA DLH ETH GFA THY UAE ETD OMA MSR RJA QTR FDB THY DHX FDB JZR KAC KAC BAW QTR KAC KAC FDB SVA UAE KAC KAC KAC ABY ETD FDB QTR IRA GFA MEA JZR JZR TMA UAE MSR SYR KAC FDB

Arrival Flights on Tuesday 14/1/2014 Flt Route 43 DHAKA 574 MUMBAI 411 AMSTERDAM 772 ISTANBUL 267 BEIRUT 539 CAIRO 1084 DOHA 239 SIALKOT 637 DAMMAM 620 ADDIS ABABA 211 BAHRAIN 764 SABIHA 853 DUBAI 305 ABU DHABI-INTL 643 MUSCAT 612 CAIRO 642 AMMAN-QUEEN ALIA 1076 DOHA 67 DUBAI 770 ISTANBUL 170 BAHRAIN 69 DUBAI 503 LUXOR 416 JAKARTA 412 MANILA 157 LONDON 1086 DOHA 302 MUMBAI 206 ISLAMABAD 53 DUBAI 512 RIYADH 855 DUBAI 362 COLOMBO 332 TRIVANDRUM 352 COCHIN 125 SHARJAH 301 ABU DHABI-INTL 55 DUBAI 1070 DOHA 619 LAR 213 BAHRAIN 404 BEIRUT 165 DUBAI 561 SOHAG 213 BEIRUT 871 DUBAI 610 CAIRO 341 LATAKIA 514 TEHRAN 57 DUBAI

Time 00:05 00:10 00:30 00:45 00:40 00:40 00:55 01:05 01:10 01:45 02:10 02:15 02:35 02:45 03:05 03:10 03:15 03:45 04:20 05:35 05:40 05:50 05:50 06:25 06:45 06:40 07:50 07:55 07:40 07:50 08:15 08:40 08:45 08:15 08:10 09:00 09:20 09:40 09:55 10:05 10:40 11:55 11:30 12:55 12:10 12:50 13:00 13:40 13:45 13:50

QTR SVA KNE GFA QTR UAE ETD RJA KAC JZR SVA ABY GFA JZR KAC KAC JZR KAC UAL KAC QTR FDB KAC KAC ZAV KAC KAC KAC KAC GFA OMA FDB MSR JAI AXB ABY IRA DLH ALK MEA ETD UAE GFA QTR FDB JZR JZR KLM JAI AIC UAL JZR

1078 500 472 221 1072 857 303 640 562 325 510 127 215 777 742 678 177 284 982 542 1080 63 618 674 5001 786 166 104 774 217 647 61 618 572 393 129 605 636 229 402 307 859 219 1074 59 135 239 415 576 981 981 185

DOHA JEDDAH JEDDAH BAHRAIN DOHA DUBAI ABU DHABI-INTL AMMAN-QUEEN ALIA AMMAN-QUEEN ALIA NAJAF RIYADH SHARJAH BAHRAIN JEDDAH DAMMAM MUSCAT DUBAI DHAKA WASHINGTON DC DULLES CAIRO DOHA DUBAI DOHA DUBAI SHARJAH JEDDAH PARIS LONDON RIYADH BAHRAIN MUSCAT DUBAI ALEXANDRIA MUMBAI KOZHIKODE SHARJAH ISFAHAN FRANKFURT COLOMBO BEIRUT ABU DHABI-INTL DUBAI BAHRAIN DOHA DUBAI BAHRAIN AMMAN-QUEEN ALIA AMSTERDAM COCHIN CHENNAI BAHRAIN DUBAI

13:55 14:30 14:35 15:00 16:40 16:40 16:50 16:55 16:50 16:05 17:15 17:25 17:30 17:55 18:20 18:55 18:20 18:00 18:00 18:05 18:40 18:45 19:00 19:25 19:30 18:45 19:10 19:35 19:30 19:30 19:55 20:05 20:05 20:10 20:15 20:20 20:25 20:55 21:10 21:20 21:35 21:40 21:45 22:00 22:00 22:05 22:20 22:05 22:15 22:30 23:10 23:20

Airlines AIC PIA TAR AXB JAI KLM BBC DLH PIA ETH THY UAE ETD OMA MSR QTR FDB QTR KAC JZR FDB JZR THY RJA GFA THY RAB FDB BAW QTR SVA KAC ABY KAC UAE ETD FDB QTR IRA GFA KAC KAC KAC KAC JZR JZR MEA KAC TMA JZR MSR UAE

Departure Flights on Tuesday 14/1/2014 Flt Route Time 976 GOA 00:05 206 LAHORE 00:10 327 DUBAI 00:15 490 MANGALORE 00:15 573 MUMBAI 01:10 411 AMSTERDAM 01:45 44 DHAKA 01:45 637 FRANKFURT 02:10 240 SIALKOT 02:20 621 ADDIS ABABA 02:45 773 ISTANBUL-ATATURK 02:55 854 DUBAI 03:50 306 ABU DHABI 04:00 644 MUSCAT 04:05 613 CAIRO 04:10 1085 DOHA 04:15 68 DUBAI 05:00 1077 DOHA 05:15 283 DHAKA 05:30 560 SOHAG 06:20 70 DUBAI 06:30 164 DUBAI 06:55 765 ISTANBUL-SABIHA 07:05 643 AMMAN 07:05 212 BAHRAIN 07:15 771 ISTANBUL-ATATURK 07:30 303 BAGRAM 08:00 54 DUBAI 08:30 156 LONDON 08:45 1087 DOHA 08:50 513 RIYADH 09:15 513 TEHRAN 09:25 126 SHARJAH 09:40 101 LONDON 09:50 856 DUBAI 09:55 302 ABU DHABI 10:05 56 DUBAI 10:20 1071 DOHA 10:55 618 LAR 10:55 214 BAHRAIN 11:25 561 AMMAN 11:25 541 CAIRO 11:30 165 ROME 11:50 677 MUSCAT 12:20 776 JEDDAH 12:25 324 AL NAJAF 12:40 405 BEIRUT 12:55 785 JEDDAH 13:00 223 AL MAKTOUM INTERNATIONAL 13:45 176 DUBAI 13:45 611 CAIRO 14:00 872 DUBAI 14:15

DIAL161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

FDB SYR QTR KAC KAC KAC KNE GFA SVA KAC JZR ETD QTR UAE JZR RJA ABY SVA GFA JZR JZR JZR UAL JZR FDB QTR GFA FDB OMA ABY KAC MSR JAI KAC AXB IRA KAC DLH DHX ALK MEA ETD ZAV GFA KAC FDB UAE KAC KLM QTR JAI JZR KAC

58 342 1079 673 741 617 473 222 501 773 238 304 1073 858 538 641 128 511 216 184 266 134 982 554 64 1081 218 62 648 120 361 607 571 351 3942 604 343 636 171 230 403 308 5002 220 301 60 860 205 415 1075 575 528 411

DUBAI LATAKIA DOHA DUBAI DAMMAM DOHA JEDDAH BAHRAIN JEDDAH RIYADH AMMAN ABU DHABI DOHA DUBAI CAIRO AMMAN SHARJAH RIYADH BAHRAIN DUBAI BEIRUT BAHRAIN BAHRAIN ALEXANDRIA DUBAI DOHA BAHRAIN DUBAI MUSCAT SHARJAH COLOMBO LUXOR MUMBAI KOCHI KOZHIKODE ISFAHAN CHENNAI DAMMAM BAHRAIN COLOMBO BEIRUT ABU DHABI SHARJAH BAHRAIN MUMBAI DUBAI DUBAI ISLAMABAD DAMMAM DOHA ABU DHABI ASYUT BANGKOK

14:30 14:40 14:55 15:05 15:20 15:30 15:30 15:45 15:45 16:05 16:55 17:35 17:40 17:50 17:50 17:55 18:05 18:15 18:20 18:40 18:50 19:10 19:15 19:20 19:25 19:40 20:15 20:45 20:55 21:00 21:00 21:05 21:10 21:10 21:15 21:20 21:30 21:35 21:50 22:10 22:20 22:20 22:30 22:30 22:35 22:40 22:50 22:55 23:05 23:10 23:15 23:25 23:55

34

TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2014

s ta rs CROSSWORD 429

STAR TRACK Aries (March 21-April 19) ARIES You are ready to understand what comes next in your life and you seem eager to get down to business. Conflicts at work may have you wishing everyone would become better organized. The immediate authority figure is easy for you to understand and work with but there are many interruptions that cause confusing messages from higher-ups. You do well to focus on the projects at your desk and complete your tasks by quitting time. A friend, who always asks for help, now wants to help you this afternoon.

