KT 3-4-2013_Layout 1 - Kuwait Times

SUBSCRIPTION 

Amir attends 

operetta 

‘Kuwait 

Amana’ 

2 

40 PAGES NO: 15767 150 FILS 

MPs pass anti-money laundering, terror funding law 

Amnesty slams 

resumption 

of executions 

KUWAIT: Amnesty International yesterday criticised 

Kuwait for resuming executions after a six-year pause, 

describing the decision as a “real setback”. “These are 

the first executions carried out in Kuwait since 2007 

and mark a deplorable setback for human rights in the 

country,” said Ann Harrison, the rights watchdog’s program 

director for the Middle East and North Africa. 

Kuwait on Monday executed a Saudi, a Pakistani and a 

bedoon after being convicted of murders. The last 

hanging carried in Kuwait before those was in May 

Continued on Page 13 

Apple 

apologises 

after China 

outrage 

27 

Desert nomads 

marvel at 

water purifying 

device 

28 

Palestinians protest after 

inmate dies in Israeli jail 

Meshaal reelected Hamas chief 

RAMALLAH: The Palestinian leadership yesterday 

blamed Israel for the death of a long-term prisoner 

with cancer, further hiking tensions over 

what is already a tinderbox issue. The 

death yesterday morning of Maisara Abu 

Hamdiyeh, a 63-year-old prisoner from 

Hebron suffering from throat cancer, 

sparked outrage over Israel’s failure to 

release him early on compassionate 

grounds. “The death of Maisara Abu 

Hamdiyeh shows the Israeli government’s 

arrogance and intransigence over the prisoners,” 

Palestinian president o Abbas told 

reporters at the start of a meeting of his 

Fatah movement in Ramallah. 

“We tried to get him released for treatment 

but the Israeli government refused to let him 

out, which led to his death,” Abbas said, with his 

spokesman laying the blame squarely on the administration 

of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “The 

Palestinian presidency holds the Netanyahu government 

responsible for the martyrdom of prisoner 

Maisara Abu Hamdiyeh,” Nabil Abu Rudeina said. An 

Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, 

said that such remarks would not help the Palestinian 

cause. “Instead of speaking the language of confrontation, 

the Palestinian Authority would be doing 

its own people a favour if it started to speak the language 

of peace and reconciliation, because that’s the 

only real path to Palestinian statehood,” he said. 

Abu Hamdiyeh, who had served more than a 

decade of a life sentence for his involvement in an 

attempted attack on Israelis in 2002, died at Soroka 

hospital in the southern Israeli city of Beersheva, 

sources on both sides said. 


ABU DHABI: Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird (left) meets UAE Foreign 

Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan yesterday. — AFP 

OTTAWA: The United Arab Emirates is 

nixing costly visa requirements imposed 

on Canadian travelers, officials said yesterday, 

ending a row between the two 

countries that started in 2010 over aviation 

rights. Canadian Foreign Affairs 

Minister John Baird and his UAE counterpart, 

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al- 

Nahyan, agreed to “facilitate travel 

requirements to increase business, 

tourism and joint prosperity for our citi- 

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013 JAMADA ALAWWAL 22, 1434 AH www.kuwaittimes.net 

Shamali: Debt relief 

deal to cost KD 744m 

DUBAI: A government bailout of Kuwaiti debtors is 

expected to cost KD 744 million ($2.61 billion), finance 

minister Mustafa Al-Shamali said yesterday. The government, 

under pressure from members of parliament, is 

discussing with lawmakers a plan to write off the interest 

on Kuwaiti citizens’ personal bank loans taken out before 

the end of March 2008. “This is an issue that will be raised 

tomorrow in parliament,” Shamali told reporters on the 

sidelines of a meeting of Arab finance ministers and central 

bankers in Dubai. 

Asked what the total size of the bailout would be, he 

replied: “744 million dinars. The payment mechanism is 

that they will pay their debts all the way directly to the 

government.” The parliament gave initial approval to a 

bill last month, under which the government would buy 

the loans from banks, pay off the interest and reschedule 

the loans. The bill still needs a second approval and the 

cabinet has said changes were needed to the initial plan. 

Many lawmakers elected in December made debt relief 

in the state a priority of their campaigns. Economists 

have voiced concerns about the long-term sustainability 

of such measures. — Reuters 

HEBRON: A Palestinian aims a slingshot at Israeli soldiers after the death of Maisara Abu Hamdiyeh in an 

Israeli jail in this West Bank city yesterday. (Inset) Newly-elected Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal is seen in 

this recent file photo. — AP/AFP 

Late drama as 

Matuidi earns 

PSG draw 

with Barca 

20 

Assembly rejects move to 

raise fuel price for expats 

UAE, Canada end visa row 

zens by restoring the visa regime,” said a 

statement. “We will be working to formalize 

this in the next few months and 

the details will follow from (Zayed Al- 

Nahyan)’s formal announcement that we 

return to the previous visa regime that 

pre-existed the challenging time in our 

relationship,” Baird told a teleconference 

from Abu Dhabi. Baird is on a tour of the 

Middle East. 


YANGON: A fire blamed on an electrical fault killed 13 

teenage boys at a Muslim school in Myanmar’s main 

city yesterday, police and witnesses said, raising fears of 

a further eruption of tensions after a wave of religious 

unrest. Police and soldiers flanked the scorched blue 

mosque and religious school in central Yangon, where 

dozens of children had been sleeping when the blaze 

broke out early yesterday. Authorities launched an 

inquiry into the fire, stressing that early indications suggested 

a tragic accident. Police said two guards at the 

building had been charged with negligence. An imam, 

or religious teacher, was also taken in for police questioning 

yesterday, said an official at a mosque where the 

surviving children were being housed. 

The assurances came amid Muslim suspicions that 

they had been targeted following a spate of Buddhist- 

Muslim killings and arson that has spread across central 

Myanmar in recent days. “The whole country is worried 

now for Yangon, and is wondering whether this was a 

crime,” Ye Naung Thein, of Muslim organisation 

Myanmar Mawlwy federation, told AFP at the scene, 

urging people to wait for the result of the inquiry. 

Hundreds of mourners, many praying and weeping, 

packed into a Muslim cemetery in a suburb north of 


By B Izzak 

Max 33º 

Min 19º 

High Tide 

05:37 & 15:57 

Low Tide 

10:37 & 23:55 

KUWAIT: In a landmark decision, the National Assembly 

rejected yesterday with a landslide majority proposals 

to raise fuel prices for expatriates only as part of measures 

to resolve the traffic problem in the country. As 

many as 30 members, including government ministers, 

rejected a set of non-binding recommendations aimed 

at helping resolve grinding traffic jams on Kuwaiti 

roads. Only eight lawmakers approved the recommendations. 

The recommendations were submitted two weeks 

ago following a heated debate on the causes and solutions 

of the traffic problem but the Assembly could not 

vote on them for a lack of quorum. The recommendations 

called for raising vehicle registration fees for expatriates 

only, lifting subisidies on fuel and then providing 

it on ration cards for Kuwaitis and making expats pay 

full cost in addition to deporting expatriate drivers who 

commit grave violations. 

Ahead of the vote, leading Shiite MP Adnan 

Abdulsamad said the recommendations and the debate 

give the impression as if expatriates are the only cause 

for the traffic jams in the country. “This is incorrect. 

Expatriates are a part of the problem and not the whole 

problem. We blame expatriates for many problems. 

Kuwaitis also have too many cars and we are also a part 

of the problem,” the lawmaker said. “We have overburdened 

expatriates with school fees, residence fees and 

health insurance fees. This way, expatriates will be forced 

to send their families back to their countries and Kuwait 

will become a land of bachelors,” Abdulsamad said. 

Accusations against expatriates have increased during 

the past few months and several MPs have made 

proposals against them. At the weekend, MP Abdullah 

Al-Mayouf proposed to increase the health insurance 

fee expatriates are obliged to pay from the existing KD 

50 per person to KD 100 and introduce a KD 50 health 

insurance fee on domestic helpers. The health ministry 

is also contemplating proposals by MPs to allocate the 

morning session at public clinics for Kuwaiti citizens and 

ban expatriate patients in order to shorten the period 

Kuwaiti patients have to wait for treatment. Expatriate 

patients will be compelled to seek treatment in the 

evening, barring emergency cases. This system is 

already implemented at the interior ministry’s traffic 

departments in certain governorates like Hawalli. 

Instead, the Assembly approved another set of recommendations 

that call for building new roads, bridges 

and speeding up the metro project. The recommendations 

also call for stiffening measures for obtaining a driver’s 

license and for deporting expatriates and jailing 

nationals who commit grave traffic violations. 

In another development, the Assembly comfortably 

passed in the second and final reading a law to combat 

money laundering and terror funding which stipulates 

heavy penalties for violators. Forty-five members, 

including Cabinet ministers, voted for the law while five 

MPs abstained without any rejection. The law becomes 

effective after it is signed by the Amir and published in 

the official gazette. 

It stipulates a 10-year imprisonment for money laundering 

offenders, which is increased to a maximum of 

20 years in jail if the perpetrators are an organized criminal 

or a terrorist group or a civil society. The law also 

stipulates a 15-year prison term for funding a terrorist 

organization. In all cases, the law stipulates confiscating 

all the money involved in the violation and imposing 

hefty fines. 

13 boys dead in blaze at 

Myanmar Muslim school 

YANGON: Men carry bodies of victims of a mosque fire for burials on the outskirts 

of Yangon yesterday. — AP

KUWAIT: Under the patronage and attendance of His 

Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al- 

Sabah, the National operetta “Kuwait Amana” was held at 

Bayan Palace theater yesterday. 

The event was also attended by visiting Maldives 

President Dr. Mohammed Waheed Hassan, His Highness 

the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al- 

Sabah, National Assembly Speaker Ali Al-Rashed, former 

House Speaker Jassim Al-Kharafi, Deputy Chief of the 

National Guards Sheikh Mishaal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al- 

LOCAL 

Sabah, Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, 

His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak 

Al-Hamad Al-Sabah. It was also attended by First Deputy 

Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Ahmad Al- 

Humoud Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Deputy Minister of Amiri 

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013 

Amir attends national operetta ‘Kuwait Amana’ 

Diwan Affairs Sheikh Ali Jarrah Al-Sabah and senior state 

officials. Male and female students carried out dance routines 

that depicted the history of Kuwait throughout the 

years. The operetta aimed at enhancing national unity and 

solidarity. —KUNA 

Overseas job no longer a need 

but a choice for many Filipinos 

Reintegration loan program introduced 

By Ben Garcia 

KUWAIT: Overseas employment will no 

longer be a need but a choice for many 

Filipinos, said the Philippine labor attaché 

to Kuwait as he explained in detail about 

the newest reintegration loan program 

recently introduced for Filipinos abroad. 

Philippine Labor Attaché to Kuwait David 

Des Dicang stated that whether it be 

Filipinos returning to their home country 

for good or those still employed abroad 

but willing to start up a business are eligible 

under the reintegration loan program 

recently introduced by the Overseas 

Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), 

a sub-agency of the Philippines Labor 

Ministry (Department of Labor and 

Employment-DOLE). 

He said Philippine President Benigno 

Aquino III encourages Overseas Filipino 

Workers (OFWs) to return to the 

Philippines and start their own business. 

OFWs can avail themselves of 300,000 to 

2 million pesos worth of loan packages 

carrying an interest of 7.5 percent per 

annum, with a maximum tenure of seven 

years. 

“The sole purpose of the program is to 

give a chance to Filipinos to start their 

own business so they would no longer 

need to work abroad but be owners of 

their own businesses,” Dicang explained. 

He noted that funds worth 2 billion pesos 

have been allotted for the program - 1 billion 

pesos from the OWWA fund, with 

another 1 billion pesos to be shared by 

Land Bank and the Development Bank of 

the Philippines. “The funds can be replenished 

if consumed, but OWWA, some 

allied banks and other government agencies 

are joining hands to monitor the project 

and implement this program for 

OFWs’ success,” he said. 

The new program is open to all 

Filipinos who have proof of employment 

abroad, regardless of whether they had 

finished their contracts, or for how long 

they had worked overseas. “The requirements 

have already been simplified so as 

to encourage more Filipinos to come back 

KUWAIT: The National Assembly, at its regular 

session yesterday, referred deliberations 

held during the session on traffic issues, to 

the parliamentary committee of public facilities 

for examination in coordination with 

relevant authorities, pending submission of 

a report in this respect within two months. 

The parliament, during deliberations of 

the traffic issue during a session held on 

March 20, prepared several recommendations 

in this respect, however, there was no 

and join the business community and create 

local jobs,” Dicang said. 

According to Dicang, OWWA reintegration 

program is just one of many projects 

spearheaded by the agency to help 

OFWs. He also mentioned of other services. 

For example, by paying a membership 

fee of US$25, an OFW can be entitled to a 

host of several benefits: disability and dismemberment 

benefits, death and burial 

benefits, scholarship and other incentive 

programs. 

Kuwait-based Filipino Overseas 

Workers Welfare Officer Norlita Lugto said 

the services and programs available for 

OFWs are intended to benefit the entire 

Filipino diaspora abroad. Therefore, just be 

the housemaids, but also engineers and 

other skilled workers will enjoy the benefits. 

She also pointed out that there were 

certain requirements that must be met in 

order to qualify for the OWWA reintegration 

loan program. “First and foremost, if 

you want to apply for the program, you 

must be an OFW, show proof that you 

have worked abroad, or are working 

abroad. It does not matter whether you 

worked 10 years ago or are still working, 

as long as you have proof that you paid 

the US$25 membership fee. Then show 

your passport, because the passport bears 

the visa of the country you worked for,” 

Lugto added. 

Since the program involves a business 

loan, there is another very important 

requirement: OWWA requires OFWs to 

present a feasibility study on the business 

they are planning to start. “Don’t worry 

about this one, because the OWWA 

regional office runs an entrepreneurship 

development training course. It’s a oneday 

seminar to help aspiring business persons 

understand basic accounting, conduct 

feasibility studies, and get trained on 

basic budgeting and bookkeeping. The 

Department of Trade and Industry will 

KUWAIT: Philippine Labor Attache to Kuwait David Des Dicang, center, 

and Welfare Officer Norlita Lugto, left, talking with the Kuwait 

Times reporter yesterday. 

sufficient time for MPs to read and approve 

them. One of the these recommendations 

proposes that the report of the committee 

include an analytical study of the traffic crisis, 

in terms of annual rise of the number of 

driving licenses, timetables for ventures of 

renovating roads and effects of execution of 

the overall development strategy on transportation. 

Moreover, this recommendation called 

for inclusion in the report information about 

help us conduct the training program. 

Now, there are also other agencies helping 

us, like the Department of Agriculture, 

for people interested in farming. We even 

have with us the Department of Science 

and Technology and the Department of 

Finance,” Lugto mentioned. However, she 

noted that Filipinos could benefit from 

the reintegration program only in the 

Philippines, at their respective regional 

offices. “We have OWWA branches in 17 

regions across the Philippines. Therefore, 

we have advised every Filipino interested 

in the reintegration loan program to apply 

to their respective OWWA provincial 

offices,” she concluded. 

MPs refer traffic issue to parliamentary committee 

role of the government authorities regarding 

the traffic problem, reports of consultancy 

authorities in this regard and role of 

the public transport authorities for tackling 

it. The parliament, during today’s session, 

approved another recommendation that 

affirmed necessity of development and 

construction re-planning, with emphasis on 

establishment of integrated networks, 

roads, tunnels and bridges, to cope with the 

mounting traffic congestions. —KUNA

LOCAL 

Sharp increase in number of 

speed cameras on streets 

By Nawara Fattahova 

KUWAIT: The heavily increased 

number of speed cameras dotting 

News 

in brief 

Iraqi military attaché 

KUWAIT: Iraq asked Kuwait to open a post of military 

attaché in the country in a request that the Iraqi embassy 

handed to the Foreign Ministry in Kuwait, a local newspaper 

reported yesterday quoting an independent news agency. 

The original report released by the Enferaad News Agency 

and published by Al-Watan yesterday quoted diplomatic 

sources who indicated that Kuwait remained “reserved” on 

the issue of Iraqi request which they say “has been submitted 

more than two months ago.” The sources, who were not 

named in the report, meanwhile indicated that this issue 

was likely to be clinched during the planned visit of Kuwait’s 

Prime Minister HH Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah to 

Baghdad in the near future. The visit is expected to address 

the issue of border demarcation, investments in Iraq and 

other pending issues between the two countries. 

KIA retirement incentives 

KUWAIT: The Kuwait Investment Authority is planning a 

retirement program through which it will be able to 

encourage employees serving for long to retire and create 

opportunities for younger staff members to assume leading 

positions, a local newspaper reported yesterday quoting 

sources privy to the development. The proposed ‘package’ 

calls for paying an ‘end of service’ reward equivalent to 

30-month salary to an employee who has spent a minimum 

of 28 years in office. The proposal also stipulates promoting 

employees before retirement so that they can 

enjoy pensions based on the basic salary in their promoted 

rank. 

Ministry plans to add more 

the Kuwaiti roads has been proving 

to be a terrifying prospect for many 

drivers, especially those driving fast. 

The drivers are already aware that 

KUWAIT: The Kuwaiti streets seem to be full of cameras, yet 

new ones are being added. — Photos by Joseph Shagra 

many new cameras have been 

installed in the last two months, but 

they also know that these are not 

working yet. 

Earlier, the Ministry had 

announced that these new cameras 

will be functional from this month. 

Adel Al-Hashash PR, Moral Guidance 

and Director of the Security 

Information branch of the Ministry 

of Interior informed the Kuwait 

Times that the speed cameras were 

already functional and drivers who 

were violating speed limits will be 

penalized. 

“The newly installed cameras are 

still being tested to examine their 

efficiency. This does not mean that 

the drivers found jumping speed 

limits would not be slapped with 

fines. They will certainly be penalized,” 

he pointed out. 

Although the streets seem to be 

full of cameras, yet new ones are 

being added. “The Ministry is currently 

working on adding new 

speed cameras along the ‘Safety 

Lanes’ on both sides of the roads. 

Currently, there are only a few cameras 

along these lines that are functional. 

Some installed earlier were 

only temporary. We noticed that 

many drivers are committing this 

violation and were using these 

lanes meant for emergency purposes. 

So we decided to have more 

cameras to bring down the number 

of these violations,” added Al- 

Hashash. 

The increasing number of speed 

cameras does not bother 41-yearold 

Ibtisam. “I respect the traffic 

rules and I drive carefully, so I am 

rarely fined. And if I do commit a 

violation, it is usually for wrong 

parking or other lesser mistakes, not 

for over speeding or jumping a red 

light. I agree that the there should 

be more cameras as I think it will 

help curb the instance of violations 

on the roads as drivers will be more 

careful and will decrease their 

speed to avoid paying fines,” she 

stated. 

But 27-year-old Hamad is 

annoyed by the new cameras. “I 

hate seeing cameras on the roads. I 

think these cameras are the reason 

for more accidents. Many of them 

were added recently and people are 

not used to these as yet, so they 

slow down suddenly which causes 

more accidents. In my view, the 

speed is not always responsible for 

the accidents. It is the lack of attention 

that is ranked as the number 

one factor causing accidents, 

according to the statistics of the 

Ministry of Interior,” he noted. 

In a separate issue, Adel Al- 

Hashash commented on the news 

published in local media recently 

regarding new additional strict conditions 

for issuing driving licenses 

to expat drivers. 

“What was published in the 

press was a proposal which has not 

been approved so far as a law or a 

regulation. This proposal is under 

study and will be filtered and 

passed on to the legal and legislative 

committee at the Ministry. It 

will be then approved and submitted 

to the institutions in charge. The 

public will be informed about any 

new regulations,” he concluded. 

Approval for food, national electoral committee 

KUWAIT: The National Assembly approved 

unanimously at its regular session yesterday of 

a draft law decree on establishing a public 

authority for food and nutrition after being discussed 

and voted for in its first deliberation. 

Number of MPs affirmed the country’s need 

for such a type of draft laws, especially in light 

of what has been stirred lately of suspension 

about availability of rotten meat in local market, 

and other related violations due to nonexistence 

of an actual control body over food. 

They stressed necessity of adopting and 

implementing the law, as well as stiffen penal- 

ties for law violators, demanding at the same 

time finding of specialized plants that teach 

examination of imported food as soon as possible 

in order to disallow quarantining it, destroying 

it, costing their owners, and intervention of 

“wasta” in entering rotten food to the country. 

On the other hand, the interior and defense 

parliamentary committee approved today of a 

draft law decree 21/2012 on the higher national 

electoral committee. 

The committee has approved of a draft law 

decree on the higher national electoral committee 

during its meeting on the sideline of 

Cabinet to implement ‘Youth 

Convention’ document 

KUWAIT: Prime Minister HH Sheikh Jaber 

Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah has received a recommendation 

from HH the Amir to 

implement the articles of the ‘National 

Document for Youth’ - a set of regulations 

aimed at meeting the demands of young 

citizens, which were raised during the 

National Youth Convention held last 

month. According to sources with knowledge 

of the case, the cabinet is expecting 

to “assign Minister of Information and 

Minister of Youth Affairs Sheikh Salman 

Al-Hmoud Al-Sabah to study the document 

in order to put together the necessary 

plans to implement its articles” during 

a meeting scheduled to be held 

shortly. 

Meanwhile, the same sources that 

spoke to Al-Rai on the condition of 

anonymity revealed that the ‘permanent 

ministerial committee for youths affairs’, 

recently formed by the cabinet, has started 

“developing a comprehensive program 

to support young people’s projects”, 

which was adopted by the Amiri Dewan. 

The program reportedly focuses on helping 

young people implement their ideas 

and further develop their small projects. 

“This part of the Amiri Dewan’s efforts to 

turn Kuwait into an international fiscal 

and commercial hub”, the sources said. 

Meanwhile, former MP Musallam Al- 

Barrak again called on the government to 

‘keep some painkillers at hand’ in preparation 

for the opposition’s planned activities 

over the coming few weeks. 

Speaking on Sunday as the general 

coordinator of the Opposition Coalition, 

Al-Barrak announced that four events 

would be held over this month, which 

would culminate in a “large field activity, 

the time and place of which will be determined 

in early May”. The leading opposition 

politician explained that the activities 

would coincide with a highly anticipated 

Constitutional Court ruling with regard to 

challenges to the electoral law amendment, 

which is set to be made on June 

16. “The activities are set to begin on April 

10, with a gathering at the municipality 

yard in which the main topic of discussion 

will be ‘the elected cabinet and facing 

freedom suppression’”, Al-Barrak told 

reporters after a meeting at the coalition’s 

political office. He added that a second 

sitting was scheduled to be held seven 

days later, titled ‘the elected cabinet and 

the future of generations’, which would 

be followed by a similar event on April 24 

- entitled ‘the elected cabinet and achieving 

justice’. The final gathering is set to 

take place on May 1 outside the Jaber 

Stadium, before a date is later announced 

for a major rally “which will be held on a 

date very close to the ruling’s day”, 

according to Al-Barrak. 

The opposition demands that the 

government withdraw an amendment 

that changed the number of votes per 

voter from a maximum of four to one, 

and scrap the parliament that was elected 

last December on the basis of the 

amended electoral law. The opposition 

had boycotted the elections on the pretext 

that the amendment was aimed at 

hurting their chances of securing a majority 

in the house. The opposition is also 

pushing for wide-scale amendments that 

will move Kuwait towards having full parliamentary 

system, in which the cabinet is 

formed from the parliament’s majority. 

Senior opposition figures have indicated 

on many earlier occasions that they will 

continue to press their demands for an 

elected cabinet even if the Constitutional 

Court upholds the amendment to the 

electoral law. 

Traffic officer 

beaten up 

By Hanan Al-Saadoun 

KUWAIT: A traffic police officer approached authorities at 

Adan police station complaining that eight youth beat him 

up while he was doing his duty. The policeman said he 

received a report about some people driving recklessly in the 

Adan Area. Upon reaching the area, he closed the road to 

prevent them from escaping. The enraged youth beat him 

up. He was able to note down the number of one of the cars 

driven by those youth. 

Poles smashed 

An official working at the MEW reported to the Taima 

police that 11 lighting poles were smashed on purpose to 

steal electric cables inside. He said the theft happened at the 

Convoy Road. 

Citizen assaulted 

A Kuwaiti man reported to the police that a person 

assaulted him and tried to run him over in his car at Wafra 

Road near kilo 12. He supplied the police with his car number. 

Investigation is on. 

Infant’s body 

Detectives at the Mubarak Al-Kaber governorate were trying 

to identify a person who left a newly born baby near a 

citizen’s house. The infant died of lack of care. Security 

sources said that the infant’s body was taken to the medical 

examiner as there were doubts that stray dogs could have 

mauled the infant. 

parliament’s regular session, the committee’s 

rapporteur MP Abdullah Al-Tamimi stated to 

reporters. 

He added that the decree was unanimously 

approved in presence of Counselor Ahmad Al- 

Ajeel, head of Supreme National Elections 

Commission, Counselor Faisal Khuraibet, 

Counselor Salem Al-Khudair, Counselor 

Abdulaziz Al-Majed, and Counselor Mohammad 

AbuSlaib. 

Moreover, MP Al-Tamimi noted that the committee 

is to submit its report to the agenda of 

tomorrow’s session as urgent to vote for. —- KUNA 

KUWAIT: Bangladesh Embassy in Kuwait 

hosted a reception on April 1, 2013 at the 

Crowne Plaza Hotel on the occasion of 

42nd anniversary of the Independence and 

National Day of Bangladesh. On this occasion, 

Dr. Mohammed Barrak Alhaifi, 

Kuwait’s Minister for Health was the Guest 

of Honour. 

A large number of high level Kuwaiti 

dignitaries, diplomats, media personnel, 

Embassy officials and their spouses, members 

of Bangladesh Military Contingent 

(BMC) in Kuwait and Bangladesh community 

representatives attended the event. 

The program began with the national 


—Photos by Joseph Shagra 

Bangladesh Embassy holds 

National Day reception 

anthems of Kuwait and Bangladesh played 

by the Band of Bangladesh Military 

Contingent in Kuwait. Syed Shahed Reza, 

Ambassador of Bangladesh to Kuwait and 

the Guest of Honour Dr Mohammed Barrak 

Alhaifi cut a decorated cake prepared specially 

for the occasion. 

Throughout the program, the BMC band 

entertained the audience by playing 

enthralling tunes. A number of documentaries 

and vivid slide shows displayed the 

culture, traditions, religions, and beautiful 

landscape of Bangladesh. The distinguished 

guests were also served delicious 

traditional food.

kuwait digest 

South Korea 

and Kuwait 

By Dr Wael Al-Hasawi 

The South Korean ambassador gave us a piece of 

‘advice’ recently when he warned during a public 

event that Kuwait will end up exhausting all its savings 

by 2017 unless it diversified its sources of income 

instead of depending exclusively on oil exports as was 

the case now. 

The ambassador also explained that Kuwait was in a 

better condition than his country in 1961 as a result of oil, 

but since then, South Korea focused on free economy 

and depended on small and medium businesses until 

this sector became employer of nearly 88 percent of the 

country’s labor force. 

The ambassador’s remarks encouraged me to look up 

statistics about what South Korea has achieved since 

1961, and compare it to what we have accomplished during 

the same period. I would like to share some of what I 

found in order to give a better idea about how delusional 

we continue to remain while enjoying our current wealth 

and disregarding our future. 

Unfortunately, we are suffering the repercussions of 

consecutive parliaments setting an example in ignorance, 

incompetency, greed and indifference, in addition 

to a government that lacks resolve and appeases the MPs 

or lives in their fear. In the meantime, South Korea 

achieved the following: 

• Became the 11th largest economy in the world, and 

one of the fourth largest in Asia. 

• Gross domestic product valued at $680 billion due to 

global demand on its industrial products. 

• Huge industrial productivity that is vibrant and 

developing, and includes fields such as automotives, 

steel, fabrics and food products. 

• One of the world’s best industrial countries in the 

main fields of automotives (Kia - Hyundai), electronics (LG 

and Samsung), steel and others. 

• Improvement in the value of main industrial products 

which include: heavy industries, electronics, automotives, 

ships (in which it ranks second after Japan), light 

industries such as clothes, shoes, etc. 

• With a market share of 92.3 percent, South Korea is 

the world’s largest exporter of industrial products, ahead 

of Japan, the United States and other major industrial 

countries. 

• Services improvement including: transportation by 

54 percent, insurance and financial services by 29 percent, 

and tourism by 17 percent. 

• Scientific research is considered one of the main 

focal points in the development of South Korea’s industry, 

which is why the state allocates nearly 7.1 percent of 

its GDP to it, the highest in the world. — Al-Rai 

kuwait digest 

Golden key to 

expats’ case 

By Iqbal Al-Ahmad 

The good thing about criticism is that it brings attention 

to a certain error, while the best reaction would 

be one that is professional and based on clear and 

deliberate application of mind. On the other hand, a bad 

response would come in the form of a swift reaction that 

leads to rushed answers in fear of further criticism. 

The Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor probably has 

one of the highest rates of corruption and bureaucratic 

red tape among all the state departments. Minister 

Thekra Al-Rashidi came to office late last year only to find 

it burdened with problems so huge that I pray to God 

that He helps her in handling these. But as long as she 

finds no cooperation from the people around her, she 

would be like a doctor writing out a prescription without 

proper diagnosis. 

It appears that pressure resulting from incessant 

media criticism has led minister Al-Rashidi to make hasty 

decisions without first studying the issue to make sure 

that the proposed solutions are feasible. I do not know 

how else I can describe the proposal of putting a maximum 

cap on the time for which foreigners can stay in 

Kuwait. The proposal is being studied as a possible solution 

to the country’s expatriate population bloating to 

create demographic imbalance. 

I still remember very well when Kuwait had lost immediately 

after the Iraqi Invasion a very experienced physician 

in Dr. George Abouna, the world famous kidney 

transplant surgeon. The experience he gained through 

years of working in Kuwaiti hospitals contributed to him 

reaching international status. Kuwait became a pioneer in 

kidney transplant during his time in the country. 

He left for another country after Kuwait missed the 

chance to grant him citizenship, a decision which was 

part of the state’s policy to ‘address the demographic 

imbalance.’ The result was Kuwait losing out on the experience 

of a man who achieved success equal to what has 

been achieved by thousands of people who were naturalized. 

The golden key to addressing the increase in the 

number of expatriate labor forces is to tackle the menace 

of visa traffickers. They are the people who will not be 

affected by the proposed solution which will rather harm 

the interests of all the employers in Kuwait. 

Does it make sense that after a worker is trained on a 

certain job and gains good experience, becoming excellent 

at what he does, we simply ask him to leave? The 

problem we have is not about quantity, but quality. 

Therefore, any deportation policies should focus on keeping 

skilled labor forces while getting rid of marginal labor 

forces who work so hard to earn the money that is eventually 

paid to the employers who blackmail them to 

renew their visas. 

The many years for which a foreigner stays in the 

country is a testimony to their good demeanor and experience 

in their field of work. This also applies to domestic 

workers. When they spend years with the same employer, 

this means they have been very devoted. Should they, 

then, be rewarded with deportation? 

I know the minister is under a lot of pressure, but an 

error is never fixed by another more serious error. When 

an issue is studied comprehensively and swift reactions 

are avoided, the results would be clear and successful. 

Take for example the Kuwaiti constitution - a great document 

that came after thorough research. Not only does it 

address current issues, but it also takes into account 

future prospects. 

Issuing decisions and changing them every other day 

only leads to making the problem more complicated. 

Meanwhile, we are still waiting for a decision that puts an 

end to the visa traffickers’ trade. —Al-Qabas 

The political crises in Kuwait can be analyzed 

with the help of many examples, and there are 

many lessons to be learnt from such an analysis. 

The opposition’s demands included rejection of 

the Amiri decree that reduced the number of votes 

from four to one, setting up of a parliamentary and 

elected government, dissolution of the current 

National Assembly and new elections based on a system 

of five constituencies and four votes per voter. 

These demands did not receive popular support 

because a majority of the Kuwaiti people do not 

believe that the society is ready for a Parliamentary 

government or formation of political parties in a society 

divided along tribal and sectarian lines where 

these loyalties still supersede national loyalty. 

The opposing majority attempted to provoke the 

street and carried out licensed and unlicensed mass 

demonstrations. When these attempts failed, it 

resorted to night demonstrations in residential areas 

where demonstrations are not allowed. There were 

attempts to instigate clashes with the security personnel, 

but such wishes did not come true. They also 

tried to set up the human rights organizations 

against the government but failed. 

Finally, columnist and lawyer Mohammad 

Abdelqader Al-Jassim announced that the opposition 

has failed. 

Despite the disintegration and the collapse of the 

opposing majority, its statements and threats 

became shriller while its politics became increasingly 

self-contradictory. This indicated that the opposition 

has lost its path. Some people, writing on the internet 

and in the media, called for reconciliation with 

the government, but others did not want to admit 

defeat and their mistakes. 

Among the latter was former MP Musallam Al- 

Barrak, who said, “We do not have what we can concede 

to the government. (There cannot be any) dialogue 

with the authority and political powers must 

coordinate among themselves...Confronting the government 

does not worry us.” The question remains as 

to why is the opposition so fissiparous, and who is 

the big winner from the political movement? 

Of the many reasons that led to the fragmentation 

and collapse of the opposition, the key reasons are 

the inherent contradictions and differences. 

The opposition includes political Islam groups 

such as Muslim Brotherhood, Salaf Movement, and 

LOCAL 

KUWAIT: An aerial view shows Souq Sharq. — Photo by Fouad Al-Shaikh 

kuwait digest 

A lesson from our crises 

The media has recently published several reports 

about the government’s plans to resolve some 

of the entrenched problems in Kuwait that have 

snowballed into a crisis, including the intractable traffic 

jams, massive overcrowding at public medical facilities, 

and the demographic imbalance. 

However, most of these proposals are not prudent 

and it seems no proper studies were carried out 

before pitching these ideas. In the most part, the proposals 

discriminate against the expatriates, and thus 

violate article 22 of the Kuwaiti Constitution. 

That article says: “Relations between employers 

and employees and between landlords and tenants 

shall be regulated by law on economic principles, due 

regard being given to the rules of social justice.” 

Among these proposals is a decision approved by 

the Ministry of Health to give Kuwaiti patients the 

sole right to check into outpatient clinics during the 

morning shift. Not only is such a proposal discriminatory, 

unjust and inhuman, but it also violates the principles 

of medicine which is based on diagnosing and 

treating patients regardless of nationality, gender or 

race. It is unconstitutional, violates the principles of 

social justice, and does not take into account the fact 

that the expatriate community outnumbers the 

Kuwaiti national population. The new proposal follows 

the same path of discriminatory practices that 

the Ministry of Health already practices, including 

having a list of certain medications that are only given 

to Kuwaitis. 

Another proposal attributed to the Interior 

Ministry is about increasing the fees that expatriates 

By Dr Shamlan Al-Essa 

Umma Party. It also has tribal MPs and MPs from the 

nationalist faction and the only thing that brings 

them together is the animosity towards the government. 

There is no clear intellect or ideology and all that 

they agree upon are the popular demands through 

which they try to garner public opinion of Kuwaitis. 

The opposition does not have a common vision or a 

working program through which it can try to win 

public opinion, except the daily criticism of the government’s 

performance. 

What defeated all these tactics of the opposition is 

the new government’s functioning style as it refused 

to bow before the opposition’s demands to cancel 

the court trials of some MPs who stormed the 

National Assembly, burned Al-Juwaihel’s election 

headquarters and stormed the premises of Al-Watan 

channel. The government did not back off from putting 

into the dock those youth and MPs who insulted 

the office of the Amir. Trials are on, and everyone 

must respect and abide by the law. 

The government proved that it is stronger than all 

the MPs raising their demands in the media and 

counseling it to turn the page and forgive what happened 

in the past. The government proved that it is 

stronger than the rabble rousers in the street and the 

screaming politicians. 

What is the lesson of from all these crises? The 

most important lesson is that the opposition is weaker 

than many think. The only organization that can 

exhort the street to rise is the Muslim Brotherhood 

but it is more interested in aligning itself with the 

government for financial and moral interests. So, it 

cannot take a stand against the government since it 

is actually hand in glove with it. 

The government must realize that the public opinion 

in Kuwait wants a strong government that implements 

the law, does not play with the constitution, 

and does not allow anyone to violate the law even if 

such a person was to be a member of parliament. 

People want a strong government that works to 

strengthen democracy and freedoms, fights corruption 

and does not hesitate to take action. Kuwait 

today needs its people to focus their energies on 

work and production as there is no room for screamers 

and naysayers like many in the opposition. 

Development requires that the much needed 

reforms are expedited.—Al-Watan 

kuwait digest 

Discriminatory proposals 

By Waleed Al-Rujaib 

have to pay for obtaining or renewing a driver’s 

license and car registrations. The ministry considers 

this discriminatory proposal a ‘solution’ to the problem 

of traffic jams. 

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor 

is reportedly studying a proposal to set a maximum 

cap for the number of years an expatriate worker can 

stay for in Kuwait. That cap could be set somewhere 

between five to ten years. The proposal has been 

strongly rejected by those in the commercial, educational 

and health fields where people believe it will 

‘empty’ the country of all skilled labor force. 

In a recent seminar about dilution of freedoms in 

Kuwait, Dr. Fawaz Faran diagnosed Kuwait’s problems 

in general in these words: “Kuwait addresses the 

symptoms but ignores the disease itself.” 

I think this is a very accurate diagnosis if we take 

into account the aforementioned proposals that fail 

to address the root causes of any problem. 

It is mismanagement and a culture of corruption 

seeping through our state departments that is 

responsible for these problems. Lack of hospital construction 

projects and shortage in bed capacity is 

what actually needs to be addressed in the health 

sector. Meanwhile, traffic jams require radical solutions 

that address the absence of any reliable and 

improved public transportation system, poor road 

infrastructure as well as corruption in obtaining driving 

licenses without fulfilling the norms. The demographic 

imbalance was also chiefly caused by rapid 

increase in marginal labor forces as a result of leniency 

in prosecuting visa traffickers.—Al-Rai 


kuwait digest 

The real faces 

behind masks 

By Thaar Al-Rashidi 

It seems that it is time for some people to end the 

sham political masked ball dance going on for 

some time as their masks have been coming 

apart, largely because these are no more needed. 

First they sported the mask slogan of “raising the 

ceiling of demands.” Then came the “aggressive 

opposition” mask, followed by the “sharp political 

speech” mask and the “freedom” mask. One after 

the other, the masks fell. All those masks were nothing 

except tools which were used in one or the other 

scene enacted on the political theater’s stage. 

The play is now almost over. Everyone knows the 

real faces behind the masks. 

Some observers were shocked by the shifted 

positions. Personally, I was not surprised by many 

opposition figures shifting stances. As I mentioned 

in my articles in the past, some among the opposition 

were allied directly or indirectly with those on 

the other side. 

The change of positions lately is nothing but the 

practice of changing partners during a political conflict. 

In plain Arabic language, the internal opposition 

today is partly a reflection of the conflict 

among the big wings. The story, which is clear to 

some, is only a tale of one follower, and one who is 

being followed. No longer can the opposition hide 

its internal conflict and that is why it has spelled it 

out. This is the reality today - the opposition is kicking 

the opposition, while the authority is merely 

looking on, amused. Whether those in authority are 

involved or not, they do have a free ring side seat 

and are watching what is going on. 

What does the intra-opposition conflict tell us? 

Why are they kicking each other? There is no doubt 

that the opposition was, to some extent, being held 

hostage to open and secret coalitions with the big 

four influential figures calling the shots for many 

years now. It was now natural that the conflict 

among the big four expands and affects some of 

their allies. 

The natural and logical question is when was the 

opposition penetrated? The answer is very simple, 

as simple as the one that the old man shepherding 

a herd of camels spouted for the benefit of a beautiful 

educated TV program host. When she asked for 

how long have you been growing camels, the old 

man hesitated a little, and then said, 

“Since...since...long ago.” Yes, your opposition was 

penetrated “since ...long ago.” — Al-Anbaa 

kuwait digest 

Worst cabinet in 

Kuwait history 

By Abdullatif Al-Duaij 

It is a shame to see the opposition group debating 

the issue of having an elected cabinet, 

something supposed to be a resolved matter for 

democrats in the first place. It is a democratic issue 

that needs no argument to begin with. 

Furthermore, our constitution confirms that 

appointing ministers as parliament members is an 

idea that was coined by the Kuwaiti legislators, and 

is something no other democratic system practices. 

It is a shame that after 50 years of practicing 

democracy, there is still skepticism about the idea 

of an ‘elected’ cabinet. 

I am using the term ‘elected’ loosely because 

there is no such a thing as an elected cabinet. 

There is a parliamentary cabinet formed by the 

majority in parliament. Kuwait had one parliamentary 

cabinet, which - perhaps coincidently - is 

regarded as the worst cabinet in the history of 

Kuwait. It was the fourth cabinet that was founded 

on January 3, 1965 and headed by the late Sheikh 

Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah. It was formed, or more 

precisely was forced by the parliament’s majority 

following the resignation of a ‘national’ cabinet 

that the government had appointed only a few 

days before. 

Not only was this cabinet the worst in Kuwait’s 

history, but it also laid the foundations for the tradition 

of turning ministers into ‘senior employees’, 

as the majority of ministers at that time were not 

members of the ruling family. They were not merchants 

similar to those who were appointed by the 

government and were eventually overthrown. It 

was a one hundred percent ‘elected’ cabinet, as it 

was chosen by a majority of MPs in the 1963 parliament 

that was legitimately elected by the people, 

the source of all power. 

Democratic system cannot be improved by 

making empty promises, nor does it happen by 

skipping significant historic steps - just as what the 

opposition is doing today. The majority in the 

annulled 2012 parliament is strikingly similar to 

the majority in the 1963 parliament. The only difference 

is in their position towards the government. 

The 2012 majority’s position could shift completely 

if the government was to get rid of their 

civil and reformist attitude which started with the 

beginning of the reign of HH the Amir Sheikh 

Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah. 

Aside from all the calls about opposition and 

democracy, the majority in the scrapped 2012 parliament 

is just like the one which opposed the 

nationalist cabinet nearly 50 years ago. They share 

the same goals and position against the concept of 

civil state as well as real development and reform. 

It is sad that the opposition has distorted the democratic 

struggle, and made obvious things like 

moving towards a full parliamentary system a 

debatable issue or even a taboo subject. 

Kuwait’s destiny is to move towards a full parliamentary 

system. It is the natural course of things 

for any democratic society, and all the Kuwaitis, 

people and rulers, accepted this 50 years ago. 

Therefore, it is a disgrace to allow the issue of parliamentary 

cabinet to become a rejected or questionable 

issue these days. — Al-Qabas

LOCAL 

ITQAN Academy moves to new headquarters 

KUWAIT: As part of the continuous 

development plans witnessed in ITQAN 

Academy since its launch last July, 

Boubyan Bank announced the moving 

of the Academy to the new headquarters 

inside the campus of Gulf University 

for Science & Technology (GUST). 

Commenting on this step, Adel Al- 

Hammad, GM - Human Resources Group 

of Boubyan Bank, said: “The moving of 

ITQAN Academy to the new headquarters 

is considered as a qualitative leap in 

its history, as it is now part of GUST’s 

campus, thus providing the privacy of 

the professional academic study, 

whether for MBA or Bachelor’s students 

or even training courses participants.” 

“This leap represents a new, remarkable 

addition in the Academy’s short 

history, which reflects the extent of care 

paid by the Bank to its human resources 

and its ability and continuous endeavors 

to create more positive work atmosphere 

in a way that is ultimately reflected 

on their expertise and customer service,” 

added Al-Hammad. 

From now on, all the training courses 

for the Bank’s staff including MBA and 

Bachelor’s programs will be held in the 

permanent headquarters assigned for 

serving trainees inside the University. 

Al-Hammad also highlighted that the 

partnership with GUST will open new 

vistas for the Academy, whether 

through the type of programs provided 

or the distinguished lecturers, which will 

contribute to the continuous development 

of the Bank’s staff. 

Kuwait govt to enforce 

law, improve health care 

KUWAIT: Kuwait government is determined 

to enforce law to crack down 

on crime and address status of expatriates 

living here illegally, while building 

more hospitals and further 

improve health care for citizens. 

Deputy prime minister and interior 

minister Sheikh Ahmad Humoud Al- 

Sabah and his ministry’s officers 

briefed a cabinet meeting on Monday 

about implementation of recommendations 

by MPs during a recent parliamentary 

session over the security situation 

in Kuwait. 

Sheikh Ahmad and the officers said 

the interior ministry would develop 

role of police stations and addressing 

status of expatriates whose residencies 

have expired, Minister of state for 

cabinet affairs and minister of state for 

municipal affairs, Sheikh Mohammad 

Abdullah Al-Sabah, said in a state- 

More hospitals in the offing 

ment after the cabinet meeting, 

chaired by His Highness the Prime 

Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al- 

Hamad Al-Sabah. 

The ministry officials said they 

planned to seek assistance of international 

expertise to boost security 

measures against crime, and enforce 

security and stability nationwide, he 

said. 

Meanwhile, minister of health Dr 

Mohammad Al-Haifi and health 

undersecretary Khaled Al-Sahlawi 

briefed the cabinet members about 

plans to establish hospitals, and 

expand capacity of current hospitals 

and medical centers. 

They said the health ministry 

sought to further facilitate health care 

for citizens, shortening time of 

appointments, improving quality of 

nursing, and recruiting specialists and 

On his part, Dr. Osama Al-Hares, 

Director - Centre of Alumni & Corporate 

Relations (CACR) at GUST emphasized 

that ITQAN Academy reflects a strategic 

partnership between the University and 

Boubyan Bank. Al-Hares noted that the 

Academy’s programs are among the 

best training programs provided in the 

region stressing that they are closely 

related to staff’s career path as the 

Bank’s staff need to develop their capabilities 

in an academic and practical 

manner whose results are reflected on 

their performance. 

Al-Hares added that: through its 

strategic partnership with Boubyan 

Bank, GUST seeks to support the Bank 

Management’s efforts to make the best 

investment in national human resources 

sending critical patient cases for treatment 

abroad. 

The cabinet welcomed visiting 

President of the Maldives Mohammad 

Waheed Hassan. 

They cabinet members approved 

economic and technical cooperation 

agreement with Malta, a health care 

memorandum of understanding 

(MoU) with Mexico, a health service 

cooperation MoU with Cuba, and air 

transport agreement with Saudi 

Arabia. 

They took note of a letter from 

Turkish President Abdullah Gul, chairman 

of OIC’s standing Commercial 

and Economic Committee, to His 

Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al- 

Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah regarding 

the document of the COMSEC’s vision 

that Gul presented to the OIC summit 

in Makkah, Saudi Arabia.— KUNA 

Kuwaiti diving coach warns against 

degradation of marine environment 

KUWAIT: A Kuwaiti female diving 

coach warned against the increasing 

risks facing the Kuwaiti marine environment 

and diving sites in the country. 

Salwa Abdulrahim said that the 

degradation in diving sites in Kuwait 

are greatly contributed to fishermen’s 

abuse who use non-edible fish 

species as baits and place their traps 

in non-fishing zones, she pointed out. 

She further explained that damaged 

nets are also thrown into the 

waters which become a graveyard to 

marine creatures. Her warnings 

extended to waste and ship oil seeping 

into the sea that become detrimental 

to plankton, crucial food 

source to fish. 

This careless human interference 

has majorly affected marine life and 

has prevented it from going through 

its own cycle of cleaning and healing. 

Overfishing, that is when people 

fish during fish breeding seasons, in 

another factor that harms marine 

environment. She called on those 

people who take fishing as a hobby to 

put small fish back into the sea in 

order to breed. 

“Despite the destruction of our 

marine life, it is still beautiful,” 

Abdulrahim said, pointing out that 

she has organized undersea photo 

shooting courses to provide people 

with an opportunity to take in marine 

beauty. 

“The best time for enjoying undersea 

marine life beauty is during the 

winter seasons as well as the end of 

May, when sea waters are clear from 

any pollutants,” she said. 

The Area surrounding Garooh 

Island, she said, is considered one of 

the best diving areas in Kuwait due to 

abundance in corals and marine 

organisms. However, the islands of 

Kubbar and Um El Maradem have less 

marine beauty since they are negatively 

affected by their closeness to 

the shore. 

Abdulrahim expressed disappointment 

in the lack of comprehensive 

environmental awareness campaigns 

in the country, calling on education 

and media institutions as well as diving 

training centers to organize such 

campaigns. 

Salwa Abdulrahim is a Scuba 

School International (SSI) executive 

director. She went under advanced 

and professional diving courses in 

Egypt and Germany. — KUNA 

Information minister heads 

cultural planning committee 

KUWAIT: Culture, Arts and intellectual planning committee 

in the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters 

held its first meeting yesterday, headed by the Minister of 

Information, Minister of State for Youth Affairs and 

Chairman of the National Council, Sheikh Salman Sabah 

Al-Salem Al-Humoud Al-Sabah. 

Sheikh Salman said that the committee should followup 

cultural plans and projects of the National Council in 

Kuwait and abroad. He added, the committee would also 

assure compatibility of those programs with state institutes 

and set priorities for youth affairs, stressing on the 

importance of adopting additional ideas and active projects 

aimed at developing youth capabilities. 

He also stressed on keeping in mind that such projects 

or publications issued by the National Council do not 

contradict with publications, television and radio laws. 

Sheikh Salman encouraged joining youth within the 

National Council’s activities, and enabling them to succeed 

in all fields of arts and culture. 

The Minister also assured activating media and marketing 

policies of the council’s programs in the aim of 

reinforcing and supporting the uprising of the “Kuwaiti 

citizen” in all fields. 

Meanwhile, Sheikh Salman praised all initiatives and 

recent theatre presentations, highlighting the importance 

of adopting children and youth theatre. 

“We look forward to the National Council’s active role 

in spreading awareness and adopting projects and cultural 

activities in the country,: he said. 

“We are at a stage in need of investing in national 

manpower in various fields of the country”, adding “we 

look forward to finding strategies for tourism and entertainment 

through various programs within the National 

Council”. The Committee consists of its head Dr Hamad 

Al-Habad, Deputy Dr Haila Al-Mukaimi, Dr Wafa Al-Saif, 

Engineer Mahmoud Al-Musawi, Khalifa Al-Failkawi and 

Rawan Al-Jesmi. —KUNA 

BEIRUT: Kuwait Red Crescent Society 

(KRCS) announced here yesterday 

launching the second stage of “loaf of 

bread” project in Lebanon to aid Syrian 

refugees in cooperation with the 

Lebanese Red Cross Society (LRCS). 

The KRCS head envoy, Musaad Al- 

Enizi said that the project will be 

implemented in three stages starting 

next Thursday. The first stage includes 

distributing bread loaves to a total of 

3,000 families of Syrian refugees in the 

northern port city of Tripoli for a whole 

month, while the second stage would 

start next Friday in Akkar, the northernmost 

province of the country, by 

in order to improve performance and 

upgrade work in the Bank. In addition, 

the Bank’s Training Division strives to 

adopt the best training programs and 

plans and e-learning technologies and 

techniques that keep pace with international 

training levels. 

Noteworthy is that Boubyan Bank has 

signed in early June 2012 an agreement 

for the establishment of ITQAN Academy 

in cooperation with GUST to act as a 

centre for developing the Bank’s human 

resources in an academic manner by 

providing latest specialized programs, 

administrative sciences, and programs 

accredited by international institutions, 

in correspondence with work environment 

in Boubyan Bank and in compliance 

with the Islamic Shari’ah. 

offering bread loaves to 3,500 families, 

whereas the third stage will kick off in 

coastal town of Sidon by next Monday, 

offering bread loaves to 2,500 families 

of Syrian refugees, Al-Enizi affirmed. 

KRCS will supply the Syrian 

refugees with 3,800,000 bread loaves 

to be distributed to 9,000 families of 

Syrian refugees on a daily basis for a 

whole month besides one liter of olive 

oil for each family. 

KRCS contracted with several bakeries 

in Tripoli, Akkar and Sidon to 

implement the project perfectly, and 

deliver the bread at the required 

speed, especially that the needs of 


In cooperation with GUST, the 

Academic Partner, the Academy provides 

the Bank’s staff with a number of 

training programs by giving them the 

opportunity to get 55% of the of MBA 

credits, and 50% of Bachelor’s credits. A 

group of the teaching staff of the 

University possessing academic and 

practical experience in addition to internationally 

certified trainers in training 

and development in Boubyan Bank have 

executed these specialized training programs 

in many fields comprising 

accounting, finance, banking sciences, 

management and leadership for the 

Bank’s managers and staff joining ITQAN 

Academy as well as the MBA program 

and Bachelor’s degree in specialized 

administrative sciences. 

KRCS launches second stage of 

‘Loaf of Bread’ for refugees 

Syrian refugees are increasing on daily 

basis. Al-Enizi hailed the effort exerted 

by KRCS Chairman Barjas Al-Barjas in 

following up with the humanitarian 

efforts of the society in countries hosting 

the Syrian refugees. 

United Nations High Commissioner 

for Refugees (UNHCR) spokeswoman 

Dana Suleiman, in remarks to KUNA, 

praised the humanitarian aid offered 

by Kuwait to Syrian refugees, and 

hailed the distinguished role of KRCS 

in this field. The needs of the Syrian 

refugees are greatly increasing after 

they reached a total of 397,000, she 

affirmed.— KUNA

LOCAL 

KUWAIT: Police on Monday recovered the 

body of a man, half-buried in the ground in 

Shaddadiya near a major university project, 

after a security guard noticed it and called to 

alert them. Examination carried out by criminal 

investigators revealed that the victim sustained 

a fatal blow to the head, leading detectives 

to suspect that foul play was involved. 

The victim was identified as a 30-year-old 

Egyptian man after detectives found his wallet 

in his pocket. Preliminary investigations indicated 

that the man was likely to have been 

killed 24 hours before the body was discovered. 

The body was taken to the forensic 

department after crime scene investigators 

examined the scene. 

Search for rapists 

Police are looking to identify and arrest 

three male suspects accused of sexually 

assaulting two teenagers they kidnapped in 

Salmiya recently. According to the police 

report, the suspects first kidnapped one boy 

and then forced another into their vehicle 

before driving to a remote location where they 

assaulted them physically and sexually. The 

two Jordanian teenagers headed to the area’s 

police station after the suspects left them and 

escaped. 

Student killed 

A student died in Sulaibikhat after he was 

hit by a car on his way home. Paramedics 

rushed to the scene shortly after the accident 

was reported, and pronounced the Egyptian 

boy dead on the spot. The body was taken to 

the coroner while a Kuwaiti driver who reportedly 

accidentally ended up hitting the child 

was taken into custody for further action. 

Officer hurt 

A policeman was seriously wounded while 

being in pursuit of three suspects who were 

caught in Hawally for possessing drugs. Two 

patrol officers gave a chase to a vehicle after 

the driver ignored orders to pull over for reckless 

driving. They were able to intercept and 

stop the car and then arrested two Kuwaiti 

men while their third accomplice managed to 

escape on foot. The suspects were referred to 

the Drug Control General Department after 13 

drug pills were found from their car. The officer 

reportedly fractured his knee while trying to 

overpower the suspects who put up strong 

resistance. 

Farwaniya crackdown 

More than 40 women were arrested on 

Sunday on charges of prostitution during an 

operation carried out in Al-Farwaniya. 

Security officers reportedly raided nine 

homes during the crackdown after obtaining 

warrants based on investigations which confirmed 

that the places were being used for illegal 

activities. A total of 46 women, described 

as “prostitutes” in the police report, were 

arrested. Three of the detainees are African 

nationals while the rest belong to different 

Asian nationalities. The women were taken to 

the proper authorities for further action, along 

with a number of men who were also caught 

during the campaign. 


KUWAIT: Public Relations Director at the Fire Department, Lt Col Khalil Al-Amir, delivered an informative lecture in both Arabic and English language to the workers at the JW Marriott Hotel yesterday. During the lecture and live 

demonstration that focused on ways to use fire fighting equipment and how to carry out an evacuation till firefightersí arrival, Al-Amir advised that the best strategy was to stay calm and not let confusion prevail. 

KOC projects progressing 

in full swing 

KUWAIT: Deputy Managing Director of 

Services at Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) 

Ismail Abdullah said yesterday that the 

company has a number of projects aimed 

to develop Ahmadi City. 

Abdullah told reporters that KOC has 

started off with the rehabilitation of markets 

and buildings as initial projects. He 

added during the opening of the 8th travel 

and tourism exhibition today organized by 

KOC that the company aims to develop 

Ahmadi City to become more distinctive 

and beautiful, noting that an adequate 

budget has been earmarked for these projects. 

As for the new Ahmadi Hospital building, 

Abdullah explained that the work is 

progressing well and in full swing, saying 

the hospital would serve all the workers in 

the oil sector. He said the new hospital 

would be opened in 2015. — KUNA 

MPs to examine 

oil installations 

KUWAIT: The National Assembly will 

form a delegation to inspect Mina 

Mubarak, border marks and oil installations 

located along the northern borders 

of the country. 

The parliament, during a regular session 

yesterday, approved a request by a 

member of the assembly to form the delegation 

for this inspection mission. The 

bureau of the assembly will be tasked 

with establishing it. MPs, during yesterday’s 

session, in response to a written 

request by the chairman of the parliamentary 

committee of health and social 

affairs, approved adjourning the period 

for presenting its report regarding condition 

of public hospitals, health insurance 

for Kuwaitis and privatization of health 

services to the next session. The issue of 

medical treatment abroad was exempted 

for further investigation. 

They okayed another letter, presented 

by the head of the parliamentary health 

committee, requesting that the Audit 

Bureau be tasked with preparing a study 

about the treatment abroad in the fiscal 

years 2012-2011 and 2012-2013. The 

study should be submitted to the assembly 

within three months. 

They also responded positively to 

request by Minister of State for Planning 

and Development and Minister of State 

for National Assembly Affairs Dr. Rola 

Dashti for specializing the Thursday session 

for following on recommendations 

of the security issues’ session, discussing 

health topics and delaying debates on 

demographic issue and unemployment 

to later sessions. 

Discussing two other proposals was 

delayed for two weeks, upon a government 

request, one related to the formation 

of a temporary committee for examining 

recent personnel promotion in the 

oil sector and the other concerning the 

formation of a fact-finding commission 

to ponder problems involving Kuwaiti 

students in Jordan. — KUNA 

Foul play suspected 

in death of Egyptian 

Officer hurt in car chase 

Theft cases 

Two thieves impersonated as police officers 

to commit a theft in Jahra recently. Officers at 

the area’s police station were approached by 

two Iranian men who complained of having 

been robbed of KD5000 and a cell phone. They 

explained that two people in national dress 

(dishdasha) approached them at their work 

place and then stole their belongings after 

claiming that they were investigation officers. 

Probe is on. 

Meanwhile, Hawally police nabbed an 

Egyptian man who duped many pedestrians of 

their cell phones by claiming to be in an emergency 

situation and borrowing their phones. 

Investigations began to trace the suspect after a 

number of Asian men reported losing their 

phones in the same fashion. The suspect would 

reportedly approach his victim and ask to make 

an important phone call, then escape as soon as 

he was handed the cell phone. The man was 

caught red-handed in an ambush near a building 

in the area while he was trying to rob a 

pedestrian. 

Ingrate son 

Search is on for a young man who reportedly 

tried to assault his father when his request to 

buy a new car was rejected. Police were called 

on Sunday night to an Andalus house where the 

incident was reported. The youngster reportedly 

went berserk after his father asked him to wait 

till he learnt to drive better before he buys him a 

brand new car. He reportedly tried to attack his 

father but his older brother intervened. He disappeared 

before police arrived at the scene.


Indian court ends travel ban on Italy ambassador 

KERBET AL-KHALDIYE: A Syrian woman carries her children near their makeshift refugee camp in the mountains in the area of Kherbet Al-Khaldiye, on the Syria-Turkey border. — AFP 

News 

in brief 

Saudi deports Yemenis 

SANAA: Thousands of Yemeni workers have been expelled 

from Saudi Arabia after it imposed new labor constraints 

affecting millions of expatriates in the oil-rich kingdom, an 

official said yesterday. The new regulations introduced by the 

Saudi labor ministry aim to reduce the number of foreign 

workers to create jobs for millions of unemployed Saudis. 

“Thousands of Yemenis had to leave Saudi Arabia. They were 

victims of an arbitrary application of the new regulations,” a 

Yemeni government official said. He said workers saw their 

residency permits torn into pieces by Saudi government representatives. 

Under the new rules, foreigners are allowed to 

work only for their legal sponsors in the kingdom while their 

spouses cannot take up jobs. Many foreigners enter Saudi 

Arabia on the sponsorship of a Saudi national but end up 

working for others, or set up their own businesses. Around 

one million Yemenis live in neighboring Saudi Arabia, transferring 

around $4 billion annually to their impoverished 

nation, according to non-official estimates. 

‘Restoring BBC’s reputation’ 

LONDON: New BBC director-general Tony Hall took up his 

post yesterday, starting the task of restoring the reputation 

of the world’s biggest broadcaster that has been rocked by a 

child sex abuse scandal. Hall walked into the BBC’s 

Broadcasting House headquarters in central London to tackle 

an in-tray topped with the fallout from police investigations 

which concluded that the corporation’s late presenter 

Jimmy Savile was one of Britain’s most prolific sex offenders. 

The British Broadcasting Corporation was subsequently damaged 

by a botched television report wrongly indicating that 

a lawmaker was a paedophile. 

KHERBET AL-KHALDIYEH: For millions of Syrians displaced by 

fighting, every day is a struggle to survive, and for those in 

Kherbet Al-Khaldiye, that means eating and drinking whatever 

they can forage. “We eat herbs and collect stagnant rainwater to 

drink and wash in,” says 24-year-old Hisham, his head covered in 

a red and white chequered keffiyeh scarf. Hisham, who sports a 

budding blonde beard, was about to enter university when the 

fighting that has engulfed Syria erupted in 2011. Now he has 

joined the wave of his compatriots displaced by the conflict. In 

Kherbet Al-Khaldiyeh, a makeshift camp near the Turkish border, 

Hisham shows off a nearly-dry rivulet of water, infested with fungi 

and insects, surrounded by a swarm of children, many of 

whom have contracted skin infections because of the dirty 

water. Naida, 35, has seven young children. She bathes them in 

the infested water because the nearest clean water supply is several 

kilometers away. 

“We pick herbs like mint and mallow in the countryside and 

we cook them. We don’t have anything else to eat,” she says. “My 

husband used to work in a quarry, breaking stone, but now we 

have no more resources and no one to help us. Once we 

brought a kilo of potatoes per family-how can we all live on a 

potato a week?” Every so often, along with a group of other 

women, Naida goes to the nearest village in search of potable 

water. “We carry the cans on our heads for several miles,” she 

says, her blue eyes faded with exhaustion. Ibrahim, 25, was living 

in a village near the Minnigh airport-a key flashpoint between 

Syrian rebel forces and the regime. The non-stop air raids and 

shelling eventually forced him to flee, along with his two sons, 

and around 20 other families. His village was able to save a few 

of their animals and bring them along. “Each day we slaughter a 

chicken like that one,” he says, glancing at a paltry specimen as it 

passes. “That chicken would be for all of us, can you imagine 

how much each person gets?” he says with a bitter smile. 

More than a million Syrians have left the country since 

peaceful protests against the regime of President Bashar Al- 

Assad erupted in March 2011, spiraling into a civil war after his 

forces unleashed a brutal crackdown on dissent. But not everyone 

is able to cross the border and escape the violence, with 

many lacking passports or sufficient money to make the journey. 

Those residents have been forced to seek the safest places 

they can within Syria. 

For the roughly 100 people here, the safest place available 

was this strip of countryside in Aleppo province, where they live 

among the scattered remains of Roman ruins, a few kilometers 

from the Turkish border. At first, they were living in holes in the 

ground, lined with straw to provide some 

protection against the cold and the snow, 

Naida says. Now they have managed to 

get tents marked with the logo of the 

United Nations refugee agency UNHCR. 

In cold and unhealthy living conditions, 

the little makeshift village also 

struggles on with almost no access to 

Page 11 

medicine, particularly for sick children. 

“By the time they get to the nearest 

pharmacy, in Azaz (in northern Syria) or in 

Turkey, the child is dead,” 25-year-old Issa 

says, dressed in a warm coat in camouflage 

colours that came from Syrian rebel 

fighters. 

Seated on a stone, set back from the 

Jerusalem deal boosts 

Jordan in Holy City 

Displaced Syrians eat herbs to survive 

Air raids force thousands to flee 

Saleh hospitalized 

RIYADH: Former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh, who 

has been accused of meddling in his country’s fragile political 

transition, was in Saudi Arabia yesterday for treatment, a 

Yemeni diplomat said. Saleh arrived for medical tests and 

treatment in the Saudi capital on Monday, his party, General 

People’s Congress (GPC), said. He spent time recovering in a 

Riyadh hospital in June 2011 after an attack on his compound 

left him seriously wounded. A Yemeni diplomat confirmed 

to AFP that Saleh was in Riyadh and sources in the 

GPC said that Saudi Arabia chartered a plane to take him to 

the kingdom. Saleh was admitted to hospital, the head of the 

GPC parliamentary bloc, Sultan Al-Barakani, said. He did not 

elaborate on the nature of the treatment. After 33 years as 

Yemen’s head of state, Saleh left power in February 2012 as 

part of an agreement for the transition of power in the country, 

which also gave him and his family immunity from prosecution. 

He last visited Saudi Arabia in November 2011, when 

he travelled to Riyadh to sign the transitional agreement in 

the presence of Saudi King Abdullah, one of the plan’s main 

sponsors. —Agencies 

Page 8 

other residents, 80-year-old Rajab 

observes the life of the makeshift village 

in the middle of nowhere. “Under the 

tent, you feel the wind, the cold,” says 

Rajab, the patriarch of a family of 40 

people. “Who can live in these conditions? 

Look around you, who can live like 

this?” —AFP

INTERNATIONAL 

Jerusalem deal boosts Jordan in Holy City 

AMMAN: A Jordan-Palestinian 

deal entrusting King Abdullah II 

with the defense of Muslim holy 

sites in Jerusalem appears to be 

aimed at engaging Amman in 

future peace talks with Israel, 

experts say. The deal signed 

between the Jordanian monarch 

and Palestinian president 

Mahmud Abbas on Sunday confirmed 

a verbal agreement dating 

back to 1924 that gave the kingdom 

custodianship over the city’s 

holy sites. 

But its timing, hot on the heels 

of a March 20-24 regional tour by 

US President Barack Obama, has 

intrigued analysts with some linking 

it to the deadlocked peace 

process and others seeing it as a 

possible shield against future 

JERUSALEM: A general view shows Al-Aqsa Mosque (center) and the Dome of the Rock in 

the old city of Jerusalem. A deal signed between the Jordanian King Abdullah II and 

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas has confirmed a verbal agreement dating back to 

1924 that gave the kingdom custodianship over the city’s holy sites. —AFP 

action by Israel. “It might be a sign 

for the start of efforts led by 

Obama to resume peace talks as it 

shows that the Palestinian 

Authority and Jordan have creative 

solutions for Jerusalem,” said Oraib 

Rintawi, head of the Al-Quds 

Centre for Political Studies. 

“It boosts Jordan’s role in the 

Jerusalem question, giving legal 

and political means to tackle the 

issue internationally with the 

recognition of the Palestinians and 

Israel.” On Sunday the king and 

Abbas stressed their “common goal 

to defending” Jerusalem and its 

sacred sites against attempts to 

Judaise the Holy City, particularly 

the flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque 

compound. “In this historic agreement, 

Abbas reiterated that the 

king is the custodian of holy sites in 

Jerusalem and that he has the right 

to exert all legal efforts to preserve 

them, especially Al-Aqsa mosque,” 

the palace said in a statement. 

The status of Jerusalem is one 

of the most contentious issues in 

the long-running Israeli-Palestinian 

conflict, and the Al-Aqsa compound 

is the scene of frequent 

clashes between Palestinians and 

Israelis. Israel, which occupied 

Arab east Jerusalem during the 

1967 Six-Day War and later 

annexed it, claims both halves of 

the city to be its “eternal and undivided 

capital”, a move that has not 

been recognised by the international 

community. 

But the Palestinians want the 

Kurdish-Turkey peace 

process faces impasse 

PKK demands legal guarantees for withdrawal 

ISTANBUL: Turkey’s peace process with Kurdish 

militants faces a hurdle as the rebels demand 

legal protection to prevent any military attack on 

them during their planned withdrawal after 

decades of fighting, a call rejected by the government. 

The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) 

declared a ceasefire with Turkey last month in 

response to an order from its jailed leader 

Abdullah Ocalan after months of talks with 

Ankara to halt a conflict which has killed more 

than 40,000. 

The next planned step is a withdrawal of PKK 

fighters from Turkish territory to their bases in 

the mountains of northern Iraq, but the militants 

say they could be vulnerable to attack from 

Turkish troops unless parliament gives them 

legal protection. “The guerrillas cannot withdraw 

unless a legal foundation is prepared and measures 

are taken, because guerrillas suffered major 

attacks when they left in the past,” PKK commander 

Cemil Bayik told Kurdish Nuce TV in an 

interview aired late on Monday. 

Hundreds of PKK fighters are estimated to 

have been killed in clashes with security forces 

during a previous withdrawal in 1999 after 

Ocalan’s capture and conviction for treason. 

Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has said he guarantees 

there would be no repeat of such clashes 

Sudan frees 

7 political 

prisoners 

KHARTOUM: Sudan freed seven political prisoners yesterday, 

a day after President Omar Hassan Al-Bashir ordered 

the release of all such detainees. The amnesty came after 

Sudan and South Sudan agreed in March to end hostilities 

and resume cross-border oil flows after coming close to 

war a year ago. Khartoum had accused its southern neighbor 

of supporting rebels trying to topple Bashir. 

Seven members of an opposition group were released 

from Kober prison in Khartoum at dawn on Tuesday, witnesses 

said. They had been held since January after being 

accused of meeting a group of Sudanese rebels in Uganda 

who planned to overthrow Bashir. Farouk Abu Issa, head 

of the National Consensus Forces grouping of the main 

opposition parties, confirmed the release of the seven. 

“We demand all other political prisoners be released,” he 

said. 

Rights groups have accused the government of holding 

an unspecified number of dissidents since the security 

services cracked down on small protests against austerity 

measures unveiled by Bashir last year. In February, a UN 

human rights expert visiting Sudan said authorities were 

holding opposition figures and other detainees without 

trial and denying them urgent medical care. Bashir did not 

say when, and how many, prisoners would be released in 

his speech to parliament on Monday. 

“I announce today my decision to release all political 

prisoners,” said the president, in power since 1989. “I also 

renew a commitment to create a climate to hold a national 

dialogue with the other political forces.” Issa called for 

Bashir to take further measures, including lifting a ban on 

newspapers which had been critical of the government. 

Sudan’s weak and fractured opposition have tried to bring 

“Arab Spring” protests to Khartoum, but failed to mobilize 

mass support. 

Vice President Ali Osman Taha last week invited rebel 

groups to help prepare a new constitution following the 

secession of South Sudan in July 2011. Khartoum has 

accused Juba of backing rebels of the Sudan People’s 

Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-North) which took up 

arms in two border states around the time of South 

Sudan’s declaration of independence. Rebels of the SPLM- 

North sided with the south during the civil war with 

Khartoum that led up to South Sudan’s secession but were 

left inside Sudan after the partition. —Reuters 

but is against legislation, instead saying the 

rebels should disarm before withdrawing to 

remove the risk of firefights with Turkish forces. 

“We don’t care where those withdrawing 

leave their weapons or even whether they bury 

them. They must put them down and go. 

Because otherwise this situation is very open to 

provocation,” Erdogan said in a television interview 

late on Friday. Milliyet newspaper reported 

security sources as saying about 700 of 1,500 PKK 

militants believed to be in Turkey may be allowed 

to reintegrate into society rather than withdrawing 

as they have not taken part in armed attacks. 

POLITICAL RISK 

The PKK has rejected a withdrawal without 

legal protection. “A withdrawal as called for by 

Erdogan is not on our movement’s agenda,” PKK 

leaders in northern Iraq said at the weekend, calling 

for government action to advance the peace 

process. “It is essential for the lasting and healthy 

development of the process that some concrete, 

practical steps are taken in order to convince our 

forces,” the group said in a statement. 

Erdogan has taken a considerable political 

risk in allowing negotiations with Ocalan, reviled 

by most Turks, to unfold publicly. The government 

has said little about what reforms it would 

make to persuade the PKK to disarm. The PKK, 

designated a terrorist group by Turkey, the 

United States and European Union, launched its 

insurgency in 1984 with the aim of carving out 

an independent state in mainly Kurdish southeast 

Turkey, but later moderated its goal to 

autonomy. 

Pro-Kurdish politicians are focused on boosting 

minority rights and stronger local government 

for the Kurds, who make up about 20 percent 

of Turkey’s population of 75 million people. 

Erdogan said he would meet on Thursday members 

of a “wise people” commission who will prepare 

a report on the peace process for the government 

within one month. The pro-Kurdish 

Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) is separately 

calling for a parliamentary commission to monitor 

the process. 

Efforts to resolve the legal protection dispute 

are likely to top the agenda in planned talks 

between a BDP delegation and Ocalan in his jail 

on Imrali island, south of Istanbul. The visit is 

expected this weekend, a Justice Ministry official 

said. The visit, which may bring an order from 

Ocalan for the withdrawal to begin, will follow 

celebrations by Ocalan’s supporters to mark his 

birthday on April 4 at his birthplace in southeast 

Turkey. —Reuters 

KHARTOUM: A political prisoner from Kober prison greets a relative following 

his release in the early hours of yesterday, after Sudanese President 

Omar Al-Bashir said that he will release all political detainees. —AFP 

BAGHDAD: Gunmen attacked a contracting company in 

Iraq’s Akkas gasfield on Monday, killing at least three local 

workers and kidnapping two more before burning their 

camp in the remote western desert. Akkas, operated by 

Korea Gas Company (KOGAS) in Anbar province near the 

Syrian border, is still not producing gas. 

But the attack is another indication of increased insurgent 

presence along the frontier where Syria’s war is 

spilling into Iraq. “Gunmen in vehicles attacked the headquarters 

of a local company hired by KOGAS to do work in 

the field,” said the mayor of nearby Al Qaim town, Farhan 

Ftaikhan. “They killed an engineer and two workers and 

kidnapped two more. Before they left they set fire to vehicles 

and offices.” 

eastern sector as the capital of 

their promised state and fiercely 

oppose any Israeli attempt to 

extend sovereignty there. The Al- 

Aqsa mosque compound is 

referred to as the Temple Mount by 

Jews and Al-Haram Al-Sharif by 

Muslims. It houses both the Dome 

of the Rock and Al-Aqsa mosque- 

Islam’s third holiest shrines-and is 

venerated by Jews as the site 

where King Herod’s temple stood 

before it was destroyed by the 

Romans in 70 AD. 

‘SOMETHING’S COOKING’ 

“The agreement indicates that 

something is cooking and that 

steps are expected very soon to 

find a Palestinian-Israeli settlement,” 

said political analyst Labib 

Kamhawi. 

“The deal helps Jordan become 

publicly more active in Palestinian 

territories.” But Kamhawi said he 

was “pessimistic” and the timing 

was “suspicious”. “I think Israel is 

planning to do something in 

Jerusalem and the agreement was 

necessary to help clear the way. We 

might see developments that are 

not in the interest of Jerusalem or 

the Palestinians.” 

Rintawi said the deal also backs 

the 1994 Jordanian-Israeli peace 

treaty. “It completes articles related 

to the custodianship of holy sites. 

At the same time it clears any misunderstanding 

about custodianship 

matters and competition 

between Jordan and the 


Palestinians.” Article 9 of the peace 

treaty says Israel recognizes 

Jordan’s “special role in protecting” 

Muslim shrines in Jerusalem. 

Jordanian and Palestinian officials 

insist Sunday’s agreement has 

nothing to do with the peace 

process. “Although it could be true 

that the agreement came following 

increased Israeli Judaisation 

campaigns, it is not related to 

peace negotiations,” a senior 

palace officials said on condition of 

anonymity. 

“The main reason is to pave the 

way for Jordanian legal defense of 

Muslim holy sites in the region, 

particularly that Al-Aqsa is under 

direct danger by Israel.” The 

Palestinian ambassador to Jordan, 

Atallah Khairy, agreed. “The 

Jordanian custodianship in 

Jerusalem is very essential because 

any legal vacuum in the Holy City 

will be exploited by Israel,” he said, 

adding that “the king had been 

feeling that Israeli schemes in the 

city were growing.” 

Jordan administers the Muslim 

holy sites in Jerusalem through its 

ministry of Awqaf and religious 

affairs. Abbas on Monday told 

reporters in Ramallah that the deal 

consolidates past agreements with 

Jordan, has nothing to do with 

Obama’s visit and is not related “at 

all with the negotiations”. Direct 

talks between Israel and the 

Palestinians collapsed in autumn 

2010 in an intractable spat over 

settlement building.—AFP 

CAIRO: Egyptian satirist and television host Bassem Youssef is surrounded 

by his supporters upon his arrival at the public prosecutor’s office in the 

high court in Cairo. —AFP 

Egypt launches fresh 

probe against satirist 

CAIRO: Egypt’s prosecution is probing 

complaints of “threatening public security” 

against popular satirist Bassem Youssef, 

who is already on bail facing charges of 

insulting the president and offending 

Islam. Judicial sources and Youssef said the 

public prosecutor ordered the probe on 

Monday following a complaint by a lawyer. 

The state security prosecution, which 

handles national security cases, will conduct 

the investigation. “A new complaint against 

me has been referred to state security prosecution, 

for spreading rumors and false news, 

and disturbing public tranquility after the 

last episode,” Youssef wrote on Twitter. “It 

seems they want to drain us physically, emotionally 

and financially,” he added. 

The prosecutor also ordered an investigation 

into complaints against two journalists 

over a television program that discussed 

Youssef’s case, a source from the 

prosecutor’s office said. One of the journalists, 

Shaimaa Aboul El Kir, who works as a 

Middle East consultant for the New Yorkbased 

Committee to Protect Journalists, 

said she was being investigated for an 

interview in which she defended Youssef. “I 

attended Youssef’s questioning and then 

did an intervention on television. They (the 

complainants) consider what I did as a ‘disturbing 

to public security’,” she said. 

Prosecutors are also investigating Jaber 

Al-Qarmuti, the anchor El Kir spoke to on 

the show aired by the private television 

channel ONTV. Judicial sources said Youssef 

is being investigated along with the head 

of the CBC television channel which airs his 

weekly program Albernameg (The Show), 

which is modeled on Jon Stewart’s satirical 

The Daily Show. The complaint against 

them appears to accuse Youssef of stoking 

criticism of Islamists and obliquely calling 

No group claimed responsibility for the late-night 

assault, but security officials say the local wing of Al- 

Qaeda, the Islamic State of Iraq, is regaining ground in the 

remote hills, caves and villages along the Syrian border. 

Ten years after the US-led invasion, Iraq still struggles with 

political instability and Sunni Islamist fighters who often 

attack Shiite Muslims to try to provoke the kind of sectarian 

confrontation that killed thousands at the height of the 

war. 

But Al-Qaeda in Iraq is also now linked to Sunni 

Islamists fighting in neighboring Syria. Officials say it has 

been invigorated by arms, insurgents and support flowing 

to rebels battling against President Bashar Al-Assad across 

the border. The Akkas strike was the second large attack 

for a “civil war”. 

Youssef, who regularly skewers the 

country’s ruling Islamists on his wildly popular 

show, was released on $2,200 bail on 

Sunday after an interrogation that lasted 

nearly five hours. He was questioned on 

accusations of offending Islam through 

“making fun of the prayer ritual” and of 

insulting President Mohamed Morsi by 

“making fun of his international standing.” 

He now joins the ranks of several colleagues 

in the media who face charges of 

insulting the president. 

The soaring number of legal complaints 

against journalists has cast doubt on 

Morsi’s commitment to freedom of expression-a 

key demand of the popular uprising 

that toppled Hosni Mubarak in 2011. The 

United States on Monday expressed concern 

at the proceedings against Youssef, 

saying it was evidence of a “disturbing 

trend” of mounting restrictions on freedom 

of expression. “We are concerned that the 

public prosecutor appears to have questioned 

and then released on bail Bassem 

Youssef on charges of insulting Islam and 

President Morsi,” US State Department 

spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in 

Washington. 

“This, coupled with recent arrest warrants 

issued for other political activists, is 

evidence of a disturbing trend of growing 

restrictions on the freedom of expression.” 

Under Egypt’s legal system, complaints are 

filed to the public prosecutor, who decides 

whether there is enough evidence to refer 

the case to trial. Suspects can be detained 

during this stage of investigation. Rights 

lawyers say there have been four times as 

many lawsuits for insulting the president 

under Morsi than during the entire 30 years 

that Mubarak ruled.—AFP 

Gunmen attack Iraq’s gasfield, kill 3 workers 

on Monday. Earlier, a suicide bomber driving a fuel tanker 

packed with explosives hit a local government compound 

and killed at least nine people in the northern city of Tikrit. 

Attacks on Iraq’s energy sector are less common, and 

usually hit pipelines, as country builds up its oil production 

to more than 3 million barrels per day after signing massive 

deals with foreign companies to develop its reserves. 

Iraq, which holds the world’s 10th largest gas reserves, has 

said the priority for the Akkas field would be domestic 

consumption once it starts production. Baghdad signed a 

final deal for the field, which has reserves of 5.6 trillion 

cubic feet, in October 2011 after months of delays because 

of disagreements between the central government and 

Anbar provincial officials over terms. —Reuters

BAMAKO: The EU began a top-to-toe 

overhaul of Mali’s ragtag army yesterday 

to help its soldiers take the place 

of foreign troops defending the west 

African nation against an Islamist 

insurgency. The first of four battalions 

arrived in Koulikoro, 60 kilometers 

from the capital Bamako, to train 

under battle-hardened European 

instructors as part of a wider effort to 

bring the army up to scratch as quickly 

as possible. 

“The 570 men of the Malian army 

have just arrived at the training site in 

Koulikoro,” Lieutenant-Colonel Philippe 

de Cussac, spokesman for the 

European Union Training Mission in 

Mali (EUTM) said. “Initially, the training 

will be very general. Afterwards, there 

will be a specialized training in 

telecommunications, artillery and 

engineering. We will also train special 

forces elite snipers.” Around 200 trainers 

will come from France, the United 

Kingdom, Sweden, Finland, Lithuania, 

Luxembourg and Ireland, de Cussac 

said. 

France, which sent 4,000 troops to 

its former colony in January to block 

an advance on the capital from the 

north by Al-Qaeda-linked fighters, is 

the lead country in the 10-week mission. 

Paris is preparing to hand over to 

a UN-mandated African force of 6,300 

in the coming weeks, placing a spotlight 

on Mali’s poorly-paid, illequipped 

and badly-organized armed 

forces. 

The Malian military fell apart last 

year when well-armed Islamist extremists 

seized the country’s vast northern 

desert, terrorizing locals with amputations 

and executions performed under 

a brutal interpretation of sharia Islamic 

law. The French-led intervention quickly 

drove out the insurgents but significant 

pockets of resistance remain in 

the Ifoghas mountains as well as in the 

northern cities of Gao and Timbuktu. 

In the latest spate of violence, 

Islamist gunmen used the confusion 

created by a suicide bomber on 

Saturday to infiltrate Timbuktu and 

engage French and Malian troops in 

fighting that left at least eight rebels, a 

soldier and a civilian dead. A 

spokesman for the Movement for 

Oneness and Jihad in West Africa, one 

of three armed Islamist groups operating 

in northern Mali, was quoted by 

the Mauritanian online news portal 

ANI, as threatening France and its 

allies with “more jihadist actions”. 

Around half of the estimated 6,000 

remaining Malian troops will train over 

the next year with the EUTM, which 

INTERNATIONAL 

EU troops begin Mali training mission 

will run on a budget of 12.3 million 

euros ($15.8 million), with a first batch 

expected to be ready for combat in the 

north by early July. Once trained, each 

of the four Mali battalions will have a 

unified command with an infantrymobile 

core, backed by artillery and 

engineering, and a logistics component. 

French General Francois 

Lecointre, who heads the EUTM, said 

the Malian army’s poor and “heterogeneous” 

equipment, made up of material 

donated by richer nations over two 

decades, was a big problem for the 

mission. 

The bigger issue however is the 

army’s lack of a clear hierarchy and 

chain of command, with little team 

spirit, he said. The United States had 

initially begun an ambitious program 

to train a new generation of Malian 

officers as part of a counter-terrorism 

program in North and West Africa but 

the effort ended in embarrassment for 

Washington. One of the officers who 

attended several courses with the US 

military, Captain Amadou Sanago, led 

a coup against the Malian government 

last March, prompting Washington to 

suspend its security assistance. 

And when militants pushed out of 

the north last year, some of the Malian 

army units ended up defecting, with 

Napolitano hosts talks 

as deadlock drags on KANO: Weekend attacks on three com- 

ROME: Italian President Giorgio 

Napolitano yesterday hosted experts 

from two working groups aimed at finding 

common ground for bickering political 

leaders who have failed to form a new 

government as Prime Minister Mario 

Monti’s cabinet limps on. Elections in the 

euro-zone’s third largest economy more 

than a month ago resulted in a threeway 

split between Pier Luigi Bersani’s 

centre-left, Silvio Berlusconi’s centreright 

and a new protest party led by former 

comedian Beppe Grillo. 

Talks have proved inconclusive and 

Napolitano on Saturday said he was setting 

up two working groups-one for 

political reforms, the other for economic 

ones-as a way of trying to forge an 

agreement at least on a few fundamental 

reforms. The groups include constitutional 

expert Valerio Onida and will look into 

cutting bureaucratic costs and reducing 

the number of lawmakers in the Italian 

parliament - 945 including deputies in 

the lower house and senators in the 

upper house. 

Emergency economic measures are 

also on the agenda as the country 

endures its sixth consecutive quarter of 

recession and the unemployment rate 

remains close to record highs at 11.6 percent. 

Some experts say Napolitano’s initiative 

could be aimed at forging a crossparty 

government deal similar to the one 

struck in the Netherlands in October 

2012 two months after inconclusive 

polls. But Berlusconi’s People of Freedom 

party has already criticized the move as a 

delaying tactic, insisting there should be 

new elections if no solution can be found 

to the deadlock. A recent poll indicated 

that the 76-year-old Berlusconi-a scandal-tainted 

billionaire tycoon who has 

called for the abolition of an unpopular 

property tax imposed by Monti and criticized 

Germany’s role in Europe would 

win elections. “The house is burning. No 

one would understand more delays,” said 

Angelino Alfano, secretary general of 

Berlusconi’s People of Freedom party. 

The SWG poll published last week gave 

Berlusconi 32.5 percent compared to 

29.6 percent for Bersani. 

“Napolitano wanted to send a reassuring 

signal... and show that 10 intelligent 

and well-intentioned people can 

agree on some useful objectives for the 

future of the country,” said Sergio 

Romano, a columnist for the Corriere della 

Sera daily. The 87-year-old Napolitano’s 

tactic appeared to be working, with borrowing 

costs down and the Milan stock 

market trading in positive territory after 

falling slightly at the start of the session. 

Napolitano considered resigning over 

the crisis but was persuaded not to by 

European Central Bank chief Mario 

Draghi, Italian media reported. 

A resignation “would have exposed 

the country to a very grave risk in terms 

of its international credibility,” Ugo De 

Siervo, former head of Italy’s top court, 

said in La Repubblica daily. De Siervo said 

Napolitano’s plan was to “encourage the 

parties to show greater responsibility” 

and prepare for the end of his mandate 

on May 15, by which time parliament has 

to elect a new president. Napolitano cannot 

call new elections because he is in 

the last months of his seven-year mandate 

but his successor would be able to 

do so. Monti’s government will stay in 

place with interim powers until a new 

government is formed.— AFP 

UK ‘plotted’ to kill Congo’s Lumumba 

LONDON: A former British intelligence officer claimed that 

Britain played a role in the assassination of Congolese independence 

hero Patrice Lumumba, one of her friends has told the 

British media. Before she died three years ago, Daphne Park-who 

was sent as an MI6 officer to the Belgian Congo in 1959 - told a 

fellow member of Britain’s House of Lords that she had helped 

coordinate Britain’s role in Lumumba’s elimination two years later. 

The claim will spark surprise because the former colonial power 

Belgium concluded in 2001 that it had a “moral responsibility” 

in the assassination of Lumumba, Congo’s first democraticallyelected 

prime minister. David Lea said in a letter to the London 

Review of Books that he had a conversation with Park in 2009 — 

a year before she died-in which they discussed the likelihood of 

Britain’s MI6 foreign intelligence agency being involved in 

Lumumba’s death. “It so happens that I was having a cup of tea 

with Daphne Park a few months before she died,” Lea said. 

“I mentioned the uproar surrounding Lumumba’s abduction 

and murder, and recalled the theory that MI6 might have had 

something to do with it. ‘We did,’ she replied. ‘I organized it’.” “It 

was a conversation-stopper. I was stunned,” Lea said, adding that 

he concluded from the exchange that whoever was directly culpable 

for Lumumba’s death, the British government was “at the 

centre of the spider’s web”. His letter was in response to a new 

book on the British secret services called “Empire of Secrets: 

British Intelligence, the Cold War and the Twilight of Empire”. 

Park is said to have had a high degree of influence in the 

region after she was appointed consul and first secretary in 

Leopoldville-now known as Kinshasa-in 1959, one year before 

Congo won its independence from Belgium. The CIA is also 

believed to have played a role in organizing the plot to eliminate 

Lumumba, because of his growing alliance with the Soviet Union. 

Lumumba was killed by firing squad after a coup led by Joseph- 

Desire Mobutu. Mobutu renamed the country Zaire. It is now 

known as the Democratic Republic of Congo. Lumumba’s death 

is to be the subject of a judicial probe in Belgium after a court 

gave the go-ahead last year.— AFP 

LEOPOLDVILLE: File picture taken in December 1960, 

shows soldiers guarding Patrice Lumumba (right), 

Prime Minister of then Congo-Kinshasa, and Joseph 

Okito (left), vice-president of the Senate, upon their 

arrest in Leopoldville (now Kinshasa). — AFP 

Tanzania quarry 

collapse kills 13 

ARUSHA: At least 13 people were killed in the northern 

Tanzanian city of Arusha when the sides of a quarry caved in, a 

local official said yesterday. “There are 13 dead but rescuers 

managed to save two people,” said Mulongo Magessa, governor 

of Arusha province, of the accident that took place late 

Monday morning, days after a building collapse killed 36 people 

in the east African nation’s commercial capital. 

“One person remains in hospital, the other has been 

released,” Magessa added. Those who died were believed to 

have been digging in the small quarry for rocks and sand for 

use at construction projects in Arusha. Security forces and 

local volunteers pulled out the bodies of the victims on 

Monday, local media said. Tanzania has been hit by heavy seasonal 

rains causing flash floods that weakened the sides of the 

quarry, which is understood to have been illegal. Digging at 

the site was declared illegal in 2006 after a similar incident in 

which several people died. 

Meanwhile, rescuers said they had ended the search in the 

port city of Dar es Salaam four days after the building collapse, 

saying the final number killed in that accident was 36. 

“We have now called off the rescue operation,” the city’s commissioner 

Saidi Mecky Sadicky told reporters. Two children 

were among the dead. Local residents had turned out to supply 

rescuers with food, water and medication. 

“I want to thank all those who participated in this exercise, 

the people of Dar es Salaam and Tanzania will forever be 

grateful,” Sadicky added. Between 60 and 70 were initially 

thought to have been around the partially-built 16-storey 

building when it came crashing down on Friday morning in 

the Kisutu area of the coastal city. Sadicky said investigations 

were continuing into the cause of the building collapse, and 

that police were holding eight people for questioning. 

Dar es Salaam, a major port for east Africa and home to 

some four million people, is rapidly expanding, and is one of 

the world’s fastest growing cities, according to United Nations 

figures. Construction projects crowd the city, including several 

high-rise developments, although the majority of people live 

in simple, informal housing.—AFP 

munities in volatile and ethnically 

divided central Nigeria have left 19 

people dead and displaced some 4,500 

others, a local official said yesterday. 

The attacks were believed to be 

reprisals in a dispute involving mainly 

Muslim Fulanis and the mostly 

Christian Atakar ethnic group. 

“From the death toll we’ve compiled, 

19 people including women and children 

were killed by gunmen we suspect 

to be Fulani herdsmen in attacks on 

three communities on Saturday night 

through Sunday,” local government official 

Kumai Badu said of the violence in 

the Kaura district, a remote region of 

Kaduna state. 

Fulanis in the area tend to be 

nomadic herdsmen, while Atakar are 

mainly farmers. Land disputes often 

flare up between the two groups. Badu 

added that some 4,500 people were displaced 

and two camps had been set up 

to house them. “Apart from the gun 

weapons and hardware falling into the 

hands of Islamist militants. It was a 

sobering outcome for the US, which 

has touted the idea of training foreign 

armies to fight terror threats instead of 

launching more ground wars with 


American troops. The experience 

helped shape the Obama administration’s 

cautious response to the French 

military intervention in Mali, with the 

US providing only limited support to 

French forces.— AFP 

TIMBUKTU: Malian soldiers enter the historic city of Timbuktu occupied for 

10 months by Islamists who imposed a harsh form of sharia.— AFP 

19 killed in Nigeria 

Communities battle in volatile central Nigeria 

attacks, the assailants also set fire to 

homes,” he said. Kaduna state police 

commissioner Olufemi Adenaike confirmed 

that “some villages were 

attacked by gunmen suspected to be 

Fulani”, but said he could not yet provide 

a death toll. 

“There has been some misunderstanding 

between the Fulani and the 

Atakar communities for some time,” he 

said. “We have dispatched our men for a 

thorough assessment of the situation.” 

Southern Kaduna state, where the 

attack occurred, is located in the Middle 

Belt region dividing Nigeria’s mainly 

Christian south and its mostly Muslim 

north. Hundreds were killed in riots in 

southern Kaduna after 2011 elections, 

with most of the victims Muslim, 

according to Human Rights Watch. 

Speaking of the weekend violence, 

Badu said “the attack we believe was in 

response to the poisoning of some 

herds by some local farmers over 

encroachment into their farmlands”. 

Dozens have been killed over the last 

couple of weeks in similar ethnic violence 

in neighboring Plateau state. 

Last week, violence involving rival 

ethnic groups killed at least 36 people 

and left dozens of houses burnt in 

Plateau. Those casualties were in addition 

to at least 23 people killed in 

attacks the previous week in Plateau on 

March 20 and 21. 

Security was boosted in those areas 

for Sunday’s Easter holiday, as was the 

case in much of the country, since 

churches have previously been targeted 

for attacks on Christian holidays. Nigeria 

is Africa’s largest oil producer and most 

populous nation with some 160 million 

people and 250 ethnic groups. Ethnic 

violence regularly breaks out over local 

politics, land or other factors. Islamist 

extremist group Boko Haram has also 

extended a deadly insurgency into parts 

of the country’s centre in addition to its 

attacks in the north, further complicating 

the situation.— AFP

INTERNATIONAL 

Suspicion in Texas DA death shifts to white supremacists 

KAUFMAN: Two days after a Texas district attorney 

(DA) and his wife were found shot to death in 

their home, authorities have said little about their 

investigation or any potential suspects. But suspicion 

in the slayings shifted to a white supremacist 

gang with a long history of violence and retribution 

that was also the focus of a December law 

enforcement bulletin warning that its members 

might try to attack police or prosecutors. 

Four top leaders of the Aryan Brotherhood of 

Texas were indicted in October for crimes ranging 

from murder to drug trafficking. Two months later, 

authorities issued the bulletin warning that 

the gang might try to retaliate against law 

enforcement for the investigation that led to the 

arrests of 34 of its members on federal charges. 

Kaufman County District Attorney Mike 

McLelland and his wife were found dead Saturday 

in their East Texas home. 

The killings were especially jarring because 

they happened just a couple of months after one 

of the county’s assistant district attorneys, Mark 

Hasse, was killed in a parking lot near his courthouse 

office. McLelland was part of a multiagency 

task force that took part in the investigation 

of the Aryan Brotherhood. The task force also 

included the FBI, the Drug Enforcement 

Administration as well as police departments in 

Houston and Fort Worth. 

Investigators have declined to say if the group 

is the focus of their efforts, but the state 

Department of Public Safety bulletin warned that 

the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas is “involved in 

issuing orders to inflict ‘mass casualties or death’ 

to law enforcement officials involved in the recent 

case.” Terry Pelz, a former Texas prison warden and 

expert on the Aryan Brotherhood said killing law 

enforcement representatives would be uncharacteristic 

of the group. “They don’t go around killing 

officials,” he said. “They don’t draw heat upon 

themselves.” 

But Pelz, who worked in the Texas prison system 

for 21 years, added that the gang has a history 

of threatening officials and of killing its own 

CONNECTICUT: Police are positioned outside the home of Nancy Lanza in this 

December 18, 2012 file photo in Newtown, Connecticut. Detectives searching the 

Newtown school shooter’s house found that he and his mother kept a startlingly 

large arsenal of rifles, pistols and other weapons including swords, newly released 

details showed. — AFP 

Connecticut lawmakers 

unveil gun control plan 

HARTFORD: With an announcement of 

sweeping proposals to curb gun violence, 

Connecticut lawmakers said they are hoping 

to send a message to Congress and 

other state legislators across the country: A 

bipartisan agreement on gun control is 

possible. Legislative leaders on Monday 

revealed proposals spurred by the Dec 14 

Newtown school shooting following weeks 

of bipartisan, closed-door negotiations. 

A vote is expected Wednesday in the 

General Assembly, where Democrats control 

both chambers, making passage all but 

assured. “Democrats and Republicans were 

able to come to an agreement on a strong, 

comprehensive bill,” said Senate President 

Donald E Williams Jr, a Democrat from 

Brooklyn, who called the proposed legislation 

the strongest, most comprehensive bill 

in the country. “That is a message that 

should resound in 49 other states and in 

Washington, DC. And the message is: We 

can get it done here and they should get it 

done in their respective states and nationally 

in Congress.” 

The massacre reignited the gun debate 

in the country and led to calls for increased 

gun control legislation on the federal and 

state levels. While some other states, 

including neighboring New York, have 

strengthened their gun laws, momentum 

has stalled in Congress, whose members 

were urged by President Barack Obama last 

week not to forget the shooting and to 

capitalize on the best chance in years to 

stem gun violence. 

The Connecticut deal includes a ban on 

new high-capacity ammunition magazines 

like the ones used in the massacre at Sandy 

Hook Elementary School that left 20 children 

and six educators dead. There are also 

new registration requirements for existing 

magazines that carry 10 or more bullets, 

something of a disappointment for some 

family members of Newtown victims who 

wanted an outright ban on the possession 

of all high-capacity magazines and traveled 

to the state Capitol on Monday to ask lawmakers 

for it. 

The package also creates what lawmakers 

said is the nation’s first statewide dangerous 

weapon offender registry, creates a 

new “ammunition eligibility certificate,” 

imposes immediate universal background 

checks for all firearms sales, and extends 

the state’s assault weapons ban to 100 new 

types of firearms and requires that a 

weapon have only one of several features 

in order to be banned. 

The newly banned weapons could no 

longer be bought or sold in Connecticut, 

and those legally owned already would 

have to be registered with the state, just 

like the high-capacity magazines. Senate 

Minority Leader John McKinney, a Fairfield 

Republican whose district includes 

Newtown, said Republicans and Democrats 

have understood they needed to “rise 

above politics” when they decided to come 

up with a legislative response to the massacre. 

“At the end of the day, I think it’s a 

package that the majority of the people of 

Connecticut I know will be proud of,” he 

said. 

The bill also addresses mental health 

and school security measures, including 

gun restrictions for people who’ve been 

committed to mental health facilities and 

restoration of a state grant for school safety 

improvements. After clearing the state legislature, 

the bill would be sent to Gov 

Dannel P Malloy, who has helped lead 

efforts to strengthen the state’s gun laws 

but has not yet signed off on the proposed 

legislation. Earlier Monday, Malloy voiced 

support for the Newtown families and their 

desire to ban the possession of largecapacity 

magazines. 

Ron Pinciaro, executive director of 

Connecticut Against Gun Violence, said his 

group will live with the lawmakers’ decision 

not to ban them as other states have done. 

He said the leaders made their decision 

based on what was politically feasible. “We 

have to be satisfied. There are still other 

things that we want, we’ll be back for in later 

sessions,” he said. “But for now, it’s a 

good thing.” Robert Crook, executive director 

of the Connecticut Coalition of 

Sportsmen, contended the bill would not 

have changed what happened at Sandy 

Hook Elementary School, where gunman 

Adam Lanza fired off 154 shots with a 

Bushmaster .223-caliber rifle within five 

minutes. 

He went through six 30-round magazines, 

though half were not completely 

empty, and police said he had three other 

30-round magazines in addition to one in 

the rifle. “They can register magazines and 

do all the rest of this stuff. It isn’t going to 

do anything,” he said. Gun owners, who’ve 

packed public hearings at the state Capitol 

in recent months, voicing their opposition 

to various gun control measures, are concerned 

they’ve been showing up “for virtually 

nothing” after learning about the bill, 

Crook said. —AP 

member or rivals. He suggested if the Aryan 

Brotherhood was behind the slayings in Kaufman 

County, some sort of disruption in the gang’s 

operations might have prompted their retaliation. 

That disruption might have come last year, when 

federal prosecutors in Houston in November 

announced indictments against 34 alleged members 

of the gang, including four of its top leaders 

in Texas. At the time, prosecutors called the 

indictment “a devastating blow to the leadership” 

of the gang. 

Meanwhile, deputies escorted some Kaufman 

County employees into the courthouse Monday 

after the slayings stirred fears that other public 

employees could be targeted. Law enforcement 

officers were seen patrolling outside the courthouse, 

one holding a semi-automatic weapon, 

while others walked around inside. Deputies were 

called to the McLelland home by relatives and 

friends who had been unable to reach the pair, 

according to a search warrant affidavit. 

When they arrived, investigators found the 

two had been shot multiple times. Cartridge casings 

were scattered near their bodies, the affidavit 

said. Authorities have not discussed a 

motive. “I don’t want to walk around in fear every 

day ... but on the other hand, two months ago, we 

wouldn’t be having this conversation,” County 

TEXAS: Law enforcement officials walk out of the home of Kaufman District Attorney Mike McLelland near 

Forney, Texas. McLelland and his wife were both murdered at their home Saturday. — AP 

NUEVO LAREDO: The bodies of nine men, most 

of them dismembered, were found inside a sport 

utility vehicle with Texas license plates in northeastern 

Mexico, prosecutors said Monday. 

Authorities made the discovery after receiving a 

report late Sunday of an abandoned vehicle near 

Ciudad Victoria, the capital of the state of 

Tamaulipas, which borders Texas, the state prosecutor’s 

office said in a brief statement. 

Northern Mexican states are the scene of turf 

wars between powerful drug cartels vying for 

control of lucrative trafficking routes to the 

United States, with decapitations among the brutal 

fear tactics. More than 70,000 people have 

died in drug-related violence since 2006, with the 

cartels fighting each other, as well as troops 

deployed by the government to combat the 

gangs. Elsewhere in Mexico, officials said five 

people, including a 45-year-old US man, were 

killed in two bar shootings in the western city of 

Guadalajara late Sunday. Prosecutors suspect 

organized crime was behind those two attacks. 

MEXICO BAR SHOOTINGS 

A 45-year-old US man was among five people 

killed in two bar shootings in Mexico’s second 

biggest city, with a grenade used in one of the 

attacks, authorities said Monday. Officials said a 

total of 45 rounds were fired off with 9mm handguns 

in the attacks in the western city of 

Guadalajara late Sunday, wounding another 17 

people. Witnesses said a single gunman opened 

fire outside the bar in each attack. 

The shootings took place 15 minutes apart 

and appeared to be aimed at the owners of the 

bars, who are related, said senior prosecutor 

Jorge Villasenor. He added that investigators suspect 

organized crime was involved “due to the 

type of weapon that was used.” “The attack was 

Judge Bruce Wood, the county’s top administrator, 

said Monday at a news conference. 

The killings also came less than two weeks 

after Colorado’s prison chief was shot to death at 

his front door, apparently by an ex-convict. Law 

enforcement agencies throughout Texas were on 

high alert, and steps were being taken to better 

protect other DAs and their staffs. In Harris 

directed at these places, not at a specific person. 

This is the line of investigation that we are looking 

into,” he said. The two bar owners are being 

questioned in order to determine a possible 

motive. Two people, including the American, 

were killed when a gunman opened fire on the 

“Gol” bar where people had watched the Chivas- 

America football derby, prosecutors said. The 

American was identified by a female companion 

as Jeff Lydell Comer. The other victim was a 20year-old 

Mexican man. Both were customers at 

the bar. Fifteen minutes earlier, a gunman 

attacked the “Ruta 66” bar in a different neigh- 


County, which includes Houston, District Attorney 

Mike Anderson said he accepted the sheriff’s offer 

of 24-hour security for him and his family. 

Anderson said he also would take precautions at 

his office, the largest of its kind in Texas, with 

more than 270 prosecutors. 

“I think district attorneys across Texas are still 

in a state of shock,” Anderson said Sunday. 

McLelland, 63, was the 13th prosecutor killed in 

the US since the National Association of District 

Attorneys began keeping count in the 1960s. 

Kaufman County Sheriff David Byrnes would not 

give details Sunday of how the killings unfolded 

and said there was nothing to indicate for certain 

whether the DA’s slaying was connected to 

Hasse’s. El Paso County, Colo., sheriff’s spokesman 

Sgt Joe Roybal said investigators had so far found 

no evidence connecting the Texas killings to the 

Colorado case, but added: “We’re examining all 

possibilities.” 

Colorado’s corrections director, Tom Clements, 

was killed March 19 when he answered the doorbell 

at his home outside Colorado Springs. Evan 

Spencer Ebel, a white supremacist and former 

Colorado inmate suspected of shooting 

Clements, died in a shootout with Texas deputies 

two days later about 100 miles from Kaufman. In 

an Associated Press interview shortly after the 

Colorado slaying, McLelland himself raised the 

possibility that Hasse was gunned down by a 

white supremacist gang. 

McLelland, elected in 2010, said his office had 

prosecuted several cases against such gangs, particularly 

one known as the Aryan Brotherhood. 

The groups have a strong presence around 

Kaufman County, a mostly rural area dotted with 

subdivisions, with a population of about 104,000. 

No arrests have been made in Hasse’s Jan 31 slaying. 

After that attack, McLelland said, he carried a 

gun everywhere around town, even when walking 

his dog. He figured assassins were more likely 

to try to attack him outside. He said he had 

warned all his employees to be constantly on the 

alert. — AP 

Nine bodies found in 

US vehicle in Mexico 

US man among 5 dead in bar shootings 

CARACAS: Venezuelan opposition candidate 

Henrique Capriles on Monday accused acting 

president Nicolas Maduro of unfairly using state 

media and money in his campaign to succeed 

the late Hugo Chavez. The accusations come two 

weeks before voters choose a new president following 

the death of Chavez, the flamboyant 

leader who governed oil-rich Venezuela for 14 

years and launched a self-styled leftist “revolution.” 

“The state media have become a propaganda 

wing of a political party,” Capriles alleged, referring 

to the socialist party of Maduro, Chavez’s 

handpicked successor. In free and fair balloting, 

candidates are supposed to have the same 

access and the same rights, Capriles told a press 

conference. 

But Maduro, a former bus driver and union 

leader, is relying on “all of the state’s resources ... 

and all of the state’s power structure” to run his 

campaign, Capriles charged. The campaign does 

not officially began until yesterday, but Capriles 

said Maduro had spent 46 hours on state TV 

since Chavez’s death on March 5. Capriles went 

on to urge the National Electoral Council to be 

impartial and enforce campaign rules ahead of 

the April 14 vote. 

Communications Minister Ernesto Villegas 

fired back on Twitter, saying state television had 

broadcast Capriles’s press conference live 

“despite his orders to prevent access for journalists” 

from state media. Villegas also again invited 

Capriles to be interviewed on state television, 

after the opposition candidate denied an earlier 

request, saying state media is biased against him. 

GUADALAJARA: Forensic personnel work at the scene of a crime where four people were shot 

dead, in a bar of Guadalajara, Mexico. — AFP 

Later Monday night, Capriles joined a march 

against insecurity in the country, railing against 

the government for failing to address the pressing 

issue. 

borhood, firing shots and throwing a grenade. 

A 28-year-old customer and a 30-year-old 

employee were found shot dead outside the bar 

while a 23-year-old waitress later died of her 

gunshot wounds. 

The explosion injured an unspecified number 

of people. The prosecutor’s office said 17 people 

were wounded but did not specify how many in 

each attack. Four other men were killed in other 

attacks on Sunday across Guadalajara, which has 

endured some of the drug-related violence that 

has left 70,000 people dead in Mexico since 

December 2006. — Agencies 

Capriles cries foul ahead 

of Venezuelan election 

CARACAS: Venezuelan opposition candidate 

for the upcoming April 14 presidential election, 

Henrique Capriles Radonski gestures 

during a night march in Caracas. — AFP 

“There is not a single proposal for the government 

to defeat violence and give peace to 

Venezuelans,” Capriles said before a crowd of 

hundreds of thousands. In the first three months 

of the year, Venezuela recorded 3,400 murders, 

interior and justice minister Nestor Reverol said 

Monday on state television. In 2012, the country 

saw 16,000 homicides, a 14 percent increase over 

the year before, he added, vowing to strengthen 

security measures. Unofficial tallies put the figure 

even higher, with the Venezuelan Observatory of 

Violence citing 21,000 murders in 2012. 

Maduro, 50, formerly served as Chavez’s foreign 

minister and vice president. Miranda state 

governor Capriles, 40, lost to Chavez in an 

October election. Chavez, who came to embody 

a resurgent Latin American left while channeling 

Venezuela’s vast oil wealth into social programs 

for the poor, died last month after a long battle 

with cancer. During his 14 years in power Chavez 

developed a vast media apparatus consisting of 

at least five television broadcast channels, two 

newspapers and dozens of local radio stations 

carrying the government’s message. 

Maduro leads Capriles by a 20-point margin, 

according to a poll out Monday by Hinterlaces, 

which indicated Maduro would win 55 percent of 

the vote compared to Capriles’s 35 percent. A 

previous survey on March 19 gave Maduro a similar 

margin of 18 points. In an exclusive interview 

with AFP over the weekend, Maduro insisted the 

“revolution” was united behind him. “I trust that 

people will go to the polls to vote for Maduro 

because we are like a family that lost its father,” 

he said. —AFP

KABUL: As the one-year countdown to 

Afghan elections begins, the man who 

lost out last time in a corrupt and chaotic 

poll is weighing up whether to risk 

another shot at the presidency. Abdullah 

Abdullah pulled out of the second round 

of the 2009 election after massive voterigging 

by President Hamid Karzai’s supporters 

that badly shook the US-led international 

effort to rebuild Afghanistan. 

The next election is due on April 5, 

2014, but many doubt it will be held on 

schedule. There are no front-runners and 

foreign donors fear another flawed poll 

could bury gains secured since the fall of 

the Taleban in 2001. Abdullah, an urbane 

former eye surgeon, remains embittered 

towards Karzai and doubts the president 

will step down without a fight-despite 

the fact he is barred from standing for a 

third term. 

He accuses Karzai, 55, of plotting to 

deceive the electorate in spite of repeated 

pledges to step down next year. 

“President Karzai will make an effort to 

extend his tenure,” the 52-year-old predicted 

in an interview at his heavilyguarded 

private residence in Kabul. “The 

president’s best option is to create an 

emergency security situation so every- 

one says ‘under these circumstances how 

can we have elections?’, then he calls a jirga 

(tribal meeting) to support him staying 

on,” Abdullah said. “He doesn’t show 

any signs of being someone who is now 

leaving in one year’s time.” 

Abdullah served as Karzai’s foreign 

minister from 2001 to 2005, but is now 

leader of the National Coalition of 

Afghanistan, the closest thing to an 

opposition group in a country where 

central government is traditionally weak. 

A former aide to the late anti-Soviet 

fighter Ahmad Shah Massoud, Abdullah 

commands support among minority 

Tajiks but not the Pashtuns, the dominant 

ethnic group from which Karzai and 

most members of the Taleban hail. 

Recalling the turbulent 2009 election, 

Abdullah said he was wary of campaigning 

again for the presidency. The 

Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) 

threw out around one third of votesabout 

half a million-cast for Karzai, sparking 

the run-off from which Abdullah ultimately 

withdrew “in the best interests of 

the nation”. “I don’t want any candidate 

to go through what I did during the elections,” 

said Abdullah, who collected just 

over 30 percent of the first round vote. 

INTERNATIONAL 

Karzai’s old rival edges towards 2014 election run 

KATHMANDU: A Nepalese Hindu woman worships and offers fruit to a cow, regarded 

as an incarnation of the Hindu Goddess of prosperity Laxmi, during the Tihar (Diwali) 

festival in Kathmandu. Police in Nepal’s capital Kathmandu have launched a campaign 

to round up cows roaming the streets, blaming the sacred animals for car accidents 

and traffic jams. — AFP 

Nepal traffic police herd 

Kathmandu’s holy cows 

KATHMANDU: Police in Nepal’s capital 

Kathmandu have launched a campaign to 

round up cows roaming the streets, blaming 

the sacred animals for car accidents and traffic 

jams. “The stray cows and oxen have been 

a big nuisance in Kathmandu streets. They 

not only cause accidents, but also make the 

streets untidy,” Pawan Giri, spokesman for the 

Kathmandu Metropolitan Traffic Police said. 

“We see traffic jams because the drivers 

who try to avoid the cows often crash into 

other vehicles.” He said the captured animals 

would be detained until their owners paid a 

fine of approximately $60 for their release. 

Cows are a regular sight in the smog-choked 

capital and are often found eating from piles 

of garbage on the roadside. Regarded as an 

incarnation of the Hindu Goddess of prosperity 

Laxmi, the beasts are treated as sacred 

in Nepal, where the majority of the population 

is Hindu. 

During the annual Tihar festival in the 

autumn, Hindus spend a day worshipping 

them by offering food and gifts. The traffic 

police say they have rounded up 18 animals 

since launching the operation Monday and 

they plan to continue this drive for several 

weeks. While the abolishment of a Hindu 

monarchy in 2008 launched a secular era, 

Nepalese authorities still routinely arrest 

people for killing cows, mainly in rural areas. 

Cow slaughter remains illegal in Nepal and 

can carry a prison sentence of up to 12 

years. — AFP 

Indian court ends travel 

ban on Italy ambassador 

NEW DELHI: India’s Supreme Court lifted 

yesterday a three-week order banning Italy’s 

ambassador from leaving the country after 

Italy sent two marines back to India to face 

trial over the deaths of two Indian fishermen. 

The court had earlier banned the ambassador, 

Daniele Mancini, from leaving after Italy 

announced it would not send the accused 

marines back after a home visit. But the 

Italian government changed its mind and 

sent the two back on March 22. 

“It’s good news,” Diljeet Titus, a lawyer 

representing the Italian marines, said of the 

court’s decision. “The travel restriction on the 

ambassador has been vacated as the undertaking 

was complied with, Italy kept its 

word.” The accused, Massimiliano Latorre and 

Salvatore Girone, are charged with murder 

for shooting the two fishermen off the coast 

of the southern state of Kerala last year while 

serving as security guards on a cargo ship. 

They say they fired warning shots at a 

fishing boat believing it to be a pirate vessel. 

The case has caused outrage in Italy, which 

says the incident happened in international 

waters and the men should not be tried in 

India. Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi resigned 

over the decision to return the pair to India. 

The marines are due to be tried in a special 

federal court in New Delhi, but the court has 

yet to be established. “The government has 

sought time, saying they are taking steps to 

form this special court. But they have nothing 

to show for it,” said Titus. 

Rome’s right wing mayor plans to turn off 

the lights of ancient landmarks the 

Colosseum and the Imperial Forum for the 

first time on Wednesday to “draw attention to 

the shameful case of the two marines”. Also 

today, Italian neo-fascist group Casapound is 

due to protest in front of the seat of government 

in Rome, calling for Italy to close its 

embassy to India and to expel the Indian 

ambassador. The group also wants outgoing 

Prime Minister Mario Monti to resign his 

position as Senator for life. — Reuters 

Court frees three monks 

after anti-Muslim attack 

COLOMBO: A Sri Lankan court yesterday 

freed three Buddhist monks and 14 others 

suspected of torching a Muslimowned 

clothing store in an attack that 

scaled up the country’s religious tensions. 

In the latest in a wave of attacks 

targeting minority Muslims, an angry 

mob of hardline Buddhists vandalized 

and set fire to the store in a suburb of 

Colombo, leading police to boost security 

for Muslim businesses nationwide. 

“The case was dropped because the parties 

(police and the victim) did not want 

to proceed,” a court official said, declining 

to be named, after the 17 suspects 

were discharged. 

“The magistrate warned the monks to 

follow Buddha’s teachings or face serious 

consequences,” the official said. The owner 

of the smashed Fashion Bug store was 

not immediately available for comment, 

but the management had previously said 

that they suffered extensive damage and 

their staff were living in fear after 

Thursday’s attack. 

Local television footage, some of it 

posted on YouTube, showed a Buddhist 

monk bringing down a store CCTV camera 

in front of a cheering mob outside 

the store, watched by at least four police 

constables. 

Another monk is seen threatening a 

news cameraman who was later hospitalised 

after being assaulted by the mob. 

Sri Lanka’s main Muslim political party in 

the ruling coalition said the attack was a 

“sequel” to an ongoing hate campaign 

against minority Muslims. 

Muslims constitute about 10 percent 

of the country’s 20 million population, 

the second largest minority after the 

mainly Hindu ethnic Tamils. Seventy percent 

of the population are Sinhalese and 

mostly Buddhists. — AFP 

Afghan opposition leader, Abdullah Abdullah 

“In one district 5,000 people voted 

one by one, while in the next district officials 

under the supervision of the police 

just provided 5,000 votes. If the elections 

are rigged this time, it is a recipe for a 

major crisis.” Many observers suggest 

Abdullah offers few solutions to 

Afghanistan’s many problems and has 

not cultivated enough support to have a 

chance of winning. But, with a year to go 

until the scheduled poll he said he was 

PESHAWAR: Dozens of suspected militants 

attacked a major power station in northwest 

Pakistan with mortars and rocket-propelled 

grenades and killed seven people, police said 

yesterday. The assault, in the run-up to May 11 

general elections, destroyed the biggest power 

station in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, suspending 

electricity supply to half of the major 

city of Peshawar. 

It served as a reminder that Pakistan’s leaders 

have failed to tackle a Taleban insurgency 

that remains potent despite a series of security 

crackdowns. Pakistan’s Taleban, which is close 

to Al-Qaeda, has threatened to escalate violence 

ahead of the polls, including attacks on 

political rallies. Police official Mohammad Ishaq 

said two people, a policeman and a security 

guard, were killed on the spot and five others 

died after being kidnapped in Monday’s incident. 

The bullet-riddled bodies of the captives 

have been recovered, the official added. There 

was no immediate claim of responsibility. 

“They entered the grid station and started setting 

ablaze each and every thing. They kidnapped 

nine people and killed five of them later 

and threw their bodies in the fields,” Ishaq 

said. 

Four Water and Power Department employees 

who were kidnapped were still missing, he 

said. The militants had destroyed the entire 

grid station, said Shaukat Afzal, a spokesman of 

the Peshawar Electric Supply Company. 

“People may face some extra power load shedding 

in the coming days,” he added. Pakistan’s 

military has failed to break the back of the 

Taleban, despite numerous offensives against 

their strongholds in the semiautonomous tribal 

areas near the Afghan border. 

SECURITY CONCERNS 

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s outgoing ruling party 

yesterday called off a major public rally 

designed to kickstart its re-election campaign 

in favor of smaller events, officials said. The 

Taleban have directly threatened the Pakistan 

People’s Party (PPP) and its secular coalition 

partners, and a string of recent attacks is raising 

fears that violence could mar the run-up to 

May 11 elections. 