You and your friends will be able to visit and enjoy activities together. There are comparisons of jobs, family, children, homes and health—healthy competitions are fun. You enjoy the opportunity to interact with your friends.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) There is a chance to understand those around you as you work to become as patient as possible. Some people just need a boost in the right direction and that may be the case today. Lunch with a co-worker may have you talking over past trips that you have each taken and the highlights you enjoyed. There is a feeling of support and camaraderie that you did not know could exist in the workplace today. Helping a friend this afternoon may give you some productive ideas for yourself. You may find yourself talkative with young people this evening. Your laughter is encouraging to all who are around you.

Celebrations are easy to find, if one is looking. Respect your limits and separate yourself from these young people in time to cuddle with your loved one.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

ACROSS 1. A vertical spar for supporting sails.

5. Numbered or proceeding by tens.

12. The sense organ for hearing and equilibrium.

15. The content of cognition.

16. An inference that if things agree in some respects they probably agree in others.

17. The 21st letter of the Greek alphabet.

18. A coloring material (obtained from lichens) that turns red in acid solutions and blue in alkaline solutions.

19. United States photographer remembered for her portraits of rural workers during the Depression (1895-1965).

20. An ugly evil-looking old woman.

21. Largest known toad species.

24. The compass point that is one point north of northeast.

26. South American wood sorrel cultivated for its edible tubers.

28. A public promotion of some product or service.

29. A flat wing-shaped process or winglike part of an organism.

31. A lightweight triangular scarf worn by a woman.

35. (of a substance) Capable of being dissolved in some solvent (usually water).

39. Wild goose having white adult plumage.

40. Before noon.

41. A white soft metallic element that tarnishes readily.

42. A small canoe consisting of a light frame made watertight with animal skins.

45. A river in north central Switzerland that runs northeast into the Rhine.

46. (British) Somewhat hungry.

50. A flock of geese.

52. New World lizards.

53. Of or relating to studies beyond a bachelor's degree.

55. Spiritual leader of a Jewish congregation.

56. Being nine more than ninety.

58. A silvery ductile metallic element found primarily in bauxite.

59. A metric unit of volume or capacity equal to 100 liters.

60. (Akkadian) God of wisdom.

62. Submerged aquatic plant having narrow leaves and small flowers.

65. The azimuth of a celestial body is the angle between the vertical plane containing it and the plane of the meridian.

67. An island of central Hawaii.

69. An official prosecutor for a judicial district.

70. A short labored intake of breath with the mouth open.

73. An esoteric or occult matter that is traditionally secret.

75. The basic unit of money in Nigeria.

78. Aircraft landing in bad weather in which the pilot is talked down by ground control using precision approach radar.

79. A plant hormone promoting elongation of stems and roots.

80. (law) The party who makes an assignment.

82. A light touch or stroke.

83. Free from liquid or moisture.

84. The Italian region on the island of Sardinia.

85. A loose sleeveless outer garment made from aba cloth.

DOWN 1. The capital of Lombardy in northern Italy.

2. A river in northern Italy that flows southeast into the Adriatic Sea. 3. A port town on the Atlantic coast of Portugal southeast of Lisbon.

4. Small toothless anteater with prehensile tale and four-clawed forelimbs.

5. Any of several small ungulate mammals of Africa and Asia with rodent-like incisors and feet with hooflike toes.

6. Half the width of an em.

7. West Indian tree having racemes of fragrant white flowers and yielding a durable timber and resinous juice.

8. Tropical American tree grown in southern United States having a whitish pink-tinged fruit.

9. An island northwest of Wales.

10. (informal British usage) Aggravation or aggression.

11. A strong solution of sodium or potassium hydroxide.

12. An ancient Hebrew unit of dry measure equal to about a bushel.

13. According to the Old Testament he was a pagan king of Israel and husband of Jezebel (9th century BC).

14. Port city that is the capital and largest city of Latvia.

22. (British) An open river valley (in a hilly area).

23. The Tibeto-Burman language spoken in the Dali region of Yunnan.

25. The basic unit of money in Gambia.

27. A radioactive transuranic element.

30. A coral reef off the southern coast of Florida.

32. A Bantu language spoken by the Chaga people in northern Tanzania.

33. A healthy state of wellbeing free from disease.

34. Unwind from or as if from a reel.

36. The ending of a series or sequence.

37. Russian pancake of buckwheat flour and yeast.

38. Open-heart surgery in which the rib cage is opened and a section of a blood vessel is grafted from the aorta to the coronary artery to bypass the blocked section of the coronary artery and improve the blood supply to the heart.

43. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in Turkey).

44. A family of Sino-Tibetan languages spoken in southeastern Asia.

47. A three-dimensional shape with six square or rectangular sides.

48. An esoteric or occult matter that is traditionally secret.

49. A port in northwestern Israel on the Bay of Acre.

51. A Russian prison camp for political prisoners.

54. Resembling a sound of violent tearing as of something ripped apart or lightning splitting a tree.

57. Mostly small blennioid fishes of coral reefs and seagrass beds.

61. Squash bugs.

63. American professional baseball player who hit more home runs than Babe Ruth (born in 1934).

64. (Irish) Chief god of the Tuatha De Danann.

66. A Chadic language spoken in northern Nigeria.

68. By bad luck.

71. Someone who works (or provides workers) during a strike.

72. A metabolic acid found in yeast and liver cells.

74. (used of animals especially a horse) Of a moderate reddish-brown color n 1.

76. How long something has existed.

77. A constellation in the southern hemisphere near Telescopium and Norma.

81. A soft silver-white or yellowish metallic element of the alkali metal group.

On the business front, you may have a great deal of trouble trying to come in first in some business competition, especially if there is a showy, highenergy, fast-talking type of individual. However, when one observes your enduring patience and the way you follow through with your responsibilities, you have them all beat. You are determined to see some project through to the end and you will not let others flatten your ambition. A dream or wish you had some time ago may now come true.

Your cheerfulness is appreciated. You are able to boost someone’s low spirit today. If you are willing to relax and just let life flow to you as it will, you could be in for excellent opportunities. You will probably spend a romantic evening with someone special.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) There is a false sense of urgency today. You may feel that you want to dive into situations that are over your head—money matters or arguments may occur. Then you might wonder what got you into the hot water in the first place. Pay attention to those feelings that have you needing to jump to the call so quickly. You can dash to the needs of others if you want, but there are many false calls—listen first. There are extra work opportunities as well as travel opportunities just now. There could also be some unexpected expenses as well. It may be wise to just say no to any extracurricular activities.

Other opportunities will come up later to achieve, expand your knowledge and move upward. Begin to think about a focus for your energies.

Leo (July 23-August 22) You may want to reevaluate your thinking now, particularly with regard to some changes you want to present to higher-ups. Your inspiration and imagination will guide you. Your superiors are watching the way that you handle yourself. Others may disagree with your thinking—careful. Believe in yourself so that others will believe in you too.

Your job can bring you a great deal of satisfaction so be wise: pace yourself, be a good sport and know that your opportunity will come. Your wit is only one of the necessary elements to your peacefulness. You may want to take someone along on a shopping trip this afternoon. Your choices in coordinating colors and styles are unique and the input from a friend can be encouraging. It is time for something new.