The PPP said last week it would start its 

working hard behind the scenes and-if 

he were to stand-would not this time 

back down in the event of a run-off. 

“It would not be like the last time 

when I said I would swallow this bitter 

pill for the sake of the country,” he said. “I 

haven’t said I am a candidate. I am doing 

what candidates do-talking to people, 

networking, expanding supporters, but a 

decision has not happened yet.” While it 

is not yet clear who will run in 2014, the 

campaign with a public rally in Garhi Khuda 

Bakhsh, the village housing the Bhutto family 

mausoleum, on the anniversary of the hanging 

of its founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto on April 4, 

1979. The party holds public rallies on the 

anniversary every year. But yesterday, a party 

spokesman in the nearby town of Naudero said 

the gathering would take place in a hall and 

would be closed to all but state media. PPP 

politicians would also hold separate events in 

other districts, he said. 

“We are not organizing a big national-level 

rally this time. Meetings are being held at district 

level separately,” Ghulam Mustafa Leghari 

said. Zulfiqar’s daughter and former PPP Prime 

Minister, Benazir Bhutto, was killed in a gun 

and suicide attack after an election rally in 

Rawalpindi in 2007. The PPP was elected in 

2008 on a wave of public sympathy. President 

Asif Ali Zardari, Bhutto’s widower, will address 

Thursday’s meeting in Naudero, Leghari said, 

but he did not confirm whether Bilawal, chairman 

of the party and Bhutto’s son, would also 

attend. 

“Only official media will be allowed to cover 


lengthy list of possible candidates 

includes Karzai’s brother Qayyum, warlord 

turned provincial governor Atta 

Mohammad Noor, and former interior 

minister Ali Ahmad Jalali. 

At least 26 people were killed in sporadic 

attacks on polling day in 2009, and 

Karzai was only declared the winner 10 

weeks later, after fraud investigations, 

delayed results and Abdullah’s eventual 

withdrawal. Recent visitors to Kabul 

including US Secretary of State John 

Kerry have stressed that Afghanistan 

must hold a legitimate vote or risk being 

abandoned by Western governments 

after foreign combat troops withdraw 

next year. 

One growing concern has been 

Karzai’s plan to scrap the UN-backed ECC, 

which includes foreign representatives, 

in favor of a new all-Afghan tribunal. Last 

week the UN called for an impartial electoral 

dispute body to be set up at once 

and for a respected figure to be appointed 

head of the Independent Electoral 

Commission, which is currently leaderless. 

“Either we have rule of law or we are 

a failed state. This election is an opportunity 

and a real test ahead of us,” Abdullah 

said. — AFP 

Militants attack Pakistan 

power station; Seven die 

Pakistan party scraps rally amid security concerns 

DHAKA: Bangladesh police have arrested 

three atheist bloggers for defaming Islam and 

the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH), police said 

yesterday, amid demands from religious fundamentalists 

for an Internet crackdown. The 

arrests of the three, who were paraded in 

hand-cuffs at a press conference yesterday, 

came after pressure from Islamists who have 

organized a march to the capital to demand 

the death penalty for atheist bloggers. 

“They have hurt religious feelings of the 

people by writing against different religions 

and their prophets and founders including 

the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH),” deputy 

commissioner of Dhaka police Molla Nazrul 

Islam said. The three could face 10 years in jail 

if convicted under the country’s cyber laws, 

which outlaw “defaming” a religion, Islam said. 

He denied the arrests were linked to the 

threats from Islamists whose march to the 

capital is set to take place on Saturday. 

The debate between militant atheists and 

fundamentalists has been a popular subject in 

Bangladesh’s blogosphere and on social 

media for years, but it took a deadly turn in 

February when an atheist blogger was murdered. 

The arrests came as the nation has 

been hit by protests over a war crimes tribunal 

trying leading figures during the 1971 war 

of independence. Protests encouraged by secular 

bloggers have seen hundreds of thousands 

of people take to the streets demanding 

the execution of leaders of the Jamaat-e- 

Islami party, the country’s largest Islamic party 

PESHAWAR: A Pakistani man looks at the destroyed electricity power plant following an attack 

by gunmen in Badh Bher, a suburb of Peshawar yesterday. Dozens of gunmen attacked an electricity 

plant in northwest Pakistan, killing seven people and disrupting power to 100,000 people 

overnight. — AFP 

and key opposition. 

Islamists have in turn held demonstrations 

demanding the trials be halted and have also 

begun targeting bloggers. The government 

has blocked about a dozen websites and 

blogs to stem the violence. It also set up a 

this meeting. Other media can stand outside 

and take the feed from Pakistan Television,” 

Leghari added. Local party officials denied the 

rescheduling had anything to do with security 

concerns and senior spokesmen were not 

immediate reachable. “It (the change) is only a 

technical reason. Our candidates are busy with 

paperwork, scrutiny and the election campaign,” 

said Lateef Mughal, PPP information 

secretary in Zardari’s home town Karachi. 

Last week, main PPP spokesman Qamar 

Zaman Kaira said that 24-year-old Bilawal, who 

is too young to contest a seat, would make few 

public appearances “due to security concerns”. 

The revised arrangements for tomorrow stand 

in stark contrast to the major campaign rallies 

that the PPP’s main rivals have already held. On 

March 25 opposition leader Nawaz Sharif, 

widely tipped to win the election, attracted 

tens of thousands in the northwestern town of 

Mansehra. Cricket legend Imran Khan, contesting 

elections for the first time and considered a 

possible kingmaker after the polls, has also 

pulled in crowds of tens of thousands at major 

public events across the country. — Agencies 

Bangladesh arrests 

3 atheist bloggers 

panel, which included intelligence chiefs, to 

snoop for blasphemy in the social media. Last 

week the country’s telecoms regulator 

ordered two sites to remove hundreds of 

posts of seven bloggers whose writings it said 

offended Muslims. — AFP 

RAJSHAHI: Students of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islam beat a police officer in the northwestern 

city of Rajshahi, about 260 kms from the capital Dhaka yesterday. — AFP

INTERNATIONAL 

Japan welcomes JFK daughter as mooted US envoy 

TOKYO: The mooted appointment of the daughter 

of assassinated US president John F Kennedy to the 

high-profile post of ambassador to Japan, was greeted 

enthusiastically in Japan yesterday. Caroline 

Kennedy, 55, who was an early supporter of Obama’s 

2008 primary campaign before he took on and beat 

Hillary Clinton’s Democratic machine, has long been 

a rumored candidate for the plum Tokyo post. 

Kennedy is in the advanced stages of the selection 

process, an administration official told AFP. 

Earlier Monday, both The Washington Post and New 

York Times reported that she was actively being vetted 

for the appointment. Japan’s top government 

spokesman said it would be a “big news” for the 

country if she gets the nomination. “Late President 

Kennedy was a figure familiar to many Japanese,” 

Yoshihide Suga said at a regular press conference on 

Tuesday. 

“It would be big news, and would deepen people’s 

feeling of friendliness (to the United States),” he 

said, adding that he would refrain from commenting 

further until a final decision was made. Kennedy 

would fit the long tradition of presidents naming 

high profile envoys to key US ally Japan, who have 

included former vice president Walter Mondale and 

former senators Mike Mansfield and Howard Baker. 

But she would also take up the post at a time of great 

diplomatic peril, given North Korea’s fierce military 

threats against the United States and its key regional 

partners. 

The crises had prompted some diplomatic 

observers in Washington in recent weeks to suggest 

that Kennedy could be passed over for a more experienced 

diplomatic hand. But Kennedy’s chances may 

have been enhanced by the arrival as secretary of 

state of John Kerry, who was close to Caroline 

Kennedy’s beloved uncle, late senator Edward 

Kennedy. The White House and State Department 

both declined to comment on the reports that 

Kennedy was close to being named, but did not deny 

them outright. 

While politics and public service runs in Kennedy’s 

blood, she has long resisted the public role of her 

father, his brothers, Robert F. Kennedy and Edward 

Kennedy, and many of their progeny. For a time in 

late 2008 and early 2009, she toyed with the idea of 

running for the New York Democratic Senate seat 

vacated by Hillary Clinton when Clinton became 

Obama’s first-term secretary of state. But the wealthy 

Kennedy pulled out after a rough political ride amid 

claims she was being foisted upon the New York 

electorate with nothing but her family name as a 

qualification. 

Kennedy, whom many Americans remember as a 

tragic little girl at her father’s 1963 funeral at 

Arlington National Cemetery, caused a sensation in 

2008, and fury in Clinton circles, when she broke 

from her intensely private world to back Obama. In a 

New York Times column titled “A President Like My 

Father” Kennedy wrote of never having seen a president 

who matched up to the way people still talked 

about JFK. Now, she said, “I believe I have found a 

man who could be that president.” If nominated, and 

confirmed by the Senate, Kennedy would succeed 

current US Ambassador to Japan John Roos, a former 

Obama campaign donor. — AFP 

PYEONGTAEK: A US Air Force F-16 fighter jet (center) lands on the runway during their military exercise at the Osan US Air Base in Pyeongtaek, 

south of Seoul, South Korea yesterday. — AP 

US deploys warship off South 

Korea amid soaring tensions 

North Korea says region on brink of nuclear war 

SEOUL: The United States has positioned a warship 

off the Korean coast as a shield against ballistic 

missile attack as South Korea’s new president 

vowed swift retaliation against a North 

Korean strike amid soaring tensions on the 

peninsula. But Washington also said it had seen 

no worrisome mobilization of armed forces by 

the North Koreans despite bellicose rhetoric over 

a ramping up of international sanctions against 

Pyongyang over nuclear weapons tests. 

“If there is any provocation against South 

Korea and its people, there should be a strong 

response in initial combat without any political 

considerations,” South Korean President Park 

Geun-hye told the defense minister and senior 

officials. North Korea says the region is on the 

brink of a nuclear war in the wake of UN sanctions 

in response to its February nuclear test and 

a series of joint US and South Korean military 

drills that have included a rare US show of aerial 

power. In Washington, the White House has said 

the United States takes seriously North Korea’s 

war threats. But White House spokesman Jay 

Carney said on Monday: “I would note that 

despite the harsh rhetoric we are hearing from 

Pyongyang, we are not seeing changes to the 

North Korean military posture, such as largescale 

mobilizations and positioning of forces.” 

North Korea further escalated its rhetoric on 

Saturday by saying it was entering a “state of war” 

with South Korea in response to what it termed 

the “hostile” military drills. 

A US defense official said the USS McCain, an 

Aegis-class guided-missile destroyer used for ballistic 

missile defense, was being positioned off 

the peninsula’s southwestern coast. “This is a 

prudent move that provides greater missile 

defense options should (they) become neces- 

SYDNEY: Global media baron Rupert Murdoch 

yesterday accused the government of his native 

Australia of “disgraceful and racist” language 

over a crackdown on visas for skilled migrants. 

The Australian-born News Corporation chief 

condemned the centre-left Labor government’s 

rhetoric about the tightening of the 457-class 

skilled visa program amid claims of abuse by 

employers and disadvantage to local workers. “I 

think the way that they’re talking about the 457 

is pretty disgraceful and racist, but I’m a big one 

for encouraging immigration, I think that’s the 

future,” Murdoch told Sky News on a business 

visit to northern Australia. 

“A mixture of people-just look at America-is 

just fantastic,” he added. Murdoch said there 

were “difficulties for generations of migrants 

UNITED NATIONS: The UN General Assembly 

overwhelmingly approved the first UN treaty 

regulating the multibillion-dollar international 

arms trade yesterday, a goal sought for over 

a decade to try to keep illicit weapons out of 

the hands of terrorists, insurgent fighters and 

organized crime. The resolution adopting the 

landmark treaty was approved by a vote of 

154 to 3 with 23 abstentions. 

As the numbers appeared on the electronic 

board, loud cheers filled the assembly 

chamber. A group of treaty supporters sought 

a vote in the 193-member world body after 

Iran, North Korea and Syria blocked its adoption 

by consensus at the end of a two-week 

sary,” said the official, speaking on condition of 

anonymity. The ship was not expected to participate 

in any exercises, the official added. 

South Korea has changed its rules of engagement 

to allow local units to respond immediately 

to attacks, rather than waiting for permission 

from Seoul. Stung by criticism that its response 

to the shelling of a South Korean island in 2010 

was tardy and weak, Seoul has also threatened to 

target young North Korean leader Kim Jong-un 

and to destroy statues of the ruling Kim dynasty 

in the event of any new attack, a plan that has 

outraged Pyongyang. 

CHINA CALLED TO HELP 

North Korea stepped up its rhetoric in early 

March, when US and South Korean forces began 

annual military drills that involved the flights of 

US B-2 stealth bombers in a practice run, prompting 

the North to put its missile units on standby 

to fire at US military bases in South Korea and in 

the Pacific. The United States also deployed F-22 

stealth fighter jets on Sunday to take part in the 

drills. The Pentagon said it was the fourth time F- 

22s had been deployed to South Korea. 

Australia, a close US ally and rotating UN 

Security Council member, said it would urge 

China to help enforce sanctions banning the flow 

of technology and equipment to North Korea. 

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who leaves 

on Friday for Beijing, plans to call on Chinese 

leaders to help bolster stop-and-search provisions 

for shipping to and from North Korea, 

Foreign Minister Bob Carr said. Canberra also 

plans its own banking and financial sanctions. 

“The immediate priority is to see the sanctions 

agreed on by the Security Council are properly 

enforced,” Carr said yesterday. 

KIM JONG-UN TIGHTENS GRIP 

North Korea has cancelled an armistice agreement 

with the United States that ended the 

Korean War and has cut all hotlines with US 

forces, the United Nations and South Korea. At a 

recent meeting of North Korea’s ruling Workers 

Party Central Committee, leader Kim Jong-un 

rejected the notion that Pyongyang was going to 

use its nuclear arms development as a bargaining 

chip for foreign aid for the impoverished 

nation. 

“The nuclear weapons of Songun Korea are 

not goods for getting US dollars and they are ... 

(not) to be put on the table of negotiations 

aimed at forcing the (North) to disarm itself,” 

KCNA news agency quoted him as saying. 

Songun is the Korean word for the “Military First” 

policy preached by Kim’s father who used it to 

justify the use of the impoverished state’s scarce 

resources to build a 1.2-million strong army and 

pursue development of weapons of mass 

destruction. At the meeting, Kim appointed a 

handful of personal confidants to the party’s 

politburo, further consolidating his grip on power 

in the second full year of his reign. 

Former premier Pak Pong-ju, a key confidant 

of the leadership dynasty, was re-appointed to 

the post from which he was fired in 2007 for failing 

to implement economic reforms. Pak, 

believed to be in his 70s, is viewed as a key ally 

of Jang Song-thaek, the young Kim’s uncle and 

also a protege of Kim’s aunt. Pak is viewed as a 

pawn in a power game that has seen Jang and 

his wife re-assert power over military leaders. 

Analysts said the move would not likely change 

North Korea’s approach to a confrontation that 

appears to have dragged the two Koreas closer 

to war. — Reuters 

Murdoch slams ‘racist, 

disgraceful’ Australia 

sometimes if there are too many from one area, 

but they meld in a couple of generations and it 

leads to tremendous creativity in the community”. 

He said skilled migration was vital to economic 

growth in Australia’s north, which is in the 

grip of a mining and resources boom with billions 

of dollars of investment slated for the coming 

years. 

Assistant Treasurer David Bradbury rejected 

the remarks, saying there was “nothing racist 

about standing up for jobs and job opportunities 

for Australians”. There is little love lost 

between Murdoch’s Australian operations News 

Limited and Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s Labor 

government-ministers have accused his newspapers 

of campaigning for regime change. News 

Limited has, in turn, been highly critical of the 

final negotiating conference last Thursday. 

The three countries voted “no” yesterday’s resolution 

while Russia and China, both major 

arms exporters, abstained. 

Many countries, including the United 

States, control arms exports. But there has 

never been an international treaty regulating 

the estimated $60 billion global arms trade. 

Australian Ambassador Peter Woolcott, who 

chaired the negotiations, said the treaty will 

“make an important difference by reducing 

human suffering and saving lives.” 

“We owe it to those millions - often the 

most vulnerable in society - whose lives have 

been overshadowed by the irresponsible and 

government’s proposed media reforms which 

came in the wake of Britain’s phone-hacking 

scandal. 

Gillard’s Labor has been criticized by the leftleaning 

Greens party, commentators and some 

business leaders for plans to crack down on 457s 

in an election year, accused of angling for the 

anti-immigration vote. According to the immigration 

department, growth in 457 visas has significantly 

outstripped national employment 

growth, suggesting “the program is being 

increasingly driven by temporary visa holders 

seeking to remain in Australia instead of the 

demands of the Australian labor force”. The number 

of 457 visa holders expanded 21.5 percent 

between February 2012 and February 2013 to 

107,510. — AFP 

illicit international trade in arms,” he told the 

assembly just before the vote. 

The treaty will not control the domestic 

use of weapons in any country, but it will 

require countries that ratify it to establish 

national regulations to control the transfer of 

conventional arms, parts and components 

and to regulate arms brokers. It covers battle 

tanks, armored combat vehicles, large-caliber 

artillery systems, combat aircraft, attack helicopters, 

warships, missiles and missile launchers, 

and small arms and light weapons. 

A phrase stating that this list was “at a minimum” 

was dropped, according to diplomats, 

at the insistence of the United States. 

Caroline Kennedy 

JAKARTA: The elite police unit on the front 

line of Indonesia’s lauded terrorism clampdown 

faces fresh allegations of torture and 

unlawful killings, raising concerns it is 

fuelling the jihadist cause. Detachment 88 

was established after the 2002 bombings on 

Bali that killed 202 people, mostly Western 

tourists, and has gained strong public support 

after claiming the scalps of some of the 

region’s most-wanted extremists. But last 

month a video emerged in which officers 

from the anti-terror unit interrogated a suspect 

writhing in pain after he had been shot 

in the chest and forced to strip to his underwear. 

“Why did you shoot me? I surrendered,” he 

screams, as police repeatedly yell back that 

he ask Allah for forgiveness. “You’re going to 

die,” they say, trampling on three other suspects, 

shooting into the ground to intimidate 

them. The suspect who was shot in the video, 

Rahman Kalahe, survived the incident and 

was sentenced to 19 years’ jail over his role in 

the beheading of three Christian schoolgirls 

and the murder of a priest in Poso. 

However, the footage has prompted the 

National Human Rights Commission to 

reopen its investigation into the 2007 raid, 

while Islamic groups and members of parliament 

have made calls to disband 

Detachment 88. “Detachment 88 has used 

torture, killings and intimidation, but they are 

never held accountable. The unit must be dissolved,” 

said Din Syammsuddin, chairman of 

the nation’s second-largest Muslim organization, 

Muhammadiyah, who took the video to 

police. 

The government insists that its security 

forces have “great respect for human rights”. 

“There are standard operating procedures in 

the handling of terrorism. It is not true that 

Detachment 88 employs a shoot-to-kill 

approach,” presidential spokesman Julian 

Aldrin Pasha said. “Any actions contrary to the 

law, including human rights law, will be 

processed. Without exception for anyone. 

This country upholds and enforces the rule of 

law,” he said. The Detachment 88 unit, which 

gets funding and training from the United 

States and Australia, has been successful in 

quelling the kind of militant attacks on civilian 

targets that rocked Indonesia in the past 

decade. 

Indonesia’s battle with terror is now being 

fought almost entirely between militants and 

police, much of it in Poso district-a known 

hotbed for militant activity on Sulawesi 

island, where the videotaped raid took place. 


Indonesia anti-terror cops 

accused of ‘fuelling jihad’ 

This shift in the nature of terrorism in 

Indonesia has raised concerns that the unit’s 

treatment of suspects is fuelling revenge 

attacks. Since the establishment of 

Detachment 88, Indonesian police have 

killed at least 90 suspects in counterterrorism 

operations, the International Crisis Group 

reported. 

But fully 50 of them have been killed since 

2010, a year after the last major deadly attack 

in the nation. “You can see why people get 

angry when the police start shooting people 

just because they have a copy of a book on 

jihad in their rooms,” Todd Elliot, Jakartabased 

terrorism analyst with Concorde 

Consulting said. “When we haven’t seen a 

major attack in years and police are killing 

terror suspects every two months, you can 

understand why people are asking questions.” 

National Anti-Terror Agency chief 

Ansyaad Mbai denies the unit is trigger-happy, 

saying the deaths happen because terror 

suspects rarely surrender and are often 

armed. The numbers seem to support his 

argument-in the same period that 50 suspects 

were killed, 21 police were slain trying 

to make arrests or investigate extremist activity. 

In October, two officers investigating an 

alleged terrorist camp in Poso were found 

dead and buried in a hole with their throats 

slit. “Terrorism is an extraordinary crime that 

requires extraordinary operations,” Mbai said. 

“They don’t respect Indonesians’ rights, so 

why are we suddenly so concerned with 

theirs?” he said. “Since Detachment 88 was 

established, we have captured 850 terrorists. 

Yes, dozens have been killed, but most were 

taken alive.” Mbai sees the video as the latest 

tactic in a long-standing campaign against 

the unit, likely from political factions or hardline 

Islamic groups that regularly paint 

Detachment 88 as anti-Muslim. The rights 

commission has recommended Detachment 

88 employ a more transparent evaluation 

process and the unit be held accountable for 

any extra-judicial killings. 

But Mbai said: “I don’t agree with these 

calls to hold officers to account through legal 

procedures. This will just demoralize the unit.” 

Problems within Detachment 88 are not 

unique to the unit. The UN’s Special 

Rapporteur on Torture in 2008 found that 

torture and abuse of suspects during arrest 

and police detention were widespread in 

Indonesia. “The video indicates a definite 

need for better human rights training. The 

whole police institution in Indonesia is still in 

need of reform,” Elliot said. — AFP 

BEKASI: Indonesian Christian Pastor Torang Simanjuntak (bottom) delivers mass next 

to the ruins of the Taman Sari Batak Christian Protestant Church in Bekasi, on the outskirts 

of Jakarta as minority Christians mark Easter amid rising cases of religious 

intolerance. On March 21 the local government demolished the half constructed 

church in front of its weeping congregation. Indonesia’s 240 million people identify 

themselves as Muslim but the constitution guarantees freedom of religion. — AFP 

UN adopts treaty to regulate global arms trade 

Supporters complained that this limited the 

treaty’s scope. The treaty prohibits states that 

ratify it from transferring conventional 

weapons if they violate arms embargoes or if 

they promote acts of genocide, crimes against 

humanity or war crimes. It also prohibits the 

export of conventional arms if they could be 

used in attacks on civilians or civilian buildings 

such as schools and hospitals. 

In considering whether to authorize the 

export of arms, the treaty says a country must 

evaluate whether the weapon would be used 

to violate international human rights or 

humanitarian laws or be used by terrorists or 

organized crime. They must also determine 

whether the weapons transfer would contribute 

to or undermine peace and security. 

The treaty also requires parties to the 

treaty to take measures to prevent the diversion 

of conventional weapons to the illicit 

market. 

Ammunition was been a key issue in negotiations, 

with some countries pressing for the 

same controls on ammunition sales as arms, 

but the US and others opposed such tough 

restrictions. The final text calls for each country 

that ratifies the treaty to establish regulations 

for the export of ammunition “fired, 

launched or delivered” by the weapons covered 

by the convention. — AP

Iranian women jump for a picture as they celebrate the ancient festival of Sizdeh Bedar in a park in western 

Tehran yesterday. Sizdah is the Persian word for thirteen and leaving the house on the thirteenth day of 

Farvardin, the first month of Iranian calendar, and spending the day outdoors with the family has been a 

national tradition since ancient times in Iran. — AP 

Amnesty slams resumption of executions 

Continued from Page 1 

2007. “In a region where executions are sadly all too 

commonplace, Kuwait marked a beacon of hope by 

declining to execute people for almost six years,” Harrison 

said in a statement. “That hope has been extinguished... 

We deplore this resumption of executions, regardless of 

the crime.” 

Public attorney Mohammad Al-Duaij, who supervised 

UAE, Canada end visa row 


The UAE in Jan 2011 started charging Canadians 

$1,000 for a six-month multiple entrance visa, while 

three-month and one-month visas cost $500 and $250 

respectively. The steep hikes in obtaining a visa for the 

UAE came as the two countries had been at odds over 

landing rights in Canada for UAE-based carriers and the 

closure of a UAE military base to Canadian use. Canada 

the executions, said another 48 people are on death row 

awaiting a final decision on their sentences by HH the 

Amir. The state has executed a total of 69 men and three 

foreign women since it introduced the death penalty in 

mid-1960. Most of those condemned have been convicted 

murderers or drug traffickers. “Kuwait should halt any 

further executions and should commute all death sentences 

and revise the law to exclude this most final of 

penalties,” Amnesty said. — AFP 

was forced a few months earlier to close a military base 

in Dubai that was part of a key supply route to 

Afghanistan after refusing to grant the UAE’s two 

national carriers more landing rights. Baird was transport 

minister at the time, when more than 25,000 

Canadians were living in the UAE and bilateral trade was 

valued at $1.5 billion annually, according to the UAE. 

Since then, Iraq has become Canada’s largest trading 

partner in the Middle East, Baird noted. — AFP 

NEWS 


The issue of Palestinians in Israeli prisons is a deeply 

sensitive one and it frequently sparks mass demonstrations 

across the occupied territories which tend to develop 

into violent clashes with the military. One of the main 

points of concern is prisoners on long-term hunger strike 

who are held without charge, or the conditions of their 

arrest. 

Abu Hamdiyeh’s death sparked protests in prisons 

across Israel as well as clashes with the Israeli army in 

Hebron. The Israel Prisons Service confirmed he had died 

of cancer yesterday morning, saying disturbances had broken 

out in four prisons as the news spread in Ketziot, 

Eshel, Ramon and Nafha. In Hebron, around 300 demonstrators 

threw stones at troops near the entrance to the 

Old City, with soldiers firing tear gas and rubber bullets, an 

AFP correspondent said. And in Jerusalem’s Old City, 

police arrested three people after dozens of Palestinian 

demonstrators began throwing stones at Damascus Gate, 

spokeswoman Luba Samri said. 

Qadura Fares, head of the Ramallah-based Prisoners 

Club, was the first to break news of Abu Hamdiyeh’s death, 

blaming Israel for its “refusal to release him for treatment”. 

Prisoner affairs minister Issa Qaraaqa said it was a “vicious 

crime” which had come about due to Israel’s “stalling over 

giving him the right to be treated following a late cancer 

diagnosis.” 

Gaza’s ruling Hamas said it was following with the 

“greatest concern” the developments and warned that 

Israel would “regret its continuing crimes,” spokesman 

Sami Abu Zuhri told AFP. Abu Hamdiyeh, a senior Fatah 

official from the preventative security services, began 

complaining of throat problems about nine months ago. 

Two months ago he was diagnosed with cancer of the 

oesophagus. According to the Prisoners Club, 25 inmates 

serving time in Israeli jails are currently suffering from can- 


Yangon to bury the victims, with 

many among the crowd voicing suspicions 

the fire was started deliberately. A 

teacher, who was awoken as flames 

tore through the building and who 

helped evacuate survivors, told AFP he 

had smelt petrol during the blaze - 

echoing the testimony of several witnesses. 

“I think someone started the fire 

intentionally,” said Khin Maung Hla, 35, 

adding the victims were aged between 

12 and 15. Waiting to bury her 13-yearold 

boy, Nyunt Zaw wept uncontrollably. 

“I lost my youngest son. I am devastated,” 

she told AFP. “The school just 

reopened yesterday and now my son is 

dead,” wept Ohnmar Lwin as she also 

buried her child. 

Emergency services had to break 

down locked doors to free the children 

sleeping in a dormitory, according to 

government spokesman Ye Htut. 

“Please don’t believe some news on the 

Internet portraying this case as a religious 

conflict,” he posted on his 

Facebook page. But, against the background 

of the recent sectarian violence, 

many Muslims were “very suspicious” 

about the latest fire, said Mya Aye, a 

Muslim member of the 88 Generation 

Students’ pro-democracy group. “We 

are worried and sad because innocent 

children died,” he said. Communal tensions 

are high in the former army-ruled 

country after at least 43 people died 

last month in a wave of intra-religious 

violence that saw mosques and homes 

burned down in several towns. The 

government has imposed emergency 

rule and curfews in some areas. 

Yangon’s chief minister Myint Swe 

told reporters authorities had launched 

a probe into the fire, adding that initial 

findings suggested a fault with wiring 

under the staircase was to blame. He 

said about 70 children were trapped 

upstairs when the blaze broke out. “The 

children could not get out of the building 

because there were iron bars (on 

the windows) and the only way out was 

the stairs,” he said, adding that the victims 

died of suffocation. Electrical fires 

are common because of poor safety 

standards in poverty-stricken Myanmar, 

which is emerging from decades of military 

rule. 

Two Muslim guards at the building 

failed to react to an alarm, said Yangon 

police chief Win Naing, adding one was 

in custody and the other had run away. 

Myint Swe said witness reports of a 

smell of fuel could be explained by the 


Palestinians protest after inmate dies... 

cer. The Palestine Liberation Organisation has warned that 

more terminally ill prisoners could die. 

The Israel Prisons Service said Abu Hamdiyeh was diagnosed 

in February and was being treated by experts. 

“About a week ago, after being diagnosed as terminal, the 

ISP appealed to the release committee to secure his early 

release, a process which had been started but not yet concluded,” 

a statement said. It said he was serving life for his 

involvement as “a recruiter and dispatcher in an attempted 

terror attack at Cafe Cafit in Jerusalem in 2002. 

Separately, Khaled Meshaal’s reelection as head of the 

Islamist Hamas movement was officially confirmed yesterday, 

drawing a cautious welcome from the rival Fatah 

movement which rules the West Bank. The reelection of 

the charismatic 56-year-old as the overall head of the 

Palestinian Islamist movement which rules Gaza, was 

widely seen as a shoo-in, with his new mandate secured 

by a vote in Cairo late on Monday. “The Shura Council held 

a meeting in Cairo to elect a leader and members of the 

political bureau,” a Hamas statement said. The movement’s 

leadership “renewed confidence in the political bureau, 

headed by Khaled Meshaal,” during after a late-night 

Monday vote of the Shura Council which groups Hamas 

leaders from Gaza, the West Bank and overseas, it said. 

His reelection was welcomed as a positive step by a 

senior member of Palestinian president Abbas’ Fatah 

movement. “Meshaal is a pragmatic person and may be 

more malleable than others in Hamas,” Fatah Central 

Committee member Mahmud Alul told Voice of Palestine 

radio. “This may help... to achieve reconciliation,” he said, 

referring to efforts to bridge years of bitter rivalry 

between the two Palestinian national movements. “All we 

want is a capable movement that can lead Hamas. There 

needs to be a leadership that can impose a political will - 

one approach and not contradictory ones - especially in 

terms of reconciliation and the overall Palestinian cause,” 

he said. — Agencies 

13 boys dead in blaze at Myanmar Muslim... 

generator used to power the building. 

Muslim leader Shine Win told AFP earlier 

that he had spoken to students and 

teachers who reported slipping on an 

oily liquid on the ground floor while 

escaping, and urged the government 

to “reveal the truth”. 

US ambassador Derek Mitchell in a 

statement expressed “heartfelt condolences” 

to the loved ones of all those 

affected. “Given the severity of this 

event, we encourage the government 

to work closely with members of the 

community to conduct a thorough and 

transparent investigation into the 

cause of the fire,” he said. Yangon has 

been tense but mostly peaceful following 

the religious clashes which broke 

out in the town of Meiktila and later 

spread. The conflict poses a major challenge 

for President Thein Sein, who has 

won international praise for his reform 

efforts since taking office two years 

ago. The situation has calmed in recent 

days after the former general on 

Thursday vowed a tough response to 

the violence, which he blamed on 

“political opportunists and religious 

extremists”. Violence involving 

Buddhists and Muslims in the western 

state of Rakhine last year left at least 

180 people dead. -— Agencies

S tung 

THE LEADING INDEPENDENT 

DAILY IN THE ARABIAN GULF 

ESTABLISHED 1961 

Founder and Publisher 

YOUSUF S. AL-ALYAN 

Editor-in-Chief 

ABD AL-RAHMAN AL-ALYAN 

EDITORIAL : 24833199-24833358-24833432 

ADVERTISING : 24835616/7 

FAX : 24835620/1 

CIRCULATION : 24833199 Extn. 163 

ACCOUNTS : 24835619 

COMMERCIAL : 24835618 

P.O.Box 1301 Safat,13014 Kuwait. 

E MAIL :info@kuwaittimes.net 

Website: www.kuwaittimes.net 

Issues 

Big Pharma down, 

not out, after 

India patent blow 

By Ben Hirschler and Kaustubh Kulkarni 

by a landmark patent defeat, Western drugmakers 

will be wary about launching new products in 

India, but they cannot afford to quit a country tipped 

to be the world’s eighth largest market for medicines by 

2016. Makers of patented drugs will in future have to get 

more creative about doing business in India, including 

striking deals with local firms to sell cheaper versions of 

their drugs, industry experts believe. The decision by 

India’s Supreme Court on Monday not to allow a patent on 

Novartis AG’s cancer drug Glivec angered but did not surprise 

US and European drug companies, given past intellectual 

property (IP) setbacks. And it is unlikely to send 

them rushing for the exit. “India is too big to ignore,” said 

Amit Backliwal, who heads South Asian operations for 

leading healthcare information provider IMS Health. 

“Companies will definitely get cautious, and it definitely 

means a change in their business model, but I don’t think 

they will pull out.” 

On paper, there is huge potential in India’s rapidly 

growing $13 billion-a-year drugs market, which is driven 

these days by chronic diseases such as diabetes as well as 

infections. So far, though, it has failed to become a moneyspinner 

for the world’s top pharmaceutical companies, 

despite a new law in 2005 allowing drug patents for the 

first time. Innovative patented drugs make up no more 

than 5 percent of sales, according to IMS, and they have 

been under siege after a series of rulings allowing generics 

firms to over-ride patents for cancer drugs like Bayer AG’s 

Nexavar. 

New Delhi has pulled no punches in its fight with Big 

Pharma, both by raising the bar for patents and being 

ready to issue so-called compulsory licences that open the 

door for cheap generics when patented drugs are deemed 

unaffordable. In the face of such hurdles, some companies 

are already building new business models. Roche Holding, 

for example, plans to offer cut-price versions of two blockbuster 

cancer drugs Herceptin and MabThera under an 

alliance with Indian generics firm Emcure Pharmaceuticals. 

It is a scheme that Ajay Kumar Sharma, associate director 

of the pharmaceutical and biotech practice at business 

consultancy Frost & Sullivan, believes other drugmakers 

could now emulate. 

India’s stance on IP has long been a thorn in the side of 

Western business, prompting calls by Pfizer Inc and other 

US firms last month for more pressure on the country to 

reform policies that can block US exports. The argument 

cuts little ice in India, where officials see differential pricing 

- steep discounts for less well-off markets - as an obvious 

option for Western companies. “It is up to them to 

decide on India. Don’t forget, India is a large market, a 

country of 1.2 billion,” said Raghunath Mashelkar, former 

director general of the Council for Scientific and Industrial 

Research and an architect of India’s IP policies. 

With differential pricing common in industries from 

autos to mobile phones, he argues pharmaceutical firms 

must find new ways to make products affordable for lower-income 

groups. “Drugmakers will have to work out 

strategies for the lower sections, to give affordable access 

to medicines and make money by large volumes and 

smaller margins,” he told Reuters. “And then they will look 

at the middle and the upper sections and make money 

through smaller volumes but higher margins.” 

It is a calculated risk, yet a number of drugmakers are 

already coming around to the view that trading volume 

for price is the way forward. One of those is 

GlaxoSmithKline Plc, which has a large footprint in India 

and has just invested $900 million to raise its stake in its 

consumer healthcare subsidiary. GSK’s diversified 

approach to healthcare is shared by a number of rivals, 

including Novartis, that also have big interests in over-thecounter 

(OTC) remedies and branded generics, in addition 

to innovative medicines. 

It is this non-prescription sector that is set to dominate 

in India, driving double-digit percentage growth in a market 

that IMS has forecast will reach $24-34 billion by 2016, 

vaulting the country to eighth from 14th in the global 

league table. PricewaterhouseCoopers puts sales by 2020 

at $49 billion. Much of the new business will still come 

from cheap generics made by local companies, but 

Western firms are also seeking to put their brands on 

unpatented medicines, prompting the likes of Abbott 

Laboratories and Daiichi Sankyo Co Ltd to buy up Indian 

companies. With sales of patented drugs in Western countries 

slowing, emerging markets are a vital growth driver 

for drugmakers. India cannot be ignored, but there are 

clearly better bets elsewhere. — Reuters 

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. 

By Elena Becatoros 

B arbed 

wire-topped walls stretch across the narrow, 

twisted streets of Nicosia’s walled medieval 

city, where abandoned buildings extend across a 

no-man’s land. On the other side, Turkish Cypriots have 

been watching with fascination - and consternation - as 

the economy of their long prosperous southern neighbors 

implodes. Separated by a militarized border, Greek 

Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots had no contact for the 

best part of 30 years from the mid-1970s onwards; they 

have only been able to cross from one side to the other 

for the last decade. Torn apart by inter-ethnic strife that 

climaxed in a 1974 Turkish invasion, the two sides have 

much to be bitter about. 

But bitterness is not the dominant sentiment in 

northern Nicosia, as the southern side that once proudly 

trumpeted its membership in the euro currency goes 

into meltdown. “I am very sorry about it,” said Selcuk 

Ekendal, a soft-spoken Turkish Cypriot pensioner 

watching friends play cards in a coffee shop, not far 

from the barricades dividing north from south. This is 

not just a southern affair, he insists: “The crisis is everywhere.” 

But the truth is, the crisis doesn’t directly affect 

Turkish Cypriots. Without any financial ties to the south, 

and outside of the eurozone, the north has not been 

touched by the Greek Cypriot economic disintegration. 

Unrecognized by any country apart from Turkey, the 

breakaway Turkish Cypriot state has no direct trade 

partners apart from Turkey - making it almost entirely 

dependent on the large emerging power. That was 

once a curse but these days it’s looking increasingly 

like, if not a blessing, at least a safety net. 

To be sure, the north has long languished as an economic 

backwater, while the Greek Cypriots in the south 

enjoyed a post-invasion financial boom that many 

dubbed an ‘economic miracle’ and led to decades of 

sustained growth, eventually allowing them to clinch 

coveted EU membership. 

For Greek Cypriots, being part of the euro club now 

seems in many ways a shackle - because of the harsh 

conditions imposed on staying inside, and the even 

more frightening consequences of leaving. The Turkish 

Cypriot economy is so dependent on Turkey that it 

even uses the Turkish lira as its de facto currency. But 

these days, there’s an element of relief, although 

remarkably little gloating, in being able to watch the 

euro turmoil as a spectator. 

It’s a remarkable reversal of fortune. Although the 

1974 invasion left northern Cyprus with most of the 

country’s fertile agricultural land and rapidly growing 

tourist sites, the breakaway state’s political isolation 

came with a huge economic cost. Hundreds of thousands 

of Turkish settlers flowed into the island. Ankara 

spent billions sustaining them, and the newly formed 

government. It quickly became clear that the statelet 

14 ANALYSIS 

depended for its survival on Ankara, both economically 

and politically. To the south of the dividing line, the 

Greek Cypriot economy recovered fast from the invasion, 

eventually turning its part of the island into an 

off-shore banking hub that grew to dwarf the island’s 

gross domestic product by eight times - something 

economists had long warned was unsustainable. And 

unsustainable it was: Greek Cypriot banks tottered as 

they became overexposed to Greek debt that became 

toxic when that country’s economy crumbled over the 

last few years. Their collapse would have dragged 

down the entire economy and raised fears that Cyprus 

could end up becoming the first country to leave the 

17-nation eurozone. European officials rushed to patch 

together some kind of rescue, but insisted that ordinary 

Greek Cypriot savers had to contribute, too. 

While politicians tried to work out what would work, 

banks in the south were shut down for nearly two 

weeks to prevent people draining their accounts. A 

new last-minute bailout agreement sparing ordinary 

savers averted disaster - but for Greek Cypriots, the 

economic pain is probably just beginning. Turkish 

Cypriots, on the other hand, have slowly seen their 

tourism industry blossom. 

But Turkish Cypriots said they knew exactly how the 


Reelection may better Hamas ties with West 

By Adel Zaanoun 

K haled 

Meshaal’s reelection as leader of Hamas, 

which controls the Gaza Strip, provides a chance 

for the Islamist group to improve ties with the 

international community, analysts say. The veteran 

leader was chosen Monday to serve another four-year 

term despite indications he might be forced aside by 

the movement’s powerful and more radical leadership 

in Gaza. Based in exile, the pragmatic politician’s more 

moderate line on Israel and inter-Palestinian reconciliation 

has given him wide-ranging support in the Arab 

world and some sympathy in the West. 

“Meshaal’s differences with Hamas’s more radical 

leadership, and flexibility on issues like reconciliation 

and peace, presents him to the world as a rational 

leader whom it is possible to deal with,” said Walid Al- 

Mudallal, a politics professor at Gaza’s Islamic 

University. “He excels in... relations with the Arab 

world,” and his reelection “will give a big enough 

chance to improve Hamas’s ties with the West and to 

market it as a movement that isn’t hostile,” he said. 

Meshaal’s comments last year that he was willing 

to “give a chance” to talks with Israel may make him 

more palatable to the international community, but it 

sat uncomfortably within a movement whose charter 

calls for the destruction of the Jewish state. Late last 

year, Meshaal said he would not seek another term as 

Hamas chief, but the ongoing upheaval in the Middle 

East changes in the region forced a rethink. 

“Arab and regional changes were the fundamental 

reason for Meshaal changing his mind about candidacy, 

and for his victory,” said Mukhaimer Abu Saada, a 

politics professor at Al-Azhar University in Gaza. “No 

one has his political experience,” he added, saying his 

candidacy was supported by Hamas leaders across the 

territories as well as externally. “Hamas faces the challenges 

of Palestinian reconciliation, confronting Israel, 

and relations with Egypt. Meshaal is able with his experience 

to bring Hamas through its difficult challenges.” 

Hamas has a long and bitter history of rivalry with 

the Fatah movement of president Mahmoud Abbas 

which governs the West Bank, is viewed as a terrorist 

organisation by Israel, and has strained ties with Cairo 

which suspects Gazan involvement in a deadly attack 

on troops in Sinai last year. But with Meshaal at the 

helm, things could well change, Abu Saada said. “Two 

years ago, the international community saw political 

Islam as a danger and wouldn’t deal with Meshaal. But 

the Arab revolutions and victory of political Islam mean 

the US and Europe want to re-examine their thoughts 

on this. Through Egypt and Qatar, Hamas has a plat- 

form to improve relations with Europe and the United 

States, he said. 

Salah Jumaa, a specialist on Palestinians for Egypt’s 

MENA news agency, said that “support from Cairo is a 

gateway to the world” for Hamas. “The Muslim 

Brotherhood played a role in Meshaal’s importance to 

the movement,” he said, referring to Egypt’s ruling 

Islamist party, from which Hamas stemmed. “Cairo 

hosting the Hamas meeting to elect Meshaal is proof 

that Egypt will support the movement in opening it up 

to the West.” 

Egypt played a central role in brokering reconciliation 

efforts between Hamas and Fatah which led to the 

signing of a deal in April 2011, although it has yet to be 

implemented. And Qatar has also proposed a mini Arab 

summit aimed at reconciliation which has been welcomed 

by both rival movements. Even for Israel, said 

Saada, “they will prefer someone they know” in charge 

of Hamas - even if it is a sworn enemy. In Sept 1997, 

agents of Israel’s Mossad secret service disguised as 

Canadian tourists bungled an attempt to assassinate 

him on a street in Amman by injecting him with poison. 

But the avowed radical has gradually come around 

to an implicit acceptance of the notion of a Palestinian 

state alongside Israel, although the Jewish state has so 

far reserved judgement. — AFP 

Turkish Cypriots: Solidarity tinged with relief 

people of the south were feeling in their crisis. “We 

have experienced what Greek Cypriots have experienced 

a long time ago, about 12 years ago, when a lot 

of banks went bankrupt and people lost a lot of money,” 

said Hassan Chirakli, an affable Turkish Cypriot who 

runs a shop selling traditional Turkish sweets. Turkey 

suffered a deep financial crisis in 2001 that forced the 

country to overhaul its banking system by restructuring 

and recapitalizing failed banks. Turkish authorities 

took over more than a dozen struggling banks - and 

with the Turkish Cypriot economy so closely linked to 

that of its protector nation, the effects in impoverished 

northern Cyprus were brutal. 

In this photo taken March 24, 2013, Selcuk Ekendal, 72, speaks to AP inside a coffee shop in the Turkish 

Cypriot part of the divided capital Nicosia. — AP 

The closest the two sides have come to resolving the 

island’s division came a few years later, in 2004, with a 

peace plan brokered by then-UN Secretary General Kofi 

Annan. With hopes high, the deal was put to separate 

votes in the north and the south. The Turkish Cypriots 

accepted the plan, but the Greek Cypriots rejected it. 

Chirakli says the answer to the financial woes on either 

side lies with reunifying the island. “If the Greek 

Cypriots had said yes to the Annan plan, it would have 

been completely different,” he said. “This is what I wanted 

all the way, and I still want it. Some sort of a solution 

to this country.” — AP

Athletes get two-year ban 

MOSCOW: Former world and Olympic champions Svetlana Krivelyova and 

Olga Kuzenkova have been banned for two years each for failing drugs tests 

after their samples were re-examined, the Russian athletics federation (VFLA) 

said yesterday. The 42-year-old Kuzenkova, 2004 Olympic champion in the 

women’s hammer, tested positive at the 2005 world championships in Helsinki, 

where she also finished first. “Kuzenkova has been banned for two years starting 

from March 27, 2013,” the VFLA said on its website (www.rusathletics.com). 

The VFLA annulled all her results from Aug. 12, 2005 to Aug. 11, 2007, meaning 

she will lose her 2005 world title. Cuba’s Yipsi Moreno, who finished second in 

Helsinki, will now get the gold medal. Krivelyova, 43, who 

won the women’s shot put gold at the 1992 Barcelona 

Olympics and the 2003 world championships in Paris, 

failed a test at the 2004 Athens Games. 

Krivelyova had already been stripped of the 2004 

bronze medal by the International Olympic Committee 

(IOC) after her sample was re-tested. She finished fourth in 

Athens but was promoted to third after her Russian 

team mate Irina Korzhanenko was stripped of gold 

after failing a drugs test for the anabolic steroid 

stanozolol.—Reuters 

Tigers get past Twins 

MINNEAPOLIS: Justin Verlander won on 

opening day for the first time in six 

attempts, pitching five shutout innings at 

frosty Target Field to send the defending 

American League champion Detroit Tigers 

past the Minnesota Twins 4-2 on Monday. 

Verlander (1-0) had been 0-1 in his previous 

five openers. Phil Coke got the last 

two outs for the first save by the Tigers’ 

closer committee. 

Prince Fielder, wearing a black ski covering 

on his head, had two hits and an RBI 

to help spoil the first Twins start by Vance 

Worley (0-1). 

RED SOX 8, YANKEES 2 

In New York, Jon Lester and the Boston 

Red Sox got off to a quick start after a 

dreadful 2012 season, giving new manager 

John Farrell an opening day win over 

the depleted New York Yankees. 

Newcomer Shane Victorino led a 

revamped Red Sox lineup with three RBIs 

and rookie Jackie Bradley Jr. walked three 

times and scored twice in his big league 

debut. Boston’s big day against CC 

Sabathia (0-1) came a year after it lost its 

first three games under Bobby Valentine 

and went on to a 69-93 finish. 

Facing a Yankees lineup minus injured 

Derek Jeter for the first time since 2001 

and just three starters from opening day a 

year ago, Lester (1-0) gave up five hits and 

two runs in five sharp innings against the 

defending AL East champions. 

WHITE SOX 1, ROYALS 0 

In Chicago, Chris Sale outpitched 

James Shields, Tyler Flowers homered and 

the Chicago White Sox beat Kansas City in 

their season opener. 

Sale (1-0) showed the form that made 

him a 17-game winner and an All-Star in 

his first season as a starter. On a chilly 

day when the gametime temperature 

was 44, he allowed seven hits and struck 

out seven in 7 2-3 innings. Addison 

Reed worked the ninth for the save. 

Shields (0-1) was a tough-luck loser 

in his first start since the Royals 

acquired him from Tampa Bay in the offseason. 

Flowers homered leading off 

the fifth. 

MARINERS 2, ATHLETICS 0 

In Oakland, Felix Hernandez struck 

out eight on opening day in his first 

start since signing a $175 million, seven-year 

contract in February, and the 

Mariners beat the reigning AL West 

champion Oakland Athletics. 

King Felix surrendered one walk 

while pitching 7 2-3 scoreless innings. 

He didn’t allow a hit until John Jaso 

doubled to left-center with one out in 

the fourth, only a couple of hours after 

the pitcher gifted his former backstop 

with a Rolex watch for catching his perfect 

game in August against the Rays. 

Hernandez (1-0) outdueled Brett 

Anderson while making his sixth career 

opening day start and fifth in a row, 

retiring the first 10 batters of the game 

in order. Franklin Gutierrez hit a two-run 

single in the fifth to break a scoreless 

tie, and it held up for Hernandez.—AP 

MINNEAPOLIS: Justin Morneau No. 33 of the Minnesota Twins slides into second base 

with a double as Jhonny Peralta No. 27 of the Detroit Tigers and umpire Jim Wolf No. 

28 look on during the fourth inning. —AFP 

World Freestyle Football 

Champion ‘Tokura’ to judge Red 

Bull Wanna Panna in Kuwait 

KUWAIT: The second Red Bull Wanna Panna 

football event in Kuwait will take place at 

the Marina Crescent on Thursday April 4 at 

7:00pm. The best 16 participants will play 

head to head and the winner will be the 

person who scores 3 goals or 1 panna. The 

competition will be held in a 6x6 meters 

cage with no time limit. 

Kotaro Tokuda aka “Tokura”, winner of the 

2012 Red Bull Street Style World 

Championship will be in Kuwait to judge 

the final matches and will be performing a 

freestyle show. “I’m happy to be in Kuwait 

especially to meet the Panna and Freestyle 

players. I will try to help all the 16 finalists 

by giving them some tips that might help 

them in this competition or in their practice 

in the future.” said Tokura. 

Panna, Gate in Surinamese, is a type of 

street football in which fine dribbling 

counts However, Panna is more than just a 

Tokura World Champion in 2012 

football game; it is a lifestyle, completed 

with urban clothing and street slang. The 

trick is to impose yourself on your opponents 

through the nutmeg skill. Scoring a 

Panna is considered as the ultimate embarrassment 

to your rival, earning you respect 

and making you hero of the street. 

Competitors train for days, weeks and 

months to master the ultimate trick to 

knock their opponents. 

Panna is an exciting new variation of 

football, it teaches the importance of control 

and individual skills. Modern football 

relies on speed and skills and mastering 

Panna will help you achieve that goal. In 

recent years Panna football has taken on a 

new meaning; it is part today of a growing 

street football scene that includes 

freestylers. For any more info, please visit 

www.redbullmea.com or follow @redbullkuwait. 

SPORTS 

UCI blames team errors 

for Rasmussen decision 

PARIS: Alex Rasmussen’s removal from the Circuit de la Sarthe was 

due to administrative errors from the Danish rider’s Garmin-Sharp 

team, the International Cycling Union (UCI) said yesterday. 

The UCI said Rasmussen was not eligible to race after “documents 

he was required to provide to Ernst & Young to allow registration were 

not provided in time”. 

The governing body did not elaborate. Rasmussen wrote on his 

Twitter feed on Tuesday from western France: “Just got taken out of La 

Sarthe by the evil and powerful UCI. Lifetime ban in effect by the UCI 

apparently.” 

Rasmussen’s tweet led to some confusion with the UCI and pundits 

alike mentioning a possible mix-up with fellow Dane Michael 

Rasmussen, who this year confessed to doping over a 12-year period. 

Alex Rasmussen was initially cleared by the Danish Olympic 

Committee after he missed two tests and failed to provide his whereabouts 

once in an 18-month period, but the UCI appealed against the 

decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) which imposed 

the ban on him. There is no lifetime ban on Alex Rasmussen whose 

suspension ended on Monday.—Reuters 

WASHINGTON: Bryce Harper 

homered in his first two at-bats 

and Stephen Strasburg retired 19 

batters in a row at one stretch as 

the defending NL East champion 

Washington Nationals opened 

the season with a 2-0 victory 

over the Miami Marlins on 

Monday. 

For Strasburg, this marked the 

start of what should be his first 

full season in the majors, with 

zero pitch or inning limits. The 

All-Star ace was dominant 

against a trade-depleted Marlins 

lineup that features Giancarlo 

Stanton and little else. The righthander 

went seven innings, 

matching his career high, and 

allowed three hits. 

Reigning NL Rookie of the 

Year Harper, a 20-year-old outfielder, 

hit solo shots over the 

out-of-town scoreboard in rightcenter 

field off Ricky Nolasco in 

the first and fourth innings. New 

closer Rafael Soriano got the 

save. 

DODGERS 4, GIANTS 0 

In Los Angeles, Clayton 

Kershaw launched his first career 

home run to break a scoreless tie 

in the eighth inning, then finished 

off a four-hitter that led 

the Los Angeles Dodgers past 

the San Francisco Giants. 

Kershaw became the first pitcher 

to throw a shutout and hit a 

home run in an opener since Bob 

Lemon for Cleveland in 1953, 

STATS said. 

Kershaw struck out seven, 

walked none and retired World 

Series MVP Pablo Sandoval on a 

grounder to end it. Matt Cain 

made his first career opening 

day start for the Giants in the 

loss. He allowed four hits in six 

scoreless innings, struck out 

eight and walked one. 

METS 11, PADRES 2 

In New York, Jonathon Niese 

stepped nicely into his new role 

as No. 1 starter for the Mets, and 

Collin Cowgill capped a successful 

New York debut with a grand 

slam in a rout of the San Diego 

Padres. 

Handed the opening day 

assignment in place of injured 

Johan Santana, Niese enjoyed a 

big afternoon with both his arm 

and bat. He breezed into the seventh 

inning against a Padres 

lineup missing slugger Chase 

Headley (broken thumb) and 

catcher Yasmani Grandal, suspended 

for the first 50 games 

after testing positive for testosterone. 

Marlon Byrd had a pair of RBI 

singles and fellow Mets newcomer 

John Buck was in the middle 

of three rallies as New York 

improved baseball’s best opening 

day record to 34-18 despite 

dropping its first eight openers. 

CUBS 3, PIRATES 1 

In Pittsburgh, Jeff Samardzija 

struck out nine in eight nearly 

flawless innings and the Chicago 

Cubs held on for a victory over 

the Pittsburgh Pirates. 

The right-hander allowed just 

two hits and walked one as the 

Chicago won on opening day for 

the first time since 2009. 

Anthony Rizzo hit a two-run 

homer and Wellington Castillo 

added an RBI double for the 

Cubs. Kyuji Fujikawa got a save 

in his major league debut after 

closer Carlos Marmol struggled. 

AJ Burnett, making the first 

opening day start of his lengthy 

career, gave up three runs on six 

hits in 5 2-3 innings, striking out 

10. 

BREWERS 5, ROCKIES 4 

In Milwaukee, Jonathan 

Lucroy hit a sacrifice fly in the 

10th inning to give the 

Milwaukee Brewers a victory 

over Colorado, ruining the first 

game for new Rockies manager 

Walt Weiss. 

Rickie Weeks sparked the winning 

rally when he stole second 

after he was hit by a pitch with 

one out. Adam Ottavino then 

issued an intentional walk to 

Ryan Braun and lost Aramis 

Ramirez to another walk before 

Lucroy ended the game with a 

fly ball to center field. 

A big “Luuuuuuc” thundered 

down from the Miller Park crowd 

of 45,781 as Weeks came home 

with the winning run and Lucroy 

was mobbed by his jubilant 

teammates. 

Ramirez also had a two-run 

double in Milwaukee’s three-run 

eighth inning as the Brewers 

won on opening day for the first 

time since 2008. 

BRAVES 7, PHILLIES 5 

In Atlanta, Freddie Freeman 

drove in three runs with three 

hits, including the first of three 

Atlanta home runs, and the 

Braves beat Cole Hamels and the 

Philadelphia Phillies. 

Dan Uggla and Justin Upton, 

making his Braves debut, also 

homered for Atlanta, which led 

National League teams with 49 

in spring training. 

Hamels (0-1) struggled in his 

Sun back on track 


BEIJING: China’s double Olympic gold medallist Sun Yang has mended 

fences with his coach and laid down a marker ahead of this year’s World 

Championships by winning the 400m freestyle at the National Swimming 

Championships, local media reported. 

Sun’s relationship with coach Zhu Zhigen had reportedly soured amid 

concerns the 21-year-old swimmer’s private life was affecting his training. 

He was also suspended from all commercial activities in February for 

breaching a “series of team rules” and had one month’s training allowance 

withheld. 

Sun finished nearly four seconds ahead of his nearest 

rival at the meet on Monday and will look to 

improve steadily ahead of the July 19-Aug. 4 World 

Championship in Barcelona. 

“I am just 70 to 80 percent of my best level,” Sun 

was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency. “My 

coach knows me better and I hope I can do better in 

the World Championships,” said the Olympic 400m and 

1,500m freestyle champion, who returned to normal 

training last month.—Reuters 

WASHINGTON: Pitcher Stephen Strasburg No. 37 of the Washington Nationals throws to a Miami Marlins batter during the first inning of their 

opening day game at Nationals Park.—AFP 

Nationals blank Marlins 

first opening day start. He gave 

up five runs on seven hits, 

including the three homers, with 

five strikeouts and one walk in 

five innings. The three homers 

allowed matched his high from 

last season. 

DIAMONDBACKS 6, CARDINALS 2 

In Phoenix, Ian Kennedy 

struck out eight in seven strong 

innings and the Arizona 

Diamondbacks used 15 hits to 

beat the St. Louis Cardinals. 

Kennedy (1-0) allowed two 

runs on five hits with one walk. 

St. Louis’ Adam Wainwright (0-1) 

went six innings, giving up four 

runs, three earned, on 11 hits. He 

struck out six with no walks. 

Arizona’s Gerardo Parra 

matched his career best with 

four hits, three of them doubles. 

Rookie A.J. Pollock was 3 for 4, 

including a two-run double, and 

Martin Prado doubled twice with 

an RBI and two runs scored for 

the Diamondbacks. 

Interleague 

ANGELS 3, REDS 1, 13 innings 

In Cincinnati, Chris Iannetta 

hit a solo homer early in the 

game and a bases-loaded single 

in the 13th inning, powering the 

Los Angeles Angels past the 

Cincinnati Reds in the majors’ 

first interleague season opener. 

The Angels loaded the bases 

with two outs in the 13th off J.J. 

Hoover, who walked two and hit 

Hank Conger, the Angels’ final 

position player. Iannetta worked 

the count full, fouled off a pair of 

pitches, then singled to left. 

Ernesto Frieri, the Angels’ seventh 

pitcher, finished off the 

Reds’ longest opening game 

since 1975, when they beat the 

Dodgers 2-1 in 14 innings.—AP 

MLB results/standings 

Boston 8, NY Yankees 2; Washington 2, Miami 0; NY Mets 11, San Diego 2; 

Chicago Cubs 3, Pittsburgh 1; Milwaukee 5, Colorado 4 (10 Innings); Chicago 

White Sox 1, Kansas City 0; Detroit 4, Minnesota 2; LA Angels 3, Cincinnati 1 (13 

Innings); LA Dodgers 4, San Francisco 0; Atlanta 7, Philadelphia 5; Seattle 2, 

Oakland 0; Arizona 6, St. Louis 2. 

American League 

Eastern Division 

W L PCT GB 

Boston 1 0 1.000 - 

Baltimore 0 0 0 0.5 

Tampa Bay 0 0 0 0.5 

Toronto 0 0 0 0.5 

NY Yankees 0 1 0 1 

Central Division 

Chicago White Sox 1 0 1.000 - 

Detroit 1 0 1.000 - 

Cleveland 0 0 0 0.5 

Kansas City 0 1 0 1 

Minnesota 0 1 0 1 

Western Division 

Houston 1 0 1.000 - 

LA Angels 1 0 1.000 - 

Seattle 1 0 1.000 - 

Oakland 0 1 0 1 

Texas 0 1 0 1 

National League 

Eastern Division 

Atlanta 1 0 1.000 - 

NY Mets 1 0 1.000 - 

Washington 1 0 1.000 - 

Miami 0 1 0 1 

Philadelphia 0 1 0 1 


Chicago Cubs 1 0 1.000 - 

Milwaukee 1 0 1.000 - 

Cincinnati 0 1 0 1 

Pittsburgh 0 1 0 1 

St. Louis 0 1 0 1 

Western Division 

Arizona 1 0 1.000 - 

LA Dodgers 1 0 1.000 - 

Colorado 0 1 0 1 

San Diego 0 1 0 1 

San Francisco 0 1 0 1

Michael Clarke 

Just what Robert Guerrero was thinking 

remains a mystery, at least for now. He’s 

not saying and, after the idiotic move 

that got him arrested with a gun at a 

New York airport, that’s probably a 

good thing. 

Dumb doesn’t even begin to 

describe packing heat for a trip to the 

Big Apple to promote his May 4 fight 

with Floyd Mayweather Jr. As tough as 

the New York media can be at times, it 

wasn’t necessary to bring a .40-caliber 

Smith & Wesson pistol in case things 

got real nasty. 

The good news is that the 

Mayweather fight is still on, and 

Guerrero remains in training. The bad 

news is that the threat of possible jail 

time hanging over his head may be one 

distraction too many in a fight where 

Guerrero must be at his very best. 

Forgive Mayweather if he’s spent the 

last few nights at his Big Boy Mansion in 

Las Vegas laughing with his yes men 

about the whole thing. He may beat up 

or berate women if they give him a 

rough time, but so far he seems to be 

pretty careful - with good reason - 

when it comes to guns. 

The Guerrero camp is doing its best 

to tone things down, and you have to 

believe the fighter really wasn’t aware 

of New York’s tough gun laws when he 

packed his pistol - legally registered in 

his home state of California - in a locked 

box and put it in his suitcase for his trip. 

That’s not surprising because fighters in 

general tend not to be up on local laws 

unless they find themselves breaking 

one. I mean, the guy told the ticket 

agent at the JFK Airport counter that he 

had the gun in his suitcase when he 

checked in. That by itself may keep him 

out of jail in a state so stringent about 

gun control that former New York 

Giants receiver Plaxico Burress was sentenced 

to three years in prison for 

shooting himself with his own unregistered 

weapon. 

At the very least, though, Guerrero 

ruined a great story line for the bout. 

He was supposed to be the good guy in 

this fight, a humble and hard-working 

boxer who praises God in every other 

sentence, up against a thug who spent 

more than two months in jail last summer 

for assaulting his ex-girlfriend 

while two of their children watched. 

Until last Thursday, he played the 

role well. I talked to him a few weeks 

SPORTS 

Being dumb is kind to describe Guerrero’s arrest 

Two years on, Clarke still has 

the stomach for the fight 

SYDNEY: Australian cricketing prospects 

have rarely looked bleaker than when 

Michael Clarke took over the Test captaincy 

after the last Ashes series but only an 

out-and-out optimist would declare the 

outlook that much brighter two years on. 

While his personal stock has risen inexorably 

on the back of a torrent of runs, 

Clarke’s Australia could hardly be said to 

be looking ready, willing and able to contest 

back-to-back test series against 

England this year. 

At the weekend, Clarke celebrated the 

second anniversary of his appointment as 

Australia’s 43rd test captain with a night 

in hospital suffering from gastroenteritis. 

If the illness was a lingering reminder 

of the recent tour of India, it was not the 

only unpleasantness to accompany him 

back from the sub-continent. 

The 4-0 test drubbing not only once 

again exposed the frailties of the 

Australian batting but also featured offfield 

problems, most notably when four 

players were dropped for not performing 

a post-match assignment. 

Clarke pugnaciously defended the 

“homework-gate” exclusions as necessary 

to foster the team ethic required to fulfil 

the ambition he starkly laid out two years 

ago - to become number one ranked 

team in all forms of the game. 

The Australians flirted with taking the 

top test ranking off South Africa in their 

home series at the end of last year but 

ultimately went down 1-0 to the Proteas. 

They are currently ranked fourth. 

Clarke will have plenty of time to 

reflect on how much progress has been 

made over the last two years in the next 

seven to 10 weeks as he recovers from 

hamstring and lower back injuries that 

ruled him out of the final test in India. 

What he probably did not anticipate 

when he succeeded Ricky Ponting was 

defending his team against the accusation 

that they were the worst Australian 

side to ever take the field. 

“All of us understand our performances 

over the last four tests were not acceptable,” 

he wrote in a column for an 

Australian website this week. 

“But, that said, we are only a couple of 

months removed from advancing to within 

one test match of taking the number 

one ranking from South Africa. 

“That suggests all is not lost and talk of 

us being the worst Australian team in history 

is a bit harsh. One bad tour doesn’t 

define a squad and I’m confident we can 

KUWAIT: Kuwait Swedish Cricket Club 

sponsored by Kuwait Swedish Cleaning 

Services Company and patronized by Assad 

Khan concluded another successful tournament 

for the 5th year running. 

Mirage CC captained by Rameshbabu 

won the prestigious Kuwait Swedish Trophy, 

beating Lions Cricket Club lead by the diehard 

cricketer Sayed Quadri (Lion King) by 

11 runs. The tournament played under the 

aegis of Kuwait Veterans Cricket Committee 

(KVCC) which is headed by Mahmoud 

Abdullah (Abu Nader) Chairman MG Cricket 

take the fight to England.” 

Clarke singled out the performances of 

batsmen Phil Hughes, Ed Cowan and 

Steve Smith as positives to come out of 

the tour, along with the workrate of seamers 

such as James Pattinson, Peter Siddle 

and Mitchell Starc. 

Whereas Ponting during his reign as 

captain was not on the selection panel 

and therefore able to shrug off, or even 

share, media incredulity at mismanagement 

of players, Clarke has no such luxury. 

Along with South African coach Mickey 

Arthur, Clarke is part of the four-man panel 

and must take his share of responsibility. 

Leaving aside “homework-gate”, the 

most baffling decision in India was to 

drop spinner Nathan Lyon from the 

Hyderabad test, which Australia lost by an 

innings and 135 runs. 

Although Lyon is not, and would never 

claim to be, another Shane Warne, he has 

been a solid test bowler and returned to 

take nine wickets in the final match in 

Delhi - a “good reward for effort” according 

to Clarke. 

Still, if the India tour was the nadir for 

the Clarke-led Australia team, there have 

been plenty of highlights too. Clarke, who 

turned 32 on Tuesday, has led the team to 

12 wins, six defeats and five draws in 23 

tests. 

There have been series sweeps of India 

(4-0) and Sri Lanka (3-0) at home, series 

wins in West Indies and Sri Lanka as well 

as a 1-1 draw in an extraordinary series in 

South Africa. 

There has also been his own remarkable 

form since he took the job, 2,533 test 

runs at an average of 68.45 with one triple 

century, three double centuries and five 

other hundreds. Clarke repeatedly, and 

apparently genuinely, trots out the line 

that he would trade all his runs for victories 

for his team. 

And, as Ponting discovered to his cost 

after three Ashes defeats, Australian captains 

will only ultimately be defined by 

how they fare against England. 

“Everyone in Australian cricket knows 

how much the Ashes means to the country 

and we will do everything within our 

power to turn the ship around after our 

disappointing tour of India,” he wrote in 

his column. “The players know how big 

the next 12 months are and it is still our 

aim to win back the urn and make 

Australia proud.”—Reuters 

Club included ten of the top veteran teams 

in Kuwait. 

Winning the toss and electing to bat 

Mirage CC got off to a flying start openers 

Fahim and Chauhan hitting a quick fire 50 in 

5 overs with Fahim plundering 18 runs in 

the 4th over hitting a massive six and 2 

fours. Khalid gave Lions their first breakthrough 

removing Chauhan caught trying 

to hook him. Lion’s spinner Vijay struck 

twice in the seventh over removing Fahim 

with a full toss and the experienced 

Chinmaya off successive deliveries slowing 

earlier and he was full of confidence 

that he could handle a big fight and 

everything that surrounds it. 

“I’ve been preparing for this 

throughout my career,” the WBC welterweight 

champ said. “I know the media 

is going to be crazy - everything is 

going to be crazy. But I’m ready for this.” 

Turns out he wasn’t quite as ready as 

he thought. He didn’t have enough 

sense to leave his gun - unloaded, 

along with the three magazines he had 

in his bag - home, and he didn’t have 

enough sense not to bring a gun registered 

in California to a state where gun 

control laws are among the toughest in 

the U.S. 

“I hope that Mr. Guerrero fights better 

than he thinks,” Queens District 

Attorney Richard Brown said in a statement. 

“For anyone who hasn’t gotten 

the message, let me be crystal clear. 

You cannot bring an unlicensed 

weapon - loaded or unloaded - into this 

county or this city. And if you do, you 

will be arrested and face felony 

charges.” 

Unfortunately for Guerrero, the 

questions he gets over the next five 

weeks will not just be about how he 

CHICAGO: Defenseman Michal Rozsival scored 

in the fifth round of shootout after Jonathan 

Toews also connected in the tiebreaker, and the 

Chicago Blackhawks pulled out a 3-2 win over 

the Nashville Predators on Monday night. 

Rozsival, who hasn’t scored a regulation goal 

this season, beat Pekka Rinne with a high shot in 

his first attempt in a shootout this season. 

Patrick Kane scored his team-leading 19th 

goal and rookie Brandon Saad scored in regulation 

to help the Blackhawks win their second 

straight. The Predators were outshot 27-11 

through the first two periods, but stormed back 

in the third to erase a 2-0 deficit on goals by 

Dave Legwand and rookie Taylor Beck and force 

overtime. Craig Smith scored in the second 

round of the shootout for Nashville, but the 

Predators dropped their third straight (0-1-2). 

Corey Crawford made 25 saves for Chicago, 

while Rinne stopped 38 shots for Nashville. 

DUCKS 4, STARS 0 

In Dallas, Viktor Fasth made 26 saves for his 

third shutout of the season, and Bobby Ryan had 

a goal and an assist to lead Anaheim over reeling 

Dallas. Corey Perry and Matt Beleskey also 

scored and Ryan Getzlaf added two assists for 

the Ducks, who completed a four-game road trip 

(2-1-1). Teemu Selanne had an empty-netter in 

the last minute. 

Despite having to travel, it was the Pacific 

Division-leading Ducks that displayed more 

energy and passion. Kari Lehtonen, making his 

15th straight start, came up with 26 saves for 

Dallas, which is 1-3-0 in its last four outings - 

allowing 16 goals in the process. 

CANADIENS 4, HURRICANES 1 

In Montreal, Carey Price made 18 saves in his 

300th NHL game to lead Montreal over Carolina. 

Max Pacioretty scored twice, while Andrei 

Markov and Jeff Halpern also scored for 

Montreal, which swept the season series and 

remains unbeaten in 10 games against the 

Southeast Division this season. 

Jordan Staal scored and Justin Peters stopped 

25 shots for the Hurricanes, who have only one 

victory in their past nine games. The win gives 

Montreal a three-point lead over the idle Boston 

Bruins in the race for the Northeast Division title. 

Montreal’s Colby Armstrong had to be helped off 

the ice after a hard collision in the third. 

SHARKS 3, CANUCKS 2 

In San Jose, Joe Thornton had a goal and an 

assist during a second-period scoring flurry and 

San Jose beat Vancouver for its fifth straight victory. 

Andrew Desjardins and Logan Couture also 

scored for San Jose, which broke a scoreless tie 

with three goals in a span of 2:13 against 

Canucks goaltender Cory Schneider. 

Chris Higgins and Alexandre Burrows scored 

to pull Vancouver within one, but the Sharks prevailed 

and extended their longest win streak 

since taking seven straight to open the season. 

San Jose remains in the No. 6 playoff position 

in the Western Conference but trails Los Angeles 

by just one point for the fifth spot. The Canucks 

sit at No. 4 in the West. 

RANGERS 4, JETS 2 

In New York, Derek Stepan scored twice, 

including the go-ahead goal in the third period, 

to lead New York over Winnipeg. 

Ryan Callahan had a goal and three assists as 

the Rangers snapped a two-game losing streak, 

picking up two vital points in their fight to hold 

onto a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. 

New York started the night clinging to eighth 

place. Rick Nash also scored for New York and 

Henrik Lundqvist made 26 saves. The Southeast 

Division-leading Jets got goals from Nik 

Antropov and Zach Bogosian in their third 

straight loss. Ondrej Pavelec stopped 31 shots 

for Winnipeg. 

fought for years to get his big break 

and now plans to capitalize on it. 

Writers will want to know what kind of 

guy packs a gun for business trips as 

much as they will want to know his 

plan for Mayweather. That’s too bad, 

because up until last week there wasn’t 

a lot not to like about Guerrero. This is a 

guy who a few years back gave up a 

title because his wife was sick with 

leukemia and he wanted to be at her 

bedside trying to nurse her back to 

health rather than train for a fight. 

It cost Guerrero more than a year of 

his career, but his wife, Casey, beat her 

disease and is now healthy. He would 

become a national spokesman for the 

bone-marrow match organization “Be 

the Match.” “People ask how are you 

going to deal with the media this and 

media that under the microscope,” 

Guerrero told me a few weeks ago. 

“Nothing compares to the pressure of 

what my wife went through and standing 

by her side. Nothing compares to 

stressing and not knowing what’s going 

on and watching her go through 

chemo, radiation and bone marrow 

transplant surgeries.” 

Maybe not, but facing a possible 

BLUES 4, WILD 1 

In St. Paul, Jaden Schwartz and Andy 

McDonald each had a goal and an assist, Brian 

Elliott stepped in and made 19 saves, and St. 

Louis snapped a three-game losing streak with a 

win over Minnesota. Kevin Shattenkirk and 

Barret Jackman also had goals for St. Louis. 

Dany Heatley scored for the Wild, whose 

home winning streak ended at four games. 

Minnesota lost for just the sixth time in its last 21 

games overall. St. Louis began the day out of the 

playoffs and staring at a stretch with six of its 

next seven games coming on the road. 

RED WINGS 3, AVALANCHE 2 

In Detroit, Damien Brunner ended his 15game 

scoring drought and Jimmy Howard made 

a late save to help Detroit hold off Colorado. 

Justin Abdelkader scored late in the first period, 

Danny Cleary put Detroit ahead by two at 

6:28 of the second and Brunner had a one-timer 

a few minutes later. Colorado avoided a shutout 

with a power-play goal at 14:08 of the third period 

when Jamie McGinn’s backhander from 

between the circles sailed over a sprawling 

Howard. Matt Duchene made it 3-2 with 1:18 

left, but Howard’s glove save on PA Parenteau 

with 7 seconds left prevented overtime. Howard 

finished with 22 saves for Detroit, which had lost 

two straight. 

OILERS 4, FLAMES 1 

In Edmonton, Justin Schultz had a goal and 


four years in prison on a felony gun 

charge with the biggest fight of his 

career coming up has to come close. 

The pressure of a big fight is immense 

to begin with - especially if it is your 

first - and now Guerrero must enter the 

ring knowing he has a court date in 

New York just 10 days later. 

He was already a big underdog 

against Mayweather, but at least 

Guerrero was someone you could cheer 

for. Promoters counted on that to help 

sell the part of the pay-per-view that 

Mayweather and his bad boy persona 

can’t deliver. 

Guerrero’s story is still pretty good, 

but now you have to wonder: Is he the 

compassionate and religious man who 

spent all those nights at the hospital, or 

is he some kind of loose cannon who 

can’t rest comfortably at night without 

his pistol by his side? 

My guess is he’s the first, a good 

man who made a bad mistake. I still 

believe in Guerrero’s upside, but how 

he handles this in the next few weeks 

will likely tell the story. No, dumb 

doesn’t come close to describing what 

Guerrero did. But it’s a pretty good 

place to start.—AP 

Blackhawks soar over Predators 

down Mirages run rate and making them 

lose their momentum. Chandrakant (23), 

Ravi (20), Hamid (16) and Ganesh (21) 

played sensibly to ensure that Mirage CC 

reached a fighting total of 154 in their allotted 

20 overs. For Lions, Faisal 3 for 20 in 4 

overs was the most successful bowler. 

In response, Lion’s openers Wahid and 

Nadeem started briskly giving them a 

steady start reaching 47 without loss in 6 

overs. Mirage bowlers Sasi and Fahim bowling 

tightly did not give them a chance to 

score freely and take advantage of the field 

EDMONTON: Mike Cammalleri No. 13 of the Calgary Flames and Lennart Petrell No. 37 of the 

Edmonton Oilers battle for position in front of Devan Dubnyk No. 40 of the Edmonton Oilers. —AFP 

Eastern Conference 

Atlantic Division 

W L OTL GF GA PTS 

Pittsburgh 28 8 0 123 84 56 

New Jersey 15 12 9 89 100 39 

NY Rangers 17 15 3 82 86 37 

NY Islanders 17 16 3 103 113 37 

Philadelphia 15 17 3 95 108 33 

Northeast Division 

Montreal 23 7 5 111 84 51 

Boston 22 8 4 97 75 48 

Ottawa 19 10 6 89 76 44 

Toronto 20 12 4 112 100 44 

Buffalo 13 17 6 94 113 32 

Southeast Division 

Winnipeg 18 17 2 91 110 38 

Carolina 16 16 2 93 101 34 

Washington 16 17 2 102 101 34 

Tampa Bay 15 18 1 110 103 31 

Florida 11 19 6 88 125 28 

NHL results/standings 

two assists and Edmonton continued its drive for 

a playoff spot, beating Calgary for its fourth win 

in a row. 

Taylor Hall, Ryan Jones and Nail Yakupov also 

scored for the Oilers, who have gone 7-2-2 in 

their past 11 games. With the win, the Oilers 

kept pace in the tight Western Conference playoff 

race, sitting in a tie with Columbus, one point 

back of eighth-place St. Louis. Brian McGratton 

scored for the Flames, who said goodbye to Jay 

Bouwmeester after the defenseman was traded 

to the Blues shortly before the game. The Flames 

have lost two in a row and six of their past eight. 

ISLANDERS 3, DEVILS 1 

In Newark, Frans Nielsen set up two early 

goals, Evgeni Nabokov made 24 saves and New 

York continued its playoff push with a victory 

over New Jersey. 

Josh Bailey and Travis Hamonic were the beneficiaries 

of Nielsen’s passes, and John Tavares 

added his 22nd goal of the season as the 

Islanders won for the fourth time in five games. 

New York’s only loss was a 2-0 setback to the 

Pittsburgh Penguins, the winners of 15 straight 

games. 

Alexei Ponikarovsky scored for the Devils, 

who are 0-1-3 since forward Ilya Kovalchuk was 

sidelined with a shoulder injury more than a 

week ago. Martin Brodeur finished with 18 

saves. Matt Martin had a knockout of Devils forward 

Tom Kostopoulos midway through the 

first period.—AP 

NY Islanders 3, New Jersey 1; NY Rangers 4, Winnipeg 2; Montreal 4, Carolina 1; Detroit 3, Colorado 2; St. 

Louis 4, Minnesota 1; Chicago 3, Nashville 2 (SO); Anaheim 4, Dallas 0; Edmonton 4, Calgary 1; San Jose 3, 

Vancouver 2. 

restrictions in the first six overs. A brilliant 

piece of fielding by Jai with a direct hit from 

boundary caught Wahid short of the crease 

and gave Mirage their first break through. 

Mirage’s bowlers Chinmaya, and Hamid 

contained the Lions batsmen and drying up 

the boundaries. Mirage’s captain Ramesh 

took a gamble by holding back their slow 

bowlers and finishing the quota of their fast 

bowlers before the slog overs which paid off 

as the asking rate kept creeping up steadily. 

With the introduction of Azeez in the 16th 

over, Lion’s batsmen trying to keep up with 

Western Conference 


Chicago 27 5 3 119 76 57 

Detroit 18 13 5 94 94 41 

St. Louis 18 14 2 98 94 38 

Columbus 15 14 7 87 97 37 

Nashville 14 14 8 89 99 36 

Northwest Division 

Minnesota 21 12 2 98 90 44 

Vancouver 19 11 6 94 93 44 

Edmonton 15 13 7 91 96 37 

Calgary 13 17 4 94 118 30 

Colorado 12 19 4 86 111 28 

Pacific Division 

Anaheim 24 7 5 111 90 53 

Los Angeles 20 12 3 103 88 43 

San Jose 18 11 6 88 86 42 

Dallas 16 16 3 94 107 35 

Phoenix 14 15 6 94 101 34 

Note: Overtime losses (OTL) are worth one point in the 

standings and are not included in the loss column (L) 

Mirage Cricket Club beat Lions to clinch Kuwait Swedish Cup 

the required run rate started to slog out and 

kept losing their wickets. 

Azeez returned with match figures of 4 

for 18 in his 3 overs. Needing 16 runs in the 

final over Lions only managed to get 5 thus 

losing the match by 11 runs. 

The tournament concluded with a presentation 

ceremony where Chief Guest Asad 

Khan and the Guest of Honor Mahmoud 

Abdulla gave away the trophies and honored 

each player with individual gifts, Fahim 

of Mirage CC was adjudged the Man of the 

match for his all round performance.

Daryl Impey 

NEW YORK: The photograph of Kevin 

Ware in a hospital bed with the NCAA 

regional championship trophy propped 

up alongside like a giant get-well card 

makes it all easier to take. 

But hours earlier, in those first few 

heartbeats after his leg snapped 

grotesquely in a corner of the frame as 

CBS televised Sunday’s Midwest regional 

final between his Louisville team and 

Duke, no one dared look. Even CBS 

couldn’t. 

Its cameras lingered first on Duke’s 

Tyler Thornton, who had just made the 3point 

shot on the same play - freezing 

momentarily, covering his eyes with his 

hand, and then looking back to be sure 

what he had seen only from the edge of 

his peripheral vision actually happened. 

Then Thornton grimaced, covered his 

heart with both hands, and as the camera 

shot widened to take in the expressions 

of shock and anguish among Ware’s 

teammates on the Louisville bench and 

in the stands, there was no longer any 

doubt. “I got sick to my stomach, and I’m 

kind of the resident authority on broken 

legs,” said former NFL quarterback Joe 

Theismann, who suffered a similar compound 

fracture on a Monday Night 

Football game in 1985. “A lot came rushing 

back. I still remember what every- 

thing looked like when it happened, still 

feel the moisture on my back lying on the 

grass, the large second hand on the 

scoreboard sweeping. Everything.” 

Theismann sent Ware a text almost 

immediately and followed up in a brief 

phone conversation Monday. “I just 

offered any help I could, maybe with the 

psychological and emotional aspects of 

the rehab down the road. It’s not something 

you’d put on a resume, but I believe 

being able to talk to somebody who’s 

been through that might help. 

“And Kevin sounded good. He’s in a 

good place. He’s going to get the best 

medical attention, and I’m sure, he’s 

already got way more attention than he 

needs. ... Remember, the Internet barely 

existed in 1985. Back then, you got hurt, 

you went to the hospital, started to rehab 

and tried to come back. Not many people 

paid much attention. This went worldwide 

in a matter of seconds,” Theismann 

said. The injury to Ware’s right leg caused 

the tibia to poke out from his shin - and 

like Theismann’s. As curiosity and dread 

competed for attention in the minds of 

viewers, CBS gave its producers roughly 

40 seconds to watch the replays, decide 

whether to show the play again, and if so, 

in how much detail. 

They settled on one replay from the 

SPORTS 

Trophy meant more than any get-well card 

Impey sprints to stage win 

VITORIA: South Africa’s Daryl Impey yesterday 

won the second stage of the Tour 

of the Basque Country but Italy’s 

Francesco Gavazzi, whom he beat in the 

sprint for the line, took the leader’s green 

jersey. Spain’s Angel Vicioso, who finished 

third on Monday, filled the same position 

again on the 170.2km stage from Elgoibar 

to Vitoria. 

The 28-year-old Impey was following 

up his second stage win in the race last 

year. Helped by his teammates he held on 

strongly to prevail in the dash for the finish. 

Gavazzi replaced Australian Simon 

Gerrans at the top of the overall standings. 

The stage was marked by a solo breakaway 

by Amets Txurraka with the peloton 

swooping six kilometres from the line. 

Today’s third stage takes the riders 

164.7km from Vitoria to Trapagaran.—AFP 

Tennis trend: Players 30 

and older enjoy success 

KEY BISCAYNE: Andy Murray watches all 

of the recent success by players in their 

30s and likes what he sees. Men 30 and 

older made a big splash at the Sony 

Open last week, including semifinalist 

Tommy Haas, at 34 the oldest player in 

the ATP Tour’s top 50, and runner-up 

David Ferrer, who lost a thrilling final to 

Murray. Serena Williams, 31, became the 

oldest women’s champion. 

It’s a trend that might continue into 

the clay-court season that began on 

Monday, and beyond. “It has been quite 

interesting,” said Murray, 25. “Guys are 

reaching their peak later in their careers. 

The average age at the top 100 has 

increased by a few years since I first came 

on the tour.” 

The Sony Open had 22 thirtysomething 

men in the draw, compared with 

12 a decade ago. Twenty years ago, there 

were only four men 30 or older. 

Ferrer, who turns 31 on Tuesday, and 

31-year-old Jurgen Melzer staged the 

first all-thirtysomething men’s quarterfinal 

at Key Biscayne since 2003. Add Haas, 

and for only the third time since 1990, 

three men 30 or older reached the quarterfinals 

of a Masters event. 

“I think about it - Haas at 34,” Sam 

Querrey said. “Hey, I’m 25. I really hope 

that I can go for nine good more years. It 

gives me more motivation and more 

hope that I can have a nice, long career 

like those guys.” Bjorn Borg retired at 25. 

Boris Becker was done playing full-time 

at 28. Patrick Rafter quit at 28, and Marat 

Safin and Gustavo Kuerten walked away 

at 29. Andy Roddick retired last year 

shortly after turning 30. 

But the style of play has changed, 

with trips to the net much more infrequent 

than in the past. Top players can 

win by hugging the baseline. 

“A lot of the guys that used to play 

serve and volley had a lot of problems 

with their backs and their knees and 

hips, and finished when they were 28 or 

29 years old,” Murray said. “And now guys 

are probably training better. There are 

better training methods, and people 

probably understand how to recover 

from matches better and are learning 

new things all the time about how the 

body works.” 

Many former No. 1 women retired 

before 30 as well, including Monica Seles, 

Justine Henin, Martina Hingis, Kim 

Clijsters and Jennifer Capriati. 

The No. 1-ranked Williams joked last 

week about buying a Rolls-Royce in 

response to a mid-life crisis when she 

turned 30. But she might be more dominant 

than ever, and her conditioning 

seems at a peak for the challenges of 

clay. Two other thirtysomethings are 

ranked in the women’s top 15 - Li Na and 

Roberta Vinci, a late-bloomer ranked a 

career-high No. 13 at age 30. 

As tennis takes on a more mature 

look, teen sensations are becoming less 

common. On the men’s side, Becker was 

a two-time Wimbledon champion before 

he turned 20. Mats Wilander won his first 

major title at 17, Borg at 18, Pete 

Sampras at 19. 

But the most recent teenage men’s 

Grand Slam champion was a 19-year-old 

Rafael Nadal at the 2005 French Open. 

Again, Querrey sees changes in the style 

of play as a factor. 

“Compared to 20 years ago, I think 

guys can hit the ball bigger now,” he said. 

“A man can just overpower and blow 

away an 18-year-old boy. I think 20 years 

ago with the rackets and the way people 

played, guys couldn’t just blow through 

an 18- or 19-year-old. Guys weren’t big 

power guys. You couldn’t hit the ball 

through players as much, so it allowed 

some of the younger players to feel their 

way into the game. 

“Nowadays I feel that’s tougher to do. 

There is a bigger difference between the 

way a bigger, stronger man plays compared 

to an 18- or 19-year-old.” 

Haas, who turns 35 today, is a muscular 

6-foot-2 and 190 pounds (1.88 meters 

and 86 kilograms). And he’s No. 14 this 

week, the highest he has been ranked in 

five years. 

The German said he and other thirty 

somethings on the tour know how to 

take care of their bodies and are properly 

conditioned. 

“I think what it comes down to is the 

older you get, you would assume you get 

wiser,” he said. “Now with nutrition and 

everything you can do, the right training, 

the trainers that you have, it just helps 

you mentally. “You just know what works 

for you best. You might do a lot of lifting; 

you might do a lot of cardiovascular 

workout. You try to figure out what helps 

you the best if you want to keep on riding 

it for as long as you can.”—AP 

other end of the court, a second from the 

original angle, and no more. Sean 

McManus, the head of CBS Sports, said, 

“We did not try to highlight it. I think we 

did the right thing.” 

Agreed. But that didn’t stop the photos, 

videos and exchanges on social 

media from exploding instantaneously. 

A day later, after Louisville coach Rick 

Pitino visited the recuperating Ware and 

reported that he left the trophy behind 

with this instruction - “‘Just make sure 

you don’t lose it’” - the story still simmers. 

The initial reaction, explained 

Syracuse professor of popular culture 

Robert Thompson, is simply a sign of the 

times. On the other hand, the continuing 

interest in the story shows how little 

human nature has changed. “Neither of 

those mean we’re terrible people. I think 

it speaks more to this need we feel now 

to bear witness. Look at the technology 

that’s in place. Couple it with the image 

of a human body doing something that 

seems so alien in that instant - something 

that’s both disturbing AND striking 

- and there’s this almost creepy desire to 

watch it over and over again,” he said. 

“And you know, we’ve seen car crashes 

in NASCAR races and terrible collisions 

in the NFL, and in a sense, that’s become 

part of the narrative. That’s not the case 

MEMPHIS: Mike Conley drove for a 

layup with 0.6 seconds left as the 

Memphis Grizzlies rallied to beat 

the San Antonio Spurs 92-90 

Monday for their third straight victory. 

The Grizzlies matched their 

franchise record with their 50th 

win this season, and they won their 

12th straight at home. They pulled 

out a win in a game where Conley’s 

bucket gave them their first lead 

since 18-16 late in the first quarter. 

Conley scored the final five 

points and finished with 23. Jerryd 

Bayless had 17 points, Marc Gasol 

16, Zach Randolph 11 points and 

10 rebounds, and Tayshaun Prince 

had 11 points. Tony Parker had 25 

points for the Spurs. Parker tried to 

beat the buzzer with a jumper that 

was too late. 

PACERS 109, CLIPPERS 106 

In Los Angeles, Roy Hibbert had 

26 points and 10 rebounds before 

fouling out, Paul George added 23 

points and 10 assists, and Indiana 

barely completed a sweep of its 

four-game road trip by beating Los 

Angeles in a battle of division leaders. 

Hibbert made all eight of his 

shots in the first half and finished 

11 for 14 from the field to help his 

team extend its winning streak to 

five and increase its Central 

Division lead to 6 1/2 games over 

idle Chicago. 

All five Pacers starters scored in 

double figures, with David West 

getting 16 and backcourt mates 

Lance Stephenson and George Hill 

chipping in with 13 apiece. 

Jamal Crawford scored 25 

points off the bench for the Pacific 

Division-leading Clippers, whose 

magic number to clinch the first 

division title in the franchise’s 43year 

history remained at two. They 

failed on their third attempt at 

their 50th victory, which would 

break the franchise record set by 

the 1974-75 Buffalo Braves. Blake 

Griffin had 17 points. 

JAZZ 112, TRAIL BLAZERS 102 

In Salt Lake City, Al Jefferson 

scored 24 points, Mo Williams hit 

six 3-pointers and Utah beat 

Portland to extend its winning 

streak to a season-best five games. 

The win was Utah’s second in 

four days over the Blazers (33-41), 

losers of five straight. Wesley 

Matthews scored 23 for Portland, 

still without leading scorer 

LaMarcus Aldridge because of a 

sprained ankle. Rookie standout 

Damian Lillard added 17 points, 

including three 3-pointers to break 

the NBA’s single-season rookie 

record (166) for 3s. 

Utah moved a half-game ahead 

of the idle Los Angeles Lakers for 

the eighth Western Conference 

playoff spot, and two games ahead 

of Dallas. 

ROCKETS 111, MAGIC 103 

In Houston, Omer Asik matched 

with basketball, which is a big part of 

what made it so jarring,” Thompson 

added. “Just look at his teammates’ reaction 

in the moment after. But then you 

know they rallied and won the game for 

him. That’s what’s shoring this whole 

thing up - this continuing fascination - 

especially since, so far, it looks like a happy 

ending is within reach.” 

And with luck, Ware’s story will play 

out that way. Pitino reported the surgery 

was successful and that, barring an infection, 

Ware will be back in Louisville in 

time for the charter flight to the Final 

Four in Atlanta, which happens to be 

Ware’s hometown. 

“Kevin had a good night. He’s not in a 

whole lot of pain,” Pitino said during a 

conference all Monday. “I know right 

before the surgery, when he was able to 

watch the players at the press conference, 

the nurses and doctors told me 

that was the first time he broke down 

and cried, when the players were talking 

about him.” 

Those of us old enough to witness 

Theismann’s injury remember that it wasn’t 

until Giants linebacker Lawrence 

Taylor panicked that anyone - ABC’s production 

and broadcast crews included - 

had any idea how bad the Redskins’ quarterback 

had been hurt. ABC quickly put 

his career high with 22 points and 

grabbed 18 rebounds, and 

Houston beat Orlando without 

James Harden and Chandler 

Parsons. 

Jeremy Lin had 19 points and 11 

assists, and Francisco Garcia had 14 

points, five assists and three blocks 

for the Rockets, who hardly missed 

their top two scorers until Orlando 

made a late run. Harden sat out for 

the second straight game with a 

sore right foot and Parsons missed 

the game with an illness. Rookie 

Maurice Harkless scored a careerhigh 

28 points and Beno Udrih had 

17 points and 10 assists for the 

Magic. 

The Rockets won for the eighth 

time in 10 home games and inched 

closer to their first playoff berth 

since the 2008-09 season. Houston 

holds the No. 7 seed in the Western 

Conference. 

TIMBERWOLVES 110, CELTICS 100 

In Minneapolis, Nikola Pekovic 

bruised and battered the overmatched 

Boston front line for 29 

points to lead Minnesota. 

Andrei Kirilenko had 17 points, 

nine rebounds and five assists, and 

Dante Cunningham scored 19 

points off the bench for the 

Wolves, who delivered coach Rick 

Adelman his 998th career victory. 

Avery Bradley scored 19 points 

for Boston, which was playing 

without Paul Pierce and Kevin 

Garnett. The Celtics, who started 

the day 21/2 games ahead of 

eight-seeded Milwaukee in the 

Eastern Conference playoff race, 

have lost seven of their last nine 

games. This one snapped an 11game 

winning streak against the 

Wolves, who beat Boston for the 

first time since Garnett was traded 

there in 2007. 

BUCKS 131, BOBCATS 102 

In Milwaukee, Larry Sanders 

had a career-high 24 points and 13 

rebounds in Milwaukee’s highestscoring 

total in more than four 

years. 

Monta Ellis had 19 points, a 

career-high 14 assists and six 

steals to help Milwaukee pull 1 1/2 

games behind seventh-place 

Boston in the Eastern Conference 

playoff race. Ersan Ilyasova added 

22 points for the Bucks, J.J. Redick 

scored 20, and Brandon Jennings 

19. Milwaukee, which had lost five 

of six, remained solidly in the 

eighth position in the East, with a 

six-game lead over idle 

Philadelphia. Kemba Walker scored 


up replays, seemingly more impressed by 

its ability to show a reverse-angle of the 

hit than by the damage it caused. 

It wasn’t until it came back from a 

commercial break and was about to 

show the replay a third time, that the network 

warned viewers of the graphic 

nature of the video. The way the various 

depictions of Ware’s injury quickly 

bounced around the globe may have left 

some wishing that even that simple 

warning was attached beforehand. 

“We’ve become an ‘I-want-to-know-itnow’ 

culture,” Theismann said. “But for all 

the attention at the moment, it’s his emotions 

that Kevin will have to deal with at 

some point, and mostly on his own. 

That’s where his teammates will come in. 

There will be plenty people offering help, 

but if you’ve ever competed at any level, 

you know you wind up playing and trying 

to win for somebody. 

“His teammates showed that by the 

way they finished the Duke game. It’s the 

guys you laugh and sweat and bleed and 

cry alongside that will give him the 

encouragement to fight back. Just before 

I got off the phone, I told him, ‘A year 

from now, you’ll be the comeback player 

of the year,’ and he said, ‘ I’m going to 

work for it. ‘ I told him I’d be watching.” 

He won’t be the only one.—AP 

Grizzlies and Pacers advance 

LOS ANGELES: (Left to right) Matt Barnes No. 22 of the Los Angeles Clippers, Lamar Odom No. 7 of the 

Clippers, Tyler Hansbrough No. 50 of the Indiana Pacers and Ryan Hollins No. 15 of the Clippers battle for 

a loose ball in the second half at Staples Center. —AFP 

Eastern Conference 

Atlantic Division 

W L PCT GB 

NY Knicks 46 26 .639 - 

Brooklyn 42 31 .575 4.5 

Boston 38 36 .514 9 

Philadelphia 30 43 .411 16.5 

Toronto 27 47 .365 20 


Indiana 48 27 .640 - 

Chicago 40 32 .556 6.5 

Milwaukee 36 37 .493 11 

Detroit 25 50 .333 23 

Cleveland 22 51 .301 25 

Southeast Division 

Miami 58 15 .795 - 

Atlanta 42 33 .560 17 

Washington 27 46 .370 31 

Orlando 19 56 .253 40 

Charlotte 17 57 .230 41.5 

SALT LAKE CITY: Utah Jazz’s Derrick Favors (15) goes to the basket as 

Portland Trail Blazers’ Meyers Leonard (11) defends in the fourth 

quarter during an NBA basketball game.—AP 

NBA results/standings 

Detroit 108, Toronto 98; Atlanta 102, Cleveland 94; Milwaukee 131, Charlotte 102; Memphis 92, San Antonio 90; Houston 

111, Orlando 103; Minnesota 110, Boston 100; Utah 112, Portland 102; Indiana 109, LA Clippers 106. 

Western Conference 

Northwest Division 

Oklahoma City 54 20 .730 - 

Denver 50 24 .676 4 

Utah 39 36 .520 15.5 

Portland 33 41 .446 21 

Minnesota 27 46 .370 26.5 

Pacific Division 

LA Clippers 49 26 .653 - 

Golden State 42 32 .568 6.5 

LA Lakers 38 36 .514 10.5 

Sacramento 27 47 .365 21.5 

Phoenix 23 51 .311 25.5 

Southwest Division 

San Antonio 55 19 .743 - 

Memphis 50 24 .676 5 

Houston 41 33 .554 14 

Dallas 36 37 .493 18.5 

New Orleans 26 48 .351 29 

27 points to lead the Bobcats, and 

Gerald Henderson had 17. 

HAWKS 102, CAVALIERS 94 

In Atlanta, Devin Harris scored a 

season-high 25 points and Josh 

Smith nearly added a triple-double 

as Atlanta improved its 

chances of securing home-court 

advantage in the first round of the 

playoffs. 

Smith had 18 points, 14 

rebounds and eight assists before 

a sparse crowd in Philips Arena to 

help the Hawks (42-33) pull within 

one game of Brooklyn (42-31) for 

fourth place in the Eastern 

Conference. 

Reserve Marreese Speights 

scored 14 of his 22 in the final 

quarter, but the Cavs (22-51) did 

not seriously threaten after pulling 

within 58-56 early in the third period.Shaun 

Livingston, starting with 

Kyrie Irving not playing in the second 

night of a back-to-back, had 

14 points and six assists in 

Cleveland’s ninth straight loss. 

PISTONS 108, RAPTORS 98 

In Toronto, Greg Monroe scored 

24 points, Jose Calderon had 19 

points and nine assists against his 

former team, and Detroit snapped 

a three-game losing streak. 

Rodney Stuckey scored 18 

points, Jonas Jerebko had 10 of his 

15 in the fourth quarter and rookie 

Khris Middleton added 11 as the 

Pistons won for just the third time 

in 19 games. 

Rudy Gay scored 34 points, 

Jonas Valanciunas had 17 and 

DeMar DeRozan 15 as the Raptors 

lost for the seventh time in eight 

games. Toronto was outscored 33- 

19 in the final quarter.—AP

Di Canio ducks 

fascism questions 

LONDON: New Sunderland manager Paolo 

Di Canio described the controversy over his 

appointment as “ridiculous and pathetic” 

and refused to answer questions about 

whether he held fascist beliefs in his first 

news conference yesterday. 

Di Canio, 44, replaced Martin O’Neill at 

the relegation-threatened Premier League 

team on Sunday, a move that sparked the 

resignation of a British former government 

minister from the club’s board. 

David Miliband, a departing Member of 

Parliament and a former Foreign Secretary, 

stepped down because of remarks the ex- 

Swindon Town boss made to Italian news 

agency ANSA in 2005 when he said: “I am a 

fascist, not a racist”. 

“I don’t have to answer any more this 

question, there was a very good statement 

from the club, (with) very, very clear words 

that came out from me,” the Italian said on 

Tuesday in an effort to steer talk away from 

politics and back to football. 

“I don’t want to talk any more about politics 

for one reason because I’m not in the 

House of Parliament, I’m not a political person, 

I will talk about only football.” 

Di Canio had sought to dampen the fires 

on Monday by releasing a statement that 

suggested he had been quoted out of context. 

“I expressed an opinion in an interview 

many years ago. Some pieces were taken 

for media convenience,” he said. 

Di Canio’s appointment led the Durham 

Miners Association (DMA), a powerful 

workers’ organisation in the north-east of 

England, to ask for the return of a banner 

that is on permanent display at the club’s 

Stadium of Light. 

“The appointment of Di Canio is a disgrace 

and a betrayal of all who fought and 

died in the fight against fascism,” the DMA’s 

general secretary Dave Hopper said. 

“Everyone must speak out and oppose 

this outrage and call on (club chairman) 

Ellis Short and the Sunderland board to 

reverse their decision.” 

Asked if he had a message for the DMA, 

Di Canio said: “I have said many, many 

words in the past and people have picked 

the words they wanted. I can’t keep going 

on about my life and my family. The people 

who are talking in this way, they don’t 

understand Paolo Di Canio.” 

The Italian was given the job after a 1-0 

defeat to Manchester United on Saturday 

prompted the surprise sacking of 

O’Neill.Sunderland are 16th in the 20-team 

table and without a win in eight games. 

Asked whether he thought he could 

steer Sunderland away from relegation 

danger, Di Canio said he would bet everything 

he had on them not finishing in the 

bottom three. 

“When I got the call from Ellis Short, I 

felt fire in my belly. I would have swum to 

Sunderland to take the job,” he added. 

“The press like to call me the mad Italian 

but I would confidently bet everything I 

have on Sunderland remaining in the top 

flight.” 

Di Canio had a colourful playing career 

with clubs including Juventus, AC Milan, 

Lazio, West Ham United and Celtic, but has 

never managed in the top flight and joins 

Sunderland six weeks after quitting thirdtier 

Swindon Town. 

Never far from the headlines, he is 

remembered for pushing over a referee 

while playing for Sheffield Wednesday in 

England and drew outrage in 2005 when 

he celebrated his Lazio side’s derby win 

over AS Roma with a fascist-style salute. 

“With my energy I’m sure we can get 

something from the next seven games. I 

hope my ways give the team more confidence 

on the pitch,” he added. 

“Players need to fight for the shirt - go 

out on that pitch ready to sweat and shed 

blood for the club. “It’s important that the 

fans are happy with how the team perform 

and I hope to achieve that. We’re all working 

towards the same goal. 

“I want to take things step by step. 

Firstly, it’s Chelsea (on Sunday) and we will 

be fully focused for that game.”—Reuters 

BLOEMFONTEIN: In this June 27, 2010 file photo made from a combination of six 

photos, Germany’s goalkeeper Manuel Neuer looks at a ball that hit the bar to 

bounce over the line during the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between 

Germany and England. —AP 

FIFA picks GoalControl 

goal-line tech system 

GENEVA: FIFA opted for GoalControl yesterday 

as its goal-line technology system 

for the Confederations Cup and 2014 World 

Cup in Brazil. 

The German camera-based, ball-tracking 

system was the last of four contenders 

to win a FIFA contract that starts with the 

Confederations Cup in June. 

FIFA chose GoalControl-4D over three 

rival projects: GoalRef and Cairos, which 

both use magnetic fields; and Hawk-Eye, 

another camera system. It’s already used in 

tennis and cricket, and its English parent 

company was bought by World Cup sponsor 

Sony Corp. before it began FIFAendorsed 

testing in 2011. 

GoalControl was licensed by FIFA only 

one month ago, and owner Dirk 

Broichhausen told The Associated Press 

then that its simplicity was key. 

“Our innovation, and also a difference 

looking to other competitors, is that we can 

use standard goals, balls and nets. There is 

no modification necessary,” Broichhausen 

said. 

GoalControl uses 14 high-speed cameras 

- seven trained on each goalmouth - 

and passed FIFA-approved tests in February 

in German stadiums in Duesseldorf and 

Gelsenkirchen. All four systems met FIFA’s 

demand that a signal is transmitted to the 

referee’s watch within one second if a goal 

should be awarded. “We want to offer tournament 

organizers and leagues and clubs 

not to have to change anything on the 

pitch. The investment in the technology is 

enough,” Broichhausen said 

He estimated that GoalControl will cost 

$260,000 per stadium to install, and $3,900 

per match to operate. FIFA said the cost of 

installation - at six scheduled 

Confederations Cup stadiums and 12 for 

the World Cup - was considered. 

“The respective bids were also judged 

on cost and project management factors 

such as staffing and time schedules for 

installation,” soccer’s governing body said 

in a statement. 

FIFA’s contract with GoalControl for the 

World Cup can be reviewed if there are 

problems at the 16-match Confederations 

Cup - or before. 

“The use of GoalControl-4D in Brazil is 

subject to a final installation test at each 

stadium where the system will be installed,” 

FIFA said. 

FIFA, through its rule-making panel 

known as IFAB, approved goal-line technology 

last July, when Hawk-Eye and GoalRef 

passed the rigorous testing process. Those 

systems were tested at the Club World Cup 

in Japan last December, before Cairos and 

GoalControl had even been licensed. 

FIFA President Sepp Blatter wanted 

goal-line technology in Brazil after England 

midfielder Frank Lampard had a goal disallowed 

against Germany at the 2010 World 

Cup. 

FIFA withdrew previous opposition to 

publicizing goal-line rulings. Now, competition 

organizers can choose whether decisions 

are shown to fans on big screens in 

stadiums and television viewers. In tennis 

and cricket, anticipation of a decision provided 

by Hawk-Eye has become part of the 

experience. 

“It’s not secret,” Blatter said after the IFAB 

meeting in Edinburgh, Scotland. “Once we 

have the technology and it shows it’s a goal 

or not a goal, we have to be transparent, 

otherwise there’s no need to do it.” 

Referees still have the final say on 

awarding a goal, or even using goal-line 

technology when it is installed. Mandatory 

pre-game tests give match officials the 

option to switch off the technology if they 

doubt its accuracy that day. 

Hawk-Eye, GoalRef and Cairos will try to 

persuade other soccer clients, such as the 

English Premier League or German’s 

Bundesliga, to choose their systems before 

next season begins in August.—AP 

Matches on TV 

(Local Timings) 

UEFA Champions League 

Real Madrid v Galatasaray 21:45 

Aljazeera Sport +4 

Malaga V Dortmund 21:45 

Aljazeera Sport +5 

SPORTS 

Photo of the day 

Petr Kraus (Czech Republic) performs during the Red Bull Shred the Island in Manama, Bahrain. www.redbullcontentpool.com 


Drogba back to where 

he began for Real clash 

MADRID: The wheel will have 

come full circle for Galatasaray forward 

Didier Drogba when he takes 

to the pitch for today’s Champions 

League quarter-final first leg match 

at Real Madrid. 

The Ivory Coast international, 

who turned 35 this month, made 

his debut in Europe’s elite club 

competition at Real’s Bernabeu stadium 

in September 2003 playing 

for Ligue 1 side Olympique 

Marseille. Although he scored to 

put Marseille ahead in the 26th 

minute, goals from Roberto Carlos 

and Luis Figo and a double from 

Brazilian Ronaldo fired Real’s 

“Galacticos” to an easy 4-2 group 

stage victory. “It will be very special 

for me, I will never forget that day,” 

Drogba was quoted as saying in 

Galatasaray’s club magazine this 

week. 

“It was very important for my 

career,” added the former Chelsea 

player. Drogba was Chelsea’s key 

performer on their run to a first 

Champions League triumph last 

season before quitting the London 

club for a stint in China and then 

moving to Turkey. 

He struck the winning penalty in 

the final shootout against Bayern 

Munich having earlier kept Chelsea 

in the match with a crashing header 

two minutes from the end of regular 

time that levelled the score at 

1-1. 

“I just grabbed this chance to be 

able to play at the highest level in 

Europe again without thinking,” he 

said. “That’s why I am here. To have 

the opportunity to win again.” 

Today’s clash, the fourth 

between the clubs in UEFA competition, 

also pits Drogba against his 

former manager at Chelsea Jose 

Mourinho, who is bidding to lead 

Real to the 10th European crown 

that has eluded the club since 

2002. 

The pair were together at 

Stamford Bridge from 2004 to 2007 

MADRID: Debutants Malaga have toppled 

European giants AC Milan and Porto on their 

way to the Champions League quarter-finals and 

have another former winner in their sights when 

they host Borussia Dortmund today. 

Coach Manuel Pellegrini and his players have 

propelled the Costa del Sol club to unprecedented 

success despite uncertainty over the commitment 

of their Qatari owner and cash-flow problems 

that prompted a ban from UEFA competition 

from next season. 

Chilean Pellegrini has moulded a squad of 

experienced campaigners including Joaquin, 

Martin Demichelis, Jeremy Toulalan and Roque 

Santa Cruz into a highly efficient outfit, with 

promising youngsters like Isco providing a creative 

spark. 

After beating seven-times European champions 

Milan 1-0 at the Rosaleda stadium on the 

way to topping Group C, Malaga dispatched 

2004 winners Porto 2-0 in the last round on a 

festive night for local fans including Hollywood 

actor Antonio Banderas. 

They are brimming with confidence ahead of 

the first leg with Dortmund-who won the 

Champions League in 1997 — according to former 

Spain winger Joaquin. 

“If we are here it is because we have proved 

we are a great team,” the 31-year-old told a news 

conference on Monday. “This is the time when 

the great teams express themselves and we 

have not said the last word here at the Rosaleda,” 

he added. 

“We need to be an aggressive team, playing 

the way we know and taking the initiative.” 

Malaga’s success is in large measure down to 

MADRID: Galatasaray’s Didier Drogba from Ivory Coast controls the ball during a training session in 

Madrid. Galatasaray will play Real Madrid today in a quarterfinal first leg Champions League soccer 

match. —AP 

and won Premier League titles in 

2005 and 2006. Drogba said 

Mourinho and his Galatasaray 

counterpart Fatih Terim were excellent 

motivators. “Fatih Terim is a lot 

like Mourinho in that he is very 

close to the players and always talking 

with them,” he said. 

“The psychological factor is very 

important in soccer and Terim is 

very meticulous in that respect.” 

While Real have fallen in the semifinals 

the past two seasons, it is 

almost a quarter of a century since 

Galatasaray last reached the last 

four. 

Alongside Drogba, the other 

heavyweight in their ranks is 

Dutchman Wesley Sneijder, who 

won the Champions League with 

Mourinho at Inter Milan in 2010. 

Their attacking trident is completed 

by Burak Yilmaz, who is joint 

top scorer in the competition with 

Real’s Cristiano Ronaldo on eight 

goals. 

“Our only weapon against Real 

Madrid is that we are not afraid,” 

Terim, a former Turkey, AC Milan 

and Fiorentina boss, told reporters 

on Saturday. 

“That’s the way we have always 

played,” he added. “Our strongest 

side is that we are not afraid to lose, 

their well-drilled defence, one of the meanest in 

La Liga this season, and preventing Dortmund 

from scoring an away goal could be key to their 

chances of progressing after next week’s return 

leg. Malaga have kept nine clean sheets in their 

12 European home games, including against 

Milan in October and the success against Porto 

last month. 

If they reach the semi-finals, they will match 

the debut-season achievement of La Liga rivals 

Villarreal under Pellegrini in the 2005-06 season. 

Known as “the engineer”, the cerebral 

Pellegrini led an unfancied Villarreal team to the 

last four before they were narrowly beaten by 

Premier League side Arsenal. 

“This is a tie lasting 180 minutes in which we 

have to be intelligent, dominate the match but 

without forgetting the return leg,” Pellegrini told 

a news conference after Malaga’s 3-1 La Liga victory 

at Rayo Vallecano on Saturday. 

“Hopefully we will go to Dortmund with a solid 

advantage,” added the former Real Madrid 

coach, who was sacked in 2010 to make way for 

Jose Mourinho. 

Dortmund have several players battling for 

fitness after a hard-fought 2-1 victory at VfB 

Stuttgart that kept them in a distant second 

place in the Bundesliga on Saturday. 

With only one trophy to chase for after losing 

the domestic battle to Bayern Munich this season, 

they are eager to leave their mark on 

Europe’s elite club competition. 

“That was a good preparation for Malaga 

because it will be equally intense in the one-onones,” 

coach Juergen Klopp said of their 

Stuttgart win. 

or to be eliminated.” 

Probable teams: 

Real Madrid: 41-Diego Lopez; 

17-Alvaro Arbeloa, 3-Pepe, 4-Sergio 

Ramos, 5-Fabio Coentrao; 6-Sami 

Khedira, 14-Xabi Alonso; 22-Angel 

Di Maria, 10-Mesut Ozil, 7-Cristiano 

Ronaldo; 9-Karim Benzema 

Galatasaray: 1-Fernando 

Muslera; 27-Emmanuel Eboue, 26- 

Semih Kaya, 13-Dany Nounkeu, 11- 

Albert Riera; 14-Wesley Sneijder, 

10-Felipe Melo, 8-Selcuk Inan, 4- 

Hamit Altintop; 17-Burak Yilmaz, 

12-Didier Drogba Referee: Svein 

Oddvar Moen (Norway). —Reuters 

Malaga eyeing Dortmund scalp 

Defender Marcel Schmelzer, who broke his 

nose in the game, is doubtful but he said he was 

determined to play using a face mask after 

undergoing surgery. “It was fixed and stitched so 

as not to waste time because next up is 

Wednesday but with a face mask,” the Germany 

international said.—Reuters 

MALAGA: Malaga’s Brazilian forward Julio 

Baptista attends a training session at 

Rosaleda stadium on the eve of the UEFA 

Champions league football match against 

Borussia Dortmund.—AFP

Pizarro dethrones Messi in 

AP global football rankings 

PARIS: It takes something extra special 

to dethrone Lionel Messi. So that’s 

exactly what Bayern Munich striker 

Claudio Pizarro did, scoring four goals 

in a 9-2 demolition of Hamburg to 

knock the Barcelona superstar into second 

place in the latest Associated Press 

global football rankings. 

The fact that the Peruvian striker 

hadn’t even scored a league goal since 

the final day of last season made his 

achievement even more spectacular. 

“He’s the symbol of team which 

totally dominated its subject, where 

pretty much every player deserved a 

place in the Top 10,” said Cedric 

Rouquette of Eurosport in France. 

Pizarro collected 133 points to 

Messi’s 99, with Dutch winger Arjen 

Robben pulling in 71 points to move 

into third spot by contributing two 

goals - one a sublime chip from the 

edge of the penalty area - as Bayern 

taught Hamburg a lesson. 

In the team rankings, Bayern earned 

148 points from a possible 150 after its 

scintillating display of attacking football. 

“They were in completely different 

stratosphere,” said James Thorogood of 

Bundlesliga.com in Germany. “The 

Bundesliga’s runaway leaders carved 

the Red Shorts apart like they were a 

Sunday league team, and arguably 

should have broken the double-digits 

mark.” 

Filip Bondy of the New York Daily 

News noted that Bayern is now only 

really tested by other teams in Europe. 

“They’re leading the table by 20 points 

and now they score nine goals in a single 

match. Is it too late to apply for 

admission to La Liga?” Bondy joked. 

“Because it sure looks as if Bayern has 

outgrown the Bundesliga.” 

Juventus’ consistency contrasts with 

the glitzy football played in Munich, but 

Antonio Conte’s team took another 

decisive step toward the Serie A title by 

winning 2-1 at Inter Milan with a performance 

as determined as Bayern’s 

was swaggering. 

Juventus totaled 119 points to rise 

from third to second, with Manchester 

United, Napoli and Paris Saint-Germain 

tied for third place. PSG and United 

enjoy commanding leads in their 

domestic leagues and moved closer to 

wrapping up the titles with 1-0 wins, 

KUWAIT: An enterprising knock of 63 

runs by opener Jagath Roshantha 

paved way for Ahli United Bank 

recording their first victory over Gulf 

Bank in the ongoing Kuwait Banks 

club league trophy organized by 

Kuwait Cricket. Winning the toss and 

electing to bat first, Jagath, the 

stocky right handed batsman gave a 

positive impetus by launching into 

the attack right from the word go 

and consolidated his team’s position 

with a 88 runs second wicket partnership 

with Saud Qamar. 

Getting into his rhythm and coming 

down the track, Jagath clubbed 

some handsome looking strokes to 

score 63 runs which had 5 boundaries. 

Saud Qamar struck a quick 32 

runs and Sajid who followed next 

was more enterprising as he hit 3 

fours & 3 huge sixes to score 38 runs 

in just 12 balls to bring the AUB total 

to a mammoth 175 runs in 20 overs. 

away to Sunderland and at home to 

Montpellier, respectively. 

Juve’s march to the title is perhaps 

the ultimate example of teamwork, 

considering that top scorer Fabio 

Quagliarella has managed only eight 

league goals this season. 

That puts him light years behind 

Messi’s astonishing mark of 43. Yet the 

veteran forward - who has never managed 

more than 13 league goals in a 

Serie A season - is pivotal in his team’s 

setup for his tireless running and battling 

qualities. 

Meanwhile, Gareth Bale added 

another excellent strike in an outstanding 

season to take his league tally to 17 

goals. The Welshman climbed to fourth 

spot with 57 points, while Napoli striker 

Edinson Cavani jumped two places to 

fifth after scoring twice in the 5-3 win at 

Torino. 

Although Napoli is nine points 

behind Juventus, it remains two points 

clear of AC Milan in the race for second 

place. 

Cavani only played the last 25 minutes 

but still did enough, Rouquette 

said, to “help the Neapolitans turn a 

crazy match in their favor” and take his 

season’s haul to 22 league goals and 71 

in 97 career matches for the club. 

Just behind PSG, Napoli and United 

in the team rankings is Manchester City. 

While unlikely to cut United’s 15-point 

lead at the top with eight matches left, 

City bounced back to form with a 4-0 

thumping of Newcastle - just in time for 

next Monday’s trip to United. 

Having received full marks in the 

previous rankings, Barca dropped to 

seventh spot with 38 points after a 2-2 

draw at Celta Vigo in which Messi 

scored for an unprecedented 19th 

straight league game. 

“Scoring in 19 consecutive matches 

and against every team in the league is 

a Lionel Messi record that will probably 

never be beaten, unless he breaks it 

himself,” panelist Mike McGrath of 

England’s Sun newspaper and Wardles 

news agency said. 

In a reflection of their respective seasons, 

Barca’s draw was still enough to 

keep it ahead of Real Madrid, which 

dropped from second place to 10th following 

a lackluster 1-1 deadlock at Real 

Zaragoza.—AP 

Jawad, Rafat & Bilal bowled well for 

Gulf Bank taking a wicket each. 