Virgo (August 23-September 22) If a new business idea is going to work, it may take some planning. You could receive an award and then have it taken back because of some technicality. You will find ways to get around most difficulties today. The biggest lesson this month is in learning how to move forward and allow for delays, distractions, cancellations, etc. You are not slowed by much and you should not stop to make a point. Instead, express your ideas through your work and the way in which you work. Things may seem almost magical in the way they work out in your favor. A young person may be an irritating factor this afternoon. You may have to stop and give all your attention over to just listening. You will find very little else is needed. The time you spend in listening is appreciated.

Word Search

Libra (September 23-October 22) This is a good time for clear deliberation and solving any problem. You are in a serious frame of mind and find yourself dealing with matters of much concern and responsibility. Your viewpoint may take some adjusting today. Any project that has seemed slow will begin to improve now. This is a time you can really throw yourself into your work. The academically inclined should do well just now—there is also a boost in travel prospects. Community activities this afternoon may fit into your schedule. You have a need to be respected and you will achieve this as you organize people and encourage a group in their efforts to effect some sort of positive change in the community. There are some exciting and intelligent new friends coming your way.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) You may feel blocked as others could make it difficult for you to express yourself. Bide your time and amazing things happen. A problem is solved, a phone call is supportive and an afternoon snack is yummy, etc. As you look for ways to help improve a situation . . . You succeed. This could be as simple as cleaning away old files or helping to organize a meeting. There is a lot of energy available for disciplined work. Find the time to have a side interest such as a second job, volunteer work, charity, hobby, etc. Use your creativeness! You will benefit from relaxing in the evenings and enjoying the family. This evening you find yourself feeling more private and in a stay-at-home mood. You might experiment with flavoring popcorn.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) Money will come to you through other people or through your loved one’s investments. Earnings are strong and new opportunities come through your contacts with other people. There are some new ideas and new plans about what you want to do regarding religion and charity work. You may want to work toward setting up some plans to help a particular family or group. You see yourself in a better light than formerly and with this self-esteem comes the desire to help others. Breakthroughs in compassion and fellowship come today. Everything points to your being motivated. You could feel great support from those around you and could have many people imitating your ideas. You concentrate on diet needs this evening.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19) Sympathy and understanding are important qualities that take on greater meaning now. It’s wisdom, not knowledge, that counts most. Coming to understand how you got where you are today may give you an attitude of appreciation.

Do not give up; your goals are within your reach. Be careful that you do not overspend or indulge too much just now. This is a great time to be with others and to work together. You may be sought after as just the person for a particular job. Your management and directional abilities are in high focus and although you may prefer to socialize, the energies are not right for small talk. This is a time when you can expect a little boost, some extra support or recognition from those around you.

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) You have an assistant or helper at work that will go the extra mile for you.

Ask plenty of questions in order to understand something that has been going on without your knowledge. You may be encouraged to expand your thinking with regard to education. Perhaps it is time to teach or take a class just to test the waters. A friendship or other connection may be ready to end his or her involvement. Perhaps your intuition is working for you and changes were not a big surprise. You will not have to worry for long because you make friends easily. Your romantic appeal is strong today and if you are looking, you could find what you are looking for soon. Weather conditions enthrall you, so look hard, you might see some interesting patterns.

Pisces (February 19-March 20) You will begin to find yourself digging for answers today that you never knew you really cared about before. It could be that you are feeling more protective or proud of your professional status and are seeking to maintain or improve your position.

Avoid mental power struggles with others. Encouragement from others and the interchange of ideas spark your energy and help to create or teach an upbeat frame of mind.

Remember that the mind can achieve whatever it can conceive. This could be an inner joy, balance, laughter, letting go, forgiveness, etc. You will see how important it is to integrate positive elements into your life. Read some self-help books and learn some lighthearted and fun one-liner sayings that will help you with this integration.

Yesterday’s Solution

Yesterday’s Solution

Daily SuDoku

Yesterday’s Solution

TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2014

i n f o r m at i o n For labor-related inquiries and complaints: Call MSAL hotline 128 GOVERNORATE Sabah Hospital

24812000

Amiri Hospital

22450005

Maternity Hospital

24843100

Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital

25312700

Chest Hospital

24849400

Farwaniya Hospital

24892010

Adan Hospital

23940620

Ibn Sina Hospital

24840300

Al-Razi Hospital

24846000

Physiotherapy Hospital

24874330/9

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

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

Hawally

Al-Madeena

22418714

Al-Shuhada

22545171

Al-Shuwaikh

24810598

Al-Nuzha

22545171

Sabhan

24742838

Al-Helaly

22434853

Al-Faiha

22545051

Al-Farwaniya

24711433

Al-Sulaibikhat

24316983

Al-Fahaheel

23927002

Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh

24316983

Ahmadi

23980088

Al-Mangaf

23711183

Al-Shuaiba

23262845

Kaizen center

25716707

Rawda

22517733

Adaliya

22517144

Al-Jahra

25610011

Khaldiya

24848075

Al-Salmiya

25616368

Kaifan

24849807

Shamiya

24848913

Shuwaikh

24814507

Abdullah Salem

22549134

Nuzha

22526804

Industrial Shuwaikh

24814764

Qadsiya

22515088

Dasmah

22532265

Bneid Al-Gar

22531908

Shaab

22518752

Qibla

22459381

Ayoun Al-Qibla

22451082

Mirqab

22456536

Sharq

22465401

Salmiya

25746401

Jabriya

25316254

Maidan Hawally

25623444

Bayan

25388462

Mishref

25381200

W Hawally

22630786

Sabah

24810221

Jahra

24770319

New Jahra

24575755

West Jahra

24772608

South Jahra

24775066

North Jahra

24775992

North Jleeb

24311795

Ardhiya

24884079

Firdous

24892674

Omariya

24719048

N Khaitan

24710044

Fintas

23900322

INTERNATIONAL CALLS

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. Khaled Hamadi

Dr. Abdal-Redha Lari

22617700

Dr. Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rashed

Dr. Abdel Quttainah

25625030/60

Family Doctor Dr Divya Damodar

23729596/23729581

Psychiatrists Dr. Esam Al-Ansari

22635047

Dr Eisa M. Al-Balhan

22613623/0

Gynaecologists & Obstetricians DrAdrian arbe

23729596/23729581

Dr. Verginia s.Marin

2572-6666 ext 8321

Endocrinologist

25665898 25340300

Dr. Zahra Qabazard

25710444

Dr. Sohail Qamar

22621099

Dr. Snaa Maaroof

25713514

Dr. Pradip Gujare

23713100

Dr. Zacharias Mathew

24334282

(1) Ear, Nose and Throat (2) Plastic Surgeon Dr. Abdul Mohsin Jafar, FRCS (Canada)

25655535

Dentists

Dr. Fozeya Ali Al-Qatan

22655539

Dr. Majeda Khalefa Aliytami

25343406

Dr. Shamah Al-Matar

22641071/2

Dr. Ahmad Al-Khooly

25739272

Dr. Anesah Al-Rasheed

22562226

22618787

Dr. Abidallah Al-Amer

22561444

Dr. Faysal Al-Fozan

22619557

Dr. Abdallateef Al-Katrash

22525888

Dr. Abidallah Al-Duweisan

25653755

Dr. Bader Al-Ansari

25620111

General Surgeons Dr. Amer Zawaz Al-Amer

22610044

Dr. Mohammad Yousef Basher

25327148

Internists, Chest & Heart Dr. Adnan Ebil Dr. Latefa Al-Duweisan

22666300 25728004

Dr. Nadem Al-Ghabra

25355515

Dr. Mobarak Aldoub

24726446

Dr Nasser Behbehani

25654300/3

Soor Center Tel: 2290-1677 Fax: 2290 1688

Neurologists

22639939

Dr. Mousa Khadada

info@soorcenter.com www.soorcenter.com

3729596/3729581

Dr. Sohal Najem Al-Shemeri

25633324

Dr. Jasem Mola Hassan

25345875

Gastrologists Dr. Sami Aman

22636464

Dr. Mohammad Al-Shamaly

25322030

Dr. Foad Abidallah Al-Ali

22633135

Kaizen center 25716707

25339330

Dr. Ahmad Al-Ansari 25658888 Dr. Kamal Al-Shomr 25329924 Physiotherapists & VD Dr. Deyaa Shehab