Gulf Bank, chasing almost 9 runs 

an over had an early set back as they 

lost both the openers with 24 runs on 

board but skipper Rafat Khan & 

Tanveer stood firm to counter attack 

the AUB bowlers with a determined 

stand of 45 runs for the fourth wicket. 

Sensing the need to have a further 

breakthrough, AUB skipper 

Mahmoud Bastaki introduced himself 

from the garden end and immediately 

struck by having Rafat Khan caught 

at sweeper cover by Fahad Bastaki for 

15 runs. 

Mahmoud Bastaki exhibiting his 

years of experience maintained a 

steady off & middle stump line to run 

through the Gulf Bank middle order 

batting line up to have an impressive 

bowling figure of 4-14 in 4 overs. 

Tanveer who fought a lone battle was 

run out after making a valuable 31 

runs with 2 huge sixes. Gulf Bank 

scored 91 runs in 15 over, thus leaving 

AUB victorious by 84 runs. 

Mahmoud Bastaki was rightly presented 

with the Player of the match 

award for his skillful bowling performance. 

In the second match of the day, 

Burgan Bank notched a 43 runs victory, 

over Kuwait International Bank. 

Batting first on a beautiful batting 

strip, Burgan kept a steady run flow 

as Dilip (17 runs) & one drop Arthur 

played sensible cricket to add 40 runs 

for the second wicket. Striking the 

cherry with awesome power, Arthur 

hit a breezy 58 runs in just 39 ball 

with 6 fours and 3 sixes. 

The introduction of wily off spinner 

and veteran of many battles, 

Robin Lasarado from the garden end 

put brakes on Burgan scoring. The 

masterly bowler Robin (2-16) spun a 

web around the talented Burgan 

SPORTS 

batsmen and skipper Manoj Mishra 

(2-31) operating from the co-operative 

end restricted the scoring flow to 

a great extend. Efficient and athletic 

in the field, Ali Asghar of KIB took 

three stunning catches to support 

the effort of the KIB bowlers. 

Waheed’s late onslaught of 26 runs 

enabled Burgan to post a decent 

total of 162 in 20 overs. 

Kuwait International Bank openers 

Khurshid Ali & Ali Asghar launched a 

promising start to add 42 runs for the 

opening partnership and the duo 

batting with perfect timing gave a fitting 

reply to the run chase. Reading 

the pitch condition, Syed Ejaz Ali, the 

Burgan skipper who led commandingly, 

introduced left arm spinner 

Asharaf who removed the potentially 

dangerous opener Ali Asghar for a 

well struck 21 runs and squared up 

Nadeem to have the middle stump 

uprooted. 

On a slow & bouncy pitch, the 

Burgan spinners were literally 

unplayable as Manohar, Waheed & 

skipper Ejaz Ali bowled superbly to 

skittle the KIB team to 119 runs. KIB 

opener Khurshid Ali remained 

unbeaten with a patient 31 runs & 

skipper Manoj Mishra scoring 14 runs 

were the main contributors for KIB. 

Asharaf (2-19), Manohar (3-24), 

Waheed (2-9) & Syed Eijaz Ali (3-22) 

bowled well for Burgan Bank. Mr. 

David Thorpe, General Manager, 

Finance & Planning, Kuwait 

International Bank presented the 

Player of the match award to Arthur 

for his excellent batting display. 

In the third match of the day, 

Kuwait Finance House (KFH) chalked 

out an easy 8 wicket victory over Ahli 

Bank of Kuwait (ABK). ABK won the 

toss and elected to bat first and soon 

were in deep trouble as they lost 

their star batsman Pervaiz in the very 


QPR closer to the drop 

after defeat at Fulham 

Fulham 3 

LONDON: Fulham withstood a fierce 

fightback from Queens Park Rangers 

to beat their west London rivals 3-2 

on Monday and push Harry 

Redknapp’s side closer to Premier 

League relegation. 

Dimitar Berbatov’s double and an 

own goal put the hosts 3-0 up in the 

first half but Rangers, adrift in the 

bottom three, stormed back and the 

home team were forced to cling on 

after midfielder Steve Sidwell was 

sent off 11 minutes from time. 

Two errors from Rangers centre 

back Christopher Samba, signed for 

an undisclosed club record fee from 

Anzhi Makhachkala in January, 

helped Berbatov fire 10th-placed 

Fulham into a two-goal lead midway 

through the first half. 

Samba tripped Ashkan Dejagah 

just inside the box and Berbatov 

scored from the penalty spot after 

eight minutes. The Bulgarian doubled 

Fulham’s advantage with his 13th 

league goal of the season after 

Samba dwelt in possession on the 

edge of his own area and the former 

Manchester United striker seized on 

the loose ball to shoot past keeper 

Julio Cesar. 

Samba was not the only Rangers 

defender to suffer, Clint Hill putting 

through his own net on 41 minutes 

when John Arne Riise’s cross hit him 

and flew in. 

Adel Taarabt gave the visitors a 

lifeline with a well-taken goal just 

before halftime and soon after the 

restart Loic Remy’s penalty, awarded 

after Taarabt was tripped by Giorgios 

Karagounis, was saved by Mark 

Schwarzer. 

Remy quickly made amends when 

Kuwait International Bank team Burgan Bank team 

Ahli United Bank, Burgan Bank & KFH win 

Kuwait Banks Club Cricket League — 2013 

he smashed the ball home just minutes 

later from Stephane Mbia’s 

through ball and Rangers had other 

chances to take at least a point after 

Sidwell was shown a straight red card 

for a rash challenge on Armand 

Traore. Rangers, who have seven 

matches to play, are seven points 

adrift of safety. They remain 19th on 

23 points, the same as bottom club 

Reading. Aston Villa are 18th on 30 

Ahli Bank Kuwait team Ahli United Bank team 

Kuwait Finance House team 

QPR 2 

LONDON: Queens Park Rangers Cameroonian defender Stephane Mbia (left) vies for the ball with Fulham’s 

Costa Rican forward Bryan Ruiz (right) during the English Premier League football match.—AFP 

points with Wigan Athletic just above 

the relegation places, also on 30 having 

played one game fewer. 

“We’re not giving up,” QPR manager 

Redknapp told Sky Sports television. 

“We’ve got to beat Wigan on 

Sunday now. 

“We’ve got to keep going. We 

need another 14 points and we must 

make sure we win four games and 

draw two.”—Reuters 

National must stay unique — Aintree chief 

LONDON: Safety and welfare should 

always be a priority in jumps racing 

but the Grand National must remain 

a test of horse and jockey and not 

lose its unique character, according 

to Aintree racecourse chief John 

Baker. The deaths of two horses during 

last year’s race and two in 2011 

brought equine safety into focus and 

prompted an official inquiry amid 

calls by animal welfare groups for the 

National, first run in 1839 and now 

with an estimated global television 

audience of 600 million, to be 

banned. 

A number of modifications were 

subsequently recommended, with 

the organisers making alterations to 

iconic fences such as the notorious 

Becher’s Brook. 

“They (the National fences) still 

need jumping, they still need respect 

and it remains a challenge for horse 

and jockey which is what it should 

be,” Baker, overseeing his first 

National on Saturday, told Reuters. 

According to British Horseracing 

Authority figures, 10 horses have 

been fatally injured in the Grand 

National since 2000. 

“We have made some hugely significant 

changes in terms of safety 

and welfare of the Grand National 

and we need to be saying: ‘We are 

proud of what we have done’,” Baker 

said. “This is the greatest race in the 

world, those fences still need to be 

respected...we’ve maintained that, 

we’re very strong in that the distance 

of the race is unique, the number of 

runners is unique and we need to 

retain the character of the Grand 

National. “We have to get the balance 

right from protecting that uniqueness 

and character and moving with 

the times and trying to make sure 

that safety and welfare is on top of 

our agenda.”—Reuters 

first over. Soon after Balwant & 

Sunder fell to some brilliant catches 

held by Zahed & Fazal and the hostile 

pace bowling of KFH never let the 

ABK batsmen to go on top. 

It was left for Abishek to stand 

amongst the ruins to steady the ship 

and along with John who scored a 

painstaking 19 runs, which helped 

ABH to score 98 runs. Faraz 2-10, 

Abdulla 2-12 & Zahid 2-28 were the 

main wicket takers for KFH. 

KFH team started the chase in a 

belligerent mood, plundering 63 runs 

in just 4 overs, Zahid was at his very 

best scoring 38 runs of 18 balls and 

Abdulla the other opener hammered 

a stroke filled knock of 43 runs in 

just 20 balls. KFH reached their target 

in the 8th over loosing two wickets 

and ABK’s Sunder claiming both of 

them. Abdulla of KFH was declared 

Player of the match for his all-round 

performance.

Nationals 

blank Marlins 

15 


Drogba back to 

18 

where he began 

for Real clash 

FIFA picks GoalControl goal-line tech system Page 18 

PARIS: Barcelona’s Alexis Sanchez (right) vies with Paris Saint Germain’s Christophe Jallet during their UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg match between PSG and Barcelona at Parc des Princes stadium. — AP 

PSG earn well deserved draw 

PARIS: Baise Matuidi’s goal deep in stoppage 

time earned Paris Saint Germain a deserved 2-2 

draw in in their Champions League quarter-final 

first leg against Barcelona at Parc des Princes 

here yesterday. 

Barca appeared to have snatched the win 

when Xavi Hernandez converted from the spot in 

the last minute of normal time after Zlatan 

Ibrahimovic had cancelled out Lionel Messi’s first 

half opener. 

The penalty was awarded when PSG goalkeeper 

Salvatore Sirigu charged out and brought 

down Alexis Sanchez. Messi put the Spanish 

giants into a 38th minute lead when set up 

superbly by Daniel Alves. This was the Argentine 

four-time world footballer of the year’s 57th goal 

Bayern see off 

Juventus to inch 

towards semis 

MUNICH: Bayern Munich have one foot in the Champions 

League semi-finals after their 2-0 win at home to Juventus 

yesterday in the quarter-final, first leg clash. 

Munich needed less than a minute to take the lead over 

the Italians through a thunderous strike by Austria defender 

David Alaba before Germany’s Thomas Mueller grabbed 

Bayern’s second at the Allianz Arena with an hour gone. 

With both sides top of their respective leagues, 

Bundesliga giants Bayern are bidding to reach their third 

Champions League final in four years while Juventus have 

won all five of their previous European quarter-finals against 

German teams. 

But Juventus will have to produce a top performance 

next week if they are to maintain that record as Bayern dominated 

this match. 

Munich coach Jupp Heynckes demonstrated Bayern’s 

strength in depth by leaving Peru striker Claudio Pizarro on 

the bench-despite scoring four goals in Saturday’s 9-2 rout 

of Hamburg-with Mario Mandzukic starting as the lone striker. 

Brazil star Luiz Gustavo came in for the suspended Javi 

Martinez alongside Bastian Schweinsteiger in Munich’s 

defensive midfield. 

For Juventus, strikers Alessandro Matri and Fabio 

Quagliarella paired up again in attack, while the trio of 

Giorgio Chiellini, Stephan Lichtsteiner and Claudio Marchisio 

were all brought into Antonio Conte’s 3-5-2 formation. 

Bayern needed just 26 seconds to take the lead when 

Alaba launched a left-footed rocket from 35 metres out 

which gave Juventus goalkeeper Gianlugi Buffon no chance. 

The ball took a slight deflection off Juventus’ Arturo Vidal 

on the way to the bottom right-hand corner in what was 

one of the fastest goals in Champions League history. 

Toni Kroos’ early groin injury meant Bayern had to shuffle 

their midfield with Arjen Robben coming onto the rightwing, 

Mueller moving into the middle with Franck Ribery on 

the left. 

Both Ribery and Robben kept Buffon busy with crisp 

shots, while Schweinsteiger curled a free-kick just over the 

top right-hand corner of the goal. 

in all competitions this season. But Messi’s night 

came to a premature end when he suffered a 

right hamstring injury and failed to emerge for 

the second half. He is due to undergo tests to 

determine the extent of the damage today. 

Ibrahimovic, who had an unhappy one season 

spell with Barca, put PSG back in the game 

when pouncing on a rebound after a Thiago Silva 

header in the 79th minute ricocheted off the far 

post. Then Matuidi popped up in the fourth 

minute of injury time to give PSG hope for the 

return leg at the Camp Nou next week. 

The big-spending French club’s coach Carlo 

Ancelotti sprang a surprise when electing to 

start 37-year-old English star David Beckham. 

It was the veteran midfielder’s first champions 

MUNICH: Juventus’ defender Giorgio Chiellini (top) vies 

for the ball with Bayern Munich’s Croatian striker Mario 

Mandzukic during the UEFA Champions League quarter 

final football match. — AFP 

Munich kept up the pressure and the second goal came 

on 63 minutes when Gustavo fired in a long-range shot, 

which Buffon parried, but Mandzukic was on hand to square 

the ball for Mueller to tap in. 

There was more bad news for the Italians as midfielders 

Vidal and Lichtsteiner will both miss the return leg after 

picking up second-half bookings. 

With Munich aiming to become the first German club to 

claim the treble of domestic league, cup and Champions 

League titles, Bayern can wrap up the Bundesliga on 

Saturday if they win at Eintracht Frankfurt. With seven 

games left and a 20-point lead, it would be the earliest confirmed 

title win in the German league’s history. — AFP 

League appearance since coming on as a substitute 

for AC Milan in a 4-0 drubbing by former 

club Manchester United at Old Trafford in 2010. 

Beckham, speaking to ITV television, reflected: 

“In the first half, especially the first ten minutes 

we had a few very good chances, then they 

got their goal, it was an uphill battle but I think 

we deserved a draw tonight.” 

On being named in the starting line-up he 

said: “The manager has shown a lot of confidence 

in me in games and in big moments, 

tonight was a big moment for the club. 

“I’m pretty much at the same level as I was at 

AC Milan, it was only three years ago, I’m enjoying 

being part of these nights again, they don’t 

get better than this.” 

On PSG’s prospects to qualify for the semifinals 

he added: “Our chances are better than 

they were at 2-1 - it’s going to be difficult but no 

reason not to go there and get a result.” 

And ever the gentleman he offered good 

wishes to the injured Messi, saying: “We all hope 

Messi is fit and ready to go - we wish him the 

best.” Meanwhile, Paris Saint-Germain striker 

Zlatan Ibrahimovic heaped praise on his former 

team-mate Lionel Messi, but insisted it was too 

soon to describe the Argentine as the greatest 

player of all time. 

Messi, who turns 26 this year, scored his 43rd 

goal of the season in La Liga at the weekend, 

becoming the first player ever to score against 

every other team in the league in consecutive 

LONDON: After a collective blow-out in the Champions 

League, England has a three-pronged attack on Europe’s 

second tier competition with Chelsea, Tottenham 

Hotspur and Newcastle United all vying for Europa 

League success. 

The three Premier League sides were all kept apart in 

the draw for the last eight and head into Thursday’s quarter-final 

first legs looking to earn back some of the country’s 

European lustre. 

European champions Chelsea host Russian outfit 

Rubin Kazan, London rivals Tottenham welcome Swiss 

side Basel and Newcastle travel to Benfica. 

Fenerbahce’s clash with Lazio is the only quarter-final 

not to feature a Premier League club. For Chelsea, tomorrow’s 

match against Rubin is the start of a gruelling fixture 

pile-up that involves playing five matches in 13 days 

as they look to do battle in three 

competitions. 

Defeat to Southampton in the 

Premier League on Saturday left them looking vulnerable 

in a three-way fight with Tottenham and Arsenal for the 

final two Champions League qualification spots. 

But victory over Manchester United in an FA Cup quarter-final 

replay 48 hours later set them up nicely for an 

end-of-season push for silverware. 

“My priority is the top four and trying to win the next 

game, in the Europa League,” Chelsea’s persistently 

under-fire interim manager Rafa Benitez said after 

Monday’s hard-fought 1-0 win. 

“We’re in the semi-finals of the FA Cup, quarter-finals 

of the Europa League. It’s a great season at the moment. 

It could be even better.” 

Chelsea start as overwhelming favourites but Rubin 

are no pushovers having knocked out holders Atletico 

Madrid and their La Liga rivals Levante in two previous 

rounds to reach a European quarter-final for the first time. 

The club from the Volga region, the last remaining 

Russian side in the competition, warmed up for the 

Chelsea clash with a 2-0 home win over Lokomotiv 

Moscow on Saturday, moving them into fourth place in 

the league table. 

Tottenham, who like Chelsea are almost certainly pri- 

games. 

The Argentine has broken endless goalscoring 

records in recent times. “I think today for 

sure Messi is the best player in the world,” said 

Ibrahimovic, who played alongside the reigning 

world player of the year at the Camp Nou in the 

2009-10 season. 

“He has been winning this golden ball for so 

long now (he has won it four times in a row), 

maybe they should change it’s name to Messi 

from the Ballon d’Or. 

“He breaks every record there is and is still 

young, but is he the best ever? “I think he has 

to quit football and then you can say if he is the 

best there has been. We can talk about it now, 

but when he quits playing I will answer.” — AFP 

Preview 

English clubs eye redemption 

Europa League 

oritising their fight for a top-four finish in the Premier 

League, host Basel, the Swiss champions for the last three 

seasons. 

The Swiss have lost only two league matches since 

Murat Yakin, a former Switzerland defender, took over as 

coach at the end of October and are unbeaten domestically 

this year. They are the only reigning domestic champions 

still in the Europa League. 

They last reached the quarter-finals of a European 

competition in 2005/06 when Middlesbrough knocked 

them out of the then UEFA Cup. 

“We are extremely excited about this draw,” said Yakin. 

“Tottenham Hotspur are a great team from a wonderful 

city. We have nothing to lose against them. We have 

earned the opportunity to play against teams like these. 

It’s already a huge accomplishment to be in the last eight 

of the Europa League.” 

For Newcastle, the Europa 

League is a distraction from their 

domestic battle to avoid relegation with the club three 

points above the drop zone following a crushing 4-0 

defeat to Manchester City on Saturday. Manager Alan 

Pardew, who was handed a remarkable eight-year contract 

at the start of the season, has promised fans that his 

side will put in an improved display in Lisbon. 

“It’s one of the great European adventures, trust me,” 

Pardew said. “Their stadium is going to be rocking on 

Thursday night - and after our result they will be looking 

forward to us coming. 

“But we will certainly be better than we were on 

Saturday.” Fenerbahce host Lazio with the Turkish side 

looking to improve on a dismal record against Italian 

teams, having lost 10 of 13 clashes to date. 

Lazio are fifth in Serie A after their 2-1 win over 

Catania on Saturday but still have an outside chance of 

finishing third and a place in the Champions League next 

season. 

Coach Vladimir Petkovic, who speaks eight languages, 

said of Fenerbahce: “They are very good, especially at 

home. Turkish sides don’t usually shine when they play 

away, however. “We have great respect for them but they 

are not unbeatable.” — Reuters

Business 


Chinese tanker loads 

Iran oil, first since July 

Page 22 

Record unemployment 

clouds euro-zone hopes 

Page 25 

UAE strategic hub for foreign investments Page 26 

NICOSIA: Finance Minister Michalis Sarris resigned yesterday, 

hours after a judicial probe was launched into 

how Cyprus was pushed to the verge of bankruptcy 

before having to agree a crippling euro-zone bailout. He 

said he was stepping down as he would need to cooperate 

with judges probing the failure of Laiki Bank, of 

which he was chairman for much of last year. The bank’s 

collapse was a major contributor to the island’s near 

financial meltdown. 

President Nicos Anastasiades accepted his resignation 

with “sadness” and lauded his “high political ethos” 

for stepping down to facilitate the probe. The president 

named current labor minister, 40-year-old economist 

Haris Georgiades, to replace Sarris, spokesman Christos 

Stylianides said. 

Zeta Emilianidou, permanent secretary at the commerce 

ministry, becomes the first woman in the cabinet, 

taking over Georgiades’s post, Stylianides added. 

Meanwhile, the government wrapped up talks with 

international lenders that will open the way for Cyprus 

to receive a 10-million euro bailout, Stylianides said. 

“Today we have completed the forming of the memorandum, 

which is a precondition for the loan agreement,” 

he said, adding that the period to implement the 

deal was extended by two years to 2018 to “ease pressure 

on the economy.” And the central bank announced 

an easing of capital controls imposed last week, raising 

the limit on business transactions from 5,000 euros to 

25,000 and allowing people to issue cheques of up to 

9,000 euros. 

With public anger mounting, the government set up 

a judicial inquiry on Tuesday into the banking collapse. 

Anastasiades called on the three-judge commission- 

George Pikkis, Panayiotis Kallis and Yiannakis 

Constantinides-to investigate himself and his family 

members as a “matter of priority” and with “extra vigour”. 

This is seen as a move to counter unsubstantiated 

allegations that his relatives used privileged information 

to get money out of the country before deposits were 

locked down. Accusations have also been made against 

other leading politicians and business figures that they 

took advantage of their position to protect their assets 

from a hit on bank deposits imposed by EU-led creditors 

last month. Anastasiades said nobody was immune from 

the inquiry, not even his extended family or the law firm 

in which he was a partner until recently. “A series of acts 

or omissions from those authorized to manage the 

economy or the banking system led the country to the 

brink of bankruptcy, the dissolution of one its largest 

banks and the loss of billions from an impairment of 

deposits,” Anastasiades said at the swearing-in ceremo- 

ny. The massive losses suffered by savers in the island’s 

two largest banks in the first euro-zone rescue package 

to punish larger depositors has sparked huge resentment 

against anybody seen as having taken unfair 

advantage to shirk their share of the burden. 

The president lauded what he said was the “high 

political ethos and political sensitivity” reflected by 

Sarris’ resignation, which he said “constitutes a phenomenon 

of a new approach with regard to what is happening 

in the Cypriot political life.” Central bank official 

Ambani brothers 

bury hatchet with 

telecom deal 

Page 23 

Cyprus finance minister quits 

Probe to unravel causes of crisis, bailout 

MOSCOW: Cyprus’ Finance Minister Michalis Sarris (center) leaves after his meeting with Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov at the building of Russian Finance Ministry in 

Moscow. —AP 

Yiangos Demetriou told state radio meanwhile that 

savers in the island’s largest lender, Bank of Cyprus, 

would also be able to access 10 percent of their deposits 

over 100,000 euros. 

But he added that the representatives of the troikathe 

European Central Bank, the European Union and the 

International Monetary Fund-had asked for more information 

before agreeing to release the full 40 percent of 

deposits over that threshold that savers can be sure of 

retaining. — AFP

LJUBLJANA: Slovenia’s central bank governor Marko Kranjec speaks during a press 

conference in Ljubljana yesterday. — AFP 

Slovenian CB slashes 

2013 growth forecast 

LJUBLJANA: Slovenia’s economy will contract 

more than previously expected this 

year, the central bank said yesterday, forecasting 

gross domestic product to shrink 

by 1.9 percent. In its previous prediction, 

the central bank said the economy would 

contract by 0.7 percent. 

Slovenia will start a modest recovery in 

2014, with 0.5-percent growth speeding up 

to 1.4 percent of GDP in 2015, the bank also 

said. Central bank governor Marko Kranjec, 

also a member of the European Central 

Bank’s governing body, warned however 

that: “Much will depend this and next year 

on what will the state do.” 

“Risks are high and a clear message that 

we want to stabilize the economic situation 

cannot be avoided,” he told journalists. In 

2014, “much will still depend on the international 

environment but mainly on the 

domestic situation,” he added. The new 

centre-left government, appointed last 

month, has promised to continue implementing 

measures adopted by the previ- 

EXCHANGE RATES 

Commercial Bank of Kuwait 

US Dollar/KD .2770000 .2880000 

GB Pound/KD .4300000 .4450000 

Euro .3620000 .3780000 

Swiss francs .2970000 .3160000 

Canadian Dollar .2770000 .2920000 

Australian DLR .2940000 .3010000 

Indian rupees .0040000 .0068000 

Sri Lanka Rupee .0020000 .0035000 

UAE dirhams .0772190 .0779950 

Bahraini dinars .7523200 .7598810 

Jordanian dinar .3930000 .4110000 

Saudi riyals .0720000 .0770000 

Omani riyals .7375180 .7449300 

Egyptian pounds .0370000 .0440000 

CUSTOMER TRANSFER RATES 

US Dollar/KD .2843000 .2864000 

GB Pound/KD .4323210 .4355140 

Euro .3644300 .3671220 

Swiss francs .2993260 .3015370 

Canadian dollars .2793690 .2814330 

Danish Kroner .0488760 .0492370 

Swedish Kroner .0435620 .0438840 

Australian dlr .2962260 .2984140 

Hong Kong dlr .0366200 .0368910 

Singapore dlr .2291820 .2308750 

Japanese yen .0030170 .0030400 

Indian Rs/KD .0000000 .0053060 

Sri Lanka rupee .0000000 .0022660 

Pakistan rupee .0000000 .0029210 

Bangladesh taka .0000000 .0036790 

UAE dirhams .0774340 .0780060 

Bahraini dinars .7544120 .7599840 

Jordanian dinar .0000000 .4050920 

Saudi Riyal/KD .0758340 .0763940 

Omani riyals .7387290 .7441860 

Philippine Peso .0000000 .0070670 

Al-Muzaini Exchange Co. 

ASIAN COUNTRIES 

Japanese Yen 2.987 

Indian Rupees 5.283 

Pakistani Rupees 2.906 

Srilankan Rupees 2.251 

Nepali Rupees 3.313 

Singapore Dollar 229.280 

Hongkong Dollar 36.787 

Bangladesh Taka 3.614 

Philippine Peso 7.009 

ous government-including pension and 

labor reforms and a plan to create a socalled 

bad bank. At the same time, it says it 

plans to “soften” austerity measures aimed 

at cutting public sector spending. “We are 

still waiting for the government’s program 

to be presented shortly and hope it will 

help stabilize the situation,” Kranjec said. 

“The government... has to do whatever is 

necessary to stabilize the economic and 

financial conditions,” he added, urging 

Prime Minister Alenka Bratusek to “make it 

clear she is serious about such measures.” 

In its economic forecast last week, the 

government’s Macroeconomic Analysis and 

Research Institute (UMAR) also predicted a 

1.9-percent contraction this year, followed 

by modest 0.2-percent growth in 2014. 

Last year, the economy contracted by 

2.3 percent of GDP. On inflation, the central 

bank kept its forecast unchanged yesterday, 

predicting a 2.3-percent hike in consumer 

prices this year and by 1.4 percent in 

2014. — AFP 

CBQ plans bond sale 

to boost capital 

DUBAI: Commercial Bank Of Qatar (CBQ), 

which is buying a majority stake in 

Turkish lender Alternatifbank, has picked 

two banks for a potential bond sale to 

boost its core capital, sources said. 

The sale of a capital-boosting bond, a 

rare move in the Gulf, would help assuage 

analysts’ concerns over CBQ’s capital position 

which have been exacerbated by its 

recent agreement to buy the controlling 

stake in Alternatifbank. CBQ, the Gulf 

state’s third-largest bank by market value, 

has hired Morgan Stanley Inc and Bank Of 

America Merrill Lynch for the issue of a 

Tier 1 bond, two sources familiar with the 

matter said, speaking on condition of 

anonymity as the matter is not public. 

CBQ declined to comment. Tier 1 capital 

is the main measure of a bank’s financial 

strength and Gulf banks will eventually 

be expected to comply with tighter 

Basel III global standards for Tier 1 ratios, 

which will be gradually introduced over 

the coming years. The sale of capitalboosting 

bonds is still rare in the Gulf but 

the trend has been growing in recent 

months with two UAE-based lenders, Abu 

Dhabi Islamic Bank and Dubai Islamic 

Bank selling sharia-compliant Tier 1 debt 

to shore up their capital ratios. 

CBQ has never sold a Tier 1 bond 

before but completed a $600 million tenyear 

Tier 2 bond in 2009 as part of a $1.6 

billion two-part offering which, at the 

time, was the largest ever issue from an 

emerging market financial institution.One 

of the sources said CBQ was aiming to sell 

a benchmark-sized bond, which is typically 

at least $500 million in size. 

Dubai-based brokerage Arqaam 

Capital said in a March 26 note that the 

bank would need to raise fresh equity of 

about 4.8 billion Qatari riyals ($1.32 billion) 

in order to address its weak capital 

base. The broker expects CBQ to raise the 

capital through a combination of a Tier 1 

bond sale and a rights issue. 

In March, CBQ agreed to buy a 70.8 

percent stake in Alternatifbank, valued at 

$460 million based on Alternatif’s book 

value of $328 million at the end of 

December. The final price will be based 

on two times the Turkish lender’s book 

value as at June 30, 2013, the bank has 

said. In the Gulf region, CBQ owns a near- 

35 percent stake in National Bank of 

Oman and 40 percent in United Arab 

Bank. — Reuters 

Thai Baht 9.730 

Irani Riyal - transfer 0.271 

Irani Riyal - cash 0.273 

GCC COUNTRIES 

Saudi Riyal 76.150 

Qatari Riyal 78.463 

Omani Riyal 741.720 

Bahraini Dinar 758.470 

UAE Dirham 77.758 

ARAB COUNTRIES 

Egyptian Pound - Cash 41.450 

Egyptian Pound - Transfer 41.410 

Yemen Riyal/for 1000 1.332 

Tunisian Dinar 182.160 

Jordanian Dinar 403.260 

Lebanese Lira/for 1000 1.916 

Syrian Lier 3.102 

Morocco Dirham 33.821 

EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES 

US Dollar Transfer 285.450 

Euro 371.090 

Sterling Pound 432.740 

Canadian dollar 280.400 

Swiss Franc 303.030 

US Dollar Buying 284.250 

GOLD 

20 Gram 298.000 

10 Gram 150.000 

5 Gram 77.500 

UAE Exchange Centre WLL 

COUNTRY SELL DRAFT SELL CASH 

Australian Dollar 301.98 300.000 

Canadian Dollar 285.17 283.000 

Swiss Franc 305.72 305.000 

Euro 369.44 368.000 

US Dollar 285.25 286.250 

Sterling Pound 437.63 437.000 

Japanese Yen 3.10 3.300 

Bangladesh Taka 3.657 3.740 

Indian Rupee 5.259 5.400 

Sri Lankan Rupee 2.249 2.450 

Nepali Rupee 3.293 3.450 

Pakistani Rupee 2.963 2.980 

UAE Dirhams 77.73 78.500 

Bahraini Dinar 759.51 758.500 

Egyptian Pound 41.29 41.300 

Jordanian Dinar 406.37 413.000 

BUSINESS 

BEIJING: A Chinese tanker loaded crude in Iran 

in March, according to shipping data and an 

industry official, the first time a China-flagged 

ship has transported Iranian crude since EU sanctions 

imposed last July stopped insurers covering 

the shipments. 

The United States and Europe imposed tough 

sanctions in 2012 that aim to choke Iran’s oil revenue 

and force the Islamic Republic to halt its 

disputed nuclear program. Unable to find insurance 

for its own vessels because of the sanctions, 

China has relied mainly on the National Iranian 

Tanker Company (NITC) to ship Iran’s crude to 

Chinese refineries over the past nine months. If 

China has put in place a system of insurance for 

its own vessels allowing them to participate in 

the trade again, the country’s refineries could 

boost imports. China is Iran’s largest trade partner 

and biggest oil client, buying around 440,000 

barrels per day (bpd) in 2012. The Chineseowned 

supertanker Yuan Yang Hu, with capacity 

to carry 2 million barrels of crude, called at Iran’s 

Kharg Island on March 20-21 and is en route to 

China, shipping tracking data showed. 

The vessel is owned by Dalian Ocean, a subsidiary 

of state shipping giant China Ocean 

Shipping (Group) Company (COSCO). An official 

at COSCO’s general manager’s office said she was 

unaware of the matter and the company’s press 

official was not available for comment. 

Norwegian marine and energy insurance 

group Skuld said it provided protection and 

indemnity (P&I) cover - insurance for ocean going 

ships against pollution and injury claims - for the 

Yuan Yang Hu. “We insure ships on a yearly basis 

and do not usually know what particular activity 

a ship is engaged in at any one time,” Skuld said 

in a statement. “An owner is not obliged to 

inform Skuld about the trade he is conducting 

with the vessel.” Skuld said compliance with EU’s 

regulations was of the “utmost importance”. “Any 

member who falls within the scope of this exclusion 

or engages in activity which is contrary to 

any other provision in the insurance terms and 

conditions runs the risk of prejudicing their P&I 

cover,” it said. “The operation of the exclusion is 

automatic - the exclusion will apply without us 

being required to give notice to owners.” An 

industry official with knowledge of the shipment 

told Reuters separately that the tanker’s insurance 

and reinsurance had been arranged in 

China. He was unable to provide more details. 

“This is the first Chinese vessel (since the 

ban)... as one of the lifters got special approval 

from the authorities to lift Iranian oil on a trial 

basis,” said the official, who requested anonymity 

due to the sensitivity of the matter. “Insurance is 

also handled by the Chinese side.” 

Iran’s fleet has struggled to deliver oil to its 

biggest buyers China, India and South Korea, all 

of whom had to switch to Iranian vessels for 

delivery after the EU sanctions came into place. 

China’s Iranian imports fell 21 percent in 2012 

from 2011 to 440,000 bpd partly due to shipping 

problems. The fall meant China qualified for an 

exemption to US sanctions, which require buyers 

of Iranian crude to continually reduce imports. 

Beijing has repeatedly stated its opposition to 

Omani Riyal 742.38 740.000 

Qatari Riyal 78.77 78.500 

Saudi Riyal 76.27 76.500 

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd 

Rate for Transfer Selling Rate 

US Dollar 285.100 

Canadian Dollar 284.185 

Sterling Pound 435.515 

Euro 367.425 

Swiss Frank 300.234 

Bahrain Dinar 754.810 

UAE Dirhams 77.600 

Qatari Riyals 78.255 

Saudi Riyals 75.990 

Jordanian Dinar 401.895 

Egyptian Pound 41.253 

Sri Lankan Rupees 2.254 

Indian Rupees 5.250 

Pakistani Rupees 2.895 


Philippines Pesso 6.994 

Cyprus pound 699.365 


Thai Bhat 9.810 

Syrian Pound 4.030 

Nepalese Rupees 3.370 

Malaysian Ringgit 91.985 

Bahrain Exchange Company 

COUNTRY SELL CASH SELLDRAFT 

Europe 

British Pound 0.4267132 0.4357132 

Czech Korune 0.0061866 0.0181866 

Danish Krone 0.0449108 0.0499108 

Euro 0.3607049 0.3682049 

Norwegian Krone 0.0446604 0.0498604 

Scottish Pound 0.4241508 0.4316508 

Swedish Krona 0.0396009 0.0446009 

Swiss Franc 0.2951579 0.3021579 

Australasia 

Australian Dollar 0.2869837 0.2989837 

New Zealand Dollar 0.2306706 0.2406706 

Uganda Shilling 0.0001118 0.0001118 

America 

Canadian Dollar 0.2736595 0.2826595 

Colombian Peso 0.0001488 0.0001668 

US Dollars 0.2833500 0.2856500 

Asia 

Bangladesh Taka 0.0035948 0.0036498 

Cape Vrde Escudo 0.0031691 0.0033991 

Chinese Yuan 0.0449179 0.0499179 

Eritrea-Nakfa 0.0165100 0.0196100 

Al Mulla Exchange 


Chinese tanker loads 

Iran oil, first since July 

Insurance arrangements for tanker unclear 

unilateral sanctions outside of the United 

Nations, such as those imposed by the United 

States. But it qualified for an exemption anyway, 

after the shipping delays and a contract dispute 

led to the sharp fall in imports. 

COSCO’s chairman Wei Jiafu told Reuters last 

July, just weeks after the European insurance ban 

took effect, that the Chinese government could 

follow Japan’s example and provide insurance for 

Chinese tankers. 

Japan found a way around the EU ban last 

year when the government stepped in to provide 

$7.6 billion in coverage to tankers carrying 

Iranian crude bound for Japanese ports. 

Insurance companies use reinsurers to hedge 

their risk, and the reinsurance market is mostly 

based in Europe. The EU sanctions prevent those 

reinsurers from participating in transactions that 

facilitate Iranian crude exports. The same problem 

has also arisen in India for refiners seeking 

insurance for plants that process Iranian crude. 

China largest refiner Sinopec processes nearly 

all the Iranian crude imported into the country, 

which is shipped in by Sinopec’s trading arm 

Unipec and state trader Zhuhai Zhenrong Corp. 

Even without any new arrangement on insurance, 

oil traders have said deliveries have, since 

late 2012, “improved significantly” after NITC 

deployed old tankers and also took delivery of 

several new vessels from Chinese shipyards. 

In the first two months of 2013, China imported 

about 410,000 bpd of Iranian crude, 3 percent 

more than a year earlier, according to Chinese 

customs data. — Reuters 

Altimo’s $3.7bn bid 

undervalues Orascom 

DUBAI: Altimo is taking a cheap shot at Egypt’s 

Orascom Telecom Holding. The firm controlled 

by Russian billionaire Mikhail Fridman has 

offered to buy out minorities in the Cairo-listed 

operator, which has interests sprawling from 

Bangladesh to Canada. The bid values the firm at 

$3.7 billion, a 10 percent premium to the current 

market value. If a dispute with Algeria over 

Orascom’s most profitable asset, Djezzy, is 

resolved soon, that will look measly. 

The Russian firm is offering 70 cents for each 

Orascom share. Regional broker Prime Holding 

calculates that amount is equivalent to around 

half the multiple of EBITDA of recent transactions 

by Orascom, and a 20 percent discount to 

the operator’s sum of the parts. A higher valuation 

looks increasingly realistic amid signs that 

Algeria is ready to end the two-year-old dispute 

over Djezzy, which is independently valued at 

$6.5 billion and provides 60 percent of 

Orascom’s operating EBITDA. 

The move on Orascom, already half-controlled 

by Altimo subsidiary Vimpelcom, looks 

like a pre-emptive attempt by the Russian firm 

to capture more of the potential upside from 

Djezzy for itself. Investors were expecting 

Vimpelcom to lead a buyout - but only after the 

Djezzy dispute was settled. 

The reason for Vimpelcom’s parent making 

the move is unclear. Vimpelcom is busy reducing 

its net debt, but the $20 billion firm could 

afford to buy the shares it doesn’t already own 

and still hit its leverage targets for 2015, say 

analysts at Citi. 

Altimo may be planning a broader restructur- 

ing of its own telecoms interests or Vimpelcom 

could gain from the buyout in the future. Egypt’s 

regulator, which has delayed a number of M&A 

deals post-uprising for political reasons, should 

scrutinize the relationship between Altimo and 

Vimpelcom. 

Minority shareholders should be nervous. 

Orascom could be left with low liquidity without 

a delisting. France Telecom’s local unit Mobinil is 

already listed in Cairo with almost no free float. 

But the low-ball offer might not get far, especially 

as the government has recently introduced a 

new capital gains tax. Only those desperate to 

exit troubled Egypt will be tempted. 

Russia’s Altimo has submitted an application 

to tender an offer for Cairo-listed Orascom 

Telecom Holding, Egypt’s Financial Supervisory 

Authority said on March 31. The offer values the 

firm at 70 cents per share or $3.7 billion. Altimo 

owns more than half of Vimpelcom, which in 

turn owns 52 percent of Orascom. Vimpelcom 

has said it will not sell its stake under the offer. 

If the offer is approved by Egyptian regulators, 

the price will be converted into Egyptian 

pounds for locally-held shares based on the official 

exchange rate two days before the settlement. 

The Egyptian pound has lost 10 percent of 

its value since the start of 2013. —Reuters 

Qatar spending could 

fall after 2017: FM 

DUBAI: Qatar’s government budget spending is 

expected to stay at about this year’s level until 

2017, after which it could drop, Qatari Finance 

and Economy Minister Youssef Kamal said yesterday. 

Qatar plans to boost government spending 

by 18 percent to 210.6 billion riyals ($57.8 billion) 

in the 2013/14 fiscal year that began on Monday, 

as it steps up a big infrastructure building program. 

“The budget of course until the year 2015 

or 2017 will be the same level, but later on it 

could go down again because most of the infrastructure 

would be completed at that time,” said 

Kamal, speaking to reporters at a meeting of 

Arab finance ministers and central bankers in 

Dubai. Earlier, Qatar’s central bank said it planned 

to issue 3 billion riyals of conventional bonds and 

1 billion riyals of sukuk in the local currency every 

quarter. Asked if this meant Qatar would become 

less active issuing international bonds, Kamal 

replied: “We are still open to the international 

market - it depends on opportunities and also on 

the level of debt to the GDP (gross domestic 

product). Today the foreign debt to GDP of the 

state of Qatar is around 12 percent. It’s nothing.” 

Asked about the possibility of a Qatari dollar 

sovereign bond issue this year, he said: “We study 

the international market and if there is a good 

opportunity we will be active within that opportunity.” 

—Reuters 

Guinea Franc 0.0000443 0.0000503 

Hong Kong Dollar 0.0342580 0.0373580 

Indian Rupee 0.0052050 0.0052699 

Indonesian Rupiah 0.0000244 0.0000295 

Jamaican Dollars 0.0028547 0.0038547 

Japanese Yen 0.0029535 0.0031336 

Kenyan Shilling 0.0032711 0.0035011 

Malaysian Ringgit 0.0882472 0.0952472 

Nepalese Rupee 0.0031376 0.0033378 

Pakistan Rupee 0.0028723 0.0029123 

Philippine Peso 0.0065441 0.0070141 

Sierra Leone 0.0000730 0.0000760 

Singapore Dollar 0.2258670 0.2318670 

Sri Lankan Rupee 0.0019515 0.0022535 

Thai Baht 0.0093454 0.0099454 

Arab 

Bahraini Dinar 0.7512658 0.7597658 

Egyptian Pound 0.0399153 0.0419453 

Ethiopeanbirr 0.0129967 0.0194967 

Ghanaian Cedi 0.1486950 0.1504850 

Iranian Riyal 0.0000794 0.0000799 

Iraqi Dinar 0.0001738 0.0002338 

Jordanian Dinar 0.3973239 0.4048239 

Kuwaiti Dinar 1.0000000 1.0000000 

Lebanese Pound 0.0001752 0.0001952 

Moroccan Dirhams 0.0215277 0.0455277 

Nigerian Naira 0.0012152 0.0018502 

Omani Riyal 0.7309380 0.7419380 

Qatar Riyal 0.0778056 0.0785886 

Saudi Riyal 0.0756400 O.0762800 

Sudanese Pounds 0.0480305 0.0485805 

Syrian Pound 0.0031875 0.0034076 

Tunisian Dinar 0.1792045 0.1852045 

UAE Dirhams 0.0763447 0.0777947 

Yemeni Riyal 0.0012887 0.0013887 

Currency Transfer Rate (Per 1000) 

US Dollar 284.800 

Euro 369.200 

Pound Sterling 436.250 

Canadian Dollar 282.800 


Indian Rupee 5.250 

Egyptian Pound 41.250 

Sri Lankan Rupee 2.253 


Philippines Peso 6.978 

Pakistan Rupee 2.896 

Bahraini Dinar 758.250 

UAE Dirham 77.600 

Saudi Riyal 76.100 

*Rates are subject to change

BUSINESS 

Ambani brothers bury hatchet with telecom deal 

MUMBAI: India’s billionaire Ambani 

brothers, who fought a very public feud 

for spoils of their father’s business 

empire, signed yesterday a $220-million 

deal in the first tangible sign of a corporate 

reconciliation. Reliance Jio 

Infocomm, the telecom unit of Mukesh 

Ambani-led Reliance Industries, signed 

the agreement with Reliance 

Communications, the flagship firm of 

the Anil Ambani group, to share their 

fibre-optic communications networks. 

The long rumored pact is the “first in 

an intended comprehensive framework 

of business co-operation” between 

Reliance Jio and RCom, to use each other’s 

infrastructure across Indian cities, 

the companies said. 

This will provide “optimal utilization 

of existing and future infrastructure of 

both companies on a reciprocal basis”, 

they added in separate but identical 

statements. 

There have been increasing signs of a 

warming of ties between the brothers 

since their fight for control of Reliance 

erupted after their rags-to-riches father, 

Dhirubhai, died in 2002 without leaving 

a will. 

“It is a positive sign that the brothers 

are keen to work together,” said a fund 

manager with a state-run brokerage 

firm, who asked to remain unnamed. 

The pair ended up splitting the Reliance 

group left by their father that was India’s 

most valuable listed company. 

After a protracted court case that 

saw their mother, Kokilaben, act as 

peacemaker, the brothers agreed to 

bury the hatchet and tear up a noncompetition 

agreement that prevented 

them from entering the same sectors. 

In 2011, Mukesh and Anil came 

together to dedicate a memorial to their 

father, and their mother declared the 

enmity over, telling reporters: “There is 

love between the brothers.” 

Tuesday’s agreement, while small in 

value, was the first tangible evidence of 

an end to the business rift between 

Mukesh, India’s wealthiest man, and his 

younger sibling Anil. News of the agree- 

OMAHA: Matthew Miller of Omaha shops for a car in Omaha, Nebraska. March 

turned out to be the best month for auto sales in at least six years in the US. — AP 

US factory orders 

up 3% in February 

WASHINGTON: US factories rose sharply in 

February from January on a surge in 

demand for volatile aircraft. The gain offset 

a drop in key orders that signal business 

investment. 

The Commerce Department said yesterday 

that factory orders increased 3 percent 

in February. That’s up 1 percent decline in 

January and the biggest gain in five 

months. The increase was due mostly to a 

jump in orders for commercial aircraft. 

Those orders rose 95.1 percent. Orders for 

motor vehicles and parts also increased 1.4 

percent. Orders for all durable goods, 

which are products expected to last at least 

three years, jumped 5.6 percent. Orders for 

nondurable goods, such as processed food 

and clothing, rose 0.8 percent. 

Despite the gains, the report showed 

that a key measure of business investment 

plans fell. That could mean that some companies 

were worried in February about 

steep federal spending cuts that started on 

March 1. Core capital goods, which include 

machinery and equipment orders, fell 3.2 

percent. Demand for construction machinery, 

turbines and generators all fell sharply. 

Orders for computers and electronic products 

rose slightly. 

Economists closely watch these orders 

because they signal business investment 

plans. Still, the decline followed a 6.7 percent 

surge in January, the largest in nearly 

three years. Analysts said that when aver- 

aging the two months, business investment 

orders showed a solid increase for the 

January-March quarter. Many expect the 

gains to resume this spring, helped by a 

stronger job market that has kept consumers 

spending. Consumers stepped up 

spending in February after their income 

jumped. The gain occurred even after 

Social Security taxes increased in January, 

reducing take-home pay for most 

Americans. 

Many economists raised their growth 

forecasts after the report was released. 

Some are predicting growth could increase 

to around 3 percent in the January-March 

quarter, up from 0.4 percent in the previous 

three months. Other data show that some 

companies may start to pull back because 

of the government spending cuts. The 

Institute for Supply Management reported 

Monday that US manufacturing activity 

expanded more slowly in March than 

February, held back by weaker growth in 

production and new orders. 

But factories did hire at the fastest pace 

in nine months, which was seen as an 

encouraging sign ahead of Friday’s report 

on employment in March. The economy 

has added an average of 200,000 jobs a 

month from November through February, 

which helped lower the unemployment 

rate in February to a four-year low of 7.7 

percent. Economists predict a similar level 

of hiring in March. — AP 

Blue-chips help Dubai 

halt slump; Oman up 

MIDEAST STOCK MARKETS 

DUBAI: Dubai’s index rebounded from a twomonth 

low yesterday, although thin trading 

left investors unsure whether these gains 

marked the end of a recent downward trend. 

Most Middle East markets edged higher in 

lackluster trade. Dubai’s measure index 

climbed 1 percent. About 79 million shares 

traded, which was 58 percent higher than a 

day earlier, but still less than half the 2013 

average of 177 million shares. “The market was 

very quiet so it’s very difficult to say this marks 

a change in trend,” said Sebastien Henin, portfolio 

manager at The National Investor. “Maybe 

some investors think the market has fallen 

enough.” The index has declined in four out of 

six sessions, reducing year-to-date gains to 

13.6 percent. 

It is down 5.3 percent since Feb. 24’s 39month 

peak and has broadly followed a similar 

pattern to 2012 when an early-year surge gave 

way to a sustained slump from early March. 

But those bald numbers fail to show a crucial 

difference this year compared to last, said 

Henin. “Last year, it was speculative money 

coming into small- and mid-cap stocks that 

pushed the market higher, but this time it’s 

only about three or four large stocks - the 

quality names - that are responsible for most 

of the rally,” said Henin. Therefore the market 

can better hold onto its early-year gains as 

these are backed up by company fundamentals, 

with Emaar Properties, bank Emirates NBD 

and telecom operator du the main drivers of 

the rally. Emaar climbed 3 percent and 

Emirates NBD added 1 percent, but du fell 0.4 

percent. All are up more than 30 percent this 

year.Oman’s index rose 0.7 percent to rebound 

from a five-week low. It is down 2.7 percent 

from March 26’s 22-month high. 

The recent slump was due to investors 

booking some early-year gains as well as many 

stocks going ex-dividend, said Adel Nasr, 

United Securities brokerage manager. 

Investors used these cash dividends to buy 

back stocks at lower prices, driving Tuesday’s 

rebound. “It’s speculation on first-quarter 

results,” said Nasr. “If earnings beat expectations 

I would expect the market to rally to the 

end of the year.” Many investors have targeted 

the likes of OM Invest and Oman National 

Investment Corp Holding (ONIC), because 

these companies invest in Gulf equities and so 

should benefit from a broadly positive regional 

trend this year. OM Invest and ONIC climbed 

5.5 and 3.1 percent respectively. Saudi Arabia’s 

index rose for a sixth session in eight, but will 

remain in a sideways range as investors are 

unsure how best to profit from the country’s 

growing economy, which is forecast to expand 

4 percent in 2013. “Saudi has one of the best 

stories from a macroeconomic perspective, 

but taking a position on that is trickier 

because the largest sector - petrochemicals - is 

not really related to the domestic economy,” 

said Henin. “People are hunting for domestic 

plays.” That would normally make consumer 

stocks a target, but these have already rallied, 

said Henin. 

Investors are also wary of banking stocks, 

Saudi’s other heavyweight sector, due to worries 

that provisions and tight net interest margins 

will constrain profit growth. 

Telecoms is attracting little interest - No.2 

operator Mobily is near a six-year high and former 

monopoly Saudi Telecom Co has been 

making negative headlines after a second 

chief executive quit in less than a year last 

month and its fourth-quarter profit fell 79 percent. 

Egypt’s main share index fell 0.4 percent, 

its third straight decline, to slump to a 16week 

low. “Bearish momentum is slowing 

down,” wrote Pharos brokerage. — Reuters 

This combo of file pictures shows chairman and managing director of Reliance 

Industries Mukesh Ambani (left) and chairman of India’s Reliance Power Anil 

Ambani. — AFP 

ment heightened speculation among 

analysts about further collaboration 

between the brothers as well as about a 

DUBAI: Pressure for Oman to keep increasing its 

state spending every year is decreasing because 

the country has finished building most of the 

infrastructure it needs, finance minister Darwish 

Al-Balushi said yesterday. 

Speaking to reporters at a meeting of Arab 

finance ministers and central bank governors in 

Dubai, he said that in contrast to last year, Oman 

did not expect this year to spend more than it 

had originally budgeted. “As far as the budget is 

concerned, we have in this year’s budget taken 

all the anticipated expenditure to sustain the 

expected growth. We do see any unexpected 

expenditure to occur during the year,” he said. 

Asked whether it was sustainable for Oman 

to continue raising its spending over the medium 

term, he replied: “Not necessarily. It depends 

how oil prices will behave and also our level of 

production. 

“However, we think that most of our infrastructure 

has been completed, therefore we do 

not have pressure on increasing expenditure.” 

Balushi also said his government did not now 

plan to issue conventional bonds or sukuk this 

year. Oman’s central bank chief Hamood 

Sangour Al-Zadjali had said last month that the 

government was likely to issue its first sukuk, 

denominated in rials, towards the end of 2013 or 

at the start of next year. 

Meanwhile, Oman’s central bank has granted 

Islamic banks a one-year relaxation of rules on 

the amount of foreign assets which they can 

hold, to give time for Islamic financial instruments 

to be developed domestically. 

Oman’s first full-fledged Islamic banks, Bank 

Nizwa and Al Izz International Bank, were established 

late last year and are now starting to operate 

as the country introduces Islamic finance. 

Under rules announced by the central bank in 

December, the two banks can hold no more 

than 40 percent of their net worth in the form of 

foreign currency-denominated assets. 

This threatens to hurt their profitability, how- 

possible merger of the two Reliance 

telecom companies. RCom’s shares leapt 

as much as 17.2 percent to a high of 

ever, because Oman has not yet developed a 

market in sukuk (Islamic bonds) or other shariacompliant 

instruments which the banks could 

use to manage their liquidity. 

Al-Zadjali said that for the first six months, 

the limit would be raised to 75 percent, and it 

would be 50 percent for the following six 

months. Then the 40 percent limit would apply. 

“After that they can have local sukuk and they 

can be building local credits,” Zadjali said at a 

meeting of Arab central bankers and finance 

ministers in Dubai. “It’s a definite period, it’s one 

year...until they set the client base.” Last year, the 

two lenders raised a combined 100 million rials 

($260 million) through their initial public offers 

of shares, with Bank Nizwa having 150 million 


66.9 rupees after the news before retracing 

some of their gains to close up nearly 

11 percent at 63.3 rupees. Mukesh 

Ambani’s Reliance Jio is unlisted. 

The deal will help Reliance Jio 

Infocomm roll out its high-speed fourthgeneration 

(4G) services. Mukesh 

Ambani is planning to establish an ultrafast 

4G telecommunications carrier later 

in 2013. Analysts say sharing fibre-optic 

networks and other infrastructure such 

as telecom towers could prove mutually 

beneficial by helping Mukesh reduce 

costs at the same time as boosting the 

fortunes of Anil’s debt-laden group. 

RCom will have reciprocal access to 

the optic fibre infrastructure which 

Reliance Jio will build in the future, the 

companies said. 

“Both brothers have a presence in 

telecom. Their working together makes 

sense at a time when the cost of doing 

business is high and the economic 

environment is tough,” said Sonam 

Udasi, head of research with IDBI 

Capital. — AFP 

Pressure on Oman to 

raise spending eases 

State completes infrastructure projects 

DUBAI: DAMAC Properties, a privately-held 

Dubai developer, is considering listing its shares 

on the stock market and has approached banks 

with proposals for advisory roles as it bets on a 

recovery in the emirate’s real estate market. 

The developer has submitted requests to a 

handful of leading international banks, three 

sources aware of the plan said, speaking on condition 

of anonymity as the matter is not public. It 

would be the first major property firm in the 

United Arab Emirates to launch an initial public 

offering (IPO) since the property market collapsed 

in 2009, after similar plans by familyowned 

Al Habtoor Group were shelved last year. 

An IPO by a big Dubai name would also jolt 

moribund equity markets in the region. The last 

listing on the Dubai Financial Market index was 

in March 2009, while the Abu Dhabi bourse has 

seen only a couple of minor sales since 2008. The 

IPO plan is at an initial stage and it was not clear 

whether the listing was planned in Dubai or in 

another international market. No details on the 

DUBAI: A general view shows the opening session of the Arab Finance Ministers meeting in 

Dubai yesterday. — AFP 

potential valuation for the business was available. 

DAMAC said a potential IPO is one of the 

options considered for the company’s future 

growth but gave no additional details. “As a 

company of our size and scope, we are continually 

looking at all growth possibilities and an IPO 

is one of these routes,” said Niall McLoughlin, 

senior vice president at DAMAC Properties. 

Dubai’s property market has recovered gradually 

in the last one year after a 60 percent 

plunge in prices as investors fled the emirate following 

the global financial crisis. 

“The Dubai real estate sector is pretty hot 

right now so they would want to capitalize on 

that sentiment,” said one equity banker, declining 

to be named as he was not allowed to speak 

to the media. “They are one of the biggest 

developers in Dubai - when you’re driving 

around, you see their billboards everywhere - 

and the obvious comparison, Emaar Properties, 

has been doing pretty well recently.” 

rials in paid-up capital and Al Izz having 100 million 

rials. Oman’s first sovereign sukuk issue is 

expected in about a year; the finance minister 

said earlier yesterday that the issue would not 

occur within 2013. 

The rules also state that Islamic banks are 

allowed to hold a maximum of 30 percent of 

their net worth in sovereign sukuk, so pressure 

will remain on the industry to develop other rialdenominated 

Islamic products to manage liquidity. 

Islamic banks in Oman have limited 

investment options partly because the country’s 

Islamic banking rules essentially ban the use of 

commodity murabaha, a common tool used by 

Islamic banks around the world to invest surplus 

funds. — Reuters 

Dubai developer Damac 

plans share listing 

BEIJING: Swedish furniture giant IKEA’s President and CEO Mikael Ohlsson delivers a speech to 

university students in Shanghai yesterday on the development of IKEA’s global business. — AFP 

Emaar Properties’ shares have risen 36 percent 

year-to-date on the back of increased revenue 

from hospitality and retail businesses. The 

developer has approached banks, including 

HSBC, Deutsche Bank, Morgan Stanley and 

Goldman Sachs, the sources said. The company 

is yet to pick an advisor for the proposed float, 

the sources said. 

Led by Hussain Sajwani, DAMAC symbolized 

the flamboyance in Dubai’s property market during 

the boom years, handing out sports cars and 

luxury yachts to customers of penthouses and 

duplex homes. 

The developer slowed down during the 

downturn but returned with new projects as 

Dubai’s real estate market stages a gradual 

recovery. DAMAC, formed in 2002, has completed 

37 buildings and has another 66 buildings 

under construction across the Middle East and 

North Africa region. It recently announced a plan 

to build a $1 billion development in partnership 

with Viacom Inc’s Paramount Group. — Reuters 

Egypt taxi drivers 

storm finance 

ministry gates 

CAIRO: Egyptian taxi drivers stormed the gates of 

the finance ministry in Cairo yesterday during a 

protest against the terms of loan payments on 

their cars, security officials said. Other taxi drivers 

in the protest were upset that the government had 

not yet replaced their old black and white taxis 

with the more recent white cars that are equipped 

with meters. 

Ministry employees armed with clubs and 

chairs prevented the drivers from entering the 

building. Egypt had replaced most antiquated 

black and white taxis in Cairo with more modern 

white ones over the past four years, but some older 

models were not eligible for the program. 

The new taxis were bought through financing, 

and many drivers now say they cannot afford to 

keep up with payments amid increasing inflation. 

Taxis, relatively cheap compared with Western 

fares, are one of the main forms of transportation 

in Cairo. — AFP

BUSINESS 

Oil above $111, Saudi sees stronger demand 

LONDON: Oil edged further above $111 a barrel 

yesterday as the prospect of stronger demand in 

Asia outweighed concern over the pace of economic 

recovery in top consumer the United 

States. Demand for crude from Saudi Arabia is 

likely to rise over the coming months, Saudi Oil 

Minister Ali Al-Naimi said on Monday - a sign the 

OPEC heavyweight sees a recovery in its biggest 

export market, Asia. China, the world’s secondlargest 

oil consumer, imported just over 1 million 

barrels a day from the Kingdom last year, up more 

than 7 percent from 2011. 

Brent gained 44 cents to $111.52 a barrel by 

1053 GMT. US crude rose 4 cents to $97.11 a barrel. 

“The fact that oil prices have been able to gain 

despite negative framework conditions of late - 

weaker data from China and the US just now, and 

a firmer US dollar, weaker equity markets and rising 

US inventories last week - can be interpreted 

as a sign of an incipient trend reversal,” 

Commerzbank said in a research note. But some 

investors anticipate downward pressure on oil 

prices as cooling US factory activity in March suggests 

the world’s largest economy lost some 

momentum at the end of the first quarter. 

“You see the US economy settling into a long 

hard grind of moderate growth of around 1 to 1.5 

percent. Growth in previous recoveries was closer 

to 3.5 percent,” said Ric Spooner, chief market analyst 

at CMC Markets, in Sydney. 

“With this kind of growth, the United States is 

going to struggle to bring down unemployment, 

which is a real drag on the economy.” 

US crude could also be pushed lower by a 

pipeline leak in Arkansas that threatens to 

increase the supply of oil coming from Canada to 

the US Midwest. Exxon Mobil continued efforts to 

clean up thousands of barrels of heavy Canadian 

crude oil spilled from a near 65-year-old pipeline 

in the US state. Exxon’s Pegasus pipeline, which 

can carry more than 90,000 barrels per day (bpd) 

of crude to Texas from Illinois, is used to supply US 

Gulf Coast refineries. “Any kind of bottleneck will 

cause weakness in the mid-continent, so you 

could see some temporary weakness in WTI,” said 

Tony Nunan, a risk manager at Mitsubishi Corp in 

Tokyo, referring to West Texas Intermediate-grade 

crude oil. —Reuters 


SYDNEY: A passenger boat makes a turn in front of the National Maritime museum at 

darling harbor in Sydney yesterday. It has been widely tipped there will be no 

change to the current cash rate when the RBA hands down its monthly interest rate 

yesterday. — AFP 

Australia keeps 

rates on hold 

SYDNEY: Australia’s central bank kept 

interest rates on hold at 3.0 percent yesterday, 

saying global downside risks appeared 

to have eased but domestic pressures were 

lingering. Reserve Bank of Australia governor 

Glenn Stevens said there were a “number 

of indications that the substantial easing 

of monetary policy during late 2011 

and 2012 is having an expansionary effect” 

but more time was needed. 

The stubbornly high Australian dollar is 

squeezing local industries despite a drop in 

export prices, while households and businesses 

remained cautious. Globally, however, 

the picture is improving, with the United 

States expanding at a “moderate” pace 

while growth in key market China had “stabilized 

at a fairly robust pace”, shoring up 

similar improvements across Asia. 

“Global growth is forecast to be a little 

below average for a time, but the downside 

risks appear to be reduced,” said Stevens 

following the bank’s monthly meeting on 

monetary policy. “At today’s meeting, the 

board judged that it was prudent to leave 

the cash rate unchanged.” 

Stevens noted that growth had been 

close to long-term averages in 2012, underpinned 

by “very large increases” in mining 

spending, which offset weakness in other 

industries. “Looking ahead, the peak in 

resource investment is drawing close. There 

will, therefore, be more scope for some 

other areas of demand to strengthen,” he 

said. 

JOHANNESBURG: South African platinum 

producer Lonmin PLC appointed Anglo 

American Platinum (Amplats) executive 

Ben Magara as its new chief executive yesterday 

as it strives to rebound from a wave 

of deadly strikes which hammered it last 

year. Magara, who will start in July, will be 

tasked with guiding Lonmin’s turnaround 

and improving industrial relations at the 

company after illegal strikes last year triggered 

violence which killed 46 people, 

including 34 strikers shot dead by police in 

a single day at its Marikana mine. 

A Zimbabwean national who ran Anglo 

America’s South African coal operations 

before taking over engineering and capital 

projects at Amplats, Magara faces a militant 

labor force which closed Marikana for a day 

last month, embarrassing Lonmin as it 

hosted a media tour. 

Industry sources say he has invaluable 

experience of South Africa’s highly-charged 

labor and political environment, in which 

mining executives do not have just 

investors to please. “He seems to get - more 

than almost anyone else - that the mining 

game has changed and that your stakeholders 

are as important as your shareholders,” 

said a senior lawyer who has worked 

with Magara. 

“For a company like Lonmin, that 

doesn’t seem to have that institutional 

nous, this is a great hire,” the lawyer said. 

South Africa’s mining landscape has been 

radically transformed by the emergence of 

the militant Association of Mineworkers 

and Construction Union, which has 

poached members from the once dominant 

National Union of Mineworkers in a 

bloody turf war that was at the root of last 

year’s violence. 

The government and the ruling African 

National Congress also have the mining 

industry under a microscope and have 

lashed out at plans by Lonmin rival 

Amplats, the world’s biggest platinum producer, 

to cut up to 14,000 jobs to restore 

profits. Lonmin had been searching for a 

new chief executive since the end of last 

year, when Ian Farmer officially stepped 

aside due to illness. 

The company has been recovering and 

in January said production in the last three 

months of 2012 bounced back more 

strongly than expected from crippling 

strikes. Platinum, used in catalytic converters 

in cars, has come under pressure since 

the global economic downturn. The strikes, 

weak platinum prices and high costs forced 

Lonmin to turn to investors in November to 

raise $817 million to avoid breaching lending 

terms. Lonmin said Simon Scott, who 

has been acting chief executive since 

August 2012, will resume his role as chief 

financial officer when Magara joins. 

Lonmin’s shares in London were down 0.5 

percent at midday. — Reuters 

Inflation and wages were both contained, 

he added, supporting the bank’s 

view that an “accommodative stance” 

remained appropriate. “The board will continue 

to assess the outlook and adjust policy 

as needed to foster sustainable growth 

in demand and inflation outcomes consistent 

with the target over time,” he said. 

The Australian dollar was little moved 

by the widely expected decision, dipping 

from $1.0460 to $1.0450. Analysts said the 

commentary suggested there would have 

to be a significant deterioration in economic 

indicators before the RBA took action, 

with further cuts looking unlikely in the 

near term. 

“The signs of improvement that we’re 

currently seeing would have to peter out or 

there would have to be some sort of global 

shock, and they certainly don’t seem in any 

rush to move,” said AMP Capital Investors 

economist Shane Oliver. 

Rates have since December been at 3.0 

percent, a historic low not seen since the 

global financial crisis and well below their 

most recent peak of 4.75 percent in October 

2011. Ratings giant Fitch affirmed Australia’s 

AAA credit rating last week, meaning it is 

among only a handful of nations with the 

coveted top-flight rating from all three 

major agencies including Moody’s and 

Standard & Poor’s. The economy grew 0.6 

percent in the three months to December as 

exports lifted, but analysts have warned of a 

subdued picture overall. — AFP 

Lonmin picks Amplats 

exec to lead rebound 

Trade body eyes 

integrity tests 

for bankers 

LONDON: Thousands of financial sector 

workers risk being frozen out of the industry 

unless they pass mandatory tests measuring 

their personal ethics and integrity. 

The Chartered Institute for Securities & 

Investment (CISI), a professional body for 

individuals working, or seeking careers in 

wealth management and capital markets, 

wants all of its members to undergo 

integrity screening or face losing their 

membership, as it battles to restore public 

faith in finance. 

Until now, only individuals offering 

financial advice had to take such a test as a 

condition of their CISI status and to comply 

with UK rules on how investment funds 

are sold to savers. Bankers working in areas 

like corporate finance and mergers and 

acquisitions, and traders in bonds, shares 

and derivatives have no such regulatory 

requirements imposed upon them. 

But the CISI said yesterday that systematic 

checks on the ethics and integrity of 

workers across the entire financial services 

industry were long overdue. “There has 

been much talk about a number of initiatives 

which are aimed at restoring trust in 

financial services. This is one that has come 

to fruition and today we are introducing a 

real change,” CISI Chief Executive Simon 

Culhane said. 

Based in London, the CISI is an international 

organization with offices in financial 

centres such as Dublin, Singapore, Dubai 

and Mumbai. Around 7,300 of CISI’s 40,000 

members have sat the Integrity Matters 

test since it was introduced in late 2008. 

The CISI hopes the additional roll out will 

reassure savers that the industry is serious 

about ending so-called ‘casino-banking’. 

The test offers users six dilemmas, all 

based on real life examples from the 

financial sector. Each dilemma evolves 

over a series of time periods, with each 

response determining how the scenario 

develops. As well as demanding compliance 

across its entire global membership, 

the CISI said it would no longer accept 

entry-level candidates for its capital markets 

qualifications unless they had passed 

the exam first. 

Some institutions including Bank of 

America require staff working in retail 

investment advisory roles to take examinations 

set by, or belong to, approved bodies 

like the CISI so they can more easily 

demonstrate competence of their employees 

to regulators.—Reuters

MOSCOW: The Russian central bank kept 

its main refinancing rate unchanged at 

8.25 percent yesterday but appeared hint 

at future rate cuts amid pressure from policymakers 

for a action to boost economic 

activity. The Bank Rossii appeared to leave 

the door open for a cut in the future by 

saying inflation, currently high at 7.2 percent, 

should return to within its target 

range in the second half of the year. 

While keeping the benchmark rate 

unchanged, it also snipped several more 

minor rates by 25 basis points including 

longer-term rates for liquidity operations 

in a bid to push forward faltering activity. 

The bank gave a downbeat assessment of 

Russia’s economic growth prospects, saying 

that recent data pointed towards a 

continued slowing of growth and risks of a 

further slowdown. 

“The decision (to hold the headline 

rate) has been taken against the background 

of an estimation of the inflation 

risks and the prospects for economic 

BUSINESS 

Russia CB keeps main interest rate unchanged 

LONDON: Mervyn King, the Governor of the Bank of England, talks to an 

employee of the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), during the opening 

in central London yesterday. —AP 

UK manufacturing 

shrinks again, 

mortgages fall 

LONDON: Britain’s manufacturing activity 

shrank for a second consecutive month in 

March, a survey showed yesterday, leaving 

the country’s more resilient services 

sector as the best hope of avoiding a new 

recession. 

The Markit/CIPS manufacturing purchasing 

managers’ index came in at 48.3, only 

slightly above February’s surprisingly poor 

reading of 47.9, and a touch weaker than 

the consensus forecast. 

The output component of the survey fell 

in March at its fastest pace since October. 

There were signs of weakness in the key 

housing market too. While lending to 

Britain’s consumers ticked up in February, 

the number of mortgage approvals for 

house purchases fell for a second month, 

Bank of England data showed. Nonetheless, 

the value of home-backed lending rose. 

But there was better news from the 

country’s largest business survey which 

showed that export orders with British firms 

rose strongly in the first three months of 

2013 and confidence about the next 12 

months picked up.The Markit PMI survey 

suggests that manufacturing exerted an 

even bigger drag on growth between 

January and March than it did in the fourth 

quarter of 2012, when it accounted for a 

third of the economy’s 0.3 percent contraction. 

“The onus is now on the far larger service 

sector to prevent the UK from slipping 

into a triple-dip recession,” said Rob 

Dobson, senior economist at Markit. 

Official GDP data for the first quarter 

won’t be released until April 25 but the evidence 

so far suggests a strong risk that 

Britain will record a second consecutive 

quarter of contraction - the technical definition 

of recession. A third recession in less 

than five years would be an embarrassment 

for the government which is sticking to 

tough austerity measures. 

“All this still points to a very subdued 

economy, which will keep the pressure on 

the BoE to do more to offset the UK’s tight 

fiscal stance,” said James Knightley, an economist 

with ING, referring to Tuesday’s data. 

“However, our central case remains for a nochange 

decision this week.” 

The Bank of England’s policymakers 

meet today and tomorrow. More action, 

possibly in the form of renewed government 

bond-buying or quantitative easing 

(QE), is only expected later this year.“We 

don’t think that that is going to be sufficient 

to push the (bank) into the sanctioning QE 

as soon as this week,” said Philip Shaw, an 

economist with Investec. “But nonetheless, 

the committee can’t be altogether happy 

with some of these indicators which have 

shown the economy remaining in uncertain 

mode.” 

The Markit report blamed the poor performance 

of manufacturing in March on 

tough market conditions, subdued client 

confidence and ongoing bad weather. New 

orders from abroad contracted for the 15th 

month running in March. The survey 

blamed the fall on weak demand from 

Europe and strong competition in US and 

South Asian markets. 

In further bad news for UK policymakers, 

there were also signs that inflation pressures 

were picking up. Output prices rose at 

the fastest pace in three months while input 

prices picked up sharply, driven by the 

weakness of sterling and higher energy and 

food costs. 

Manufacturing accounts for around a 

fifth of British economic output. Surveys of 

the construction and service sectors for 

March are due to be released today and 

tomorrow respectively. 

There have been signs that the services 

sector is faring better than manufacturing. 

It grew at its fastest pace in five months in 

February, according to Markit and official 

data showed it notched up its best performance 

in January for five months. —Reuters 

Yemen discusses aid with 

IMF, eyes faster growth 

DUBAI: The International Monetary Fund is discussing 

fresh financial aid to Yemen with the government 

of the impoverished country, a senior IMF 

official said yesterday. 

Masood Ahmed, director of the IMF’s Middle 

East and Central Asia department, told reporters 

that the talks focused on a new financial program 

for Yemen. “We have a team that has been working 

with authorities over the last couple of weeks and 

they made good progress in those discussions,” he 

said ahead of a meeting of Arab finance ministers 

and central bank governors in Dubai. “We are 

working with the authorities to see how we can 

support Yemen over the coming years,” he added, 

without saying when agreement on the aid might 

be reached, or how much money might be 

involved. The IMF resumed lending to Yemen in 

April last year, approving the payment of a $93.7 

million loan to help the country with its balance of 

payments deficit, which had been worsened by a 

year of political turmoil. Ibrahim Al-Nahari, Yemen’s 

central bank sub-governor for foreign operations 

and research, told Reuters that the new IMF facility 

might be as large as $500 million. “We are at the 

beginning stage (of the IMF talks). The program 

will be an extended facility to the magnitude of 

$450-500 million over three years.” 

In an interview with Reuters late on Monday, 

Yemen’s central bank governor said he was comfortable 

with the current level of interest rates and 

that he expected economic growth to accelerate 

to about 7 percent this year. The central bank 

slashed its main interest rate by 3 percentage 

points to a three-year low of 15 percent in 

February, helped by a sharp fall of inflation, in an 

effort to support economic recovery in the volatile 

Arab state. Asked whether he expected to cut 

interest rates again in coming months, Governor 

Mohammed Awad bin Hamam said: “Will see, wait 

and see.” February’s rate cut was the first since 

October, when the central bank began an easing 

cycle. Yemen’s economy improved last year but 

recovery remains fragile in the second-poorest 

Arab state after Mauritania; a third of Yemen’s 25 

million people live on less than $2 a day. 

Hamam said he expected the Yemeni economy 

to pick up speed this year after it grew 4.5 percent 

in 2012; the non-oil sector expanded about 6 percent 

last year. “I expect this year will be better, 

maybe it will be 7 percent,” he said of economic 

growth. That is more optimistic than the IMF’s latest 

public forecast of 4 percent growth for Yemen. 

The IMF said in January that Yemen’s central bank 

had room to reduce interest rates gradually to support 

growth, but warned that the political transition 

after the overthrow of president Ali Abdullah 

Saleh in February 2012, and security concerns - 

particularly attacks on key oil and electricity facilities 

- were risks to the economic outlook. 

Inflation in Yemen dived to 5.8 percent in the 

final quarter of 2012 from a peak of 25 percent in 

October 2011. Hamam said the central bank’s foreign 

currency reserves currently stood at $6 billion, 

adding that he expected $2 billion worth of aid to 

arrive this year from international donors. Last year 

wealthy Gulf Arab states, Western governments 

and other donors pledged $7.9 billion in aid over 

several years to Yemen, but only a small fraction 

has so far arrived. “Now, we are at the start and we 

have not received that much. We are waiting for 

the amount to be collected by the ministry of planning,” 

Hamam said. —Reuters 

growth,” the bank said. 

“The Bank Rossii will continue to monitor 

the inflation risks and the risks of economic 

slowdown,” the bank said, adding 

that its next monetary policy meeting was 

scheduled for the first half of May. 

The bank cut its three-month refinancing 

rate to 6.75 percent from 7.00 percent 

and for 12 months to 7.75 from 8.00 percent. 

But crucially the rates for its most 

widely-used one day and one week operations 

were unchanged at 5.50 percent. 

BRUSSELS: “Unacceptably” high 

euro-zone unemployment ran at a 

record 12 percent in February, official 

data showed yesterday, with more 

than 19 million people on the dole a 

“tragedy” for Europe. 

The figures and a weak manufacturing 

sector report added to the 

gloom after data earlier this year had 

encouraged some hope the European 

economy might finally have touched 

bottom. 

Analysts said the reports pointed 

instead to worse to come, with the 

jobless queues likely to grow as the 

debt crisis continues to sap the economy. 

“Such unacceptably high levels 

of unemployment are a tragedy for 

Europe,” said a spokeswoman for EU 

Employment Commissioner Laszlo 

Andor. “The EU has to mobilize all 

available resources to create jobs ... 

young people in particular need help,” 

she said. 

The Eurostat data agency said 

unemployment in the 17-nation eurozone 

at 12 percent was unchanged 

from January when the figure was initially 

given as 11.9 percent. In the full 

27-member EU, unemployment in 

February rose to 10.9 percent from 

10.8 percent, with 26.34 million out of 

work. Some 33,000 joined the jobless 

queues in the euro-zone and 76,000 in 

the EU over the month of February, 

Eurostat said. Compared with a year 

earlier, the increase was 1.78 million in 

the euro-zone and 1.81 million in the 

EU. 

The highest unemployment rates 

in February were in Spain with 26.3 

percent and neighbor Portugal, on 

17.5 percent. Greece was put at it 26.4 

percent but this figure is for 

December, the latest available. The 

lowest rates were 4.8 percent in 

Austria and 5.4 percent in Germany, 

Europe’s biggest economy. 

With youth unemployment a huge 

cause of concern, Eurostat said the 

jobless rate for under-25s ran at 23.9 

percent in the euro-zone and 23.5 percent 

in the EU. Among the countries 

with the highest youth jobless levels, 

Capital Economics said in a note to clients 

that the language of the statement 

reflected the extent to which Russia’s economic 

policymakers were “in a bind” as 

they sought to balance inflation worries 

with concerns about sluggish growth. 

But with inflation forecast to fall “interest 

rates are likely to be lowered over the 

coming months, and we are sticking to 

our forecast for a total of 75 basis points of 

cuts to key rates by the end of this year,” 

Capital Economics said. 

Spain was on 55.7 percent, followed 

by Portugal on 38.2 percent and Italy 

with 37.8 percent. Greece was the 

highest with 58.4 percent but this was 

also for December. 

Howard Archer of IHS Global 

Insight said the figures marked a “dis- 

mal landmark” at 12 percent-already 

very close to the official EU 2013 forecast 

of 12.2 percent. Archer said 

unemployment was now up for a consecutive 

22nd month and even if the 

report did show the jobless numbers 

were not rising as fast as before, “an 

overall turnaround in euro-zone labor 

markets still looks some way off.” 

The second quarter outlook is “far 

from bright,” he said, and unemployment 

could “very well near 12.5 percent 

late in 2013 or early in 2014.” 

Jennifer McKeown at Capital 

Economics was equally downbeat. 

The February data “is further confirmation 

of the underlying weakness 

of the economy,” Mckeown said. 

Manufacturing data meanwhile 

showed the slump deepening sharply 

as even Germany was dragged down. 

The Markit Eurozone Manufacturing 

Purchasing Managers Index fell to 46.8 

points in March, up from an initial estimate 

of 46.6 but well short of the 

already weak 47.9 posted in February. 

The outcome left the closely followed 

indicator at a three-month low 

and below the 50-points boom-bust 

line since August 2011. Germany at 49 

points slipped to a two-month low 

while “rates of decline gathered pace 

in all the other nations ... with the 

exception of France,” Markit said in a 

statement. 


The decision comes as the central bank 

goes through a shake-up ahead of the 

arrival of Kremlin economic advisor Elvira 

Nabiullina in the summer as its new chief 

to replace the long-serving incumbent 

Sergei Ignatyev. While respected as an 

economist who served as a capable economy 

minister to 2012, Nabiullina is a close 

ally of President Vladimir Putin and some 

analysts have expressed concern that the 

Kremlin will have a greater influence over 

the central bank. —AFP 

Record unemployment 

clouds euro-zone hopes 

Over 19 million people on the dole 

France stood at 44 points, a threemonth 

high, while Italy was on 44.5, 

its lowest for seven months and Spain 

on 44.2, a five-month low. 

Manufacturing “looks likely to have 

acted as a drag on the economy in the 

first quarter, with an acceleration in 

NOCOSIA: People queue up outside a Bank of Cyprus (BOC) branch in the centre of the capital 

Nicosia yesterday. —AFP 

LONDON: A man leaves a branch of Laiki Bank UK, a subsidiary of Cyprus 

Popular Bank (Laiki Bank), in north London. —AFP 

Laiki Bank UK branch 

avoids Cypriot fallout 

LONDON: Customers of the British unit of 

failed bank Laiki will be protected from the 

levy that was part of the euro-zone nation’s 

bailout deal, the Bank of England announced 

yesterday. 

The announcement, made by the BoE’s 

new finance watchdog the Prudential 

Regulation Authority, means that Laiki Bank 

UK customers will avoid any Cypriot levy on 

their accounts and will be able to access their 

accounts as normal. The BoE said in a statement 

that about £270 million ($410 million, 

320 million euros) in deposits from Laiki Bank 

UK would be transferred to Bank of Cyprus 

UK, and placed in the British government’s 

compensation scheme that guarantees up to 

£85,000 per saver. 

Crisis-hit Cyprus was rescued with a 10billion-euro 

($13-billion) EU-IMF bailout last 

week. As part of the rescue deal, Laiki or 

‘Popular Bank’ will shut and merge with Bank 

of Cyprus. Depositors in Cyprus with more 

than 100,000 euros in the two banks-the 

island’s biggest — face losing a large chunk 

of their money. 

“Cyprus Popular Bank Public Co Ltd operating 

in the UK under the trading name ‘Laiki 

Bank UK’ has today reached an agreement 

with Bank of Cyprus UK Ltd to transfer all 

deposits to Bank of Cyprus UK, a UK subsidiary 

fully regulated by the Prudential 

Regulation Authority (PRA) and Financial 

Conduct Authority,” the BoE said in a statement. 

“The agreement does not affect access 

to bank accounts and therefore all customers 

who had an account with Laiki Bank UK will 

be able to access funds as normal and do not 

need to do anything.” The Cyprus crisis saw 

capital controls imposed for the first time by 

a euro-zone economy to prevent financial 

meltdown. Under the bailout deal agreed in 

Brussels last week, Cyprus must raise 5.8 

billion euros to qualify for the full 10-billion-euro 

loan from the “troika” of the 

European Union, European Central Bank and 

International Monetary Fund. —AFP 

the rate of decline in March raising the 

risk that the downturn may also intensify 

in the second quarter,” Markit chief 

economist Chris Williamson said in a 

statement. 

“The surveys paint a very disappointing 

picture across the region,” 

Williamson said. 

The Cyprus debt bailout appeared 

not to have had any impact so far, he 

said, but “the concern is that the latest 

chapter in the (euro-zone debt) 

crisis will have hit demand further in 

April.” —AFP 

Greek CB sees delay 

in recapitalization 

ATHENS: Greece’s central banker has forecast that an 

eagerly-awaited recapitalization of the country’s crisis-hit 

leading banks could be delayed by a few weeks 

to May. 

“The recapitalization will be over in a few weeks,” 

Bank of Greece governor George Provopoulos told 

state television NET in a late Monday interview. 

“According to the program, it will have to be completed 

in April. I would say this date is slightly unrealistic, 

there could be a delay of a few weeks... it could 

go to the end of May,” Provopoulos said. 

The recapitalization of Greek banks, who took a 

major blow last year in helping the country reduce its 

sovereign debt, is a condition for the continued 

release of EU-IMF rescue loans for Greece’s crisis-hit 

economy. 

A sum of 50 billion euros out of the total EU-IMF 

bailout fund of 240 billion euros has been earmarked 

for this purpose. At least 10 percent of new capital 

must come from private investors to keep the banks 

from being effectively nationalized. 

A key stumbling block to the process has been an 

ongoing merger between Greece’s leading lender, 

National Bank, and third-ranked Eurobank. 

Provopoulos on Monday acknowledged the concern 

of Greece’s so-called troika of creditors-the EU, IMF 

and European Central Bank-that the new entity will 

both dominate the market and will be tough to 

recapitalize. 

“(The creditors) do not like the creation of such a 

major player with a market share of around 40 percent,” 

Provopoulos said. “The troika says, and I can 

also say, that there will be a greater difficulty in a 

combined National Bank-Eurobank entity, with capital 

needs in the order of 1.5 billion euros or slightly 

higher, a very large sum under the current circumstances. 

So there is a concern that if private investors 

cannot be found, it will come under state control,” he 

added. 

Senior troika representatives are returning to 

Athens this week to resume an audit of reforms that 

was suspended last month. 

Their report will determine whether Athens will 

receive a loan disbursement of 2.8 billion euros pending 

since March. Provopoulos noted that even if a 

bank had to turn to the Hellenic financial stability 

fund for help, “it’s not exactly state control.” 

“In the Stability Fund there is ECB representation, 

and the EU Commission, and the troika has oversight. 

In no way would the troika want a major bank to 

operate as a traditional (state) bank. I am also concerned 

and would not want it to happen. I do not 

think it will,” he said. —AFP

DUBAI: The Ford Mustang will soon become the 

newest member of a very exclusive club - vehicles 

in continuous production for 50 years. To help mark 

this milestone, 50 companies will sell products 

including watches, T-shirts, model cars and more 

that celebrate the Mustang’s first 50 years. 

“During its first 49 years of production, Mustang 

has come to evoke a variety of emotions in our customers 

- freedom, independence and being true to 

one’s self - just to name a few,” said John Nens, 

Ford’s team lead for Global Brand Licensing. “We’re 

marking this Mustang milestone with a distinctive 

collection of licensed products from select manufacturers 

that will carry the unique Mustang 50 

Years logo.” All of the new merchandise will be easily 

identified with a custom logo that celebrates 50 

years of Mustang. 

The logo was crafted by Ford designer Michael 

Thomson. It features the Mustang’s trademark gal- 

loping pony in silhouette over the characters “50 

YEARS.” This new icon has a clean and sophisticated 

appearance in either white on black or black on 

white. Only 50 companies will be licensed to create 

products bearing this special logo including highquality 

die cast models, videogames, watches and 

apparel. 

“We’re working closely with our licensees to 

ensure every item reflects the unique qualities of 

Mustang,” said Nens. “Like the car itself, we want our 

licensed products to convey an attitude of strength, 

passion and the highest quality.” 

Over upcoming weeks and months, other Ford 

licensees will reveal a variety of Mustang products 

featuring the Mustang 50 Years logo to mark this 

special moment in automotive history and kick off 

the next 50 years of Mustang. From the Tuskegee 

Airmen to 50 Years of Mustang 

Celebrating its centennial this year, Union, NJ- 

BUSINESS 

Ford marks countdown to 50 years of Mustang 

Gulf Bank names ‘Best 

Retail Bank in Kuwait’ 

Award by Asian Banker for 3rd year running 

KUWAIT: Gulf Bank has been named the 

‘Best Retail Bank in Kuwait’ for the third 

consecutive year by The Asian Banker, one 

of Asia’s leading consultancies in financial 

services research, benchmarking and intelligence. 

The awards ceremony was held on 

21 March in Seoul - South Korea during The 

Asian Banker’s annual international awards 

dinner. 

In selecting Gulf Bank for the 2013 

award, The Asian Banker and an international 

panel of judges carefully assessed 

the Bank’s overall performance and services 

it provides its customers against a stringent 

set of criteria and compared these 

results against those of its local banking 

competitors. 

Accepting the award on behalf of Gulf 

Bank was Khaled Al-Mutawa, General 

Manager, International Banking and 

Investments at Gulf Bank, who said: “The 

Asian Banker is a renowned and much 

respected title, and we are very honored 

to have been selected by it to receive 

this award once again. For Gulf Bank, 

this is a great achievement, as it underlines 

our long term commitment and 

success in delivering to our customers 

the range and standards of product and 

services they are looking for. This award 

helps to endorse the Bank’s position as a 

leader in the Kuwaiti market and reinforces 

its reputation as a provider of high 

quality and innovative financial services. 

We will continue to maintain our commitment 

towards our customers with 

energy and enthusiasm, and on behalf of 

everyone at Gulf Bank, I would like to 

thank The Asian Banker and its panel of 

distinguished international judges for 

this prestigious endorsement of our 

efforts.” 

ABK offers free safe deposit 

boxes for World MasterCard, 

Prestige card holders 

KUWAIT: Al-Ahli Bank of Kuwait’s World 

MasterCard and Prestige cardholders can 

now avail a free safe deposit box available 

at numerous ABK branches. 

In the words of Stewart Lockie, GM, 

Retail Banking at ABK, “At ABK we strive to 

provide premium services to our customers, 

some related to banking and others 

related to lifestyle, in order to cater to a 

diverse segment. Our initiative like a free 

safe deposit box for a year comes as an 

added value to the wide range of services 

and benefits already in the reach of World 

KUWAIT: Bentley Motors announces its financial 

results for the year ending 31 December 2012, 

reporting a significantly increased operating 

profit of euros 100.5 million compared to euros 

8 million in 2011. Bentley boosted its total 

turnover by 29.9 percent to euros 1.453 billion 

and its profit margin increased to 7 percent. 

Demonstrating the global reach of Bentley’s 

business, exports accounted for 87.3 percent of 

Bentley’s total turnover, equating to a total 

export value of Euros 1.269 billion. The company’s 

market share in the luxury segment rose by 

4.9 percentage points to 20.1 percent. 

Bentley also made a strong start to the New 

Year. Deliveries to customers grew by 39.5 per- 

MasterCard and Prestige cardholders.” 

Lockie added “Free safe deposit boxes 

allow customers to keep their valuables 

in a secure place, especially while travelling. 

Since boxes are offered in various 

branches around Kuwait, it gives customers 

the much required flexibility. 

Branches with safe deposit boxes are 

Ahmadi, Fahaheel, Farwaniya, Hadiyah, 

Jahra ,Jabriya, Jleeb, Salmiya, Sharq, 

Shuwaikh, Al-Qurain, Zahra, Al-Andalus 

and Sabah Hospital and of course the 

main branch at head-office.” 

DUBAI: Sultan bin Saeed Al-Mansouri, Minister 

of Economy stressed that the UAE has become a 

strategic hub for foreign investments and leading 

international establishments, thanks to its 

solid economic fundamentals and wise economic 

policies that are based on openness, diversity 

and flexibility. Nowadays, the UAE enjoys a leading 

status as pivotal destination for investments. 

Al-Mansouri said the “Investment Map 

Project” is the latest initiative launched by the 

Ministry aimed at attracting foreign investment 

capital and promoting UAE among investors. 

Furthermore, it enlightens potential businessmen 

from around the globe about investment 

opportunities and better understand the realities 

here. 

He said the ministry of economy is keen to 

develop the economic legislative system in the 

country as it continues to work on putting the 

final touches on a number of draft laws to 

enhance UAE business performance, most 

notably the foreign investment law, corporate, 

industry and small and medium enterprises, competition 

and intellectual property rights protection. 

All these draft laws are in their final stages. 

The new investment law will give extra protection 

for foreign investors, and includes incentives 

to encourage foreign investment, and aims 

to enhance the investment climate in the UAE 

and to ensure economic diversification in line 

with UAE Vision 2021. 

Sultan bin Saeed Al-Mansouri said that the 

AIM which is held under the patronage of 

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, 

UAE Vice President has gained an ever increasing 

regional and international attention since its 

inception two years ago, especially in light of 

political, economic, financial and climate crises 

which still threaten the future of the world. 

The meeting has become a comprehensive 

platform in bringing the attention of government, 

decision makers, private sector and other 

related entities including the civil society as it 

offers exclusive discussions to exchange views 

between participants from around the world. 

This event is also important as it allows the concluding 

of trade deals and ratification of the 

agreements between the countries of the world. 

Al Mansouri hailed the efforts of Ministry of 

Foreign Trade headed by Sheikha Lubna bint 

Khalid Al-Qasimi, the Minister of International 

Cooperation and Development and her role in 

making this meeting a success in its past editions. 

The Ministry of Foreign Trade was the host 

of this event, however Ministry of Economy will 

now host this event as MOFT tasks were shifted 

to MoE as per the new cabinet formation 

announced by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid 

Al-Maktoum. The Ministry of Economy will build 

on efforts to make this event a destination for 

Bentley boosts profits and turnover 

Operating profit rose to 100.5m euros in 2012 

cent in the first two months of 2013. “With the 

new Flying Spur due to arrive with customers in 

the middle of the year, we expect to see a double 

digit growth rate for the rest of 2013,” Dr 

Wolfgang Schreiber, Bentley’s Chairman and 

CEO, said. 

The global growth and expansion of the 

Bentley brand was driven by 16 new global dealers 

in 2012, taking the total number to 173 dealerships 

in 50 countries. This year, 40 more new 

Bentley showrooms will open around the world. 

Commenting on the results, Dr Schreiber 

said: “Our performance in 2012 and in the beginning 

of 2013 underlines Bentley’s position as the 

leading manufacturer of luxury vehicles and a 

based Schott NYC was one of the first manufacturers 

to sign on for the 50 Years licensing program. 

Irving and Jack Schott established their company 

the same year Ford began producing the Model T 

on the first moving assembly line. Great-grandson 

and COO Jason Schott runs the family business 

today, along with his mother Roz Schott, president, 

and his uncle, Steven L. Colin, CEO, producing premium 

jackets, shirts and accessories. 

During World War II, Schott NYC dedicated its 

entire capacity to making sheepskin bomber jackets, 

leather flight jackets and peacoats for American 

soldiers, sailors and pilots fighting overseas. Among 

those who went into battle in Schott jackets were 

the pilots of the 332nd Fighter Group, better known 

as the Tuskegee Airmen. 

“I can’t think of a better partner with whom to 

celebrate our 100th anniversary,” said Jason Schott. 

“We are honored to collaborate with an iconic fami- 

investors from around the world. 

Minister of Economy also stressed on the 

importance of the third edition of this meeting 

which be held on April 30. He said that the AIM 

draws a true picture of the global economic 

landscape in light of the crises and challenges. It 

also monitors the repercussions of these crises 

on foreign direct investment, referring to the 

accelerated change in the international econo- 

ly business that shares our commitment to domestic 

production.” 

While the Ford Mustang is classically identified 

with the wild horse of the American West, it was 

actually named for the famed North American P-51 

fighter plane, the preferred mount of the Tuskegee 

Airmen in the final year of the war. 

Over the next half-century, the Schott Perfecto 

leather jacket figured prominently in iconic images 

of Marlon Brando, James Dean, Peter Fonda, the 

Ramones and Bruce Springsteen. Today Jay-Z, Lady 

Gaga and Adam Levine can all be spotted in Schott 

jackets. Later this year, Schott NYC will reveal a limited-edition 

leather jacket celebrating 50 years of 

Mustang. “The Mustang attitude of freedom and 

mobility is universal and enduring, and fans around 

the world will be honoring that heritage with 

numerous celebrations as we move forward,” said 

Steve Ling, Ford Car Marketing manager. 


UAE strategic hub for 

foreign investments 

Mansouri outlines ‘investment map project’ 

truly global brand. Through sound investment 

and product planning, we now have our 

strongest model line-up ever and are increasing 

our market share.” 

The results follow another successful year in 

2012 in which the company achieved global 

growth of 22 percent with 8,510 cars delivered 

to customers, with the top three regions comprising 

the US (2,457), China (2,253) and the UK 

(1,031)1. These sales were driven by the introduction 

of a host of new models such as the 

Continental GT and GTC V8. The Continental 

family accounted for 62 percent of total sales, 

the Flying Spur contributed 25 percent and the 

Mulsanne 13 percent. 

UAE Minister of Economy Sultan bin Saeed 

Al-Mansouri 

KHOBAR: Sadara Chemical Co, a joint venture 

between Saudi Aramco and Dow Chemical , raised 

7.5 billion riyals ($2 billion) from the sale of an Islamic 

bond to fund a large petrochemical complex in the 

east of the kingdom. 

The Islamic bond, or sukuk, which has a lifespan of 

16 years, was priced at 95 basis points over the sixmonth 

Saudi interbank offered rate (Saibor), a statement 

from Sadara said yesterday. 

The sale is part of a $12.5 billion debt to fund the 

construction of the project, which will produce more 

than 3 million tonnes of petrochemicals each year 

when completed in 2016. The $19.3 billion facility, 

located at Jubail Industrial City in Saudi Arabia’s 

Eastern Province, will be the world’s largest chemical 

complex ever built in a single phase. Strong demand 

from investors in Saudi Arabia meant the sukuk’s size 

my in light of the multiplicity of attractive investment 

destinations. The new realities require concerted 

efforts and professional implementation 

of creativity and innovation in planning for 

future projects. 

He described the UAE as a motivating environment 

for investors, as it allows full ownership 

in free zones, and has state of the art infrastructure, 

availability of efficient and highly qualified 

manpower, the protection of intellectual property 

rights and laws against piracy, strategic geographical 

location which is a gateway to the 

MENA and South Asia for international companies 

that look for premium investments. 

Al-Mansouri emphasized on promising 

investment opportunities in the aviation, 

tourism and hospitality, retail, health care, industry, 

oil and gas, renewable energy, financial services, 

logistics and education. 

The minister underlined that UAE economy 

has countless features and characteristics 

including premium investment environment 

supported by security, political stability and 

modern infrastructure. This is in addition to the 

strategic location as international trade hub providing 

access to all regional and international 

markets as well as advanced laws that protect 

capital, investment and flexible economic legislations 

and low custom tariffs with rates ranging 

from zero to 5 % and the absence of income tax. 

He stressed on the importance of the foreign 

direct investment to the United Arab Emirates 

and its impact on sustainable development, and 

role in strengthening the national economy, and 

success of UAE’s strategy to build a sustainable 

economy based on knowledge and innovation, 

and in line with UAE Vision 2021. 

Aramco, Dow JV raises 

$2 billion from sukuk 

was increased from the original target of 5.25 billion 

riyals, which was covered 2.6-times, the statement 

said. Given the huge amount of liquidity local 

investors have to deploy and the limited number of 

sukuk instruments to invest in, a sukuk offering from 

an Aramco-linked entity was always going to attract 

high demand. Sadara’s prospectus, released at the 

launch of the transaction last month, said the firm 

could increase the amount raised to as much as $2.5 

billion-equivalent. 

Deutsche Bank, Riyad Bank, Alinma Bank and 

Bank Al Bilad arranged the sukuk. The sukuk is the 

second project finance sukuk sold in Saudi Arabia. 

The first was the 3.75 billion riyal ($1 billion) issue in 

October 2011 from Saudi Aramco Total Refining and 

Petrochemical Co (SATORP), a joint venture between 

Aramco and France’s Total. — Reuters

ALBUQUERQUE: It’s the end of the line 

for Roadrunner, a first-of-its-kind collection 

of processors that once reigned as the 

world’s fastest supercomputer. The $121 

million supercomputer, housed at one of 

the nation’s premier nuclear weapons 

research laboratories in northern New 

Mexico, will be decommissioned Sunday. 

The reason? The world of supercomputing 

is evolving and Roadrunner has 

been replaced with something smaller, 

faster, more energy efficient and cheaper. 

Still, officials at Los Alamos National 

Laboratory say it’s among the 25 fastest 

supercomputers in the world. 

“Roadrunner got everyone thinking in 

new ways about how to build and use a 

supercomputer,” said Gary Grider, who 

works in the lab’s high performance computing 

division. “Specialized processors 

are being included in new ways on new 

systems and being used in novel ways. 

Our demonstration with Roadrunner 

caused everyone to pay attention.” In 

2008, Roadrunner was first to break the 

elusive petaflop barrier by processing just 

over a quadrillion mathematical calculations 

per second. 

Los Alamos teamed up with IBM to 

build Roadrunner from commercially 

available parts. They ended up with 278 

refrigerator-size racks filled with two dif- 

technology 

End of the line for Roadrunner supercomputer 

Crisis hotlines 

turning to text 

to reach teens 

NEW YORK: They stream in from teens around 

the United States, cries for help often sent in by 

text message. “I feel like committing suicide,” one 

text read. “What’s the suicide hotline number?” 

Another asked: “How do you tell a friend they need 

to go to rehab?” 

DoSomething.org, an organization that 

encourages activism among young adults, gets 

plenty of text messages asking for help, but it isn’t 

a hotline. So the nonprofit’s CEO, Nancy Lublin, is 

leading an effort to establish an around-the-clock 

text number across trigger issues for teens in the 

hope that it will become their emergency line, perhaps 

reaching those who wouldn’t otherwise seek 

help using more established methods of telephone 

talking or computer-based chat. 

“Most of the texts we get like this are about 

things like being bullied,” Lublin said. “A lot of 

things are about relationships, so we’ll get texts 

from kids about breakups, or ‘I like a boy, what 

should I do?’ But the worst one we ever got said, 

‘He won’t stop raping me. It’s my dad. He told me 

not to tell anyone. Are you there?’” 

Lublin hopes the Crisis Text Line, due to launch 

in August, will serve as a New York-based network, 

shuttling texts for help to partner organizations 

around the country, such as The Trevor Project for 

gay, lesbian, bisexual and questioning youth or 

other groups already providing hotlines on dating 

and sexual abuse to bullying, depression and eating 

disorders. 

As more teens have gone mobile, using their 

phones as an extension of themselves, hotline 

providers have tried to keep up. Fewer seem to 

operate today than in decades past. A smattering 

reach out through mobile text, including Teen Line 

in Los Angeles, though that service and others 

offer limited schedules or specialize in narrow 

areas of concern when multiple problems might 

be driving a teen to the brink. 

Some text providers operate in specific places 

or rely on trained teen volunteers to handle the 

load across modes of communication. Several 

agreed that text messaging enhances call-in and 

chat options for a generation of young people 

who prefer to communicate by typing on their 

phones, especially when they don’t want parents, 

teachers, friends or boyfriends to listen in. 

Katie Locke, 26, in Philadelphia was one of 

those teens in 2006, when she found herself in a 

suicidal panic after a fight with an old friend. At 18, 

she said she grabbed her phone, left her college 

dorm room and headed out in the cold to sit on a 

bench to talk with a worker on a crisis phone line 

she knew from one of her favorite blogs. The number 

was the only one she had handy and it didn’t 

offer text, which she would have preferred. 

“People don’t always have the (mobile phone) 

minutes or aren’t in a position where they can 

speak aloud if they’re in danger from somebody 

around them,” Locke said. “I know for me there 

were other times when I probably should have 

called a crisis hotline and didn’t because of the 

anxiety about calling. That was such an enormous 

barrier, to have to dial a phone number.” 

Brian Pinero, director of the National Dating 

Abuse Helpline run by a nonprofit called Love is 

Respect, knows that lesson well. The organization 

launched phone and computer-based chat in 

2007, and chat quickly grew to the more heavily 

used method of contact. The Austin, Texas-based 

group launched text in 2011 and it’s now about 20 

percent of the operation, Pinero said. 

According to research from the Pew Internet & 

American Life Project, one in four teens is a “cellmostly” 

Internet user. Texting among teens 

increased from about 50 texts a day in 2009 to 

about 60, with the number running into hundreds 

for some. 

“Phone calls are not the way young people 

express themselves,” said Danah Boyd, a senior 

researcher at Microsoft Research and an assistant 

professor of media, culture and communication at 

New York University. 

Comparisons of text hotline volume and efficiency 

are hard to come by. Researcher Deb 

Levine, executive director and founder of the nonprofit 

ISIS, for Internet Sexuality Information 

Services, said it’s clear the number of hotlines of all 

kinds has declined significantly since a heyday in 

the 1980s. But chat and text help have been on the 

rise for more than two years, she said. Most are 

small-scale operations serving specific communities, 

said Levine. 

The Planned Parenthood Federation of 

America is in its second year of running one of the 

largest text and chat outreach operations for people 

ages 15 to 24, targeting African-American and 

Latino youth through promotional campaigns on 

MTV, websites and mobile providers, social media, 

wallet cards, video and Seventeen magazine. 

Through February, nearly 185,000 conversations 

- 22,447 via text - were recorded, according 

to Planned Parenthood. About a third of conversations 

on health-related topics - including birth 

control, abortion and pregnancy tests - were with 

users both under 25 and African-American or 

Latino. 

Debbie Gant-Reed sees the need every day. 

She’s the crisis lines coordinator at a 24-hour help 

line in Reno, Nevada, called the Crisis Call Center. 

The center has been providing 24-hour text help 

for two and a half years, fielding about 500 text 

conversations a month. 

“We’re now taking texts from all over the country,” 

she said. “You can chat all you want but you’re 

going to get older people. Young people don’t 

chat. They text.” —AP 

Six European countries move 

against Google over privacy 

PARIS: Authorities in six European countries 

have taken steps to force US Internet giant 

Google to comply with EU privacy rules, France’s 

Cnil data protection agency said yesterday. 

France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, 

Spain, and the United Kingdom “have launched 

actions on 2 April 2013 on the basis of the provisions 

laid down in their respective national legislation” 

to force Google to bring its privacy policy 

in line with European regulations, Cnil said in a 

statement. In October last year the data protection 

agencies of the 27 EU states warned Google 

that its new confidentiality policy did not comply 

with European law and gave it four months to 

make changes or face legal action. When that 

TORONTO: With smartphone and tablet 

users getting younger, new apps can help 

parents of 2-to-13-year-olds monitor and 

control their children’s use of the Internet. 

A Pew Research Center study shows that 

more than one-third of American teenagers 

own a smartphone, up from more than a 

fifth in 2011. For nearly half of these users, 

the phone is their main way of getting 

online, making it difficult for parents to 

supervise their behavior. 

“When you have a smartphone, you basically 

have the Internet in your pocket wherever 

you are - away from your parents’ eyes,” 

said Anooj Shah, a partner in Toronto-based 

company Kytephone, which develops apps. 

Kytephone’s namesake app allows parents 

to control the apps and sites their children 

use and the people they receive texts 

and calls from. The company on Monday 

released Kytetime for 13-to-17-year-olds. The 

new app has many of the same features as 

Kytephone but does not include the ability 

to block calls. 

Earlier this month, Net Nanny, a monitor- 

deadline expired in February several European 

data protection agencies set up a task force to 

pursue coordinated action against Google. 

Cnil said it had seen no changes to Google’s 

privacy policy after the company’s representatives 

met on March 19 with the task force that 

includes the data protection agencies of France, 

Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and the 

United Kingdom. Cnil added it had notified 

Google that it had launched an inspection procedure. 

Google rolled out the new privacy policy 

in March 2012, allowing it to track users across 

various services to develop targeted advertising, 

despite sharp criticism from US and European 

consumer advocacy groups. —AFP 

Apps help parents monitor 

children’s Internet use 

ing software company, released a browser 

app for Apple Inc’s iOS devices to filter Web 

content and block profanity. 

“Smartphones and tablets have added 

new technology, with new challenges (for 

parents) - full Web browsing capability, 

unlimited texting, access to hundreds of 

thousands of good, bad and malicious apps,” 

said Russ Warner, chief executive officer of 

the Salt Lake City-based company. 

The Android version of Net Nanny, which 

sells for $12.99, can control which apps a 

child uses. The app is also available for iOS 

devices, with fewer applications, for $4.99. 

The company is also introducing Net 

Nanny Social, a subscription, Web-based tool 

to help parents monitor problems such as 

cyberbullying, sexual predators and identity 

theft on social networks including Facebook 

and Twitter. The service costs $19.99 per year. 

For parents of 2-to-8-year-olds, Bostonbased 

Playrific has a free app with a locked 

browser that allows only content suitable for 

children, including educational videos, interactive 

games and books. —Reuters 

ferent types of processors, all linked 

together by 55 miles of fiber optic cable. It 

took nearly two dozen tractor trailer trucks 

to deliver the supercomputer from New 

York to northern New Mexico. 

The supercomputer has been used 

over the last five years to model viruses 

and unseen parts of the universe, to better 

understand lasers and for nuclear 

weapons work. That includes simulations 

aimed at ensuring the safety and reliability 

of the nation’s aging arsenal. As part of 

the U.S. nuclear stockpile stewardship program, 

researchers used Roadrunner’s 

high-speed calculation capabilities to 

unravel some of the mysteries of energy 

BEIJING: Apple apologized to 

Chinese consumers after government 

media attacked its repair policies 

for two weeks in a campaign that 

reeked of economic nationalism. 

A statement Apple posted in 

Chinese on its website Monday said 

the complaints had prompted “deep 

reflection” and persuaded the company 

of the need to revamp its repair 

policies, boost communication with 

Chinese consumers and strengthen 

oversight of authorized resellers. 

State broadcaster CCTV and the 

ruling Communist Party’s flagship 

newspaper, People’s Daily, had led 

the charge against the American 

company. They accused Apple Inc. of 

arrogance, greed and “throwing its 

weight around” and portrayed it as 

just the latest Western company to 

exploit the Chinese consumer. 

The attacks quickly backfired, 

though, and were mocked by the 

increasingly sophisticated Chinese 

consumers who revere Apple and its 

products. State-run media also inadvertently 

revived complaints over 

shoddy service by Chinese companies. 

Nonetheless, Apple responded 

with an apology from CEO Tim Cook. 

“We’ve come to understand through 

this process that because of our poor 

communication, some have come to 

feel that Apple’s attitude is arrogant 

and that we don’t care about or value 

feedback from the consumer,” Cook’s 

Chinese statement said, as translated 

by The Associated Press. “For the concerns 

and misunderstandings passed 

on to the consumer, we express our 

sincere apologies.” 

Although Apple enjoys strong 

support from Chinese consumers, 

the vehemence of the attacks and 

the importance of the Chinese market 

appeared to have persuaded the 

company to appear contrite. 

The People’s Daily newspaper ran 

an editorial last Wednesday headlined 

“Strike down Apple’s incomparable 

arrogance.” “Here we have the 

Western person’s sense of superiority 

making mischief,” the newspaper 

wrote. “If there’s no risk in offending 

the Chinese consumer, and it also 

makes for lower overheads, then why 

not?” 

Chinese observers accused 

flow in weapons. 

Los Alamos has been helping pioneer 

novel computer systems for decades. In 

1976, the lab helped with the development 

of the Cray-1. In 1993, the lab held 

the fastest supercomputer title with the 

Thinking Machine CM-5. 

“And to think of where we’re going to 

be in the next 10 to 15 years, it’s just mindboggling,” 

said lab spokesman Kevin 

Roark. 

Right now, Los Alamos - along with scientists 

at Sandia National Laboratories in 

Albuquerque and Lawrence Livermore 

National Laboratory in California - is using 

a supercomputer dubbed Cielo. Installed 

People’s Daily of gross hypocrisy and 

pointed out that the newspaper had 

maintained a stony silence when 

Chinese companies were implicated 

over food safety, pollution and other 

scandals. Meanwhile, CCTV was 

shamed when it emerged that 

celebrities had been recruited to 

blast Apple on Weibo, China’s version 

of Twitter, in what had been billed as 

a grassroots campaign. 

“The public responded in two 

ways to this incident,” popular commentator 

Shi Shusi wrote on his 

Weibo account. “One group supports 

this criticism but quite a number of 

people felt that there are state 

monopolies which have severely violated 

customer’s rights, but which are 

not being exposed.” 

Popular business magazine 

Caijing said its readers identified a 

long list of abusers, including state 

banks that lend to those with political 

connections while stiffing ordi- 

nary savers with low rates on 

deposits; a government oil company 

that sets gas prices and other rates as 

it sees fit; and state telecom 

providers notorious for their lack of 

customer service. 

“If media is going to go after 

Apple, let’s hope they spare some 

thought for those big Chinese communications 

companies and other 

monopolies, the ones that enrich 

special interests in the name of being 

publicly owned,” Cai Tongqi, a lawyer 

from the eastern province of Jiangsu, 

wrote on Weibo. 

Consumers seem unfazed by the 

state media’s attacks on Apple. 

Perusing the wares at an Apple 

reseller in Beijing’s tony China World 

mall, recent college graduate Zeng 

Lu said she considered the controversy 

a sign of the Chinese consumer’s 

growing maturity. 

“It’s great to see Chinese consumers 

standing up for their rights, 

but it’s ridiculous for the People’s 

Daily to get involved,” Zeng said. 

“They should be criticizing state companies 

instead.” 

Apple’s popularity flies in the face 

of China’s ardent attempts to push its 

own brands and develop internationally 

competitive companies. The 

company also has resisted trends to 

enter joint ventures and move 

research and development to China. 

It also ignores big state media such 

as CCTV and People’s Daily. Apple 

relies on Chinese factories, though, to 

make iPads, iPhones and other popular 

products. 

Sales of Apple products in the 

region, which includes Taiwan and 

Hong Kong, grew 67 percent to $6.8 

billion in the first three months of 

2013, compared with the same period 

a year earlier, according to the 

company. Apple sold 2 million 

iPhone 5s during the first weekend it 

was available in China, in December. 

The region is Apple’s third largest 

market, accounting for 13 percent of 

all sales last year. More than 17,000 

outlets sell its products in mainland 

China, a figure that includes 11 Apple 

stores and 400 premium resellers. In 

January, Cook said he expects China 

to replace North America as its 

largest source of revenue in the foreseeable 

future. 

The attacks on Apple center on 

complaints over Apple’s repair policies 

in China - specifically its practice 

of only replacing faulty parts rather 


in 2010, it’s slightly faster than 

Roadrunner, takes up less space and came 

in at just under $54 million. 

Roark said in the next 10 to 20 years, it’s 

expected that the world’s supercomputers 

will be capable of breaking the exascale 

barrier, or one quintillion calculations per 

second. There will be no ceremony when 

Roadrunner is switched off Sunday, but 

lab officials said researchers will spend the 

next month experimenting with its operating 

system and techniques for compressing 

memory before dismantling 

begins. They say the work could help 

guide the design of future supercomputers. 

—AP 

Apple apologizes in China 

after service criticism 

Apple accused of arrogance, greed 

BARCELONA: A hostess holds a new smartphone “Galaxy 

Grand” by Samsung at the 2013 Mobile World Congress in 

Barcelona in this February 26, 2013 file photo. Smartphones 

using the Android platform boosted their US market share in 

recent months, extending their lead over Apple’s iPhone, a new 

survey shows. Android, the free mobile operating system from 

Google, accounted for 51.2 percent of US smartphone sales in 

the three-month period ending in February, said the survey 

from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech. —AFP 

than providing new iPhones, as it 

does in other markets. Critics say that 

allows Apple to avoid having to 

extend its service warranty by another 

year. 

Until Monday, the Cupertino, 

BEIJING: People walk past an Apple store in Beijing yesterday. Apple chief executive Tim Cook 

has apologised to Chinese consumers after the US technology giant was subjected to a barrage 

of criticism in state-run media over alleged “arrogance” and double standards. —AFP 

California-based company had kept 

silent apart from issuing a statement 

March 23 explaining its repair policy 

and pledging its deep respect for the 

Chinese consumer. 

Yet consumers and analysts say 

the complaints hardly justify Beijing’s 

campaign of vilification. Such nationalist 

outbursts are not uncommon, 

although previous campaigns 

against foreign companies have 

often been tied to perceived national 

slights, as often befalls Japanese 

firms in China. Beijing accused 

Google of being an arm of American 

“information imperialism” after the 

company announced in March 2010 

that it would cease censoring its 

search responses inside mainland 

China and instead send visitors to its 

uncensored search engine in Hong 

Kong. 

Beijing is also angry over 

Washington’s efforts to exclude 

Chinese high-tech firms Huawei 

Technologies Ltd. and ZTE Corp. from 

the US market, amid worries over security. 

A spending bill signed by President 

Barack Obama two weeks ago includes 

a clause barring NASA, the National 

Science Foundation and the Justice 

and Commerce Departments from 

contracting with firms tied to the 

Chinese government. 

Washington and Beijing have also 

sparred over more recent hacking 

attacks, including a forensically 

detailed report by cybersecurity firm 

Mandiant that tied Chinese hacking 

to a unit of the People’s Liberation 

Army based in Shanghai. 

Apple, however, may have been 

singled out simply because it is “the 

biggest open target,” said Jim 

McGregor, senior counselor at consultancy 

APCO Worldwide. “We’re still 

seeing a lot of things wrapped up in 

economic nationalism,” McGregor 

said. 

Even before Monday’s apology, 

he had predicted Apple would make 

a show of contrition to get its relations 

with the Chinese authorities 

back on track. Duncan Clark, managing 

director of BDA China Ltd., a 

Beijing research firm, said the assault 

probably stems from a combination 

of factors, including the failure of 

Chinese companies to make breakthroughs 

in high-end consumer 

electronics. “There’s a general sense 

of frustration that China can’t move 

further up the value chain,” Clark 

said. —AP

Dar Al Shifa Hospital honors Professor Ahmed Noureddine 

KUWAIT: Dar Al Shifa Hospital recently 

held an honorary ceremony for Dr. 

Ahmed Adel Noureddine - Consultant 

Plastic Surgery, on his 50th visit to Dar 

Al Shifa hospital, as part of the hospital’s 

keenness on showing appreciation 

to the skills and expertise of its 

visiting doctors and strengthening 

relationships between the doctors and 

the hospital. This comes in line with 

Dar Al Shifa Hospital’s main objective 

of developing talents and expertise 

from around the world while also providing 

the latest medical technology 

and modern equipment to deliver 

best practice services to its patients. 

On this occasion, Dr Yousef Al 

Zafairy - Medical Advisor at Dar Al 

Shifa Hospital said: “We are proud of 

the collaboration we have with 

Professor Ahmed Adel Noureddine, 

given the depth of his medical expertise, 

commitment to the hospital 

through his 50 visits, and dedicating 

his services to our patients.” 

“Dr. Ahmed Adel Noureddine is 

well-known in his respective field and 

we extend our sincere appreciation to 

his remarkable medical achievements 

through the successful cosmetic and 

reconstructive surgeries he has performed 

at Dar Al Shifa Hospital,” added 

Dr Al Zafairy. 

The partnership between Dr Adel 

and the hospital reflects the hospital’s 

keenness to deliver the best optimum 

healthcare solutions through Dr. Adel’s 

skills and expertise in order to allow 

patients achieve their desired results. 

Dr. Ahmed Adel is the first Arab 

doctor to become the Diplomat of the 

American Board of Hair Restoration 

PRAGUE: Picture taken on May 5, 2012 shows Czech youth shouting slogans 

as they take part in a march calling for the legalization of marijuana, in 

Prague. Cannabis for therapeutic use has been legalised in Czech Republic 

from April 1, 2013. —AFP 

Marijuana goes 

on sale in Czech 

PRAGUE: Medical marijuana legally went on 

sale yesterday in pharmacies across the Czech 

Republic for patients suffering from cancer, 

Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis or psoriasis. 

The new law does not foresee health 

insurance coverage for marijuana, touted by 

some as a medical miracle drug. 

The prescription-only drug formally 

became legal on Monday, but was virtually 

unavailable as most pharmacies across the 

ex-communist European Union state of 10.5 

million were closed over to the Easter long 

weekend. 

Prague will first import the drug for about 

a year, reportedly from Israel or the 

Netherlands, until the State Institute for Drug 

Control starts issuing licences to local grow- 

NEWARK: New Jersey Governor Chris 

Christie signed a bill into law on Monday banning 

children under 17 from using commercial 

tanning beds, a move stemming from the 

case of a local woman accused of taking her 

5-year-old daughter into a tanning booth. 

Christie said that while he does not favor 

government regulation of small business, the 

new law was important for protecting the 

safety of minors. “Governmental regulation of 

the private sector should always be carefully 

scrutinized, and sparingly adopted,” he said in 

a statement. “The new restrictions imposed 

by this bill followed a single but breathlessly 

reported incident of a parent bringing a 

minor child into a tanning facility.” 

Patricia Krentcil of Nutley, New Jersey, was 

arrested in April 2012 after her daughter 

showed up at school with a sunburn and officials 

accused her of taking the child into a 

tanning booth. 

Krentcil, who became known in tabloid 

stories as the “Tan Mom,” testified that her 

ers for a maximum of five years. 

The institute will also determine the crop 

area and organise tenders for marijuana purchases 

from farmers. An EU member since in 

2004, the Czech Republic provides some of 

the most liberal access to soft drugs in 

Europe. 

People holding up to 15 grammes (0.53 

ounces) of marijuana or growing up to five 

plants of cannabis risk just a small fine-an 

approach that often attracts smokers from 

other countries such as neighbouring Poland, 

where tougher laws apply. 

A 2011 national report on narcotics said 

16.1 percent of Czechs aged 15-34 admitted 

to having used marijuana in that year, down 

from 20.3 percent a year earlier. — AFP 

Australia-led study in 

epilepsy breakthrough 

SYDNEY: An Australia-led study has identified a 

gene associated with a common form of epilepsy 

which could lead to earlier diagnosis, a 

researcher said yesterday. 