25722291

Dr. Musaed Faraj Khamees

22666288

Rheumatologists: Dr. Adel Al-Awadi

Dr Anil Thomas

Dr. Salem soso

Dr. Abd Al-Naser Al-Othman

25330060

Dr. Khaled Al-Jarallah

25722290

Internist, Chest & Heart DR.Mohammes Akkad

24555050 Ext 210

Dr. Mohammad Zubaid MB, ChB, FRCPC, PACC Assistant Professor Of Medicine Head, Division of Cardiology Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital Consultant Cardiologist Dr. Farida Al-Habib MD, PH.D, FACC Inaya German Medical Center Te: 2575077 Fax: 25723123

2611555-2622555

William Schuilenberg, RPC 2290-1677 Zaina Al Zabin, M.Sc. 2290-1677

Afghanistan 0093 Albania 00355 Algeria 00213 Andorra 00376 Angola 00244 Anguilla 001264 Antiga 001268 Argentina 0054 Armenia 00374 Australia 0061 Austria 0043 Bahamas 001242 Bahrain 00973 Bangladesh 00880 Barbados 001246 Belarus 00375 Belgium 0032 Belize 00501 Benin 00229 Bermuda 001441 Bhutan 00975 Bolivia 00591 Bosnia 00387 Botswana 00267 Brazil 0055 Brunei 00673 Bulgaria 00359 Burkina 00226 Burundi 00257 Cambodia 00855 Cameroon 00237 Canada 001 Cape Verde 00238 Cayman Islands 001345 Central African 00236 Chad 00235 Chile 0056 China 0086 Colombia 0057 Comoros 00269 Congo 00242 Cook Islands 00682 Costa Rica 00506 Croatia 00385 Cuba 0053 Cyprus 00357 Cyprus (Northern) 0090392 Czech Republic 00420 Denmark 0045 Diego Garcia 00246 Djibouti 00253 Dominica 001767 Dominican Republic 001809 Ecuador 00593 Egypt 0020 El Salvador 00503 England (UK) 0044 Equatorial Guinea 00240 Eritrea 00291 Estonia 00372 Ethiopia 00251 Falkland Islands 00500 Faroe Islands 00298 Fiji 00679 Finland 00358 France 0033 French Guiana 00594 French Polynesia 00689 Gabon 00241 Gambia 00220 Georgia 00995 Germany 0049 Ghana 00233 Gibraltar 00350 Greece 0030 Greenland 00299 Grenada 001473 Guadeloupe 00590 Guam 001671 Guatemala 00502 Guinea 00224 Guyana 00592 Haiti 00509 Holland (Netherlands) 0031 Honduras 00504 Hong Kong 00852 Hungary 0036 Ibiza (Spain) 0034 Iceland 00354 India 0091 Indian Ocean 00873 Indonesia 0062

Iran 0098 Iraq 00964 Ireland 00353 Italy 0039 Ivory Coast 00225 Jamaica 001876 Japan 0081 Jordan 00962 Kazakhstan 007 Kenya 00254 Kiribati 00686 Kuwait 00965 Kyrgyzstan 00996 Laos 00856 Latvia 00371 Lebanon 00961 Liberia 00231 Libya 00218 Lithuania 00370 Luxembourg 00352 Macau 00853 Macedonia 00389 Madagascar 00261 Majorca 0034 Malawi 00265 Malaysia 0060 Maldives 00960 Mali 00223 Malta 00356 Marshall Islands 00692 Martinique 00596 Mauritania 00222 Mauritius 00230 Mayotte 00269 Mexico 0052 Micronesia 00691 Moldova 00373 Monaco 00377 Mongolia 00976 Montserrat 001664 Morocco 00212 Mozambique 00258 Myanmar (Burma) 0095 Namibia 00264 Nepal 00977 Netherlands (Holland) 0031 Netherlands Antilles 00599 New Caledonia 00687 New Zealand 0064 Nicaragua 00505 Nigar 00227 Nigeria 00234 Niue 00683 Norfolk Island 00672 Northern Ireland (UK) 0044 North Korea 00850 Norway 0047 Oman 00968 Pakistan 0092 Palau 00680 Panama 00507 Papua New Guinea 00675 Paraguay 00595 Peru 0051 Philippines 0063 Poland 0048 Portugal 00351 Puerto Rico 001787 Qatar 00974 Romania 0040 Russian Federation 007 Rwanda 00250 Saint Helena 00290 Saint Kitts 001869 Saint Lucia 001758 Saint Pierre 00508 Saint Vincent 001784 Samoa US 00684 Samoa West 00685 San Marino 00378 Sao Tone 00239 Saudi Arabia 00966 Scotland (UK) 0044 Senegal 00221 Seychelles 00284 Sierra Leone 00232 Singapore 0065 Slovakia 00421 Slovenia 00386 Solomon Islands 00677

TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2014

lifestyle G O S S I P

n i t r a M s i Chr blows £400,000 on

g n i t n i a p y s k Ban

C

hris Martin splashed out £400,000 on a painting. The Coldplay frontman happily forked out the huge sum for a oneof-a-kind design by famed street artist Banksy at a fundraiser for Haiti earthquake victims on Saturday night. The ‘Yellow’ hitmaker beat off stiff competition from Bette Midler and Kevin Bacon to snap up the picture of a red heart-shaped balloon covered in plasters, according to The Sun newspaper. Chris was accompanied by his wife Gwyneth Paltrow at the high-profile Haiti Home Gala, which was held by Sean Penn at the Montage hotel in Beverly Hills.

The musician wasn’t the only celebrity flashing their cash on the night, however, with auction host Anderson Cooper paying a whopping £850,000 for a sculpture to be built out of 65 of Sean’s old guns. Guests including Idris Elba, Michael Douglas and Julia Roberts were treated to a performance

by U2 and partied until 6am the next day.

Meanwhile, charitable host Sean was seated next to his rumoured new girlfriend Charlize Theron and the pair reportedly shared a kiss on the lips and were very affectionate with one another. The bash raised almost $6 million for Sean’s J/P Haitian Relief Organisation, which was founded in 2010 to provide medical care, food and water, and develop housing following the earthquake.

Cameron Diaz surprised herself by writing ‘The Body Book’

T

he 41-year-old actress penned the health and lifestyle guide because she wanted younger women to be able to get advice some people wouldn’t be open enough to share. She told the Mail on Sunday newspaper’s You magazine: “I never imagined I could create a book, let alone one this big. Because I am not that person. “I am an actor - I don’t produce, I don’t direct, I have a very short attention span and I have progressed my career by listening to my intuition. I would think, ‘What shall I do next?’ and pick something that gave me that gut reaction. “But then two years ago I had this absolute moment when it came to me that I had to do this book because nobody else was going to do it. I had to find a way to share the knowledge that I have about my body at 41 - and I’d had at 21.” The ‘Annie’ star

has been surprisingly blunt in the book, discussing many intimate and sometimes embarrassing issues, including her teenage acne. She added: “I think that for a young person, having bad skin is a real issue because your face is the first thing people look at when they meet you. “So I wrote the book for my 16-year-old self, who I look back on and think, ‘Why didn’t I know these things then?’”

One Direction find it impossible to stay mad at one another

T

he quintet - Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles and Niall Horan - are such close friends that any disagreements they have are resolved quickly and amicably. Louis said: “We all actually find it difficult to stay annoyed with each other, which is a good thing.

Like, if one of the guys did something to annoy me, and in my head I was thinking, ‘Right, to prove a point to him, I’m

going to really have to stay annoyed for so long.’ I just can’t do it.” Louis believes friends shouldn’t fall out over “petty” things as their bonds are not worth throwing away over trivial matters. He said: “I think life’s too short. If you start a friendship and you’re happy with it, what’s the point of losing it over something that’s probably petty.” The ‘Best Song Ever’ singer also slammed celebrities who claim their fame

makes it impossible to live a normal life. He told Top of the Pops magazine: “I’ve never understood people saying that they literally can’t go out anywhere, because it’s just not the case. You might have to stop and do a few photos, but then you carry on with what you’re doing. “The only time it gets crazy is when people know we’re going to be in a specific place.”

convinces Sean Penn to lose his guns

Julia Roberts says George Clooney is ‘a treasure’

T

T

he stars appeared together in ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ and its subsequent sequel, and while she was pregnant during the second film he looked after her and made sure she was comfortable. She told the Mail on Sunday newspaper’s Event magazine: “He is such a treasure. “When we did the second ‘Ocean’s’ movie I was pregnant and they really mollycoddled me. You would have thought I was made of porcelain. “I couldn’t walk up the steps at George’s house without, ‘No, you’ll be on the first floor in this little bedroom here, don’t take the stairs’.

It was so sweet.” She also suggested the ‘Gravity’ actor would make a “great dad” - which she tells him a lot - but she insisted he shows his love for his friends in a number of ways. She explained: “I talk to him about that sometimes. He would be a great dad but you know what, he takes care of a lot of people in a lot of ways.” The star has insisted on a number of occasions he has no intention of becoming a father or raising his own family. He previously said: “What do you do? Should I go, ‘I got to get me some kids right now!’

Then rush out and impregnate someone? “Look, what I do know is that I was raised in a loving, happy family. I don’t have any dislike or distrust of that.”

Charlize Theron

Kate Moss gets total access to Richard Branson’s luxury island

T

he supermodel - who reaches the milestone age on January 16 - has jetted out to his Necker Island paradise with her husband Jamie Hince, but it is said close friends will also join them for her 40th birthday party. An insider told the Sunday People newspaper: “Kate didn’t want the fuss and bother of London and the drama that comes with it She’s decided to celebrate in private.

“It’ll be wild though - guests have been told to bring fancy-dress clothing, party gowns as well as beachwear. “She is absolutely delight-

ed Richard gave her the sole use of his island, she is so touched by his generosity.”It is said while Kate wants to enjoy a “relaxing” break in the British Virgin Islands, she has every intention to have a “massive” bash on her “actual birthday”. The source added: “She is planning a nice, relaxing holiday but, at the same time, her actual birthday will be a massive one, just like everyone is expecting. “Kate has vowed not to let her friends down, she knows how to throw a good party and this will be no exception.” — Bangshowbiz

he Oscar-winning actor, 53, credited the ‘Prometheus’ actress, whose mother shot and killed her father after he drunkenly fired his own gun into the South African beauty’s bedroom when she was 15, for helping to change his mind about keeping the weapons in his own home and plans to have them moulded into a unique sculpture.

Speaking on stage at his star-studded Help Haiti Home Gala in Beverly Hills on Saturday night Sean referred to “a strong woman who happens to be from South Africa” but did not mention Charlize, 38, whom he recently began dating, by name, according to EOnline.com. He said: “Being provoked by this aforementioned strong woman and considering how liberating of ugliness it would be not only get rid of the guns I have in the continental United States but also to destroy them, (artist) Jeff Koons and I had a chat the other day. The highest bidder gets every single one of my guns put in the hands of this iconic artist and sculptor... Koons will decommission [and] render inactive all of my cowardly killing machines.”

CNN presenter Anderson Cooper won the still-to-bemade artwork for $1.4 million after outbidding his colleague Piers Morgan, who stopped bidding at $1.3 million. Charlize, who has a two-year-old adopted son Jackson, previously spoke out in favor of tighter gun control in the US and South Africa. She said: “You shouldn’t have those things around because when people get irrational and emotional and drunk, terrible things can happen.”

37

TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2014

LIFESTYLE

Ice castles become tourist attractions

In these photos, patrons tour ice castles at the base of the Loon Mountain ski resort in Lincoln, NH. — AP photos arming is tough during a New Hampshire winter - unless you’re growing icicles. At the base of Loon Mountain in Lincoln, an ice castle not unlike the frosty palace in the Disney movie “Frozen” is rising from the ground, one icicle at a time. It’s one of three ice castles being built by the same company - the others are in Breckinridge, Colo, and Midway, Utah - this winter. Brent Christensen, who now lives in Hawaii, started his Ice Castles company a few years ago after spending several winters building elaborate slides and ice towers for his kids in his backyard in Utah. He initially sprayed water onto wooden frames, only to be left with a tangled mess of splintered wood in spring. The next year, he experimented with blocks of ice, building a small igloo to which he added chunks of snow and ice.

“During that process, I almost accidentally started thinking about icicles,” he said. “At first it was just for cosmetics. I thought, ‘This will look really cool.’ And then, with time, I stumbled on the idea of crisscrossing the icicles, and that’s when I found ... you can actually grow them in certain ways.” Eventually, he approached ski areas about building larger structures that could serve as temporary art installations and tourist attractions, and the idea took off. It costs tens of thousands of dollars to build the castles, the largest of which

F

spans about an acre, and visitors pay $8 to $10 to walk through them. About 8,000 people have visited the New Hampshire castle since it opened Dec. 27.

Matt Brown, of Somerville, Mass., who toured the castle last week, said he recently saw “Frozen” and was curious to see how a real ice castle compared to the movie version. “I obviously knew it wouldn’t be quite like that because that’s an animated thing, and it’s a lot easier to animate things than make them in

real life, but I thought it would be an interesting way to spend 30 or 60 minutes,” he said.

“It’s really neat.”

Growing icicles The castles will continue growing during the season, until they melt in March. Walls that stand 8 to 20 feet could reach 40 to 60 feet in the next month or so, and icicles placed along the tops of walls will become ceilings. But it takes a lot of work, said Cory Livingood, fore-

man of the New Hampshire castle’s crew. The process starts in the fall, with the installation of elaborate sprinkler systems. When the weather turns cold, water is sprayed onto metal racks to produce thousands of icicles that are harvested and stuck to the ground around sprinkler heads. The icicles are then drenched in water and, depending on the temperature and wind, grow in various shapes and formations. Over the course of a few weeks, towers, tunnels, archways and caves emerge.

“We’re technically farmers,” Livingood said.

“We grow icicles, we handpick them, harvest them, take them out and hand place them around sprinklers, and then we turn on those sprinklers and they grow more.” There are 58 towers on the Lincoln castle, plus a waterfall and an enclosed slide. At night, the castles are lit by color-changing LED lights embedded in the ice. Sara Bookin-Weiner, also of Somerville, said she appreciates the beauty of the ice at a time of year when “things are so dead and dark.”

“Especially now that the holidays are over, in the Northeast we’re looking forward to lots of months of blah, and it’s really wonderful to have something so creative and artistic and delightful,” she said. Christiansen, who also runs a small-engine repair business, said there’s a significant amount of mechanical work and engineering involved in designing the castles and setting them up. But Mother Nature handles the artistic side. “The real artistic part isn’t done by us. When you spray water in the middle of the night, and you have icicles that catch the water, that’s when the art happens,” he said. Christiansen has been in Utah overseeing the project there this winter but will head home to Hawaii soon. He laughed when asked if he’ll miss the ice. “I think about it a lot, but I don’t long for it by any stretch,” he said. — AP

Michelle Obama’s 2nd gown lent to Smithsonian ichelle Obama’s fashion is making history again, at least for the next year, as her second inaugural gown will be displayed at the Smithsonian Institution. Before it’s stowed away for a future presidential library, Obama’s ruby-colored chiffon gown made by designer Jason Wu is being lent to the National Museum of American History for a year to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the Smithsonian’s first ladies exhibition. The dress will be paired with Obama’s shoes designed by Jimmy Choo and will go on display beginning today.

While the Smithsonian traditionally collects each first lady’s first inaugural gown, second gowns are usually shown only in presidential libraries. This is the first time the museum has displayed a second inaugural gown. The dress was transferred to the National Archives but is being lent to the Smithsonian with the White House’s blessing.