Melbourne University academic Ingrid 

Scheffer said a number of genes linked to 

epilepsy were known to scientists, but these 

related to rare families in which a large number 

of members had the condition. 

“The reason that this discovery is very important 

is that it’s not just for rare families, we think 

it will be a gene that will be important for people 

without a family history,” Scheffer told AFP. 

“So it’s changing the game in terms of being 

important for a much broader number of people 

with focal epilepsy.” 

Focal, or partial, seizures start in one part of 

the brain and affect the part of the body controlled 

by that part of the brain. Scheffer said a 

clinical diagnosis could not be made for epilepsy 

without seizures of some kind but the finding 

could aid genetic counselling and diagnosis-particularly 

in cases where everything else in the 

brain is normal. 

“When you have epilepsy people always say, 

‘Why have I got this?’ And this is the next level, 

which is the gene test,” she said. “So they will be 

able to be tested for this gene, and that’s important 

in terms of understanding the cause, in 

terms of treatment, and hopefully this will one 

day help outcomes. 

“And it’s also important in terms of genetic 

counselling for their own children,” she said, 

meaning people would be able to assess the risk 

for their own offspring if they were found to 

have the gene. 

The research comes after new gene detection 

techniques allowed scientists to pinpoint 

the abnormality, finding it in 12 percent of the 

80 families studied, in which one or more members 

had epilepsy. “That’s huge to find a gene 

that picks up 12 percent, 12 percent of the common 

cause of epilepsy,” Scheffer said. 

“I think that it means that if you look at anybody 

with focal epilepsy-without an abnormality 

on their MRIs, what we call a structural abnormality-my 

guess is that it will be 2-4 percent of 

them will have this cause.” 

The research, published in the April issue of 

the journal Nature Genetics, also involved scientists 

in Europe and Canada. 

Most of the families studied were Australian, 

but the group included some from Spain, Israel, 

Italy and elsewhere, Scheffer said. — AFP 

NJ bans children 

from tanning beds 

own chocolate-brown hue came from many 

hours spent under the intense ultraviolet 

light of a tanning bed or out in the sun soaking 

up rays. 

She denied exposing her daughter to a 

tanning session, and a grand jury opted not 

to indict her on charges of endangering the 

welfare of a child. 

New Jersey was already one of several 

states that have regulations prohibiting anyone 

age 14 or younger from tanning with 

commercial ultraviolet devices because of the 

risk of skin cancer. The new law extends that 

ban to older teenagers. 

Signing the bill into law, Christie noted the 

skin cancer risk and also that tanning before 

age 35 has been shown to increase the risk 

for melanoma by 75 percent. 

Under the new law, youth age 17 and older 

must have a parent or guardian present for 

an initial consultation with a tanning salon. It 

also bans children under 14 from getting 

spray tans in tanning salons. — Reuters 

HEALTH & SCIENCE 

Surgery (ABHRS), and a pioneer in Hair 

transplantation surgeries across 

Kuwait as well as the region. Dr. Adel 

was also Deputy General Secretary of 

IPRAS (International Confederation for 

Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic 

Surgery) and was elected President of 

the Egyptian Society of Plastic and 

Reconstructive Surgeons (ESPRS). 

Dr Adel is also known for conducting 

a wide range of comprehensive 

medical based cosmetic procedures in 

Kuwait that include body contouring 

and facial rejuvenation. Body contouring 

refers to any surgical procedure 

that alters different areas of the body, 

whether it is in a massive weight loss 

patient or not. Dr. Adel has performed 

body contouring through over 100 

cases of abdominoplasty (tummy 

tucks) in Kuwait, breast reductions and 

M’HAMID: Omar Razzouki gazes intently at the 

wooden box, marvelling at what might be the 

solution to the perennial water woes that he 

and other nomads like him across the Sahara 

desert face daily. More than 330 million people 

in sub-Saharan Africa, or around 40 percent of 

the population, do not have access to clean 

drinking water, according to a report published 

to mark world water day by British NGO 

WaterAid. 

The World Health Organisation estimates 

that this lack of drinking water is the reason for 

nearly nine out of every 10 deaths linked to 

diarrhoea. 

In the Sahara, nomads are among those suffering 

most from limited access to water, particularly 

during the hotter periods when rising salt 

levels in water drawn from wells make it 

undrinkable. 

The “nomadic festival” held earlier this month 

in M’Hamid, in Morocco’s southern desert 

region, was an opportunity for the pioneers of a 

portable water purification device to showcase 

their invention. 

It uses a process as old as the sky. “It’s simple. 

It emulates the natural cycle of cloud condensation,” 

explained Alain Thibault, an ex-sailor who 

had to confront the issue of fresh water shortages 

at sea. 

The experience gave him the idea several 

years ago of reproducing the process using just 

a “small machine that is easy to make and easy 

to use.” 

The “waterpod” allows desert-dwellers to 

turn water extracted from wells into clean drinking 

water through evaporation and condensation, 

using the heat of the sun, a technology 

that the Arabs were among the first to develop 

as far back as the 16th century. 

The device, which resembles a large letter 

box, currently costs around 500 euros ($650). 

But the inventors have already given courses at 

a college in Tiznit, on Morocco’s Atlantic coast, 

to teach students how to produce them more 

cheaply. 

“The waterpod is made of wood, cork, stainless 

steel and glass,” said Thierry Mauboussin, 

who is helping to promote the water project in 

augmentations, lifts, and male breast 

reduction (gynecosmastia). He has 

also performed several successful 

facial rejuvenations - a cosmetic or 

medical procedure used to increase or 

restore the appearance of a younger 

age to human face - including ble- 

Dr Ahmed Adel 

Morocco. “It works with solar energy, so no fossil 

fuel.” Noureddine Bourgab, the president of the 

nomad festival at M’Hamid, also praised the 

environmental value of the new device, which 

he hoped could “put an end to the problem of 

salty water for the desert nomads.” 

“It’s a technique that embodies the real 

meaning of sustainable development and protection 

of the environment,” he said. 

Razzouki, a nomad from the M’Hamid region, 

was concentrating hard on figuring out how the 

waterpod works. “This could resolve many of 

our water problems,” he said, noting that the 

box was light, and “we won’t have the problem 

of salty water everywhere we go.” 

M’Hamid El Ghizlane, Morocco’s gateway to 


pharoplasty, rhinoplasty, neck rejuvenation, 

face lifting, injection lipo, 

peels, botox, fillers and modern cosmeceuticals 

(cosmetic products with 

biologically active ingredients implying 

to have medical or drug-like benefits). 

He has also performed several 

hair transplantation surgeries in 

Kuwait at Dar Al Shifa Hospital. 

On this occasion, Dr. Ahmed Adel 

said: “It gives me great pleasure to be 

able to contribute with my skills to 

help patients in Kuwait achieve their 

desired results in the field of plastic 

surgery. With the outstanding administration 

and the hospital’s overall 

ambition to provide the latest technologies 

and plastic surgery services 

available, it is always a promising success 

to partner with Dar Al Shifa 

Hospital by all means.” 

Desert nomads marvel at 

water purifying device 

Uses a process as old as the sky 

BEIJING: China reported yesterday 

that four more people in one province 

were seriously sickened by a bird flu 

virus new to humans while cities 

along the eastern seaboard stepped 

up public health measures to guard 

against a disease that has already 

caused two deaths. 

The health bureau of eastern 

Jiangsu province said in a notice on 

its website that three women, aged 

45, 48 and 32, and an 83-year-old 

retired man, from different cities in 

the province, were all critically ill 

with the H7N9 virus, a diagnosis confirmed 

by the provincial disease prevention 

center. 

the Sahara, is an oasis on the edge of the Draa 

valley surrounded by rolling sand dunes, 40 

kilometres (25 miles) from the Algerian border. 

The construction 40 years ago of a hydroelectric 

dam further up the valley to provide for 

the growing population and tourist trade at 

Ouarzazate, along with the relentless desertification 

of the region, has taken a heavy toll on 

water supplies. 

So there are high hopes for the waterpod, 

one of which can produce six litres of pure 

water daily from 12 litres of brackish water, 

according to its creators. 

They give it an estimated lifespan of 20 to 40 

years, with just a daily clean needed to keep it in 

good condition. — AFP 

M’HAMID: Scientists show a nomad how to assemble a “waterpod” near the village of 

M’hamid El Ghizlane, southeast of Zagora, on March 16, 2013. The “waterpod” allows 

desert-dwellers to turn water extracted from wells into clean drinking water through 

evaporation and condensation, using the heat of the sun, a technology that the 

Arabs were among the first to develop as far back as the 16th century. — AFP 

China: 4 new rare bird flu 

cases, new steps taken 

Based on the bureau’s statement, 

only one of the patients appeared to 

come into daily contact with birds - 

the 45-year-old woman, who was 

described as a poultry butcher. The 

four cases did not appear to be connected, 

and people who have had 

close contact with the patients have 

not reported having fevers or respiratory 

problems, it said. 

The provincial health bureau said it 

was strengthening measures to monitor 

suspicious cases and urged the 

public to stay calm, joining Beijing and 

China’s financial capital, Shanghai, in 

rolling out new steps to respond to 

the relatively unknown virus. 

The four latest cases follow three 

earlier ones reported Sunday, including 

two men who died in Shanghai, 

resulting in the city activating an 

emergency plan that calls for heightened 

monitoring of suspicious flu cases. 

Under the contingency plan, 

schools, hospitals and retirement facilities 

are to be on the alert for fevers, 

and administrators are to report to 

health authorities if there are more 

than five cases of flu in a week. 

Cases of severe pneumonia with 

unclear causes are to be reported daily 

by hospitals to health bureaus, up 

from the weekly norm. The plan also 

called for stronger monitoring of peo- 

AHMEDABAD: Improving autism patients, 27 year old Payal Kapoor (C-R) and 8 year old Prasam (C-L) 

celebrate World Autism Day in Ahmedabad yesterday. Autism patients with their parents celebrated 

World Autism Day with a team of doctors and Autism Awareness Campaign volunteers under 

guidence of renowned Psychotherapist and Neuro-Psychiatrist Vinod Kumar Goyal at his Parth 

Hospital in Ahmedabad. Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social 

interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. — AFP 

ple who work at poultry farms or are 

exposed to birds. 

The level-3 response plan, the second-lowest 

in a four-stage scale, 

reflects higher concern after the H7N9 

bird flu virus led to the deaths of two 

men in Shanghai and seriously sickened 

a woman in the city of Chuzhou 

360 kilometers (230 miles) west. 

“The health bureau will take effective 

and powerful measures to prevent 

and control the disease, to make 

sure the flu epidemic is effectively 

guarded against and to safeguard the 

health of the city’s residents,” said Xu 

Jianguang, head of the Shanghai 

Health Bureau. 

The H7N9 strain, so named for the 

combination of proteins on its surface, 

has previously been considered not 

easily transmitted to humans, unlike 

the more virulent H5N1 strain, which 

began ravaging poultry across Asia in 

2003 and has since killed 360 people 

worldwide. 

Health officials said this week there 

was no evidence that any of the three 

earlier cases, who were infected over 

the past two months, had contracted 

the disease from each other, and no 

sign of infection in the 88 people who 

had closest contact with them. 

Health authorities in Beijing also 

upped the capital’s state of readiness, 

ordering hospitals to monitor for cases 

of bird flu and pneumonia without 

clear causes, the official Xinhua News 

Agency reported. 

The announcements, as lacking in 

details as they are, show that the government 

is mildly more transparent in 

handling health crises than it was a 

decade ago during the SARS pneumonia 

epidemic. Then, as rumors circulated 

for weeks of an outbreak of an 

unidentified disease in southern 

Guangdong province, government 

silence contributed to the spread of 

the virus to many parts of China and 

to two dozen other countries. — AP

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013

SEND US YOUR 

INSTAGRAM PICS 

What’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 

Announcements 

Kalanjali presents instrumental fusion 

Instrumental Fusion by Indian Symphony - Dr Mani 

Bharathi (violin) and troupe - of Keyboard player; 

Tabla and Pads, will perform for the first time for 

music lovers in Kuwait. They will perform ever green 

melodies from Tamil and Hindi films and devotional 

songs. Venue: Indian Community School (Senior Branch) 

Salmiya. Time: 6.30 pm onwards. Date: April 27, 2013 

(Saturday). 

CRYcket 2013 tournament 

Friends of CRY Club (FOCC) announces 16th CRY 

(Child Rights & You) cricket tournament for children 

and will be held at the GC grounds at Jaleeb Al- 

Shuyoukh on Friday, 12th Apr 2013 from 6:30 a.m to 4:30 

pm. The one day “CRYcket” tournament is a very popular 

annual family event, participated by children under 14. 12 

teams each are set to participate in the Under-12 and 

Under-14 divisions initially in four groups in round robin 

fashion leading to 4 winners who will clash in the semifinals. 

The last date for registration of Teams is 5th Apr 

2013. For more details & game rules, visit the FOCC website 

http://www.focckwt.org 

Basketball Academy 

The new Premier Basketball Academy offers coaching 

and games every Friday and Saturday from 10 am 

onwards for 6 to 18 year olds, boys and girls. 

Located in Bayan Block 7, Masjed Al-Aqsa Street by 

Abdullah Al-Rujaib High School. Free Basketball and Tee 

Shirts for all participants, with certificates and special 

awards on completion of each 6 week course. Qualified 

and experienced British and American Coaches, Everyone 

Welcome. 

Aye Mere Humsafar 

An event with renowned artist from Indian Cinema. 

îAye Mere Humsafarî on Friday 12th April @ 

American International School (AIS). A concept of 

real voice from Bollywood. High energy orchestra with 

Melody Queen Alka Yagnik charming playback singer 

Vinod Rathod (accompanied by female playback singer & 

standup comedian Sangeeta Kopalkar and young standup 

comedian Ashok Mishra. 

Tuesday: 

** 9:30am Showtime Available for Groups 

Tornado Alley 3D 10:30am, 6:30pm, 8:30pm 

Flight of Butterflies 3D 11:30am, 9:30pm 

To The Arctic 3D 12:30pm, 7:30pm 

Born to be Wild 3D 5:30pm 

Wednesday: 


To The Arctic 3D 10:30am 

Tornado Alley 3D 11:30am, 6:30pm, 9:30pm 

Flight of Butterflies 3D 12:30pm, 7:30pm 

Journey to Mecca 5:30pm 


Thursday: 


Flight of Butterflies 3D 10:30am, 5:30pm, 8:30pm 

Born to be Wild 3D 11:30am 

Tornado Alley 3D 12:30pm, 7:30pm, 9:30pm 

To The Arctic 3D 6:30pm 

Friday: 

Fires of Kuwait 2:30pm 

Tornado Alley 3D 3:30pm, 5:30pm, 8:30pm 


Flight of Butterflies 3D 6:30pm 


Saturday: 


Flight of Butterflies 3D 10:30am, 1:30pm, 8:30pm 

Tornado Alley 3D 11:30am, 2:30pm, 

5:30pm, 7:30pm, 9:30pm 



Journey to Mecca 4:30pm 

Notes: 

All films are in Arabic. For English, headsets are 

available upon request. 

“Fires of Kuwait” is in English. Arabic headsets are 

available upon request. 

Film schedule is subject to changes without notice. 

Write to us 

IMAX 

Send to What’s On 

upcoming events, birthdays or 

celebrations by email: 

local@kuwaittimes.net 

Fax: 24835619 / 20 

The Gulf University for Science and 

Technology (GUST) welcomed 

renowned activist Dr. Ahmad al- 

Khatib for a seminar entitled: Arab 

Spring: Reality and Inspiration, organized 

by Dr. Mohammed Hasanen, 

Assistant Professor, Social Sciences & 

Humanities at GUST. There was a large 

attendance at the auditorium with stu- 

WHAT’S ON 

dents, staff and faculty lining the seats 

to listen to what Dr. Al-Khatib had to say. 

Dr. Al-Khatib talked about the Arab 

Spring in general and its history, what 

the world has been through before and 

how it got to this point through the 

development of youth movements all 

over the world. He believes that the 

Arab Spring confirmed that Arabs will 

fight for their rights and their dignity. 

Dr. Al-Khatib discussed the differences 

and his take on peaceful versus 

violent protests and movements as well 

as the role that technology has played 

throughout these movements and revolutions. 

Although the topic was 

extremely sensitive, Dr. Al-Khatib 

remained very diplomatic especially 


Dr Al-Khatib lectures at GUST, Arab Spring 

Dr Ahmad al-Khatib 

Elsa Lahoude appointed as Director of 

Rooms Division at Marina Hotel Kuwait 

Marina Hotel has recently appointed 

Elsa Lahoude as Director of 

Rooms Division. Elsa has been in 

the hospitality sector for over 15 years, 

working with some of the most 

renowned 5-star hotel companies across 

the globe. In her new role at Marina Hotel 

Elsa will be responsible for front office, 

back office, transportation, 

Housekeeping, laundry and uniform 

departments. 

Speaking on Elsa’s appointment Mr. 

Nabil Hammoud, General Manager said: 

“Elsa has proven herself to be highly passionate 

about the luxury hotel industry 

and her 15 plus years of experience will 

The English School Fahaheel recently opened a 

new contemporary Main Library which has been 

exclusively designed to offer the latest technologically 

advanced education methods and a user friendly 

design for all students and staff. This Library aims at fur- 

certainly make her an asset to the hotel. 

We are confident Elsa’s remarkable leadership 

and management skills will continue 

to reaffirm Marina Hotel’s position as 

one of the leading hotels in Kuwait.” 

Elsa originates from Lebanon but lived 

for most of her life in Europe. Elsa holds a 

Master Degree in Strategic Tourism & 

Hospitality from Institute of Research and 

Higher Studies in Tourism (IREST) - 

Pantheon-Sorbonne University- France. 

She started her career at Hotel Noga 

Hilton; Cannes in 1996, and has worked in 

senior capacities with companies such as 

Starwood Hotels & Resorts, The 

Dorchester Group, Leading Hotels, 

Marriott and Hilton across various markets 

around the world mainly in Paris and 

London. She has a strong background in 

Finance and Operations. 

Most recently she was the Director of 

rooms at Hotel Missoni Kuwait and was a 

part of the pre-opening team as well. 

“It is a privilege to be working at 

Marina Hotel Kuwait. I am delighted to be 

part of this renowned five star hotel and I 

look forward to working together with 

the team. The property offers a unique 

mix of a strategic location and superb 

facilities, given its reputation for luxury, 

service and excellence; I am very much 

looking forward to my new role” said Elsa. 

ther encouraging reading at ESF. The school also boasts 

of a colourful specially designed Lower School Library. 

Library Classes are held for students throughout the 

week with the use of computers so students are 

informed of techniques to use the Library more effec- 

when answering hot-button questions 

by the audience, out of respect for the 

country, the audience and the university. 

GUST was honored to host such a 

prominent Kuwaiti figure and hopes to 

continue providing its students with the 

opportunities to listen and learn from 

experienced members of the society in 

all fields and walks of life. 

Elsa Lahoude 

New contemporary library at ESF 

Kuwait Tamilosai Poets 

Association convened their special 

monthly meeting on 1st 

March 2013, Friday morning. The 83rd 

monthly meeting was arranged to solemnize 

the trilateral celebrations of 

Global Women’s Day, Global alternatively-abled 

people’s day and thanksgiving 

ceremony for the success of 

their recently held mega program in 

Kuwait. The function hall was named 

as “Semmozhi Yenthiya Mummakalir 

Arankam” to commemorate the Tamil 

legendary female singer icon 

D.K.Pattammal, first Tamil Muslim lady 

and writer Sitthi Junaidha Begam and 

popular writer cum doctor Lakshmi. 

The function commenced with the 

recitation of Tamil Anthem at 9:30 am. 

The association’s information 

Communicator Rani Mohan presided 

over the meet, anchored the happenings. 

General Secretary Vittukatti 

Masthan delivered the welcome 

address during the event. Dr Kumar, 

the Tamilosai’s chief, in his presidential 

address shared the association’s 

vision & mission as well as the brief 

biographies of the three veteran 

ladies and their noble services rendered 

for the society, to justify the 

cause of labeling the hall in their 

names. Poets Mayilai Subramanian, 

“Aruvikavi” Anandaravi, Muthupet 

Yaqoob Ali, Muthuramalingam and 

Ilankai Ganesan-all chanted heart 

touching poems on alternatively 

abled people and women’s welfare. 

Pandimuthu offered a mind provoking 

lecture on women’s status in the contemporary 

community. 

Singers Kalibullah, Ganesh, 

Lukemaan, Ramakrishnan along with 

Dr. Kumar, Ranimohan, Lalitha Mani 

and baby Anugraha Mani entertained 

the audience with their sweet soaked 

songs in the gathering. Messrs. 

Valanadan, Eng. Dhayalan, 

V.Muthuraman & Ravichandran, Hassan 

Mohammed-TMCA, all greeted 

Tamilosai in their speech for its active 

participation in the mass blood donation 

camp on Kuwait National Day. 

A wonderful debate in the title, 

“Women’s most glorifying quality!” was 

conducted by the vice-president 

Anbazhagan chaired as the Jury for the 

sub-titles (1) Softness, 

(2)Dutifulness,(3)Talent and 

(4)Patience of Women well argued by 

G. Anbarasan, UK Sivakumar, 

Pattukkottai Sathya and “Namma paattu” 

Manickam respectively. The remarkable 

quality of Women’s patience won 

the verdict, admired by the audience. 

Later on, Tamilosai’s honorary president 

Sadhiq Batcha felicitated 

Vittukatti Masthan for his 30th wedding 

Anniversary with a magnificent 

memento to his credit. Also, many 

others greeted him with their precious 

poetry and splendid songs. Dr 

Kumar along with Balraj and Dr Anwar 

Batcha awarded the certificates of 

merit to the performers in the recent 

Mega Program. This included honoring 

of Sujatha Rajendran-the co-ordinator 

of “Bharatha Naattiyam”, baby 

Malavika Vidhugopan, dancer of 

Bharatham, Anne Francis, Sofia Rajan, 

Chithirai Selvi, Robert and Ashok for 

their co-ordinations of cultural 

dances performed during the Mega 

event. The chief guest for the gathering, 

Jubriya Rashidkhan-TVS Cargo & 

Travel Co., Kuwait wished the association 

for its future success and thanked 

all. 

Masthan deeply expressed his 

grateful words of gratitude to all of 

the sponsors, supporters, performers, 

volunteers. Prof. Paul Manuvel, 

Treasurer H. Azisudeen, Gangai Gopal, 

Former President cum Musician 

Francis Iruthayaraj, special guests 

from India-Orator Pattukkottai 

Rajappa and “Kalakkal” Kaangeyan for 

their dedicated participation in “INBA 

THAMIZH ISAI VIZHA” to make it a 

tively. The Library like the rest of ESF I provides students 

with high speed wireless internet connectivity. 

The Library is now planning a writing competition 

and plans are underway for more surprises in the near 

future. 

Kuwait Tamilosai celebrates World Women’s Day! 

roaring success. Deputy Treasurer 

Mannai Raja delivered the vote of 

thanks in the meet. Finally, after reciting 

“Vaazhiya Senthamizh.”, the function 

came to an end at 2:30 pm with a 

lovely lunch served to all of the attendees.

WHAT’S ON 

Fifteen Touristic Enterprises Company employees took part in a course that was held at the company’s head office in Shuwaikh and focused on improving creativity 

in the work field. The course took place between the 24th and 28th of last month and held in cooperation with the Future Pioneers Institute for Training. 

GUST student club iGive organizes Week of Change 

iGive, the youth voluntary club 

founded at the Gulf University for 

Science and Technology (GUST) 

organized the “Week of Change” where 

various activities, competitions, lectures, 

and workshops were organized 

for students, staff and faculty. The aim 

of the event was to inspire youth to 

take part in volunteer work throughout 

the community in various ways and to 

be the change they wish to see. The 

event was a 5-day program divided up 

into different categories that target 

each aspect of everyone’s interests and 

the diverse areas citizens should contribute 

to and work on to help advance 

society. 

The Week of Change started with 

Environmental day, which focused on 

educating staff and students about the 

environment by giving them the opportunity 

to participate and register in 

recycling programs with different 

organizations. They also made their way 

to the outdoors area of GUST to engage 

in a flower planting activity followed by 

a lecture by Omar Al-Awadhi from 

Green Plastic Factory discussing reducing 

waste, reusing old products and the 

importance of recycling to save the 

environment and what people in 

Kuwait can do to interact in activities 

that help put a stop to global warming. 

The second day focused on Special 

Needs and the importance of making 

sure they get to interact and be a part 

of the community. Different organizations 

such as Al-Kharafi Kids Center and 

Abeer 2 set up tables where they 

passed out brochures, and registered 

students to volunteer with them. The 

centers also brought along a few of 

their students. GUST staff and students 

were blessed with the experience of 

getting to volunteer and play with the 

children from the two centers and give 

them tours around campus. They also 

attended classes and spent break time 

spreading smiles and making new 

friends, which gave them the opportunity 

to experience a day as typical college 

students. 

The following day was Human Rights 

Day, which was dedicated to spreading 

awareness about how individuals 

should be treated in and out of the 

community. Staff and students got to 

partake in a cupcake competition 

where each had to test their creativity, 

decorate a cupcake then give it as a gift 

to a GUST maintenance worker. The 

activity was then followed by a lecture 

by female humanitarians, two Kuwaiti 

activists Bibi Al-Ayoub and Haya Al- 

Shatti who talked about helping 

refugees and workers in and out of 

Kuwait. American citizen living in 

Kuwait, Sheryl Mairza, and Founder of 

Operation Hope was present and 

screened a documentary of her project 

to provide aid and relief to street workers. 

Then there was Ambition Day, 

where former CEO of Zain, Khalid Al- 

Omar and Founder of Marketing Clinic, 

Omar Al-Houti engaged in a lecture and 

workshop to share their knowledge 

about “How to be Successful” with GUST 

students. 

The final day was themed around 

Kuwait’s National Day where Ghanima 

Al-Fahad attended and talked about 

traditions, old phrases that are no 

longer used and the history of Kuwait. 

The Week of Change closed with an 

award ceremony where every participant 

received a certificate of participation 

for all their hard work and effort of 

being part of the Week of Change program. 

The event was succeeded in raising 

awareness and came through with 

getting youth involved in the community 

and engaging in volunteer work. 

BSK students visit Aquarium 

at the Scientific Centre 

As part of their creative curriculum, 

the Year 2 children at The British 

School of Kuwait (BSK) were visited 

by Neptune, King of the Underwater 

Kingdom, who challenged them to find 

out more about his watery world. The 

children were thrilled to take up the task 

and set about researching the creatures 

that live in our oceans and seas. In order 

to find out more, the children visited the 

Aquarium at the Scientific Centre, to 

explore Kuwait’s illustrious past further 

and to observe sea creatures in their 

habitat. 

To share their findings with Neptune 

the children composed poems, designed 

posters and wrote information books. 

The Year 2 children and teachers took 

great pride in their work and wanted to 

share King Neptune’s message that the 

oceans and seas are not only important 

to the creatures that live in them but also 

to our lives in Kuwait. To spread this message 

they visited the BSK Reception 

classes to talk to younger children about 

sea creatures and how to look after our 

environment. They also organised a special 

exhibition of their work to show other 

pupils and parents what they had 

achieved. Parents were amazed at the 

quality of the work on display and the 

Reception children were inspired.This 

week the Year 2 children found three 

dragons eggs in their new Balmoral complex, 

so another exciting week was 

beginning at BSK. 

ASSE holds training program 

American Society of Safety 

Engineers, Kuwait Chapter organized 

a three days training program 

on ‘Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA)’ 

at Kohinoor Banquets Hall, Fahaheel, 

Kuwait, in collaboration with 

International Risk Control Asia (IRCA), 

India. The three days training program 

was held from 20th to 22nd March 2013. 

The training session was commenced 

with a welcome note by G. Sampath 

Reddy, Secretary ASSE Kuwait chapter 

and introduced the tutor Rajneesh 

Kumar. Rajneesh Kumar, IRCA operations 

in India started the session with his curriculum, 

* Understanding the concepts of 

Risk Management such as Risk Analysis, 

Risk Assessment and Risk Control * 

Familiarize with the process of QRA and 

the software’s in use * To understand the 

methodology of FTA and ETA * To know 

the quality aspects in QRA & be able to 

evaluate QRA reports from external consultants. 

The final exam conducted on 

22nd March 2013. There were 22 delegates 

who attended this training. 

Condolence meeting 

Commemorating the sad demise 

of the honorable president of the 

People’s Republic of Bangladesh - 

late Mohammed Zillur Rahman, 

Bangladesh Awami Jubo League, 

Kuwait Chapter convened on a condolence 

meeting & prayer mahfil that was 

held on March 22. 

The program was presided over by 

Salim Jahangir and presented by Harun 

ur Rashid respectively the acting president, 

and general secretary of 

Bangladesh Awami Jubo League 

Kuwait Chapter. Ataul Gani Mamun Vice 

President of Bangladesh Awami League 

attended the program as the guest of 

honour. The special guests were 

Assistance General Secretary Akbar 

Hossain, Accusative Member Sahamsul 

Alam Bangladesh Awami League, 

Rafiaul Islam Vice President, Awami 

Foundation, Kuwait Chapter. Saiful 

Islam Mansur Vice President of 

Bangladesh Awami Jubo League 

Kuwait chapter had highlighted briefly 

the colorful life sketch of the Late 

President of The Republic - Mohammed 

Zillur Rahaman. 

The congregation whole heartedly 

prayed especially for the late President 

and betterment of the Republic of 

Bangladesh in general. 

Embassy 

Information 

EMBASSY OF AUSTRALIA 

The Australian Embassy Kuwait does not 

have a visa or immigration department. 

All processing of visas and immigration 

matters in conducted by The Australian 

Consulate-General in Dubai. Email: info.ausdxb@vfshelpline.com 

(VFS) 

immigration.dubai@dfat.gov.au (Visa Office); Tel: 

+971 4 355 1958 (VFS) - +971 4 508 7200 (Visa 

Office); Fax: +971 4 355 0708 (Visa Office). In 

Kuwait applications can be lodged at the 

Australian Visa Application Centre 4B 1st Floor, 

Al-Banwan Building Al-Qibla Area, Ali Al-Salem 

Street, opposite the Central Bank of Kuwait, 

Kuwait City, Kuwait. Working hours and days: 

09:30 - 17:30; Sunday - Thursday. Or visit their 

website www.vfs-au-gcc-com for more information. 

Kuwait citizens can apply for tourist visas 

on-line at www.immi.gov.au/e visa/e676.htm. 

n n n n n n n 

EMBASSY OF CANADA 

The Embassy of Canada in Kuwait does 

not have a visa or immigration department. 

All processing of visa and immigration 

matters including enquiries is conducted 

by the Canadian Embassy in Abu Dhabi, 

UAE. Individuals who are interested in working, 

studying, visiting or immigrating to Canada 

should contact the Canadian Embassy in Abu 

Dhabi, website: www.UAE.gc.ca or www.goingtocanada.gc.ca, 

E-mail: abdbi-imenquiry@international.gc.ca. 

The Embassy of 

Canada is located at Villa 24, Al-Mutawakei St, 

Block 4 in Da’aiyah. Please visit our website at 

www.Kuwait.gc.ca. The Embassy of Canada is 

open from 07:30 to 15:30 Sunday through 

Thursday. The reception is open from 07:30 to 

12:30. Consular services for Canadian citizens 

are provided from 09:00 until 12:00, Sunday 

through Wednesday. 

n n n n n n n 

EMBASSY OF CYPRUS 

In its capacity as EU Local Presidency 

in the State of Kuwait, the Embassy of 

the Republic of Cyprus, on behalf of 

the Member States of the EU and associated 

States participating in the Schengen cooperation, 

would like to announce that as from 

2nd October 2012 all Schengen States’ 

Consulates in Kuwait will use the Visa 

Information System (VIS). The VIS is a central 

database for the exchange of data on shortstay 

(up to three months) visas between 

Schengen States. The main objectives of the 

VIS are to facilitate visa application procedures 

and checks at external border as well 

as to enhance security. The VIS will contain 

all the Schengen visa applications lodged by 

an applicant over five years and the decisions 

taken by any Schengen State’s consulate. 

This will allow applicants to establish 

more easily the lawful use of previous visas 

and their bona fide status. For the purpose of 

the VIS, applicants will be required to provide 

their biometric data (fingerprints and 

digital photos) when applying for a 

Schengen visa. It is a simple and discreet 

procedure that only takes a few minutes. 

Biometric data, along with the data provided 

in the Schengen visa application form, will 

be recorded in the VIS central database. 

Therefore, as from 2nd October 2012, firsttime 

applicants will have to appear in person 

when lodging the application, in order to 

provide their fingerprints. For subsequent 

applications within 5 years the fingerprints 

can be copied from the previous application 

file in the VIS. The Cypriot Presidency would 

like to assure the people of Kuwait and all its 

permanent citizens that the Member States 

and associated States participating in the 

Schengen cooperation, have taken all necessary 

technical measures to facilitate the rapid 

examination and the efficient processing 

of visa applications and to ensure a quick 

and discreet procedure for the implementation 

of the new VIS. 

EMBASSY OF KENYA 

The Embassy of the Republic of Kenya 

wishes to inform the Kenyan community 

residents throughout Kuwait and the 

general public that the Embassy has acquired 

new office telephone numbers as follows: 

25353982, 25353985 - Consular’s enquiries 

25353987 - Fax Our Email address: 

info@kenyaembkuwait.com. 

n n n n n n n 

EMBASSY OF MEXICO 

The Embassy of Mexico to Kuwait has 

the pleasure to announce the opening 

of its Consular Section where visa applications 

are already being handled. The 

Consular Section is open to the public from 

Sundays-Thursdays 09.00-12.00 hrs. at Cliffs 

Complex in Salmiya, Villa No. 6 (3rd floor). 

n n n n n n n 


EMBASSY OF SOUTH AFRICA 

On the occasion of Easter Sunday and Family Day, 

the South African Embassy will be closed from 

Sunday, March 31 to Monday, April 1, 2013. The 

Embassy will resume it’s normal working hours on Tuesday, 

2 April 2013, from Sunday to Thursday. Please note that the 

working hours will be from 8:00 to 16:00 & the Consular 

Section operation hours will from 8:30 to 12:30. 

n n n n n n n 

EMBASSY OF GERMANY 

The Consular Section of the Embassy of 

the Federal Republic of Germany is being 

relocated to its new premises in the 

Symphony Tower and remains closed from 

04.04.2013 to 08.04.2013. During this period of 

time the Embassy is unable to process any visas 

or deal with general consular matters. Kindly note 

that as of 09.04.2013 the details of the Consular 

Section of the Embassy are as follows: Embassy of 

the Federal Republic of Germany Consular 

Section Salem Al-Mubarak St. Symphony Tower 2, 

Block 2, 8th Floor Salmiya, Kuwait.

00:45 I Shouldn’t Be Alive 

01:35 Untamed & Uncut 

02:25 Wildest Islands 

03:15 Shamwari: A Wild Life 


04:05 World Wild Vet 

04:55 Call Of The Wildman 

05:20 Dark Days In Monkey City 



06:35 Wildlife SOS 

07:00 The Really Wild Show 

07:25 Baboons With Bill Bailey 

07:50 Baboons With Bill Bailey 

08:15 Dogs/Cats/Pets 101 

09:10 Jeff Corwin Unleashed 

09:35 Jeff Corwin Unleashed 


11:00 Animal Cops Philadelphia 


12:20 Wildlife SOS 

12:50 RSPCA: On The Frontline 

13:15 RSPCA: On The Frontline 

13:45 Animal Precinct 



16:00 The Really Wild Show 

16:30 Dogs/Cats/Pets 101 

17:25 Weird Creatures With Nick 

Baker 

18:20 Breed All About It 

18:45 Breed All About It 

19:15 Monkey Life 

19:40 Bondi Vet 





22:55 Wild France 

23:50 Animal Cops Miami 

00:40 Come Dine With Me 

01:30 Masterchef: The Professionals 


02:20 Gok’s Clothes Roadshow 

03:05 Mitch And Matt’s Big Fish 

03:30 Cash In The Attic 

04:15 Bargain Hunt 

05:00 House Swap 

05:45 Gok’s Clothes Roadshow 

06:35 French Food At Home 

07:00 Raymond Blanc’s Kitchen 

Secrets 

07:25 Rick Stein’s Spain 

08:15 Homes Under The Hammer 


09:55 Antiques Roadshow 

10:45 Extreme Makeover: Home 

Edition 


11:50 Baking Made Easy 


13:05 Raymond Blanc’s Kitchen 

Secrets 






Edition 


17:55 Baking Mad With Eric Lanlard 

18:20 The Good Cook 

18:45 Baking Made Easy 




Edition 





00:00 BBC World News America 

00:30 BBC World News America 

01:00 Newsday 

01:30 Asia Business Report 

01:45 Sport Today 

02:00 Newsday 



03:00 Newsday 



04:00 BBC World News 







06:30 Hardtalk 


07:30 World Business Report 


















14:00 GMT With George Alagiah 

14:30 GMT With George Alagiah 




16:00 Impact With Mishal Husain 




18:00 Global With John Sopel 






20:30 BBC Focus On Africa 

21:00 World News Today With 

Zeinab Badawi 


Zeinab Badawi 


Zeinab Badawi 



23:00 Business Edition With Tanya 

Beckett 


00:45 Wacky Races 

01:35 Duck Dodgers 

02:00 Duck Dodgers 

02:25 Dastardly And Muttley 

02:50 Dastardly And Muttley 

03:00 Dexter’s Laboratory 

03:30 Wacky Races 

03:55 Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries 

04:20 Tom & Jerry 

04:45 The Garfield Show 

05:00 Bananas In Pyjamas 

05:25 Gerald McBoing Boing 

05:45 Jelly Jamm 

06:00 Ha Ha Hairies 

06:25 Bananas In Pyjamas 

06:50 Lazytown 

07:15 Krypto: The Super Dog 

07:40 Baby Looney Tunes 


08:30 Cartoonito Tales 

08:55 Lazy Town 

09:45 Baby Looney Tunes 

10:10 Krypto: The Super Dog 

10:35 Cartoonito Tales 



11:50 Lazy Town 


13:00 Tom & Jerry Kids 

13:25 A Pup Named Scooby-Doo 

13:50 Moomins 


14:45 Tiny Toons 

15:10 The 13 Ghosts Of Scooby-Doo 

15:35 Taz-Mania 

16:00 Tom & Jerry Tales 

16:25 Moomins 

16:50 The Garfield Show 

17:15 The Looney Tunes Show 

17:40 Tiny Toons 



THOR ON OSN ACTION HD 

18:55 The 13 Ghosts Of Scooby-Doo 

19:20 Pink Panther And Pals 

19:45 The Looney Tunes Show 


20:35 Puppy In My Pocket 

21:00 What’s New Scooby-Doo? 

21:25 Looney Tunes 

21:50 Dexter’s Laboratory 

22:15 Tom & Jerry Tales 



23:55 Moomins 

00:30 Grim Adventures Of... 

01:20 Johnny Test 

02:10 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 


03:00 The Amazing World Of 

Gumball 

03:25 Regular Show 

03:50 Ben 10: Omniverse 

04:15 Scooby-Doo! Mystery 

Incorporated 

04:40 Powerpuff Girls 

05:05 Evil Con Carne 

05:30 Cow & Chicken 

06:00 Casper’s Scare School 

06:30 Angelo Rules 

07:00 Dreamworks Dragons: Riders 

Of Berk 


Gumball 

07:45 Scooby Doo! Mystery 

Incorporated 


08:55 Adventure Time 





12:15 Hero 108 

12:40 Hero 108 

13:05 Mucha Lucha ! 



15:10 Ben 10 

15:35 Ben 10 

16:00 Johnny Test 

16:35 Scooby Doo! Mystery 

Incorporated 


17:25 Dreamworks Dragons Riders 

Of Berk 


Gumball 

18:15 Adventure Time 


19:05 Total Drama Action 

19:30 Total Drama Action 

19:55 Starwars: The Clone Wars 


20:45 Hero 108 

21:10 Young Justice 

21:35 Green Lantern: The Animated 

Series 

22:00 Ben 10 

22:25 Ben 10 



23:40 Powerpuff Girls 

00:00 Amanpour 

00:30 World Sport 

01:00 Piers Morgan Tonight 

02:00 World Report 


03:00 Anderson Cooper 360 


05:00 Quest Means Business 

06:00 The Situation Room 


07:30 News Special 




10:30 Inside Africa 

11:00 World Business Today 

12:00 World One 

12:30 Inside The Middle East 


13:30 CNN Newscenter 


15:00 News Stream 

16:00 World Business Today 

17:00 International Desk 

18:00 Global Exchange 

TV PROGRAMS 


19:30 Inside The Middle East 

20:00 International Desk 

21:00 Quest Means Business 


22:30 CNN Newscenter 

23:00 Connect The World With 

Becky Anderson 

00:15 Outback Truckers 

01:10 Yukon Men 

02:05 Finding Bigfoot 

03:00 Mythbusters 

03:55 Border Security 

04:20 Auction Kings 

04:50 Baggage Battles 

05:15 How Do They Do It? 

05:40 How It’s Made 

06:05 Sons Of Guns 


07:50 Ultimate Survival 

08:45 Dual Survival 






11:50 Outback Truckers 

12:45 Yukon Men 

13:40 Finding Bigfoot 




16:00 Inventions That Shook The 

World 

16:55 Dual Survival 


18:45 Sons Of Guns 





21:30 James May’s Man Lab 

22:25 Superhuman Showdown 


00:05 How Tech Works 

00:30 Wallace & Gromit’s World Of 

Invention 

01:00 Prototype This 

01:50 Stuck With Hackett 


02:45 Da Vinci’s Machines 

03:35 Prototype This 

04:25 Mighty Ships 

05:15 Gadget Show - World Tour 


06:05 Through The Wormhole With 

Morgan Freeman 


07:50 Oddities 

08:15 Oddities 



09:30 Scrapheap Challenge 

10:25 Science Of The Movies 

11:15 The Kustomizer 

12:05 Through The Wormhole With 

Morgan Freeman 

13:00 The X-Testers 

13:25 The X-Testers 

13:50 Weird Connections 




16:00 Smash Lab 

16:55 Nextworld 

17:45 Mighty Ships 

18:35 Meteorite Men 

19:30 Space Pioneer 

20:20 NASA’s Greatest Missions 



22:00 Space Pioneer 




00:10 Hannah Montana 

00:35 Brandy & Mr Whiskers 


01:25 Replacements 


02:15 Emperor’s New School 









06:00 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 

06:25 Doc McStuffins 

06:40 Suite Life On Deck 

07:05 A.N.T Farm 

07:30 A.N.T Farm 

07:55 Jessie 

08:20 Jessie 

08:45 Good Luck Charlie 


09:35 Austin And Ally 


10:25 Shake It Up 





12:30 Wizards Of Waverly Place 


13:20 Jessie 

13:45 A.N.T. Farm 

14:10 A.N.T. Farm 




15:50 Jessie 


16:40 A.N.T. Farm 

17:00 Finding Nemo 

18:40 Toy Story Toons 

18:45 That’s So Raven 

19:10 Cory In The House 


20:00 Jessie 



21:15 Phil Of The Future 


22:05 Jonas 

22:30 Sonny With A Chance 




00:00 Dirty Soap 

00:55 Style Star 

01:25 THS 


03:40 Extreme Close-Up 

04:10 E!es 

05:05 THS 

06:00 THS 


08:20 Opening Act 

09:15 Opening Act 

10:15 THS 

12:05 Khloe And Lamar 

12:35 Khloe And Lamar 

13:05 Married To Jonas 

13:35 Married To Jonas 

14:05 Kourtney & Kim Take New 

York 


15:30 THS 

16:30 Extreme Close-Up 

17:00 Giuliana & Bill 

18:00 E! News 

19:00 Fashion Police 

20:00 THS 

21:00 Kourtney And Kim Take Miami 

22:00 Chasing The Saturdays 

22:30 E! News 

23:30 Chelsea Lately 

00:05 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 

00:30 Outrageous Food 

00:55 Unwrapped 


01:45 Pizza Outside The Box 



03:25 Unique Eats 

03:50 Andy Bates Street Feasts 

04:15 Andy Bates American Street 

Feasts 

04:40 Chopped 

05:30 Iron Chef America 

06:10 Food Network Challenge 



07:50 Unique Eats 

08:15 Andy Bates Street Feasts 

08:40 Andy Bates American Street 

Feasts 

09:05 Barefoot Contessa - Back To 

Basics 

09:30 The Next Iron Chef 

10:20 Extra Virgin 


11:10 Everyday Italian 



12:50 Reza’s African Kitchen 

13:15 Barefoot Contessa 

13:40 Barefoot Contessa 




15:20 Guy’s Big Bite 

15:45 Chopped 


Basics 


Basics 



18:15 Reza’s African Kitchen 

18:40 Guy’s Big Bite 

19:05 Tyler’s Ultimate 

19:30 Chopped 

20:20 Chopped 


22:00 Charly’s Cake Angels 

22:25 Charly’s Cake Angels 

22:50 Unique Sweets 

23:15 Unique Sweets 


00:30 Dr G: Medical Examiner 

01:20 A Haunting 

02:05 Couples Who Kill 

02:55 Deadly Women 

03:45 I Almost Got Away With It 

04:30 Dr G: Medical Examiner 

05:20 A Haunting 

06:10 Murder Shift 

07:00 Mystery Diagnosis 

07:50 Street Patrol 


08:40 Real Emergency Calls 

09:05 Who On Earth Did I Marry? 

09:30 On The Case With Paula Zahn 


11:10 Disappeared 

12:00 Mystery Diagnosis 



13:40 Forensic Detectives 


15:20 Real Emergency Calls 

15:45 Who On Earth Did I Marry? 



17:50 Forensic Detectives 



20:20 Nightmare Next Door 

21:10 Couples Who Kill 

22:00 Evil, I 

22:25 Evil, I 



00:15 The Kimchi Chronicles 

Conclude 

00:45 Silk Road 

01:40 Thailand 

02:05 Brazil 

02:35 Climbing Yosemite 

03:30 The Real Midnight Express 

04:25 

05:20 Austria 

06:15 Tbilisi 

06:40 Room With A View 

07:10 Route 62: The Longest Wine 

Route In The World 

07:35 The Kimchi Chronicles 

Conclude 

08:05 Silk Road 

09:00 Thailand 

09:25 Brazil 

09:55 Climbing Yosemite 

10:50 The Real Midnight Express 

11:45 

12:40 Athens To Atlanta 

13:35 New Forest 

14:00 New York City 


Route In The World Cont 

14:55 The Kimchi Chronicles Begin 

15:25 Three Gorges Dam 

16:20 Buenos Aires 

16:45 Beirut, Lebanon 

17:15 Stock Car 

18:10 Colombia Ambush 

19:05 


Route In The World Cont 

20:30 The Kimchi Chronicles Begin 

21:00 New Forest 

21:30 New York City 

22:00 Key West 

22:55 Vienna 

23:20 Italian Superstition 

23:50 Accra, Ghana 

00:00 RoboCop 2-PG15 

02:15 Hell-18 

04:00 RoboCop 3-PG15 

06:00 The Presence-PG15 

08:00 Smoke Screen-PG15 

10:00 Battle: Los Angeles-PG15 

12:00 The Ring-PG15 

14:00 Smoke Screen-PG15 

16:00 Thor-PG15 

18:00 The Ring-PG15 

20:00 Green Lantern-PG15 

22:00 Thor-PG15 

01:00 Interview With A Hitman- 

PG15 

03:00 The Proud Family Movie-FAM 

05:00 Enter The Phoenix-PG15 

07:00 Espions-PG15 

09:00 Interview With A Hitman- 

PG15 

10:45 Lorenzo’s Oil-PG15 

13:00 Twins Mission-PG15 

15:00 Warbirds-PG15 

17:00 The Marc Pease Experience- 

PG15 

19:00 The Deep Blue Sea-PG15 

21:00 A Dangerous Method-18 

23:00 The Crazies-18 

00:30 The Daily Show With Jon 

Stewart 

01:00 The Colbert Report 

01:30 The New Normal 

02:00 The New Normal 

03:00 Hot In Cleveland 

04:30 The Tonight Show With Jay 

Leno 

05:30 Hope & Faith 

07:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 


09:00 Hot In Cleveland 

09:30 How I Met Your Mother 


Leno 


15:00 How I Met Your Mother 


Stewart 



18:00 Ben And Kate 

19:00 Modern Family 

19:30 The Mindy Project 


Leno 


Stewart 


22:00 Weeds 

22:30 South Park 


02:00 American Horror Story 

04:00 Six Feet Under 

07:00 Fairly Legal 

09:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show 

11:00 Fairly Legal 


19:00 The Finder 

20:00 Franklin & Bash 

21:00 Awake 

22:00 The Carrie Diaries 

23:00 Six Feet Under 

00:00 Switched At Birth 

01:00 American Horror Story 

02:00 The Americans 

03:00 Greek 

04:00 House Of Cards 

05:00 Grey’s Anatomy 


07:00 Emmerdale 

07:30 Coronation Street 

08:00 White Collar 

10:00 Grey’s Anatomy 

11:00 House Of Cards 



A DANGEROUS METHOD ON OSN CINEMA 








19:00 The Finder 

20:00 Franklin & Bash 

21:00 Awake 

22:00 The Carrie Diaries 

23:00 Greek 

00:00 Battle: Los Angeles 

02:00 RoboCop 2 

04:15 Hell 

06:00 RoboCop 3 

08:00 The Presence 

10:00 Smoke Screen 

12:00 Battle: Los Angeles 

14:00 The Ring 

16:00 Smoke Screen 

18:00 Thor 

20:00 The Ring 

22:00 Green Lantern 

00:00 Take Me Home Tonight-18 

02:00 The Goods: Live Hard, Sell 

Hard-18 

04:00 Smooch-PG15 

06:00 Jumping The Broom-PG15 

08:00 Rebound-PG 

10:00 Desperately Seeking Santa- 

PG15 

12:00 Smooch-PG15 

14:00 The Family Stone-PG15 

16:00 Desperately Seeking Santa- 

PG15 

18:00 Morning Glory-PG15 

20:00 Stuck On You-PG15 

22:00 Take Me Home Tonight-18 

01:00 A L’origine-PG15 

03:15 Phenomenon-PG 

05:15 1941-PG15 

07:15 The Chorus-PG15 

09:00 Virtual Lies-PG15 

11:00 Offline-PG15 

13:00 Caesar Must Die-PG15 

14:45 Virtual Lies-PG15 

16:30 Anna And The King-PG15 

19:00 Dead Again-PG15 

21:00 Bloodworth-18 

23:00 Eternal Sunshine Of The 

Spotless Mind-PG15 

01:00 Vampires Suck-PG15 

03:00 Water For Elephants-PG15 

05:00 Perfect Plan-PG15 

07:00 Black Forest-PG15 

09:00 Web Of Lies-PG15 

11:00 Transformers: Dark Of The 

Moon-PG15 

13:30 Muhammad And Larry-PG15 

14:30 The Help-PG15 

17:00 Web Of Lies-PG15 

19:00 Chronicle-PG15 

21:00 The Thing-18 

23:00 Anonymous-18 

01:00 Winner & The Golden Child: 

Part II 

03:00 A Fairy Tale Christmas 

04:30 Mickey’s Twice Upon A 

Christmas 

06:00 Marco Antonio 

08:00 Turtle Hero: Part I 

10:00 Looney Tunes: Back In Action 

11:30 Marco Macaco 

13:00 Easter Egg Escapade 

14:45 Mickey’s Twice Upon A 

Christmas 

16:00 Olentzero And The Magic Log 

18:00 Looney Tunes: Back In Action 

20:00 Barnyard 

22:00 Easter Egg Escapade 

23:45 Olentzero And The Magic Log 

00:00 Failure To Launch-PG15 

02:00 Cheaper By The Dozen-PG 

04:00 Green Lantern: Emerald 

Knights-PG15 


06:00 Last Holiday-PG15 

08:00 Hugo-PG 

10:15 Jetsons: The Movie-FAM 

12:00 New Year’s Eve-PG15 

14:00 The Pirates! Band Of Misfits- 

PG 

15:45 Hugo-PG 

18:00 Seeking Justice-PG15 

20:00 Columbus Circle-PG15 

22:00 Your Sister’s Sister-18 

00:00 PGA European Tour 

Highlights 

01:00 NRL Full Time 

01:30 Premier League Darts 

05:00 Super League 


07:00 Super Rugby 

09:00 Super Rugby Highlights 

10:00 Top 14 


Highlights 


14:00 NRL Premiership 


16:30 PGA Tour Highlights 


19:30 Ladies European Tour 

Highlights 

20:30 PGA European Tour Weekly 

21:00 Inside The PGA Tour 

21:30 Trans World Sport 


23:30 Top 14 

00:00 UFC The Ultimate Fighter 





Highlights 

07:00 WWE Vintage Collection 



Highlights 

10:00 AFL Premiership 

12:30 AFL Premiership Highlights 

13:30 Premier League Darts 

17:00 ICC Cricket 360 

17:30 Futbol Mundial 

18:00 NHL 



22:30 European Tour Weekly 

23:00 Inside The PGA Tour 


00:30 Top 14 Highlights 

01:00 World Pool Masters 

02:00 World Cup Of Pool 

03:00 Golfing World 

04:00 Rome Marathon 


08:00 Asian Tour Highlights 




12:00 Top 14 Highlights 

12:30 ICC Cricket 360 






17:30 Pro 12 





00:00 WWE Bottom Line 

01:00 Ping Pong World 

02:00 US Bass Fishing 

03:00 NHL 

05:00 NHL 

07:00 WWE Vintage Collection 

08:00 WWE NXT 

09:00 Ping Pong World 

10:00 US Bass Fishing 

11:00 NHL 

13:00 WWE SmackDown 

15:00 Adventure Challenge 

16:00 Triahlon UK 

17:00 UFC 

20:00 UFC The Ultimate Fighter 

21:00 NHL 

23:00 WWE Experience

Classifieds 


Kuwait 

SHARQIA-1 

KON-TIKI (DIG) 12:45 PM 



TRUTH OR DARE (DIG) 7:30 PM 


KON-TIKI (DIG) 12:05 AM 

SHARQIA-2 

THE CROODS (DIG-3D) 1:30 PM 

JACK THE GIANT SLAYER (DIG-3D) 3:30 PM 


G.I. JOE: RETALIATION (DIG-3D) 7:45 PM 


G.I. JOE: RETALIATION (DIG-3D) 12:15 AM 

MUHALAB-1 







MUHALAB-2 

OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN (DIG) 1:00 PM 

SIDE EFFECTS (DIG) 3:30 PM 


AL HAFLA (DIG) 7:45 PM 


OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN (DIG) 12:05 AM 

FANAR-1 


IN THEIR SKIN (DIG) 3:45 PM 




IN THEIR SKIN (DIG) 12:30 AM 

FANAR-2 


THE TALL MAN (DIG) 4:00 PM 





MARINA-1 







MARINA-2 



SNITCH (DIG) 3:30 PM 





AVENUES-1 




LOVE AND HONOR (DIG) 8:30 PM 


THE TALL MAN (DIG) 12:45 AM 

AVENUES-2 

HIMMATWALA (DIG) (HINDI) 12:30 PM 


Arrival Flights on Wednesday 3/4/2013 

Airlines Flt Route Time 

QTR 148 DOHA 00:15 

JZR 267 BEIRUT 00:20 

JZR 539 CAIRO 00:40 

QTR 6130 DOHA 01:00 

ETH 620 ADDIS ABABA 01:45 

GFA 211 BAHRAIN 01:55 

UAE 853 DUBAI 02:25 

ETD 305 ABU DHABI 02:30 

FDB 67 DUBAI 03:10 

MSR 612 CAIRO 03:15 

OMA 643 MUSCAT 03:20 

QTR 138 DOHA 03:30 

THY 770 ISTANBUL 04:35 

DHX 170 BAHRAIN 05:10 


KAC 412 MANILA/BANGKOK 06:15 

JZR 555 ALEXANDRIA 06:20 

BAW 157 LONDON 06:30 

JZR 529 ASSIUT 06:40 

KAC 206 ISLAMABAD 07:25 

KAC 382 DELHI 07:30 


KAC 302 MUMBAI 07:50 

KAC 352 COCHIN 08:05 

KAC 344 CHENNAI 08:20 



ABY 125 SHARJAH 08:50 

QTR 132 DOHA 09:00 


IRA 603 SHIRAZ 09:25 



MEA 404 BEIRUT 10:55 

TMA 213 BEIRUT 11:00 

JZR 165 DUBAI 11:35 

JZR 561 SOHAG 12:00 

KAC 284 DHAKA 12:05 

KNE 470 JEDDAH 12:10 

IZG 4167 MASHAD 12:40 




CLX 792 LUXEMBOURG 13:15 

KNE 480 TAIF 13:25 


KAC 672 DUBAI 13:40 

QTR 140 DOHA 13:45 


KAC 790 MEDINAH 13:55 

KNCC PROGRAMME FROM THURSDAY TO WEDNESDAY 

(28/03/2013 TO 03/04/2013) 



LOVE AND HONOR (DIG) 12:30 AM 

360º- 1 







360º- 2 






AL HAFLA (DIG) 12:30 AM 

AL-KOUT.1 


NO FRI+SAT 


FRI+SAT 


JACK THE GIANT SLAYER (DIG-3D) 5:30 PM 




AL-KOUT.2 







BAIRAQ-1 







BAIRAQ-2 







PLAZA 

JAFFA (DIG) (TELUGU) 5:30 PM 

NO THU+ TUE+WED 


THU+ TUE+WED 

G.I. JOE: RETALIATION (DIG) 8:30 PM 


LAILA 

THE CROODS (DIG) 6:00 PM 

NO WED 


NO WED 


NO WED 

AJIAL.1 

RED WINE (DIG) (MALAYALAM) 6:30 PM 

RED WINE (DIG) (MALAYALAM) 9:30 PM 

FOR SALE 

Mazda Two car Salon model 

2011, white color, four 

cylinder, 1500CC engine, 

very excellent original condition, 

60,000km done, 

installment possible with or 

without down payment, 

cash price KD 1,950/- negotiable. 

Contact: 66507741. 

(4363) 

2-4-2013 

SITUATION WANTED 

Female, MBA with over 11 

years experience in all functions 

of HR/Admin. 

Transferable Visa 18. Can 

join immediately, knowledge 

of English, Hindi, 

Arabic. Please contact: 

94062123. (C 4358) 


British male consultant 

engineer work in petrol 

chemical and manufacturing 

industries in leading 

companies in Europe and 

UK. 20 years experience, 

seeking job in Kuwait. Mob: 

50936694, 25742132. 


MATRIMONIAL 

B.D.S Doctor, Christian girl, 

born and brought up in 

Kuwait seeking proposal 

from professionally qualified 

boys. 30 years, fair, 

height 150cm. Contact 

email: 

proposal.dentist@yahoo.com 

(C 4361) 


CHANGE OF NAME 

Raja Mohamed s/o R.M. 

Yousuf holder of Indian 

Passport No. F5609683 

change my name to Raj 

Mohamed. (C 4366) 


I, Moiz Ali Mazaf Aziz, holder 

of Indian Passport No: 

F9295029 hereby change 

my name to Aziz Mazaf. 