Smithsonian Curator Lisa Kathleen Graddy said it seemed like a nice time to start a new tradition in the ever-evolving First Ladies exhibit for those who serve two terms in the White House. “ The more I started thinking about it, it’s such a long time before the presidential library is built,” she said. “There’s such interest in the dress, I thought maybe it would be interesting if we could borrow the dress and do a special display, a special limited-time display here so that

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Giordano inaugurates new flagship store in Pakistan iordano, the global apparel brand known for its everyday wardrobe essentials, officially inaugurated its concept flagship store at Dolmen Mall, Clifton in Karachi, Pakistan. A special celebration took place attended by over 500 invited guests, media, bloggers, fashion models and local celebrities. The new store adds to the existing Giordano store in Dolmen Hyderi and on track to open three more stores in Karachi and Pakistan this year. “ Today we celebrate a significant milestone for Giordano here in Pakistan with the opening of our new flagship store which signals the new design direction for Giordano stores in Pakistan and nearby region in the Middle East, Central Asia and even Africa,” said Ishwar Chugani, Managing Director of Giordano Middle East FZE and Executive Director of Giordano International.

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The store, located in the Dolmen Mall, Clifton, one of Karachi’s favourite shopping and entertainment destination, redefines simplicity and embraces classic, polished and refined design. Space is maximised for product displays and customer interaction; including wider entrances and larger, more comfortable fitting rooms. Wood accents have been added to increase the feeling of warmth and natural space.

Energy-efficient lights enhance the customer experience while minimising the store’s carbon footprint. Following two decades of consistent brand growth in the Middle East and with 260 stores operating including in Central Asia, India, Pak istan and Africa, Giordano has planned an aggressive expansion and will roll out the new design concept shop across all Giordano stores in the region.

(From left to right) Nadeem Riaz, Chairman Dolmen Group and Ishwar Chugani MDG

This file photo shows President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama at an Inaugural Ball at the Washington Convention Center in Washington, during the 57th Presidential Inauguration. — AP people would get a chance to see it.”

This dress drew headlines when Obama unveiled her selection one year ago. It was the second custommade Jason Wu gown Obama had chosen, following the white gown Wu designed for the first lady when she arrived in Washington and on the fashion scene. Since then, Obama has become a trendsetter.

The red gown is embellished with cut velvet that carries a unique

shimmer, Graddy said. It features a cross-halter strap neckline, and the ring at the top is adorned with small diamonds. “It’s certainly a change, isn’t it, from the white dress with the train,” Graddy said, recalling Obama’s first gown in the museum’s collection. “It’s this amazing, vivid red. No train. So it’s a much slimmer dress still flowing - but a much slimmerlined dress. It’s an incredible change of color from that beautiful sparkly

white.” It’s unusual for a first lady to use the same designer twice, at least in recent decades. Wu has said it’s been the experience of his life to help dress the first lady, taking him from fashion insider to a household name since the first inauguration in 2009. Mrs Obama also has turned to designer Thom Browne for special outfits, including her coat and dress for inauguration day in 2013.

Even her outfits from J Crew draw notice, and some of Obama’s apparel choices sell out quickly online. For 2014, Pantone Inc’s color of the year - orchid, a shade of purple - was introduced with a nod to the fact it’s a color Mrs Obama often wears. Pantone sets color standards for the design industry. From time to time, the people want to copy the fashion of a first lady, Graddy said, noting Jacqueline Kennedy as an example.

“People look at what she is wearing. They admire it,” she said of Obama. “I don’t think that fashion is Michelle Obama’s first priority. I think that obviously she’s interested in what she wears, and she puts a lot of thought into it - and that’s what people see and respond to is a very put-together look that they would like to emulate.” The Jimmy Choo shoes paired with Obama’s second gown had a much shorter heel, seemingly more comfortable than her heels for the first inaugural, Graddy said. The first lady knew how long she would be on her feet for the second inaugural. — AP

Emporio Armani men’s

looks appear lit from within I taly’s fashion titan Giorgio Armani showed an Emporio Armani menswear collection for fall/winter 2014-2015 that stood out for its use of soft fabrics so lustrous they almost seemed lit from within. From first to last, the collection was a masterful compendium of modern good taste. The narrow silhouette previewed Monday looked fresh at Armani, who made his name with the artfully deconstructed men’s jacket. Slim pants ended at the ankle over chunky oxfords. Jackets were tight, with three or four buttons, and had small, high collars. The somewhat prim vibe of the jackets was counteracted by the quiet but deep luxury of fabrics. Fur was everywhere, either peeking out of hoods in flashes, or sleekly fashioned into soft overcoats and jackets. For the anti-fur crowd, there were sweaters with fake fur inserts, while wool was worked to look like astrakhan. A moirÈ effect on a wool sweater added interest and kept things

from getting dull. For evening, there was a velvet jacket in a deep reddish-purple reminiscent of the color of neon lights reflected off a rain-slicked pavement at midnight. Armani shows his main Giorgio Armani line on Tuesday, the fourth and final day of Milan Fashion Week. — AP

TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2014

lifestyle

(From left to right) Actors Lupita Nyong’o and Chiwetel Ejiofor, director Steve McQueen, actors Sarah Paulson and Michael Fassbender celebrate winning Best Motion Picture - Drama for “12 Years a Slave” in the press room during the 71st Annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California, January 12, 2014. — AP/AFP photos

(From left to right) Actors Bryan Cranston, Anna Gunn and Betsy Brandt, writer-producer Vince Gilligan, actors RJ Mitte and Aaron Paul, winners of Best Series - Drama for ‘Breaking Bad,’ pose.

‘Hustle’ leads Globes, ‘12 Years’ takes best drama

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my Poehler made out with Bono, Tina Fey mocked George Clooney’s taste in women and Matt Damon emerged, bizarrely, as the night’s recurring gag. But at the end of a madcap Golden Globes (Fey toasted it as “the beautiful mess we hoped it would be”), the major honors soberly ended up with the favorites. David O Russell’s con-artist caper “American Hustle” led with three awards, including best film comedy. And despite missing out in the other six categories it was nominated in, the unflinching historical drama “12 Years a Slave” concluded the night as best film drama.

“A little bit in shock,” said director Steve McQueen, before shrugging “Roll, Jordan, roll” the lyrics to the old gospel song sung in the slavery epic. Russell’s 1970s Abscam fictionalization “American Hustle” had the better night overall, winning acting awards for Amy Adams and Jennifer Lawrence. Best picture was the only award for “12 Years a Slave,” which came in with seven nominations, tied for the most with “American Hustle.”

The awards returned Lawrence, a winner last year for Russell’s “Silver Linings Playbook,” to the stage for an acceptance speech - something she said was no easier a year later. “Don’t ever do this again,” she said to herself. “It’s so scary.”

Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto both won for their startlingly gaunt performances in the Texas HIV drama “Dallas Buyers Club.”

Leonardo DiCaprio, a nine-time Golden Globe nominee, won his second Globe for best actor in a comedy for his uninhibited work in “The Wolf of Wall Street.” He thanked director Martin Scorsese for his mentorship (“Wolf” is their fifth film together) and for “allowing me to stalk you to make this movie.”

Alfonso Cuaron won best director for the space odyssey “Gravity,” a worldwide hit and critical favorite. The film will likely join “American Hustle” and “12 Years a Slave” as an Oscar frontrunner on Thursday, when Academy Awards nominations are announced. (The academy honors technical categories that the Globes don’t.)

The night’s biggest winners may have been hosts Fey and Poehler, whose second time hosting the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s Beverly Hills, Calif., ceremony was just as successful as last year’s show (a six-year ratings high

Cast and producers of ‘American Hustle,’ winners of Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy for ‘American Hustle,’ pose. with 19.7 million viewers). The pair came out with a spree of punch lines, dishing them around the Beverly Hills Hilton, much to the delight of its starry audience. Damon, Meryl Streep and, naturally, George Clooney were among the targets. Fey particularly had the crowd roaring with a description of “Gravity,” which stars Sandra Bullock and Clooney.

“George Clooney would rather float away in space and die than spend one more minute with a woman his own age,” said Fey. The Globes are unique in celebrating both film and television. Perhaps more than ever before, those lines were blurred Sunday, capping a year in which TV was much celebrated as the more dynamic storytelling medium. The beloved and now concluded “Breaking Bad” earned some of the

Actors Aaron Paul (left) and Bryan Cranston celebrate winning Best Series - Drama for “Breaking Bad”.

night’s loudest cheers for its first Globe wins: best drama TV series and best actor in a drama for Bryan Cranston.

Cranston called his honor “a lovely way to say goodbye.” Creator Vince Gilligan said the award gave him “one more chance to thank the fans of the show.” The big TV film winner, the Liberace melodrama “Behind the Candelabra,” was made for HBO by one of cinema’s most talented directors, Steven Soderbergh, after Hollywood passed. Along with a best movie Globe, Michael Douglas won best actor for his performance as the flamboyant classical pianist. He thanked his co-star Damon.

“The only reason you’re not here is I had more sequins,” Douglas told Damon. (Earlier in the evening, Poehler said among such a famous

crowd that Damon was “basically a garbage person.”) Actors like Chiwetel Ejiofor (“12 Years a Slave,”“Dancing on the Edge”) and Julia LouisDreyfus (“Enough Said,”“Veep”) were nominated for both film and TV. Louis-Dreyfus parodied the dichotomy by appearing first at the table for “Enough Said” in glamorous sunglasses and smoking an electric cigarette, then sitting (or so the hosts said) in the “TV section” eating a hot dog.

U2 and Danger Mouse won the award for best original song for “Ordinary Love,” recorded for the Nelson Mandela biopic “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.” Bono said working on the film completed a decades-long journey with Mandela, having played an anti-apartheid concert some 35 years ago. “This man turned our

Musicians Bono (left) and Larry Mullen Jr of U2 celebrate winning Best Original Song for “Ordinary Love” from “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom”.

(From left to right) Actors Andre Braugher, Chelsea Peretti, Melissa Fumero, Andy Samberg, Stephanie Beatriz, Joe Lo Truglio, and Terry Crews from the cast of ‘Brooklyn NineNine’ attend the Fox And FX’s 2014 Golden Globe Awards Party.

life upside down, right-side up,” said Bono of the South African leader who died in December. “A man who refused to hate not because he didn’t have rage or anger or those things, but that he thought love would do a better job.”

Cate Blanchett won best actress in a drama for her Blanche DuBois-like performance in Woody Allen’s “Blue Jasmine.” Allen was honored, too, with the Cecil B. DeMille lifetime achievement award. Always an awards no-show, Allen left Diane Keaton to accept on his behalf.

Many of the night’s surprise winners were literally caught speechless. Andy Samberg (best actor in a comedy TV series, “Brooklyn NineNine”), Elisabeth Moss (winner of best actress, miniseries or movie, for “Top of the Lake”), Robin Wright (best actress in a TV series, drama for “House of Cards”) and even Poehler, herself (best actress in a TV comedy for “Parks and Recreation”), appeared particularly shocked to win and each stumbled through their thank you’s. (Poehler celebrated by enveloping and kissing a surprised Bono.)

Spike Jonze was also blindsided by his best screenplay win for his futuristic romance “Her.” “I’m a terrible public speaker,” said Jonze. “And I’m bad at English. And it’s the only language I know.” But the playful interplay of Fey and Poehler again stole the show. The “SNL” duo are signed for next year, too. “This is Hollywood,” explained Fey. “If something kind of works, they’ll just keep doing it until everyone hates it.”The Tracy Letts play adaptation “August: Osage County,” starring Meryl Streep, Fey said, proved “that there are great parts in Hollywood for Meryl Streeps over 60.” In one memorable bit that parodied the Hollywood legacies who serve as stage guides, Poehler played Fey’s surly son.

They left it open as to whether Harvey Weinstein was the father. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, a group of about 85 mostly freelance foreign journalists (Fey and Poehler mocked their publications), make an unlikely body to hold the second-largest awards in Hollywood’s Oscar season. But their boozy, laid-back broadcast, bereft of the academy’s self-regard or tradition of musical dance numbers, has emerged as perhaps the best awards show on television. It’s at least, as Fey said, “a beautiful mess.” — AP

(From left) Kate Beckinsale, Usher and Sean Diddy Combs are seen during the 71st annual Golden Globe Awards.

Actress Emma Thompson (left) and daughter Gaia Romilly Wise are seen on the red carpet.

Actor Jon Voight, winner of Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries, or Television Film for ‘Ray Donovan,’ poses.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2014

lifestyle

Actor Tom Hanks arrives on the red carpet.

Actress Elisabeth Moss, winner of Best Per formance in a Miniseries or Television Film for ‘Top of the Lake,’ attends the after-party.

Actress Jennifer Lawrence, winner of Best Supporting Performance in a Motion Picture - Drama, Musical or Comedy for ‘American Hustle,’ poses.

Director Alfonso Cuaron, winner of Best Director for ‘Gravity,’ poses.

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler:

Golden as Globes hosts Actress Cate Blanchett, winner of Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama for ‘Blue Jasmine,’ poses.

The Golden list of Globes winners MOTION PICTURES Picture, Drama: “12 Years a Slave.”

Picture, Musical or Comedy: “American Hustle.”

Actor, Drama: Matthew McConaughey, “Dallas Buyers Club.”

Actress, Drama: Cate Blanchett, “Blue Jasmine.”

Director: Alfonso Cuaron, “Gravity.”

Actor, Musical or Comedy: Leonardo DiCaprio, “The Wolf of Wall Street.”

Actress, Musical or Comedy: Amy Adams, “American Hustle.”

Supporting Actor: Jared Leto, “Dallas Buyers Club.”

Supporting Actress: Jennifer Lawrence, “American Hustle.”

Foreign Language: “The Great Beauty.”

Animated Film: “Frozen.”

Screenplay: Spike Jonze, “Her.” Original Score: Alex Ebert, “All Is Lost.”

Original Song: “Ordinary Love” (music by Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, Larry Mullen Jr. and Brian Burton, lyrics by Bono), “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.”

Tina Fey (left) and Amy Poehler arrive.

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ina Fey and Amy Poehler took the gold again. For a second year, these funny ladies were the most-est as co-hosts of NBC’s Golden Globes party.

Fey explained their return engagement by noting, “This is Hollywood, and if something kind of works they’ll just keep doing it until everybody hates it.” Not these returnees, who again presided with seeming effortless sass and hardly a joke off-target. During their shared opening routine, Fey’s zinger about George Clooney and his penchant for dating younger women may have been the most riotously received wisecrack in recent awards-cast history.

While Poehler and Fey set the perfect irreverent tone for the Globes and its par-

Actress Amy Poehler, winner of Best Actress in a Television Series ty-hearty tradition, the three-hour live broadcast from Beverly Hills, Calif., was remarkably well-behaved. Emma Thompson played up the Globes’ boozy reputation by arriving on stage barefoot to present the screenplay award in very non-Emmy, non-Oscar style, with her Christian Louboutin high heels in one hand, her martini in the other.

“I just want you to know, this red,” she declared, pointing to the shoes’ trademark red soles before tossing them over her shoulder, “it’s my blood.” But her display was clearly all in fun. A few impolite words did erupt. Winning as best actress for her miniseries “Top of the Lake,” Elisabeth Moss blurted out one of them. It was efficiently bleeped. But whoever was tending the button miscalculated big time with Jacqueline Bisset.

Accepting her trophy as best supporting actress for the miniseries “Dancing on the Edge,” the clearly surprised Bisset voiced a lengthy, rambling acceptance that triggered the get-off-the-stage music.

Still talking undeterred, Bisset fired off a profanity that began with the words, “And the people who have given me ... “ Oddly, TV viewers didn’t hear that first part of her statement. It was bleeped. But what did get through TV sets loud and clear was the forbidden final word.