(C 4362) 

I, ABUL HASANSA DULI S/O 

RAHMATH ALI, holder of 

Indian Passport No: 

IRC 6692 MASHAD 14:00 

MSR 575 CAIRO/SHARM EL SHEIKH 14:15 

SVA 500 JEDDAH 14:30 

KAC 788 JEDDAH 15:00 

KAC 538 SHARM EL SHEIKH/SOHAG 15:50 

RJA 640 AMMAN 15:55 

QTR 134 DOHA 16:15 

JZR 787 RIYADH 16:15 

IYE 824 SANAA/DOHA 16:30 



JZR 357 MASHAD 16:50 



SVA 510 RIYADH 17:20 


UAL 982 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 17:25 


KNE 462 MEDINAH 17:45 

JZR 777 JEDDAH 17:50 

KAC 542 CAIRO 18:15 

QTR 144 DOHA 18:25 


KAC 166 PARIS/ROME 18:40 


KAC 618 DOHA 19:10 

KAC 774 RIYADH 19:25 


MSR 606 LUXOR 19:30 

JAI 572 MUMBAI 19:35 

KAC 102 NEW YORK/LONDON 19:35 





AXB 489 COCHIN/MANGALORE 20:35 

KLM 417 AMSTERDAM 21:05 

ALK 229 COLOMBO 21:10 



QTR 136 DOHA 21:35 



QTR 146 DOHA 22:00 


AIC 975 CHENNAI/GOA 22:25 

JZR 239 AMMAN 22:30 


UAL 981 BAHRAIN 22:40 

JZR 135 BAHRAIN 23:00 

DLH 636 FRANKFURT 23:10 



G3925520, issued at Kuwait, 

on 13.11.2007 permanent 

resident of 3/81 A, middle 

street, SP Pattinam (Post), 

Ramnad dist., Tamil Nadu 

and presently working at 

Sharq - Kuwait, do hereby 

change my name from 

ABUL HASANSA DULI S/O 

RAHMATH ALI to ABUL 

HASAN S/O RAHMATH ALI 

with immediate effect. 

(C 4364) 


MISCELLANEOUS 

I, Zafar Khalil, holder of 

Pakistani Passport No. 

KG347400 change my date 

of birth old 02-11-1968, to 

new 02-11-1969 proved by 

the Embassy. (C 4365) 


Departure Flights on Wednesday 3/4/2013 

Airlines Flt Route Time 

AIC 982 AHMEDABAD/HYDERABAD/AHMEDABAD 00:05 


UAL 981 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 00:25 

DLH 637 FRANKFURT 00:30 


QTR 6131 DOHA 02:30 

THY 765 SABIHA 02:40 

ETH 621 ADDIS ABABA 02:45 






QTR 139 DOHA 04:25 

QTR 149 DOHA 05:15 

JZR 560 SOHAG 05:35 





KAC 537 SHARM EL SHEIKH/SOHAG 08:00 

BAW 156 LONDON 08:25 


KAC 789 MEDINAH 09:15 






QTR 133 DOHA 10:00 

KAC 117 NEW YORK 10:00 


IRA 602 SHIRAZ 10:25 


JZR 356 MASHAD 11:00 


KAC 541 CAIRO 11:30 


TMA 209 DOHA 12:00 

KAC 175 FRANKFURT/GENEVA 12:10 

JZR 776 JEDDAH 12:25 

KAC 103 LONDON 12:30 

JZR 786 RIYADH 12:50 


KNE 461 MEDINAH 13:10 


IZG 4168 MASHAD 13:45 



KNE 481 TAIF 14:15 


Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw) 

DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION 



CLX 792 VIETNAM 14:45 

QTR 141 DOHA 14:55 

IRC 6693 MASHAD 15:00 

MSR 576 SHARM EL SHEIKH/CAIRO 15:00 


KAC 617 DOHA 15:45 

SVA 503 MEDINAH/JEDDAH 15:45 

KAC 773 RIYADH 16:00 

RJA 641 AMMAN 16:55 

JZR 238 AMMAN 17:05 

QTR 135 DOHA 17:15 


IYE 824 SANAA 17:30 


JZR 538 CAIRO 17:40 



SVA 511 RIYADH 18:20 



JZR 266 BEIRUT 18:40 

UAL 982 BAHRAIN 18:40 

KNE 471 JEDDAH 18:45 

QTR 145 DOHA 19:25 


JZR 134 BAHRAIN 20:05 

MSR 619 ALEXANDRIA 20:30 




KAC 361 COLOMBO 20:50 

KAC 331 TRIVANDRUM 20:50 


KAC 351 COCHIN 21:05 



KLM 417 DAMMAM/AMSTERDAM 22:05 


ALK 230 COLOMBO 22:20 


KAC 381 DELHI 22:30 

QTR 137 DOHA 22:35 

KAC 301 MUMBAI 22:40 




KAC 205 ISLAMABAD 23:00 

QTR 147 DOHA 23:05 

KAC 283 DHAKA 23:45 

KAC 415 KUALA LUMPUR/JAKARTA 23:50 

JZR 528 ASSIUT 23:55

CROSSWORD 148 

ACROSS 

1. The elementary stages of any subject (usually 

plural). 

4. A person who lives in the dales of Northern 

England. 

12. A dark-skinned member of a race of people 

living in Australia when Europeans arrived. 

15. A flat wing-shaped process or winglike part 

of an organism. 

16. Capable of having having clear evidence of 

eliminated without trace. 

17. A workplace for the conduct of scientific 

research. 

18. Put a new facing on, as of a garment. 

20. At full speed. 

21. Goddess of criminal rashness and its punishment. 

22. A city in south central Mexico (southeast of 

Mexico City) on the edge of central Mexican 

plateau. 

23. An analytic or interpretive literary composition. 

25. A color varying around light grayish brown. 

29. National capital of Kiribati. 

32. (Christianity) Saved from the bondage of 

sin. 

36. An Asian river between China and Russia. 

37. A sharply directional antenna. 

40. A quantity of no importance. 

41. Cubes of meat marinated and cooked on a 

skewer usually with vegetables. 

42. Two items of the same kind. 

43. Supply with battlements. 

45. In bed. 

48. The address of a web page on the world 

wide web. 

49. Imperial dynasty that ruled China (most of 

the time) from 206 BC to 221 and expanded its 

boundaries and developed its bureaucracy. 

50. Metal or plastic sheath over the end of a 

shoelace or ribbon. 

51. Mexican revolutionary leader (1877-1923). 

53. Held in slavery. 

56. Essential oil or perfume obtained from 

flowers. 

58. A radioactive transuranic element produced 

by bombarding plutonium with neutrons. 

59. A loose sleeveless outer garment made 

from aba cloth. 

60. Become less tense. 

62. A soft silver-white or yellowish metallic element 

of the alkali metal group. 

64. Not normal. 

67. God of love and erotic desire. 

70. Dutch physicist who first formulated the 

wave theory of light (1629-1695). 

72. The upper angle between an axis and an 

offshoot such as a branch or leafstalk. 

74. (British) Your grandmother. 

75. American novelist (1909-1955). 

76. A crystalline amino acid that occurs in many 

proteins. 

78. The products of human creativity. 

79. A flat-bottomed volcanic crater that was 

formed by an explosion. 

80. The quality of being honest. 

81. Being one more than ninety. 

DOWN 

1. An association of people to promote the welfare 

of senior citizens. 

2. Cheese containing a blue mold. 

3. A small restaurant where drinks and snacks 

are sold. 

4. Remove the claws from (a cat). 

5. A passageway between buildings or giving 

access to a basement. 

6. A white soft metallic element that tarnishes 

readily. 

7. (Old Testament) The eldest son of Isaac who 

would have inherited the Covenant that God 

made with Abraham and that Abraham passed 

on to Isaac. 

8. A guided missile fired from shipboard 

against an airborne target. 

9. A master's degree in business. 

10. American prizefighter who won the world 

heavyweight championship three times (born 

in 1942). 

11. A Uralic language spoken by a Samoyed 

people of northern Siberia. 

12. By bad luck. 

13. A Chadic language spoken south of Lake 

Chad. 

14. Be obedient to. 

19. A capacitance unit equal to one billion 

farads. 

24. A river in eastern France. 

26. A thermionic vacuum tube having three 

electrodes. 

27. (astronomy) The angular distance of a celestial 

point measured westward along the celestial 

equator from the zenith crossing. 

28. Half the width of an em. 

30. Pertaining to or resembling amoebae. 

31. Prolific Flemish baroque painter. 

33. Small wildcat of the mountains of Siberia 

Tibet and Mongolia. 

34. United States swimmer who in 1926 

became the first woman to swim the English 

Channel (1903- ). 

35. A large commercial and industrial city in 

northeastern Texas. 

38. A condensed but memorable saying 

embodying some important fact of experience 

that is taken as true by many people. 

39. The basic unit of money in Suriname. 

44. Being in competition. 

46. A port in eastern Georgia near the mouth of 

the Savannah river. 

47. The absence of mental stress or anxiety. 

52. A republic in the Middle East in western 

Asia. 

54. (South African) A camp defended by a circular 

formation of wagons. 

55. A French abbot. 

57. Intelligence derived from the interception 

and processing and analysis of foreign telemetry. 

61. An antianxiety agent (trade name Xanax) of 

the benzodiazepine class. 

63. (anatomy) A fold or wrinkle or crease. 

65. The capital and largest city of Norway. 

66. Long coarse hair growing from the crest of 

the animal's neck. 

68. Made from residue of grapes or apples after 

pressing. 

69. (prefix) Opposite or opposing or neutralizing. 

71. An affirmative. 

73. A field covered with grass or herbage and 

suitable for grazing by livestock. 

77. An associate degree in nursing. 

Yesterday’s Solution 

34 stars 

STAR TRACK 

Aries (March 21-April 19) 

This is, indeed, a time of opportunity and good times. However, you 

also tend to harbor unrealistic hopes, exaggerate the possibilities, and lack a sense of 

realism. If things seem to be running smoothly around you, they are, so let them. 

Disappointment in a friend or lover and possibly the realization that you have been 

neglecting your own needs for socializing, affection, and companionship is indicated 

today. In either case, loneliness and feelings of desolation could be the mood. 

Perhaps you are sacrificing pleasure and love for the sake of achievements or to 

meet responsibilities. 

Taurus (April 20-May 20) 

If someone is talking behind your back, now is the time to find out 

about it and take appropriate steps to deflect it. Conversely, it’s a time you can unearth 

some of your own best kept secrets you might have forgotten about and clear the air. 

Your needs for love, companionship, friendship, and sharing are very strong now, and 

you won’t want to be alone at home or work. In fact, you feel like relaxing and enjoying 

the beautiful side of life rather than laboring or concentrating on mundane tasks. A significant 

development in a close relationship or strong feelings of attraction to someone 

you encounter, are very likely at this time. 

Gemini (May 21-June 20) 

This is a favorable time to socialize with people you have professional 

ties with, as the positive feelings you generate now are likely to be an aid to you in the 

future. Beautifying the place where you interface with the public and an increased concern 

about your own physical appearance are also brought out now. You could become 

more emotionally at this time, especially about people with a strong attachment from 

your past. You care more passionately and respond instinctively and emotionally to 

whatever happens to you at this time. Also, you are energized and invigorated now and 

eager to be involved in projects that benefit your children, family, or home. 

Cancer (June 21-July 22) 

You have a low tolerance for boredom and following rules today and 

you make some creative changes and discoveries, experiment with new possibilities, or 

invent a new way of doing things. Take advantage of any unusual offers or opportunities. 

Put your intuitive feelers out there before you jump in or commit to anyone right now or 

you might run into a cold reception. People taking themselves too seriously are probable 

today, so try not to be one of them. Take it all with the idea and respect that others may 

be having problems. 

Leo (July 23-August 22) 

This is a good time to let your relax and play a bit, try to do this on your 

own initiative and enjoy before someone else pushes you into it. Let the urge carry you, 

as tight schedules can get too compromised if you fight it. Rest and relaxation is not just 

time off, its renewal and refreshing your mental capability to keep it together later on. 

Matters of the heart are on your mind and you may want to play match maker now, 

maybe even for yourself. This is a very good time to go to a social gathering or somewhere 

you can interact with others that you might have something in common with, 

don’t stay home and let this energy pass you by! 

Virgo (August 23-September 22) 

You are very bold and adventurous right now and you cannot tolerate 

delays, restrictions, or any form of authority that prevents you from behaving exactly as 

you please. Your drive for personal freedom and insistence on your rights is pressing, and 

a confrontation in which you have to stand up for yourself is likely. If you are a normally 

shy person, well it’s time to get some courage up and step out into the bright lights in 

any of your most intimate relationships. This isn’t a time to think you don’t deserve everything 

you’re little heart desires, quite the opposite in fact. YOU DO deserve everything 

your heart desires so speak up! 

Word Search 

Daily SuDoku 

Libra (September 23-October 22) 


Conflicts and confrontations may be unavoidable, but do try to avoid 

situations which you know will provoke or irritate you. Working alone is best at this time. 

At this time you must guard against being too aggressive, coming on too strong, or trying 

to force your own will and thereby arousing hostility in others. Also, frustrated desires 

and obstacles to achieving your aims can evoke enormous anger in you, and you may do 

something rash and regrettable. Special attention to and from a partner is what you 

should be trying for today, and flattery will get you everywhere if you use it with that fine 

skill you have worked on for some time. Set aside some private time so no one else can 

get in the way of the feelings you want to share. 

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) 

You may have to deal with one annoying individual who could 

appear to be looking for an argument today. The best approach is to avoid confrontation 

while resolutely staying your current course. Because you are not 

feeling very obliging or compromising, this is not a good time to try to come to 

an agreement with someone you are close to. However, you need to get your 

grievances out in the open before the tension builds up to an unmanageable 

level. 

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) 

It may seem that circumstances, other people, or the whole world is 

against you today! You could feel overwhelmed by demands, outside pressures, or your 

responsibilities and you are looking at your life with serious doubt or pessimism. Others 

don’t seem to help, even if they try to; solitary activity or reflection is called for now. A 

friend or lover may come to mean everything to you at this time. Romance and other 

things that tug at your emotions come your way as a new cycle begins. This is a creative 

period for you, a time to take a chance, a time to be appreciated and admired and to take 

some risks. 

Capricorn (December 22-January 19) 

Others may find you especially witty and eccentric just now. You 

may have insights or breakthroughs in regard to your living situation or life circumstances. 

Others value you for your independence and unique qualities. It’s 

nice to be appreciated isn’t it. Dreams, wishes, and fantasies about love are 

strong now, and you may be infatuated with someone you meet at this time, 

who knows they could be the one, but be careful your own expectations aren’t 

so high you end up disappointed later. 

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) 

If recently the same problem has come up without any resolution, 

today could involve you getting to the nitty gritty of the issue. Resolution 

of this problem may clear bad feelings and bring you closer to someone. You 

may be forced to put something on hold for a while. Giving is a wonderful quality, 

but receiving is important too. This is a time when having your needs take 

the forefront is in order. Don’t allow yourself to be just the provider of comfort 

and affection today. Let others dote on you, and show you the affection you 

truly deserve. 

Pisces (February 19-March 20) 

Impatience with colleagues or people in authority could work against 

you today, so steer clear of over-reacting or trying to get things entirely your own way. 

You draw the line with a professional in association with a legal or monetary situation. 

Love blooms even further at the restaurant or cinema. Secrets may come to light that 

leave you perplexed and upset. Issues you thought long resolved are likely to come to 

the surface once more. An honest talk with those involved is the only way to put these 

persistent problems to rest once and for all. Apologies, forgiveness, and understanding 

will be necessary from both sides of these slights. 

Yesterday’s Solution 

Yesterday’s Solution

For labor-related inquiries 

and complaints: 

Call MSAL hotline 128 

Sabah Hospital 24812000 

Amiri Hospital 22450005 

Maternity Hospital 24843100 

Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital 25312700 

Chest Hospital 24849400 

Farwaniya Hospital 24892010 

Adan Hospital 23940620 

Ibn Sina Hospital 24840300 

Al-Razi Hospital 24846000 

Physiotherapy Hospital 24874330/9 

Kaizen center 25716707 

Rawda 22517733 

Adaliya 22517144 

Khaldiya 24848075 

Kaifan 24849807 

Shamiya 24848913 

Shuwaikh 24814507 

Abdullah Salem 22549134 

Nuzha 22526804 

Industrial Shuwaikh 24814764 

Qadsiya 22515088 

Dasmah 22532265 

Bneid Al-Gar 22531908 

Shaab 22518752 

Qibla 22459381 

Ayoun Al-Qibla 22451082 

Mirqab 22456536 

Sharq 22465401 

Salmiya 25746401 

Jabriya 25316254 

Maidan Hawally 25623444 

Bayan 25388462 

Mishref 25381200 

W Hawally 22630786 

Sabah 24810221 

Jahra 24770319 

New Jahra 24575755 

West Jahra 24772608 

South Jahra 24775066 

North Jahra 24775992 

North Jleeb 24311795 

Ardhiya 24884079 

Firdous 24892674 

Omariya 24719048 

N Khaitan 24710044 

Fintas 23900322 

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 

information 

GOVERNORATE PHARMACY ADDRESS PHONE 

Ahmadi Sama Safwan Fahaeel Makka St 23915883 

Abu Halaifa Abu Halaifa-Coastal Rd 23715414 

Danat Al-Sultan Mahboula Block 1, Coastal Rd 23726558 

Jahra Modern Jahra Jahra-Block 3 Lot 1 24575518 

Madina Munawara Jahra-Block 92 24566622 

Capital Ahlam Fahad Al-Salem St 22436184 

Khaldiya Coop Khaldiya Coop 24833967 

Farwaniya New Shifa Farwaniya Block 40 24734000 

Ferdous Coop Ferdous Coop 24881201 

Modern Safwan Old Kheitan Block 11 24726638 

Hawally Tariq Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St 25726265 

Hana Salmiya-Amman St 25647075 

Ikhlas Hawally-Beirut St 22625999 

Hawally & Rawdha Hawally & Rawdha Coop 22564549 

Ghadeer Jabriya-Block 1A 25340559 

Kindy Jabriya-Block 3B 25326554 

Ibn Al-Nafis Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St 25721264 

Mishrif Coop Mishrif Coop 25380581 

Salwa Coop Salwa Coop 25628241 

PRIVATE CLINICS 

Soor Center 

Tel: 2290-1677 

Fax: 2290 1688 

Plastic Surgeons 

Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalaf 22547272 

Dr. Abdal-Redha Lari 22617700 

Dr. Abdel Quttainah 25625030/60 

Family Doctor 

Dr Divya Damodar 23729596/23729581 

Psychiatrists 

Dr. Esam Al-Ansari 22635047 

Dr Eisa M. Al-Balhan 22613623/0 

Gynaecologists & Obstetricians 

DrAdrian arbe 23729596/23729581 

Dr. Verginia s.Marin 2572-6666 ext 8321 

Dr. Fozeya Ali Al-Qatan 22655539 

Dr. Majeda Khalefa Aliytami 25343406 

Dr. Ahmad Al-Khooly 25739272 

Dr. Salem soso 22618787 

General Surgeons 

Dr. Amer Zawaz Al-Amer 22610044 

Dr. Mohammad Yousef Basher 25327148 

Internists, Chest & Heart 

Dr. Adnan Ebil 22639939 

Dr. Mousa Khadada 22666300 

Dr. Latefa Al-Duweisan 25728004 

Dr. Nadem Al-Ghabra 25355515 

Dr. Mobarak Aldoub 24726446 

Dr Nasser Behbehani 25654300/3 

info@soorcenter.com 

www.soorcenter.com 

Paediatricians 

Dr. Khaled Hamadi 25665898 

Dr. Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rashed 25340300 

Dr. Zahra Qabazard 25710444 

Dr. Sohail Qamar 22621099 

Dr. Snaa Maaroof 25713514 

Dr. Pradip Gujare 23713100 

Dr. Zacharias Mathew 24334282 

(1) Ear, Nose and Throat (2) Plastic Surgeon 

Dr. Abdul Mohsin Jafar, 

FRCS (Canada) 25655535 

Dentists 

Dr Anil Thomas 3729596/3729581 

Dr. Shamah Al-Matar 22641071/2 

Dr. Anesah Al-Rasheed 22562226 

Dr. Abidallah Al-Amer 22561444 

Dr. Faysal Al-Fozan 22619557 

Dr. Abdallateef Al-Katrash 22525888 

Dr. Abidallah Al-Duweisan 25653755 

Dr. Bader Al-Ansari 25620111 

Neurologists 

Dr. Sohal Najem Al-Shemeri 25633324 

Dr. Jasem Mola Hassan 25345875 

Gastrologists 

Dr. Sami Aman 22636464 

Dr. Mohammad Al-Shamaly 25322030 

Dr. Foad Abidallah Al-Ali 22633135 

Kaizen center 

25716707 

Endocrinologist 

Dr. Abd Al-Naser Al-Othman 25339330 

Dr. Ahmad Al-Ansari 25658888 

Dr. Kamal Al-Shomr 25329924 

Physiotherapists & VD 

Dr. Deyaa Shehab 25722291 

Dr. Musaed Faraj Khamees 22666288 

Rheumatologists: 

Dr. Adel Al-Awadi 25330060 

Dr. Khaled Al-Jarallah 25722290 

Internist, Chest & Heart 

DR.Mohammes Akkad 24555050 Ext 210 

Dr. Mohammad Zubaid 

MB, ChB, FRCPC, PACC 

Assistant Professor Of Medicine 

Head, Division of Cardiology 

Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital 

Consultant Cardiologist 

Dr. Farida Al-Habib 2611555-2622555 

MD, PH.D, FACC 

Inaya German Medical Center 

Te: 2575077 

Fax: 25723123 

William Schuilenberg, RPC 2290-1677 

Zaina Al Zabin, M.Sc. 2290-1677 


Al-Madeena 22418714 

Al-Shuhada 22545171 

Al-Shuwaikh 24810598 

Al-Nuzha 22545171 

Sabhan 24742838 

Al-Helaly 22434853 

Al-Faiha 22545051 

Al-Farwaniya 24711433 

Al-Sulaibikhat 24316983 

Al-Fahaheel 23927002 

Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh 24316983 

Ahmadi 23980088 

Al-Mangaf 23711183 

Al-Shuaiba 23262845 

Al-Jahra 25610011 

Al-Salmiya 25616368 

INTERNATIONAL 

CALLS 

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

Pitt gives Jolie 

great-grans ring 

Brad Pitt gave Angelina Jolie his great-grandmother’s wedding ring to wear on her 

trip to Africa. The ‘Salt’ actress decided to remove her £250,000 engagement ring for 

her recent UN visit to the Congo and Rwanda because she didn’t want to be “ostentatious” 

and shortly before she flew out, her fiancé surprised her by giving her the plain 

gold band to wear instead. A source said:” She said she didn’t want to wear her engagement 

ring because she thought it was important not to be ostentatious with clothes and 

jewellery when in a poor region. “Brad said he completely understood why she couldn’t 

wear her engagement ring, but he really wanted to give Angelina something special and 

more understated to wear instead. Angelina seemed truly touched by the special gift of 

his great-grandmother’s wedding ring, and it meant a lot to be able to take it on the trip 

with her.” According to insiders on the trip, Angelina - who raises six children with Brad - 

was enamored by the replacement ring. The source added to Grazia magazine: “She couldn’t 

stop playing with the replacement ring, which everyone was calling the ‘trick ring’.” 

Holmes reportedly 

dating a jazz musician 

The 34-year-old actress - who has been single since her marriage to Tom Cruise ended 

nine months ago - has been on a string of dates with Peter Cincotti, 29, though have 

been arriving and leaving venues separately to avoid raising suspicion. A source said: 

“It’s early days but Katie and Peter have been on quite a few dates. “They met up two 

weeks ago at the New York Observer’s 25th anniversary party. They have a lot in common - 

he’s a total stage buff.” The couple have known each other for a few years but only started 

dating recently, though the singer-and-pianist has already been given the seal of approval 

by the former ‘Dawson’s Creek’ star’s friends. The source added to Grazia magazine: “They 

have only been seeing each other a few weeks but he’s incredibly charming, the type to 

buy her flowers and treat her like a lady. “Katie’s had a few dates but nothing came of 

them. But her friends are happy she is seeing Peter, they think he could be a good fit.” As 

well as a new romance, Katie - who has six-year-old daughter Suri with Tom - is said to be 

looking for a new home as the lease on her New York apartment will soon be up. The 

source said: “This could be the perfect time for Katie to really work out what she wants 

from life.” Though Katie’s representatives denied she and Peter were planning a musical 

collaboration, they said only “no comment” when asked if they were dating. 

Mayer keeping romances private 

John Mayer has learned to keep his personal life private. The 35-year-old singer - who 

has previously boasted about his romances with stars including Jennifer Aniston and 

Jessica Simpson - insists he won’t be speaking about his recent split from Katy Perry 

after eight months of dating. Asked about the end of their 

romance on Ellen DeGeneres’ show, he said: “It was a very private 

relationship going in. It was a private relationship during and it’s a 

private relationship, still. “I can understand asking the question 

based on some previous answers I have given but I have finally 

learned how to put the wall between one thing and the other.” 

Despite his fame, John admitted he struggles with romance and 

says finding love is “tricky”. He added: “I’m on the same journey as 

everyone else. Coupling is a tricky thing.” Last year, the ‘Gravity’ hitmaker 

was forced to take a break from music after suffering from 

serious throat problems, and he admits he has now curbed his partying 

ways, particularly his love of whiskey, to help protect his voice. He explained: “‘Half of 

it is over use and singing and singing and singing. The other stuff is you know, what you 

put into your body. And, I’m getting to that age now your body doesn’t just shake everything 

off and it didn’t help that I really loved, love, loved scotch. “It’s just like applying poison 

to your body. It’s like applying a shellac of poison. It’s just delicious, wonderful poison 

that makes you not care how late you’re out till or where you’re going. “But I had to really 

say I like singing and writing more than I like delicious scotch so I had to really dial it down. 

And, I’m a little more boring now.” 

36 LIFESTYLE 

F e a t u r e s 


David and Victoria 

Beckham don’t 

‘hold’ their kids back 

David and Victoria Beckham don’t 

“hold” their children back in life. 

The soccer star and his wife are 

keen for their four kids - Brooklyn, 14, 

Romeo, 10, Cruz, eight, and 20-monthold 

Harper - to have a “normal” 

upbringing and have made sure to 

teach them the boundaries that come 

with their freedom. Speaking to CNN 

World Sport’s Pedro Pinto, David said: 

“My eldest [Brooklyn] now is at the age 

where he wants to do things and he 

wants to go places and you have to 

hold him back, or we have to hold him 

back. “You have to explain it to him 

that there are certain things that he 

can’t do. But to be honest, with our 

children, we let them do 99 per cent of the things they want to do because we want them to lead a normal life.” David, 38, is currently playing for 

Paris St Germain, splitting his time between the family home in London and the French capital, and although the sportsman finds it difficult being 

away for long periods of time, he is grateful the children “understand” his need to work. He added: “When you speak about the sacrifices, that’s 

obviously the sacrifice that I have to make as a father and as a husband, being away from my family. “It’s only for a short time but its difficult being 

away from the children every single day. But they understand it, they understand that Daddy works hard.” While he plays in France, David has 

swapped his favorite British meal of pie and mash for the country’s traditional cuisine, including snails. He said: “I love French food I must admit. 

Obviously living here at the moment, I’ve always loved French Cuisine. “I like snails actually. I like snails funnily enough.” 

LaBeouf thinks 

Baldwin got him fired 

Shia LaBeouf thinks Alec Baldwin may have got him fired from ‘Orphans’. The 

‘Transformers’ actor exited the Broadway play due to “creative differences” weeks 

before it was due to open, and after admitting he and his would-be co-star didn’t connect 

as “men”, he acknowledged the ‘30 Rock’ star could have been instrumental in his 

departure from the production. He told TV talk show host David Letterman: “I’m pretty passionate 

and impulsive, and he’s a very passionate individual as well. And I think that impulsiveness 

and that passion makes for, ya know, some fireworks. “Me and Alec had tension as 

men. Not as artists but as men.” The host then suggested: “Alec went to the producers and 

said, ‘I can’t take it another day. Fire him,’ “ prompting his guest to reply: “I think that 

might’ve been what happened.” Despite the tensions between them, Shia - who was seated 

on the front row for the first night of ‘Orphans’ - went on to praise Alec as “awesome”. Alec 

recently suggested the ‘Lawless’ star isn’t a true theatre actor and wouldn’t have coped with 

the demands of a stage production. Referring to one of Shia’s tweets which read “The theatre 

belongs not to the great but to the brash”, Alec said: “I can tell you that, in all honesty, I 

don’t think he’s in a good position to be giving interpretations of what the theatre is and 

what the theatre isn’t. “I mean, he was never in the theatre. He came into a rehearsal room 

for six or seven days. “There are people who are film actors who have a great legacy in the 

theatre. Some of the greatest movie stars had really serious theatre careers and still do. And 

many film actors, though, who are purely film actors, they’re kind of like celebrity chefs, you 

know what I mean? You hand them the ingredients, and they whip it up, and they cook it, 

and they put it on a plate, and they want a round of applause.” 

Levine doesn’t want 

to end up divorced 

Adam Levine insists he will never get married - because he doesn’t 

want to divorce. The Maroon 5 frontman - who is currently dating 

model Behati Prinsloo and previously romanced Victoria’s Secret 

beauty Anne Vyalitsyna - is happy to never tie the knot because he doesn’t 

think modern unions are capable of lasting forever. He told the latest 

issue of NYLON 

Guys magazine: “I’m 

doing pretty well. If 

you don’t get married, 

you can’t get 

divorced. Why 

couldn’t we learn 

from the devastatingly 

low percentage 

of successful 

marriages that our 

last generation 

went through?” 

Despite his busy 

schedule, Adam - 

who is also a coach 

on US reality TV 

show ‘The Voice’ - 

insists he will never 

complain about his 

heavy workload as 

his success could disappear at any time. He added: “It’s a lot. But it might 

not be a lot someday. I don’t like to complain. You have this moment. It 

doesn’t last forever. You should probably try and enjoy it.” And the 

‘Payphone’ hitmaker also claimed he doesn’t worry about reports Shakira 

is earning double his salary for appearing on ‘The Voice’. He said: “She’s 

Shakira dude! She’s a international superstar! I don’t care. It’s just money.” 

Decker ‘intimidated’ by Aniston 

Brooklyn Decker refused to do yoga with Jennifer Aniston as she felt “intimidated” 

by her perfect body. The 25-year-old model starred alongside the 

actress in the 2011 comedy ‘Just Go With It’ and felt awestruck seeing her in a 

bikini. Asked who she would want if she could choose anyone as a body double, 

she told Women’s Health magazine: “It’s got to be Jennifer. “She’s so active and had 

to be in a bikini for ‘Just Go With It’ - she just had this glow about her. I was a bit 

awestruck! I was invited to do yoga with her on set but they had so many good 

yogis I was intimidated and chickened out.” While her own figure is the envy of 

many women, Brooklyn credits her husband, tennis ace Andy Roddick, for helping 

her feel confident in herself. She said: “The biggest thing for me about being with 

Andy is that athletes in general tend to appreciate different things about women’s 

bodies.” Despite being keen to stay healthy, the ‘What to Expect When You’re 

Expecting’ star claims that being on film sets makes it virtually impossible not to 

indulge when there are calorific treats available 24 hours a day. She said: “Imagine 

the best junk food you’ve ever seen, available 24 hours a day - that’s what sets are 

like. There are sweets and doughnuts in front of me all the time. My rule of thumb 

is that if I’m working, I eat healthily. “I have such a sweet tooth that I can’t let 

myself indulge because work is where I spend most of my time, so when I’m at 

work, no bad food.” 

Sarah Harding: I’m 

200 per cent better 

Sarah Harding is “200 per cent better” after rehab. The Girls Aloud 

singer checked into a rehabilitation facility for three weeks in 

October 2011 to be treated for an addiction to sleeping pills and 

alcohol, and believes her attitude to life has improved dramatically since. 

She said: “I’m 200 percent better in terms of my inner strength and attitude. 

I’m a lot calmer. I still have 

my hyper days, but I just take 

one day at a time. “In the band 

it was a rollercoaster. And yes, I 

have learned from my mistakes.” 

The 31-year-old blonde 

was in a bad place following 

the break-up of her relationship 

to former fiancÈ Tom Crane, but 

she claims she doesn’t have to 

restrict her alcohol intake 

nowadays because it was a “different” 

time. She explained: 

“I’m just like any normal person, 

I have a drink. Back then I was 

going through a break-up. That 

was then and this is now and, 

yes, things are different. “I still 

like the odd night out with my friends and on tour we had an after-party 

in London, another in Manchester and one in Dublin, which people set 

up for us.” Sarah also credits her more grown-up lifestyle in the English 

countryside with helping turn her life around and getting over her 

“crazy” partying phase. She told the new issue of LOOK magazine: “In 

your 20s, you’re supposed to be a little bit crazy. You’re getting to know 

where you are, and for me my life was crazy anyway because of what I 

was doing for a job. “It’s easy to get drawn into that. But these days I’m 

out of London and in the countryside.” —Bangshowbiz

Nora Ephron’s last play is about the 

world of New York tabloids, and it’s 

a lot like the messy subject she 

looks at - overindulgent, overstuffed and 

raucous. That’s its charm as well as its undoing. 

“Lucky Guy,” starring Tom Hanks sporting 

a wedge of a mustache, focuses on 

Mike McAlary, the city’s one-time dominant 

tabloid reporter. His rise and fall and rise 

again during the 1980s and ‘90s helped 

define the transition from boys-will-beboys 

notepad journalism to the buttonedup, 

professional digital recorders of today. 

Ephron’s play, which opened Monday at 

the Broadhurst Theatre, has touches of film 

noir, a ton of testosterone and profanity 

and moments of humor but not too much 

elegance or heft. It’s Ephron’s valentine to 

those hard-charging, heavy-smoking, gruff 

reporters she met in newsrooms with ink in 

their veins and booze on their breath. 

Ephron’s humor can be heard, but only 

faintly. At times, watching it is more like 

enduring a verbal assault by drunken Irish- 

American frat boys. Hanks, making his 

Broadway debut, is classic Hanks - lovable, 

touching and funny. “It’s New York City, 

who can relax?” he says at the beginning, 

before turning to someone in the audience. 

“Are you relaxed?” He makes a great 

Broadway debut, making McAlary a lovable 

rogue we have to root for even if we sometimes 

shouldn’t. 

McAlary, who bounced from tabloid to 

tabloid during his career, was a star even 

before he got the first interview with Abner 

Louima, a Haitian immigrant who was 

sodomized and beaten by white police officers 

at a station house in 1997. McAlary 

would win the Pulitzer Prize the next year 

but would die of cancer a few months later 

at age 41. Ephron, who died of leukemia 

last summer at age 71, gained fame as the 

writer of films such as “You’ve Got Mail” and 

“Sleepless in Seattle,” which both also 

starred Hanks. Ephron has structured the 

play chronologically, but as if it were a story 

told in a bar, with the supporting actors 

pulling each other into onstage roles (“Who 

wants to play Eddie Hayes?” one actor asks 

37 LIFESTYLE 


Singer Psy performs 'Gangnam Style' at the MTV EMA's 2012 at Festhalle Frankfurt on November 11, 2012 in Frankfurt am Main, 

Germany. 

Psy’s new song features ‘Psy 

style’ take on Korean dance 

South Korean rapper Psy is promising a 

“Psy style” take on a traditional Korean 

dance to accompany the release next 

week of the highly-anticipated follow-up to his 

global hit “Gangnam Style”. The new single, 

titled “Gentleman”, comes out on April 12, and 

the 35-year-old star will promote it with a special 

concert the next day in the South Korean 

capital Seoul. “I’ve been working and reworking 

on it continuously and I think the latest version 

will be the final one,” Psy told a local TV news 

program on Monday. 

US film director Martin Scorsese delivers the 2013 

Jefferson Lecture in the Humanities entitled 

‘Persistence of Vision: Reading the Language of 

Cinema’ at the Kennedy Center in Washington. —AP 

Scorsese appeals 

for ‘visual literacy’ 

Film director Martin Scorsese urged Americans on Monday to 

pay greater heed to “visual literacy” and to embrace their rich 

cinema heritage before it literally fades away. Scorsese 

appealed for a greater national commitment to film restoration and 

preservation when he delivered the annual Jefferson humanities 

lecture at the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in 

Washington. Like never before, people today are buffeted by 

images, said the 70-year-old Oscar-winning director of such 

acclaimed motion pictures as “The 

Departed,” “Raging Bull,” “Goodfellas,” “Taxi Driver” and, most 

recently, “Hugo.” 

“That’s why I believe we need to stress visual literacy in schools,” 

said Scorsese, the first filmmaker ever to deliver the Jefferson 

address since it was launched in 1972 by the federally funded 

National Endowment for the Humanities. “Young people need to 

understand that not all images are out there to be consumed like, 

you know, fast food and then forgotten,” he said. “We need to educate 

them to understand the difference between moving images 

that engage their humanity and their intelligence, and moving 

images that are just selling them something.” 

Speaking in a slightly musty wood-panelled auditorium within 

the gargantuan Kennedy arts complex, the fast-talking and bespectacled 

native New Yorker welcomed the innovations that digital 

technology has brought to his craft. Thanks in part to digitization, 

the Film Foundation-a non-profit he founded in 1990 — has helped 

to save more than 500 fragile old films that otherwise would have 

been lost to decomposition. “Today we have some really wonderful 

tools,” said Scorsese, who last week announced plans with 

Hollywood studio Miramax to make a television version of his Oscarnominated 

2002 film “Gangs of New York.” 

But to fully comprehend the language of moving images, it is 

essential to “preserve everything” from blockbusters to home 

movies by way of films that may not look like works of art on first 

showing, he said. To prove his point, Scorsese screened a clip from 

“Vertigo”-hailed today as a work of genius, but at the time of its 

release in 1958 regarded as just another in a string of crowd-pleasing 

Alfred Hitchcock psycho thrillers. 

“It came very very close to being lost to us,” he said, adding that 

over time, viewers can identify and appreciate elements in a film 

that might not be evident upon its initial release. Scorsese also 

unspooled portions of painstakingly restored 1958 British ballet film 

“The Red Shoes”-a seven-year effort in which he was closely 

involved-and a long-forgotten black-and-white Thomas Edison 

movie from 1894 of two boxing cats that foretold today’s cult obsession 

with YouTube cat videos. 

“Just as we learned to take pride in our poets and writers, and in 

jazz and blues, we need to take pride in our cinema, a great 

American art form,” he told his well-heeled Washingtonian audience. 

“It’s a big responsibility, and we need to say to ourselves that the 

time has come” to look beyond weekend box office numbers and 

start caring for films as if they were “the oldest book in the Library 

of Congress,” he said. —AFP 

“This is another very rousing song. Its title is 

‘Gentleman’. The dance is one known to all 

Koreans but new to foreigners. This will be presented 

in Psy style,” he said. After the Seoul 

concert, he will embark on a gruelling tour 

schedule of Europe and Asia in May and June. 

Psy, whose real name is Park Jae-Sang, soared 

to global stardom after “Gangnam Style”-a 

satire of luxurious lifestyles in an affluent Seoul 

district-went viral on YouTube and topped 

charts worldwide. 

The video, featuring his signature horse-rid- 

ing dance, has clocked nearly 1.5 billion views 

on the video-sharing site.The singer has been 

awarded one of South Korea’s highest cultural 

honors, the Okgwan Order of Cultural Merit, 

and was performed last month at the inauguration 

ceremony of new president Park Geun- 

Hye. In his interview, Psy forecast a long and 

bright future for the K-pop phenomenon which 

has become South Korea’s most high-profile 

cultural export in recent years. “It will be only a 

matter of time before K-Pop will produce many 

others like Psy,” he said. —AFP 

Tom Hanks shines in 

messy ‘Lucky Guy’ 

This theater image released by 

Boneau/Bryan-Brown shows Tom 

Hanks as tabloid columnist Mike 

McAlary, left, and Courtney B Vance 

as editor Hap Hairston during a performance 

of ‘Lucky Guy,’ playing at the 

Broadhurst Theatre in New York. —AP 

Review 

the ensemble. At another point, someone 

says while walking offstage: “And by the 

way, that is the end of me in this story.”) It’s 

cute at first, but soon grows grating. 

Ephron also has broken one of the cardinal 

rules of journalism - show, don’t tell. 

There is far too much expository writing 

and at various points, characters will tell 

the audience something and then pointlessly 

repeat it when they return to the 

scene. Adding to the frantic nature of the 

piece is all the modern toys thrown at it - 

projected images, archive footage, TV sets, 

smoke machines, desks whizzing by, even a 

live camera broadcasting a TV interview. (In 

one, the TV cameras block the view of the 

screaming newspaper headlines projected 

onto the back wall). Under George C. 

Wolfe’s direction, no scene can just breathe. 

So most don’t connect. 

With a cast of 14, only two of whom are 

women, Ephron has effectively surrendered 

the stage to the guys, even admitting at 

one point through one of her female characters: 

“This is a story about guys, guys with 

cops, cops with guys. It’s a very guy thing.” 

The women she does show are either a 

ball-busting, f-bomb spewing emasculator 

(a great Deirdre Lovejoy in two roles) or a 

sainted, calm, supportive spouse (a limp 

Maura Tierney as McAlary’s wife.) 

The dozen male actors swagger and 

bellow and carouse in various newsroom 

and cop roles. Some standouts: Courtney B. 

Vance is superb as one of McAlary’s favorite 

editors, almost stealing the show from 

Hanks, no easy feat. Christopher McDonald 

also is elegant cool as McAlary’s lawyer, and 

Peter Gerety is having entirely too much 

drunken fun onstage. The script veers from 

one scene to the next, often without building 

tension or meaning. The inside-baseball 

nature of the story - filled with freewheeling 

references to the city’s tabloid 

past and editors few may know - may confuse 

audience-members not in the business 

or New Yorkers. 

There’s a hysterical scene where both 

McAlary and his editor pump up their morphine 

drips while both at the hospital and 

another funny bit about the Atkins’ diet. 

But there’s also an unnecessarily noir 

funeral - complete with casket and a 

cliched umbrella - as well as a moving and 

excruciating monologue by Louima about 

his attack. Add to that various newsroom 

craziness and domestic squabbles 

between McAlary and his wife. They all 

stubbornly refuse to add up to much more 

than their parts. 

After 16 scenes over two hours, 

McAlary emerges as a complex figure, 

both self-aggrandizing and yet also someone 

who genuinely seems to want to “right 

wrongs.” He chased big paychecks as well 

as big stories, and Ephron seems to be 

bewitched by this lovable scamp. But the 

play leaves little lasting impression, like a 

day-old tabloid. —AP 

American pop queen Madonna is in 

Malawi to inspect the schools she 

has built in the impoverished African 

country, the native home of her adopted 

two children, her manager said yesterday. 

“We are coming to visit the 10 schools that 

she recently finished building with an 

organization called BuildOn,” said 

Madonna’s philanthropy manager Trevor 

Nielson. “Those schools which are now 

open and operating are serving 3,800 students,” 

he told AFP. The schools were built 

over the past nine months. Education minister 

Eunice Kazembe had last year challenged 

a claim by her charity Raising 

Malawi that it built 10 schools, saying they 

were rather classroom blocks, and not 

schools. 

But Nielson said the structures were 

schools complying with national standards. 

“There’s no controversy, the schools are 

built to the exact national standards of 


Madonna in Malawi to 

inspect schools project 

Malawi, like every other Malawian school,” 

he said. “The bottom line is that 3,800 children 

are going to school now who were 

not going to school before.” Initially she 

wanted to build a large $15-million girls 

academy, but the plan was abandoned 

after “a large amount of money went missing”. 

The academy was replaced by plans to 

build schools, in order to reach more children. 

Madonna, said to be the single largest 

international philanthropic donor to 

Malawi, also supports childcare in the 

country which is home to nearly a million 

children orphaned by AIDS. On Sunday she 

visited one of the orphanages she sponsors 

in the capital Lilongwe. Madonna arrived 

on Sunday with David Banda and Mercy 

James, the two children she adopted from 

the small landlocked African country sandwiched 

between Tanzania, Mozambique 

and Zambia. —AFP 

Angelina Jolie to 

sell jewelry line to 

fund overseas schools 

Angelina Jolie has opened another 

girls school in Afghanistan and 

plans to fund more from the proceeds 

of a jewelry line going on sale this 

week that she helped to design, celebrity 

website E! News reported on Monday. 

Jolie, a goodwill ambassador for the 

United Nations High Commissioner for 

Refugees, funded the girls-only primary 

school in an area outside Kabul that has a 

high refugee population, E! News said in 

an exclusive report. The school educates 

200-300 girls, E! said. It showed pictures of 

the school, which opened in November, 

and a plaque acknowledging Jolie’s contribution. 

Jolie also funded a girl school in eastern 

Afghanistan that opened in 2010, according 

to the UNCHR. Jolie’s representatives 

did not return calls for comment. E! said 

that Jolie plans to pay for more schools by 

sellinga “Style of Jolie” jewelry line that she 

helped create with jewelry maker Robert 

Procop. Procop designed the engagement 

ring given to the actress by her partner 

Brad Pitt in April 2012. “Beyond enjoying 

the artistic satisfaction of designing these 

jewels, we are inspired by knowing our 

work is also serving the mutual goal of 

providing for children in need,” Jolie was 

quoted as telling the website. 

Procop’s website said the “first funds 

from our collaboration together have been 

dedicated to the Education Partnership for 

Children in Conflict (founded by Jolie) to 

build a school in Afghanistan.” According 

to the Style of Jolie website, the newly 

expanded collection includes versions of 

the black and gold necklace that the 

actress wore to the premiere of her 2010 

movie “Salt,” a pear-shaped citrine and 

gold necklace, and rose gold and emerald 

tablet-shaped rings, earrings and 

bracelets. No price details were released. 

The jewelry will go on retail sale for the 

first time on April 4 through Kansas City 

jewelry store Tivol, Tivol said. Procop told 

E! that it was “an honor to have the opportunity 

to be part of creating this line with 

Angie, as we both believe every child has 

right to an education.” Jolie is not the first 

celebrity to open schools in faraway 

places. Both Oprah Winfrey and Madonna 

have funded the building of schools in 

South Africa and Malawi in the past six 

years, although both ran into trouble. 

Madonna’s project provoked controversy 

over costs and mismanagement, while a 

staff member at Winfrey’s school was 

arrested on charges of assault and abuse

Theia dress, Jones & Jones, $495. Kate Spade bangles, 

Handbags in the City, $38 each. Earrings, Bijoux 

Inspired Jewels, $83. Foley + Corinna clutch, foleyandcorinna.com, 

$150. 

Burberry boot, $225, handbag, $1,295, and 

dress, $495; all Nordstrom, $225. Rachel 

Mulherin necklace, Rachel Mulherin, $82. 

On Anna (left): Theia gown, Jones & Jones, $995. Jimmy 

Choo clutch, Nordstrom, $650. Earrings, $210; La Vie 

Parisienne necklace, $455; both Bijoux Inspired Jewels. 

Plaza Suite fascinator, Hats in the Belfry, $129. On 

Bethany: Theia cocktail dress, Jones & Jones, $450. 

Jimmy Choo clutch, Nordstrom, $1,250. Scala fascinator, 

Hats in the Belfry, $45. Necklace, Bijoux Inspired Jewels, 

$3,275. Kate Spade ring, Handbags in the City, $98. 

Theory pants, $220, and fringe top, $325; Alice + 

Olivia tweed jacket, $495; all L’Apparenza. Kate 

Spade purse, $318; Prada glasses, $475; both 

Handbags in the City. Pearl earrings, Jones & 

Jones, $98. Rococo Rocks necklace, Bijoux 

Inspired Jewels, $590. United Nude Ultra 

Rockerfeller slingbacks, epitomeatl.com, $440. 

Think film noir-inspired 

looks for spring. 

Beauty, drama-even a 

hint of danger-emanate 

from the black and white 

shades suitable for this season’s 

femme fatales. — MCT 

lifestyle 


Jason Wu dress, Ruth Shaw, $2,250. Earrings, $94; Oliver 

Webber bracelet, $345; both Bijoux Inspired Jewels. 

Diane Von Furstenberg clutch, Handbags in the City, 

$295. 

Slideshow 

Miss Wu silk collared dress, Nordstrom, $495. Chloe Alice Springs Large Tote, Nordstrom, 

$1,995. Cuff, Jones & Jones, $98. Rococo Rocks bird necklace, Bijoux Inspired Jewels, 

$350. —MCT photos 

On Bethany (left): Marc Cain print pants, $318; Athena earrings, $78; both Jones & 

Jones. Rag & Bone blazer, Ruth Shaw, $795. Avec fringe top, Lori K, $110. Isabelle Fiore 

bag, urbanminx.com, $350. Rococo Rocks necklace, Bijoux Inspired Jewels, $460. On 

Anna: Theory pants, $220, and fringe top, $325; Alice + Olivia tweed jacket, $495; all 

LíApparenza. Kate Spade purse, $318; Prada glasses, $475; both Handbags in the City. 

Pearl earrings, Jones & Jones, $98. Rococo Rocks necklace, Bijoux Inspired Jewels, 

$590. 


On Anna (left): DKNY perforated leather jacket, $995; Rag 

& Bone leather pants, $895; both Ruth Shaw. Muse dress, 

Jones & Jones, $165. Rachel Mulherin bib necklace, 

Rachel Mulherin, $130. Plaza Suite fascinator, Hats in the 

Belfry, $129. Kate Spade tote, $398; Dior sunglasses, 

$395; both Handbags in the City. On Bethany: Alice + 

Olivia leather jacket, $880, and dress, $798; both 

L’Apparenza. Marc Jacobs handbag, Nordstrom,$1,395. 

Rachel Mulherin necklace, Rachel Mulherin, $130. Tom 

Ford sunglasses, Handbags in the City, $495. La Vie 

Parisienne earrings, Bijoux Inspired Jewels, $70. 

Marc Cain dress, Jones & Jones, $568. 

Earrings, Jones & Jones, $115. Kate Spade 

bangle, $148, and ring, $78; both Handbags 

in the City. United Nude Ultra Rockefeller 

bootie, solestruck.com, $485. 

Performers walk through the street during Lagos Carnival in Lagos, Nigeria, Monday. Performers filled the streets of Lagos’ islands Monday as part of the Lagos Carnival, a major festival in Nigeria’s largest city during Easter weekend. 

— AP/AFP photos

By Ellen Creager 

It’s sleek, shiny and sensational. But let’s add two more 

words to describe Chicago for tourists: darn expensive. 

On Feb 1, admission to the Art Institute of Chicago 

jumped to $23 for out-of-state visitors. In the past month, a 

host of other price hikes that affect tourists have also taken 

effect: Museum of Science and Industry ticket prices rose. 

The Chicago Transit Authority hiked the price of passes to 

ride the L and city buses. Parking prices downtown 

jumped. Even the toll on the Chicago Skyway went up. 

Chicago has the highest tax burden for travelers in the 

nation, even higher than New York and Boston, the Global 

Business Travel Association reported last fall, when it compared 

cities’ taxes on hotel rooms, car rental and meals. 

Chicago has 2.7 million residents and 43.6 million visitors a 

year. It doesn’t need to offer constant cut-rate attractions. 

That’s the power of a popular city. 

So how can you visit without going broke? 

Visit in winter. With more than 33,000 hotel rooms in 

the downtown district and an occupancy rate of only 50 

percent in January and 52 percent in February, Chicago 

hotel prices in winter are about half of what they are in the 

summer and fall, when occupancy can hit over 90 percent. 

For example, the weekend of Jan 25-27, rates before taxes 

were $139 for the historic Palmer House Hilton, $135 for 

the Fairmont Chicago and $92 for Embassy Suites. Even 

adding the city’s steep 16.4 percent per night hotel tax to 

those prices won’t break the bank. 

I like Chicago in winter for other reasons, too. 

Psychologically, it seems to have more room. It still is 

breathtakingly beautiful on a sunny day. Skating at 

Millennium Park is free, and so is clowning around at the 

Bean (the shiny Cloud Gate sculpture in the park). If you 

can handle the bracing wind off Lake Michigan, strolling 

and shopping are relaxing this time of year. 

In winter, you can still ride the Ferris wheel at Navy Pier 

for $6, or take in the winter views from the John Hancock 

Observatory or watch the crowds from a window seat at 

lifestyle 

T r a v e l 

the nearby Ghirardelli chocolate shop while sipping hot 

cocoa. 

In winter, it’s easier to get restaurant reservations — 

and Chicago Restaurant Week is running now through Feb. 

10. With more than 250 restaurants participating, prices for 

a prix fixe menu start at $22 for lunch and $33 or $44 for 

dinner (for details, see www.eatitupchicago.com). It’s also a 

great time for theater. Get discount tickets for shows during 

Chicago Theater Week, Feb 12-17, with dozens of theaters 

participating (www.chicagotheatreweek.com). 

In winter, you also might score tickets for the hottest 

Visitors to the John Hancock observatory floor don’t have to fight the crowds of summer. 

Tourists at 

Millennium Park still 

visit the Cloud Gate 

sculpture, better 

known as the Bean, 

despite the cold. 

show in the country, “The Book of Mormon,” if you are flexible 

with your dates or seeking a single seat on weekends. 

The musical at the Bank of America Theatre has been 

extended through Sept 8. When I arrived in Chicago in late 

January, I heard grumbling from hotel clerks and even 

transit workers about all the new price hikes around town. 

Some affect residents, but most of the increases seem 

meanly aimed at tourists. For example: 

See the skyline of Chicago without getting cold, 

from inside the Lego store inside Water Tower Place, 

where many of the city’s iconic buildings are recreated 

out of Legos. 

Snowmen cookies in a bakery window in Chicago’s loop add to 

the winter fun. 

The cost of a day pass often used by tourists to ride buses 

and the L is now $10, a 74 percent hike over the old 

price of $5.75. You now need to ride at least five times in 

one day to make the pass worthwhile, because individual 

trips are $2.25. Prices for seven-day and 30-day passes also 

went up Jan 14. 

It’s now $5 to take public transit from O’Hare airport to 

downtown, up from $2.25. Art Institute of Chicago tickets 

for out-of-state visitors are now $23 (they were $18). 

Museum of Science and Industry tickets for out-of-state 

visitors are $18 (they were $16). And there are no more free 

days for out-of-state visitors to any Illinois museum — 

those were dropped 18 months ago. 

It’s now $6.50 per hour to park in the Loop, the highest 

city parking meter rate in the nation. Parking near downtown 

is now $4 an hour, and neighborhood parking is $2 

an hour. Parking prices rose Jan 1. 

The toll for the Chicago Skyway is now $4, up 50 cents. 

So how can a simple visitor from out of state still enjoy 

Chicago? Come now. If you have two or fewer people, 

don’t bring a car to Chicago — the parking alone costs 

more than mass transit or taxis, about $45 to $55 a day, 

even if you self-park. Take the train or a bus. Stay with a relative 

or friend. Seek out small neighborhood restaurants. 

Save your money for the few things that really matter to 

you — the symphony, a play, a museum, a great jazz club, a 

Chicago pizza, an American Girl doll with her very own hot 

air balloon, or just a hot cup of cocoa while looking out at a 

bustling Magnificent Mile.—MCT 

Winter in Chicago should include a stop at the Ghirardelli 

chocolate shop near the Water Tower, where you can get hot 

chocolate for $3.50. — MCT photos 

A small customer looks at the dreamy wares at 

the American Girl store in Water Tower Place in 

Chicago. The balloon pictured is really for sale, 

for $150. 


Visitors can skate for 

free in Millennium 

Park downtown, surrounded 

by the 

Chicago skyline.


Psy’s new song 

features ‘Psy style’ 

take 

37 

on Korean dance 

People wearing clown costumes ride a bicycle during the Humorina carnival in Odessa on April 1, 2013. Thousands of people take part in Humorina, an annual festival of humor, in the southern Ukrainian city of Odessa on and 

around April Fools’ Day since 1973. — AFP 

San Francisco’s other 

Chinatown - the real one 

There are two Chinatowns in San Francisco, one where tourists can 

buy conical straw hats and tacky souvenirs, and a second where 

the locals live, shop and eat. There are no defined boundaries-you 

don’t cross a street and step from Tourist Chinatown to Authentic 

Chinatown. Rather, the two overlap. A visitor can leave a neon-lit store, 

loaded down with bamboo back scratchers and plastic Buddhas, and a 

half-block away turn down a dingy alley dotted with shops and businesses 

where no English is spoken. 

“Chinatown is not a closed attraction. Anybody can visit,” said Linda 

Lee, proprietor of All About Chinatown Walking Tours (allaboutchinatown.com), 

which has been showing people around for more than 30 

years. “Walk up Grant Avenue, the main street, then go to the rest (of the 

area) for authentic tours.” 

What Chinatown is is a bustling neighborhood. On one recent weekday 

morning, men and women jammed the sidewalks outside markets 

where oranges and mushrooms and other produce-some strikingly exotic-were 

sold along with live fish and crabs; an elderly gentleman shuffled 

down the street, Chinese music blaring from a radio under his coat; laundry 

hung on balconies and from clotheslines strung over narrow alleys. 

This is everyday life in Chinatown, and visitors are welcome. Any 

street in Chinatown will have an authentic shop or business or two. But 

explore side streets and alleys. For example, Waverly Place, on a long 

block between Washington and Clay streets, has beautiful architecture as 

well as a plethora of delightful smells. Cut down Ross Alley, between 

Jackson and Washington streets, and you’ll find the Golden Gate Fortune 

Cookie Factory, a 40-year-old institution that churns out 20,000 handmade 

fortune cookies a day (and where a 50-cent donation is requested 

for photos). Step into any number of herbal pharmacies or tea shops, 

and be overwhelmed by the fragrance. The people are friendly and welcoming, 

even if you don’t speak their language. — MCT 

A woman deftly folds and inserts fortunes into cooling cookies at the 

Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Company, which produces 20,000 handmade 

fortune cookies a day in San Francisco’s Chinatown. — MCT 

This is not a TripAdvisor Top-10 list you want to 

be on. Runner-up status for world’s germiest 

tourist attraction goes to Seattle’s Gum Wall 

in Post Alley, second only to Ireland’s Blarney 

Stone. It’s a form of people’s participatory art 

apparently started by improv Market Theatre-goers 

in the early 1990s, who thought better of sticking 

their gum under seats and started leaving it on the 

brick wall outside. Over the years it’s grown vertically, 

horizontally and now is spreading to the wall 

Jean Yang gets help from Ankur Dhar in adding a 

wad to the Gum Wall in Post Alley. 

The curtain went up once more at one of Japan’s most 

important theatres yesterday after the famous playhouse, 

dedicated to the centuries-old kabuki performing art, was 

rebuilt for the fourth time. An elaborate ceremony involving 

incantations and large “taiko” drums was held as a big digital 

countdown clock, installed six months ago, ticked away the last 

few minutes ahead of the official opening. The theatre, called 

Kabuki-za, was first established on the site in 1889, but has now 

been rebuilt four times, this time as part of a 29-storey office 

block. 

The previous building, erected in 1951 to replace one heavily 

damaged in World War II, was demolished in 2010 due to worries 

over its ability to withstand earthquakes. Despite cold rain, more 

than 100 people, many wearing full formal kimono, queued up 

for seats on the top balcony to watch a single act, paying 2,000 

yen ($22), against about 20,000 yen for the highest grade seats. 

Breathless television reporting showed the scenes inside the 

four-storey venue, where visitors walked across ornate carpets on 

their way to stock up on the delicate “bento” lunch boxes that are 

customary during a performance. The 2,000-seat theatre-akin in 

cultural significance to Shakespeare’s Globe theatre in London-is 

the spiritual home of Japan’s indigenous kabuki, a highly stylized 

art in which all-male casts perform in extravagant costumes and 

mask-like facial makeup.—AFP 

on the west side of the alley, with gum stuck to the 

signs requesting “No Gum This Side, Thank You.” 

Visiting Cal, Berkeley senior Jean Yang called it 

“community pointillism.” The closer you get the 

more you see, though it’s not exactly Jackson 

Pollock. 

There’s a wedding proposal from 170 pieces of 

gum: “Will You Marry Me Nikki J.” There are business 

cards, coins, Chinese fortune-cookie fortunes, 

the Swedish and Brazilian flags, a 12th Man 

Seahawks tribute, gum wrappers and love notes. 

The Pike Place Market estimates the wall holds 

750,000 wads of gum. Its Preservation and 

Development Authority works to keep the 8-foothigh, 

54-foot-wide curiosity from going too far. 

Clearly, the germiest lists are not scientific: The 

Gum Wall beat out Paris’ sewer tour and India’s 

Karni Mata Rat Temple.— MCT 

Geisha women pose in front of the re-built Kabukiza theatre 

in Tokyo yesterday before they enter to watch second stage of 

the day of Japanese traditional kabuki act. — AFP 

Displays left in 

gum include a 

Swedish flag 

and a heart 

containing the 

name Clara. An 

estimated 

750,000 gum 

wads are on 

the wall in 

Seattle, 

Washington. 

—MCT

KT 3-4-2013_Layout 1 - Kuwait Times

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?