Another minor glitch reared its head later on for co-presenters Jonah Hill and Margot Robbie. “I’m not gonna lie to you,” Hill said, grinning into the camera. “Right now, they put up the wrong stuff on the TelePrompTer.” In a flash, Robbie was handed a sheet of paper for the pair to read. Overall, the program was fun, fastmoving and refreshingly uncluttered with the usual awardsshow dross.

All due respect was paid to Woody Allen (himself predictably a no-show) by Diane Keaton in accepting his Cecil B DeMille lifetime achievement award.

Keaton delivered a mini-seminar on the greatness of Allen’s film career, especially his skill at creating women characters.

Then she wrapped up her tribute in quirky style by saluting her friend of 45 years with a familiar children’s song: “A circle is round, it has no end,” she sang. “That’s how long you’re going to be my friend.”

A comic highlight of the evening was “Mr Golden Globes.” He was introduced

by Fey as “my adult son from a previous relationship” but turned out to be Poehler done up as a fussy lad who groused, “This is stupid! I hate being up here!” “Don’t you talk to me like that,” Fey shot back. “Do you want to go live with your father?” “I can’t,” was the churlish reply. “You won’t tell me who it is!” “Well, he’s here tonight,” snapped Fey. “So look around.” With hosts like that, it was hard to keep from looking forward to next year’s Globes, in hopes these Golden gals will be back again. — AP

TELEVISION Series, Drama: “Breaking Bad.” Actor, Drama: Bryan Cranston, “Breaking Bad.” Actress, Drama: Robin Wright, “House of Cards.”

Series, Musical or Comedy: “Brooklyn Nine-Nine.”

Actress, Musical or Comedy: Amy Poehler, “Parks and Recreation.”

Actor, Musical or Comedy: Andy Samberg, “Brooklyn NineNine.”

Miniseries or Movie: “Behind the Candelabra.”

Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Elisabeth Moss, “Top of the Lake.”

Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Michael Douglas, “Behind the Candelabra.”

Supporting Actress, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Jacqueline Bisset, “Dancing on the Edge.”

Supporting Actor, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Jon Voight, “Ray Donovan.” —AP

Jacqueline Bissett accepts the award for best supporting actress in a series, mini-series or TV movie for her role in, “Dancing on the Edge”.

This image shows presenters Naomi Watts (left) and Mark Ruffalo.

Actor Andy Samberg, winner of Best Performance in a Television Series Musical or Comedy Award for “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” poses.

This image shows presenters Seth Meyers (left) and Julie Bowen.

Director Paolo Sorrentino, winner of Best Foreign Language Film for ‘The Great Beauty,’ poses.

Actor Michael Douglas, winner of Best Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film for ‘Behind the Candelabra,’ poses.

Actor Leonardo DiCaprio, winner of Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy for ‘The Wolf of Wall Street,’ poses.

Actor Matthew Mc Conaughey, winner of Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama for ‘Dallas Buyers Club,’ poses.

‘Hustle’ leads Globes, ‘12 Years’ takes best drama

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2014

Glamming it up at the

Globes Amy Adams

Shaun Robinson

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et the glam games begin! The Golden Globes marked the start of red carpet season for Hollywood and we’ve got five stars to talk about, though no hot trends surfaced Sunday night around those big dinner tables where the booze flowed and the party vibe was more casual than Oscar or Emmy or Grammy. “What I think you’re seeing is a lack of trends. People are really shooting for individuality,” mused Hal Rubenstein, editor at large for InStyle magazine. “There’s not one color that dominated, not one silhouette, one mood, one neckline.”

Style and beauty expert Mary Alice Stephenson saw a distinct lack of risk-taking for most carpet walkers. “Looking pretty is not enough anymore. You need to make a statement when you have the world of style at your fingertips and all the tools you need,” she said. “They’re all beautiful women, but Michelle Obama, our first lady, takes more fashion risks in what she wears on a daily basis than those girls on the red carpet.” Along with some reds and greens, celebrity stylist Robert Verdi noted a hint of “Gone with the Wind Fabulous” in full-on princess dresses worn by Sofia Vergara (Zac Posen), Tina Fey (Carolina Herrera) and the strapless floral confection of Kaley Cuoco by Rani Zakhem.

LUPITA NYONG’O The up-and-comer who played Patsey in best dramatic picture winner “12 Years a Slave” stole the hearts of many in an orangered silk column gown with a cape from the Ralph Lauren Collection. “She was the best dressed of the night, without a doubt,” Rubenstein said. “She walked through that red carpet area and it was like waters parted, and most people don’t even know who she is because she looked nothing like the woman in the movie. She looked extraordinary.” What made Nyong’o’s look, added Verdi, was simplicity. “Her hair was modern, her earrings (diamond studs from Fred Leighton) were simple. I adored it,” he said. Stephenson lauded her courage. “I love it when a young actress dares to make a bold statement on her first big award show red carpet,” she said. “This dress would be hard to pull off for many women, but it was hard to take your eyes off this stunning look.”

CATE BLANCHETT

Lupita Nyong’o arrives at the 71st annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Sunday, Jan 12, 2014, in Beverly Hills, Calif. —AP photos

Jessica Chastain

Black lace is nothing new but high-necked, peekaboo black lace on the winner for best actress in a drama offered something more. It was backless and lent the “Blue Jasmine” actress a modern twist on classic Hollywood, from Armani Prive. “The moment she hit the red carpet the entire fashion world gave one big social media amen,” Stephenson said. “ This is how a style icon hits the red carpet. It was sophisticated, feminine and sleek. What makes it even more powerful is it looked so beautifully unique.” Verdi was also a fan because she took her shortsleeved lace to a different place.

baby bump can be glamorous, sexy and fun,” Stephenson said.

Drew Barrymore, also very pregnant, was not so much, Stephenson said. “Kerry and Olivia showed off their bodies rather than trying to hide them,” she noted. Washington’s sleeveless white gown with a low neck and jacket-like top was Balenciaga. Stephenson called the dress “so sweet and beautiful. Baby bumps can sizzle.”

LENA DUNHAM

Reese Witherspoon “Black lace is something that you can always wear.

You just don’t want it to look too old so that you look like a mourning Italian grandmother after her husband died,” Verdi said. “You walk a line with it. Why that dress worked is because it’s sexy from the back and the lace is assembled in a way where you see everything except what you’re not supposed to see.”

JULIA ROBERTS Her black strapless gown had a white collar button-down shirt, from Dolce & Gabbana. “This is something that Dolce & Gabbana has done quite a few times. It’s a Dolce & Gabbana signature,” said Rubenstein. “She’s not really a glamour girl. She doesn’t really love the whole idea of dressing up, so I think it actually fit her. She felt comfortable when we were talking to her. She looked like she was happy with who she was.” Verdi called it “an interesting casual

vibe for the Globes” but a little bit “like she was trying a dress on at a sample sale without going to the dressing room. You know, just pull it on over your street clothes.” Stephenson was not a fan. “I wanted to jump on the red carpet and loosen Julia up. I would have taken away the white shirt and let down her hair. She is such a beautiful woman but she looked too buttoned up,” she explained. “This is a case of less would have been more. It would have looked much better without the white shirt and undone hair would have added some sexy sizzle.”

KERRY WASHINGTON The pregnant Washington showed up in Olivia Pope white from “Scandal” and earned some raves, including a special nod from Stephenson for “pregnant perfection,” along with Olivia Wilde, who wore emerald Gucci. “They both showed how styling your

Sandra Bullock

Thea Andrews

Lena Dunham

While Stephenson included Zoe Saldano as one of her risktakers in a black, blush and embellished gown - sheer at the calf - from Prabal Gurung, Lena Dunham of “Girls” got Verdi’s attention in a bright yellow Zac Posen that showed off all assets. “I loved the color,” he said. “Lena has three fashion people trapped in her head. One is a naughty little girl. The other is a tatted-up Harley-riding chick and the third is a martinidrinking mom from the 1950s. That’s her Bermuda Triangle of fashion.” — AP